Playing us like a fiddle

Passengers Sued Over Imams' Removal [link]

MINNEAPOLIS - Six Muslim men removed from a plane last fall after being accused of suspicious behavior are suing not only the airline but the passengers who complained _ a move some fear could discourage travelers from speaking up when they see something unusual.

These six engaged in highly provocative behavior with the idea of provoking something like this. Well, they got the attention. And, shame on us if the judicial system finds for them.

Tag: Islam
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What is that noise?

U.N. Urges Resolution of Iran Seizure [link]

UNITED NATIONS - The U.N. Security Council expressed "grave concern" Thursday over Iran's seizure of 15 British sailors and marines and called for an early resolution of the escalating dispute, but Iran's chief international negotiator suggested the captives might be put on trial.

No, not that noise. That's just the U.N. doing their usual feist.

The other noise coming from the general direction of Iran. It sounds like people digging themselves into a hole.

Tag: news
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Congressional overstepping

Bush Demands Clean War Funding Bill [link]

As well he should. The Dems bought votes with pork barrel spending. Then they had the chutzpa to say this:

"Why doesn't he get real with what's going on with the world?" said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev. "We're not holding up funding in Iraq and he knows that. Why doesn't he deal with the real issues facing the American people?"

Does Reid have a clue? No. Pathetic opportunist that he is.

"On this very important matter, I would extend a hand of friendship to the president, just to say to him, 'Calm down with the threats," she said. "There's a new Sheriff Congress in town. We accept your constitutional role. We want you to accept ours." [edited for clarity. Ed.]

Sure. Just as Brutus extended a hand to Ceasar.

Really, this penchant for the Dems to point to the election as proof We the People want out of Iraq is overstepping their mandate.

I was unsatisfied with how things were going in Iraq. And, if some clever pollster asked if I was happy with the Iraq war, I might have said no. But, to interpret that as wanting out is overreaching.

If asked honestly, I suspect the majority of Americans wanted results in Iraq. Unfortunately, Rumsfeld was in charge and a lot of time was wasted in reaching that goal.

The truth is, the Dems are demonstrating that they are incapable of governance.

Tag: news and politics
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Encampment to Stop the War

It is time to go from protest to resistance [link]

Or, so says the International Center for Action.

I believe these people, and others like them in and out of Congress, are a vocal minority whose voice is being amplified by the yellow press; i.e., The New York Times, The LA Times, The AP,CNBC, CBS and the rest of The Establishment.

I am tempted to say, "Never has so much nonsense been inflicted on so many by so few".

Tag: news and politics
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Lord Jim...

Webb Aide Arrested for Gun Possession [link]

WASHINGTON - An aide to Sen. Jim Webb was arrested Monday when he entered a Senate office building with a loaded pistol belonging to the senator.

Well, according to Congressional rules, it is okay to bring a firearm into the Capitol if it is unloaded (it wasn't) and if it is securely wrapped (it wasn't).

And, the Senator said, he has a concealed carry permit in the State of Virginia.

Too bad the permit is invalid in D.C. where there is a prohibition on firearms, no exceptions.

So, it appears the only way to get a firearm into the Capitol is to parachute it in. It certainly is not lawful to carry it in from Virginia.

So, one is compelled to ask the Senator, the same Senator who said he wanted to slug the President over friendly chit-chat: Does Your Lordship consider Himself above the law of the land?

Tag: news and politics
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More climate change nonsense

Utility Chiefs Wary of Emission Limits [link]

Congress is considering an array of proposed bills aimed at curtailing the release of so-called "greenhouse" gases into the atmosphere, especially carbon dioxide from fossil-fuel burning. Scientists believe unless those emissions are rolled back the planet will become warmer causing severe climate consequences later this century.

Our salvation: The Senate, which is sure to put a stop to this nonsense."

Tag: climate change Trackposted to Outside the Beltway, Blue Star Chronicles, The Amboy Times, and Right Voices, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Sounding the alarm...

