July 31, 2005

Go sit on the bench marked group W.

It was two days ago on Friday thatÂ’s about 48 hours ago from today Sunday. When my Friends and I were all hanging out at RustyÂ’s blog.
But RustyÂ’s blog is not he name of the blog itÂ’s just the name of the song.ThatÂ’s why I call the song RustyÂ’s blog.

We all decided that it would be a nice gesture if we all posted stuff and commented on RustyÂ’s blog while he was on vacation.
So we packed up PCÂ’s, MacÂ’s and implements of destruction, loaded them all up in a green VW microbus and headed on over to the mu.nu domain.

When we got there we saw a pile of words. We figured one big pile was better than a bunch of little piles and rather than download his we decided to upload ours and thatÂ’s what we did.
Went home drank a bottle of homemade wine that couldnÂ’t be beat and didnÂ’t get up until the next morning. When we got a call from Officer Opie.

He said KidÂ…. Â…. We found your name on a piece of trash on the blog. We donÂ’t like your kind. And weÂ’re gonna move you down.
And after speaking of it for about 25 minutes on the gmail it came down to the fact that we were going to have to come down to the blog office.

When we got there was some good looking feisty girl sitting at a desk giving directions she said, “Go over there and wait on that bench marked group W”.
Group W is where they put you if you may not be moral or smart enough to post stuff on the blog after comiting your special blog crime.

There were all kinds of nasty critters sitting there on the bench. Greg, DSM, Greyrooster, IM, Filthy, Osama, Â…Â… There were commentrapers Â… Â… bloggerstabbers. Â…. .Â…bloggerrapers!!!Â…
They were all mean and nasty sounding and the biggest meanest ugliest bloggerraper of em all was coming right over to me and he was all mean and nasty and scary lookinÂ’.

He said, “What did you get?”

I said, “I didn’t get nothing, just had to pay $50 and let people read my garbage.”

They asked, “What are you here for?” and I said, “littering.”…. …. Well they all moved away from me there on the bench. …… ……

Till I said, “And creating a nuisance.” And they all came back and we had a good time talking about bloggerstabin’, comment rapin’, stupid postin’ and all kinds of groovy things.


Then Sith Master Rusty came over and said,

“Kid!”…………..

“Thisblog’sgot40000hits30000readers- 200regularcommenters23authorsi
workdmyassoffhowie- youmoronstoppissinoffthe
otherbloggers-a ndlikingthetrollsthinkaboutwhaty
oursay- infoolandthatgoesfortherestof- youtooyoubig
bunchofpainsintheass Â…Â…. For 45 minutes and none of us understood a thing he said. But we had fun playing sol in tiny windows on our cell phones and filling out the forms there.

We all went back home had another glass of homemade wine that couldnÂ’t be beat and didnÂ’t get up until the next morning. When it was time to go back to work. .
IÂ’ve been typing this crap for 25 minutes and I could go on for another 25 minutes. IÂ’m not proud Â… Â… or tired. But IÂ’ll give you a break and save it.


>
>
>

Guest posters and regulars have at it, commentators too, remember you are without trolls this week. DonÂ’t let me get too bored or IÂ’ll post something or start an argument. IÂ’ll be around if anyone needs anything I should have a bit of time now and then. Rusty should be back next week.

Signed Howie

humble sith beotch padawan to Sith Master Blogger Rusty Shackleford.

Posted by: Howie at 12:27 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
Post contains 623 words, total size 4 kb.

July 28, 2005

Howie's digging out

Yeah I had a few minutes to give to the blog today so here goes.

Is or was Air America supported by dollars intended to feed the hungry? Michelle Malkin has more. Hey maybe weÂ’ll make Air America again.

Also see MichelleÂ’s post on the leftover bombs from the 7/7 terrorists.

Is terrorism a perversion of Islam? Mark in Mexico has more. Mark has tracked back to the Jawa several times before. Reciprocation is called for here.

Here is another story from Mark, about an Iraqi boy who learned first hand about America. He does not want to go home. LetÂ’s all wish him a safe and happy return home and an invite back.

Also for those of you who have noticed IÂ’ve been pretty busy and unable to blog much. But the good news is. I got that adapter and at least now I have a keyboard I can live with. Yep no more chicklets for me.

If you guys would like to annoy a terrorist supporter. Check this guy out, on this thread. IÂ’ll post a partial quote below the break. Spoofer?? I'm not sure but the email address certainly sucks. There are also several other candidates to annoy on this thread. As for his wish against the south and great midwest. Lick me freedomkiller.


more...

Posted by: Howie at 11:53 AM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 391 words, total size 3 kb.

July 20, 2005

I've given you all I've got Captain

You know Scotty always had just a bit of power left for the good Captain. I note this AM that James Doohan our beloved Scotty has died this AM at 5:30 at his home in Redmond Washington.

Good bye Scotty We'll all miss you and thanks for all the good times.

