Embryonic Stem Cell Research: Alive and Well

I have to laugh every time I hear liberals either being ignorant or lying about embryonic stem cell research, saying that the government is ending it. The government hasn't ended embryonic stem cell research, it's just stopped funding it and stopped allowing the creation of cell lines (which involves the destruction of human life).

This may sound like practically ending embryonic stem cell research - sort of like voting for the war but against funding is voting against the war - but it's not. First of all, plenty of cell lines already exist. Not to mention...

Economics lesson: As usual, once the government stepped out, funding to embryonic stem cell research increased. With the government handing out money, the private sector figured Why bother? when it came to investing in the research. Now, with government money gone, investors are trying to get their big pay offs by investing.

Reports the US Department of Health and Human Services:

Number of Lines Available for Federal Funding

• 78 derivations of human embryonic stem cells meet the criteria established by the President and listed on the NIH Registry, although since the August 2001 announcement 16 of these derivations failed to grow into lines that would be usable for research.

• With assistance from NIH, the owners of 19 of the lines agreed to make their lines available for use by researchers in the U.S. and abroad. Four other derivations are being developed into lines today; two of them will be available in the near future for broad distribution, while two others are still under development. Still others are being preserved by their owners until the science develops further. No other country in the world has made as many stem cell lines widely available.

• Because stem cell lines divide continuously in culture, these lines can be used by hundreds of individual researchers. One line alone has already resulted in 136 shipments to researchers.

• These lines are being employed to study many unanswered questions that must be answered before the cells can be used in human therapies. For example, determined cell culture conditions that allowed one line to differentiate into neurons similar to the dopamine-producing neurons that degenerate in Parkinson=s Disease. This advance is the first step towards generating neurons that may be useful in treating this disorder. Other scientists used an eligible line to form 3-dimensional structures with characteristics of developing liver tissue, cartilage, nerve, or blood vessels. This technique may permit scientists to generate tissue for use in skin grafts, wound treatment, or organ transplantation.

Private and State Funding for Embryonic Stem Cell Research is Available

The President's policy places no obstacles in the path of private or state funding for stem cell research – researchers are receiving support from both sources, in addition to support from the Federal Government.

• Based on 2002 data, one study reports that private sector research and development in stem cells was being conducted by approximately 1000 scientists in over 30 firms. Aggregate spending was estimated at $208 million.¹ Geron Corporation alone reported that it spent more than $70 million on stem cell research by September 2003.

• In the Stem Cell Business News Guide to Stem Cell Companies (Feb 2003), 61 U.S. and international companies are listed as pursuing some form of research or therapeutic product development involving stem cells. For example, Geron Corp. has announced plans to seek FDA approval to pursue human trials.

• Some states ban the destruction of human embryonic stem cells for research. Some permit it, but do not fund it (consistent with federal policy). And still other states provide funding.

• As with most medical research, the effort to explore the promise of this science and to develop treatments and cures will require the combined efforts of both the public and private sector.

1. Lysaght, J.J., and Hazlehurst, A.L., Private Sector Development of Stem Technology and Therapeutic Cloning," Tissue Engineering 9(3): 555-561 (2003).

I consider this case closed. As usual, the facts just don't back up liberalism.

Coulter: 'Dems' Favorite Halloween Costume: Patriot'

A little Halloween treat for all of you, Ann Coulter's new column! Check it out:

DEMS' FAVORITE HALLOWEEN COSTUME: PATRIOT

After some of us began to ask which part of the war on terrorism Democrats support, Larry Kudlow put the question directly to Rep. Barney Frank on CNBC's "Kudlow & Company." Frank said: "What part of the war on terrorism do I support? I voted for war in Afghanistan."

On "60 Minutes" last Sunday night, aspiring House speaker Nancy Pelosi denounced the war in Iraq as not "part of the war on terror." The war on terror, she said "is the war in Afghanistan."

So that's it. The one part of the war on terror — or "so-called war on terror," as New York Times so-called columnist Bob Herbert calls it — Democrats even pretend to support is the war in Afghanistan... [ More...]

The Good We're Doing In Iraq

Just saw this on Glenn Beck (who I believe is the only conservative on CNN); a great video about all of the good we're doing in Iraq (good things that the the media seems to be forgetting to report):

'In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War in Word and Deed'

Here's a trailer for the Reagan movie, In the Face of Evil: Reagan's War in Word and Deed, which aparently came out Oct 1, 2004. Anyway, it is an amazing Reagan clip, and I plan to get the movie:

New Zucker Add

Here's a new David Zucker add (here's the first one), (hat tip: Pajamas media):

Fetuses Disposed of Like Garbage

This is vile:

Hospital admits to burning aborted babies in waste incinerator

One of the country's leading hospitals is throwing aborted babies into the same incinerator used for rubbish to save only £18.50 each time , it has emerged.

Addenbrooke's Hospital, in Cambridge, said it was no longer able to afford the dignified disposal at a local crematorium of foetuses from unwanted pregnancies .

Instead, they are being burnt in the hospital's main incinerator - which is normally used for rubbish and clinical waste.

The revelation sparked anger and distress among church leaders and pro-life groups, as well as women whose pregnancies were terminated at the hospital.

Abortion in general is a vile and disgusting practice - it's not enough that these babies are being murdered, now they don't even get a proper burial/cremation?

Something else from this article strikes me, "The revelation sparked anger and distress among ... women whose pregnancies were terminated at the hospital." Why do these women have there babies killed and then act like they have any right to be indignant about the way they're "disposed" of? If you think you have the right to "terminate" it than you must not think it's an actual life, right?

