At Least One Arab Didn't Want Jews Killed By Hitler

Reports Fox: "First Arab Ever Nominated to Receive Holocaust Honor for Saving Jews During World War II."

There's a reason there's only been one; the rest were busy killing Jews.

Indict Ahmadinejad

Hat tip to LGF who linked to this online petition at Aish.com, calling for the indictment of Mahmoud Ahmadinejad under the UN Genocide Convention. The Petition states:

We, the undersigned, call on the international community to indict Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for incitement to commit genocide, as per the UN Genocide Convention which classifies "incitement to commit genocide" as a crime against humanity.

They also have a powerful video with evidence of his crimes to incite genocide against Israel and the West. Sign the petition, I did (not that the UN will do anything about it).

Dow Soars ...

What's that? The Dow closed at an all time high? Again? Thank God the Dems took the House and Senate when they did to save our economy.

Breaking News

CNN (and others) are covering the developing story of five suspicious packages found on bridges throughout Boston. They're claiming that 4 of the 5 have been "disabled," but also saying that none of them appear to be real bombs but some sort of hoax. One of their reporters says that one of her sources told her the package contained circuit boards and lights that show a smiley face and a middle finger.

*** Update - 3:40 pm ***

A possibly sixth package found in Sommerville, MA. CNN is saying that the authorities in MA think that they may have linked these hoax devices to college students, but of course CNN is hyping a dry-run. If this was college kids they're pretty screwed. The Coast Guard has already shut down traffic in the Charles River and various businesses have evacuated.

They also just said that one of the possible six packages has been "rendered safe."

They just said that one of the packages contained a children's toy that "flipped the bird" when opened. This all is clearly a hoax to me.

*** Update - 5:37 pm ***

Wow. Way to go ATHF:

The suspicious devices which forced bomb units to scramble across Boston today were actually magnetic lights that are part of a marketing campaign for a television cartoon.

The reports forced the temporary shutdowns of Interstate 93 out of the city, a key inbound roadway, a bridge between Boston and Cambridge, and a portion of the Charles River but were quickly determined not to be explosive.

"It's a hoax -- and it's not funny," Gov. Deval Patrick said.

All of the devices are magnetic lights which resemble a character on the show "Aqua Teen Hunger Force", on Turner Broadcasting's Cartoon Network.

WBZ has obtained a statement from Turner Broadcasting:

"The "packages" in question are magnetic lights that pose no danger. They are part of an outdoor marketing campaign in 10 cities in support of Adult Swim's animated television show Aqua Teen Hunger Force. They have been in place for two to three weeks in Boston, New York, Los Angeles, Chicago, Atlanta, Seattle, Portland, Austin, San Francisco and Philadelphia. Parent company Turner Broadcasting is in contact with local and federal enforcement on the exact locations of the billboards. We regret that they mistakenly thought to pose any danger."

A total of ten devices were found in Boston, Cambridge and Somerville.

The first device was found at an MBTA subway and bus station located under Interstate 93 on Wednesday morning. The device was detonated and determined to be harmless, but as a precaution the station and the interstate shut down temporarily.

Then, around 1 p.m., four calls came into Boston Police reporting suspicious devices at the Boston University Bridge and the Longfellow Bridge, which both span the Charles River, and the corner of Stuart and Columbus Streets and at the Tufts-New England Medical Center.

Another device was found in Somerville under the McGrath Highway Bridge.

An angry Mayor Thomas Menino said a stiff penalty will be pursued against whoever was responsible for the devices.

"It's about keeping a city on edge. It's about public safety," he said.

Nine Nabbed In Britain On Terror Charges

Nine Islamofascists have been nabbed in the UK for planning a horrible act of terror:

Counterterrorism police arrested nine men in an alleged kidnapping plot Wednesday _ a plan that reportedly involved torturing and beheading a British Muslim soldier and broadcasting the killing on the Internet...

A dozen houses and two Islamic bookshops were cordoned off and being searched.

I hope they hang, of course, in the UK they won't. After all, don't you think nine men who planned on pointlessly beheading an innocent man can be reformed? No? Me neither...

Chavez: Soon To Be A Dictator

Chavez is moving quickly down the road to dictatorville, with Venezuela's Congress giving "initial approval to a bill granting President Hugo Chavez powers to rule by decree for 18 months as he tries to force through nationalizations key to his self-styled leftist revolution."

Just when I'm ready to head on down to the Castro death party, this tyrannical socialist has to seize power?

Judith Miller Not "Absolutely Certain," Scooter Libby's Career Still In Ruins

It would appear that during her testimony in court, former New York Times reporter Judith Miller admitted she wasn't 'absolutely certain' that she first heard of Valerie Plame from Scooter Libby. Remember what happened to Scooter when he wasn't "absolutely certain;" he got charged with perjury and obstruction of justice.

Let's see if special prosecutors treat a former NYT's reporter the same as a former Bush administration official. I think we all know they won't...

Biden Will Run For Presidency

Joe Biden (D, Delaware) has entered the race for the White House. He's run before:

Biden was a candidate for the 1988 Democratic presidential nomination, but withdrew from the race in 1987 amid accusations that he had plagiarized passages in his speeches.

His biggest danger is his big mouth. He kind of says horrible things... All the time... Such as: “You CANNOT go into a 7-11 or a Dunkin' Donuts without an Indian accent.” (But don't worry, it's not racist when a Dem says something like that, just like when Hillary said Gandhi worked at a gas station, or some nonsense).

Rutheford:

Also, Biden on Obama:

“I mean, you got the first mainstream African-American who is articulate and bright and clean and a nice-looking guy.”

Smokers' Oppression In The EU

Bad news for smokers in the EU: law makers there are trying to make the entire EU a "smoke-free zone."

If you live in Europe, smoking should be the least of your worries, what with crazy "youths" rioting, Muslims blowing things up, an aging population, and a monstrous health care system.

Gas Station Explodes

I guess this wasn't one of those Terror-Free gas stations. They should have known that anything from the Middle East has a strange tendency to blow itself up:

GHENT, W.Va. — A fuel tank exploded at a gas station near a ski resort Tuesday, shattering the building into a pile of debris and killing at least four people, authorities said.

At least nine other people were seriously hurt at the Flat Top Little General Store, where little remained except twisted metal and a sign showing the price of gasoline.

The blast was felt at least a mile away at a store selling skiing gear.

"I thought we got struck by lightning. The whole building shook. The power went off," said Ben Monast, manager of the Ski Shop.

Authorities suspect that explosion happened in a tank containing propane or liquid petroleum just as a fire truck was pulling into the station in response to a reported leak.

A firefighter and a paramedic were among the injured, said Kim O'Brien, spokeswoman for the state fire marshal's office.

Keli Akers said she was driving to her house about a mile from the gas station Tuesday when she began to smell propane. When she got home, she saw debris falling into her yard.

Akers said her mother "felt a huge jolt" at the time of the blast.

Akers tried to drive to the scene, but she could get no further than a nearby elementary school because roads were closed. The school was also damaged.

"I know people there," she said. "But it's not just the people who work there. Everyone goes there. Anyone could have been there."

Drunk In Public ... Schools

Screw the family. Screw the village. It takes a public school:

The test, which will be given randomly to students at Pequannock Township High School, can detect whether alcohol was consumed up to 80 hours earlier. The legal drinking age in the United States is 21.

Other districts already use the test. Middletown began using it last spring for students suspected of using drugs and alcohol. This month, the district expanded it to include a random pool of about 1,800 students.

