Thursday Night Football

So now we have football on Thursday? OK. I almost forgot to turn in my pool today.

Anyway, Baltimore is at Cincinnati, getting 3. Forecast calls for thunderstoms, temps around 60.

Too bad it's on the NFL Network, which my system doesn't carry. Oh well.

The Bengals have gotten their offense in gear, but Baltimore is shutting down nearly everyone, so I'm thinking somewhere around 20-16 Bengals. They need it more.

Back later in the week with the rest of the schedule.

Shocking News: Democrats Break Campaign Pledge

Sure, this is like night following day, the sun rising in the morning, and John Kerry saying stupid things on a regular basis. What's even more shocking is the Washington Post is reporting it.

Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion

It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.
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The decision will almost certainly anger commission members, as well as families of victims of the Sept. 11 attacks, many of whom have pressed hard for implementation of the recommendations.

"The Democrats pledged to implement all the remaining 9/11 reforms, not some of them," said former representative Timothy J. Roemer (D-Ind.), who served on the commission.

Sure they pledged to do that. And you believed them?

Coulter Gets Results

The Flying Imams are no match for Ann Coulter.

The six imams removed from a US Airways flight last week have apparently adopted my suggestion that if they really want to protest the airline, instead of boycotting US Airways, they should start flying it frequently.

The spokesman for the imams — or as I believe it's phrased in their culture, "designated liar" — Omar Shahin, staged a protest at Reagan Washington National Airport on Monday, after which, according to The Associated Press, "he and other religious leaders boarded a US Airways flight to demonstrate their determination to continue praying and flying."

The original six imams removed from the flight last week first attracted attention when they said prayers to Allah on traditional Muslim prayer rugs in the boarding area. After boarding, they changed seats, spreading themselves throughout the plane. They were also overheard spouting anti-American rhetoric. Witnesses said the six men appeared to be either Islamic fanatics or U.S. Army chaplains on leave from Guantanamo.

Read it all.

Time To Wake Up

While the crazy little man sends a "letter" to America, which the left eagerly laps up, Israel is concerned that their ambition are similar to the Holocaust.

People need to wake up and take this seriously. While is appears trendy to hate George Bush in some circles, is it worth siding with someone who wants to kill you?

Meanwhile, Malkin calls it sitting down with evil, and has Americans responding with their own letters.

UPDATE: Iranian Weapons Arm Iraqi Militia

WASHINGTON, Nov. 30, 2006 — U.S. officials say they have found smoking-gun evidence of Iranian support for terrorists in Iraq: brand-new weapons fresh from Iranian factories. According to a senior defense official, coalition forces have recently seized Iranian-made weapons and munitions that bear manufacturing dates in 2006.

This suggests, say the sources, that the material is going directly from Iranian factories to Shia militias, rather than taking a roundabout path through the black market. "There is no way this could be done without (Iranian) government approval," says a senior official.

Time to take these guys out.

Being Called "Racist" a Fate Worse Than Death

We've now reached that point where it's put up or shut up. The politically-correct straitjacket that has tied this county in knots is not only turning everyday routine choices in life into crises, but now it's hampering the War on Terror. So people now have a choice: Quiver and quake like jellyfish over being called racist, or possibly face a gruesome death at the hands of Islamofascist monsters.

The latest nonsense from the Flying Imams and their cohorts from CAIR:

Air marshals, pilots and security officials yesterday expressed concern that airline passengers and crews will be reluctant to report suspicious behavior aboard for fear of being called "racists," after several Muslim imams made that charge in a press conference Monday at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Six imams, or Muslim holy men, accused a US Airways flight crew of inappropriately evicting them from a flight last week in Minneapolis after several passengers said the imams tried to intimidate them by loudly praying and moving around the airplane. The imams urged Congress to enact laws to prohibit ethnic and religious "profiling."

And that's what this whole stunt was all about. Putting pressure on Congress to bow before them. They sense weakness now that the Democrats have regained Congress. Now, will those same Democrats openly risk passenger safety in order to placate this dubious crew?

Federal air marshals and others yesterday urged passengers to remain vigilant to threats.

"The crew and passengers act as our additional eyes and ears on every flight," said a federal air marshal in Las Vegas, who asked that his name not be used. "If [crew and passengers] are afraid of reporting suspicious individuals out of fear of being labeled a racist or bigot, then terrorists will certainly use those fears to their advantage in future aviation attacks."

But Rabiah Ahmed, spokeswoman for the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR), said Muslims "have to walk around on eggshells in public just because we don't want to be misconstrued as suspicious. You have to strike a balance between legitimate fears which people may have, but not allow passengers to have so much discretion that they can trigger a process that would violate a traveler's basic civil rights."

The imams say they were removed from the Phoenix-bound flight because they were praying quietly in the concourse. They had been in Minnesota for a conference sponsored by the North American Imams Federation.

But other passengers told police and aviation security officials a different version of the incident. They said suspicious behavior of the imams led to their eviction from the flight. The imams, they said, tested the forbearance of the passengers and flight crew in what the air marshal called a "[political correctness] probe."

"The political correctness needs to be left at the boarding gate," the marshal said. "Instilling politically correct fears into the minds of airline passengers is nothing less than psychological terrorism."

OK, so we have two versions of a story in stark contrast. I'm going with the passengers and crew on this one. I'll suffer the slings and arrows. And what's this "walking around on eggshells" jive? They've got to be kidding me. These buffoons parade around intimidating everyone in sight, and we're supposed to believe they really are walking on eggshells?

Meanwhile, fighting the terrorists become just that much more difficult now that a federal judge (a Clinton appointee, naturally), has struck down the President's authority to designate terrorist groups. Which doesn't give much hope the Congress will act in good faith. They may go along with public opinion to cover their tracks, knowing some hack judge will do their dirty work later.

Stop The ACLU was on top of this from the outset.

More details from Power Line this morning.

Get Out of Iraq? Ask the Iraqis

This seems like a logical step. Which is probably why I don't hear anyone in Washington calling for it.

THE time seems ripe for a referendum: Ask the Iraqi people if they want U.S. troops to stay and help Iraqi security forces pacify the country, or leave Iraqis to work out their own fate.

Iraq's government could place the following yes/no statement on the ballot to answer those questions: "The Iraqi people request and welcome continued assistance of American forces in securing their safety and freedom."

If Iraqis vote for the United States to stay, then it is clear that the current Iraq war is not merely a Bush administration misadventure, as critics claim.

A two-thirds mandate would likely be needed to give the American people and U.S. allies renewed motivation to see this enterprise through, and give the administration the opportunity to implement a viable strategy for victory over those forces that want the freely elected Iraqi government to fail.

Should Iraqis not deliver a clear mandate for the Americans to stay, it would enable the United States to respect their democratically expressed will and begin exiting the country honorably. Leaving Iraq under this circumstance is far preferable than the unilateral retreat espoused by some leaders after the recent U.S. elections.

The vast majority of Iraqis are likely to vote affirmatively. They know that if U.S. troops depart, four predominantly Sunni provinces and Baghdad will descend into utter chaos and that foreign Sunnis will pour into Iraq to support their co-religionists against an expected onslaught by the more-numerous Shiites. In short, they know that U.S. forces are all that stands between them and complete societal collapse.
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Since the Coalition removed Saddam Hussein's terrorist regime from power, Iraqis have regained their sovereignty, held three free elections, formed a constitutional government and sentenced their former dictator to death for crimes against humanity. All of this has been accomplished in considerably less time, and with far fewer U.S. casualties, than in Germany, Japan and Korea more than a half-century ago. (And America still has 70,000 troops in Germany, 40,000 in Japan and 33,000 in South Korea.)

Pelosi Dumps Hastings

I wouldn't say this is a major surprise, outside of it being a smart move on Nancy Pelosi's part. Appointing an impeached federal judge to head the Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence never struck me as a wise PR move.

Hot Air has it here with updates.

UPDATE: Before the deed was even done, Hastings was whining about it. Yes, he was an innocent victim, you see.

