Castro Has Health Crisis

Cuban dictator-for-life (and maybe not much longer) has temporarily relinquished his presidency to his brother Raul due to a health crisis involving gastrointestinal bleeding and surgery. Could a new day for Cuba be right around the corner?

Feds May Approve Over-The-Counter Sales of Morning After Pill

I wonder if the President approves of this:

The government is considering allowing over-the-counter sales of the morning-after pill, but only to women 18 and older. The surprise move Monday revives efforts to widen access to the emergency contraceptive almost a year after it was thought doomed.

The Food and Drug Administration notified manufacturer Barr Laboratories Inc. early Monday that it wanted to meet within seven days to iron out new steps the company must take in its three-year battle to sell the pill, called Plan B, without a prescription to at least some women.

Given President Bush's veto of the Stem Cell Research bill, I wonder if he'll intervene in the FDA's apparent decision to make abortion pills available over-the-counter?

Mel's New Job

David Frum has an employment suggestion for Mel Gibson:

"If a drunken Mel Gibson did indeed call out, 'Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world,' then there can be only one possible place for a man who believes such things: as the next Secretary General of the United Nations" -- David Frum, writing at National Review.com.

He can't be any worse than what they have in New York now.

Bush Briefed on Inconclusive Evidence Linking Strong Storms to Global Warming

President Bush had a briefing at the National Hurricane Center today and the issue of global warming and strong storms came up:

Officials tracking the approach of the peak hurricane season told President Bush on Monday that data linking a series of devastating storms to global warming was inconclusive.

Eleven months after Hurricane Katrina wreaked havoc on the U.S. Gulf Coast and caused catastrophic flooding in New Orleans, Bush visited the National Hurricane Center in Florida, a state often battered by hurricanes.

Showing Bush the maps and other devices used to predict storms, Max Mayfield, the hurricane center's director, said one question he is asked often is whether the powerful hurricanes of the past few years, like Katrina, Rita and Wilma, were the result of the earth's warming.

A scientist at the center, Christopher Landsea, told Bush there was "not a consensus" linking the two.

Hurricane and climate scientists outside the government have been wrestling with that debate as well. Many environmental groups are upset with Bush for his rejection of the Kyoto agreement to cut greenhouse gases.

Many climate scientists believe carbon dioxide and other gases trap heat like the glass walls of a greenhouse and cause global warming. Skeptics doubt people affect global climate change and say temperature fluctuations have occurred throughout history.

Landsea was mentioned in a previous report at this site when he described how global warming's impact on hurricanes has been overstated.

And for doubters, here's the Idiot's Guide to Global Warming.

Tales of Abuse at Gitmo

No, it's not the guards abusing the prisoners (upon hearing that the entire moonbat left yells "Drat"!), it's the animals in the cages abusing the guards:

The prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay during the war on terror have attacked their military guards hundreds of times, turning broken toilet parts, utensils, radios and even a bloody lizard tail into makeshift weapons, Pentagon reports say.
Incident reports reviewed by The Associated Press indicate Military Police guards are routinely head-butted, spat upon and doused by "cocktails" of feces, urine, vomit and sperm collected in meal cups by the prisoners.

They've been repeatedly grabbed, punched or assaulted by prisoners who reach through the small "bean holes" used to deliver food and blankets through cell doors, the reports say. Serious assaults requiring medical attention, however, are rare, the reports indicate.

It won't take long for the apologists to claim this is all Bush's doing for depriving these little angels of their Constitutional rights and forcing them to act this way, but I hope you read the entire article and see just what kinds of "people" we're dealing with down there. After reading this, why would anyone demand that this facility be closed and these inmates moved to mainland prisons?

Too Many Churches?

There's an interesting story from the Houston area regarding the impact off having 51 churches in a town of under 20,000 people:

They are not the words one expects to hear from a politician or a Southerner, and Leonard Scarcella is both: "Our city has an excessive number of churches."

Scarcella is mayor of this Houston-area community, which has 51 churches and other religious institutions packed into its 7 square miles.

With some 300 undeveloped, potentially revenue-producing acres left in Stafford, officials are scrambling to find a legal way to keep more tax-exempt churches from building here.

"With federal laws, you can't just say, 'We're not going to have any more churches,' " Scarcella said. "We respect the Constitution, but 51 of anything is too much."

Stafford, population 19,227, is the largest city in Texas without a property tax, and it depends on sales taxes and business fees for revenue. Nonprofits have been attracted by its rapid growth and minimal deed restrictions. "It's thrown everything out of balance, plus providing zero revenue. Somebody's got to pay for police, fire and schools," City Councilman Cecil Willis said.

It's hard to believe it takes 51 churches to meet the needs of less than 20,000 people. And of course, there's probably a fair percentage of those folks who don't attend any one of them.

I heard it said once that if people were more like Jesus, we'd have fewer churches. Think about that.

Meanwhile, the folks in Stafford to have a serious problem with so many tax-exempt entities in town. I believe Colorado Springs was having some similar concerns after so many large nonprofits moved to that area. Short of annexing more territory that can be developed into tax paying businesses, I'm not really sure there's much they can do about it (unless, of course, they can convince some of these churches to try working together and merge).

Israeli Air Force Back in Action

As expected the announced 48 hour stand down of Israeli airstrikes only got them more grief as Hezbo attacked Israeli troops, thus necessitating a restart of the air war:

Israeli planes hit targets in southern Lebanon on Monday after Hezbollah guerrillas blasted an Israeli tank and injured three Israeli soldiers, breaking a brief respite in 20 days of fighting.

Before the fighting resumed, pickup trucks and cars loaded with people streamed north as thousands of civilians trapped in south Lebanon's war zone for three weeks took advantage of the brief lull to escape.

Israel had said, in announcing the halt to air strikes earlier Monday, that it would suspend that pledge to end air strikes for 48-hours depending on "operational developments" in Lebanon. After Hezbollah guerrillas hit an Israeli tank near Taibeh with an anti-tank missile, Israel said it carried out the air strikes to protect its ground troops.

This new round of strikes was not without yet another incident sure to inflame the Lebanese:

In a second airstrike around the port city of Tyre, Israel accidentally killed a Lebanese soldier when it hit a car that it believed was carrying a senior Hezbollah official, the Israeli army said. Lebanese security officials said the soldier was killed by a rocket strike from a pilotless drone aircraft.

The Israeli army justified the action, saying the leader believed to have been in the car was a threat to Israel. Instead, the car was carrying a Lebanese army officer and soldiers.

"They were, of course, not the targets and we regret the incident," the army said.

The 48-hour standdown was clearly interpreted by Hezbo as a sign of weakness, which is why Israel is just going to have to ignore the outcries of dummies like Kofi Annan and his All-Girl UN Chorus and get the job done.

How to Lose

Ben Stein, conservative columnist and movie actor, writes today at the American Spectator on the subject of how to lose to terrorists:

We are in real serious trouble, and I'll tell you how and why I know it:

* Because the Hezbollah -- as has been well reported -- launches missiles at purely civilian targets in Israel as a matter of course, and no one in Europe or in the American left says "boo" about it. It's considered the Hezbollah's "right" to kill Israelis and when they do, they boast about it and promise to do more;

* Because it's been also well documented that the Hezbollah hides behind civilian targets and adjacent to civilian dwellings in Lebanon to fire its rockets at Israel, and when Israel fires back and mistakenly hits a home with civilians, the world of "intellectuals" and "thinkers" blames Israel and calls Israel bloodthirsty;

* Because when the Israelis kill civilians, they apologize, but when the terrorists kill civilians, they brag -- and the beautiful people scream at Eretz Israel and excuse the terrorists;

* Because if you substitute "America" for "Israel" and the "terrorists in Iraq" for the Hezbollah, you get what's happening in Iraq;

* Because it is impossible to beat a terrorist movement without using terror tactics, and we as a people of compassion and restraint, both in Israel and the U.S., will not use terror tactics even when survival is at stake, and this means we will not survive.

It is very much as if, after Pearl Harbor, after the bombing of London, we said, "We will fight the Japanese and the Nazis, but we will only use humane means, and we will show total restraint and will lever kill civilians. And we will search our souls and agonize about every move."

It is this attitude that kept the United States from winning in Korea, in Vietnam, and now in Iraq. If we had followed that code of suicide, we would have lost World War II and the world would have been plunged into eternal darkness. You cannot fight inhumane people with humane means. You cannot fight savages with one hand -- no, two hands -- tied behind your back. No wars were ever won using restraint and only civilized means. That's a formula for complete defeat and for the end of civilized life. If we allow our media and French intellectuals to prevent us and the Israelis from using the means necessary to win, we'll lose...in Lebanon, in Iraq, and everywhere and this civilization is very well worth preserving. Yes, as sad as it would be to use terror tactics to win a war, it would be incomparably worse to lose. At the end of the war we win, there is light. At the end of the war we lose, there is the end.

Very true.

