How Moonbats Celebrate July 4th

"This Fourth of July, I ask you to find a way to thank the men and women defending our freedom by flying the flag..." -George W. Bush

The blog of criminal defense Denver attorney Jeralyn Merritt, TalkLeft: The Politics of Crime, advises readers how to go about answering the President's plea to give thanks to those who put themselves in harm's way defending freedom.

"July 4th: Listen to the President
Hit the freeways. Cardboard and paint is all it takes.
Join Freeway Blogger's Summer of Truth.

"Signpainting parties against the war are being organized across the country over the 4th of July weekend with posting scheduled to start on the 5th. So far we have over 400 confirmed freewaybloggers for this action and should have well over a thousand by week's end."

While most Americans will be flying Old Glory, roasting weiners and having fun, the "true patriots" amongst us, the moonbats, will be walking the highways and byways of the land, posting placards for you to read. You may be lucky and spot this one somewhere in your neighborhood, brought to you by the folks at Freeway Blogger.

Trackedback at Outside the Beltway, Wizbang's Carnival of Trackbacks, and Mudville Gazette.

Every Blogger's Doing It

Morphing Blogs into Web Magazines

Have you morphed your blog into an "On-line Magazine" yet? Why not, practically every other blogger has, according to CNN. Bob Brigham of Swing State Project tells us how to lose blogging buddies and gain MSM friends. He writes in a post entitled "Blogging Dies to Save Blogging", that after he switched, it felt like he had won the lottery. "Socially I am living a rags to riches fairytale. Yesterday, I was friends with a bunch of 'bloggers' but today I'm friends with honest to goodness 'members of the press' -- living the high life like a member of the Gang of 500. You too can improve your social standing with a single post, ".

Trey Jackson has the video of CNN (wmv) and the discussion of the blogs, Jackson's Junction: Video: "Inside the Online Magazines".

TalkLeft.com has a post today entitled "The Day the Bloggers Died":

"As of yesterday, blogs are dead. Say hello to the Online Magazine Community. Others joining so far:

• Americablog
• Crooks & Liars
• Sadly, No!
• Swing State Project
• Law Dork
• Dispassionate Liberalism
• Chaos Digest
• The Political Forecast

"TalkLeft is joining the community. We are now 'the online magazine for liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news.'"

The Talent Show has posted the transcript from the CNN discussion of blogs, er ... "Web Magazines":

TATTON: Yeah. And back to the left side. I just mentioned Atrios. This is Escaton who up until yesterday was a blogger, now announcing himself -- Escaton, an online magazine of news, commentary and editorial. And you've got the background how all that happened.

SCHECHNER: We'll tell you how this evolved. So, Duncan Black is one of several bloggers who has been testifying before the Federal Elections Commission over the past couple of days. They have been addressing the issue of who is a journalist, who is a blog. How should campaign regulation be extended into the blogosphere, if it should at all. They are all saying no, it should not.

But Duncan has some questions, wondering why he was treated differently as a blogger than he would be as a media entity. For example, why is Salon.com entitled to the media exemption, but not him. This sparked something.

TATTON: Yeah. Those questions raised over at Escaton. This post here from the talentshow.org, also until yesterday a blog. The site's host realized the potential pit falls of being a blogger in this day and age of potential FEC regulations. So, they've taken drastic measures. They're no longer calling themselves a blog, instead, a web magazine.

They say the content's going to look the same, the site's going to look the same, but the changes as far as the FEC is concerned will be drastic. Just in the name there. Starting tomorrow, my days as a blogger are ending and my days as a writer are beginning. Now, this has sparked lots of different people getting on this bandwagon doing the same thing. They update today looking at some of the sites doing the same thing. One of them is talkleft.com, who declared the day the bloggers died saying that we are now the online magazine for liberal coverage of crime-related political and injustice news. So, lots of people jumping on this.

SCHECHNER: Over at Swing State Project, Bob Brigham doing the same thing, saying he used to be friends with bloggers and now he is friends with members of the press. So you too can improve your social standing with one single post.

TATTON: So, lots of fun posts on this. But this is a very important topic to bloggers with a very important message out there for the FEC. Do not regulate us. We've been saying that all week. And that concludes today's installment, Suzanne, of inside the online magazines, back to you.

Captain Ed at Captain's Quarters says that he's not doing it! This Is a Blog. This Will Remain a Blog, and he explains why. Trackedback at Blogs for Bush.

Saddam and Osama, Best Buds

“I never believed in the link between Saddam Hussein, Osama bin Laden, al-Qaeda and Islamist terrorism,” ~~former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, October 21, 2003, "Australia’s Melbourne Herald Sun".

“As we all know by now, there was never a proven link between Saddam, al-Qaida or even the Crips.” ~~"Washington Post" columnist Richard Cohen, May 2005.

“The evidence now shows clearly that Saddam did not want to work with Osama bin Laden at all.” ~~August 2003, former vice president Albert Gore.

"Iraq was not a terrorist haven before the invasion,... Iraq was not even close to the center of the War on Terror before the president invaded it." ~~Democratic candidate John Kerry, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, September 2004.

“Iraq was not a breeding ground for terrorism. Our invasion has made it one, ... We were told Iraq was attracting terrorists from Al Qaeda. It was not.” ~~Senator Ted Kennedy, October 16, 2003.

Whenever you hear the old saw that there was NO connection between Saddam Hussein's Iraq and Osama Bin Ladin and that we went to war with Iraq for the wrong reason, check out the facts at Saddam Hussein's Philanthropy of Terror by Deroy Murdock, Media Fellow, Hoover Institution at Stanford University. This was adapted from a September 22, 2004 presentation at the Hoover Institution. There are more facts than anyone would have time to read. An excellent article! It ends by saying that Saddam Hussein deserves to be where he is right now - behind bars.

There are more links between Bin Laden and Hussein, according to Andrew C. McCarthy's "It's All About 9-11", in "National Review On-line". To learn more of Saddam's terrorist handiwork, Deroy Murdock recommends reading the Stephen Hayes book, "The Connection: How al Qaeda's Collaboration with Saddam Hussein Has Endangered America".

Fireworks in Space

This Fourth of July is being called "Day of the Comet", because there will be fireworks in space during the very early morning hours, and you should be able to see them. After having traveled 268 million miles in space, NASA’s Deep Impact spacecraft will get up-close and engage comet Tempel 1 on July 4th, 2005. People world-wide will be able to view both the impact and resulting data and pictures of the interior of an exploding comet. An object the size of a coffee table will hit another object the size of a small automobile, at a force of 23,000 miles per hour. Deep Impact: Your First Look Inside a Comet!

"Like people gazing skyward to watch Independence Day fireworks, an international array of telescopes will train expert eyes on a dramatic encounter between NASA's Deep Impact spacecraft and a passing comet. The explosive event will happen 133.6 million kilometers (83 million miles) from Earth in the early hours of July 4 Eastern Daylight Time (late July 3 Pacific Daylight Time). Telescopes on the ground and others orbiting in space will document the mission's crucial moments using different wavelengths of light." (NASA)

Tags:[nasa]

The 1805 Trafalgar Triumph

Off the coast of Portsmouth, England, the British are celebrating the 200th anniversary of the great naval rout by their Admiral Nelson at the Battle of Trafalgar.

