In light of today’s federal trial court ruling upholding the 9th Circuit’s earlier ruling favoring Michael Newdow in his efforts to have the phrase “under God” removed from the Pledge of Allegiance (which had been thrown out previously by SCOTUS on the grounds Newdow had no standing), I thought now would be a good time to republish some links from the time of the original 9th Circuit Court ruling, back
September 14, 2005
Crass emotionalism, hyperbole, partisanship, the media: a Katrina performative
Hey, at least when I talk to ghosts, I have the courtesy to identify them as such.
How I know I’m NOT turning into Andrew Sullivan, 1
So I’m sitting down to lunch with a plate of chicken and a Diet Dr Pepper when, without warning, the can of soda erupts all over my t-shirt and boxer briefs. But rather then rushing shoeless out onto the nearest overpass and screaming for FEMA (WHERE ARE YOU, MR PRESIDENT? STAINS ARE SETTING INTO MY WHITES!), I simply took off the shirt, rinsed it out with water, wrung it dry,
Hurricane Andrew: resurrected and still blowing
Taking his cues from big government progressives, “conservative” columnist Andrew Sullivan takes aim at the Bushies and their handling of the Katrina aftermath, arguing—convincingly, he imagines it; inexcusably, from any objective standard (something that Andrew is no longer capable of approaching)— that the President and his administration have actually emboldened terrorists, an instance of such stunning projection that the mind practically reels at the level of self-delusion necessary even to
Crossing Jordan
From the BBC: The Swiss government is hosting two days of talks in Geneva in an effort to agree on a new emblem for the International Red Cross At the moment, the only two emblems recognised under the Geneva Conventions are the red cross and the red crescent. Some countries are reluctant to use either symbol and want a new emblem which has no religious connotations. There is a proposal
Big screen TV: $2400. FDR Hummel figurine: $275. Having your own personal military entourage to pack your shit into boxes and move it out for you while they should be out helping pull desperate people off roofs? Priceless…
From ABC News: Amid the chaos and confusion that engulfed New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina struck, a local congressman used National Guard troops to check on his property and rescue his personal belongings  even while New Orleans residents were trying to get rescued from rooftops, ABC News has learned. On Friday, Sept. 2  five days after Katrina hit the Gulf Coast  Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., who represents

Shannon Elizabeth comments on a post by Feministe’s “Jill” arguing that, because 911 wasn’t an act of war (which would come as a surprise to those who declared war on us, then attacked us with our own airliners filled with our own citizens), but was instead a simple act of terrorism, it is not worthy of being commemorated by the inaptly-named “war memorial”
Elizabeth: ”Gee. And I thought I was an uninformed bimbo.”* **** update: “Which reminds me, did I ever tell you that Judith Butler once called my breasts ‘Gaia’s glorious, nipple-studded bounty?’”*