April 30, 2007

Christopher Hitchens Slices and Dices George Tenet's Book

Zing!

As for his bawling and sobbing claim that faced with crisis in Iraq, "the administration's message was: Don't blame us. George Tenet and the CIA got us into this mess," I can say, as one who has attended about a thousand postmortems on Iraq in Washington, that I have never, ever, not once heard a single partisan of the administration say anything of the kind. The White House may have thought that it could count on the CIA to present some sort of solidity in a crisis but, as Sept. 11 had already proved, more fool the White House.

I know I wouldn't want to be on the other end of Hitchens' poisonous pen.

More on Tenet over at the The Strata-Sphere.

h/t: Larwyn

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Latest GOP Bloggers Straw Poll Up

Click here to cast your vote.

*As of this writing, Fred Thompson is in the lead as first choice, with 54.7% of the vote. Rudi Giuliani has 15.5%, coming in at a distant second.

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John Edwards Considers Taxing Wealthy

SHOCKER!!!

Democratic presidential contender John Edwards said Sunday he would consider raising taxes on corporations and the wealthy to fund programs such as universal health care.

Edwards has long said he wants to repeal the tax cuts on upper-income earners enacted during the Bush presidency, but Sunday he seemed to go further, by saying he was open to raising them higher than they were before George W. Bush took office. He also said he would consider taxes on "excess profits," including those made by oil companies.

Edwards said it was more important to level with voters than to worry about the political consequences of advocating higher taxes.

"It's just the truth," Edwards said during a news conference following his speech to the California Democratic Party convention. "It's the only way to fund the things that need to be done."

Excess profits? Since when is the likes of Edwards, who made his fortune off of suing the pants off of doctors, the arbiter of what constitutes excess profits? If that's the case, I'd like to suggest that trial lawyers who make more than $200K per year be subject to an "excess profit" tax. Please make checks payable to me, as it would level my playing field quite nicely.

This is typical leftwing schtick. People who work hard and profit handsomely from their labor have an unfair advantage over everyone else, so they must be punished by higher taxes, which means that they have less money to invest in capital ventures that could end up benefiting many other people by creating more employment, etc. Edwards and other Democrats enjoy their roles as modern-day Robin Hoods -- except that the people they are stealing from didn't get their money by extorting the poor, but from hard work and smart investments. The ones who are being disproportionately taxed these days are the rich.

This is class warfare, pure and simple. I find it highly amusing, however, that instead of actual poor people leading the charge, we have obscenely wealthy politicians like Edwards, John Kerry, Nancy Pelosi and others who feel they are entitled somehow to tell the rest of us, rich, poor, or otherwise, how much is too much.

And the idea of universal healthcare should definitely scare everyone off. If you'd like to know more about how successful "free" government-run healthcare is, click here to see what's happening up in Canada. It seems "free" healthcare is great, as long as you don't come down with anything more serious than the flu.

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Tony Snow Back to Work!

White House Spokesman Tony Snow is back on the job.

"I've recovered from the surgery, more or less," Snow said in a CNN interview. "I'll start doing chemo on Friday. We'll do it every other week for four months."

Here's to his continued recovery, and to his keeping the rabid White House press on a short leash.

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April 28, 2007

Hillary is Multilingual

Yes folks, Mrs. Bill Clinton is multilingual because she sometimes puts on a lousy Southern accent -- not because she can speak more than one actual language. Boy, that woman can put a spin on everything. And you know whut Ah'm talkin' about!

Funny, though, how that accent tends to come out only in front of black audiences, even if those audiences are up North.

Just think of all the money schools could save if they stopped teaching languages and just coached kids in different "multilingual" accents. Then all that money could go toward more important things, like civics, which seem to be disappearing in our schools. Then maybe kids could grow up to recognize a political panderer when they see one.

To sleep, perchance to dream...

Mrs. Bill Clinton displays her "multilingual" skills in Selma

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April 27, 2007

Next on the Left's Hit List: Rush Limbaugh

They've always hated him. But their hatred takes on new life, as reflected in Vanity Fair's current piece on El Rushbo.

Brian Mahoney over at Radio Equalizer takes a look at the article by James Wolcott, which is riddled with personal insults and claims that Rush is wrong about everything, with proof being Al Franken's ramblings. Oh, and the obligatory Nazi reference in the form of Goebbels makes an appearance as well. (Rush's home address is also published...remember when that happened to Michelle Malkin?)

You know, the next time your local liberal runs Rush down, ask him if he's actually listened to Rush. And not just the sound bites provided by the MSM when they're criticizing him for something, but a whole show. I'll bet good money he likely hasn't.

h/t: Kitty

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Must-See: Jon Voight on O'Reilly Factor

Jon Voight joined Bill O'Reilly last night, and he had a lot of interesting things to say, including:

We have a real enemy. We're facing people who want to destroy America, who want to destroy all democracy. And in this country, I'm really quite frightened, Bill, at what has happened to our great nation.

Watch the video on Hot Air to find out what Voight's concerns are. To update what I've said before, it's nice to know that not everyone in Tinseltown wears a tin-foil hat.

Related: Jon Voight on President Bush, Iraq, and Agenda-Driven Journalism

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Al-Qaeda Bigwig Nabbed

UPDATE: Head on over to Captain's Quarters for updates to this story. As Ed says, "It's a good thing we're committed to staying in Iraq, isn't it? Because if we left, then we couldn't catch AQ commanders before they had a chance to get situated in Iraq and start killing people by the dozens."

One of al-Qaeda's "highest ranking and senior operatives" was captured last week and is now at Club G'itmo. Abd al Hadi al-Iraqi was intercepted while on his way to Iraq to take over "operations" there.

Now that Saddam Hussein has been dispatched, perhaps Ramsay Clark will be available to take over al-Iraqi's case?

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April 26, 2007

Hey Harry...Take A Gander at These Numbers!

The other day, Harry Reid said he didn't want to get into a "name calling" match with Dick Cheney, whom he claimed had only a 9% approval rating.

Well, I'm not sure where Reid is getting his numbers from, but according to the latest Harris poll, Cheney's approval rating is 25%, while Reid's is only 22%. Heh.

Some of the other ratings are headscratchers...for example, how in the world does Nancy Pelosi rate a 30% approval? And while Congress overall received only 27% approval, the Democrats are at 35%. What the...? Perhaps after today's vote to cede Iraq to the terrorists, Democrats will get their comeuppance. But who knows? Considering how ill-informed many of the general public are, I'm not too optimistic.

Coming out on top of everyone is Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, who garnered 45% approval. While that's down from her performance earlier this year, it just goes to show she is still a class act. (I like how she told the Democrats she wouldn't testify in person on prewar claims about WMDs.)

h/t: My mom

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On Iraq: National Interests and Honor

This is a must-read article at National Review by Joseph Morrison Skelly. I'm acquainted with him personally, and so am always happy to promote anything he does. Here's one interesting bit:

Innumerable Iraqi men and women have placed their trust in American national honor. One Iraqi official, when asked recently if the United States military should leave his country, had this to say: “About your question, me and approximately all Iraqi people want that the U.S. Army stay in Iraq now, because if your Army left my country, our future will be destroyed and the freedom that we get, it will be lost. I hope that the American government will still help us until we reach the required safety and freedom.”

Read it all. (Think Harry Reid will? Naaah, I didn't think so either.)

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Lynne Stewart Disbarred

Lynne Stewart may have gotten a slap on the wrist for her acts that benefitted an Islamofascist terrorist sheik, but the New York Supreme Court has now disbarred her, after denying her request to "voluntarily resign" from practicing law because she made the request after her felony conviction. (I thought lawyers were supposed to be hip to all those pesky details in the lawbooks.)

Apparently the moment she was convicted of a felony, she was subject to the possibility of losing her license in New York.

Looks like the donation button at the top of her website will be coming in handy!

Smile...you've just been disbarred!

h/t: V the K

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American Thinker Returns

As regular readers know, I have contributed several well-received articles to American Thinker, one of the most respected conservative sites on the web. Imagine my surprise when it "disappeared" yesterday, replaced by one of those annoying "squatter" sites. Fortunately for us, it's back, and editor Thomas Lifson tells us what happened. (Can you spell "scammed" boys and girls?)

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Carbon Offsets a Scam?

I'm shocked. SHOCKED, I tell you. I thought Al Gore and Hollywood would never steer me wrong. I trusted them! And to find that I've been bamboozled...well, it simply boggles the mind.

Moonbattery has all of the heartbreaking details.

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Dems to Giuliani: Don't Go There

UPDATE: Newsbusters has more on this story...apparently the MSM is trying to do a hit job on Giuliani by attributing words to him he didn't say. Click here for details.

Democrat candidates for president are taking Rudy Giuliani to task for, er, suggesting that they aren't strong on defense and don't take the terrorist threat seriously. Giuliani isn't backing down.

"They do not seem to get the fact that there are people, terrorists in this world, really dangerous people that want to come here and kill us," Giuliani said on "The Sean Hannity Show," according to a transcript distributed by his campaign. "They want to take us back to not being as alert which to me will just extend this war much, much longer."

