Afghanistan against America

The International Security Assistance Force in Afghanistan is disputing a claim by Afghan President Hamid Karzai that a NATO rocket attack in southern Helmand province last Friday killed 52 civilians.

In a statement issued Monday, ISAF spokesman Rear Admiral Greg Smith said a joint investigation by NATO and the Afghan government has thus far revealed "no evidence of civilians injured or killed."

Mr. Karzai said Monday that an investigation by the Afghan intelligence service found that a NATO rocket hit a home in the Sangin district of Helmand province.

http://www1.voanews.com/english/news/asia/Afghan-Officials-Rocket-Attack-Kills-45-Civilians-99233909.html

The U.S., NATO and ISAF are propping up Karzai and his Afghan regime, militarily and by trying to win over the Afghan public.

Karzai responds with baseless accusations of random indiscriminate killing of civilians, making our job that much harder.

Let's withdraw, and let Karzai face his enemies without us. Karzai and his government wouldn't last more than a few days.

If veil bans are acceptable to Muslim clerics . . .

they should be acceptable to Western legislatures.

A leading Saudi cleric hit out at France for moving to ban Muslim face-veils, but approved Muslim women foregoing veils when visiting a country which outlaws them, a Saudi paper reported on Saturday.

"It is illogical and unreasonable that the French government undertakes such a thing, which is condemned by neutral people, not just Muslims, because the secular state assures freedom of religion," Sheikh Aed al-Qarni told Al-Hayat.

"The state has to respect religious rituals and beliefs, including those of Muslims," he said in an interview.

However, he added, if Muslim women are in a country that has banned the niqab, or full-face veil, or if they face harassment in such a place, "it is better that the Muslim woman uncovers her face."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100724/lf_afp/saudifrancepoliticswomenreligionislam

Numerous scholars of various Islamic schools of thought agree that Muslim women can respect veil bans.

That should end the debate.

Our phony threats against North Korea

U.S. and South Korean warships and helicopters practiced anti-submarine maneuvers off the Korean peninsula Monday, readying defenses against the kind of weapon that allegedly sank a South Korean navy vessel earlier this year.

The destruction of the Cheonan in March, which has been blamed on North Korean torpedo, killed 46 sailors in the worst military disaster for the South since the 1950-53 Korean War.

The four-day "Invincible Spirit" exercises involving 20 ships, 200 aircraft and about 8,000 U.S. and South Korean sailors are being held in response to the sinking, bringing threats of retaliation from North Korea, which denies responsibility for the attack.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38398304/ns/world_news-asiapacific

It's obvious the U.S.'s military capacity is overextended in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan.

Our only military option elsewhere is limited to air strikes, whether the threat is from North Korea, Iran or any other rogue state.

These "military drills" are not intimidating. They are demonstrations of impotence.

The 10 lessons in the 100 days of the Gulf oil spill?

As the Gulf of Mexico oil spill hit the 100-day mark Wednesday, clear lessons have emerged from the stained waters. Here are 10 big ones likely to influence future decisions on offshore exploration . . .

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/28/1751283/the-10-lessons-in-the-100-days.html

Number one should be "verify offshore oil drilling applications with the same level of scrutiny applied to home mortgage applications".

BTW - Read the linked article. It's amazing how much blame falls on the enforcement and regulatory arms of the Obama administration

Our friend Pakistan

The documents released Sunday by WikiLeaks . . . include accusations that a former top Pakistani intelligence figure helped supply Taliban militants. There are also mundane but telling accounts of testy exchanges in which U.S. military officers tried to avoid disclosing operational details to Pakistani counterparts for fear the information would be turned against them.

"Of course we were vague and changed the subject," one American officer wrote following a 2007 meeting at which a Pakistani lieutenant colonel sought details about U.S. force placements.

The U.S. and Pakistani officers shared snacks and tea and took several group photos, the U.S. report said, but the officer's overall assessment of the session was bleak.

The Pakistani military is "not an effective disruption force," the officer wrote. "The leadership sounded to be on the right path, but it was not echoed in the actions of the unit."

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/27/1748168/military-documents-on-wikileak.html

We give Pakistan billions in aid, and they leak information to our enemies.

Aren't you glad the "anti-war" candidate won the presidential election?

Charlie Crist's corruption

I'm not talking about Crist's life as a "confirmed bachelor", before his late decision to marry a multi millionaire divorcee with children, just in time for the then self described "Reagan conservative" to be considered for vice president at the 2008 Republican Convention. There's nothing wrong with that.

And, if you're interested, there's already been a movie made about Crist and his "family values" friends. I think you can still get it "on demand".

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2009/05/07/AR2009050703854.html

I'm talking about the money Crist got by hobnobbing with Ponzi schemers and hanging out with his hand picked and now indicted Republican state party chair.

The Republican Party of Florida was sued Wednesday for $237,000 it received from Scott Rothstein's defunct Fort Lauderdale law firm.

Rothstein donated to the party from accounts of his law firm, Rothstein Rosenfeldt Adler, on more than 10 occasions, states the lawsuit filed in federal bankruptcy court.

The political donations were not a legitimate law firm expense and the firm received nothing in return for them, according to the suit.

. . . The payments were fraudulent transfers made between 2006 and 2009, according to the lawsuit.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/29/1751247/florida-gop-sued-for-donations.html

Of course, Republican turned independent, conservative turned centrist, singleton turned happily married heterosexual Crist is Obama's first choice for U.S. senator from Florida (ahead of any Democrat in the race).

Angering everyone on immigration

Obama broke his promise to the "open borders" crowd to deal with "immigration reform" during his first year in office.

Now, "pro enforcement" forces are livid about the Obama administration's successful suit to stay enforcement of the Arizona immigration law.

Overall, a fairly stupid way to handle a volatile issue 100 days before a midterm election.

Say what you will about the Arizona immigration law . . .

it was starting to work.

Undocumented immigrants leaving Arizona in fear of crackdown . . . The law’s stated intention is unambiguous: It seeks to drive illegal immigrants out of Arizona and to discourage them from coming here.

There is no official data tracking how many are leaving because of the new law. “It’s something that’s really tough to get a handle on numerically,” said Bill Schooling, Arizona’s state demographer. “It’s not just the immigration bill. It’s also employer sanctions and the economy. How do you separate out the motivating factors?”

But anecdotal evidence provided by schools and businesses in heavily Hispanic neighborhoods and by healthcare clinics suggest that sizable numbers are departing. Ignacio Rodriguez, associate director for the Phoenix Roman Catholic diocese’s Office of Hispanic Ministries, said churches in the area are also seeing families leave.

Priests are “seeing some people approach them and ask for a blessing because they’re leaving the state to go back to their country of origin or another state,” he said. “Unless they approach and ask for a sending-off blessing, we wouldn’t have any idea they’re leaving or why.”

http://blogs.orlandosentinel.com/news_hispanicaffairs/2010/06/undocumented-immigrants-leaving-arizona-in-fear-of-crackdown.html

Of course, that's why they had to stop it from taking effect. They couldn't let one state be a laboratory for successful experimentation, for fear they would be proved wrong.

Who said, "End the war. Spend the money at home."?

That was Obama in Iowa in the winter of 2008. His plan: End the war and use the money wasted abroad to finance the Democratic Party's ambitious domestic agenda.

Too bad Obama lied. He flip flopped, and opted for both guns and butter, featuring continued and expanded war and accelerated domestic spending.

The conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan have cost Americans $1 trillion to date, second only in inflation-adjusted dollars to the $4 trillion price for World War II, when the United States put 16 million men and women into uniform and fought on three continents.

http://www.mercurynews.com/california/ci_15595720?nclick_check=1

Even worse, the "anti war" progressives and Democratic deficit hawks now put partisan loyalty above principle.

Spitting in Obama's face

Vladimir Putin says he met with the Russian spies who were expelled from the United States, joining them in singing an unofficial KGB anthem and promising them good jobs and a bright future back in their homeland.

http://www.sunherald.com/2010/07/25/2355341/russias-putin-sings-with-expelled.html

They're spitting in Obama's face.

If we had a president who was respected abroad, we would not be treated this way.

Russia is mocking America, and Putin is mocking Obama.

Rachel Maddow: Newsperson? No, partisan hack

Obama, in a four-minute video message, tried to calm liberals frustrated by what they consider slow progress on their favorite causes, urging Democratic bloggers and activists to be patient and work with him.

. . . Be patient, Obama urged them. His message included a brief recitation of his accomplishments by liberal TV commentator Rachel Maddow, who noted that Congress has passed landmark health care and financial regulation legislation.

http://www.fresnobee.com/2010/07/25/2017801/hed-here.html

Does a "newsperson" address a gathering of partisan "Democratic bloggers and activists" regarding the "accomplishments" of any politician? No, but a partisan hack does.

It's funny how the people who complain about the hyper partisanship on Fox News celebrate its mirror image on MSBNC.

Who pays for half of BP's $20B oil spill disaster relief fund?

YOU do!

As BP announced a $17 billion second-quarter loss, it said it would incur a charge of $32 billion from the Gulf oil spill response - - and thus claim a nearly $10 billion tax credit.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/28/1749344/bp-eyes-10b-tax-credit-over-gulf.html

It turns out that the awesome $20 billion fund that Obama squeezed out of BP is as big a sham as . . . the administration that squeezed it out of them.

Isn't it funny that no one mentioned at the time that a U.S government tax credit would pay for half of the fund?

Israel agrees to peace talks, Palestinians reject peace talks

Obviously, the world will blame Israel.

