ON THE LIGHTER-THAN-AIR SIDE:
Some Very Funny Air Traffic Controller Vignettes

Courtesy of Molly's Musings, in honor of the late Robert ("The Untouchables") Stack for his very funny performance as an air traffic controller in the classic spoof Airplane!. Stack died last week at the age of 84.

Here's a sample story from Molly's blog:

A Pan Am 727 flight engineer waiting for start clearance in Munich overheard the following:

Lufthansa (in German): "Ground, what is our start clearance time?"

Ground (in English): "If you want an answer you must speak English."

Lufthansa (in English): "I am a German, flying a German airplane, in Germany. Why must I speak English?"

Unknown voice (in a beautiful British accent): "Because you lost the bloody war!"

IN TEXAS, THEY HAVE THE RIGHT IDEA:
Legislators Flee Lone Star State to Avoid Vote

According to the Associated Press, 51 Democrat legislators from the Texas House of Representatives are holed up across the border in Ardmore, Oklahoma in order to prevent a quorum from being formed to vote on a Republican-sponsored redistricting bill they disagree with.

In order to vote on the bill before the House's Thursday night deadline, after which the bill must be scrapped, the House Republicans need the presence of their Democratic colleagues, who decided to flee the state rather than fight a battle they knew they’d lose. Instead, the Democrats intend to stay in Oklahoma until Friday morning, long oast House’s deadline:

Republicans castigated their absent colleagues for the growing heaps of bills in jeopardy of not being passed.

"We want our colleagues back," Lt. Gov. David Dewhurst, who presides over the Senate, told reporters before the GOP House members convened Wednesday. He said lawmakers are only days away from completing "a historically successful session'' that will balance the state's budget without a tax bill, despite a $9.9 billion shortfall.

The House Republicans quickly adjourned to move into committee hearings, which are allowed without a House quorum as long as a majority of a committee is present.

Despite the work stoppage, Republicans remain focused on legislative business, said Gov. Rick Perry.

…Texas already has a court-drawn redistricting map, but Republicans say it doesn't reflect state voting trends and want to redo it. Their plan could add five to seven GOP House seats to the 15 the Republicans already have.

From their motel in Ardmore, Okla., the Democrats blamed U.S. House Majority Leader Tom DeLay for the shutdown of the Texas House of Representatives.

"We have a message for Tom DeLay: Don't mess with Texas,'' said House Democratic Legislative Caucus leader Jim Dunnam. "We did not choose the path that led us to Ardmore, Okla. Tom DeLay chose that path.''

In Washington, DeLay mocked the Democratic legislators. "I have never turned tail and run,'' DeLay said. "Even when I'm losing, I stand and fight for what I believe.''...

[On a historical note, in 1988 then-U. S. Senate Majority leader Robert Byrd (D–W.Va) needed a quorum, but didn’t have enough willing members on hand to fill it. So he sent the Senate’s Sargeant-at-Arms, accompanied by the Capitol Police to every Senator’s office on the Hill to “persuade” the absent Senators to join him on the floor. One Senator, Robert Packwood (R-Ill.), locked his office door and refused to come out. When the police tried to force the door open, Packwood pushed against them but was overwhelmed in short order. He was taken out feet first and carried to the Senate Chamber.]

PRESIDENT HAS AFFAIR WITH INTERN:
No, We Don't Mean Bill Clinton....

...We mean none other than Bill Clinton's idol and role model, John F. Kennedy, known affectionately to the White House Press Corps during his administration as "Jack the Zipper." According to a story from the Associated Press today, it seems that JFK had an affair with a 19-year-old White House intern:

...''She had no skills. She could answer the phone,'' Robert Dallek, author of ''An Unfinished Life,'' told ''Dateline NBC'' in an interview that aired Sunday. ''Apparently, her only skill was to provide sexual release for JFK on those trips and maybe in the White House.''

Dallek learned of the affair from a White House aide, Barbara Gamarekian, whose oral history was recently unsealed. Gamarekian told the Daily News that she remembers only the young intern's first name, which she refused to reveal.

...Kennedy is known to have had numerous extramarital liaisons, but this is the first report of an affair with an intern. ''There were lots of women,'' Dallek, whose book comes out Tuesday, told the newspaper. ''The real question is: Did it distract him from his job as president? I think it really didn't.''

Like in the Bay of Pigs fiasco, for example? Yeah, right.

