New Ann Coulter Article Today

Ann Coulter:

It's hard to figure why Bush would support a half-wit like Lincoln Chafee. Maybe he believes his own poll numbers and is trying to help the conservatives by endorsing their opponents.

Islam-Inspired Swimwear

Get ready for the latest in women's swimwear, reports Reuters:

An unusual type of swimwear is standing out on Turkish beaches this summer -- Islam-inspired swimsuits -- which buck the trend of the past 100 years for swimsuits to get smaller.

Turkish businessman Mehmet Sahin has designed what he says is the world's first Islam-inspired swimsuit and sells head-to-ankle bathing gear to devout well-heeled Muslims, including the wives of Turkey's leading politicians.

"We are the preferred firm of the conservative politicians' wives," he told Reuters in an interview, referring to members of the ruling AK Party, which has its roots in political Islam and came to power in 2002.

It is still a small market, but Sahin's growing clientele is another sign of the rising profile of Islam in traditionally secular Turkey.

His brightly-colored women's swimming costumes look like shiny track-suits with stretchy hoods, while the racier models are like catsuits with a separate overall to cover the curves.

Man Gets 62 Years For Beating Wife's Face In With A Skillet

Another example of how well our criminal justice system works, from Fox News:

A man said he was "dreadfully sorry" for beating his wife to death with a skillet, but a judge said the apology came too late and sentenced him to 62 years in prison.

Well, he apologized for beating his wife's face in, so he doesn't get the death penalty or even life. That wouldn't be fair!            

Judge Stephen Heimann told Albert Boyd during a sentencing hearing Wednesday in Bartholomew Circuit Court that his apology was "too little, too late."         

Boyd already had served time for attacking a woman with a butcher knife and had dropped out of psychological counseling that might have helped him control his anger before he killed his wife, Ruth Boyd, in their Columbus apartment on Jan. 31, Heimann said.

Another reason not to elect/appoint sissy liberal judges. If a conservative had handled this guy's case you can bet he wouldn't have been put in "psychological counseling"  to help him "control his anger." He would have been thrown in jail after attacking a woman with a butcher knife, which - wait, this can't be right - would have stopped him from killing anyone. Funny how that works!

"It was a violent crime against an intimate person, which also helps buttress the fact that there is a risk you will commit another crime," the judge said.         

Boyd served a seven-year prison sentence in Ohio for stabbing a woman in the neck and severing her ear with a 14-inch butcher knife, Heimann said. He been out of prison four years when he beat his wife in the face with an aluminum skillet so violently the pan was bent and the handle broke off.

Iran Enriching More Uranium

WaPo reports:

Iranian nuclear specialists have begun enriching a new batch of uranium in an apparent act of defiance just days ahead of a U.N. Security Council deadline for Tehran to stop such work or face the prospect of economic sanctions, officials in Washington and European capitals who have been monitoring Iran's efforts said yesterday.

Is that any surprise? They already said they as good as don't take the UN seriously.

Annan: Israel Responsible For Most Cease-Fire Violations

Kofi Annan has said that Israel is responsible for most cease-fire violations in southern Lebanon. Just as his son is responsible for most illegal oil-for-food activities? What disgusting demagoguery and terrorist appeasement. What is the UN good for if not promoting international terrorism?

Britain Charges Three More In Foiled Terror Plot

Reports NY Times:

The British police charged three more people on Tuesday with major terrorism and conspiracy counts after this month's alert over what the police described as a plot to bomb airliners flying from Britain to the United States.

The charges brought to 11 the number of people accused of conspiring to murder and to bomb airplanes flying to the United States — the most serious charges brought against the suspects embroiled in the alleged conspiracy.

The police announced the charges separately, saying early Tuesday evening that a man identified as Nabeel Hussain had been charged with conspiracy to murder and planning to smuggle ''improvised explosive devices onto aircraft and assemble and detonate them on board.'' As with the other suspects, Mr. Hussain, 22, had earlier been held without charge under British counterterrorism laws.

Several hours later, the police said two men identified as Mohammed Yasar Gulzar and Mohammed Shamin Uddin had been charged with the same offenses. Mr. Gulzar's name had not previously been made public in the inquiries that led to a huge roundup of suspects on Aug. 10 and set off a terror alert in Britain and the United States.

I notice they're all Muslims.

I'll Be Busy

I regret to inform you that I may be so busy this week I might not get any posts. Sorry, be sure to check back Friday/Saturday!

Vatican's Chief Exorcist: 'Hitler And Stalin Were Possessed By The Devil'

The Vatican's "chief" exorcist has said that he believes Hitler and Stalin were possessed by the Devil. Is that really so hard to believe?

Fox News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig Free And Safe

Some good news this weekend, as the terrorists who were holding Fox News journalists Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig captive set them free, apparently first forcing them to convert to Islam at gunpoint to prove that it is a religion of peace .

Fox News has a time line of the journalists ordeal.

Iran Not Affraid Of UN (Surprise, Surprise)

Evil regimes usually at least pretend to listen to the UN, but Iran today has made it clear that it is not afraid of the organization that has failed to uphold almost all of its resolutions and considers sanctions an effective way to punish a mass-murderer with WMDs. Reports Fox News:

Iran said Monday it is not concerned about this week's U.N. deadline demanding it suspend a key part of its disputed nuclear program or face political and economic sanctions.              
The U.N. Security Council has given Iran until Thursday to suspend a key part of its nuclear program -- the enrichment of uranium, a process that can produce either fuel for a reactor or material for weapons.

What's the UN's next move? Just laugh it off and keep pretending to do something? Do liberals really think we should leave the security of the world in the hands of these jokers?

CNN Will Play Original 9/11 Coverage On Fifth Anniversary

Yahoo News reports (via: LGF):

CNN will mark the fifth anniversary of the Sept. 11 attacks by replaying on the Internet the cable network's coverage of that day's events.

Viewers can watch how events unfolded starting at 8:30 a.m., minutes before the first reports of an airplane hitting the World Trade Center. The feed will run in real time, as the network showed it five years ago, until midnight.

For the day, CNN will make its online video service, CNN Pipeline, available for free. Normally, viewers pay $2.95 a month or $24.95 a year for four separate video feeds.

Online viewers will be able to watch live reports of memorial services through one of the feeds. So that viewers won't accidentally stumble upon graphic footage from 2001, the replay feed will be covered with a notice instructing users to click only if they want to watch.

"Our users may choose to view the stream of coverage from Sept. 11, 2001, or live coverage of memorial services at Ground Zero, or they may click through the numerous interactive elements on the site," said David Payne, senior vice president and general manager of CNN.com. "They have the power to determine the best way for them to remember the anniversary."