Pequannock Superintendent Larrie Reynolds said the policy approved last week should be a deterrent to students who feel peer pressure to drink.

After all. The government knows how to raise your children much better than you do. This story wouldn't bother me so much, if it weren't for the overwhelming, sissy liberal solution for problem students in the next paragraph:

Under the program, students who test positive will not be kicked off teams or barred from extracurricular activities, Reynolds said. Instead, they will receive counseling — and their parents will be notified.

COLA Pay Hike Blocked For Lawmakers, But We Can't Say By Whom

As Breitbart accurately words it, "Republicans Block Congressional Pay Hike."

As Time ambiguously words it, "Congressional Pay Hike Blocked."

No matter the wording of the headline, the story is the same. Republicans are making the Democrats pay for their smarmy campaign retorhic:

When Democrats blasted Republicans last fall for taking annual congressional pay raises while blocking numerous attempts to raise the minimum wage, it was an effective campaign tactic. Democrats vowed not to accept the annual cost-of-living hike until Congress increases the minimum wage.

But Republicans angered over the political attacks are unwilling to allow Democrats to reinstate the so-called members' COLA, forcing Democratic leaders to scuttle the 1.7 percent pay hike for the entire year.

"There will be no COLA adjustment," said a disappointed Steny Hoyer of Maryland, the House's No. 2 Democrat, on Tuesday.

Hoyer has for years played a central role in finessing the ticklish issue of lawmakers' pay, working cozily with GOP leaders to make sure an annual pay-related vote went smoothly.

Lawmakers' pay will be frozen at $165,200 for this year in the dispute, in which Democrats violated a yearslong understanding that the competing parties would not use the pay raise issue in campaign ads.

I hope our lawmakers will be able to survive on their measly $165,200 salaries.

Speaking of Hypocritical Liberals ...

More liberal hypocrisy. I can't figure this one out:

Two employees for an animal rights organization that opposes all animal use are now on trial for allegedly killing and dumping adoptable dogs and cats.

The trial for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) employees Adria Hinkle and Andrew Cook, who are each charged with 21 felony counts of animal cruelty, began Jan. 23. The two are accused of tossing garbage bags full of euthanized cats and dogs into a dumpster in Ahoskie, North Carolina on June 15, 2005.

The Center for Consumer Freedom (CCF) has issued reports from the trial this week. The reports detail how Ms. Tonya Northcott, an employee at the Ahoskie Animal Hospital, on June 15 sent a mother cat and her two kittens with the defendants who claimed that they would have no problem finding homes for the cats. Northcott explained that the cats had been socialized, played with, and had their shots.

Those cats ended up in a trash dumpster less than an hour later.

The CCF also reported that Bertie County Animal Control Officer Barry Anderson turned animals over to Hinkle and Cook on June 15. He described several healthy, adoptable dogs that he sent with the defendants with the understanding that they would find homes for the animals. These animals were among those found dead.

Defense lawyers tried to get Anderson to concede that he knew the animals would be euthanized after being picked up. Anderson admitted that he had seen PETA employees injecting animals, but he was told that the animals were being sedated for the ride back to Virginia.

PETA claims to be uncompromising in its stance against animal cruelty, but the organization has in fact killed more than 14,400 dogs and cats and pets since 1998.

Congratulations PETA, for proving once again that you're only self-righteous hypocrites that want to impose your views on others, and not yourselves.

Speaking of BS ...

Thirteen percent of Americans have never heard of global warming even though their country is the world's top source of greenhouse gases, a 46-country survey showed on Monday.

Does anyone expect me to believe that 13 percent of Americans have never heard of global warming? I can remember hearing about it constantly when I was in fourth grade, which goes to show that you don't exactly have to be plugged in to 24-hour news in order to hear about it. In every one of my College classes I hear about it weekly. We've discussed global warming in English, Econ, Poli Sci, and every other class I've taken.

The story ends with a favorite falsehood of the left:

President George W. Bush pulled the United States out of Kyoto in 2001, but said last week that climate change was a "serious challenge."

Muslim Messiah Not So Tough After All

Reuters:

The leader of an Iraqi cult who claimed to be the Mahdi, a messiah-like figure in Islam, was killed in a battle on Sunday near Najaf with hundreds of his followers, Iraq's national security minister said on Monday.

Great news. But this being Reuters, they couldn't let the good news sink in, so here's the second paragraph of the story.

Women and children who joined 600-700 of his "Soldiers of Heaven" on the outskirts of the Shi'ite holy city may be among the casualties, Shirwan al-Waeli told Reuters. All those people not killed were in detention, many of them wounded.

IRS Kills Dream - Duh.

The IRS crushes another American dream:

Brian Emmett's childhood fantasy came true when he won a free trip to outer space. He was crushed when he had to cancel his reservation because of Uncle Sam.

Emmett won his ticket to the heavens in a 2005 sweepstakes by Oracle Corp., in which he answered a series of online questions on Java computer code. He became an instant celebrity, giving media interviews and appearing on stage at Oracle's trade show.

For the self-described space buff who has attended space camp and watched shuttle launches from Kennedy Space Center, it seemed like a chance to become an astronaut on a dime.

Then reality struck. After some number-crunching, Emmett realized he would have to report the $138,000 galactic joy ride as income and owe $25,000 in taxes. Unwilling to sink into debt, the 31-year-old software consultant from the San Francisco Bay area gave up his seat.

You just can't get away with having any fun without giving the government their pound of flesh, can you?

Global Warming Report Too Soft

There's a report coming out on global warming and the "dire consequences" that will come with it - rising sea levels, more hurricanes, blah, blah, blah. This report is being slammed by environmentalists for being - TOO SOFT on scaring people about global warming. Oh well.

Come On - They're Sandwhich-Making Machines Too

Apparently the Japanese Health Minister is being rebuked for calling women "birth-giving machines." Way to go.

Barack The Atheist

I'm not one of those people who is under the impression that Obama is a Muslim - it's quite evident to me that he is an atheist who has no regard for life or morality of any kind, including that of the Mohammedans. But here's a story worth reading:

Although Sen. Barack Obama is a Christian, his childhood and family connections to Islam are beginning to complicate his presidential ambitions.

The Illinois Democrat spent much of last week refuting unfounded reports that he had been educated in a madrassa, or radical Islamic school, when he lived in Indonesia as a boy.

“The Indonesian school Obama attended in Jakarta is a public school that is not and never has been a Madrassa,” said a statement put out by the senator’s staff.

But the school did teach the Quran, Islam’s holy book, along with subjects such as math and science, according to Obama, who attended when he was 9 and 10.

“In Indonesia, I had spent two years at a Muslim school,” he wrote in his first memoir, “Dreams from my Father.” “The teacher wrote to tell my mother that I made faces during Koranic studies.”

Obama — whose father, stepfather, brother and grandfather were Muslims — explained his own first name, Barack, in “Dreams”: “It means ‘Blessed.’ In Arabic. My grandfather was a Muslim.”

In his second memoir, “The Audacity of Hope,” Obama added: “Although my father had been raised a Muslim, by the time he met my mother he was a confirmed atheist.”

Still, when his father, a black Kenyan named Barack Obama Sr., died in 1982, “the family wanted a Muslim burial,” Obama quoted his brother, Roy, as saying in “Dreams.”

The statement put out by Obama’s office last week referred to his father simply as “an atheist,” without mentioning his Muslim upbringing.

