I was at the grocery store today and in the checkout I saw it. Out of the corner of my eye I saw that piercing gaze gracing the cover of TV Guide Magazine. Could it be? Yes….there he was. Jack. Jack Bauer. I’ve missed you, Jack!

I snatched that magazine up and took it home. They had me hook, line and sinker when they stated on the cover: “PLUS a sneak peek at Day 6.” I’ve been waiting MONTHS for any kind of inkling of what happens in Day 6. $1.99 for a sneak peek? Dinero WELL spent!

So….I bet you are wondering, aren’t you? What is this sneak peek all about? Well, they don’t give us much, but enough for complete droolage. I just love what Kiefer Sutherland says about playing Jack Bauer:

Kiefer Sutherland can’t pinpoint the exact moment Jack Bauer became a living, breathing creature, but he thinks it happened sometime around Day 4.

“Before that, people would come up and say, ‘I love this movie you did’ or ‘I love your work,’ but suddenly I was getting, ‘I love Jack Bauer,’” he says during an interview in Hollywood.

Dressed in expensive-looking jeans and a white T-shirt, Sutherland looks happier and better rested than the counterterrorism agent he plays on 24, but then again, who doesn’t? It probably helps that his show, coming off its most successful ratings season yet, is up for 12 Emmys, the most nominations for any TV series. Sutherland landed his fifth straight nomination for lead actor in a drama, a feat he insists he’s only partly responsible for. “Sometimes it’s like I have nothing to do with Jack Bauer anymore,” he says with a most un-Bauerlike grin. “It’s almost like I’ve become a conduit or his brother or something.”

I can see that. I looked back at all my Bauer posts, and the words “Kiefer Sutherland” rarely came up. I’m sorry, Kiefer. I’ve now used your name at least 5 times in this post. I hope you’ll forgive me!

Of course the electronic version of this article in TV Guide Magazine doesn’t give you the down low on Day 6, so it looks like I’ll have to give you a summary (all quotes from the article):

“We’ll start with Jack next season at the lowest point anybody’s ever seen him,” Sutherland says, explaining that Day 6 opens two months into his Chinese incarceration.

:::snip:::

While other seasons gradually bring the terror to light, the new season (which kicks off in January) begins “in the midst of America being terrorized,” Cassar [the director of 24] says, likening the explosive opening to the early hours after 9/11. “Something horrible has already happened, so we start in a mood of national paranoia and fear and go from there,” he says.

Jack has been in Chinese custody for two months and has been tortured physically and mentally. “He’s not the same Jack we’ve seen before, ” Cassar says. “He’s beaten down, a weakened shell.” A la Jack’s Season 3 return from drug abuse, Season 6 will track Jack’s comeback.

Drooling yet? Thought so. But I would add that buying the magazine would be really, really good. The interview with Kiefer is good (you do know the show is nominated for 12 Emmys, right?), but even better, there are some great, dreamy pics of him for those of you who, ahem, are into that kinda thing.

January’s way too far away, dammit! But I believe Day 5 will be on DVD this fall (I remember hearing October somewhere). It may be time for a pre-season “refresher!”

Police: Former Ohio State Star Clarett Arrested With 4 Guns

COLUMBUS, Ohio — Maurice Clarett was arrested early Wednesday after a highway chase that ended with police using Mace on the former Ohio State running back and finding four loaded guns in his truck, a police spokesman said.

Officers used Mace to subdue Clarett after a stun gun was ineffective because the former Fiesta Bowl star was wearing a bullet-resistant vest, Sgt. Michael Woods said.

Four loaded guns and a flak jacket? What the hell was he preparing for? Skip any trial he may be looking at and let’s get him right over to Iraq! That probably wouldn’t work because it’s obvious he has no moral direction, and our military does.

“It took several officers to get him handcuffed,” Woods said. “Even after he was placed in the paddy wagon, he was still kicking at the doors and being a problem for the officers.”