Wow, that's incredibly non-whiny-liberal of them. Of course, they'll have a disclaimer, so no one accidentally views it (ridiculous), but I think it's great that they'll be replaying the coverage.

What's More Degrading Than Racial Profiling?

Cox & Forkum have the answer (via: LGF):

Polar Bear Genitals Are Shrinking!

Sorry, I'm busy and feeling lazy, so not too many posts today. However, if you want to be reminded what horrible creatures humans are - due to our impact on nature - here's a funny story from Fox: " Polar Bear Genitals Are Shrinking."

I'm sorry, but pollutants' effects on a polar bears love-life really isn't a concern of mine...

Stem Cell Research Without Harming The Unborn?

Researchers say they've found a way to harvest embryonic stem cells without harming the unborn life. If this is true, way to go. Now we can all see how embryonic stem cell research has nothing to give to science. Maybe now liberals hoping for a fountain of youth and cures to all diseases can pump as much money and time into stem cell research they want, and they'll just be wasting time and money, not killing innocent life.

"Survivor" To Turn Races Against Each Other (Just Like The Democrats Did!)

Apparently Survivor is going to split the teams up by race for its next season. I can't see this going well for them. We'll have the PC Police whining every second. And what's the outcome supposed to prove? If the white team wins, will the show be saying that white people are the best? Yeah, let's see how that goes...

9/11 Blogger Memorial Project

Thanks to Michelle Malkin for linking to Jamulian.com which has started a huge blogger initiative to have an individual blog remember every 9/11 victim on 9/11/06. I've signed up, and if you have a blog I encourage you to do the same.

I'll be remembering Jon A. Perconti, age 32, killed in the World Trade Center. I will be making a memorial post on 9/11.

Fan Mail? I Wish...

By: Shane

Well, I'll be pretty busy for the next week, and so I don't really have time to write a decent article. So I'm going to use an old trick, and recycle some old material. When I wrote an article tearing apart the federal minimum wage, I got an email from a misguided man claiming to be a conservative. After insulting the article as "simplistic", he said, "Any true member of the 'right wing' as you claim to be at your blog would not take the position that you do. Please refrain from using the term 'right wing' to describe your political affiliation in the future. It gives the rest of us a bad name."

Obviously, I couldn't let this fly. This man was obviously confused as to what a conservative was, and if there's anything I can't stand, it's a misguided conservative. I wrote him back, saying, "I'm sorry, but if you are so enlightened I would like to hear what you believe the 'right wing' stance on a federal minimum wage would be. Just to avoid confusion (on your behalf) I would remind you that 'right wing' does mean 'conservative'." I may have been slightly rude, but I honestly wanted to hear his opinion (not to mention; he called my article "simplistic." The nerve!)

He wrote me back quite a long email listing four points about the government and conservatism. It was obvious that he was confused, and so I wrote him back to refute a few of his points; not for the sake of argument, but because I wanted to set him straight if he was going to be going around claiming to be a conservative. And so, now we come to my response, which is long and will fill space. I wrote back:

...You say that "Conservatives are concerned with kids and families which is why you're no conservative." Unfortunately, and I'm not attacking your intelligence, you need to understand that conservatives follow the mantra of "don't just care, think!" I laid out in my article how minimum wage laws at a federal level do little to help, and in fact hurt the economy.

Conservatism, by definition, is a belief in smaller government, particularly in the economic sphere. Government has no business telling businesses what to do. Whether you agree with this or not, it is the conservative stance.

You also say, "If a man takes a job at the current minimum wage and can't live off the proceeds, then he'll need to collect welfare or some other subsidy probably from the government to survive which will accrue to the benefit of the employer. " This is unfortunately true; our current welfare state hurts the economy drastically and exacerbates many problems, such as teenage pregnancy and illegal immigration. However, the solution is not to abandon our conservative beliefs by involving government in business, but to eliminate the welfare state. You don't fight liberalism with liberalism.

In response to "...if we're still in need of a few more jobs we could raise tariffs on Chinese imports (diminishing the proceeds they have available to expand their military)..." I'd have to point out that free trade is a legitimate point of disagreement between many conservatives; I happen to be a free trade conservative, believing that, like minimum wage, tariffs hurt more people than they help.

Look at steel tariffs, for instance. We put them in place to help the US steel industry. But for every worker in the steel industry, there were 10 in industries that relied on steel. Tariffs raised prices and hurt all of those in industries that relied on steel for the benefit of the few in the steel industry.

I should point out also that, contrary to your statement, "Imports would be cut, the trade deficit would be improved..." tariffs would not help the trade deficit, as never has a tariff been put in place without a retaliatory tariff also being put in place. If we stopped buying Chinese products, they would stop buying what few American products they do...

And there you have it; defense of my article on minimum wage. Sorry I didn't have time to write a full article this week, but I hope this old material was enjoyable and educational. After all; it is a private email and, therefore, should be new to you!

Shane is a writer for the conservative news blog UnrestInTheForest.BlogSpot.com. His other articles can be found here.

Dutch Flight Grounded, 12 Passengers Arrested [Update]

It appears that an incident in which a Dutch flight made an emergency landing with an escort of fighter jets and 12 passengers were arrested after acting suspiciously was not terror related. Reports Reuters:

Dutch authorities will release all 12 passengers arrested on a U.S. Northwest Airlines plane bound for India on Wednesday after concluding they were not planning an attack, prosecutors said on Thursday.

"From the statements of suspects and witnesses, no evidence could be brought forward that these men were about to commit an act of violence," a prosecution statement said, adding police had searched for explosives on the plane but found none.

Prosecutors told a news conference the crew had raised the alarm after the men handed each other mobile phones and laptops during the flight and refused to follow their instructions.    

"It does not appear to be terror-related," Justice Minister Piet Hein Donner told journalists in The Hague earlier.

I guess they weren't terrorists, just jerks who didn't know how to follow the rules.

Plan B Now Available Without Prescription

Fox has some bad news:

Women may buy the morning-after pill without a prescription — but only with proof they're 18 or older, federal health officials ruled Thursday, capping a contentious 3-year effort to ease access to the emergency contraceptive.

This is bad news because, as I pointed out in my article "Plan B: Just Another Abortion Pill ," Plan B is more than an "emergency contraceptive." Plan B can cause a woman's body to reject a fertilized egg, preventing implantation and causing the death of a newly formed life.

The story mentions the same rhetoric from those who support Plan B:

The pills are a concentrated dose of the same drug found in many regular birth-control pills. When a woman takes the pills within 72 hours of unprotected sex, they can lower the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent. If she already is pregnant, the pills have no effect.

