“Rigorous review and analysis of the literature reveal that caffeine and other stimulant substances contained in energy drinks have no place in the diet of children and adolescents,” wrote Marcie Schneider and Holly Benjamin of American Academy of Pediatrics in a review of both energy drinks, which include brand names such as Red Bull and Monster, and sports drinks.
Saturday, June 4, 2011
John Bolton: US Can Stop Unilateral Palestinian Authority Initiative By Halting Funds For UN
A Congressional law that would stop funding for the United Nations if it recognizes the Palestinian Authority as a state would stop the plan in its tracks, says John Bolton, former American Ambassador to the international body and a possible presidential candidate.TweetThe United Nations is slated to discuss in September an Arab League motion to recognize the Palestinian Authority with borders based on the temporary 1949 Armistice Lines that defined Israel’s territory.
Writing in The Wall Street Journal on Friday, Bolton dismissed the possibility that U.S. President Barack Obama would take such action on his own. He wrote, “Mr. Obama is highly unlikely to do anything so decisive, which is why many in America and Israel remain gravely concerned about this latest Palestinian diplomatic ploy.”
Bolton noted that although U.N. recognition of the Palestinian Authority does not mean it would have membership in the United Nations, “It would nonetheless be a major Palestinian success.”
As far back as 1988, the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) issued a "declaration of statehood” and changed the name of its observer delegation to the United Nations from the PLO to Palestine.
“The Palestinians then campaigned to join U.N. bodies like the World Health Organization, reasoning that since U.N. agency charters allow only states as members, the admission of ‘Palestine’ would prove that it, too, was a state,” Bolton explained in his op-ed article.
He noted that at the time, Secretary of State James Baker warned publicly, “I will recommend to the President that the United States make no further contributions, voluntary or assessed, to any international organization which makes any changes in the PLO's status as an observer organization."
Bolton stated, “Although defeating the PLO campaign required further maneuvering, Mr. Baker's statement was the death knell of the ‘statehood’ push.”
After writing that President Obama will not take such action, Bolton turned to Congress, which he said “has a rich history of dealing with U.N. actions it doesn't appreciate. Rather than wait for a Baker-like threat, Congress should legislate broadly that any U.N. action that purports to acknowledge or authorize Palestinian statehood will result in a cutoff of all U.S. contributions to the offending agency….
“Reducing U.S. funding to the U.N. is the next available, highly visible, target of opportunity. It presents the U.N. membership with a fascinating question: Would they rather recognize Palestinian statehood, or keep America's money?"
Drone Strike Kills Al Qaeda Leader Ilyas Kashmiri
TweetKashmiri is said to be one of nine member of the al Qaeda-linked Harkat-ul Jihad Islami, or HUJI, who was killed in yesterday’s Predator airstrike that leveled a compound in the Wana area of South Waziristan. A Harkat-ul Jihad Islami spokesman told Dawn that Kashmiri was killed in the attack.
US intelligence officials contacted by The Long War Journal said that Kashmiri was indeed a target of the attack, however they could not confirm he was killed.
“HUJI’s statement is a sure sign we got him, we are pretty confident he is dead but we cannot confirm 100 percent,” one official told The Long War Journal.
Crazy Anti-Circumcision Activists In San Francisco Publish Anti-Semitic Comic Book, Ballot Measure Banning Circumcision To Appear In November
From the Jewish Journal:The backers of a ballot initiative in San Francisco aiming to ban circumcision in that city have consistently maintained that their efforts are not anti-Semitic.
But the “Foreskin Man” comic book, which was written and edited in 2010 by the founder of a San Diego group supporting efforts to ban circumcision in San Francisco and Santa Monica, gives further credence to the accusation that so-called intactivists are in fact motivated by anti-Semitism.
To see more images from the comic book visit http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2011/06/anti-semitic-comic-book-foreskin-man.html
The Jewish Telegraphic Agency reports:
A measure seeking to ban male circumcision will appear on the November ballot in San Francisco.Tweet
More than 7,700 signatures from city residents on a petition in support of the measure were approved as valid by city officials on Wednesday. At least 7,168 signatures were required, and more than 12,000 were submitted.
