Hat tip to the All Seeing Eye at Jawa
Monday, July 31, 2006
Leftist's backers camp out in capital
Whether it's O'brador or El'Gore the left is the same the world over. They are not interested in free and fair elections, they're interested in only one thing, getting their desired result. If the democratic process goes against them, they are only too willing to disregard the result and try and deligitimize the process.
MEXICO CITY – Leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador led his supporters into Mexico City's streets yesterday and launched an occupation of the nation's capital that he vowed to continue until federal electoral officials accept his demand for a recount in the presidential election.
Casting the protest as a defense of Mexico's fragile democracy, López Obrador outlined a detailed plan to close nearly two dozen main thoroughfares by setting up encampments in the heart of Mexico City's business district.
He also promised to stay with supporters “day and night” at a permanent camp he asked them to set up in the city's historic main plaza, the Zócalo.
MEXICO CITY – Leftist Andrés Manuel López Obrador led his supporters into Mexico City's streets yesterday and launched an occupation of the nation's capital that he vowed to continue until federal electoral officials accept his demand for a recount in the presidential election.
Casting the protest as a defense of Mexico's fragile democracy, López Obrador outlined a detailed plan to close nearly two dozen main thoroughfares by setting up encampments in the heart of Mexico City's business district.
He also promised to stay with supporters “day and night” at a permanent camp he asked them to set up in the city's historic main plaza, the Zócalo.
Qana Timeline Doesn't Add Up
Sunday, July 30, 2006
Building in Qana HAD Launchers
BREAKING: Fox--IDF has video proving Qana building had launchers'
More to follow.
Update: Gillerman confirms the video on Meet the Press and it WILL be released. Once again the whiny bleeding hearts in the press who are first to condemn Israel for their brutality and defend the terrorists will be proven to be clueless.
Update II: Video of rockets being fired from Qana.
Update: And then there's this....
IDF May Not Have Caused Kana Deaths 20:09 Jul 30, '06 / 5 Av 5766 (IsraelNN.com)
Senior IDF officers told reporters a short time ago that there is a contradiction in the timing of the bombing of the village of Kana and reports of the explosion that killed more than 50 civilians and set off world-wide condemnation of Israel. Air Force Commander Amir Eshel left open the possibility that Hizbullah terrorists blew up the building or that an unknown cause set off explosives which were stored in the structure.
He explained that recorded information shows that Israeli Air Force planes bombed the building between midnight and 1 a.m. and that the next attack at 7:30 a.m. was up to 500 yards away. He said reports of the killing of civilians came around 8 a.m. "It is not clear what happened" between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m., he said.
Brigadier General Ido Nehushtan pointed out that more than Hizbullah terrorists have fired more than 150 rockets from Qana.
More to follow.
Update: Gillerman confirms the video on Meet the Press and it WILL be released. Once again the whiny bleeding hearts in the press who are first to condemn Israel for their brutality and defend the terrorists will be proven to be clueless.
Update II: Video of rockets being fired from Qana.
Update: And then there's this....
IDF May Not Have Caused Kana Deaths 20:09 Jul 30, '06 / 5 Av 5766 (IsraelNN.com)
Senior IDF officers told reporters a short time ago that there is a contradiction in the timing of the bombing of the village of Kana and reports of the explosion that killed more than 50 civilians and set off world-wide condemnation of Israel. Air Force Commander Amir Eshel left open the possibility that Hizbullah terrorists blew up the building or that an unknown cause set off explosives which were stored in the structure.
He explained that recorded information shows that Israeli Air Force planes bombed the building between midnight and 1 a.m. and that the next attack at 7:30 a.m. was up to 500 yards away. He said reports of the killing of civilians came around 8 a.m. "It is not clear what happened" between 1 a.m. and 8 a.m., he said.
Brigadier General Ido Nehushtan pointed out that more than Hizbullah terrorists have fired more than 150 rockets from Qana.
Saturday, July 29, 2006
Anger in India over Israeli war on Lebanon
Accurate or shameless spin from the agenda driven media? Input from my new Indian friends would be appreciated.
New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Scenes of unbelievable destruction and mounting casualties of innocent non-combatants caused in Lebanon by Israeli air strikes have evoked outrage in India.
Irrespective of their religion, Indians are reacting with fury after seeing on television the near-total destruction of southern Lebanon that had rebuilt itself after decades of civil war.
And the revulsion is not confined to Muslims, who constitute the largest religious minority in overwhelmingly Hindu India. India is also home to the world's fourth largest Shia population, the community the Hezbollah draws its strength from.
'This is sheer madness, destruction at its worst,' said criminal lawyer K. Elangovan, speaking to IANS over telephone from Chennai.
New Delhi, July 29 (IANS) Scenes of unbelievable destruction and mounting casualties of innocent non-combatants caused in Lebanon by Israeli air strikes have evoked outrage in India.
Irrespective of their religion, Indians are reacting with fury after seeing on television the near-total destruction of southern Lebanon that had rebuilt itself after decades of civil war.
And the revulsion is not confined to Muslims, who constitute the largest religious minority in overwhelmingly Hindu India. India is also home to the world's fourth largest Shia population, the community the Hezbollah draws its strength from.
'This is sheer madness, destruction at its worst,' said criminal lawyer K. Elangovan, speaking to IANS over telephone from Chennai.
Hitler-Stalin Hybrid With a Little Mao on the Side
Take the three most infamous and despised dictators in the modern era and interject hysterical religious fanaticism and what do you get........TEHRAN, Iran - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has ordered government and cultural bodies to use modified Persian words to replace foreign words that have crept into the language, such as "pizzas" which will now be known as "elastic loaves," state media reported Saturday.
The presidential decree, issued earlier this week, orders all governmental agencies, newspapers and publications to use words deemed more appropriate by the official language watchdog, the Farhangestan Zaban e Farsi, or Persian Academy, the Irna official news agency reported.
The academy has introduced more than 2,000 words as alternatives for some of the foreign words that have become commonly used inIran mostly from Western languages. The government is less sensitive about Arabic words, because the Quran is written in Arabic.
I got some elastic loaf for ya Ahmadinejad.
American Landis wins Tour de France
No..... as of the of posting of this article he had not been head butted off his bicycle.PARIS - Floyd Landis won the Tour de France on Sunday, keeping cycling's most prestigious title in American hands for the eighth straight year.
The 30-year-old Landis cruised to victory on the Champs-Elysees, a day after regaining the leader's yellow jersey and building an insurmountable lead in the final time trial.
Now the only question is how long before the allegations of performance enhancing drug use begin to surface.
Update: Answer: 3 days.
Friday, July 28, 2006
Ban Over?
Some readers have informed me that we are NO LONGER banned.
My understanding was the the original 17 sites would continue to be blocked. Considering that regular readers of this blog (with the exception of Rotwang and jd) are rarely wrong, I must conclude that the government had a change of heart.
If anyone has anything official on this, please send to me ASAP.
Update: The Indian governments inability to ban only a few sites is the likely reason this and other "banned" blogs are being accessed directly. It appears it's an all or nothing proposition.
14 days later, ISPs can’t solve blog ban
Fourteen days after the government asked Internet Service Providers(ISPs) to block access to four ‘‘offensive’’ blogs, India’s world-renowned computer techies have not been able to selectively ban only those websites. Instead, all of blogspot, geocities and typepad.com are only accessible in fits and starts throughout the country.
ISPs say this is due to technical constraints, but now, some experts are saying that the situation is more a sign of incompetence than technical constraints.
‘‘There are tools for ISPs to block websites selectively, but the skills to use those tools appear missing,’’ says Suresh Ramasubramanian, Manager, Antispam Operations, Outblaze Ltd. Hong Kong-based Outblaze Ltd is one of the world’s largest providers of e-mail services, with 40,000,000 active users.
Some of the greatest computer minds in the world come from India and this issue has them hamstrung. Just another example of how anything directed by bureaucrats in the government is destined to fail.
My understanding was the the original 17 sites would continue to be blocked. Considering that regular readers of this blog (with the exception of Rotwang and jd) are rarely wrong, I must conclude that the government had a change of heart.
If anyone has anything official on this, please send to me ASAP.
Update: The Indian governments inability to ban only a few sites is the likely reason this and other "banned" blogs are being accessed directly. It appears it's an all or nothing proposition.
14 days later, ISPs can’t solve blog ban
Fourteen days after the government asked Internet Service Providers(ISPs) to block access to four ‘‘offensive’’ blogs, India’s world-renowned computer techies have not been able to selectively ban only those websites. Instead, all of blogspot, geocities and typepad.com are only accessible in fits and starts throughout the country.
