That's the thing about cockroaches........

...........you can never wipe them out completely. Kill them in one place and they will pop up in another: http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/comment/columnists/guest_contributors/article4425820.ece. Apparently, the Surge in Iraq (you know, the one that Barack Obama STILL says he wouldn't have supported) has driven a lot of would-be terrorists out of Iraq, leaving them to (in some cases) return home or as is so often the unfortunate case, to seek out new battlegrounds. Those battlegrounds are the Arab states of North Africa, so I would think that in the next few years, we will see an increase in terrorism in and emanating out of countries such as Egypt, Tunisia, Algeria, Libya, Morocco, etc. Tracking the human vermin who are terrorists will be incredibly difficult, given the hostility of the regimes where the terrorists are now residing.

Iran Uber Alles

At best, you could say that the left hand does not know what the right hand is doing in Germany. More realistically, it would seem as though the Germans are being duplicitous: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121745139798598187.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. At the same time as Chancellor Angela Merkel is promising that Germany will stand by Israel in any confrontation with Iran, German actions can lead to no other conclusion than that economic ties between Germany and Iran are strong and getting stronger, placing the Germans at odds even with their fellow Western European neighbours.

So long as countries such as Germany support Iran economically, the Iranian nuclear program will proceed.

The "R" word is ON the table

It doesn't take any great leap of the imagination to figure out that a President Obama would support the concept of paying reparations for slavery: http://starbulletin.com/2008/07/28/news/story05.html. I wasn't born here, and I'm not African American. I can't pretend to understand the racism that any of them may have experienced. I will ask this, though. What will reparations achieve? Can ANYONE answer that question?

Don't let the door hit you on the way out

Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has announced that he will resign in September, no doubt due to the ongoing swirl of criminal allegations surrounding him: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080730/ap_on_re_mi_ea/israel_politics. Unfortunately, he stayed on several years too long (one day in power was too many for this delusional moron), leading Israel to falter miserably in the war against Hezbollah in 2006 and to the unfathomable prisoner exchange with the terrorist group just a few weeks ago. Unfortunately, his most likely successor is Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, who is as naive and appeasement-minded as Olmert..........

Could his ego possibly get ANY bigger???

I somehow doubt it. Dana Milbank has a piece in today's Washington Post where he outlines the incredible hubris (his word, not mine) of Democractic Presidential Nomineee Barack Obama: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/29/AR2008072902068.html?hpid=topnews. One quote in particular struck me as emblematic of this man's obviously colossal ego, an ego which he is obviously finding it more and more difficult to hide:

"The 5:20 TBA turned out to be his adoration session with lawmakers in the Cannon Caucus Room, where even committee chairmen arrived early, as if for the State of the Union. Capitol Police cleared the halls -- just as they do for the actual president. The Secret Service hustled him in through a side door -- just as they do for the actual president.
Inside, according to a witness, he told the House members, "This is the moment . . . that the world is waiting for," adding: "I have become a symbol of the possibility of America returning to our best traditions.""

Get OVER yourself, Barack. It may be one thing to think that you're God's gift to humanity and the United States, a perception which Dana Milbank would have to admit if he's being honest is fed by MSM outlets such as the very newspaper for which he works. Nonetheless, it's quite another to publicly proclaim how wonderful you are. Americans don't mind a President who has a bit of a swagger. In fact, they generally like it. Arrogance is quite another thing, however.

More deafening silence.

Saudi Arabia and Kuwait have "women-free" Olympic teams: http://blogs.reuters.com/faithworld/2008/05/21/should-men-only-muslim-teams-be-barred-from-the-olympics/. It's strange how this seems not to upset feminists in the least. You don't hear a word out of NOW or any other feminist organization. Nope, instead they're focussing on horrors such as construction work signs which say "Men at work". The IOC as well of course has nothing to say about this.

Talk about your priorities being completely out of whack.............

No easy solutions

Pakistan's government is corrupt and has links to worldwide terrorism. Of that there can be no doubt: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/30/world/asia/30pstan.html?_r=1&oref=slogin. However, what would replace it if it fell? Does anyone want to contemplate the idea of a Taliban-style government with nuclear weapons? How long does anyone think it would take before one of those nukes came into the possession of al Qaeda, or Hamas, or Hezbollah, or any of the other terrorist organizations out there?

We may not like the Pakistani government, but we should be VERY leery of what might take its place...........

Clap your hands, CAIR

In conjunction with the self-hating left here in the U.S. and in Europe, you are slowly and insidiously turning the Gitmo detainees--all of whom are very, very bad men, into victims: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121737320982594975.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. Let's face facts. The people who are at Gitmo would not be there unless they had done some seriously bad things or been in places where they should not have been unless they were planning on or hoping to do all of us harm. That doesn't bother the lawyers who are defending these people in the least, nor does it apparently bother a majority of the U.S. Supreme Court Justices, as the Boumedienne v. Bush decision clearly shows.

The alliance between the far left and the Islamofascists has never really made much sense to me, except for the fact that both share a pathological hatred for the United States and Israel. I guess that it's a case of "The enemy of my enemy is my friend". Regardless, and to come full circle, that CAIR and the far left have turned the Gitmo detainees into victims is nothing short of an abomination.

The end of my blog???

Maybe. Someone--or more than just a single someone--apparently complained to Google/Blogger that my blog was a "spam blog". I'm not sure exactly what that is, but I find it troubling that this complaint was made. My blog is e-mailed to no one. In fact, it's about as obscure as they come. I can only imagine that someone was offended by the contents of the blog--maybe they're a Barack Obama partisan, or a supporter of Islamofascists. Who knows?

I've contacted Google/Blogger to try to have the "spam" label taken off of my blog, but I have no idea when that response will come. If it doesn't come, or if Google/Blogger refuses to remove the label, that may be the end of the BHG's blog, because the hoops I now have to jump through to get a posting published are a major pain in the rear end, and I don't have that kind of free time....................

UPDATE (2:05 p.m.): No indication yet from Google/Blogger that it will remove the restrictions placed on my blog. Here is what Google/Blogger's policy is regarding so-called "Spam Blogs", and how they are defined:

"Is spam permitted on Blogger?
What Are Spam Blogs?
As with many powerful tools, blogging services can be both used and abused. The ease of creating and updating webpages with Blogger has made it particularly prone to a form of behavior known as "link spamming". Blogs engaged in this behavior are called spam blogs, and can be recognized by their irrelevant, repetitive, or nonsensical text, along with a large number of links, usually all pointing to a single site.

Spam blogs cause various problems, beyond simply wasting a few seconds of your time when you happen to come across one. They can clog up search engines, making it difficult to find real content on the subjects that interest you. They may scrape content from other sites on the web, using other people's writing to make it look as though they have useful information of their own. And if an automated system is creating spam posts at an extremely high rate, it can impact the speed and quality of the service for other, legitimate users."

I ask you, does my blog fit within this category?

Not so even Stevens

Alaska Senator Ted Stevens has been indicted on corruption charges, a very ominous development in a year where Republicans are already looking at a potentially poor showing come November: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121737532663995153.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. Stevens of course is famous--or should I say, infamous--for the "Bridge to Nowhere" for which he secured funding. This incredibly expensive bridge connects two islands in his state that no one wanted connected.

Stevens may still decide to run for reelection in November, and he is already promising that he will fight the charges which have been filed against him. Either way, he will be an albatross around the necks of every other Republican running for office in the upcoming election.

Don't bother, Gary, he's not listening

Gary Kasparov, chess savant and political activist, has some words of advice for Barack Obama, who he (correctly) thinks is intent on placating American foes wherever and whenever possible. The advice is to stand firm, and (gasp!) even be aggressive in defending American principles, particularly in dealing with Russia: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121728831357691467.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

Well, I hate to break it to you, Mr. Kasparov, but he's not going to do that. This is a man who is so beholden to his left wing ideology that he refuses to nowledge that his vote against the Surge in Iraq was wrong, and that the Surge itself worked. This is a man who thinks that we can reason with Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Mullahs in Iran. So, why would anyone think that he'd be any different in dealing with other countries?

From the "People in glass houses shouldn't throw stones" department

Thanks to Atlas Shrugs for this gem. The FAA is quietly considering cutting back on the number of flights it allows from Israel to the United States: http://wcbstv.com/national/faa.israel.flights.2.780248.html. Why is this, you might ask? Allegedly deficient security procedures. Fascinating. Can anyone tell me the last time an El Al flight was hijacked? How about ANY airline's flight originating out of Israel? When was the last time that an Israeli flight was commandeered using boxcutters? I'm just wondering............

They won't give up, will they?

BDS sufferers are nothing if not remarkably persistent. Even though we are just 99 days away from the November election, they are STILL determined to impeach President Bush: http://www.washingtontimes.com/news/2008/jul/26/committee-hears-about-trying-bush/. What in the world do they hope to accomplish with this? What could it possibly achieve? All that is being done is that even more government resources than normal are being wasted on a fool's errand, which is saying something.

Historical ignorance is bliss

That must be what Barack Obama is thinking--how else can anyone explain his failure to attribute anything positive the American military might, including the Berlin Airlift?! How can anyone go to Berlin and deliver a speech on U.S. foreign policy which fails to mention what was arguably the most significant example of the positive use of American military force: http://www.boston.com/bostonglobe/editorial_opinion/oped/articles/2008/07/27/missing_from_that_berlin_speech/. Then again, he talked about how the Berlin Wall was brought down without mentioning President Ronald Reagan, the man who brought it down, so I guess that this too should not surprise me.

