Possibly the coolest photo I have ever seen. (via Instapundit)

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The next round is on me. Lift your glasses and celebrate the nation that is 1/64th mine by right of birth with The Jawa Report's second-annual toast to Eire:

UPDATE: But seriuosly, the thing about the Irish that I like the most (besides those hot redheads) is that they can take a joke.

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...Oliver Willis in full denial mode. We like to call him 'Baghdad Ollie'.

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I spent five days at a conference in Seattle once. It was four days too long. Here's why.

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A: Who cares. The Red-Green coalition in Germany is falling apart......

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by Demosophist

On Bill Maher tonight I heard the host say something to the effect that "Well yeah, Bush had a list of reasons for invading Iraq and about the fourth one down had to do with regime change to rid the people of that brutal murderous dictator. But he obviously lied about everything else." And a similar bit of dissembling wisdom popped out the other night on Dennis Miller, from some panel guest whose name I have no good reason to recall. Well, I could waste time, as did David Horowitz on the Miller show, recounting how a lot of people made quite a big fuss about regime change and the "suffering of the Iraqi people." But I recall almost no one on the left saying anything like that, other than the usual suspects: Paul Berman (who wrote a book about it), Bernard Kouchner, and Chris Hitchens, as well as a few bloggers like Marc Danziger on Winds of Change. And all of those folks have subsequently been disowned and shunned by many of their ideological compatriots. more...

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UPDATE 3/17 pm: Publius Pundit has word from Syria that everything seems normal and that this information is probably false.

I've no idea how reliable a source the Lebanese Foundation for Peace is, but I thought you might want to read this (via Evariste at Discarded Lies):

DAMASCUS REBELLION UPDATE:

No newspapers are getting in or out of Syria, the media is controlled very tight, and the Syrian scene witnessed a dramatic, security deterioration the last 24 hours.

Precise Intelligence reports coming from Syria indicated massive army troops deployment around the capital Damascus. Most of the military Barracks of the Syrian Army around Damascus gave allegiance to the dissidents: Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan and General Ali Safi. These people in the Syrian Army were against the withdrawal from Lebanon.

It is known that President Bashar Assad is in the city of Alleppo, assessing the internal situation within Syria and trying to organize a "forced" return to Damascus.

We will provide you with additional details as soon as we have them.

[NOTE: The Syrian military General backing Ghazi KanaanÂ’s movement is General Ali Safi and not Madi as originally reported by error.
The Lebanese Foundation for Peace apologizes for this error of publishing.]
The Intelligence Hour for Syria and Lebanon
Special Flash: Damascus, Syria

A Coup d' Etat took place in Damascus late last night. Intelligence reports coming from within the Syrian Military Command indicate the following:

A rebellion split The Syrian Army in two factions .

Since yesterday , Damascus is under the de facto control of the Syrian Army, under the command of Syrian Interior Minister Ghazi Kanaan, and supported by Syrian Intelligence General Rustom Ghazaleh, Syrian military General Ali Safi, and Firas Tlass son of former Minister of Defence, Mustafa Tlass. The group rebelled against the decision of President Bashar el Assad to withdraw from Lebanon and seized the Damascus military yesterday.

Around 3 am, Damascus time, the Syrian Air Force bombarded two military airfields around Damascus, the Air force base of Dumair, and the Air force base of Katana. Also, late night around 3 am, the Syrian Air force bombarded military positions of the Syrian Army west of the city of Homs.

President Bachar el Assad retreated secretly to the city of Aleppo where he is temporarily holding ground. He is massing special forces troops loyal to him and preparing himself to take back Damascus by force .

The Syrian President left in Damascus his brother in Law, Syrian Military Intelligence Chief General Assef Shawkat to negotiate a settlement with the dissidents. The situation within the Syrian military was very tense for a week and exploded yesterday. The dissident group took control of Damascus as they were very upset at the Lebanon withdrawal for they left behind a billion dollar industry.

UPDATE: Very late....getting slammed (for this time of night) with Google hits for word combinations of "military coup Syria" "Syrian coup" "Damascus coup" etc......

....something is afoot.

UPDATE II: No confirmation. Perhaps this is just a case of rumors flying and we're simply reinforcing those rumors by publishing them?

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Reminder: I'm on Spring Break. If you have an interesting post or a news item, please e-mail me with it. That way I don't spend all day surfing the web for this stuff.

Thanks,
The Management

PS-and by "interesting" I don't mean the latest Jessica Alba FHM spread!

PPS-Where are my collaboraters on this thing? Demosophist?.... BRD? Interested Participant? ... Bueller? Any one...?

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Below are images of you're mullahs at work. I don't really have a problem with the death penalty in the abstract. The man was convicted of multiple counts of rape and murder. But the mad mullahs also have a tendency to do this sort of thing to the victims of rape too.

Why does the term barbaric suddenly come to mind?

And we wonder why so many young Persians resist the tyrrany of the Islamic Republic?

UPDATE: Ive moved all images below because some may find them offensive.

UPDATE II: Joyner takes the legal angle on this one and comes down on the side of civilization.

Volokh, on the other hand, seems to take it for granted that Iran's sharia court system actually convicted the right man. more...

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Michelle Malkin on the upcoming Million Moonbat March.

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President Bush has nominated Paul Wolfowitz to head the World Bank. World, blog, and tin-foil hat reaction below.

more...

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Click for bigger image.

This is why the jihadis fight us. They believe this stuff.

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Yes, you heard that right, pirates. What is missing from this report is that the 'pirates' are often GAM rebels who wish to set up an Islamist state in Indonesia's Northern Aceh province. Money from piracy is used to fund the insurgency in the same way that hostages and drugs are used elsewhere.

BBC:

Armed pirates have kidnapped two Japanese and a Filipino from a tugboat in the Malacca Strait. The pirates struck on Monday night and seized money and documents from the Japanese-registered boat.

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So, the Italians pay ransom for the release of a woman who was in no danger of being harmed. The money is used by insurgents to buy weapons to kill Italians. Italy not cooperating in finding Giuliana Sgrena's captors. Italians announce withdrawal from Iraq. Sgrena's captors use money to kill Americans instead. I'm speechless.

Oh, and check this new message from al Qaeda to Italy (via LGF) “Jihad (holy war) has started to bear fruit.”

New York Times:

Iraqi investigators who are trying to find the kidnappers of the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena say their work has been stymied by a lack of cooperation from the Italian intelligence services that won her release exactly a month after she was abducted on Feb. 4.

The Iraqi investigators say they conducted as many as half a dozen raids in a northwest Baghdad neighborhood where they think Ms. Sgrena, 56, a reporter for the far-left Rome daily Il Manifesto, was being held. But the kidnappers slipped through their fingers, and she was released after the abductors negotiated with Italian intelligence agents. One of those agents was killed when American troops fired on the car taking Ms. Sgrena to freedom.