Has it been 200 years already? My how time flies; it seems like only yesterday that the British, after being ousted by their American colonials, achieved the great victory at sea over Napolean and France. That victory bucked up the Tories so that they sailed back over to the other side of the Atlantic to take revenge on the upstart new cousin country. The British redcoats learned a lesson or two, finally, taught by General Andrew Jackson at the Battle of New Orleans. Isn't it amazing how history just goes on and on until we finally wind down to today, which actually seems like only yesterday.

The original Anglo-Franco sea skirmish broke out on October 21, 1805, off the Spanish coast, and the victory by Britain against France, spelled the beginning of the end for Napoleon Bonaparte's conquest of Europe.

Britain Honors 1805 Trafalgar Triumph: "PORTSMOUTH, England - Seventeen tall ships from five countries held a mock sea battle Tuesday off England's coast to mark the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Trafalgar, Adm. Horatio Nelson's stunning victory at sea that gave Britain naval supremacy for a century."

It would certainly be fair to say that England saved Europe from becoming French 200 years ago, and then again just recently, the English prime minister, Tony Blair, battled the French once again at Brussels, and vanquished Jacques "new Napolean" Chirac from seizing control of the continent in 2005.

Arthur Chrenkoff has more information entitled "Nelson Rolling on his Column".

Why Didn't Rehnquist Retire?

Intrigues from the Most High Court, with an interesting prediction from KN@PPSTER who says "I'm suspicious".

"Prediction: Rehnquist will give notice of his retirement on the afternoon that the Senate goes into its holiday recess. Bush will make a recess appointment -- effectively putting whomever he wants in as Chief Justice of the Supreme Court through 2006, if I read it right. From C-SPAN:

"Any recess appointment the President makes during the first session of a Congress will last until the end of its second session [each Congress is split into two sessions of approximately one year each].

"If I'm right, you read it here first. If not ... well, you read it here first anyway."

Could be; wait and see, says Kerfuffles. I wonder if that would be a wise thing for Bushy to do? He is one wily coyote, that Bush, and I would not be at all surprised if he and Karl Rove have already made the plans as reported by ScrappleFace:

Bush May Condemn and Seize Supreme Court
by Scott Ott (2005-06-24) -- A day after the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that local governments may seize private property to promote economic development, President George Bush said he may soon move to seize the high court under "the executive branch's power of eminent domain."

Technorati Tag: Supreme Court

"God Save ...This ... Court"

from Smashing the Tablets of Stone

The majority of the black robed justices ruled that the displaying of granite tablets of the Ten Commandments was not "free speech" and was unconstitutional in Kentucky courthouses. They further ruled that county officials were displaying them in order to advance religion, and that the First Amendment required that government be neutral. The dissenting voices were Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Justice Antonin Scalia, Justice Clarence Thomas, and in part Anthony Kennedy. Justice Scalia argued that the belief that government must always be neutral to religion is itself unconstitutional, reminding the justices that the Supreme Court opens every session with the words 'God save the United States and this Honorable Court.' Justice Souter and the majority of the court had ruled that 'the First Amendment mandates government neutrality between religion and nonreligion.' Justice Scalia sharply disagreed with him. 'Who says so?' he asked. 'Surely not the words of the Constitution. Surely not the history and traditions that reflect our society's constant understanding [of the First Amendment's Establishment Clause].'

"Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Justice Antonin Scalia, reading from the bench, argued that the Decalogue should always be allowed because the framers intended religion to be part of public life and because 97.9 percent of Americans who espouse religion - Christians, Jews and Muslims - believe in the ancient laws. Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, the deciding vote in the Kentucky case, countered "We do not count heads before enforcing the First Amendment."

Thomas Jefferson, the third president of the United States, and author of much of the nation's founding documents, predicted the fate of the Constitution in the hands of justices such as O'Connor and Souter. Jefferson wrote:

"The Constitution ... is a mere thing of wax in the hands of the judiciary which they may twist and shape into any form they please."

The First Amendment

and it's "Establishment Clause"

Virginia's Declaration of Rights, written by George Mason, was adopted by the Virginia Constitutional Convention on June 12, 1776. The document was drawn upon by Thomas Jefferson when he scribed the opening paragraphs of the Declaration of Independence. It also became the basis of the Bill of Rights, the first ten amendments to the Constitution. The last section mentions religion:

"Section 16. That religion, or the duty which we owe to our Creator, and the manner of discharging it, can be directed only by reason and conviction, not by force or violence; and therefore all men are equally entitled to the free exercise of religion, according to the dictates of conscience; and that it is the mutual duty of all to practise Christian forbearance, love, and charity toward each other."

Interesting it be, that years later in 1789, when the Bill of Rights was added to the United States Constitution, the very first Amendment dealt with religion. Religion had moved in importance from the last clause in Virginia's Declaration of Rights, to the first in the new American Constitution. It is worded much more simply; anyone can understand the meaning. Read the exact words from the Constitution:

"Amendment I: Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

For those who have never read the Constitution, it is surprising that there is no mention of the infamous mantra "separation of church and state". That phrase does not exist in the Constitution. In fact, the understanding of the First Amendment is that citizens are free to practice any religion and the Congress is not to prohibit them from doing so. In addition, the First Amendment guarantees freedom of speach and of the press. Engraving the Ten Commandants onto a religious tract, or onto a granite tablet is undeniably a form of "speech". Two counties in Kentucky utilized that form of speech and posted the ancient biblical laws inside of their courthouses, and yesterday, they were ruled against by a majority of the Supreme Court of the United States.

Tags:[Ten Commandments]

George Was Wrong

said five of the black robed rulers of the land!

George Washington, the father of our nation said "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without God and the Bible."

Today, 27 June 2005, the majority of the United States Supreme Court pronounced that George Washington was wrong. The court refused (5-4) to allow the display of the Ten Commandments in two Kentucky courthouses,because they ruled that county officials were displaying them to advance religion despite the First Amendment's requirement that government be neutral.

James Madison, the chief architect of the Constitution, stated: “We have staked the whole future of American civilization, not upon the power of government, far from it. We have staked the future of our republic upon the capacity of each and all of our citizens to govern themselves and thereby sustain our own selves, according to the Ten Commandments of God.”

Thomas Jefferson, said "Our Constitution was written for a nation that believed in the Almighty God of the Holy Bible."

Even Andrew Jackson, a Democrat, believed as he said "The Bible is the rock on which our republic rests".

"The Bible is the sheet anchor of our liberties" said Ulysses S. Grant.

The Supreme Court of the United States has proclaimed that these early leaders of our nation, were all wrong!

Tags:[Supreme Court]

Freedom Comes Hard II

Here is a blogger's son, on the right, fighting for freedom. Hyscience entitles the image as "Firm and decisive action including necessary force when and where needed" and further writes that it demonstrates:

"the conservative's choice of tools for fighting terrorism and fighting the mindless Islamists in Iraq instead of in our own neighborhoods: How do I know that these guys are conservatives? Answer - first of all, the guy on the right is my son! Second, our armed forces overwhelmingly voted for George W. Bush. And that's a fact, Jack.

God Bless Us All - each and every one, especially American parents with sons and daughters in the fight for freedom! And God, please inspire these precious sons of America to wear helmets when firing at the enemy.

