Legislating From The Bench

Ken AshfordCourts/LawLeave a Comment

When the President came out against "legislating from the bench" did that mean he’s no longer supporting Janice Rogers Brown? Here’s the Alliance for Justice’s writeup: Justice Brown’s disdain for government runs so deep that she urges “conservative” judges to invalidate legislation that expands the role of government, saying that it “inevitably transform[s]… a democracy … into a kleptocracy.” Following … Read More

Back To Blogging…

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

…after a few days hiatus.  Unusual work demands, home Internet problems, and amateur theatrics (literally) kept me busy.  Here’s a few things to amuse yourselves with: Titanic Passanger List The Gay Agenda Computer Animation Get Better And Better (Check out the hands!) Imagine/Take A Walk On The Wild Side Remix Sung By George Bush Seeing With Sound Alcohol Intake Without … Read More

Terrorism Alerts

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

By the way, notice how we kept having "terror alerts" right up to the election, and then, you know, nothing.  Don’t tell me they color-code system wasn’t politically-motivated to manipulate the public.  Fear sells.

Family Research Council And the Klan

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

Max Blumenthal shines the spotlight on Tony Perkins, Family Research Council President and Friend of Frist. [Note: the Family Research Council, founded by James Dobson, held a little "Justice Sunday" fest last weekend — where Bill Frist spoke via tape — in which they complained that the Democratic filibuster of Bush’s judicial nominees was an attack on faith and religion]. … Read More

Dictating Moral Convictions

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

Log Cabin Republican Andrew Sullivan speaks out about the mindset of the religious right: "However, on religious issues there can be little or no compromise. There is no position on which people are so immovable as their religious beliefs. There is no more powerful ally one can claim in a debate than Jesus Christ, or God, or Allah, or whatever … Read More

Report Card On Bush’s Global War On Terrorism

Ken AshfordWar on Terrorism/TortureLeave a Comment

A failing grade: WASHINGTON (Reuters) – The U.S. count of major world terrorist attacks more than tripled in 2004, a rise that may revive debate on whether the Bush administration is winning the war on terrorism, congressional aides said on Tuesday. The number of "significant" international terrorist attacks rose to about 650 last year from about 175 in 2003, according … Read More

The Nuclear Compromise Revisited

Ken AshfordCongressLeave a Comment

You know what I posted here about the Nuclear Compromise?  Turns out my tea-leaf reading was wrong. Kos explains why: So Frist says: Reacting to a Democratic offer in the fight over filibusters, Republican leader Bill Frist said Tuesday he isn’t interested in any deal that fails to ensure Senate confirmation for all of President Bush’s judicial nominees. Reid just … Read More

Funny Foto Du Jour

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

Saudi Prince Abdullah, a few days after overseeing the arrest of Christians for committing the crime of praying, sniffs the hair of an infidel while his bodyguards attempt to withhold their embarrassment.  Cardboard cutouts of the President and his mother look on.

Melissa Rogers On Christian Manipulation

Ken AshfordGodstuffLeave a Comment

Melissa Rogers, a visiting professor of religion and public policy at Wake Forest University Divinity School, says it all: I AM A CHURCHGOING, Bible-believing Baptist, but I recently learned that I’m not a Christian. Indeed, I’ve not only learned that I’m not a Christian, I’ve also learned that I’m anti-Christian and hostile to religion. Why? Because I dare to disagree … Read More

Learnin’ The Facts Of Life (Child Abuse Episode)

Ken AshfordGodstuff, Sex/Morality/Family Values3 Comments

I note with growing alarm at the Christian Right’s embrace of what appears to be, arguably, child abuse.  Stuff like this: Bonney Lake police said Rachel Lambert claimed the children’s behavior had gotten progressively worse over the past month and that she disciplined the children by feeding them jalapeno peppers, the documents indicated. The 10-year-old boy said "he had a … Read More

The Last Word On WMDs

Ken AshfordIraqLeave a Comment

The final remaining hope of the WMD-last-gaspers has been the notion that Saddam did have WMD but transferred it all to Syria before the war. As I recall, the most popular scenario involved a fleet of ambulances and some hideouts in Lebanon’s Bekaa Valley. But no. Not only did Saddam not have any WMD in Iraq, the Iraq Survey Group … Read More

The Nuclear Compromise

Ken AshfordCongressLeave a Comment

I’ll let Josh Marshall set the stage and share his thoughts: The Washington Post and other news outlets tonight are reporting that Senate Democrats are hinting about a possible compromise on judges — specifically, that they might cut a deal that would allow two or more of the seven filibustered judges to go through. This in turn has caused splutters … Read More

Okay . . .?

Ken AshfordRandom MusingsLeave a Comment

I have no idea what it means, but this post on Fafblog — reprinted here in its entirety — brought a smile to my face: We have been to the opera. And by "the opera" we mean "the post office" and by "been to" we mean "thrown buckets of fish at" and by "we" we mean "people who are not … Read More

WHO Is Against People Of Faith?

Ken AshfordBush & Co., Godstuff, Sex/Morality/Family ValuesLeave a Comment

This past weekend, there was a liberal-bashing conference put on by Family Research Council in which it was said — falsely — that Democrats are against "people of faith", particularly judges.  It’s an insidious lie.  Most Democrats are people of faith; we just don’t believe that our faith (or anybody else’s) should be incorporated into laws and public policy (because … Read More

IOKIYAR

Ken AshfordRepublicansLeave a Comment

Digby posts about the "It’s Okay If You’re A Republican" phenomenon, and hits the nail on the head.  I’ve boldened the best bits . . . Matt Yglesias wonders why the Republicans have been so blase about nominees lying outright to the Senate during their confirmation hearings when they may very well be at the mercy of Democrats in the … Read More