Br'er Mitt

If you want to be a big-time politician these days you have to watch every word lest you offend one constitutency or another. Mitt Romney found that out when discussing the problems with the Big Dig:

Gov. Mitt Romney has apologized for referring to the troubled Big Dig construction project as a "tar baby" during a fundraiser with Iowa Republicans, saying he didn't know anyone would be offended by the term some consider a racial epithet.

In a speech Saturday, Romney, a Republican considering a run for president in 2008, acknowledged he took a big political risk in taking control of the project after a fatal tunnel ceiling collapse, but said inaction would have been even worse.

"The best thing politically would be to stay as far away from that tar baby as I can," he told a crowd of about 100 supporters in Ames, Iowa.

Black leaders were outraged at his use of the term, which dates to the 19th century Uncle Remus stories, referring to a doll made of tar that traps Br'er Rabbit. It has come to be known as a way of describing a sticky mess, and has been used as a derogatory term for a black person.

"Tar baby is a totally inappropriate phrase in the 21st century," said Larry Jones, a black Republican and civil rights activist.

"He thinks he's presidential timber," Jones said. "But all he's shown us is arrogance."

C'mon people. Nobody seriously believes that Romney was intending to insult blacks or anyone else with his "tar baby" remark. This hoohah is just another example of racial hypersensitivity in which every remark is scrutinized for hidden racial slurs, especially if you're a Republican.

In fact, if you think about it, "tar baby" is probably a pretty good description of the mess that the Big Dig has become. The only way to make a slur out of that is to purposely take it out of context, something that people who are looking for an excuse to be offended love to do.

Auto Insurers Mystified by Fewer Accident Claims

The major auto insurers are mystified by the fact that even with more cars on the road today than ever, accident claims are plummeting:

American drivers are reporting fewer crashes to their insurance companies than ever before, and nobody knows precisely why.

Fewer claims mean record profits for auto insurers like Allstate Corp. and State Farm Insurance Cos. The unprecedented decline in auto claims — a four-year, 15% drop — has allowed the insurers to reap huge earnings from underwriting, without raising premiums.

[...]

But behind the profit boon lies a mystery: Insurers can't explain the drop in auto claims. And while theories abound, the lack of a clear, identifiable reason is unsettling in an industry that relies on sophisticated statistical modeling to predict its claim payouts. Those predictions are used to set premium rates, to decide whom to insure and to provide earnings guidance to Wall Street.

With no explanation for the drop in claims, insurers can't tell if the trend will continue, leaving many at a loss.

"We can't explain it, therefore, we can't predict it," Glenn Renwick, CEO of Ohio-based Progressive Corp., one of Allstate's toughest competitors, told investors in June.

But Mr. Renwick said there's no mistaking the buzz. Industry-wide, auto-collision claims fell from 6.91 claims per 100 insured vehicles in 2001 to 5.91 claims per 100 insured vehicles in 2005, according to the Property Casualty Insurers Assn. of America.

I think some of it has to do with a story I had a little while ago which described how faster speed limits have resulted in fewer crashes. I wonder, though, if some of the reduction in claims is due to an increased number of uninsured motorists who can't file a claim when they have a wreck.

Regardless of the cause, don't look for any rate reductions anytime soon. I'm sure the auto insurers will want to have many years of lower claims before they finally adjust their rate tables.

Wacky Left Endorses the Wacky Left

It's not all the usual for a major national newspaper to endorse a candidate in a state primary race - especially if they're not located in that state - but two newspapers have done just that in the Connecticut Senate primary. The New York Times has endorsed Johnny Anti-War One Note Ned Lamont:

The New York Times on Sunday backed Greenwich businessman Ned Lamont in his Democratic primary challenge of Sen. Joe Lieberman, criticizing the three-term incumbent for his support of President Bush's national security policies.

[...]

The Times said Lieberman's efforts "to appear above the partisan fray" have turned him into one of the administration's most useful allies.

"If Mr. Lieberman had once stood up and taken the lead in saying that there were some places a president had no right to take his country even during a time of war, neither he nor this page would be where we are today," the Times wrote. "But by suggesting that there is no principled space for that kind of opposition, he has forfeited his role as a conscience of his party, and has forfeited our support."

On the other side, The Washington Post (which probably doesn't want to see the great unwashed wacky left coming to work in their town) has endorsed Joe Lieberman:

This is a talent and temperament that is helpful to the Democrats in the minority but will be needed even more if there's a change in power in one or both houses of Congress or, in 2008, in the White House. Then, more than ever, the Democratic Party, if it hopes to accomplish anything, will need people such as Mr. Lieberman who bring some civility to an increasingly uncivil capital -- who can accept the idea that opponents may disagree in good faith and who can then work to find areas of agreement and assemble working majorities of 60 senators. His ability to do so is a strength, not a weakness, for the party as well as the nation.

Meanwhile two of the hometown papers, The Hartford Courant and the Connecticut Post endorsed Lieberman. Primary night will be very interesting.

Idiot's Guide to Global Warming

I was shopping through Barnes and Noble this afternoon and a book caught my eye - "The Idiot's Guide to Global Warming". The thing was at least 1 1/2" thick, and I thought to myself, "I could write that book and it wouldn't take an inch and a half of paper to do it". So here goes.

An Idiot's Guide to Global Warming
By Rick Moore

Page 1

If you believe global warming is caused by human activity, or can be controlled by human activity, you're an idiot.

The End.

That'll be $12.99 please. Just send your payment via the PayPal button on the right.

New Orleans Now Officially Back to Normal

Less than one year after the devastation of Katrina, New Orleans is officially back to normal:

Police were investigating six fatal shootings that occurred within 24 hours, the latest round of killings as the city struggles to rein in violence that has shadowed the recovery from Hurricane Katrina.

Mayor Nagin must be very proud.

Illegal Immigrants Not Very Eco-Friendly

In yet another argument for a tough border fence:

After three years of cleanups, the federal government has achieved no better than a 1 percent solution for the problem of trash left in Southern Arizona by illegal border-crossers.

Cleanup crews from various agencies, volunteer groups and the Tohono O'odham Nation hauled about 250,000 pounds of trash from thousands of acres of federal, state and private land across Southern Arizona in 2002 to 2005, says the U.S. Bureau of Land Management.

But that's only a fraction of the nearly 25 million pounds of trash thought to be out there.

Maybe some of those "human rights" organizations that demand that we put drinking fountains in the middle of the desert for all those illegal crossers can spring for a few trash cans.

Teddy *Hiccup* Kennedy Assaults Roberts and Alito

In a curious op-ed in the Washington Post, Teddy *Hiccup* Kennedy blasts Supreme Court Justices John Roberts and Sam Alito and implies through his meandering reasoning that both men lied about their views to the Senate Judiciary Committee. I'm not going to bother quoting any of it - you can read it for yourself.

The timing of this article is equally curious. The Supreme Court is not in session, so any hopes to influence pending cases are far-fetched at best. Roberts and Alito have lifetime appointments, so any badgering from Kennedy cannot influence the course of their careers. Is he attempting to save the hides of other Dems who voted to confirm these two judges by implying that they are as stupid as he is and were easily duped by these two slick nominees? No telling.

What I'm wondering is if Kennedy knows something about a future court opening that the rest of us don't know yet. Could one of the court liberals be getting ready to retire and thus open up a new nominee fight? Is Kennedy positioning himself and his fellow Dems to make a no-holds-barred stand against whoever Bush would nominate based on the perceived faults of Roberts and Alito? I don't know, but there certainly doesn't seem to be any other logical reason for the timing and content of this piece.

Of course logic and reason are not exactly synonymous with Teddy *Hiccup* Kennedy, so maybe he just came off a bender or something and decided to get his name in the papers once again.

Has Israel Tipped the Conflict Toward Regional War?

An Israeli attack in Qana, Lebanon last night may have tipped the entire mideast conflict toward a regional war:

An Israeli airstrike killed at least 56 people, including at least 34 children, in a southern Lebanese village Sunday, the Lebanese Red Cross said. It was the deadliest attack in 19 days of fighting. Lebanese security officials put the toll at 57 dead. Security officials said the toll rose dramatically after 18 people from two families were found in a single room of the building, where dozens of people had been taking refuge from the fighting.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice postponed a visit to Lebanon in a setback for diplomatic efforts to end hostilities.

Infuriated Lebanese officials said they had asked Rice to postpone the visit after Israel's missile strike on Qana. But Rice said she called Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora to say she would postpone the trip, and that she had work to do in Jerusalem to end the fighting.

The missiles destroyed several homes in the village of Qana as people were sleeping.

Israeli said it targeted Qana because it was a base for hundreds of rockets launched at Israeli, including 40 that injured five Israelis on Sunday. Israel said it had warned civilians several days before to leave the village.

"One must understand the Hezbollah is using their own civilian population as human shields," said Israeli Foreign Ministry official Gideon Meir. "The Israeli defense forces dropped leaflets and warned the civilian population to leave the place because the Hezbollah turned it into a war zone."

