The Kensington Review

27 April 2005

Latest Commentary:

Senator Frist Doesn't Have the Anti-Filibuster Votes on Judges Yet -- The great political debate of the day is not about Social Security or the lack of ethics of Congressman Tom DeLay. It is about whether the Republican Party in the US Senate is going to change Senate rules that have existed for decades simply to get 10 judges they want confirmed to pass inspection. The Democrats have stuck together in what looks like party unity (although among Democrats one is never sure, herd of cats that they are), meaning a filibuster could hold off these confirmations. Senate Leader Bill Frist (R-TN) has threatened the change, and his Democratic counterpart Harry Reid (D-NV) has said if the change is made, he'll use every parliamentary means necessary to halt the Senate's business. This so-called "nuclear option" may come to pass later this year, but right now, it looks like Senator Frist doesn't have the votes to make it happen.

Syrians Leave Lebanon, Retain Influence -- Once upon a time, Lebanon was the playground of the Middle East. Then, stupidity broke out, manifested by sectarian violence and civil war. That brought the Israelis and Syrians into the country to "restore order." The Israelis left in 2000, and the Syrians left yesterday (it appears). There is no down side to this -- the fact that the Syrians have gone home is a good thing for everybody, including the kids in the Syrian army. However, to judge just how free Lebanon is, one must await the outcome of the elections scheduled for May 29. Pro-Syrian candidates should carry the day.

Steve Wynn Opens First New Las Vegas Strip Casino in 5 Years -- Today, Steve Wynn opens a new casino in Las Vegas, the first the booming city's Strip has seen in five years. The casino has 10,000 jobs to fill, but it had 108,700 applicants. With 2,700 rooms and 111,000 square feet, it's about a third smaller than competitors like the Bellagio and the MGM Grand. Mr. Wynn's reputation has been "bigger is better." So the change must mean something -- perhaps, richer gamblers are better.

Food and Restaurant Industries' Lobby Buys Ads Questioning Obesity Concerns -- George Orwell would have had a good belly laugh about a lobbying group funded by the food and restaurant industries naming itself the Center for Consumer Freedom. This group just bought ads in some of the nation's bigger papers trumpeting a new study from the National Center on Health Statistics that suggests earlier figures from the Center for Disease Control, of which the NCHS is a part, were wrong in suggesting that obesity kills 400,000 American annually. The food group wants the nation to know that that the real number is 25,000 -- only eight times the number who died on September 11, 2001. Pass the cheese fries.

© Copyright 2005 by The Kensington Review, J. Myhre, Editor. No part of this publication may be reproduced without written consent. Produced using Fedora Linux.

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