Take Up Arms!

With Israel battling Hezbollah in and around Lebanon, things look kind of shaky over in the Middle East right now. If the war escalates to the point that the Iranian army gets involved, will former President Bill Clinton follow through on this statement?

"The Israelis know that if the Iraqi or the Iranian army came across the Jordan River, I would personally grab a rifle, get in a ditch, and fight and die.” He said this to a crowd at a fund-raising event for a Toronto Jewish charity in August of 2002.

You know, for a guy who wrote that he "loathes the military", he certainly is ready to fight terrorists, either by taking up arms himself, or by wanting to send in black ninjas to terrorist training camps.

Or am I being cynical in thinking that he doesn't mean a word of it?

Past Headline?

I saw this on a T-Shirt and thought it was just hilarious, especially in the light of the New York Times recent exposing the U.S. Government's various efforts to track and stop terrorists and their potential attacks.

When In Doubt, Look About

The Supreme Court recently decided that the Pentagon's military commissions, established to prosecute suspected terrorists, violated international law and were not authorized by Congress. The second part of this rationalization makes some sense. Congress does make the laws, and if they hadn't authorized them, so be it. Congress should pass the law, establish the tribunals, and prosecute and execute the terrorists.

However, it's the 1st part that continues to bug me. The Supreme Court routinely and continuously cites international law when deciding cases. Justice Anthony Kennedy said in an interview that when you can't find the appropriate case law for precedent in American courts, then it is right and proper to use international decisions to justify their decisions.

This is straight from Article III, Section 2 of the U.S. Constituion:
The judicial Power shall extend to all Cases, in Law and Equity, arising under this Constitution, the Laws of the United States.

That's their job. To interpret the U.S. Constituion and decide if laws passed are Constitutional or not. That's it. Not make decisions and create law based upon foreign precedent or their own personal feelings. (I say feelings as thought isn't a component most times, or they would actually do the job that they were appointed to do.) As an example, I'm still waiting for someone to show me the words "Right to Privacy" that the Supreme Court said was in the Constituion, or how the words "Right to Bear Arms" isn't.

As an aside, isn't it interesting how the radical leftist groups who protest the World Trade Organization and World Bank summits, because of their supposed disagreement with these groups' 'One-World' or 'New World Order' non-stated goals have no issue whatsoever with the Supreme Court using foreign precedent, ostensibly pushing the United States closer to that 'One World' concept?

Who is at fault?

Ben Wallace has decided to leave the Detroit Pistons and sign with the Chicago Bulls. Apparently, at issue here was the Pistons "disrespectful" offer of four years, $48,000,000. Or so was said publicly. Before you think that I'm going to churn out the typical "rich athlete" rant, think again. Personally, I don't care if an athlete turns down one multi-million dollar offer for another that's even higher. If you want the coin, go get it.

No, my posting is a simple question as to who is to blame for Wallace leaving Detroit. Is it Wallace himself for going for the even bigger payday? Is it Joe Dumars for offering the lower contract? No. I'm going to put forth a thought that you won't hear anywhere else in the media, because they are ALL bought and paid for by one man. There is only one person to blame - David Hall!!!

I think Wallace got tired of seeing Hall everywhere, particularly at the Palace. After all, Wallace wasn't the face of the Pistons, it is Hall. Perhaps he was afraid that his commercials with Chauncey Billups would come true and that Hall would suit up and play. Maybe Wallace was afraid that he'd have to appear in more embarrassing TV commercials with Billups and Hall. Or maybe, as a last straw, it was Hall's latest billboard touting 'The Real Estate Insiders' (it's on I-94, and looks creepy with Hall's arm around another man). Point is, you can't escape David Hall. Unless you're a free agent.