MoonBat Alert: Look for Cindy Sheehan at the SOTU Address!

What a damn disgrace! Just look at this woman cuddling up to an enemy of the United States and freedom. Does she have a clue about the nature of the Chavez regime? Wonder when we will see her and Harry Belafonte having tea with Fidel and Zargawi??

Ooops.... seems like she made it in handcuffs. Arrested it seems before the President even began to speak. Dolt! Where did this women learn how to protest? Could not have been back in the sixties!

Gateway Pundit: Look for Cindy Sheehan at the SOTU Address!
Cindy Sheehan may be in the audience tonight at the SOTU Address. Democrat Representative Lynn Woolsey gave Cindy her pass:

Cindy Sheehan said she will be part of the live audience during the president's State of the Union speech to congress Tuesday.

Bay Area Congresswoman Lynn Woosley gave anti-war activist a gallery pass late Tuesday, just hours before the planned State of the Union speech. Sheehan was in Washington to protest the president during his national address, but then came word she was invited to see the speech live.

A spokesman for Sheehan says she decided to accept the invitation two hours prior to the speech. The spokesman also said that Sheehan will be respectful and listen to the address because she is a guest of a member of congress.

Last night Cindy spoke at an area coffee house in Washington after returning from Venezuela. Cindy left the audience with this... More... [HT: Gateway Pundit and Drudge]

Having an Image Problem?

Alito Confirmed, Kennedy Institutionalized

The undignified tyrate from Ted Kennedy and John Kerry yesterday accomplished nothing to generate a filibuster nor block the confirmation of Judge Alito to serve as a justice on the Supreme Court replacing Sandra Day-O'Connor. The Senate passed the confirmation this morning shortly after 11AM as expected which also included votes from a number of Democrats. Only one Republican voted against the confirmation. Sen. Kennedy (D-MA) especially out did himself throwing a wild, almost crazed, rant on Monday which riveled that of How-weird Dean during the Democratic Primary. At one point we thought he was going to have a stroke with his face redder than one might have expected from over indulgence at a wild party on Martha's Vinyard! We wonder if his driving was impaired at all from any micro-strokes which he might have received during his Senate floor shouting spree which was brought to a close by a succesful cloture vote on Monday at 4:30PM. Hopefully he was driving alone Monday evening and he was able to say nice things to the men with the white coats who were waiting for him in his driveway. Republicans... you gotta love this guy :)
[ Satire ]

Denmark Cartoons Infuriates Islam

Michelle Malkin: SUPPORT DENMARK: WHY THE FORBIDDEN CARTOONS MATTER: "Last October, I blogged about a Danish newspaper, Jyllands-Posten, and its cartoonists being threatened by Muslim extremists for publishing cartoons about the prophet Muhammad deemed offensive by Islamist p.c. bulllies. See here and here.

For the past four months, The Brussels Journal has relentlessly covered the ensuing uproar from the Muslim world and the battle over the newspaper's freedom to publish provocative speech." More...

A Danish newspaper has issued a statement which acknowledges that the illustrations they published may have offended some Muslims, but they fell short of an apologie. Personlly we do not condone the mocking of ANY religous figure, even though it is hard to see what is offensive in the graphics posted. We do however condone the capture and unilateral execution of Islamic fanatics that set out to kill non-muslims in the name of their religious beliefs.

Iran to be sent to Security Council

(LONDON) "Mr Straw spoke after a meeting of the five permanent council members in London. The referral is expected at a UN nuclear board meeting on Thursday.

Talks with Iran earlier in the day failed to produce a breakthrough.

President George W Bush earlier said the US and its allies would remain united in their dealings with Iran.

The permanent five - the UK, US, France, China and Russia - plus Germany, met in London on Monday night to co-ordinate their position ahead of an emergency board meeting of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) on Thursday." More...

More time for the talking heads in the U.N. It appears that China and Russia agreed on the referal but don't expect any heavy duty sanctions to be imposed with the support of these two. We just can't wait to hear what lunatic President of Iran will have to say about this decision. That is if he can pull himself away from the Holocust Convention he is sponsoring.

Sheehan, Chavez Give Dem Response to Bush Speech

— Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who parlayed the death of her soldier son into a successful public speaking and writing career, will join Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Tuesday night to deliver the Democrat response to President George Bush’s State of the Union address.

“Our choice of Cindy and Hugo demonstrates our commitment to diversity, and personifies our platform for the future,” said Howard Dean, chairman of the Democrat National Committee (DNC). “Plus, they’re among the few well-known progressives who didn’t vote to support the war in Iraq while publicly attacking the Bush administration for its policy toward Iraq.”

Mr. Chavez, whose generous contribution of cheap oil prevented the freezing deaths of thousands of residents of the impoverished commonwealth of Massachusetts, said his rebuttal of the Bush speech will constitute “a major counter-terrorism offensive.”

Mrs. Sheehan, a potential candidate for Dianne Feinstein’s Senate seat, said, “I’ve never given a speech for a national television audience, so I’m going to spend the next 24 hours organizing my thought, and turning that thought into a good rhyming chant.”

Mr. Dean said the DNC has given Mrs. Sheehan a small stipend for her efforts that should cover the cost of laundering her t-shirt." -- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

Run Cindy Run.... I wholeheartedly endorse the Cindy Sheehan for Senate campaign.

"Conservative bloggers are standing enthusiastically with moonbats in support of Cindy's potential challenge to Sen. Dianne Feinstein. -- HT: Michelle Malkin"

Ancient Hebrew Code Uncovered

(TEL AVIV) Written accross the wall of a cave in Mt. Hebron were the following symbols...



It was considered a unique find and the writings were said to be at least three thousand years old!



The piece of stone was removed, brought to the museum, and archaeologists from around the world came to study the ancient symbols. They held a huge meeting after months of conferences to discuss the meaning of the markings.



The President of the society pointed to first drawing and said: "This is a woman. We can see these people held women in high esteem. You can also tell they were intelligent, as the next symbol is a donkey, so they were smart enough to have animals help them till the soil. The next drawing is a shovel, which means they had tools to help them."



Even further proof of their high intelligence is the fish which means that if a famine hit the earth and food didn't grow, they seek food from the sea. The last symbol appears to be the Star of David which means they were evidently Hebrews.



The audience applauded enthusiastically.



Then a little old Jewish man stood up in the back of the room and said, "Idiots, Hebrew is read from right to left......
It says: 'Holy Mackerel, Dig The Ass On That Chick

[HatTip: Meggit33]

Fatah Denies Hamas Right to Exist, Builds Fence

[Satire] Pointing out the civil unrest between Hamas and Fatah in that budding new democracy in the land of sun, fun and adventure. Palestine.