Updated:

A few more notes on Mr. Doohan. He was a WWII D-Day vet with the Canadian army. He took six rounds loosing a finger and was saved by a silver cigarette case when one hit him in the chest. So not only did he play tough he was. He was born on march 3rd 1920 in Vancouver BC. He is to be cremated and his ashes launched into orbit. Mr Doohan suffered from Alzheimer's and Pneumonia upon his death at age 85. Last year he was given a star on the walk of fame.

Posted by: Howie at 11:48 AM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 160 words, total size 1 kb.

July 19, 2005

Around the blogosphere

Ah yes what to post today. Well cool It looks like that has been taken care of by our good friends around the blogosphere. Thanks guys.


Elisa at Boxer Watch sends us these.

As we noted in this post, Senator Boxer is circulating a petition demanding a "strategy" and a "timetable" for the mission in Iraq. At the time of this posting, 35,352 people have signed her petition.

We need to make sure that President Bush hears the OTHER side - our support for his efforts to promote democracy in the Middle East in a realistic way.

We have posted a petition at PetitionOnline.com - you'll find it here


Romeodelta sends us this tidbit on the Germany releasing yet another terrorist

His post is based on this AP story.

Indeed one of my favorite words is now off limits. Gee hope I donÂ’t have to cough up 5 GÂ’s for that. Well like they can get blood from a turnip anyway.

Thanks to Glen Reynolds for his one.

Also President Bush will Announce Sandra Day O'Connor's replacement at 9:00pm EDT.

I think she will be confirmed easily.


Updated:

I've noticed people commenting on old threads a lot lately. Check out this one


Posted by: Howie at 12:13 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
Post contains 208 words, total size 2 kb.

July 17, 2005

Sunday, Sunday, Sunday SUNDAY!!!!!!

Well itÂ’s Sunday again. IÂ’ve said before that I will do a Sunday thing so now I have to live up to that. First of all Howie is pretty much pooped. So bear with me I debated doing a post or not but I said I would so here goes.

Not too far off on my 7/3 Sunday entry it was Thursday instead of Tuesday. Lucky guess huh? Been looking around the news outlets and the blogoshere this week. Pretty dull if you aren’t interested in “The Rove Affair”. Just what are they trying to drown out? Well it turns out quite a bit of good news in the world this week. The terrorists are on an all out blitz. See suddenly now the shoe is on the other foot. For a bit there it seemed that we were shooting ourselves in the foot every week. Mr. Murphy has gone over to the terrorist’s side for a bit. I’m sure he’ll be back now and then. I read yesterday of a push by the terrorists to take Baghdad. Every attack they kill like one or two soldiers and 20 to 50 Iraqi’s. Time is showing them for what they are. They now know they cannot win the political war and are resorting to trying to win now win big. The tool of terrorism has become a lead weight on their necks. That’s it boys shoot yourselves in the foot some more. Heck, even a Nigerian email scammer got time this week. Can there be any doubt.

I would not want to downplay the real feeling I had this week about a downhill run here. But a cornered animal is the most dangerous. The enemy has run himself into a corner and now people everywhere are starting to turn against him. Britain is going to become more active, Muslims themselves are turning away from bombing innocents to a certain extent knowing the evil is just too obvious to deny any longer. Yes a good battle for the hearts and minds this week. We've won that one this month so far. Feels good. I see President Bush is allowing aid Directly to Palestine and they are right now being tested to see if they can make it work. Things have been going well there and terrorist groups who get their power from the conflict are trying to stop it. Israel is also stepping up its pressure. I hope the Palestinian Authority can prevail here the wind seems right. My fear is that too much Israeli pressure plays into the terroristÂ’s strategy.

Got some links & stuff IÂ’ve saved up for a few days. Good and bad mostly good news followed by the terrorist shooting themselves in the foot again trying to take it back. DonÂ’t let them.

A good essay on Marketplace that IÂ’ve got to listen to again and learn more about by Stanford Unger. Some freedom of speech issues there to look into.

Also IÂ’ve been catching a good portion of 102 Minutes a book about the 9/11 hijackings that is so far pretty good. Still plenty left on Radio Reader. WKMS does streaming IÂ’m not sure how many steams they can do. The show airs weekdays at 6:30 CDT. Good book.

A fine example of how the world is getting harder for the enemy. Yes they are falling out of fashion because now at long last even our oldest and most fickle ally France yes can you believe it France is getting on board.

USS Neverdock has more on that one.

Yes Muslims too.

The economy is on the mend and dong well as is the Federal Deficit. Definitely not as fun as the Rove thing but vastly more important.

From my Illinois Republican newsletter.

"DEFICIT FALLING. The White House reported this week that the deficit is falling and will continue to fall due to strong economic policy, which has generated much higher than expected tax revenues. As a result, this year's budget will fall to $333 billion which is $79 billion less than in 2004 and $94 billion less than forecasted by the Bush Administration in February. The White House now expects the deficit to decline to 1.1% of gross domestic product by 2009. Currently it sits at 2.7% of GDP (RNC Research 7/15/05)"
Yeah I know but I used em last week too.

