Victor Davis Hanson pens a piece that speaks to the folly of the current appeasers and apologists.
And the tens of thousands sleeping under their white marble crosses in Belgium, France, and Luxembourg from the Meuse-Argonne to Hamm would not agree that had we only been more reasonable and less bellicose we would have been more popular and liked. You see, they would not concede that millions followed Hitler because it was America's fault in not offering the German people an alternative to barbarism. In fact, they didn't much care why Germany hated America, only how to defeat it and then — but only then — to guide it on a new path away from its savage past.Indeed, if our dead could rise out of their graves they would surely rebuke us for our present blasphemy — shaking their fingers and remonstrating that bin Laden and his followers, both active and passive, are no different from Hitler and the other evil killers of their own age, who deserve to be defeated, not reasoned with or apologized to, and not understood. The voices of our dead abroad murmur to us, the deaf, that a nation is liked not by being good and weak or bad and strong, but only by proving both principled and resolute.
Read it all here
Contrary to the manufactured air-kissing, hugging party unity displayed in Boston, real Liberals, the fire-breathing, card-carry throwbacks to the New deal and Great Society are not happy with Kerry's campaign. Not one bit. Lewis Lapham, editor of Harper's Magazine, has a real humdinger guest op-ed in the current issue of Roll Call. [subscription req'd]
Kerry, Democratic Party Need to Embrace ‘Liberal’But those were the days when the word “liberal” was not yet politically incorrect, before the tools necessary to the Democratic job went missing on the construction site of Ronald Reagan’s Magic Kingdom, when the American people were still being asked to vote for a president of their own country, not for “the leader of the free world,” which, as even Barbra Streisand knows, is a job reserved for a Republican.
Alone among the speakers to the convention on Monday night, Jimmy Carter, the last of the applicants for the position of Democratic president of the United States, wasn’t afraid to recognize George Bush as a lying imbecile or to say that in this year’s election what is “at stake is nothing less than our nation’s soul.” Not only its soul, but also its existence, both as an idea and as a set of map coordinates marking out the space in which to conduct what Benjamin Franklin knew to be the sometimes disorderly and impolitic experiments with freedom.
By electing a more compassionate conservative or a more moderate and intelligent Republican, the Democratic Party might regain its hold on power, find its way back to the fountains and reflecting pools of federal patronage in Washington. It wouldn’t do the country any favors, wouldn’t replenish its wealth or save its soul. The task in hand requires a president not embarrassed by the name of liberal, and if the convention wishes to lend meaning to its own best and brightest words, it will send John Kerry out of the hall as a genuinely Democratic candidate, not as a figure of Bill Clinton’s pretty speech.
One can only hope Kerry takes their advice. Big Time.
That the Dems would carp about US funding for firehouses and garbage trucks in Iraq struck me as tone deaf from the get-go...but Hitch nails it:
There is something absolutely charmless and self-regarding about this pitch, and I wish I could hear a senior Democrat disowning it. It is no better, in point of its domestic tone and appeal, than the rumor of the welfare mother stopping her Cadillac to get vodka on food stamps. In point of its international implications, it also suggests the most vulgar form of isolationism, not to say insularity.[...]
The worst thing about John Kerry's parochial line on the firehouses was the applause it got, with cameras even focusing on firefighter union jackets adorned with Kerry-Edwards buttons. The great thing about firefighters is usually their solidarity: They will send impressive delegations to the funerals of their fellows not just in other cities but in other countries, too. Solidarity and internationalism, indeed, used to be the cement of the democratic Left. So, do we understand the nominee correctly? Is he telling us that Iraqi firefighters are parasites sucking on the American tit, and that they don't deserve the supportive brotherhood that used to be the proudest signature of the labor movement? And why is Kerry so keen on attracting our "allies" to share the burden in Iraq—or to "reduce the cost to American taxpayers," as he inelegantly put it—if not to help put out the fire that might otherwise consume more than a point in the budget?
Exactly.
Ahhh...Kerry evokes revolutionary imagery to continue the Big Lie and gloss over his weaknesses by adding a rhetorical layer of military/patriotic sheen.
...at a 7:30 a.m. rally on the shores of Boston Harbor — less than nine hours after Kerry finished his acceptance speech.Kerry also employed Paul Revere's midnight run and imagery of Bunker Hill to bash President Bush over U.S. intelligence failures.
"One if by land, two if by sea, and the message was right. Come to think of it, they had better intelligence than we do today about what's going on," Kerry continued, drawing the loudest applause of the event.
As fifth graders attending private schools and American history buffs know, Kerry’s "Bush mislead" construct fails once you know the context of the signal lights.
In the spring of 1775, most of the Massachusetts Patriot leaders had taken refuge in outlying communities, fearing arrest at British roadblocks. The Brits were hard on the heels of Samuel Adams. Benjamin Church and Joseph Warren remained in Boston, serving as the group’s leader in Samuel Adams' absence. Paul Revere, a trusted messenger, also stayed in the city, tended his business interests and as unobtrusively as possible kept an eye on the soldiers stationed in the city.
What happened next would not have met Kerry's "hard Proof" criteria.
Revere became suspicious in mid-April when he noticed that British landing craft were being drawn out of the water for repairs — a clear indication that something was afoot. On the 16th he made a trip to Concord, a key community because it was the temporary home of the Provincial Congress and also a storehouse for militia guns, powder and shot. He warned the residents there that redcoats were likely to be dispatched in the near future to seize the town’s arms supply.
On his return home, Revere met with Patriot leaders in Charlestown and agreed on a plan to provide notice about the route the British would take to reach Concord. Revere agreed to arrange for the placement of signal lanterns in the belfry of Old North Church where they could easily been seen across the Charles River. If one lantern were displayed, the British would be advancing by land over the Boston Neck, then north and west to Concord. If two lanterns were hung, the redcoats would have chosen to cross the Charles by boat to Cambridge, then west to their target.
The problem with Kerry's analogy is that the lamp signal called into action a plan for a pre-emptive strike against the Brits by the Lexington Company of Militia (aka the Minutemen) on the town common. It was a general alarm, not an alarm of an imminent threat. The Patriots could have stayed in their homes, and hoped the King would tire of the rebellion as he had bigger poisson to fry, that he might remove his boot from the colony's neck, eventually.
They chose on this night and in this place, to Bring It On.
Under Kerry's proffered rules of Intel and engagement the Minutemen would not have been called to arms without hard evidence of a threat; troops moving wouldn't be enough, and the "shot heard around the world" wouldn't have been fired at Lexington on April 19, 1775 and we'd be speaking the Queen's English or worse: French.
Let's hope this is true: the al-Jazeera website reports: Zarqawi captured on Syrian-Iraq border
Update: Maybe not.
Reports about the arrest of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi have been denied by representatives of the US Commandment and Iraq's Interior Ministry.The message about the arrest of al-Zarqawi comes from unreliable sources, Russian online edition Utro.Ru said, citing US Commandment and Iraq's Interior Ministry.
Unfuckingbelieveable:
CFR to Bush: Stop Israeli strike on Iran's nuke sitesA report by the New York-based Council on Foreign Relations urged the Bush administration to stop any Israeli attempt to strike Iran's nuclear facilities. The council warned that such an Israeli attack would be blamed on the United States and hurt its interests in the region.
"Since Washington would be blamed for any unilateral Israeli military strike, the United States should, in any case, make it quite clear to Israel that U.S. interests would be adversely affected by such a move," the report, entitled "Iran: Time for a New Approach," said
Smouldering radioactive ruins where Israel once stood would be much more condusive to our interests...sorry about the "collateral damage to Palis and Jordanians.
What are these people smoking?
Have a look at the CFR Board, now you know where old Pols, cabinet officers, hacks and flacks go to die.
Israel would be well advised to take care of this piece of bidness between Nov 3rd and Jan 20th.
(A nod of the dulban to AllahPundit)
"Before you go to battle, you have to be able to look a parent in the eye and truthfully say: ``I tried everything possible to avoid sending your son or daughter into harm's way. But we had no choice. We had to protect the American people, fundamental American values from a threat that was real and imminent.'' So lesson one, this is the only justification for going to war. -- Democratic nominee John Kerry, in his acceptance speech
This is exactly the wrong approach. Firstly our military is not composed of children, the Dem attempt to portray them as victims is insulting to a professional, highly trained, motivated volunteer, military and the memory of all who came before; do these men and women look like childen? Does this sound like child's play? This meme is not only distasteful, it thrives on ignorance and smacks of elitist bigotry.
Secondly our military is not in need of protection. THEY are OUR protectors.
Kerry's position advertises a weakness of purpose; that Kerry will equivocate as he balances political expediency in the face of a perceived threat. He demands hard proof in a shape-shifting world of shadowy terrorists and rouge regimes.
It's a promise Kerry cannot keep and he knows he cannot, which makes it more than just another empty campaign promise, it's a lie that endangers us all; for terrorists will take him at his word. You can take that to the bank.
Lileks put it best:
Next time he (Kerry) needs hard proof, like a smoking crater in New York.Make that another smoking crater in New York.
Is it just me or was there a gap in the Kerry Bio-pic list of accomplishments?
Not a single meaningful piece of legislation bearing his name in 19 yrs?
"I was born in the west wing."
Oy, my may head explode.
After Sept. 11th we were all Americans...except those pesky Joos who were warned, of course.
Kerry: "and then, and then..."
Aha! The perfect Kerry campaign song.
Que? Bad news for Petróleos de Venezuela S.A. The petroleum industry is the mainstay for Venezuela's economy, accounting for more than three-quarters of total Venezuelan export revenues. Oops! sorry, facts rear their ugly head. Looks like a new pool of immigrant labor headed our way.
Back to the speech...and then?
Attention Monkeyboy Bush ...science is on the way, to save the day.
Oh G*d, Puhleeze, not back to the Delta. I'm begging you.
Captain, Oh My Captain...proceed on course at 22.5 knots.
"CQD MGY4 42° 21' 30" N, 071° 03' 37" W, We have struck reality."
Now a word from the real Iraq. Jim Hake sends an update about Spirit of America's assistance to the Marine's “Organization of Creative Women in New Iraq" in Al Anbar Province as reported by the TV equipment we blogged to fund (Be sure to scroll down the link and read Major Holden's email). Yes, THAT Al anbar, Ar Ramadi in fact.
Marines sewing together new future for IraqCAMP BLUE DIAMOND, Iraq (June 23, 2004) -- Marines with 1st Marine Division are helping to rebuild Iraq one stitch at a time.
With assistance from the Los Angeles-based charity Spirit of America, the division recently donated nearly $27,000 worth of equipment to the Ar Ramadi Sewing Center.
