Pope to Gays: "Worthless"

Sullivan's reply says it best, as usual.

'Torture is Counterproductive'

According to CIA chief Porter Goss, the US government doesn't use torture because it is ineffective. The Bush administration is one of the most moralistic we've ever seen, yet it sees no moral problem with the use of torture? Does Goss's comment mean that if torture did achieve its desired end, our government would use it?

Florida Hypocricy Watch

Is there any justification for a legal system that allows a 14 year old boy to be tried and sentenced as an adult for murder yet regards a 16 year old boy as a minor too young to consent to sex with an adult?

XXXOOO

The votes are in....here are the top ten best on-screen guy-on-guy kisses.

Finally, physics proves its worth

I wonder if we'll ever see this taught in high school physics, AP or otherwise.

Full Disclosure?

Since Sarbanes-Oxley has been in effect, it has become almost tiresome to hear about the potential conflicts commentators and their firms may have with the companies about which they are commenting. That's all fine and good. But what about the rest of the punditocracy? Take the case of Jay Sekulow, an omniprensent voice regarding all things SCOTUS. Given yesterday's damning exposé in Legal Times regarding the complicated web of sources and uses of income in two putative non-profits run by him, will the networks start running disclaimners before he speaks? I doubt it.

Harriet, We Hardly Knew Ye....

The inevitable has finally come to pass. As N'sync would say, Bye-Bye-Bye.

Alert - Trace of sanity found in Kansas

The Kansas high court has ruled that juviniles convicted of underage same-sex "crimes" cannot be punished more harshly than if the offense were heterosexual. “Moral disapproval of a group cannot be a legitimate state interest," wrote the unanimous court, echoing language in the Massachusetts gay marriage decision as well as the SCOTUS Lawrence (2003) decision. As those Kansas fundamentalists would say, Glory Hallelujah!

Got PowerPoint Fatigue?

If you're like me, you've grown weary of "death by slide"-style talks. PowerPoint has indeed hurt the effectiveness of presentations while improving their visual quality. Well, this keynote address at a recent O'Reilly Conference the most original, compelling use of the software that I've ever seen. Influenced by something called the Lawrence Lessig flash-style of presentation, it holds your interest, makes you think, and entertains -- and what more could you ask for from a conference address?

All About Harriet

Here are Miers's responses to the Senate Judiciary Committee questionnaire. Among the "highlights": looks like her only litigation experience with a constitutional issue is her defense of Dick Cheney's status as a resident of Wyoming, rather than of Texas, which made him eligible to be elected VP with a President from Texas. Well, good for her, but it's not likely that 12th Amendment issues like that one will soon come before the high court again. But one thing is curious: did she have no role in Bush v Gore (2000)?

The Rove/Dobson Call

Just released...the transcript of the conversation between Karl Rove and James Dobson during which the latter learned some things he "probably shouldn't know."

Rosie Gets Slammed, Doesn't Care

The NYT's Ben Brantley reviewed Rosie O'Donnell's "performance" in Broadway's revival of Fiddler on the Roof today. He compared her to a high school production stand-in, and had little positive to say. She had guts to post his review on her blog and to add her own reaction. I was a big fan of her talk show, but even then her success proved the point that in show business, enthusiasm goes a long way. Alas, that's true everywhere but on Broadway, where people still expect to see world class talent for their money.