Regardless of what attempts the Israelis may have made to warn the populace, there is no way this attack can help their cause because the only thing most of the world will see is the image of dead children. Hezbo will be motivated to ramp up their attacks, and if possible, use bigger and longer range weapons. Fears about a wider war just got a lot stronger as the outrage will flood through the Arab world, along with demands for retaliation.

As I write this I'm watching Israeli video of rockets being fired from the area immediately adjacent to the building in Qana that was destroyed in the attack. While the evidence of rocket attacks from that area may be convincing to many of us in the West, it won't help the Israeli cause in the rest of the world. Why? They just don't want to be bothered with facts.

I think this attack could well be the tipping point that pushes this conflict to a wider war.

UPDATE: Lebanese storm UN headquarters in Beirut. They can storm all of their headquarters as far as I'm concerned.

UPDATE 2: Just because they look like civilians doesn't mean they are civilians. Here are photos of Hezbo fighters in civilian dress.

UPDATE 3: Questions are being raised about the timing of the building collapse. Could a group of civilians been sacrificed by Hezbo in order to gain condemnation for Israel?

UPDATE 4: Hezbo given 48 hours to regroup and rearm. The PR campaign against Israel seems to have worked.

Can't Touch This

The security guards in Tampa Bay don't get to feel up the football fans anymore - it's been ruled unconstitutional:

Security "pat-downs" of fans at Tampa Bay Buccaneers games are unconstitutional and unreasonable, a federal judge ruled Friday, throwing into question the practice at NFL games nationwide.

U.S. District Judge James D. Whittemore issued an order siding with a season-ticket holder who had sued to stop the fan searches that began last season after the NFL implemented enhanced security measures.

High school civics teacher Gordon Johnson sued the Tampa Sports Authority, which operates the stadium, to stop officials from conducting the "suspicionless" searches. A state judge agreed with Johnston that the searches are likely unconstitutional and halted them.

This is a sport in which thousands of people pay big bucks to watch one guy stick his hands under another guy's butt right before every play. You'd think a pat-down search would be no big deal.

Pastor Loses 20% of Flock Over Political Issues

There's an interesting article on AOL News regarding a megachurch pastor caused an uproar in over the issue of the church and politics:

Like most pastors who lead thriving evangelical megachurches, the Rev. Gregory A. Boyd was asked frequently to give his blessing -- and the church's -- to conservative political candidates and causes.

The requests came from church members and visitors alike: Would he please announce a rally against gay marriage during services? Would he introduce a politician from the pulpit? Could members set up a table in the lobby promoting their anti-abortion work? Would the church distribute “voters’ guides” that all but endorsed Republican candidates? And with the country at war, please couldn’t the church hang an American flag in the sanctuary?

After refusing each time, Mr. Boyd finally became fed up, he said. Before the last presidential election, he preached six sermons called “The Cross and the Sword” in which he said the church should steer clear of politics, give up moralizing on sexual issues, stop claiming the United States as a “Christian nation” and stop glorifying American military campaigns.

“When the church wins the culture wars, it inevitably loses,” Mr. Boyd preached. “When it conquers the world, it becomes the world. When you put your trust in the sword, you lose the cross.”

Mr. Boyd says he is no liberal. He is opposed to abortion and thinks homosexuality is not God’s ideal. The response from his congregation at Woodland Hills Church here in suburban St. Paul -- packed mostly with politically and theologically conservative, middle-class evangelicals -- was passionate. Some members walked out of a sermon and never returned. By the time the dust had settled, Woodland Hills, which Mr. Boyd founded in 1992, had lost about 1,000 of its 5,000 members.

I don't think I agree with the pastor completely, but I can understand his desire to keep the church focused on God's business rather than petty political disputes. I know I personally have been very disappointed in certain evangelicals who have decided to interject themselves in the politics (and religion) of global warming, whether they know anything about it or not. The same with the evangelicals who decided to accuse the U.S. of torture. Poor choices both.

When you take social or political issues and try to make them religious issues, you're asking for trouble. When someone asks "what would Jesus do" in a certain situation, my stock answer is "Jesus wouldn't have gotten himself into that mess in the first place", so quit trying to play God.

Seattle Shooting Suspect Worked at Hanford Nuclear Reservation

This might keep you up at night as more information comes out about Seattle shooting suspect Naveed Afzal Haq (h/t Little Green Footballs):

Yousef Shehadeb, 46, a member of the Islamic Center of the Tri-Cities, recalled Haq as quiet and something of a loner. Shehadeb said he and Haq's father, Mian Haq, both work at the Hanford nuclear reservation, as do many members of the area's Muslim community.

As Charles tells us, Hanford is the largest nuclear waste dump in the country.

Why does this story give me images of Homer Simpson walking out the door of the nuclear power plant with a piece of plutonium in his pocket?

UPDATE: The suspect almost looks like Homer:

D'oh!

Baby Lizard Factory

I had a pleasant surprise this morning as I was watering the little Garden of Eden that we call our back yard. We have some ground cover that seems to attract snails, so I usually watch for the little devils as I water. I saw something that looked like a slug and got ready to pick it up and pitch it over the fence (my neighbor needs more slugs) when I discovered that it wasn't a slug after all:


It was a little bitty baby lizard. A quick look around turned up 5 more of the critters, so it looks like we've got a baby lizard factory in our back yard.

We usually see lizards only after the cat has drug them in the house, so I'm not sure what the likely longevity of these little guys is with the cat around, but hopefully they'll stay out of her way.

Sheehan Deceived Crawford Property Owner

It was reported a few days ago that Mama Moonbat Cindy Sheehan had bought her own little compound in Crawford, TX near President Bush's home. I was wondering why anyone in that area would willingly sell to Sheehan, and now it appears that the only way she could buy property there was to deceive the sellers:

Peace Supporter, Gerry Fonseca, says he purchased the 5-acre parcel, which cost more than $52,000. It was bought with the money frome her son, Casey's, life insurance policy.

"I doubt they would have sold her the property if she tried to buy it herself," said Foncseca.

"I feel deceived," said Celia Ramsey, who sold the land to Cindy Sheehan through a third party. She talked to News Channel 25 exclusively on the matter. "I would have never sold it to Sheehan. Nobody wants them here."

The Ramsey's claim Fonseca told them he was an evacuee from Hurricane Katrina.

Fonseca told News Channel 25 he "apologized to the Ramsey's for the inconvenience, but we (Gold Star Families For Peace) are going to do everything in our power to not disturb them."

Ramsey told News Channel 25, she plans on talking to a lawyer over the matter.

And then there's this:

"I am very sad it came to this point where we had to buy a permanent home," said Sheehan. "I thought President Bush would have resigned by now. But I am happy about a permanent home in Crawford."

How many times have we heard Sheehan bellow about how Bush should be impeached because "he lied to the American people". Hypocrisy, thy name is Cindy.

Prediction: Bush leaves office as scheduled at noon on January 20, 2009, and at 12:01 Sheehan eats a gun. The woman will have nothing left to live for.

UPDATE: From the Washington Post:

Like many folks in President Bush's adopted hometown, 83-year-old Robert Westerfield isn't exactly rolling out the welcome mat for the town's newest resident: war protester Cindy Sheehan.

"I wish she'd stay away. Crawford's a Republican town, and she's a dumb Democrat," Westerfield, a lifelong Crawford resident, said Friday while sitting on a bench outside a gas station on Main Street.

Very perceptive guy.

A Glowing Endorsement of Bolton From a Liberal Dem

Alan Dershowitz is about as liberal a Dem as they come, and today writes a ringing endorsement for UN Ambassador John Bolton, which provides a direct challenge to the Dems on the Senate panel who are desperate to deny Bolton a confirmation:

As a liberal Democrat, I listened carefully to the opposition voiced by many Democratic senators to the nomination of John Bolton as our chief representative to the United Nations. Mr. Bolton has been representing us at the United Nations since August. During the current Middle East crisis, I have been able to listen for myself to what Mr. Bolton has been saying at the United Nations.

On the basis of his performance, I have become a Bolton supporter. He speaks with moral clarity. He is extremely well prepared. He is extraordinarily articulate. He places the best face on American policy, particularly in the Middle East during this crucial time.

[...]

What remains of last year's nomination battle, though, is what I suspect to be the real reason that some Democrats oppose the Bolton nomination. That is, they felt uncomfortable with Mr. Bolton's oft-expressed and blunt skepticism over the United Nations' legal and moral authority. Mr. Bolton can even, at times, come off as "contemptuous of the U.N.," in Sen. Barbara Boxer's words.

But Mr. Bolton is right to be skeptical, and all the great U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations — from Adlai Stevenson to Arthur Goldberg to Pat Moynihan to Jeane Kirkpatrick — have shared that skepticism. Mr. Bolton is absolutely justified in pushing for reform of the notoriously corrupt and inefficient bureaucratic structure in Turtle Bay. As he once said, "If member countries want the United Nations to be respected ... they should begin by making sure it is worthy of respect."

