It is a dark day in the Vinnie household.

To be part of a blog that was publicly de-linked has brought shame to me and my family.

Do you realize, Dr., that I had to keep my children home from school to shield them from the cruel taunts of their peers over this?

Do you realize that you have plunged my wife even further in to her addiction to Rachael Ray? A torment I have fought against for years now?

This is what I am reduced to, Dr. Shackleford, for your inability to control your flying fickle fingers of fate upon your keyboard:



In a last great act of defiance, Rusty, I have done this. Make sure you click on that link in the post.

In unrelated news, may God continue to bless Roy Hallums and his family.

At least some people still understand what is truly meaningful in life.

Posted by: Vinnie at 07:30 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I've received a couple of nice e-mails the past couple of days from Carrie Hallums Cooper and Susan Hallums. They both express their deepest gratitude for all of your efforts at keeping Roy's name in the forefront of our nation's collective conscience. Thank you one and all for helping spread the word!

After 60 Minutes aired the interview with the former hostage on Monday, you'll be happy to know that President Bush telephoned Roy to wish him his best. We have been quite critical of State Department policy regarding hostages on this website, and are grateful to learn that much more goes on behind the scenes to free our hostages than is publicly aknowledged.

Roy is aware of what you, the readers, did for him during his long ordeal and his family has promised to pass on our best wishes to him.

Last, here is a picture sent to me by Susan Hallums of the family finally reunited. God Bless America! more...

Posted by: Rusty at 04:46 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Now what was all that talk about no terrorism in China? The Jawa Report has been warning readers of the low-level Islamist insurgency in China's western Xinjiang province for some time. Called East Turkistan by its own people, Islamic militants in the area have ties to Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda network and are working to oust the communist Han Chinese and restore the brief lived Islamic Republic of East Turkistan--an Islamist state that predates Iran by over forty years.

In fact, after China's Strike Hard campaign of the early 1990s, aimed at wiping out the Islamic insurgency, many jihadi leaders fled to a neighboring country where they found safe haven and a network of like minded individuals willing and eager to supply them with arms and cash. Can you guess which country the fled to? Drumroll please.........

Afghanistan.

Khaleej Times:

The United States has warned American travellers to be vigilant against a terrorist attack in ChinaÂ’s restive northwestern region of Xinjiang after Beijing told police there to be prepared for danger.

The call came ahead of the 50th anniversary on Saturday of the establishment of Xinjiang as an autonomous region.

Muslim Uighur militants, whom Beijing calls terrorists or separatists, have been struggling for decades to make the remote region, formally established on Oct. 1, 1955, an independent state called East Turkestan.

“Americans considering travel to the region and those already there should review their plans carefully, remain vigilant with regard to their personal security and exercise caution,” a message e-mailed from the US embassy in China said.

“Terrorists do not distinguish between official and civilian targets. Americans in remote areas or border regions where military or police authority is limited or non-existent could also become targets.” ...

The Public Security Ministry said earlier this month that more than 260 terrorist acts had been committed in Xinjiang in the past two decades, killing 160 and wounding 440. It labelled East Turkestan forces the main terrorist threat to China.

And, of course, Islam Online blames Chinese oppression on the troubles. So the Chinese fascists are oppressing the Islamist fascists? Talk about your Sophie's choice scenario.....

For related info see Jihad in China and Suicide Bomber Blows Up Bus in China: Government Covers Up

Posted by: Rusty at 04:24 PM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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Ok, so the ACLU, courtesy Judge Hellerstein, wants to take as many Abu Ghraib images as possible and spread them high and low.  The Judge argues that he can't withhold their release on the grounds that it will incite terrorism based on the idea that terrorists aren't looking for excuses to act against us as is.

Which, I actually buy.

But the part that baffles me is the talk about Terrorist Magnets and how the flypaper strategy is foolish because it creates a even greater terrorist threat.   If our approach to Iraq is wrong because it creates more terrorists, then how is it possible to turn around and then say that releasing more Abu Ghraib photos isn't bad, although it incites terrorism?

(Cross posted to Demosophia and The Daily Jawa)

Posted by: Bravo Romeo Delta at 03:10 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
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It's important to note the details of the original minor charge of 'lying on an immigration application' officially levied against Hamid and Umer Hayat. Yes, they only 'lied on an immigration application'....of course, the lie they told was that they were not al Qaeda supporters! Kind of seems like an important detail.

