Readers may perhaps recall "Justice Sunday" organized by the Family Research Council the evening of April 24 - organized to end the Senate tradition of the filibuster as it was keeping good Christians off the Supreme Court - "The filibuster was once abused to protect racial bias, and it is now being used against people of faith."  Bill Frist, majority leader in the Senate, spoke.

The rally, or revival meeting, or whatever it was, was covered in these pages: April 17: I love the smell of theocratic McCarthyism in the morning..., April 24: The Christians are going after the Christians as to who are the real Christians..., and May 1: The Oppressed Minority - Christians in America and Conservative Republicans.

Thought you were done with the Christian evangelicals arguing the courts had to be taken back from man for God?  Well, they were blindsided the last time when a bunch of moderates in the Senate decided compromise was a pretty good idea (making Bill Frist look bad) - but with Sandra Day O'Conner retiring and Rehnquist so ill, they're back.

Two Rivers Baptist Church in Nashville, Tennessee will host Family Research Council's simulcast television program, "Justice Sunday II - God Save the United States and this Honorable Court" Sunday, August 14. Justice Sunday II, the follow-up to "Justice Sunday - Stopping the Filibuster Against People of Faith," will broadcast live in churches across the nation in addition to being carried on hundreds of radio stations, via satellite and webcast on this site.

Well, much to their disappointment, late in the evening on Thursday, July 14, Rehnquist threw in another monkey wrench, or as the Brits say, a spanner in the works.  He's not going to retire.

One suspects they'll have the event anyway.

Scheduled to speak?  Senator Zell Miller, and of course James Dobson of Focus on the Family - and Chuck Colson of the Prison Fellowship Ministries (remember him from Watergate?) - and Bill Donohue of the Catholic League, along with Phyllis Schlafly of Eagle Forum.  No word on whether Bill Frist will make a return appearance.

Perhaps we won't cover the event this time.  They wouldn't let us in anyway: "Important: Members of the media must register for FRC media credentials prior to the event."

Whatever.

And Frist has other worries: Frist rebuts complaint, denies he hid $1.44M loan - Cox News, The Tennessean

Oops.

Maybe this time they could get the Republican governor of California to join in.

But Arnold Shwarzenegger has other problems: Gov. to Be Paid $8 Million by Fitness Magazines: The publications rely heavily on advertising for dietary supplements. Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill that would have regulated their use.

Oops.  These publications derive much of their profit from advertisements for nutritional supplements.  Last year, Schwarzenegger vetoed a bill seeking to crack down on the use of performance-enhancing substances in high school sports.  The bill's sponsor, Democratic state Senator Jackie Speier, called on Schwarzenegger to sever his ties with the publisher.  "The governor of the state of California makes some important decisions every day. Today, he has to make a decision about a conflict of interest - his own," Speier said during a Capitol news conference.

Damn.   Well, late in the week Arnold Shwarzenegger cancelled his arrangement with this publisher. 

So the superhero is probably unavailable for "Justice Sunday II - God Save the United States and this Honorable Court."  He's got other worries.  And things really have been going dreadfully for him.  His approval ratings have tanked - worse than the guy he replaced in the recall election a few years ago.  And when his advisor's notes were leaked, that hurt - as the plan was to paint the teachers, police and firemen out here as greedy bastards who were out to stay rich and hurt the common man what with their unions and all.  But it seems folks still think teachers, police and firemen are underpaid and pretty good folks.  That's not going well, and then there are the photos of Arnold tooling around in one of his fleet of Hummers and smoking big cigars.

Ah, the Family Research Council doesn't need the grief.

Oh, they'll rope in a few more speakers, but this time around no one much will care. 

As we know out here in Hollywood, few sequels are as good as the original show.  Coming soon to theater near you (July 6), The Dukes of Hazzard - feature film based on a fourth-rate television show.  Jessica Simpson as Daisy Duke, Burt Reynolds as Boss Hogg.  Huh?  But I like Joe Don Baker a lot.  Lynda Carter (once Wonder Woman) is Pauline and Willie Nelson is Uncle Jesse.

But sequels?  Who cares?