According to Lt. Col. John Lutkenhouse, 1st Marine Division plans officer for economic development, this is the first wave of sewing machine donations throughout the Al Anbar Province.
"The commander of the division understood that sewing machines would be a great way to improve Iraq's economy," Lutkenhouse explained. "The country's women will especially benefit because this will give them the opportunity to earn money and gain social empowerment."
According to Abdul Hameed Ibraheem, women were treated poorly during Saddam Hussein's regime. They were discouraged from attending school and finding employment.
Ibraheem, the Al Anbar Province director of economic programs, said all that has begun to change.
After the fall of the dictator, Ibraheem and other members of Iraq's newly formed government began working on plans for centers that would benefit the country's female population.
"The women will be able to make clothes for their families or to sell their products to make money for themselves and their families," Ibraheem said.
He said women who were fortunate to have jobs during Hussein's rule were paid less than $5 per month.
"Now the wages will be very good compared to before," he added. "The women will be able to afford food and transportation with the money they earn working at the centers."
Currently, there are two sewing centers in the province. One is located in Habbaniyah, and the other is Ar Ramadi. Both were renovated with funds donated by 1st Marine Division.
The Dems peddle a phony image of sending children to war to mask the progress and betterment of life for ordinary Iraqis, who need firestations and sewing machines.
"We hope to work with the Marines in the future to get more of the centers open," Ibraheem said. "We're looking to eventually have eight in the province."Besides sewing, the women working at the centers will also be taught several other valuable skills.
Computer, English, art and teaching classes will be available. The follow on classes will be funded by profits generated from sewing.
"We want to give the women of Iraq a place to work away from home," he explained. "And we want the women to have a chance to express themselves and have a place in society."
He expressed his gratitude to the Marines and Spirit of America for their help getting the centers up and running.
"I want to thank all of the men and women of America for making all this possible," he said. "It really is like a dream of ours is becoming a reality."
That's good enough for me.
Back to the Dem ice field....
Alien Pod People have hijacked the Dem leadership...suddenly they are all hawks?! You can't help but laugh...Biden thinks de Gaulle was our good friend...wonder where he purloined that idea?
Wesley Clark has a short convenient memory, it wasn't Republicans spitting on returning GI's in the 60's and 70's.
More importantly, Clark might want to ponder that had Senator Kerry's defense cutbacks taken effect, to paraphrase Vito Corelone, he would have been standing in Serbia with his dick in his hand.
While reading around the major papers I clicked into the WaPo election page and an animated Kerry ad ran over the top of the center column, however an embedded ad for "The Manchurian Candidate" opened in the top layer as the page load completed. The load timing was off resulting in a weird slideshow as both embedded ad layers ran juxaposed...Kerry waving in the background as The Manchurian Candidate images flickered in a bizarre animation...like this:
Click this link, your connection speed, browser settings and other variables may or may not replicate the effect as the Manchurian Candidate ad is a single page load event...but it was très amusant.
The Gods may be trying to tell us something.
I watched Edward's speech and as many reporters, pundits and bloggers opined today, came away less than impressed. The Intellectual Activist Daily sums it up best:
The Collectivist ConventionThe Democrats in Boston are making constant appeals to America's tradition of liberty and "can-do" optimism. Their real message: the Constitution "binds us" to the collective, for which our individual pursuit of happiness must be sacrificed.
Once again the Democrats answer to the country's many issues is to drive a class warfare wedge into the body politic as they do not have an agenda or solutions.
Fred Barnes wrote:
What Edwards is most associated with is the idea of "two Americas," one rich and privileged, the other stuck with second-class schools and health care and subsistence-level jobs. But he gives no evidence of having thought this idea through. In fact, his own biography undermines the very notion of two Americas. Edwards rose from humble origins, the son of a mill worker, to become a skilled and wealthy trial lawyer. He says "everything is possible" in America, oblivious to how this statement contradicts his theme of two Americas.Indeed, practically everything is possible. Tens of millions of Americans have risen from the lower rungs economically to achieve remarkable success. Like Edwards, they weren't locked in a lesser America. Opportunity is everywhere. Bill Clinton seized it in Arkansas. Barak Obama, the black state senator who delivered the keynote address at the convention and is all but certain to win a U.S. Senate seat this fall, grabbed it in Illinois.
Edwards doesn't understand--or chooses to ignore--that America is an extraordinarily mobile society. People move from job to job, usually for higher pay and more satisfying work. They start businesses. Those in the bottom fifth of the economy routinely soar to the top fifth in a few years. Social mobility is the name of the game. It's a more rough-and-tumble sort of capitalism than exists in Europe, but it works to produce amazing wealth. One fruit is home ownership. More than two-thirds of Americans own their homes and a higher rate of ownership record is achieved every year.
But even if there were two Americas, Edwards's solutions would not help. His answer is to curb the activity of lobbyists in Washington and boost the minimum wage. And he wants to raise taxes in the top economic brackets, going after the very entrepreneurs and small business owners who create most of the new jobs in America. Soak-the-rich is neither a new idea nor a good one.
Nor is industrial policy. Edwards said this in his convention speech: "We will invest in the jobs of the future--in the technologies and innovation to ensure that America stays ahead of the competition." The truth is that America has stayed ahead of the world in technology partly because government hasn't been investing and interfering and regulating. Left alone, the high tech sector has boomed far beyond what anyone in government, Democrat or Republican, might have imagined.
I couldn't agree with Barnes or Tracinski more.
No, this is not about Gus Van Sant's dreary teen paean to "Henry IV, nor a gratitous, ass-kissing review of blogger Steve Graham's cookbook "Eat What You Want & Die Like A Man" to cage traffic... it's a word play on potato flour and a full bore, unabashed plug.
While Steve deserves kudos for a great read chock full of wry humor, bon mots such as Strategic Grease Reserve (you do have a Bell jar of bacon grease in the fridge, don't you?) and irreverent cracking-wise, "God: '...I love corn on the cob' ", Rubens tossing doughnuts imagery and very un-PC effrontery we've come to love and expect from Steve, it's the recipes that make EWYWADLAM a must-have for anyone who cooks or eats. My copy already bears witness to his genius with greasy fingerprints, dog-eared pages and a cracked spine from wedging it under a heavy flour cannister.
While I admire Steve's shamless embrace of lard, extole his fluffy biscuits, exhault over Ribs from Hell and go all goosebumpy over his silky flan, it is his masterly doughnuts that made the price worth while for me (and it's ridiculously cheap, friends).
You see in my mis-spent yute, a local doughnut shop called Spudnuts was Valhalla. As soon as the parental eagle screamed, we'd pump our little legs off biking over to blow our allowance on maple bars, custard filled *spit* french *spit* crullers, dark crispy cinnamon-pecan twists coated with a heavy vanilla glaze that covered your tee-shirt in sugar snowflakes... but it was their lighter-than-air raised doughnuts that made children cheer, women swoon and strong men weep.
In the days when anything with a hole in it was judged by how many you could wedge onto your pudgie fingers, Spudnuts were taller than our digits were long and so light they almost floated into your waiting maw, the thinnest of glazes crackling onto your chin. Forget Crispy Cremes, flat, overly-sweet imitations of the beloved Spudnuts. I never thought I'd taste those lovelies again, I was wrong.
Now I can die happy and I've made myself hungry.
UPDATE: An original recipe Spudnut shop still thrives, near Richland, WA, if you're lucky enough to live nearby, go and eat one or two for me.
Watching The Rev Jesse Jackson on MSNBC give a retread of his 1984 convention speech .....the finish was rather interesting, as he cranked up his "Keep Hope Alive" chant many of the rhythmically-challenged delegates outstretched one arm, hand open. As they pumped along to his chant, an old image came to mind. MSNBC's director caught it, and cut to another angle...but CSPAN didn't.
Are Kerry's operatives really so clueless about how this is coming across on TV? I can't imagine Carville's team bungling the NASA photos or not controlling the broadcast imagery. Much of the imagery seems designed for the large screen, in the hall, not TV. Those in the hall are not in need of convincing.
I've never been polled or canvassed as often as the past week and I'm in a Dem stronghold...frickin' Barbara Lee is my Congresswoman...they're worried about the anti-war vote, that they'll stay home...which of course is exactly what I tell them.
Heh.
”We should reject the tired old politics of the past…” -- preview, John Edwards, Democratic Convention speech, July 28, 2004
Indeed.
John Kerry didn't hesitate to use old politics during the 1992 campaign:
“I am saddened by the fact that Vietnam has yet again been inserted into the campaign, and that it has been inserted in what I feel to be the worst possible way. By that I mean that yesterday, during this presidential campaign, and even throughout recent times, Vietnam has been discussed and written about without an adequate statement of its full meaning.The race for the White House should be about leadership, and leadership requires that one help heal the wounds of Vietnam, not reopen them; that one help identify the positive things that we learned about ourselves and about our nation, not play to the divisions and differences of that crucible of our generation.” -- Sen. Kerry on the Senate floor Feb. 27, 1992.
Primary frontrunner Howard Dean had no qualms about old politics in October 2003 when he said:
Howard Dean’s presidential campaign sharply criticized Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) yesterday for seemingly flip-flopping on the importance of serving in Vietnam in presidential politics.Kerry seeks to distinguish himself from his White House rivals — both Democratic and Republican — by drawing attention to his war record. But this emphasis stands in marked contrast to his past utterances about service in Vietnam as a qualification for the highest office.
“Before he became a political candidate for president, John Kerry clearly believed that military service should not be used for political gain,” said Jay Carson, a spokesman for Dean, the former governor of Vermont who is running well ahead of Kerry in recent New Hampshire polls.
“And he was right about that,” Carson added. “Unfortunately, now John Kerry and his campaign have a strategy to use that record to further his political career.”
In the spirit of the upcoming Kerry bio-pic, rumored to include re-enactments of Kerry's heroic exploits filmed on location by Kerry and his crewmates (one wonders who reinacts the dead VC insurgent), today's Wictory Wednesday Wecipe is a wrap.
Spicy Turkey Wraps
This recipe serves one, you do the math for more servings.
Ingredients:
1 Large Burrito-sized *Tortilla
1 Tablespoon Mayonnaise
1/2 Teaspoon Green Salsa
2 large slices of roasted Turkey, I recommend Diestel brand roasted with Chipotle peppers. [WARNING: Link not PETA safe.]
2 slices of Provolone cheese
1/2 Ripe Avacado, sliced thinly
2-3 lettuce leaves
3-4 Golden Greek style Pepperocini, sliced
2-3 rings of thinly sliced red onion
Kalamata Olives for garnish
Method:
Lay the tortilla on a large dinner plate and spread with the Mayo and salsa. Top with the turkey, cheese, avacado, lettuce, pepperocini and onion, crank a few hefty grinds of black pepper.
