President George W. Bush buried the Harriet Miers nomination debacle by nominating judge Sam Alito as Sandra Day O’Connor’s replacement. While there are no gurantees in life, his confirmation, and I think he will be confirmed, will strengthen the law-interpreting wing of the Court, while weakening its law-writing cabal.

The Left has already begun yammering about Sam Alito being another “white male,” but that line is not only deceitful - it’s safe to say that Democratic Senator Harry Reid would not have applauded if Janice Rogers Brown had been appointed - but also tired and narrowminded. Sure, I’m a white male, but I’m also a Protestant, while Alito and the two judges I like the most on the Court, Scalia and Thomas, are papists*, as is the latest Great Right Hope, John Roberts. This may come as a total shock to the increasingly identity-cliquish Democrats, but occasionally ideology trumps identity. They should try it sometime.

* No, I don’t normally refer to Catholics as papists, but I figured it would be kind of fun in this particular context.

The bad news is that the Patriots secondary still stinks. To make things worse, the run defense stinks, too, or at least it did against the Buffalo Bills. Fortunately, there were some good news as well, most notably Tedy Bruschi’s improbable return to football after his stroke shortly after the Patriots latest Super Bowl victory. Another positive was Corey Dillon’s return to active duty, tentative at first, he gathered steam in the second half and took some pressure off a New England defense that had spent almost the entire first half on the field.

Most importantly, the New England Patriots somehow beat the Buffalo Bills, 21 - 16, in spite of being outplayed badly for about 50 minutes of the game.

Bottom line: The Patriots remain a mess of a team on both sides of the ball, and special teams isn’t anything to write home about either. Luckily, there’s still enough season left for the Patriots to put together a post-season challenge.

The all-estrogen Lifetime channel is showing a four-hour mini-series about “Kate Morozov, a Russian-born, New York City detective, who, after witnessing the suicide of a young girl trafficked into prostitution, joins the fictional Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE), which attempts to expose and arrest the criminals who exploit such women.”

The “fictional Immigration and Customs Enforcement agency (ICE)”? That’s what immigration law enforcement has become. Fictional.

Hat tip goes to Debbie Schlussel who has a lot more to say about both the mini-series and ICE.

Where: Kenmore Square T-stop
When: eight thirtyish this morning
What: a broken trolley
Who: Scores of stranded passengers

Irritation was spreading among the wannabe passengers. A woman next to me was going on about how T-workers should be fired, but weren’t going to because of the unions. I was trying to decide whether to wait for the next trolley or hail a cab…and then…out of the darkness…a two-car trolley…the mythical “trolley right behind” that T riders often hear about but rarely see…and then…another one, and another one, and, dadgummit, a fourth one! All within two minutes. I swear to God I heard some peppy guy way back in the tunnel shouting “Trolley rider…move that trolley!” It was a miracle, I tell you, a miracle!

There’s a special place in town for this kind of stuff and it ain’t here:

Five teens are to be arraigned today in Boston Juvenile Court on charges that they robbed a man at gunpoint near the intersection of Boylston Street and Park Drive on Saturday. The victim, whose name was not released, told police he was walking when a group of teens approached him and pointed pistols at his abdomen and at the back of his head just before 8 p.m. They ran off with a black bag he was carrying. Northeastern University police later told Boston police that young men fitting the description were seen near Westland Avenue. Boston police found two air pistols and the victim’s bag in their possession, and arrested them. The group included two 14-year-olds and a 15-year-old from Roxbury, a 16-year-old from Avon, and a 15-year-old from Boston.

Here’s hoping that there was something about the victim that made him a non-random victim. If that’s not not the case, thanks, Kathy, for letting the crap spill into our neighborhood.

In other news, and in news about news, did the Boston Herald fail to report the latest homicide in the city? Boston Globe has a story about the murder of an 18-year old kid on Saturday night, while the Herald’s primary chronicler of murder and mayhem, Michele McPhee, slams the Commonwealth for pouring money into Fenway (doesn’t she know that Maitland Street is critically important?). I just can’t find an item about the murder in the Herald.

When I went to a New England Patriots game last year, it was pretty cold and I was dressed just slightly too lightly to handle the full three hours plus without freezing. Luckily, some bank or something was giving away Patriots blankets to people who signed up for a credit card. So I signed up, got my blanket, stayed warm and never used the card. Sweet!

But it wouldn’t it be nice if somebody just gave away things for free, without asking for anything in return? Here’s somebody who did just that, and lived to tell about it. Pretty funny. (HT: Universal Hub)

Mike of Fenway Views asks an excellent question: Why is it of critical importance to improve Maitland street? Especially when one considers the sorry state that the somewhat more critically important Beacon Street is in. Hell, if Beacon Street degenerates any further, nobody will even get to Maitland Street.

