We’re back.
Bill-O’-Notes® has been on extended hiatus. Slowly back. I’ll be dropping in some audio tidbits from some man-on-the-street things I’m doing for Farm Fresh 102.9. I also have lots to say about faith, politics, life, and priorities among each of them.
Posted in General
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What's In a Motive?
What is it about crime news stories where speculation regarding motive plays such a central role? Just scanning some news stories of the day, particularly in television news, there seems to be this pressing urgency to get to the WHY of the story before exhausting key elements.
News organizations must devote more time and expertise in satisfactorily reporting the Who, the What, the Where & the When before earning the right to go deeper into the story and to seek the Why.
Apologists for perpetrators of violent crime waste no time proffering excuses for the heinous act. Likewise, the media who highlight a basis for evil actions over the necessity to identify the next stop for the wheels of justice simply full-monty their liberal bias every time.
Posted in General, Media, News & Politics, Radio
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Prius on Speed
Former Vice-President Al Gore’s son and namesake is in the news this week for having been arrested for “driving his environmentally friendly car at about 100 miles per hour on a freeway south of Los Angeles.” Story here
Another famous-family offspring goes off the deep-end. You call that a news story? That Toyota Prius hybrid vehicle kicking it to 100 miles per hour – now, that’s rich. Too bad for Gore III that his carbon credit card was over the limit.
Posted in News & Politics
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Happy Birthday America
IN CONGRESS, JULY 4, 1776
The unanimous Declaration of the thirteen United States of America
When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature’s God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation. Continue reading
Posted in Faith, News & Politics, Politics
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Libby's Quick Commute, or, Scooter Commuter
In the wake of President Bush’s prison sentence commutation for “Scooter” Libby, we are wise to revisit President Clinton’s explanation, published in the NY Times, of the 100+ presidential pardons that he granted on the eve of his leaving office.
Clinton writes, “On Jan. 20, 2001, I granted 140 pardons and issued 36 commutations. During my presidency, I issued a total of approximately 450 pardons and commutations, compared to 406 issued by President Reagan during his two terms. During his four years, President Carter issued 566 pardons and commutations, while in the same length of time President Bush granted 77. President Ford issued 409 during the slightly more than two years he was president.”
Is President Bush likely to put forth many pardons and commutations? This question is addressed here at Jurist Legal Intelligence FAQ reply. In it, the author(s) opines:
“No. For one thing, his father issued very few (77) when he was in office. For another, during his prior term as Governor of Texas, George W. issued fewer pardons than any Texas Governor since the 1940s (16 up to January 2000, as opposed to 70 for his immediate predecessor Ann Richards, 822 for 2-term governor Bill Clements, and 1048 for John Connally, Texas governor from 1963-69).”
It will be interesting to see what level of historical perspective the media and punditry place on their assessment of Bush’s jail sentence commutation for Libby. We can disregard presidential candidates’ views on this matter for reasons obvious.
Posted in News & Politics, Politics
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London Calling and Hello Vladimir
London calling and hello Vladimir. The juxtaposition of these two world events leaves me with a sorry sense of guilt since I had hoped so strongly for a reason to remove Paris Hilton from above the fold in thirty-point font size.
If we, as a nation, are not more than just a little concerned about the two attempted car bombings in London yesterday then we need a new national pharmacist. Kick up the dosage. Our welcome of a new British government converges with the second anniversary of the 7/7 London terrorist attack, all while a terrorist event welcomes Great Britain’s brand new Home Secretary on her first day at the office.
While it is encouraging that Russian President Vladimir Putin is visiting the president at Walker Point, it’s not so encouraging that “Vladimir” is rounding-third on a deal to sell Venezuela some Russian submarines and other weapons of war. Let’s just hope that this time when President Bush looks into President Putin’s eyes that he will see more than just rubles.
Posted in News & Politics
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Global Climate
Wait…cooling? Canada.com R. Timothy Patterson in the 6/20/07 Financial Post
“Solar scientists predict that, by 2020, the sun will be starting into its weakest Schwabe solar cycle of the past two centuries, likely leading to unusually cool conditions on Earth. Beginning to plan for adaptation to such a cool period, one which may continue well beyond one 11-year cycle, as did the Little Ice Age, should be a priority for governments.”
Posted in News & Politics
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