Photo Evidence Obtained In Unabomber Case

This report has some interesting photos related to the Ted Kaczynski case, including shots of his cabin, crude weapons, and bombs. If you missed his manifesto, obligingly published by the NY Times, they even have it there. I don't see his copy of Earth In the Balance anywhere, but just for fun after you're done sifting through the evidence, take the famous Al Gore-Unabomber Quiz.

Massachusetts Democrats Love Chavez

It appears Ted isn't the only Kennedy who loves Communist thugs. Seems his nephew Joe, the former Congressman, is in bed with Venezuelan maniac Hugo Chavez.

Venezuelan strongman Hugo Chavez is an ally of the Iranian mullahs, a supporter of North Korea, a close friend of Fidel Castro and a good customer for Vladimir Putin's weapon factories. Now he's also a business partner of Joseph P. Kennedy II.

The former Democratic Congressman describes the deal he's cooked up with Mr. Chavez as charity for low-income consumers of heating oil. But it's worth asking what the price of this largesse is to Venezuelans and to U.S. security interests.

The arrangement is this: Mr. Chavez's Citgo--a Houston-based oil company owned by the Venezuelan government--is supplying home heating oil to Mr. Kennedy's Citizens Energy Corporation at a 40% discount. Citizens, a nonprofit outfit, says it passes the savings onto the poor, aiming to help 400,000 homes in 16 states that would otherwise have trouble heating their homes. In the process, Mr. Kennedy happens to get a high-profile publicity plug. If you think you qualify, says the television ad that drew our attention to this partnership, just dial 1-877-Joe-4-Oil.

Generous Joe is not the only one polishing his public image here. In the mold of the Castro strategy of sending armies of "doctors" and "teachers" among the Latin American poor, Mr. Chavez is trying to shape U.S. public opinion in the hope that more gringos will come to see the Chavez government as benevolent.

Massachusetts Democrats seem especially eager to help. In a September 29, 2005, "confidential memorandum" addressed to "President Hugo Chavez" and uncovered by a Congressional committee, William Delahunt (D., Mass.) gushed that it was a "pleasure" to have met with the strongman "to discuss your generous offer." The Democrat advised Mr. Chavez to steer his oil through Mr. Kennedy's nonprofit and declared that "from a public relations perspective" the discount oil scheme "is an extraordinary opportunity to address urgent needs of people living in poverty, while showcasing the compassion of your nation."

Is it just me or does anyone find it even the least bit unnerving when you have members of the Democrat Party openly dealing with a man whose stated goal is the destruction of this country?

Flying Imams "Terrorized an Airliner"

As reported here, more is being revealed about the actions of the Flying Imams last week on the US Airways Flight 300 to Phoenix from Minneapolis. Meanwhile, they're being joined by the usual suspects as they snivel, whine and demand legislation allowing them to do whatever they please, public safety be damned. As far as I'm concerned, their behavior on the plane and their actions since then qualify them for permanent ground transportation while in this country, if not permanent expulsion to the hellhole of their choice.

Muslim religious leaders removed from a Minneapolis flight last week exhibited behavior associated with a security probe by terrorists and were not merely engaged in prayers, according to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials.

Witnesses said three of the imams were praying loudly in the concourse and repeatedly shouted "Allah" when passengers were called for boarding US Airways Flight 300 to Phoenix.

"I was suspicious by the way they were praying very loud," the gate agent told the Minneapolis Police Department.

Passengers and flight attendants told law-enforcement officials the imams switched from their assigned seats to a pattern associated with the September 11 terrorist attacks and also found in probes of U.S. security since the attacks -- two in the front row first-class, two in the middle of the plane on the exit aisle and two in the rear of the cabin.

"That would alarm me," said a federal air marshal who asked to remain anonymous. "They now control all of the entry and exit routes to the plane."

A pilot from another airline said: "That behavior has been identified as a terrorist probe in the airline industry."

But the imams who were escorted off the flight in handcuffs say they were merely praying before the 6:30 p.m. flight on Nov. 20, and yesterday led a protest by prayer with other religious leaders at the airline's ticket counter at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation, called removing the imams an act of Islamophobia and compared it to racism against blacks.

People are free to judge this incident on its face, but I believe the American public is not going to appreciate Democrat party members siding with people who behave like this. Let the Democrats embrace these dubious characters at their own peril.

UPDATES here, here, here and here.

Ted Kennedy: Useful Idiot or Traitor?

Leaving Mary Jo Kopechne in a watery grave on a summer night in 1969 may not be the only legacy this loathsome creature leaves us with. Check out this piece at National Review from author Vladimir Bukovsky. Much of this will never see the light of day in the lamestream media, but for those curious, there's plenty of information out there.

It's a shame a bum like this has such willing protectors, and likely in some cases, collaborators.

Now it happens again, with professor Paul Kengor quoting from a top-secret KGB report about their contacts with Kennedy, in his new book The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism. The document, first released in the Sunday Times by Tim Sebastian in 1992, reveals how Kennedy secretly offered the KGB to work together to undermine President Reagan. This proposal was conveyed to the Soviets by former senator John Tunney in 1983.

That was not the only time when Tunney got involved in Kennedy’s games with Moscow. Another top-secret KGB report, published in 1992 in Russian Izvestia newspaper, says that in 1978 Kennedy “requested the assistance of the KGB to establish a relationship” between a firm owned by Tunney and the Soviets. The KGB report recommended the CPSU Central Committee to agree, because Tunney’s firm was already connected to one David Karr, a KGB agent in France (See, for example: Ted Kennedy was a ‘Collaborationist,’ by Herbert Romerstein. Human Events, December 8, 2003).

More secrets about Kennedy’s collaboration with Moscow became known after the famous defector Vasiliy Mitrokhin smuggled his invaluable archive of secret KGB documents to the West. In 2002, he publicized some of them in The KGB in Afghanistan working paper, published by the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars. In 1980 Kennedy attacked President Carter over the latter’s tough opposition to the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan. As Mitrokhin reveals, the senator had evidently coordinated that with Moscow several weeks before — through Tunney and Egon Bahr, West Germany’s top Social Democrat who often had secret contacts with the KGB.

Flying Imams "Stage" Protest

The Washington Post unwittingly stumbles onto the truth of the Flying Imams by noting they "staged" a protest at Reagan National Airport today. Considering this whole episode is an orchestrated stunt, "staged" is the perfect term.

"These things are troubling to us," said Mahdi Bray, executive director of the Muslim American Society Freedom Foundation. "Driving while black, flying while Muslim, traveling with a Torah or getting with Jesus."

Getting with Jesus? What the hell does that mean?

The imams, who were returning from a religious conference, had prayed on their prayer rugs in the airport before the flight. After they boarded the flight, a passenger, who was alarmed by their activity, passed a note to a flight attendant. The men were taken off the airplane, handcuffed and questioned.

"It was the worst moment in my life," Shahin said.

Aww, the poor thing. Anyone who's followed this shady stunt knows it was much more that the story describes here, but that's the lamestream media for you.

Barone: Where Do Democrats Go From Here?

Michael Barone wonders in which direction the Democrats will go.

I figure a lurch to the far left, since they can't contain themselves. Either way, watch you wallet.

What will the Democrats do with their majorities in Congress? The 2006 campaign was pretty much an idea-free zone and provides only a few clues. In their hearts, most elected Democrats would like to move us some distance closer to a European-style welfare state -- slouching toward Scandinavia, some conservatives might call it. But they are likely to find it difficult to do so, and not just because of George W. Bush's hitherto almost unused veto power.

Take the proposal they usually put first on the list: raising the minimum wage. Only about 2 percent of earners now make the minimum, and some jobs will disappear when it's raised. Moreover, most minimum-wage earners are not heads of households. Any progressive economic redistribution will be minimal.

Rangel: Stuck on Stupid

It's almost hard to believe the condescending arrogance of Democrats with their insults to the men and women who serve in the military. Surely someone who actually did serve should know better. However, being it was over 50 years ago in his case, it's obvious the man is out of touch with reality.

