John Kerry 'Apologizes' For Calling Troops Stupid

Kerry responds:

Washington – Senator John Kerry issued the following statement in response to White House Press Secretary Tony Snow, assorted right wing nut-jobs, and right wing talk show hosts desperately distorting Kerry’s comments about President Bush to divert attention from their disastrous record:

“If anyone thinks a veteran would criticize the more than 140,000 heroes serving in Iraq and not the president who got us stuck there, they're crazy. This is the classic G.O.P. playbook. I’m sick and tired of these despicable Republican attacks that always seem to come from those who never can be found to serve in war, but love to attack those who did.

There's more in this vein, i.e., blaming Rush Limbaugh and Tony Snow for interpreting Kerry's words as if they were spoken in plain English. Oh, wait, they were. Watch the video.

No wonder this idiot lost in 2004.

Update: The White Trash Republican has discovered a photo of Kerry's halloween costume.

The Enemy Within

Sout al Kuffar exposes YouTube's sedition:

John Kerry Insults Soldiers, MSM Covers Up

Update: Video via Michelle Malkin:



2004 Presidential loser John Kerry spoke to students Monday at a rally for California gubernatorial candidate Phil Angelides at Pasadena City College. Kerry delivered an intolerable insult to the brave Americans protecting us in the War on Terror. You didn't hear about it on the Nightly News.

From The Conservative Voice, here's what Kerry had to say:

“You know education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. And if you don’t you get stuck in Iraq.”

As NewsBusters points out, the mainstream media, in full Democratic campaign mode for next week's midterm elections, have failed to report this outrageous and revealing Kerry gaffe.

Hispanic Talkjocks Get 'Regular Guys' Fired

Larry Wachs and Eric Von Haessler, who did The Regular Guys Show on an Atlanta Clear Channel radio station, have been fired in a dispute between them and two Hispanic broadcasters who also work for Clear Channel. Wachs and Von Haessler invited the Hispanic radio personalities onto The Regular Guys Show to discuss the illegal alien boycott movement in March.

From Larry Wachs' blog:

All of this current mess took root, to my knowledge, in March, when the first national Hispanic illegal alien protests were taking place. We were doing our show in Orlando, from Braves spring training. Listeners started calling us on the air to get our opinion of the boycotts that were going on throughout the metro area and in other major cities across America. As the calls increased in volume, it became the only topic that day as it was on many talk shows across the country.

At one point in the show, we asked a producer to go down the hall and invite Yogi and Panda from Viva 105.7, also owned by Clear Channel, on the air to discuss the issue since some listeners had told us that they were exhorting their audience to boycott and take the day off. They agreed to come on and were ushered into our studio with our board operator, and we had a spirited discussion on the air.

Evidently Yogi and Panda aren't too good at unscripted repartee and got verbally slapped around on air by Wachs and Von Haessler. They decided that they were "disrespected" and filed complaints with the company.

Then Wachs recorded insults the pair shouted at him in Spanish in the company mensroom and played them on the air. Yogi and Panda decided to file a criminal complaint, and Clear Channel yanked The Regular Guys Show.

Wachs sums it up:

A case of a humorous prank has turned into a culture clash, a suppression of 1st Amendment rights, and a ridiculous smear campaign against me as well as termination of my income without due process.

Joy Johnston at About Atlanta offers this opinion of the dispute between The Regular Guys and the hypersensitive Hispanic duo:

As a faithful listener to the Regular Guys show, I have heard most if not all of the on-air bits that have involved Viva staff members, primarily Yogi and Panda, the morning show hosts, including the bathroom stunt that is at the crux of this lawsuit. Other than making fun of stereotypes, which the Regular Guys do to everyone, including "rednecks", I found nothing particularly offensive about the material.

The bathroom stunt was addressing a real issue that many of us deal with- people engaging in behavior not appropriate in the bathroom. I personally have dealt with people having cell phone conversations while in a stall, and I find that socially offensive. If Yogi and Panda were so concerned about privacy, perhaps they should not have been engaging in a conversation in a restroom accessible by other Clear Channel employees.

Via Wild Bill at Passionate America who has more.

Cross-Dressing Terrorist, Nine Others Captured

CENTCOM reports the capture of ten terrorists, and the death of one who fired on troops. The target of the raid was a tranny:

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed a terrorist Saturday morning and detained an individual responsible for the movement of foreign fighters into Iraq during a raid south of Baghdad.

Saturday’s raid was part of an ongoing effort to diminish al-Qaeda in Iraq car bombing capabilities in the Baghdad area. During October, Coalition Forces detained eight other key players and 15 known associates.

During the raid, eight insurgents attempted to flee the area and ground forces were able to safely detain them. Forces detained two others without incident. The targeted terrorist was disguised as a woman in an attempt to avoid being detained.

As the Coalition Forces were preparing to depart with the detainees, they received small arms fire from a terrorist and ground forces returned fire, killing the terrorist.

Below: artist's conception of the transvestite terrorist.

Did They Get Zawahiri?

ABC's The Blotter (yes, I know, not the most reliable source) reports that al Qaeda mad doctor Ayman al-Zawahiri was the target of the attack on a Pakistan madrassa (which ABC insists on referring to as a "religious school" - technically correct, I suppose):

Ayman al Zawahiri was the target of a Predator missile attack this morning on a religious school in Pakistan, according to Pakistani intelligence sources.

ABC News has learned the raid was launched after U.S. intelligence received tips and examined Predator reconnaissance indicating that al Qaeda's No. 2 man may have been staying at the school, which is located in the Bajaur region near the village that is thought to be al Qaeda's winter headquarters.

If Zawahiri was killed in the raid, and it is announced, expect the DNC to begin questioning the timing of the attack.

Via The Jawa Report.

Marine Ballerinas Need Your Help

Pam at Iraq War Today writes to ask for your help for the little ballerinas of Camp Lejeune:

Marine Corps Base Camp Lejeune's Community Center offers dance classes to kids ages 3 - 10. Instructor Lauren Kelly-Hill contacted local businesses with "we support our troops" signs in their windows, to ask for sponsorship for costumes for the kids' December holiday dance recital, in return for an ad in the recital program.

The kids need a total of $1,200 for their costumes for the December recital. Costumes and other supplies for the larger Spring recital will be about twice that.

Unfortunately, only one business responded - only to report that they were financially committed for the year. I understand that many businesses may have obligations, but I have to say, this is a pretty poor showing for a military town - especially when we're talking about businesses that declare that they "support our troops."

Supporting our troops means supporting their families, too. For many of these girls, it will be a last chance to show off before their Hero deploys - most of these Marines will be away during the Spring recital. So these little ladies really need your help.

Only $1,200 - really not much. I've got a fairly modest readership as blogs go, and if every one of my readers gave only a couple of dollars, we'd have it covered, and then some. A little more than that, and we've got Spring covered, too.

Please consider making a donation to help Camp Lejeune's ballerinas to make their holiday recital special. The donation isn't tax deductible, but as Lauren says, "it IS going for the 40 most beautiful little girls to have an awesome recital with costumes, decorations, and recital photos."

Sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

You can make your donation here. Mine's already in.

Thank you for any help you can provide to these little girls. It's going to mean more than you can know to them and to their families.

Pam has an update here.

The Diggers Are All Right

The Aussies get Beccy Cole, and what do we get? Pinheaded porker Natalie Maines, yuck. There's only one thing to say: AUSSIE! AUSSIE! AUSSIE! OY! OY! OY!

Via Marvin's Word.

Radio Host: Incumbents 'May Have to be Assassinated'

In a lengthy rant, anti-semitic radio host Hal Turner believes that 1.350 "patriot assassins" would be a large enough force to overwhelm Secret Service agents and Capitol Police and deal with the "problems" posed by half the US House and Senate and "at least three problems" on the Supreme Court:

As the November 7 Election approaches, I decided to write a few lines to my fellow Americans about the state of our nation and the ugliness that may have to occur if the people who caused these problems are re-elected: They may have to be assassinated.

Among the crimes for which Turner believes these folks "may" have to die are passage of the Patriot Act and ruling that boating, hunting and fishing in navigable waterways is illegal.

In the comments on his website, Turner writes that his careful choice of words gives him legal cover:

hey hal instead of saying "may" SAY you WILL KILL THEM!!! grow some balls!

------------------- Hal Turner responds:

No no no no no. Words mean things. The difference between "may" and "will" is the difference between an opinion and a threat.

