Highlights in Irony

Today, the top stories drip with irony. First, of course, is our friend Bill and his comments about President Bush for commuting the sentence of Scooter Libby.

"You've got to understand, this is consistent with their philosophy," Bill Clinton said. The Bush administration officials "believe that they should be able to do what they want to do, and that the law is a minor obstacle."

Sounds vaguely familiar. Perhaps that's the line America should have used when Clinton pardoned or commuted over 175 sentences in one day. Here is a good laundry list of some of the more notable pardons Clinton granted during his terms.

While the guilt of Scooter Libby is obvious, the punishment likely does not fit the crime. Dan Proft has a great commentary on HumanEvents.com.

"Libby was about to be sent to the federal hoosegow for 2.5 years for lying about how he had learned about Plame’s identity, even though said lies were not in furtherance of any criminal act and -- since he was not the leak in the first place -- even though his lies ultimately had nothing to do with the stated purpose of the investigation in the first place."

Looks like Clinton doesn't have a leg to stand on. Sudan might as well start criticizing the US for human rights violations

Sticking with the Clinton administration, Al Gore's Live Earth concerts are set to kick off today. However, the British rock band Arctic Monkeys pointed out the irony of all this hoopla.

"It's a bit patronising for us 21 year olds to try to start to change the world," said Arctic Monkeys drummer Matt Helders, explaining why the group is not on the bill at any of Al Gore's charity concerts. "Especially when we're using enough power for 10 houses just for (stage) lighting. It'd be a bit hypocritical," he told AFP in an interview before a concert in Paris.

Remember "The Filthy Fifteen"? The Parents Music Resource Center, co-founded by Tipper Gore, released a list of musicians whose songs should be banned because of gross obscenity. Madonna made it to number eight on the list for her sexually explicit lyrics in the song "Dress You Up."

Oh, and did I mention that Madonna will headline the Live Earth concert in London. Let's just hope that Tipper Gore doesn't attend that concert.

What does Independence Day mean to you?

Growing up in the United States, I often take our liberties for granted. Every year, I celebrate July 4th in the typical American way: fireworks. Sometimes with family, other times with friends. July 3rd always finds me scouring the local pages of my newspaper for the best fireworks displays. Being in Washington DC definitely has its benefits during Independence Day. The National Symphony Orchestra and top artists always perform a great show on the Capitol Lawn. Then to the backdrop of Tchaikovsky's 1812 overture, one of the most impressive fireworks displays wows audiences all over DC. The fireworks light up the foreground of the Washington Monument for a picture perfect evening.

But is that what Independence Day really is?

Prior to my venture to the Capitol lawn, I was lounging in my apartment taking care of some weekend type chores when my roommate said hi on his way out the door. He is Serbian, and he grew up under communist oppression. Though he's been in DC for a little while now, his enthusiasm for liberty is inspiring. In his thick French accent, he asked what I was doing for the day. I replied with my plans to attend the concert, then asked him what he was doing. His answer embodies how all Americans should feel. "I am going to celebrate my first Independence Day in the capital for the free world," he said.

The capital of the free world.

His first Independence Day.

What a powerful idea. Perhaps it would do us all some good to spend time with those celebrating their July 4th in America for the first time.

Animal Rights? Sea Lions Say No!

Most animal rights activists put themselves in the stickiest contradiction and never seem to realize it. One day the self-appointed protector of the environment decries humanity for encroaching on wildlife and crimping the mating habits of the deer mouse; and the next day the same environmentalist swears by the theory of evolution, praising the notion of survival of the fittest and natural selection.

Such is the situation that the Department of Agriculture has gotten itself into. DOA has actually deployed a salmon protection team to fend off hungry sea lions. Ironically, "preliminary numbers indicate the sea lions caught more salmon this season than in any of the six others since records have been kept."

This article is really hilarious. One should ask, did the salmon actually ask for protection? Even more important, are the sea lions going to feel that their animal rights have been violated?

Marine animals are protected by the 1972 Marine Mammals Protection Act, which imposes stiff penalties for killing such an animal. Perhaps we should jail the sea lions for killing the salmon?

Us humans have taken on a mantle of protection via legislation and legislated handcuffs around our own hands. The salmon should really protest this law and ask the death penalty for sea lions.

I will believe in animal rights the day an animal of any species speaks and asks for individual rights. It's a simple request.

Immigration Bill Must Come as a Package

Yesterday, Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff reacted to the defeat of the Senate immigration bill with disappointment saying that, "Some necessary tools of enforcement were left on the floor of the Senate."

I do not understand why the Senate cannot pass legislation adopting these "necessary tools" and rejecting an amnesty. Its as if the Senate cannot secure the border without providing an amnesty bill. This self-imposed handicap further emphasizes the irony of this schizophrenic body. Why would America want to increase border security, and then offer increased incentive for would-be illegal immigrants.

