Today's literary quote of the day is from James Madison's Federalist Papers #51:It is of great importance in a republic not only to guard the society against the oppression of its rulers, but to guard one part of the society against the injustice of the other part. Different interests necessarily exist in different classes of citizens. If a majority be united by a common … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: James Madison

Some of the (domestic) results of a Sharia-ruled nation:Well over half a million Iranians have been imprisoned by their regime since the start of the year, Director-General of the Cultural and Disciplinary Committee of the Iranian Prisons Organization Mansour Moqareh-Abed told Iranian newspaper Jomhouri Islami. The interview was cited by the website of the National Council of … [Read more...] about But Who Believes in Stats?

It's Christmas Eve, and Polimom has triumphed over procrastination again. The presents are ready (and even wrapped!), we have all the ingredients to bake Santa's cookies, and the stockings are hung. Gifts have been arriving all week, steadily expanding to inhabit every square inch of space beneath the tree. By tomorrow morning, they'll have spread beyond the tree skirt -- but … [Read more...] about Is Christmas just for Christians?

Now, this comes as a surprise!President Vladimir Putin will retain a leadership role in Russia even if he steps down in 2008, as required by the constitution, a senior politician has said. "He will not leave," Sergei Stepashin, head of Russia's accounting chamber, was quoted as saying in the Komsomolskaya Pravda daily Saturday. "I think he will find the kind of formula in … [Read more...] about Tsar Will Step Down… PUBLICLY

Jeralyn reports at TalkLeft that Monica Lewinsky 'just graduated from the London School of Economics with a master of science degree in social psychology. Her thesis topic was: In Search of the Impartial Juror: An Exploration of the Third Person Effect and Pre-Trial Publicity."' She adds:You Go. Girl. More power to you... You came out of this classy and intact. If you are … [Read more...] about Congrats to Monica

This man wanted to be a bright little light in this dark, dark world:A man used flammable liquid to light himself on fire, apparently to protest a San Joaquin Valley school district's decision to change the names of winter and spring breaks to Christmas and Easter vacation. The man, who was not immediately identified, on Friday also set fire to a Christmas tree, an American … [Read more...] about Lighten Up!

The holiday-spirit song...this time with a cool "water show." … [Read more...] about We Need A Little Christmas Part II

THIS JUST IN from investigative reporter Andy Borowitz:Brawl Erupts at Reindeer Games Rudolph Suspended for Season The epidemic of sports violence spread to the North Pole last night as a brawl erupted between fans and reindeer at this year’s reindeer games, resulting in the ejection and suspension of Rudolph for the remainder of the season. The games, a holiday classic … [Read more...] about This Just In!!!!!!!!!!!!

I don't go on Townhall on purpose--normally, the only time I read them is when someone else links and excerpts. Thus, the fact that it manages to be spectacularly stupid every time I read it (the last time being the Dennis Prager "Swearing on the Koran undermines American civilization" debacle) could easily be a case of selection bias, a fact of which I'm well aware. So, I have … [Read more...] about It Burns!

I've written before on Arnold Schwarzenegger's impressive environmental record — see here, here, and here — but I must admit I'm pleasantly surprised by just how progressive he's proven to be in Sacramento. And there's more yet to come:Arnold Schwarzenegger is not the type of guy you would necessarily associate with tree hugging. When he bought a Hummer in the early … [Read more...] about The Green Governator

Today's literary quote of the day is from Thomas Jefferson's Notes on the State of Virginia:The error seems not sufficiently eradicated, that the operations of the mind, as well as the acts of the body, are subject to the coercion of the laws. But our rulers can have authority over such natural rights only as we have submitted to them. The rights of conscience we never … [Read more...] about Literary Quote of the Day: Thomas Jefferson

Following a similar effort a couple of months ago to try to curb the development of North Korea's nuclear program, the United Nations has finally turned its full attention to Iran:The U.N. Security Council voted unanimously Saturday to impose economic sanctions on Iran for refusing to end a uranium enrichment program that the United States says is aimed at building nuclear … [Read more...] about The U.N. votes to sanction Iran

GOP turns anger on campaign committee This article is an interesting debriefing of the midterm elections and illustrates how Politics is more art than science. … [Read more...] about Burns and Allen Show

Debate question: does the executive (and perhaps the legislative, thus politicians in general) branch in the U.S. have too much power over the judicial one? Consider the following: George W. Bush will influence the 'law' way beyond his term as President, due to his appointments for the USSC, who are all very conservative, with clear views on certain (controversial) topics. … [Read more...] about The Executive and Judicial Branch

Former Vermont Senator Robert Stafford, a strong voice within the GOP for environmental-protection legislation and support of education (Stafford loans are named for him), has died at age 93. Stafford, who served two years as Vermont's governor, went on to represent the Green Mountain State for eleven years in the House and seventeen years in the Senate; he retired in 1989. A … [Read more...] about Farewell, Senator Stafford

Shiites Remake Baghdad in Their Image This is sad. Too many Sunnis and Shiites can't get along. So armed gangs kill each other to purify neighborhoods. How could this dynamic not have been clear to our experts on the ground over there? Why could it not have been possible to use the vast oil wealth of Iraq to pay each family to move to an ethnically pure district and … [Read more...] about Iraq Partitions Itself

As these great high school performers remind us in this number from the musical Mame. … [Read more...] about Admit It: We Need A Little Christmas

Just reported from the Associated Press:The Supreme Court has ruled that there cannot be a Nativity Scene in Washington, DC this 2006 Christmas season. This isn't for any religious reason. They simply have not been able to find three wise men or a virgin in the Nation's capitol. There was no problem, however, finding enough asses to fill the stable.Merry Christmas!! (TMV … [Read more...] about Christmas Bulletin!

Should Prager resign? Here are some links to kick off the debate: Calling Prager a 'Bigot' Is Simply Irresponsible: Whether one agrees or disagrees with Dennis Prager, he is not taking issue with Keith Ellison's religion or the Quran ("Koch: Kick Pundit off Shoah Board," December 15). He only takes issue with the fact that Ellison has declared that he will leave the Bible … [Read more...] about More Prager

In the Indian subcontinent carol-singing is not so uncommon even among Hindus, Muslim and followers of other faiths. This was few of the wonderful legacies bequeathed by the British Raj. In cities the joyful carol music reverberates in the streets. People of different religious denominations visit churches and other public places just to listen to the melodious carols. This … [Read more...] about Christmas Carols: Universal Sound of Love