Friday, June 30, 2006

Kitchen Table Talk

Snuff the Terrorist


My type of game.....

Now, you too can rub out the former al-Queda-in-Iraq leader.

Kuma Reality Games announced today the release of Kuma\War’s 75th episode, “The Death of Zarqawi", whicb simulates the strike that killed Abu Musab al-Zarqawi on June 7th.

Created within two weeks of the real-life bombing, the episode allows gamers to join the U.S.-led coalition stationed just outside the house where al-Zarqawi is meeting with other insurgent leaders and choose between two strategies of attack: calling-in the real-life air strike that killed Zarqawi, or an alternate on-foot ambush which involves storming the guarded house and attempting to capture the terrorist leader alive.


Naw, much better to off him in the most brutal and painful way imaginable for bonus points.

Update: Rusty at Jawa found the link to play it free!

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Hamdan ruling

I read the SCOTUS decision on Hamdan so you don't have to.

Cut through all the voluminous libretto and come away with one thing: "It bears emphasizing that Hamdan does not challenge, and we do not today address, the Government's power to detain him for the duration of active hostilities in order to prevent such harm."

That is all.

IDF forces arrest Palestinian cabinet ministers, lawmakers

Ever notice how no one in Israel ever asks the question "Why do they hate us" Unlike the left and EM in this country they have their priorities straight, security is paramount. As for the rest, they simply don't give a damn.

Palestinian Deputy Prime Minister Nasser a-Shaer, who evaded capture by Israel Defense Forces troops during mass arrests of Hamas officials before dawn Thursday, has gone into hiding in the West Bank. A-Shaer has disconnected all his cellular telephones out of fear Israeli security services would again attempt to track him down and arrest him.

The mass arrests of senior Hamas officials were part of Israel's expanded military operation against the Hamas-led government in the Palestinian Authority.

IDF troops launched the major arrest operation against Hamas officials overnight, detaining 64 of the ruling militant group's ministers and parliamentarians in the West Bank and 23 military operatives.

Shackleford Returns

After a week of downtime, The Jawa Report is back online. Welcome back Obi Wan, you're our only hope.

Wednesday, June 28, 2006

Mirth-a

Suspect in Iraq Shrine Bombing Captured

Great news, they caught the little Fakher......

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - Iraqi forces have captured a key al-Qaida suspect wanted in the bombing of a Shiite shrine that brought the country to the brink of civil war, the country's national security adviser said Wednesday.

The official identified the arrested man as Yousri Fakher Mohammed Ali, a Tunisian also known as Abu Qudama. The national security chief said Abu Qudama was seriously wounded in a clash with security forces north of Baghdad few days ago. Fifteen other foreign fighters were killed in the confrontation, he said.

Abu Qudama confessed that he killed hundreds of Iraqis'' in different parts of the country al-Rubaie said, but gave no further details.

Tuesday, June 27, 2006

Seven militant groups accept al-Maliki's offer.

Via Iraq the model.

Seven militant groups announced their desire to join the political process in accordance with the reconciliation project and said they were ready to enter a truce and stop the violence.

MP Hassan al-Sinaid-whose close to PM Maliki-said third parties conveyed the message of the seven groups confirming that they were not involved in Iraqi bloodshed suggesting they're eligible to benefit from the initiative.

Al-Sinaid said it was possible that Maliki would meet representatives of these seven groups either directly or indirectly, because he's concerned about the success of the initiative and is keen to gather support for it. Al-Sinaid adds "al-Maliki believes in political measures now, and not only in military ones".

Sadr is against this so it's likely a good thing.

Hypocritical Times

The New York Times can't even agree with themselves.

Finances of Terror
September 24, 2001 Monday Late Edition -NYT:


Organizing the hijacking of the planes that crashed into the World Trade Center and the Pentagon took significant sums of money. [snip]

Washington and its allies must also disable the financial networks used by terrorists. [snip]

Much more is needed, including stricter regulations, the recruitment of specialized investigators and greater cooperation with foreign banking authorities. There must also must be closer coordination among America's law enforcement, national security and financial regulatory agencies.


If America is going to wage a new kind of war against terrorism, it must act on all fronts, including the financial one.

Monday, June 26, 2006

Alito breaks tie, Kan. death penalty stays

Elections DO matter.....

WASHINGTON - New Supreme Court Justice Samuel Alito broke a tie Monday to rule that Kansas' death penalty law is constitutional.

By a 5-to-4 vote, the justices said the Kansas Supreme Court incorrectly interpreted the Eighth Amendment's protection against cruel and unusual punishment to strike down the state's death penalty statute.

The dissenters, the four liberal members of the high court, bitterly complained about the decision.

And even more good news from SCOTUS

Sunday, June 25, 2006

Iraq oil output hits record level

More good news from Iraq the Entrenched Media will choose to ignore......

IRAQ'S oil production is now over 2.5 million barrels a day, a record since the fall of Saddam Hussein, the country's oil minister said overnight.

Oil Minister Hussein Shahristani said on US television that Iraq hopes to be producing 4.3 million barrels by 2010 and to be challenging Saudi Arabia as the world's largest producer by 2015.

Production was about 2.5 million barrels a day when president Saddam Hussein was deposed by US-led forces in 2003. It then collapsed to virtually nothing and has been slow to rebuild because of insurgent attacks and other problems.

In an interview with CNN television, Mr Shahristani emphasised that only one month and three days after the Iraqi government took office, "we have been able to break a record".

Just 2 months ago WAPO called this figure a "pipe dream". Just proves that once again the press can't wish bad news into fact.

Update: Believe it or not the Times did pick up this story albeit buried in the business section.

