If you click just ONE link here...
...let is be this one: Saddam's al Qaeda Connection.
Here's an excerpt:
In interviews conducted over the past six weeks with uniformed officers on the ground in Iraq, intelligence officials, and senior security strategists, several things became clear. Contrary to the claims of its critics, the Bush administration has consistently underplayed the connections between Saddam Hussein and al Qaeda. Evidence of these links existed before the war. In making its public case against the Iraq regime, the Bush administration used only a fraction of the intelligence it had accumulated documenting such collaboration. The intelligence has, in most cases, gotten stronger since the end of the war. And through interrogations of high-ranking Iraqi officials, documents from the regime, and further interrogation of al Qaeda detainees, a clearer picture of the links between Osama bin Laden and Saddam Hussein is emerging.
To better understand the administration's case on these links, it's important to examine three elements of this debate: what the administration alleged, the evidence the administration had but didn't use, and what the government has learned since the war.
It, in my opinion, is worth a read.
Building a Stronger Norway
The Rena base, still under construction, is an integral part of Devold's plan to overhaul the military. From the air, the giant yellow Volvo earth-movers plowing its roads and runways look like Tonka toys. Scaffolding shrouds some of the low-slung computer complexes, and building materials lie scattered in small neat piles around ''little Baghdad,'' a mock village being erected for urban-warfare instruction.
Norway is now second only to the United States in NATO in per capita spending on defense. But even with the military, there is resistance. Officers have lost commands, and others have resigned, complaining that they didn't sign up for the new proactive role Devold has envisioned for Norway. ''Many of my colleagues say they joined the military to defend Norway,'' explains Gen. Sverre Diesen, commander of Norwegian land forces, ''and not to embark on foreign adventures. We're trying to explain to people that security problems are becoming globalized. Osama bin Laden doesn't just hate America. He wants to destroy the entire Western way of life. So we, too, have interests in places like Afghanistan. I don't need to wait for someone to blow up the train station in Oslo to see that.''
Who's Afraid of Norway?
Another excellent piece of information found on Right-Thinking.
The Rena base, still under construction, is an integral part of Devold's plan to overhaul the military. From the air, the giant yellow Volvo earth-movers plowing its roads and runways look like Tonka toys. Scaffolding shrouds some of the low-slung computer complexes, and building materials lie scattered in small neat piles around ''little Baghdad,'' a mock village being erected for urban-warfare instruction.
Norway is now second only to the United States in NATO in per capita spending on defense. But even with the military, there is resistance. Officers have lost commands, and others have resigned, complaining that they didn't sign up for the new proactive role Devold has envisioned for Norway. ''Many of my colleagues say they joined the military to defend Norway,'' explains Gen. Sverre Diesen, commander of Norwegian land forces, ''and not to embark on foreign adventures. We're trying to explain to people that security problems are becoming globalized. Osama bin Laden doesn't just hate America. He wants to destroy the entire Western way of life. So we, too, have interests in places like Afghanistan. I don't need to wait for someone to blow up the train station in Oslo to see that.''
Who's Afraid of Norway?
Another excellent piece of information found on Right-Thinking.
Leaving Korea
But why is the U.S. worried about the so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea? It’s a distant and poor country surrounded by far more powerful states; it is an economic irrelevancy and a diplomatic nonentity. Most important, it has no effective means to attack America. North Korea should be a problem for other nations -- for China and Russia, the most important regional powers, and for Japan and South Korea, America’s closest regional friends. All have more at stake in the North than we do. Indeed, the only reason Washington is entangled in the Korean peninsula is inertia: The U.S. has defended South Korea for 50 years.
Odd, isn't?
But why is the U.S. worried about the so-called Democratic People’s Republic of Korea? It’s a distant and poor country surrounded by far more powerful states; it is an economic irrelevancy and a diplomatic nonentity. Most important, it has no effective means to attack America. North Korea should be a problem for other nations -- for China and Russia, the most important regional powers, and for Japan and South Korea, America’s closest regional friends. All have more at stake in the North than we do. Indeed, the only reason Washington is entangled in the Korean peninsula is inertia: The U.S. has defended South Korea for 50 years.
Odd, isn't?
Regarding Wesley Clark
This is the man who, as NATO shifted from war-fighting mode into peacekeeping mode, ordered his ground commander to deploy a helicopter assault team to block a surprise Russian advance into Kosovo's major airfield — an order his British subordinate answered with a terse and chilling rejoinder: "I'm not going to start World War III for you." After both men appealed to their national commanders — a practice permitted under NATO's vague and unwieldy war-fighting conventions — cooler heads in Washington and London agreed with Clark's subordinate, concluding that NATO's unity was more important than Kosovo's airport. A humiliated Clark was forced to rescind his order. Two months later, he was unceremoniously replaced as Supreme Allied Commander-Europe (SACEUR). The turn of events stunned Clark: "I never saw myself as a 55-year-old retired general," he later said.
Alan W. Dowd on Wesley Clark on National Review Online
This is the man who, as NATO shifted from war-fighting mode into peacekeeping mode, ordered his ground commander to deploy a helicopter assault team to block a surprise Russian advance into Kosovo's major airfield — an order his British subordinate answered with a terse and chilling rejoinder: "I'm not going to start World War III for you." After both men appealed to their national commanders — a practice permitted under NATO's vague and unwieldy war-fighting conventions — cooler heads in Washington and London agreed with Clark's subordinate, concluding that NATO's unity was more important than Kosovo's airport. A humiliated Clark was forced to rescind his order. Two months later, he was unceremoniously replaced as Supreme Allied Commander-Europe (SACEUR). The turn of events stunned Clark: "I never saw myself as a 55-year-old retired general," he later said.
Alan W. Dowd on Wesley Clark on National Review Online
Eating one's own dog food
Like voucher opponent Al Gore sending his children to private school and uber-environmentalist Dick Gephardt buying his staff SUVs, well, read on...
Seven days after getting trapped in a traffic jam at the Hampton Toll Plaza, New Hampshire's governor pushed through one of the fastest transportation changes in New England history: doubling tolls for northbound drivers at the often clogged booths on Interstate 95, while sending southbound traffic through for free.
The change will affect tens of thousands of north- and southbound drivers daily and the more than 100,000 who pass through the toll plaza each weekend, many of them Massachusetts residents going to and from Maine and New Hampshire. There were no public hearings, no studies, and no local notification. All it took was Governor Craig Benson becoming stuck for an hour in southbound traffic near the toll plaza on Aug. 14, which forced him to miss a wake he planned to attend.
Governor acts after being stuck in traffic
Like voucher opponent Al Gore sending his children to private school and uber-environmentalist Dick Gephardt buying his staff SUVs, well, read on...
Seven days after getting trapped in a traffic jam at the Hampton Toll Plaza, New Hampshire's governor pushed through one of the fastest transportation changes in New England history: doubling tolls for northbound drivers at the often clogged booths on Interstate 95, while sending southbound traffic through for free.
The change will affect tens of thousands of north- and southbound drivers daily and the more than 100,000 who pass through the toll plaza each weekend, many of them Massachusetts residents going to and from Maine and New Hampshire. There were no public hearings, no studies, and no local notification. All it took was Governor Craig Benson becoming stuck for an hour in southbound traffic near the toll plaza on Aug. 14, which forced him to miss a wake he planned to attend.
Governor acts after being stuck in traffic
For The Children
Worrying about the health of California children, the state Assembly voted to ban soda sales to elementary school students and restrict sales of the drinks at junior high schools.
CNN.com
Worrying about the health of California children, the state Assembly voted to ban soda sales to elementary school students and restrict sales of the drinks at junior high schools.
CNN.com
Friday, August 22, 2003
BREAKING NEWS FROM CALIFORNIA!
It's been alleged that California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey is big on silicone but light on, errrrr, delivering.
26-year-old Kim Jensen was one of the first men to secure a date with the porn model, but the young Dane was disappointed with the experience, thinking he did not get value for his money.
"Did not get value for his money"
Sounds like a California taxpayer.
Nettavisen: News in English
It's been alleged that California gubernatorial candidate Mary Carey is big on silicone but light on, errrrr, delivering.
26-year-old Kim Jensen was one of the first men to secure a date with the porn model, but the young Dane was disappointed with the experience, thinking he did not get value for his money.
"Did not get value for his money"
Sounds like a California taxpayer.
Nettavisen: News in English
Cornnell University proudly welcomes Jihad Cindy to the faculty
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution...
Cynthia McKinney, the feisty former 4th District congresswoman, is headed for the Ivy League.
Officials at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., confirmed that McKinney has been named a visiting professor at the institution. Under her contract, she will serve as a guest lecturer for three years, beginning this fall....
