Separated at birth!

Balloon Dad . . .



And Captain Pike:



Sorry. Captain Pike:



Oh, and by the way. Post (from whence the top photo): "Balloon family to face charges". What, including the six-year-old?

Update: Ouchie! Felony. Post:

Richard Heene and his wife, Mayumi, are under investigation on suspicion of contributing to the delinquency of a minor, trying to influence a public official and providing false information to authorities, Alderden said.

They face up to six years in prison and a fine of as much as $500,000 on each of two felony counts.

Update: Meant to mention this yesterday, but, one guess who'll be representing the Heenes in court:

Denver lawyer David Lane said he is representing the Heene family and has notified the Sheriff's Office that if charges are filed, the Heenes are willing to surrender, in part so they aren't arrested in front of their children.

Couldn't stand it any more

So here's Paul Revere and the Raiders (post-uniforms) with (an obviously lip- and instrument-faked) Cherokee Nation (or whatever they call it):

Premature balloonist

The Post:

Rescuers and paramedics are with a "homemade flying saucer" that just came down, but the fate of a 6-year-old who was on board is unknown.

Rescuers on the ground told their dispatcher the boy was not inside.

Officials and the boy's family had said he was in the gondola when it went airborne this morning; it's unclear what happened to the boy.

Fox News is saying somebody on the ground was claiming they saw "something" fall out. The video of the balloon is freaky.

The incident started this morning in Fort Collins when the boy got into the balloon-like device built by his father and it came loose from a tether. . . .

The balloon craft belongs to Richard Heene, whose son, Falcon, is now missing.

Falcon.

The craft could fly as high as 10,000 feet, according to the Weld County Sheriff's Office. (Lisa Ecklund via 9News)the ground following the balloon with the assistance of the 9News helicopter.

Richard Heene is an amateur scientist based out of Fort Collins. He and his partners call themselves the "psyience detectives."

Jaysus.

Heene is a storm chaser who collects data to prove that rotating storms create their own magnetic fields.He began his research in 2002 with lab experiments, then moved on to dust devils. In 2005, he flew a plane around Hurricane Wilma's perimeter.

Update: The parents have been on something called "Wife Swap." What's that? Oh. Huffpo (of course) has more.

Update II: Fox says they found Falcon in his house. Shee-eewww. Lots more to come, tho not necessarily from me. (Yeah, right.)

Update III: Post has it now. Key grafs:

Larimer County Sheriff Jim Alderden told media in Fort Collins that the 6-year-old boy thought to be missing in a balloon craft has been found alive at his home.

"He was found in a box in the attic above the garage," Alderden said.

If I were his parents (I have the ability to morph into more than one person) he'd stay there for a while.

Update IV: Hoax? KOA:

The 6-year-old Colorado boy thought to have floated off in a homemade balloon has raised questions whether it might have been a family stunt.

During a live interview on CNN, Falcon Heene said he heard his family calling his name as he hid in the rafters of their garage. At the time, there was a frantic effort to bring down the balloon safely. Falcon's father asked, ``Why didn't you come out?'' The boy answered, ``You had said we did this for a show.'' After the CNN interview, the father said he didn't know what his son meant. The boys' parents have appeared twice in the ABC reality show ``Wife Swap.'' The show promoted the Heene family as storm chasers who also ``devote their time to scientific experiments that include looking for extraterrestrials and building a research-gathering flying saucer to send into the eye of the storm.'' Richard Heene adamantly has denied the notion that the whole thing was a big publicity stunt.

Before the interview, a local sheriff in Fort Collins said there was no evidence of a hoax.

Update V: Our Caz sends along this from the Borowitz Report:

Moments after a little boy who was believed to be in his parents' homemade helium balloon was found safe and sound, millions of Americans came to the realization that they had flushed the entire fucking afternoon down the fucking toilet.

"I watched the entire drama unfold and then it turned out that no drama had unfolded," said Carol Foyler, 32, of Missoula, Montana. "I can't tell you how pissed I am at that fucking kid."

At their Colorado home, the parents of six-year-old Falcon Heene said that they were relieved that their son was all right and that they were pushing forward with their plans to build a giant child-operated flame-throwing robot. . . .

The rest requires registration.

CU asks for $50,000 in legal expenses from Wart

So they went high-end. Gamera:

The University of Colorado is seeking to recover more than $52,000 from Ward Churchill to recover costs the school incurred fighting a lawsuit filed by the former ethnic studies
professor. . . .

Colorado law requires the court to award the "prevailing party," in this case CU, "reasonable costs."

Now CU has finished tallying up its expenses, which amount to $52,181.71, and the school has filed a motion in Denver District Court requesting compensation from Churchill.

A commenter at PB links to one of Peter Boyles' satiric songs:
Counterfeit Indian. Not very good, but it's only a minute or so. Don't know when it was originally done; can't find it on Boyles' website.

Wouldn't you?

Post: "Colorado insurer changes course on fat infants"

Too late.

And yes, I know it's saying they'll welcome bloated chirrens. I go for the joke, funny or not.

Update: Anybody think that Titanic was better than A Night to Remember? One won eleven Oscars. God. "Jack!" "Rosie!"

One down`

The best time for sports in America: Fall. Which, of course, is not really happening in America this year. We went straight from summer to winter.

Whatever. Broncos win in OT. They're 5-0. We'll see. Rockies Baseball Club up next in the playoofs.. It's 33 degrees; by gametime, it'll be in the 20s. Play ball!

Not bad

Headline on Comcast right now: "Pope elevates five new saints." Like I say, not bad, but not as good as this guy.

It's 19 degrees

In Denver, according to the Post. The wind is howling. Or maybe just whistling insouciantly. But it's cold. Summer ended just three weeks ago, experts say. And this summer was the coolest (temp-wise) I've seen in the quarter-century I've lived out here. Loveland ski area opened earlier than it ever has before (tho I'm not sure the linked story says that), and A-Basin opened today.

This winter is not going to be gentle on the D-blog's pocketbook. Global warming my ass. I hope.

Update (10/10/09: Last night's low temp beat Denver's old record of 25 degrees, set in 1904, by eight degrees. Tonight's Rockies playoff game has been postponed. It's cold.

Update II: OMFG. The BBC (yes, the BBC): "What happened to global warming?"

This headline may come as a bit of a surprise, so too might that fact that the warmest year recorded globally was not in 2008 or 2007, but in 1998.

A bit of a surprise, the reporter doesn't mention, only because, as everyone knows, the BBC has been one of if not the most consistently AGW-biased outlets anywhere.

But it is true. For the last 11 years we have not observed any increase in global temperatures.

And our climate models did not forecast it, even though man-made carbon dioxide, the gas thought to be responsible for warming our planet, has continued to rise.

So what on Earth is going on? . . .

They quote a scientist who says it's solar-related. Fine, fine. What I care about is that if the BBC is saying this, the tide might really, finally be turning.

Cockeyed optimist, I know.

Not my doggy!

Oh, my God. The most over-the-top global-wanking ad ever:



Copenhagen cometh!

(via WattsUpWithThat)

Wart, Kindle, polar bears

Sherman Alexie, flogging a new book of short stories, opines on Warty in Mother Jones:

The tribes he claims he belongs to don't even claim him. Let's put it this way: You guys are all way behind in terms of what you know about his identity and his politics. Indians have been having those discussions since the beginning. His words got him in trouble, but he had lost plenty of Indian credibility before he lost white people's credibility.

We knew that. Alexie also weirdly defends his notion that the Kindle is elitist:

I got hundreds of emails insulting me, accusing me of being some caveman. I am by no means a Luddite. I have two iPods. I have a cell phone. I have cable TV, HDTV! If I had been talking about drowning polar bears, people would have been weeping with me. But nobody recognizes that a bookstore or library can also be a drowning polar bear. And right now in this country, magazines, newspapers, and bookstores are drowning polar bears. And if people can't see that or don't want to talk about it, I don't understand them at all.

Update: The New York Times (l) next to Ward Churchill.

Two words

Rigoberto Menchú. You can have your Carters and Gores, I'm sticking by Rigo (as her friends call her) as the worst Nobel Prize winner.

Threat

Commenter "Eddie" in the Wart post a couple-three below notes this on the American Indian Movement (CO) website:

Advisory for October 10 - Columbus Hate Speech Parade:

Colorado AIM advises all Native elders and children to avoid downtown Denver, especially the area near the Columbus Hate Speech Parade, on Saturday, October 10, 2009.

