Crosblog

Of The Mind has moved to http://www.ofthemind.com.

Meanwhile, here, we're still too cheap to actually pay for this stuff.

Today is election day in Zimbabwe, which will be as predetermined as a WWE match, only less fun to watch. Mugabe's thugs have tried to reduce the more obvious signs of intimidation and repression, with the goal of conning the world into believing Zimbabwe's citizens actually prefer being starved by Mugabe, just because he hates white people. Of course, since Mugabe controls all the means for counting and certifying the vote, he doesn't really need to send out the goon squads all that much, just enough to prevent an MDC landslide, so he can claim whatever margin of victory he needs to make his absolute rule look legit.

The opposition is preparing to protest the vote, which Mugabe has already promised will be Tiananmened if he has anything to say about it. His is, however, more than willing to dialogue with those who are willing to knock off this nonsense about him being a repressive tyrant.

Ballot counting is supposed to take 24 hours. Mugabe will "win." Hopefully hard questions will be asked, both in and out of Zimbabwe, and people will persist with the story. For an outstanding review of the elections, see the always indispensible Publius Pundit, as well as Dave Justus.

Lileks:

I hear Michael Savage is encouraging something different, but I would rather listen to someone play a large flatulent bullfrog like a bagpipe than listen to him rant on the matter.

It's like painting a picture with words.

Mugabe and co. on the fallout from Zimbabwe's "elections" has to be read to be believed. Some choice bon mots:

ZANU-PF spokesman Nathan Shamuyarira dismissed Ncube as a liar and said government would publish its latest food aid distribution reports to prove that food was, indeed, reaching everyone, regardless of political affiliation.

That's right, folks, pieces of paper generated by Mugabe's government themselves! What more could you possibly need?

"We have a duty to ensure there is peace and order in the country. The security forces will not stand by and watch people subverting our national democratic processes to get a short cut to regime change - anyone who plans to engage in such acts should know that it is not only illegal but unacceptable," Mohadi told IRIN.

He said Zimbabweans had worked hard to achieve democracy, and "allowing it to be hijacked and abused by malcontents would be a self-inflicted injury on the part of government".

Protesting against us in undemocratic, and we will democratically wax your asses if you try it! (But always remember, the place where dissent is illegal is George Bush's America!)

He declined to comment on whether Ncube and Tsvangirai would face arrest for making the call for peaceful demonstrations.

"We may just have them killed. It's an ongoing debate, which is essential in a free, democratic society."

There may be reason to hope. People are noticing what kind of guy Mugabe is, both in and out of Zimbabwe.

This is rapidly becoming one of my favorite shows on TV.

Woman offended because Dr. House thought she might be pregnant: This is what a woman looks like! We have flesh! We have curves!

Dr. House: You have little people inside of you.

A doctor who hates people. Such a simple concept, so funny to watch. It's like a full hour of Simon Cowell, if Simon had any useful skills.

Cast of the next Surreal Life has been released...

It includes Jose Canseco, Omarosa, the lunatic judge from "America's Next Top Model", Balki from Perfect Strangers and Pepa.

If Balki does the Dance of Joy with Canseco, I will watch.

Mugabe rejects suggestion about inviting opposition to form unity government.

"Dude, haven't you been paying attention? I'm going to steal the election outright!"

Well, I'm getting what I pay for, no question about that. I definitely understand why others who've dealt with Blogger's extended vacation have announced they're moving on...

I lost a big post on that whole "death penalty overturned in Colorado cause jurors used a Bible" case. It was good, details about the crime, linked to the decision complete with quotes, and a number of Bible verses relevant to the issue of capital punishment, both pro and con, and a nuanced analysis of the whole thing. I faintly recall other brilliant ideas occurring to me throughout the course of the day, as well. It would have been the greatest collection of posts in the history of blogging.

Oh well, them's the breaks.

So China passes a law that says they have the right to invade Taiwan whenever the hell they felt like it.

Taiwan reacts about the way you'd think they would. They stage a huge freaking protest, complete with Democracy Babes. (Note - with apologies to Dave Barry, someone needs to put together an all-girl punk band called the Democracy Babes ASAP.) The march attracted...well, crowd estimation not being what you'd call an exact science, let's say it attracted a whole lotta people. That number even included members of Taiwan's Nationalist Party, which has as part of its platform closer relations with China and generally not pissing them off. The UN would really like the Nationalist Party.

And, of course, the Chinese reacted to Taiwan's reaction about the way you'd expect they would, throwing the traditional dictator hissy-fit that accompanies every display of public disapproval. It is Taiwan's unwillingness to be threatened, not the threats themselves, that creates instability. Resistance is aggression. Freedom is slavery. Glitter is a cinematic tour de force.

Archbishop calls for peaceful protests to force Zimbabwe Thug-in-chief Robert Mugabe from power.

Mugabe: Archbishop is a 'half-wit.'

Gerhard Haderer writes a largely disrespectful satire of the life of Christ, which he publishes in his native Austria. The book finds its way to Greece, which has less of a sense of humor about these things. Greek authorities file charges against Haderer, try and convict him of blasphemy in absentia, and, barring a successful appeal, would be entitled under EU rules to Haderer's extradition to serve time. (Note - in Austria, where he lives, and where the book was originally published - he committed no crime.)

Could perhaps the whole EU unity thing be forcing all Europeans to conform to the sensitivies of their least tolerant and most easily offended members? Whatever one may think about the culture wars here, the worst fate facing East Coast obscene performance artists is the loss of an NEA grant. Noone's talking about shipping them off to Alabama to stand trial for blasphemy.

Hat tip - well, since we all know what blazing hypocrites Christians and conservatives are about free speech when it's their ox being gored, it couldn't be the Corner. Not even for an opportunity to mock the EU would any member of the VRWC pass up a chance to compel others to exalt Jesus above all.

Down to just 8 in the Republican Nominee March Madness thing. Amazingly, #16 seed Tom Tancredo - a Congressman from Colorado notable primarily for annoying the crap out of his party leadership for his immigration positions - is still in the running, squaring off against Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour.

Other matchups are Newt Gingrich vs. Dennis Hastert, Bill Frist vs. Jeb Bush in the only #1 seed vs. #2 seed match, and Condoleeza Rice vs. J.C. Watts.

We gave up. We admit it. Maddy and I figured the game was over, so we turned off the Illinois game with about four and a half minutes remaining.

We figure that means we should get credit for what happened next.

This should be an interesting story. Norman Porter killed Jack Pigott during a robbery attempt. Arrested and charged, he then helped kill jailer David Robinson during an escape attempt. He received two life sentences, one of which then Gov. Michael Dukakis commuted. (He tried to commute the other one - a public outcry led by the victim's families prevented it.) He's been described as a model prisoner, which would be true if you ignore the part where he walked out of the minimum security prison he was transferred to five years ahead of any parole hearing and never came back. (Escape is actually a pretty big mark on any inmate's conduct record.)