(PALESTINE) The late Yassir Arafat’s Palestinian Fatah movement today declared that the Hamas party has no right to exist, and announced plans to build a security fence between its people and predominantly-Hamas neighborhoods.

The move follows a day of gun battles sparked by a landslide Hamas victory in parliamentary elections.

The vote precipitously shifted the balance of power in the Palestinian territory from Fatah, a corrupt terrorist party, to Hamas, a terrorist party which has not yet had an opportunity to develop a reputation for corruption by governing.

An Hamas spokesman immediately announced that Fatah should be “wiped off the map” or at least relocated to Europe.

Meanwhile, former U.S. Presidents Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton, each of whom solved the Middle East crisis during his presidency, have rushed to the region in an attempt to “patch up this Bush administration foreign policy failure” with negotiations aimed at restoring peace by “getting Fatah to give Hamas a bunch of land or something.”" -- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace [Satire]

Civil War Possible in Palestine

With the overwhelming election of Hamas this past week, Fatah military officers are beginning to fear for their jobs. This is the stuff that civil wars are made out of. The struggle for unified control of miltiary and non military armed forces within Palestine have a very good chance of errupting in a full scale coup of violence, assasinations, and civil war in this country. Peace keeping forces may be necessary in the not so distant future and we suspect the U.N, Security Council will be tested again if full scale civil war breaks out.

Fatah Activists Demand Change in Party: (RAMALLAH) West Bank -
Fatah activists marched to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas' compound, police briefly stormed the parliament building in Gaza and security forces clashed with Hamas gunmen on Saturday as the long-ruling party lashed out in anger for its devastating election loss.

Fears over the future of the security forces under a Hamas-led government added to the chaos.

Most of the 58,000 security officers are allied with Fatah and worry that they will lose their jobs. The Islamic militant group, which won a majority in Wednesday's parliamentary vote, has its own armed force of about 5,000 gunmen in the
Gaza Strip.

'The security forces will stay. Hamas has no power meddling with the security forces,' Jibril Rajoub, Abbas' national security adviser, told the hundreds of Fatah activists at Abbas' compound.

The group, which included gunmen, marched to the compound in Ramallah and peacefully prayed at
Yasser Arafat's grave. 'We came to you Abu Amar to forgive us for what happened,' they chanting, referring to the late Palestinian leader by his nickname. More...

Sore losers are beginning their revolt. The Palestinian people continue on their 50 year journey of suicidal behavior blowing EVERY opportunity for peace and their own stable internationally recognized state. The world must see clearly by now that the only agenda is the destriction of Israel and themselves in the process. Sanctions will not work, unless we are ready to go to war with Iran and Syria and risk polarizing the moderate Arab states. Israel will not sit by quitely with Sharon gone and Netenyahu waiting in the wings to regain control. Then, given the first action from Hamas on Israeli soil, and with the world recognizing Palestine as a NEW NATION, such an action will be concidered not a terrorist act but an Act of War and as such will justify whatever action Israel will deem appropriate to protect it's citizens from it's unstable neighbor. Just a prediction....

Filibuster Part of Secret Kerry Plan for 2008

Comically astute analysis from Scott Ott... Check this out...

Filibuster Part of Secret Kerry Plan for 2008
by Scott Ott

(2006-01-27) — A spokesman for Sen. John Kerry’s government-in-exile in Switzerland today said that the Massachusetts Democrat’s threatened filibuster of Judge Samuel Alito’s Supreme Court confirmation is part of Sen. Kerry’s secret plan to position himself as “the party’s strong second choice in 2008.”

While Democrats wondered, and Republicans jeered, at the apparently futile filibuster effort, the senator’s spokesman said “no one should underestimate Sen. Kerry. It would be very difficult to do so.”

The unnamed spokesman said that the man who lost his 2004 presidential bid by a mere 3.5 million votes has a detailed plan that will bring him within several hundred delegates of capturing the next Democrat presidential nomination. Staging a failed filibuster attempt, the source said, “is just one shrewd tactic in a brilliantly-conceived strategy by a man who knows something about strategy and tactics from his days as a Navy swift boat commander in Vietnam.”

Sen. Edward M. Kennedy, D-MA, who joined the filibuster effort, is reportedly on Sen. Kerry’s short list of potential running mates.

“Ted Kennedy has what it takes to jump in, should anything happen to Kerry, and to rapidly assume his duties as Hillary Clinton’s understudy,” the source said, “Both men are ready to take the lead if Mrs. Clinton gets struck by a meteorite, contracts the ebola virus, decides not to run in 2008 or in any of the other equally-likely scenarios.”" --- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace (Satire)

Any thoughts you'all ???

Middle East Peace Process

Pick Your Poison

Keeping the Country Safe

Key Democratic leadsership committments and comments on keeping America safe... circa (2001) What a change in political rhetoric in a short five years... where is the fiery committment and politcal unity to protect us now??
American politics sucks!

Senator Ted Kennedy pledged his support to the President, Congress and the families of the victims on September 12, 2001:

I commend President Bush for his strong statement last evening about finding and punishing the perpetrators of this atrocity. Those who murder American citizens must have no safe hiding place, and those who shelter terrorists must be punished as well. America will do everything possible to apprehend the perpetrators and to identify and punish those who give them aid and comfort.

Like December 7, 1941, September 11, 2001 will be remembered as a day that will live in infamy. Just as the Pearl Harbor attack galvanized the American people in their resolve to prevail in the war against fascism and tyranny, I am confident that yesterday’s attack on the American people will galvanize our citizens and strengthen our spirit to prevail in the ongoing war against global terrorism.

It is tragic that these criminals were able to succeed in carrying out the most brutal terrorist attack in history on American soil. I pledge to work with the President, the Congress, and the families of the victims to seek answers to the many questions that exist, and to do all we can to strengthen the security of our people and to prevent such atrocities in the future.

Harry Reid reiterated that he stands with a united Congress on September 12, 2001:

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO REITERATE THE FACT THAT WE IN CONGRESS STAND UNITED IN OUR RESOLVE TO ENSURE THAT PRESIDENT BUSH HAS EVERY NECESSARY RESOURCE AS HE LEADS OUR GREAT NATION FORWARD IN THE COMING DAYS, WEEKS, AND MONTHS.

I AM VERY CONFIDENT THAT EVERY MEMBER OF THE UNITED STATES SENATE VIEWS THIS AS AN AMERICAN ISSUE. NO PARTY AFFILIATION, NO PARTISANSHIP, NO ATTEMPT TO GAIN POLITICAL ADVANTAGE, NOTHING WILL ERODE OUR SOLIDARITY OR UNDERMINE OUR UNITED RESOLVE AS WE RESPOND TO PROTECT OUR COUNTRY AND OUR PEOPLE.

