America (In Crayon)

Found at the excellent blog of Yellowdog Granny.

The Polanski Debacle

I had not planned to comment on the ongoing Roman Polanski mess. That's because for me, the story was over long ago. The man raped a 13 year-old girl. He even pled guilty to it in court. The fact that he then ran and avoided justice for many years changes nothing. He is a rapist and probably a pedophile.

But then a few idiots in Hollywood signed a letter supporting Polanski and asking for his release. I don't know why they did that -- probably because they are his friends. Others in Hollywood are speaking out against him. None of this matters, because he pled guilty to his crime.

If he were a plumber, farmer, teacher, policeman or even a clergyman, no one would be asking for his release. Everyone would be demanding he serve his time for his crime, and that's as it should be. Just because he has the ability to make good movies doesn't excuse his criminal act.

But then one Hollywood nut made a stupid statement, and I feel like I need to reply to it. Paul Peterson, a former child actor on the Donna Reed show, said there were many who would like to speak up but "They are afraid of the Hollywood power structure that is tilted distinctly to the left and plays favorites." What a load of crap!

Whether or not Polanski's supporters are leftists has nothing to do with their support of the man. I am a leftist, and so are many of my friends and acquaintances. I can assure you it is not a political principle of the left to be soft on rapists and molesters. If anything, it is just the opposite since most on the left believe in and support women's and children's rights.

Peterson's shot at the left was uncalled for and totally ridiculous. He should be ashamed of himself. Opposition to rape and child abuse and molestation is truly a bipartisan issue. Good people from both sides of the political spectrum can agree that these kinds of criminals should be severely punished.

Polanski raped a child. Now he needs to serve his time. This leftist has no problem with that at all.

Goofy Grassley

Political Cartoon is by John Cole in The Scranton Times.

"Ardi"

This is a female Ardipithecus ramidus (nicknamed Ardi). She lived about 4.4 million years ago, and we are probably direct descendants of her kind. She was about four feet tall and weighed about 110 pounds (and males were approximately the same size). She was a good climber, and probably spent about half her life in trees. But on the ground, she walked upright just like modern humans.

The New S.S. Minnow

Political Cartoon is by R.J. Matson in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.

Gov. Plays Politics With Innocent Man's Execution

It's certainly starting to look like Texas Governor Rick Perry will do anything to protect his political future -- including covering up the execution of an innocent man. The man is Cameron Todd Willingham, and he was executed in 2004 while Rick Perry was the Texas governor.

Mr. Willingham was convicted of setting a house fire that caused the death of his three children. But as I wrote back in August, there have been three separate investigations since his conviction and nine of the nations top fire scientists have examined the evidence. They all reach the same conclusion -- there was no evidence of arson! The conclusions said that the original fire marshal used "outdated theories and folklore" to reach the conclusion that there was arson.

The last investigation was ordered by the Texas Forensic Science Commission (TFSC). They were to meet today to discuss the findings of that investigation and then issue a report on the case. It was widely expected the commission report would determine that the forensic science used to get the conviction was faulty, and that Texas had executed an innocent man. It would have been the first time an official state agency had admitted an innocent man was executed.

But Perry was having none of it. Earlier this month, Perry derided the top fire scientists as "supposed experts" and said he was sure Willingham was guilty. Perry has another election coming up soon, and he's not about to admit an innocent man was executed during his reign as governor -- and he's not about to let a state commission reach that conclusion either.

Just a couple of days before the TFSC was to meet and consider the case, Perry informed three of the commission members that their services were no longer needed. He has replaced two of them, including the commission chairman (and must wait for a recommendation from the Texas Criminal Defense Lawyers Association before he can replace the third).

Of course, that means the commission will not consider the results of the investigation at this time. The new chairman, Williamson County District Attorney John Bradley, said "I don't see how we can successfully have a meeting with the board turnover and lack of time for an orientation and education for the new board members."

The investigation (and report) have been delayed indefinitely. I don't think I'm going out on a limb to predict it won't happen before next year's election.

Empty Book For Empty Time

Political Cartoon is by Larry Wright in The Detroit News.

Sarah Palin's Ghostwriter

Sarah Palin's book was originally supposed to be released next spring, but since it is finished, the release date has bee moved up to November 17th. Of course, Mrs. Palin didn't really write the book. She hired someone else to do that. Palin has enough trouble writing a short speech that makes sense (for instance, her resignation speech), and there's no way she would have the wherewithal to actually write a 400 page book.

It shouldn't surprise anyone that the ghostwriter she hired is every bit as big a kook as Palin. It is Lynn Vincent -- a right-wing fundamentalist creationist with known ties to the white supremacist movement.

