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Thursday, June 30
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Washington Times - 2 Iraqis held trying to cross Mexico border.
Posted - 6/30/2005 07:09:21 PM - Permalink | |
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Eric Pfeiffer, at NRO, "The Left-wing antiwar group MoveOn, a key Democratic support, has found a new spokesman in Republican Senator Chuck Hagel ( R., France)."
Posted - 6/30/2005 06:41:02 PM - Permalink | |
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Via MRC: "A new poll commissioned by the Pew Research Center for the People and the Press, which was released on Sunday, found that 'attitudes toward the performance of the news media are at or near their low points in Pew trends dating back to the mid-1980s. This is especially the case in opinions regarding the press's patriotism, bias, and fairness.' " Read the data at Pew's website.
Posted - 6/30/2005 06:19:00 AM - Permalink | |
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Wednesday, June 29
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Byron York asks Why did the Post protect Byrd's image?
Posted - 6/29/2005 08:03:27 PM - Permalink | |
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Info from Gallup: Flash Poll: Instant Reaction to Bush's Iraq Speech: "Those who watched President Bush's speech Tuesday night now hold a slightly more positive outlook on the war than they did before the address, even though the speech itself was not rated as positively as others Bush has given. Compared with their responses before the speech, people who tuned in are now more likely to say the United States and its allies are winning the Iraq war, that Bush has a clear plan for handling the war, and that the United States should keep troops in Iraq until the situation there gets better."
Posted - 6/29/2005 06:33:29 PM - Permalink | |
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 On MSNBC's Hardball with Chris Matthews, DNC Chair Howard Dean actually had the audacity to denounce the Right's "name-calling" when asked about Karl Rove's recent remarks. This is the same guy who hasn't been able to go a week without shooting off at the mouth about his "evil," "brain dead," "dark," white-Christian-racist, non-working, and dishonest Republican enemies. Here's what Dean said: MATTHEWS: Well, Governor, what do you make of [Karl Rove's recent remarks on liberals and Dean]? That's personal.
DEAN: Well, sure it is. And it would give me great pleasure to call him names on your show, but I'm not going to do that. [Even though he would love to, and usuallt does -- Joe.] This is an example of the bad judgment that these folks have. As a matter of fact, I, along with almost everybody in the Democratic Party, supported the war in Afghanistan, because that's where the terrorist threat was. And I was delighted the president went into Afghanistan and he did it quickly.
The problem with the kind of name-calling that you see in the right wing is it's polarizing. And, frankly, it doesn't serve our country well. [What about name-calling on the left, is that good for the country? --Joe] These folks have exhibited bad judgment. ...
...So that's all I really have to say. I'm not going to get in to attacking Karl Rove personally. He can say what he wants. What I'm interested in is a new administration that will have a long-term vision for the future of this country. Truly remarkable. Does dean think the American people have no ability to remember what happened before yesterday? Nothing this guy says can be taken seriously. "Name-calling serves the country well if I, or others on the Left, do it, but when the Right does it, it's polarizing and, frankly, it doesn't serve our country well." So Dean says to anyone on the Right who even remotely engages in his tactics, like he said to one man during a debate last fall, Shut up and sit down - I’m going to have my say!
Posted - 6/29/2005 06:29:00 PM - Permalink | |
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Tuesday, June 28
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WSJ's OpinionJournal: Zarqawi's bombs hit their target in Washington and more from El Rushbo. Also at WSJ, Brendan Miniter on The Defeatist Caucus - Some on Capitol Hill seem to yearn for a repeat of Vietnam.
Posted - 6/28/2005 06:14:19 PM - Permalink | |
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Also good for the goose? Freestar Media thinks so. They are thinking Justice Souter's House is the perfect spot for The Lost Liberty Hotel.
Posted - 6/28/2005 04:29:26 PM - Permalink | |
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Saturday, June 25
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 Via TMH's Bacon Bits, There is a campiagn under way in the halls of Europe to aid terrorists in Iraq. More info can be found at US News, and Free Republic. The kook's website, or at least more official info is here. Cao's Blog mentions this is just one more example that backs up recent remarks by Karl Rove about the liberal response to terrorism.