Roll the bottom up about one inch then roll from side edge to make a tight roll.
Eat.
*This is a really good low-carb subsitute for a sandwich, you can find low-carb, whole wheat tortillas in your supermarket. Unlike most low-carb breads, they are very tasty, chewy and have only 5-9 net carbs.
-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-
Unless you want a steady diet of cheesy turkey for the next four years, you best shake a tail feather for Bush.
If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesdays simply by putting up a post like this one every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush campaign. And
do e-mail wictory@blogsforbush.com to be added to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll, which will be part of the Wictory Wednesday post on all participating blogs.
Dean Esmay asks conservatives a question:
Now here is my interesting question: I've made myself some friends among conservatives by speaking this way. But I do find myself wondering: how many of you on the right will embrace such a philosophy if John Kerry should carry the election in November?I don't want to hear why you think it won't happen. Indulge me: pretend it might. How many of you will have the patriotism to say, "I disagree with many of his policy directions, I do not think he is conducting our foreign policy in the right way, but I will do my best to get behind him and support him until elections come around next time?"
I'm genuinely curious. For that is the stance I intend to take. I will refuse to call him traitor, loser, liar, incompetent. He will be my President, my Commander In Chief, the Chief Executive of a great nation, elected by the will of a majority of the electors in these 50 great united States. So even if he does things I disagree with in conducting foreign policy, I will say, "I respectfully disagree with the President's directions, but I will do my best to express my dissent respectfully and hope that I am mistaken and that he has made the proper decisions after all."
That's my pledge. How many of you will take a similar one?
No, I won't make such a pledge as it effectively disenfranchises anyone who does so.
Conservatives for far too long reacted like a herd of deer caught in Liberal headlights, stunned by the left's tactics, we must stuff it back in their face or we may as well not stand candidates.
Fierce opposition and caustic partisanship is a long standing tradition inherited from our British forefathers. Even in the current climate we haven't reached the sheer nastiness of the Hanoverian pampleteers of the 1650's, or our post-revoltionary period when politics was blood sport, as Hamilton discovered. Have look through this site for a little historical perspective. Given that modern Pols have the ability to rehabilite their reputation and careers, Carter is a prime example, our discourse is pretty tame in comparison.
The image that came to mind when I read your post was of passengers on three doomed flights sitting quietly, just as millions of Europeans watched silently as their neighbors disappeared.
Post 9/11 we no longer have the luxury of "going along to get along" or waiting until the next cycle. This ain't a Frank Capra movie or about who fixes potholes quickest or doles out govt. largess best: it's about survival.
Sorry, but last night's convention was pathetic. It was clear that the media and delegates expected, wanted, needed; red meat. ABB buttons pushed hotly, Bush's head on a rhetorical pike, the Eeeevil Cheney drawn and quartered with a dull Halliburton knife, Rumsfeld ridiculed on a leash, Jews Neocons baited and the two uppity house blacks whipped. What did they get? Polled, focus grouped, dumbed down pap and a party that bears no resemblance to the caustic seven-month long ABB hatefest they've cheered.
Network anchors and political analysts struggled to gin up a story and finished by half-heartedly stroking Clinton. The media was visibly disappointed, they wanted a Wellstonian rally, and they got a snooze fest not even Clinton could redeem.
The funniest interview of the night was NBC's Campbell Brown trying to goad Howard Dean into speaking off script.
The Dems should return Jimmy Carter to pasture, he's totally out of touch with reality and Gore has become a cartoonish study in sour grapes and little more than a footnote in electoral history.
Hillary? A rote performance to keep hope alive for 2008, her shrillness always reminds me of the Seinfeld bit where Mary Hart's voice gave Kramer seizures.
This of course brings us to Bill Clinton. His handlers should convince Clinton to abandon the finger pointing shtick...it only serves to recall his most notorious use of the device. Dick Morris pronounced Clinton's speech "a masterpiece" and it was, as an advert for Clinton, but it only served to remind Dems that Clinton is not the nominee and make them wish he were. Elliot Fladen saves me the aggro of critiquing Clinton's content in his excellent post.
...Then Clinton explained the differences between how Republicans and Democrats sought to achieve their goals.As somebody not planning on voting major party in this election, I found the problem with the comparisons the speech made was they were bullshit.
Exactly. I don't see how the Dems can win by presenting themselves as something they are not. In order to keep their base energized, they must return to the Michael Moore-Moveon.org playbook and that will only serve to remind swing voters that they are being tricked.
(hat tip to Instapundit)
While we're waiting for the Really Big Shew to begin, a little apropos humor from Wiley:
Bring bags of cash.
This story up at Newsqueek points out the hypocrisy of the Dem/Kerry rap on Bush's "coalition of the "bribed". We knew Turkey was for sale, now we know their price.
France gives the nod to Turkish membership in the European Union.
What is Paris up to?
"When French presidents invoke "the national interest," often as not it means they've cut a deal they'd really rather not explain. But when Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan came courting President Jacques Chirac in Paris last week, hoping the ever-reluctant French would back Turkey's bid to join the European Union, the cash-and-carry policymaking was right out front.As one senior Turkish official told NEWSWEEK, the intention was to "spread a package of economic benefits" before Chirac that "France could not reject." Sure enough, Turkish Airlines announced it would purchase 36 Airbus planes worth more than $1.5 billion. Erdogan also hinted he might be in the market for France's big-ticket nuclear technology. And just as surely, after years of implicit opposition and fence-straddling, Chirac suddenly decided that support for Turkey's candidacy suits "the national interests" of France."
The bit about "big-ticket nuclear technology" is worrying. How long before the media and the Dems recognise that France is not our ally, but a stealth member of the Axis of Evil? Perhaps their participation in Chinese naval exercises was a large clue?
HEwllO, SUNdAE & CaRNIvaL oF tHe KaTz tIMe aGAin! ThiSH anImASHun Of Pi 'N mEEsa mESSinG in a bIG oLE pOt wHEn FeSTe cHAnGeD pLANts, 'n pI drOPpeD a bAll iN ThE pOT. My fREn Pi wUz rEAl gOOfy 'n mAde Up lOTz Of gAMes wITH FeSTe'S pLAnTS aN pOTz, sOMeTImes FESte mADe tHAt unHApPY fACe wE dON't lIKe tO sEE, 'n weS hAd tO hIDe unDEr tHe bEd, bUt mOSt TImeS wE aLL lAUghEd, we dId.
--MoLLy
From American Digest, comes this tidbit:
Gone But Not Forgotten, Part 2
IT SEEMS THAT THE JOE WILSON MEMORIAL TRIBUTE PAGE IS NOT THE ONLY THING TO HAVE GONE MISSING FROM JOHNKERRY.COM.Talon News is reporting Kerry Anti-Terror Plan Removed From Campaign Web Site After Berger Revelation
Here are the relevant items that seem to have been disappeared. It would be interesting to triangulate between the items Berger stole and how they might relate to these anti-terror positions taken by the Kerry team. On one hand, their current claim is that they didn't know anything about Berger's thefts, and that no documents had been seen or used in the making of the foreign policy Berger was working with them to forumulate. Okay, but if we knew what documents Berger stole, then we could judge if anything in them was used to inform the policy positions that conveniently went missing today. Perhaps some responsible newspaper could get the FOIA working here.
Shortly after news broke that former Clinton administration National Security Advisor Samuel "Sandy" Berger was being investigated by the Justice Department for illegally removing highly classified documents from the National Archives, the presidential campaign of Sen. John Kerry (D-MA) removed its anti-terror plan from its web site.
Responsible newspaper is an oxymoron for starters, however, if you read on this graf is interesting:
Key portions of the policy removed from the web site included the following three passages:To improve security in commerce, John Kerry believes we should accelerate the timetable for the action plans agreed to in the U.S.-Canada and U.S.-Mexico "smart border" accords as well as implement security measures for cross-border bridges. Finally John Kerry will pursue modest safety standards for privately held infrastructure and will help owners find economical ways to pay for increased security.
Border watch group claims to sneak fake WMD into USTUCSON - A border watch group claims it successfully sneaked into the United States carrying a fake weapon of mass destruction.
American Border Patrol spokesman Glenn Spencer told the Arizona Daily Star the test was intended to show how easy it would be for terrorists to sneak deadly weapons across the border.
Mike King, a former Army sniper who was assigned to Fort Huachuca as a National Guardsman after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks, said he's hoping the demonstration will help convince government leaders that the country's southern border is a national security risk.
"I mean, you have people with backpacks, bottles of water and zero training coming across. I just wanted to show how easy this is for somebody with training to come into this country," said King, who now works as a technical director for the border-watch group.
Two members of the group carried a suitcase in a backpack into Arizona west of Naco Monday night.
One American Border Patrol member said the two men crossed a border fence that separates the United States from Mexico, then headed to a house in Sierra Vista without detection.
The Border Patrol had no immediate comment on the claim by the Sierra Vista-based group.
The Mexican government is checking a videotape and may enter a formal complaint with the United States government.
Mexico may lodge a formal complaint that Americans are illegally crossing the Mexican border at night? Jesucristoenunabicicleta.
We are so screwed.
More Dem canards bite the dust:
U.S. safer -- but not safe, 9/11 commission says
The report also laid out new details about contacts between Iraq and al Qaeda, pointing out that Osama bin Laden explored an alliance in the early 1990s. But it said that as far as commission investigators could determine, neither Iraq nor Iran knew of the Sept. 11 plot.
The report said that while the United States has made progress since the attacks, much more has to be done. "We believe we are safer today," it said. "But we are not safe."
No shit Sherlock.
It occurs to me that the word canard is Old French for to half-sell a duck, to swindle. How perfect. As the orchestrated Dem response to Berger's difficulties amply demonstrated, Kerry surrogates will continue to peddle half-truths and outright lies, such as as Joe Wilson's debunked charges.
The media is playing a very dangerous game in their continued softball handling and spoon feeding of John Kerry on foreign policy issues. This partisan setup question on Iran lobbed to John Kerry by Tom Brokaw is so condesending that it makes my hair hurt.
Brokaw: …in moving through that part of the world. There's strong evidence that Iran is in pursuit of a nuclear weapon at some stage. There's also strong evidence that it's now meddling in Iraq. So was President Bush wrong to characterize it as part of the Axis of Evil? Iran?Kerry: I think that the term Axis of Evil is a misapplied term, frankly. Historically and in terms of the president. Iran is a problem. Iran in fact was a greater problem than Iraq at the time that the president started the war in Iraq. North Korea was a greater problem than Iraq at that time the president started the war in Iraq.
I believe this administration has ignored some of the things we could have done with respect to Iran. Look at what the British, French and Germans did with respect to their initiative. The United States should be leading that initiative, Tom.