Exposing a fallacy

Martin Peretz, despite writing for the New Republic and being an unabashed Barack Obama supporter, is also a rock of support for Israel (I haven't figured out how to reconcile his love for Israel with his love for Obama). Here he writes a very effective debunking of the (at best) stunningly naive doubletalk written by Nicholas Kristof in the New York Times: http://blogs.tnr.com/tnr/blogs/the_spine/archive/2008/07/26/love-or-tough-love-both-worthless-without-understanding-nicholas-kristof-actually-understands-nothing-about-israel-or-the-palestinians.aspx. As Peretz notes, Kristof's thesis (that the U.S. must show Israel "tough love", i.e., that it must force Israel to give up everything to the Palestinians while they in turn give up nothing by empty promises) is based on historical ignorance and/or a completely misguided understanding of what Israelis and Palestinians really want.

Then again, Kristof writes for the New York Times, so why should we in any way be surprised?

He happens to be right

Leonard Pitts, a columnist for the Miami Herald, has written a thought-provoking Op-Ed on how, well, people don't think. He calls it the "Stupification of America": http://www.miamiherald.com/285/story/618348.html. The thing is, he's right. Whether it be in the form of asinine "Reality" shows or talk shows where the hosts do nothing but scream at the callers, stupid seems to be "in", and that's not a good thing at all.

I noticed this long ago

John Bolton, who sees the world in much the same way that I do, has written an Op-Ed (in the Los Angeles Times, of all places) in which he pointedly notes that Barack Obama's speech in Berlin, which was delivered to an adoring throng of 200,000 people, was long on naivete and short on historical knowledge: http://www.latimes.com/news/opinion/la-oe-bolton26-2008jul26,0,4549608.story.

No kidding. Obama's glaring lack of historical knowledge ("The world" tore down the Berlin Wall? Mr. Obama, meet President Reagan. President Reagan, meet Senator Obama.) alone should scare anyone who is considering voting for him. When you combine that with his left wing, kumbaya, "can't we all get along?" mentality and a world where enemies of this country (and sorry to break it to you, Senator, but we DO have enemies--Islamofascists, Saudi Arabia, Russia, Venezuela, China, etc.) would be more than happy to take advantage of a suddenly impotent United States, this is a recipe for disaster.

Better late than never

The FCC has finally gotten around to approving the proposed merger between XM and Sirius, the two satellite radio providers: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/25/AR2008072503026.html. It took much too long--there was no reason this could not have been done at some point in 2007 or earlier this year, but at least it's now been accomplished. As an XM subscriber, I'm excited about the possibility of listening to Howard Stern and getting my fix of NFL games when driving around on Sunday afternoons.....

An all-too-rare moment of sanity at an insane place

The Arab Bloc at the U.N. has "voluntarily" withdrawn the resolution it submitted seeking to condemn Israel for its "West Bank Settlements" after being told that the United States, France, Great Britain, Belgium and Croatia would all vote against any such resolution: http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1005285.html. It's not surprising that the U.S. would send out this signal, but it is pleasantly surprising that the European nations would do likewise. However, Europe being Europe, I have no doubt that it will soon return to form, and to its traditional anti-Israeli mindset.

He understands Hockey better than Gary Bettman ever will

Sorry, I misspelled, the NHL Commissioner's name in the byline--I meant to write "Buttman". In any case, National Hocke League Players Association Executive Director Paul Kelly was asked for some general comments about the sport, and while he stated that revenue sharing was a key (no surprise there, that has long been a position of the NHLPA), he also spoke strongly about how several other Canadian cities could and would be viable NHL markets, listing specifically Hamilton, Winnipeg and even Halifax: http://www.tsn.ca/nhl/story/?id=244291.

It's nice to know that at least one of the powers that be in the NHL hierarchy understands the importance of Canada to the NHL's future.

If this doesn't scare you, it ought to

Edward Jay Epstein, a nuclear security expert, has analyzed whether Iran is going nuclear, and if so, when. Frighteningly, the answer to those two questions are "Yes", and "Very soon": http://www.edwardjayepstein.com/Nuclearelephant.htm. This isn't just conjecture on his part; he looks at what it takes to go nuclear and how far along the Iranians already are.

I don't think that the world will wake up to this until Tel Aviv is a smoking heap of nuclear rubble, and even then, most people will probably just cheer...........

Old habits die hard

Henry Ford was a rabid anti-Semite, so why should it surprise anyone that the charitable foundation he set up has the unfortunate habit of funding virulently anti-Israeli/anti-Semitic groups: http://www.jta.org/cgi-bin/iowa/news/article/20080723forddurban07202008.html. There was a lot of publicity about the Foundation's funding of several such groups at the oxymoronically-named 2001 Durban "anti-Racism" conference, and measures were supposedly put in place to prevent this from recurring. Well, either those measures have failed or they were never instituted in the first place, because the problems at the Foundation continue unabated.

Shut up

Michael Savage is the Right's answer to idiots like Michael Moore or Ted Rall. He is a bomb-thrower, and a good chunk of his comments are based on ignorance or idiocy, or both. Such is the case with his latest pronouncements on autism, where he pontificated that autism is nothing more (in 99% 0f the cases) than a child acting up, or a he described it, being a "brat": http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-michael-savage-autism-080721-ht,0,7335653.story.

I don't have any autistic children in my family. I do, however, know such children. They are not brats. They are not acting up or acting out. They DO have mental health issues. Savage should just shut up, because this is a subject about which he obviously knows absolutely nothing.

Obama and President Peanut Farmer

Barack Obama and President Peanut Farmer are alike in more ways than just a left wing domestic view. As this Op-Ed from the Wall Street Journal shows, they also share a similar--if not identical--lack of experience with respect to foreign policy: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121685849692379323.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. The analsysis is more than a little stunning. Richard Allen, who wrote the piece, goes all the way back to Nixon and shows how every President, with the exception of Obama and Peanut Farmer, had at least some experience overseas. All of Obama's is coming from a couple of trips to Iraq and a whirlwind tour of the Middle East and Eurrope, which the MSM is attempting to turn into a triumphant wourld tour. Keep this in mind when you're pulling that lever in November.........

Well, this is certainly scary

I am an admitted cancer freak. I had a scare with it myself, and have lost both parents, one aunt and one grandfather to the evil disease. So, it's fair to say that I have quite the phobia about it. Stories like this don't help: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080723/ap_on_he_me/cell_phone_warning. Of all the forms of cancer that freak me out, brain tumours and pancreatic cancer are the worst, because they are inevitably fatal. And, if you compound that by the fact that I use my cell phone more or less constantly as part of my job, well, that does not make me feel terribly good right now.

I hate it when history repeats itself

Forty-six years after the Cuban Missile Crisis, the Russians are apparently at it again. There are reports that they are considering placing long range bombers capable of carrying nuclear weapons in Cuba: http://www.foxnews.com/video/index.html?playerId=videolandingpage&streamingFormat=FLASH&referralObject=2558573&referralPlaylistId=92a703c7546a6f8e671948e4b777bc5d899d57d6&maven_referrer=staf. You have to wonder what the Russians are thinking. From a strategic standpoint, this is completely unnncessary. So, the only practical reason is that it would threaten the United States.

Hmm, President Bush, you looked into Vladimir Putin's eyes and liked what you saw. You still think that that's true?

Obamamania

The John McCain campaign has put up a fantastic post on the campaign webpage, and it's going viral very quickly. I would call it a satire--but the sad thing is, it's not--of how the media is absolutely worshipping at the Obama altar: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jfogMFL7UJo.. It's one of those things that's so sad and true that you just have to laugh..............

On what freakin' planet is this guy living?

Ban Ki-Moon, the U.N.'s Secretary General, has apparently decided to channel his inner Kofi Anan. He has issued a statement PRAISING the Israeli exchange of five living terrorists and many more dead terrorists for the bodies of two Israeli soldiers who were killed by Hezbollah while in captivity: http://un.org/apps/news/story.asp?NewsID=27386&Cr=Leban&Cr1. This delusional freak seems to think that this is a GOOD idea, and has expressed his with that there be more such exchanges. While I am sure that terrorists the worldwide will be more than happy to kill more Jews and/or Israelis, I certainly hope that this is the last time that Israel will ever agree to return "people" the likes of Samir Kuntar in exchange for dead bodies.

Who is surprised by this?

Israel Insider has a fabulous analysis of Barack Obama's views on Israel, and they aren't as friendly as many Liberal Jews would like to believe: http://web.israelinsider.com/views/12994.htm. Of course, I have been saying this for a long time, but who listens to me? Maybe it doesn't bother Liberal Jews that Obama might be the most Israel-unfriendly President to ever inhabit the White House. Maybe they just don't care. The thing is, Israel's pathetic leadership notwithstanding, I DO care.........

U.S. State Department intervening in internal Israeli affairs

There is a growing rift between the United States and Israel, and U.S. State Department officials increasingly intervene in purely internal Israeli affairs, including rent disputes (!!), on behalf of the Palestinians: http://haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1004189.html. I have blogged previously on how the Bush 43 Administration's foreign policy vis-a-vis Israel had morphed into that of the Bush 41 Administration, but this is now one step beyond. The even scarier thing for a supporter of Israel is that with Barack Obama likely to win the Presidency, this trend will grow even more pronounced.