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said Sunday that despite intense international pressure from the "entire world," he is still not willing to start direct negotiations with Israel.

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/world/abbas-says-he-is-still-wary-of-direct-talks-with-israel-despite-pressure-from-entire-world-99191704.html

Will all those in the Obama administration who pressured Israel to agree now exert equal pressure on the Palestinians? Of course not.

We supposedly went in to avoid this kind of thing

The Taliban claimed Sunday that they killed a U.S. sailor and kidnapped another as NATO forces ramped up a massive search for the servicemen, who went missing two days earlier in an area held by the militants.

http://breakingnews.gaeatimes.com/2010/07/25/taliban-claim-to-have-captured-us-sailor-killed-another-say-survivor-held-in-safe-place-41797/

And, now, they're offering to trade the bodies for insurgent prisoners.

This is what our invasion of Afghanistan (almost 10 years ago) was supposed to end.

Why would the Church hierarchy suggest this?

Chile's conservative president rejected a proposal by the Roman Catholic Church for sweeping pardons of elderly and sick prisoners that would have freed military officers convicted of human rights violations during the Pinochet dictatorship.

President Sebastian Pinera announced Sunday that he will only consider case-by-case pardons on humanitarian grounds and that serious offenses related to crimes against humanity, terrorism or drug trafficking will not be considered.

http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/2010/jul/25/chile-rejects-pardons-proposed-by-catholic-church/

Forgiveness and redemption are nice, but people were killed and "vanished" without a hint of due process (adults tortured then murdered and finally disposed of at sea, while their children were adopted out to military families without any records) during Augusto Pinochet's 1973-1990 dictatorship. The survivors still wonder where their children are buried, and what became of their grandchildren. Basic justice and fairness demand punishment. These are crimes which deserve imprisonment for more than a few years.

It seems that the hierarchy and the bureaucracy are the enemies of logic in every human organization.

South of the border, down Mejico way

Guards and officials at a prison in northern Mexico allegedly let inmates out, lent them guns and sent them off in official vehicles to carry out drug-related killings, including the massacre of 17 people last week, prosecutors said Sunday.

. . . Also Sunday, Mexican federal police announced the arrest of an alleged leading member of a drug gang blamed in recent killings and a car-bombing in the violence-ridden border city of Ciudad Juarez, across from El Paso, Texas.

http://www.buffalonews.com/wire-feeds/24-hour-world-news/article81302.ece

I will never understand why Washington spends so much time obsessing about security in Iraq and Iran and Afghanistan and Pakistan, and so little time concerned about out of control narco terrorism and political corruption within a one hour drive of our unprotected border.

It took Clinton 1 year to convince people his party was serious about deficits

and it took Obama 18 months to destroy the Democrat's reputation for fiscal responsibility.

US deficit heads toward record $1.47 trillion
Even with the slight improvement over earlier forecasts, the White House is predicting a record high deficit that some Republicans are already calling 'a stark reminder of the legacy of Obamanomics.'

http://www.csmonitor.com/Money/2010/0723/US-deficit-heads-toward-record-1.47-trillion

Mel Gibson, meet Oliver Stone

The "Jewish-dominated media" prevents Hitler from being portrayed "in context", according to Academy Award winning film director Oliver Stone.

Director Oliver Stone belittled the Holocaust during a shocking interview with the Sunday Times today, claiming that America's focus on the Jewish massacre was a product of the "Jewish domination of the media."

The director also defended Hitler and Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, and railed against the "powerful lobby" of Jews in America.

Stone said that his upcoming Showtime documentary series "Secret History of America," seeks to put Hitler and Communist dictator Joseph Stalin "in context."

"Hitler was a Frankenstein but there was also a Dr Frankenstein. German industrialists, the Americans and the British. He had a lot of support," Stone told reporter Camilla Long during the interview, which can be found behind the paywall on the Sunday Times' website.

. . . The Sunday Times interviewer then asked why there was such a focus on the Holocaust.

"The Jewish domination of the media," responded Stone. "There's a major lobby in the United States. They are hard workers. They stay on top of every comment, the most powerful lobby in Washington. Israel has f***** up United States foreign policy for years."

http://newsbusters.org/blogs/alana-goodman/2010/07/25/oliver-stone-jewish-dominated-media-prevents-hitler-being-portrayed-c

I really wish there was a "Jewish-dominated media". Then, these two idiots would never work again.

Brazil's jobless rate fell to 7% in June

Think about that - - third world countries are doing better than we are under Obama.

Brazil’s unemployment rate fell to the lowest level for the month of June since at least 2002.

Unemployment fell to 7.0 percent in June, the national statistics office said today in Rio de Janeiro. The figure was lower than the median estimate of 7.3 percent among 34 economists surveyed by Bloomberg. Unemployment was 7.5 percent in May.

The yield on the interest rate future contract maturing January 2011, the most traded today on Sao Paulo’s BM&F Exchange, fell 12 basis points to 10.86 percent at 8:07 a.m. New York time. The real rose 0.6 percent to 1.7704 per dollar.

The central bank unexpectedly slowed the pace of interest rate increases yesterday after consumer prices fell for the first time in four years, raising the benchmark interest rate by half a percentage point to 10.75 percent.

Brazil’s $1.6 trillion economy has shown signs of cooling from its 9 percent annual growth rate in the first quarter. Industrial output and retail sales grew less in May than analysts had forecast, and June tax collection was less than predicted.

Still, the economy is likely to expand at its fastest pace in more than two decades this year, keeping inflation above the government’s 4.5 percent target until the second quarter of 2012, the central bank said in a quarterly report June 30.

http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2010-07-22/brazil-s-jobless-rate-fell-to-7-in-june-lowest-level-for-month-since-02.html

Mexico gunfire alarms Texans

While we focus on the safety of Iraqis, "Late-night gunbattles with gangs who forced citizens from their cars and used the vehicles to block streets paralyzed a border city, and the sound of gunfire alarmed Texans on the U.S. side of the Rio Grande. The Nuevo Laredo city government posted messages on Facebook warning citizens to stay indoors as the battles erupted at several intersections in the city across from Laredo, Texas. Frightened people on the U.S. side of the border called emergency dispatchers after hearing the gunfire, Laredo police spokesman Joe Baeza said Thursday. But he said there was no spillover violence."

http://www.telegram.com/article/20100723/NEWS/7230492/1052/RSS01&source=rss

You know it's only a matter of time before someone on our side of the border is struck by stray bullets and "friendly" fire.

Don't you know someone happy to be on unemployment?

Facing a brutal job market, more than a million Floridians are listed as unemployed. Washington stepped in with more aid, but sometimes that aid can be more appealing than work.

As the owner of a temporary staffing firm, Vanessa Bartram knows the allure of even part-time work in a brutal economy as her Miami office clogs with candidates each day.

But she also knows the appeal of an unemployment check, a government benefit President Barack Obama extended Thursday and which has complicated some job pairings during the downturn.

"We've definitely had people say, 'No I don't want that job,' and beg us not to report that to unemployment," said Bartram, president of Work Square, which specializes in matching workers with low-wage hospitality jobs. "I think it's relatively common. I think people understand the system and how to maneuver it."

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/22/1743209/a-crossroads-for-the-jobless-aid.html

All things being equal, most people would rather have a good job than a state unemployment benefit check.

But, let's all stop pretending that we don't all know of at least one person who won't seriously look for a job until their unemployment benefits run out.

An apolitical defense of Lebron James

For turning down more money in Ohio or New York or Chicago because he'd rather play the game to win, Lebron James is being lectured by Jordan, Barkley and Johnson.

I'm talking about Michael Jordan, the best who ever played the game, but the man who had to take a year or two off at the height of his career because of "gambling issues", and who's father was killed under mysterious circumstances.

And Charles Barkley, who most recently was in the news after being jailed for drunk driving.

And Magic Johnson, who contracted HIV/AIDS from either rampant adulterous promiscuity, or intravenous drug use, or unprotected closeted gay sex (pick at least one), putting at risk the health and safety of his wife and children.

Why do any of these guys think they are in a position to lecture a scandal-free 25 year old who still lives with his mom?

Obamabots get their revenge on Clinton supporter

Democratic Rep. Kendrick Meek touts his congressional accomplishments in his U.S. Senate quest, but rivals and supporters question if he's ready for the starring role.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/24/1745594/meek-strives-to-prove-hes-ready.html

Meek committed the ultimate sin for a member of the Congressional Black Caucus - - he endorsed Hillary Clinton over Obama, stuck with her to the end, and never betrayed her or tried to sabotage her campaign from within.

Therefore, the Obama White House hasn't done anything for Meek. Instead, the Obama folks on the ground in Florida are signing up with newly independent, newly moderate, newly happily married heterosexual Governor Charlie Crist.

They gladly ignore Crist's 20+ year record as a Reagan Republican conservative "confirmed bachelor" who consistently supported the Bushs and their wars and opposed gay adoptions and reproductive choice. After all, Crist didn't get to be known as "Chain Gang Charlie" because of all the white prisoners he sent out on work crews when he re-instituted 19th century style chain gangs in Florida prisons.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Crist

The real story - - petty Obama won't support the Democrat.

Man behind "South Park" threat arrested

A 20-year-old Virginia man, who posted warnings to the makers of animated TV show "South Park" in April, was arrested on Wednesday on charges of providing material support to an extremist group that has ties to al Qaeda, the U.S. Justice Department said.

The defendant, Zachary Adam Chesser, a U.S. citizen living in Fairfax County in Virginia, told federal agents that he attempted twice to travel to Somalia to join the al Shabaab group as a foreign fighter, the department said.

