Bob Geiger Wrong About AP Story - Will He Apologize?

Say what you will about the liberals, but when they blow it, they blow it big.

On Tuesday, Bob Geiger at the Huffington Post demanded to know if rightwing bloggers (including The Jawa Report) would be apologizing to the Associated Press for doubting their now-discredited story about the six burning Sunnis:

"It's Official: Media Body Burning Story is Bogus," crowed Newsbusters -- the wingnut National Enquirer -- who just went mad with glee proclaiming that "The news that six Sunnis were captured by Shiites, doused with kerosine [sic] and burned alive, was too sensational to not be picked up by the mainstream media. But it turns out that the event never happened. Furthermore, the Iraqi 'spokesman' relied on to give all information regarding this event is as fictional as the story itself."

Newsbusters took it a step further by also concluding that NBC's decision to begin calling what's going on in Iraq a "civil war" was based in part on the "bogus" nature of that story.

Flopping Aces, which seems to have started this embarrassing affair, has been running a lengthy series ominously called "Getting The News From The Enemy" while The Jawa Report really stands proud and proclaims that "It's unlikely that the Associated Press and other news agencies will issue corrections approaching the sensationalism with which they originally pushed the false stories."

And today, the Iraqi government has announced that the AP's source, the supposed "police captain Jamil Hussein" doesn't work for any department of the Iraqi government. Wow, Bob, your face must be pretty crimson about now, eh?

I'd also like to commend Bob Geiger for emphasizing his status as a clueless tool by quoting the same person (that would be moi) twice
(from NewsBusters and The Jawa Report) without even realizing it.

Update: Baghdad Bob starts to suspect that he may have made a hideous mistake:

The facts are what they are, and I'm patient enough to wait for the full story to come out -- but the spin and public-relations flackery being cited by the right-wing mouthpieces are not facts. If I need to do a retraction, I will. But pardon me if I wait for evidence above and beyond some screeching wingnut scrambling to paint the news as they wish it would be, instead of looking at the mess that Iraq truly is and contemplating the meaning of accountability.

Evidently, the fact that the AP's source doesn't exist isn't enough evidence for Bobby. Nor does AP's curious downgrading of the five-mosques-burned-to-the-ground story to one mosque slightly damaged.

It's Official: AP Source an Impostor

The "police captain" that the Associated Press used as the source for their story about six Sunni men dragged from prayers and burned alive by Shiite militants is not a policeman and does not work for the Iraqi government in any capacity, according to the Iraqi Ministry of the Interior.

CENTCOM had warned the AP about Hussein and other questionable sources they were using, but was rebuffed by the wire service organization. The AP's sensational story of the burning Sunnis was cited by NBC as a reason they decided to start calling violence in Iraq a "civil war." The source "police captain Jamil Hussein" has been quoted in wire service stories since April of this year.

Michelle Malkin has the details of a press conference held today by Iraqi Brigadier General Abdul-Kareem, speaking for the Iraqi Minstry of the Interior:

From CPATT PAO:
BG Abdul-Kareem, the Ministry of Interior Spokesman, went on the record today stating that Capt. Jamil Hussein is not a police officer. He explained the coordinations among MOI, the Ministry of Health and the Ministry of Defense in attempting to track down these bodies and their joint conclusion was that this was unsubstantiated rumor.

He went on to name several other false sources that have been used recently and appealed to the media to document their news before reporting. He went into some detail about the impact of the press carrying propaganda for the enemies of Iraq and thanked "the friends" who have brought this to their attention.

AP did attend the press conference.

Michelle has also posted a partial transcript of the press conference. In it, Abdul-Kareem accuses the wire services of printing unsubstantiated rumors using anonymous sources and bogus named sources.

So far, the Associated Press is standing by their story, claiming that their reporters visited Jamil Hussein at his police station. This brings the AP's reporters themselves into question. Are they simply trying to cover up a costly and humiliating mistake, or are they unvetted local hires whose allegiance is really to al Qaeda?

Read Michelle's entire post here.

About Those Christmas Cards For The ACLU

The war on Christmas has begun. The ACLU is out in full force.

Don't waste your time and money on the stamps for a message that will fall on deaf ears. Your card will hit the mail room shredder. Save that money and use it for something that can make a difference. Stop The ACLU has ideas on how you can make that money be effective to fight the ACLU this Christmas season.

AP's Duping Over 'Burning Six' Enters MSM

An Associated Press story about six Sunni men being dragged from their mosque in Iraq, doused with kerosene, and burned alive continues to unravel, while AP spokeswoman Linda Wagner does her best Dan Rather impression.

AP based their atrocity story on the word of Iraqi police Captain Jamil Hussein. Problem: the Iraqis say Hussein is not a police captain and does not work for them in any capacity. In response, AP has played the fake-but-accurate card that worked so well for Dan Rather.

Finally, other elements of the mainstream media are taking notice, after several days of exposes by bloggers.

From USA Today's On Deadline:

Today, responding to questions from On Deadline about AP's statement that it stands by its story, Lt. Dean e-mailed us. He said that on Thursday,

"Brig. Gen. Abdul-Karim Khalaf, the official (Iraqi) Ministry of Interior spokesmen, will begin his regularly scheduled press conference at noon tomorrow with a statement that Capt. Jamil Hussein, is not a Baghdad police officer or an MOI employee."

Hussein is the main source AP cited in its original story about the burnings.

Dean added that "We understand the challenges of reporting in Iraq due to the security situation, and we are in no way targeting AP specifically.

"However, when we continue to see reporting of stories which cannot be corroborated using questionable Iraqi sources, we feel it is our obligation to track the credibility of the source and ask what verification was used no matter which media outlet the report came from.

"We have had numerous stories reported through wire services which were proven to have not happened at all, yet the media outlets concerned dismissed verification on the ground for their sources."

When the story was first questioned, AP sent reporters scurrying to find eyewitnesses, none of whom were named, to verify the story, and said that their reporters had been in Hussein's police office and used him as a source for multiple stories. That's true. Hussein's name has appeared in wire service stories since April of this year. Stories that are bound to come under much closer scrutiny, now that an Iraqi Brigadier General is about to announce that AP's source is a fraud.
This may indicate that the Associated Press has a problem, not just with this particular source, but with the reporters who vouched for him.

AP spokeswoman Linda Wagner's response was disingenuous:

"Navy Lieutenant Dean's statement seems to suggest that the news media should work solely from a government list of 'authorized sources.' But a free press cultivates a wide range of sources. That's what AP did in this case, as it always does."

No, Linda, Lt. Dean's statement suggests that you have a responsibility verify your sources, even (especially) when they're telling you what you want to hear.

More on the bogus burning six story from Curt at Flopping Aces, who has been covering the story since it began.

Sharia Tolerated in the UK

From the Telegraph:

Mr Yusuf said a group of Somali youths were arrested on suspicion of stabbing another Somali teenager. The victim's family told the police it would be settled out of court and the suspects were released on bail.

A hearing was convened and elders ordered the assailants to compensate their victim. "All their uncles and their fathers were there," said Mr Yusuf. "So they all put something towards that and apologised for the wrongdoing."

That's nice. Now if they can just be allowed to stone adultresses and demand four witnesses for rape cases, everyone can be happy.

Non-Muslim British collaborators have even come up with a nice, PC name for it: "legal pluralism." There are a couple of older terms that can't be far behind: "vigilantism" and "lynching."

I can't see much evidence that the Brits are terribly concerned with this direct challenge to their sovereignty:

Faizul Aqtab Siddiqi, a barrister and principal of Hijaz College Islamic University, near Nuneaton, Warwicks, said this type of court had advantages for Muslims. "It operates on a low budget, it operates on very small timescales and the process and the laws of evidence are far more lenient and it's less awesome an environment than the English courts," he said.

Mr Siddiqi predicted that there would be a formal network of Muslim courts within a decade.