Former Minority Leader, Tom Daschle wanted to help the President on September 13, 2001:

We want to help with the President's strong and concerted effort to deal with the array of issues that he must, in intelligence gathering working as we are with the military to find the perpetrators and to deal with that as well.

Senator Russ Feingold gives the president authority for immediate action on September 14, 2001:

The War Powers Resolution of 1973 explicitly recognizes the President's authority to take immediate action as Commander in Chief of the United States Armed Forces to respond to this unprovoked attack on the United States. As such, there is no reason to suggest that the action we take here today is required in advance of any immediate military response by the President. In the interest of demonstrating our national resolve to act firmly and decisively, however, and as a demonstration of our commitment to working in close cooperation with our Commander in Chief to respond to this aggression, we act today to authorize the use of force, as required by the War Powers Resolution.

I commend the President and his administration for seeking the resolution before us today, for working with the Congress, and for recognizing the requirement under the Constitution and the law for joint authorization.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Joseph Biden stood united with the people to support the president on September 12, 2001:

No matter what we do, if we fail to lead the world in a multilateral unity of absolute resolve, I say to you, sadly, that this could happen again. But I am convinced it will not...

...They (the people) stand united in support of the President of the United States, as do all of us here in the Senate. Much will be said today and in the days ahead about the appropriate responses to these heinous acts. But for now let me just say this. This is not a struggle over ideology. This is not a struggle over
religion. This is a struggle between civilization and barbarity.

Former President Bill Clinton committed to do whatever he could to be supportive:

"I thought the president made a fine address to the country," said Clinton to a group of reporters. "We must demonstrate our unity. The government is working hard to find out exactly what the facts are. A lot of innocent people were killed by an evil force. We will stand together."

The former president also stood firm with the current administration. "I, for one, will do whatever I can to be supportive," he said.

Former Democratic Presidential Candidate, John Kerry said we needed to respond on September 11, 2001:

We have always known this could happen. We've warned about it. We've talked about it. I regret to say, as -- I served on the Intelligence Committee up until last year. I can remember after the bombings of the embassies, after TWA 800, we went through this flurry of activity, talking about it, but not really doing hard work of responding.

We need to do that now and I'm confident that the size of this, the nature of this loss and the nature of this attack are going to motivate everybody to come together to do that. And I think that's imperative. And we also, I think, Larry -- I was heartened by the president's comments tonight. We need to make certain that those countries that sponsor terrorism, that support it, that harbor these fugitive are as much a part of the problem as those who engage in the terrorist acts themselves. And we need to make certain as a country we respond to that.

Senator Jay Rockefeller stood by the president on September 12, 2001:

In this dark hour we all stand with President Bush and the military and intelligence leadership of this nation in the search for the propagators of this great evil, and for an appropriate and strong response.

America must respond to this crime -- this act of war -- rapidly and decisively, with an intensity and determination that reflect the outrage every American and I feel. A response whose violence and magnitude makes it clear to every terrorist that their lives are in danger, and makes it clear to every nation that the cost of supporting terrorism is too high to bear. We will not hesitate to put the strongest military on earth to use as it was intended: to protect the lives, safety and property of American citizens, everywhere in the world.

Representative John Murtha on September 11, 2001 as the Capital is being evacuated said:

Murtha roundly criticized the Bush administration's hands-off approach to the Middle East. "It takes a long time to penetrate these terrorist cells," said Murtha, "we have to continue to monitor them."

[HT: Gateway Pundit]

Michael Jackson Spotted in Robe and Veil

(BAHRAIN) Michael Jackson visited a mall in Bahrain's capital Wednesday, covering himself in a black abaya robe traditionally worn by conservative Bahraini women and a veil hiding his face.

The 47-year-old pop star was accompanied by three children, apparently his, whose faces were covered with dark scarves. They wore yellow shirts and sweat pants or khakis, without robes.

Jackson, who seems to be settling in the Persian Gulf, was seen leaving Marina Mall holding a young child by the hand. On the way out through a back door, he shook hands with security guards.

He was wearing an abaya, a robe with long sleeves, under which his pants, white shirt and men's shoes could be seen. His head and face were wrapped in a black veil and he was wearing black gloves.

The veil, abaya and gloves were of a style typically worn by conservative Bahraini women, though Jackson appeared to be wearing them to hide his identity.

A woman wearing an abaya, jeans and a scarf over her head that partially covered her face accompanied Jackson. She asked photographers to respect their privacy, saying they were scaring the children.

Since his June acquittal in California on child molestation charges, Jackson has made several trips to Bahrain as a guest of Sheik Abdullah bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the son of Bahrain's king.

In November, Jackson stirred a small controversy in the United Arab Emirates by entering the ladies room in a shopping mall. His publicist, Raymone K. Bain, said Jackson didn't understand the Arabic sign on the door and left the bathroom when he realized his mistake."

Tell me this guy doesn't need to be committed to a mental institution! Just get a look at what he is doing to the child in this picture. Like having the kid live his life with a bag over his head!! Sharia law ???

Saudis Plan Islamic Sharia Megabank

Aljazeera.Net - Saudi plans Islamic megabank: "Sheikh Saleh Kamil told investors at an Islamic finance conference in London on Tuesday, that creating viable, liquid Sharia-compliant financial instruments and a healthy secondary market for them requires adequately capitalised banks and financial institutions.

Calling the project Emaar International Group, Kamil said: 'The authorised capital shall be $1 billion to be paid in instalments according to demand.

'Hence, it shall be the first private Islamic bank of its kind in capital terms.'

Kamil said that only 10 Islamic banks have capital that exceeds $200 million, and only one has capital that exceeds $500 million." More... (Aljazeera.Net)

Any doubt where these assets will be invested? More Wahabi schools perhaps? What are your thoughts?

Iran Defends Planned Holocaust Conference

(TEHRAN) "'For over half a century, those who seek to prove the Holocaust have used every podium to defend their position. Now they should listen to others,' Iran's Foreign Ministry spokesman, Hamid Reza Asefi, was quoted as saying Tuesday by the official Islamic Republic News Agency.

Ahmadinejad already had called the Nazis' World War II slaughter of 6 million European Jews a 'myth' and said the Jewish state should be 'wiped off the map.'

Dan Gillerman, Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, said the planned conference was 'proof of what a global threat Iran really is.'" More...

Does the world need any more evidence that Iran is being run by a lunatic ??

