Atlas Shrugs

PWR: I Still Can't Believe She's Dead

I still can't believe TERRI SCHIAVO IS DEAD. But her harsh death--- suffered by her, her family and us (her supporters) must come to some good end.

Terri's life and judicial murder created empathy, activism, and political involvement in the usual cast of likely pundits but more importantly in regular folks who by and large never get involved in the political process.

Clearly, if we  (Terri's supporters) channel our passion into real democratic reform, we can prevent future murders and gross injustices from ever happening again.

Reading back on Wesley Smith's piece in the Weekly Standard a few weeks back, he makes good sense on some initial recommendations:

* First, as it is the law of the land to prevent discrimination against disabled people via the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), then surely these protections should apply explicitly where they are needed most desperately, in medical situations where discrimination can have lethal consequences. Obviously, legislation would have to be carefully worded to prevent overreaching and unintended consequences. But disabled people need to be able to enter hospitals and other medical institutions secure in the knowledge that the law requires their lives be just as valued and protected as those of patients who are not disabled. As matters stand now, some disabled people fear hospitalization precisely because they worry that their lives will be judged as being of insufficient quality to be sustained. The Terri Schiavo case exacerbates those fears.

* States need to review their laws of informed consent and refusal of medical treatment to ensure that casual conversations--the basis for Terri's death order--are never again deemed to be the legal equivalent of a well-thought-out, written advance medical directive. We don't permit the property of the deceased to be distributed based on their oral statements; surely human lives deserve as much protection.

* If people don't want feeding tubes if they become profoundly incapacitated, the law permits them to refuse such care. That isn't going to change. But if that is their desire, they have the responsibility to make sure that such wishes are put in a legally binding document. Absent that, the law should require the courts in contested cases to give every reasonable benefit of the doubt to sustaining life and not causing death by dehydration.

* Along these lines, our laws should be more nuanced. When people claim they would want the "plug pulled," many are worrying about being tethered to beeping machines in sterile intensive care units, not expressing a desire to be slowly dehydrated to death over 10-14 days. In the face of this potential misapprehension, we should create a distinction in law between food and water supplied through a tube and other forms of medical care. Withholding a respirator or antibiotics can lead to uncertain results. Take away anyone's food and water and they will die.

* Judge George Greer's embrace of Michael Schiavo's legal status as "husband" to Terri in the face of the pronounced personal and financial conflicts of interest he faced in making her life and death decisions may not require an explicit change of law. But surely we have every right to demand that judges remain acutely sensitive to changes in circumstances that often emerge over time in situations faced by families like Terri's. Why Judge Greer did not think it a matter of grave import that Michael had two children with another woman, even as he petitioned the court to hasten the day when death would part him from his wedded wife, will always be a source of bitter wonder to Terri's supporters.

NYC Mayoral Candidate Steve Shaw

UPCOMING PUBLIC APPEARANCES FOR REPUBLICAN MAYORAL CANDIDATE STEVE SHAW

 

Sunday, May 1 (6:30am to 7:00am): WB 11 News Close-up with Marvin Scott

 

Monday, May 9 (8:00pm to 9:00pm): Speaking at the West Side Republican Club.  Lincoln Square Synagogue.  208 Amsterdam Avenue (near 70^th Street)

 

Saturday, May 14 (9:00am to 10:30am): United Federation of Teachers’ Spring Education Conference.  New York Hilton Hotel.  1335 Avenue of the Americas (between 53^rd and 54^th Streets)

 

Thursday, May 19 (6:00pm to 8:00pm): District Council 37 Mayor Candidates’ Forum.  125 Barclay St. – Room 1

Wheeler on Russia, No Apology hence There Can Be No Future

The painting of the Surrealist Spanish artist Salvador Dali,  "Partial Hallucinations. Six Apparitions of Lenin on a Piano". The artist (or its protagonist) is  haunted by Lenin's image, as is the  whole world including this philosopher and politician.- Atlas

NO APOLOGY, NO FUTURE

Wheeler cuts to the heart (or lack thereof) of the Russia situation.
I love the way Jack Wheeler thinks..............we are of one mind.And I'll say anything to get his signed copy of Atlas Shrugged that he "stole" off NB for $10 bucks..........
Another speaker was a Moscow television news commentator well-known in Russia, Boris Notkin. He informed his audience about how humiliated Russians felt, losing their Empire and the Cold War, not winning many medals in the Olympics, and having their Mir space station go belly-up. He warned of a dangerous anti-Americanism emerging among Russians, who resentfully blamed America for their problems.

