Benny's World

Bin Laden Pin-up Pics

2005-12-26T21:41:00.000-05:00

Has 9/11 been good for the career of aspiring singer Wafah Dufour? The niece of Osama Bin Laden has been attracting the media spotlight since shortly after her uncle's attack against the United States. Her near constant declarations of love for America have become a bit self-aggrandizing to some. She even sang and took part in some sort of weird newsmagazine music video when she was profiled by ABC's 20/20. Now Wafah has decided the true path to winning American love and acceptance is posing for a men's magazine. Thanks to the BBC.

Iraqis in Former Insurgent Stronghold Cheer American Soldiers

2005-12-21T18:54:00.000-05:00

Needless to say you won't read this one in the NY Times. It comes from The Telegraph of London and brings us details about the rather amazing turnaround in Tal Afar. It's hard to know how to judge success in Iraq. Is infrastructure reconstruction a better measure than a body count? I hope so.

Sadr City

2005-12-21T18:34:00.000-05:00

Sadr City has long been one of the most serious trouble spots in Iraq. A year ago the locals were battling U.S. troops and much of the MSM pointed to the slums as an area beyond the reach of U.S. or Iraqi forces. Today Sadr City is peaceful and seems to be an example of U.S. reconstruction projects winning the peace.

Reality Check

2005-12-20T15:20:00.000-05:00

One of the most damaging changes in American political culture has been the shift away from evidence of impropriety as the standard of wrongdoing. The emerging standard for scandal or wrongdoing has come to be settled upon as simply the appearance of impropriety. Facts no longer matter. Only appearances do. In a similar vein, Andrew Cochran is challenging opponents of The Patriot Act to produce some real victims of all the alleged abuses:

"So what strikes me about the Patriot Act debate is that, after 4 years, the opponents can't show us actual victims of all that 'abuse.' You don't see the weeping and crying, the class action lawsuits, and aggrieved parties with lives shattered by the junkyard-dog tactics of overzealous prosecutors and law enforcement. They weren't at congressional oversight hearings, they aren't at the press conferences, and they aren't cited in op-eds. The DOJ Inspector General hasn't found any. We've had four years of experience, and that's long enough - where are they?

So instead of talking about 'the potential for abuse,' as Victor Comras posted again below, I challenge Patriot Act opponents to show me the victims. Show me the real, actual, proven, damaged, victims - the dozens, scores, hundreds, or thousands - of all that Patriot Act "abuse." No more platitudes, cliches, or claims by advocacy groups, please."

Clinton Embraced No-Warrant Searches

2005-12-20T14:34:00.000-05:00

Clinton Democrats such as myself have to be honest about the recent history of executive branch debate over no-warrant searches. Bill Clinton, not George Bush, first argued against the FISA court. Byron York of National Review remembers.

Fatalism Kills

2005-12-20T10:17:00.000-05:00

Former Clinton strategist Dick Morris says the hypocrisy of democrats voting against key provisions of the Patriot Act is galling:

"How galling? One of the key provisions due to expire in two weeks is one that President Bill Clinton presented as the cornerstone of his response to the escalation of terrorism in the wake of the 1995 Oklahoma City bombing.

The measure allows 'roving wiretaps' — so that the FBI can tap all phones a suspect uses, rather than just one specific number. Hillary's vote to let this provision expire is incredible."

Bush's speech Sunday night has really boxed Democrats into a corner where they can accurately be portrayed as the party of fatalism. Saying you are against the Patriot Act without offering an alternative strategey is intellectually lazy, or even worse, fatalistic. If no course of action is acceptable, then why don't they just kill us already? That's not a policy. Forward looking optimistic candidates win American elections. Democrats need to remember that.

Executive Authority

2005-12-20T09:28:00.000-05:00

I hope the American people are sufficiently engaged to take note of the debate ignited by President Bush's Sunday night address. Conservative columnist George Will says Bush is grabbing too much executive power with the recently revealed domestic surveillance program. Will argues that our discussion should start with the 2002 Justice Department brief justifying W's power grab:

"Perhaps the brief argues, as its author John Yoo — now a professor of law at Berkeley, but then a deputy assistant attorney general — argued 14 days after 9/11 in a memorandum on 'the President's constitutional authority to conduct military operations against terrorists and nations supporting them,' that the President's constitutional power to take 'military actions' is 'plenary.' The Oxford English Dictionary defines "plenary" as 'complete, entire, perfect, not deficient in any element or respect.'

The brief should be declassified and debated, beginning with this question: Who decides which tactics — e.g., domestic surveillance — should be considered part of taking 'military actions'" ?

Address to the Nation

2005-12-19T20:59:00.000-05:00

For more than four years I've been waiting for George Bush to deliver an adult speech about the war on terror. A speech that acknowledges all the complexities and uncertainties inherent in asymmetrical warfare. Sunday night Bush finally delivered the speech. But here's the key, I didn't see it on TV, I read the text of the speech on the White House web site. Bush's physical appearance and manner are so alarmingly unpresidential that I've finally resorted to reading the speeches and don't even bother to TiVo the suckers. John Podhoretz of The New York Post offers a pretty smart take on the speech:

"And yes, he said, there is a serious argument against his entire approach in Iraq and the War on Terror that cannot simply be dismissed. The loss of life and limb in Iraq 'has led some to ask if we are creating more problems than we are solving.'

He called that question 'important,' and said 'the answer depends on your view of the War on Terror.'

Those killing and maiming American troops include foreign terrorists, which has made Iraq a battlefield in the terror war. 'If you think the terrorists would become peaceful if only America would stop provoking them, then it might make sense to leave them alone,' he said.

This is a very simple, but ultimately accurate, reflection of a strain of so-called 'realist' thought that courses through the non-psycho criticisms of the Bush administration policy. We are under attack, according to this line of thinking, because we are being provocative towards our attackers.

'This,' Bush said, 'is not the threat I see.' 'My conviction comes down to this,' Bush said. 'We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them.'

Thus, in a gesture rare for any president, did Bush fairly summarize criticism of his policy and then attempt to rebut it in a straightforward and humble fashion.

No Evidence of Secret CIA Prisons

2005-12-15T16:44:00.000-05:00

That's according to the top justice official at the European Union, via the NY Times:

"The European Union's top justice official said Wednesday that there was no proof yet to back up claims that the Central Intelligence Agency had set up secret prisons in Europe, contradicting allegations made the day before in a report by the Council of Europe."

Perhaps the European Union can subpoena Washington Post reporter Dana Priest and demand to know her sources for the original report? To hell with a free press, it's Europe after all. They could get all Judith Miller on her ass and throw her in a secret prison. Perhaps in Poland.

Good News, Really

2005-12-15T16:27:00.000-05:00

The election in Iraq looks like a great success. High turnout and little violence. So why does Spencer Ackerman of The New Republic feel so pessimistic?