Video shows Russian hostages killed

I believe the correct term is "murdered."

DUBAI (Reuters) - An Iraqi al Qaeda-led group said on Sunday it had killed four Russian embassy staff it had taken hostage, according to a statement posted on the Internet.

The statement said the posting included footage of the "execution". The group had demanded that Russia withdraw its troops from Chechnya and release all Muslim prisoners.

The Web posting showed video footage of the killing of two men it said were Russian hostages and the beheaded body of a third man.

It showed two militants beheading one of the men and the shooting of a second, after showing four men speaking in Russian in video statements dated June 13, 2006.

Saturday, June 24, 2006

CRAZY SADDAM: AMERICANS MIGHT REINSTALL ME AS PRESIDENT!

Sadaam is drinking from the same punch bowl as the left....

Via Drudge:

Saddam Hussein believes the Americans may reinstall him as president of Iraq, the NEW YORK TIMES is planning to report on Sunday, newsroom sources tell the DRUDGE REPORT.
Saddam Hussein has no illusions, his chief lawyer says. As he sits in his prison cell reading the Quran and writing poetry, he knows the inevitable is coming -- a death sentence handed down by the Iraqi court trying him for crimes against humanity.

Yet Saddam refuses to submit to the fate that awaits him, Khalil al-Dulaimi, said, for he believes there is a way out:President Bush will use the court's sentence as leverage to try to persuade Saddam to tamp down the insurgency, he said, so desperate are the Americans to stanch their losses.

Friday, June 23, 2006

Spinimizing Success

Well the Media spinmeisters are at it with fervor tonight as they furiously attempt to minimize the imporatnce of the Miami arrests.

"The gang that couldn't shoot straight" "Unfunded, "bumbling" and "incompetent"is the description du jour for MSNBC and CNN. The prevailing theme being espoused through intimation is the distinct non-scariness of these 7 conspirators. These clueless al-Qaida wannabe's were more of gravy than grave according to them.

It should come as a surprise to absolutely nobody, the Press is just NOT going to report it straight if it happens to reflect positively on the Executive branch. The spectre of bringing down an administartion they have grown to despise far outways any concerns for conscience or country. They are an agenda driven group of out of control idealogues who hide behind the self serving mantle of pursuing the public interest. Funny how the "public interest" items they report always seem to supporttheir agenda.

These people who are presently attempting to minimize it's significance would undoubtedly be the first and loudest to scream bloody murder had the Miami 7 been allowed to act on their plan.
I can hear the hysterical lamentations now,"Why didn't you protect us!

Bottom line, these guys were time bombs. They might not have taken down the Sears tower or even the FBI building in Miami. One thing for sure, given the time they would have killed people. It's anyones guess whether it would have been 5, 50 or 5000 but fanatics like these eventually succeed to some degree if left to their own devices.

Let's not forget how much terror was caused by just two not so bright individuals with a single rifle in DC.

U.S. Navy test intercepts warhead

Even in the unlikely event that "Ronery Kim" has a successful missile launch we've got it covered.

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A U.S. warship has successfully knocked down a short-range missile fired from Hawaii, the Pentagon has said, amid global concerns about a possible North Korea missile test.

An interceptor rocket fired from the cruiser USS Shiloh knocked down the warhead from a target missile about 250 miles off Kauai shortly after noon (6 p.m. ET), the Defense Department's missile defense agency reported on Thursday.

The U.S. missile defense agency said Thursday's test had been scheduled for months and was not prompted by indications that North Korea was planning to test launch a long-range missile, AP reported.

Saddam ends hunger strike after missing one meal

Now that's conviction...

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein ended a brief hunger strike after missing just one meal in his U.S.-run prison, a U.S. military spokesman said Friday.

The former Iraqi leader had refused lunch Thursday in protest at the killing of one of his lawyers by gunmen, but the spokesman said he ate his evening meal.

Former Saddam aides being held in the same prison had refused to eat three meals since Wednesday evening but ended their fast with the ex-president.

"They all took their dinner meal," the spokesman told Reuters.

Jonesin for Doritos

Thursday, June 22, 2006

From the Grotesque (Sheehan) to the Sublime

Operation Valiant Shield, a U.S. Pacific Command exercise .

Celebs to Join Cindy Sheehan in Hunger Strike

It appears that muffin gut could benefit greatly from such a plan.

Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan announced Wednesday that she plans to begin an "open-ended hunger strike" on July 4 to urge the Bush administration to bring troops home from Iraq.

"We hope the fast will galvanize public attention, invigorate the peace movement, build pressure on elected officials, and get our troops back home," Sheehan said in a statement posted on the anti-war blogosphere.

The fast, organized by Code Pink and Sheehan's Gold Star Families for Peace, will begin on Independence Day in Washington, D.C. In her statement Sheehan said she would move the fast to Crawford, Texas, where the president owns a ranch and often vacations.

Wednesday, June 21, 2006

NEW YORK INVESTIGATES SKATING RINK FOR PLAYING CHRISTIAN MUSIC

Looking for some independent corroboration of this story. It's one of those that's almost too crazy to be true but then again I'm running into more of those every day that do prove valid.

TVC ASKS PATAKI TO STOP HARASSMENT

June 21, 2006 - Washington, DC – The Traditional Values Coalition asked New York Governor George Pataki to rein in a state agency which is threatening legal action against an Accord, New York skating rink because it plays Christian music during a “Christian Music Skate” party.

The New York Division of Human Rights threatened Len and Terry Bernardo, owners of the Skate Time 209 rink in Accord, with an investigation because the rink plays Christian music during certain hours. The agency also threatened to charge a local newspaper which advertised the event for “aiding and abetting” unlawful discrimination.