This is a misleading statement, "If she already is pregnant, the pills have no effect." This leads you to believe that the pill can not cause the death of an unborn child. However, the statement just shows the lack of understanding that the Left has regarding the Right's Argument against abortion. By "already pregnant" they mean "the egg has implanted on the wall of the uterus." However, the Right does not believe that life begins at implantation, but at conception.

Plan B is just another abortion pill, and the FDA has now legalized its over-the-counter sale.

Democrats' Racial Joke Double Standard

I didn't want to waste my time posting on stupid crap that Liberals try to make into news, but the Left seems so bent out of shape over Sen. Allen's "macaca" jab that I feel I should. Every politician says something stupid every now and then. The Left acts like it is solid proof of President Bush's racism that he has helped to raise money for Sen. Allen.

But are Democrats forgetting their own slip ups? Hillary Clinton made a crack about Gandhi working at a gas station near where she grew up (she also called some one a "fu**ing Jew bastard") and Sen. Joe Biden said, "You cannot go to a 7-Eleven or a Dunkin' Donuts unless you have a slight Indian accent. I'm not joking." Not to mention Huffington Post's publishing of a picture of Joe Lieberman in black face and Daily Kos' publishing of pictures suggesting he's gay. Everyone has slip ups. Are the Lefties calling for Hillary and Biden's resignations and refusing to raise money for them?

It's the same old double standard. Conservatives are expected to adhere to the Left's ridiculous standards of political correctness, but the Left doesn't have to if they don't want to.

Activity Detected At N. Korean Nuclear Testing Site

Reports Fox News:

Japan has confirmed vehicle activity at a North Korean nuclear testing site, but it was unclear whether tests were imminent, a news report said Thursday.              

Vehicles have been seen entering and leaving a nuclear testing site in the northeast of the country, Kyodo News agency reported, quoting an unnamed government official.         

It was unclear whether any nuclear tests by the North were imminent, but Japan will continue to closely monitor the situation, the official was quoted as saying.

I wonder if this is just a made up story planted by Karl Rove to give the Republicans a boost in the mid-term elections? (sarcasm)

Dutch Flight Grounded, 12 Passengers Arrested

I wasn't going to post today, but this story caught my eye. AOL Reports:

Dutch F-16s escorted a Northwest Airlines flight bound for India back to an  airport here Wednesday after the pilot radioed for help, and police arrested 12  passengers who had aroused suspicions , authorities said.

Police spokesman Rob Staenacker said he could not disclose  their nationalities or the nature of the suspicions against them, only that " 12  people have been arrested." An American passenger, who identified herself only  as Alpa, told AP Television News she saw about a dozen people taken off the  plane in handcuffs.

While Flight NO0042 was over German airspace shortly after  takeoff, the pilot radioed for permission to return to Schiphol Airport and  asked for an escort of jet fighters because some of the passengers were acting  suspiciously, the Defense Ministry said.

"A number of them behaved, in the opinion of the crew, in a suspicious manner," said the ministry. "As a result, the captain asked to return  to Schiphol."

A U.S. government official, speaking on condition of  anonymity because of the sensitive nature of the subject, said crew members and  air marshals observed the passengers trying to use cell phones and passing them  among themselves while the airliner was taking off.

"It was behavior that average passengers wouldn't do," the  official said.

The DC-10 was escorted back to Schiphol by two F-16s  scrambled from a northern military airfield, the Defense Ministry said. Routine  security measures were swiftly put into place.

The plane was carrying 149 passengers, when it turned  around after crossing the German border. A Northwest DC-10 has a normal seating  capacity of 273.

The Dutch National Terrorism Coordinator's Office was  informed, but said there was no reason to raise the national threat level,  spokeswoman Judith Sluiter said.

The flight was canceled until Thursday, and the passengers  were put up in hotels, Northwest said.

"It is the same as it was before - light threat," said  Sluiter.

Like airports around the world, Schiphol raised the level  of security two weeks ago when British police announced they had uncovered a  plot to blow up several U.S.-bound commercial jetliners, but Kuypers said threat  levels had returned to normal.

Several alerts have been sounded since the terrorism plot  was outlined in London. On Friday, a British plane made an emergency landing in  southern Italy after a bomb scare, and the U.S. Air Force scrambled jets to  escort a United Airlines flight from London to Washington as it was diverted to  Boston.

Wednesday's security alert was the first at Amsterdam's  international airport since September, when a British Airways flight returned in  similar circumstances. It turned out to be a false alarm.

I'll post updates later, especially if this ends up having terror ties.

Bin Laden Fantasised Over Whitney Houston

The Scotsman has another one of those stories that just leaves me speechless:

OSAMA bin Laden, the al-Qaeda leader, was obsessed with the singer Whitney Houston and wanted to marry her, a new book claims.

Kola Boof, a Sudanese poet and novelist, who says she was kept against her will as the terrorism mastermind's mistress in 1996, writes in her autobiography that he wanted to give the star a mansion and make her one of his wives.

"He told me that Whitney Houston was the most beautiful woman he'd ever seen ," Boof claims in Diary of a Lost Girl, excerpts of which are published in Harper's magazine.

But bin Laden had less respect for Houston's husband Bobby Brown, apparently talking about the possibility of having him killed.

"He said that he had a paramount desire for Whitney Houston and although he claimed music was evil, he spoke of some day spending vast amounts of money to go to America and try to arrange a meeting with the superstar ," Boof writes.

"He said he wanted to give Whitney Houston a mansion that he owned in a suburb of Khartoum.

"He explained to me that to possess Whitney, he would be willing to break his colour rule and make her one of his wives."

Bin Laden would speak constantly about "how beautiful she [Houston] is, what a nice smile she has, how truly Islamic she is but is just brainwashed by American culture and by her husband - Bobby Brown, whom Osama talked about having killed, as if it were normal to have women's husbands killed."

Boof, who also says the al- Qaeda leader would "ramble on" about his favourite TV shows, The Wonder Years, Miami Vice and MacGyver, adds: " In his briefcase, I would come across photographs of the star, as well as copies of Playboy ... It would soon come to the point where I was sick of hearing Whitney Houston's name."

I wonder if Play Boy is allowed under Sharia Law..?

PC Police Upset About Tom & Jerry Smoking

The PC Police are at it again, this time attacking classic cartoons that involve smoking. Reports Reuters:

They chase each other at high speed, wielding axes and hammers. But the famous cartoon duo of Tom and Jerry are in trouble in Britain for smoking on screen.