He was defending his remark Tuesday in New Hampshire, where he echoed sentiments expressed by other Republicans in election time. The former mayor said if a Democrat is elected, "it sounds to me like we're going on defense. We're going to wave the white flag there."

But, he said, if a Republican wins, "we will remain on offense" trying to anticipate what the terrorists are going to do and "trying to stop them before they do it."

But isn't it true? Harry Reid tells us we've lost in Iraq. Nancy Pelosi jet sets to Syria to talk to their president, something that's not in her job description, and something that was calculated to embarrass President Bush. A Democratically-controlled Congress has okayed an Iraq spending bill that has a definite "expiration date" for Iraq.

It seems the Dem candidates would rather forget about the dangers we face. Barack Obama says Giuliani is taking "politics of fear to a new low." John Edwards whines that Giuliani shouldn't suggest there is a "superior Republican way to fight terror." Oh? Well at least Republicans know what to call it. They're not the ones who decided that the term "global war on terror (GWT)" is now verboten.

Mrs. Bill Clinton is, of course, had the most vague rebuttal, seeing as she never knows when she'll have to shift position. "It should be a solemn responsibility that all of us pledge to fulfill regardless of what party we're in." (Does anyone know if she used a bad Southern accent to make this remark?)

Democrats are the party of cut and run. They can run from that description, but they can't hide. We have their number. They can huff and puff all they want, but Rudy Giuliani is right. And to talk about it now isn't just politics, it's good sense. It's the defining issue of our time, and to ignore it in the name of poll numbers at home is just the latest in Democrat game-playing. Only the Oval Office is not the only thing at stake here -- it's the safety and security of American citizens.

You go, Rudy!

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Harry Reid Should Step Down

If Rosie O'Donnell can step down as co-host of The View, why can't Harry Reid step down as Senate Majority Leader? I talk about good ol' Harry and all of his pals over at Family Security Matters today.

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April 25, 2007

Quote of the Day

"In the liberal world, inefficiency in government is a good thing. It means more government employees, probably unionized. It means more money going through their hands. It means more and more people under their control. What’s not to like?" ~ David Strom

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Cheney vs. Reid: Smackdown!

George W. Bush really is "too nice" for politics, which is why it's a good thing he has Dick Cheney to back him up. Cheney gave Harry Reid what-for yesterday in response to Reid's proclamation that the war is "lost."

What is most troubling about Mr. Reid's comments yesterday is his defeatism. Indeed, last week, he said the war is already lost, and the timetable legislation he is pursuing would guarantee defeat.

Reid said he refused to get into a "name-calling match," but promptly contradicted himself by calling Cheney Bush's "attack dog." I'm surprised he didn't follow up the "nine percent approval rating" comment with a "so there!"

Just like his crony Nancy Pelosi, Reid can't handle direct criticism from someone who has as much, if not more, power than him, and acts like a spoiled child on the playground who has had his pail and shovel taken away from him when confronted about what he says publicly.

When will Reid declare that his patriotism is being questioned? If he needs a boost, here it is: I question Reid's patriotism.

And if Reid is going to make such statements about Iraq, perhaps he might want to consult with General Petraeus a little more often before doing so.

The winnah!

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Rosie Quitting The View

While I don't watch the show because I work (and I wouldn't watch it even if I didn't), I'm happy to hear that Rosie will be leaving The View when her contract expires at the end of the season. (At least, that's what TMZ.com is saying, and they've been pretty accurate on their scoops.) Her vile invective, crude attitude and moonbat outbursts (she outdoes anything Joyce Behar can do) have really brought The View down to the level of a septic tank.

Rumor has it she might get her own show, but I'm hoping that's wrong. And if she does, perhaps it will only be on a cable station, where she can do less damage.

Rosie is one of those angry lesbians who feels that she has to shove her sexuality in the world's collective face in as obnoxious a manner as possible. If she had taken a page out of Ellen DeGeneres' book, perhaps she'd receive a lot more respect. But then, Rosie is just not a decent person, while Ellen is. That's what it really comes down to, isn't it? It's not your color, sexuality, or religion that counts so much as your level of human decency. Some people get it...others don't.

So who will Barbara Walters replace Rosie with? Well, unless she picks someone like Sandra Bernhard, she can't go much lower. Just about anyone will be an improvement. But don't look for another conservative. One weak one is quite enough, thank you.

UPDATE: Michelle Malkin has some good links for background info on Rosie's latest antics.

h/t: Kitty

Say bye-bye, Rosie!

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April 24, 2007

Buying Political Power

Bill O'Reilly is on the case of radical left-wing billionaire George Soros, who funds leftwing groups who end up funding political candidates if they toe the line drawn in the sand by Soros. Hot Air has the video.

Included in the Soros umbrella are the Tides Foundation (connected to Ter-ayza Heinz Kerry), MoveOn.org, Center for American Progress and others.

Pat comments on this over at Brainster.

O'Reilly's money quote:

The really frightening thing about all this is that most Americans have never even heard of George Soros. This off the chart dangerous, but completely legal, under the McCain-Feingold Act.

Exactly. This is how agenda-driven individuals and groups get around one of the most ridiculous laws ever written.

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Fred Thompson on Federalism

Want to know how conservative Fred Thompson is? Read his essay at Town Hall on federalism and what it means to him.

Run Fred, run!

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Hamas Ends Truce With Israel

Our pals in Palestine are at it again, and their pals at the AP are right on top of it with an "it's all Israel's fault" slant to the story:

Hamas militants fired a barrage of rockets and mortar shells toward Israel on its independence day Tuesday, and said they considered it the end of a five-month truce with Israel.

Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, whose Hamas-led government negotiated the cease-fire with its militant wing, blamed Israel: "We made great efforts at keeping the truce and there was a positive Palestinian position, but unfortunately this position was met by expanding the aggression and escalating it against the Palestinian people," he said. "It's not a Palestinian problem, it is an Israeli problem."

Here's a journalism tip for the AP: replace "militants" with "terrorists" in the first sentence and give Israel equal time in the "he said/she said" portion of the article, and maybe, just maybe, it'll be considered to be less of a Palestinian press release and more of an actual news story.

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April 23, 2007

Dem Candidates Vie to Snag Crow for Toilet Paper Czar

The top Democrat candidates for president were in a frenzy offering singer/global warming expert Sheryl Crow a place in their hypothetical administrations as toilet paper czar.

Following Crow's stunning suggestion that a "one sheet per visit" limit be set on citizens in the bathroom in order to save trees and help stop global warming, Barack Obama, Mrs. Bill Clinton and John Edwards were quick to lay claim to this incredible asset to their campaigns.

Barack Obama, the most clean and articulate candidate in the campaign thus far, stated his case the most eloquently:

Now, I could stand up here and give you all plenty of reasons why it's a good idea for this country to use less toilet paper. I could cite studies from scientists and experts and even our own State Department detailing the dangers of global warming - how it can destroy our coastal areas and generate more deadly storms. And I could talk forever about the economic consequences of toilet paper dependence - how it's decimating our septic tanks and costing us big bucks per flush.

But all we really need to know about the danger of our toilet paper addiction comes directly from the mouth of one woman: Sheryl Crow.

Mrs. Bill Clinton hoped her references to her own parenting experiences would strike a chord with Crow:

You know, I started caring about the environment, including the bathroom environment, before my daughter was born, but after the immaculate conception, I began to take it very personally and in our own ways, Bill and I tried to implement some wiping strategies, some roll rules, some potty regulations but it wasn't quite as difficult 25 years ago as it is today. And although I confess, I still wonder how my daughter's wiping as an adult, you know, those days of being involved in a direct and personal way are certainly over in my parenting experience. But I know with Sheryl on board, it will be more than a conversation. It will be a directive.

John "Two Americas" Edwards had this to say:

Our generation must be the one that says, "we must halt global warming." If we don’t act now, it will be too late. Our generation must be the one that says "yes" to responsible wiping habits. Our generation must be the one that accepts responsibility for conserving natural resources and demands that everyone "use a hand" (or perhaps two). And our generation must be the one that supports "one square" per flush. It won’t be easy, but it is time to ask the American people to be patriotic about something that depends upon a sacrifice from everyone. Sheryl Crow could be just the person to bring us all together.

Edwards declined to admit how many squares he used per bathroom visit, citing his right to privacy. After his speech, he was overheard asking who Ms. Crow's hairstylist was.

Crow, fresh off her Global Warming Awareness tour with fellow environmental expert Laurie David, was honored by all of the attention.

While the whole toilet paper thing was a joke, my commitment to the environment certainly isn't. In fact, maybe a toilet paper czar isn't such a bad idea. Seeing that at the age of 45, my career as a sexy singer is in a precarious position, I'd be foolish not to remain open to any and all options. Please contact my agent if you have any serious offers for me to consider.

As her private jet was waiting, Crow was unable to answer any questions.

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Thank You, Mike Gallagher

Syndicated talk show host Mike Gallagher has once more stepped into the breach to keep a sick, hateful religious group from trespassing upon grief-stricken families in order to get their disgusting message across.

