This And That News Items

Some end-of-month observations:

Today is the fifth anniversary of Bush's "Mission Accomplished" speech. White House press secretary Dana Perino acknowledged that the Administration has "paid a price" over that banner. Gee, ya think? Five years and 4,000+ U.S. military deaths after Bush announced "Major combat operations in Iraq have ended" beneath that "Mission Accomplished" banner . . . there's just no way to spin that into anything positive.

Tomorrow is the National Day of Prayer. Unfortunately, in nearby Bowling Green, a cult that calls itself a church will be coming to picket a fallen soldier. Yep, the Westboro Baptist Church of Topeka, Kansas -- a group I have written about in this blog -- will protest outside the funeral of Sgt. Adam Kohlhaas who was killed in his third tour of duty. This fruitcake brigade led by "Rev." Fred Phelps uses signs such as "Thank God for IEDs" and "God Hates Fags" to show their stated belief that God is punishing America's supposed tolerance for homosexuality by killing American soldiers. Perhaps some folks should extend their prayers tomorrow for Phelps and his ilk, for they are about as close to Christian belief as the Taliban is to Islam.

Yesterday, Supreme Court Justice David Souter told a conference of judges that a visit he made to Gettysburg changed his view of difficult cases. Admitting he once wondered why he had to resolve a case, Souter said he found an answer after going with his law clerks and secretaries to the battlefield where the Civil War changed course. He mentioned a desperate bayonet charge by a commander at the end of the Union line which ultimately stopped a Confederate charge, observing "It seems a fair assessment that one of the pivots of American history was at that place, at that moment." About deciding difficult cases, Souter summed up, "I could not ever again, under any circumstance, say it is unfair that I have to do this."

And what in the hell do we make of the out-of-left-field emerging scandal with Roger Clemons and Mindy McCready? Rocket met Mindy when she was 15 and they had a 10-year relationship which included him sending bundles of money to her and (she says) giving her a different high hard one than he gave batters from the mound. Just when you think you've heard it all . . .