More 'Torture' at Guantanamo

The prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay during the war on terror have attacked their military guards hundreds of times, turning broken toilet parts, utensils, radios and even a bloody lizard tail into makeshift weapons, Pentagon reports say.

Incident reports reviewed by The Associated Press indicate Military Police guards are routinely head-butted, spat upon and doused by "cocktails" of feces, urine, vomit and sperm collected in meal cups by the prisoners.

They've been repeatedly grabbed, punched or assaulted by prisoners who reach through the small "bean holes" used to deliver food and blankets through cell doors, the reports say...

BEWARE, this portion of the story may cause riots!

Entire wings of prisoners were reported to become riotous after complaints emerged that guards mishandled a Quran or mistreated prisoners. On two occasions, however, prisoners themselves were reported to have destroyed their Muslim holy books, the reports state.

"Detainee residing in cell (redacted) block tore his Quran into small pieces," a guard reported in May 2003. A month later, a prisoner "did intentionally destroy his Quran and throw (it) out of his cell," another report stated.

But, rest assured the inmates are continuing their education.

With many nearing five years in U.S. captivity, the prisoners "have a Ph.D. in being a detainee" and "know our procedures and they try to turn them against us and try to make us question what we are doing," said Army Lt. Col. Michael J. Nicolucci, the prison's executive officer.

"They'll take the smallest things, be it a piece of rust," he said. "They told us they are going to take that piece of rust and they are going for the jugular, they are going for the eye. They know what our vulnerabilities are, anatomically speaking."

The entire story can be read here.

Outrageous Evil

Sorry for the redundancy but this story highlights some of the evil lurking in our world.

This is why anyone who claims GW as the world's greatest terrorist (or anything similarly related) has no credibility.

This story shows evil on many levels.

Michael Moore's Press Release = "News"

How the hell is this news?

Who cares that Michael Moore says that conservatives hug him? Plus, name one!

This "news story" was covered by more than 5 different news agencies and the rest somehow tied in his "claim of hugs" into his film festival.

Jason Smith over at Newbusters had similar thoughts and provides a better analysis.

Ann Coulter On God, Faith, And Liberals

Thanks for Sweetness and Light for the interview.

There is plenty of fodder for all those "Anniacs" out there, but this is especially sharp:

Q. As a woman, do you long for that source of great fulfillment for many women: a husband, a family? Or do you see your life’s vocation as primarily in the public arena?

A. As a journalist, do you long to have a sense of decorum? Or do you see your life’s vocation as primarily asking strangers utterly inappropriate personal questions?

Zawahiri Reminds Us of Stakes in GWOT

Zawahiri Threatens Revenge for Israeli Attacks

Al-Qaida's number two leader has vowed revenge for Israel's offensives in Lebanon and the Gaza Strip...

In a taped message... al-Zawahiri said the terrorist network will not remain silent while Israeli bombardments "burn our brothers."

He called on Muslims to rise up and become martyrs in a worldwide Jihad against Israel and what he called the crusader coalition. Al-Qaida uses the word "crusader" to refer to Israel's western supporters including the United States.

Reacting to the tape, President Bush said he was not surprised at Zawahiri's comments. He said al-Qaida's goal is to kill innocent civilians, while the United States is trying to promote democracy.

Zawahiri, an Egyptian, called Arab nations impotent and treacherous, referring to their muted response to Israel's military campaigns.

A photograph on the wall behind Zawahiri showed the World Trade Center towers, attacked in September 2001, in flames.

Zawahiri also said that "[t]he war with Israel does not depend on ceasefires... It is a jihad for God's sake and will last until religion prevails ... from Spain to Iraq."

I give him points for honesty. His words are a reminder that the terrorists (al-qaeda, hezbollah, hamas, etc.) seek nothing less than total world domination. They will use any means necessary including the very freedoms we hold dear (speech, press, association...).

On another note, I thought the US government was responsible for the world trade centers "implosion?" Why did Zawahiri have the picture of the burning towers behind him when he spoke?

Ann's Latest Smackdown -- John Kerry

MORE OF JOHN KERRY'S RETROACTIVE CAMPAIGN PROMISES

The U.N.'s Disproportionate Response

Who’s Dissin’ Whom?

Hat Tip: LGF

Freudian Slip in Headline?

The headline on the front page of CSPAN's newsite:
Israel Decides Not to Expand Offensive Lebanon Offensive (I don't know how to take a picture of the screen and the headline will probably eventually be changed).

The actual headline reads: Israel decides not to expand offensive

This could be a mistake or it could be a symptom of anti-Israel fervor.
Compare Kofi's unsubstantiated and biased accusations against Israel with a more balanced perspective.

Hat Tips to LGF and Michelle Malkin

Cable News Race

CABLE NEWS RACE - MONDAY, JULY 24
# of VIEWERS

FOXNEWS O'REILLY 2,693,000
FNC HANNITY/COLMES 1,801,000
FNC BRIT HUME 1,648,000
FNC SHEP SMITH 1,559,000
FNC GRETA 1,491,000
CNN COOPER 1,128,000
CNN KING 1,097,000
CNN ZAHN 890,000
CNN DOBBS 784,000
CNNHN GRACE 460,000
MSNBC HARDBALL 369,000
MSNBC OLBERMANN 365,000

Hat Tip: Drudge

Nobel Peace Laureate Inspires Children with Wish to Kill Bush

NOBEL peace laureate Betty Williams displayed a flash of her feisty Irish spirit yesterday, lashing out at US President George W.Bush during a speech to hundreds of schoolchildren.
Campaigning on the rights of young people at the Earth Dialogues forum, being held in Brisbane, Ms Williams spoke passionately about the deaths of innocent children during wartime, particularly in the Middle East, and lambasted Mr Bush.

