Kennedy unwittingly hits the nail on the head in the wake of defeat

The Washington Post reports on the defeat of the amnesty bill in the Senate and quotes Ted Kennedy at a remarkable moment – he’s 100% correct. Speaking after the bill was defeated Senator Jim DeMint mentioned the huge lack of confidence the American people have in Congress. That’s when Kennedy hits the bullseye:

“This immigration debate has become a war between the American people and their government,” proclaimed Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.), who led a small group of Republican senators who used every parliamentary maneuver they could find to stymie progress on the bill over the past month. “It transcends anything about immigration. It has become a crisis of confidence.”

“We know what they’re against. We just don’t know what they’re for,” Sen. Edward M. Kennedy (D-Mass.), one of the bill’s main architects, thundered about his opponents.

That’s correct, Senator: you don’t. You don’t know what we’re for because you and your buddy Senator Reid made damn sure that none of us had a voice in drafting this thankfully-dead abomination while making equally sure that we couldn’t (through our elected reps) suggest any changes to it. Perhaps if you had drafted this legislation via the normal, time-honored methodology you would know.

The fact is that nobody I’ve spoke with has an issue with legal immigration and most of us recognize that the visa and immigration process needs work. We can debate that and come to a compromise. What we cannot compromise on is the necessity of securing the border now before anything even resembling amnesty is provided. Show us you can do that and we’ll talk. Otherwise, get used to having your office phone system crushed.

Supreme Court rules against public schools’ diversity plans

The Supreme Court has handing down a ruling that rejects the idea of using a student’s race in determining where that student gets to go to school.

The Supreme Court on Thursday rejected school diversity plans that take account of students’ race in two major public school districts but left the door open for using race in limited circumstances.

The decision in cases affecting schools in Louisville, Ky., and Seattle could imperil similar plans in hundreds of districts nationwide, and it further restricts how public school systems may attain racial diversity.

The court split, 5-4, with Chief Justice John Roberts announcing the court’s judgment. The court’s four liberal justices dissented.

Yet Justice Anthony Kennedy would not go as far as the other four conservative justices, saying in a concurring opinion that race may be a component of school district plans designed to achieve diversity.

I took note of the 2 schools’ cases last December when the arguments were heard and I’m glad to see the notion that you can’t use race discrimination to fight race discrimination.

The amnesty bill is dead.

I’m running between customer sites and meetings today but I note that the Amnesty Bill is dead. Michelle Malkin is the go-to site for this issue. Captain’s Quarters live blogged it. Bottom line: 53 Senators reject cloture and this bill is now over and done.

Five New York teens die in car crash

Five girls not long finished with high school are in a car together headed somewhere. There is a loss of control and their vehicle comes into conflict with a big rig. Five deaths of young people with the promise of long and productive lives. We in the DC area just played this scene out, ourselves, a couple of weeks ago and this morning’s news brings it all back with a fresh setting. This time, it’s New York:

Five young women who graduated last week from a suburban Rochester high school were killed when the sport utility vehicle they were in crashed head-on into a tractor-trailer and burst into flames, authorities said Wednesday.

The Ontario County Sheriff’s Office said the Chevrolet Trail Blazer was traveling eastbound on Route 5 shortly after 10 p.m. Tuesday when it passed another vehicle and returned to the eastbound lane.

Deputies said the SUV then veered into the westbound lane where it collided with the tractor-trailer. Both vehicles caught fire.

As with the previous accident in DC, the NTSB will need time to investigate this crash and determine what went wrong. In the meantime, we grieve for the families and friends of those in the car.

I recall a few years ago when a shark attack got reported. It seemed that that summer generated a shark attack every couple of days in some part of the country or other. You don’t hear about them any more but we all know they’re still happening. It’s just that the media’s attention has wandered off onto other topics. So, I’m afraid, it is with this one. Car crashes are killing young kids every day and it’s just the particulars of these 2 that has managed to raise the awareness to them. This is a topic that needs the awareness and we should be looking at ways to help fix this.

Others have suggested raising the minimum driving age or restricting the number of teens in a car with a teen at the wheel. I’m thinking more about including some actual performance training in driver’s ed. I hope to do another post on this matter in detail. It’s a topic that deserves some discussion on its own.