Even after her release, Italian officials have refused to share information with the Iraqis, said Col. Jabbar Anwar, chief of the major crimes unit in the sector of Baghdad that includes Gazalea, the neighborhood where she was thought to be held.

The ring that committed the kidnapping was a profit-making organization that is likely to repeat the crime, he said.

Colonel Jabbar and a second officer in the crimes unit said the investigation suggested that the kidnappers were tipped off to Ms. Sgrena's itinerary on the day she was seized. On Feb. 4, Ms. Sgrena went to a district near the University of Baghdad to conduct interviews at a Sunni mosque where refugees from Falluja had been staying.....

Security guards at the mosque gate were acting suspiciously, Mr. Pagetti said. "They were asking us how many weapons we have," he said, "how many foreigners and if we had a second car."...

The Iraqi investigators say eight kidnappers brandishing pistols and Kalashnikovs, their faces hidden by head cloths, had arrived in a gray Opel and a black Kia. Witnesses heard Ms. Sgrena scream as the kidnapping unfolded.

Her frightened driver neglected to inform a nearby university guard. The driver was later detained by the police and is still being held, according to the second officer in the crimes unit.....

Information from the Italians, Colonel Jabbar asserted, could have made the difference in cracking the case and bringing the kidnappers to justice. Instead, he said, his investigators saw the lines of communication shut down once the Italians began negotiating with the kidnappers.

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Thanks one and all for helping me celebrate 1 million visitors. I'm just coming off a pure squooshie syrup high, so pardon me today. My head, it hurts!

Religion of Peace Update: Millions and Millions killed

Saudis beheaded two more gay men yesterday. Now about that whole anti-gay marriage=intolerance thing again.......meanwhile the 'Nazi' regime in Israel opens a new holocaust exhibit honoring the gays.

Teacher praises Osama bin Laden on Sept. 12th, 2001. Three years later said teacher becomes terrorist. Go figure.

Hirsi Ali may show film which offends Muslims in Netherlands, court rules. I don't know which is worse, Hirsi Ali's many death threats against her or the fact that this went to court in th first place.

Why would Syria need to stay in Lebanon when Iran is now supplying Hezbollah with tanks?

.....speaking of Iran, Robert Hayes was in Persia right before the revolution and says that the recent uprisings in Iran seem eerily familiar......(fingers crossed)

Our 'allies', the (spit) French, have sentenced a terrorist to 10 years for plotting to blow up the US embassy. His accomplices get one to nine years each.

Mommas don't let your babies grow up to be suicide-bombers. Unless of course you'ra Palestinian. I'm sure that poverty and hopelessness is what really creates terrorists, right? Er, I guess not.

Rember that one Seinfeld episode? Well it turns out there are good Protesters and there are bad Protesters.

On the good news front, democracy moves ever so slowly onward in Iraq.

And more good news from Jordan.

Here are a few other bloggie delights:

Jack Kemp's political career: RIP

Kewl: Interview with a Minuteman.

GM Roper is trying to replace American Warmonger as the new King of Blogs competition. He's got my vote.

Simon's Asian blog roundup is up.

Let's help Kerry keep his still unfulfilled pledge to release his military records. Hmm, I wonder what he could be hiding?

One time at the WPSA meeting a friend of mine got so hammered he was totally hitting on this skank......Man, what ever happened to Grimey?

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Giuliana Sgrena has finally gotten her way. Islamist media already attributes Italy's announced withdrawal as a response to the Sgrena debacle. Expect more hostage taking (real or feigned) immediately. more...

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1 I don't believe it. After Berlusconi's boasting that "not even England is a better friend to America than Italy," the government will now look like cowards. It truly is a shame that wench lied well enough to cause this and not get a bullet to the head.

Posted by: Rudolph Carrera at March 15, 2005 02:59 PM (wQJ1l)

2 Heh, what if they withdraw them from Iraq...and on the way back they stopp-off in Lebanon? That would be cool!

Posted by: -keith in mtn. view at March 15, 2005 03:18 PM (sE9R7)

3 did anybody check to see if Sgrena had her mail forwarded to her while she was in captivity? That's the kind of pedestrian detail that Communists overlook.

Posted by: BumperStickerist at March 15, 2005 03:24 PM (kmpiO)

4 Yes, Mr.Berlusconi announced today that Italy will begin to withdraw before September. But this decision has little to do with Sgrena (or with the poor soldier who died today in Nassirija). The truth is that an overwhelming majority of the Italian people was, has been and is against this war. And in April, 2006 there will be the elections in Italy, and Berlusconi doesn't want to lose them only to please Mr. Bush. Because you like to bring democracy in every country, and this is, in theory, a noble project. But with democracy people get the right to vote, and now in Europe the hopes of many leaders to get elected grow bigger as they move away from the United States. So many politicians are against your wars, and even those who aren't, will pretend to be against just to be elected. This was true in France, happened in Germany, happened again in Spain, in Poland too, and hopefully, will happen next year here in Italy.

Posted by: paul at March 15, 2005 03:37 PM (fggJ8)

5 Frogs surrendered to terrorists long ago and that was to be expected. The Krauts, saving their energy for another go at the Frogs sometime down the line, decide not to help. Those greasy bastard bull running tomatoe tossers give up after one bombing. Feh.....Oh well. BUT THE FREAKING WOPS TURN TAIL BECAUSE OF THIS COMMIE HARPY? You GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!!!! I am pouring all my Ragou down the drain.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at March 15, 2005 03:46 PM (yBHNA)

6 Paul We know that it had nothing to do with her but the terrorists will think they had a part in this and thats BAD!

Posted by: sparky at March 15, 2005 03:56 PM (F1nba)

7 Perhaps the Italians would rather purchase petroleum than steal it.

Posted by: Collin Baber at March 15, 2005 04:21 PM (tpvAS)

8 BUT THE FREAKING WOPS TURN TAIL BECAUSE OF THIS COMMIE HARPY? Maybe its because Americans call the greasy wops too. You don't appreciate what they did for us, you just want them on your side.

Posted by: Roxabunch at March 15, 2005 04:30 PM (ELnLC)

9 Good. Get them all out, they are funding the terrorists to the tune of millions to get hostages released. If they are not there then they can't be taken hostage. I am now all in favor of unilateralisms. If you want something done right you have to do it yourself.

Posted by: Pile On® at March 15, 2005 04:39 PM (kPQ45)

10 So much for the coalition of the willing! See what happens when you start shooting the wrong people? Oh and oops, you seem to have done it again: http://www.abc.net.au/news/newsitems/200503/s1324274.htm "US troops shoot dead Iraqi general: police The deputy commander of the Iraqi army in western Al-Anbar province was shot dead by US troops at a checkpoint Tuesday night, a police officer said. "The US forces opened fire at 8:00 pm on Brigadier General Ismail Swayed al-Obeid, who had left his base in Baghdadi to head home," police Captain Amin al-Hitti said. "They spotted him on the road after the curfew, which goes into effect at 6pm," the officer said in Baghdadi, 185 kilometres west of the capital.