Check out Freedom Comes Hard I, Trackedback at Hyscience.
Tags:[freedom fighter]

The Connecticut Kerfuffle

On Thursday of this week, liberalism and its "big government" credo triumphed. The various governing bodies of these United States have now become radically empowered to seize the very kinds of private property that governments should be guaranteeing to individual property owners.

According to the Fifth Amendment, U.S. citizens are guaranteed property rights, among other things. It reads, "nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation". ALL of the fifty state constitutions agree with the framers of the U.S. Constitution's Framers that takings must be for "public use." We have always believed that the Constitution intended "public" to mean that private property could only be taken to create public things, owned or used by the general public, such as roads, bridges, etcetera.

On Thursday the Supreme Court was asked, according to columnist George Will in the Charlotte Observer: "Can government profit by seizing the property of people of modest means and giving it to wealthy people who can pay more taxes than can be extracted from the original owners? The court answered yes." Or as Justice Antonin Scalia asked during oral arguments in February,"You can take from A and give to B if B pays more taxes?"

The majority opinion written by Justice John Paul Stevens and joined by justices Anthony Kennedy, David Souter, Ruth Bader Ginsburg and Stephen Breyer, changed the meaning of the word "public" in the Constitution's "public use" phrase of the Fifth Amendment, aka the heartily fought for "Bill of Rights".

The dissent written by Justice Sandra Day O'Connor, and joined by Chief Justice William Rehnquist, Justice Clarence Thomas and Scalia, noted that the decision's beneficiaries will "likely" be those "with disproportionate influence and power in the political process, including large corporations and development firms." Doesn't this sound as though the conservatives are for the "little guy" who owns a plot of land in some nowhere Podunk and that the liberals are for the "evil" big corporations?

For more elucidation on this current New London and eminent domain "kerfuffle" amongst the bloggers, check out MuD & PHuD where Tom Carroll writes:

"First, let me thank Jeff Goldstein at Protein Wisdom for his support and the link to yesterday's post (and also a thank you goes out to Bill at INDC Journal for the link). If anyone out there is interested in keeping your own property when a wealthy developer wants it, please spread the word and help us help these victims of governmental hyperpower in New London, CT.

Mary Katharine Ham of Townhall.com was kind enough to point me to a story done by The Insider Online that gives the background and brief bios of the homeowners involved. She also pointed to Institute for Justice, which is the organization who took this case to the Surpeme Court.

Multiple people have suggested joining the Castle Coalition whose stated goal is to fight unfair eminent domain claims by the government. Check out come of their success stories and become a member. Raven pointed me to a bit of potential good news, although I don't know whether or not it will help Susette Kelo et al."

Trackedback at Outside the Beltway and at Captain's Quarters, where there is a discussion about "The Mark Twain Option". Sue Bob's Diary weighs in also.

Update: Chicago Boyz has a great view entitled "The Danger of Kelo".

[Supreme Court] [New London] [fifth amendment]

Move America Forward

Video of Dick Durbin and the Blame America First Crowd from Move America Forward.

Alice Cooper Calls Bush a Pit Bull

Just another "anti-government punk rocker rebel libertarian" mouthing off. Arthur Chrenkoff reports on the story:

"INTERVIEWER: A lot of people in rock and roll, it's very fashionable to despise George W. Bush. That's not a view you subscribe to, is it?

"ALICE COOPER: Well, I think if you're in a war, you don't want a poodle in there, you want a pit bull. I don't think that you want a guy in there going, "Gee, I don't know. Maybe. Could be." I think you want a guy in there who's either going to win it or lose it."

Any doubts as to whom Alice was referring to as a "poodle"? Somebody French or French-looking? Chrenkoff adds:

"By the way, you have to be worried when a guy with too much mascara and a snake wrapped around his neck has a keener grasp of basic new millennium geopolitics than so many leading lights of the Democratic Party."

Tags:[Alice Cooper]

Clintons Crash the Crusade

Basking In the Glory of Others

The Voice of America News is now reporting to the world about the historic final Billy Graham Crusade in New York City, that was crashed by the Clintons. Of the 80,000 people in attendance, it was "our Bill" who jumped upon the stage to share the glory of the aging evangelist. Who else could have gotten away with it, without being hauled off by "New York's finest"?

VOA News - Clinton Honors Reverend Billy Graham at Final US Revival Meeting: "Former President Bill Clinton and his wife, Senator Hillary Clinton, were among 80,000 people attending the second night of Christian evangelist Billy Graham's final revival meeting in the United States. Mr. Clinton greeted the 86-year-old preacher on stage Saturday in New York, telling Reverend Graham he is, in Mr. Clinton's words, 'a man I love.' The former president said the first Billy Graham crusade he attended was 46 years ago."

Trackedback at My Vast Right Wing Conspiracy.

Billy Graham Endorses Hillary

The esteemed Evangelist Billy Graham says his "wonderful friend" Hillary Clinton, should "run the country". Lordy, Lordy, what's a happenin'?

Although the headline from AOL News reads "Clinton Honors Graham During Pastor's Last U.S. Crusade, in fact the Clintons were the ones winning the "honors", which is exactly what they went for. Where is the ACLU and People for Separation of Church and State? Oh, I forgot, separating religion from politics does not apply whenever democrats are the ones being praised, applauded and endorsed in places of worship. So there you have it folks, Billy's for Hillary Clinton for president. May he live so long!

"Graham called the Clintons 'wonderful friends' and 'a great couple,' quipping that the former president should become an evangelist and allow 'his wife to run the country.'"

Was this exploitation of the aging Reverend Graham, just another cunning political move by the Clintons? Or, as a Christian, was America's Preacher just "hanging out" with the morally bankrupt, in hopes of spreading the gospel, as Jesus commanded? Or, is the great evangelist only being true to himself, as he recently revealed to NBC's Katie Couric that he is a life-long Democrat? Take your pick. One thing we know for certain, there was "Bill Clinton", forever and always, "the corpse at every funeral, the bride at every wedding, and the baby at every christening."

Thanks to the sharp tongued Alice Roosevelt Longworth, daughter of Theodore Roosevelt, for the prophetic quotation.
Trackedback at basil's blog, Mudville Gazette and phin's blog.

Al 'Pants-on-Fire' Franken

Al Franken, after becoming known from his performances on the comedy show "Saturday Night Live", attempted the writing of some books on comedy. Those books did not bring much success. However, Al Franken discovered that he could ride the road to riches and success on the coattails of current popular conservative political pundits and others by including their names in the title of a book. His first big success was "Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot". That book set the stage for his continuing attacks on conservatives, as it played into the hands of those on the left who had already coined the gratuitous smear which was Franken's choice of a title. Although totally without experience in political punditry, Al Franken became the "official expert" on Rush Limbaugh, whenever one was needed by the media, even though he had done no in depth research on Limbaugh, nor knew him personally. Franken then presented himself as the Liberal alternative to Rush Limbaugh, without apparent success. When the outspoken Bill O'Reilly topped the media charts, Franken again rushed to write another book hoping to once more glide to the Best Seller List while standing on the back of a popular conservative pundit. The repeated accusations in his books are that the subjects of the books are liars, one and all. Yet, he describes himself as someone who holds himself "to an impossibly high standard when it comes to telling the truth.' That statement may be the only "truth" that Franken has ever spoken or written, as obviously his "impossibly high" standard has been impossible for even him to reach. Alan Skorksi tells the truth about Al Franken and his "lying lies" in this forthcoming book. Skorski's book cannot be expected to be the big seller that Franken's books about George Bush, Bill O'Reilly and Rush Limbaugh have been, because Al Franken is not at all a peer to any of them. However Mr. Skorski is setting the record straight by telling the truth about Al Franken and his "lying lies and "smearing smears".