ISPs say this is due to technical constraints, but now, some experts are saying that the situation is more a sign of incompetence than technical constraints.
‘‘There are tools for ISPs to block websites selectively, but the skills to use those tools appear missing,’’ says Suresh Ramasubramanian, Manager, Antispam Operations, Outblaze Ltd. Hong Kong-based Outblaze Ltd is one of the world’s largest providers of e-mail services, with 40,000,000 active users.
Some of the greatest computer minds in the world come from India and this issue has them hamstrung. Just another example of how anything directed by bureaucrats in the government is destined to fail.
Thursday, July 27, 2006
Hizbollah used UN bunker as Shield
Breaking.......looking for confirmation, will update.
Update: The words of a Canadian United Nations observer written just days before he was killed in an Israeli bombing of a UN post in Lebanon are evidence Hezbollah was using the post as a "shield" to fire rockets into Israel, says a former UN commander in Bosnia.
Those words, written in an e-mail dated just nine days ago, offer a possible explanation as to why the post -- which according to UN officials was clearly marked and known to Israeli forces -- was hit by Israel on Tuesday night, said retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie yesterday.
The strike hit the UN observation post in the southern Lebanese village of El Khiam, killing Canadian Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener and three others serving as unarmed UN military observers in the area.
This is something I and many of my readers have suspected from the beginning. If they're willing to use their own women and children as "shields" it certainly isn't a stretch they would do the same with a UN outpost.
Update: The words of a Canadian United Nations observer written just days before he was killed in an Israeli bombing of a UN post in Lebanon are evidence Hezbollah was using the post as a "shield" to fire rockets into Israel, says a former UN commander in Bosnia.
Those words, written in an e-mail dated just nine days ago, offer a possible explanation as to why the post -- which according to UN officials was clearly marked and known to Israeli forces -- was hit by Israel on Tuesday night, said retired Maj.-Gen. Lewis MacKenzie yesterday.
The strike hit the UN observation post in the southern Lebanese village of El Khiam, killing Canadian Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener and three others serving as unarmed UN military observers in the area.
This is something I and many of my readers have suspected from the beginning. If they're willing to use their own women and children as "shields" it certainly isn't a stretch they would do the same with a UN outpost.
CNN Exposes Hizbullah's Staging Tactics
Useful idiot has a revelation.....
A CNN reporter has exposed tactics used by Hizbullah terrorists to stage media events in order to give the impression of a large number of civilian casualties caused by Israeli bombing attacks on terrorist position, according to a report issued by the Honest Reporting organization.
Rich Noyes said he was assigned to photograph buildings damaged in the bombings. "After letting us take pictures of a few damaged buildings, they take us to another location, where there are ambulances waiting. This is a heavily orchestrated Hezbollah media event. When we got here, all the ambulances were lined up," and the drivers turned on their sirens and sped away for photographers. "These ambulances aren't responding to any new bombings. The sirens are strictly for effect," Noyes said.
And the Media is just now recognizing their they're being played?
A CNN reporter has exposed tactics used by Hizbullah terrorists to stage media events in order to give the impression of a large number of civilian casualties caused by Israeli bombing attacks on terrorist position, according to a report issued by the Honest Reporting organization.
Rich Noyes said he was assigned to photograph buildings damaged in the bombings. "After letting us take pictures of a few damaged buildings, they take us to another location, where there are ambulances waiting. This is a heavily orchestrated Hezbollah media event. When we got here, all the ambulances were lined up," and the drivers turned on their sirens and sped away for photographers. "These ambulances aren't responding to any new bombings. The sirens are strictly for effect," Noyes said.
And the Media is just now recognizing their they're being played?
Abbas: Release of Israeli Soldier Could Be 'Imminent'
ROME — Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Thursday that the release of an Israeli soldier abducted in Gaza could be "imminent."
"With regards to the issue of the abducted Israeli soldier, I have reiterated that there are ongoing efforts that lead us to believe in an imminent solution," Abbas said, speaking through a translator, after a meeting in Rome with Italian Premier Romano Prodi.
In exchange for what is the question.
Update: Bogus report due to a faulty translation,
"With regards to the issue of the abducted Israeli soldier, I have reiterated that there are ongoing efforts that lead us to believe in an imminent solution," Abbas said, speaking through a translator, after a meeting in Rome with Italian Premier Romano Prodi.
In exchange for what is the question.
Update: Bogus report due to a faulty translation,
Will Bolton be Confirmed?
Short answer, probably yes.
There are a few Democrats he has won over and a few more that have found it politically expedient to vote FOR him ie. Schumer and the Hildebeast.
The RINOs that he had problems with the first time are on his side now.
Still a large percentage of the Dims will vote against him. This is good on two levels. First the UN is at a all time low in the opinion of the public and a strong no nonsense take no crap ambassador is what they are looking for. Any vote against him will also be a vote against what a significant plurality of the American people want.
Secondly there will be plenty of vitriol being spewed on the Senate floor today against him which will illustrate to the average American people again what vile and partisan creatures the Democrats truly can be.
There are a few Democrats he has won over and a few more that have found it politically expedient to vote FOR him ie. Schumer and the Hildebeast.
The RINOs that he had problems with the first time are on his side now.
Still a large percentage of the Dims will vote against him. This is good on two levels. First the UN is at a all time low in the opinion of the public and a strong no nonsense take no crap ambassador is what they are looking for. Any vote against him will also be a vote against what a significant plurality of the American people want.
Secondly there will be plenty of vitriol being spewed on the Senate floor today against him which will illustrate to the average American people again what vile and partisan creatures the Democrats truly can be.
Wednesday, July 26, 2006
HANGED FROM A CRANE AGED 16
This IS Sharia law.....
JUSTICE IRAN STYLE: SICK GIRL EXECUTED BY JUDGE SHE DEFIED Her crime? She had sex with an unmarried man By Susie Boniface IT WAS exactly 6am and the start of another blisteringly hot summer day when 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi was dragged from her prison cell and taken to be executed.
Every step of the way the troubled teenager plagued by mental problems shouted "repentance, repentance" as the militiamen marched her to the town's Railway Square.
The Iranian judge who had sentenced Atefeh to death was left unmoved as he personally put the noose around her neck and signalled to the crane driver.
JUSTICE IRAN STYLE: SICK GIRL EXECUTED BY JUDGE SHE DEFIED Her crime? She had sex with an unmarried man By Susie Boniface IT WAS exactly 6am and the start of another blisteringly hot summer day when 16-year-old Atefeh Rajabi was dragged from her prison cell and taken to be executed.
Every step of the way the troubled teenager plagued by mental problems shouted "repentance, repentance" as the militiamen marched her to the town's Railway Square.
The Iranian judge who had sentenced Atefeh to death was left unmoved as he personally put the noose around her neck and signalled to the crane driver.
The Great Indian Blog Ban
In the latest article written about the Indian blog ban the Hindistan Times asks this question:
"Is news presented by an idiotic, biased news presenter more news worthy than an individual who merely presented his views on the blog?"
Great question and worthy of an answer.
Read the whole thing, it's worth the time.
"Is news presented by an idiotic, biased news presenter more news worthy than an individual who merely presented his views on the blog?"
Great question and worthy of an answer.
Read the whole thing, it's worth the time.
Tuesday, July 25, 2006
Bill Press Clueless on Lovenstein IQ hoax
I've always known Bill Press was an odious loudmouth and I supected he was an imbecile as well. We now have confirmation of the latter.
Falling hook line and sinker for the bogus report by the fictional Lovenstein Institute, Press proves his research is as deep and thorough as his opinions.
From Press' podcast website..... Thanks to the Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which just released a study of the IQ of twelve American presidents, over the last 50 years. And the results are – well, not surprising.
The average IQ of six Republican presidents – Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 – was 115.5. President Nixon topped the list, at 155.
The average IQ of six Democratic presidents – Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, and Clinton – was 156. With President Clinton leading the class at 182.
Someone needs to hit this guy over the head with a cluebat as he is about the only one on earth that wasn't aware this whole thing was a canard.
Falling hook line and sinker for the bogus report by the fictional Lovenstein Institute, Press proves his research is as deep and thorough as his opinions.
From Press' podcast website..... Thanks to the Lovenstein Institute of Scranton, Pennsylvania, which just released a study of the IQ of twelve American presidents, over the last 50 years. And the results are – well, not surprising.
The average IQ of six Republican presidents – Eisenhower, Nixon, Ford, Reagan, Bush 41, and Bush 43 – was 115.5. President Nixon topped the list, at 155.
