Historically intransigent barbarians propose a truce only because they are so badly damaged as to be functionally incapacitated.
Doha, 19 Jan. (AKI) - An audio message purportedly by Osama bin Laden, aired by the pan-Arab channel Al-Jazeera, threatens new attacks on the United States. "We are preparing new strikes and you will see them sooner rather than later" said the recording of what the network says is bin Laden's voice. "Iraq is not the only battle ground, as you have seen with other recent attacks in European territory".
The three minute message also offers a "long truce" in returnh for an American withdrawal form Iraq. "We propose a long truce to allow the reconstruction of Iraq and Afghanistan which have suffered so much from the war" it says. The only losers in this truce will be arms dealers and producers," it continues.
The al-Qaeda number one says his message is directed to the American people and makes reference to what appear to be recent US opinion polls indicating growing support for a withdrawal of troops from Iraq.
It is more than a year since the last message from the al-Qaeda chief broadcast by Al Jazeera and the long silence had prompted intense speculation that he may have died or been killed.
Appears Osama has some allies in this country wouldn't you say.
Oh, and btw....this quote from the BBC: The voice on the tape said the reason there had not been an attack in the US since 11 September 2001 was not because of superior US security, but because the group had been engaged in activities in Iraq and because operations in the US "need preparations".
Kinda legitimizes the " It's better to fight them over there than here" narrative the left has been so willing to dismiss.
Thursday, January 19, 2006
Jobless claims drop to lowest level since April 2000
The oft used Demcrat talking point "jobless recovery" has been replaced by "culture of corruption"mantra. Wonder how long it will take for that charge to also be proven a lie.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- First-time claims for state unemployment benefits plunged by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 271,000 in the week ending Jan. 14, the Labor Department said Thursday.
This is the lowest level since mid-April 2000. Read the full report.
The four-week average of new claims fell by 12,000 to 299,000 last week, the lowest since mid-October 2000.
The drop was unexpected. Economists were expecting an increase in initial claims to about 317,000.
Claims in the previous week were revised to an increase of 15,000 to 307,000 compared with the initial estimate of a 17,000 gain to 309,000.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) -- First-time claims for state unemployment benefits plunged by 36,000 to a seasonally adjusted 271,000 in the week ending Jan. 14, the Labor Department said Thursday.
This is the lowest level since mid-April 2000. Read the full report.
The four-week average of new claims fell by 12,000 to 299,000 last week, the lowest since mid-October 2000.
The drop was unexpected. Economists were expecting an increase in initial claims to about 317,000.
Claims in the previous week were revised to an increase of 15,000 to 307,000 compared with the initial estimate of a 17,000 gain to 309,000.
Judge: No prison time for 'gay' rapist teacher
This should come as no suprise from a state that has elected Teddy Kennedy to the Senate no less than 8 times.
On heels of Vermont outrage, predator gets only probation.
A former high school teacher who pleaded guilty to the homosexual rape of one of his teenage students will avoid jail time.
Gregory Pathiakis, 26, of Brockton, Mass., pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of rape of a child, enticement of a child under 16, five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of harmful material to a child, according to the Enterprise newspaper of Brockton, Mass.
Pathiakis, who quit his job after school officials questioned his extracurricular contact with students, was arrested in January 2004 after a 15-year-old boy told authorities the Middleboro High School teacher raped him Dec. 23, 2003.
Prosecutors asked Brockton Superior Court Judge Susanne V Delvechio to give Pathiakis four to eight years in state prison, followed by five years probation. But she issued a suspended, 2 1/2-year jail term, followed by five years probation.
As WorldNetDaily reported, a judge in Vermont drew national outrage this month after giving an admitted child rapist a 60-day jail sentence.
Delvecchio, the first woman to be appointed chief justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, was honored in 2000 as the keynote speaker at the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Association's annual dinner.
On heels of Vermont outrage, predator gets only probation.
A former high school teacher who pleaded guilty to the homosexual rape of one of his teenage students will avoid jail time.
Gregory Pathiakis, 26, of Brockton, Mass., pleaded guilty yesterday to one count of rape of a child, enticement of a child under 16, five counts of possession of child pornography and one count of distribution of harmful material to a child, according to the Enterprise newspaper of Brockton, Mass.
Pathiakis, who quit his job after school officials questioned his extracurricular contact with students, was arrested in January 2004 after a 15-year-old boy told authorities the Middleboro High School teacher raped him Dec. 23, 2003.
Prosecutors asked Brockton Superior Court Judge Susanne V Delvechio to give Pathiakis four to eight years in state prison, followed by five years probation. But she issued a suspended, 2 1/2-year jail term, followed by five years probation.
As WorldNetDaily reported, a judge in Vermont drew national outrage this month after giving an admitted child rapist a 60-day jail sentence.
Delvecchio, the first woman to be appointed chief justice of the Massachusetts Superior Court, was honored in 2000 as the keynote speaker at the Massachusetts Gay and Lesbian Association's annual dinner.
Wednesday, January 18, 2006
U.S. Strike Killed Al Qaeda Bomb Maker
Of course the Entrenched Media ran their smear campaign against this action by the administration before knowing the facts.Jan. 18, 2006 — ABC News has learned that al Qaeda's master bomb maker and chemical weapons expert was one of the men killed in last week's U.S. missile attack in eastern Pakistan.
Midhat Mursi, 52, also known as Abu Khabab al-Masri, was identified by Pakistani authorities as one of three known al Qaeda leaders present at an apparent terror summit conference in the village of Damadola.
The United States had posted a $5 million reward for Mursi's capture. He is described by U.S. authorities as the man who ran al Qaeda's infamous Derunta training camp in Afghanistan, where he used dogs and other animals as subjects of experiments with poison and chemicals.
"
This is extraordinarily important," said former FBI agent Jack Cloonan, an ABC News consultant, who was the senior agent on the FBI's al Qaeda squad. "He's the man who trained the shoe bomber, Richard Reid and Zacharias Mousssaoui, as well as hundreds of others."
Now that's how the US Military prepares a "Shish Kabob".
Supreme Court Dodges Big Abortion Ruling
Somewhat of a misleading headline. This is a defeat for the pro-abortion crowd as they were counting on SDO to be the deciding vote ruling in their favor on this case.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that a lower court was wrong to strike down New Hampshire abortion restrictions, steering clear of a major ruling on whether such laws place an undue burden on women.
The opinion was written by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a key swing voter at the court on abortion rights.
Justices said a lower court went too far by permanently blocking the law that requires a parent to be told before a daughter ends her pregnancy.
