Snarking Dawg

Ron Paul

2007-08-21T00:09:00.000-04:00

Might be the worst candidate fielded for the Republican nomination. He is the favored candidate of the recently de-pimpled college kids who haven't lived a second in the real world but somehow know how to run the nation. He is the Kucinich/Nader of the Right. He is no threat but it is annoying how much he infects the worst aspects of the internet. We ought to "mind our own business". Brilliant foreign policy.

Biographical nuance - I opposed the Iraq War from the beginning. But now the major battles have been fought and the world looks towards us to finish the job and establish some degree of peace in Iraq. Haulin ass out of there.

The heavens have once again.....

2007-08-20T23:03:00.000-04:00

been deprived of 72 virgins. Allah's feel good video of the day.

I love this comment:

I wanted to see the next 30 seconds of this video:

The Islamic spatula crew does clean up.

If you visit, please parse through the comments.

Urban Guerillas, etc.

2007-08-20T00:07:00.000-04:00

Normally not my thing, but pretty friggin cool.

Interesting post at Ace of Spades; Mexican authorities who complain that the US should abandon its evil policy of securing the border, aren't doing a good enough job of .. securing the border.

Mr. Cindy Sheehan

2007-08-12T20:17:00.000-04:00

ACLU!!! ACLU!!!

What's in a name?

2007-08-12T15:56:00.000-04:00

Apparently a lot if you are a burly Southerner presumably seeking the Republican nomination for President;

Fred, Fred, Fred: Thompson's Challenge Has a Name

By Monica Hesse

In the swampy soup of hopefuls for the 2008 presidential election, there is a man with a funny name. (No, not that one.)

We're thinking of the one named Fred (Thompson).

Say it out loud. Do it. Fred. Fred. In the South, Fray-ud.

Fur-red-duh.

It has the tonal quality of something being dropped on the floor, something heavy and damp-ish.

Waterlogged paper towel.

Fred.

Some simple searches of all of the tubes on all of the internetz clearly shows the source of Ms. Hesse's hostility towards the Fred. He doesn't attend many 'Guerilla Queer Bars' . He is certainly not cerebral enough to wite or even read a thesis entitled "Queering the Cannibal: Race and the Eroticizing of Consumptive Narratives in American Literature.". He might even drive an SUV.

So, ya know, he's just so outta touch.

Our wonderful and illustrious author on the monthly Guerilla Queer Bar jaunt.

Treatment of women;

2007-08-05T02:47:00.000-04:00

Piece of Shit Spurrier again defies integrity

2007-08-05T01:07:00.000-04:00

Votes for Duke at 25 in College Coaches Football Poll. Duke has lost 20 straight games.

Spurrier, who won an ACC championship at Duke in 1989. "They hired me when I didn't have job. I've been doing it for about 15 years and all of a sudden they want to make a big deal out of it."

Cocks love an asshole. Now they have the Lincoln Tunnel.

Another tale about how liberals support the troops

2007-08-04T17:35:00.000-04:00

Another hugs and kisses moment between a lefty tard and the grieving gf of a KIA soldier:

I don't even know what to title this one...Yesterday was a weird day for me. A very weird day. First, I was driving to the bakery to pick up a birthday cake for my boss, because we're a cool company like that and we get birthday cake for our bosses... Anyway, I was driving along minding my own business, when a car turned onto the road and was right behind me. Okay, nothing strange yet... I saw him reading my back window (Which I forgot to take a picture of so you can see... I will soon though.) which reads:
My Soldier, My Love, My Hero
James J. Holtom
Killed in Action 08 Feb 07
Land of the free, Because of my brave
.
.
.
And then he got right up next to me, flipped me off and screamed
"F*** YOU AND YOUR F***ING SOLDIER!!!"
.
.
.
.
Yeah, I didn't know what to think about it, either. I thought very seriously about wrecking right into him, but then I realized that I would have to stand there with him and wait for the police... And, well, then I would probably end up going to prison because I was going to tear him apart.
So. I played it cool, and just drove off. And prayer that karma will bite him in the butt later.

Grey Lady Dumpster Diggin

2007-08-04T17:15:00.000-04:00

I was so inspired by Iowahawk’s noteworthy dumpster digging, I decided to do some myself. I was well rewarded by exploring the New York Times most newsworthy receptacle. After traipsing through the horrible unpublished Abu Ghraib photos – prisoners denied exfoliants, prisoners forced to wear bonnets, etc. I came upon this gem entitled, Defining a Republican candidate’s wife, the Template.

It reads as follows:

Things weren’t so easy for [INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE’S WIFE]. What were once tea parties and cotillions have now become whistlestops and campaign appearances at the side of her husband [INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE]. Once the belle of the ball for [INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE’S WIFE] now feels more like a token of her husband’s White House aspirations and the strain of it is now filtering down the ladder of his campaign staff.

“Early on we felt like she was one of us, trying to get [INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE] elected. But now she is much more distant, like she wants this to all be over”, said an unnamed staffer.

Another well placed strategist for [INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE] was more blunt, “We refer to her as the ‘witch’ when she’s not in the office. Whenever a staffer is mysteriously fired, we like to say that [INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE’S WIFE] just cast another of her spells. It kinda lightens the tension here”.

But some opponents are even less diplomatic. “She is a Bitch with a capital B” a rival campaign worker said. “If she were driving a Bradley, she would seek out every dog in the neighborhood.”

But [INSERT NAME OF CANDIDATE’S WIFE] is not offended by her critics, “Its just jealousy from those less attractive and less successful”, she barks.

Well you know the rest.

And now for another Repub Prez candidate's wife with 'testy relations'

2007-08-04T16:08:00.000-04:00

And this one from the [gasp] self-imploding, self-marginalizing, New York Times;

It has not been an easy few months for Judith Giuliani. Her rollout to the public received rocky reviews from the political class, Republicans included. A series of negative articles about her shopping habits, marital past and supposedly testy relations with campaign staff followed. Her appearances alongside her husband, Rudolph W. Giuliani, grew suddenly scarce — and some analysts suggested that she keep it that way.

Do you think they have a template for these articles which just asks the 'journalist' to INSERT the name of the candidate and INSERT the name of the candidate's wife?

The Newest Environmentalism - Drive More

2007-08-04T13:29:00.000-04:00

Eat less. Fart less. Drive more.

Walking does more than driving to cause global warming, a leading environmentalist has calculated.

Food production is now so energy-intensive that more carbon is emitted providing a person with enough calories to walk to the shops than a car would emit over the same distance. The climate could benefit if people avoided exercise, ate less and became couch potatoes. Provided, of course, they remembered to switch off the TV rather than leaving it on standby.

The sums were done by Chris Goodall, campaigning author of How to Live a Low-Carbon Life, based on the greenhouse gases created by intensive beef production. “Driving a typical UK car for 3 miles [4.8km] adds about 0.9 kg [2lb] of CO2 to the atmosphere,” he said, a calculation based on the Government’s official fuel emission figures. “If you walked instead, it would use about 180 calories. You’d need about 100g of beef to replace those calories, resulting in 3.6kg of emissions, or four times as much as driving.

“The troubling fact is that taking a lot of exercise and then eating a bit more food is not good for the global atmosphere. Eating less and driving to save energy would be better.”

Mr Goodall, Green Party parliamentary candidate for Oxford West & Abingdon, is the latest serious thinker to turn popular myths about the environment on their head.

Catching a diesel train is now twice as polluting as travelling by car for an average family, the Rail Safety and Standards Board admitted recently. Paper bags are worse for the environment than plastic because of the extra energy needed to manufacture and transport them, the Government says.

Fresh research published in New Scientistlast month suggested that 1kg of meat cost the Earth 36kg in global warming gases. The figure was based on Japanese methods of industrial beef production but Mr Goodall says that farming techniques are similar throughout the West.

What if, instead of beef, the walker drank a glass of milk? The average person would need to drink 420ml – three quarters of a pint – to recover the calories used in the walk. Modern dairy farming emits the equivalent of 1.2kg of CO2 to produce the milk, still more pollution than the car journey.

Cattle farming is notorious for its perceived damage to the environment, based on what scientists politely call “methane production” from cows. The gas, released during the digestive process, is 21 times more harmful than CO2 . Organic beef is the most damaging because organic cattle emit more methane.

Michael O’Leary, boss of the budget airline Ryanair, has been widely derided after he was reported to have said that global warming could be solved by massacring the world’s cattle. “The way he is running around telling people they should shoot cows,” Lawrence Hunt, head of Silverjet, another budget airline, told the Commons Environmental Audit Committee. “I do not think you can really have debates with somebody with that mentality.”

Or just, kill the cows of course.

Excellent smackdown to Soltz' obnoxious response to a SGT with a question at YKos

2007-08-04T08:09:00.000-04:00

The fact is, CPT Soltz, who told the SGT to "stand down" and tactily threatened him with UCMJ action, wouldn’t know if the question were political or not until it had been asked. Instead, he sat up on his stage and used his commission to bully prior restraint on a Soldier.

And even if the question were political, that is not “engaging in politics, which has generally been interpreted to mean running for office or campaigning. Attending a political event is not included and if it were, the CPT would have been setting the SGT up for failure by not turning him out when he first showed up at the event.

The CPT is welcome to come have a “CPT to SGT” talk with me anytime he likes. If the SGT here didn’t teach him what a real NCO is like, I think I can manage.