The good news is that the younger of the two, Hamid Hayat, was charged with material support to terrorists this week. The bad news is that the father, Umer Hayat, was given bail.

I dunno, call me paranoid, but there's just something about an Imam with clear al Qaeda sympathies walking the streets that makes me uncomfortable.

California Mafia has more details.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:59 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Has the FDNY hired a Muslim chaplain that comes from an Islamic school with an association with the Al-Ihsan society (AKA the Elehssan Charitable Society) that has been designated by the U.S. Department of the Treasury as a "charitable front" for the Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ), a terrorist organization based in Damascus, Syria?

The Muslim moonbat was one of several imams recommended for the chaplain's job by the Islamic Society for the Fire Department.

Michelle Malkin writes that just when we think things are getting better in New York City, "politically correct insanity rears its monstrous head again." In pointing to Tom Bevan at Real Clear Politics, she notes Tom's flaging of today's Newsday story about the new Islamist-sympathizing, nutball Muslim chaplain hired by none other than the New York Fire Department. We need to stand-up in solidarity with Michelle's suggestion: "Don't let up on the FDNY commissioner, though. Someone made a boneheaded decision to hire a tinfoil Islamist like Habib in the first place. Make sure it doesn't happen again!"

An imam slated to be sworn in Friday as the second Muslim chaplain in Fire Department history said he questioned whether 19 hijackers were responsible for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and suggested a broader conspiracy may have brought down the Twin Towers and killed more than 2,700 people.
In a telephone interview Thursday, Imam Intikab Habib, 30, a native of Guyana who studied Islam in Saudi Arabia, said he doubted the United States government's official story blaming 19 hijackers associated with al-Quaida and Osama bin Laden.

"I as an individual don't know who did the attacks," said Habib, 30, a soft-spoken man who immigrated to New York in July 2000 after spending six years in Saudi Arabia getting a degree in Islamic theology and law. "There are so many conflicting reports about it. I don't believe it was 19 ... hijackers who did those attacks."

Asked to elaborate on his reasons for doubting that story, he talked about video and news reports widely disseminated in the Muslim community.

"I've heard professionals say that nowhere ever in history did a steel building come down with fire alone," he said. "It takes two or three weeks to demolish a building like that. But it was pulled down in a couple of hours. Was it 19 hijackers who brought it down, or was it a conspiracy?

Posted by: Richard@hyscience at 02:48 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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SICK: LITHWICK-- “PICK CHICK”; LUTTIG QUICK TO NIX…MANHOOD
Court Watcher Exclusive—Must Credit JAWA REPORT

The Jawa Report has learned that conservative Fourth Circuit Judge J. Michael Luttig is to undergo emergency gender-reassignment surgery at a Swedish hospital. The move fuels speculation that President Bush will nominate Luttig to the Supreme Court.

MORE!!!! more...

Posted by: seedubya at 02:25 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Bad Polygamy

Good Polygamy

Because Steve the Llama Butcher asked and Michelle Malkin didn't want the answer....

Posted by: Rusty at 12:06 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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Al-Qaida is planning to detonate nuclear devices in seven major U.S. cities next month during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan. At least, that's what World Net Daily is reporting. Of course, to find out the details of the report WND is only asking for the paltry sum of $99 dollars a year or $9.95 a month.

On a related note, The Jawa Report has intercepted a message from al-Qaeda Godfather Osama bin Laden to Iraq's sheikh of al-Qaeda, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in which he reveals exactly which seven American cities will be nuked.

Which cities will suffer, and I quote, "a nuclear hell storm"? For the amazingly low price of $1,000, The Jawa Report will let you in on the big secret.

Here's a hint: you there, the guy reading this right now from your office computer. Yeah, you. I'd be having second thoughts about that business trip to you-know-where next month.

Seriously.

Ok, so there is no intercepted message. Color me skeptical about WND's claims of an impending nuclear holocaust. If al-Qaeda has nukes, is it simply waiting for Ramadan for maximum impact? Why didn't it use them on September 11th? Fourth of July? Chanukah? Groundhog Day?

Scenario 1) Al Qaeda doesn't have nukes, and never has had nukes. If they ever did manage to get a hold of an old Soviet suitcase bomb it was a dud or a fake. Most likely scenario.