Posted by: sonic at March 15, 2005 04:57 PM (Gsn6c)

11 No shit Sonic. Your freaking brilliant.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at March 15, 2005 04:59 PM (JQjhA)

12 No doubt Rusty he deserved it because he was a communist/baathist/muslim who got himself shot to embarrass the US army.

Posted by: sonic at March 15, 2005 05:05 PM (Gsn6c)

13 Ah, the perfection of people in their living rooms. I mean, it's only a war zone. How dare those nazi zionist baby-killing soldiers make a mistake? Then again, I don't suppose being out two hours after curfew in the aforementioned war zone had anything to do with it. Mr. sonic? Reality's on line two. Please pick up.

Posted by: Petoht at March 15, 2005 05:13 PM (c7ysE)

14 Colon Babbler again, Greyrooster!

Posted by: Young Bourbon Professional at March 15, 2005 05:42 PM (S5syt)

15 "We know that it had nothing to do with her but the terrorists will think they had a part in this and thats BAD!" we have to be aware of the terrorists feelings!

Posted by: actus at March 15, 2005 05:48 PM (5Lqt9)

16 can you pronounce "xenophobia"? the 'x' sounds like a 'z'. go on try. You yankees might be able to puff up your chests in front of tiny Arab nations, but good luck scaring China. They're bigger than you.

Posted by: concerned at March 15, 2005 06:12 PM (wnm5d)

17 what you on actus where do i suggest we have to consider their feelings. Maybe you dont understand the point i was making. If they think any of this crap with sgrena has helped it opens floodgates for much more of this and now they have more money to do so

Posted by: sparky at March 15, 2005 06:13 PM (F1nba)

18 Thats right Petoht, what does some Iraqi think he is doing driving around his own country later than he is told. You should charge his family for the bullets.

Posted by: sonic at March 15, 2005 06:22 PM (Gsn6c)

19 Berlusca is not about to lose his gig as P.M. for Georgie. Blair is down in the polls too. Watch out!

Posted by: Anna at March 15, 2005 06:31 PM (pB2IF)

20 "If they think any of this crap with sgrena has helped it opens floodgates for much more of this and now they have more money to do so" We have to look at the root causes. At what motivates terrorists!

Posted by: actus at March 15, 2005 07:14 PM (5Lqt9)

21 You have it all wrong, "concerned", we aren't the bullies taking someone's milk money away. We're the ones trying to stop it from happening. The US is doing a damned good job of encouraging democracy in the region, and even the MSM is coming around to this reality.

Posted by: Vonski at March 15, 2005 07:50 PM (AHaCg)

22 I dont disagree with you we do have to look at the root cause what i dont agree with is their methods. They kill innocent people in a horrific manner they are killing iraqis WHY if they are supposed to be fighting to liberate them. What motivates them? Money thats what. The iraqis are running a programme every night showing interviews of caught terrorists and their root cause is money Have you read Hammorabi's blog or the Messopotiman Iraq the Model these are some of the iraqi blogs who have commented on this you should go read them Oh and a lot of them dont even come from iraq. Sgrena angered me when i read of her helping them to make a tape was Margaret Hussan and all the other innocent people they beheaded offered the same hospitality I dont think so. Her helping them is a disgrace to their memory but thats only my humble opinion. In her own words she said they had to re-record the tape because she didnt LOOK SCARED ENOUGH. Now i dont know about you but i will never forget the haunted look on Margaret face on video this woman should be ashamed of herself. I just dont believe that this woman was shot at intentionally i honestly believe it was an accident but again it is only my personal opinion

Posted by: sparky at March 15, 2005 07:55 PM (F1nba)

23 Oh, and another thing. As for being xenophobes, we aren't the ones afraid of any foreign nations. We are the ones sticking around to finish the job, if you haven't noticed. In regards to your China comment, it's not a pissing contest, it's about global freedom and democracy, something it seems you feel comfortable enough denying people the right to.

Posted by: Vonski at March 15, 2005 07:55 PM (AHaCg)

24 The Italians pay ransom AND turn-tail!?!?!? Berlusconi has just - IN EFFECT - invited the neojihadis to WHACK ITALY MORE MASSIVELY THEN THEY WHACKED SPAIN! I expect them to do this SOOOOOOON.

Posted by: reliapundit at March 15, 2005 08:08 PM (8jzrq)

25 Actus There is a link to root causes of terrorism at internet haganah under the 12th march there is a post under Globel called Lies Terrorists Tell the link is there click on it. I think the site might be of interest to you

Posted by: sparky at March 15, 2005 08:36 PM (F1nba)

26 seriously!

Posted by: sparky at March 15, 2005 08:38 PM (F1nba)

27 Typical Europeans,why did Berlusconi have to say this so close to the release of that commie bitch? Not only do the enemy have the ransom money,they have a propaganda tool.I know we killed off all of the real men over there 60 years ago,but good lord,we must have missed a few.Where are they?

Posted by: xtremewing at March 15, 2005 08:52 PM (F++qI)

28 The Italians have wanted this for quite a while. I'm surprised it didn't happen earlier. I appreciate Italy's help. If this is their decision, so be it. Most Italians will continue to plug their ears, shake their heads and make noise to deny that the majority of Iraqis want help, and realize the need for continued economic support to rebuilt the country and repopulate the local and national defense forces. Many will ignore this and any appreciation from Iraqis and dismiss it as "brainwashing." It shouldn't matter to those who have invested an effort into Iraq. No doubt it about, there is a large group of "anti-war" robots who would rather see Iraq fail and fall into chaos if it meant making America look bad. Very sad.

Posted by: Igor Kazakov at March 15, 2005 08:55 PM (xM3Dg)

29 CRAPOLA!!!!! Cindy

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at March 15, 2005 09:21 PM (PEKrh)

30 Dammit all to hell. Italy has had people kidnapped and some killed before - why are they now believing her? The Oval Office must be having a nitfit right about now - especially since they've given in this time and it won't take much for the rest of the coalition to follow. and the USA will be all that's left. Damn her, damn them, for giving in to these terrorists!!!!! Italy was so adament against giving in to the terrorists; they've had losses before; they even paid before, why all of a sudden does this woman have the power to make the Italian goverment change it's mind? Cindy

Posted by: firstbrokenangel at March 15, 2005 09:37 PM (PEKrh)

31 sonic, i have an extra extinsion cord. let me to know where to mail it to.

Posted by: dreamer at March 15, 2005 09:43 PM (bgoXf)

32 Never had any need for an "extinsion" chord loser-boy.

Posted by: sonic at March 15, 2005 09:59 PM (Gsn6c)

33 (Private) Captain, who are we shootin' at? (Captain) Iraqis...who think our oil belongs to them.