Lisa Wilson, of the ProLife Alliance, said: "What absolute horror. Has our society lost even a minimum concept of the humanity of the unborn child and the respect due to these tiny victims of our ruthless legislation?"

I couldn't put it any better than that.

One local woman, who asked not to be named, said after the heartache of deciding to have an abortion she was mortified to find the hospital had used the same furnace they burn rubbish in to incinerate her terminated baby.

She said: "I am furious and very hurt. Imagine my horror when I discovered that my baby was incinerated in the same furnace as the hospital rubbish."

You have no right to be furious. You should be repenting for the life you let those doctors take.

Stock Market Up Again, Despite Liberal Predictions

I could have sworn liberals were chastising Americans for being optimistic all last week over the Dow's record close, telling us we were morons for being happy about it and that it would crash any minute... Any way, they were somehow wrong:

The Dow Jones industrials shot up more than 120 points and crossed 12,100 for the first time.

Just halfway through third-quarter earnings season, generally upbeat reports have instilled new confidence about the future in investors.

The problem with liberals (well, one of many problems) is that when they make predictions, they're things that can't not happen. " The stock market will go down!" Of course it will, can you give us a time frame?

Just watch, when the stock market finally does go down, even slightly, liberals will be patting themselves on the back and expecting a gold star for their genius predictions.

That Horrible Economy

I guess I'm failing to see the indicators of a bad economy. Yahoo reports:

The stock market's most prominent benchmark ended the day at 12,011.73, the ninth time in just over two weeks that the Dow has achieved a record high close.

Only a liberal could see bad in that. "The stock market is getting to high! It will run out of steam and crash!" I for one am getting sick of the doom and gloom coming from the left.

Crackdown On Illegals Reduces Texas Crime 60%

Texas is reporting a reduction of 60% in crime due to a recent crackdown on illegal immigration:

A crackdown on illegal border crossings has produced a "stunning" reduction in crime for 27 Texas counties, Gov. Rick Perry said Tuesday.

"Borderwide, we experienced an average crime reduction of 60 percent because of intensive operations under Operation Rio Grande," Perry said of the border security effort...

The operation proves that an increased law enforcement presence at known trouble spots makes the border more secure and border communities safer, the governor said.

I'm glad the media is finally admitting this and that we have some proof (you know, other than common sense), but is this story a big "duh!" to anyone else? Illegals are criminals, it would follow that stopping them from entering the country would reduce crime.

I can't wait to hear the liberal lies and distorted thinking to refute this one!

Tony Blair Sings!

This video probably wasn't meant to be flattering, but I like it. It's a bunch of clips of Tony Blair put together so it seems like he's singing. The good part is all of the BA quotes from his "stepping down" speech at the end (It's funny, too):


(click to play)

In Other Hillary News...

Hillary has also finally recanted her defunct story about being named after Sir. Edmund Hillary; a lie she told some years ago which was exposed by the blogosphere.

"It was a sweet family story her mother shared to inspire greatness in her daughter, to great results I might add," said spokeswoman Jennifer Hanley.

All I can say is that's either a lie or lying must run in the family.

Clinton Gets Down Off Cross and Puts One On

I guess Hillary is wearing a cross around town now a days. Is she fooling anyone? Who remembers Clinton walking back from church on Sunday with his Bible after having sex with Monica. The Clintons are morally decrepit and we all know it.

"Those Damn Republicans Won't Give Up!"

From the Washington Post:

White House Upbeat About GOP Prospects
Self-Assurance of Bush, Rove and Others Is Not Shared by Many in the Party

By Michael Abramowitz
Washington Post Staff Writer
Sunday, October 15, 2006; A04

Amid widespread panic in the Republican establishment about the coming midterm elections, there are two people whose confidence about GOP prospects strikes even their closest allies as almost inexplicably upbeat: President Bush and his top political adviser, Karl Rove.

Some Republicans on Capitol Hill are bracing for losses of 25 House seats or more. But party operatives say Rove is predicting that, at worst, Republicans will lose only 8 to 10 seats -- shy of the 15-seat threshold that would cede control to Democrats for the first time since the 1994 elections and probably hobble the balance of Bush's second term.

In the Senate, Rove and associates believe, a Democratic victory would require the opposition to "run the table," as one official put it, to pick up the necessary six seats -- a prospect the White House seems to regard as nearly inconceivable.

The Mark Foley page scandal and its fallout have many Republicans panicked, but Rove professes to be taking it in stride. "The data we are seeing from individual races and the national polls would tend to indicate that people can divorce Foley's personal action from the party," he said in a brief interview Thursday.

[... yadda yadda yadda ...]

Three points here. 1) the liberal media (sorry, I try to avoid being redundant) just hates it how optimistic us Republicans are, even though they seem to think that it's only the President and Rove, 2) isn't it nice to see how confident Rove and POTUS are? and 3) this story is a perfect one for the conspiracy theorists to reflect back on when the Dems don't win the House and say, "even thought they had no shot that Rove was over confident. This election must be rigged!"

Gerry Studds - When He Boinks Pages It's "Private" - RIP

As you read this AP story keep in mind who the recently deceased Gerry Studds was.

From Ann Coulter's article just last week:

In 1983, Democratic congressman Gerry Studds was found to have sexually propositioned House pages and actually buggered [had sex with] a 17-year-old male page whom he took on a trip to Portugal. The 46-year-old Studds indignantly attacked those who criticized him for what he called a "mutually voluntary, private relationship between adults."

