Things that make me go DUH!

From WebMD:

Getting older is the main risk factor for Alzheimer's disease.

I've also heard it's a risk factor for wrinkles, gray hair, and saggy things. But that hasn't been proven yet.

From Yahoo! News:

Health Tip: There's No Cure for Alzheimer's

Please, change your name to Yahoo! Olds, if you're not going to, ya know, post actual news.

Oh, and then there was this comment left on my home blog:

"LOL at your mom and her shitty brain"

I didn't have the heart to tell the poor sob that even now, my mother could kick his ass and make him like it.

Posted by: Vinnie at 05:55 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Image right from the Ann Summers adult store of the 'Mustafa' inflatable 'shag' doll. Muslims are upset because the Prophet Muhammed (swt) is often given the title al-Mustafa--or, the chosen one.

Apparently there is a large demand for Arabic looking sex dolls with seven inches of love in London at so-called 'hen parties'--the female equivalent of 'stag parties' or bachelor parties. For her part, the proprieter says she was unaware that Mustafa was a name given to the Prophet Muhammed (swt), and only seems to have used the name to make here mustached sex doll seem more Arabic. She claims she will happily change the name.

The Sun:

But the Muslim Association — based at Manchester’s Central Mosque and Islamic Cultural Centre — branded him “obnoxious”.

Yesterday a spokesman said: “This is the name of our Prophet and it’s very upsetting. This thing should be banned.”

In a letter to the store, the Association said: “You have no idea how much hurt, anguish and disgust this obnoxious phrase has caused to Muslims. We are asking you to have our Most Revered Prophet’s name ‘Mustafa’ and the afflicted word ‘shag’ removed.”

Mac at In the Bullpen has more.

UPDATE: If Muhammed was al-Mustafa--the chosen one--then what the hell what Eddie Murphy?

Posted by: Rusty at 05:07 PM | Comments (28) | Add Comment
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A new video has appeared on a private Kuwaiti television station of American hostage Jill Carroll. This is the third video released of Jill Carroll. The Kuwaiti TV station did not play the full video and did not release copies of a note which is said to have accompanied the video.

The segment of the video aired can bee seen here (right side). In the video, Jill Carroll does not appear to be in distress. In fact, of the dozens of hostage videos I've seen, this is the first time where the hostage actually seems completely fine. However, only a portion of the tape has been released to the public so we don't know what else is on it. (Hat tip to Tim at OpinionBug for link)

Oddly, this is the first time a hostage video has been delivered to any one other than al Jazeera. Also, several deadlines have past since Jill Carroll's hostage takers threatened to murder her. Perhaps these are good signs that her captors are only after money and not like the hardcore jihadis who have murdered hostages in the past? We pray for Jill Carroll's immediate release.

For more information about Jill Carroll and the previous hostage videos click here.

Reuters:

An American journalist being held hostage in Iraq appeared in a new video tape aired on a private Kuwaiti TV station on Thursday appealing for help in securing her release.

Jill Carroll, 28, was wearing a headscarf and appeared in good health in the brief video aired by Al Rai TV.

"I'm here with the mujahideen. I sent you a letter written by hand. I'm here, I'm fine. Please just do whatever they want," she said. "Give them whatever they want as quickly as possible. There is very short time. Please move fast."

She said the video had been recorded on February 2, but did not say what was in the letter that the TV station received along with the tape.

Jassem Boodai, the chairman of Al Rai TV, told Reuters that the station did not plan to broadcast the contents of the letter. "Because of the sensitive matters mentioned in it, we handed it over to Kuwaiti authorities," he said.

Posted by: Rusty at 04:02 PM | Comments (22) | Add Comment
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Ladies and gentleman, I am proud to call Dr. Leopold Stotch a good friend:

there are many people in America and elsewhere in the West are making statements about how the media should self-censor and not publish the Danish cartoons that have sparked several days of Muslim rioting. ThatÂ’s fine, and their argument isnÂ’t completely without merit.

However, it seems to me that these same people are precisely those who said that censoring the Abu Ghraib prison photos would be an unacceptable restriction on freedom of speech and a betrayal of the mediaÂ’s allegiance to the truth.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:08 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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The Canadian Islamic Congress, which supports sharia law in Canada and elsewhere, is claiming that the new Conservative government is about to usher in a police state. Ironical.

