I started out as a supporter of Benedict. But he can’t compare suicide bombings to the efforts geared at deterring such murders and expect to keep it. One would have hoped that the Holy See would be more mindful of the implications–given its sordid history of anti-Semitism. Apparently, Pope Benedict is intent on regressing.

Three of Six alleges that Clinton is merely a “political chameleon” changing her stripes to win elections. To be honest–I have no idea where someone can come to that conclusion. In the post that sparked the discussion, I argued that it was facile to suggest Clinton’s moves were superficial, since they entailed so much political risk. Ticking off NARAL is not the way to win Democratic votes, Hillary Clinton or no. To that, I’d also add that I think Clinton’s move...

And be sure to have done each of these before you die.

The Al Qaeda Training Manual

A group of U.S. Muslims have taken an unequivocable stand against terrorism by issuing a “fatwa” — a religious edict — that comes out squarely against terrorism which they urge all Muslims to help authorities combat. Although these edicts aren’t binding, by the mere fact of issuing their “fatwa,” this group of American Muslims has differentiated themselves from Muslim groups in many other countries (but it is in keeping with fatwas issued by some Muslim groups...

Boston is hurting the self-esteem of people who are thinking of killing themselves by jumping off the Tobin Bridge: Just a week after the Herald revealed that anti-suicide signs on the Tobin Bridge had been removed by a state road crew, the signs are back – but with a wrong number. Massport spokeswoman Danny Levy said yesterday the agency received six new signs from The Samaritans of Greater Boston and put them up on the bridge Tuesday. But the phone number on the new signs – aimed...

Cover your kid’s eyes, keep him or her away from TV, don’t let your child read a newspaper: Tom DeLay as a questionable role model has struck again: House Majority Leader Tom DeLay quietly slipped into the energy bill a $1.5 billion fund for oil and natural gas drilling research that will benefit an energy consortium based in his home district, a California Democrat said on Wednesday. How can you call yourself a moderate, Gandelman? So what if the money is going to his home district....

The wheels of justice are turning slowly, but inexorably in the case of beheaded Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl — with a significant turn today amid news that the man believed to have set Pearl up for his kidnapping has been captured. Pearl was kidnapped while doing his job as a reporter, pursuing a story, thinking he was going to talk to an Islamic militant bigwig. Clearly he never dreamed that as a reporter he would not only be held captive (see photo) but have his head sawed...

Michael Totten looks at the largely ignored war against tourism in the Middle East, and the devastating economic effects it causes: Because of the region’s reputation in the West, it takes precious little. My hotel in Beirut was almost completely empty. My four-star hotel room was discounted by 75 percent in a desperate attempt to lure tourists back to the country. I don’t know how much money Lebanon’s tourism industry has lost since Rafik Hariri was killed, but it must be incredible....

Over at The Reaction, I occasionally do blog round-ups — similar to what Joe does here at TMV — and Wednesday evening I was scouring the blogosphere for posts (and the MSM for articles) on Plamegate (as it’s now being called in some circles — I prefer Rovegate). There’s a lot out there in the news at the moment — Roberts, terrorism, Iraq — but there seem to be some new and prominent developments to what is, admittedly, a somewhat tiresome story. Liberal bloggers...

Is the Bush Administration fixing science around politics? On issues like stem-cell research and climate change, both of which Bush seems to be against (that is, he doesn’t believe in them), have accepted scientific research and the public’s trust in scientific inquiry been the casualties of Bush’s faith-based understanding of reality? Click here for more. For more on climate change, see here and here.

I don’t think so, and I think she should be applauded for some gutsy moves as she gears up for 2008.

James Wolcott, at his eponymous weblog, discusses in his wry and close-to if not over-the-top fashion the diverging spousal messages of the leaders of the US and the UK. Interesting. He is likely making a foothill (not quite a mountain) out of an ant-mound (not quite a mole-hill), but it is an odd contrast none the less.

At BoingBoing is a brief post titled “Shoot someone? Not Smith & Wesson’s fault. Copy a movie? Grokster’s fault“. The post at BoingBoing makes the point far better than the linked post at The Daily Kos does. An interesting contrast, both in terms of inconsistency in the law and in terms of how the point is made.