. . . The show on cable channel Comedy Central in April showed the Prophet Mohammad in a bear outfit. Most Muslims consider any depiction of the founder of Islam as offensive.

The Internet postings showed a graphic picture of slain Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh and warned "South Park" creators Matt Stone and Trey Parker they risked meeting the same fate.

. . . Chesser said he did not support acts of terrorism or violence, but that he wanted the United States to fail in its overseas military efforts.

http://www.blogger.com/post-create.g?blogID=8079744742745378673

It's no surprise this crazy man would eventually be discovered to have ties to international fundamentalist terrorists. What is surprising is that he wasn't thrown in jail without bond after making the initial threats!

Let's review - - if one idiot in a crowd of thousands uses one bad word or holds up one offensive sign at a "tea party" rally, the tea party movement is a racist threat to civil discourse which must be monitored by the Justice Department and condemned by civic organizations. But, if you threaten to kill an artist or performer you find offensive . . . nothing, until you actually hook up with al Qaeda.

For the record: Acts of tea party violence - zero. Acts of international fundamentalist terrorist violence, death and destruction - tens of thousands. Which threat should the Obama administration be watching and condemning?

Bush-era attorney firing called legal

We're several dozen fake controversies removed from the artificial "attorney firings" scandal, but

The Bush administration's Justice Department's actions were inappropriately political, but not criminal, when it fired a U.S. attorney in 2006, prosecutors said Wednesday in closing a two-year investigation without filing charges.

The decision closes the books on one of the lingering political disputes of the Bush administration, one that Democrats said was evidence of GOP politics run amok and that Republicans have always said was a manufactured controversy.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/21/1740756/ap-source-us-attorneys-inquiry.html

Remember, Obama's campaign supporters called the firings illegal, made the firings an issue in the election, and ruined or stalled the careers of several of those involved.

Now, the Obama administration's Justice Department concedes that the firings were legal.

Of course, don't expect those calling for apologies to members of "their" team (like Shirley Sherrod) to issue any apologies to members of "the other" team (like the Bush staffers) . . . because they don't realize we're all supposed to be on the same team.

A White House trifecta of gullibility, stupidity and weakness

Shirley Sherrod, the black Agriculture Department official whose firing and subsequent offer of rehiring by the Obama administration this week has sparked a national conversation about politics and race, said Thursday she believes she deserves a telephone call from President Obama — and the White House said Mr. Obama has not ruled it out.

http://www.nytimes.com/2010/07/22/us/politics/22sherrod.html

Of course, the president did eventually call and grovel for forgiveness - - before Sherrod went on television to say conservatives want to re-enslave blacks.

Putting aside all merits of the underlying dispute, our enemies were comforted this week by the administration's demonstration of bafflement, confusion and incompetence.

P.S. - And don't blame the blogger who posted the edited video - - unless you're willing to concede that one lone blogger can bamboozle the entire Obama administration in a war of wills and information!

4 escape Baghdad prison days after Iraq takes control

Four Islamic extremists escaped a prison located inside the Baghdad airport compound that the U.S. military had handed over to the Iraqi government with great fanfare just last week, state television said Thursday.

The escape from under the noses of Iraqi and U.S. military forces was sure to raise questions about the competence and loyalties of officials running Iraq's prison system as the number of American troops falls to 50,000 by the end of next month.

. . . Iraqis familiar with the investigation said it was examining whether the warden, Omar Khames, had driven the men out of the prison in his car. The television report quoted a Justice Ministry source as saying that the Americans had pressured the ministry to accept Khames as warden.

http://www.cleveland.com/world/index.ssf/2010/07/4_escape_baghdad_prison_days_a.html

We catch al-Qaida terrorists.

We turn them over to Iraq.

Then, the Iraqi we select as warden drives the terrorists out of the prison in his car (which we probably paid for).

Heck of a job, Obama!

Remember learning about the Monroe Doctrine?

You know, America avoids foreign entanglements and focuses on securing peace and prosperity among the nations of this hemisphere?

While Obama focuses on Iraq and Afghanistan and Pakistan and Gaza, our hemisphere continues to fall apart (which will only increase illegal immigration from the region).

President Hugo Chavez severed Venezuela's diplomatic relations with Colombia on Thursday over claims he harbors guerrillas, and he warned that his neighbor's leader could attempt to provoke a war.

Chavez said he was forced to break off all relations because Colombian officials claim he has failed to act against leftist rebels who allegedly have taken shelter in Venezuelan territory.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-07-22-Venezuela_N.htm

Thank you, to the "anti-war" presidential candidate

Two U.S. servicemen were killed Thursday in a helicopter crash in Helmand province, the third fatal copter crash in the south of Afghanistan in less than two months.

Taliban forces claimed to have shot down the aircraft.

http://www.arkansasonline.com/news/2010/jul/23/afghan-copter-crash-kills-2-us-troops-20100723/

Too bad you adopted the Bush / Cheney plan for Iraq and Afghanistan after you were elected.

"Sen. John Kerry, who has repeatedly voted to raise taxes while in Congress . . .

dodged a whopping six-figure state tax bill on his new multimillion-dollar yacht by mooring her in Newport, R.I.

Isabel - Kerry’s luxe, 76-foot New Zealand-built Friendship sloop with an Edwardian-style, glossy varnished teak interior, two VIP main cabins and a pilothouse fitted with a wet bar and cold wine storage - was designed by Rhode Island boat designer Ted Fontaine.

But instead of berthing the vessel in Nantucket, where the senator summers with the missus, Teresa Heinz, Isabel’s hailing port is listed as “Newport” on her stern.

. . . Cash-strapped Massachusetts still collects a 6.25 percent sales tax and an annual excise tax on yachts. Sources say Isabel sold for something in the neighborhood of $7 million, meaning Kerry saved approximately $437,500 in sales tax and an annual excise tax of about $70,000.

http://bostonherald.com/track/inside_track/view.bg?articleid=1269698

John Kerry is just another tax cheating millionaire.

This action is one more reason why John Kerry deserves his place as the only Democratic presidential candidate since Mike Dukakis in 1988 to come in second in the popular vote.

Why is Reid's failure on energy the Republicans' fault?

Senate Democrats abandoned plans Thursday to pass an energy bill that would cap emissions of carbon dioxide, saying Republicans refuse to support it. Majority Leader Harry Reid said no Republican would back a comprehensive energy bill, a development he called "terribly disappointing."

http://www.usatoday.com/printedition/news/20100723/capcol23_st.art.htm

As demonstrated on "health insurance reform", and the stimulus, and financial services reform, and unemployment insurance extension(s), Harry Reid has a filibuster-proof 60 vote Democratic super majority in the U.S. Senate.

It's not the opposition's fault if a 60 member caucus in a 100 member body can't pass an energy bill.

Arizona's immigration law "requires officers, while enforcing other laws . . .

to check a person's immigration status if there's a reasonable suspicion that the person is here illegally. It also bans people from blocking traffic when they seek or offer day-labor services on streets and prohibits illegal immigrants from soliciting work in public places."

http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2010-07-22-us-immigration-arizona-lawsuits_N.htm

That's what the Arizona law provides, according to the judge and the court fillings, both for and against.

Agree or disagree with the statute, but after all the lies and argument and exaggeration and hyperventilation, how is that "neo-Nazi" or "neo-fascist" or whatever else it's been called?

It seems fairly moderate and reasonable to me.

I wish the opponents of this law would just be honest - - they oppose restrictions on immigration.

Of course, in the next breath, they demand we "do something" about unemployment - - which is made worse by uncontrolled immigration.

Afghan soldier kills two US civilian trainers

An Afghan soldier opened fire at a training base in northern Afghanistan, leading to the deaths of two US civilian trainers, Nato has said.

The suspected gunman and another Afghan soldier were also killed, Nato's International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) said.

The incident took place at Camp Shaheen, an Afghan army training base, outside Mazar-e-Sharif.

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-south-asia-10701421

The "allies" we're training are shooting our people in the back, while the "anti war" candidate we elected president increases our commitment!

Obama ran in '08 promising to end the war

Pelosi ran in '06 promising to fix the ethics mess in Congress.

They broke their promises.

That's why they're both in political trouble.

A House ethics subcommittee Thursday charged New York Rep. Charles Rangel with ethics violations, a blow to the veteran Democrat roughly 100 days before crucial midterm congressional elections.

The panel did not detail the charges against Rangel, who was forced to step down as chairman of the influential House Ways and Means Committee this year over his long-running ethics troubles.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/washington/2010-07-23-rangel23_ST_N.htm?csp=34news

Two wimps discuss the Lockerbie bomber's release

President Obama joined British Prime Minister David Cameron on Tuesday in condemning last year's release of the only person convicted in the 1988 bombing of Pan Am Flight 103 over Lockerbie, Scotland, but both men stopped short of pledging a full inquiry into how the release unfolded and whether embattled BP executives had anything to do with it.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/20/news/sc-dc-0721-obama-cameron-20100720

If they think it was a "bad decision", why wouldn't they want "a full inquiry into how the release unfolded and whether embattled BP executives had anything to do with it"?

By the way - - Ordering tuna in a roadside diner is a "bad decision". Releasing a convicted terrorist who murdered hundreds of your citizens in exchange for oil drilling rights is treasonous.

If Muslim Syria can ban full face veils because they're not required by the religion . . .

why can't any Western nation?

