January 2006 Archives
Congrats to Justice Alito, who was sworn in just a little while ago by President Bush.
This is a large victory for common sense. Bush promised to appoint judges that wouldn't legislate from the bench, and he's really delivered with Roberts and now Alito.
TB and I wish Justice Alito a long and productive career on the Supreme Court.
As you've probably heard, there's a Cindy Sheehan for Senate blog. Since y'all know how strongly I feel about Cindy, you probably knew I'd jump in with my take....
As far as I'm concerned, it would make the campaign fun - can you imagine a debate between Sheehan and Feinstein? Liberal persuasion aside, they're not even on the same planet. You'd be able to play the answers to the moderator's questions randomly at parties and see if anyone could match the answers each other or even to the questions. And besides, it would be really fun to see Cindy get her ass handed to her by someone on the left for a change - rather than the usual dodge we get now.
If you haven't voted at the Cindy for Senate blog, please do so right away.
Other blogs who already support Cindy For SenateTM:
Gateway Pundit
Michelle Malkin
Beautiful Atrocities
Glenn Reynolds
Junkyard Blog
The Rubber Stamp
It's a list that's sure to grow very long.
The World Can't Wait - if you'll recall, they're the ones who organized a protest day last year and called for high school students to walk out of class - are sponsoring the big protest tomorrow at the reflecting pool in DC during the state of the union address. The headliner, fresh from a communist photo-op, is Cindy Sheehan.
It will be interesting to see how many participants they get - the anti-war crowd has hurt themselves by being loony and dishonest. But whoever does show up is expected to bring noisemakers such as pots and pans, drums, etc:
During the State of the Union people will drown out Bush's address with drums and violins, banging pots, sounding car horns lifting voices, and churches will ring their bells. People will use flashlights to shine the light on Bush's lies.
Yeah, I'm sure that'll work. No mention of which church is going to be ringing its bells, either.
This bunch has marginalized itself time and time again through their willingness to display their disconnect with reality. Bush's approval ratings, although not great, have been rebounding lately, and The World Can't Wait must have written their press release last fall:
As Bush's approval ratings drops, people will be in the streets demanding Bush step down. According to the group, the people in America now know that we were falsely led into war, the devastation in New Orleans has more to do with government failure then nature, unemployment has risen to its highest rate in over a decade, and the people are no longer willing to accept Bush as president. Debra Sweet, national coordinator of World Can't Wait said, "Bush lies, spies, breaks the law, lets thousands die, receives huge disapproval ratings and just keeps going. The only way this regime will be stopped is if we, the people, urgently mobilize in truly massive, determined, unrelenting protest with the concrete demand that Bush step down and take his program with him."
As for Cindy (on break from her "Dictators of Love" tour - will Fidel be next?), her presence alone will undoubtedly draw a collective yawn from the media, who tired of her antics once it was clear what an embarrassment she was to the left. I do hope someone gets a transcript of her speech, though. I don't know if she can top herself after threatening to run for office, but I'd like to see her try...
Mexico was planning to give out maps to help its citizens cross illegally into the US. But no more (at least for now). And the reason why is gonna surprise you:
MEXICO CITY - Mexico will suspend its plan to distribute maps to migrants wanting to cross the U.S. border illegally, but an official said Thursday the decision was not made because of American pressure.
But why scuttle the plan if not because of US pressure? Because the maps, once in the hands of Americans who care, might use the maps to help illegals get caught:
Miguel Angel Paredes, spokesman for the federal Human Rights Commission, said the government wanted to "rethink" its plan because human rights officials in border states expressed concern that the maps would show anti-immigrant groups — like the Minutemen civilian patrols — where migrants likely would gather.
"This would be practically like telling the Minutemen where the migrants are going to be," Paredes said. "We are going to rethink this, so that we wouldn't almost be handing them over to groups that attack migrants."
In other words, we don't want illegals to get caught.
Now, the group will "seek other ways" to help migrants, Paredes said.
Maybe tunnel digging equipment...
Iran has asked the United States to allow direct flights between the two countries after a break of more than two decades, a senior civil aviation official said on Thursday.
The request comes as the United States and its European Union allies are pressing for the Islamic Republic to be reported to the United Nations Security Council where it could face possible sanctions for its nuclear program.
"We sent a letter to the relevant American officials on Wednesday, announcing Iran's willingness to resume direct flights," Nourollah Rezai-Niaraki, head of Iran's Civil Aviation Organization, told state television.
He said the decision to make the request was taken by hardline Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad due to demand from the large Iranian community living in the United States.
"They have repeatedly complained about wasting time and losing their baggage on connecting flights," the official said.
Iranian airliners have been barred from the United States since the US government broke ties with Tehran after the 1979 Islamic revolution.
An Iranian civil aviation spokesman said Ahmadinejad's decision did not signal any move to try to improve relations between the two old foes. "I hope American officials do not adopt a political stance in making a decision on this request," said spokesman Reza Jafarzadeh.
The United States and the EU accuse Iran of trying to make nuclear weapons under the cover of a civilian nuclear program. Tehran says it needs nuclear technology to satisfy booming domestic electricity demand.
