HAPPY NEW YEAR!

Khaddam’s Bombshell Tightens Noose Around Syria: Experts

Beginning of the end for Syria as we know it, or maybe just for Khaddam......

CAIRO , December 31, 2005 (IslamOnline.net) - The bombshell dropped by former Syrian vice-president Abdel Halim Khaddam on a possible Syrian role in the assassination of Lebanese ex-premier Rafiq Hariri has sent seismic waves in Damascus and would tighten the noose around the Arab country, experts agreed on Saturday, December 31.

“Khaddam’s testimony at this critical juncture in Syrian history has, in effect, sent shock waves across the country’s political landscape and ushered in grave consequences,” Syrian opposition writer Akram Al-Beni told IslamOnline.net.

Speaking from Paris, where he has lived since resigning as vice-president in June, Khaddam said in an exclusive interview with Al-Arabiya news channel on Friday, December 30, that Syrian President Bashar Al-Assad threatened Hariri just months before his murder.

He said the Syrian intelligence services could not have carried out such an operation without Assad being informed.

Khaddam also blamed Lebanese President Emile Lahoud and other Lebanese officials for “inciting” Assad against Hariri, who was once a staunch ally of Damascus but who backed a 2004 UN resolution that called for foreign troops to quit Lebanon .

Ferris Hassan's Week Off

Either exceptional stupidity or monumental guts, you call it.....

BAGHDAD, Iraq (Dec. 30) - A 16-year-old from Florida who traveled to Iraq on his own without telling his parents was put on a flight home Friday, the U.S. Embassy said, while warning Americans of the dangers of undertaking similar journeys.

Farris Hassan, of Fort Lauderdale, had been under the care of the U.S. Embassy after being on his own in Iraq for several days.

"I'm going to hug him. He's my little angel," his mother, Shatha Atiya, said Friday after learning he was on his way home. "I'm exhausted, I'm very anxious. I'm grateful he's out of Iraq."

The teenager, whose parents were born in Iraq but have lived in the United States for about 35 years, says he wanted to travel to Baghdad to better understand what Iraqis are living through.

Justice Dept. Investigating NSA Leaks

When they find the SOB(s) they should be charged with treason.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Justice Department has opened an investigation into the leak of classified information about President Bush's secret domestic spying program, Justice officials said Friday.

The officials, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the probe, said the inquiry will focus on disclosure to The New York Times about warrantless surveillance conducted by the National Security Agency since the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

I'll give you ten to one that Rockefellar is involved. As for the others, close your eyes and pick half a dozen people on the left side of the aisle. Oh, and by the way, keep your eye on the FISA judge who recently resigned.

Hold on to your hats folks, It may take some time but there is going to be some major fireworks.

2005: Total Viewers Program Ranker

From Media Bistro.....

Bill O'Reilly is the king of cable news again this year. He's #1 on the 2005 weekday program ranker, followed by H&C, Greta, Shep and Hume. The "Competitive Program Analysis" shows

CNN's Larry King at #6.The defunct NewsNight with Aaron Brown comes in as CNN's #2 program of the year, ranking #13 overall. Wolf Blitzer's Situation Room is CNN's #3 and Paula Zahn now is #4. Headline News star Nancy Grace ranks 25th on the chart, averaging 510,000 viewers for the year. Prime News was the second most-popular HLN show, averaging 335,000.

On MSNBC, Rita Cosby was #1. Chris Matthews (#2), Keith Olbermann (#3) and Joe Scarborough (#4) were all within 20,000 viewers of eachother. See it all for yourself:

Iraq al Qaeda claims Israel attack: Web

Just one word.......futile

DUBAI (Reuters) - Al Qaeda in Iraq' name said it had launched missiles at from Lebanon as part of a "new attack" on the Jewish state, a statement posted on the Web said on Thursday.

"The lion sons of al Qaeda launched ... a new attack on the Jewish state by launching 10 missiles ... from the Muslims' lands in Lebanon on selected targets in the north of the Jewish state," said the statement, attributed to al Qaeda and posted on an Islamist Web site. It did not give the date of the attack.

It appeared to be the first claim of responsibility from al Qaeda for an attack on Israel from Lebanon. The statement could not be authenticated, but was posted on a main Web site frequently used by Iraqi insurgent groups.

When you're losing, attack Israel, remember Saddam did it in the first Gulf war.

Vast Majority Believe NSA Surveilance OK

Appears the EM and the left have hitched their wagon to another loser......

December 28, 2005--Sixty-four percent (64%) of Americans believe the National Security Agency (NSA) should be allowed to intercept telephone conversations between terrorism suspects in other countries and people living in the United States. A Rasmussen Reports survey found that just 23% disagree.

Sixty-eight percent (68%) of Americans say they are following the NSA story somewhat or very closely.

Just 26% believe President Bush is the first to authorize a program like the one currently in the news. Forty-eight percent (48%) say he is not while 26% are not sure

Bush was denied wiretaps, bypassed them

Getting a warrant for intelligence gathering from FISA on terror suspects was not the slam dunk the Entrenched Media would have us believe.

WASHINGTON, Dec. 26 (UPI) -- U.S. President George Bush decided to skip seeking warrants for international wiretaps because the court was challenging him at an unprecedented rate.

A review of Justice Department reports to Congress by Hearst newspapers shows the 26-year-old Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Court modified more wiretap requests from the Bush administration than the four previous presidential administrations combined.

The 11-judge court that authorizes FISA wiretaps modified only two search warrant orders out of the 13,102 applications approved over the first 22 years of the court's operation.

But since 2001, the judges have modified 179 of the 5,645 requests for surveillance by the Bush administration, the report said. A total of 173 of those court-ordered "substantive modifications" took place in 2003 and 2004. And, the judges also rejected or deferred at least six requests for warrants during those two years -- the first outright rejection of a wiretap request in the court's history.

Brilliant! The FISA court allowed everything before 9/11 and started scrutinizing them after.

Minimal Appeal

Appears that I am not the only one that has absolutely no desire to pay to watch homosexual cowboys eat pudding while gazing longingly into each others eyes.

Domestic Total as of Dec. 26, 2005: $7,573,000 (Estimate)
Running Time: 2 hrs. 14 min.
Production Budget: $14 million
MPAA Rating: R
Est. Marketing Costs: N/A
Opening Weekend:
$547,425
(5 theaters, $109,485 average)
% of Total Gross:
7.2%
Widest Release:
217 theaters
In Release:
18 days / 2.6 weeks

Looks as though Brokebutt errrr Brokeback Mountain is a bust.

Holiday retail spending up 8.7 pct: report

The economy continues to defy the left......

NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. consumers spent 8.7 percent more during the just ended holiday shopping period than in the comparable period a year ago, according to a report from an affiliate of MasterCard Inc., the Wall Street Journal reported in its online edition on Monday.

The study, by SpendingPulse, covered the period from the Friday after the U.S. Thanksgiving holiday through December 24, Christmas Eve. That period included 30 days in 2005, compared with 29 days in 2004.

The report found the biggest increases in spending on home furnishings, up 15.2 percent, followed by consumer electronics and appliances, up 10.5 percent. Spending on jewelry was down 4.6 percent.

BEARS CLINCH!

that is all

Christmas Morning

It's 5:00 AM and I have a few minutes to write as I wait for the twins to come bounding down the stairs to see if Santa came during the night. The one boy insists that Dad is going to get coal in his stocking this time.....I sure hope he's wrong.

What a truly wonderful time of our lives is Christmas morning. A time when the peaceful silence is suddenly broken by the hyperventilating giddyness of of an ecstatic child racing to the tree to see if Ole Saint Nick remembered to drop in. The awestruck look on their wide eyed faces as they realize that Santa had come and actually ate the cookies they had left him the night before.

They are not so enamored with the presents he left as the fact that he, the big guy rememebered them and took the time to stop at THEIR house. All the misbehaving throughout the year is forgiven and forgotten because Santa Claus himself deemed them not naughty but nice.

Evertime you see a child on Christmas morn it takes you back, back to that time when faithful innocence was exceeded only by sheer adrenaline. A magnificent time.

Well it's time to go as my wife has informed me that the boys are sitting at the top of the stairs waiting patiently for me to start the race. MERRY CHRISTMAS.