“This is crazy,” said TVC Chairman Rev. Louis P. Sheldon. “These people are exercising basic Constitutional rights on private property to the exclusion of no one and the state government is treating them like dangerous criminals.

Europeans Back Bush on Iran, North Korea

EU growing a spine?

VIENNA, Austria (AP) President Bush on Wednesday won a robust endorsement from European leaders for his tough approach to nuclear standoffs with Iran and North Korea, despite trans-Atlantic differences on Iraq, Guantanamo Bay and trade.

European Union leaders emerged from a summit with Bush in this capital of cafes and cobblestones to back U.S. demands that North Korea abandon a long-range missile test and that Iran quit dragging its feet in responding to a Western plan aimed at getting it to suspend uranium enrichment activity.

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said Wednesday that his country will respond to the proposal by mid-August.

Bush was cool to the time frame. "It shouldn't take the Iranians that long to analyze what is a reasonable deal," he said. "We'll come to the table when they verifiably suspend. Period."

Tuesday, June 20, 2006

IRAQ: ARMED FOREIGN GANGS FLEEING, REPORTS.

Rats jumping a sinking ship. Glad our boys aren't in Okinawa.

Baghdad, 20 June (AKI) - Sources in Ramadi in the restive al-Anbar province report that large groups of armed foreign militants are fleeing towards the Syrian border, as US and Iraqi forces tighten their siege on the city. Ramadi, some 100 kilometres west of Baghdad, is a stronghold of the insurgency and there are reports of many residents also fleeing in fear of an assault. Sources told Adnkronos International (AKI) that local tribes were also pursuing foreign terrorists "because of the immense damage they have done to infrastructure and the bad name they have given the insurgency by terror attacks against innocent civilians.

"The sources added that "the armed men are heading towards the highlands near the Euphrates in an effort to find a secure refuge," emphasising that "the murder of the head of the Karabila tribe, Osama al-Jadaan, in al-Mansour last month, by al-Qaeda operators, triggered a vendetta by his relatives and followers.

"This episode, the sources said, "will make the border area where the tribe of the victim lives an unsafe area for these militants." What's more, "there is close collaboration between the members of this tribe and the US and Iraqi forces regarding the elimination of terrorists and the liberation of the zone from this tragic presence."

And even more good news: Another top al-Qaeda man killed.

Iraqi: U.S. bodies showed signs of torture

The left in this country is screaming about abu-Graib, Haditha, Gitmo while are troops in the field are being tortured to death by the enemy. It's evident where their "priorities" lie.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi military official said Tuesday that the bodies of two missing U.S. soldiers showed signs of torture, and that men appeared to have been killed "in a barbaric way." Also, the umbrella group for Iraqi insurgents claimed responsibility for the soldiers' deaths.

"We give the good news ... to the Islamic nation that we have carried God's verdict by slaughtering the two captured crusaders," said a statement in the name of the Mujahedeen Shura Council, which groups five insurgent organizations including al-Qaida in Iraq.

At a news briefing, U.S. Maj. Gen. William Caldwell declined to identify the two men until their families could be notified.

Pfc. Kristian Menchaca, 23, of Houston, and Pfc. Thomas L. Tucker, 25, of Madras, Ore., disappeared after an insurgent attack Friday at a checkpoint by a Euphrates River canal south of Baghdad. Spc. David J. Babineau, 25, of Springfield, Mass., was killed.

Monday, June 19, 2006

Bill would Allow Illegals to attend California Community Colleges for FREE!!!

Via Craig DeLuz.com

State Senator Gill Cedillo, infamous for his effort to give drivers licenses to illegal immigrants has now wants to allow them to get grants provided to UC and CSU students and would make them eligible to receive the Community College Boar d of Governor’s Fee Waiver that would allow them to attend Community College in California for free.

AB 160 which passed the California State Senate on a party line vote will be heard in the Assembly Higher Education committee this week. This is on top of AB 540 which was passed several years ago allowing illegal immigrants to pay instate tuition rates, costing taxpayers millions of dollars each year. Apparently Mr. Cedillo thinks that we should further subsidize their education by taking money away from students who are citizens or legal residents.

Nothing like improving the stead of illegal aliens that would choose to break our laws at the expense of citizens who choose to obey them.

Haditha Report to Fault Oversight, Official Says

No surprise here.

But the findings apparently do not indicate a deliberate cover-up by officers looking into the slayings of 24 Iraqi civilians.

WASHINGTON — The general charged with investigating whether Marines tried to cover up the killing of 24 civilians in Haditha has completed his report, finding that Marine officers failed to ask the right questions, an official close to the investigation said Friday.

Nothing in the report points to a "knowing cover-up" of the facts by the officers supervising the Marines involved in the November incident, the official said. Rather, he said, officers from the company level through the staff of the 2nd Marine Expeditionary Force in Baghdad failed to demand "a thorough explanation" of what happened in Haditha.

In an official announcement about the report by Army Maj. Gen. Eldon Bargewell, a military spokeswoman said that Army Lt. Gen. Peter Chiarelli would "thoroughly review the voluminous report as quickly as possible," but had no timetable.

So Murtha is full of crap......again.

Creepy Connie

Did anyone see this? Unfortunately I did and a description of dreadfully unfunny is gross understatement . It was just plain weird and it scared my kids.

Sunday, June 18, 2006

Dixie refuses to forgive the Chicks

How smart is it to pi$$ down the back of your core audience?

The Dixie Chicks will continue their struggle to figure out where their own Mason-Dixon Line lies on a map of America's arenas.

