ABC News: Rather to Resign 'CBS Evening News' Post

Dan Rather leaves 'CBS Evening News'. However, he says he'll remain as an investigative reporter for '60 Minutes'.

Rather, 73, will become a correspondent for both editions of "60 Minutes," saying he looked forward to "pouring my heart" into investigative reporting.

After the Bush AWOL story, I think Rather staying on as an investigative reporter would be a problem.

Rather has long been a target of critics who accused him of a liberal bias, and there's even a Web site devoted to that notion. The National Guard story sent those critics into overdrive. Rather's announcement Tuesday led one Republican congressman from Pennsylvania to issue a statement saying, in effect, good riddance.

"Dan Rather has been a legend in media for more than a quarter-century to many people around the world, but not to me," Rep. Bill Shuster said. "For the entirety of his career, Rather has allowed his liberal bias to shape the news rather than report it."

What liberal bias?

Powell supports US money for terrorists

Outgoing US Secretary of State Colin PowellSeeks aid for Palestinians. Secretary Powell will announce the aid package at a World Bank meeting scheduled for December 7 in Oslo, Norway.

Secretary of State Colin L. Powell, arriving in Israel for his first visit in a year and a half, said Sunday that he would work with Palestinian leaders to come up with an American financial aid package in the next few weeks to facilitate Palestinian elections and improve their security forces.

However, Congressional leaders are skeptical about the aid.

Representative Tom Delay of Texas, the House majority leader, is said by administration officials to have warned that there needs to be more accountability by the Palestinian Authority before the money is approved.

Given that Palestinian security forces have taken part in attacks against Israel as part of the Arafat Martyrs Brigades (formerly the Al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigades), I don't think building up a terrorist army is the solution. Futhermore, new PLO chairman Mahmoud Abbas and Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei were Arafat allies and often stole foreign aid money themselves so we should not fund these two men's bankaccounts.

Finally, according to recent Arab TV interviews with Palestinian leaders there appears to be no willingness among the Palestinian leadership to make peace with Israel. The Palestinian leadership, after Arafat's death, called more attacks in Israel and vowed to continue the armed struggle. These people can't be trusted with more American aid.

I'm back

Decided to try and update this thing once in a while when I have the time. Apparently, some people do read this thing.

Gay marrage comments

A few random things about gay marriage and the rights of gay couples.

Fact: Gay couples have in most places the same rights and benefits as straight couples without gay marriage.

Fact: Many companies offer benefits to gay partners without gay marriage.

Fact: Gay couples are free commit their entire lives to one another and sign documents and have "commitment ceremonies" as well.

Since it's 1:30 in the morning, I'll write more later. But the point is, gays are not after rights per se but are demanding the government destroy the definition of marriage which is one man and one woman.

Australia will ignore terror threat

Good news from the Aussies. An Al-Qaeda subsidary is threatening Australia with attacks if Australia does not withdraw her troops from Iraq immediately. Here's the response of Australian Prime Minister John Howard:

"We are still investigating the authenticity and relevance of that body, but we will not take any notice of threats of that kind," Prime Minister John Howard, a close ally of President Bush, told reporters in Sydney on Monday.

"We will not parlay and negotiate with terrorists and I believe the overwhelming majority of the Australian public will agree with us," said Howard, who sent 2,000 troops to the U.S.-led war on Iraq.

Furthermore, here is Australian Foreign Minister Alexander Downer pointing out how the cowardice of Spain and the Philippines has only enabled the terrorists:

"What they have done in these two cases is accede to the demands of the terrorists. And in those circumstances, if you accede to the demands of terrorists, all you do is embolden them to continue the strategy," he told Australian radio on Monday.

Good for Australia, especially since they've lost so many in the Bali bombings last year. History will judge Prime Minister Howard well for this stand.

US uses cash as a defensive weapons

This really should've been thought up a long time ago.

Maj. Gen. John R.S. Batiste, the division commander, said restive central Iraq is full of men who "are young, unemployed, without hope. We are trying to reach out to them. Whenever we get the money, we are trying to apply it to pull over as many of these men as we can to our side."

This is why Americans are dying in Iraq, not because the Iraqis are united to kill Americans and want Saddam back. The Iraqi people want a better future and better life than they have now. Right now, it pays to kill Americans.

Gays sue Ashcroft over gay marriage

It's finally happened. A lesbian couple in Florida is suing Attorney General John Ashcroft over the denial of their marriage license request in Florida, their homestate. The lesbians, Rev. Nancy Wilson and Paula Schoenwether, claim the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA) is a violation of their equal protection rights as laid out in the Fourteenth Amendment.

A few questions about this case I'm interested in as the case unfolds over the coming days:

1) How long was this "couple" together before they got "married"?

2) If the purpose is to overturn DOMA, why are they not using their better arguement in the Full Faith and Credit clause as outlined in Article IV. Section 1? After since the "marriage" is legal in Massachusetts, it would have to be recongized in Florida because the process in Massachusetts is assumed to be legal and proper.

3) Who's paying for the plaintiffs' lawyers?

4) How is the right for gays to get married protected under the equal protection clause if polygamy is illegal, even though it was at the time a required Mormon ritual?

Of course, the easiest way to solve the whole gay marriage question is to get government out of the business of marriage. If pastors and priests do not want to marry homosexuals, they won't and shouldn't be forced to. Marriage to me is a union between a man and a woman, solemnized in the presence of God, for the purpose of building a family and raising children. Since as a Christian I believe homosexuality is a sin, homosexuals cannot marry. However, a substantial portion of Americans do not support this view.

I'll write more on this subject tomorrow when I have more time.

Palestinian Civil War?

Ha'aretz on the inept and corrupt Palestinian Authority. Good backgrounder.

The Scotsman rounds up the day's fighting.


Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Korei resigned amid kidnappings of foreigners and Palestinian security officials in Gaza.

This could be the beginning of the Palestinian Civil War between Hamas/Islamic Jihad and Arafat's Fatah movement. Stay tuned.

Greedy North Carolina politicians want a tax increase

The Senate passed a tobacco buyout to prop up sales against lower cost tobacco from China. The bill was passed 78-15 and includes new powers to regulate tobacco by the FDA. The buyout is paid for with a user fee (ie. a new tax) imposed on tobacco companies which will passed on to smokers. However, there is a House version that will just syphon the money directly from the Federal budget. And I thought the GOP (which controls BOTH houses of Congress) stood for fiscal discipline and lower taxes.
 
This is also akin to bailing out candlemakers and stagecoach manufacturers in 1900.

What the f**k???!!!!

This new insanity from the People's Republic of Illinois. People with the HIV virus can now donate organs.