"... Pants on Fire: How Al Franken Lies, Smears And Deceives" by Alan Skorksi

"Skorski reveals that Franken himself regularly lies, smears, and distorts what others say and do, ultimately discrediting himself as a 'truth teller.' AVAILABLE OCTOBER 2005"

"Al Franken was a 'nobody' in the arena of political punditry before he wrote two best-selling books, Rush Limbaugh is a Big Fat Idiot and Lies and Lying Liars Who Tell Them. Now one of the most prominent figures on the liberal Air America radio network, formed to counter the mostly conservative voice of mainstream talk radio, he consistently boasts 'I tell the truth' and 'I hold myself to an impossibly high standard when it comes to telling the truth.'

"Until now, says Alan Skorksi, Franken's continuous smears against his enemies while promoting himself as the 'ultimate truth teller' have gone unchallenged by the mainstream media. Surprisingly, even conservative or right-leaning media have not challenged the falsity of much of what he says, although Franken does not define what he believes is a lie, except to say that conservatives 'get away with it.' In contrast, Skorski defines a lie as 'intentionally telling an untruth with the purpose of trying to cover up or get away with something,' which he then accuses Franken of doing with impunity."

Tags:[Al Franken]

Media Disinterest in Terrorist Trial

Are Arab Professors Masterminding Terror? If they are, apparently, few Americans and the rest of the world give a rat's patootie. In 2001, media critics scolded newspapers and Fox TV's Bill O'’Reilly for having "“an agenda"” when they were exposing these radical Middle Eastern professors. O'’Reilly in September 2001, challenged Al-Arian on his support of terrorism and a video in which he called for "“death to the Jews"”.

Now there seems to be "an agenda" of minimal coverage all over, and now most all are silent. Although, the New York Times is now uninterested about Al-Arian, three years ago (January 27, 2002) that same liberal mouthpiece was charging Governor Jeb Bush and the University of South Florida with dishonoring the "ideals of public universities by trying to fire Palestinian professor Sami Al-Arian whose anti-Israel statements have produced threats to campus and a decline in contributions."” On March 1, 2002, in an article in the New York Times by Nicholas Kristof, it was reported that Al-Arian "“denounces terrorism"” and "“promotes interfaith services with Jews,"” and the Times scolded that "“a university, even a country, becomes sterile when people are too intimidated to say things out of the mainstream. Three exhaustive studies of his conduct have found no evidence of wrongdoing."”

From The Jewish Week of 6/24/2005, come this article, "Are Arab Professors Masterminding Terror?":

"Federal trial of alleged Islamic Jihad leaders receiving less-than-complete coverage up north. by Jonathan Mark - Associate Editor

"It has been called 'the most significant terrorism trial' since 9-11: the first time alleged leaders of Islamic Jihad, self-confessed killers of more than 100 Israelis and two Americans, are being tried in an American court; the first time the controversial Patriot Act has lassoed jihadists of this magnitude; and the first time that Arab professors in an American university who have claimed 'academic freedom' for their pro-Palestinians views have been indicted for using their university offices to direct and finance terrorist activity.

"Yet most New Yorkers are oblivious to this case because The New York Times, let alone most other northern newspapers, has decided not to cover the extraordinary testimony being heard now in a Tampa, Fla., courtroom."

For more information one must go to today's Tampa Tribute in Florida:

"Prosecutors on Thursday showed jurors a document linking an organization founded by Sami Al-Arian to the Palestinian Islamic Jihad, pledging unity with another terrorist organization and glorifying an Islamic Jihad attack."

Finally, thanks to the Patriot Act and this trial, the University has found enough courage to stand up to the New York Times and to finally fire the professor, which will prevent him from further poisoning the impressionable minds of the young.

"USF Condemns, Fires Al-Arian, TAMPA - The University of South Florida fired Sami Al-Arian with a flurry of denunciations Wednesday, saying his federal indictment "confirmed" beliefs that he broke school policy and abused his role as a tenured professor."

Dr. Sanity describes this phenomena as "Beautiful Indifference" and compares it to the obsessive news coverage of the Scott Peterson and Michael Jackson trials.
Trackedback at WizBang Blog.

Kerfuffles from Friends

Here are some Friday kerfuffles from Friends of Kerfuffles. Enjoy.

Barking Moonbat Early Warning System writes, "The UAW is on course to kill GM. That’s not good for GM and surely not good for America."

Death Of An Automaker: The year was 1953. Dwight Eisenhower had just been elected President and was promising to build a national system of “interstate” highways to make transportation across America much easier and to provide easy access for national defense in light of the rising communism in Europe. General Motors executives brought a new phrase into American folklore when one of them stated, “What’s good for Genera Motors is good for America”.

The Museum of Left Wing Lunacy writes: MORON.ORG (MOVEON) says we are losing the war in Iraq:

"I dream of the day when conservatives refer to Moveon.org as MORON.ORG. We need to call these people what they truly are...MORONS. In their lastest e-mail sent out to their followers, MORON.ORG had this to say.."

Glen Dean at Nashville Truth writes about happenings in ... where else, but Nashville:

So Koran Desecration Is A Hate Crime: "Sometimes I think we should just surrender and change the name of our country to Amerabia. As reported in the Tennessean and discussed by Bill Hobbs and Donald Sensing, a Koran was desecrated in Nashville and the 20,000 Muslims who live in this hospitable southern city are all bent out of shape about it. But to make matters worse, the police are investigating the incident and consulting the FBI on the possibility of charging the person who did this with a hate crime. Just like I think that someone should have the right to burn the flag, I also believe that someone should have the right to burn a Koran, or a Bible, or the Torah. Why is the Koran suddenly so much more special than any of the other Holy Books?"

Ranten N. Raven is wondering Are You "In Good Hands" At Allstate?

Did they fire this man because of his faith?
An article at Worldnet Daily (sun source of Hillary's "Vast Right Wing Conspiracy!") caught my eye. It reports that Allstate fired one man for an article he had written that stated his beliefs concerning homosexuality. Here's a link to it. The article was written at home, on his own time, and in no way affiliated him with Allstate.

American Daughter writes that Iran Is Different:

-- The threat to the United States from Iran is more urgent than that from other hostile foreign countries. "For twenty-six years, twenty-seven years these mullahs, the clerics ruling Iran, have just been extremely dangerous. ...what makes the mullahs different...they're terrorists and criminals." Popular conservative author Dr. Jerome Corsi spoke in a recent interview with personnel from the American Daughter Media Center.

Jackson's Junction describes How the Left Destroys our Great Nation:

"Pamela aka Atlas will provide as a public service, ongoing empirical evidence on how the Left Destroys our Nation. It's everyday, in a million different ways, in the minutia (see below) and on the global chess board (see every major MSM paper and network)........."

Charmaine Yoest at Reasoned Audacity is taking it to CNN today.

Media Advisory: I'm doing CNN today: Today at 5 pm EST your Audacious (yet so Reasonable), blogger is scheduled to appear on CNN to discuss a new campaign from the cable television industry called "Control Your TV."

