Rick Moran over at The American Thinker has a great piece up about the looting and rampaging going on in New Orleans:

This is the compact of civilization. I won’t kill you if you won’t kill me. It’s maintained by something even more tenuous: faith. Faith in the strictures an organized society places on people who break the compact as well as faith in the people and institutions who are charged with the task of enforcing those strictures. This shared community of faith works pretty well for all except the social misfits and anti-social galoots who prey upon the weak like predators in a jungle. For the rest of us, we form little islands of support in this larger community – neighbors, our church, our sports teams – which allows us the luxury of feeling less vulnerable to the predators, less alone amidst the millions of strangers.

Rick links to the The Interdictor’s Live Journal:

Right now we’re trying to show you all the looting. Guys pushing shopping carts with 40 Nike boxes in them. People breaking into cars. Assaulting ATM machines. It’s hard just to sit by and do nothing. That’s property that belongs to other people and these animals are just taking it. You know, this crisis is going to end. One day it is going to be over, and people are going to have to live with themselves and the knowledge of how they behaved. The cowards, the thieves, the murderers…

Going back to Rick, I thought that this part was interesting:

But something has happened in New Orleans that is unprecedented. We’ve seen it happen on a smaller scale during other natural disasters. The looting, the anger, the despair was evident in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in Florida. However, while the area damaged by Andrew may have been just as large as the swath of total destruction left by Katrina, Andrew never quite destroyed the spirit of community and shared faith which allowed Floridians to maintain a patina of civilization that kept them from lunging at each other’s throats and descending to the level of animals whose only thought was of obeying the primal instinct present in all of us for self preservation.

When things are somewhat stabilized, I think that the Churches should send Missionaries to New Orleans to serve as a civilizing influence. Some of the people there seem to need more than food and shelter.

Michelle Malkin describes scenes akin to what happened in Asia with the Tsunami last year. The Mayor of Biloxi even calls it “our Tsunami.”

Remember how fast our country sprang into action to help those afflicted by the Asian Tsunami? I keep googling and looking for comments or statements about our disaster and Katrina from Kofi Annan or other countries who were quick to say we weren’t doing enough last year. So far, I’ve found nothing.

Has anyone else?

Update:

Apparently Captain Ed has found foreign comment. It’s just not what I had in mind.

Stephen Hayes writes about the Commission’s fecklessnes at The Weekly Standard. (HT The Corner)

I heard Representative Weldon say on one of the Fox News Shows last week that the Commission spent 15 million dollars. Obviously, we didn’t get our money’s worth.

I went to Crawford, Texas yesterday for the opening of Fort Qualls and the “You Don’t Speak For Me, Cindy” rally. It was a wonderful experience and I’ll tell you about it here.

When I arrived, I immediately found Bill Johnson and Gary Qualls whom I interviewed on The Daley Report at Right Talk Radio this past Wednesday. I presented each with a CD of the program. Then I joined the rest of the crowd.

I made the mistake of wearing a pink shirt—and somebody asked me if I was with Code Pink. So, I hustled into the Yellow Rose Gift shop owned by Bill Johnson and got a Support The Troops sign and an American flag.

Outside the gift shop was the only completely accurate replica of the Liberty Bell. This bell travels the country. It was rung often during the day.

There is also a huge stainless steel angel that was sculpted by a lady from Pennsylvania. She scuplted one for the field where Flight 93 came down and, I believe for the Pentagon. She is sending one to London as well. I wish that I could remember more about who she is . I should have taken a pad to write down things.

Update: Jenny at Free Republic pointed me to further information about the angel and the lady who made it.

In front of the angel, were crosses with the name of fallen heroes. These signs had been repossessed from Cindy Sheehan’s camp by parents.

There were people performing patriotic songs and booths with information concerning Operation Building Bridges which involves helping the soliders. The people who were there are the hardworking, God-fearing people who built this country.

The program at Fort Qualls started at about 11 am. A series of people with loved ones in Iraq spoke with pride about them. The parents of fallen heroes spoke of their pride about the heroic sacrifice of their loved ones. Elderly veterans from WWII , Korea and Vietnam, and who had been POW’s during those conflicts spoke or had others read prepared comments for them. Bill Johnson talked from horseback about what makes this country great and how we are at war with those who would tear our country apart from the inside.