Iran is subject to US economic sanctions imposed in 1996, under the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act. Due to the sanctions, Iran has struggled to maintain its ageing fleet of aircraft, mostly US-built Boeing planes bought before the 1979 revolution.
And right on heels of their decision to resume nuclear development. Hmmmm. I really hope that no one in our government seriously considers this...
If you belong to UFCW and have been patting yourself on the back for successfully getting your Democrat handpuppets to pass the Wal-Mart bill in Maryland, you probably haven't yet had time to take stock of your numerous accomplishments for the working poor in Maryland.
Steve H. Hanke and Stephen J.K. Walters have conveniently put together a terrific accounting for you in today's Opinion Journal. Since Wal-Mart will not build the distribution center in Somerset county (the poorest county in the state), this is what you have spared its hapless residents from being a victim of:
• The center's 800 employees would have created an additional 282 jobs among "upstream" suppliers and "downstream" retailers and service establishments; all told, the center would have boosted county employment by 14% and private-sector employment by 20%.
• Total annual employee compensation in Somerset would have risen by $46.5 million, or 19%.
• Annual output (or "gross county product") would have risen by $128.3 million, or 19%.
• State and local tax receipts would have increased by $19.2 million annually; this would include $8.5 million in property taxes, $5.6 million in sales taxes, and $1.4 million in personal income taxes.
These folks are lucky to have you looking out for them, eh? But don't start the high-fives yet. There was also a planned center in Garrett County as well that's not going to be built as a direct result of your efforts. So double up on the champaign, folks - you've earned it.
Oh, and by the way - sorry you didn't have the same success on behalf of Indiana workers. Maybe you'll have better luck in Colorado...
Okay, folks, pretend you're Harry Reid for a moment...
If your smearing of Judge Alito has made you and your party look like a bunch of buffoons;
If your breathless accusations over Abramoff and his clients' donations haven't successfully washed away the $66,000 you received;
As your accusations of illegality over the NSA's efforts, become more and more shrill and dishonest;
If your insistance that President Bush fire an employee that hadn't even been charged, or indicted, or convicted of any wrongdoing makes you sound childish;
If your continuous attacks and repeating the phrase "culture of corruption" over and over have made the Democrats in congress even more unpopular than the Republicans;
And just having finished directing your fellow Democratic Senators to ignore Judge Alito's qualifications and vote for partisan political gain only;
What do you think your next move should be? Change directions, maybe?
Not if you're Harry - nope, you set up an organization to step up the same types of attacks that have failed so miserably:
WASHINGTON - An organization with strong backing from the top Democrats in Congress intends to launch a costly election-year campaign to promote issues on the party's agenda, officials said Tuesday, beginning with a television commercial arguing it's "time for a change" after a season of political corruption.
Americans United "will use all the campaign-style tactics which characterize political campaigns," ranging from paid advertising to grassroots organizing, according to a memo describing the group's plans.
"Campaign-style tactics" means attack ads. And lots of fund-raising, too:
Officials said Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid of Nevada and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi of California met with potential donors in Los Angeles earlier this month, underscoring their personal interest in the group's efforts.
Americans United got it's start-up funds from MoveOn.Org and several large unions. The unions involved so far appear to be:
American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees
National Education Association
American Federation of Teachers
AFL-CIO
Service Employees International Union
The ethics-minded lefties have cleverly set this up as a 501(c) so that donors don't have to be disclosed. Also, the group will not support any individual candidate, so there will be no limits on the size of donations. This dovetails nicely with the Democrats' primary campaign strategy - since they don't as of yet have an agenda of their own, right-bashing is their only tactic at present. And AU can easily run ads supporting each individual Democratic candidates' platform of Bush and Right-bashing and still run a disclaimer on each ad stating their non-affiliation. Pretty clever, eh?
And there's more - the group is designed to emulate the very methodology of what Dems call the "Culture of Corruption":
"Sen. Reid and Rep. Pelosi are very supportive of efforts to advance progressive issues, much like the Republicans have done for years with conservative causes through such groups as Progress For America," said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Reid.
I would think that the last thing Reid would want to do is copy his "corrupt" adversaries.
This coming election season promises to be the most fun ever.
Shut Up, They Explained
The left's regulatory war against free speech.
The subject of new media in relation to campaign finance reform has been brought up numerous times in the last couple of years. This column by Brian C. Anderson in today's Wall Street Journal keeps the flame alive and burning.
It's a rather long column, but well worth the time to read. This should continue to be an issue with which we have no disagreement with the left side of the blogosphere.
Via AP/Yahoo:
All 10 Republicans voted for Alito, while all eight Democrats voted against him. The partisan vote was almost preordained, with 15 of the 18 senators announcing their votes even before the committee's session began.
The full Senate expects to take a final vote on Alito's nomination before the end of the week. That vote is also expected to follow along party lines, with only one Democrat — Ben Nelson of Nebraska — coming out so far in support of Alito. Republicans hold the balance of power in the Senate 55-44, with one independent.
This one's going to have long-term ramifications for the Democrats. The demand from party leadership to ignore Alito's qualifications and vote against him for party gain sets the tone for future SCOTUS nominations including those that the left might make if they get back into the white house.
