Tag: News

My Opinion on the Geert Wilders Movie and charges being filed

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First the Story via BBC NEWS:

Freedom Party leader Geert Wilders made a controversial film last year equating Islam with violence and has likened the Koran to Adolf Hitler’s Mein Kampf.

“In a democratic system, hate speech is considered so serious that it is in the general interest to… draw a clear line,” the court in Amsterdam said.

Mr Wilders said the judgement was an “attack on the freedom of expression”.

“Participation in the public debate has become a dangerous activity. If you give your opinion, you risk being prosecuted,” he said.

Not only he, but all Dutch citizens opposed to the “Islamisation” of their country would be on trial, Mr Wilders warned.

“Who will stand up for our culture if I am silenced?” he added.

The three judges said that they had weighed Mr Wilders’s “one-sided generalizations” against his right to free speech, and ruled that he had gone beyond the normal leeway granted to politicians.

“The Amsterdam appeals court has ordered the prosecution of member of parliament Geert Wilders for inciting hatred and discrimination, based on comments by him in various media on Muslims and their beliefs,” the court said in a statement.

“The court also considers appropriate criminal prosecution for insulting Muslim worshippers because of comparisons between Islam and Nazism made by Wilders,” it added.

The court’s ruling reverses a decision last year by the public prosecutor’s office, which said Mr Wilders’s comments had been made outside parliament as a contribution to the debate on Islam in Dutch society and that no criminal offense had been committed.

Prosecutors said on Wednesday that they could not appeal against the judgment and would open an investigation immediately.

Gerard Spong, a prominent lawyer who pushed for Mr Wilders’s prosecution, welcomed the court’s decision.

“This is a happy day for all followers of Islam who do not want to be tossed on the garbage dump of Nazism,” he told reporters.

Okay, here is my opinion on this situation.  Before I voice my opinion; let me say in the interest in full disclosure, that I fully believe that radical Islam is a threat to our way of life. Further more, I will be the first to say that it is very difficult to determine who among the Muslim community is radicalized and who is not. I also feel that if continue to allow Islam to be practiced in our country unchecked,  doing so could result in a major terrorist attack in our Country again.  I am, unashamedly an advocate of freedom of Religion; But when that Religion purposes to threaten the way of life of all Americans; it is no longer a Religion, but rather an instrument of terror.  Having said thus, I believe that the United States of America would be abdicating the responsibility of the well being of its citizens by allowing the practice of Islam in America to continue unchecked.

Having said all this, seeing that I am more of a Libertarian and a Moderate politically; I will be the first one concede the fact that Wilders my have brought this prosecution unto himself. Yes, I know, I posted the video here, on more than one occasion as a matter of fact. The reason I did, is because that most people are intellectually honest enough to know, that the video was about radicalized Islam and not Islam in General.  However, as well all know,  intellectual honesty does not usually extend to those of the Liberal mindset or those within the Islamic community, who have a agenda to paint those who are opposed to radical Islam as racists or hatemongers.

The reason I believe that Wilders might have brought this upon himself is because the video, if you watch it. Does send an unspoken message that all Muslims are terrorists. It is not spoken nor printed in the movie at all. However, it is the inferred message within the actual movie itself, that is the cause of the outrage among the Muslim community and is the reason for the conviction.

So, while I believe that the sounding of the alarm about radical Islam is legitimate pursuit, I also believe that framing of that pursuit is very important and will do more to bring light to that issue in a proper manner, without offending those in the Muslim community who do not subscribe to the radical mindset.

Update: Neo-Conservative Ed Morrissey shows his abject Hypocrisy:

Freedom of speech, in a democratic system or any other, requires tolerance by the populace of unpopular ideas and criticisms.  Popular speech requires no protection.  Imposing limits on what can and cannot be criticized and opposed through rhetoric and peaceful assembly ends freedom and starts totalitarianism. If Wilders cannot criticize Islam openly and freely without the government requiring permission, then the government can declare all dissent illegal through “hate crimes” legislation based on the whim of the government in question.  It won’t be long before the ruling class in Holland discover that they can protect their own status through such prosecution and attack dissent accordingly.

The reason I say this is the fact that, anytime someone says something unpopular over at HotAir.com, like dropping the “N Word”, when talking about a black person or possibly making a negative comments about Jews and Neo-Cons, they’re banned from commenting. In fact, I was banned from the chat room on his show, because I happened to speak my mind about Obama once there. So, that little song and dance is a crock of crap. Neo-Con’s are just as bad about censoring free speech as Liberals. Nice try Ed, but I know better. Identity Politics is just as bad in Neo-Con circles as it is in Liberal circles.  🙄

Others: Harry’s Place, Israpundit, Hot Air, Samizdata.net, Gateway Pundit, Gates of Vienna, QandO, Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs

Fat Ted and Former Klansman Robert Byrd both have problems during the inaugural luncheon

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Yeah, I wrote that damned headline, and I’m proud of it.

Via Fox News:

Sens. Ted Kennedy was taken to a hospital after suffering seizures during President Obama’s celebratory inaugural luncheon while Sen. Robert Byrd left early on Tuesday of his own accord, said his spokesman.

Kennedy, 76, suffered a series of convulsions that lasted a while. He was taken out on a wheelchair and had to have his legs lifted up to get him out of the room. He was loaded onto an ambulance and taken to Washington Hospital Center.

A spokeswoman at the hospital said Kennedy was awake and answering questions during an assessment. His wife Vicki and son, Rep. Patrick Kennedy, were with him.

Last summer, the Massachusetts Democrat was diagnosed with a life-threatening brain tumor. Kennedy was one of Obama’s earliest supporters and is credited with leading the pack of lawmakers who pushed Obama’s popularity.

Sen. John Kerry and wife, Teresa Heinz Kerry, and Vicki Kennedy helped Kennedy get into the reclining chair in which he was wheeled out. Connecticut Sen. Chris Dodd also accompanied Kennedy to the ambulance.

I hope Teddy and Byrdy boy are going to be okay.

Mary Jo Kopechne, The Millions of unborn children murdered under Kennedy and the African-Americans lynched when Byrd was a Klansman were unavailable for a comment.

Others: Little Green Footballs, protein wisdom, Don Surber, Outside The Beltway

Tucker Carlson on Obama’s Inauguration, “Let’s Not Pretend This is the Second Coming of Jesus”

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This is why I like Tucker Carlson, he is absolutely fearless and is not afraid to speak his mind.

Listen to it: (Via Media Bistro)

Quote:

Former MSNBC and CNN anchor Tucker Carlson, who is already “worn out” from the Inauguration festivities, joined us this morning on the mediabistro.com Morning Media Menu. Carlson and host Glynnis MacNicol are two of the millions in D.C. right now.

He had some strong thoughts about the media’s love affair with President-elect Barack Obama. “I’m excited about it, I live here, I want my kids to see it…On the other hand, in the end he’s a politician taking a political office, 52% of the public voted for him, 48% didn’t vote for him, so let’s not pretend this is the second coming of Jesus,” said Carlson.

And although he didn’t want to sound like “a libertarian wacko,” he had some problems with the D.C. security. “The security is really over the top, anti-American really…We are far too willing to accept security restrictions,” he said.