Clarett was being interviewed at police headquarters. Authorities planned to charge him with carrying concealed weapons and other counts, Woods said.

Clarett made an illegal U-turn on the city’s east side and failed to stop when officers tried to pull him over.

Once a gangsta, always a gangsta.

Clarett was being pursued by police while driving eastbound on Interstate 70 when he darted across the median and began heading west. Clarett drove over a spike strip that was placed on the highway, flattening the driver’s side tires of the SUV, Woods said.

Clarett exited the highway and pulled into a restaurant parking lot, where officers removed him from the SUV after he failed to obey numerous orders to exit the vehicle, Woods said.

Not good military material if you can’t follow a simple order.

After Clarett was placed in a police van, officers discovered a loaded rifle and three loaded handguns in the front of the vehicle, Woods said.

Woods said he did not know where Clarett got the guns or why he had them and that federal authorities plan to trace their ownership.

Gansta party.

Clarett, 22, is currently awaiting trial on two counts of aggravated robbery, four counts of robbery and one count of carrying a concealed weapon in a separate case. Authorities said he was identified by witnesses as the person who flashed a gun and robbed two people in an alley behind the Opium Lounge in the early hours of Jan. 1.

And he got out on bond? Hopefully the judge denies bond in this case, or makes it so costly he won’t be out. And what the hell kind of name is that for a lounge; Opium?

Clarett scored the winning touchdown in the second overtime to lead Ohio State to the 2002 national championship, the school’s first since 1968. But that was the last game the freshman played for Ohio State. He sat out the 2003 season after being charged with misdemeanor falsification on a police report, then dropped out of school. He sued to be included in the 2004 NFL draft and lost in court.

A surprise third-round pick in the 2005 draft, he was cut by the Denver Broncos during the preseason.

Hmmm….gangsta’s given the opportunity of a lifetime to make millions playing football and what’s he do? Blames everyone else for his troubles because he couldn’t handle the mental strength it takes to be a pro. Now he’s just going to be another stat in another prison that you and I get to pay for.

Perhaps a cost of isolating your fans, Dixie Witches?

NASHVILLE, Tenn. — Several concerts on the Dixie Chicks’ “Accidents & Accusations” tour have been canceled after slow ticket sales, but the group says it has replaced them with other dates.

Kansas City, Houston, St. Louis, Memphis and Knoxville are among 14 cities no longer on the original schedule released in May, according to a revised itinerary posted Thursday on the Dixie Chick’s Web site.

Other shows, including Nashville, Los Angeles, Denver and Phoenix, have been pushed back to later dates.

The Midwest and the South are the areas that are experiencing “lackluster sales.” It appears that bashing President Bush and their patriotic fans have sent them across the border to cover for the cancellation of their Midwest and Southern shows:

Group spokeswoman Kathy Allmand said Monday that the total number of North American dates remains the same, with several Canadian cities added in place of the U.S. shows.

Anyone up for helping them cancel some more U.S. stops? Heh.

A few weeks ago, I was surfing channels on the tube and found a show called “License to Grill.” The show is on the Discovery Home Channel and is hosted by Rob Rainford.

I didn’t post about it previously, because I didn’t know whether I truly liked the show or not. At least not right away. It’s definitely grown on me. Rob Rainford hails from Canada, and his backyard plethora of grills makes a girl like me wanna go get more than one. He’s got an amazing outdoor kitchen, too. But who knew a guy from Canada could grill so good?

I haven’t found a show that I didn’t like at least one of the items he was cooking. Sometimes when you watch cooking shows you just *know* something doesn’t sound good. All of his grilled meals make my mouth water. And the other thing I like about his show is something that I equally like about Rachael Ray. I’ve learned a few tips and tricks from him (as I did from watching her show).

The one thing I need to do is 1) find some good wood chips here and 2) plan meals a bit better. He does a lot of dry rubs, marinades and smoking. I can’t seem to plan so far ahead, but he’s basically convinced me in a few short half hour shows that I should reconsider.