George Lucas, a black conservative preacher who is originally from New York, but who now resides in Florida gave a barn burner of a speech. This is a man who met with Ronald Reagan back in the 1980’s . He gave a truly inspiring speech about what it means to be an American. He is a veteran of the Korean and Vietnam wars. Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton were rumoured to be coming to Crawford (though I never saw them or saw any media reports that they were actually there) and Mr. Lucas came to counter them. He was extremely critical of the fact that these men hold themselves out to be Christian Reverends and yet never let the words “Jesus Christ” cross their lips.

Gary Qualls, father of Lance Corporal Louis W. Qualls, United States Marine Corp, gave a moving account of his son’s bravery and of his story about repossessing his son’s cross from the Sheehan camp. Then the official opening of Fort Qualls happened.

After that, I went over to the airconditioned hall reserved to allow us to get out of the heat. I was looking for Gary Qualls so that he could sign my Support The Troops poster. Before I spoke to Mr. Qualls, I went and sat with a pony tailed free lance reporter from Philadelphia. He was supposed to be on his vacation, but thought it important that he be in Crawford to report what was going on. He had apparently been there for a few days and it was apparent that he had developed a good deal of respect for Mr. Qualls. After talking with him, though, I believe that he has liberal leanings—but he was very respectful of the people in our camp.

After that, I walked with a couple from Houston I met over to the the grounds of the Crawford Community Center to see the Move America Forward rally. Update: The husband of the couple blogs at Dave Perkins and Dave blogs his perspective about the day in Crawford here.

Update: Dave sent me some photos he took of me at the event:


Me at the You Don’t Speak For Us Rally ( I looked really yucky by then)


Me in front of an interesting bumper sticker. Click on the photo to enlarge (I’m going on a diet)

Thanks Dave!

Back to the original post…
The Rally was packed. I’m not good with numbers, but I believe that there were thousands of people there. The speakers were fantastic.

There was a little disturbance in the crowd when a Protest Warrior went through with one of the group’s ironic signs. I couldn’t see exactly what happened, but there was a surge of people toward him. I was standing near a big trailor. On top of the trailor were some fairly young veterans who were yelling toward him and I told them who the guy was. Perhaps the Protest Warriors should carry different signs when they are at a Pro-America rally.

The rally ended with some of the military families heading out to get the crosses with their family member’s names from the Sheehan protestors to take back to Fort Qualls. Before we left, one of the leaders announced that there was a rumor that the Democratic Underground had torn down the crosses so that the family members couldn’t get them. This was apparently false, as I heard later that family members were allowed to take the names off crosses (though not to take the crosses—which is reasonable since the Sheehan protestors made them) and to bring back the names to Ft. Qualls.

After the rally, I went into the Community Center with a couple from a town nearby. Their son is serving in the military. We sat with a military wife. Her husband is SSG William J. Bowels (I can’t read his writing on my sign. It might be spelled Bouels) Her husband had been in Iraq with Blackhawk Troop. He was also there and I met him a little later and got him to sign my poster. He is headed back to Iraq this fall. I believe that she told me that he re-enlisted.

Mrs. Bowels told me of an interaction that she had with an American Statesman reporter. She thought his name is Matthew Rourke, but I note that is not the byline on the article in the Statesman today. She showed me a picture of the reporter on her digital camera and he was a reporter I had noticed over at Fort Qualls earlier. I noticed him because he wears a Texas Aggie ring. What she told me next made me want to go rip it off his finger. (I’m an Aggie)

Mrs. Bowels gave me a pamphlet with pictures from Iraq. It was from Blackhawk Troop, 1st Squadron, 7th United States Cavalry Regiment. This regiment had been awarded the Draper Leadership Award from January 1, 2004 through January 1, 2005 for their role in restoring and improving essential services for the Iraqi people, in helping stimulate the economy, in the promotion and legitimization of local government, in partnership training and mission execution with Iraqi forces, and in significant operations undertaken against enemny forces. The pamphlet is full of information about this.

Mrs. Bowels tried to give a copy to the Austin American Statesman reporter and he refused to take it. She asked him, “Don’t you want to know about the good things that our troops are accomplishing over there?” His reply? “Lady, you are trying to manipulate me.”