One is lawful, the other is not.

It's not a matter of balls, it's a matter of brains!

HT

Edited By Siteowner
Jamie | 10.27.06 - 6:37 pm | #

No word yet on whether the FBI agrees.

Interestingly, while Turner's radio show and website are popular with Nazi and White Power types, most of Turner's views are shared by Democrats.

Via the Drudge Report.

Sons and Soldiers

Cookie at The Cookshack Gab & Grub writes about two brothers who served in Iraq. One died there. Their mother wants to send a message to America and Cindy Sheehan. Chances are pretty good that you won't hear what this woman has to say from Brian Williams or Katie Couric, so head on over to the Cookshack.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Most Misleading Headline of the Day Award

And the winner is, the Associated Press, for this story, headlined, "Webb: Democrats will provide Iraq remedy."

While the Democratic candidate for Senator from Virginia may know a lot about the oral stimulation of toddlers' penises, he offers nothing but Sound and Fury concerning the Iraqi theater of the Global War on Terror. The "remedy" promised in the AP headline is not forthcoming anywhere in the story.

Webb gets points for honesty, however, by admitting that the Democrats have no plan for further progress in Iraq:

"A Democratic Congress will demand from day one that the president find a real way forward in Iraq. We'll work with the administration and other Republicans to develop a concrete plan, but none of us are ready to settle for empty rhetoric, or the same old unacceptable results," Webb said.

With the mention of "empty rhetoric" Webb qualifies for his own award, "Most Blatant Unconscious Irony in a Public Statement."

Lynne Cheney Bitchslaps Wolf Blitzer

Maybe if Wolfie asks nicely, Lynne will give him back his testicles.

Arizona '9/11 Memorial' Protest Tomorrow

Curt from Flopping Aces wants to remind everyone about the rally tomorrow to protest the Arizona Fortress of Dhimmitude.

The so-called memorial is an example of ultra leftwing moral relativism at its most disgraceful, and is really a deliberate slap in the face to the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

Corpsman Creates Seal of Bluto

The Marines don't have any medics (or chaplains, for that matter). They are dependent on the Navy Corpsman for treatment on the battlefield.

I'd like to thank Corpsman Malios for creating this Official Seal of The Dread Pundit Bluto:

Malios adds his "Definition of Corpsman: Usually a long haired, bearded, Marine hating Sailor, that would go through the very gates of Hell, to get to a wounded Marine."

Amen. A Navy Corpsman saved my dad's life on Okinawa. These courageous souls can grow their hair and beards just as long as they like, as far as I'm concerned. The seal will be going into my sidebar, with a permalink to the Navy Corpsman website.

'Assclowns of Ishmael' Rises Again

The video in a previous post, "Jihadis Getting What They Deserve," was yanked by jihadi sympathizers at YouTube, but one of my friends has reposted it, with a minor alteration, here:



And another friend has posted the video to Google Video: Google Copy of Blutos Vid. Just in case.

So What's the Plan, Man?

Boston Herald columnist Michael Graham is all set to vote a straight Democratic ticket on November 7th if the DNC can answer one easy question:

But I think I must have missed a meeting or accidentally deleted an e-mail from Moveon.org, because I still haven’t seen the Democratic plan to fix Iraq and kick terrorist butt. Could someone please point me to the page of Time magazine’s recent “Barack For President” issue with the Democrats’ “How we defeat the woman-beating, homosexual-executing, book-burning, anti-Semitic, knuckle-dragging Islamists who want to kill us” bullet points? Thanks.

Wazzat? You can’t? Comrade, what do you mean there isn’t a Democratic strategy for terrorism? There’s gotta be. I mean - seriously - what kind of political party has no war plan at a time when we’re actively at war? When 135,000 troops are in the field, and where six weeks ago we foiled a plot to blow 10 American aircraft out of the sky?

Hello?

This is the part that the Democrats' cheerleaders in the mainstream press are soft-peddling in their glowing comparisons of the current political landscape to that of the early nineties. In 1994, when Republicans stormed Congress, Newt Gingrich and the party leaders had the famous "Contract With America," detailing, among other things, what they hoped to accomplish in the first hundred days of a Republican majority.

How does the Democratic Party plan to lead if the voters grant them majorities in the House and Senate?
Graham has a clue:

After all, the Democrats’ position on stopping terror can’t be to abandon democracy in Iraq, stop wiretapping, end coercive interrogation and reveal our secret tracking of terror money abroad in The New York Times. That’s crazy.

Yes, it is.

Graham's column is in sync with Jim Geraghty, one of the few people who called the 2004 Presidential election correctly, who also believes that the "security" vote is much more important than MSM analysts are letting on.

George Allen Campaign Details Opponent's 'Disturbing' Writings

Senator George Allen (R-VA) has issued a press release detailing that fiction written by his Democratic opponent James Webb contains graphic misogynistic and incestuous pedophiliac passages.

From the Drudge Report:

– Lost Soldiers: “A shirtless man walked toward them along a mud pathway. His muscles were young and hard, but his face was devastated with wrinkles. His eyes were so red that they appeared to be burned by fire. A naked boy ran happily toward him from a little plot of dirt. The man grabbed his young son in his arms, turned him upside down, and put the boy’s penis in his mouth.”

– Something to Die For: "Fogarty . . . watch[ed] a naked young stripper do the splits over a banana. She stood back up, her face smiling proudly and her round breasts glistening from a spotlight in the dim bar, and left the banana on the bar, cut in four equal sections by the muscles of her vagina."

Via Jay at Stop the ACLU, who points out that Right Wing News had the story first, posting similar passages on September 29th.

NBC Refuses to Run Anti-Bush Dixie Chicks Ads

NBC has refused to run ads for the Dixie Chick upcoming documentary, Shut Up and Sing, saying that the network, “Cannot Accept These Spots as They are Disparaging to President Bush.”

In 2003, Dixie Chicks singer Natalie Maines put herself in the running for Stupidest Person in the World when she grossly offended her Country Western audience by publicly declaring that she was "ashamed the president of the United States is from Texas." Record sales and concert attendance has been...a tad off...ever since.

Jihadis Getting What They Deserve

Update: DhimmiTube has yanked the video, apparently because it offends the delicate sensibilities of the YTers to see terrorists actually paying for their crimes.

This Hamas propaganda video has been on YouTube for a month. As Hamas is a recognized Foreign Terrorist Organization, YouTube may actually be in violation of US law for allowing it to remain.

I've uploaded my video (about 32 megs) to FILESEND. It can be downloaded at this URL: http://www.filesend.net/download.php?f=7c22a86e4da62c6191daf0405ad7687d - downloading the video is free, and you are welcome to do so.

The name of the file is nightmare_001. I am definitely not suggesting that those of you with YouTube accounts download the file, and add an extra credit screen to the beginning or the end to disguise the nature of the video, and then upload the video to YouTube. Oh no, I would never suggest anything like that.

The Jihadis Can Count on CNN in America, the BBC in the UK

Terrorists in Iraq know they can rely on CNN to carry their propaganda as if it were straight news, now the Taliban is having success in placing "news" with the publicly funded British Broadcasting Corporation.

The homepage blurb makes it sound, well, official [emphasis added]:

'Civilians killed' in Nato raids
Scores of civilians have been killed in Nato raids against the Taleban in southern Afghanistan, officials say.

But the true nature of the reporting only becomes clear after you click on the headline to read the story itself [emphasis added]:

Scores of civilians have been killed during Nato operations against Taleban fighters in southern Afghanistan, local officials and civilians say.

Most Britons are going to assume that the BBC means "British officials" when they read "officials" in the headline. Instead, the BBC is relying on the veracity of local chieftains and civilians in Taliban-infested areas for their information.

These are the same sort of people who brought Western news agencies this staged photo, purportedly of a "missile part," but actually an inert artillery shell, that local Afhgan officials and civilians claimed was responsible for numerous civilian deaths in an airstrike on the Taliban.

One would think that with the recent fake news/fauxtography scandals that news agencies would be more careful about checking the veracity of their sources.

It's a bird! It's a plane! It's...

...a stupid jihadi who brought a rifle to a bomb fight.

Like Taking a Nice, Hot Bath

A certain demented media-whore, who first gained infamy by claiming to have found a sodlier's camera and demanding a reward for its return has been harassing me and a few other bloggers with nuisance-type claims of copyright infringement. It was painfully obvious that this sicko was feeling withdrawal pains, after appearing on the Fox Network (where he was publicly, even brutally humiliated by both Hannity and Colmes) to discuss his imbecilic website demeaning America's troops.

