Sorry! Someone brought it to my attention that the comments had been "tweaked" or turned off on the blog. Yup...found out how that works now, and have fixed them. Apologies to everyone. Show went great Saturday night, we talked about Rep. DeLay and his dust up with NBC and we also talked about John Bolton. Yes, we also played "Schoolhouse Rock." Sorry for that, too.

Talk about disconnected! I usually suffer from an over supply of media and news, but for the past two weeks, I'm not entirely certain what's happened. Long story short? Some sort of bug caught up with me. I walked into the emergency room of the VA hospital a couple of weeks back, and after some poking and prodding, a doctor walked in and asked me if I'd ever heard of Jim Henson.

I didn't find that reassuring, as Mr. Henson, most famous for inventing the muppets, also died of what some call "walking pneumonia."

Apparently I managed to pick up the same thing, leaving my left lung looking solid.

That kind doctor told me I had an important decision to make -- either let him admit me to the hospital for an indeterminate amount of time, or take my fate into my own hands.

I turned myself over to the kind folks at the VA, and have since that time taken a few days off to rest, recover and recuperate.

But, let me assure my critics, as the late, great Mark Twain once said, rumors of my demise are greatly exaggerated.

In the interim, I've missed most of the Promisekeepers dust up, and can only feel thankful it passed me by, though I have enjoyed reading all the wonderfully agitated articles and editorials about it.

Really, how does one avoid gnashing of teeth and irritation with that issue on either side?

On the other hand, it really does seem ready-made for newspaper columns.

I've also spent more time watching the Senate and Mark Pryor with that compromise on filibusters than I've spent time talking or writing about it.

Oh, yes, and lest I forget, the runaway bride seems to have finally landed in hot water, facing some six years behind bars and various felony charges for her little escapade across America.

And, no, I don't know who won American Idol, and still don't watch the program, but thanks for asking.

Leave it to me to get sick for two of the most action-packed weeks of the late spring season, at least in terms of politics.

Instead, I've spent some time, as they say, gazing at the inside of my eyelids.

I've also spent time learning about news closer to home, my real home.

My kids have just about wrapped up another year of school, and I believe I have to attend some sort of 'sock-hop' tonight at the elementary school.

I've spent way too much time looking at the baby fish in our tank and looking after cats.

I am however, becoming acquainted with the budding language skills of my youngest son, who hasn't quite yet reached his second birthday.

However, I have hit a snag - does anyone with small children recognize a word that sounds like "higgeee?"

I'm not sure what it means, but I believe it had something to do with a bag of Sam's Club trail mix sitting on my tv. Ah, the joys of deductive reasoning -- a form of reasoning that still evades me and which hasn't helped me decipher the kid's language yet.

His mother understands the little guy well enough. So, it's good to be back, even if in this weak form. I've missed it -- it can get under your skin, become addictive, this news business in which many of us earn a living.

I've just about exhausted my supply of medication, and the home confinement is starting to drive me crazy, and yes, I think I've started to become what some might describe as "under-foot" at my place.

And now that lung has cleared up, you can get ready for more full gusts of hot air from yours truly.

Hope you enjoyed your break as much as I did, but I'm happy to get better, and get back to work.

See you again next week.

Here you go. The clearest sign Mr. Bush has fallen into the "lame duck" category -- a deal brokered by moderate Republican and conservative Democrats on the filibuster deal. Some of the nominees will get votes, others will remain subject to filibuster, without people like John McCain breaking in to exercise the "nuclear option." Here is an excerpt from Senator Harry Reid's statement after the deal. VIDEO = Here are Senator Lindsay Graham's comments to everyone -- and to the White House -- about the deal (realmedia file, so you'll need a realmedia player.)

"The integrity of future Supreme Courts has been protected from the undue influences of a vocal, radical faction of the right that is completely out of step with mainstream America. That was the intent of the Republican "nuclear option" from the beginning. Tonight, the Senate has worked its will on behalf of reason, responsibility and the greater good.

"Abuse of power will not be tolerated, and attempts to trample the Constitution and grab absolute control are over. We are a separate and equal branch of government. That is our founding fathers' vision, and one we hold dear.

"I offered Senator Frist several options similar to this compromise, and while he was not able to agree, I am pleased that some responsible Republicans and my colleagues were able to put aside their differences and work from the center. I do not support several of the judges that have been agreed to because their views and records display judicial activism that jeopardize individual rights and freedoms. But other troublesome nominees have been turned down. And, most importantly, the U.S. Senate retains the checks and balances to ensure all voices are heard in our democracy.

In a nutshell, that's what it was all about, and also the reason Senator Frist isn't happy tonight about what happened. However, not everyone buys this. Some sources online call this a sell-out to the "theocrats" in D.C. -- you can read about it here.

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So, the London newspapers have decided to pay a visit to Eureka Springs. This story comes courtesy of the Arkansas Times Blog, and it's scary. Seems the "creation science" museum in Eureka disputes anything you've every learned in college if you ever studied anthropology or geology. I'm having a hard time understanding the acceptance of this "non-science" thinking, but again, Europe and even some in the U.S. strongly believed another pseudo-science (eugenics) in the earlier part of the 20th century. Heck, even a 20th century european government used that hosed-up idea to form public policy, if you follow my thread here. Here, from the London Observer-Guardian...be afraid, be very afraid...