But with pundits already making faith a major issue in this presidential campaign — as evidenced by questions about Republican Mitt Romney’s Mormonism — Obama’s religious background is likely to come under further scrutiny.

“He comes from a father who was a Muslim,” said civil rights author Juan Williams of National Public Radio. “I mean, I think that given we’re at war with Muslim extremists, that presents a problem.”

Obama’s grandfather, Hussein Onyango Obama, for whom the senator was given his middle name, Hussein, was fiercely devoted to Islam, according to an account in “Dreams.” The grandfather, who died in 1979, was described by his widow when Obama visited Kenya in the late 1980s.

“What your grandfather respected was strength. Discipline,” Obama quoted his grandmother as telling him. “This is also why he rejected the Christian religion, I think.

“For a brief time, he converted, and even changed his name to Johnson. But he could not understand such ideas as mercy towards your enemies, or that this man Jesus could wash away a man’s sins.

“To your grandfather, this was foolish sentiment, something to comfort women,” she added. “And so he converted to Islam — he thought its practices conformed more closely to his beliefs.”

When Obama was 2 years old, his parents divorced and his father moved away from the family’s home in Hawaii. Four years later, his mother married an Indonesian man, Lolo Soetoro, who moved his new wife and stepson to Jakarta.

“During the five years that we would live with my stepfather in Indonesia, I was sent first to a neighborhood Catholic school and then to a predominately Muslim school,” Obama wrote in “Audacity.” “In our household, the Bible, the Koran, and the Bhagavad Gita sat on the shelf.”

Obama’s stepfather was a practicing Muslim.

It kept going but I got bored.

Protestors Spray Paint The Capitol

No wonder McKiney punched that Capitol police officer - it turns out they have no balls:

Anti-war protesters were allowed to spray paint on part of thewest front steps of the United States Capitol building after police wereordered to break their security line by their leadership, two sources toldThe Hill.

According to the sources, police officers were livid when theywere told to fall back by U.S. Capitol Police (USCP) Chief Phillip Morse andDeputy Chief Daniel Nichols. "They were the commanders on the scene," one source said,who requested anonymity. "It was disgusting."

After police ceded the stairs, located on the lower west frontof the Capitol, the building was locked down, the source added.

A second source who witnessed the incident said that the policehad the crowd stopped at Third Street, but were told to bring the policeline in front of the Capitol.

Approximately 300 protesters were allowed to take the steps andbegan to spray paint "anarchist symbols" and phrase such as "Ourcapitol building" and "you can’t stop us" around the area, thesource said.

Remember, if a conservative had done this it would have been vandalism, but when it's the left, they're "expressing their free speech."

Transgender 12 Year-Old

When I was 12 years-old I was convinced that I wanted to spend the rest of my life as a fire-fighting, time-traveling super hero who lived in space. Keeping in mind that I was wrong, read this:

A boy of 12 is believed to have become the world's youngest sex change patient after convincing doctors that he wanted to live the rest of his life as a female.

The boy - originally called Tim, but now known as Kim - has started to receive hormone treatment, in preparation for the operation that will eventually complete the sex change.

Tim was diagnosed as a transsexual two years ago, when doctors and psychiatrists concluded that his claims to be "in the wrong body" were so deeply felt that he required treatment. The therapy involves artificially arresting male puberty, with a series of potent hormone injections before the administration of female hormones to initiate the development of features such as breasts.

I'm glad society has progressed to a point where 12 year-old children are allowed to select their gender. Someone get this kid a GI Joe, for God's sake.

Moscow Human Rights Watch

With Moscow cracking down on dissension and killing former spies what "human rights abuse" does the media decide needs to be exposed?

Moscow Mayor Yury Luzhkov said Monday he would never allow a gay parade to take place in Moscow despite pressure from the West, Russia’s RIA-Novosti news agency reports.

“Last year, Moscow came under unprecedented pressure to sanction the gay parade, which can be described in no other way than as Satanic,” Luzhkov said at the 15th Christmas educational readings in the Kremlin Palace.

“We did not let the parade take place then, and we are not going to allow it in the future,” said Luzhkov who has been in office since 1992.

Sure they imprison wealthy political opponents for years without any real trial, but not allowing gay pride parades? Come on Moscow.

Drudge Is Still Crazy

You'd think Drudge would have learned his lesson when he posted on UFOs over Arkansas. Soon those "UFOs" were shown to be flares attached to balloons that the US military was testing. But Drudge still insists on lowering his blog's credibility with stories like this:

UFO’s seen over South Shore sky

If the UFOs start controlling the weather it will be all Drudge will ever talk about.

Castro Death Party

I'm sorry, but how great is this:

With Fidel Castro seriously ill, the city of Miami is making plans to throw a party at the Orange Bowl when the Cuban president dies.

The city commission earlier this month appointed a committee — whose official job is to "Discuss an event at the Orange Bowl in case expected events occur in Cuba" — to plan the party. Such a gathering has long been part of the city's Castro death plan, but firming up the specifics has become more urgent since Castro became ill last summer and turned over power to his brother, Raul.

Ah, feels like the good ol' days, you know, when we celebrated the deaths of our enemies. Expect some liberal whining.

Grass Growing

I'm so bored I actually just watched grass grow:



Yes, this is the most exciting blog on the internets!

Needless to say; there's no news yet. I hate posting early...

Tortilla Emergency!

There's a down-side to everything, I guess:

Thick, doughy tortillas roll hot off the conveyor belt all day at Aurora Rosales's little shop in this congested city built on a dry lake bed east of Mexico City.

Using cooking techniques that date to the Mayan empire, Rosales has never altered her recipe. Nor did her father, grandfather or great-grandfather.

On good days, the neighbors line up for her tortillas.

But these are not good days, and sometimes hours pass without any customers.

Mexico is in the grip of the worst tortilla crisis in its modern history. Dramatically rising international corn prices, spurred by demand for the grain-based fuel ethanol, have led to expensive tortillas. That, in turn, has led to lower sales for vendors such as Rosales and angry protests by consumers.

The uproar is exposing this country's outsize dependence on tortillas in its diet -- especially among the poor -- and testing the acumen of the new president, Felipe Calderón. It is also raising questions about the powerful businesses that dominate the Mexican corn market and are suspected by some lawmakers and regulators of unfair speculation and monopoly practices.

Tortilla prices have tripled or quadrupled in some parts of Mexico since last summer. On Jan. 18, Calderón announced an agreement with business leaders capping tortilla prices at 78 cents per kilogram, or 2.2 pounds, less than half the highest reported prices. The president's move was a throwback to a previous era when Mexico controlled prices -- the government subsidized tortillas until 1999, at which point cheap corn imports were rising under the NAFTA trade agreement. It was also a surprise given his carefully crafted image as an avowed supporter of free trade.

Wait a minute. I thought all these bio fuels were supposed to be made out of the waste, and that's what is going to keep them so cheap.

International Pariah

I couldn't remember if this story was old or not, but here's a video of John Kerry calling the US an "International Pariah":



A story on the incident reports:

Here’s John Kerry speaking while sitting just a few feet away from Mohammad Khatami, the former President of the Iranian terror state.

Kerry was asked about whether the U.S. government had failed to adequately engage Iran’s government before the election of hard-liner Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in 2005.

Kerry said the Bush administration has failed in addressing a number of foreign policy issues.

