One Year Blogiversary!

Today marks one year since I began blogging on my own. It's been fun and I look forward to providing my readers with a continuing supply of stories and opinion they won't now or likely ever see in the mainstream press.

Special thanks to Dr. Rusty Shackleford at Jawa who has been kind enough to allow me to post on his terrific site. May he see his long awaited and well derserved fatwa issued in the very near future.

You guys who have been with me since the beginning a special thanx for you're support.

Housing starts soar to near 33-year high

Did someone say housing bubble?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. housing starts soared 14.5 percent in January to the highest level in nearly 33 years, as groundbreaking on new single-family houses hit a record, the government said on Thursday in a report showing unexpected strength in a market that had begun to slow.

The Commerce Department said January housing starts climbed to a 2.276 million unit annual rate -- faster than Wall Street economists' forecasts of a 2.0 million unit pace. December housing starts were revised up to a 1.988 million unit pace from an originally reported 1.933 million unit rate.

January's increase was the largest monthly percentage gain since March 1994, when starts rose 17.0 percent.

New construction of single-family homes increased 12.8 percent to a record 1.819 million unit pace in January while multifamily housing starts surged 21.9 percent to a 457,000 unit pace, the Commerce Department said.

Starts rose across the United States, climbing 29.2 percent in the Northeast, 23.7 percent in the Midwest, 16.9 percent in the West and 8.7 percent in the South.

Letter From Iraq Completely Ignored by the EM

From: Mayor of Tall ‘Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.

To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpsesof children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zuma and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom.

Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and inevery flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID
AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tall ‘Afar,
Ninewa, Iraq

Also picked up here

Update: The Mudville Gazette has some background on this letter.

Saddam general: WMDs in Syria

The more that comes out, the more it points to Syria....

A former general and friend of Saddam Hussein who defected but maintains close contact with Iraq claims the regime supported al-Qaida with intelligence, finances and munitions and believes weapons of mass destruction are hidden in Syria.

Ali Ibrahim al-Tikriti, southern regional commander for Saddam Hussein's Fedayeen militia in the late 1980s, spoke with Ryan Mauro of WorldThreats.com.

Known as the "Butcher of Basra," al-Tikriti commanded units that dealt with chemical and biological weapons. He defected shortly before the Gulf War in 1991.

Last month, Saddam Hussein's No. 2 Air Force officer, Georges Sada, told the New York Sun Iraq's weapons of mass destruction were moved to Syria six weeks before the war started. Sada claimed two Iraqi Airways Boeing jets converted to cargo planes moved the weapons in a total of 56 flights. They attracted little attention, he said, because they were thought to be civilian flights providing relief from Iraq to Syria, which had suffered a flood after a dam collapse in 2002. [snip]

"After Saddam denied he had such weapons, why would he use them or leave them readily available to be found?" he said. "That would only legitimize President Bush, who he has a personal grudge against."

What we are witnessing now, he said, "is many who opposed the war to begin with are rallying around Saddam saying we overthrew a sovereign leader based on a lie about WMD. This is exactly what Saddam wanted and predicted."

Retail Sales for January Surge

The Commerce Department reports that retail sales outside of autos soared in January by the largest amount in more than six years.

Compare the coverage of this to the piffling on the Cheney incident. It's quite evident what type of "news" the EM prioritizes.

More Media Hysteria

This from DRUDGE

NBC REPORTER TO WHITE HOUSE SPOKESMAN: 'DON'T BE A JERK' Tue Feb 14 2006 08:54:18 E

Gregory asked White House Press Secretary Scott McClellan about the Cheney hunting accident.

'David, hold on, the cameras aren't on right now,' McClellan replied. 'You can do this later.'

'Don't accuse me of trying to pose to the cameras,' Gregory said, voice rising. 'Don't be a jerk to me personally when I'm asking you a serious question.'

'You don't have to yell,' McClellan said.

"I will yell,' said Gregory, pointing a finger at McCellan at his dais. 'If you want to use that podium to try to take shots at me personally, which I don't appreciate, then I will raise my voice, because that's wrong.'

'Calm down, Dave, calm down,' said McClellan.

