Sunday, December 25, 2005

Shark Attack #5

Big News!

A man attacked by a shark while surfing off the northern Oregon coast Saturday suffered lacerations on his ankle and calf, authorities said.

Shark bites surfer off Oregon coast

Explanation: The media makes a big deal out of it, so I will too.

Belated Shark Attack #4: I missed this one. I must be losing it.

California surfer fends off attack by shark

Oh, and Merry Christmas. If you want to wish me something, make it anything but 'happy holidays'. I don't care if you're a Sun worshipper, wish me whatever you'd like. I'd prefer anything other than 'happy holidays'.

I'll be off for a few days, so hold the fort for me. See you after the 'happy holidays'.
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Saturday, December 24, 2005

Merry Christmas

See you next week!
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Thursday, December 22, 2005

New Candidate for DNC Chair?

Howard Dean move over.

Hussein: White House 'No. 1 liar in the world'

This sounds eerily familiar.

"The White House lies once more," Hussein said, "the No. 1 liar in the world. They said in Iraq, there is chemicals, and there is a relation to terrorism, and they announced later we couldn't find any of that in Iraq."

Bush Lied!

"Also, they said that what Saddam Hussein (said) was not true," he continued in an apparent reference to his claims Wednesday that he and all seven of his codefendants were beaten and tortured by their American captors.

Bush Tortured!

"We don't lie," he said. "The White House lies."

Who leaked those DNC talking points anyway?!

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Wednesday, December 21, 2005

Judge This

The media conspiracy is making a stink today about the fact that the feds may be listening in on Al Qaeda members making international calls. Specifically, much is being made of the resignation of one U.S. District Judge from a court set up to judge the legalities of spying.

Unease Rises Over Domestic Spying

These experts pointed to this week's unprecedented resignation from the government's spy court by U.S. District Judge James Robertson as an indicator of the judiciary's unease over domestic wiretaps ordered without warrants under a highly classified domestic spying program authorized by President Bush.

"This is a very big deal. Judges get upset with government lawyers all the time, but they don't resign in protest unless they're really offended to the point of saying they're being misused," said Kenneth C. Bass, a former senior Justice Department lawyer who oversaw such wiretap requests during the Carter administration.

Let's ignore the fact that this ‘expert’ hails from the Carter administration. But as it turns out, Judge Robertson is the same jurist who wanted to drop POW status on Al Qaeda. In the manner of Joe Wilson, another partisan has inserted himself into the news. Lovely.

Judge Says Detainees' Trials Are Unlawful

In a setback for the Bush administration, U.S. District Judge James Robertson found that detainees at the Navy base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, may be prisoners of war under the Geneva Conventions and therefore entitled to the protections of international and military law -- which the government has declined to grant them.

The decision came in a lawsuit filed by the first alleged al Qaeda member facing trial before what the government calls "military commissions." The decision upends -- for now -- the administration's strategy for prosecuting hundreds of alleged al Qaeda and Taliban detainees accused of terrorist crimes.

"We vigorously disagree. . . . The judge has put terrorism on the same legal footing as legitimate methods of waging war," said Justice Department spokesman Mark Corallo.

And take a look at this ruling…

Judge Dismisses Indictment Against Hubbell

Needless to say, he was a Clinton appointee. My guess is that the media will grant him hero status by the end of the week.

Oh, by the way...

A federal appeals court overruled Robertson on the war-crimes commission, setting the stage for a Supreme Court showdown.

Judge who resigned from spy court critical of detainees' treatment

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Tuesday, December 20, 2005

Our Allies in Germany

I just felt the need to give a shout out to our backstabbing ‘friends’ the Germans. Thanks you for all that you do.

TWA hijacker released from German prison

Unbelievable.

A hijacker in a terrorist act that riveted America the 1985 seizure of a TWA jet in which a U.S. Navy diver was killed has returned home to Lebanon, paroled by Germany after serving 19 years of a life sentence.

On the second day of the seizure, the hijackers beat and shot to death Stethem, 23, of Waldorf, Md., and dumped his body onto the runway in Beirut.



Witnesses later identified Hamadi as having beaten the tied-up Stethem. According to testimony at Hamadi's trial, when Stethem complained about his bonds, Hamadi responded: "Let the pig suffer."

The plane's flight engineer testified at the 1989 trial that Hamadi bragged he had killed Stethem.

On Tuesday, the prosecutor's office in Frankfurt, Germany, announced Hamadi's release, saying he had been freed and left the country several days earlier after his case came up for a regular legally mandated review by a parole court.

McCormack said the U.S. was disappointed with Germany's decision to release Hamadi before he served his full sentence. He said the United States sought jurisdiction over Hamadi after he was arrested and over the years has repeatedly sought to have him tried in the United States.

I don't know how to react without using profanity, so I will let this article do the talking for me this time.