An appeals court must now reconsider the law, which requires that a parent be informed 48 hours before a minor child has an abortion but makes no exception for a medical emergency that threatens the youth's health.
WASHINGTON - The Supreme Court ruled unanimously Wednesday that a lower court was wrong to strike down New Hampshire abortion restrictions, steering clear of a major ruling on whether such laws place an undue burden on women.
The opinion was written by retiring Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, a key swing voter at the court on abortion rights.
Justices said a lower court went too far by permanently blocking the law that requires a parent to be told before a daughter ends her pregnancy.
An appeals court must now reconsider the law, which requires that a parent be informed 48 hours before a minor child has an abortion but makes no exception for a medical emergency that threatens the youth's health.
Tuesday, January 17, 2006
Video Threatens To Kill U.S. Reporter
Threatening a women who has a track record of caring and consideration for the Arab people certainly isn't going to help their image in the region.
(CBS/AP) An Arab television channel aired a silent 20-second videotape Tuesday night of hostage American reporter Jill Carroll and said an accompanying message gave the U.S. 72 hours to free female prisoners in Iraq or the journalist would be killed.
Al-Jazeera would not tell AP from whom it received the tape, but issued a statement itself calling for Carroll's release. A producer for the network said the tape was received on Tuesday.
The tape showed Carroll sitting in front of a white background and speaking, but her voice could not be heard.
The 28-year-old freelance reporter for The Christian Science Monitor has not been heard from since she was grabbed Jan. 7 in one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. Gunmen ambushed her car and killed her translator shortly after she left the offices of a Sunni Arab politician
(CBS/AP) An Arab television channel aired a silent 20-second videotape Tuesday night of hostage American reporter Jill Carroll and said an accompanying message gave the U.S. 72 hours to free female prisoners in Iraq or the journalist would be killed.
Al-Jazeera would not tell AP from whom it received the tape, but issued a statement itself calling for Carroll's release. A producer for the network said the tape was received on Tuesday.
The tape showed Carroll sitting in front of a white background and speaking, but her voice could not be heard.
The 28-year-old freelance reporter for The Christian Science Monitor has not been heard from since she was grabbed Jan. 7 in one of the city's most dangerous neighborhoods. Gunmen ambushed her car and killed her translator shortly after she left the offices of a Sunni Arab politician
Islamic group urges Catholic school to move to Muslim faith
Religion of peace......and tolerance
AN ISLAMIC campaign group has called for a Catholic primary school to be based on the Muslim faith.
The Campaign for Muslim Schools said 90 per cent of pupils at St Albert's Primary, in the Pollokshields area of Glasgow, are Muslim, yet children are having to take part in Catholic rituals like saying the Lord's Prayer and attending mass.
Osama Saeed, co-ordinator of the alliance of Glasgow's main mosques and Muslim organisations, said he could see no reason why the main faith of the school should not change.
He said: "Clearly the parents of that area find a faith school, even if it is of another denomination, preferable to a secular one. But surely it should be possible for them to have one that is relevant to their own faith.
Via Greg at Rhymeswithright
AN ISLAMIC campaign group has called for a Catholic primary school to be based on the Muslim faith.
The Campaign for Muslim Schools said 90 per cent of pupils at St Albert's Primary, in the Pollokshields area of Glasgow, are Muslim, yet children are having to take part in Catholic rituals like saying the Lord's Prayer and attending mass.
Osama Saeed, co-ordinator of the alliance of Glasgow's main mosques and Muslim organisations, said he could see no reason why the main faith of the school should not change.
He said: "Clearly the parents of that area find a faith school, even if it is of another denomination, preferable to a secular one. But surely it should be possible for them to have one that is relevant to their own faith.
Via Greg at Rhymeswithright
Flawed Agreed Framework Allowed North Korea to Develop Nukes, Former IAEA Official Says
The real Clinton legacy.........
The 1994 Agreed Framework between North Korea and the United States contained two profound flaws that enabled Pyongyang to continue developing a nuclear arsenal and led to the current nuclear crisis, former International Atomic Energy Agency Deputy Director General Pierre Goldschmidt said this week.
The agreement “sowed the seeds of the present potentially dangerous stalemate” by allowing North Korea to restrict agency inspections, Goldschmidt wrote in a policy brief published Tuesday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Under the terms of the deal, the United States pledged to build light-water reactors for Pyongyang and to supply fuel oil in exchange for Pyongyang’s commitment to freeze its nuclear activities, including plutonium production.
“The second flaw of the Agreed Framework was that it allowed North Korea to retain in storage all of its spent fuel containing weapons-grade plutonium and to maintain a reprocessing facility in a state of readiness so that North Korea could restart operation at any time,” according to Goldschmidt.
The 1994 Agreed Framework between North Korea and the United States contained two profound flaws that enabled Pyongyang to continue developing a nuclear arsenal and led to the current nuclear crisis, former International Atomic Energy Agency Deputy Director General Pierre Goldschmidt said this week.
The agreement “sowed the seeds of the present potentially dangerous stalemate” by allowing North Korea to restrict agency inspections, Goldschmidt wrote in a policy brief published Tuesday by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.
Under the terms of the deal, the United States pledged to build light-water reactors for Pyongyang and to supply fuel oil in exchange for Pyongyang’s commitment to freeze its nuclear activities, including plutonium production.
“The second flaw of the Agreed Framework was that it allowed North Korea to retain in storage all of its spent fuel containing weapons-grade plutonium and to maintain a reprocessing facility in a state of readiness so that North Korea could restart operation at any time,” according to Goldschmidt.
Monday, January 16, 2006
Too much Elvis 'led to stabbing'
Justifiable assault?
Police will allege the woman stabbed her 35-year-old partner with a pair of scissors during an argument over him playing Burning Love over and over again.
The woman would appear in a magistrate's court in Northam, 97km north east of Perth, charged with unlawful wounding, WA police said.
The man was treated at Northam hospital for lacerations to his head, back and legs, police said.
Sounds like self defense to me.
Police will allege the woman stabbed her 35-year-old partner with a pair of scissors during an argument over him playing Burning Love over and over again.
The woman would appear in a magistrate's court in Northam, 97km north east of Perth, charged with unlawful wounding, WA police said.
The man was treated at Northam hospital for lacerations to his head, back and legs, police said.
Sounds like self defense to me.
Saturday, January 14, 2006
Democrats to Delay Alito Vote
Senate Democrats yesterday moved to stall the increasingly inevitable confirmation of Supreme Court nominee Samuel A. Alito Jr., despite a good-faith understanding not to do so.
Vermont Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said panel Democrats did not want to vote Tuesday, as per a November agreement with Republicans, citing Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.
