According to Pat Robertson, Christians Are Crazy and Bloodthirsty

President Obama recently signed the Matthew Shepard and James Byrd, Jr. Hate Crimes Prevention Act. Pat Robertson is very upset. He believes that the law is bad news for Christians:

The noose has tightened around the necks of Christians to keep them from speaking out on certain moral issues. And it all was embodied in something called the Hate crimes bill that President Obama said was a major victory for America. I’m not sure if America was the beneficiary. . . .We have voted into office a group of people who are opposed to many of the fundamental Christian beliefs of our nation. And they hold to radical ideology, and they are beginning put people sharing their points of view into high office. And not only that, they not only have control of both houses of Congress.

Assuming that people who believe Pat Robertson have the capacity to read, here is the actual language from the statute that addresses "hate crimes" committed on the basis of sexual orientation (and other categories):

Whoever . . . willfully causes bodily injury to any person or, through the use of fire, a firearm, a dangerous weapon, or an explosive or incendiary device, attempts to cause bodily injury to any person, because of the actual or perceived religion, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, or disability of any person. . . [shall be liable for criminal penalties stated in this legislation].

So, in order to believe Robertson, one must also believe that Christians, by definition, want to "willfully" cause "bodily injury" to people in the listed categories. Robertson's grotesque logic also requires the listener to ignore the fact that the law also protects Christians -- and everyone else -- from religion-based violence.

Earth to Robertson: Your blatant lies are a bigger threat to Christianity than this legislation.

Palin: Former Beauty Queen Who Left Job for More Money Calls Ex-Son-In-Law a Ho'

In Sarah Palin news, the former Governor of Alaska had harsh words for Levi Johnston, her ex-son-in-law and the father of her grandchild. Palin criticized CBS News for reporting critical comments that Johnston, slated to appear in Playgirl Magazine, has made about her:

CBS should be ashamed for continually providing a forum to propagate lies. Consider the source of the most recent attention-getting lies -- those who would sell their body for money reflect a desperate need for attention and are likely to say and do anything for even more attention. . . .

How odd. Sarah Palin is a former beauty queen who left her government job in order to make millions in the private sector and who has become the "Bloggacuda" on Facebook and who is desperately trying to get lucrative speaking gigs across the globe. Yet, she basically called Johnston an "attention whore" and a "ho.'" Nice.

Demented Senators? Voting to Kill, But Not to Heal

Hearing Mary Landrieu, Joe Lieberman and other moderates express discontent with a public plan option is too much to bear. These centrists say they oppose a public plan for various reasons, including expense. If they had exhibited such caution before they voted to authorize military force in Iraq, the country could possibly have avoided the unnecessary expenditure of hundreds of billions of dollars and the loss of thousands of lives fighting a senseless war.

Several moderate Senate Democrats (Lieberman is now an "Independent") voted to authorize military force in Iraq, but they now oppose the public plan. These Senators include Evan Bayh, Landrieu, Lieberman, and Ben Nelson. In 2002, every Senate Republican voted to authorize military force in Iraq. Today, every Senate Republican opposes the public plan.

These Senators voted to spend hundreds of billions of dollars to kill Iraqis and to lead young Americans to their deaths, but they refuse to finance life-saving medical care for Americans. Apparently, this is how "pragmatism" looks.

Was Reid's "Public Option" Move Simply a "Show"?

Earlier this week, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced that proposed healthcare reform would include a "public option." Reid's announcement came while the Washington, DC rumor mill debated whether the White House truly supported a public plan. Shortly after Reid's announcement, Senator Joe Lieberman announced that he would not support a public plan. Lieberman, who has received over $1 million from the insurance industry during his career, claims that the public plan would harm the economy.

Without Lieberman's support, the public plan will lack the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster. It seems impossible that Reid could have made the announcement without realizing Lieberman's position. Ross Baker, a professor of political science at Rutgers University, argues that Reid's dramatic announcement regarding the public plan probably represents his effort to appease liberal backers, including labor unions and leftists:

You put on a good show for certain elements of the electorate and say with all candor that you tried your hardest and you got it debated, but it’s very difficult to corral 60 senators. . . .That will satisfy most people.

This theory sounds immensely plausible.

Illinois Prosecutors, Take Notice: Innocent Man Released After 12 Years in Prison

Anita Alvarez, the District Attorney for Cook County Illinois, has served the Medill Innocence Project at Northwestern University with a controversial subpoena. The subpoena seeks the "grades, grading criteria, class syllabus, expense reports and e-mail messages of the journalism students themselves."

Commentators have almost uniformly criticized the subpoena, and many journalism and legal experts view it as an attempt to harass and chill the work of the students and their professors. The Medill project has secured the release of 11 wrongfully convicted Illinois inmates during its 10-year history. Alvarez (to quote the late-Justice Brennan) is apparently afraid of "too much justice."

A judge will ultimately determine whether the Medill project must submit to Alvarez's heavy handed tactics. Meanwhile, innocent persons undoubtedly languish in Illinois prisons.

CBS News, however, reports that one wrongfully convicted Illinois man will soon get the opportunity to try and piece his life together again. 41-year-old Dean Cade was recently released from prison after serving 12 years for a rape he did not commit. DNA evidence proved his innocence. The work of the Innocence Project at Benjamin Cardozo Law School (part of Yeshiva University) in New York City secured his release.

Alvarez's subpoena shows a contempt for justice. Although Alvarez is cynical about the work of students and professors who run innocence programs, their efforts serve a vital function in the administration of justice. Legal professionals should encourage, rather than impede, the work of innocence projects.

Senator Lieberman Would Vote to Block Legislation With Public Plan

Senator Joe Lieberman says he will vote with Republicans to filibuster legislation with a public plan option. Remarkably, some of the reporting on this issue fails to mention that Liberman has received over $1 million in donations from the insurance industry over the course of his political career.

NWA Pilots Busy on Laptops, Overshoot Airport

The Northwest Airlines pilots that flew past their Minneapolis destination last week say they were distracted by their laptops. Apparently, the pilots were so engrossed reading their new flight schedules that they missed the airport and about an hour of communication with frantic air traffic controllers.


Irony: As the flight attendants told passengers to turn-off their laptops in preparation for landing, the pilots missed the landing because they were playing with their laptops!