Study after study shows our military is the most highly educated it has ever been, yet, like John Kerry before him, Rangel continues to insult them by basically calling them stupid and were they given a choice, they would never serve. You can see the video here and here.

Anyone with common sense and decency can see the man is so far off the mark and should demand an apology, but one will never come. I can only add that I hope he and the Democrats keep it up, as their stay back in power will be short.

Who's Financing the Iraq Insurgency?

Captain Ed has all the gory details here. We need to get this under control soon, and alleged allies transferring millions to the goons isn't helping.

NFL Week 12

The college football picture is crystallizing, and I'm thinking USC will slip past Michigan if they win big again next week. Nice to see my Jersey boy get a touchdown late in the game last night, even though I was disappointed in the outcome. Two words of advice for Charlie Weis: Recruit defense. Meanwhile, had Rutgers not stumbled last week in Cincinnati, they'd have clinched the Big East already. Still, they can get the automatic BCS bid if they win at West Virginia next week.

Now, back to the pros. We started out the week by going 2-1 ATS on Thanksgiving Day. Now for today's games.

JETS -6 over Texans: Jets have a cake schedule the rest of the way, and this is one game they better win, especially at home. Actual final score: Jets 20-10.

TITANS +3 over Giants: Giants better get the ship running smoother now, otherwise it will sink quickly. A loss here and they may crumble. Actual final score: Giants 24-23.

BILLS +3 over Jaguars: Jags are lousy on the road, and Buffalo in late November isn't the most hospitable place. Actual final score: Bills 27-17.

Steelers +3 over RAVENS: Steelers regaining respectability of late and may be worth a shot getting three here, though Baltimore seems to have a little magic going. Actual final score: Ravens 17-16.

Bengals -3 over BROWNS: Cincy snapped out of it last week against the Saints and will cruise. Actual final score: Bengals 33-14.

Cardinals +6 over VIKINGS: Minnesota has been terrible lately, but should be able to topple Cardinals at home. Shouldn't they? I mean, they are the Cardinals. Actual final score: Vikings 20-17.

49ers +5.5 over RAMS: Remarkably, San Francisco is actually the better team now. Will that translate into a win, I'm not so sure, but they should hang in on the road, even in that airline hangar the Rams play in. Actual final score: Rams 24-22.

Saints +3 over FALCONS: Promises to be a shootout, though I'm not liking Vick to match Drew Brees. Jim Mora may soon be checking the classifieds for new employment. Actual final score: Saints 30-27.

Panthers -4 over REDSKINS: Temas going in opposite directions and no reason that won't continue. Panthers feast on fresh QB meat. Actual final score: Panthers 27-13.

CHARGERS -13 over Raiders: First game between the two was 27-0, and the spread may be bigger here. Chargers offense seemingly unstoppable. Actual final score: Chargers 41-7.

Bears +3 over PATRIOTS: Third straight road tilt for Chicago. This could go either way, but New England needs it more. Much more. Actual final score: Patriots 19-17.

COLTS -9 over Eagles: Colts have been lousy laying big spread, but they should be in a foul mood after losing last week and Philly is pretty much toast. Actual final score: Colts 33-13.

Packers +10 over SEAHAWKS: Seahawks have the 49ers breathing down their necks and will manage to win, but rejuvenated Favre will give them fits if elbow isn't bothering him too much. Actual final score: Seahawks 27-23.

The Eurabia Myth?

Ralph Peters seems to believe Europe will not be crushed under the weight of the Islamist horde. Perhaps he's right, but in avoiding becoming Eurabia, he thinks things will get really ugly. Somehow I doubt his last scenario will go over too well.

THE historical patterns are clear: When Europeans feel sufficiently threatened - even when the threat's concocted nonsense - they don't just react, they over-react with stunning ferocity. One of their more-humane (and frequently employed) techniques has been ethnic cleansing.

And Europeans won't even need to re-write "The Protocols of the Elders of Zion" with an Islamist theme - real Muslims zealots provide Europe's bigots with all the propaganda they need. Al Qaeda and its wannabe fans are the worst thing that could have happened to Europe's Muslims. Europe hasn't broken free of its historical addictions - we're going to see Europe's history reprised on meth.
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Far from enjoying the prospect of taking over Europe by having babies, Europe's Muslims are living on borrowed time. When a third of French voters have demonstrated their willingness to vote for Jean-Marie Le Pen's National Front - a party that makes the Ku Klux Klan seem like Human Rights Watch - all predictions of Europe going gently into that good night are surreal.

I have no difficulty imagining a scenario in which U.S. Navy ships are at anchor and U.S. Marines have gone ashore at Brest, Bremerhaven or Bari to guarantee the safe evacuation of Europe's Muslims. After all, we were the only ones to do anything about the slaughter of Muslims in the Balkans. And even though we botched it, our effort in Iraq was meant to give the Middle East's Muslims a last chance to escape their self-inflicted misery.

Steyn: Four Jills in a Jeep

A must read by Mark Steyn in the Chicago Sun-Times today: Quartet of ladies shows where we're headed.

Looks like we're headed over the cliff.

Have you seen a movie called ''Four Jills In A Jeep''? Don't worry, it's not at the multiplex. It came out in 1944. A wartime movie, about the contribution of the gals to the big existential struggle. Great title, and downhill after that. This column is, metaphorically speaking, four Jills in a jeep: It's about a quartet of ladies who provide useful glimpses of where we're heading.

The first is Fatma An-Najar, a 64-year-old grandmother who had a livelier Thanksgiving than most grandmas. She marked the occasion by self-detonating in the town of Jebaliya, and, although all she had to show for splattering body parts over the neighborhood were three "lightly wounded" Israeli soldiers, she will have an honored place in the pantheon of Palestinian heroes. She was, according to the official statistician from the Hamas Book Of Records, the oldest Palestinian suicide bomber ever. And, naturally, her family's pleased as punch.

"We are really happy," her son Zuheir told Agence France-Presse. "She told us last night that she would do a suicide operation. She prepared her clothes for that operation, and we are proud. 'I don't want anything, only to die a martyr.' That's what she said."

Awww, bless the sweet l'il ol' biddy. She wouldn't have wanted to die a long lingering death in some old folks' home. This is the way she wanted to go: quick and painless, except for any Zionists in the immediate vicinity.

An-Najar gave birth to her first child at the age of 12. She had eight others. She had 41 grandchildren. Keep that family tree in mind. By contrast, in Spain, a 64-year old woman will have maybe one grandchild. That's four grandparents, one grandchild: a family tree with no branches.

Read it all. Some painful truth.

Flying Imams Update

Power Line has the latest on the Flying Imams. This story reeks of a fabrication in so many ways, and I was suspicious from the outset. Now they want investigations, according to this report in the Minneapolis Star-Tribune.

Congressman-elect Keith Ellison wants to meet with executives of US Airways and the Metropolitan Airports Commission to discuss the removal of six Muslim clerics from a flight on Monday.

Ellison sent the letter to US Airways CEO Doug Parker and Jeff Hamiel, executive director of the MAC, late Wednesday. As of Friday, no meeting had been scheduled.

The pilot ordered the imams off the flight after their praying, conversation and behavior alarmed several passengers and flight attendants on the Phoenix-bound flight from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport. The incident drew national attention. The Department of Homeland Security's Office for Civil Rights and Civil Liberties has said it will review the incident.

Ellison won election to represent the Minneapolis-centered Fifth District earlier this month, becoming the first Muslim elected to Congress in the country. The airport is within his district.

I don't hold out much hope the media will rightly cast doubt on this stunt, but at least the blogosphere will.

The Investors Businesss Daily editorial formulated its hypothesis regarding the Ellison connection to the flying imams this past Wednesday. Within 48 hours Ellison has taken the first steps to prove the shrewdness of the editorial's hypothesis that the underlying incident was fabricated for the benefit of an agenda to be advanced by Ellison. I'm afraid that it's time to scream bloody murder before the flying imams and their friends in high places turn the incident into the means by which citizens are disabled from taking reasonable action to defend themselves from apparent danger.