Posted by: Collin Baber at March 15, 2005 10:08 PM (tpvAS)

34 If not an extension cord, how about a sense of moral decency and a backbone? You're a coward. Plain and simple.

Posted by: Dough at March 15, 2005 10:09 PM (qCFjx)

35 sonic i thought you might you know want to hang yourself with it -looser boy

Posted by: dreamer at March 16, 2005 05:43 AM (bgoXf)

36 Italy's lower house of Parliament just approved another six months (beginning, I think, in July) for their Iraq deployment. Additionally, they have no timetable for withdrawal, but Berlusconi must be eyeing a sizeable reduction by the May, 2006, election. Consider the position Berlusconi will be in when the next Italian (probably female) is kidnapped in Iraq. Having publically foresworn ransom, there will be tremendous pressure to locate the captive and mount a rescue operation - two things that can't simply be pulled out of a hat. It's a bad situation for a government leader to be in, especially when a sizable chunk of the populace regards such acts as a predictable side effect of a war that it vehemently opposes. I wouldn't want to be in his shoes, now or then. The terrorists have at least 12 more months to further exploit anti-war sentiment in Italy.

Posted by: trish at March 16, 2005 06:15 AM (f3GyK)

37 Everyone is looking to the present and not at the whole picture of terrorism over the past years. The IRA has been killing people for on the bright side of a 100 years, but they have the support of the white house because they only kill "Legitimate targets". Now Hamas and Hizbullah are getting the support of the white house, because they have become legitimate groups. The fact is many countries have been dealing with terrorism long before we woke up and said "oh my God look at the attacks on September 11th!" Italy dealt with the Red Brigade and other nut cases long before we did, hell when they were throwing the key away on the mafia our FBI was going "There is no such thing as the mob!" One woman didnt change the minds of the people, the people are sick and tired of the double talk by our government on who is good and who is bad ... the only fact is they are doing something moronic called thinking! Did they protest us en-mass for Afghanistan? No. Just like the fact that everyone is willing to over look, an illegitimate cause for invading a soveraign nation (albeight dictatorial) doesnt become legitimate because you have something resembling democracy in the end. It brings nothing less than joy every time I hear that progress is being made, but will it really work? Afghanistan is already a full blown Narco State, and that took less than three years ... AND we are still in that country to prevent things like that from happening. The sum of it is you can't apply your views to other countries who have a lot more experiance at this than we do ... and trust me an idoit at the airport with a double digit IQ earning a triple digit income routing around grandma's bags and taking her nail clipper away is not a solution ... controling assault weapon sales is! I hope time proves me wrong.

Posted by: Salamander at March 16, 2005 07:43 AM (V40IZ)

38 From the liberal NYT, no less: New York Times March 16, 2005 Iraqis Say Italians Aren't Cooperating In Kidnapping Investigation By James Glanz BAGHDAD, Iraq, March 15 - Iraqi investigators who are trying to find the kidnappers of the Italian journalist Giuliana Sgrena say their work has been stymied by a lack of cooperation from the Italian intelligence services that won her release exactly a month after she was abducted on Feb. 4. The Iraqi investigators say they conducted as many as half a dozen raids in a northwest Baghdad neighborhood where they think Ms. Sgrena, 56, a reporter for the far-left Rome daily Il Manifesto, was being held. But the kidnappers slipped through their fingers, and she was released after the abductors negotiated with Italian intelligence agents. One of those agents was killed when American troops fired on the car taking Ms. Sgrena to freedom. Even after her release, Italian officials have refused to share information with the Iraqis, said Col. Jabbar Anwar, chief of the major crimes unit in the sector of Baghdad that includes Gazalea, the neighborhood where she was thought to be held. The ring that committed the kidnapping was a profit-making organization that is likely to repeat the crime, he said. "They made a big mistake when they let the criminals go, especially if they gave them money," Colonel Jabbar said, referring to reports in the Italian news media and denied by the Italian government that a ransom as large as $8 million was paid. Erminio Amelio, one of the Rome public magistrates leading the investigating into Ms. Sgrena's abduction, said there had been no intent to deprive the Iraqi police of information. "I don't know what type of relationships our people have with the Iraqis in Baghdad," Mr. Amelio said. "Our people have a strong relationship with the Americans, and the Americans deal more with the Iraqis." "We haven't received any request for information," he said. "Maybe they have approached some Italians there in Iraq, I don't know, but we haven't been asked officially." Colonel Jabbar and a second officer in the crimes unit said the investigation suggested that the kidnappers were tipped off to Ms. Sgrena's itinerary on the day she was seized. On Feb. 4, Ms. Sgrena went to a district near the University of Baghdad to conduct interviews at a Sunni mosque where refugees from Falluja had been staying. An Italian photographer who helped arrange Ms. Sgrena's visit to the mosque, Franco Pagetti, saw her in the building's courtyard by about 12:45, he said in an e-mail message. Security guards at the mosque gate were acting suspiciously, Mr. Pagetti said. "They were asking us how many weapons we have," he said, "how many foreigners and if we had a second car." Mr. Pagetti left, but not before taking a picture of Ms. Sgrena with his digital camera; the picture had a time stamp of 1:37 p.m. Around 1:40, her cellphone had been turned on, and it briefly transmitted the sounds of the kidnapping: gunfire and the sounds of footsteps slogging across wet pavement on a rainy day. The Iraqi investigators say eight kidnappers brandishing pistols and Kalashnikovs, their faces hidden by head cloths, had arrived in a gray Opel and a black Kia. Witnesses heard Ms. Sgrena scream as the kidnapping unfolded. Her frightened driver neglected to inform a nearby university guard. The driver was later detained by the police and is still being held, according to the second officer in the crimes unit. The guard finally saw what was happening and opened fire, but took cover as the heavily armed men drove away with Ms. Sgrena, leaving the driver and her interpreter behind. The investigators say they believe that she was taken to a series of safe houses in Gazalea. The Iraqi investigators said they had obtained highly specific tips from two informants about where Ms. Sgrena was taken in Gazalea. But as they raided houses in the area, she slipped through their fingers, probably because the kidnappers moved her from house to house. The only arrest so far occurred when a resident of one of the houses, a major in the Iraqi police force, was found to have an array of phony identification cards, including one for the American Embassy. The other three suspects, who are believed to be originally from Falluja, are still at large. "We were 100 percent positive that she was in Gazalea," the second officer said. "When we received information that they were there, we hit the house. And they were gone. The neighbors said, 'We saw them.' " Twelve days after Ms. Sgrena was abducted, she was seen on a videotape pleading for her life and asking all foreigners, in particular Italian troops, to leave Iraq immediately. But Iraqi investigators believe that the display was essentially a bargaining ploy in ransom negotiations. Information from the Italians, Colonel Jabbar asserted, could have made the difference in cracking the case and bringing the kidnappers to justice. Instead, he said, his investigators saw the lines of communication shut down once the Italians began negotiating with the kidnappers. Jason Horowitz contributed reporting from Rome for this article.

