Safe For Now

Via Stop the ACLU

A California appeals court today reversed a lower court decision that had determined that the transfer of the Mt. Soledad National War Memorial to the federal government was unconstitutional.

“The people spoke on this issue, and now the court has upheld their right to preserve the Mt. Soledad National War Memorial, which honors those who sacrificed themselves for our freedom,” said Alliance Defense Fund Litigation Counsel Tim Chandler. “Removal of the cross at Mt. Soledad would have no purpose other than to create heartache for the veterans’ families and comrades who cherish their memory. We, like them, are pleased with the court’s ruling.”

Iraq 'Ready Next June To Handle Own Security'

I'll believe it when I see it. One thing for sure, the left will do everything in their power to disrupt it lest they be issueless in 08.

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri Maliki said today that he believed Iraqi forces would be ready by next June to take full control of security in Iraq, an issue on which he pressed US President George Bush during their Amman, Jordan, summit.

In making the argument that his military and police could handle security in the country, al-Maliki has routinely said the force could do the job within six months.

“I can say that Iraqi forces will be ready, fully ready, to receive this command and to command its own forces and I can tell you that by next June our forces will be ready,” Maliki said in an interview with ABC television’s Charles Gibson.

EXCLUSIVE: Iranian Weapons Arm Iraqi Militia

BUT....BUT the realists ie. James Baker, Lee Hamilton etc. say we have to make nice with the Iranians, talk with them, push Israel to make concessions, reduce our provocative presence in Iraq because Iran truly wants to help us make things better! You bet.

U.S. officials say they have found smoking-gun evidence of Iranian support for terrorists in Iraq: brand-new weapons fresh from Iranian factories. According to a senior defense official, coalition forces have recently seized Iranian-made weapons and munitions that bear manufacturing dates in 2006.

This suggests, say the sources, that the material is going directly from Iranian factories to Shia militias, rather than taking a roundabout path through the black market. "There is no way this could be done without (Iranian) government approval," says a senior official.

Iranian-made munitions found in Iraq include advanced IEDs designed to pierce armor and anti-tank weapons. U.S. intelligence believes the weapons have been supplied to Iraq's growing Shia militias from Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guards Corps, which is also believed to be training Iraqi militia fighters in Iran.

Evidence is mounting, too, that the most powerful militia in Iraq, Moktada al-Sadr's Mahdi army, is receiving training support from the Iranian-backed terrorists of Hezbollah.

Craig Wants Gay Bond Scene

"Bond.... Gay Bond."

Daniel Craig is urging movie bosses to revolutionize the James Bond franchise by including a gay scene involving the superspy in the follow-up to Casino Royale.

The heart-throb actor has also reportedly told studio chiefs he is prepared to film a full frontal nude scene to please both his male and female admirers.

He says, "Why not? I think in this day and age, fans would have accepted it."

Coming to a theatre near you: Octopecker, Boldfinger, The Guy Who Lubed Me, At His Majesties Service, The Man With the Golden Buns, Thunderousballs, License to Fill, Lie Another Gay, Moonraper, K nuff, stop me before I quip again!

Seriously, I can't beilieve that the core audience for Bond flics will look favorable on such an idea.

Freshly Baked Handouts Forbidden in Fairfax

If there's any doubt in your mind that the government local or otherwise is populated by imbeciles, read this....

The casserole has been canned.

Under a tough new Fairfax County policy, residents can no longer donate food prepared in their homes or a church kitchen -- be it a tuna casserole, sandwiches or even a batch of cookies -- unless the kitchen is approved by the county, health officials said yesterday.

They said the crackdown on home-cooked meals is aimed at preventing food poisoning among homeless people.

But it is infuriating operators of shelters for the homeless and leaders of a coalition of churches that provides shelter and meals to homeless people during the winter. They said the strict standards for food served in the shelters will make it more difficult to serve healthy, hot meals to homeless people. The enforcement also, they said, makes little sense.

Frist Won't Run

And the RINOs of the world lament....

From Hotline:

Sources close to outgoing Maj. Leader Bill Frist tell the Hotline that Frist has decided not to run for President.

He will make a formal announcement this afternoon, the sources said.

Frist made the decision in recent days after consulting family, friends and advisers

Alcee....ya-later.

She was caught between a rock and a hardspot. Now she'll have the CBC on her a$$.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Democratic Rep. Alcee Hastings of Florida, impeached as a federal judge in 1989 on corruption charges, dropped his bid under pressure on Tuesday to chair a congressional panel designed to help protect America's security, a party aide said.

Hastings took the action after being told by Rep. Nancy Pelosi, in line to head the U.S. House of Representatives when the new Congress convenes in January, that she would not give him the coveted job, the aide said.

As House speaker, Pelosi decides who in her party serves on the committee that helps oversee federal efforts to protect the United States.

Last week, Hastings made a public plea for the post, arguing that despite being removed by Congress as a federal judge, he did nothing wrong and was cleared by a court of the corruption charges.

It's Official: Media Body Burning Story is Bogus

Newsbusters does it again.....

The news that six Sunnis were captured by Shiites, doused with kerosine and burned alive, was too sensational to not be picked up by the mainstream media. But it turns out that the event never happened. Furthermore, the Iraqi "spokesman" relied on to give all information regarding this event is as fictional as the story itself.

Jamil Hussein, the man news reports called "police Capt. Jamil Hussein," was the source for all information regarding the burning. Although he is mentioned by USA Today, the Associated Press, CBS News, and other outlets, Central Command says no such person exists. Centcom also asked the Associated Press to retract the story unless it has proof beyond Jamil Hussein's word.