Democrats and good faith is an oxymoron
Vermont Sen. Patrick J. Leahy, the ranking Democrat on the Judiciary Committee, said panel Democrats did not want to vote Tuesday, as per a November agreement with Republicans, citing Monday's Martin Luther King Jr. federal holiday.
Democrats and good faith is an oxymoron
Friday, January 13, 2006
America Supports Patriot Act/Wiretaps
The left has hitched their wagon to the "illegal wiretap " rhetorical bandwagon but again they have picked a loser. This from Powerline......
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress passed the Patriot Act which, in part, gives federal officials wider authority to use wiretaps and other surveillance techniques. Some people say the Patriot Act is a necessary and effective tool in preventing terrorist attacks, while others say the act goes too far and could violate the civil liberties of average Americans. Which comes closer to your view -- overall, would you say the Patriot Act is a good thing for America or a bad thing for America?
Good: 53%
Bad: 30%
Mixed: 17%
Based on what you know, do you support or oppose extending the Patriot Act when it comes up for renewal?
Support: 57%
Oppose: 31%
Not sure: 11%
When you hear of government officials anonymously leaking top-secret national security information to the press, are you more inclined to think of the officials as patriots who are blowing the whistle because they think something illegal might be going on, or traitors who are leaking government secrets and possibly causing harm to the country?
Whistle-blowers: 27%
Traitors: 50%
Not sure: 23%
Do you think the president should or should not have the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor electronic communications of suspected terrorists without getting warrants, even if one end of the communication is in the United States?
Should: 58%
Should not: 36%
Not sure: 6%
In an effort to identify terrorist activity, do you think the president should or should not have the power to authorize the National Security Agency to do computer searches of large numbers of international phone calls coming in and out of the United States without getting warrants?
Should: 60%
Should not: 34%
Not sure: 7%
After the 9/11 terrorist attacks, Congress passed the Patriot Act which, in part, gives federal officials wider authority to use wiretaps and other surveillance techniques. Some people say the Patriot Act is a necessary and effective tool in preventing terrorist attacks, while others say the act goes too far and could violate the civil liberties of average Americans. Which comes closer to your view -- overall, would you say the Patriot Act is a good thing for America or a bad thing for America?
Good: 53%
Bad: 30%
Mixed: 17%
Based on what you know, do you support or oppose extending the Patriot Act when it comes up for renewal?
Support: 57%
Oppose: 31%
Not sure: 11%
When you hear of government officials anonymously leaking top-secret national security information to the press, are you more inclined to think of the officials as patriots who are blowing the whistle because they think something illegal might be going on, or traitors who are leaking government secrets and possibly causing harm to the country?
Whistle-blowers: 27%
Traitors: 50%
Not sure: 23%
Do you think the president should or should not have the power to authorize the National Security Agency to monitor electronic communications of suspected terrorists without getting warrants, even if one end of the communication is in the United States?
Should: 58%
Should not: 36%
Not sure: 6%
In an effort to identify terrorist activity, do you think the president should or should not have the power to authorize the National Security Agency to do computer searches of large numbers of international phone calls coming in and out of the United States without getting warrants?
Should: 60%
Should not: 34%
Not sure: 7%
The Alitos: Well Suited, And Dressed For Duress
This sort of liberal elitist condiscention was making the rounds on the liberal blogs yesterday. It was only a matter of time before it made it's way to the EM. It comes in the form of a fashion hit piece on Mrs Alito by the generally superior always disingenuous Robin Givhan of WAPO.
Robin GivhanWashington Post Staff Writer
There was something charmingly awkward about her blue cardigan. A cable-knit cardigan! At a Senate hearing! The sweater has all those connotations of Dan Rather informality, softness, ease and grandmotherly coziness. It is the antithesis of power and strength. The sweater was also baby blue. That isn't clothing as armor, but clothing as security blanket. Remember Linus?
It was as though the nominee's wife had quietly brought her own binky into the room. But then, who couldn't use a little comfort during such a public ordeal?
Her gold tweed suit might have passed without much commentary -- save for the fabric's similarity to the upholstery that once covered La-Z-Boys. But then some committee members pressed her husband on his relationship with Concerned Alumni of Princeton, an organization notable for its displeasure over the admittance of women and minorities to the university. Martha-Ann Alito's face crumpled into a pained frown and she began to cry. She was swaddled in gold tweed.
See, Mrs Alito did something inexcusable, she made the Democrats look bad and there's always a price to be paid for that.
Robin GivhanWashington Post Staff Writer
There was something charmingly awkward about her blue cardigan. A cable-knit cardigan! At a Senate hearing! The sweater has all those connotations of Dan Rather informality, softness, ease and grandmotherly coziness. It is the antithesis of power and strength. The sweater was also baby blue. That isn't clothing as armor, but clothing as security blanket. Remember Linus?
It was as though the nominee's wife had quietly brought her own binky into the room. But then, who couldn't use a little comfort during such a public ordeal?
Her gold tweed suit might have passed without much commentary -- save for the fabric's similarity to the upholstery that once covered La-Z-Boys. But then some committee members pressed her husband on his relationship with Concerned Alumni of Princeton, an organization notable for its displeasure over the admittance of women and minorities to the university. Martha-Ann Alito's face crumpled into a pained frown and she began to cry. She was swaddled in gold tweed.
See, Mrs Alito did something inexcusable, she made the Democrats look bad and there's always a price to be paid for that.
Thursday, January 12, 2006
Alito Confirmation Idiocies Day 4
Sen. Joe Biden: When questioned about the hearings and the effect they had on Martha Ann Alito he said: "The system's kind of broken" And just who is reponsible for breaking it Senator?
Sen Herb Kohl: To Alito "How should Justice Oconner be remembered?" If SDO was a tree, what kind of a tree would she like to be? JEEEEZ
Sen Herb Kohl: To Alito "How should Justice Oconner be remembered?" If SDO was a tree, what kind of a tree would she like to be? JEEEEZ
And the Response from the Left.......
Thu Jan-12-06/Democrat Underground
91. Tough Sh!t
If she's crying now, just wait til she hears the things people say about her husband if he is confirmed to the SCOTUS.You're in the public eye for crying out loud. Grow up bitch, there will always be people who hate your fascist husband!
PDJane
Wed Jan-11-06
13. Why waste time, energy and ink.........
on this woman? She's got smug, sheltered, elitist twit written all over her........and I wanna know who dresses her funny.
91. Tough Sh!t
If she's crying now, just wait til she hears the things people say about her husband if he is confirmed to the SCOTUS.You're in the public eye for crying out loud. Grow up bitch, there will always be people who hate your fascist husband!