"From here on out, measuring the Iraqi political process will be vastly murkier, and the United States will have no obvious point at which it can say its goals have been achieved--thereby facilitating an honorable withdrawal with minimal damage to U.S. credibility."

This clearly takes some sort of prize for missing the point. President Bush has repeatedly and clearly stated that U.S. forces will be withdrawn once Iraqi forces are fully functioning. The political process has never been key in driving the schedule for removing troops. Never.

Bush Admits Bad Intelligence

2005-12-14T13:52:00.000-05:00

From AP:

"President Bush accepted responsibility on Wednesday for the decision to go to war with Iraq despite faulty intelligence but said the decision to oust Saddam Hussein was still correct."

"'It is true that much of the intelligence turned out to be wrong. As president I am responsible for the decision to go into Iraq,' the president told The Woodrow Wilson Center on the eve of elections to establish Iraq's first permanent, democratically elected government. 'And I'm also responsible for fixing what went wrong by reforming our intelligence capabilities. And we're doing just that.'"

What Holocaust?

2005-12-14T08:47:00.000-05:00

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad seems to have fallen in love with the sound of his own anti-Semitic voice. Please Mamoud, we heard ya the first time...

Blame the Messenger

2005-12-14T08:39:00.000-05:00

Iraqis have discovered one of the secrets of western democracy. Attack the media! Angry Shiites are protesting Al-Jazeera following the broadcast of anti-Shiite remarks by a secular Sunni. This comes from AP:

"thousands of people chanted anti-Al-Jazeera slogans in the streets of the Baghdad neighborhoods of Sadr City and Karradah, and in the southern cities of Najaf and Karbala.

The demonstrations, which turned into political rallies, threatened to further polarize Thursday's parliamentary elections

A group of senior religious students in the Shiite holy city in Najaf, where the country's top four Shiite clerics live, called the program 'a provocation and flagrant aggression on the values and feelings of Muslims whether in Iraq or around the world.'

The statement said Al-Jazeera 'is financed by countries, governments, regimes, intelligence agencies and Muslim extremists who came to power through military coups.'

The students said people will respond to Al-Jazeera at the polls Thursday."

Women & The Future of Iraq

2005-12-14T07:20:00.000-05:00

How women are treated is one of the best indicators we have for judging the health of a nation. The future of Iraq may well be decided by how the winners of tomorrow's election view the implementation of sharia, or Islamic law. Isobel Coleman, writing in Foreign Affairs, says there's room for progressive reform:

"Contrary to the claims of secularists who deny the compatibility of Islam and modern notions of women's rights, Islamic attitudes on the question actually vary quite widely. According to "Islamic feminists," Islam is actually a very progressive religion for women, was radically egalitarian for its time, and remains so in some of its Scriptures. They contend that Islamic law has evolved in ways that are inimical to gender equality not because it clearly pointed in that direction, but because of selective interpretation by patriarchal leaders and a mingling of Islamic teachings with tribal customs and traditions. Islamic feminists now seek to revive the equality bestowed on women in the religion's early years by rereading the Koran, putting the Scriptures in context, and disentangling them from tribal practices."

Liberals for The Solomon Act

2005-12-14T06:09:00.000-05:00

Should liberals be supporting the Solomon Act? Pulling federal funding from law schools that ban military recruiters on campus doesn't feel like a liberal position at first glance. But T.A. Frank of TNR Online is hoping to change how the issue is framed:

"The Solomon Amendment controversy, in sum, awakens two competing liberal imperatives: promoting equality for gays and lesbians; and encouraging all members of society--and not just a segregated warrior class--to sacrifice for our national security. One of these efforts is going quite well; the other is going quite poorly."

"Princeton class of 1956, over 400 students of about 750 served in the military. By 2004, that number was down to 8 students out of about 1,100. These numbers are for undergraduates, of course, not law school students. But the fact is that the entire culture of elite education--undergraduate, graduate, and professional--has grown hostile towards the idea of military service over the past 50 years."

Optimistic Iraqis Salute America

2005-12-13T09:18:00.000-05:00

That's the NY Post headline on the findings of an ABC News/Time magazine poll of 1,711 Iraqis conducted in October and November.

"Iraqis are surprisingly optimistic about their lives and future despite violence and terrorism — most say they feel safe and a growing majority supports democracy, an intriguing ABC News poll found.

Most Iraqis also want U.S. forces to stay until security is better, the poll found — even though they don't like being occupied.

Some 71 percent of Iraqis say their own lives are going well now and they're also very bullish on Thursday's election — an impressive 76 percent say they expect that vote to pick a stable Iraqi government."

Broad Optimism in Iraq

2005-12-13T09:15:00.000-05:00

That's the ABC headline on the same poll results:

"An ABC News poll in Iraq, conducted with Time magazine and other media partners, includes some remarkable results: Despite the daily violence there, most living conditions are rated positively, seven in 10 Iraqis say their own lives are going well, and nearly two-thirds expect things to improve in the year ahead.

Iraqis Upbeat, Yet Critical of U.S.

2005-12-13T09:11:00.000-05:00

That's the lede on the Time magazine version of the same poll.

Civilian Deaths

2005-12-13T06:41:00.000-05:00

During the debate before the start of the Iraq War the so-called peace activists of ANSWER and No Blood for Oil told us there would be 500,000 civilian deaths during the invasion and immediate aftermath. Today the anti-war crowd likes to say that American forces have killed 100,000 civilians. The actual number, as best as can be estimated from The American Enterprise Institute Iraq Index is just under 30,000 civilian deaths over the last two years. The vast majority of those civilians were killed by terrorists, insurgents and Baathists. President Bush finally acknowledged the number yesterday. This comes from AP.

Patriot Act

2005-12-13T06:37:00.000-05:00

More than a dozen provisions of The Patriot Act are about to expire and The Counterterrorism Blog is urging Congress to take swift action:

"We can't risk sending a message of retreat and defeat to the terrorists or to our allies by resurrecting the "wall" between intel and law enforcement and reducing the tools which have been available to law enforcement for 4 years."

Tookie

2005-12-13T06:32:00.000-05:00

Convicted killer Tookie Williams was put to death early this morning. I've never managed to come up with an intellectually consistent position on the death penalty myself. But please, feel free to enlighten me with your comments on Tookie's death. This comes from AP.

Boys of Baghdad

2005-12-12T20:13:00.000-05:00

NY Times reporter Dexter Filkins tells us a little about the three major candidates running for Prime Minister of Iraq. All three went to the same elite prep school in Baghdad in the pre-Saddam 1950s. The piece reminded me of one of the reasons for optimism that the winner of Thursday's voting won't go all Saddam on us. The Baath Party period really was an aberration in Iraqi history. These men's personal stories illustrate that point.