He’s out of line and is misusing the regs for his own political purposes.

The CPT is a partisan hack using his military service as a shield from criticism. Period.

Signaleer brings up an obvious truth - why was the Sergeant berated before he even opened his mouth? LGF has the video. But curiously absent from the vid is a single word the Sgt said. They love the troops... until they speak.

2007-08-04T05:58:00.000-04:00

To Johnny and June: You were the greatest.

Just got married. We entered the reception to 'Jackson';

We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout,

We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.I'm goin' to Jackson,

I'm gonna mess around,Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson, Look out Jackson town.

Well, go on down to Jackson; go ahead and wreck your health.Go play your hand you big-talkin' man, make a big fool of yourself,

Yeah, go to Jackson; go comb your hair!

Honey, I'm gonna snowball Jackson.See if I care.

When I breeze into that city, people gonna stoop and bow. (Hah!)

All them women gonna make me, teach 'em what they don't know how,I

'm goin' to Jackson, you turn-a loose-a my coat. 'Cos I'm goin' to Jackson."Goodbye," that's all she wrote.

But they'll laugh at you in Jackson, and I'll be dancin' on a Pony Keg.

They'll lead you 'round town like a scalded hound,With your tail tucked between your legs,Yeah, go to Jackson, you big-talkin' man.

And I'll be waitin' in Jackson, behind my Jaypan Fan, Well now, we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper Sprout,

We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went.

I'm goin' to Jackson, and that's a fact. Yeah, we're goin' to Jackson, ain't never comin' back.Well, we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout' And we've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went...

We got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout, We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went out.I'm goin' to Jackson, I'm gonna mess around, Yeah, I'm goin' to Jackson, Look out Jackson town. Well, go on down to Jackson; go ahead and wreck your health.

Go play your hand you big-talkin' man, make a big fool of yourself,

Yeah, go to Jackson; go comb your hair!

Honey, I'm gonna snowball Jackson.

See if I care. When I breeze into that city, people gonna stoop and bow. (Hah!)All them women gonna make me, teach 'em what they don't know how,I'm goin' to Jackson, you turn-a loose-a my coat.' Cos I'm goin' to Jackson.

"Goodbye," that's all she wrote. But they'll laugh at you in Jackson, and I'll be dancin' on a Pony Keg.

They'll lead you 'round town like a scalded hound, With your tail tucked between your legs,Yeah, go to Jackson, you big-talkin' man. And I'll be waitin' in Jackson, behind my Jaypan Fan,

Well now, we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper Sprout,We've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went. I'm goin' to Jackson, and that's a fact. Yeah, we're goin' to Jackson, ain't never comin' back. Well, we got married in a fever, hotter than a pepper sprout' And we've been talkin' 'bout Jackson, ever since the fire went...

Interesting affiliations the officer who arrested the Pace Student charged with flushing Koran

2007-08-03T23:40:00.000-04:00

Haven't seen much pub on this on the usual anti-Dhimmi sites but did one of the arresting officers in the Stanislav Shmulevich (more info here and here) arrest have ties to the unindicted co-conspirators CAIR and the Islamic Society of North America in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas funding prosecution? One site which tracks the machinations of violent Islamism notes the curious affiliations of the case's arresting officer;

The criminal complaint states that Shmulevich, a Ukranian immigrant admitted that he had twice placed a Quran in Pace University toilets, once on October 13 and again on November 21.

The arresting officer in the matter?

Detective Faisal Khan, badge number 1710

Happenstance?

Most likely not.

As it is also not happenstance that the university submitted to the demands of the Council on American Islamic Relations when it started applying pressure on campus authorities, working with the thugs from Pace University's Muslim Student Association.

Detective Khan is a member of the American Muslim Law Officers Association [and nominated to be a member of its board of directors] whose website [http://www.amleoa.com/events.html] links to the Council on American Islamic Relations [CAIR, the Saudi funded Hamas front group] and the Islamic Society of North America [ISNA] both recently named as unindicted co-conspirators in the Holy Land Foundation Hamas funding prosecution which began on July 24 in Dallas, Texas.

Not only does the NYPD and the Manhattan DA cave to the demands of the radical Islamism, but they go so far as to hand the arrest over to a Muslim with links to the complaining organization. All this in a city with a Police Department that has suffered like no other in the US at the hands of terrorism.

Let the fire reign down upon you...

2007-07-31T00:25:00.000-04:00

Just some video of the war we are losing.

Meteor pao pokraj Samobora?

2007-07-30T20:35:00.000-04:00

Prema riječima očevidaca izgledalo je kao da nešto gori na nebu. Zatim snažna eksplozija, te podrhtavanje tla. Sve je trajalo nekih desetak sekundi.

Well, maybe not all that, but click the link and watch the cool meteor vid.

When anti-Christians attack

2007-07-29T10:22:00.000-04:00

...a Christmas creche;

ANN ARBOR, MI — Thomas More Law Center Director of Communications, Brian Rooney, addressed a press conference attended by over 100 supporters on the steps of the New York City Hall on Sunday, June 24, 2007, as City Councilman Tony Avella introduced a City Council resolution that calls upon the New York City Department of Education (DOE) to amend its discriminatory holiday display policy for public elementary and secondary schools.

DOE’s current policy allows displays of the Jewish Menorah and Islamic Star and Crescent during their respective holidays, but bans displays of nativity scenes during Christmas. Council Member Avella stated, “The menorah and star and crescent are religious symbols. By adding a crèche to the holiday display, Christians will receive equal representation during the holiday season.”

the Bible;

A Florida judge has dismissed all counts against two members of The Gideons International who were arrested while handing out Bibles on a public sidewalk outside a school, officials with the Alliance Defense Fund said.

"Christians cannot be treated as second-class citizens," said ADF senior legal counsel David Cortman. "These two men have the same constitutional rights as everyone else to pass out literature on a public sidewalk.

Def Jam Patriotism

2007-07-28T23:24:00.000-04:00

Marine style. (sorry, my YouTube connection is all broked up)

via Fyremandoug.

Confederate Sailor Buried in Ala.

2007-07-28T23:02:00.000-04:00

I am not ashamed to profess my ignorance of the fact that a naval battle in the Civil War occurred in the English Channel. And they are still finding remains;

MOBILE, Ala. -- The remains of a Confederate sailor, recovered several years ago from a shipwreck at the bottom of the English Channel, were buried Saturday in a handmade wooden coffin pulled by a horse-drawn caisson.

The unidentified sailor's skeletal remains were found on the underside of a cannon raised from the wreck of the CSS Alabama in about 200 feet of water.

The Confederate warship was sunk in the channel off the coast of France on June 19, 1864, by the Union warship USS Kearsarge. More than 400 artifacts have been recovered from the site by American and French divers.

The CSS Alabama had a crew of about 120 members, and most were rescued by boaters in the area, but about a dozen drowned or were never heard from again, said Robert Edington, a Mobile attorney and president of the CSS Alabama Association.

Fred Thompson's 'trophy wife' runs the show

2007-07-28T22:27:00.000-04:00

Another anti-Fred screed, this one from across the pond:

She has sometimes been dismissed as a tanned and bleached blonde "trophy wife", only ever glimpsed in sleek and glamorous outfits on the arm of her much older spouse.

Ok, I'll bite. Who dismissed her as such? That is the most virulent and sexist characterization I have seen of Thompson's wife. What lazy pissant journalism it is to fall back on the old, 'some have said' routine to mask one's own political slant.

2007-07-28T22:15:00.000-04:00

Nashi, a new fascist 'Putin Youth'?

2007-07-28T21:15:00.000-04:00

Frightening. The 'Sex for the Motherland' title is just a tease. Read the whole article.

But this organisation - known as "Nashi", meaning "Ours" - is youth movement run by Vladimir Putin's Kremlin that has become a central part of Russian political life.
*****
But the real aim of the youth camp - and the 100,000-strong movement behind it - is not to improve Russia's demographic profile, but to attack democracy.

Under Mr Putin, Russia is sliding into fascism, with state control of the economy, media, politics and society becoming increasingly heavy-handed. And Nashi, along with other similar youth movements, such as 'Young Guard', and 'Young Russia', is in the forefront of the charge.

At the start, it was all too easy to mock. I attended an early event run by its predecessor, 'Walking together', in the heart of Moscow in 2000. A motley collection of youngsters were collecting 'unpatriotic' works of fiction for destruction.

It was sinister in theory, recalling the Nazis' book-burning in the 1930s, but it was laughable in practice. There was no sign of ordinary members of the public handing in books (the copies piled on the pavement had been brought by the organisers).

Once the television cameras had left, the event organisers admitted that they were not really volunteers, but being paid by "sponsors". The idea that Russia's anarchic, apathetic youth would ever be attracted into a disciplined mass movement in support of their president - what critics called a "Putinjugend", recalling the "Hitlerjugend" (German for "Hitler Youth") - seemed fanciful.

If the United States is headed towards an inevitable conflict with China, the thought of Russia as their militarized and neo-fascistic ally, makes the impending crisis much more dire. And if the Russian population is yearning for the good ole days of Stalin, there is little room for optimism.

The literal, 'fly on the wall'

2007-07-28T00:03:00.000-04:00

the robot fly.

Crucifix in Urine?...

2007-07-27T23:58:00.000-04:00

...Tax payer funded 'ART'.