Scenario 2) Al Qaeda has nukes but is afraid to use them. The goal of al Qaeda is the gradual restoration of the global caliphate. Nuking the U.S. would surely unleash retalliation so severe as to make several parts of the future caliphate unlivable for the foreseeable future. Less likely, but possible.

So, relax, go about your business, and enjoy the traditional Ramadan festivities--such as personally slitting the throat of a sheep or goat!

Thanks to John from Stop the ACLU for the tip.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:38 AM | Comments (19) | Add Comment
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1 I will celebrate Ramadan by renting a Kabbab Cart and parking it in front of a Mosque. I will then cook up a delicious batch of Lamb Kabbabs and Cumin cakes and fan the delicious smells into the mosque to drive the faithfull into a lather.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at September 30, 2005 08:59 AM (5ceWd)

2 Rusty, I'm liking your comments. They made me laugh. Such silliness is doing this country no good and just adds to the fear everyone has today. There is no way this ragtag group has nukes. Sure they are good at roadside bombs but how would they launch these nukes? And from what sub? The US is not that pathetic. Next thing we'll hear about are how a certain middle-eastern man has made inquires into submarine school. He doesn't want to learn how to surface or anything, just how to shoot the missiles. Give me a break.

Posted by: jason at September 30, 2005 09:23 AM (BmtfW)

3 If they do this we celibrate by nuking mecca

Posted by: sandpiper at September 30, 2005 09:30 AM (Tl3bz)

4 In the case of New York, L.A., San Fran, and Seattle it would be seen as a definite improvement to the social climates and attitudes.

Posted by: Anonymous at September 30, 2005 09:34 AM (y+I+a)

5 The libs would call this action "Arab Urban Renewal"

Posted by: Filthy Allah at September 30, 2005 09:36 AM (5ceWd)

6 I swear, World Nut Daily is the Apocolyptic Christian version of the National Enquirer. They may report some actual news from time to time, but they do so many sensationalistic pieces that it's hard to tell when they're being serious. The chief over there, Joseph Farah, is an Arab, and we all know that Arabs are genetically incapable of being completely honest, no matter their religion.

Posted by: Improbulus Maximus at September 30, 2005 09:52 AM (0yYS2)

7 I take umbrage at that Arab remark. As far as you know, I'm an Arab.

Posted by: Rusty at September 30, 2005 09:55 AM (JQjhA)

8 WND has already named the seven cities they suspect such a device to be detonated in, but they offered it free. Bin Laden has received clearence to detonate a nuclear bomb by his religious authority, but WND has been going gangbusters with this constant talk with AQ and nukes. They predicted this would happen a couple of months ago, and since it did not, it seems like they are trying to keep the story alive and rehash it several times over. They have lost a lot of credibility in my book from this exact scenario.

Posted by: Chad Evans at September 30, 2005 10:21 AM (KMwbU)

9 I'm with IM here in blaming Joseph Farah on this, not because he's Arab, but because he's kind of an alarmist. Of course, if I were an Arab Christian who knew the history of Islamic persecution I would also be a little alarmist......

Posted by: Rusty at September 30, 2005 11:22 AM (JQjhA)

10 Don't take umbrage unless you are willing to pay for it.

Posted by: Filthy Allah at September 30, 2005 11:48 AM (5ceWd)

11 ah, yes I believe the words of a man who once bought an irradiated canister full of ash.

Posted by: dave at September 30, 2005 11:55 AM (CcXvt)

12 I AM GOING TO ORANGE ALERT !!!! NO...... ALL THE WAY TO RED !!!!!!

Posted by: john Ryan at September 30, 2005 12:30 PM (ads7K)

13 J.Adams: I for one, welcome our new Mardi overlords why is it no surprise that the muslim equivalent of Jesus comes to kill all the non-muslims, instead of reading storybooks to Children or healing the sick. The Muslim Jesus has already caused one prophecy to pass I see: Pakistani President Pervez Musharaf and Yasser Arafat will be annihilated in the same month. Oh No's! The Muslim jesus killed arafish with Aids, but forgot the paki president!