Bogus Source Cited in NBC 'Civil War' Decision

A transcript posted at the blog Think Progress quotes NBC as factoring in a story from now-discredited source Jamil Hussein about Sunni worshippers being burned alive as a major factor in NBC's decision to declare a "civil war" in Iraq [emphasis added]:

The news from Iraq is becoming grimmer every day. Over the long holiday weekend bombings killed more than 200 people in a Shiite neighborhood in Baghdad. And six Sunni men were doused with kerosene and burned alive. Shiite muslims are the majority, but Sunnis like Saddam Hussein ruled that country until the war. Now, the battle between Shiites and Sunnis has created a civil war in Iraq. Beginning this morning, MSNBC will refer to the fighting in Iraq as a civil war — a phrase the White House continues to resist. But after careful thought, MSNBC and NBC News decided over the weekend, the terminology is appropriate, as armed militarized factions fight for their own political agendas. We’ll have a lots more on the situation in Iraq and the decision to use the phrase, civil war.

It's too bad that NBC and the rest of the mainstream media apparently haven't put much thought into validating sources and confirming their stories.

It's not just NBC. Since the Adnan Hajj/Reutersgate/fauxtography scandal during the Israeli/Hezbollah war led to grave questions about the current state of Western journalism, it has become increasingly obvious that there is something basically wrong with the way the major media companies are covering events in the Middle East.

Via Curt at Flopping Aces who has been continuously updating the story.

MSM "Official Source" a Fraud

Following up on the apparently false stories of burning mosques and Sunnis set aflame at prayer in Iraq, propagated by a Jamil Hussein, who claimed to be an Iraqi police captain, Curt at Flopping Aces notes confirmation from CENTCOM (backup site here) that Hussein is a fraud:

Classification: UNCLASSIFIED

Dear Associated Press:

On Nov. 24, 2006, your organization published an article by Qais Al-Bashir about six Sunnis being burned alive in the presence of Iraqi Police officers. This news item, which is below, received an enormous amount of coverage internationally.

We at Multi-National Corps - Iraq made it known through MNC-I Press Release Number 20061125-09 and our conversations with your reporters that neither we nor Baghdad Police had any reports of such an incident after investigating it and could find no one to corroborate the story. A couple of hours ago, we learned something else very important. We can tell you definitively that the primary source of this story, police Capt. Jamil Hussein, is not a Baghdad police officer or an MOI employee. We verified this fact with the MOI through the Coalition Police Assistance Training Team.

Also, we definitely know, as we told you several weeks ago through the MNC-I Media Relations cell, that another AP-popular IP spokesman, Lt. Maithem Abdul Razzaq, supposedly of the city’s Yarmouk police station, does not work at that police station and is also not authorized to speak on behalf of the IP. The MOI has supposedly issued a warrant for his questioning.

I know we have informed you that there exists an MOI edict that no one below the level of chief is authorized to be an Iraqi Police spokesperson. An unauthorized IP spokesperson will get fired for talking to the media. While I understand the importance of a news agency to use anonymous and unauthorized sources, it is still incumbent upon them to make sure their facts are straight. Was this information verified by anyone else? If the source providing the information is lying about his name, then he ought not to be represented as an official IP spokesperson and should be listed as an anonymous source.

Unless you have a credible source to corroborate the story of the people being burned alive, we respectfully request that AP issue a retraction, or a correction at a minimum, acknowledging that the source named in the story is not who he claimed he was. MNC-I and MNF-I are always available and willing to verify events and provide as much information as possible when asked.

Very respectfully,
LT XXXXXX

XXXX X XXXXXXXX
Lieutenant, U.S. Navy
MNC-I Joint Operations Center
Public Affairs Officer

It's unlikely that the Associated Press and other news agencies will issue corrections approaching the sensationalism with which they originally pushed the false stories.

Rangel Repeats Kerry Military Slur

But Rangel (D-NY) isn't joking, as Lurch so clumsily tried to claim he was. Rangel really believes that no "bright" young person joins the armed forces.

Hot Air has posted video of Rangel's remarks to Fox News' Chris Wallace. Wallace began by displaying statistics that completely refuted Rangel's previous contention that those joining the military come primarily from economically and educationally deprived inner city communities.

Rangel responded by implying that those who join aren't bright:

No young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very, very high unemployment. If a young fella has an option of having a decent career or joining the army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life that he would not be in Iraq.

Rangel intends to introduce legislation to reinsitute the draft. Rangel seems to be living proof that bright individuals do not become Democratic congressmen if they have the option of having a decent career.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Al-Jazeera in English

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Mosque Burnings Apparently a Hoax, Sunni Burnings Unconfirmed

Tales of burning mosques, like this one from Reuters were apparently fabricated by Sunnis and swallowed whole by a gullible world press.

As well, the sensationalized accounts of six Sunnis being burned alive by Shiites are unconfirmed, and all appear to come from the same source, police Captain Jamil Hussein, whose entire career appears to be issuing statements about Shia violence against Sunnis. Curt at Flopping Aces has
researched Hussein and found a remarkable number of atrocity stories for which he is the source.

From the Multi-National Force's Iraqi Freedom website:

BAGHDAD — Contrary to recent media reporting that four mosques were burned in Hurriya, an Iraqi Army patrol investigating the area found only one mosque had been burned in the neighborhood...

...An alleged attack on a fourth mosque remains unconfirmed. The patrol was also unable to confirm media reports that six Sunni civilians were allegedly dragged out of Friday prayers and burned to death. Neither Baghdad police nor Coalition forces have reports of any such incident.

This is all uncomfortably reminiscent of the Reutersgate/fauxtography scandal during the Israeli/Hezbollah war, and once again brings into question just how much Western news agencies have compromised their integrity by depending on unvetted local stringers and sources.

PETA Vs. Nativity Scenes

The loons from People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals mistakenly targeted an Alaska church for harassment because they didn't realize that the "animals" in the church's manger scene were actually humans in costume. PETA was happy though, to use the mistake to highlight the hideous abuse of manger scene animals:

"Those animals are subject to all sorts of terrible fates in some cases," Vergerio said. "Animals have been stolen and slaughtered, they've been raped, they've escaped from the nativity scenes and have been struck by cars and killed. Just really unfathomable things have happened to them."

Raped? How does PETA know the animals weren't just asking for it? That might be the position of NAMBLA, the North American Man Beast Love Association.

PETA: people with too much time on their hands, and too few brain cells to use it wisely.

Previous PETA hysteria: Mommy and Daddy are murderers.

CENTCOM Roundup

Because the mainstream media is invested in propagating only bad news from the War on Terror, here's the CENTCOM roundup of stories the mainstream media refuses to run.

FOUR TERRORISTS KILLED, SIX SUSPECTS DETAINED

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed four terrorists and detained six suspected terrorists during a mission to disrupt an al-Qaida vehicle-borne improvised explosive device cell in Tarmiyah Friday.

As ground forces made their way toward the targeted building, they received enemy fire from the vicinity of a mosque. Coalition Forces returned fire, killing four terrorists, and continued toward the targeted building.

At the targeted building, the ground forces detained two suspected terrorists. After they left the building, they returned to the vicinity of the mosque and six individuals, including two wounded men, exited the building.

Four suspected terrorists were detained and the two wounded men were treated by ground forces on scene. They were then medically evacuated to a nearby military medical center.

ELEVEN TERRORISTS CAPTURED BY AFGHAN, COALITION FORCES

KABUL , Afghanistan — Afghan and Coalition forces captured eleven terrorists during an operation early this morning on a compound near the village of Badal Kalay in Khowst Province.

Credible intelligence indicated the compound was a refuge for terrorists operating in Khowst Province. During the search of the compound, terrorist propaganda was found.

Eleven men were taken into custody during the operation. Several women and children were present within the compound and all were unharmed.

ONE TERRORIST KILLED, TWO DETAINED IN BALAD RAID

BALAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed a terrorist and detained two suspected terrorists Wednesday evening during a raid in Balad.

The raid targeted an individual associated with a suspected senior leader of the Iraqi al-Qaida network.

As Coalition Forces approached the target area, they engaged and killed an armed terrorist. Coalition Forces continued their mission and detained two suspected terrorists armed with weapons and ammunition.

ISF CONDUCTS RAID AGAINST KIDNAPPING-MURDER CELL

BAGHDAD – Special Iraqi Army Forces, with Coalition advisers, conducted a raid Nov. 23 in Sadr City, Baghdad to capture a kidnapping and murder cell leader reported to have knowledge of the whereabouts of a missing US Soldier and who is allegedly responsible for attacks against Iraqi civilians.

The missing Multi-National Division-Baghdad Soldier was abducted in Baghdad on Oct. 23.

Five suspected cell members were detained by Iraqi forces.