Calling himself J.J. Jameson, Porter moved to Chicago, where he made friends as a poet, church leader, anti-war activist, and according to those who new him, all around decent guy, which is resulting in his lawyers floating the balloon of "he's clearly reformed, and shouldn't be locked up anymore," which brings to mind a couple points:

1. Escape from lawful confinement is a crime. He wasn't even eligible for parole yet.

2. Whatever else he was doing, every day Porter was free and anonymous, he was spitting on the families of Jack Pigott and David Robinson. Read what Jack Pigott's then-fiancee had to say about it, back when Porter was still free.

Porter apparently evolved into a poet of some quality - I wouldn't be the one to ask if he was any good. His circle of friends are trying to recover from the shock here, in a series of thoughts that make for enlightening reading.

...at least, I assume the NCAA uses a dartboard when seeding the tournament. They pretended Louisville deserved a #4 seed. Per the chief of the NCAA's dart-throwing chimps, Bob Bowlsby:

Nobody has had an answer for me yet as to who you take off of line three (the No. 3 seeds) in favor of Louisville.

Well, since Louisville should have been no worse than a #2, I'd say all of them, give or take. Gonzaga? Oklahoma? Well, certainly Kansas proved they deserved their spot.

In more important news, Illinois continues to play well. Up next is Arizona, and we're getting to the point where Arizona usually chokes in these things.

Problem is, this is usually where Illinois chokes as well.

When the justice system goes awry - the Americans who are involved know that just one question need be answered:

"How is this not my fault?"

On the one hand, regarding the recently acquitted Robert Blake - the prosecutor's theory - "The jurors were morons." Which may or may not be true - morons may find their way onto jury pools as they find their way onto reality TV shows or public office, but they call it "jury selection" for a reason, dude. There were other people you could have picked.

Compare the thoughts of two jurors in the first Brian Nichols trial. One guy was certain Nichols was guilty, and regrets his inability to convince the other jurors of Nichols guilt. As opposed to the jury foreman, whose refusal to convict Nichols is wholly the fault of the prosecutors. He explains he had a reasonable doubt because the state didn't prove "beyond a shadow of a doubt" the rape occurred. (Perhaps the juror misspoke - but pattern jury instructions explain that "beyond a reasonable doubt" does not mean beyond all doubt or to a mathematical certainty.) It is a doubt for which a reason can be given. To have a doubt in this case, he apparently found it at least somewhat plausible that Nichols' accuser had consensual sex with him, then later bound herself up with duct tape (medical personnel found evidence she had been taped up), then told an elaborate lie about Nichols with the willing assistance of her minister boyfriend, who also testified about Nichols' threatening and violent behavior.

By that standard, I don't see how any case of acquaintance rape could ever be made, since it never happens in front of witnesses. Of course, whatever issues may arise the next time Nichols goes on trial, lack of witnesses won't be one of the problems.

Ohio passes a gay marriage ban that bars "creating or recognizing a legal status for relationships of unmarried individuals."

Ohio also has a domestic violence law that makes it a felony for someone with a previous domestic violence conviction to assault a family member.

Correction - that may be "had" a domestic violence law. Since "legal status for relationships..." is now barred, a judge reduced a felony assault on a repeat abuser's live-in girlfriend to a misdemeanor, finding that the new language barred giving the unmarried couple any additional benefits.

Prosecutors are appealing. From the hip analysis from someone who's never read an Ohio statute or case - call it a longshot.

Tip - Mithras.

My cynical prediction in Zimbabwe was that Robert Mugabe's thugs would successfully depress turnout among the opposition, allowing Mugabe to "win" the election, which would then be spun as Mugabe actually winning, therefore the people of Zimbabwe are OK with him in charge, nothing to see, move along.

And, in a shocker, here's a report suggesting Mugabe's party will "win a landslide victory," if not of Saddamian proportions, then at least Chavezesque.

Believe it or not, there was actually an attempt at a debate between Mugabe's ZANU-PF and the opposition MDC. ZANU-PF supporters ultimately wearied of the idea of competing as equals in the forum of ideas, and walked out, but hey, the important thing is they tried, right?

Something I said on an unrelated matter feels relevant again for some reason:

I really wish Congress would sit down, take a deep breath, and repeat the following mantra prior to legislating...

Caring about someone's plight does not obligate you to pass a law. Not passing a law does not automatically imply heartlessness.

I don't know if I've actually encouraged Congress to violate that tenet, but I've certainly been more understanding of people who violate it recently than I have been in the past.

Anyway, thought it bore repeating.

Is even putting up a phone number that lets people vote for Mikalah, letting alone putting up incorrect numbers for anyone. I've said it before, and I'll say it again - Americans cannot be trusted with democracy.

Really good show last night. Carrie knocked the Heart song out of the park, I thought Bo did a pretty good job, and so did the one with the boobs, what's the name - Scott. More details here.

I actually can't pick a winner at this point. My best guess for the final four is Bo, Anwar, Carrie and Nadia - I'll say Anwar takes it over Carrie in the finals.

I'm probably missing an importance nuance or two, but the gist of this Tapped post does in fact seem to involve sending in a cavalry of some kind to deal with the turdburgers commonly referred as "the government of the Sudan." "Brutal thugs who are wrecking the Sudan" would be more apt, but hey, at least we all know who we're talking about.

The post is in response to this incident, where a USAID convoy was ambushed, and an aid worker shot in the face. The official Sudanese position, which Tapped is less than enamored of, is that it was an accident and anyway they had nothing to do with it. Tapped recalls an instance when brutality towards UN personnel resulted in the UN essentially standing down. This was in 1994 in Rwanda, and we all know how that turned out. The rhetorical question is asked "Are we going to let Khartoum push us around?"

I kid, but I agree. Let me also suggest that any long term resolution involve the removal of one Omar Al-Bashir from power. Dictator wrangling is expensive, labor-intensive, and doesn't allevaite that much suffering relative to what it causes, what with the dictator still hanging around doing dictator stuff.

Just a thought.

Check out these fake romance novel covers.

Tip - Instapundit.

4-year old brings bags of crack to school and passes them out to his friends, thinking they're candy.

Say, you know that project where kids have to gather up samples of local plants...

Via Publius come a couple of interesting stories...

Apparently Venezuela is going that extra mile and criminalizing "disrespect" of President Hugo Chavez. But always remember, when you think "criminalizing dissent" you need to think "George Bush." Cause here, if you write a book or make a movie or have a blog that disrespects the President, you in trouble.