PDJane
Wed Jan-11-06
13. Why waste time, energy and ink.........
on this woman? She's got smug, sheltered, elitist twit written all over her........and I wanna know who dresses her funny.
Wednesday, January 11, 2006
Martha-Ann Alito reacts during the third day of the confirmation hearings for her husband Judge Samuel Alito as Associate Justice on the Supreme Court on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Jan. 11, 2006. Mrs. Alito reacted to the apology by Republican Senate Judiciary Committee member Sen. Lindsey Graham , R-S.C. for the contentious nature of questioning during the hearing. (AP Photo/Charles Dharapak)
Alito Confirmation Idiocies
Throughout the day I will be posting various inane comments made by Senate members during Judge Alito's confirmation hearing. Stay tuned, my hunch is the pickings should be fertile.
Sen. Patrick Leahy: "The President can't "pack the court".
"Packing the court" is something FDR tried to do by adding additional justices Senator.
Nominating people for SCOTUS with similar ideologies is the time honored rule and has nothing to do with what FDR attempted.
Sen Ted Kennedy: "In an era when America is still too often divided by race and by riches, Judge Alito has not written one single opinion on the merits in favor of a person of color alleging race discrimination on the job. In fifteen years on the bench, not one. LIE!
Reynolds v. USX Corp., Zubi v. AT&T Corp., Smith v. Davis, and Goosby v. Johnson & Johnson --GOP senators say, Alito ruled for employees claiming racial discrimination.
Sen Chuck Schumer: "I have'nt made up my mind yet" BWAAAAHAHAHA
Sen. Dick Durbin: "We don't want to make abortion a crime...except in the most extreme circumstances." Say what?
DAY TWO:
Sen. Patrick Leahy: "Is it ok for the President to authorize the murder of someone?" Only if the Presidents a Democrat, Senator.
Sen Joe Biden: "It's about who you're replacing because it's about whether you will alter the constitutional balance". No, it's not Plugs, read the constitution.
Sen. Herb Kohl:"The laws in the Constitution are ambiguous and open to many interpretations." In your dreams Senator.
Sen. Teddy Kennedy “Why should we believe that you’ll act as an independent check on the president when he claims the power to ignore the laws passed by Congress?” What in hell does that mean?
DAY THREE:
Sen. Arlen Spectre: "Is it appropriate for the courts to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional."
Errrr, isn't that the reason SCOTUS exists?
Sen. Dick Durbin: "Your group discriminates against women according to Diane Weeks"
Judge Alito: "I hired Diane Weeks".
Sen. Chuck Schumer: Schumer quoted as telling aide, "It's clear Alito is trying to goad us into getting mad at him" Beyond commentary.
Question to Alito: "What was your state of mind in 1985?" This is getting downright silly
Welcome New York Times readers.
Sen. Patrick Leahy: "The President can't "pack the court".
"Packing the court" is something FDR tried to do by adding additional justices Senator.
Nominating people for SCOTUS with similar ideologies is the time honored rule and has nothing to do with what FDR attempted.
Sen Ted Kennedy: "In an era when America is still too often divided by race and by riches, Judge Alito has not written one single opinion on the merits in favor of a person of color alleging race discrimination on the job. In fifteen years on the bench, not one. LIE!
Reynolds v. USX Corp., Zubi v. AT&T Corp., Smith v. Davis, and Goosby v. Johnson & Johnson --GOP senators say, Alito ruled for employees claiming racial discrimination.
Sen Chuck Schumer: "I have'nt made up my mind yet" BWAAAAHAHAHA
Sen. Dick Durbin: "We don't want to make abortion a crime...except in the most extreme circumstances." Say what?
DAY TWO:
Sen. Patrick Leahy: "Is it ok for the President to authorize the murder of someone?" Only if the Presidents a Democrat, Senator.
Sen Joe Biden: "It's about who you're replacing because it's about whether you will alter the constitutional balance". No, it's not Plugs, read the constitution.
Sen. Herb Kohl:"The laws in the Constitution are ambiguous and open to many interpretations." In your dreams Senator.
Sen. Teddy Kennedy “Why should we believe that you’ll act as an independent check on the president when he claims the power to ignore the laws passed by Congress?” What in hell does that mean?
DAY THREE:
Sen. Arlen Spectre: "Is it appropriate for the courts to declare acts of Congress unconstitutional."
Errrr, isn't that the reason SCOTUS exists?
Sen. Dick Durbin: "Your group discriminates against women according to Diane Weeks"
Judge Alito: "I hired Diane Weeks".
Sen. Chuck Schumer: Schumer quoted as telling aide, "It's clear Alito is trying to goad us into getting mad at him" Beyond commentary.
Question to Alito: "What was your state of mind in 1985?" This is getting downright silly
Welcome New York Times readers.
Venezuelan shoppers face food shortages
No Coffee?? Now that's how to start a revolution.........
BBC /President Hugo Chavez's policy of keeping a tight control on food retail prices while doubling the price of raw coffee beans back in December may have backfired.
For at least a week, there has been no roasted coffee available on the shelves of Venezuelan supermarkets as wholesalers and coffee producers have been withholding their coffee from sale.
Since 2003, President Chavez has maintained a strict price regime on some basic foods like coffee, beans, sugar and powdered milk.
But this measure designed to curb inflation has alienated Venezuela's coffee producers who say their profit margins have been reduced to nothing.
Something the Socialists/Communists have'nt learned yet....the quickest way to make a commodity disappear is to apply price controls.
BBC /President Hugo Chavez's policy of keeping a tight control on food retail prices while doubling the price of raw coffee beans back in December may have backfired.
For at least a week, there has been no roasted coffee available on the shelves of Venezuelan supermarkets as wholesalers and coffee producers have been withholding their coffee from sale.
Since 2003, President Chavez has maintained a strict price regime on some basic foods like coffee, beans, sugar and powdered milk.
But this measure designed to curb inflation has alienated Venezuela's coffee producers who say their profit margins have been reduced to nothing.
Something the Socialists/Communists have'nt learned yet....the quickest way to make a commodity disappear is to apply price controls.
Tuesday, January 10, 2006
Report: MS-13 gang hired to murder Border Patrol
Reason # 6,280 we need a fence.
Mexican alien smugglers plan to pay violent gang members and smuggle them into the United States to murder Border Patrol agents, according to a confidential Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by the Daily Bulletin.
The Officer Safety Alert, dated Dec. 21, warns agents that the smugglers intend to bring members of the international Mara Salvatrucha street gang also known as MS-13 into the country for the deadly mission.
