A Chimpanzee?

Reuters reports on training that the Belgian police force has conducted.

On the cover of the training presentation a picture of president Bush's face was shown beside photographs of a chimpanzee. The purpose of the training was to aid officers in dealing with unruly soccer fans. I'm sure someone has an inkling as to the logic for this, but I'm a little slow to understand the point.

Read full story here.

The Galveston Plan

The AP reports on three Texas counties who are among a small number of state and local governments around the country that opted out of Social Security for government employees or never joined up at all, like Massachusetts and Ohio years ago.

An Estimation of the plan on an employee who works 37 years at an average of $25,596 a year with a monthly benefit of $1,250, versus $669 from Social Security. An employee who worked the same amount of time, but earned $75,000, would get $3,663 a month, compared with $1,301 on Social Security.

Read the ful story here.

`We Don't Want Your Oil'

I thought you might enjoy some insightful remarks from Sen. Harry Reid, the Senate minority leader. Sen. Reid recently visited Iraq as reported in Wednesday's Las Vegas Review-Journal.

"Every place we went, there were people with guns: men, women," said Reid, D-Nev. "It was remarkable."

"A lot of troops from Nevada aren't kids. They're white-haired men."

"I told the Iraqis every chance I got, `We don't want your oil."

Ok, so... Well, thank you for the powerful insight senator.

350 Eggs?

Yep, two men have eaten 350 Easter eggs. Ananova reports on Jeff Pyne and Rahul Patel's unique accomplishment. Read the story here.

From Mars & Venus

Great post on the real clear politics site today. REPUBLICANS ARE FROM MARS AND DEMOCRATS ARE FROM VENUS. Give it a good read.

It's My Money

Ok, now to Social Security. So can someone tell me why there is a debate going on concerning the "worthiness" of the American tax payer having some control over this out of date program? There is almost 13% of my paycheck that I have no control of whatsoever. Take a look at the logic in this article by Matthew Yglesias - a very articulate and insightful Progressive.

Hey Matt...It's MY money to start with.

At Least For Now

To be honest I never thought I would see the end of communism, or a former First Lady become a US senator, or a conservative majority in Congress, yet all have happened. You may be aware that there is a campaign to promote the idea that there is a lack of unity among conservatives in D.C. Andrew Sullivan thinks there is a conservative crack-up that he views as simply fascinating.

Hugh provides a perspective that sounds a little too partisan for me, but I think to be closer to the truth.

At least for now.

Troubling Issues

I have come across a post here on the Terri Schiavo issue. I missed it yesterday but I think you should take a few moments to review Carol's argument.

8 Million & Still Growing

OK, I have been less than diligent in posting this month. For the few who have expressed your dismay I say get over it and fret not because I am back!

Blogging is here to stay. Technorati reports that there are 8 million blogs on the net right now. This is up from 100,000 just two years ago. This morning I read an interesting article on the Wharton School Of the University of Pennsylvania web site.

More to come!

Byrd's View

The minority's right to filibuster president Bush's judicial nomination is a hot topic. In his comments Tuesday, Sen. Byrd defended the right senators have to use filibusters -procedural delays that can kill an item unless 60 of the 100 senators vote to move ahead.

He did this in part by comparing Hitler's dictatorship to the GOP's current tactics.

Heads are turning.

The reaction:

First, start by reading Byrd's full remarks here.

Then,
GOP Jewish Group criticized Byrd's Remarks
The Washington Post
James Taranto (WSJ Opinion Journal)
Daily Kos
Hugh

Shock, Pro-Life Student At Harvard

There is something new at Harvard. Pro-Life students. See Bronwen Catherine McShea's story in NRO.

Momentum....

A statue of Syria's late President Hafez Assad has been torn off from its stand in south Lebanon's village of Qana.

Read full story here.

Less Culpable Than The Average Criminal?

The decision today by the High Court's ending the death penalty for youth is a continuation of the Court's practice of narrowing the states' abilities to deal with the likes of Dyland Klebold, Eric Harris or Lee Boyd Malvo. Justice Anthony Kennedy seems to think that international law should be a determining factor for US law;

"It is proper that we acknowledge the overwhelming weight of international opinion against the juvenile death penalty, resting in large part on the understanding that the instability and emotional imbalance of young people may often be a factor in the crime."

Justice Antonin Scalia disputed Kennedy's reasoning,

"The Court thus proclaims itself sole arbiter of our Nation's moral standards--and in the course of discharging that awesome responsibility purports to take guidance from the views of foreign courts and legislatures. Because I do not believe that the meaning of our Eighth Amendment, any more than the meaning of other provisions of our Constitution, should be determined by the subjective views of five Members of this Court and like-minded foreigners, I dissent."

Kennedy pointed out that states' that do not allow the execution of juveniles views them "as categorically less culpable than the average criminal."

Less culpable, sure.

(updated)
If you find this subject interesting than you should read Carol's opinion.