WHY THE JENA SIX PROSECUTOR SHOULD NOT TESTIFY BEFORE CONGRESS

Many "Protest Leaders" are calling for Congress to subpoena the prosecutor who preferred the charges against the young black folks alleged to have been involved in (take your choice) either a "schoolyard fight" or a "mob action."

Some in Congress have started to grandstand about calling the prosecutor in to somehow "explain himself".

You friendly Basin takes no position on whether what is happening there is racial, appropriate or even a good use of resources. Reasonable people can disagree.

But on this one point I am adamant: Congress should not call this prosecutor to testify and, if they do, he should refuse to testify while his cases are pending.

This guy is elected to exercise the police power, constitutionally reserved to the People of the State of Louisiana. If he charges stuff that can't be proven, then a jury will say so. If he misuses his power, the electorate will take him out at the next opportunity. Moreover, there is no Federal Legislative proposition which his pretrial testimony could advance. The Feds don't have the power to stop the State of Louisiana from exercising its police power, so what legislative purpose would such a hearing further? Precisely none.

Demonstrate all you want. Campaign against the guy next time. Support an appeal if you think the young people are being hosed. But give up the Congressional Hearing Folly.

NICK PETERS

Thinking about you, Buddy. Be well.

SHRUBBIE'S GREAT BURMA SHAVE CHANGE OF THE SUBJECT

OK, the Leader of the Free World, goes to the UN and fails to feature Iran exporting weapons and developing weapons grade nuke capability and talks about a Military Junta country which punishes opposing views, deports or kills former officials and generally behaves in an undemocratic manner. OK, I can live with that. He calls on the UN to promote freedoms and elections in Pakistan........Oh, wait! That's our beloved ally. They're swell guys.

Now we're talking about a country called Mylar, or something, which makes great yard signs but a really cheesy country.

All of which makes me wonder.......What do we call a Burmese Python now? Those suckers are big so I guess we call them anything they want.

Burma Shave moistens your entire beard. Give me a break. Is that all you got?

RANDOM THOUGHTS WATCHING THE CARDINALS MAIL IT IN AT MILWAUKEE

Does anybody on this pitching staff have a pair? Could we just once go up and in on Prince Fielder, even flip him a little. Otherwise why don't you just put it on a freakin' batting tee.

CALLING ALL OPPONENTS OF NET NEUTRALITY LEGISLATION

I have read a synopsis of the net neutrality package and my first reaction is "What is there not to like?"

But now I see there are those who think it would actually restrict innovation on the Web and set up price barriers to small operators. I'm open to be persuaded there is something bad about the NN movement. Could any opponent come in here and 'splain it to me?

Thank you. I'm looking for guidance and not a fight.

Here's about a 7th grade level primer

FOR WHAT IT'S WORTH: YOUR FRIENDLY BLOGHOST ARRIVES AT A POSITION

For months my Household has stood as follows: Chief Executive for HRC; UMRBlog uncommitted.

While I would cheerfully support any of the three top tier dems, in my RW existence, I am now supporting HRC actively.

That does not mean that, if the HRC campaign does something stupid, it will be free from blog analysis here.

OBAMA TAKES A DIP IN A DANGEROUS POND

Sen. Obama is discussing a Social Security tax increase on high earners. Here's the story.

This sounds pretty innocuous. Edwards has something comparable but with a better buffer for two paycheck families. The workability is not the point. When a democrat, in a primary, talks about a "tax the rich" scheme, the GOP get to scream "Tax and Spend!" and "Class Warfare!" in the general election. Creating land mines in a primary is not a particularly good idea.

If this was a trial balloon, it should have been deflated before it was released.

ROCKY COLA HAS A BIRTHDAY AND AVOIDS BECOMING ROADKILL

Happy Birthday, Buddy, and every good wish in your new undertaking with some very nice folks.

But, be careful. If you lose any more weight, you'll have to run around in the shower just to get wet!

BACK A DAY EARLY--SO P!$$3D OFF AT NEW YORK CONGRESSMAN PETER KING I CAN'T SEE STRAIGHT

Video's on YouTube. This man (whom I formerly admired) actually said there are "Too many Mosques" in this country.