When I have more time, I will blog about the information she gave me. If giving information is manipulation, then I’m willing to be manipulated.

After that, I moseyed back to the Yellow Rose and listened in and joined conversations with the locals. They are sick of Cindy Sheehan and her cohorts—including those at the Crawford Peace House. One lady said that, out at Camp Casey, the protestors—rather than springing for the cost of Porto-Potties, were using buckets. It finally reached the point where they were just using the bathroom in the bar ditch right in front of other people. I bet that the owner of the property is going to end up regretting letting the protestors use his land when this is all over. In fact, I asked the local ladies why he volunteered the land. She told me that his brother said that the rancher was a veteran who doesn’t support the war. However, this particular rancher actually lives in Waco (he leases out at least part of the land to others who graze their cattle there) so he is not having to deal with the protestors on a daily basis like the locals. It will be interesting to see how many of the locals end up renewing their grazing leases with this guy.

There is a local swimming hole close to the Peace House. The local lady said that the people from the Peace House go swim in it in their underwear or even naked. She pointed out another local lady and told me that the lady’s young son came to his mother and told her that he had seen a woman in her 60’s from the Peace House swimming buck naked in the swimming hole. This story should tell you how much respect the Sheehan protestors have for the locals.

After a while, I left and drove down to look at Camp Casey. I drove a little ways down but turned around when it became apparent it was a little chaotic down there. On one side of the road was the Sheehan camp—on the other were the counter protestors at Camp CaseyII. (Update: Camp Casey II is another anti-war camp and not counter-protestors as I thought. Camp Reality, the camp of some counter-protestors was one I passed before I got to the two Camp Casey’s. I couldn’t tell its relative size to the others because I was seeing it up too close as I passed by.) That side looked as big or bigger to me although my perspective may not have given me an accurate picture. I was so exhausted from the heat and the length of day that I elected to head home at that point.

I met some great people and heard some inspiring speeches yesterday. I’m glad that I went. I took some photos with a camera that is not digital. I will post them after I get them developed.

I just finished guest hosting for Kay Daley at The Daley Report at Right Talk Radio. I announced it here.

Gary Qualls and Bill Johnson did a FANTASTIC JOB!! Go listen to the replays. Look for the channel with The Daley Report on it.

I also had a surprise guest named Rob Garcia who is a veteran of Operation Iraqui Freedom and a member of Protest Warriors. He was EXTREMELY GREAT

I was blessed to have these people on with such short notice.

We need to watch the story about Jack Abramoff. I realize that Michelle Malkin’s initial response is that he is a sleazbag. Let me tell you, in my job I have had some exposure as to how the Feds “make” fraud cases and I would not jump to conclusions.

You all need to read this free article at To The Point News, Dr. Jack Wheeler’s publication. He has excellent contacts and sources. Take this whole thing with a grain of salt:

With Abramoff, the Feds had to be sadists with a purposefully cruel publicity stunt: arresting and handcuffing him without warning on a street in Los Angeles while he was with his 12 year-old daughter.

I hope there is a special place in hell for such folks. I hope it is also a chilling reminder that our beloved government has the ability and the will to be completely fascist whenever and wherever it wants to. Most all of us are allowed to live our lives in peace. But if a prosecutor decides to come after you, on whatever whim he dreams up, you are simply screwed.

Jack Abramoff was frogmarched into Railroad City, nationally humiliated in front of his daughter, and has been the target of a left-wing media vendetta, for one and one reason only: to use him to try and get Tom DeLay.

The Democrats and the their media buddies could care less about Abramoff. That he was close to DeLay is all that matters. So they harped on and ramped up scandals about him – over a dozen front page stories in the WaPo alone – until they had the fascist egos of prosecutors sufficiently lathered up.

The Democrats and the their media buddies could care less about Abramoff. That he was close to DeLay is all that matters. So they harped on and ramped up scandals about him – over a dozen front page stories in the WaPo alone – until they had the fascist egos of prosecutors sufficiently lathered up.

So let’s take a close look at the indictment. It alleges “wire fraud” on the basis of a fax which “appeared to confirm a transfer of money” from Kidan’s bank account which at the time had already been closed. The fax was signed by Kidan and a fellow named Ben Waldman.