Free Danielle & Carrie!

2005-12-12T20:04:00.000-05:00

What kind of country do we live in when a couple of Playboy models can't get crazy drunk in public? This comes from The Smoking Gun.

Nuts!

2005-12-12T20:00:00.000-05:00

Are bigots crazy? That's the question being pondered over at the Washington Post. Yanga sent this one in:

"Mental health practitioners say they regularly confront extreme forms of racism, homophobia and other prejudice in the course of therapy, and that some patients are disabled by these beliefs. As doctors increasingly weigh the effects of race and culture on mental illness, some are asking whether pathological bias ought to be an official psychiatric diagnosis."

Harold Pinter

2005-12-11T18:14:00.000-05:00

British playwright Harold Pinter is playing to the cheap seats:

"The invasion of Iraq was a bandit act, an act of blatant state terrorism, demonstrating absolute contempt for the concept of international law," Pinter said in a pre-recorded lecture broadcast by the Swedish Academy on Wednesday.

"One hundred thousand? More than enough, I would have thought. Therefore it is just that Bush and Blair be arraigned before the International Criminal Court of Justice," he added.

British Contractors Under Investigation

2005-12-09T18:37:00.000-05:00

The Washington Post reports the military is investigating the British contractors responsible for the "trophy video."

Front Page at the New York Times

2005-12-09T08:42:00.000-05:00

This morning's front page piece in the NY Times about Ibn al-Shaykh al-Libi is a good example of how America's paper of record goes about slanting the news and misinforming it's readers. The article by Douglas Jehl seeks to discredit administration claims of a connection between Al Qaeda and Iraq. Jehl reports that Mr. Libi's account of an Al Qaeda connection to Iraq was discredited within the Bush administration following reports he produced the information under "interrogation" by Egyptian officials. Libi has since recanted. All well and good. But bias is almost never about what you report, it's about what the you leave out. And Jehl has left out a lot. The Bush administration's claim about an Al Qaeda connection was always centered on the existence of the Ansar al-Islam terrorist camp in Northern Iraq. Ansar (or Answar) al-Islam was a well known Al Qaeda group operating in Iraq before the American liberation. Their chemical weapons facility was one of the first targets of U.S. forces at the start of the war. Oh, and their leader, a fellow by the name of al-Zarqawi. I guess the Times just forgot.

Law School Politics

2005-12-09T07:34:00.000-05:00

Yale law professor Peter Schuck is the author of "Meditations of a Militant Moderate: Cool Views on Hot Topics." This morning Schuck is attacking law school hypocrites for their efforts to ban military recruiters from campus. This comes from the NY Times:

"In the affirmative action cases involving university admissions that the Supreme Court decided in 2003, the universities invoked their educational expertise to defend a definition of applicant merit that disadvantaged whites and Asians; now they argue that the military may not invoke its warfighting expertise to define merit in a way that disadvantages gays.

The universities' position on government threats to cut off financing to enforce public policies is also inconsistent. A quarter century ago, many universities argued that Bob Jones University's tax exempt status and access to federal loans should be revoked because its racial policies violated civil rights law. Now the universities argue that their own funding should not be revoked for violating another federal policy."

Free Akbar Ganji Now!

2005-12-09T07:17:00.000-05:00

Amir Taheri has been leading the call demanding freedom for jailed Iranian journalist and human rights advocate Akbar Ganji. But for much of the rest of the western media, Ganji's refusal to condemn the United States has weakened his appeal. But perhaps the climate is changing. Taheri recently attended an awards dinner held by the Foreign Press Association in London:

"The FPA had decided to award its very first prize for a dialogue of cultures to Akbar Ganji, an Iranian investigative reporter who is on a hunger strike in Tehran's Evin Prison.

Together with several colleagues, I had been trying for months to persuade the Western media to take an interest in Ganji, a former Khomeinist revolutionary who is now campaigning for human rights and democracy. But we never got anywhere because of one small hitch: President Bush had spoken publicly in support of Ganji and called for his immediate release.

And that, as far as a good part of the Western media is concerned, amounts to a kiss of death. How could newspapers that portray Bush as the world's biggest 'violator of human rights' endorse his call in favor of Ganji?"

Someone Gag Howard, Please!

2005-12-09T06:05:00.000-05:00

I've said it before, but let me reiterate, no matter how many silly things come out of his mouth, I like Howard Dean. Unfortunately, Dean's recent statement that U.S. forces will not win in Iraq is looming even larger than the infamous scream which cost Dean the democratic nomination in 2004. It's being reported this morning that the RNC is already preparing commercials depicting Dean waving a white flag of surrender. This is not good for Democrats. Ralph Peters of The New York Post:

"I've always been a swing voter, but I cannot vote for cowards, traitors or fools. True, there are rational voices in the Democratic ranks. Sen. Joe Lieberman isn't just a politician — he's a statesman of great moral force. Sen. Clinton, too, has tacked to a sensible course on Iraq — if for pragmatic reasons.

Still, not one high-profile Democrat has called publicly for the removal of Howard Dean, the terrorist cheerleader, from the helm of their party."

The GOP Dean Ad

2005-12-09T06:03:00.000-05:00

Saddam's Strutting

2005-12-09T05:51:00.000-05:00

Charles Krauthammer believes the trial of Saddam is a disaster even by the standards of the Bush administration. I tend to agree:

"War crimes trials are, above all and always, for educational purposes. This one was for the world to see and experience and recoil from the catalogue of Saddam's crimes, and thus demonstrate the justice of a war that stripped this man and his gang of their monstrous and murderous power.

It has not worked out that way. Instead of Saddam's crimes being on trial, he has succeeded in putting the new regime on trial. The lead story of every court session has been his demeanor, his defiance, his imperiousness. The evidence brought against him by his hapless victims - testimony mangled in translation and electronic voice alteration - made the back pages at best."

It's just a t-shirt

2005-12-08T19:17:00.000-05:00

Kathryn Jean Lopez over at National Review is livid that someone might want a Che t-shirt for Christmas. I think she needs to cool her jets and realize that Che t-shirts are a counterculture symbol to the left in much the same fashion the confederate flag is a counterculture symbol to some on the right. People who wear Che on their chests aren't really endorsing the firing squads and the concentration camps Che ran with bloodthirsty glee. They know as much about Che as the rednecks flying confederate flags from their pickups know about slavery.

A Message From al-Zarqawi

2005-12-08T17:54:00.000-05:00

c/o The Counterterrorism Blog

"Do you know what participating in the elections means? Participating in the elections means that you believe in the leader of the infidels, and what he has called for. Remember that your mere participation means that you have agreed to do as the Americans have demanded. In fact, if you participate you are obeying the infidel leaders—Bush, Rice, and Kofi Annan. Do you want to follow them? Taking part in the elections means that you do not value the blood of your brother martyrs that has been spilled all across Iraq in order to defend the people, Islam, and the honor of our Muslim nation. Your participation in elections that are held by the murderous infidels demonstrates utter disregard for the blood of your brothers... Participation in the elections means that you have been tricked by the Americans and the Jews."

