It’s been a long weekend… Retreat,workshop, funeral, mass… Now I’m with some students in Waikiki.

The funniest part of this story isn’t that some government agency wasted taxpayer’s hard-earned cash on a useless purchase – let’s face it, that happens all the time – no, the funniest part is the fact that they are now trying to sell their useless purchase at the home of all useless purchases… eBay!

From the TimesUnion: “ALBANY A ferry boat for New York Harbor, purchased by taxpayers for $500,000, has turned out to be a useless rusting hulk officials are now desperately trying to sell on eBay.

Top bid so far: $14,800.

New York taxpayers bought the boat, called the Islander, in August 2007. After decades of trips between Woods Hole and Martha’s Vineyard, a Massachusetts authority had put it up for auction.”

Burned and blinded by an inhuman attack that seems to take place far too often in certain corners of the world, Ameneh Bahrami refused the usual “blood money” payment that has become typical in the court of Islamic law. Instead, she wants an “eye for an eye”, demanding that her attacker, a college student who stalked and harrassed her for two years, be blinded by acid — punished with the same torture he inflicted upon her.

From CNN: “If she gets her way, her attacker will suffer the same fate. The 31-year-old Iranian is demanding the ancient punishment of “an eye for an eye,” and, in accordance with Islamic law, she wants to blind Majid Movahedi, the man who blinded her.

“I don’t want to blind him for revenge,” Bahrami said in her parents’ Tehran apartment. “I’m doing this to prevent it from happening to someone else.”

Now I’m a Catholic priest. I tend to be liberal. I believe in forgiveness. I preach forgiving even the “unforgiveable.” — But what right do I have to condemn this woman for demanding as much? You can look at her photos and see how this attack has maimed her for life. You can read her story and realize that all the work she put into her education has been taken away by the actions of a man who though, at worst, he would be fined.

What do you think? Is this justice? Revenge? — Do we really believe that this will discourage future acid attacks or diminish the “honor killings” that we read about every so often? — Will an “eye for an eye” leave everyone blind, or is this a case in which it might actually bring about real change in an unjust system of law?

From NPR: “The Interior Ministry said it had ordered Richard Williamson out of Argentina because he had failed to declare his true job as director of a seminary on immigration forms and because his comments on the Holocaust “profoundly insult Argentine society, the Jewish community and all of humanity by denying a historic truth.”

Williamson’s views created an uproar last month when Pope Benedict XVI lifted his excommunication and that of three other bishops consecrated by the late Archbishop Marcel Lefebvre as part of a process meant to heal a rift with ultraconservatives.

The flap led the Vatican to demand that the British clergyman recant before he can be admitted as a bishop in the Roman Catholic Church. It also prompted the Society of St. Pius X, founded by Lefebvre, to dismiss Williamson as director of the La Reja seminary in Argentina and to distance itself from his views.”

You COULD try to say that the man is being unfairly persecuted for having an opinion. You COULD try to defend him as a defender of the “right to be wrong.” You COULD try to appologize for his revisionist historical views and ask that we concentrate on what he claims to be: a staunch defender of ultra-conservative tradition and dogma… but in the end, Willamson is simply a man who has no business running a seminary, being a bishop, or acting as a priest.

Remember Nadya Suleman? You know… the woman who recently gave birth to Octuplets, which raised her child total to 14? — Yeah… HER.

She was recently on camera saying that “all she every wanted to be was a mother” and that she was doing it all on her own, not accepting handouts or welfare payments. — Well it turns out that Nadya is actually recieving quite a bit of government assistance for her and her children and now she’s asking for donations on her website.

Now I’m a strong supporter of people’s rights to make their own decisions, even if their decisions seem abhorent, but seriously… doesn’t this smell of pure exploitation to anybody else? — I give her props for trying to make it through school and yes, as a society we’ve given money to worse causes, but is this really a woman that we want to enable?

From KETV Omaha: “An Iowa State trooper who was investigated after it was shown that he forwarded an e-mail showing mug shots of people wearing Obama t-shirts has been suspended for 30 days.