The measure, which would apply only in the city of San Francisco, would make it a misdemeanor crime to circumcise a boy before he is 18 years old. The maximum penalty would be a year in jail and a $1,000 fine. Circumcisions would be permitted only for medical reasons, with no religious exemptions.
Even if the measure passes in November, it likely would be challenged as a constitutional violation of freedom of religion.
“This is a tradition not only practiced by Jews, but by Muslims and members of secular society,” Rabbi Yosef Langer, director of Chabad-Lubavitch of San Francisco, said. “The Jewish people and spiritually conscious people all over the world will certainly—and have always—risen to the occasion so that justice, and the will of the Almighty, will prevail.”
The Anti-Defamation League and the San Francisco Jewish Community Relations Council have come out against the proposal.
Jewish boys traditionally are circumcised at eight days of age and Muslims at some time during boyhood.
Friday, June 3, 2011
5th Circuit Court Of Appeals Lifts Ban On Texas Graduation Prayer
Public prayer will be allowed at a Texas high school graduation after a federal appeals court on Friday reversed a ban won by an agnostic family that claimed ceremony traditions such as invocations were unconstitutional.TweetThe 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals granted an emergency appeal filed by the Medina Valley Independent School District. Its San Antonio-area high school was ordered by a federal judge earlier this week to forbid students from asking audience members to join in prayer or bow their heads during Saturday's graduation.
The lawsuit was filed on behalf of Christa and Danny Schultz, who said watching their son receive a diploma this weekend would amount to forced religious participation. The Castroville parents argued that traditions such as invocation and benediction excluded their beliefs.
Texas Gov. Rick Perry and various conservative groups, which had rallied to the defense of the school, hailed Friday's ruling by the three-judge panel.
"It should not be illegal for students to say a prayer at a graduation ceremony. Now, the federal court of appeals agrees," said Texas Attorney General Greg Abbott, who filed a brief in support of the school...
The school's valedictorian, Angela Hildenbrand, had filed an intervention lawsuit that claimed she was being deprived of her right to pray for her classmates and community during her speech. Upon hearing of the court's decision, she paused for a few seconds and then said she "took the time to thank God."
"We're just so, so thrilled with the court's ruling," said Hildenbrand, who was helped by the conservative Liberty Institute, which supported the school district's appeal. "We could just not be more pleased with how it turned out."
Gallup Poll: More Than 9 In 10 Americans Believe In God
According to a Gallup poll:
More than 9 in 10 Americans still say "yes" when asked the basic question "Do you believe in God?"; this is down only slightly from the 1940s, when Gallup first asked this question. Despite the many changes that have rippled through American society over the last 6 ½ decades, belief in God as measured in this direct way has remained high and relatively stable... Belief in God drops below 90% among younger Americans, liberals, those living in the East, those with postgraduate educations, and political independents. However, belief in God is nearly universal among Republicans and conservatives and, to a slightly lesser degree, in the South.Tweet
Grand Jury Indictment For Two-Time Top Tier Democratic Presidential Candidate, And Vice Presidential Candidate, John Edwards
A grand jury indictment on six counts:
TweetJohn Edwards, a two-time candidate for the Democratic presidential nomination and a former U.S. senator from North Carolina, was indicted today on charges of conspiracy and false statements.
The indictment is the culmination of a secretive federal probe that has been going on for more than two years.
The investigation has centered on allegations that donations to Edwards were used to support Rielle Hunter, his former mistress and mother of his now-3-year-old daughter.