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Monday, December 19, 2005

Off the Deep End at Newsweek

Newsweek, famous for its false Koran Flushing Story, had the gall to publish one of the most idiotic hit pieces I have ever seen regarding the NSA foreign phone snooping issue. I know its Jonathan Alter, but my God, does anyone read for stupidity ahead of publishing? Oh wait, it’s the ‘Web Exclusive’, and he is a Senior editor.

Bush’s Snoopgate

Finally we have a Washington scandal that goes beyond sex, corruption and political intrigue to big issues like security versus liberty and the reasonable bounds of presidential power.

Why is it a scandal? Because we declare it one! I admit that all of those other 'scandals' were nothing of the sort, but this is a juicy one. We were shocked to find out that the NSA was listening to people! Err, I mean we were shocked to find out that the NSA was listening to terrorists when they were making overseas calls! The Horror.

We’re seeing clearly now that Bush thought 9/11 gave him license to act like a dictator

Just as in the Koran Flushing, we feel a great need to protect the liberties of terrorists, both foreign and domestic, from such insult and intrusion.

And rather than the leaking being a “shameful act,” it was the work of a patriot inside the government who was trying to stop a presidential power grab.

Leaking Valerie Plame’s overt identity destroyed national security efforts, and must be prosecuted. Leaking a real intelligence collection effort is patriotic. That makes perfect sense.

Bush was desperate to keep the Times from running this important story—which the paper had already inexplicably held for a year—because he knew that it would reveal him as a law-breaker.

We can jump to that conclusion, as stupid as it is, because we know everything. Bush has no real desire to protect Americans and is instead solely attempted to enslave us all by listening to foreign terrorists.

If the Democrats regain control of Congress, there may even be articles of impeachment introduced.

One can dream. But now we know what all of this is really about.

Similar abuse of power was part of the impeachment charge brought against Richard Nixon in 1974.

Ahh, the lazy days of Watergate are back. Yippie Hippie! There is a clear connection between listening to foreign terrorists that would kill us all and bugging a political parties offices. Isn’t it clear?! Bring on Joan Baez.

This time, the president knew publication would cause him great embarrassment and trouble for the rest of his presidency. It was for that reason—and less out of genuine concern about national security—that George W. Bush tried so hard to kill the New York Times story.

It is beyond me how Newsweek can sponsor such moronic drivel. Then again, I never thought faked stories of flushed Korans would be such a hit. So be it. I hope the Democrats echo this reaction to the leak, because it’s going to get them creamed in the midterms. Anyone who reads this article can see that the writer has a seething hatred of Bush, completely unrelated to the issue at hand.

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Sunday, December 18, 2005

Our Friends in Bolivia

Is another South American Country trending Commie? First Hugo Chavez, now Bolivia. The common theme: Stick it to America!

Bolivian Campaigns Against U.S.

Socialist Evo Morales waved coca branches as he headed to vote Sunday amid jubilant townsfolk who hoped to see him become Bolivia's first Indian president and end a U.S.-backed anti-drug campaign aimed at eradicating their crops.

Opinion polls gave Morales a slim edge over conservative former president Jorge Quiroga, who vowed to stay tough on coca and keep Bolivia on a free-market track…

Morales, 46, held himself out as Washington's “nightmare,” promising to reverse years of U.S.-backed efforts to wipe out coca fields…

And that will turn them from a poor state into a pariah state.

“If (the U.S.) wants relations, welcome. But `no' to a relationship of submission,” Morales said after casting his ballot, talking with journalists where piles of coca leaves were spread atop a Bolivian flag.

He compared the struggle of his Movement Toward Socialism party to those of Indian leaders who fought Spanish conquerers as well as to independence hero Simon Bolivar and socialist icon Che Guevara.

Below is the real problem:

Extreme poverty afflicts about half the population and the unemployment rate is above 9 percent.

Ignorance is a contributor also.

It has become quite common for foreign leaders to run on a campaign of anti-Americanism. From Bolivia to Germany, it is the same theme. This trend ought to be eye opening to those who would internationalize our government. All countries act in their own interest, and right now, many have a common interest in propping themselves up by tearing us down.

If a populace democratically chooses to be Communist, so be it. But don’t think the United States should provide a market for Bolivian drugs.

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Wednesday, December 14, 2005

Good News

Again.

On election eve, optimism prevails in Iraq

There's optimism, too, at Iraq's first and only radio station run by women, for women. Anchor Shaimaa Mohammed says America brought her political freedom.

"Americans didn't destroy our country," she says. "They freed us from a dictator."

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Tuesday, December 13, 2005

Correction, I Think

A couple of days ago I, with some hesitation, credited Al Jazeera with a story about insurgents vs. terrorists. It seems that it may have been a Reuters story after all.