The reason is that ticket sales for their upcoming road run, the Accidents & Accusations Tour, have not gone as expected; in many Southern states and Midwest markets, the Chicks have not been forgiven for perceived political sins of the past. Industry watchers say some radio stations are extending their boycott of the group's recordings to include advertising bans for Dixie Chicks concerts.

"Obviously there are political overtones to this as well," says Gary Bongiovanni, editor of Pollstar, the concert industry trade publication. "It personally bothers me when I hear that two country stations in Atlanta have refused to accept advertising for the show at Philips Arena, which at this point is not selling well. These shows are in September, so I think it's a little early to be panicking."

Last I looked Berkeley wasn't buying a lot of C&W.

Friday, June 16, 2006

Iraq to take over the south's security: deputy PM

"As the Iraqi security forces stand up, we will stand down". That has been the plan from the start and it's playing out per script. As Kerry, Murtha, Pelosi etc. hysterically rant about immediate redeployment(aka withdrawal) and deadlines, the Iraqi people are steadily taking over the reponsibility for their own security. Just another example how things ultimately work when adults are in charge.

Iraq's deputy prime minister says Iraq has an agreement to take over security responsibilities from Australian, British and Japanese forces in southern Iraq this month.

Deputy Prime Minister Salam Zikam Ali al-Zubaie was responding to a Japanese news report that Australia, British and Japanese troops will transfer security responsibilities in southern Iraq to Iraqi authorities next week, and soon withdraw from the area.

"There is an agreement to take over the security responsibilities from the British, Australian and Japanese forces in southern Iraq during this month," al-Zubaie said.

House Dems strip Jefferson of panel seat

WASHINGTON - Add political banishment to the list of problems confronting Rep. William Jefferson (news, bio, voting record), ensnared in a bribery scandal that fellow Democrats hope to turn to their election-year advantage.

"Democrats are determined to hold a high ethical standard," the party's leader, Rep. Nancy Pelosi said Thursday night after engineering a 99-58 vote of the rank and file that stripped Jefferson of his seat on the tax-writing House Ways and Means Committee.

Congressional Black causcus ain't gonna like this one bit.

h/t Ellisu at FR.

Thursday, June 15, 2006

Idiots of the Hour (Updated)

Boxer (D-CA)
Byrd (D-WV)
Feingold (D-WI)
Harkin (D-IA)
Kennedy (D-MA)
Kerry (D-MA)

Those are the Senators voting for withdrawal of U.S. combat forces from Iraq by year's end. Looks like Kerry and Feingold are fighting it out to see who can out moonbat the other.

AP reports: Senate rejects U.S. troop pullout in Iraq 93-6.

Update: Houses passes resolution in support of staying the course in Iraq and rejecting "withdrawl" timetables 257-152.

Post-al-Zarqawi raids kill 104 insurgents

KACHING

BAGHDAD, Iraq - American and Iraqi forces have carried out 452 raids since last week‘s killing of terrorist leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, and 104 insurgents were killed during those actions, the U.S. military said Thursday.

He said 255 of the raids were joint operations, while 143 were carried out by Iraqi forces alone. The raids also resulted in the captures of 759 "anti-Iraqi elements."

MIL-IRAQ-ZARQAWI-DOCUMENT

Reinforces what we already knew.....

BAGHDAD, June 14 (KUNA) -- The Iraqi government has unveiled on Wednesday details of a document which the Iraqi forces set hand at the house where the Al-Qaeda operative Abu Musab Al-Zarqawi and his aids were killed during a US air strike last Wednesday.

It said that the "death and destruction" document uncovers the strategic relation between Saddam Hussein's henchmen and Zarqawi group.

Identity of the party that authored the document was unknown, but the text distributed here by the Premiership's media office, a copy of which received by KUNA, indicates that it exemplifies the tendencies of Zarqawi and agrees with the statements which he made on his war strategy before he was killed.

The document indicates recognition of Al-Qaeda in the Euphrates region of the the recent drop of Zarqawi's influence and capabilities.

It admits that the "position of resistance in Iraq requires reconsideration of the acts and incidents in the country, with the aim of reaching the best means for realizing the best results, in particular following success of the National Guard forces in forming a massive shield and effective arm in the interest of the US forces and this ultimately scaled down to a large extent the scope of losses sustained by the US forces".

Also this.

One thing missing though, the stategic alliance between al Qaida and the American media.

Wednesday, June 14, 2006

Abu al-Masri Claims Al Qaeda Throne in Sign of Power Struggle (UPDATED)

An Egyptian associate of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi claims to have succeeded him as the new leader of Al Qaeda in Iraq, even though an Islamic Web site said Monday that another man was in power.

Brig. Gen. Carter Ham said at a Pentagon news conference on Wednesday that Abu al-Masri, whose name surfaced shortly after reports of Zarqawi's death became widespread as a successor, had claimed to be in charge of Al Qaeda in Iraq

" This individual said he is the successor for the leadership of Al Qaeda in Iraq," Ham said. "I think we'll have the intelligence effort in theater try to make that assessment if he is in fact exercising the leadership role in Al Qaeda in Iraq."

Just goes to show, every organization has it's Algore.

Update: Abu al-Masri and Abu Hamza al-Muhajer are one in the same. It appears that due to the fate of his predecessor, Masri thought it prudent to use an alias. Nice try.

h/t Randall Flagg for pic.

Quote of the Week

President Bush to reporter at his presser 6/14/06:

"DON'T BET ON AMERICAN POLITICS FORCING MY HAND"

Iraqi forces begin Baghdad operation

Let's roll!

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Tens of thousands of Iraqi police and soldiers searched cars and secured roads in Baghdad on Wednesday as Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki launched a major security crackdown aimed at ending the violence that has devastated the capital.