“When we walk away from global warming, Kyoto, when we are irresponsibly slow in moving toward AIDS in Africa, when we don’t advance and live up to our own rhetoric and standards, we set a terrible message of duplicity and hypocrisy,” Kerry said.

“So we have a crisis of confidence in the Middle East — in the world, really. I’ve never seen our country as isolated, as much as a sort of international pariah for a number of reasons as it is today.”…

Kerry criticized what he called the “unfortunate habit” of Americans to see the world “exclusively through an American lens.”

The Crackdown Continues, Still

I haven't been this optimistic about the War in Iraq for a while, but all the stories lately about us finally killing these Muslim death-cults is turning my spirits:

U.S. and Iraqi forces killed some 250 gunmen from an apocalyptic Muslim cult on Sunday in a battle involving U.S. tanks and aircraft near the Shi'ite holy city of Najaf, Iraqi police, army and political sources said.

Two Americans were killed, the U.S. military said, when an attack helicopter went down during the day-long battle in what was one of the strangest incidents of the four-year conflict. Iraqi officials said the helicopter seemed to be shot down.

According to one Iraqi political source, hundreds of fighters drawn from both Sunni and Shi'ite communities were still fighting. A Reuters reporter at the scene, 160 km (100 miles) south of Baghdad, saw U.S. tanks and heard blasts after dark and an Iraqi officer said F-16 jets were bombing the area.

Details of the day's fighting were sketchy and the origins of the fighters unclear. An Iraqi army source said some of the dead wore headbands declaring themselves a "Soldier of Heaven."

The two soldiers lost in the operation should and will be mourned, but I'm still amazed at the superiority of our army that we kill 250 of them and they manage to kill 2 of us - assuming the helicopter was shot down.

Cowards Still Running To Canada

An "Aren't they the brave ones" story from CBS:

During the Vietnam war, many young men who were drafted and didn't want to go to war fled to Canada. Today, a small group of soldiers and Marines are doing the same thing in protest of a war they say is unjust.

The difference being that all the soldiers today signed up to be in the army, and therefore there only excuse for not going is that they're absolute pussies.

When you contemplate the danger and the violent death that are ever present factors in Iraq, you may wonder how Americans charged with fighting the war there can bear it.

Because they're the pinnacle of what an American should be.

Huckabee's In

The pool grows:

Conservative Republican Mike Huckabee, seeking to repeat the success of another former governor from Hope, Ark., said Sunday he is taking the first step in what he acknowledged is an underdog bid for the White House in 2008.

Huckabee, who left office Jan. 9 after serving 10 1/2 years as governor of a Democratic-leaning state, faces steep odds in a crowded GOP field that includes well-known and well-funded hopefuls such as Sen. John McCain of Arizona, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney and former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani.

Yet another candidate that's better than Giuliani and McCain that has less of a chance. I'm optimistic though.

Palestinian Civil War Rages On

More on the Palestinian civil war, you know, the actual civil war where two factions within the government of a given country are fighting for total control of the given country, unlike Iraq:

The sound of gunfire and grenades echoed across Gaza City on Sunday as rival Palestinian factions fought in the streets in an increasingly bloody power struggle.

Twenty-five people have been reported killed since late Thursday, including a 12-year-old boy who was caught in the crossfire Saturday night, hospital officials said.

The boy's father, a local Fatah leader, was injured in the gunbattle. From his hospital bed, he told the Associated Press that Hamas gunmen attacked his home.

The past week has seen the worst fighting yet between Hamas supporters controlling the Palestinian parliament and the Fatah faction loyal to the Palestinian president.

Hmm. When it's the Religion of Peace killing the Religion of Peace - who does the media blame?

Iran Behind Murdered Soldiers?

Bill Roggio from The Fourth Rail is speculating that the recent Karbala attacks on US soldiers in Iraq may have been perpetrated by Iranians - as in their army. Here's an excerpt:

On January 20th, a team of twelve men disguised as U.S. soldiers entered the Provincial Joint Coordination Center in Karbala, where U.S. soldiers conducted a meeting with local officials, and attacked and killed five soldiers, and wounded another three. The initial reports indicated the five were killed in the Karbala JCC, however the U.S. military has reported that four of those killed were actually removed from the center, handcuffed, and murdered.

The American Forces Information Service provides the details of the attack in Karbala. Based on the sophisticated nature of the raid, as well as the response, or cryptic non-responses, from multiple military and intelligence sources, this raid appears to have been directed and executed by the Qods Force branch of the Iranian Republican Guard Corps. My sources agreed this is far to sophisticated an operation for the Mahdi Army or Badr Corps, while al-Qaeda in Iraq would have a difficult time mounting such an operation in the Shia south. "The Karbala Government Center raid the other day was a little too professional for JAM [Jaish al-Mahdi, or the Mahdi Army]," according to a military source.

I'd read the rest. If this is proven true I would love to see the Democrats stand in the way of any retaliation and still pretend as if they support the troops.

"I am tired of people saying you're unpatriotic simply for not caring when US forces are murdered! [applause.]"

Uranium Bust In Georgia

Wow. This is disconcerting:

The Georgian government says its security services have foiled an attempt by a Russian smuggler to sell weapons-grade uranium on the black market.

Georgia's Interior Ministry says the man was arrested as he tried to sell a few ounces of the highly enriched uranium for $1 million to a Georgian agent posing as a member of a radical Islamist group.

The material had been refined to the level that could be used, in larger quantities, in a nuclear weapon. The smuggler told the agent the uranium was just a sample, and that he had access to up to 10 pounds of the material.

I have a few questions. Have they verified if he was telling the truth about having more Uranium, and if so, have they gotten the rest? Also, just how much Uranium do you need to make a nuclear bomb?

Anyway, great job Georgia. Disaster was avoided last time because of luck, but now you're stepping it up. Nice.

2008 Looks Worse Every Day

Our possible presidential candidate in 2008:

While lawmakers rally around varying nonbinding resolutions expressing displeasure with President Bush over the Iraq war, Sen. John McCain announced Thursday he will try to set benchmarks for ending the violence.

"I'm trying to put something together that exercises congressional oversight that would provide some comfort to the American people and that certain benchmarks are being met as far as measuring progress or lack of progress is concerned," McCain, R-Ariz., a potential 2008 presidential competitor, said of the resolution he is crafting.

Sen. Carl Levin, D-Mich, who appeared with McCain before reporters, said he is willing to work with McCain but "there have to be conditions" included in the resolution to establish consequences if the benchmarks are not achieved.

How about we fight the war to win rather than setting arbitrary goals and then further undermining the war if those goals aren't met? I expect this crap from Levin but ... well, I expect it from McCain too.

MLK Party Slightly On The Racist Side - Completely On The Funny Side

Other news in being PC:

Authorities at Tarleton State University said they plan to investigate a Martin Luther King Jr. Day party that mocked black stereotypes by featuring fried chicken, malt liquor and faux gang apparel.

"I feel like there is no excuse for this type of ignorance," said Donald Ray Elder, president of the Stephenville school's chapter of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Photographs posted on social networking Web site Facebook.com showed partygoers wearing Afro wigs and fake gold and silver teeth. One photo showed students "mocking how African-Americans do step shows," Elder said. In another picture, a student is dressed as Aunt Jemima and carries a gun. [I don't see a gun -ed]

"That upsets me," Elder said. "That's someone who knows nothing about Dr. King, because Dr. King was totally about nonviolence."

Related post: Idiot Criminal Tripped By His Own Pants.