One Toke Over The Line

(AMSTERDAM) Marijuana growers gathered in Europe's pot-smoking capital Sunday for a trade show that is taking on the trappings of a major industry fair, complete with scantily clad models, glossy brochures and, of course, samples. But instead of posing next to muscle cars, the models explained the intricacies of hydroponics culture such as the 'iGrow-box Intensive Irrigation System' and exhibitors showed off their bongs, grinders, rolling paper, reflective film, hemp-fabric apparel and how-to marijuana growing videos.

'This gives you an uplifting high, up in the mind, not in your body,' marijuana cultivator Arjan Roskam said of his latest Cannabis Cup-winning strain, 'Arjan's Haze #1.'

Roskam, who says he has hosted celebrities such as 50 Cent and Eminem in his Amsterdam coffee shops, was selling his prize-winning plant seeds for 100 euros ($121) alongside other strains such as the 'Great White Shark' and 'Hawaiian Snow.'" More...

SNL: Nagin, Clinton, Jesse Jackson

Saturday Night Live Video Clip of the spoof on Jesse Jackson, Mayor Nagin and Hillary Clinton.

HILLARY CLINTON: Absolutely Andersoon, no one seems to realize that I was talking to a predominately black audience.

ANDERSON COOPER: How does that explain your comments?

CLINTON: Isn’t it obvious? I was pandering. I wanted to paint the Republican majority in the worst possible light to a black audience. That meant my options were plantation or haunted house. I was afraid that not enough people would get haunted house, so I went with plantation."

Darrell Hammond outdoes himself on the Jesse Jackson impersonation. Here is the clip. Tell us what you think.. !

John F. Kerry: The "F" Stands For Failure

By Michelle Malkin · January 22, 2006 10:14 PM

Many security experts believe that the success of U.S. troops in Iraq and Afghanistan is vital to our security here at home. Not Sen. John Kerry. Here's what he said to George Stephanopoulos on This Week earlier today:

Yes, we have not been attacked here. Many people surmise that one of the reasons we haven't been attacked here is because they are being so successful at doing what they need to do to attack us in Iraq and elsewhere.

Not only is Kerry engaging in Howard Dean defeatism of the worst kind (as well as abject cluelessness about our recent major successful strikes overseas), he is also implying that we will be less secure at home if our troops succeed abroad. What kind of message does that send to U.S. soldiers on the ground in Iraq and Afghanistan?"

Top Al-Qaeda Bombmaker Reported Killed

The Counterterrorism Blog: Top Al-Qaeda Bombmaker & Other Senior Al Qaeda Reported Killed in Pakistan Strikes (updated with photos): "ABC News broke the story this afternoon that al Qaeda's master bomb maker and chemical weapons expert, Midhat Mursi, a.k.a. Midhat Mursi al-Sayyid Umar, a.k.a. Abu Khabab al-Masri, a.k.a. Abu Khabab, was killed in last week's U.S. missile attack in Pakistan. A friend in the media with excellent official sources, as well as CNN's David Ensor, report that US government officials can't confirm the killing but won't dissuade the reports either. If true, this is almost as good as killing al-Zawahri; we had a $5 million reward out for Abu Khabab for his long success in training hundreds of terrorists in Afghanistan (including Richard Reid and Zacharias Moussaoui) and for his planning for chemical WMD attacks. An excellent post last September by Dan Darling on Bill Roggio's 'Fourth Rail' site provides details of Abu Khabab's activities, based on Michael Scheuer's book."

Ted Kennedy and Human Rights Abuses

Yo, Massachusetts -- Isn't it time for a change? This guy is killing the Dems...

Check out the rest of these hilarious parody shots of the red faced Senator from Massachusetts.

Aljazeera.Net - Rice begins US diplomatic shift

(WASHINGTON via Aljazeera)"Condoleezza Rice made the announcement in a speech on Wednesday that outlined her hopes to transform the posture of US diplomacy to focus more on promoting democratic and economic change.

'It is clear today that America must begin to reposition our diplomatic forces around the world,' the secretary told students at Washington's prestigious Georgetown University.

'So, over the next few years, the United States will begin to shift several hundred of our diplomatic positions to new, critical posts for the 21st century,' she said.

'We will begin this year with a down payment of moving 100 positions from Europe and, yes, from here in Washington, DC, to countries like China and India and Nigeria and Lebanon, where additional staffing will make an essential difference.'

The State Department, which Rice took over a year ago, counts some 7440 diplomats and other employees abroad, according to official figures. " More... (Aljezeera)

It is always interesting to read the Aljazeera take on American strategy statements. There is a tendency to be far more objective in their English editions. This repositioning of diplomatic personnel seems to make sense given the change in world politics over the last 50 years. I would suspect that Iran will soon find itself surrounded by neighbors with a more robust U.S. diplomatic presence. Including those neighbors from the former Soviet Union.

Cotton Picking Mind

Nagin Recruiting Hershey to Rebuild New Orleans

(2006-01-17) — In a further clarification of yesterday’s remarks that a rebuilt New Orleans would be a “chocolate” city, Mayor Ray Nagin today said he’s planning to recruit Hershey Foods to establish a candy manufacturing plant in the hurricane-ravaged region.

The Democrat mayor’s latest clarification builds on yesterday’s explanation that his remarks are not racist because chocolate is made with dark chocolate and white milk forming “a delicious drink.”

“We’re in the very, very early stages of discussions with Hershey,” Mr. Nagin said, “It’s still in the pre-meeting, pre-phone call stage. But that’s what this chocolate city concept is all about. It’s literally chocolate, rather than chocolate as a metaphor for something else. It’s edible chocolate. It really is.”

The mayor said he’s long been intrigued by the possibility of transitioning New Orleans’ economy from one “reliant upon fickle fads in human debauchery” to something more stable, like chocolate.

“Ever since I saw the movie Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, I’ve thought, ‘That’s New Orleans’,” Mayor Nagin said. “and I thought, ‘I’m Willy Wonka’. ”

Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-NY, who yesterday told a group of African-Americans that Republicans have run the House of Representatives like “a plantation”, said she would help Mayor Nagin secure federal funding to turn the Louisiana Gulf coast into “a chocolate version of Silicon Valley.” -- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

Like I said in the post below, Mayor Nagin is the gift that keeps on giving. Scott also could not resist taking a shot at the Plantation remark from one former first lady Mrs. Clinton. Sure was plenty of extra mud flung around yesterday on MLK's rememberance day between these leaders! Hey... we even got to hear from Al Gore render his diatribe on the lawlessness of GWB on Dr. King's day. Shades of campaign debates! Those were the good old days....

Mayor Nagin's Nestle's Quick

Well you have to give him an "A" for being quick on this feet with this comeback. How can anyone take this guy seriously? Does anyone know when he is up for re-election? Get a load of this response to CNN when asked about his desire to make New Orleans a "Chocolate City". You gotta love this guy!