A vehicle displaying hostile intent was identified as an immediate threat to Iraqi forces. Iraqi forces fired on the vehicle to neutralize the threat.

ISF CONDUCTS RAID TO CAPTURE INSURGENT

BAGHDAD – Special Iraqi Army Forces, with Coalition advisers, conducted a raid Nov. 23 in Baghdad to capture an insurgent facilitating the movement of foreign fighters who kidnap and murder Iraqi civilians and conduct attacks against Coalition Forces.

Iraqi forces entered a mosque in the Samir neighborhood where the insurgent and other suspected insurgents were reportedly located. Iraqi forces detained 6 suspects. No Coalition Forces entered the mosque.

Iraqi and enemy forces exchanged small arms fire, resulting in one enemy wounded. The wounded person was treated and placed into Iraqi Police custody.

An unknown ignition source caused a fire to start in a trash pile located next to mosque.

ISF CONDUCTS RAID TO CAPTURE FOUR INSURGENTS

BAGHDAD – Special Iraqi Security Forces, with Coalition advisers, captured four insurgents Nov. 23 in a raid in the Al Doura district, Baghdad who are allegedly responsible for improvised explosive device attacks and other attacks against Iraqi civilians and Iraqi Police.

The insurgents are linked to Al Qaeda in Iraq and are known to harbor terrorist fighters in the area and conduct attacks against IP and Coalition Forces checkpoints.

Three additional suspected insurgents were detained by Iraqi forces.

Drawing With Muhammed

The 'Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship'

A $250 token scholarship, whose recipients must be at least one quarter Caucasian, is generating more anger and "buzz" than its creators expected: From ABC:

All the media attention is focused on a $250 Caucasian Achievement and Recognition Scholarship offered by Mroszczyk and the BU chapter of the College Republicans. Applicants must have a cumulative grade point average of 3.2 or higher; they must write two essays; and, here's the kicker, they must be at least one-quarter Caucasian.

The application itself offers an explanation: "We believe that racial preferences in all their forms are perhaps the worst form of bigotry confronting America today."

According to Mroszczyk, his group is offering the scholarship to point out "how ridiculous it is to have any sort of racially based scholarship."

Mroszczyk also points out that there are many economically disadvantaged whites who would be helped by scholarships. Unmentioned in the ABC story is a trend among young people, even those who view themselves as liberals, who have no memories of the racial oppression and civil rights struggles of the fifties and sixties, to view minority students as being given preferential treatment. Many see Affirmative Action programs such as minorities-only scholarships as counter-productive holdovers from that era, which promote mediocrity and maintain racial divisions.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Granny Get Your Gun

A Palestinian grandmother has become the latest smithereen commando.

JEBALIYA, Gaza Strip - A 64-year-old Palestinian grandmother blew herself up near Israeli troops sweeping through northern Gaza on Thursday, and eight other Palestinians were killed in a day of clashes and rocket fire.

The militant Hamas, which is in charge of the Palestinian government, claimed responsibility for the suicide attack and identified the bomber as Fatma Omar An-Najar. Her relatives said she was 64 — by far the oldest of the more than 100 Palestinian suicide bombers who have targeted Israelis over the past six years.

As if anyone with two brain cells to rub together needed any more evidence that the Palestinian "culture" is terminally diseased.

Happy Thanksgiving

Fear of Lawsuits Drives Cops to Risk Death

Notwithstanding anomalies like the 92 year-old woman shot to death by undercover officers yesterday, the eagerness of some groups to sue police for any use of force, no matter how justified, has created a deeprooted fear of being sued among officers.

From Insight:

U.S. law enforcement agencies are struggling with the threat of lawsuits regarding the conduct of officers.

Officials said the threat has become so acute that many officers would rather die than be sued. They said this has seriously hurt law enforcement and endangered the lives of officers.

It's not just rhetoric; the article includes several examples:

He presented videos of a plainclothes officer slashed by a knife-wielding suspect during a struggle. The officer gave his pistol to his colleague when trying to subdue the suspect. Mr. Chudwin said the officer, slashed in the face and neck, was afraid his gun would discharge during the struggle.

The public pays a heavy price to keep outfits like the ACLU in business, as well:

In another example, an officer responds to a call regarding a man seen in a supermarket with a gun. Mr. Chudwin said the officer refused to leave her patrol car even as the gunman forced a bystander to the ground. The bystander was then shot in the head and killed as the officer watched. In the end, backup police officers killed the gunman. Mr. Chudwin said colleagues of the unresponsive officer believed she "did nothing wrong."

Is the Great Satan Trying to Kick You Out?

Yo, got a beef with the man and you wanna stay and play it out? Is the man trying to send you packing just because of a few links to "freedom fighters?" Yo, Muslim Voice can teach you how to game the system and get your props:

Welcome to another edition of Immigration Korner™, a monthly article which brings you the information you want and need to know about your particular immigration concerns or immigration in general. In January, I received many questions about what options are available when the BCIS begins the process of trying to deport you. Accordingly, this article focuses on one form of relief known as Cancellation of Removal.

What is Cancellation of Removal?
Cancellation of removal is a form of relief from removal from the United States when one is placed in removal proceedings in immigration court. There are certain requirements you must meet in order to be eligible to apply and if you win, your removal is cancelled and you are given a greencard.

There ya go, Homes!

Thanx to Greenwyn.

A Lovely Couple

From the Associated Press:

MEMPHIS, Tenn. - A church that wanted to do something special for Hurricane Katrina victims gave a $75,000 house, free and clear, to a couple who said they were left homeless by the storm. But the couple turned around and sold the place without ever moving in, and went back to New Orleans.

"Take it up with God," an unrepentant Joshua Thompson told a TV reporter after it was learned that he and the woman he identified as his wife had flipped the home for $88,000.

Church members said they feel their generosity was abused by scam artists. They are no longer even sure that the couple were left homeless by Katrina or that they were a couple at all.

Oh, they're a "couple" all right. A couple of what is yet to be determined, but here's a clue:

Thompson, reached at a New Orleans phone number by The Associated Press on Tuesday, thanked the church for its generosity but said she saw nothing wrong in selling the three-bedroom, two-bath house.

"Do I have any legal problems? What do you mean? The house was given to me," she said. "I have the paperwork and everything."

CENTCOM Roundup

Because the mainstream media is invested in propagating only bad news from the War on Terror, here's today's CENTCOM roundup.

TERRORIST CACHES SEIZED IN RAID

11/21/2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces conducted an operation against terrorist activities in the vicinity of al-Habbaniyah Tuesday.

Intelligence reports indicated two targeted buildings were being used for terrorist activity. Coalition Forces discovered a weapons cache consisting of rocket-propelled grenades, multiple explosives and small arms in the first targeted building.

After breaching the second targeted building and discovering another weapons cache, Coalition Forces realized the building was a mosque. There were no external markings on the building to indicate it was a mosque.

Both the weapons cache from the mosque and the weapons cache from the first building were destroyed.

ISF TARGETS KIDNAPPING AND MURDER CELL, CAPTURES 7

11/21/2006
BAGHDAD – Special Iraqi Army Forces, with coalition advisers, detained an illegal armed group kidnapping and murder cell leader during a raid Nov. 21 in Sadr City, Baghdad. The raid was launched to target this individual and to obtain information on the whereabouts of a kidnapped U.S. Soldier.

The person detained is reported to have first-hand knowledge of the control and movement of Spec. Ahmed Al Taie, the Soldier who was abducted Oct. 23.

Six additional suspected cell members were detained.

During the operation, Iraqi forces received small-arms and rocket propelled grenade fire from enemy fighters. Supporting coalition aircraft received enemy ground fire; coalition aircraft neutralized the threat with precision fires at identified enemy targets.

There were no reports of Iraqi Forces or Coalition Forces casualties. Civilian and enemy casualties could not be determined.

IA, CF DETAIN 4 INSURGENTS, FIND CACHE, RESCUE 2 HOSTAGES

11/21/2006
TIKRIT, Iraq – Soldiers from the 3rd Brigade, 5th Iraqi Army Division and Task Force Lightning Soldiers from 6-9 Armored Reconnaissance Squadron, 3rd Brigade Combat Team, 1st Cavalry Division, apprehended four suspected insurgents, recovered two kidnapped victims and seized a sizeable weapons cache Nov. 19 during an operation north of Muqdadiyah.