As he did when the Amish schoolchildren were murdered last year, Gallagher is giving one hour of airtime on his show (tomorrow) to the Westboro Baptist Church, led by Fred Phelps. In return, the group will not descend upon the funerals of the VTech victims with signs like "God Hates Fags" and "Your Son is Rotting in Hell." They believe random acts of violence and murder, including the deaths of soldiers in Iraq, stem from God's intolerance of our tolerance of homosexuality.

Nice group, eh?

Last time Gallagher did this, he says he was criticized by many. However, I think he's doing a valuable service to the friends and families of those being buried. The rest of us have the option of not listening to tomorrow's show, while the mourners would have difficulty in ignoring these cretinous slugs.

Thanks, Mike.

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Sheryl Crow: One Square Chick

Not content with telling us what cars to buy and which lightbulbs to use, celebrities like Sheryl Crow have come up with an even better idea to "save" the earth: use one square of toilet paper per restroom visit. Fresh off of her Global Warming awareness tour with rich b*tch Laurie David, Crow really expects us peasants to take her seriously.

"I have spent the better part of this tour trying to come up with easy ways for us all to become a part of the solution to global warming," Crow wrote.

Obviously this shows the kind of brain power we're dealing with here.

She not only thinks there should be an official "limit" as to how much TP can be used per flush, but she also thinks detachable "dining sleeves" on clothing would be a better alternative to paper napkins. Does she not realize that cloth napkins are already widely available to those who choose to use them? Besides, it wouldn't do for Crow, since I have yet to see her wear anything with sleeves.

Back before napkins even existed, people would either wipe their hands with their sleeves or use the tablecloth. So "dining sleeves" would be yet another stupid idea that would simply serve to line Crow's pocket with more dough (she has already designed clothing that incorporates these sleeves).

Here are a couple of questions for Her Highness:

*How do you expect to regulate how much TP a person is using both at home and in public restrooms?
*Do you not realize that trees are FARMED for toilet paper, paper towels, tissues, and other paper products? Much as food crops are replanted so that there will be food for us tomorrow, trees are replanted by paper companies so that there will be an adequate supply. Why would paper companies put themselves out of business by not replacing what they use?

I recently read that Sheryl Crow was an elementary teacher before she made it big in the music business. I guess we should be grateful that she is simply trying to brainwash the general public through her celebrity, and not brainwashing impressionable children locked in the same room with her day after day.

h/t: Michelle Malkin and Moonbattery

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Sarkozy and Royal in Runoff

France had an election yesterday, and I thought whomever came out on top would win the whole enchilada, but apparently there will now be a runoff between the two top contenders, since it was a multi-party race. From WaPo:

PARIS (Reuters) - French presidential candidates Nicolas Sarkozy and Segolene Royal went back to the campaign trail on Monday as they battled for votes from the undecided centre ground that will be key to their May 6 runoff.

Sunday's first round ballot set up a classic race between left and right in France after Sarkozy, the conservative former interior minister, scored a resounding win with 31.2 percent against 25.9 percent for the Socialist candidate Royal.

Opinion polls give Sarkozy a firm edge heading into the decisive second round, with between 52-54 percent support against 46-48 percent for Royal.

But the result had both candidates eyeing supporters of centrist Francois Bayrou, who captured 18.6 percent of the vote after a dynamic campaign based on a pledge to sweep aside the ruling elite and overcome traditional political divides.

From everything I've seen, Segolene Royal seems a lot like Mrs. Bill Clinton: looking to be her country's first woman president, big on socialism, big ego...pretty much a nightmare.

Sarkozy will, in my opinion, be the kick in the pants France needs. He "was unapologetic when one of Royal's fellow socialists called him an ''American neo-conservative with a French passport.''' He is also proposing tough immigration law, both by cracking down on illegal immigrants and by setting higher standards for those admitted legally. (Are you listening Mr. Bush?)

Here's what I like best about him:

Unlike most of the French ruling class, Mr Sarkozy did not go to the Ecole Nationale d'Administration, but trained as a lawyer.

See, most of the people who end up in positions of power in France go to the school mentioned above for the sole purpose of entering government, and so don't have any clue as to what the real world and real people are like. It makes me wonder why the French bothered overthrowing their royalty -- it seems as though today's governing group is royalty, but without the fancy titles and crowns to go with it.

But France will get the president it deserves, which means it probably won't be the president I think it should have. I'll be very interested to see who is the final winner on May 6.

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April 21, 2007

Scientologists Move In on Virginia Tech

My, my, it doesn't take the moneygrubbing vultures long...they've set up one of their famous yellow tents about 100 yards from where students are signing memorial boards for those slain.

Radar has the details.

Scientology, founded by second-rate science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, eschews any kind of medication (especially psychological), dictates totally silent childbirth, and claims that the ills we suffer are caused by the souls of mass murdered aliens.

Just the sort of helpful folks you want milling around vulnerable people in the aftermath of a tragedy.

Xenu expels the aliens before dispatching them in volcanoes

h/t: Kitty

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April 20, 2007

Fox News Appearance

I'll be on Fox News this afternoon on Neil Cavuto's show, 4PM Eastern, participating in a round table discussion about school security and how it should be funded. I'm pretty excited, and hope you can tune in!

UPDATE: Well, if you tuned in and didn't see me, don't call me a liar...my co-guest and I got bumped because of the Johnson Space Center hostage situation. I did get to sit in the studio and watch, though, and it was really interesting to see how news shows are produced. Well, so much for my national television debut...maybe next time! (I did get a knockout makeup job, though...)

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Harry Reid and Failure

I thought about posting about Harry Reid's latest treasonous tripe about our having "lost" in Iraq, but Charles does it better over at Lifelike Pundits. Go there, read, now!

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Would-Be Copycats Make Campus Threats

Apparently the freaks are crawling out of the woodwork after Monday's massacre at Virginia Tech, with numerous threats being made across the country.

Nationwide, many of the threats — which spread in the time it takes to make a phone call or post a message on the Internet — referred to Monday's massacre in Blacksburg, Va., in which gunman Cho Seung-Hui killed 32 people and himself, or the 1999 Columbine High School killings, authorities said. Friday is the eighth anniversary of the Columbine attacks.

One of the more idiotic cases involved a California web designer who posted a phony threat on his site against some San Diego University students, then contacted a TV station for publicity.

And a University of Nevada, Reno student who claimed "the Korean is my hero" in a text message to one relative, and told another relative he'd be on a "mission" for a few days, was arrested in Carson City on a probation violation.

Publicity...hmmm...wonder if any of these guys had stars in their eyes after NBC broadcast portions of the Virginia Tech murderer's video, which he sent to them in a package with some other "propaganda" items in the two hours between the first and second set of murders.

NBC sure is living up to its "Peacock Network" nickname...all puffed up with self-pride. Way to go guys!

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April 19, 2007

Jon Voight on President Bush, Iraq, and Agenda-Driven Journalism

Well, it seems that not everyone in Hollywood is brain dead. This is a fascinating interview with Jon Voight on RadarOnline who, unlike other Tinseltown folks who might agree with him, is not afraid to speak his mind. Here's a preview:

Yes, I'm a supporter of the Patriot Act. I support protecting us and investigating anyone who indicates they're going to be dangerous to our country. It's one of those things; it depends on which side you're on politically. If we had these things in place we could have anticipated 9/11. We're not interested in investigating someone who's doing something appropriate. We don't have time for that. That's nonsense.

Fascinating stuff. Read it all. But don't expect him to be invited on Larry King or Real Time with Bill Maher to discuss his views anytime soon.

h/t: Michelle Malkin

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Chris Dodd Unveils "Green" Strategy

I signed up for Chris Dodd's presidential campagin e-mail alerts, just so I can see what my good senator is doing on my dime instead of representing my state. Today, I received one that says Dodd was giving a speech today at noon (oops, missed it) to unveil his environmental strategy for "when he's president." Among his plans are a corporate carbon tax: "If you pollute, you pay. As the price for corporate pollution rises, that money goes into a "Corporate Carbon Trust Fund" paying for R&D, deployment, and making clean energy technology affordable for the the consumer." You think businesses are leaving for foreign shores now? You ain't seen nothin' yet!

You can watch the speech here if you wish; I can't view it until I get home later tonight. However, a line from the e-mail made me laugh right out loud:

When everyone from Al Gore to President Bush acknowledges global warming is real and of great consequence to our planet, you know that debate has been put to rest.

There you have it, folks. No more debate! No more questioning by heretics who would dare suggest the sun is playing a role in the warming of our planet. (In fact, we'd burn them at the stake if the fires wouldn't contribute to that dastardly C02 buildup!)

Chris Dodd says the debate is over. I'd say his campaign is over too, but then some people would think I'm being mean...

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John Edwards' Two Americas Revisited

Considering John Edwards' penchant for visiting pricey spas and spending $400 a pop to get his silky locks lopped, Jeff Dobbs at American Thinker has rewritten Edwards' speech for the DNC Winter Meeting.

Enjoy!