The museum forms part of a Bible-based theme park in Eureka Springs; the car park is full of cars and coaches from all over the country. To enter the museum is to explore a surrealistic parallel world. Biblical quotes appear on displays. The first has dinosaurs, alongside Adam and Eve, living in harmony. The ferociously fanged T. rex is likely to be a vegetarian. Then comes the Fall of Man and an ugly world where dinosaurs prey on each other and the first extinctions occur. The destruction of the dinosaurs is explained, not by a comet striking the Earth 65 million years ago, but by the Flood. This, the museum says, wiped out most of the dinosaurs still alive and created the Grand Canyon and huge layers of sedimentary rock seen around the world.

Some dinosaurs survived on Noah's ark. One poster explains that Noah would have chosen juvenile dinosaurs to save space. An illustration shows two green sauropods in the ark alongside more conventional elephants and lions. The final exhibit depicts the Ice Age, where the last dinosaurs existed with woolly mammoths until the cold and hunting by cavemen caused them to die out.

Scientists dismiss such claims as on a par with believing in Atlantis. Yet the museum is unlikely to be seen as a major threat to mainstream science. It was put in the heart of an area where Christian attractions are a mainstay of the local economy.

To those of you who find this charming, you are simply, straight-out, frighteningly wrong about things. This isn't what you want the world thinking of NWA, and it's pretty darned weird for a place irritated by negative attention from the outside universe (you know, the one more than 5-thousand years old?) Sorry for the smarm, but sometimes you just have to draw the line.

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The White House has let down the family of one true American hero, Pat Tillman. After lying to the Tillman family about how Pat died, the family has decided to speak out publicly, this time in the Washington Post about the treatment it feels it received at the hands of the Pentagon...

"Pat had high ideals about the country; that's why he did what he did," Mary Tillman said in her first lengthy interview since her son's death. "The military let him down. The administration let him down. It was a sign of disrespect. The fact that he was the ultimate team player and he watched his own men kill him is absolutely heartbreaking and tragic. The fact that they lied about it afterward is disgusting."

Depending on who you support -- the troops or the suits in D.C., this story could hurt a lot. Can you support the troops, and discount the allegations and criticism from Tillman's family? If you do discount it, how do you do that?

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So, it started today, the big filibuster fight, and we saw very little happen. Early this morning the New York Times issued one of the first reports on what was happening backstage at the Senate.

All sides agree that the appeals court nominations are to a large degree a proxy for an expected Supreme Court vacancy. Republicans and their allies would like to eliminate the prospect of Democrats' filibustering President Bush's first Supreme Court nominee; Democrats are intent on maintaining that ability.

Senior Congressional officials of both parties said the question of how to handle the Supreme Court issue was a main sticking point of the compromise negotiations.

Ya see, Dems simply can't let go on this one, and Republicans think they smell blood. We ought to leave the filibuster alone for now, let it live another day for those important high-court appointments, when most of us will want benefit of the doubt, rather than party double talk from the White House.

Also, this passage describes a valuable exchange that also illustrates the non-sense going on in the Senate...

Republicans purposefully advanced Justice Priscilla R. Owen, believing that her life story is a compelling account of accomplishment and that a vote on a female nominee would put Democrats on the spot.

Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison, Republican of Texas, pleaded for Justice Owen's confirmation on the Senate floor, reciting a long list of achievements and civic works, including Justice Owen's serving as a Sunday school teacher to preschoolers.

That drew a quick retort from Senator Patty Murray, Democrat of Washington, who said she met with Justice Owen on Tuesday at Ms. Hutchison's request.

"This is not a debate about a lovely person," Ms. Murray said. "This is a debate about a record and judicial decisions, and about whether or not that record merits promoting someone to a lifetime appointment."

Give 'em hell, and a good dose of common sense to boot, Rep. Murray.

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A pretty good example in an open letter to the New York Times from Media Matters for America. The interesting point of the letter? It accurately describes the brick-wall those who practice balanced journalism run into in the face of "liberal-media-the-sky-is-falling" style critics...

If tomorrow the Times ran an article on its front page headlined "Bush is Second Coming of Christ," conservative activists would charge that it proved the paper's liberal bias because it didn't compliment the color of the president's tie. While we do not doubt that many conservatives genuinely believe that the Times, and the press in general, is biased against them, the "liberal bias" charge is above all a political tool they use to obtain coverage more favorable to their goals.

"Yeah, Ah cain't purve it, but ah know fer sure them lib-rahls run th' local fox tee-vee!" If some weren't so scary, they'd provoke the reaction we used to hear in the good old days -- they're nuts!

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Ah, if this didn't happen once in awhile, I'd just know I wasn't working enough. Last week, about the time I wrote to you about my interview with Mike Hathorn, I started to feel a little less than, shall we say, "optimal." Well, things got bad enough that my dear wife dragged me into the local hospital emergency room for a little help. After a trip through X-Ray, two words came out of my doctor's mouth, and they sounded like "Jim Henson..." OK, I took the compliment(maybe?) and the big hint to allow doctors to check me with with what they described as a pretty severe case of pneumonia in my left lung. They told me I had a decision to make -- either check into some hospital or risk Jim's fate, which was a pretty unpleasant death because of pnuemonia, and I was told, we were about the same age!!!!???!!! Anyway, I do have kids, and can take a hint, so I'm spending a few days in the hospital and resting at home. In the meantime, I've got good people covering for me at radio and television, and I'll try to keep you updated here.

Best -- Don.

