Iranians In Iraq

Interesting:

JAKARTA, Indonesia - A top U.S. general said Tuesday there was no evidence the Iranian government was supplying Iraqi insurgents with highly lethal roadside bombs, apparently contradicting claims by other U.S. military and administration officials.

Gen. Peter Pace, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said U.S. forces hunting down militant networks that produced roadside bombs had arrested Iranians and that some of the material used in the devices were made in Iran.

“That does not translate that the Iranian government per se, for sure, is directly involved in doing this,” Pace told reporters in the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. “What it does say is that things made in Iran are being used in Iraq to kill coalition soldiers.”

Meanwhile, Iraq seems to understand that it doesn't really matter whether the government's involved or not, they need to be stopped (along with foreign terrorists):

Iraq announced plans on Tuesday to close its borders with Iran and Syria and lengthen a night curfew on vehicles in new emergency measures to try to curb unrelenting violence in Baghdad.

The measures were unveiled during another day of bloodshed in the capital in which a suicide bomber blew up a truck rigged with explosives near a Baghdad college, killing 18 people just a day after bomb blasts ripped apart two crowded city markets.

They are the clearest sign yet from Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki that an offensive against militants who are tearing Iraq apart is picking up pace.

Update, 5:30 pm -

I wonder if Pace was privy to this when he made that statement:

Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids.

The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year.

The sale was condemned in Washington and London because officials were worried that the weapons would be used by insurgents against British and American troops.

Within 45 days of the first HS50 Steyr Mannlicher rifles arriving in Iran, an American officer in an armoured vehicle was shot dead by an Iraqi insurgent using the weapon.

Over the last six months American forces have found small caches of the £10,000 rifles but in the last 24 hours a raid in Baghdad brought the total to more than 100, US defence sources reported.

Gee. I'm sure the Iranian government had nothing to do with purchasing 800, $20,000 rifles. That's just spare change to terrorists who live in caves.

What's a $20,000 rifle look like you ask. This:

Charles Norwood, Jr, RIP

Here's what Fox News has to say:

Rep. Charles Norwood, Jr., a seven-term Republican congressman from Georgia, died Tuesday after battling cancer and lung disease. He was 65.

Norwood died at his home in Augusta, Ga., early Tuesday afternoon, his office said. The House interrupted debate on an Iraq war resolution for a moment of silence in his honor.

Norwood suffered from a chronic lung disease and later developed metastatic cancer that spread from his lung to his liver. He had declined further treatment last week and returned home to Georgia to receive hospice care.

A feisty, tobacco-chewing conservative who loved to hunt and who railed against government bureaucracy, Norwood was part of the Republican wave that took control of Congress in 1994.

He came out of nowhere to beat Democratic incumbent Don Johnson, becoming the first Republican to represent that northeastern Georgia district since shortly after the Civil War.

Friends say Norwood had hoped to follow that by becoming Georgia's first Republican governor in the modern era. He also considered a Senate bid, but he deferred running statewide after he was diagnosed with the life-threatening lung disease in 1998.

No, No Timmy; It's "Allahu Akbar!!!"

Ugh:

The Department of Education says that it will open a public school next fall dedicated to Arabic language and culture.

The Khalil Gibran International Academy is one of 40 new schools that will their debut in the city next September.

Education officials say that although half the classes at the school will be taught in Arabic, they want to enroll a diverse student body.

The school is set to open in Brooklyn.

Romney's Running In '08

Mitt Romney has declared from Michigan that he's running for President in 2008.

Skydiver Falls 2 Miles, Lands On A Bush, And Survives

This guy's a bad ass:

A skydiver who survived a fall of 12,000 feet thanks to the thorny branches of a blackberry bush has released dramatic footage from his helmet camera, capturing his rapid descent towards earth as he plummeted helplessly to what seemed like certain death...

As he tumbles towards the ground at 80 mph, the skydiver is seen checking the altitude reading on his left wrist as he struggles to turn onto his back to try to spot the problem and correct it. In the final seconds of his fall, Holmes waves at the camera and yells “bye” before the image of his shadow growing larger beneath him fills the screen and the picture suddenly goes black.

A low moan is then heard as he tries to breathe with one lung punctured by ribs snapped on impact. The camera of fellow parachutist, Jonathan King, then comes into play, showing King pushing his way through the blackberry thicket toward Holmes as he calls frantically: “Talk to me, man. You Ok?”

“No,” comes the response.... “Friends ask if I was scared but really I was just angry that I’d done everything exactly as I should and it hadn’t worked,” he said in an interview. “I was very focused on what I was doing and I remember everything. Nothing’s a blur."

Peggy Hill did that once, only her chute didn't even open.

I'm trying to get the video, but those sissies at Youtube took it down due to copy right infringement, or some crap.

***Update, 5:01pm***

Here's the video of skydiver Michael Holmes falling 2 miles and landing on a bush, via The Mail.

Funny Ad

Here's some great environmental scare mongering that I had to tolerate during on of the fity-or-so commercial breaks during tonight's 24:

Televise The Supreme Court?

There's a "renewed call" in the Senate to televise Supreme Court hearings. I'm all for it, I'd love to see Ruth Bader Ginsberg fall asleep again.

But seriously, I think this would be great. Maybe if people saw how ridiculous these people are they'd learn to just ignore judicial fiats. Then we could go back to being a nation governed by the people, not by the Supreme Court.

Egypt - Our Allie In The Sand

Hat tip to LGF for this gem - a little reminder that Islamic states are still insane:

A member of the Egyptian Parliament from President Hosni Mubarak’s ruling party said Monday that nothing short of a nuclear bomb would ‘work’ with Israel.

“That cursed Israel is trying to destroy al-Aksa mosque,” Mohamed el-Katatny of Mubarak’s National Democratic Party (NDP) told the Egyptian Parliament, adding “nothing will work with Israel except for a nuclear bomb that wipes it out of existence.”

The harsh statement was uttered during a heated discussion of Israel’s renovation of the Mughrabi walkway near the Temple Mount. Egyptian parliamentarians claimed that Israel was destroying the Al Aksa mosque.

Just Five Minutes?

Congress to consider oxymoronic resolution:

Moving ahead after the Senate Iraq debate got stymied by a Republican filibuster, House leaders Monday put out a very simple two-paragraph resolution saying Congress supports the troops in Iraq but opposes President Bush's plan to send 20,000 more, CBS News correspondent Bob Fuss reports.

The resolution sets the stage for the first major Iraq debate in Congress in years – three full days where every member of the House will have five minutes to speak about the war.

Though nonbinding, it will speak volumes if, as expected, a bipartisan majority votes a resolution of no confidence in the president's war strategy.

Debate on the resolution is scheduled to begin on Tuesday

What? The Deficit's Shrinking?

Look what the BBC caught on to after the Democrats took control of the House and Senate:

Sharp fall in US budget deficit

The US federal budget deficit for the first four months of the current spending year has fallen sharply.