Posted by: Phil McCavitty at March 16, 2005 07:47 AM (x2eX4)

39 "Poland is looking to withdraw its forces by the end of the year" OH NO! Not POLAND! after all they are part of the "BIG THREE" in the allience as Bush so bluntly said during the Pres. debates

Posted by: Red Wolf at March 16, 2005 07:54 AM (tkj+t)

40 Boo-fucking-hoo. As if this was Italy's war from the beginning. People here should open their eyes and smell the "Wake the Fuck Up."

Posted by: Venom at March 16, 2005 08:59 AM (dbxVM)

41 Salamander Are you serious about the IRA having the support of the whitehouse as they only target "legitimate targets" because if you are you are wrong they have targeted civillians in the past eg Manchester, Birmingham and London innocent people were all killed, whether it was interntional or not. I would also like to point out that that would make America a funder of terrorism. Terrorism is terrorism no matter how you want to butter it up, it is never acceptable when innocents are killed. Also if America is our alley what are they doing supporting people who are against our government

Posted by: sparky at March 16, 2005 11:48 AM (F1nba)

42 Sorry that should have been intentional

Posted by: sparky at March 16, 2005 12:03 PM (F1nba)

43 uuuhh sparky ... can you say SOUTH AMERICAN DEATH SQUADS! You are not spliting the hair fine enough to get to the point of the white house ... see if you fight for our cause you are a freedom fighter, i.e. see south american death squads, sandanistas, m19 and any anti-FARC factions, anti-soviet afghan forces, and factions in angolan against the then soviet backed factions. If you fight agaisnt our cause your a terrorist, i.e. see unreformed south american death squads, some broken factions of sandanistas, M19 and FARC, Taleban (not to be mixed with anti-soviet afghan forces), and not to be left out ... "where was angola again?". See its all so clear ... dont you get it? it seams the coalition of the willing understand it so well and are standing beside ... around ... well their somewhere here.

Posted by: Salamander at March 16, 2005 12:14 PM (V40IZ)

44 Sorry Salamander im a bit thick i get your point

Posted by: sparky at March 16, 2005 12:29 PM (F1nba)

45 Salamander Time has been proving you wrong and continues to prove you wrong at this very moment!!!! This is what I have been trying to get dolts like you to understand! It is apparent in your message that all you care about is how America looks in the end. You cannot bear to think that it might be seen in a good light "because you have something resembling democracy in the end." Fine. I agree that the pretense to war cannot be legitimized by the successes in Iraq. People still need to be held accountable for disinformation (cough Challabi cough) as well as neglecting to distinguish between true information, and false information. But that is ALL you care about. Will someone like you ever mention the other movements we're seeing in the Middle East? I'm not a big Bush fan by any means, but if you're really convinced that the renewed effort for peace between Israel and Palestine just HAPPENED to come into existence and was purely an effort on the part of those two groups then you are a fucking idiot. I've decided there is no point in me arguing with people like you anymore. We have completely different belief systems. You don't really care about what happens in Iraq, you care about how America looks in the end. I don't give a shit about weapons of mass destruction. Any dictatorship like the one created by the Baathists deserves to be annihilated. Governments need to be shook up a bit (ahem, Sudan) so that people stop dying needlessly. When the majority cries out against their government but are incapable of doing anything someone should help them. And I don't CARE who's at the forefront of this much needed change. Europe doesn't either, unless it is America. They've decided that it is INHERENTLY detrimental to any and all societies to be supported by America. America is imposing its will! Really? Take a look at Iran you dimwits. If the U.S went in and took the legs of the government from under them, the majority of Iranians would be overjoyed. Young adults in Iran don't want the government to step down so they can continue to do things the way they've been ordered to do for so long. They want change because they want freedoms that are not associated with hardcore, Islamic law. But I guess if this ever happened America would once again be the devil for IMPOSING non-Islamic beliefs, even though such a large number of Iranians have been pushing for such rights for years independently. What is this "sovereign nation" crap thrown around all the time? Do you have any idea what you're talking about? ENGLAND is a sovereign nation. Iraq has not been a sovereign nation for a while. And even if it was, so what? Is that just another pathetic cop out, an excuse to sit around and do NOTHING under the pretense that countries should be left alone to deal with their own problems because they're sovereign? "Well, it's sovereign so, obviously everything is fine." Please provide your source that proves the White House supports the IRA. I remember living in England and seeing plenty of civilians being wiped out by those evil bastards. I've tried searching and I can't find any credible information that shows that the White House in any way supports the IRA.

Posted by: Igor Kazakov at March 16, 2005 03:32 PM (xM3Dg)

46 "Take a look at Iran you dimwits. If the U.S went in and took the legs of the government from under them, the majority of Iranians would be overjoyed" Now where have I heard that argument before? oh I remember it was about how Iraq would be a cakewalk.... http://icasualties.org/oif/

Posted by: sonic at March 16, 2005 09:04 PM (Gsn6c)

47 "Now where have I heard that argument before? oh I remember it was about how Iraq would be a cakewalk...." Compared to past wars, it IS a cakewalk so far. It sounds callous, but compared to past wars our casualties really are very light. Fallujah wasn't Stalingrad by a long shot, and proved the US can adapt effectively to urban warfare and that our MOUT training was going in the right direction. Most of the country is peaceful, even if every car bombing is shoved in our faces by CNN. The number of Iraqis killed that way is trivial in relation to the size of the country. The baseline level of violence in Iraq is not overly destabilising, and as Wahabi Jihadists focus on other Iraqis they are building the backlash that will disempower them. The best thing the Wahabis/Sunnis can do for the US is to keep killing civilians until the civilians become angry enough to strike back with a vengeance. I wouldn't counsel invading Iran though. Iranian mullahs came to power through popular revolution, and nothing reinforces regious fervor like an attack from outside. The best way to get rid off superstious, er..., religious nut cases is public ridicule and homegrown revolution. The youth of Iran wil have to do the bleeding if they are to earn secular freedom like that in civilised nations.