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Stop Global Warming: Stop Procreation

According to Ric Oberlink of the group Californians for Population Stabilization, "Human population growth is the paramount environmental issue."

His group believes that a reduction in the population (specifically the American population) should be at the top of the "to do" list for stopping global warming.

It figures that a group like this would be based in California.

I have a few questions about this solution. How do we decide how to reduce our population? Will there be a one-child law as in China? (We see how well that works...couples want boys, and girls are tossed into orphanages and many often end up getting adopted by families overseas.) How will the one-child law be enforced? Enforced contraception? Enforced sterilization after the birth of your first child? What if you have twins or triplets? Will they be euthanized before or after birth? (This could be good news for the "pro-choice" crowd.) How will the overflow of illegal immigrants be added to the "overpopulation" equation? And who will oversee these policies -- a population Gestapo? Will friends and neighbors start turning each other in if they violate population law?

I also wonder if Ric Oberlink has kids. Somehow, I doubt it...he seems a bit too selfish to be a parent.

As Van Helsing says, "No ideology ever devised could be more profoundly antihuman — and therefore, more evil — than modern environmentalism."

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April 18, 2007

The Far-Left Has a Hit List? Who Knew?

Tammy Bruce was on Fox Monday night with Bill O'Reilly, and she discusses how the far left uses its cozy relationship with the MSM to not only further its agenda, but to do what it can to destroy those they see as their enemies (i.e. anyone who is even a little bit to the right of groups like Media Matters and MoveOn.org). She discusses what happened to Dr. Laura Schlesinger, Ann Coulter, and even Imus.

Hot Air has the video. If you haven't seen it yet, I recommend you take a few minutes now to do so. Tammy knows of which she speaks -- she used to be the president of the Los Angeles branch of NOW, and she was able to feed stories to the media, starting off with the New York Times-- and they would accept them from her without question.

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Quote of the Day

"It's just a matter of time before we live in the time of the martyrs -- not the old martyrs who were true victims, but the misappropriation of that existential category for the purposes of instinctual expression -- i.e., sex, violence, or general envious acquisitiveness under cover of a "progressive agenda" -- for no one is more greedy and acquisitive than the leftist who believes he is intrinsically entitled to the fruits of another's labor. But his victimhood is a convenient way to conceal his soul-destroying envy from himself -- and even to convert what is a soul-illness to a political virtue." ~ Gagdad Bob

(emphasis mine -- ed.)

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World Doesn't Trust US To Act Responsibly

Rant alert!

Oh goody, more criticism from the world:

CHICAGO (AFP) - There is widespread global concern that the United States cannot be trusted to act responsibly in the world, according to a multinational poll released here Wednesday.

But while there is broad international frustration with how the United States conducts its foreign policy, few people around the world want the United States to completely back off its role as a global policeman, the poll found.

That probably means they still want us to send money and military when they ask us to. Kind of like how teenagers don't want their parents around, but still expect allowance to be paid on time, and for mom and dad to bail them out when they get into some kind of trouble.

You can read the results for yourself.

At this point, I would be more than happy to withdraw from every single thing that didn't affect us directly. Pull our troops out of Europe and either let them come home or put them somewhere where they're truly needed. Let Europe and the rest of the world take care of themselves. If Iran decides to threaten a European country with nukes? Let them. If Russia decides to try to take back its role as dominant power in that part of the world? Fine with me. Islamofascists want to create a new Arab state in France? Fine, let the French reap what they sow.

Oh, and if they don't trust us, then I don't think they should expect our money anymore either. I say let's cut off international aid. We could better spend that money here at home.

I'm pretty much sick of the rest of the world right now.

/rant

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April 17, 2007

That Didn't Take Long...

Just as the anti-gun lobby has jumped all over the Virginia Tech shootings, so has the rabid left found a way to blame George W. Bush for them. Right Wing News has the scoop.

L-A-M-E.

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eBay Auction to Benefit AnySoldier.com

eBay junkies rejoice: there's a "red white and blue" mystery box auction going on now through April 20th, with proceeds to benefit AnySoldier.com. Click here for auction details.

On a tip from Jeanette.

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April 16, 2007

NY Times Editorial on Virginia Tech Shootings: More Stringent Gun Control

Like you had to guess what the Times' stance would be:

Yesterday’s mass shooting at Virginia Tech — the worst in American history — is another horrifying reminder that some of the gravest dangers Americans face come from killers at home armed with guns that are frighteningly easy to obtain...

...Our hearts and the hearts of all Americans go out to the victims and their families. Sympathy was not enough at the time of Columbine, and eight years later it is not enough. What is needed, urgently, is stronger controls over the lethal weapons that cause such wasteful carnage and such unbearable loss.

Interesting that we haven't seen much MSM coverage of the Virginia General Assembly bill that was killed in January that would have allowed licensed gun owners to have their guns on campus. And don't expect to.

Criminals don't follow laws. That's why they're criminals. More stringent gun laws would affect law-abiding citizens, not those who ignore the law. Duh. According to this WaPo article, the guns the shooter was carrying had their serial numbers filed off. Obviously they were not obtained from a licensed gun dealer in a legal manner.

Michelle Malkin warns us to expect more of this. Get ready to have to defend the Second Amendment from the usual offenders.

UPDATE: AJ Strata has his doubts about the "lovers quarrel" aspect of the shooting: (h/t Kitty)

What really worries me is if this was a test for other attacks. If the man was testing College responses then the key would be to make this look like anything BUT a terrorist attack. I am not making the claim here this was terrorist related, but the man did not seem to be looking for his girlfriend’s lover, he seemed to be out trying to kill anyone he ran across. A perfect diversion for a test run would be a lover’s quarrel. And ending it in a ’suicide’ negates the ability to get to the bottom of his motives. Of course violent jealousy is not uncommon, and more so in male dominated societies like those in Asia and the ME. In those places killing women is like throwing away property. But something is not right here. For someone who was in the emotional throws of jealousy, the attack shows signs of careful planning and cold execution. The two characteristics do not mix. Careful planning and cool execution implies a lot of self control and discipline, things which are in complete opposition to an out of control act of rage.

Remember, there were two bomb threats the previous week...

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The Flip-Flopper's Ultimate Flip-Flop?

If you thing you've seen the last of John Kerry on a national scale, think again:

DENVER - Sen. John Kerry (D-Massachusetts) reopened the door to a possible 2008 presidential campaign during a book signing in Denver and then again, in an interview with 9NEWS.

The 2004 Democratic nominee told a crowd of more than 250 at the Tattered Cover bookstore in lower downtown Denver that he had no desire to endorse any candidate for the office right now, choosing to wait to see how they addressed the issue of global warming.

Kerry and his wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, are finishing up a nationwide tour to promote their book, "This Moment on Earth," which highlights successful efforts at the local level to better the environment.

Jet-setting John Kerry and his rich wife Ter-ayza are the new advocates for global warming? Which one of their five luxury homes will they be giving up? Sorry, but replacing all of your lightbulbs with "enviro-friendly" ones and buying carbon credits so you can still fly around in your private jet really doesn't cut it.

And even though he said earlier this year that he wouldn't run, that could change.

When asked whether he expected that decision to change in time for the 2008 race, Kerry said, "If suddenly the field changed or the dynamics of the nation shifted, who knows? You might look at it differently, but I don't see that. I don't foresee that. That's not where I am today and that's not what I'm doing."

Reminds me of Mrs. Bill Clinton and how she kept saying things like, "I haven't made any decision about it" back in September.

Politicians rarely say exactly what they mean. They are masters at word games, so that they can always have a way to wriggle out of a particular situation. Just look at how Kerry said he wouldn't run:

"But I've concluded that this isn't the time for me to mount a presidential campaign. It is the time to put my energy to work as part of the majority in the Senate, to do all I can to end this war and strengthen our security."

Who knows? Maybe Kerry's time will come later this year. Chris Dodd would certainly benefit, as it would mean that he would no longer have the honor of being in last place among serious candidates.

Others blogging: Sister Toldjah, Red State, Betsy's Page

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April 13, 2007

Proposal for a New Media Strategy

Robert Farrow discusses the liberal slant in the media and the GOP's seeming unwillingness to do anything about it. He also has some ideas on what to do about it.

Simply, there is no fairness in the media. True, talk radio might be dominated by conservatives, (which is why liberal jerks are trying to control it and thus silence Conservatives.) But it is the print media, the most biased, is not public domain, thus the Fairness Doctrine will never apply to them. Unlike the liberals, I do not want to expand the law to control anybody. On the contrary, I want to use the power and principles of choice and capitalism to force the MSM to do something they do not want to do, namely, be fair.

Click here to see what he proposes.

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Hillary Clinton: Mother of All Exploiters

What is Mrs. Bill Clinton if not a champion of exploiting a situation for her political gain? She's off to Rutgers next Monday, where she will meet with the women's basketball team to commiserate with them over Imus' tacky remarks -- for which he has not only been fired from MSNBC, but from CBS as well. (The visit follows her show of support on her website, where she invited people to send a message of support to the team, with a picture of them plastered at the top of the site.)

