King County, WA, home to the city of Seattle, has been renamed King County, WA, in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., by moonbat Governor Christine Gregoire.

The county had been originally named after former US Vice President William Rufus Devane King, but the county council, and the moonbat masquerading as governor felt that it needed to be put into "official" effect.

Governor Christine Gregoire signed a bill Tuesday renaming King County in honor of the civil rights leader who visited Seattle in 1961.

Council members renamed the county after King in 1986, but a similar change was not made in state law at the time.

King County was established in 1852 when Washington was still part of the Oregon Territory.

The county was named after William Rufus Devane King, who was a long-tenured senator from Alabama and vice president of the United States under Franklin Pierce.

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US Congresscritter Stephanie Tubbs Jones (Moonbat-OH) is in hot water over taking a 2001 trip paid for by a lobbyist -- or is she?

Stephanie Tubbs Jones, an Ohio Democrat who sits on the House ethics committee, took a 2001 trip to Puerto Rico that was paid for by a registered lobbyist firm — an apparent violation of the chamber's ethics rules — according to documents that she filed with the House clerk.

A spokeswoman for Mrs. Jones disputed those records yesterday, saying "human error" led a staffer to list the name of D.C. lobbyist firm Smith, Dawson & Andrews as having paid the $3,366 tab for Mrs. Jones and her husband to travel to the Puerto Rican island of Vieques in the Caribbean.

Time will tell if those same voices will be raised in concern regaring Jones' miscues, let alone any calls for her resignation.

I'm not holding my breath though. After all, she's "only" a Democrat, and a member of the Congressional Black Caucus on top of that. It's politically incorrect to challenge her, and will be seen as (c'mon, let's say it together) "racially motivated partisan poiltics."

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A new release from Project 21 criticizes the NAACP for their apparently partisan position on the "nuclear option" in the US Senate.

Members of the black leadership organization Project 21 are criticizing the NAACP for endorsing filibusters against Bush Administration judicial nominees, calling the NAACP endorsement contradictory to the group's past position, when filibusters halted the progress of civil rights bills.

"For decades, the NAACP was vehemently against filibusters because they were employed to oppose and counter civil rights legislation. But the NAACP has now switched position," notes Project 21 member Michael King. "NAACP head Julian Bond has aggressively made verbal attacks on the Bush Administration. Though Bond and the NAACP leadership vociferously deny charges of partisanship, Bond's actions and the silence of the membership implies that partisanship is the order of the day. By virtue of its actions, the NAACP has forfeited any opportunity to provide a reasonable voice to this discussion."

Current filibuster rules require the votes of 60 or more senators to bring something up for consideration on the floor of the U.S. Senate. Then only a simple majority is needed for passage or confirmation. During President Bush's first term, Senate liberals employed prolonged filibusters against appeals court nominees for the first time ever. Senate leaders are assessing a rule change - dubbed the "nuclear option" by its opponents - to reduce the number of votes needed to schedule a floor vote as a filibuster progresses.

In a March 16 "Action Alert," NAACP Washington Bureau director Hilary O. Shelton called the filibuster "a respected method of ensuring that the most ardent concerns of the minority party... were taken into consideration" and an "accepted parliamentary maneuver." The alert suggests people contact senators to support retaining the existing Senate rules.

Between the 1930s and 1960s, the NAACP was outspoken against filibusters. For example, anti-lynching legislation was never enacted despite three popular bills because of filibusters. The NAACP's fair employment proposal suffered a similar fate. The Civil Rights Act of 1964 was unsuccessfully filibustered.

"While the NAACP has filled its coffers and built a reputation fighting the presentation of the Confederate Battle Flag, they are now celebrating a tactic used by former Confederates and segregationists to impede the fight for civil rights," said Project 21 member Kevin Martin. "The black community should be alarmed that the NAACP now supports the same filibuster that kept lynchings legal."

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Bells are ringing in St. Peter's Square, along with white smoke coming from the Sistine Chapel's chimney, signaling the election of a new pope.

We'll get our first glimpse shortly.

UPDATE - 12:45P ET - 78 year old Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger of Germany has been elected Pope by the College of Cardinals. He has taken the name of Pope Benedict XVI.

The new Pope, previously the Dean of the College of Cardinals, is considered a conservative traditionalist, and is expected to continue the work of his friend, Pope John Paul II. This is the second straight non-Italian Pope after the Polish John Paul II.

At 78, most anticipate that Pope Benedict XVI's reigh will be notably shorter than Pope John Paul II's, but many pundits point out the apparent good health of the new Pope.

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As seems the norm, I'm late to the party on this one.

Jon Carroll's piece in the San Francisco Chronicle follows up on an e-mail making it's way across the web (at least if your SpamBlocker hasn't blocked it).