As for the “exclusive” deals being worked out between TV networks and the Presidential Inauguration Committee, Carlson said, “How you can decide you have exclusive right to something that takes place on the National Mall? I don’t know who came up with that? I should try it!”

He also had some other suggestions: “Why don’t we name the White House? We could call it the Staples House, you know what I mean. The Home Depot House.”

Carlson also said that a friend of his tried to cross the Washington Bridge and was confronted by a United States Army solider with a bullhorn and an assault rifle. Which I believe, if I am not mistaken, against the law and our constitution.

I also agree with his assessment of the Liberal media’s infatuation with “The One”, it’s a sad day; when the media refuses to look at something objectively.  I mean, there are so many questions, his citizenship, his ties to communism, it just sickens me, that the media and the American citizens not asking more questions.

Of course, you can expect that the far lefty liberal media will, of course, pay attempt to paint Tucker Carlson as a hater. But thinking Americans will know better. Further more, the Fascist Neo-Conservatives will refuse to report this, because of their love affair with the Democrats, seeing that most Neo-Cons are of Democratic breed.

I fear for what America is about to become. The Rapture of the Church cannot come fast enough, if you ask me.

Bush Commutes Sentences of Ramos & Compean

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Justice finally has been served in this case.

First the Video: (via Breit Bart)

The Story via FOX News:

On his last full day in office, President Bush commuted the controversial sentences of two former Border Patrol agents convicted of shooting a Mexican drug runner in 2005.

The imprisonment of Ignacio Ramos and Jose Alonso Compean had sparked outcry from critics who said the men were just doing their jobs and were punished too harshly. They had been sentenced to 11- and 12-year sentences, respectively.

Their sentences will now expire on March 20 of this year.

Ramos and Compean were sentenced in connection with the shooting of Osvaldo Aldrete Davila, who was shot in the buttocks while trying to flee along the Texas border. He admitted smuggling several hundred pounds of marijuana on the day he was shot and pleaded guilty last year to drug charges related to two other smuggling attempts.

The pair’s case ignited debate across the country, as a chorus of organizations and members of Congress — many of them Republican — argued that the men were just doing their jobs. Rep. Dana Rohrabacher, R-Calif., was particularly outspoken on the issue, at one time describing Ramos and Compean as “unjustly convicted men who never should have been prosecuted in the first place.”

Nearly the entire congressional delegation from Texas and other lawmakers from both sides of the political aisle pleaded with Bush to grant them clemency. Conservatives hailed Bush’s decision Monday.

“The whole thing was ridiculous from beginning to end, and two years was way too long for them to serve,” said radio talk show host Laura Ingraham. “Conservatives are very happy across the country.”

Rep. Steve King, R-Iowa, said in a written statement that Bush had “responded to the calls for compassion that came from across the country and made the right decision in granting these two men commutations.”

What President Bush did today, was possibly the best thing that he has done, since the days after September 11, 2001. When he stood on the fire truck. I do agree with President Bush that these guys did deserve to punished, but that the sentance recieved was much too harsh. I am glad to see that Bush did the right thing. 😀

I will say this, however, if I were those families, I would be working on finding another state to live in, because something tells me, that there are those who will be out for revenge against these two guys.

Others: Fausta’s Blog, Hot Air, Pat Dollard, The Other McCain, Macsmind, Moonbattery, Michelle Malkin, JammieWearingFool

New York Times Co. in Talks With Mexican tycoon Carlos Slim for needed much needed money

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Now this is quite interesting:

The New York Times Co. is in discussions with Mexican billionaire Carlos Slim about investing in the newspaper publisher to help ease its financial problems, according to people familiar with the matter.

The talks are ongoing and may yet fall apart but one of the options being discussed is a preferred-stock issue. Under this scenario, the Times Co. would issue Mr. Slim preferred stock, which carries no voting right but pays an annual dividend, in return for his investment. The investment would be similar to a loan. Preferred shares are often convertible into common stock after a defined period.

via New York Times Co. in Talks With Carlos Slim on Preferred Stock Investment – WSJ.com (Sub Required).

Interesting…. The New York Post picks it up:

The 68-year-old telecommunications tycoon is said to be discussing a large purchase of preferred shares. The talks are ongoing and may fall apart, as they probably would need the consent of the Sulzberger family, including publisher Arthur Sulzberger, who control the media powerhouse through its ownership of preferred shares.

The preferred shares under discussion would carry no voting rights, but pay a dividend, according to the report. His current stake puts Slim among the largest non-Sulzberger owners of the Times.

The Times is under the gun to raise cash as a $400 million credit line expires in May. The recession has squeezed the paper, which reported a 21 percent drop in ad revenue in November.

The newspaper has made some drastic moves recently to increase cash flow and to raise the needed money, including:

* An ongoing attempt to raise $225 million by selling its 58 percent stake in the new 52-story Midtown skyscraper and then leasing the office space.

* Putting its 17.5 percent stake in New England Sports Ventures, the parent of the Boston Red Sox, on the block. That could raise about $150 million.

* Layoffs and buyouts at the flagship New York Times and its Boston Globe property.

* Cutting back its dividend to investors for three years.

* The recent move to reduce the number of standalone sections and to sell advertising for the first time on Page 1 of the Times.

For Slim, fattening up his stake in the Times would expand his already sizeable holdings. The mogul controls Telmex, which handles about 90 percent of Mexico’s land-based telephone service, and Telcel, which has an 80 percent market share on the country’s cell business.

In 1997, just before Apple launched its iMac line, Slim bought a 3 percent stake in the tech company at a split-adjusted price of about $4.50 a share. Apple closed Friday at $82.33.

Just Warren Buffet, worth about $62 billion, according to Forbes, is richer than Slim. Bill Gates, for years the richest man in the world, is worth about $58 billion, the magazine said.

Very interesting indeed, it is indeed a sign of the times. It does kind of bother me, that the NYT would go south of the border to get someone to put money into their company. Is there not any millionaires here in America? Where’s all those Liberal Hollywood celebrities that cater to those mindless loons that make that newspaper?

I would go off on a “Bill O’Rielly” sounding rant and say it’s because of their bias. But I won’t, because I’m just a bit more honest than that. The Economy is bad, old Media is become the thing of the past, the internet is killing traditional media. hey, times change, either you keep up or your outmoded. Just that simple.

But, damn, what the hell are they gonna call the old gray lady now? The Taco-Head Times? D’oh!  Doh

Others: Yourish.com, Gawker, Gothamist, Don Surber, MediaMemo, Doug Ross, Silicon Alley Insider, 24Ahead, Don Surber and JammieWearingFool

Tragedy: Boy Killed by Monster Truck Debris

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This is truly a tragedy. 🙁

The Video: (Via Breit Bart)

The Back Story via King 5:

TACOMA, Wash. – It was a sell-out crowd at the Monster Jam monster truck show Saturday at the Tacoma Dome, despite a tragedy the previous evening.

A 6-year-old boy died when a piece from a truck flew into the stands at the show Friday night.

The city of Tacoma reviewed safety procedures and decided that despite the fatal incident, the show would go on.