Thursday, June 2, 2011
1790 Letter From Benjamin Franklin To Ezra Stiles On Franklin's Religious Beliefs
The following is the letter from Founding Father Benjamin Franklin on his own religious beliefs: Reverend and Dear Sir, I received your kind Letter of Jany 28, and am glad you have at length received the Portraits of Govr Yale from his Family, and deposited it in the College Library. He was a great and good Man, and has the Merit of doing infinite Service to your Country by his Munificence to that Institution. The Honour you propose doing me by placing in the same Room with his, is much too great for my Deserts; but you always had a Partiality for me, and to that it must be ascribed. I am however too much obliged to Yale College, the first learned Society that took Notice of me, and adorned me with its Honours, to refuse a Request that comes from it thro' so esteemed a Friend. But I do not think any one of the Portraits you mention as in my Possession worthy of the Place and Company you propose to place it in. You have an excellent Artist lately arrived. If he will undertake to make one for you, I shall chearfully pay the Expence: But he must not long delay setting about it, or I may slip thro' his Fingers, for I am now in my 85th Year's and very infirm. I send with this a very learned Work, (as it seems to me) on the antient Samaritan Coins, lately printed in Spain, and at least curious for the Beauty of the Impression. Please to accept it for your College Library. I have subscribed for the Encyclopedia now printing here, with the Intention of presenting it to the College; I shall probably depart before the Work is finished, but shall leave Directions for its Continuance to the End. With this you will receive some of the first Numbers. You desire to know something of my Religion. It is the first time I have been questioned upon it: But I do not take your Curiosity amiss, and shall endeavour in a few Words to gratify it. Here is my Creed: I believe in one God, Creator of the Universe. That He governs it by his Providence. That he ought to be worshipped. That the most acceptable Service we can render to him, is doing Good to his other Children. That the Soul of Man is immortal, and will be treated with Justice in another Life respecting its Conduct in this. These I take to be the fundamental Principles of all sound Religion, and I regard them as you do, in whatever Sect I meet with them. As to Jesus of Nazareth, my Opinion of whom you particularly desire, I think the System of Morals and his Religion as he left them to us, the best the World ever saw, or is likely to see; but I apprehend it has received various corrupting Changes, and I have with most of the present Dissenters in England, some Doubts as to his Divinity: tho' it is a Question I do not dogmatise upon, having never studied it, and think it needless to busy myself with it now, when I expect soon an Opportunity of knowing the Truth with less Trouble. I see no harm however in its being believed, if that Belief has the good Consequence as probably it has, of making his Doctrines more respected and better observed, especially as I do not perceive that the Supreme takes it amiss, by distinguishing the Believers, in his Government of the World, with any particular Marks of his Displeasure. I shall only add respecting myself, that having experienced the Goodness of that Being, in conducting me prosperously thro' a long Life, I have no doubt of its Continuance in the next, tho' without the smallest Conceit of meriting such Goodness. My Sentiments in this Head you will see in the Copy of an old Letter enclosed, which I wrote in answer to one from a zealous Religionist whom I had relieved in a paralitic Case by Electricity, and who being afraid I should grow proud upon it, sent me his serious, tho' rather impertinent, Cautions. I send you also the Copy of another Letter, which will shew something of my Disposition relating to Religion. With great and sincere Esteem and Affection, I am, Dear Sir, Your obliged old Friend and most obedient humble Servant B Franklin p.s. Had not your College some Present of Books from the King of France? Please to let me know if you had an Expectation given you of more, and the Nature of that Expectation. I have a Reason for the Enquiry. (I confide, that you will not expose me to Criticism and Censure by publishing any part of this Communication to you. I have ever let others enjoy their religious Sentiments, without reflecting on them for those that appeared to me insupportable and even absurd. All Sects here, and we have a great Variety, have experienced my Good will in assisting them with Subscriptions for building their new Places of Worship, and as I have never opposed any of their Doctrines I hope to go out of the World in Peace with them all.)Benjamin Franklin
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March 09, 1790 Philada March 9. 1790
Boehner To Introduce Resolution Tomorrow Demanding That Obama Seek Congressional Approval On Libya
TweetIn a resolution to be voted on in the House tomorrow, Boehner is giving the president two weeks – until the Pentagon Appropriations bill comes up – to either:
a) Ask for authorization for the military intervention in Libya, or
b) Figure out how to disengage the US from the NATO operation in Libya.
The resolution states: “The President has not sought, and Congress has not provided, authorization for the introduction or continued involvement of the United States Armed Forces in Libya. Congress has the constitutional prerogative to withhold funding for any unauthorized use of the United States Armed Forces, including for unauthorized activities regarding Libya.”
Boehner is explicitly and formally stating that the president did not check the box on the War Powers Act before sending the US military to intervene in Libya.
Congressman Allen West On CSPAN Washington Journal
Asked about Israel and PM Netanyahu, and whether his lack of criticism of Netanyahu's treatment of Obama is appropriate for a military leader. Skip to the 37:30 mark to see the answer to that question:
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Second Amendment Protection: Man Defends Himself With Firearm From Knife Weilding Mugger
The Second Amendment right of the people to keep and bear arms shall not be infringed:
A would-be robber wielding a knife got a surprise when the victim pulled a handgun, Colorado Springs police said.