A while back on this blog, I wrote about my experience as the only broadcast journalist to attend the Wal-Mart media conference in Rogers a few weeks ago (see last month's archive on the left.) Based on questions asked of Wal-Mart CEO H. Lee Scott by the international media, I asked the question -- as have others apparently -- about whether Wal-Mart bears some extra societal responsibility toward its workers that other companies do not, based on Wal-Mart's unprecedented size and influence on the economy of many nations. Face it, we've never seen a company this size -- it has the gravitational pull of the sun -- is it too much to expect more from the company? After all, it has been said, "of he who receives much, much is expected" or something like that...in line with that, I thought I'd share some of the drivel written by Thomas Sowell in today's Democrat Gazette...needless to say, he disagrees...

For decades, there has been lofty talk about the "social responsibility" of businesses or about a "social contract" between the generations when it comes to Social Security. Do you remember signing any such contract? I don't.

What all this pious talk amounts to is that when third parties want somebody else to pay for something, they simply call it a "social responsibility," an "obligation" or a "social contract."

So long as we keep buying this kind of stuff, they will keep selling it.

In order to make such demands look like more than just the arbitrary notions of busybodies -- which they are -- some of these busybodies refer to the official poverty level, as if it were something objective, rather than what it is in fact, simply an arbitrary line based on the notions of government bureaucrats.

Mr. Sowell goes on to say something really defective...

The fashionable notion of "a living wage" is a wage that will support a family of four. And, sure enough, the New York Times finds a Wal-Mart employee who complains that he is not making "a living wage."

How is he living, if he is not making a living wage?

What?!?!? Hey, Tom, put down the crack pipe, my friend! And, when you do, answer this question -- what happened to the "compassionate" conservatives? Or is that "compassion" just tough-love? The utter disregard for the welfare of humanity extant in this piece should be enough to bring the ghost of Jacob Marley calling at Sowell's house tonight...remember? Jake forged those chains in life? His business (and Ebeneezer Scrooge's) should have been mankind? Hmmmmmm....for shame! I sentence you to go read everything Charles Dickens ever wrote, along with a heavy dose of the New Testament.

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This'll sound like a college essay assignment, but could any of you "compare and contrast" this short article with the one just below (ok -- two below) about Alice Walton and her newest acquisition? Breathtaking...

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Congressional Democrats said on Thursday they have asked Wal-Mart Stores Inc. for its wage data so they can examine claims of pay and promotion discrimination against women by the company.

In a letter sent on Thursday afternoon to Wal-Mart Chief Executive Officer Lee Scott, lawmakers said the company pays female hourly workers 40 cents less an hour than men and pays female managers nearly $5,000 less a year than their male counterparts.

Written by Connecticut Democratic Rep. Rosa DeLauro, the letter was signed by 50 of her colleagues.

Reuters goes on to say 72 percent of Wal-Mart's employees are women, but those woman only fill a third of management positions. Read on, and you'll see that Wal-Mart shot down the letter and tried to discredit it.

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Here's a preview of my IN FOCUS column in this morning's Northwest Arkansas Times. Pretty straightforward -- did we start thinking education is "all about me" when we cast ballots this week in the Fayetteville millage vote?

The people of Fayetteville, and just about every other city in Arkansas would (and have in polls) say they consider local education a matter of top priority.

It often takes precedence over war, disease, the price of gas and the occasional runaway bride from Georgia.

So, why did those same concerned parents and taxpayers go to the polls in record numbers earlier this week and shoot down a millage increase which would have paid better starting teacher salaries and also have paid to keep ever-expensive technology programs up-to-date?

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Whoa Nellie! The worlds 13th richest person (tied with her mom) has bought a painting she plans to bring home to Northwest Arkansas - something she apparently picked up for a paltry $35 million dollars -- a new record for a price for painting.

It'll move home to Bentvonille and the new art museum the Walton Foundation plans to build. Tip o' the hat to The Arkansas Times blog and Warwick Sabin for pointing this out -- the full article available at the world's greatest paper, the New York Times...the painting? Asher B. Durand's "Kindred Spirits"...

Alice L. Walton, the Wal-Mart heiress and one of the richest people in the world, bought an Asher B. Durand painting yesterday from the New York Public Library for what is said to be more than $35 million. She plans to exhibit it in a museum being built by her family's foundation that is scheduled to open in May 2009 in Bentonville, Ark., where her father, Sam Walton, opened his first retail store in 1951.

The Walton Family Foundation's museum, to be called Crystal Bridges, takes its name from an inspired glass-and-wood design that traverses a local spring-fed stream. Designed by the Boston-based architect Moshe Safdie, the museum will "present perspectives on the flow of America's history and heritage through the eyes of the nation's most influential artists," according to a statement released yesterday by the Walton Family Foundation.

Although the auction house declined to confirm the exact purchase price, it said the price far eclipsed the previous auction record for an American painting, which was set in 1999 when Bill Gates bought George Bellows's "Polo Crowd" for $27.5 million. A dealer in American painting and someone familiar with the transaction, both speaking on condition of anonymity, said the cost exceeded $35 million.

Oh yes, the Arkblog also points out that the leg granted some very special tax breaks to the anonymous, powerful people behind the art museum project, who refused to be identified until they got the breaks. As they say on those corny NBC ads, "Now You Know!" And, to my friend and colleague at the Foundation (you rat, you know who you are) why would you tell me about the Walmartfacts.com website, but fail to inform me of this? Jeez! When it comes to Wal-Mart, we're always the last to know in NWA -- seems we always have to find out about it from the NYTimes -- yes, a courteous thanks to Mona as well!