Despite the stepped up security measures, however, a parked car bomb struck the northern district of Qahira, killing at least four civilians and wounding six, police Lt. Ali Mitaab said.

The crackdown, which army officials said was dubbed Operation Forward Together, began a day after President Bushpaid a surprise visit to Baghdad, promising continued U.S. support for Iraqis but cautioning them that "the future of the country is in your hands."

Tuesday, June 13, 2006

Panel: Churchill should be fired

Appears that Chief Running Skunk is about to become history.....

Ward Churchill, the professor who called some of the World Trade Center victims "little Eichmanns," should be fired because of "repeated and deliberate" infractions of scholarship rules, a University of Colorado committee said today.

The recommendation, which came on a 6-3 vote, now goes to university officials for a final decision.

Churchill, a tenured professor of ethnic studies who has vowed to fight his dismissal with a lawsuit, "has committed serious, repeated, and deliberate research misconduct," the school's Standing Committee on Research Misconduct said in its final report.

F-22 RAPTOR SCORES DIRECT HIT IN TESTING OF SUPERSONIC, HIGH-ALTITUDE JDAM DROP

A U.S. Air Force F-22 Raptor air dominance fighter, flying at a speed of Mach 1.5 and an altitude of 50,000 feet, released a GPS-aided Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) from a range of 24 nautical miles, destroying a small ground target in the F-22's fastest and highest JDAM delivery yet.This was another milestone testing event for the Combined Test Force of Lockheed Martin [NYSE: LMT], The Boeing Company [NYSE: BA] and U.S. Air Force pilots who conducted the joint developmental and operational test in early May at White Sands Missile Range, N.M., using a 1,000-pound Mk-83 JDAM with live warhead supplied by Nellis Air Force Base, Nev. The ability to release a munition at supersonic speeds and standoff ranges greatly enhances the aircrew's survivability against heavily defended targets.

AWESOME BABY.

Leader of the Free World Pops In

President Bush makes surprise visit to Iraq. "Good to see you," exclaimed al-Maliki, who didn't know Bush was in Baghdad until five minutes before they met.

Santa Claus Exists But There is No Fitzmas

Yesterday blithering moonbat and legend in his own mind Jason (Here'sPat) Leopold from Truthout posted this......

Four weeks ago, during the time when we reported that White House political adviser Karl Rove was indicted for crimes related to his role in the leak of covert CIA operative Valerie Plame Wilson, the grand jury empanelled in the case returned an indictment that was filed under seal in US District Court for the District of Columbia under the curious heading of Sealed vs. Sealed.

As of Friday afternoon that indictment, returned by the grand jury the week of May 10th, remains under seal - more than a month after it was handed up by the grand jury.

The case number is "06 cr 128." On the federal court's electronic database, "06 cr 128" is listed along with a succinct summary: "No further information is available."

Well today Byron York at NRO tells us the way it really is.

Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has informed top White House adviser Karl Rove that Rove will not face indictment in the CIA-leak investigation, National Review Online has learned. The word came yesterday, when Fitzgerald told Rove lawyer Robert Luskin that he, Fitzgerald, did not plan to seek charges against Rove. This morning, Luskin released a brief statement:

On June 12, 2006, Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald formally advised us that he does not anticipate seeking charges against Karl Rove.In deference to the pending case, we will not make any further public statements about the subject matter of the investigation. We believe that the Special Counsel’s decision should put an end to the baseless speculation about Mr. Rove’s conduct.


Be careful when approaching any far left neighbors or co-workers today as exploding heads can be dangerous.

Monday, June 12, 2006

Troops reducing illegal border crossings

SAN LUIS RIO COLORADO, Mexico - The arrival of U.S. National Guard troops in Arizona has scared off illegal Mexican migrants along the border, significantly reducing crossings, according to U.S. and Mexican officials.

U.S. authorities said Monday that detentions along the U.S.-Mexico border decreased by 21 percent, to 26,994, in the first 10 days of June, compared with 34,077 for the same period a year ago.

Along the Arizona border, once the busiest crossing spot, detentions have dropped 23 percent, according to the U.S. Border Patrol.

Francisco Loureiro, who runs a migrant shelter in Nogales, Mexico, across the border from Arizona, said migrants are afraid of the U.S. troops after hearing reports of abuse in Iraq.

So the illegals are fearful of American troops eh? GOOD!

Zarqawi successor named

Dead man walking....

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda in Iraq named a successor following the killing of the group's leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, according to an Internet statement on Monday.

"The shura council of al Qaeda in Iraq unanimously agreed on Sheikh Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, to be a successor to Sheikh Abu Musab al-Zarqawi," said a statement signed by al Qaeda and posted on a Web site frequently used by Islamist militants.

Most experts had speculated that Abu Ayyub al-Masri would be the one to take over for Zarqawi. Could this be the reason they were wrong?

AL-ZARQAWI HEIR ALSO KILLED, JORDANIAN SERVICES SAY

Al-Zarqawi lived for 52 mins. after strike

What, he wasn't beaten to death?

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Abu Musab al-Zarqawi lived for 52 minutes after a U.S. warplane bombed his hideout northeast of Baghdad, and he died of extensive internal injuries consistent with those caused by a bomb blast, the U.S. military said Monday.

Col. Steve Jones, command surgeon for Multinational Forces, said an autopsy concluded that al-Zarqawi died from serious injuries to his lungs. An FBI test positively identified al-Zarqawi's remains.

Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, said U.S. forces arrived about 28 minutes after a fighter jet bombed al-Zarqawi's hideout outside Baqouba on Wednesday. Medics secured al-Zarqawi's airway but his breathing was shallow and labored, and he expelled blood from his mouth.