The average IQ of six Democratic presidents – Roosevelt, Truman, Kennedy, Johnson, Carter, and Clinton – was 156. With President Clinton leading the class at 182.
Someone needs to hit this guy over the head with a cluebat as he is about the only one on earth that wasn't aware this whole thing was a canard.
Double Secret Probation?
I have been trying all day to post some pics and the blogspot server will not allow me to do it. It was after all an image that caused the hyperventilation and eventual banning of us in India. Has blogsspot caved in to the pressure. We shall see.
Update: Never mind.
Update: Never mind.
Are you a woman going solo? Try a blow-up man
LONDON (Reuters) - He fits in a car's glove box, appears at a flick of a switch and when a woman has finished using him, she can just pull the plug and he deflates.
He's the "Buddy on Demand", a blow-up man launched on Tuesday with the aim of making solo female motorists feel less nervous about driving at night.
The only way this would make a "solo" women safer is if the potential assailant laughs himself to death.
Anticommunist Moi?
According to this French rag OpiniPundit is "violently Islamophobic and anticommunist". "Violently Islamophobic"???? You have got to be kidding.
Memo to France, for the vast majority in this country being anticommunist is not considered a bad thing.
Memo to France, for the vast majority in this country being anticommunist is not considered a bad thing.
Monday, July 24, 2006
Olbermann Mocks O'Reilly
Textbook case of Penis Envy if there ever was one.MSNBC’s Keith Olbermann used a Saturday morning breakfast session at the Television Critics Association press tour to fire yet another shot at Fox News Channel’s Bill O’Reilly, holding up an O’Reilly mask while raising his right arm in a Nazi salute to mock his on-air rival.
“It’s just so much fun,” said the host of Countdown with Keith Olbermann when questioned about why he pursues his on-air rivalry with O’Reilly.
Hardly a rivalry considering Olberturd gets a pawltry 300,000 viewers compared to O'Reilly's 2.3 million.
Kerry on Mideast conflict: 'If I was president, this wouldn't have happened'
U.S. Sen. John Kerry, D- Mass., who was in town Sunday to help Gov. Jennifer Granholm campaign for her re-election bid, took time to take a jab at the Bush administration for its lack of leadership in the Israeli-Lebanon conflict.
"If I was president, this wouldn't have happened," said Kerry during a noon stop at Honest John's bar and grill in Detroit's Cass Corridor.
Bush has been so concentrated on the war in Iraq that other Middle East tension arose as a result, he said.
"The president has been so absent on diplomacy when it comes to issues affecting the Middle East," Kerry said. "We're going to have a lot of ground to make up (in 2008) because of it."
Considering the Big Dig and tunnel disaster/fiasco happened under his watch, I shudder to think what "would" have happened.
Sunday, July 23, 2006
Congress objects to Gandhi film
India's ruling Congress party has threatened legal action to stop a film being made about the life of party president, Sonia Gandhi.
The party says it objects to the film because it does not have consent either from Mrs Gandhi or any other member of her family.
The Italian-born Sonia Gandhi is married into India's most powerful political dynasty.
Often in the spotlight, she has personally shied away from publicity.
Often in the spotlight, she has personally shied away from publicity.
So nothing can be written, discussed or chronicled about someone unless specific permission from that person or their immediate family is obtained? Is that what they're saying?? Thoughts.
The party says it objects to the film because it does not have consent either from Mrs Gandhi or any other member of her family.
The Italian-born Sonia Gandhi is married into India's most powerful political dynasty.
Often in the spotlight, she has personally shied away from publicity.
Often in the spotlight, she has personally shied away from publicity.
So nothing can be written, discussed or chronicled about someone unless specific permission from that person or their immediate family is obtained? Is that what they're saying?? Thoughts.
Saturday, July 22, 2006
China Forging Strategic Ties to Radical Islam
Only reinforcing what most up us already knew.....
China is pursuing a troubling, tricky alliance with radical, rightwing Islam, or Islamism, despite concerns about its own restive Muslim population.
In China's view, the potential rewards of cozying up to Islamist countries and terrorist groups outweigh the risks. In forging ties to Shiite Iran, its Lebanese terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, and the Sunni Palestinian Hamas, Beijing believes it can effectively buy protection against the export of Islamism to China's western province of Xinjiang, which is home to some 55 million Muslims, including radical fundamentalists and ethnic separatists.
The policy has the blessing of the Chinese military, which is also supporting and dictating policy toward North Korea.
One thing I didn't know, Muslims in China have never been subject to the one-child rule.
China is pursuing a troubling, tricky alliance with radical, rightwing Islam, or Islamism, despite concerns about its own restive Muslim population.
In China's view, the potential rewards of cozying up to Islamist countries and terrorist groups outweigh the risks. In forging ties to Shiite Iran, its Lebanese terrorist proxy, Hezbollah, and the Sunni Palestinian Hamas, Beijing believes it can effectively buy protection against the export of Islamism to China's western province of Xinjiang, which is home to some 55 million Muslims, including radical fundamentalists and ethnic separatists.
The policy has the blessing of the Chinese military, which is also supporting and dictating policy toward North Korea.
One thing I didn't know, Muslims in China have never been subject to the one-child rule.
Israeli Tanks Enter Lebanon!
Time to take out the trash!
Just breaking, more to follow.
Israeli troops have crossed into Southern Lebanon and are now occupying several villages.
The Israeli bombardment has killed 354 people over the past 11 days and is now being stepped up.
Update: Lebanon - Israeli troops confront and engage Hezbollah enemy near Tyre
TYR (Lebanon) - engagements opposed Saturday evening of the combatants of Hezbollah and of the Israeli soldiers in the streets of a frontier village of southern Lebanon, for the first time since the beginning of the hostilities, sources of safety and inhabitants indicated.
According to these sources, three Israeli armoured tanks were touched by rockets on a hill overhanging the village of Maroun Al-Short-nap cloth, located on the border with Israel.
Previously, Israel had announced that ten freight vehicles of troops and bulldozers had crossed the border in this sector towards 14h30 (11h30 GMT), and an Israeli military spokesman had made state of a "specific operation".
Just breaking, more to follow.
Israeli troops have crossed into Southern Lebanon and are now occupying several villages.
The Israeli bombardment has killed 354 people over the past 11 days and is now being stepped up.
Update: Lebanon - Israeli troops confront and engage Hezbollah enemy near Tyre
TYR (Lebanon) - engagements opposed Saturday evening of the combatants of Hezbollah and of the Israeli soldiers in the streets of a frontier village of southern Lebanon, for the first time since the beginning of the hostilities, sources of safety and inhabitants indicated.
According to these sources, three Israeli armoured tanks were touched by rockets on a hill overhanging the village of Maroun Al-Short-nap cloth, located on the border with Israel.
Previously, Israel had announced that ten freight vehicles of troops and bulldozers had crossed the border in this sector towards 14h30 (11h30 GMT), and an Israeli military spokesman had made state of a "specific operation".
Friday, July 21, 2006
Banned.....the latest
After all is said and done it looks as though the original "17" blogs of which we are # 4 0n the list will remain exiled forever.
Excuses from the government for the move were all over the board. First we were a vehicle by which the terrorists were transmitting communication between each other, then we were inciting violence with our "doctrine of hate", Now we are categorized as just "highly offensive" to the Indian Muslim community and hence must be silenced in the name of cultural harmony.
This action by the Indian government is as inefficacious as it is transparent, to pander to a group in their society that has them scared sh!tless in the misguided belief that little gestures like this will mollify these people. In their minds it also has the added benefit of portraying them as "doing something" about the Mumbai bombings. Just how stupid do they think you all are?
This story has been global in it's scope. Personally I came across at least two dozen major stories ranging in origin from Scandinavia to the Gulf region, France to Australia you name it, and they weren't complimentary. Unfortunately this entire affair will leave a mark. In a decrepit attempt at political correctness they have succeeded in portraying themselves as weak kneed hypocrits who would sacrifice your hard earned liberties for a false serenity. Make no mistake, the world did notice.
If no Indian ever had the opportunity to read this blog it would not change his or her life a wit. What I say has little significance to my wife let alone India or the world, that's not the point. The principal of free and unfettered access to information is crucial to all, especially those in a functioning democracy.
Just how far will the government go in it's quest for concordance? Who knows, but the line has been crossed and you as a nation are the worse for it.