"I have a very hard time with this word 'non-violence', because I don't believe that I am non-violent," said Ms Williams, 64.

"Right now, I would love to kill George Bush." Her young audience at the Brisbane City Hall clapped and cheered.

Being glib, I think it's funny how Ann Coulter is never described as "feisty."
On a more serious side, this was deemed acceptable speech "to hundreds of schoolchildren!" Then the kids clapped and cheered? What is wrong with this psycho and with the news media who report this behavior as 'feisty'? People on both sides of the aisle are capable of teaching children horrible lessons but on the left it is deemed perfectly acceptable.
Bashing Bush is the top priorty of leftists and it's why they will continue to flounder.

This woman should be shot.

Hat Tip: Drudge

Iraqis Remain Optimistic of Future - (despite US media)

A comprehensive survey of the Iraqi people was recently completed and it

provides a useful reality check to the assumptions that 'Operation Iraqi Freedom as a failure for various reasons: Iraqis are too sectarian to form a nation; they reject democracy as an imposition; or the average Iraqi lives a life of fear due to the deterioration of security since Saddam’s fall.'

Getting a lot of press at the present time is the "civil war" which was fueled in large part by Zarquawi and the bombing of the Golden Dome Mosque in February 2006. As for the Iraqi people's view of sectarianism, however, the survey shows

Ninety-four percent of Iraqis support a “unity” government, representing all religious and ethnic communities, as opposed to 2 percent who do not support it. Asked to judge whether Iraqis should be segregated by religion, or by ethnicity, 78 percent of Iraqis oppose those prospects; only 13 percent support them. In multi-ethnic Baghdad, where most of the sectarian revenge killings occur, 76 percent of the public opposed ethnic separation; 10 percent supported it.

The article and survey are here.

Iraq is by no means a cakewalk, and it is a violent place, but evidence exists that show progress.

Hat Tip to Matthew Sheffield at Newsbusters.

Gateway Pundit says that "the bombing of Shia Golden Dome Mosque may be the turning point in the formation of the democratic Iraq" and has an analysis here.

Also, remember the stats that show Iraq is safer that D.C., Detroit, and Baltimore.

Citizen With Gun Stops Stabbing Rampage

A knife-wielding grocery store employee attacked eight co-workers Friday, seriously injuring five before a witness pulled a gun and stopped him, police said.
The 21-year-old suspect, whose name was withheld pending charges, was arrested...
Five victims, one in critical condition, were admitted to the Regional Medical Center, the main trauma hospital for the Memphis area. Three others were less badly hurt and treated at another hospital...
The attack started in an employee area of the Schnucks supermarket on the outskirts of Memphis and no customers were involved, Higgins said.
Police said two large kitchen knives used in the attack were found at the scene.
Witness Frank Rector said the attacker held a knife high in a stabbing position as he chased a victim into the parking lot. The victim, Rector said, "was circling, trying to get away from him."
The attacker, chasing one victim into the store's parking lot, was subdued by Chris Cope, manager of a financial services office in the same small shopping center, Higgins said.
Cope said he grabbed a 9mm semiautomatic pistol from his pickup truck when he saw the attacker chasing the victim "like something in a serial killer movie."
"When he turned around and saw my pistol, he threw the knife away, put his hands up and got on the ground," Cope told The Associated Press. "He saw my gun and that was pretty much it."

Interesting story and I'm looking forward to learning more about motive (as well as more about the attacker).

It's also nice to see a "gun success story" coming out of the AP. Imagine, a citizen with a gun did what police can almost never do ---- be at the scene to stop the criminal damage.

Integrated Knowledge: Gateway Pundit: What the Toxic NAACP Won't Tell You#links

Integrated Knowledge: Gateway Pundit: What the Toxic NAACP Won't Tell You#links

Gateway Pundit: What the Toxic NAACP Won't Tell You

Gateway Pundit: What the Toxic NAACP Won't Tell You

Push for Diversity in Law Partners Has Unintended Effect

An article entitled, THE MINORITY PARTNER PARADOX, details a "controversial theory" that lowering academic standards in order to increase diversity in hiring (for large law firms) actually harms minority applicants.

This grade gap ultimately hinders the minority associates, writes Sander, and whether they are less able than their white colleagues or merely perceived as such, they find themselves "marginalized and superfluous, and their predictions that they will not be long with the firm are fully borne out." This attrition, in turn, perpetuates the white-male-partner status quo.

The article is a review of an article in the North Carolina Law Review entitled "The Racial Paradox of the Corporate Law Firm."

The law review article is 68 pages and so it's a commitment. There is also a REPLY to the original article. I'll have more thoughts as I read them both and I will also detail my own awakening to the destruction that affirmative action causes the very individuals it is supposed to help.