Iraqi insurgents urge Sunnis to vote, warn Zarqawi

Former Baathists urge Sunnis to vote

The text is re-arranged and in some cases different, but most of it has been directly lifted from Reuters. Or, Reuters got it from a freelancer of some sort and so did Al Jazeera. Or, Reuters is now supporting Al Jazeera and gave it to them. Or, Reuters lifted it from Al Jazeera. Now that would be a laugh. Or, Reuters and Al Jazeera are so much alike that they came up with the exact same story, with the exact same text in many instances. In any case, someone got something from someone. Read both of these stories and let me know what you think.

The point of the story still stands, if it wasn't made up, that is.

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Sunday, December 11, 2005

Turning the Corner in Iraq?

For the record, I do not support or endorse the below site, but I find the article in question somewhat interesting, and worth considering. That being said, Al Jazeera is known for its moral equivalence in regards to terrorism and has treated known terrorist groups as though they were legitimate political movements. If you do not wish to support them, don’t follow the below link. But if there is any truth to the below report, it is, in my opinion, a major step forward for the US cause in Iraq.

Saddam loyalists urge Sunnis to vote

In a move that would have been inconceivable only months earlier, Saddam Hussein loyalists are urging Sunnis to vote in Thursday's poll and warning al-Qaida fighters not to launch attacks.

…fighters in the Western al-Anbar province say they are even prepared to protect voting stations from those loyal to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaida in Iraq.

Ali Mahmoud, a Falluja resident and former army officer and rocket specialist under the Baath party, said: "We want to see a nationalist government that will have a balance of interests. So our Sunni brothers will be safe when they vote."

But Saddam loyalists have turned against al-Zarqawi, originally from Jordan, whose fighters travel to Iraq from across the Arab world.

"Zarqawi is an American, Israeli and Iranian agent who is trying to keep our country unstable so that the Sunnis will keep facing occupation," said a Baathist leader who would give his name only as Abu Abd Allah.

Well, I don’t know about that last statement, but in any case, if true, this shift would be a huge step forward for the Iraqis, and one step closer, perhaps, to our common goal of bringing Americans home, leaving a stable Iraq in place.

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Saturday, December 10, 2005

Eating Their Own

This will be fun to watch.

Lieberman drawing Democrats' scorn

Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., is troubled by Lieberman's comments, Reid's aides said. "I've talked to Senator Lieberman, and unfortunately he is at a different place on Iraq than the majority of the American people," Reid said Friday.

What does it say about a party that claims to speak for the majority, yet can’t seem to swing one in a national election?

Liberal political groups, including Democracy for America and MoveOn.org, are considering ways to retaliate, including backing a challenge to Lieberman in next year's Democratic primary.

Way to alienate the center guys! Keep up the good work.

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Friday, December 09, 2005

Good News

More good news today.

Al-Qaida figure arrested in Ramadi

The American military Friday arrested a high-ranking member of al-Qaida in Iraq in the town of Ramadi, the U.S. Marines said.

Amir Khalaf Fanus, also known in the Ramadi area as "the Butcher," was wanted for criminal activities including murder and kidnapping, Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool said in a statement from the town, located 70 miles west of Baghdad.

"He is the highest ranking al-Qaida in Iraq member to be turned into Iraqi and U.S. officials by local citizens," Pool said.

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Wednesday, December 07, 2005

Taleban Unhindered

Anyone think the War on Terror is over? I never thought I would find myself supporting ‘bandits’. Go bandits!

'Bandits killed' in Taleban clash

At least 15 people have died in a clash between suspected Taleban militants and bandits in Pakistan's tribal area of North Waziristan, eyewitnesses say.

Taleban militants hung up three bodies of the bandits from electricity poles and chanted slogans on Wednesday, eyewitnesses said.

One local journalist, who wished to remain unnamed, told the BBC's Imtiaz Ali that suspected Taleban had taken over Miranshah and were roaming freely in the streets with their guns.

Something must be done about Pakistan. Call the UN!

Note: Taleban, Taliban, Tomato...

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Tuesday, December 06, 2005

Oh So Naive

Another stunning example of the irrational left. Note the media insistance on calling this a 'Christian' group, rather than labelling them as the leftist peace activists that they are.

The link from the front page states that a...

Christian group pleads for hostages' lives

The group, which has been stressing its opposition to "the invasion and occupation of Iraq," said in its statement that while it does not support kidnapping, it does not condemn the kidnappers for their actions.

"Perhaps you are men who only want to raise the issue of illegal detention. We don't know what you may have endured."

And, as if they wish to drive home the point that they are clueless to the nature of the terrorists, they state that the group...

...wants to be a "force that counters all the resentment, the fear, the intimidation felt by the Iraqi people.

we appeal to your humanity...

Unbelievable.

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Monday, December 05, 2005

Today's Democrat

This is the essence of the Party of Democrats today.

Dean Questions Commitment to Iraq Strategy

"The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong,"

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Sunday, December 04, 2005

Good News!

Intelligence chief: U.S. safer since 9/11

John Negroponte told CNN, "I think our country is safer today" because of better integrated intelligence efforts.

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