Media regulator Ofcom received a complaint from a viewer who took offence at two episodes involving smoking.

In one, "Texas Tom," the hapless cat Tom tries to impress a feline female by rolling a cigarette, lighting it and smoking it with one hand. In the other, "Tennis Chumps," Tom's opponent in a match smokes a large cigar.

In a bulletin posted online, Ofcom noted "concerns that smoking on television may normalize smoking," and said that the Turner company, licensee for Boomerang which aired the cartoons, had agreed to edit some smoking scenes out of Tom and Jerry.

"The licensee has ... proposed editing any scenes or references in the series where smoking appeared to be condoned, acceptable, glamorized or where it might encourage imitation," Ofcom said, adding that "Texas Tom" was one such example.

But it would not cut all smoking scenes, it added.

If only there were some sort of adults who were in charge of raising certain children and making sure that they only watched TV that was appropriate and learned the adults' values. But since there are no adults like this that I can think of, who are responsible for raising certain children, I guess we'd better censor everything and make sure it's safe. God forbid children be left to make decisions and think for themselves!

More Time Wasted With Iran Nuclear Talks

There's lots of news today about Iran and nuclear talks (also: here and here). I won't bother posting on it (seeing as how Iran flip-flops more than John Kerry), except to say that it looks like they've bought themselves some more time to work on their nuclear projects by giving the idealistic and unrealistic West a false sense of hope that their may be some diplomatic solution to deal with Iran.

Don't fall for it! They want you dead! They've already expressed their feelings that they have a God-given right to nuclear weapons! You can't reason with these people!

Iran Fires On And Occupies Romanian Oil Rig

CNN reports:

A Romanian oil rig off the coast of Iran came under fire from an Iranian warship and was later occupied by Iranian troops, a company spokesman said.

The Iranians first fired into the air and then fired at the Orizont rig, said GSP spokesman Radu Petrescu. Half an hour later, troops from the ship boarded and occupied the rig and the company lost contact with the 26 crew members shortly afterward.  

Petrescu said he had no information about any injuries or deaths. The Orizont rig has been moored near the Kish island in the Persian Gulf since October 2005, he told the Associated Press.  

Eugen Chira, the political consul at the Romanian Embassy in Tehran confirmed the incident, but provided few details.  

"Some forces opened fire. That an incident has happened is true. We have no details or the reason yet," he said.

Says Robert at Jihad Watch: "Is Iran looking for a little practice in firing upon and occupying enemy ships? Is the Thug-In-Chief Ahmadinejad planning to throw us all a curve today and declare war on...Romania?"

That, or they're just crazy. Come to think of it, it could be both...

Buffer Zone A No-Go? Europe Chickens Out

The New York Times reports "Europeans Delay Decision on Role Inside Lebanon ." Well, duh. Meanwhile, Yahoo News is reporting that Olmert has asked Italy to lead the UN force in Lebanon (Hat tip: LGF). LGF calls this a plea from Olmert for "Anyone But France!"

At this point the Europeans should be lining up to send troops to the buffer zone. This was a very important part of the cease-fire between Israel and Lebanon, and without it the whole thing will fall apart. However, Europeans are not willing to commit troops (despite already pledging that they would). They've already made their point; that Israel is evil. What's it to them if the cease-fire falls apart? They'll just blame Israel, as usual.

Peace With Iran Obtainable

Well, apparently there is a way to have peace with Iran. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad:

If you want to have good relations with the Iranian people in the future, you should acknowledge the right and the might of the Iranian people, and you should bow and surrender to the might of the Iranian people. If you do not accept this, the Iranian people will force you to bow and surrender.

I can see liberals going for that. In fact, I think they already have...

11 Charged In Foiled UK Terror Plot

Fox News Reports that 11 people have finally been charged in connection with the foiled UK terror plot.

Iran Denies Inspectors At Nuclear Site

Yahoo News reports:

Iran has turned away U.N. inspectors wanting to examine its underground nuclear site in an apparent violation of the Nonproliferation Treaty, diplomats and U.N. officials said Monday.

The officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of the confidentiality of the information, told The Associated Press that Iran's unprecedented refusal to allow access to the facility at Natanz could seriously hamper international efforts to ensure that Tehran is not trying to make nuclear weapons.

Meanwhile, Iran's supreme leader said Tehran will pursue nuclear technology despite a U.N. Security Council deadline to suspend uranium enrichment by the end of the month or face the threat of economic and diplomatic sanctions.

Gee, I wonder what the UN will do now. No doubt it will leap into action. I'm sure Iran's leaders in no way fear embargoes and sanctions, knowing they could just always buy there weapons from the French and Germans and sell oil to the UN.

I'll be waiting patiently for the US to do what it always does, and solve the worlds problems.

Lieberman Calls On Rumsfeld To Resign

Well, it looks like the liberals are scaring Lieberman. Yahoo reports: "Lieberman Calls on Rumsfeld to Resign." I thought Lieberman was made of tougher stuff, it's a shame.

Lieberman cites the same illogical reasons for dumping Rummy - "With all respect to Don Rumsfeld, who has done a grueling job for six years, we would benefit from new leadership to work with our military in Iraq " - only his irreconcilable differences with Rummy have to do with wanting more, not less troops in Iraq.

This is just more proof that even a moderate liberal is still worse than any conservative.

Hezbollah Ignores Cease-Fire, So UN Comdemns Israel

Reports My Way News:

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan said Saturday that an early-morning Israeli raid against Hezbollah in eastern Lebanon violated the 6-day-old cease-fire brokered by the United Nations. An Israeli officer was killed, and two soldiers wounded, when Israeli commandos raided a Hezbollah stronghold deep in Lebanon, resulting in a fierce gunbattle.

Israel said the raid was launched to stop arms smuggling from Iran and Syria to the militant Shiite fighters, while Lebanon's Prime Minister Fuad Saniora called the operation a "flagrant violation" of the U.N. truce.

I honestly can't see how the Lebanese government and Kofi Annan can be so flagrantly biased. How can they condemn Israel for breaking the cease-fire? If Lebanon and the UN aren't going to live up their part of the cease-fire and disarm Hezbollah and make a buffer zone, then what option does Israel have? Not to mention Hezbollah's flat out refusal to disarm. Where's the mainstream media and the UN's condemnation of Hezbollah for not following the cease-fire?

"State Of Emergency: The Third World Invasion And Conquest Of America "

Drudge has a story about Pat Buchanan's new book, "State Of Emergency." It includes these startling facts and predictions:

Buchanan warns:  " The children born in 2006 will witness in their lifetimes the death of the West."

