For more misstatement by the New York Times, read this article at ifemminist.com. It seems the NYT has forfeited the newspaper's duty to report the news truthfully in favor of becoming the leading liberal propaganda tool.

The Axis of Evil makes the news today. A federal judge has found Iran responsible for the October 23, 1983 bombing of the Marine barracks in Beirut. The bombing killed 241 military men and women. The court found that MOIS acted as an agent of Iran to carry out the attack. The court further found that top Iranian officials knew of and helped plan the attack by Hezbollah. Reuters reports the story here.

I can’t help but mention some racial problems. It is reported that the Democratic National Committee tried to fire 10 people. They are all Black. Only after substantial protesting did this fail. The Democrats are also blocking the nomination of a Hispanic. Meanwhile, most liberals label the Republican party as the white party. Talk about the pot calling the kettle “white”.

The economy is perking up a little. The Gross Domestic Product (GDP) grew 1.9% in the first quarter. The GDP measures the value of goods and services produced in the U.S. The Chicago Purchasing Management Index is up. The University of Michigan Gage of Consumer Confidence rose to 92.1 in May, the highest level in a year. The stock market was up today as a result of the news.

President Bush should know that, at dinner Wednesday night, my friend said he was buying a new television with his tax cut check. See, it’s already working.

Virginia Postrel at www.dynamist.com does a good job describing the myopia of the New York Times. Here’s a simple thought: you can’t be the national paper of record if what you print is not true. And, kudos to the Lufkin paper for dropping Maureen Dowd for the same reason – not telling the truth.

Bob Hope turned 100 today. They say he cannot communicate. It is a shame he cannot enjoy this milestone. But the fact is, our body wears out. It reminds me of the Matthew 6:19 from the Sermon On The Mount. Jesus said do not lay up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust destroys, and where thieves do not break in or steal. All things on this earth, including ourselves, decay and die. That is why the promise of eternal life is joyous. This body may die, but the spirit goes to live with God. And it the resurrection, all things are made new, including our bodies.

Thanks to Mark Byron for the mention yesterday. Dr. Byron is a thoughtful, committed Christian and a professor. His blog (www.markbyron.blogspot.com) is a daily read. His “edifier de jour” is always, well, edifying, containing a scripture passage and comments. His analysis of the economy is always insightful also.

Here are some horrifying comments from Mike Tyson, as recorded in the Associated Press.
Mike Tyson hasn't lost his penchant for saying the outrageous. In a television interview scheduled for broadcast Thursday, Tyson again denied he raped Desiree Washington in 1991 in an Indianapolis hotel room. But he said the burden of being labeled a convicted rapist makes him want to do it now.
"I just hate her guts. She put me in that state, where I don't know,'' Tyson said. "I really wish I did now. But now I really do want to rape her.''
Tyson made the comments during a recent interview in Miami Beach with Greta Van Susteren, who was taking a look back at the circumstances of Tyson's 1992 trial that ended with him convicted of rape and sentenced to six years in prison.

This shows you at least two things. First, Mike Tyson needs serious help. This angry man is a danger to society. He cannot contain his violence to the ring. Rather, he wants to make the world like the ring, where the big man bullies the world through violence. Second, rape is a crime of violence more than sex, as studies have shown. Tyson wants to use rape to subdue and punish.

Terrorists have this same bully syndrome. They cannot get what they want through normal channels, so they try to terrorize the rest of the world into letting them have their way. The greatest benefit of the Afghanistan and Iraq wars may be that is shows them it will not work. If they kick the sleeping dog long enough, they will get bitten.

And, what is up with the Saudis? The arrested 11 more suspected terrorists, including 3 clerics. They have around 100 people in custody altogether. They have never responded to terrorist attacks with this vigor. Does the war have them on edge also? If so, that is one more good result that has come of it.