A gray-haired gentleman with a Central European accent stood up and asked Boris a question: “In addition to their feelings of humiliation and resentment, do Russians have any feelings of remorse for inflicting Communism upon so many countries? After their defeat in World War II, the Germans apologized to the world for being Nazis and for the horrible atrocities Nazism committed. After their defeat in the Cold War, will the Russians ever apologize to the world for being Communists and the equally horrible atrocities Soviet Communism committed?”

Boris looked straight at the man and coldly answered, “No. Russians feel no remorse. They will not apologize.”

Columbia University appoints Rashid Khalidi to Israel Chair Committee

So this is how Columbia University recompenses for its antisemetic, historically inaccurate, America hating MEALAC? Any jew that gives to this Israeli chair at Columbia deserves to be flogged in the public square..............sheesh
hat tip: campus watach

Searching for Israel in All the Wrong Places.
by Martin Kramer
MartinKramer.org
http://www.geocities.com/martinkramerorg/2005_04_29.htm

Last month, Columbia University announced with much fanfare that it would establish a chair of Israel studies. Four generous trustees threw in $3 million to make it happen—and to help extricate the university from its crisis. Michael Stanislawski, a professor of Jewish history, will conduct the search. The New York Sun reported today that the search committee has been formed. When the reporter read me the names, I burst out laughing.

The committee includes Ira Katznelson, chair of the ad hoc (a.k.a. "whitewash") committee that investigated student grievances; Dan Miron, a long-suffering Hebrew lit professor in the Middle East department; and Karen Barkey, an authority on the Ottoman empire. So far, reasonable. But then add this to the mix: Rashid Khalidi, the ubiquitous Edward Said Professor; and lesser-known Lila Abu-Lughod, a Palestinian American anthropologist and signer and supporter of Columbia's divestment petition. Abu-Lughod, who's writing a book on the Palestinian experience in 1948, has just published a longing letter to the departed Professor Said. "I sit here on the earthen terrace with the sunset warming the pharaonic temple across the field, wondering how to carry on your work. The first step, I know, is to keep talking about Palestine."

The inclusion of Khalidi and Abu-Lughod on the search committee is perverse. Edward Said used to complain that the Palestinians needed "permission to narrate" their story. At Columbia, the situation is reversed: Israel can't be narrated without the permission of the great Palestinian mandarins. They must be appeased, satisfied, propitiated.

VOLCKER DEFIES US CONGRESS

Volcker preventing former staff from testifying before congress.............how about that? What is he so afraid of. This is so disgraceful. How dare he coverup for the UN?I think what he fears most is the two UN investigators that resigned rather than be associated with the cover up of Volcker's most recent report.
Isn't this a complete rebut of Volcker's statement to  FOX News on Wednesday that  his committee isn't going soft on U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan in the Oil-for-Food investigation and denies that there was any conflict of interest over his link to a U.N. official being questioned in the probe.
LIE!

And FOX reports that

Evidence that hundreds of millions of dollars of U.N. Oil-for-Food (search) money ended up in the hands of mysterious Middle Eastern and Asian companies has raised concerns among congressional investigators that banks responsible for administering the programs shirked their efforts at due diligence.

For years, the United Nations' $64 billion Oil-For-Food program allowed the sanction-bound government of former Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein to sell oil and use the proceeds to buy food and other humanitarian goods for Iraqi citizens. But an investigation into the program that began last year reveals that billions of dollars disappeared.