More MSM propaganda exposed as an out and out lie. How the Press maintains any shred of crediblity is beyond me.

Puter Probs

Sorry for the light blogging. I have run into a nasty little virus that is raising havoc with my computer. It's latched itself onto a legit program and is tenatiously resisting removal. I think I may have at least isolated it for now.

Poll: Kerry Ranks Low With Voters

Everyone knows he's history except him.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry ranked last in a poll released Monday that scores the popularity of national leaders.

Americans have the warmest feelings about former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, Republican Sen. John McCain and Democratic Sen. Barack Obama, the poll by Quinnipiac University showed.

The university's "thermometer reading," taken the week after the Nov. 7 election, asked voters to rate their feelings for 20 leaders on a scale of 0 to 100.

Kerry, the 2004 Democratic nominee who was roundly criticized before the election for suggesting that students who don't study could end up stuck in Iraq, came in last at 39.6.

'All My Children' to Feature Transgender Character

Daytime television reaches a new high....

NEW YORK — In a story unusual even for a soap opera and believed to be a television first, ABC's "All My Children" this week will introduce a transgender character who is beginning to make the transition from a man into a woman.

The character, a flamboyant rock star known as Zarf, kisses the lesbian character Bianca and much drama ensues. The storyline begins with Thursday's episode of the daytime drama.

Next on the agenda, a heroic drop dead good looking pedophile.

Iraq: Sunnis Kill 55 Al-Qaeda Fighters

The Iraqi's have taken back al-Anbar province. Now if they'd just show the same initiative in Baghdad.

RAMADI, Iraq, Nov 26 (Reuters) - The head of a tribal council in Iraq's western province of Anbar said on Sunday that tribesmen had killed 55 al Qaeda fighters in a battle on Saturday, but the U.S. military could not confirm the figures.

The death toll, if confirmed, would mark an unusually fierce clash with insurgents in a province where U.S. forces regularly battle foreign fighters they say are linked to al Qaeda and other Sunni insurgents.

The U.S. military said in a statement it launched air strikes and fired artillery to help a tribe in the town of Sofia after an attack by al Qaeda.

Iran says will help U.S. if it quits Iraq

The really scary thing about this is a significant number of Americans will actually believe this maniac.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Sunday Iran was ready to help the United States and Britain in Iraq but only if they pledged to change their attitude and withdraw their troops.

The remark comes amid growing calls for Washington to engage Iraq's neighbors, Iran and Syria, to help prevent Iraq plunging into civil war.

A senior U.S. official said this month Washington was "in principle" ready to discuss Iraq with Iran but said the timing of such talks was unclear. Ahmadinejad has previously said he would talk but only if Washington

Post #210 ROP Chronicles...Nablus: Explosive teddy bears found in lab

Just when you thought these Islamoscumbags couldn't sink any lower, they do...

A joint paratrooper and Shin Bet force uncovered an explosive lab in Nablus Friday night. In the lab, the forces found teddy bears with wires hanging from them, apparently slated to be used as explosive devices.

The lab was detonated in a controlled manner, and there were no reports of injuries.

The forces also found in the explosives lab three belts made from cloth, ready to contain explosives, a hollow coat used for hiding explosives, and 20 light bulbs and light sockets used for activating explosives.

Ex-Russian spy poisoned by radioactive polonium - hospital source

KGB in action?

LONDON (AFX) - Former spy Alexander Litvinenko was poisoned by radioactive polonium, a source at the London hospital where he was treated told AFP.

Polonium is an extremely toxic and highly radioactive substance.

The source, speaking on condition of anonymity, told AFP that the substance experts initially thought was the heavy metal thallium was found to be polonium after tests.

FYI.....
Polonium is a highly radioactive and toxic element and is dangerous to handle. Even in milligram or microgram amounts, handling polonium-210 is very dangerous and requires special equipment used with strict procedures. Direct damage occurs from energy absorption into tissues from alpha particles.

The maximum allowable body burden for ingested polonium is only 1100 becquerels (0.03 microcurie), which is equivalent to a particle weighing only 6.8 × 10-12 gram. Weight for weight polonium is approximately 2.5 × 1011 times as toxic as hydrocyanic acid. The maximum permissible concentration for airborne soluble polonium compounds is about 7,500 Bq/m3 (2 × 10-11 µCi/cm3).

Kramer's career in freefall after fresh claims of racism

Richards launched a furious rant at two black hecklers during a standup show in Los Angeles last weekend.

At the request of pal Jerry Seinfeld, Richards later appeared via satellite on the David Letterman Show to apologise.

But he has now been accused of making anti-Jewish comments during a stand-up routine as well.

Richards allegedly lashed out at Jews during performance earlier this year, yelling at one audience member: "You're a f***ing Jew. Your people are the cause of Jesus dying."

Happy Thanksgiving

Program puts gifts under soldiers' family trees

FORT HUACHUCA — Soldiers are called upon to protect the country, and sometimes that means giving their lives.

But during the upcoming Christmas holiday, people are being asked to help soldiers’ families by giving to their children. About 400 children need presents, said Jo Moore, who heads the fort chaplains’ outreach ministries.

Holding up a three-ringed binder, Moore showed 3 inches of requests so far this year.

That does not include the needs of families who are scheduled to arrive on the fort before Christmas and stay in temporary quarters, Moore said.“I’ve gone down on Christmas Eve to deliver presents and a tree so a family will have something for their children,” she said.