Most importantly, Mr. Bolton understands that his job is to represent the United States and our interests to the world, and not the other way around. When The Washington Post's Dana Milbank chided Mr. Bolton for "disparaging the very organization he would serve," the Wall Street Journal's James Taranto promptly corrected him by saying, "the American ambassador to the U.N. is supposed to serve America, not the U.N."

I have observed Mr. Bolton's performance with regard to Israel and its conflicts with Hezbollah and Hamas. On many other fronts he has proved himself a staunch advocate of freedom and human rights — specifically in Sudan, North Korea and Cuba. Some critics have argued that Mr. Bolton is better in his public role as advocate than in his behind-the-scenes role as conciliator. But at this point in history, the United States needs a public advocate who can further its case in the court of public opinion. No one does that better than John Bolton.

The question now is, will any of his fellow libs in the Senate be swayed by his eloquent endorsement? Probably not. Why? The Senators have to worry about something that Dershowitz doesn't - fund raising from their wacky left supporters. Those supporters are demanding Bolton's scalp because he refuses to play the "let's all get along" game so favored by the left, and I'm sure the moonbat side of the blogosphere will crucify any Dem who votes to confirm Bolton.

Besides, Bolton intimidates the heck out of them with his intellect and forceful approach to diplomacy. His slap down of John Kerry was classic.

I'll Have a Pepperoni and Goat Elastic Loaf, Please

Iranian President and resident madman Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, always on the cutting edge, has ordered changes in the language of his country:

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language, such as "pizzas" which will now be known as "elastic loaves," state media reported Saturday.

The presidential decree, issued earlier this week, orders all governmental agencies, newspapers and publications to use words deemed more appropriate by the official language watchdog, the Farhangestan Zaban e Farsi, or Persian Academy, the Irna official news agency reported.

The academy has introduced more than 2,000 words as alternatives for some of the foreign words that have become commonly used in Iran, mostly from Western languages. The government is less sensitive about Arabic words, because the Quran is written in Arabic.

Among other changes, a "chat" will become a "short talk" and a "cabin" will be renamed a "small room," according to official Web site of the academy.

Of course, these are the same people who have a creative meaning for "Pepsi" too.

And in keeping with the trend, the mainstream media has jumped in and declared that "Muslim terrorist" will be changed to "person with history of mental illness".

More Violent Peace Protesters

Some "peace" protesters reverted to their violent roots in Australia:

VIOLENT scuffles have broken out between police and Lebanese protesters who mobbed Prime Minister John Howard’s car as he left the WA Liberal Party conference in Perth.

Mr Howard was leaving the WA Liberal Party state conference when about 200 protesters, many of whom were waving Lebanese flags and shouting "we want peace”, mobbed his vehicle.

Protesters punched, kicked and threw projectiles at Mr Howard’s car as police struggled to keep them at bay.

Mr Howard’s entourage sped from the scene as police wrestled protesters to the ground.

The image of people screaming "we want peace" as they "punched, kicked and threw projectiles" is almost funny. Apparently the concept of irony is completely lost on them.

Islamic Violence in Seattle

A member of the Religion of Peace decided to go kill Jews Friday in Seattle:

A man walked into a Jewish organization Friday afternoon and opened fire, killing one woman and injuring at least five others before he was arrested, officials said.

The gunman, who employees said claimed to be a Muslim angry at Israel, forced his way through the security door at the Jewish Federation after an employee had punched in her security code, said Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a co-worker who was not at the building at the time.

Staff members said they overheard him saying "'I am a Muslim American, angry at Israel,' before opening fire on everyone," Meislin-Dietrich said. "He was randomly shooting at everyone."

Is there no other way for them to express their disagreements than with violence?

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has information on the shooter, including his high school yearbook photo which is captioned "peace be unto you".

And don't miss Hugh Hewitt's post on how the mainstream media is scrambling to keep from calling this act "terrorism".

How About a Nice Hand for Allah!

Is there a question? I see a hand in the air:

In a surreal scene, police said a man purposely cut off one of his hands in a Springfield butcher shop Saturday evening.

The grisly incident occurred in Super Halal Meat along the 7000 block of Spring Garden Drive, which bisects Brookfield Plaza, home to numerous Asian, Indian and Middle Eastern eateries and markets.

"I'm still numb talking about it," said Vikas Sinsunwal, who saw the man after he severed his hand.

Sinsunwal said he was outside his parents store, Niralla Sweets, when the man, announcing "I did this for Allah," approached his parents' shop lifting his bloody left arm into the air.

[...]

However, local NBC 4 News reported the man, while waiting on his order of goat meat, walked behind the butcher shop's counter and sliced off his hand presumably with an electric meat cutter.

(Booming voice from the heavens) And Allah thanks you. In honor of your devotion, I shall give you a new name worthy of your sacrifice. From this moment on you shall be known by your holy name....Lefty.

And before you show any further devotion, remember, the virgins like a man with a slow hand, not a man with no hands. They get enough of those from the suicide bombers.

Head Hezbo Honcho Hiding in Iranian Embassy

No, there's no Iranian involvement in Lebanon:

Intelligence reports indicate the leader of Hezbollah is hiding in a foreign mission in Beirut, possibly the Iranian Embassy, according to U.S. and Israeli officials.

Israeli military and intelligence forces are continuing to hunt for Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, Hezbollah's secretary-general, who fled his headquarters in Beirut shortly before Israeli jets bombed the building last week.

"We think he is in an embassy," said one U.S. official with access to the intelligence reports, while Israeli intelligence speculates Sheik Nasrallah is hiding in the Iranian Embassy.

If confirmed, the reports could lead to an Israeli air strike on the embassy, possibly leading to a widening of the conflict, said officials who spoke on the condition of anonymity. Foreign embassies are sovereign territory and an attack on an embassy could be considered an act of war.

As we all know, Iranians deeply believe in the sanctity of foreign embassies.

The UN: Give DC a Vote!

This is almost too hilarious to be believed:

The United Nations Human Rights Committee on Friday urged U.S. lawmakers to give the District of Columbia a voting member of Congress, saying the lack of such representation appeared inconsistent with international law.

The Star Wars bar scene at Turtle Bay is certainly spending its time well. No sense bothering with all the Israeli/Hezbo/Hamas silliness.

Mel Gibson Charged with DUI

Mel goofs:

Mel Gibson was arrested by the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department in Malibu, Calif. early this morning for suspicion of DUI. Bail was set at $5,000.

He was pulled over for speeding in his 2006 Lexus as he was heading eastbound on the Pacific Coast Highway and a Breathalyzer test was administered. The arrest report lists the time of arrest as 2:36AM and the time booked as 4:06AM. Gibson was released at 9:45 a.m.

Gibson apparently succumbed to the Passion of the Grape.

UPDATE: This account of the arrest is pretty disturbing. After making The Passion of the Christ many Jewish critics complained that Gibson's movie might inspire violence against Jews. That didn't happen, but it looks like they may have had a reason to be concerned about Gibson.

UPDATE2: Gibson apologizes, but this one will leave a mark.

Global Warming's Effect on Hurricanes Overstated

Some time back I posted on Dr. William Gray's objection to the folks who insist on linking strong hurricanes to global warming. Some moonbats even demonstrated against NOAA and the National Hurricane Center demanding they buy the politically correct view of hurricane science.

Today, a new report casts doubts on global warming's effect on hurricanes:

Scientists linking the increased strength of hurricanes over recent years to global warming have not accounted for outdated technology that may have underestimated storms' power decades ago, researchers said in a report published Friday.

The research by Chris Landsea of the National Hurricane Center challenges two studies published last year by other respected climatologists.

One of the studies, by Kerry Emanuel of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, was considered the first major research to challenge the belief that global warming's affect on hurricanes was too slight to accurately measure and that climate change likely won't substantially change tropical storms for decades.

And, if Landsea and his three co-authors are correct, it was fundamentally flawed.
``The methodology is fine. There's no problem with the way they analyzed the data,'' said Landsea, who is science and operations officer at the hurricane center. ``The problem is with the data itself.''

Al Gore will be very upset, but the sometimes the truth is inconvenient.

Here's another article on the new report.

Let Israel Win the War

The always outstanding Charles Krauthammer writes today that the world needs to step back and let Israel win the war:

What other country, when attacked in an unprovoked aggression across a recognized international frontier, is then put on a countdown clock by the world, given a limited time window in which to fight back, regardless of whether it has restored its own security?

What other country sustains 1,500 indiscriminate rocket attacks into its cities -- every one designed to kill, maim and terrorize civilians -- and is then vilified by the world when it tries to destroy the enemy's infrastructure and strongholds with precision-guided munitions that sometimes have the unintended but unavoidable consequence of collateral civilian death and suffering?

Hearing the world pass judgment on the Israel-Hezbollah war as it unfolds is to live in an Orwellian moral universe. With a few significant exceptions (the leadership of the United States, Britain, Australia, Canada and a very few others), the world -- governments, the media, U.N. bureaucrats -- has completely lost its moral bearings.