Iraqi and coalition forces discovered the individuals, along with a cache, while conducting an intelligence driven operation on a suspected insurgent safe haven that is responsible for launching attacks on the Iraqi government and civilian population.

The cache consisted of 15 various projectiles including three 155-mm artillery shells, two anti-tank mines, three grenades, 15 pounds of explosives material, and other IED making materials with anti-Iraqi propaganda.

Task Force Lightning forces also discovered and disarmed seven IEDs near the sight.

The two rescued victims were not identified and were taken to the Joint Coordination Center, placed in the mayor’s care and taken to the Muqdadiya Hospital for medical treatment.

THREE TERRORISTS KILLED, FOUR DETAINED

11/21/2006
BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed three terrorists and detained four suspected terrorists during a raid in Baghdad Tuesday.

Upon approaching the objective, ground forces received small arms fire. Coalition Forces returned fire killing three terrorists.

Coalition Forces continued their mission and approached the first targeted building. As they breached the building using a small explosives charge, some linen inside the room caught fire. The fire was quickly extinguished and no one was injured.
During the search of the second targeted building, Coalition Forces detained four suspected terrorists and found four machine guns, ammunition and ammo cartridges.

Previous roundups

Minneapolis Airport Incident May Be a Setup

The incident I wrote about last night, in which six Muslim imams were removed from a plane at Minneapolis/St. Paul International Airport, is looking more and more like a deliberate provocation. From the Associated Press [emphasis added]:

"They took us off the plane, humiliated us in a very disrespectful way," said Omar Shahin, of Phoenix.

The six Muslim scholars were returning from a conference in Minneapolis of the North American Imams Federation, said Shahin, president of the group. Five of them were from the Phoenix-Tempe area, while one was from Bakersfield, Calif., he said.

Three of them stood and said their normal evening prayers together on the plane, as 1.7 billion Muslims around the world do every day, Shahin said. He attributed any concerns by passengers or crew to ignorance about Islam.

"I never felt bad in my life like that," he said. "I never. Six imams. Six leaders in this country. Six scholars in handcuffs. It's terrible."

Ibrahim Hooper, spokesman for the Washington-based Council on American-Islamic Relations, expressed anger at the detentions.

"CAIR will be filing a complaint with relevant authorities in the morning over the treatment of the imams to determine whether the incident was caused by anti-Muslim hysteria by the passengers and/or the airline crew," Hooper said. "Because, unfortunately, this is a growing problem of singling out Muslims or people perceived to be Muslims at airports, and it's one that we've been addressing for some time."

This sounds very much like the deliberate provocation mentioned in my previous post, when Muslims admitted to trying to cause anxiety among fellow passengers as a form of "civil disobedience."

6 Middle Eastern Men Removed From US Airways Flight

Witnesses said the men were chanting "Allah, Allah, Allah" as they were taken off the plane. From 5News KSTP:

5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned that federal investigators and airport police are questioning six Middle Eastern men who had to be escorted off of a plane Monday afternoon at Minneapolis/St. Paul International.

U.S. Airway officials tell 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS' Aviation Expert Bob McNaney that Monday while Flight 300 was preparing to take off from Minneapolis to Phoenix, a passenger passed a note to a flight attendant saying they noticed 'suspicious behavior,' among the men.

The men would not get off the plane when asked, 5 EYEWITNESS NEWS has learned, and had to be removed by police.

Perhaps one of them was named Khaled? (Thanks to lgf commenter "LSD")

Khaled and three of his companions had gone to New York for several days in January. He told of how uncomfortable his trip up to NYC had been. He felt like he was being watched, and thought he was the victim of racial profiling.

Khaled and his friends were pretty unhappy about it, and while in New York, they came up with a plan to "teach a lesson" to the passengers and crew. You can imagine the story Khaled told. He described how he and his friends whispered to each other on the flight, made simultaneous visits to the restroom, and generally tried to "spook" the other passengers. He laughed when he described how several women were in tears, and one man sitting near him was praying.

The others in the room thought the story was quite amusing, judging from the laughter. The imam stood up and told the group that this was a kind of peaceful civil disobedience that should be encouraged, and commended Khaled and his friends for their efforts.

Via little green footballs.

Germany's Terrorist Catch and Release Program

Germans arrested six people they say were involved in a plot to bribe a Frankfurt airport employee to plant explosives on an El Al plane.

The story sounds like a victory for Western security until you get to this part:

The six, who could face charges of belonging to or supporting a terrorist organization, were temporarily detained Friday, but five of them were released Saturday after questioning. The remaining suspect was kept in custody over an unrelated matter.

Under German law, authorities must release suspects after a maximum of 48 hours unless they have enough evidence to convince a judge that they can be held in long-term investigative custody.

D'OH!

Go Big, Go Long, or Go Home

The Washington Post is reporting that three basic strategies for Iraq were being debated by the Pentagon and that military leaders have settled on a hybrid plan, combining "Go Big" and "Go Long.":

The group has devised a hybrid plan that combines part of the first option with the second one -- "Go Long" -- and calls for cutting the U.S. combat presence in favor of a long-term expansion of the training and advisory efforts. Under this mixture of options, which is gaining favor inside the military, the U.S. presence in Iraq, currently about 140,000 troops, would be boosted by 20,000 to 30,000 for a short period, the officials said.

The purpose of the temporary but notable increase, they said, would be twofold: To do as much as possible to curtail sectarian violence, and also to signal to the Iraqi government and public that the shift to a "Go Long" option that aims to eventually cut the U.S. presence is not a disguised form of withdrawal.

Unmentioned in the Post article, of course, is that the strategy must be workable in light of a hostile, grossly biased American media that is focused on political advantage for the Democratic party. To that end, the major media outlets have imposed a virtual embargo on any news out of Iraq that isn't bad for American interests. Anyone who doubts that need only go to CENTCOM and check the press releases.

The MSM uses CENTCOM only for American body counts, they never report on the daily successful operations, which militate against Democratic defeatism. That's the real reason for the rejection of the "Go Big" option, not the lack of US troops, as the Post claims.

Green Beret Killed in Iraq Throws 100K Vegas Party for Friends

A Special Forces captain, killed in action in Iraq, delivers a powerful message in his own style.

From The Seattle Times:

LAS VEGAS — Shortly after Jeffrey "Toz" Toczylowski's last mission in Iraq a year ago this month, friends received a message.

"If you are getting this e-mail, it means that I have passed away," the missive said. "No, it's not a sick Toz joke, but a letter I wanted to write in case this happened."

The Army Special Forces captain, 30, said he would like family and friends to attend his burial at Arlington National Cemetery, "but understand if you can't make it."

The message, distributed by a fellow Green Beret after Toczylowski's family had been notified of his death, added: "There will also be a party in Vegas with a 100k to help pay for travel, room and a party."

And there was this:

"Don't ever think that you are defending me by slamming the Global War on Terrorism or the U.S. goals in that war," Jeffrey Toczylowski wrote. "As far as I am concerned, we can send guys like me to go after them or we can wait for them to come back to us again. I died doing something I believed in and have no regrets except that I couldn't do more."

His mother and sister hosted the party for him. Captain Toczylowski was buried among our other heroes at Arlington on November 14, 2005. Godspeed. Tribute site.

Via Hot Air.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

$17 Per Barrel Synthetic Oil?

From a UPI:

HAIFA, Israel, Nov. 7 (UPI) -- The Israeli process for producing energy from oil shale will cut its oil imports by one-third, and will serve as a guide for other countries with oil shale deposits, according to one company.

A.F.S.K. Hom Tov presented its oil shale processing method on Tuesday, outside Haifa and just down the street from one of the country's two oil refinery facilities.

It would cost about $17 to produce a barrel of synthetic oil at the Hom Tov facility, meaning giant profit margins in a world of $45 to $60 per barrel crude. Yearly earnings are forecasted to be between $159 million and $350 million, Shahal said.

Just what would $17 per barrel oil mean to the current oil-wealthy countries? A smaller supply of French, Germans, and Russians willing to betray the West for bribes, for one thing.

Via The Jawa Report.

Google Hosting al Qaeda Blog

Blogfather Dr. Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report noticed that al Qaeda in Iraq had set up a propaganda site using Google's Blogger. Being a concerned citizen, Rusty immediately sent Google an email to let them know that terrorists were using their free blog hosting service.