One in every twelve people breaking into America has a criminal record.

By 2050, there will be 100 million Hispanics concentrated in the U.S. Southwest.

Between 10 and 20 percent of all Mexicans, Central Americans and Caribbean people have already moved to the United States.

Every month, the U.S. Border Patrol apprehends more illegal aliens breaking into our country, 150,000, than the number of troops we have in Iraq.

Drudge also quotes this warning from Buchanan:

"As Rome passed away, so, the West is passing away, from the same causes and in much the same way. What the Danube and Rhine were to Rome, the Rio Grande and Mediterranean are to America and Europe, the frontiers of a civilization no longer defended."

I may disagree with Pat Buchanan on some things - like the War on Terror and free trade - but he is dead on when it comes to illegal immigration. Sounds like a good read.

CFC Substitutes Don't Stop Global Warming. Duh!

Well, Fox is reporting that restrictions on CFCs that many countries have been imposing for years at great cost to the world economy did very little to "fix" global warming . Surprise, surprise. I'd like to be the first to say, way to go environmentalists!

As it turns out, short-cited governments failed to realize that many CFC substitutes supposedly have the same effects on the environment as CFCs. The story says:

In theory, the ban should have helped both problems. But the countries that first signed the Montreal Protocol 17 years ago failed to recognize that CFC users would seek out the cheapest available alternative.         

The chemicals that replaced CFCs are better for the ozone layer, but do little to help global warming. These chemicals, too, act as a reflective layer in the atmosphere that traps heat like a greenhouse.

Blah, blah, blah...

"In theory" the ban should have helped? That's the problem with environmentalists; they don't care about sound-science, and therefore all of their moronic "solutions" should work "in theory," or so they say. More often than not, their ideas end up not working. But do environmentalists apologize for the waste of money and life that their bans usually cause for no good reason? Of course not! What are a few million human lives or a few billion dollars to them in comparison to Mother Earth?

Activist Judge Outlaws Terror Surveillance Program

Reports AOL News:

Noting "there are no hereditary Kings in America and no powers not created by  the Constitution," a federal judge ruled Thursday that President Bush had exceeded his authority when he allowed the National Security Agency to eavesdrop on Americans without a warrant.

It's good to hear a nice unbiased judge isn't it? Could you since my sarcasm? "There are no hereditary kings in America?" Is it just me, or is that an obvious shot at the ever-mentioned "Bush Dynasty" that liberals are constantly opining about?

U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit said the surveillance by the NSA violates the rights to free speech and privacy, as well as the separation of powers enshrined in the Constitution.

First of all, what right to privacy? Second, in what way does it violate the sacrosanct right to free speech? I wasn't aware the government listened to us and then ran into our houses and put tape over our mouths if we were about to say something they didn't like. In fact, I was under the impression that they only listened to you if you were talking to a known terrorist overseas, and then they blew up the terrorists or stopped any terror attacks you may be planning. Sound like common sense, not a violation of the first amendment.

Of course, the Bush administration plans on appealing the case:

The Bush administration said the program is a vital tool in the fight against terrorism and said it would seek a reversal by the 6th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in Cincinnati.   

White House press secretary Tony Snow said the Bush administration "couldn't disagree more with this ruling." He said the program carefully targets communications of suspected terrorists and "has helped stop  terrorist attacks and saved American lives."  

Taylor ordered an immediate halt to the program, but the government said it would ask for a stay of that order pending appeal. The American Civil Liberties Union, which brought the suit, said it would oppose a stay but agreed to delay enforcement of the injunction until Taylor hears arguments Sept. 7.

As usual, the ACLU is involved, and, as usual, they used plants for plaintiffs. You may wonder how one could find a plaintiff against a secret program. Well, listen to this crap:

The ACLU filed the lawsuit in January on behalf of  journalists, scholars and lawyers who say the program has made it difficult for them to do their jobs. They believe many of their overseas contacts are likely  targets of the program, which monitors phone calls and e-mails between people in  the U.S. and people in other countries when a link to terrorism is suspected.

First of all, boo-who. If you're making regular calls to overseas terrorists, I really don't fell for you. Second, how would this program make it hard to do your job? The government is just listening for possible evidence of terror plots, in which case they would crack-down. Unless part of being a lawyer, journalist, and scholar means planning terrorist attacks (I wouldn't be surprised) then you have nothing to worry about.

Of course, the ACLU brings up the ever flawed and useless FISA court system:

The ACLU says the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act, which set up a secret court to grant warrants for such surveillance, gave the government enough tools to monitor suspected terrorists.

Here's the thing, the government may get a tip of a call that needs monitoring. They may not have time to get a warrant from FISA. But why do they need one? As far as I know, the program only listens for the purpose of thwarting terror attacks, not to gather evidence for a trial.

The Justice Department said the program "is lawful and protects civil liberties..."

It protects civil liberties partly in that it keeps you from being killed by terrorists. Dead people tend to not enjoy as many liberties as the living, especially dead liberals, who believe in no life-after-death.

Rep. Pete Hoekstra had a nice line:

"It is disappointing that a judge would take it upon herself to disarm America during a time of war," Rep. Pete Hoekstra, R-Mich., chairman of the House Intelligence Committee, said in a statement.  

Once again, liberals are doing their best to disarm America and give the terrorists an advantage. Their tactics of scare-mongering and demagoguery are disgusting, and their preference to power over American security is disturbing. Let's hope that this gets passed to a reasonable judge, and that America isn't dealt another severe blow in the War on Terror.

Bomb Threat On British Plane

WAVE 3 TV is reporting:

A bomb threat written on an air sickness bag led the pilot of a British plane to make an emergency landing in Italy.  

Excel Airways, which caters to vacationers, says the note read, "There's a bomb on this aircraft." With an Italian fighter jet as an escort, the plane touched down in the southern city of Brindisi, where the 269 passengers and nine crew members were led out safely. Authorities were searching the jet.  

The plane had left London's Gatwick Airport, which is under heightened security because of the plot to bomb U.S.-bound flights.  

It was heading to a resort city in Egypt, and airline officials expect it will resume the trip later.

There is no proof yet that there was a bomb or that the threat was terror related. We'll post updates as the story develops.

Hezbollah's Victory Over Israel

By: Shane

Just days after the UN security council completed its resolution to "end the conflict in Lebanon" Hezbollah was claiming victory over Israel. Hezbollah fighters reportedly hugged each other and celebrated with gunfire and fireworks. Hezbollah's leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah claimed a "strategic, historic victory." Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Tuesday that Hezbollah has "hoisted the banner of victory" over Israel. All of the Middle East was in celebration at the "defeat" of the Jews. The UN saw the resolution as a success, probably because they would side with terrorist 9 times out of 10 rather than side with Israel.