Bush Poll Numbers Up

2005-12-08T16:04:00.000-05:00

There is a lot of interesting data to mull over in the latest Bush numbers. The CBS/New York Times poll of 1,155 adults was conducted Dec 2-6 and has a margin of error of plus or minus 3 pts. Some interesting points:

REMOVING U.S. TROOPS FROM IRAQ: RECIPE FOR DISASTER?

Yes
61%

No
34%

HOW IS THE WAR GOING?

Very/somewhat well
Now
46%

Oct. 2005
40%

Very/somewhat badly
Now
52%

Oct. 2005
57%

French Farmers Kill

2005-12-08T15:50:00.000-05:00

The French government continues to hold free trade hostage to the interests of French farmers. European farm subsidies are a major obstacle to improving the world trading system and the lives of millions in less developed nations. Even Brazil is asking the United States what can be done to stop France. Even stranger, The New York Times seems to understand the story.

Stupid People

2005-12-08T15:42:00.000-05:00

Right-wing diva Ann Coulter got heckled pretty good at the University of Connecticut last night. Not exactly surprising, but why is it always liberals refusing to hear the other guy out? From the Hartford Courant:

"After waiting with her bodyguard on stage for several minutes for the music to stop while a section of the audience chanted "You suck, you suck," an irritated Coulter said she would not finish her speech. She said she would go straight to questions and answers, suggesting the disruption was the best the liberals could do to counter her. 'I love to engage in repartee with people that are a lot stupider than I am,' she said."

Move Israel to Europe

2005-12-08T15:36:00.000-05:00

That's the idea being promoted by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Considering the history of the 20th century, the Jews might be safer in the Middle East. This comes from Breitbart.

Rumsfeld Out?

2005-12-08T15:30:00.000-05:00

The New York Daily News reports that Donald Rumsfeld could be on the way out the door. Let's all hold hands and hope so. It's also rumored that Democrat Joe Lieberman could replace Rummy at Defense. Who would you like to see get the job? Nominate your candidate below.

Fidel Offered to Convert to Islam

2005-12-07T18:50:00.000-05:00

Iranian satirists operating outside the country are having a ball with their government's offer to Fidel Castro that he convert to Islam. This comes from MEMRI:

"First: For years, Castro has not shaved his beard, while many of our brother Hizbullah members who deviated [from the righteous path] shaved their beards after a while. For example, we can point out Saeed Hajjarian, [3] [Ataollah] Mohajerani, [4] and Abbas Abdi. [5]

Second: For years, Castro has repeated a single mantra, and is not willing to accept that the world has changed. Thus, he is eminently suitable for us.

Fourth: In light of the fact that Castro has for years prevented freedom of speech in Cuba, it seems that his beliefs have been similar to those of [Iran's] religious conservatives for quite a while. For this reason, everything fits.

Fifth: In light of the fact that for years Castro has worn an army uniform, it is now clear that he is a born jihad fighter for Allah, and is one of our brothers the Basij."

Negotiating with Insurgents

2005-12-06T22:21:00.000-05:00

Time magazine Baghdad bureau chief Michael Ware is one crazy looking fucker. I saw him on MSNBC the other day acting like a wild man loose in the green zone. Bug-eyed TV appearances aside, Ware's got a jewel of a piece on the insurgency in this week's edition:

"Differences between Baathist insurgent groups and al-Qaeda are driven by discomfort with al-Zarqawi's extreme tactics and willingness among some Iraqi commanders to join the political process. U.S. officials in Baghdad confirm to TIME that they have stepped up their efforts to negotiate with nationalist insurgents and the Sunnis they represent. "We want to deal with their legitimate concerns," U.S. Ambassador Zalmay Khalilzad tells TIME. 'We will intensify the engagement, interaction and discussion with them.'"

Samarra

2005-12-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

Another Iraqi success story is being written in Sunni dominated Samarra. This from The Associated Press:

"After keeping their distance for months, Iraqis in this Sunni Arab city suddenly began cooperating with U.S. troops, leading them to insurgents and hidden weapons caches. The reason: anger over a local tribal chief's assassination by insurgents."

The Qur'an & Mein Kampf

2005-12-06T20:31:00.000-05:00

Is the Islamic holy book the equivalent of Mein Kampf? I wouldn't touch that one if you paid me. However, the folks at Jihad Watch have taken the bait.

Sami Al-Arian

2005-12-06T20:26:00.000-05:00

The Justice Department has sufffered a major legal defeat in the war on terror. From the Counterterrorism blog:

"The most important terrorism-related trial in the U.S. since the 9/11 attacks has concluded with the jury effectively rejecting the government's entire case against Sami Al-Arian and his co-defendants for their alleged activities on behalf of the Palestinian Islamic Jihad. Tthe jury acquitted Al-Arian of eight of the 17 counts against him, including the key charge of conspiring to maim and murder people overseas, and deadlocked on the other charges, including that he aided terrorists."

Dr. Fidel

2005-12-06T20:19:00.000-05:00

Castro is offering health advice to Jeb Bush. From UPI:

"After alleging Bush might have helped Luis Posada Carriles enter the United States earlier this year, Castro also suggested the governor do a little exercise.

'Forgive me for using the term fat little brother' the Miami Herald reported Castro said. 'It is not a criticism, rather a suggestion that he do some exercises and go on a diet, don't you think? I'm doing this for the gentleman's health.'

Governor Bush's office refused to comment on Castro's remarks."

Saddam

2005-12-06T16:04:00.000-05:00

The Butcher of Baghdad is having a bad week in court. First he was forced to sit thru tales of torture involving a meat grinder, parents forced to watch their children being savaged, and a young girl offered up to prison guards "like a banquet." Now Saddam says he's had enough and will not be returning to court. Can't we just kill the savage and then start worrying about building democratic institutions including a functioning court system? Why start now?

Lincoln & Iraq

2005-12-06T15:44:00.000-05:00

Harvard Law professor William Stuntz says Abraham Lincoln and George Bush have a lot in common. Stuntz makes a pretty good argument in the New Republic Online. His major point is that both men started just wars for the wrong reasons. And it's useful to note that Lincoln faced a much stronger antiwar movement.

Dean: US Won't Win in Iraq

2005-12-06T14:40:00.000-05:00

I like Howard Dean, but he's got to stop this...

