On the one hand, US Attorneys serve at the pleasure of the president. On the other hand, this maneuver was ridiculously political and bad for the country. Rumsfeld, Miers and Brown left under those circumstances, but I suspect Gonzales will get to stay.

Harriet Miers though-- she ran up a test balloon of firing ALL of the USAs. Jesus what a hack.

Catholic politicians get strict orders from the Pope

Um, am I wrong or was this a big campaign issue, where the candidate basically promised that he did have a conscience of his own, and would make decisions as he thought fit, and would not attempt to squash his personal beliefs onto his diverse constituency?

Oh wait, that was JFK, and it was forty-seven years ago.

Get with the program, Pope!

Oh wait, that was JFK, and it was forty-seven years ago.

I expect it's more of a factor in Italy.

Because Italians as a people are known to be such rigorous Catholics? I don't necessarily think so.

If I understand post-Vatican II Catholicism correctly, there's plenty of room in a "properly formed conscience" to conclude that, for instance, legal abortion is permissable. It sounds like the present Pope is hoping most Catholics will overlook that little loophole....

Because Italians as a people are known to be such rigorous Catholics? I don't necessarily think so.

I think the political import of Catholicism has more weight in a country like Italy. I doubt the Pope could point a finger at a politician and force the pol to do his bidding. But I think Vatican condmenation could put pressure on some politicians. Much moreso than here.

Dear clock,

Bip bip bip. Let's keep it moving, shall we.

OKTHNXBY.

Me

There was a bit about that on the radio this morning, actually -- protests in Rome for a law acknowledging domestic partnerships both homo and nohomo.

The protestors, who, I mean, they've obviously got strong feelings on the issue, were pretty stiff in their flipping the bird to the Vatican, by name, and blaming the Vatican for the politicians' inability to bring the issue to a vote. Aparently there is a certain lobbying power that the church has over politicians, that instantly disappears when things are brought to the general public in a referendum.

(Which sounds massively fishy to me -- actually it sounds like an interested party attempting to use class war as a method for inculcating the concept of hierarchical leadership in a culture. Which reflected sooooo flatteringly on the church in, say, 1936-45.)

Sprecher's is also a big favorite around Chez Zmayhem.

Come to Milwaukee! I'll take you on the tour.

Winged Migration is on pbs during a pledge drive, so I keep watching bits of it.

The swans triggered my memory of the swans at Podebrady in CzR. They hung out on the frozen river behind the castlish building we had classes in and ate at. We'd sneak tons of bread crusts out to feed them. They were pushy HUGE buggers. If we weren't careful, we'd get totally mobbed. As in, stuck out on the ice until they gave up. They'd dive into your pockets, try to steal your gloves off your hands (in case they were edible,) etc. I learned to pull my hat down low and my scarf up high or they'd go for my earrings. They'd really yank on your hair, too.

But it was so cool to be that up close to them. They were fascinating.