ROFASix asks is Congress - Crooked or "Just" Ethically Challenged?

"It is extremely hard for Congress to break the law in Washington. They write the laws and don’t hesitate to tweak ‘em or reinterpret them if someone, particularly a party leader, should accidentally goof up and get caught breaking the law. That is why when Congress gets spotlighted with their ethics around their ankles, they rarely pay any consequences."

Don Surber in a post entitled Karl Rove Called Them *Gasp* Liberals asks;

"Did he call liberals losers as Reid called Bush? Did he imply that they are Nazis as Richard Durbin called our soldiers? Did he say their actions were like Genghis Khan as Kerry called soldiers in Vietnam?"

France Humiliates Oprah

Although, there has been an apology rendered, Oprah says she will be buying no more Hermes scarves. Wow, another great loss for the French! Now our dear Oprah can know how the rest of us "not so famous" Americans are routinely greeted by the French.

Now, if you or I, dear reader, were to attempt to enter the Hermes of Paris store "after hours", and you or I were turned away, we would consider it par for the course and not at all unusual. However, Oprah Winfrey and her ilk are not "you or me", and in fact, they do not like to shop where they may have to encounter and rub elbows with "you or me", or other proles. No, they are accustomed to doing their buying "after hours" and receiving special perks. So one can only imagine the humiliation it must have been, for the most powerful celebrity in the world, to be turned away from the Hermes of Paris store. Oh, the indignity of it all! One would have thought that poor Oprah had escaped those types of embarrassing slights, when she left the backwoods of rural Mississippi. But no, Paris, France was lying in wait for her, according to the story from the BBC.

"Luxury French boutique Hermes has apologised to talk show host Oprah Winfrey after refusing her entry to one of their outlets in Paris.

"A friend of Winfrey, who witnessed the incident, said it was 'one of the most humiliating moments of her life'. Hermes said a private PR event was being prepared so it was unable to accommodate the star at the time. A spokeswoman for the star's production company called it her 'Crash' moment, referring to a race relations film."

No wonder the clueless French shopkeepers did not recognise her; the BBC reports that her TV show is seen in "only" 112 countries worldwide! Obviously France is not a part of that world. Obviously also, Oprah and her 30 million viewers will not soon forget the regretful "Misunderstanding". The BBC quotes the fabulously wealthy woman as declaring, 'I will shop where people appreciate my business, and I don't believe that any longer includes Hermes'. If Oprah, in future, vacations where her business is appreciated - or at least where they watch her TV show, it will no longer include France, either. Go for it, Oprah girl! Take a stand for the women of America!

Trackedback at WizBang Blog and Mudville Gazette.

Tags:[Oprah Winfrey], [France], [Hermes]

The Truth About the Hillary Book

There is certainly something fishy about this book by Edward Klein. The timing is absolutely perfect - for Hillary's presidential campaign. The charges are so outrageous and impossible to verify, that no one can believe them. When the real truth about Hillary comes out during the campaign, it will be tarnished with the tainted brush of this book's accusations. Peggy Noonan, who has read the book, retitles it "Eine Kleine Biographie". What to do about it? Don't buy it! Don't dump on it! Don't quote the charges! That is their plan; that is what they expect conservatives will do, writes Peggy Noonan:

"In terms of political impact it is not a takedown but a buildup. Dick Morris says its sensational charges will only "embolden" her. They will certainly tend to inoculate her against future and legitimate criticism and revelations. The book is poorly written, poorly thought, poorly sourced and full of the kind of loaded language that is appropriate to a polemic but not an investigative work.

"Here are some significant things about Mr. Klein's book: It comes from an establishment journalist who's had his professional ticket punched at the New York Times magazine and Newsweek. He has no conservative bona fides; he says he is and appears to be essentially apolitical. This is an anti-Hillary book by the MSM. It has been heavily promoted not by a conservative publication but by Vanity Fair magazine, which published a big fat juicy chapter in its famous 'Deep Throat'; issue. Graydon Carter, Vanity Fair's editor, is the author of an anti-Bush book, passionately opposed to Iraq, and no one's idea of a wing-nut."

There have already been written good biographies of Hillary Clinton by Barbara Olson, Joyce Milton, Dick Morris, Peggy Noonan, and liberal David Brock. This Klein book is already a best seller, so there is obviously a big market for a Hillary biography. Ms. Noonan writes that Edward Klein's book was written to garner the dollars of a conservative market, but, as is usually the case with the media and with liberals, he has assumed that conservatives are stupid. Don't prove him (and them) right! Don't buy this book!

Read the real "honest-to-goodness" truth about Hillary here:

• The Case Against Hillary Clinton
• 
• Hell to Pay: The Unfolding Story of Hillary Rodham Clinton
• 
• Rewriting History
• 
  
• American Evita : Hillary Clinton's Path to Power

I have just read Michelle Malkin's good advice; "Leave it on the shelf." She quotes John Podhoretz of the "New York Post":

"This is one of the most sordid volumes I've ever waded through. Thirty pages into it, I wanted to take a shower. Sixty pages into it, I wanted to be decontaminated. And 200 pages into it, I wanted someone to drive stakes through my eyes so I wouldn't have to suffer through another word."

Outside the Beltway, The Strata-Sphere and Decision '08 have good comments on this subject. Trackedback at Basil's Blog.

Blair gives up on Europe

Tony Blair of England says that Europe, in its present state, is not worth fighting for.

Telegraph | News | Blair gives up on his EU dream:

Tony Blair has given up on Europe as an issue worth fighting for, senior allies of the Prime Minister have told The Sunday Telegraph.

A leading Blairite cabinet minister made the admission last night as the European Union descended into deeper turmoil, with doubts surfacing over the future of the single currency.

Tony Blair: ‘Africa is worth fighting for. Europe... is not’

Expect Pope Benedict to be the next leader to give up on Europe.

What Does Harry Reid Think?

Senator Harry Reid, Democrat leader of the Senate said this about Senator Durbin's remarks comparing the military's Guantanamo Bay facility as ib a par with the Nazis, Soviet gulags and the killing fields of Pol Pot: "I stand by the statement he made", but, more importantly, the President's poll numbers are dropping! This is according to yesterday's Washington Times, Frist tells Durbin to apologize on Senate floor:

"As of last night, a story with the headline 'U.S. senator stands by Nazi remark' was still the second-most e-mailed story on the Web page of Al Jazeera, a network that the U.S. government accuses of spreading anti-American sentiment in the Arab world."

"Asked about the reaction to Mr. Durbin's comments and his apology, Mr. Reid said 'The statements made by Senator Durbin speak for themselves. I stand by the statement he made,' he said. 'We are not going to discuss this any more.' "

A Soldier's Memory Defamed

"War drew us from our homeland
In the sunlit springtime of our youth.
Those who did not come back alive remain
in perpetual springtime -- forever young --
And a part of them is with us always."
-- Author Unknown

In Virginia, in 1861, young men were called upon to defend their state under the Constitution of the United States. They responded valiantly, as had their fathers and grandfathers before, during the War of 1812 and the American Revolution. The young men of Virginia lost the fight. Their army was vanquished; their men slaughtered and maimed. Those that returned home weary and defeated, were met with the devastation that the war had wrought. All that was left of value to them, were their families, their honor and their pride. In each county throughout the South, it became a cathartic event for the community to honor its loved ones and neighbors who had sacrificed so much for the South, with a monument on the courthouse lawn to those Sons of the South.