Excuses from the government for the move were all over the board. First we were a vehicle by which the terrorists were transmitting communication between each other, then we were inciting violence with our "doctrine of hate", Now we are categorized as just "highly offensive" to the Indian Muslim community and hence must be silenced in the name of cultural harmony.
This action by the Indian government is as inefficacious as it is transparent, to pander to a group in their society that has them scared sh!tless in the misguided belief that little gestures like this will mollify these people. In their minds it also has the added benefit of portraying them as "doing something" about the Mumbai bombings. Just how stupid do they think you all are?
This story has been global in it's scope. Personally I came across at least two dozen major stories ranging in origin from Scandinavia to the Gulf region, France to Australia you name it, and they weren't complimentary. Unfortunately this entire affair will leave a mark. In a decrepit attempt at political correctness they have succeeded in portraying themselves as weak kneed hypocrits who would sacrifice your hard earned liberties for a false serenity. Make no mistake, the world did notice.
If no Indian ever had the opportunity to read this blog it would not change his or her life a wit. What I say has little significance to my wife let alone India or the world, that's not the point. The principal of free and unfettered access to information is crucial to all, especially those in a functioning democracy.
Just how far will the government go in it's quest for concordance? Who knows, but the line has been crossed and you as a nation are the worse for it.
The Indian-Israeli terror nexus
Appears that Karat and this guy should go bowling........
Meanwhile, as Israel finds itself free to conduct its terrorism in the region, India is seeking to assume a similar role in dealing with Pakistan although so far it has restricted its actions to verbal barbs only and to "postponing" the peace process -- such as it was -- although there are mutterings of "hot pursuit". The reason for Indian 'restraint' is not humanism but South Asia's nuclear reality. So let us once more thank those who persisted against all odds in giving the Pakistani nation its nuclear deterrence. This should dissuade India from its efforts at brinkmanship -- a strategy it employed rather unsuccessfully in December 2001.
What is this guy smoking? Whatever it is it's giving him paranoid delusions. Read the whole story as it gives new meaning to the word propaganda.
Meanwhile, as Israel finds itself free to conduct its terrorism in the region, India is seeking to assume a similar role in dealing with Pakistan although so far it has restricted its actions to verbal barbs only and to "postponing" the peace process -- such as it was -- although there are mutterings of "hot pursuit". The reason for Indian 'restraint' is not humanism but South Asia's nuclear reality. So let us once more thank those who persisted against all odds in giving the Pakistani nation its nuclear deterrence. This should dissuade India from its efforts at brinkmanship -- a strategy it employed rather unsuccessfully in December 2001.
What is this guy smoking? Whatever it is it's giving him paranoid delusions. Read the whole story as it gives new meaning to the word propaganda.
Thursday, July 20, 2006
Iran leader asks Merkel for help on Zionism -German official
Want a little help from the historical experts on how to handle the "jewish problem" eh Mahmoud? Well Merkel is not Shroeder nor is she Hitler so expect to get mooned.
BERLIN, July 20 (Reuters) - A letter written by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to German Chancellor Angela Merkel asks her to help solve the Palestinian problem and deal with Zionism, a German government official said on Thursday.
"There's nothing about the nuclear issue (in the letter)," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue for the German government.
"It's all related to Germany and how we have to find a solution to the Palestinian problems and Zionism and so on. It's rather weird," the official, who has seen the letter, said.
BERLIN, July 20 (Reuters) - A letter written by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to German Chancellor Angela Merkel asks her to help solve the Palestinian problem and deal with Zionism, a German government official said on Thursday.
"There's nothing about the nuclear issue (in the letter)," the official told Reuters on condition of anonymity due to the extreme sensitivity of the issue for the German government.
"It's all related to Germany and how we have to find a solution to the Palestinian problems and Zionism and so on. It's rather weird," the official, who has seen the letter, said.
'India should press for sanctions against Israel'
And since we're on the subject of India.....
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Slamming the Centre's "mild" response against "Israeli aggression" on Lebanon, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday asked the government to demand international sanctions against Israel and to suspend arms purchases from that country.
"We have been mild on Israel. The government of India should demand that Israel stop aggression on Lebanon and press for international sanctions being imposed on Israel," Karat told a meet-the-press programme here.
Holding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been soft towards Israel as he did not speak against that country when it raided the Gaza Strip in the past, Karat said on this count, the government had been toeing the line of the previous NDA regime.
He said there was no justification for Israel to destroy the whole of Lebanon for the abduction of two of its soldiers, which was condemned by all.
How many mistatements dare I say lies are readily identifiable? Several. First Israel is hardly destroying the "whole of Lebanon" as their strikes have been surgical in application, civilian casualties and damage to Lebanese infrastructure have been minimal.
No jutification? I suppose India would just sit ideally by as their soldiers were kidnapped and barrages of rockets reigned down daily on New Delhi and Mumbai indiscriminantly killing and maiming it's citizenry.
Additionally Komrade Prakash' chacterization of criminal roundups in Gaza as "raids" is at the very least specious.
Mild response, maybe no response whatsoever is called for. Let the Israelis do what the Lebanese army could not or would not do, enforce UN 1559 and castrate the murdering terrorist scumbags we all know as Hezbollah.
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Slamming the Centre's "mild" response against "Israeli aggression" on Lebanon, CPI-M General Secretary Prakash Karat on Thursday asked the government to demand international sanctions against Israel and to suspend arms purchases from that country.
"We have been mild on Israel. The government of India should demand that Israel stop aggression on Lebanon and press for international sanctions being imposed on Israel," Karat told a meet-the-press programme here.
Holding that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh had been soft towards Israel as he did not speak against that country when it raided the Gaza Strip in the past, Karat said on this count, the government had been toeing the line of the previous NDA regime.
He said there was no justification for Israel to destroy the whole of Lebanon for the abduction of two of its soldiers, which was condemned by all.
How many mistatements dare I say lies are readily identifiable? Several. First Israel is hardly destroying the "whole of Lebanon" as their strikes have been surgical in application, civilian casualties and damage to Lebanese infrastructure have been minimal.
No jutification? I suppose India would just sit ideally by as their soldiers were kidnapped and barrages of rockets reigned down daily on New Delhi and Mumbai indiscriminantly killing and maiming it's citizenry.
Additionally Komrade Prakash' chacterization of criminal roundups in Gaza as "raids" is at the very least specious.
Mild response, maybe no response whatsoever is called for. Let the Israelis do what the Lebanese army could not or would not do, enforce UN 1559 and castrate the murdering terrorist scumbags we all know as Hezbollah.
Ban Bye Bye?
MVRWC is reporting that she is back up in India along with the rest of us. Working to confirm. Please e-mail or comment if if this is accurate.
If this proves out, you have no one to thank but each other. You did three things that will insure your liberties will remain inviolate:
1. You rose up in unified condemnation of a governmental mandate that attempted to infringe on your rights.
2. You successfully circumvented said action in such a way as to make it meaningless while at the same time portraying the governments mindless attempt ineffectual and impotent.
3. You did so peaceably.
You excercised a textbook example of civil disobedience 101. I salute you all.
Here is the link to a list of Indian bloggers comprising the Bloggers Collective Group.
Update: I have been informed that the blog ban IS NOT over. This site as well as others are still being blockaded. That is all.
Update II: The latest.....Plea to Manmohan Singh to lift blog ban
Chennai, July 20: In a gesture of solidarity with bloggers in India, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to lift the “ban” on websites and blogs ordered a week ago.
Expressing concern at the directive to block certain websites “with no official explanation and without judicial or independent review,” the CPJ said the proscription had disrupted the flow of news, information and commentary in a medium of growing importance to the country.
Doesn't sound to me as though anything has changed as least as far as the infamous "gang of 17".
Jawa concurs
If this proves out, you have no one to thank but each other. You did three things that will insure your liberties will remain inviolate:
1. You rose up in unified condemnation of a governmental mandate that attempted to infringe on your rights.
2. You successfully circumvented said action in such a way as to make it meaningless while at the same time portraying the governments mindless attempt ineffectual and impotent.
3. You did so peaceably.
You excercised a textbook example of civil disobedience 101. I salute you all.
Here is the link to a list of Indian bloggers comprising the Bloggers Collective Group.
Update: I have been informed that the blog ban IS NOT over. This site as well as others are still being blockaded. That is all.
Update II: The latest.....Plea to Manmohan Singh to lift blog ban
Chennai, July 20: In a gesture of solidarity with bloggers in India, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to lift the “ban” on websites and blogs ordered a week ago.
Expressing concern at the directive to block certain websites “with no official explanation and without judicial or independent review,” the CPJ said the proscription had disrupted the flow of news, information and commentary in a medium of growing importance to the country.