As I have said on this blog before, I am envious of the Left for the stranglehold that it has on academia. This is just one of the thousands of examples why. I guess that you could say it is equal in magnitude to to the stranglehold that the Right has on the talk radio format. But there is one big difference in the implications -- Marxists, and other assorted loonies like Noam Chomsky and Jihad Cindy, get to write academic textbooks, which means that their opinions become the "official" version. Young children and adults have no choice over who to learn Economics and History from. Talk radio, on the other hand, actually has to compete for listeners and continuously defend its ideas. (It does so very well, which is a testament to the strength of those ideas.)
From the Atlanta Journal-Constitution...
Cynthia McKinney, the feisty former 4th District congresswoman, is headed for the Ivy League.
Officials at Cornell University in Ithaca, N.Y., confirmed that McKinney has been named a visiting professor at the institution. Under her contract, she will serve as a guest lecturer for three years, beginning this fall....
As I have said on this blog before, I am envious of the Left for the stranglehold that it has on academia. This is just one of the thousands of examples why. I guess that you could say it is equal in magnitude to to the stranglehold that the Right has on the talk radio format. But there is one big difference in the implications -- Marxists, and other assorted loonies like Noam Chomsky and Jihad Cindy, get to write academic textbooks, which means that their opinions become the "official" version. Young children and adults have no choice over who to learn Economics and History from. Talk radio, on the other hand, actually has to compete for listeners and continuously defend its ideas. (It does so very well, which is a testament to the strength of those ideas.)
"Violence begets violence"
Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, suddenly opposes violence in movies. New York Post Online Edition
Dianne Feinstein, California Democrat, suddenly opposes violence in movies. New York Post Online Edition
Watcher's Council Weekly Results
The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Today's CP-USA: Nepotism, Hypocrisy, and Spin by Commiewatch, and The New Left Wing Drivel by Balloon Juice. All members, please be sure to link to both winning entries (and to the full results of the vote) in a post.
Also, Aaron's Rantblog is one year old.
The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are Today's CP-USA: Nepotism, Hypocrisy, and Spin by Commiewatch, and The New Left Wing Drivel by Balloon Juice. All members, please be sure to link to both winning entries (and to the full results of the vote) in a post.
Also, Aaron's Rantblog is one year old.
Phase 3 in Iraq
The current choice of soft and largely civilian targets, while in the short-term horrific and depressing, is also instructive. The Baathist remnants and assorted terrorists who are now their allies have declared themselves not only enemies of the United States, but murderers of innocent Iraqis, Jordanians, and U.N. officials at large. They brag that they are driving infidels and Westerners of all stripes from sacred land. In fact, the current indiscriminate killing was a strategic mistake. It is a sign of desperation and can only unite the global community in its belief that terrorism, suicide murdering, and the agents of rogue regimes really do constitute a nexus of opposition to the forces of civilization — and must in return warrant universal resistance from the world at large.
National Review Online
Seen on Instapundit.
Also, this:
Congress likes to take credit for things that go well, and they're probably feeling left out of the spec-ops successes because they're not in the loop. But there is no demonstrable need for any such restrictions on spec-ops. No scandal, no renegade operations. Was there anything to propel this, other than Senatorial vanity? Of course: the hourly leak exchange. Leaks are the currency of politics, and the stock of staffers and members rise and fall with their ability to leak good stuff. This is one that should have been sold short.
According to a Senate Intelligence Committee source with personal knowledge of the matter, there is no pending action to extend the intelligence reporting process to special operations. The new law will simply restate the current language that dates back to 1991, which pretty much leaves spec ops alone.
False Alarm
The current choice of soft and largely civilian targets, while in the short-term horrific and depressing, is also instructive. The Baathist remnants and assorted terrorists who are now their allies have declared themselves not only enemies of the United States, but murderers of innocent Iraqis, Jordanians, and U.N. officials at large. They brag that they are driving infidels and Westerners of all stripes from sacred land. In fact, the current indiscriminate killing was a strategic mistake. It is a sign of desperation and can only unite the global community in its belief that terrorism, suicide murdering, and the agents of rogue regimes really do constitute a nexus of opposition to the forces of civilization — and must in return warrant universal resistance from the world at large.
National Review Online
Seen on Instapundit.
Also, this:
Congress likes to take credit for things that go well, and they're probably feeling left out of the spec-ops successes because they're not in the loop. But there is no demonstrable need for any such restrictions on spec-ops. No scandal, no renegade operations. Was there anything to propel this, other than Senatorial vanity? Of course: the hourly leak exchange. Leaks are the currency of politics, and the stock of staffers and members rise and fall with their ability to leak good stuff. This is one that should have been sold short.
According to a Senate Intelligence Committee source with personal knowledge of the matter, there is no pending action to extend the intelligence reporting process to special operations. The new law will simply restate the current language that dates back to 1991, which pretty much leaves spec ops alone.
False Alarm
Pros and Cons of the Patriot Act
"Some provisions open door too wide to abuses of rights of innocent people" : Click
"Look beyond misperceptions to see law that protects safety and freedoms " : Click
MegaProps to TMO: Worldcrossing
"Some provisions open door too wide to abuses of rights of innocent people" : Click
"Look beyond misperceptions to see law that protects safety and freedoms " : Click
MegaProps to TMO: Worldcrossing
20,000 Brits show up to audition for "Lapdance Island"
Men. We're pathetic!
The Sun Newspaper Online
Men. We're pathetic!
The Sun Newspaper Online
No wonder the Roadmap to Peace looks so futile
Egyptian Jurists to Sue 'The Jews' for Compensation for 'Trillions' of Tons of Gold Allegedly Stolen During Exodus from Egypt
MEMRI.com
Egyptian Jurists to Sue 'The Jews' for Compensation for 'Trillions' of Tons of Gold Allegedly Stolen During Exodus from Egypt
"...a group of Egyptians in Switzerland has opened the case of the so-called 'great exodus of the Jews from Pharaonic Egypt.' At that time, they stole from the Pharaonic Egyptians gold, jewelry, cooking utensils, silver ornaments, clothing, and more, leaving Egypt in the middle of the night with all this wealth, which today is priceless..."This is not a very long article. I suggest you read it just to observe the tenor with which the Dean of the Faculty of Law at the University of Al-Zaqaziq in Egypt speaks of Jewish people.
MEMRI.com
Thursday, August 21, 2003
Who Loses When Fat Cats Cannot Give Big Money to Political Parties?
Why, the party of the rich, of course! What a silly bleepin' question. Read about it here: Right-Thinking - Follow The Money.
Why, the party of the rich, of course! What a silly bleepin' question. Read about it here: Right-Thinking - Follow The Money.
Am I Missing Something?
I don't get these people. Crimillie sakes alive they act like George W. Bush is the President of Israel.
I find myself confused.
I don't get these people. Crimillie sakes alive they act like George W. Bush is the President of Israel.
I find myself confused.
Cripes. The Left Wing Media Aren't Even Thinly Veiled Anymore
Check this from the Associated Press today:
Headline: Hamas Abandons Truce After Israeli Strike
First paragraph: Palestinian militants called off a tattered two-month-old truce on Thursday after an Israeli helicopter killed a senior Hamas political leader with a volley of missiles.
Third paragraph: Israel said it could not wait for the Palestinians to act after a Hamas bus bombing that killed 20 people, including six children, in Jerusalem.
Conclusion (mine): Hamas abandoned a truce two days after they killed 20 people on a bus in Israel? What the eff?
Are today's media biased, or stupid?
Yahoo! News
UPDATE: Click me
Check this from the Associated Press today:
Headline: Hamas Abandons Truce After Israeli Strike
First paragraph: Palestinian militants called off a tattered two-month-old truce on Thursday after an Israeli helicopter killed a senior Hamas political leader with a volley of missiles.
Third paragraph: Israel said it could not wait for the Palestinians to act after a Hamas bus bombing that killed 20 people, including six children, in Jerusalem.
Conclusion (mine): Hamas abandoned a truce two days after they killed 20 people on a bus in Israel? What the eff?
Are today's media biased, or stupid?
Yahoo! News
UPDATE: Click me
Iraqi WMDs: Contradiction in the American Leftist Mind
Rightwingnews.com has a nice compendium of what Democrats were saying about Iraqi WMDs in the years and months leading up to our invasion.
Here's a quick sample:
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." -- Bob Graham, December 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Ted Kennedy, September 27, 2002
"I will be voting to give the president of the United States the authority to use force - if necessary - to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." -- John F. Kerry, Oct 2002
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." -- Carl Levin, Sept 19, 2002
"Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 - 1994, despite Iraq's denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq's claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction." -- Patty Murray, October 9, 2002
Those quotes, today, in and of themselves, are unremarkable.