When the House censured Studds for his sex romp with a male page, Studds — not one to be shy about presenting his backside to a large group of men — defiantly turned his back on the House during the vote. He ran for re-election and was happily returned to office five more times by liberal Democratic voters in his Martha's Vineyard district. (They really liked his campaign slogan: "It's the outfit, stupid.")

Washington Post columnist Colman McCarthy referred to Studds' affair with a teenage page as "a brief consenting homosexual relationship" and denounced Studds' detractors for engaging in a "witch-hunt" against gays: "New England witch trials belong to the past, or so it is thought. This summer on Cape Cod, the reputation of Rep. Gerry Studds was burned at the stake by a large number of his constituents determined to torch the congressman for his private life."

Now keep in mind the way the Democrats are reacting to Mark Foley these days when you read their praise of Studds: 

Reaction to the death of former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds        
By The Associated Press
Reaction to the death of former Rep. Gerry Studds, D-Mass.:

"Gerry's leadership changed Massachusetts forever and we'll never forget him. His work on behalf of our fishing industry and the protection of our waters has guided the fishing industry into the future and ensured that generations to come will have the opportunity to love and learn from the sea. He was a steward of the oceans."

- U.S. Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass.

---

"No one fought harder for human rights, particularly in Latin America; for our environment; and for the fishermen of New England and the entire nation. He was a true pioneer."

- U.S. Rep. Jim McGovern, D-Mass., whose wife, Lisa, once worked as an aide to Studds.

---

"Gerry often said that it was the fight for gay and lesbian equality that was the last great civil rights chapter in modern American history. He did not live to see its final sentences written, but all of us will forever be indebted to him for leading the way with compassion and wisdom. He gave people of his generation, of my generation, and of future generations the courage to be who they are."

- Dean Hara, who married Studds in 2004.

---

"Gerry was a stalwart champion of New England's fishing families as well as a committed environmentalist who worked hard to demonstrate that the cause of working people and the cause of the environment go hand in hand with the right leadership. When he retired from Congress, he did not retire from the cause, continuing to fight for the fishing industry and New England's environmental causes.

- U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass.

---

"I am very saddened by the death of Gerry Studds. From his days in the early 1970s as an articulate and effective opponent of the Vietnam war, through his consistent leadership on environmental issues, to his insistence that the U.S. government stop ignoring the AIDS crisis, Gerry was a forceful advocate for causes that were not always popular and that were consequently shunned by many politicians."

- U.S. Rep. Barney Frank, D-Mass.  

Let's hope that the Dems can praise a pervert like Foley when he dies just like they are Studds. They have no shame.

Why?

How bizarre and immoral. BBC reports:

Woman gives birth to grandchild

A Japanese woman in her 50s gave birth to her own grandchild last year, using an egg from her daughter and sperm from her son-in-law, a doctor has revealed.

UN Sanctions On North Korea To Be Made Weaker

Apparently the UN sanctions against North Korea have "hit a snag" (never a good thing since the last two "snags" at the UN have involved billions in illegal oil and rapist relief workers). Reports Hindu.com:

The resolution, which was circulated on Thursday among Security Council members, had accommodated Russia and China by removing the provision of blanket ban on import of arms.

The original draft had called for search of incoming and outgoing cargo from North Korea which would have meant naval blockade but now that too has been diluted though member states are still authorised to inspect the cargo for banned weapons, including material for weapons of mass destruction.

But, China and Russia, diplomats say, have raised questions about the methods and legality of the inspections.

China and Russia already made this document pointless. Now they want to weaken it even more? American liberals are going to swoon over China and Russia's worry of the "legality" of inspections! The UN makes me sick. And so do commies and those who like to pretend to no longer be commies screwing up America's attempts to save the world.

Logo Switch

I've switched to the Halloween logo; a sign that the pagan festivities are almost upon us!

UN Saves The World

The world is saved! Reports My Way News, "U.N. Adopts Resolution Against N. Korea." We are all intelligent enough to agree that sanctions only hurt a dictators people, not the dictator, right? Good, I thought there might be some liberals reading this.

This is even weak as far as UN sanctions go. The Russians and the Chinese mad us rule out military action - so now the North Koreans know their safe from the only people they fear, America - and they made us allow the sale of conventional weapons - so Russia and China can't sell them missiles and tanks (not that a UN sanction ever stopped them), but they can still sell small arms.

I repeat, the world is saved! Way to go UN...

Ban The UN...

Here's an al-Reuters quicky:

United Nations approves S. Korea's Ban as leader

UNITED NATIONS (Reuters) - The U.N. General Assembly approved South Korean Foreign Minister Ban Ki-Moon on Friday as the next U.N. secretary-general, the last step in the process allowing him to assume the post on January 1.

Ban, 62, is the first Asian leader since Burma's U Thant held the post from 1961 to 1971. Asian nations had insisted it was their turn for the job to succeed Kofi Annan, a Ghanaian, who has led the 192-member world body for the past decade.

Ban was approved by acclamation for a five-year term as the world's top diplomat.

"The world's top diplomat?" But anyway; not that anything good will ever come out of the UN, but maybe Ban will feel like doing something about N. Korea, you know? since his nation could be annihilated any day now.

They Play Volley Ball In N. Korea?

