D.A. Seizes Capistrano Computer

The saga goes on at Orange County's San Juan Capistrano School District, where district officials are accused of maintaining an "enemies list" with the names of parents and teachers who signed a petition to recall the school board.

Monday the District Attorney seized a computer and various files from the school district's office, and gave grand jury subpoenas to several employees.

Wednesday Update: The district has hired a prominent criminal defense attorney to represent it during the investigation.

Yesterday the district spokeswoman said "We welcome any investigation because we're confident any investigation will show the district did nothing wrong." I can't help wondering why, if that's the case, the district feels the need to hire a criminal defense attorney at this early phase of the investigation.

President Bush Takes Federal Control of Mt. Soledad Cross

President Bush acted Monday to prevent the removal of a cross from a war memorial at Mount Soledad in San Diego.

The court-ordered removal of the cross is currently stayed pending appeals.

The President signed a bill which transferred the land to the Defense Department and designated it a national war memorial.

This is outstanding news. It's just sad that our nation has had to "federalize" this property to protect it from legal vultures who insist on infringing on the religious rights of others with frivolous lawsuits. As this article makes clear, the legal action is likely to go on.

As a citizen comments in the article, "What are they going to do, take the crosses off Arlington?"

FNC's Steve Centanni Kidnapped in Gaza

Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and his cameraman, Olaf Wiig, have been kidnapped in Gaza.

Check Google News for the latest updates.

Catherine Herridge Update

The Washington Post ran a moving update today on Fox News Channel reporter Catherine Herridge and her son Peter, who are both recovering well from surgery a few weeks ago to transplant part of Catherine's liver to Peter. Very happy news.

(Hat tip: TV Newser.)

Patronizing Katie Couric

Here's a cringe-worthy quote from Katie Couric:

"The biggest job isn't telling people what happened. It's getting them to understand why they should care."

Apparently Katie believes the unwashed masses are too dumb to figure out for themselves why (or whether) they should care about the same stories Katie cares about.

When media types like Katie go back to viewing their jobs as telling the public what happened, we'll all be a lot better off.

Alton Brown's Feasting on Asphalt

I've very much been enjoying Alton Brown's new Saturday show on the Food Network, FEASTING ON ASPHALT.

Brown spent a month on a cross-country motorcycle trip searching for interesting places to eat...and he certainly found them.

On the show he also spends quite a bit of time dishing out fascinating bits of food history, including info on Fred Harvey's Harvey Houses and foods which originated at the 1904 St. Louis World's Fair.

Brown's four-episode series concludes next weekend. Food Network will be running a marathon of all the shows if you want to catch up.

For more details, visit Alton Brown's website or the Food Network (subject link).

The Christian magazine Guideposts recently ran a very interesting article by Brown. Be sure to check it out if you're a Brown fan. If you're not a Brown fan already, you might become one after reading his essay.

As a postscript, if you want to learn more about Harvey Houses and the "Harvey Girls," you may enjoy THE HARVEY GIRLS: WOMEN WHO OPENED THE WEST by Leslie Poling-Kempes or FRED HARVEY: CREATOR OF WESTERN HOSPITALITY by William Patrick Armstrong, which are both on my shelves. (My interest began, of course, with the movie!)

Tonight's Movie: Springtime in the Rockies (1942)

This is another delightful Betty Grable musical, with a super 20th Century-Fox cast including John Payne, Cesar Romero, Carmen Miranda, and Charlotte Greenwood, not to mention Jackie Gleason, Edward Everett Horton, and last but not least, Harry James and His Music Makers.

The exotic location this time around is a resort in the Canadian Rockies. While the Rockies are only seen via stock footage, the Fox Technicolor, as usual, is gorgeous, as are the gowns and sets.