Senate Backs Sex Offender Tracking Bill

The "Adam Walsh Child Protection and Safety Act of 2006" (HR 4472) will:

Establish a comprehensive federal DNA database of material collected from convicted molesters, and procedures for the routine DNA collection and comparison to the database when someone has been convicted of such an offense.

_Provide federal funding for states to track pedophiles using global positioning devices.

_Allow victims of child abuse to sue their molesters.

_Impose a mandatory minimum sentence of 30 years for raping a child.

_Impose a mandatory 10-year penalty for sex trafficking offenses involving children and for coercing child prostitution.

_Increase minimum sentences for molesters who travel between states.

See article here.

See full text of legislation here.

This is a long time in coming. Accountability is a good thing.

John Walsh, whose son Adam was abducted and brutally murdered in 1981, has been lobbying for this bill for years, and he deserves credit for his perseverance and focus on helping to make this happen.

Now, of course, we have to worry about enforcement.

Bush Addresses NAACP

UPDATE 7/21/06 - Gateway Pundit tells you "What the Toxic NAACP Won't Tell You"
and includes some of those stats I wish Bush would have used.

Articles are here.

The transcript is here.

Some preliminary comments:
* I'm glad he spoke.
* I'm glad he emphasized his faith based initiatives.
* I'm glad he said America needs "strong families" (although I wish he'd have elaborated a little more).
* I'm glad he emphasized support for charter schools (although I wish he'd have been more specific about how they can help Blacks specifically).

* I wish that every politician who addresses Black people didn't have to relate it to slavery.
* I wish Bush would have set some facts straight about Katrina (e.g. he doesn't hate Black people; actual response time comparatively speaking versus perceived response time; actual role of the federal government versus actual role of state and local government; etc.)
* I wish Bush would have made some pointed comments about why he has boycotted the convention for the past five years and I wish he'd have been more specific what has changed now.
* I wish he would have stressed the pro-life perspective and why that is an important reason for Blacks to vote Republican.
* I wished he would have brought attention to the fact that racism can flow from Whites to Blacks and Blacks to Whites.
* I wish he would have stressed some statistics of how Blacks are better today, either under his or Republican policies (increasing middle class, etc.).

Pandering quote: "You know, an amazing thing about our society today is wealthier white families have got the capacity to defeat mediocrity by moving. That is not the case for lower-income families..."

Hey George, that's the case for lower income white families also, as well as wealthier Black families.

Michelle Malkin also laments the missed opportunity.

House Votes to Remove Federal Judge's Jurisdiction

The House voted to pass the Pledge Protection Act on Wednesday 7/19, which strips federal judges of their jurisdiction to hear challenges to the Pledge of Allegiance.

It's nice to see the House use their constitutional power to define all federal courts' jurisdiction. As Ace just recently noted, when discussing the gay marriage thing:

PS, I think Congress could if it so chose, use its constitutionally-granted power to exclude this issue from decision by the courts. But Congress never seems ballsy enough to use that option, and the amendment route has the advantage of being popularly enacted by the people of the states (acting through their reps, etc.).

House = enough at times to seems like a polyorchid
Senate = appears to have nonpalpable testes

Extreme Georgian Muslims Indicted onTerrorism

The two guys accused of terrorism related charges have now been indicted.

The underwent paramilitary terrorist training in northern Georgia.

The traveled to Canada to meet with other Muslim Extremists.

As some Americans continue to bury their head in the sand (or ignore the realities around us), it is this Administration's policies and priorites that continue to fight the GWOT, even when it's homegrown.

MD Dems Lose --- Wal Mart Wins

UPDATE 7/20/06 - read opinion here

A federal judge overturned a Maryland state law (pass by the Democratic legislature) that would have required Wal Mart (and other non-existent "large employers") to spend at least 8 percent of payroll on health care or pay the difference in taxes.

U.S. District Judge J. Frederick Motz concluded that the law would have hurt Wal-Mart by requiring it to track and allocate benefits for its Maryland employees in a different way from how it keeps track of employee benefits in other states. Motz wrote that the law "imposes legally cognizable injury upon Wal-Mart.
Lawyers for the state argued before Motz that the so-called Wal-Mart law wasn't an illegal mandate. They said Wal-Mart was free to pay the penalty -- estimated at $6 million a year -- instead of providing better benefits. As another alternative, the retailer could also have set up health clinics for its employees...

In Maryland, where state budget writers were looking for ways to rein in a $4.6 billion annual Medicaid tab, the Wal-Mart law was seen as a way to encourage companies to keep employees off public rolls. It became law last winter when the Democratic legislature overrode a 2005 veto by Republican Gov. Robert L. Ehrlich Jr.

See article here.

This law was bad news to begin with nad it was being rammed through the General Assembly by the Unions. Not to mention, because it technically does not apply, that this bill had a whiff of a Bill of Attainder.

As recently as Monday (7/16), liberal columnist Dan Rodricks was speaking truth to power and telling Maryland's politicians to "listen up" because a poll showed that 77 percent of Marylanders who are likely to vote SUPPORT "the state legislature's decision to force Wal-Mart to spend more on employee health benefits."

Rodricks goes on to sat that "[i]t turns out Maryland might be in the vanguard of a new progressive movement, and maybe we should be proud of ourselves."