FRANKFORT, Ky. - With a bust in the balance, Kentucky's governor is siding with Colonel Sanders over Pamela Anderson.
Gov. Ernie Fletcher wrote the "Stacked" actress to say a bust of the KFC founder will stay in the Kentucky Capitol, despite Anderson's claim that Sanders is a symbol of cruelty to chickens.
"Colonel Sanders remains a Kentucky icon," Fletcher wrote last week. "His success story has been an inspiration to many. The industry he began has employed hundreds of thousands of workers over the years. His business and his legacy have been good for Kentucky."
Please take note that his rationale involves people. As it should be. The folks in Kentucky take Harlan Sander's legacy very seriously. But the governor kept his composure over the issue, stubbornly refusing to engage in senseless breast-beating. Indeed, he was apparently a gentleman when responding to Ms. Anderson's request:
Fletcher was courteous in his letter, thanking Anderson for her comments. "I hope you will feel free to contact me any time an issue is important to you," he wrote.
Coincidentally, we're having fried chicken tonight in the B residence.
MONDAY, Jan. 23 (HealthDay News) -- Compounds in black currants may help protect against Alzheimer's disease, according to a study in the current issue of Chemistry & Industry magazine.I hate currants - why couldn't it have been chocolate?
Via AP/Yahoo:
DEARBORN, Mich. - Ford Motor Co., the nation's second-largest automaker, said Monday that it will cut 25,000 to 30,000 jobs and idle 14 facilities by 2012 as part of a restructuring designed to reverse a $1.6 billion loss last year in its North American operations.
The cuts represent 20 percent to 25 percent of Ford's North American work force of 122,000 people. Ford has approximately 87,000 hourly workers and 35,000 salaried workers in the region.
Bad news for the auto industry - especially with bad news coming from GM recently. Ford detailed the underlying reasons for the cuts:
The No. 2 U.S. automaker after General Motors Corp. has been hurt by falling sales of its profitable sport utility vehicles, growing health care and materials costs and labor contracts that have limited its ability to close plants and cut jobs. The United Auto Workers union will have to agree to some of the changes Ford wants to make.
In other words, high gas prices have hurt the SUV market, and the union has increased Ford's overhead and hampered it's ability to be competitive. Of course, the union is sensitive to Ford's situation and stands ready to assist:
"The impacted hourly and salaried workers find themselves facing uncertain futures because of senior management’s failure to halt Ford’s sliding market share."
Er - I said, the union stands ready to assist:
"Certainly, today’s announcement will only make the 2007 negotiations all the more difficult and all the more important."
EXCUSE ME - I SAID, READY TO ASSIST?
"The UAW-represented workers affected by today’s action are covered by the job security program and all other provisions and protections of the UAW-Ford National Agreement. Our union will rigorously enforce those programs."
Well. I just can't understand why anyone would outsource, can you?
Maybe UAW should consult with the UFCW - a few greased liberal palms, maybe an aggressive PR campaign, and who knows? Maybe some laws could be passed that would keep Ford in business and employed at current levels until the end of time - whether they ever sell another car or not.
Here's the list of states that the unions are lobbying to enact legislation similar to the "Fair Share" bill recently passed in Maryland:
Alaska
Arizona
California
Colorado
Connecticut
Delaware
Florida
Georgia
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana
Kansas
Kentucky
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Missouri
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New York
Oklahoma
Oregon
Pennsylvania
Rhode Island
Tennessee
Virginia
Washington
Wisconsin
The first push was to be in Wisconsin, but the measure was killed by the state assembly:
Assembly Bill 860 would have required companies with more than 10,000 employees in Wisconsin to pay 80-percent of its workers' health care costs. If not, then the company has to reimburse the state when those workers hop on to the state-funded Badger Care program.
Sound familiar? Unlike Maryland, the Governor supports AB 860:
A highlight from Tuesday night's State of the State speech was Governor Jim Doyle's wish that retailer Wal-Mart take employee health care off the shoulders of taxpayers. "Badger Care is intended to help working families, not multi-billion dollar corproations," he said.
I guess he's so blinded by hate for eeeevil business that he forgot that those multi-billion dollar corporations hire working families, eh?
Doyle's office said more than 1,200 Wal-Mart employees are on the state's taxpayer funded Badger Care program, costing the state $2.7 million a year.
But they're not working families, right, Doyle?
If you live in one of the above states, keep an eye out. And if you're looking for a job, the twenty states not listed are soon to have a boom.
Or rather, more viral than usual. Arianna and the gang have come up with a contest:
The Huffington Post Contagious Festival is a unique opportunity for talented designers, political activists of any persuasion, filmmakers and comics to reach millions of people with creative, viral online work. The contestants that create the best projects get Internet fame and the chance to meet with friends of Huffington Post from the worlds of entertainment and politics to discuss future projects and opportunities.
First prize (based on website traffic) is $2500 and dinner with Arianna Huffington. The second prize (determined by judges) winner gets $2500 but is spared the evening of shrill moonbattery. The judges include a pair of "criminal impersonators" (My guess - Arianna either can't afford the real thing, or maybe her favorites have all been recently executed) and the flaming moonbat John Cusack.
