Updates…..(smile) the First Mate is Out of Surgery And…(sigh)…..

Ed at Captain’s Quarters happily reports:

“the First Mate is out of surgery and in recovery now, and the transplant looks like a big success. The surgery lasted a little over four hours and the doctors are quite pleased with the results. It will take until tomorrow to be sure that the pancreas is working, but they expect full function.”

Meanwhile, my mother in law’s condition has gotten worse…. to the point where they’ve moved her back to the Hospital.  My guess at this point, (though I hope I’m wrong), is that she won’t be going home again, at best being in a skilled nursing facility.

The NY Times this morning has up a rather interesting article on the subject of Intelligent design, calledDesign for Living, by Michial J. Behe. 

First, what it isn’t: the theory of intelligent design is not a religiously based idea, even though devout people opposed to the teaching of evolution cite it in their arguments. For example, a critic recently caricatured intelligent design as the belief that if evolution occurred at all it could never be explained by Darwinian natural selection and could only have been directed at every stage by an omniscient creator. That’s misleading. Intelligent design proponents do question whether random mutation and natural selection completely explain the deep structure of life. But they do not doubt that evolution occurred. And intelligent design itself says nothing about the religious concept of a creator.

Rather, the contemporary argument for intelligent design

Correct. Those arguing against ID because of what they see as religious implications are also pushing misleading arguments.

I’m not sure which I find of greater import… the arguments themselves, or my amaze that the Times actually printed them.

Tip of BitsBallcap to Zee at Spiced Sass

WaPo says Joe Lieberman is on the short list to replace Rumsfeld.

Stand by for that idiot, Kos, to wail about how Liberman was never really a Democrat in the first place, or that he’s sold out.

DRUDGE is reporting some outrage over comments by Chris Rock…

Veteran members of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences have grown concerned over the choice of Chris Rock as host of this month’s awards show, the DRUDGE REPORT has learned.

Concern deepened after Rock claimed only gays watch the Oscars!

“I never watched the Oscars. Come on, it’s a fashion show,” Rock recently declared.

“What straight black man sits there and watches the Oscars? Show me one!”

Rock added: “Awards for art are f—ing idiotic.”

Now, perhaps I’m the first one to make note of this point; I’ve not seen anyone else dare to mention it. But I want you to think about this;

Are these making all this noise about Chris Rock’s comments the ones who were holding their self-satisfied silence when Whoopie Goldberg, and Chevy Chase made rather vile comments about George W. Bush?

Larry Kudlow makes note of how strong Blogdom has become, and uses the Jordan story as a point of proof. He apparently had three Senators on K&C last week.

The senators were simply furious at the story, with each expressing anger at Jordan’s liberal anti-U.S.-military bias. Sessions pointed out that episodes like this show why the mainstream media has lost so much credibility in recent years. Coleman was not ready to open up an investigation, but he indicated the matter was worth looking into. Allen was strong in the defense of both the moral character and visionary mission of our troops in Iraq.

Importantly, each was aware of the story.

This tawdry tale has been reported, for the most part, only on the blogosphere, again pointing out just how strong this alternative Internet medium has become. The blogosphere is relentless: It rightfully hammered Eason Jordan and CNN from day one and refuses to stop. We’ve seen this before, of course. Easongate comes only a few months after Rathergate, the blogosphere-led campaign that ensured the dismissal of producer Mary Mapes from CBS and Dan Rather’s hasty departure.

The blogosphere has gained near immediate influence and credibility with its ability to widely disseminate alternative media coverage. (These days, “alternative” more often than not means “true.”) Powerhouse bloggers such as John Hinderaker, Glenn Reynolds, and Hugh Hewitt, among many others, have flexed their muscles and badly bruised CNN on this story.

Besides the obvious anti-military bias, Jordan’s comments were incredibly arrogant and cynical. And, yes, I believe his remarks border on wartime treason, since they so clearly give aid and comfort to our terrorist enemies as well as anti-American Arab militants throughout the Middle East. Remember, this is the same Eason Jordan of CNN who made a deal with Saddam Hussein and his regime to not report atrocities in Iraq in exchange for keeping a CNN news base in Baghdad.