(And no, "more respectful of dissent than Hugo Freakin' Chavez" is nothing to be proud of. However, the creators of the highly critical/disrespectful works have all managed to achieve some combination of wealth, fame, and influence, perhaps we here in the U.S. of A. are still substantially more respectful of dissent than Hugo Chavez.)

And finally, someone has done an in-depth analysis of the babe factor in pro-democracy protests. I'd volunteer to further research, but the spouse has advised me I've gotten all the mileage I'm going to get out of that whole missed flight thing.

All right, Evil Dawn wants to play the game, we play the game...

You're stuck inside Fahrenheit 451, which book do you want to be?

Never read it. But from what I know of the plot, is it possible this question was originally "What book do you want to burn?" If I had to pick any book to be, I'd say Shogun, by James Clavell.

Have you ever had a crush on a fictional character?

Catwoman

The last book you bought is:

"Shadow Account" by Steven Frey. Also bought a poker guide at the same time.

The last book you read:

Ditto. Bought it in New York to read on the airplane ride back. Got through most of it, then picked it up and finished it Sunday. Good airport book. Frey has a lot in common with John Grisham, only he works in the financial world instead of the legal.

There's always some young idealistic bond trader/investment banker/whatever who accidentally discover a vast conspiracy, then all by himself (more or less), brings everyone to justice. There are usually two or three beautiful women involved, at least one of whom is secretly working for the enemy.

What are you currently reading?

That would be the poker guide. I'm only partway through it, but so far, I'm still to poker what Barry Horowitz was to pro wrestling.

Five books you would take to a deserted island.

1. The Bible, same as everyone else. I should have read more of it by now than I have.
2. Shogun, James Clavell. - My favorite work of fiction ever.
3. Bullfinch's Mythology. - I was a huge fan of Greek myths as a kid. It'd be interesting to read them again.
4. Crime & Punishment - Never read it. Probably should.
5. Sports Illustrated Knockouts: Five Decades of Swimsuit Photography - You did say deserted island, right?.

Who are you going to pass this stick to (3 persons)
and why?

Because I think they may actually fill this out - and because they have the potential to come up with responses both shocking and inspirational - I hereby tag...

A guy whose blog regularly uses words like "discombobulation" and "bloviated".

A bastard, but a mighty bastard.

And a guy who does a lot of crack.

Mithras' recent post reminded me of the one lesson everyone should take from this: If you know how you want things handled if you're unable to make your own medical decisions - tell someone, then put it in writing, and make sure other people know about it and have a copy (talk to a good civil lawyer about the best way to make it official). The people who care about you should be spared having to wonder if continued treatement is what you'd want.

Driving in to work today, there was a Schiavo update. The friend and co-worker I rode in with asked me - "If I were in that state, would you tell my wife to let me die?"

Me: Should I?

Him: Yes.

Obviously, if that happened, and his wife wanted to keep him alive, nothing I said would change that.

My wife has said in no uncertain terms she does not wish to be kept alive by artificial means. We've actually never had the conversation regarding me, in part because I'm not 100% sure at what point I'd want efforts to end.

And if this case has taught us nothing, it should be that if you're not clear, it almost certainly won't be your call.

Mixed gender prayer service irks Muslims.

The Egyptian newspaper, Al-Messa, reported the service on its front page, with the emphatic headline: "They are tarnishing Islam in America!" It referred to Wadud as "the deranged woman."


A female Islamic law professor condemned the act as apostasy, explaining that a woman's body "stirs desire" in men. Some suggested the event was a U.S. conspiracy to mold traditional Islam into a secular American religion.

A female Virginia Commonwealth professor conducts a prayer service. Men and women attend. Apparently this offensive to those in the Middle East. And why?

In Saudi Arabia, Grand Mufti Abdul-Aziz al-Sheik spoke out against it in Friday prayers at a Riyadh mosque.

"Those who defended this issue are violating God's law," he said. "Enemies of Islam are using women's issues to corrupt the community."

Soad Saleh, who heads the Islamic department of the women's college at Al-Azhar University, considered the act an apostasy, which is punishable by death in Islam.

"It is categorically forbidden for women to lead prayers (if they include men worshippers) and intentionally violates the basics of Islam," she said.

She said women should not lead prayers because "the woman's body, even if veiled, stirs desire."

Saleh also suggested the prayer service was a ploy to weaken Islam.

"It's a foreign conspiracy, through secular (Muslim) organizations, to sow seeds of division between Muslims," she said. "But God will protect his religion."

Abdul-Moti Bayoumi, of the Islamic Research Center at Al-Azhar, said Wadud had carried out "a bad and deviant innovation" that contradicted the Prophet Mohammed's sayings and deeds.

Not allowing women to lead mixed gender prayers "is not discrimination between women and men but is to safeguard men from being conflicted and torn by human desire while they are standing behind a woman while she's bowing and kneeling," Bayoumi said.

I have as dirty a mind as any red-blooded male alive. But if he's "conflicted and torn by desire" when a fully covered woman is praying, Abdul-Moti Bayoumi is a pervert, literally, of supernatural proportions.

Also, can anyone explain why it's not a huge insult to Muslim men to suggest that they're incapable of controlling themselves when faced with even the slightest display of sexuality? Cause it sounds like it would be a huge insult.

Actually, I don't have anything to add. As I've said earlier, it's not a right-to-die case, and isn't about whether right-to-die is sound public policy or not, so much as it's a question of whether or not Michael Schiavo is a reliable source regarding his wife's wishes. Personally, I have my doubts, but all that is is suspicion, and reasonable people don't have to share them. Feel free to call Republicans hypocrites for involving the whole big federal government in this case - it's certainly not the sort of thing GOP principles would normally support. That said, if you really believed an innocent woman was going to be starved to death, and you believed there really hadn't been any real inquiry into her prospects - isn't a little hypocrisy understandable in those circumstances?

Anyway, skim around for a host of thoughts from all sides.

Dave Justus has a couple of posts opposed to the use of governmental power to keep Terri alive.

Cobiwann - taking essentially the same position.

Michael C. - Reluctantly siding with keeping Terri alive, due to suspicions that she's been kept from some important medical care that would clarify her condition.

Michael K. - More strongly in favor of keeping Terri alive.

Karol - Ditto.

Dawn - Not a matter for the feds.

If this issue matters to you, click around and see what everyone has to say about it.

Subtitle: Actually, screw that, main title: GIB WAS RIGHT!