Koran in toilet? Hate crime arrest.

How true?

2007-07-26T22:00:00.000-04:00

via Lucianne.

Abe Lincoln with his...

2007-07-26T20:54:00.000-04:00

...47 mile walk to grammar school (whatever), still has nothing on these kids.

Some speech is freer than other speech

2007-07-17T11:50:00.000-04:00

and speech insulting to terrorists, gets you put on trial:

Most Americans know that burning our nation’s flag is protected by the First Amendment. No matter how distasteful to some, the Supreme Court has consistently held flag-burning to be protected as expressive political conduct.

So if burning an American flag is protected speech, burning other flags—say, the flags of political parties considered to be terrorist groups by our government—would also be protected speech, right?

Right—except at San Francisco State University (SFSU), where the First Amendment takes a backseat to Hamas and Hezbollah. As part of an anti-terrorism rally held on campus last October, SFSU’s College Republicans stepped on homemade replicas of Hamas and Hezbollah flags drawn on butcher paper. Unbeknownst to the group, both flags contain the word “Allah” in Arabic—prompting a student to file a complaint accusing the College Republicans of “walking on a banner with the word ‘Allah’ written in Arabic script.”

Even though the flag—stomping was protected speech—a fact pointed out twice to SFSU President Robert Corrigan in letters from the Foundation for Individual Rights in Education—SFSU administrators decided to put the College Republicans on trial for “attempts to incite violence and create a hostile environment” and “actions of incivility.” An SFSU spokesperson even told the San Francisco Chronicle that the real issue was “the desecration of Allah.” The ensuing investigation and hearing lasted more than five months before SFSU finally dropped the charges against the group under intense public criticism.

The College Republicans filed a federal lawsuit this week, arguing that SFSU violated the group’s First Amendment rights by subjecting the group to an investigation instead of dismissing the charges out of hand. The suit also challenges SFSU’s speech code, which requires students “to be civil” to one another—a rule that can only be selectively enforced against dissenting opinions on a campus as polarized as SFSU.

Constitutionally speaking, this case isn’t even close: There’s no exception for Hamas, Hezbollah or even Allah under the First Amendment. Now SFSU has to answer for violating the Constitution in court.

And the people pushing federal hate crimes legislation say the current bill will NEVER interfere with free speech. Believe it?

Dems to raise taxes on cigars

2007-07-17T11:16:00.000-04:00

by 20,000%.

Another good indicator of what life would be like with a Democratic President and a Democratic Congress. They will justify any form of theft, the wholesale destruction of practically an entire legitimate business, so long as they can couch their thievery in terms of doing it "for the children". What is going to happen to the children of the cigarmakers in their little shops in Tampa?

Give her a Medal of Honor

2007-07-16T09:53:00.000-04:00

...for exposing how ridiculously lax most voter registration laws are:

King County Elections Director Sherril Huff has removed Duncan M. MacDonald, from the voter rolls. No, he is not a felon or been declared “non compos mentis” (second item). He is a Canine American. Jane Balogh, 66, had registered her dog to vote in April 2006 to protest a state voter-registration law passed the previous year that she contends makes it too easy for noncitizens to vote because the ID requirements are extremely lax.

How lax are they?

They are so lax that Balogh put her phone bill in Duncan’s name, then used it as ID to register him as a new voter.

How lax are they?

They are so lax that Balogh returned mail ballots in two elections with paw prints on the signature line (she wrote “void” on the ballots to ensure they wouldn’t be counted).

How lax are they?

They are so lax that even “[a]fter telling an election worker last November that Duncan is a dog … he received a ballot for a Federal Way school bond vote in May,” reports The Seattle Times.

Balogh has pleaded not guilty to a gross misdemeanor charge of making a false statement to a public official by signing a declaration in Duncan’s name saying he was over 18 and a U.S. citizen. If convicted, she can be imprisoned for up to 90 days and fined $1,000.

9/11 Funding

2007-07-16T00:16:00.000-04:00

I was once a Republican, now an Independent, but without hesitation I have to proclaim my allegiance, on the 9/11 funding issue, with local Democratic legislators, and this is why:

A report released a year ago cited that an insect zoo in Florida, a bourbon festival in Illinois, a bean fest in Indiana and a kangaroo conservation center in Maryland were funded while Times Square, the Empire State Building, the Statue of Liberty and Brooklyn Bridge were not listed.

But, by the same token, I will NEVER become a Democrat because of gutter scraping crap like this (same article):

U.S. Rep. Gary Ackerman (D-Bayside) was also incensed about the lack of funding given to the Empire State.

“Al Qaeda hates us,” he said. “President Bush isn’t crazy about us, either.”

Fuck you.

When Nerds Neglect

2007-07-16T00:05:00.000-04:00

RENO, Nev. (AP) - A couple who authorities say were so obsessed with the Internet and video games that they left their babies starving and suffering other health problems have pleaded guilty to child neglect.

The children of Michael and Iana Straw, a boy age 22 months and a girl age 11 months, were severely malnourished and near death last month when doctors saw them after social workers took them to a hospital, authorities said. Both children are doing well and gaining weight in foster care, prosecutor Kelli Ann Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Michael Straw, 25, and Iana Straw, 23, pleaded guilty Friday to two counts each of child neglect. Each faces a maximum 12-year prison sentence.

Viloria said the Reno couple were too distracted by online video games, mainly the fantasy role-playing "Dungeons & Dragons" series, to give their children proper care.

"They had food; they just chose not to give it to their kids because they were too busy playing video games," Viloria told the Reno Gazette-Journal.

Lock'em up. Put 'em in a cell with a terlitt, a bed, and a tv that can only play that silly that silly ping pong game. Appropriate justice.

All I can say is that...

2007-07-15T13:42:00.000-04:00

my life is pretty plain.

pwned

2007-07-15T13:33:00.000-04:00

Ayaan Hirsi Ali schools some America-hatin Canatard.

“You grew up with freedom, so you can spit on freedom.” Sound familiar?

via Allah.

Mostest bad ass gun evuhhhhh....

2007-07-13T22:02:00.000-04:00

...to the delightful tune of old school Metallica.

Swedish Greasers

2007-07-13T21:33:00.000-04:00

Interesting.

Jabba'd give Atta a free pass

2007-07-13T20:46:00.000-04:00

The bloated Congressman who represented, and continues to represent, the District which included the World Trade Center defends the posthumous habeus corpus rights of non-U.S. citizen, and architect of 9/11, Mohammed Atta:

During one exchange, Rep. Jerrold Nadler (D., N.Y.) had this to say: "I don't see how you can pick up someone in New York and say that his rights are different or less because he's accused of being an enemy combatant, based on whatever information, as opposed to his being accused of being a murderer. . . ."

Berenson responded: "[W]e need to be clear about what that means. It means that if we had captured Mohammed Atta on September 10th, we would have had no choice but to treat him as a criminal defendant, which would have meant no interrogation, no intelligence, and the World Trade Center is coming down."

Nadler interjected, "That's exactly right."

M. Night Shyamalan's grammar school to close?

2007-07-13T17:20:00.000-04:00

PATNA, India (Reuters) - Scores of Indian children attending a school located in a graveyard were having recurring nightmares about ghosts and have appealed to authorities to shift them from the site, officials and residents said.

"I have stopped going to school after many dead people walked out of their graves and came into my dreams, ordering me to reach school on time," said six-year-old Raqib Ansari.

Gator fan contemplating....

2007-07-13T00:34:00.000-04:00

Gator guru worried about Timmy at 1st string

Fat tax study

2007-07-12T23:28:00.000-04:00

Some studious folks at Oxford U. have come to a brilliant conclusion. Tax fatty foods:

LONDON - A “fat tax” on salty, sugary and fatty foods could save thousands of lives each year, according to a study published on Thursday.

Researchers at Oxford University say that charging Value Added Tax (VAT) at 17.5 percent on foods deemed to be unhealthy would cut consumer demand and reduce the number of heart attacks and strokes.

A value added tax is a nice way of taxing a consumer, but not really tax them, because the tax doesn't show up on their receipt. Instead the tax is on the guy who makes the food, the guy that packages the food, the guy that ships the food and the guy that sells the food. No harm, no foul for the consumer, right? WRONG. The consumer still pays a higher amount approximating the amount of the collected taxes already accumulated on their purchase. In this case, 17.5 percent.

So, only the people who eat fatty foods are targeted. What about those who eat high carbohydrate products? High calorie products? High nitrate products? Non-organic products? High cholestrol products? Products high in artifical flavors and colors? High sodium products? They have all been shown to encourage obesity, disease, and/or other health problems.

My point? Opening the door to taxing food for fatty content means opening the door to taxing food for whatever the zeitgeist doctors and nutritionists decide is the demon food of the day. We don't need a bureacracy to decide on a health quotient for the foods we buy and then tax us accordingly.

That is the direction that taxing fatty foods leads us to.

We need to be wary of Creepin Nutritionism.

AP reporter Jennifer Loven with another anti-Bush hitpiece

2007-07-12T23:05:00.000-04:00

For some background on Jennifer Loven’s reporting, please read some of Powerline’s earlier posts.

Let’s look at some excerpts from her latest foray into objective reporting (emphasis below is mine):

Despite a long history of denouncing leaks, Bush declined to express any disappointment in the people who worked for him and who were involved in disclosing the name of a CIA operative. Asked about that during a wide-ranging news conference, the president gave a dodgy answer.
******
Libby is still appealing his conviction. And Bush has not ruled out an eventual pardon for the former top White House aide.