Today, 264 soldiers and their families are enjoying a Thanksgiving meal because of special $50 certificates they received to purchase food, Moore said.

Many of the GIs are lower ranking enlisted men and women who have a number of children who have difficult times making ends meet on a soldier’s salary, Moore said.

If you wish to help, call or email Bill Hess, he can get you in touch with the Post Chaplain's Office, Jo Moore, Colleen Murray and Jim Callahan.

Message found; teacher quits 'Destroy America' embedded in puzzle

The average American would be flabbergasted at the number of incidents like this (to a greater or lesser extent) that occur on a daily basis in our learning institutions.

A message embedded in a Spanish assignment that included the words "destroy America" has led a teacher to resign and sparked concerns among parents at a Johnston County high school.

Students said former Smithfield-Selma High Spanish teacher Khalid Chahhou gave them an extra-credit "word search" Thursday that required them to translate vocabulary words and find them in a grid of letters.

They started seeing other words such as "destroy" and "terrorist" and eventually put together a few sentences that decry violence against Palestinians and appear to condemn the United States for its involvement in the conflict.

Students alerted the school administration, which confronted Chahhou. Chahhou resigned from the district late Thursday. When reached by phone Monday, he confirmed this account but refused to comment further on the incident.

Shakil Ahmed, president of the Islamic Association of Cary, said Chahhou told him he had made the puzzle when he was upset after seeing news reports of deaths of Palestinians at the hands of Israeli troops.

Post # 209 ROP Chronicles...Saudi Girl Sentenced to More Lashes Than Her Rapists

Ridiculous. Cannot be too judgmental however considering the judicial idiocy that goes on every day in this country.

AL-AWWAMIYA, Saudi Arabia (Nov. 21) - When the teenager went to the police a few months ago to report she was gang-raped by seven men, she never imagined the judge would punish her - and that she would be sentenced to more lashes than one of her alleged rapists received.

The story of the Girl of Qatif, as the alleged rape victim has been called by the media here, has triggered a rare debate about Saudi Arabia's legal system, in which judges have wide discretion in punishing a criminal, rules of evidence are shaky and sometimes no defense lawyers are present.

The result, critics say, are sentences left to the whim of judges. These include one in which a group of men got heavier sentences for harassing women than the men in the Girl of Qatif rape case or three men who were convicted of raping a boy. In another, a woman was ordered to divorce her husband against her will based on a demand by her relatives.

Harrods bans soldiers on Poppy Day

Britain offers us a preview of coming attractions here in the good old US of A if the peacafists have their way.

A serving Army officer was banned from entering Harrods on Remembrance Day in case his uniform upset other shoppers.

Lieutenant Daniel Lenherr had just taken part in a parade honouring Britain's war dead when the London department store turned him away at the door.

The security guard told him other customers might be intimidated by the uniform.

The 26-year-old soldier, who serves in the 1st regiment of the Royal Horse Artillery, had been at commemorations in Hyde Park Corner last weekend when he decided to visit the shop with his wife Michelle and their one-year-old son.

The only intimidating thing at Harrods is the pricing. Btw, Harrods is owned by the Fayed family fwiw.

Lebanon's industry minister has been assasinated (Updated)

From all indications Lebanon is on the precipice of all out chaos. With Syria/Iran/Hizbollah and the elected government all vying for control a major eruption appears imminent.

Minister of Industry Pierre Gemayel was killed in a terrorist attack in Jdeideh in Beirut minutes ago. He was reportedly gunned down.

The attack took place as Saad Hariri was declaring in a press conference that March 14 was ready for a “peaceful confrontation” with Hizbullah and the pro-Syrians parties, who want to stage a coup in the country and put Syria back in control through street protests.

Saad interrupted the press conference upon receiving the news. He then returned to announce that Gemayel was killed.

Update: The coffins of prominent anti-Syrian Christian politician Pierre Gemayel, bottom right, and his bodyguard, left, are carried by relatives and friends in between hundreds of thousands of anti-Syrian protesters, at the Martyrs square, in Beirut, Lebanon, Thursday Nov. 23, 2006. Hundreds of thousands of Lebanese gathered to bid farewell to an assassinated young Christian politician Thursday, and his anti-Syrian allies turned his funeral into a powerful show of force against their opponents, led by the militant Shiite Muslim Hezbollah and its Syrian backers. (Photo above AP/Hussein Malla)

Bomb on passenger train in eastern India kills 8, wounds 60

JEEEEZ

CALCUTTA, India: A bomb exploded and ripped through two cars of a passenger train Monday in a remote area of eastern India, killing at least eight people and wounding about 60 others, officials and Indian media said.

Suspicion of responsibility for the blast in West Bengal state quickly fell on two groups: communist rebels active in wide swaths of rural India or militants fighting for an independent homeland in the neighboring state of Assam.

A spokesman for Northeastern Railways, T. Rabha, told The Associated Press that the bomb had been planted in one of train's cars and the explosion occurred about 6:20 p.m. near the Belacoba station, about 550 kilometers (345 miles) north of Calcutta.

Confronting Iran: Take Ahmadinejad with a grain of salt

Boys will be boys....

If you think Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad makes outlandish comments, consider what Mao Tse-tung said to a visiting head of state in 1954: If someone else can drop an atomic bomb, then I can too. The death of 10 or 20 million people is nothing to be afraid of.