If the 9th Circuit Court of Appeals hasn't convinced you yet that California is a third world country, read this post from Overlawyered.com:

May 27 -- "State is suing ex-dry cleaners". California Attorney General Lockyer is suing retired owners of Mom-and-Pop dry cleaners in the town of Chico under the federal Superfund law, accusing them of pouring dry-cleaning chemicals down their drains decades ago. "Bob and Inez Heidinger -- he's 87, has Alzheimer's disease and is blind in one eye; she's 83, has bone marrow cancer and needs shoulder surgery" -- are being sued for $1.5 million on charges (which they deny) of disposing of PCE in such a manner between 1952 and 1974, when they sold the business. Also being sued is "Paul Tullius, a 57-year-old retired Air Force pilot, and his wife, Vicki, who own a warehouse that last housed a dry cleaner in 1972 -- 16 years before they bought the building without knowing its entire history." "This is the most draconian law you could ever imagine," says Tullius. "...Can you imagine what that does to your life? I'm sort of thinking this isn't the country I thought it was." (Gary Delsohn, Sacramento Bee, Apr. 28). (DURABLE LINK)

Can you say "statute of limitations"? Next thing you know, California will arrest little old ladies that smoked when they were teenagers. What are these people thinking?

Iran has gone from claiming that no al-Qaida members are in Iran to claiming to have arrested several members. Maybe they need that guy from Iraq to make their announcements. "There is no al-Qaida whatsoever. They have all committed suicide at the thought of pursuit by the glorious Mullahs of Iran. Those who claim there is al-Qaida are delusional crusaders. Iran warns them not to think there is al-Qaida or they will meet to power of the Revolution and have their mustaches condemned."

Bad news today for the Democrats running for President. Iowa, the first primary, is not shaping up well. Although Iowa runs to the left of much of the country, Bush right now would win at 52 percent. More than 60 percent approve of the war. Despite those statistices, the candidates have opened an attack on Bush and the war. Dean has always opposed it, sounding like the '60s liberal he is. Kerry has now opened up also. Obviously, the candidates are trying to stake out ground away from Bush, but having a hard time. As the Democratic party tacks left, they leave behind the big center, which is trending right more than left.

Although conservatives do not see Bush as perfect, he is the best they have. He also has a good chance to completely nail down the center, especially if the Democrats do continue to move toward the extreme liberal wing of the party. But, it is still "the economy, studpid" for many Americans. You could solve the world's problems and still lose the election if the economy is slow. If Bush can rev up the economy before the elections, he will win. If not, it could be another very close election. The Democrats will run left in the primaries, but turn back toward the center in the election if necessary, and continually compare Clinton's economy to Bush's. Of course, Clinton's economy was shaped largely by Congress reigning him in, but who will remember?

The Baby came home late Saturday night with hardware from the State music competition. She received medals in choir and band. Then Sunday she was off the the early service, then lunch with friends, then with the choir to sing a Bacculaureate, then finally home. I smile and waive good bye cheerfully each time she leaves. But, in the backgrond, I hear the clock ticking as loud as Poe heard the heart beating. In only two years, she will follow her two sisters out the door to college. And that will be the end of it. No more kids at home. (Imagine lump in throat, tears in eyes.) My father told me to raise them to leave. I have. But, it hurts.

Remember the story of the 20,000 brains illegally removed in England? Do you think any of those could be from the Texas Legislature?

By the way, you can e-mail me at larry_thompson_ada@yahoo.com

Rachel Lucas over at rachellucas.com has a touching tribute to her grandfather who just passed away. I now have this huge lump in my throat. One of the agonies of growing older is seeing those older people in your life pass out of your life. There are truly no replacements, just holes where they once were. We try to ignore the holes and carry on, but sometimes we step in them and grief overcomes us. It is part of the human condition. It certainly makes us think we should take the time to treasure our friends and family while we have them. Even more, it makes real the promise of God that we will be together again and, this time, forever.

On the bright side, I sent the Little Woman an e-mail with the amount of my paycheck. She sent back a reply thanking me for working hard and supporting our family. I felt the strangest tight spot in my throat. We often take many things for granted. How nice to be thanked for something most would take for granted. Proverbs 31:10 starts with "an excellent wife, who can find?" Me, is one answer. Now, I have to tell you I'm too stupid to do it on my own. So, she must have been a gift from the Lord. Thanks, God. I mean it.

