memeorandum: Where Is Atheism When Bad Things Happen? (Dinesh D'Souza/News Bloggers Blog)

1:40 AM ET, April 19, 2007

Top Items:

Full coverage: Virginia Tech massacre — April 18: NBC News releases a picture of Cho Seung-Hui that was in the package the Virginia Tech gunman sent to NBC between the two shootings on Monday. — Photos & audio — Virginia Tech students, faculty come to terms with the horror of the mass shooting at the Blacksburg, Va., school.

Dinesh D'Souza / News Bloggers Blog:

Where Is Atheism When Bad Things Happen? — Notice something interesting about the aftermath of the Virginia Tech shootings? Atheists are nowhere to be found. Every time there is a public gathering there is talk of God and divine mercy and spiritual healing.

Discussion: Obsidian Wings, The Democratic Daily, TBogg and Liberal Values

ABCNEWS:

VT Killer Ruled Mentally Ill by Court; Let Go After Hospital Visit — Harassed Two Female Students; Concerns He Was Suicidal — A Virginia court found that Virginia Tech killer Seung-Hui Cho was "mentally ill" and potentially dangerous. Then the state let him go.

Discussion: Dr. Helen, A Second Hand Conjecture, Leibowitz's Canticle and Wizbang

Ragnar / The Jawa Report:
Down the Memory Hole...

Discussion: Jules Crittenden

Allahpundit / Hot Air:
New VTech thread: Was Cho schizophrenic, "mean," …

Discussion: Captain's Quarters, kayhanintl.com, CBS News, Clayton Cramer's BLOG, Ed Driscoll.com, Riehl World View, New York Times, CNN, Michelle Malkin, Confederate Yankee, Verum Serum and Flopping Aces

Jack Shafer / Slate:
In Praise of Insensitive Reporters

Discussion: CJR Daily and Blog P.I.

Michelle Malkin:
Wanted: A culture of self-defense

Discussion: The Columbus Dispatch, Firedoglake, Think Progress, WorldNetDaily, The Reaction, Wall Street Journal, BLACKFIVE and Ed Driscoll.com

Matthew Yglesias:
In Defense of Crass Politicization

Discussion: Blog P.I.

Mark Sherman / Associated Press:

Court Backs Ban on Abortion Procedure — WASHINGTON (AP) - The Supreme Court upheld the nationwide ban on a controversial abortion procedure Wednesday, handing abortion opponents the long- awaited victory they expected from a more conservative bench. — The 5-4 ruling said the Partial …

Scott Lemieux / Lawyers, Guns and Money:

Four Things To Remember When Reading Gonzales v. Carhart — As an antidote against the inevitable chorus of fake moderates arguing that today's abortion case is no big deal, four things to keep in mind as you ponder today's decision: — Don't take assertions by the Court …

Discussion: the talking dog and LiberalOasis

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:

Court upholds federal abortion ban — Dividing 5-4, the Supreme Court on Wednesday gave a sweeping — and only barely qualified — victory to the federal government and to other opponents of abortion, upholding the 2003 law that banned what are often called "partial-birth abortions."

Bill Mears / CNN:

Justices uphold ban on abortion procedure … WASHINGTON (CNN) — The Supreme Court on Wednesday upheld a law that banned a type of late-term abortion, a ruling that could portend enormous social, legal and political implications for the divisive issue. — The sharply divided 5-4 ruling could prove historic.

Discussion: The Caucus, The Volokh Conspiracy, Cliff Schecter, Brilliant at Breakfast, Patterico's Pontifications, ProfessorBainbridge.com ® and SCOTUSblog

Balkinization:
Gonzales v. Carhart— Three Comments

Discussion: The Next Hurrah, Daily Kos, Gawker and ACSBlog

Eye / eyeon08.com:
PBA decision impact

Discussion: The Caucus and The Hillary Spot

Marty Lederman / Balkinization:
The Profound Effects of Justice O'Connor's Retirement

Discussion: Instapundit.com

Ann / Feministing:
"Today's decision is alarming."