Crazy Dems Abandon Term "Freshman"

The Democrats' love of politically correct speech (or rather fear of politically incorrect speech) will stop at nothing, no matter how insane:

Among the things attendees at this morning's National Journal /NBC post-SOTU breakfast learned was that it is no longer politically correct in the House Dem caucus to refer to the newly elected members from '06 as "Freshmen." How did we learn this? House Maj. Whip Jim Clyburn referred to the "freshmen" and then corrected himself and then went on to admit the new policy. Freshman, er newly elected Rep. Jason Altmire (D-PA) told the crowd that he "suspected" it had something to do with the word "new" being more appealing to the public than "freshman," which can be seen by some as derogatory. So there ya go!

Wow. I don't know what to say. This not only highlights the insanity of the steps the dems will go through to avoid offending anyone (excluding Christians and soldiers, of course), it also shows that they'll act like idiots in order to seem "more appealing to the public." Basically they're popularity whores.

Speaking of politically correct Democrats, Allahpundit had this up for an unrelated post:



The goood (or rather bad) part is at 1:oo in.

Note: Who is that classy host?

Is There Anything Horrible That Global Warming Doesn't Cause?

I wasn't going to repost this from LGF (who hat tips nonic), but now I have to:

John Mitchell, chief scientist at Britain’s Met Office, noted al Qaeda had already listed environmental damage among its litany of grievances against the United States.

“You have destroyed nature with your industrial waste and gases more than any other nation in history. Despite this, you refuse to sign the Kyoto agreement so that you can secure the profit of your greedy companies and industries,” al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden wrote in a 2002 “letter to the American people.”

In other words, this London conference on climate change is asserting that one of the root causes of terrorism is global warming.

I post that story, because of this one, where a study in Italy claims to show a link between global warming and suicide rates:

The global increase in surface temperature (known as global warming) was found to impact on mortality through ill health, particularly among the elderly and in summer. This study sets out to explore the impact of global warming on suicide mortality, using data from Italy.

...

For males, increasing anomalies in monthly average temperatures associated to a higher monthly suicide mean from May to August and, to a lower extent, in November and December. In January, on the other hand, increasing anomalies in monthly average temperatures appeared to be coupled to a lower number of suicides. For females, the links between temperature and suicides are less consistent than for males, and sometimes have a reverse sign, too.

Wow, all of that, and the polar bears are drowning! We need Kyoto!



I like seals more - so I guess I support warming the globe.

Unique Murder

Read this:

A married woman who was having an affair with a fellow skydiver plunged 13,000ft (4,000m) to her death after her love rival and best friend tampered with her parachute, police say.

Els Van Doren, 37, fell to earth in a garden in front of a group of onlookers. Els Clottemans, 22, has been charged with her murder.

Minutes earlier the pair had joined hands in a star formation with two other skydivers including Ms Clottemans’s boyfriend, a Dutchman named only as Marcel, who police say was having an affair with Mrs Van Doren.

While he and Ms Clottemans broke away at 4,000ft when their parachutes inflated, Mrs Van Doren, a mother of two, was unable to open either her main parachute or the reserve and crashed to her death in the town of Opglabbeek, Belgium.

Her final moments were filmed by her own head-mounted camera.

Note to murderer: Points for creativity, but you're still going to Hell.

Frivolous Lawsuits Are Way Too Predictable

Hey remember in my first post on the "hold your wee for a Wii" post, how I said:

As tragic as this death is, how long do you think it will be until this woman's family sues the radio station? Or for that matter - the water company? Remember, there's no personal responsibility in America.

Well, way to go family (giant paragraph via TSG):

The family of the California woman who died from water intoxication after trying to win a video game console in a radio station stunt has filed a wrongful death lawsuit against the architects of the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii" contest. Jennifer Strange, a 28-year-old mother of three, died on January 12 after drinking almost two gallons of water while taking part in a giveaway contest sponsored by Sacramento's KDND-FM. The contest awarded a Nintendo console to the person who could avoid urinating (or vomiting) after drinking a large quantity of water. Strange finished second among 18 contestants, and complained that her head hurt and she felt lightheaded when dropping out of the contest. Hours later, she died of water intoxication, according to the Sacramento County coroner. The wrongful death lawsuit ... names the radio station's owner and eight individuals as defendants. The complaint, which does not specify monetary damages, include a number of on-air statements made by radio station personnel, including one DJ who noted that they should have "researched" water intoxication before conducting the contest. Also, when a caller who identified herself as a nurse warned that contestants could face illness or death, an on-air personality replied, "Yeah, they signed releases so we're not responsible so it's okay." Strange ... was awarded two tickets to a Justin Timberlake concert as a consolation prize.

It's time to realize that your spouse/mom entered into a stupid contest, didn't know her limits, failed to call her illness to anyone's attention (even though she presumably knew the danger from when the nurse called in), and now she's dead. The radio station didn't force her to compete; it was her own decision that carried its own consequences. How about you let her rest in peace rather than having her name associated with a ridiculous lawsuit? Or is it money you're after?

UFO Explained - Like They Always Are

After getting way more coverage and attention than it deserved, including being featured on Drudge, the "lights 'not of this world' mystery" has been explained by what should have been the obvious assumption:

Air Force reveals weapons tests that sparked global UFO frenzy

...

Officials say the colorful illuminations seen Jan. 9 over western Arkansas came from special military flares that slowly parachuted to the ground as part of an Air Force training mission involving A-10 aircraft pilots at nearby Fort Chaffee, a base used for testing weaponry.

Otherworldly lights (as photographed by a Air Force Colonel):



Military flare:



Now will you all shut up?

Illegals Fearful ...

Real Headline: California Latinos fearful after immigration raids

Headline That Should Exist: American citizens fearful after illegals murderer and rape their way across the country

Video - 2007 State of The Union Highlights

Video highlights of the State of The Union, for those of you who missed it (thanks to Flopping Aces for uploading this to Google Video):



We also have the transript for those who are interested.

How To Steal An Election

So here's a funny video (hat tip: Gizmodo) from our friends at Diebold:



From the aforementioned site:

Proving they're getting on that whole (in)security thing, Diebold put a picture of the key that opens their voting machines online. Yes, the key--one key opens all of their machines. Result? Someone was able to copy it using the photo on the website. Makes you relish the days of hanging chads, doesn't it?

Come on Diebold. Think! You're supposed to throw the elections for Republicans, not just put out the info for any moonbat or nutroot to see. Disappointing.

John Kerry's Long-Winded Withdrawl Announcment

Howard Kurtz on John Kerry's announcement to "drop out" of the 2008 presidential race:

It was the quintessential John Kerry.

There he was, making a Senate speech, after putting out word that he would not run in 2008, and all the cable news networks were taking him live.

Kerry began to talk. And talk.

He talked about Mesopotamia in the year 685, the tribal warfare, how people were beheaded. He trod a long, winding path to today's Iraq, then detoured to talk about Syria.

As he continued to speechify, CNN cut away, then MSNBC.

Kerry kept talking. He turned to Vietnam, then back to Iraq. MSNBC checked in again, then CNN. Would he now get to the point?

The on-screen headlines said that Kerry would announce his withdrawal, but he did not.

Finally, half an hour later, the Massachusetts senator, his voice breaking, disclosed that he would, in fact, not be a candidate for president in the next election.

There's more, I just posted the "funny because it's true" part.