Isn't that innerestin'?

Update: The horrid JWP had it first, plus a couple other stuffs.

Update II: Hoax. AP:

A Denver parade in honor of Christopher Columbus is on — despite a phony e-mail that circulated Thursday saying the downtown celebration was canceled for lack of funds.

The Sons of Italy's Columbus Day Parade Committee in Denver was shocked to learn of the e-mail sent to the media, which was signed by Sons of Italy President Richard SaBell. The fake e-mail said protesters had "ruined" the event and tarnished the legacy of an Italian hero.

SaBell rushed to assure people the e-mail was a hoax after local media and The Associated Press started reporting Saturday's parade was off. He said he reported the phony e-mail to Denver police.

"I feel violated," said SaBell, adding he didn't know who was behind the hoax. "This whole thing is bogus. The parade was never off."

Denver police said its computer crimes unit is investigating. . . .

Spagzzzzzzzz?

Update III: I get awful tired of people saying how they feel "violated." The whole world has become an episode of Law and Order.

Update IV: The Post:

Meanwhile, 7News is reporting that a hoax e-mail sent Thursday announcing the parade had been canceled has been traced to a computer on the campus of the University of Colorado Denver. The computer was in a public area, the station reported.

Denver police are investigating. The sender could face fraud and identity-theft charges.

Heck, I don't know if the parade even came off. No way I was going out in that cold and snow. I'll keep looking for an account of wha'happen.

Update V: Westword's always enervating Michael Roberts notes the post at the AIM site warning away "children and elders," but, even while quoting the whole thing, seems to construe it (unless, as he says, it's an "ominous subterfuge") as telling everyone to stay away. It was ominous, all right, but where was the subterfuge? Roberts doesn't appear to know the history of AIM's bullshit around "protecting" "children and elders." This was a clear threat; no subterfuge necessary.

Update VI: Bo-ringggggg. Funny the Post doesn't mention numbers, of either paraders or protesters.

We are not murderous hillbillies!

Us Central Illinoisans. Mainly because there are no hills. Hyuck. Pantagraph:

Jason Harris of Armington was charged today with five counts of murder and one count of attempted murder in the Gee family slayings last month in Beason.

The charges are identical to the ones filed Oct. 2 against his brother, Christopher J. Harris. , , ,

It did always seem like it'd be a little difficult for one person to bludgeon five people to death. But wait, there's less:

Jason Harris' girlfriend, Jennifer Earnest of Armington, was charged with one count of obstructing justice. Her bond was set at $50,000.

What the bloody hell was the motive for the whole moronic crime? Have to admit, I like the close-mouthedness of the cops. Oh, and one more charge, to complete the hillbilly aiding-and-abetting triptych (from another story):

Earnest's mother, Sara Duncan, 43, was arrested later Wednesday on an Illinois fugitive warrant at her condo in Sarasota, Fla.

More Beasonoid murder here and here.

Dignity, always dignity

WattsUpWithThat on the draft of the Copenhagen Climate-crap Treaty. Popular Delusions and the Madness of Crowds, indeed.

Charley Arthur

That is, Ward Churchill.

"Got a Match?"

Sent to me by friend Bubba, one guy playing all the parts of the Chick Corea Electric Band tune (not at the same time, natch):


What do you think he's best/weakest at, instrumentally?

And, as I told Bubba, I could do it, I just don't wanna.

Update: Unfortunately, the bass seems to be lost in the mix at times.

Update II: And just by way of comparison, No comparison.

Rockies v. Dodgers

Not sayin' nothing, to avoid the jinx. I'll let the Post say it.

Okay, one thing: This has been the greatest comeback, over a season, ever. Whatever happens, Jim Tracy will be Manager of the Year, hands down. Or even up.

Update: Jinx!

Update II: Sheet. But they're in the playoffs, and the Bonkos are 4-0! Too lazy to look, but wasn't it the insufferable Woody Paige who predicted them going 4-12? They're gonna have to lose a lot from here on in.

Yeah, it was the Woodman.

$2.14

That's the price of a galleon of gas at the nearby Safeway. Across the street at the 7-11, it's $2.23. Everyplace else I noticed today was in the 7-11 range--around $2.23. Don't know what's going on--hell, maybe the Safeway VP in charge of changing the digital sign was drunk on the
job--but gas prices are dropping, if not like a stone, like a feather (h/t, Galileo, or whoever it was who dropped same to prove something or other).

Update: This (older, and receiving almost no coverage in the MSM, except the WSJ) and this (newer). We ain't runnin' out of anything, and we never will. (A very old article, but it was easiest to hand. There's lots more out there about Simon.)

Borlaug me!

Arrest!

Thank goodness. I was beginning to lose hope that they'd get someone in the Beason slaughter. But they did. The Pantagraph: Ex-husband charged with first-degree murder:

A 30-year-old man was charged Friday with five counts of first-degree murder in what police have described as the brutal slayings of his ex-wife's family.

Christopher J. Harris is accused of killing Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children, who were found dead in their Beason home Sept. 21. He also faces attempted murder charges in connection with injuries suffered by the lone survivor, 3-year-old Tabitha Gee.

My sister in Spfld says she saw somewhere that Tabitha was described by doctors as "responsive." Doesn't sound that good, does it?

Harris was arrested on Thursday afternoon. He is the ex-husband of Nicole Gee, Rick's older daughter from a previous
relationship. . . .

They got him through the pickup:

Earlier Friday, a relative who reportedly sold Harris a pickup truck that's been seized by police says Harris is innocent and plans to hire an attorney from Chicago.

A witness reported seeing a primer-gray pickup truck in the area late Sept. 20, the night before the bodies were found. The public had been the lookout for the truck ever since.

Police said Thursday that they have recently seized a truck matching that description, and that it was "under the control of Christopher Harris." . . .

Police have not said anything about a possible motive for the slayings. Many people were questioned in the case, and it's unclear how early police shifted their focus to Harris.

But authorities knew last week that Chris Harris had been seen driving a truck that matched the description of one sought in connection with the Beason slayings.

Harris had formerly worked at Dixie Travel Plaza in McLean, where he worked the register at the fuel desk, said general manager Tina Kletz. She said a McLean County sheriff's deputy stopped there last week and asked employees to look for any similar vehicle.

Dixie! Used to go there all the time after a long hard night. Mmmmmm, grease.

The truck looked familiar to Kletz, but she couldn't place it, she told The Pantagraph on Friday morning. The next day, an employee told Kletz, that Harris drove a similar truck. . . .

Character detail:

Harris told Kletz he was a contractor who couldn't get any work when he applied for the job at the truck stop.

"He was kind of quiet and he was polite," Kletz said. "He seemed like a good kid to me."

But Harris quit June 28. Kletz said it was "because he was going fishing. That just told me what kind of person he was right there" because he would quit without notice.

Goin' fishin'. Probably with a baseball bat.

Update (10/4/09): Pantagraph:

There was no shortage of questions in the days after five family members were found brutally slain in their home in tiny, quiet Beason on Sept. 21.

Two weeks later, the unknowns have multiplied, at least for the public. The arrest of Chris Harris, the ex-husband of a surviving daughter of the family, on Thursday spawned even more questions, and police have kept a tight lid on the investigation.

As Harris prepares to enter a plea Tuesday in court, here's a look at the biggest questions still left:

Immediately after Harris' arrest, Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols said the investigation was not over and that more arrests were possible.

Some have questioned whether one person by themselves [sic] would have been able to kill five people, including two adults and two teenagers, all of whom died from blunt force trauma.

On Sept. 26, Nichols said the suspect or suspects may have been wounded during a "violent struggle" in the home. In the days after the slayings, police reportedly searched nearby fields for a sharp-edged tool or cylindrical object. . . .

"What happened, how bad it was, we know it was more than one (person)," said Debbie Harris, stepmother to Chris Harris.

Hmm. DNA! DNA! DNA!

MUCK!

One thing you got to say for the rad-left: they're good at acronyms.

Well, maybe "good" isn't the word I'm looking for. "Stretching"? "Ridiculous"? Maybe "laughable." Rabble.ca:

The M.U.C.K. (Movies of Un-Common Knowledge) Film Festival and Forum gets started today in Toronto. The opening gala is a screening of the film Fuel, starting at 7:30 p.m. at The Royal Theatre, 608 College Street.