How was I right? Let me count the ways - I'm packed, ready to go. Beloved Spouse is on the phone, talking with Lord knows who. The Duly Appointed Time for us to hit the road - you know, airline reservations and all - has come and gone. Roughly 20 minutes later, Beloved Spouse finally la-la's her way down, with no worries. In fact, she is so devoid of worries about getting to the airport on time, she finds my manic exasperation mildly annoying. Hey, we're out the door 20 minutes late, big deal, all we have to do is navigate Atlanta Interstate traffic for about 15 miles, right? What could possibly go wrong?

Cut to after the 20 minute delay to navigate around a tractor-trailer collision. We roll into the Airpark lot. Toss suitcases in the van. In such a hurry, we forget only one thing. One tiny little, insignificant thing, that being the folder with all our confirmation numbers and addresses of all the places we need to go. Van driver decides she needs to circle the lot twice before leaving, to pick up another rider. Beloved Spouse now thinks she can blame us missing the plane on van driver. Beloved Spouse is greivously mistaken.

A very nice person named Margie, who works for AirTran (note to self, send letter to AirTran praising Margie), hooks us up with a later flight. We are not, so far as we know, charged for the change. After hitting several broken internet kiosks, we find one that will actually take our money. Because this is on the front page of the blog, we get the address of the show we're going to that night. Because I know how far away from said show our hotel is, we now know where we're going. And, of course, we get there. For those keeping score at home:

Number of Travel-Related Catastrophes Nearly Caused by Beloved Spouse: 1
Saves Made By Dork With Blog: 1
(And remember - if you were there - I offered to let her tell the story. She declined.)

So, here we are. We make it to the right-wing comedy show. Beloved Spouse is on her own here, since the liberal I expected to keep her company didn't show up until afterward. Nonetheless, it bears mentioning that she not only behaved herself, but even laughed at several points. (Her favorite bit - the "gay marriage - green card" bit. I don't care where you're from, that's funny right there.) Got to meet Dorian Davis for the first time, as well as Zelda over at The Urban Grind. It was great to see Karol and Jessica again, as well as evil Dawn, once she finally deigned to join us. (Do you guys who see them every day ever get tired of watching Dawn and Karol bicker? Cause I could listen to them for hours, I think.)

Kudos to Ivan Lenin for a job well done, also. Down here in Georgia, you wouldn't expect to see a guy named "Ivan Lenin" perform a song called "Bullshit" at a show called "Republican Riot", which means Ivan needs to start touring. The sooner the better.

Thursday we saw "Avenue Q", or as Beloved Spouse refers to it - "Pippin With Puppets." (Seriously - Princeton is Pippin, Brian is Charlemagne, Gary is the Stage Manager. For song comparisons - compare "The Money Song" to "Spread a Little Sunshine" and "There Is Life Outside Your Apartment" to "On the Right Track.") Not that we're criticizing - we loved it, althought the seats at the Golden Theater were obviously designed by someone who hates people. We sat in front of someone who took their grandmother - she hated it. As well she should have - who in the hell takes their grandmother to a show featuring a song called "The Internet is for Porn?" Beloved Spouse also scored points for allowing me to lunch in the ESPN Zone, where I missed less of the NCAA first round than I would have normally.

Trip home - largely uneventful. Dogs claimed from vet happy and furry. Home in time to watch Vermont stick it to Syracuse.

Life is good.

Was that a great opening weekend or what? My bracket is shot to hell, as usual. I only have nine of the sweet sixteen. (Illinois, Arizona, Oklahoma St., Washington, Louisville, North Carolina, Duke, Utah, and Kentucky.) That's right. I called Utah. And a hearty "Up Yours" to the teams who let me down getting there, especially Alabama and Syracuse, who couldn't even be bothered to win their first round games. (Although Syracuse was my own fault, since I listed Vermont as a likely upset candidate, and didn't have the stones to actually put it down on my bracket.)

The West Virginia - Wake Forest game is on the short list of best basketball games I've ever seen. And with Gonzaga already out, and Washington relatively suspect as #1 seeds go, West Virginia could easily keep going.

...March Madness for Republican Presidential candidates.

Huge 1st round upset as #16 seed Tom Tancredo ousts John McCain. Conservative candidates are having trouble, as Arnold Schwartzenegger and Christine Todd Whitman are already gone. The 4-5 match between Norm Coleman and John Thune seems pretty even. (In fact, I've already forgotten who I voted for.)

Tip - Corner.

All right, what'd I miss? (Yes, I'm one of those people who can travel to New York City, the nerve center of the entire freaking world, and fall behind on current events.)

First up, because I have a bunch of open windows on my computer about it, is the Robert McCartney update. The McCartney sisters have repeatedly refused to take Sinn Fein's hint about how to conduct themselves publicly. (They're supposed to be grateful for Sinn Fein's committment to justice, and confident that although none of the 70+ republicans in the bar have gotten their heads out of their asses to tell what actually happened, they know all good republicans are doing everything they can to bring about justice.) Sinn Fein is apparently about to have their fill of this. Pressure has begun in Northern Ireland to make the official story how people are using the McCartneys, either with or without their cooperation, to harm the republican cause, and that's the only reason anyone would still be talking about it.

The alternative theory is, of course, that the McCartney sisters are talking to Sinn Fein's opponents (Ted Kennedy?) because Sinn Fein's friends have been a big steaming mound of used food in the help department. If Sinn Fein and company actually were the good guys, you'd think this would bother them.

You'd think wrong. The bad PR bugs the heck out them. The rest of it, not so much apparently.

Oakland University continues it's Cinderella run, beating Alabama A & M 79-69 in the Big Conferences Are Too Big A Punks To Give Up Their 6th Spot In The Dance To Let Every Conference Champ Have A Spot Memorial Play-In Game. Next up for the Golden Grizzlies is top seed North Carolina, and don't count Oakland out. Their star player, Rawle Marshall, has NBA potential, and while Oakland's 13-18 record isn't impressive, it does include games against major conference opponents, including Illinois.

OK, seriously, this game blows, and every #11 seed owes these guys. If we can't do away with this nonsense (and I say this as a Missouri Valley alum married to a Conference USA alum who's darn happy to see Northern Iowa and UAB still playing), then at least the guys who played it should get a decent home game or two out of it. UAB, UCLA, UTEP, and Northern Iowa should all clear a spot on their schedule next year to travel to Oakland or Alabama A & M, and give them a chance to boost their schedule strength, so that this stupid game must be played, at least there's a chance of passing the burden off on someone else.

(Or, we could get Al Sharpton involved. Does it seem to anyone else that the Southwest Athletic Conference, home to a number of historically black colleges and universities, gets stuck in this game a lot?)

...you go to New York City. (These days, if you're an Atlanta resident, you can pretty much go anywhere you want and expect your destination to be less violent.)