The United States of America should have long ago offered the following deal. If Iran is serious about not pursuing nuclear weapons, we'll supply you with the nuclear power and we'll contain the nuclear material that's created as a result. And therefore you get your power if it's really only for peaceful purposes. We also could have pursued a far more aggressive and thoughtful counter-proliferation effort on nuclear and chemical and biological weapons internationally than this administration has.
So I believe the president took the license given him in Afghanistan to fight al-Qaida. And frankly has ignored some of the most critical challenges to the security of our country. I will provide a greater security — to the United States by pursuing more aggressively those opportunities than this administration has.
Iran sits atop one ofthe world's largest reserves of gas and oil, it has no need for nuclear power to generate electricty. Why Kerry would parrot such a useless meme is puzzling and insulting to informed voters. One also wonders how Kerry will get France on board given that Clinton had little success in 1997 as France inked a deal with Iran on behalf of Total.
"French Scoff at U.S. Protest Over Gas Deal With Iran"The French government warned the United States on Monday not to
retaliate, but the Clinton administration vowed to "take whatever action
is appropriate under the law."A spokesman for the European Union in Brussels said any American
retaliation would be "illegal and unacceptable."The exchanges underscored the marked divergence between Europe
and the United States over how to approach Iran. They also revealed
the recurrent French irritation -- intermittently shared by other
European nations -- at what is sometimes seen as an American attempt
to impose its policies in the post-Cold-War world.Defending the contract signed with the National Iranian Oil Company,
Jacques Rummelhardt, a Foreign Ministry spokesman, said Monday
that it was "compatible with our policy toward Iran." He described the
French policy as based on frank political exchange and the conviction
that "it is counterproductive to impose restrictions on the development
of commerce with Iran."
In April of 1998 Lee Hamilton opined:
Second, the policy of "dual containment" of Iran and Iraq is not working, and is not sustainable. Seven years after the Gulf War, friends and allies have little enthusiasm for open-ended U.N. sanctions against Iraq. At least with Iraq, the international community agreed to impose those sanctions. On Iran, there is no such basis for agreement, and no prospect that we can persuade our allies to accept broad-based sanctions. No country in the world has followed the U.S. lead in sanctioning Iran.Our efforts to isolate and contain Iran have not only been unsuccessful, they have been counterproductive. They have caused great strains with our allies in Europe, and our Arab friends in the Gulf.
Key Arab states boycotted the U.S.-backed economic summit in Qatar, but all Arab states attended the Islamic summit in Iran. The Saudis sent no one to the Qatar meeting, but they just hosted former President Rafsanjani for two weeks in the Kingdom. Our policy is not isolating Iran--it is isolating the United States.
Third, the Iran-Libya Sanctions Act is harmful to U.S. interests. Given the politics of an election year, it was easy in the summer of 1996 for the Congress to vote to impose sanctions on foreign companies that invest in the energy sectors of Iran and Libya. ILSA passed the House on a unanimous, recorded vote--including mine. I supported the bill with many reservations, which I explained at the time, and I now believe that my vote was a mistake. The administration also had strong reservations about this sanctions bill. It secured some improvements, but the bill was still bad. In a political season, the president signed the bill into law. Now he is struggling mightily to avoid applying it.
Because of last September's announced investment in Iran's South Pars gas field--involving the French firm Total, the Russian firm Gazprom, and the Malaysian firm Petronas--the president now confronts a series of unacceptable choices. If he decides to impose sanctions on these firms, he takes an enormous gamble. A decision to sanction will:
- Create a huge fight with our European allies;
- Undermine the already difficult effort to maintain international support for U.S. policy toward Iraq;
- Weaken international support for efforts to contain Iran;
- Harm our efforts to draw Iran's democratically elected president into a dialogue;
- Jeopardize our ongoing efforts to persuade Russia to shut down missile cooperation with Iran;
- Make it more difficult to gain access to Caspian oil;
- Force the European Union to take disputes on ILSA and Helms-Burton back to the World Trade Organization, threatening the integrity of that vital organization; and
- Provoke retaliation against U.S. exports and investment--costing U.S. jobs.
But, if the U.S. decides to impose and waive sanctions, the costs are also high:
Right now, the administration is carrying out the most rational policy: to study the question, and to do nothing. But the job of the president is to carry out the law, and ILSA puts him--and keeps him--in a terrible box. In our effort to isolate and sanction Iran, we are harming a wide range of other U.S. interests. Our current policy toward Iran is deeply flawed.
- The president would face a firestorm of public criticism, especially from the Congress;
- Even if waived, the impact of sanctions on U.S. relations with the EU and Iran would be almost as harmful;
- An improvement in policy toward Iran would be even more difficult than it is; and
- U.S. energy firms would complain bitterly. Foreign competitors would be allowed to go forward with investments in Iran, while U.S. firms could not.
Deeply flawed indeed, Albright's waiver of the ILSA signaled that the US was not serious in containing Iran and gained us little in the way of support from our European allies, as France continues to run interference for Iran's Atomic Ayatollahs.
Kerry voted to extend the toothless ILSA in July 2001, but will he enact real sanctions against Iran and it's client states such as France?
Kerry's vague response is not satisfactory in the dangerous waters we find ourselves treading since 9/11. Kerry cannot finesse foreign policy issues, such as Iran and North Korea with airy-fairy sound bites. In this election voters must have a clear understanding of his policy and intended implementation. Kerry must hit the ground running, as the 9/11 commission report proves, we can no longer gamble on a President-elect's learning curve or a false start.
(Cross posted to The Command Post Op-Ed page)
Must. stop. laughing.
Dear Sir/Madam:First of all, I'd like to congratulate you on the acquisition of a Casio Exilim S20 compact digital camera. No doubt it was an exciting find after your fine meal at Houston's on Park, where delicious spinach dip is the signature item.
As you may have noticed, the Casio Exilim is a 2.0 Megapixel beauty with a 4X digital zoom. At under a half-inch thick, it's the perfect camera to put in your pocket and lose while dining out.
No doubt, you're wondering why the memory card contains 17 close-ups of a cat's ass.
(hat tip to BFLer Miller's Time)
...cannot be completed as dialed, please hang up and try France.
Greece Seeks NATO Troops For Olympics The Greek government has asked NATO to consider dispatching a contingent of troops, possibly including U.S. forces, to help provide security at next month's Olympic Games, top Pentagon officials said yesterday.Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and Air Force Gen. Richard B. Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said NATO is studying the request at its headquarters in Brussels. They did not provide details of the request and declined to discuss any intelligence indicating that terrorists might be planning to target the Olympics in Athens.
The United States has agreed to contribute 400 Special Forces soldiers to help protect the Games, the Associated Press quoted a U.S. counterterrorism official as saying. But it has not yet been decided whether the troops would be in Athens, on the nearby island of Crete or remain on alert in Europe, the news agency reported.
In any case, Rumsfeld and Myers made it clear that any U.S. soldiers helping to provide security for the Games would do so under the auspices of NATO, a 26-nation alliance that includes Greece.
Well, isn't that precious? Do they think we have such short memories? Greece ocupied the EU presidency in the run-up Operation Freedom and sabotaged US interests at every opportunity.
Greece steers EU down path of peace
So it seems appropriate that Greece has taken over the presidency of the union at a time when the debate about Iraq will determine whether Europe is making any meaningful progress towards a common foreign policy." We don't want a war. That is our desire and our intention" --Greek Prime Minister Costas Simitis
As the American-led military build-up around Iraq continues, there is growing determination among countries in the EU that United Nations weapons inspectors in Iraq must be given a proper breathing space to search for hidden weapons of mass destruction.For the next six months Greece will take the lead in articulating EU policy, and it says the final decision on any military action must rest with the United Nations.
The dumb asshats should have thought of future risks before leading the EU opposition to curry favor with France the EU, if our athletes weren't at risk of a Munich-like incident, I'd say let em stew in their own damned juices.
IF THE NUKE STORY WERE TRUE.... [Jonah Goldberg]A little known codicil in the National Security Act of 1947 would permit Dick Cheney to give Howard Dean, Joe Wilson and up seven other designees a wedgie on the emergency response system created by the FCC and broadcast on all television licensees during prime time.
Man, I'd even pay to see that. Big time.
Well readers, it's that time again, Wictory Wednesday, when charter members of the VRWC rattle the collection jar and foolsblog sabotages your diet. In honor of Governor Ahnold, I give you an Austrian/Japanese fusion dish:
Girlie-Man Katsu
This recipe produces a light crispy fried chicken that's a little bit Schnitzel and a whole lot Katsu.
Ingredients:
4 skinless, boneless *chicken breast halves - pounded to 1/4 inch thickness between plastic wrap
Garlic salt and pepper to taste
1/2 Cup all-purpose flour
1 egg, beaten w/ 2 Tablespoons of milk
1 cup **Panko bread crumbs
1 cup oil for frying, or as needed
Lemon wedges
1 Tablespoon capers
Steamed rice or Freedom Fries
Note:If serving steamed rice or fries prepare in advance and keep warm. Prepare salad ingredients and set aside in fridge.
1. Season the pounded chicken breasts on both sides with garlic salt and pepper. Place the flour, egg and panko crumbs into separate shallow dishes. Coat the chicken breasts in flour, shaking off any excess. Dip them into the egg, and then press into the panko crumbs until well coated on both sides.
2. Heat 1 inch of oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat (350 degrees). Place chicken in the hot oil, and cook 3 or 4 minutes per side, or until golden brown. Remove from oil, drain briefly on a paper towel. Plate immediately and garnish with a few capers, lemon wedges, serve with a side of Japanese Cabbage salad and steamed rice or Fries.
Serves 2-4 depending on appetite.
*Foster Farms produces pre-packaged thin sliced, ready to use skinless, boneless chicken breasts, that need no pounding.
**Panko breadcrumbs add a unique texture characteristic of Katsu. You can find packages of Panko in the Asian section of most large supermarkets, or Asian grocery stores. If unavailable, substitute coarse dry breadcrumbs found in the bread aisle.
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Japanese Coleslaw w/ tomato
Shredded cabbage salad is a Japanese and Austrian staple, cabbage is very popular during the winter and each cuisine has it's own twist. Japanese cabbage salad is good any time of the year, top with a few juicy, ripe tomato wedges and it's pretty hard to beat.
2-4 Cups very finely shredded white cabbage ( Look for "Angelhair Coleslaw" if using pre-cut, packaged cabbage)
One large ripe tomato, peeled and cut into eights.
1 Green onion, slice diagonally very thin.
Japanese Cream dressing:
Place in a small bowl:
1/2 C mayonnaise,
2 Tablespoons rice vinegar,
1 Tablespoon Sesame Oil,
1/2 Teaspoon Dijon Mustard
1/2 Teaspoon Soy Sauce,
1/2 Teaspoon sugar.