"Unidentified Mexican alien smugglers are angry about the increased security along the U.S./Mexico border and have agreed that the best way to deal with U.S. Border Patrol agents is to hire a group of contract killers," the alert states.
MS-13, which has a strong base in El Salvador, is considered by the FBI to be one of the most dangerous gangs in the United States, with more than 20,000 members.
Gang members have been found in 33 states and connected to murder, racketeering, assault, rapes and extortion. Last January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided six cities and made more than 100 arrests of MS-13 gang members.
Intelligence officials last year reported
Mexican alien smugglers plan to pay violent gang members and smuggle them into the United States to murder Border Patrol agents, according to a confidential Department of Homeland Security memo obtained by the Daily Bulletin.
The Officer Safety Alert, dated Dec. 21, warns agents that the smugglers intend to bring members of the international Mara Salvatrucha street gang also known as MS-13 into the country for the deadly mission.
"Unidentified Mexican alien smugglers are angry about the increased security along the U.S./Mexico border and have agreed that the best way to deal with U.S. Border Patrol agents is to hire a group of contract killers," the alert states.
MS-13, which has a strong base in El Salvador, is considered by the FBI to be one of the most dangerous gangs in the United States, with more than 20,000 members.
Gang members have been found in 33 states and connected to murder, racketeering, assault, rapes and extortion. Last January, Immigration and Customs Enforcement raided six cities and made more than 100 arrests of MS-13 gang members.
Intelligence officials last year reported
Monday, January 09, 2006
Blair impeachment over Iraq urged
Liberal moonbats are the same the world over.......
Prime Minister Tony Blair should be impeached over the war in Iraq, a former top British soldier has said.
The ex-UN commander in Bosnia General Sir Michael Rose said Mr Blair had to take responsibility for his actions.
"To go to war on what turns out to be false grounds is something that no one should be allowed to walk away from," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
A Downing Street spokesman said Sir Michael was entitled to his view but had been retired for some time.
"The government is entitled to point out that there have been three democratic elections in Iraq," said the prime minister's official spokesman.
Wes Clark/John Murtha wannabe.
Prime Minister Tony Blair should be impeached over the war in Iraq, a former top British soldier has said.
The ex-UN commander in Bosnia General Sir Michael Rose said Mr Blair had to take responsibility for his actions.
"To go to war on what turns out to be false grounds is something that no one should be allowed to walk away from," he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.
A Downing Street spokesman said Sir Michael was entitled to his view but had been retired for some time.
"The government is entitled to point out that there have been three democratic elections in Iraq," said the prime minister's official spokesman.
Wes Clark/John Murtha wannabe.
Sunday, January 08, 2006
Iraqis Say Government Almost in Place
If the various factions in Iraq can form a National Unity Government in a timely manner, the insurgency will slowly whither away.
Iraq's fractious political groups could form a coalition government within weeks, the country's president said Saturday, as U.S. officials have increased post-election contacts with disaffected Sunni Arabs linked to the insurgency.
Jalal Talabani, Iraq's Kurdish president, offered a timeframe on the formation of a government after meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who said Iraqis remain optimistic about their future despite suffering through a violent week that saw nearly 200 people killed in two days, including 11 U.S. troops.
In an effort to help draw Sunni Arabs into the political process as a way to dampen the violence, U.S. officials for months have been communicating directly or through channels with members of the disaffected minority connected to the insurgency.
A Western diplomat on Saturday reported a recent "uptick" in those contacts.
Those insurgents "sense that the political process does protect the Sunni community's interest," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a member of the Shiite Alliance and head of the Dawa party, said in a separate meeting with Straw that the Shiite "alliance and the coalition of Kurdistan and the other tickets, fortunately, are keen to make a national unity government. That common feeling will make the process easier."
This does not support the narrative of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
Iraq's fractious political groups could form a coalition government within weeks, the country's president said Saturday, as U.S. officials have increased post-election contacts with disaffected Sunni Arabs linked to the insurgency.
Jalal Talabani, Iraq's Kurdish president, offered a timeframe on the formation of a government after meeting with visiting British Foreign Secretary Jack Straw, who said Iraqis remain optimistic about their future despite suffering through a violent week that saw nearly 200 people killed in two days, including 11 U.S. troops.
In an effort to help draw Sunni Arabs into the political process as a way to dampen the violence, U.S. officials for months have been communicating directly or through channels with members of the disaffected minority connected to the insurgency.
A Western diplomat on Saturday reported a recent "uptick" in those contacts.
Those insurgents "sense that the political process does protect the Sunni community's interest," the diplomat said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the issue.
Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari, a member of the Shiite Alliance and head of the Dawa party, said in a separate meeting with Straw that the Shiite "alliance and the coalition of Kurdistan and the other tickets, fortunately, are keen to make a national unity government. That common feeling will make the process easier."
This does not support the narrative of Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid.
Saturday, January 07, 2006
DeLay Will Quit Leadership Post in House
This is a quality move by Delay for both his party and his country. The Republicans have some serious work to do within their own ranks and some strong new blood will allow this to happen.
Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay decided Saturday to give up his post as House majority leader, clearing the way for new leadership elections among House Republicans eager to shed the taint of scandal, two officials said.
These officials said DeLay, R-Texas, was preparing a letter informing fellow House Republicans of his decision. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
DeLay is battling campaign finance charges in Texas and was forced to step aside temporarily as majority leader last fall after he was charged in his home state. He has consistently maintained his innocence and said he intended to resume his leadership post once cleared.
Embattled Rep. Tom DeLay decided Saturday to give up his post as House majority leader, clearing the way for new leadership elections among House Republicans eager to shed the taint of scandal, two officials said.
These officials said DeLay, R-Texas, was preparing a letter informing fellow House Republicans of his decision. These officials spoke on condition of anonymity, saying they did not want to pre-empt the formal announcement.
DeLay is battling campaign finance charges in Texas and was forced to step aside temporarily as majority leader last fall after he was charged in his home state. He has consistently maintained his innocence and said he intended to resume his leadership post once cleared.
Western journalist kidnapped in Baghdad: police
My reasearch shows the kidnapped journalist to be Jill Carrol, who works for the Christian Science Monitor." Her reports concerning the situation in Iraq have consistently painted the situation in a negative light.
Jan 7, 2006 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A female Western journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad on Saturday and her translator killed, police said.
They said she was on her way to a meeting with a Sunni Arab leader when a car carrying an unknown number of gunmen blocked her vehicle in the Adel district near Malik bin Anas mosque in west Baghdad.
The gunmen shot dead her driver, an Iraqi journalist who also worked as her translator, abandoned their car and drove off in hers.