Israel better get used to being out on an island, because like it or not, that is exactly where it is going to be.

Hamas, Islamic wimps?

So says a Salafist in Gaza: http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/0,1518,566740,00.html. I am sure that any supporter of Israel would find it hard to believe that there are those in Gaza who think that Hamas is too "Americanized" and "soft", but there's at least one group--think Wahhabis with an even bigger attitude--who thinks just that. The number of Salafists isn't too great right now (about 5,000), but as 9/11 proved, it doesn't take many with this mindset to cause a lot of heartache and damage.........

E-mail privacy

The biggest local story going right now is the case of two fired CBS news anchors, Larry Mendte and Alycia Lane. The story began months ago, when Lane was fired after a series of bizarre incidents in which she allegedly e-mailed former ESPN talking head Rich Eisen with provocative photos and was subsequently involved in an altercation with a New York City police officer. The story about the e-mails broke and was reported in both the Philadelphia Inquirer and the Philadelphia Daily News. It was subsequently discovered that Mendte had been accessing Lane's work AND personal e-mail accounts and that he was (allegedly) feeding information to reporters: http://www.philly.com/inquirer/front_page/20080722_U_S___Mendte_a_tireless_spy.html. Mendte was then fired as well.

E-mail has become an indispensable part of our lives. We rely on it for work and for pleasure. I know that my firm has a strict policy about what can and cannot be sent out from the work e-mail account, and it is specifically provided that there is NO expectation of privacy in any e-mails we send out. That said, I can't help but think that one does not and should not expect our co-workers--especially those on an equal level with us--to hack into our e-mail. What Mendte did, ostensibly out of jealousy over the pay raise given to Lane two years ago, highlights how fragile that boundary between public and private is, and how easily it can be erased.

I guess that the long and the short of it, be careful about what you send out on your e-mail, and be aware that if you are using a computer in any place where others can access it, you face the risk of losing that privacy.

Saying what I say, only much better

Mitch Albom is a Detroit sportswriter and best-selling author (Tuesdays with Morrie, etc.). He recently wrote in eloquent prose what the reaction to the Israel/Hezbollah trade says about all of those involved: http://www.freep.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080720/COL01/807200572/1082. He didn't get into the he said/she said of the Middle East conflict, but he did point out that the lionization of Samir Kuntar, a proud child-killer, was nothing short of obscene.

I don't know how any civilized person could say or think otherwise, but then again, I have never understood the hatred and opprobrium directed at Israel and Israel alone.

The hallmark of a primitive culture

Nine people in Iran are set for execution because they committed adultery. If it's possible to make it worse than that, they are to be stoned to death: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,386789,00.html. Killing someone for committing adultery? This is acceptable to civilized people?

Can anyone explain this to me?

A parole board in Alberta, Canada, has granted parole to a convicted sexual predator less than a year into his nine-year sentence just a month after it rejected his previous parole application: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/07/18/predator-released.html. I'll try to leave aside for the moment my personal opinion that sexual predators, particularly those who prey on children, should NEVER be allowed out of jail once convicted, and that the original nine-year sentence was pathetically inadequate. HOW can they justify letting out this creep less than a year into his sentence, and after parole was just denied to him last month, and at which time it was determined that he was likely to re-offend? HOW??????

Nope, no bias here, just keep moving along........

Who better to determine whether the MSM is biased in favour of Barack Obama and against John McCain than.........the MSM: http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5iIHbNjxgyh98CZcVL1vYRM6JBVNQD9227CBO0. And in a completely shocking development, the MSM representatives believe that they are NOT being biased! STUNNING!

First of all, it's ridiculous to take that position. Any fair-minded person would agree in a heartbeat that the MSM coverage of Barack Obama is overwhelming and overwhelmingly positive. And the coverage of John McCain? Well, you have to search to find it, and that fact alone speaks volumes. The way this campaign is being covered, one would get the impression that Obama is running unopposed......

I'm glad to say that I aced this test

So did Charles Johnson, the brilliant blogger extraordinaire who runs Little Green Footballs. The Pew Research Trust has a news "IQ Test" to determine how aware one is of current events, and it can be found here: http://pewresearch.org/newsiq/. I urge you all to take it. The test is short, and if you're reasonably aware of what's going on in the country, you'll do fairly well.

Gordon Brown is a moron

Of course, by so designating him I stand the considerable risk of insulting morons around the world. Britain's anti-Israel Prime Minister is in Israel, and he wasted no time in insulting his hosts, lecturing them on "halting the illegal settlements", and spouting off on how economics was the root of the Palestinian problems: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080720/ap_on_re_mi_ea/mideast_brown.

Really? Has this clueless jackass not read the Hamas charter? That's a rhetorical question, because it's obvious that he has not. Hamas doesn't give a hoot about "the economy". The only thing about which it cares is killing every last Jew in Israel. End of story. He also hasn't bothered to read the newspapers, where the "moderate" leader of the Palestinian Authority, Mahmoud Abbas, practically cried with joy at the release of baby-killer Samir Kuntar.

Gordon Brown's ignorance is typical of the European left. Israel should show him the door immmediately (but it won't, because Ehud Olmert may be even dumber than Brown).

They don't get it

The Democrats apparently feel as though $4.00 a gallon (and $8.55 in that unfortunate Alaskan town) gasoline isn't expensive enough. So, with oil still hovering in record territory, they are proposing a HIKE in the gas tax: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,386643,00.html. Honestly, how can people see them as being better handlers of the economy? Their response to people who are struggling to pay the current price of gasoline is to ask them to pay more????

Don't drink and post on Facebook/MySpace

Prosecutors have discovered the joys of social networking sites, but if you're a criminal, don't think that it's a good thing. Some individuals who were charged with DWI (or DUI, depending on your state) have found that photos posted of them at parties while drinking are coming back to bite them in the rear end at sentencing hearings: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080719/ap_on_hi_te/tec_facebook_evidence.

Let me ask this question: If you're charged with an alcohol-related crime, and you have a social networking page, WHY would you be stupid enough not to either take down the page or at least delete those photos which show you drinking?

Leave it to California

If there is a bizarre political idea floating around, you can be sure that it either originated or took root in California. Such is the case with one-time and aspiring future Governor Jerry Brown (a/k/a Governor Moonbeam), who wants to force people to move out of suburbs and to instead live in city high-rise buildings, all in the name of preventing Global Warming: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121642163643366589.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

I live in suburbia, and there is a reason for that. I like having a front yard, back yard, and room for the commando basset hounds to roam around. I like the idea that when I wake up in the morning, a deer might be trotting down my street (yes, that has happened). I like the greenery around me. So, I hope that this wacky idea doesn't get any traction in this neck of the woods.

And what exactly do the Democrats plan to do about this?

Gas in one particularly remote Alaskan town has hit the absurd price of $8.55 a gallon: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080718/lf_nm_life/gasoline_alaska_dc. The Republicans, agree with them or not, are at least trying to propose some options. What are we getting out of the Democrats? Nothing other than obstruction and almost a "let them eat cake (and ride their bicycles)" attitude.

My job takes me all over the state, and I lug a big trial bag around wherever I go. Sorry, but a bike's not an option for me, nor is public transportation. The Democrats, as usual, offer me nothing in terms of viable ideas or solutions to the increasing cost of fuel. Their sole gesture seems to be to say "no" to everything; No to more drilling; Not to shale oil; No to more clean coal development; No to more nuclear power; No to everything, in fact. Just how do they propose that we get the cost of energy to go down? Do they even want it to go down? Or, with typical liberal self-hatred, do they think that we deserve to pay higher costs for fuel?

I'd have to say that he's right

Ralph Peters has a column in the New York Post on the looming conflict with Iran, and he makes a valid point. If we're going to do this, we'd better be ready to go to the mattresses and do what it takes. We can't fight this war on the cheap, nor can it be outsourced to Israel: http://www.nypost.com/seven/07172008/postopinion/opedcolumnists/what_bomb_iran_really_takes_120263.htm?page=0. Then again, maybe we could just adopt the Baracck Obama model and sing kumbaya with the Iranians, because that will make them love us, won't it?

Well, who could have seen THIS coming?

Palestinian spokesmen are (shocker!) calling for more Israelis to be kidnapped in order to free Palestinian prisoners: http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=30616. Imagine that! Great precedent you've set there, Olmert. You managed to guarantee that no Israeli soldier will be safe anywhere near the borders wtih Gaza, Egypt or Lebanon, or in the West Bank. Well done...................

Some Canadian-American amity

Canadian soldiers at the NATO base in Kandahar held a Calgary Stampede party the other day, but the guests of honour were a couple of American helicopter pilots: http://www.canada.com/edmontonjournal/columnists/story.html?id=a749dfcb-ca0e-4658-8d90-2e67d2362545. The Canadians were thanking the pilots for spotting an aspiring homicide bomber and warning them in sufficient time to avoid any injuries. In a rare bit of justice, only the bomber died in the attack.

I wish that there were more stories like this, all the way around.

