The 4th Amendment--RIP

I'm a lawyer, forgive me. The text below is heavy in legalese crafted by my brethren. But please, make no mistake, this is not boilerplate. Your president has just claimed the right, in DIRECT contravention of the statute involved, to open YOUR mail without warrants.

The executive branch shall construe subsection 404(c) of title 39, as enacted by subsection 1010(e) of the Act, which provides for opening of an item of a class of mail otherwise sealed against inspection, in a manner consistent, to the maximum extent permissible, with the need to conduct searches in exigent circumstances, such as to protect human life and safety against hazardous materials, and the need for physical searches specifically authorized by law for foreign intelligence collection.

Bye bye, we'll miss you!

Thank you, I'll be here all week!

Tip your bartenders!

The preznit tries his hand at standup:

"We've got to make sure we spend the people's money wisely." [editor's note--see the ticker to the right, and remember, those are only the costs they tell us about]

"Over the past few years, pro-growth economic policies have generated higher revenues. Together with spending restraint, these policies allowed us to meet our goal of cutting the budget deficit in half three years ahead of schedule." [editor's note--you mean YOU overestimated YOUR grotesquely huge deficit soyou could `cut' it in half, after you inherited a surplus?]

and the clincher---

"It's time to set aside politics and focus on the future." [editor's note--nice thought from the most partisan administration in history? The preznit who on Halloween said "However they put it, the Democrat approach in Iraq comes down to this, the terrorists win and America loses???" ]

Drive home safely!

Smiting Time

VIRGINIA BEACH, Virginia (AP) -- Evangelical broadcaster Pat Robertson said Tuesday that God has told him that a terrorist attack on the United States would cause a "mass killing" late in 2007.

"I'm not necessarily saying it's going to be nuclear," he said during his news-and-talk television show "The 700 Club" on the Christian Broadcasting Network. "The Lord didn't say nuclear. But I do believe it will be something like that."

Robertson said God told him about the impending tragedy during a recent prayer retreat. God also said, he claims, that major cities and possibly millions of people will be affected by the attack, which should take place sometime after September.

It is good to see that the divine has a sense of humor. After all, eternity could get boring, so why not liven it up by yanking around a crazy old coot?

Mr. President, I have Reality on Line 1

Today, Saddam Hussein was executed after receiving a fair trial -- the kind of justice he denied the victims of his brutal regime.

Fair trials were unimaginable under Saddam Hussein's tyrannical rule. It is a testament to the Iraqi people's resolve to move forward after decades of oppression that, despite his terrible crimes against his own people, Saddam Hussein received a fair trial. This would not have been possible without the Iraqi people's determination to create a society governed by the rule of law.

Saddam Hussein's execution comes at the end of a difficult year for the Iraqi people and for our troops. Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq, but it is an important milestone on Iraq's course to becoming a democracy that can govern, sustain, and defend itself, and be an ally in the War on Terror.

We are reminded today of how far the Iraqi people have come since the end of Saddam Hussein's rule - and that the progress they have made would not have been possible without the continued service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform.

Many difficult choices and further sacrifices lie ahead. Yet the safety and security of the American people require that we not relent in ensuring that Iraq's young democracy continues to progress.

It's like a word search game for kids, only instead of words, we're looking for delusions. How many can you find?

1) A fair trial? Please, that charade was anything but. I think the gunning down of lawyers and judges automatically removes a proceeding from the real of "fair."

2) The "rule of law?" hardly. What we saw was a grotesque sectarian lynching.

3) Iraq's "young democracy?" You just keep right on believing that, if it helps.

4) Milestone? ANOTHER milestone? Or is it a turning point?

He did say one thing that was accurate:

Bringing Saddam Hussein to justice will not end the violence in Iraq

Gee, ya think?