Morning Headlines (In the Afternoon)

Well, east of the Mississippi, at least.

*The "Alito-triggered" pro-life legislative stampede at the state level continued yesterday:

The state Senate on Thursday passed a proposal to amend the Tennessee Constitution so that it doesn't guarantee a woman's right to an abortion.

The 24-9 vote was the first step of many toward officially amending the state constitution. The measure would go before voters if the General Assembly approves it twice over the next two years.

Volunteer state aborters reacted with the calm, dignified civility we've come to expect from that side of the abortion debate:

"The resolution is an all-out attack on the women of Tennessee and seeks to rob women of their right to make choices about their own health, safety and personal welfare," said Hedy Weinberg, executive director of the American Civil Liberties Union of Tennessee.

And, you know, torture and kill their unborn children. Sure sounds like an "all-out attack on the babies of Tennessee" to me. Maybe if people like Ms. Weinberg had any better arguments to muster in favor of continuing the slaughter, the pendulum of public will would not be swinging against it.

*Despite the flouting of his "ultimatum" to the delusional "Republican Majority for Choice" to cease its obnoxious attacks upon Pennsylvania Republican Senator Rick Santorum, fellow keystoner and RMC board member "Snarlin' Arlen" Specter will not resign from the organization in protest.

But then did anybody really believe Specter's declaration that Santorum's re-election is his "top priority in 2006"?

*The Bush boom generated another 243,000 jobs in February, pushing the Dow back over 11,000. Does anybody know about this? Do the Bushies care?

Never has the term "silence is golden" been more bitterly ironic.

*And, from the Dave Berry Memorial "I Swear I'm Not Making This Up" file, the following yowler:

Representative John Murtha, a Vietnam veteran who has denounced the war in Iraq, was named a recipient of the John F. Kennedy Profile in Courage Award on Thursday.

Gee, I wonder what President "Pay Any Price, Bear Any Burden For The Defense Of Liberty" would have had to say about that.