The official reason for the visit, of course, is the 50th anniversary of the Eagleton Institute of Politics and the 35th anniversary of Eagleton’s Center for American Women and Politics (CAWP). But don't expect that to get in the way of good old-fashioned political pandering.

The implication seems to be that, if elected president, she will magically erase all bigotry, racism, and hurtful remarks of any kind. Except her own, of course.

Mrs. Bill Clinton...the great white hope.

h/t: Cookiewrangler and HNAV

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April 12, 2007

Hillary's Presidential Announcement: Reading Between the Lines

This was posted on YouTube back in January, but I just came across it (h/t Punch). Enjoy...I did!

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BBC Three-Part Series: Anti-Americanism Examined

Reporting for the BBC, Justin Webb takes on anti-Americanism in a three-part series. His first installment focuses on the home of anti-Americanism: France, specifically Paris. Read it here.

The BBC allowing such things to be said...who would have thought?

h/t: Davids Medienkritik

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MoveOn.org Poll Puts Obama on Top

From the Hartford Courant:

Illinois Sen. Barack Obama eked out a victory Thursday as the top choice of anti-war activists, as he won the MoveOn Town Hall vote with 27.87 percent of the total.

MoveOn, an activist group closely aligned with the Democratic party, hosted more than 1,000 events all over the nation, including several in Connecticut, Tuesday night. Candidates prerecorded short speeches detailing their positions on the Iraq war, and people were then invited to vote on the question, "Which candidate do you believe would be best able to lead the country out of Iraq?" Anyone who was a MoveOn member as of 7 p.m. Tuesday could vote.

An activist group closely aligned with the Democratic party? What an understatement, considering what MoveOn said about the Democrat Party after the 2004 election:

"We bought it, we own it, we're going to take it back."

Obama came out on top of the poll with 27.87% of the votes. According to the MoveOn site, it has 3.3 million members. How many of those members voted? Even if they all did, it's less than 2% of all registered voters (using 2004 numbers).

In other words...big deal.

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Thomas and Coulter on Imus

Here are a couple of takes on the Don Imus flap by two conservative pundits.

Cal Thomas:

During the 1980s, social conservatives who tried to control pornography, including that subsidized by the National Endowment for the Arts, were told such things were the price we must all pay for a "healthy First Amendment." Artists must be free to express themselves. If certain people object to what is on TV, they can change channels, or turn it off.

Why aren't these keepers of the First Amendment flame coming to the defense of Don Imus? It's because they have a double standard. Evangelical Christians, practicing Roman Catholics, politically conservative Republicans, home-schoolers and others who are not in favor among the liberal elite are frequent targets for the left. Anything may be said about them, and it frequently is. But let someone insult the left's "protected classes," be they African Americans, homosexuals or to a lesser extent, adherents to the religion of "global warming," and they must be silenced and punished.

and Ann Coulter:

The reason people don't like what Imus said was because the women on the Rutgers basketball team aren't engaged in public discourse. They're not public figures, they don't have a forum, they aren't trying to influence public policy.

They play basketball -- quite well, apparently -- and did nothing to bring on an attack on their looks or character. It's not the words Imus used: It would be just as bad if he had simply said the Rutgers women were ugly and loose.

People claim to object to the words alone, but that's because everyone is trying to fit this incident into a PC worldview. It's like girls who say, "It's not that you cheated on me; it's that you lied about it." No -- it's that you cheated.

Both make valid and reasonable points.

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Comparing Heroes to Zeroes

Guns and who uses them and why...it's an important distinction to make.

A gun is a tool. And depending upon whose hands a gun is in, it can be a force for good or a force for evil. To imply that anyone who wields a gun is automatically on the side of evil is the kind of moral equivalence we have come to expect from many on the left today. For example, most of us would feel more reassured to see a gun in the hands of a professional law enforcement officer than your common, garden variety street thug. Yet there are those who feel threatened, even endangered, by such a sight.

Read more of what I have to say about this in my FamilySecurityMatters.org article today.

UPDATE: In the piece, I include a quote that was in the Denver Post from a Calvin Freehling, who the article says is a Vietnam veteran. This morning, I received an e-mail from VeriSEAL, a group dedicated to providing "independent, no-cost verification of Special Operations Forces personnel backgrounds to SEC associates, clients and law enforcement." The e-mail said, in part:

Please be aware that in response to the Denver Post article by Joe Bunch, a preliminary military records search found no record of a Calvin Freehling having served in any branch of the armed forces. This search was done in response to Mr. Freehling's comments which you have reflected in your excellent piece. Upon finding no record of military service for Mr. Freehling, a formal records request has been made to the the National Personnel Records Center in St. Louis.

Mr. Bunch ignored our observations, though he was all too eager to accept the preposterous comments of a likely military imposter.

I've informed FSM, and hope they'll include a footnote. The quote seemed odd to me, and I hesitated before including it...I should have known better.

UPDATE II: FSM has removed the reference to Freehling!

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April 11, 2007

John Edwards Works Shift At Nursing Home

Well isn't this special:

MAMARONECK, N.Y. (AP) - Democrat John Edwards got a taste of low-wage life Wednesday, rising before dawn to help to dress, shave and deliver breakfast to elderly residents of a nursing home outside New York City.

His visit was part of the "Work a Day in My Shoes" program sponsored by the influential Service Employees International Union, where presidential candidates spend time with health care workers to understand the challenges of their jobs. Edwards was paired with certified nursing assistant Elaine Ellis, an 18-year employee of the Sarah Neuman Nursing Home who escorted him on her early morning rounds.

Ellis, a divorced mother who raised four children on her nursing assistant's salary, called Edwards "a very personable person" and praised his willingness to spend time on the job with her.

I'd be a bit more convinced of his sincerity if he had done a couple of things:

*Given a resident a spongebath or cleaned a bedpan
*Agreed to try to live on a nursing assistant's salary for at least a month

Otherwise, this is just another PR stunt.

h/t: Cookiewrangler

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U of Florida To Honor Jeb Bush...Whether They Like It or Not

As Jonah Goldberg says, payback...heh:

TALLAHASSEE - The University of Florida's faculty may have denied former Gov. Jeb Bush an honorary degree, but his political allies in the state House of Representatives have found another way to honor the former governor on the school's Gainesville campus.

The House Schools and Learning Council voted Tuesday to name UF's College of Education the "Jeb Bush College of Education.''

Make that a double "heh."

Previous: U of Florida Says "No" to Jeb Bush Honorary Degree

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Quote of the Day

"I’m sorry – nowhere in the Constitution or the Bill of Rights is there a right to “not be offended” or not have your little feelings hurt. There’s too damn much political correctness and pussyfooting in America today and we’d all be better off if there was more plain speech and less “nuance” being employed." ~ Gayle Miller

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Global Warming Day of Action

If you live in or near St. Paul, Minnesota, and have nothing better to do this Saturday, head on over to the Capitol Mall for a Global Warming Day of Action! (One of the sponsors is Air America Minnesota...can they afford it?) There'll be exciting booths to show you how YOU can help shrink your carbon footprint, along with musical acts and impressive speakers including:

*Arctic explorer Ann Bancroft, whose recent expedition to highlight the consequences of global warming had to be cancelled due to extreme cold and threat of frostbite.

*AFL-CIO President Ray Waldron. What his qualifications on global warming are remain to be seen...

*Rep. Keith Ellison, fresh off of his foreign diplomacy tour with Nancy Pelosi, and whose stance on global warming includes believing it is the biggest environmental issue facing the world today. And that's about it.

You know it's an important event when it's included on the John Edwards blog. As of this writing, though, he won't be there to answer questions about his spacious new home in North Carolina. And I don't believe Al Gore will be able to make it either, but you know these two environmental giants will be there in spirit!

Be sure to print up one of the flyers they provide online to put up at your favorite coffee shop or library. (It's okay to waste paper for a good cause.) And don't forget to bring your coat...the high on Saturday is only expected to be around 44.

It may not accomplish anything,
but you'll feel good about yourself!

h/t: Geosciblog

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Charges Against Duke Lacrosse Players To Be Dropped

UPDATE: FOX News has released the name and a photo of the accuser (h/t Larwyn). Apparently, her name has been said in public several times, including by lawyers during press conferences about the case.

UPDATE II: Hot Air has the video of the announcement. Check it out. "Failure to verify serious allegations." Right on.

I heard about this in the car this morning:

The office of North Carolina Attorney General Roy Cooper will announce that he is dismissing all charges against three Duke Lacrosse players, ABC News has learned from sources close to the case.

The three players, Reade Seligmann, David Evans and Collin Finnerty, were facing charges of first degree kidnapping and first degree forcible sexual offense. The charges stem from an off-campus party on the night of March 13, 2006.

...

The reasons that will be cited for the dismissal are not yet known, though the case has been riddled with criticism and colored by controversy since its early months. Defense attorneys released documents showing the accuser changed key details of her story in the weeks and months after the alleged assault.