Posted - 6/25/2005 04:07:00 PM - Permalink | |
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Thursday, June 23
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Karl Rove's complete speech transcript can be read at the Washington Post. Democrats have gone absolutely frothing at the mouth nuts about Karl Rove's remarks during a recent speech at the Conservative Party of New York State. The funny part is that Rove said "Liberals" in his speech, not "Democrats." Democrats, who regular deny being liberals (ala Kerry and his we don't need to throw around labels comeback at the debate) are rushing to be the target of of a remark aimed at liberals. So they they are liberals after all. As John Hindrocket writes, "[Democrats] Apparently thought the shoe fit." Democrats are so sick of getting it on the chin because of Howard Dean's over the top stuff, they're jumping at the chance to be on the other side for a change. They're really piling on, excessively. Democrats believe these comments to be a questioning their patriotism, which of course, really freaks them out. Many Democrats are calling for an apology. The hate filled stuff coming out of Howard Dean's mouth, and Harry Reid's, and Nancy Pelosi's, etc. disqualify them for being taken seriously. RedState has a round up of recent comments made by Democrats. Comparisons to Howard Dean are being thrown about, too. There are a couple of differences. First, Rove is not an elected official or even party leadership, he's a private employee. Rove also, as I mentioned above used the term liberals not Democrats, unlike Dean ("I hate Republicans", "Republicans are evil" etc.). Dean also has made crazy insulting remarks over and over again. Dean is the leader of his party, tasked with drumming up support and speaking for his party, Rove is not. Rove also had evidence he used in the build up to his remarks, a MoveOn petition calling for restraint and understanding after 9/11. Nick Danger writes: The problem that Democrats are going to have with this is, of course, that everything Karl Rove said is true. Liberals and Democrats did say such things after 9/11, and those things are on the record. So Democrats are put in the ludicrous position of complaining that someone has quoted them in public. Update- Hugh Hewitt has quotes that back Rove's analysis: Immediately After 9/11, MoveOn.Org Petition Urged "Moderation And Restraint” And Use Of “International Judicial Institutions."
Liberal Donor George Soros Claimed America Should Have Treated 9/11 Attacks As Crime, Responded With Police Work. “War is a false and misleading metaphor in the context of combating terrorism. Treating the attacks of September 11 as crimes against humanity would have been more appropriate. Crimes require police work, not military action. To protect against terrorism, you need precautionary measures, awareness, and intelligence gathering – all of which ultimately depend on the support of the populations among which terrorists operate... (George Soros, The Bubble Of American Supremacy, 2004, p. 18)
Sitting In His Capitol Hill Office Last Week, Near A Window Where He Could See The Smoke Rising From The Pentagon On Sept. 11, Kucinich Insisted He Is More Optimistic Than Ever That People Worldwide Are Ready To Embrace The Cause Of Nonviolence." (Elizabeth Auster, "Offer The Hand Of Peace," [Cleveland, OH] Plain Dealer, 9/30/01)
Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI): 'Only Now Are We Trying To Figure Out What Is Islam. Maybe If There Was A Department Of Peace, They Would Be Able To Say, 'Uh-Oh, We've Got Some Problems With These People,'... I Truly Believe That If We Had A Department Of Peace, We Would Have Seen [9/11] Coming." (Ethan Wallison, “War A Challenge For Peace Caucus," Roll Call, 10/1/01)
Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) To High School Students: "How Would [Muslims] Look At Us Today If We Had Been There Helping Them With Some Of That Rather Than Just Being The People Who Are Going To Bomb In Iraq And Go To Afghanistan? ...War Is Expensive Too ... Your Generation Ought To Be Thinking About Whether We Should Be Better Neighbors Out In Other Countries So That They Have A Different Vision Of Us." (Gregg Herrington, "Senator Asks Students To Ponder," The [Vancouver, WA] Columbian, 12/19/02)
Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): "[W]ar On Terror Is Far Less Of A Military Operation And Far More Of An Intelligence-Gathering, Law-Enforcement Operation." (The Iowa Brown & Black Coalition Presidential Forum, Des Moines, IA, 1/11/04) (HT: Teaparty)
Posted - 6/23/2005 06:11:00 PM - Permalink | |
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A good sign in the Arab media from the BBC: "The fact that Iraqi civilians are the main victims of the attacks is increasingly being stressed in reports, interviews and comments. "
Posted - 6/23/2005 03:18:20 PM - Permalink | |
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WorldNetDaily: ACLU man joins Minutemen, local chapter gets suspended and also from WND: "Mexican drug commandos expand ops in 6 U.S. states, Feds say violent, elite paramilitary units establish narcotics routes north of border."
Posted - 6/23/2005 02:57:02 PM - Permalink | |
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For those poll riding politicians who are wringing their hands over Gitmo, there's a new Rasmussen poll: A Rasmussen Reports survey found that 20% of Americans believe prisoners at Guantanamo Bay have been treated unfairly. Seven-out-of-ten adults believe the prisoners are being treated "better than they deserve" (36%) or "about right" (34%).