His increasingly desperate squeals for attention have become too annoying to tolerate any longer. Rather than give him what he really wants, I've decided to give him the gift of anonymity. I have purged this website of every mention of this psychotic individual. Those of you in the know can probably still find references in Google's cache, but, unless he commits suicide in a particularly way (not out of the question, seriously, this is one messed up unit) his name and/or aliases will never be found on this blog again.

This is like taking a nice, hot bath after spending a couple of hours cleaning out a barn full of cows suffering from the scours (for you cityfolk, that means the butterscotch squirts).

NYT Ombudsman Admits They Were Wrong to Leak Classified Information

Byron Calame, the reader Ombudsman for the New York Times, has reversed his earlier support for the NYT's decision to publish classified details of a secret government program to trace international terrorist financial transactions. It only took a few months and a Congressional Resolution condemning the Gray Lady's betrayal of the public trust for Calame to see the error of his ways.

The admission is buried on the second page of an article called, "Can ‘Magazines’ of The Times Subsidize News Coverage?" As noted by Michelle Malkin, the mea culpa is loaded with weasel words, but eventually it emerges that Calame thinks the New York Times should not have published details of the secret, and highly successful, program:

I haven’t found any evidence in the intervening months that the surveillance program was illegal under United States laws. Although data-protection authorities in Europe have complained that the formerly secret program violated their rules on privacy, there have been no Times reports of legal action being taken. Data-protection rules are often stricter in Europe than in America, and have been a frequent source of friction.

Expect massive coverage of the New York Times' hideous gaffe by their colleagues in the mainstream press, not.

'Rear Echelon Reporters' Exaggerating Baghdad Dangers

Michael Fumento, who has been embedded three times in Anbar Province, and has, "...been mortared and sniped at, and [has] dodged machine-gun fire..." has had it with Green Zone reporters from the mainstream media telling tall tales to dramatize their experiences.

From Fumento's website:

Would you trust a Hurricane Katrina report datelined “direct from Detroit”? Or coverage of the World Trade Center attack from Chicago? Why then should we believe a Time Magazine investigation of the Haditha killings that was reported not from Haditha but from Baghdad? Or a Los Angeles Times article on a purported Fallujah-like attack on Ramadi reported by four journalists in Baghdad and one in Washington? Yet we do, essentially because we have no choice. A war in a country the size of California is essentially covered from a single city. Plug the name of Iraqi cities other than Baghdad into Google News and you’ll find that time and again the reporters are in Iraq’s capital, nowhere near the scene. Capt. David Gramling, public affairs officer for the unit I’m currently embedded with, puts it nicely: “I think it would be pretty hard to report on Baghdad from out here.” Welcome to the not-so-brave new world of Iraq war correspondence.

Fumento also debunks the accounts of some journalists who have described a hair-raising corkscrew approach to Baghdad International Airport.

Most rear-echelon reporters seem to have studied the same handbook, perhaps The Dummies’ Guide to Faux Bravado. It usually begins with the horrific entry into Baghdad International Airport. Time’s Baghdad bureau chief, Aparisim Ghosh, in an August 2006 cover story, devotes five long paragraphs to the alleged horror of landing there.

It’s “the world’s scariest landing,” he insists, as if he were an expert on all the landings of all the planes at all the world’s airports and military airfields. It’s “a steep, corkscrewing plunge,” a “spiraling dive, straightening up just yards from the runway. If you’re looking out the window, it can feel as if the plane is in a free fall from which it can’t possibly pull out.” Writes Ghosh, “During one especially difficult landing in 2004, a retired American cop wouldn't stop screaming ‘Oh, God! Oh, God!’ I finally had to slap him on the face – on instructions from the flight attendant.”

The Associated Press gave us a whole article on the subject, titled “A hair-raising flight into Baghdad,” referring to “a stomach-churning series of tight, spiraling turns that pin passengers deep in their seats.”

I’ve flown into that airport three times now; each time was in a military C-130 Hercules cargo plane, and each landing was as smooth as the proverbial baby’s behind. But Ghosh is describing a descent in a civilian Fokker F-28 jet, on which admittedly I have never flown. (It’s $900 one-way for the short hop from Amman to Baghdad, and therefore the transportation of well-heeled media people.) So I asked a reporter friend who frequently covers combat in the Mideast and Africa, and has also frequently flown into Baghdad on those Fokkers. “The plane just banks heavily,” he said. “It’s not a big deal.” He requested anonymity, lest he incur the wrath of other journalists for spoiling their war stories.

Via The Jawa Report.

Islamo-Nazis

This video explores the fascination that Nazism holds for many radical Islamists, a fascination that began with the Grand Mufti of Jerusalem during WWII. This will come as a surprise to those who believe that the state of Israel is the root of all problems in the Middle East. There was not yet an Israel when the Grand Mufti recruited Muslim SS stormtroopers for Hitler.

Hastert Chides Pelosi For Her 'Irresponsible' Iraq Withdrawal Scenario

House Speaker Dennis Hastert calls Democratic House leader Nancy Pelosi's views, expressed Sunday in a CBS "Sixty Minutes" segment, "...foolish, naive and dangerous." Speaker Hastert was being too kind. Pelosi's inability to understand the nature of the Global War on Terror was revealed quite clearly in this statement (From CNSNews):

Pelosi told CBS's Leslie Stahl that yes, there are terrorists in Iraq. "But that doesn't mean we stay there. They'll stay there as long as we're there. They're there because we're there," she said.

Pelosi hasn't connected the dots. They're there, and being killed there by the thousands. If we leave, they'll follow us home.

Hastert had more to say about the Democratic leader's gaffe:

"Is the Democrat Minority Leader really turning a blind eye towards the countless number of terrorists that we are fighting in the streets and battlefields of Iraq and also in numerous countries around the world? Does she forget the nearly 3,000 victims of September 11th? The 201 victims of the Madrid train bombings? And the 52 victims of the London bomb attacks? These were all innocent victims of the Global War on Terror. And what about the countless others who have been saved because of our efforts?

Hastert said Pelosi could not be further from reality when she say terrorists are in Iraq only because U.S. troops are there: "If the United States had not brought the fight to foreign soil, terrorists wouldn't disappear -- they would deploy to the United States."

He said that's why President Bush and the Republican-led Congress "have chosen to go on the offensive and take the fight to the terrorists before we have to fight them in American neighborhoods."

The World Gave Us Four Days

Not including the British, of course, who have, for the most part, been staunch allies. The rest of the world gave us four days of support following the al Qaeda terrorist attacks on September 11, 2001. It was a dead heat between the French and the Russians over who would squirt in their pants first.

This story from the September 15, 2001 issue of the Guardian documents the cowardice (and, as we learned later, the Europeans and Russians were motivated by venality as well) and how Tony Blair immediately rose to meet the historic challenge:

Tony Blair is unequivocal that Britain should participate fully in the expected US military action. He told a packed Commons, recalled to emergency session yesterday: "Murder of British people in New York is no different in nature from their murder in the heart of Britain itself. In the most direct sense, therefore, we have not just an interest, but an obligation to bring those responsible to account."

But France signalled that it would not automatically support military action. "Our humane, political and functional solidarity [with the US] does not deprive us of our sovereignty and freedom to make up our own minds," the French prime minister, Lionel Jospin, maintained. [spoken like a true, mincing nancyboy. Enjoy your Islamist riots while Paris burns, pussies.-Bluto]

Russia, which initially offered enthusiastic support, was adamant that it would not participate in any "revenge'' attacks. The Russian defence minister, Sergei Ivanov, said there was no chance of the US being allowed to launch attacks from the former Soviet republic. [The Russians found out what was what when Islamists butchered their children in Beslan three years later.-Bluto]

One of the reasons that several European foreign ministries are growing anxious is that the possibility is gaining credibility of a second Gulf war against Iraq to finish off the job begun in 1991 by toppling the Iraqi president, Saddam Hussein.

Of course, the UN oil for food scandal explained all too clearly why these greedy bastards were "growing anxious."

Anyway, I just thought you might like to be reminded that "Nous Sommes Tous les Américains" (We Are All Americans) lasted exactly four days.

'Human Shield' Jailed For Putting Teenager in Coma

Alleged "peace activist" and "pacifist" Christiaan Briggs has been sentenced to eight months for cold-cocking a teenager, resulting in traumatic brain injury when the teen's head struck the pavement, in a dispute over Briggs' ogling of the teen's girlfriend.