Posted by: Rusty at 02:05 PM | Comments (16) | Add Comment
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Via Dean and INDC, he're is a website in which Muslims say they're sorry for the cartoon jihad. The problem with the website is that a) it assumes collective guilt b) it is registered anonymously through Domains by Proxy.

a) All of us should reject the primitive notion of collective guilt. The cartoon jihadis are holding an entire country, Denmark, responsible for the act of a single newspaper. This is collectivism at its worst. Similarly, we should not not hold all Muslims responsible for the acts of the religious fascists wishing to impose their system on the West. Muslims who believe in freedom of expression have nothing to apologize for.

b) If it is so important for a group of moderate Muslims to apologize for what other extremists are doing, why cover the domain's registration information? One only pays a third party to cover your registration information when one has something to hide. Could it be that they are afraid of revealing who they are? I think that it is very likely.

But, besides this website, there is also a serious problem in the way other Muslims are reacting. The main problem is in differentiating between moderate Muslims and radical, extremist, or conservative Muslims. What is the definition of a moderate vs. a radical? And in Islam, is there no such thing as a liberal Muslim?

Dorkafork and Dean Esmay have been trying to argue that there is nothing inherently antiliberal in Islam. I address that here. Their other point, that Muslim countries are becoming more liberal is well taken and spot on--especially given that this liberalization comes after the Bush Presdency, negating criticisms that the Islamic world would be better if America retreated from the war on terror.

However, if there is no connection between Islam and repressivenes, then how do they explain the statistic that

for each increase of 1% in the percentage of Muslims in the population the level of freedom goes down by 0.031 points on a scale of 7. (Roughly 1 in 200.) The relationship is also highly significant

For instance, much of what Dorkafork links to here, is a rejection of violence as a reaction to the Danish cartoons. Should I consider a Muslim who rejects violence, yet who still believes that such cartoons should be banned based on Islamic law a moderate?

And if a moderate Muslim can believes that the press ought to be censored so as not to violate Quranic injunctions, then what do we call a Muslim who disagrees and is fully secular in legal orientation? If the former is the mainstream view, wouldn't this make that the moderate view? And if the latter is the minority view, would not this mean that the secularist is a liberal among the greater Muslim community? more...

Posted by: Rusty at 01:21 PM | Comments (12) | Add Comment
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What is the lesson to be learned here?

1) Muslims threaten Europe with boycotts and violence and demand press regulations.
2) Europe begins the process of outlawing images deemed offensive to Muslims.

Lesson: If you want Europe to adopt sharia (Islamic) law, simply threaten then.

My guess is that next Muslims will demand an end to public displays of pornographic material, something common in Europe. Also expect a demand for the prohibition of Christian missionaries trying to convert Muslims in the near future, sex-segregates schools, and tax supported mosques.

In fact, European Muslims are already demanding all of the above. Given that native Europeans have a very low birthrate, Europe has high numbers of Muslim immigrants (legal and illegal), and that Muslim immigrants have a very high birth rate, it is only a matter of time before Europe once again becomes part of Dar al-Islam. But I had always supposed this would be a hundred years or more in the future. But if Europeans are willing to cave to the fascistic demands of a minority that is still rather small, it seems inevetable that as that minority becomes larger they will cave even faster.

Could Europe adopt Islamofascist sharia law long before Muslims become a majority on the Continent? It seems more likely every day.

LGF:

The European Union may try to draw up a media code of conduct to avoid a repeat of the furor caused by the publication across Europe of cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad, an EU commissioner said on Thursday.

And if the EU doesn't adopt 'the code', Muslims in the U.K. are pressing for one. Clarity and Resolve:

Muslim scholars holding emergency talks called for a change in the law to stop insulting pictures of the Prophet Muhammad being published.

Officials from the Muslim Action Committee (MAC) meeting in Birmingham also called for the Press Complaints Commission code to be tightened to restrict British newspapers from following European media in printing the caricatures.

A protest march from Trafalgar Square to Hyde Park on February 18 involving around 50,000 Muslims would be staged, Shaikh Faiz Saddiqi, spokesman for the MAC, said.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:24 AM | Comments (27) | Add Comment
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The Prime Minister of Yemen has revoked the license of the English language online and print newspaper, The Yemen Observer. Technically he doesnt have the authority to do that, but its Yemen.

The despotic, corrupt, anti-democratic, terrorist supporting Yemeni regime finds it in its interests to discourage moderation. And further, it may be looking to shut down this English language source of information about Yemen.

YO "I am very surprised by this development," Mohammed Al-Asadi, editor-in-chief of the Yemen Observer said. "They want to close the newspaper in response to our efforts and continuous calls for understanding, tolerance and accepting the apologies of the Danish people, officials, and editors. We have received dozens of apologies from Denmark.