Check him out. He’s a bit quirky with a strange sense of humor (probably why I like the show!), and you’ll get jealous when you see his yard, his outdoor kitchen and his grills (hey…I did!), but you’ll drool and want to go invest in, like, 8 grills and a bunch of wood chips.

This is heart-wrenching:

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — A woman and her roommate were charged with starving the woman’s 9-year-old daughter, who weighed just 42 pounds when she was found, was locked up all day and was forced to wear a filthy diaper, authorities said.

My 8-year-old weighs 75 pounds. This little girl’s life had to be a living hell for her.

The girl was so emaciated that her spine and ribcage were showing when state child welfare officials took her June 30, police said.

The girl also had her hands bound behind her, was locked in a bedroom all day and wore a diaper that went unchanged for hours, officials said. She told police it was punishment for bad behavior.

“It’s a very disturbing case,” police Detective Joe DeLuca said. “You see very few like this.”

The girl now lives with her grandparents and has gained about 25 pounds in a month.

Melissa Samoraj, 27, and Raymond LaFountain, 31, were arrested Wednesday.

To me, these criminals deserve no less than life in prison without a chance of parole (and that’s the minimum sentence in my mind). This child is forever changed emotionally and perhaps physically because of their abuse. If this child can have a “normal life” taken from her, why do these criminals deserve better?

So….I have nothing to post tonight. I know it is mostly because I’m tired, but also because of this. Um, thanks dammit, Beth?

Colector Muerto: Bring out yer dead.

Val (BabaluBlog): Here’s one!

Colector Muerto: That’ll be ocho pesos!

Castro: I’m not dead.

Colector Muerto: What?

Val (BabaluBlog): Nothing. There’s your pesos!

Castro: I’m not dead.

Colector Muerto: He says he’s not dead.

Val (BabaluBlog): Yes he is.

Castro: I’m not.

Colector Muerto: He isn’t.

Val (BabaluBlog): Well, he will be soon, he’s very ill.

Castro: I’m getting better!!

Val (BabaluBlog): No you’re not, you’ll be stone dead in a moment.

Colector Muerto: Well, I can’t take him like that. It’s against regulations.

Castro: I don’t want to go on the cart. I’m a DICTATOR for chrissakes!

Val (BabaluBlog): Oh, don’t be such a baby.

Colector Muerto: I can’t take him.

Castro: I feel fine.

Val (BabaluBlog): Oh, do me a favor.

Colector Muerto: I can’t.

Val (BabaluBlog): Well, can you hang around for a couple of minutes? He won’t be long.

Colector Muerto: I promised I’d be at the Miami celebration. They have mojitos there!

Val (BabaluBlog): Well, when is the celebration?

Colector Muerto: Thursday.

Castro: I think I’ll go for a walk. Maybe I’ll see Elian Gonzales. Love that kid!

Val (BabaluBlog): You’re not fooling anyone, you know. Isn’t there anything you could do?

Castro: I feel happy. I feel happy. I’m a dictator! I own Cuba!

[Colector Muerto looks up and down the street then hits Castro over the head with his club]

Val (BabaluBlog): Ah, thank you very much.

Colector Muerto: Not at all. See you on Thursday.

Val (BabaluBlog): Right.

MIAMI A second woman is suing wine and spirit maker Bacardi, claiming she was seriously burned by flaming rum during a night out in Miami.

WILD NIGHTS IN MIAMI!

A friend who was with her has already sued the company.

The women say they suffered serious burns after being hit by the flaming rum, and claim one of Bacardi’s products is defective and dangerous.

RUM DEFECTIVE??? THE NATURE OF ALCOHOL IS THAT IT IS FLAMMABLE! (6TH GRADE SCIENCE CLASS)

The lawsuits are filed in Miami-Dade County Circuit Court.

A bartender, who wasn’t identified in either lawsuit, was pouring shots of Bacardi 151 when a customer lit a menu on fire and placed it in the stream of alcohol.

