Shameful Attacks on William J. Bennett

I was deeply disappointed that the White House jumped on the P.C. bandwagon and criticized Bill Bennett today, apparently without ever having checked out what he actually said. Instead the administration seems to have reacted to drummed-up, out-of-context reports from the media and the left.

Andrew McCarthy at National Review Online weighs in above.

Bennett's own statement is available here.

Owen Out as Nominee Prospect?

The latest Supreme Court news is that Priscilla Owen is rumored to have withdrawn her name from consideration.

Much more at Confirm Them today, as there will be until the nominee is announced, now expected next week.

Schools Allowing Cursing

Some schools are finding increasing numbers of students are cursing, so rather than do anything about it, the schools are essentially saying "If you can't beat 'em, allow it."

I ran into this myself when a middle school principal shrugged and told me "They hear it at home" and went on to say there was nothing the school could do about it. I told him the elementary school sat cursing children in the office and had no serious problems with profanity. The middle school principal wouldn't consider a similar policy. Which is one reason my younger children aren't attending that school...

(Hat tip: Spunky Homeschool.)

Power Line Rebuts Marvin Kalb

Check out Marvin Kalb's snide response to a critical email.

Power Line does a great job repudiating his defense of Dan Rather & Co.

More Interesting Info on Miller's Release

Further updating the story below with additional information.

Scooter Libby's attorney says, "We are surprised to learn we had anything to do with her incarceration" and reiterates that Miller had Libby's release to speak months ago.

This is one very strange story.

How Interesting

New York Times reporter Judith Miller has been released from jail today after agreeing to testify in the Valerie Plame leak case.

Update: More on this at Captain's Quarters.

Powerline has more.

One of the really strange things in this whole matter has been that Karl Rove and Scooter Libby gave general releases from confidentiality to the reporters they spoke with many months ago. But Matt Cooper of Time made a big show of getting a "personal" release from Rove on the day he was scheduled to testify, and Miller is now doing the same thing with Libby. Each reporter had permission to waive confidentiality from their source well in advance of testifying or going to jail, yet claimed they didn't, and even went to jail as part of this pretense. Why?

Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse

I was first introduced to Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse when reading 1,000 Places To See Before You Die -- it's listed as a must-experience restaurant in Savannah, Georgia. I haven't been there yet, but I hope to visit one day! I enjoy checking places off in the book as we visit :).

In the meantime, I came across Mrs. Wilkes' Boardinghouse Cookbook in a bookstore last summer. It's a fascinating combination of Southern restaurant history and recipes.

Tonight I made the book's Country-Fried Steak and Cornbread Muffins. The steak was a big hit! After trying these muffins as well as some "skillet cornbread" from the March 2005 edition of Martha Stewart Living, which each used little or no sugar, our family has concluded that we like sweeter cornbread, so I'll be hunting for a cornbread recipe with some more sugar in it to try soon.

For Cupcake Fans Only

52 Cupcakes (linked above) introduced me to a neat website, Confectionery House, which carries a wide variety of cupcake liners. My children are going to have fun picking out some new designs to use in future months.

Last weekend I placed an order for baking supplies with Bakers Catalogue -- including shamrock cupcake liners on sale to use next March :).

I also bought Cup-a-Cake containers, which I was first introduced to by Mrs. Happy Housewife.

No Nominee Till Monday?

Over at Confirm Them today, the guessing is centering on Priscilla Owen and Larry Thompson.

Another Attempt to Erase Religion From the Public Square

The city of Las Cruces, New Mexico, is facing a lawsuit seeking to remove crosses from the city logo. This has apparently been an ongoing issue in Las Cruces over the last couple of years, with the school district also being a target of legal wrangling.

A similar situation has occurred here in Southern California, where a threatened lawsuit led to a new Los Angeles County seal on which Pomona, the Goddess of Agriculture, is considered an acceptable symbol, but a cross symbolizing our state's mission heritage is not.

Life as a Hotel Concierge

I enjoyed this peek into the hotel business. A career as a concierge sounds challenging but rather fun, inasmuch as the goal in that position is to make people happy :).

Congratulations to the ANAHEIM Angels!!

I'm delighted they're going to the Playoffs!!

Sadly, I don't think things will improve for the L.A. Dodgers until they have a new owner and/or general manager...

Darned If He Does and If He Doesn't, Part 2

Now the President's response to the Gulf States is "hyperactive." Okay...

MSM: Fake News is OK!

National Review's Media Blog has some amazing quotes from an MSNBC reporter...it doesn't matter, you see, if reporters weren't reporting accurately during the aftermath of Katrina, because the people in New Orleans needed help anyway.

(Hat tip: Hugh Hewitt.)

Michelle Malkin on the New Orleans P.D.

Be sure to check out her link to Tony Snow's investigation of the inflated numbers on the New Orleans police force. Looks like another big New Orleans scandal brewing...is that behind the sudden resignation of the N.O. police chief Tuesday?

Deconstructing Mary Mapes

Don't miss Power Line's analysis of the new book on Rathergate by fired CBS producer Mary Mapes.

And while you're at it, they've got a good post up about Michael Brown's testimony, too.

More on the Media and Katrina

I loved reading about Rep. Peter King telling Chris Matthews "You are distorting reality."

Senator Schumer: Can You Say "Hypocrite"?

Ed Morrissey of Captain's Quarters writing for the Daily Standard about the lack of substantive media attention to the Sen. Schumer/DSCC credit report scandal.

He mentions the irony that Schumer co-authored a bill for prevention of identity theft, which was meant in part to stop the kind of snooping of which the DSCC is guilty.

"Filibuster Showdown Looms In Senate"

And the nomination hasn't even been announced!

Last Night's Movie: Little Women (1994)

My oldest daughter recently saw the musical theater version of Little Women and loved it. She's never been a big Little Women fan -- unlike my youngest daughter, who still talks about visiting the Alcotts' Orchard House in Concord at age 5! -- but she was thrilled by the musical and has played the CD several times since she saw it.

Given how much my daughter liked the musical, I was able to interest her in watching a film version of Little Women. I love them all but thought the Winona Ryder version might appeal to her most. Although I find the movie's feminism a bit over-the-top (the Alcotts were forward-thinking, but the movie ladles it on too heavily), it's a very fine film. More than any of the other film versions, it conveys what it must have felt like to live in an uninsulated house in 1800s Massachusetts. The interior of the March home looks very much as I remember Orchard House. This film is available in a nicely packaged DVD with commentary track. (P.S. She liked it!)

My favorite version, however, remains the Katharine Hepburn film. For me, Hepburn is Jo. It's fascinating to compare how two movies, the Hepburn and Ryder versions, use the same incidents and characters yet have such a different "tone."

I'm also fond of the colorful MGM version starring June Allyson. As a big MGM fan I enjoy the cast, although this movie isn't on the same level as the other two films. An interesting bit of trivia is that it used the same script, theme music, and costume designer as the Hepburn version.

I'd love to see the Susan Dey TV-movie version again. Greer Garson as Aunt March! I'm hoping it will come to DVD at some point. (Update: The TV-movie is now available on DVD.)

Would love to hear from anyone who wants to chime in on their favorite version of Little Women!

2018 Update: I revisited this film via a new digital restoration at UCLA today and had a wonderful experience! I've written a new review with much more detail and ample illustrations.