(NEW ORLEANS) "He said he had not meant that it should be an all-black metropolis, asking: 'How do you make chocolate?

'You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about,' he told CNN.

He also said last year's hurricanes were a sign God was angry with the US.

'Surely God is mad at America. He sent us hurricane after hurricane after hurricane, and it's destroyed and put stress on this country,' Mr Nagin said on Monday.

'Surely he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretences.'

'But surely he is upset at black America also. We're not taking care of ourselves,' said Mr Nagin, who is black." More...

You have to give him credit for creativity !

Morphine on Steroids

WASHINGTON Jan 16, 2006 — The dog hopped on three legs, pain from bone cancer so bad that he wouldn't let his afflicted fourth paw touch the floor. His owner was bracing for euthanasia when scientists offered a novel experiment: They injected a fiery sap from a Moroccan plant into Scooter's spinal column and the dog frolicked on all fours again for several months.

The chemical destroyed nerve cells that sensed pain from Scooter's cancer, not helping the tumor but apparently making him no longer really feel it.

read more | digg story

Just What Does "Love" Mean?

I don't usually post articles like this here but I came across this collection of comments from a group of young children in elementary school ages 4-8. After spending a day reading news articles, stumbling on these responses does make you want to step back for at least a few moments. It's clear that when asking a question like the one above one really does need to consult with the experts... [Hat Tip: wanderings.net]

What does Love mean?

Kids 4 to 8 year Share Their Answers:

'When my grandmother got arthritis, she couldn't bend over and paint her toenails anymore. So my grandfather does it for her all the time, even when his hands got arthritis too. That's love.' Rebecca - age 8

'When someone loves you, the way they say your name is different.You just know that your name is safe in their mouth.' Billy - age 4

'Love is when a girl puts on perfume and a boy puts on shaving cologne and they go out and smell each other.' Karl - age 5

'Love is when you go out to eat and give somebody most of your French fries without making them give you any of theirs.' Chrissy - age 6

'Love is what makes you smile when you're tired.' Terri - age 4

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8"

'Love is when my mommy makes coffee for my daddy and she takes a sip before giving it to him, to make sure the taste is OK.' Danny - age 7

'Love is when you kiss all the time. Then when you get tired of kissing, you still want to be together and you talk more. My Mommy and Daddy are like that. They look gross when they kiss' Emily - age 8

'Love is what's in the room with you at Christmas if you stop opening presents and listen.' Bobby - age 7

'If you want to learn to love better, you should start with a friend who you hate,' Nikka - age 6

'Love is when you tell a guy you like his shirt, then he wears it everyday.' Noelle - age 7

'You really shouldn't say 'I love you' unless you mean it. But if you mean it, you should say it a lot. People forget.' Jessica - age 8"

One Final Entry from Leo F. Buscaglia (1924-1998)

"Author and lecturer Leo Buscaglia once talked about a contest he was asked to judge. The purpose of the contest was to find the most caring child. The winner was a four year old child whose next door neighbor was an elderly gentleman who had recently lost his wife. Upon seeing the man cry, the little boy went into the old gentleman's yard, climbed onto his lap, and just sat there. When his Mother asked what he had said to the neighbor, the little boy said..."

"Nothing, I just helped him cry."

Top Security Council Members Agree on Iran

(LONDON) - Russia and China agreed with the United States and its European allies Monday that
Iran must fully suspend its nuclear program, but the countries stopped short of demanding referral to the
U.N. Security Council, Britain's Foreign Office said.

In a conciliatory statement, Iran's ambassador to Moscow praised a Russian proposal to move the Iranian uranium enrichment program to its territory — a step that could resolve the deadlock over Tehran's nuclear ambitions.

Russian President
Vladimir Putin also urged caution in dealing with the Iranian nuclear issue, saying that Tehran might still agree to the Russian offer and warning 'it's necessary to work carefully and avoid any sharp, erroneous moves.'

Britain, France and Germany, backed by Washington, want Iran to be referred to the Security Council, which can impose sanctions.

But Russia and China, which have close commercial ties with Iran, have resisted such a move in the past and could stymie efforts against Tehran as veto-wielding members of the U.N. body. More...

Is anyone willing to take any bets here that this sudden change in rhetoric is a result of Russian appeasement? Without inspections, how can the U.N. be sure that Iran is not developing a parallel enrichment effort? I guess we will only know when our space satellite sensors pick up signs of underground testing in the Iranian desert. Seems like it is only a matter of time that the world will have another nuke equipped nation in the region. The American people don't have the stomach for another invasion and we suspect neither do the Europeans, and frankly many experts believe that bunker buster bombs won't do the trick either. The Iranian engineers learned how to decentralize their program deep under ground. And so... the clock ticks... and the world sits on it's hands.

Islamic Cleric Urges Catholic School to Convert

(GLASGOW) An Islamic group has called for a Catholic primary school in Scotland to be based on the Muslim faith.

The Campaign for Muslim Schools said 90 per cent of pupils at St Albert's Primary, in the Pollokshields area of Glasgow, are Muslim, yet children are having to take part in Catholic rituals like saying the Lord's Prayer and attending mass.

Osama Saeed, co-ordinator of the alliance of Glasgow's main mosques and Muslim organisations, said he could see no reason why the main faith of the school should not change.

He said: 'Clearly the parents of that area find a faith school, even if it is of another denomination, preferable to a secular one. But surely it should be possible for them to have one that is relevant to their own faith.

'To move towards this would be a fantastic example of good faith - in more ways than one - on the part of the Church.'

The call came just days after Scotland's most senior Catholic, Cardinal Keith O'Brien, sparked controversy by stating that Scotland's core faith was Christianity and that other faiths should recognise they were 'living in Scotland as a Christian country'. A spokesman for the Catholic Church in Scotland was not available for comment tonight."

Wake up Europe, this is just the tip of the iceberg. With more and more muslim communities becoming "countries within a country" you can expect to see this trend continue. Is Europe witnessing a quiet invasion promoted and encouraged by the more fundamentalist religious islamic clerics? Case in point, the riots in Paris a few months ago. Since so many European countries have turned to a culture of secularism, only the governments are left to challange the radical thought. Watch for additional pan European backlashes from 1930's like nationalistic groups which will are sure to emerge in response to the accelerated muslim emmigration in tradtionally Christian EU countries and communites.

The Great War of 2007: A Retrospective

A retrospective of the Great War of 2007-2011, and how it might have been avoided has been written by Niall Ferguson. Niall Ferguson is Laurence A. Tisch Professor of History at Harvard University. His quasi-fictional historical accounting speaks to some of the errors made in the world's failure in preempting Iran in 1979. He postulates that events since then have been an effort to rectify that mistake. In addition he provides in a fashion that, as an historian, one might provide a student of World History in a classroom. Quite interesting... and unsettling.