'I'll calm down when I feel like calming down,' Gregory said. 'You answer the question.'

'I have answered the question,' said McClellan, who had maintained that the vice president's office was in charge of getting the information out and worked with the ranch owner to do that.

'I'm sorry you're getting all riled up about.'

'I am riled up,' Gregory said, 'because you're not answering the question.'"

What a punk. Gregory is a self important narcissist and McClellan rightly treats him as such.

The Cheney Incident. A Big Deal?

The normally lucid John Podhoretz has completely gone of the deep end on this one….

“This story is a very big deal, despite all the mitigating factors – the accident involved a friend, his medical team was right there to help, and all that. Something like this has never happened before, and it is a genuinely disturbing thing to think that the vice president of the United States actually shot somebody last weekend, even for fans of his. It’s disturbing as well that there was a news blackout that lasted nearly a day about this serious incident. It seems beyond question that the vice president is going to have to go before the cameras, explain what happened, and show genuine remorse for his actions, however inadvertent. It’s a difficult challenge for someone as reticent as Dick Cheney. But unless he does so, and makes a good showing of it, he will be damaged goods for the remainder of the Bush presidency.”

His wife better use the plastic sheets tonight because he’s gonna wet the bed for sure.

MM has lots more reax

The press is becoming increasingly unabashed in their bias as this was said by Bill Plante on CBSs Early Show:

"It's not about us, it's not about the reporters. It's about the fact that the White House is expected to disclose any information about what happens to the President and the Vice-President as soon as they can. In any other White House that I've covered, and that's several as you know, the Vice-President would never have this kind of power [to control the flow of information." But if it were up to Dick Cheney, he wouldn't tell us if our shirts were on fire, for heaven's sake."

First, what does this imbecile expect when the media uses stories like this as an IED rather than a microphone. Besides, most of these dim wits wouldn't accept that their shirts were on fire if they weren't informed of the fact by an anonymous source.

Ted Rall Says He Might Sue Ann Coulter for Holocaust Cartoon Remark

This panty waist has offended millions over his career and now threatenes to sue over an obviously toungue in cheek remark that offended no one but him JEEEEZ.

NEW YORK Columnist Ann Coulter made a provocative remark Friday about "Doonesbury" creator Garry Trudeau and editorial cartoonist Ted Rall. Trudeau is shrugging it off, but Rall is considering a lawsuit.Coulter reportedly said Friday at the Conservative Political Action

Conference in Washington, D.C.: "Iran is soliciting cartoons on the Holocaust. So far, only Ted Rall, Garry Trudeau, and The New York Times have made submissions.

"Giving her remark another twist is the fact that the conservative Coulter has the same distributor -- Universal Press Syndicate -- as the liberal Rall and Trudeau.

When asked Monday if he wanted to respond to Coulter's comment, Trudeau told E&P via e-mail: "Nah."

For cying out loud, it was a joke Ted! This is oh soooo typical of the left. They can dish it out but they sure can't take it.

16% Think They've Been Wiretapped

Just a shade higher than the percentage of people that believe that they have been abducted by aliens.

February 12, 2006--One-out-of six Americans (16%) believe that the Federal government has wiretapped their phones. Sixty-six percent (66%) are confident their phones have not been tapped while 18% are not sure.

Politically liberal Americans are more likely to believe their phones have been tapped than moderates and conservatives. Among liberals, 26% believe they have been the subject of a wiretap while just 53% are confident their phones have not been monitored in this way.

Conservatives, by a 77% to 12% margin, say their phones have not been tapped.

Why does this not surprise me.

Quote of the Day

Referring to the hunting accident where Harry Whittington was sprayed with pellets from Dick Cheney's shotgun, Howie Carr had this to say....."It’s still safer to go hunting with Dick Cheney than it is to go driving with Ted Kennedy. Or to go to a hotel room with Bill Clinton for that matter."

Jane Harmon: NY Times Should be Prosecuted

Expect to see more "defections" on the left especially from pols in close races. The public is behind these WTs and they can't afford to be on the wrong side of this one.

In a stunning break with her party, the ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee said Sunday that the New York Times should be prosecuted for damaging national security by revealing the National Security Agency's top secret terrorist surveillance program authorized by President Bush.