It's not often that liberal can be proven so wrong, so fast, but there it is... and that my friend, is why we don't let the popular opinion decide the laws!

I'll post a link tot he opinion when I get it.

4th District Georgians Not As Dumb As Rep. McKinney Hopes

Rep. McKinney (D[umb ass]-GA)faces a run-off with her democratic challenger because the vote was so close. The run off will occur in three weeks.

Saying "you can't keep a good woman down," [which seemed like a non sequitur because there was no mention that she was a good woman, nor does anyone actually believe she is...] incumbent Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney kicked off her three-week campaign to beat former two-term DeKalb County commissioner Hank Johnson early Wednesday morning.

Johnson forced McKinney into a runoff with results that put them neck-and-neck in the 4th District race. With 98 percent of the precincts reporting, McKinney had 46.9 percent of the vote to Johnson's 44.5 percent.

What a great day. If this woman loses then I will have a new found respect for Democrats. It would prove that Democrats can see through the BS of the misinformation campaign to cast McKinney as a victim of racism when she was obviously in the wrong for striking a police officer.

I already have a optimistic belief that most Americans see through the BS liberal agenda, but generally speaking, Democrats haven't proven that they don't have "shit on the eyeglasses" (as the saying goes).

UPDATE: Evidently, McKinney spent election night with Cindy Sheehan, watching a movie, specially designed to reinforce victim status and increase anti-American sentiment.

Hat Tip: Sweetness and Light

UW Psych Prof. Wants Sex With Animals

The more liberals talk about their actual beliefs, the more people will wake up to their utter nonsense. Try to follow the logic in this article (and you'll have a headache like me). This is a University of Washington psychology professor and editorial writer for the LA Times.

GENETICISTS studying human and chimpanzee DNA have concluded that a few million years ago, pre-humans and pre-chimps produced hybrids between the two species. And in the American evolutionary wars, this is good news.

Of course, the very idea of ancestral human beings and chimpanzees "exchanging genes" makes people squirm, because (let's face it) this means sexual intercourse between our ancient human and animal ancestors...

There is, however, an even greater source of discomfort at work here; not simple squeamishness about sex but a deeper repugnance that goes to the heart of why so many Americans continue to be so resistant to the theory of evolution. And this is why I not only welcome the news that humans and chimpanzees commingled genes in the past, I also look forward to the possibility that, thanks to advances in reproductive technology, there will be hybrids, or some other mixed human-animal genetic composite, in our future.

This may seem perverse, because even the most liberal ethicists shy away from advocating the breeding or genetic engineering of half-person/half-animal. Why, then, am I rooting for their creation? Because in these dark days of know-nothing anti-evolutionism, with religious fundamentalists occupying the White House, controlling Congress and attempting to distort the teaching of science in our schools, a powerful dose of biological reality would be healthy indeed. And this is precisely the message that chimeras, hybrids or mixed-species clones would drive home.

Also, because I am a freak! A godless freak who wishes anything to just shut up the infernal racket of those pigs who believe in a higher being! If my setting aside my humanity to have sex with an animal will prove to those religious fundementalists that we are all the same as animals then I will eph anything that moves! Two legs good, four legs better! Then, and only then, will I have proof that humans are nothing more than animals who are under the authority of nothing, or rather anything we wish EXCEPT a God who created us in His image!!! Do not question evolution, do not question evolution, do not question evolution, do not question evolution, do not question evolution...!!! It is not JUST A THEORY...

Hat Tip: Allahpundit

Today's Anti-Bush Media Bias

1. George Bush Hates Black People - from the LA Times. Thankfully this faux attempt at news (GW May Speak at NAACP Convention) gives a rundown of why Blacks should hate GWB and the GOP.

President Bush is apparently ready to end his boycott of the NAACP, the nation's oldest civil rights organization, with a possible speech Thursday to the group's national convention here.
Bush's appearance would underscore the GOP's continued efforts to recruit black voters. It would also come as some congressional Republicans have balked at renewing Civil Rights-era voter protection laws and almost a year after Hurricane Katrina devastated New Orleans — and criticism began that the Bush administration failed to aid the city's largely poor and black residents.

For an independant (non-sheep) opinion on media bias check out Larry Elder's most recent column.

2. George Bush Hates Your Privacy - The headline claims that Attorney General Gonzales testified that "Bush blocked eavesdropping probe." The article reveals, however, that the "block" by Bush occured when he did not grant security clearance to additional lawyers to review the program. The article provides:

The department's Office of Professional Responsibility announced earlier this year it could not pursue an investigation into the role of Justice lawyers in crafting the program... [because it] could not obtain security clearance to examine the classified program.

How on earth is this privacy violation giong to get investigated if additional lawyers are granted access to the top secret program??? How about the select senators who have been regularly briefed for the past 4 years? How about Congress (which is actually investigating it now)?

As I've noted before: Senator Specter is a tool and this article (is yet another is a long list that) misstates the nature of the terrorist surveilance program. Senator Tool (R[etard]-PA) "asked" Gonzales: "It [the NSA program] was highly classified, very important and many other lawyers had access. Why not O[ffice of] P[rofessional] R[esponsibility]?" asked Specter... TRANSLATION: "It [the NSA program] was highly classified, very important, and since other people had access why not more people?