Syria has forbidden the country's students and teachers from wearing the niqab — the full Islamic veil that reveals only a woman's eyes — taking aim at a garment many see as political. . . . The veil is linked to Salafism, a movement that models itself on early Islam with a doctrine that is similar to Saudi Arabia's. In the broad spectrum of Islamic thought, Salafism is on the extreme conservative end.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100719/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_syria_islamic_veils

Muslim Syria now joins Muslim Turkey, Muslim Egypt, Muslim Jordan and Muslim Lebanon in recognizing that the full veil is not a "religious obligation" but "a declaration of extremism" endorsed by the most radically fundamentalist branch of the world wide Muslim community.

Why would any one in the West disagree?

While we focus on bringing democracy to Iraq and Afghanistan

Incoming [Suriname] president and former dictator Desi Bouterse said through a spokesman Tuesday that he will not interfere in his ongoing trial for the massacre of political opponents during his military regime.

Bouterse, who twice led military coups in Suriname and has been convicted in the Netherlands of drug trafficking, will keep his campaign pledge not to use his office to influence the trial over the 1982 killings, spokesman Winston Lackin said in an interview.

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/C/CB_SURINAME_ELECTIONS?SITE=AP&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT&CTIME=2010-07-19-13-53-40

We're showering economic and military aid on people who will always hate us while ignoring disturbing developments in our own hemisphere.

Remember when Obama swatted a fly . . .

and the media swooned?

Talk about flying at your own risk.

President Obama, nettled by a fly during a TV interview at the White House, took matters into his own hands Tuesday.

Said Obama to the persistent fly: "Get out of here."

But it didn't.

So Obama waited for the fly to settle, put his hand up and then smacked the fly dead in one try.

Without missing a beat, the president said to CNBC correspondent John Harwood: "Now, where were we."

Well, maybe one more second to gloat.

Said Obama: "That was pretty impressive, wasn't it? I got the sucker."

http://www.foxnews.com/politics/2009/06/16/obama-swats-fly-tv-interview/

I can't believe the media was ever that fawning and uncritical . . . but they were. That's why we have an unqualified man in the White House.

1,200 troops to guard border . . . soon

National Guard troops will head to the U.S.-Mexican border Aug. 1 for a yearlong deployment to keep a lookout for illegal border crossers and smugglers and help in criminal investigations, federal officials said Monday.

The troops will be armed but can use their weapons only to protect themselves . . . will undergo initial training and be fully deployed along the nearly 2,000-mile southern border by September.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38310914/ns/us_news-security/

The troops will get there in August, they'll be trained for at least one month, they can only use their weapons defensively, and they'll actually start patrolling no earlier than September - - 1200 troops guarding 2000 miles.

If you figure that no more than 25% of the troops are actually on duty at any one time, and that the troops will be deployed in teams, that's a maximum of 300 troops in a maximum of 150 teams covering 2000 miles at any one time, which makes this an unarmed insufficient border patrol.

Of course, this is way more expensive and far less effective than a wall . . . a wall just like those surrounding the gated communities and security accessed condos where administration and elected officials live.

Judge blocks cruel anti abortion law

A state law requiring women "to have an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus" before abortion was blocked by an Oklahoma judge granting an injunction on Monday.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/us_okla_abortion_law_hearing

Whether you're pro life or pro choice, there's no excuse for being cruel.

Making a woman seeking an abortion (including rape and incest victims) have an ultrasound and listen to a detailed description of the fetus is cruel.

And, frankly, being seen as cruel (and sexist and patronizing) doesn't help your cause.

Dumb 'ole me

I didn't run with the reverse racism / Mrs. Sherrod / USDA / NAACP story.

But, if I thought it was fishy, so should have the Obama administration. Instead, they rushed to fire someone "before Glenn Beck comes on".

They're afraid of an unfavorable story on Glenn Beck's afternoon show? Then, I don't trust them to confront our real enemies.

The End Public Safety Act

Rep. John Conyers has introduced the “End Racial Profiling Act” (H.R. 5748), which explicitly states that “a disparate impact on racial, ethnic, or religious minorities shall constitute prima facie evidence of a violation of this title.”

In other words, the numbers of those stopped and arrested must accurately reflect the racial, ethnic and religious makeup of the community, unless the cops can produce a good reason why not.

This is nonsense. All criminals should be arrested, convicted and punished, regardless of the racial, ethnic or religious group to which they belong.

Do we really ever want any cop thinking, "I've arrested too many Hindus this week, and not enough Jews"?

Our allies, the Pakistanis

A Pakistani couple have been sentenced to death by stoning for alleged adultery by a tribal court in the Khyber-Pakhtunkwa province of the country.

http://breakingnews.gaeatimes.com/2010/07/19/pak-couple-face-death-by-stoning-after-adultery-conviction-40363/

We support the government that stones people to death for adultery, in order to keep from power the fundamentalists . . . who would stone people to death for adultery.

Our choices in the region make no sense.

More killed across our undefended border with Mexico

Gunmen armed with machine guns have shot dead at least 17 party-goers in a pre-dawn attack outside the northern Mexican city of Torreon, officials say.

Authorities say the heavily armed attackers have also wounded 10 others after spraying bullets through a recreation centre in Coahuila state, near Mexico's northern border with the United States.

A source with the state police department said witnesses reported hearing members of the group yell "kill them all" before they opened fire.

The attack took place about 1.30am on Sunday at the recreation centre, a popular weekend retreat situated in an usually calm suburb among gardens and lakes. Authorities said they found more than 200 bullet casings fired from automatic weapons following the massacre.

Officials said most of the shooting victims were in their 20s and 30s.

Sunday's attack brings the number of shooting victims in Mexico to at least 50 over the weekend, most of them in the north of the country.

http://www.fijitimes.com/story.aspx?id=152023

Sunday's attack brought the number of shooting victims in the north of Mexico along the U.S. border over the weekend to at least 50. Of course, our political elite and the media will continue their focus on what they see as the "real" security threat - - the Arizona legislature.

Fortunately, the public supports the Arizona immigration enforcement law.

Job losses caused by bailouts?

The Treasury Department failed to consider the economic fallout when it told General Motors and Chrysler to quickly shutter many dealerships as part of government-led bankruptcies, a federal watchdog found.

A report released Sunday by the special inspector general for the government's bailout program raised questions about whether the Obama administration's auto task force considered the job losses from the closings while pressuring the companies to reduce costs.

Treasury didn't show why the cuts were "either necessary for the sake of the companies' economic survival or prudent for the sake of the nation's economic recovery," said the audit by Neil Barofsky, the special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the $787 billion stimulus program known as TARP.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/18/1736190/report-criticizes-handling-of.html

Got that? According to Neil Barofsky, the Obama-appointed special inspector general for the Troubled Asset Relief Program, the $787 billion stimulus program known as TARP, the administration "failed to consider the economic fallout" or "consider the job losses" during the auto industry "government-led bankruptcies" and bailouts.

The jobs of auto executives and union big shots were saved by the auto industry bailouts, clearly in payback for campaign support. Rank and file auto, auto dealership and auto supply workers? They get unemployment insurance extensions.

46 Iraqi militiamen killed

Two suicide bombers killed 46 members of a U.S. backed anti-al Qaeda Sunni militia in Iraq, the highest such death toll in two months, an Iraqi Interior ministry official said Sunday.

Officials blamed al Qaeda in Iraq, which has frequently targeted such militiamen, though no immediate claim of responsibility was made.

The militia, called the Awakening or Sahwa in Arabic, was formed in 2006 in Anbar Province by tribal men and former members of al Qaeda and other insurgent groups who decided to join with the U.S. military to fight al Qaeda. The militia was credited for much of the security improvement in the country since 2006.

The first attack took place around 8:30 a.m. in al Radwaniya in southwest Baghdad as the members of militia were gathered near an Iraqi army post to receive their monthly salaries from the Iraqi government. A suicide bomber detonated his vest bomb in the crowd, killing 43 and injuring 40 others, including Iraqi army soldiers.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/19/1736626/46-iraqi-militiamen-are-killed.html

Does anyone think the 50,000 permanent troops we are leaving in permanent bases in Iraq after the "anti war" president "withdraws" from Iraq will be safe from random terrorist attacks?

South of the border, down Mejico way

The first successful car bombing by a drug cartel brings a new dimension of terror to a Mexican border region already shocked by random street battles, bodies dangling from bridges and highway checkpoints mounted by heavily armed criminals.

The attack, seemingly lifted from an al-Qaida playbook, demonstrated once again that the cartels are a step ahead of both an already guarded public and federal police, who have recently taken over command from the military of the battle against traffickers in Ciudad Juarez, a city across the border from El Paso, Texas.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100718/ap_on_bi_ge/lt_drug_war_mexico

Got that? Directly across the border from El Paso, Texas, there is a car bombing, street battles, bodies dangling from bridges and highway checkpoints mounted by heavily armed criminals, "lifted from an al-Qaida playbook".

But, for some reason, if you favor border security, you're a racist.

Whining about Obama not getting "credit"

The newest pro Obama media spin:

I've been scratching my head over this for the past year: Does President Obama get credit for the things he does right?

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/16/AR2010071601727.html

What the spinsters fail to realize is that passing a bill called "financial regulation" does not reform the system; passing something called "health insurance reform" (which does not take effect for years) does not "reform" the health care system; and, passing a "stimulus" bill which doesn't work as promised and allows unemployment to enter double digits isn't "fixing unemployment".

The only thing we got so far from this legislative frenzy is multi trillion dollar deficits and ballooning national debt (from someone who criticized Bush's deficits and debt).

