From SD War College:

From the Rapid City Weekly News, we’re finding out tonight that the best weekly paper in the state (and better than several dailies for political reporting) is no more:

After three and a half years and 182 editions, The Rapid City Weekly News is shutting its doors. The final edition is being distributed this week.

The Weekly News was launched on Oct. 20, 2005, in an effort to provide more local news to the Rapid City community. That goal was accomplished, as readers scooped up the free weekly newspaper, which printed 23,000 copies each week.

Michael Barone in an odd article:

Attorney General Eric Holder has dropped the charges against Ted Stevens. Here are statements from Holder and from Steven’s lawyer, Brendan Sullivan of Williams & Connolly. Clearly there has been prosecutorial misconduct of a major order. Career Justice Department lawyers, going wild in their self-righteousness; at least that’s what it looks like.

The former senator is no longer a convicted felon, so I guess Alaskans are not going to rename Ted Stevens International Airport or to rescind his award several years ago as Alaskan of the century. I have felt a certain sympathy for him all along. No, he shouldn’t have asked lobbyist William Allen to superintend the reconstruction of his house in Girdwood. He should have hired a contractor. But did he have criminal intent when he paid all the bills presented to him and did not report additional amounts as gifts on his Senate disclosure forms? I never thought so and was surprised when the jury voted to convict. He took the stand himself, and I gather was not a good witness.

UK Independent:

Tony Blair has emerged as the leading candidate to become the first permanent president of the European Union after Gordon Brown gave his grudging blessing to the plan. The former prime minister has stepped up his campaign for the job, which he wants to use to build a bridge between Europe and the new Obama administration.

His return to the global stage would be a shock to his critics over the Iraq war and dismay many in Europe.

But The Independent on Sunday has learnt that Mr Brown has accepted that his old rival should be in pole position for the appointment, on the basis that Britain needs to have a key figure in the architecture of the “new world order”.

Boston Globe:

There’s a mutinous mood on Morrissey Boulevard, as Boston Globe staffers lash out over a stunning ultimatum from parent company The New York Times [NYT] Co.

“They’re nickel-and-diming people,” said a Globe union official who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that top executives at The New York Times Co., which owns the Globe, “have ruined” the sagging broadsheet.

On Thursday, Times executives told representatives from the Boston paper’s 13 unions that they must trim $20 million from their budgets by May 1 or the Times would shut the paper down.

AFP:

Take Action! Tell your Senators to Stop Socialized Health Care Take Action!

We told you about efforts to jam a cap-and-trade energy tax through the Senate using reconciliation, a trick to avoid proper debate and the normal 60 vote requirement for important legislation, and you sprung into action, generating a flood of calls and emails to the Senate and IT WORKED. WE WON that fight and kept cap-and-trade out of reconciliation. (more…)

NRO:

The Unborn Victims of Violence Act, recognizing two victims in federal crimes against pregnant women, passed in 2004 with large bipartisan majorities (254-163 in the House, 61-38 in the Senate). While the leading argument against the bill was that it would undermine Roe v. Wade, many pro-choice congressmen voted for the act - and some prominent academic supporters of Roe dismissed the argument that the bill would undermine it.

Ron Weich, however, testified on his own behalf against the bill twice. He said, “[T]he bill is just one more step in the anti-abortion movement’s methodical strategy to humanize fetuses, marginalize women, demonize abortion providers and make the image of abortion less palatable to the American people.” Weich has now been nominated as assistant attorney general for legislative affairs.

The Star’s McClanahan:

President Obama is a man in a hurry. He knows that time is not on his side. He will never be as powerful as he is now, and his opposition - the leaderless GOP - will never be as weak.

So he pushes hard to win acceptance of as much of his agenda as possible, but the inevitable erosion has already begun.

Last month, his approval rating was in the mid-60s. Now it’s in the high 50s. Last week a Zogby poll had him at 50 percent.

HT RCP:

The Star:

“My best guess is we’ll have to cut $200 million more from the budget,” said Sen. Karin Brownlee, an Olathe Republican. “I think K-through-12 will have to absorb some of that.”

Brownlee’s comments were made during the “Let’s Talk Issues” cable television program broadcast Wednesday.