Doesn't sound to me as though anything has changed as least as far as the infamous "gang of 17".
Jawa concurs
Wednesday, July 19, 2006
BRANDED!
Now that the dust has begun to settle perhaps it is time for some serious commentary on this entire broo-ha-ha.
Anyone who frequents this site knows full well we neither tolerate racism nor promote anything resembling a "doctrine of hate". Opinions are expressed bluntly and with unabashed resolve here. Hypocrits and liars of all stripes are treated mercilously. We concentrate on the left because as the name implies, that's our purpose.
This feeble attempt by the government of India to maintain control will serve no purpose other than irritate their citizens and diminish their own stature. You would think the great minds in government would have learned by now that the best way to promote a righteous behavior is to prohibit it. I would venture to speculate that this blog has received more hits in two days from India than it would have likely had for it's entire tenure had it not been banned.
Granted,we are hard on Islam and rightly so as the vast majority of terrorist violence in the world is perpetrated by members of that group. If Southern Baptists were the ones doing the killing their treatment here would be no different. Untill the moderate Muslims of the world rise up and confront and castigate their radical bretheren, we will remain vigilant in our criticism. It doesn't mean we despise Islam or hate Muslims we don't. What it does mean it as long as a religious belief allows despicable acts to be carried out in their name, they're going to be called on it.
As a Christain I've been subjected to far greater insult. The symbol of my conviction (the cross) submerged in a vat of urine and the Holy Mother covered in feces all in the name of art. Did I rant at the art and rail against the artists? Absolutely, but never did I question their inherent right to produce it. There's not alot of grey area when it comes to free speech. Either you have it or you don't. Curtailing speech regardless of how seemingly insignificant and you will eventually destroy it. It's when a government begins to "expand" the meaning of yelling fire in a crowded theatre that one should begin to worry.
We have been branded by the government of India to be a threat to security. If something as benign and insignificant as this blog worries them, may(Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Allah, God) help them.
PS-- Hat's off to Blogspot for not caving in to what was likely substantial pressure.
Update: One additional thought. After talking with a journalist from the San Jose Mercury News I neglected to say something to her so I'll say it here....
As a relatively young democracy India is going to have to come to grips with whether or not they are going to truly be democratic which entails embracing the foundation of any true democracy, free speech or rather be some sort of pseudo in name only democracy and cater to the sensibilities of various groups at the expense of liberty.
Even a democracy as old and well founded as ours occasionally struggles with this issue. Just look at the politically correct minions and patrols of thought police in our society who intermittently rear their ugly heads.
The" if we don't offend them they won't get mad and kill us" meme is a lie and it won't work, it never has. Sooner or later you are going to offend them and they are going to kill you. Better to aggressively battle that segment of your population from day one. Either stand firm in the name of preserving and protecting your freedoms and liberties or you will end up losing those freedoms and your life as well.
So which is it going to be, dhimmitude or democracy?
Mercury News article here.
Anyone who frequents this site knows full well we neither tolerate racism nor promote anything resembling a "doctrine of hate". Opinions are expressed bluntly and with unabashed resolve here. Hypocrits and liars of all stripes are treated mercilously. We concentrate on the left because as the name implies, that's our purpose.
This feeble attempt by the government of India to maintain control will serve no purpose other than irritate their citizens and diminish their own stature. You would think the great minds in government would have learned by now that the best way to promote a righteous behavior is to prohibit it. I would venture to speculate that this blog has received more hits in two days from India than it would have likely had for it's entire tenure had it not been banned.
Granted,we are hard on Islam and rightly so as the vast majority of terrorist violence in the world is perpetrated by members of that group. If Southern Baptists were the ones doing the killing their treatment here would be no different. Untill the moderate Muslims of the world rise up and confront and castigate their radical bretheren, we will remain vigilant in our criticism. It doesn't mean we despise Islam or hate Muslims we don't. What it does mean it as long as a religious belief allows despicable acts to be carried out in their name, they're going to be called on it.
As a Christain I've been subjected to far greater insult. The symbol of my conviction (the cross) submerged in a vat of urine and the Holy Mother covered in feces all in the name of art. Did I rant at the art and rail against the artists? Absolutely, but never did I question their inherent right to produce it. There's not alot of grey area when it comes to free speech. Either you have it or you don't. Curtailing speech regardless of how seemingly insignificant and you will eventually destroy it. It's when a government begins to "expand" the meaning of yelling fire in a crowded theatre that one should begin to worry.
We have been branded by the government of India to be a threat to security. If something as benign and insignificant as this blog worries them, may(Brahma, Vishnu, Shiva, Allah, God) help them.
PS-- Hat's off to Blogspot for not caving in to what was likely substantial pressure.
Update: One additional thought. After talking with a journalist from the San Jose Mercury News I neglected to say something to her so I'll say it here....
As a relatively young democracy India is going to have to come to grips with whether or not they are going to truly be democratic which entails embracing the foundation of any true democracy, free speech or rather be some sort of pseudo in name only democracy and cater to the sensibilities of various groups at the expense of liberty.
Even a democracy as old and well founded as ours occasionally struggles with this issue. Just look at the politically correct minions and patrols of thought police in our society who intermittently rear their ugly heads.
The" if we don't offend them they won't get mad and kill us" meme is a lie and it won't work, it never has. Sooner or later you are going to offend them and they are going to kill you. Better to aggressively battle that segment of your population from day one. Either stand firm in the name of preserving and protecting your freedoms and liberties or you will end up losing those freedoms and your life as well.
So which is it going to be, dhimmitude or democracy?
Mercury News article here.
OpiniPundit Banned in India (UPDATED)
Well it's not a fatwa but I suppose it will have to do.
Reader Patrix tells me that we have been banned in India for ostensibly spreading a doctrine of hate.
The DoT is of the opinion that some of these sites were being used by banned organisations to transmit messages to their colleagues. Blog entries cannot be tracked as easily as email. The sites that were asked to be blocked include hindunity.og and exposingtheleft.blogspot.com. All ISPs do not seem to have implemented the ban uniformly, yet. Bloggers in India meanwhile complained that they were having problems accessing popular blogs on the Google owned blogspot. There are some 150 ISPs in India.
UPDATE: Well it's no joke and it's not a screwup, the Indian government is most definately pi$$ed. This from the Indian Express......
Exposingtheleft.blog is dangerous
NEW DELHI, JULY 18: Clearly, the government has a lot to handle since the seven serial blasts in Mumbai last Tuesday. Banning America’s anti-Left website ExposingTheLeft.Blogspot.Com is a start.
Viewed through pkblogs.com, a website that helps you bypass the official Indian ban (its home page invites you if your blog is blocked in India, Pakistan, Iran or China), ExposingTheLeft.Blogspot.Com makes only one reference to Mumbai, which is: ‘‘At least 131 killed in India train bombings: More humanitarian acts from the ‘Religion of Peace’.’’
This may be offensive and so could the rest of this website—but largely for anti-Bush voters in the United States as it tracks domestic politics, takes several swipes at Iran, applauds a court ruling against same-sex marriages, and slams the Hizbollah. It has little to do with what Comrade Prakash Karat was thinking about or doing on 7/11.
ExposingTheLeft’s editors are aware of India’s gag order and their new post is: “Well, it’s not a fatwa but I suppose it will have to do.’’
Kudo's to Pragya Singh the journalist who wrote this piece as it is, relatively speaking, both accurate and fair.
As for the Indian government and those responsible for this "ban" my suggestion would be re-evaluate your priorities as there must be 6,763,397 more important things to concern yourself with then silencing little ole me.
btw, Dr. Shackleford is now on the list.
Once again thanks to Patrix for filling me in.
Update II: More from the Australian and
ABC : Several of the blogs, like exposingtheleft.blogspot.com, contain conservative American commentaries on the Middle East and the "war on terror", of a kind unlikely to stand out from thousands of others on the Internet.
Ouch.....payback
Reader Patrix tells me that we have been banned in India for ostensibly spreading a doctrine of hate.
The DoT is of the opinion that some of these sites were being used by banned organisations to transmit messages to their colleagues. Blog entries cannot be tracked as easily as email. The sites that were asked to be blocked include hindunity.og and exposingtheleft.blogspot.com. All ISPs do not seem to have implemented the ban uniformly, yet. Bloggers in India meanwhile complained that they were having problems accessing popular blogs on the Google owned blogspot. There are some 150 ISPs in India.