They also have a list of websites to provide inspiration. Included are a site featuring photos of a model sitting on a toilet and vomiting, and a fake commerial featuring a suicide bomber. All of the "inspiration" sites seem to be parodies save one - Charles Johnson's (Little Green Footballs) famous Rathergate memo comparison (which was not a parody) seems wholly out of place sandwiched between the regurgitating gal mentioned above and a spittle-infused manifesto sensitively titled "Fuck the South".
So is Arianna trying to tell us something?
Deborah Howell, Ombudsman of the Washington Post gets a valuable lesson about the left as she gets a flood of obscene and vicious attacks over a column she wrote. The money quote:
"But it is profoundly distressing if political discourse has sunk to a level where abusive name-calling and the crudest of sexual language are the norm, where facts have no place in an argument. This unbounded, unreasoning rage is not going to help this newspaper, this country or democracy."
Welcome to the family, Deborah.
H/T Lorie at Polipundit.
Harry Belafonte on tour campaigning for Democrats later this year. He would look good standing next to Howard Dean and Cindy Sheehan, don't you think?
It would be a huge boost to the Republicans.
(Originally posted 12:26 PM EST, updates below)
A supposed audio tape of Bin Laden was aired on Al Jazeera today:
CAIRO, Egypt - Al-Jazeera on Thursday broadcast portions of an audiotape purportedly from Osama bin Laden, saying al-Qaida is making preparations for attacks in the United States but offering a possible truce to rebuild Iraq and Afghanistan.
The voice on the tape said heightened security in the United States is not the reason there have been no attacks there since the Sept. 11, 2001, suicide hijackings.
Instead, the reason is "because there are operations that need preparations," he said.
"The delay in similar operations happening in America has not been because of failure to break through your security measures. But the operations are happening in Baghdad and you will see them here at home the minute they are through (with preparations), with God's permission," he said.
"We do not mind offering you a long-term truce with fair conditions that we adhere to," he said. "We are a nation that God has forbidden to lie and cheat. So both sides can enjoy security and stability under this truce so we can build Iraq and Afghanistan, which have been destroyed in this war. There is no shame in this solution, which prevents the wasting of billions of dollars that have gone to those with influence and merchants of war in America."
The speaker did not give conditions for a truce in the excerpts aired by Al-Jazeera.
Hmmm. If we let you have Afganistan and Iraq, you'll leave us alone. Sorry, but that's an old plan. The left thought it up long ago.
Just a question: If we were really doing poorly in Iraq, if we were really doing poorly in the GWOT, would Bin Laden really be asking for a truce?
Or maybe it's because he's afraid of France.
Update (6:05 PM EST) and bump: The full transcript is here (via Powerline). Here's a taste - Osama on torture:
Jihad is continuing, praise be to God, despite all the repressive measures the US army and its agents take to the point where there is no significant difference between these crimes and those of Saddam.
These crimes include the raping of women and taking them hostage instead of their husbands. There is no power but in God.
The torturing of men has reached the point of using chemical acids and electric drills in their joints. If they become desperate with them, they put the drill on their heads until death.
If you like, read the humanitarian reports on the atrocities and crimes in the prisons of Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo.
I agree with John over at Powerline:
"It doesn't take a genius to see that things are going very badly for bin Laden and al Qaeda. Where does he turn for hope? To American opinion polls--which, of course, he reads very selectively. Still, think how encouraging it must be to him to read about calls for withdrawal from Iraq by Congressmen like Jack Murtha. It's hard to see much daylight between Murtha's position and bin Laden's: we're losing in Iraq; the American people are tired of the conflict; Iraq is a breeding ground for terrorists; and al Qaeda is less likely to attack us if we just give up and go home."
It's remarkable how similar Bin Ladin's tape is to the anti-war crowd's rhetoric. I wonder how long it will be before:
1. Cindy Sheehan (or her pal George Galloway) uses quotes from the tape in a moonbatty diatribe
2. A promenant liberal takes the power drill allegation seriously and starts using it as a smear against the administration?
Shouldn't be long - and I'll let you know when it happens.
A. Would you believe that your union was collecting dues and spending the funds to improve life for all Americans?
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The health care system is in crisis and now, a major supermarket chain has joined the movement to help create a solution. Kroger, the nation's largest grocer, announced plans today to mobilize its employees and customers to participate in community meetings and online surveys sponsored by the Citizens' Health Care Working Group. Joe Hansen, International President of the United Food and Commercial Workers International Union (UFCW) is one of the fourteen members of the Working Group and has been reaching out to employers such as Kroger to enlist their involvement in this national dialogue. Kroger is the first to respond.
"Reaching out" - I feel so warm and fuzzy. Hard to resist, isn't it? C'mon, lets all have a group hug right now! And look, there's the Kroger bunch, who volunteered to help save the world even though the selfless do-gooders at UFCW didn't ask! Such noble folks, one and all. Hey, there's a puppy! Can we pet it? Who knows the words to "kumbaya"?
B. Or would you believe that your union is spending your hard-earned money to strengthen it's grip on what it already has, and increase it's membership any way it can?
