I am posting this very early in the morning of good Friday (Australian time). My old church (Ann St Presbyterian) is having its morning service from 8am this year -- which is a bit early for me. So I think I will attend our local Lutheran church later on. They have a 9am service and the music is sure to be good. We should get some Bach, I hope. I still like to go to church 2 or 3 times a year to refresh my contact with one of the great influences on our civilization. I feel at home in a Protestant church and I love singing the old hymns.
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Anti war activism causing casualties in Iraq.
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Source
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ELSEWHERE
The ineffable (and incredible) Andrew Sullivan tells us that if you were not persuaded by Obama's speech, it was because of "racism". So now you know! Ace says that it is Sullivan who is the racist.
McCain ahead: "Barack Obama's big national lead over Hillary Clinton has all but disappeared in the US presidential race, and both Democrats trail Republican John McCain, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released today. The poll showed Senator Obama had only a statistically insignificant lead of 47 per cent to 44 per cent over Senator Clinton, down sharply from a 14-point edge he held over her in February when he was riding the tide of 10 straight victories. Illinois Senator Obama, who would be America's first black president, has been buffeted by attacks in recent weeks from New York Senator Clinton over his fitness to serve as commander-in-chief and by a tempest over racially charged sermons given by his Chicago preacher. The poll showed Arizona Senator McCain, who has clinched the Republican presidential nomination, is benefiting from the lengthy campaign battle between Senator Obama and Senator Clinton, who are now battling to win Pennsylvania on April 22. Senator McCain leads 46 per cent to 40 per cent in a hypothetical match-up against Senator Obama in the November presidential election, according to the poll. That is a sharp turnaround from the Reuters/Zogby poll from last month, which showed in a head-to-head match-up that Senator Obama would beat Senator McCain 47 per cent to 40 per cent."
Hillary dithering: "Having accused Senator Obama of giving mixed messages on Iraq, Senator Clinton's national security director Lee Feinstein said that unspecified "contingencies" would dictate the course of her own plan. Clinton spokesman Howard Wolfson was later pressed on whether she would proceed with troop withdrawals within 60 days of taking office, regardless of any upsurge in violence or countervailing advice from US commanders. "The answer is yes," he said. Senator Obama's chief foreign policy advisor Susan Rice said it was "imperative that Senator Clinton clarify" whether she agreed with Mr Feinstein or Mr Wolfson, "and how she intends to square the." But McCain was right the first time. He shouldn’t have taken his statement back. And it’s the bloggers who are ignorant--not John McCain.."
Should the taxpayer bail out Bear Stearns?: "The extraordinary intrusion into the free market over the past several days by the Federal Reserve Board under Chairman Ben Bernanke should send shudders down the spines of conservatives everywhere. While some so-called free marketers were lauding the Fed's bailout of Bear Stearns as a necessary rescue of a banking institution that was too connected with the rest of the financial system to be allowed to fail, government should not protect Wall Street firms from the inherent risks of investing. As a result of the deal, American taxpayers could be on the hook for billions of dollars in troubled mortgage assets so that Bear Stearns can avert bankruptcy"
The British Labour party begins to get it: "Labour needs to start urgently winning back the middle-class vote by highlighting issues such as crime and immigration if it is to win the next general election, Hazel Blears said last night. In an unashamedly Blairite new Labour speech, the Communities Secretary said it was vital that the party pitched itself as the "party of the affluent" as well as the poorest families. During a debate held by Progress, a group of modernisers, the Blairite minister Ms Blears argued that the New Labour approach had delivered three election victories by appealing to those across the social spectrum. "If we retreat into our comfort zone, and duck the tough issues such as crime and immigration our coalition will fracture." Her speech follows John Hutton's remarks earlier this month that he wanted to see "more millionaires". Mr Hutton, the Business Secretary who is also a prominent Blairite, sparked a row by urging the party not to attack huge salaries and bonuses in the)
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