Posted by: monckywrench at March 17, 2005 12:21 PM (x2eX4)

48 Salamander a dolt?

Posted by: greyrooster at March 17, 2005 11:41 PM (CBNGy)

49 Wonder how many terrorists the Italian forces have killed or captured since arriving in Iraq?

Posted by: greyrooster at March 18, 2005 08:59 AM (CBNGy)

50 I believe two people referred to a "cakewalk" prior to the invasion. Former President Clinton and a low-level administration official. The official line from the White House, for those who were napping, was that hard times lay ahead. The administration never suggested this would be a walk in the park, though those who are in opposition to the effort would certainly like to believe they did. But, I believe they were overly optimistic about the timetable, and the level of resistance they expected to encounter after the fall of the Baathists - at least publically. Privately, they may have known full well that Iraq would become a battleground with Islamists, and that in fact may have been an integral part of the plan. It seems a bit of a no-brainer to expect that, espescially after Osama-bin-hidin' called on Islamists to go to Iraq. (To protect or avenge his avowed mortal enemy, Saddam, heh) Did they have a "flypaper" strategy? I hope so, I believe so. because it's working. And one would harldy expect them to announce that strategy pre-invasion, for obvious reasons. Whatever the case, it's obvious that the Islamist terrorist element in Iraq is not having as easy time winning the hearts and minds of the common Iraqi as they are in cowing members of the coalition. Polls seem to indicate that Iraqis really don't want their Arab neighbors meddling in their affairs. After all, they weren't much help when Saddam was "ruling" them. They may not like US occupation, but they're realists. Given the choice of US occupation for a time, or Islamist rule for loooong time, I believe they've chosen to back the lesser of two evils, or dare I say, the "strong horse"? semper fi

Posted by: USMC dad at March 20, 2005 01:37 PM (bJsjY)

51 Here, Here semper fi

Posted by: greyrooster at March 20, 2005 02:34 PM (CBNGy)

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UPDATE: This is an archive page. For the latest information on terrorist communiques and videos, please go to the MAIN PAGE here.

UPDATE 4/22/05: Islamic Army in Iraq shoots down civilian helicopter, murders American hostage. Information, images, and video here.

****EXCLUSIVE****MUST CITE JAWA REPORT****

The Jawa Report has obtained exclusive* footage of a plane shot down by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq. Shown below are several screenshots of the US warplane. more...

Posted by: Rusty at 12:39 PM | Comments (25) | Add Comment
Post contains 264 words, total size 2 kb.

UPDATE: 1 million mark passed!!!!!! (PS--sorry about trackback spam.....stupid MT keeps pinging and pinging and pinging...big apologies)

Some time in the next couple of hours my Jawa will have been petted by at least 1 million visitors. It is done!!!!!! Damn, it feels good to be a gangsta!

Thanks all for the constant barage of referrals, positive feedback, and serious fun.

A few shout outs are in order.

First, the Commissar who gave me early encouragement and let me guest blog for him last year.

Next, a shout out to the OG pimptastik wicked gang. These are like-minded bloggers like the Llama Butchers, Bill at INDC, Jeff Goldstein, Iowahawk, Cranky Neocon, Six Meat Buffet, Ace, Allah, Prof. Chaos, BRD, Way Off Bass, Demosophia, and a bunch more that I just can't recall in my present caffeine-free state or who have given up the blogging gig. These are bloggers who were kind enough to throw me links early on, when I was getting like 100 hits a day. They also would show up on my site regular enough that it made a petite blogger feel like Macktastick Rusty Wicked.

Let me also thank the hundreds of other smaller bloggers who throw links my way on a very regular basis. You guys are awesome--totally awesome. As I've explained on numerous occasions the fact that I blog anonymously prohibits me commenting on your site. However, I do read just about every post that trackbacks to me. Also, if you have a post that needs a plugging, just e-mail me and I'll try to do it. I know how much it meant to me when Allah plugged an early post, so I try to return the favor as often as I can.

Last, let me tell you the six degrees of seperation for My Pet Jawa. My original inspiration for blogging came from Charles Johnson of Little Green Footballs. After 9/11 a few buddies in grad school and I realized that we were pretty much on the same page. 'Boomhauer', 'Bill Dauterieve' and me, Dale Gribble Rusty Shackleford, sort of ganged up on our poor Chomskyite friend who was against the Afghanistan invasion. I think originally we started meeting in the alley for brews because we felt so out of place amongst our peers in grad school who were appalled at Shrimp-Chub-Hitler-Bush's response to 9/11. I don't know how Chomsky-lite started to hang out in the alley with us. It was probably because unlike most other disciples of the Maharaja-Chomsky, he had a sense of humor and he was into chicks. That--and his mutual love of dick and fart jokes.

Somehow or another I did an internet search trying to refute Chomsky's drivel and eventually found my way to LGF. Boomhauer and I then started a now defunct group blog. It got old quick, especially when sitemeter told us that like 10 people a day were reading it. Eventually I got a job here and Boomhauer got a job in another part of the country so we stopped blogging.

However, I didn't stop reading blogs. From LGF I started surfing his blogroll of anti-idiotarians. It was there that I found Iowahawk, Emperor Misha of the Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, and the illustrious and semi-retired Allah. The Commissar had a blog-ad going over at Allah's at the time. I visited these sites as often as I could, which wasn't that often. It was my first year teaching at a university so a lot of prep time.

One day Bill Dauterieve calls me up and says, "Dude, I'm starting a blog again." This time he would put his real name up on the blog, his CV, and all that jazz. Me? Never one to be out done by Bill, I went over to blogspot to sign up once again. But what to name the blog? How about something really offensive? Yeah. Something that only South Park fans would get. Jawas. Yeah. How about like Emperor Misha's blog which is actually at 'nicedoggie.net'? Nice Jawa? Ouch--that certainly is offensive.

But wait, let's up it a notch. I kept thinking of that stupid TV production bumper "Sit Ubu sut, good dog." How about My Pet Jawa? (Mr. Burns) Excellent. Within an hour I had designed the initial layout of the site. I chose green because it is the sacred and holy color of the Religion of Peas. That, and I sort of ripped it off from Allah.

That was a little over a year ago. Last summer a couple of blog friends, namely Simon and BRD, convinced Pixy Misa to give me an mu.nu account. I changed the name from My Pet Jawa to the Jawa Report cause I wanted to hoodwink a few unnamed websites into believing that we were a legitimate source of news. (Nelson Munz) Ha-ha! The rest is, as they say, history.

I've had a lot of good times on the way. Plenty of links from big sites like Michelle Malkin, Little Green Footballs, Outside the Beltway, Wizbang, Vodka Pundit, and others--including a solitary Eschaton link and a single Instalanche.

Plenty of more from my devoted cadre of fellow-travellers and minions including:

Interested Participant, Hans Bricks, Team Hammer, Incite, Vince aut morire, Right Wing Nuthouse, Pirate's Cove, Digger's Realm, Jeff Quinton, Robert Spencer, Dean Esmay, Scott S., Mike King, John Donovan, Captain Ed, John Little, John Henke, Chad Evans, Rob of Say Anything, Spoons, Editors in Pajamas, Goldfalcon, Sundries Shack, Cox and Forkum, American Soldier, Jane Novack, Sworn Enemy, Julliette, Jeff at Beautiful Attrocities, Blog Tower, Sparse Matrix, Cal Tech Girl, Dummocrats, Flea, SondraK, Kate at Small Tasty Dead Animals, Mr. K, Zippo the Pirate, Scared Monkeys, Joe Gandelman, Myopic Zeal, Jack Lewis, Beth of MYVRWC, Maximum Leader, Chris Cross, Passionate America, Daniel Aronstein, Misplaced Keys, Hyscience, HispaLibertas, and a bajillion others.