To view the one-hour public service program featuring Brownlee, Rep. Kevin Yoder, Rep. Gene Rardin and Rep. Arlen Siegfreid, go to http://video.jccc.edu/ and click on the 2009 Let’s Talk Issues link.

Times Online:

The activities of al-Qaeda in two of Iraq’s most troubled cities could keep US combat troops engaged beyond the June 30 deadline for their withdrawal, the top US commander in the country has warned.

US troop numbers in Mosul and Baqubah, in the north of the country, could rise rather than fall over the next year if necessary, General Ray Odierno told The Times in his first interview with a British newspaper since taking over from General David Petraeus in September.

He said that a joint assessment would be conducted with the Iraqi authorities in the coming weeks before a decision is made.

Ed Whelan column in Washington Post:

At his recent confirmation hearing, a chastened Holder assured senators that he had learned from the past and was committed to upholding the department’s high standards. He specifically promised not to politicize DOJ’s legal positions: “We don’t change OLC opinions simply because a new administration takes over,” he said. Any review “will not be a political process, it will be one based solely on our interpretation of the law.”

Alas, less than two months into his tenure as attorney general, according to accounts in The Post last week, Holder has abused OLC for partisan political purposes. The facts, admittedly, are somewhat sketchy — largely because Holder isn’t complying with President Obama’s promise of transparency. But here’s what they show. (more…)

Redstate:

I am curious about how many times this administration plans to insult the Roman Catholic Church:

Vatican blocks Caroline Kennedy appointment as US ambassador

The Vatican has blocked the appointment of Caroline Kennedy as US ambassador, according to reports.

Vatican sources told Il Giornale that their support for abortion disqualified Ms Kennedy and other Roman Catholics President Barack Obama had been seeking to appoint.

You would think that after the Vatican made it so clear that Kmiec was unacceptable that he never even made it on the list the White House would take the hint and find a pro-life Democratic Catholic for the job; apparently not.

Club for Growth:

From the Associated Press [emphasis mine]:

One of President Barack Obama’s campaign pledges on taxes went up in puffs of smoke Wednesday.

The largest increase in tobacco taxes took effect despite Obama’s promise not to raise taxes of any kind on families earning under $250,000 or individuals under $200,000.

This is one tax that disproportionately affects the poor, who are more likely to smoke than the rich.

To be sure, Obama’s tax promises in last year’s campaign were most often made in the context of income taxes. Not always.

“I can make a firm pledge,” he said in Dover, N.H., on Sept. 12. “Under my plan, no family making less than $250,000 a year will see any form of tax increase. Not your income tax, not your payroll tax, not your capital gains taxes, not any of your taxes.”

From the American Family Association:

Donald E. Wildmon
Founder and
Chairman

Please help us get this information into the hands of as many people as possible by forwarding it to your entire e-mail list of family and friends.

If your child’s school allows “Day of Silence” propaganda, keep your child at home April 17
April 7, 2009

Dear Friend,

The Day of Silence, which is sponsored by the Gay, Lesbian and Straight Education Network (GLSEN), fast approaches. This year it will take place in most public schools on April 17. On this day, thousands of public high schools and increasing numbers of middle schools will allow students to remain silent throughout an entire day-even during instructional time-to promote GLSEN’s socio-political goals and its controversial, unproven, and destructive theories on the nature and morality of homosexuality. (more…)

The Tank at NRO:

More than 1,000 retired Flag & General Officers for the Military, including 47 four-star leaders from all branches of the United States military, have taken a firm stand in support of the 1993 law stating that homosexuals are not eligible to serve in the military.

That statute, Section 654, Title 10, U.S.C., frequently is mistaken for the administrative policy known as “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell.”

On March 31, 2009, the independent Flag & General Officers for the Military project delivered 1,050 hand-written signatures endorsing a concise and respectful Open Letter addressed to the White House, Pentagon, and members of Congress. A list of the statement signers, which has since climbed to over 1,100, is posted on the website, which also presents the brief statement of support for the law that the officers endorsed.