Confused Moonbats Staying in Canada

It's difficult telling if this piece in the L.A. Times is satire or whether these people are truly this deranged. This couple was living in Cambridge, Mass., but even living in such a socialist paradise was not enough to offset the devastating effects of losing yet another election to Chimpy McHitlerburton, so they fled north to Canada.

MY WIFE AND I AWOKE, as usual, to NPR. Before political correspondent Mara Liasson got to the end of her first sentence, I knew the news was disastrous. George W. Bush had been reelected.

"Honey," I said, "remember when we talked about moving to Canada?"

I'm sure a lot of other dyed-in-the-organic-wool liberals muttered something similar that dark morning in 2004, but unlike most of them, we meant it. Plan A: John Kerry wins, we build that dream ski house in Vermont. Plan B: Move to Vancouver, Canada.

So, Plan B it was. We'd had enough of Bush, the direction the United States was going, and this was the last straw. Never mind that we lived in Cambridge, Mass., arguably the most liberal city in the bluest of the blue states. We were packing our bulk granola into our diesel Beetle and heading out.

So what happens when the hapless duo gets settled in Canada? The liberals lose control up there as well.

Eight months later, we were settling into a new home and jobs in British Columbia, when Canada had its own election. For those unfamiliar with the Canadian system of government, the prime minister is elected by parliament — not every four years but after losing a no-confidence vote. After a few of those there was a parliamentary election in January, which led to the election of a new prime minister, Stephen Harper, of Canada's Conservative Party.

Harper ran on cutting taxes and turning a federal child-care program into a monthly payment per child. The opposition's negative campaign ads sounded eerily familiar: He supported Bush's war in Iraq, was against signing the Kyoto environmental accord and wanted to "reexamine" gay marriage (which is legal in Canada). A shiver rippled down from our berets to our Birkenstocks.

Alas, good news crept north via government-funded radio.

Then, a few weeks ago, we awoke, as usual, to the Canadian Broadcasting Corp. Before CBC morning show host Tom Allen got to the end of his first sentence, I knew: Back in the United States, the Democratic Party had won control of the House and the Senate.

"Honey, did we make a big mistake?"

By "big mistake," I mean, not the kind in which you switch lines at Whole Foods and the line you'd been in suddenly starts to move. We're talking big mistake like selling all of your stock in Ben & Jerry's the day before Unilever buys the company.

So control of the Senate wasn't decided for a couple of days. What's a little embellishing when you're in the midst of smug self-congratulation? Still, the cardboard moonbat cutouts decide even in Canada, the dreaded rightwingers aren't so bad. Besides, there's free stuff to be had, and we all know how much the left loves freebies.

But it turns out that Canadian conservatism can look awfully liberal. So far, Harper — derided as "Bush lite" — has, for instance, introduced a partial tax credit for monthly transit passes. The Conservatives have proposed a Clean Air Act for Canada, and although it's not ideal, it's still something. Harper said that these new laws would "institute a holistic approach that doesn't treat the related issues of pollutants and greenhouse gas emissions in isolation." When was the last time you heard any U.S. politician utter the word "holistic"?

Did I mention universal healthcare? Even Harper seems committed to keeping that.

We've come to the conclusion that the United States has drifted so far to the right that any self-respecting Canadian Conservative would be considered a raving liberal in Washington. Stephen Harper is no George W. Bush. We may not agree with him, but we don't feel ashamed every time he opens his mouth. We might yawn, though.

So we're staying in Canada. But good luck with that new Congress, eh?

Woe, Canada, I say. They can keep them.

Subtle She Is Not

One of the endearing traits of Pamela is she's not afraid to tell it like it is. Her latest piece here has all the subtlely of an anvil dropped from 50 stories up.

That thud, that "thumpin" you heard was the sound of Bush's balls hitting the ground after the 11/7 election. The world heard it too. And saw its ill effect immediately. RUMSFELD! And while Bush's long time supporters continue to hold our individual collective breath waiting for him to pick them up off the ground, our enemies around the world are wasting no time rolling over the Bush Doctrine. The reverberations from the election of a pacifist Congress are coming fast and furious.

UPDATE: Now this from John Podhoretz. Is it really Black Friday?

L.A. Times Caught Using Enemy Propaganda?

See here for an exhaustive report by Patterico. This is truly disturbing, but I cannot say it's surprising. The majority of the media in this country are so biased, almost overtly rooting for us to lose in Iraq.

We saw what happened with the fauxtography scandal in Lebanon this summer. This may be just as bad.

The Flying Imams

Little Green Footballs has the latest on the seething imams who were tossed off a flight in Minneapolis the other day.

This whole episode stinks to high heaven and I'm thinking it's an organized stunt.

Meanwhile, Ann Coulter weighs in like only she can.

Six imams removed from a US Airways flight from Minneapolis to Phoenix are calling on Muslims to boycott the airline. If only we could get Muslims to boycott all airlines, we could dispense with airport security altogether.

Witnesses said the imams stood to do their evening prayers in the terminal before boarding, chanting "Allah, Allah, Allah" — coincidentally, the last words heard by hundreds of airline passengers on 9/11 before they died.

Witnesses also said that the imams were talking about Saddam Hussein, and denouncing America and the war in Iraq. About the only scary preflight ritual the imams didn't perform was the signing of last wills and testaments.

After boarding, the imams did not sit together and some asked for seat belt extensions, although none were morbidly obese. Three of the men had one-way tickets and no checked baggage.

Also they were Muslims.

The idea that a Muslim boycott against US Airways would hurt the airline proves that Arabs are utterly tone-deaf. This is roughly the equivalent of Cindy Sheehan taking a vow of silence. How can we hope to deal with people with no sense of irony? The next thing you know, New York City cab drivers will be threatening to bathe.

Happy Thanksgiving

Well it's a dark, rainy Thanksgiving Day here in the northeast, and it promises to be a messy time for the parade in NYC. Depending on the wind conditions, there may or may not be floats to see.

Meanwhile, here in the JWF household, we always enjoy this classic, which airs shortly. Some visitors are here and the kids have never seen it, so it should be a treat for them.

Meanwhile, all the buzz on the news this morning is whether or not Dick Cheney made a trip to Iraq to see the troops. See reports here and here. If he did, all power to him, as it's a nice gesture on his part. Still, the wackos will criticize him for it, so I really hope he did. If it can ruin Thanksgiving for just one moonbat, then it's worth it.

It Was 43 Years Ago Today

I guess 43rd anniversaries don't have the same appeal as a 25th or 50th, but little noted today is the assassination of President Kennedy.

Being and infant at the time, I obviously have no recollection. November 22, 1963 was probably the seminal moment in American history for the latter half of the 20th Century.

Always the highwire act, I'll go out on a limb and say it was Oswald.

Discuss.

Thanksgiving Football Picks

Since stuffing our faces and watching football is a Thanksgiving tradition, here are my selections for tomorrow. I'll post the balance of the Week 12 picks this weekend.

Dolphins -3.5 over Lions: Ah yes, that wonderful Detroit tradition: losing. Hapless Lions, as predicted, were caught looking ahead to their annual holiday beatdown, and were upended by the dreadful Cardinals last Sunday. While few people will be serving Fish tomorrow, surging Miami will be serving up some lumps on their compliant hosts, who'll probably unearth their dreadful thrownback uniforms. The question remains: Why is Matt Millen still employed in Motown? Actual final score: Dolphins 33, Lions 16.

Bucs +10.5 over Cowboys: Dallas is right back in the NFC East mix, reinvigorated by Tony Romo and the Giants staggering about. But it's a short week and I have to figure Tampa keeps this relatively close. Actual final score: Cowboys 24, Bucs 17.