I even have two blog children (as far as I know--wink, wink): Brian B. of Memento Moron and tee_bee!

So, while the rest of you are busy typing away on today's important events, I think I'll kick back, eat some meat, and take it easy. Thanks one and all. Biyatches!!!

UPDATE: Sorry about multiple trackback pings. Seriously, something went screwy with this thing.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:39 AM | Comments (36) | Add Comment
Post contains 1041 words, total size 13 kb.

1 Congratulations! One million people can't be wrong, can they? Jawas seem to be pretty clannish after all...

Posted by: superhawk at March 15, 2005 10:40 AM (M7kiy)

2 Congrats, Rusty! The Jawa Report continues, better than ever.

Posted by: The Commissar at March 15, 2005 10:48 AM (a0KXj)

3 I even have two blog children (as far as I know--wink, wink): Brian B. of Memento Moron and tee_bee! Well between you and the Emperor, one of us is bound to turn! Congrats, Pops, and thanks for the link-love.

Posted by: Brian B at March 15, 2005 10:56 AM (CouWh)

4 Now you can organize a million Jawa march. You put a lot of effort into bringing the most current and often unpublicized news to us. You're a great resource in addition to being a good bud, a fine American, and a star wars character. Congrats.

Posted by: Jane at March 15, 2005 11:00 AM (6krEN)

5 Congratulations, Rusty! Awesome acheivement. Keep it coming.

Posted by: William Teach at March 15, 2005 11:03 AM (TFSHk)

6 Way to go Rusty. Congrats and well deserved.

Posted by: McQ at March 15, 2005 11:06 AM (o/+d4)

7 Day-um Rusty! You done good. Real good. And you're a pretty cool guy to boot.

Posted by: Gordon at March 15, 2005 11:09 AM (SN0Ew)

8 Congrats Rusty.

Posted by: Rob at March 15, 2005 11:40 AM (fcqpB)

9 So who's the one millionth customer!

Posted by: Scott S at March 15, 2005 12:04 PM (1/Smr)

10 I still think of Jawa motorcycles first, it's on account of where I grew-up - I lack the Star-Wars gene.

Posted by: -keith in mtn. view at March 15, 2005 12:19 PM (sE9R7)

11 Congratulations! That's a pretty crowded sand crawler.....

Posted by: caltechgirl at March 15, 2005 12:23 PM (5VQpT)

12 Congrats. And thanks for not forgetting about us little guys.

Posted by: phin at March 15, 2005 12:34 PM (Xvpen)

13 Avast! Me hearty! Congratulations and continued fair winds and following seas! Yar, we be needin' a bigger boat to accommodate that huge Jawa head!

Posted by: ZiPpo at March 15, 2005 12:35 PM (P7XXv)

14 Way to go, RustMeisterGeneral!

Posted by: John from WuzzaDem at March 15, 2005 12:35 PM (Pt3Le)

15 Rock on. Soon, the plan will be complete... everyone will be required to eat 7 pieces of cheese a day. No, that wasn't the plan for you... hmmm... well, whatever your plan is, I am sure it will go swimmingly too.

Posted by: Wine-aholic at March 15, 2005 12:42 PM (Wsn+K)

16 Ahhh, the plan. Monkey's paw: check It's all coming together now. Excellent.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at March 15, 2005 12:54 PM (JQjhA)

17 Congratulations! Yip! Yip! Yip!

Posted by: Robert the Llama Butcher at March 15, 2005 01:45 PM (XBUdh)

18 Congrats! I'd post about this, but Blogspot is apparently down.

Posted by: ccwbass at March 15, 2005 02:03 PM (bXypk)

19 Hey, thanks for the link... Congrats on your uberbloggerhood...

Posted by: Jon at March 15, 2005 02:11 PM (alDTJ)

20 Congrats!

Posted by: King of Fools at March 15, 2005 02:45 PM (2w8UH)

21 Well done! Now if all those visitors would donate one measly dollar each, Dr. Rusty could quit teaching and move on to full-time bloggery. Congrats!

Posted by: Preston Taylor Holmes at March 15, 2005 03:41 PM (WsZ4F)

22 Congratulations! Love these million-visit milestone parties!

Posted by: BR - visitor from Wizbang at March 15, 2005 04:28 PM (3ySDg)

23 I had to delete the tip jar since it gives away personal information.

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at March 15, 2005 05:02 PM (JQjhA)

24 Congrats on the 1 millionth hit. You've been busting your ass working on this site, and the results are well deserved.

Posted by: Beck at March 15, 2005 05:21 PM (pmSUH)

25 A million visiters! Too bad they're from the Left!

Posted by: Young Bourbon Professional at March 15, 2005 05:45 PM (S5syt)

26 Good work Rusty.

Posted by: Simon at March 15, 2005 06:11 PM (OyeEA)

27 well done rusty now your into your next million keep up the good work

Posted by: sparky at March 15, 2005 06:17 PM (F1nba)

28 I'm too jealous to congratulate you. Wait. Was that just a congratulations? Damn it. Good job buddy.

Posted by: Ron Rutherford at March 15, 2005 06:21 PM (nbfM4)

29 FANTASTIC! You are AWESOME!

Posted by: reliapundit at March 15, 2005 07:58 PM (8jzrq)

30 Congrats!

Posted by: Willis at March 15, 2005 10:29 PM (zcsBP)

31 Visitors: 1 million Fatwas: 0 Still getting to call you Salman Rusty: Priceless. Heartfelt congratulations and much thanks for the linky. The first 'lanche I ever got was a Jawalanche

Posted by: Eric at March 15, 2005 11:15 PM (lK7Sh)

32 Great work---this is one hell of a blog. I laughed when you said you were 'small' because you only got 100 hits a day--I only get 10!

Posted by: Labosseuse at March 16, 2005 03:47 PM (1PGnB)

33 I turn around to get midterms done, come back, and find out you've told the world you're my real dad. Damn it feels good to be a gangsta!

Posted by: tee bee at March 16, 2005 07:44 PM (q1JHF)

34 I can make your millionth compadre go away for $20 now,$20 when it's done,and $20 for expenses.

Posted by: octavio at March 17, 2005 12:39 AM (//0Dv)

35 A couple days late, but CONGRATS, Professor!

Posted by: Editor at March 17, 2005 11:08 PM (F4059)

36 I saw the pop-up screen on my computer regarding one million visitors. I subscribe to it can you please tell me more about it because I have a website for mostly a year and I only have one visitor. I don't know what to do about it. That's why I really like what I saw, and I take a good chance to it. Thanks

Posted by: Esther at August 01, 2005 06:00 PM (jPHc7)

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by Demosophist

I keep getting submission errors to a comment I tried to make down below, because the filter would catch forbidden words even if they were simply embedded in other words. Thus, I couldn't use the word "grape" because it contained the word "rape," or couldn't use the word "socialism" (which is a bit of a handicap for a political scientist) because it contains the word "cialis."