Here's an interesting story:

Nuclear volleyball  
    Intelligence photographs of North Korea's nuclear test site showed technicians playing volleyball this week near the tunnel where a nuclear device was unsuccessfully set off on Sunday.
    The facility where the test took place was identified by U.S. officials as a North Korean science and technology research center near the town of Kilchu and the northeastern coast.
    Very high-resolution satellite images obtained by the Defense Intelligence Agency showed the volleyball game being played near dormitories at the facility.
    The Japanese intelligence agency also had access to the photographs, and according to U.S. defense officials, they reported that a sports activity so close to a nuclear site was inconsistent with post-nuclear testing precautions, since the underground tunnel where the test took place was located several hundred yards away.

Chill Map

Here's the US Chill Map:



And in early October, too. There are very few times that I've wished Al Gore was right.

Air America Crashes - and Burns ...

Air America is bankrupt - and not just morally - Ha ha ha! But seriously, Piquant LLC, the parent company of Air America has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy listing just over $4 million in holdings and over $20 million in liabilities. Ouch.

Read all about it here, and thanks to The Smoking Gun for getting the filing, of which there is a picture below.

North Korean Air Sample: Actually Their May Have Been A Nuke (See Update)

More proof that North Korea screwed up, via Yahoo:

Results from an initial air sampling after North Korea's announced nuclear test showed no evidence of radioactive particles that would be expected from a successful nuclear detonation, a U.S . government intelligence official said Friday.

They include the standard disclaimer that this doesn't prove there was no nuclear blast, however, it is just more evidence that North Korea's nuke test failed.

***Update, 1:42am, 10/14/06***

Yahoo is changing their story, no doubt in an attempt to make me look foolish. The above mentioned link goes to a different story than before. So Yahoo is now claiming that tests were positive and consistent with a nuclear blast having occurred. Jerks...

Gorby: Still Pathetic, Criticises US

Yahoo is reporting that Gorby says we wasted a chance to improve the world (I'd say we did that when we crushed his evil country bent on world destruction and socialistic oppression). I wondered his reasons for being so harsh on the US, and here it is:

North Korea, which said on Monday it had successfully completed a nuclear test, was an example. Only China and Russia were in a position to handle Pyongyang, he said.

Of course, he still has Russia's interests at heart (and communism's, for that matter). Keep the US away from dealing with North Korea and not only will Gorby be propping up the pathetic remnants of communism, his country will have a good trading partner to sell oil and weapons to (like they did with Saddam's Iraq). Another reason the US is better than the rest of the world: We're not willing to risk world destruction for a few bucks.

'US Killed British Journalist'. On Accident. After The Iraqis Had Already Shot Him. While He Rode In An Enemy Get Away Car.

So Yahoo has an extremely biased story, "Coroner: U.S. killed British TV reporter." The story tells of the US killing the journalist, Terry Lloyd, quotes the coroner as saying it couldn't have been an accident, and quotes his widow as saying it was a war crime. The story, however, says this:

The coroner said Friday that a civilian drove up in a minivan, pulled a U-turn and picked up four wounded Iraqi soldiers, then saw Lloyd with a press card around his neck and helped him into the van. Lloyd was shot in the head as the van drove off toward a hospital, the coroner said.

So the US opens fire on Iraqi troops. A "civilian" picks up the troops, and, for some reason, also gets Lloyd. The US fires on the ambulance that was, in effect, making a get away with the enemy. They had no way to know that Llyod (who, by the way, was wounded by the Iraqis in the first place) was on the "ambulance."

This sounds in every way to have been an accident, and in every way a plausible one. A British journalist put himself in the line of fire; he knew the dangers in being there. Unfortunately, after being shot in the back by the Iraqis, a van full of wounded enemies chose to pick him up before trying to make a get away. The US stopped the van using force, and in the process accidentally killed Llyod. Sad? Yes. Accident? Yes. War crime? Absolutely not.

South Park Mocks 9/11 Truthers

Political Pitbull has the entire 9/11 Truther mocking episode of South Park uploaded. Be sure to catch it while it's still up.

What a Difference Freedom Can Make ...

Here's a photo unveiled on the 11th by Donald Rumsfeld, it shows the contrast between a free society like S. Korea and an oppressive regime like that of the North:

17 Sailors Were Murdered Six Years Ago ...

Michelle Malkin has a comprehensive post Remembering The USS Cole, six years later.

North Korean Propaganda

I found this hilarious piece of North Korean propaganda on YouTube. If only the North Koreans weren't so poor (due to socialism) that they can't afford computers, they might be able to watch this. Oh wait, no they wouldn't, because their "great leader" wouldn't let them. If they had the Internet, they might start to think for themselves and question socialism!

Here's the video:



It's worth it to read the video's caption too. Aside from being stupid, I like what they include in the list of Americans' crimes:

This documentary movie objectively shows the fondamental difference between the criminal capitalist system of "USA" that is at odds with human rights and the genuinely benevolent Juche-based man-centered Korean-style socialist system of the Democratic people's Republic of Korea blessed with the flawless Songun leadership of Dear Leader Comrade Generalissimo Kim Jong Il the Heaven-born great brilliant Mt. Paektu type general born on the Sacred Mountain.

While "America" is the Hell on Earth for its people, living in a land of consumerist exploitation by the criminal capitalist Bush clique of hawkish warmongers who are the worst human rights violators in humankind history, suffer the intense political and social oppression awash with crime, guns, violence, prostitution, drug trafficking, murder and jaywalking, the DPRK is the utopian socialist worker's paradise of fully garanteed democratic freedoms and protected human rights providing the full enjoyment and fulfillment of a life filled with the single-minded unity of the nation in unbound loyalty and deep reverence for the Leader who is more precious than their own lives.

This is why "America" is Hell, but the DPRK is Paradise.

I'm emailing the blog that posted this to see if they're for real; their site just seems like a joke (The Ghandi quote, for instance, criticising President Bush). I'll update you if they write back.