What is remarkable is how American Leftists are reconciling the notion that their own Liberal representatives bought into the faulty WMD intel while claiming that President Bush lied about Iraqi WMDs. They all said the same thing. It was only Bush that lied.
For weeks American Leftists have had a difficult time countering these quotes. But now they have a new mantra: that Bush knew the intel was wrong (or "sexed up"), and that Congressional Democrats were simply fooled by it.
What makes this so contradictory is the image American Leftists have painted upon George W. Bush in their slanted and Florida2000-ired minds; they have maintained all along that Bush is incurious, intellectually superficial, and, well, dumb.
So, the question now is this:
Why is it that:
= the intelligent, inquisitive, and logical minds of the Democratic Congressional gang were fooled by the Iraqi WMD intel, yet:
= the addlebrained and thought-challenged President Bush saw through the intel?
Smart Democrats were fooled, the dumb President saw the truth.
You got that? How?
Rightwingnews.com has a nice compendium of what Democrats were saying about Iraqi WMDs in the years and months leading up to our invasion.
Here's a quick sample:
"We are in possession of what I think to be compelling evidence that Saddam Hussein has, and has had for a number of years, a developing capacity for the production and storage of weapons of mass destruction." -- Bob Graham, December 2002
"We have known for many years that Saddam Hussein is seeking and developing weapons of mass destruction." -- Ted Kennedy, September 27, 2002
"I will be voting to give the president of the United States the authority to use force - if necessary - to disarm Saddam Hussein because I believe that a deadly arsenal of weapons of mass destruction in his hands is a real and grave threat to our security." -- John F. Kerry, Oct 2002
"We begin with the common belief that Saddam Hussein is a tyrant and a threat to the peace and stability of the region. He has ignored the mandates of the United Nations and is building weapons of mass destruction and the means of delivering them." -- Carl Levin, Sept 19, 2002
"Over the years, Iraq has worked to develop nuclear, chemical and biological weapons. During 1991 - 1994, despite Iraq's denials, U.N. inspectors discovered and dismantled a large network of nuclear facilities that Iraq was using to develop nuclear weapons. Various reports indicate that Iraq is still actively pursuing nuclear weapons capability. There is no reason to think otherwise. Beyond nuclear weapons, Iraq has actively pursued biological and chemical weapons.U.N. inspectors have said that Iraq's claims about biological weapons is neither credible nor verifiable. In 1986, Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran, and later, against its own Kurdish population. While weapons inspections have been successful in the past, there have been no inspections since the end of 1998. There can be no doubt that Iraq has continued to pursue its goal of obtaining weapons of mass destruction." -- Patty Murray, October 9, 2002
Those quotes, today, in and of themselves, are unremarkable.
What is remarkable is how American Leftists are reconciling the notion that their own Liberal representatives bought into the faulty WMD intel while claiming that President Bush lied about Iraqi WMDs. They all said the same thing. It was only Bush that lied.
For weeks American Leftists have had a difficult time countering these quotes. But now they have a new mantra: that Bush knew the intel was wrong (or "sexed up"), and that Congressional Democrats were simply fooled by it.
What makes this so contradictory is the image American Leftists have painted upon George W. Bush in their slanted and Florida2000-ired minds; they have maintained all along that Bush is incurious, intellectually superficial, and, well, dumb.
So, the question now is this:
Why is it that:
= the intelligent, inquisitive, and logical minds of the Democratic Congressional gang were fooled by the Iraqi WMD intel, yet:
= the addlebrained and thought-challenged President Bush saw through the intel?
Smart Democrats were fooled, the dumb President saw the truth.
You got that? How?
The Rottweiler is Getting it Done
Are you aware that the Disputed Territories never belonged to the “Palestinians” and only came into Israeli possession as a result of the 1967 six day war in which Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon all massed forces at Israel’s border in order to “push the Jews into the sea”. The Arabs lost and Israel took control of the land.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: Memo From the TrollHunter General
Must See Update: History of the Middle East Conflict
Are you aware that the Disputed Territories never belonged to the “Palestinians” and only came into Israeli possession as a result of the 1967 six day war in which Egypt, Jordan, Syria, and Lebanon all massed forces at Israel’s border in order to “push the Jews into the sea”. The Arabs lost and Israel took control of the land.
The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler: Memo From the TrollHunter General
Must See Update: History of the Middle East Conflict
Where there's a need....
...some American will find a way.
Researcher Working On Medical Patch To Deliver Marijuana-Like Chemicals
...some American will find a way.
Researcher Working On Medical Patch To Deliver Marijuana-Like Chemicals
Sharpton - Shyster?
Dem Wacky Dems
Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton stiffed a Manhattan travel agency out of almost $200,000 after giving them "fraudulent credit-card information," the agency says in a lawsuit.
New York Post Online
Dem Wacky Dems
Democratic presidential candidate Al Sharpton stiffed a Manhattan travel agency out of almost $200,000 after giving them "fraudulent credit-card information," the agency says in a lawsuit.
New York Post Online
OK, one last post
Before I go on vacation. I was watching the news last night, and they were discussing all the reaction to President Bush's visit to the Northwest here. One woman in Portland is wondering if she should go to work or stay home and protect her property from the demonstrators.
That tells you all you need to know about those Bush Haters, doesn't it? When's the last time a group of conservatives held a riot and trashed someone else's property? It hasn't happened? Hmmmmmm....
God, I hate the politics in this place.
That tells you all you need to know about those Bush Haters, doesn't it? When's the last time a group of conservatives held a riot and trashed someone else's property? It hasn't happened? Hmmmmmm....
God, I hate the politics in this place.
Feel Good About Your American Economy...
...if you can. Lots of people are still hurting but many indicators point upwards:
Jobless Claims Fall
Equity futures ticked up slightly after the Labor Department said that initial claims fell to 386,000 in the week ended Aug. 16, down 17,000 from an upwardly revised 403,000 in the prior week and below analysts' forecasts for a total of 395,000 claims.
Yahoo! Finance
Information Technology Outlook Warming
On Aug. 19, Standard & Poor's upgraded its recommendation on the information technology sector to overweight from marketweight. S&P's economic team sees a strengthening U.S. economy over the next 12 months, with improved job figures. S&P also expects gross domestic product growth to accelerate, from an estimated 2.4% in 2003 to 4.1% in 2004, 3.9% in 2005, and 3.1% in 2006. Moreover, the expectation is for equipment investment to rise more than twice as fast as the overall economy in each of those three years. It's worth noting that S&P's annual growth forecast for IT spending -- somewhere between 8.5% and 9.5% -- is about half the rate witnessed in the boom era of the late 1990s.
BusinessWeek Online
The S&P Retail Index
Housing Starts Jump in July
Home builders don't start a house unless they are fairly confident it will sell upon or before its completion. Changes in the rate of housing starts tell us a lot about demand for homes and the outlook for the construction industry. Furthermore, each time a new home is started, construction employment rises, and income will be pumped back into the economy. Once the home is sold, it generates revenues for the home builder and a myriad of consumption opportunities for the buyer. Refrigerators, washers and dryers, furniture, and landscaping are just a few things new home buyers might spend money on, so the economic "ripple effect" can be substantial especially when you think of it in terms of a hundred thousand new households around the country doing this every month.
Econoday
...if you can. Lots of people are still hurting but many indicators point upwards:
Jobless Claims Fall
Equity futures ticked up slightly after the Labor Department said that initial claims fell to 386,000 in the week ended Aug. 16, down 17,000 from an upwardly revised 403,000 in the prior week and below analysts' forecasts for a total of 395,000 claims.
Yahoo! Finance
Information Technology Outlook Warming
On Aug. 19, Standard & Poor's upgraded its recommendation on the information technology sector to overweight from marketweight. S&P's economic team sees a strengthening U.S. economy over the next 12 months, with improved job figures. S&P also expects gross domestic product growth to accelerate, from an estimated 2.4% in 2003 to 4.1% in 2004, 3.9% in 2005, and 3.1% in 2006. Moreover, the expectation is for equipment investment to rise more than twice as fast as the overall economy in each of those three years. It's worth noting that S&P's annual growth forecast for IT spending -- somewhere between 8.5% and 9.5% -- is about half the rate witnessed in the boom era of the late 1990s.
BusinessWeek Online
The S&P Retail Index
Housing Starts Jump in July
Home builders don't start a house unless they are fairly confident it will sell upon or before its completion. Changes in the rate of housing starts tell us a lot about demand for homes and the outlook for the construction industry. Furthermore, each time a new home is started, construction employment rises, and income will be pumped back into the economy. Once the home is sold, it generates revenues for the home builder and a myriad of consumption opportunities for the buyer. Refrigerators, washers and dryers, furniture, and landscaping are just a few things new home buyers might spend money on, so the economic "ripple effect" can be substantial especially when you think of it in terms of a hundred thousand new households around the country doing this every month.