There has been a spate of kidnappings of Westerners in Iraq over the past few months after a lull during most of 2005. Four Christian peace activists — a Briton, an American and two Canadians — are still being held captive. A French engineer is also being held.
Keep this up and maybe they'll start getting some bad press.............NAW.
Jan 7, 2006 — BAGHDAD (Reuters) - A female Western journalist was kidnapped in Baghdad on Saturday and her translator killed, police said.
They said she was on her way to a meeting with a Sunni Arab leader when a car carrying an unknown number of gunmen blocked her vehicle in the Adel district near Malik bin Anas mosque in west Baghdad.
The gunmen shot dead her driver, an Iraqi journalist who also worked as her translator, abandoned their car and drove off in hers.
There has been a spate of kidnappings of Westerners in Iraq over the past few months after a lull during most of 2005. Four Christian peace activists — a Briton, an American and two Canadians — are still being held captive. A French engineer is also being held.
Keep this up and maybe they'll start getting some bad press.............NAW.
Friday, January 06, 2006
Unemployment rate falls to 4.9%; Nov. payrolls revised higher
This puts the total jobs produced in 2005 at 2,000,000, not too shabby for a "Hoover economy".
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. job growth slowed in December to 108,000 even as the unemployment rate fell unexpectedly to a cyclical low of 4.9%, the Labor Department said Friday.
The seasonally adjusted growth in nonfarm payrolls was less than the 205,000 expected by economists, but upward revisions to prior months totaling 71,000 put total payrolls near the expected level of 134.5 million.
November's net job growth was revised to 305,000 from 215,000 previously. It was the largest gain in more than a year.
In December, average hourly wages increased 5 cents, or 0.3%, to $16.34. Average wages rose 3.1% in 2005.
WASHINGTON (MarketWatch) - U.S. job growth slowed in December to 108,000 even as the unemployment rate fell unexpectedly to a cyclical low of 4.9%, the Labor Department said Friday.
The seasonally adjusted growth in nonfarm payrolls was less than the 205,000 expected by economists, but upward revisions to prior months totaling 71,000 put total payrolls near the expected level of 134.5 million.
November's net job growth was revised to 305,000 from 215,000 previously. It was the largest gain in more than a year.
In December, average hourly wages increased 5 cents, or 0.3%, to $16.34. Average wages rose 3.1% in 2005.
Lawmaker files bill to make abortion illegal in Indiana
It will be interesting to see if this makes it out of committe and ultimately to a floor vote.
INDIANAPOLIS AP- A Republican lawmaker has filed a bill to make abortion illegal in Indiana, saying if it became law, it could ultimately be a vehicle to get the U.S. Supreme Court with new members to overturn abortion rights.
But Gov. Mitch Daniels said Thursday that his sense was "it would have a very limited prospect of ultimate success."
The bill by Rep. Troy Woodruff of Vincennes would change Indiana's feticide law to make it a Class C felony, punishable with a two- to eight-year prison sentence, to perform an abortion.
The only exception would be when carrying a pregnancy to term would pose a "substantial permanent impairment of the life or physical health of the pregnant woman."
Woodruff said he filed the bill Wednesday in part because there will be a new U.S. Supreme Court and a state must pass a law and then appeal it to the highest court to see if the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling would stand.
"Also the people have never had an opportunity through their lawmakers) to vote on the matter," Woodruff said.
INDIANAPOLIS AP- A Republican lawmaker has filed a bill to make abortion illegal in Indiana, saying if it became law, it could ultimately be a vehicle to get the U.S. Supreme Court with new members to overturn abortion rights.
But Gov. Mitch Daniels said Thursday that his sense was "it would have a very limited prospect of ultimate success."
The bill by Rep. Troy Woodruff of Vincennes would change Indiana's feticide law to make it a Class C felony, punishable with a two- to eight-year prison sentence, to perform an abortion.
The only exception would be when carrying a pregnancy to term would pose a "substantial permanent impairment of the life or physical health of the pregnant woman."
Woodruff said he filed the bill Wednesday in part because there will be a new U.S. Supreme Court and a state must pass a law and then appeal it to the highest court to see if the landmark 1973 Roe v. Wade ruling would stand.
"Also the people have never had an opportunity through their lawmakers) to vote on the matter," Woodruff said.
Thursday, January 05, 2006
Robertson blames Sharon's stroke on God's enmity
If there's such a thing as a right wing equivalent of moonbat, Pat Robertson is a perfect example. This guy gives thoughtful Christians a bad name.
NORFOLK, Va. Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson criticized Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today, connecting Sharon's stroke to Israeli policies.Robertson said Sharon divided Israel and ... quote ... "woe unto any Prime Minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU (European Nation), the United Nations, or the United States of America."
The comments came on "The 700 Club," broadcast from Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach.
Robertson said he considers Sharon a good friend, and that he was sad to see him so ill.
Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.
These sort of inane comments only serve to bolster the lefts assertion that people of faith are fruitcakes.
NORFOLK, Va. Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson criticized Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon today, connecting Sharon's stroke to Israeli policies.Robertson said Sharon divided Israel and ... quote ... "woe unto any Prime Minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the EU (European Nation), the United Nations, or the United States of America."
The comments came on "The 700 Club," broadcast from Robertson's Christian Broadcasting Network in Virginia Beach.
Robertson said he considers Sharon a good friend, and that he was sad to see him so ill.
Robertson spokeswoman Angell Watts did not immediately return a telephone call seeking comment.
These sort of inane comments only serve to bolster the lefts assertion that people of faith are fruitcakes.
Jobless Claims Plunge to Five-Year Low
The Democrats Hooverville has transformed into Bushopolis!
WASHINGTON AP- The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in more than five years last week, providing strong evidence that the labor market is shaking off the effects of a string of devastating hurricanes.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 35,000 to 291,000, the smallest number since Sept. 23, 2000, when the economy was in the concluding months of the longest economic expansion in history.
The decline of 35,000 claims was much better than Wall Street had been expecting and bolstered the belief that the labor market is on the mend after a rough period in the fall when Gulf Coast hurricanes caused the loss of more than 600,000 jobs over a period of four months.
Economists are predicting that 2006 will represent another year of steady growth in jobs of around 175,000 per month. That reflects their belief that the economy will keep growing at a solid pace this year as business spending to expand and modernize production facilities offsets expected slower growth in housing sales and overall consumer spending.
UPDATE: Guess the news just sounded "too good" because AP changed the wording in the first paragragh:WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in more than five years last week, but economists cautioned that the decline is probably overstating the improvements in the labor market.