This stroy gets dirtier and dirtier. We need to chip in and get Claudia Rossett a bodyguard, no kidding. Great piece of hers into today's Opinion Journal

POOtin says FREEDOM IS GROSSLY OVERRATED (my words)

I gotta tell you, I am hating Putin........he wouldn't make Russia a world leader with a democratic government noooooooooooo, despotism, fascism, and jewhatred - Now that's the ticket! BTW he was always a jewhater
I am soooo sick of every "internationalist"  telling the US how we must "get along" with every depraved evil complicit world leader and sing "kumbaya". You know what? Let them get along with us.................
Russia President Meets Palestinian Leaders
By MOHAMMED DARAGHMEH

Putin was greeted at the Palestinian headquarters, known as the muqaata, by an honor guard of Palestinian security forces. A military band played a halting version of Russia's national anthem and the Palestinian anthem as Putin and Abbas stood side by side.

Security officers then placed a wreath, with a banner reading "from the president of the Russian Federation," before Arafat's tomb. Putin approached, bowed his head, stood silently at attention for a few seconds, bowed again and walked away.

Dozens of Russian women married to Palestinian men stood outside the compound, greeting the Russian leader's arrival with exultant chants of "Putin."

OSAMA'S PLAN: OIL AT $140.00 A BARREL

We are financing terror.......plain and simple.

Isralert.com source: Israel National News An informative interview with Dr. Gal Luft on Israel National TV (Windows Media Player and a high speed connection recommended)
Click:
http://www.israelnn.com/data/asx2005/04/03/asx_1318_100.asx

hat tip:Brigitte Gabriel

POOTIN Warns Against Freedom; Preaching to Converted aka Mubarak

A leopard and a despot does not change his spots..........Putin warning Egypt's Mubarak against democracy? He is removing the mask once and for all. Freedom vs Fascism..........good vs evil. Pay Attention!

Putin backs Mubarak on approach to democracy
(AP)

CAIRO — Russian President Vladimir Putin warned against exporting democracy yesterday, lending support to Egyptian counterpart Hosni Mubarak, who is facing internal calls for political reform and plans multi-candidate presidential elections for the first time this year.

Putin glowered when asked by a reporter from the Russian state news agency RIA-Novosti what he thought of democratisation in the Middle East.

“The democratic system of government is the most effective. No one disputes that. But institutions and the principles of democracy cannot function in a country without respecting national traditions,” Putin said a the joint news conference with Mubarak.

“Democracy cannot be exported from one country to another,” he said, adding that when that happens, “it becomes an instrument” to interfere in the internal affairs of another state.

Putin himself has been shaken by a succession of popular uprisings in former Soviet republics, ushering in pro-Western leaders in Georgia and Ukraine who have moved to shake off Russian influence.

The Kremlin suffered a humiliating setback late last year in Ukraine where its favored candidate lost the presidential election after weeks of mass protests over rigged polls.

Hundreds of protesters denounce Egyptian president
TimesLeader.com Wed, 27 Apr 2005 3:16 PM PDT
CAIRO, Egypt - (KRT) - Hundreds of democracy protesters denounced President Hosni Mubarak at a rally Wednesday in Cairo while organizers said scores of activists were arrested in other cities.

THE STAR: SHARON OBJECTS TO RUSSIAN MILITARY SALE TO PALESTINIANS ISRAELINSIDER: PUTIN WON'T NACK DOWN FROM SALES TO IRAN AND SYRIA

ACK!!! STOP ELLIOT SPITZER Meet Randy Daniels

Again the New York Sun, the world's Next Great Newspaper comes through with "an answer".

For those of you unfamiliar with Spitzer's destructive commie policies and self aggrandizement, Tech Central and to a lesser extent,  Slant has a good take on his MO. Spitzer is  dangerous reckless, anti business . Plain and simple.

MEET RANDY DANIELS
New York Sun Editorial April 28

The time has come for Republicans to stand up and to be proud of being Republicans [applause]. We don't need sometime Republicans, we don't need sunshine Republicans, we need some standin' up and fightin' back Republicans, we need some talkin' back [applause] Republicans, we need some Republicans who believe in themselves and their party and their country [applause]. We need Republicans who agree with Abraham Lincoln that we are the party of freedom, and we need Republicans who agree with Ronald Reagan who believe that we are the future, that we were right, that the policies we pursued were just - Ronald Reagan [applause]. Ronald Reagan is remembered, and he is revered by Americans, not only for the quality of his mind, which we have learned over time to appreciate, but this was a man who had core values and principles, and you knew where he stood, and he didn't equivocate. He was very clear that democracy was the best form of government, that communism would be relegated to the ash heap of history, and that we could get there without a war. He understood it even as many of us did not. And for that, he is a great man. ...