ON RICK SANTORUM:
He's No Trent Lott

One of the most irritating things about Rick Santorum's treatment by the media and pro-gay liberals is the constant comparison of Santorum's views on sexuality to Trent Lott's boneheaded condoning of the racist Dixiecrats back in the 50s and 60s.

Liberals both inside and outside the media know full well that unlike Trott's sympathy for Strom Thurmond's presidential run as a segregationist, Santorum's very nuanced and very tolerant views regarding sexual orientations reflect those of the vast majority of Americans.

So when they attack Santorum as a "bigot," they attack all of us as "bigots."

SHE FOUGHT "TO THE DEATH":
Rescued POW Jessica Lynch Did Not Want to Be Taken Alive, Army Says

Today's Washington Post reports that the recently rescued POW, 19-year-old Army Pfc. Jessica Lynch, continued fighting the Iraqi soldiers who ambushed her unit, Army 507th Ordnance Maintenance Company, even after receiving several gunshot wounds and three broken limbs. And when she was finally subdued and captured, she was stabbed in the process. But she had already taken out two Iraqi soldiers:

"She was fighting to the death," [an Army] official said. "She did not want to be taken alive."

...Several officials cautioned that the precise sequence of events is still being determined, and that further information will emerge as Lynch is debriefed. Reports thus far are based on battlefield intelligence, they said, which comes from monitored communications and from Iraqi sources in Nasiriyah whose reliability has yet to be assessed. Pentagon officials said they had heard "rumors" of Lynch's heroics but had no confirmation.

...Lynch, of Palestine, W.Va., arrived yesterday at a U.S. military hospital in Germany. She was in "stable" condition, with broken arms and a broken leg in addition to the gunshot and stab wounds, sources said. Other sources said both legs and one arm were broken. Victoria Clarke, a Pentagon spokeswoman, gave no specifics of Lynch's condition, telling reporters only that she is "in good spirits and being treated for injuries."

But one military officer briefed on her condition said that while Lynch was conscious and able to communicate with the U.S. commandos who rescued her, "she was pretty messed up." Last night Lynch spoke by telephone with her parents, who said she was in good spirits, but hungry and in pain.

"Talk about spunk!" said Sen. Pat Roberts (R-Kan.), whom military officials had briefed on the rescue. "She just persevered. It takes that and a tremendous faith that your country is going to come and get you."

One Army official said that it could be some time before Lynch is reunited with her family, since experience with those taken prisoner since the Vietnam War indicates that soldiers held in captivity need time to "decompress" and reflect on their ordeal with the help of medical professionals.

"It's real important to have decompression time before they get back with their families to assure them that they served their country honorably," the official said. "She'll meet with Survival, Escape, Resistance and Evasion psychologists. These are medical experts in dealing with this type of things."

...One intriguing account of Lynch's captivity came from an unidentified Iraqi pharmacist at Saddam Hussein Hospital who told Sky News, a British network, that he had cared for her and heard her crying about wanting to be reunited with her family.

In other news, the Governor Bob Wise of Pfc. Lynch's home state of West Virginia has announced that the state government will "see that she becomes" the kindergarten teacher she wants to become by paying for her college education at any West Virginia public college or university of her choosing.

We salute this brave young woman, and all our troops in the war against Saddam, and wish her the very best of God's blessings.

WHERE'S SADDAM???
Two Weeks and Counting, Still No Hussein

Since the war in Iraq began just a fortnight ago, the coalition forces have subdued over half of Iraq and destroyed half of its military and paramilitary leverage. During that period of day-and-night bombing and missile attacks, Saddam's key government buildings and military installations have been reduced to rubble.

Yet the Iraqi government, apparently in a near-psychotic state of denial, insists to its television and radio public that it is "winning" the war. But at no time during these past two weeks has Saddam shown his face in public to assure his followers that he is still in full control. much less to personally intimidate the Iraqi people into refraining from joining the allies against him.

The only high-profile Iraqi official these days seems to be the Minister of Information, who, when he's not issuing threats if suicide bombings against the coalition soldiers and marines, insists that Saddam is still alive and well. In our opinion, if he really was, he'd have shown his face by now.

THE COUNTDOWN BEGINS:
5 Hours to G-Day

All indications are that the ever-defiant Saddam Hussein will not take up President Bush's invitation to "get out of town," at least not by 8:00 pm EST tonite. Thus the 300,000 US, UK, and Australian troops and 1,000 warplanes amassed at his borders are now on the move.