But the president appeared eager Thursday to put the entire case in the past. It was costly for his presidency, denting his image as someone who had pledged to restore integrity to the White House.

*******

In the beginning stages of the case, Bush said, "I want to know the truth," and pledged to fire anyone found to have leaked. As the investigation wore on, he expressed more weariness than outrage, saying only that someone who "committed a crime" would be fired and calling the case "background noise" he had to ignore.

via FReeper poster, willk

DISBARRED

2007-07-12T15:06:00.000-04:00

The Duke lacrosse hoax continues to be the gift that keeps on giving:

RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) -- The North Carolina State Bar on Thursday issued a formal order disbarring Mike Nifong for his handling of the discredited Duke lacrosse rape case.

Nifong must surrender his law license to the bar no later than 30 days from when he is served with the order. He must also pay costs associated for his weeklong ethics trial that took place last month, including those incurred by the court reporter and witnesses.

And he must pay court costs for his disciplinary hearing.

Take note of the aggravating factors in the findings of fact:

1. Nifong’s conduct is aggravated by the following factors:

a. dishonest or selfish motive;
b. a pattern of misconduct;
c. multiple offenses;
d. refusal to acknowledge wrongful nature of conduct with his handling of the DNA evidence;
e. vulnerability of the victims Collin Finnerty, Reade Seligman and David Evans;
f. substantial experience in the practice of law.

I’d have to say, that pretty much sums up the case. Let the civil suits rain down.

Canadian courts don't recognize Jerusalem as part of Israel?

2007-07-12T12:54:00.000-04:00

Disgusting:

OTTAWA, Canada -- A Canadian court has upheld the country's policy of barring Canadian passport holders from listing Jerusalem, Israel, as their birthplace.

The Federal Court of Appeal said that the policy does not violate the Charter of Rights, The Jerusalem Post reported. The decision was a defeat for Eliyahu Veffer, 19, the son of a Toronto rabbi who wanted to amend his passport to identify his birthplace as being in Israel.

Israel has claimed all of Jerusalem since the 1967 war, while Palestinians also claim at least part of the city. On Canadian passports, Jerusalem is listed without an identifying country, the Post said. "There is no evidence that the absence of a country name beside Jerusalem hinders his ability to travel in any way," the judges said in their opinion.

Veffer has the right to hold any religious views or beliefs on Jerusalem's nationality, the court said in the newspaper article, but a passport is simply a travel document, not a vehicle for expressing those views.

We should have annexed the cute chilly country to our north a long time ago.

Frozen tsunami wave?

2007-07-12T12:50:00.001-04:00

I report you decide.

Nobel Peace Laureate: "I could kill George Bush"

2007-07-12T11:19:00.000-04:00

Nice to hear some words of peace from a recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize, a cofounder of The Community for Peace People, and a signatory of the Declaration of Peace People, Betty Williams:

Nobel Peace Prize winner Betty Williams came from Ireland to Texas to declare that President Bush should be impeached.

In a keynote speech at the International Women's Peace Conference on Wednesday night, Ms. Williams told a crowd of about 1,000 that the Bush administration has been treacherous and wrong and acted unconstitutionally.

"Right now, I could kill George Bush," she said at the Adam's Mark Hotel and Conference Center in Dallas. "No, I don't mean that. How could you nonviolently kill somebody? I would love to be able to do that."

About half the crowd gave her a standing ovation after she called for Mr. Bush's removal from power.

"The Muslim world right now is suffering beyond belief," she said.

"Unless the president of the United States is held responsible for what he's doing and what he has done, there's no one in the Muslim world who will forgive him."

Note the headline here: 'Nobel laureate calls for removal of Bush'. You would think the quote of her saying she could murder the President might draw a bit more attention.

Richardson: I'm the insurgent candidate

2007-07-11T12:16:00.000-04:00

"If you want to be part of an insurgency, I'm it!" Mr. Richardson told the crowd, getting some laughs.

Think before you speak, asshole. Hundreds of our troops are dying at the hands of an Islamist insurgency. It might be trendy parlance in the circles you travel in, but to the rest of America, being an 'insurgent' candidate makes you sound like a fucking traitor.

Latest Victim of Illegal Immigration

2007-07-11T11:06:00.000-04:00

Schanna Gayden

Murdered by illegal immigrant who had been arrested 27 times

Run Cindy, Run

2007-07-11T10:09:00.000-04:00

Cindy, on Democrats:

"I was a life-long Democrat only because the choices were limited. The Democrats are the party of slavery and were the party that started every war in the 20th Century except the other Bush debacle. The Federal Reserve, permanent federal (and unconstitutional) income taxes, Japanese Concentration Camps and, not one, but two atom bombs dropped on the innocent citizens of Japan were brought to us via the Democrats. Don’t tell me the Democrats are our 'Saviors' because I am not buying it especially after they bought and purchased more caskets and more devastating pain when they financed and co-facilitated more of George’s abysmal occupation and they are allowing a melt down of our representative Republic by allowing the evils of the executive branch to continue unrestrained by their silent complicity."

Anyone else all shit and giggles like me? It does make me pause, however, when are things I agree with her about.

2007-07-10T16:11:00.000-04:00

Rudy G's mayoral success against crime explained

2007-07-09T11:54:00.000-04:00

Lead poisoning.

But we all knew that.

Via Hot Air.

Bimbo eruption prevented?

2007-07-09T11:29:00.000-04:00

All readers must wash their hands after reading this post. We are talking New Jersy politics here.

No, it's not about McSkeevy.

Just more distasteful gossip from the Corzine camp:

July 9, 2007 -- THE aide to New Jersey Gov. Jon Corzine who was with him April 12 when he was seriously injured in a car crash was suddenly reassigned last month because the two had become "too close," said an inside source.

Samantha Gordon, a "tall and attractive" 25-year-old, worked for a year as an "intellectual valet" to the governor, traveling with him wherever and whenever he went, much as Huma Abedin is the "body person" who travels with Sen. Hillary Clinton.

"Samantha was extremely devoted to him," said the source.

Gordon was riding in the middle row of seats in Corzine's SUV when his two-car motorcade crashed on the Garden State Parkway, but she emerged unscathed.

Corzine, 60, was rumored to have been sitting next to her and not in the front seat with no seat belt as he claimed, said our source. This would better explain why Corzine was found in the very rear of the vehicle by responders to the scene.

While Corzine was rushed by helicopter to Cooper University Hospital to treat numerous broken bones and cuts to his head and face, Gordon was taken by ambulance to Atlantic City Medical Center, where she was treated and released.

The source said that after the accident that nearly killed Corzine, Gordon was prevented from talking to the press. Then, two weeks ago, she was told by Corzine's lawyer, Nancy Dunlap - who normally doesn't handle staffers and is known as Corzine's "enforcer" - that she was being transferred to a different job.

Gordon wasn't given any reason for her transfer, and when she protested to Corzine personally, he said, "It's out of my hands," according to our source.

"The bizarre thing is that they let the driver talk, but not one reporter got to her," said the source.

Staffers also feared the wrath of Corzine's girlfriend, Sharon Elghanyan, 62, who is reportedly "very jealous."

A spokesman for the governor told Page Six: "We don't comment on fiction and sensational yellow journalism that's not worth the paper it's written on."

New Jersey, you hired him.

Creepy Japanese man alert

2007-07-09T11:20:00.000-04:00

Any feller that spends $170,000 on 'Love Dolls' because they don't 'cheat on you' or 'betray you', well, you can finish that sentence.

The Rio leg of the Live Earth experience, however,

2007-07-09T11:14:00.000-04:00

seems not to attract too much crowd. Mick Jagger v. the Goracle. Fat man loses.

Chocolate City / Chocolate State

2007-07-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Let's just call this, the exaltation of incompetence:

NEW ORLEANS -- New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin might be making a run for the governor's mansion.

Nagin was on the Tom Joyner radio show on the New 99.5 FM on Friday morning.

"There's a wide open governor's race, and we'll take a look at it," Nagin said, when asked to clear up rumors about a possible bid.

The radio station reported that Nagin could announce his candidacy in the next seven to 10 days.

In the past, the mayor has said that he had no interest in running for governor.

As much as I disliked the Don Imus show, Bernie's Nagin impression was priceless.

Deport illegal criminals? Maybe later

2007-07-06T13:35:00.000-04:00

A starkly candid article from MSM about the Fed's inability to deport illegal immigrants convicted of felonies:

July 6 (Bloomberg) -- Ezeiquiel Lopez already had a rap sheet that stretched all the way to Texas when, police said, he shot Kenosha County, Wisconsin, Deputy Sheriff Frank Fabiano in the head, killing him.

Lopez, 45, an illegal immigrant from Mexico, was free at the time of the May shooting, after having been jailed for two prior violent crimes. By law, he should have been deported, but federal immigration authorities didn't know he had been in custody, and state and local police didn't tell them.

The case isn't an exception. Fewer than half the foreigners convicted of crimes in the U.S. -- most of whom are in the country illegally -- are deported after serving their sentences, according to the Homeland Security Department's inspector general.

Maybe the dunces in the Senate will realize that there are more pressing issues to be addressed before worrying about bringing people 'out of the shadows'.