The survey also found that just 14% agree with people who say that prisoner treatment at Guantanamo Bay is similar to Nazi tactics. Sixty-nine percent disagree with that comparison. This helps explain why Illinois Senator Dick Durbin apologized for making such a comparison.
Partisan differences concerning prisoner treatment are huge. Only 7% of Republicans believe Guantanamo prisoners are treated unfairly. Thirty percent (30%) of Democrats hold that view along with 22% of those not affiliated with either major party. Another interesting poll is about the asymilation of immigrants: Two-thirds (67%) of Americans say that those who move to the USA should "adopt America's culture, language, and heritage. A Rasmussen Reports survey found that just 17% believe immigrants should maintain the culture of their home country.
Seventy-nine percent (79%) say immigrants should be required to learn English before they are allowed to become citizens. Fourteen percent (14%) disagree.
Sixty-four percent (64%) believe U.S. schools should teach all students in English. Twenty-nine percent (29%) believe some schools should offer courses in different languages. And from what I hear, most folks want the immgration laws enforced, but Washington just won't get in line.
Posted - 6/23/2005 02:55:00 PM - Permalink | |
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One more reason to like this guy at the The American Spectator: Recently dining at a Dupont Circle establishment, Christopher Hitchens noticed there weren't ashtrays at the bar. When he asked for a smoking area, he learned the restaurant is a "non-smoking facility." Hitchens has seen the cold, inhospitable future of dining in smoke-free D.C. bars and restaurants and he won't accept it. "I don't go to dinner at facilities," he says.
Posted - 6/23/2005 06:30:00 AM - Permalink | |
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Wednesday, June 22
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Via Lucianne: - Michelle Malkin's new column, Debunking another Gitmo myth, is up.
- AP via >LasVegas Sun - Memos: U.N. Knew Saddam Violated Sanctions
- AP via Washington Times - Freed Australian apologizes to Bush and Howard
- Former weapons inspector and bottomfeeding traitor Scott Ritter now has a gig spewing for none other than Al-Jazeera. Read all the kind words over at Lucianne (and for Ritter, this is kind).
Posted - 6/22/2005 08:52:09 PM - Permalink | |
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Via Tony Snow, Two Raw Data items: - Here (in PDF format) is the Guantanamo Bay detainees menu. You've heard and seen how they're fed via Duncan Hunter, now read the whole menu for yourself.
- Here are the "Standard Operating Procedure for Handling Korans at Guantanamo."
Also interesting is Defense Sec. Don Rumsfeld's response to the comments of Senator Dick "Turbin" Durbin.
Posted - 6/22/2005 07:03:00 PM - Permalink | |
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Tuesday, June 21
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Courts in North Carolina will try to decide if Muslim court witnesses can be allowed to the take the oath using the Koran instead of the Bible: Officials with the state's Administrative Office of the Courts in Raleigh said they are trying to come up with a statewide policy on the issue before the controversy snowballs, spokesman Dick Ellis told the Greensboro News-Record.
Ellis said there is concern allowing the Koran could create new challenges. He questioned what would happen if a person claimed to worship brick walls and wanted to swear the oath on a brick.
We don't want to complicate this simple procedure here, Ellis said. [emphasis added] I can see some screwball avowed atheist causing problems like this, but if folks want to swear an oath on the Koran, let 'em. CNS News reports that CAIR (the Council on American-Islamic Relations) is calling for the use of the Koran to be allowed. Australia has taken the all inclusive approach by scrapping the need for jurors to hold a bible, or other religious text, when swearing their oaths: There's been no need to kiss it for some time and soon you won't have to touch it any more either.
But even if you don't believe in it, your oath of "so help me God" will continue to bind you.
Under legislation now before State Parliament the Government is scrapping the need for jurors to hold a bible, or other religious text, when swearing their oaths.
A Christian Democratic member of the Legislative Council, the Reverend Fred Nile, mused last week whether this would allow atheists to swear an oath on Karl Marx, or whether jurors could use a dictionary, a copy of Shakespeare, or a newspaper.
For some time the Koran has also been used for witnesses wishing to swear oaths in court proceedings.
A religious text may still be used for those who choose an oath - rather than the non-religious affirmation - but if the relevant book were not available in court the oath could proceed without it, said the spokesman.
Posted - 6/21/2005 09:31:00 PM - Permalink | |
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When Rep. Tom Delay's previous occupation as an exterminator and Speaker Denny Hastert's former role as a wrestling coach seem to come up repeatedly, Ed Lasky wonders why Senator Robert Byrd's previous occupation as a butcher never seems to come up when the press describes his history. Now, strangely, it has in a WaPo story that starts off with something barely ever mentioned by the MSM - Byrd's former KKK activities. The piece is a primer for Byrd's upcoming book.