Uh, Pete, there are exactly the correct number of Mosques in this country. The number roughly equals the demand, just like any other house of worship. Generally speaking, our Mosques feed children, put on cultural events, welcome new people to new towns, educate folks of other religions in the basic doctrines of islam.

In case nobody's noticed, many of the attendees at american Mosques happen to some of our highest achieving and most charitable citizens. Just for an example, Quincy would be much the poorer without out Muslim brothers and sisters.

Pete, I have two pieces of news: 1) You're a bigot, and an opportunistic one at that; and 2) there is no rightful place in either of our political parties or our congress for a bigot.

You lost your way. Take a seat on the sidelines.

MEMO TO CHURCH SIGNMAKER

There is a church out toward dead man's curve having an event for the first time. I guess they are deeming it "first annual." Uh, sign guy, "Anal" is not a good abbreviation for "Annual".

Who knows what kind of crowd that may attract?

OUT FOR A BIT AND PUBLIC TRANSPORTATION

I've got Tuesday's written already. After that, I'll probably hors de blogosphere for three or four days. Will try and moderate comments periodically but probably no replies. This is temporary and not an "Oracle Balk".

Hmmm, Still no CTA package from Springfield. Is there anybody in downstate Illinois who honestly believes that any impairment of the function of Chicago public transportation doesn't impact our communities? I have no idea what the numbers are but we're talkin' a bunch of sales an income tax from folks who can get to work, medical and shopping. It all goes in the pot.

A WEEKEND FOR CHOKING X THREE

First, the Cubs are in the hunt and have to play four with the Cardinals. Cubs need to win nine or ten more to win the division. Against the best manager in the history of the universe, I'll take two in St. Louis, sight unseen. Pressure! Choking!

Second, The piggies have to play at Alabama and Tookie has me on speed dial. Pressure! Choking!

Third, I've got the Summer/Fall Chest Cold, Cough from Hell and I'm literally choking.

Be gentle over the weekend. Traveling on business and trying to stay up on all this pressure play will probably cause me to relapse.

D-Mac, Felix, Z and Fonzie, rescue me!

GENERALS, PARTISANS, FAIR PLAY, DIRTY DEALS AND METRICS

OK, the General has showed up and given his testimony.

The administration has worshipped at his feet. The democrats have called him a liar. The lefty interest groups have abandoned integrity in favor of a cheap rhyme......and we don't know anything more now than we did last week.

The guy knew he was in the crosshairs when he took the assignment. I have no reason to believe he did anything other than his honorable but subjective best to paint a picture of an uneven situation. It serves no long term purpose to attack his personal veracity or paint him as a puppet for the administration. The whole thing was a semi-useless exercise anyhow. The stayer-iners are still stayer-iners and the puller-outers are still puller-outers.

As I have said on numerous occasions that this situation lacks is METRICS. How many battalions of functioning military? How many working courts? How much gross oil production? How many police precincts? How much immigration control machinery? How many schools, hospital, water/sewer plants? "Getting better" is a measurable set of circumstances. These measuring sticks could have easily been set out on the head end.

They weren't. Why not? Because it is in both the left and right's interests that they not be spelled out. Both sides can argue their positions and chum the waters of their donors by casting the facts however they want them, precisely because there are no established metric measures of progress. "Progress" or "Failure"? Who the Hell knows? Nobody bothered to set up measuring sticks to tell our proud military when its job is done. Young Americans die. Gasbags blow. Donors give. And the freaking beat goes on......just as it will continue until we have metrics to tell us when the nightmare is over.

Pretty much a pox on everybody's house. My take is you'll look a long time (and get eye strain) for any heroes at either end of Pennsylvania Ave.

CELEBRITY LAWYERS: DEFYING EXPLANATION

Gerry Spence, Melvin Belli, Barry Scheck. Those are easy to understand. Billy Martin, I just don't get. Last three outings:

Told a jury he would show Scooter was set up by the Evil Empire then put on the "bad memory" defense and didn't put The Scoot on the stand. Good-bye Scooter law license and Hello Executive Clemency.