Posted by: dave at September 30, 2005 01:07 PM (CcXvt)

14 No doubt in my mind. It's going to happen, just when and where.

Posted by: dick/elliott at September 30, 2005 01:15 PM (XlQVK)

15 if Rusty is an Arab than i am the Tyrant of Crete...but anyways, Al-Queda with nukes???....dounbtfull, as these knuckleheads have enough problems with their roadside bombs going off on them as it is, so imagine one of them fooling around with a suitcase nuke....and who knows how old one of those are???....rather unstable and probally most of the wiring and hardware has been so exposed to radiation and been handled rather roughly the past few years, well, you know....lookie, there goes Abdullah and Akmed up to see Allah on top of that small mushroom cloud...have a good trip, fella's

Posted by: THANOS35 at September 30, 2005 01:19 PM (FMsU7)

16 He don't know us very well do he. should they even come close to nuking the USA all that oil wil be getting pumped out through a big layer of glass for free.

Posted by: Howie at September 30, 2005 01:32 PM (D3+20)

17 I can't remember the last time WND was right about anything. They are just as bad, if not worse, than Debka.

Posted by: Ariya at September 30, 2005 03:15 PM (noCGr)

18 I am very happy for being a muslim

Posted by: Ismael at October 03, 2005 06:16 AM (vUpEQ)

19 Found this posted on another site; ----- If I were to put a bet on when the attack would happen, it would be 10/13. 10/13/2005 = 698th Anniversary of the Destruction of the Knights Templar in 1307. The descendants of the Templars are the Freemasons, who founded the United States. Therefore an attack on this date would be symbolic of the destruction of the Templars who fought the Muslims during the Crusades. 10/13/2005 = 9th Day of Ramadan during the 9th Month on the Islamic Calendar. Put the two "9's" together and you get the number 99. In Islam, "99" represents the number of names of Allah; http://www.themodernreligion.com/basic/islam_99_names.htm 10/13/2005 = Yom Kippur, the Jewish day of Atonement, the most important religious holiday in Judaism. So circle 10/13 on your calendar because the fecal matter is about to hit the fan. ---

Posted by: Jack Bauer at October 08, 2005 10:59 PM (fWTP2)

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I’m still politicked out so I’m going to put up a list of the twenty best bad guys in the movie business. These are actors who would, if I were flipping channels and saw these guys clutching a tommy gun and spraying a cop car with lead, make me stop and watch for a few minutes. Or they might break the tie if I were deciding between two schlock action films. I’m picking out actors here, as opposed to characters, and while you’ll probably find most of them somewhat pedestrian there were a few I had to look up on IMDB—they were always just filed under “Oh, that guy!” This list inclines away from horror and toward action, crime, and Westerns, but hey, so do I. So click below, and here we go: more...

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U.S. forces have captured over a hundred suspected terrorists in Iraq in the past week. Coalition Forces, often teaming up with Iraqi Army Soldiers, conducted 69 cordon and search operations and raids against anti-Iraqi forces over the past week, seizing 135 terror suspects and many weapons caches in and around the capital city.

In one incident, Soldiers were approached by an Iraqi citizen who told them that a suspicious car was parked in his neighborhood. The Soldiers searched four men near the car identified by the citizen and found bomb-making materials.

While the U.S. troops questioned the car owners, they stopped and searched a fifth man who was acting suspiciously. The man's cell-phone history contained a message from another terrorist that roughly translated into "Thanks for the use of the rocket-propelled grenades."

Can terrorists really be that stupid? Yes they can. I wonder if this is one of the guys 'Abu Musab al-Zarqawi' was referring too here?

For more news from Iraq, read Centcom news briefs daily.

Posted by: Rusty at 04:46 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I just want to point out that a little guilty pleasure of mine is Frank J's serialized novel over at IMAO, called "Superego". It's a sort of sci-fi Raymond Chandler thing about a wisecracking psychopathic intergalactic hitman. He's working pretty hard to crank out a new chapter of this every couple of days and it's pretty entertaining.

You can go to all the archived Superego stories here--there are 37 chapters so far, the first at the bottom..

Posted by: seedubya at 04:43 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Baseball: sport of geeks.

Hat tip: TC Leather Penguin

Posted by: Rusty at 03:08 PM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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In a time of war, the first and primary duty of the government of the United States is and ought to be TOTAL VICTORY. Any agent of the government who intentionally gives the enemy a tool to fight us with has betrayed the public trust and must be removed. U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ought to be impeached and his order ignored.