Clones Would Feel 'Individuality'

Scientists surmise that a "Clone would feel individuality."

Scientists are skirting around the issue of the soul. Of course, separate individuals feel like separate individuals, even with those who share the axact genetic makeup, but the real question to be asked about cloning is WHY.

When I read this article I thought that the findings provided a good argument for NOT cloning because humans created for harvesting organs, or to breed certain characteristics, etc. would feel like an individual and therefore it becomes obviously morally reprehensible to harvest (etc.) individuals. Those were my thoughts until I came to the last paragraph which reads:

But this interesting study and, although small, reveals how we should not have any prejudiced feelings about the idea of genetically identical individuals living amongst us.

Evidently some would use the study to show that cloning is OK because the clone wouldn't feel like they were a robot or anything. This leads to the questions of WHY clone anyone? Is someone suggesting that we clone a human just to "liv[e] amongst us?" If so, I haven't heard that argument (and it would probably go against the liberal population scare). It is the answer to the question of "WHY" that would limit an individual clone's feeling about itself. Further, it is this question that we all (as a human race) struggle to answer.

Why are we here?

Godless Keeps Selling

... but unfortunately sales are dropping from it's position of #1 a couple weeks ago.

#3 on Publisher's Weekly
4th on the NYT bestseller list.
23rd on Amazon's list
23rd on USA Today's list
49th on the Barnes and Noble

Not too shabby! But this is a great book and I hope to see sales increase. Maybe a member of the liberal elite needs to be re-insulted...

Buy it here.

How Unskilled Immigrants Hurt Our Economy

Steven Malanga shows how "A handful of industries get low-cost labor, and the taxpayers foot the bill."

Hat Tip: RWN

Chairman Goes to Those Big Mamma Jammas in the Sky

The Chairman of Hooters was found dead in his home in Myrtle Beach, SC.

He helped bring together beer, hot wings, and scantily clad ladies into regular malls and shopping centers, and helped reduce the stigma of such an outing.

Bonus video if you want to see the bootcamp that separates a "Hooter's Girl" from just a scantily clad waitress.

Bush Uses Curse Word

UPDATE 7/18/06: I wrote the post below after only reading the news articles (which obviously leaves anyone semi or mis informed). Last night I watched the tape and it turns out Bush was not just blowing off steam. He was in full control and he was sharing his thoughts with Tony Blair. It was cool to watch the real converations behind the diplomacy. Bush was right on and the video shows that he was in command of the issues and understood which direction to go in order to arrive at a solution. Hot Air has the video.

The news media is shocked! George W. Bush, that Christian president of the United States of America, used the "S" word in a private conversation with British Prime Minister Tony Blair!

There are at least three stories from major sources about "Bush's colorful language."

Bush has one THE most stressful jobs in the world (only other that comes close is a soldier in combat, but feel free to name some others and that can become another post).

Does anyone think Bush is held to a different standard than any other adult in America, much less any other President of the United States? The better question is whether anyone thinks Bush is NOT held to a different standard than everyone else?

Where was liberals shock when a sitting (literally) 50 year old married President had his private parts licked and sucked by a twenty-something female intern, while conducting official business on the phone?

I guess there are appropriate ways to blow off steam and then there are inappropriate ways... Bush's was obviously inappropriate.

Agitprop from the DNC/MSM

This well publicized poll "found that Americans by an almost 3-to-1 margin hold the GOP-controlled Congress in low regard and profess a desire to see Democrats wrest control after a dozen years of Republican rule."

I'm calling bullshit on this right now.

My prediction is that the GOP WILL NOT lose EITHER HOUSE in November. (ok, maybe some seats, but... FORGET IT, I'M STICKING TO MY PREDICTION!)

This poll/agitprop is designed so that the future accusations of voter fraud (against the GOP) will have more credence. ----- "All the polls showed the opposite and so they must have cheated!" This is SOP for the left and like many policies/functions on the left, this actually hurts the very people it wishes to help; namely the Democrats because then they go and get depression and BDS, etc.

DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE! DON'T, DON'T BELIEVE THE HYPE!

Remember all those polls showing how horrible Bush's #s were? Well, here a compilation of the polling data.

In 2006, there have been 85 presidential Job Approval polls conducted(as of TIME poll 6/27-29/06)
Bush is averaging a 37.45% approval rating for 2006.

In 2006, there have been 42 “Congressional Job Approval” polls conducted (as of TIME poll 6/27-29/06)
Congress is averaging a 29.59% approval rating for 2006.

In 2006, there have been 3 polls 6/2-5/06; 5/5-8/06; 3/3-7/06) asking whether the public thought Congressional Democrats in Congress were doing an excellent or pretty good job
Democrats in Congress are averaging a 24.33% approval rating in 2006.

In 2006, there have been 3 polls 6/2-5/06; 5/5-8/06; 3/3-7/06) asking whether the public thought Congressional Republicans in Congress were doing an excellent or pretty good job
Republicans in Congress averaging a 24% approval rating in 2006.

.33% is hardly a 3-1 ratio! As a famous (or infamous) Democrat once said, "Are you going to believe me or your eyes?"