According to the Tacoma Dome’s Web site, four Monster Jam shows were scheduled for Saturday and Sunday.

The event company, Feld Motor Sports, based in Aurora, Illinois, said this type of incident has never happened in the 25-year history of Monster Jam events. They released this statement: “Feld Motor Sports is looking into the accident. The safety of our customers is our top priority.”

Feld puts up safety barriers at both ends of the arena floor. They don’t sell seats in the front rows to keep the audience away from the action.

I don’t think that it would be out of place to request that all my readers offer up a small prayer for this family tonight.  Praying

The Magic One wants a “New Declaration of Independence”

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This is most interesting…

Chicago Tribune slobbering all over itself; reports the following:

PHILADELPHIA – President-elect Barack Obama, delivering a pledge “to take up the work” that the patriots of American independence started here, launched a thematic train ride that will deliver the incoming president to Washington.

In a “town hall”- styled opening rally Saturday morning, with about 200 campaign supporters invited to an address at the start of this historic day, Obama declared: “We are here to mark the beginning of our journey to Washington, and this is fitting, because it was here in this city that our American journey began.

“We are here today not simply to pay tribute to our first patriots but to take up the work that they began,” Obama said in Philadelphia. “What is required is a new declaration of independence, not just in our nation, but in our own lives – from ideology and small thinking, prejudice and bigotry – an appeal not to our easy instincts but to our better angels.”

Before boarding the train for his “whistle-stop” journey to the capital, Obama delivered a brief but inspirational address that evoked not only the fathers of American independence, but also the emancipator of slaves and protector of the American union whose model he will invoke all day, Abraham Lincoln.

“Starting now, let’s take up in our own lives the work of perfecting our union,” Obama said. “Let’s build a government that is responsible to the people, and accept our own responsibilities as citizens to hold our government accountable.

“Let’s all of us do our part to rebuild this country,” he said, with words that clearly to point to the theme that will emerge from his inauguration as the 44th president on Tuesday. “Let’s make sure this election is not the end of what we do to change America, but the beginning.”

With his train ride and his ceremonial arrival in Washington, Obama will evoke the same historical imagery that he employed to kick off his presidential campaign: The spirit of Lincoln.

Okay, first off, I know the historical part of the man’s election and all. But the wording he used is sort of troubling.

What does Perfecting our Union and New Declaration of Independence mean? Sounds like a call to Black Nationalism to me.

I hate to be the one to say this, but Mr. Barry, I happen to like my Declaration of Independence and the Union just the way it is sir, and I would appreciate it, if you’d keep your hands off of it sir.

Thank you President Johnson for screwing America sir. Because I do believe we are heading for some terrible times. 😡

Others: Gateway Pundit

Breaking News: U.S. Airways Aircraft crashes into the New York Hudson river…

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This is the Story…  U.S. Airways Flight 1549 has crashed into the New York Hudson River. It appears the plane hit a flock of geese.

Here is the contents of the live Blog…:

Update:  Picture: (via MSNBC)

US Air Flight 1549 Crashes into Hudson River in NY

US Air Flight 1549 Crashes into Hudson River in NY

Via WABC in New York:

The plane is a US Airways flight 1549 from LaGuardia to Charlotte. There were 146 passengers on board the flight, along with 5 crew members. There is no report on their conditions.

The plane went down near 57th street. The plane took off from LaGuardia at 3:11 p.m.

Ferries are rescuing passengers, some who are seen standing on the wings of the plane.

MSNBC is reporting that the pilot is reporting that the plane flew into a flock of geese. This caused problems with the engines.

Story finally via MSNBC:

NEW YORK – A US Airways passenger jet taking off from La Guardia airport in New York en route to Charlotte, N.C., crashed into the Hudson River on Thursday.

WNBC’s Tim Minton quoted a governmnet source as saying that the pilot may have hit a flock of geese.

The plane is an Airbus A320. NBC News identified it as Flight 1549, which departed at 3:20 p.m. ET with about 145 passengers and five crew members aboard. It was a scheduled flight to the Charlotte-Douglas, N.C., airport.

Video Coverage is available via CNN, MSNBC, FOX News

Update: More Pictures (via CNN)

Ferries helping get passengers off the planes

Ferries helping get passengers off the planes

CNN is now reporting:

NEW YORK (CNN) — Emergency officials are responding to a downed plane in the Hudson River in New York City, according to the city fire and police departments.

The plane entered the water Thursday afternoon following a failed takeoff, the FAA says.

US Airways Flight 1549, an Airbus A320 headed from New York’s LaGuardia Airport to Charlotte, North Carolina, was down in the river after a failed takeoff, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.

The U.S. Coast Guard said units were also responding, and a ferry on site was dropping life jackets into the water.

The plane approached the water at a gradual angle and made a big splash, according to a witness watching from an office building.

“It wasn’t going particularly fast. It was a slow contact with the water that it made,” said the witness, Ben VonKlemperer.

An Airbus A320 can hold a maximum of 179 passengers and a flight crew of two, depending on the configuration.

It has been reported, and I will repeat, this was NOT, I repeat, NOT a case of terrorism!

Update #2: Update, FAA is now reporting that everyone was rescued. and The FBI and Dept. Homeland Security is confirming that this was not a case of terrorism.

Update #3: WNBC is reporting that 12 people are being treating for trauma, at the port authority building. But that it is not for “Blood Injury.”

Update: Memeorandum has a Blog round up and I’m not in it! Grrrr!

The Obligatory Kids with Nazi Names removed from home posting

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I’m posting this, because I know that quite a few people read this posting from various places on the net.

The Leighhighvalleylive.com website reports the following:

A New Jersey Department of Youth and Family Services spokeswoman says that the agency would not remove children from a home because of their names.

DYFS made the statement today after The Express-Times reported Tuesday that the state had taken Adolf Hitler Campbell, 3, and his younger sisters, JoyceLynn Aryan Nation and Honszlynn Hinler Jeannie, from their parent’s Holland Township, Hunterdon County home.

“Just to be clear, removal of a child from a family is only done when there’s an imminent danger to a child and that wouldn’t include the child’s name alone,”“We wouldn’t remove a child based on their name.” spokeswoman Kate Bernyk said.

Of course, I’m sure that the Alex Jones types will not believe this. There’s two sides to every story, and I’m sure both sides have thiers. But I am glad to see that the reason was not for the names.

My theory is this; that a neighbor saw the people on TV and called child protective and dropped the dime that daddy and mommy were fighting quite a bit and that they saw bruises on the children. That will get kids snatched a big ol’ hurry anymore.

Of course, neighbors have been known to lie out of spite too. Either way, I smell a huge lawsuit against the family, if it goes to court.

Others: Gothamist, QandO, City Room, Patterico’s Pontifications, Outside The Beltway, Don Surber, Wizbang, AMERICAblog News, The Impolitic, New Jersey Online , Sweetness & Light, HotAir

Obama to close Gitmo?

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Will someone please tell Barry to make up his flippin’ mind already?

Via the AP:

WASHINGTON (AP) — Advisers to President-elect Barack Obama say one of his first duties in office will be to order the closing of the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay.