Waiting for the barbarians [1]

A once-great empire, Rome fell into catastrophic cultural and economic decline. Morris Berman on chilling parallels with modern America

When I wrote my recent book, The Twilight of American Culture, my focus was on what might be called "inner" barbarism, the structural factors endemic to American society that were, I believed, bringing about its disintegration.

Rome fell to the barbarians because the Romans were self-absorbed and lost the will to resist. Chilling parallels indeed. Here is an example of The People petitioning the Government to open the gates:

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The Plame Affair—fin

Plame Sheds Little Light in Leak Case [link]

This sums it up:

Still, Plame's appearance before the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee was a moment of political theater that dramatized Democrats' drive to use their control of Congress to expose what they see as White House efforts to intimidate dissenters.

In other words, the Dems are using any pretext to cause political trouble for the Administration.

But, despite partisan attempts at obfuscation, the facts of who said what to whom are public knowledge. So, I expect the usefulness of this story to extract a political price from the Administration has ended.

Tag: news and politics
Link: OTA Weekend
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What does hbl think?

hbl thinks John Sununu-nu-nu should keep his pie hole shut.

Republican Says Gonzales Should Be Fired [link]

WASHINGTON - Sen. John Sununu of New Hampshire on Wednesday became the first Republican in Congress to call for Attorney General Alberto Gonzales' dismissal, hours after President Bush expressed confidence in his embattled Cabinet officer.

Apparently Sununu is a candidate for Short Attention Theatre. President Clinton fired 92 of 93 Federal prosecutors when he took office and hardly a peep was heard from the Press or the Congress.

Tagged: news and politics
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Somebody mentioned Qubits…

Nobody laughed.

There is a raging debate going on about Qubits over at Genevieve's place.

Tagged: cartoon
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More on the Global Warming hype

Climate Report Warns of Drought, Disease [link]

Apparently the AP got an advance, unedited, copy of the second in a series of reports by the IPCC on climate change.

The AP article ticked off a veritable laundry list of disasters that are about to befall the planet unless we humans change our ways. Then, near the end of the article, there was this comment:

This report _ considered by some scientists the "emotional heart" of climate change research _ focuses on how global warming alters the planet and life here, as opposed to the more science-focused report by the same group last month.

In other words, this report has the hype big time. But, the report issued last month was a summary; the real science report isn't due out until May. Furthermore, dissenting voices in the climatology community accuse the IPCC of "cherry picking" the data in that report to support a predetermined conclusion.

Finally, the AP article refers to the IPCC as "authoritative" which only proves the MSM—or, the AP, at least—is incapable of doing critical reporting on this subject. The AP writer, besides likely being weak in science understanding, made the mistake of assuming a UN sponsored study group would not have a hidden agenda.

Tagged: climate change
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Chavez' inconvenient truth

Bush Won't Engage in Fight With Chavez [link]

I can imagine the Press is disappointed at being denied their favorite news item: Political brawls.

But, why should we debate with Chavez? Read this:

And while he won't mention Chavez by name, his soft-sell pitch clearly is intended to counter the Venezuelan leader's rising stature and rants that blame Latin America's poverty on U.S.-style capitalism.

Chavez is, indeed, making that charge but, Chavez is ignoring a glaring problem with his argument: If capitalism is so bad, how is it that so many of his countrymen--dirt poor when the leave--can come to the U.S. and prosper.

That, for Chavez, is an inconvenient truth.

Tagged: news and politics
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Would the Taliban tell the truth?

Not deliberately. But there are cues to what the truth is.

Afghan, U.S. Reports on Firefight Differ [link]

U.S. officials said militant gunfire may have killed or injured civilians, but Afghanistan's Interior Ministry and wounded Afghans said most of the bullets were American. Hundreds of angry Afghans protested near the blast site, denouncing the U.S. presence here.

The BBC World Report interviewed one of the angry Afghans. According to the interpreter, the Afghani said five of his family were martyred in the shooting.

An ordinary Afghan civilian would not use such terminology. He surely was Taliban or, at the very least, giving support to the Taliban.

Tagged: news
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