Guardian:

Saying the United States ``does not surrender to blackmail,'' a judge ruled Thursday that pictures of detainee abuse at Iraq's Abu Ghraib prison must be released over government claims that they could damage America's image.

U.S. District Judge Alvin K. Hellerstein ordered the release of certain pictures in a 50-page decision that said terrorists in Iraq and Afghanistan have proven they ``do not need pretexts for their barbarism.''

Terrorists do not kill because they like to kill. Terrorists kill because they believe they are doing the right thing. Thank you judge, thank you ACLU, you are doing the terrorists job of 'winning the hearts and minds' of the world for them and are helping recruit hundreds and thousands of more terrorists to kill your fellow citizens!

Hat tip to Jay from Stop the ACLU who has more here as does Ace from Ace of Spades HQ here and California Conservative here.

UPDATE: Just in case you were not clear on the difference between the abuses at Abu Ghraib and actual torture: 'Torture' vs. Torture

Posted by: Rusty at 01:34 PM | Comments (57) | Add Comment
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Tom Delay should resign from Congress. Did he do anything illegal? I've no idea. Campaign finance laws are like the tax code: so complicated as to lose all meaning to the average citizen. But whether or not Delay broke any laws is beside the point in my mind. He is the poster child for the peddling of Washington's largess to special interests.

He is the Republican version of Dan Rostenkowski. Did Rostenskowski break some minor federal laws? Perhaps, but the larger problem with the former Democratic Ways and Means Committee Chair was not that he committed 'mail fraud' but that he used his position in Congress to take my money away from me and give to his constituents, his campaign donors, and his ideological allies.

Congress is full of politicians who engage in quid pro quos with special interests. But some are worse than others. Tom Delay is one of the worst.

Is Ronnie Earle a partisan hack? That's a given. But even partisan hacks sometimes get it right, even when they are motivated by, well, partisanship. I've no idea if he's gotten it right here, but again, that is the least of my concerns.

There is a second and unrelated reason Delay should resign. Tom Delay hurts the Republican Party and helps the Democratic Party. I don't really care if Delay hurts the Republican Party. I am a big believer in the two-party system--as long as those two parties are Republicans and Libertarians. What I am not a big believer in are the statist principles at the core of Democratic philosophy and which are increasingly becoming part of Republican practice.

As long as the Democrats remain the party of bigger government as opposed to the Republicans just being the party of big government, then anything that helps them win cannot be good for the country.

The perception of corruption and ineptness in Washington by the public is uncannily familiar. I smell 1994 in the air again. The Democrats only need to come up with their own Contract With America--some coherent alternative vision based on a 'reform' agenda--and they will win back the House of Representatives.

So, Tom Delay, do us all a favor: resign. Spare us all the headache of putting a party in power who wants even more government so that it can dole out even more favors to even more special interests, campaign donors, and ideological allies. The country is in bad enough shape with you helping to run it, let's not make it any worse.

This will serve as my one and only post on the Delay scandal. The Jawa has spoken.

More Delay reaction from RINOs here at The Politburo Diktat. UPDATE: Due to heavy schedule here, I've been kind of out of it. Michelle Malkin has big roundup here. Ahhh, and check out the two last paragraphs from Captain Ed. UPDATE II: Professor Chaos, truth detector. Hawkins is right, but he needs to go go, not just go. UPDATE III: Chris Abraham, right on. Rusty Shackleford, 'bedwetting right'?? Are you kidding me?--Update: I have been assured that I was not part of the 'bedwetting right' alluded to here. Good to know.

UPDATE IV: Ok, John from Wuzzadem pretty much has the 'don't get on the indict Delay bandwagon yet because this just gives the moonbats fuel for the fire' argument summed up--sorta.

UPDATE V: Let me make myself clear:

Happy?

UPDATE VI: Willisms de-links me because I don't drink the party kool-aid at every turn, even after I try to reassert my street cred by calling on Leftists in Congress to do the same. Very unclassy. PS-had I realized you weren't on the blogroll I certainly would have added you, especially if you had asked. And, BTW, The Jawa Report is 'skinnable'. If you want a light background with dark text, simply click on the link in the upper right corner.

What I've never understood is people who put party loyalty above principle. It's the same reason I think the modern Democratic party has largely become a farce and an anti-American institution. They oppose the war because, er, they have to because, er, they're the party of opposition.