Econoday
VH1's Pop Culture Countdown - Liberal Indoctrination
My wife enjoys the "I love the 80's" and "I love the 70's" series on VH1 and as a result I've seen a few. If you haven't seen either series, here is the formula:
Pick a topic (could be Pac Man, could be a TV personality, TV show, Politician, etc).
Show TV clips and or pictures regarding topic.
Have some fool celebrities give their "thoughts" on the topic.
Move on to next topic.
I tried to forget most of the stuff I saw on "I love the 80's", but I remember the idiot celebs praising a rock star (I think it was "The Boss") for denying Ronald Reagan the use of their song during some event. He was "standing up" to Reagan. What a load!
So tonight I was subjected to listening to "I love the 70's", and the first thing I catch in a discussion of Scooby's Velma "She's so smart." followed by one of the guest celeb morons saying, "She was the Janeane Garofalo of her time." Wait! I thought they said Velma was smart? Next thing is praise for the women's liberation movement. They show a series video clips of burning under garments and marches. In one of the clips the women are carying a large banner that reads "Abortion on Demand".....it might have even said "Free Abortion on Demand". So the guest cool people say that the women's lib movement was "cool" blah blah blah and the images show "Abortion on Demand"......that's cool? Funny how it became "the right to choose"!!!! Color me infuriated!
My wife enjoys the "I love the 80's" and "I love the 70's" series on VH1 and as a result I've seen a few. If you haven't seen either series, here is the formula:
Pick a topic (could be Pac Man, could be a TV personality, TV show, Politician, etc).
Show TV clips and or pictures regarding topic.
Have some fool celebrities give their "thoughts" on the topic.
Move on to next topic.
I tried to forget most of the stuff I saw on "I love the 80's", but I remember the idiot celebs praising a rock star (I think it was "The Boss") for denying Ronald Reagan the use of their song during some event. He was "standing up" to Reagan. What a load!
So tonight I was subjected to listening to "I love the 70's", and the first thing I catch in a discussion of Scooby's Velma "She's so smart." followed by one of the guest celeb morons saying, "She was the Janeane Garofalo of her time." Wait! I thought they said Velma was smart? Next thing is praise for the women's liberation movement. They show a series video clips of burning under garments and marches. In one of the clips the women are carying a large banner that reads "Abortion on Demand".....it might have even said "Free Abortion on Demand". So the guest cool people say that the women's lib movement was "cool" blah blah blah and the images show "Abortion on Demand"......that's cool? Funny how it became "the right to choose"!!!! Color me infuriated!
Wednesday, August 20, 2003
Fewer People Consuming Left Wing "News"
I am sure we were all surprised to learn in the Aug. 11 issue of The New York Times that people are “ burned out on serious news.” How else could the bastion of establishment journalism account for the falloff in network news viewership and, unnoted in the article, the newspaper’s own decreasing circulation?
Yet the evidence is all there. People don’t care anymore. That must be why The Times’ circulation has fallen 5 percent and 1.1 million fewer households are watching network television news compared to last year at this time!
American RealPolitik: Bias-mongers On Rocks As Viewers Taste Straight News
I am sure we were all surprised to learn in the Aug. 11 issue of The New York Times that people are “ burned out on serious news.” How else could the bastion of establishment journalism account for the falloff in network news viewership and, unnoted in the article, the newspaper’s own decreasing circulation?
Yet the evidence is all there. People don’t care anymore. That must be why The Times’ circulation has fallen 5 percent and 1.1 million fewer households are watching network television news compared to last year at this time!
American RealPolitik: Bias-mongers On Rocks As Viewers Taste Straight News
Unbelievable
As a former MP (that's military police, for any British readers) this makes me sick. I honestly cannot believe that parts of America are that messed up.
And people call us paranoid about the gun-grabbers. Uh-uh. It's not paranoia when it actually happens.
(hat tip to The Rottweiler)
Anyways, I'm off once again, for a week this time. I'm visiting my brother in Boston, and I'll be taking the girlfriend who hasn't been farther East than San Antonio. Going to the Red Sox-Mariners game on Friday, and hitting the rest of New England on Monday. Needless to say, I'll be off the computer for a week. I've written a decent sized essay, which may or may not go up before I leave. After reading Bill Whittle, I'm kinda apprehensive. It's like trying to premier a musical piece, and finding out that Bach or Brams bring out their new piece right before you do. Hmph. Ah well, that's life.
Take care, and I'll see you in a week!
And people call us paranoid about the gun-grabbers. Uh-uh. It's not paranoia when it actually happens.
(hat tip to The Rottweiler)
Anyways, I'm off once again, for a week this time. I'm visiting my brother in Boston, and I'll be taking the girlfriend who hasn't been farther East than San Antonio. Going to the Red Sox-Mariners game on Friday, and hitting the rest of New England on Monday. Needless to say, I'll be off the computer for a week. I've written a decent sized essay, which may or may not go up before I leave. After reading Bill Whittle, I'm kinda apprehensive. It's like trying to premier a musical piece, and finding out that Bach or Brams bring out their new piece right before you do. Hmph. Ah well, that's life.
Take care, and I'll see you in a week!
On Dead Jews and Arab Petroluem
There's a furor going on right now over at The Rottweiler. There are some people over there who have taken the suicide bombing in Jerusalem quote personally (to say the very least). My guess is that many are Jewish and several are Israelis.
Many are unhappy with me because a) I object to the notion that President Bush and Secretary Powell have blood on their hands and b) because, pragmatically speaking, for MY country, a dozen or so deaths in the West Bank is wholly preferable to the kind of economic chaos that would result if Israel would let loose and the whole region became embroiled in full scale war.
I must admit, on the first point, that I have absolutely no comprehension whatsoever of how a rational mind concludes that the President and State Department in 2003 are culpable for deaths in a cycle of violence that has been sucking in innocents and spitting out corpses for over fifty years. My guess is that those who are lambasting Bush and Powell for Palestinian wrongdoing are anything but rational, due to their close blood, ethnic, and / or emotional ties to Israel. I understand this.
Even in my most empathetic mood though i fail to grasp how the United States can be at fault for Palestinians attacking Israel. The tenor over at the Rottweiler seems to be that Bush & Powell are holding Israel back. One fellow said "Every time Bush calls Islam a religion of peace, it makes things worse."
Can ANYONE in their right mind REALLY believe that Islamic terrorists are even AWARE of what President Bush says? Does anyone REALLY believe that moderate Muslims, upon hearing President Bush speak, decided to then take up arms against the occupying Jews?
Jeepers.
As for the final point well maybe I have been indelicate in saying so but I believe:
- total war in the Middle East would occur if Israel finally fought back full force, and I believe
- worldwide petroleum markets would melt down if total war enveloped the Middle East, and I believe
- worldwide economic distress would result from petroleum price and supply shocks, and I believe
- the next step could very well be millions of dead worldwide in the resulting economic malaise.
I don't want to see dead Israelis, either. I think Israel has been VERY restrained for the past twenty-five years. I think the Israeli-Muslim conflict ends only when there is a winner (insofar as there can be one after decades of bloodshed).
For now pragmatism tells me it is better to suffer a handful of dead in Israel and the "occupied territories" each week than it is for the worldwide economy to be stricken with oil shortages.
Finally, for the record, I never complained when Liberals said "Iraq is all about the oil". I agree. It is. When they say "No Blood for Oil!", I reply "What better reason is there?"
There's a furor going on right now over at The Rottweiler. There are some people over there who have taken the suicide bombing in Jerusalem quote personally (to say the very least). My guess is that many are Jewish and several are Israelis.
Many are unhappy with me because a) I object to the notion that President Bush and Secretary Powell have blood on their hands and b) because, pragmatically speaking, for MY country, a dozen or so deaths in the West Bank is wholly preferable to the kind of economic chaos that would result if Israel would let loose and the whole region became embroiled in full scale war.
I must admit, on the first point, that I have absolutely no comprehension whatsoever of how a rational mind concludes that the President and State Department in 2003 are culpable for deaths in a cycle of violence that has been sucking in innocents and spitting out corpses for over fifty years. My guess is that those who are lambasting Bush and Powell for Palestinian wrongdoing are anything but rational, due to their close blood, ethnic, and / or emotional ties to Israel. I understand this.
Even in my most empathetic mood though i fail to grasp how the United States can be at fault for Palestinians attacking Israel. The tenor over at the Rottweiler seems to be that Bush & Powell are holding Israel back. One fellow said "Every time Bush calls Islam a religion of peace, it makes things worse."
