What a spectacle of theatre as the Tabby Cat Executioner strolled to the microphone and presented his rendition of the euphoric bliss of slowly, oh ever so slowly, ebbing away with dignity and peace; being released into that realm of the ultimate destination. With the best of Oscar performances, we heard about all the love and care the Tabby Cat Executioner and his supporting cast exercised to make this serene moment possible. It made me almost want to sign him up to take care of me. Can I have a tabby cat too?

Nat Hentoff, writing in the Village Voice, “Terri Schiavo: Judicial Murder”, comments on this too:

On March 15’s Nightline, in an appallingly one-sided, distorted account of the Schiavo case, Terri’s husband, Michael—who’d like to marry the woman he’s now living with—said that once Terri’s feeding tube is removed at his insistent command, Terri “will drift off into a nice little sleep and eventually pass on and be with God.”

As an atheist, I cannot speak to what he describes as his abandoned wife’s ultimate destination, but I can tell how Wesley Smith (consultant to the Center for Bioethics and Culture)—whom I often consult on these bitterly controversial cases because of his carefully researched books and articles—describes death by dehydration.
In his book Forced Exit (Times Books), Wesley quotes neurologist William Burke: “A conscious person would feel it [dehydration] just as you and I would. . . . Their skin cracks, their tongue cracks, their lips crack. They may have nosebleeds because of the drying of the mucous membranes, and heaving and vomiting might ensue because of the drying out of the stomach lining.

“They feel the pangs of hunger and thirst. Imagine going one day without a glass of water! . . . It is an extremely agonizing death.”

While this cruelty was going on in the hospice, Michael Schiavo’s serpentine lawyer, George Felos, said to one and all: “Terri is stable, peaceful, and calm. . . . She looked beautiful.”

Now let’s see… tabby cat, 72 virgins, beautiful… hey this death stuff is starting to sound… well like… why would anyone want to live? Wow man… which way to Florida?

Jane T. Christensen is an associate professor at North Carolina Wesleyan. At first I thought the page was hacked, you have to see it to believe it.

She will be teaching a course entitled POL495 - 911 The Road to Tyranny. This is from the course description:

We will consider alternative explanations of what occurrred as well. 911 was a catalyst for the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq as well as the attack on civil liberties in the United States.

…

REQUIRED TEXTS
Michael Parenti, The Terrorism Trap. San Francisco, City Lights Books, 2002.
George Humphrey, 9/11: The Great Illusion. Austin, Texas, George Humphrey Publications, 2003.

Watch the video and here is Amazon’s description of The Terrorism Trap.

Product Description:
A penetrating analysis of the hidden political, economic, and religious agendas behind the September 11 attacks and the war, with an emphasis on Afghanistan’s history and the U.S.-led globalization process that has impoverished and angered much of the world.

Also, from POL302 - The American Presidency, here is the final exam:

THE PRESIDENCY

FINAL EXAM

Instructions: Write essays on each of the following 4 questions (25 points each). Your answers should be at least one page each, no less. You will be graded on your writing and organizational skills as well as your ability to bring the readings into your discussion. This test is designed to see how well you have thought about the materials we have read and discussed and your ability to discuss these materials after you have reflected on them.

1. How has the war on terrorism contributed to the powers of the Bush presidency? (Discuss at least 4 ways).

2. Discuss the sweeping attack on democratic rights under the Bush administration and what this means for the future of democratic government in America.

3. Whose interests are served by the foreign and domestic policies of the Bush administration?

4. Describe and discuss the role of the Bush advisors. Who are they? What is their agenda? And how is it being carried out?

Under “Alternative Media” on her faculty page we find… AlJazeera.

Via LGF. Also commenting is Clear and Present. Yes, I know it’s April 1st today, but check it out for yourself.

UPDATE: She also has a page called Palestine which is rife with anti-Jewish links, including a dead link to www.AmericanStateTerrorism.com.

There’s lots of buzz about Sandy Berger’s plea deal.

“Last year, when I was in the Archives reviewing documents, I made an honest mistake. It’s one that I deeply regret,” Berger said late Tuesday. “I dealt with this issue in October 2003 fully and completely. Everything that I have done all along in this process has been for the purpose of aiding and supporting the work of the 9/11 commission, and any suggestion to the contrary is simply, absolutely wrong.”

But the GOP says the whole snafu raises questions about whether Berger tried to hide embarrassing materials, since he was reportedly seen stuffing documents down his pants, shirt and in his socks.

Those commenting include Michelle Malkin (who has been so gently reminded that he didn’t put them in his socks), Jason Smith, Confederate Yankee (”Chinese spies in Los Alamos will assuredly sleep better tonight.”), Captain Ed, The American Mind, LaShawn (”Although he “inadvertently” took some papers, he “knowingly” crammed others down his pants. So he meant to steal only a few things.”), Powerline, Kevin, SoCal Law Blog and lots of others.