He’s right of course… the MSM tried to bury the story and instead coughed up Jeff Gannon.
That the Jordan story wouldn’t die, despite CNN’s desperate efforts to kill it off and obscure it… by such nonsense as Gannon, for example… and in fact that Washngton insiders knew about it, again, in spite of those MSM efforts to get it out of the sunshine, shows clearly the weight that the Pajama People already carred at that point. And the public’s perception of the prevailing attitude within the MSM, are in fact bolstered by elements of the Eason comments and the remainder of the MSM springing to his defense.

All of which makes the Bloggers more powerful, yet.

The odd part is, the MSM dug their own grave on this.

If you ever lacked indication that Reynolds leans left, doubt no longer.

(OK… I admit, I was listening to Steve Martin this morning…never mind)

James at Outside The Beltway notes a story from the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review that reports Teresa Heinz has dropped “Kerry” from her name. One could easily aver here that Kerry won’t be running for President again, unless he manages within four years to marry another weathy widow… this one clearly is a little miffed.

Meanwhile, speaking of miffed other halves, Drudge is reporting that Howard Dean’s wife won’t be following Dean to Washington.

Is there a moral here?  There does seem something of a pattern developing.

I don’t to link to The Guardian , as a rule. I fnd their news gathering questionable, their politics abomidable and their writing as near on unreadable as no matter.

Today, however they actually came up with something of interest.

Daniel Tammet is an autistic savant. He can perform mind-boggling mathematical calculations at breakneck speeds. But unlike other savants, who can perform similar feats, Tammet can describe how he does it. He speaks seven languages and is even devising his own language. Now scientists are asking whether his exceptional abilities are the key to unlock the secrets of autism. Interview by Richard Johnson

Instapundit mentions this morning a move afoot to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Iraqi voters.  A nice idea.

Personally, I’d like to see it given to George W. Bush.
And it fits, too… After all, even Nobel himself understood that sometimes you need to use copious amounts of his invention… gunpowder… to achieve a lasting peace.

Too bad our own left hasn’t figured that one, yet.

Instapundit mentions this morning a move afoot to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Iraqi voters.  A nice idea.

Personally, I’d like to see it given to George W. Bush.
And it fits, too… After all, even Nobel himself understood that sometimes you need to use copious amounts of his invention… gunpowder… to achieve a lasting peace.

Too bad our own left hasn’t figured that one, yet.

Instapundit mentions this morning a move afoot to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Iraqi voters.  A nice idea.

Personally, I’d like to see it given to George W. Bush.
And it fits, too… After all, even Nobel himself understood that sometimes you need to use copious amounts of his invention… gunpowder… to achieve a lasting peace.

Too bad our own left hasn’t figured that one, yet.

Instapundit mentions this morning a move afoot to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Iraqi voters.  A nice idea.

Personally, I’d like to see it given to George W. Bush.
And it fits, too… After all, even Nobel himself understood that sometimes you need to use copious amounts of his invention… gunpowder… to achieve a lasting peace.

Too bad our own left hasn’t figured that one, yet.

Instapundit mentions this morning a move afoot to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Iraqi voters.  A nice idea.

Personally, I’d like to see it given to George W. Bush.
And it fits, too… After all, even Nobel himself understood that sometimes you need to use copious amounts of his invention… gunpowder… to achieve a lasting peace.

Too bad our own left hasn’t figured that one, yet.

Instapundit mentions this morning a move afoot to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Iraqi voters.  A nice idea.

Personally, I’d like to see it given to George W. Bush.
And it fits, too… After all, even Nobel himself understood that sometimes you need to use copious amounts of his invention… gunpowder… to achieve a lasting peace.

Too bad our own left hasn’t figured that one, yet.

Instapundit mentions this morning a move afoot to give the Nobel Peace Prize to the Iraqi voters.  A nice idea.

Personally, I’d like to see it given to George W. Bush.
And it fits, too… After all, even Nobel himself understood that sometimes you need to use copious amounts of his invention… gunpowder… to achieve a lasting peace.

Too bad our own left hasn’t figured that one, yet.