Festival founder Dr. Stuart Samuels explains the festival "is organized to showcase films that aim to tear back the veil of mass media mis-information, providing audiences with a chance to see and discuss documentary films that present an 'un-common knowledge' and that can serve as a catalyst for individual action and meaningful social change in areas that affect our daily lives -- human rights, the environment, and political, economic and corporate power."

"M.U.C.K. Films enlighten, enrage, engage and change us to re-think our point of view of everyday reality. They motivate us to take action. They offer new progressive points of view on issues and problems that dominate the news and offer new perspectives that are ignored or marginalized by everyday mass media."

Couldn't find a description of "Fuel" on the site, but my GA mentioned Wart, who'll be there for a panel discussion of "Shouting Fire" after a showing. Couple other flicks in the lineup:

"The World According to Monsanto":

Monsonto [sic] is the world's leader in genetically modified organisms (GMOs). This 100-year-old empire has created some of the most toxic products ever sold. . . .

"Enjoy Poverty":

Deep in the interiors of the Congo, Dutch artist Renzo Martens single-handedly undertakes an epic journey and launches a program that helps the poor become aware of their primary capital resource: Images of Poverty.

Actually I'm cherry-picking. The films on Afghanistan and slavery might not actually, you know, blame the West.

Prez voting history

What's yours? Here's mine:

1976 (first year I was eligible): Carter (not actually sure I voted, though). In any case, I remember sitting in my car drinking beer at Hubley Bridge near Mason City at daylight the day after the election, and thinking, "A New Day Has Dawned."

Was I right, or was I right?

1980: Carter. I was in the (long-defunct) Hotel Lincoln with my mom and some of her friends, including the really hot mistress (in her early forties then, probably) of a local doctor. She lived around the corner from my mother. The election results were on the TVs, and I said, not quietly, and in reference to Reagan (duh): "Fascist!" The hot mistress (a Dem) chided me for my extravagant language. I subsided. Even then I loved hot mistresses.

Not that I ever had one.

1984: Mondale. What can I say? He looked like me.

1988: Dukakis. He didn't look like me, but he made me hot by wearing that tank helmet.

Am I revealing too much about my ambiguous sexuality? [Intra-update: I mean "ambivalent" there, don't I? Wordsmithin' 'R' Us.]

1992: Clinton.

1996: Clinton. I loved Billy till the day he left office. I remember Susan's comment on the revelation of the Bubba-spermed dress: "Billy, Billy, Billy." Like chiding a wayward child. It didn't matter. We still loved him. I thought his SOTUs were masterpieces of governmental caring. And I cared that the government cared.

2000: Gore. In any future rational government, I hope I'm executed (in public) for that vote. I remember saying to one of my many sisters that I couldn't stand Bush's eyes: they were so weirdly close-set. And her telling her husband (a Jew and a conservative) how I agreed with her that Bush was shifty-looking and just plain weird.

2004: Bush. Lesser of two weevils. And guess what? He won the Iraq war. Mebbe.

2008: McCain. Strongly disliked the man, but, please, anyone paying attention knew Obama was a fraud. I loved the election of the first (self-described) black president, but man, is he a loser.

Conflicted thimking

A remarkably clueless LTTE in Indian Country Today by one Craig Fontaine:

As a high school teacher and a collector of oral history for my tribe, I find it troubling that professor Michael Yellow Bird of The University of Kansas would jeopardize the validity of oral history in his support of Ward Churchill. Ward Churchill’s scholarship is factual on many levels but his “identity theft” as an indigenous person only serves to place that scholarship and real history in serious doubt in the minds of the general population.

No mention, of course, of Yellow Bird's assertions that "fabricated, made-up accounts further the truth" or that "scholars do this all the time." Instead, Fontaine harps on Chutch's fake indigeneity rather than Yellow Bird's patently wiggy statements.

I’m not sure if American Indians are aware of the landmark Canadian Supreme Court decision, Delgamuukw v. British Columbia (1997), which ruled tribal oral history was just as valid as European written history in a court of law involving land claims. . .

I wasn't, but that's an idea CU's Chutch committee took to heart in trying to give Wart some shred of respectability: utterly unmoored assertions of no provenance equal scholarly research with verifiable cites.

A neo-con journalist up here in Canada picked up the story on Churchill’s defense that oral history supported his assertions that smallpox was intentionally introduced to the Mandan Nation by the American army. The Canadian journalist used this as an example that tribal oral history was based on “vague claims.”

Yes?

My fear is lawyers will quickly use the Churchill saga as proof that oral history can be manipulated or fabricated.

As well they should.

The end result is to discredit oral history in any future tribal land claim [and anything else--ed.]. Also, did Churchill ever interview the last Mandan speaker, Edwin Benson, to verify his assertions? Did the Mandan Nation ever mandate professor Yellow Bird or Churchill to speak on its behalf?

No. (Scroll doon a bit.) Their spokeswoman directly contradicted them.

Professor Yellow Bird has surely contributed to the colonization of tribal oral history in his defense of Churchill.

Not sure what "colonization of tribal oral history" means, but I still agree: righto, for all the wrong reasons.

– Craig Fontaine
Sagkeeng First Nation

Update: The pirate whose parrot has absorbed Patrick Swayze's soul ("Wolveriiiiiiiines, matey") has good stuff on "serious" Cornell scholar Eric Cheyfitz's Big Lie about the Mandan blanket episode.

My brother

Our old friend Shareef Aleem called in to the Crapless and Silverfish (h/t serious writer Benjie) show just now, defending terror suspect Najibullah Zazi as innocent until proven guilty (fine, fine) and calling him "Brother" as Muslims are wont to do. Again, fine, fine, though neither C nor S likes that he does so.

Much cross-talk. Shareef thinks the recent terrorist plots were the result of the FBI suborning "weak Muslims."

Ooh, ooh, Shareef just said he believes 9/11 was "orchestrated" by the U.S. government. Goodbye, Shareef.

Update: "You don't put your hands on this black man"--Warty. Nor would one want to. Gonna disavow Shareef's trooferism, Wart?

Small towns are murder

Front page at CNN.com right now: Five found killed in Illinois home:

Five members of a family were found slain in their Beason, Illinois, home, authorities said Tuesday, and they urged people in the area to be cautious until the killer is found.

"This was a brutal homicide against an entire family and we are determined to identify and arrest those responsible," Logan County Sheriff Steve Nichols said in a news conference.

He said authorities received a 911 call about a possible shooting at the home shortly before 4:30 p.m. (5:30 p.m. ET) Monday. When law enforcement officials arrived, they discovered the five bodies, Nichols said.

He identified the dead as Raymond Gee, 46; Ruth Gee, 39; Justina Constant, 16; Dillon Constant, 14; and Austin Gee, 11.

One survivor, a 3-year-old girl, is in a hospital in Peoria, Illinois, he said. He did not identify the girl.

The sheriff did not release the manner of death, but said autopsies were under way Tuesday.

He warned people in the area to be cautious. . . .

Around Beason? Beason? Here's Beason. It's about about eight miles east of Lincoln, Illinois, and has (just guessing) fewer than 200 residents. I know Beason, and this is not the Beason I know.

More from the Bloomington (IL) Panty-Raid:

Police remained outside the Gee home on Broadway Street on Tuesday and, as the day went on, police canine and equestrian units joined a ground search of soybean fields just north of the home and on the south edge of the town along Broadway Street. The Logan County canine unit spent more than an hour walking the boundaries of the Gee property before focusing on the field adjacent to the home.

The Beason Fire Department served as a command post for the emergency crews from multiple state and local agencies called to help with the search. A state police crime scene trailer was parked in the driveway of the home, where investigators worked through the night.

That's a local(ish) paper. The Trib's top front-pager has a little more:

Relatives of a family found slain in a small Downstate town have been taken into protective custody as authorities search for the killer or killers.

A source close to the family say police fear the family may have been targeted and other relatives could be at risk.

The bodies of Raymond and Ruth Gee, and children ages 11, 14 and 16 were found Monday by a neighborhood boy who came to the family's home in Beason, near Springfield, after school and noticed a large pool of blood on the floor, the source said. . .

Beason is not near Springfield; it's about 40 miles northeast, but what the hell, Chicago's another country.

Sheriff Steven Nichols isn't saying why his office didn't release information about the slayings until today. He does say detectives are working to identify possible suspects. And he describes whoever is responsible for the killings as "armed and dangerous." . . . .

Throughout Beason today, residents gathered on porches to talk about the killings.