Here is an excerpt:

With every passing year after the turn of the century, the instability of the Gulf region grew. By the beginning of 2006, nearly all the combustible ingredients for a conflict - far bigger in its scale and scope than the wars of 1991 or 2003 - were in place.

The first underlying cause of the war was the increase in the region's relative importance as a source of petroleum. On the one hand, the rest of the world's oil reserves were being rapidly exhausted. On the other, the breakneck growth of the Asian economies had caused a huge surge in global demand for energy. It is hard to believe today, but for most of the 1990s the price of oil had averaged less than $20 a barrel.

A second precondition of war was demographic. While European fertility had fallen below the natural replacement rate in the 1970s, the decline in the Islamic world had been much slower. By the late 1990s the fertility rate in the eight Muslim countries to the south and east of the European Union was two and half times higher than the European figure...

This tendency was especially pronounced in Iran, where the social conservatism of the 1979 Revolution - which had lowered the age of marriage and prohibited contraception - combined with the high mortality of the Iran-Iraq War and the subsequent baby boom to produce, by the first decade of the new century, a quite extraordinary surplus of young men. More than two fifths of the population of Iran in 1995 had been aged 14 or younger. This was the generation that was ready to fight in 2007.
More...

He goes on further to make some unsettling comparison from the past pointing to some of the cultural changes in Europe and the amount of leadership change in the Middle Eastern region....

So history repeated itself. As in the 1930s, an anti-Semitic demagogue broke his country's treaty obligations and armed for war. Having first tried appeasement, offering the Iranians economic incentives to desist, the West appealed to international agencies - the International Atomic Energy Agency and the United Nations Security Council. Thanks to China's veto, however, the UN produced nothing but empty resolutions and ineffectual sanctions, like the exclusion of Iran from the 2006 World Cup finals.

Only one man might have stiffened President Bush's resolve in the crisis: not Tony Blair, he had wrecked his domestic credibility over Iraq and was in any case on the point of retirement - Ariel Sharon. Yet he had been struck down by a stroke as the Iranian crisis came to a head. With Israel leaderless, Ahmadinejad had a free hand. More...

Prof. Ferguson weaves together a very thought provoking piece and puts forth a premise that pre-emptive action may indeed have been a policy that missed it's mark by 25 years. It is an interesting read, and touches upon the shifting geo-politcal balances in a world which remains a slave to massive energy consumption.

US, EU Meet to Speed Iran Referral to UN

Sen. McCain appears to be taking the lead for the administration on making vocal the ensuing discourse on Iranian sanctions. Confrontation with Iran diplomatically within the perview of the Security Council now appears inevitable. We suspect Condi Rice and Sen McCain will both be front and center advising the President and informing the public of the emboldened mennace. Iran with nuclear weapons capability should be an unsettling thought not only for Israelis but for all American and Eurpopean people.

(London) "Representatives of the United States and the European Union are preparing to meet in London to look at ways of fast tracking the referral of Iran's nuclear program to the UN Security Council.

The meeting comes as Iran continues to insist it has no intention of building a nuclear bomb.

The London talks are aimed at coordinating a diplomatic assault on Iran and persuading Russia and China to support international condemnation of Tehran's nuclear activities.

Iran's Foreign Minister Hamid Reza Asefi says there is no legal basis for referring his country to the Security Council and is urging Western nations to refrain from what he says is the language of intimidation and threats.

In the United States, political consensus is building for a tough approach to Iran, with influential Republican senator John McCain saying all options must be considered.

'The military option is the last option, but cannot be taken off the table.'

President Bush says a nuclear Iran would pose a grave threat to the security of the world.

Iran has warned any sanctions imposed on it because of its disputed nuclear program could drive up world oil prices." More...

Iranian Leader Believes Allah Has Spoken to Him

(Tehran)"As Iran rushes towards confrontation with the world over its nuclear programme, the question uppermost in the mind of western leaders is 'What is moving its President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to such recklessness?'

Political analysts point to the fact that Iran feels strong because of high oil prices, while America has been weakened by the insurgency in Iraq.

But listen carefully to the utterances of Mr Ahmadinejad - recently described by President George W Bush as an 'odd man' - and there is another dimension, a religious messianism that, some suspect, is giving the Iranian leader a dangerous sense of divine mission.

In November, the country was startled by a video showing Mr Ahmadinejad telling a cleric that he had felt the hand of God entrancing world leaders as he delivered a speech to the UN General Assembly last September."

When an aircraft crashed in Teheran last month, killing 108 people, Mr Ahmadinejad promised an investigation. But he also thanked the dead, saying: "What is important is that they have shown the way to martyrdom which we must follow." More...

So perhaps now the world understands why Saddam went to war with Iran. Sure Sunni vs Shiite conflict is historical but it was deeper than that. Saddam understood that Islamic Fundamentalism would eventually de-stabilize his country and his power. Ironically with 9/11 as a pretext to "finish the job half done by Bush I" the West finds itself in Iraq with an emboldened enemy to the east in Iran seeking to capitalize on the fall of their tyrannical neighbor. Moderate Islamic nations in the region must now surely recognize the need to prop up and stabilize the new Iraqi gov't and begin to move more strongly against radical Islamic clerics who may, like President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, believe they are doing God's work in starting holy Jihad with the use of WMD and martyrdom as a jihadic sword.

Does anyone have any faith in the U.N. Security Council to keep this genie in the bottle? What do you think world nations need to do about Iran refusing to allow inspections of their uranium enrichment program?? Will the sobering events developing in Iran unite Democrats and Republicans in our currently dysfunctional political system just as the sobering events did in 2001 ? Or will it take an underground nuclear test in Iran, or worse, a mushroom cloud in Tel Aviv within a few years, to stop the dysfunctional politics in Washington?? So off the world goes again to the U.N. Security Council and the 12 year cycle begins anew... or does it ?

Michelle Malkin: IRAN: PREPARING FOR THE WORST

Michelle Malkin compiles an excellent post from a series of articles to underscore the inevitable world showdown with Iran. She draws from several high profile bloggers to weave a post which unfortunately provides a most depressing view of the chances for success in negotiating with the emboldened Islamic Republic.

Michelle Malkin: IRAN: PREPARING FOR THE WORST: "IRAN: PREPARING FOR THE WORST
By Michelle Malkin · January 14, 2006 11:58 AM

We are on the brink." More...