Chiefs +2.5 over Broncos: The bad news first. Many will not see this game since The NFL Network isn't cleared on some cable systems, including the one where I'll be tomorrow. The good news is you won't have to suffer through Bryant Gumbel doing play-by-play. The Chiefs are still smarting over that whole Plymouth Rock episode and the Broncos are equally miserable from that whole Jake Plummer episode. Go with angry over depressed. Actual final score: Chiefs 27, Broncos 23.

Giving Thanks

Living in the best country in the history of the planet is more than enough to be thankful for and I always give thanks for each day I can enjoy. Which is why I cannot understand the rampant America is bad mentality and the annual PC harangues about the evils of Thanksgiving.

Just this morning I heard the kvetching by an insipid NYC politician claiming one in six New Yorkers goes hungry. Nonsense.

So I prefer giving thanks, like those here and here.

When you sit down tomorrow with family, be happy you're not a perpetually angry moonbat consumed with rage, unable to be grateful for what they have, rather than obsessing over what they don't and who has more.

Be thankful and proud to be an American.

Dead Air With Katie Couric

How does The Perky One kill 2:30?

See Hot Air.

Thomas Sowell on Rumsfeld

From over at NRO, the wonderfully erudite Sowell calls it the The Washington Meat Grinder: Casualties of public service.

It is hard to think of any secretary of Defense who has ever been popular and Donald Rumsfeld certainly did not become a historic first in that department. He did not suffer fools gladly, even though they are a major constituency in Washington.

Whatever history’s verdict on the Iraq war and on Secretary Rumsfeld, both deserved to be discussed and debated on a far more serious and responsible level than the media sound bites, political spin, and venomous cheap shots which have become all too common.

Whether Donald Rumsfeld’s policies were mistaken or not, that is no reason to accept superficial and even gutter-level discourse on momentous national issues. There was a time when even politicians understood that.

You can agree or disagree with his actions during his stint as Defense Secretary, but I'd really love to see Rumsfeld speak candidly and let it all hang out. There are plenty of guttersnipes out there who deserve some castigation.

Breaking: Lebanese Cabinet Member Assassinated

Hot Air reports an anti-Syrian Lebanese Cabinet member has been assassinated.

Via Snapped Shot. They’re not 100% sure yet that it was a political assassination but Fox just broke in to say the shooter was a sniper. If the Syrians are behind it, it’s both par for the course and incredibly stupid, coming as it does two days before Hezbollah is set to take to the streets to try to “peacefully” topple the government and four days before that super-keen, let-the-healing-begin summit between Iraq, Syria, and Iran. And at a moment when even people like Tony Blair are urging us to talk to Damascus.

Plenty of links over there. I'm having trouble accessing Snapped Shot.

UPDATE:

Eerily enough, Opinion Journal had an update today on the Rafik Hariri murder.

Judge Tells Anti-NSA Group to Buzz Off

Michelle Malkin notes an ABC report here that the National Security Agency is not required to release details about its secret wiretapping program.

The People for the American Way Foundation, a liberal advocacy group, sued to obtain records under the Freedom of Information Act. The group sought to find out how many wiretaps were approved and who reviewed the program.

President Bush has acknowledged the existence of the program, which he calls the Terrorist Surveillance Program. The National Security Agency monitors phone calls and e-mails between people in the U.S. and people in other countries when a link to terrorism is suspected.

There is some sanity out there.

Consider Giuliani's Enemies

While it's far too early to make any recommendations for the 2008 GOP primaries, do not dismiss former NYC Mayor Rudy Giuliani simply because he is pro-choice or favors civil unions for gays. I've never been much of a one-issue voter, but considering the importance of national security and the war on terror, that issue is paramount. Without security on the homefront, nothing else really matters. Which is why I find the obsession in some quarters with gay marriage, gun control, (insert liberal pet issue of the week), etc., extremely shortsighted and naive.

In today's NY Post, John Podhoretz suggests Giuliani's enemies may be his biggest asset. He makes a great point. For the past week since Giuliani announced he's forming an exploratory committee for 2008, an endless stream of Democrats have been out spouting their talking points about Giuliani being pro-choice, pro-civil union and so forth and how he won't appeal to the base, as if we're all such reactionary rightwingers we can't focus on the big picture.

But there are other things most Republicans don't know about Giuliani - and when they find out some of those, chance are their fondness for him will grow. And for that boost, it appears, Rudy will have only his enemies to thank.

The Post's David Seifman reported yesterday that some New York lefties are seriously considering an effort to attack Rudy in the manner that the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth attacked John Kerry in 2004 - to reveal the "unvarnished truth" about his mayoralty and deflate his status as an American hero.
...
On issue after issue of concern to America's conservatives - the misuse of the welfare system, the destructive effects of bilingual education, the disastrous misuse of public monies by municipal unions, the need for tax cuts, the essential requirement of supporting the city's police against unjust attack as they risked their lives to secure civil peace - Rudy fought.

He fought The New York Times and the liberal establishment - and gave them no quarter. They despised him - and the relentlessness of their expressed displeasure only seemed to push him to greater action.

Conservatives nationwide don't know any of this. But thanks to Norm Siegel and others, they may hear about it from exactly the sorts of people whose loathing of Rudy will enhance his stature and burnish his credentials.

Rudy's appeal to GOP primary voters can and will go beyond his peerless handling of 9/11 and his brilliant record on crime. Voters will learn that he was a liberal-slayer.

Meanwhile, over at National Review, Deroy Murdock points out Giuliani right now is the frontrunner, and it's not even close.

In a nationwide Rasmussen Reports survey of 1,050 Republicans and 203 GOP-leaning independents, 24 percent backed Giuliani while 18 percent chose Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. McCain, at 17 percent, lags behind Rice, a declared non-candidate.

"If we assume Rice is not running and allocate her votes," says pollster Scott Rasmussen, "Giuliani would top McCain 32 percent to 22 percent in the November 4 - 7 study."

So while none of this means I'm automatically in Rudy's camp, at this time I simply encourage Republicans to keep an open mind about things, consider who is out there trashing him, and stay focused on the big picture.

Quit While You're Behind

Charles Rangel apparently doesn't know when to dummy up. Allahpundit has his latest idiocy here. These buffoons may talk themselves back out of power faster than anyone could hope for.

His party leaders apparently don't feel the same way. In as low a regard as I hold most of them, even they aren't this idiotic.

But the great unwashed out there will be sure to interepret this as Bush wanting to reinstate the draft. Just watch. I heard the same nonsense the last time Rangel pulled this cheap stunt.

Hitchens Shreds OJ

In today's Opinion Journal, Christopher Hitchens openly questions news judgment and demolishes the thing known as OJ Simpson.

Just thinking aloud here, but what do you suppose the reaction of Fox News and the Murdoch press would be if Black Entertainment Television had commissioned a lucrative tie-in for O.J. Simpson, and had sat him down for an alternately lenient and self-pitying interview with, say, Tawana Brawley? Might we not be hearing quite a lot of fulmination about softness on crime, additional pain to the victims' families, and the general slippage of standards? But, given that it's the Murdoch empire that stands to profit several ways from the outrageous decision to stage and promote Simpson's "confession" (which is his publisher Ms. Judith Regan's word for it, not mine) we seem to be talking about the positive mainstreaming of the non-judgmental.

Read it all.

UPDATE: Out of the loop most of the day, but I see Fox and Rupert Murdoch came to their senses in putting the kibosh on this travesty.

Will Pelosi Support Hastings?

UPDATED: Pelosi's Slap at Security

The Democrats have a major dilemma on their hands. I say they'll cave and vote for Alcee Hastings. After all, their have an image to uphold, and they can't afford to be called racist.

Byron York delivers the smackdown.

On August 3, 1988, the House of Representatives voted on a resolution, co-sponsored by Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers, to impeach Alcee Hastings, the federal judge in Florida accused of conspiring to take a bribe. On that day 18 years ago, some of the Democrats who are today preparing to take power in the House were relatively new to the job; others were, even then, veterans who had served in Congress for years. For both, the vote was a rarity; Hastings was just the 10th judge in U.S. history to face impeachment.