What does our enemy think about all this. Well they are really pushing. Up to 10 car bombs in one day. One attack I read of had two US dead and twenty innocents. They are letting off bombs like there is no tomorrow. I can see why. He has to win now and canÂ’t. So you are going to see more stories like this one from fear mongers ABCNEWS.
The Sadam Charges are OK but the Iraq bombing summary is pretty rough.

Also worth worrying about this week is Dictator Hugo Chavez. He has recently imported millions of guns for his military while at the same time moving to take them from citizens. This guy is consolidating power. Here you go YBP IÂ’m sure youÂ’re intrested.

"Venezuela's highest Catholic prelate on Sunday condemned President Hugo Chavez's rule as a dictatorship and urged Venezuelans to reject it in an attack likely to strain already poor church-government ties."
Given the desperation of our enemy I would think this summer we all need to keep an eye out. I check out the Northeast Intelligence network every week or so. This week the chatter is pretty serious looking forward for the summer. Remember the enemy needs this one. If they have no spectacular success and the current tactics keep going like the London bombings or Iraqi bombings itÂ’s just a matter of time. They are loosing and are desperate to get it back. What a difference a couple weeks can make.

IÂ’ll be out Monday so guest posters are welcome as Rusty indicated. With my Master absent I can use all the help I can get. IÂ’ll be available by email this week. And you guys behave Mad Dog is watching. IÂ’m such a push over and he isnÂ’t. Have a great week IÂ’ll be back now and then and on Wednesday. With Rusty out IÂ’ll try and keep an eye on things. Time for a glass of that fine wine I made. Yes the little woman and I are going to have a glass.

I shall not fear. Fear is the mind killer. Yes guys feel free to add to that one in comments. Be good.

Posted by: Howie at 09:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 1094 words, total size 7 kb.

July 16, 2005

Annoy another terrorist.

That last terrorist was so mellow check out his guy I saw on incoming comments Friday. He was posting on a thread about Al-ZaqueeryÂ’s website being taken down. Apparently weÂ’ve annoyed him before.

"U might have hacked good site ..but i dont think u could do all what u
wanna to do with anay site ..i give u a challenge .....

try hack this site if u could ...the bellow is a forum made by me
..but i make an open challege to u christians to do this ..ehheheheehe"

He left us these.

http://www.ekuverin.net/

from ali ghanim ali abdulla

saeed@hotmail.com


Wow. After looking over the site it’s clear that if this guy created it he is making an effort to sound like a moron here. It’s very slick, very innocent looking. The are several areas including an “Islamic corner”. Also it has a separate area for women that you must email the site master to get access too. Hmmm. I wonder what other areas might be there that don’t show on the front page. Hmm. Where’s all the Arabic text. Hmmmm.. I’m not sure what this site is but someone was calling our attention to it for whatever reason. Well I guess it does not matter I’ve got everything including the IP address where the post was sent from.

Be aware of traps, gentlemen and good hunting Pajamahadeen.

While I was too dense to link to the page this does link to the Jawa archive for August 2004. Then search for 08/22 I will also post most of the entry below the break.

more...

Posted by: Howie at 04:07 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
Post contains 686 words, total size 4 kb.

July 15, 2005

Rusty from another mother

I was just surfing through bookmarks to see what interesting tidbits I could find. Some of you may have heard Rusty Humphries before. Well he got a call from a gentleman from Florida of Iranian descent. The gentleman says itÂ’s likely that there are terrorists in the US. How does he know??

Paraphrased quote from a caller on Mr Humpries show on 7/14/05.

“There are fifty new mosques in the state of Florida alone in the last 10 years. They preach hate there to the Pakistanis to hate us as Americans and I know because I’m an ex-Muslim”
Link to Mr. Humphries' site.

Look down a bit and click the Phone call from Cyruss link.

Updated:

Also while you are there check out the cool powerpoint presentation from Iraq on what our troops find there.

Posted by: Howie at 03:57 PM | Comments (6) | Add Comment
Post contains 141 words, total size 1 kb.

Four More 7/7 Suspects Arrested in Pakistan

Not the Pakistan? There's got to be another Pakistan cause, the way I hear it, Pakistan is a moderate Islamic country. Oh, and despite the fact that an al Qaeda cell took credit for the mass-murders, the MSM is now reporting as news that al Qaeda may have been involved. Brilliant. MSNBC:

Meanwhile, officials have continued to expand their search to include the possibility that there was a link between the four suicide bombers and al-Qaida.

A police official in Faisalabad, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Reuters Friday that "security agencies have picked up four people. They were taken to an undisclosed location, but we were not involved in this operation."

On a serious note, Pakistan is our ally in the war on terror. Not because they are a democracy, but because they are not. If the Afghanistan invasion taught the Pakistani state one thing it was that cooperation with the U.S. against al Qaeda is the safe route to survival. However, the vast majority of Pakistanis support the work of al Qaeda and Pakistan remains a state which claims to derive its legitimacy from Islam.

More on the Pakistani connection here.