Wisk until smooth and creamy.
To serve: place 1 cup of cabbage in a single serving salad bowl or in a mound on the side of the serving plate, top with tomato wedges, drizzle 2-3 Tablespoons of dressing over the cabbage & tomatoes and garnish with a few green onions and a twist of freshly ground black pepper.
You could substitute your favorite coleslaw dressing or even a creamy Thousand Island...whatever rocks your boat...we Neocons embrace all flavors of salad dressing.
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If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesdays simply by putting up a post like this one every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush campaign. And do e-mail wictory@blogsforbush.com to be added to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll, which will be part of the Wictory Wednesday post on all participating blogs.
Ronstadt will accept your hard earned money, just don't draw no baby Jesus's on the bills.
"...It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."
Having sat through a god-awful performance in SF a few years ago, Ronstadt should be thankful for any audience she can muster at this stage in her career...which I suspect is now, thankfully, over.
Is anyone else having a log-on problem with MT 2.6x and Firefox?
Sunday Zozo logged in and out. Feste logged in the next session, yet Zozo is radomly appended as author...as today's post clearly demonstrates, Feste is logged in yet Zozo is written as author.
This is making me nuts. Firefox has other issues with MT 2.6x editing menus as well...I am about to abandon FF altogether.
Any fixes out there? email feste (at) foolsblog (dot) com.
Update: A kind emailer points me to another hack. Sorry, but I really don't want to participate in an open source project.
No...this is not another Clinton bimbo eruption. It appears Kerry campaign advisor and former Clinton National Security Adviser, Sandy Berger, may have a paper fetish or a bladder control issue.
Clinton Adviser Probed Over Terror MemosWASHINGTON (AP) -- Sandy Berger, former President Clinton's national security adviser, is under criminal investigation by the Justice Department after highly classified terrorism documents disappeared while he was reviewing what should be turned over to the Sept. 11 commission.
Berger's home and office were searched earlier this year by FBI agents armed with warrants after the former Clinton adviser voluntarily returned some sensitive documents to the National Archives and admitted he also removed handwritten notes he had made while reviewing the sensitive documents.
``I deeply regret the sloppiness involved, but I had no intention of withholding documents from the commission, and to the contrary, to my knowledge, every document requested by the commission from the Clinton administration was produced,'' Berger said in a statement to the AP.
Okay that sounds like an honest mistake, much like Hillary mislaying the Rose Law firm billing records in the WH, except for the fact that he stuffed papers down his pants.
Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket and pants, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.
Maybe his Depends gave out.
It is interesting to note that the major newspapers buried this story deep inside their National sections. I find it difficult to believe the WaPo didn't have a lead on this story for 10 months. Can you imagine the frontpage banner headlines and outrage if this were Condaleeza Rice? She'd be sitting next to Martha on the bus to a mimimum security facility.
Gov. Schwarzenegger's comments over the weekend have California Dem panties in a bunch. Funny I don't recall the Dems or gay rights groups protesting when the original skits ran mocking body builders. It is not exactly a secret that the gay community enjoys body building and Ahnold posters WARNING: LINK IS NOT APPROPIATE FOR WORK.....only the naive missed the joke.
Seems a little convenient that suddenly during an election year they are shocked after twenty-five years of re-runs and SNL mocking gays with tasteless characters such as Mango.
Governor tells voters Democrats have to goBudget fight turns into broad clash over state government
"I want you to go out there and go after those Democratic legislators,'' he urged to wild applause. "They are obstructionists. Go out there and vote them out of office. Vote them out of office, and we will put new faces in there.''
The governor sparked an uproar Saturday when he referred to the Legislature as "girlie-men,'' a reference to an old "Saturday Night Live" skit in which Schwarzenegger-mimicking body builders spoke mockingly of weaklings. The comment offended women's groups, gay and lesbian groups and many Democrats.
John Kerry attending The New School's Bob Fosse workshop during his vacation declined to comment.
(hat tip to Blackfive)
Leftie progaganda flicks abound, but they've overlooked the REAL conspiracy: evil Glenn's domination of the Blogosphere.
Yes, fellow bloggers, we all know evil Glenn weilds the deadly Instalanche, thereby flooding our feeble servers. Fear not!
The Alliance is well aware of his evil plot. Alliance Films are playing on a blog near you, go now, see them all. Fair and balanced? or Propaganda?
You Decide: iNstaRobot
(hat tip to Susie for a good belly laugh and inspiration)
WhEE, iT'z sUNdaE 'n wE'Re bAAAcK!. CarNIvaL of The CaTZ is uP at MOOseY FaTE.
tHiz pICTheR iZ mY fREn Pi mAKinG lIKe an eLEFanT...sHe wUz a cRaZY cAt...an mEEze miSSes hER. LoTZ.
It's pretty simple really, Sir Elton, it is not very smart marketing to alienate half your potential customer base in an evenly divided electorate. Americans vote with their pocketbooks as well as at the ballot box.
Wonder if Sir Elton considers the industry whispering campaign against Dennis Miller as censorship?
Elton attacks 'censorship' in US
Sir Elton John is currently performing in New YorkElton John has said stars are scared to speak out against war in Iraq because of "bullying tactics" used by the US government to hinder free speech. "There's an atmosphere of fear in America right now that is deadly. Everyone is too career-conscious," he told New York magazine, Interview.
Sir Elton said performers could be "frightened by the current administration's bullying tactics",
The singer likened the current "fear factor" to McCarthyism in the 1950s.
Huh? Did I miss the news that the Administration is preventing entertainers from expressing their opinions and opposition in public? If so, they are doing a really, really bad job.
When these pompous, pampered asshats start believing their press releases, they might do well to remember that fame is based on the tastes of a fickle public, as any number of former "A" list celebrities working casino lounges, car shows and state fairgrounds can attest... we made them rich and famous and we can take it away.
...and as Pogo liked to say: he is us.
I don't know what to say about this, draw your own conclusions. I can only hope Lileks is wrong...but his gut is screaming the same message as mine, that it IS only a matter of time.
After the shock, burials and weeping is finished, I can only hope every g*ddamned member of the ACLU is hunted down and shot on sight. Let Allah sort them out.
Found more good news [See preceeding posts here and here]. Jeebus, this has got to stop! Why soon the Iraqi's will not be in need of plundering rescuing by the UN.
Seabees Quietly Get Results In Iraq’s Al Anbar ProvinceWhile reconstruction efforts being run from Baghdad’s Green Zone are moving too slowly for critics in the U.S. and in Iraq, a Marine-Seabee contingent working in nearby Al Anbar province is quietly expanding infrastructure repair efforts with help from the local population. The 1st Marine Expeditionary Force Engineer Group (MEG) is helping rebuild schools, water and wastewater treatment plants, roads and security facilities in one of the toughest of Iraq’s governates.
"By mid-July, we will have over $100 million in contracts under way in Al Anbar, on 188 projects," says Rear Adm. Charles R. Kubic, commander of the MEG and the 1st Naval Construction Division. The group’s responsibilities cover a small portion of the $18.4 billion in U.S. funding now allocated for some 2,300 reconstruction task orders identified across all of Iraq, but far more than Kubic expected when the war began. "At most, I thought we’d have $10 million to $20 million under contract," he says.
[...]
The Seabees have been working with the mayor and local clerics to hire young Iraqis to rebuild mosques damaged during the fighting. In nearby Ramadi, Al Anbar University engineers are providing design, construction and inspection services. At present, Seabee projects in Al Anbar are employing 3,600 Iraqis, although some vanish when violence escalates. The key to success, Kubic says, "is not being wed to your plan. You have to be willing to make adjustments when the situation changes, and do it quickly."
For those of you who are geographically challenged, Fulljah is a mere 6 clicks away from the MEG headquarters.
"!!!Crazy Abdul has the lowest price in town on flat screen TV's!! Abdul will not be undersold!!! Call BAghdad7-5000 RIGHT NOW!!! and we'll throw in a satellite dish for free!!! Wait!!...we'll supersize that offer with a DVD ABSOLUTELY free!! if you call in the next 5 minutes!!!"
Can't you just imagine local Baghdad TV consumer electronic ads? Maybe they have more taste than our purveyors of electronic goods, one hopes.
More good news gleaned from PortAl Iraq, which bristles with business news and opportunites in Iraq as well as a job exchange. So much of what you will find on the site seems so normal that one almost forgets that Iraq is a complete and utter failure.
Seems Baghdad has the same gridlock and scofflaws that you'd expect to find in any large bustling city.
Revisions to Iraq's traffic code announcedIraq's Minister of Interior, Samir Shakir Mahmood Sumaida'ie recently announced completed revisions to Iraq's National Traffic Code. The revised Code includes provisions requiring operator licenses as well as vehicle registration, licensing and safety inspections.
The Code stipulates that fines for violations of the Code be paid directly to an accounts officer at the police sector headquarters.
"Citizens often complain to me about the traffic conditions in Iraq--especially in Baghdad," Minister Sumaida'ie said. "This revised Code will go a long way toward improving traffic and, more importantly, the safety of Iraqi drivers and pedestrians."
While the media obsesses over Haliburton, small, heartland businesses are benefiting from contracts in Iraq providing needed goods and services.
O'Shea Ltd. receives contract to deliver 12,500 consumer electronic productsO’Shea Ltd., a small merchandising company in Kansas City, Missouri, supplied $50,000 worth of consumer goods to Baghdad distributors early in May. The distributors will dispense the merchandise through local sales in Iraq. The transaction’s success has led to additional supply contracts in Iraq for O’Shea, one of which includes an order to deliver over 12,500 consumer electronic products at the end of May. According to O’Shea President Bill Houlehan, the Department of Commerce’s domestic outreach tour to Kansas City on February 15 was where Iraq business opportunities for U.S. businesses were brought to his attention.
After witnessing the success of his own business’ transactions in Iraq, Houlehan believes there are numerous long-term opportunities for his business and others in Iraq. O’Shea foresees employing several Iraqis to assist in the storing, distribution and sale of its merchandise.
The company views its participation in the Iraqi market not only as a business opportunity but also opportunity to help the Iraqi people.
Missouri, eh? Gephardt country.
Traffic cops, electronic goods and garbage pickup...you remember the big stink the Dems made over wasting money on garbage trucks for Iraq don't you? Of course, they would prefer donkey carts.
Iraq's Minister of Environment tours country's first modern landfillMishkat Moumin, Iraq's Minister of Environment, visited the Southwest Baghdad landfill site this morning with Project and Contracting Office (PCO) director Admiral(ret.) David Nash. The site, which is being developed by an Iraqi-owned construction firm, will be Iraq's first modern landfill.