This is a great example of the Fox musical in top form. Grable sings and dances with both Payne and Romero; Romero is a very graceful dancer. Carmen Miranda does her unique thing; a scene where she transforms a relatively plain white dress into her usual colorful getup is a stitch, and you've got to hear her take on "Chattanooga Choo Choo." The movie pauses for a musical break partway through, with three wonderful Harry James numbers in a row, just because it can. :) (Highlight: Helen Forrest singing "I Had the Craziest Dream.") James and Grable would marry the following year.

SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES is available on VHS. It has a running time of 91 minutes.

There is a rumor there will be a second collection of Betty Grable DVDs in coming months, and hopefully this will be one of the titles included.

Update: The second volume of Betty Grable DVDs never came to be, but SPRINGTIME IN THE ROCKIES is now available in DVD-R format in the Fox Cinema Archives series.

Today at Disneyland

We spent a relaxing few hours at Disneyland this afternoon. The flowers were beautiful, as usual:


My son shot this photo of one of Disneyland's most scenic spots, Snow White's Grotto:


And here are two of our favorite Disney critters:


Have a good weekend!

Charles Krauthammer on Democrats as "Doves"

Dr. Krauthammer on the naive and "myopic" foreign policy ideals of the Democrats, and why their anti-war stance may cost the party in the long run:

"The Iraq War will end, as will the Bush presidency. But the larger conflict that defines our times -- war on Islamic radicalism, more politely known as the war on terror -- will continue, as the just-foiled London airliner plot unmistakably reminds us. And the reflexive anti-war sentiments underlying Ned Lamont's victory in Connecticut will prove disastrous for the Democrats in the long run -- the long run beginning as early as November '08."

Daniel Henninger of Opinion Journal also has a good piece: "From the perspective as of yesterday of getting on a U.S. airliner, who would you rather have in the Senate formulating policy toward this threat--Ned Lamont or Joe Lieberman? Well, the Democratic Party would rather have Ned Lamont... With the knifing of Joe Lieberman, the Democrats have locked in as the antiwar party. No turning back now...

"What the Democratic Party needs more than anything for the way forward is adult supervision."

A Reminder: The Mainstream Media Endangers Us All

Time magazine reports that the USA picked up the would-be airline bombers' "chatter" and intercepted their communications, then passed the info on to Great Britain.

I can't help but be reminded that our news media, in disclosing programs such as the NSA wiretapping and financial tracing, has now made it much more difficult for us to thwart future terrorist plots. Unelected men such as Bill Keller and Dean Baquet, editors of the New York Times and Los Angeles Times, decided that they, not the elected President, had the right to disclose these programs. In doing so, they have endangered us all.

Harry Reid's Tin Ear

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid is using the occasion of the terror arrests in Britain to snipe at the Administration for "mismanagement and wrong funding priorities," namely the Iraq war, which "has diverted our focus."

Somehow I don't think Reid's continuing insistence that Iraq has nothing to do with terrorism, or his using the day's sobering events for political grandstanding, will go over very well with the public.

If we must engage in political calculations at this early date, one has to wonder how this might impact the Senate race in Connecticut...

Al Gore's Hypocrisy

A good column by Peter Schweizer at USA TODAY (above).

John Tierney of The New York Times also wrote an interesting piece on Gore's "Do as I say, not as I do" habits this week. "Those Sinful Second Homes" thus far only appears to be available online with a paid Times Select subscription.

Tierney wrote that Gore recommends we travel by bus. Gore himself, of course, travels by private jet!

3 More Egyptian Students Arrested

This is also mentioned in an update below, but particularly in light of this day's events, it bears noting that three more of the missing Egyptian students have been arrested.

One of the students was arrested at O'Hare International Airport in Illinois, and two others were taken into custody at a residence in Maryland.

I'm really appalled at the University of Montana administrator who tried to blame the students being AWOL on their poor English and being "separated" during customs interviews. These gentlemen obviously spoke enough English to obtain tickets to states as far-flung as Maryland, Illinois, and Minnesota, when ostensibly they would have entered the country with pre-paid tickets connecting them from New York to Montana.