According to Ron Kuby on WABC this morning, there is little legal recourse for the defendants as far as suing the prosecution, although they may be able to sue Duke University for the defamatory statements made by the school. However, Kuby suggested that perhaps the young men should continue to comport themselves in the courageous and dignified manner in which they've behaved within the past year. I agree. They've been through a lot, and their families have spent so much money on legal fees already...why would they want to go through a lawsuit which they may not win? It must be a huge relief to have this behind them. Still, in our litigous society, a lawsuit of some kind would not surprise me.

Meanwhile the accuser, whose name will likely not be released by major news associations, is still in the Durham area. Call me cynical, but I wouldn't be surprised if she gets some kind of book or television movie offer...

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April 10, 2007

Imus: A Trip Down Memory Lane

So Imus has finally said something that got him into very hot water. But calling the girls on the Rutgers basketball team "nappy headed ho's" is certainly not the first time Imus has insulted someone. Take a gander at these clips...just a few examples of many of his more boneheaded comments:

Here, Imus calls Bill O'Reilly a "sonofabitch."

Here, Imus recalls the "Jewish management" of CBS as being "money grubbing bastards."

Funny...Imus calls David Gregory a "queer." Just imagine a conservative host getting away with that!

And click here to see Imus fantasizing about what it would be like to see members of the Bush administration being led to the gallows.

Frankly, Imus has been on the shelf way past his sell-by date. It's probably time for him to think about being put out to pasture.

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We Shall Fight Them At the Water Cooler

Fratas Libertas has this funny but sad commentary on how low Britain has sunk on the "Hail Britannia" scale.

h/t: Power Line

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Female Bomber Strikes in Iraq

It's about time women's lib made its mark in Iraq:

A woman with explosives hidden beneath her black abaya detonated them Tuesday in a crowd of about 200 police recruits northeast of Baghdad, killing at least 16 people, police and hospital officials said.

The woman walked into the crowd at the main gate of the Muqdadiyah police station and blew herself up, according to a police officer at the scene who spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media.

At least 16 people were killed and 33 wounded in the mostly Sunni Muslim city about 60 miles northeast of Baghdad, said Dr. Abdul Salam al-Jibour at Muqdadiyah General Hospital.

Suicide bombing...it's not just for men anymore! You've come a long way, baby...

Meanwhile, the big guy in Iraq is not looking for a timetable for our withdrawal:

Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki, on a four-day trip to Japan, said there was no need to set a timetable for the withdrawal of U.S. troops from his country.

"We see no need for a withdrawal timetable. We are working as fast as we can," al-Maliki said. "To demand the departure of the troops is a democratic right and a right we respect. What governs the departure at the end of the day is how confident we are in the handover process."

What counts, he added, are "achievements on the ground."

Too bad that wasn't the headline of this story.

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April 09, 2007

2008 Candidates Lacking in Military Credentials

What a difference an election makes. Back in 2004, casual observers might have figured that having a military background, especially combat experience, was high on the list of must-haves for presidential candidates. This time around, military experience is optional.

Of the current Democratic front-runners, Illinois Sen. Barack Obama (news, bio, voting record), 45, was too young to have been drafted during the Vietnam War. Former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards, 53, had a draft number that was never called. And, Sen. Hillary Clinton, 59, like most women her age, would not have been expected to serve. Women weren't subject to the draft.

Among the other candidates in the Democratic race, Sen. Chris Dodd, 62, of Connecticut, served in the Army Reserve from 1969 to 1975. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico received student and medical classifications that probably spared him from service in Vietnam, including one for a deviated septum. Richardson had a draft lottery number of 131 in 1970, a year when men with numbers as high as 195 were called.

Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, 64, and Ohio Rep. Dennis Kucinich, 60, also had medical conditions that kept them from serving in Vietnam.

Among the leading Republican candidates, only McCain, 70, has a military record. The Arizona senator spent more than 20 years in the Navy, almost a quarter of it in a Vietnamese prisoner of war camp.

Draft deferments kept Giuliani, 62, of out Vietnam while he attended law school. In 1968, as the Vietnam War was escalating, he was classified 1-A, or draft eligible. After going to work for a federal judge, he received an occupational deferment. He was classified 1-A again in 1970, but had a high lottery number.

Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney, 60, received a draft deferment while serving as a Mormon missionary in France during the war. He was eligible for the draft later, but was not selected. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback (news, bio, voting record), 50, and former Arkansas Gov. Mike Huckabee, 51, came of age after the draft ended in 1973. Neither has military experience.

Another Republican, Colorado Rep. Tom Tancredo, received student deferments. He was available for service in 1969, but was reclassified in 1970 because of stress-related anxiety.

On the other hand, longshot GOP hopeful Rep. Duncan Hunter, 58, who describes himself as "the national security candidate," was an Army paratrooper and Ranger in the Vietnam War and has a personal connection to the Iraq war. His son, a Marine, has completed two tours of duty there.

The fact that President Bush "only" served in the National Guard was such a big deal in 2004 that Dan Rather ended up losing his job trying to make the molehill bigger. But these days, it's not a big deal that so many candidates are without military experience.

It should never have been a big deal to begin with. But in 2004, Democrats were so eager to show how tough they are on national security that they nominated John Kerry, whose experiences in Vietnam became the cornerstone of his campaign. Then those experiences came crashing down about his ears with the help of Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. But all that water is under the bridge now.

Democrats have left the legacy of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, and John Kennedy far behind. Those Democrats knew how important a strong military and its role in national security are. Now the former '60s college protestors are running the Democrat Party, and they couldn't make their disdain of our military any clearer. The demand of a pullout date in Iraq is the prime example. Just as the premature pullout in Vietnam created a power vacuum, so will a premature pullout in Iraq. And who will pay for it? Not the Democrats, but the Iraqi people, who will be subject to the same kind of slaughter the Vietnamese were. The terrorists have only to stay alive long enough for America to give up. Then they can exercise their prescription of violence and oppression without any worries.

Military experience is not necessary to be a good president, even in a time of war and its reconstruction. But a healthy respect for our military and the capability of seeing the big picture are. And this is where the current crop of Democrat candidates fall short.

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April 06, 2007

Why the EU Doesn't Work Beyond Trade

Using the recently resolved British sailor incident as a backdrop, Charles Krauthammer nails it (no pun intended):

Why was nothing done? The reason is simple. Europe functions quite well as a free trade zone. But as a political entity, it is a farce. It remains a collection of sovereign countries with divergent interests. A freeze of economic relations with Europe would have shaken the Iranian economy to the core. Yet nothing was done. "The Dutch," reports The Times of London, ``said it was important not to risk a breakdown in dialogue.'' So much for European solidarity.

Like other vaunted transnational institutions, the EU is useless as a player in the international arena. Not because its members are venal but because they are sovereign. Their interests are simply not identical.

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On Sam Fox, Recess Appointments, and Democrat Whining

John Kerry must be fuming. Angry that Sam Fox, President Bush's nominee for ambassador to Belgium donated $50,000 to the group that helped orchestrate his defeat in the 2004 election (Swift Boat Veterans for Truth), Kerry did his level best to scuttle the nomination in committee. Bush ended up withdrawing the nomination, only to install Fox in a recess appointment.

Now the Dems cry foul, saying Bush's appointment was made illegally because he withdrew the nomination. This might help clarify that charge:

The President is not required to nominate the recess appointee to the appointed position. The President will sometimes use a recess appointment to fill a position while a different nominee to the same position is going through the confirmation process in the Senate. Under certain conditions, however, a provision of law may prevent a recess appointee from being paid from the Treasury if he or she has not been nominated to the position.

Fox is taking the appointment on an unpaid basis.

A bit of history on recess appointments: Up until the 1930s, Congress did not meet during the hot Washington DC summers. Recess appointments were a way to keep the cogs of government running smoothly, so that positions were not left empty while Congress was not in session. However, presidents have used the recess appointment authority to get their choices in when it looked like they might not get approved. One recent, high-profile example was GWB's appointment of John Bolton as UN ambassador at the end of 2005. He served only one year, as the Senate refused to confirm him when the recess appointment expired.

As for Bush wanting a pal in an ambassadorial position, well, that's what happens in politics. It's common practice for the president to give these cushy positions to friends and supporters, and Bush is by no means the first. And, he's certainly not the first president to give an ambassadorship to someone who is disliked by political oponents.

Here's a relatively recent example: In 1999, Bill Clinton used his recess appointment power to install Jim Hormel as ambassador to Luxembourg. Hormel was a big supporter of Clinton in 1992, and gave a total of $125,000 to Clinton's re-election campaign and the Democrats in general in 1996. Clinton wanted to reward him. But objections by some Senate Republicans about Hormel's homosexuality and activist agenda meant that the nomination might not go smoothly, so Clinton slipped him in during a Congressional recess.

I'm sure there are countless other examples throughout our history.

John Kerry wanted to punish Fox for supporting SBVT. Now he's been thwarted, and he and his compatriots are crying over spilled milk. But aren't there bigger fish to fry these days? These energies might be better extended over the issues surrounding troop funding, not an ambassadorial appointment to a country about the size of Maryland.