Posted by: Rusty at 03:44 PM | Comments (15) | Add Comment
Post contains 206 words, total size 1 kb.

Compare and contrast

One of the ways you can tell an American soldier from his adversary is how they treat children, Muslim children especially. All you have to do is read Mad Dog VinnieÂ’s post from yesterday. And Mike PecharÂ’s post from a couple days ago and you get a pretty good idea.

I found this little gem on ABCNEWS. Been looking for good news and this qualifies. It seems a young boy from Iraq was suffering from heart problems. What did our boys do? Well they helped out of course. I hope this little oneÂ’s recovery goes well and he gets to play and live a long and happy life. Contrast that with the 24 young people murdered by our enemy just to get at one US soldier. Come on you pigs they are kids. They want candy and they are smart enough to have learned that there is nothing to fear from an American GI unless you are his enemy. Unfortunately many learned to fear our enemy that day. Just keep it up, the contrast between us will be what wins the war for civilized people everywhere. Our enemy will be swept into the dust bin of history. Put there by the truth of what they really are, Murderers plain and simple.

“I am very grateful to everybody, to the American troops back in Iraq, to all Houstonians and I'm very grateful to the doctors who did the surgery," the father said nervously”
Full story here.

More below the break. more...

Posted by: Howie at 01:01 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 278 words, total size 2 kb.

London bombing mastermind detained in Egypt (UPDATED)

Elnasher.jpgHere is a post with open source information on ElNashar.

I see this AM that Magdy el-Nashar has been caught in Egypt. It is believed he is the mastermind behind the london bombings. Way to go Egypt hand him over.

CNN news story.

Hooray!!!!

UPDATE by Admiral Rusty Shackleford: It's too early to call him the mastermind, there is a Pakistani national still at large who has been described that way, but he certainly was a central actor in the scheme. It was in his apartment that the bomb-making equipment was found placing him squarely in the middle of the conspiracy. And since my readers are so much more well-informed than, say, the average anchorman on CNN and have known that Magdy Mahmoud Elnashar was a grad student at NC State since early yesterday, they might want to check out this post from William Teach and click through the links (hat tip, Basil). Are college towns the next logical targets for terrorists?

Here is what The Mirror has to say. Be sure to scroll through and find the shocking revelation that Nashar was a devout Muslim who apparently couldn't keep his yap shut about the Religion of Peace for more than five seconds:

A KEY suspect in the London bombings has been held for questioning near Cairo, Scotland Yard said today.

Egyptian security sources identified the man to be Magdy Mahmoud Elnashar (left), a bio-chemist thought to have links to a Leeds flat being searched by anti-terrorist officers.

The 33-year-old bio-chemist is believed to have handed the keys of a terror base in Leeds to the four killers.

He is also thought to have been close to Lyndsay Jermain, a 19-year-old Jamaican also known as Abdullah Shaheed Jamal, suspected of being the fourth member of the gang.

More information on El-Nashar below.

Updated again.

The explosive TATP has been found in Magdy el-Nashar's appartment.

The BBC.

"Explosives found in a house in Leeds are said to be similar to those used in al-Qaeda attacks and made from ingredients available in high-street chemists."

CNN

"One of the sources said that investigators found the TATP in the Leeds apartment rented by Magdy el-Nashar"

I had nothing to do with the explosion I just have bombs laying around all the time. Yeah right.
more...

Posted by: Howie at 08:51 AM | Comments (11) | Add Comment
Post contains 622 words, total size 4 kb.

July 14, 2005

Al Qaeda Arrest in Iraq Linked to Murder of Egyptian Ambassador

Good news from Iraq. It looks like we may have got the man responsible for the murder of Egyptian Ambassador Ihab al-Sherif. That's two al Qaeda cell leaders caught in the last week. Off with their heads!

AP:

The U.S. military on Thursday announced the capture of two key members of Iraq's most-feared terror group, including one suspected in the kidnap-slaying of an Egyptian envoy and attacks on senior diplomats from Pakistan and Bahrain.

Khamis Farhan Khalaf Abd al-Fahdawi, known as Abu Seba, was arrested last Saturday following operations in the Ramadi area west of Baghdad, the U.S. military said in a statement.

He was accused of involvement in the abduction and killing of Egypt's top envoy in Iraq and attacks on Pakistani and Bahraini diplomats earlier this month.

"Seba served as a senior lieutenant of al-Qaida in Iraq, and is suspected in attacks against diplomats of Bahrain, Pakistan and the recent murder of Egyptian envoy, Ihab Salah al Din Ahmad al-Sherif," the U.S. statement said. "Al-Qaida ordered the attacks against Arab diplomats in an effort to reduce support for the government of Iraq according to a military spokesman."

Another al-Qaida in Iraq lieutenant, Abdullah Ibrahim Mohammed Hassan al Shadad, or Abu Abdul Aziz, was captured Sunday, the command said. It said Abu Abdul Aziz was a top lieutenant of al-Qaida in Iraq leader Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and served as operations officer for the group.