If and when good things start happening, Obama might get credit. But, not before.

The highest ethical standards?

Election watchdogs have fined Joe Biden's 2008 presidential campaign more than $219,000 for sloppy bookkeeping and accepting excessive contributions, including a discounted flight on a private jet.

http://abcnews.go.com/Politics/wireStory?id=11187928

The media would rather gossip about past vice presidents Cheney and Gore than discuss the current reality of Joe Biden's favorable rating of only 43%.

http://www.gallup.com/poll/141269/favorable-ratings-gore-down-cheney-up-biden-flat.aspx

Iroquois silliness

An American Indian lacrosse team's refusal to travel on passports not issued by the Iroquois confederacy goes to the heart of one of the most sensitive issues in Indian Country — sovereignty.

http://www.startribune.com/nation/98669209.html?elr=KArks:DCiUMEaPc:UiD3aPc:_Yyc:aUU

The 23 members of the Iroquois Nationals — whose ancestors helped invent the sport as much as 1,000 years ago — refuse to use U.S. or Canadian passports, and the United Kingdom won't recognize their passports issued by the Iroquois confederacy.

http://www.sfexaminer.com/sports/Iroquois-lacrosse-team-bowing-out-of-UK-tournament-98667109.html

By cancelling the trip, the team's "adult" advisers are not looking out for the best interests of the team members.

Further, I'm not too comfortable with the idea of individuals boarding airplanes with politically correct but fake i.d., issued without sufficient background security checks. And, frankly, you have to wonder if there's any reason other than ethnic pride behind the adults' refusal to apply for and travel on both Iroquois and U.S. or Canadian passports.

More "success" in Pakistan

An apparent suicide bombing near a bus terminal in Pakistan's Swat Valley killed five people and wounded at least 58 on Thursday, officials said, a sign that Islamist militants remain active in the northwest region despite a massive army operation. . . .

The Pakistan military launched its biggest operation against the Taliban in Swat in 2009 after a failed attempt at a peace deal that included pledges to impose Islamic law in the area. The operation forced some 2 million people to flee, but after a few months, the army said it had taken control and many of the refugees returned home.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/15/world/main6680441.shtml

The operation against the Taliban in Swat in 2009 was supposedly a great "success".

Karma?

Iran hit by terrorists:

Twin bombings killed at least 20 people outside a mosque in southeastern Iran on Thursday - - including members of the powerful Revolutionary Guard - - in attacks that came less than a month after Iran hanged the leader of a militant insurgent group in the region.

http://www.newser.com/article/d9gvrfio0/at-least-20-killed-in-twin-blasts-outside-mosque-in-southeastern-iran.html

You have to hope this would make Iran reconsider its own actions in support of terror.

We're still focused on Iraq and Afganistan . . .

but the the real terror threat is across the border in Mexico.

Gunmen shot and killed the nephew of the governor-elect during a botched kidnapping in the drug-plagued northern state of Chihuahua, authorities said Thursday.

Mario Medina, nephew of Governor-elect Cesar Duarte, was shot in the back Wednesday as he tried to escape from his assailants in the state capital, also named Chihuahua, state prosecutors' spokesman Eduardo Esparza said.

Medina, 42, was at his parents' business when the assailants tried to kidnap him, Esparza said. Police had not discovered a motive.

More than 1,400 people have been killed in drug violence in Chihuahua state, most of them in Ciudad Juarez, across the border from El Paso, Texas. There have been more than 23,000 killings throughout the country linked to drug violence since President Felipe Calderon deployed thousands of soldiers and federal agents to drug hotspots in late 2006.

In the northern state of Nuevo Leon, authorities said the bodies of four men who had been shot to death were found on a street in the affluent Monterrey suburb of San Pedro Garza Garcia.

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/ALeqM5gMi5B2USfJStXxfqgWWr2xjRYpOgD9GVQSMO1
This is all happening on our doorstep.

The suspect initially described as "a lone white man upset about healthcare reform"

The man who pleaded guilty to carrying out the attempted Times Square car bombing appeared in a video recorded before the failed attack that shows him meeting with senior Pakistani Taliban leaders and vowing to strike the U.S.

In the video, aired in segments Wednesday by the Dubai-based television station Al-Arabiya, Faisal Shahzad said the attack on the New York City landmark would avenge the deaths of Muslims killed in Iraq and Afghanistan.

"All the Muslim Arabs that have been martyred — I will take revenge on their behalf," he said. "I really wish that the hearts of the Muslims will be pleased with this attack, God willing."

One of the figures he praises as a martyr is Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the former leader of al-Qaida in Iraq who was killed in a U.S. airstrike in Iraq in 2006.

Shahzad, 30, is seen in the video sitting on the ground in a black turban and olive-colored vest, with an AK-47 next to him. He calls jihad, or holy war, a pillar of the Muslim faith, and says "Islam will spread on the whole world and democracy will be defeated."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100714/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_times_square_car_bomb

Yup, just like N.Y.C. Mayor Bloomberg and MSNBC initially described him - - "a lone white man upset about healthcare reform".

Factory output drops sharply

New evidence of a slowing economic rebound emerged yesterday in reports that manufacturing activity is slowing after having helped to drive the early stages of the recovery.

Factory output fell in June, according to a government report. It was the sharpest monthly drop in a year. And two regional manufacturing indexes sank this month.

Production of automobiles, home-building materials, and processed food all fell in June. The data sent stocks falling.

Federal Reserve officials took note of the weakening recovery when they met last month and lowered their forecast for economic growth, according to minutes released Wednesday.

http://www.boston.com/business/articles/2010/07/16/factory_output_drops_sharply/
The Obama / Pelosi / Reid prescription? Extend unemployment benefits!

For those who decry our Guantanamo terrorist detention center

Rats and diseases infested Cuban prison cells so badly that some inmates tried to kill themselves and other did themselves harm, according to freed political prisoners who spoke Thursday in Spain.

Those who spoke were among 11 political prisoners released this week and flown to Spain to start new lives. At a press conference in Madrid, they painted a squalid picture of the prison conditions they had endured.

"The hygiene and health situations in prisons throughout the island of Cuba are not terrible, they are worse than terrible," freed dissident Julio Cesar Galvez said.

"We had to live with rats and cockroaches ... with excrement. It's not a lie," he said.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/15/1731524/cuba-prisoners-shared-cells-with.html

You'll never hear it in the U.S. media, but our Guantanamo terrorist detention center is safer, cleaner, and more humanely run than any of Castro's prison in Cuba.

Obama, 1/25/10: "The big difference here and in ’94 was you’ve got me."

http://blogs.abcnews.com/politicalpunch/2010/01/the-big-difference-between-2010-and-1994-is-me-president-obama-says-per-congressman.html

Obama, 7/15/10: Help me, Bill, please !!!

The Obama administration is now putting together an aggressive schedule to deploy Clinton to campaign appearances and fundraising events in key states around the country.

http://edition.cnn.com/2010/POLITICS/07/15/bill.clinton.campaigning/?fbid=Cwdaxo6Obde

Rather than a "path to citizenship" for illegals . . .

can we have a path to employment for citizens? We're not going to get our people employed if we keep importing their competition.

From the Brookings Institution:

The "job gap" underlying these numbers is daunting. In recent months, on this blog, we described the job gap -- the number of jobs it would take to return to employment levels from before the Great Recession, while also accounting for the 125,000 people who enter the labor force in a typical month. After today's employment numbers, the job gap stands at almost 11.3 million jobs.

How long will it take to erase this gap? If future job growth continues at a rate of roughly 208,000 jobs per month, the average monthly job creation for the best year for job creation in the 2000s, it would take 136 months (more than 11 years). In a more optimistic scenario, with 321,000 jobs created per month, the average monthly job creation for the best year in the 1990s, it would take over 57 months (almost 5 years).

http://www.brookings.edu/opinions/2010/0702_jobs_greenstone.aspx

How's that "anti war" candidate doing as president?

American forces suffered a deadly 24 hours in Afghanistan, with eight troops killed in attacks including an audacious Taliban raid on a police compound in the key southern city of Kandahar, officials said Wednesday.

The U.S. and its coalition allies have warned that violence and troop casualties are likely to mount this summer as thousands of new forces fan out across southern insurgent strongholds in a bid to turn around the nearly 9-year-long war.

However, a top U.S. commander in the south said Wednesday that the new operation should start reducing violence in coming months.

http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory?id=11158710

They keep saying, "It will get worse before it gets better." But, it never gets better, it just keeps getting worse.

While the U.S. focuses on Iraq and Afghanistan

Members of a northern Mexico drug gang rammed a car that may have been packed with explosives or inflammable material into two police patrol trucks in the border city of Ciudad Juarez, killing two officers and a medical technician, and wounding nine people.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/15/1732652/gunmen-kill-nephew-of-mexican.html

One day, someone in our government will notice the rampant narco terrorism on the U.S. / Mexico border. By then, it will probably be too late.

"Free", if you don't count the premium increases

From counseling for kids who struggle with their weight, to cancer screenings for their parents, preventive health care will soon be available at no out-of-pocket cost under consumer rules the Obama administration unveiled Wednesday.

. . . Better preventive care may be an investment, but it still carries an upfront cost. Premiums will go up by 1.5 percent on average, as spending for the services is spread broadly across an entire pool of insured people.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100715/ap_on_he_me/us_health_overhaul_prevention

There will be no co pay or deductible for certain services (which the government chose for you) in exchange for higher premiums.

In what language does that fit the definition of "free"? You'll simply be paying more up front and in advance for services which you may or may not use.