Jack Abramoff’s signature was not on the fax, it was not sent from his office (it was sent from Kidan’s), and Abramoff has consistently claimed he had no knowledge of it. Yet it was he who was frogmarched while Kidan was allowed to politely surrender to the FBI in private – and Ben Waldman is not part of the indictment at all.

The game is now to threaten total ruination of Kidan’s and Abramoff’s lives, years in jail and massive fines, unless they “plea-bargain” with enough incriminating testimony to indict the single most powerful Republican on Capitol Hill, Tom DeLay.

Go read the whole thing. I’d really like to know if that is all the evidence the prosecutors have. I simply cannot take this case against Abramoff at face value.

This time, I am filling in for Kay Daley for her show The Daley Report on Right Talk Radio. at 12 pm ET. I am honored—-HONORED to host Mr. Gary Qualls and Mr. Bill Johnson tomorrow.
Gary Qualls is the father of Cpl. Louis Wayne Qualls, 20, who died in Iraq last fall. He has founded Fort Qualls in Crawford, Texas. Fort Qualls named after his fallen hero son, was founded to counter the protests fronted by Cindy Sheehan at Camp Casey. Mr. Bill Johnson is Texas Rancher and the owner of the Yellow Rose gift shop in Crawford. He fully supports and has been instrumental in the founding of Fort Qualls. He has also been active in the Adopt-a-Soldier program.

We will be discussing these gentlemen’s encounters with the Sheehan protestors, the arrival of other parents of fallen heroes intent on getting their children’s crosses away from the Sheehan protestors, and what is in store for Fort Qualls in the coming days and weeks. Don’t miss this program!

Go to the Right Talk link and click on Channel 1 at 12 pm CT. If you miss it, it will replay for the rest of the day on the hour.

Curtis at a-sdf is reviewing one of the boxes assigned by Radioblogger. He has the most entertaining post that I have so far read:

I feel obliged to note that this was, personally, the most entertaining portion of the entire box. Among those placed on the Ethics Dishonor Roll is a woman named Majory E. Mecklenburg, who apparently “schedul[ed] an HHS [Health and Human Services] workshop in Denver so that she could watch her son play in a Broncos-Vikings football game.” (Emphasis added)

Another amusing addition is R. Leonard Vance, Director of Health Standards, Oocupational Health and Safety Administration, Department of Labor. “He accused his staff of using ‘communistic’ ‘language and having been ‘trained in Moscow.’ He notified Congress that he could not turn over his logs because his ‘dog had barfed all over them.’...”

I’m glad that I wasn’t drinking anything when I read his post.

I’ve taken on a third box of documents put out by the Reagan Library and concerning John Roberts. Radioblogger has been making the assignments. The box is Box 17-JGR/(Department of Justice)DOJ Daily Reports.

There are a couple of memos to John Roberts from Roger Clegg passing on information. The first is dated Feb. 1, 1985 and appears to pass on a background description of the Amicus Brief filed by the Reagan Administration in Devereux v. Geary as well as the actual brief. The memo from Clegg merely says “Per our conversation this morning.”

The Geary case was brought by five white police officers in Massachusetts challenging via intervention the promotion of a lessor qualified black officer over them pursuant to a consent decree. The District Court ruled that the intervention was untimely because the consent decree had been signed in 1979. The promotion, however, had not taken place until 1984. For historical context, the courts had adopted this strange theory called the “collateral attack doctrine.” As far as I can tell, this was a doctrine used by the courts to deny victims of reverse discrimination arising from consent decrees their day in court. This doctrine required that they see into the future, realize the possible prejudicial impact of consent decrees on their employment and file interventions at that time (even if they weren’t parties to the litigation from which the consent decree arose—or even old enough to be employed at the time). The Amicus brief argued that the District Courts position denied due process, among other things.

The second thing that the District Court did was to deny that a case called United States v. Paradise, Firefighters Local Union No. 1784 v. Stotts made hiring quotas unlawful. The Reagan Administration disagreed with this position, and the Amicus Brief argues this point.

