[Guest post by DRJ]

Actually I don’t need a vacation, but Congressman Alan Grayson (D-Florida] believes you and I should have at least a week of paid vacation each year. To make that happen, Politico reports Grayson will introduce vacation legislation next week in Congress:

“The bill would require companies with more than 100 employees to offer a week of paid vacation for both full-time and part-time employees after they’ve put in a year on the job. Three years after the effective date of the law, those same companies would be required to provide two weeks of paid vacation, and companies with 50 or more employees would have to provide one week.

The idea: More vacation will stimulate the economy through fewer sick days, better productivity and happier employees.”

Great idea! Except if it’s not, since a recent survey shows that the thought of taking a vacation in tough economic times stresses workers out. Slightly less than half of all Americans (49%) plan to take a summer vacation this year, compared to 63% in a survey two years ago.

There must be a law that will solve this problem.

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

A Seattle bar is sponsoring a Hot for Teacher night tomorrow with Mary Kay Letourneau and her husband:

“A teacher who became notorious in the 1990s for having an affair with a sixth-grader is hosting a “Hot for Teacher” night at a Seattle bar — along with the former student, now her husband. Bar owner Mike Morris said Mary Kay Letourneau has served her sentence and it’s OK for the couple to have some fun.”

This will be their third “Hot for Teacher” event. She greets, he DJs, and here’s the poster.

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

“Obama declares Gitmo detainees to be fetuses.”

Heh. I especially like the last line.

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

Saying “I stand by my comment,” Speaker Nancy Pelosi announced today that she won’t answer any more questions regarding her knowledge about waterboarding terrorism suspects.

Factcheck.org found Pelosi issued contradictory statements, so which comment is she standing by?

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

D. J. Gregory walked every hole of every 2008 PGA tournament, more than 900 miles. He started in January 2008 in Hawaii and ended in November 2008 at the PGA in Orlando. He blogged about it here.

It takes 12 minutes but I hope you can watch this video. It shows D. J. as he met daunting challenges, fulfilled his dream, and “left his footprints across an entire sport.”

— DRJ

[Guest post by DRJ]

During the Presidential campaign, Barack Obama challenged John McCain’s call for a spending freeze, quipping it was the equivalent of “using a hatchet where you need a scalpel.” Likewise, in yesterday’s Presidential address on national security, Obama explained his position on state secrets by again referring to surgery:

“On all these matters related to the disclosure of sensitive information, I wish I could say that there was some simple formula out there to be had. There is not. These often involve tough calls, involve competing concerns, and they require a surgical approach. But the common thread that runs through all of my decisions is simple: We will safeguard what we must to protect the American people, but we will also ensure the accountability and oversight that is the hallmark of our constitutional system. I will never hide the truth because it’s uncomfortable. I will deal with Congress and the courts as co-equal branches of government. I will tell the American people what I know and don’t know, and when I release something publicly or keep something secret, I will tell you why. (Applause.)”

My first, fleeting thought was to wonder if Obama really wanted to be a doctor instead of a lawyer, but I know that’s not the case. Obama is a man of words, not deeds, and his use of surgical metaphors is no accident. We’ve been conditioned to trust what surgeons tell us — especially to trust in their skill — and the Obama Administration wants that same level of trust. But while we must trust a surgeon during surgery, we should have more input when it comes to the way the government spends our money and makes decisions that affect our lives.

Finally, now that we know Obama “will never hide the truth because it’s uncomfortable,” I trust he will agree to VP Dick Cheney’s request that Obama release the memos showing “the information that, Cheney says, those [enhanced] interrogations successfully helped prevent another attack on the homeland since 9/11.”

If he wants, we can call it informed consent.

— DRJ

[Posted by Karl]

From the Left, fmr. Crossfire host Michael Kinsley schools his progressive pals:

Miss California’s views on gay marriage have nothing to do with her qualifications for the job and shouldn’t disqualify her for it.

This is really Liberalism 101, and it’s amazing that so many liberals don’t get it. Yes, yes, the Bill of Rights protects individuals against oppression by the government, not by other private individuals or organizations. But the values and logic behind our constitutional rights don’t disappear when the oppressor is in the private sector. They may not have the force of law in that situation, but they ought to have the force of understanding and of habit. The logic behind freedom of speech is that “bad” speech does not need to be suppressed as long as “good” speech is free to counter it. Or at least that letting the good and bad do battle is more likely to allow the good speech to triumph than giving anyone the power to choose between them. Congratulations to Donald Trump for making the right decision in this case. But we can’t count on every employer to be as sensitive and understanding as The Donald.

As Carrie Prejean (and her family) continue to come under attack by Tinseltown’s tabloid media, Kinsley aptly reminds Hollywood “liberals” that the blacklist destroyed people’s careers over their beliefs. Though Kinsley does not specifically mention it, the blacklist was a creation of the MPAA, acting without direct governmental coercion.

Kinsley also misses that freedom of religion is a related subtext to Prejean’s case, and to the gay marriage issue generally. The passage of California Proposition 8, which reaffirmed the traditional definition of marriage, prompted gay marriage activists to launch a wide-ranging “Mormon boycott” that conveniently excluded other demographics (blacks, latinos, etc.) that supported Prop. 8. Hollywood heavy Tom Hanks ended up apologizing after calling Mormons “un-American” for supporting the proposition.

Indeed, earlier this week, a bill legalizing gay marriage failed in New Hampshire because the state’s House of Representatives objected to language in the bill that would have allowed religious groups to decline to participate in gay marriage ceremonies. While Kinsley was correct to note that the Bill of Rights protects individuals only against oppression by the government, people of faith are already getting a look at how fast supposed “liberals” want to slide down that slippery slope.

–Karl