That executive order is expected during Obama’s first week on the job — and possibly on his first day, according to two transition team advisers. Both spoke Monday on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak publicly.

Obama’s order will direct his administration to figure out what to do with the estimated 250 al-Qaida and Taliban suspects and potential witnesses who are being held at Guantanamo.

It’s still unlikely the prison would be closed any time soon. Obama last weekend said it would be “a challenge” to close it even within the first 100 days of his administration.

I guess this might have been due to the pushback he got from the statement on the weekend. Either way, it’s a stupid idea. But then again, we are dealing with Liberals here. 🙄

Others: Riehl World View, Macsmind, Macsmind (Via Memeorandum)

Elisabeth Hasselbeck goes to the White House

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This is kind of a cool story.

Video #1 (via Breit Bart)

…and here is Hasselbeck on “The View” talking about her experience: (Via ABC News’s Political Radar)

Exit Question: Will people like her be Welcomed like this in a Obama White House?

Grade Student Offers Up Virgin Hoochie for $3.7 Million Dollars

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Seriously.  😀

Natalie Dylan, 22

Natalie Dylan, 22

Natalie Dylan, 22, claims her offer of a one-night stand has persuaded 10,000 men to bid for sex with her.

Last September, when her auction came to light, she had received bids up to £162,000 ($243,000) but since then interest in her has rocketed.

The student who has a degree in Women’s Studies insisted she was not demeaning herself.

Miss Dylan, from San Diego, California, USA, said she was persuaded to offer herself to the highest bidder after her sister Avia, 23, paid for her own degree after working as a prostitute for three weeks.

She said she had had a lot of attention from a wide range of men, including “weirdos”, “those who get really graphically sexual about what they want to do to me” and “lots of polite requests from rich businessmen”.

Miss Dylan said she did not think it was particularly significant to be willing to sell your virginity and insisted that she was happy to undergo medical tests for any doubters.

She said: “I get some men who are obviously looking for a girlfriend but I try and make it clear that this is a one-night-only offer.

“I know that a lot of people will condemn me for this because it’s so taboo but I really don’t have a problem with that.

“My study is completely authentic in that I truly am auctioning my virginity but I am not being sold into this. I’m not being taken advantage of in any way.

“I think me and the person I do it with will both profit greatly from the deal.”

She added: “It’s shocking that men will pay so much for someone’s virginity, which isn’t even prized so highly anymore.”

I must confess, I’d hit it. 😛

On the other hand, $3.7 million for just one night? Little steep for one night!

Others: Alan Colmes’ Liberaland, The Other McCain and RedState

The Obligatory Google is ruining the Universe Posting

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Why must I blog about such stupidity? Rolling Eyes

Via The Times of London:

While millions of people tap into Google without considering the environment, a typical search generates about 7g of CO2 Boiling a kettle generates about 15g. “Google operates huge data centres around the world that consume a great deal of power,” said Alex Wissner-Gross, a Harvard University physicist whose research on the environmental impact of computing is due out soon. “A Google search has a definite environmental impact.”

Calling Al Gore!

Fausta Weighs in here:

I won’t dare calculate how much methane the hyphenated physicist emitted while doing his study but considering that my yard has over a dozen trees, I’m willing to bet my carbon offset is bigger than his.

Now excuse me while I Google, watch a few YouTubes, have some kippers for breakfast and start the tea kettle.

I’m right behind you Fausta. (well, not really! SurpriseTongueWinking) This is about as silly as the Sea Kittens stupidity that I REFUSED to Blog about, for it’s utter stupidity.

Yeah, I’m off to do a couple good Google searches, just to piss off the Liberals. Devil

Others: Liberal Values, Jules Crittenden, Fausta’s Blog, JammieWearingFool, Patterico’s Pontifications and TigerHawk

US Rejects Aid to Israeli Raid on Iranian Nuke Site

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This is quite the interesting read.

Via the NYT:

President Bush deflected a secret request by Israel last year for specialized bunker-busting bombs it wanted for an attack on Iran’s main nuclear complex and told the Israelis that he had authorized new covert action intended to sabotage Iran’s suspected effort to develop nuclear weapons, according to senior American and foreign officials.

White House officials never conclusively determined whether Israel had decided to go ahead with the strike before the United States protested, or whether Prime Minister Ehud Olmert of Israel was trying to goad the White House into more decisive action before Mr. Bush left office. But the Bush administration was particularly alarmed by an Israeli request to fly over Iraq to reach Iran’s major nuclear complex at Natanz, where the country’s only known uranium enrichment plant is located.

The White House denied that request outright, American officials said, and the Israelis backed off their plans, at least temporarily. But the tense exchanges also prompted the White House to step up intelligence-sharing with Israel and brief Israeli officials on new American efforts to subtly sabotage Iran’s nuclear infrastructure, a major covert program that Mr. Bush is about to hand off to President-elect Barack Obama.

This account of the expanded American covert program and the Bush administration’s efforts to dissuade Israel from an aerial attack on Iran emerged in interviews over the past 15 months with current and former American officials, outside experts, international nuclear inspectors and European and Israeli officials. None would speak on the record because of the great secrecy surrounding the intelligence developed on Iran.

For some reason or another, I feel like the New York Times has just sold the United States right to secrecy up the river by revealing this. But on the other hand, I can see why Bush would do something like this. Bush was already mired in the war in Iraq. He knew our presence in Iraq was already causing tension in the middle east and knew also that sending these sort of bombs over to Israel to be used in Iran would just add to that tension. I give Bush a point here, he may have just done the right thing, but just telling Israel “no go” on these type of weapons. As it could have caused more problems that it might have fixed.

The interviews also indicate that Mr. Bush was convinced by top administration officials, led by Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates, that any overt attack on Iran would probably prove ineffective, lead to the expulsion of international inspectors and drive Iran’s nuclear effort further out of view. Mr. Bush and his aides also discussed the possibility that an airstrike could ignite a broad Middle East war in which America’s 140,000 troops in Iraq would inevitably become involved.

Instead, Mr. Bush embraced more intensive covert operations actions aimed at Iran, the interviews show, having concluded that the sanctions imposed by the United States and its allies were failing to slow the uranium enrichment efforts. Those covert operations, and the question of whether Israel will settle for something less than a conventional attack on Iran, pose immediate and wrenching decisions for Mr. Obama.

The covert American program, started in early 2008, includes renewed American efforts to penetrate Iran’s nuclear supply chain abroad, along with new efforts, some of them experimental, to undermine electrical systems, computer systems and other networks on which Iran relies. It is aimed at delaying the day that Iran can produce the weapons-grade fuel and designs it needs to produce a workable nuclear weapon.

Knowledge of the program has been closely held, yet inside the Bush administration some officials are skeptical about its chances of success, arguing that past efforts to undermine Iran’s nuclear program have been detected by the Iranians and have only delayed, not derailed, their drive to unlock the secrets of uranium enrichment.

[…]

Early in his presidency, Mr. Obama must decide whether the covert actions begun by Mr. Bush are worth the risks of disrupting what he has pledged will be a more active diplomatic effort to engage with Iran.