Posted - 6/21/2005 05:15:00 PM - Permalink | |
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...for his Nazi/PolPot=Gitmo reference (WaPo story here), although, suprisingly he had no qualifier at the end of it, as Confederate Yankee pointed out, it was an "if" speech that had no need for them. It was rife with subtle language - Durbin apologized IF he was over the top and to anyone IF he offended them. At the end he declared he would do it again. Meanwhile, Americans Heart Gitmo says yet another poll (like this previous one) that shows American want Gitmo to stay open. [Post corrected 6/24/05 4:53pm CST]
Posted - 6/21/2005 04:54:00 PM - Permalink | |
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Monday, June 20
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 Via Jonah Goldberg at The Corner, It seems Homer Simpon was way ahead of his time when he produced the Tomacco Plant: National Geographic reports that scientists have genetically engineered tomato and tobacco plants to produce a vaccine against the SARS virus. Who knew?
Posted - 6/20/2005 04:36:00 PM - Permalink | |
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Sunday, June 19
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Captain's Quarters and Powerline. Some interestingly bizarre info from the AP: Details from Rice's dinner conversation also are included in one of the secret memos from 2002, which reveal British concerns about both the invasion and poor postwar planning by the Bush administration, which critics say has allowed the Iraqi insurgency to rage.
The eight memos - all labeled "secret" or "confidential" - were first obtained by British reporter Michael Smith, who has written about them in The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times.
Smith told AP he protected the identity of the source he had obtained the documents from by typing copies of them on plain paper and destroying the originals.
The AP obtained copies of six of the memos (the other two have circulated widely). A senior British official who reviewed the copies said their content appeared authentic. He spoke on condition of anonymity because of the secret nature of the material. Have they learned nothing? And as Glann Reyonlds points out: JOE BIDEN'S PLAGIARISM SCANDAL was once dismissed by an expert who wrote: "At worst, Biden purloined piffle."
Now people are saying that the Downing Street memos may be fake, in which case all I can say is that whoever faked them is guilty of faking piffle. You'd think that a fraud would at least contain something interesting. If they did fake them, they could have done better.
Posted - 6/19/2005 06:17:24 PM - Permalink | |
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Via lgf, a recent story of Isaeli prison guards tearing a Koran has been found to be false. The actual perps, in an "attempt to stir controversy," were the Hamas-affiliated owners of the Korans themselves.
Posted - 6/19/2005 06:04:01 PM - Permalink | |
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By Pavel Litvinov, in the WaPo, No American 'Gulag': Several days ago I received a telephone call from an old friend who is a longtime Amnesty International staffer. He asked me whether I, as a former Soviet "prisoner of conscience" adopted by Amnesty, would support the statement by Amnesty's executive director, Irene Khan, that the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba is the "gulag of our time."
"Don't you think that there's an enormous difference?" I asked him.
"Sure," he said, "but after all, it attracts attention to the problem of Guantanamo detainees." Mudville has more on this.
Posted - 6/19/2005 05:56:00 PM - Permalink | |
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The New York Times reports Iraqis Found in Torture House Tell of Brutality of Insurgents: KARABILA, Iraq, Sunday, June 19 - Marines on an operation to eliminate insurgents that began Friday broke through the outside wall of a building in this small rural village to find a torture center equipped with electric wires, a noose, handcuffs, a 574-page jihad manual - and four beaten and shackled Iraqis. This truly does make Gitmo look like Club Med.
Posted - 6/19/2005 05:48:19 PM - Permalink | |
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Saturday, June 18
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Illinois Senator Dick Durbin issues a statement on his website regarding his Gitmo=Nazis/PolPot analogy. He is beginning to feel the heat and now regrets that his words caused his true feelings to be misunderstood. At Powerline John Hindrocket writes, "[W]hat Durbin regrets is that he inadvertently expressed his true feelings for his constituents to see." I get the feeling Durbin believes a bunch of right-wing kooks twisted his stately, caring words. Durbin sees nothing wrong with a comparison and a moral equivalence between making a terrorist uncomfortable by turning air conditioning on and off and the wholesale slaughter of millions. Jeff Sessions, who made a great statement during the judiciary hearing on detainees earlier this week was on Fox and Friends Thursday, Rush Limbaugh has the transcript of his remarks:  [T]he question, "Senator Sessions, member of the judiciary committee, I'd love to hear you weigh in on this. Is G'itmo serving its purpose or is it harming us so much by bad PR that it needs to be shut down?"