UPDATE: Well it's no joke and it's not a screwup, the Indian government is most definately pi$$ed. This from the Indian Express......
Exposingtheleft.blog is dangerous
NEW DELHI, JULY 18: Clearly, the government has a lot to handle since the seven serial blasts in Mumbai last Tuesday. Banning America’s anti-Left website ExposingTheLeft.Blogspot.Com is a start.
Viewed through pkblogs.com, a website that helps you bypass the official Indian ban (its home page invites you if your blog is blocked in India, Pakistan, Iran or China), ExposingTheLeft.Blogspot.Com makes only one reference to Mumbai, which is: ‘‘At least 131 killed in India train bombings: More humanitarian acts from the ‘Religion of Peace’.’’
This may be offensive and so could the rest of this website—but largely for anti-Bush voters in the United States as it tracks domestic politics, takes several swipes at Iran, applauds a court ruling against same-sex marriages, and slams the Hizbollah. It has little to do with what Comrade Prakash Karat was thinking about or doing on 7/11.
ExposingTheLeft’s editors are aware of India’s gag order and their new post is: “Well, it’s not a fatwa but I suppose it will have to do.’’
Kudo's to Pragya Singh the journalist who wrote this piece as it is, relatively speaking, both accurate and fair.
As for the Indian government and those responsible for this "ban" my suggestion would be re-evaluate your priorities as there must be 6,763,397 more important things to concern yourself with then silencing little ole me.
btw, Dr. Shackleford is now on the list.
Once again thanks to Patrix for filling me in.
Update II: More from the Australian and
ABC : Several of the blogs, like exposingtheleft.blogspot.com, contain conservative American commentaries on the Middle East and the "war on terror", of a kind unlikely to stand out from thousands of others on the Internet.
Ouch.....payback
Tuesday, July 18, 2006
Presser Fireworks
Tony Snow just flat b!tch slapped the wicked witch of the East in todays press conference. Transcript coming.Transcript...it's funny and worth a read.
IDF needs another week to alleviate Hizbullah threat
Another "quagmire" I see....
Forty to fifty percent of Hizbullah's military capability has been destroyed in the six days of the IDF counter-attack following last Wednesday's Hizbullah raid in northern Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
The IDF, it is understood, believes it needs another week or so minimum to achieve its military goals in terms of alleviating Hizbullah's capacity to threaten Israel.
The IDF further believes, it is understood, that it will be given at least that long to continue its actions, in light of the G8 nations' essential support for Israel and those nations' branding Hizbullah and Hamas as being responsible for the current escalation.
Forty to fifty percent of Hizbullah's military capability has been destroyed in the six days of the IDF counter-attack following last Wednesday's Hizbullah raid in northern Israel, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
The IDF, it is understood, believes it needs another week or so minimum to achieve its military goals in terms of alleviating Hizbullah's capacity to threaten Israel.
The IDF further believes, it is understood, that it will be given at least that long to continue its actions, in light of the G8 nations' essential support for Israel and those nations' branding Hizbullah and Hamas as being responsible for the current escalation.
Monday, July 17, 2006
Industrial production up 0.8% in June
More Hooverian indicators....
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Capping the strongest quarterly growth in six years, U.S. industrial output surged 0.8% in June, boosted by strong output at factories, mines and utilities, the Federal Reserve said Monday.
Capacity utilization -- a key measure of inflationary pressures -- rose to 82.4%, the highest level in six years, the Fed said.
Manufacturing and utility output each rose 0.7% in June, while the output of mines rose 1.2%. Production of consumer goods increased 0.8%. Production of business equipment increased 0.7%. Production of industrial supplies increased 0.6%
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- Capping the strongest quarterly growth in six years, U.S. industrial output surged 0.8% in June, boosted by strong output at factories, mines and utilities, the Federal Reserve said Monday.
Capacity utilization -- a key measure of inflationary pressures -- rose to 82.4%, the highest level in six years, the Fed said.
Manufacturing and utility output each rose 0.7% in June, while the output of mines rose 1.2%. Production of consumer goods increased 0.8%. Production of business equipment increased 0.7%. Production of industrial supplies increased 0.6%
Sunday, July 16, 2006
Quote of the Day
Iran's Foreign Minister: "Israel's accusation that the Iranian Guard were invloved in the firing of a missile that detroyed their ship is nothing more than a attempt to divert attention away from the quagmire they find themselves in".
Sound familiar?
Sound familiar?
Saturday, July 15, 2006
IDF : Missile that hit ship was Iranian
A senior IDF officer said the ship was struck by an Iranian-made C802 missile, but he refused to say whether or not Iranian activists were behind the launching itself.The army said two C802 missiles were fired at the vessel; the first missed the ship and struck an Egyptian boat some 60 kilometers (37 miles) off the Lebanon coast.
The stern of the ship was hit shortly after 8:30 p.m. Friday night and a conflagration ignited on the helicopter landing pad. The hit also damaged the ship’s internal operating systems.
Update: Israel: Iran Aided Hezbollah Ship Attack
JERUSALEM (AP) - A missile fired by Hezbollah, not an unmanned drone laden with explosives, damaged an Israeli warship off Lebanon, the army said Saturday. Elite Iranian troops helped fire the missile, a senior Israeli intelligence official said.
Anyone remember who opposed sanctions against China for selling Silkworms to Iran? Think hard, who was getting illegal campaign constibutions from same?
Right you got it.....
The Clinton administration eventually decided against imposing sanctions......
Friday, July 14, 2006
Court reinstates Nebraska's same-sex marriage ban
So refreshing when the courts rule sanely.
A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that struck down Nebraska's same-sex marriage ban. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned an earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon, who ruled last year that the measure was too broad and deprived gays and lesbians of participation in the political process, among other things. Seventy percent of Nebraska voters approved the amendment in 2000.
The court said the amendment "and other laws limiting the state-recognized institution of marriage to heterosexual couples are rationally related to legitimate state interests and therefore do not violate the Constitution of the United States."
A federal appeals court has reversed a ruling that struck down Nebraska's same-sex marriage ban. The 8th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals on Friday overturned an earlier ruling by U.S. District Judge Joseph Bataillon, who ruled last year that the measure was too broad and deprived gays and lesbians of participation in the political process, among other things. Seventy percent of Nebraska voters approved the amendment in 2000.
The court said the amendment "and other laws limiting the state-recognized institution of marriage to heterosexual couples are rationally related to legitimate state interests and therefore do not violate the Constitution of the United States."
Chirac condemns Israeli attacks on Lebanon
Surprise of the day........NOT!
AP-President Jacques Chirac said Friday that Israel's military offensive against Lebanon is "totally disproportionate" and asked whether destroying Lebanon was not the ultimate goal.
However, he also said that rockets fired on Israel by Hezbollah and Hamas are "inadmissible, nacceptable and irresponsible." Chirac implicitly suggested that Syria and Iran might be playing a role in the expanding crisis in the Middle East which, along with the Iranian nuclear issue, creates "a truly dangerous situation in which we must be very, very careful."
AP-President Jacques Chirac said Friday that Israel's military offensive against Lebanon is "totally disproportionate" and asked whether destroying Lebanon was not the ultimate goal.
However, he also said that rockets fired on Israel by Hezbollah and Hamas are "inadmissible, nacceptable and irresponsible." Chirac implicitly suggested that Syria and Iran might be playing a role in the expanding crisis in the Middle East which, along with the Iranian nuclear issue, creates "a truly dangerous situation in which we must be very, very careful."
Thursday, July 13, 2006
PLAME/WILSON to SUE Libby, Cheney and Rove
Discovery should be interesting to say the least.
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 2006--Valerie Plame Wilson, Ambassador Joseph Wilson and their counsel, Christopher Wolf of Proskauer Rose LLP, will hold a news conference at 10 AM EDT on Friday, July 14 at 10:00 AM at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045, to announce the filing of a civil lawsuit against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice-President Richard Cheney and Karl Rove.
Publicity whores extraordinaire.
The Geat Ones take.
WASHINGTON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--July 13, 2006--Valerie Plame Wilson, Ambassador Joseph Wilson and their counsel, Christopher Wolf of Proskauer Rose LLP, will hold a news conference at 10 AM EDT on Friday, July 14 at 10:00 AM at the National Press Club, 529 14th St. NW, 13th Floor, Washington, DC 20045, to announce the filing of a civil lawsuit against I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice-President Richard Cheney and Karl Rove.
Publicity whores extraordinaire.
The Geat Ones take.
Lebanon: IDF bombed Lebanese air force base
This is the latest from what can be only termed as the latest "Mideast War".