The deficit for the budget year which began in October 2006 totalled $42.2bn (£21.7bn), down 57.2% on a year ago, the US Treasury Department reported.

The four-month figure was boosted by a £38.2bn budget surplus in January.

Revenues collected between October and January rose by almost 10% to a record $834.1bn, boosted by strong corporate profits and lower unemployment.

Government spending over the period also hit a record level, reaching $876.3bn.

Thanks to the BBC for telling us what we already knew long, long ago.

Mitt Romney Loves Cars More Than Jews

Wow. The Democrats lost absolutely no time in slamming Mitt Romney as a racist:

Republican Mitt Romney's choice of a museum honoring auto pioneer Henry Ford as the site of his presidential announcement was strongly criticized Monday by Jewish Democrats, who noted Ford's history of anti-Semitism.

The former Massachusetts governor, who is scheduled to formally launch his presidential candidacy from the Henry Ford Museum in Detroit on Tuesday, was taken to task by The National Jewish Democratic Council.

The council "is deeply troubled by Governor Romney's choice of locations to announce his presidential campaign," executive director Ira Forman said in a statement.

"Romney has been traveling the country talking about inclusiveness and understanding of people from all walks of life," Forman said. "Yet he chooses to kick (off) his presidential campaign on the former estate of a well-known and outspoken anti-Semite and xenophobe."

Forman said Romney's "embrace of Henry Ford and association of Ford's legacy with his presidential campaign raises serious questions about either the sincerity of Romney's words or his understanding of basic American history."

My bullshit meter almost exploded as I kept reading these libs' complaints. Theirs is the party that could care less if every Jew in Israel were wiped off of the map. They're the party whose base frequently derides Jews on any one of their left-wing blogs. Would they criticize someone for launching their campaign from the MLK Jr. Museum - after all, he was a know womanizer, and communist sympathizer.

Germany Releases Known Terrorist

Another reminder of why Germany sucks:

BERLIN: A German court on Monday ordered the release of Brigitte Mohnhaupt, a leading member of the terrorist Red Army Faction who has spent 24 years in prison for carrying out several kidnappings and murders in the 1970s.

The decision to release her on March 27 set off sharp protests, led by the police union, but was welcomed by several political parties, including the Social Democrats and the Free Democrats.

Will that "progressive" Europe ever learn that the only way to deal with this type of person is capital punishment, or at the least, throw them in jail and toss out the key.

Here's an overview of Mohnhaupt's terrorist activities:

• 9 June 1972: Mohnhaupt was arrested in Berlin in connection with the RAF and sentenced to a lengthy prison term for involvement with a criminal organisation. During her incarceration, shortly after Ulrike Meinhof's death in prison, she was transferred to Stammheim prison where the majority of other RAF prisoners were being kept. She was released from prison on 8 February 1977, and immediately went back underground and continued her work with the RAF.
• Mohnhaupt was a major player in the German Autumn, she was involved in the 30 July 1977 killing of banker Jürgen Ponto, chairman of the Dresdner Bank board of directors in Oberursel, Taunus, during a botched kidnapping attempt along with Susanne Albrecht and Christian Klar and was also involved in the kidnap and murder of employer representative Hanns Martin Schleyer.
• 11 May 1978 Mohnhaupt was rearrested in Yugoslavia, along with Sieglinde Hofmann, Rolf Clemens Wagner, and Peter-Jürgen Boock. However, in November 1978 she was allowed to leave for a country of her choice.
• 15 September 1981 Mohnhaupt took part in an assassination attempt on US GeneralFrederick Kroesen using an RPG-7 anti-tank rocket. Kroesen only barely survived.

Germany continues to prove that it is no friend of the US.

McCain Sings Worse Than He Governs

Hat Tip to Jawa for this horrendous video of McCain singing. He's actually pretty funny in it:



I'd figure after posting Ashcroft and Kucinich we'd better be fair and post as many politicians singing as possible.

Good News For Nappers

At Least I have a healthy heart.

US Envoy: North Korea Agrees To Disarm

I have hopeful scepticism:

The U.S. envoy to talks on North Korea's nuclear program said Tuesday that negotiators reached a tentative agreement on initial steps for the communist nation's disarmament.

Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill said the agreement outlined specific commitments for North Korea and would set up working groups to implement those goals to begin meeting in about a month. He declined to give other details.

"I'm encouraged by this that we were able to take a step forward on the denuclearization issue," Hill said.

I'm pretty sure they've agreed to disarm before (or at least not seek nuclear technology). You know, back when Clinton gave them all the resources they needed to develop nukes based on their word that they wouldn't.

Miracle in New York

Just a reminder that God does care:

Daniel Walker was on his final lap jogging in his high school gym class when he collapsed, his flawed heart giving out on him.

Days later, his heart at a standstill, kept alive by a bypass machine, it began beating again. The 17-year-old's parents called it divine intervention. His physicians were no less amazed.

"I've been a surgeon for 10 years, and this is probably one of the most incredible things I've ever seen," said Dr. Abeel Mangi, one of Walker's cardiac surgeons at New York-Presbyterian Hospital Columbia.

Walker's father described his son's recovery in spiritual terms. "God turned around, put His hand on my son, and recharged him," said William Walker, 58, a retired sanitation worker.

His son's ordeal began Jan. 19 when he collapsed in gym class. The younger Walker suffered from a rare congenital heart flaw that left his coronary artery pinched, giving him only 10 percent of normal heart capacity. He was shuttled to two hospitals before finding himself at Columbia, waiting for a heart transplant, attached to the bypass machine.

Walker's cardiac surgeons said they could not account for the young man's recovery.

"It's a miracle," Mangi said. "There's really no other way to put it."

Two days after it began to beat on its own, surgeons were able to fix the flaw in Walker's heart, increasing its capacity to 60 percent.

Oh look liberals, science failed to save this kid.

Failed Attack on US Base In Japan

How many times can we rely on the fact that our enemies are incompetent? Fortunately they were in this instance:

TOKYO — A small explosion occurred outside a U.S. Army base south of Tokyo late Monday, police and military officials said. A Japanese news report said police suspected an attempted attack on the base.

The Army was investigating the blast, said an official at Camp Zama who spoke on condition of anonymity, adding that there were no reports of injuries or damage.

"A small explosion was heard in the vicinity of the base," said Maj. David Smith, a Pentagon spokesman. "It did not occur on the base."

Kyodo News agency reported that police had found a "launch pad" near the base and suspected an attempted guerrilla attack. The Army could not immediately confirm what had caused the explosion.

A Kanagawa Prefecture police official who only gave his name as Okamura said Zama residents reported hearing the explosion around 11 p.m. and police were investigating.

There's now evidence to support the obvious conclusion that this failed attack was the work of al-Qaeda:

There was a scare today at a U.S. military base outside Tokyo when two small explosions occurred shortly after 11 p.m. there. While no one was injured, investigators are looking at the possibility that it was an attempted terrorist attack.

Intelligence reports in Japan and Pakistan suggest al Qaeda has established a small but powerful presence in Japan, which leads some wondering whether or not today's events are the first attempt at an attack by al Qaeda in Japan.