Another good line (well, lines):

"The senator had worked hard to prepare for another run, logging more miles and spreading more money than any other Democrat in the last election cycle. But he found himself shunned by much of his party after joking shortly before the November elections that poor students would 'get stuck in Iraq' -- a comment that Kerry called a 'botched joke' but that revived memories of his 2004 verbal missteps."

Humor was not his strong suit.

Blogging Scholarship

Hat tip to Instapundit:

Do you maintain a political weblog and attend college? Would you like $2,000 to help pay for books, tuition, or other living costs? If so, read on.

We're giving away $2,000 this year to a college student who blogs about politics. Our scholarship is awarded annually.

So reads the website for "The Political Blogging Scholarship."

The requirements? The second bullet point is my favorite:

• Your blog must contain unique and interesting information about political issues, current events, opinions, etc. No spam bloggers please!!!
• U.S. citizen;
• 3.0 GPA;
• Currently attending full-time in post-secondary education; and
• If you win, you must be willing to allow us to list your name and blog on this page. We want to be able to say we knew you before you became a well educated, rich, and famous blogging legend.

Feel like applying? Go here.

UN Still Corrupt - I'm Shocked!

This from good ol' Fox News:

Less than one month into his job, the new United Nations Secretary-General, Ban Ki-moon, has already had his first scandal. Now he may be engineering his first cover-up.

For just one day last week, it looked like Ban, in the first real test of his self-proclaimed mission to “restore trust” at the U.N., had risen above the bureaucratic evasions of his scandal-plagued predecessor, Kofi Annan. That day was Jan. 19, shortly after FOX News and The Wall Street Journal broke the story of U.S. State Department accusations that the United Nations Development Program (UNDP), violating its own rules, had allowed hard currency to flow to the now-sanctioned rogue regime of North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il. The State Department told of UNDP offices in North Korea dominated by officials of the regime, “sham” audits of programs to hide the cash flow, and an extended cover-up of the situation by the UNDP itself.

Ban came out that same day for a public housecleaning, with guns blazing. In a break with the stonewalls of the U.N. when faced with Oil-for-Food and other scandals, he promised to call for what his spokeswoman described as “an urgent, system-wide and external inquiry into all activities done around the globe by the U.N. funds and programmes.”

For this, Ban earned immediate praise, even from some of the U.N.’s most diehard critics. And he seemed intent on sticking to his guns. When a reporter dropped by the office of Ban’s spokeswoman, Michele Montas, late that same Friday evening, she took time to offer assurances that yes, indeed, the audit would be rigorous, complete and independent. Asked, specifically, if outside, private auditors would be employed to ensure integrity, she said, “Yes.”

But by Monday, Ban was backtracking faster than you can say “ACABQ” — which is the acronym for the U.N. General Assembly’s own budget oversight body, the Advisory Committee on Administrative and Budgetary Questions — which Ban was suddenly proposing to use as the overseer of his promised housecleaning.

To call that a huge step backward would be understatement. Among other things, the former chairman of the ACABQ, Vladimir Kuznetsov, was one of two U.N. officials indicted in 2005 on charges of bribery and money-laundering in connection with a highly publicized U.N. procurement scandal. (One, Alexander Yakovlev, pleaded guilty. Kuznetsov has pleaded not guilty, and goes on trial next month in New York federal court).

It was during the time that Kuznetsov held his U.N. budget oversight job that illicit funds were allegedly passing through his secret Caribbean bank account. Somehow, his alleged crimes escaped the ACABQ’s attention.

It is this same ACABQ that Ban now proposes to use as a conduit for handling the inspection of the UNDP’s North Korean unit, which will be carried out not by a truly independent outside auditing firm, but by using the U.N.’s own “external auditors.”

This U.N. group of auditors may be called external in U.N. parlance — meaning it is not composed of career U.N. bureaucrats — but it is hardly independent of the U.N. itself. The board is made up of the government audit arms of a rotating trio of U.N. member states, currently consisting of the Philippines, South Africa and France. This was precisely the same trio of government auditors, serving on precisely the same U.N. oversight board, that provided so-called external audits during the final graft-crammed years of Oil-for-Food.

Over a period from 1996 to 2003, the so-called external auditors blew the whistle on precisely nothing, even as Saddam Hussein stole billions from Oil-For-Food in bribery and kickbacks.

It was thanks in part to this board’s feeble oversight that Benon Sevan, the recently indicted former head of Oil-for-Food, was able to file a report in 2002 that claimed that the Oil-for-Food program was “one of the most audited in the United Nations system.”

Not only did these government external auditors fail to sound a general alarm about the record-setting scale of corruption under Oil-for-Food; in the cases of South Africa and France, countries that were prime players in Saddam Hussein’s scams, the overseers didn’t even try to stop the corruption when it showed up at home.

In the case of North Korea, their track record may be as bad, since the board has already been involved in oversight of the UNDP’s operations there. According to the UNDP’s No. 2 official, Ad Melkert, copies of lower-level audits that outlined many of the problems had been passed on to the oversight board — which, in his view, had the responsibility to pass them on to member states. (Melkert’s viewpoint eerily echoes the Oil-For-Food defenses of Annan, who also argued that his office was not responsible for policing that program; only a committee of the Security Council was.)

But even if one buys Melkert’s argument, which it is impossible to do without a truly impartial investigation, he is also pointing to a grievous conflict of interest on the part of Ban’s board in overseeing any subsequent audit.

Ban is now proposing that this apparently feckless board confine itself, for the time being, to examining over the next three months the operations of U.N. agencies in North Korea and other places, where “issues of hard currency transactions, independence of staff hiring and access to reviewing local projects are pertinent.” It appears that the urgent worldwide audit proclaimed last week for the U.N.’s entire $20 billion system will have to wait until at least September.

Without clarifying any further details, Ban left U.N. headquarters Wednesday on an extended trip to Africa via Paris. Meanwhile, without waiting for fresh audit reports of any kind, the UNDP’s chief administrator, Kemal Dervis, told his executive board — whose 36 members include North Korea — that “there is really no justification for the extreme allegations and interpretations we have seen over the last few days.”

This is the second time in about three weeks that Ban, put to a test, has first signaled a sound instinct, only to retreat after a dose of in-house consultation. The first occasion came during his first week on the job, after the execution of Saddam Hussein. [as noted here. -ed]

In a break with the orthodoxy of his predecessor, who had led the U.N. on an anti-capital punishment crusade, Ban first noted that Saddam had committed heinous crimes, and that hanging such a monster was a matter for individual U.N. member states to decide. By the end of the week, however, he had joined the eternal U.N. chorus that condemns all capital punishment, even of mass murderers like Saddam.

This retreat is much worse for the U.N., and even for Ban himself. In backing away from a genuinely independent audit of U.N operations in North Korea, Ban may well be throwing a blanket over significant aspects of his own history. Prior to his U.N. appointment, Ban was South Korea’s foreign minister. His country has been shipping huge amounts of aid, including hard currency, to the North Korean regime for years, some of it during his own term in Seoul as foreign minister. Some of those funds may well have passed through the UNDP. If there is anything unsavory to uncover in that regard, Ban would be wise to get it over with now, via truly independent investigators. Otherwise, the UNDP scandal, which currently looks like a holdover from his predecessor, might turn out to be Ban’s own Achilles’ heel.

Since When Do Communists Care What Muslims Want?

The Chinese ban Christianity, but will go through ridiculous leaps and bounds to appease Muslims:

Next month, China will ring in the Year of the Pig. Nestle SA planned to celebrate with TV ads featuring a smiling cartoon pig. "Happy new pig year," the ads said.