Merry Christmas and the best to you and your families. Share the good will and peace of the Christmas season with friend and stranger alike.God Bless

Pictures From Christmas' Long Past

Harry Reid age 9

Howard Dean age 7

Durable goods orders surge

Consistent with the solid stream of positive economic news we have been seeing for the last several months. Question to ponder: How long has it been since you've heard a prominant Democrat even reference the economy? That says it all.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - New orders for U.S.-made durable goods surged a much larger-than-expected 4.4 percent in November on a jump in civilian aircraft but non-transportation orders slid as defense outlays tumbled, a government report showed Friday.

It was the largest rise in overall durable goods orders since May. Economists had forecast orders for these expensive items built to last three years or more to rise 1 percent and had looked for orders outside transportation to climb 1 percent.

October orders were revised upward to an increase of 3 percent from a previously reported 2.2 percent gain.

President Bush Job Approval

President Bush has broken the 50% approval mark......

Friday December 23, 2005--Fifty percent (50%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's up six points since the President's speech on Sunday night.

It's also the first time since July that the President's Job Approval has reached the 50% mark. He earns approval from 81% of Republicans, 23% of Democrats, and 42% of those not affiliated with either major political party.

Majority Believe Bush in the Right

Interesting......

UTICA, New York - A narrow plurality of likely voters nationwide believe President Bush acted within his Constitutional powers when he authorized the interception of international communications without the approval of a federal judge, but the public is closely divided on the issue, a new Zogby Interactive poll shows.

Nearly half – 49% - said they think he has the power to authorize the intercepts, while 45% said he does not, the survey showed.

Asked if the President’s actions made Americans more safe or less safe, 50% said the nation was safer because of his actions, while 18% said the actions put the country more at risk and 26% said it made no difference in our level of safety.

Looks like the Democrats are on the wrong side of another one.

One Bad Bird

Pilots say new U.S. stealth fighter has no equal

Pricy little toy at 160 mil a copy, but brother you could knock off a few screen doors with this baby............

TYNDALL AIR FORCE BASE, Fla. - The Air Force's new F-22A Raptor is such a dominant fighter jet that in mock dogfights its pilots typically take on six F-15 Eagles at once.

Despite the favorable odds, the F-15s, still one of the world's most capable fighters, are no contest for the fastest radar-evading stealth jet ever built.

"The F-15 pilots, they are the world's best pilots," said Lt. Col. David Krumm, an F-22A instructor pilot. "When you take them flying against anyone else in the world, they are going to wipe the floor with them. It's a startling moment for them to come down here and get waylaid."

The F-22A officially became ready for combat this month with a squadron of 12 Raptors on standby for worldwide deployment at Langley Air Force Base, Va.

Those who know the Raptor best say it represents a major leap in U.S. warfighting abilities. At this Florida Panhandle base, where all Raptor pilots are trained, instructors say the jet's stealth, speed and ability to electronically scan the battlefield from the air are far superior to any other fighter.

Did The Germans Cave?

German Trade-off Suspected in Release of Terrorist Killer

(CNSNews.com) - Germany freed the murderer of a U.S. Navy diver despite personal intervention by Attorney General Alberto Gonzales, the State Department has confirmed, amid speculation that Berlin let the Hizballah terrorist go as part of a deal to free a German hostage in Iraq.

Mohammed Ali Hamadi flew to Lebanon after being released last week, 18 years after he was sentenced to "life" imprisonment for hijacking a U.S. airliner in 1985 and killing 23-year-old Petty Officer Robert Stethem.

Lebanon does not have an extradition treaty with the U.S., and Lebanese Prime Minister Fuad Saniora appeared unmoved Wednesday by American requests that Hamadi be handed over. (snip)

Hamadi reportedly flew to Lebanon last Thursday. Three days later, Berlin announced that Susanne Osthoff, an archaeologist taken hostage in Iraq on Nov. 25, was safely in German hands.

Officials declined to provide details of the negotiations with the hostage-takers. Deputy Foreign Minister Gernot Erler said Monday that doing so could benefit the perpetrators of future kidnappings.

The perps have already "benefitted" Mr Erler as now they are aware that the German government will trade high value terrorist murders for hostages.

Judicial Sanity

This important decision slipped under my radar untill I happen to stumble on it this morning.

6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals:“The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state.”

CINCINNATI — In an astounding return to judicial interpretation of the actual text of the United States Constitution, a unanimous panel of the 6th Circuit U.S. Court of Appeals Tuesday issued an historic decision declaring that “the First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state.”

In upholding a Kentucky county’s right to display the Ten Commandments, the panel called the American Civil Liberties Union’s repeated claims to the contrary “extra-constitutional” and “tiresome.”

6th Circuit Judge Richard Suhrheinrich wrote in the unanimous decision: “The ACLU makes repeated reference to the ’separation of church and state.’ This extra-constitutional construct has grown tiresome. The First Amendment does not demand a wall of separation between church and state. Our nation’s history is replete with governmental acknowledgment and in some cases, accommodation of religion.”

John Conyers seeks impeachment inquiry

What is this now, the 16th or 17th time he's done this? Wonder if this time he's going to hold the panel in the non-smoking section at Hardees.

Rep. John Conyers of Michigan, the top Democrat on the House Judiciary Committee, introduced a bill calling on Congress to determine whether there are grounds for impeachment — an event that is extremely unlikely in a Republican-controlled Congress.

Bush's Numbers Are Good and Getting Better

Compare these numbers to the ones prior to the administration going on the offensive. Amazing what bypassing the Entrenched Media and going directly to the people can do.

Wednesday December 21, 2005--Forty-seven percent (47%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's up three points since the President's speech on Sunday night.

These results are based upon nightly telephone surveys and reported on a three-day rolling average basis. Approximately two-thirds of the interviews for today's update were completed after the President's speech.

President's Speech Boosts Confidence in War on Terror
In a survey conducted following the President's Sunday night speech, 50% of Americans believe the U.S. and its allies are winning the War on Terror. That's up from 44% immediately before the speech. It is also the highest level of optimism measured in 2005.

Forty-two percent (42%) now expect things to get better in Iraq over the next six months. That's up from 37% before the speech.

Huge partisan differences remain on all question relating to Iraq and the War on Terror.

Forty percent (40%) of Americans now give the President good or excellent marks for handling the situation in Iraq. That's up from 35% before the speech.

The number giving the President poor marks on Iraq declined to 39% from 42%. This is the first time all year that the number giving the President good or excellent marks has matched the number saying poor.

Roberts Rakes Rockefellar

Characterize it however you will but the bottom line is Sen. Roberts just called Sen. Rockefellar a liar......

He's right.

Bush gets key backing on spy policy

The background "noise" created by the likes of Boxer, Feingold, Pelosi, Reid, etc concerning the intelligence collection by the NSA is irrelevant. One man who's opinion really does matter is the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee.

WASHINGTON — The Bush administration found a key ally on Capitol Hill Monday as it broadened its aggressive defense of a recently revealed domestic spying program that used warrantless surveillance.

Sen. Pat Roberts of Kansas, the chairman of the Senate Intelligence Committee, “believes the program is consistent with U.S. law and the Constitution,” Sarah Little, Roberts’ spokeswoman, said in an e-mailed statement.

Roberts, in his first public remarks on the electronic surveillance program, indicated he has known about the program since he took over the committee in 2003. He said he believes the administration has taken proper safeguards to preserve Americans’ civil liberties and is in talks with Senate leaders on what additional oversight steps Congress should take, Little said.

Senator Roberts believes that in a time of war, the president should have every lawful authority to protect the American people,” Little said.

You are absolutely correct Sen. Roberts. Here is one reason why.....

The courts have been explicit on this point, most recently in In Re: Sealed Case, the 2002 opinion by the special panel of appellate judges established to hear FISA appeals. In its per curiam opinion, the court noted that in a previous FISA case (U.S. v. Truong), a federal "court, as did all the other courts to have decided the issue [our emphasis], held that the President did have inherent authority to conduct warrantless searches to obtain foreign intelligence information." And further that "we take for granted that the President does have that authority and, assuming that is so, FISA could not encroach on the President's constitutional power."

Woodward Said Novak's Source "Was Not in the White House"

A bonafide leak with dangerous national security implications has trumped the bogus leak, and rightly so. This is interesting nonetheless.