Here's Google's reply:

Thank you for your note. Blogger is a provider of content creation tools, not a mediator of that content. We allow our users to create blogs, but we don't make any claims about the content of these pages. In cases where contact information for the author is listed on the page, we recommend you working directly with this person to have this information removed or changed.

Google's corporate motto is: "Don't be evil." Apparently, committing treason by facilitating the work of 14th century head-loppers isn't considered "evil" by the honchos are Google.

It would be a shame if someone were to notify the FBI that Google is providing service to an organization listed by the State Department as an "FTO," or Foreign Terrorist Organization. It's a crime for Americans to do that.

Adolf Would Be Proud

Not many know this, but the most famous anti-smoker in history was Adolf Hitler, who would not allow his officers to smoke in his presence. It seems that all the rumors of der Fuhrer escaping the Allies and taking up residence in Argentina are incorrect; apparently he's living in Denver.

From TheDenverChannel.com:

GOLDEN, Colo. -- A judge has upheld a homeowners association's order barring a couple from smoking in the town house they own.

Colleen and Rodger Sauve, both smokers, filed a lawsuit in March after their condominium association amended its bylaws last December to prohibit smoking.

Anti-smoking zealots - the Fourth Reich.

Hastings Would be Security Risk as Intel Chair

Some expect Nancy Pelosi to name Florida Representative Alcee Hastings to chair the House Intelligence Committee. Government watchdog group Judicial Watch is warning Pelosi that Hastings is unfit for the position because he is a security risk:

(Washington, DC) -- Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton sent a letter to Nancy Pelosi, urging the soon-to-be House Speaker to reject Florida Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings for the chairmanship of the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence. Multiple press reports suggest Hastings may assume the chairmanship with Pelosi’s approval when the new Congress convenes in January.

Rep. Hastings, the letter notes, is one of only six federal judges to be removed from office through impeachment, and has accumulated “staggering liabilities” ranging from $2,130,006 to $7,350,000.

The financial liabilites alone make Hastings a security risk. In the early nineties my job for a small defense contractor required a clearance from the Defense Intelligence Agency. The spook that visited us every few months never asked about anyone being a communist, but he wanted to know who had a new car, or who might be having trouble meeting the mortgage. Betrayal of public trust for financial gain is much more common than treason for ideological reasons.

And the reason for Hastings' impeachment and removal from the bench indicates a willingness to betray the public trust for money:

On August 3, 1988, the House of Representatives adopted articles of impeachment against then-Judge Hastings. After a trial, he was convicted by the Senate and removed from office on October 20, 1989, for perjury and conspiracy to obtain a bribe. As The Washington Post reported in 1989, the Senate found that Hastings “engaged in the bribery conspiracy and repeatedly lied under oath at his [criminal] trial and forged letters in order to win acquittal.”

It's hard to determine whether Hastings' presence in Congress is the result of stupidity among the voters in his district or the unwillingness of the Press to inform the voters of his background. If Pelosi decides to appoint Hastings to chair the Intelligence Committee there will be no doubt of the reason. The same sort of stupidity that inspired Pelosi to endorse John Murtha for majority leader.

Dems Defy Pelosi, Pick Hoyer Over Murtha

From Reuters:

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A week after winning back control of the U.S. Congress, divided Democrats in the House defied incoming speaker Nancy Pelosi on Thursday and elected Steny Hoyer to be majority leader, a Democratic Party aide said.

The vote wasn't even close: 149-86. The only thing more surprising than this resounding rebuke to the new Speaker is Pelosi's stupidity in endorsing Murtha in the first place.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Mitt Romney on Boston Journalists

Finally, a Republican grows a pair and tells it like it is:

"We have two factions of media in Boston. On the one hand, we have the Hillary-loving, Ted Kennedy apologists. And on the other, we have the liberals."

It's not just Boston, Governor.

Pelosi and Company Give Us a Preview of Dem 'Leadership'

From the Washington Post:

A showdown over the House majority leader's post today has Democrats bitterly divided only a week after their party took control of Congress and has prompted numerous complaints that Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi (Calif.) and her allies are using strong-arm tactics and threats to try to elect Rep. John P. Murtha (Pa.) to the job.

Murtha is best known for his brilliant proposed strategy of redeploying our troops to Okinawa, and being an unindicted co-conspirator in the Abscam scandal. That's probably why he's blocking new ethics rules:

Murtha, 74, a former Marine who was among the first on Capitol Hill to call for a U.S. troop withdrawal from Iraq, may have hurt his own chances Tuesday night when he derided the Democrats' ethics and lobbying package before saying he will push for its passage anyway out of deference to Pelosi. His statement, at a gathering of conservative "Blue Dog" Democrats, was cited by backers of his rival, Rep. Steny H. Hoyer (Md.), as further proof that Murtha's controversial ethics record disqualifies him to lead the party in a new political era.

Meanwhile, loose cannon Russ Feingold is working to make the US phone system safe for terrorists, and Dennis Kucinich wants to make Iraq safe for terrorists by cutting off military funding.

Terrorists Meet Allah Sooner Than Planned

From a CENTCOM press release:

MOSUL, Iraq – Three terrorists were killed and one was seriously wounded on Nov. 13 when they tried to plant a roadside bomb in the Baghdad Garage neighborhood on Train Station Road in western Mosul.

The terrorists attempted to emplace a roadside bomb consisting of a 155 mm artillery round when it exploded prematurely, killing two of them instantly and injuring two more.

Iraqi Police responded to the explosion, finding the bodies of the two dead terrorists and evacuating the injured terrorists to a local hospital. One of the injured later died of his wounds. Two innocent bystanders, injured in the blast, were transported to Al Jamouri Hospital.

While the rest of us laugh, you Michael Moore/nutroots types can have a moment of silence for your fallen comrades.

New Senate Majority Leader Reid Now Focus of Abramoff Investigation

From ABC's The Blotter:

As convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff reported to federal prison today, a source close to the investigation surrounding his activities told ABC News that Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was one of the members of Congress Abramoff had allegedly implicated in his cooperation with federal prosecutors.

A spokesperson for Reid, elected yesterday as the Senate Majority Leader, said the senator had done nothing illegal or unethical.

Of course not, Harry's one of Pelosi's anti-corruption warriors now, just like Jack Murtha, William Jefferson, and Alcee Hastings.

Of course there's also this:

The AP also reported that Abramoff's billing records showed extensive contact with Reid's office over a three-year period in which Reid collected more than $68,000 from Abramoff's firm, partners and clients.

Funny how this sort of thing comes out post-election, when it's a Dem in the crosshairs, isn't it?

Update: In the "hoist by his own petard" category, Suitably Flip reminds us of this letter to President Bush, sent in January and still posted on Senator Reid's website, in which the senator says:

There is no reason to wait for indictments or convictions before the American people learn of the role Mr. Abramoff played in the Bush White House. We therefore call on you to make public as soon as possible an accounting of Mr. Abramoff’s personal contacts with Bush Administration officials and the official acts that may have been undertaken at his request.

Right back at ya, Harry. Certainly you won't be waiting for an indictment to give the American people a full accounting, will you?

Via Stop the ACLU.

Stuck on Stupid at the NYT, Part 21,435

Former West Pointers who read James Taranto in the Wall Street Journal Opinion Journal jumped on a remarkably stupid comment by the Gray Lady's managing editor, Jill Abrahamson:

Yesterday we noted that Jill Abramson, managing editor of the New York Times, had remarked that "people are always surprised when I tell them that we sell a lot of subscriptions at West Point." Many readers wrote us to explain why this is. Here's one of them, Rob Munden:

Cadets are required to subscribe to the New York Times (fees deducted from your account, no alternatives given), and unless things have changed from the late '80s when I was there, plebes [freshmen] are required to be conversant with every story on the front page and front page of the sports section before first formation (i.e., early). It's a memory-skills development technique, with a side benefit of forcing everyone to learn about what is going on in the world in a broad sense. As an upperclassman, it was helpful to be able to identify and isolate the bias in the news--and to be given so many opportunities to do so. It's a lifetime skill I'm sure you've no doubt developed, being scrupulously nonpartisan.