WAS THIS CUSTOMER A FRIEND WHO HAPPENED TO BE WITH THESE TWO BRAINLESS WOMEN??? PERHAPS HE SHOULD BE NAMED IN THE SUIT, SOLEY, AS THE IRRESPONSIBLE PARTY.

The lawsuits say the bottle turned into a flame thrower and sent flaming rum everywhere.

NO SHIT.

The Miami-based company says it won’t comment on the suits, but that the product is clearly labeled with warnings against setting fire to it.

END OF STORY.

NEW YORK — Willie Nelson says the Dixie Chicks “got a raw deal” from a disapproving public following their criticism of President Bush.

Oh puhleeze. The Dixie Chicks, who make money off of said public got what they deserved. If they want to take the risk of alienating their listening audience because of remarks they make, they have to understand there could be consequences, including people speaking out about their words of choice. And Willie, it doesn’t matter whether they are on stage in a foreign country or at the Grand Ole Opry in the U.S. of A. The venue doesn’t matter - it’s their message that the people were reacting to.

The trio caught harsh criticism after lead singer Natalie Maines told a London audience in 2003 that the group was “ashamed” Bush was from their home state of Texas.

Nelson said he was surprised his remarks about Bush a year earlier during an overseas news conference didn’t incite a similar controversy.

“I said ‘He’s not from Texas and he ain’t a cowboy, so let’s stop trashin’ Texans and cowboys.’ It got a little chuckle, but I didn’t get run out of the country,” Nelson told the magazine.

Well, Willie. Context and presentation are everything. Perhaps you didn’t use the same level of hate and disgust many perceived were behind Natalie Maines’ statement…or maybe your sensationalism doesn’t have as much bite, given you’ve been somewhat eccentric for much of your entertainment career.

No worries….eventually no one will listen to the Dixie Chicks, either.

As I turn the calendar, I’m finding some very exciting days of commemoration and celebration for August!

August 5: Work Like a Dog Day (on a Saturday???)

August 6: National Fresh Breath Day (thank GOD!)

August 8: Sneak Some Zucchini Onto Your Neighbor’s Porch Night

August 9: National Underwear Night (for those of you who *wear* underwear at night!)

August 10: National Duran Duran Appreciation Day (woo hoo! Er….um, okay.)

August 18: Bad Poetry Day (there once was a man from Nantucket….)

August 20: Vinegar Day (yippee!)

August 28: Race Your Mouse Around the Icons Day (this is one day a year? I thought it was *every* day!)

August 31: Love Litigating Lawyers Day (wow…I guess even they need love)

As you can see, August is jam packed! Mark your calendars and don’t miss a MOMENT!

I hope not to appear obsessed with this, but this piece crossed my eyes earlier today and I couldn’t comprehend what I was reading, this particular quote from the Boston Globe (emphasis mine):

Prosecutors agreed that Yates was sick but said she was sane enough to know killing the children was wrong.

“We are extremely disappointed with the verdict,” lead prosecutor Joe Owmby told reporters.

Yates was being tried for the murder of only three of her children, but Owmby said he would recommend to District Attorney Chuck Rosenthal that he not seek a trial for the other two.

Why is that? Why would they stop? What about the justice for the other children and/or the potential for them to seek a sentence that would put her in prison for life, versus the opportunity to walk free (even if it is years later)? What would prevent them from seeking this trial? In many cases they choose to divide up the charges, choosing to pursue only some with the idea that they could follow up with further trials as needed. Do the prosecutors believe her sentence is adequate or do they feel they have no hope in winning?

I have to let it go or it will consume me. I need to go hug my kids now.