Pakistani intelligence sources tell ABC News they have had several reports that Pakistani militant organizations working with al Qaeda had established networks in Japan as far back as 1999.

A Pakistani intelligence source says these networks were set up following the direct orders of Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the top al Qaeda leader who is now in U.S. custody at Guantanamo Bay. Mohammed reportedly had a "deep interest" in conducting operations inside Japan.

The source also tells ABC News around two dozen Pakistanis had been sent to Japan on student visas in the late 1990s to set up "sleeper cells," and those individuals had linked with operatives from the leading Indonesian terror group, Jemaah Islamiya.

Silent February

Just when you thought it was safe to live an environmentally-friendly life and leave a clean Earth for your grandchildren, the environmentalists let you in on the fact that every Valentine's Day you've been killing the planet. But how, you ask? This Telegraph story gives you the scoop:

The Valentine's Day bouquet — the gift that every woman in Britain will be waiting for next week — has become the latest bête noire among environmental campaigners.

Latest Government figures show that the flowers that make up the average bunch have flown 33,800 miles to reach Britain.

In the past three years, the amount of flowers imported from the Netherlands has fallen by 47 per cent to 94,000 tons, while those from Africa have risen 39 per cent to 17,000 tons.

Environmentalists warned that "flower miles" could have serious implications on climate change in terms of carbon dioxide emissions from aeroplanes.

Andrew Sims, the policy director of the New Economics Foundation, said: "There are plenty of flowers that grow in Britain in the winter and don't need to be hothoused.

"Air freighting flowers half way round the world contributes to global warming.

"You can argue the planes would be flying anyway but the amount of greenhouse gases pumped out depends on the weight of the cargo."

Vicky Hird, of Friends of the Earth, said: "We don't want to be killjoys because receiving flowers can be lovely but why not grow your own gift?"

I wish the wackos would be more clear. Am I safe to buy flowers here in America?

Czech President Clearly Moron

Apparently Czech president Vaclav Klaus has learned nothing from John Howard's folly - being a foreign leader who criticizes a liberal ideal or candidate - and he went ahead and claimed in an interview that man-made global warming is a "myth."

Some good excerpts:

Q: IPCC has released its report and you say that the global warming is a false myth. How did you get this idea, Mr President?

A: It's not my idea. Global warming is a false myth and every serious person and scientist says so. It is not fair to refer to the U.N. panel. IPCC is not a scientific institution: it's a political body, a sort of non-government organization of green flavor. It's neither a forum of neutral scientists nor a balanced group of scientists. These people are politicized scientists who arrive there with a one-sided opinion and a one-sided assignment. Also, it's an undignified slapstick that people don't wait for the full report in May 2007 but instead respond, in such a serious way, to the summary for policymakers where all the "but's" are scratched, removed, and replaced by oversimplified theses. This is clearly such an incredible failure of so many people, from journalists to politicians. If the European Commission is instantly going to buy such a trick, we have another very good reason to think that the countries themselves, not the Commission, should be deciding about similar issues.

Prepare to get slammed as an incompetent moron, Vaclav.

Another good excerpt:

Q: But you're not a climate scientist. Do you have a sufficient knowledge and enough information?

A: Environmentalism as a metaphysical ideology and as a worldview has absolutely nothing to do with natural sciences or with the climate. Sadly, it has nothing to do with social sciences either. Still, it is becoming fashionable and this fact scares me. The second part of the sentence should be: we also have lots of reports, studies, and books of climatologists whose conclusions are diametrally [sic] opposite. Indeed, I never measure the thickness of ice in Antarctica. I really don't know how to do it and don't plan to learn it. However, as a scientifically oriented person, I know how to read science reports about these questions, for example about ice in Antarctica. I don't have to be a climate scientist myself to read them. And inside the papers I have read, the conclusions we may see in the media simply don't appear. But let me promise you something: this topic troubles me which is why I started to write an article about it last Christmas. The article expanded and became a book. In a couple of months, it will be published. One chapter out of seven will organize my opinions about the climate change. Environmentalism and green ideology is something very different from climate science. Various findings and screams of scientists are abused by this ideology.

Lesson to foreign leaders: Call the Republican President of the United States Satan, media laughs. Call Barack a terrorist sympathizer and criticize global warming, media scorns.

Update - Check out Flopping Aces' newest post on the inconsistency in the scientific community on the melting ice caps and what not.

The Miracle Of Stem Cell Research

Ah the wonders of stem cell research:

Women have grown their own breast implants through pioneering stem cell treatment, it emerged yesterday.

Scientists harvested the stem cells from the women's own fat and encouraged them to form breast tissue.

They say the result gives a more natural look than many of the synthetic implants used by showbusiness stars like Pamela Anderson.

The Japanese teams have carried out trials on dozens of women and say they have had no problems.

They say the treatment will be routinely available from plastic surgeons within five years.

British surgeons said yesterday they were convinced by the technique and found it "appealing".

Stem cells can turn into different tissues in the body and this technique involves taking them from fat.

I should note that these were adult stem cells, not embryonic stem cells. In other words: "No unborn children were harmed in the making of these boobs!"

'24:' Get Pumped!!!

Special 2 hour 24 tonight! Get pumped! To help you out, here's Jack killing someone with a flare gun:



While you're waiting for the show to start, check out this site that lists all of Jack Bauer's gear with links of where you can buy it. Great if you want to get Jack's man-purse, or if you're in need of an HK USP Compact 9mm or a Tactical Halo III!

AP: Fears Over Illegal Immigration Fueling KKK Membership

You gotta love the media... Prepare for your draw to drop as you read this AP piece:

Fears over illegal immigration are fueling a resurgence in membership to the KuKlux Klan in North Carolina and across the country, according to Klan officials and organizations that track hate groups.

In Gaston County near Charlotte, the imperial wizard of the Mount Holly-based chapter of the Klan says membership is growing faster than he's seen since joining in the 1960s.

"People are tired of this mess," said Virgil Griffin, 62. "The illegal immigrants are taking this country over."

Griffin recounted 1960s Klan rallies when dozens, sometimes hundreds, marched through towns such as Mount Holly, Salisbury and Wilmington.

"We were strong in the '60s," he said. "We're not that strong now. We're hoping to get there."
The group wants to increase its numbers so it can influence local and national politics. The Klan's goals include military border enforcement and ending taxpayer-funded services to illegal immigrants.

Is the liberal media shameless? Yes. Practically comparing those who believe in border enforcement with the KKK? My God, no scruples, whatsoever....

Barack On The 'Blackness Scale'

Like most SNL skits these days, this one's not very funny. But I like posting videos, so here's Barack Obama on SNL's "Blackness Scale:"

'Truther' Gets Schooled

9/11 truther gets his ass handed to him by a iron worker who actually knows what he's talking about:



The video plugs the site 911Myths.com, which seems to be a decent bank of "Truther"-debunking knowledge.

Whale Blubber Hard To Come By?