We arrive Wednesday, and we should be able to hit the comedy show everyone's talking about that evening. Having been advised in advance that the show would be politically skewed to the right, I dutifully warned the spouse:

Me: The performers will be telling right-wing jokes.

Spouse: But will they be telling jokes about me specifically?

Me: I can't imagine they would.

Spouse: Well, that'd be a step up from your shows, now wouldn't it?

For the record, while she may have been the subject of a bit or two during my standup days, she always came off much better than I did. I think it was because I kept using her as a sounding board:

Me: (Practices joke about spouse where she's the butt of the joke.)

Spouse: Eh...it's not bad...

Me: (Practices joke about spouse where she is portrayed as sexy, intelligent woman married to world's biggest dork.)

Spouse: Now, that's comedy!

I suppose Jon Stewart would have a very different routine if George Bush had any kind of editorial say-so.

We have tickets to see Avenue Q on Thursday, which I'm really looking forward to. As for what else to do there, that's still under discussion:

Me: We could help fix up a friend. Dawn Summers is looking for a guy. Do you know any rich, Irish Catholic black men?

Spouse: Did I marry you?

Me: Yes.

Spouse: Then it should be pretty obvious that I don't know anyone like that, shouldn't it?

What can I say? Love is letting the other person have the best lines.

...when Ted Kennedy and Peter King stop taking your calls. With St. Patrick's Day just around the corner, no less.

Sinn Fein and Co's wretched reaction to the murder of Robert McCartney continues to bite the republican cause in the butt, as Sinn Fein has now been barred from fundraising in the U.S., and Gerry Adams will not be a part of St. Patrick's day festivities, although the President and several high-ranking Democrats plan to meet with the McCartney family.

All of this comes on the heels of the revelation that two Sinn Fein candidates were actually in the bar on the night McCartney was killed. In a revelation that should come as no surprise to anyone who thinks SF is a collection of repugnant weasels more dedicated to the coverup then anything else, they saw nothing, apparently joining everyone else in the world's largest bathroom.

My guess is this - the IRA is trying desprately to cram together a story under which McCartney's killers either acted in self-defense, or are guilty of nothing more than reckless homicide or whatever the equivalent offense is across the pond - sort of a bar brawl version of a fatal traffic accident. Once enough witnesses sign onto this, they will come "bravely come forward" and confess to charges that carry a few months incarceration, at most. Gerry Adams will declare the matter closed, and anyone who's still upset about it will be "more interested in politicizing the matter than in justice." This will include the McCartney family, who have already been warned by SF about running for office against SF.

I correctly called 50 out of the 65 NCAA tournament teams, which probably isn't really that great. A fair amount of smaller conferences had upsets in their conference tournaments, sending teams like Davidson, Portland State, and Oral Roberts to NIT-land. (Where, granted, they'll have a much better chance to make some kind of run.)

Thoughts on the bracket - Louisville got screwed. 6th in the country, regular season and C-USA tournament champion, and they're a 4 seed? Illinois is going to have trouble with Oklahoma State, maybe the strongest #2 seed out there. Schools with a real shot at an upset are Vermont (vs. Syracuse), Old Dominion (vs. Michigan St.), and Niagra (vs. Oklahoma). My bet for the best 1st round game is Saint Mary's vs. Southern Illinois.

Tentative Final Four - Illinois, Louisville, Duke, and UConn, with Illinois beating Duke in the final.

Brian Nichols was captured Saturday. Some great updates on the whole thing over at Ramblings' site, including some talk about a real hero of this whole nightmare, Ashley Smith, who was held hostage by Nichols for several hours before she was able to persuade him to free her, after which she called the police, ultimately leading to Nichols' surrendering without further bloodshed.

Four people were killed, Judge Rowland Barnes, court reporter Julie Ann Brandau, Sheriff's Deputy Hoyt Teasley, and at some point during his escape, Customs Agent David Wilhelm. Agent Wilhelm was apparently not targeted as a law enforcement officer, but was simply in the wrong place at the wrong time. Nichols has apparently confessed to the killings, and charges will come as soon as everyone can sort out what all to put on the indictment. No comment yet on whether the state will seek the death penalty, but I can't conceive of it not happening.

First up, is resolving the case he was currently dealing with, the rape charge he was on trial for when he made his escape. His attorney isn't sure the case can pick up from where it left off, or whether he can even be a part of Nichols' defense any more. (I've actually Nichols' attorney a few times, when he'd have cases in my court. He seems like a solid guy, and I can't blame him for any reluctance to represent Nichols any further.)

My take - I think you have to declare a mistrial on the rape count, and put it with the state charges resulting from his escape. Since flight can be used to show consciousness of guilt, the state can probably try all of that together. But you can't ask a jury to go back to where they were Friday morning.

In other editorializing, this case has little, if anything, to do with the fitness of female officers to handle courtroom security. Deputy Cynthia Hall was ambushed, her gun taken, and she was shot in the head by Nichols, although she is expected to recover. However, a man of Nichols' size and apparent ferocity, utilizing the element of surprise, would probably get the same result on almost any single deputy. The real concerns for courthouse security are not letting any deputy (male or female) escort a violent offender by themselves, and whether or not deputies escorting prisoners should have guns instead of tasers or some other form of non-lethal restraint. That the courthouse had insufficient security wouldn't surprise me, since violent incidents happen so rarely that people forget how serious the potential is. In any event, it's premature to blame anything specific, and frankly, it's insulting to blame Deputy Hall for any portion of this while she's incapable of defending herself. And yes, it's the law in Georgia that criminal defendants have the right to face juries in civilian clothes, even if they are currently incarcerated. However, in certain situations, defendants can be restrained in certain fashions. Whether Nichols' previous history justified any particular additional security measure is the sort of thing that will hopefully be sorted out soon.

And, if you live in Savannah or someplace down south, try not to read too much about this, since I'm sure this trial is going to be moved out of Fulton County, indeed, out of metro Atlanta entirely. (And it probably should - I can't imagine finding twelve people locally who don't have an opinion on the case.)

It was not a good sign when Hezbollah flexed its muscles in support of Syria's continued domination of Lebanon. Syria and Iran fund and otherwise support Hezbollah using Lebanon as a staging ground for attacks on Israel, and while even opponents of Syria admire Hezbollah for their efforts, one wonders if Syria's willingness to make Lebanon a target for Israeli retaliation isn't maybe a bit stronger then the Lebanese commitment to same.

In any event, the opposition isn't going away. Today, an even larger protest is building in the center of Beirut, and the core demand hasn't changed. Syria gots to go:

"Hezbollah organized a giant demonstration last Tuesday to intimidate us," said Nada, 35, as she travelled to Beirut from Zahle in the east.

"Today we're taking up the challenge and invite it to join us because we represent the true majority of the country."