It's quite one thing to subscribe to the Times when you have a choice; it's quite another to use forced subscriptions to justify your popularity. Legend has it that in the wake of one of the cheating scandals at West Point the Times called cadets "humorless, uptight and driven," and in response, cadets hung a banner asking "How can a newspaper without comics dare to call anyone humorless?" I'd be surprised if more than 10% of cadets support the Times editorial board position on anything.

Adds reader Malcolm Cole, another West Point alum: "Even back in the 1980s we knew of the leftist slant of the Times and asked our superiors why we had to read the New York Times, since it wasn't very pro-military. The reply often was: 'It's good to know what the enemy is thinking.'

That's gonna leave a mark.

Via Larwyn.

WaPo to Put on Fresh Makeup, Hope for the Best

The Washington Post's executive editor, concerned about the paper's circulation freefall, has announced changes, big, big changes:

NEW YORK In a surprising memo to staffers today, Leonard Downie, Jr., executive editor, announced several general and specific shakeups "to maximize readership of the printed newspaper, build audience on the Web site and further reduce costs in the newsroom."

This includes a plan to "shrink" the newsroom. "tightening up the paper's news hole," cracking down on story length and moving reporters and editors "within and among staffs." The Post is now suffering from regular circulation declines.

Here's a suggestion: forget the cosmetics and get rid of the Democratic partisans who have been posing as journalists. Hire actual unbiased reporters and editors, though God alone knows where you'll find them.

Feingold and Democrats to Block Terrorist Surveillance

Russ Feingold (D-Cheesehead), writing in the loony leftist Huffington Post, says that intercepting calls to and from terrorists in the United States is bad, really bad:

There are a lot of bad bills that the Republicans may try to ram through, but here's the worst of the worst - a bill to legalize the President's warrantless wiretapping program. The White House is desperate to enact this bill, which allows the government to spy on American citizens, on American soil, without a warrant.

Yeah, like, it's just awful that we're not willing to give international terrorists a fair chance to kill as many of us as possible. I give Feingold extra style points for the way he pretends that NSA agents are actually climbing telephone poles by using the archaic term "wiretapping."

More at Gateway Pundit. Via Stop the ACLU.

Photographer: News Magazine Changed Caption to Bash Israel

The fauxtography scandal that characterized reporting of the Israeli-Hezbollah war continues.

Charles Johnson at little green footballs reports that, according to the photographer who took a dramatic picture that ran in Time and US News & World Report, editors at Time deliberately changed the caption to slant the story against Israel. The caption claimed that the picture showed an Israeli plane burning after being shot down. It actually showed a fire at a Lebanese army base caused by a ground to ground missile that misfired after Israeli bombing.

What neither magazine chose to report is that the presence of the missile and launcher hidden in a civilian truck on the army base is a clear indication of collusion between the Lebanese army and the terrorist group Hezbollah.

Photographer Bruno Stevens has posted a full account of the incident at Lightstalkers, a photography forum.

Johnson sums it up:

As I’ve written before, mainstream media is an absolute disgrace—and this time we can’t even blame it on local stringers doing the work of Hizballah. These distortions were perpetrated by Western editors, sitting in comfortable offices, demonizing Israel and covering up evidence of Hizballah war crimes and collusion with the Lebanese Army.

Via The Jawa Report; more commentary at Michelle Malkin.

Three-Alarm Pants Fire Alert

I was searching for video of the Mouth of Sauron from the Lord of the Rings movies, and came across this NewsBusters story from July. Mincing metrosexual milquetoast Keith Olbermann actually said, with a straight face mind you, that he is politically "neutral." NewsBusters has the video. Here's part of the transcript:

Olbermann: "But seriously, I tried to not be, to the degree you can be neutral nowadays, I don't, for instance, I don't vote."

Ferguson: "You don't vote at all."

Olbermann: "I don't vote because I don't think I should have a rooting interest in the outcome of an election."

...

Olbermann: "Yeah, again, people would still have that kind of bias that's perceived one way or the other, but at least you could say, well, you know, I didn't vote, I don't contribute. I'm trying to stay out of it to the degree that I can. I don't have a rooting interest other than in what happens to the country."

Now, I admit that I'm biased against Keith because he once called me "The Worst Person in the World," but c'mon...Olbermann neutral? Was Hitler neutral about Jews? Is anyone who believes him interested in a hot real estate deal?

Is It Really Possible That It's Not Our Fault?

Here's some advice for the West:

"Stop asking what you have done wrong. Stop it! They're slaughtering you like sheep and you still look within. You criticize your history, your institutions, your churches. Why can't you realize that it has nothing to do with what you have done but with what they want."

Nonsense! Any number of Ivy League professors can tell you that we're targeted because we're arrogant cultural imperialists. Who does this troglodyte think he is?

He thinks he's Dr. Tawfik Hamid, a former member of the Egyptian terrorist group Al-Gama'a al-Islamiyya, who trained under Ayman al-Zawahiri, the al Qaeda number two. Dr. Hamid has some other tidbits that will make the head of your average liberal explode:

"We're not talking about a fringe cult here. Salafist [fundamentalist] Islam is the dominant version of the religion and is taught in almost every Islamic university in the world. It is puritanical, extreme and does, yes, mean that women can be beaten, apostates killed and Jews called pigs and monkeys."

Read the rest of the article to find out how sexual frustration causes suicide bombings. Really.

Hat tip to Dr. Sanity, via Larwyn.

The First Week's Accomplishments

Democrats outline strategy for terrorist victory in Iraq:

WASHINGTON, Nov. 12 — Democratic leaders in the Senate vowed on Sunday to use their new Congressional majority to press for troop reductions in Iraq within a matter of months, stepping up pressure on the administration just as President Bush is to be interviewed by a bipartisan panel examining future strategy for the war.

Speaker to be Pelosi endorses lynching enthusiast and Abscam unindicted co-conspirator John Murtha for Majority Leader:

Rep. Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.), in line to become Speaker in January, is throwing her support to Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) in the race for Majority Leader, a move that will be an early test of her influence and will weigh heavily on Murtha's contest with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) for the post.

And Alcee Hastings has a really good shot at chairing the House Intelligence Committee, despite having been impeached and removed from the federal bench for corruption:

With Rep. Alcee Hastings a frontrunner to be House Intelligence Committee chairman, he’s already facing unpleasant publicity stemming from his involvement in a corruption case years ago.

Simpsons Jump the Shark

I've enjoyed "The Simpsons" for years.

But last night, emboldened by the Democrat victory in the midterm elections, Matt Groening and the other writers let America know just how they feel about the folks who protect us with their lives. They disagree with John Kerry, but only because Kerry didn't go far enough in betraying our soldiers.

According to The Simpsons writers, anyone who enters the military is not only stupid, but evil, and eager to kill American civilians. Plus, (and despite the fact the recruitment goals have been met consistently in the real world) Army recruiters will come to elementary schools and make children sign contracts to enter the military.

If this was simply an aberration, Groening should apologize profusely and move on.

If this is a new direction for the animated sitcom, they'll go there without me.

Below is Matt Groening. This is the smug, aging hippy face of a man who hates any American wearing a military uniform.



Update: Hot Air has video.

Conyers Wants to Make America Safe for Islamists

What happens when you empower an aging political hack whose sole qualification for public office is his skill at race-baiting? Nothing good.

From Investor's Business Daily:

Congress: The likely new chairman of the House Judiciary Committee says he's just fighting bigotry in leading a Democrat jihad to deny law enforcement key terror-fighting tools. But he is in the pocket of Islamists.

John Conyers, son of a leftist Detroit union activist, represents the largest Arab population in the country. His district includes Dearborn, Mich., nicknamed "Dearbornistan" by locals fed up with cultural encroachment and terror fears from a steady influx of Mideast immigrants.

Conyers, who runs an Arabic version of his official Web site, does the bidding of these new constituents and the militant Islamist activists who feed off them. They want to kill the Patriot Act and prevent the FBI from profiling Muslim suspects in terror investigations. They also want to end the use of undisclosed evidence against suspected Arab terrorists in deportation proceedings.

And the 77-year-old Conyers has vowed to deliver those changes for them.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Democrats Come Up With Plan For Iraq

It shouldn't come as much surprise to anyone. The Democrats seem to think this is what the American people voted them in for. This is the cowardly new direction America is headed for. The New York Times is excited, and while they are quick to jump the gun on oversight, they do note that the Democrats have no real plan.