My exchange with a committed Democrat

I have redacted the recipient's e-mail address and name. As you will note from reading it, it began with me forwarding to that person from an e-mail known as the Borowitz Report. Andy Borowitz, for those who do not know him, is a political humourist (and a committed Democrat). The Borowitz e-mail was a satirical look by Borowitz at Barack Obama "campaign approved" jokes, and I thought that it was pretty funny. In response, I received what I viewed as pretty harsh attack on Republicans in general and John McCain in particular, so I responded in kind. Our exchange is below, typos and all, and I am sad to say that my response was apparently enough to end the relationship with the person who sent me the e-mail, as they have told me not to contact them again.

From: XXXX
To: XXXX
Sent: Thursday, July 17, 2008 1:52 PM
Subject: Campaign-Approved Jokes

From the Borowitz Report:

Saying he is "sympathetic to late night comedians' struggle to find jokes to make about me," Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill) today issued a list of official campaign-approved Barack Obama jokes. The five jokes, which Sen. Obama said he is making available to all comedians free of charge, are as follows:

Barack Obama and a kangaroo pull up to a gas station. The gas station attendant takes one look at the kangaroo and says, "You know, we don't get many kangaroos here." Barack Obama replies, "At these prices, I'm not surprised. That's why we need to reduce our dependence on foreign oil."

A traveling salesman knocks on the door of a farmhouse, and much to his surprise, Barack Obama answers the door. The salesman says, "I was expecting the farmer's daughter." Barack Obama replies, "She's not here. The farm was foreclosed on because of subprime loans that are making a mockery of the American Dream."

A horse walks into a bar. The bartender says, "Why the long face?" Barack Obama replies, "His jockey just lost his health insurance, which should be the right of all Americans."

Q: What's black and white and red all over? Barack Obama: The New Yorker magazine, which should be embarrassed after publishing such a tasteless and offensive cover, which I reject and denounce.

A Christian, a Jew and Barack Obama are in a rowboat in the middle of the ocean. Barack Obama says, "This joke isn't going to work because there's no Muslim in this boat."

>>> "XXXX" Thursday, July 17, 2008 02:16 PM >>>

hey ,you know, the republicans are right, the mortgage crisis is only mental-just ask Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac,only they are ill and can't respond, they are in the only industrialized nation in the world that doesn't offer health care to it's citizens-Germany has it(as does all of Europe,including Slovakia and the Czech Republic,two nations McCain is apparently unaware of) and has had it since before WWI!!!

By the way, what you think you know about VietNam obviously came from a right wing editorial piece , not from living in the States during that era- the Dems got their teeth kicked in for being too aggressive during the Johnson administration ,the citizenry didn't want their kids,brothers and fathers dying for a tiny Asian country-that's what people do with a "Wrong War" when everyone's kid could be drafted, not just volunteers who were back door drafted and whose tours are extended

By the way, having lived through it, our "failure to achieve ultimate victory" had a negative morale effect, but no effect on anyone's life.
XXXX

Here is my response that caused the recipient to cut off contact with me. I welcome the responses of blog readers. If you think that it was too harsh, let me know.

"Slovakia and the Czech Republic,two nations McCain is apparently unaware of"

At least he's aware of how many states this country has, unlike Obama, who apparently thinks that we have 57. At least he's in favour of the U.S. keeping its deals, unlike Obama, who wants to rip up NAFTA because he's beholden to the unions who do NOTHING to make anyone's lives better. At least he's not in thrall of the U.N., a collection of tinpot dictators whose main purpose seems to be to give voice to anti-Semites around the world. At least he wants to do something about the energy issues confronting the U.S., unlike Obama, who specializes in saying "No" to every single way that the U.S. could employ to cut the cost of oil and transition to alternative fuel sources. At least he understand the reality on the ground in Iraq, unlike Obama, who still says that we're going to pull out in 16 months, improvements (I should actually say, VAST improvements) on the ground notwithstanding (even the Washington Post trashed Obama for his obtuseness on this issue). At least he understands Economics 101, unlike Obama, which is that making everyone around the country pay MORE in taxes is not going to spur the economy. At least he's not so freakin' naive and clueless, unlike Obama, that he understands that face-to-face negotiations with Iran will only legitimize a world leader who is rightfully considered a pariah (who's next, Barack? Hassan Nasrallah?).

And since you're apparently so big on socialized medicine, why don't you ask someone who's actually experienced it how wonderful it is? You know, someone like me. I watched as my aunt waited eight months for a spinal surgery that would have taken place here within days here [sic]. I watched (and am still watching) as my sister waits (three months and counting) for surgery to her torn ACL in that wonderful socialist utopia you apparently so desire to emulate. I watched as my mother waited for cancer treatment. Sorry, but socialized medicine SUCKS. No offense meant, XXXX, but you have no clue what you're talking about here. None.

On Vietnam, the facts are the facts. You may not like them, and they don't come from a "right wing editorial", but they are STILL the facts. The Democrats underwent a sea change in 1968. They stopped being the party of JFK and LBJ and become [sic. I should have written "became"] the party of McGovern and Ted Kennedy, and we are all the worse off for it.

"By the way, having lived through it, our "failure to achieve ultimate victory" had a negative morale effect, but no effect on anyone's life." You know what the end result of our pullouot in Southeast Asia was? Pol Pot and the killing fields in Cambodia. Millions died. I blame every freakin' naive, left-wing baby boomer for that horrific crime against humanity, and I hope that it it's on their conscience forever. Try telling the millions of Cambodians who died in those Killing Fields, the thousands of Vietnamese who died in "reeducation" camps, and the millions more who have been living under a dictatorial regime for 30+ years now that our pullout had no effect on anyone. Or maybe you could share your view with one of those veterans who was spat on by one of your self-indulgent, myopic, navel-gazing baby boomer buddies after returning home. See if he agrees with you.

I note your hidden insult towards the troops. Funny, but the ones I know (and yes, I do know some) WEREN'T "back door drafted" and stunningly (well, stunning to a Democrat, I'm sure, because Democrats can't conceive of anyone being stupid enough to join the military. Just ask John Kerry.), they VOLUNTEERED for additional tours of duty. You see, they seem to understand something that you and so many others obviously don't. Missions need to be completed. Once you commit to a conflict, you are in it to win. You don't (and can't) take your ball and go home, like your candidate wants us to do.

Also, please note that when I discuss politics with you, I don't cc (or bcc) anyone. It's not my place to share your political views with anyone, and I would appreciate it if you at least extended me that most basic of courtesies.

FYI,, Borowitz is a committed Democract. Go to his website if you don't believe me.

Pole dancing for gasoline

Someone should send this to James Taranto at the Wall Street Journal, for his "The World is Spinning out of Control" series: http://www.wafb.com/global/story.asp?s=8684852.

S0rry, maybe I'm just a hard-hearted jackass, but I'm having a lot of trouble taking this story seriously...........

The speech from Ehud Olmert that we won't hear

Ron Ben-Yishai, in Ynet's English-language news service, has a great "speech" that unfortunately will never be heard. It's the one that we wish Ehud "Tweedledumb" Olmert had delivered after the bodies of Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev (either killed or allowed to die in captivity--NEVER forget that fact) were recovered: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3569019,00.html. It's hard-hitting and so, so true. In other words, it's everything Dhimmi Olmert is not.

The numbers don't lie. Well, maybe they do.

The Wall Street Journal has published another Op-Ed on the dangers of inflation, a problem that is suddenly on everyone's radar screen once again: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121625005807760049.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. I know that the Federal Reserve is claiming that inflation is hovering around 5.0%, but I dismiss that number because it doesn't include food or fuel prices. How can you have an accurate measure of inflation when the books are obviously being cooked? Fuel and food costs are basic necessities--everyone, rich or poor, needs them, so it would seem logical that the true measure of inflation would include those costs. The fact that the government doesn't do so means that the statistics it is providing to us are lies, plain and simple.

Idiocy in Big "D"

An African-American Dallas city councilman has objected to a white colleague's use of the term "Black Hole", as did another African-American colleague, believing it to be racist: http://cityhallblog.dallasnews.com/archives/2008/07/dallas-county-meeting-turns-ra.html. I don't know whether to laugh or cry. Are these two really that big idiots, and that racially sensitive?

Israel officially capitulates to Hezbollah

I think that we can now officially say that Israel lost every aspect of the 2006 war with Hezbollah, after today's "prisoner swap": http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20080716/wl_nm/israel_lebanon_swap_dc. That Israel exchanged living terrrorists (and the bodies of dead Palestinian terrorist "heroes") for two dead soldiers will do nothing other than convince Hezbollah, Hamas and their vile ilk that kidnapping Israelis works. The proof is in the pudding. Not surprisingly, the returned terrorists were greeted like rock stars upon their return, with the adulation coming not just from Hezbollah but from Lebanese government officials as well.

This is as dark a day in Israeli history as I have ever personally seen.

UPDATE (4:48 p.m.): For the joyous Palestinian reaction, go here: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3568977,00.html. Note the quote in the article from the Palestinian terrrorist who talks about the precedent set by this deal.

Open borders anarchy

I've always hated the very concept of "sanctuary cities". Essentially, what cities who proclaim themselves to be "sanctuary cities" are doing is saying, "We don't give a hoot what the law says, we're not complying with it. So, now we have a situation where cities all over the country are declaring that they will not comply with federal law, which can occasionally lead illegal immigrants killing people: http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2008/07/16/cstillwell.DTL. It seems pretty elementary to me that if these people had been deported, they would not have been here to commit their criminal acts.

I think that that there is a pretty easy solution to the problem of "sanctuary cities". The Federal Government should simply cut off all federal funding to city. If that city wants to flout federal law, why should it benefit from federal funds?