More than 200,000 of the UFCW's 1.4 million members are hourly Kroger employees.
I choose B.
The incredible rise in property values has made lots of money for homeowners - at least those who have sold their homes. For those that just want to stay where they are, it's had the opposite effect. As values rise, so do taxes. It's been reported primarily as a problem for places like San Fransisco, where prices are stratopheric. But it's a problem in other places too:
PHILADELPHIA, PA - Mayor John F. Street and City Solicitor Romulo L. Diaz hosted a City Hall press conference today to unveil details of the City’s new Financial Hardship Guidelines and Conditional Forgiveness Policy, which will assist a significant percentage of delinquent Philadelphia real estate taxpayers in meeting their financial obligations.
“Homeownership is the American dream and Philadelphia has one of the highest rates of homeownership among major cities in the country,” Mayor Street said. “It is our goal in this Administration to create as many homeownership opportunities as possible. Although everyone has a responsibility to meet their obligations to pay their taxes, no hardworking family that makes a reasonable effort to comply with the law should lose their home because of delinquent real estate taxes. It was out of this sense of fairness and compassion that we created the Conditional Tax Forgiveness Program.”
In many communities in the greater Philly region, housing values have more than doubled in the last five years, and along with it comes a corresponding increase in taxes. While it may seem like local governments are winning the lottery, many can't keep No city or state, whether run by conservatives or liberals, wants to be in the forclosure business.
While I applaud Philadelphia for caring, I also wonder why they don't just lower property taxes to a level reflecting a reasonable amount of annual growth (is 4% OK?) from, say, five or six years ago, and avoid having to offer forgiveness in the first place? And no, I wouldn't buffer rate changes in a down market, either. Taxes should be like roller coasters - rise slowly, but fall fast and steep.
By the way, that was a rhetorical question. I already know the answer, same as you.
Via AP/Yahoo:
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. Sen. Patrick Leahy (news, bio, voting record) of Vermont, the top Democrat on the Senate Judiciary Committee, announced his opposition on Thursday to Supreme Court nominee Samuel Alito.
Also not a surprise:
Other leading Senate Democrats planned to declare their opposition later in the day to Alito, who nonetheless appears headed toward confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate.
I guess Ben Nelson was an anomoly. And there's this as well, showing the strategy (if you can call it one) of the Dems in this matter:
WASHINGTON, Jan. 18 - With little chance of stopping Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr.'s confirmation to the Supreme Court, Senate Democratic leaders urged their members Tuesday to vote against him in an effort to lay the groundwork for making a campaign issue of his decisions on the court.
The vote count "matters a lot, and I think the debate leading up to it matters," said Senator Richard J. Durbin of Illinois, a member of the Judiciary Committee and the Democratic whip.
"If a nominee disappoints the country with their service on their court and their decisions, I think some people may ask the important question, Did the Senate really take a close look at this nominee?" Mr. Durbin said. "Did they tell us this was coming?"
So there you have it. If you were going to vote yes, don't - for the good of the party.
It's not about Alito's qualifications for the court. That's irrelevant.
It's about political posturing. And the country be damned.
Update (5:00 PM EST): Family Research Council: "Once again, it is clear that shameless partisan Democrats, beholden to their extreme liberal base, are committed to politics over a fair constitutional process."
Yep.
In my assessment of the History Channel's Lincoln documentary earlier this week.
The History Channel has a viewer forum, scrolling through the comments, it appears that lots of folks were offended. Here are a few:
"i was intrigued until the Gore Vidal's snipe at the war on terror. Completely uncalled for. An important historical topic ruined by over-the-top political banter that should have been edited out."
"That was just terrible about the snide "War on Dandruff" comment. Thank goodness my children weren't in the room, so I did not have to explain to them about this hateful remark."
Hmmm... I wonder how many students were asked to watch this?
"Disappointed is an understatement. Having gathered the family to watch "Lincoln", we went from being made dizzy by the bizarre film movement to being disgusted by the commentary which presented Lincoln as a mentally ill pervert and homosexual."
"This show evoked utter disgust and disappointment - it pandered to the current PC indulgences of revisionist history and sensationalism. Gore Vidal's comments comparing the war on terror to a war against dandruff were appalling and revealed the author's tenuous hold on reality."
"If my complete knowledge of President Lincoln was limited to your 1/16/06 broadcast I would have to conclude that he was gay, suicidally depressed, married a woman he never loved for purpose of political gain, fixated upon his own death, couldn't handle more than one term in congress due to his "issues"..."
Congrats to the History Channel. Lincoln was assassinated twice. Once on April 14, 1865 and again on January 16, 2005.
There are lots more. I wonder if the gratuitous remarks from Gore Vidal will be edited out of the Saturday re-airing based on the complaints? I predict not.
... against terrorists, that is:
BREST, France (Reuters) - France said on Thursday it would be ready to launch a targeted nuclear strike against any state that carried out a terrorist attack on French soil.
In a speech defending France's costly nuclear deterrent and toughening policy against terrorism, President Jacques Chirac said Paris must be able to hit back hard at a hostile state's centers of power and its "capacity to act."