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Wow, this isn't right. The Arizona Daily Sun (through Rawstory.com) reports Wal-Mart paid for campaign ads that featured a Nazi book-burning, which has steamed some people in Flagstaff.

The newspaper ads contend that Proposition 100's restrictions on big-box retailers are an infringement of constitutional freedoms. The message has been conveyed through a blurred photo of a Nazi book-burning taken from the U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum archives and a close-up of a person's mouth covered with tape.

Accompanying the ads is the statement: "Freedoms worth keeping," and references to the proposition as limiting choice.

The ad offended some local veterans, many of whom are requesting an apology from the campaign committee.

"There was just the observance of the 60th anniversary of when the death camps were liberated," said Frank Brandt, a former Air Force Lieutenant and co-chair for YesforFlagstaff.com, a committee that supports the ballot measure. "Are they culturally insensitive?"

Again, who gets paid to write this stuff? Do you wait, or just fire your PR person responsible for this on the spot?

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More on the decision by the Foreign Relations committee to send John Bolton on to a vote of the full Senate, without giving him their recommendation...excellent article in the NY Times...where Voinovich says "we can do better."

Senator Paul S. Sarbanes, Democrat of Maryland and a committee member, said Mr. Bolton's comments showed "outright hostility" for the international organization. "To send someone as our ambassador to the United Nations who does not demonstrate a basic respect for the institution and its legal foundation is a disservice to our national interest," Mr. Sarbanes said.

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From the har-de-har-har file: this piece from Alternet on the long decline and fall of man many of us still think of as the blathering host of Inside Edition...

Cosmic justice seekers rejoice. A CNN insider made this blessed observation: "FNC should be less concerned with [Paula] Zahn's performance [chasing O'Reilly in the ratings] and more concerned with the fact that O'Reilly continues to hemorrhage viewers month-over-month since October."

The world-class liar and blow-hard has lost over 30% of his viewers since the election -- over 1 million total.

One defensive comment reads: "All news outlets suffer after the end of an election cycle." Perhaps, but they generally suffer nicks and scrapes followed by a plateau and a resurgence. CBS evening news has gotten loads of attention lately for losing 13% of its viewership from last year. By comparison, NBC is down 7% and ABC is up 2%.

But 30, 40, 50% losses? Soon you're talking real numbers. As in: your days are numbered.

Ah, the blowhard has started to run out of breath! What's next, Dennis Miller off CNBC? Uh-oh, that's already happened!

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Senate committee votes to send John Bolton's nomination for U.S. ambassador to the U.N. to the full Senate for a vote. Details soon.

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A quick follow up on the Fayetteville Mall story from earlier today. I spoke with Ms. Alice Church, the Senior Property Manager of the Northwest Arkansas Mall about Steven Coger's dust up with her. She first directed me to this Fayetteville City Ordinance...

Fayetteville City Ordinance 110.01, Section B

"It shall be unlawful for any person to post, stick, paint, or otherwise attach, or cause to be posted, stuck, painted, or otherwise attached, any sign, notice, poster, or other advertisement to any building, fence, wall, vehicles, or other property, public or private, without first having obtained permission from the property owner."

She then proceeded to tell me what had happened. "As I was leaving work, he pulled up and parked right at the end of Sheppard (sp?) Lane near the road around the property...I went up to him and told him that if he was going to be there for any length of time, he couldn't leave his truck."

Church says Coger parked the truck, by itself, out in the proverbial south 40 and she thought it looked like he was trying to sell something or trying to use the mall property to communicate a message of some sort.

Church continued, "I did tell him we lease out our parking lot and the space inside the mall and if he wanted to lease the space I'd talk to him about that -- we're already at our limit." Church says Coger told her he wouldn't stay, and didn't intend to shop at the mall anymore.

Also, Church said she never kicked him off the property -- she says she first told him he could move his vehicle over, closer to the mall with the other cars, so it wasn't out there like a billboard. He chose not to do that. But what about political bumper stickers and the like, did those qualify as "solcitations?" Church said, "no...we have people that will put for sale signs on cars, park it out there, and we don't allow that...he (Coger) could have parked like he wasn't trying to advertise something."

I asked if she remembered what was written on Coger's car. "All I remember is it said something about peace.." she replied. Church went on to add, "we're private property, a lot of people thing we're a public forum, but we're not...we're a place for people to shop..."

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A rough morning for the world's largest retailer (WLR) known to us as Wal-Mart (WMT). Seems the company missed earnings estimates, something likely to monkey-wrench today's major markets. Even though this reads in a positive fashion, it still commits the inexcusble sin of missing quarterly estimates...

Wal-Mart said quarterly net income grew to $2.5 billion, or 58 cents per share, in the three months ended April 30 from $2.2 billion, or 50 cents per share, a year earlier. The company said first-quarter earnings were boosted by $145 million, or 3 cents per share, from tax and legal resolutions. Excluding the items, earnings per share totaled 55 cents per share, a penny below Wall Street expectations.

Sales rose 10 percent to $70.9 billion from $64.76 billion a year ago, while total revenue including sales and other income grew to $71.7 billion from $65.4 billion a year ago.

Never fear -- the shareholders meeting in Fayetteville will brighten your spirits. Could see Garth Brook come out of retirement, will definitely see Parrot-heads come to town for the Jimmy Buffet concert -- looking for a heads up from any reaaaaaaalllllly smart people on this year's celeb guests who'll lead the wave.

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Sharp, if earthy, social satirist Dave Chappelle has ended up in a mental health facility in South Africa. Figure that one out. Apparently that means his third season on Comedy Central goes on hold. Here's the story from All Headline News...