Nonetheless, 15 years later, a nuclear-armed China was not only contained by the world, it opted for normalization of relations with its archenemy, the United States. Today, it is fashionable to equate Ahmadinejad with Hitler, yet the lesson of the 20th century is that rash leaders can, in fact, be deterred. And Iran's president will prove no exception.

Remember that Ahmadinejad’s comments are not even unique in the context of Iranian discourse. In 2001, the former Iranian president and putative moderate, Hashemi Rafsanjani, declared that although Israel would be destroyed by an atomic bomb, the Islamic world would only be damaged by one and therefore such a scenario is not inconceivable. Nevertheless, four years later, when Rafsanjani was running for president, Washington and its European allies were eagerly hoping that he would win.

We should have ignored Hitler even longer, maybe we could have avoided the second world war.

Some affiliates won't air Simpson show

Several Fox affiliates have chosen not to broadcast "If I Did It," the two-part special where O.J. Simpson talks in hypothetical terms about his role in the 1994 killing of his ex-wife, Nicole Brown Simpson, and her friend Ronald Goldman.

Lin Broadcasting and Pappas Broadcasting, which own a combined nine Fox affiliates, have said they won't air it. Fox has scheduled the Simpson interview for Nov. 27 and 29.

The television special precedes the Nov. 30 publication of a book where Simpson talks about how he would have committed the murders "if he were the one responsible."

Update: Fox bails on OJ.

Kerry: Botched Joke Won't Affect 2008

Many years ago a wise and seasoned co-worker told me "if you want to be happy and succeed, never ever break the 11th commandment."("thou shalt not sh!t thyself") It appears that John Fn never received similar advice.

Massachusetts Sen. John Kerry insisted on Sunday his "botched joke" about President Bush's Iraq policy would not undermine a possible White House campaign in 2008. "

Not in the least," Kerry, the Democratic presidential nominee in said when asked if the furor over his comment had caused him to reconsider a 2008 race. "The parlor game of who's up, who's down, today or tomorrow, if I listened to that stuff, I would never have won the nomination."

East Meets West

Adventure at every port.

Saturday Night Live: Nancy Pelosi

SNL nails Bella Pelosi.

US Senate backs India nuclear deal

Wow, they actually got something right!

THE US Senate has overwhelmingly approved Washington's nuclear deal with New Delhi, just hours after a telephone conversation between President George W.Bush and Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh. Under the agreement, India, a non-signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty, will be allowed access to long-denied civilian nuclear technology in return for placing its atomic reactors under global safeguards. Yesterday's go-ahead for the deal seals India's historic shift towards closer ties with the West.

US Senate support for legislation implementing civilian nuclear energy co-operation between the two countries had been stalled, and New Delhi feared the deal could collapse following the Democrats' congressional election victories.

But with Mr Bush backing the legislation -- which he affirmed when he spoke to Dr Singh -- it passed the Senate by a majority of 85-12 after a debate lasting 11 hours. The delight among Indian officials yesterday appeared almost boundless.

Mitt Romney Gives Media What For

All the more reason to love him.....Here is the video of Mitt Romney letting the MSM have it.

Al-Qaida plotting nuclear attack on UK, officials warn

Can't be, according to Nancy Pelosi and company threats are only Republican scare tactics.

British intelligence officials believe that al-Qaida is determined to attack the UK with a nuclear weapon, it emerged yesterday. The announcement, from an officially organised Foreign Office counter-terrorism briefing for the media, was the latest in a series of bleak assessments by senior officials and ministers about the terrorist threat facing Britain.

UK officials have detected "an awful lot of chatter" on jihadi websites expressing the desire to acquire chemical, biological, radiological or nuclear weapons....

The warning comes after a speech last week by the foreign secretary, Margaret Beckett, on the terrorist threat facing the UK, and a rare public outing for Dame Eliza Manningham-Buller, the head of MI5, who warned that there were at least 30 active plots to attack Britain.

With new counter-terrorism measures to be unveiled in tomorrow's Queen's speech, the weekend saw Gordon Brown back an extension to the time for which terrorism suspects can be held without charge, beyond the current 28 days....

IDF: Cell using undetectable bomb belts

It's a shame they don't apply their tecnhological acumen and creativity to things that will better their countrymen and make their world a better place. Guess they just rather kill people and blow things up.

The IDF and Shin Bet (Israel Security Agency) announced Thursday morning that they had uncovered a Nablus-based terror cell which was manufacturing suicide belts with liquid explosive material that could not be detected by metal detectors.

The cell was activated by the Popular Resistance Committees in Gaza, the IDF said, which ordered the Nablus-based terrorists to manufacture the belts and perpetrate suicide attacks in Israel.

One such belt was worn by cell member Ashraf Hanani, who was arrested in Zahal Square in Jerusalem after he was stopped for a routine ID check in July.

"Git with Mitt"

It's post midterms and it's time now to start evaluating the 08 Republican Presidential field.

Contrary to the toe suckers analysis there is indeed someone besides Rice that can beat Hillary but at this point only one other.

I like Rudy Giuliani , he has great name recognition, high favorables and he pretty decent on the campaign trail. He is however too liberal being pro-abortion, anti gun and considered by most to be both socially and fiscally moderate. The New York Press has a stack of files on him just waiting to be unleashed when the campaigns get hot and heavy. Should he survive that, many stalwart conservatives would find themseleves completely uninspired and probably withhold their vote.