ABC news is reporting that Janet Reno scotched an attempt to invade bin Laden's stronghold and arrest him in 1998. Interestingly, I saw a pretty bad movie about this on cable the other day. Add this to Clinton's refusal to take OBL from Sudan in 1996, and you see several missed opportunities to prevent 9\11. Conflict avoidance never solves the problem, it only postpones it and often makes it worse. But why would the same Reno pass on a blood thirsty terrorist with the stated desire to attack and destroy America, but say yes to an invasion of errant Seventh Day Adventists in Waco, Texas or snatching a Cuban boy from his family after saying you wouldn't? Maybe it is just plain old bad judgment.

Slightly Rough (robbooth.net) reports Pete Laney's statements that he was pressured by the national Democratic party to leave the state and bust the quorum. Add this to news that the Senate may not have had enough votes for redistricting anyway, and the spectre is raised as to other motives for abandoning the post.

The Texas Legislature is at it again. They might not have time to balance the budget, but they have time to work on the menu. Yesterday it was deciding the state dessert. Today it is the fast food bill. The Public Health committee has voted 7-1 to require chain restaurants to post nutritional information on the menu. (Lawsuits to follow for miscalculations). It is even enhanced, not with civil sanctions, but with a criminal penalty! Maybe the Republicans have left Austin after the Democrats returned. What kind of conservative governance is this? There was one committee member absent. Maybe he has not been able to get a ride back from Ardmore yet. Look for lots of foolishness to come, as bills get passed "willy nilly" in the last moments. The rest of us will spend the next year finding out how much damage the Legislature has done.

If you are a Texan, you'll be please to know that the first business taken up by the Leg after the Democrats ended their self imposed exile in Oklahoma was to decide what the state dessert will be. Honestly, can we just send them all home and save the money?

Here are two interesting quotes for you.

"I find it simply baffling that a Senator would vote against even voting on a judicial nomination."
-- Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, Oct. 5, 1999

"Hispanic or non-Hispanic, African American or non-African American, woman or man, it is wrong not to have a vote on the Senate floor."
-- Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle, Congressional Record, Oct. 28, 1999

America may not have a SARS epidemic, but we are having an ethical crisis of epidemic proportions. I've written about this before, but decided to keep mentioning it as new stories unfold. This week we have MCI paying a huge settlement because they overstated their earnings by $11 billion. Not a close call, there. Once again, greed has triumphed over honesty in American corporate life. Next, we have the New York Times scandal, as a reporter has faked many of his stories. Even more shameful, employees tried to bring this to the attention of the managment and were ignored and rebuffed. The NYT is no longer the paper of record. How can you possible trust it? When you add this to the horror of CNN in Iraq knowingly repressing the truth, even to the point of letting people suffer torture to preserve the network's access, the mainstream media has shown itself to be immoral and compromised. My father used to say, just because you read it in the paper, don't mean it's so. He was never more right.

Can anything be done about this? Not unless and until people want to accept absolute values again. As long as we teach that each person sets his own values, society has none. And society will pay the price.

Adventures in Fatherhood Part II.
The middle daughter, home from the first year of college, took off at 5:30pm for Colorado to train as a summer camp worker. One other girl rode with her and a couple followed in another vehicle. They drove as far as Tucumceri, NM, before stopping at a motel. At 1:30 a.m. Today they push on to Durango, CO. The Road Trip must be the second worst bane for fathers after car dating. This child that you have nurtured from infancy gets behind the wheel of the car and drives off into the madness of the world, careening down the highway, in the dark, for hours on end. Yes, I know I did it then, also. That doesn't help. I couldn't quit thinking about coming home one Sunday night from a Baptist Student Union Retreat. We were driving from a retreat center on Lake Travis, outside of Austin, to College Station. The minister had promised to release us at 10pm Sunday night so we could get back safely and at a reasonable hour to get some sleep. Of course, he didn't. (The truthfulness of ministers is another topic.) We left after midnight. My three passengers promptly fell asleep. The road was dark and there was no moon. It was soooo hard to stay awake. Several times my eyes closed and I jumped in fear of falling asleep. So, I tried watching t.v. to take my mind off of it. No sale. I tried reading. No sale. Finally, the Baby came in and asked me to take her to the store for some spiral notebooks. I jumped at the chance. All that said, one of the big lessons you must learn is to release your child to the Lord as they grow up. You just cannot protect them from life. So, I went off to bed, closed my eyes and said she's in your hands, keep her where I cannot. Peace came, and sleep. Thank you God. (The next project is the Baby's choir trip to Boston this summer.)