On May 4, Comedy Central announced Chappelle's Show's third season would not make its May 31 premiere and production had been halted indefinitely. Chappelle's publicist has not commented since his disappearance.

The comedian reportedly flew from Newark, New Jersey to Capetown on April 28.

In the latest edition of Newsweek, friends of Chappelle offer different speculations for his disappearance. One states Chappelle was overwhelmed and "freaked out" over the show's popularity.

Another claims his excessive partying may have been cause. "I wouldn't say it's out of control," the purported pal dished to Newsweek, "but at some point that has to affect you if you've got a regular gig."

A third cited creative differences between Chappelle and Comedy Central over the direction of the show. The network refused Chappelle's attempts to push the boundaries of the show with racially provocative sketches.

Hope he gets better...he tweaks people, something much needed.

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Mid-week, representatives on a House subcommittee decided to take a step backward by approving a plan to keep women out of certain combat support roles. The Army still bans women from many direct-combat roles, and Republicans on the Committee say this doesn't change any of that, however, in this piece in the Army Times, the ranking Democrat on the committee, Arkansas' Vic Snyder thinks otherwise...

Rep. Vic Snyder of Arkansas, the subcommittee's ranking Democrat, said he believes the medical, combat engineer and military police fields also could fit the description, potentially affecting thousands of women in combat support and combat service support units.

Hunter, the committee chairman and chief sponsor, said in a brief interview that he doesn't think the amendment is controversial; he is just trying to maintain the status quo, keeping women out of direct combat as the Army becomes a modular force. "This isn't a big deal and it isn't a major change," he said.

Military leaders apparently begged Republicans to drop the measure, and say it would create confusion at the worst possible time -- during a war. But, of course, that never stopped rampant insanity in the House before.

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--Don Elkins
www.arkansastonight.com

Did a college student get kicked out of a mall in the Bible belt for making a political statement using biblical quotes about peace?

FAYETTEVILLE, MAY 12 -- To understand this story, you first have to take a little taste of Northwest Arkansas, near the borders of Missouri, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Northwest Arkansas boasts a veritable playground of booming businesses and evangelical churches, from large Methodist congregations, to Springdale's First Baptist Church, and the Church at Pinnacle Point, where The Reverend Ronnie Floyd addresses both a local and national audience each Sunday with a conservative message simulcast on Chicago's WGN-TV.

Private Christian schools and small houses of worship dot the hilly and verdant Ozark landscape, and even Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee has bona fides as an ordained Baptist Minister.

During the general election of 2004, the state overwhelmingly passed a law forbidding gay marriage, and state lawmakers regularly flirt with trying to come up with laws on both prayer in the public schools (permissive) and teaching evolution (prohibitive) in those same schools.

People in this rapidly growing area, which claims the world headquarters of Wal-Mart and Tyson Foods, the world's largest retailer and largest meat packer respectively, publicly and proudly quote the Holy Bible when the occasion takes them. Religion, specifically the Christian kind has become part of the "weave" that makes up everyday life.

Public displays of Christian religion don't provoke the same reaction one might experience say, in downtown Chicago.

An organization known as the Fellowship of Christian Athletes plays a big role in the everyday life of the state's biggest sporting interest, the University of Arkansas Razorbacks (Football and Basketball -- the only story in the state because of a dearth of pro-franchises or other major universities providing on-field action.)

Northwest Arkansas sent the only Republican on the state's congressional delegation to represent its Third District in D.C.

CROSSING THE LINE?

That said, why did college student Stephen Coger get kicked out of Fayetteville's Northwest Arkansas Mall for having two biblical quotes painted on his truck?

His somewhat worse-for-wear looking truck sports Psalms 120: (6) and (7) which read as follows:

"My soul hath long dwelt with him that hateth peace" and "I am for peace: but when I speak, they are for war."

If you appreciate irony in the least, this might get you grinning; Coger says the mall senior property manager confronted him in the parking lot as he went inside for dinner. Her name?

"Alice Church."

You can cue Rod Serling now.

Coger claims the aptly named Ms. Church told him he couldn't park his home-decorated vehicle at the mall because of the scriptural quotes painted on the side, and because mall policy ruled those to be "solicitations."

Coger also says Church wouldn't let him inside at first, but relented and allowed him ten minutes in the food court to grab some pizza.

A LITTLE HELP FROM MY FRIENDS

Former newspaper writer and political activist Kirby Sanders related Coger's story, and added,

"If the Northwest Arkansas Mall is going to ban religious messages on the vehicles on their parking lot as 'solicitations,' they are going to have a very empty lot -- unless of course the ban is extremely selective."

True, on any given day, a drive across the blacktop near the local Dillard's and JCPenney at the mall will reveal row upon row of SUV sporting the ubiquitous metal fish decoration seen on tailgates and bumpers, considered a symbol of Christianity.

You might also find any number of bumper stickers informing the reader that the driver plans to "vote life" or supports "W-the president" - additional instances of political speech parked very close to Fayetteville's hub of retail commerce, but perhaps not considered "solicitation" at least under a "very selective" definition.

SOME BACKGROUND, OR, DOES HISTORY REPEAT?

And, the mall does have a history of demonstrating little tolerance to those who wish to passively express at least political views.

In April 2003, members of a group called the "Progressive Student Association" decided to visit the mall for lunch after a day of protest several miles away on Fayetteville's Dickson Street, the heart of the nightclub district.

In a report filed by local reporter Wil Shane that year, 22-year-old protestor Daniel Vaught explains what happened.