McCain had his chance. Aside from the animus held by many conservatives for him because of the multiude of sins he has committed over the last decade, many of us feel the man may not be all that mentally stable. The love affair that he has with the MSM has begun to erode and within the year will be completely gone. With a fair chunk of his base estranged and no press to prop him up, the McCain candidacy is doomed to failure.

Rice says she won't run and she may mean it. She has a lot to offer but I just don't see this happening for a number of reasons. Shoe in for Veep if she wants it.

Others: Unfortunately Newt Gingerich is too conservative to get elected in the present climate, as are Huckabee, Brownback and Tancredo. Allen of course is history and Frist, forget about it.

Which leaves us with Opinipundits choice for the 2008 Republican headliner.......... Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney is conservative enough to inspire the base but not so much as to be unelectable. He is good looking, smooth, articulate, and a proven executive with an impressive track record.

Romney is way ahead of the pack having an established PAC as well as a formidable political apparatus already in place.

If a man as conservative as Romney can get elected in Massachussetts, he can get elected anywhere. Unless a real impressive "dark horse" emerges from the shadows, Mitt Romney is the Republicans single best hope to re-occupy the White House in 08, PERIOD!

Top Al Qaeda operator 'arrested' in Iraq

"Operator"? The MSM seems to have an endless supply of euphemisms don't they.

Authorities say US and Iraqi forces have arrested a top operator of Iraq's Al Qaeda group.
Interior Ministry spokesman Major General Abdel Karim Khalaf says US forces parachuted on the Baghdad house of Abdullah Juburi in an overnight operation.

"He is one of the dangerous criminals in Al Qaeda," Major General Khalaf said.

He says Iraqi ground forces, including the rapid intervention force, raided Mr Juburi's house as US troops parachuted into the area, Arab Jubur, on the southern outskirts of Baghdad.

Iraqi forces surround hostage takers

Hope they laid in a good supply of body bags.

Iraqi security forces say they have surrounded areas in Baghdad where they believe hostages are being held, after a mass kidnapping inside a government ministry building.

Hours earlier armed men raided Iraq's Ministry of Higher Education abducting up to 100 men, but a government spokesman says at least 20 have been released.

A witness, Houssam Hussein, works in the building, but had stepped out when the gunmen arrived.

"There were about 30 cars and the men were in police commander uniforms and armed with rocket-propelled grenades and machine guns," he said.

In Backing Murtha, Pelosi Draws Fire Her Ethics Vow Is Questioned

Illustrating the absolute definition of hypocrisy.

House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi's endorsement of Rep. John P. Murtha's bid for House majority leader set off a furor yesterday on Capitol Hill, with critics charging that she is undercutting her pledge to clean up corruption by backing a veteran lawmaker who they say has repeatedly skirted ethical boundaries.

Pelosi (D-Calif.) directly intervened in the heated contest between Murtha (D-Pa.) and House Minority Whip Steny H. Hoyer (D-Md.) on Sunday by circulating a letter to Democratic lawmakers. The letter voiced her support for Murtha and put her prestige on the line in a closely fought leadership battle. Some Democratic lawmakers and watchdog groups say they are baffled that Pelosi would go out of her way to back Murtha's candidacy after pledging to make the new 110th Congress the most ethical and corruption-free in history.

Murtha, a longtime senior Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee, has battled accusations over the years that he has traded federal spending for campaign contributions, that he has abused his post as ranking party member on the Appropriations defense subcommittee, and that he has stood in the way of ethics investigations. Those charges come on top of Murtha's involvement 26 years ago in the FBI's Abscam bribery sting.

Banning BB Guns

"You'll shoot your eye out!"

You might think that Massachusetts can't become any more anti-gun.

Well, think again. Now there's a proposal to ban BB guns in Massachusetts. Complete with a BB gun amnesty period. And a BB gun buyback program.

Millions of kids have grown up with BB and pellet guns. I don't know of any that were turned into criminals by their Daisy Red Ryder BB gun.

But that doesn't matter to the politicians in Massachusetts. They think BB guns are bad, and they want them outlawed.

Florida Sen. Mel Martinez agrees to head Republican National Committee

One word, UGHH!

Motivation being to reach out again to Hispanic voters, however, Michael Steele was the obvious choice and the far better one in my mind.

Have the Republicans given up on ever getting the black vote? That case can be made considering that blacks went two to one for a white Democrat who isn't half the man Steele is.

Senior al-Qaeda member caught in Afghanistan

Rumsfeld has the time now so ready the thumbscrews.

A man reported to be a senior member of al-Qaeda who escaped from a U.S. prison last year has been arrested in southeastern Afghanistan by U.S. and Afghan forces, an Afghan provincial police chief said on Monday.

U.S. and Afghan forces arrested six people on Thursday in the city of Khost, said Mohammad Ayub, the provincial police chief. He said the four Afghans, an Arab and a Pakistani are being held by U.S. forces.

In a report by Pakistan's daily The News, one of those arrested was Abu Nasir al-Qahtani. He is one of four Arab al-Qaeda members to have escaped from a U.S. prison in July 2005 in Bagram, about 60 kilometres northwest of Kabul.

Mandate schmandate

Polls:

Harry Reid at 25% approval.

Nancy (pants)Pelosi At 34% approval.

Look for this to be the high water mark.

Steele still a main attraction

What better face to have on the Republican party than this man. If there's a better choice I haven't thought of it.

Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele is being pulled in several directions -- to take over as the national leader of the Republican Party in two months, to take a Cabinet post in the Bush administration or to go into the private sector.