"It was very evident he had extremely massive internal injuries," Caldwell said.

Iraqi Claims U.S. GIs Beat Wounded Man (Updated)

They couldn't ignore it, they failed at minimizing it, so when all else fails delegitimize it by besmirching the troops involved.

BAGHDAD, Iraq -- An Iraqi man who was one of the first people on the scene of the U.S. airstrike targeting Abu Musab al-Zarqawi said he saw American troops beating a man who had a beard like the al-Qaida leader.

The witness, who lives near the house where al-Zarqawi spent his last days, said he saw the man lying on the ground near an irrigation canal. He was badly wounded but still alive, the man told Associated Press Television News.

U.S. troops arriving on the scene wrapped the man's head in an Arab robe and began beating him, said the local man, who refused to give his name or show his face to the camera. His account could not be independently verified.

Ok he - refuses to give his name, refuses to show his face, there is no independent verification and his assertions are damaging to American interests, it fits perfectly into the Medias template......sounds like the typical ideal source to me.

Update: Oh, and one more thing, the witness could not have seen it.

Sunday, June 11, 2006

Best Movie Line Ever

That's the way DreadPundit Bluto classifies THIS. If it's not, it's close.

Outrageous but True

Ann Coulter has taken an unrelenting verbal beating from the left concerning her comment that the "Jersey Girls were enjoying their husbands death". Ann's bluntness is typically only exceeded by her ability to recognize the truth. Although her description of the frolicking foursome is exactly correct, she might have worded it a bit better.

The Jersey girls are revelling in the celebrity that their tradgedy has brought them. Much like Cindy Sheehan they are milking their situation for everything it's worth. It's the rank opportunism of exploiting ones personal hardship in pursuit of furthering an agenda. It's a formula that has been used by professional politicians for time immemorial, it's employment by "civilians" however, is a newer phenomenon. Using the backs of their dead husbands and sons as a soapbox from which to spew their misguided ideology is both a disrespect and dessecration. It matters little if they are playing out their own designs or are simple useful idiots, it's wrong and Ann was right to call them on it.

These people who choose to thrust themselves into the public spotlight also become infuriated when they are challenged as if their personel tradedy should somehow insulate them from public comment and scrutiny. BS, they opted to enter that kitchen if it's too hot for them they can shut the hell up.

Regardless of how correct Ann Coulter is, she needs to choose her words a scoach more carefully. She is after all one of the most recognizable conservative pundits on the scene today. The more "out there" the left and EM can portray her the less credible she becomes as a reliable conservative voice. When her message is marginalized, all of us on the right feel it's effect.

Considering I am not an author and hence not in the business of selling a book, my ultimate motivations on this issue are somewhat different. Indeed one of the reasons that Ann has made it to the top is her duly earned designation as provocateur extraordinair. The balancing act between being amenable and provocative is tenuous indeed.

It's a given that had this particular passage in Ann's book been worded differently, the left most certainly would have dug up another. We all know Liberals will never allow one of her books to exist without expressing some substantial degree of incense and outrage.

Saturday, June 10, 2006

U.S. keeps heat up as al-Qaida in Iraq issues urgent appeals

Perhaps Hollwood in concert with the DNC could initiate an emergency fundraiser.

BAGHDAD, Iraq — The U.S. military pressed its offensive against al-Qaida in Iraq on Friday, staging an additional 39 raids based mostly on information uncovered during the hunt that led to the death of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a U.S. airstrike.

The raids came as al-Qaida issued urgent appeals for money and volunteers to fight U.S. forces, a day after the news of al-Zarqawi's death left the organization without a clearly identifiable leader.

The al-Qaida appeals suggested al-Zarqawi's network may be feeling heat from the U.S. raids, which have extended beyond Hibhib to include locations in and around Baghdad.

They're feeling the heat alright, their house of cards is crumbling.

Friday, June 09, 2006

Al-Zarqawi said to survive airstrike (UPDATED)

Pardon my unrestrained callousness but the thought of Zarqawi suffering before he died gives me more than a little satisfaction.

WASHINGTON - A mortally wounded Abu Musab al-Zarqawi was still alive and mumbling on a gurney when Iraqi police arrived at the site bombed by U.S. forces there, a top American military spokesman said Friday.

Maj. Gen. Bill Caldwell, briefing military reporters at the Pentagon from his post in Baghdad, said he learned that al-Zarqawi was alive after getting briefings on the military operation that netted al-Zarqawi and several others.

"He mumbled something but it was indistinguishable and it was very short," Caldwell said.

Update: Thanks to reader Jack we have this:

Journalists accompanying the US military to the site in the village of Hibhib, near the town of Baquba, on Saturday reported seeing a woman’s leopard skin nightgown and other skimpy women’s clothes around the bombed house.

The original story assumed that the clothing was used buy some unamed women companion. Debby at Right Truth as well as myself are not so quick to make that assumption.

The Left's Self-Consuming Hatred

I suppose it should come as no surprise but the reaction of Zarqawi's death to many on the left was nothing short of incomprehensible.

The opinions ranged from dismissive to delusional. "No big deal" was common. Funny how big a deal it was when Bush failed to capture or kill Zarqawi for 3 years. Others were more psychoneurotic , Zarqawi was a "creation of the administration" and this was a "planned wag the dog event" to take the spotlight off of Haditha and the struggling Iraq situation. There were even apologists for Zarqawi, those who believe he was not a monster but rather a altruistic freedom fighter who was simply reacting to the cruel and misguided policies of an imperalistic power.

All had one common theme however, to minimize or delgitimize the significant event. The hatred of Bush is so intense that any success whatsoever must be bastardized. No longer is it us against them it's us against him, as matter of fact it been that way for some time now. Our country is no longer their country under the present administration and they would see it fail rather than Bush achieve success.