Why does this story make me want to hit people? "Inuit accuse US of destroying their way of life with global warming:"

A delegation of Inuit is to travel to Washington DC to provide first-hand testimony of how global warming is destroying their way of life and to accuse the Bush administration of undermining their human rights.

Once again, I'm speechless...

Chicks With Di... Nevermind...

Ragnar over at Jawa notes that it looks like the Dixie Chicks have found the right friends, those on the left:

In 1999, the Dixie Chicks received a Grammy Award for "Best Country Album" for their album "Wide Open Spaces."

In 2000, the Dixie Chicks received a Grammy Award for "Best Country Album" for their album "Fly."

In 2003, the Dixie Chicks received a Grammy Award for "Best Country Album" for their album "Home."

In 2007, the Dixie Chicks received:

a Grammy for "Best Country Album" for their album "Taking the Long Way,"

a Grammy for "Song of the Year" for "Not Ready to Make Nice,"

a Grammy for "Record of the Year" for "Not Ready to Make Nice" and

a Grammy for "Album of the Year" for "Taking the Long Way."

Meanwhile, Hot Air has video of the girls "gloating." I haven't watched it; smug, Hollywood liberals make me sick.

Saddam's VP To Be Hanged

AP: "An Iraqi court on Monday raised the sentence against Saddam Hussein's vice president to death by hanging for the killings of Shiites in the town of Dujail."

Mark one down for the good guys.

Iran Denies US Charges

Mahmoud is denying that Iran supplied Iraqi terrorists with bombs used to kill US soldiers and civilians. Didn't he also claim Iran cured AIDs? I don't think killing all of the homosexuals counts as a cure, Mahmoud, nor do I believe Iran over US intelligence.

However, expect liberals to side with Mahmoud now that he's denied it. After all, we're the corporate, military-industrial complex that's blowing up civilians in Iraq...

(Be sure to check out the ABC News story for an adorable picture of Diane Sawyer interviewing Mahmoud in a arab head-scarf).

Hard Hitting News:

Via the AP, "Poll: Americans Don't Want Dollar Coins." Who cares, as long as they don't have random indians or First Ladies on them?

Whites Impervious To Bullets, Blacks Are Not...

Good news from Barack's wife, Michelle. Apparently white people are impervious to bullets:

The heavy presence of security around Obama was also a silent reminder of the change that took place with the announcement. Michelle Obama, the candidate’s wife, acknowledged it in an interview to air on CBS’ “60 Minutes,” in which she was asked if she fears for her husband’s life as a black candidate.

“I don’t lose sleep over it because the realities are that . . . as a black man . . . Barack can get shot going to the gas station,” Michelle Obama said in the interview...

Hot Air has the video.

One Hot Air commenter dares to delve into the realm of crime statistics:

Yes he may and statistically it would probably be by another black man.

That comment would make a liberal very mad. Leading me to wonder; why is Michelle Obama allowed to racially stereotype, but we're not? The only difference is that the above comment is based in fact, Michelle Obama's is based in crazy.

Rock The Casbah

Time for the first official instalment in my "Conservative Songs" series, "Rock The Casbah," by: The Clash. Take it Islamists!



Here're the lyrics:

Now the king told the boogie men
You have to let that raga drop
The oil down the desert way
Has been shakin to the top
The sheik he drove his cadillac
He went a cruisnin down the ville
The muezzin was a standing
On the radiator grille

Chorus:
The shareef dont like it
Rockin the casbah
Rock the casbah
The shareef dont like it
Rockin the casbah
Rock the casbah

By order of the prophet
We ban that boogie sound
Degenerate the faithful
With that crazy casbah sound
But the bedouin they brought out
The electric camel drum
The local guitar picker
Got his guitar picking thumb
As soon as the shareef
Had cleared the square
They began to wail

Chorus

Now over at the temple
Oh! they really pack em in
The in crowd say its cool
To dig this chanting thing
But as the wind changed direction
The temple band took five
The crowd caught a wiff
Of that crazy casbah jive

Chorus

The king called up his jet fighters
He said you better earn your pay
Drop your bombs between the minarets
Down the casbah way

As soon as the shareef was
Chauffeured outta there
The jet pilots tuned to
The cockpit radio blare

As soon as the shareef was
Outta their hair
The jet pilots wailed

Chorus

He thinks its not kosher
Fundamentally he cant take it.
You know he really hates it.

I Guess He Changed His Mind...

They almost all lie when asked about running for President, but it still boggles the mind. Obama in 2004 (hat tip: Hot Air):

Obama Is Lincoln

More "Obama is Lincoln" news from the MSM, "Like Lincoln Before Him, Barack Obama Looks to Save the Union." This is getting sick, first Obama's the Messiah, now he's Lincoln incarnate?

A search for "Obama Lincoln" on Google News yields 2,403 results, where as a search for, say, "Tancredo" only yields 1,864 results.

Minimum Wage Causing AZ Unemployment Rise

What? Raising the minimum wage leads to higher unemployment? Why didn't anyone tell us?

Sometimes it's a burden to constantly be right, but somehow we conservatives survive. No surprise here: The Arizona Republic is reporting that teens across the state are being fired as employers are forced to cut spending due to recent increases in the minimum wage:

Oh, for the days when Arizona's high school students could roll pizza dough, sweep up sticky floors in theaters or scoop ice cream without worrying about ballot initiatives affecting their earning power.

That's certainly not the case under the state's new minimum-wage law that went into effect last month.

Some Valley employers, especially those in the food industry, say payroll budgets have risen so much that they're cutting hours, instituting hiring freezes and laying off employees.

MSM Apparently Forgot Saddam/Osama Link

Curt over at Flopping Aces has a great post on the media's whitewash of the Saddam/Osama connection - how they talked about it before the War, how the Dems believed it, etc. He includes this video from 1999 (via Powerline), an "ABC news report which details all the connections between Saddam and Osama:"



Curt also compiles a little reminder of the Dems' prewar feelings on the Saddam/Osama connection:

We have solid reporting of senior-level contacts between Iraq and al-Qaida going back a decade.
- George Tenet 2002

there was that relationship that went from opposing each other to not opposing each other to possibly working with each other.
- Patrick Fitzgerald 2004

Certainly there's a connection between Iraq and al Qaeda
- General Wesley Clarke 2002

In the four years since the inspectors left, intelligence reports show that Saddam Hussein has worked to rebuild his chemical and biological weapons stock, his missile delivery capability, and his nuclear program. He has also given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members ... It is clear, however, that if left unchecked, Saddam Hussein will continue to increase his capacity to wage biological and chemical warfare, and will keep trying to develop nuclear weapons.
- Sen. Hillary Clinton 2002

Read the whole post; it has far more information than I could shamelessly steal.

Iran: Killing Americans In Iraq

How do you not invade/decimate Iran after this?

High-tech roadside bombs that have proved particularly deadly to American soldiers are manufactured in Iran and delivered to Iraq on orders from the "highest levels" of the Iranian government, a senior intelligence officer said Sunday.