"No one from the White House or the Republican National Committee has formally offered me" the RNC chairmanship or a Cabinet post, Mr. Steele told The Washington Times yesterday.

Top national Republican leaders have told Mr. Steele they want him to succeed Ken Mehlman as RNC chairman in January and are discussing the move with White House chief political strategist Karl Rove.

Khamenei calls US elections a victory for Iran

He's right.

TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Friday called U.S. President George W. Bush's defeat in congressional elections a victory for Iran.

Bush has accused Iran of trying to make a nuclear bomb, being a state sponsor of terrorism and stoking sectarian conflict in Iraq, all charges Tehran denies.

"This issue (the elections) is not a purely domestic issue for America, but it is the defeat of Bush's hawkish policies in the world," Khamenei said in remarks reported by Iran's student news agency ISNA on Friday.

"Since Washington's hostile and hawkish policies have always been against the Iranian nation, this defeat is actually an obvious victory for the Iranian nation."

Good F'n Riddance

Key Republican joins Dems opposing Bolton nomination.

Chafee Considers Leaving GOP

Look up RINO in the dictionary and you will find this mans picture.

Man injured after launching firework from bottom

Sooo many quips so little time.

LONDON (AFP) - A man was rushed to hospital in Britain with severe internal injuries after trying to launch a powerful firework from his bottom, an ambulance service spokesman said.

It is thought that the 22-year-old could have been trying to imitate a scene from "Jackass: The Movie", a controversial film featuring a series of edgy pranks.

Footage of the incident in Sunderland, north-east England, was captured on a mobile phone by a gang of youths and shows a white flash followed by hysterical laughter and a youth shouting: "Ha ha ha ha," followed by an expletive.

A spokesman for the North East ambulance service said: "We received a call stating there was a male who had a firework in his bottom and it was bleeding."

He is now recovering in a Sunderland hospital after sustaining internal injuries including a scorched colon.

Terrific name for a band.

Post # 207 ROP Chronicles...Beheaded girls 'Ramadan trophies', court hears

And the beat goes on.

THREE Christian high school girls were beheaded as a Ramadan "trophy" by Indonesian militants who conceived the idea after a visit to Philippines jihadists, a court heard yesterday.

The girls' severed heads were dumped in plastic bags in their village in Indonesia's strife-torn Central Sulawesi province, along with a handwritten note threatening more such attacks.

The note read: "Wanted: 100 more Christian heads, teenaged or adult, male or female; blood shall be answered with blood, soul with soul, head with head."

Big Changes

Rummy out, Hastert out. Overdue for both parties especially the latter IMHO.

Just Us Crickets (and rightly so)

This morning are there legions of laywers fanning out across the country to dispute and litigate the numerous close elections?Hysterical cries from thousands of disenfranchised voters screaming "It was stolen! "We was robbed"!

Hearing any of that.....Buehler? Anyone?

Update for the liberal comentors: AP: SEN. GEORGE ALLEN TO CONCEDE DEFEAT

The Morning After

It appears that both the House of Representatives and Senate will be in Democrat hands for the next two years. Hardly historically monumental for a "6th yr election" it was significant nonetheless. From my perspective this was not a win for the Democrats so much as loss for the Republicans. The left offered virtually no plan, no new ideas, no solutions but rather only an alternative to the other guy. The old anybody's better than that Republican pitch and it worked.

There are several reasons this was good enough to get the job done and I'll name a few. First the Republicans after 12 years of uninterupted power lost both their passion and hunger. They abandoned many of their core principles and got fat and happy in their positions. In a nutshell they forgot to dance exclusively with the one brung em. With few exceptions Republicans ran lackluster campaigns that left their base uninspired and the middle unimpressed.

Secondly, they encountered the most one sided press that I have witnessed in my lifetime. Giving up every last pretense of fairness the media subjected the American people to a relentless anti GOP diatribe that couldn't be overcome. The cheerleading for the Democrats was as obvious as it was incessant but it worked to a degree.

Lastly, the Democrats were clever in their choice of candidates. They ran conservatives in the Red states and several of them won. This could prove to be a problem for them down the road but I'll leave that discussion for another day.

The biggest dissapointment was Steele. He ran a flawless campaign and was hands down the better man. Timing and location were his enemies. In any other year and practically any other place in the country he would have prevailed. He'll be back, count on it.

Unfortunately we can look for very little getting done in the next two years. Majorities this slim are impotent. Look for endless hearings on Bush, the Iraq war, and a host of other time wasting endeavors that encompass everything and accomplish nothing.

This is a wake up call for the right, get your act together or lose all the marbles in 08. Expect Bush to dust off his veto pen and pray for a conservative firebrand to emerge from the ashes to rally the troops before the next election. Conservative ideals are still the majority held belief in this country , our passion for pursuit of those is the only winning ticket.

ELECTION DAY 2006

FWIW rain over ~ 60% of contested areas.

Update: I have decreed that Mrs Traderrob is to turn off ALL TV sets in the house and they shall remain off for the duration. The election news I report will be exclusively from the net and radio as I refuse to try and filter through the static of the nattering nimrods.

Update II: Just voted Illinois 19th District, 55 deg. drizzle. Light turnout only 3 there when arrived, none when I left. Not alot contested here, only the govs race which really isn't close.

Update III: Many of you remember Obi Wan Kenobi from the 04 elections. He is NRO/ Jim Garaghty's primary source for "insider" election info. You may recall he was one of the first to declare the exit polls garbage.

Obi Wan's late thoughts....