From Life Style Extra (UK):

A smirking peace activist who left a rising rock star fighting for his life after a row over his girlfriend was jailed for eight months today.

Christiaan Briggs, 30, attacked 19-year-old singer Billy Leeson and left him in a coma, after Mr Leeson asked him to stop staring at his girlfriend on a late night number 29 bus.

After punching the teenager Briggs, who went to Iraq as a peace activist in 2003, walked away "smirking".

Mr Leeson fell into a coma when he hit his head in the pavement and the judge at Snaresbrook Crown Court said: "It was obviously a miracle that he lived."

Briggs' lawyer argued for leniency (apparently successfully, given the wrist-slap sentence) saying that Briggs was a "committed pacifist" who was "absolutely horrified by his behaviour."

I guess you can tell by the smirk.

Briggs' swinish behavior perfectly illustrates the utter arrogance of the mindset that leads people to become human shields for barbaric regimes. It's not as unusual as it sounds for peace types to show vicious tendencies. A year ago, Quakers planned and held a series of death parties to celebrate the 2000th US servicemember killed, claiming they were commemorations.

Via Are We Lumberjacks.

Her Lips Are Moving

You know what that means. But, even when Pelosi violates her "pledge," the mainstream media will conveniently forget that she had made it.



Of course, Pelosi's vow to hobble the administration by making them "lame ducks" confirms everything I wrote in this post.

Via Stop the ACLU.

The Shape of Things to Come

In an uncharacteristically honest appraisal of what leading Democrats are plotting following a successful takeover of the House, Newsweek reveals why jihadis all over the world are praying to Allah for a Democratic victory in November:

Dingell is careful to say he is not out to get George W. Bush, or the Republicans, and insists he will extend his hand to his GOP colleagues and conduct "oversight thoughtfully and responsibly." He says "there's no list" of things he wants to investigate. But in the next breath, he quickly ticks off a list of things he wants to investigate: The Bush administration's handling of port security and the threat of nuclear smuggling; computer privacy; climate change; concentration of media ownership; the new Medicare Part D program, which he calls a "massive scandal," and the secret meetings of Vice President Dick Cheney's energy task force. "This is a hardheaded administration," Dingell says. "So we'll probably have lots of hearings."

The House of Representatives is full of John Dingell Democrats—exiled committee chairmen awaiting the day they can reclaim the center chair on the dais. All carry lists—if only in their heads—of issues and outrages they believe Republicans have failed to probe because such questions would be politically embarrassing to the president. Henry Waxman of California is another Democratic old-timer whose ire never dims. A tireless investigator, he's in line to head the Government Reform Committee, and plans to take aim at Halliburton and alleged rip-offs and contract abuse in Iraq. Then there's Charles Rangel, the New York congressman who's never met a cable show he didn't like. He is set to take over the Ways and Means Committee, and wants to take a hard look at the Bush tax cuts. John Conyers of Michigan has waited for years to head the Judiciary Committee. He's likely to convene hearings on the Patriot Act and domestic wiretapping. In the past, he has suggested the possibility of impeachment hearings for President Bush.

Stop listening to suspected terrorist phone calls, stop interrogating captured terrorists, redeploy the troops to Okinawa, continue the relentless efforts to criminalize their political enemies...but you don't you dare question their patriotism.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Ignorant Race-Baiting From the Guardian

The Drudge Report, which should know better, links to this pathetically uninformed Guardian story designed to foment racial resentment, and, incidentally, attack a rarity in Hollywood these days - an unabashedly patriotic movie.

Flags of Our Fathers opened yesterday, and the Guardian immediately launched their assault[emphasis added]:

in Flags of Our Fathers, Clint Eastwood's big-budget, Oscar-tipped film of the battle for the Japanese island that opened on Friday in the US. While the film's battle scenes show scores of young soldiers in combat, none of them are African-American. Yet almost 900 African-American troops took part in the battle of Iwo Jima, including Sgt McPhatter.

The Guardian is not a newspaper that likes to let a little fact-checking get in the way of a good rant. If they were, they might have found out that the United States sent 110,000 Marines to invade Iwo Jima. That means that the 900 African Americans who participated represented eight tenths of one percent of the invasion force.

So, if the movie, as the Guardian says, portrayed "scores of young soldiers" (and by the way, they weren't "soldiers", they were Marines, you insipid socialist limey jackasses), and we generously allow "scores" to mean "100," that means that a proportional representation of African Americans would require that eight tenths of a Marine be portrayed as black. Given the ferocity of the battle for Iwo Jima, perhaps that would be appropriate.

What's not appropriate is for a foreign leftist scandal rag, whose editors are so blindingly stupid that they don't even know the difference between a soldier and a Marine, to seek to foment racial tension.

Uncle Jimbo Doesn't Mince Words

If the F-bomb offends you, don't watch.



Uncle Jimbo blogs at milblog Black Five.

Mystery Blog Linked To Dem Moneyman Soros?

Dan at Rhiel World View has been connecting the dots in the Foley/Democratic Dirty Tricks Squad scandal, and the dots are starting to point toward ultra-leftwing sugardaddy George Soros. The anti-dirty tricks blog Stop October Surprises claims to have traced an IP representing the now expunged blog Stop Sexual Predators to the Human Rights Campaign a liberal group connected to People for the American Way, and thus to Soros (all roads are leading to Royal Oak, Michigan). This new information gibes with news accounts saying that Democratic Party operatives werre shopping the Foley story to the Press months before it broke.

The evidence is pointing toward a conspiracy within the Democratic Party and its supporters to withhold information about Mark Foley's suspected peccadilloes until it was politically expedient to release it. In other words, it was never about the "children," it was always about exploiting the children for political gain.

House Chair: 'CNN Publicist For Enemy Propaganda'

From the Los Angeles Times:

SAN DIEGO — CNN has become "the publicist for an enemy propaganda film" by broadcasting a video showing an insurgent sniper in Iraq apparently killing an American soldier, the chairman of the House Armed Services Committee said here Friday.

Rep. Duncan Hunter (R-El Cajon) called for the Pentagon to oust any CNN reporter embedded with U.S. troops in Iraq.

"I think Americans like to think we're all in this together," Hunter said. "The average American Marine or soldier has concluded after seeing that film that CNN is not on their side."

Since CNN chief news exec Eason Jordan (who later resigned in disgrace for slandering US troops) has admitted that CNN's Baghdad bureau deliberately concealed news of Saddam's atrocities prior to the invasion of Iraq, perhaps no CNN "journalist's" credentials should be considered valid by any US government entity.

CNN Hypocrisy: 'Unvarnished Truth' Fine if it Damages US Interests

Major news organizations are usually more careful about exposing abject, provable hypocrisy, but CNN seems to have been backed into a corner by negative reaction to its decision to air terrorist propaganda videos of US soldiers being attacked by snipers.

The Associated Press reports that David Doss, executive producer of "Anderson Cooper 360," defended the decision to show the video [emphasis added]:

NEW YORK - A CNN executive said Thursday the network's effort to present the "unvarnished truth" about the Iraq war led it to televise portions of a video that shows insurgent snipers targeting U.S. military personnel...

"Whether or not you agree with us in this case, our goal, as always, is to present the unvarnished truth as best we can," Doss said.

Really? The "unvarnished truth?" Then what did CNN say in this report from February 10, 2006 about the Danish Mohammed cartoons? This:

CNN is not showing the negative caricatures of the likeness of the Prophet Mohammed because the network believes its role is to cover the events surrounding the publication of the cartoons while not unnecessarily adding fuel to the controversy itself.

Prof Says Teddy Kennedy Conspired With Soviets Against Reagan

College professor Paul Kengor asserts in his new book, The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism, that Senator Edward Kennedy (D-MA) approached the Soviets in 1983 and offered to help them counter then-President Ronald Reagan's foreign policy in order to complicate his re-election efforts.

From CNSNews.com:

In his book, which came out this week, Kengor focuses on a KGB letter written at the height of the Cold War that shows that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) offered to assist Soviet leaders in formulating a public relations strategy to counter President Reagan's foreign policy and to complicate his re-election efforts.

The letter, dated May 14, 1983, was sent from the head of the KGB to Yuri Andropov, who was then General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party.