Vaught says the group wore homemade t-shirts bearing the slogan, "Support the Troops, not war or Bu$h."

In Shane's report, Vaught goes on to say, "They met us at the curb and said we weren't welcome...they told us our shirts were the reason."

Mall security also called Fayetteville police for backup, and they arrested Vaught.

But that doesn't exactly answer why all those metal fish can nestle so closely to the mall, but the louder green painted scriptures raised hackles at the mall.

At the time of this writing, the mall sits quiet and closed, no Ms. Church available to comment on her reasons, if any, for reading young Mr. Coger (Methodist) the riot act and sending him on his way.

We'll give them a chance to respond as soon as possible.

Did the decision to boot Coger have anything to do with the implications of the quotes?

Did mall management find Psalms just a bit too anti-war for their tastes, or did they just dislike the gaudy color of Coger's home paint job?

Perhaps the context of history points toward a more message based reason for the warning.

A WARM RECEPTION

As for Coger's friend, Sanders, he says he tried to let his former colleagues at the local newspapers know about the story.

Sanders says he used email to clue everyone in, but in at least one instance, received a less than welcome response.

When Sanders sent his mail to the Northwest Arkansas Morning News editors, he says he received this response, even though he doesn't recognize the address of the respondent:

"Good! He put those messages to invoke a reaction; it just wasn't the reaction he anticipated. Not only do I not want to see a pickup with scriptures on its side, I don't want e-mails about it."

Sanders and Coger both say they expect to get some answers to some interesting questions.

Heaven only knows what might happen of they get around to quoting anything about Salome or Sodom and Gomorrah.

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Interesting report here. Didn't we really always know this? Wasn't it always at the back of everyone's mind? Just how many jokes could we cook up about the lame system of terror alerts used by the Department of Homeland Security? The full story here...

The Bush administration periodically put the USA on high alert for terrorist attacks even though then-Homeland Security chief Tom Ridge argued there was only flimsy evidence to justify raising the threat level, Ridge now says.

Ridge, who resigned Feb. 1, said Tuesday that he often disagreed with administration officials who wanted to elevate the threat level to orange, or "high" risk of terrorist attack, but was overruled.

His comments at a Washington forum describe spirited debates over terrorist intelligence and provide rare insight into the inner workings of the nation's homeland security apparatus.

How many other things have we seen that add up to pure fibbery coming from our friends in DC? Good heavens, I'm starting to feel like a Bircher...

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Friday, May 13th (ooooh, Friday the 13th?) The Dennis Miller Show will cease airing on CNBC (hurrah! he's done better elsewhere -- see his recent appearance on Comedy Central's Daily Show) -- so, the smarm that became bitter disappears again. Perhaps now Fox will pick him up -- any bets on that one? Here's more from Mediabistro.com, part of a letter announcing the change by CNBC President Mark Hoffman...

"I have spoken with Dennis Miller about these plans and he has let me know that his strong preference is to leave his program immediately. Therefore, the final episode of "Dennis Miller" will air this Friday, May 13.

Dennis is an exceptionally talented comedian with an unmatched wit and he and his team consistently delivered a very entertaining program. I want to personally thank Dennis, Eddie Feldmann and their entire group. We are all very proud of their accomplishments and wish them nothing but the best for the future."

Alas, so shall it ever be with panderers.

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Seems the drive to recruit new members of the armed forces has taken a toll on honesty among some military recruiters. Some in the military will have to take a "time-out" in about a week because of dirty recruiting tactics...fantastic radio version of this story on today's All Things Considered...worth a listen.

The Army has taken the unusual step of planning a "values stand-down" for its recruiters on May 20. Recruiters will retrain on acceptable recruiting practices. Robert Siegel talks with New York Times reporter Damian Cave, who has written stories about military recruiting abuses.

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On my way to Bentonville for a couple of hours. NASCAR will join the gazillion other vendors to open an office in town to be near Wal-Mart. They'll do merchandising out of this place. Driver Kurt Busch will speak...shooting this for KNWA-TV for tonight and Sunday night in "Always Opportunity" segment.

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A federal judge in Chicago has decided United Airlines can simply say "faggedaboudit" to its employees with pension benefits. Again, seems like major corporations have more rights than living, breathing Americans in this country. Story comes courtesy of the New York Times...

United Airlines, which is operating in bankruptcy protection, received court permission yesterday to terminate its four employee pension plans, setting off the largest pension default in the three decades that the government has guaranteed pensions.

The ruling by Judge Eugene R. Wedoff of Federal Bankruptcy Court came after a lengthy hearing in a crowded Chicago courtroom, near where United is based.

The flight attendants union said, OK United, get ready for the occasional work stoppage/slowdown...ah, what goes around as they say...

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Have conservatives literally lost their minds?!? They've said that about liberals for years, now the science world weighs in, and Slate is there to record the sparks and the frightening results...Start with this -- why would the working class vote against its own best interests and instead vote in favor of the interests of the wealthy and major corporations? ("class warfare")...

Let's consider another possibility, then: The working class, or at least a large segment of same, suffers from a psychological disorder.

We take for our text "Political Conservatism as Motivated Social Cognition," a study that ruffled conservative feathers a couple of years ago, especially after it was discovered that the research had been underwritten by the federal government to the tune of $1.2 million. The study's authors (who include Frank Sulloway, the famous birth-order theoretician) assure readers that they are not out to prove that conservatives are crazy, or that conservatism is "necessarily false, irrational, or unprincipled." Rather, "like virtually all other belief systems," conservative beliefs are adopted "in part because they satisfy some psychological needs." But the snotty use of the word "necessarily" gives the game away. The authors of the study plainly believe that conservatives have a screw loose, and they're curious to find out why.