Greetings to the Imprisoned Citizens of the United States! Too long has your attention been waylaid by the bright baubles of extremist thought. Too long have fundamentalist yahoos of all religions (except Buddhism -- 14-5 vote, no abstentions, fundamentalism subcommittee) made your head hurt. Too long have you been buffeted by angry people who think that God talks to them. You have a right to your moderation! You have the power to be calm! We will use the IED of truth to explode the SUV of dogmatic expression!

Thanks to the wonder of the internet, you can find our your Unitarian Jihad Name.

I ran it, and have been dubbed The Hand Grenade of Courteous Debate.

Works for me. Head on over and get yours, and let me know here what you have been dubbed.

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Monday Night Football, the second-longest running prime-time series in television history, moves from ABC to ESPN as of the start of the 2006 season. Only CBS' 60 Minutes has been on the air longer, by two years.

ESPN's Sunday Night Football franchise that they inherited from TNT in the late 90s will move to broadcast television on NBC. NBC has not broadcast the NFL since CBS took the AFC package from them in 1998.

ABC, where MNF originated is co-owned by ESPN parent Disney. ABC will be left without pro football for the first time since the opening 1970 MNF broadcast of the New York Jets and the Cleveland Browns.

As part of the deal, NBC will carry the 2009 and 2012 Super Bowl broadcasts. NBC is paying $600 million for the deal.

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115 cardinals are entering the Sistine Chapel this morning to begin the Conclave that will select the new Pope.

The cardinals are sequestered inside the Chapel complex, completely cut off from the outside world in order to participate in a centuries-old process that will see three or four votes per day until a new Pope is selected. The complex has had all radios and televisions, all cell phones and Blackberries, all internet access and any other access to the outside world removed.

Representing 52 countries, the 115 crimson-robed "princes" of a church stung by priest sex-abuse scandals and an exodus of the faithful celebrated a midmorning Mass at St. Peter's Basilica before sequestering themselves in the Sistine Chapel late Monday afternoon.

There, seated atop a false floor hiding electronic jamming devices designed to thwart eavesdroppers, they were to take an oath of secrecy, hear a meditation from a senior cardinal and decide whether to take a first vote or wait until Tuesday.

Black smoke would signify that no concensus vote had been reached, while white smoke, coupled with the ringing of bells in the Vatican would signify that a new pontiff has been chosen.

Several names have been posited by network news people as the supposed "front-runner," but many point out the old Vatican adage, "He who enters a pontiff, exits a cardinal." That implies that no "front-runner" has ever won the two-thirds vote necessary to become pope.

The networks all have their reporters ensconced in strategic locations around St. Peter's Square, and will (of course) go to wall-to-wall "Pope-o-vision" when events warrant.

UPDATE - 5P ET - Black smoke spewed out of the Sistine Chapel's chimney shortly after 2P ET, signalling a "No" vote among the cardinals sequestered for the Conclave.

Tribal Council continues tomorrow, with the next "chimney sign" taking place sometime after 6A ET.

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According to The Drudge Report this evening, ABC News is testing several concepts to replace Nightline once Ted Koppel steps down in December. One of the concepts was -- believe it or not -- a nightclub, complete with white linen table cloths, candles and a fog machine.

According to Drudge, more info will be revealed in Monday morning's New York Times.

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A new website has popped up, RecallFreeman.com, that demands the recall of Fulton County Sheriff Myron Freeman. Freeman's handling of the Fulton County Courthouse shootings last month are at the center of the recall effort.

'Grounds for recall' means:

(A) That the official has, while holding public office, conducted himself or herself in a manner which relates to and adversely affects the administration of his or her office and adversely affects the rights and interests of the public; and

(B) That the official is guilty of a failure to perform duties prescribed by law...

Brian Nichols is accused of begining his murderous rampage last month at the Fulton County Courthouse, thanks to the lax security there. Four people died during the Nichols crime spree.

The other thing that I've said is that Freeman needs to be kept as far as is humanly possible away from any and all microphones. His verbal presence is lacking, and that's putting it mildly.

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Florida state Senator Mandy Dawson (Moonbat-Ft. Lauderdale) was formally reprimanded by the state Senate yesterday after soliciting funds from lobbyists to pay for a trip to South Africa. Dawson also was stripped of her membership of the Senate Ethics and Elections Committee.

The reprimand is one in a long string of troubles for the veteran politician, who was first elected to the Florida House in 1992 and then to the Senate in 1998. She was chastised in 2000 for missing an excessive number of votes and in 2002 was arrested on a charge of altering a painkiller prescription to receive more pills. She avoided a felony charge after completing a yearlong, court-sponsored drug-rehabilitation program.