This woman is such a nut that even the ultra-right blog Little Green Footballs doesn't like her choice as Palin's ghostwriter. Here's what LGF has to say about Vincent being chosen to write the book:

"If you're going out shopping for a ghostwriter, how hard is it to find reputable people without extremist views or associations? There are thousands of people who could have done this job. Sarah Palin picked one who is an extreme anti-abortion creationist, associated with an open white supremacist. Bad judgement doesn't even begin to describe this."

For the first time, I find myself agreeing with LGF (and that sort of gives me the creeps). But maybe those reputable writers without an extremist agenda or association didn't want to soil their own reputations by ghostwriting a book for someone like Sarah Palin.

Perhaps, only a nutjob like Vincent would stoop low enough to write the book.

Past Repeats Itself

Political Cartoon is by Daryl Cagle at msnbc.com.

Man's Creation

Found at the excellent blog of Yellowdog Granny.

SCOTUS Will Again Examine Gun Laws

It looks like the United States Supreme Court will examine another local gun law. But unlike the Washington D.C. law they overturned in the last term, this time their decision could affect gun laws all over the nation.

When they overturned the law in the last term, it was in a federally controlled district. Since then, there has been some disagreement as to whether that decision affects local and state laws outside a federal district. After the last decision, gun owners immediately challenged gun laws in Chicago. The 7th U.S. Court of Circuit Appeals sided with the city in upholding gun bans.

Judge Frank Easterbrook, a Reagan appointee, wrote for the court that "the Constitution establishes a federal republic where local differences are to be cherished as elements of liberty rather than extirpated in order to produce a single, nationally applicable rule. Federalism is an older and more deeply rooted tradition than is a right to carry any particular kind of weapon."

Frankly, it sounds to me like the court bent over backwards and turned itself inside out to find a justification for the gun ban. Judge Easterbrook's statement doesn't make any sense. First, he says the Constitution establishes federalism, and in the next sentence, says federalism is older than any gun rights -- which are guaranteed by the Constitution's Second Amendment.

Then he goes on to say that the federalism (created by the Constitution) allows local entities to pick and choose what parts of the Constitution they want to follow and which they don't want to follow. That's just silly. If a local or state entity can pick and choose what parts of the Constitution to follow, then no constitutional guarantee can be enforced.

Take the Fourteenth Amendment for example. It protects equal rights, and the Supreme Court has made it clear that it is effective all over America -- regardless of what any local or state entity might want. It is ridiculous to treat the Second Amendment as though it were a local option, when the rest of the Constitution is the law of the land everywhere.

I am no lover of handguns. In 2005, I was shot in the stomach by a carjacker with a handgun and nearly died. I would be happy to see all handguns dumped in the ocean. However, I can read, and the Second Amendment of the United States Constitution guarantees the right of American citizens to "bear arms". This is clearly a right reserved to citizens (not militias).

The right is not without limits. For instance, those with a criminal record or a mental illness can be restricted from gun ownership. But to ban firearms for all citizens is a violation of the Second Amendment.

This will be true as long as we have a Second Amendment.

This Pig Won't Fly

Political Cartoon is by Bob Englehart in The Hartford Courant.

Amarillo Man May Replace Benkiser

For a while it looked like the Texas Republicans would have a three-way fight over the party chairmanship at their next state convention. There were at least two declared opponents to current party chair Tina Benkiser -- Tom Mechler of Amarillo and Mark McCaig of Katy. It looks like that won't happen now.

Benkiser has announced she is resigning the chairmanship, and will be joining the Rick Perry campaign next week. I don't know whether to be sad she is leaving, or happy that her incompetence will now be infecting the Perry campaign. She made the Texas party look like it's a far-right fringe group, and this has cost them some elections.

When Benkiser took over as party chair, Republicans ruled the Texas House by a count of 89 Republicans to 61 Democrats. The House currently has 76 Republicans to 74 Democrats, and many believe the Democrats could seize control of the Texas House in next year's election.

That was the reason both Mechler and McCaig had announced they would run against Benkiser. McCaig is now saying he probably won't run now that Benkiser is out. He said he just thought she needed to be replaced, and he satisfied now that the party is assured of a new chairman. McCaig says he has not decided who he will support for the post.

That leaves the only official candidate as Tom Mechler, unless the vice-chair of the state party, Robin Armstrong, who is still considering whether to run or not, decides to enter the race. Unless Armstrong surprises everyone by refusing to run, I expect he probably has the inside track on the job. The SREC will appoint a replacement chair within a month, and whoever that is (probably Armstrong) will have the advantage at the next convention.

I doubt that either candidate will change the state party very much. Armstrong is part of the current regime, and Mechler hails from the most right-wing part of the state. I can't see either as having a moderating effect on the party.

Modern Pinocchio

Political Cartoon is by Nate Beeler in The Washington Examiner.