Can ANYONE in their right mind REALLY believe that Islamic terrorists are even AWARE of what President Bush says? Does anyone REALLY believe that moderate Muslims, upon hearing President Bush speak, decided to then take up arms against the occupying Jews?
Jeepers.
As for the final point well maybe I have been indelicate in saying so but I believe:
- total war in the Middle East would occur if Israel finally fought back full force, and I believe
- worldwide petroleum markets would melt down if total war enveloped the Middle East, and I believe
- worldwide economic distress would result from petroleum price and supply shocks, and I believe
- the next step could very well be millions of dead worldwide in the resulting economic malaise.
I don't want to see dead Israelis, either. I think Israel has been VERY restrained for the past twenty-five years. I think the Israeli-Muslim conflict ends only when there is a winner (insofar as there can be one after decades of bloodshed).
For now pragmatism tells me it is better to suffer a handful of dead in Israel and the "occupied territories" each week than it is for the worldwide economy to be stricken with oil shortages.
Finally, for the record, I never complained when Liberals said "Iraq is all about the oil". I agree. It is. When they say "No Blood for Oil!", I reply "What better reason is there?"
Another Well-Deserved Beating for The New York DNC Times
Unless you flip back to page A9 to the article entitled "The Scene: Amid Blood and Rubble, a Sense of Helplessness." This article is also filled with criticisms, such as the one attributed to "many" Iraqis that the bombing is "another sign of the poor job the occupation forces are doing providing security in a country they now nominally control." But there — tucked away nicely in the eleventh paragraph, without subheading or italics or boldface or sidebar ("too damn bad we don't have footnotes we could drop this into," you can almost hear the editors murmur) — we finally learn the key fact to answer the questions, "How could this have happened and who's to blame?"
To slam Dubya for the bombing of the Baghdad UN headquarters, NYT buries the key fact on page A9, paragraph 11
Unless you flip back to page A9 to the article entitled "The Scene: Amid Blood and Rubble, a Sense of Helplessness." This article is also filled with criticisms, such as the one attributed to "many" Iraqis that the bombing is "another sign of the poor job the occupation forces are doing providing security in a country they now nominally control." But there — tucked away nicely in the eleventh paragraph, without subheading or italics or boldface or sidebar ("too damn bad we don't have footnotes we could drop this into," you can almost hear the editors murmur) — we finally learn the key fact to answer the questions, "How could this have happened and who's to blame?"
To slam Dubya for the bombing of the Baghdad UN headquarters, NYT buries the key fact on page A9, paragraph 11
The War Against Radical Islam
Below appears a picture of Abdel-Hamid Mask, a 29-year-old Muslim cleric from the West Bank city of Hebron. It was taken, apparently, before he blew himself up aboard a Jerusalem bus earlier this week, killing 18 people, including five children.
Is there really any doubt that World War III, featuring Radical Islam on one side and the rest of us on the other, is what we are witnessing?
Below appears a picture of Abdel-Hamid Mask, a 29-year-old Muslim cleric from the West Bank city of Hebron. It was taken, apparently, before he blew himself up aboard a Jerusalem bus earlier this week, killing 18 people, including five children.
Is there really any doubt that World War III, featuring Radical Islam on one side and the rest of us on the other, is what we are witnessing?
On Anti-American Sentiment
According to recent newspaper accounts, anti-American sentiment is on the rise worldwide, even within the United States. While some of this sentiment is related to the war in Iraq and allegations of U.S. imperial ambition, this feeling has deep philosophical and empirical roots.
It is clear, or at least should be clear, that utopians apply a standard to American behavior that is neither realistic nor consistent with national achievements. Rather than apply a standard of "seeing is believing," the utopians rely on "believing is seeing," creating a Potemkin Village of the mind, a vast area of artificial conditions that invariably put the United States in a disadvantageous position and the country of choice, viz. Cuba or the former Soviet Union, in a favorable light.
Imagine There's No United States
According to recent newspaper accounts, anti-American sentiment is on the rise worldwide, even within the United States. While some of this sentiment is related to the war in Iraq and allegations of U.S. imperial ambition, this feeling has deep philosophical and empirical roots.
It is clear, or at least should be clear, that utopians apply a standard to American behavior that is neither realistic nor consistent with national achievements. Rather than apply a standard of "seeing is believing," the utopians rely on "believing is seeing," creating a Potemkin Village of the mind, a vast area of artificial conditions that invariably put the United States in a disadvantageous position and the country of choice, viz. Cuba or the former Soviet Union, in a favorable light.
Imagine There's No United States
Grid Lock
On Thursday, as states in the Northeast reeled from power outages, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe got on the horn to current New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who in a previous life, served as key Clinton apologist and as Energy Secretary.
"They saw this as a political anvil that could be dropped on the Repubicans' head," says a DNC staffer. "With Richardson's background, he could go out there and really highlight the energy crisis created by Republicans."
I suggest, Dear Reader, that you click the following link and peruse on.
TheAmericanProwler Article
On Thursday, as states in the Northeast reeled from power outages, Democratic National Committee chairman Terry McAuliffe got on the horn to current New Mexico Gov. Bill Richardson, who in a previous life, served as key Clinton apologist and as Energy Secretary.
"They saw this as a political anvil that could be dropped on the Repubicans' head," says a DNC staffer. "With Richardson's background, he could go out there and really highlight the energy crisis created by Republicans."
I suggest, Dear Reader, that you click the following link and peruse on.
TheAmericanProwler Article
Calm in a blacked-out New York City
By all rights, yesterday's record-setting blackout that left some 50 million without electricity should have been a Maple Street moment, at least in terms of rioting and shooting, if not necessarily politically motivated hysteria. (Everyone seemed to believe early reports discounting terrorism as a cause of the energy drain.) Instead, it simply became the big story of the coming weekend, crowding out coverage of the capture a senior al Qaeda operative who was apparently recruiting new suicide pilots, news that an Alabama judge may go to jail for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from a courthouse, and a growing recognition that the Fox News Channel now legally owns the expression "fair and balanced."
Indeed, the most interesting blackout-related story is the one that never happened. The sort of pandemonium, hysteria, looting, crime, and chaos that typically greets even minor football victories as well as catastrophic utility failures simply didn't materialize. This was true even in New York City, where such antisocial behavior was once seen as part of the city's very essence. Indeed, the iconic '70s Manhattan-based sitcom The Odd Couple even featured a Boy Scout punching one of the characters, among other signs of defining Big Apple vitriol. The 1981 cult classic Escape from New York was titled that way for a reason—one that no longer makes sense.
Reason: What's the lack of blackout-induced crime tell us about America?
By all rights, yesterday's record-setting blackout that left some 50 million without electricity should have been a Maple Street moment, at least in terms of rioting and shooting, if not necessarily politically motivated hysteria. (Everyone seemed to believe early reports discounting terrorism as a cause of the energy drain.) Instead, it simply became the big story of the coming weekend, crowding out coverage of the capture a senior al Qaeda operative who was apparently recruiting new suicide pilots, news that an Alabama judge may go to jail for refusing to remove a Ten Commandments monument from a courthouse, and a growing recognition that the Fox News Channel now legally owns the expression "fair and balanced."
Indeed, the most interesting blackout-related story is the one that never happened. The sort of pandemonium, hysteria, looting, crime, and chaos that typically greets even minor football victories as well as catastrophic utility failures simply didn't materialize. This was true even in New York City, where such antisocial behavior was once seen as part of the city's very essence. Indeed, the iconic '70s Manhattan-based sitcom The Odd Couple even featured a Boy Scout punching one of the characters, among other signs of defining Big Apple vitriol. The 1981 cult classic Escape from New York was titled that way for a reason—one that no longer makes sense.
Reason: What's the lack of blackout-induced crime tell us about America?
I just can't understand where those silly Conservatives keep getting their wacky ideas about "Liberal media"
Cruz Bustamante is the Lieutenant Governmor of California, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's strongest opposition in the recall race. Michelle Malkin has an excellent column today about Cruz Bustamante's radical racist past. When I say "racist", I'm not talking about the Liberal definition of that word (e.g. not naming hurricanes after black people is "racist"), I'm talking about KKK/skinhead style racist. You see, Bustamante was once a proud member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (or MEChA), a radical Left Wing Hispanic group with a separatist agenda.
Try to imagine the kinds of headlines and criticism that a white candidate would get if he had been a member of White separatist group in college. Especially one that had publicly let the word "nigger" slip out. How many times would he have to denounce and distance himself from that group? Bustamente hasn't even done that. Will he ever have to? Probably not.
I'm sure that the mainstream media will pick up on this story any minute now (as soon as they are done trying to portray Arnold Schwarzenegger as a "racist" for voting "yes" on Proposition 187).
Any minute now....