One of the newcomers to the House was the future Speaker Nancy Pelosi, who had been in office a little more than a year. She voted to impeach Hastings.

Rep. Steny Hoyer, the future Majority Leader, also voted to impeach. And so did the lawmakers who will soon chair powerful House committees. Rep. Conyers, now in line to become chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Charles Rangel, soon to chair the Ways and Means Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Barney Frank, in line to head the Financial Services Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Henry Waxman, next chair of the Government Reform Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. John Dingell, in line to chair the Energy and Commerce Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. George Miller, soon to head the Education and the Workforce Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. David Obey, in line to chair the Appropriations Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Ike Skelton, next chair of the Armed Services Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. John Spratt, next in line for the Budget Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Howard Berman, next head of the Ethics Committee, voted to impeach. Rep. Tom Lantos, in line to chair the International Relations Committee, voted to impeach. And Rep. Louise Slaughter, next chair of the Rules Committee, voted to impeach.

So did other well-known Democratic lawmakers like Rep. John Lewis, Rep. (and later Sen.) Barbara Boxer, Rep. (and later Sen.) Charles Schumer, Rep. (and later Sen.) Richard Durbin, Rep. Ed Markey, Rep. Ron Dellums, Rep. Julian Dixon, and Rep. Richard Gephardt.

Dissent Crushed

In the NY Post, Adam Brodsky discusses why Muslims in the U.S. fear speaking out. Their fellow Muslims won't stand for it.

Sadly, he also notes they have many enablers, especially on college campuses.

A depressingly all-too-familiar scene.

MUSLIMS are often accused of not speaking out sufficiently against terrorism. Nonie Darwish knows one reason why: Their fellow Muslims won't let them.

Darwish, who comes from Egypt and was born and raised a Muslim, was set to tell students at Brown University about the twisted hatred and radicalism she grew to despise in her own culture. A campus Jewish group, Hillel, had contacted her to speak there Thursday.

But the event was just called off.

Muslim students had complained that Darwish was "too controversial." They insisted she be denied a platform at Brown, and after contentious debate Hillel agreed.

Weird: No one had said boo about such Brown events as a patently anti-Israel "Palestinian Solidarity Week." But Hillel said her "offensive" statements about Islam "alarmed" the Muslim Student Association, and Hillel didn't want to upset its "beautiful relationship" with the Muslim community.

Read it all.

Lerch Still on the March

He's like the thing that wouldn't leave. Just what the nation is asking for more of: An idiot who can't tell a joke. Maybe because he is the joke.

Sen. Kerry still considering 2008 White House bid

In an interview on "Fox News Sunday," Kerry was asked he had given up on a presidential run after the flap over his comment to students that they could "get stuck in Iraq" if they did not study hard enough.

"Not in the least. I am looking at it in the same way. The people that I have talked to across the country, my team's confident and strong. I don't know what I'll do.

"I've apologized [he did? - ed.] and we have to move on to the real issues that face this country."

UPDATE: Hot Air has the video. He blames the Republican attack machine. But of course.

NFL Week 11

Now that the Game of the Year in college has passed, we get back to the NFL.

After last week's debacle, I should know better, but I'm not betting on anything, so what the heck?

These picks are for recreational purposes only, and should not be used as the basis for any actual cash wagers. Home team in CAPS.

JETS +7 over Bears: Chicago returns to Giants Stadium for the second consecutive week, but could be in for a surprise against blitz-happy Jets. Actual final score: Bears 24-20.

Raiders +9.5 over CHIEFS: Trent Green may struggle in his return, allowing Raiders to stick around. Actual final score: Chiefs 27-22.

Bengals +3.5 over SAINTS: Saints struggling badly against AFC North teams, and Bengals are in a must-win situation. Actual final score: Bengals 28-25.

Steelers –3.5 over BROWNS: Pittsburgh climbing back to respectability, but will still struggle against decent Cleveland defense. Actual final score: Steelers 17-9.

Titans +13 over EAGLES: Philly needs to keep winning to keep pace in NFC East race, but they tend to overlook supposed doormats. Actual final score: Eagles 30-24.

RAVENS –4 over Falcons: Another long day for Vick, who may soon get yanked if he keeps up the fumbling. Actual final score: Ravens 19-14.

Rams + 7 over PANTHERS: Rams have lost four straight, but can still score enough to keep it close. Actual final score: Panthers 31-27.

Bills +2.5 over TEXANS: Bills refuse to let O.J. saga distract them. Actual final score: Bills 14-13.

Patriots –5.5 over PACKERS: In order to qualify for AARP bonus points, Patriots brought in Vinny Testaverde this week. Favre is about 15 years younger. Actual final score: Patriots 27-17.

BUCCANEERS –3 over Redskins: Little Danny Snyder took the redeye back from the TomKat wedding for this? Actual final score: Bucs 16-10.

DOLPHINS –3.5 over Vikings: Vikings are in a funk and resurgent Fish have nothing to lose. Actual final score: Dolphins 23-16.

CARDINALS –2 over Lions: Detroit caught looking ahead to Turkey Day shellacking, get beat by NFL’s worst team. Actual final score: Cardinals 29-24.

Seahawks – 4.5 over 49ERS: Alexander and Hasselbeck return, though they should be rusty. Seattle still superior. Actual final score: Seahawks 37-24.

Colts –1 over COWBOYS: Tony Romo a lot better than I expected and Dallas will be fired up at home. However, keeping the Colts off the board after their struggles last week will be near impossible. Actual final score: Colts 31-21.

Chargers +2.5 over BRONCOS: San Diego has to let down some after last weeks’ track meet with Bengals, and no way Broncos defense gets trampled. Denver traditionally a bad spot for Bolts. Actual final score: Broncos 24-23.

Giants +3.5 over JAGUARS: Giants stumbled badly against Bears, but should keep David Garrard in check. Must get Shockey involved more. Actual final score: Giants 17-13.

Scandinavia Next Terror Target?

A disturbing examination in the Washington Times today on the growing radical Islamic menace in Scandinavia. Surely, if any of this comes to fruition, there will be those who blame cartoons. The rest of us will blame the terrorist monsters. Read it all.

Since September 11, Scandinavia's potential victimization has become more critical than ever before. Two major reasons account for this inevitable eventuality. The apparent expansion of al Qaeda's international network into the region is the first reason. After all, the stated objective of Osama bin Laden's terrorist worldwide movement is to unite all Muslims from Asia, Africa and Europe in a Shariah form of government that follows the rule of the Caliphs. To achieve this theological-strategic goal, the United States and its Western allies are by definition considered the "enemies of God" and must, therefore, be attacked by as much force as possible, including the utilization of weapons of mass destruction in a Jihad (Holy War) until total victory is achieved.

This Jihadist mindset seeing Scandinavia as the next battlefield in Europe is unmistakably clear. Currently, Denmark provides some 500 troops to the stabilization efforts in Iraq and has also contributed to the International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan, supporting the U.S.-led coalition. In 2005, a Danish publication containing caricatures of the prophet Muhammad set off severe protests against the country, especially in the Middle East, culminating with the attack against the Danish Embassy in Damascus.

Sweden also contributed military assistance in Afghanistan, and its new conservative government openly advocates that Sweden should join its two Scandinavian neighbors in NATO, thus playing a greater role in the U.S. global war on terrorism. Moreover, Norway is now active in Afghanistan after withdrawing its troops from Iraq in October 2005.

Cutting and Losing

A stark reminder today from the NY Post that reminds us a hasty exit from Iraq is not in the best interest of the country. Some giddy Democrats seem to want to relive their glory days from the Vietnam era, without addressing what happened when we left Southeast Asia.

Don't the Democrats ever think about the consequences of a premature abandonment of that mission?

Not just for the region - but for America, too?

Recall the nightmare that ensued after Washington ditched South Vietnam in the '70s: That stab-in-the-back plunged much of Southeast Asia into a sea of blood.