Associated Press reporter David Crary relates the following details (Fair Use extracts in blue text; emphases via underlines added):

(March 19) -- Hours before the deadline set by President Bush, Saddam Hussein gave no sign of yielding, and long columns of U.S. armored vehicles moved through swirling Kuwaiti sandstorms Wednesday toward Iraq's border.

In Baghdad, fortified by trenches and sandbags, streets were quieter than usual, with light traffic and some shops shuttered. Saddam ordered residents to stack wood and oil barrels to be set afire in hopes of concealing targets from bombardment.

Iraq's rubber-stamp parliament, at a special session, rejected the U.S. ultimatum and reaffirmed support for Saddam. The idea that he would flee into exile ''is absolutely unthinkable,'' said Speaker Saadoon Hammadi.

Just across Iraq's southern border, U.S. and British troops piled ammunition and combat gear into fighting vehicles and broke camp, ready to invade on short notice. One major deployment involved the U.S. Army's 3rd Infantry Division - its 20,000 soldiers and thousands of vehicles were ordered to positions close to the border.

...''We are one day closer to making history,'' Col. Michael Linnington, commander of the 101st Airborne Division's 3rd Brigade, told his officers at a briefing Wednesday morning.

...Though U.S. defense officials hope for a quick victory, with minimal casualties on both sides, they raised the possibility that Iraq would use chemical weapons. Pentagon officials said intelligence reports suggest Saddam has given field commanders authority to use such weapons.

The top American general in Kuwait, Lt. Gen. David D. McKiernan, warned against any such tactics. ''It would be a hugely bad choice on the part of any Iraqi leader or commander to employ chemical weapons,'' he said.

Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said he does not believe Saddam's government would use chemical or biological weapons even as a last resort because it would turn world opinion in favor of the United States. ''Some people care about their reputation even after death,'' Blix said.

Interestingly enough, Blix does not mention that as recently as the past few months Saddam has been telling the UN Security Council and its weapons inspectors in Iraq that he does not possession chemical or biological weapons.

Obviously, as has now been established, Saddam had been lying all along. Yet Bush's critics, especially in the Democratic Party, continue on their self-deluding merry way as if nothing has changed:

....Some determined opponents of the war - including a group of black members of Congress - refused to abandon hopes for a diplomatic settlement.

''We are making one last plea not only on behalf of ourselves but on behalf of millions of people throughout our country, millions of people throughout our world,'' said Rep. Barbara Lee, D-Calif.

Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., chairman of the Congressional Black Caucus, said black lawmakers had asked to meet with Bush but were rebuffed....

WINDS OF CHANGE IN IRAQ:
And Whirlwinds of Defeat for Saddam

Before this week is out the disarming of Saddam and the liberation of the Iraqi people by the coalition forces of the US, UK, and others will begin. In yesterday's edition of his End of Day e-newsletter, Gary Bauer of the Family Research Council notes that in recent days the Iraqis themselves have been protesting against Saddam despite the oppression and violence they face for doing so. He writes:

Hussein In The Crosshairs

Events are now swiftly moving toward war. The Azores "summit" resulted in the allies giving "diplomacy" one more day, but even one more month would not have mattered. France again made it clear they would veto any U.N. resolution that contained an ultimatum and without an ultimatum there is no chance Hussein would ever cooperate.

Now comes word that President Bush will address the nation tonight at 8:00 pm after briefing congressional leaders. Rumors swirling through Washington suggest that he will give Hussein 48 to 72 hours to leave Iraq. But even before the President's speech, an Iraqi spokesman said Hussein will not leave and that the only thing that will avert war is for President Bush to resign!

Meanwhile, U.S. intelligence is picking up signs that the chemical weapons Iraq doesn't have, that Blix couldn't find, and that the French insist don't matter, are being distributed to Republican Guard units around Baghdad. Speaking of Blix, he is planning on leaving Iraq tomorrow and will soon be replaced by 225,000 G.I. inspectors who have a bit more passion for the job than the U.N. bureaucrat has shown in the last six months. In fact, very soon Blix, Kofi Annan, Jacques Chirac and the peace demonstrators will be taking a backseat in the news to the bunch of kids from Everytown, U.S.A., who will, once again, liberate - not conquer - and make us all proud.