Arlen Specter is a Tool

He is both a tool is the euphemistic sense and a tool of the liberals.

If he truly believed at one time that "the administration may have broken the law in allowing the NSA to monitor international phone calls and e-mails of U.S. citizens without first obtaining warrants," what the hell does he think now?

Has he had time to review the program? Has he conducted a legal analysis?

The "scandal" erupted in December 2005, why hasn't Senator Specter either retracted his earlier statements or pushed for a criminal inquiry? After all, human rights and privacy rights were violated!

Read here about how he's single handedly saved privacy rights for all Americans thruough his tough negotiating skills.

TOOL!

Thoughts on the War

Bryan over at HotAir provides an excellent rant about the inconsistency and absurdity in the frothing anti-war Left's talking points.

Great job Bryan.

Military Recruiting Successful

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Published: July 11, 2006
The Army surpassed its recruiting goal for June, the Pentagon said, the 13th consecutive month the service has met or exceeded its target. The Navy, Air Force and Marine Corps also met or exceeded their goals, Defense Department statistics showed. The active-duty Army, which offered a wider array of financial incentives for potential recruits and put more recruiters on the street, found 8,756 recruits in June, compared with its target of 8,600, the Pentagon said.

Trying to Take Down the Queen (Ann Coulter that is...)

Did Ann Coulter plagarize? If you only paid attention to headlines or stories, then you'd think so. Of course, you'd be wrong.

The most recent smears have been quickly debunked and both Ann's publisher and syndicator investigated and rejected allegations of plagarism.

Here is a good summary of the most recent claims and some new information about the MSM's "sources" in "The Latest Laughable Smear of Coulter"
HAT TIP: Sweetness and Light

It goes without saying, but I'll say it anyway. Ann Coulter is great! I have yet to hear anyone argue against the merits of her arguments, much less her most recent arguments against evolution and teacher's unions.

READ GODLESS.

Lieberman's Photoshopped Lie

Come on Joe! You don't have to make things up in order to beat Ned Lamont. You kicked his ass in the debate, plus he's endorsed by the Freshmaker.

Even Rasmussen says that "[i]n the General Election, Lieberman wins handily as either a Democrat or an Independent."

HAT TIP: Allahpundit

"I'm Re-ATCH, Be-ATCH!" (say it loud!)

The title comes from a very funny Dave Chappelle show in which reparation money was distributed... anyway... aserious issue, if only because so many people take it seriously.

Reparations for slavery are evidently gaining momentum.
HAT TIP: Allahpundit

This is a horrible idea on many levels, for many reasons, and I don't think it will actually pass.

Here's some "Black Conservative" perspectives.

Yet Another "Accusation of Executive Power" Rebuffed

All the stink over the search of Rep. Jefferson's (D-LA) office in the House building and now nothing... turns out it was legal and logical. The Judge held that barring searches of Congressional offices would turn Capitol Hill into "a taxpayer-subsidized sanctuary for crime."

Read the full story here.

How many hyped scandal and abuses can the press, Democrats, and even Republicans (e.g. Rep. Hastert) throw at the Bush Administration before people completely tune them out?

Let's look at some of the 'horrible abuses' of this Administration:

Katrina --- deliberate abandonement, murder and mahem in the streets, and bodies piling up in the freezers --- NOT

NSA #1 --- at the very least the Terrorist Surveillance Program was arguably legal at the time it was done, yet Bush was accused of deliberately breaking hte [non existent] laws --- NOT (See In re Sealed Case, 310 F.3d 717 (2002)).

NSA #2 --- data mining -- completely legal for regular law enforcement under current Supreme Court precedent and that doesn't even include a national security interest. (See Smith v. Maryland, 442 U.S. 735 (1979)).

Hopkins 'Pioneer' Sex Researcher Dies

I will deny no man or woman a positive obituary or even a rose colored look at their life's accomplishments, but this article/obituary whitewashes one particular aspect of this doctor's career and it is too important to sugarcoat.

Dr. John Money, a psychologist and sex researcher who coined the terms "gender identity" and "gender role" and was a pioneer in studies of sexual identity, has died. He was 84...

Money [wrongly - editor's note] believed a person's gender identity was determined by an interaction between biological factors and upbringing. That represented a break from past thinking, in which gender identity was largely believed to be caused only by biological factors.

"He really developed that entire field of study," said Dr. Gregory K. Lehne, a Money protege and an assistant professor of medical psychology at Johns Hopkins. "Without him, that whole field of study might not have existed."

Money advised parents on what sex they should raise hermaphrodites - people born with characteristics of both sexes - to be. He also worked with people who were born with normal sex organs but did not identify with the gender they had been raised to be...

Lehne said Money appeared to enjoy the controversy his work raised because it provoked people to think in different ways about gender.

Money was involved in a highly publicized case of a boy who was raised as a girl after suffering a seared penis while being circumcised in 1966.

David Reimer was raised as "Brenda" after Money advised his parents to remove the rest of his male genitalia and recommended female hormone treatment.

Reimer was 15 when he learned his true identity and rejected further treatment as a girl. He committed suicide in 2004 at the age of 38 after failed investments drove him into poverty.

Does anyone really think it was the failed investments that drove him to suicide? Mr. Reimer was living proof that Dr. Money's theories were wrong. Yet he treated it as a fluke.