The attempted robber ran away, police said.
The incident happened just after 8 p.m. Tuesday at the Power Wash at 3730 Randall Drive, police said.
A man was sitting in his car, which he had just finished washing.
Another man walked up, pulled a knife on the victim and demanded his money, police said.
"The victim reached for what the suspect thought was a wallet, but was actually a semi-auto handgun," a police report said. "The victim pointed his gun at the suspect, who immediately fled on foot."
Just one example of the literally countless and usually unreported instances in which a firearm was used in self-defense. Tweet
Wednesday, June 1, 2011
Should Nude Dancing Be Constitutionally Protected First Amendment Speech? Why Justice Scalia Is Right In Barnes v. Glenn Theatre (1991)
I believe that Justice Antonin Scalia has a better argument in the 1991 Supreme Court case of Barnes v. Glenn Theatre than the plurality or dissenting opinion. The first reason I find his argument most compelling is that it seems to recognize the fundamental point that the law in question which bans nude dancing in public within a law that more generally proscribes other sexual public behavior is simply “regulating conduct and not specifically directed at expression,” and therefore “it is not subject to First Amendment scrutiny at all.”
Should nude dancing be considered "conduct" or "speech"? In response to this question the dissenting opinion of Justice Byron White waxes poetic about dancing generally. He writes that “inherently” dancing “is the communication of emotion or ideas.” Does anyone really believe that dancing is "inherently" always about "emotion or ideas"? The dissent goes on to quote Aristotle on dancing. The dissent also quotes French poet Stéphane Mallarmé who declared that the dancer is “writing with her body.” I suppose you should with this logic extend the First Amendment to all conduct anywhere, because all that is needed is that you make sure to call it “writing with the body” first. The rhetoric is absurd in that it has no connection to a statute which is specifically being applied to nude dancing. The dancers are not “writing” with their bodies at all, they are providing sexually-based stimulating entertainment. It is not speech even in the broader sense as no idea or emotion is being expressed at all, it is dancing of a purely prurient appeal. If this sort of dancing is about expressing some sort of message or idea, what is that message? The dissent says it is an “erotic message,” but this just seems like replacing the word “entertainment” with “message.” I am not sure it adds any substance to the conduct to make it more about conveying a “message.” I do not remain convinced that at its core nude dancing is about conveying any sort of message at all. It should not be protected as "speech" or as an expressive "erotic message" by the First Amendment, and it should be up to the determination of local legislatures or municipalities to determine the local policy on the "conduct" that is nude dancing.
Admittedly, the dissent’s best point is that the dancing in this case is really not public at all as the law was being used against a club that featured nude dancing. In other words, it was private nude dancing “since the viewers are exclusively consenting adults who pay money to see these dances.” Also, the application of the law in practice is not consistent, as if to pretend that the “message would be muted if the dancers wore pasties and G-strings.” The dissent does make good points along such lines, but the better ones seem to be points about application of this public nudity statute to nude strip clubs as a matter of public policy rather than addressing the underlying question of whether nude dancing in public is protected by the First Amendment's guarantee of free speech. It still seems to me that the more basic point is whether this is truly “speech” within the First Amendment. It is the answer to this question that is the far more important one. And it is concerning this question that Scalia reaches the same conclusion as the plurality opinion of Justice William Rehnquist, while being more honest and direct about how and why he is reaching that conclusion.
He also does not try to argue by adopting the particular language of the "level of scrutiny." In fact he expressly counters that “I think we should avoid wherever possible, moreover, a method of analysis that requires judicial assessment of the ‘importance’ of government interests-and especially of government interests in various aspects of morality.” I think this is a fairly good point as well, and it is another important reason to find his opinion convincing.
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California To Pass Law Limiting Funeral Protests In Response To "Stupid" Supreme Court Decision
The Los Angeles Times reports:
Alarmed by instances of loud protests at military funerals, state lawmakers advanced a proposal Wednesday that would restrict such picketing so it is not disruptive.
The state Senate approved a bill by Sen. Ted Lieu (D-Torrance) that would make it a misdemeanor to picket a funeral in a disruptive way on private property within 1,000 feet of the ceremony.
