Senator McCain rejects John Kerry's vice-presidential question

"Arizona Senator John McCain has personally rejected a question from likely Democratic presidential nominee John Kerry as to whether he would serve as his vice-presidential running mate.

According to the Associated Press, Kerry asked McCain whether or not he would consider the number two spot on the Democratic ticket, a leading Democratic official said. A second official said McCain made it clear he would not change his mind."

Man charged in alleged plot on Ohio mall

"A Somali native living in Ohio has been charged with plotting with other al-Qaida operatives to blow up a Columbus-area shopping mall, according to an indictment unsealed Monday.

The four-count indictment, returned by a grand jury in Columbus, Ohio, charges that Nuradin Abdi, 32, conspired with admitted al-Qaida member Iyman Faris and others to detonate a bomb at the unidentified shopping mall after he obtained military-style training in Ethiopia."

Re: Conservative campuses?

BREAKING NEWS - Supreme Court Preserves Pledge
The Supreme Court ruled today that the phrase "one nation, under God" is constitutional. The decision is no cause for celebration, however, because it is based on a technicality: the court concluded that Newdow did not have legal custody over his daughter and therefore could not bring the case before the court. Still, a potential constitutional disaster has been avoided. Given the activist decisions of last summer it is a relief that the court has refrained from tampering with church-state relations.
[11:45 AM 14-Jun-04 | Stephen Beale]

Reagan tribute
The Insight story referenced in my Michael Reagan post below also discusses proposals to name various things after President Reagan, stick his face on stuff, etc.  What do you guys make of them?  I have to admit, I'm with Senator Frist on this one...
[11:41 AM 14-Jun-04 | Charles Mitchell]

Liberals Still Defend Alger Hiss

"President Bush has nominated Allen Weinstein to be head of the National Archives. Whereas the former national archivist is an ex-governor, this time the custodian of America's key documents would be a true scholar, experienced not only in rummaging around in primary texts but in running a Washington agency. Weinstein, a noted historian, is currently the dirrector of the Center for Democracy, which has helped bring election reform to nations around the world. But his nomination is being opposed by the Society of American Archivists, the Organization of American Historians, editorialists for "The Nation," and other liberal pundits. Why? Because Weinstein wrote the book "Perjury" proving that Alger Hiss was a Soviet agent.

Weinstein is being attacked for being too secretive in not releasing his research to other scholars (though actually he has) and for paying for access to the KGB documents (which was necessary to get them). The real reason is that he has exposed an icon of the left. America's academic establishment is still dominated by leftist ideologies, and they will never forgive a scholar for helping to prove that ideology wrong."

I heart Michael Reagan

"Michael Reagan, the late president's eldest son, put in a surprise appearance June 10 at a meeting of former Reagan administration officials gathered at the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, and by the time he was done there was barely a dry eye in the room.

"Now a radio talk-show host and considered by many to be his father's political heir, Michael Reagan provided some rare insight into what even many of his closest aides have described as an intensely private man. Acknowledging his gifts as a storyteller -- 'Ask him what time it is and he'll tell you how the watch was made' -- the younger Reagan shared how he was the luckiest member of the family because 'I was the one chosen to be a Reagan because my sister Maureen wanted a baby brother.'

"Adopted shortly after his birth in 1945, Michael Reagan credited his father for giving him 'a great name, a great home,' a set of values worth living up to and, most important, introducing him to Jesus Christ. 'The greatest blessing is that I know where he is,' Reagan said, 'and that someday we will all be together again in heaven.'"

Conservative campuses?