Screw loose? I think we're definitely looking along the proverbial back-wall of the local hardware store here...

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Minister Chan Chandler, the idiot preacher from North Carolina finally did what he should have done last week (or before) after kicking Dems out of his flock for voting against President Bush...Here's the story...

"I am resigning with gratitude in my heart for all of you," the Rev. Chan Chandler said as he left a closed-door meeting at East Waynesville Baptist Church.

Congregants of the 100-member church in western North Carolina have said that Chandler endorsed Bush from the pulpit during last year's presidential campaign and said that anyone who planned to vote for Democratic nominee Sen. John Kerry needed to "repent or resign."

With gratitude in all of our hearts, don't let the chapel door hit your fanny on the way out. We don't need stuff like this in America.

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--Don Elkins, Arkansas Tonight

When the private becomes public, candidate says, "I think what is important is that you don't have to be Beaver Cleaver to have family values"

FAYETTEVILLE, MAY 10 -- Attorney and former State Representative Mike Hathorn of Huntsville says nothing made him "chicken out" of the race for the Arkansas Attorney General's office. He also says he called current AG and Democratic candidate for Governor Mike Beebe to talk about what kind of job a Lt. Governor should have if Beebe wins the 2006 election and takes over as the next Governor of the Natural State.

Speaking on the phone with Arkansas Tonight Tuesday evening, after he made his entry into the race official, Hathorn called it too early to talk about endorsements, but said he talked with the Attorney General and discussed a more expansive and active job description of a Lt. Governor than voters have become accustomed to seeing.

"Some people who have served as Lt. Governor have viewed the job as a ceremonial position. It could be the second most powerful position in Arkansas besides the Governor," Hathorn says.

Republican pundits in both the north and southern ends of the Arkansas media universe have questioned the public profile of current Lt. Governor and gubernatorial candidate Win Rockefeller.

However, on Tuesday afternoon, some in Democratic circles wondered why Hathorn decided to take on race for a job traditionally seen as either a dead-end, or less "hands-on" than the Attorney General's office, a position that has more than once served as a stepping stone to the Governor's office in later elections, most notably in the case of former President Bill Clinton.

Asked about the decision, Hathorn said, "I never announced I was running for the Attorney General's office. I was also considering a run for the Lt. Governor -- it's a job that can be what you make it."

FAMILY CONSIDERATIONS

But those who know him say he may have taken other considerations into account when deciding to run for the could-be "second most powerful" spot.

After a three-year marriage, he says his wife Amanda left him last month.

He also says both had been in counseling for some time, describes the split amicable and describes her as one of his best friends.

After the break-up, he adopted 16 month old Cierra, who he had just put to bed for the night as this interview started.

Some critics made mention of the divorce after the announcement, wondering if the drastic change in his personal life could cost Hathorn votes in heavily conservative Northwest Arkansas, perhaps recalling the toll taken by both a divorce and re-marriage on the re-election campaign of former U.S. Senator Tim Hutchinson of Northwest Arkansas.

Hathorn pointed out differences.

Again, he says he and his ex-wife bear each other no ill will. He also says he adopted his daughter after the split, and that meant no custody issues during the divorce.

Topping that off, he also said many well-known people in Arkansas public life have endured divorce. The record shows AG Mike Beebe, current Lt. Governor Win Rockefeller, and former gubernatorial candidate Jimmie Lou Fischer all went through divorces.

Does he think it'll come up during his primary race against Paragould State Senator Tim Woolridge, the only other announced candidate?

"There may be people who try to do that. I think the people of Arkansas understand divorce is a sad thing...I think what is important is that you don't have to be Beaver Cleaver to have family values, to think people want someone who has family values who will step up and do the right thing," says Hathorn.

He goes on to add, "I'm a great dad...I think what's most important to me is I'm a great dad...I adopted a little girl and that's the most important think to me in the whole world."

His new fatherhood also played a part in his decision to run for an office that might not put the demands on his time that the AG's office and race might -- time and attention he says he'd rather spend on his daughter.

But, as with Tim Hutchinson's race for the U.S. Senate, divorce -- and religion -- could still play a big role.

WILL RELIGION COUNT?

Evangelical Christian conservative Jim Bob Duggar got things rolling downhill for Hutchinson, polling what some saw as a moral reaction vote.

The Senator's divorce and family life became a largely taboo hot-button issue during the race, and may have cost Hutchinson his seat in the Senate.

Some Republicans reacting to news of the Huntsville Democrat's campaign said they'd rather vote for an extremist Republican candidate than for Hathorn, a man some on the conservative fringes of the party consider a liberal opposite to Republican Lt. Governor candidate Jim Holt of Springdale.

But Hathorn doesn't think his opponents can paint him into a religious or liberal corner.

"I don't think so...I'm a member of Calvary Baptist Church in Huntsville, not exactly your liberal church, but our members believe in God and Jesus -- we just don't mix it with our politics." he says of that prospect.

"I'm a good person, a good Christian and I'm not afraid to say that I'm a good Democrat," he continued, adding that the matter still concerns him.

STRATEGY MATTERS...

Personal matters aside, Hathorn dismisses critics claims his run might damage a Beebe candidacy.