The statement said Abu Abdul Aziz was cooperating with coalition forces.

Hat tip: YBP

Posted by: Rusty at 10:53 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 269 words, total size 2 kb.

July 11, 2005

Body of Last Missing Seal Found in Afghanistan

The Taliban had announced that the missing Seal had been captured and then beheaded. This just goes to show how full of shit the Taliban are. The Seal was killed in action and was not captured. Rest in Peace. WaPo:

The body of a missing U.S. commando has been located in eastern Afghanistan, the military said Monday, bringing an end to the desperate search for the last member of an ill-fated, four-man special forces unit that disappeared last month.

One of the four men was rescued on July 3; the other two were found dead the next day.

The body of the fourth U.S. Navy SEAL was found Sunday in Kunar province by a search and rescue team, the military said in a statement. It said all indications are that he died in fighting, despite a claim by Mullah Latif Hakimi, a purported Taliban spokesman, that he was captured alive and beheaded.

"The location and disposition of the service member's remains indicate he died while fighting off enemy terrorists on or about June 28," the statement said.

U.S. military spokesman Col. James Yonts repeatedly denied Hakimi's claims.

"There have been claims of being dropped on a mountain wearing red clothes, there have been claims of being beheaded," he said. But "there was no indication supporting the claims. ... This individual was never in custody, he was never defamed or disgraced."

Posted by: Rusty at 09:28 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 245 words, total size 2 kb.

July 10, 2005

A few words on comments.

Well I have been arguing with myself for a couple days about this. As many of you are aware Mike Pechar hit a home run on the London bombings the other day. He had more trackbacks than a dog has fleas. Also he was drawing comments from the world over at an astonishing rate. Well that was until a couple comments seemed to slow many others down or drive them away all together. IÂ’m really trying hard to say this in fair and unbiased manner. So if I piss anyone off I just want to say up front that is not my intention. I hope that we can all enjoy the web site and have our comments read by the widest possible audience.

I noted that the thread was accumulating comments left and right. We were picking up new readers. All our statements and comments were being read not only by regulars here but also potential new readers as well. People from all over the world. Then came the insults to the queen and the profanity. Personally I thought that the insults the queen were particularly in bad taste considering the events of the day. After that it became the Greg and Carlos show. Other comments especially from new readers seemed to vanish. I think MikeÂ’s thread could have easily went over two hundred comments had we just thought about it for a few more seconds before we hit that post button. See not only did Mike loose readers so did you. I know several of you like to go around and piss on every post like a dog on patrol. That is fine and dandy with me. For the most part I enjoy most of it. If you would just take a couple minutes to consider what thread you are on and also that you are shitting in your own nest. You not only drive off MikeÂ’s readers, which was totally unfair to him. You also drive off readers of your own comments and ideas.

IÂ’m not really into banning and if you think that deleting comments is that hard IÂ’m sure I can figure it out should I choose to. I have pretty much free rein as far as permissions go. And itÂ’s mostly a matter of point and click and taking the time to do so. All I ask is that you consider the thread and if you want to piss all over one choose an appropriate thread. Any thread is OK with me after the other comments have died out a bit but this one was still pretty active. Like I say you not only drove off MikeÂ’s readers but yours as well. I see you guys out here every day and I know and understand what is jest and what is not(well at least some days). But other readers especially on a day when we have the potential to grow our audience are not used to that and may be quickly put off.

So this is just some friendly advice. Carlos and Greg are just the examples of the day and are by no means the only ones. In fact they come up with some really good stuff some days. I think a lot of people come here just to read the arguments and your comments are welcome on my threads and appreciated. Characters like Greg that people love to hate draw an audience to a certain extent. IÂ’m not sure where the line should be but I think we may have crossed over it the other day. So IÂ’m not trying to pick on you guys itÂ’s just that on that day you happened to be the ones I noticed. Also YBP seems to have a pretty good sense of what is a little too much and I appreciate his attempt to bring order to the thread.

For any new readers itÂ’s just that way and you may have to overlook a few things but donÂ’t let it discourage you from posting a comment. Just ignore it if you can. Should you confront them, that is just more encouragement for them. They are pretty good at arguing so you may loose that fight. Well thatÂ’s all the preaching I have in me for today. IÂ’m sure Rusty will have his own opinion about this. I really donÂ’t know what that will be he is pretty tolerant as I am. Just a few more seconds of thought and all of us could have picked up more readers for all the authors and also the commentators. Radical statements do get attention both good and bad and I see that some of you make them just to get notice. Be careful that you attract readers and donÂ’t drive them off. ItÂ’s a thin line for sure and walking it is difficult, try not to get too carried away. I thought about addressing each of you on a personal level by email. So please by all means feel free to email me or post your dissent or agreement below.


And YÂ’all have a good one.

Posted by: Howie at 12:47 PM | Comments (34) | Add Comment
Post contains 857 words, total size 5 kb.