There were many great men amongst those Sons, such as James Gregory Hodges, a soldier from Portsmouth, Virginia. Yesterday, the Confederate Monument to him and his comrades in arms was defaced by persons unaware of the sacrilege such an act signifies. It disgraces both the vandals and the community, as it is evidence of an ignorance of history and of the failure to properly educate the current generations. A people who allow the degradation of memorials to their own dead, show to the world and to themselves the shameless kind of people they are.

JAMES GREGORY HODGES was born in Portsmouth, Virginia, on the 25th day of December, 1828. His father was General John Hodges, one of the most noted citizens of his area of Virginia for his character, intelligence, wealth, social position and public services. He served as a captain in the War of 1812 and in the Virginia General Assembly. His mother was from a renown Virginia family and the granddaughter of the illustrious Revolutionary War patriot, Colonel Benjamin Wynn.

Hodges received a grand education at the once famous Literary, Scientific and Military Academy of Portsmouth. This school had a large number of cadets, of whom James Gregory Hodges was one. He chose medicine as his profession and graduated at the University of Pennsylvania. He gained great success and eminence in his profession. During the yellow fever of 1855, he gave untiring and faithful devotion to the sick from the beginning to the end of the epidemic. He was elected mayor of the city of Portsmouth on April, 1856, and again in April 1857. In 1856, the Third regiment of Virginia volunteers was organized in Portsmouth, and Dr. James Gregory Hodges was elected its colonel.

On Saturday, the 20th day of April, 1861, when the regiment was ordered by the Governor of Virginia into the service of the State, it consisted of the following companies: Portsmouth Rifle Company, Capt. John C. Owens; Old Dominion Guard, Capt. Edward Kearn; the National Grays, Capt. John E. Deans; the Marion Rifles, Capt Johannis Watson; and the Dismal Swamp Rangers, Capt. James C. Choat.

The following is from an address given by his brother-in-law, Judge JAMES F. CROCKER, before Stonewall Camp, Confederate Veterans, Portsmouth, Virginia, June 18th, 1909.

"The twentieth of April, eighteen hundred and sixty-one-memorable day! On this day commenced in Virginia an unproclaimed war. The ordinance of secession had been passed on the 17th, day of April, 1861. The proclamation of President Lincoln calling on Virginia for her quota of military forces to wage war against her sister States of the South brought all Virginians of true loyalty together. War was the inevitable result of national and State action. Gov. Letcher had sent down Gen. William B. Talaferro to take charge of the organized forces of this section when called into the service of the State. At noon the United States authorities closed the doors of the navy yard and began the destruction of its buildings, its ships and stores. It was an act of war and was so regarded by all. At 2 P. M. the volunteer companies of the city were called into the service of the State. At that hour the long roll sounded summoning our local military to arms. All who survive remember the profound interest and emotion of that hour. It stifled all light feelings and gave to each brow a thoughtful aspect, and to each eye a depth of light which arises only when the heart is weighted with great moving concern. Men pressed in silence each others hands and spoke in tones subdued by the solemnity and intensity of their inexpressible feelings. All knew that when the long roll once sounded, it would thrill the land, and that it would not ease to be heard, day or night, until silenced in victory or defeat. Our military responded to the roll call with a unanimity and with a patriotic devotion unsurpassed."

"I have fought a good fight
I have finished my course
I have kept the faith."
-- Timothy 2:4:7

Man of Aljazeera - Dick Durbin

"Finally", The Man of Aljazeera, Illinois Senator Dick Durbin Apologizes for Gitmo Remarks:

"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line. To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

It took Durbin, the Democrat's Senate whip, an entire week to decide whether he ought to rescind these words he used to describe the American treatment of potential terrorist detainees at the Pentagon run Naval base at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba.

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags or some mad regime Pol Pot or others that had no concern for human beings".

When called upon at the time to apologize to American troops in service to their country at the dangerous detention facility, Durbin refused, and, the very next day he reread his outrageous remarks to the Senate and demanded that President Bush be the one to apologize.

"This administration should apologize to the American people for abandoning the Geneva Conventions and authorizing torture techniques that put our troops at risk and make Americans less secure".

Republican Senators, Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Vice President Dick Cheney, among others, condemned the comparison that Durbin made and noted that his false comments have endangered American troops even more. No Democrats found fault with Durbin's speech, and a number of them came to his defense, including the Democrat leader of the Senate, Harry Reid. Senator Reid blamed the troubles of Dick Dubin on the Republican "noise machine of the far right". Finally, on Tuesday, a fellow Democrat and fellow politico of Illinois, Chicago Mayor Richard Daley, said about Durbin's remarks:"I think it's a disgrace to say that any man or woman in the military would act like that."

A week later, now that Senator Durbin has been lionized in Aljazeera and all the media outlets of the Muslim world for his "frank" words, he has finally decided to apologize. How will he undo the harm done to America by those scandalous comments during the past week, when he and the Democrats were standing firmly by them?

How Will You Fare?

Doritos and Raisin Bran Crunch

Holy Piggly Wiggly again! What will Senator "Gitmo Dick" Durbin have to say about this outrageous treatment of an Iraqi detainee by his American captors? Senator Durbin called the Guantanamo Facility a "Nazi-Gulag, Pol Pot" prison because of the way the detainees were treated. Those at Gitmo are fed:

* Orange Glazed Chicken
* Rice Pilaf
* Steamed Peas & Mushrooms
* Fruit Roupee

Meanwhile, just out in "Gentleman's Quarterly", issue of June 20th, 2005, is another expose by American prison guards, revealing that detainee Saddam Hussein is fed Dorito chips and Raisin Bran Crunch. IndiaDaily.com is reporting:

For a time his favorite food was Cheetos, and when those ran out, Saddam would "get grumpy," the story says. One day the guards substituted Doritos corn chips, and Saddam forgot about Cheetos. "He''d eat a family size bag of Doritos in 10 minutes,"

This is real abuse! Subjecting a retired murderous dictator to this rotten diet is outrageous! One hopes those Doritos and Cheetos are not fried in lard. Just wait until Saddam and Amnesty International learn that the poor man is being deprived of "fruit roupee", whatever the heck that is. They will be on the phone to the Illinois Senator stat! The report comes via DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005

Could "Gitmo Dick" Survive?

Does anyone believe that Senator "Gitmo Dick" Durbin could survive the military's Survival School? Pictured is some of the treatment meted out by the American military upon its own members. Has Senator Durbin ever come to their defense or rescue on the Senate floor, as he has done for America's enemies?

"After several days of the war game -- evading the bad guys -- the students are captured. The students are then taken to a mock prisoner of war camp to begin the most stressful part of their training. To prepare commandos who are at high risk of capture, the course includes sleep deprivation and food deprivation -- severe enough that, over the course of survival school, a student typically drops 15 pounds."

If the U.S. Congress does not penalize Senator "Gitmo Dick" Durbin for his traitorous comments, here is an idea. Send him to SERE School, aka known in the military as Survival Training, and hope and pray that the mouthy Senator survives. All uniformed military, enlisted and officer, are required to train for about three weeks at the schools across the country. Why not a United States Senator? If Senator Durbin is fearful, probably the Republican that all Democrats love, Senator John McCain, could be called upon to accompany Durbin, and explain the reasons for all the experiences he would encounter there.