Someone should report the Obama administration to that new consumer protection agency for advertising this scam as "free".

Our allies, the Afghanis

An Afghan soldier fired a rocket-propelled grenade into a military base control room early Tuesday, killing three British troops and wounding four more before fleeing, officials said.

It was the second time in eight months that an Afghan turned against British troops partnering with local security forces. In November, an Afghan policeman killed five British soldiers at a checkpoint - also in southern Helmand province, where Tuesday's attack happened.

Afghan police in the past have also attacked American soldiers and their own police stations. While such intentional attacks are rare, they emphasize the difficulties in rapidly expanding the Afghan forces to take over responsibility for security from international troops.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/13/world/main6673062.shtml

We are sending our children off to die in the service of people who want to see them dead.

Worse than killing 74 Ugandans?

Israeli bulldozers destroyed six buildings, including at least three homes, in contested east Jerusalem on Tuesday, resuming the demolition of Palestinian property after a halt aimed at encouraging peace talks.

Jerusalem house demolitions are a volatile issue because of conflicting Israeli and Palestinian claims to the city's eastern sector. Israel sees it as part of its capital city, while Palestinians want it for their own future capital.

http://www.wtop.com/?sid=1479198&nid=500

You know that Israel's hypocritical critics will spent more time attacking Israel's decision to knock down 3 houses than al-Qaeda's recent decision to kill 74 Christian Ugandans watching the World Cup finals.

Those white men upset about healthcare reform never stop

Investigators found an unexploded suicide vest with ball bearings in a disco hall in Uganda's capital, suggesting that militants had planned a third bombing during the World Cup final, officials say.

. . . Four people were arrested in connection with the discovery of the unexploded vest, said Edward Ochom, the director of criminal investigations. He said the four were not Ugandan but would not say their nationalities. Kale hinted that Somali nationals could be among those arrested.

http://www.nzherald.co.nz/world/news/article.cfm?c_id=2&objectid=10658743

No matter how much evidence to the contrary accumulates, the Obama administration and its media and political allies continue to insist the "real" threat is from violent domestic conservatives. It's only a matter of time until MSNBC has another "special report" on the subject.

More white men upset about healthcare reform

An al-Qaida-linked Somali militant group claimed responsibility Monday for twin bombings in Uganda that killed 74 people, including one American, watching the World Cup final on TV, saying the militants would carry out attacks "against our enemy" wherever they are. It was the group's first international attack.

http://www.pottsmerc.com/articles/2010/07/12/news/doc4c3b3cc905f8f252334543.txt

An overwhelmingly Christian black African nation was attacked, and the victims were overwhelmingly black Africans.

I don't believe anyone behind this racist al-Qaeda inspired attack was a tea party activist upset about healthcare reform.

Will N.Y.C. Mayor Bloomberg or the NAACP notice?

It won't attract any lone white men upset about healthcare reform

Mayor Michael Bloomberg said it would be un-American to investigate a Muslim group that seeks to build a mosque two blocks from Ground Zero.

http://www.metro.us/us/article/2010/07/13/05/2555-82/index.xml

Mayor Bloomberg initially described the Times Square bombing suspect as a "lone white man upset about healthcare reform". This was gleefully parroted by the administration and the media as the "real" terror threat.

They were wrong about that, too.

It's always someone else's fault

A child obesity epidemic fed by fast food, sugary drinks and too much television threatens to create the first generation of American youths who live shorter lives than their parents, Michelle Obama said Monday. . . . Obama said the black community is hit especially hard by child obesity, in part because fresh fruits and vegetables often are not available in poor urban areas.

http://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/missouri/article_e863db3e-635c-565a-82da-13d96bf5ecd8.html

"Fresh fruits and vegetables often are not available in poor urban areas" is one of those myths that has never been proved but creates a very handy scapegoat for those feeding their kids peanut butter sandwiches and a bag of chips.

Of course, Mrs. Obama

also took parents to task for letting their children spend an average of nearly six hours a day watching TV instead of being outside playing.

"In school, we had recess twice a day, gym class twice a week, like it or not," Obama said. "When we got home, there was no way we'd be allowed to lie around the house watching TV. Our parents made us get up and play outside. We had to get up, get out, couldn't be inside."

http://www.stltoday.com/news/state-and-regional/missouri/article_e863db3e-635c-565a-82da-13d96bf5ecd8.html

The key phrase in all of that politically correct blather, ignored by all, was "our parents." Parents. Plural.

Until such time as someone addresses the epidemic of single one parent fatherless families, none of the problems of any lower socio-economic group will be seriously addressed or resolved.

Obama's best hope for reelection

Former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich said Monday he's seriously considering seeking the Republican presidential nomination and will announce his decision early next year.

Gingrich, 67, told The Associated Press that he would focus on helping Republican candidates through the midterm elections in November, then decide in February or March whether to seek the GOP nomination.

"I've never been this serious," Gingrich said.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38208038/ns/politics-decision_2010/

Gingrich is toxic to many, many conservative Democrats and independent swing voters. Obama's staff must be praying to the Earth Mother (or Allah or whichever deity they favor) that Gingrich gets the Republican nomination.

Thanks to the "anti war" candidate

Six U.S. service members died in separate attacks in Afghanistan on Saturday, another round of killings in what is shaping up to be the most violent summer of the nearly nine-year war.

The troops died from diverse causes, including homemade bombs, gunfire and an accidental explosion. Four were killed in eastern Afghanistan and the others in southern Afghanistan, the two regions of the country where the Taliban insurgency is strongest.

Both deaths in the south were caused by roadside bombs; those in the east involved bombings, small-arms fire, an unspecified insurgent attack and the accidental blast, according to NATO statements.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2010/07/10/AR2010071000649.html

One day, I hope Obama / Biden explain how their Afghanistan policy is different than the one suggested by McCain / Palin.

And yet another lone white man upset about healthcare reform

Do you still remember that initial description of the Times Square bomber, announced by N.Y.C.'s mayor and gleefully parroted by the administration and the media as the "real" terror threat? Still not so much.

As Adnan Khan sifted through the rubble in this northwest Pakistani village Saturday, his grief mingled with a sense of disbelief. Of the 102 people killed by a pair of suicide bombers here the day before, 10 were his relatives. Aunts, uncles, cousins — all perished in the deadliest attack in Pakistan this year. . . . Local journalists told The Associated Press that Pakistani Taliban spokesman Akramullah Mohmand had called them late Friday and claimed responsibility.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100710/ap_on_re_as/as_pakistan

I don't think Akramullah Mohmand is a lone white man upset about healthcare reform.

"Cadillac" healthcare coverage for the ones in charge

I lost my "Cadillac" healthcare pension benefit as part of "health insurance reform". But, "Donald Berwick, recess-appointed by President Obama to head Medicare and Medicaid . . . In a special benefit conferred on him by the board of directors of the Institute for Health Care Improvement, a nonprofit health care charitable organization he created and which he served as chief executive officer, Berwick and his wife will have health coverage "from retirement until death."

http://www.washingtonexaminer.com/opinion/blogs/beltway-confidential/In-special-deal-charity-gives-rationing-advocate-Berwick-health-coverage-for-life-98403369.html#ixzz0tewwJ5dz

Somehow, I don't think Barack and Michelle will ever be waiting on line at the HMO.

I guess Bush won on social security

[Democratic] House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer, D-Md.: "We could and should consider a higher retirement age or one pegged to life span, more progressive Social Security and Medicare benefits, and a stronger safety net for the Americans who need it most."

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/11/1725272/no-full-social-security-benefits.html

The Democrats took back Congress in 2006 on the dual promises of (1) ending the Iraq war and (2) protecting social security.

The Democrats in Congress failed to do the first (50,000 permanent troops in permanent bases permanently occupying Iraq is not "ending the war").

And, it looks like the Democrats are getting ready to adopt Bush style "entitlement reform" after the 2010 election.

Please remind me - - what is the major difference between Bush/Cheney/Rove Republicans and Obama/Pelosi/Reid Democrats?

The latest Gaza "aid" ship "diverts" to Egypt

Say what you will, but force seems to stop terrorists and their supporters.

The Libyan aid ship bound for the Gaza Strip has apparently changed course for Egypt following a warning from the Israeli navy.

The vessel, Al-Amal, now appears bound for the Egyptian port of El-Arish, on the Sinai peninsula. The Israeli navy warned the vessel on Tuesday to change course, and said it had "begun preparations for stopping the ship".

Egyptian officials have given the ship permission to dock at El-Arish.

The ship is carrying 12 crew members and at least nine passengers, including six Libyans and one each from Algeria, Morocco and Nigeria. Organisers say the ship is transporting 2,000 tonnes of food and medicine for people in the Gaza Strip.

The Israeli navy denied reports that it issued any ultimatum to the ship. Organisers on board said the navy warned it would take over the ship if it did not change course.

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2010/07/2010713124046138256.html

The lesson: If you respond with strength to the earliest provocations, you discourage future provocations.

Ignorant activists saving "wild" horses

"Wild" horses are no such thing - - they're not a native species, and many are simply abandoned strays. So called "wild" horses are an invasive species that destroy native American flora and fauna. But, unlike the less romantic species they displace and eradicate, the Rolling Stones and The Byrds wrote really good songs about them, so there's an entire movement dedicated to "saving" "wild" horses.

With the financial backing of a California winery owner, activists on Saturday purchased almost all 174 horses up for sale at a state-sanctioned auction in Nevada to keep the horses from going to the slaughterhouse.