"This is a bill that preserves the sanctity and dignity of funerals," Lieu told his colleagues before the 36-1 vote to pass SB 888 and send it to the Assembly for action.
The vote comes just months after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that Pastor Fred Phelps and his Westboro Baptist Church have a constitutional right to picket military funerals. Phelps and his congregation do so claiming the deaths of U.S. soldiers are divine retribution for the country's toleration of homosexuality. The picketing has included signs that read "Thank God for Dead Soldiers," and "God Hates Fags."
Lieu said he crafted the state legislation to comply with the limits set by the court ruling.
"I accept the fact that the U.S. Supreme Court has the power to render stupid decisions, but protesters should not be able to disrupt actual funeral services,"’ Lieu said.
To those that think this goes against the Supreme Court's ruling, as Sen. Lieu might, the Supreme Court in Snyder v. Phelps (2011) in fact expressly stated: "That said, '[e]ven protected speech is not equally permissible in all places and at all times.' Westboro’s choice of where and when to conduct its picketing is not beyond the Government’s regulatory reach—it is 'subject to reasonable time, place, or manner restrictions' that are consistent with the standards announced in this Court’s precedents. Maryland now has a law imposing restrictions on funeral picketing, as do 43 other States and the Federal Government. To the extent these laws are content neutral, they raise very different questions from the tort verdict at issue in this case. Maryland’s law, however, was not in effect at the time of the events at issue here, so we have no occasion to consider how it might apply to facts such as those before us, or whether it or other similar regulations are constitutional."
In the Supreme Court decision from a few months ago, the father of the fallen soldier Matthew Snyder filed a lawsuit based on the tort of intentional infliction of emotional distress ("IIED") against Westboro based on the protests relatively near the Church service (though not directly nearby at all) and some vile internet postings about their son. The father won a $5 million dollar award from the jury for his successful tort claim. The Supreme Court ruled that "the jury verdict imposing tort liability on Westboro for intentional infliction of emotional distress must be set aside." The Court said that even though Westboro contained "messages related to Matthew Snyder or the Snyders specifically, that would not change the fact that the overall thrust and dominant theme of Westboro’s demonstration spoke to broader public issues." The Court basically then ruled, "Given that Westboro’s speech was at a public place on a matter of public concern, that speech is entitled to 'special protection' under the First Amendment " That was pretty much the extent of the ruling.
They did not, however, as the quote above makes absolutely clear, address the issue of a State law like the new CA one or like many other States have passed as well. In fact, they expressly pointed out that they were not ruling on those sorts of laws at all and strongly hinted that such a law would be upheld as Constitutional.
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Tuesday, May 31, 2011
Raoul Berger: Justice Brennan vs. The Constitution
Though Harvard Law Professor Raoul Berger was writing in 1988 about Justice Brennan, his criticism of Brennan can easily be applied to the Supreme Court Justices today that still adhere to the same sort of illegitimate non-originalist "living Constitution" interpretations of our nation's fundamental law. It is therefore still very much worth reading. To read this article visit http://lawdigithttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifalcommons.bc.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1874&context=bclr&sei-redir=1#search=%22The+peculiar+circumstances+of+the+moment+may+render+a+measure+site:.edu%22 Tweet
Weinergate: Congressman’s Media Meltdown Where Belligerent Weiner Refuses To Answer Questions, Calls CNN Producer "Jackass"
By failing to answer the most simple questions in this belligerent exchange about the supposed "hacking" of his twitter account resulting in the sending of a lewd picture to a college girl, Congressman Anthony "Probably Was Thinking With His" Weiner is making himself seem like nothing more than a complete incompetent at his own cover-up:
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WSJ's Bari Weiss: David Mamet's Coming Out Party
Bari Weiss writes for the Wall Street Journal: "They mistitled it," he insists. Mr. Mamet had given the piece the far more staid title, "Political Civility." But the Voice's headline was truth in advertising. "I took the liberal view for many decades, but I believe I have changed my mind," Mr. Mamet wrote, referring to his prior self as, yes, a "brain-dead liberal."In March 2008, David Mamet was outed in the Village Voice. The Pulitzer Prize-winning playwright had a comedy about an American president running on Broadway, and—perhaps to help with ticket sales—decided to write an article about the election season. The headline was subtle: "Why I Am No Longer a 'Brain-Dead Liberal.'"http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
To read the full article about the famous playwright becoming conservative visit http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304520804576347110395478634.html
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Texas Adopts "Loser Pays" System For Tort Litigation.