The background memo on the case acknowledges that the Reagan Administration may be criticized for opposing employment quotas. The proposed response is that such quotas are wrong and that the fundemental principle “embodied in our Constitution and civil rights laws should never be used as a basis for treating people differently. This is true regardless of whether the person being hurt is white or black. More discrimination is simply not the way to end discrimination.”

The other possible criticism is the position that the Administration is “incorrectly interpreting” Stotts as precluding all quota relief. The response is that Stotts is clear on that point.

The Background memo is unsigned. There is no indication that Roberts wrote it. In fact, I get the impression this was all sent to him for his review, given that it is pretty clear that the second memo to Roberts from Clegg was transmitting a similar Background memo.

There are no handwritten notations on the documents. The arguments seem consistent with what has been reported was his position at the time. There is nothing here that is inflammatory on its face. Of course, some Civil Rights groups who embrace quotas may use this to criticize Roberts’ record, as they are already doing—though I don’t know how since it is not clear he wrote any of this.

The second memo(dated 3-12) to John Roberts, again from Roger Clegg, passes on a background memo on PVA v. CAB with the message: “I don’t think this case is getting any press, but I send you the attached anyway”.

The issue presented here concerned Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act prohibiting discrimination on the basis of handicap in federally assisted program. The Paralyzed Veterans of America and other groups were arguing that airlines—who received no federal funds—should be made subject to this law and the regulations because of their use of airports receiving federal funds. A Court of Appeals agreed. The Reagan Administration was arguing that this would be an undue imposition of federal control on those who have never received or asked for federal funds.

The memo anticipates that a criticism could arise that the Administration was taking a narrow view. The response counters that, because the airlines have never received federal funds, they do not fit the definition under the act of “recipient.” The talking points proposed by the memo are that the Court of Appeals in the case was wrong in holding that federal grants to airports constituted “federal financial assistance to airlines. Further, Judicial extension of regulation into areas not authorized by Congress is improper.

The last document in the box is a handwritten note dated 3-23 that may concern the airline issue. It seems consist of questions and suggestions about clarity of wording and argument. It is unsigned, and somewhat illegible. I can see nothing particularly striking about the notes. Moreover, the notes are unsigned.

Again, this is an issue that may be, unfairly, used to paint Roberts as unsympathetic to the rights of the disabled. All I see is proper legal analysis and attempts by the Reagan Administration to challenge activist courts attempting to expand government power beyond that permitted by the law.

In fact, that is all I see in this box.

The fact, as pointed out by Hugh Hewitt, that this is not yet being reported by the U.S. MSM says it all:

SCOTLAND YARD believes it has thwarted an Al-Qaeda gas attack aimed at ministers and MPs in parliament. The plot, hatched last year, is understood to have been discovered in coded e-mails on computers seized from terror suspects in Britain and Pakistan.

Instead, the MSM gives us minute by minute coverage of the circus up in Crawford. And—they give us gratuitious and idiotic juxtapositions of Sheehan pontifications in stories about other things, like Lance Armstrong’s bike ride with President Bush today (Via Drudge):

Bush says exercise helps sharpen his thinking.

But some of his critics view his exercise obsession as an indulgence that takes time away from other priorities.

Among them is Cindy Sheehan, the Vacaville, California, mother of a soldier killed in Iraq, who until late last week was camped out down the road from Bush’s ranch seeking a meeting with him to discuss her opposition to the war.

Sheehan, who left her vigil on Thursday to tend to her sick mother, has said she believes Bush should take fewer bike rides to have more time to focus on the “the nation’s work.”

I got another assignment from Radioblogger for Box 9-JGR/Chadha re: District of Columbia(12).

This box contains page D1219 from the Congressional Record—Daily Digest for September 25, 1984. The page appears to have nothing to do with the rest of the documents in the box as far as I can tell.

The rest of the box concerns HR 3932 which was a bill to amend the District of Columbia Self-Government and Governmental Reorganization Act. The date of the bill is 9-21-83 . For historical context, this bill was being considered in light of the United Supreme Court case of Immigration and Naturalization Service vs. Chadha.