"This site will play a major part in cleaning up the streets of Baghdad while protecting the environment" Nash said.
The site will have the capacity to handle 2,230 cubic meters of waste per day and will serve the needs of two million of Baghdad's residents.
The $22 million project, which currently employs over 2,100 Iraqis from the Al Rashid and Al Doura districts of Baghdad, will meet international standards for waste management - a first in Iraq.
The port of Umm Qasr has been rebuilt and handed over to the Iraqi Port Authority.
SSA Marine completes port of Umm Qasr management contract
SSA Marine's contract with USAID to manage the port of Umm Qasr in Iraq was completed on June 30. SSA Marine was awarded the contract after an international competitive bidding process and has managed the Iraqi port since the transfer of control from the British military on May 23 of last year.SSA Marine was the first contractor to work in Iraq. The port opened first to handle humanitarian cargo and then to expedite the movement of reconstruction and commercial cargoes. Throughout the duration of the contract, there were no disruptions in moving cargoes through the port. SSA Marine also oversaw the regularly scheduled ferry services between Iraq and Dubai.
Over 280 vessels, 1.2 million metric tons of cargo and more than 8000 people have called the port. The main cargoes handled included containers, break-bulk, RoRo, construction, bulk grain, bagged rice and sugar. Cargo increased 400 percent since June of last year. The port has 33 warehouses, 2 container cranes, rail links and good road access. All of this activity resulted in the collection of more than $18 million in revenue for the benefit of the Iraqi Port Authority.
For land bound readers unfamiliar with SSA Marine and those formenting elaborate conspiracy theories while under the influence of aluminum foil and/or the Democrat Party, SSA Marine is a privately-held Seattle, WA company and is the largest operator of ports in the world, including my home city of Oakland.
I'd like to thank the angry troll who sparked an update to an October 2003 post about the proposed Baghdad Stock Exchange.
Iraqi stock exchange bets on future success over 500 million shares traded on new bourse's 1st day
BAGHDAD: Iraq has a new stock exchange, launched without fanfare and staffed almost entirely by women, which aims to become the leading bourse in the Middle East.
Iraq is far from the backward, helpless country the American media and left like to portray. Contrary to Kerry's spin that Iraqi's cannot reconstitute their economy without France's participation or his stewardship, the Iraqi's are getting their act together much faster than the Europeans did after WWII, and they're doing so while fighting remnants of the former regime.
Iraq to auction treasury bills on July 18LONDON, July 7 (Reuters) - Iraq's finance ministry will auction 150 billion dinars of treasury bills on July 18, the Financial Times newspaper reported on Thursday.
The FT said the T-bill issue would be used to repay outstanding debt issued by Saddam Hussein's regime. On June 17, Iraq's central bank governor Sinan al-Shabibi said an Iraqi dinar treasury bill issue was imminent and the proceeds would be used to finance state obligations.On Wednesday, Iraq's finance minister, Adel Abdul-Mahdi, said Iraq had hired international consultants to help assess financial claims on the country from the Saddam Hussein era.
U.S. accountants Ernst and Young and lawyers Clearly Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton will help the ministry verify debt claims estimated at around $120 billion, he said.
This is exactly the same ignorant hatred and mob mentality I witnessed in the South in 1965.
Veteran gets rude welcome on BainbridgeThink about the Seattle area -- Bainbridge Island to be exact -- and you think scenic views and liberal-minded tolerance.
At least the killer views are still there.
The bucolic island's deep reputation for civility got a gut check this week during the annual Grand Old Fourth of July celebration.
That's when Jason Gilson, a 23-year-old military veteran who served in Iraq, marched in the local event. He wore his medals with pride and carried a sign that said "Veterans for Bush."
Walking the parade route with his mom, younger siblings and politically conservative friends, Jason heard words from the crowd that felt like a thousand daggers to the heart.
"Baby killer!"
"Murderer!"
"Boooo!"
Read a little further in the article...it gets worse.
To understand why the reaction of strangers hurt so much, you must read what the young man had written in a letter from Iraq before he was disabled in an ambush:
"I really miss being in the states. Some of the American public have no idea how much freedom costs and who the people are that pay that awful price. I think sometimes people just see us as nameless and faceless and not really as humans. ... A good portion of us are actually scared that when we come home, for those of us who make it back, that there will be protesters waiting for us and that is scary."On the Fourth, Jason faced his worst fear.
It was such a public humiliation -- home front insult after battlefield injury.
But wait there's more...
The Bainbridge Island Chamber of Commerce, which put on the community celebration, permits freedom of expression at the event but asks that parade announcers not act in a manner that is partisan or prejudicial.Jason's mother, Tamar, says a female parade announcer locked eyes on her son who was walking behind a pro-Republican group called Women in Red, White and Blue. The group supports President Bush and the troops in the fight against terrorism.
According to Tamar, the female announcer sarcastically asked Jason: "And what exactly are you a veteran of?"
The perceived mocking, the mother adds, set off some people in the crowd, loosing a flood of negative comments, "like a wave... a mob-style degrading."
(Thanks to Misha for getting me really pissed off. Again.)
Beck of INCITE puts it best "Welcome to the web's 54th edition of the Bonfire of the Vanities, the weekly roundup of self-appointed rubbish from the blogosphere. Submissions seem to pretty much cover the entire spectrum of rubbish"...and if there's one thing Beck knows, it's rubbish.
It never ceases to amaze me that children of accomplished parents assume those accomplisments are inherited, which explains the loss of so many family fortunes.
Ron Reagan, Jr., will deliver a prime time keynote speech at the Dem convention on stem cell research. Ron Jr. has also has been picked up as a "political analyst" by MSNBC, to provide commentary during the conventions. Given that his most recent broadcasting credits are as color announcer on the professional dog show curcuit, and his spiteful eulogy at his father's interment ceremony, this seems little a little transparent, even for MSNBC.
After publication in the New York Times Magazine of Ron Jr.'s interview with Deborah Solomon, William F. Buckley wrote the son with a point-by-point response. Robert Novak recently published a bit of this exchange. Ron refuses to publish his response to Buckley, which as the final Buckley quote demonstrates, is a wise choice.
RR Jr.: His father ''worked hard to impress upon his children the value of kindness.''
WFB: ''If he did, he was manifestly unsuccessful.''
According to Novak, "Those who know Nancy Reagan say she fully agrees with her old friend."
...the media is biased?!!! NO!! Getouttatown!!!
This story is no surprise to news junkies and bloggers as the main stream media savages Bush in degrading, personal terms, denigrates African-Americans, women and Jews in the Bush administration, inflates the veracity of a self-serving cast of dubious characters and scoundrels to heroic status, refuses to report on the economic recovery and distorts war coverage in an unparalled attempt to effect the outcome of the election and insure defeat in Iraq.
The media has been so successful in driving Bush's numbers down that they've become careless, barely covering their animus with a thin veneer of reportage or as this story in the LA Times demonstrates, they make simply it up:
A July 4 Times "news analysis" said: "L. Paul Bremer III, the civilian administrator for Iraq, left without even giving a final speech to the country--almost as if he were afraid to look in the eye the people he had ruled for more than a year."
Sure of their position, the media now openly flaunts their bias and boasts of their power.
Media: "Want Kerry to Win,”On Inside Washington, a weekend discussion show taped at and run by the Gannett-owned CBS affiliate in Washington, DC, WUSA-TV, and carried by many PBS stations across the country, Evan Thomas, the Assistant Managing Editor of Newsweek, pointed out the boost to the Kerry/Edwards ticket provided by the press corps:
“There’s one other base here: the media. Let’s talk a little media bias here. The media, I think, wants Kerry to win. And I think they’re going to portray Kerry and Edwards -- I’m talking about the establishment media, not Fox, but -- they’re going to portray Kerry and Edwards as being young and dynamic and optimistic and all, there’s going to be this glow about them that some, is going to be worth, collectively, the two of them, that’s going to be worth maybe 15 points.”
The week’s Newsweek, dated July 19, certainly backs up Thomas’ contention. Over a smiling picture on the cover of Kerry and Edwards, Newsweek ever hopefully asks: “The Sunshine Boys?”
Inside, at least in the Web-posted version, the headline reads: “Warming Up Kerry.” The subhead: “Blue skies: Their energy was infectious, but their numbers barely moved. Can Kerry-Edwards convert smiles into votes against Team Bush? Game on.” Howard Fineman and Richard Wolffe asserted at one point:
“Indeed, Edwards's ingratiating incandescence has already brightened Kerry. The two became a buddy-buddy act, hugging and whispering like Starsky and Hutch after consuming the evidence.”
Jeebus, the sad fact is that while most Americans view news with a certain level of scepticism, many are simply too busy to realize that they are being manipulated to this degree. The media will issue obscure back-page and middle-of-the-night mea-culpas for the most egregious distortions when outed and continue with business-as-usual.
To paraphrase Margo Channing "fasten your seatbelts, we're in for a bumpy night on Nov. 2nd."
Another story you won't see on network TV:
Iraq: Female Police Officers Challenge Themselves And SocietyIraqi women are slowly making inroads into the country's public life. Several women serve as ministers or as minor officials in the interim government. Others, however, are choosing more unconventional occupations such as serving in the country’s security services. Female police officers say they not only want to serve their country but to challenge themselves and Iraqi society.
Twenty-four-year-old Hajear and her sister Sarah, 26, are police officers in Iraq. They say they want to serve as role models for other Iraqi women who are used to working modestly in the home.
Hajear and Sarah arrived at the Al-Khadra police station in northern Baghdad just five days ago, after finishing a two-month training course. They wear blue Iraqi police uniforms and carry guns. Their faces are not covered, but they do wear Muslim head scarves. The sisters constantly smile and laugh. They are two of some 300 women serving on the Baghdad police force...
"My family encouraged me to be a police officer and to be an example of an Iraqi woman as a policewoman,” Hajear says. “They are afraid when I leave home and come back, but I was trained how to protect myself. I am not afraid."...
Sarah says she is ready to challenge a society run by men, to prove that women are equals.
"Women had pressure on them, and [men] would never let [a woman] serve in the police. Now, we have [female government] ministers. With God's help, we are police officers. Maybe in the future, I will be president," Sarah says.
Women are almost invisible on the streets of the capital Baghdad. The men say this is because of security concerns, that they are trying to protect them. Many women dispute this, however, saying men in Iraq have always been inclined to keep their wives and sisters locked up at home.
All shopkeepers in Baghdad are men or boys. Men sell newspapers. Men sell tea. Men drive cars. Men argue about politics in the cafes. Men preach the sermons in the mosques. Men fight and kill. Men are kidnappers and men are being kidnapped.
Hajear says Iraq needs "female brains to make the country really different." She says the Americans in Iraq pushed the idea that women should be allowed to serve as police officers.