Wesley is Back

2005-12-06T11:06:00.000-05:00

Wesley Clark is weighing in on Iraq with an op-ed piece in the NY Times. Clark says President Bush and Congressional Democrats are missing the story:

"While American troops have been fighting, and dying, against the Sunni rebels and foreign jihadists, the Shiite clerics in Iraq have achieved fundamental political goals: capturing oil revenues, strengthening the role of Islam in the state, and building up formidable militias that will defend their gains and advance their causes as the Americans draw down and leave. Iraq's neighbors, then, see it evolving into a Shiite-dominated, Iranian buffer state that will strengthen Tehran's power in the Persian Gulf just as it is seeks nuclear weapons and intensifies its rhetoric against Israel."

Codepink on Hillary

2005-12-06T07:53:00.000-05:00

The pro-fascist "peace" activists over at Codepink are throwing a shit fit because Hillary Clinton doesn't agree with them. How typical. This comes from The Daily News:

"Anti-war activists furious with Sen. Hillary Clinton are vowing to bird-dog her everywhere she goes, starting with a swanky Manhattan fund-raiser tonight.

Clinton's letter last week clarifying her position on Iraq - which included rejecting a timetable for withdrawal - fanned the anger of some war opponents, who decided to launch a campaign against New York's junior senator.

'We're calling it Bird-Dog Hillary,' said Medea Benjamin of the peace group Codepink.

'I'm so mad at her,' said Nancy Kricorian, Codepink's New York City coordinator. 'We will dog her wherever she goes.'

Kricorian's group and several others plan to show up tonight at Crobar in Manhattan, where former President Bill Clinton is the top draw at a fund-raiser for his wife."

Hillary & The Guys

2005-12-06T06:40:00.000-05:00

Newsweek is taking a look at Hillary's transformation into a hawk and it's a typically Clintonian picture. She is mastering the details. But why is everybody so surprised a woman is taking the time to educate herself about military affairs?

"Clinton has used her platform on Armed Services to educate herself on defense issues. She receives briefings from military officials and calls big thinkers from her husband's Rolodex, including Madeleine Albright and Richard Holbrooke, for advice. Some of those who've met with her have come away surprised by her command of the material. Former secretary of Defense William Perry went into one briefing expecting lots of interruptions. Instead, the pair spent two solid hours during which Clinton grilled him with detailed questions. 'I started to worry I'd run short of material,' joked Perry.

For her efforts, she has begun to win respect within military circles. Retired Gen. Jack Keane, the former vice chief of the Army whom she's consulted about Iraq, says he's praised her to 'the guys'—meaning the Pentagon brass."

Hillary Wraps Herself in Flag

2005-12-06T05:31:00.000-05:00

Hillary Clinton is a brilliant politician but she may be triangulating herself into a corner on the issue of flag burning. Hillary is co-sponsor of a Republican proposal to outlaw flag desecration. This is a slightly different angle on the standard debate over a constitutional amendment. This comes from the New York Post:

"Seventy percent of Americans want flag-desecration outlawed, according to several polls — and that feeling is even stronger among the moderate red-state voters Clinton needs to make any White House hopes a reality.

Yet the liberal core of the Democratic Party that Clinton must have during the primary season is dead-set against amending the Constitution to banning flag-burning — which the Supreme Court has ruled is protected by the First Amendment."

Sour Grapes in Paris

2005-12-04T17:09:00.000-05:00

JUDGMENT OF PARIS: California vs. France and the Historic 1976 Paris Tasting That Revolutionized Wine by George M. Taber looks like a wonderful Christmas gift for the wine lover in your life. Ralph Peters reviews...

How Vulgar

2005-12-04T17:05:00.000-05:00

The number of French women molesting a cemetery statue because they think it will bring them a husband has become unbearably high. The well-endowed Paris statue has now been fenced off. This comes from the BBC.

Mocking Chirac

2005-12-04T16:58:00.000-05:00

French television is mocking President Jacques Chirac at the same time American imports are dominating French media. Page Six can't resist:

"TV station Canal Plus has a terrific daily satire program, 'Les Guignols de Info' ('guignol' means 'puppet show'). It recently showed Chirac seeking help from Jack Bauer, the counterterrorist agent played by Kiefer Sutherland (above) on '24,' which is now in its fourth season on French TV. Bauer replied in a horrible accent, 'Oui, Messieur President.'"

In Defense of Propaganda

2005-12-02T18:21:00.000-05:00

Walter Jajko says it's good news that the Bush administration is engaged in propaganda operations in Iraq. I tend to disagree but also understand the opposing opinion that everyone needs to grow up about the issue. It's all fucking spin. A lie repeated a thousand times becomes the truth. Do we expect the administration to ignore the rules of the real world? This comes from The Los Angles Times.

Law School Hypocrisy

2005-12-02T16:00:00.000-05:00

A consortia of 38 law schools goes before the Supreme Court on Monday. They will argue that a law stripping federal funds from schools that ban military recruiters is unconstitutional. The schools object to military recruiters because they believe the don't ask, don't tell policy toward homosexuals is itself unconstitutional. But their position seems a bit hypocritical to KIERAN LALOR of The Eternal Vigilance Society:

"Under our Constitution, civilians control the military. (Legal scholars generally know this.) Why ban the military from campus when Congress passed "don't ask, don't tell" into law?

Rep. Nita Lowey, whose district includes my school, voted in favor of 'don't ask, don't tell' in 1993. In March 2004, she voted to significantly strengthen the Solomon Amendment. That same month, Lowey was welcomed to campus and given the 'Pioneer of Justice and Equality for Women and the Law' award."

Measuring Success

2005-12-01T20:47:00.000-05:00

Is it possible to measure success in Iraq? That's the most important question to be asking at this point in time. The latest news is very encouraging. Suicice attacks in Iraq are at a seven month low. The drop is the result of joint combat operations which have been run along the Euphrates river to apparent great success. From the Associated Press:

"Instead of fighting through an insurgent stronghold along the border and then leaving as it has in the past, U.S. troops now leave behind an Iraqi military post to maintain security after a town has been cleared.

Lynch, who is an operations officer as well as a spokesman, said as a result the main entry point for foreign fighters has now been shut down and al-Zarqawi is having a difficult time carrying out attacks. At least 96 percent of suicide bombers are from outside of Iraq, he added.

'His weapon of choice is suicide bombers,' Lynch said. 'In the month of November: only 23 suicide attacks; the lowest we've seen in the last seven months, the direct result of the effectiveness of our operations.'"

Coverage of Murtha Sloppy at Best.