The word that obviates all thinking and magically inverts victim into aggressor is "disproportionate," as in the universally decried "disproportionate Israeli response."

Charles goes on to say that despite the media's indications otherwise, Israel's response has been remarkably restrained:

Had Israel wanted to destroy Lebanese civilian infrastructure, it would have turned out the lights in Beirut in the first hour of the war, destroying the billion-dollar power grid and setting back Lebanon 20 years. It did not do that. Instead, it attacked dual-use infrastructure -- bridges, roads, airport runways -- and blockaded Lebanon's ports to prevent the reinforcement and resupply of Hezbollah. Ten-thousand Katyusha rockets are enough. Israel was not going to allow Hezbollah 10,000 more.

Israel's response to Hezbollah has been to use the most precise weaponry and targeting it can. It has no interest, no desire to kill Lebanese civilians. Does anyone imagine that it could not have leveled south Lebanon, to say nothing of Beirut? Instead, in the bitter fight against Hezbollah in south Lebanon, it has repeatedly dropped leaflets, issued warnings, sent messages by radio and even phone text to Lebanese villagers to evacuate so that they would not be harmed.

Israel knows that these leaflets and warnings give the Hezbollah fighters time to escape and regroup. The advance notification as to where the next attack is coming has allowed Hezbollah to set up elaborate ambushes. The result? Unexpectedly high Israeli infantry casualties. Moral scrupulousness paid in blood. Israeli soldiers die so that Lebanese civilians will not, and who does the international community condemn for disregarding civilian life?

Right now the United States is taking the correct course in this fight by stating that we'd like to see the fighting end, but not before the problem is fixed. As long as the U.S. maintains that posture, Israel will be free to continue attacking Hezbo where it hurts and the war on terror will have a significant victory in Lebanon.

McKinney Losing Big?

Tom Bevan at RealClearPolitics.com has information on a new poll out in the Congressional district where moonbat Cynthia McKinney is in a runoff for her House seat. If this poll can be believed, she's in big trouble:

A new poll by InsiderAdvantage shows Johnson leading McKinney 46 percent to 21 percent, with one-third of voters undecided. The survey recorded the responses of 480 likely voters and has a margin of error of plus or minus 5 percentage points.

An analysis of primary election results showed McKinney's support eroding slightly in predominantly black south DeKalb County, her traditional base. Johnson won more votes than McKinney in predominantly white north DeKalb, Rockdale and Gwinnett, according to the analysis.

Bevan adds this note about a big name endorsement that McKinney got:

McKinney received the endorsement of Atlanta Mayor Andrew Young who said, if you can believe it, that he is supporting the cop-beating McKinney because, "Congress needs controversy." Now there's a catchy campaign slogan.......

I have hoped all along that the people in that district are smart enough to see that having McKinney in Congress is not doing them any favors, and though I'd rather see a Republican get that seat (not going to happen), at least we can hope the Democrat that's elected is not a complete loon.

ELECTION NIGHT UPDATE - MCKINNEY GETTING SKUNKED!

Bolton Slaps Down Kerry

I hope you saw the video of the exchange between John Bolton and John Kerry during the confirmation hearing yesterday. It was classic. Here's a bit of the transcript of a key moment (h/t Gateway Pundit):

FoxNews Reporter: Democrats like John Kerry have vowed to fight the nomination (of John Bolton). Kerry showed up at the very last minute of today's hearing and it turned into a barbed exchange between the Bush Administration's attempt to engage North Korea in 6 party talks:


John Kerry: This has been going on for five years, Mr. Ambassador.

John Bolton: It's the nature of multilateral negotiations, Senator.

John Kerry: Why not engage in a bilateral one and get the job done? That's what the Clinton Administration did.

John Bolton: And, very poorly since the North Koreans violated the agreed framework almost from the time it was signed.

That'll leave a mark. And of course, as Gateway Pundit points out, Kerry is the guy who blasted Bush in 2004 for acting unilaterally.

From Bible to Booty

Folks in the Fresno area who tuned into their local Bible radio program got something just a little different:

KFYE-FM hasn't budged from the Fresno-area dial, but it's about as far as you can get from the Christian music, sermons and Bible stories it was broadcasting until about a week ago.

Now it calls itself "Porn Radio" — "all sex radio, all the time," with a suggestion that people under 21 not listen.

Songs with little in common except suggestive titles and lyrics fill the playlist, including "Why Don't We Do It in the Road" by The Beatles, "Sexual Healing" by Marvin Gaye and "Nasty" by Janet Jackson. Tamer songs are heated up by adding recorded moans and groans.

The change, made after the station was sold this month, was met with several non-sexual groans from some residents.

"It would appear this is another of those promotions that are simply designed to create controversy," longtime Fresno radio personality Ed Beckman told The Fresno Bee. "This format belongs on Sirius or XM, not on over-the-air."

The station tries not to cross the line, said owner Jerry Clifton.

Easily the most exciting thing that's happened in Fresno since....probably ever.

Won't You Be My Neighbor?

The property values just took a dive in Crawford, TX:

War protester Cindy Sheehan has purchased a 5-acre plot in Crawford with some of the insurance money she received after her son was killed in Iraq.

The group she helps lead, Gold Star Families for Peace, says on its Web site that it will return next month to protest the war in Iraq in the small town near Waco where President Bush has a ranch. Like last year, Sheehan, whose son Casey was killed in Iraq in 2004, will again demand to meet with the president.

"We decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world," Sheehan said in a newsletter set to be sent to supporters Thursday. "I can't think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace, and I am sure that Casey approves."

Her anti-war gathering in Crawford is scheduled for Aug. 16 through Sept. 2. But Bush is scheduled to be at his ranch mainly during the first two weeks of August.

Good timing, Cindy.

The "Psalm in a Bog" - a Message for Today?

I'm not much into cosmic circumstances which is why I tend to scoff at images of the Virgin Mary showing up on burritos, Moline bridges, or Chicago underpasses, Jesus showing up in drywall, or the Arabic word for Allah showing up on eggs, fish or frozen dairy desserts. I pretty much dismiss those things out of hand.

However, this one is a bit interesting:

The "miraculous" find of ancient psalms in an Irish bog has some wondering if there's any special modern relevance, since the discovery dealt with the enemies of Israel attempting to destroy the nation.

A construction worker in Ireland came across the ancient 20-page book dated to the years 800-1000 A.D. while driving his backhoe's shovel into the mud last week. Experts say it's impossible to say how the manuscript ended up there, but speculate it may have been lost in transit or dumped after a raid some 1,000 to 1,200 years ago.

The National Museum of Ireland issued a statement saying, "In discovery terms, this Irish equivalent to the Dead Sea Scrolls is being hailed by the museum's experts as the greatest find ever from a European bog."

What makes this story even more interesting is the particular passage this book was opened to, especially in light of today's world events:

But it's the fact the book was discovered opened to Psalm 83 that is attracting attention across the globe.

The ancient psalm deals with a plea to God not to let the enemies of Israel eradicate God's chosen nation.

Keep not thou silence, O God: hold not thy peace, and be not still, O God. For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people, and consulted against thy hidden ones. They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance. (Psalm 83:1-4)

It then lists a number of Israel's ancient enemies bent on its destruction.

Now if Hamas and Hezbollah were included on that list of enemies, I'd think they were on to something cosmic. But, it's probably just a wonderful coincidence and my hat's off to the folks who found and preserved it.

Major Gay Marriage Ruling in Washington State

I wasn't able to get around to this story last night thanks to Blogger acting up and eating my posts, but the Washington State Supreme Court ruling on gay marriage threw a lot of cold water on a lot of folks who were standing at the altar waiting to say "I do", or who were going to jump on a plane to Seattle to do the same:

The state Supreme Court upheld a ban on gay marriage Wednesday, saying lawmakers have the power to restrict marriage to unions between a man and woman.

The 5-4 decision disappointed gay marriage advocates and left Massachusetts as the only state that grants full marriage rights to gay couples.

The decision was the latest in a series of significant court rulings favoring gay marriage opponents. New York's high court dealt gay couples another blow earlier this month when it ruled that a state law limiting marriage to between a man and a woman was constitutional.

In the Washington decision, the court overruled two lower courts that had found the state's 1998 Defense of Marriage Act, which limits marriage to opposite-sex couples, violated the state constitution and its Equal Rights Amendment.

What made this ruling even more significant than the ruling in Massachusetts that legalized gay marriage in that state was the fact that there is no residency requirement for marriage licenses in Washington as there is in Massachusetts. Consequently, legalizing gay marriage in Washington would have allowed people to come from anywhere in the country (or the world for that matter) and legally purchase a marriage license. How then are other states supposed to deal with those licenses? That's the problem.

However, the liberal state's Supreme Court made that all moot with their ruling. It's kind of interesting when you consider that in three of the more liberal states (Massachusetts, New York and Washington), two of the three have rejected gay marriage.

P.S. Is it mere coincidence that this ruling came down as Andrew Jackson was visiting Seattle on vacation? Perhaps a little welcome home gift for Andy? Could be....