This week, China Central Television, the national state-run TV network, banned Nestle's ad -- and all images and spoken references to the animal in commercials, including those tied to the Lunar New Year, China's biggest holiday.

The intent: to avoid offending Muslims, who consider pigs unclean. "China is a multiethnic country," the network's ad department said in a notice sent to ad agencies late Tuesday. "To show respect to Islam, and upon guidance from higher levels of the government, CCTV will keep any 'pig' images off the TV screen."

Now Muslims can't even look at a pig? No wonder they cover their wives head-to-toe.

Debbie Schlussel on the ban:

Though I have no respect for Communist China--its slave labor, lack of human rights, one-child-per-family policy, etc., etc., etc.--I thought, at least, the country got tough on Islamic extremism. The Chinese government has raided and destroyed camps populated by Chinese Muslim Uighur (pronounced "Wee-gur") extremists. As I've written, last year, several Uighurs were Al-Qaeda terrorists held in Guantanamo Bay, and China protested their release (to Albania). But, as I also wrote, China gave millions to HAMAS, last year.

Idiot Criminal Tripped By His Own Pants

Here's a funny story:

Police caught up with and arrested a 16-year-old youth after his loose-fitting pants slipped down around his legs and forced him to his knees, the Police Department said Wednesday.

Officers spotted the boy Monday afternoon and gave chase, Covington police said.

The 16-year-old, whose name was not released, was wanted in the beating and robbery of a 35-year-old Covington man Nov. 2 and the carjacking and beating with a brick of another man Jan. 14, police said.

The 16-year-old was booked on counts of armed robbery and aggravated battery in the Nov. 2 attack and aggravated battery and carjacking in the Jan. 14 incident.

He also was booked as being a child in need of supervision.

Idiot. I hope those pants gave you practice for walking around with chains on your feet. You're despicable.

Cox & Forkum On 24 and The Hate That It Spreads

Cox & Forkum do it again, condensing a long winded and complicated issue to one little box, and still saying it better than I ever could:

AP Caught Again - Maybe

LGF has caught the AP red handed again, selling a story that very well have been a lie:

Yesterday LGF noted the Associated Press report on the crash of a US security contractors’ helicopter in Iraq. According to the AP, four of the five Blackwater employees killed were “shot execution style in the back of the head.”

Today I received an email from an unnamed person in Baghdad with knowledge of the incident:

Do not believe what you see in the media. Four agents and numerous BW personnel saw the remains, and there was NO INDICATION the four BW guys in the crashed helo were executed on the ground. We are awaiting the official autopsy from the States, but a visual inspection gave no indication of “shots to the back of the head”. This rumor of “shots to the back of the head” was leaked by someone in the government and was based on a false initial report.

The rest of LGF's post is here. There are other indications that the AP was wrong, be sure to check in with LGF for updates.

Took Me A While To Get What This Headline Meant

Two things are misleading about this headline. Can you spot them?

Ex-Miss. sheriff’s deputy charged in ’64 deaths

Want To Quite Smoking? Injure Your Brain.

Science marches on:

Scientists studying stroke patients are reporting that an injury to a specific part of the brain, near the ear, can instantly and permanently break a smoking habit, effectively erasing the most stubborn of addictions. People with the injury who stopped smoking found that their bodies, as one man put it, “forgot the urge to smoke.”

Great. Now all I have to do to quit is start: bashing my head into things/bashing things into my head. I may not be posting for a while.

President Escallating War In Afghanistan!

Shortly after President Bush unveiled his "new way forward" strategy for Iraq, including sending an additional 21,500 U.S. troops, the White House says it will ask Congress to authorize more than $8 billion to help stabilize Afghanistan, as well as extend the deployments of 3,200 soldiers there.

When are the Democrats going to decry the escalation of the war in Afghanistan?

Way to Go

Good news on the MSM:

NEW YORK -- The former treasurer of General Electric Co.'s NBC Universal Inc. has been arrested and charged with stealing more than $800,000 from the company, prosecutors said Thursday.

In a press release, the U.S. attorney's office in Manhattan said Victor Jung, NBC Universal's former treasurer, has been charged with two counts of wire fraud.

Way to uphold the integrity NBC strands for.

New York Themed Condoms

Speaking of moral depravity:

NEW YORK — Available soon from City Hall: an official New York condom in a jazzy wrapper, perhaps one printed with a colorful subway map or some other city theme.

New York City hands out 1.5 million free condoms a month in ordinary wrappers, and health officials figure people would be more likely to actually use them if the packaging were more distinctive.

"Brands work, and people use branded items more than they use non-branded items, whether it's a cola or a medicine, even," Health Commissioner Thomas Frieden said.

The health department, which uses the condom program to fight AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases, said it still considering package designs. Among the possibilities: a subway theme, with the various lines shown in different colors.

The 18 million free condoms each year go to hundreds of organizations, which distribute them at health clinics and advocacy groups, bars, restaurants, nightclubs, nail salons and prisons. By comparison, the Los Angeles County health department gives out just over a million condoms per year.

Boy. I know if I wear paying taxes in New York that would make me happy.

Keep It In Your Pants Next Time

The media weeps for another criminal:

Once, he was the homecoming king at Douglas County High. Now he's Georgia inmate No. 1187055, convicted of aggravated child molestation.

When he was a senior in high school, he received oral sex from a 10th grader. He was 17. She was 15. Everyone, including the girl and the prosecution, agreed she initiated the act. But because of an archaic Georgia law, it was a misdemeanor for teenagers less than three years apart to have sexual intercourse, but a felony for the same kids to have oral sex.

10 years seems a little harsh, but this "archaic" law is to protect vulnerable young girls from testosterone-injected seniors in high school. Despite how it sounds, there is quite a difference between a 15 year-old girl and a 17 year-old boy.

Hopefully his case will raise awareness among other horny teenagers to keep it in there pants if they can't pay the price.

Weapons-Free Space

Hypocrite, sort of:

Russia's Putin, India call for 'weapons free' space

Russian President Vladimir Putin and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh called for a "weapons free outer space," after China staged a satellite-destroying weapons test.

"The fundamental position of the Russian Federation is that outer space should be absolutely weapons free," Putin told a joint news conference in New Delhi.

Well gee Putin, we respect your desire for a weapons-free space. How about you and the US work together to make that space Iran. Reflect on that.

Rosie: Still Fat, Still Crazy

Hat tip to Hot Air for getting this horrendous video of the disgusting, bloated Rosie O'Donnell calling for GW's impeachment:



I like that zinger Barbara Walters throws in at the very end.

Zawarhi Threatens US - Shock!

New from Zawarhi:

Al Qaeda second-in-command Ayman al-Zawahri warned Americans of a reprisal "far worse than anything they have seen" if Washington did not change its policies toward Muslim states.

"You are facing the Islamic rage ... what awaits you, should you press on (with current policies), is far worse than anything you have seen," Zawahri said in a video posted on the Internet on Wednesday.

Oh thank God. If we only leave Iraq and Afghanistan the Muslims will leave us alone. Remember how peaceful they were before we went to war? You know, like September 11, 2001. We weren't at war then and they treated us just fine.

Things Are Looking Up for Nifong - I Lied, They're Not

And so begins the final chapter in Nifong's shameful career:

The state bar lodged new and more serious ethics charges Wednesday against the district attorney in the Duke lacrosse case, accusing him of withholding evidence from the defense and lying to both to the court and bar investigators.