Lebanon police reported that IDF jets attacked a Lebanese Air Force base in Riak, next to the Lebanon-Syria border.
According to the report, the base was a helicopter base, largely containing American-made aircraft. (AFP)
Updates will continue throughout the day.
Update: Per Fox: Hezbollah attempting to transfer captured Israeli soldiers to Iran.
Haaretz confirms as well as AP
Update II: Hezbollah leader dead. working on confirmation. (5:10 ET This remains unconfirmed.)
Update III: Rocket attack on Haifa deemed "major major" escalation.
Update IV: FOX: Beruit/Damascus highway hit.
Update V: 9:17 ET Fox now reporting that Israel suspects the missiles that hit Haifa were launched by Iranians in Lebanon.
Additionally witnesses report that Israeli warplanes early Friday attacked targets in Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut.
Lebanon police reported that IDF jets attacked a Lebanese Air Force base in Riak, next to the Lebanon-Syria border.
According to the report, the base was a helicopter base, largely containing American-made aircraft. (AFP)
Updates will continue throughout the day.
Update: Per Fox: Hezbollah attempting to transfer captured Israeli soldiers to Iran.
Haaretz confirms as well as AP
Update II: Hezbollah leader dead. working on confirmation. (5:10 ET This remains unconfirmed.)
Update III: Rocket attack on Haifa deemed "major major" escalation.
Update IV: FOX: Beruit/Damascus highway hit.
Update V: 9:17 ET Fox now reporting that Israel suspects the missiles that hit Haifa were launched by Iranians in Lebanon.
Additionally witnesses report that Israeli warplanes early Friday attacked targets in Hezbollah stronghold in Beirut.
Wednesday, July 12, 2006
US: Israel Must Do Whatever Necessary to Protect Itself
Not a "nuanced" statement this.........
(IsraelNN.com) The Bush administration said Wednesday afternoon that “Israel must do whatever necessary to protect itself.
”The terse response came in the wake of an IDF incursion into south Lebanon following multiple attacks by Hizbullah terrorists on northern Israeli communities and soldiers. Two soldiers were kidnapped and three were killed in the early morning attacks.
(IsraelNN.com) The Bush administration said Wednesday afternoon that “Israel must do whatever necessary to protect itself.
”The terse response came in the wake of an IDF incursion into south Lebanon following multiple attacks by Hizbullah terrorists on northern Israeli communities and soldiers. Two soldiers were kidnapped and three were killed in the early morning attacks.
Palestinian refugees celebrate kidnapping
Shiite neighborhoods in Lebanon, Palestinian refugee camps celebrate kidnapping of Israeli soldiers by setting off fireworks.If they don't blow their own a$$es up with these, I'm sure the IDF will accomodate.
Couric Hype Begins
CBS has started the countdown to Katie Couric. The network is shifting the publicity machine into high gear to herald the arrival later this summer of the former "Today" show star as the fresh yet familiar face of the "CBS Evening News."In my best Chris Farley voice....."Well Whoop- De -Freakin- Doo"!
Tuesday, July 11, 2006
You're Not Wanted
Here you have the wife of one of the two United States Senators representing Virginia who's husband also btw served for four years as governor of the state. Partisan pettines at it's most shameful.......
Virginia senatorial wife Susan Allen and Republican operative Mary Matalin, accompanied by their respective daughters, were asked to leave a birthday celebration for the city of Alexandria on Saturday evening because they were "distracting."
That says a close friend of Mrs. Allen, the wife of Virginia Republican Sen. George Allen, who is seeking re-election to a second term.
"They were asked to leave the public event by Alexandria's Parks and Recreation Department because they were told they were 'distracting,'" the friend states. "That was the exact word [officials] used. Perhaps these Alexandria servants should be reminded that politicking at public, community events is a time-honored, American tradition, not to mention a First Amendment right."
These people are nothing more than a slightly more politically correct version of the brownshirts early on.
Virginia senatorial wife Susan Allen and Republican operative Mary Matalin, accompanied by their respective daughters, were asked to leave a birthday celebration for the city of Alexandria on Saturday evening because they were "distracting."
That says a close friend of Mrs. Allen, the wife of Virginia Republican Sen. George Allen, who is seeking re-election to a second term.
"They were asked to leave the public event by Alexandria's Parks and Recreation Department because they were told they were 'distracting,'" the friend states. "That was the exact word [officials] used. Perhaps these Alexandria servants should be reminded that politicking at public, community events is a time-honored, American tradition, not to mention a First Amendment right."
These people are nothing more than a slightly more politically correct version of the brownshirts early on.
At Least 131 Killed in India Train Bombings
More humanitarian acts from the "Religion of Peace".......
At least 300 others injured in attack on Mumbai's transit system during evening rush hour; government says it knew attack was coming, didn't know when or where.
Update: India Reports Arrests of Islamic Terrorists in Deadly Train Bombings
“There is no information about who is behind these blasts,” Asthana said, but soon after the attacks, police arrested members of Lashkar-e-Toiba, an Islamic group in India responsible for previous attacks in India.
At least 300 others injured in attack on Mumbai's transit system during evening rush hour; government says it knew attack was coming, didn't know when or where.
Update: India Reports Arrests of Islamic Terrorists in Deadly Train Bombings
“There is no information about who is behind these blasts,” Asthana said, but soon after the attacks, police arrested members of Lashkar-e-Toiba, an Islamic group in India responsible for previous attacks in India.
Monday, July 10, 2006
U.S. has votes to impose sanctions against N. Korea, official says
I'll believer it when I see it.
WASHINGTON - A top U.S. official said America has the votes in the United Nations to level sanctions against North Korea.
State Department Undersecretary Nicholas Burns made that statement Sunday as other officials pressured China to back such a move. The North Korean ally, along with Russia, has so far resisted supporting sanctions.
Both those nations have veto power over any U.N. Security Council resolution to punish the Korean dictatorship for building nuclear bombs and defiantly launching seven test missiles last week.
China sent a delegation to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang Sunday, but Burns seemed confident China and Russia would swing to the U.S. side on sanctions.
WASHINGTON - A top U.S. official said America has the votes in the United Nations to level sanctions against North Korea.
State Department Undersecretary Nicholas Burns made that statement Sunday as other officials pressured China to back such a move. The North Korean ally, along with Russia, has so far resisted supporting sanctions.
Both those nations have veto power over any U.N. Security Council resolution to punish the Korean dictatorship for building nuclear bombs and defiantly launching seven test missiles last week.
China sent a delegation to the North Korean capital of Pyongyang Sunday, but Burns seemed confident China and Russia would swing to the U.S. side on sanctions.
Saturday, July 08, 2006
Surprising Jump in Tax Revenues Curbs U.S. Deficit
Surprising? Not to the vast majority of us conservatives who have known for years that tax cuts are the single greatest stimulants to economic growth and hence tax receipts.
WASHINGTON, July 8 — An unexpectedly steep rise in tax revenues from corporations and the wealthy is driving down the projected budget deficit this year, even though spending has climbed sharply because of the war in Iraq and the cost of hurricane relief.
On Tuesday, White House officials are expected to announce that the tax receipts will be about $250 billion above last year's levels and that the deficit will be about $100 billion less than what they projected six months ago. The rising tide in tax payments has been building for months, but the increased scale is surprising even seasoned budget analysts and making it easier for both the administration and Congress to finesse the big run-up in spending over the past year.
Tax revenues are climbing twice as fast as the administration predicted in February, so fast that the budget deficit could actually decline this year.
The main reason is a big spike in corporate tax receipts, which have nearly tripled since 2003, as well as what appears to be a big rise in individual taxes on stock market profits and executive bonuses.
WASHINGTON, July 8 — An unexpectedly steep rise in tax revenues from corporations and the wealthy is driving down the projected budget deficit this year, even though spending has climbed sharply because of the war in Iraq and the cost of hurricane relief.
On Tuesday, White House officials are expected to announce that the tax receipts will be about $250 billion above last year's levels and that the deficit will be about $100 billion less than what they projected six months ago. The rising tide in tax payments has been building for months, but the increased scale is surprising even seasoned budget analysts and making it easier for both the administration and Congress to finesse the big run-up in spending over the past year.
Tax revenues are climbing twice as fast as the administration predicted in February, so fast that the budget deficit could actually decline this year.
The main reason is a big spike in corporate tax receipts, which have nearly tripled since 2003, as well as what appears to be a big rise in individual taxes on stock market profits and executive bonuses.