National Review reports that Texas has adopted a "loser pays" system for tort litigation:
TweetIn a unanimous vote last week, the Texas senate adopted ‘loser pays’ tort-reform legislation, which says that a plaintiff must pay the winning party’s legal fees if their complaint is judged to be groundless. On Wednesday, the Texas house concurred. Governor Perry, who had championed the legislation from its inception, signed it Monday night.
The Wall Street Journal editorialized, “This Texas upgrade will build on reforms in 2003 and 2005 that have vastly improved the legal climate in what has not coincidentally become the country’s best state for job creation. Texas rewrote everything from class-action certification to product liability” — and I would add the state’s medical-malpractice reforms to that list.
No wonder the nation’s CEOs list Texas as the best state for business.
House GOP Staying Strong On Fiscal Reform
Tweet“To back away from this or to get skittish for fear of losing a few seats or even the majority would be pretty darn irresponsible,” Rep. Phil Gingrey (R-Ga.) told The Hill.
Though that kind of view might be expected from a member of the House’s Tea Party Caucus like Gingrey, it is broadly shared, even by more centrist figures like strategist Mark McKinnon.
“Republicans should not run from the Ryan plan,” McKinnon said. “That is a lose-lose proposition. We’re tagged with it anyway, so running doesn’t help. But it’s also a bold and courageous plan that I believe, over the long run, voters will recognize and reward.”
GOP leaders on the Sunday talk shows rallied around the Ryan plan even as they acknowledged the role it played in last week’s loss of a GOP-leaning district. Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (Ky.) said he voted for the Ryan plan, while House Majority Leader Eric Cantor (R-Va.) said he “absolutely” stood behind it.
The result in New York highlights the danger Republicans face of becoming trapped between a fiscally hawkish base on the one hand and a general population that dislikes specific government cuts (even if it supports the idea in the abstract) on the other…
“I think it would be dangerous for my party to assume NY-26 is a one-off, though it may well be,” Gingrey acknowledged. “But it might be a blessing in disguise [prompting us] to make sure the messaging is correct, honest and effective. Certainly, we need to examine that.”
Monday, May 30, 2011
Reuters: Memorial Day Had Its Beginnings In Civil War
Reuters writes:Bands will play, soldiers will march and wreaths will be laid on Monday as America commemorates the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice.
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While Memorial Day celebrates the brave soldier, it also serves as a reminder of war's grimmest reality.
"Men love war. It's exciting and glorious," said Charleston, South Carolina historian Robert Rosen, but, he added, "There is a price."
In 1866, the Civil War had ended and few wanted to remember the bloody conflict, which killed more than 620,000 men, more than almost all subsequent wars, according to Rosen.
While 24 cities vie for the title of the first Memorial Day celebration, President Lyndon Johnson proclaimed Waterloo, New York, the birthplace in 1966.
Even with Civil War wounds fresh in 1866, Waterloo pharmacist Henry Wells had noted that traffic to the graves of veterans had thinned. He feared a day when people forgot the horrors of war, according to Waterloo historian Caren Cleaveland.
"The first Memorial Day was organized as a day of mourning. The city was draped in black and the parade was solemn," said Cleaveland, chairperson of the American Civil War Memorial in Waterloo.
Originally, May 30 was the celebration day, designated in an 1868 order by General John Logan, commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, a Union veterans organization.
That year, President James Garfield became the first president to lay a wreath on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery. Five thousand joined him in decorating graves on the former estate of Confederate General Robert E. Lee, according to History.com.
In 1971, Congress made designated the last Monday in May as a national holiday for Memorial Day to give Americans a three-day weekend.
Many now consider that weekend the start of the summer season and are more likely to indulge in beaches and barbecues than think about the holiday's original meaning or take part in memorial events.
RECONCILIATION GOAL
While the one original goal of the day was reconciliation of the opposing sides in the Civil War, it would take World War One for the South to fully embrace the holiday in lieu of its own designated day.
Many Southern states still recognize a Confederate Memorial Day, though not all on the same dates, for the fallen men in gray.