2005-12-01T18:58:00.000-05:00

The coverage of U.S. Representative John Murtha and his call for the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq has been shockingly superficial and lacking in historical context. I've been unsuccessfully trying to find an article in the MSM which mentions the significant historical parallel between Murtha's recent call for troop withdrawals and his similar call for the removal of U.S. forces from Somalia in 1993. An event often cited as the reason for Osama's belief he could escalate his attacks against the United States. Why aren't reporters reminding us that Murtha lead the attacks against President Clinton for his humanitarian intervention in Somalia? But not just that. Murtha also voted against the air campaign to stop ethnic cleansing in Kosovo. All of which brings us to Murtha's latest, he says the U.S. Army is "broken"in Iraq. Everybody is entitled to their opinion. But why do all of the press accounts paint him as some sort of hawk turned peace activist when he clearly isn't? This is either shockingly sloppy reporting or sinfully biased context from the MSM. From the Associated Press.

Not a Word in the Times

2005-12-01T18:52:00.000-05:00

Not a word in The New York Times coverage of President Bush's speech about the war yesterday mentions Bush's salute to slain Marine Cpl. Jeffrey Starr. That's a significant journalistic sin because it was Cpl. Starr's memory which was slandered by an earlier Times report misquoting his final letter home. From the New York Post:

"What the Times left out — and what Bush pointedly quoted in his speech — was this:

'I don't regret going, everybody dies but few get to do it for something as important as freedom. It may seem confusing why we are in Iraq, it's not to me.

I'm here helping these people, so that they can live the way we live. Not have to worry about tyrants or vicious dictators. To do what they want with their lives. To me, that is why I died. Others have died for my freedom, now this is my mark.'

In an effort to get their son's moving words into the public eye, the family passed the letter last month to conservative columnist Michelle Malkin and The New York Post, which wrote a series of articles highlighting the Times' omission and publicizing the part of the letter that was left out."

This is Funny

2005-12-01T18:48:00.000-05:00

From the NY Post:

"FRENCH DOVE TURNS HAWK ON PULLOUT

November 30, 2005 -- PARIS — French Prime Minister Dominique de Villepin, one of the harshest critics of the U.S.-led liberation of Iraq, yesterday said Washington should not pull out troops without regard to regional security.

Villepin said a badly planned withdrawal could cause chaos.

He said any withdrawal 'should be coordinated with the local situation in Iraq and the regional situation.'"

Put Galloway on Trial

2005-12-01T18:38:00.000-05:00

Iraqi author Fadhil Rashid is calling on the Iraqi government to put British politician and anti-war activist George Galloway on trial for crimes against the Iraqi people. I wonder if Rashid is getting paid by that covert Defense Department propaganda program? I hope not. But the argument is valid even if the messenger is not. This comes from MEMRI:

"I assure you that the Iraqi people will never turn a blind eye to those who robbed them. You robbed from all of the Iraqis what amounts to approximately 20 million barrels of oil [that you received] in exchange for misleading public opinion concerning the crimes perpetrated by Saddam against his people."

"In this article, I call on the Iraqi government to open the file on the Oil-for-Food scandal and file criminal indictments with international courts against those who benefited [from the oil vouchers] and those who stretched out their hands and took those vouchers from Saddam."

"May the first [to be indicted] be George Galloway…"

Moral Absolutism

2005-11-30T16:28:00.000-05:00

Liberals love to attack President Bush for his moral clarity. Bush's moral absolutism drives them crazy and makes their skin crawl. I've watched otherwise rational people foam at the mouth when the subject turns to Bush and his rejection of relativism. Now the issue of torture is pushing the debate in a very odd direction. Liberals are being asked to drop the absolutes and deal with nuance. And once again, they are foaming at the mouth. This comes from National Review:

"Well, we now have a situation where the Bush administration is asking for liberals — and some conservatives — to see beyond the spectrum of black and white. But the supporters of the McCain Amendment, which would ban "coercive" measures and impose constitutional strictures of due process on the war on terror, insist that there are only two choices. Either you can agree with them and support the bill or you must love torture. Complete and total moral absolutism is the order of the day."

Bush's Plan

2005-11-30T11:22:00.000-05:00

The White House has released a declassified 38 page document outlining the President's strategy for victory in Iraq. I seriously doubt any of the war's critics will take much time to read it. We link to it below. CNN characterizes the plan this way:

"The plan calls for pursuing three tracks: political, security and economic. The tracks are broken down into eight pillars, including defeating terrorists and neutralizing the insurgency; helping Iraq strengthen its economy; and increasing international support for Iraq."

Death From Above

2005-11-29T19:54:00.000-05:00

I finally got around to reading Seymour Hersh's piece on Iraq in The New Yorker. The most interesting angle is the possibility the Bush administration will dramatically increase the use of airpower when it begins drawing down U.S. troop levels. The plan sounds very similar to the strategy used to great success in Afghanistan. Small Special Forces teams with laser pointers will mark targets while embedded with Iraqi troops. Hersh reports there is a lot of resistance to this idea among Air Force brass because of concern about targeting. I must admit, it does sound like something Donald Rumsfeld would come up with.

"Trophy Video"

2005-11-29T13:45:00.000-05:00

This comes from the Sunday Telegraph:

"A 'trophy' video appearing to show security guards in Baghdad randomly shooting Iraqi civilians has sparked two investigations after it was posted on the internet, the Sunday Telegraph can reveal."

"There are no clues as to the shooter but either a Scottish or Irish accent can be heard in at least one of the clips above Elvis Presley's Mystery Train, the music which accompanies the video."

Trophy Video Here

2005-11-29T13:32:00.000-05:00

Ferrer Blames Press

2005-11-29T11:50:00.000-05:00

Failed New York City mayoral candidate Fernando Ferrer isn't talking to the English language press but he's telling the Spanish language El Diario newspaper that biased reporters and editors doomed his campaign. The New York Times has translated Ferrer's comments even while he refuses to return their phone calls for comment:

"Mr. Ferrer told El Diario, one of the few New York newspapers to endorse him instead of Mr. Bloomberg, that the news media had treated his candidacy 'in an absolutely different way' from the mayor's. As an example, he said he believed that reporters did not take notes at his news conferences"
"Despite all of this, Mr. Ferrer said: 'I thought that I would overcome partiality, especially after the primaries. I thought that being the first Latino nominated by the Democratic Party in New York would mean something.'"

It did mean something. It drove an unprecedented number of African America voters to the Republican candidate.

Torture

2005-11-28T19:48:00.000-05:00

Is torture always wrong? A relativist would say no. And so would the neocons. Charles Krauthammer picks up the argument in The Weekly Standard:

"A terrorist has planted a nuclear bomb in New York City. It will go off in one hour. A million people will die. You capture the terrorist. He knows where it is. He's not talking.

Question: If you have the slightest belief that hanging this man by his thumbs will get you the information to save a million people, are you permitted to do it?

Now, on most issues regarding torture, I confess tentativeness and uncertainty. But on this issue, there can be no uncertainty: Not only is it permissible to hang this miscreant by his thumbs. It is a moral duty."