As reporters barraged the White House last week with renewed questions on the CIA leak case, one of the Washington press corps’ own may have been holding on to a key part of the mystery.

Bob Woodward, the Washington Post’s distinguished reporter and associate managing editor, has already faced scrutiny for his role in the disclosure of Valerie Plame’s undercover status at the CIA. But in a conversation at Harvard earlier this month, Woodward hinted that he knows the identity of yet another key player in the case: Robert D. Novak’s original source for his July 2003 column on Plame, which touched off the scandal in the first place.

“His source was not in the White House, I don’t believe,” Woodward said of Novak over a private dinner at the Institute of Politics on Dec. 5. He did not indicate what information, if any, he had to corroborate the claim.

Speculation as to the identity of Novak’s source, who first told the columnist that Plame worked at the CIA, intensified last week after Novak contributed a new line to the drama.

Producer Prices Take Dive

More good news on the economic front......

The producer price index fell 0.7% in November, its largest monthly decline in more than two years, according to the Labor Department.

The core PPI, which excludes food and energy costs, increased 0.1%. The government's PPI measures inflation pressures before they reach the consumer. The decline in November wholesale prices was in line with last week's 0.6% fall in consumer prices, the biggest drop in 56 years.

Economists surveyed by Thomson First Call were expecting the PPI to drop 0.3% and the core PPI to rise by 0.2%.

In other economic news, construction of new homes and apartments increased by 5.2% in November to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 2.12 million units. Applications for building permits were also up 2.5% to an annual rate of 2.15 million units, according to the government.

Poll: Bush's Approval Ratings Climb

Proof that you cant lead based on pundits and polls. Do what you believe to be right and the public will come around. Getting your message out sure doesn't hurt either.....

Dec. 19, 2005 — The recent elections in Iraq and an improved economic outlook at home have shifted public support in the president's direction, lifting him from career lows in his job performance and personal ratings alike.

The president still faces significant challenges, including majority disapproval of his overall performance, substantial skepticism about the war and roughly 50-50 ratings on his personal honesty and his handling of ethics. Still, each has moved his way.

Specifically, belief that the United States is making significant progress toward establishing a democratic government in Iraq has jumped dramatically, by 18 points, to 65 percent. A sense of progress in establishing civil order similarly is up, by 16 points, to 60 percent. Each is its best since these questions first were asked in the spring of 2004.

Moreover — in a view held by majorities across party lines — 71 percent of Americans believe the Iraqi elections have moved the United States closer to the day U.S. forces can be withdrawn. Fifty-four percent express optimism about Iraq in the year ahead, eight points more than at this time last year. And 56 percent think the United States is winning the war, a recent theme of the president's, up slightly from 51 percent in August.

Democrat Dreamin

They're bantering about the NSA intell collection in the Senate and mark my words folks, the Democrats are laying the groundwork for an impeachment. I've been listening on CSPAN and it's evident....

Boxer: " spying on Americans is an impeachable offense."

Dingy Harry: this is illegal, it borders on and possibly crosses the line of breaking the law

Not to mention Kerry spilling the beans a few days back when he said: "if the Democrats retake Congress they could make a case for impeaching President Bush."

It's smack dab center in their minds, they've been fantasizing about it for a long time and they sense they may have their opportunity. Unfortunately for them, they will end up overplaying their collective hand again and it will most surely bite them in the a$$.

Bush Presser

One word to describe Bush' Press conference this morn......OUTSTANDING!

Other Reax at Michelle Malkin, ABP, and Polipundit

University Administrator Declares Christmas 'Forbidden'

No war on Christmas eh....

(CNSNews.com) - An administrator at California State University, Sacramento has banned decorations pertaining to Christmas and the 4th of July, among other holidays, from her office because they represent "religious discrimination" and "ethnic insensitivity."

"Time has come to recognize that religious discrimination, as well as ethnic insensitivity to certain holidays, is forbidden," Patricia Sonntag, director of the Office of Services to Students with Disabilities, stated in the directive she e-mailed to members of her staff on Dec. 9.

Cybercast News Service obtained the directive from the non-profit Catholic League, which "defends the right of Catholics ... to participate in American public life without defamation or discrimination," according to its website. The content of the e-mail was confirmed by the university.

The memo specifically names Christmas, Thanksgiving, Halloween, Valentine's Day, the 4th of July, St. Patrick's Day and Easter as the most offensive holidays, but Sonntag adds that they are "off the top of the list," implying that there may be others.

The 4th of July offensive???? How much more secular can you get than Independence Day??? Unless of course you an America hating freedom loathing communist. Hmmmm nevermind, I answered my own question.

President Bush's Speech

Considering that I was flipping back and forth between Pres Bush's speech and the Bears game, I was in no position to comment in any meaningful way. Suffice it to say that it was a very good speech well delivered. Bush looked better than I have ever seen him in the "oval office" format and the content hit all the important points.

California Conservative has an excellent analysis of the speech.....

Sober, Strong, Soaring…

Sober
The first section was a sober assessment of what lies ahead and what has held us back. Phrases like “This election will not mean the end of violence” and “There is more testing and sacrifice before us” certainly paint the picture that much still needs to be done. President Bush’s stating that “It is true that many nations believed that Saddam had weapons of mass destruction. But much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. And as your president, I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq” showed the sober admission of a president who is big enough to admit mistakes, something he hasn’t been willing to show before these last speeches.

Strong
The middle section of the speech was where President Bush made a strong case for his overview of the global war on terrorism and where Iraq fits into that war. Most striking to me was his saying “These terrorists view the world as a giant battlefield, and they seek to attack us wherever they can. This has attracted al Qaeda to Iraq, where they are attempting to frighten and intimidate America into a policy of retreat.The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and elsewhere, they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if we were not fighting them in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Southeast Asia and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens, they would be on the offense, and headed our way.”.......rest here

Nancy Pelosi: I Was Briefed on NSA Program

Does the hypocrisy and treachery of these disingenuous cowards have no limit?

House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi confessed late Saturday that she signed off on President Bush's decision to have a top intelligence agency conduct "unspecified activities" to gather intelligence on possible terrorists operating inside the U.S. in the wake of the 9/11 attacks.

"I was advised of President Bush's decision to provide authority to the National Security Agency to conduct unspecified activities shortly after he made it and have been provided with updates on several occasions," Pelosi admitted.

The San Francisco Democrat claimed she expressed "strong concerns" about the "unspecified activities" at the time, but offered no evidence to that effect.

Pelosi declined to explain why she didn't make public her concerns about the authorization, which Democrats now say was an outrageous abuse of civil rights.

White House 'never told' of WMD doubts

The surrender monkees in the EM aren't going to like this coming from the "only rational mind ever to serve in the Bush administation"

THE US administration was never told of doubts about the secret intelligence used to justify war with Iraq, former secretary of state Colin Powell told the BBC in an interview to be broadcast on Sunday night.Mr Powell, who argued the case for military action against Saddam Hussein in the UN in 2003, told BBC News 24 television he was "deeply disappointed in what the intelligence community had presented to me and to the rest of us."

"What really upset me more than anything else was that there were people in the intelligence community that had doubts about some of this sourcing, but those doubts never surfaced to us," he said.

Mr Powell's comments follow US President George W. Bush's acceptance earlier this week of responsibility for going to war on intelligence, much of which "turned out to be wrong".

But he told the BBC that "essentially just to walk away, to say that we're taking all of our troops out as fast as we can, would be a tragic mistake". A US presence would be required in Iraq for "years", he added.

"We've invested a great deal in this country, and the Iraqi people deserve democracy and the freedom that they were promised when we got rid of Saddam Hussein and we have to stay with them... until they decide that they can get it now on their own, they don't need us any longer," he added.

"Still an Uncle Tom" and BusHitler toady characterizations from the left are imminent.

Pic of the Day

Iraqi Interior Minister: Terror Attacks Decreased 70%

News your not likely to see from the Entrenched Media. In their collective minds, reporting such information would serve no useful purpose.

Iraq Interior Minister Bayan Jabir said terror attacks in the country decreased by 70 percent and no escapee has been arrested at Syrian borders for two weeks.

In the statement to Kuwaiti reporters, Jabir indicates this figure was based on the latest statistics.