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April 05, 2007

British Sailors Home

And we're very happy that they are. But it ain't over, not by a long shot:

This bodes badly for the West's relations with Teheran over a number of acutely difficult problems during the coming months: its defiance of UN sanctions imposed because of a refusal to halt uranium enrichment; its heightened meddling in Iraq; and its continued support for terrorist movements - Hizbollah, Hamas, Islamic Jihad and elements of Fatah - vowed to Israel's destruction. During the recent crisis, Iran has yielded not a jot on any of these matters. Rather, the approval it has enjoyed on the Islamic "street" for humiliating an old enemy is likely to make it even more intransigent.

Next time...and there will be a next time...things might not go so swimmingly.

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Carter Joins Middle East Leaders In Praising Pelosi

This didn't take long:

Former President Jimmy Carter expressed his support for House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's trip to Syria, rejecting White House criticism of the visit.

"I was glad that she went," Carter said Wednesday. "When there is a crisis, the best way to help resolve the crisis is to deal with the people who are instrumental in the problem."

And whenever someone is actively siding with Middle Eastern terrorists and despots, Jimmy Carter is one of the first ones on the congratulatory bandwagon. Never mind that Pelosi's trip weakens our foreign policy stance and makes the terrorists clap their hands in glee -- Jimmy Carter is happy, and that's all that counts in his mind.

Like Carter, this guy is all smiles about Pelosi's trip:

One terror leader, Khaled Al-Batch, a militant and spokesman for Islamic Jihad, expressed hope Pelosi would continue winning elections, explaining the House speaker's Damascus visit demonstrated she understands the Middle East.

[...]

"Nancy Pelosi understands the area (Middle East) well, more than Bush and Dr. (Condoleeza) Rice," said Al-Batch, speaking to WND from Gaza. "If the Democrats want to make negotiations with Syria, Hamas, and Hezbollah, this means the Democratic Party understands well what happens in this area and I think Pelosi will succeed. ... I hope she wins the next elections."

Thanks Nancy. Here's what I think of your extracurricular activities:

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Women of Hope

If you haven't heard about this wonderful program that helps women in Afghanistan directly, then now is your opportunity. My friend Andrea Shea-King has details.

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My New Weekly Column at FamilySecurityMatters.org

I've been invited to write a weekly column at FamilySecurityMatters.org, which is pretty exciting, considering the talent there includes Brigitte Gabriel, Joel Mowbray and Peter Brooks. My debut column can be found here.

I also have a piece running at American Thinker today. Check it out!

UPDATE: Both of my articles referenced above discuss Nancy Pelosi, the Democrats, and their attempt at a power grab. This editorial by the Washington Post echoes some of the sentiments I discuss. This paragraph really brings it home:

Ms. Pelosi was criticized by President Bush for visiting Damascus at a time when the administration -- rightly or wrongly -- has frozen high-level contacts with Syria. Mr. Bush said that thanks to the speaker's freelancing Mr. Assad was getting mixed messages from the United States. Ms. Pelosi responded by pointing out that Republican congressmen had visited Syria without drawing presidential censure. That's true enough -- but those other congressmen didn't try to introduce a new U.S. diplomatic initiative in the Middle East. "We came in friendship, hope, and determined that the road to Damascus is a road to peace," Ms. Pelosi grandly declared.

I had discussed the Republican congressmen's visit in this post. Seeing the WaPo editorial helps clear things up quite a bit. It's also nice to see that, unlike the New York Times, the Washington Post is an outfit that still has some common sense about them.

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April 04, 2007

Global Warming: Do Your Part

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San Fran Bikers Mob Minivan, Wreak Havoc

Critical Mass bikers in San Francisco mobbed 'round a minivan, smashed its rear window, and badly frightened the children inside. The cops have no control over these monthly rides, and Sgt. Ed Callejas' only suggestion to the van's owners was to write a letter to the mayor.

I have a better idea: Sue the city. For big bucks.

Sorry, but if driving through San Francisco on the last Friday night of the month means you might be attacked by lunatics posing as environmentalists on two wheels, then perhaps the only way to get the city to do something about it is to hit them where it counts.

h/t: Michelle Malkin

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Dictionary.com: Partisan Source?

I went to Dictionary.com to look up the specific definition of the word mandate for something I'm writing. Take a look at the first example sentence:

1. a command or authorization to act in a particular way on a public issue given by the electorate to its representative: The president had a clear mandate to end the war.

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Dems Banish Term "War On Terror"

Can you believe it? Unfortunately, I can. Jonathan Strong has details.

I prefer the term "war on Islamofascism" myself.

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The Limousine Liberal

I wish I'd come up with this...pretty darn funny.

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Iran Says It Will Return British Sailors

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad says he will "pardon" the sailors and return them home as a "gift" to the British people. How magnanimous of him. I guess he's used them all he can for his little PR stunt, and figures he'd better get while the going's good.

Ahmadinejad said Iran will never accept trespassing in its territorial waters.

"On behalf of the great Iranian people, I want to thank the Iranian coast guard who courageously defended and captured those who violated their territorial waters," he said.

"We are sorry that British troops remain in Iraq and their sailors are being arrested in Iran," Ahmadinejad said.

There is doubt that the sailors were even in Iranian waters, despite the fact that the sailors "confessed" to trespassing. But Ahmadinejad's not the kind of guy to let conflicting evidence to get in his way.

Ahmadinejad went on to criticize the British navy for deploying Lead Seaman Faye Turney overseas when she has a child at home, deploring the West's lack of "family values." I suppose Middle Eastern family values, where women are considered to be subhuman and children are used by terrorists in car bombings, are more to his taste.

I won't believe Ahmadinejad until those sailors have been handed over. He's not the kind of guy I would trust in a handshake deal. If he is true to his word in this instance, I'll be glad that the whole thing is over. Until, of course, the next time. I have no doubt there will be some kind of next time.

UPDATE: From yesterday, but still worth reading. John Hawkins discusses how this hostage situation has shown the worthlessness of European allies.

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April 03, 2007

Republicans Make Trip to Syria

Hmmm...apparently a few Republicans made a trip to Syria, something that is just coming out now. They were there shortly before the much brouhahaed arrival of Nancy Pelosi.

WASHINGTON - U.S. Rep. Robert Aderholt of Haleyville, a Republican, was one of three congressmen to visit Syria last weekend, a trip that is getting new scrutiny since President Bush has criticized House Speaker Nancy Pelosi for visiting Damascus a few hours later.

...

Aderholt was with Rep. Frank Wolf of Virginia and Joseph Pitts of Pennsylvania on a Middle East trip that included stops in Damascus and Israel. According to a statement, they met with government officials, businessmen, religious leaders and other members of Syrian civil society, including opposition leader Riad Seif.

"We came because we believe there is an opportunity for dialogue," according to the statement.

There has been a lot of criticism of Nancy Pelosi and her contingent. But hey, there's plenty to go around. What are these guys thinking?

The visit by Pelosi is likely more damaging to President Bush's credibility due to her position as House Speaker. Her high profile is also the likely reason that her trip has received wide coverage while that of the three Republicans (I haven't heard of any of them before this) has been virtually ignored.

From what the article linked above says, it doesn't seem that these three guys had plans to meet with President Assad. So I suppose we have to give them credit for that. But come on! When congressmen and senators begin acting like foreign policy experts, especially when a sitting president has cut off diplomatic relations with a particular country, it erodes America's credibility. It doesn't matter if the junketeers are from the same party as the president or not.

These three should be held up to scrutiny as well.

UPDATE: It would be helpful to know exactly why these guys made the trip...are they looking to act as negotiators, or are they simply "fact finding," like so many congressmen and senators like to do on our dime? As I mentioned above, it doesn't seem as though they had plans to talk to the big kahuna with a "message" from Israel. Yet it's troubling that they went to Syria at all. These are questions that should be answered.

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Tacoma to Charge Military for Protest Costs

Via Michelle Malkin:

Tacoma police say last month's 12-day anti-war protests cost the city an unbudgeted $500,000 to provide a large-scale law enforcement presence.
The rough estimate covers overtime, regular compensation, equipment and food for hundreds of workers from Tacoma police and other agencies, Assistant Chief Bob Sheehan said.

The city plans to ask the Port of Tacoma and the military to cover some of the costs.

"That's a tremendous hit on our budget -- a half-million dollars of unexpected expense," said Tacoma Mayor Bill Baarsma, adding that the military would get the first invoice.

Remember, these protestors harassed and shouted down our troops as they went about their jobs.

Has Mayor Baarsma considered billing the groups who organized the protest? Thought not.

So not only did our military have to endure the nasty, overblown rhetoric of a bunch of people who revile them, but they're expected to pay for the privilege. Oh, and don't forget, it's our military's very existence that helps secure the freedom for protestors to spit on them.