In his letter, KGB head Viktor Chebrikov offered Andropov his interpretation of Kennedy's offer. Former U.S. Sen. John Tunney (D-Calif.) had traveled to Moscow on behalf of Kennedy to seek out a partnership with Andropov and other Soviet officials, Kengor claims in his book.

Kengor compares Kennedy's alleged Cold War treason with the behavior of Democrats today toward the current President and the War on Terror.

Via The Jawa Report.

Media Elites: 'Public Numb to US Deaths in Iraq'

Media types are trying to understand why their carefully crafted agenda journalism, and fake and staged news, are not having the desired effect among the lumpen proletariat.

Reuters explains the latest mainstream meme, the public is "numb" to Iraq war deaths:

But with the U.S. military death toll hitting 2,787 on Friday, and with 73 deaths so far in October, it is shaping up to be the deadliest month for U.S. forces since the Falluja offensive two years ago.

Analysts said even local media coverage struggles to overcome the numbing affect of the steady flow of deaths.

"In Iraq, certainly while we were losing relatively small numbers of soldiers early on, I think that was a huge shock," said Max Boot, a senior fellow of national security studies at the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations.

"But now that it's kind of accumulated it doesn't have as much of a shock value. This is reminiscent of (Soviet dictator Joseph) Stalin's phrase about how 'one death is a tragedy, a million deaths is a statistic.' There's some truth to that."

This is exactly the sort of story one could expect from Reuters, which still refuses to use the word terrorist. They have a tendency to throw Occam's Razor overboard, and over-intellectualize the things that puzzle them.

Apparently, the think-tankers and journalists see "numbness" because of the lack of Vietnam-era style mass demonstrations, as no other reason for believing Americans don't care about their war dead is mentioned. What they're really saying is that Americans are not reacting in the way they would prefer, by calling for retreat and surrender in the War on Terror.

Here's a hint for these poor souls: We are at war. We were attacked in our own homeland. Our soldiers are fighting a war. Everyone, with the exception of certain elite types, knows that people die in a war. The remarkable thing about this war is not that American warriors are dying, but that so few are - a tribute to their training, tactics, and determination.

And many of us are onto the tactics you treasonous weasels have been perfecting since Vietnam. Leave it to al-Reuters to write a story about American dead in the War on Terror...and never once mention 9/11.

We are at war, and most Americans know it.

Democrat Staffer Suspended in Investigation of NIE Leak

Don't count on this being big news in the mainstream media, but the chairman of the House Intelligence Committee has suspended a Democratic staffer to the Committee due to the "coincidence" of this staffer having requested information that was later leaked to the New York Times.

That information, one sentence from the National Intelligence Estimate, was the basis for this political attack story (now safely hidden behind the Times Select wall) against the Bush administration. Here are a few things that were left out of the leak, making it clear that the leak was a partisan attack.

From the Los Angeles Times:

WASHINGTON -- House Intelligence Chairman Peter Hoekstra has suspended a Democratic staff member because of concerns he may have leaked a high-level intelligence assessment to The New York Times last month.

In a letter obtained by The Associated Press Thursday night, Rep. Ray LaHood, R-Ill., a committee member, said that an unidentified staffer requested the document from National Intelligence Director John Negroponte three days before the Sept. 23 story about its conclusions.

The staffer received the National Intelligence Estimate on global terror trends on Sept. 21.

"I have no credible information to say any classified information was leaked from the committee's minority staff, but the implications of such would be dramatic," LaHood wrote Hoekstra, R-Mich., late last month. "This may, in fact, be only coincidence, and simply 'look bad.' But coincidence, in this town, is rare."

Democratic members of the House Intelligence Committee, their staffers, and the New York Times aren't talking.

Free Speech Officially Dead in UK

Apparently, Muslim extremists in the United Kingdom, working hand-in-hand with British dhimmis, have succeeded in crushing the freedom of expression in that once-great nation.

From the Tivy-Side Advertiser:

A protest in London against the publication of a cartoon depicting the prophet Mohammed as a terrorist incensed an Aberporth man, who painted an anti-Muslim slogan on a white sheet and draped it over his garden fence.

The words in bold red paint stated: "Kill all Muslims who threaten us and our way of life. Enoch Powell was right."

Father of two Gary John Mathewson, who was arrested for displaying the banner, told a court: "This won't stop until there is a Muslim president in the White House."

continued...
And referring to MP Jack Straw questioning whether Muslim women should wear face veils he asked: "Are you going to arrest him?"

When prosecutor Maggie Hughes pointed out that the banner did not mention extremists Mathewson said: "That's what I meant by those who threaten us and our way of life.'"

And prosecuting people for expressing themselves is decidely one-sided:

...during the protest in London a Muslim was dressed as a suicide bomber he asked: "Why was he not arrested?"

Who filed the complaint against Mathewson? Enter the dhimmi:

One of his neighbours, a retired Army officer with 23 years service, told the court he reported the matter to the police because he feared a visit from Muslim extremists.

But this is still okay with the Brit authorities:


Via The Jawa Report.

Yes, Iraq IS Like Vietnam

But not for the reasons reporters think, or are willing to admit.

From the Washington Post:

GREENSBORO, N.C., Oct. 18 -- President Bush said Wednesday that the current surge of violence in Iraq "could be" comparable to the Tet Offensive during the Vietnam War, a succession of battles that became a milestone because it helped turn the American public against the conflict and its political leadership.

What the WaPo won't come right out and say is that it wasn't the Tet Offensive itself that had such a devastating effect upon civilian morale, it was the abjectly incompetent reporting of the event by American journalists.

To their credit, Washington Post reporters Michael A. Fletcher and Peter Baker do concede this much:

Historians consider Tet a military defeat for the Viet Cong because it lost so many men and captured no significant objectives. But it was also a powerful propaganda victory for the Viet Cong, because it brought the bloody war home to many Americans watching television.

"It" (the offensive) did not, by itself, constitute a "propaganda victory." It took inaccurate, hysterical, and sensationalistic reporting to "[bring] the bloody war home."

Tet ended the military effectiveness of the Viet Cong; they were never again able to field a force above company strength after their losses during the offensive. American media either never realized this, or simply ignored it, as they largely ignored the bloodbath that followed Congress' final betrayal of our allies, when funding to the Republic of Vietnam was cut off, and the South Vietnamese were left to face a massive, Soviet-backed invasion from the North. Their soldiers had three rounds apiece and medics were rewashing bandages for reuse.

In "The Myth of a Liberation", Truong Nhu Tang, former Justice Minister of the VC provisional government writes:

I asked the four-star general standing next to me where were the famous Viet Cong divisions 1, 5, 7, and 9. The general, Van Tien Dung, commander-in-chief of the North Vietnamese army, answered coldly that the armed forces were now “unified”. At that moment I began to understand my fate and that of the NLF [National Liberation Front - the political wing of the Viet Cong]. In Vietnam we often said: “Take the juice of the lemon and throw away the peel.” On that dais the years of communist promises and assurances revealed themselves for the propaganda they were. Victory Day celebrated no victory for the NLF, or for the South.

The refusal of the Vietnam era journalists to look back and admit that they were used as pawns by Ho Chi Minh has spawned a whole new generation of ignorance, eager to repeat their elders' mistakes in Iraq.

And that is how Vietnam and Iraq are alike, in the failures of the American mainstream media.

ACLU Succeeding in Having Searches Banned at NFL Stadiums

It's a good thing that the Department of Homeland Security is skeptical about the threat to set off radiological "dirty bombs" in seven National Football League stadiums, because the American Civil Liberties Union is doing all it can to prevent anyone being searched at NFL stadiums anyway.

From an ACLU press release:

Tampa Buccaneers Fans Free from Mass Random Searches

TAMPA, FL -- The American Civil Liberties Union of Florida today announced that a federal judge has blocked mass pat-down searches at Buccaneer games, stating that the public “has a compelling interest in preserving the constitutional right to be free from unreasonable governmental intrusion.”

The court order follows a similar injunction issued by a state court judge in October of last year and prohibits mass random searches of Tampa Buccaneers patrons without individualized suspicion. In both rulings, the courts held that the Fourth Amendment protects Americans from unreasonable searches such as those being conducted at Raymond James Stadium, which is owned and operated by the Tampa Sports Authority.

“This case is important because it involves being forced to give up a very real liberty in the name of generalized fear,” said Rebecca Harrison Steele, Director of the ACLU of Florida’s West Central office. “The government does not have a blank check to suspend the constitutional rights of Americans. Across-the-board pat-downs are a violation of each and every person's rights, and we are happy that has been upheld by the court."