The decrease in the number of these attacks is a big success, the minister noted, declaring by the end of next year Iraqi army could take over security.

The US Army had declared after the months long operations against insurgents, suicide attacks had decreased to the lowest level in November and roadside bombings had been at its lowest level since last June.

Quagmire!

President Bush Blasts Media, Senators Over Patriot Act NSA Intelligence

In Saturdays radio address (televised live) President Bush put Congress and the press on notice that he's got the authority to do what he's done to protect US. He reitterated that Congress was notified at least a dozen times about these NSA oversights and that press leaks and said essentially taht any such security leaks are illegal and are aiding and abetting the enemy.

Bush was magnificent! He's done playing with these idiots that would put political opportunism ahead of National Security. Expect more of the same Sunday when he speaks to the nation.

WASHINGTON — President Bush said Saturday he personally has authorized a secret eavesdropping program in the U.S. more than 30 times since the Sept. 11 attacks and he lashed out at those involved in publicly revealing the program.

"This is a highly classified program that is crucial to our national security," he said in a radio address delivered live from the White House's Roosevelt Room.

"This authorization is a vital tool in our war against the terrorists. It is critical to saving American lives. The American people expect me to do everything in my power, under our laws and Constitution, to protect them and their civil liberties and that is exactly what I will continue to do as long as I am president of the United States," Bush said.

AP has this

Christmas in Iraq?

Some persistent rumors flying around that President Bush will spend Christmas Day with the troops. If so, it would be a political masterstroke. We shall see.

Iran President's Bodyguard Dies in Ambush

Speculation that this is Israel will no doubt be forthcoming. Only problem with that theory......Israel wouldn't have missed.

Tehran, Iran -- One of the bodyguards of Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad was killed and another wounded when an attempt to ambush the presidential motorcade was thwarted in the southeastern province of Sistan and Baluchestan, according to a semi-official newspaper and local residents.

“At 6:50 pm on Thursday, the lead car in the presidential motorcade confronted armed bandits and trouble-makers on the Zabol-Saravan highway”, the semi-official Jomhouri Islami reported on Saturday.

“In the ensuing armed clash, the driver of the vehicle, who was an indigenous member of the security services, and one of the president’s bodyguards died, while another bodyguard was wounded”, the newspaper, which was founded by Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, wrote.

Ahmadinejad traveled to the restive province, where ethnic Baluchis have been fighting for years for autonomy, on Wednesday and returned to Tehran on Friday afternoon. Tehran often refers to anti-government activists and political opponents of the Islamist regime as “bandits” and “trouble-makers”. (I think it's a bit more than that)

The newspaper report made no mention of Ahmadinejad’s whereabouts during the attack on his bodyguards’ vehicle, but Zabol residents reached by telephone said there were rumors in the town that the hard-line president himself was the target of the attack, which took place near Zabol.

“Many people have been rounded up for questioning after the attack and the authorities here were clearly shaken by the incident”, a Zabol resident told Iran Focus.

Anyone wanna bet this is the first in a string of many attempts on this fanatical psychopath?

House Disavows Calls for Iraq Withdrawal

About time the Republicans started acting like a majority party.

WASHINGTON - For the second time in as many months, the House rejected calls for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq with a vote Friday that Democrats said was politically driven and designed by Republicans to limit debate on the war.

In a 279-109 vote, the GOP-controlled House approved a resolution saying the chamber is committed "to achieving victory in Iraq" and that setting an "artificial timetable" would be "fundamentally inconsistent with achieving victory."

Democrats voted against the resolution by 108-59, while 32 of them voted "present," a rarely used option that signals neither support nor opposition. That split underlined divisions within the party over alternatives to President Bush' Iraq war policies.

108 spineless Democrats and 32 out and out cowards.

Iraq Voter Turnout Estimated at 70 Percent

The Iraqi people shame us with their courage and forebearance.

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Final results in Iraq' s parliamentary election may not be known for two weeks, but early indications show the Shiite tickets doing well in traditional Shiite strongholds, election officials said Friday.

In Mosul, capital of the predominantly Sunni Arab province of Nineveh, indications were that the Sunni coalition came in first, said a representative for the Shiite United Iraqi Alliance, Hameed Shabaky.

He said the Shiite governing party apparently came in fourth behind the Sunni coalition, the Kurds and a bloc led by former Prime Minister Ayad Allawi, a secular Shiite.

Turnout in what was a mostly peaceful election was overwhelming. Election officials estimated up to 11 million of the nation's 15 million registered voters participated in Thursday's vote, which would put overall turnout at more than 70 percent.

Quote of the Day

Fox interviewing Mohammed ??, the Iraqi who assisted in the rescue of soldier Jessica Lynch. Thanking both Bush and the American people he said: "Each purple finger represents a bullet in the chest of terrorism."

Ron Reagan Has No Job......Again

MSNBC's "Connected: Coast to Coast" died a quiet death on Friday. Monica Crowley and Ron Reagan co-hosted their last show at noon."

Thanks to all of you who have written to say kind things," senior producer Tony Maciulis blogged "We've spent the last year bringing you quality programming -- the kind of political debate show that you don't really see anymore." Or, some would say, the kind of political debate show that we don't want to see anymore.

I wasn't one of them.

Have We Reached The End of Rate Hikes?

Prices Drop by Largest Amount in 56 Years

WASHINGTON - Consumer prices plunged by the largest amount in more than a half- century in November as gasoline prices fell by a record amount. The Labor Department reported Thursday that its closely watched Consumer Price Index dropped by 0.6 percent last month, the biggest monthly decline since a 0.9 percent fall in July 1949.

The decline was better than the 0.4 percent drop that analysts had been expecting. Outside of the volatile food and energy categories, prices were up 0.2 percent, a modest gain that should help relieve fears that this year's surge in energy costs could evolve into more widespread inflation problems.

In other economic news, the number of people who have lost jobs because of the string of devastating Gulf Coast hurricanes climbed to 602,200 last week. That gain reflected a rise of 1,500 jobless applications linked to Katrina and Rita and an additional 1,000 claims linked to Wilma, which hit Florida in October.

Overall, the number filing new claims for unemployment benefits totaled 329,000 last week, compared to 328,000 the week before. Analysts said that even with the slight rise of 1,000 in overall claims, they remained at a level consistent with strong employment growth.

4.3% growth, 2.4% inflation. Like to hear the negative spin on that!

Oh, and by the way, there's this.....the Federal Reserve said output at the nation's factories, mines and utilities rose a solid 0.7 percent last month following a 1.3 percent rise in October. Industrial output had plunged by 1.6 percent in September, reflecting widespread shutdowns of oil refineries, chemical plants and other factories along the Gulf Coast.

Iraqi Gothic

Polls Closed in Iraq

From all indications this was an extremely successful election. Turnout was VERY high and the few instances of violence proved to be ineffective and inconsequential.

Update: Iraqi election commission extends voting by 1 hour due to high turnout.

Update II: Historic Day

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Elections for Iraq's first full-term parliament since the fall of Saddam Hussein appear to have been successful, the U.N. envoy to Iraq said on Thursday.

"Anecdotal evidence shows that there has been a good turnout, that it was inclusive and that security was well maintained," Ashraf Qazi told Reuters just before most polling stations closed.

"These are good measures of success," he said.

Qazi, the special representative of U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan, said it was still too early to make a definitive judgement on the polls but initial signs were good.

"All in all it is a historic day and a good day," he said

Update III: Exit Polling?

Informal polling by Reuters around the country showed the ruling Shi'ite Islamist Alliance and their Kurdish allies still dominant in their southern and northern bases respectively.

But there also seemed to be a strong turnout in favor of former Prime Minister Iyad Allawi, who heads a secular slate with candidates from across Iraq's sectarian and ethnic divides.

House Approves Extension of Patriot Act

WASHINGTON - The House easily approved renewing a modified USA Patriot Act on Wednesday, but with the bill facing a Senate filibuster, its Republican leader began talks with the White House on instead extending the current law unchanged for a year.

The House voted 251-174 to approve a House-Senate compromise that would modify and make permanent most of the Patriot Act's 16 expiring provisions. But a group of Republican and Democratic senators is lobbying for more time to add additional safeguards on the law.

President Bush' name urged against any delay in Senate action. "The Patriot Act is essential to fighting the war on terror and preventing our enemies from striking America again," he said in a statement. "In the war on terror, we cannot afford to be without this law for a single moment."