"If the press was part of the process of delivering classified information, there have to be some limits on press immunity," Harmon told NBC's "Meet the Press."

Moderator Tim Russert then pressed: "But if [the NSA leak] came from a whistleblower, should the New York Times reporter be prosecuted?"

Harmon countered: "Well, it's not clear it was a whistleblower. You have to prove that first."

Mr. Potato Head has been parroting the Dems "whistleblower" and "domestic spying" narratives from the beginning. Too bad for him and the left that both terms are innacurate and the majority of Americans know it.

Hillary for Prez Says Ousted German Chancellor

An endorsement from a failed candidate who left an economy with .3% growth and an unemployment rate of 10.5% is hardly a positive for her thighness.....

JEDDAH, Saudi Arabia (AP) — Former German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, a fierce critic of the Bush administration, said Saturday that he's pulling for U.S. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton to win the White House.

"I'd be very pleased if Hillary Clinton would become the next American president," Schroeder said to applause from a largely Saudi audience at the Jeddah Economic Forum, which opened here Saturday. "But don't quote me too loud.

I hope I'm not harming her by saying that."Schroeder made the statement during a discussion of global women leaders at a gender-segregated theater where a plastic barrier separated women from men.

Lobbyist Confirms Talks With Reid's Office

Those who live in glass houses......

One of Jack Abramoff's ex-colleagues confirms he contacted Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid's office on behalf of the influential lobbyist but says he does not believe Abramoff's billing records accurately reflect the extent of his work.

Ronald Platt, a lobbyist who worked with Abramoff at the Greenberg Traurig firm between 2001 and 2004, said he contacted Reid's office in 2001, as the billing records show, about the timing of minimum wage legislation affecting one of Abramoff's clients, the Northern Mariana Islands.

"When Abramoff first arrived at Greenberg Traurig, I did a new colleague a favor by simply asking Reid staffers about when the minimum wage legislation affecting the Mariana Islands would be voted upon by the Senate. I communicated this to Abramoff," Platt said in a statement e-mailed Friday evening to The Associated Press.

The AP reported on Thursday that lobbying firm billing records obtained under public records law from the Marianas showed that Abramoff billed the islands for 21 contacts in 2001 with Reid's office.

Sunni tribes in Anbar agree to combat foreign fighters

It's called Nationalism and it's steadily increasing in Iraq.

BAGHDAD (AFP) - Sunni tribesmen of Iraq's restive al-Anbar province have agreed to take over combating foreign fighters there and securing the borders, officials said.

The agreement was reached earlier this week in an meeting with US and Iraqi officials, who included US commander General George Casey and Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim Jaafari.

"It was a very fruitful and constructive meeting," National Security Advisor Muaffaq al-Rubaie, who attended the Tuesday meeting, told AFP.

"The basic principle is that the province's security is the responsibility of the local people and they promised they would kick out the foreign fighters."

In the past week, nine members of the US military have been killed in Anbar.

Tribal leaders will also encourage their followers to enlist in the Iraqi army and police forces.

Osama al-Jadaan, head of the Karabla tribe along the border, also attended the meeting and said his forces were ready to go after the foreign fighters.

Judge: No credible evidence underage sex always harmful

A Clinton appointee, imagine that.

WICHITA, Kan. - A federal judge hearing a constitutional challenge to a Kansas law requiring doctors, teachers and others to report underage sex between consenting youths said the state presented no credible evidence that underage sex is always harmful.

U.S. District Judge J. Thomas Marten stopped short of issuing a decision from the bench, but he repeatedly interrupted Thursday's closing arguments by Assistant Attorney General Steve Alexander to challenge his assertions.

"Motives are irrelevant - I want to deal with facts," Marten said. "Where is the clear, credible evidence that underage sex is always injurious? If you tell me because it is illegal - I reject that," Marten said.

The lawsuit filed by The Center for Reproductive Rights, a New York advocacy group, stems from a 2003 opinion issued by Kansas Attorney General Phill Kline's opinion requiring health care providers and others to tell authorities about consensual sex by underage youths.