Cruz Bustamante is the Lieutenant Governmor of California, and Arnold Schwarzenegger's strongest opposition in the recall race. Michelle Malkin has an excellent column today about Cruz Bustamante's radical racist past. When I say "racist", I'm not talking about the Liberal definition of that word (e.g. not naming hurricanes after black people is "racist"), I'm talking about KKK/skinhead style racist. You see, Bustamante was once a proud member of Movimiento Estudiantil Chicano de Aztlan (or MEChA), a radical Left Wing Hispanic group with a separatist agenda.
Try to imagine the kinds of headlines and criticism that a white candidate would get if he had been a member of White separatist group in college. Especially one that had publicly let the word "nigger" slip out. How many times would he have to denounce and distance himself from that group? Bustamente hasn't even done that. Will he ever have to? Probably not.
I'm sure that the mainstream media will pick up on this story any minute now (as soon as they are done trying to portray Arnold Schwarzenegger as a "racist" for voting "yes" on Proposition 187).
Any minute now....
The UN Bombing and the Honey Pot
Everyone here knows I subscribe to the "Honey Pot" theory of our involvement in Iraq - that the Bush Administration is literally DARING radical Islamists from across the globe to show up in Iraq and get killed.
Am I whistling in the dark? Maybe.
Do I place too much faith in the Bush Administration? Maybe.
Is it a honey pot, and is it working? Maybe:
Within our own country, every potential Howard Dean voter will declare that the U.N. headquarters bombing proves, for all time, that our occupation has failed, can never succeed, should never have been tried, and, anyway, that we're all bad people for disturbing poor, innocent dictators. Then they'll trot out the nonsense that, since Iraq has become a magnet for international terrorists, we've failed on that count, too.
On the contrary. We've taken the War Against Terror to our enemies. It's far better to draw the terrorists out of their holes in the Middle East, where we don't have to read them their rights, than to wait for them to show up in Manhattan again.
I don't like when bloggers instruct me to go read something, but I am going to do it to you.
GO READ THIS ===>> The New York Post
Everyone here knows I subscribe to the "Honey Pot" theory of our involvement in Iraq - that the Bush Administration is literally DARING radical Islamists from across the globe to show up in Iraq and get killed.
Am I whistling in the dark? Maybe.
Do I place too much faith in the Bush Administration? Maybe.
Is it a honey pot, and is it working? Maybe:
Within our own country, every potential Howard Dean voter will declare that the U.N. headquarters bombing proves, for all time, that our occupation has failed, can never succeed, should never have been tried, and, anyway, that we're all bad people for disturbing poor, innocent dictators. Then they'll trot out the nonsense that, since Iraq has become a magnet for international terrorists, we've failed on that count, too.
On the contrary. We've taken the War Against Terror to our enemies. It's far better to draw the terrorists out of their holes in the Middle East, where we don't have to read them their rights, than to wait for them to show up in Manhattan again.
I don't like when bloggers instruct me to go read something, but I am going to do it to you.
GO READ THIS ===>> The New York Post
Tuesday, August 19, 2003
The Bus Bombing in Jerusalem...
...had quite a few folks in the blogosphere entirely agitated and throughly incensed. Nowhere is that the case more than at The Rottweiler: Happy Now, Dubya, Or How Many More "Kikes" Have To Be Murdered Before You Abandon Your Terrorist-Felching Ways?
Charming, eh?
I understand the ire, I guess. I reckon if I were Jewish i'd be bloodthirsty in a big way right now (and probably for the last twenty years). But that brings me to my points for writing, which are:
a) anyone who blames a bus bombing in 2003 on a President who took office in 2001 just isn't thinking straight.
b) George W. Bush has no power in Israel except that which Israelis give him. Want Israel to go blast the Islamic hordes? Go ahead! Not prepared to do it? Blame Knesset, not the President of the United States of America.
c) Lastly, oil is the lifeblood of the world economy. The next time Israel blasts the daylights out of someone, and I mean !BLASTS SOMEONE!, like as in war with thousands dead, the entire Middle East is going to sublime. Oil will rocket to $90/barrel, gasoline will cost $5.25/gallon, and forty million Americans will lose their jobs. How's that for an alternative to twenty or so dead Israelis every month or so? I'll take the dead Jews, if the alternative is worldwide Depression.
That's callous, isn't it? Anyway, it's all damage control for American policy where Israel and her enemies are concerned. President Bush took no oath to defend Israel. I do wish we had an energy plan so ten years from now we could stand back and let the Israelis do what they've resisted for twenty years now....
My condolences to all those emotionally struck by today's events. I intend no offense with this post.
...had quite a few folks in the blogosphere entirely agitated and throughly incensed. Nowhere is that the case more than at The Rottweiler: Happy Now, Dubya, Or How Many More "Kikes" Have To Be Murdered Before You Abandon Your Terrorist-Felching Ways?
Charming, eh?
I understand the ire, I guess. I reckon if I were Jewish i'd be bloodthirsty in a big way right now (and probably for the last twenty years). But that brings me to my points for writing, which are:
a) anyone who blames a bus bombing in 2003 on a President who took office in 2001 just isn't thinking straight.
b) George W. Bush has no power in Israel except that which Israelis give him. Want Israel to go blast the Islamic hordes? Go ahead! Not prepared to do it? Blame Knesset, not the President of the United States of America.
c) Lastly, oil is the lifeblood of the world economy. The next time Israel blasts the daylights out of someone, and I mean !BLASTS SOMEONE!, like as in war with thousands dead, the entire Middle East is going to sublime. Oil will rocket to $90/barrel, gasoline will cost $5.25/gallon, and forty million Americans will lose their jobs. How's that for an alternative to twenty or so dead Israelis every month or so? I'll take the dead Jews, if the alternative is worldwide Depression.
That's callous, isn't it? Anyway, it's all damage control for American policy where Israel and her enemies are concerned. President Bush took no oath to defend Israel. I do wish we had an energy plan so ten years from now we could stand back and let the Israelis do what they've resisted for twenty years now....
My condolences to all those emotionally struck by today's events. I intend no offense with this post.
The Odd Files
Uhhhhh, it doesn't get a whole lot odder than this: Teen Dies After Prized Fish Stuck in Throat
Uhhhhh, it doesn't get a whole lot odder than this: Teen Dies After Prized Fish Stuck in Throat
"Bush Good, Saddam Bad!"
A Marine reports from Iraq, where things are far better than the media let on.
Hawken Blog - Political Discussion From Across The Spectrum
A Marine reports from Iraq, where things are far better than the media let on.
Hawken Blog - Political Discussion From Across The Spectrum
More on the Iraqi Honey Pot
Increasing numbers of Saudi Arabian Islamists are crossing the border into Iraq in preparation for a jihad, or holy war, against US and UK forces, security and Islamist sources have warned.
A senior western counter-terrorism official on Monday said the presence of foreign fighters in Iraq was "extremely worrying".
A statement purportedly from al-Qaeda was broadcast on Monday by the Arab satellite television channel al-Arabiya. It claimed the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the leader of the Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime Mullah Mohammed Omar were still alive. But it also asserted that recent attacks on US forces in Iraq were the work of jihadis.
The focus of concern for US counter-terrorist officials was at first on a reconstituted Ansar al-Islam, the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group based in northern Iraq before the war. But US officials have recently acknowledged the presence of other foreign fighters in Iraq.
Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, said recent raids, including one near al-Qaim last month, uncovered fighters "carrying travel documents from a variety of countries".
Saudis in Iraq 'preparing for a holy war'
Seen on Instapundit
Increasing numbers of Saudi Arabian Islamists are crossing the border into Iraq in preparation for a jihad, or holy war, against US and UK forces, security and Islamist sources have warned.
A senior western counter-terrorism official on Monday said the presence of foreign fighters in Iraq was "extremely worrying".
A statement purportedly from al-Qaeda was broadcast on Monday by the Arab satellite television channel al-Arabiya. It claimed the al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden and the leader of the Afghanistan's ousted Taliban regime Mullah Mohammed Omar were still alive. But it also asserted that recent attacks on US forces in Iraq were the work of jihadis.
The focus of concern for US counter-terrorist officials was at first on a reconstituted Ansar al-Islam, the al-Qaeda-linked terrorist group based in northern Iraq before the war. But US officials have recently acknowledged the presence of other foreign fighters in Iraq.
Paul Bremer, the US administrator in Iraq, said recent raids, including one near al-Qaim last month, uncovered fighters "carrying travel documents from a variety of countries".
Saudis in Iraq 'preparing for a holy war'
Seen on Instapundit
As an add-on
To Tim's post about the camera man who died, Puggs from Random Nuclear Strikes has a great discription of what it's like to be in a tank when you see a man pointing something at you. It has a visual aid as well. Go check it out.