A rampaging Hanoi moved to expand its reach over the next few years, at the cost of countless innocents in South Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia.

Millions were rounded up, slaughtered, left to die or forced to flee.

Some 800,000 kids were orphaned.

That blood is on America's hands.

But never mind the nameless who were so cruelly sacrificed. Or the moral quagmire into which the nation sunk.

Saddam Follows OJ's Lead

If you enjoy sites that mercilessly skewer the left, then The People's Cube is for you.

A hilarious piece has Saddam Hussein taking the cue from OJ. Read it all. And check out some of the other features while you're there.

Saddam Hussein, a long-term admirer of OJ Simpson's life story, has most recently followed his icon's example, releasing a shocking new book titled If I Had Weapons Of Mass Destruction, in which he outlines how his illegal weapons would have been hidden - if he had them. The controversy surrounding Saddam Hussein's removal from power surfaced again this week when, just in time for November television sweeps, former Iraqi leader revealed that he will participate in a two-part Fox television special and release a book that will give a "bone-chilling account" of how he could have moved the WMDs to Syria using advisors from the Russian intelligence.

As an added bonus, Mr. Hussein promises to share with world audiences how he could have used the eight billion dollars he had schemed out of the Food For Oil program to pay off world governments, politicians, media organizations, and leftist activist groups, to organize the largest anti-American campaign since the fall of the Soviet Union - using the methods and infrastructure offered to him by the same well-paid ex-KGB group of advisors.

Maher and Rather Attack Fox News

This is what happens when the insane meets the idiotic. Here you have a man bought and paid for by Saddam Hussein, Fidel Castro, and the Clinton Administration claiming Fox News gets their marching orders from the White House. Hot Air also has video.

A pathetic, bitter man.

It was a pretty funny “Real Time with Bill Maher” on HBO this past Friday, although not for the reasons the host would have preferred. Maher invited deposed CBS anchor Dan Rather on to discuss whatever he wanted with total impunity, and what ensued was a full-fledged Fox News hate-fest. However, that wasn’t the funniest part, for Rather actually had the gall to insinuate that FNC gets talking points from the White House, and was doing its darnedest to influence the elections that just transpired.

Talk about the pot calling the kettle black. Honestly, I’ve had to use four boxes of Kleenex to dry off my laptop in order to post this article for your reading pleasure.

Book: Conservatives Are More Generous Than Liberals

In news sure to roil those who consider themselves generous while using taxpayer money, a Syracuse University Professor has written a book concluding religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income.

The book, titled "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism" (Basic Books, $26), is due for release Nov. 24.

When it comes to helping the needy, Brooks writes: "For too long, liberals have been claiming they are the most virtuous members of American society. Although they usually give less to charity, they have nevertheless lambasted conservatives for their callousness in the face of social injustice."

For the record, Brooks, 42, has been registered in the past as a Democrat, then a Republican, but now lists himself as independent, explaining, "I have no comfortable political home."

Since 2003 he has been director of nonprofit studies for Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Outside professional circles, he's best known for his regular op-ed columns in The Wall Street Journal (13 over the past 18 months) on topics that stray a bit from his philanthropy expertise.

One noted that people who drink alcohol moderately are more successful and charitable than those who don't (like him). Another observed that liberals are having fewer babies than conservatives, which will reduce liberals' impact on politics over time because children generally mimic their parents.

I'm positive this will be greeted with an open mind by the tolerant left. They'll probably call for a taxpayer-funded study to prove him wrong.

Is Nothing Sacred?

It's not as if we have enough to worry about these days, what with global terrorism, the changing political landscape and other matters of importance, like football and Dancing With the Stars. But give the folks in Shiloh, Illinois credit for keeping their priorities in order, especially with this news here that is sure to sweep the nation today, as it already has the deadthread at LGF.

Gay penguin book shakes up Ill. school

SHILOH, Ill. - A picture book about two male penguins raising a baby penguin is getting a chilly reception among some parents who worry about the book's availability to children — and the reluctance of school administrators to restrict access to it.

The concerns are the latest involving "And Tango Makes Three," the illustrated children's book based on a true story of two male penguins in New York City's Central Park Zoo that adopted a fertilized egg and raised the chick as their own.

Complaining about the book's homosexual undertones, some parents of Shiloh Elementary School students believe the book — available to be checked out of the school's library in this 11,000-resident town 20 miles east of St. Louis — tackles topics their children aren't ready to handle.

Their request: Move the book to the library's regular shelves and restrict it to a section for mature issues, perhaps even requiring parental permission before a child can check it out.

For now, "And Tango Makes Three" will stay put, said school district Superintendent Jennifer Filyaw, though a panel she appointed suggested the book be moved and require parental permission to be checked out. The district's attorney said moving it might be construed as censorship.

Filyaw considers the book "adorable" and age appropriate, written for children ages 4 to 8.

"My feeling is that a library is to serve an entire population," she said. "It means you represent different families in a society — different religions, different beliefs."

Good grief. There's plenty of time for children to learn about homosexuality. WHEN THEY GROW UP!

Is it too much to ask that we let them enjoy their childhood before the indoctrination begins?

UPDATE

I've given it some more thought and mentioned this over at LGF a little while ago.

There is an upside to all the gay penguin madness. Maybe now they'll at least introduce some new color schemes to the drab black and white ensemble they're been parading about in all these years.

I've always thought penguins were lacking a sense of style.

Once they learn to accessorize properly and get a lobby and PAC up and running, they could be a force to reckon with.

We can't stop them. We can only hope to contain them.

UPDATE 2

Boy, am I out of touch. Little did I know there was a whole gay penguin subculture out there.

Site Updates

Now that JWF has reached Insigificant Microbe status, I figure it's time to step things up a bit. So as a service to my dozens of readers, I've added some feeds here, here and here, where you can access my posts.

Before long, you'll be checking your Blackberries from remote islands, pining for a fix.

It's only been a couple of weeks, and I'm still getting the hang of this. But thanks to Charles at LGF for linking me, as well as other devoted Lizardoids who also did the same. I expected to get maybe a couple of hits a day, but since the Site Meter doesn't lie, I'm happy to see traffic has been steadier than I could have hoped for.

So as not to artificially inflate the numbers, I blocked the IP addresses of the locations I post and view from. LGF has been a key source for traffic, and I'm glad to see I'm getting hits not just from across the USA, but from Canada, and a few from Europe, South America and Australia as well.

As time advances, I hope to begin adding more features and spice things up a bit. I lean more toward the opinion end of things and am not well-versed in site design, but I'll try to keep experimenting.

So thanks to everyone for visiting and I hope you'll come by on a regular basis. If you have any suggestions or links to recommend, drop me a line.

Call Her Nancy Shrew?

Deborah Orin-Eilbeck in today's NY Post weighs on on the Pelosi-Murtha fiasco.

FORGET "The Devil Wears Prada the hot show in Washington is "The Shrew Adores Armani." In just a few short days, House Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi has turned into a caricature of the shrill, petty woman boss.

Armani-loving Pelosi demanded, in heavy-handed diva fashion, that House Democrats back her ethics-challenged antiwar crony, Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.), as her chief deputy - acting as if she's the queen whose word must be law.

But it all blew up in her face; Murtha lost 149-86 to Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-Md.), a onetime Pelosi rival whom she wants to keep squashed down. So Pelosi's first move as House leader left her a big-time loser.

"She messed this up so badly, it's breathtaking. It raises real concerns about whether she can separate her personal issues from the issues of the Democratic caucus," says a veteran Democratic strategist.

"It's not just the heavy-handedness, it's the clumsiness. There can be a stereotype of a woman as petty and personal - and she's now at real risk of creating that image for herself. She's reawakened all the old doubts about whether she is ideologically too liberal for this job, and added new ones as well."

The stereotype of the woman boss as a self-centered witch on wheels who'll run over anyone in her path has plenty of roots in American culture - "The Devil Wears Prada," zinging a fashion editor modeled on Vogue's Anna Wintour, is just the latest incarnation.