Dale Day, who lives a few blocks from the home where the bodies were found, said he would arm himself Tuesday night to be ready for any trouble that might come his way.

"Now I have my 9mm loaded, cocked and ready to fire if someone breaks into my house," Day said.

Some residents said they had never considered locking their doors at night.

"Not many people lock their doors here," said Brittney Fillmore, 14, who knew both Justina and Dillen from high school. . . .

Two of the children killed, Justina and Austin, attended an area Bible club this summer, said Jordan Peck, who led the club. Both children were attentive and polite, and Justina had become a born-again Christian recently.

Jaysus. Despite the horribleness of the crime, the only reason I bring it up is that my great-great grandfather, George Gelsthorp, was one of the founders of Beason in 1872. In fact, if you look at the google-earth type map linked above, we still own a little hunk of land precisely north of Beason and just across Route 10. The father of the guy who farms it for us lives in the first house north on that north-south road. Coincidentally, and perhaps luckily, he's in Denver right now.

All this from my sister Sabra, who lives in Springfield (not close to Beason), and who adds that there were a total of ten kids in Beason who took the bus to Lincoln schools every day; now, three of them are dead. She also told me that rumorors in Lincoln say that the cops are looking for a 13-year-old boy as the killer.

This is why I live in the big city. Safer here.

Update: Earlier farmacology here.

Update II: Oddly, the D-blog fambly also owns a teeny hunk of wheatland between Garden City and Holcomb, Kansas.

Update III: One of these days I'll post about how I came home one night when I was a kid (just out of high school) in Lincoln and found my mother tied up, beat up, and (probably) raped by a (probable) serial killer.

Update IV (9/23/09): Pantagraph: Victims weren't shot; FBI profilers on the job; cops looking for a gray pickup. Sis says (wild) Lincoln rumors are that victims were stabbed in the eyes, etc., but 13-year-old-kid theory has been discarded.

Update V: They were killed with the all-purpose "blunt object" (didn't Billy Mays sell those on cable?):

LINCOLN --Rick and Ruth Gee and three of their children died of blunt-force trauma, police said Thursday afternoon, as investigators formed a special task force to find the killer.

More than 100 tips have come into a special hot line set up to aid the investigation, police said at Thursday's press conference.

Police also confirmed that Tabitha Gee, 3, the lone survivor of the Beason attacks who also suffered blunt-force trauma injuries, was in critical but stable condition at a Peoria hospital.

But police declined to say what object (or objects) they believe was used to kill the family.

But police were looking for a sharp-edged tool and/or a cylinder-shaped object in connection with the deaths, The Pantagraph learned earlier Thursday.

This is starting to bite. Unless they're playing things closer to the vest than usual for these sorts of investigations, the cops, FBI, etc., don't seem to have much. They've been searching very closely in the D-blog fambly's beanfields.

Update VI: Uh-oh: "Logan County sheriff: 'We are not going to quit'"

Update VII (9/27/09): Panty-Raid: "Attacker possibly wounded in struggle during Beason slayings"; and the inevitable "Beason residents remaining cautious while trying to look forward" and "Shattered innocence":

BEASON -- Beneath a sprawling tree in a yard on Broadway Avenue is a simple lettered sign: Life is better in Beason. Once upon a time, maybe. Today that's less certain.

Just a block down the street, the boarded-up home of the Raymond "Rick" and Ruth Gee family is a stark reminder of the brutal killings of the couple and three of their children, whose bodies were found Sept. 21.

The deaths may be the first homicides in the unincorporated Logan County town of 150 since the shooting of a grocery store burglar by a night watchman nearly a century ago. . . .

Update VIII: Man, I had a completely wrong picture in my haid of what the exhaust pipes looked like (according to at least one witness) on the fabled gray-primered truck. I just assumed they came out the back end in an odd place. I'd sure as hell notice those semi-tubes on a pickup.

Snow in mountains, foothills; maybe even Denver tonight

Didn't summer end just yesterday? The heat is on here at the D-blog manse, people are wearing winter coats, and it looks like November out (except all the trees still have green leaves). The high was 48 degrees.

We know what to blame.

What else is going on in this suppurating cowpox-scarred town?

Oh, yeah: Alleged attempted terrorism. I won't even attempt to catch up on that story. I'll just stick to cute animal stories like:

Fox steals golf balls in Steamboat (never seen a hairless fox
before--uuuug-ly);

Elk attacks Evergreen woman (in her driveway); and

Dog leaps from car; attacks Broomfield woman (fang marks!).

And stupid human stories like:

Obama urges Israeli, Palestinian sides to do more. (Looming gap. Yeah, sure.)

Sorry I've been so distant recently, darling D-blog readers (just over a month since I last posted), but I've had one of those big, ugly rush jobs I used to get all the time, but hardly ever do since the recent Downturn. And I need the money. I'll be posting with ever-increasing frequency now, though, you lucky sucks. And you'll come crawling back. Oh, yes you will.

By the way, what is going on with LGF?

Update: Unlike me, JWP has been keeping up on various Wardities.

Peltier to remain caged

Right on! (That's an in-joke.) Let's see if Wart has any more to say about this than he did about Mumia's denial of a new trial (nothing--at least published). The LAT. Go to Snapple's site for more. (h/t to her, but, yes, she's still banned here.)


Right on, murderer! And he's not eligible for parole again until 2024! At 79!

Update: Duh Underground notices. Read the comments. Fuck!

Update: Son, you got an eagle on your haid:

CU answers Wart's appeal--er--"notice to amend"

Devastating, in my non-lawyerly opinion. JWP, who has it, has his fave quote; here's mine:

[P]rofessor Churchill next reargues his belief that the Court’s Order is inconsistent with the jury’s finding that Professor Churchill was harmed by the University’s actions. What he cannot escape, however, is the fact that the jury’s finding of harm did not quantify the harm in any manner. Instead, the best understanding of the extent of any harm that befell Professor Churchill is reflected in the jury’s award of damages shortly after the Court issued the following instruction: If you find in favor of the plaintiff, but do not find any actual damages, you shall nonetheless award him nominal damages in the sum of one dollar.” Court’s Response to Jury Question 1 (emphasis added).

One Yankee dollar.

The jury’s verdict and award of nominal damages ultimately “signif[ies] that the plaintiff's rights were technically invaded even though he could not prove any loss or damage.” . . . Where the jury’s award necessarily indicates that Professor Churchill failed to establish any actual economic or non-economic damages, the Court appropriately followed the United States Supreme Court’s clear statement that “nominal damages, and not damages based upon some undefinable ‘value’ of infringed rights, are the appropriate means of ‘vindicating’ rights whose deprivation has not caused actual, provable injury.” . . .

Try as he might, Professor Churchill has been unable to escape the jury’s award of nominal damages and continues to be unable to cite a single case indicating that a trial court should grant equitable relief in the absence of any actual damages. It naturally follows that a Court should not grant prospective equitable relief in the absence of actual damages, rather than a technical violation that the jury has declined to compensate through an award of economic or non-economic damages.

Perhaps recognizing that the jury’s actual verdict does not support his position, Professor Churchill has solicited an affidavit from one of the jurors, in which she attempts to recast the verdict in her own terms. With all due respect and appreciation to Ms. Newill for her service on the jury, Professor Churchill knows that Colo. R. Evid. 606(b) categorically prohibits this type of collateral attack.

Rule 606(b) states that “a juror may not testify as to any matter or statement occurring during the course of the jury's deliberations or to the effect of anything upon his or any other juror's mind or emotions as influencing him to assent to or dissent from the verdict or indictment or concerning his mental processes in connection therewith. . . A juror's affidavit or evidence of any statement by the juror may not be received on a matter about which the juror would be precluded from testifying.” (emphasis added) Rule 606(b)’s “exclusionary principle reaches everything which relates to the jury’s verdict, unless one of the exceptions applies.” Stewart v. Rice, 47 P.3d 316, 321 (Colo. 2002). No exception applies to Ms. Newell’s affidavit and Professor Churchill does not offer any.

Applying these principles, the Colorado Court of Appeals even prohibited a juror from submitting an affidavit stating that the other jurors had yelled at her and coerced her into reaching a particular verdict. People v. Ferrero, 874 P.2d 468, 474 (Colo. App. 1993). As the Colorado Supreme Court noted less than a year ago, “Colorado does not allow verdict by affidavit.” People v. Richardson, 184 P.3d 755, 765 (Colo. 2008).