As much problem as I and most on the right had with Bill Clinton as President, I never once wished his failure at expense of our country. Conservatives never rejoiced when the missiles he sent blew the asses off a few camels and not bin Laden. Many of us questioned Bosnia but we all hailed the jailing of Milosevic. We on the right grieved over Mogadishu rather than celebrated the catastrophe as more evidence of Clintons incompetence. We never chose to sacrifice our country for what was best for our party.

Any clear thinking American knows that the termination of a monster like Zarqawi is significant and, to use Bush's quote, "a good thing". How good is yet to be seen. Can anyone imagine what the public reaction would have been in 1943 if we blew up Hermann Goering and the out of office party had declared it a "non-event".

Thursday, June 08, 2006

U.S. initial jobless claims down 35,000 to 302,000

And the good news keeps on coming.

WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Initial claims for unemployment benefits fell last week to 302,000, well below what economists were expecting, the Labor Department reported Thursday. First-time claims fell by 35,000 from the previous week's revised figure of 337,000. The four-week average of new claims fell by 5,750 to 327,750. Economists surveyed by MarketWatch were expecting claims to come in at 326,000 for the week ending June 3

PWNED!

Iraqi parliament swears in new ministers

We shouldn't let this significant bit of good news be completely overshadowed by the termination of the evil one.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraq's parliament on Thursday approved three new key ministers, including a Sunni Arab to head the defense ministry, ending a stalemate among Iraq's religious and ethnic groups over the crucial posts.

The three, including ministers for national security and interior, were sworn in after Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced the death of al-Qaida in Iraq chief Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

The new defense minister is Iraqi Army Gen. Abdul-Qader Mohammed Jassim al-Mifarji and Shiites Jawad al-Bolani for interior and Sherwan al-Waili for national security.

ZARQAWI IS COMPOST!

Ding Dong the bitch is dead, the wicked bitch, the mean ole bitch, Ding Dong the wicked bitch is dead.....

Full story here.

ABC has this.

Update: Al-Zarqawi now a martyr, his brother says.

Only a week ago, OpiniPundit wrote "Dropping like flies, just a matter of time before we nail the big one."

Wednesday, June 07, 2006

Bilbray Will Win Vacated Seat

Be sure and notice todays EM coverage of the Bilbray/Busby race to fill Cunninghams vacated House seat. This had been touted as the "bellweather" race for the upcoming 06 midterms and the Democrats chances of retaking the House.

Well it appears that it didn't go the way the left was hoping therefor look for limited coverage and spin minimizing it's significance. Now just imagine how it would have been reported had Busby won.

His (Bilbray)lead is now over 4,000 votes, and he appears to be winning about 48-46 among election day voters after winning absentees by about 50-43. (This is based on the limited official data we've been provided via the county registrar.) Bilbray has either been essentially even or slightly ahead among each new batch of votes for hours. With 56 percent of precincts and most absentees counted and Bilbray up 49.8 to 44.7, that means Busby needs to win the remaining untallied vote by at least 6 percent and maybe as much as 8 percent. That's unlikely.

Update: And so it begins. The Media is so damned predictable.

Tuesday, June 06, 2006

England afraid to fly its own flag

Dhimmitude on parade.

Following threats by extremist Islamic group, several corporations, chain of pubs ban Englands flag.

Following warnings by extremist Islamic group al-Muhajiroun, in which the group said that the red cross in the England flag symbolizes the 'blood thirsty crusaders' and the occupation of Muslims, some of the largest companies in England have ordered their workers not to wave the flags.

The flag has recently appeared in England on everything from bikinis to cars, and sold in endless versions in stores.

But the Islamic protest forced some corporations, such as cable companies NTL, and even the Drivers and Vehicles Licensing Agency to ban the flag in every form due to fears from reactions of Muslims.


If this story was concerning the French flag I wouldn't think twice about believing it. This however is very unchracteristic of the Brits so my BS meter has activated. Working to verify and will keep you all updated.

Update I: Although the headline is sensational and not all that accurate, it appears that there is at least a modicum of truth to this story.

UpdateII: With comments such as this, maybe it's not so hard to believe after all....

Stop with the puerile fear-mongering!

Britain is not a 'dhimmi' state. We are the most culturally and ethnically diverse country in the entire world. We, unlike many nations, respect the geniune grievances that our ethnic minorities suffer. We do everything we can to embrace them into society, rather than make them feel unwanted. Flying flags is primitive and superfluously patriotic.

Ellen Prescott ,
Southsea, Hampshire
(06.04.06

Mounties Set for Force's First Same-Sex Wedding

"I'm a lumberjack and I'm OK".......

TORONTO -- It promises to be a grand June wedding, two scarlet-coated officers of the famed Royal Canadian Mounted Police standing before a justice of the peace with an escort of similarly spiffy Mounties observing the nuptials on the eve of Canada Day, a national holiday.

When the two constables become the first male Mounties to marry each other, the grumpiest witness-from-afar might well be Prime Minister Stephen Harper. The planned union of Jason Tree and David Connors in Nova Scotia on June 30 has cast a spotlight on Harper's pledge to his conservative backers to try to roll back same-sex marriage laws.

Gives new meaning to the term "Mounted Police".

Iraqi Interior Ministry announces arrest of Qaeda ''Amir''

BAGHDAD, June 6 (KUNA) -- The Iraqi Interior Ministry Tuesday announced the arrest of a high rank Qaeda official, 'Amir', responsible for financing terrorist groups in Iraq.