He laid out what he thought were some interesting indicators: Three major polls, all showing the generic ballot lead for the Democrats cut in half.His pollster of choice, Andrew Kohut at Pew (formerly with Gallup), wrote a summary of findings that has a fascinating tone:

The narrowing of the Democratic lead raises questions about whether the party will win a large enough share of the popular vote to recapture control of the House of Representatives. The relationship between a party's share of the popular vote and the number of seats it wins is less certain than it once was, in large part because of the increasing prevalence of safe seat redistricting. As a result, forecasting seat gains from national surveys has become more difficult.

The Republicans also have made major gains, in a relatively short time period, among independent voters. Since early this year, the Democratic advantage in the generic House ballot has been built largely on a solid lead among independents.
Moreover, Republicans have gained ground in recent weeks on measures aimed at assessing a voter's likelihood of voting. So while Pew polls in early October and mid-October showed virtually no change in the Democratic advantage between all voters and those most likely to turn out, the current survey shows the Democrats' eight-point lead among all registered voters narrowing considerably among likely voters. In this regard, the current campaign more closely resembles previous midterm elections since 1994, when Republicans also fared better among likely voters than among all registered voters.

Update IV: Some anecdotal info from Florida....Florida: Everything I Hear Is Good (KLo)
for Negron. People expecting him to pull it off. (Which strikes me as remarkable and all the doing of that great "Punch Foley" campaign.) Also hearing optimism for Katherine Harris ... keeping her House seat.

Update V: From Redstate:

If early indications in Maryland and GOP rumblings can be believed, it looks like the GOP will hold on to the U.S. Senate thanks to the election of Michael Steele to the United States Senate.

Several top Republicans in DC are quietly saying they expect Michael Steele to win and Georgia House District 12 to flip to the GOP.

Update VI: From a MO insider [Rich Lowry]

Again, take with lots of salt: “Heavy turnout in the right places looks like. 23-25,000 vote margin win. Razor thin, I think.”

UpdateVII: From Strata-sphere:

It seems Webb may be in serious trouble as VA turnout is heavy across the state. Webb needs a lopsided turnout in Northern Virginia (or a big lead) to offset the rest of the state. If the turnout is high across the state, the NoVa effect is neutralized. Webb can blame it on all those ‘horny’ women he wrote about.

Update VIII: A reader E-mails:

Just saw Ken Mehlman on CNN. He was very upbeat! Ken is going to spend part of his evening at the WHITE HOUSE with the president. Do ya think he would do that if he thought we were going to lose the House? I don't! He also said he would be making the rounds on the Cable Stations tonight. He cautioned Wolf that the "Exit Polls" could be way off AS they were in previous elections. He also said they have received the numbers from the Absentee Ballots and they are VERY, VERY GOOD for Republicans.

UpdateIX: Latest from Garaghty....Every indicator I have says the GOP base turned out. Whether that's enough to hold the House isnt clear; it ought to mean some good news in the Senate races. We're going to see what happens when the GOP base turns out in a tough year; if nothing else, the Republicans have pretty much shot the 40-50-60 seat gain talk all to hell.

Turnout in Virginia is way up; but they didn't have a very contested race in 2004, they did this year. Some precincts were at 80 percent of 2005 shortly after noon. The good news for Allen is that the turnout is as big in Southwest as in the Northern D.C. suburbs.

Update X: Listened to Rove on Hannity and I sensed he was a bit subdued. Don't know if I misinterpreted cautious optimism for concern but it left me with a queasy feeling.

UpdateXI: Malkins got the exits. You ain't gonna like it.

UpdateXII: Garaghty reporting that Exits are botched again, anything within 7 points is likely a dead heat.

Sorry folks, blogger went down early last evening and didn't recover untill this morn. Oh well, wasn't an enjoyable night to be reporting anywho.

Election Predictions

No, I'm not commenting on the upcoming midterms, I don't want to jinx it. Suffice it to say I am a good deal more optimistic then I was last week at this time.

Rather than pronosticating I will report on any important developments from now untill Wednesday so check early and often.

Update: The market loves divided government because it leads to perpetration of the status quo. At 108 points up it appears to be predicting a Democrat takeover of the House and Republican retention of the Senate.

Update II: Dick Morris: Allen Surging, GOP Has 'Good Week'... this worries me more than anything.

Soldiers in Iraq Say Pullout Would Have Devastating Results

This is what the VAST majority of servicepeople believe

FORWARD OPERATING BASE SYKES, Iraq Nov. 5 -- For the U.S. troops fighting in Iraq, the war is alternately violent and hopeful, sometimes very hot and sometimes very cold. It is dusty and muddy, calm and chaotic, deafeningly loud and eerily quiet.

The one thing the war is not, however, is finished, dozens of soldiers across the country said in interviews. And leaving Iraq now would have devastating consequences, they said.

With a potentially historic U.S. midterm election on Tuesday and the war in Iraq a major issue at the polls, many soldiers said the United States should not abandon its effort here. Such a move, enlisted soldiers and officers said, would set Iraq on a path to civil war, give new life to the insurgency and create the possibility of a failed state after nearly four years of fighting to implant democracy.

TOAST!

As expected....

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Iraqi Shiites broke into wild celebration on Sunday after Saddam Hussein was sentenced to hang, but his fellow Sunnis paraded through the former dictator's hometown chanting, "We will avenge you Saddam."

In Sadr City, the Shiite stronghold of northeast Baghdad, youths took to the streets dancing and singing, despite a curfew declared for the capital and two neighboring provinces.