Yelled at her. There's all kinds of stuff about official capacity and all that, too. I'll let RacetotheBottom explicate all that happy crappy (which they haven't yet).

Benjie to the rescue!

The Post:

Huge enrollment jumps at Colorado's community colleges are prompting officials to scramble for more classroom space and instructors for subjects as varied as air-traffic control and anthropology.

And Ethnic Studies?

At some community colleges, enrollment is up more than 25 percent. The Community College of Denver appears to lead the trend, with a 37.5 percent increase in students heading into fall classes. . . .Administrators attribute the surge to the bad economy and the affordability of a community college
education. . . .

Duh.

But there are problems accommodating all those new bodies. Classrooms are filled, and colleges are encouraging more students to take online courses.

At Aims [Community College in Greeley], where enrollment has jumped at least 20 percent, administrators are scrambling to get more desks and chairs into classrooms, pushing up against fire-code limits. . . .

The school is also hanging out "Help Wanted" signs for just about every academic offering. Part-time instructors are needed for subjects including developmental reading, college-level math and biology. Humanities courses are also lacking, so Aims needs instructors for psychology, ethics, economics and anthropology.

And Ethnic Studies?

D-blog readers: Keep watching the skies! Benjie didn't erase two blogs only because he was afraid of getting sued. He wants to "teach."

Update: In his last 20 posts Benjie has gotten two (2) comments. He's right: blogging is a waste of time. For him.

DNC protesters file suit

What a bore. Der Posten:

Eight people who were arrested on the second day of the Democratic National Convention during a mass protest filed a lawsuit against the City and County of Denver last night alleging wrongful arrest.

Took long enough.

The plaintiffs - who filed their case in Denver District Court - are represented by lawyers for the ACLU of Colorado and include a legal observer for the People's Law Project, a journalist, students documenting the protest and onlookers along 15th Street and Cleveland Place on Aug. 25.

In addition, the lawsuit is seeking class-action status for nearly 100 people who were held at a special jail, dubbed "Gitmo on the Platte" and claim they were denied access to attorneys who came to provide advice.

Denver police have said they were trying to control the crowd moving from Civic Center. The officers testified in court that they had intelligence that anarchists planned to gather in the park, then move toward the 16th Street Mall to wreak havoc at delegate hotels and other businesses. The activists had posted that plan on a publicly available website.

It all seems so long ago.

Update: In comments Wartie "Lori" links to a 7News story that has a few more details:

Meanwhile, 7NEWS learned a handful of undercover Denver police officers may have posed as protesters in the months leading up to and during the DNC.

Now there's a flash.

Speaking on the condition of anonymity, law enforcement sources said the officers are believed to have infiltrated several protest groups and provided intelligence to police after attending meetings and other gatherings. . . .

I feel a TV pilot coming on: Spagz: Revolutionary for the DPD! Only problem is, it says the person(s) provided "intelligence" to the police. As we all know, that's beyond Spagz.

Then Glee Spagulla himself is quoted:

"It makes us very uncomfortable,” said Glenn Spagnuolo, a principal organizer of one of the largest protest organizations, Recreate 68.

"The city of Denver has not learned from historical mistakes they've made," Spagnuolo said, while recalling the so-called “spy files” of 2002. Back then, the ACLU went public with documents accusing police of monitoring, recording keeping files on peaceful protest activities of Denver-area residents.

"They were slapped on the hand once before, and I believe as this story unfolds they'll be slapped on the hand again,” Spagnuolo told 7NEWS reporter Lane Lyon.

"People are not engaging criminal activities, they are engaging in constitutional rights and we're being treated as if we are criminals,” he added.

Eloquently.

One source told 7NEWS the officers may have been instructed to work outside clear policies for undercover operations by not having appropriate back up.

Not having appropriate backup? Defemd Children and Elders!

Factoid

In the decade-plus that we've owned this romantic shithole, and in the scores of applications we've taken from potential renters, we've never had a single black person apply. This is a Hispanic neighborhood, of course, but there are certainly blacks living around here too. Weird. I just chalk it up to black people having innately better taste. (Such a racist.)

Wart speaks!

With a DJ at some D.C. FM station that's running a pledge drive ("At the $150 level, you get the six-CD set of the speeches of the Black Panthers!").

Wart says his appeal will go to the state Court of Appeals "within the year," then, if unsuccessful there, to the Colorado Supreme Court, and then to the U.S. Supreme Court, where he thinks he might find a friend in Antonin Scalia.

That's about all that's newsworthy in the thing. He goes after the AAUP for not supporting him, then devolves into his standard drivel. Wart is really stuck in the 60s. He pledges $150 for the six-CD set--"Everyone should have it!"

Update: JWP! Come back! Come back, JWP! Mother wants you! I know she does!

That is, PB seems to have been down for several days. As Laurie says in comments, his parrot probably didn't pay the broadband bill like he was supposed to. Or maybe he (the parrot) just got fed up and gouged out JWP's eyes. Well, he has put up with a lot.

Update II: Boe! Everything okay? Haven't seen you around for a while!

Update III: JWP's back up, with another example of the (almost--whew, that was close) Repression of Wart.

It wasn't Bill

Yes, a Clinton rescued those two American journalists, but it wasn't Bill--it was Roger He paved the way.

Like his idol

Careful writer, all-'round genius and RCP ("Our Chairman is Bob Avakian!") stooge Reggie Dylan on the Chutch decision:

There is a great deal at stake for academia and for society overall right now in upholding and defending this verdict, and deepening its lessons. An ugly, high-stakes public witch-hunt by dangerous, reactionary, and powerful forces, aimed at spreading a repressive chill over the universities, has been dragged into the light, and dealt a setback. But these forces, far from retreating, are regrouping, and trying to turn the meaning of this verdict on its head. This absurd, twisted and clearly unjust decision by Denver Chief Judge Naves only contributes to those objectives, and it must be opposed. And at the same time, the debate we called for in that article is needed more than ever, with those within and outside academia who, in spite of the verdict, are still taken in by a distorted view of what the case is about.

Uh-huh. And once again, the unheeded (well, two nearly illiterate comments) call to arms:

As the fall term approaches, faculty and students, and everyone concerned with the defense of the unfettered search for the truth, intellectual ferment, and dissent, need to step forward on campuses around the country and develop plans for how to call out, build opposition to, and to delegitimize, this ruling, calling meetings and rallies, writing letters to newspapers and to CU and the Colorado court, taking out ads, and more. And broader segments of society need to join with them.

Then, the obligatory self-plagiarization:

The challenge to administrators, faculty, and especially students is to stand up to this assault. And broader segments of society must join with them. We must continue to defend those like Ward Churchill when they are singled out for attack, and, more generally, defend the ability of professors to hold dissenting and radical views. It is vitally important that the new generation of students step forward to defend an unfettered search for the truth, intellectual ferment, and dissent. One way or another, this struggle over the university and intellectual life will have profound repercussions on what U.S. society will be like, and on the prospects for bringing a whole new society into being.

Compare that with this:

The challenge to administrators, faculty, and especially students is to stand up to this assault. And broader segments of society must join with them. We must continue to defend those like Ward Churchill when they are singled out for attack, and, more generally, defend the ability of professors to hold dissenting and radical views. It is vitally important that the new generation of students step forward to defend an unfettered search for the truth, intellectual ferment, and dissent. One way or another, this struggle over the university and intellectual life will have profound repercussions on what U.S. society will be like, and on the prospects for bringing a whole new society into being.

No indication that he's quoting himself (for the third time). Reggie Dylan: original, and flexible, thinker. At least he didn't put it under someone else's name and then quote (and cite) it as if it were written by that someone else. Our Chairman is Bob Avakian!

Never know what interesting tidbit you'll find . . .

In comments at WattsUpWithThat. This one's in a long, long thread on coral, ocean temps and CO2 from some months ago. The D-blog understands the entire thread, but his somewhat algae-like readers--maybe not so much. But I bet they won't forget this (sorry, comments don't seem to have individual links; it was made by E.M. Smith at 18:49;45):

In humans it is widely known that when lost at sea you will die if you drink salt water (due to the inability of your kidneys to excrete a stronger salt concentration than sea water). Less widely known is that you can take a ’sea water enema’ and survive. The colon has active transport of water (to solidify feces) and can extract fresh water from sea water. I know of at least one scandinavian family lost at sea that survived using this trick.

Luckily the D-blog always has an enema-bag about his person (don't ask), so next time he goes on a cruise (the D-blog has never been on a cruise), he'll survive if the ship sinks--at least until the others in his lifeboat kill (and eat) him for administering himself enemas right in front of them. Mmmmm, salty.