But wait...they do have a plan!

Democrats, who won control of the U.S. Congress, said on Sunday they will push for a phased withdrawal of American troops from Iraq to begin in four to six months, but the White House cautioned against fixing timetables.

"First order of business is to change the direction of Iraq policy," said Sen. Carl Levin, a Michigan Democrat who is expected to be chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee in the new Congress.

Democrats will press President George W. Bush's administration to tell the Iraqi government that U.S. presence was "not open-ended, and that, as a matter of fact, we need to begin a phased redeployment of forces from Iraq in four to six months," Levin said on ABC's "This Week" program.


Bush has insisted that U.S. troops would not leave until Iraqis were able to take over security for their country, and has repeatedly rejected setting a timetable for withdrawal because, he says, that would only embolden the insurgents.

The White House said, however, that Bush is open to new ideas. Bush will meet on Monday with the bipartisan Iraq Study Group that is expected to recommend alternative policies in its final report.

There you go folks! Lets show the world that American is not strong enough to finish what we start. Lets leave a fledging democracy out to dry. Lets give the terrorists more ammunition to spin up propaganda of how we are retreating and they are the victors! It is the "new" direction the Democrats are leading us in!

Huge reaction roundup at
Stop The ACLU

Emboldened By Democrat Victory Al Qaeda Vows To Blow Up White House

Still think the terrorists are not cheering the Dem's victory? Well, you had better think again!

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, said in the recording posted on the Internet that the group has 12,000 armed fighters and 10,000 others waiting to be equipped to fight U.S. troops in Iraq.

“I swear by God we shall not rest from jihad until we … blow up the filthiest house known as the White House,” he said.

The Democrats’ victory at Tuesday’s Congressional elections were a step in the right direction, the speaker said.

More at Stop The ACLU

Happy Birthday, Leathernecks

On 10 November, 1775, the Second Continental Congress ordered the formation of two battalions of Continental Marines, making the USMC the oldest of America's armed forces.

Brit Ex-Ministry of Defense Chief: Alien Attack May Be Imminent

Not undocumented jihadis; aliens from space. I'm not making this up.

From the Daily Mail:

UFO sightings and alien visitors tend to be solely the reserve of sci-fi movies.

So when a former MoD chief warns that the country could be attacked by extraterrestrials at any time, you may be forgiven for feeling a little alarmed.

During his time as head of the Ministry of Defence UFO project, Nick Pope was persuaded into believing that other lifeforms may visit Earth and, more specifically, Britain.

His concern is that "highly credible" sightings are simply dismissed.

ACLU Wants Rumsfeld Investigation

Crossposted from Stop The ACLU

Off we go into a new direction for America. You know we are off on the wrong foot towards the wrong direction when the changes taking place are cheered by the ACLU! If President Bush thinks nixing Rumsfeld is a way to finding common ground with the newly empowered Democrats and will be enough to satisfy the hunger of the left, he should think again. The ACLU, no doubt speaking the mind of the new majority, want to see his head on a fancier platter.

The American Civil Liberties Union today applauded Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation from his post as Defense Secretary, and called on Congress to investigate the gross abuse of power committed under his watch.

"Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation is a step in the right direction," said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director. "Rumsfeld is responsible for the torture and abuse of detainees in U. S. military custody and must be held accountable for the failures that occurred on his watch. He has placed the blame on junior military members and has been nothing but derelict in his duty. Congress must initiate an immediate and exhaustive investigation into his six-year-long record of unlawful activity, violations of the rule of law and complicity in the executive branch abuse of power."

As a result of the ACLU’s Freedom of Information Act lawsuit, more than 100,000 pages of government documents have been released detailing the torture and abuse of detainees in Iraq, Afghanistan and Guantánamo Bay. In March 2005, the ACLU and Human Rights First filed the first federal lawsuit naming Rumsfeld and other top U.S. officials in the ongoing torture scandal in Iraq and Afghanistan that has tarnished America's reputation. A hearing in that case, Ali v. Rumsfeld, is scheduled for December 8. In June 2006, the Supreme Court in Hamdan v. Rumsfeld ruled that the Bush administration policy on detention, orchestrated by Rumsfeld, was illegal.

The Center for Constitutional Rights say they intend to file war crimes charges against Rumsfeld next week in Germany, arguing that his departure from the Department of Defense means that he's no longer entitled to immunity from prosecution.

So, the ACLU says Rummy's resignation was "a step in the right direction", but far from where they hope the final destination will be. America voted for change and will get it. To borrow a phrase from Don Surber, America just screwed itself. Welcome to the new direction folks! Can you hear the calls for impeachment in the far left distance? They are getting closer.

Camp Lejeune's Little Ballerinas Thank You All

Remember the little ballerinas at Camp Lejeune who needed help for their recitals?

Reposted from Pam at Iraq War Today:

Thank You from Camp Lejeune's Ballerinas
From Lauren:

To all who so generously gave to these Camp Lejeune Ballerinas:

Yeah! We've reached our goals! You all not only helped us raise the money for the December recital, but you also helped us raise the money to cover the May recital! I want to thank you all so much for your efforts and your generous hearts. These little girls are SO excited. When I told them in class on Thursday that we have enough for both recitals, they all started clapping and squealing "yeah!" Many of the costumes have already started being shipped. So on Thursday, I took a few of them in to make sure that they were going to fit some of the kids. Their eyes were as big as quarters! I wouldn't let them touch the costumes (white) until they washed their hands. You've never seen little girls so eager to wash their hands. They were so careful touching them. And of course, the parents kept coming up to me saying, "Thank you Lauren, this means so much to us." Many of them had tears in their eyes, (including Marines). So you all have touch the hearts of not only my dancers and me, but also the parents. Thank you all again for your generous gifts to my little dancers. This will be something they remember for the rest of their lives. And since several of their dads are deployed and will be gone during this recital, I know that it comforts them to know that their sweet daughters have something so wonderful to look forward to this holiday season! Thank you again!!!

Lauren Kelly-Hill


*****************************************


Thank you to all the bloggers, Angels, readers, and others who helped to make these recitals special for these wonderful little girls and their families. You all ROCK!

Stop the ACLU Blogburst

Crossposted from Stop The ACLU

So, America voted for change? They should be careful what they ask for because they will get it. For those that voted or stayed home in order to send the Republicans a message on election day...congratulations! Your all important "lesson" will now backfire in your face. You just cut off your nose to spite your face. Not only have you helped to give both Houses over to the left, put Nancy Pelosi in as the Speaker of the House, and completely destroyed any chance of getting a Constitutionalist majority in the Supreme Court, but groups like the ACLU seem to think this election was a mandate for their insanities. Look, you can't say we didn't warn you.

Yesterday voters nationwide rejected candidates who failed to uphold civil liberties and rejected ballot initiatives that undermine fundamental freedoms of all Americans.

"American voters have reinvigorated our system of checks and balances essential to stopping the abuse of power," said Anthony D. Romero, American Civil Liberties Union Executive Director. "Voters finally had enough of the 109th Congress that repeatedly rubber-stamped legislation that violates our basic rights. Voters also rejected many state ballot initiatives designed to restrict civil liberties and meddle in our personal lives. The 110th Congress should take note - voters rejected political scare tactics and government power grabs in favor of civil liberties and policies that keep us safe and free."

Ah, the old "Safe and Free" banner! Since when did the ACLU care about us being "safe"? So now the ACLU is promoting itself as a champion of both safety for our citizens and of freedom. What a joke! When 9-11 occurred what measures did the ACLU take to ensure our safety? None, zip, nada. This organization has done nothing to ensure our safety; in fact it has chosen to sue our government on behalf of terrorists outside of their legal jurisdiction while they were located in prisons on foreign soil.

They have since then demanded that the government release and make public top secret security information regarding not only the activities of our military, but also that of our intelligence forces. They have also initiated one lawsuit after another against the government to stop the searching of individuals for security purposes in mass transit situations, and to stop the government from detaining and questioning or interrogating individuals who have ties or contact with known terrorist individuals and organizations. That is just naming their actions off the top of my head. The fact is that the ACLU is making America less safe.