Either course could carry risks for Mr. Obama. An inherited intelligence or military mission that went wrong could backfire, as happened to President Kennedy with the Bay of Pigs operation in Cuba. But a decision to pull back on operations aimed at Iran could leave Mr. Obama vulnerable to charges that he is allowing Iran to speed ahead toward a nuclear capacity, one that could change the contours of power in the Middle East.

Which proves what I have said time and again, our Government is not stupid, we know what we can get away with and what we cannot. Bush was not going to send our troops into a bloodbath. So, I give Bush credit here, he averted a major problem. However, I do see that Obama is going to have his work cut out for him in the White House. Iran is not going to go away quietly. If anything, with the gas market collapsing, Iran might just get a bit worse during Obama tenure. I just hope that, unlike Kennedy; Obama makes the right call on this issues, because if he does not, The United States could have some serious problems on its hands.

I strongly encourage you to go over to the NYT and read the rest of that report. It is quite the interesting read. Some would take away from it, that Bush was showing deference to the Arabs, but I think that it is much more than just that; in the sense that Bush knew that he would be getting in over his head. This is why he refused the Israelis permission to do flyovers and target Iranian targets.

Others: Associated Press, The Muqata, Israel Matzav, The Moderate Voice, RBO, Power Line, Hot Air, Israpundit, The Raw Story, Jihad Watch, Lawyers, Guns and Money, Weekly Standard, Balloon Juice and THE ASTUTE BLOGGERS

Toyota is feeling the pinch too.

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So much for that stupid  Neo-Con line saying that the slump in auto sales is the automakers fault.

Via the New York Times:

TOKYO — Toyota Motor will idle its plants in Japan for 11 days in February and March to reduce output in the face of steeply declining global vehicle sales, the company said Tuesday.

The Japanese auto giant said the suspension would affect production at all 12 of its directly operated domestic plants, which include four vehicle assembly plants and also factories that make transmissions, engines and other parts. The closings are in addition to a three-day shutdown this month at these plants that Toyota had already announced.

The move is unusual for a company that just a few months ago seemed unable to keep up with voracious global demand for its fuel-efficient vehicles. But even strong players like Toyota have failed to escape the drastic slowdown in the global auto industry.

The company said it would idle the plants to reduce stocks of unsold vehicles amid a relentless slide in sales, particularly in the United States, its biggest market. Last month, Toyota’s sales there dropped 37 percent, a larger decline than at its struggling American rivals General Motors and Ford.

Plunging sales and a stronger Japanese yen, which reduces the yen value of overseas profits, forced Toyota to forecast last month its first annual loss in 70 years at its vehicle-making operations.

Toyota did not say how many vehicles would be affected by the suspension announced Tuesday. The company said its four domestic assembly plants produced 1.5 million vehicles in 2007, the most recent year for which the company has figures. Toyota-brand cars are also made by other companies in the Toyota group.

The company had already announced that it would shut down truck production at two United States plants for three months

Its American rivals — General Motors, Ford Motor and Chrysler — have also idled plants across North America in response to the slowdown.

For once, I am in agreement with a Liberal, and yes, it is the same knuckle-headed liberal that insulted Conservatives. Hey, I am one that praises when it’s due and bitches when it’s due too; At least I’m fair. 😉 😀 😛

Matthew Yglesias Weighs in:

This is the conceptual problem with efforts to “save” the car industry through bailouts or union busting or whatever you like. One assumes demand for cars will get higher than it is right now, but the industry has a whole just has more capacity to build cars than there is demand for new cars. Which is fine. When you look across the developed world and try to take stock of the medium- and long-run problems facing the OECD nations there’s just no way you’re going to reach the conclusion that an automobile shortage is a big concern. But obviously it’s not fine for the companies that make cars. There’s going to be a need for some shrinkage.

Yeah, I know, most likely some of the Conservatives who are basically scraping my blog for content are going to try and deride me as a fake conservative, because I stick up for the middle class and because I happen to be the son of retired General Motors Worker and U.A.W. member. Well, I got two words; screw you and the rest of the asshole Madison Ave. Conservatives. 😡

Anyhow, I happen to agree with Matthew here, I live here in the Detroit Area. If the auto industry dies, so does this area. That will cause my parents to suffer, they need the health insurance, as they are both diabetic and the amount of medications that they take is staggering.  Anyhow, this article above disproves and basically strikes down the “Meme” that was going around in the Conservative Blogosphere that the issues with the auto industry was the fault of the automakers. Which I totally dismissed as abject bullshit of the highest order. It was the fault of President Clinton for putting pressure on the loan companies to give those toxic subprime loans to those who were considered high risk. That is what started this whole thing. Of course, equal blame can be given to the Republican Congress of 2003 for not changing the laws, after all, they were warned by the Bush White House to do something; and they did nothing at all.

Best thing they could do, was have a hearing, of which the CEO of Freddie Mac pulled the race card, and congress backed off. So, all the blaming of the Auto Companies was nothing more than a feeble attempt by the Republicans at scapegoating the wrong damned people.

Here’s hoping that Japan’s auto industry totally collapses and people, both American and otherwise, have to buy American products, for a change!

News from a Fundamentalist Christian Viewpoint

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The following is from a Fundamentalist Baptist Missionary. If you happen to enjoy what you read, please consider supporting his ministry.

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FRIDAY CHURCH NEWS NOTES

January 2, 2009, Volume 10, Issue 1

The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. For instructions on how to unsubscribe to this list or to change mailing addresses, please consult the information paragraph at the end.

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Download and Print Friday News (Full Graphical Edition) for your church in PDF format:

http://wayoflife.worthyofpraise.org/fridaynews/pdf/2008/20090102.pdf

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CHARISMATIC SONGS AND THE SOUTHERN BAPTIST HYMNAL (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, (866-295-4143) – The 2008 Southern Baptist Hymnal contains many songs written by charismatics and published by charismatic music companies such as Integrity, Maranatha, and Hillsong. About 75 of the top 100 contemporary worship songs are included. For example, songs by Jack Hayford, David Ruis, Paul Baloche, and Darlene Zschech are included.

These popular worship leaders are extreme charismatic ecumenists and contemporary Christian rockers. Hayford believes that God told him he must not criticize the Roman Catholic Church. Ruis is a worship leader at the Toronto Airport Church where people roll on the floor, bark like dogs, roar like lions, laugh hysterically, and get “drunk in the spirit” during their “revivals.” Ruis’s song “Break Dividing Walls” calls for an unscriptural ecumenical unity between all denominations.

Paul Baloche is worship leader at the Community Christian Fellowship of Lindale, Texas. Their 2002 Leadership Summit featured Ricky Paris, who calls himself an apostle. Baloche’s Offering of Worship album was recorded at Regent University, which was founded by the radical charismatic ecumenist Pat Robertson. As far back as 1985, Robertson said that he “worked for harmony and reconciliation between Protestants and Catholics” (Christian News, July 22, 1985). According to Frontline magazine, May-June 2000, a Catholic mass is held on Regent’s campus every week. Darlene Zschech and her Hillsong worship band recently performed for the Catholic Youth Day in Sydney, with the pope in attendance. The charismatic movement is not in submission to the Word of God and does not care one way or the other that these associations are contrary to Scripture, but shame on Baptists who follow in these presumptuous and disobedient footsteps. Shame on Lifeway for giving charismatics a powerful forum to influence Baptist churches, and shame on the Southern Baptist Convention for allowing Lifeway to do these things. Because the SBC refuses to deal with error consistently, the leaven will spread. The Bible warns that “a little leaven leaveneth the whole lump.” This is true for sin (1 Cor. 5:6) as well as for false doctrine (Gal. 5:9). For more information see The Pentecostal-Charismatic Movements: History and Doctrine (book) and Dangers of Contemporary Worship Music (DVD), which are available from Way of Life Literature.