The NYT covered it yesterday in a story I haven't read yet.

The most lethal weapon directed against American troops in Iraq is an explosive-packed cylinder that United States intelligence asserts is being supplied by Iran.

The assertion of an Iranian role in supplying the device to Shiite militias reflects broad agreement among American intelligence agencies, although officials acknowledge that the picture is not entirely complete.

In interviews, civilian and military officials from a broad range of government agencies provided specific details to support what until now has been a more generally worded claim, in a new National Intelligence Estimate, that Iran is providing “lethal support” to Shiite militants in Iraq.

Cox and Forkum covered Iran killing our troops by proxy on January 31:

Putin: Creating External Enemies

I've been ignoring all of the trash talk I've been seeing by Putin about the US in the headlines today, but with the Reuters headline "Putin Says U.S. Wants to Dominate World," something occurred to me.

I don't care what Putin thinks about the US; he's a thug, why should I? However, it was Natan Sharansky, in his book The Case For Democracy, who argued that tyrants in fear societies need to create external enemies to preoccupy the minds of their subjects. Venezuela, the USSR, practically everyone in the Middle East, China, and Cuba have used us as that external enemy for years. Is it possible Putin is just moving one step further down that road to dictatorship where he's creating external enemies to distract Russians from his corrupt government?

Obama: Lincoln's Second Coming

Obama is already facing tough questions from the media. Oh, wait; no he's not. The same media that promoted unfounded rumors that GW did cocaine trying to get him thrown from office now puts a boyish spin on Obama's own cocaine use. Oh, he's such a regular guy! He's a minority, you know? Isn't that what they do?

Anyway, the Times UK had this hard-hitting, investigative report on Obama, titled "Obama Stakes His Claim To History:"

AS Barack Obama officially launched his campaign for president in Springfield, Illinois, the home town of Abraham Lincoln, his team was quietly beefing up his security. Mindful of the fate of the 19th-century president, who abolished slavery and was assassinated, friends say that new measures are being taken to ensure Obama’s protection on the campaign trail.

At the Old State Capitol building, comparisons with the gaunt, top-hatted president were inescapable. Springfield is where Obama, like Lincoln, served for eight years as a state legislator before entering national politics.

Thousands of eager spectators thronged the square in freezing temperatures waving Obama ’08 banners as he stepped on the stage and hugged his wife and young daughters, who were bundled up in hats and scarves.

Setting out what is likely to be his signature theme, he urged Americans: “Let’s be the generation” for change. “I know it’s a little chilly, but I’m fired up.”

Oh, yeah, Obama's just like Lincoln! Only Lincoln had political experience, was a uniter, not a divider, never did cocaine, and probably wouldn't have supported every form of abortion imaginable.

Note, 2:15 pm Feb 11, Rutheford -

Lincoln wasn't really a uniter. He in fact led the country into and through it's most divisive period - the war between the states. Lincoln was a polarizing figure who made half of the country hate him because he stood for something, even though it wasn't politically popular. Obama on the other hand is a hack who will say and do anything to get elected.

'Whatever It Takes'

The New Yorker has a pretty good article on "the politics of the man behind 24." I read the first half. As you may have guessed, he's Conservative (friends with Rush Limbaugh, in fact):

Surnow[co-creator and executive pruducer of 24], who has jokingly called himself a “right-wing nut job,” shares his show’s hard-line perspective. Speaking of torture, he said, “Isn’t it obvious that if there was a nuke in New York City that was about to blow—or any other city in this country—that, even if you were going to go to jail, it would be the right thing to do?”

The article's good readin' for fans of the series.

No More Taxes, Smaller Government

Here's a Constitutional amendment I could support: Representatives Ronald Paul (R, TX) and Jeff Miller (R, FL) have introduced a bill that would amend the Constitution to forbid "personal income, estate, and gift taxes" and to prohibit "the United States Government from engaging in business in competition with its citizens."

What a great bill. Will it ever happen? Not in our lifetime, and not with a lib House. The bill is currently heading to the House Judiciary Committee for review where John Conyers will laugh and rip it to shreds.

Obvious Headline of the Day

"Sen. Barak Obama Announces His Candidacy for President." I'm sure we were all wondering if he'd do it; I mean, he could have gone either way. Right....

Anyway, after his announcement yesterday that he'd be making an announcement today, Barack has announced he'll be running for President.

Global Cooling! That's So 1975!

Jawa has this 1975 Newsweek article on the dangers of "global cooling." I saw a video a while ago where Dennis Miller brought a copy of this on the Tonight Show, or something, but of course it was removed from Youtube (which has a strict "no conservatives" policy). My favorite part: when it suggests that one solution to "global cooling" might be to melt the ice caps by covering them in black soot.

Who Farted?

Two of my favorite things in one video; flatulence and 24. The look on the late Curtis Mannings' face just lends itself well to fart jokes:

Giuliani Begins Shift Rightward

The NYT had this to say about Giuliani shifting his abortion rhetoric to the right (try to ignore the NYT's pompous, elitist sneers):

As he prepares for a possible run for president — a road that goes deep into the heart of conservative America — Rudolph W. Giuliani takes with him a belief in abortion rights that many think could derail his bid to capture the Republican nomination.

But in recent weeks, as he has courted voters in South Carolina and talked to conservative media outlets, Mr. Giuliani has highlighted a different element of his thinking on the abortion debate. He has talked about how he would appoint “strict constructionist” judges to the Supreme Court — what abortion rights advocates say is code among conservatives for those who seek to overturn or limit Roe v. Wade, the 1973 court ruling declaring a constitutional right to abortion.

All I can say is that I hope it's true. We're talking about a guy who actually has a good shot at handily defeating any Democrat opponent, and unfortunately he is extremely to the Left on abortion (once saying that, "hypothetically," he'd pay for his own daughter's abortion if she asked him).

NYC Nuke Detectors

CNN reports:

New York City will be protected by a ring of devices to detect nuclear or dirty bombs before the end of the year, the Department of Homeland Security said Friday.

I think they just need to invest in some Jack Bauer types. But seriously, couldn't terrorists just fly the nukes in via small planes from nearby airports?

Barrack Obama Announces Intention To Make An Announcement

Barrack Obama has announced his intention to make an announcement on Saturday. I'm not kidding. Watch the video here.

Anyway, guess what that announcement might be? It's incredibly obvious, not just from common sense, but also from his pre-announcement announcement, that he'll be announcing that he's running for President.

FYI: I said "announcement," or some form of the word, seven times in this post.

***Update, 02/10/07, 9:23pm***

Here's the video, so you don't have to visit the creep's website:

Video Of Downed US Military Helicopter

Here's a video that al Qaida claims is them shooting down a US military helicopter, in which all 7 crew members were killed. However, according to the AP, "The U.S. military has said it did not believe the CH-46 Sea Knight helicopter was shot down in the crash Wednesday northwest of Baghdad."



I agree with one Youtube poster: "I can also film some flying object, then film some smoke and say it is a downed space shuttle... without seeing the actual hit.. I do not believe it..."