"We are totally against the publication of cartoons and at the same time we should accept apologies that have been several times made by the Danish editors. We should.

We, at the Yemen Observer, believe in dialogue if misunderstanding takes place anywhere on any issue and believe in co-existence," Al-Asadi added.

Here's their current editorial, "The Art of Losing Opportunities."

This is an outragous abuse of power and manipulation of popular sentiment to target those advocating dialog.

Update: Khalid Solman, the editor of the opposition paper al-Thoury, and several writers were found guilty of the offense of insulting President Saleh. The editor received a two year suspended jail sentence. Two writers got a one year suspended jail term, and all of them are not allowed to write for 6 months.

So now if the Yemen Observer (whose license was revoked for publishing the insulting cartoons) is allowed to republish while al-ThouryÂ’s staff's sentence remains in force, it will mean that in Yemen, its a bigger crime to insult Saleh than to insult Mohammed.

Posted by: JaneNovak at 09:43 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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Another Jawa Report editorial cartoon. Click for larger image and feel free to reproduce and distribute.

Related from the Islamic Republic: Rape Victim Receives Death Penalty. More here and here.

Related: French newspaper with another blasphemous cartoon and I guess we have to boycott Egypt since the cartoons were published there as well.

Posted by: Rusty at 09:42 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Jaber (Gaber) Al-banna (Elbaneh), one of the Lackawanna, New York al-Qaeda cell is in the wind with the (now twice escaped) Cole bombers and the Lindburgh tanker bombers. Elbaneh had a 5 million dollar pricetag on his head before he turned himself in in Yemen in January 2003.

Other interesting facts about the escape:
The mosque they tunneled to is one where Judge Hamoud al-Hittar regularly preaches. al-Hittar is the judge in charge of Yemen's Dialog program which aims to rehabilitate AQ through dialog, and over 200 have been released from jail under this program. Only a few have shown up in Iraq with Zarchawi after that.

The prisoners were in the custody of the Political Security Organization (which answers directly to President Saleh) at a high security prison in the middle of the capital city, Sanaa.

News Yemen "there were previous reports received by the prisonÂ’s outside guards pointing out to hearing sounds of digging at unknown places and intermittent times."

The tunnel was one and a half times the size of a football field, took two months to build and required nearly two tons of earth to be removed.

The Yemen Times reports today that some of the terrorists may have been recaptured in Yemen.

Why I'm not surprised: lots of preliminary indications of al-Qaeda support at the upper levels of the Yemeni government, either from sympathy or corruption.

Posted by: JaneNovak at 08:52 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Did I say tortilla? I meant in cow dung.

UPDATE: Better make that a pancake.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:51 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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I'll start the bidding at two-bits. But if this is Cindy Sheehan's brain, how come the jar says it belongs to someone named Abbey Normal?

UPDATE: Cindy Sheehan not running for Senate, cites lack of funds to buy own brain on eBay.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:49 AM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
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I've contacted Google (which owns Blogger and .blogspot) about dozens of terrorist websites run from .blogspot accounts. They have NEVER taken down those largely Arabic websites advocating the murder of Jews and Christians, yet, if you go to The Study of Revenge website which lampoons Islam they feel it necessary to warn you of offensive material. So, first Google caves to the Chinese and then they cave to thin-skinned Muslims.

Hat tip: Tim at OpinionBug.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:42 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I actually disagree with Danny on this one. Intentionally offending people is often (but not always) legitimate discourse. Especially during times of war. I would suggest readers recall all of those wonderful Bugs Bunny cartoons vilifying the Japs and Germans during WWII. For some odd reason we hold the conflicting idea that these intentionally offensive cartoons were somehow wrong, yet killing those who were lampooned was ok.

And speaking of Bugs Bunny: What do you think the wascally wabbit said in order to get his fatwa, depicted below? more...

Posted by: Rusty at 08:34 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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An interview with Kate O'Beirne on the conspiracy to turn the world into a gynocracy. Pssst-A little Rusty Shackleford inspired humor.

Posted by: Rusty at 08:19 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Let's look at this from the point of view of an abbreviation:

B.F.D.

The full sentece rhymes with Dig Trucking Real.

Okay, now for some hard headed realism.

The Iranians are calling for a cartoon contest depicting the Holocaust in response to the current Mohammed Is A Pedophile, Pimp, Goat Humping, Wife Beating, Masturbating To Wilbur (he did have visions you know) cartoons printed in, well, everywhere.

Fact: Studies have shown that 100% of the people that died in the Holocaust are still dead. Studies have also shown that 100% of them are incapable of being offended by Iranian Holocaust cartoon contests.