Alito Confirmation Another Setback for Bush

(Satire) With confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito as the next Supreme Court justice all but assured, Democrats seized upon this “most recent failure of the Bush administration” as a likely springboard for their party’s electoral triumph in November.

This latest setback for President George Bush — coming on the heels of free and fair elections in Iraq, a growing economy, the first December budget surplus since 2002 and movement by Europe and Russia toward the original White House position on dealing with Iran’s nuclear ambitions — sets the stage for a Democrat return to power in Congress this year, according to many leading party insiders.

“We’ve got him on the ropes,” said one unnamed Democrat political strategist. “Alito’s confirmation could be the knockout punch. When Bush is flat on his back like this, it’s hard for Republican Congressional candidates to ride his coattails.”

A celebratory mood prevails from Democrat offices on Capitol Hill, to DNC headquarters, to MoveOn.org and The New York Times. Several political action groups said they would immediately launch multi-million dollar TV ad campaigns to capitalize on their political momentum.

“It’s the triumph of our progressive principles and ideals,” the source said. “We’ve got a beautiful feeling, everything’s going our way.”" -- Scott Ott/ScrappleFace

The apporach taken by Democrats on the Judiciary Committee may have backfired on them. Their rants and personal attack on the Judge Alito seemed to echo the sheer frustration and sour grapes at the loss of the last Presidential election and has put them in a mode of desperation. Their crude and classless rhetoric approaching character defemation, sometimes for up to 25 minutes, before allowing the nominee to even speak, spoke volumes to middle America this week.

Democrats will not be winning the hearts and minds of the middle of the road undecided voters leading up to the mid term elections with an obstructionist strategy. They need to articulate clearly what THEY stand for and not simply rely on throwing mud on the other side and risk labeling themselves as the Obstructionist Party. A filibuster attempt, while popular with extermists, will not further their effort to gain potential votes from independents and geo-political "middle America".

Pat Robertson's Big Mouth

To say this guy has foot in mouth disease is an understatement...

CIA Targets Zawahiri in Pakistan

We could have some good news this weekend...

The Counterterrorism Blog: CIA Targets Ayman al-Zawahiri in Pakistan (updated): "CIA airstrike against Al Qaeda's #2, Ayman al-Zawahiri in Pakistan - CIA got 'good reporting' on al-Zawahiri's presence in a building and it ordered the Predator airstrike - could be visual confirmation soon but weeks before confirmation through DNA tests.

ABC News: 'Villagers described seeing an unmanned plane circling the area for the last few days and then bombs falling in the early morning darkness. Eighteen people were killed, according to the villagers who said women and children were among the fatalities. But Pakistani officials tell ABC News that five of those killed were high-level al Qaeda figures, and their bodies are now undergoing forensic tests for positive identification.' Terrorism expert Peter Bergen on CNN - his death would be 'major blow' to the organization.

MSNBC: 'Pakistani officials say U.S. aircraft, apparently CIA Predator drones, fired as many as 10 missiles at the residential compound.' And quoting U.S. intel source: “Anyone who tells you there is clarity on whether he [Zawahri] was killed ... do not take what they are saying as gospel.”" More...

The world should be so lucky on this Friday 13th as to finally nail this dog of dogs. This is not the first time that these reports have been totally false. Let's all hope and pray that the CIA is back in the saddle again! This is an unconfirmed story. [hat tip] Michelle Malkin. --- Staff

Kim Jong Il, Zarqawi Protest Belafonte’s Bush Remarks

Mr. Belefonte seems to be the latest celebrity that has fallen prey to a case of severe dementia calling President Bush the greatest terrorist and tyrant in the world. Scott Ott put those remarks in perspective in the following piece...

(2006-01-09) — North Korean dictator Kim Jong Il today lashed out at former entertainer Harry Belafonte after the ex-celebrity, in Caracas to express his support for Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez, called U.S. President George Bush “the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world.”

“What does Belafonte know about tyranny?” Mr. Kim told the reporter at a rare news conference. “He lives in a country that lets him travel overseas, stand with a socialist dictator and slam his own president. Does Harry Belafonte thinks he’s qualified to rate the tyrants?”

Meanwhile, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, decried Mr. Belafonte’s “ignorant remarks” and invited him to visit Baghdad or Ramadi “to see who’s the greatest terrorist in the world.”

“I can assure Mr. Mr. Belafonte,” said Mr. Zarqawi, “that his visit here will be a short one. Daylight come and he want to go home.” --- Scott Ott / ScrappleFace

OpenWeb Freeware for Bloggers

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Stop by and register to take advantage of all this stuff. It's painless! You might even have some fun in our V3 Flash Game Arcade section!! ......[ Sticky Post ]

Iran Thumbing Nose At World

Breaking News: Thus the Iranian "Manhattan Project" continues... in full view of the world:

(Tehran)"Iran says it will resume nuclear fuel research on Monday, despite international appeals to desist.

Officials say seals at nuclear research centres will be removed, ending a two year suspension.

The European Union has warned such a move could jeopardize a return to negotiations on Iran's sensitive nuclear ambitions.

Resuming the research would mean all of Iran's nuclear activities, apart from uranium enrichment, are active again.

Talks between Iran and the EU broke off last August after Iran resumed uranium conversion activity which it had suspended in 2004.

The US claims Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but Iran says its nuclear programme is for peaceful civilian use only.

The latest move threatens to overshadow talks between Russia and Iran on proposals to transfer Iran's uranium enrichment activities to Russian soil." -- BBC News Read More...

We have a poll going on at the top right column of this site for you to weigh in on this issue. Is there now any doubt that the world is on the brink of a major show down with the Islamic Republic of Iran and their new lunatic leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? Does he and the mullahs think with Sharon on his death bed that Israel will not defend itself? Could he be that ignorant? Or is their plan actually to provoke with their rhetoric (and actions) a pre-emptive strike and set WWIII ( and their own religious prophesies) in motion? Does he see a chance to fill a void left by Saddam, once hailed as a possible saviour to the Palestinians, and galvanize islamic extremist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, who will now look to Iran and Syria both for clandestine leadership in organizing their religious struggle to vanquish Israel and severely "punish" it's western allies in the process?

Is the world supposed to sit back and just allow the leaders of these extremist governments, leaders who are merely cleaver terrorists in suits, to develop weapons grade plutonium under the guise of the need for domestic energy production? (In an oil rich country no less!) Are we now witnessing a replay of the 1930s and 40's with Iran playing the role of Nazi Germany seeking to capitalize on the increasing anti-semitic sentiment in the EU, due in part to a massive immigration of Middle Eastern Islamics to central Europe? Maybe you think their real goal is to be environmentally friendly and don't want fossil fuel burning electric plants in Iran because it might damage the ozone or accelerate global warming? What do you think the reason is that they are hell bent on having nuclear reactors in Iran??