If what the ACLU means by political scare tactics are the warnings about the NSA surveillance program being put into jeopardy and other liberal techniques of surrender and stupidity then I must disagree. Perhaps the American people fell for the scare tactics of groups like the ACLU. It isn't a scare tactic to state the truth about the threats we face from our enemies, and the threats still remain. The beat goes on.

In several congressional races voters rejected the strategy to paint national security as a polarizing issue. In Ohio, incumbent Senator Mike DeWine was defeated. DeWine sponsored legislation that condoned the president's warrantless wiretapping program.

Looks like that is exactly what the ACLU is saying. America voted against effectively listening in our enemies plotting to destroy us. "Safe and Free" once again. Pundits and talking heads take note...it wasn't about Iraq, the ACLU say it was civil liberties stupid!

As a non-partisan organization, the ACLU takes no official position in any race for elected office.

....except when they want to. Then they take out full page political ads opposing candidates that they do not like. They didn't hide the fact they wanted a Democratic controlled Senate to kill the NSA program.

"The American people have spoken," said Caroline Fredrickson, Director of the ACLU Washington Legislative Office. "The lame-duck session should not be used to ram through proposals that the American people have clearly rejected. The rule of law has been seriously compromised over the past five years, and lawmakers must now seek to reaffirm our commitment to fundamental freedoms."

Oh, that isn't the message you meant to send by staying home and pouting over overspending and the lack of immigration reform? Well, that is the message the left received as you handed them the power to speak on behalf of the majority. Their beloved ACLU says you clearly rejected the kind of proposals they wouldn't like. You wanted immigration reform? Ha! You just kissed that goodbye to hell. Say hello to amnesty.

As Ace says so simply:

"Punishing" politicians doesn't make sense when you wind up enacting the very policies that caused you to want to lash out in the first place.

Sure, the GOP are to blame for their many mistakes but the reaction to that was up to the individual voters at the end of the day. It looks like some Conservatives decided to punish themselves by punishing the GOP. The left's voting I can understand. What doesn't make sense to me that so many were willing to shoot themselves in the foot by empowering and emboldening the very party that will make sure the policies they were protesting continue and the ones they want will never happen. Well, the fight continues and now it we just have to fight that much harder.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 200 blogs already on-board.

CENTCOM Roundup

Here's what the people who protect us were doing while we exercised the rights they guarantee:

FOUR TERRORISTS KILLED, 48 DETAINED IN RAMADI RAID:

RAMADI, IRAQ – Coalition Forces killed four terrorists and detained 48 suspected terrorists during a raid of a known al-Qaeda meeting place in Ramadi Tuesday afternoon.

During the raid, Coalition ground forces encountered two hostile men fleeing from the scene in a vehicle. Despite repeated requests to surrender, the two men continued to threaten Coalition Forces. Coalition Forces killed the two terrorists. Upon searching the terrorists’ vehicle, Coalition Forces discovered rocket-propelled grenades, machine guns, grenades and suicide vests.

Coalition Forces were later engaged outside nearby buildings and ground forces killed two more terrorists. During the raid a male civilian received a minor wound to the neck and Coalition Forces provided medical care on the scene.

TEN FOREIGN FIGHTER FACILITATORS KILLED; IRAQI POLICEMAN RESCUED

BAGHDAD, IRAQ – Coalition Forces killed ten al-Qaeda terrorists associated with foreign fighter organizations today near Muqdadiyah and rescued a kidnapped Iraqi Policeman.

Acting upon numerous credible intelligence sources, Coalition Forces launched an operation to detain individuals running a known terrorist cell. At the objective, Coalition Forces made contact with and killed 10 terrorists carrying AK-47s, a rocket propelled grenade launcher, and a machine gun.

Once inside the building, Coalition Forces found a hostage blindfolded and shackled to the floor. The hostage revealed he was an Iraqi Policeman that was taken hostage six days before with two other Iraqi Policemen and was being held ransom to raise money for the terrorist cell. He said the two other policemen had been ransomed earlier by the terrorists.

BAGHDAD IA, MND-B SOLDIERS DETAIN 17 TERRORISTS

BAGHDAD – Iraqi Army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained 17 terrorists at approximately 9 p.m. Monday in central Baghdad.

The Soldiers from the 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and MND-B’s 4th Squadron, 14th Cavalry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, conducted a combined cordon and search in the Karkh neighborhood of central Baghdad to capture members of a suspected death squad.

The Soldiers apprehended 17 suspects, all of whom were identified by witnesses as members of a death squad operating in central Baghdad.

TWO TERRORISTS KILLED DURING RAID NEAR BAYJI

BAGHDAD, Iraq – Coalition Forces killed two terrorists and detained two suspected terrorists Tuesday morning during a raid near Bayji that targeted individuals associated with a suspected senior leader of an al-Qaeda in Iraq network.

After arriving at the targeted building, ground forces witnessed four armed individuals fleeing the scene. Coalition Forces pursued and detained two of the suspects as the other two armed individuals began firing at the ground forces.

Ground forces returned fire, killing the two terrorists.

IA, MND-B SOLDIERS DETAIN 24 SUSPECTED TERRORISTS

BAGHDAD – Iraqi army and Multi-National Division – Baghdad Soldiers detained 24 suspected terrorists in Baghdad Saturday and Sunday.

Soldiers from the 5th Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and MND-B’s 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, detained 23 suspected terrorists Sunday for their suspected involvement with death squads and setting up illegal checkpoints.

All suspects were detained for further questioning.

Now that the election is over, and news about our troops accomplishments is no longer a threat to the mainstream media's political allies, perhaps they'll start reporting the full story from Iraq. Heh, right.

In a Nutshell

Even Iraqis know that we have a history of abandoning allies under pressure from Democrats:

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The United States ambassador sought on Wednesday to reassure Iraqis that U.S. policy would not dramatically alter after Democrats seized control of the U.S. House of Representatives in midterm elections.

In a videotape distributed by the embassy Wednesday morning, the Afghan-born envoy said President Bush "sees success (in Iraq) as imperative for American's national interests."

But some Iraqis voiced hope that the Democrats would be able to change U.S. foreign policy.

Nice how the AP writer tries to sugarcoat it with the "some Iraqis voiced hope." Unfortunately, "some Iraqis" are al Qaeda supporters who want American foreign policy changed to make it easier for their friends to fight for the Caliphate.

The folks in the mainstream media, who succeeded in convincing enough voters that killing terrorists in Iraq is not as good as leaving them free to attack us here, are looking forward to good times. After all, 9/11 was a ratings bonanza for the Press. The next one will be, too.

People Do Stupid Things

Some, more often and more stupid than others...

Did the DNC/MSM Do Enough?

Remains to be seen, but even the Gray Lady seems to be hedging her bets:

For a combination of reasons — increasingly bullish prognostications by independent handicappers, galloping optimism by Democratic leaders and bloggers, and polls that promise a Democratic blowout — expectations for the party have soared into the stratosphere. Democrats are widely expected to take the House, and by a significant margin, and perhaps the Senate as well, while capturing a majority of governorships and legislatures.

These expectations may well be overheated. Polls over the weekend suggested that the contest was tightening, and some prognosticators on Monday were scaling back their predictions, if ever so slightly. (Charlie Cook, the analyst who is one of Washington’s chief setters of expectations, said in an e-mail message on Monday that he was dropping the words “possibly more” from his House prediction of “20-35, possibly more.”)

AJ Strata's scenario may be too rosy:

So folks don’t need to wade through my three big posts below: Reps easily hold senate taking at most a two seat loss. Reps will also hold the house with Dems picking up a maximum of 9 seats. It get’s better from there if the GOP has a good turnout.

But, Jim Geraghty's anonymous Republican Jedi master, whom Geraghty calls "Obi Wan Kenobi," is beginning to see a Red groundswell:

Obi Wan continued laying out the case – the fact that DeWine is within 6, and Kyl is up 12 or so suggests that this late surge for the GOP is deep and broad, affecting races nationwide, even with very different candidates.

This is a big test for Geraghty, whose book, Voting to Kill, posits that the effects of 9/11 were not temporary, and will affect American voting patterns for years to come.

Geraghty gets support from an odd place. In a poll conducted November 2-5, James Carville's own "Democracy Project" joins other national generic ballot polls in finding that the "blue wave" has crested and started to recede. It also shows that the perceived gap in which party can best handle national security is vast. Republicans lead by 18 points, 50 to 32.