However, Hezbollah and Iran weren't the only ones claiming victory. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert also claimed victory, saying the offensive eliminated the "state within a state" and restored Lebanon's sovereignty in the south. President Bush also weighed in, claiming that Hezbollah suffered defeat at the hands of Israel. "There's going to be a new power in the south of Lebanon," he said.

So who is right? Israel and the West, or Hezbollah and all of its radical Islamic supporter throughout the Middle East. Sadly, I see little support of the statements that Israel removed the "state within a state" and that "there's going to be a new power in the south of Lebanon." On the contrary, it appears that this "cease-fire" is not a sign of lasting peace in the Middle East, but what every conservative talking head will tell you it is: a chance for Hezbollah and other radical Islamic groups to rearm and regroup.

Just days after the "cease-fire" and shortly after Hezbollah claimed a "historic victory" over Israel, reports came that thousands of "Jihadis" were preparing to leave the "moderate" Islamic state of Indonesia and head for Lebanon to join "a declared Jihad against Israel." The "Jihadis" were reportedly financed by "Muslim businessmen." If this alone isn't evidence enough that the supposed "cease-fire" is a sham, meant to allow Hezbollah to regroup, then I don't know what is.

The day after the "Indonesian Jihadis" story came out, the New York Times did something they had been refusing to do throughout the duration of the Israel-Lebanon/Hezbollah conflict; they acknowledged Hezbollah's presence in southern Lebanon. The New York Times piece praises Hezbollah for all they are doing to help rebuild the "devastated" cities of southern Lebanon. They story says that Iran promised Hezbollah an "unlimited budget" for reconstruction after victory. The story even quotes Hezbollah's leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah as saying, "Completing the victory can come with reconstruction."

I'm sorry, we're supposed to believe that there's "going to be a new power in south Lebanon" and that Hezbollah's power structure has been eliminated there when, according to the New York Times, Hezbollah "is already dominating the efforts to rebuild with a torrent of money from oil-rich Iran?" If anything, this is making Hezbollah more respected in the eyes of the people of southern Lebanon. Hezbollah is no doubt not just rebuilding southern Lebanon as a powerful propaganda tool, but also to restore their cover, amongst civilians, for when they restart their Jihad against Israel.

The "cease-fire" wouldn't work even if everyone obeyed it. How can Israel declare victory when Hezbollah is still in southern Lebanon, they didn't get their kidnapped soldiers back, and they didn't get the terms they requested on a "buffer zone" in southern Lebanon? However, the situation is made worse by the fact that Hezbollah is not following the "cease-fire." Hezbollah has refused to disarm, as the "cease-fire" calls for, and Lebanon has done little about it. Rather than demand that Hezbollah disarm, Lebanon has just asked that the terrorist group keep its arms "off the street." Considering they can launch rockets from the roofs of schools and Mosques, that shouldn't be a problem for them.

So, what does Israel get for giving in to "international demands" from liberals around the world? They certainly didn't get a victory. Hezbollah is rebuilding its strength in southern Lebanon, "Jihadis" are flooding in to southern Lebanon from other Islamic states including Indonesia, Israel achieved few of its goals (if any), Hezbollah is not disarming, and the international community still treats Israel like a group of war criminals.

Let's hope that this "cease-fire" is a learning experience for Israel. Let's hope that they learn that there is nothing to be gained from giving in to "international pressure" from liberals in Europe and the UN. Let's hope that they also learn that there is only one way to rid the world of terrorism, and that is to defeat it. Terrorists do not make treaties, do not obey resolutions, and ignore cease-fires. As long as there are terrorists bent on an Islmo-fascist world regime, and freedom loving democracies, there will be fighting in the world. The question is; which side do you support, that of freedom, or that of tyranny?

Shane is a writer for the conservative news blog UnrestInTheForest.BlogSpot.com. His other articles can be found here.

Give It Time...

I'll be a little slow on the posts today. I need to get around to writing an article, as it's been seven days since my last one (my personal deadline).

For your entertainment I'll leave you with this Jay Leno quote:

"I guess you heard by now, the airlines are saying no more hair gels, shampoos, makeup or hair spray allowed in carry-on bags. Who's attacking us, drag queens?"

UK Terror Plot Planned Through Al-Qaeda

AllHeadlineNews.com has a report that could end the UK terror plot Al-Qaeda connection debate:

A newspaper in Pakistan on Wednesday, quoting intelligence sources, said al-Qaeda's No. 3 man was the brain behind the foiled attempt to blow up trans-Atlantic flights bound for the U.S. last week.

The Pakistani publication Dawn quoting a source said,"It is not Osama bin Laden and it's not Aiman Al Zawahiri, but someone close to the rank of Abu Faraj Al-Libbi. It is an al-Qaida connection... "

He said al-Qaida was established in London thru Rashid Rauf, who was arrested by the Pakistani authorities who eventually confessed of the plan.

The source said those involved in the bombings of the airplanes were still in the planning stage.

"There were not in the execution stage," the source adds.

Rauf arrived in London in 1981, when he was a one-year old. He returned to Pakistan in 2002 where he established his connection with the terror group.

Rauf was arrested by Pakistani security agency along with six other suspected terrorists. The confessions obtained from the suspects were relayed to British authorities which resulted to the thwarting of the terror plan, the source adds.

Port Terminal Evacuated After Possible Bomb Found In Container (From Pakistan?)

Reports Seattlepi.com:

Bomb squads are responding to Terminal 18 on Seattle's waterfront after a canine bomb team found possible explosives in a container, the Coast Guard said this afternoon.

Mike Milne, spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection Service, said "a couple of (cargo) containers were set aside for standard exam'' and a CBP dog trained to detect explosives "alerted on it.'' CBP followed standard protocols and summoned the Port of Seattle Police bomb squad "to see if there is a threat.''
The container was supposed to hold oily rags but inspectors found objects that were not on the inventory. U.S. Customs and Border Protection then sent in its bomb team.

A 300-yard safety zone has been established around the terminal. The origin of the ship that delivered the containers was not immediately known, but a worker at the terminal reported that the containers may have been from Pakistan.

This could be nothing, but it could also be terrorism related. The containers may have come from Pakistan. We'll keep an eye out for updates.

***Update, 7:46pm***

Fox is reporting that no bombs or explosives were found:

It wasn't immediately clear what prompted the dogs to alert on the containers, but the bomb squad found no explosives or radioactive materials inside, said port spokesman David Schaefer.