Stocks Back Up

After a slight dip after yesterday's plane crash in NY, stocks are back up with the Dow "closing at an all-time high for the fifth time in the last two weeks."

Global Warming

So global warming strikes again as I have to walk through a blizzard to get to class. At this point I'm ready to leave my car running and empty out some aerosol cans, just to get some damn global warming.

Gay Man Attacked Out of Love

NY Times Headline: Police Arrest Man in Possible Hate Crime in N.Y.

One man has been arrested and three others are being questioned by detectives investigating the attack on a Brooklyn interior designer who was lured to a desolate meeting place on Sunday night, robbed and forced onto the Belt Parkway, where he was stuck by a car and critically injured.        

The attack on the victim, Michael J. Sandy, is being investigated as a hate crime, law enforcement officials said today. Investigators believe the assailants singled Mr. Sandy out because he is gay, and arranged over the Internet to meet him at a place often used for assignations between gay men.

This is not to be confused with when four men conspire to rob, kidnap and strike with a vehicle a straight man which is known as a "love crime" or "crime of love."

Look: no one (sane) disputes that it was wrong what these men did to Mr. Sandy - but aren't we over discrimination in our legal system yet? Why should gay men be worth more in a legal sense then straight men?

Iraq Body Count

I just did a post in which I referenced Iraq Body Count and pointed out that their figure for "civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq" is at roughly 48,700. My point in referencing this was to point out the absurdity of the new Lancet report that has the figure of civilians killed as high as 650,000.

So anyway, I've been looking over Iraq Body Count and am appalled to find that what they define as "civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq" covers every single person killed as a result of a violent act in Iraq. In other word they count "Policeman by suicide bomber, Tal Afar" and "One by car bomb, Hurriya, Baghdad" and "Policeman shot dead in Amel, Baghdad." In other words, they're counting people killed by the terrorists!

Whether or not this is a lying is debatable, but this is a clear attempt at spreading disinformation, associating all of the people killed by terrorists with the "military intervention in Iraq" is clearly intended to mean those that the military has killed. These people make me sick.

Meanwhile, the count has yet to even come close to Saddam's more than one million killed in his wars with Iran and his more than 300,000 civilians murdered and God knows how many more killed when he attacked Kuwait and Israel and funded suicide bombers.

Is That a Baldwin?

Does anyone else want to know how the Hell Alec Baldwin wiggled his way into a Reuters story about the plane crash in Manhattan?


(Caption: "Actor Alec Baldwin tries to pass a police cordon near the site where a small aircraft crashed into a high-rise building in New York, October 11, 2006. REUTERS/Chip East")

Ann Coulter on N. Korea

Ann Coulter has a new article and it's about North Korea.

Good quote:

Under the terms of the "agreed framework" [that Clinton made] we gave North Korea all sorts of bribes — more than $5 billion worth of oil, two nuclear reactors and lots of high technology. In return, they took the bribes and kept building nukes. This wasn't difficult, inasmuch as the 1994 deal permitted the North Koreans to evade weapons inspectors for the next five years.

Yes, you read that right: North Korea promised not to develop nukes, and we showed how much we trusted them by agreeing to no weapons inspections for five years.

It's a good article that points out how the Democrats need desperately to keep hyping the Foley scandal in the hopes that everyone will forget that, thanks to them, a "pot-bellied, dog-eating madman" (to borrow from Rush) now has nuclear weapons. Oops.

Lancet's October Suprise - Again

In October of 2004 Lancet - a British medical journal - released a study showing over 100,000 civilian deaths in Iraq in an attempt the hurt President Bush before an election. After that "October surprise" was thoroughly discredited Lancet is at it again, and again in October, and again in an election year, and again with a study about Iraqi civilian deaths - this time the study says 655,000 Iraqis have died.

This is a shameless attempt by a discredited "journal" to hurt Republicans before an election, and LGF has a post on how the editor of the magazine is a certified Moonbat with video of him at an anti-war rally in the UK where he is a star speaker.

For a little perspective the loony " Iraq Body Count" - which claims to accurately document the number of people killed as a result of the Iraq war - has the maximum number of "Civilians reported killed by military intervention in Iraq" at 48,693 (at the time of this post) and even that number is most likely grossly overblown.

What? The MSM is biased?

The Media Research Center documents Liberal bias in the Big Three MSM networks, pointing out that there have been over 150 stories about Foley, when in the same amount of time the Big Three only had 19 stories about Mel Reynolds. Who is Mel Reynolds? you ask:

...In 1994, Reynolds [D, Illinois] was indicted over a consensual sexual relationship with a girl named Beverly Heard, beginning when she was 16. Heard testified that Reynolds gave her cash at each meeting and supplied her with his pager number and apartment keys.

In taped phone conversations, they even plotted group sex with a 15-year-old Catholic high school girl Heard had said wanted to have sex with him. Reynolds responded on tape: "Did I win the Lotto?" He asked Heard to take naked photos of the girl. He was indicted on August 21, 1994, and convicted on August 23, 1995 on 12 counts of sexual assault, obstruction of justice, and solicitation of child pornography...

Here it is in easy chart form:
 

Anyway. This is a good story from a good site. I recommend you read the whole thing.

American Charged With Treason

CBS does its best to report:

Adam Gadahn, an American-born convert to Islam who joined al Qaeda, has become the first American to be indicted on federal charges of treason since World War II.

He's the traitor that said "The streets of America shall run red with blood..." Let's hope they do - with his blood.