A statement by the ministry said Qaeda leader "Khdair Abbas Ali Zeidan Al-Jabbouri" was arrested in Hour Rajab area.According to the statement, Al-Jabbouri is responsible for providing financing and weaponry for Qaeda terrorist groups.

Have you noticed that "the Iraqi government" is making a lot more arrest announcements lately, hmmmm.

Monday, June 05, 2006

García win in Peru a loss for Venezuela's Chávez

Anything that proves to be a stick in the eye of "Fidel Chavez" is a good thing.

LIMA, PERU – Peruvian voters elected leftist leader Alan García to a five-year term on Sunday, returning the former president to office 16 years after his first stint.

It is a tough defeat for Ollanta Humala, the populist candidate who won the first round less than two months ago. But it is also a blow to Venezuelan leader and US nemesis Hugo Chávez, who openly backed Mr. Humala.

García's "rhetorical challenges to Hugo Chávez are very welcome to a US government that would very much like allies in the region against Chávez," says Cynthia McClintock, a professor at George Washington University in Washington and specialist on Peru.

Islamic militia says it has captured Mogadishu

Another stellar UN success......

An Islamic militia today said it had seized Somalia’s capital Mogadishu after weeks of some of the bloodiest fighting in 15 years of anarchy in the Horn of Africa nation.

Sheikh Sharif Sheikh Ahmed, chairman of the Islamic Courts Union, said his forces had fought off a secular alliance of warlords who have been trying to retain their grip on Somalia. The militia appeared to be in control of the capital.

We want to restore peace and stability to Mogadishu. We are ready to meet and talk to anybody and any group for the interest of the people,” Ahmed said on a radio broadcast.

The Islamic militias have made steady gains in recent days, seizing villages and enlisting former alliance commanders. Their growing power is raising fears that the nation could follow the path of Taliban Afghanistan into the hands of al-Qaida.

And anyone who disagrees with our plan for peace and stability will be beheaded.

Sunday, June 04, 2006

U.S. papers suffer 6.1% drop in ad spending

The "old" media continues to go the way of the dinosaur.....

NEW YORK -- Advertising spending in local U.S. newspapers dropped 6.1 percent in the first quarter, the biggest decline for the publishing industry in more than four years, according to TNS Media Intelligence.

Advertisers spent $5.55 billion on local publications, down from $5.91 billion in the first quarter of last year, the market researcher said Wednesday.

Internet advertising jumped 19 percent, to $2.31 billion, as large advertisers increased Web spending, TNS said.

Saturday, June 03, 2006

Major terror bust in Toronto


Good to see our neighbors Nord des Lignes are staying on the ball......

TORONTO - In a stunning development yesterday, police made a sweeping terrorist bust within the GTA and expected to make several more arrests throughout the night.

"The RCMP, CSIS and the Integrated National Security Enforcement Team arrested individuals throughout the GTA today in relation to terrorist-related offences," confirmed RCMP spokesman Corp. Michele Paradis.

As of about 9 p.m. last night, Paradis also added "there are ongoing arrests."

Though unconfirmed, sources have told the Sun police arrested a possible home-grown al-Qaeda terrorist cell operating in Toronto that had planned to bomb the subway as early as Monday.

Friday, June 02, 2006

Toon of the Week

'Stamp on their livers!'

But first get some Fava beans and a nice Chianti.........

A 40-minute videotape released last week by an al-Qaida leader living in France exhorted French Muslims to rise up and punish France for what Anas al Liby calls France's disrespect for Islam.

According to al Liby, the French deserve destruction for France's prohibition on religious symbols. He named in particular the wearing of head coverings for Islamic women involved with government or educational institutions. French soil, he declared, must be reduced to "an ocean of blood." This event will signal "the beginning of the end of Western Civilization."

Al Liby concluded that France's disrespect for Islam was another example of Western contempt for Islamic values, so it's now time to apply those Islamic values and burn the country to the ground.

Pate de Francois gras?

Thursday, June 01, 2006

Poll: Americans Support Searches

This should be a surprise to absolutely NO ONE. Yet high profile Republicans most seeking re-election or higher office have vehemently opposed the FBI exceuting a legal search warrant in an effort to discern the truth concerning the William Jefferson affair. Political tone deafness combined with an elitist arrogance is an extremely dangerous combination.

June 1, 2006 -- In the rift between Congress and the Justice Department, Americans side overwhelmingly with law enforcement: Regardless of precedent and the separation of powers, 86 percent say the FBI should be allowed to search a Congress member's office if it has a warrant.

That view is broadly bipartisan, this ABC News poll finds, ranging from 78 percent among Democrats to 94 percent of Republicans.

The issue erupted last week, after the FBI searched the offices of Rep. William Jefferson, D-La., in a corruption investigation. Congress leaders objected, and George W. Bush put a 45-day hold on the seized documents to allow for negotiations.

Republicans had a golden opportunity to be on the right (and popular) side of this issue and make the Democrats look foolish at the same time, they blew it.

From an earlier posting, this bears repeating: If a congressman's office is a potential crime scene, and you have a warrant supported by probable cause, there is NO privilege that applies to a congressional office......PERIOD!

The American people know it, Frist and Bush know it, why the rest of the Republican leadership don't understand it is inexplicable.

Productivity Shows Strong Gain in 1Q

Productivity is our one trump card against inflation.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The productivity of American workers rebounded at a rapid clip at the start of this year and wages posted a solid gain as well, the government reported Thursday.

The Labor Department said that productivity, the key factor in rising living standards, rose at an annual rate of 3.7 percent in the January-March quarter, better than the 3.2 percent increase initially estimated a month ago. Salaries and benefits per unit of output rose by 1.6 percent after having fallen by 0.6 percent in the fourth quarter.