"They trained us, they provided with psychological support," Hajear says. "So here we are, to break the old customs of our society and old beliefs that women are not good enough for public jobs.”
"We want to break this rule,” Hajear says. “We want to prove to them that we are like men, that women are the same as men. Before [the war], women were ignored, but maybe now the time has come when we can break this rule and prove the opposite."
Hajear says she hopes the next generation of Iraqis will be different.
"We know that in the U.S. Army, women can become generals. We would also like to be as they are," she says. "Now, we live without freedom, but we hope we will have it."
Senior Lieutenant Farid Khalil of the Al-Khadra police station says the concept of female police officers represents a big challenge to Iraqi society. He says the sisters are "damned brave to join the police in a society where people throw black paint at advertisements picturing females."
Perhaps the left can explain to this young woman that she would have a better future locked away behind her father's or her husband's walls.
Just as African-American leaders remain shamefully mute on the Sudan, the silence of American feminists in defense and support of their Muslim sisters is deafening.
yEP, iT'z SunDAe aNd tIMe 4 COTC. We mISSed LaST wEEkz, we DiD, cUz FeSTe lEFT toWN 'n tURNeD oFF tHe coMPUtR...kiLLjOy.
He'Rez kiTTen ZoE oN tHe frONt DeCK...sHe mADe meeSA pOSt iT, rEaLLy...sHE'z vweRY mEAn an tRIcksY.
--MoLLy
[Catnip: Carnival of the Cats is up at Lair's. Do not miss this week's Edloe pix. Newcomers: click here for Feste's archive of cat & dog pix. --Zozo]
One for my fellow cat bloggers:
Boaters find kitten swimming 3 miles offshore in Gulf of MexicoST. PETERSBURG -- When Maggie Rogers spotted something bobbing in the water three miles into the Gulf of Mexico while on a scalloping trip with friends, she assumed it was a turtle, or a piece of sea kelp.
But as the boat got closer and slowed down, she found it was a tiny, apricot-colored kitten. Nine inches long and screaming at the top of its lungs, the cat was paddling furiously.
``We scooped him up and he sat on the boat with me for eight hours,'' said Rogers, who is the finance director at the Clearwater Marine Aquarium.
``He was exhausted and stressed,'' Rogers said. ``His heart rate was high.''
The boaters on the 17-foot Scout Current Drift did not know how the kitten arrived in the Homosassa Bay. There were at least 40 boats in the crowded area where he was found, they said.
On Tuesday, three days after he was found, a veterinarian found the 10-week-old, 1-pound kitten had worms, but was otherwise healthy.
He was adopted by Rogers' sister-in-law _ and named Nemo.
UPDATE: Via Bloggg a photo of the lucky Nemo.
(via Drudge)
Unintended humor is often found in news reportage or lede headers, but this item in the current issue of TIME was responsible for the involuntary spitting of coffee over a perfectly good birdcage liner.
Imported From France: Wine, Truffles And Now — Leeches
Leeches, those ancient, creepy medical devices, have just been given a U.S. seal of approval. Though doctors have long used the little bloodsuckers to clear pooled blood in skin grafts and blocked veins, the French company Ricarimpex SAS is the first to have sought and received FDA clearance, under a 1976 law, to market the invertebrates for medicinal purposes. If that makes you squeamish, consider this: the FDA this year also allowed the marketing of medicinal maggots to eat away dead tissue from wounds.
However, in the same issue, Charles Krauthammer explains Why the French Act Isn't Funny Anymore
Chirac knows America's stake in both Afghanistan and Iraq. It is so great, and so obvious, that even in the midst of a bitterly fought election campaign, the opposition presidential candidate embraces the current Administration's objective of democratic reconstruction in both countries. Why then is Chirac making things as difficult as he can for the U.S.?It is not just pique. It is not just antipathy to George Bush. And it is not just France's traditional and reflexive policy of trying to rein in, cut down and domesticate the world's greatest superpower so that ultimately secondary powers like France could emerge as leaders of a multipolar world.
There is something far deeper going on here. Beyond the anti-Americanism is an attempt to court the Muslim and Arab world. For its own safety and strategic gain, France is seeking a "third way" between America and its enemies. Chirac's ultimate vision is a France that is mediator and bridge between America and Islam. During the cold war, Charles de Gaulle invented this idea of a third force, withdrawing France from the NATO military structure and courting Moscow as a counterweight to Washington. Chirac, declaring in Istanbul that "we are not servants" of America, has transposed this Gaullist policy to the struggle with radical Islam.
Explosive population growth in the Arab world coupled with Europe's unprecedented baby bust presages a radical change in the balance of power in the Mediterranean world. Chirac perhaps sees a coming Muslim future or, at least, a coming Muslim resurgence. And he does not want to be on the wrong side of that history. The result is a classic policy of appeasement: stand up to the American presumption of dictating democratic futures to Afghanistan and Iraq; ingratiate yourself with the Arab world. Thus, for example, precisely at a time when the U.S. and many Western countries are shunning Yasser Arafat for supporting terrorism and obstructing peace, Chirac sends his Foreign Minister to the ruins of Arafat's compound to shake Arafat's hand for world cameras.
This is pure pandering but with an agenda. Chirac wants not only to make France the champion of the oppressed in general against the great American hegemon but also to make it in particular the champion of Arab aspirations against American imperialism. Even the left-leaning French newspaper Le Monde criticized Chirac for acting the "killjoy" in Istanbul. But Chirac's behavior was no mere outburst. It is a strategy for a French future. Chirac is charting a course — a collision course with America. Istanbul was just one accident scene. There are many more to come.
The Marines may be on the verge of retiring the expression " taking one in the shorts."
Marines testing new Kevlar shorts in IraqCAMP RAMADI, Iraq(July 5, 2004) -- Marines here from 3rd Battalion, 11th Marine Regiment are currently testing lower body armor developed by the Marine Corps Warfighting Laboratory in Quantico, Va.
The Kevlar shorts were designed to repel razor-sharp shrapnel from improvised explosive devices detonated by anti-Iraqi fighters along transportation routes throughout the country.
According to Lt. Col. Lance A. McDaniel, battalion executive officer, the artillery unit received ten pairs of the shorts from the Warfighting Lab. The shorts arrived nearly a week ago and were distributed amongst the battalion's batteries.
While the Left fankles it's knickers inna a bunch over certain provisions in the Patriot Act, the Scots get serious.
ASYLUM seekers in Scotland will face electronic tagging within months as part of a major security crackdown by the Home Office, The Scotsman has learned.Reliance Monitoring Services, part of the same group as the security firm criticised for releasing prisoners in error, will take on the controversial contract, operating a six-month pilot scheme from September.
Home Office sources say that about 70 asylum seekers in Scotland will be involved in the compulsory trials, which will run alongside similar projects in England and Wales before being rolled out across the UK.
The idea was floated by the Home Secretary, David Blunkett last November, but The Scotsman understands the trial will go ahead in the autumn.
As part of the scheme, state-of-the-art equipment, including satellite tracking, will be used to enable the security forces to pinpoint the exact location of failed asylum seekers awaiting deportation.
"The government is keen to have monitoring of all asylum seekers," said a Home Office insider. "They are sending a strong message ... this is something they will have to put up with if they want to come into our country.
"Satellite tracking will also be used. Accuracy is down to inches, so we will be able to pinpoint the side of the street that someone is walking on."
Here's a story you will not see on ABCNBCCBSCNN:
Second Class of Iraqi Female Soldiers GraduatesZARQA MILITARY TRAINING BASE, Jordan, July 7, 2004 — Forty female Iraqi soldiers will graduate from the Jordanian Royal Military Academy here July 9, the second of three classes of this type planned to train at the academy, according to Office of Security Transition officials.
One would think that franchising and empowering women would be right down the Lefty media's alley, except Afghani or Iraqi women of course, who must be portrayed as frightened does caught in the glare of US stormtrooper searchlights.
UPDATE: It appears Iraqi women don't have to wait for this little girl.
Lileks fisks Moore's LA Times 4th of July editorial. This is my last post on Michael Moore, unless it's to comment on his obit.
Moore:"Let's create a world in which, when people see the Stars and Stripes, they will think of us as the people who brought peace to the world, who brought good-paying jobs to all citizens and clean water for the world to drink.In anticipation of that day, I am putting my flag out today, with hope and with pride."
Lileks: There you have it. He wants the flag to stand for clean water. This from a man who waddles up to the deep well of American freedom, fumbles with his zipper, and pisses in it.
Game. Set. Match.
While I'm on a well deserved, bash-the-French baguette...this item from Donnie earns a "beverage warning" and Blackfive's artful scorn.
"The country that thinks Jerry Lewis is a genius is going to protect the country that thinks David Hasselhof can sing...and second or third best military in the world? Sure. At DisneyWORLD..."
BUWHAHAHAHA!
...it is about oil.
We are constantly bombarded with the Dem canard that Bush destroyed our relationship with valued European Allies. These are the people that Kerry believes are our moral betters, at whose door we must knock before persuing our national interests?
Have the French lost their collective minds? Chirac's behavior on the world stage grows more depraved in France's ruthless pursuit of oil.
France opposes UN Sudan sanctions
The humanitarian situation is worsening
France says it does not support US plans for international sanctions on Sudan if violence continues in Darfur.The UN Security Council is due to discuss a US draft resolution imposing sanctions on militias accused of "ethnic cleansing" against non-Arabs.
Where is the hue and cry from the Congressional Black Caucus? The NAACP? Jesse Jackson? Maxine Waters? The NY Times? The networks?
The Sudan Times picks up the story of protest mounted in the US.
WASHINGTON, July 07, 2004 (UPI) -- Chanting "Slavery plus genocide equals Sudan," about a dozen protesters gathered Wednesday at the Sudanese Embassy for what organizers said was the third week of daily demonstrations against government-sponsored atrocities by Arab militias against blacks in the Christian south and western Darfur regions of the African nation.
A DOZEN.
Must read links via Instapundit.
The media scoffing at Secretary Tom Ridge's press conference this morning began while he was still speaking. It's either seen as a rank political ploy, ass-covering in advance of an attack the Administration is too inept to prevent, or that the great unwashed masses in fly-over country are too stupid to be of any value in ferreting out terrorists in our midst, thusly a waste of media brain cells.
Is it any wonder that this story didn't rise to the top of the media heap? It sure got my attention.
Over the weekend explosives were stolen from a storage facility on the SF Peninsula. Fortunately they were recovered today, but what were the Police and Sheriff's Dept. thinking here? Those of you who know the Crystal Springs Reservoir and watershed area realize it not an appropriate venue to store munitions (SF's water supply). Local officials should be asking the responsible authorities some serious questions.