Facing a threatened filibuster, Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn., was talking with White House officials about a one-year extension of the current law without any changes, a senior Republican aide said.

I'm not sure if Bill Frist is politically tone deaf or just clueless but a battle in the Senate over this is a guaranteed winner for the Republicans. The Dims could be made to look like politically motivated weasels standing in the way of safeguarding the American people. It would dovetail perfectly into the already gathering sentiment that the Democrat party cares more about political gain and defeating Bush then the welfare of our country.

Let them filibuster, it will illustrate to the American voter how the left would willfully obstruct legislation potentially putting each and every citizen in danger.

Stupidity Squared

Jurisprudence at is worst.....

The 1993 World Trade Center bombing was the most destructive terrorist attack on U.S. soil up until that time. Planted in a rental van, a 1,500-pound, urea-nitrate bomb exploded in the parking garage beneath the World Trade Center complex, creating a crater 200 feet across and seven stories deep.

The blast killed six people, injured nearly 1,000, and caused hundreds of millions of dollars in property damage and business interruptions. It could have been worse. “If the van had been parked a few feet closer to one of the pillars,” writes James Bovard, a policy analyst for The Future of Freedom Foundation, “it could have collapsed an entire tower of the Trade Center, killing tens of thousands.”

In fact, the terrorists’ plan was designed to topple New York City's tallest tower onto its twin, creating maximum havoc during a busy workday with perhaps as many as 50,000 people being killed and a cloud of cyanide gas chasing the survivors through the streets of Manhattan.

Now, after a dozen years of legal maneuvering, a jury in the state Supreme Court of New York has taken the terrorists off the hook for the majority of the blame in their 1993 attack. On October 26, unanimously, the jury said the guys who carried out the bombing were only 32 percent responsible for the damages.

The majority wrongdoer, 68 percent at fault for the death and destruction, said the jury, was the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, the then-owner of the World Trade Center. This means that the party with the deepest pockets—also known as the taxpayers of New York and New Jersey—will be picking up the tab for most of the losses.

Hmmmm........ coincidence?

Iraq Begins Voting

Iraqi military and police forces start voting today along with Iraqi nationals in other countries

Iraq Veteran and Silver Star Winner Tells Us the Way it Really Is

Soldiers are committed to our mission in Iraq By DAVID BELLAVIA

As the debris continues to settle from the explosion detonated by the defeatist comments by Rep. John Murtha, D-Pa., I wonder how he expected his statements to be perceived. As an infantryman whose boots are still caked with blood and dust from Iraq, I am beyond confused by the insistence by Democratic Reps. Nancy Pelosi and Louise Slaughter that he preserve his title as a combat visionary.

As rancor and hyperbole peak, we continue to be fed bastardized statistics and a complete denial that Iraq, according to al-Qaida intercepts, is indeed the front line in the war on terror.
When then-President Bill Clinton sent 15,000 troops into post-hostile Bosnia to get the job done, it was the equivalent of keeping 585,000 troops in Iraq post-invasion, when equating terrain and population. Tellingly, the silence from the left is deafening. To the leftists in America,

Clinton understood war like no other: Pull out when the blood starts to flow (Somalia) and overcommit when there is no chance of loss (Kosovo and Bosnia).

I am no John Zogby, but I conclude 100 percent of Iraqis want us out - eventually. They very much want us there while Islamo-fascists continue to blow them up as they worship and apply to serve the cause of freedom. My peers are not appreciative of the elitists, like Sens. Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, who daily attempt to uncover mistakes made by this administration while my brothers under fire bleed to death thousands of miles from home.

This brave hero flat nails it!
Read the rest here

And Now For Something Completely Different

Ward (Cleaver) Churchill at it again.......

Execution, brutality, media play denounced

A few dozen people gathered in front of the state Capitol on Monday to protest the execution of Stanley Tookie Williams and also to denounce police brutality and what they say is poor media coverage of that issue.

The rally was organized by Earl Armstrong, whose brother, Thomas Charles Armstrong, was injured during an encounter with Denver police on Nov. 11.
Thomas Armstrong was scheduled to appear at the rally but did not show up.

University of Colorado ethnic-studies professor Ward Churchill also came to speak out against the death penalty, criticizing California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's decision not to grant clemency to Williams, who was the co-founder of the Crips and convicted of four murders in Los Angeles County.

Churchill called Schwarzenegger "The Gubernator."

"He's signing off the life and death of a man he's not fit to lick the boots of," Churchill said.

Glad this imbecile is not teaching English.

Now That's Scary!

Santa too scary for children, says government

THE highlight of any Christmas party for generations of children has been the moment when the lights dim, voices hush and the sound of sleigh bells signals the imminent arrival of Santa Claus.

But that magic moment has come under threat from government advisers who have told teachers that children should be protected from the "terrifying" appearance of Santa at school Christmas parties.

Pantomimes are also regarded as psychological "scene of crime" sites, with teachers told to seat nervous pupils near an exit.

The advice, on the website teachernet.gov.uk , run by the communications unit of the Department for Education and Skills (DfES), was yesterday criticised by education specialists, who said learning to cope with fear was a vital part of growing up. The furore appeared to have led to a U-turn, with the advice being removed last night and the government denying it represented official policy.

"Younger children in particular have a wide range of fears, many of which seem completely irrational to adults," it said.

"For very young children, Father Christmas can be terrifying, and if you are planning a visit from Santa, you'll need to make sure that fearful children are near an exit.

This is long overdo. There is no telling how many children have been traumatized for life by the spectre of this horrific obese voyeur in his blood red uniform and Vermacht boots.

Clemency Terminated!

Hasta la vista Tookie!

Poll, Broad Optimism in Iraq

Well what do you know, the people of Iraq are far more optimistic about their present and future circumstance than we are. Someone needs to get over there and convince them they can't believe their their lying eyes.

Dec. 12, 2005 — Surprising levels of optimism prevail in Iraq with living conditions improved, security more a national worry than a local one, and expectations for the future high. But views of the country's situation overall are far less positive, and there are vast differences in views among Iraqi groups — a study in contrasts between increasingly disaffected Sunni areas and vastly more positive Shiite and Kurdish provinces.

An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.

Surprisingly, given the insurgents' attacks on Iraqi civilians, more than six in 10 Iraqis feel very safe in their own neighborhoods, up sharply from just 40 percent in a poll in June 2004. And 61 percent say local security is good — up from 49 percent in the first ABC News poll in Iraq in February 2004.

Nonetheless, nationally, security is seen as the most pressing problem by far; 57 percent identify it as the country's top priority. Economic improvements are helping the public mood.
Average household incomes have soared by 60 percent in the last 20 months (to $263 a month), 70 percent of Iraqis rate their own economic situation positively, and consumer goods are sweeping the country. In early 2004, 6 percent of Iraqi households had cell phones; now it's 62 percent. Ownership of satellite dishes has nearly tripled, and many more families now own air conditioners (58 percent, up from 44 percent), cars, washing machines and kitchen appliances.

There are positive political signs as well. Three-quarters of Iraqis express confidence in the national elections being held this week, 70 percent approve of the new constitution, and 70 percent — including most people in Sunni and Shiite areas alike — want Iraq to remain a unified country.

"Surprising levels of optimism"??? Only the EM and the left are surprised because they are the only ones believing their own bullsh!t. The majority of us in the know aren't a bit suprised by these numbers having never bought into the erroneous propaganda.

Iraqi soldiers hold election campaign posters

Think these guys aren't excited?

They Finally are Beginning to Get It

Iraqi insurgents urge Sunnis to vote, warn Zarqawi

FALLUJA/RAMADI Iraq (Reuters) - Saddam Hussein loyalists who violently opposed January elections have made an about-face as Thursday's polls near, urging fellow Sunni Arabs to vote and warning al Qaeda militants not to attack.

In a move unthinkable in the bloody run-up to the last election, guerrillas in the western insurgent heartland of Anbar province say they are even prepared to protect voting stations from fighters loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq.

Graffiti calling for holy war is now hard to find.

Instead, election campaign posters dominate buildings in the rebel strongholds of Ramadi and nearby Falluja, where Sunnis staged a boycott or were too scared to vote last time around.