Fact: There are still many people in the world who survived the Nazi death camps (referred to in the above as The Holocaust). All of whom, I would surmise, after surviving said camps, would hardly be offended by said cartoons.

Fact: I actually quantified this using a complicated algorithm. Using verified sources, I completed an exhaustive study of the noted above death camp survivors, factored in the expected responses from same to the threatened Holocaust Cartoon Contest, and came up with a solid percentage. 74%, had they actually known about the referred to contest, would, given the parameters of the algorithm, would have said: BWAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHAHAHHAHAHHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA.

10% would have said "Cartoons? You're worried about cartoons? Your mother has had her boils lanced and you're worried about cartoons?"

5% would have said "Mohammed is MY bitch!"

The remaining 19% would have said, "I did my time, fatwa Vinnie!"

Conclusion: While the Ummah continues to rage about the Mohammed cartoons, no one will give a spit in the wind about the Iranian ones. That is not a bad thing. The civilized world has gone far to heal the wound that is the Holocaust, while the uncivilized are still unable to heal the wounds inflicted upon them by the birth of Mohammed.

Addendum: I would love it if the Iranian press would submit images of Christ as a trannie midget porn star, Buddha as a elephant humping bestialitist, and any other various and sundry defilements of world religions that they can muster. Because if they stay on the road they're on right now, soon they'll be printing their effluvium using one sharp stone against another, heiroglyphics style.

Addendum II: If you think I'm mocking the Holocaust, and those who endured it, I'm not. I'm mocking those who think that mocking the Holocaust would actually offend. Let's face it, peeps. If YOU had survived the death camps, would some lame cartoons in a Muslm newspaper offend you? As for those of you who think that the Iranian deal is offensive, treat yourself like a Jew in the death camps for a week. Starve yourself, beat yourself, and give your address to a known serial murderer. After that, nothing printed in any newspaper would offend you.

Nice try, Iran.

Posted by: Vinnie at 01:55 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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Thank you all so very much for your support.

I'm not alone in this, so if you can spare a moment, say a nice thing or two for her.

And, if you're an imam, throw her a fatwa. After all, since we're married, and you're an imam, all of her property is mine, right?

I now return you to your regularly scheduled intifada.

Posted by: Vinnie at 01:00 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The White House has released highly classified details of the NSA program to intercept communications between terrorists and people within the US.

From the Associated Press via Breitbart.com:

After weeks of insisting it would not reveal details of its eavesdropping without warrants, the White House reversed course Wednesday and provided a House committee with highly classified information about the operation.

When asked what prompted the move to give lawmakers more details, White House spokeswoman Dana Perino said the administration has stated "from the beginning that we will work with members of Congress, and we will continue to do so regarding this vital national security program."

Posted by: Bluto at 12:02 AM | Comments (10) | Add Comment
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(Boston) Here's today's tip. If you plan on running for public office, try to pay your taxes.

From Myway.com:

Marie St. Fleur was a candidate for lieutenant governor for less than 24 hours before she had to drop out over unpaid taxes and student loans, leaving voters to ask how a key player in crafting the state budget could make such a mess of her own checkbook.

It is a question Massachusetts voters have asked themselves before.

Massachusetts, dubbed "Taxachusetts" years ago for its tax-happy ways, seems to churn out scofflaw lawmakers unable or unwilling to pay their own taxes on time.

St. Fleur, a state lawmaker who is the vice chairwoman of the budget-writing House Ways and Means Committee, was late in repaying $40,000 in federally backed student loans, failed to pay automobile excise taxes in 2005, and had a $12,711 tax lien placed against her by the IRS.

However, Rep.St. Fleur had a novel explanation for why she didn't pay her taxes. She indicated that "she did not file because she had received a death threat and had to hire bodyguards, leaving her with no money to pay her taxes."

Evidently, if one lives in the Bay State and receives a fatwa, prevailing logic is that a person can avoid paying taxes. Strangely, I fail to see anything odd about death threats and unpaid taxes being related. Death and taxes -- just like peas and carrots.

From Interested-Participant.

Posted by: Mike Pechar at 10:57 PM | Comments (9) | Add Comment
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Guest commentary by Inigo Montoya: Freedom. You keep using that word. I do not think it means, what you think it means. American professor fired for showing cartoons to students in UAE. Here is the money quote:

Shaikh Nahyan emphasised that there is freedom of opinion and expression in the UAE, as well as academic freedom enjoyed by all educational institutions, but what happened in Zayed University does not relate, in any sense, to any relevant concept of freedom.

Posted by: Rusty at 04:39 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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