Cracks In Iraq

Reports are beginning to leak out of Iraq about what is going on there as liberation nears. Twenty thousand demonstrators in the Iraqi city of Kirkuk marched demanding Hussein's overthrow. There are reports of sabotage all over the country. Posters of Hussein are being vandalized. Last weekend a demonstration against Hussein by Iraqi Shiite Muslims was brutally suppressed. In short, freedom is in the air in Iraq. If I were Jacques Chirac, I would vacate my Iraqi embassy now.

ANOTHER GREAT IRISH SAINT:
Maybe Patrick Drove Out the Snakes, But....

...according to beer writers Steve Frank and Arnold Meltzer Ireland's own St. Brigid (457-525 AD) turned water --including dirty bath water-- into fine ale:

Probably the best known Irish saint after Patrick is Saint Brigid (b. 457, d. 525). Known as "the Mary of the Gael," Brigid founded the monastery of Kildare and was known for spirituality, charity, and compassion. St. Brigid also was a generous, beer-loving woman. She worked in a leper colony which found itself without beer, "For when the lepers she nursed implored her for beer, and there was none to be had, she changed the water, which was used for the bath, into an excellent beer, by the sheer strength of her blessing and dealt it out to the thirsty in plenty." Brigid is said to have changed her dirty bathwater into beer so that visiting clerics would have something to drink. Obviously this trait would endear her to many a beer lover. She also is reputed to have supplied beer out of one barrel to eighteen churches, which sufficed from Maundy Thursday to the end of paschal time. A poem attributed to Brigid in the Brussels library begins with the lines "I should like a great lake of ale, for the King of the Kings. I should like the family of Heaven to be drinking it through time eternal."

Unfortunately, we're not told what the Ph levels were in the water, nor what kinds of hops St. Brigid used, nor whether or not she employed a single or double decoction. But we trust the resulting brew was at least as good as Guinness.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

-----------

FOR THOSE OF IRISH DESCENT....
...And Those Who Wish They Were

Here are some links to Irish folk songs and other goodies:

Irish Songs Music, Lyrics and Midis for Traditional, Drinking and Folk
Songs

Irish Folk Songs

Ireland 20,000 Volkslieder, German and other Folksongs

Traditional Irish Songs

Irish Folksongs. Airs, Ballads, Ditties, Folksongs, Hymns, Jigs, and Reels of Ireland

Irish Songs and Stories

MAYBE WE SHOULD SPELL IT "M-O-R-O-N"
Northern Virginia's Resident Dolt Places Foot in Mouth Once More

In a Q&A session with a group of local anti-war protesters this week, liberal U.S. Congressman James Moran (D-VA) has raised the ired of the Jewish community with his looney "observation" that were it not for "Jewish influence," the Bush administration would not be set upon waging war against Iraq in the near future. His comments came as part of a response to a protester who identified himself as a Jew and asked Moran what could be done to stop the march to a second Persian Gulf war.

This is just another in a long, long line of dumb and dumber things popped off over the years by the Rep. Moran, who reminds us of something Dorothy Parker once said way back in the 1930s to a particularly air-headed New York City socialite who seemed unable to resist the temptation of making a public jackass out of herself in a similar manner:

"Madam, is there any thought in your head you've left unsaid?"

GOOD NEWS FROM UTAH:
Abducted Kid Found Alive and Well!

Back in June of this past year, 14-year-old Elizabeth Smart was kidnapped at gunpoint from her home in Salt Lake, Utah. The authorities search for weeks, but weeks turned into months as clues became scarcer and the abductor's trail grew colder.

Eventually everyone gave up --except her friends and family, who kept the pressure on the police and Elizabeth's name and face in the media. Their patience and persistence paid off when Elizabeth and her abductor were spotted this week by two alert citizens, who alerted the police. Now Elizabeth is back with her family.

As most of us know, most kids taken by strangers almost never turn up, much less turn up alive. Happily, this was a joyful exception. Praise God!

For more info on the heartbreaking issue of child abduction and missing children as well as the campaign to pass a national Amber Alert law, go to the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children web site.