ATF finds explosives stolen from Calif. storage lockerAbout 200 pounds of explosives and bomb-making hardware stolen from a storage locker used by two public safety agencies have been recovered from a stolen van, authorities said Thursday.
Stolen were 75 feet of "det sheet" and 30 to 35 pounds of C4, both explosives used by the military; 114 pounds of other explosives; and approximately 800 blasting caps and 1,700 feet of detonation cord, said Marti McKee, a spokeswoman for the federal Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms.
The items were stolen sometime over the July 4 weekend from storage magazines in a depot used by the San Francisco Police Department and the San Mateo County Sheriff's office.
The van was stopped near a shopping center in Union City Wednesday night, said McKee.
"It was a stolen van with stolen plates and we had information that possibly it was connected to the theft," she said. "We think we've recovered all of the explosives."
A man was detained by Hayward police but he was not arrested pending questioning by ATF agents, McKee said.
The media love fest begins.
Just two working class guys living the American dream.
Kerry's net worth (via John Heinz) is estimated by the LA Times as between $1-3.2 Billion, and Edwards' estimated at $12-60 Million. Edwards is from a working class family and made his dough the hard way, he sued the medical profession and healthcare industry.
Isn't it interesting that Kerry suddenly found the urge to bond with cattle, shoot skeet, reminisce about the good old days on the dairy farm and the veddy tony Heinz estate is now "the ranch."
Oh, Puhleeze. The Dems are not the party of the working or middle class, they are bankrolled by large donors, billionaires, wealthy media elites, and lawyers. Of the Top 10 wealthiest senators, 8 are Dems:
Heading the list is the Massachusetts Democrat and presidential candidate John Kerry,Second on the list, at a minimum of $111 million, is Herb Kohl of Wisconsin, who sold a chain of grocery and department stores before going into politics. He currently owns the Milwaukee Bucks professional basketball team.Next are senators John J. Rockefeller of West Virginia at $81.6 million, former Wall Street executive Jon Corzine of New Jersey at $71 million and California’s Dianne Feinstein, who is married to financier Richard Blum, at $26.3 million (Blum also has interest in contractors in Iraq).
Two other Democratic candidates for the presidency are high on the list. At ninth, North Carolina’s John Edwards reported a net worth ranging from $12.8 million to $60 million; at twelfth, Florida’s Bob Graham reported a range of from $7.7 million to $31.6 million.
In honor of the Kerry-Edwards ticket, today's Wictory Wednesday recipe is:
Meringue Kisses: lightweight and deceptively rich:
These little bliss bombs sound fussy to make, but once you get the hang of making meringue it goes very fast, you will make them often and they store well. Meringue kisses are delicious served with ice cream and summer berries...the denizens of the Feste manse scarfs them up like cookies.
2 egg whites
1/8 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon Cream of Tartar
1/2 Sugar
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
Preheat oven to 300 degrees and line two large cookie sheets with parchment paper.
Be sure the eggs are at room temperature to get maximum volume when beating. Watch point : Take extra care when separating eggs, even a speck of egg yolk will prevent whites from gaining volume.
Place egg whites in a mixer bowl, add salt and cream of tartar; beat at high speed until egg whites are very foamy and beginning to thicken. Add the sugar a little at a time, beating very well after each addition. Sugar should be well incorporated, it is impossible to beat this too much. When egg whites are very stiff, add vanilla a few drops at a time. The egg white mixture should be glossy and very thick. *Drop by teaspoonful onto the prepared baking sheets. Bake for 25 minutes. Turn off the oven; open the door a little to allow oven to cool slowly. Leave kisses in oven until cool to the touch. They will be very dry and crisp. Remove from baking sheets. Transfer to a cooling rack. When they are completely cool, store in an airtight container. Yield: 60 to 70 kisses.
If you prefer more diverse kisses, then gently fold 1 cup of chocolate chips into the mixture before spooning onto baking sheets. Bay Area readers might prefer something a little flakier: Add 1 cup of flaked coconut to the mixture before spooning out. For those on the lunatic fringe: add 1 cup of sliced almonds for a nice nutty crunch.
For uber rich candy kisses: sandwich cooled kisses by spreading a layer of melted dark chocolate on the bottoms of two kisses, press together, when the chocolate is set, dust kisses with cocoa. Be warned these may be addictive!
*For fancy kisses: spoon mixture into a pastry bag fitted with a large star tip and pipe 1" stars onto baking sheets.
If you're a blogger, you can join Wictory Wednesdays simply by putting up a post like this one every Wednesday, asking your readers to volunteer and/or donate to the Bush campaign. And do e-mail wictory@blogsforbush.com to be added to the Wictory Wednesday blogroll, which will be part of the Wictory Wednesday post on all participating blogs.
"Hey, Johnny, What are you rebelling against?"
"Whaddya got?"
We all wanted to be Brando, some of us, like Johnny, rebelled because we could.
We grew up. Sort of.
Be safe out there. Have a good one.
Lileks discovered something unusual and isn't sure what to make of it...Ahhh...ummm...nope... me neither.
More stupidity, that will only escalate as the self-loathing Left tries to quash 4th of July celebrations as jingoistic displays of American Imperialism, much as they have banned Christ from Christmas in the public square.
The Minnesota Twins planned a toy giveaway to honor our troops over the holiday weekend, unfortuntely they chose GI Joe dolls.
Twins say G.I. Joe dolls give away not about politics
MINNEAPOLIS - The Minnesota Twins say they'll proceed with plans to distribute G.I. Joe action figures in honor of troops serving in combat, despite criticisms from peace groups who say the giveaway is promoting the war.
As part of the team's second annual Armed Services Appreciation Day, the Twins plan to give the G.I. Joe figures to 5,000 children at Monday night's game against the Kansas City Royals.
"It really is intended to pay tribute to the soldiers, those infantry people who are serving the country here and abroad," said Patrick Klinger, vice president of marketing. "We wanted to pay tribute to the real G.I. Joes and G.I. Janes serving the country."
Some peace groups demanded that the team abandon the giveaway plan, but Klinger said the team also received hundreds of calls of support.
Toymaker Hasbro Inc. removed the gun from the action figure, but hand grenades are still visible. The Twins will provide packs of baseball cards for children whose parents don't want them to have a G.I. Joe, Klinger said.
John Varone, a Vietnam veteran and president of the Twin Cities chapter of Veterans for Peace, criticized the promotion. "The last place we need to promote war is at our national pastime," he said.
The Twins crafted a tribute to the service men and women that appears on the back of the action figure package, noting the contributions of thousands of Minnesotans supporting the nation as active or reserve members of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and National Guard. The Twins note that Guard members also serve during natural disasters and other emergencies.
"The Minnesota Twins salute these courageous men and women, past and present, who put their lives on the line to defend our country and assist us in times of need," the tribute reads.
Monday's game will be half price for current and former military personnel and their families. Before the first pitch, Gov. Tim Pawlenty will receive a flag being returned from battle by Company C, 142nd Engineer Battalion of the Minnesota Army Guard based at Camp Ripley.
"We are absolutely going forward with the promotion," Klinger added.
The hate American crowd screams about loss of rights, yet they constantly try to force their viewpoint on these rest of us.
This is the most rediculous story yet spawned by the 2000 Florida recount. Let's not lose sight that in the precincts that were the most chaotic the polling places, ballots and voter rolls were controlled by local Democrats. So what exactly is their beef? That their own local organizations are too stupid to run precincts or that they are corrupt?
US lawmakers request UN observers for November 2 presidential electionWASHINGTON (AFP) - Several members of the House of Representatives have requested the United Nations to send observers to monitor the November 2 US presidential election to avoid a contentious vote like in 2000, when the outcome was decided by Florida.
Recalling the long, drawn out process in the southern state, nine lawmakers, including four blacks and one Hispanic, sent a letter Thursday to UN Secretary General Kofi Annan asking that the international body "ensure free and fair elections in America," according to a statement issued by Florida representative Eddie Bernice Johnson, who spearheaded the effort.
"As lawmakers, we must assure the people of America that our nation will not experience the nightmare of the 2000 presidential election," she said in the letter.
"This is the first step in making sure that history does not repeat itself," she added after requesting that the UN "deploy election observers across the United States" to monitor the November, 2004 election.
The lawmakers said in the letter that in a report released in June 2001, the US Commission on Civil Rights "found that the electoral process in Florida resulted in the denial of the right to vote for countless persons."
The bipartisan commission, they stressed, determined "that the 'disenfranchisement of Florida's voters fell most harshly on the shoulders of black voters' and in poor counties." Both groups vote predominantly Democratic in US elections.
The commission also concluded, the lawmakers added, that "despite promised nationwide reforms (of the voting system) ... adequate steps have not been taken to ensure that a similar situation will not arise in 2004 that arose in 2000."
Once again Pols rely on an uninformed electorate lapping up their partisan poison. One would think American Pols would be asking Kofi Annan a few hard questions about the Sudan, not inviting them to do mischief within our electoral process.
Annan was recently served up a Sudanese Potemkin Village that will result in the deaths of hundreds of thousands of black Sudanese.
Sudan removes camp before Annan sees it Fast move by government pre-empts U.N. chief's view of desperate squatters
This is another horrifying example of an inept UN that calls for an investigation into their mishandling of resources and outright bungling of responsiblities. How many million Africans must die before the American Left realizes the UN has absoultely no interest in people of color and/or the poor and will them sell out to tyrant du jour.
UPDATE: John of LiLPoH writes:
"The bastions of politically correct thought in the liberal media can no longer ignore the genocide going on in Sudan. "
I wouldn't bet on it...as John says, the media will find a way to blame America. Read his excellent post. (a hat tip to Kat)
At last! The Dems have found the perfect spokesperson, he's ethnically diverse, urbane, politically savvy, and is right on script.
BAGHDAD, Iraq - A defiant Saddam Hussein (news - web sites) rejected charges of war crimes and genocide in a court appearance Thursday, telling a judge in his first public appearance since his arrest: "This is all theater, the real criminal is Bush."
The best Peter Jennings can summon up is a "queer eye for a bad guy" critique of Saddam's wardrobe?! The media has begun the transformation of Saddam Hussein into a sympathetic character to deprive Bush, and by extension, the Iraqi people of the smallest of successes. The media will not be denied failure in Iraq.
Isn't it interesting, American talk radio is roundly scorned by the media as trash, yet Christiane Amanpour quotes Bahgdad talk radio as a reliable source. The drumbeat for an international tribunal will begin in order to provide Saddam a hate America platform.
What the hell is wrong with these people? Their hatred of America is so intense that they turn a blind eye and deaf ear to the plight of millions of people living in fear and dying under monsters such as Charles Taylor, the Janjaweed, Aristide, Il Sung, Saddam and Castro?