Via Stop the ACLU.

Iowahawk Vs. Dr. Yearrrgh!

Iowahawk scores again, nailing those obnoxious DNC emails that we all get, signed by Howard Dean. A sample of Iowahawk's rapier parody:

Despite what you may have heard on Fox News, we Democrats know what issues are on the minds of heartland conservatives like you. We know that your number one concern is for the safety of your children -- whether they are plucking their banjos on the back porch, speaking tongues to snakes at Jesus Camp, or torching crosses at your local Nascar racing contest. We also know that the number one threat to your children's safety is the scourge of international homo-ism. That's why we at the DNC have created "The Contract With American Hillbillies," a new multipoint investigation program to identify and root out conservative stealth homoism before it threatens you or your precious little inbreeds.

About that "Contract With American Hillbillies" thing, we prefer to be called "highlanders". It's a redneck thing, you wouldn't understand.

Via The Jawa Report.

Rove Confident GOP Will Retain House and Senate

The Architect remains, to all outward appearances, serene and confident about the upcoming midterm elections. So confident, in fact, that the Washington Post described the attitude of Rove and President Bush as "inexplicably confident".

Rove explains that the weakness of Democrats on security issues will lead to their downfall at the ballot box. Money quote from the Washington Times:

"It is useful to remind people what [Democrats] said and what they do. I think they have given us here, especially in the last couple of weeks, a potent set of votes to talk about. You had 90 percent of House Democrats voting against the terrorist-surveillance program, nearly three-quarters of Senate Democrats and 80 percent of House Democrats voting against the terrorist-interrogation act. Something is fundamentally flawed."

But the Washington Post, and others, are wondering if Rove and Bush know something that the rest of us don't.

For instance, what if this story, or something almost as significant, like the capture or death of Zawahiri, is about to be confirmed?

Update: Maybe this is the answer. Jim Geraghty, who literally wrote the book, has serious doubts about the validity of recent polls:

Finally, King over with SCSU Scholars is looking at a poll that had Patty Wetterling up 48-40 over Michele Bachmann in the Minnesota's Sixth Congressional District Race. He notes that poll's sample was 58 percent women. It's not uncommon to have more women voters than men voters, but it's usually closer to 51-49. Also, in a district that supported Bush, 57 to 42 percent, the sample was Republican 30 percent, Democrat 34 percent, and Independent 23 percent.

That's the kind of poll that emits an odor.

Update II: From the comments; why Dem control of the House would be a disaster, and why jihadis want so very much for it to happen:

We'll take the house, but it will be just this side of meaningless. The only satisfaction will be the hearings that will start. We spent 140 hours during Clinton checking into if they used the White House invitee list for fundraising, while less than 50 hours was spent on Halliburton. That will change.
Peter in Hastings | 10.18.06 - 2:51 pm | #

When Gay Terrorists Attack

Gay Terrorist Mike Rogers is at it again:

As this message is posted, I have apppeared on the Ed Schultz Show, a nationally syndicated radio program broadcast in more than 100 cities and on Sirius Satellite. On the show I have called on Senator Larry Craig to end his years of hypocrisy by leveling with Idahoans about who he really is. I am also calling upon several prominent Idaho social conservative leaders to ask them how they square their anti-gay positions with their support for this leader.

But Patterico notes that Craig denies the charge. And Rogers is using the old "anonymous source" dodge.


Via Emperor Misha I of The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, who has a marvelous rant, and doesn't care if Craig "...is as gay as a tree full of monkeys on nitrous oxide."

Justice Scalia Explains Bill of Rights to ACLU

Via Jay at Stop the ACLU, who has a transcript posted.

How Move America Forward Lost My Support

Last Saturday, I received an email from Joe Wierzbicki, who works for Move America Forward's ad agency and who wanted me to post about Fox's rejection of their recent anti-Clinton ad. While checking it out, I came across this appallingly ignorant spot they had produced about airport security. The spot defames TSA uniformed personnel, possibly to the point of libel.

I know more than a little bit about airport security. Following 9/11, being over the (arbitrary) age limit for military service, I was able to make a contribution wearing the uniform of my country in the brand new Transportation Security Administration. The salary was significantly less than what I had made in advertising, and the working conditions were not quite on a par with a 9 to 5 creative career (it would eventually cost me one of my knees as well, TSA has one of the highest injury rates in the Federal service).

But the rewards were outstanding; among them the opportunity to work side-by-side with a dedicated and professional group of people who had survived a hiring process that turned away 11 out of 12 applicants. The tragedy of the TSA is that the non-uniformed "Executive Service" managers put in charge of this group survived a hiring process that emphasized political favors, cronyism, and CYA abilities. These are the people who deserve to be lampooned by MAF, and, in fact, Wierzbicki claimed in an email to me that they were the targets of the spot.

Unfortunately, MAF chose to use a scattergun approach, when the precision of a sniper was required. Their video, which Wierzbicki says attacks TSA policy, portrays uniformed TSA folks as incompetent oafs. I pointed out to Wierzbicki that TSA screeners, no matter how long they have been on the job, are subject to daily testing while on x-ray duty, and must re-qualify every six months in a difficult process that evaluates every aspect of their training. Failure to re-qualify means termination. Joe had no reply to this. No one at Move America Forward could even be bothered to attempt to defend the video. In itself, that lack of response says quite a bit about the organization, none of it good.

I can't sit by and watch my former colleagues, dedicated patriots, be maligned by the ignorance of Move America Forward and whatever ad agency hacks produced this video. What's next for this group? If they disagree with policy in Iraq or Afghanistan will they produce a spot showing our soldiers as murderous oafs? Will they become upset with police policy somewhere and dump on the uniformed cops?

Until Move America Forward pulls this spot, they'll get no support from me.

Update: The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler and DeMediacratic Nation agree.

Marvin adds his word.

Ex-cop Signal 94 Lays down the law.

Dem Dirty Tricks Squad Targets Able Danger Congressman

Curt Weldon (R-PA), the congressman who has waged a lonely battle to bring the Able Danger revelations to light, has been targeted by the George Soros-funded Democrat hit squad Citizens for Ethics and Responsibility in Washington. CREW was deeply involved in manipulating the Foley scandal, possibly to the point of altering an alleged Foley email.

Weldon has led a campaign to expose the persecution of former Able Danger personnel and the apparently successful coverup of the intelligence group's warnings, blocked by the Gorelick "wall," prior to the attack on the USS Cole and the 9/11 terror attack.

Now it appears that Weldon is paying the price for offending the Democratic establishment.

From the philly.com:

At an event earlier today at Philadelphia International Airport to discuss airport noise, Weldon said the investigation was politically motivated - blaming a complaint filed by Melanie Sloan, director of Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington.

"She is the only one I know of who went to the Justice Department and asked for an investigation," Weldon said. "I know that because I have her letter."

Quite obviously, the FBI investigation will continue through the election, just as CREW planned.

Boycott Indonesia--Stop Murdering Christians Now!

Reprinted from The Jawa Report.

Civil war is in the air in Indonesia. Christians are daily being slaughtered and the government does little to protect them.

Two of our longtime blog-friends, Stan the Infidel and Big White Infidel, are furious over the treatment of Christians in Indonesia. What the media paints as 'sectarian violence' is really Muslim persecution of Christian minorities.

Stan and Big White are headed to Rev. Irianto Kongkoli's funeral in Palu. Rev. Kongkoli was a Christian minister gunned down in public early this morning. This comes on the heels of a bombing on Saturday and after three Christians were executed for their alleged participation in sectarian violence. Violence that has largely targetted Christians and over which no Muslim has been prosecuted.

If their reaction is any gauge of Christian sentiment in Indonesia, then expect an escalation of the violence. Especially pay attention to Stan's extended comments here.

I would urge the Christians of Indonesia, and especially our friends Stan and Big White, towards self-restraint and non-violence. Not that I am a pacifist, I am not, but I am a realist. One should only fight battles if they can win. This is not a battle that can be won through violence.

There is something that you can do to show your solidarity with Indonesia's persecuted Christians. Boycott Indonesia.

Write your Congressman.

Write the Indonesian embassy or call (202) 775 - 5200

Write the consular section of the U.S. embassy, Jakarta.

Next time you're in WalMart, be sure to check that label. Don't buy Indonesian.

I fear that if the international community does not immediately and successfully pressure the Indonesian government to protect its Christian minorities with more than lip service, that serious violence and civil war will erupt. A war with only one possible outcome: increased persecution and the mass killings of Christians.