Added Anwar: "The Syrian people are our brothers. We have ties that go back centuries but the Syrian army and the mukhabarat (intelligence service) are no longer welcome in Lebanon."

Huguette Yamine, a 57, said Monday's poltical demonstration was her first.

"I came with 10 family members. We walked here all the way from the other side of Beirut. We've had enough. I want my children to live in a free and democratic Lebanon."

Keep watching...

There is some discussion on the left side of the blogosphere about how organized labor can rebuild its strength, both political and as a representative body.

A separate discussion concerns building a stronger relationship between the Democratic party and the military.

If I may be so bold as to suggest a way the Dems can kill two birds with one stone, they send someone to Detroit to knock some sense into the UAW. For years, the UAW has allowed Marine reservists reporting for training to park in their lot. They recently told the Marines, however, that foreign cars and cars bearing Pro-Bush bumper stickers would no longer be allowed to park there. The Marines have responded by refusing to park there at all. I can't imagine how insulated from reality the UAW leadership must be to not think this is a PR catastrophe in the making, straight out of the David E. Kelley School of Accepting Electoral Defeat and Moving On.

Hosni Mubarek says: Democracy cannot be imposed from outside.

He thinks: And it sure as hell ain't coming from me, either.

There was a modest sign of hope coming from Egypt over the weekend, but real democracy will only replace the fake democracy Egypt currently has if the spotlights stay on.

Hosni Mubarek says: Democracy cannot be imposed from outside.

He thinks: And it sure as hell ain't coming from me, either.

There was a modest sign of hope coming from Egypt over the weekend, but real democracy will only replace the fake democracy Egypt currently has if the spotlights stay on.

Hugo Chavez defends Iran's right to nukes.

Because if there's one thing an oil-soaked country desprately needs, it's an alternative energy source despised and feared by environmentalists.

But always remember, the list of world leaders who are being irresponsible in dealing with Iran begins and ends with names rhyming with "Gorge Tush."

A man facing trial in Fulton County, Georgia for rape and false imprisonment apparently grabbed a deputy's gun and used it to kill Judge Rowland Barnes and court reporter Julie Brandau. At least two deputies were shot during the assault, and the shooter fled in a hijacked car. Pretty much every law enforcement officer in Georgia is currently looking for him.

UPDATE - The Atlanta Journal Constitution has a detailed explanation of what happened here. Brian Nichols was changing from his jail jumpsuit to regular street clothes prior to facing the jury. The prosecution was going to wrap up its case today. (I don't know what the rules are elsewhere, but here in GA, a defendant has a right not to have to face a jury in prison or jail garb.) When Fulton County Sheriff's Deputy Cynthia Hall went to re-cuff Nichols, he grabbed her gun, shot her, and took her keys. Deputy Hall is in critical condition, but was expected to live at last report. He then went for the courtroom (and according to the description of the route Nichols took, he specifically made a stop in the courtroom before making his escape, where he shot and killed Judge Barnes and Ms. Brandau.

He then fled down the stairs and out an emergency exit. Deputy Hoyt Teasley pursued Nichols, who fired several shots, hitting Deputy Teasley at least once. Deputy Teasley died as a fellow deputy tried to revive him. Nichols then stole at least two vehicles while trying to make his getaway, assaulting an AJC reporter who resisted being taken hostage. His last known stolen car was a green Honda Accord. Per my fellow metro Atlantan Mike over at Ramblings, it is believed Nichols may still be in the city. Personally, I find it hard to believe he'd stick around, and a co-worker heard somewhere he may be headed to Alabama.

A man who committed suicide left a note claiming responsiblity for the murder of Judge Joan Lefkow's husband and mother. The man, Bart Ross, had a civil lawsuit dismissed by Judge Lefkow. In a letter sent to a TV station, Ross allegedly claims he broke into the judge's home to kill her, but was surprised by her husband and mother and shot them instead. Ross has, so far as anyone can tell, no connection to Judge Lefkow's highest profile aggrieved litigant, white supremacist Matt Hale.

I posted on Lefkow twice, found here and here. Personally, I never thought Hale had anything to do with it, although I did suggest the possibility that a fan did it on his behalf, which appears to have been wrong.

It is, of course, entirely possible, maybe even likely, that Hale himself had nothing to do with it. If the restrictive measures are being followed by all involved, and nobody's doing a Lynne Stewart imitation, Hale simply wouldn't have had the opportunity to order or arrange the murder. If the murders are related to Hale's case, the murderer or murderers may have just been sympathizers who took matters into their own hands, and, of course, an experienced judge may have ticked off any number of evil people over a lifetime of jurisprudence. And, of course, sometimes a well-known person is just in the wrong place at the wrong time

Given that the Judge's home address had been posted on a white supremacist website, and possibly America's most prominent white supremacist had just been convicted of attempting to solicit her murder, at least considering the possibility of their involvement falls within the realm of reasonable discourse. However outraged Hale and company may be over falling under suspicion, they can, as always, get bent.

Which brings me to Edward McDonald and Hamilton Sanchez, who were recently arrested and charged with the murders of the Armanious family in New Jersey. What apparently happened - a garden variety robbery turned fatal when one of the victims recognized McDonald - would have never gotten serious press outside the area it happened. However, lots of people speculated, with varying degrees of certainty, that the Armanious family was killed by Muslim extremists upset over the Armanious' proselytizing. Frankly, I thought that was the most likely reason as well. Frankly, there was ample reason to suspect it - the Armanious family had been threated online for that very reason, the murders were brutal enough to suggest a genuine hatred of the family was a motivating factor, and Coptic Christians have been harassed, even here in the U.S. (Note - I said suspect. Anyone who went all Queen of Hearts ("sentence first, verdict afterward") and reached their conclusion before the investigation was complete was hugely irresponsible.)

Another interesting factor in the Armanious investigation - when discussing the case publicly, the prosecutor repeatedly held back information, which fueled all kinds of blogosphere speculation about the case. Turns out the reason he did that was to lure the suspects out into the open, and apparently, it worked. The prosecutor took a boatload of crap from people over his public reticence. His name is Edward DeFazio, and he and the Jersey City Police investigators who worked on this case deserve a lot of credit for ultimately nailing the bastards.

If you're in doubt about whether to include a potential witness on a witness list, always put them on. It's much easier to release a witness than it is to scramble to add one at the last minute. That said, maybe issuing a subpoena to a shih tzu was a little much. (Funny part - the guy taking care of the dog actually brought him to court. Hey, he was under subpoena.)