'Dog' Update

ABC reports that a number of congressmen are calling for Dog the Bounty Hunter's protection:

Twenty-nine congressmen have sent a letter to Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice asking her to deny the extradition of Duane "Dog" Chapman to Mexico, where he faces charges of illegal detention and conspiracy...

"It seems that Mexican authorities are pressing this case only because they are so stung by the embarrassment of failing where Mr. Chapman succeeded ," Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, chairman of the Congressional Immigration Reform Caucus, said in the Sept. 26 dated letter signed by 28 other congressmen.

This blog supports Dog, who Mexico wants for "kidnapping" charges. I don't know if I would call it kidnapping to go to Mexico to get an American who raped three women and returning him to America for trial. Mexico's probably so upset because the rich felon was no doubt paying some nice bribes to be left alone.

Lancet Report Utter Crap, Just Ask The Media

As of right now, searching for "Lancet" on Google News gets you mostly stories about how Bush lied, but plans to stay in Iraq despite the new report (The Lancet report) that there have been 654,965 deaths there.

The Daily Telegraph, however, is reporting:

THE Iraqi government today described as "exaggerated" an independent US study which estimated that 655,000 Iraqis had died since the 2003 US invasion.

US President George W. Bush had similarly called the report "not credible".
The study estimated that one Iraqi in 40 had died as a result of the conflict by comparing the death rates from the period before the war to the period from March 2003 to June 2006.

"This figure, which in reality has no basis, is exaggerated," said Iraqi government spokesman Ali Debbagh.

"It is a figure which flies in the face of the most obvious truths ," he said, calling on research institutions to adopt precise and transparent criteria especially when the research concerns victim tolls.

Mr Bush said at a White House media conference that he and his top military advisers believe " the methodology is pretty well discredited" in the study.

The US president in the past has estimated the number of Iraqi deaths to be closer to 30,000 , and reaffirmed that number today.

"I stand by the figure," he said. "Six hundred thousand or whatever they guessed at ... it's not credible."

But headlines aren't about the report being discredited. They've at least altered headlines from "655,000: The toll of war in Iraq" to "Toll as high as 600,000, disputed Iraq study says." "Disputed?" How about "ridiculously outlandish and discredited" report?

Apparently the "report" randomly surveyed Iraqis and asked about deaths to extrapolated a death rate in the country. They included "thousands of people [who] died from worsening health and environmental conditions directly related to the conflict that began in 2003," and compared it with their post invasion death rate of 5.5.

But Hot Air asks the question:

According to the CIA Factbook by way of the Mudville Gazette, the average world death rate per 1,000 people is 8.67. The pre-invasion figure for Iraq used by Lancet was 5.5. Is that plausible? Does it count officially reported deaths or do Saddam-era "disappearances" count too? There are countries with lower death rates than 5.5 so it's not absurd on its face.

This report sounds like utter crap. But the Left have done their job; they got the story out there and have no plans to report on it's absurd logic. The damage is done, and very close to the election. Are there any limits to which the Left will go for power? Probably not...

Small Plane Hits NY Building, No Indication Of Terrorism

Apparently a small aircraft has crashed into a high-rise in New York in what appears to have been a tragic accident. Some witnesses reported it appeared to be in an "acrobatic maneuver." On Hannity they're saying that two people have been confirmed dead, and there are no indications that this was terrorism related.

Here's a photo:


***Update, 5:02pm***

Drudge is reporting that NY Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle was piloting the plane and is dead. Via Wikipedia, Cory Lidle with a Cirrus SR20 airplane:

Yahoo is reporting that stocks took a dive on the news of a possible terrorist attack after hitting record highs for several days in a row.

A sad story, but thank God it's not a terrorist action.

***Update, 5:23pm***

The death count is apparently at four, probably counting Lidle. It's not officialy confirmed that he was on the plane, but an anonymous law enforcement agent has confirmed it.

***Update, 11:58pm***

Yahoo is reporting onyl two dead. Sports Center says it was Lidle and his flight teacher.

Desperate For '24'

I love "24" (who doesn't?) and can't wait for the new season. In the mean time I'm so desperate that this will have to hold me up (forgive the crued language):


(Click the box to play video)

Weekly Quotable Quote #3

"I have long believed that the Democrat Party is about one thing, and one thing only, and that is gaining power and maintaining power because government's no good to you if you don't have the power to run it. They believe in big government. They do not believe in the individual. They do not believe in entrepreneurism, and they have real problems with free market capitalism. That's why Democrat leaders believe in big government, big entitlements, redistributing wealth, "open borders." It's all aimed at building reliance on the state, which they hope to control more times than not. They want as many people dependent on government, and thus them when they are in power, as possible." - Rush Limbaugh

Rush is a genius, read the transcript of (or listen to) the 15 minute monologue that was taken from.

Producer Of 'Scary Movie' Makes Campaign Add Mocking Democrats

Drudge reports that:

The DRUDGE REPORT has obtained an exclusive copy of a "scary" campaign advertisement created by Hollywood producer and director David Zucker that was intended to be used by GOP organizations in the closing weeks of the 2006 campaign.

However, the advertisement was deemed "too hot" by GOP strategists all across Washington, DC who have refused to use it!

Here's the video, made by the producer of Scary Movie:



Haha, great video. Funny but true (sadly). Isn't it nice to have a few Hollywood types on our side? Says Drudge:

Zucker is the producer and director of comedies such as "Airplane" and "The Naked Gun." In 2004, Zucker, a longtime Democrat, embraced the Republican Party based on concerns he had about national security issues and voted for President George W. Bush.