Regardless of how the chopper was downed, my prayers go out to the soldiers killed and their families and friends.

Chavez Starving Venezuela

Well, Hugo's crazy socialism is starting to starve his people. Remember seeing people in the good ol' USSR waiting in line for 5 hours for the possibility of a scrap of food? Yeah, that's what socialism does, and that's where Venezuela is heading.

Reports the AP, "Meat, Sugar Scarce in Venezuela Stores:"

Meat cuts vanished from Venezuelan supermarkets this week, leaving only unsavory bits like chicken feet, while costly artificial sweeteners have increasingly replaced sugar, and many staples sell far above government-fixed prices.

President Hugo Chavez's administration blames the food supply problems on unscrupulous speculators, but industry officials say government price controls that strangle profits are responsible.

Photo caption: "A supermarket worker explains to a customer that their meat section is out of beef and chicken in Caracas..."

AP Puts Major Spin On Texas Murder Case

Ace notes major spin in an AP report on a man in Texas charged with murder for killing a teenager and her unborn child:

Texas Man Gets Death for Killing Fetus

By ELIZABETH WHITE
Associated Press Writer

SAN ANTONIO (AP) -- A former youth pastor was sentenced to death Wednesday for killing a teenager and her fetus in what is believed to be the first such order in Texas, the nation's busiest death penalty state.

Adrian Estrada, 23, was convicted Friday of one count of capital murder for the death of Stephanie Sanchez and the fetus, of which he was the father.

Although the headline reads "Texas Man Gets Death for Killing Fetus," the story clearly states that he was convicted of "one charge of capital murder for the death of Stephanie Sanchez and the fetus." If he was only convicted of one charge of murder, isn't it likely it was for killing the teenage woman? Why would prosecutors choose to charge the man with the murder of the unborn child, but not the teenage mother?

A good catch of blatant media dishonesty by Ace, who points out, "In any event, he wasn't "convicted" for killing the fetus, nor is he getting the death penalty "merely" for killing a fetus."

Anna Nicole Smith's 'Final Moments'

Here's the "Anna Nicole Smith Death Video" that people are talking about. I should note that by "Death Video," they mean blurry footage where you can kind of make out the stretcher she was on while being moved to the ambulance.



As noted earlier, I don't really care about this story. I'm just posting the video as Google Bait. That video apparently was sold for $500,000, by the way. Sad that a price can be put on someone's dignity during their time of death, even sadder that people care enough about this story to actually pay $500,000 for a blurry video.

***Update, 6:20pm***

Oh, and meanwhile, Rossie O'Donnell makes fun of a dead woman:



Nice, real nice.

Federal Surplus Predicted By 2009

Another hat tip to Jawa, who links to this RCP post about how a federal surplus is predicted by 2009:

In fact, our models expect average tax revenue growth of 9% over the next three years and spending growth of between 4% and 5%. This will generate a well below consensus deficit in FY07 of just $115 billion. Next year in FY08, we forecast a deficit of only $35 billion. On a 12-month basis, we suspect that the budget will move into balance early in FY2009, well before the Office of Management and Budget or the Congressional Budget Office expect.

But how can government revenues be increasing? Wasn't there a tax cut? Simple economics, my friend! When taxes are lowered, government revenue increases as people earn more money and spend more money, increasing the tax base.

People Hate Congress More Than President Bush

Jawa points out that congress' approval rating is lower than President Bush's:

Bush - 36.2% (poor)
Congress - 36% (poorer)

Way to go Dems. My question: how will the media spin this one? Of course, they probably won't have to worry about that; they just won't report it.

How bad do you have to be at your job to get a lower approval rating than a guy who is under constant attack from a news media that reports everything he does wrong, and makes up even more stuff he supposedly did wrong. All while the Dems are having to deal with real hardball news stories about what great fashion sense Nancy Pelosi has? Pathetic.

Hypocritical Libs Are Unapologetic

A Senate panel is examining the "faulty intelligence" that lead us to war with Iraq. I think all you need to know is in this paragraph:

The long-awaited report by Thomas F. Gimble, the Pentagon’s acting inspector general, concluded that, while the Feith team did not violate any laws or knowingly mislead Congress, it developed dubious intelligence that was inconsistent with the findings of the wider intelligence community.

If Congress wasn't mislead and they saw the same intelligence reports as the White House, how do so many Dems explain their actions in voting to go to war?

If the White House is guilty of going to war on false pretenses, so is every Dem who voted to support President Bush's plan. In the Senate, that would include: Joe Biden (D-DE), Max Cleland (D-GA), Hillary Clinton (D-NY), Tom Daschle (D-SD), John Edwards (D-NC), Dianne Feinstein (D-CA), Tom Harkin (D-IA), John Kerry (D-MA), Bill Nelson (D-FL), Harry Reid (D-NV), Jay Rockefeller (D-WV), and Chuck Schumer (D-NY).

The Great Communicator, Vindicated By History

Ah, Reagan. We miss you so:

Opponents of Poland's former communist regime reportedly want to pay a posthumous homage to US President Ronald Reagan by erecting his statue in the place of a Soviet-era monument.

In an open letter to the mayor of the southwestern city of Katowice, the former anti-regime activists said that the staunchly anti-communist Reagan had been a "symbol of liberty," the Polish news agency PAP reported.

As a result, they said, he deserved to become the centrepiece of the city's Freedom Square, replacing a monument to the Soviet troops who drove out the occupying Nazis in 1945.

They also said that they wanted the site to be rebaptised "Ronald Reagan Freedom Square."

I guess those Pols haven't heard from US-liberals how great it was in the USSR. Don't they know Reagan was just a crazy old guy who almost blew up the world?

Today In Sodom And Gomorrah:

"Beauty's 'Beast' at Disney's Magic Kingdom Arrested for Child Porn."

Ugh...

IAEA Stops Helping Iran Make Nukes. A Good Start, I Guess...

In a bold new step to make the world a safer place, the IAEA has "curbed technical cooperation with Iran." Them's fightin' words.

My question: why was the IAEA ever involved in "technical cooperation" with Iran? Morons. Too little, too late.

Jack Takes On Aqua Teen Hunger Force

The head of Cartoon Network has resigned over the advertisements for the show Aqua Teen Hunger Force that shut down much of Boston. Meanwhile, over at Blogs4Bauer, Jack is taking on this latest "terror threat."



Hilarious.

Snake Tries To Eat Boy, Is Fought Off By Boy's Grandfather

More reason I celebrate the extinction of certain species:

A 66-year-old man saved his grandson from the grip of a 16-foot-long (5 meter) anaconda by beating the snake with rocks and a knife for half an hour, authorities said Thursday.

"When I saw the snake wrapped around my grandson's neck I thought it was going to kill him," Joaquim Pereira told Brazil's Agencia Estado news service. "It was agonizing, I pulled it from one side, but it would come back on the other."