1. Washington and Lee University

2. Hampden-Sydney College

3. Brigham Young University

4. US Naval Academy

5. Samford University

6. US Air Force Academy

7. U. Mississippi

8. Texas A&M

9. U. Dallas

10. Wheaton College (the Illinois one)

11. Furman University

12. Auburn University

13. Grove City College (boo-yah Emily!)

14. Wabash College

15. Southern Methodist University

16. Allegheny College

17. U. Alabama, Tuscaloosa

18. Clemson University

19. Millsaps College

20. Texas Christian University

On Flag Day, Supreme Court rejects Pledge case

"It is okay for students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance in public schools. On Monday, the U.S. Supreme Court Monday dismissed the case brought by atheist Michael Newdow.

The justices decided that Newdow lacked the legal standing to challenge the constitutionality of the Pledge, apparently since he does not have custody of his daughter."

What a way to celebrate Flag Day
I just received this over email:

Between the field where the flag is planted there are 9+ miles of flower fields that go all the way to the ocean. The flowers are grown by seed companies. It's a beautiful place close to Vandenberg AFB. Checkout the dimensions of the flag. The 2002 Floral Flag is 740 feet long and 390 feet wide and maintains the proper Flag dimensions as described in Executive Order #10834. This Flag is 6.65 acres and is the first Floral Flag to be planted with 5 pointed Stars comprised of White Larkspur. Each Star is 24 feet in diameter; Each Stripe is 30 feet wide. This Flag is estimated to contain more than 400,000 Larkspur plants with 4-5 flower stems each for a total of more than 2 million flowers. You can drive by this flag on V Street south of Ocean Ave. in Lompoc, CA. Aerial photo courtesy of Bill Morson
[11:23 AM 14-Jun-04 | Jennifer Biddison]

Utah Tax-Funded Hospitals Can Resume Abortions on Disabled Babies

"Hospitals in Utah that receive taxpayer money can resume performing abortions on handicapped children, under a rule issued by the Utah Department of Health.

Hospitals had ceased doing such abortions after a new state abortion law went into effect May 3. Under the law, hospitals could lose their public funding if they performed abortions for reasons other than rape, incest, or the threat of damage to a major bodily function of the mother.

But, under the rule adopted by the state health department, a publicly-funded hospital can abort a baby with a disability if hospital officials can prove that insurance, donations, or a patient’s personal check paid for the abortion."

Female Voters Question Security

"Female voters are key to November's presidential election, and how they vote could depend on whether President Bush can convince them that his fight against terrorism overseas ultimately is meant to secure their offices, shopping malls and schools at home.  Female voters are "trying to understand the connection between the war in Iraq and the war on terror," he said."

Greatest headline ever

Bush Refuses to Proclaim June as Gay Pride Month

"WASHINGTON, June 11, 2004 (LifeSiteNews.com) - Several Federal employee homosexual activist groups are gearing up for "gay pride" events despite the recent refusal by U.S. President George W. Bush to proclaim June as Gay Pride Month.

The Department of Justice activist group, DOJ Pride was told by last year by Attorney General John Ashcroft that they would not be allowed to hold any events at all. According to DOJ Pride president Allison Nichol, Ashcroft also canceled the plans of a similar group within the FBI last year. Nichol said her group was considering suing the DOJ. In the past, Gay Pride events were paid for and hosted by the Department."

Red state? Blue state? Nonsense.

"If you've been following the election coverage, you know how angry you're supposed to be. This has been called the Armageddon election in the 50-50 nation, a civil war between the Blue and the Red states, a clash between churchgoers and secularists hopelessly separated by a values chasm and a culture gap.

"But do Americans really despise the beliefs of half of their fellow citizens? Have Americans really changed so much since the day when a candidate with Ronald Reagan's soothing message could carry 49 of 50 states?

"To some scholars, the answer is no. They say that our basic differences have actually been shrinking over the past two decades, and that the polarized nation is largely a myth created by people inside the Beltway talking to each another or, more precisely, shouting at each other."

"Most voters are still centrists willing to consider a candidate from either party, but they rarely get the chance: It's become difficult for a centrist to be nominated for president or to Congress or the state legislature, said Morris P. Fiorina, a political scientist at Stanford and senior fellow at the Hoover Institution."