Bush Halves Deficit Three Years Early!

Bizzyblog has a great post about how the Bush administration has halved the deficit three years earlier than it promised to three years ago, and how the media is completely ignoring it! Next they're going to accuse him of lying, since he promised to do it in six years and it only took three.

Letter To The Editor: Illegal Immigration

Here's a letter I wrote to my inept college newspaper last week (they chose not to publish it, so I'll post it here):

I'm going to have to disagreed with the opinion article that apeared in the September 28th edition of your paper. The author began the article by asking "what message is the Senate sending when they conceived the idea of building a wall to keep immigrants out?" I would say that the message they wanted to send was pretty clear, "Obey our laws or stay out. We have legal means to immigrate; use them."

The author asked how we were going to pay for the wall. I would remind her that illegal immigration, without a doubt, hurts the economy. The independent Center for Immigration Studies observes that the "cost of immigration ranges from $11 billion to $22 billion per year." Since the author says that the wall "is likely to cost over a billion dollars," it can be clearly seen that, should the wall put even a relatively small dent in illegal immigration, it will more than pay for itself.

The article closes with the question, "...building up fences...you're telling me we couldn't think of a better solution?" Maybe this is why the author is so against the thought of a wall along our southern border; because all she is picturing is a wall. The plan before Congress is not just a wall, but a comprehensive security fence, complete with two-layer reinforced fencing, hundreds of new cameras and sensors, and unmanned aerial vehicles, all on top of the already existing border guards and vehicles. This would surely be more effective than a "fence" with "large ditches" on both sides, as the author mentioned.

The Senate should absolutely build a security wall along our southern border. It would be a good first step in the long overdue process of securing our borders. A comprehensive security wall would significantly cut down on illegal entries into the United States, easing the massive economic burden the country is experiencing from the estimated 11.5 to 12 million illegal immigrants currently in the United States leaching off the system.

CBS: Reporting News That Matters

Only CBS would find this headline to be surprising, or even news: "Republicans Say They Can Still Win."

Apparently, despite all of the "scandals" news outfits like CBS are trying so hard to blow out of proportion, us pesky Republicans think we still have a chance. But what's it matter, even if we conceded we could just pull a Gore and take it back...

Day Of "Mass Resistance" Promo - Hilarious

Here's a hilarious promo made by the "World Can't Wait" people for their failed Oct 5th "Drive Out The Bush regime" protests. They show mass crowds in the video, not very similar to the actual small groups that they had. So here it is, the promo for their day of "mass resistance:"



I can't help but laugh at these poor people. I don't know if they're stupid or just misguided, but at least they're a laugh in the process.

New Liberal Fetish

Apparently the new liberal fetish is watching US soldiers get injured . But it's alright, the NYTimes says:

At a time when the Bush administration has restricted photographs of the coffins of military personnel returning to the United States and the Pentagon keeps close tabs on videotapes of combat operations taken by the news media, the videos give average Americans a level of access to combat scenes rarely available before, if ever.

Sounds like a side effect of Bush Derangement Syndrome to me. Bush won't tell us the truth about the war, so let's post pictures of US troops dying on the Internet!! Good logic...

Duh ... Ya Think?

Treason Times Headline: Diplomat Sees Dead End in Iran Talks

Boy. It's a sad day for the UN when that guy wins the "Smartest Guy in the Room" award for a statement that is obvious to anyone with a brain.

U.S. N.E. To Suck Less by 2100 ...

al-Reuters Headline: U.S. Northeast could warm drastically by 2100: study

Sweet. Am I the only one that thinks the N.E. getting warmer is a good thing? That place is frigid.

Murderers are Evil. (Note the period)

I just want it on record that this monster who killed all of those Amish girls was an evil man who is no doubt burning in Hell right now.

I'm sick and tired of every story I read on the subject making psychological excuses for a no-good  piece of crap. He was evil. that's why he did it. Now he's dead.

----------------------------

As it turns out he was probably a former child molester who was driven to commit his heinous crimes again. This just goes to show that If you commit a sex crime against a child you ought to be locked up and the key should be thrown away.

The Dow Hits All-Time High ... Again!

Hell. Even the AP acknowledges:

Dow Hits 2nd Straight Record-High Close

NEW YORK - Wall Street barreled higher Wednesday, propelling the Dow Jones industrials to their second straight record high close as investors shrugged off lackluster economic news and grew more optimistic that the Federal Reserve will lower interest rates as the economy cools.

The Dow, the stock market's best known indicator, soared 123.19, a gain of 1.05 percent, to 11,850.53, according to preliminary calculations. It was only Tuesday that the 30 blue chip stocks finally reached a new closing high for the first time in nearly seven years.

...

That and plummeting oil prices. This reminds me of how my textbooks nostalgically described the Clinton years.

Court Says Spying Program Constitutional

From al-Reuters, via Drudge:

Court says eavesdropping program can continue

CHICAGO - The government can continue to use its warrantless domestic wiretap program pending the Justice Department's appeal of a federal judge's ruling outlawing the program, an Appeals Court in Cincinnati ruled on Wednesday.

The ruling overturned District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor's decision last week to deny a lengthy stay in the case, which is expected to end up with the Supreme Court.

In August, Taylor ruled that the National Security Agency's five-year-old surveillance program, implemented as part of the government's war on terrorism, violates the civil rights of Americans.

The American Civil Liberties Union filed the suit in March on behalf of scholars, attorneys, journalists and non-profit groups that regularly communicate with people in the Middle East.