***BEWARE…FOUL LANGUAGE IS LIKELY COMING***

I preface this post with that warning for good reason. The debacle also known as the retrial of Andrea Yates has just culimated into yet another ridiculous verdict. Where as in the first trial she was found guilty of murdering her innocent children by systematically chasing them down and drowning them one by one, she was retried and this time found “Not Guilty by Reason of Insanity.” It’s BULLSHIT. ABSOLUTE BULLSHIT. I hope the jury can live with their decision because it’s possible this damned waste of a human being could be released from inpatient mental health care when she’s “cured” or “treated” or “ready.” Ain’t that nice?

The 42-year-old will be committed to a state mental hospital, with periodic hearings before a judge to determine whether she should be released.

If convicted of murder, she would have faced life in prison.

Defense attorneys never disputed that Yates killed her five children — 6-month-old Mary, 2-year-old Luke, 3-year-old Paul, 5-year-old John and 7-year-old Noah — by drowning them in a bathtub of their suburban Houston home in June 2001. They based their case, however, on a claim that she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and, in a delusional state, believed Satan was inside her and was trying to save them from hell.

Of course they never disputed it, because she’s completely GUILTY of murdering her five children. Can you imagine looking into the face of your child and making the decision to end their life…watching them struggle as you drown them heartlessly in the bathtub before you hunt down your next victim? Didn’t think so. But SHE DID. Sitting in a mental hospital breathing, reading, watching TV, sleeping, eating, living life with a hope to be free some day is NOT the right punishment for this monster. She honestly deserves no less than the death penalty. So she’s mentally ill. SO WHAT! There is nothing mentally “right” with any killer. You cannot tell me that Ted Bundy was sane. You cannot tell me that the BTK killer was sane. Or Jeffrey Dahmer. Or any killer. There is something broken inside of each and every one of them. NONE of them, including Andrea Yates should be given ANY opportunity to enter society again. EVER. To call this verdict “NOT” guilty is such bullshit. It’s like grading a student’s paper in purple so they feel better about themselves. At the very least call it GUILTY by reason of insanity if you have to call it anything at all. For me it’s simple and will save the trees and save ink when you just print GUILTY on the record.

Speaking of bullshit, Rusty Yates is as vile as his ex-wife is. He thinks this verdict was a “victory.” A few RustyYate-isms:

1. referred to his former wife as a “loving mother who just fell to this disease”

2. said the prosecution “just believed they had enough of the truth to proceed, they never made an effort to get the whole truth.”

3. “It really disappointed me that the state spent … probably a million-and-a-half dollars to get to really, what to me, was obvious from the beginning,” he added, referring to her former wife as “psychotic.”

4. said that in a mental institution she can have a “better quality of life for herself.”

5. said he and and his former wife often reminisce about their children. “Not very many people knew our children … they were our lives, they were important to us,” he said.

Where to begin?

1. How do you call a mother who maliciously murders her five children “loving?”

2. Yeah, and the truth was that Andrea Yates methodically murdered her five children violently.

3. If she would have plead guilty - which she was - that kind of money could have stayed with the state.

4. Fuck her quality of life. Who gives a shit about her quality of life? She obviously didn’t care about the lives of five innocent kids - her own at that.

5. Yeah, until she snuffed life from them. How about their lives, Rusty? Kind of hard for the joys of her life to have a good quality of life when they are buried in a wooden boxes six feet under the grass and flowers they should be enjoying every summer.

I think there’s something broken inside of Rusty Yates as well. I don’t think I’m alone in that thought.

…and *this* quote:

Resnick told jurors that Yates was in a delusional state and believed 6-month-old Mary, 2-year-old Luke, 3-year-old Paul, 5-year-old John and 7-year-old Noah would grow up to be criminals because she had ruined them.

So there it is. It’s all about her. Killing her kids to hide her “mistakes.” Pleading not guilty by reason of insanity because she was the *victim* in all of this. Folks, every day more and more people are pulling the victim card. This paves the way for yet another victim to say they murdered their kids because of this or that versus just taking the accountability and responsibility to say “yep…I did it. I killed ‘em. I don’t know what got over me, but I know murder brings the death penalty. I guess I got to step up and take my punishment.” This victim mentality is bringing society down a notch for sure.