Discussion: The Moderate Voice, The Debate Link and Matthew Yglesias

LII: Supreme Court collection

Washington Post:
Court Backs Ban on Late-Term Abortion Procedure

Discussion: Political Animal, Blue Gal and AMERICAblog

Michael Stokes Paulsen / Balkinization: The Pernicious Doctrine of Stare Decisis

Lyle Denniston / SCOTUSblog:
Commentary: Some consequences of Carhart II

Discussion: The Sideshow

Nico / Think Progress:

Breaking: FBI Raids Rep. Doolittle's Home — Roll Call reports, "The FBI has raided the Northern Virginia home of Rep. John Doolittle (R-Calif.), according to Congressional sources. No details are publicly available yet about the circumstances of the raid, but Doolittle and his wife …

Discussion: CANNONFIRE, DownWithTyranny!, Shakesville, The Impolitic and Obsidian Wings

Paul Kiel / TPMmuckraker:
FBI RAIDS DOOLITTLE'S HOME

Discussion: On Deadline and Firedoglake

Nico / Think Progress:
Doolittle Throws His Wife Under The Bus

Discussion: Real Cities, Firedoglake, Washington Post and Jesus' General

Fester / The Newshoggers:
Doolittle Raid — TPMMuckraker is forwarding a report …

Discussion: TPMmuckraker

Eric Boehlert / Media Matters for America:

Can conservative bloggers tell the truth? — Here's a simple challenge for John Hinderaker, a writer for the popular conservative blog Power Line who recently revisited the 2004 Swift Boat Veterans for Truth campaign controversy. Upset by recent media references that suggested …

Discussion: The Jawa Report, Power Line and Hullabaloo

Hindrocket / Power Line: INEFFECTIVE, EVEN FOR A LIBERAL — Eric Boehlert of Media Matters must …

Political Radar:

Fred Thompson 2008: A Matter of When — Not If — ABC News' Teddy Davis Reports: Fred Thompson's top cheerleader on Capitol Hill — Rep. Zach Wamp, R-Tenn. — said Wednesday that the former Republican senator's entrance into the 2008 presidential race is a matter of when — not if.

Discussion: Don Surber and TIME

Hotline On Call:
Tour De Fred Draws 53 Members

Discussion: Redstate, eyeon08.com and The Right's Field

Ian / Hot Air:

Video: Eisner says it's time to get the public "emotional" about gun control — Appeals to reason are so passe. Or so suggested the former Disney CEO during his appearance this afternoon on CNBC's "Power Lunch," in which he called explicitly for the abolition of handguns in America.

Allahpundit / Hot Air: Video: Carolyn McCarthy doesn't understand her own gun-control legislation

Jane Hamsher / Firedoglake:

Don't Reward Failure By Giving Money to NARAL — I'm sure Nancy Keenan is licking her sweet chops over the latest SCOTUS decision. It is, after all, probably going to be the biggest fundraising opportunity she's had during her tenure at NARAL. Bigger even than Sandra Day O'Connor's retirement.

Discussion: Redstate, Crooks and Liars and The American Street

Rick Maze / Marine Corps Times HOME:

Experts: Force increases may not be enough — The Senate Armed Services Committee heard testimony Tuesday that increasing the size of the Army and Marine Corps may not resolve severe and growing personnel problems. There was even talk of returning to the draft to fill the ranks.

Discussion: Crooks and Liars

Alexander Mooney / CNN Political Ticker:

Poll reveals most negative assessment of Iraq war yet — In the latest CNN/Opinion Research Corporation poll, taken April 10-12, 69 percent of Americans say things are going badly for the United States in Iraq. That's the most negative assessment yet recorded, up from 54 percent …

Discussion: MyDD, The Carpetbagger Report, TalkLeft and Daily Kos

Paul Blumenthal / Sunlight Foundation blogs:

Who Placed a Secret Hold on Sunlight? — Yet again an anonymous Senator has placed a secret hold on legislation that would increase transparency. This time a secret hold has been placed on a bill, S. 223, that would mandate that Senators file their campaign finance reports electronically.

Discussion: The Caucus, Prairie Weather and TPMmuckraker

Jeffrey M. Jones / Gallup Poll:

Democratic Race Tightens as Views of Clinton Become More Negative — Forty-five percent favorable rating one of lowest ever for Clinton — PRINCETON, NJ — A majority of Americans have an unfavorable image of New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, the frontrunner for the Democratic presidential nomination.