Thursday's proceeding took about five minutes, with Dawson looking down while the charges against her were read. She then got up and gave a rambling speech, where she talked about a dog she once adopted and how she ran for office to help babies born to cocaine-addicted moms and to deal with AIDS.

One aspect lacking in her remarks: a clear statement of contrition.

Instead, Dawson qualified her one mea culpa with an ``if.''

''I hope you will accept my humble and sincere apology if my actions have in any way compromised the integrity of this body,'' Dawson said. ''Please know I hold sacred and respect the integrity of the Senate and its rules.'' Referencing the struggle against apartheid in South Africa, Dawson pledged ''reconciliation'' with the Senate and the citizens of Florida. But she suggested that she won't suffer any further political trouble.

''I truly believe in my heart of hearts that although my path into this body is different, my constituents see my values and continue to support me. And for that I am eternally grateful,'' she said, closing with a Zulu phrase that she said translated as ''great happy day'' and ``go in happiness.''

The Legislative Black Caucus paid for Dawson and a male companion to go on the ten-day trip. Seven other Florida state legislators also went on the trip, but those officials paid for their trips either from unused campaign dollars or out of their own pockets.

A subsequent Senate investigation found that Dawson violated state law by accepting a gift in excess of $100, and by soliciting monies from lobbyists. She also violated Senate rules by failure to "maintain the integrity of the office."

Anyone want to take bets on how long before she (or someone close to her) starts screaming "racism?"

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One user, in his/her infinte wisdom, carries the username "Kill_Bush" (not to be confused with "KillBush420", but we'll discuss that in a bit).

Said user took the blood-spattered poster image from Kill Bill and came up with a shirt that said -- you guessed it, "Kill Bush."

CafePress has yanked the product from their site, but the shirt's order page still exists through the marvel of Google's cache.

And though the one user is gone, there is another one, using the CafePress username KillBush420, that has merchandise that is equally inciteful.

Also (and while we're on the subject)The Secret Service is investigating an artist, whose work is part of an exhibit called "Axis of Evil: The Secret History of Sin" at Chicago's Columbia College.

The work, by Chicago artist Al Brandtner, is entitled "Patriot Act," and depicts President Bush's head with a pistol pointed toward it in the form of a postage stamp.

Curators of the exhibit are afraid of the inquiry and what it means to free speech rights.

The exhibit's curator, Michael Hernandez de Luna, said the inquiry "frightens" him.

"It starts questioning all rights, not only my rights or the artists' rights in this room, but questioning the rights of any artist who creates — any writer, any visual artist, any performance artist. It seems like we're being watched," he said.

Oh, and for the sake of complete disclosure, I sell my own t-shirts and mugs 'n stuff from CafePress, which you can find here or on the left rail.

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Eric Robert Rudolph stood defiantly in a Birmingham courtroom this morning, and pleaded guilty to bombing an abortion clinic there in 1998. Rudolph insisted that the government's case was flimsy at best when questioned by federal Judge Lynwood Smith.

Asked by the judge whether he believed the government had enough evidence to prove his guilt, Rudolph replied, “Just barely, your honor.”

After prosecutors read a summary of the evidence in U.S. District Court, Smith told Rudolph that he understood he might dispute some of the prosecutionÂ’s claims.

“But let me just cut to the chase: Did you plant the bomb that exploded at the New Woman All Women clinic?”

“I did, your honor,” Rudolph said.

The bomb was placed in a flower pot and authorities believe it was detonated by remote control.

Smith asked Rudolph whether he detonated the bomb.

“I certainly did, your honor.”

“Are you in fact guilty?” Smith asked.

“I am,” replied Rudolph, 38.

Asked whether he understood that he was pleading guilty to the 1998 bombing in exchange for a life sentence in federal prison, Rudolph nodded and replied: “Correct.”

“Are you satisfied with your attorneys?” Smith asked.

“Yes. I am your honor. They’re very, very good. Superlative attorneys,” said Rudolph, who eluded authorities for 5 1/2 years after the Birmingham blast by hiding in the mountains of western North Carolina.

The 50-minute proceeding ended with Smith pronouncing, “The defendant is now adjudged guilty.”

Rudolph's plea deal comes in exchange for his disclosure of where more than 250 pounds of explosives were hidden in the mountains of North Carolina - where he hid from federal authorities for more than five years before his capture.

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Is this SFGate.com photo caption over the line?

That corral's where we keep the liberals: President Bush shows off his Crawford, Texas, ranch to the Israeli prime minister -- coincidentally on the same day that the media report the president's iPod playlist includes "My Sharona."

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An American citizen, taken hostage in Iraq, was seen on a video broadcast on Al Jazeera today, begging for his life.

The tape on Wednesday showed a man sitting behind a wooden desk as three men pointed their guns towards him.