Anti-Fred hitpiece part trois

2007-07-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Read the headline: Analysis: Thompson Lacking Substance.

A concerted effort? I don't know. But someone please show me an equal amount of Osama hitpieces.

Thursday nite hybrid animal blogging

2007-07-05T22:21:00.001-04:00

Octopus + Squid = Octosquid

Horse + Zebra = Zebrula

Another anti-Fred hitpiece

2007-07-05T16:02:00.000-04:00

Walter Todd Houston does an excellent job dissecting Fred Thompson's ever-so-slanted 'bio' on Bloomberg's 'News' Service. I decided to do some fact-checking myself, and, lo and behold, gasp, one of the 'bio's' authors has done some politicking herself. Yes, that's $202 to Mr Heinz in the last Presidential election.

And have we forgotten this?

Day laborers shower us with culture, irrigation

2007-07-05T15:42:00.000-04:00

LMAO at this piece from the Washington Times:

Harry Thomas Jr. is the Ward 5 Council member who is meeting neighborhood opposition to his proposal to plant a day-laborer center near the Home Depot on Rhode Island Avenue Northeast.

The otherwise good residents of the Brentwood neighborhood take exception to the day laborers sleeping under their porches, drinking firewater on street corners and irrigating the trees, bushes and walls in their midst.

It is a cultural thing, and the fine folks of Brentwood just do not understand. The need to understand those from a foreign land is important, especially if they have come all this way to sleep under your porch, imbibe in bottled spirits and relieve themselves whenever it is necessary.

The enlightened Mr. Thomas wants to do right by the laborers, illegal or not, and has secured $500,000 in taxpayer money to build the center. D.C. officials have not said whether they will check the immigration status of the day laborers who congregate there. We would hope they would overlook this tiny detail.

Redefining 'Unhinged'

2007-07-05T12:28:00.000-04:00

Kos' diarists always seem to set the bar higher, but this one from ImpeachkingbushII is particularly hilarious:

So far I'm batting a thousand. Last year I was right about how many seats we would pick up in the November elections. On June 21st I predicted that "My money says Scooter Libby walks". He did walk as I predicted. Today, I'm predicting that Bush never leaves office voluntarily. Not in January, 2009. Not ever!

Read the whole thing.

The Fred pulls even with America's Favorite Yankee Fan

2007-07-05T11:59:00.000-04:00

per Rasmussen:

The latest Rasmussen Reports national telephone survey finds New York Senator Hillary Clinton (D) tied with former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson (R) in an Election 2008 match-up. Both candidates attract support from 45% of voters. Given a Clinton-Thompson match-up, 5% of voters say they’d pull the lever for some other candidate and 4% are not sure.

And its not a blip but big mo:

Compared to our previous survey of these matchups, conducted early in June, Clinton has lost a net five points against both Thompson and Romney. In May, Clinton led both of these GOP hopefuls by three points.

The IBD on Clintonian Justice

2007-07-05T11:04:00.000-04:00

The Investor's Business Daily gives us a Remembrance of Pardons Past in light of the liberal blowback over the Libby commutation:

Clinton commuted sentences for 16 members of the Puerto Rican separatist group FALN. That group had set off more than 100 bombs in the U.S., and the 16 had been convicted for a number of violent crimes, ranging from sedition to bomb-making.

Why would Clinton show such a tender heart for terrorists? Could it be he knew Hillary would need Puerto Rican votes to be elected in New York? We'll entertain alternative explanations, but that one so far seems to fit best.

Clinton also pardoned carnival operators Edgar and Vonna Jo Gregory. How did carnival operators get on his radar? Turns out they had loaned Hillary's brother, Tony Rodham, $107,000, which he never repaid. He didn't have to, as it turns out. Clinton stamped that debt "paid in full" with his pardons.

Then there was Carlos Vignali, a cocaine trafficker whose sentence Clinton commuted. And Almon Glenn Braswell, who was found guilty of mail fraud and perjury but won a pardon.
Why the pardon? Braswell and Vignali each paid Hillary's other brother, Hugh Rodham, $200,000, hoping he could win them clemency. Rodham returned the money, but only after the scandal became public.

Remember Marc Rich? He was pardoned for tax evasion. His ex-wife, Denise Rich, made substantial gifts to the Clinton library and to Hillary's senatorial campaign. Think there was a connection?

By the way, Rich later showed up in another scandal — the U.N.'s oil for food affair. Despite his pardon, he was hardly contrite.

We could go on. And on. For example, both Tyson Foods and Sun Diamond were fined millions of dollars for giving illegal gifts to Clinton's former Agriculture Secretary Mike Espy. Yet, somehow Espy himself was found innocent. How's that for equal under the law?

Others also found grace under Clinton's pardon frenzy — former Rep. Mel Reynolds (found guilty of sexual assault on a child and later of bank fraud); Susan MacDougal (pardoned for her role in the Whitewater scandal); and President Clinton's brother Roger Clinton (pardoned for earlier drug convictions).

UPDATE: The impeached ex-Prez can't just bury his head for a fortnight, or run off to Dubai to give a speech, but, of course, feels the need to comment on the Libby commutation.

UPDATE: The White House fires back:

WASHINGTON (AP) - The White House on Thursday made fun of former President Clinton and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, for criticizing President Bush's decision to erase the prison sentence of former aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby.

"I don't know what Arkansan is for chutzpah, but this is a gigantic case of it," presidential spokesman Tony Snow said.

Rep. John Conyers, D-Mich., has scheduled hearings on Bush's commutation of Libby's 2 1/2-year sentence.

"Well, fine, knock himself out," Snow said of Conyers. "I mean, perfectly happy. And while he's at it, why doesn't he look at January 20th, 2001?"

Refreshing.

Speaking of W's daughters

2007-07-05T10:49:00.000-04:00

Here is the blog of some scrimpy lawyer turd named Mitchell L. Silverman who wrote a complaint letter to the Recording Industry Association of America alleging violations of copyright laws by Jenna and Barbara Bush because they made an exercise CD for pops for Father's Day. Turns out the weasel was wrong. He had to retract his complaint:

It has come to my attention that noncommercial copying of digital music recordings may not be an infringement under Title 17 of the U.S. Code, "Copyrights." I apologize for any confusion I may have caused or any mistaken impression I may have given.

I've always hated the expression, 'get a life', but I can't craft an expression that is more apropos.

When dealing with a 'private family matter'...

2007-07-05T10:30:00.000-04:00

... what is one to do but go on the Today Show.

NEW YORK (AP) -- Al Gore says he's dealing with his son's arrest in California "as a private family matter."

Al Gore the Third, who is 24, was arrested early yesterday. Sheriff's deputies say he was driving about 100 miles per hour on the San Diego Freeway. They arrested him on suspicion of possessing marijuana and prescription drugs.

The former vice president and Democratic presidential nominee appeared on the "Today" show on NBC this morning. He says he's glad his son is safe and is "getting treatment." He also says he's thankful no one was hurt.

Al Gore the Third completed substance abuse counseling to settle pot possession charges in suburban Washington in 2003.

What was that about Jenna and Barbara? And Al Gore the Third. Please splainz that to me.

People, people

2007-07-02T16:39:00.000-04:00

Stop fornicating on top of walls:

Fornicating Couple Falls off Roof, Both Die

Two South Carolina residents in their early 20's are dead after what police believe may have been a sexual encounter gone horribly wrong. An unwitting cab driver came across the two nude, lifeless bodies at around 5 a.m. Wednesday morning.

Police were summoned immediately, and an investigation began. The bodies were located next to a building, and police began to search the area. A check of the building's roof, some fifty feet off the ground below, revealed the couple's clothes.

The practice need not be that dangerous though. A British couple practices safer sex:

A young British courting couple had a miraculous escape when they plunged nearly 50 feet from a wall in Majorca because their fall was broken by a tree.

Leanne Hanley, 21, from Blackpool, and boyfriend Nicholas Maxwell, also 21, from nearby Preston, climbed up to the view point next to their holiday apartment block after a night on the town in the brash resort of Magaluf, on the holiday island's south coast.

They were indulging in what police described as "an amorous game" when they fell from the wall at 5.30am on Sunday.

As they plunged to the ground they crashed through the branches of a fig tree which broke their fall and saved their lives.

Another vile potential Presidential candidate

2007-07-01T03:48:00.000-04:00

BLOOMY BUILDING AN '08 TEAM OF ELECTION PROS

If you think the US needs a pompous, annoying, disjoint President that wants to regulate your fat intake, the places you have a cig, then you have a feller. Not the nanny state, but the Bloomie one. The latter will be more vile. Believe.

The Newt that won't die

2007-07-01T02:17:00.000-04:00

and we dont want you to, but please, please, disappear. Newt, deal with reality. Stop flirting with a Presidential run.

Your personal problems make you unelectable, and you arent worth the effort of a defense. You resigned as Speaker under a cloud. You abandoned the constituents that elected you. You were usually a sane voice of conservative reason but I am still dumbfounded by the 'man made global warming' confession to your debate partner, John Kerry. I don't think conservatives should lend any support to such a zeitgeist surfer.

*Brought to you by a blogger that supports Fred and only Fred.

Dhimmi London Mayor insults non-Muslims

2007-07-01T01:18:00.000-04:00

... but still gets it half right.

The bad:

"In this city, Muslims are more likely to be law-abiding than non-Muslims and less likely to support the use of violence to achieve political ends than non-Muslims," he told BBC Radio.