Mike Nifong — who withdrew from the case earlier this month — could be disbarred if convicted by a disciplinary board.

The bar previously charged Nifong with making misleading and prejudicial comments about the athletes under suspicion.

Good riddance, scum. Here's more:

The new charges are tied to Nifong’s decision to use a private lab for DNA testing as his office investigated allegations three men raped a 28-year-old stripper at a team party last March.

Those tests uncovered genetic material from several men on the woman’s underwear and body, but none from any lacrosse player. The bar complaint alleges that those results were not released to the defense and that Nifong repeatedly said in court he had turned over all evidence that could benefit the defense.

And for those who care the rest of the story is here.

Democrats' Attempt To Sabotage Economy Runs Aground

Take it Democrats!

Democrats' promise of a quick increase in the minimum wage ran aground Wednesday in the Senate, where lawmakers are insisting it include new tax breaks for restaurants and other businesses that rely on low-pay workers...

The vote sent a message to House Democrats and liberals in the Senate that only a hybrid tax and minimum wage package could succeed in the Senate.

You try to sabotage the economy and we force you to vote for your worst enemy: the tax cut.

John Kerry Won't Run ( Pascal's Third Proof Of God, I Think...)

Good news! I might be able to get away with never having to mention John Kerry's name again, as AP reports he has "bowed out" of the 2008 Presidential race (I wasn't aware you could "bow out" with out actually entering, but whatever, they're the AP, they'd know better than I would).

Good riddence, old buddy...

2007 State Of The Union: Good Stuff!

(Here's a full transcript of the speech)

Well, the State of the Union was far better than I thought it'd be. It definitely had some high points, which I'll mention while pretending the low points didn't exist (who needs a downer like hearing about more No Child Left Behind?)

First of all, GW mentioned what the MSM has refused to, the booming economy. Send this quote to all your friends who don't know the economy is booming:

A future of hope and opportunity begins with a growing economy -- and that is what we have. We're now in the 41st month of uninterrupted job growth, in a recovery that has created 7.2 million new jobs -- so far. Unemployment is low, inflation is low, and wages are rising. This economy is on the move, and our job is to keep it that way, not with more government, but with more enterprise. (Applause.)

Next week, I'll deliver a full report on the state of our economy. Tonight, I want to discuss three economic reforms that deserve to be priorities for this Congress.

First, we must balance the federal budget. (Applause.) We can do so without raising taxes. (Applause.) What we need is impose spending discipline in Washington, D.C. We set a goal of cutting the deficit in half by 2009, and met that goal three years ahead of schedule. (Applause.) Now let us take the next step. In the coming weeks, I will submit a budget that eliminates the federal deficit within the next five years. (Applause.) I ask you to make the same commitment. Together, we can restrain the spending appetite of the federal government, and we can balance the federal budget. (Applause.)

Next, I loved this line about health care:

In all we do, we must remember that the best health care decisions are made not by government and insurance companies, but by patients and their doctors.

Take that Hillary, with your "universal health care!" You make me sick...

GW's whole part about Islamofascism was great! Here's a large chunk of it:

For all of us in this room, there is no higher responsibility than to protect the people of this country from danger. Five years have come and gone since we saw the scenes and felt the sorrow that the terrorists can cause. We've had time to take stock of our situation. We've added many critical protections to guard the homeland. We know with certainty that the horrors of that September morning were just a glimpse of what the terrorists intend for us -- unless we stop them.

With the distance of time, we find ourselves debating the causes of conflict and the course we have followed. Such debates are essential when a great democracy faces great questions. Yet one question has surely been settled: that to win the war on terror we must take the fight to the enemy. (Applause.)

From the start, America and our allies have protected our people by staying on the offense. The enemy knows that the days of comfortable sanctuary, easy movement, steady financing, and free flowing communications are long over. For the terrorists, life since 9/11 has never been the same.

Our success in this war is often measured by the things that did not happen. We cannot know the full extent of the attacks that we and our allies have prevented, but here is some of what we do know: We stopped an al Qaeda plot to fly a hijacked airplane into the tallest building on the West Coast. We broke up a Southeast Asian terror cell grooming operatives for attacks inside the United States. We uncovered an al Qaeda cell developing anthrax to be used in attacks against America. And just last August, British authorities uncovered a plot to blow up passenger planes bound for America over the Atlantic Ocean. For each life saved, we owe a debt of gratitude to the brave public servants who devote their lives to finding the terrorists and stopping them. (Applause.)

Every success against the terrorists is a reminder of the shoreless ambitions of this enemy. The evil that inspired and rejoiced in 9/11 is still at work in the world. And so long as that's the case, America is still a nation at war.

In the mind of the terrorist, this war began well before September the 11th, and will not end until their radical vision is fulfilled. And these past five years have given us a much clearer view of the nature of this enemy. Al Qaeda and its followers are Sunni extremists, possessed by hatred and commanded by a harsh and narrow ideology. Take almost any principle of civilization, and their goal is the opposite. They preach with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent.

Our enemies are quite explicit about their intentions. They want to overthrow moderate governments, and establish safe havens from which to plan and carry out new attacks on our country. By killing and terrorizing Americans, they want to force our country to retreat from the world and abandon the cause of liberty. They would then be free to impose their will and spread their totalitarian ideology. Listen to this warning from the late terrorist Zarqawi: "We will sacrifice our blood and bodies to put an end to your dreams, and what is coming is even worse." Osama bin Laden declared: "Death is better than living on this Earth with the unbelievers among us."

These men are not given to idle words, and they are just one camp in the Islamist radical movement. In recent times, it has also become clear that we face an escalating danger from Shia extremists who are just as hostile to America, and are also determined to dominate the Middle East. Many are known to take direction from the regime in Iran, which is funding and arming terrorists like Hezbollah -- a group second only to al Qaeda in the American lives it has taken.

The Shia and Sunni extremists are different faces of the same totalitarian threat. Whatever slogans they chant, when they slaughter the innocent they have the same wicked purposes. They want to kill Americans, kill democracy in the Middle East, and gain the weapons to kill on an even more horrific scale.

In the sixth year since our nation was attacked, I wish I could report to you that the dangers had ended. They have not. And so it remains the policy of this government to use every lawful and proper tool of intelligence, diplomacy, law enforcement, and military action to do our duty, to find these enemies, and to protect the American people. (Applause.)

This war is more than a clash of arms -- it is a decisive ideological struggle, and the security of our nation is in the balance. To prevail, we must remove the conditions that inspire blind hatred, and drove 19 men to get onto airplanes and to come and kill us. What every terrorist fears most is human freedom...

Good stuff! One of my favorite lines: "They preach with threats, instruct with bullets and bombs, and promise paradise for the murder of the innocent."

And as a final note, one part that made me sick to my stomach was when GW delivered this great line:

Ladies and gentlemen, nothing is more important at this moment in our history than for America to succeed in the Middle East, to succeed in Iraq and to spare the American people from this danger.

And the Dems actually didn't applaud! I mean, WTF is wrong with these people? They practically (and finally) admitted that they don't want America to succeed in Iraq!

And the speech ended with a definite high point, with GW introducing us to several people who show how great America is.

All in all, a great speech (with the exception of having to look at Nancy Pelosi the whole time) with some definite high points! I'll post video once it's on Youtube, until then, it can be viewed at Whitehouse.gov.