This article comes a little closer to the truth when it provides that:

[Dr. Money's] belief that gender could be assigned to a child before age 3 played out in a radical experiment that proved devastating for him and the child upon whom it was performed...

But by the time Brenda was a teen, it became clear the plan wasn't working. Brenda became known as a boy, David Reimer... decried the experiment and spoke of his anguish. Mr. Reimer committed suicide in 2004.

Dr. Money refused to speak publicly on the subject, said niece Sally Hopkins of Baltimore.

"I think it devastated him," Dr. Lehne said. "The controversy led to him being kind of withdrawn and somewhat bitter after seeing himself as misinterpreted and not being able to do anything about it."

There is a book, written in 2000, about Mr. Reimer and how Dr. Money's "controversial theories" blinded him to the destruction he wrought.

Airport Security

This article is almost surreal. Could police and TSA officials actually clear this man for travel?

The report states that a man with a Middle Eastern name and a ticket for a Delta Airlines flight to Atlanta shook his head when screeners asked if he had a laptop computer in his baggage, but an X-ray machine operator detected a laptop.

A search of the man's baggage revealed a clock with a 9-volt battery taped to it and a copy of the Quran, the report said. A screener examined the man's shoes and determined that the "entire soles of both shoes were gutted out."

No explosive material was detected, the report states. A police officer was summoned and questioned the man, examined his identification, shoes and the clock, then cleared him for travel, according to the report.

I feel a need for more information before rushing to judgment... but unfortunately, I would not be terribly surprised (regularly surprised yes) if it were true.

HAT TIP: Allahpundit at Hot Air

http://www.chron.com/disp/story.mpl/front/4033752.html

Down and Dirty in Georgia

Both candidates for the Democratic slot on the gubernatorial ballot overplay their hands.

The latest attack ads by Georgia Democratic gubernatorial candidates Cathy Cox and Mark Taylor certainly contain some facts, but veer off into insinuation and conjecture.

Cox has little to back up her charge that opponent Mark Taylor’s “family interests” got "sweetheart deals" on state leases of their buildings. Taylor lashes back but goes too far, casting Cox’s appearances in public service announcements about investor fraud as being far more scandalous than they were. He may have caught her in what he says is a lie, but her campaign says he’s taking a quote out of context.

I thought it was the elephant party that lied?
">The full story is here.

The Ripple of Sex Abuse

This story highlights some horrors associated with sex abuse that are not ordinarily associated with the crime.

Breast ironing of young girls leaves me with sadness for the girls, and for the parents who are harming their children, while trying to protect them from a greater evil. Nothing in the article implies maliciousness from the parents, only fear and ignorance.

How about gun safety courses and liberal carry permits for all prepubescent girls? I am not being flippant! How about an improved criminal justice system that leaves people confident that many/most offenders will be taken off the streets?

Your Either With Us... or You're A Bigot

Howard Dean issued the following statements in response to the New York Court of Appeals' decision providing that the state constitution does not guarantee the right to marriage for same-sex couples. The statements are quoted below and a translation is provided in italics:

"As Democrats, we believe that every American has a right to equal protection under the law and to live in dignity." Republicans hate equal protection for Americans and hope people cannot live in dignity.

"And we must respect the right of every family to live in dignity with equal rights, responsibilities and protections under the law." I think families that include multiple married partners, marriages between adults and children, and marriages between humans and animals should be on equal groiund with traditional marriages ---- after all, these are merely legal distinctions being made --- morally all is OK.

"Today's decision by the New York Court of Appeals, which relies on outdated and bigoted notions about families, is deeply disappointing, but it does not end the effort to achieve this goal." If you don't agree with us then you are old and bigoted, but even though the strong majority of Americans are old and bigoted, we, the Democrats, will continue to shove this agenda down your throats and twist the law so we achieve our goals.

"As that essential process moves forward, it is up to the State legislature to act to protect the equal rights of every New Yorker and for the debate on how to ensure those rights to proceed without the rancor and divisiveness that too often surrounds this issue." Anyone who disagrees with me, in addition to being old and bigoted, is rancorous and divisive.

Why do the Democrats keep losing elections?

Holland Tunnel Bomb Plot Uncovered

A report comes out today, on the anniversary of the London 7/7 bombing, that we've uncovered a plot to bomb NYC tunnels --- to be funded by NONE OTHER THAN ASSOCIATES OF ABU MUSAB AL-ZARQAWI.

One arrest in Lebanon has been made. More here.

Can anyone really argue that Bush's policy of taking it to the terrorists so that they stay busy fighting us in Iraq, et. al. has not helped keep America safe? This is the second plan (the first one is here) in the last few weeks to be uncovered.

The FBI and cooperating agencies are to be heartily congratulated.

A Quick Analysis on British Abortion

This article claims that abortions in Britain have hit record levels. Using the numbers found in this article the following is true:

* 186,416 abortions were performed in Great Britain in 2005;
* Only 1% ("nearly 2000") were at risk of being born physically or mentally handicapped;
* More than 1,000 girls under 15 had an abortion (a 4.7 percent increase over 2004);
* 41,012 pre born children were aborted for having Down's Syndrome (which still allows people to realize their life's aspirations);
* Between 2003 and 2005, 11 pre-born children were aborted due to cleft lip or cleft palate, which is a difference that can be repaired;
* Between 2003 and 2005, 33 girls under 13 had abortions
* Between 2003 and 2005, 409 girls aged 14 had abortions

Unbelievably (or believably), the decreases (where mentioned) are due to liberal policies, and the increases show a need for more liberal policies.