QUOTE OF THE MONTH

"At the center of the universe is a loving heart that continues to beat and that wants the best for every person. Anything we can do to help foster the intellect and spirit and emotional growth of our fellow human beings, that is our job. Those of us who have this particular vision must continue against all odds. Life is for service." --Fred Rogers

GOOD-BYE, GOOD NEIGHBOR:
It's a Sad Day in the Neighborhood

"When I think about heaven, it is a state in which we are so greatly loved that there is no fear and doubt and disillusionment and anxiety. It is where people really do look at you with those eyes of Jesus." --Fred Rogers

Fred McFeely Rogers, the host of public t.v.'s children's progam "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," who for 30 years practically turned kind-and-gentle into an art form, passed away today after a bout with stomach cancer. He was 74.

In 1968, Rogers, an openly avid Christian and an ordained Presbyterian minister who was greatly influenced by Catholic contemplative theologian and psychologist Fr. Henri Nouwen while studying early child development at the University of Pittsburgh, wanted to use television to encourage pre-school children to love themselves and others. His goal was to inspire in them the virtues of selflessness, tolerance, and respect for everyone around them in order to help them grow into happy and well-adjusted community-and-family-oriented adults. To that end, he composed and sang simple songs and created colorful puppet characters for the often funny scripts he wrote, stories and dialogues which usually included lessons about sharing, or honesty, or patience, or dealing with fear or anger.

During the Persian Gulf War, Rogers assured his young audience that "all children shall be well taken care of" and asked their parents to repeatedly tell them that they would always be safe. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, Rogers recorded public service announcements telling parents how to help their children deal with the attacks. He also advised parents against letting young children watch replays of the attacks because, he noted, "they might think it's happening at that moment."

Throughout his career, Rogers, by all accounts a naturally soft-spoken and gentle man, made a point of being himself both on screen and off. His soothing voice and kindly demeanor made him such a hit with the youngsters who watched him that most remained fans as adults with young children of their own.

Fred Rogers had a very positive influence on millions of children since 1968, many of whom are now loving and committed parents. Few have left better legacies than that.

Thanks, Mister Rogers. You were special just the way you were.

NOTES:

To read more about Fred Rogers' life and career, go to this page at his Family Communications web site.

In its March 6, 2002 issue, Christianity Today published its cover story on Fred Rogers and how he communicated his faith and Christian values through his t.v. show.

See also Focus on the Family's tribute to Fred Rogers.

THE ULTIMATE C.Y.A. MANUEVER?
Missouri Prosecutors Favor Executing the [Potentially] Innocent

From today's New York Times and Kansas City Star comes a story on what can only be called "The Ultimate Cover-Your-Ass[ets] Maneuver" proposed by some in the legal system.

According to the Times and the Star, the following exchange took place in the Missouri Supreme Court between the judges and a prosecutor attempting to block an appeal by a death row inmate to have his case re-opened based on new evidence which had surfaced long after his conviction:

Judge Laura Denvir Stith: "Are you suggesting [that] even if we find Mr. Amrine is actually innocent, he should be executed?"

Assistant State Attorney General Frank A. Jung: "That's correct, your honor."

Judge Ronnie White: "So you would put an innocent man to death as long as he got a fair trial."

According to the Star, Jung replied that

...[T]he remedy in such a case is the governor, who has the power to pardon. The Supreme Court, however, has adopted the proposition that innocence should be considered only if a constitutional violation has occurred, [Jung] said.

Judge Michael Wolff, however, questioned how the courts could allow a wrong decision to stand. He mused that such a policy would require the courts to depend for a just outcome on a political decision by the governor, who is not obligated to issue such a pardon.

The Times article goes on to say that state prosecutors and attorneys general are becoming increasingly resistant to allowing those facing execution to try to vindicate themselves based on DNA testing and other newly discovered evidence or potential evidence once the standard appeals deadlines have passed:

While death row inmates have always peppered the courts with legal filings, the recent wave of death row exonerations, based on DNA and other evidence, has inspired more defense lawyers and academics to seek to reopen death penalty cases in a sustained and vigorous way.

Courts are beginning to express concern that they may be parties to the occasional miscarriage of justice. Gov. George Ryan's commutations of the death sentences of all 164 prisoners on death row in Illinois focused public attention on the issues of wrongful convictions and flaws in the capital justice system.

Jeremiah W. Nixon, Missouri's attorney general, said Mr. Jung's response to Judge Stith was a legally correct answer to an inflammatory hypothetical question. The point Mr. Jung was trying to make, he said, is that there must come a time when cases can be closed.

"Is the state required to prove every day that someone committed an offense beyond a reasonable doubt?" Mr. Nixon asked.