Two things: 1) Thank God there is at least one court out there with any sense. Can you imagine this program being declared unconstitutional during WWII? Where were these high and mighty liberals when Clinton was tapping every phone in the country with Echelon and every email with Carnivore? You don't hear a whole lot about that these days. and 2) I can understand that the difference between civil rights and civil liberties can be confusing, but you'd think a judge such as Taylor would know that it's not even conceivable to say that this program violates citizens civil rights.

New Gitmo Torture

I'll be honest with my readers: today's a slow news day. Yes, it's early, and I'm keeping my eyes peeled for something worthy of the UITF readers. I have my College Republicans meeting tonight, so maybe I'll be able to think of some content once I fill my mind with conservative-goodness.

There was a humorous story yesterday from the SFGate (hat tip: LGF) about our newest form of torture down at Gitmo:

A high-calorie diet combined with life in the cell block — almost around the clock in some cases — is making detainees at Guantanamo Bay fat.  

Meals totaling a whopping 4,200 calories per day are brought to their cells , well above the 2,000 to 3,000 calories recommended for weight maintenance by U.S. government dietary guidelines. And some inmates are eating everything on the menu.  

One detainee has almost doubled in weight, to 410 pounds, said Navy Cmdr. Robert Durand, spokesman for the detention facilities at Guantanamo, a U.S. Navy station in southeast Cuba.  

Human rights groups attribute the weight gain to lack of exercise. They cite accounts of released detainees who complained they were allowed to exercise fewer than three times a week outside their small cells.

I'm sorry, but now the liberals want the nanny state to make personal decisions for the terrorists too? We already gave them legal rights, now we have to give them special diets and make them exercises? Nobody forces them to eat their meals. It is ridiculous that someone could double in weight to 410 pounds, and liberals blame Gitmo guards. With that kind of weight gain, I would say that guy was not only scarfing down his meals, but probably not taking advantage of the three exercises periods a week, either.

The World Could Use More GW

Weekly Quotable Quote #2

And remember, where you have a concentration of power in a few hands, all too frequently men with the mentality of gangsters get control. History has proven that. All power corrupts; absolute power corrupts absolutely.
- Lord Acton

Hijacked Italina Plane Lands Safely

Only a plane full of Italians could be hijacked by two men who "were not armed, were not behaving aggressively and were ready to release the passengers." Wow.

Some Thoughts On Mark Foley

You know, with this whole Mark Foley thing I feel it necessary to point a few things out:

First of all, Mark Foley may be a Republican, but he's not much of a conservative. The ACU gives him a life-long rating of 76, and a 63 this year. He is pro-abortion, anti-free trade, and notes that he "helped secure the first-ever financial commitment from Congress for the preservation of Florida's Everglades."

Second, conservatives have condemned and disowned him. As Rush Limbaugh pointed out, when Democratic Rep. William Jefferson was found to be dirty, Democrats clung to and defended him. We admit our mistakes and get rid of dirty members, they don't (well, I guess if they did there wouldn't be a whole lot of them left).

Third, as Ann Althouse notes: "So it seems in the run-up to the election we won't have to talk about Iraq and terrorism and detainees anymore. Let's talk about sex."

'Separatists' In Iran

Apparently Iran isn't the block of anti-Western thinking the media claims it is, reports Confederate Yankee:

Iran Focus has a short post up this morning claiming that a network of "separatists:"

...was being supported and strengthened by the intelligence apparatuses of certain neighboring states and a European country which it did not identify.

The insurgent network was spread throughout two cities, including the Iranian capital of Tehran. You won't see this as a featured story by the Associated Press or Reuters, or mention on CNN or CBS News. Commenting upon the Iranian insurgency would be… problematic. It interferes with how the western news media often presents Iranian thought as a near monolith rallying behind President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, even as this is far from the case.

Read the rest at Confederate Yankee.
 

Liberal Professors

It's a slow news day, so here's a rant:

Along with a quality education, I also receive liberal indoctrination on a daily basis at college. Today I had one of my professors tell me that today is a significant day "because the new term starts for the Supreme Court." She said that it is significant because "Bush [she refuses to call him " President" so I think I'll stop calling her "Professor"] has put two conservative on the court, eliminating the swing voters and giving it a conservative slant. So today is significant for women because they may over turn Roe v. Wade. But it's also significant to those who oppose abortion, do you know why?" (Dead silence from a class that has nothing to do with politics, government, or health and, therefore, doesn't care.) "It is significant for them because they know that they may have to deal with back alley abortions on their consciences soon. With Roe v. Wade overturned, abortion will be illegal. But do you really think it will stop?"

First of all, I can't deal with morons like this, so I didn't respond to her. I know she poses no threat; the class hates her, so she's not influencing them. By allowing her to go on crazy rants, the students are actually being turned off to liberalism.

Second, and as usual with liberals, I can't tell if she was being intentionally deceitful or if she really doesn't know what she's talking about. If Roe v. Wade were overturned, abortion won't be illegal, as she claimed. It will be up to the states. So, in answer to her question, "do you really think [abortion] will stop?," no, I don't. I'm sure some states will still allow it.

Third, I was shocked and disgusted by her own answer to her first question, "[The overturning of Roe v. Wade would be important to conservatives], do you know why? ...because they know that they may have to deal with back alley abortions on their consciences soon." What a moron. The only way a back alley abortion will affect my conscience is if the baby dies, which would have been the result were Roe v. Wade not overturned. So frankly, I don't care. Why should this be significant to conservatives? Maybe because millions of babies won't be murdered and dumped in landfills if Roe v. Wade is overturned.