I realize that comment spam is a problem, but frankly, I'd rather have comments by registration only than have to edit all the words in a comment for embedded taboos. Anyone can register with Typekey, and I've been using it on Roger L. Simon's comment section for a long time.

Comments? (Be careful what you say, though.)

Posted by: Demosophist at 04:55 AM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
Post contains 133 words, total size 1 kb.

1 I hate to be a smartass...well, ok, that's a lie, let's face it. But isn't "political scientist" sorta like "jumbo shrimp", Microsoft Works" or even "head butt"? Wouldn't we expect bias out of someone who calls themself political, and complete objectivity out a scientist? Yup. You guys are oxy-morons. Note that the word is even a mix of science and politics.

Posted by: Mr. K at March 15, 2005 05:45 AM (H0tQl)

2 After reading Mr. K's comment it makes me wish we had already developed and innoculated the masses with a d u m b a s s vaccine. But, that would not protect those who are already afflicted. Alas, there is no d u m b a s s vaccine. I hope this makes it past the filter. Seems like having to register to leave a comment is a pain in the a s s, but I have not been afflicted with comment spam. I say it's UP2U! Just a thought though, if your writings contain euphemisms, why shouldn't your comments? Perhaps I just don't understand the Typekey concept and what you are trying to accomplish by invoking its usage.

Posted by: ZiPpo at March 15, 2005 06:39 AM (P7XXv)

3 Rusty...at this point you may want to just go commit Sioux-a-sighed. Besides, Mrs Shackleford apparently wants more private time with me :^D

Posted by: amino_acids at March 15, 2005 07:14 AM (n5uqi)

4 ahh hell, just noticed this was post was by the demosopharce and not Rusty. Man don't I feel like a political scientist..erm I mean butt head.

Posted by: amino_acids at March 15, 2005 07:25 AM (n5uqi)

5 I like moderated comments - registration is a pain. My blog, Serendipity has a neat solution. Comments are accepted for posts under, say three or four days old per normal. Those over that age require the entry of an alpha-numeric code. This works very well against spammers.

Posted by: Jeff Blogworthy at March 15, 2005 08:03 AM (PdNWa)

6 Wouldn't we expect bias out of someone who calls themself political, and complete objectivity out a scientist? Yup. You guys are oxy-morons. Note that the word is even a mix of science and politics. Smartass. Actually, political bias is one of the things we study "scientifically," or systematically, because you know... somebody has to. For instance, there's an excellent study done by Tim Groseclose that uses an ingenious method to determine the political bias of mainstream media. Instead of using "self reported" political leanings, or party affiliation, which many have objected to, he uses references to "think tanks" (which produce studies and reports) that have already been scaled in terms of political bias by ADA, etc. (Two measures actually. One counts the total number of left vs right references, while the other counts the average bias of all the organizations cited.) Using these new measure he was able to demonstrate rather conclusively that the network news sources were about as left-partisan as the average democrat serving in Congress (or about a standard deviation more liberal than the public). He also showed that FOX and Drudge, although still biased toward the right were about half as conservative as MSM was liberal. In other words, they were less biased. Call me crazy, but I figure stuff like that is important for the public to know, don't you? By the way, the first real "political scientist" was probably Alexis de Toqueville, who wrote Democracy in America. Fairly good book. You ought to read it.

Posted by: Demosophist at March 15, 2005 11:26 AM (Dfdj0)

7 Still will not take the American translation of the Deutsch acronym N.A.Z.I.

Posted by: Rod Stanton at March 15, 2005 11:38 AM (l5t6M)

8 Anyway, back to the topic. It may be possible to adjust the filter so that it catches only isolated versions of the taboo words, which would be the way to go if you're going to deploy a filter to deal with spam. I don't mind registration with Typekey, but I can see why others might. What I do mind is the system that LGF apparently uses, where they have their own list of approved commenters and subscribers, but where the list always seems to be closed to new members. I don't know what's up with that, but every time I've tried to register with LGF I've gotten a message to try later because the list is "temporarily closed." There are other ways of dealing with spam, but comment spam on popular blogs is only going to grow worse... and probably a lot worse.

Posted by: Demosophist at March 15, 2005 11:43 AM (Dfdj0)

9 Yes, Demosophist, I do think it is important to point these things out, and I am glad there are blogs like these that do that...Unbeleivably, I actually read the study you refer to, I think it was linked on Drudge a while back....and being a smart ass, well, that makes me an oxymoron too...

Posted by: Mr. K at March 15, 2005 12:29 PM (VF92n)

10 Demos, The problem is that I don't control the spam filter. Because we are all (mu.nu) sharing a single MT installation, it means that about 100 people control the spam filter. I guess you get what you pay for...........

Posted by: Rusty Shackleford at March 15, 2005 12:51 PM (JQjhA)

11 Rusty: Well, I'm going to suggest the possibility that the filter may have been hacked somehow. I've never before had the problem with spelling "sozialism," but I have run into this sort of filter problem on internet forums that had been hacked as a kind of harassment. Either that, or someone who doesn't know much about filters has inadvertently screwed this one up a little. Sorry I haven't been posting much. I've been over my head in work and family issues lately. Hope Shackleton clan is doing well, from little to big.

Posted by: Demosophist at March 15, 2005 01:08 PM (Dfdj0)

12 If you go to TypeKey, will I still get those great advertisements for Ci@|is and p3ni|e 3nl@rgm3nt? Because I only buy stuff if it has already been approved by the spam gods.

Posted by: kbiel at March 15, 2005 04:51 PM (KSCkS)

13 http://www.creartec.com.ar/wwwboard/messages/1572.html higherloosertaste

Posted by: surge at September 06, 2005 01:34 AM (C5F6u)

14 http://bentleywine.com/wwwboard/messages/2286.html robertslicedsoiled

Posted by: trimmed at September 09, 2005 01:58 AM (hRKiG)

15 http://public-voyeur.op-dhs.org/realityvoyeurcontest/paraphilias.html talentstitillatedtusk

Posted by: bizarre at September 12, 2005 12:38 AM (iBgIV)

16 http://persadel.descom.es/fetishes/partys.html chromelimitedmultilingual

Posted by: hesitate at September 24, 2005 08:30 AM (uTZK+)

17 http://www.tomkobeer.com/wwwboard/messages/72091.html clubsmarketpinched

Posted by: mature at September 25, 2005 10:12 PM (uTZK+)

18 http://iamsuccess.com/wwwboard/messages/9797.html complimentwhosewondered

Posted by: none at October 01, 2005 07:50 AM (eNfqN)

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Man, it looks like NAWBLA (North American Woman-Boy Love Association) is giving NAMBLA (North American Marlon Brando Look Alikes) a run for their money.

Posted by: Rusty at 05:18 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 30 words, total size 1 kb.