Well, yes --if new reasonable doubt arises as the result of covering grounds which had not been covered before. Damned right! After all, the last time we looked the proper role of American jurisprudence is to protect the innocent and punish the guilty, not the other way around. (Unless, of course, one is an ACLU lawyer; but we digress...)

Nevertheless, Messr.s Nixon and Jung "argue" that the legal system should not be so terribly inconvenienced by such petty matters as life and death. After all, they seem to say, isn't it more important to stay on schedule? As well as save the courts all that extra time and work? But we suspect that there's another more "important" reason for such adamant quasi-bureaucratic insistence upon adhering to deadlines and procedures:

As we all know, state prosecutors make their careers and reputations on the quality of their track records in court: The more conviction notches you can put on your belt, the better are your chances for becoming Mayor, or Governor, or Senator. Or being named United States Attorney General by the next President. Or being recruited by a high-profile New York City law firm.

On the other hand, the more of those whom you've prosecuted manage to get their convictions overturned, the more likely you'll end up becoming a law clerk in Moose Knee, Montana.

SAD NEWS FROM NORTH CAROLINA
17-Year-Old Jesica Santillon Dies; Victim of Botched Transplant Operation

For those of us who have been following this story, this is a sad day indeed. (Lord Jesus, bring this dear child into your Kingdom and send your comforting love and peace to the grieving family she left behind. Amen.)

One of the most astonishing aspects of this story is the reaction of some to the fact that young Jesica was the child of illegal aliens, who came to this country specifically for the purpose of helping their daughter, who had been born with a defective heart. These cold-hearted naysayers "argue" that Jesica had no "right" to the surgeries she received in the US because she and her parents weren't American citizens. Never mind that her medical treatment was funded by private donations, NOT taxpayers' money.

Pathetic.

OF PROTESTING THAT OTHER WAR:
"Peace In Middle Earth In Our Time"

An especially witty piece of satire written by blogger and Lord of the Rings fan Domenico Bettinelli opens thusly:

MINAS TIRITH (Gondor News Network) - Thousands of peace activists took to the streets of Minas Tirith and other cities of Middle Earth today to protest what they termed a rush to war with Mordor.

“We need more time for diplomacy,” said a key member of the Middle-Earth Security Council, Saruman the White. “I am not convinced by the evidence presented by my esteemed colleague, Gandalf the Grey, or that the Dark Lord Sauron presents an imminent danger to the peoples of the West.”....

Go HERE to read the rest of this fine piece.

OF IMMATERIAL "PEACE" PROTESTING:
Madonna Expresses Herself On Iraq and War

Long before President Bush made clear his determination to oust Saddam Hussein, the Hollywood glitterati --who tend to be liberal Democrats-- have been on the anti-Bush bandwagon. Their long-held antipathy for Dubya is now dressed up as "concern" for "peace" and "the Iraqi people."

Never mind that the Iraqi people have known no peace under Saddam during his entire 25-year regime. He started the Iran-Iraq War of the 1980's, which dragged on for years at the cost of millions of Iraqi lives. Never mind that he has imprisoned, tortured, and murdered tens of thousands of Iraqis who've expressed the least degree of disagreement with him, and has waged war on minority ethnic groups such as the Kurds. And never mind that he has used his own people, by the hundreds and thousands, as guinea pigs for his chemical and biological weapons.

Not to be left out of the Hollywood "peace" chorus is none other than the Material Girl herself, Madonna. It seems Madonna has been working on a controversial music video based on her new anti-war song "American Life." The video opens at a fashion show but "escalates into a mad frenzy depicting the catastrophic repercussions and horror of war," says Madonna spokesperson Liz Rosenberg.

However, numerous early reports claim it also includes alarming film clips of dead Iraqi soldiers and body parts --reports Madonna categorically denies. Moreover, Madonna asserts, "I feel lucky to be an American citizen for many reasons, one of which is the right to express myself freely." She added, "I am not anti-Bush. I am not pro-Iraq. I am pro-peace. I have written a song and created a video which expresses my feelings about our culture and values and illusions of what many people believe is the American dream -- the perfect life."