The container did, however, originate in Pakistan. It's manifest was slightly off, but authorities said that that was not uncommon.

Bad News For Everyone

Well this is horrible news: "France To Head New Lebanon Force." Hezbollah must be shaking in their boots! How will they ever sneak past the French?

London-to-DC Flight Diverted After 'Passenger Disturbance'

Fox News is reporting:

Fighter jets escorted a London-to-Washington, D.C. United Airlines flight to a landing at Boston's Logan Airport Wednesday after the pilot declared an emergency over a passenger disturbance , FOX News has confirmed.

Transportation Security Administration Director George Naccara refuted initial reports that the incident was terrorist related, and said the passenger was claustrophobic, became upset, and got into a confrontation with the flight crew. The incident was enough to concern the pilot to issue an alert, which activated two fighter jets to escort the plane into Logan, Naccara said.

Naccara denied reports that the woman was carrying Vaseline, a screwdriver, matches and a note referencing Al Qaeda. Massachusetts Port Authority spokesman Phil Orlandella initially said an unidentified woman carrying those items had been taken into custody. "I don't know what she had on board with her, but we have been told she did not have a screw driver, she did not have any liquids such as Vaseline, and any notebook she may have had, it did not contain an Al Qaeda reference," Naccara said. ""This is still playing out, of course. There was speculation in the beginning of all those items, but those have been proven untrue."

Earlier in the morning, United spokesman Brandon Borrman said a female passenger was spotted engaging in what was described as "suspicious" activity, but he could not detail what the activity was.

All passengers and crew were escorted off the plane immediately after it landed at Logan, and were taken to a holding area at the airport for interviews by FBI and other federal security officials.

The plane was isolated on a far runway as ground crew removed all pieces of luggage and placed them on the tarmac for inspection by security personnel and bomb sniffing dogs...

The United flight diverted on Wednesday carried 182 passengers and 12 crew members. It was escorted to Boston by two F-15 fighter jets that took off from Otis Air National Guard Base in Massachusetts after a "domestic events network" call was initiated. That's a hotline for aviation officials used when there's a call made that a plane is off route, there's a disturbance on board an aircraft, or a violation of airspace has occurred.

State Police and federal agencies took control of the plane after it landed safely...

Terror scares garner particular attention in Boston because of Logan's history. Members of Al Qaeda hijacked two planes from Logan on Sept. 11, 2001, and flew them into the World Trade Center towers in New York.

Logan Airport also was where an American Airlines Paris-Miami flight was diverted in 2001 when Richard Reid, the so-called shoe bomber, tried to blow up the plane. He was thwarted by attendants and passengers after he tried to light a fuse leading to the concealed plastic explosives in his sneakers. He is now serving a life prison sentence.

***Update, 4:02pm***

SABC News is reporting:

"There was an altercation with at least one female passenger," a United Airlines spokesperson said. A federal law enforcement official said the woman had an anxiety attack. "There are no known links to terrorism regarding this event at this time," said Christopher White, a transportation security administration spokesperson...

"There was a supposed confrontation on board. There may have been a banned item on board and they are now searching the luggage," said Phil Orlandella, a spokesman at Boston's Logan International Airport. He said the passengers were being interviewed by police before being put on alternative flights.

They don't mention it in the story, but the caption to the story's photo reads, "Flight 923 was disrupted by a female armed with a screwdriver." Possibly the "banned item" that was reported to be on board. Initial reports said that the woman had a screwdriver, matches, Vaseline, and a letter from Al Qaeda.

***Update, 6:37pm***

Chron.com is reporting that there was no screwdriver on board, but quotes Gov. Romney:

Gov. Mitt Romney said the 59-year-old woman was from Vermont and became so claustrophobic and upset that she needed to be restrained. The FBI in Boston said the woman, a U.S. citizen, was detained for allegedly interfering with a flight crew and was being questioned.

So, it just looks like a woman panicked. It never mentions her ethnicity. However, the story also says:

Romney said a search of the woman's bag turned up matches and a gelatin-like substance, which he did not define, but there was no indication the items were related to terrorism. Naccara said he did not believe any items she was carrying were the cause of the emergency.

So fortunately this was not a terror plot, however, it does show that there are holes in current airport security.

Israeli Woman's Breast Implants Stop Shrapnel From Hezbollah Rocket

It takes a while to get past the initial shock of Reuters reporting on an Israeli getting injured by Hezbollah. Reports Reuters:

An Israeli woman's breast implants saved her life when she was wounded in a Hizbollah rocket attack during Israel's war with the Lebanese group, a hospital spokesman said Tuesday.

Doctors found shrapnel embedded in the silicone implants, just inches from the 24-year-old's heart.

"She was saved from death," said a spokesman for Nahariya Hospital in northern Israel. The woman has been released from hospital.

I would love to see how furious it makes the terrorists that a woman was saved from their attack by her breast implants. If they shun showing bare shoulders, then I think breast implants are out of the question.

The Corruption Of The Media

Over at EU Referendum, the site that first uncovered the Qana "Massacre" to be a fake, they are compiling all of their evidence and posts on the events in Qana into one big report titled " The Corruption Of The Media." It's not done yet, but promises to be a very good read.

British Detain another Terror Suspect

An update on the UK terror plot stories, reports The conservative Voice:

Police detained a new suspect Tuesday in the alleged plot to blow up jetliners over the Atlantic, the first arrest since authorities detained two dozen people last week and threw Britain's airports into turmoil by imposing tougher security.    

The announcement came after police said they raided two Internet cafes near the homes of some suspects and a news report said officers may have found a rifle and a pistol in a search of woodlands in the same area...

London's Metropolitan police said the latest suspect was detained around noon in the Thames Valley area just west of London. They offered no more details, including the person's gender or identity.    

"A suspect has been arrested in connection with the investigation and is in custody in the Thames Valley area," a spokeswoman said , speaking on condition of anonymity to comply with department rules.    

The developments came after several days of near silence from British officials, who had announced Thursday that they foiled the planned terror attack by arresting 24 people around the country. Police have released little information since then.    

Authorities will have to provide at least some details of their evidence when a judge holds a closed-door hearing Wednesday to decide whether to extend detention for 23 suspects. One suspect was released without charge Friday.

Two Ohio Men Held On Terror Charges [Update 2]

An update on our earlier story, "Two Ohio Men Held On Terror Charges." Reports The Marietta Times:

Felony terrorism charges are expected to be dropped at 2 p.m. today against two Michigan men who were arrested a week ago in Marietta.