July 09, 2005

Latest from Howie

I thought this post by Dean Esmay was pretty good. At the top of his site it says “Defending the liberal tradition in history, science, and philosophy”. If he is liberal he certainly is not your typical militant liberal as he really has it in for dailykos. Who apparently did a mass banning. I also note Dean does not link our site. He might get a few bad comments here but I really think it’s worth the read. I also note he supports the war effort.


Carping that strategy X is "failing" is a child's game. Grownups analyze and say, "Okay, maybe strategy X isn't perfect... but can I name a better strategy?" If you can't, then, quite seriously, all you're doing is being a defeatist--and, in this case, acting as an apologist for fascists.

I noted that Dean wasnÂ’t getting many trackbacks to his position on this issue from other liberals or anyone for that matter. IÂ’ll give him one.

Related chain of posts.

Interesting huh?

You know I really donÂ’t care much about a personÂ’s political leanings. Stupid has to be the greatest enemy. Followed closely by apathy. When it comes to the war we canÂ’t afford political childishness. I was worried that we had forgotten this is a war and started playing the same games we play with other issues. But I guess we all got a big reminder this week didnÂ’t we. LetÂ’s not slip back there again. WeÂ’ve got to push on because at least one commentator here I know worries about his child having to fight. I hope he doesnÂ’t have to and there are people working very hard right now to make sure he doesnÂ’t. I work with a gentleman, his son is in his fourth month of a 12 month tour in Afghanistan. People are fighting and dying every day. Too much mercy on the enemy is cruel to everyone including them. It prolongs the war for everyone. We can sort that out after we win which we will after much struggle and heartache. Will it be worth it? Well only time will tell us that one but the fight is in progress NOW.

Also Michelle points out some bad comments made on NPR. I listen all the time. If fact I'm wearing my WKMS tee shirt right now. IÂ’ve especially enjoyed liberals stuttering along the last few days. Shields on the News Hour last night was especially having a tough time. It was great. They all want to say see I told you we would be attacked. But the lack of sophistication of the London attack shows the weakness of the terrorists. Primitive at best and possibly carried out by just a few people. I dare to say maybe even just one. While a success it was at best a limited one. I donÂ’t want to get too cocky here though it also demonstrates a danger. More and larger attacks are possible in my opinion. Not to belittle the suffering and my gratitude for EnglandÂ’s support, but it could have been much worse. Some are saying how sophisticated. Well they were just bombs and timers. In my opinion if you have the stuff it doesn't take a rocket scientist. I wish ABC would stop it with the fear mongering.

more...

Posted by: Howie at 10:13 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
Post contains 572 words, total size 4 kb.

July 08, 2005

It's Friday!!!

Feisty as well as Michelle are participating in a fly the union jack on your blog started by Jeff. I figured we should play along. Also it appears that fiesty experienced a meltdown and had to recover. Michelle has a bunch of good stuff today and yesterday.

Well it's Friday and I've go more work than I can shake a stick at. Project tonight and got to get the little woman another new dryer. Yes that girl can tear up a steel ball with a rubber hammer. My posting will be spotty at best.


more...

Posted by: Howie at 01:18 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
Post contains 141 words, total size 1 kb.

July 07, 2005

Aftermath of London bombing the search is on.

Late night for me. Though I'd get a post started.

Here is a link to eyewitness accounts from the BBC. There is some good first hand accounts of what happened. Pictures, videos and interviews too.

I see at the present time the BBC still has 37 or 38 dead 700 wounded. It will probably rise maybe a bit more.

Also the BBC has a link to staff reporter updates that looks frequently updated.

"Emergency services are continuing to help the injured after several explosions on the London Underground Tube network this morning, and on a bus in central London. BBC News correspondents are on the ground with the latest details."

Another new BBC link 10:00 at 4am in UK CDT.

ABCNEWS has update that says timing devices or parts thereof have been found.

As I listened to reports and comments from England today I was struck by the “stiff upper lip”. Old women, men, women just chatting away like the air hadn’t just been sucked right out of that Olympic bid.

And on a theme from comments from an earlier thread.

May God save the Queen!!!!

Really try out those BBC links they get up way earlier than we do and IÂ’m sure England will be humming right along. IÂ’ll check back at about 5:00 am CDT and see what is happening. Things look pretty quiet for the moment. The recovery and investigation seems well underway.

I am missing Rusty arenÂ’t you guys? Guest posters welcome.

more...

Posted by: Howie at 10:58 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
Post contains 301 words, total size 2 kb.

Howie's roundup London, Seal and Orange alert

Well I don't really want to update Mike Pechar's post so I will start one of my own. I will add a few links below to a couple other stories going on today. Also below the break I will post various quotes and comments I have collected up so far today. I may update this thread later and Mike if you feel the need update your post as well.

The Taliban claims it is holding the last missing Navy Seal. While I hope he is safe and will return it appears doubtfull at this time. Let's keep him and his family in our prayers. One look at the news this AM and you see what is likely to happen.


Orange alert for Mass Transit in USA.