It pisses me off that this case had to be retried because of erroneous testimony. I sure hope Dr. Park Dietz pauses and learns from this. I wonder what goes through his head when he thinks about what his erroneous testimony has caused.

What hope is there with this case? Well, they only convicted her for three of the murders. Perhaps she’ll get the justice that would best represent these vile crimes for the other two lives lost.

***************

Who else is writing about this? Check out their posts:

Tammy at A Mom and Her Blog
Raven at And Rightly So!

Another innocent soul lost at the hands of a soulless monster:

SALT LAKE CITY – A missing 5-year-old Utah girl has been found dead.

Destiny Norton’s parents said she disappeared from her front porch July 16 after arguing with them about having to go to bed. Her body was found Monday night in the basement of a neighbor man’s home — about 150 feet behind the Norton’s home, according to Salt Lake City Police Chief Chris Burbank.

Burbank held a news conference Monday night and told reporters, “My condolences go out to the family.”

My heart goes out to this family and I hope that they will someday find peace. In the interim, I hope a jury finds justice for the man that did this.

Craig Roger Gregerson, 20, was arrested as he is suspected in little Destiny’s murder. He lived alone.

KSL-TV reported that detectives had previously gone door to door in the neighborhood in search of the missing child and that when they interviewed Gregerson inside his home, their police dogs did not pick up Destiny’s scent.

“I can’t understand how someone can do this to a child,” sobbed Destiny’s uncle, Peter Brooks, the Deseret News reported.

Mr. Brooks - most of us as human beings can’t understand it either.

With many volunteers, along with the police department searching for Destiny, some question how they didn’t find her sooner. I’m certain it will come out in investigations and reports, but I’m a firm believer that a criminal will do what they need to do in order to avoid getting caught…there’s likely an explaination about why she wasn’t found that first time. Unfortunately, these murderers can be very convincing and can hide evidence in an effort to avoid capture. Look at Ted Bundy and his charm. Look at the Green River Killer and his lengthy serial killings. Criminals like the BTK killer, Jeffrey Dahmer and others come to mind. But I can understand that family must be frustrated, especially in their grief. I imagine the task the police department and the volunteers faced was arduous at best, and I’m sure they are punishing themselves for not finding her sooner. My heart goes out to them as well.

Craig Roger Gregerson, if you indeed did this to little Destiny may you rot in hell - starting in your jail cell.

Update: Welcome Basil’s Blog readers!

Earlier a commenter had a question about which judge would be hearing the case filed by the ACLU on behalf of Fred Phelps’ organization, a.k.a. “Westboro Baptist Church.” As I was scouring around the internets, a post stood out over at Blogcritics.org. The title blared “It’s Painful, But the ACLU Should Defend Fred Phelps.” So…I could help but menader over to see why this would be so important.

It’s the same old story over there. People are so up in arms about “Free Speech! Free Speech!” that they simply cannot see the forest for the trees. Verbatim from Blogcritics.org:

It is important to forget the plaintiff in this case and instead analyze the law being challenged. Although protesting at the funerals of innocent and good people is a repulsive use of free speech, I believe this right must be upheld. If the courts allow free speech rights to be taken away during funerals, where else will lawmakers find a constitutional right to block protests or rallies? If gay rights advocates want to protest outside Westboro Baptist Church or another anti-gay religious institution, will conservative lawmakers pass a ban on protesting outside houses of worship? The precedent is a scary one and I commend the ACLU for looking past the plaintiff to realize free speech needs to be defended.

Based on this logic, shouldn’t I have the free speech right to threaten the lives of other people, or yell “fire” in a theater full of people? Shouldn’t I should have the right to stand in a mosque yelling “who wants bacon?” or a synagogue praising the Holocaust? Bluto says it best:

I support the Constitutional right to freedom of expression, but anyone with any common sense knows that it is not an absolute right. For example, I do not have the right to exhort people to murder the members of the Westboro Baptist Church or the ACLU.