The Washington County Prosecutor's Office will still proceed with falsification charges against Osama Abulhassan, 20, and Ali Houssaiky, 20, both of Dearborn, Mich. Officers say the two men didn't give their real names right away, then changed their story about the reason they had $11,000 in cash...

Authorities say Abulhassan and Houssaiky admitted to buying more than 600 TracFones in the past month and reselling them to an individual in Dearborn, Mich. Dearborn is reputed to be a base of operations for several terrorist-related organizations.

Suspicious why the men were buying hundreds of cell phones, investigators soon charged them with violations of state anti-terrorism laws...

Schneider said he didn't have enough evidence to present the felony terrorism charges to a grand jury at this time. "This is still an open case," Schneider said on Monday. "I anticipate that we will be taking it to the grand jury, but I won't guarantee when..."

The press release indicated prosecutors felt there was enough evidence "in support of probable cause on the felony charges," but more information would be needed to prove those charges beyond a reasonable doubt.
The decision to drop the felony charges, though, started to take shape Sunday.

"It's more important to have all my ducks in a row so I am confident," Schneider said.

The next step could be to take the case directly to the Washington County grand jury, but at this time, Schneider said the state is not prepared to seek indictments because the matter is still under investigation.

So the men are by no means absolutely innocent of terrorism charges, the prosecutors just want to make sure they have a rock solid case before taking it to court. A good idea considering liberals will no doubt be throwing money at these men's "legal defense funds," which the ACLU will probably set up.

Another Group Of Arab Men Purchases Large Quantities Of Cell Phones

Reports KVOA News 4:

Law enforcement sources confirm to News 4 that Tucson Police have issued an "attempt to locate" on two Middle Eastern men in their 20's who purchased nearly 50 phones from Sam's Club and Wal-Mart in Tucson. ..

Arrests have been made in Michigan and Ohio and there are reports of large numbers of cell phones being sold to young men fitting the same description in Wisconsin.  

There was a very similar case that went down in Antigo, Wisconsin where police say another group of men bought more than 90 cell phones from 4 different stores.  

News 4 spoke with a Wal-mart and Sam's Club representative and he would not confirm nor deny that these men did in fact buy those phones.  

Instead, he referred us to the police and we spoke with the Pima Sheriff's Department and the Marana and Oro Valley police departments.  

Tucson law enforcement authorities confirmed late Sunday night that officers are searching for these two men.

Is this some kind of epidemic we're having? It seems like this is happening a lot lately, or maybe we're just now noticing it.

We have these men, the first group of Dearborn men arrested in Ohio, and the Texas men arrested in Michigan.

The KVOA story also mentions an occurrence in Antigo, Wisconsin, which appears it could possibly connected to the Texas men, who had possibly planned to attack the Mackinac bridge. I'll update if any more information comes regarding the Wisconsin incident.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad Starts Blog [Update]

Yael K over at OlehGirl (hat tip:LGF) has reason to believe that Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's blog takes advantage of a security hole in Internet Explorer to attack computers visiting from Israel. She had this picture of a prompt that poped up when she clicked on a link:

Now the Iranians are cyber terrorists. I'm not surprised.

Border Cops Nab Cheese Smuggler

I'm speechless. Reports Reuters:

Puzzled U.S. border police arrested a Mexican smuggler with 88 pounds (40-kg) of cheese hidden in a special compartment in his truck, police said on Friday.

Customs and Border Protection spokesman Roger Maier said officers at the port of entry in Columbus, New Mexico, referred a Chevrolet pickup for a routine secondary examination on Wednesday.

Officers using an X-ray machine saw the outline of 16 bulky packages stashed in a secret compartment behind the seat, which they initially believed were packets containing illicit drugs.

"Generally if you see something (with the X-ray machine) you expect it to be narcotics, but this turned out to be cheese," Maier told Reuters by telephone.

Media Scare Mongering

You want a perfect example of junk science and media scare mongering all in one story? Then look no further than this Fox headline: "Hot Dogs May Cause Cancer, Genetic Mutations ."

More Muslims Arrested With Hundreds Of Cell Phones [Update 2]

Another update on our previous stories covering the three Muslim, Texas men arrested in Michigan with 1,000 cell phones who authorities believe were targeting the Mackinac bridge, which connects Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas. Reports Fox News:

The FBI said Monday it had no information to indicate that the three Texas men arrested with about 1,000 cell phones in their van had any connections to a known terrorist group.

Authorities had increased patrols on Michigan's 5-mile-long Mackinac Bridge after local prosecutors said investigators believed the men were targeting the bridge...

The FBI issued a news release Monday saying there is no imminent threat to the bridge linking Michigan's upper and lower peninsulas and that has no information indicating that the men have any direct link to a terrorist group.

If these men were working independently of any known terrorist groups than it looks like we have a problem with domestic Muslims. I said it before, we may be heading down the same road as Europe, with a growing population of Muslims with contempt for our country.

***Update, 6:27pm***

First of all, the Lansing State Journal got some info from The Detroit Free Press about the authorities' evidence that the Muslim men, apparently of Palestinian decent, were targeting the Mackinac bridge:

The Detroit Free Press, citing a law enforcement official familiar with the case who it didn't name, reported today that the phones plus photographs and videos of the bridge led authorities to believe the men were targeting the structure.

Also, LGF linked to Debbie Schlussel, who, despite what authorities said about the men having no connections to known terror groups, had this to say:

Sources tell DebbieSchlussel.com that the men are from Palestinian Islamic Jihad, the group that works in concert with HAMAS in performing homicide bombings in Israel. The group once even considered merging with HAMAS, at the time that it was headed by University of South Florida professor Sami Al-Arian, a founder of the group.

DHS Lowers Terror Alert Level From Red To Orange For Flights Inbound From The UK

Fox News reports that DHS has lowered the terror alert for flights from the UK to America:

Air travelers were handed new rules Sunday, given permission to carry small amounts of liquid nonprescription medicine onto a plane and instructed to remove their shoes during security checks.

The shoes have to be placed on an X-ray belt for screening before passengers can put them back on.

Later Sunday, the Homeland Security Department reduced the threat level for U.S.-bound flights from Britain from red, for "severe," to orange, for "high." All other flights operating in or destined for the United States remain at orange...

"In particular, we are remaining vigilant for any signs of planning within the U.S. or directed at Americans," Chertoff said.

So, although there is still a "high" risk of attack against the US, it is no longer a severe situation and some security measures have been scaled back. So the terror level in the US now stands at orange, or "high," for all flights and the usual yellow, or "elevated," for everything else.

Meanwhile, the UK is still warning its citizens that an attack is still very possible, and their terror alert level remains at its highest.