He noted that terrorist acts had been carried out in London over the years by various groups including for example far-right groups. For years the British capital was wracked by violence by the Irish Republican Army (IRA).

The good:

But he said criticized the government's ties with Saudi Arabia, saying it remained unclear if Riyadh had stemmed huge amounts of funding which he said flows from the country.

"We have got to understand that when we talk about the Wahhabi strand of Islam, which is very intolerant, our major problem in dealing with it is that it flows out of Saudi Arabia," he said.

He said Wahhabi was the official religion of the Saudi royal family, and noted that Riyadh was one of the main buyers of British arms.

"For a very long time, politicians at national level were refusing to be sufficiently critical of the fact that the Saudi regime didn't clean up its act," he said.

The near-sighted Mayor can see the problem on the next continent but has trouble seeing it in his backyard.

Political pondering of the day

2007-07-01T00:49:00.000-04:00

I am thinking that Elizabeth Edward's newfound political zeal and her valiant defense of 'civil' political discourse (but of course the daughter of a VP's sexual orientation is always fair game) is the most contrived political theater since Hillary pronounced herself a lifelong Yankees fan.

What we shouldn't learn from the Duke lacrosse hoax

2007-07-01T00:14:00.000-04:00

Let's consider what we need not learn from the Duke lacrosse hoax, courtesy of the righteous Reverend Tom Ehrich, who, apparently has lost his way:

Duke should be leading the way in a national reassessment of student life, campus ethics, entitlement and privilege, academic freedom, gender relations, underage alcohol use, exposure to liability for failure to provide a safe environment, and the role of over-involved parents.

Finally, the three exonerated young men need to learn from this episode. They have had a sobering look inside the criminal justice system, which should give them sympathy for the many who are unfairly accused.

"national reassessment of student life" - I call for a national reassessment of drunken, stoned stripper life

"campus ethics" - I think prosecutorial ethics are a bit of a pressing lesson

"entitlement and privilege" - maybe they 'bought' justice, but they shouldn't have had to. It is the duty of the JUSTICE system to provide it freely.

"academic freedom" - the right to accuse innocent students of grievous crimes doth not fall under the banner of academic freedom. The Duke 88 be damned.

"gender relations" - drunken and emotionally unstable strippers should do as little relatin as possible

"underage alcohol use" - yawn

"exposure to liability for failure to provide a safe environment, and the role of over-involved parents" - these two are so incoherent and ridiculous - I'll just relegate them to the 'wtf' category

"sympathy for the many who are unfairly accused" - shouldn't this lesson be directed towards the lying accusers and their enablers in the JUSTICE system?

hat tip: DIW

From the land of fact based non-emotional journalism we get...

2007-06-30T00:48:00.000-04:00

A childs plea: 'Please close Guantanamo jail so I can see my daddy and give him a hug'

Yes, that is the headline. A shining example of journalistic objectivity.

Well, sounds a lil one-sided:

Johaina Aamer recalls very little of the final precious moments she spent with her father before the bombs started falling in Afghanistan.

She remembers him pretending to be a lion and chasing her and her two brothers around the garden and then running for cover as the explosions crept closer. After that, her mind is blank.

But in paintings and pictures the nine-year-old has unlocked her subconscious to tell a horrifying story of the American invasion, her father's capture and his 2,000 days spent as a prisoner in Guantanamo Bay.

Her art reveals the anguish of an ordinary south London family who have been enduring their own private Guantanamo hell, not knowing why father and husband, Shaker Aamer, was taken from them. Two years ago, Johaina wrote a letter to Tony Blair saying that when she saw him on television with George Bush she switched channels.

How adoring.

John McCain - the political pendulum

2007-06-29T18:29:00.000-04:00

The Senate's greatest champion of free speech (so long as said speech is not in the form of an issue advertisement and does not come within 30 days of a primary or caucus or 60 days of a general election... and is a valid corporation under Section 527 of the Internal Revenue Code (26 U.S.C. § 527)...) John McCain, got one right by proposing legislation to prohibit reinstatement of the Fairness Doctrine.

Fences mended?

No.

Wounds healed?

No.

Bygones again bein bygones?

No.

Drop the silly 'I wanna be Prez' thing. Buy a ranch in Arizona. Retire with dignity.

How to measure the speed of light in your kitchen

2007-06-29T18:14:00.000-04:00

If you are so inclined.

Alterman Universe/Alternate Universe

2007-06-29T13:20:00.000-04:00

From the land of make believe, we get Eric Alterman's brilliant new missive about how the media, including Maureen Dowd, simply loathes Al Gore. All hail the Goracle!!!!

And we know Alterman is right because he is obviously the bestest. His bio says so:

Termed "the most honest and incisive media critic writing today" in the National Catholic Reporter, and author of "the smartest and funniest political journal out there," in the San Francisco Chronicle,

If you opposed the immigration bill...

2007-06-29T01:25:00.000-04:00

you are racist. I feel terrible that I value border security before valuing the needs of those who have snuck across the border. Maybe the undistinguished Senator should care more about legal citizens. I guess that is racist.

Aussie Muslim polygamist sucks off the welfare state

2007-06-29T00:29:00.000-04:00

Interesting expose from Aussie TV. The subject is an equitable polygamist, spending his time equally amongst his wives suckling off of the teet of the welfare state.

The best part of the vid comes around 2:02 minutes in. In a very menacing manner he goes after the reporters. Physically, he is a big feller who intimidates those he approaches, but around 2:14 he looks at a cameraman, close to his size, that doesnt back down. He cowers. The cameraman doesn't even blink. More power to him. Priceless.

What's the hardest part about being you?

2007-06-29T00:19:00.000-04:00

Moustache.

When stupidity invites tragedy

2007-06-28T23:44:00.000-04:00

I am not a 'prayers sent' kind of person. Posters on internet forums undertand what that means. I certainly don't begrudge those who are. But sometimes a story affects you a little more than most. Prayers sent to Roosevelt Sims:

Just before ten p.m. last Sunday night, a diabetic man in insulin shock was booted off an Amtrak train in the middle of a national forest.

According to Phoenix CBS Channel 5, 65-year-old Roosevelt Sims was headed to Los Angeles when Amtrak personnel, having assessed him as drunk and unruly, left him at an isolated railroad crossing in what a police officer described to the Phoenix media as "800,000 acres of beautiful pine trees." Sims' family had tried to call him on his cell phone that same night, but he was incoherent and, they report, in insulin shock.

When officers arrived at the crossing, Sims ran into the woods without his luggage or medication. The crossing is two miles from the nearest road and five miles from the nearest town. The altitude is 8000 feet. Sims' whereabouts is still unknown.

And a vicious fuck you to Amtrak.

UPDATE: SIMS FOUND

NY's Biggest Media Whore

2007-06-28T15:27:00.000-04:00

No, he is not a Senator from New York. Nor is he NYC's illustrious mayor. Meet Greg Packer.

You know that guy who's first in line at the 5th Ave Apple Store? Greg Packer? Turns out he's no Apple fanboy. No, he's an obsessive linesitter. He was the first person to see Ground Zero when the viewing platform opened, the first to sign the condolence book at the British consulate when Princess Diana died, and the first in line to greet President George W. Bush after his inauguration. Hell, the guy waited in line for eight hours to meet Brandy. Brandy!

What in the hell? Waiting in line overnight sucks, but this guy has made it his personal mission to be the first to do whatever crap there is that people are willing to wait for. Will he even get an iPhone? Does he care about the iPhone at all? Does he know what an iPhone is? It seems like he just likes the attention and seeing his name quoted in papers who don't realize that he isn't a genuine fan of whatever event is being covered. The dude has his own Wikipedia entry for crissakes, and it's huge.

**********DISTURBING IMAGE WARNING************

Here is his wikipedia entry. He's got a blog, and a fan club (well, sort of).

PRESIDENTIAL QUIRKS

2007-06-28T12:52:00.000-04:00

Some unusual facts about a few of our presidents:

-Warren G. Harding was an avid gambler and once bet all the White House china on a hand of cards – and lost.

-Harding and Grover Cleveland each had an illegitimate child, but both were born before their fathers served as president.

-William Howard Taft was known as “Big Bill” because he was 6 feet 2 inches tall and weighed more than 330 pounds.

-During warm weather, John Quincy Adams had a custom of skinny dipping before dawn in the Potomac River.

-John Tyler, president from 1841 to 1845, later joined the Confederacy and was elected to its house of representatives.

-Benjamin Harrison, president from 1889 to 1893, was not a fan of the new electricity in the White House and often had his staff turn the lights on and off for him.

And a newbie:

-George W. Bush, renowned for his loyalty, abandoned his principles, party and avid supporters in pursuit of a 'legacy. He failed.

WSJ'S Effete Editorialists

2007-06-27T13:32:00.000-04:00

I had been wondering if the Wall Street Journal could be any more out of touch with rank and file Republicans than they have been over the current amnesty bill. No sense in wondering. The answer is clear. No:

That's true most immediately for Presidential hopefuls like Mitt Romney and Fred Thompson, who continue to assail the bill as "amnesty." No doubt this gets applause in some Republican precincts. But in the near term, meaning through 2008, Republicans would be far better off helping President Bush and John McCain pass something that takes immigration off the table. If the issue remains central to the 2008 debate, it will divide the GOP and the media will play up the split. Given the passions that immigration evokes on the right in particular, the issue could easily drown out other domestic policy messages the candidates would prefer to run on.