The G 8 summit will be held in France this year. It should be interesting, given the strain in U.S. - France relations. The G 8 is composed of the U.S., Britain, Canada, Italy, Japan, Germany, Russia, and France. As you know, France, Germany, and Russia form the Axis of Weasels. Will they seek to make amends at the conference or continue to work together against the U.S.? Dominique Moisi of the French Institute of International Relations says France has burned too many bridges and needs to work to repair the damage. Colin Powell has been in France in advance and has made soothing noises, but did say that further confrontation in the U.N. could cause us to become seriously worried about our relations with France. Chirac has promised not to veto the U.S. backed resolution on post war Iraq, but has not committed to vote for it unless it is modified. While the conference gears up, Chirac has major problems at home. The education system has been shut down by teacher strikes. Transport workers have also been on strike. Since these guys don't fly commercial, that will not hurt the conference much. But, teachers have actually shut down roads and toll booths during the strike. In addition, a corruption trial is looming, as one of Chirac's former associates is set for trial on corruption charges going back to the time Chirac was mayor of France. This guy has alot to think about, does he not?

The terror alert has been raised. Supposedly, Arabs have been warned by their terrorist brothers to leave D.C., N.Y. and Boston. I wonder why they did not warn them before the World Trade Center was attacked. Could that mean it is a hoax. We can hope. If they hit here, I hope we hit back with force. Their learning curve seems rather flat. Their blood lust knows no bounds, however. Nigerian Muslims are rampaging against Christians. Sudanese Muslims slaughter and enslave Christians at will. The U.N., of course, has no interest in these matters. Americans should realize they must protect themselves and not rely on interntional bodies to help. The U.N. wants only money from the U.S., and soldiers for their puny military efforts.

I continue to appreciate the irony that the attacks are escalating at th very time the terrorists are getting much of what they want, especially in regard to the U.S. withdrawal from Saudi Arabia.

I remembered today many of the Arabs I met in earlier years and found interesting. The Syrian men attending my college. They spoke fluent French and were wonderful artists. The Lebanese man who worked in my favorite clothing store. He was a Christian who had left his country because of the civil war. He could not contact his family and did not know if they were alive or had been killed.

It is a shame that the middle east has become a cesspool of tyranny. Dictators abound. Oppression reigns. Terror grips the people. The Syrians rule like Nazis. The Iranians are oppressed by their theocracy that wields religion as a club to terrorize the society, killing all opposition literally and figuratively. Saudi Arabia is a kingdom that also runs an oppressive society while the royal family gorges itself on the riches of the land. It is enough to make you a Neocon.

This weekend I had the great pleasure of having all three of my daughters at home. The oldest came home to attend a graduation party we threw for our pastor's oldest daughter. Our oldest has been out of college a year and married. She just got her first spot with an opera company. The middle daughter is home from college for a few weeks before going to work at a summer camp. The youngest is still in high school. I am so proud of them. I watched them all weekend together and with other people, thinking how fortunate I am to have them. They will soon be all gone from the house. That will be sad. Child raising has been such an important part of my life. I'm not sure what I'll do next. Wander around the house looking at their pictures? Regardless, I'll always be grateful for the years they were here, laughing at Dad's jokes, talking, walking, going to church together, cheering them on at school functions, wiping away tears, nervously awaiting results from contests, colleges, auditions, interviews. And praying. Asking God to protect them, make them good people, bring them wonderful husbands, and not let me mess them up. Thank you God for anwering those prayers.

You should read this: ejectejecteject.com for a great essay on Michael Moore's Bowling For Columbine.