Contained in the box is a copy of the Committee on the District of Columbia’s Report on the bill dated September 28, 1983. It makes it clear that the House was acting to amend the “Home Rule Act where a congressional veto is allowed, it is changed to require a joint resolution”. Prior to Chadha, one House of Congress could veto an Excutive Act (in the Chadha, the INS attempted to allow Chadha, who was eligible for deportation, to stay. The House vetoed the INS’s attempt, Chadha sued and the S. Ct. affirmed the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals decision declaring legislative veto to be unconstitutional. )

Also contained in the box is a slip from the White House Library with John Robert’s name on it and which seems to indicate that he borrowed the books from which these documents were taken. The date indicated is 9-26-84. There are no notes by Roberts or anyone else on any of these documents.

At the time, John Roberts was Associate Counsel Counsel to the President under Fred Fielding. Because the Chadha case stripped power from Congress, Georgia Congressman Elliott Levitas, wrote to demand a conference on power sharing among the branches of government in the aftermath of the Supreme Court’s 1983 Chadha decision limiting legislative authority over executive agency rulemaking,

Roberts wrote a memo to Fred Fielding that has been discussed in the article linked in the last paragraph. (I don’t know the date of that memo) In the memo, he said (“dismissively” as described byThe Chicago Tribune) :

“There already has, of course, been a `Conference on Power Sharing’ to determine `the manner of power sharing and accountability within the federal government.’ It took place in Philadelphia’s Constitution Hall in 1787.”

From what I can find, it doesn’t appear that the above-mentioned bill was enacted into law. I did find this story from 2002 about Chadha and reorganization:

In the 1983 INS vs. Chadha decision, the Supreme Court ruled against legislative vetoes, so the reorganization act had to be revisited by Congress. Shortly thereafter, in 1984, the act expired and no reorganization acts have been enacted since. We have reverted to restructuring government by the legislative process.

There nothing created, written or noted by John Roberts on any of the documents in this box. I note at Radioblogger that others are looking at Chadha boxes.

Update: Dafyd blogging at Captain’s Quarters looked at another of the Chadha boxes and has more here.

I volunteered to look at some of the documents regarding John Roberts produced by the Reagan Library. Hugh Hewitt and Radioblogger asked for volunteers. The purpose of this is to look for anything that could be twisted and spun by the MSM in the service of its left-wing masters.

Specifically I looked at Box 3-JGR/Appointee Clearances 10/01/1985-11/13/1985 . This set consists of 37 pages (including the title page), and concerns the following prospective nominees:

Here is a summary such as what I would do for exhibits when getting ready for trial:



1. Withdrawal Sheets from Ronald Reagan Library describing three memos from Roberts. Memo 1 and 2 are to Richard Hauser. Memo 1 regards J. Roberts phone conversation with prospective nominee (nominee appears to be Rockwell SchnabelReagan appointed him Ambassodor to Finland) Memo 2 is from Roberts to Hauser regarding the prospective nominee. Memo 3 is from Roberts to William Gressman regarding Rockwell Schnabel.

Me: None of the above memos are actually in this set of documents. Each seems to me to be protected by Executive Privilege.

2. The box contains a document entitled: A Summary Description of The Morgan, Olmstead, Kennedy & Gardner Executive Benefit and Wealth Accumulation Plan. The transmittal sheet is from Rockwell A. Schnabel who was with that firm, which is an investment banking firm.

3. The rest of the box contains:

• Memos from Fred. F. Fielding to Robert H. Tuttle on which John Roberts is copied as follows:
1. Nov. 5, 1985 regarding accomplishment of all necessary clearances and that Rockwell A. Schnabel is ready for nomination to be Ambassador to Finland
2. Oct.16, 1985 indicating same as above for Laurence W. Lane Jr. to be Ambassador to Australia and the Republic of Naura
3. Oct. 22, 1985 indicating same as above for Paul Matthews Cleveland to be Ambassador to New Zealand
4. Oc. 25, 1985 indicating same as above for William R. Kinter to be Member, Board of Directors U.S. Institute of Peace
5. Nov. 13, 1985 indicating same as above for Francis B. Morse, Jr. to be Member of the National Highway Safety Advisory Committee
6. Oct. 1, 1985 indicating same as above for W. Scott Thompson to by a Member, Board of Directors U.S. Institute of Peace

• There are four press releases from The White House Office of the Press Secretary one, dated Oct. 22, 1985, announcing President Reagan’s intent to appoint a persons named in the release to the President’s Commission on White House Fellowships. One dated October 17, 1985 announcing his intent to appoint Rockwell Schnabel as indicated above. One dated November 12, 1985 announcing that Schabel’s nomination and the nomination of others was sent to the Senate. The fourth announces other nominations being sent to the Senate and is dated October 17, 1985.