Darfur Now

2005-11-28T19:30:00.000-05:00

If we intend to save lives in Darfur we had better get some combat forces on the ground. That's the argument put forth by Eric Reeves in the current New Republic. Reeves argues that most of the international aid organizations on the ground are pulling out because of the escalating violence:

"Either America and its western allies put troops on the ground in Darfur soon, or the time to act will have passed. Perhaps 400,000 people have died in Darfur already, but after humanitarian workers leave, those numbers will swell quickly and considerably. After all, while humanitarian workers have an evacuation option, Darfur's residents do not."

Crooks & Liars

2005-11-28T19:13:00.000-05:00

Congress is really in rare form lately. California Republican Duke Cunningham admits to taking bribes from a defense contractor and my mother just shrugs. It's hard to keep track of these crooks and liars:

"In a statement, prosecutors said Cunningham admitted to receiving at least $2.4 million in bribes paid to him by several conspirators through a variety of methods, including checks totaling over $1 million, cash, rugs, antiques, furniture, yacht club fees and vacations.

Cunningham's pleas came amid a series of GOP scandals. Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas had to step down as majority leader after he was indicted in a campaign finance case; a stock sale by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist is being looked at by regulators; and Vice President Dick Cheney's chief of staff was indicted in the CIA leak case."

The View From Iraq

2005-11-28T18:38:00.000-05:00

Why are people with firsthand experience in Iraq so much more optimistic than the people writing about it in New York and Washington? It's a good question that gets to the heart of the debate over the growing disconnect between western press reports about Iraq and the opinions offered by those actually in the country. Historian Max Boot examines the issue in today's Christian Science Monitor.

Saddam Whines Like a BItch

2005-11-28T12:06:00.000-05:00

Saddam thinks it's an outrage he has to walk up stairs. This comes from the Associated Press:

"Once inside, Saddam had a brief but heated exchange with Amin, complaining of having to walk up four flights of stairs in shackles because the elevator was not working.

The judge said he would tell the police not to let that happen again.

Saddam snapped: 'You are the chief judge. I don't want you to tell them. I want you to order them. They are in our country. You have the sovereignty. You are Iraqi and they are foreigners and occupiers. They are invaders. You should order them.'

Saddam also complained he was escorted up the stairs by 'foreign guards' and that some of his papers had been taken."

Cindy Margolis vs. Jenna Jameson

2005-11-28T11:51:00.000-05:00

Catfight on the Internet! Pinup model Cindy Margolis says she's losing business because people associate her with internet porn. Really?

Bush the Utopian

2005-11-28T11:43:00.000-05:00

Seymour Hersh has another hit piece on the Bush administration in the current issue of The New Yorker. It paints a picture of a very disconnected President. This comes from The New York Daily News:

"New Yorker reporter Seymour Hersh said that Bush is motivated in part by religious fervor and that he believes the war must be judged on a time line of decades, not years. 'He's a utopian, you could say, in a world where maybe he doesn't have all the facts and all the information he needs and isn't able to change,' Hersh said on CNN yesterday."

Multiple Choice

2005-11-28T10:21:00.000-05:00

How should Democrats planning to run for President position themselves on the Iraq war? The Associated Press says there are three options:

"_Do they stick with President Bush's stay-the-course strategy in a war that many Americans believe is going south, and risk being dragged down as well?

_Do they present their own detailed plans to bring U.S. troops home _ and open themselves to criticism of "cutting and running?"

_Do they take the same stance they always have, and leave themselves vulnerable to claims that they failed to respond to the changing situation?"

Feel free to vote below.

50 Cent Loves Bush

2005-11-28T09:00:00.000-05:00

Rapper 50 Cent seems to love George Bush. This comes from MTV.com:

"50 thinks the president is 'incredible ... a gangsta.' 'I wanna meet George Bush, just shake his hand and tell him how much of me I see in him,' 50 told GQ. If the rapper's felony conviction didn't prevent him from voting, 50 said he would have voted for Bush.

Puerto Rican Tears

2005-11-28T07:44:00.000-05:00

Did Freddie Ferrer lose the mayor's race to Michael Bloomberg because the press can't stand Puerto Ricans? That's the charge being made by Ferrer aide Roberto Ramirez. This comes from The New York Post:

"'Fernando Ferrer lost because the mainstream media made a decision that the City of New York was not ready for a Puerto Rican mayor — end of discussion,' said Ramirez."

Senator for Sale?

2005-11-28T06:58:00.000-05:00

Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana is among the field of likely democratic candidates for President in 2008. So why is Bayh accepting more than $160,000 worth of travel junkets from outside interests? Evan and his wife even accepted $40,000 worth of free trips to China. This comes from The Indianapolis Star.

Avoiding a French Future

2005-11-27T18:57:00.000-05:00

Victor Davis Hanson is drawing some rather controversial lessons from the recent riots in France. He argues that the rise of identity politics in America may be creating a dynamic similar to that playing out around battle-torn Paris:

"So we should consider the French disaster a wake-up call. A nation cannot exist without shared values and a sense of common mission. We forgot that in the 1960s, when we encouraged racial separatism as a means of rectifying past discrimination.

One remedy is a return to the assimilation, integration and intermarriage of the past that once characterized the success of most immigrants who arrived in the United States prior to the rise of ethnic separatism of the 1960s. Unfortunately, abstract deference in white America to racial tribalism often serves as psychological cover for an unwillingness to live among, or send one's children to school with, the 'other.'

The English language is our common bond. More than ever it is the first bridge between widely diverse immigrants. Bilingual education and a multiplicity of languages in official documents have not only proved wasteful but also eroded first-generation immigrants' facility in English, the sole language that can guarantee them economic security."

Where Are The Heroes?

2005-11-27T18:04:00.000-05:00

David Brooks has a very provocative piece in today's Times. But, because the Times now charges for premium content, I can't link to the piece for my readers. Fuck capitalism. Anyway, the piece deals with the lack of media coverage given to heroes. Plenty of American soldiers are displaying enormous heroism, but their stories are rarely told by the major papers or networks:

"That's partly because in the post-Vietnam era many Americans - especially those who dominate the culture - are uncomfortable with military valor. That's partly because some people don't want this war to seem like a heroic enterprise. And it's partly because many Americans are aloof from this whole conflict, and couldn't tell you a thing about Operations Matador and Steel Curtain and the other major offensives."

The Mudville Gazette picks up the argument.

The Trial of the Century

2005-11-27T17:58:00.000-05:00

Iran

2005-11-27T17:49:00.000-05:00

The United States is reaching out to Iran after 26 years of no diplomatic contact between the two nations. The issue is the Iraqi insurgency. We will learn a lot about Tehran in the coming days. This comes from AFP.