"The leaders of states who would use terrorist means against us, as well as those who would consider using in one way or another weapons of mass destruction, must understand that they would lay themselves open to a firm and adapted response on our part," Chirac said during a visit to northwestern France, where France's nuclear submarines are based.
"This response could be a conventional one. It could also be of a different kind."
Imagine what Chirac's response would have been if the same right to defence was publicly claimed by President Bush...
The despicable Ted Rall must have been drooling on himself in his fervor to attack the administration about the missile strike last week targeting Al Zawahiri:
U.S. Drone Planes Have a Nearly Perfect Record of Failure
If only he had waited a couple of days:
Top al-Qaida Operatives Believed Killed
This morning's AP/Yahoo article about the visit of Iranian President Ahmadinejad's visit to Syria included this paragraph:
Iran's insistence to proceed with its peaceful nuclear activities have raised great concern in the European Union and the United States, which have been pushing for referring the issue to the Security Council, a first step toward possible sanctions.
I guess AP has once again decided that the US, Europe, and just about everyone else on the planet is wrong....
Dick gave the Democrat radio address Saturday. The transcipt of his address can be found here, and audio can be found here. I didn't hear it live, but took an interest after I ran across the transcript. It contains a few things the media didn't include in their coverage.
Here are a few excerpts, in no particular order:
"Instead of a reliable Medicare prescription drug benefit for seniors, we have a complicated mess that wastes tens of billions of dollars on giveaways to pharmaceutical companies and big insurance companies."
The polticians giving these addresses should be required to give their voting record on topics they wish to discuss. It would shut them up in many cases - for example, would Dick be railing on this program if he had to disclose the fact that he voted for it?
"The litany of corruption today in Washington reaches the highest levels you can imagine: from the White House, to Congress, to the well-appointed corporate suites on K Street.
"Now, neither Democrats nor Republicans have a monopoly on virtue. The leadership that brought us to this moment, though, is undeniable. For the last five years, Republicans have enjoyed almost total control of the federal government. This nearly unprecedented concentration of power has produced, sadly, a culture of corruption that is preventing government from dealing with the real needs of our nation.
Disclosure would have been useful here as well. Sen. Durbin recieved ~$8,000 in Abramoff-related money. And because it was tainted, gave it away (plus an extra 3 grand) to a charity. It still frustrates me that so many are giving this "tainted" money to charity. Why not give it back to the donors? Is it a fear that doing so would give the same appearance of impropriety that keeping it does? If you rob a bank, and give the money to a church, does it really wash away your guilt? Note - I'm not suggesting that Dick or anyone else stole the money - it's just an easily relatable analogy.
Dick also mentions that "neither Democrats nor Republicans have a monopoly on virtue". Is this an ad lib or did it pass muster with party leadership? For the last couple of weeks, Pelosi, Dean, Reid, et al have been saying that the Abramoff scandal is a purely Republican one, using primarily as their reasoning that Democrats didn't get personal donations from Abramoff. It's a fundamentally flawed argument - the donations by Abramoff's clients (made on Jack's directive) inherently have a higher "taint" level than the relatively smaller personal donations. The Democrats are in this up to their necks, same as the Republicans. But the Dems think they smell blood in the water, even though many are simply catching the scent of their own hands.
It should not be lost on anyone that the new Democratic plan for reform is anything but an attempt to pre-empt the announcement the week before of work to begin on a Republican plan:
"When the President delivers his annual State of the Union address at the end of the month, I hope he will join us, on a bipartisan basis, in reforming the way Washington does business."
I predict that even if the resulting plans are nearly identical, failure of the Republicans to favor the Democrat plan will result in cries of "foul" from the Dems - after all, bipartisanship almost never means working with the other party - it means them working with you.
"neither Democrats nor Republicans have a monopoly on virtue" - could this be the beginning of a softening of tone for the Democrats? If so, I haven't seen it yet from any other Dem. The alternative is that Durbin is trying to distance himself from his own party. Either would be a dramatic development - the Democrats have made so much political hay about this that it would be a stunning admission. Durbin breaking ranks would serve to highlight future division in the ranks.
Either way, wire brushes and lye soap won't remove the stains. Being honest about the issue won't either, but in the long run would be entirely more healthy - for both parties. And maybe in time the stains will fade.
Last night the History Channel aired a special on Abraham Lincoln. We only watched a little of it - the part I saw was as dark and negative as I've seen. We changed the channel when Gore Vidal came on and made comparisons between Bush and Lincoln, suggesting that Bush is only "pretending" that he's a wartime President. Then he followed with (and I didn't tape it so the wording may not be exact):
"The ‘War on Terror’ is like a war on dandruff. It’s a metaphor, it's nothing. The Civil War was real.”
He didn't actualy mention Bush by name, but it was clear from the context who he meant.
How utterly inappropriate to use a documentary on Lincoln to showcase your BDS. Can the left get any lower?
No, it's not what you might think. Instead, she's talking about a bust of Colonel Sanders, founder of Kentucky Fried Chicken:
FRANKFORT, Ky. - Pamela Anderson is leading a charge to remove a bust of KFC founder Colonel Harland Sanders from the state Capitol.