"We want to see a nationalist government that will have a balance of interests. So our Sunni brothers will be safe when they vote," said Falluja resident Ali Mahmoud, a former army officer and rocket specialist under Saddam's Baath party.

"Sunnis should vote to make political gains. We have sent leaflets telling al Qaeda that they will face us if they attack voters."

This is the most significant development in Iraq since the first election and it's the beginning of the end for the terrorists. The only meaningful ally these murderous scumbags have is turning their back on them and joining the political process. In the very near future al Qaida will become so isolated and marginalized in Iraq as to be completely irrelevant.

SENATOR CALLS ON BUSH TO TAKE DOWN ATTACK AD

Today, Senator Daniel Inouye, the Ranking Member of the Defense Appropriations Subcommittee and a recipient of the Medal of Honor for his service in World War II, released the following statement:"

As a Veteran of World War II, I know what it’s like to fight a war and put your life on the line every day. I also know what it takes to win a war, and I know that politics and an attack machine like the President’s plays no part in it.

"The Republican Party’s latest ad is a shameful and disgusting attempt to distract the American people from the problems in Iraq. It may improve the President’s political fortunes, but the American people and our troops will pay the price. I hope that President Bush realizes how shameful it is to play politics when what we really need is leadership, and that he will direct his Party to take down this ad immediately."

BWAAAAAHAHAHAHA

Quote of the Day

Bob Beckel on Fox News discussing Howard Dean's over the top rhetoric......

"Howard's problem is he's never had an unspoken thought."

Voodoo Economics?

Our friend Tom Blumer at Bizzyblog posted this terrific graph that says it all. He comments: "What the president’s father called “voodoo economics” IS almost like magic, isn’t it?"

Yep Tom, it sure is.

Mother thy name is Bernadette

There is no sacrifice greater or more divine than laying ones life down for another. In this case, a mother for her child.

Mother's life gift to unborn baby

Adam Taylor with Nathan who was born fit and healthyTributes have been paid to a Teesside mother who sacrificed her own life to save that of her unborn baby.

Bernadette Mimura, 37, from Ingleby Barwick, was diagnosed with breast cancer one month into her pregnancy.

Doctors urged her to try life-saving drugs, but this would have meant terminating the pregnancy.

Ms Mimura refused the drugs and gave birth to her fit and healthy baby, but lived just long enough to see her son, Nathan, baptised.

Ms Mimura's partner Adam Taylor, 33, said doctors urged her to try life-saving drugs, but she would not give up on her baby.

Instead, she was given a mild form of chemotherapy to suppress the illness while she carried Nathan.

He was born two months premature after her calcium levels shot up and doctors induced him.

Some of Our Best

You have to watch THIS.

Al-Qaida figure arrested in Ramadi

Another good grab.....

BAGHDAD, Iraq - The American military Friday arrested a high-ranking member of al-Qaida in Iraq in the town of Ramadi, the U.S. Marines said.

Amir Khalaf Fanus, also known in the Ramadi area as "the Butcher," was wanted for criminal activities including murder and kidnapping, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool said in a statement from the town, located 70 miles west of Baghdad.

Fanus was No. 3 on a most-wanted list for Ramadi drawn up by the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, 28th Infantry Division.

"He is the highest ranking al-Qaida in Iraq member to be turned into Iraqi and U.S. officials by local citizens," Pool said. "His capture is another indication that the local citizens tire of the insurgents' presence within their community."

Jawa has the Centcom report.

Bill Clinton to Surprise U.N. Conference

Memo to Bill Clinton: "You are no longer President so STFU"!

MONTREAL - A contentious U.N. climate conference entered its final day Friday with the long-term future undecided in the fight against global warming, and with a surprise visitor on tap to rally the "pro-Kyoto" forces.

Bill Clinton, who as president championed the Kyoto Protocol clamping controls on "greenhouse gases," was scheduled to speak at the conference Friday afternoon - in an unofficial capacity but potentially at a critical point in backroom talks involving the U.S. delegation.

The U.S. envoys, representing a Bush administration that renounced the Kyoto pact, were said to be displeased by the 11th-hour surprise.

"They haven't protested formally, but they're annoyed," an official in the Canadian government, the conference host, said of the U.S. delegates. "They're not infuriated, but they're not thrilled."

He had his chance to get this passed when he was President and it was soundly defeated 98-0 in the Senate. An administration duly elected by the people now has the reigns and it's way past time for him to bugger off.

House Passes Tax Cut Retaining Lower Rates

EXCELLENT, I frankly thought the vote might be a bit closer but it appears that the leadership kept the RINOs at bay.

WASHINGTON - The house voted Thursday to preserve tax cuts for investors through the rest of the decade, safeguarding the centerpiece of the Republican tax agenda in a $56 billion package of tax breaks.

The bill, passed 234-197 along mostly party lines, would keep the 15 percent top tax rate for capital gains and dividends in place in 2009 and 2010, two years after their scheduled disappearance at the end of 2008.

Republicans said tax cuts championed by President Bush have revved up a sluggish economy, and Treasury Secretary John Snow praised the bill's passage, saying, "It would encourage investment and innovation — the lifeblood of the American economy."

Democrats disagreed and said the tax cuts for investment income, and much of the GOP's economic agenda, exacerbated budget deficits and ignored average workers.

Au Contraire butt faced ones, it's economy stimulating employment insurance.

Hostage Slain?

Iraq Insurgents Claim to Kill U.S. Hostage

An Iraqi insurgent group said Thursday in an Internet posting that it killed a kidnapped U.S. security consultant. The claim's authenticity could not be immediately verified.

It was the first time in more than a year that an insurgent group announced the slaying of an American hostage. Thursday's statement, posted on an Islamic militant Web forum, did not identify the hostage and provided no evidence he had been killed, but said pictures of the slaying would be released later.

The Islamic Army in Iraq said it had killed "the American security consultant for the Housing Ministry," after the United States failed to respond to its demand of the release of Iraqi prisoners.

Considering what they've done or at least say they've done, don't they warrant the label "terrorist group" by now?

Here We Go Again

Well, you knew it was coming, the lamenting, the second guessing of the air marshals actions in yesterdays shooting of the man who claimed he had a bomb. Look at some headlines: Sky marshals kill for first time (Times of London), US air marshal guns down passenger (Rediff), Bomb claim gets flier gunned down (Boston Herald), Air marshal guns down man at Miami airport (MSNBC).

Think there's not thinly veiled editorial comment in these headlines? They scream" innocent civilian slaughtered by hyper reactive and overzealous government thugs." That's what they're thinking, that's what they believe that's what they would really like to say.

Now that it is coming to light that the man was a few bricks shy and off his meds, the bleeding hearts will undoubtedly become increasingly vocal. Expect the usual suspects to bemoan the brutality and claim it's the fault of a paranoid and trigger happy governmental security force. No doubt some embecile will somehow try to make the case that it's Bush's fault.

From what I've seen, the air marshals acted absolutely appropriately. When the life of one individual is weighed against that of 100+, their course of action was clear, protect the greatest number of lives. To do anything less would have been ludicrous. They gave the guy an opportunity and, mental or not, he gave them no choice but to eliminate the threat.

If these marshalls are any indication of the force as a whole, I'm heartened. The thoughtful and decisive actions they took illustrate a highly professional group of men who have the priorities straight. Personally, I'll fly more comfortably knowing that guys like these are on the job.

Britain's Muslim Community Concerned About Global Warming

Thousands of men women and children throughout the world are being slaughtered in the name of their religion and these knotheads are devoting their energies to protesting global warming.

Britain's Muslim community illustrated its concern about global warming during a recent march calling for mass action over climate change.

The London March, part of a global protest which took place in 32 countries on November 3rd was addressed by Fazlun Khalid, the Founder Director, of the Birmingham-based Islamic Foundation for Ecology and Environmental Sciences

He told protesters that global warming is one of the many symptoms of the suicidal assault mounted by the human species on the natural world. Deforestation and its after effects are another. By denuding the forests of trees we destroy the very resource that absorb the carbon dioxide that we spew into the atmosphere by the mega ton. Another consequence is that every single one of us gathered here have more than 200 poisons in our bodies that our grand parents did not have. This is the result of our unmitigated global pursuit of prosperity, which only a tiny minority has achieved whilst others strive vainly to catch up. This is called the rat race.