Sgt. Rodney Hicok was at home and off-duty when he forwarded the e-mails, said an official with the Iowa Department of Public Safety Bureau and Professional Standards.

The e-mail made disparaging remarks about 15 people in the photos and referred to Obama as having “quite a fan base.”

Personally I don’t think this guy should be punished more than he already has been. Sure it was in bad taste, and maybe it was against department policy, but I ALWAYS see the media making fun of the Bush/McCain fan base on the nightly news… of course they’re just showing the CEOs and executives of the banks and financial institutions that are looking for government handouts to cover their own incompetence and irresponsibility… but is that really all that much different? (/sarcasm)

I like John McCain. Seriously… I do. I would have voted for him in a heartbeat if he ran as the same candidate he was in the 2001 race against Bush. I am also more than dissapointed that we are once again foregoing responsible economics and fiscal limits with TARP, but really… who does he think he is kidding with the “Generational Theft” line?

Where was this “concern and responsibility” when his party was cutting taxes at the same time that they were increasing spending to untold levels? Where was his conscience when Bush & Co. more than doubled the national debt right after the previous administration has not just balanced the budget, but actually managed to create a surplus? Where was McCain when we could have made the tough decisions about Social Security, perhaps the largest ponzi scheme and “generational theft” of all time? Where was his conservative principles of small government when Bush was using executive orders to usurp the powers of congress and the Supreme court?

From TheHill.com: “Schieffer pressed McCain on whether he would support the bill considering economists from across the political spectrum have recommended a large stimulus package to rejuvenate the economy. But the Arizona senator said he could not, seeing the legislation not necessarily as a stimulus for the economy but rather as a vehicle for spending programs and policy prescriptions long desired by Democrats.

“Well, I can’t, Bob. And I can’t because I think it’s the greatest transfer of not only spending but authority and responsibility to government,” McCain said. “I think it’s a massive — it’s much larger than any measure that was taken during the Great Depression. I think it has policy changes in it which are fundamentally bad for America.”

I know that his party is hurting to find relevance in this new political environment, but that is no reason to step away from the challenges that are now facing the country just because it is political expedient. John McCain seems to have made a record turnabout from the “Maverick” who is willing to fight his own party, to the “Toady” who is screaming half-truths and boldface lies into the wind.

Here’s a little hypothetical exercise… Let’s say that you are on a top secret mission to visit Iraq so that you and your fellow congressmen can see firsthand the condition of the country. Everything about the mission has been kept under wraps because of security.

Well, if you’re US representative Peter Hoekstra the answer is “C” —

“Iraq! Issues! lLong term impact on containing Iran.. Need a coherent detainee strategy. Amb Crocker leaving after very successful tenure.
12:32 PM Feb 6th from TwitterBerry

Moved into green zone by helicopter Iraqi flag now over palace.Headed to new US embassy Appears calmer less chaotic than previous here.
9:56 PM Feb 5th from TwitterBerry

Just landed in Baghdad. I believe it may be first time I’ve had bb service in Iraq. 11 th trip here.
7:41 PM Feb 5th from TwitterBerry “

Once again showing that the Bush administration was completely out-of-touch with things that actually MATTERED to the vast majority of Americans, George W. Bush’s first chief of staff stated during an interview that “there should be a dress code of respect” and that the president shouls “wear a suit coat and tie.”

You know… I understand that appearance goes a long way. I know that there are times to dress up. However, perhaps it’s the fact that Bush and Co. were so completely caught up in appearances and the superficials of government, law, and international diplomacy that we find ourselves in need of a 44th president who doesn’t mind rolling up his sleeves, working late and getting some work done.

The best part?

Mr. Card went on to add that, while he would not criticize Mr. Obama for his appearance, “I do expect him to send the message that people who are going to be in the Oval Office should treat the office with the respect that it has earned over history.”

So let me make sure I understand your point… you’re not going to criticize President Obama for his appearance (and yes… it’s PRESIDENT Obama) but you are going to say that his dress code doesn’t show the proper respect for the office of the president? — Well, in a way that makes sense… I mean, if the office of the president still has the auora of respect from W’s presidency then perhaps Obama and Co. should be wearing clown shoes and douche bags.