SESSIONS: What is happening that's so wrong and so upsetting to me is that we've got senators and congressmen and other people suggesting that we have wholesale violation of human rights at these prisoners, and it's not so. Two hundred of these 500 prisoners have cases pending in federal court, they've had multiple hearings to determine whether or not they should be kept there, they're being treated humanely, and it's wrong for us to send the message around the world from our own members of Congress that they are being abused on a regular basis. It just makes it tougher for our soldiers who are trying to win the hearts and minds of the people in Iraq and around the world and to convince the people there that we're trying to do right.
All right, now Sessions zeros in on Durbin. He got the question from the host, E. D. Hill. "I wanted to ask you about the comments made by Durbin, representative Senator Durbin of Illinois, he compared what happened at G'itmo to the gulags to Pol Pot, to Hitler. It was incredible. What was your reaction when you heard that?"
SESSIONS: Well, it really upset me because this Congress has sent over a hundred thousand American soldiers in Iraq and Afghanistan to carry out the policies of the United States of America. First of all, what he said is not true. It's utterly false. Millions died under Hitler, millions died under Pol Pot, millions died under the communist regime, the Gulag Archipelago. And not one has died in G'itmo, not one has died there. They've been given the best medical treatment that the world can provide.
RUSH: And the best food and air-conditioning. You think there was air-conditioning in Cambodia? Air-conditioning in Vietnam for our prisoners of war? To be turned on or off, was it even there? It was not. So the next question to Senator Sessions. "So why would an American senator say something that's false?"
SESSIONS: I just think that people are losing their perspective. We're all caught up in some domestic politics, maybe they want to embarrass the president, and they make these statements sometimes hopefully they're just not recognizing how serious the consequences are worldwide.
Posted - 6/18/2005 08:27:00 AM - Permalink | |
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Thursday, June 16
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A new FOX News Poll finds most American oppose the closing of Guantanamo Bay (data in pdf format here): Recently, after allegations that troops mistreated prisoners, some critics have urged the closing of the U.S. military prison that houses terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba. The poll finds almost 6 in 10 voters (59 percent) think the prison should stay open, 22 percent think it should be closed and 19 percent are unsure.
In addition, 43 percent think the prison meets "accepted standards for treating prisoners," while 33 percent think the prison is failing to meet those standards and almost a quarter (24 percent) are unsure.
Prisoners being held at Guantanamo Bay are given copies of the holy Muslim book the Koran. If the situations were reversed, and Muslims were holding Americans as prisoners, few respondents think the same sensitivity would hold true: 10 percent believe Americans would offered copies of the Bible, while 75 percent do not. Here tha actual questions and results (pdf): Based on what you know, do you think the prison conditions at Guantanamo Bay military base meet accepted standards for treating prisoners or fail to meet those standards?
1. Meet accepted standards 43%
2. Fail to meet standards 33
3. (Not sure) 24
For reference (9-10 Jul 02): Based on what you know, do you think the prison
conditions at Guantanamo military base are acceptable or unacceptable?
1. Acceptable 67%
2. Unacceptable 8
3. (Not sure) 25
In purely physical terms, such as food and clothing, do you think most detainees in the Guantanamo Bay military prison are living better or worse than they were in Iraq and Afghanistan?
1. Better 59%
2. Worse 12
3. (Same) 6
4. (Not sure) 24
Do you think the military prison at Guantanamo Bay should be closed or not?
1. Yes 22%
2. No 59
3. (Not sure) 19
At the prison at Guantanamo Bay, Muslim prisoners are given copies of the holy Muslim book the Koran. If Muslims were holding Americans as prisoners, do you think the Americans would be given copies of the Bible?
1. Yes 10%
2. No 75
3. (Not sure/Refused) 15 The poll also focused on other things such as the Patriot Act and found a majority of Americans support it's renewal. This poll also found congress to be 'Out of Touch': 54% say congress is out of touch whats going on in the country (as opposed to 35% in 2003) and 51% say congress is not working on important issues. 63% say senators and congressmen are "Petty politicians fighting for personal gain", only 17% see them as statesmen. When asked whether congress has passed legislation that will improve the lives of Americans this year, 61% say no 21% not sure.
Posted - 6/16/2005 05:48:00 PM - Permalink | |
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Wednesday, June 15
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Via lgf, Google has been known for allowing all things left but finding similar things from the right to be against their policy, now they seem to been using anti-Israeli propaganda that's loaded with complete luna | |