But wait, there's more! Found over at Right We Are, a story full of horror, irony, hipocrisy, and stench. Yes my friends, it is about the French. I don't know whether to laugh or puke.
But wait, there's more! Found over at Right We Are, a story full of horror, irony, hipocrisy, and stench. Yes my friends, it is about the French. I don't know whether to laugh or puke.
Monday, August 18, 2003
Good for a Chuckle
An old man approached the White House from the park across Pennsylvania Ave. where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U. S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton."
The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president and no longer resides here."
The old man said, "Okay" and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton."
The Marine again told the man, "Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president and no longer resides here."
The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.
The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton"
The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Clinton. I've told you already that Mr. Clinton is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?"
The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it."
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted and said, "See you tomorrow".
An old man approached the White House from the park across Pennsylvania Ave. where he'd been sitting on a park bench. He spoke to the U. S. Marine standing guard and said, "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton."
The Marine looked at the man and said, "Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president and no longer resides here."
The old man said, "Okay" and walked away.
The following day, the same man approached the White House and said to the same Marine, "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton."
The Marine again told the man, "Sir, Mr. Clinton is no longer president and no longer resides here."
The man thanked him and, again, just walked away.
The third day, the same man approached the White House and spoke to the very same U.S. Marine, saying "I would like to go in and meet with President Clinton"
The Marine, understandably agitated at this point, looked at the man and said, "Sir, this is the third day in a row you have been here asking to speak to Mr. Clinton. I've told you already that Mr. Clinton is no longer the president and no longer resides here. Don't you understand?"
The old man looked at the Marine and said, "Oh, I understand. I just love hearing it."
The Marine snapped to attention, saluted and said, "See you tomorrow".
Thankfully, these folks are not charged with the responsibility of protecting America.
Yahoo! News - Amnesty Int'l Opposes Military Tribunals
Yahoo! News - Amnesty Int'l Opposes Military Tribunals
Regarding a Dead Journalist
Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana was shot dead by a US tank in Bahgdad this Sunday. Reuters paints the picture as follows:
Several international media consortiums and (Dana was Palestinian) the "Palestinian street" are not so sure. They want a full investigation into the incident. I imagine the levelheaded among them just want to know what happened, the Leftist among them imagine some hyped-up GI getting his jollies by shooting someone, and the rabid among them imagine President Bush himself ordering all Arab-looking people shot ASAP.
Below appear a few pictures. Look at them, then ask yourself if the Pentagon's version of what happened makes sense - if maybe the guys in the tank thought they were about to be fired upon with a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher or RPG.
Soldier with a Soviet-made RPG-22
The RPO-A, it should be noted, is akin to a flamethrower. I doubt whomever is fighting the US in Iraq has them. It was, however, the only picture I could find of someone holding a shoulder-mounted weapon in the same stance and angle as Dana in his picture.
So - you're in a tank. Every other day, some soldier gets killed or wounded by an RPG or other shoulder-fired rocket attack. You're looking for bad guys, and you see a man with a device on his shoulder peeking around a corner. The device has a round aperture in the front and it is pointed at you.
What do you do?
Reuters cameraman Mazen Dana was shot dead by a US tank in Bahgdad this Sunday. Reuters paints the picture as follows:
U.S. troops shot dead an award-winning Reuters cameraman while he was filming on Sunday near a U.S.-run prison on the outskirts of Baghdad.
Eyewitnesses said soldiers on an American tank shot at Mazen Dana, 43, as he filmed outside Abu Ghraib prison in western Baghdad which had earlier come under a mortar attack.
Dana's last pictures show a U.S. tank driving toward him outside the prison walls. Several shots ring out from the tank, and Dana's camera falls to the ground.
The U.S. military acknowledged on Sunday that its troops had "engaged" a Reuters cameraman, saying they had thought his camera was a rocket propelled grenade launcher.
Several international media consortiums and (Dana was Palestinian) the "Palestinian street" are not so sure. They want a full investigation into the incident. I imagine the levelheaded among them just want to know what happened, the Leftist among them imagine some hyped-up GI getting his jollies by shooting someone, and the rabid among them imagine President Bush himself ordering all Arab-looking people shot ASAP.
Below appear a few pictures. Look at them, then ask yourself if the Pentagon's version of what happened makes sense - if maybe the guys in the tank thought they were about to be fired upon with a shoulder-mounted rocket launcher or RPG.
 Dana with his camera |
 Soldier with an Eastern bloc RPO-A |
Soldier with a Soviet-made RPG-22
The RPO-A, it should be noted, is akin to a flamethrower. I doubt whomever is fighting the US in Iraq has them. It was, however, the only picture I could find of someone holding a shoulder-mounted weapon in the same stance and angle as Dana in his picture.
So - you're in a tank. Every other day, some soldier gets killed or wounded by an RPG or other shoulder-fired rocket attack. You're looking for bad guys, and you see a man with a device on his shoulder peeking around a corner. The device has a round aperture in the front and it is pointed at you.
What do you do?
Hmmmm..
Just because I haven't gotten to the news today:
I'm a protector!
Protector
The ULTIMATE personality test
brought to you by Quizilla
I might be able to post a pic of my bike later, just because I can.
I'm a protector!
Protector
The ULTIMATE personality test
brought to you by Quizilla
I might be able to post a pic of my bike later, just because I can.
"PRO NRA"
In August 2002, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles refused to give Hector Sanchez the personalized license plate that he chose -- "PRO NRA."
The Volokh Conspiracy
In August 2002, the New York State Department of Motor Vehicles refused to give Hector Sanchez the personalized license plate that he chose -- "PRO NRA."
The Volokh Conspiracy
Is there a Madden curse?
Mike Vick was elated to be on the cover of the football video game Madden NFL 2004 (the titles correspond to the calendar year of each season's Super Bowl). But it's becoming an honor few may want in coming seasons.
Since Electronic Arts began putting NFL players on the cover, all four cover subjects have either had injuries or suffered a decline in performance.
ajc.com
Mike Vick was elated to be on the cover of the football video game Madden NFL 2004 (the titles correspond to the calendar year of each season's Super Bowl). But it's becoming an honor few may want in coming seasons.
Since Electronic Arts began putting NFL players on the cover, all four cover subjects have either had injuries or suffered a decline in performance.
ajc.com
Aaron On Power
Ummm... am I missing something, or is going one day a week without electricity giving me a different perspective (I'm Sabbath observant)? Now Hillary wants us to spend bazillions in order to prevent the possibility of MAYBE going 30 hours without electricity once in every 35 years? Doesn't that seem to be a bit of overkill to ensure that watching reruns of Seinfeld doesn't get interrupted?
Aaron's Rantblog, a.k.a. Aaron the Liberal Slayer.
Ummm... am I missing something, or is going one day a week without electricity giving me a different perspective (I'm Sabbath observant)? Now Hillary wants us to spend bazillions in order to prevent the possibility of MAYBE going 30 hours without electricity once in every 35 years? Doesn't that seem to be a bit of overkill to ensure that watching reruns of Seinfeld doesn't get interrupted?
Aaron's Rantblog, a.k.a. Aaron the Liberal Slayer.
How the Media Overstates the State of Affairs in Iraq
The premise of the story is that this year's date palm harvest will be a third the size of the normal harvest. He cites three reasons, all the fault of the U.S.-led invasion: not enough electricity to run irrigation pumps, less than adequate manual pollination, and the fact that the government did not spray pesticides. The numbers he uses are highly suspect, he provides no scientific basis for the alleged causes, and he provides only one relevant named source.
Instapundit.com:
The premise of the story is that this year's date palm harvest will be a third the size of the normal harvest. He cites three reasons, all the fault of the U.S.-led invasion: not enough electricity to run irrigation pumps, less than adequate manual pollination, and the fact that the government did not spray pesticides. The numbers he uses are highly suspect, he provides no scientific basis for the alleged causes, and he provides only one relevant named source.
Instapundit.com:
"Bush Aids the Taliban!"
Remember when Liberals were prancing about claiming that the Bush Administration sent over $40,000,000 to the Taliban?
Well shiver me timbers: it was all a lie.
Remember when Liberals were prancing about claiming that the Bush Administration sent over $40,000,000 to the Taliban?
Well shiver me timbers: it was all a lie.
News from Iraq
NDI’s experience of Baghdad bears little resemblance to the Baghdad of news reports.
One Hand Clapping
NDI’s experience of Baghdad bears little resemblance to the Baghdad of news reports.
One Hand Clapping
Sunday, August 17, 2003
Coulter's Got 'Em in a Headlock!