I'm not going to support Delay simply because he is the enemy of my enemy. This isn't war, no one is going to die if Delay goes down, he's not that important to my agenda--which is winning the war on terror.

There is something deeply disturbing about people who think it is their duty to be the propoganda arm of the Republican party and who think it an act of betrayal to oppose any one or anything that they are for.

I, for one, encourage reasoned disagreement. And, as always, I am open to having my mind changed if there is some angle that I haven't given enough thought to.

UPDATE VII: Let me get the two sides of the argument straight. One side, my side (now joined by Pieter Dorsman), thinks defending Delay helps the Democratic party by associating the party with perceived misdeeds. The other side, most of my readers are in this category (I'm looking in your general direction Filthy), think that if Delay goes down then the Dems come out on top and will go after the next politician they hate--thus, we must support Delay so that this doesn't happen.

Is this a fair presentation of the two sides of the argument?

UPDATE VIII: Loyal reader Marcus Aurelius disagrees.

UPDATE IX: We are officially in a blogfluffle.

UPDATE X: For John at Wuzzadem. I'm not supporting Delay's indictment. How should I know whether the charges are true or not? I just want him gone, gone, gone. It's a logical fallacy, in my mind, to equate someone resigning from office because they're pathetic scoundrals (which Delay is) and hurt the overall cause, with supporting those that wish to see him in jail. Anyway, those following the debate should probably go read John's post. But I wonder, isn't the greater pack mentality the reflexive defense of Delay because he's 'our guy' than we few who dare call for his resignation?

And for Beth, long-time blog-friend, I'd say that the Left hates Delay for a number of reasons, and that, yes, one of them is that he's effective. Mostly the effectiveness they hate him for has to do with the Texas redistricting push that he was largely responsible for. But just because they hate him for those reasons does not mean that I must also hate him for the same reasons. I hate him for the same reason Newt Gingrich hated the Democratic leadership of the 1980's--they were spendthrifts and Washington insider influence peddlers of the highest caliber. I did not support the Democrats when they drummed Newt out of Congress. Tom Delay, though, is no Newt Gingrich.

Posted by: Rusty at 10:18 AM | Comments (92) | Add Comment
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New York Governor George Pataki finally reached down and grabbed a pair today. He has told the International Freedom Center that they are not wanted at Ground Zero.

"Freedom should unify us. This center has not," Pataki said. "Today there remains too much opposition, too much controversy over the programming of the IFC. ... We must move forward with our first priority, the creation of an inspiring memorial to pay tribute to our lost loved ones and tell their stories to the world."

For those of you not familiar with this controversy, the International "Freedom" Center has been trying to exploit Ground Zero to build what amounts to an anti-American monument. They wished to build a museum to show how American intervention has ruined lives around the world and how the "peaceful Muslims" have been persecuted and terrified. Of course that's not EXACTLY how they put it, but the message remains the same.

In the spirit of cooperation, Pataki was even generous enough to offer to help find some other location for the IFC to build their museum. Of course their reply was much less gracious.

Pataki initially said the state would help the International Freedom Center find another home, but center officials said they weren't interested and considered the project dead.

As expected, not everyone is happy about the center being closed down. Mayor Bloomburg has been quoted as saying "Although I understand Governor Pataki's decision, I am disappointed that we were not able to find a way to reconcile the freedoms we hold so dear with the sanctity of the site." Of course if he thinks that the center had anything to do with freedom, he sould probably go back and read his literature again.

For more information about just what the IFC had planned, you can visit Take Back The Memorial or check out this Opinion Journal article.

Thanks to my ever-vigilant CF readers for bringing this story to my attention.

Posted by: Drew at 10:10 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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At least twelve people were killed in Kabul today when a mass-murderer on a motorcycle exploded himself in Afghanistan's capital city. You might have heard this in the news already, but look how New Zealand's Mail and Guardian is spinning the story. Here is the headline:

What? Is this a joke? Ok, so maybe the headline is misleading. You know, like a typo or something. Sometimes headlines don't do a story justice. The only people who have any doubt that the Taliban were simply the institutionalized political wing of the Salafist jihad in Afghanistan also wear tin foil and believe that 9/11 was an 'inside job'. Let's go on to the story:

Afghan officials believe al-Qaeda has renewed its ties with the Taliban.