American citizenship is a prized possession. And if someone from a third-world country with a corrupt government can attain this prize simply by crossing the border and then paying a small fine, well that's quite a deal...for them. But what an insult to the thousands of applicants who are standing in line, sometimes literally, to get legal citizenship.

Perhaps Mr. Chertoff will encourage the Senate to take up increased border security with no strings attached.

Feature on WorldNetDaily

Today, the top visited online news site posted my commentary on the recent Supereme Court decision on race. WorldNetDaily.com featured my article "Racism on the High Court." Here is an excerpt:

"School districts in Seattle and Louisville both had programs to ensure a racially diverse school population. In fact, the program in Seattle attempted to create schools where 41 percent of students were white and 59 percent were nonwhite. The court struck these programs down. Writing for the majority, Chief Justice John Roberts said, "The way to stop discrimination on the basis of race is to stop discriminating on the basis of race."

"Wait, did he say to prevent discrimination one should stop discriminating? What a novel idea."

Read more here.

Immigration Bill Fails

The Senate had its immigration showdown today, and conservatives won! Because this immigration bill is so important, I am posting a list of votes:

YEAs ---46
Akaka (D-HI)Bennett (R-UT)Biden (D-DE)Boxer (D-CA)Cantwell (D-WA)Cardin (D-MD)Carper (D-DE)Casey (D-PA)Clinton (D-NY)Conrad (D-ND)Craig (R-ID)Dodd (D-CT)Durbin (D-IL)Feingold (D-WI)Feinstein (D-CA)Graham (R-SC) Gregg (R-NH)Hagel (R-NE)Inouye (D-HI)Kennedy (D-MA)Kerry (D-MA)Klobuchar (D-MN)Kohl (D-WI)Kyl (R-AZ)Lautenberg (D-NJ)Leahy (D-VT)Levin (D-MI)Lieberman (ID-CT)Lincoln (D-AR)Lott (R-MS)Lugar (R-IN)Martinez (R-FL) McCain (R-AZ)Menendez (D-NJ)Mikulski (D-MD)Murray (D-WA)Nelson (D-FL)Obama (D-IL)Reed (D-RI)Reid (D-NV)Salazar (D-CO)Schumer (D-NY)Snowe (R-ME)Specter (R-PA)Whitehouse (D-RI)Wyden (D-OR)

NAYs ---53
Alexander (R-TN)Allard (R-CO)Barrasso (R-WY)Baucus (D-MT)Bayh (D-IN)Bingaman (D-NM)Bond (R-MO)Brown (D-OH)Brownback (R-KS)Bunning (R-KY)Burr (R-NC)Byrd (D-WV)Chambliss (R-GA)Coburn (R-OK)Cochran (R-MS)Coleman (R-MN)Collins (R-ME)Corker (R-TN) Cornyn (R-TX)Crapo (R-ID)DeMint (R-SC)Dole (R-NC)Domenici (R-NM)Dorgan (D-ND)Ensign (R-NV)Enzi (R-WY)Grassley (R-IA)Harkin (D-IA)Hatch (R-UT)Hutchison (R-TX)Inhofe (R-OK)Isakson (R-GA)Landrieu (D-LA)McCaskill (D-MO)McConnell (R-KY)Murkowski (R-AK) Nelson (D-NE)Pryor (D-AR)Roberts (R-KS)Rockefeller (D-WV)Sanders (I-VT)Sessions (R-AL)Shelby (R-AL)Smith (R-OR)Stabenow (D-MI)Stevens (R-AK)Sununu (R-NH)Tester (D-MT)Thune (R-SD)Vitter (R-LA)Voinovich (R-OH)Warner (R-VA)Webb (D-VA)

Not Voting - 1
Johnson (D-SD)

Blatant Bias

Even though the New York Times has admitted its liberal bias, every now and then its skewed reporting still astonishes me. On the second page of the Washington Times (and released by AP) ran the headline "Louisianans OK partial-birth ban".

"The Louisiana Legislature approved a ban on a late-term abortion procedure yesterday, the first state to do so since the U.S. Supreme Court upheld a federal ban earlier this year. The House voted unanimously to approve a measure that would allow "partial-birth" abortions only when failure to perform it would endanger the mother's life."

Many other papers picked up this story, The International Herald Tribune, the Chicago Tribune, the Houston Chronicle, and more. (Admittedly they almost all ran the AP story, but at least they ran the story.)

The partial-birth abortion issue is just slightly big news. This bill is the first to pass both houses of a state legislature (notably almost unanimously), and it somehow misses the editors at the New York Times.

Every copy of the Times has a textbox on the upper corner, front page, which says "All the News That's Fit to Print." I think that needs to be changed to "All the News That is Filtered to Praise Liberals and Demonize Conservatives."

To emphasize the bias, the paper made room to print the story "Louisiana: Nude and Dangerous Behind the Wheel". Well, I guess that's the news that is fit to print.

Update: The New York Times online edition did actually include this story on their online version under the very small National Briefing section, buried under layers of navigation.