Update: Fucking Scandinavians.

Update II: No sharing!

Anti-O

EP has a bunch of nice pics and commentulary on today's anti-ObamaCare rally at the Capitol.

Natsu speaks

Nancy Elaine sent this out to a select group of Wart's bullies and yespersons:

Dear friends,

Having inflicted Judge Naves' opinion on you, I thought you might enjoy the Motion for Reconsideration filed by attorney David Lane, which says:

"Essentially, this Court has ruled that regardless of how egregious any Constitutional violations are by the Regents of the University of Colorado, as long as they provide a sham, kangaroo court for individuals targeted for termination and/or persecution because of their political beliefs, the courts of the State of Colorado will never interfere with any such wholesale violations of the Constitution. . . . "

From there, he ably disputes each of the points in the opinion. He adds 2 exhibits:

1. A side-by-side comparison illustrating the extent to which J. Naves' opinion lifts directly from CU's pleadings.

2. An affidavit from juror Bethany Newill disputing the judge's interpretation of the jury verdict.

As we say, you can never have too much fun.

Oh, yes we can, Ratsu.

With appreciation for your support, and in solidarity,

Natsu

Nothing new, of course, but fun to get (from the cutest little mole you ever saw). JWP has all the background. In solidarity.

Update: I know this has been asked before, probably at JWP's, but why have none of the other jurors said a word?

Update II: Some blog called "Forsco" has a very long post rallying the Wartenstaffel to the colors (black--the color of Wart's teeth, and red, the color of his piggy little eyes). After rehearsing all the reasons Judge Naves' ruling is a crime against humanity, the piece asks, in the original way such pieces have, "What is to be done":

We should work with Ward and Natsu to continue the battle within the courts to reverse the ruling. One idea that should definitely be pursued is to draft and submit a compelling amicus brief signed by scholars throughout the country.

In addition, it is important to contribute Op Ed pieces to Colorado newspapers, as Richard Delgado (in the Boulder’s Daily Camera) and others have done; but even more, to influential national newspapers – The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Los Angeles Times, U.S.A. Today, etc. This should start right away, and with a special push in late August, as the fall terms begin. Work could begin now on a formal statement that would be circulated for signatures of faculty nationwide in time to have it published in key campus newspapers, as well as in journals, major on-line news sites, in addition to regular newspapers, to coincide with the start of school in the fall. If this were accompanied by a call for faculty (and student!) meetings and conferences, even rallies in some cases, the public challenge from within the academy to the legitimacy of this ruling could spill over into the major media.

Hell, why not? It's worked so well before.

It may also be time to consider a second major piece, like the one that appeared as an ad in the NYRB in April, 2007, initiated and signed by prominent public intellectuals. That piece had first been submitted as a letter to the New York Times, the NYRB, and to Harper’s. This time we may be more successful in getting one of them to publish it. But if necessary, we should be prepared to raise the funds for its publication. These are just some initial ideas and suggestions to “get the juices flowing.” Let’s correspond and share ideas, and ways in which you’re willing to contribute to this vitally important effort.

The signatories won't surprise you:

Best, Matthew Abraham Richard Falk Irene Gendzier Henry Giroux Margaret LeCompte Peter McLaren Mahmood Mamdani Immanuel Wallerstein Reggie Dylan, for the Defend Dissent and Critical Thinking in Academia Network criticalxthinking@yahoo.com (626) 319-1730

Posted by Emma Ya Basta! at 10:22

And, of course:

0 comments

Just a couple

slobservations. MIT prof Richard Lindzen makes way too much sense in Keith Windschuttle's Quadrant mag: "Resisting Climate Hysteria."

Been meaning to mention for months, by the way, that Windschuttle got Sokaled a while ago. Tsk. Doesn't diminish his work debunking Australia's "black-armband" historians, though.

(via WattsUpWithThat, of course. Read the comments there.

The other thing I wanted to mention was another example of the great Duke Lacrosse case blogger KC Johnson's peculiar blind spot about Barack Obama, this time in giving him a pass for his comments about GatesGate. Read the comments there, too.

Cronkite

Yes, I know he lost the Vietnam War for America all by himself, Billy Ayers notwithstanding, and that he got increasingly goofy after he retired (note that no mainstream obit mentions this), but what's up here:


Capri pants with cuffs. And nylon stockings. After the interview, did they go riding on a tandem bike?

Obligatory update: NTTAWWT.

Oblibatory update II: Can you imagine what their feet smelled like?

Ready to be jumped in

Moving the sprinkler in the front yard just now when two of the little girls who live a couple doors down walked by, one of them carrying a particularly cute example of the chihuahuas ubiquitous in the neighborhood.

By little girls, I mean six, at most. So I asked the one carrying the dog, "What's your doggie's name?"

She said, "Norteño," which she translated as "North Side"--the Hispanic gang hereabouts.

Then she flashed me a gang sign.

Wart speaks!

Trying to earn some of that $1.2 million he owes David Lane:

It is confirmed that at the 8th Annual National Think Outside The Bomb Conference at the [University of New Mexico] Law School August 13-16, 2009, Ward Churchill and Kathy Kelly will be speaking and delivering presentations. . . .

Think Outside The Bomb (TOTB) is a non-hierarchical network of young anti-nuclear activists from all over the world. We work towards the abolition of nuclear weapons, nuclear energy, militarism, racism, sexism, homophobia, and towards a total restructuring of society that embraces humanity and rejects corporate capitalist profits.

How original. And focused. You know, young anti-nuclear activists, that Wart embraces violence, don't you?

We are proud to announce that our 8th Annual National Conference will be held at the UNM Law School in Albuquerque, New Mexico, August 13-16, 2009. Registration is $20-$40 depending on how much you can give . . . .

Activities to include Speakers such as Ward Churchill, Kathy Kelly, Jackie Cabasso, Indigenous Anti-Nuclear activists from Crownpoint and Laguna/Acoma areas, and more! Workshops on art and revolution, lobbying, workplace organizing, direct action, zine making, non-hierarchical organizing, feminism, and more.

A music concert [as opposed to a cheese-eating concert], open mic night, a tour of a jack-pile uranium mine [any rides?] camping near Los Alamos National Labs, and more fun Stuff!

Fun Stuff.

Update: JWP links to Gamera blogger Richard Delgado's amazingly stupid and misleading piece on Judge Naves' ruling in the Churchill case. "May have." Sheesh.

Wart bin

From part two of Pravda's "Ward Churchill and the death of academic freedom":

Naves’ inanity went even further when he proclaimed that CU regents were entitled to the same type of “judicial immunity” that judges and prosecutors use to insulate themselves from civil liability whenever they abuse their power.

So who are the new faces of university recruitment: Gonzales and Yoo? Has the world of academia really sunk so low that lying, torture endorsing, constitution loathing war criminals are more preferable to have as colleagues than professors who use distasteful analogies to stress a point?

The answer, unfortunately, is yes. During the past few years the neo-fascist movement in America has taken control of the corporate-controlled media, dumbing down the nation with “reality” shows, celebrity “gossip,” pseudo-journalism, and an obsessive focus on sensationalism and superficiality. This, in turn, has allowed these fascists to steal elections, infiltrate classrooms, and influence policies in education. In public school systems across America, the use of random drug testing, the censorship of student newspapers, the banning of books that challenge conventional thought, and the reduction in the number of courses that inspire creativity and imagination—like music, art, theater and literature—have all served to fuel the neo-fascist ideology that indoctrination is more important than education.

Leave it to Pravda to assert that it's "neo-fascists" rather than post-Marxists who think indoctrination is more important than education. Despite the titty pics ("Megan Fox Wet Dress"), Pravda is still living in the Soviet era, say, about, 1976.

JWP's got stuff.

Missed this one last week in the Gamera:

Payson Sheets, an anthropology professor at CU, insists the academic setting is not the place for Churchill and doubts whether another university would hire him.

“He should not be in a university, or college, or junior college or high school — any kind of teaching — where honesty, candidness and doing your own research is important,” Sheets said. “My suggestion is that he go into a profession like used cars or real estate, where no one expects honesty or candidness.”

And that's an anthropologist. Eat it, Maxie. Okay, one more, from the same piece:

Rachel Dobkin, who works at the Left Hand Book Store in Boulder and has seen Churchill speak, said she agrees with Churchill’s decision to appeal and hopes he will continue to teach in some capacity.