BILLY GRAHAM JOINS SBC CONGREGATION IN SOUTH CAROLINA (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, (866-295-4143) – Billy Graham has moved his membership from the First Baptist Church of Dallas, Texas, to First Baptist of Spartanburg, South Carolina, near his retirement home (“Graham Moves Dallas Membership,” AP, Dec. 30, 2008). Graham joined First Baptist of Dallas in 1953, and the Southern Baptist Convention has never condemned his unscriptural evangelism. Even a “conservative” like Albert Mohler, Jr., head of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, supports it. He was the chairman of Graham’s crusade in Louisville in 2001. The Baptist Press reported that “hundreds of Southern students prepared for the Graham crusade.” Mohler said, “Nothing else has brought together the kind of ethnic and racial and denominational inclusivity as is represented in this crusade…” (Baptist Press, May 3, 2001).

Southern Baptist churches, colleges, and seminaries do not warn that Billy Graham has turned thousands of converts over to Roman Catholic and modernistic churches. For example, at the Vancouver, British Columbia crusade in 1984, the vice-chairman of the organizing committee, David Cline, said, “If Catholics step forward THERE WILL BE NO ATTEMPT TO CONVERT THEM and their names will be given to the Catholic church nearest their homes” (Vancouver Sun, Oct. 5, 1984). SBC bookstores do not carry books in that warn about wretched ecumenical ventures such as this and that document other New Evangelical compromises. (For more about this see “Billy Graham’s Sad Disobedience” at the Way of Life web site.)

TOTALITARIAN DICTATOR STALIN POPULAR IN RUSSIA (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, (866-295-4143) – Josef Stalin, the totalitarian dictator who murdered multiplied millions of his fellow citizens, is the third most popular historical figure in Russia today according to a recent survey. The poll was taken by Rossiya, a state television channel. He received almost the same percentage of votes as Alexander Nevsky, who defeated German invaders in the 13th century, and Pyotr Stolypin, a 20th century prime minister. Human rights activist Lev Ponomaryov told Reuters, “The younger generation is fed with myths about Stalin. It knows nothing about the millions who died in Gulag camps but well knows he was a strong leader who defeated (Nazi) Germany” (“Dictator Stalin Strong Contender,” Reuters, Dec. 28, 2008). The average young person in North America is also brainwashed in mythology. According to Bible prophecy, Russia and her allies will attack Israel during the Great Tribulation and their armies will be destroyed (Ezekiel 38-39). Anti-semitism has long been rampant in Russia.

EUROPEAN UNION PUSHING FOR WORLDWIDE HOMOSEXUAL RIGHTS (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org,(866-295-4143) – Under the leadership of France, the European Union (EU) is pushing for worldwide homosexual rights through the United Nations. In December, France, which headed the EU in 2008, attempted to get the UN to approve a resolution decriminalizing homosexuality.

The resolution received support from 66 of the 192 member nations, with all of the EU countries voting for it (“Conservatives Expect U.N.

Battle over Homosexuality,” CNSNews.com, Dec. 24, 2008). The United States voted against it, but that will probably change once Barack Obama comes to power this month. U.N. analyst Thomas Jacobson said, “I would fully expect that France and the European Union will push for ‘LGBT (lesbian/gay/bisexual/transgender) rights’ and ‘gender-identity rights’ and collaborate heavily with the Obama administration, beginning in the first quarter of 2009.”

SNOWZILLA AND EVOLUTION (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – Snowzilla is a 25-foot snowman in Anchorage, Alaska, that is said to have appeared mysteriously just before Christmas. It was first built on Billy Powers property in a 16- foot incarnation in 2005, but after the city forbade him to build the giant snowman again this year, it appeared overnight larger than ever and Powers said that it must be “magic” and that he doesn’t know how it got there (“Revenge of Snowzilla,” Anchorage Daily News, Dec. 24, 2008). That a 25-foot snowman with wooden arms and cans for eyes, a scarf around its neck, and a hat on its head would just happen makes as much sense as evolution. Design doesn’t happen without a designer.

The Bible doesn’t waste time trying to prove the existence of God, because His existence is evident in the very creation. The Bible’s opening words state solemnly and majestically, “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Genesis 1:1). Men are held accountable for knowing that there is a God and will be judged on that basis. “For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness; Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath shewed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Romans 1:18-20).

GLOBAL WARMING ROPE-A-DOPE (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from Dr. Walter Williams’ syndicated column for December 23, 2008:

“Americans have been rope-a-doped into believing that global warming is going to destroy our planet. Scientists who have been skeptical about manmade global warming have been called traitors or handmaidens of big oil. … U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change Executive Secretary Yvo de Boer said it was ‘criminally irresponsible’ to ignore the urgency of global warming. U.N. special climate envoy Dr. Gro Harlem Brundtland on May 10, 2007 declared the climate debate ‘over’

and added ‘it’s completely immoral, even, to question’ the U.N.’s scientific ‘consensus.’ In July 23, 2007, CNN’s Miles O’Brien said, ‘The scientific debate is over.’ … The global warming scare has provided a field day for politicians and others who wish to control our lives. After all, only the imagination limits the kind of laws and restrictions that can be written in the name of saving the planet.

Recently, more and more scientists are summoning up the courage to speak out and present evidence against the global warming rope-a-dope.

Atmospheric scientist Stanley B. Goldenberg of the Hurricane Research Division of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said, ‘It is a blatant lie put forth in the media that makes it seem there is only a fringe of scientists who don’t buy into anthropogenic global warming.’ Dr. Goldenberg has the company of at least 650 noted scientists documented in the recently released U.S. Senate Minority

Report: ‘More Than 650 International Scientists Dissent over Man-Made Global Warming Claims: Scientists Continue to Debunk “Consensus” in 2008.’ The scientists, not environmental activists, include Ivar Giaever, Nobel Laureate in physics, who said, ‘I am a skeptic … Global warming has become a new religion.’ Dr. Kiminori Itoh, an environmental physical chemist, said warming fears are the ‘worst scientific scandal in the history … When people come to know what the truth is, they will feel deceived by science and scientists.’”

UNITED NATIONS GLOBAL WARMING HYPOCRISY (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The United Nations is a ridiculous and hypocritical organization. It is ridiculous because its main stated objective is world peace, but it has no more ability to bring that about than it has to change the course of the sun. As for hypocrisy, we will give but one example. It is leading the global frenzy to save the world from global warming, but what it says and what it does is contradictory in the extreme. In Nepal, for example, the United Nations Mission, which helped put Maoists into power in a sham election in 2008, owns a fleet of gas- guzzling, pollution-producing SUVs which rarely if ever venture outside of the capital city.