Indonesia is very sensitive to public criticisms. The government spends a lot of time engaged in propaganda intended to show that country as a shining example of what moderate Islam looks like.

Please do what you can to help.

I Think I Just Threw Up in My Mouth a Little Bit

HotAir has an audio tape of Cindy Sheehan saying that, following her hysterectomy, she planted her uterus in Crawford, Texas.

Over the summer I had a hysterectomy, and um, I got my “parts” back. I thought I could just [inaudible] on eBay, you know, “[inaudible] Cindy Sheehan’s uterus.” And so I planted it in the garden where the bush, it’s a pretty bush… It’s so funny ’cause me and my children, we’ll always be a part of, of Crawford, Texas. Long after people forgot the horror of the Bush regime, long after, you know, we’re forgotten. We’ll always, our DNA will always be in the land…”

Rusty wants to know, "What's gonna grow". I'd say mushrooms, or some other loathesome fungus.

Libs: 'Jihad Protected Free Speech'

At least these moonbats are being honest. They embrace calls to destroy the United States, murder her citizens, and kill her soldiers as the free exercise of speech and religion.

From the Washington Times:

Democratic strategist and former Michael Dukakis campaign manager Susan Estrich, and the former American Civil Liberties Union president in Massachusetts, Harvey Silvergate, recently joined the attorneys representing two alleged Boston al Qaeda funders.

Estrich (right) and her co-conspirators don't mean just talking about jihad either. They want their clients to be free to actively support it through funding [emphasis added]:

In their motion, attorneys Mrs. Estrich, Malick Ghachem, Norman Zalkind and Elizabeth Lunt, argue that the defendants merely exercised their religious freedom and obligation to give "zakat" (Islamic charity).
Their motion cites Chapter 9, verse 60 of the Koran, which describes "those entitled to receive zakat." According to the definition of zakat in The Encyclopedia of Islam, "category 7" of eligible recipients are "volunteers engaged in jihad" for whom the zakat cover "living expenses and the expenses of their military service (animals, weapons)."

Oh, just to rub a little salt in, they also say that contributions to brave jihadi babyhunters should be tax exempt, as well.

On the seventh level of Hell, Vidkun Quisling is laughing at us.

Via Stop the ACLU.

'Badly Shaken' Fwench Commandoes Ordered to Run Like Schoolgirls

Proving once again (for anyone who needs further proof) that the French are second to none when it comes to the art of the ignominious retreat, French president Jacques Chirac has ordered the withdrawal of 200 "elite" French commandoes from Afghanistan.

From the Ottawa Citizen:

French special forces tracking Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan have been ordered home by President Jacques Chirac because of the "worsening security situation," Britain's Daily Telegraph newspaper reported yesterday. The group of 200 elite soldiers have been in the war-torn country since 2003, where they have been assisting their U.S. counterparts in hunting the al-Qaeda leader and Taliban fighters around Spin Boldak, near the south-eastern border with Pakistan, and an area around Jalalabad, in the north-east. Mr. Chirac's decision to send them was intended to reassure the U.S. that France was still a willing ally in fighting terrorism despite its stance against the U.S.-led offensive in Iraq. But, according to unnamed military sources cited in Le Journal du Dimanche, Mr. Chirac gave the go-ahead during a defence counsel meeting to pull the men out of the country by early 2007. According to the report, the troops were badly shaken by the recent death of nine members during a mission.

I question use of the word "elite" to describe troops who are utterly unmanned by the loss of nine men.

Via Dr. Rusty Shackleford of The Jawa Report.

Scalia Enters the Snakepit

On Sunday, Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia participated in a televised debate with American Civil Liberties Union head Nadine Strossen, before an audience of ACLU supporters.

From the Associated Press:

Scalia, a leading conservative voice on the high court, sparred in a one-hour televised debate with American Civil Liberties Union president Nadine Strossen. He said unelected judges have no place deciding politically charged questions when the Constitution is silent on those issues.

Arguing that liberal judges in the past improperly established new political rights such as abortion, Scalia warned, "Someday, you're going to get a very conservative Supreme Court and regret that approach."

"On controversial issues on stuff like homosexual rights, abortion, we debate with each other and persuade each other and vote on it either through representatives or a constitutional amendment," the Reagan appointee said.

Strossen countered by playing the race card:

Strossen countered that such a legal approach would have barred the landmark 1954 ruling in Brown v. Board of Education, a unanimous decision outlawing racial segregation in public schools.

Scalia turned the tables:

"The Constitution very clearly forbids discrimination on the basis of race," Scalia said in response to a question by moderator Pete Williams of NBC. "It doesn't seem to me to allow Michigan to say we think it's good to discriminate on the basis of race when you want to make sure everyone is exposed to different backgrounds. We cannot use race as the test of diversity."

This dealt neatly with Strossen's argument, while pointing out that racial discrimination is fine with her, so long as it's a form of which she approves.

Via Jay at Stop the ACLU, who has more commentary.

Imperium - a Novel of Ancient Rome

"Imperium, a Novel of Ancient Rome" by Robert Harris, Simon & Schuster.

I love this genre; the well-researched, authoritative historical novel. Robert Harris has done a wonderful job of bringing the waning days of the Roman Republic to life, as seen through the eyes of Tiro, personal secretary, confidante...and slave... of Marcus Tullius Cicero, one of the greatest orators in history.

This account of the rise of Cicero, the first installment of a trilogy, follows Cicero's career from newly elected senator to the ultimate elective power of the Roman republic wielded by the Roman consuls, "imperium". The politicking that propels Cicero from lawyer to consul; populism, dirty tricks, publicity stunts, dark bargains with unsavory operatives, and realpolitik compromises; could characterize many present day political figures. This is fascinating stuff, conveyed with a steady hand and an excellent feel for drama and suspense by Harris, who specializes in "docu-novels" of ancient Rome.

Unfortunately, it appears that Harris made his own compromise with the publisher's marketing department. In fact, this is how I came to review the book. Simon & Schuster asked several political bloggers to read and review it for its advertised relevance to today's political world. It does have relevance on the strength of the descriptions of Roman politics, which are certainly similar, in a general way, to modern politics. But trying to imply direct connections between current events and Roman history is a bit of a stretch.

Using Harris' own technique of inferring unknown details from known outcomes, one can almost hear the voices at the marketing brainstorm session: "If we get the author to punch up the connection between the pirates and today's terrorists we'll give the book appeal outside the historical novel genre; security moms, pundits, political junkies..."

Alas, the pirates who plagued Rome were not "terrorists" in the Islamist mold (they were motivated by booty, and wiped out by the Romans in 43 days) and the Roman general Pompey was not an earlier version of George W. Bush. Overreaching for one-to-one allegory, Harris puts these words in Pompey's mouth (page 172) [emphasis added]: "All captured pirates are to be handed over to Roman jurisdiction. Any ruler who refuses to cooperate will be regarded as Rome's enemy. Those who are not with us are against us."

Grit your teeth and read through it. It's a small wart on an otherwise well written and highly entertaining work. I look forward to the next installment in the trilogy.

Woman Bitchslaps 3 Men at Once

Despite the handicap of being the only conservative voice on Bill "the 9/11 hijackers were brave" Maher's cable show, "Real Time", Danielle Pletka manages to make Maher, Lou Dobbs of CNN, and alleged actor Ben Affleck look like fools.



Highlights: Pletka destroys Affleck's idiotic notion that Iran, Iraq, and Syria weren't so bad before Bush called them the "Axis of Evil". Pletka exposes Maher's ignorance of the extent of Saddam Hussein's murders.

My favorite part is almost at the end, when Pletka leaves Maher guessing about whether he has just been called an "ass" on his own show or not.

Via NewsBusters.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

What a Difference a Party Makes - Democrat Sexual Predator Dies

From MSNBC (Studds' party affiliation mentioned only in reference to Mark Foley in this story):

First openly gay person elected to Congress dies
BOSTON - Former U.S. Rep. Gerry Studds, the first openly gay person elected to Congress, died early Saturday at Boston Medical Center, several days after he collapsed while walking his dog, his husband said.

Down below the fold, MSNBC acknowledges the sex scandal that caused Congress to censure Studds:

In 1983, Studds acknowledged his homosexuality after the page revealed he’d had a relationship with Studds a decade earlier, when the page was 17. Studds was censured for sexual misconduct by the House, then went home to his constituents to answer questions in a series of public meetings and interviews with the press.