More separatist idiocy out of Quebec

The 400th anniversary of the city of Quebec is approaching next month, and as part of the festivities the city has secured a commitment from Paul McCartney (yes, THAT Paul McCartney) to perform a free concert on the Plains of Abraham, near the city. This has apparently ruffled the feathers of a few separatists, who are whining that McCartney's presence means that the event is being "Canadianized": http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/07/16/qc-paulmccartneyquebec4000716.html. Here's a news flash for these morons. As of today, Quebec is a part of Canada. And, the city celebration is just that, a celebration of the founding of the city, not some misguided attemtp at creating a separatist holiday. These idiots really need to get a clue and grow up.

The Anti-Semite in Chief speak again

Pitchfork Pat can't help himself. He really can't. His loathing of Jews in general and Israel in particular comes out no matter how hard he tries to suppress it (which isn't that hard, to be frank). Here he is again, blaming Israel for Iran's testing of missiles, accusing AIPAC of being run by traitors, and accusing every supporter of Israel of being a "fifth columnist": http://www.townhall.com/columnists/PatrickJBuchanan/2008/07/15/a_phony_crisis_--_and_a_real_one. The man is a despicable, odious anti-Semite of the worst order. That he is taken seriously by anyone is pathetic, and that he is absolutely adored by MSNBC, Fox News and CNN is just plain stupid.

What goes down must come up

Oil prices fell today by over $6 a barrel, over concerns that it is overpriced, among other things: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080715/ap_on_bi_ge/oil_prices. A couple of perspective checks here. One, it is still just as expensive as it was last week. Two, the U.S. dollar continues to plummet, reaching new lows on almost a daily basis. This guarantees that the price of oil won't fall far, if it continues to fall at all. So, don't get too excited.

No surprise

Venezuela's small Jewish community (numbering less than 300,000 in a country of more than 26,000,000 people) is under siege, which really shouldn't shock anyone, given the rabidly anti-Israeli positions of its President, Hugo Chavez: http://www.commentarymagazine.com/viewarticle.cfm/hugo-ch-vez-s-jewish-problem-11455. The man's closest ally in the world is the Holocaust-denying Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, so why should it be a surprise to anyone that his government would start spewing out anti-Semitic bile?

So true. So, so true.........

Israel has completely lost its "deterrence" effect. There was a time many years ago when terrorists of any stripe knew that if they kidnapped or killed an Israeli, there would be hell to pay. The raid on Entebbe is perhaps the most striking example, and even today it is still discussed in reverential terms by counterterrorism forces. Today's Israel is a very different place, however. Now, terrorist groups kidnap Israelis with seeming impunity, kill them, and then exchange them for jailed, living terrorists: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121607791452752543.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. The precedent has been set, and it's not a good one at all.

How freakin' juvenile can you get?

France is currently hosting a conference at which both Syria and Israel are present, and true to the nature of Arab states, the Syrians are being incredibly juvenile. Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert tried to make eye contact with Syrian dictator Basher Assad, and Assad actually put his hand up in front of his face to avoid it: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSL1332985620080713. At a separate meeting in which both the Israeli and Syrian foreign ministers were present, the Syrian represenative left when the Israeli representative, Tzipi Livni, was going to speak.

Are we really to believe that peace is possible between these two countries when the Syrians are pulling crap like this?

The U.N. proves its lack of value yet again

The U.N. Security Council had a chance last Friday to do something about the deplorable situation in Zimbabwe, namely to impose sanctions against the Robert Mugabe regime which just stole an election. Needless to say, it failed miserably in this task, with South Africa, China, Russia and Vietnam all voting against imposing any sanctions, because to do so would amount to "interference in the internal affairs of a member country": http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121599305721549429.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

Hmm, they don't seem to have the same legalistic reluctance to "interfere in the internal affairs" of Israel, do they?

Nope, no double standard there..............

Mr. President, sign this bill!

Senators Joseph Lieberman and Arlen Specter have submitted a bill for consideration by the Senate which would bar U.S. courts from enforcing foreign defamation/libel judgments based on the argument that enforcing these judgments would violate the writer's/author's free speech rights: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121599561708449643.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. New York State has already passed this bill and it was signed into law by Governor David Patterson, and several other states are getting ready to follow suit. The Senate in this country should give this bill "fast track" priority, and the President should sign it into law immediately. We cannot have a situation where foreign courts are passing judgments affecting U.S. citizens, especially where those courts have no jurisdiction over the Americans.

The impetus behind the law is a slew of lawsuits filed (mostly in the U.K.) by Muslim individuals or groups against American authors accusing them of defamation, with the specific case of Rachel Ehrenfeld being the most egregious. Ehrenfeld wrote a book in which she accused one particular Saudi of being connected to terrorism (a Saudi terrorist? Perish the thought!). Twenty-three copies of the book were sold online in the U.K., and this apparently was enough for a British judge to hold that the court had jurisdiction over Ehrenfeld. Worse yet, under British defamation law, the statements accused of being defamatory are presumed to be false, meaning that the burden of proof is on the defendant, not the plaintiff as is the case in the United States.

Let me give a more personal, specific example. My blog has received hits from countries all over the world (yes, I'm serious. Click on the map on the left hand side of the blog if you don't believe me). I've said some fairly disagreeable things about certain countries and individuals on the blog. Without the passage of this bill, I could theoretically be hauled into court in some foreign jurisdiction and charged with defamation. That's just wrong.............

I'm tired of this story

If you're a sports fan, then there is no way that you have been able to avoid the incessant chatter on both national sports networks (ESPN) or local sports talk radio on the interminable Brett Favre story: http://www.cbs.sportsline.com/nfl/story/10895939. Will he stay retired? Will he come back? Where will he come back if he does? Will the Packers let him go? It goes on and on and on..........

To all of this, I say "ENOUGH"! While I am of the opinion that Favre is one of the greatest quarterbacks of all time, he is also yet another self-absorbed athlete who can't imagine the NFL or sports world getting along without him. Sorry, Brett, I hate to break it you, but the league and even (gasp!) the Packers WILL survive without you. His dithering has left the Packers in a very difficult situation, and I have no sympathy for him. None.

Irony

The New York Times has an article on how some of Barack Obama's supporters are "disappointed" and "feel betrayed" by him due to some of his recent votes: http://www.nytimes.com/2008/07/13/us/politics/13liberal.html?_r=2&ref=politics&oref=slogin&oref=slogin. You have to love the NYT for publishing this article, because you can almost feel the paper's own sense of disappointment with every vote or comment by Obama which doesn't match up with the paper's far left agenda. All I can say is, don't worry, people. Should Barack Obama be elected in November, you're going to get the far left President for whom you've been waiting. It'll be the rest of us who will be left to feel "disappointed" and "betrayed".

Don't mind that terrorist threat. It's overstated...

So says Glenn Carle, a former CIA guy for over two decades: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/11/AR2008071102710.html. He's dead wrong, of course, and apparently he's never heard of Hezbollah. He also downplays the al Qaeda threat completely. All I can say is that it's no wonder that the terrorist threat has grown as large as it has, given this tool's presence in the service which was supposed to combat that threat.

A Liberal takeover of the country

John Fund has a fascinating and frightening examination of how George Soros and his ilk have quietly but effectively mobilized "grassroots" organizations who in turn are gradually taking over key battleground states in advance of the 2008 Election. He uses examples of how so-called Progressive groups have successfully pushed their agendas or managed to get their candidates elected in states such as Colorado and Michigan, two states that both parties are targeting in the upcoming election: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121581650524447373.html?mod=djemEditorialPage.

If Fund is right, Republicans may be in for an even tougher election year than they imagined............

Tony Snow, 1955-2008

Tony Snow, former White House Press Secretary, radio talk show host and Fox News pundit, has died of colon cancer at the young age of 53: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,381250,00.html. Snow always seemed like a good and decent man, an impression of mine that seems to have been echoed by everyone who knew and met him. He had a tough job as the White House Press Secretary, but he did it with zeal and a twinkle in his eye.

Rest in peace, Tony, and cue the inevitable hatefest at the Daily Kos and Huffington Post.......

Some early morning examples of the love from the Daily Kos:

"Yes, let us all be hypocrites, and speak well of Snow. The man was an unapologetic liar, and helped send American troops to die in a war that should never have been fought. No matter what else he did. Cancer is kinder than what he gave to so many."

"if you know that in life your role was an alienating character on the world stage to half the listeners, wouldn't you kind of expect not to be remembered well when you left the stage?
And I don't think Tony really cares at the moment, nor did he when he was at the microphone."

"Hard to reconcile the two, can sit in church all day and then go to your job where you spread deceit and disinformation. Make me think one of these lives was a lie.
Sorry, I hope his family and friends get past this as smoothly as possible, but I had a real problem with this guy."

"Just saying, to me your diary made him seem like a real scumbag - i.e., spreading death and destruction at the behest of the Bush Cabal, not because he actually believed in it, instead, it was just his job.

I will leave it to the reader to do their own search on "the banality of evil" . . .

And of course somebody's friends will find good in them - for crying out loud, that's why they're their friends!"