Now we have challenges in New York - and it's a matter of perspective, how you see things. ... I believe that we must harness the cost of government and bring it under control - I've said it before, I'll say it again: The government of New York is too big and spends too much of your money [applause]. And until we change that, until we change that, we cannot create the environment in which the investment will come into New York and create the new industries, and the new jobs, and the new hopes and opportunities of the future. We must change New York, we must and we can. ... We are capable of growing our way out of the economic hole that we are in; we have to make the decisions, do it, and move forward with the policies that will get us there. ...

Evil moves a Pawn on the Global Chessboard

Once again, step back and look at the whole picture. Russia is arming Syria and providing NUKE tools to Iran? To what end? To what end? All the manufactured confetti being thrown at the news consuming public aside (see previous entry and comments - that is a MANUFACTURED STORY TO DEMONIZE THE U.S.)..........we must look at what is actually happening. As Aristotle so succinctly put it.......A IS A. The trick to understanding world events is editing, learn to edit.

Yahoo News
JERUSALEM - Russian President Vladimir Putin faced down Israeli criticism Thursday, saying that Russia's planned sale of anti-aircraft missiles to Syria and supply of nuclear components to

Iran

 does not threaten Israel's security [but it totally does.............hellllloooooooooo, atlas]

Addressing Israeli fears that he's affecting the region's balance of power, Putin urged Iran to do more to show the world that it's not trying to build a nuclear weapon.

He also pledged to tackle the growing problem of anti-Semitism in his country. [er, dont hold yer breath jews - Atlas]

Putin spoke on the second day of his historic visit to Israel — the first trip here by a Kremlin leader. The trip was intended to cement Russia's rapprochement with the Jewish state and boost its profile in the international arena.

Photo of Putin making love to Mohammad Khatami, the Iranian regime’s president (where is Barzini?)

For Republicans in the Big Apple (and Nationwide), This is a MUST READ

What an extraordinary piece ran in yesterday's NEW YORK SUN, the world's Next Great Newspaper.
This is really what it is to be a Republican in NY very much  like living in enemy territory.

MR X AND HOW HE CAME LATE TO THE RUPUBLICAN PARTY

Five months after the election, the acrimony seems to have died down — at least on the surface. I still see the occasional poster in various apartments from Broadway to Columbus. There are the random Kerry-Edwards buttons (worn for protest or pride), but for the most part, it’s quiet. Some of it can even be humorous. I was on the subway last week when my child, who is becoming a great reader, noticed a young woman next to us wearing a button that said: “I Only Sleep With Democrats.” Of course, I was immediately asked what that meant. I explained the woman had a sleep disorder, wondering how long I can fob off this bright child with obfuscation. In our building, there’s a 4-year-old who has two large stickers on his backpack with a slash through a “W” … in the same place where other 4-yearolds have Yankees or Mets stickers. In my neighborhood, politics is a professional sport.

    Of course, the constant Bush bashing that I hear in casual conversation continues, but even there it’s less strident. The Iraqi election seems to have taken the wind out of the their sails — God forbid they would ever admit they were wrong and the president may have been right on that one. I still see the rolling of the eyes, the complete dismissal of his “lack of intellect,” and the obvious digs that aren’t terribly original or funny. When reporters pressed the president on his reading list and he obliged, the reaction was so predictable: Everyone around me said they were shocked, shocked that he could read. In many ways, it outdoes the Clinton bashing during the ’90s, which I found counterproductive as well.The way I see it, George W. Bush won reelection by more than 3 million votes. For those who can’t accept this, my advice is, relax, you’ll have another shot at the White House in just 1,286 days. One more bit of advice: Maybe the folks in my neighborhood should at least try to understand where the rest of the country stands and why these people feel the way they do because the map I saw the day after the election showed a lot more red states than blue.