Mmmm. For some strange reason I feel hungry.
The actress called the Kentucky native's likeness "a monument to cruelty" to chickens in a statement issued by People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals, the animal rights group.
You know, it must be tough for the PETA folks. Missing out on all that yummy food.
Anyway, Governor Fletcher has assured us that he won't be swayed by Pamela's boob-headed rantings:
"Colonel Sanders was one of Kentucky's most distinguished citizens, a great entrepreneur and a fine charitable man of faith, and he certainly has a place in Kentucky history. We believe he warrants appropriate recognition as such," Fletcher spokeswoman Jodi Whitaker said.
Pamela shouldn't be so negative about busts. After all, hers got her through a lifetime of zero talent.
KFC spokeswoman Laurie Schalow called the move to oust the colonel "just another misguided publicity stunt by PETA in their attempt to create a vegan society."
I don't really take advantage of all the information that can be gleaned from the reporting that comes with my hosting account. I do occasionally look at visitor stats, but for the most part I don't care.
Awstats is one of the programs that comes with my account, and my preferred one for at-a-glance stats. I rarely scroll down to all the details, but today I did, and I find that my blog got five hits from search engines on the phrase:
"jack abramoff shirtless"
and one hit from:
"abramoff shirtless"
I'm glad to say they didn't find what they were looking for here.
Deep in the swamps of Huffington Post, Arianna is having a little fun with the Republican party's email encouraging State of the Union parties. Since I'm sure she gets the same Democratic Party spam-o-grams that I do in addition to the Republican ones, it surprises me that she fails to mentions that the Dems are hosting parties as well. This is from the email I received yesterday:
Dear Friend,
On January 31st, George Bush will deliver his State of the Union address, to be followed by the Democratic response. We can't afford to sit back and listen -- we have to act if we're going to change the direction of this country. You can kick off this year of change by hosting a Watch Party that night.
Don't let the name fool you -- these Watch Parties are about more than watching. Your event will provide crucial information to Democrats in your community before the speech, and the opportunity to hear directly from our party's leaders immediately after.
Besides connecting with your friends and neighbors to discuss the state of our nation, you and your guests can join a nationwide conference call with Governor Howard Dean, Senate Democratic Leader Harry Reid, and House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, offering immediate reaction and opportunities for rapid response.
You can start planning your Watch Party in a few simple steps by visiting:
http://www.democrats.org/events/create
Throwing a Watch Party is simple. If this is your first time planning one, our online event tool takes care of planning your event and inviting others.
As the event approaches we will also make sure you get the latest research and information about what will be in the president's speech so that you and your guests are prepared to respond everywhere -- from the letters to the editor column to the water cooler.
Online event tool, eh? I'll admit I'm a sucker for neat and clever web gizmos designed to make my life easier. So I visited the above mentioned link and planned a "Watch Party" - all in good fun, of course. The theme is intervention for distraught liberals - I figure after the embarrassing week they just had with the Alito hearings, news of more successes for the administration may be more than some of them can bear.
You can look up my party by going here. Do it fast, though, as I fear it won't be there long. If you get there too late, I saved a screen shot (click on the image for bigger view:
Who knows? Maybe it'll catch on. After all, bitterness and hatred hasn't worked so far - maybe it's time for the Democrats to change.
Update 1/17/2005: The DNC website deleted my party. If you missed it, there's a screen shot above.
Via AP/Yahoo:
ANNAPOLIS, Md. - Wal-Mart Stores Inc., faced with a new Maryland law designed to pressure the retail chain into spending more money on health insurance for its employees, is considering a challenge to the groundbreaking legislation.
Sarah Clark, a Wal-Mart spokesman, said Friday the U.S. Chamber of Commerce and the Maryland Chamber of Commerce had questioned the validity of the law.
"I'm sure that is something our attorneys are looking into as we decide our course of action," she said.
I don't think Wal-Mart really has a choice here. If they delay, UFCW and AFL-CIO's push to have lefty puppets enact similar legislation in 30+ other states will continue, causing considerable expense and undeserved bad publicity for the retailer. Fighting this one successfully would would be a win-win for everyone - 30+states would save the expense and controversy, Wal-Mart would be able to continue to create jobs in Maryland (which they need), and the unions would be able to use the millions (fleeced from members, none of whom work at Wal-Mart) it would have squandered on something more constructive and beneficial to its rank and file.
On second thought, the unions, in their self-inflicted blindness to the realities of the twenty-first century, will probably be unwilling to change the formula that has caused them steadily diminished membership and prominence over the last three decades. I guess we'll have to settle for two out of three.
This from CNS is speculative but interesting:
Having ascended to the national stage as one of the most vocal critics of President Bush's handling of the war in Iraq, Pennsylvania Democratic Congressman John Murtha has long downplayed the controversy and the bitterness surrounding the two Purple Hearts he was awarded for military service in Vietnam.
Murtha is a retired marine and was the first Vietnam combat veteran elected to Congress. Since 1967, there have been at least three different accounts of the injuries that purportedly earned Murtha his Purple Hearts. Those accounts also appear to conflict with the limited military records that are available, and Murtha has thus far refused to release his own military records.