The group contends that forced reporting discourages adolescents from seeking counseling and medical treatment and violates their rights to informational privacy.

The Attorney General's Office contends the statute requires mandatory reporting because sex is inherently harmful to underage children. In Kansas, the age of consent is 16.

Appears this judge has been reading too much Kinsey. Possibly been spending a bit too much time at NAMBLA's website as well.

Consumers gain confidence in economy, their financial well-being

Despite the best efforts of the EM to keep the robust economy under the radar, most Americans know the score....

WASHINGTON, Feb. 10 AP — Consumers' confidence in the economy and their own financial fortunes climbed to a 16-month high as better prospects for jobs and wages lifted people's spirits.

The RBC CASH (Consumer Attitudes and Spending by Household) Index, based on results from the international polling firm Ipsos, showed that confidence clocked in at 96.1 in early February, marking a big improvement from January's 78.2. The new confidence reading was the best since October 2004.

The confidence revival also was helped by mild winter weather which meant that home heating bills weren't nearly as bad as many thought they would be, analysts said.

Jobless claims slightly up to 277,000

More bad news on the economic front.......for the Democrats that is.

Smoothed average of new claims lowest in nearly 6 years

The four-week average of seasonally adjusted new claims fell to 276,500, the lowest since April 2000. The average number of new claims is nearly 50,000 lower than it was for most of 2005.

"The low pace of jobless claims suggests that the labor market is expanding at a solid pace, and that the economy has been strong enough to absorb higher energy costs," said Sophia Koropeckyj, an economist for Moody's Economy.com.

The four-week average is considered a better gauge of new claims because it smoothes out one-time disturbances, such as holidays, intense weather and strikes.

Hillary Meter: 43% Will Vote Against

Every time she speaks it's like fingernails scraping across a blackboard.

February 9, 2006--Support for Hillary Clinton's Presidential bid has
slipped over the past month to the lowest levels recorded in two dozen surveys
over the past year.

Today, just 27% of Americans say they would definitely vote for
the former first lady while 43% would definitely vote against. Still,
59% of Americans believe it is somewhat or very likely that she will be the
Democrat's nominee in 2008.

Among Democrats, the number who would definitely vote for Clinton
dropped 11 percentage points over the past two weeks.

Justice Department Claims Virginia Beach Police Math Exam Discriminates Against Blacks, Hispanics

Had to double check to make sure this wasn't from the Onion or Scrappleface......

AP) - A U.S. Justice Department investigation into hiring practices at the
Virginia Beach Police Department has concluded that a math exam given to
recruits discriminates against blacks and Hispanics.

The math test is one of a handful of separately times and scored components of the National Police Officer Selection Test used to screen and select entry-level officers. The investigation found that between 2002 and 2005, about 85 percent of white applicants passed the math test, while 66 percent of Hispanic applicants and 59 percent of blacks passed.

Virginia Beach demands that applicants score at least 70 percent to pass,
which adversely affects blacks and Hispanics, the justice department said in a
letter to the city.

"The evidence establishes that Virginia Beach is engaged in a pattern or
practice of discrimination against African Americans and Hispanics on the basis
of their race and national origin with respect to entry-level police officer
positions in its Police Department..." the justice department wrote.

Pardon my insensitivity but isn't a certain level of minimum intelligence a basic requirement for most jobs?

Three more killed in cartoon protests

I am beginning to believe that these people are just looking for an excuse to riot and murder. I have never in all my life seen a group of people so enamoured with violence and death

KABUL (Reuters) - Afghan police fired at protesters trying to storm a U.S. military base on Wednesday, killing three and wounding 20 as anger over cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammad flared anew.

The latest deaths in the town of Qalat brought the number of
Afghans who have been killed in similar protests this week to
10.

The trouble comes as NATO countries are preparing to expand a peacekeeping
mission in Afghanistan, and after a wave of bomb attacks on foreign and Afghan
forces and civilian targets blamed on Taliban and al Qaeda militants.

Afghanistan's top religious council called for an end to the
demonstrations, saying people would use the disturbances for purposes of
sabotage. The Ulema Council also condemned the cartoons, as has the Afghan
government.