WASHINGTON AP- The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in more than five years last week, providing strong evidence that the labor market is shaking off the effects of a string of devastating hurricanes.
The Labor Department reported Thursday that applications for unemployment benefits dropped by 35,000 to 291,000, the smallest number since Sept. 23, 2000, when the economy was in the concluding months of the longest economic expansion in history.
The decline of 35,000 claims was much better than Wall Street had been expecting and bolstered the belief that the labor market is on the mend after a rough period in the fall when Gulf Coast hurricanes caused the loss of more than 600,000 jobs over a period of four months.
Economists are predicting that 2006 will represent another year of steady growth in jobs of around 175,000 per month. That reflects their belief that the economy will keep growing at a solid pace this year as business spending to expand and modernize production facilities offsets expected slower growth in housing sales and overall consumer spending.
UPDATE: Guess the news just sounded "too good" because AP changed the wording in the first paragragh:WASHINGTON - The number of newly laid-off workers filing claims for unemployment benefits fell to the lowest level in more than five years last week, but economists cautioned that the decline is probably overstating the improvements in the labor market.
Wednesday, January 04, 2006
Indiana NBC Affiliate Rejects 'Book of Daniel'
If NBC really wants to be "courageous" they should air a show about a politically conservative black family in today's society trying to cope with the contempt from their racial bretheren.
NBC affiliate WTWO in Terre Haute, Indiana, has become the first station to announce they will not be showing "The Book of Daniel.”
"We expect other NBC affiliates will join WTWO in their decision,” said American Family Association (AFA) Chairman Donald E. Wildmon.
He also said that NBC is having trouble finding sponsors for the show. AFA says it has been notified by several companies that they have no plans to sponsor the show.
"It appears that NBC will be forced to fill the available ad spots with ‘distressed merchandise’ ads which are sold at pennies on the dollar of the going rate, and with ‘make good’ ads which bring in no money to the network,” Wildmon said.
Wildmon said that other NBC affiliates, bombarded with hundreds of phone calls protesting the manner in which Christians and Christianity are depicted, will refuse to carry the program. "We are tired of NBC’s anti-Christian bigotry,” he stated.
NBC affiliate WTWO in Terre Haute, Indiana, has become the first station to announce they will not be showing "The Book of Daniel.”
"We expect other NBC affiliates will join WTWO in their decision,” said American Family Association (AFA) Chairman Donald E. Wildmon.
He also said that NBC is having trouble finding sponsors for the show. AFA says it has been notified by several companies that they have no plans to sponsor the show.
"It appears that NBC will be forced to fill the available ad spots with ‘distressed merchandise’ ads which are sold at pennies on the dollar of the going rate, and with ‘make good’ ads which bring in no money to the network,” Wildmon said.
Wildmon said that other NBC affiliates, bombarded with hundreds of phone calls protesting the manner in which Christians and Christianity are depicted, will refuse to carry the program. "We are tired of NBC’s anti-Christian bigotry,” he stated.
Jack Abramoff Lobbying and Political Contributions, 1999 - 2006*
Click on the link for a complete listing of all contributions by Jack Abramoff. I would have posted it here but the list is massive. Look for the Democrats to try and make this a "culture of corruption" issue. Not surprisingly the money is spread across both sides of the aisle, nonetheless the left will portray themselves as innocent and pure.
Whatever Republicans are involved in wrongdoing ought to pay a heavy price, I suspect it would be too much to ask that the Democrats demand the same for the guilty in their party.
Whatever Republicans are involved in wrongdoing ought to pay a heavy price, I suspect it would be too much to ask that the Democrats demand the same for the guilty in their party.
ABA rates Alito 'well-qualified'
The left may as well accept the inevitable. They aren't going to stop this one regardless.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 4 (UPI) -- U.S. Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito has received a "well qualified" rating from the American Bar Association.
The ABA Wednesday said its 15-member Standing committee voted unanimously, with one recusal, to give Alito the group's highest rating.
The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee is set to convene hearings on Alito's nomination to the Supreme Court Tuesday. President George Bush selected Alito to replace Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, who said in July she wished to retire.
Media Reports Miracle Mine Rescue -- Then Carries the Tragic Truth
Another stellar performance from the Entrenched Media.
NEW YORK In one of the most disturbing and disgraceful media performances of this type in recent years, television and newspapers carried the tragically wrong news late Tuesday and early Wednesday that 12 of 13 trapped coal miners in West Virginia had been found alive and safe. Hours later they had to reverse course, often blaming the mix-up on "miscommunication."
For hours, starting just before midnight, newspaper reporters and anchors such as Rita Crosby interviewed euphoric loved ones and helped spread the news about the miracle rescue.
Newspaper Web sites announced the happy news and many put it into print for Wednesday right at late deadlines. The Washington Post story by Ann Scott Tyson, which appears on the front page, opened: "A dozen miners trapped 12,000 feet into a mountainside since early Monday were found alive Tuesday night just hours after rescuers found the body of a 13th man, who had died in an explosion in an adjacent coal mine that was sealed off in early December."(snip)
Anderson Cooper, the CNN host, ripped the coal company at 3 a.m. for not correcting the wrong reports for so long, but did not explain why CNN went with the good news without strong confirmation.
"Disturbing and disgraceful" have become the rule rather than the exception.
NEW YORK In one of the most disturbing and disgraceful media performances of this type in recent years, television and newspapers carried the tragically wrong news late Tuesday and early Wednesday that 12 of 13 trapped coal miners in West Virginia had been found alive and safe. Hours later they had to reverse course, often blaming the mix-up on "miscommunication."
For hours, starting just before midnight, newspaper reporters and anchors such as Rita Crosby interviewed euphoric loved ones and helped spread the news about the miracle rescue.
Newspaper Web sites announced the happy news and many put it into print for Wednesday right at late deadlines. The Washington Post story by Ann Scott Tyson, which appears on the front page, opened: "A dozen miners trapped 12,000 feet into a mountainside since early Monday were found alive Tuesday night just hours after rescuers found the body of a 13th man, who had died in an explosion in an adjacent coal mine that was sealed off in early December."(snip)
Anderson Cooper, the CNN host, ripped the coal company at 3 a.m. for not correcting the wrong reports for so long, but did not explain why CNN went with the good news without strong confirmation.
"Disturbing and disgraceful" have become the rule rather than the exception.
Tuesday, January 03, 2006
IRAQ: IRANIAN MUJAHADEEN SAID TO BE IN U.S. CUSTODY
It will be interesting to hear what Iranian Pres. nutburger has to say about this......