    And I’ll take my own advice. For my part, I wonder why it is that I may be in step with much of the country and yet so clearly out of step with everyone around me. Of course, being a West Sider, there is the tendency to overanalyze myself, wondering how I came to this point. I’ve read terms like 9-11 Republicans, neo-cons, and even neo-neo cons. I’m not crazy about labels. To tell you the truth … I came late to the party …

Hat tip SC1

China aka BARZINI blaming this on US involvement in Vietnam

Just to show how much shit they throw at America, and just how easily the mainstream media and LLL ingest it whole, check this out. China is blaming America for this 3 year old's afflictions, Yeah yeah it was Vietnam...........this from a commie government that treats it citizens with such deference and respect not to mention the wonderful Chinese record of Human Rights.......the kid is 3 and Vietnam was what? a zillion years ago -----oh puhleeze

Yahoo News Xuan Minh, 3, looks out from his bed at the Tu Du Hospital in Ho Chi Min city on Friday March 25,2005, suffering from what is believed to be the effects of the jungle defoliant Agent Orange, used heavily in the region by the U.S. armed forces during the Vietnam War. Vietnam celebrates the end of hostilities on April 30, 2005, marking 30 years since war in Vietnam ended. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel)"

End the Filibusters of Judicial Nominees by

Breaking with 200 years of Senate tradition, Democrat senators are refusing to let President Bush’s judicial nominees get an up or down vote. You can do something about this. Contact your senators and let them know how you feel. A phone call works better than e-mail; so don’t be shy. But do be polite. Contact information for all senators is available here.
Can't find your Senator, maybe he/she is playing hookey and hitting the tennis courts:

Forget the OJ Jury....This is a JURY TO LOVE!

How wonderful, fabulous, smart, sexy, right on is this jury???????? Check it out, A LIFE SENTENCE for inciting terror. Yeah babababy!
Jurors Convict Muslim Leader in Terrorism Case - Jerry Markon
A U.S. District Court jury in Alexandria, Va., Tuesday convicted prominent Washington-area Muslim spiritual leader Ali Al-Timimi, 41, of inciting his followers to train overseas for violent jihad against the U.S. Five days after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the Pentagon and World Trade Center, Timimi told his followers that "the time had come for them to go abroad and join the mujahideen engaged in violent jihad in Afghanistan," according to court papers. The jury decided that his words were enough to send him to prison for what prosecutors said will be a mandatory life sentence. "If one's demonstrated intention is to procure a violent act, that's not protected speech,'' said Ruth Wedgwood, a law professor at Johns Hopkins University and a former federal prosecutor. (Washington Post)

Evil China Secretly FUNDS Massive Slaughter and Slavery in Sudan

Oil-hungry China funds Sudan junta

China relies on Sudan for 7 percent of all its oil imports and has gone to great efforts to protect President Omar al-Bashir.XINHUA

A metallic maze of chimneys, pipes and vents glitters on the horizon in the desert outside Khartoum, dominating the landscape for kilometers.

This new oil refinery is the jewel in the crown of Sudan's military regime. It forms the vital artery of a thriving oil industry that pumped 1 billion pounds (HK$14.92 billion) into government coffers last year.

Without this windfall gain - likely to be far larger this year - President Omar al-Bashir could not maintain his military machine, let alone wage war against rebels in the western region of Darfur. Nor could he hope to withstand the international pressure his bloody campaign in Darfur has brought upon him.

Moreover, the oil that started to flow as recently as 1999 has given Bashir an indispensable international ally.

Almost unnoticed by the outside world, China has become the key player in Sudan's oil industry.

Beijing has invested 8 billion in Sudanese oil through the China National Petroleum Company, a state-owned monolith.

The cost of Khartoum's new refinery alone was about 350 million.

IRAN AND NUKES........Electromagnetics and Child Suicide Bombers, What a COMBO!

Iran and its Nukes

More than 400 men, women, and children gathered at a meeting in Tehran on Wednesday to pledge their commitment to carry out suicide bomb attacks against both Israelis and Americans in Iraq.