Of course, it's as much Madonna's right as anyone else's to express her views about Iraq or any other issue. No one would gainsay that. (In fact, we hope she'll add a blog to her web site for that very purpose.) Her liberalism aside, Madonna is one of the more insightful and intelligent (and, surprisingly enough, more intellectual) folks in show biz, as her 1994 Esquire interview by Norman Mailer demonstrated. Despite some monumental imbecilities --that silly Sex book, for example-- Madonna's no dummy. Too bad she tends to squander her keen intellect on cultural shallowness and inane causes.

The same question which applies to most celebrities-turned-political-pundits, who seem to live under the delusion that their fame and expertise in show business somehow makes them foreign policy experts, applies to Madonna as well (your humble servant is an Equal Opportunity Curmudgeon, after all): Namely, who cares what she thinks about Iraq or Sadam or any issue other than the sorry state of entertainment, the music industry, and popular culture in general? Like most big-name entertainers making a big to-do about Iraq these days, what Madonna knows about foreign affairs most likely wouldn't fill a thimble; except, perhaps, what she knows about the ones she's had herself.

What Madonna and other Hollywood naysayers need to remember and to keep in mind is that what has been required of Saddam today by both the US and the UN --namely, the dismantling of and cessation of development of WMDs-- was required of him 12 years ago as part of the terms for ending the Persian Gulf War without taking Baghdad and ousting him. Thus the proposed use of force against Saddam in response to 12 years of proven defiance and deception is more an act of finishing the last war than starting a new one. Therefore, if military action is taken against Saddam the responsibility for any and all innocent civilian casualties among the Iraqis falls squarely on Saddam's shoulders and no one else's.

SNOWBOUND IN BABYLON-ON-THE-POTOMAC
"It Ain't a Fit Day Out for Man or Beast" --W. C. Fields

The big news here in the DC area since Friday the 14th has been Saturday, Sunday, and Monday the 15th, 16th, and 17th. To be more precise, the nearly two feet of snow dumped on us since Saturday nite, a storm which didn't end until this afternoon.

Just about everything is closed here, including the Fed, until Wednesday at the earliest. Meanwhile both private citizen and public servant strive to dig us out of this. (One can hear laughter regaling from the upper Midwest and the snow belt around the Great Lakes. To those blizzard veterans, we poor benighted DC area folk are snow wimps: This is but a "flurry" to them.) But we're slowly digging out, and things'll be back to normal in a jiffy.

Or at least what passes for normal in Washington.

QUOTES OF THE WEEK
On France & Germany's Reaction to the USA vs Saddam

"Luckily, France and Germany still say they are still our allies. You know, the same way Bill and Hillary are husband and wife." --Jay Leno

"Did you all see Colin Powell speaking with the U.N.? He was very persuasive, but still some folks want more evidence. France wants to see more evidence. Well, hell, I was thinking the last time France wanted to see more evidence it rolled into Paris with a German flag." --David Letterman

"Going to war without France is like going deer-hunting without an accordian." --Jed Babbin, former Deputy Undersecretary of Defense

WHAT A SLOW NEWS DAY!....
...We Think We'll Go Squirrel-Fishing

Um, wait a minute. That's what our Bullies 'N' Bozos BLOG is for. Never mind.

HIGH NOON AT THE U.N.:
Colin Powell's Iron-Clad Case Against Saddam

Yesterday, before the United Nations Security Council, Secretary of State Colin Powell gave a 90-minute presentation of recently declassified US intelligence data which apparently confirm beyond a shadow of a doubt that Iraq possesses chemical and biological weapons of mass destruction, as well as continues to develop more of them in massive quantities. For example, Powell noted, the Iraqis have manufactured and still possess over 4 tons of the lethal agent VX, a poison so deadly that only "[a] single drop" on a person's skin "will kill in minutes."

Moreover, said Powell, the data proves that Saddam Hussein was not only refusing to comply with all U.N. resolutions passed against Iraq, the Iraqis been systematically and deliberately deceiving the U.N.'s inspectors for the past 12 years.

The case Powell made was so compelling and convincing that life-long liberal Democrats Joe Biden and Ted Kennedy finally agreed with President Bush about the danger Iraq presents to the US and the rest of the world. Even The Washington Post's resident Clintonista, columnist Mary McGrory, wrote that she was "pursuaded."

Yet, we are told today, three key members of the Security Council --France, China, and Russia-- continue to resist using force to make Saddam disarm. Instead, they want to "respond" by sending more inspectors to Iraq. Perhaps they want to drag this on for another 12 years, by which time Saddam could very well be up to his eyeballs in nuclear weapons.