Round Mound of Rebound Turns Dem

From Political Diary:

Basketball Hall of Famer Charles Barkley, the "mouth of the South," has declared he wants to run for governor of Alabama in 2010. That's not big news, since he has previously expressed such interest. What is new is that he is abandoning the Republican Party and will run as a Democrat.

Mr. Barkley first talked about a political career in 1995 BA (Before Arnold), when the then-star of the Phoenix Suns said he intended running as a Republican. He continued to identify with the GOP until this month. "I was a Republican until they lost their minds," he says.

He may have switched political jerseys, but Mr. Barkley is still an unconventional political candidate. At a recent convention of public school board members in Florida, he heaped abuse on Alabama's current political leadership: "If it wasn't for Arkansas and Mississippi, we'd be dead last in everything. I think we can do better."

The glimmerings of his political platform could be seen in his comments on education. After noting that poor children don't have a level playing field because they often grow up with drugs and crime, Mr. Barkley said kids and their parents bore some of the responsibility for failure. "There are too many black kids and their parents who do not value a good education," he said. "There are places where a black kid who is a good student and tries to speak correctly, you hear stuff like, 'He's trying to be white.' Well, I say, if that's true, we need more kids trying to be white."

The man who was known as "Sir Charles" and the "Round Mound of Rebound" on the basketball court also lashed out at rap music's negative impact on culture. "I used to think it was just music. I was wrong," he told the school board members. "I think it's having a negative effect on black kids, especially young black men, who grow up believing things that hurt them and hurt people."

He concluded his talk by urging the educators to keep trying to help poor students. "I will never give up on helping those kinds of kids, because I used to be one of those kinds of kids. Don't you give up, either."

Unfortunately, the story doesn't describe how the GOP "lost their minds". I'd like to see his explanation for the change of parties since it's rather rare for Republicans to become Democrats. That usually takes years of hard drinking (hmm, maybe I'm on to something here...).

Too Good to Be True?

Tour de France winner (at least temporarily) Floyd Landis may be in some pretty hot water. He tested positive for high levels of testosterone after Stage 17, the stage in which he made an amazing comeback and blitzed the field:

Tainted at the start, the Tour de France may have been tainted at the finish, too. Floyd Landis' Tour de France victory was thrown into question Thursday when his team said he tested positive for high testosterone levels during stage 17, when the 30-year-old American champion began his stunning comeback with a gritty charge into the Alps.

The Phonak team suspended Landis, pending results of the backup "B" sample of his drug test. If Landis is found guilty, he could be stripped of the Tour title and fired from the team.

Landis denied cheating in a story posted on Sports Illustrated's Web site Thursday.
"No, c'mon man," he said when asked if he used some kind of testosterone patch to gain an advantage.

He added that he "can't be hopeful" that a second test will exonerate him. "I'm a realist," he said.

It will be a very sad deal if it turns out that Landis was cheating. Two of the other big favorites were kicked out before the Tour even started, and now the winner may be disqualified.

Al Qaeda's Vietnam

Ralph Peters has been spending a great deal of time in Iraq and today has a warning for both the United States and the warring factions in that country:

WHEN I visited Baghdad in March, there was no civil war. There is no civil war in Iraq today. But it's beginning to look as if there might be one tomorrow.
Something vital has changed. In Baghdad.

For three years, the violence was about political power in post-Saddam Iraq. Sunni Arab insurgents and Shia militias may have been on opposite sides, but the conflict was only a religious war for the foreign terrorists. And the fighting wasn't between the masses of Sunnis and Shias - who were the victims of all sides.

Now it's different. The unwillingness of the Iraqi government to take on the sectarian death squads slaughtering civilians is polarizing Iraq (while the Kurds build up their own peaceful slice of the country as fast as they can).

Peters goes on to caution all parties about a coming civil war:

Let's raise another "impossible" issue: If the Arab world can't sustain one rule-of-law democracy - after we gave Iraq a unique opportunity - might it be a useful strategic outcome to watch Arabs and Persians, Shia and Sunni, slaughtering each other again? Just don't try to referee the death match.

Meanwhile, our troops are doing all they can - and our cause remains just and good. Iraq could still succeed. It's too early to walk away.

But the Iraqis have to get their act together. We can't keep the training wheels on the bicycle forever. If they won't unite to fight for their own country, we'll have to accept that our noble effort failed.

We should never publicize a timetable for a troop withdrawal, but here's what President Bush should have told Iraq's prime minister, Nouri al-Maliki, yesterday: "You are failing your country. We'll give you six months. If your government can't produce a unified response to sectarian violence that treats all sides impartially, we'll withdraw our troops and our support. Then you can fight it out among yourselves."

Failure in Iraq would be a victory for terror. In the short run. But the terrorists might then find themselves mired in a long and crippling struggle. An Iraqi civil war might become al Qaeda's Vietnam, not ours.

One other thing our president should tell Iraq's top leaders: "If you fail your country, the United States will be embarrassed. But we'll remain the greatest power on earth. Few, if any, of you will survive the catastrophe you brought upon your people."

I'm beginning to wonder if the optimum solution for Iraq is to make it three countries instead of one. The Kurds seem to have their slice pretty much under control - the question now is what to do with the Shiites and Sunnis. There may well come a time when the U.S. will have to wash its hand of the whole thing and let them fight it out amongst themselves.

Media Stars Burning Brightly...and Then Out

Jed Babbin has a good piece at RealClearPolitics.com on the current state of the mainstream media:

Among the largest stars are the red giants, ten times or more the size of our sun. Over billions of years, as they burn themselves out and start to die, these stars begin to shine more brightly. Some, called miras, periodically brighten and dim before they - like the rest - collapse on themselves and then explode into nothingness. In that, the stars of the universe most closely resemble the stars of the mainstream media. The miras of the media, those such as the New York Times, CBS News, the Washington Post, are collapsing into themselves. And while they do, every two years they burn with a sudden intensity that still dazzles those who take them at their word.

As the fervency of the media's liberalism increases, the number of people who comprise their audience shrinks. The NYT, for example, lost about 20 per cent of its home town readers between 2001 and 2004. MSNBC - whose liberalism is beyond parody - is experimenting frantically with various reincarnations to bestir higher ratings without doing anything about its core liberal biases. Even the AP, once among the best sources of political news, has a tattered reputation. The rips and tears are self-inflicted, created by fabulously-biased Iraq coverage and stories such as its bizarre feature about then-Supreme Court nominee John Roberts' childhood, "...during the racially turbulent 1960s and '70s [in a neighborhood that] once banned the sale of homes to nonwhites and Jews."

Businesses with shrinking customer bases usually move heaven and earth to stop the hemorrhaging. But the media are so self-absorbed they think the problem is with their audience, not with them. Instead of news editors imposing more discipline on themselves and reporters, instead of editorial page editors recalibrating the shrieks that they substitute for op-eds, audience shrinkage has had the opposite effect. The wider audiences have been abandoned and the few constraints that existed as late as 2004 are gone. Conservatives sense something wrong in the media, but haven't really formulated either the disease or the cure. Michael Barone calls it an effort to delegitimize the administration. I think it's a disease called Bush Derangement Syndrome.

I think we'll likely see a more and more radical media as they fight and claw for attention from news consumers. Meanwhile, they will continue their burnout.

I'll Take "Things I Don't Care About" for $100, Alex

This story.

This story.

This story.



(made you look)

The Product of a Confused Mind

Howard Dean makes less sense every day. Just look at these three headlines, all about his recent speeches (h/t Drudge):

Dean Says Iraqi PM an 'Anti-Semite'...

Compares FL GOP candidate Katherine Harris to Stalin...

Calls for End to Divisiveness...

Huh???

Kudos to Marriott

I'm a member of the Marriott Rewards program and recently stayed in one of their hotels in Larkspur, so from time to time they email me with Marriott information. Today I got this:

In order to accommodate the preferences of the vast majority of our guests, all Marriott® hotels in the United States and Canada will become 100% smoke-free by October 15, 2006.

This is the industry's largest move to a smoke-free environment and includes over 2,300 hotels and corporate apartments under the Marriott, JW Marriott®, Renaissance®, Courtyard®, Fairfield Inn®, SpringHill Suites®, Residence Inn®, TownePlace Suites® and Marriott ExecuStay® brands. The new policy includes all guest rooms, restaurants, lounges, meeting rooms, public spaces, and employee work areas.

Good for them! In nicer hotels there's usually enough distance between the smoking rooms and the non-smoking ones that I don't notice the smoke that much. I have, however, stayed in hotels where my floor was non-smoking, but the floor below was smoking, and I could smell the smoke rising through the floor. Disgusting.

Thanks, Marriott! Us non-smokers appreciate it.

Speaking of smoking, although he hasn't smoked since 1978, NBC NASCAR color announcer (and past NASCAR champion) Benny Parsons has lung cancer. We wish Benny the best (and you can too by clicking here).