Southern women are credited in many cities for beginning "Decoration Day" by putting flowers on soldier's graves, a precursor of Memorial Day.
In April of 1862, a group of women and a Michigan chaplain in Arlington Heights, Virginia declared 'How lonely and cheerless the bare graves of the soldiers look." They began an annual pilgrimage to dead fighters' graves with bouquets, according to The Center for Civil War Research.
On the eve of Confederate General Joseph Johnston's expected defeat as the war sputtered to a complete end, Sue Vaughn called on the 'Daughters of the Southland' to gather on April 26, 1865.
They met at the cemetery to 'garland the graves of our fallen braves' in commemoration of their valor and patriotism,' according to The Center for Civil War Research.
The Civil War saw African Americans serving as Union soldiers in significant numbers in the conflict that saw the end of slavery, and Yale historian David W. Wright uncovered evidence freed slaves held what could be considered the first memorial day on May 5, 1865 in Charleston.
They staged a parade 10,000 people strong on a racecourse, once the playground for the wealthy. It had transformed into a prison camp for Union soldiers and the burial ground for 257 of them. The freed slaves marked the day with songs of liberty.
In that case, the first memorial ceremony for America's bloodiest war may have been where the Civil War fighting started -- at Fort Sumter in Charleston harbor 150 years ago.
Today, Memorial Day commemorates the dead from every war, including modern day Afghanistan and Iraq.
Senior Iranian Cleric And "Spiritual Mentor" To Ahmadenijad: Suicide Attacks Against Israelis The Obligation Of Every Muslim
YNet News reports:
Evil words in Islamic Republic: A senior Iranian cleric, who is known as President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's spiritual mentor, urged followers to continue suicide attacks against Israelis, including children.
Ayatollah Mohammad Taghi Mesbah, considered one of the Islamic Republic's most radical clerics, issued a religious edict on his website whereby suicide attacks are not only legitimate but are a must for every Muslim.Tweet
Ben Shapiro: "Jews In Name Only"
Which is why they are known as JINOs.The only way to reconcile that high level of support for Israel with a high level of support for an anti-Israel, anti-Semitic administration lies in the fact that all voters have priorities, and thahttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift Israel is not these voters' highest priority.
To read the full article by Ben Shapiro click here.
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British, Afghan Commandos Capture Two Taliban Leaders
Two key Taliban military leaders were captured alive without a single shot fired:
TweetA crack SAS team has captured two top Taliban commanders without a shot being fired in a secret dawn raid in Afghanistan.
The 12 elite troops seized Maulawi Rahman and Maulawi Mohammed at a high-walled compound north of the remote town of Babaji in Helmand province.
Both men, who surrendered without a fight, are said to have been close confidants of Osama Bin Laden, the terror mastermind killed by US Special Forces in Pakistan last month.
Time's Joe Klein Doesn't Know The Facts, Claims Obama Has Better Relationship With Military Than Bush
I guess General Stanley McChrystal missed the memo about Obama having a better relationship with military commanders than Bush:
The latest Gallup poll:
TweetU.S. military veterans and those currently on active military duty are less likely to approve of President Obama’s job performance than are Americans of comparable ages who are not in the military. …
Thirty-seven percent of all active-duty military personnel and veterans surveyed approved of the job Obama is doing during the January 2010 to April 2011 time frame. That compares with 48% of nonveterans interviewed during the same period.
Obama’s approval rating varies by age, with younger Americans in general most likely to approve and older Americans least likely. The gap in approval between veterans/active duty military and nonveterans persists across the age spectrum, from 18- to 29-year-olds to those 80 and older.
Surprise: Experts Find Red Bull Is Bad For Children
This just in...