If you are a fan of utopian societies, it is worth examining China's handling of the SARS epidemic. First, China denied it, To keep the denial going, it refused access to the original outbreak site by World Health Organization officials. It stopped Internet discussion. This is because Communism, as a utopian philosophy, cannot admit its failure. Second, when the denial collapsed in the face of death and disease, the government rounded up a group and labeled them as responsible for the failure, and punished them. If you fail, you destroy the utopian myth. The result of this typical Communist endeavor is almst 300 deaths and over 5000 cases of SARS.

Here is a bright spot for your day. Amit Patel, a senior at Dunbar High School in Fort Worth recently competed in a math contest with a team from his school. His team won first place, but Amit noticed that the judges had miscalculated and given his team two points more than they should. Amit told his coach, who told the judges, who not only could not add but were very surprised. The Dunbar team dropped to second place, but Amit was more concerned about his personal honesty. His coach is proud of him. They are doing something right at Dunbar. Way to go all.

Thankfully, the Lebanese have prevented an attack on the U.S. Embassy. That will keep the count down this week. Also, Dr. Byron pointed out to me that the first estimates of deaths in the Saudi Embassy have been revised downward to 25 or so, which reduces the count substantially. The bad news is that new attacks are expected in Asia.

California attorney Stephen Joseph is the poster boy for tort reform. He sued Kraft Foods because oreos have trans fats in them. He takes his place beside the attorneys who sued McDonalds for making kids fat.

I can see it now. A kid goes into the store and picks up a bag of Oreos to satisfy his chocolate cravings. The bag has a label on it that says "Warning! This product contains trans fat." The kid puts down the bag and runs screaming in horror from the store. And goes to McDonalds for a Big Mac and fries.

I think the Democrats need Tart Reform.

Now 60, a woman has admitted being the 19 year old concubine of President Kennedy. She went to pool parties and trips with him. Her family is "supportive". Argh. Mom was right. Your sins will find you out.

The French civil servants have gone on strike, bringing government to a halt. The Texas Democrats have gone on strike and brought the Legislature to a halt. Maybe they are coordinating their attack. Maybe we should call them the Texas French.

Bob Ray Sanders, in the Fort Worth Startledgram, calls them heroes. There really is no need for Sanders to write a word. The paper should just print his picture and the topic. He is so predictably liberal you know exactly what he'll say. I'm surprised he doesn't have leg injuries from all the knee jerk reactions.

Last night was a great parent moment. I went to a school choir concert for my youngest daughter, a sophomore in high school. The kids were so talented and hard working, it was inspirational. Then they gave out awards and my baby was up there getting a letter, and a National Music Scholar award, and a service award, and all dressed up in a formal instead of jeans and a t-shirt and she was beautiful. I got the huge parental lump in the throat. This is the pay off for the other suffering you do as the parent of a teenager.

By the way, if you see an extra set of keys laying around, call the cops. It seems that the Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory lost a set of keys back in April and haven't found them. We don't want someone stealing our nukes with our own keys.

Mike Thomas, of Wales, on the Saudi bombing: "Those people who have done this believe in nothing but hatred." That about sums it up.

It also might be good for Oklahoma to hide its women while the Democrats are there. Today is another bad day for exposing the sex lives of Democrats. We just got news that JFK had an affair with a 19 year old intern. (So, I guess it's true that W.J.Clinton patterned himself after JFK). Then, West Virginia Governor and Democrat Bob Wise admitted an affair with a married woman who is also a state official. He also had the bad luck of having an affair with the wife of a struggling and financially challenged musician who hopes to sell the story. Details to follow.

The Texas Democrats went to a motel in Ardmore, Oklahoma. No word on whether they took their interns.

Other people also seem to think Oklahoma is in danger from the invasion of Texas Democrats. The desk clerk at the motel said someone called and said “If they are there, you may be in a dangerous situation.”

On the other hand, if she stood outside and looked legislative, some lobbyist might walk by and give her money and take her to dinner.

Is Michael Moore’s book Stupid White Men an autobiography?

Philippine police are preparing charges against Alex Luntayan, also known as Bapa Alim, for the market bombing. Here we go with the two name guys again.

Brain Drain in England: 20,000 or more brains illegally removed from people in England. All from dead people though, so women can’t blame this for their husband’s denseness.