For now… our sympathies to the families of the girls involved in both incidents.

Items of Note: The missing $54M pants located! Fred Thompson responds.

Mark in Mexico has been following the – dare I say it? – ongoing revolution in Mexico’s Oaxaca but takes time out to help out American neighbors who have apparently misplaced their pants. I think he’s onto something! While you’re there, don’t miss his report on political reporting and magazine editing in Poland. (Might not be safe for work but it’s definitely eye-opening.)

Fred Thompson makes a statement regarding the Democrat attacks against him for his previous lobbyisy work – and these attacks are being launched before he’s even officially running! Captain Ed Morrissey has the exclusive audio.

Q and O’s McQ has the latest use of a Nazi smear by our tolerant, intellectual leftists.

Just a few hits as I wandered the ‘sphere today.

NYC power grid fails on upper east side

Almost a year after a major power failure hit New York City, the local power company (Con Edison) has been hit yet again. The upper east side is reportedly without power, causing traffic lights to fail and subway service to halt.

A power outage in the city’s Upper East Side neighborhood cut traffic lights and some train service this afternoon. The extent of the outage isn’t clear.

Residents said traffic lights were out for 20 blocks on Lexington Avenue between the 60s and the 80s, while others said that the East Side subway lines weren’t operating.

Con Edison couldn’t say how many customers had lost power. The city was in the second day of temperatures well over 90 degrees.

Hmmm. A large section of NYC goes dark and Con Ed “couldn’t say” how many customers are now sitting in the dark with temperatures up into the 90′s. Sounds vaguely familiar. I wonder if Mayor Bloomberg’s learned anything about handling the very real concerns of his city’s citizens caught in this kind of situation?

Dr. Helen Smith hangs out a shingle at Pajamas Media

Dr. Helen Smith, a.k.a. the Instapundit’s Instawife, is the newest addition to the columnist cadre at Pajamas Media and opens up with a fascinating question: “What should an adult be able to do?” That’s a great question and the answers given by both the worthy Doc and those of us in the ‘sphere who follow her exploits should be illuminating. So, what does the Doc say?

Well, she opens up with that famous Heinlein quote ending in “Specialization is for insects.” Heinlein was saying that human beings can and ought to be able to do many, many things. Dr. Helen’s list is short and sweet and, thankfully, I’ve got ‘em down cold.

1. Drive a stick shift. Got it.
2. Be able to swim a reasonable distance. No problem. I’ve done 4 miles in open water and a full mile fully clothed.
3. Surf the web and answer an e-mail. As a network professional, if I couldn’t do that, I’d be out of work. Denizens of the blogosphere can be assumed to pass this one.
4. Understand and be able to use a basic handgun. Got it. Great suggestion.
5. Give a good backrub. Oh, I am so all over this one. I wouldn’t say I’m Olympic caliber…. but only because saying that makes you sound conceited. And I’d never want that! Heh™
   

I got to this column via Michelle Malkin’s site and she added a few. Her list included:

1. Clean a fish. OK, don’t got it. I’m a beef man, myself.
2. Change a tire. Got it. Done so more than once.
3. Snell a hook. Ummmm….huh?
4. French-braid hair. What the hell for? Have you seen the size of this bald spot? Besides, the only “French”ing I do has nothing to do with hair.
5. Fold an American flag properly. Got it.

To Dr. Helen’s list I’d only add to the one dealing with a basic firearm. Adult Americans should not only know the basics of handling one, they should have a decent enough skill in marksmanship to be able to hit a man-sized target inside 30 feet while not hitting anything else. I’m going to be sexist, here, but that requirement should at least apply to the men in America.

Michelle’s list… well, let’s just say she’s clearly got a different viewpoint on what’s a required skill than I do. That last one is certainly fine with me so long as we’re talking about Americans. I don’t think the skill is necessarily valuable for Italians, for example. But french-braiding hair? Sorry, Ms. Malkin. I’ve gotta part company with you, there.

So, to Dr. Helen’s list, I’d take the one about changing a tire from Michelle and add that in as item #6. If I were going to add my own, they’d be:

1. Read a map.
2. Perform the four basic mathematical functions by hand to a reasonable extent.
3. Use a hammer, screwdriver, and saw proficiently.