NRO:

A follow-up to yesterday’s post:  The new study by political scientists indicating that the ABA’s judicial-evaluations committee has over time been ideologically biased against conservative nominees is available here (though I think that for now you have to sign up as an SSRN member to get access to it).  I haven’t read the study yet, and will leave it to social scientists to sort out whether its statistics demonstrate what attentive observers already know.

At Redcounty.com/johnson, JCCC Trustee Benjamin Hodge calls for new elected board leaders.  Currently, Shirley Brown-VanArsdale is the board chair and Lynn Mitchelson is the vice chair.  But Hodge says, “There has been an absurd amount of unethical behavior in recent weeks by JCCC President Calaway and by the current JCCC board leadership” and that “the budget is too important” an issue.

Hodge suggests Trustee Jon Stewart be appointed chair.

NRO:

PJ O’Rourke, The Weekly Standard, Febuary 9, 2009:

The next great government crusade will be against soap. The president will appoint a Blue Ribbon Commission, which will determine that soap releases polluting grime into the ecosystem, leads to aquifer depletion, and contains fatty acids that laboratory studies have shown to be acidic and not fat-free…

Associated Press, March 27, 2009:

SPOKANE, Wash. - The quest for squeaky-clean dishes has turned some law-abiding people in Spokane into dishwater-detergent smugglers. They are bringing Cascade or Electrasol in from out of state because the eco-friendly varieties required under Washington state law don’t work as well. Spokane County became the launch pad last July for the nation’s strictest ban on dishwasher detergent made with phosphates, a measure aimed at reducing water pollution. The ban will be expanded statewide in July 2010, the same time similar laws take effect in several other states.

But it’s not easy to get sparkling dishes when you go green.

UPDATE - Ed Driscoll emails in to note that O’Rourke was also ahead of the curve on newspapers calling for a bailout.

UPDATE II - Tigerhawk and others have noted that phosphates in detergent are actually an environmental threat; I wasn’t trying to make any comment about the environmental threat so much as making a drive-by observation that it’s impossible to joke about what government will regulate or ban without life imitating art.

Rasmussen:

Forty-four percent (44%) of Republicans and 39% of voters not affiliated with either major party are looking for their taxes to increase under Obama, compared to just 17% of Democrats. Most Democrats (53%) think their taxes will stay about the same, a view shared by just a third of the other two groups.

Fifty-three percent (53%) of Americans who make more than $100,000 per year expect a tax increase, compared to 35% or less of all other income groups.

Fifty-six percent (56%) of all voters say a tax policy that helps the economy grow is more important than one that makes everyone pay their fair share. But 37% say their latter is more important.

Most voters (56%) continue to believe tax cuts will help the economy, while 15% say they will hurt it. Seventeen percent (17%) say tax cuts will have no economic impact.

From Race42012:

- Americans were “polarized” over the man who compared 9/11 victims to Nazis?

Which “Americans” did they poll to get that result? Noam Chomsky, Medea Benjamin, and Howard Zinn?

Hillary Clinton is a polarizing figure. Sarah Palin is a polarizing figure. Ward Churchill? Not so much.

- If you believe that your countrymen are little Nazis, then can we safely, objectively say that you are not patriotic? I’m just asking.

This is the Times trying to be objective. But covering “all sides” doesn’t mean that you interview both a Holocaust survivor and a Nazi. Sometimes, things really are just plain as day. And yet the news media are stunned - stunned! - that their industry is dying.

Ben Cunningham:

Link

Thanks to an obscure tax provision, the United States government stands to pay out as much as $8 billion this year to the ten largest paper companies. And get this: even though the money comes from a transportation bill whose manifest intent was to reduce dependence on fossil fuel, paper mills are adding diesel fuel to a process that requires none in order to qualify for the tax credit. In other words, we are paying the industry–handsomely–to use more fossil fuel. “Which is,” as a Goldman Sachs report archly noted, the “opposite of what lawmakers likely had in mind when the tax credit was established.”

The massive tax subsidy has barely been reported in the press, but it’s caused a stir in the paper industry, which is struggling to stay profitable in the teeth of the recession. “Everybody’s talking about it,” paper industry analyst Brian McClay told me. “In the US and elsewhere in the world–in Canada and Brazil and Chile and Europe.”