A Cybercast News Service investigation also reveals that one of Murtha's former Democratic congressional colleagues and a fellow decorated Vietnam veteran, Don Bailey of Pennsylvania, alleges that Murtha admitted during an emotional conversation on the floor of the U.S. House in the early 1980s that he did not deserve his Purple Hearts.
"[Murtha] is putting himself forward as some combat veteran with serious wounds and he's using that and it's dishonest and it's wrong," Bailey told Cybercast News Service on Jan. 9. Murtha served in the Marines on active duty and in the reserves from 1952 until his retirement as a colonel in 1990. He volunteered for service in Vietnam and was a First Marine Regiment intelligence officer in 1966 and 1967.
You'd think after the beating he's taken over the cut and run statements, Murtha would want to keep this issue from causing even more damage.
Of course, his medals could very well be legit. Rep Murtha, why not end the speculation by releasing your complete military record? All it takes is one simple form - after you get done, you can give lessons to John Kerry...
Update (12:15 PM EST): Ya gotta admit the folks at CNS know how to stir the pot - now they have the Washington Post on their trail - duck, guys! The WaPo quotes Nancy Pelosi, who predictably and breathlessly says:
"The Swift Boat-like attacks on an American hero, Congressman Jack Murtha, are despicable and have no place in politics."
Since we all know the Swift Boat crowd was never effectively disputed, Nancy must be telling us the CNS story is true. Although her contention that truth is despicable and has no place in politics is a little over the top...
Update 2 (1:19 PM EST): Ed Morrissey throws down on CNS' story:
If someone wants to attack John Murtha's policy statements, there's ample room for criticism there. If people have issues with his defeatism, then they should specifically call Murtha out for that. Let's not get into denigrating a former Marine's commendations when he has not abused them himself for political purposes, especially when he has such a long record of honorable military service.
As I said in the comments - Murtha has made his own bed politically by his statements made in this century. There's no need to go back fifty years for irrelevant stuff.
Also, here's Murtha's response, from of all places, the Huffington Post (thanks, Cap'n Ed):
"Questions about my record are clearly an attempt to distract attention from the real issue, which is that our brave men and women in uniform are dying and being injured every day in the middle of a civil war that can be resolved only by the Iraqis themselves."
"I volunteered for a year's duty in Vietnam. I was out in the field almost every single day. We took heavy casualties in my regiment the year that I was there. In my fitness reports, I was rated No. 1. My record is clear."
Update 3 (2:00 PM EST): Greyhawk weighs in as well:
Let me be clear: attacks on Murtha's Vietnam record are pointless. Murtha's latest statements against the success of US troops in Iraq speak for themselves; his current behavior renders his past insignificant. Democrats, grown tired of waiting for an attack on Murtha's war record from the Right, have created their own. He's painted as a victim now - of "right wing chickenhawk" contempt for real war heroes. But those serious about standing up to the current John Murtha would be well advised to let his fellow Democrats and the mainstream media keep this war "unilateral".
That's the goal of 16 year-old Shauna Fleming:
LOS ANGELES, Jan. 13 /U.S. Newswire/ -- Shauna Fleming, 16, was recently challenged by Ret General Richard B. Myers, former Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, to collect another million thank you letters for U.S. military members serving around the world. With over 1.6 million letters, notes and emails already collected and distributed to members of the U.S. Armed Forces through her "A Million Thanks.org" campaign, Fleming's new goal is to collect a million Valentine cards and messages in the next 30 days. Be reaching her goal, Fleming will have symbolically given a thank you to every man and woman actively serving in the U.S. military including Reservists.
"2.6 in 2006 is my New Year's Resolution," said Fleming from her home in Orange, Calif. "The Department of Defense's, 'America Supports You' effort that I joined last year, is also helping through their Web site http://www.AmericaSupportsYou.mil , so I just might be able to do it."
Fleming's "A Million Thanks" was the first organization to join "America Supports You," a Department of Defense outreach program designed to recognize citizens' support for the U.S. military and to communicate that support to members of our Armed Forces and their families at home and abroad. Since the launch of "America Supports You," thousands of citizens, businesses, and community groups -- from local schools and establishments to nationally-known corporations and organizations -- are undertaking projects to support the military.
"We are very excited about Shauna's Valentine's Day challenge, and we look forward to helping her reach her goal of 2.6 in 2006," said Allison Barber, Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense for Public Affairs. "Shauna understands so well the impact that letters have on troop morale, and we are proud to be a part of her newest initiative."
Since beginning her initial letter efforts for the troops in 2004, Fleming has had the opportunity to discuss her program with many top military and political leaders including Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz, General Richard Myers, and even during an Oval Office meeting with President Bush. Actor Gary Sinise is also helping Shauna toward her goal.
In addition to mailing thank you letters to soldiers that Americans send her, Fleming has personally handed out thank you letters to thousands of military members during her visits to USO's, VA hospitals, military bases, aircraft carriers, and during a day long visit to wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Hospital in Washington, D.C.
"Right now our soldiers and service members need a morale boost and what's better than sending them a heart of thanks," said Fleming.
She has a website: Valentines For Troops an