*********

Notwithstanding the small but loud segment of the GOP base preoccupied with the issue, hostility to immigration has never been a political winner. Like trade protection, people protectionism always polls better in telephone surveys than on Election Day. For a Presidential candidate especially, it sends a negative message rather than one of optimistic leadership. If GOP candidates can't support Mr. Bush and Senator Jon Kyl on immigration, they should at least avoid the kind of demagoguery that will hurt their party for years to come.

Their editorial is entitled Immigration and the GOP - How to make Republicans a minority party once again. Allow me to retort.

Question: How to make Republicans a minority party once again?
Answer: The President and the Kennedy Republicans just did.

Mark Levin won't let them off the hook:

What drives the editorial writers at the Journal is their insatiable demand, on behalf of their advertisers, for sweat-shop conditions and slave wages. For they know that the Department of Homeland Security and ICE, and the INS before them, are incapable of enforcing the vast array of new provisions in the proposed comprehensive amnesty bill. Indeed, they’re counting on it. Since 1965, the government has promised the public border security in exchange for amnesty.

Today’s Journal writers aren’t as honest as their predecessors. They deny this bill provides for amnesty. In the past, they would have proudly proclaimed it. Today’s Journal writers take refuge in the anonymity of the editorial page as they assassinate the character of those with whom they disagree. Apparently, those who insist on enforcing the law are racists. Those who insist that the government fulfill its obligation to secure the border and punish businesses that hire illegal aliens are anti-Hispanic.

What causes a usually intelligent collection of writers to become so emotionally untethered? They refuse to debate National Review editors. They reject the late Dr. Milton Friedman’s opposition to open-borders in an entitlement society. Friedman was our nation’s foremost libertarian economist. They denigrate the positions held by William F. Buckley, a founder of modern conservatism, and Ed Meese, one of conservatism’s leading constitutional scholars and originalists. They distort statistics in a vain attempt to counter the Heritage Foundation’s research — the premiere conservative think tank.

DNC/AP - Peas in a pod

2007-06-27T12:43:00.000-04:00

Target Rich Environment provides us with an excellent side by side comparison between the DNC talking points on Fred Thompson and the recent AP article by our favorite media Revolutionary, Travis Loller.

1. DNC talking point: “In his most recent stint in Washington, Thompson worked for a London company lobbying Congress to limit liability claims for asbestos-related illnesses. Over the past three years he’s made $760,000 fighting for the interests of his corporate clients.

“AP/CNN talking point: ”More recently, while Frist led the Senate, Thompson earned more than $750,000 lobbying for a British reinsurance company that wanted to limit its liability from asbestos lawsuits.

2. DNC Talking Point: “And just this month, as part of his role as the ultimate Washington insider, Thompson offered to host yet another fundraising event for Scooter Libby’s legal defense fund. Thompson has been vocal in his support of Libby, saying that he would “absolutely” pardon him.”
AP/CNN Talking Point: “Thompson also helped run the Scooter Libby Legal Defense Fund Trust, an organization that set out to raise more than $5 million to help finance the legal defense of Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, who was convicted in March of lying and obstructing Special Prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald’s investigation into the leak of a CIA operative’s identity.”

3. DNC Talking Point: “For years, acting wasn’t the Law & Order star’s profession — it was a hobby. In the real world, Thompson has made a fortune in a decades-long career as a Washington lobbyist.”
AP/CNN Talking Point: “Republican Fred Thompson, who likes to cast himself in the role of Washington outsider, has a long history as a political insider who earned more than $1 million lobbying the federal government.”

4. DNC Talking Point: “Although the folksy-sounding Tennessean recently told USA TODAY that he would run an outsider, just as he did while campaigning as a “country lawyer” in a red pickup during his 1994 U.S. Senate race, his résumé is that of a longtime Washington operative who has crossed ideological lines to represent corporate and foreign clients.”
AP/CNN Talking Point: “That history as a Washington insider is at odds with the image Thompson has sought to convey to voters. When he first ran for the Senate in 1993, Thompson cast himself in the part of the gruff, plainspoken everyman, leased a red pickup truck and drove around Tennessee in his shirt sleeves.”

Dems spooked at New Reagan? The Fred in action

2007-06-27T01:10:00.000-04:00

The Democratic party is so alarmed by the prospect of competing against Fred Thompson, a Republican who portrays himself as a successor to Ronald Reagan, that it is advising campaigners how to attack the former actor and Tennessee senator.

The line of attack? = He made a MILLION DOLLARS lobbying over a period of 20 years. That is 50 k a year. Is this the dirt they have? Dig deeper!!!! What does $1mi over a period of 20 yrs, mean to J Heinz Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Kohl, Pelosi et al. Selective indignation.

Marine Vet, 72, Bslaps punk robber

2007-06-27T01:06:00.000-04:00

Always a feel good story.

Time to make a change

2007-06-26T13:34:00.000-04:00

This lifelong Republican is gonna pull a Bloomberg. A party more concerned with pandering to the Hispanic vote than to securing the nation's borders is not a party I can be comfortable in. Here is a link to the New York State Board of Elections in case anyone else is interested in changing their party affiliation.

Grey Lady Down

2007-06-26T00:25:00.000-04:00

Typical editorial from every litterbox's paper of record. Boil it down to bones - 'Bong hits 4 Jesus' banner by a high school student during class hours demands 1st Amendment protection, but an ad from a private group that asks Senators to vote on judicial nominees needs to be censored by the Federal Gubmint.

Wow, and the 'smart guys' read this fodder.

Mike Freeman is an Asshole

2007-06-25T19:12:00.000-04:00

With a capital A. He compiles a list of the 'Top 50 Sports Jerks' and includes Uga V, Georgia's mascot from 1990-1999, (who incidently was named the nation's number one mascot by Sports Illustrated in 1999). Uga V is apparently worse than Bill Romanowski, the Broncos linebacker who spit in the face of an opposing player, but not quite as bad as Don King, the blowhard who singlehandedly destroyed heavyweight boxing. What journalistic prowess. Jerk.

Revolutionary AP writer slams the Fred

2007-06-25T15:30:00.000-04:00

I was a little miffed at the cynical tone in this piece from the AP. The piece was decidedly hostile so I did a little hunting and pecking on the internetzz about the blog's author, Travis Loller. Her AP bio says she covers 'Hispanic issues'. I guess she does that when she isn't fomenting revolution:

Three American citizens, along with nine other foreigners, were deported from Mexico on April 12, 1998 for alleged collusion with the Zapatista rebels (EZLN). The woman, Travis Loller, 26, and two men, Michael Sabato, 30, and Jeffrey Conant, 30, are part of an American relief group called Intercambio de Tecnologia Apropiada (ITA) or, in English, Appropriate Technology Exchange. The Mexican government accused the three of agitating for the rebel army that's been struggling in the southeastern state of Chiapas for over four years in an effort to win basic civil rights and gain land reform for the indigenous Indians in the region.

*********
The three Americans have extensive activist histories, having worked for reproductive rights, the homeless and protests against the Gulf War, the Rodney King verdict and Propositions 187 and 209. Ironically, their time in Mexico was spent not on direct politic organizing but on community improvement projects in the poverty stricken villages of Chiapas, including building potable water systems, latrines, composting, and soil improvement. They even had plans to help construct micro-hydroelectric plants. Sabato and Conant have been working on and off in Chiapas since August of '95, Loller since January of '98. They are among the thousands of non-Mexicans to visit Chiapas who've found the Zapatistas' non-hierarchical, consensus-based, experience-driven revolution to be a refreshing, inspiring change from the traditional Marxist-Leninist rebel movements. Loller tells an amusing story about a group of Spanish anarchists who came to Chiapas bearing books by Kropotkin, Bakunin, Marx, Lenin and other lefty theoreticians in order to indoctrinate the locals. When the Indians expressed profound disinterest in how some dead Europeans thought a revolutionary society ought to be created, the academes left in a huff, proclaiming that the Zapatistas "weren't true revolutionaries".

Here is an account from the leftist Mother Jones.

UPDATE: Did Ms. Loller author the DNC talking points? Allahpundit is curious.

Fred Thompson's Bimbo Eruptions

2007-06-24T02:00:00.000-04:00

Every candidate's worst nightmare. The bimbo. The ex wife. The ex gf. The axes grindin. The things they could say.

And then, the Fred:

Lorrie Morgan, ex gf:

"I couldn’t think of a bad word to say about Fred if somebody put a gun to my head."

"Fred is a perfect example of chivalry. He’s the kind of man little girls dream about marrying, who opens doors for you, lights your cigarettes, helps you on with your coat, buys wonderful gifts. It’s every woman’s fantasy.”

“I think he has a great chance of capturing the women’s vote. He’s majestic. He’s a soft, safe place to be and that could be Fred’s ticket. Women love a soft place to lay and a strong pair of hands to hold us,”

Georgette Mosbacher, a leading Republican fundraiser who dated Thompson after Morgan and remains a good friend, said he would defeat Clinton because of his appeal to “traditional women who will like the Southern gentleman in him”.

He is just as able to charm professional women, she added: “Another thing that is extremely attractive about Fred is that he is a really good listener. As a woman you can talk to Fred about any subject and know that you’re getting someone who respects your opinion and isn’t just being polite.”