(Check out the photo:An Iranian child wearing a headband with the inscription "There is no God but Allah" attends a suicide bomber registration meeting in Tehran (AP)

"Some 440 volunteers, most of them women, signed up today," said Mohammad Ali Samadi, spokesperson for the Headquarters for Commemorating Martyrs of the Global Islamic Movement, which organized the meeting.

According to Samadi, members of his group -- which has sought volunteers for attaks in Iraq and Israel since last June -- have already carried out suicide attacks inside Israel against Israeli military targets. He added that "a few" of his fighters had been killed in the attacks, but his claims could not be confirmed since the group is not among those which have claimed responsibility for suicide bombings inside Israel.
 

He added that several thousand have already been selected for training.

Each of the group's 400-plus new recruits -- some of whom donned headbands with the inscription 'there is no God but Allah' -- were confronted with a difficult choice: to train for suicide attacks against U.S. troops in Iraq; to train for suicide attacks against Israelis; or to assassinate British author Salman Rushdie, the author forced into hiding after the late Ayatollah Khomeini ordered Muslims to kill him.

The ceremony, which included the showcase of video footage depicting Israeli soldiers being killed in suicide attacks, was attended by the distinguished Mahdi Rahimian, head of the Martyr's Foundation and the Imam Khomeini Relief Committee, both quasi-governmental organizations run by hard-liners loyal to Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.

Iran's hard-line rulers have long called for the destruction of Israel. This may be one reason why Iranians are barred from traveling to Israel. "You can't travel there with an Iranian passport," said Samadi. "Our suicide bombers enter the occupied Palestine in other ways."

Sharon says worried world accepting "nuclear" Iran

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon voiced concern on Thursday that the world was growing accustomed to the idea Iran would build a nuclear bomb but said the time was not ripe for military action to stop it. "Ultimately, I don't think there will be any alternative but to bring (Iran) to the U.N. Security Council and to take diplomatic and economic steps as pressure to stop this (nuclear effort)," Sharon told Israel Radio. "I am troubled by the fact -- we hear this perhaps more in Europe than in the United States -- that the world is beginning to grow accustomed to the idea that the day will come and Iran will be a member of the nuclear weapons club," he said. "This is particularly troubling, mainly because we are aware of Iran's threats against Israel. It is a country where even the so-called moderates speak of a national goal of destroying Israel and the Jewish people." Asked whether Israel would consider bombing

 

NEW MEANING TO KEEPING YOUR FRIENDS CLOSE BUT KEEPING YOUR ENEMIES CLOSER......YECH!

I cannot tell a lie, this picture makes me ill.........I know I know, diplomacy but give me a break
 Please no french kissing President George W. Bush welcomes Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah to his ranch Monday, April 25, 2005, in Crawford, Texas. The President told the media on hand he looked forward to "talking with him about a variety of subjects." White House photo by David Bohrer

HEY DUBYA! THINK HYBRID.....UGH! 

President George W. Bush is seen here with Saudi Crown Prince Abdullah bin Abdul Aziz in 2003. Bush welcomed the Saudi Crown Prince to his Texas ranch, seeking help to bring down soaring gas prices and promote peace in the Middle East(AFP/File/Luke Frazza)

Save BOLTON! What Did you Do Today To Save Bolton? GET TO IT!

Here once again are all the names addresses email to spoon feed you TO DO THE RIGHT THING.
Put down the cell, the blackberrry, the woman, the memo, the baby, the Krispy Kreme, the ciggie, the beer, the dog, the doobie, the book, the WHATEVUH and push your elected officials to do what we elected them to do.

 

Contact these clowns now!
Senator Lugar
Senator Voinovich
Senator Hagel
Senator Chafee
and of course
Marcie_Ridgway@voinovich.senate.gov
     Dana_smullen@voinovich.senate.gov
     Scott Milburn@voinovich.senate.gov
     Phil_Park@voinovich.senate.gov
and my favorite RINO: email: http://voinovich.senate.gov/contact/
or (b) email here: voinovich@voinovich.senate.gov
or (c) fax: 513 - 684 - 3269
or (d) phone: 513 - 684-3265

Here's TARANTO at his absolute FINEST:

Lynne Finney's Recovered Memories
Things may be looking up for John Bolton, for the "accusations" against him are becoming even more preposterous. USA Today has the latest:

On Friday, Lynne Finney, a former legal adviser to the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID), sent a letter to Sen. Barbara Boxer, D-Calif. Finney wrote that Bolton "screamed that I was fired" when she refused to lobby for a weakening of restrictions on the sale of infant formula in the developing world.