"For 2005, abortions under 10 weeks accounted for 66.5 per cent of the total number compared to 60.2 per cent in 2004. This is surely due to dubious Government policies aimed at making access to early abortion even easier."

"At the same time, the percentage of late abortions is rapidly declining. The number of abortions occurring over 20 weeks dropped by almost 10 per cent on last year..." [Why don't they give us this figure?]

Anne Weyman, chief executive of the Family Planning Association, said: "These latest abortion figures highlight the urgent need to improve NHS contraceptive services, which have for decades been treated as the Cinderella service of sexual health.

"When a woman does not get the contraceptive method that is right for her, she is more likely to have an unplanned pregnancy."

Abstinence education anyone?

HAT TIP: Drudge

More Culture of Corruption from the ???

The "no political party affiliation" Rhode Island Attorney General is being investigated. No where in the article or on his website, is his political party mentioned. It turns out he's a Democrat (look at the bottom of page).Here's another article which mentions he a Democrat. I guess (with very few exceptions) party affiliation is only important when a Democrat does something positive or a Republican does something negative.

For more of the "GUESS THAT PARTY AFFILIATION"-- Culture of Corruption Game go to Sweetness and Light.

Gay Marriage Gets Reamed

See update below.
New York Court of Appeals "Claims" Gay Marriage Is An Issue For Legislature.New York's highest court ruled that New York law clearly defines a marriage as between a man and a woman and the law is consitutional. Judge Robert Smith said "Any change in the law should come from the state Legislature."

The full article is here.

HAT TIP: Drudge

UPDATE 7/6/06 at 12noon: Georgia High Court Reinstates Gay Marriage Ban.

Hizballah in Michigan

This article has it all:

1. Pro-Palistinian/Anti-Israel Propaganda: (It's Irael's fault!")
"Israel occupied parts of Lebanon until Hizballah forced Israeli troops out in 2000... Siblani said he noticed how peaceful [southern Lebanon] had become since Israel left in 2000."
I guess he means when Israel occupied an buffer zone to prevent Hizbollah from launching rockets into Israel --- what are the Jews thinking damnit!

2. Sickening moral equivalence:

"Siblani compares Hizballah with America's founding fathers, such as George Washington, saying, 'Your terrorist could be my freedom fighter. A terrorist to the Israelis could be a freedom fighter of mine.'"

He fails to recognize that a freedom fighter is not a freedom fighter because he fights for what he believes in --- rather, that person must actually fight for freedom in the truest sense ofth e word (not jsut freedom to live in a society where everyone must see things your way or they die!)

3. False cries of racism:

"'They're looking for any excuse to put an Arab guy in jail,' said Dearborn attorney Michael Rataj."

Especially is that "Arab guy" has ties to Hizbollah and is helping to fund raise for the cause...

HAT TIP: Little Green Footballs

The Vatican Confronts Islam

This is a good article about the Vatican's response to Muslim oppression of Christians. (HAT TIP: Little Green Footballs).

My thoughts:
Although turning the other cheek is Christ's teaching, I've never been able to reconcile that with foreign policy, especially when dealing with something (be it a nation or an ideology) whose goal is total destruction or capitulation of Christian nations generally, and the United States specifically. On a personal level turning the other cheek works, even if it means my own personal destruction because there is a glorious after life where I will be rewarded. However, there is no after life for a democratic nation which is destroyed by a totalinarian ideology seeking to oppress or kill all infidels (which they define as anyone with beliefs other than their own).

A Tribute to our Troops

Sevenstripes.com has an excellent tribute to the American men and women fighting for the freedom that is written into the hearts of all men.

The Mysterious Lottery of Life

A 42 year old man, who was "barely conscious" for more than 19 years has "recovered...dramatically because his brain spontaneously rewired itself by growing tiny new nerve connections to replace the ones sheared apart in a car crash."

"He still needs help eating and cannot walk, but his speech continues to improve and he can count to 25 without interruption... [The patient] has complete amnesia about the two decades he spent barely conscious, but remembers his life before the injury. He still thinks Ronald Reagan is president," his father, Jerry, said in a statement, adding that until recently his son insisted he was 20 years old."

Dr. James Bernat, a neurologist at Dartmouth-Hitchcock Medical Center in New Hampshire [who IS famiiar with the research], said that "[m]ost neurologists would have been willing to bet money that whatever the cause of it, if it hadn't changed in 19 years, wasn't going to change now."

One doctor (not familar with the research) said that "these cases are like winning the lottery," and that people should not become "overenthused" because this is not a cure." However, the patient's father father said his son is now able to make jokes... [a]nd he very often tells us how glad he is to be alive."

Life is a powerful and mysterious force. Read the FULL STORY here.

(Hat tip: Drudge)

Happy 230th Birthday America!

Happy Independance Day!

It's also worth noting that the majority of us are "extremely proud to be Americans!"