This and that

Stuff I found interesting.

-- If Pat Robertson truely believes Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land." then at least Pat will have soneone interesting to talk to in hell.

-- Anyone who believes the media intentionally misled members' families in the recent coal mining disaster by broadcasting innacurate news that the miners were safe belongs in the same handbasket as Pat. However, there are a number of media members, particularly those in the electronic media, who need to revisit the meaning of the word confirmation. They weren't malicious, but they certainly were irresponsible and unprofessional.

-- 11 more U.S. Troops were killed today in Iraq. That brings the total to 2,193. Is it worth it, just to build a permanent al Quada base in the country? From Reuters:

George W. Bush and his Republican party face pressure at home over the rising American death toll, but the U.S. president said on Wednesday a cut in troops would be based on the situation on the ground and decisions by military commanders, not a timetable imposed from Washington.
-snip-
Thursday's deaths take the number of U.S. fatalities since the start of the war to oust Saddam Hussein to 2,193, according to Reuters figures.

It was the highest daily U.S. death toll since December 1, when 11 U.S. soldiers were also killed, and was also the deadliest day in Iraq overall for four months.

-- Anyone still question whether Dee Brown is a legitimate first-team All-American?

-- School vouchers - a veiled attempt by rich white parents to keep their children out of racially mixed schools - took another shot in Florida recently.

In a ruling expected to reverberate through legal battles over school choice in many states, the Florida Supreme Court today struck down a voucher program for students attending failing schools, saying the state constitution bars Florida from using taxpayer money to finance a private alternative to the public system.

The 5-to-2 ruling will shut down a program that Gov. Jeb Bush has considered one of his chief accomplishments at the close of this school year.

It's an encouraging trend. If vouchers catch on, the only folks paying taxes for the public schools will be childless couples (like me & the wife).

And so it goes.