Bruce Willis on Iraq

2005-11-27T16:03:00.000-05:00

Actor Bruce Willis is so upset about media bias in the coverage of Iraq that he wants to make his own film about the war. This comes from the Times of London:

"ANGERED by negative portrayals of the conflict in Iraq, Bruce Willis, the Hollywood star, is to make a pro-war film in which American soldiers will be depicted as brave fighters for freedom and democracy.

It will be based on the exploits of the heavily decorated members of Deuce Four, the 1st Battalion, 24th Infantry, which has spent the past year battling insurgents in the northern Iraqi town of Mosul.

'I am baffled to understand why the things I saw happening in Iraq are not being reported,' he told MSNBC, the American news channel."

China's Coming Fall?

2005-11-27T13:07:00.000-05:00

The miracle of the growing Chinese economy may be about to go bust in civil war. That's one possibility put forth by the late business guru Peter Druker. Jay Ambrose explains and writes that the Chinese economy is also based on imitation:

"The Chinese don't innovate. They steal ideas, and that will carry them only so far in their economic development."

"President Bush, on his recent trip to China, complained about the theft of intellectual property rights, and the Chinese mumbled something about doing better. But no one believes it because, as one observer has noted, the Chinese haven't invented anything of much note for 500 years and the communists who still run the place have scant respect for private property."

Crazy People Like to Blog

2005-11-27T12:56:00.000-05:00

Crazy people are finding an outlet on the internet. The New York Daily News reports that this is the latest trend in artistic expression:

"Then there's irreverent 'Manica' (manicmoments.blogspot.com), a Canadian civil servant whose Moon Moods blog includes an entry comparing reasons for hating and loving lithium, a mood stabilizer.
On why she hates the drug: 'It's used to treat crazy people: Enough said. Who wants their pharmacist to know they're crazy? Especially when he's half-cute.'
On why she loves it: 'It keeps me from going crazy.'"

Tookie

2005-11-27T11:16:00.000-05:00

Should California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger grant clemency to a convicted killer
and notorious gang leader? Tookie Williams is a favorite of the Hollywood left and he's got an amazing life story. This comes from the AP:

"Williams, 51, faces a lethal injection on Dec. 13 for the 1979 slayings of a Whittier convenience store clerk and three people at a Pico Rivera motel. He has maintained his innocence and has asked the California Supreme Court to reopen his case, alleging shoddy forensics wrongly connected him to three of the murders. The Supreme Court hasn't ruled on the petition.
Los Angeles County prosecutors and victims' relatives have demanded his execution.
Williams founded the Crips with a childhood friend in 1971 in Los Angeles, where the gang battled rivals for territory and control of the drug trade.
In prison, however, Williams gained international acclaim for co- writing children's books about the dangers of gang life. An award- winning television movie starring Jamie Foxx, 'Redemption,' was based on his life."

Incoming!

2005-11-26T11:05:00.000-05:00

Should the European Union be obligated to notify the United States when terrorists are flying into the country? That's the issue being debated within the EU Parliament. This comes from The Counterterrorism Blog.

War of the Worlds

2005-11-25T14:01:00.001-05:00

Former Canadian Minister of Defence Paul Hellyer is calling for public hearings on how to establish peaceful relations with space aliens. He also believes President Bush is a threat to intergalactic relations:

"Hellyer warned, 'The United States military are preparing weapons which could be used against the aliens, and they could get us into an intergalactic war without us ever having any warning.' He stated, 'The Bush administration has finally agreed to let the military build a forward base on the moon, which will put them in a better position to keep track of the goings and comings of the visitors from space, and to shoot at them, if they so decide.'"

Happy Turkey Day!

2005-11-24T12:36:00.000-05:00

Ex-Gay Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T19:28:00.000-05:00

The Thanksgiving parade is being subjected to right-wing politics this year. Focus on the Family is working the parade to spread it's message that homosexuality can be cured thru the power of Jesus Christ. They plan on doing this by handing out balls you can squeeze. No kidding.

Lincoln's Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T17:55:00.000-05:00

The history of our Thanksgiving holiday is told as if it started with the pilgrims. But that's hardly the case. The tradition didn't really catch hold until Abraham Lincoln declared it a national holiday in 1864. This comes from The Weekly Standard:

"he said that the Lord 'has been pleased to animate and inspire our minds and hearts with fortitude, courage and resolution sufficient for the great trial of civil war.' And he prayed for the 'blessings of Peace, Union and Harmony throughout the land, which it has pleased him to assign as a dwelling-place for ourselves and for our posterity throughout all generations.' The Biblical language is typical of Lincoln. Like many Puritan-minded Americans, he thought of his country as a new promised land."

Franklin's Thanksgiving

2005-11-23T17:39:00.000-05:00

It appears that Benjamin Franklin had his own thoughts about Thanksgiving. There are lots of stories about how Thanksgiving became a national holiday of true significance. Franklin believes it started as a revolt against the puritanical tradition of fasting. Plus, he was fat. This comes from Human Events.

Lost

2005-11-22T20:20:00.000-05:00

It's popular to talk about how stupid most television is. But don't tell that to the folks obsessing over the hit ABC series, Lost. People are posting all kinds of theories about the plot of the show on the internet. Trying to decipher these various plot possibilities is tougher than getting a grip on string theory.

Get Naked

2005-11-22T20:16:00.000-05:00

Last week Bill O'Reilly and Fox News Channel discovered sex on campus. Today The New York Sun has discovered nudie parties at Columbia University. Talk about digging for news.

Murtha Urged Somalia Pullout in '93

2005-11-22T18:54:00.000-05:00

The defining moment in Osama bin Laden's understanding of the United States was our 1993 withdrawal from Somalia. It's widely believed that President Clinton's cut-and-run out of Somalia emboldened Osama to escalate his attacks. Newsmax.com is reminding us that it was Rep. John Murtha urging the pullout. Murtha's comments in 1993 are almost identical to his comments about Iraq last week.

Door-to-Door Jihad

2005-11-22T18:05:00.000-05:00

Five extremist preachers have been arrested going door-to-door in Kuwait. Shit, and I thought the Jehovah's Witness folks were hard to get rid of.

"Dirty Bomber" Indicted

2005-11-22T17:44:00.000-05:00

Alleged dirty bomber Jose Padilla has been indicted on new charges. The new charges have nothng to do with any alleged dirty bomb. Does this get the administration off the hook for holding him for three years without charges? The Counterterrorism blog also reports the indictment might not have been possible without The Patriot Act:

R.I.P "Ugly Dog" Sam

2005-11-22T12:38:00.000-05:00

Cheney is Right

2005-11-22T08:30:00.000-05:00

Vice President Dick Cheney says those who accuse the administration of lying about the case for war are guilty of "corrupt and shameless" revisionism. He's right. I challenge our readers to cite even one single example of the administration's supposed lies about Iraq. Post it below and I'll have my research department check it out.