Feel free to jump in, kids. Leave your suggestions in the comments or write one on your own blog and trackback to here.

Virginia’s Senators vote to allow amnesty bill to proceed

The cloture vote on the so-called “immigration reform” bill has been held and cloture was passed on a vote of 64-35. Both of Virginia’s Senators, John Warner (R) and Jim Webb (D) voted for cloture.

Given the responses people were getting when they tried to call either of these Senators (I tried calling again and could not get through on any of the lines. I sent e-mail but I’ve grown distrustful that either of these guys get it or read it) I am amazed at the complete disregard they display toward the wishes of their constituents. Instapundit reader Kevin McKinley wrote in to say that he had visited Webb’s Virginia Beach office personally and was told that no one – not a single person – who had called said they supported the Senator voting for cloture. Looks like Webb just doesn’t care.

Not that Warner’s much better. I’d say he’s got a clear case of short-timer’s attitude but that tends to make the situation sound less dire than it is. His careless attitude toward this issue will have very lasting repercussions on us all. I’d say it’s high time the Republican Party of Virginia – and elsewhere – start examining their vetting process and figure out why a majority of Republicans can stand in opposition to a position yet have elected reps who ignore us.

Items of note: Knoxville cop pulls a Nifong, Dems want retreat from Afghanistan, etc.

In my various wanderings of the blogosphere I’ve come across posts that have interested me a great deal but handle topics upon which I have nothing to add. This usually results in me reading the post, perhaps commenting, and then heading off to the next stop in my usual on-line walkabout. Starting today, I’m going to pass along the links to some of those in a series of posts I’ll title “Items of Note.” They’ll be items I think are important enough to mention, but not something I either want to or feel qualified to post on myself.

So, here goes…

Following a link from Instapundit, I was treated to the story of a man in Knoxville, TN who is licensed to carry a concealed weapon but found out that there’s a cop in his fair city who appears to have issues with that. The blog is called ColtCCO and he tells the tale here. Follow ups are here and here.

As with the Duke “rape” case and former D.A. Nifong, this cop in Knoxville has successfully negated any and all good work and good will by the (no doubt) hundreds of other Knoxville-area police who do their jobs quietly and correctly. This simple act of being a royal jerk just because he can be translates into a huge amount of distrust and ill will on the part of public toward cops everywhere. People who read this story from outside the jurisdiction will have to wonder about their own police forces. The only thing that will help that is for the Knoxville police to be as aggressive about admitting the mistake and owning up to fixing it as this policeman was in pushing around a law-abiding citizen.

It didn’t take long for the Dems to sound the call for retreat from Afghanistan, too. Captain’s Quarters has the details.

No, I will not link to any story about Paris Hilton’s release from jail. We’re in a war, folks, and we have a huge debate on immigration going on that’s long overdue. Let’s stay focused, people.

Michelle Malkin had a link to this report on CatholicCitizens.org where there’s a report of – hard to even type this, frankly – a Catholic mass that featured a trio of dancing girls. I like dancing girls, don’t get me wrong. But when it comes to the Mass, I’d prefer to skip the floor show.

Have a good day, folks. More to come as I see ‘em.

A real update on Iraq

Take a look at the opening paragraph of this post by Bill Roggio over at The Fourth Rail:

Operation Phantom Thunder, the corps coordinated operation across three theaters in the Baghdad Belts, has completed it seventh day. Ground forces commander Lieutenant General Raymond Odierno gave a briefing on the operation. To date, Coalition and Iraqi forces have killed 159 al Qaeda fighters and other insurgents, wounded 41, and detained 721 suspects. Coalition and Iraqi forces found and destroyed 304 roadside bombs, seven car bombs and 128 weapons caches.

In the past week, have you seen any MSM outlet report the progress of our troops engaged in battle like this? This is a succinct and unbiased recitation of the facts – in other words, reporting of the news. It is ridiculous that this information is given freely by the communications departments of our various armed forces and yet is absolutely ignored by our media. If you’re not doing so already, you need to be going to sources like Roggio or Micheal Yon. I’m not saying to ignore the folks at CBS, NBC, etc., but they clearly aren’t giving you the real story over there. Be advised and make your own conclusions.