In June 2002, the liberal American Prospect magazine was hailing California as a "laboratory" for Democratic policies. With "its Democratic governor, U.S. senators, state legislature and congressional delegation," author Harold Meyerson gushed, "California is the only one of the nation's 10 largest states that is uniformly under Democratic control." In the Golden State, Meyerson said, "the next New Deal is in tryouts." (Can't you just feel the tension building?)
THE DEMOCRATS' LABORATORY: THE HOST ORGANISM DIES
In June 2002, the liberal American Prospect magazine was hailing California as a "laboratory" for Democratic policies. With "its Democratic governor, U.S. senators, state legislature and congressional delegation," author Harold Meyerson gushed, "California is the only one of the nation's 10 largest states that is uniformly under Democratic control." In the Golden State, Meyerson said, "the next New Deal is in tryouts." (Can't you just feel the tension building?)
THE DEMOCRATS' LABORATORY: THE HOST ORGANISM DIES
Did you know....
That there was such a thing as Bo Derek trading cards? Here's a sample:
Click here to see more: retroCRUSH
That there was such a thing as Bo Derek trading cards? Here's a sample:
Click here to see more: retroCRUSH
Tim's Miscellaneous Notes
If Women Ruled the World
How Grids Work
Why it takes so long to refire the grid
*** MY friend, in the power industry, suspects that in some cases utilities use the down time to make effect repairs or preventive maintenance, repairs that would cost them ten of millions if they had to electively power their equipment down.
And lastly, Americans just aren't going to Europe anymore. Next step: a Buy American Christmas. More on that later....
If Women Ruled the World
How Grids Work
Why it takes so long to refire the grid
*** MY friend, in the power industry, suspects that in some cases utilities use the down time to make effect repairs or preventive maintenance, repairs that would cost them ten of millions if they had to electively power their equipment down.
And lastly, Americans just aren't going to Europe anymore. Next step: a Buy American Christmas. More on that later....
Just a few days
Until I board a plane for Boston. I got back from the motorcycle trip yesterday, and it was a big reminder of why I love this part of the country.
We loaded up my little bike (Honda Shadow 600) and headed East. Now, I take up two-thirds of my bike's weight limit. My girlfriend caps it off. Add in 50 pounds of gear and a steep mountain pass, and you've got one dogged down bike. But we made it without a hitch. As much as I hate the politics (and quite a few of the people) in Puget Sound, the rest of the country is just breathtaking. Riding through the farmland and up mountain passes is the way traveling should be done. I was born with a wanderlust, and this trip brought it back in a big way. I shot two rolls of film, but haven't gotten them developed yet.
(side note: All you people with fancy digital cameras who take pictures and post them while on vacation, and expect me to do the same; bite me. Or buy me a digital camera)
I wish I could describe this trip, but I don't know if I have the words. There's one part of Highway 2, where you drive down a hill and through a cut, and into.... nothing. The road drops down, but for a moment you're staring at a solid cliff wall half a mile away, and it looks like you're about to go sailing into the great blue yonder. A strait canyon, half a mile wide, with cliff walls hundreds of feet high on both sides, and you're on a road right in the middle. The mountain passes were shredding clouds as we rode by, and coming off of the pass is like falling into a sea of green. You could smell the pine trees along the Wenatchee River. Coming West out of Spokane is like going through a doorway and into miles and miles of rolling farmland, tans and browns as far as you can see, with a black ribbon of road and the occasional farmhouse as the only interuptions. Words just can't do it justice, you have to see it and do it.
And if it's on a motorcycle, so much the better.
However, on to some news you can use. Courtesy of Random Nuclear Strikes, we have yet more proof that weapons, even big ones, can be dismantled and moved. I hear the gasps of disbelief on the Left, but it's true! And guess what, you numbskulled nitwits, when you give someone over a year to prepare and hide their stash, chances are you're not going to find it without some serious digging!
And for those of you who read that article and say that we shouldn't worry about North Korea yet, please stop stealing my oxygen.
And while I was perusing The Mrs., (as in du Toit) I found an article that made my blood boil. Congress, it seems, wants to restrict Special Forces Operations.
"Congress is set to impose new restrictions on the use of Special Operations Forces that for the first time will require a presidential order before deploying commandos in routine but hidden activities."
I. Am. Speechless.
"The restrictions were added to the report by members of the Senate Intelligence Committee after consultations with Stephen Cambone, the defense undersecretary for intelligence, according to current and former U.S. officials and documents obtained by The Washington Times."
I want to find those "members of the Senate Intelligence Committee" and beat them to death with their own arms, having ripped them said idiots off seconds prior! The idiocy contained herein is overwhelming! Did these worthless nutbutters actually think they were doing anything good?
"Gee Bob, how can we help our boys fight terrorists?"
"Well Chuck, hows about add one more level to their chain of command, screw with their authorization process, and demand that we be allowed to OK their plans, all while making it public!"
"Wow Bob, that sounds great!"
I think it's time the congress critters are reminded where their power comes from. I don't care who wrote this piece of crap, it needs to be removed. And the congress critter who wrote it needs to go. Republican, Donk, I don't care, the monumental stupidity of anyone who would risk our SF boys is too dangerous to be allowed to mess with the military. When time is of the essence, when lives are at risk, when the mission NEEDS to be accomplished, the last thing the SF needs is some ass-breathed shitsmear congresscritter poking their nose in, or demanding consessions before they allow the mission to proceed.
I need more coffee...... with lots of whiskey. Yeah, that's the ticket.
We loaded up my little bike (Honda Shadow 600) and headed East. Now, I take up two-thirds of my bike's weight limit. My girlfriend caps it off. Add in 50 pounds of gear and a steep mountain pass, and you've got one dogged down bike. But we made it without a hitch. As much as I hate the politics (and quite a few of the people) in Puget Sound, the rest of the country is just breathtaking. Riding through the farmland and up mountain passes is the way traveling should be done. I was born with a wanderlust, and this trip brought it back in a big way. I shot two rolls of film, but haven't gotten them developed yet.
(side note: All you people with fancy digital cameras who take pictures and post them while on vacation, and expect me to do the same; bite me. Or buy me a digital camera)
I wish I could describe this trip, but I don't know if I have the words. There's one part of Highway 2, where you drive down a hill and through a cut, and into.... nothing. The road drops down, but for a moment you're staring at a solid cliff wall half a mile away, and it looks like you're about to go sailing into the great blue yonder. A strait canyon, half a mile wide, with cliff walls hundreds of feet high on both sides, and you're on a road right in the middle. The mountain passes were shredding clouds as we rode by, and coming off of the pass is like falling into a sea of green. You could smell the pine trees along the Wenatchee River. Coming West out of Spokane is like going through a doorway and into miles and miles of rolling farmland, tans and browns as far as you can see, with a black ribbon of road and the occasional farmhouse as the only interuptions. Words just can't do it justice, you have to see it and do it.
And if it's on a motorcycle, so much the better.
However, on to some news you can use. Courtesy of Random Nuclear Strikes, we have yet more proof that weapons, even big ones, can be dismantled and moved. I hear the gasps of disbelief on the Left, but it's true! And guess what, you numbskulled nitwits, when you give someone over a year to prepare and hide their stash, chances are you're not going to find it without some serious digging!
And for those of you who read that article and say that we shouldn't worry about North Korea yet, please stop stealing my oxygen.
And while I was perusing The Mrs., (as in du Toit) I found an article that made my blood boil. Congress, it seems, wants to restrict Special Forces Operations.
"Congress is set to impose new restrictions on the use of Special Operations Forces that for the first time will require a presidential order before deploying commandos in routine but hidden activities."
I. Am. Speechless.
"The restrictions were added to the report by members of the Senate Intelligence Committee after consultations with Stephen Cambone, the defense undersecretary for intelligence, according to current and former U.S. officials and documents obtained by The Washington Times."
I want to find those "members of the Senate Intelligence Committee" and beat them to death with their own arms, having ripped them said idiots off seconds prior! The idiocy contained herein is overwhelming! Did these worthless nutbutters actually think they were doing anything good?
"Gee Bob, how can we help our boys fight terrorists?"
"Well Chuck, hows about add one more level to their chain of command, screw with their authorization process, and demand that we be allowed to OK their plans, all while making it public!"
"Wow Bob, that sounds great!"
I think it's time the congress critters are reminded where their power comes from. I don't care who wrote this piece of crap, it needs to be removed. And the congress critter who wrote it needs to go. Republican, Donk, I don't care, the monumental stupidity of anyone who would risk our SF boys is too dangerous to be allowed to mess with the military. When time is of the essence, when lives are at risk, when the mission NEEDS to be accomplished, the last thing the SF needs is some ass-breathed shitsmear congresscritter poking their nose in, or demanding consessions before they allow the mission to proceed.
I need more coffee...... with lots of whiskey. Yeah, that's the ticket.