This is another story that’s been drowned out by Roberts and Rove. Or perhaps we’re all just used to this sort of thing by now. Last week, Hewlett-Packard announced that it was planning to lay off 14,500 employees, or 10% of its workforce, over the next 18 months. This is on top of 17,800 layoffs in the wake of HP’s failed merger with Compag. Meanwhile, in case you missed it, former HP CEO Carly Fiorina walked away with about $51.5 million. HP’s current CEO, Mark Hurd, said...

From the Canada desk: According to Macleans blogger Paul Wells, Canada is falling behind both its G8 partners and up-and-coming economic powerhouses like China, India, and Brazil in terms of R&D. A country’s commitment to R&D may be determined by calculating its GERD (Gross Expenditure on Research and Development, measured as a fraction of GDP). Canada’s GERD, it seems, has been declining since 2002. For more on this, see my recent post at The Reaction. This is one of those below-the-radar...

Attention Hillary Clinton: You have stepped into a political buzzsaw. It SEEMED like a plumb appointment when HC was named by the centrist Democratic Leadership Council to direct a new initiative to define a party agenda for the 2006 and 2008 elections — a high-profile role making her, in effect, Ms. Centrist of 2005 (and presumably 2006, 2007 and 2008 when she might want a nice title such as Democratic Party Presidential nominee). As the LA Times reports: The appointment solidified the identification...

Joe Gandelman & Friends will be doing a tour of fairs in Montana and Wyoming from July 28-August 7. The schedule: July 28-July 31: Last Chance Stampede & Fair, Helena, MT. August 3 & 4: Big Horn County Fair, Basin, Wyoming. August 5,6,7: Sublette County Fair, Big Piney, Wyoming. Check local listings for times for his family show. Info about Joe’s performing can be found here. Posts will continue on this site. Some will be done by TMV on his laptop. Others by co-bloggers. So check...

Is someone in the BBC now advising the Bush administration? The Bush administration is retooling its slogan for the fight against Al Qaeda and other terrorist groups, pushing the idea that the long-term struggle is as much an ideological battle as a military mission, senior administration and military officials said Monday. In recent speeches and news conferences, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and the nation’s senior military officer have spoken of “a global struggle against violent...

Note: This has been moved and reposted from Tuesday to today’s blog. In a “moderate rant”, I wish “A plague o’ both your houses!…” at my weblog, Random Fate. In one of my rare absolute statements, I am reduced to saying, “If you’re not a part of the solution, you’re part of the problem.” The rant is reproduced in full below, with the warning that it is indeed a rant, in every meaning of the word. — While catching up on the laundry...

SUBJECT2DISCUSSION LIVE webcast and podcast Wednesday July 27 at 6pm Pacific time, 8pm Central time and 9pm Eastern time. This weeks guests will be Robert Hayes of the Blogger News Network and Aaron Douglas/Tyrol of Scifi Channel’s Battlestar Galactica. To listen to SUBJECT2DISCUSSION live go to www.LVROCKS.com at 6pm PT and click on LISTEN and click on CAM/CHAT. If you miss the LIVE webcast here is the podcast feed: http://www.autopodcaster.com/rss.aspx?channelid=5

Some thoughts on the US flag, its use as a fashion accessory, and the meaning of the victories of Americans in sports can be found at my weblog, Random Fate.

I recently asked that question, but after seeing him on The Daily Show last night I must admit — gulp! — that I actually respect the man. He was intelligent and articulate, and not nearly as insane as much of his ideological rhetoric makes him out to be. I hardly agree with him on anything, but in sparring amicably with our favourite late-night host he proved that he’s a worthy adversary on the right. See my (delayed) liveblogging of Santorum’s appearance on The Daily Show,...

Does the GOP have a potentially potent piece of the electoral pie just waiting to be taken? Is it largely ignoring this chunk of the electorate that could have significant influence (and perhaps counterbalance a bit the further-to-the-right social conservatives)? Booker Rising, the site that bills itself as for black moderates and black conservatives (but is one of the BEST moderate sites on the Internet) has a major post exploring the less-publicizied factor of moderate black Republicanism. Read...

Who says you can’t profit from having a son or a daugher these days? Former US president Bill Clinton has been offered 40 goats and 20 cows for his daughter by a love-struck African government official. That’s more than anyone offered for Janet Reno. MORE: Mr Clinton was offered the deal on a recent trip to Kenya. He was offered the animals as a traditional African way of getting a father to give away his daughter’s hand in marriage. The dowry is a very generous one by the country’s...