Pereira's 8-year-old grandson, Mateus, was attacked by the anaconda while wandering near a creek on his grandfather's ranch in the city of Cosmorama, about 250 miles (400 kilometers) northwest of Sao Paulo.

While the boy was playing with friends, the snake attacked and wrapped itself around him, police officer Hudson Augusto said. Anacondas are not poisonous, but kill their prey by coiling around them and squeezing until victims suffocate.

"It brought me to the ground and bit me," the boy told Globo TV. "Then it started crawling up my neck and began suffocating me."

Mateus' friends ran to get his grandfather, who reached the scene and battled with the snake until he had hurt it so badly that it let go of his grandson.

That's right, an 16 foot anaconda tried to eat an 8 year old boy. Heartless beast. Global warming will kill of the polar bears, what can I do to destroy these monsters? Deforestation? I'll give it a whirl. Whatever I can do to help.

The picture is of the dead beast, after the boy's 66 year old grandfather killed it.

Anna Nicole Smith Dies, World Mourns

You may care: "Anna Nicole Smith Dead."

I have nothing to say. What kind of obituary do you give someone who's famous for marrying an old guy, waiting it out, and then trying to take all his money from his children?

Dems: Your Safety Is Their Top Priority

Ah, nothing like a good reminder of how the Dems run things. Murtha has threatened to cut Pentagon funding over their refusal to provide Nancy Pelosi with a ridiculously large military jet. (Hat tip: LGF)

That's how important your safety is to the Dems. They'll actually cut military funding if they don't get their absurd demands filled.

Shinedown's Tribute To The Troops

Via Jawa, Shinedown plays a tribute to the troops. The video ends with a short part of their best song, a Skynyrd remake:

'Virginia Slims' In The White House?

That darn Obama is such a regular guy! Did you hear he smokes? Oh, you did? Every other day... Well, I just wanted to point out what a regular guy he is.

*** Update, 11:08pm ***

Here's a visual from Fox. Where do they get all these graphics?

Another 'Grim Milestone'

AP: "Four Marines killed; U.S. toll now 3,114." My prayers go out to the troops fighting for our freedom and the freedom of the people of Iraq. But do you think the media cares about these soldiers? Probably not, considering the picture that accompanies this story on the Houston Chronicle website:


The caption: "Iraqis gather in front of a hospital in Fallujah, 65 kilometers (40 miles) west of Baghdad, Iraq, Thursday, Feb. 8, 2007, to inspect a body of a young man that was killed in a U.S. army air raid on the nearby village of Zaidan. A U.S. airstrike Thursday killed 13 insurgents in a volatile area west of Baghdad, the military said, while local officials claim 45 civilians, including women and children, perished in the attack. (AP Photo)"

Iran Threatens West, Big Surprise

Iran has warned they will "hit back" if the US attacks them. First of all, duh.

Second, what do you think the media wants us to do with regards to Iran? As always, they're Left wing, anti-war, wackos who want us to ignore a rouge regime bent on destroying the West and Israel. Why else would they publish pieces like "Iran warns will hit back at US if attacked." We all know Iran will retaliate if we attack them, the goal is to attack before they have nuclear weapons.

Third, what do they mean they'll "hit back?" Iran already sponsors terrorism across the globe that has attacked and killed Americans! They've already hit us. Are they going to hit us even more if we attack? Maybe we should hit back. They've killed Americans; time was that was enough to get your nation wiped off the map.

We're Back

Well, after a week or so of tests, racquetball, and really bad heavy metal concerts, we're back and ready to post.

More On Global Warming:

Via Drudge, "NORTH MICHIGAN EXPERIENCING AMONG TOP 10 COLDEST STARTS TO FEB -- IN LAST 100 YEARS..."

I hate the winter, but I hate environmental doomsayers even more.

Slow Posting

Sorry about the lack of posts the last few days, we've both been pretty busy with school. Normal posting should resume tomorrow.

San Fran Morals

Just when I thought no one would convince me that Gavin Newsom wasn't gay, he goes and pulls a Clinton (except this chick's hot):

SAN FRANCISCO (AP) -- Mayor Gavin Newsom apologized Thursday for having a sexual relationship with his former campaign manager's wife.

"I'm deeply sorry," Newsom said during a brief news conference at City Hall the day after the aide resigned. Newsom appeared poised but visibly emotional. He spoke for about a minute and left without taking questions.

Alex Tourk, 39, resigned Wednesday after confronting his boss about his relationship with his wife, Ruby Rippey-Tourk, 34, who once worked as the mayor's appointment secretary.

Newsom acknowledged that he had the affair first reported Wednesday night on the San Francisco Chronicle's Web site and apologized for what he called "a lapse of judgment."

"I want to make it clear that everything you've read is true and I'm deeply sorry about that," he said. "I hurt someone I care deeply about, Alex Tourk and his family and friends, and that is something I'm deeply sad about and sorry for."

Does anyone else love this lady's name? "Ruby Rippey-Tourk." Everything's gayer in SF, though.

Federline Offends Morons

I'm tired of stupid people thinking it's their right not to be offended:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Kevin Federline has something to say to those who are offended by an upcoming Super Bowl ad featuring him as a fast-food worker: He's "really sorry."

"The commercial is completely intended for me, making fun of myself and my own situation," the aspiring rapper, 28, told Associated Press Television in a recent interview. "It has nothing to do with anybody in the fast-food industry at all. So, you know, if we've offended anybody, I'm really sorry about that."

National Restaurant Association President and Chief Executive Steven Anderson said last week that the ad amounts to a "strong and direct insult to the 12.8 million Americans who work in the restaurant industry."

Nationwide Mutual Insurance Co.'s 30-second spot shows Federline performing in a glitzy music video. However, the punch line is that he's daydreaming _ while cooking french fries at a fast-food joint.

It's a "`Saturday Night Live' skit on myself. ... Maybe it'll land me some good roles in Hollywood," said Federline, whose debut rap album, "Playing With Fire," has had dismal sales since its release last fall.

On Thursday, Federline's attorney confirmed that K-Fed and estranged wife Britney Spears will continue to share custody of their two young sons this month, following the terms of a January custody agreement. Spears filed for divorce from Federline in November after two years of marriage, citing irreconcilable differences.

"I'm a good father," said Federline, who wouldn't talk about his personal life. "I love my kids and I'll always be here for (them)."

If you're working in a fast food restaurant, above the age of twenty and you're not working your way through college then you're either a miserable failure in life, or a complete idiot, or of course, both.

The only thing Kevin Federline should have to apologize for is his atrocious music. I do have to admit though, this commercial is pretty funny:

Hillary - If You Earn It We'll Take It

Boy, Hillary's not even beating around the bush anymore on her liberal policies of stealing money from those who earn it. She actually said "I want to take those profits ..." in regard to Exxon and Shell's record breaking year.

Here's video:

Happy Holiday (Not Everyone Celebrates Groundhog Day)

Happy Groundhog Day everyone. Let's hope Punxsutawney Phil doesn't come out of his hole, proclaim global warming is going to destroy the world and then die. That would be a great PR move by the libs. They should do that sometime.