"Yes, he was a hatemonger. Everytime anyone of of any notoriety dies we must weep the tragedy of death. Thousands of people die every hour, I would rather salute those who have lived the truth and lived wiht honor rather than this vile hate merchant. I listened to his Friday O'Reilly substitute on the radio and he was all hate. Just a month ago he was trying to argue that every thug should be calling Barack with his middle name. He was doing the Wright rehash, and mocking Obama's patriotism and bringing up every thug talking point. Sadly, there are other thug Snow replacement haters lining up to fill his hateful boots."

"Jesse Helms gets no compassion. Neither does Snow. No difference. I always remind myself of how different America would be today if Snow and co were doing their hateful thing during the civil rights and jim crow era in the 40's, 50's and 60's. Would we have had the same change, or would it have been suppressed and codified into our laws instead?

My compassion is not for Snow. I salute him in the same way as I diaried Helms. I will pour a beer on your grave, Snow, but not before it has been filtered through my kidneys."

"If it's any comfort to you, colon cancer is a horrendous, painful way to die. The suffering he went through is a pretty thorough kind of karma for his past misdeeds."

"I had an uncle who died 20 years ago. He trained his german sheperd to attack blacks and hippies in the 60's. he would bring up klan and other hate filled derogatory racist lies at the drop of a hat. He loved me. He died. I felt nothing, as I could never reconcile his terrible beliefs. My mother and father understood my indifference and respected it. After all these years, I still feel he was a wrongful hate merchant whose passing I did not dwell on. Same with Snow."

"On the one hand, I appreciate the reminder that even Bush cronies have friends who will mourn their deaths.

On the other hand, we do choose our work in this country. And our employers."

"You know, maybe he didn't even know what he was doing.
Consider for example, a locomotive engineer who drove a train from Berlin to Auschwitz a couple times a week.

In the evenings, he'd have a beer with his friends, on Sunday he'd take his family to church, where everyone loved him because of his wonderful singing in the choir.

The next day, it'd be back to driving the train to Auschwitz. It was just his job to keep the coal shoveled into the boiler and the steam pressure up, heck, he didn't even know what the train's cargo was. That was not his concern.

He couldn't possibly have been a bad person, could he?"

"We did know him because people are judged on their deeds and actions, not on whether they are good friends to people in their private lives.

Tony Snow was the voice of the Bush administration. He shilled for their policies and spun their lies and half-truths in order to prop up an illegal war and an outrageously unethical and even criminal administration.

His friends and family are free to remember the Tony Snow they want to remember. I, as a citizen, however, am free to remember Tony Snow as a man who brought harm to this nation and its citizens."

"And Snow was the frontman for these atrocities... His death at an early age makes a case for the existence of Karma.

Yours in Justice, Celtic Merlin

Bush & McCain - as inseparable as Shit & Stink."

"Well...Jesse Helms treated his dogs well and went to church regularly, so Like Tony, we must ignore the evil he championed."

"Sorry for his family..but..I will shed no tears for anyone who was part of the death of 1000's of our own if Iraq and Afghanistan.."

"Many People Grow Wiser From Cancer, Tony probably not so much. He was probably sneering and smirking right to the end, and proud of his strength for doing so."

"There's a new Snowball in Hell today."

"Dying does not equal redemption - at least here. If you choose to support those who are doing evil, and even try to deceive others about it, you too are doing evil. By dying, one doesn't automatically erase the bad acts they did in life. Maybe people can redeem themselves in some afterlife, but I believe you've got to do the right thing while you're here. And I don't believe we owe any debt of sympathy or compassion to this man, and what he has done."

" NO EULOGY HERE. I can't join with you uys in the faux mourning of this cat.
Good riddance. Oh well."

Here are a couple of voices in the wilderness:

"I think judge not, lest yea be judged is a good policy, guys. By all accounts Tony Snow was a decent man in his private life. In his public life he fought for the beliefs he believed in, even if we despise them. That does not make him a horrible man. If he himself committed a crime then he should of been arrested, but simply working for the Bush administration does not make you a bad man. I am sorry to see him go, and pray for his friends and family."

" Cancer is such a brutally horrible disease. My prayers to Tony Snow's family and friends."

UPDATE (9:43 a.m., July 13, 2008): Still MORE love out of the Daily Kos! It can be found here: http://www.dailykos.com/story/2008/7/12/9943/75678/728/550496. This is why the Angry Left is what it is......

Not sure if this is legitimate or not.......

............but I sure hope that it is. Charlotte Kates is the angry leftie Ruters University student who has made it her life calling to de-legitimize Israel. Apparently, one of her anti-Israeli actions caught the attenion of an Israeli who supposedly wrote the following letter to her via the president of Rutgers. I have zero doubt that it this is legitimate, Kates would barely have glanced at it, and even if she had, she would have just rolled her eyes, and pressed the "delete" button........

This was sent to me by e-mail:

Charlotte Kates is the pro-terrorist law student at Rutgers University who Organized the pro-Palestinian conference and defends suicide bombers.The following letter was written to the President of Rutgers State University by an Israeli citizen after reading Kates'Published comments on the Israeli / Palestinian situation!!
=====================================================================Dear Ms. Kates, I think you are a remarkable woman. You are neither an Arab nor a Jew, you Do not study the Middle East, Or any associated subject and, correct me if I am wrong, you have never Visited this region. Therefore I am somewhat Astounded at your expertise and your comments on Israel being an 'Apartheid' State. I have lived in Israel for many years and I would be delighted to take you On a little virtual tour of our country.

Let me first give you a couple of Minor points. Israel occupies 0.1% of the landmass of the Middle East and it Is the only Jewish state, not only in this region, surrounded as we are by 22 Arab states, but in the world.

Let us begin your virtual tour!! You have already been through immigration at Tel Aviv
Airport with your Boyfriend, whom we shall call Ken. You will have filled out a visitors form. This form will not ask you, as it Will in many of the countries that Surround us, what your religion is, and it will certainly not ask you, as They do in Saudi Arabia, for a certificate of Religion.

The day is Sunday! You will want to attend a church service. No problem in The Apartheid State of Israel. We tolerate and freely allow worship for all Religions. This is more than can be said for nearly all of the surrounding 22 Arab nations. In fact many of them would not even have a single church, Let alone a synagogue.

After a lovely service you and Ken would head for a leisurely lunch, maybe At one of the lovely beachfront Restaurants in Tel Aviv. You would most likely have returned to your hotel And put on a very casual outfit, as Fitting the very hot Israeli summers. This could be a pair of shorts and a Tight-fitting skimpy t-shirt. No problem in the Apartheid state of Israel. In Israel we allow freedom of dress, especially for women, who are not made To wear Bulky long robes, a veil to cover their face, and, wouldn't it be a pity if You had to cover that lovely coiffed hairdo, As you would probably have to in most of the surrounding 22 Arab states.

During lunch Ken could gaze lovingly into your heavily painted eyes, complete with a good application of black mascara. He would be free to lean Across and kiss your lips, finely
painted with lip liner, 2 shades of Burgundy Lipstick and gloss. People would probably think you were in love, especially As Ken has proudly displayed a Good wine on the table. Public displays of affection and consuming alcohol In the Apartheid state of Israel is Nothing unusual and its not even scorned upon. That's more than can be said For most of the surrounding 22 Arab states, where your glossy lips would be considered whorish and alcohol Is forbidden.

But Ken, being a little flirtatious, pinched one of the young waitresses While you went to reapply your Lipstick. It was harmless and, luckily for the young girl in the Apartheid tate of Israel, her father and 6 brothers Will not take her to the family pool in the evening and drown her, as they Would in some of the surrounding 22 Arab states.

After lunch you and Ken drive around. You are even allowed to drive. It is Not forbidden in Israel. You stumble across a kindergarten. The children Are running around and enjoying themselves. They are not made to sit For hours reciting by rote pages from religious books. Their games are inThe sand pit or on the swings. They Are not infested with hate or told the only honor to their lives will be in Death.

In the Apartheid state of Israel we rejoice in life and living. We do not Promote murder and violence by Brainwashing our children with hatred, as they do in many of the surrounding 22 Arab states.

By the end of the day you and Ken come across a political rally. Many Thousands have turned up. In the Apartheid State of Israel all the citizens, men, women, Jew, Arab and Christian, are free to vote. We are allowed to openly criticize the government and our media, including the TV and newspapers which offer, without prejudice, a choice of opinions. Every person has the right to openly agree with or condemn the government. This can certainly not be said for most of the surrounding 22 Arab states, ruled as they are by oppressive dictators, where any dissent is met with dire consequences. Of course, most of the 22 surrounding Arab countries can't offer you a good old-fashioned homicide bombing as a tourist attraction. This can only happen in the apartheid state of Israel, surrounded as we are, by so many hostile countries determined, as you are, to wipe us off the face of the earth.

Where else can you get on a crowded bus, often packed with children, and come face-to-face with some poor, plighted Palestinian ghoul who thinks life isn't very jolly, having been fed and brainwashed by evil organizations like Hamas, to believe that the only way forward is to murder innocent people? This dehumanized creature will have been fed on a 24/7 diet of lies, hate, and incitement; he will have been coaxed with the reward of 72 vestal virgins waiting for him in Paradise. His demonic mother will be dancing in the street waving her $10,000 check.

While Israelis are scraping their dead children off the sidewalks, the Palestinians will be lighting fireworks and dancing in the street to honor this mass murderer as a hero, often to their children who are being systematically nurtured to be the next generation of mass murderers. The Apartheid state of Israel? Forgive me Ms. Kates but you seem somewhat confused as to the meaning of the word. It usually refers to segregation. It's funny isn't it that a large section of the Jews who live in this apartheid state had to flee for their lives from nearly all of the surrounding 22 Arab states? These countries not only have no tolerance for Jews, they refer
to anyone who is not a Moslem as an Infidel and an enemy.