As there are different levels of Sere's courses, it would be necessary to select the one most appropriate to the experience of dealing with treacherous Islamist terrorists, whose stock in trade is faking civilian identities while exploding booby trapped bombs, and chopping off heads of Jews, Americans and infidels. These are the enemies that the American forces at Guantanamo must face every day. These same military people were recently slurred by Senator Dick Durbin as "Nazi-gulag, Pol Pots". The Army probably sends these guards to "Level C Training". This is where Senator Durbin should spend a few weeks if he ever wants to enter back into the good graces of the American people.

SERE Level-C Training
The department also teaches the SERE Level-C training course to soldiers who are in a high- risk-of-capture category, which includes Special Forces, Rangers and aviators. The course is designed to give students the skill to survive and evade capture or, if captured, to resist interrogation or exploitation and plan their escape. The course includes a classroom phase, a field phase and a resistance training laboratory which simulates the environment of a prisoner-of-war compound.

Trackbacked At Michelle Malkin's 'DURBIN WATCH: THE DRUBBING CONTINUES'.

Off With His Head!

Poor Jack! The only luck he seems to be having these days is that the guillotine has been outlawed. However, the way France has been "heading" lately, that efficient machine will soon be replaced by "the sword of Allah". Perhaps not. I am finding there may be hope yet for the French, after reading the events of this past week-end.

Who would have ever thought that the snobbish French media would be cheering the victory of Tony Blair and Britain against their own Exalted Leader - Jacques Chirac? That is what happened this past week-end in France. Charles De Gaulle wannabe, Jacques Chirac, was expecting a hero's welcome when he returned to Paris. After all, he had belittled the British Prime Minister's speech at the European Summit as a "pathetic" performance. Jacques probably thought he would be greeted by adoring crowds back home in Paris. However, as reported in "The Guardian", things evolved differently:

The Guardian | Chirac savaged over failed summit:
"As he awoke to a summer heatwave on Saturday morning, after a dawn flight from Brussels, Mr Chirac was instead greeted with headlines depicting him as the principal loser of the summit. Le Monde, the grand old tribune of France's intelligentsia, declared the summit a 'double victory' for Tony Blair. Downing Street officials could barely believe their luck as they read that Britain had buried the EU constitution and succeeded in highlighting the 'anomaly' of how the EU spends seven times more on farmers than it does on 'future' projects, such as science and research."

Captain's Quarters blogs:

"The problem comes from Franco-German blindness to the fact that most European countries don't want to tie themselves to a system that benefits the Franco-German center at the expense of their own economies -- among other worries about further integration. The Dutch have recently found out what multiculturalism might bring with the Islamist murder of filmmaker Theo Van Gogh, while the Eastern European nations have firsthand experience with the Socialist economic model and hardly want to support yet another country's pensions with their own GDP. Britain also falls into this latter category, even with its own social spending levels far above that of the US, for instance."

Iran's Democracy

In sympathy with the Iranian people, I am reprinting this editorial which appeared in Today's Opinion Journal of the Wall Street Journal. If it is not accessible there, Petroleum World has also reprinted the same article for the Iranian people in their quest for freedom.

Iran's 'Democracy'
A rigged election, no reformist victory.

Monday, June 20, 2005 12:01 a.m. EDT

The most astonishing aspect of Friday's presidential vote in Iran is not that the elections will go into a second round but that Tehran managed to convince so many in the West that this is a real demonstration of democracy.

All power is held by Supreme Leader Ali Khameni, his Council of Guardians and the small clique of military officers and businessmen around him. The Council disqualified more than 1,000 candidates before the election, vetting only contestants who support the regime's ideological lines. The example of outgoing "reformist" President Mohammad Khatami, who presided over eight years of economic decline and worsening repression, has proven that the President cannot change anything against the Council's will.

The one number worth parsing in Friday's election is that of voter participation. Many Iranians had called for a boycott as the only way of showing resistance. Knowing this, the mullahs seem to have taken their usual election manipulations to another level. Intimidation by the Revolutionary Guards and the fact that proof of voting is needed for certain jobs and welfare payments have always pushed up turnout. Still, voter participation has steadily declined in the past few years to barely 50%.

But this time turnout was 62.7%, exactly the level Supreme Leader Khameni had predicted. "Something is fishy here," Patrick Clawson, who follows Iran for the Washington Institute for Near East Policy, told us. Contradicting all reports about the mood in the country ahead of the vote, hard-line candidates received unprecedented support, while the main reformist candidate, Mustafa Moin, came in fifth. Mr. Moin also suggested the elections were rigged, but since the regime allows no neutral observers the real extent of fraud or Iranian discontent can't be known.

The runoff election will now have former President Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani facing hard-line Tehran Mayor Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, who surprised Western observers by finishing second. Neither man is a moderate in any Western sense. Mr. Rafsanjani stood by the late Ayatollah Khomeini from the first day of the Iranian revolution and was in power as Iran promoted international terror and rounded up political prisoners. He is also the father of Iran's nuclear program and openly mused in 2001 that the Islamic world would need only one nuclear bomb to destroy Israel.

The temptation will be strong, especially in Europe, to consider Mr. Rafsanjani to be the regime's "pragmatist" and someone who can be trusted to agree to end Iran's uranium enrichment program in return for the right "economic incentives." But it's more accurate to read these election results as the regime's attempt to tighten its control and to present a united, hard-line front as it sprints to develop the bomb under cover of the talks.

Writing in The Wall Street Journal last week, Shirin Ebadi, the Iranian Nobel Peace laureate, warned the West against offering any concessions to the regime, urging Europe and the U.S. instead to help Iran's democracy movement by highlighting Iran's human rights violations. One day before the vote, President Bush finally reached out to the Iranian people:

"Today, Iran is ruled by men who suppress liberty at home and spread terror across the world. Power is in the hands of an unelected few who have retained power through an electoral process that ignores the basic requirements of democracy. . . . And to the Iranian people, I say: As you stand for your own liberty, the people of America stand with you." Unfortunately, Iranians are still waiting to hear from Europe.

Serial Dad of the Year

Larry King, 2005 Father of the Year

Congratulations to all the great fathers in America and I hope that yesterday was lovely for you and that you were properly honored by your families. The reason I am hoping that, is there is very little chance that any of "you" will ever achieve the title of national "Father of the Year". The competition for that is very keen, indeed. Two of this year's honorees by the National Father's Day Council were Larry King and Donald "you're fired, Ivana" Trump.

"National Father's Day Council Announces 2005 Father of the Year Honorees:

"National Father's Day Council Announces 2005 Father of the Year Honorees Wednesday June 1, 2:46 pm ET 64th Annual Awards Luncheon to be held Tuesday, June 14th at the Marriott Marquis in New York City

"NEW YORK, June 1 /PRNewswire/ -- The National Father's Day Council will honor four deserving fathers for their exemplary parenthood at the 64th Annual Father of the Year Awards luncheon on Tuesday, June 14th at the Marriott Marquis in New York. All charitable contributions from the event will benefit Save the Children's Tsunami Relief Fund. These exceptional fathers are each leaders in their own right, spanning a diverse range of professions, including:

• - George Feldenkreis, chairman & CEO, Perry Ellis International
• - Larry King, television talk show host, CNN
• - Daniel Sullivan, firefighter, Men's Health / Father's Day Council All Star Dad
• - Donald Trump, chairman and President, The Trump Organization"

Be grateful for the adoration from your own children and family, as you will likely never achieve the "Big Time Dad" status. For example, few of you could top this in your fatherhood roles! Larry King is now married to his seventh wife, singer/actress Shawn Southwick-King. From these seven marriages Mr. King has fathered five children, Andy, Larry Jr., Chaia, Chance and Cannon, and one stepson, Danny Southwick. Any other American fathers in the running now? More is found at (Warning - Adult Images!) "satire.myblogsite.com/blog" (satire.myblogsite.com/blog/_archives/2005/6/16/947505.html), where it highlights another one of Larry King's spectacular achievements; winning the Best Interviewer award for fifteen consecutive years, even as his ratings steadily declined.