Wonder how many pollutants and C02 are released from an exploding suicide bomber or IED.

Mom Upset Christ Missing From Christmas Carol

This is really getting ridiculous.....

HOUSTON -- At least one mother of a northwest Harris County elementary student was not looking forward to attending a school Christmas performance after learning Christmas had been removed from the lyrics of a song, KPRC Local 2 reported Tuesday.

Officials with the Cypress-Fairbanks Independent School District were not aware of the changes made to the traditional Christmas song, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," until KPRC Local 2 called Tuesday inquiring about the lyric changes.

District officials said Moore Elementary School's music director did not write the song, but chose a jazzy adaptation of the popular English Christmas carol, "We Wish You A Merry Christmas," to reflect the multicultural and multiethnic performance.
The new song, titled "We Wish You A Swinging Holiday," does not mention Christmas at all.

"I thought it was horrible. I was stunned. I could not believe that they took a song like that and changed it," said the student's mother, Karen Morlock.

A spokeswoman for the district said the Christmas performance is not meant to be religious.

Am I wrong or is that one of the most asinine statements ever uttered. It's a religious based holiday you giant horses a$$. The political correctness of these imbeciles has deteriorated into unadulterated incoherence. They are called CHRISTmas carols for crying out loud.

This is why the Liberals keep losing elections and the more of this nonsense they offer up the bigger they're gonna lose.

UPDATE: Guess this isn't all so uncommon. This from the Liberty Council:

Dodgeville, WI - Ridgeway Elementary School's "winter program" has changed the name of "Silent Night" to "Cold in the Night." Sung to the tune of "Silent Night," the lyrics have been secularized as follows: "Cold in the night, no one in sight, winter winds whirl and bite, how I wish I were happy and warm, safe with my family out of the storm." Liberty Counsel represents a concerned parent whose child attends Ridgeway.

At the same time the school has changed the religious songs to secular, the "winter program" has included decorating classrooms with Santa Clause, Kwanza, Menorahs, and Labafana (a Christmas witch!). Liberty Counsel has issued a demand letter to the school stating that the school's actions violate the Constitution. The letter demands an immediate change in the program. Liberty Counsel is prepared to file suit if the district does not immediately remedy the situation.

Sloppiness or Propaganda

In an attempt to bolster the moral of the troops (the al Qaida troops) several media outlets ran with the "new" Zawahiri tape claiming Bin Laden is alive and well and directing operations......

DUBAI (AFX) - Al-Qaeda number two Ayman al-Zawahiri claimed in a new videotape that the network's leader Osama bin Laden is still alive and leading the 'jihad' holy war against the West, the Al-Jazeera channel said.

Zawahiri also called on the Al-Qaeda fighters to attack oil installations in Islamic countries 'because most of the revenues of this oil go to the enemies of Islam,' Al-Jazeera quoted him as saying.

In parts of the videoclips screened by the satellite channel, Zawahiri said 'Al-Qaeda for holy war is still, thanks to God, a base for jihad. Its prince Osama bin Laden, may God protect him, still leads the jihad.'

Only one problem, the tape is 3 months old.....

A videotape claiming Osama Bin Laden is still "alive and fighting" dates back to September, Arab television channel al-Jazeera has admitted.

Al-Jazeera's editor-in-chief, Ahmed Sheikh, said his channel had broadcast the footage by mistake.

Mr Sheikh said it had received the video in September and aired "the important parts" at the time.

In the video, Bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri, also claimed al-Qaeda was behind the London bombings on 7 July.

OOOPS.

American taken hostage, Iraq militants claim

BAGHDAD, Iraq - An Iraqi militant group has kidnapped a U.S. security consultant and is threatening to kill him in 48 hours unless Washington frees all Iraqi prisoners, according to a video aired by Al-Jazeera television on Tuesday.

The grainy video showed a blond, Western-looking man sitting down with his hands tied behind his back with the logo of the Islamic Army in Iraq. It also showed an American passport and an Arabic identity card bearing the name Ronald Schulz.

Al-Jazeera said it could not verify the authenticity of the tape. It said the man worked as a security consultant for the Iraqi housing ministry.

Jawa has more

Durable Goods Orders/New Home Sales

More Hoover economy......NOT!

WASHINGTON — Orders to U.S. factories for big-ticket manufactured goods rebounded sharply in October as demand for military aircraft shot up by the largest amount in more than five years.

The Commerce Department reported Tuesday that orders for durable goods rose by 3.4 per cent last month, erasing a 2 per cent decline in September that was blamed on disruptions from hurricanes Katrina and Rita and a machinists strike at aircraft giant Boeing.

Meanwhile, the Commerce Department reported that sales of new single-family homes shot up by 13 percent last month, the biggest one-month gain in more than 12 years. The increase pushed sales to an all-time high 1.42 million units at a seasonally adjusted annual rate.

The increase in home sales confounded analysts who had been predicting that new home sales would decline by 1.8 percent, reflecting continued increases in mortgage rates. It was possible that the unexpected surge reflected a final rush by buyers to get into the market before mortgage rates climb higher.

Contrary to what the left and EM believe, it appears that the American people understand whats actually going on.

And on top of all that, this.....

U.S. Economy Expanded at a 4.3% Pace in Third Quarter

Nov. 30 (Bloomberg) -- U.S. economic growth rose at a 4.3 percent annual rate from July through September, the quickest since the first quarter of last year and evidence of the economy's resilience in the face of record energy costs.

The revised figure for gross domestic product, the value of all goods and services produced in the U.S., was higher than forecast and compares with a 3.8 percent pace initially estimated, the Commerce Department's figures showed today. Growth was 3.3 percent in the prior three months.

A second straight quarter of declining inventories will keep factories humming, providing fuel for an economy that's grown in excess of 3 percent since March 2003, the longest such streak since 1986. Consumer spending, construction and business investment were stronger than the government first estimated.

The left are deeply saddened.

UPDATE: U.S. productivity revised up to 4.7% Unit labor costs fall 1% in third quarter

The fresh numbers are a revision to month-old numbers that showed productivity rose at a 4.1% pace. Read the full report.

Unit labor costs - a gauge of wage-push inflationary pressures - fell at a 1% annual pace in the quarter, revised down from a 0.5% decrease. Unit labor costs are the costs paid to workers to produce one "unit" of output.

Economists expected productivity to be revised to a 4.5% annual pace, based on revisions to output and hours worked already reported. See Economic Calendar.

Productivity has increased 3.1% in the past year, about double the pace that prevailed in the 1970s through mid-1990s.

It's the best year-on-year growth in productivity in five quarters. Productivity increased at a 2.1% annual rate in the second quarter.

This won't do Bush's renewed efforts to make the tax cuts permanent any harm.

Poison Pen

This story was reported on Fox and Friends this morning.

Joshua Sparling just got to Walter Reed last week and received ONE letter from someone writing in a child's printing (possibly anyone on the left). Among other things it told him to die. The soldier has the card on the wall of his room.

Joshua Sparling
Walter Reed Army Medical Center
6900 Georgia Avenue N.W.
Washington, D.C. 20307-5001

Let's all spend a bit of time and let this brave soldier know how we feel.

Michelle Malkin has more.

President Bush Job Approval Continuing to Improve

Likely the result of the administration no longer allowing themselves to be used as a punching bag.

Sunday December 04, 2005--Forty-seven percent (47%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's the President's highest rating since mid-October.

Confidence in the War on Terror and the economy have also improved significantly in recent months.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Americans Disapprove of the President's performance.

During 2004, reports on the President Job Approval were based upon surveys of Likely Voters. Typically, a survey of Likely Voters would report a Job Approval rating 2-3 points higher than a survey of all adults. On Election Day, the President's Job Approval was at 52%.

Add 3% to Bush's 47% and you get a 50% approval among "likely voters". That's within 2% of his standing on election day. Statistically, the President's JA rating is where it was on election day 2004. To believe otherwise, one must the accept manufactured MSM polling data that grossly OVERSAMPLES Democrats/Democrat-leaning Independents.

Anyone care to bet whether this gets any coverage from the EM?

UPDATE: Monday December 05, 2005--Forty-eight percent (48%) of American adults approve of the way George W. Bush is performing his role as President. That's the President's highest rating since October 8.