A WORLDLY BIBLE FOR THE CHRISTIAN ROCK GENERATION (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org,(866-295-4143) – The Bible Illuminated is a worldly Bible fitting for the Christian rock generation. Released in English for the holiday season, The Illuminated Bible is a glossy magazine format that features pictures of rappers in indecent poses, immodestly clad models, Marxist revolutionary Che Guevara, Hollywood movie star Angelina Jolie, atheist rocker John Lennon, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Princess Diana, Bono, Muhammad Ali, Mahatma Gandhi, Nelson Mandela, and Andy Warhol in homosexual cross-dressing attire. The Illuminated Bible was the brainchild of Dag Soderberg of Sweden and was created by a group of secular advertising and corporate executives. It first appeared in Swedish in 2007 in an even “sexier” version than the English incarnation. Soderberg, who is “not a practicing Christian”and “not very religious,” hopes The Illuminated Bible “will generate more religious tolerance” (“Repackaging the Bible,” CNN, Dec. 24, 2008). The text for The Illuminated Bible is the Today’s English Version, which uses the dynamic equivalency method of translation to rob the readers of God’s Words, changes “blood” to “death” and corrupts practically every passage touching on the Deity of Jesus Christ. It is true in Christianity in our day as it was in Israel of old, “Her priests have violated my law, and have profaned mine holythings: they have put no difference between the holy and profane, neither have they shewed difference between the unclean and the clean…” (Ezekiel 22:26).

THE CYANIDE DEFENSE (Friday Church News Notes, January 2, 2009, www.wayoflife.org fbns@wayoflife.org, 866-295-4143) – The following is excerpted from Creation Moments, http://www.creationmoments.com/radio/transcript.php?t=2179 : “Wouldn’t it be amazing if a creature developed a chemical defense that is deadly to practically every other creature but itself– especially if that defense meant exposing itself and its enemy to deadly cyanide? Yet there is a species of millipede called Apheloria that does just this. Apheloria has, on each segment of its body, special glands that produce the chemical needed for defense. When the millipede is attacked by an enemy, it mixes this chemical with a catalyst. The result is a chemical that is a mild irritant plus hydrogen cyanide gas–the same lethal chemical used in the gas chamber. In this defense, the millipede as well as his enemies, are engulfed in a cloud of deadly cyanide gas. His attacker dies, but the millipede simply walks away unharmed. This truly amazing defense clearly has a purpose. Even more amazing, if evolution is right, the millipede developed this remarkable defense quite accidentally, and at the same time he became immune to deadly cyanide gas! This defense is completely unlikely to develop without a planner. The millipede’s immunity to cyanide makes sense if there was a planner, and it makes no sense at all if there wasn’t. God’s fingerprints are all over the creation as He seeks to draw us all to Himself.”

CONCLUSION: The Friday Church News Notes is designed for use in churches and is published by Way of Life Literature’s Fundamental Baptist Information Service. Unless otherwise stated, the Notes are written by David Cloud. Of necessity we quote from a wide variety of sources, but this obviously does not imply an endorsement. We trust that our readers will not be discouraged. It is God’s will that we know the times (1 Ch. 12:32; Mat. 16:3) and that we be as wise as serpents and harmless as doves. The News Notes remind us that the hour is very late, and we need to be ready for the Lord’s coming. Are you sure that you are born again? Are you living for Christ? “And that, knowing the time, that now it is high time to awake out of sleep: for now is our salvation nearer than when we believed. The night is far spent, the day is at hand: let us therefore cast off the works of darkness, and let us put on the armour of light. Let us walk honestly, as in the day; not in rioting and drunkenness, not in chambering and wantonness, not in strife and envying. But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof” (Rom. 13:11-14). This material is sent only to those who personally subscribe to the Fundamental Baptist Information Service list. To SUBSCRIBE or UNSUBSCRIBE or CHANGE ADDRESSES go to http://www.wayoflife.org/fbis/subscribe.html. Way of Life Literature, P.O. Box 610368, Port Huron, MI 48061, 866-295-4143, fbns@wayoflife.org.

The Obligatory Muslims removed from Plane Posting

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Yes, I know about it.

I have very mixed feelings. Part of me says, if they weren’t in this country, they would not have this problem. Seems that some of the Arabs have forgotten about September 11 and what some of their fellow Muslims did to this country on that horrible day.

On the other hand, I believe it is totally wrong to single out a particular minority, and treat them like second class citizens. I believe that when the FBI cleared them, they should have been allowed on the plane.

It is just one of them very complicated issues. I will not act like my fellow conservatives and pull out the “Identity Politics” line or do the pile on here.

There is no easy answer here, and knee jerk reactions and stupidity will not solve anything at all.

Update: Of course, the Liberal media does not report the whole Story…. (H/T Cold Fury)

Later in the day, six of the nine detained passengers approached the customer service counter and asked to be rebooked to Orlando. At the time, the airline had not been notified by the authorities that the passengers were cleared to fly and would not rebook them until receiving said clearance. One passenger in the party became irate and made inappropriate comments. The local law enforcement officials came over and escorted the passengers away from the gate podium

Update: (H/T Reason)

Terrorists or No? How would one tell?

Terrorists or No? How would one tell?

Seriously. If someone looking like this came onto a plane, making comments that sounded suspect. How would one know? Racial Profiling? Damn Straight. Some of us have not forgotten this:

Some of us, haven't forgotten who did this. It wasn't Americans

Some of us, haven't forgotten who did this. It wasn't Americans

‘Nuff Said. 😡

Others:  Jihad Watch, bastard.logic, Little Green Footballs, At-Largely, Preemptive Karma, Donklephant, Macsmind, JammieWearingFool, The Impolitic, Kevin Drum, Feministing, theheretik.us, PoliBlog, That Minority Thing, NO QUARTER and Connecting.the.Dots

Breaking News: Gov. Rod Blagojevich picks Roland Burris to replace Obama in Senate

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Hold on to your hats, because this one is huge.

Via Chicago Breaking News:

Gov. Rod Blagojevich is expected today to name former Illinois Atty. Gen. Roland Burris to replace President-elect Barack Obama in the U.S. Senate.

The action comes despite warnings by Democratic Senate leaders that they would not seat anyone appointed by the disgraced governor who faces criminal charges of trying to sell the post, sources familiar with the decision said.

Shortly after Obama’s Nov. 4 victory, Burris made known his interest in an appointment to the Senate but was never seriously considered, according to Blagojevich insiders. But in the days following Blagojevich’s arrest, and despite questions over the taint of a Senate appointment, Burris stepped up his efforts to win the governor’s support.

Though he is 71, Burris has said that Obama’s replacement should be able to win re-election and he has noted that despite a string of primary losses in races ranging from Chicago mayor to governor and U.S. senator, he’s never lost to a Republican.

Blagojevich, who has sole authority to name a replacement senator, scheduled a 2 p.m. news conference at his downtown Chicago office.

Of course, Harry Reid is having none of it, at all

The Senate will not seat Roland Burris if Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich attempts to appoint him, a Democratic leadership aide said.

Majority Leader Harry Reid views Burris as "unacceptable," the aide said.