The facts of the story actually get at what is really going on. What is meant is that the Taliban are now copying tactics used by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's al Qaeda in Iraq, and that foreign jihadis with ties to al Qaeda are entering Afghanistan in larger numbers.

In an interview published this week, a Taliban commander boasted he had trained in Iraq for several months and was now bringing his expertise home.

"I want to copy in Afghanistan the tactics and spirit of the glorious Iraqi resistance," Muhammad Daud told Newsweek.

Hours before Wednesday's blast, the Afghan intelligence agency, the NDS, told security groups that al-Qaeda had formed a new group, named Fedayani Islam (Sacrifices for Islam), and sent suicide bombers into southern Afghanistan, seeking "targets of opportunity".

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(Los Angeles) Following up on a previous report, former English teacher at Santiago Charter Middle School, Sarah Bench-Salorio (photos), 29, was arrested and charged with multiple counts of lewd contact for having sex with three young boys. Bench-Salorio taught the boys, aged 11 to 13, during the years 2003 and 2004. She seduced the boys over dinners, through e-mails and telephone calls for months before she molested them.

Yesterday, Bench-Salorio pleaded guilty to 29 counts of lewd acts with the three boys before Judge Richard Toohey in Orange County Superior Court under an agreement that she be sentenced to three to six years in prison. As an aside, this equates to a range of about one to two months prison for each felony child sex crime. In other words, Bench-Salorio had no books thrown at her.

According to Mark Macaulay of the Orange County District Attorney's Office, Bench-Salorio will also be required to register as a sex offender for the rest of her life. Deputy District Attorney John Christl pegged her as a "sexual predator." Bench-Salorio's attorney, Allan Stokke, stated:

"My client concluded it was in her best interest to plead guilty and get a sentence of between three and six years as opposed to 64 years," which she could have faced as a maximum term if the case had gone to trial, Stokke said.

For several reasons, my take is disgust. First is what she did to the boys. As an example, one boy "estimated the number of times he and his teacher had sex by the condoms in a box that he went through -- 22 of them, he said -- and added that sometimes no condom was used." Bench-Salorio experienced no momentary lapse of judgment. She was engaged in long-term, serial sexual criminal behavior with children.

Now, couple that with the fact that she is married with three foster children and listen to her apologists claim that she suffers from depression and a bipolar condition. Well, boo-freakin'-hoo! She can be bipolar and a convict. She can be depressed and a convict. Just make her a convict for a long time.

Unfortunately, she'll be in prison for no more then six years and I seriously doubt that she'll get the full six. Think of the damage she's done. Think of the victimized boys, their families, her own family, the school. Think of what would be the punishment for a man committing similar crimes. Given all the circumstance, is six years reasonable punishment? I don't think so. Not even close. Bench-Salorio should be looking at double or triple that amount or more.

Companion at Interested-Participant.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 06:36 AM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Any reader know of a hotel or B&B in London that meets rather high American expectations (what passes for a '3 star hotel' is rather shocking on the other side of the pond) that's relatively cheap? By 'American expectations' I mean a bed that a guy that's 6' 4'' can sleep on, is cleaned daily, has an air conditioner, and en suite bathroom & showers. Doesn't need to be right in the center of London, but does need to be near a tube station and cheap. Did I mention cheap?

Posted by: Rusty at 08:52 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
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Since Robbo is still hanging out with the 70 year old hippies in Berkeley visiting the Bay Area, I'll send you to today's dose of Not Written By George Lucas geekery.

This is a synopsis of Book II, Chapter 2, where we learn the history of the Ring.

"One Ring To Rule Them All, One Ring To Find Them,
One Ring To Bring Them All And In The Darkness Bind Them."

Yup, Tolkien was a married man alright.

Oh, and make sure that if you miss a dose of Tolkien Geekery, take the next dose as soon as possible and continue to follow the instructions on the label.

UPDATE:

My anonymous syncophant has asked yet another extremely relevant, deeply insightful, and intellectualy sound question; "Are you sure? I thought this 'Tolkein' dude was gay."

Brilliant inquiry, I must say. I did a Google search, and sure enough, there are several gay Tolkeins out there. Some are even good gay!

But I couldn't find any good or bad gay Tolkiens, even when I narrowed the search to J.R.R.

George Lucas, however, is as queer as a 3 dollar bill. The existence of Jar Jar Binks certainly bears that out.

Posted by: Vinnie at 06:46 PM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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