*** Update, 6:12pm ***

Good news:

A new pair of hands pulled Punxsutawney Phil from his stump this year, so it was only fitting that the groundhog offered a new prediction.

Phil did not see his shadow on Friday, which, according to German folklore, means folks can expect an early spring instead of six more weeks of winter.

Since 1886, Phil has seen his shadow 96 times, hasn't seen it 15 times and there are no records for nine years, according to the Punxsutawney Groundhog Club. The last time Phil failed to see his shadow was in 1999.

Islamic Mayor

Out of Georgia:

MACON, Ga. — Mayor Jack Ellis has converted to Islam and is working to change his legal name to Hakim Mansour Ellis.

Ellis, 61, a Macon native who was raised Christian, said he became a Sunni Muslim during a December ceremony in the west African nation of Senegal.

Ellis said he has studied the Koran for years and that his new religion was practiced by his ancestors before they were brought to North America as slaves.

"Why does one become a Christian?" Ellis said Thursday. "You do it because it feels right. ... To me it's no big deal. But people like to know what you believe in."

Name-changing by Ismaic [sic] converts is a common practice that is considered commendable, though it is typically not required.

Ellis said he would keep his last name at the request of two daughters.

Ellis, whose mayoral term expires this year, said he hasn't calculated how his religious conversion might affect him politically. He said he is proud to live in a country founded on religious freedom.

Great. He must of heard that being a Muslim is a blast. Get it?

Palestinian Civil War

Members of the Religion of Peace continue to kill each other throughout Palestine:

JERUSALEM, Feb. 2 — In some of the worst fighting between Palestinian factions so far, security-force members loyal to Fatah stormed the Hamas-aligned Islamic University today, setting the library and other buildings on fire, as the two factions battled today in several parts of the Gaza Strip.

At least 15 people were killed, including a 7-year-old boy, bringing the total for the past two days to 21. Nearly 200 more Palestinians, many of them civilians, have been hurt over the same period, as fierce shootouts erupted in Gaza City and the northern parts of the Gaza Strip, according to Palestinian hospitals.

“I call on all parties in Gaza to stop these actions that harm the Palestinian interests,” Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority, said today in Ramallah in the West Bank.

Hamas and Fatah leaders met at the Egyptian diplomatic mission in Gaza City this afternoon and agreed in principle to halt the violence. “We, the leaders of the two groups, agreed, with God’s help, on a cease-fire,” Nizar Rayan, a senior Hamas leader, said as he emerged from the discussions.

But it was not clear whether the agreement would take hold. Previous cease-fires have been short-lived: A truce announced early Tuesday brought relative calm for two days, but the fighting erupted again on Thursday.

I think these people honestly make a hobby out of breaking cease-fire agreements. That and killing Jews.

Spy Convicted

I have always preferred Coke to Pepsi, so in my mind, this is a win for the good guys:

ATLANTA, Georgia (AP) -- A federal jury convicted a former Coca-Cola secretary Friday of conspiring to steal trade secrets from world's largest beverage maker in an effort to sell them to rival Pepsi.

Joya Williams faces up to 10 years in prison. No sentencing date was immediately set.

The jury of seven women and five men deliberated for 11½ hours over three days. On Thursday it told U.S. District Judge J. Owen Forrester it was "hung" and could not decide. Forrester told the jury to try again Friday.

Williams showed no visible reaction when the verdict was announced. Her lawyer comforted her as she left the courtroom, and said she plans to appeal.

Williams was fired as a secretary to Coca-Cola's global brand director at the company's Atlanta headquarters after the allegations came to light.

The government says Williams stole confidential documents and samples of products that hadn't been launched from The Coca-Cola Co. and gave them to Ibrahim Dimson and Edmund Duhaney as part of a conspiracy to sell the items to Purchase, New York-based PepsiCo Inc. for at least $1.5 million.

Thursday Roundup

I was busy all day, but here are some stories that caught my attention:

Apparently a video of Paris Hilton using the word "nigger" and "faggot" (or the "F-word" as this article calls it). This is terrible news for all those girls out there who have Hilton as their role model. Anyway, I was going to post the video, but it has been removed from YouTube. But here is an excerpt from the article that I can't quite understand:

The “Simple Life” star, who recently reunited with her black former best friend, Nicole Richie, steps to the camera again at about 3:55 to vent about a run-in with a woman at the party, whom she describes as a “f*ckin’ hoodlum, broke, poor bitch from like, Compton – public school bitch.”

Isn't Nicole Richie white? Yes. I must be reading that incorrectly, or there's a typo.

Here's a charming story out of Texas (apparently everything's more sadistic in Texas):

A jury in Fort Worth today convicted a man accused of abducting his ex-girlfriend and using a blowtorch and drain cleaner to torture her.

Forty-four-year-old Robert Drew Stephenson was found guilty of aggravated kidnapping, aggravated assault with a deadly weapon and retaliation.

Now comes the punishment phase. Stephenson faces up to life in prison.

He was arrested last April after a 42-year-old Fort Worth woman told police he'd beaten, raped and tortured her during the 19 days he held her captive.

The woman said Stephenson hung her by her feet from a rafter, burned her back with a blowtorch, then poured drain cleaner on her.

Stephenson testified the woman's injuries were accidents — and the couple had a "volatile" relationship.

You can't get death for that? Oh well. He'll burn in hell (no pun intended). Also, I think this is about the most ridiculous use of the "she had an accident" excuse I've ever heard.

The Senate voted to raise the minimum wage today along with putting several tax cuts into effect. The opening paragraph of this story, however, is so misleadingly biased it's literally disgusting:

The Democratic-led U.S. Senate voted overwhelmingly on Thursday to raise the federal minimum wage for the first time in a decade and provide billions of dollars in small-business tax cuts to help offset the cost.

The vote was 94-3, but it was all the Democrats. Oh and those tax cuts? Definitely their idea.

Does this look like a bomb to you:



Those two idiots who placed Aqua Teen Hunger Force Ads around Boston (among other cities) were released today. I wouldn't have thought their prosecution should have been pursued, had they not acted like complete smarmy liberal pricks in (and around) court:

Two men who authorities say placed electronic advertising devices around the city were released from jail Thursday, apparently amused with the publicity stunt that stirred fears of terrorism and shut down parts of the city.

Peter Berdovsky, 27, and Sean Stevens, 28, were released on $2,500 cash bond after each pleaded not guilty to placing a hoax device and disorderly conduct for a device found Wednesday at a subway station. They waved and smiled as they greeted people in court.

Outside, they met reporters and television cameras and launched into a nonsensical discussion of hair styles of the 1970s. “What we really want to talk about today — it’s kind of important to some people — it’s haircuts of the 1970s,” Berdovsky said.

Hey ... that's, uh, funny. Speaking of great hair, check out the delinquent on the right:



Certainly the surprise headline of the day comes from Reuters:

U.N. climate panel says humans cause global warming

Right when you think the UN's coming around to your side. Which was never. Idiots.