Texas Democratic legislators have taken a page from their obstructionist colleagues in the U.S. Senate. If you have lost the majority, refuse to allow the process to go on. These Democrats have abandoned their duties in the Texas House and fled to Oklahoma. This may be the real reason the President has declared the state a disaster area.

If the Oklahomans are smart, they'll extradite the errant politicians. We have a saying in Texas: No man's life or lands are safe while the legislature is in session. Don't take the risk. Send our boys home.

U.S. officials are now saying at least 91 people have died in the Saudi bombings, rather than 20. That makes this week's total a whopping 104.

The Islamic murder count rises today. Twenty people were killed in Saudi Arabia by suicide bombers. Add this to the 13 in the Philippines a couple of days ago and we're up to 33 for the week. Interesting also, is the fact that these murders come on the heels of the American announcement of troop withdrawal. This was the cry of Osama and the other radicals and the supposed reason for much of the terrorism. So, this should show the appeasers in our country. There is nothing we can do to avoid terrorism. We must fight it tooth and nail.

Is it just me, or does everyone see it. The Associated Press has a picture today of Colin Powell meeting Silvan Shalom, the Israeli Foreign Minister. Powell looks like a gangster reaching into his coat for a gun, and Shalom is holding is hands out like he is saying "I'd like to wring your neck!" Sometimes body language gives away our true feelings.

The Muslim murder count continues, of course. Abu Sayyaf takes credit for bombing a market in Manila, Philippines, killing at least 13 and wounding 26. This, of course, was not a military, but civilian target. Only America must refrain from civilian targets, especially in Muslim countries. But, when the shoe is on the other foot, who complains? This is the second bombing in this market in two months. Not unexpectedly, it is in a largely Chrisian area. The terrorist group is not just ideological, but practical in their criminality. They call and demand $75,000 to refrain from bombing. AP reports that body parts from shoppers and sellers were strewn about the area.

Belgium. What an interesting place! They farm dogs and cats for fur! Now, that's an advanced country. Kittens and puppies bred, raised and skinned for fashion. Where is PETA when we need them? Gives a whole new meaning to "Boxer shorts". Heh.

Forget Survivor. Forget Tough Man. I've found the world's toughest man: Aron Ralston. This is the mountaineer who got his arm trapped under an 800 pound rock. He broke his wrist so he could amputate his arm below the elbow with a cheap knife. He rappeled down a 60 foot cliff and hiked miles to be rescued. He walked out of the helicopter under his own power and told the doctors he would need some blood because he had lost a lot. Whenever someone tells you that Americans have gone soft, show them this guy. I'm impressed.

Census data shows that only 2.6 percent of Americans over the age of 16 who work full time are poor. I wonder how much it cost to find that out.

"The more religious the kids are, based on its importance to them or their attending worship, the greater their positive outlook on life. They have more self-esteem and confidence. The more religious they are, the less they hate school." Chris Smith, University of North Carolina, speaking of the four year survey of 12th grade students called the National Study of Youth and Religion.

Iran has released 59 Iraqi soldiers who have been held since the Iran-Iraq war. The soldiers report torture and starvation. No word of condemnation yet from the U.N. Commission on Human Rights. Since Iran is one of the few really oppressive regimes not on the Commission, they might say something. But, probably not. With Sudan on the Commission, how could you complain? You can see why they were voted on: they practice slavery, dislocation, genocide, religious oppression, all the really good ones. The U.N. is a scary place. Like Iran.

Do you know what the head of the commission is called? The "High Commissioner"! Did you ever notice that the U.N. often sounds like a really cheesy club of neighborhood children making up grandiose names for themselves and their club? He couldn't just be called the chairman or commissioner? It reminds me of "Happy Days" on t.v. where the head of Mr. C's lodge was the Grand Poobah.

The hypocrisy of at least some Hollywood liberals has become embarrassingly public. It seems while Tim Robbins and Susan Sarandon were complaining that fallout from their comments was infringing their free speech, Sarandon had worked for the cancellation of Dr. Laura Schlessinger's show because she did not like her conservative stance on certain issues. Ironic, huh?