Oy. I bet that presser is going to be, um, Interesting. Allah Pundit calls it a "Total Clusterfark." Indeed. Hee hee However, one could argue that this election cycle was a "cluster fark" from the word go. Especially the stuff with Hillary. She was like the child that just would not take no for an answer, funny thing is, she going to be the Secretary of State. Retreads Change you can appoint?

The neat part about all this, that it puts Reid in a spot. If he does not accept the appointment it could be, but most likely won’t be; viewed as racist by some. Which I think was quite the slick move by the Governor.

However, I most likely will not be around to see the whole thing go down. My Dad and I are supposed to go shopping. So, my blogging for the remainder of the day will be scattered. Lovely. 🙄

Have I ever mentioned how much I despise shopping? Especially with my dad? Oy. I’d rather be water boarded. (Well, Sorta…)

Others: The Campaign Spot, Don Surber (Via Memeornadum)

More firewood for the Holocaust Deniers

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This is sick and sad. Sad

Via AP:

It’s the latest story that touched, and betrayed, the world.

"Herman Rosenblat and his wife are the most gentle, loving, beautiful people," literary agent Andrea Hurst said Sunday, anguishing over why she, and so many others, were taken by Rosenblat’s story of love born on opposite sides of a barbed-wire fence at a concentration camp.

"I question why I never questioned it. I believed it; it was an incredible, hope-filled story."

On Saturday, Berkley Books canceled Rosenblat’s memoir, "Angel at the Fence." Rosenblat acknowledged that he and his wife did not meet, as they had said for years, at a sub-camp of Buchenwald, where she allegedly sneaked him apples and bread. The book was supposed to come out in February.

Rosenblat, 79, has been married to the former Roma Radzicky for 50 years, since meeting her on a blind date in New York. In a statement issued Saturday through his agent, he described himself as an advocate of love and tolerance who falsified his past to better spread his message.

"I wanted to bring happiness to people," said Rosenblat, who now lives in the Miami area. "I brought hope to a lot of people. My motivation was to make good in this world."

Rosenblat’s believers included not only his agent and his publisher, but Oprah Winfrey, film producers, journalists, family members and strangers who ignored, or didn’t know about, the warnings from scholars that his story didn’t make sense.

The bad part about this is, it does true make those who did suffer from the evils of Hitler look bad. As I would expect the true Nazi’s in America are quite amused by this story and are now saying that the whole holocaust was a lie.

Make good in this world, by lying?!?! What a Jerk! AngryI’m steamed, because I just recently saw the last part of “Band of Brothers”, and now to learn that two Jews lied about being involved all that???! Oy. Rolling Eyes

They owe the world and the Jewish Community a big apology.

Others: The Other McCain and Vox Popoli

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Singer Eartha Kitt has died

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America has lost another legend

AP Video: (via Breit Bart)

Story Via AP:

Eartha Kitt, a sultry singer, dancer and actress who rose from South Carolina cotton fields to become an international symbol of elegance and sensuality, has died, a family spokesman said. She was 81.

Andrew Freedman said Kitt, who was recently treated at Columbia Presbyterian Hospital, died Thursday in Connecticut of colon cancer.

Kitt, a self-proclaimed “sex kitten” famous for her catlike purr, was one of America’s most versatile performers, winning two Emmys and nabbing a third nomination. She also was nominated for several Tonys and two Grammys.

Her career spanned six decades, from her start as a dancer with the famed Katherine Dunham troupe to cabarets and acting and singing on stage, in movies and on television. She persevered through an unhappy childhood as a mixed-race daughter of the South and made headlines in the 1960s for denouncing the Vietnam War during a visit to the White House.

[…]

Kitt was plainspoken about causes she believed in. Her anti-war comments at the White House came as she attended a White House luncheon hosted by Lady Bird Johnson.

“You send the best of this country off to be shot and maimed,” she told the group of about 50 women. “They rebel in the street. They don’t want to go to school because they’re going to be snatched off from their mothers to be shot in Vietnam.”

For four years afterward, Kitt performed almost exclusively overseas. She was investigated by the FBI and CIA, which allegedly found her to be foul-mouthed and promiscuous.

You do not speak evil of the dead. Just that simple. If this woman is to be remembered for anything at all. It is for having the guts to stand up in the White House and denouce an unconsitutional war. Which is what Vietnam was. I give her props for that. Plainly put, the broad had balls.

May she rest in peace, a true class act, all the way.

Iraq Declares Christmas an Official Holiday for First Year

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Some good news from Iraq.

Via FOXNews.com:

Iraq’s Christians, a small minority in the overwhelmingly Muslim country, quietly celebrated Christmas on Thursday with a present from the government, which declared it an official holiday for the first time.

But security worries overshadowed the day for many, particularly in the north where thousands of Christians have fled to escape religious attacks.

Overall security in Iraq has improved markedly in the past year, but a fatal car bombing in Baghdad on Christmas morning was a gruesome reminder that serious problems remain.

The bombing outside a restaurant frequented by police killed four people and wounded 25 others in the Shiite neighborhood of Shula, said a police officer speaking on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to give information to news media.

Also Thursday, an oil official said attackers blew up a pipeline in the city of Kirkuk. The official, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the attack occurred Wednesday and pumping was expected to resume within three days.

In his homily on Thursday, Chaldean Cardinal Emmanuel III Delly praised the establishment of Christmas as an official holiday as a step toward easing tensions.

“I thank it too for making this day an official holiday where we pray to God to make us trust each other as brothers,” he said at the Christmas Mass before several dozen worshippers in the small chapel of a Baghdad monastery.

A senior Shiite cleric, Ammar al-Hakim attended the event, flanked by bodyguards, in a gesture of cooperation with Christians.

“I thank the visitors here and ask them to share happiness and love with their brothers on Christmas. By this they will build a glorious Iraq,” the cardinal said.

Unlike some liberals, who only want to look on the bad side of everything, (No wonder Sean threw you off of his show, idiot.) I think that this is proof that the surge is working. There is no doubt, that there is much work to do in Iraq. But this is a sign that there is some progress in Iraq.

What pisses me off, about the Liberals is this; they refused to admit that we won the overall war on terror in Iraq. Granted, we went there on bad information, I do admit that, as do many Conservatives; but the Liberals continue to repeat that dead fucking tired line of, “We cannot win, we have to leave and let these people fight their own battles.” Further more, they are the most irresponsible people ever. If we just pack up and leave, without fixing what we broke, without making DAMN sure that the Iraqi’s can defend themselves from attack from another Nation, we would be responsible for the worst case of genocide ever.

The Liberals refuse to see that Muqtada al-Sadr is all but irrelevant and hiding in Iran. The insurgency over, other than the spurious car bomb, things are back to normal. It sad that the Communist Liberals won’t give our Military the credit it deserves for accomplishing that enormous feat.

I just wonder how long it will be, before the Magic One will just remove all of our troops from Afghanistan and say, “Oh well, we deserved 9/11 anyhow, so, we’re not going to fight no more!” It would not surprise me at all.

The Moderate Voice,  Scared Monkeys, TigerHawk, Gateway Pundit, and Don Surber