"(June 16, 2005) The National Father's Council honored Larry King - a deserving father for his exemplary parenthood at the 64th Annual Father of the Year Awards luncheon.

"'Mr. King as a father periodically played a vital role at the crucial stages in the lives of his children, and the Council is pleased to honor him this year,' said Rich Wurtzburger, the chairman of the council.

"Larry King has been married seven times and fathered five children from various marriages. In addition, he has been a two time engagement loser. On September 5, 1997, King, then 63, married Shawn Southwick, 37. King, in his hospital gown, from a hospital bed at UCLA Medical Center, said 'I do.' The newlyweds honeymooned at New York's Cornell Medical Center.

"He began his stellar carreer in 1971 with an arrest for grand larceny. He pled no contest to one of 14 charges of passing bad checks ... (which he inadvertedly incurred to sustain an extravagant lifestyle) which had an unusual connection to Kennedy assasination.

According to The National Father's Day Council,

"it is a not-for-profit organization that strives to heighten the meaning and observance of Father's and Mother's Day, raise funds for philanthropic purposes and present Father of the Year / Outstanding Mother Awards to deserving mothers and fathers of high accomplishment in their chosen fields who have also exhibited enormous achievement as parents. The Council has donated close to $16 million over the past 25 years to charities affecting families nationwide. For more information on the Father's Day / Mother's Day Council, visit www.momanddadday.com."

Trackedback at basil's blog.

Will Durbin Be Punished?

Will Senator Richard "Gitmo Dick" Durbin be disciplined for slandering his own country during wartime and for having "given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof"? Last Tuesday, speaking on the floor of the United States Senate, this is what Senator Durbin, Democrat of Illinois, reported about supposed "atrocities" at the Pentagon run Guantanamo Detention Facility:

"... what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings."

Since then, Senator Durbin has become the darling of Aljazerra and other middle eastern broadcast media and newspapers, who have been spreading his words throughout the Muslim world. The Nazis, the Soviet gulags and the killing fields of Pol Pot are considered the most monstrous and barbaric events of the 20th Century, and the Senator from Illinoise has proclaimed that the American soldiers at Guantanamo Bay are their equals. Those words of the Senator have done great harm to our country and have put the members of the American military in needless danger. No doubt, our young soldiers will suffer bloodshed and death in response to Senator Durbin's false claims, yet not one Muslim detainee at Guantanamo has lost his life, under the hands of our soldiers there.

Mark Steyn explains in The Chicago Sun-Times, Durbin slanders his own country:

"The senator from Illinois' comparisons are as tired as they're grotesque. They add nothing useful to the debate. But around the planet, folks naturally figure that, if only 100 people out of nearly 300 million get to be senators, the position must be a big deal. Hence, headlines in the Arab world like 'U.S. Senator Stands By Nazi Remark.' That's al-Jazeera, where the senator from al-Inois is now a big hero -- for slandering his own country, for confirming the lurid propaganda of his country's enemies. Yes, folks, American soldiers are Nazis and American prison camps are gulags: don't take our word for it, Senator Bigshot says so."

A comment to Kerfuffles by SFCHUD got me to thinking. Members of Congress have a very disagreeable habit of passing laws under which American citizens must live and then exempting themselves from those same laws. In the Constitution of the United States, under Amendment 14, the "most beloved" Amendment of Liberals, "Citizenship Rights" are addressed. Section 3 specifically addresses the members of Congress:

"No person shall be a Senator or Representative in Congress, or elector of President and Vice-President, or hold any office, civil or military, under the United States, or under any State, who, having previously taken an oath, as a member of Congress, or as an officer of the United States, or as a member of any State legislature, or as an executive or judicial officer of any State, to support the Constitution of the United States, shall have engaged in insurrection or rebellion against the same, or given aid or comfort to the enemies thereof. But Congress may by a vote of two-thirds of each House, remove such disability."

That last sentence is interesting and I am not sure that I know what it means. Since its ratification in 1868, has the Congress already exempted itself from Amendment 14 of the Constitution? It has been said that members of Congress cannot be punished for anything said on the floors of their respective bodies. If Amendment 14, Section 3, is still in effect, does that mean that Senator "Gitmo Dick" Durbin will be punished? He certainly deserves to be held accountable for the harm of his outrageous slur about his own country. The citizens of that country demand to know.

Tracked back at Wizbang blog where there is a simple definition of "torture" as applied to Guantanamo, and Pirate's Cove where it is said that that Liberals "Fight against other Americans, rather then helping to defeat our enemy's."

Father's Day Readings

Reasoned Audacity wonders "how long it will be before Father’s Day is relegated to the remainder bin of history." I think it will be a long, long time, as civilization cannot long survive without fathers.

"And, ye fathers, provoke not your children to wrath: but bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord."
~Ephesians 6:4~

Happy Father's Day 2005

Hope in Lodi? Maybe.

There is perhaps some hope that the Muslim community in Lodi, California sees The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) for what it really is, a clear and present danger to our Constitution and our way of life. The Muslim residents of Lodi are seeing that CAIR has no real concern with American-Islamic relations, but instead is in support of Islamist terrorists and terrorist-sponsoring organizations and groups in America.

On June 16th, 2005, the federal government indicted a father and son from Lodi, California on terrorism related charges. Immediately, CAIR came to the rescue, according to Anti-CAIR, charging:

“We have documented numerous reports of intimidating tactics used recently by some FBI agents. We’ve become disappointed and alarmed at reports of abuseby local FBI. There have been threats of deportation, telling someone they can't have an attorney, when the attorney was on the phone they wouldn't speak to the attorney."

What does LODI and its local Muslim Community think about CAIR's involvement in defending the alleged terrorists?

Lodi Muslim Mosque board member Nick Qayyum said he and many others plan to protest at the Sacramento office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations for its part in standing by two local spiritual leaders arrested on immigration violations -- Mohammad Adil Khan and Shabbir Ahmed. The two imams, as well as Khan's teenage son, were detained as federal officials investigated two other men suspected of having ties to terrorists. Hamid Hayat and his father, Umer Hayat, were arrested Sunday on charges of lying to investigators.

Qayyum said the Council on American-Islamic Relations, or CAIR, shouldn't be defending the two imams, who he thinks have tried to take control of the local Islamic community. The imams have been controversial in part because they came to Lodi from Pakistan. More than 3,000 Muslims from Pakistan live in the Lodi area. The community has been divided in ... over whether the community should be led by outsiders or those who grew up in area. .... some local Muslims have called ... to protest CAIR's support of the imams."