“He is one of the most esteemed Native American scholars in the country,” Dobkin said. “To take teaching out of him would be like making Beethoven stop playing music. I don’t think a witch hunt in academia will keep him out of his life passion.”

Update: Dobkin, of course, is referring to Joe Beethoven, who plays a three-string guitar on the Pearl Street Mall and has been arrested several times for shitting in store doorways.

Carroll: Wart's charming personality helped do him in

Vinnie of the Post (still weird to write that):

In the end, it was not only Ward Churchill's professional deceit, fraud and lies that doomed his career at the University of Colorado, but also his incurable personal nastiness, a nastiness that has been on display for decades in his writings, public discourse and interaction with many of those who crossed
him. . . .

No one who reads this blog or PB would disagree with that.

Predictably, Kevin O'Brien at Race to the Bottom doesn't like Naves' ruling one bit:

What is remarkable about the judge’s decision is that it adopted almost every argument proffered by CU’s legal briefs. Reading today’s trial decision felt like I was re-reading the CU briefs. For example, by not awarding even front pay in lieu of reinstatement, Judge Naves effectively blocked an award of attorney fees to Churchill on the basis that the $1 award represents a Pyhrric victory invalidating the award of attoreny fees under existing case law (in the event his quasi-judicial immunity ruling in favor of CU is overturned and the reinstatement and front-pay issues are no longer moot).

O'Brien also apparently believes Naves should have ruled on CU's "quasi-judicial immunity" before trial, even though both sides agreed to wait on that till the end; and that Naves' ruling will be questioned because he graduated from CU's law school, an idea I hadn't heard before and that O'Brien, though he raises it, doesn't think will fly.

The Chronicle of Higher Ed singles out Naves' opinion that reinstating Wart would leave the impression that CU's Effnic Studies department "tolerates research misconduct."

"The evidence was also credible that this perception will make it more difficult for the Department of Ethnic Studies to attract and retain new faculty members. In addition, this negative perception has great potential to hinder students graduating from the Department of Ethnic Studies in their efforts to obtain placement in graduate programs," Naves wrote.

Bwaahahahahahack. Eagle feather stuck in my windpipe.

Update: Lib-lawyer-about-town Scott Robinson thinks it's far from over. Nah, stick a fork (one of those big suckers you use to get a turkey out of the oven) in Wart; he's done.

Update II: Who the hell, by the way, is going to pay for Chutch's appeal, which Lane said somewhere would take maybe a(nother) year?

Update III: The pusillanimous Michael Roberts at Westword doesn't like Naves' decision either. He approvingly quotes (and links to) Benjie ("among Churchill's most vocal supporters") and Ratsu, while getting another rip or two in at Dan Caplis.

Update IV: JWP and his investigative parrot hear from CU attorney Patrick O'Rourke that he intends to bill Churchill for out-of-pocket legal expenses (transcripts, etc.) but not, for legal reasons, attorney's fees. The pirate with the atomic peg leg also links to longtime Chutch critic (and real Indian) Jodi Rave's post on the ruling against Churchill.

Update V: The American Council of Trustees and Alumni's Anne Neal, while wholeheartedly behind Churchill's firing (of course) has some reservations about Naves' ruling:

The judge's decision? It gets some things right, but is also problematic. Yes, peer review is critical to shared governance, academic autonomy, and professional standards. Yes, to reinstate Churchill would send an awful message to students -- that academic standards don't matter. But is the authority of trustees in fact comparable to that of judges here, as the opinion says? I am not so sure.

The case has, regrettably, offered a venue for unending bombast (and falsehoods) by Churchill and his lawyer. So it's surely no surprise that both lay people and lawyers are mighty confused as to the legal matters under review and the import of the various findings by judge and jury. With this in mind, we will wait and watch for further developments.

(via Roberts)

Update VI: The Post: CU bill for Churchill to top $10,000. The Gamera says the bill may be close to $50,000.

Update VII: Caplis and Silverman will have Chutch nemesis Thomas Brown and Vincent Carroll on today.

Update VIII: America's dumbest professor, Peter ("Pip, pip!") Kirstein, weighs in:

The issue is not one of equipoise but justice; the issue is not whether to tolerate only consensus academicians who teach without controversy but to permit critical thinking and even controversial pedagogy in the classroom; the issue IS whether a democratic society can abide a tenured faculty member at professor rank being fired for an article which attempted to balance the 9/11 fury at Al Qaeda with a call for introspection.

When I was supended [update: late sic] for an anti-infanticide email, I could have cared less [update: another late sic--is English foreign to this moron?] whether the university wanted me to return or not or whether my return would be disruptive. My job was and is to teach history and do it well without apologies or coercion in a nation that proclaims its love of democracy and free speech–when it suits its antidemocratic, war criminal ends.

Anti-infanticide e-mail? If you remember, the e-mail was in reply to an Air Force Academy cadet who asked for help with a school project:

You are a disgrace to this country and I am furious you would even think I would support you and your aggressive baby killing tactics of collateral damage. Help you recruit. Who, top guns to reign [my sic] death and destruction upon nonwhite peoples throughout the world? Are you serious sir? Resign your commission and serve your country with honour [sic].

Pip fucking pip.

Update IX: The, er, irrepressible Marc Bousquet at the Chronicle of Higher Ed's Brainstorm blog starts this way:

In my last column, I pointed out that the nationalist and “cultural capital” function of literature classes are in decline. With their tenure lines evaporating, many literature faculty are grasping at the claim that they teach “reading” and “thinking.”

By this they generally mean the training of managers and professionals in a degraded version of New Critical reading practices—spotting (or producing) ambiguity, complexity, and irony. For those who care about this sort of thing, this is really a version of a much older claim, that they teach rhetoric.

Combined with the right higher-ed brand names, the capacity to produce ambiguity and complexity in the tax code or the National Labor-Relations Act can get sold to a corporate law firm for a million dollars a year.

Of course that requires further training in the ability to live with oneself while eating meals that cost more than a retail worker’s monthly pay. That’s where a corresponding ethical agility—learned in, say, philosophy or theology classes—comes in handy.

He does eventually get around to Wart. Read the comments.

Update X: Oh, this is rich. Pravda lumbers in: "Ward Churchill and the death of academic freedom."

Update XI: Maximilian Forte thinks long thoughts about the case--long, stupid thoughts.

(via JWP, who appears to be enjoying himself--always a danger sign)

Hit the road, jerk!

More after I read the story.

A judge has ruled that the University of Colorado doesn't have to give controversial former professor Ward Churchill his job back even though a jury found he was improperly fired.

Doing the Eagle Rock right now. And: no money:

"Professor Churchill's own statements during the trial established that he has not seriously pursued any efforts to gain comparable employment, but has instead has chosen to give lectures and other presentations as a means of supplementing his income. Reportedly, he even 'received a few job offers' that he declined to pursue. Under these circumstances, I do not believe an award of front pay is appropriate," Naves wrote.

Update: Naves' ruling (pdf).

Update II: JWP notes how Wart's (and his lawyer David Lane's) big mouth helped keep him unemployed.

Update III: The Chronicle of Higher Ed reports the story with the strangely passive headline: "Judge Refuses to Order University to Give Ward Churchill His Job Back." They say they'll have more tomorrow.

Update IV: Caplis, KHOW: "Good won, evil lost." Even a stopped
clock . . .

Silverman: "I put the chances of Churchill and Lane prevailing on appeal at about 10 percent . . ."

Update V: Lane will hold a press conference at 4:00 p.m. I imagine KCOW will cover it. C & S also have all kinds of goofs lined up to comment. Listenzee here.

Update VI: C & S are truly unbearable in their sucking up to CU and O'Rourke.

Update VII: Former CU prexy Hank Brown. Krep, krep, krep. Sample. Caplis: It was great to see Left and Right come together about Ward Churchill. Uh-huh.

Volokh Conspiracy (which links to the Michael Jackson of the Churchill case, JWP) asks for legalistical opinions on the ruling.

Update VIII: Former, permanent all-high ex- (and present-) chancellor Phil DiStefano is up now. He sucked on the stand. "O'Rourke did a much better job than [Lane, in the reinstatement hearing]."

Update IX: No live coverage of Lane's press conference. Interview of KHOW reporter. Did he just say that Lane accused Naves of plagiarism? Damn, I missed it. Only Lane, all by his lonesome. Lane: Dumbfounded, angry, every time I objected was overruled. Bitter, bitter, bitter.
Caplis: David realizes he's done, so now he's lashing out at the judge.