Some of the students' families suggest the students were looking for work.

Whether the students were involved with terrorism or something more "benign," working here as illegal immigrants, this is yet one more example of a broken immigration system that badly needs to be fixed. Despite the rationalizing of those who defend illegal workers, it's not all right for anyone, of any nationality or country, to enter or work in this country illegally.

We simply can't afford the risk, and hopefully today's events in England will freshly underscore this point.

Update: The Egyptian "student" arrested at O'Hare created a disturbance after attempting to use his New York to Bozeman, Montana, ticket to fly to Montana from Chicago.

A policeman at the scene says "He was acting in a strange, erratic behavior."

Authorities in Maryland say the students arrested there apparently intended to obtain jobs.

How do we know that's not a cover for their real plans? At this point, I think it's reasonable to assume the worst of anyone who attempts to enter or remain in this country illegally.

Terror Levels Raised

As I go to bed tonight, it's with the discomforting news that Britain has raised its terror level from "severe" to "critical," indicating it believes an attack is imminent, after it has already broken up an airplane bombing plot. No hand luggage will be allowed on any flights leaving the U.K.

Sky News, via Fox News Channel, indicates the foiled plot in England was to blow up at least 20 aircraft.

The United States has also raised the threat level for airline flights between the U.S. and Britain. Carry-on luggage and "liquids" are prohibited for all flights between the two countries.

Sounds like law enforcement in the U.K. has done an outstanding job thus far.

FReepers are monitoring developments.

This is a good night to say some extra prayers for our country and our great ally, Britain, as well as for those planes already in the air from England to United States. David Asman reports on Fox there are planes in the air that may be "of concern."

Meanwhile in England...

...British police on Thursday arrested a number of people plotting to blow up a plane mid-flight traveling from England to the United States.

"A major terrorist plot to allegedly blow up aircraft in mid-flight has been disrupted in a joint, pre-planned, intelligence-led operation by the metropolitan police anti-terrorist branch and security services."

Given recent events, it seems sensible to feel slightly uneasy about the fifth anniversary of 9/11 a few weeks hence.

Terror Arrests in Michigan?

If you read only one other blog this week, it should be Michelle Malkin. She's got the latest on a number of significant stories, ranging from the faked photos in Lebanon to the missing Egyptian students and now has multiple links to what appears to be significant arrests in Dearborn, Michigan.

Two men stopped on a traffic violation had $11,000 in cash, 12 cell phones (and admitted to buying 600 more), airplane passenger lists, and "information on airport security checkpoints."

There was also a map of Wal-Mart locations through the South. Remember the unusual cell phone purchases reported earlier this year? Hmmm.

Why do I have the uncomfortable feeling that the FBI will soon be reassuring us that there is no terrorism involved? I don't know if the feds are afraid of panicking the public or are being politically correct or what, but they have acted too quickly too many times in telling the public not to worry about connections with terrorism. They need to fully and completely investigate first, and reassure (if warranted) second.

Thursday Update: The Associated Press, via the Akron Beacon Journal, on the connections between the two men and terrorism. A court hearing will be held later today.

Will Political Correctness Be Our Downfall?

If this is true, I'm really concerned; in an editorial, Investors Business Daily alleges:

"Sensitivity toward Muslims is so raw that Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff this week felt compelled to express disappointment that the FBI put out an alert for 11 Egyptian students who failed to show up at Montana State University. They entered the country on visas, then vanished. Chertoff said not to worry, just a bunch of kids cutting class. No threat here." (Hat tip: Michelle Malkin.)

Did Chertoff actually express disappointment regarding this issue? If so, I'm stunned. He has no business being Director of Homeland Security if that allegation is true. Rush Limbaugh did a wonderful riff yesterday on how citizens need to look for the Egyptian students without racial profiling, but as is often the case, Rush's humor may have come uncomfortably close to the truth.