Stephanie Hoefener of the Lancaster, Calif.-based Livesavers Wild Horse Rescue group said activists purchased 172 horses for $31,415. The other two horses were acquired by private individuals for their personal use, she said.

"We're excited so many people came together to save the horses," Hoefener said. "This is amazing, and we all feel joyful."

The horses were rounded up by the U.S. Bureau of Land Management last month near the Nevada-Utah line and turned over to the Nevada Department of Agriculture for disposal.

Agriculture department officials acknowledge the estray horses could have wound up at slaughterhouses because they did not have the federal protections afforded to wild-roaming horses.

The horses are believed to be strays or descendants of horses abandoned by private owners over the years in Pilot Valley north of West Wendover.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100711/ap_on_re_us/us_horse_slaughter_rescue

Imagine the good that could be accomplished if this time and effort were focused on preserving and protecting truly wild native species.

Another sign of changing times

Daniel Tosh, not Stewart or Colbert, is Comedy Central's new top host.

There has been an audience coup at Comedy Central. Jon Stewart and Stephen Colbert have been displaced as the cable network’s most popular host. The crown has been seized by Daniel Tosh of “Tosh.0″ The show, a collection of outrageous bits and pieces from the web, attracted 2.4 million viewers last Wednesday and is averaging 2.2 million since its June 2 season premiere, according to The Hollywood Reporter. “The Daily Show” averages about 2 million and “The Colbert Report” averages about 1.4 million.

http://blogs.sun-sentinel.com/tv/2010/07/tosh-surpasses-stewart-colbert-on-comedy-central.html?wpmp_switcher=mobile

If you haven't seen Tosh's show, it's all frat boy, politically incorrect, middle class, suburban humor. He's definitely not one of the self appointed progressive New York / D.C. / L.A. "creative class".

NAACP: The "tea party" is racist

Remember when the NAACP opposed blanket group characterisations and caricatures?

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People is reported today to be considering a resolution condemning the Tea Party movement for racism within its ranks. While our data don't speak to views at the individual level, in the broadest, population-based sense, we don't see it.

We covered the question in our extensive look at the movement in May. Certainly suspicions of racism are there: We found that 57 percent of people who oppose the Tea Party suspect its members of racial prejudice (specifically, against President Obama). That declined to a quarter of those who are neutral toward the movement, and 10 percent of its own supporters.

Certainly views on race differ among groups, and as we noted at the time, Tea Party supporters are less apt than other Americans to see racism as a major problem. But that view also is associated with attributes other than being a Tea Party supporter - being very conservative, for example, and being white. . . .

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/naacps-condemning-tea-party-racist-world-news-question/story?id=11150657

Talk about unintended consequences - - could the NAACP do anything to help the "tea party" groups more than issue a blanket, unreasoned, unreasonable condemnation?

The U.N. "condemns" North Korea

The U.N. Security Council on Friday condemned an attack leading to the sinking of a South Korean warship in March, but stopped short of directly blaming North Korea.

The council statement, by not identifying an attacker, was able to win consent from Pyongyang ally China for unanimous approval and also avoid further alienating North Korea, which the West wants to draw back to six-party talks on ending its nuclear program.

The council expressed "deep concern" over findings by a South Korean-led inquiry that North Korea had sunk the naval corvette Cheonan, but noted that Pyongyang had denied responsibility.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20100710/wl_nm/us_korea_north_un

When the world diplomatic community wants to condemn something done by the U.S. or Israel or one of our allies, they never "stop short of directly placing blame" or merely "express deep concern" for fear of "further alienating" the alleged wrongdoer. When it's us, they burn our flags in the streets and try to blow up our airlines and cities.

We don't have to round up and deport millions of illegal aliens

If we require instantly verifiable proof of citizenship or legal residence prior to employment, school enrollment and regular well healthcare, many if not most who cannot prove legal residence will go home. They'll have no choice.

The argument "you can't deport them all" is nonsense. No one's asking to.

By the way - - when I go on a business trip, I need to produce my driver's license at the airline counter, at the baggage drop off, at the gate, at the car rental counter, when exiting the car rental lot, and at the hotel check in desk. I don't feel racially profiled at all.

Second thoughts on the spy swap

With the conclusion of the biggest spy swap since the Cold War, the U.S. has defused a thorny diplomatic problem quickly and cleanly - and avoided damaging recent efforts to improve relations with Russia. And Moscow has escaped further embarrassment over a group of spies that over the years apparently had little if any success in ferreting out any useful secrets.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/09/1722568/us-flight-lands-in-vienna-in-spy.html

Obviously, we did not have enough time to thoroughly interrogate those we arrested in order to identify anyone else involved. It's clear they didn't work alone. We will never know if the rest of the spy network is still out there making trouble. We do know that the spy working as a La Prensa reporter was supporting Obama's election . . .

When it happens to their child or grandchild . . .

If one of the children or grandchildren of the Polanski case Swiss judges are drugged and anally raped by a "great artist", will they feel their family was honored by the attention?

The Swiss government declared renowned film director Roman Polanski a free man on Monday after rejecting a U.S. request to extradite him on a charge of having sex in 1977 with a 13-year-old girl.

The Swiss mostly blamed U.S. authorities for failing to provide confidential testimony about Polanski's sentencing procedure in 1977-1978.

The stunning decision could end the United States' three-decade pursuit of Polanski, unless he travels to another country that would be willing to apprehend him and weigh sending him to Los Angeles. France, where he has spent much of his time, does not extradite its own citizens, and the public scrutiny over Switzerland's deliberations may dissuade other nations from making such a spectacular arrest.

http://www.usatoday.com/life/people/2010-07-12-polanski-extradition-decision_N.htm

Israel blames itself

Is there any other Mideast nation which would criticise as well as praise it's military?

Flawed intelligence-gathering and planning led to Israel's botched and deadly raid on a Gaza-bound protest flotilla, with security forces underestimating the potential for violence, said the official report released Monday.

The report, however, praised the commandos who took part in the operation, saying they were justified in opening fire and killing nine after being confronted by violent pro-Palestinian activists on board one of the ships.

The report concluded that intelligence-gathering was deficient and that various intelligence units did not communicate properly with each other. It criticized the operation's planners for not having a backup plan in the event of violence.

http://www.usatoday.com/news/world/2010-07-12-israel-flotilla-commando-report_N.htm?loc=interstitialskip

Once more, this demonstrates why Israel is America's most appropriate Middle East ally. Not our perfect ally, but our most appropriate ally.

Bernard Goldberg: Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2012

Yes, he's a right wing reporter / pundit with little or no inside contacts in the Clinton camp. He could be looking to stir up trouble for the sake of stirring up trouble. But . . .

I know the next presidential election is more than two years off, and all sorts of things can happen between now and then. But I am predicting right here, right now, that Hillary Clinton will run for president in 2012 - yes 2012 -- challenging President Obama for their party's nomination.
If it's occurring to millions of Americans who voted for Obama, it must be occurring to Hillary Clinton too: The magic is gone. Barack Obama can't walk on water no matter how hard his fans in the media tried to turn him into the messiah. And that hope and change thing? Well, it isn't working out the way it was supposed to, either.

. . . Yes, 2012 is a long, long way off. Between now and then, all sorts of good things can happen. Democrats may cut spending by hundreds of billions. They may cut taxes -- on everyone, even the rich. The economy may take off. Unemployment may fall to five percent. And the Tooth Fairy may leave a few trillion dollars under Barack Obama's pillow to bail us out of the deficit crisis that is driving America into bankruptcy.

But just in case miracles don't happen, look out for Hillary.

http://www.bernardgoldberg.com/wanna-bet/

http://farrightdemocrat.blogsp...

NATO kills 5 Afghan soldiers in mistaken airstrike

Army Gen. David H. Petraeus on Wednesday marked an early and unwelcome milestone in his tenure as commander of Western forces here: apologizing for his troops having accidentally killed five Afghan soldiers.

"Friendly fire" incidents are relatively rare, but they stir animosity among many in the Afghan military, whose partnership with the NATO force is central to President Obama's hopes that American troops can begin drawing down a year from now.

http://articles.latimes.com/2010/jul/08/world/la-fg-afghan-airstrike-20100708

In any war, friendly fire incidents are unavoidable.

But, in a war such as the war in Afghanistan, they negate all efforts to win over hearts and minds.

It's another reason why our efforts in Afghanistan are futile.

This will be called our fault

Militants struck across the Iraqi capital Wednesday, killing more than 50 people, including 32 in a suicide bombing that targeted pilgrims commemorating a revered Shiite saint, Iraqi police said.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100707/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_iraq

This is not our fault.

But, we will be blamed for it as long as American troops remain there.

Israel "not on Obama's books"

President Barack Obama will probably not travel to Israel this year, White House press secretary Robert Gibbs said Wednesday.

The announcement came after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu invited Obama to visit the Jewish state following a Tuesday meeting between the two leaders at the White House.

Asked if the president accepted Netanyahu's invitation, Gibbs said "We do not have currently on our schedule travel plans to go there. But he obviously — Prime Minister Netanyahu extended an invitation, and I assume at some point the president and the first lady will visit. It's just not on the books for this year."

http://thehill.com/blogs/blog-briefing-room/news/107559-gibbs-says-obama-unlikely-to-visit-israel-this-year-

On the other hand, "Gibbs noted "the president certainly traveled [to Israel] during the campaign, traveled there while he was a senator."

That final statement says it all - - one message on Israel as a candidate, and another as president.