State Department deputy spokesman Adam Ereli said "no one at USAID at the time has any recollection" of such an incident. . . . According to the letter, a copy of which Boxer's office e-mailed to USA TODAY, the incident took place in late 1982 or early 1983, when Bolton, as the top lawyer at USAID, outranked Finney. She was on the staff as a legal adviser. Boxer's office verified that Finney sent the letter.

Finney, who is now a motivational speaker, said in the letter that she cared about world peace and wanted to help defeat Bolton's nomination.

So, who is Lynne Finney? To judge from the writings on her own Web site, she's a poster child for liberalism at its most eccentric:

This is a time of rapid evolution and intense transformation for us all. New discoveries in quantum physics, psychology, and spirituality are revealing ways to create wonderful new realities. It's estimated that more than 14 million people have already become enlightened or Self-realized. Some are visible but most lead ordinary lives. Each time someone reaches Self-realization, it affects the collective Mind. Things are heating up. Like popcorn, we are all popping faster and are reaching enlightenment at a rapid rate.

Hat tip: PoliPundit.com. It also turns out she has a history of "recovering memories" of "abuse":

She was born into the madhouse of Hollywood's fantasy factory. Her mother was an artist and her father an award-winning screenwriter and novelist. She and her parents were portrayed in magazines as "the perfect family," but behind this facade was a nightmare world of violence and sexual abuse that lasted from the time Lynne was born until she was eight years old. Lynne had four near-death experiences that profoundly impacted her life. . . .

When she began recovering memories of having been abused by her father, Lynne went back to graduate school to earn a masters degree in clinical social work and became a psychotherapist, in order to heal herself and others. . . .

During her recovery process, Lynne began to have spiritual experiences that opened her to new perceptions of reality. She studied the scriptures of many religions, explored the teachings of spiritual masters, and emerged from a world she perceived as hell into a world of miracles. She now works to help others out of suffering, into their true power, and to realization of their true Selves.

Now Barbara Boxer asks us to take seriously Finney's recovered memory of John Bolton's having hurt her feelings. Even if true, who cares? It was more than 20 years ago. To borrow a phrase once popular among Democrats, it's long past time to move on.

If the Finney "allegation" doesn't sink Bolton, what next? Maybe the Dems can round up Bolton's elementary-school classmates and find out if he was ever mean to any of them. It's about the children!

Bolton's 'Pleasant Demeanor'
Today John Bolton is under attack for being a hothead, but two years ago at least one left-liberal media outlet was singing a different tune. In a Salon article dated July 16, 2003, Nicholas Thompson describes Bolton as follows (link requires subscription or sitting through a tedious ad):

Bolton is surely "an ideologue's ideologue," as his frequent sparring partner Joseph Cirincione, at the mainstream Carnegie Foundation, describes him. But it's also not quite that simple.

For one, unlike most ideologues, particularly hard-charging ones on the right, Bolton gains power from his pleasant demeanor, much as Jesse Helms does. During the Florida recount, Bolton was a confident and calm professional. Ron Asmus, a Clinton deputy assistant secretary of state, calls Bolton "friendly, charming and interesting" even while pointing out that Bolton often advocates positions that make Asmus' jaw drop. . . .

In a less dramatic way, Bolton's success parallels that which Helms sees at the battle of Armageddon: the forces of good trampling the forces of evil as the seven angels blow their seven trumpets and everything else gets razed. The trouble is that, despite his pleasant demeanor and level-headedness, Bolton's definition of evil seems rather large--encompassing not just the standard axis but also, for example, the International Criminal Court's efforts to track down war criminals or genocidaires.

This should make it clear, if it wasn't already, that the complaints about Bolton's demeanor and temperament are simply a smokescreen for ideological objections to his pro-American worldview.