The Nominations Are Up

The nominations are up at the Watcher's Council. Do enjoy them. And if you would like to submit a post for consideration by the Council, please visit the Watcher and take advantage of his offer of link whorage. The Council Nominations for the week are:

1. The Glittering Eye - The Cop on the Beat
GE reflects on America's role in the world.

2. Soccer Dad - Getting a "Clue"
Shades of Mohammad al-Dura. SD brings us along as he wades through conflicting MSM reports on the death of several Palestinians to conclude that they died of natural causes.

3. Done With Mirrors - Growth Potential
DWM assesses the growth potential of our current crop of presidential candidates should any particular one of them get into office, with DWM opining that Obama likely has the most such potential.

4. The Colossus of Rhodey - Closed Loop or Branching Streams?
CoR's immersion in literature over his holidays has led him to contemplate whether time travel is possible and, if so, whether it is "closed loop" or "branching stream" in nature.

5. Wolf Howling - Britain's Prosecution of The Blogger Lionheart for Criticism of Islam
A fellow blogger faces prosecution in the U.K., apparently for writings on his blog critical of Islam. The law in question criminalizes the content of speech. It is a tremendous assault on freedom of speech in the U.K.

6. Cheat Seeking Missiles - Honor Killings? What Honor Killings?
CSM documents the media's reluctance to confront Islam over "honor killings" in the recent death of two Egyptian girls in America whose unIslamic habits offended their father. It is, in essence, the same theme played out in my post.

7. Bookworm Room - Death and the Moonbat
BR posits that the fear of oblivion in a death with no afterlife plays a large role in animating the left's anti-war stance. Its a very thoughtful post. I do not know about the statistic that 40% of our military claim to be evangelical Christians. That seems rather high to me from my own observations.

8. Joshuapundit - Major Andrew Olmsted, R.I.P
The posthumous post of an American soldier and blogger who died fighting in Iraq. It should be required reading for all Americans.

9. The Education Wonks - Dixville Notch This!
Ed Wonk is not happy with the nominating process and the inordinate influence of Iowa, New Hampshire and South Carolina. I would love to know the wonk's take on how to fix it.

10. Rhymes With Right - Major Papers Oppose Justice For Murderers
Several major newspapers are proposing new Constitutional restrictions on the death penalty. They propose that the Supreme Court should dissallow methods of execution that are not painless. As a side note here, that this is even an issue is is a result of the "living constitution" theory that allows a Supreme Court Justice to read whatever he or she desires into or, in the case of the 5th Amendment Takings Clause not too long ago, out of the Constitution depending on how the Justice is feeling on any particular day. Someone find for me in the Constitution the words "the evolving standards of decency that mark the progress of a maturing society." Those are the words that have been used by our unelected Supreme Court to fiddle with a death penalty. The Supreme Court is not supposed to be, at least, a legislative body and there are methods for the people of the U.S. to effect explicit change to the Constitution. None involve the Justices in any way. Yet buying into the 'living constitution' is a litmus test for the Democrats when it comes to Supreme Court nominees. The U.S. populace seems deeply in need of an education about the framework of our government that are our modern schools evidently are not to providing.

11. Big Lizards - Nix On "Negative" Nomenclature
Candidates are trying to keep the spotlight off their records by claiming all issue ads are negative. As BL points out, going after charachter without justification is one thing, going after a candidate's stand on illegal immigration is quite another.

12. Right Wing Nut House - The Cotton Candy Candidacy
RM contemplates New Hampshire, the appeal of Obama, and Obama's lack of substance. My favorite quote: Obama "stands for hope, love, reconciliation, youthfulness and fairies at the bottom of the garden."

Non-council links:

1. Andy Olmsted Obsidian Wings

2. Before We Get Too Excited About Iowa, Let's Remember The Score The Sundries Shack

3. Seeking Support Rocky Mountain News

4. Enlightened Selfish Interest Oliver Kamm

5. An Amusing Greenie Attack on the Inhofe Report A Western Heart

6. The Disturbing Barack Hussein Obama Flopping Aces

7. An Open Letter to all Conservatives, Evangelicals, and Homeschoolers Blogs for Fred Thompson

8. On Hope: Audacity and Pandora ShrinkWrapped

9. Orchestrated Circuses and Clowns Dr. Sanity

10. 'Iron My Shirt': Media Fooled By Radio Stunters at Hillary Stop Stop The ACLU

11. Sen. Obama's Calls for Unity Are Not What They Seem Townhall.com

12. The Puny and the Great Eternity Road

13. Implosion Near? Captain's Quarters

14. The Debates -- My Take Dodgeblogium