And yet another lone white man upset about healthcare reform

Still remember that initial description of the Times Square bomber, announced by N.Y.C.'s mayor and gleefully parroted by the administration and the media as the "real" terror threat? Still not so much.

A failed plot to set off bombs in the New York subway system last year was part of a larger al-Qaida terrorist conspiracy that included a similar attack planned in England, U.S. prosecutors said Wednesday.

In an indictment unsealed Wednesday in federal court in Brooklyn, prosecutors added several al-Qaida figures to the case, including Adnan Shukrijumah, an FBI most-wanted terrorist. . . . It also named three other men - Abid Naseer, Tariq Ur Rehman and an alleged al-Qaida operative in Pakistan known only as "Ahmad" - and linked them to a previously undisclosed companion plot in England.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/07/1719175/officials-al-qaida-man-to-be-charged.html

Adnan Shukrijumah, Abid Naseer, Tariq Ur Rehman and an operative in Pakistan known only as "Ahmad" - - just a bunch of white cracker redneck racist tea party activists.

Chris Matthews: "women a negative force"

This morning, Chris Matthews asked, "Is this the year women become a negative force for Democrats", by voting Republican.

Get it? When women vote for Democrats, they're a "positive force".

When women vote for Republicans, they're a "negative force".

Another lone white man upset about healthcare reform

Remember that initial description of the Times Square bomber, announced by N.Y.C.'s mayor and gleefully parroted by the administration and the media as the "real" terror threat? Still not so much.

Three suspected al-Qaida members were arrested Thursday in a Norwegian bomb plot linked to the same terrorist planners behind thwarted schemes to blow up New York's subway and a British shopping mall.

. . . All three plans were organized by Saleh al-Somali, al-Qaida's former chief of external operations

. . . Those arrested in Norway included a 39-year-old Norwegian of Uighur origin who has lived in the country since 1999 and a 31-year-old citizen of Uzbekistan who had a permanent Norwegian residency permit, Kristiansen said. The man arrested in Germany was a 37-year-old Iraqi with a Norwegian residency permit, he said.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/08/1720704_p2/officials-3-arrested-in-norway.html

Saudi, Somali, Uighur, Uzbeki, Iraqi . . . not a lone white man upset about healthcare reform among 'em.

Who's ripping up the Constitution now?

New requirements that even top brass get Pentagon approval before talking to the press will not muzzle the media's watchdog role or stop soldiers on the front lines from speaking freely, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Thursday.

Gates defended the directive issued last week but offered few new specifics about how it will work.

The brief, stern memo from Gates also restated prohibitions on release of classified material. But it is the requirement for pre-approval of media contacts that has raised free-speech concerns and sown confusion about what and who is covered.

http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2010/07/08/ap/cabstatepent/main6658802.shtml

If these rules were enacted by Gates back when he worked for Bush, this would be front page news, with hyperventilating quotes from Con Law professors about "shredding the Constitution", not a 3" item in a column on page 4.

Robert Gibbs on MTP: "We didn't anticipate a hurricane"

Obama & Co. "didn't anticipate" that a hurricane in hurricane alley during hurricane season might delay the BP gusher containment efforts. Idiots.

Much ado about nothing much

Mexico City has seen 271 gay and lesbian couples get married since the capital enacted the first law in Latin America explicitly allowing same-sex marriages.

The city government says there have been 142 marriages between men and 129 between women in the four months since the law went took effect March 4.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20100706/ap_on_re_la_am_ca/lt_mexico_gay_marriage

In 4 months, in one of the world's largest cities, there were 271 gay marriages, approximately 2 or 3 per day, during the initial post legalization rush.

It amazes me how our politicians and public intellectuals waste so much time and effort fighting things with such few real world implications. If you want to fight gay marriage, legalize gay marriage, and after the initial rush, there won't be that many gay marriages.

No surprise: Immoral people behave immorally

People shouldn't be surprised when things like this happen to them.

Tennis legend Chris Evert and golf great Greg Norman were married in June 2008, and publicly they were the perfect couple, often photographed together smiling and holding hands. Evert, retired from competitive tennis, even served as Norman's caddie during the '08 Masters' Wednesday par 3 tournament, and was on hand when Norman, then 54, had a chance to win the British Open that summer.

Fifteen months later, the once inseparable couple are just that -- separated -- jointly releasing a statement that said only, "We will remain friends and supportive of one another's family."

Turns out, that's not entirely true, at least from Evert's perspective. In a recent interview with Woman's Day, Evert spoke frankly about her short-lived relationship. (Via News.com.au):

"I had no idea it was coming. No idea," Evert said of her split with Norman. It wasn't talked about, ever. ... Never in a million years did I imagine it would end up like this." ...

A brutally frank Evert has told the magazine she and Norman would never be friends and the divorce has put her off seeking new love. When asked if she missed Norman, Evert said: "I miss my family time with Andy and the kids. That was 20 years of history. Probably the best years of my life. I also really miss Greg's parents. The best part about him are his parents."

Norman and Evert's relationship became public in January 2007, shortly after Norman's ex-wife got a $103 million divorce settlement, and Evert ended her marriage to former champion skier Andy Mill. The two high-profile professional athletes were engaged in December of '07, but not before Mill told Australia's Herald Sun, "Greg Norman at one time was my best friend and ... I would have taken a bullet for this guy. ... But I didn't realize he was the one who was going to pull the trigger."

Making matters worse: a month after Norman and Evert were married, she admitted that their relationship began as an affair.

http://backporch.fanhouse.com/2010/07/06/chris-evert-says-shell-never-be-friends-with-ex-greg-norman/

A rich, successful, good looking professional athlete, happily married with children to another rich, successful, good looking professional athlete, began an illicit adulterous affair with her husband's married best friend, divorced her husband, and ultimately married the cheating boyfriend.

The boyfriend turned out to be immoral and untrustworthy and shortly thereafter left her alone and humiliated.

The only surprise is that people don't see things like that coming.

Don't believe spin regarding jobless claims

Applications for unemployment aid have been fluctuating from week to week, offering an uncertain view of layoffs and the job market.

First-time requests for jobless aid dropped last week to their lowest level since early May, the government said Thursday, erasing increases made in the past two months.

Still, economists say it's hard to detect a trend in one week of declines. Initial claims have seesawed for several weeks and are not much lower than in January.

Elevated unemployment claims, along with last month's weak jobs report and a struggling housing market, have suggested that the recovery is slowing.

http://www.miamiherald.com/2010/07/09/1722081/economists-cant-get-a-handle-on.html

Notwithstanding weekly fluctuations, "initial claims . . . are not much lower than in January".

Don't buy the administration's "things are getting better" spin.

Why is it Israel's fault?

US President Barack Obama said Tuesday he hoped for direct Middle East peace talks to start before the end of September, as he and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denied reports of a rift. . . Netanyahu says he is ready to meet Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas at any time, but the Palestinians have yet to commit to direct talks . . .

http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20100706/pl_afp/mideastusisraeldiplomacy

The U.S. wants direct peace talks.

Israel agrees to direct peace talks.

The Palestinians refuse to commit to direct peace talks.

Why is this Israel's fault?

More "progressive wisdom"

From "A Nation of Simpletons" by Charles Lemos, front pager on one of the granddaddies of the "progressive" blogs, mydd:

When I first arrived in the United States, I remember watching the CBS Evening News with Walter Cronkite . . . his report has stuck in my mind these now 30 plus years . . . perhaps we just live amongst simpletons . . . Frankly, I am alarmed by the stupidity which surrounds me.

http://mydd.com/2010/7/9/a-nation-of-morons%22%3Ehttp://mydd.com/2010/7/9/a-nation-of-morons

Am I allowed to say, if you are "alarmed by the stupidity which surrounds" you in this "nation of simpletons", you're free to go back where you came from before you "first arrived in the United States"?

The Lockerbie bomber travesty

The convicted Libyan terrorist Abdelbaset Ali Mohmed al Megrahi was initially given "compassionate release" by the Scottish regional government due to his imminent cancer death "within the next three months".

Then, months later, back in August, 2009, we found out "the most recent medical consensus was Megrahi would live eight months".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/newstopics/politics/scotland/6089131/Lockerbie-bomber-Megrahi-may-live-for-many-more-months.html

Another six months later, in February, 2010, Megrahi was discovered "living in luxury villa six months after being at 'death's door'".

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/africaandindianocean/libya/7279123/Lockerbie-bomber-Megrahi-living-in-luxury-villa-six-months-after-being-at-deaths-door.html

This week, it was revealed that the "Lockerbie bomber may live another 10 years, according to doctor who said he’d live three months".

http://www.mediaite.com/online/lockerbie-bomber-may-live-another-10-years-according-to-doctor-who-said-hed-live-three-months/

And, it got worse, because we found out the "doctor [was] apparently paid by the Libyan government to make the "terminal" diagnosis".

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Lockerbie-Bomber-Blasted-97964079.html

Of course, "families of the victims . . . long suspected the terrorist was released not on compassionate grounds, but rather in a 'blood money' exchange for oil and gas deals. British officials have denied that allegation."

http://www.nbcnewyork.com/news/local-beat/Lockerbie-Bomber-Blasted-97964079.html

But, in the immediate aftermath of the release, guess which "one particular British company . . . was allowed to drill off the coast of Libya for the first time in 30 years. That company? BP."

http://www.mediaite.com/online/lockerbie-bomber-may-live-another-10-years-according-to-doctor-who-said-hed-live-three-months/

Yes, the same BP that filed the fraudulent drilling permit application which the Obama administration granted without verifying and which is now killing the Gulf Coast.