Hillary's a Bust

Oh my Lord - look what's being unveiled at the Museum of Sex in New York City (h/t The Corner):

A presidential bust of Hillary Clinton is set to be unveiled at the Museum of Sex on August 9, 2006 at 10 am. Accentuating her sexual power and bolstered by the presidential seal, The Presidential Bust of Hillary Rodham Clinton: The First Woman President of the United States of America will be officially open for public viewing on August 9 for a limited six week run.

Artist Daniel Edwards describes this new sculpture as capturing Clinton “with her head held high, a youthful spirit and a face matured by wisdom. Presented in a low cut gown, her cleavage is on display prominently portraying sexual power which some people still consider too threatening.”...

There's not enough Viagra in the world to make that sexy.

And when did Hillary get implants??

UPDATE: Reader Kitty thinks it looks more like Jimmy Carter than Hillary. Here's her side-by-side proof.

How Did This Woman Get In

The Iraqi Prime Minister's speech to a joint meeting of Congress was interrupted by a left wing loon. Who was it? (from Special Report):

That protester who was hauled out of Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki's speech before congress was none other than long-time left-wing activist Susan "Medea" Benjamin, co-founder of the anti-war group Code Pink, who, along with Cindy Sheehan, is currently on day 23 of a hunger strike against the war in Iraq.

A Green Party candidate for Senate in 2000, Benjamin also organized what turned into violent protests at the 1999 WTO conference in Seattle. She decried the violence at the time, but said she didn't want any perpetrators arrested, and would help them out of jail if they were.

One of Benjamin's groups rushed out a press release proudly announcing her arrest today and providing her cell phone number for interviews.

The question is not so much who she is, but how she got in? The only way someone can get a gallery pass for an event like this is if it's as a guest of a member of Congress. This means some lefty Dem got her in, probably knowing full well that she'd pull a juvenile stunt.

By the way, she can be seen in this photo of the "fasting" Cindy Sheehan that was taken just a day or so ago.

Squatter Lawsuit Fails

The squatters who tried to steal land from a Los Angeles developer lost their case in court:

A judge Wednesday upheld the sale of an urban garden to a developer for more than $5 million but those who once worked the now-bulldozed plots vowed to keep trying to reclaim the land.

"They will not buckle. We fully intend to appeal," Dan Stormer, an attorney for the gardeners, said outside court.

In a 19-page ruling read to a packed courtroom, Superior Court Judge Helen Bendix rejected point by point the contentions in a lawsuit filed against developer Ralph Horowitz and the city over a 2003 deal that sold him back land originally seized from him through eminent domain.

At least the losers were gracious:

A representative of the gardeners who goes by the single name Tezozomoc ("Eyechart") said outside court that the farmers were disappointed by the judge's ruling.

"It seemed that Horowitz didn't need a lawyer," Tezozomoc charged. "She did such a great work for him. I hope she got a good check out of it."

This appeal has no chance. Eyechart and his buddies need to move on.

Andrea Yates - Still Crazy After All These Years

The Houston, TX woman who systematically drowned all five of her kids a few years ago has been found not guilty by reason of insanity in her retrial:

A jury found Andrea Yates not guilty by reason of insanity in the drowning deaths of her young children in the bathtub of their suburban home.

Yates will be committed to a state mental hospital, with periodic hearings before a judge to determine whether she should be released. If convicted, she would have faced life in prison.

Yates' attorneys never disputed that she drowned 6-month-old Mary, 2- year-old Luke, 3-year-old Paul, 5-year-old John and 7-year-old Noah in their Houston-area home in June 2001. But they said she suffered from severe postpartum psychosis and, in a delusional state, thought Satan was inside her and was trying to save them from hell.

All in all, the verdict was probably correct. It would be very hard to figure anyone that did what she did was sane at the time of the act. Although it's unlikely she'll be released anytime soon, this verdict paves the way for an immediate release the moment the psychological professionals and the courts decided she's sane.

Al-Jazeera Endorses Democrats

Captain Ed points us to an editorial on the network of terrorists, Al-Jazeera, which gives a ringing endorsement of Democrat Bob Casey, running for Congress in Pennsylvania. Al-J didn't like some recent remarks from Senator Rick Santorum and has decided to endorse the Dem candidate:

Sen. Rick Santorum (R., Pa.) remarks at the National Press Club on Wednesday July 19th 2006 calling for regime change in Iran and described "Islamic fascism" as the "great test" of this generation, as threatening to the United States as last century's German Nazism and Soviet communism was inappropriate. These prejudicial remarks were derogatory, and highly unbecoming for a member of US senate. The Senator rhetoric in a public forum demeans both himself and the party he represents, particularly at a time when entire Middle East is in turmoil. Muslim of Lehigh Valley strongly condemned Senator remarks outrageous, inflammatory and un-American. ...

By associating the words "Fascism" with the Islam is to instill fear and by not acknowledging that a political agenda is not the same thing as a belief system, Senator Santorum invoked the oldest and the strongest kind of human fear -- fear of the unknown. Zionist and the pro-Israel lobby continue to instill fear in Americans by escalating unsubstantiated threats against them and fabricating a vast web of lies to justify their actions against Palestine, Iraq, Lebanon, Syria, and Iran. By instilling fear of orange and red alerts we Americans have witnessed increased government intrusion into our daily lives and the erosion of our basic rights and freedoms.

Don’t ask Santorum to “apologize,” folks. Vote Democratic.

Democrats, a new direction for America and a party even Islamic terrorists can love.

Follow the Bouncing Blue Helmets

The Israeli Air Force had a bit of an oops! moment yesterday when they bombed a UN observation post in Lebanon, killing four observers.

An Israeli bomb destroyed a U.N. observer post on the border in southern Lebanon, killing two peacekeepers and leaving two others feared dead in what appeared to be a deliberate strike, U.N. chief Kofi Annan said.

The bomb made a direct hit on the building and shelter of the observer post in the town of Khiyam near the eastern end of the border with Israel, said Milos Struger, spokesman for the U.N. peacekeeping force in Lebanon known as UNIFIL.

This sort of reminds me of the time we accidentally bombed the Chinese embassy during the air war in Yugoslavia. Hey, it happens.

Kofi Annan thinks the attack was deliberate, and based on some reporting from the other day which indicated that UN forces "observed" and made no attempt to intervene as Hezbo soldiers fired on Israel, I'm not so sure he's incorrect. Israel might have been sending the UN a message.

Whether deliberate or not, it won't help the process of recruiting foreign military forces to serve in a peacekeeping force.

Senate Protects Parent's Rights

The Senate has passed a bill which helps protect minors and the rights of their parents to be parents:

The Senate voted yesterday to make it a crime to take a pregnant girl across state lines to obtain an abortion without her parents' knowledge, handing a long-sought victory to the Bush administration and abortion opponents.

The bill would help about three dozen states enforce laws that require minors to notify or obtain the consent of their parents before having an abortion. It would bar people -- including clergy members and grandparents -- from helping a girl travel to another state to avoid parental-involvement laws. Violations could result in a year in prison.

Most states have passed such laws, but courts have invalidated at least nine of them, advocacy groups say. Maryland and Virginia have parental-notification laws; the District does not. The Senate voted 65 to 34 to approve the bill, which is similar to one the House has approved before, including last year.

How could anyone oppose this (and yet they did)? Taking a minor across state lines without her parent's permission is kidnapping, which is already a Federal offense. However, if you're going for the purpose of getting an abortion, well that's okay.

It's a law that we shouldn't even need, but thanks to the abortion fanatics, we have to pass laws hoping to preserve some kind of common sense.

UPDATE: Voices of opposition:

"We're going to sacrifice a lot of girls' lives," said Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y.

Senate Removes Abortion Option for Young Girls - NY Times Headline

Fasting Agrees With Cindy Sheehan

Twenty-two days into her "fast" Cindy Sheehan is still looking a little chunky. Check out the photo at MichelleMalkin.com.

She may be the first person in history to gain weight on a fast.

Gun Owners Win One in Congress

Gun owners finding themselves in a disaster situation like Hurricane Katrina got some welcome news from Congress:

The House voted Tuesday to prevent law enforcement officers from confiscating legally owned guns during a national disaster or emergency.

Republican Rep. Bobby Jindal, the Louisiana lawmaker who sponsored the bill, said firearms seizures after Hurricane Katrina left residents unable to defend themselves.

"Many of them were sitting in their homes without power, without water, without communication,"he said."It was literally impossible to pick up a phone and call 911."

The House voted 322-99 in support of the bill. Senators voted 84-16 earlier this month to include a similar prohibition in a homeland security funding bill.

The limitation would apply to federal law enforcement or military officers, along with local police that receive federal funds.

Rep. Jerrold Nadler, D-N.Y., repeatedly called the bill"insane."