In other news, Rae Carruth is trying yet again to appeal his conviction for soliciting the murder of his pregnant ex-girlfriend. I'm not too sure about the whole sentencing thing (haven't read the Supreme Court case in question), but my gut reaction is he's got a shot as far as his claim that admitting his victim's 911 call and statement to police was a mistake. Up until very recently, statements like those were not inadmissible hearsay when the witness was unavailable (say, because the defendant killed said witness.) But, under the recently decided Crawford v. Washington, statements similar to the ones the victim made in this case have been ruled inadmissible, unless the declarant is available for cross-examination.

I now pause to let an ardently Democratic co-worker utter a hearty "THANK YOU JUSTICE SCALIA!" in honor of the author of the opinion. (For the record, I do not take issue with the legal reasoning in Crawford. I merely note that on this occasion, when strict adherence to the Constitution produces negative real-world consequences, apparently Justice Kennedy could find no relevant wisdom in Bulgarian probate courts, and signed off on Nino's opinion.)

Having not read any of the briefs on the Carruth case, I won't say for certain who's right or not. But Carruth's conviction pre-dates Crawford, when the law was actually pretty clear such statements were admissible. But times have changed.

Tip - Sully.

I'm sure Cillian Murphy will do just fine, but after watching him on Law and Order: SVU last night, I think they should have gotten Martin Short to play the Scarecrow.

For comparison's sake:

Here's Murphy:



Here's Short:



And here's the Scarecrow (Batman: The Animated Series version)



If there's another sequel, how about Short as the Mad Hatter?



(Short as the Mad Hatter was the wife's suggestion. My wife can effectively cast second-tier comic book villains. Life is good.)

Georgia's parole board once had a policy requiring that people convicted of certain crimes were required to serve 90% of their sentences before being eligible for parole. The list of eligible crimes included:

Robbery, carjacking, aggravated battery, attempted murder, voluntary and involuntary manslaughter, residential burglary, child molestation, attempted and statutory rape and incest.

A Fulton County Superior Court judge has ruled the policy improper, and the parole board has decided to drop the policy rather than fight it, resulting in the eventual reconsideration of 7,800 cases of prisoners convicted of eligible crimes.

"They should've done it a long time ago," Stokes (the attorney for the prisoners in the case where the policy was struck down) said Wednesday. "I still think this is one of the most massive civil rights violations of our times, by continuing to confine prisoners beyond the terms that they should be."

Apparently the amount of time a prisoner sentenced to 20 years should be confined is something less than 18. (Probably considerably less, so as to be worth challenging.)

China recently passed a law authorizing itself to retake Taiwan by force, if necessary. Money quote:

''If possibilities for a peaceful reunification should be completely exhausted, the state shall employ nonpeaceful means and other necessary measures to protect China's sovereignty and territorial integrity," Wang Zhaoguo, deputy chairman of the congress's Standing Committee, told the nearly 3,000 members gathered in the Great Hall of the People.

Sounds like they have to exhaust all possibilites, which means if China doesn't try luring Taiwan back into the fold by becoming a multiparty democracy with an open society and a free press, they have not exhausted all avenues for peaceful reunification, and any attempt to reunify by force would be illegal under Chinese law. Further legal analysis will have to wait until Supreme Court Justice Anthony Kennedy can consult rulings by traffic courts in Mozambique.

In other China related news, Hong Kong chief executive Tung Chee-Hwa has handed in his resignation. There had been concern in recent months in Beijing about the sharp decline in the both the quality, and quantity, of his toadying.

The bad press continues to mount for the Irish Republican Army and Sinn Fein concerning the murder of Robert McCartney. Despite claims that all good republicans support the McCartney desire for justice, none of the killers have yet been arrested, despite the fact that many people know who they are.

Well, the IRA tried to solve the problem the best way they knew how. They went to the McCartney family and offered to have the suspects killed. The family declined this kind offer. Sinn Fein's defense - "Well, they didn't kill anyone. They just offered to kill someone."

Chechen rebel leader Aslan Maskhadov was killed when a routine Russian patrol happened upon his location. Maskhadov was considered the more moderate of Chechnya's best known leaders, compared to Shamil Basayev, aka "Osama on a budget", the architect of the Beslan massacre. Considered a terrorist by Russians, and not without some justification, Basayev is the real major league asshole in Chechnya, and the question remains open whether Maskhadov's death will cripple the Chechen resistance, or just unleash its less pleasant elements. Chechen P.R. wants very much to suggest the latter.

Peter Beinart suggesting Howard Dean lobby colleges to permit the military to recruit without interference.

Dean could probably make it happen if he tried. The GOP, however deep their commitment may be, probably can't - treating Tom DeLay as an authority figure instead of a zoo exhibit apparently costs one credibility in academia - but Howard Dean has the street cred with the people in a position to make the change. If he did, he would build up a lot of goodwill in blue-collar, socially conservative, pro-military voters who would then be more open to Democratic messages on issues like the economy, Social Security, health care, etc.

Bet it never happens, though.

After Rather departs, 'News' ready to forge on.

Heh heh. "Forge."

How does the girlfriend for one side's lawyer actually get picked for the jury deciding the case? Put aside for the moment the idea that the jury found the car manufacturer 9 times more responsible for the deaths and injuries then the speeding driver and unseatbelted occupants (though the driver had been drinking, he most likely was not impaired - blood test put him at .02) - how do you pick a jury for a case and not ask if anyone knows any of the lawyers on the case?

Had an ex-girlfriend of the defense lawyer on a case once. We never were sure which one of us wanted her off the jury more.

Tip - Volokh.

As fun as it is to concentrate on the hot chicks protesting Syria's continued control of Lebanon, unfortunately the buzzkills known as Hezbollah have gotten involved...on Syria's side.

Syria lets Hezbollah use Lebanon as a staging ground for attacks on Israel. A Lebanese government run by and for the Lebanese people may have a different take on whether they want Hezbollah making them targets. Consequently, Hezbollah is demanding that Lebanese take to the streets in support of Syria, and anything Hezbollah says they want should be taken as either a veiled threat, or a direct threat, depending on whether they actually use the phrase "or the streets will run red with blood."

There's a lot of international attention on Lebanon right now, and it needs to be kept up, because Syria could decide to go Tiananmen Square on those kids in Beirut any time they think they can get away with it.

Turkey's movement towards a more completely open system took a hit over the weekend when a group of women demonstrating for equal rights were attacked by police using tear gas and truncheons.

EU condemnation has been issued. As EU officials are heading to Turkey to discuss issues leading towards Turkey's hoped-for entry into the EU, whether any action is taken against the police may have a lot to do with whether Turkey's application proceeds.

Don't tell me you can't put dirty expressions on an NFL jersey...



All depends on how you define dirty, I guess...