I find it somewhat curious that you find nothing 'apartheid' about these countries. Maybe you should do a project on how many churches there are in Saudi Arabia. Let me help you - there are none. It would not be tolerated.I am proud to live in this Apartheid State. In 60 years we have become one of the most technologically advanced nations on this planet, with many innovations that have made Israel a true leader in many fields. It is tragic that we have to live in a region that feels threatened by our achievements.

Israel is not an apartheid state and it is appalling that a so-called intelligent and thinking person like you can go around finding feeble excuses for mass murder.

Ms. Kates there is no justification, in any society, for getting on a crowded bus, often packed with children, detonating an explosive belt, often packed with nails and shrapnel, and destroying innocent lives. This is not a freedom fighter, or a person seeking justice, but a chronically and irreversibly evil human being.

I can only assume that one day in the near future, Ms. Kates, you will chip off that heavy layer of make up and discover your conscience.

Paulbpaulwhite@ < mailto:bpaulwhite@gmail.com

The Hamas Charter, in all its glory

Here is a link to Yale's translation of the Hamas Charter: http://www.yale.edu/lawweb/avalon/mideast/hamas.htm. Read every word. If you do so and you then try to assert that Israel can reach some sort of "understanding" with Hamas, then you are either stupid or delusional, or possibly both.

There is no way that Israel will ever be able to reach any sort of deal with Hamas. Short of a mass suicide of every single Jew in the country, Hamas will not be satisfied.

What is WRONG with Israel's leaders?

It's bad enough that they're going to swap live terrorists such as the vermin Samir Kuntar for dead bodies, but apparently, they're also going to turn over the remains of one Dalal Mughrabi. That name doesn't wring a bell to you? She was involved in a horrific terrorist attack in 1978 in which 36 Israelis were killed and another 71 were injured: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1215330933597&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. For more on this "hero", go here: http://elderofziyon.blogspot.com/2008/07/palestinian-arab-heroine-dalal-mughrabi.html.

The worst part about this? Hezbollah and the Mahmoud Abbas' "MODERATE" Palestinian Authority are fighing over her body to see who can honour her more.

Un-freakin'-believable.............

It's about bloody time.........

The International Criminal Court is getting set to charge a current leader of a country of genocide, and in a shocker, it's ISN'T the leader of Israel. No, the ICC is rightfully getting set to charge Omar Hassan al-Bashir, the President of the Sudan, for his evil in the Darfur region: http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/07/10/AR2008071003109.html. Needless to say, the U.N. isn't too happy about it, but that's not much of a surprise, is it?

An example of the bitterness

A few weeks back, I posted an entry on why Philadelphia area sports fans are so bitter. Now, a local writer has drafted a quiz which actually measures the "Bitterness Index": http://www.philly.com/dailynews/sports/20080708_Rich_Hofmann__Philly_fans__Nobody_does_it_bitter.html?adString=pdn.sports/sports;!category=sports;&randomOrd=071008063054.

For the record, I scored a 34, which means that I'm a wide-eyed realist. I can live with that........

This should be a hoot!

Cynthia McKinney, one-time Democatic Congresswoman, is set to lock up the Green Party nomination for the Presidency: http://www.suntimes.com/news/elections/1048670,CST-NWS-green10web.article. McKinney is a racist loon, so if nothing else she should provide us election-watchers with some great soundbites!

The Middle East conflict comes to Canada

More litigation jihad, and given that it was filed in Quebec, I have a hunch that it will work. A West Bank village has filed suit in a Quebec court seeking compensatory and punitive damages as well as injunctive relief against two Canadian companies involved in the construction of an Israeli village in the West Bank: http://www.cbc.ca/canada/montreal/story/2008/07/10/qc-settlementlawsuit0710.html. Of all the places in North America, Quebec is almost certainly the most anti-Israel. Watch out, because it would not surprise me at all if the lawsuit succeeds, though I would note as an aside that I don't how any Quebec Court would have jurisdiction over what occurs in a foreign country.

Something else to cause us worry

With all of the talk about the Iranian missile tests today and yesterday, this Wall Street Journal editorial raises a concern that hadn't even crossed my mind. What if they decide to hit us with an electromagnetic pulse ("EMP") bomb: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121564702233840875.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. All that would take would be to set off a nuclear warhead in the atmosphere, where it could fry ground and satellite-based electronic systems, leaving this country more or less in the dark ages, given our technological dependency. Imagine getting up and having no use of your:
A) Computer
B) Microwave Oven
C) Refrigerator
D) Dishwasher
E) Central Air Unit/Furnace
F) Car
G) Cell Phone
H) Cordless Telephone
I) Stereo
J) Television
K) Clock Radio
L) Most wristwatches
M) Electric Razors
N) Hair Dryers

Obviously, the sophistication of the electronics would be a factor, i.e., the more sophisticated it is, the more likely it would be to be fried by an EMP. Scarily, it doesn't end there, though. You would also have no access to your money because all ATM's would be down. In fact, the entire banking industry would be pretty much toast, given how computer-dependent it is. Want to use that credit card? Not going to be very easy, because the credit card companies are also pretty much dependent on computers. So, you will have no access to money and no way to tide yourself over by the use of credit cards. That still leaves the government, right? Well, ummmm, no it doesn't. Governments at all levels (Federal, State, County, Municipal) also rely on computers, and let's not forget the fun and games the various governmental agencies experienced in Louisiana and Mississippi after Hurricane Katrina when they had a fully functional electronic system.

And, let's say that whoever launched the EMP decided to follow it up with some "targeted" attacks inside this country. Even something as seemingly basic as starting a fire would be a major problem because the fire trucks would all be inoperable, and worse yet, if there was an attack on the water distribution system (again, very easy, given that computers either run or assist in the running of just about everything), there might not even be water flowing to the hydrants..........or to your house. And I'm just discussing things on a micro-level. The effect on the country as a whole would be devastating. Wall Street would take years to recover, if it ever did. Think that the dollar is collapsing now? It would be worth about as much as a sheet of toilet paper if an EMP were set off over the Northeastern U.S. The military would have a miserable time trying to defend the country, given that its airplanes and tanks wouldn't run, and there would be no running and hiding by taking the first flight out because any planes within range of the EMP would be grounded (or worse yet crashed, if they happened to be in the air at the time of the EMP). All of this speculation is if one EMP were set off. If it were two or more, the situation is too scary to contemplate.

Maybe the problem isn't that we are TOO worried. Maybe it's that we're not worried ENOUGH............

I'm NOT surprised

There is a report from Japan that one of Toyota's top engineers died from overwork: http://money.aol.com/news/articles/_a/japanese-engineer-died-from-overwork/20080710064909990001. I'm not surprised, but when I say that, I don't restrict my comment to Toyota or Japan. I wonder if anyone has ever done a study of the hours that people who practice litigation defense (such as I do) happen to work. It's no 40-hour work week. Generally, it's at least 60-70 hours, and often more. It's not healthy, and I know it...............

Ruled Britannia

Melanie Phillips has a scathing indictment of British society, as it rapidly falls under the sway of radical Islam, seemingly without even putting up a fight: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1033189/This-country-pro-Muslim-giving-succour-extremists-destroy-us.html. Despite the justified anger in the article, there is clearly an air of sadness about it, with Phillips watching powerlessly as the elites in the country eagerly accept their dhimmi status.

Is this really the country that fought Hitler to a standstill?

Could the U.N. have LESS credibility?

Well, as it turns out, yes it could, if it allowed Iran a seat on the Security Council: http://www.washtimes.com/news/2008/jul/09/iran-seeks-asia-seat-on-security-council/. I can't wait to see how this plays out. We could have a nation which is already the deserving target of Security Council sanctions taking a seat on the very body that sanctioned it. Only in the U.N. could this happen.................

Not good at all

The Iranians have just tested a missile which can reach Israel: http://www.reuters.com/article/worldNews/idUSDAH91544220080709. With the U.S. refusing to greenlight an Israeli raid to take out the Iranian nuclear facilities (for more on that, go here: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1000048.html), it's now only a matter of time before Iran has nuclear weapons as well as the means to deliver them. Once it does, you can say "Shalom" to Israel, a development which the world will greet with either a yawn or a cheer................

Still another "honour" killing

I'm late to this particular discussion, which has been all over the blogosphere for days now, and even the MSM is paying some attention to it, but a Pakistani immigrant recently killed his daughter after she told him that she wanted out of her marriage: http://news.aol.com/story/_a/georgia-man-charged-in-honor-killing/20080708154209990001. Of course, the MSM is glibly glossing over the connection of Islam to this horrible murder, going out of its way to portray as a simple "domestic violence" issue as opposed to a cultural or religious issue. Yeah, like we see Southern Baptists and Catholics killing their daughters because of perceived stains on their "honour". If you don't buy that first narrative offered by the MSM, then they'll throw the "It's our fault because we're not tolerant enough" argument at you, as if something like this should ever be tolerated in a civilized society.

What I want to know is, where is NOW (the National Organization of Women) on this? Where are any feminist organizations? You haven't heard word one out of them. Their silence borders on the criminal. One would think that if they truly do represent women, and are not simply a left wing lobby group, they would speak loudly and often on this subject. I think that their silence speaks volumes.................