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Some Much-Needed Perspective on Brit Hostage Situation

Tim Wilson, writing for Family Security Matters, chimes in on how he thinks the British sailors and Marines got into this mess, and why it's dragged on as long as it has. Here's his opener:

The current hostage crisis in Iran is showing the problems of weak leadership at a time when strength is needed. Prime Minister Tony Blair may have been committed to Iraq, but his failure to respond robustly to this latest outrage shows clearly he is no Churchill or Thatcher. His popularity in the USA is not matched at home and amongst the UK military he was not well regarded before this latest challenge. As a result he is more worried about petty politics than the damage done to Western credibility by the success of this latest Iranian outrage.

Click here for the rest. According to Wilson's bio, "a retired British Army officer who served in a variety of command appointments on numerous operational tours during a 30 year military career," so I would think his insight carries some weight.

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Belgian Region To Tax Barbecues?

UPDATE: Sucker alert: me. But Ace was too (scroll to the bottom of his post), so I don't feel so bad.

If this is true, then we really have reason to worry about the sanity of the greenies (h/t Moonbattery):

BRUSSELS, April 3 (RIA Novosti) - The government of Belgium's French-speaking region of Wallonia, which has a population of about 4 million, has approved a tax on barbequing, local media reported.

Experts said that between 50 and 100 grams of CO2, a so-called greenhouse gas, is emitted during barbequing. Beginning June 2007, residents of Wallonia will have to pay 20 euros for a grilling session.

The local authorities plan to monitor compliance with the new tax legislation from helicopters, whose thermal sensors will detect burning grills.

Scientists believe CO2 emissions are a major cause of global warming.

PLEASE! Don't tell our current Congress, whose motto is, "Any excuse to raise taxes!" And not only would they have Al Gore and his sycophants pushing this, but PETA would get involved as well.

Next thing you know, they'll be taxing smokers for every cigarette they smoke that adds to their "carbon footprint." You think I'm joking?

Another shrimp on the barbie? It's gonna cost ya.

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Chicken Hawks, Defeatists, and the Debate About Iraq

If the left had its way, very few citizens at home would be allowed to lend moral support to our soldiers in the field because the majority of us have not served in the military. This is the so-called logic behind the “chicken hawk” argument: If you have not served, or are not currently serving in the military, then you cannot under any circumstances support a war where real soldiers are dying. “Suit up or shut up!” “When are you going to enlist?”

Using this logic, if “chicken hawks” cannot support a war because they know nothing personally of warfare, then what makes those on the left who have not served more qualified to speak out against the war? Who are they to criticize the goings-on in Iraq? Do they know more than the president and the top military brass in the field? Why is it that leftwingers who haven’t served are qualified to say, “Bring the troops home now,” while rightwingers who say, “We support the troops and their mission” are hatemongers who pooh-pooh the very real dangers our soldiers face every day?

No one I know who supports the troops wants them to die. We would love for each and every one of our men and women in uniform to come home safely to their families. Unfortunately, we know the realities. Soldiers sign up for military duty for various reasons, but they all do so knowing that they might someday be called upon to go to war. They sign the dotted line knowing that even if they disagree with the mission, they have sworn to uphold it – or face the consequences of a court martial and possible jail time. And they do this even though there are people at home who think they are either ignorant or have no other options than the military. They do this even though some of their fellow citizens consider them to be murderers and baby killers.

By putting their lives on the line, our volunteer military allows us to continue to have the freedom to say whatever we would like, including the freedom to insult the very ones who keep our freedoms secure.

I believe part of the reason the atmosphere surrounding this war is so toxic is because of the Internet. The Internet is a wonderful thing in many ways: it allows information to be disseminated without being filtered by the old media, so that we are truly more informed now than ever before. It also allows average citizens to become actively involved in the debate, something that once was nearly impossible unless one had a “letter to the editor” published. Unfortunately, the ease with which people can either post blog entries or comment on blog entries made by others anonymously makes it easier for them to let out whatever pent-up rage or frustration that they may have about a situation. Rather than debate an issue civilly online, many prefer to unleash the kind of vitriol that would not be acceptable in face-to-face conversation. Personal, ad hominem attacks are frequent on both sides of the political fence. The only thing that does for the debate is to cheapen it.

Whether you approve of the war or not, it’s important to be able to support your reason. And like it or not, what we say here at home has a definite impact on how our soldiers function in the field. I would rather err on the side of supporting our troops and the mission they uphold than to demand they come home simply because war is an uncomfortable thing, with the consequence that our enemies would consider this our defeat.

And calling me names or telling me I’m full of hogwash certainly isn’t going to make me change my mind about these and other important matters.

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Living-Room Warriors

If this were 1776, this Congress would be in danger of the tar-and-feather brand of American displeasure for using our battlefield troops as pawns in their childish game of mere politics and public posturing. This is not a photo-op for Nancy Pelosi and her grandchildren. Nor is it a bar-hopping night for Ted Kennedy. This isn't American Idol and it most assuredly is not a sing-along happening with Joan Baez. This is WAR! Our real sons and daughters are gallantly shedding their blood in a National effort to prevent even greater atrocities than 9/11, and our Congress is behaving like this is an interactive video game without genuine consequences. A presumed "Culture of Corruption", however deep, is far, far better than a Culture of Cowardice when it comes to protecting our children from maniacs who see them as nothing but fodder for their senseless Jihad. And anyone who cannot make that distinction should be home baking cookies and watching American Idol - not running the Country.

This entire must-read by Kyle-Ann Shiver is over at American Thinker.

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April 02, 2007

British Schools Drop Holocaust Studies to Avoid Offending Muslims

Some schools in Britain are no longer studying the Holocaust for fear of offending resident Muslims (h/t Moonbattery):

Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Governmentbacked study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

There is also resistance to tackling the 11th century Crusades - where Christians fought Muslim armies for control of Jerusalem - because lessons often contradict what is taught in local mosques.

The findings have prompted claims that some schools are using history 'as a vehicle for promoting political correctness'.

Those of us who wonder why Blair's government has not been more forceful in the hostage situation with its sailors can quit wondering. It seems all of Britain is infected with PC-itis, especially as it pertains to Muslims. My advice to the Brits: start ordering those prayer mats and burqas now and beat the rush.

UPDATE: Brainster asks the crucial question:

Hey, aren't these the same school teachers who courageously teach evolution and sex education despite the fact that Christian fundamentalists object? What could possibly be the difference here?

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Britain Fiddles While Sailors "Burn"

There used to be a time when Britain didn't take guff from anyone. As one of Michelle Malkin's readers comments,

25 years ago today, British Royal Marines fought back when someone came to get them. See the Royal Marine Detachment at Port Stanley at the opening of the Falklands War.

In an earlier post, I said Tony Blair wasn't squishy when it came to his military. It seems I'm being proven sadly wrong. In this Washington Times op-ed, Diana West concurs.

When a civilization no longer inculcates an overriding attachment to its own survival, well, it no longer survives as a civilization. In peacetime, the disintegration appears more theoretical. In wartime, the holes really begin to show.

Sticking with Britain as an example, when Tony Blair long ago brought forth his "Cool Britannia," multiculti, domestic agenda, the ensuing debate was a "culture war," not a real war. It might have politically divided Britain, but the country seemed to remain intact. When the government of Britain recently responded to a recognized act of war against its military personnel by threatening diplomacy, a kind of emptiness to the whole British enterprise was exposed.

Indeed. A commenter at this post says, "Blair is almost to the point of yelling, 'Great Scott!'"

Britain used to be one of the world's foremost military powers. Now, instead of giving Iran an ultimatum and then following through, government officials are thinking of apologizing to Iran. Winston Churchill must be rolling in his grave. I can't even imagine what Margaret Thatcher is thinking.

Iran is exploiting this namby pamby, "We Are the World" attitude that has swept Britain (and other Western nations) into its thrall since the 1990s. Mark Steyn puts in his two cents:

So we live today in a world of one-way sovereignty: American, British and Iraqi forces in Iraq respect the Syrian and Iranian borders; the Syrians and Iranians do not respect the Iraqi border. Patrolling the Shatt al-Arab at a time of war, the Royal Navy operates under rules of engagement designed by distant fainthearts with an eye to the polite fictions of “international law”: If you’re in a “warship,” you can’t wage war. If you’re in a “destroyer,” don’t destroy anything. If you’re in a “frigate,” you’re frigging done for.

All this dithering on Britain's part only serves to embolden Iran and other would-be rogue states. A popular British mascot has been the bulldog, known for its tenacity. Perhaps the Brits should consider replacing the bulldog with the teacup chihuahua. Truth in advertising, and all that rot.

UPDATE: I was looking for this link, as I wanted to include it in the main post, but only just came upon it (h/t Right Wing Nation):

The only wry smile to be derived from the humiliating circumstances in which our 15 sailors and Royal Marines were captured by just six Iranians came from the comment by Patricia Hewitt. "It was deplorable," pronounced our tight-lipped Health Secretary, "that the woman hostage should be shown smoking. This sends completely the wrong message to our young people."

Considering British doctors were pushing to have long sharp knives banned because they can *gasp* be used as weapons, perhaps we shouldn't be so surprised that the Health Secretary is more concerned with Faye Turney having a stress-relieving smoke than the fact that Turney is being held hostage in Iran. Priorities, people...

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