The President earns Approval from 80% of Republicans, 20% of Democrats, and 41% of those not affiliated with either major party. Fifty percent (50%) of men approve of the President's job performance along with 46% of women.

Fifty-two percent (52%) of Americans Disapprove of the President's performance.

Officials: CIA missile strike kills al-Qaida No. 3

Another terrorist scumbag meets Allah....

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The operational commander of al-Qaida and possibly the No. 3 official in the terrorist organization, Hamza Rabia, was killed early Thursday morning by a CIA missile attack on a safehouse in Pakistan, officials told NBC News.

Pakistan's president later confirmed the militant leader's death.

“Yes indeed, 200 percent. I think he was killed the day before yesterday if I’m not wrong,” President Pervez Musharraf told reporters as he arrived in Kuwait on an official visit on Saturday.

While Pakistani officials publicly said Rabia died in a blast caused by explosives stored in a house for bomb-making, officials speaking on condition of anonymity told NBC News he was killed by a CIA missile strike carried out by an unmanned Predator airplane.

Kidnappers Threaten to Kill Iraq Activists

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Al-Jazeera television broadcast a videotape Friday in which kidnappers of four Christian peace activists threatened to kill their hostages unless all prisoners in U.S. and Iraqi detention centers are released. The kidnappers gave the two governments until Dec. 8 to meet their demands, Al-Jazeera quoted a statement delivered with the tape as saying.

The tape showed what the broadcaster said were two Canadian hostages. An American and a Briton are also being held. All four appeared frightened.

The Canadians were shown eating from plates of what appeared to be Arabic sweets. In a second clip, the British and American hostages were shown to talking to the camera but no audio was transmitted.

Now here's an irony....

"Peace activists" go to Iraq in an attempt to undermine US efforts in effect aiding the terrorists, that same enemy that they're helping under the auspices of promoting "peace" beheads said activists.

48% Say U.S. Winning War on Terror

It is becoming apparent that the worm has turned, and none too soon......

December 2, 2005--Confidence in the War on Terror is up sharply compared to a month ago. Forty-eight percent (48%) Americans now believe the U.S. and its Allies are winning. That's up nine points from 39% a month ago and represents the highest level of confidence measured in 2005.

Just 28% now believe the terrorists are winning, down six points from 34% a month ago. The survey was conducted on Wednesday and Thursday night following the President's speech outlining his strategy in Iraq.

Huge partisan divisions on questions dealing with Iraq remain. Seventy-four percent (74%) of Republicans believe the U.S. and its allies are winning. That's up from 64% a month ago.

Just 28% of Democrats believe the U.S. is winning while 45% of Nancy Pelosi's party believe the terrorists are winning. Even that is a more optimistic assessment than last month when just 19% of Democrats said the U.S. was winning.

Wonder what portion of that 45% is driven by just plain wishful thinking.

Payrolls Grow; Jobless Rate Holds Steady

Hoover economy alert......

WASHINGTON (AP) -- America's payrolls snapped out of a two-month hurricane-induced funk in November and grew by 215,000, the most since July. The unemployment rate held steady at 5 percent.

The fresh snapshot of the jobs situation by the Labor Department on Friday suggested that employers were feeling better about hiring now that energy prices have retreated from record highs and the energy supply and transportation disruptions from the trio of Gulf Coast hurricanes are easing.

In November, employment gains were broad based. Construction, retail, leisure and hospitality, education and health services, financial activities and even manufacturing all posted job gains..

btw that's 1.85 million new jobs so far in 2005 but who's counting. Certainly not the Entrenched Media

Compare this rather subdued appraisal to the thinly veiled giddiness of this 1996 article....

U.S. jobless rate hits six-year low

Clinton's euphoric....

July 5, 1996Web posted at: 5:50 p.m. EDT

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Economists didn't expect June's unemployment rate to be much different from May's, which was an already-low 5.6 percent. But in fact, it did fall -- to 5.3 percent. The unemployment rate hasn't been that low since June 1990 etc. etc. etc.

A Teetering Basket of Eggs

It's official, the democrats have put all their eggs in one basket betting that the perceived public dissatisfaction with the war in Iraq will translate into big gains in the 2006 midterms.

This may be more a function of neccessity rather than design considering there are very few issues they can utilize to quarry gains. The economy is humming along at average 3.75% GDP growth rate over the last 5 quarters, unemployment stands at a miniscule 5%, gas is under $2.00/gal, the culture of corruption campaign lacks teeth, hurricane season is over so they can't blame the weather on Bush and stock market is flirting with a 5 year high.

This leaves the exploitation of Iraq as the singular pressient issue by which to garner support. A strategy that carries with it the extreme risk that is commensurate with the stakes. If significant progess is made in Iraq, the kind of positive developments that even the Old Media cannot ignore the Democrats are toast. After reading Joe Liebermans article in the WSJ, I believe we are within 6 months of that time.

The writing is most definately on the wall. Sunnis are joining the political process in significant numbers, the Iraqi army is getting stronger as the terrorists are getting weaker by the day and the Iraqi people are becoming increasingly fervent in their support of their new government. Just 6 months ago the average number of tips received by the military from citizens was 500, last month they received 4300. Barring something totally unforseen, it's over for the so called "insurgency", now it's just a matter of time.

Regardless of what they say, I believe that most informed Democrats know this as well which makes the hitching of their political wagon to this tenuous star somewhat inexplicable. One could suppose that they somehow believe that this transformation may yet hold off long enough for them to capitalize in 2006. It's a politically perilous wager for when the insurgency crashes and burns imagery of Dante's Inferno will replace the visions of sugarplums presently dancing in their heads.

If you think the left has been cheerleading the enemy and denigrating are troops in Iraq for the last 2 years, just wait. The closer we get to the midterms and the more tenuous their vantage begins to appear, the more irrationally unpatriotic they will become. It wouldn't surprise me a bit to read intermittent reports of a few moonbat lefties joining the terrorists to fight the "evil occupiers" in Iraq. We shall see.

Michael Moore denies owning Halliburton

It's getting to the point where the left wear their hypocrisy like some sort of twisted badge of honor. Maybe it's the arrogance that comes with celebrity or maybe it's just plain chutzpa. Whatever the reason, they're making it way too easy.

In a nationally televised speech, filmmaker Michael Moore told a college audience he absolutely does not own any Halliburton stock – or any other stock for that matter – a charge leveled at him by author Peter Schweizer in the best-seller book "Do As I Say (Not As I Do)."

There's just one problem with that denial, says Schweizer. He's got the tax returns of Moore's non-profit foundation to prove it – a non-profit foundation for which there are only two officers, Moore and his wife.

"I think people find that stuff funny – Michael Moore owns Halliburton stock," said Moore in the Nov. 23 Mott College speech carried by C-SPAN. "That's like a great comedy line. I know it's not true. I've never owned a share of stock in my life -- anything. Did anyone see that a couple weeks ago? Somebody was yakking away. And I just thought, uh, that's funny, I guess. Anyone who knows me is not going to believe that. Who's going to believe that? Just crazy people are going to believe it."

It must be the definition of the word "own" that is the source of controversy, suggests Schweizer, the author of a book on liberal hypocrisy. Moore has emphatically made the claim repeatedly over the years: "I don't own a single share of stock!"

He's right. He doesn't own a single share. He owns tens of thousands of shares – including nearly 2,000 shares of Boeing, nearly 1,000 of Sonoco, more than 4,000 of Best Foods, more than 3,000 of Eli Lilly, more than 8,000 of Bank One and more than 2,000 of Halliburton, the company most vilified by Moore in "Fahrenheit 9/11," according to Schweizer's book.

UAE to hold first elections

The Domino Effect.....

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates (Reuters) -- The United Arab Emirates will hold its first limited elections for half of its consultative National Council, part of a move towards reform, the Gulf Arab country's president said on Thursday.

"In light of the changes and reforms our region is witnessing ... we decided to begin activating the National Assembly by electing half of its members," Khalifa bin Zayed al-Nayahan said in a speech to mark the UAE's national day.

The speech, carried on state news agency WAM, gave no date for the election to the council, whose 40 members are currently all appointed by the seven semi-autonomous emirates that make up the U.S.-allied UAE.

This is a first step for the start of a gradual process towards much wider participation in the near future," the official said.