Judge Naves' order ignores the Constitution, academic freedom, etc.

Silverman: Don't think that bodes well for attorneys' fees . . .

Reporter: Lane would have asked for $1.2 million, but now he's out . . .

Caplis: Churchill deserved to lose; liar, cheat, tried to get young people to commit violence. . .

Reportron: Lane is functioning out of a lot of anger. Never heard an attorney go after a judge like Lane did . . .

Update X: Let's go to the callers. Mickey! "I haven't been this happy since my wedding day in 1953." Mickey apparently is a big Columbus Day parader, tho a Jooooooo.

Silverman notes Wart's hypocrisy in denying Columbus Day paraders their First Amendment rights . . .

Mickey's so happy she's doing the Tarantella . . . As noted above, I did the Eagle Rock . . .

Silverman: [Former CU student Dave--the guy who said "Fuck the Ballerinas!" at some Churchillpalooza event] Staub's testimony was bad for Churchill; Wart has the capacity to twist young people . . .

Caplis did bet Lane a steak dinner that Chutch wouldn't be reinstated . . . "Ripping on the judge today was just a concession . . ."

They're trying to get Thomas Brown on . . .

Silverman: "I like to see bullies put in their place . . ." Me too.

Update XI: Benjie reacts (via JWP): He knew it all along. Benjie earlier: "Money's nice, too."

Update XII: Bill "Howdy Doody" Owens is up. "Naves always seemed of judicial temperament" (He would say that.)

Owens: Naves demolishes every single argument Churchill made. . . Juries make mistakes, and I think Judge Naves properly corrected that error. . . What I most appreciated was how Naves placed the blame back on Churchill . . . The problem with placing Ward Churchill back at CU would be . . . Ward Churchill.

The phone call with Betsy Hoffman. Silverman: Hoffman whimpered out of Colorado . . . What would you say to her now?

Owens: I was stunned by her recollection of our phone visit . . . I told her to lead. . . She whimpered, she whined . . . [I can attest to that, at least in her deposition--she also looked like hell] . . . But her testimony was most damaging to the defense . . . She claimed that she was just as much a victim as Wart . . . She and Wart were both drummed out of Colorado . . .

Owens: The system worked. Churchill has abused the system. . . My reading of that decision is that he has almost no chance on appeal . . .

Update XII: Westword: nada, yet. Michael "breaking" Roberts must be on a retreat.

Update XIII: Man O' the Hour, Pat O'Rourke.

Caplis: Talk about total victory!

O'Rourke: It's been a little bit of a roller-coaster ride . . .

Silverman: What about you? Brilliant! (blech). Tell us all about it.

O'R: We got the news and it was a really wonderful ruling from the judge, that said Chutch did things he really shouldn't do . . . We knew from the title what the outcome was . . . He made some pretty detailed findings . . .

Caplis: How'd you feel?

O'R: I was as boring as always . . . (this is all paraphrased, by the way) . . .

S: How many hours did you put in on this?

O'R: Me no know, big buddy. We were on our toes the whole time. David Lane has my tremendous respect . . . But the university was vindicated in saying we get to say what good scholarship is . . .

Silverman: How do you like your chances on appeal?

O'R: I like them. The judge cited some very specific evidence . . . I heard David Lane's press conference, and I'd be upset too . . .

Lane presser: [Naves] is ignoring the law and the jury, and the whole jury system of the state of Colorado . . . [that'll work]. . .

Oops, that's all they had time for . . .

Update XIV: I made several comments over at Benjie's place, two of them were "Heh." The other was "You lose." All deleted. What a putz.

Update XV: Smiley O'Reilly mentioned it, but to no point.

Update XVI: NYT: "The ruling is a clear victory for the university."

Update XVII: JWP has underemployed Hollywood Indian and alleged murderer Russell Means' reaction. Pompous, as always. Rigoberto Menchu, Russ? Please.

Quote of the Day!

This is from last month, but its timelessness is apparent:

[A]merican citizenship is not citizenship but conversion: it involves brainwashing and imposition of a single, fixed nationalistic identity that turns the citizens into patriotic zombies. Uttering a single word against the State is out of the question. . . .

--From a review in the Times by Ziuddin Sardar of Resa Aslan's How to Win a Cosmic War: Confronting Radical Islam.

(via Oliver Kamm)

When the rain comes . . .

Last week the Post noted that Denver was .1 of an inch away from the record for June rainfall. Don't know if we made it (the Post, natch, didn't follow up), but it rained at least 22 days in the month, and every day so far in July. I've watered stuff once this season, and that was back in mid-April. Normally I'd have watered a dozen times by now, at least.

Again, I can't seem to find them with the Post's world-class search function, but they had a couple of articles last winter with climate experts (uh-huh, uh-huh) predicting a drought this spring and summer.

I liked this from the piece:

The last time Denver saw this much rain in June was 1882, when 4.96 inches of moisture was collected in a rain bucket, setting the present record.

Better than climate modeling, for sure. Oh, and if you're not aware of it, the best climate blog on this poor, misunderstood planet is WattsUpWithThat.

BFF

In comments to the post below, "Jenn" links to an Indymedia report on a series of talks to be given by D-blog ex-lover David Irving, which reminded me that I'd received this in the mail recently:


Note polar bear stamp.



Small buffet meal, eh?

Odd I'd get this after our rather messy bust-up.

Update: Oops.

Perez perorates

In her testimony at Wart's reinstatement hearing. The Post:

The chair of the ethnic studies department at the University of Colorado testified this morning that Ward Churchill is needed back on campus and he won't be a disruption.

"They are lining up to take classes with Ward," Emma Perez said. "In the academy throughout the nation people see Ward as a hero."

It's funny 'cause it's true.

Update: John Aguilar is live-blogging for the Gamera. I like this from tiny Trot Tommy Mayer's testimony:

Retired CU sociology professor Tom Mayer was next to testify. He appeared in the courtroom.

"I think Ward is a necessary presence at the University of Colorado," Mayer testified. "Ward is one of the most effective people I've ever encountered to get people to think critically about the important issues of the day. Ward is the kind of guy you can disagree with and he'll still treat you in a respectful way."

See typical respectful Wart-quote at the top of this blog.

Update II: Wart testifies. Same old shit.

Update III: Bore-jocks Caplis and Silverman are playing Ward's examination by CU attorney Patrick O'Rourke right now. O'Rourke is hammering Chutch about his claim that money was not important for him in the case. As in the trial, Judge Naves is consistently overruling Chutch attorney David Lane, and Lane doesn't like it. Listen here.

Silverman: Judge Naves appears to have his mind made up. Mebbe.

Caplis apparently isn't there yet.

On the issue of whether Wart would be disruptive of CU's "collegiality" if he's reinstated, O'Rourke taxes Churchill with some of his and David Lane's statements, among them: Ward's that a bunch of homeless people under a bridge were more qualified than anyone at CU; that CU was becoming a "glorified voc-ed"; that CU faculty "hid under their desks" when they should have supported him; and Lane's statement that if "anyone looks at Ward cross-eyed" they'd be back in court.

Silverman has called O'Rourke's cross "brilliant" at least three times already. Please.

Caplis shows. Silverman predicts Naves will say Ward won't get his job back, give him a few hundred thou.

I could live with that.

Naves has adjourned court. He'll issue a written ruling "by this time next week," Silverman says.
Courtroom reporter on O'Rourke's performance: "People were asking, "Where was that O'Rourke during the trial?"

C & S are interviewing David Lane. "If they give him a bad office, we could legally sue; if they give him untenable classes, we can sue; if they micromanage his teaching, we can sue."

"Examining his scholarship is not actionable unless its retaliatory." Lane and Ward are at a bar. "My prediction is that on Monday Larry Naves will say Ward Churchill gets his job back."

Apparently Dan and Dave have a bet on who wins. Dan asks Dave if he eats meat. "Not really; you'll have to buy me some crab legs or something . . ." Dan says he doesn't think he'll have to.

Apparently they interviewed O'Rourke too. I missed it.

Caplis, typically: "I think CU has shined in this." God.

Update IV: Westword's Wart-supporting 60s relic Michael Roberts gives Caplis and Silverman shit; Benjie gives him big wet kisses in comments.

Update V: JWP at Pirate Ballerina notes DU law blog Race to the Bottom's increasingly slavish Wart-love.