"'What if Bush had not ignored the widely accepted Powell doctrine by launching the war in Iraq, never proposed drilling in the Arctic refuge and never supported a constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage?' [Fiorina] asked. 'It's the actions he takes that polarize the voters in both parties. A candidate who seized the middle ground against a polarizing candidate could still win handily.'"

Los Angeles Changing Its Name?

"The city of Los Angeles may have to change its name.

Also, cities like San Francisco, San Diego, and Santa Barbara could be looking for new monikers.

The reason?

They all have religious meaning in their names.

Los Angeles refers to the "City of Angels," while the others refer to names of saints. In fact, the official name of Los Angeles is "The Town of Our Lady the Queen of Angels of the Little Portion."

According to the Los Angeles Daily News, a strong legal argument could be made to force municipal name changes, based on the argument the names violate the so-called separation of church and state."

Re: Culture and Democracy in Iraq

Joe Biden is a weasel

"If you got the impression last week that Joe Biden has a son in the military on active duty in the Gulf, that's exactly the impression he wanted to give. While hissing at Attorney General John Ashcroft last week about the so-called "torture memos" and the Geneva Convention, Sen. Biden made a grand stand of noting that "there's a reason why we sign these treaties -- it's to protect my son in the military."

Biden's son, Beau, has been serving in the Delaware Army National Guard since last August, when he was commissioned a first lieutenant doing legal work as a judge advocate. He is serving honorably--and according to this article, he would be doing so without fanfare if not for his braying, exploitative stage dad."

The Forgotten American Holiday
Thanks to a fellow intern for reminding us that today is "the forgotten American holiday," Flag Day. This Web site provides a summary of the relevant historical background.
[10:00 AM 14-Jun-04 | Stephen Beale]

Liberal Versus Conservative Federalism?

Lech Walesa honors Reagan

Ideological Discrimination Alive and Well
Sometimes, after all the publicity it has gotten, it is amazing to believe that ideological discrimination is alive and well at colleges and universities across the nation. The story of economics professor and National Review contributor James Miller is yet another example.
[09:36 AM 14-Jun-04 | Stephen Beale]

Social Reform Goes South
It seems that Spain is finally catching up with its North European cousins and succumbing to the pressures of cultural modernization. The new socialist government is pursuing an aggressive agenda of social reform that includes gay marriage, abortion, and government-funded sex-change operations.
[09:28 AM 14-Jun-04 | Stephen Beale]

Pictures on C-Log

Oops

'Snobs & country music'

"Are you saying that people at Townhall are also part of the know-better-than-you-mob of elites who want to run our country from the top down & into the ground...?

"Sorry to hear, but glad that you've opened your mind & heart ~ & for the lovely lyrics!"

Re: From the Senate, a chorus rises in support of Edwards

From the Senate, a chorus rises in support of Edwards

"Democratic senators and Senate candidates are pressing John Kerry to name one of their own, John Edwards of North Carolina, as his running mate, in part because they believe Mr. Edwards would help Democrats in five tossup races in the South and give the party a fighting chance to recapture control of the Senate.

The Democratic senators, from the South as well as from other parts of the country, say the choice of Mr. Edwards would allow candidates in North and South Carolina, Oklahoma and Louisiana to openly associate themselves with a national ticket that they have mainly avoided. Beyond that, they say, Mr. Edwards would be a strong candidate elsewhere in the nation."

Report says Bush sought Vatican help

"On his most recent overseas trip, President Bush reportedly asked Vatican officials earlier this month to promote socially conservative values in the United States more aggressively -- a further sign that the Catholic Church and its members could play a key role in this year's presidential campaign.

Bush, whose reelection strategy hinges in part on winning support from highly religious voters, told a Vatican official that "not all the American bishops are with me" on social issues, according to an article in the independent journal National Catholic Reporter. Bush focused especially on gay marriage, the article said."