UPDATE and CORRECTION: This is the worst debacle in the history of Internet128. I confused Maitland Street with another street. Maitland Street is actually relevant to the Red Sox. I’m not saying I’m in favor of the Line Contractors’ Pockets With Tax Money Act, but it is certainly reasonable for Maitland Street to be part of that package.

Saturday’s epic clash between Notre Dame Fighting Irish and University of Southern California Trojans was an absolute masterpiece, probably the best college game I’ve ever seen. The effort from players and coaches, the play calling, the execution, everything was first rate.

Like everybody else today, I’m hoping Pete Carroll and Charlie Wies will clash for years to come.

The New England Patriots made the game closer than I thought they were going to be able. With a secondary that’s close to dead, a linebacker corp that can’t tackle, a defensive line that can’t make up for the weaknesses of the back eight, and a defense that can’t force a turnover to save its life, the Patriots had a small chance at best to beat Denver.

The final score - Denver 28, New England 20 - was a lot closer than the game. About the only thing that surprised me was that Denver took so long to go deep, once the Broncos did, the Patriots unraveled quickly.

Time to regroup. It’s a darn good thing the bye week is here.

A bunch of Nazis didn’t march in Toldeo, Ohio, so hundreds of the city’s black residents attacked police, broke into stores, overturned vehicles and set fires. Some also attacked a white resident who has been complaining about gang actitivty in the neighborhood, but were chased away when he opened fire with a handgun.

Here’s an article about the riot:

Unable to kick a side door of the bar open, one rioter had used a gun to shoot the lock open. The stairway inside led to the upstairs apartment. Rioters started throwing furniture and appliances and book shelves from the apartment’s windows before setting it on fire.

They chanted and waved their hands outside as the blaze roared through the upstairs apartment.

“This is stupid,” said O’Shai Crenshaw, 27, who lives on St. John Avenue. “Why burn this building? That building isn’t [owned by] the police or the Nazis. This doesn’t make any sense.”

Here’s an article about the white man I mentioned above:

The senior Mr. Szych was standing in the front yard of his Bronson Avenue home telling a friend he should have trusted his gut instincts and gotten out of the neighborhood when he had the chance. That’s what his son had done.

“It’s too late,” Mr. Szych told the person on the other end of the phone line. “I’m trapped.”

Seconds later, Mr. Szych ran for cover inside his house when he saw a mob approaching.

Rocks, bricks, and chunks of mortar went crashing through windows.

“I ain’t takin’ this,” he fumed, making a beeline for a back room where he said he had been storing a handgun. He returned to the porch, which by then had been trashed by the mob, and fired six warning shots.

“You want more?” he yelled.

Mr. Szych returned to the back room of his house and reloaded his weapon. Police, at that point, had not been seen on Bronson.

Here’s some background information in an article where we once again meet that white man, Mr Szych:

Police said the problem in North Toledo apparently began over a dispute between Bronson Avenue resident Thomas Szych, who is white, and his neighbor, who is black, about a fence.

Mr. Szych was named in the socialist movement’s press release because of his problems with gang members. Mr. Szych received a threatening flyer that indicated it was from the Dexter gang and he said he has had vandalism to his property.

Chief Navarre said Mr. Szych, his brother, and his father have made many complaints and reports about gang activity in the neighborhood. Officials aren’t receiving complaints and reports from other residents, he said.

Mr. Szych said the police response to his complaints has been poor. Chief Navarre said police have devoted a large amount of resources to Mr. Szych’s concerns.

“The officers following up on the complaints find them to be exaggerated,” the chief said.

Mr. Ford said Mr. Szych’s father made derogatory comments about two African-American officers, describing them as “gorillas with guns.”

Mr. Szych, who bought a handgun for protection but had it taken for safekeeping by police after he allegedly waved it at youths, said he is not a part of the socialist movement and did not ask for the group’s help.

Mr. White confirmed other local residents contacted the group, but would not identify them.

“I’m not against what they’re doing,” Mr. Szych said, “but I think what they’re doing will create more havoc for the residents in the neighborhood.”

What I like the most about the last article is that it refers to the Nazi group (which apparently labels itself “America’s Nazi party”) as “socialist,” which of course is a correct term - NaZi being the German abbreviation for National Socialism - but unfortunately one that newsmedia almost never uses to describe them. On the other hand, the article uses the term neo-Nazi, which is one that should be discarded: There’s nothing neo about Nazis, they’re always the same old Jew hating, civilization destroying goons.