U.S. deploys missile destroyer to Japan
And these missiles don't fall into the sea after 42 seconds.TOKYO, Japan (AP) -- A new top-of-the-line U.S. guided missile destroyer was deployed to Japan on Saturday, amid tensions over North Korea's missile tests.
The USS Mustin sailed into the port of Yokosuka, home to the Navy's 7th Fleet, with a crew of 300 for permanent assignment to the region, 7th Fleet spokeswoman Hanako Tomizuka said.
The Mustin, commissioned in 2003, is one of the most advanced in the fleet.
Friday, July 07, 2006
Judge Blocks Enforcement of Georgia’s Voter ID Law
More judicial tyranny being foisted upon the will of the people.....
ATLANTA (AP) — With less than two weeks to go before the July 18 primary, a Superior Court judge on Friday issued a restraining order blocking enforcement of Georgia’s voter ID law.
“The Court finds the current statute unduly burdens the fundamental right to vote rather than regulate it and irreparable harm will result if the 2006 Photo ID law is not enjoined,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland wrote. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, a Democrat, had argued in court on Thursday that the law violates the state’s constitution, which guarantees the right to vote. Barnes said it would keep poor, elderly and minority voters from the polls.
Georgia’s new ID law requires that every voter who casts a a ballot in person provide a valid, government-issued photo ID. There is also a federal challenge pending to the state’s voter ID law. Arguments in that case are scheduled for Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Rome, Ga. Georgia’s Republican-led state Legislature first adopted a voter ID law in 2005, but a federal judge blocked its enforcement saying it amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax. Early this year, lawmakers amended the law to make the IDs free and to ensure they are available in each of the state’s 159 counties.
Bullsh!t, the ID is free and readily available. The only group of people it "unduly burdens" is the potential fraudsters who would seek to cast an illegal ballot.
BTW requiring an ID has never kept the aformentioned groups from cashing their SS or welfare checks now has it?
ATLANTA (AP) — With less than two weeks to go before the July 18 primary, a Superior Court judge on Friday issued a restraining order blocking enforcement of Georgia’s voter ID law.
“The Court finds the current statute unduly burdens the fundamental right to vote rather than regulate it and irreparable harm will result if the 2006 Photo ID law is not enjoined,” Fulton County Superior Court Judge Melvin Westmoreland wrote. Former Georgia Gov. Roy Barnes, a Democrat, had argued in court on Thursday that the law violates the state’s constitution, which guarantees the right to vote. Barnes said it would keep poor, elderly and minority voters from the polls.
Georgia’s new ID law requires that every voter who casts a a ballot in person provide a valid, government-issued photo ID. There is also a federal challenge pending to the state’s voter ID law. Arguments in that case are scheduled for Wednesday in U.S. District Court in Rome, Ga. Georgia’s Republican-led state Legislature first adopted a voter ID law in 2005, but a federal judge blocked its enforcement saying it amounted to an unconstitutional poll tax. Early this year, lawmakers amended the law to make the IDs free and to ensure they are available in each of the state’s 159 counties.
Bullsh!t, the ID is free and readily available. The only group of people it "unduly burdens" is the potential fraudsters who would seek to cast an illegal ballot.
BTW requiring an ID has never kept the aformentioned groups from cashing their SS or welfare checks now has it?
Plotters sought to bomb NY tunnel: paper
Shame on the Media reminding people we are still in danger 5 months before an election. Let's get back on topic.... you know, global warming and Iraq spin.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A plot to bomb New York's Holland Tunnel in an effort to flood the Wall Street financial district has been uncovered by the FBI, with a suspect arrested in Lebanon, New York's Daily News reported on Friday.
The newspaper, quoting unidentified counterterrorism sources, said the investigation involved what officials considered a "serious plot" to detonate enough explosives inside the landmark tunnel to destroy it and send devastating floodwaters through lower Manhattan.
The Daily News said authorities in Beirut, at the request of U.S. officials, arrested one of the suspected conspirators, identified as Amir Andalousli, in recent months and that agents were seeking other suspects around the world.
The newspaper said the FBI and New York police officials declined comment on the investigation, which it quoted a source as describing as "ongoing."
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A plot to bomb New York's Holland Tunnel in an effort to flood the Wall Street financial district has been uncovered by the FBI, with a suspect arrested in Lebanon, New York's Daily News reported on Friday.
The newspaper, quoting unidentified counterterrorism sources, said the investigation involved what officials considered a "serious plot" to detonate enough explosives inside the landmark tunnel to destroy it and send devastating floodwaters through lower Manhattan.
The Daily News said authorities in Beirut, at the request of U.S. officials, arrested one of the suspected conspirators, identified as Amir Andalousli, in recent months and that agents were seeking other suspects around the world.
The newspaper said the FBI and New York police officials declined comment on the investigation, which it quoted a source as describing as "ongoing."
Thursday, July 06, 2006
Mexican presidential election
Looks like conservative Felipe Calderon is going to pull this out....
99.19% tallied
Calderon 35.77%
Obrador 35.42%
That's ~ 136,000 votes.
In related news Zogby has a poll that shows a significant plurality of the Mexican populace DO NOT support an election protest by the disgruntled losing side. It appears that leftist temper tantrums are even more unpopular there than here.
Zogby: Mexicans Don't Want Election Protest
Update: Reader mgb comments: "The left is the same the world over. Right wins = stolen. Left wins = fair election."
Ain't it the truth
99.19% tallied
Calderon 35.77%
Obrador 35.42%
That's ~ 136,000 votes.
In related news Zogby has a poll that shows a significant plurality of the Mexican populace DO NOT support an election protest by the disgruntled losing side. It appears that leftist temper tantrums are even more unpopular there than here.
Zogby: Mexicans Don't Want Election Protest
Update: Reader mgb comments: "The left is the same the world over. Right wins = stolen. Left wins = fair election."
Ain't it the truth
Wednesday, July 05, 2006
ADP payroll survey shows net gain of 368,000
As much as I hate to say it, this will tend to be inflationary. We are at full employment and much additional jobs creation will exacerbate an already super tight labor market. Contrary to the BS being spewed by the left, wages are increasing at a 7% pace YTD and that's plenty high.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. payroll growth probably expanded at a healthy rate in June, according to the ADP national employment index released Wednesday.
U.S. private-sector nonfarm payrolls increased by about 368,000 in June, ADP said. This is the largest monthly increase in employment since the ADP index was created five years ago. Read full survey.
"These findings indicate a strong acceleration of employment in June," said Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, the economic forecasting firm that computes the ADP index from anonymous payroll data provided by Automatic Data Processing.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- U.S. payroll growth probably expanded at a healthy rate in June, according to the ADP national employment index released Wednesday.
U.S. private-sector nonfarm payrolls increased by about 368,000 in June, ADP said. This is the largest monthly increase in employment since the ADP index was created five years ago. Read full survey.
"These findings indicate a strong acceleration of employment in June," said Joel Prakken, chairman of Macroeconomic Advisers, the economic forecasting firm that computes the ADP index from anonymous payroll data provided by Automatic Data Processing.
Irey's Hot
We are all aware that John Murtha is a puffy walrus who looks as though he could explode at any minute. What some of us didn't know including me is that his challenger in the upcoming midterm elections (Diane Irey) is a certifiable hottie.
Tuesday, July 04, 2006
Monday, July 03, 2006
High court intervenes in fight over cross
Considering that the court refused to hear this case 3 years ago prior to the arrival of Roberts and Alito, this may bode well.WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court intervened Monday to save a large cross on city property in southern California.
A lower court judge had ordered the city of San Diego to remove the cross or be fined $5,000 a day.
Justice Anthony M. Kennedy, acting for the high court, issued a stay while supporters of the cross continue their legal fight.
Lawyers for San Diegans for the Mt. Soledad National War Memorial said in an appeal that they wanted to avoid the "destruction of this national treasure." And attorneys for the city said the cross was part of a broader memorial that was important to the community.
Sunday, July 02, 2006
Iraqi Officials Bury Zarqawi at a Secret Baghdad Location
BREAKING: We have through our exclusive high level government sources determined al-Zarqawi's burial site!BAGHDAD, Iraq — Slain terror leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has been buried in an undisclosed location, the U.S. military and Iraqi government officials said Sunday.
Iraqi National Security Adviser Mouwafak al-Rubaie told The Associated Press that Zarqawi had been buried in a "secret location" in Baghdad.
The U.S. military confirmed the burial but declined to give more details.
Saturday, July 01, 2006
Hamdan Decision
If I hear "rebuke" one more time from the left and Entrenched Media I'm gonna repuke.
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