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President Benjamin Harrison Memorial Day ("Decoration Day") Remarks In 1891
Remarks During Decoration Day Ceremonies in Independence Hall, Philadelphia,
May 30, 1891:Mr. Mayor, Comrades of the Grand Army of the Republic, and Fellow-Citizens:
I esteem it a great pleasure to stand in this historic edifice, in this historic city, to take part to-day as a comrade of the Grand Army of the Republic in these instructive and interesting exercises, which have been instituted to keep alive in our hearts the memories of patriotic devotion and sacrifice. It is eminently appropriate that we should stand for a little before we go to the graves of our dead in this edifice where the foundation declarations of independence and of civil government were made and put into that course of development which has brought our nation to its present position of prosperity and of influence among the nations of the earth... I have never been able to think of the day as one of mourning; I have never quite been able to feel that half-masted flags were appropriate on Decoration Day. I have rather felt that the flag should be at the peak, because those whose dying we commemorate rejoiced in seeing it where their valor placed it. We honor them in a joyous, thankful, triumphant commemoration of what they did. We mourn for them as comrades who have departed, but we feel the glory of their dying and the glory of their achievement covers all our great country, and has set them in an imperishable roll of honor.
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Steven Plaut: One Day In The Life Of An Israeli Hospital
To read this interesting and important article visit http://frontpagemag.com/2011/05/30/one-day-in-the-life-of-an-israeli-hospital/ Tweet
Sunday, May 29, 2011
Diana West On Medal For Fallen Soldier During Fort Hood Massacre: "No One Dares Call It Jihad"
Diana West writes in Washington Examiner:A fallen hero of the Fort Hood Jihad Massacre received a medalhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif this week. Not, of course, that the Army describes the November 2009 attack in such meaningful terms... "Although we may never know why it happened, we do know that heroic actions took place that day," Brig. Gen. Joseph DiSalvo said in presenting the Secretary of the Army Award for Valor to Joleen Cahill, widow of Michael Grant Cahill, the only civilian killed by Hasan. "He will forever be a source of inspiration." Alas, I have my doubts about the deputy commanding general of Fort Hood. Despite overwhelming evidence that Hasan committed an act of jihad, DiSalvo looks the other way. "We may never know why" the Hasan attack happened, he said without, apparently, turning red or rolling his eyes.
To read the full opinion piece visit http://washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/columnists/2011/05/no-one-dares-call-it-jihad
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Canada Champions Israel At G8 Summit
Arutz Sheva reports that "Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper once again proved himself to be Israel's champion at the G8 summit last week. Despite intense pressure, Harper blocked calls to force Israel into final status talks based on accepting the 1949-1967 Armistice lines, with land swaps. He also opposed major aid packages to Egypt and Tunisia, where continued unrest has dogged transitional governments after the “Arab Spring” uprisings toppled decades-long regimes. No Canadian aid will go to either country – an important point particularly in the case of Egypt, which has just opened its Rafiah border crossing with Gaza. The move Saturday – carried out without European Union observers as previously negotiated between Israel and the Palestinian Authority – will enable the entry of even more arms, ammunition and terrorists into Gaza than its Hamas rulers have already managed to imporhttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gift through its hundreds of smuggler tunnels. Still, the summit pledged a $20 billion-plus package of assistance to Egypt and to Tunisia on Friday at the close of its session."
Furthermore, Israeli "Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman made sure to pick up the phone and call his counterpart in Ottawa this weekend to thank him for Canada's stance at the G8 summit last week. Lieberman told John Baird, who recently came into the post, that Canada is a 'true friend of Israel.' Israel's foreign minister added that Prime Minister Stephen Harper had been correct in his reading of the situation to know that the 1967-1949 Armistice lines are incompatible with the demographic realities in the Jewish State – and are indefensible as borders. Harper blocked the G8 from issuing statements with any mention of the recommendation, stated by U.S. President Barack Obama in his Middle Eastern policy speech a week prior."
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Planned Parenthood Challenges New South Dakota Abortion Law
Fox News reports that a "law scheduled to go into effect July 1 to require women to wait 72 hours and cohttp://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gifnsult a crisis pregnancy center adviser before getting an abortion violates First Amendment rights, according to a lawsuit filed Friday by Planned Parenthood in U.S. District Court in Sioux Falls, S.D. Calling South Dakota's abortion laws the most burdensome in the nation, Planned Parenthood said that HB 1217 aims to misinform pregnant women with the intent of dissuading them from getting an abortion... HB 1217 was passed in March and aims to toughen the state's current 24-hour mandatory waiting period. The law requires physicians to provide women with a list of 'pregnancy help centers' where they must go to get 'written proof' that they sought counseling before getting an abortion. A woman must also be given the opportunity to view a sonogram and receive literature describing the risks associated with abortion." Tweet
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