A Google News search for "Michael Chertoff Egyptian" only turns up the Investors Business Daily article, as well as an unrelated article. I didn't immediately find any related stories searching under "Michael Chertoff," either. I've read a number of stories on the students and haven't come across that quote. I'd really like to know if Investors Business Daily is accurate.

I've been uncomfortable enough with the FBI immediately assuring us the students pose no threat of terrorism; on what basis can they tell us that, without an investigation? (And it's rather amusing that the FBI assures the public on the one hand there is no threat, while on the other hand they tell law enforcement to approach the students "with caution.")

As posted here earlier today, three of the students have now been located or turned themselves in.

Call me skeptical: The director of the exchange program at Montana State University said, "The challenge is a lot of these guys have low English skills. The process of going through customs and immigration is a lengthy one....if you're an Egyptian male, it can take longer. The group got separated."

Somehow I just don't think it's normal that a group of students become "separated" and vanish when they're all supposed to be headed to Montana. One of the students had enough know-how to get on a plane and end up in Minneapolis. Shouldn't he have had a connecting ticket to Montana, and wouldn't airline personnel have directed him to the proper flight if his English was so poor he mistook Minneapolis or Minnesota for Montana?

Thursday Update: Three more of the Egyptian students have been arrested. Two of those poor guys with "low English skills" who were simply lost and separated, if we are to believe personnel from the University of Montana, got themselves all the way to Maryland. The third transported himself to Chicago, where he was arrested at O'Hare.

So, assuming these gentlemen had prepaid tickets to Montana, how did they "accidentally" end up in states like Maryland, Illinois, and Minnesota?

Christian School Lawsuit Against UC Goes Forward

Over the past few months I have posted a few times about a lawsuit by Christian schools against the University of California, which the schools allege discriminates against high school courses taught from a Christian "worldview."

A judge has ruled that the case will go to trial: "It is evident that the plaintiffs have alleged sufficient facts to state a claim for violation of the freedom of speech in the forms of content-based regulation and viewpoint discrimination."

The judge also said the schools showed "they had been required to choose between teaching courses that promoted their religious views and complying with UC's requirements."

Among other things, UC refuses to certify "courses that challenge evolutionary teachings."

As I posted in December, UC "approved courses from other schools on Buddhism, Islam, Jewish history and the effects of feminism and counterculture on literature but turned down Calvary's submissions in history and literature, as well as a government class titled Special Providence: Christianity and the American Republic."

This will be a very interesting case to follow.

NYT: Photo Caption was "Imprecise"

It's merely "imprecise" to caption a photo implying that it depicts a man killed in a bombing, when it actually shows someone injured after the attack?!

Besides which, as has been noted by Power Line (above) and others, the photo appears to have been staged for dramatic effect.

More of the latest news on photo fakery in Lebanon from Michelle Malkin, who has also written a new column titled "The Reuterization of War Journalism."

Homosexual Textbook Bill Flounders in CA

A bill to insert "gay history" into California textbooks has been modified due to Governor Schwarzenegger's planned veto. The bill would have forced textbook publishers to label sexual preferences of historic figures (at least when it comes to homosexuals) so that schoolchildren would appreciate the "history and achievements" of gays and lesbians.

The measure now "only bars teaching anything that 'reflects adversely' on people because of their sexual orientation. Schools would also be prohibited from sponsoring any activities that sanction such a bias."

Interesting use of the word "only" by the L.A. Times. Even in its revised state, the bill could cause trouble in the future, if activists use it as an excuse to bring suits against California schools.

Fortunately it appears that the governor will still veto the bill, as he does not believe the legislature should "micromanage curriculum."

Governor Schwarzenegger is far from a perfect governor, and my support for him could be characterized as lukewarm, as we disagree on many issues. Still, there are days when I'm very glad that Arnold is in office rather than Gray Davis or Cruz Bustamante. Were either of those men the current governor, the bill would very likely be signed into law. Half a loaf...