Politics and Culture

**update**

People in New Jersey can leave the house now. The culprit has been caught! Is it possible to bring back capital punishment in New Jersey?

(CNN) -- New Jersey authorities are investigating an announcement made over a public address system at a southern New Jersey Wal-Mart telling "all blacks" to leave the store.

Shortly before 5 p.m. Sunday, an unidentified male accessed the public address system at the Turnersville, New Jersey, Wal-Mart Supercenter Store, Gloucester County prosecutors said.

"All blacks need to leave the store," the voice announced.

Store management contacted the Washington Township Police Department, which opened an investigation in conjunction with the county prosecutor's office, Deputy Police Chief John Dalesandro said.

"The incident is being investigated by both law enforcement agencies as a suspected bias intimidation crime," local authorities said.

Wal-Mart corporate spokesman Lorenzo Lopez said the company is "just as appalled by this as anyone."

He emphasized that Wal-Mart, the world's largest public corporation, is working with law enforcement officials in investigating the incident.

"Whoever did this is wrong and acted in an inappropriate manner," Lopez said. "Clearly this is unacceptable."

Let me get this strait: A guy gets on the Walmart PA and says something about blacks and we need an investigation? It goes to show you that people need to stamp out blasphemy, provided it's directed against something they care about.

Here

The irony is not lost on Gilbert Mayor John Lewis.

The town that celebrates Constitution Week with much fanfare is now trying to wade its way out of an embarrassing controversy over First Amendment protection on religious freedom.

The issue began over a notification sent by town staff to a seven-member local group, all members of the Oasis of Truth Church, to stop meeting at home, citing the town's land development code, which states:

"religious-assembly uses are not permitted in single-family residential structures."

The group contacted the Alliance Defense Fund of Scottsdale, a self-described legal alliance of Christian attorneys and like-minded organizations, which subsequently appealed the town's cease-and-desist

Those deferring to the founders' intent on constitutional matters should not support the constitutional challenge to Gilbert's anti residential church law. The constitution just wanted to prevent a state church like the established Anglican church in Britain. States did in fact have religious tests for office and prohibited certain worship. By making this a federal issue, conservatives undercut themselves. Instead, residents of Gilbert should just change the law.

It's important to argue statistics, projections, effects. It's especially important to independents who just want the best deal. If they could get better health care cheaper, the better.

For those committed to the left or right, the health care debate is all about ideology. If you're on the left, government health care is to be accepted de fide. If you're on the right, you see government health care as a stretch of highway on the road to serfdom.

The Road to Serfdom: Text and Documents--The Definitive Edition (The Collected Works of F. A. Hayek) by F. A. Hayek

PICO RIVERA - After a newly appointed mayor took a Bible off the dais and chose not to schedule prayer at each council meeting, the country's 220-year-old debate over church and state has sprung up in Pico Rivera.

Since he became mayor in January, Gregory Salcido has tried to include less religion during council hearings.

"It's a very black-and-white situation, clearly defined in the Constitution," Salcido said after the January meeting. "When our framers crafted the First Amendment of the Constitution, they put the establishment clause in to protect the integrity of both institutions."

Here.

In fact, it is "black and white." Gregory Salcido is in the black: According to the Supreme Court, it's perfectly fine for city councils to pray provided they're not too specific, i.e., the prayer can say "God," but not "Jesus."

They open sessions of congress with prayers, for God's sake.

I would respect Greg's decision more if he had just said, "I don't feel like it," than having to hide behind an imaginary ban. The other option is that Gregory Salcido actually doesn't know what he's saying is wrong. I don't know which one's more embarrasing.

For a more complete commentary, I like this one.

I heard the speech on the radio and was struck by how much more substantive it was than the Obama preacher-on-fire, cliche-ridden ones. Another thing I liked was the absense of cheap applause lines.

She hit just about everything cons have complained about the past year, the spending, secrecy, corruption. Emailing this speech to your friends would catch them up on current events quicker than reading a year of the Corner.

She showed what's likable about her, the earth-bound charm, and what was not, a Fargo-like accent that I can see grating on the urban. Overall, excellent.

In a general sense, I think the Tea Party should stop being a movement, quick. A movement based on opposition to something should cease existing as soon as it's reached its goal. Tea Partiers helped check Obama's socialist agenda. Good for them. Now, team up.

To continue as a semi-formal entity, one just cohesive enough to make specific demands and require political pandering, outside of a more established, realistic structure would only serve to divide the electorate and invite easy attacks by liberals. News outlets are already running "divided Tea Party" stories.

(The precedent is the Reform party. Libertarians have caused many Republican losses as well.)

It would be if Democrats had a visible far left called the "anti-war movement" or "net roots"...wait, they do and it's wreaked havoc on moderate Dems after Obama united (some would say "fooled") them briefly for his victory.

Warning: If you're a liberal, the video below may have the same effect garlic has on vampires.

There are ads which end political careers. Usually, however, those ads are put out by a politician's opponent. Fiorina's ad attacking Tom Campbell perplexes rather than clarifies. It's bizarre, and not in a good way. It reminds me of those foreign commercials that used to come out on TV specials- the ones we'd laugh at for their cultural weirdness.

I wonder if the demonic sheep have something to do with her study of medieval history. Perhaps it was based on some Hungarian folk tale.

I've heard Carly speak for John McCain and liked her. I'd vote for her over Barbra Boxer. This ad assures me that I will never get that chance.

Obama accuses Republicans of flip-flopping.