(Me) None of the nominees in the above documents appear to be controversial names upon googling them.

• There is a memo dated Oct. 2, 1985 from Fred F. Fielding to Susan Borchard, Associate Director Presidential Personnel regarding the appointments of Diane Wolf and Pascal Regan to the Commission of Fine Arts. John Roberts is not copied on the memo nor does his name appear on it.
• The only memo in this box written by John Roberts is to Richard A. Hauser and concerns the appointments of James Q. Wilson and Albert J. Wohlstetter to the President’s Intelligence Advisory Board. It is dated November 5, 1985. In it Roberts indicates that he has “no objection to proceeding with the appointments”. Roberts indicates that James Q. Wilson’s PDS (?—Scriptfox-one of the commentors to this post thinks this means Personal Data Sheet. That makes sense.) “presents no problems”. With regard to Wohlstetter, Roberts writes that he contacted him to inquire “about possible conflicts of interest” and Wohlstetter said that he couldn’t “conceive” of any. Roberts indicates in the memo that he cautioned him to “be alert for conflict problems and to seek our advice on any that might arise.”
  

(me—Wohlstetter has apparently been linked in with so-called neo-conservatives by lefties. According to Wikipedia he “was at the origin of the rethinking of the traditional doctrine known as ‘mutual assured destruction’ (MAD, in its English acronym), which was the basis for deterrence. According to this theory, two blocs capable of inflicting upon each other irreparable damages would cause leaders to hesitate to unleash the nuclear fire. For Wohlstetter and his pupils, MAD was both immoral—because of the destruction inflicted on civilian populations—and ineffective: it led to the mutual neutralization of nuclear arsenals. No statesman endowed with reason, and in any case no American president, would decide on ‘reciprocal suicide.’ Wohlstetter proposed on the contrary a ‘graduated deterrence,’ i.e. the acceptance of limited wars, possibly using tactical nuclear arms, together with ‘smart’ precision-guided weapons capable of hitting the enemy’s military apparatus. He criticized the politics of nuclear arms limitations conducted together with Moscow. It amounted, according to him, to constraining the technological creativity of the United States in order to maintain an artificial equilibrium with the USSR.”)

This box seens innocuous to me. The only nomination that seems remotely controversial is of Wohlstetter. From the documentation I reviewed it is apparent that Roberts’ only role was to screen possible conflicts of interest and had nothing to do with ideology. If the MSM wants to make more of that issue, they will have to make things up. I can’t conceive of any way that this should impact Roberts in the role of Supreme Court Justice.

The Currency Lad has been following the punishment of the Bali bomber who is to soon be released from jail because he has been acting like a good little Muslim:

“Abu Bakar Ba’asyir deserves a remission because he is behaving very well. All he does in prison is devote himself to religious service,” said Dedi Sutardi, head of Cipinang penitentiary in Jakarta where Ba’asyir is being held. Sutardi said he expects Ba’asyir to be free in April next year.”

Here we have a mass murderer about to be released because he bows in prayer 5 times per day and washes his hands umpteen times per day. Note that there is nothing in the above indicating remorse or evidence of desire for redemption.

We are talking about mass murder here. I guess that the mass murder of Aussies, “infidels” and “heretics” who frequent nightclubs just doesn’t matter.

(Go read all The Currency Lad’s posts. I wish that I could write like him. He’s better at English than I am. I mainly write Texan)

Captain Ed deserves a Pulitzer for his work on Able Danger. Here he blasts holes in the blame-shifting, excuse- making of Thomas Kean, the Pontiff of the Panel of Pomposity that comprised the 9-11 Commission.

I still think that the Commission wasted our money. I want to see any restaurant receipt from Keane that he charged to Commission work.

If the curtain is torn back from the wizard and it turns out the “efforts” of the Commission were just a bunch of political jockeying—I think that we are entitled to a detailed report on the money spent by the Commission and how it was spent.