Tip - Steve Silver

Saw "Be Cool" over the weekend. Bad movie, but the fun kind of bad. Vince Vaughn and The Rock are good in their scenes, as were Cedric the Entertainer and Andre 3000. Probably too inside-jokey for a lot of people too. Worth adding to the Netflix list, probably not worth paying full price in the theater.

Interesting story across the pond about the bad press Sinn Fein and the IRA have gotten over the murder of Robert McCartney, apparently committed by local IRA thugs who then destroyed evidence and have intimidated the almost 70 witnesses into not giving statements to the police.

The victim's family have waged an impressive battle, shaming the public faces of the republican cause. Apparently everyone knows who the killers are, but still, despite statements from both Sinn Fein and the IRA claiming every good Irish republican wants justice for the family, everybody still says they were in the bathroom when it happened. Gerry Adams and company have painted themselves into a corner, since the only result that would give the family any peace requires the police, and Gerry Adams has quite a bit invested in denying the legitimacy of Northern Ireland's criminal justice system. So, the result is, they say all the right things, while trying to do as little as possible.

It's an interesting thing to watch. Supposedly, Adams may face a backlash for the limited cooperation he's already given to the police at Sinn Fein's anniversary hootenanny this weekend. The family of Robert McCartney were all Sinn Fein voters and loyal republicans, and so far, their betrayal by the organizations they trusted continues.

A couple days ago, a Federal judge's husband and mother were shot and killed in their home. Speculation immediately centered on the followers of white supremacist Matt Hale, who was convicted of trying to solicit the judge's murder after she held him in contempt.

The investigation proceeds, with police looking for two people seen in the area that night. Meanwhile, The Honorable Joan Lefkow has gathered her family together, and showing more bravery than anyone has a right to expect, is promising to return to the bench.

As for Hale, who once demanded an apology for both himself and the judge for leading her to believe she was in danger, he's shocked and appalled. Hale released the following statement:

"I totally condemn it...(t)here is no way that any supporter of mine could commit such a heinous crime," Matthew Hale said in the statement released by his mother after her weekly phone call to him at Chicago's Metropolitan Correctional Center...

"I only hope they sincerely wish to apprehend the animal instead of railroading the innocent," Hale said. "Only an idiot would think I would do this. ... I totally condemn it."

On websites where the kind of people who don't think Matt Hale is an ignoramus congregate, they apparently haven't gotten the memo. Several posters have lauded the murders, and some of the few troubled by it are mostly troubled by the fact that this could work against Hale.

It is, of course, entirely possible, maybe even likely, that Hale himself had nothing to do with it. If the restrictive measures are being followed by all involved, and nobody's doing a Lynne Stewart imitation, Hale simply wouldn't have had the opportunity to order or arrange the murder. If the murders are related to Hale's case, the murderer or murderers may have just been sympathizers who took matters into their own hands, and, of course, an experienced judge may have ticked off any number of evil people over a lifetime of jurisprudence. And, of course, sometimes a well-known person is just in the wrong place at the wrong time, though at the moment, I've heard no evidence of robbery or anything that would suggest a motive unrelated to the judge or her family.

Always game to spice things up, the little lady agreed agreed to dress up as the latest blogger fantasy girl: The Lebanese Demonstrator.

Unfortunately, this ultimately backfired. Once in costume, she immediately demanded my complete withdrawl from her territory.

Orin Kerr has an interesting post regarding the "emerging consensus" cited as the new development that allowed the Supreme Court to overturn existing precent regarding the executions for under 18 defendants:

The states that banned the juvenile death penalty since Stanford v. Kentucky are Washington (by the courts), and (I think, from page 7 of the Streib report). Kansas, New York, Montana, and Indiana. But Washington, Kansas, New York, Montana, and Indiana aren't states that have executed anyone for a juvenile crime at least in the last three decades — and indeed, I'm having trouble finding evidence that any of these states ever actually did so.

The fact that death sentences are rarely imposed on juveniles is cited as evidence that society frowns on such things. I think it's at least arguable that the rarity of juvenile death sentences suggests that they're only imposed in the most extreme cases, and juries are giving the matter the serious deliberation it deserves. If death sentences were handed out across the board every time a 17 year old killed somebody, would there be less of a consensus? If so, should we use the fact that juries rarely exercise this discretion as a reason to take away said discretion entirely?

Speaking of discretion, what happens to the affected defendants is up in the air. As for the defendant named in the Supreme Court case, Missouri law mandates an automatic resentence to life without parole. (Simmons is 28. My prediction - further evolution of standards will free him by age 55.) Meanwhile, Georgia has no such resentencing provision, so what happens to Georgia's two 17-year old murderers is up in the air.

And speaking of Georgia murderers, Stephen Mobley's final appeal failed, and he was executed.

Picture from a pro-democracy protest in Lebanon...



Compare with a picture from a pro-Syria protest...



I'm thinking "Democracy: More Hot Chicks, Fewer Armed, Grumpy People" might fly as a motto.

Report says Kobe Bryant has settled his rape civil suit.

The big news is Roper vs. Simmons, where the U.S. Supreme Court has ruled that no one may be executed for crimes committed prior to turning 18. It's a long opinion, and I've only skimmed it, so I won't quibble, though I will cite someone who agrees with the end result who found the opinion less impressive than it could have been.

I did read this from Kennedy's opinion:

"Simmons assured his friends they could “get away with it” because they were minors."

I can't help but wonder if Shirley Crook would be alive today if Simmons knew he'd be executed.

Closer to home, the clemency petition of Stephen Mobley, which I supported, has been denied. In Georgia, the governor has no role at this point, and the board has the final word. Mobley's attorneys claim his clemency hearing was tainted by an accusation he wasn't given the chance to challenge, regarding his callousness after the murder, and are asking the Georgia Supreme Court to order another clemency hearing. Should the Supreme Court deny the request, Mobley will be executed tonight.

Tip - Clarified

A federal judge's husband and mother were shot to death in her home. The judge is notable for being the one who held my hometown village idiot Matt Hale in contempt, resulting in Hale's conviction for trying to solicit her murder.

Hale is currently incarcerated awaiting sentencing, under restrictive measures designed to prevent communication with his followers. The judge's address had been previously posted on a white supremacist web site.

I didn't see the "In Memorium" part of the Oscars, and truthfully, this wouldn't have occurred to me if I had, but if Theo Van Gogh wasn't mentioned, he should have been.

The man was killed because someone disapproved of his movie. Not boycotted. Not criticized on a blog or a newspaper editorial. Not even censored, whatever that word means nowadays. Murdered.

I hope he was remembered. I don't why he wouldn't have been. His art wasn't well known here while he was alive, but any artist murdered for their art should be adopted by everyone. He wasn't American, of course, but then, neither was Leni Riefenstahl.