The latest death toll in London Ranges from 33 to 40 killed 390 to 1000 injured. I have several links I have been watching today I will list them below the break along with quotes and stuff. I just want to say my heart goes out to London and all of Britain. Mike Pechar's thread below seems to be getting a lot of comments. I noticed Mike stopped updating that one and moved on. So where ever you would like to put yours go ahead.

UPDATED:

NPR just reported that Egypt has confirmed the death of it's top diplomat in Iraq.

Also ABCNEWS is reporting two unexploded bombs were found in London.

Breaking News from ABCNEWS.com:

"ABC NEWS HAS LEARNED BRITISH OFFICIALS TOLD U.S. LAW ENFORCEMENT THEY RECOVERED TWO UNEXPLODED BOMBS IN LONDON


http://abcnews.go.com?CMP=EMC-1396"


From a breaking news email I recieved

more...

Posted by: Howie at 12:12 PM | Comments (18) | Add Comment
Post contains 1489 words, total size 9 kb.

July 06, 2005

5 Suspected American Traitors Nabbed in Iraq

Update 7/09 (Chad):
Scratch one traitor off of Rusty's list. The lawyer for film-maker Cyrus Kar indicates his client will be released.

If true, send them to the firing squad. Could the American suspected of involvement in a kidnapping be Mohammed Monaf? Mohammed Monaf has been indicted in Romania for alleged involvement in the kidnapping of 3 Romanian journalists. Developing.....WAPO:

The U.S. military is holding five U.S. citizens suspected of insurgent activities in Iraq, a Pentagon spokesman said Wednesday.

They were captured separately and don't appear to have ties to one another, spokesman Bryan Whitman said. He declined to identify them, citing a Pentagon policy that prohibits identification of detainees.

Three of those being detained are Iraqi-Americans; another is an Iranian-American; the fifth is a Jordanian-American, Whitman said. The three Iraqi-Americans were captured in April, May and June, officials said. The Iranian-American was captured May 17, one official said, speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the cases.

One of the Iraqi-Americans allegedly had knowledge of planning for an attack, and another was possibly involved in a kidnapping, Whitman said. The third was "engaged in suspicious activity," he said, declining to be more specific.

Whitman said the Iranian-American was captured with several dozen washing machine timers in his car-- items that can be used as components in bombs.

In Los Angeles, relatives identified him as Cyrus Kar, 44, a U.S. Navy veteran who lives in that city. He was in Iraq to film scenes for a documentary on King Cyrus the Great, founder of Persia, when he was arrested at a checkpoint in Baghdad in mid-May, his family said. They also said he has been cleared of wrongdoing and there is no legal authority for his detention.

They said he called them on May 24 and said he had been detained because of a misunderstanding involving a taxi driver who had been driving Kar and his cameraman around Baghdad. Kar was born in Iran but came to the United States when he was a child, according to reports in the Los Angeles Times and The New York Times.

The Jordanian-American was captured in a raid late last year and is suspected of high-level ties to Abu Musab Zarqawi, the Jordanian terrorist and leading al-Qaida ally in Iraq. Officials announced his capture in March.

All five are in custody at one of the three U.S.-run prisons in Iraq-- Abu Ghraib, Camp Bucca or Camp Cropper, Whitman said, declining to provide their precise location. The International Committee of the Red Cross has had access to all five prisoners, Whitman said.

A panel of three U.S. officers rules on whether each prisoner is properly held; that has already taken place for the Jordanian-American. Whitman did not say whether the three Iraqi-Americans or the Iranian-American have been through this process.

I second Eugene Volokh, this is real treason. And Jay Tea's earlier post could not have been a more timely discussion of the misuse of the term treason.

UPDATE I: More on Cyrus Kar from Mercury News:

An Iranian-born U.S. citizen and Navy veteran was detained in Iraq by American forces after troops said they found a common component for improvised explosive devices in his taxi, according to U.S. defense officials.

His family says Cyrus Kar, 44, was in Iraq to film scenes for a documentary on King Cyrus the Great, founder of Persia, when he was arrested at a checkpoint in mid-May. He had also filmed in Iran, Tajikistan, Turkey and Afghanistan and consulted with scholars, they said.

Kar's family first learned of his troubles May 24, when he called them to say he had been detained because of a misunderstanding involving a taxi driver who had been driving Kar and his cameraman around Baghdad. They last heard from him on June 28.

The Defense Department confirmed to both the New York Times and the Los Angeles Times that Kar, who lives in the Silver Lake area of Los Angeles, was in U.S. military detention outside Baghdad. He has not been charged with a crime and will have a hearing to determine whether he is a security threat, a Pentagon spokesman said.

Kar's relatives, however, told both papers that Los Angeles FBI Agent John D. Wilson told them weeks ago that Kar's story had checked out, that he had passed a government polygraph test and that he had been cleared of any charges.