The laws passed in Missouri and Nebraska do not take the rights of freedom or of religious expression away from this group, but protects the right of peaceful assembly these families of fallen soldiers have to honor their loved ones. But the ACLU doesn’t think of that, do they? Instead they think it is much more important for this group to throw hateful statements out in the midst of a funeral all for the sake of “protecting free speech.”

But back to our friends at Blogcritics…

These protests can help conservatives understand the viciousness behind anti-gay spokespeople and may result in changed hearts and minds.

First of all, this isn’t about a gay or anti-gay issue and it CERTAINLY isn’t a conservative issue. This is about rights and freedoms. Nothing more. Secondly, this isn’t an opportunity to “educate” conservatives on anti-gay sentiments - what does that have to do with the issue at hand? Anyone, conservative or liberal should recognize the hate this organization has for not only gays and lesbians but for soldiers, cole miners and every day citizens who just happen to get killed. Their stance is that we are all being punished because the U.S. supports gays and lesbians. Again, nothing more.

A final word from Blogcritics…

Where my frustration lies is not with the ACLU, which is acting appropriately, but with the lawmakers sitting in Congress and state legislatures throughout the country. I do not agree with laws banning funeral protests, but I wonder why such legislation is being proposed at this time. Why is it that lawmakers feel Phelps has crossed a moral line by protesting at military funerals, ignoring the fact that he has demonstrated outside the funerals of gay hate crime victims for years? Are dead soldiers on one side of a moral line and gay hate crime victims on the other side? Why didn’t lawmakers who believe in this law stand up for gay and lesbian people who have faced years of Fred Phelps’ torture? There is a true political calculation in those supporting this flawed law banning the protests.

And a final word from Merri….

I disagree that the ACLU is acting appropriately. The appropriate solution would be - as Captain Ed so eloquently states -

Fred Phelps could get a lawyer on his own; the ACLU and its donors have no obligation to assist him in mocking the loss of family members at funerals. The ACLU has put itself on par with these soulless freaks, and their donors should take note that their money now supports the Phelps traveling hate show.

This is yet another publicity stunt by the ACLU, designed for more attention drawn by huge controversy (in other words, “business as usual”). I love this little gem from Blogcritics: “Why is it that lawmakers feel Phelps has crossed a moral line by protesting at military funerals, ignoring the fact that he has demonstrated outside the funerals of gay hate crime victims for years? There is a true political calculation in those supporting this flawed law banning the protests.” Why does the timing of the law matter, when the law is all inclusive and not selective? Look at the laws in Missouri and Nebraska - it doesn’t say “only military services.” So be happy that families of gay hate crime victims won’t have to endure this either! And quit trying to turn this into a political motive. Again, the only groups with an agenda here are Phelps and his team of freaks and the ACLU, standing behind them.

The ACLU is up to their usual bullshit, this time filing a case on behalf of the religiopolitard Phelps and followers at the Westboro Baptist Church (ain’t the word “church” stretching it a bit?).

A Kansas church group that protests at military funerals across the nation filed suit in federal court on Friday.

The group claims a Missouri law banning such picketing infringes on religious freedom and free speech.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the lawsuit in U.S. District Court in Jefferson City on behalf of the fundamentalist Westboro Baptist Church. Members of the church show up at soldiers’ funerals with anti-homosexual signs.

As you may recall, these freaks recently tried to interfere with the funeral services of fallen soldier Army Corporal Jeremy Jones. Luckily, many vets showed up and shielded Jones’ family and friends from being subjected to these whackos’ rhetoric.

Look, these people have the same freedom of speech and freedom of religious expression I have. No one is holding their tongues, no one is taking away their picket sign paper and markers. While the ACLU is so freaking worried about standing up for Phelps’ free speech, they lack any element of sheer respect and compassion for a fallen soldier who died to protect those very freedoms.