Told the WORLD Michael Vick couldn't wait to prove his innocence of the conspiracy charges related to dog-fighting. Trotted MV's MOTHER out to show how sincerely we all believed in MV's innocence, then jumped him in and, worse in the culture, turned him into a snitch.

What is there about that gives Ol' Lare confidence that he wants to get into a Minnesota trial with Billy at his side on likely a more serious charge and open the door to a possible long line of foot-tapees to testify that they've had porcelain encounters with The Gentleman from Spud Country.

Pee Wee Herman had a hot streak. Why not Billy?

LARRY CRAIG'S "PANIC" STORY

I have now read Ol' Lare's affidavit. Synthesized, he's claiming the policeman scared him, he panicked and tossed in a plea. There's also at least an intimation that the Minn. authorities suggested to him there would be no publicity (although, in now typical Craigspeak, he doesn't say that.). He also discloses that he met with an Idaho paper about his alleged gayness BEFORE the Minnesota toilet frolic.

Using his dates, he got tagged June 10 and signed his plea (prepared by the Minn prosecutor) August 1. To believe his suggestion that he was panicked by the authorities, we have to believe that he stayed panicked and misinformed for 52 days, ample time to consider his position and purge any scary experience he had with the nasty police officer. Wrap your own experience with panic and people in tough spots around that claim!.

Tomorrow, we'll discuss this strategy.

HIGH SCHOOL KIDS NEED A "MAJOR".....

.....Like a pig needs a bicycle.

This is happening all over the nation.....kids declaring a "major" in the 9th grade.

HSUICIDE ATTEMPT

No, it's not a typo. It's like Fichigan. You either get it or you don't.

ROBBERY PREVENTION: NO HATS, NO SHADES IN MY BANK

Another run of bank robberies and another reason for banks to make it policy to prohibit hats on or shades INSIDE the bank facility. Yes I know exceptions have to be made for handicap accessibility but that is fairly easy and unobtrusive to do.

In banking, the good manners your mother taught you are important for other reasons. If I'm in the bank security business, I automatically presume a sinister reason for anybody not wanting my staff to see his eyes.

If you can't drop your Maui Jims for five minutes go bank someplace else.

Works pretty well in Florida, which used to be the bank robbery capital of the universe.

Have a good weekend.

QUINCY NOTRE DAME: THE VALUE OF GOOD PUB

I've written often about the value of Quincy Notre Dame. Let's take a different tack today.

What do suppose the cash value (in gross receipts over time) is of the the headline in last night's QHW. (You can see it for free on Whig.Com if you're not from around here. Actually, you can see it on Whig.com, even if you're from here. Amazing how that works.)

How many families with college track kids will now select QND who wouldn't have otherwise done so? Hard to measure, but it's gotta be some.

Some of you spreadsheet jocks out there, build us a model. If you want to email the spready to me at rule5draft@gmail.com, I'll try to post it (subject to my limited skills as a site operator.).

Thanks for playing.

WHY Z IS WRONG

Carlos Zambrano plays the game of baseball with an unusual passion. He is also no sissy. No matter how he feels, he takes the ball every fifth day. That is to be respected in this day of highly paid, brittle and temperamental athletes.

Yesterday, he complained that the fans booed him just when he needed support the most and that he would not forget it. I've got a couple of problems with his position.

First, when you accept pay of about $19M/year to do what you do, you are going to held to an impossibly high standard. Notwithstanding he could have probably gotten a $140M package later and elsewhere, he's being paid, at the end of the day, a pile of money BY THOSE VERY FANS. The customer is usually right.

Second, The fans stuck with Carlos for a month of pretty marginal pitching. He was 0-for August. He badly whizzed his first September start. Z woulda had a point if the Fans had teed him up after his first bad performance (He was a horse in June and July). That didn't happen. They gave him a month to right the ship. When he was bad both mentally and in terms of execution, they booed. Pitching well is the way to get them back. Threatening to hold a grudge is not. Cub fans are basically pussycats compared to Yankee/Met/Phillie fans, just to name a few.

In a day or two, Z will blame it on the language and say everything is all right. He will get a pass.

It's not his first pennant race. He could be setting a better example for the young first-timers on his club.

FICHIGAN'S CUPCAKE

(No Text. You either get this one or you don't).