He was holding what looked like a passport and a photo identification.

The US embassy spokesman in Baghdad - Bob Callahan - confirmed the captive's name as Jeffrey Ake and that the pictures appeared to be consistent with his appearance, but declined to give further details.

Aljazeera did not air the tape's audio, but said Ake had asked the US government to start a dialogue with the Iraqi resistance.

I'll link to the video once it becomes available.

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Moonbats far and wide are protesting heavy equipment manufacturer Caterpillar today, in the name of flattened protester Rachel "Our Lady of the Royal and Blessed Pancake" Corrie.

Corrie was run over by an Israeli Defense Force bulldozer when she stepped in front of it to attempt to prevent a Palistinian house from being demolished. The house was the residence of a suicide bomber. The IDF has a practice of demolishing the homes of suicide bombers.

On April 13, join groups all over the world in opposing Caterpillar sales of home-crushing bulldozers to Israel. That day, Caterpillar shareholders will meet in Chicago and will discuss a resolution on sales of bulldozers to Israel. We're calling on groups to organize local demonstrations at CAT-related locations, such as board of directors' offices or CAT dealerships, to send a strong message that cooperation in human rights abuses is unacceptable.

The Caterpillar Corporation has been in the business of war profiteering, profiting from the violation of the human rights of the Palestinian people and from the escalating cycle of violence between the Israelis and the Palestinians.

To hear them tell it, all of Caterpillar's products have minds of their own - kind of like the old ABC Movie of the Week and Theodore Sturgeon science fiction story Killdozer.

What's next, to insist that Bob the Builder is evil because he uses a bulldozer?

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Al Sharpton insists he did nothing wrong in terms of fundraising for his Presidential campaign.

"I assure you that everything handed to us was properly filed," said Sharpton, referring to $140,000 in donations collected by two shady businessmen who later were caught by a wiretap speculating that Sharpton had not reported most of that money to the Federal Election Commission.

"It is very suspicious that we have a pattern here," Sharpton said yesterday, citing both the FBI's secret videotape and bugging surveillance of a 2003 meeting he had with the fund-raisers and an FBI microphone found in the office of Philadelphia Mayor John Street, who also is black.

"People understand what this smells like," Sharpton said at a press conference outside The Post, which detailed the federal probe yesterday in a front-page story.

"I know that there were irregularities in Mr. [John] Edwards's [presidential campaign] . . . I know there were questions about John Kerry's mortgaging his house for his campaign. I don't know of any of them being wiretapped," Sharpton said.

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It looks like one of Mel Gibson's next projects will be a biographic movie of the life of Pope John Paul II.

Gibson, a 'devote' Roman Catholic, got a jump start by sending a production crew to Rome to film the Pope's funeral last Friday.

Mel's "The Passion Of The Christ" was one of Hollywood's biggest box-office hits last year and he's already been talking about doing further religious themed movies such as "The Revolt Of The Maccabees", the story behind the Jewish holiday Hanukkah.

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John Kerry showed up Sunday whining about "voter intimidation" of minorities citing an old adage that says that Republicans should vote on Tuesday, while Democrats should vote on Wednesday.

Kerry even cited "evidence" (though he could not produce said "evidence") that fliers were passed out to that effect.

Kerry cited examples Sunday of how people were duped into not voting.

"Leaflets are handed out saying Democrats vote on Wednesday, Republicans vote on Tuesday. People are told in telephone calls that if you've ever had a parking ticket, you're not allowed to vote," he said.

In other words, it was a joke. Whether Kerry figured that out or not is still up for debate.

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Michael Jackson has reportedly asked his aging parents to take custody of his children, 8 year-old Prince Michael, seven year-old Paris and two year-old Prince Michael II, in the event of his conviction and imprisonment.

The house is Jackson's childhood home where he allegedly suffered physical and verbal abuse under his father, Joe Jackson.
Despite the star's reported unhappy relationship with his father, Joe has been at his son's side in court throughout the trial.

However, Jackson's ex-wife and mother of his two eldest children, Debbie Rowe, is so unhappy with the decision she is fighting for custody.

Rowe signed away her parental rights in 2001, telling a judge: "I had the children for him to be a father, not for me to be a mother."

But she launched a legal battle to retract the ruling after hearing Jackson was charged with child abuse and his parents were to be her children's guardians.

Or is he planning to move in with Roman Polanski in Europe?

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By now, you've seen Tiger Woods' incredible birdie shot on the 16th at Augusta National in yesterday's final round of The Masters. But for those of you who simply have not seen it, the incredible shot has already been turned into a Nike commercial by marketing guru Joseph Jaffe. Of course, you can see the commercial in 30 and 60 second forms at Jaffe's site.

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