His opponent, Tim Wooldridge also comes from central Arkansas, and some strategist believe a Hathorn candidacy might bring much needed votes from nominally Republican Northwest Arkansas in a statewide race.

Hathorn also says he learned the forgotten art of legislative compromise during his six years in public office, working on issues including the school funding case, which continued to baffle lawmaker during the 85th General Assembly.

Add to that his assertion he has run as a Democratic nominee in at least 30 Arkansas counties, and he calls the choice an easy one to make.

In the end, in response to the controversy Tuesday's decision created in political circles, Hathorn responds, "I think most people understand I can be a great Lt. Governor, and those who support me will be my supporters one way or the other."

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From Britain's Financial Times, this piece tells the tale of how it has become harder to make ends meet in the United States, part and parcell of fiscal policy expediting the rich becoming richer, poor becoming more so. Remember, if you get a few hundred dollars back as a tax break, the wealthy will get a lot more -- and whereas you'll have to spend yours on food, they'll get to reinvest theirs. All the while, the rat race gets faster...

Real wages in the US are falling at their fastest rate in 14 years, according to data surveyed by the Financial Times.

Inflation rose 3.1 per cent in the year to March but salaries climbed just 2.4 per cent, according to the Employment Cost Index. In the final three months of 2004, real wages fell by 0.9 per cent.

The last time salaries fell this steeply was at the start of 1991, when real wages declined by 1.1 per cent.

Stingy pay rises mean many Americans will have to work longer hours to keep up with the cost of living, and they could ultimately undermine consumer spending and economic growth.

Many economists believe that in spite of the unexpectedly large rise in job creation of 274,000 in April, the uneven revival in the labour market since the 2001 recession has made it hard for workers to negotiate real improvements in living standards.

Couple that with an incredibly high level of unemployment and you have real misery, and a good chance at some sort of upheaval during the mid-term elections.

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ESPN's Jim Lampley writes this on the new Huffingtonpost.com blog -- he says the last presidential election was stolen.

Karl Rove isn't capable of conceiving and executing such a grandiose crime? Wake up. They did it. The silence of traditional media on this subject is enough to establish their newfound bankruptcy. The revolution will have to start here. I challenge every other thinker at the Huffington Post: is there any greater imperative than to reverse this crime and reestablish democracy in America? Why the mass silence? Let's go to work with the circumstantial evidence, begin to narrow from the outside in, and find some witnesses who will turn. That's how they cracked Watergate. This is bigger, and I never dreamed I would say that in my baby boomer lifetime.

Hmmmmmmm.....

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Oh, wow. What can you say about this? I understand this was completely serious. Fox's Alan Colmes was interviewing anti-abortion activist Neal Horsley (pun?) about Horsley's desire to put doctors names online. Apparently during the discussion, the talk got around to Horsley's sexual past...want the full story? You'll have to visit this site...maybe it'll make more sense...it started with Horsley talking about growing up on a farm, and enjoying some close relations with a mule(maybe this guy was 'funnin' Colmes)

AC: "Are you suggesting that everybody who grows up on a farm in Georgia has a mule as a girlfriend?"

NH: It has historically been the case. You people are so far removed from the reality... Welcome to domestic life on the farm..."

Colmes said he thought there were a lot of people in the audience who grew up on farms, are living on farms now, raising kids on farms and "and I don't think they are dating Elsie right now. You know what I'm saying?"

Horsley said, "You experiment with anything that moves when you are growing up sexually. You're naive. You know better than that... If it's warm and it's damp and it vibrates you might in fact have sex with it."

In addition to Horsley, Colmes has recently interviewed Randall Terry another radical anti-abortionist and anti-gay activist. In the middle of an otherwise serious interview, Terry began joking - apropos of nothing - that he and Colmes were ex-lovers.

Another extremist interviewed by Colmes not too long ago was Rev. Fred Phelps who stated on the show that he thought the death penalty should be given for those who engage in "sodomy." When Colmes asked Phelps if he had ever engaged in gay sex, Phelps blustered but never said no.

Sheesh. As the author of this pointed out, perhaps we do have a pattern going here.

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The Mayor of Spokane has caved, and says he'll take leave after some spectacular accusations about his sexual proclivities, and public fight against homosexuals. If you scroll down a bit, you'll find the earlier part of this story -- this just broke tonight...

Spokane Mayor Jim West on Monday announced he is taking a leave from office to give himself a few weeks to gather his thoughts and prepare a defense against "false accusations leveled against me."

West made the announcement in a brief appearance before the City Council at its regular weekly briefing session, held on Mondays at 3:30 p.m. He gave no indication he has any intention of resigning, despite calls from a growing number of quarters that the mayor step down.

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The New York Times reports tonight that intruders grabbed programming instructions for many of the computers which control the internet. Have we seen that now-forgotten Homeland Security color bar thing reappear? Not at all. Should we worry? You judge...

Now federal officials and computer security investigators have acknowledged that the Cisco break-in last year was only part of a more extensive operation - involving a single intruder or a small band, apparently based in Europe - in which thousands of computer systems were similarly penetrated.

Investigators in the United States and Europe say they have spent almost a year pursuing the case involving attacks on computer systems serving the American military, NASA and research laboratories.

The break-ins exploited security holes on those systems that the authorities say have now been plugged, and beyond the Cisco theft, it is not clear how much data was taken or destroyed. Still, the case illustrates the ease with which Internet-connected computers - even those of sophisticated corporate and government networks - can be penetrated and also the difficulty in tracing those responsible.

Wonder what all that will do to Cisco stock...the company posts earnings tomorrow.

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