by TChris

People who call the police, and then invite them into their homes, knowing they the police might discover a large stash of a controlled substance, are nearly automatic recipients of "stupid criminal of the week" recognition. Here's the latest:

In retrospect, it probably wasn't such a good idea to call the police. Ronald Meyers summoned officers to his home in an upscale neighborhood Thursday morning, claiming that someone was trying to open his windows and that he could hear voices outside.

Responding officers found no burglar but asked if they could check inside, said Sgt. John Booth, a Palm Springs police spokesman. When Meyers, 59, let them in, officers allegedly found more than $100,000 worth of marijuana, he said.

Actor Bruce Willis is offering $1 million to any civilian who captures Osama bin Laden, Ayman al-Zawahiri or Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

Dog the Bounty Hunter has said several times he'd love to find Osama.

Question: How about finding Osama or someone else in the Middle East? Could you do it?

Dog: Absolutely. Waiting for the phone call from GW.

On CNBC, Dog said he could find Osama in 90 days.

Bruce, meet Dog. Dog meet Bruce.

by TChris

A public university cannot train teachers to teach only white Christian kids. Teachers must be equipped to teach a diverse student population. A university might therefore legitimately be troubled when a student in its education program insists that “diversity is perversity.”

Ed Swan thinks the College of Education at Washington State is discriminating against him because of his political views. Swan was told to complete diversity training if he wanted to remain in the program. If he is correct that WSU is trying to force him to change his fundamental beliefs about abortion or gay marriage, he has a valid gripe. But WSU has a legitimate interest in producing teachers who do not favor students of a particular race or background, and diversity training is a reasonable vehicle for achieving that goal.

"We want prospective teachers to realize they are going to be teaching all children," said Judy Mitchell, dean of education. "We want to make sure a teacher appreciates and values human diversity and others' varied talents and perspectives."

Colin Powell's former Chief of Staff, Lawrence Wilkerson, is back in the news suggesting that a National Security Memo (first reported in USA Today in 2003) outlining the number of troops necessary to fight a war in Iraq may never have reached Bush.

Wilkerson suggests, but acknowledges he cannot prove, that Stephen Hadley who was Condi Rice's NSC deputy, blocked the memo:

by Last Night in Little Rock

I was in Chicago doing a CLE for the Federal Defenders of Northern and Central Illinois and the Illinois Association of Criminal Defense Lawyers on computer searches. I was picked up Thursday night by a friend in Chicago on the NACDL Board who took me out for real Chicago pizza. The conversation: Chicago politics. Always fascinating. It ran the gamit from the former Governor Ryan trial (not going well for the Government) to Mayor Dailey tearing up the downtown airport runway in violation of a court order in the name of national security, to Barack Obama and Keyes ("inevitable Obama"; when will Obama run for President? '12?), what the 2005 gubernatorial races mean for Republicans, to 2006 for Illinois Republicans.

And this bombshell: The only Republican that stands out in Illinois is Patrick Fitzgerald, because of what he is doing in Washington.

Does Fitzgerald have any political ambition? I doubt it. He wouldn't have taken on the Special Counsel's job if he did. If there are rumors of his political viability, it is the people saying it, not him, and not his handlers, because he doesn't have any handlers.

The New York Times Saturday reports that Judge Alito is a "conservative libertarian," one of a growing number of judges who rule in favor of First Amendment rights but take a much dimmer view of consitutional guarantees designed to protect the criminally accused:

Judge Alito's broad reading of the freedom of speech and press clauses of the First Amendment stands in contrast with his narrower interpretation of other constitutional rights, including the Fourth Amendment's prohibition of unreasonable searches and the Sixth Amendment's guarantees of fair trial rights for criminal defendants....Judge Alito has exhibited little patience for the First Amendment claims of prisoners.

Right after I read this article, I happened upon an article in the Palm Beach Post reporting that Rush Limbaugh had another hearing Wednesday at which his lawyers argued that his medical records and communications were privileged and could not be used to support a charge of doctor shopping against him.

Columnist Robert Scheer has been fired from the LA Times after 30 years. He doesn't know why.

The publisher, Jeff Johnson, who has offered not a word of explanation to me, has privately told people that he hated every word that I wrote. I assume that mostly refers to my exposing the lies used by President Bush to justify the invasion of Iraq.

Beginning Wednesday, his column will appear at Huffington Post.

Update: Armando at Daily Kos reports that Jonah Goldberg will be a colunist at the LA Times. What a waste. If this is a sign of where the LA Times is headed, I doubt I'll be checking them as frequently.

Watch Bush, Cheney and Rumsfeld as they turn to rap to recruit soldiers.

[hat tip to Debbie.]

by TChris

Not funny:

"Today when most of the country thinks of who controls Massachusetts, I think the modern-day KKK comes to mind - the Kennedy-Kerry Klan."

Gerald Walpin, a Federalist Society board member, made the remark while introducing Gov. Mitt Romney. Although Romney “laughed along with the audience and thanked Walpin for ‘a very generous introduction,’” Romney later came to his senses, acknowledging in a press interview that the comments were "ill-advised":

"It's not appropriate to joke about the Ku Klux Klan," Romney said.

No kidding.

by TChris

It’s rare (too rare) for a federal judge to second-guess a jury’s guilty verdict, but Judge Jeffrey Miller disagreed with a jury's decision that the government proved Michael Zucchet’s guilt on seven counts of fraud and extortion. Judge Miller yesterday acquitted the former San Diego councilman of those charges, concluding that the government failed to prove Zucchet’s guilt. Judge Miller ordered a new trial on two other charges.

Another former councilman, Ralph Inzunza, wasn’t so fortunate.

Inzunza was sentenced to 21 months for his role in the scheme to exchange money for an effort to repeal the law banning touching between dancers and patrons at strip clubs.

Lobbyist Lance Malone received a 36 month sentence, a considerable improvement on his guideline sentencing range of 51 to 63 months.

by TChris

The president who switched from searching for weapons of mass destruction to searching for weapons of mass destruction-related program activities (suggesting that's what he was looking for all along) is now accusing his critics of attempting to “rewrite the history of how that war began."

Notwithstanding last night's comeback at the Federalist Society dinner, Crooks and Liars points us to Murray Waas' new column indicating otherwise.

Murray always has the best sources. I'll have more to say later this afternoon after I've had a chance to parse it.