Baghdad, 3 Jan. (AKI) - The leader of the Iranian mujahadeen, Massoud Rajavi, who was thought to have been in hiding since the American occupation of Iraq, is under house arrest there, according to the Paris-based website, roozonline. Massoud Rajavi and another 27 leaders of the Iranian movement, who were confined in the Ashraf base, after the fall of Saddam Hussein, have reportedly been shifted to US military custody in the Mercury Camp. The Iranian mujahadeen is a militant guerrilla movement seeking to overthrow the government of Iran and was based first in France and then in Iraq.
The Mujahadeen of the Iranian People is active in Europe under the name of the National Resistance Council, with a declared aim of overthrowing the Islamic republic of Iran. Listed as a terror group by Washington and the European Union, the Muajahadeen were founded in the late 1960s, before the Islamic Revolution in Iran as the armed wing of a religious movement opposing the then monarchy.
Baghdad, 3 Jan. (AKI) - The leader of the Iranian mujahadeen, Massoud Rajavi, who was thought to have been in hiding since the American occupation of Iraq, is under house arrest there, according to the Paris-based website, roozonline. Massoud Rajavi and another 27 leaders of the Iranian movement, who were confined in the Ashraf base, after the fall of Saddam Hussein, have reportedly been shifted to US military custody in the Mercury Camp. The Iranian mujahadeen is a militant guerrilla movement seeking to overthrow the government of Iran and was based first in France and then in Iraq.
The Mujahadeen of the Iranian People is active in Europe under the name of the National Resistance Council, with a declared aim of overthrowing the Islamic republic of Iran. Listed as a terror group by Washington and the European Union, the Muajahadeen were founded in the late 1960s, before the Islamic Revolution in Iran as the armed wing of a religious movement opposing the then monarchy.
Sunni Group Near Deal With Kurds on Iraqi Government
Too bad, so sad, another Democrat talking point shot to hell.....
BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 - The largest Sunni Arab political group in Iraq unexpectedly moved toward agreement with Kurdish leaders Monday on a broad framework for a coalition government. The group, the Iraqi Consensus Front, said it would abandon claims that national elections last month had been rigged once international election monitors finish their review of the allegations.
A Sunni consensus party official, Ahmad Rushdi, said that meetings in Iraqi Kurdistan between the party and the Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani yielded "an agreement that the results from the international monitoring committee" - which is examining the vote - "would be approved." After results are final, he said, "discussion will continue about the formation of the upcoming government."
If the Kurds and Sunnis eventually did reach a political agreement, any deal to ultimately be part of a coalition government would be shaped by the dominant Shiite political alliance, which is expected to control nearly half the seats in parliament.
BAGHDAD, Jan. 2 - The largest Sunni Arab political group in Iraq unexpectedly moved toward agreement with Kurdish leaders Monday on a broad framework for a coalition government. The group, the Iraqi Consensus Front, said it would abandon claims that national elections last month had been rigged once international election monitors finish their review of the allegations.
A Sunni consensus party official, Ahmad Rushdi, said that meetings in Iraqi Kurdistan between the party and the Kurdish leader Massoud Barzani yielded "an agreement that the results from the international monitoring committee" - which is examining the vote - "would be approved." After results are final, he said, "discussion will continue about the formation of the upcoming government."
If the Kurds and Sunnis eventually did reach a political agreement, any deal to ultimately be part of a coalition government would be shaped by the dominant Shiite political alliance, which is expected to control nearly half the seats in parliament.
Monday, January 02, 2006
Louis Farrakhan Named 'Person of the Year'
Granted online polls aren't fit to line your birdcage, nonetheless, the fact that a fair number of people believe that this fanatical racist demagogue should be "honored" is scary indeed.
Firebrand Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has been named "Person of the Year for 2005" in an online poll by the Black Entertainment Television network, beating out Oprah Winfrey, Sen. Barack Obama and BET founder Robert L. Johnson.
"An overwhelming percentage of our users agreed that Minister Farrakhan made the most positive impact on the black community over the past year," BET.com vice president Retha Hill told FinalCall.com, Farrakhan's own web site.
Farrakhan told BET.com that he was "greatly honored and extremely humbled" to be chosen as their 2005 Person of the Year.
"I accept this great honor as encouragement to work as hard as I can in the twilight years of my life to facilitate the success of this ongoing struggle,” he added.
Firebrand Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan has been named "Person of the Year for 2005" in an online poll by the Black Entertainment Television network, beating out Oprah Winfrey, Sen. Barack Obama and BET founder Robert L. Johnson.
"An overwhelming percentage of our users agreed that Minister Farrakhan made the most positive impact on the black community over the past year," BET.com vice president Retha Hill told FinalCall.com, Farrakhan's own web site.
Farrakhan told BET.com that he was "greatly honored and extremely humbled" to be chosen as their 2005 Person of the Year.
"I accept this great honor as encouragement to work as hard as I can in the twilight years of my life to facilitate the success of this ongoing struggle,” he added.
Sunday, January 01, 2006
Idiotic Quote of the Week
Doris Kearns Goodwin: The NSA security leakers deserve a nobel nomination.
Saturday, December 31, 2005
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 .
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 .
Friday, December 30, 2005
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, December 29, 2005
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:
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 28, 2005
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
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
Tuesday, December 27, 2005
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.
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.
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.
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.
Sunday, December 25, 2005
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.
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.
Saturday, December 24, 2005
Friday, December 23, 2005
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.
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, December 22, 2005
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.
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.
(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.
Wednesday, December 21, 2005
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.”
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.
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.
Tuesday, December 20, 2005
Roberts Rakes Rockefellar
Characterize it however you will but the bottom line is Sen. Roberts just called Sen. Rockefellar a liar......
He's right.
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."
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.
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.
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.
Monday, December 19, 2005
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.
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$$.
Boxer: " spying on Americans is an impeachable offense."
Dingy Harry: this is illegal, it borders on and possibly crosses the line of breaking the law
Not to mention Kerry spilling the beans a few days back when he said: "if the Democrats retake Congress they could make a case for impeaching President Bush."
It's smack dab center in their minds, they've been fantasizing about it for a long time and they sense they may have their opportunity. Unfortunately for them, they will end up overplaying their collective hand again and it will most surely bite them in the a$$.
Bush Presser
One word to describe Bush' Press conference this morn......OUTSTANDING!
Other Reax at Michelle Malkin, ABP, and Polipundit
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.
(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
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
Sunday, December 18, 2005
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.
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.
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.
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!
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!
Saturday, December 17, 2005
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
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?
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?
Friday, December 16, 2005
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.
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.
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.
Thursday, December 15, 2005
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
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.
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?
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
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
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
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.
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.
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.
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.
Monday, December 12, 2005
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