Unfortunately, lie detectors are almost never used to clear any one of any crime. They are often used on suspects and as ground for further investigation, but rarely are they used to release some one already in custody. Further, Kar is in a war zone, not exactly the type of place the FBI runs around talking to criminals and trying to get a judge to issue an indictment. The FBI is a police force. I find it somewhat hard to believe that the FBI is in Iraq interrogating suspected insurgents.
"He's cleared," one of Kar's aunts, Parvin Modarress, quoted Wilson as saying, according to the New York Times. "They were waiting for a lie-detector machine, but they finally got it. He passed the lie-detector test."

Wilson told the Los Angeles Times on Tuesday that he had met with the women but said he could not speak further. Cathy Viray, a spokeswoman for the Los Angeles FBI office, said she could not comment on the matter.

Frustrated, Kar's relatives plan to file a federal lawsuit in Washington, D.C. on Wednesday that challenges Kar's continued detention in Iraq. The American Civil Liberties Union of Southern California and other civil liberties lawyers are representing Kar, Modarress and Kar's cousin, Shahrzad Folger, against President Bush, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Army Maj. William H. Brandenburg, overseer of military detention operations in Baghdad.

"Mr. Kar is now imprisoned by the United States military in Iraq without the slightest hint of legal authority," said Mark D. Rosenbaum, the ACLU's Southern California legal director.

Possibly the most assinine thing ever to come out of the mouth of an ACLU spokesmen. Seriously, does the U.S. military now need to get an arrest warrant to prosecute military actions in the eyes of the ACLU?
"His arbitrary military detention is unaccompanied by any charge, any warrant, any writ or any process. So far as either the civilian or the military court system is concerned, Mr. Kar has simply disappeared into detention without a trace."
I don't know if Kar is guilty of treason, but surely the ACLU is not trying to argue that a man captured in a war zone in a foreign country ought to have the legal protection of U.S. courts? Oh, wait, that's exactly what they are saying.Trackbacks are iffy today. Sorry. Try resending later if first attempt fails.

Posted by: Rusty at 11:35 AM | Comments (26) | Add Comment
Post contains 1133 words, total size 7 kb.

Farwurks & Chicklets WTW

Well I must say it’s been one heck of a week, lots of stuff going on. Me and the boy let off fireworks till we looked like a couple of coal miners on Sunday night. The big ones got rained out on the fourth. We drove over anyway like “ye reckon it’ll quiyut”. But we did make some fireworks last night and they were pretty good. Picked me some blackberries last week & got some chiggers. I got to get that done so I can start a batch of wine. Still got plenty of grape left.

Well I gots me a new PC here in the office and I would just like to extend my congratulations to PC makers everywhere for this little box of chicklets they call a keyboard. Well I really donÂ’t want to point fingers but I share a name with the founder. Also a big thanks for doing away with the port that I could have plugged my old one into. I hope yÂ’all saved a Chinese nickel in plastic by screwing with the page up, page down, insert, end, & delete key. I use all those and boy does this suck.

I guess for me this week there can be no other display of behavior other than this bastard. Hanging ainÂ’t good enough and they ought to let that little girl pulls the switch and give this (I canÂ’t think of a good noun) his wish. I canÂ’t say it any better than Rusty did.

more...

Posted by: Howie at 08:48 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
Post contains 421 words, total size 3 kb.

July 04, 2005

Iraq Terrorists Join Forces

Al Jazeera reports that the Islamic Army of Iraq and the Mujahidin Army of Iraq have appointed a common spokeperson for the two groups. These two groups are active in hostage taking. It was the Islamic Army in Iraq that was responsible for the downing of a civilian helicopter in April and the subsequent videotaped murder of an unarmed and wounded Bulgarian pilot named Lyubomir Kostov [story, images, and links to video here]. The Mujahidin Army was, up until now, thought to be associated with ex-Baathist and Arab nationalist elements. Their propganda videos tend to have high production value, are sometimes in English, and tend to cater to capturing support from elements in the West.

This may be a rhetorical question, but if the reporter for al Jazeera knew where to find the terrorist spokesman, then why is he not in U.S. or Iraqi custody now? The time is long past due that the U.S. bombs the headquarters of al Jazeera.

Two armed groups in Iraq, known for fighting US-led forces and their capture of foreigners including journalists, have appointed a joint spokesperson.

The new spokesperson for the Islamic Army in Iraq and Jaish al-Mujahidin, Dr Ibrahim Yusuf al-Shimmari, told Aljazeera that the decision comes in the context of the groups' plans to implement a political programme and be politically recognised.

"It is most appropriate for the two groups to unite and appoint a media spokesman," said al-Shimmari, "due to the escalating amount of persons who claim to speak on behalf of the resistance and adopt political projects that do not serve the resistance."

This is the first step in the implementation of the groups' plan to unite, added al-Shimmari. "Other steps will follow soon."

Posted by: Rusty at 02:41 PM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
Post contains 287 words, total size 2 kb.

<< Page 1 of 2 >>
190kb generated in CPU 0.0392, elapsed 0.1433 seconds.
136 queries taking 0.1177 seconds, 479 records returned.
Powered by Minx 1.1.6c-pink.