"Execute Saddam," they chanted. Many carried posters bearing the image of Muqtada al-Sadr, the radical anti-American cleric whose Mahdi Army militia effectively runs the district.

OBSESSION: Essential Viewing for ALL Infidels

You need to watch this!

The interview on Fox News and introduction to the movie:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vxzltDc32XY

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 1- There's a Problem
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KZC5cFoldI

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 2 - The Culture of Jihad
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nbZGC5NKkOk

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 3 - The Media of Terrorism
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6HXEtjbtTWk

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 4- Jihad in the West
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IcgQyRuZ7rs

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 5 - The culture of Denial
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G3o7lmtAyNc

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 6 - To Their Own Children!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vbTpy5ybgnE

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 7 - Hitler and the Mufti
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6_mVck6gxgA

Obsession: Radical Islam Part 8 - We've Been Here Before
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HmeGIjFbdUA

Hat tip Freedom Fighters Journal

Parents of fallen troops in surprise visit to Iraq

These brave souls have paid the dearest price of all and they are still paying because they believe the cause to be right and just. May God bless and keep them for they are heros too.

Parents of U.S. troops who died in Iraq have quietly slipped in to the Middle East nation to offer support to its people and to American servicemen and women.

Coming on the heels of Sen. John Kerry's widely publicized comment suggesting military service is a refuge of the lazy and uneducated, the parents say they also want to rebut the Massachusetts Democrat.

"I am spitting mad at John Kerry for insulting our troops. Duck and run was his specialty in Vietnam," said Gold Star mother Debra Argel.

A New Threat?

Terrorists throughout the world have concentrated their efforts on obtaining weapons of mass destruction ie. nuclear either dirty or otherwise, sarin gas, castor bean extract, botchulism toxin, small pox etc etc . Every substance known to man that could conceivably cause mass suffering and chaos has been actively sought.

After doing some research, I have discovered a substance that so far has surprisingly escaped their notice and this stuff is scary. Urushiol, a colorless, odorless chemical commonly available. Just 1/4 oz. if dispersed properly would have an effect on literally every single person on this earth.

Silent, extremely potent, cheap and available..... devastating.

Figured it out yet?

Duchess Of Cornwall Accidentally Exposes Ankle In Pakistan Mosque

Stone the wench!!!

Camilla, the Duchess of Cornwall, caused a panic in Pakistan on Thursday. The duchess unwittingly revealed her ankle inside a mosque.

Camilla visited the Lahore mosque with her husband Prince Charles dressed in modest slacks. However, when Camilla replaced her shoes - which she had removed for the tour in accordance with Muslim tradition - she accidentally tucked her pants' leg into her sock and flashed her ankle.

Her assistant private secretary, Amanda McManus, was heard frantically whispering "Ma'am, ma'am" and then rushed down the steps after her to rectify the wardrobe malfunction.

Unemployment Rate at 4.4%!

Not a headline the Dems were hoping for going into this weekend.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The unemployment rate dropped to a five-year low of 4.4 percent in October as employers added 92,000 new jobs -- flashing a picture of a strong labor market as the midterm elections draw near.

The latest report, released Friday by the Labor Department, showed that the civilian unemployment rate fell 0.2 percentage point from 4.6 percent in September. It marked the third month in a row that the politically prominent jobless rate declined.

Workers' average hourly earnings climbed to $16.91 in October, a sizable 0.4 percent increase from September. That increase was bigger than the 0.3 percent rise economists were expecting. Over the last 12 months, wages grew by 3.9 percent.

The Rules

US air strike kills Al Qaeda kingpin: military

Appears our lazy uneducated soldiers stuck in Iraq lucked out again....

BAGHDAD - American forces killed an Al Qaeda chieftain in the lawless western Iraqi city of Ramadi by destroying his car with a laser guided bomb, the US military said on Thursday.

“Rafa Abdul Salam Hamud Al Ithawi, also known as Abu Taha, was the emir of Shamiyyah,” it said. “He frequently harboured foreign fighters who entered Iraq illegally in order to assault innocent Iraqis and coalition forces.”

Ithawi was killed on Wednesday along with his driver, ”diminishing the Al Qaeda in Iraq network,” the statement said.

Obama's dealings with Rezko buy a parcel of questions

Unlike the Times, Chicago papers still occasionally report negative stories on Democrats. This could end up being a serious problem for Osama Obama.

Sen. Barack Obama may have thought a wrought iron fence would give him all the separation he needed from indicted Wilmette businessman Antoin "Tony" Rezko.

But before everything is said and done, our star senator is going to wish he'd done a lot more a lot sooner to distance himself from his longtime political supporter.

On Wednesday, the other newspaper reported to our surprise that Obama and Rezko, in effect, are neighbors, having separately purchased adjoining parcels of the Kenwood estate where Obama lives. Adding to the strangeness of the coincidence is that they each closed their purchase on the same day.

Read it all. Appears to be a moderately veiled payoff.

Troops Respond

Kerry's Gift

Iowa Candidate Asks Kerry to Cancel Campaign Visit.

DES MOINES, Iowa A Democratic Congressional candidate from Iowa is canceling a campaign event later this week with Senator John Kerry.

Brucy Braley says Kerry's recent comments about the Iraq war were inappropriate.

Braley is running against Republican Mike Whalen in Iowa's First District congressional race. It's a contest considered to be one of the most competitive House races in the country.

Update: Fox reporting all Kerry campaign appearances CANCELLED including Casey confab.