But it's okay that Studds used his position to sexually exploit an underage page because:

Hara [Studds' "spouse" - under Mass. gay marriage law] said Studds was never ashamed of the relationship with the page.

“This young man knew what he was doing,” Hara said. “He was at (Studds’) side.”

Contrast this gentle treatment of sexual exploitation with ABC's Brian Ross' obfuscation of the true age of the 18 year old former page who engaged in a salacious Instant Messenger exchange with Republican Congressman Mark Foley - an exchange that it was later revealed may have been a prank.

Update: More blog reaction

The News Buckit notes the standing ovation Studds received from his constituents following the censure vote.

James Joyner at Outside the Beltway wryly reminds us that Studds became openly gay only after being outed in the page scandal.

Wizbang! puts a point on it: "Unlike Mark Foley, Studds actually had sex with male pages."

Alas, Sad, Sad News

Cue the violins, fire up the hearse, pay the mourners.

From the Associated Press:

Air America Radio, a liberal talk and news radio network that features the comedian Al Franken, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, a network official told The AP.

The network had denied rumors just a month ago that it would file for bankruptcy. On Friday, Air America spokeswoman Jaime Horn told The Associated Press that the filing became necessary only recently after negotiations with a creditor from the company's early days broke down.

Who could have guessed that the market for retarded leftwing lunacy would crumble? I ask everyone to petition the US Department of the Interior and request that moonbats be placed on the endangered species list.

Brit Coroner Wants US Soldiers Prosecuted in Journalist's Death

From Reuters:

OXFORD (Reuters) - One of Britain's most experienced journalists was unlawfully killed by U.S. soldiers in Iraq, a British inquest into his death ruled on Friday, prompting calls for the perpetrators to be tried for war crimes.

British assistant deputy coroner (Reuters names him "coroner", perhaps to exaggerate his standing and thus the authority of his words) Andrew Walker was unusually vocal in his condemnation of American soldiers and Marines after his inquest into the death of British journalist Terry Lloyd in March, 2003.

"He was fired on by American soldiers as a minibus carried wounded people away."

"I have no doubt it was an unlawful act of fire on the minibus."

"It was a despicable, deliberate, vengeful act."

But wait, this journalist was wandering around an active war zone during a massive invasion, and the Reuters account notes that he was not embedded with Coalition forces, as were virtually all other journalists covering the invasion at the time.

The assistant deputy coroner also fancies himself an expert in military tactics. From an earlier story in the Guardian:

Andrew Walker, the coroner, said the danger in which the soldiers were put should have been anticipated. "If the proper procedures had been followed then no one should have been allowed to use that route," the coroner said. "Headquarters knew that it was a dangerous area and they were advising people not to go near that area."

It seems apparent that this "coroner" is abusing his position to advance his own anti-war agenda. The Reuters account includes a quote from Walker that leaves little doubt that he had pre-judged the case:

He said the unlawful killing verdict had been "inescapable" and had come about because "U.S. forces appear to have allowed their soldiers to behave like trigger-happy cowboys".

They're allowed to be so "trigger-happy" that they need to permission to return fire coming from mosques.

The British government has allowed one of its coroners to behave like a trigger-happy cowboy. He should be relieved of his responsibilities forthwith.

The Stupidest Person in the World

Maybe "stupidest" is overstating it a bit, but I always love unconscious, self-inflicted, boneheaded irony. And Keith Olbermann likes to dub people "The Worst person in the World" on his show, though his criteria are rather eccentric.

From the Denver Post, Keith Olbermann, commenting about Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld comparing anti-war activists to pre-WWII appeasers:

"As a critic of the administration, I will be damned if you can get away with calling me the equivalent of a Nazi appeaser," Olbermann told The Associated Press. "No one has the right to say that about any free-speaking American in this country."

Actually, Keith, the First Amendment to the Constitution gives all of us "free-speaking Americans" that right. Did you think that criticism was a one-way street?

Here, let me demonstrate: Keith Olbermann is not the equivalent of a Nazi appeaser. In my opinion, Keith is in it for the money, and would have to work his way up to the moral level of a Nazi appeaser.

Reid Hangs Up on the Associated Press

An AP report about Reid's failure to disclose land dealings to Congress. The hangup comes at about 1:25 on the video.



Update: YouTube has yanked the video, but you can still view it at Flopping Aces (link below).

Via Curt at Flopping Aces.

Brit Muslim Convert Confesses to Dirty Bomb, NYSE Plots

Update: Barot also went by the name "Esa al-Hindi". You can buy his book here.

An Indian-born, British convert to Islam pleaded guilty to plotting to blow up the New York Stock Exchange and set off a radioactive dirty bomb in the United Kingdom.

From Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - A Briton arrested amid a massive U.S. security alert two years ago admitted in a London court on Thursday to plotting to blow up financial targets in the United States and carry out "dirty bomb" attacks in Britain.

Dhiren Barot, a Muslim convert, admitted to plotting to blow up the headquarters of the New York Stock Exchange, International Monetary Fund, World Bank, Citigroup and Prudential in Washington, New Jersey and New York.

"Explosions at these premises were clearly designed to kill as many people as possible," said prosecuting lawyer Edmund Lawson.

At the time, Democrats didn't seem to be too happy with Barot's arrest:

Because three years had passed since Barot had visited his potential targets, and he was under tight British surveillance at the time, some Democrats accused the Republican-led administration of overstating the immediacy of the threat.

Perhaps that accounts for the deafening silence from US media today about Barot's confession.

AP Headline Chosen For Political Effect?

The headline from this Associated Press story reads, "Army: Troops to stay in Iraq until 2010." Yikes! The Army has decided that we need 141,000 troops in Iraq at least through 2010? Surely, this is a clear indication that the situation is much more dire than the American public has been lead to believe?

Well, no. The information in the story doesn't match the headline:

Gen. Peter Schoomaker, the Army chief of staff, cautioned against reading too much into the planning, which is done far in advance to prepare the right mix of combat units for expected deployments. He noted that it is easier to scale back later if conditions allow, than to ramp up if they don't.

"This is not a prediction that things are going poorly or better," Schoomaker told reporters. "It's just that I have to have enough ammo in the magazine that I can continue to shoot as long as they want us to shoot."

General Shoomaker has directly contradicted the headline.

Certainly, the AP is aware that large numbers of people scan headlines without reading the accompanying story. The dishonest headline is designed to deliver a quick, and incorrect, take on the story. Coincidentally, just a few weeks before the 2006 midterm elections.

And a Google search for the headline shows that more than 300 stories have been printed with it across the country, all giving the false impression that the Army is saying current troop levels will be maintained until 2010.

Even if someone at the Associated Press decides to correct the headline those 300+ stories will still be out there, spreading disinformation.

Now This Congressman has a Pair

Representative Christopher Shays (R-CT) wasn't having any when his opponent, Diane Farrell, who wants Speaker Dennis Hastert to step down over the Foley scandal, enlisted Teddy Kennedy (D-Confusion) for her campaign. From the Hartford Courant:

"I know the speaker didn't go over a bridge and leave a young person in the water, and then have a press conference the next day," said Shays, R-4th District, referring to the 1969 incident in which the Massachusetts Democrat drove a car that plunged into the water and a young campaign worker died.

"Dennis Hastert didn't kill anybody," he added.

Yarr! A harpoon right to the White Whale's brisket! This is what the Republican base wants to hear, not nancyboy maundering and moaning.

Small Plane Crashes Into Manhattan Building

From the Chicago Tribune:

A small plane crashed into a high-rise on Manhattan's Upper East Side, setting off a raging fire that sent a pillar of gray smoke over the city, police said Wednesday. There was no immediate word on any deaths or injuries.

It was not immediately known if it was terrorism.

Update: From Fox News:

Local news reports quoted New York Fire Department officials as saying two people were confirmed dead. The FDNY confirmed to FOX News that there are people trapped inside the building on floors above where the fire is located.

FBI spokeswoman Christine Monaco said there was no indication the crash was a terrorist attack.

Update II: Plane was piloted by New York Yankee Cory Lidle, who died in the crash. From ESPN:

NEW YORK -- A small plane piloted by New York Yankees pitcher Cory Lidle crashed into a 50-story condominium tower Wednesday on Manhattan's Upper East Side, raining flaming debris onto the sidewalks below and rattling New Yorkers' nerves five years after the Sept. 11 attack.