Robertson: Ignorant Remarks Caused by God’s Wrath

(Satire) — Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson, who yesterday told viewers that God’s wrath spurred Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon’s massive stroke, today said his own “ignorant remarks are another manifestation of God’s anger.”

The popular TV personality said God punished Mr. Sharon, 77, for dividing the land that God gave to the Israelites, and that Mr. Robertson’s own periodic claims to know the Lord’s motivation behind specific events are part of God’s judgment on the OOFAmerican church.

“If Christians would read the Bible, instead of just watching TV, they would understand that people who claim to know exactly why God does what He does are usually false teachers,” said Mr. Robertson. “God disciplines American Christians for their willful ignorance of the Scriptures by having me embarrass them every 60 days or so with another ridiculous remark.”

Mr. Robertson said that God had judged Ariel Sharon by making him “old and morbidly obese” and thus a high risk for cardio-vascular problems.

“It’s like a lightning bolt from heaven,” he said." -- Scott Ott/ScrappleFace

And God has also judged Pat Robertson by giving him a terminal case of Hoof in Mouth disease !

Just when you thought Pat Robertson couldn't possibly break new ground in the annals of idiocy, the Christian broadcaster declared that Israeli Prime Minister Sharon's stroke was brought on by the wrath of God. Speaking on "The 700 Club," Robertson...
Speaking on "The 700 Club," Robertson said, "God considers this land to be his. You read the Bible and he says 'This is my land,' and for any prime minister of Israel who decides he is going to carve it up and give it away, God says, 'No, this is mine.' ... He was dividing God's land. And I would say, 'Woe unto any prime minister of Israel who takes a similar course to appease the E.U., the United Nations or the United States of America.' God says, 'This land belongs to me. You better leave it alone.'"

Need we say more???

Iran No Show

(BBC) "The International Atomic Energy Agency said a meeting with Iranian delegates scheduled for Thursday never took place and no new meeting was planned.

Iran's president earlier insisted its research programme would resume.

The IAEA has warned this may affect talks with the EU aimed at defusing tensions on Iran's nuclear programme.

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice also warned that if the negotiations ended, the USA might push for a vote at the UN Security Council on sanctions against Tehran.

Iran suspended the programme two years ago during negotiations with the EU." More...

I think the world can see pretty clearly where this is all headed. A hunt for WMD Round II anyone ??!!

Sharon Suffers Massive Stroke

(JERUSALEM (CNN) -- Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon was in 'serious' condition and was expected to undergo several more hours of brain surgery after suffering a major stroke, a hospital official said Thursday morning.

Sharon underwent about six hours of surgery that initially appeared to stop the bleeding in his brain, said Shlomo Mor-Yosef, the director of Jerusalem's Hadassah Ein Kerem Hospital.

But a subsequent brain scan revealed more bleeding and resulted in Sharon being taken back to the operating room, Mor-Yosef said."

Sharon's stroke plunged the country into political uncertainty less than three months before a pivotal election.

Sharon, 77, was taken by ambulance Wednesday night from his home in the Negev Desert, in southern Israel, to the hospital after complaining of chest pain and weakness, according to his senior adviser, Ra'anan Gissen. More...

The loss of Ariel Sharon will undoubtly unstabilize the already fragile tolerance of a Palestinian state in the region and the stability of the Lukid party at the same time. The reaction of the Palestinians to his demise will be reflective of the backlash they will recieve by the next PM. Most likely Neten"yahoo", who will make Sharon look like a pussy cat to the rest of the world. Palestinians best not waste their ammo on shooting into the sky in jubilation and get too emboldened by this turn of events. They will surely come to regret it if they do, and lose the best change for a Palestinian state that has come their way since the demise of Yassar Arafat.

Beltway Trash

Cat OK After Traveling 70 Miles Under SUV

File this under animal science....

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Tragedy Unfolding in W. Virginia

The latest on the trapped miners via AP:

(TALLMANSVILLE, W.Va.) - Rescuers trying to reach 13 trapped miners punched a hole into the mine early Tuesday, but a company executive said he was 'very discouraged' by air quality tests.

Carbon monoxide levels measured 1,300 parts per million, exceeding the 400 parts per million maximum safe level, said Ben Hatfield, chief executive officer of mine owner International Coal Group Inc.

'We are very discouraged by the results of this test,' Hatfield said.

Still, Hatfield said the trapped miners could still be alive.

'They could be in another location or they could be barricaded somewhere,' Hatfield told reporters.

The test results were announced after crews drilled the hole. They also sent a camera down the 6 1/4 inch hole to look for signs of life, and planned to move in a camera-equipped robot, Gov. Joe Manchin said.

'We're still hoping for that miracle as you know," Manchin told ABC's "Good Morning America." -- AP

The signs don't look promising for these courageous souls that risk their lives to ensure our nation has a supply of coal for coal burning energy generation. Keep them and their families in your prayers. -- Staff

Ahmadinejad on Israel... Again

(Makka, Iran) "Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, the president of Iran, has released his latest thoughts about Israel, which he describes as being the product of European ethnic cleansing and 'anti-Islamic in nature'.

'In fact the Europeans have practised ethnic cleansing against the Jews in Europe by expelling the Jews from all the European states,' the official IRNA news agency quoted him as saying.

'They have shot two targets with a single bullet - they have built a Jewish camp among the Islamic nations and got rid of the Jews from the whole of Europe.

'The Zionist regime is a part of Europe, which was broken away from Europe, and is anti-Islamic in nature.'

The president suggested that the international outrage caused by previous comments, in which he said that Holocaust denial was a matter for 'scientific debate', was because he had touched a raw nerve." More...

Iraqi 'Baby Noor' Comes to Ga. for Care

Update 1: Iraqi 'Baby Noor' Comes to Ga. for Care - Forbes.com: "An Iraqi infant with severe birth defects arrived in Atlanta Saturday for medical treatment that was offered after U.S. soldiers discovered the child during a raid on a home.

Baby Noor al-Zahra or, to the Americans, 'Baby Nora,' left Baghdad Friday in a military transport plane, accompanied by her grandmother and father.

'This is certainly an exciting day for everyone,' said Greg Wright, a spokesman for U.S. Sen. Saxby Chambliss, R-Ga., who helped arrange for the child's medical treatment in Atlanta.

U.S. troops discovered the baby three weeks ago during a raid of a house in Abu Ghraib, a poverty-stricken district west of Baghdad. The soldiers noticed paralysis in the baby's legs and what appeared to be a tumor on her back. " More...

Top 2005 Blogs at OpenRing

Top blogs at the OpenWeb Blogring in 2005... see who they are.

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