“It says a lot about his character that his ex-wife and ex-girlfriends think he is fabulous,” said Mosbacher. “Character is important in a president.”

One of her rivals for his affection was Margaret Carlson, now a columnist for Bloomberg News, but she has also joined in the praise for Thompson. “He’s handsome, he’s charming, he sounds like a president,” Carlson gushed recently. “He’s smart, he’s articulate, he knows his line, he can hit his mark.”

What pol wouldnt PAY for bimbo eruptions like that?

Two Views of the Immigration Debate

2007-06-24T01:31:00.000-04:00

Ace of Spades does a much better job than myself. His post is friggin hilarious. But I think more people need to see the bias of the New York Times. Check out this pic from a NYT article about ILLEGAL immigration. These are the border bustin folks, just looking for a break. Looks like they are witnessing the Second Coming, or are, in the least, extras in the latest Spieberg crapfest. Here is the immigrant hating feller in the NYT's other article pic. The sparsely-toothed feller must be afflicted with Redneckism. Do you see? He does post a smallish American flag. As we all know, that is a very distinct sign of racist xenophobism. While some might see him as a walking hate crime, I am more sympathetic. With an intervention, a couple of years of counseling, Spanish language lessons, a few pesos in his pocket, he should be able to reenter the Mexico-Americo population.

Change of Heart

2007-06-22T16:00:00.000-04:00

I have voiced some very strong opinions about Mayor Bloomberg’s congestion pricing tax, er, uhh, plan. After much deliberation, and an epic battle with my conscience, I am ashamed to admit that I am beginning to warm up to the idea. It very well could be a workable way of keeping our fair city greener and add to the city’s always needy coffers.

With that having been said, I think I’d like to tweak the Bloomberg plan a little bit to make it a bit more equitable. Instead of taxing poorer people traveling to affluent areas to work, why don’t we tax affluent people traveling to play. Leaving Manhattan last night around 10 p.m., I got stuck in nightmarish traffic on the Long Island Expressway. Why so much traffic, so late? Predominantly Manhattanites off to eastern Long Island, getting an early start for their long comfortable weekends at their beach homes in places like the Hamptons, Aquebogue and Shinnecock Hills.

Just a thought, Mr. Mayor. Waddya think?

Dayum Nazi Thug

2007-06-22T15:11:00.000-04:00

Freedom hating, brownshirt trampling on the rights of the American people. Fascist Attorney General who pisses on the Constitution. Here ya go with a nice kick in the family jewels:

In 1963, the CIA wiretapped two columnists -- Robert Allen and Paul Scott -- following a column in a newspaper in which they disclosed certain national security information. CIA records indicate that the wiretapping was approved by McCone after "discussions" with then Attorney General Robert Kennedy and then Secretary of Defense Robert McNamara. The wiretaps, which continued from March 12 to June 15, 1963, were described as "very productive" -- among those overheard calling Allen and Scott were twelve Senators, six Congressmen, and so forth. Apparently, the tap did not disclose the source of the security information published in the Allen-Scott column.

Dayum racist, facist, civil rights hatin Attorney General:

In October 1963, Robert Kennedy had authorized a wiretap on King's home phone. It was barely six weeks after King had held the crowd on the Washington mall spellbound with his history-making speech.

That power to sway a crowd and make them follow him into a future full of uncertainty is what made King a "dangerous" man. Celebrating King's birthday this weekend reminds us that because of him, ordinary Americans willingly risked everything to end oppressive segregation policies.

Dayum political icon, luminary, champion of the downtrodden and oppressed hero of the Left, inheritor of divine lineage:

He saw wrong and tried to right it. He saw suffering and tried to heal it. He saw war and tried to stop it.

What you can expect from a Bloomberg Presidency

2007-06-22T10:32:00.000-04:00

Goodfellas News Item of the Day

2007-06-20T15:09:00.000-04:00

Irish criminal found 'Frankie Carbone style':

DUBLIN, Ireland -- Pathologists inspected the thawed remains Wednesday of a missing Dublin criminal whose body was found, frozen rock solid, in the Mermaid Fish Shop.

The owner of the shop in Galway, western Ireland, last week found the body of Patrick McCormack, 52, concealed inside a plastic container. He appeared to have been badly beaten and his hands were tied behind his back.

An examination of the body has been repeatedly delayed at Dublin City Morgue because it had not defrosted. But the work began Wednesday under the supervision of Ireland's assistant state pathologist, Dr. Michael Curtis.

When Nuns Attack. No Really.

2007-06-20T14:56:00.000-04:00

I used to hear nightmarish stories from Catholic school friends about nuns with yardsticks. But I could never quite picture ole Sister Agnes wielding a switchblade in a turf war with the Sharks:

Nuns and priests attack each other in convent

by Nassos Stylianou

Scuffles lead to two arrests

TWO PEOPLE were injured and another two were arrested after scuffles broke out between two rival factions of nuns residing in an Old Calendarist convent in Avdellero late last night.

Nuns and priests from both sides confronted each other after unrest broke out at around 10pm.

The church was covered with blood as nuns and priests from both sides attacked each other using sharp objects.

Police confirmed that they would be looking into the incident, which is believed to be part of a long-running dispute between the two groups of nuns. It has been reported that the convent is segregated, with Archimandrite Sevastianos’ followers occupying certain buildings and the resident nuns staying in others. At nightfall, Sevastianos and his nuns barricade themselves inside the chapel, as a precaution, with friends and relatives of the two groups taking turns at patrolling the premises.

Go to linkski for the full story

Rather Sexist

2007-06-11T17:58:00.000-04:00

IYAM.

Bullshit article of the day.....

2007-06-10T06:23:00.000-04:00

NYC Bloomberg's arrogance:

NEW YORK (AP) -- Traffic congestion and devastating pollution are among the "inconvenient truths" of our age and could be eased by imposing pay-to-drive fees on Manhattan motorists, Mayor Michael Bloomberg told a legislative panel Friday.

Bloomberg, who normally takes the subway to work, told the lawmakers he got stuck in traffic three times on his way to the special hearing.

His remarks were greeted by a roaring ovation from supporters who included environmentalists in bright green T-shirts handing out fresh green apples before the hearing.

"The threats to our city, and our planet, are inconvenient truths that we can no longer avoid facing, and that we can no longer wait for Washington to confront," Bloomberg said, referring to the title of Al Gore's Oscar-winning global warming documentary, "An Inconvenient Truth."

Under Bloomberg's proposal, cars entering Manhattan south of 86th Street would be charged $8 per day, and trucks $21. Under a three-year pilot program, the fees would be collected only during the worst traffic hours, from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m. Two major roadways flanking the east and west sides of Manhattan, FDR Drive and the West Side Highway, would be exempt.

Tax the people that can't afford to live in Manhattan. Tax the small business owners that can't afford to live in Manhattan who:

-replace and install building windows

-clean building windows

-moldings

-electric links

-wallpaper

-cabinetry

-create computer networks and resolve network issues

....and on and on and on.......

-run EVERY business that is not cost-effective to run outside of Manhattan

-etc. etc. etc.

Most businesses can't afford to be centered in Manhattan. Its way too expensive. Bloomie wants to tax these business owners, mosty of whom are NYC residents, as interlopers. Fuck him.

Bloomberg seems to be offended that the paupers from the outer boroughs seem to invade his little paradise. In his lil niche, the average price of an apartment is over $1 mil. Bloomie's answer to maintain their standard of living? Tax the people delivering their needs.

Wesley Snipes goes racial

2007-06-08T12:48:00.000-04:00

I didn't pay my taxes for 6 years but you are prosecuting me because I am black.

Disney fosters ageism?

2007-06-08T12:19:00.000-04:00

Ever think that wackademics have too much time on their hands?

LONDON — Even the Seven Dwarfs are guilty. Well, two of them anyway. Grumpy and Dopey are no longer just the loyal friends of Snow White but must now line up with the likes of the Wicked Queen and Cruella de Vil to be accused of fostering negative images of elderly people.

According to academics, Walt Disney's seemingly ageist cartoon depiction of older people as evil or incompetent risks adversely influencing children.

***

Their study concludes: "Why the portrayals of older people seem more negative when the consumers are children is uncertain.

"Disney films may not be the primary source of children's negative perceptions of older people. However, there is evidence that the media do influence children's perceptions."

Thoughts on the immigration bill votes

2007-06-08T01:03:00.000-04:00

As per the precedents to the most pivotal immigration votes of our generation:

McCain doesnt vote on the first. Brownback doesnt vote on the second. Accordingly, neither is worthy of the Presidency.

From his comments, Fred! would have voted Nayyyyy. Long live Fred!.

*****

I watched some of the debate. Sen. Sessions is a hero. To see him be attacked by the Kennedy's, Feinstein's of the Senate was disgusting. And the other Repubs - McConnell, Graham, - etc., wtf are you thinking? The Republican party is now too fractured to survive. The White House supported the original bill but have been quiet ever since.

If this bill eventually passes, with the support of stray Repubs and the White House. the party will be doomed to minority status for a good 20 years.

The immigration bill could have been a nice opportunity for Repubs to pick up the blue collar Reagan dems. But that opportunity has been shelved.

Fuck the stuttering President and his inept handlers.

It takes a Clinton...

2007-06-07T23:07:00.000-04:00

TO BORE A CHILD

(photo via Lucianne)