What would be insane would be leaving law abiding citizens helpless against marauding looters and thugs, and that's apparently what Nadler would prefer. In times of trouble, both in New Orleans last year, or in Los Angeles during the '92 riots, law abiding citizens were able to protect themselves and their property because they were allowed to keep their guns. I still remember the sight of Korean business owners carrying rifles patrolling their rooftops during the riot. Needless to say, their stores were not bothered.

One of the problems with mandatory gun registration is it gives authorities a list from which to work when they decide to take guns away. Of course, only the legally registered guns show up on the list - the bad guys get to keep theirs. This law will provide some protection for the good guys.

I'll Have the Number 2

The drought in Australia is pretty bad - bad enough that they are considering drinking recycled sewage:

Residents of a drought-stricken Australian town will vote this week on whether they're prepared to drink water recycled from sewage -- the first such scheme in the country and one of only a handful in the world.

The controversial proposal has divided the town of Toowoomba in the state of Queensland, which has faced water restrictions for a decade.

Local Mayor Dianne Thorley, who is leading the "Yes" campaign, said that without drought-breaking rains the town's dams could dry up within two years.

She insisted the 73 million dollar (US 55 million dollar) plan to pump purified wastewater back into the main reservoir for drinking was safe.

Word to the wise - if you visit a Toowoomba restaurant and the waiter asks "Who had the Number 2?", he might not be talking about the daily specials.

IRL Will Live Another Year

The IRL (Ignored Racing League) will live to race another year now that series sweetheart Danica Patrick has signed a new contract that will keep her in open-wheel racing:

Danica Patrick signed with Andretti Green Racing on Tuesday, deciding to stay in the Indy Racing League instead of switching to NASCAR.

Patrick will start driving for her new team in 2007. Her current contract with Rahal Letterman expires at the end of the season. Though she toyed with joining NASCAR, Patrick said last week she was leaning toward staying in the IndyCar series.

"My heart and soul is in IndyCar racing," Patrick said at a news conference. "NASCAR is not out for good. It's out for right now."

I still think she'll eventually end up in NASCAR. That's where the good drivers want to be (see Montoya, Juan Pablo).

The Rise of the Religious Left

Mark Daniels (writing at RedBlueChristian.com) points us to an article from the Washington Post on the rise of the religious left:

The religious right, which helped re-elect President Bush in 2004 by rallying opposition to abortion and gay marriage, is now facing a pushback from the religious left.

With a faith-based agenda of their own, liberal and progressive clergy from various denominations are lobbying lawmakers, holding rallies and publicizing their positions. They want to end the Iraq war, ease global warming, combat poverty, raise the minimum wage, revamp immigration laws, and prevent "immoral" cuts in federal social programs.

Some, like the Rev. Robin Meyers of the United Church of Christ in Oklahoma, marry gay couples and seek to reduce abortions while rejecting calls by the right to outlaw them.

"I join the ranks of those who are angry because I have watched as the faith I love has been taken over by fundamentalists who claim to speak for Jesus but whose actions are anything but Christian," declared Meyers, who has written a new book, "Why the Christian Right is Wrong.

According to scholars, the religious left has become its most active since the 1960s when the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and other clergy -- black and white -- were key figures in the civil-rights and anti-Vietnam war movements.

The religious right grew into prominence because the social and political beliefs it promoted were widely held among average voters, and thus there was a built in and very large base of support already there. The left does not have a similarly large base of support for many of the issues they espouse (like gay marriage, for instance). They might make some noise, but I doubt if they'll ever have the kind of electoral impact that the religious right has had.

Mark Daniels has a good warning for those on both sides of the religious political aisle:

Both the Christian Right and Left risk subordination of the Gospel to political -isms and get the Church off-message. (Here’s a succinct statement of what that message is that doesn’t come from James Dobson or Jim Wallis. It comes from Jesus. You remember Jesus, don’t you?)

Good point.

Hezbo Surprised by Israeli Response

The Israeli/Hezbo war in Lebanon has been called an "accidental war" by some who didn't expect the strong Israeli reaction. One of those just might be Hezbo head honcho Hassan Nasrallah (from Special Report):

Hezbollah Secretary-General Hassan Nasrallah says he told Lebanese officials that the only way to win the release of prisoners in Israeli jails was to abduct Israeli soldiers — days before Hezbollah captured two IDF troops.

The Middle East Media Research Institute reports Nasrallah told Al Jazeera last week, "I said that we would abduct Israeli soldiers in meetings with some of the main political leaders in the country," adding that those leaders supported the plan when he guaranteed it would hasten the prisoners' release.

Nasrallah says he was surprised the tactic backfired, saying he never expected Israel to launch a war over just two soldiers.

Nazrallah's reaction is a vivid demonstration of the difference between a culture of life and a culture of death.

This post at LGF regarding another Hezbo honcho shows the fallacy of trying to negotiate with terrorists. When you do, it shows them weakness which they feel they can exploit again and again. This time the Israelis had had enough and came out firing (literally) with both barrels. Should there still be a Hezbo when this is all over, I'm thinking they won't be quite so cavalier in how they operate (and of course this has served as a warning to other groups who may be planning to get on Israel's bad side).

CNN Admits to Being Used by Hezbo

I've decided to join Rush in calling Hezbollah "Hezbo". It's much easier to remember, and given there are 5 or 6 different spellings for the organization, mine is as good as anyone else's.

On July 19th I referenced a CNN report that I had seen which was little more than a propaganda piece for Hezbo. I was surprised that CNN ran it without any disclaimer whatsoever regarding the sites they visited, and the restrictions on their coverage. CNN has taken no small amount of heat for that report.

Now CNN is fessing up (from Newsbusters):

Back on July 18, Hezbollah took Robertson and his crew on a tour of a heavily damaged south Beirut neighborhood. The Hezbollah “press officer” even instructed the CNN camera: “Just look. Shoot. Look at this building. Is it a military base? Is it a military base, or just civilians living in this building?”

In his original story, Robertson had no complaints about the journalistic limitations of a story put together under such tight controls, and Robertson himself at one point seemed to agree with the Hezbollah propaganda claim that Israeli jets had targeted a civilian area: “As we run past the rubble, we see much that points to civilian life, no evidence apparent of military equipment.”

Challenged by Reliable Sources host (and Washington Post media writer) Howard Kurtz on Sunday, Robertson suggested Hezbollah has “very, very sophisticated and slick media operations,” that the terrorist group “had control of the situation. They designated the places that we went to, and we certainly didn’t have time to go into the houses or lift up the rubble to see what was underneath,” and he even contradicted Hezbollah’s self-serving spin: “There’s no doubt that the [Israeli] bombs there are hitting Hezbollah facilities.”

But the closest Robertson came to making any of these points in the taped package that aired last week was admitting that “we [he and his CNN crew] didn’t go burrowing into all the houses,” after pointing out (for the second time) that “we didn’t see any military type of equipment” in the area Hezbollah chose to let them tour.

CNN got snookered by Hezbo and didn't have the courage to challenge them or at least provide a disclaimer on the report. This is sort of reminiscent of the admission by former CNN head Eason Jordan that they purposely ignored Saddam Hussein's brutality in order to keep from losing their bureau in Baghdad.

As Dan Rather would say...courage.

Steele Makes Rookie Mistake

I have a lot of respect for Lt. Gov. Michael Steele of Maryland, who is now a GOP candidate for Senate. Having said that, I have a hard time explaining what he was thinking when he granted an interview with a bunch of Capitol Hill newsies and then required them to keep his name secret. Dana Milbank has his interview column here and it starts like this:

The candidate, immersed in one of the most competitive Senate races in the country, sat down to lunch yesterday with reporters at a Capitol Hill steakhouse and shared his views about this year's political currents.

On the Iraq war: "It didn't work. . . . We didn't prepare for the peace."

On the response to Hurricane Katrina: "A monumental failure of government."

On the national mood: "There's a palpable frustration right now in the country."

It's all fairly standard Democratic boilerplate -- except the candidate is a Republican . And he's getting all kinds of cooperation from the White House, the Republican National Committee and GOP congressional leaders.

Not that he necessarily wants it. "Well, you know, I don't know," the candidate said when asked if he wanted President Bush to campaign for him. Noting Bush's low standing in his home state, he finally added: "To be honest with you, probably not."

The candidate gave the luncheon briefing to nine reporters from newspapers, magazines and networks under the condition that he be identified only as a GOP Senate candidate. When he was pressed to go on the record, his campaign toyed with the idea but got cold feet. He was anxious enough to air his gripes but cautious enough to avoid a public brawl with the White House.

It took the blogosphere about a nanosecond to figure out who the mysterious "Senate candidate" was, so if Steele seriously thought he'd be able to keep his views and his name separate, he was badly mistaken.

As far as his comments go, if that's the way he really feels and if he thinks he needs to voice those concerns to help win election, then go on the record and say what you mean, but don't try and hide behind some mysterious column. That's a rookie mistake, and it makes voters wonder what else you may be hiding.

Steele needs to come right out, admit he's the guy, and explain what he means and why he decided to hold such a press briefing. Otherwise, he's going to have a cloud over his campaign that he doesn't really need right now.