Draft Hillary? There is talk today that the Democratic field is so weak there will be a movement to draft Senator Clinton. That would certainly create a fight of epic proportions in the general election. However, my guess is that Clinton will wait four more years. There are no big name Republicans on the scene to take over for Bush and she would have an easier time. The good thing would be that she could bring back all the stuff she, her husband, and staff took from the White House on the way out. The bad thing is, she would probably lose all kinds of records only to have them turn up later without explanation.

David Heddle has a great post on the purpose of Biblical prophecy at www.helives.blogspot.com. It resonated with me since I am teaching Isaiah.

There is good news today. India and Pakistan restored full diplomatic relations. They are scheduling talks. The French are said to be upset that no one asked them about it first.

Also, Michael Newdow's daughter is still saying the pledge, complete with "under God" despite dad's litigation and the 9th Circuit's ruling. The 8 year old is said to be "sad" at the court's ruling. (Isn't this the court that upheld a damages verdict for a burglar who got stuck in a house after breaking into it? So, the victim\homeowner has to pay his burglar because he didn't have his garage fixed to allow burglars to get out.) The 8 year old promises to be the first of many who will practice civil disobedience, as she promises to whisper "under God" even if the Supreme Court rules for her father. You just know that every high school football game in Texas will sport folks reciting the pledge despite the ruling.

Ted Kaczynski's cabin is available if you need a hide away. It was hauled off to storage and was scheduled to be destroyed. SafeStore has had it since 1998. The cabin won a last minute reprieve, however, and will not face execution this month. Beau Friedlander, a publisher, thinks it should go into the Smithsonian. Here's my suggestion: send it to Iraq to replace their looted items and help their fledgling tourist industry.

Cox News Service reports that Mahoud Abbas a\k\a Abu Mazen, the new Palestinian Prime Minister, advocates peace with Israel and a cessation to suicide bombing. Maybe common sense will prevail. The fact is, peaceful pursuit of Palestine's aims will put much greater pressure on Israel to accomodate. The article had an interesting mistake. It said Israel was created by the 1948 war. It was, of course, (re-)created by the United Nations.

The lack of ethics and honesty continues to be big news. American Airlines nearly lost its deal with its unions when its bonuses to executives came to light. The CEO had to resign and credibility of managment is damaged. This raises several questions. First, as a practical matter, why would you want to give bonuses to the people responsible for managing the company into near bankruptcy? This, obviously, was not a decision of the stockholders or employees, but an example of managment profiting at the expense of the company they are supposed to benefit. This is a company that paid $200 million to get its name on a sports arena in Dallas, made a $2 billion stock buy back, bought TWA on the verge of bankruptcy, payhing $742 million in cash and assuming $2 billion in debt. Talk about a spending spree. Bad stewardship is one way to describe it. Second, why do people believe they can keep something big secret? It never works. For example, did management not read the paper and see all of Enron's dirty secrets exposed? No one ever keeps a big secret long. No large group ever keeps a secret. Period. Third, didn't any of these people see that it would look bad to accept a big raise or bonus why laying off thousands of workers. Even if you had no ethical restraints, common sense should tell you this is a bad idea. Fourth, the lack of honesty is appalling. Here is my first idea: fire all the managers that tried to profit in this situation and lay off fewer flight attendants.

Then we move on to the 10 Wall Street firms and 2 stock analysts having to pay $1.4 billion to reach a settlement after directing clients to invest in companies they new were declining. It reminds you of the old joke: what does it take to make a small fortune in the stock market? A large fortune. But, again, the problem is greed and the lack of ethics and honesty.

This brings to mind the battle between the ACLU and the 10 Commandments. The ACLU, of course, want to strip the Commandments from any and all public venues. I suggest that not only do they need to be posted there, but that they need to be posted in businesses. Forget the religious implications if you want, we need to return to standards of honesty. Our business culture is becoming one of lying, cheating, and stealing. And it has a bad effect, not only on the moral fiber of the culture, but on the economy as well. People loose their money, often their savings or their retirement funds to dishonest business people. People loose their jobs. Your tax dollars are spent to help alleviate the problems. It costs you money when people in business are dishonest. Face it, God knew what he was doing.