The law of unintended consequences

While most Canadians were and still are celebrating the sharp rise of the Loonie against the Greenback, there is a segment of the population that is none too happy about what has happened, and that is the tourism industry: http://news.yahoo.com/s/csm/20080707/wl_csm/oloonie. Many Canadian cities such as Montreal thrive on the influx of American tourists who traditionally visit the city in the summer. This year, those tourists aren't there.

I hate to break to Canadians, but unless OUR government and the Federal Reserve get their collective acts together, that situation is is not going to change anytime soon..........

Academic anti-Semitism in Germany

Some nutcase professor in Germany is spouting off that the Israeli athletes who were murdered by Palestinian terrorists at the Munich Olympic Games were actually NOT killed, but in fact committed suicide so as to help Israel extract money from what was then West Germany: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1214726193804&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull. This is a new manifestation on the "Jews are only interested in money" staple of anti-Semitic tripe, and I'll give the professor credit for a novel twist on an old lie. That doesn't make it any less offensive, though...........

Bizarre election factoid of the week: Obama is favored by people who don't own pets

I thought that just about every angle on this election had been covered, a tough achievement given that we're still only in early July, but now comes a new statistic: Barack Obama has a wide edge in polls done of people who don't own pets: http://news.yahoo.com/page/election-2008-political-pulse-pets-and-politics. Of course, the flip side of this is that John McCain has a lead among pet owners.

What does all of this mean? Not very much, probably, but I'd be willing to be that we'll see even more quirky stats get thrown our away as November approaches.

Israel as a Nazi state

The Angry Left in this country (which is to say, much of the MSM) and the Arab media just love to portray Israel as being the heir to Nazi Germany's title as the most evil regime in modern times. Whether it's accusing Jews of killing Arab babies to use their blood to make matzohs or asserting that death camps are being set up, the invidious comparisons never stop. The latest is renewal of the canard that Israel conducts medical experiments on captured terrorists: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3565291,00.html. What's distressing about this is that it will be readily lapped up by a public which is only too happy to believe every negative thing it reads about those "evil Jews"......................

No good deed goes unpunished

Four years ago, the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth were getting set to air their ads against Democratic Presidential nominee John F. Kerry. His Senate colleague, John McCain, also a Vietnam veteran, condemned the ads: http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/5612836/. Well, four years later McCain is himself a Presidential nominee, and how does Mr. Kerry repay McCain? By trashing him on Bob Schieffer's "Face the Nation": http://www.cbsnews.com/htdocs/pdf/FTN_070608.pdf.

I never had much respect for John Kerry, and the little I had is gone after this bitter and mean-spirited attack. Kerry doesn't have to agree with McCain. In fact, he doesn't even have to support him. But, to attack him this way is deplorable.

Watch out for racist babies!!

No, really! The British nanny state has issued very strict guidelines on how nursery teachers and the like need to watch out for racism anywhere and everywhere, and the guidelines are sufficiently strict that a three-year old who says "Yuk" to unfamiliar food could be considered to be a racist: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/education/2261307/Toddlers-who-dislike-spicy-food-racist,-say-report.html.

Today's Brits hardly seem like the ones who helped defeat Nazi Germany............

Gotcha!

Sacha Baron Cohen, who has made a career out of playing characters and "ambushing" people to conduct phony interviews, has done it again. His latest hijinks involve an Israeli Mossad agent and a Palestinian representative, who Cohen interrogated in Jerusalem: http://www.foxnews.com/story/0,2933,376847,00.html. Part of the interview involved a confused "Bruno" (one of Cohen's many alter egos) trying to figure out the difference between Hamas and hummus.

I admit that I'm a sick bastard, but I find this to be very, very funny..................

7/7, three years on..............

Family members of one of the 7/7 London Tube homicide bombers are holding a life celebration today, the third anniversary of the terrorist attacks which killed over 50 people: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1032699/Relatives-July-7-bomber-hold-PARTY-grave-celebrate-life.html. The U.K. being what it is these days, this story is barely eliciting a ripple across the pond. It should be greeted with horror and revulsion, of course, but that's not the way things are done these days, unfortunately...............

Move over, Chris Satullo, you're not alone on the self-hating express train

A couple of days ago I posted an entry on Chris Satullo's execrable piece of self-hating tripe, which the Philadelphia Inquirer was only too happy to publish. Well, he has company in the form of the Associated Press, which has never met a pro-American viewpoint it wanted to publish, but which is always more than happy to print up any piece of anti-American propaganda it can find: http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080705/ap_on_re_us/america_s_bad_mood.

I wonder if there are self-hating Iranians, or self-hating Syrians, etc., or even self-hating al Qaeda members? Why is our society so seemingly unique in producing people who live here but who seem to hate it so much?

The greatest tennis match ever?

About half an hour ago I finished watching what I think is the greatest tennis match of my lifetime, outdoing even those epic Borg-McEnroe clashes in 1979 and 1980, as Rafael Nadal outlasted (there really isn't a better word) five-time champion Roger Feder 6-4, 6-4, 6-7 (4-7), 6-7 (8-10), 9-7 in a match that ran just a little less than five hours: http://nbcsports.msnbc.com/id/25552202/site/21683474/. Aside from both players never giving an inch and making one great shot after another, we as sports fans were treated to incredible sportsmanship both ways by two of the most classy athletes out there. Their mutual respect was something to see, and given how incredibly disappointed Federer must have been after losing the title (correction--he didn't lose it, Nadal WON it), he was nothing but gracious after the match, as was Nadal, who was effusive in his praise of the man many think will ultimately break Pete Sampras' record of 14 Grand Slam titles.

I felt privileged to have watch such a great exhibition.

UPDATE (6:57 p.m.): It was 7-5 in that third set tiebreaker, and for a great feel for the match as it occurred, check out the official Wimbledon blog from Drew Lilley. It can be found here: http://www.wimbledon.org/en_GB/news/articles/2008-07-06/200807061215337388343.html.

This doesn't sound good

Ted Forstmann, one of the more astute financial analysts out there, says that contrary to the "Don't worry, be happy" words we are hearing from government officials and some other financial analysts, the worst of the malaise affecting the American economy may be yet to come: http://online.wsj.com/article/SB121521029377229405.html?mod=djemEditorialPage. For someone like me who pours 10% of his pay every year into his 401(k), that's not a very good thing to hear at all.

I've said before that we are too free with our money, a perspective shared by Forstmann, and that it is the Federal Reserve which leads the way in this profligacy. The long and the short of it is that we are in for a lot more financial pain before that proverbial corner is turned........

United States prepares to surrender to Iran......

..........just as the Iranians ramp up their preparations for an attack on Israel. Good timing!

The U.S. is apparently set to drop a key element of its position with respect to Iran, which is that Iran halt all uranium enrichment, changing its position instead to one that would call for Iran to just keep its enrichment at current levels: http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/northamerica/usa/2242595/America-softens-stance-on-Iran's-nuclear-programme.html. Meanwhile, an American admiral has authored a report in which he concludes that Iran is likely to attack Israel: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/999009.html.

Is this more of the influence of Condhimmileeza Rice? More of the James "F--- the Jews" Baker's influence? Just more of the same out of the dhimi State Department? Yet another sign that the Bush 43 Administration's morphing into the Bush 41 Adminstration is now complete? All of the above? Regardless, one thing is certain, and that is that this is not good at all.............

Great Britainistan

A school in Stoke-on-Trent in the U.K. is under public scrutiny after a teacher in a religious education class forced children to wear Muslim garb and to pray to Allah, punishing those who refused: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1031784/Schoolboys-punished-detention-refusing-kneel-pray-Allah.html.

Every time I think that the U.K. has hit a new "high" (or should I say low?), it sets a new standard. That country really is beyond hope, and I thank the anonymous poster who alerted me to this story.

It's an issue for me

There is an excellent piece in the Jerusalem Post on why SOME Jewish voters who support Israel here in the U.S. will not vote for Barack Obama in November. Unfortunately, it's all too few, but there are at least some who recognize that when it comes to the subject of Israel, Obama can not be trusted.........nor should he be: http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=1214726181011&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull.

Regrettably, I don't think that Obama's considerable weakness on Israel will cost him much in the way of Jewish votes in November. Most of those voters are like my parents, and would vote for whoever they considered to be the most liberal candidate no matter what that person said or believed regarding Israel.

Canada, heaven for U.S. deserters

Thanks to an asinine ruling from a Canadian judge, Canada will in essence become a "sanctuary" for any U.S. military deserter who feels as though American military policies are causing him/her to "insult human dignity": http://network.nationalpost.com/np/blogs/fullcomment/archive/2008/07/04/jonathan-kay-on-joshua-key-canada-just-became-a-utopia-for-u-s-military-deserters.aspx.

Basically, what this does is open up Canada to a flood of military deserters who signed up to serve and then found that, well, serving is not all its cracked up to be.

A Fourth of July reflection

This is from Robert Spencer, the founder of the Jihad Watch website. He penned an excellent piece, intersplicing therein quotes from the Koran and Islamic "thinkers" on how the principles for which we are fighting are so important: http://www.jihadwatch.org/archives/021628.php. Links to it have already popped up on several blogs, but I felt compelled to include it on mine as well. Please read it all.