So if "Nancy Shrew" becomes the image of the highest-ranking woman ever in American politics - Pelosi will be second in line of succession to the presidency - it'll be a problem for all women politicos, including 2008 prospect Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.).

Pelosi's insistence on pushing pal Murtha even forced The New York Times to belatedly acknowledge that the "culture of corruption" is bipartisan - not just a Republican evil, as Times news stories and editorials kept suggesting until the election.
...
But it's not just Murtha. Pelosi intensely dislikes fellow California Democrat Rep. Jane Harman, and has decided to block Harman from becoming chairwoman of the House Intelligence Committee.

The origins of the Pelosi-Harman feud are murky - "It's almost like two teenage girls in the bathroom with one telling the other, 'You're not cool enough to be in my club,' " says one Democrat.

Read the rest.

When you're enemies are destroying themselves, don't interefere.

Joh Podhoretz also weighs in.

DEFEATED Republicans are strangely jubilant, while victorious Democrats are shaking their heads in dismay. Why, oh why, did civil war have to erupt inside the Democratic Party only a week after its stunning triumph in the midterm elections?

Item: Washington's new No. 1 Dem, Speaker-to-be Nancy Pelosi, decided she wanted her sleazy born-again-peacenik buddy Jack Murtha to be the House majority leader. That's the No. 2 slot. Not so fast, said the House's current No. 2 Dem, Steny Hoyer: He forcefully pushed back against Pelosi's efforts to oust him and trounced Murtha in yesterday's vote of Democratic House members.

So Pelosi and Hoyer - who ran against each other for the post of minority leader in 2001 and are said to dislike and distrust each other - must now work together on the complex task of managing the rules and structure of the House of Representatives.

Just Go Away, Please

Eleven years past one of the most ridiculous verdicts in American history, the thing known as O.J. Simpson resurfaces, and a firestorm has ensued.

Simpson reportedly has a book in the works and is to appear on Fox TV (not to be confused with Fox News Channel).

Michelle Malkin checks in here with The O.J. Orgy

You wanna make money and attract eyeballs by putting on a vulgar, sweeps-week O.J. freak show? Go ahead. But don't dress it up as public interest journalism, or a historically significant probe "to gain insight into the mind of a sociopath," or a noble search for truth that adds something worthwhile to public discourse. This new specatcle adds nothing. Nothing. We already know the truth. As La Shawn Barber put it bluntly, O.J. Simpson is hellbound. What more is there to "understand?" Haven't there been enough endless interviews giving the sociopath a platform to bare his rotted soul and mind?

Meanwhile, FNCers like O'Reilly and Geraldo, never ones to ride below the PR radar, are outraged. Outraged, I tell you.

Others over there, like the loathesome Alan Colmes, head straight for the gutter, based on his exchange with Mark Fuhrman. Colmes apparently is auditioning for a role as Dumbest Man in America.

Now Judith Regan is trying to extricate herself from this mess.

I don’t know why he did it—why he did the book, and sat for the interview. Was it his own disturbed need for attention? Did he have remorse? Was he ready to come clean and make amends and do his penance? I wouldn’t know until I sat down in a chair across from him.

What I do know is I didn’t pay him. I contracted through a third party who owns the rights, and I was told the money would go to his children. That much I could live with.

What I wanted was closure, not money.

The balance of Regan's explanation is an homage to self-serving platitudes. It's all about her, you see.

Whatever the case may be here, the wise thing to do is to jettison this stupid book and cancel the program.

At least consider the feelings of the Goldman and Brown families. They haven't gotten a nickel from this monster, nor an ounce of richly-deserved vengeance.

Go Back To Sleep, Nothing to Worry About

*** UPDATED 7:15 ET ***
More interesting speculation.

*** UPDATED 11:30 ***
Charles at LGF has more information, including some suspicious background on the attorney representing this guy.

I'm sure this is all just a big misunderstanding, as nobody could possibly want to do us any harm now that the people have voted for change and the glorious socialist dreamstate is soon to descend upon us.

Still, some disturbing news out of Detroit.

Airport Arrest Turns up Nuclear Info

A man was arrested at Detroit Metropolitan Airport after officials say they found him carrying more than $78,000 in cash and a laptop computer containing information about nuclear materials and cyanide.

Sisayehiticha Dinssa, an unemployed U.S. citizen, was arrested Tuesday after a dog caught the scent of narcotics on cash he was carrying, according to an affidavit filed in court.

When agents asked him if he had any cash to declare, he said he had $18,000, authorities said. But when agents checked his luggage, they found an additional $59,000. When they scrolled through his laptop, they said they found the mysterious files.

At a court hearing Wednesday, Dinssa was ordered held in custody until at least until Monday at the request of prosecutors.

Assistant U.S. Attorney Leonid Feller argued Dinssa was a potential risk to the community and federal agents want to get a warrant to search his computer more thoroughly, The Detroit News reported Thursday. U.S. Magistrate Donald Scheer approved Feller's request to detain him.

Dinssa, who is from Dallas, arrived in Detroit from Nigeria by way of Amsterdam and was headed for Phoenixwho is from Dallas, arrived in Detroit from Nigeria by way of Amsterdam and was headed for Phoenix, Feller said. He is charged with concealing more than $10,000 in his luggage, which carries a maximum penalty of five years in prison, the Detroit Free Press reported.

Let's see. He's from Dallas, but was headed for Phoenix by way of Amsterdam, Nigeria and Detroit. No, nothing suspicious there.

Move along everyone. Nothing to see here.

More Pelosi Bashing

I just can't help myself. She's such an easy target.

Some Thursday funnies from Ann Coulter.

DESPERATE CONGRESSWOMEN OF HYSTERIA LANE

In the past week, there are 476 documents on Nexis heralding the magnificent achievement of Nancy Pelosi becoming the FIRST WOMAN speaker of the House.

I thought we had moved beyond such multicultural milestones.

The media yawned when Condoleezza Rice became the first black female secretary of state (and when Lincoln Chafee became the first developmentally disabled senator).

There were only 77 documents noting that Rice was the first black woman to be the secretary of state, and half of them were issues of Jet, Essence, Ebony or Black Entrepreneur magazine.

A New York Times profile of Rice at the time waited until the last sentence to note in passing that Rice was "only the second woman, and the first black woman, to hold the job." (In a separate column by me, it was noted that Rice was the "first competent woman" to hold the job.)

Not everyone ignored Secretary Rice's achievement. Gore's campaign manager, Donna Brazile — the last black person to hold a prominent role in any Democratic presidential campaign — told Newsweek that when she watched President Bush nominate Rice, "I had chills up and down my spine." Brazile said: "I never thought in my lifetime I'd see an African-American woman being nominated as secretary of state. George Bush made that happen."

*** UPDATE *** 12:45 pm 11/16

Robert Novak weighs in on Pelosi's ineptitute.

Back to Basics

As popular as Rush Limbaugh is, don't forget his younger brother.

David Limbaugh offers some advice to the GOP.

While I stand by my contention the Democratic Party is intellectually and morally bankrupt, I'll concede Republicans are floundering right now. Ideologically, this is a center-right nation, and yet Republicans lost at the polls. Democrats are going to continue being who they are, but Republicans need to come home.
It's true our congressional losses were not unusual for a midterm election, especially in the president's second term. But if the party had stuck to its principles, it wouldn't have sustained such losses. Republicans need to find their voice again, and well before the 2008 elections -- which will be a formidable challenge.
Before addressing the points of conflict, let's consider the principles upon which most Republicans agree. Most agree on lower taxes, lower spending, less government regulation, a strong national defense and originalist judges. Our elected Republican representatives haven't always lived up to these principles, but they remain our principles.
Unfortunately the intraparty differences are many and growing in intensity. The issue of immigration is particularly divisive. Wall Street Journal conservatives are militantly open-borders. They seem to view border-control advocates with an elitist disdain, attributing their views to a nativist, xenophobic strain. The border-control activists resent the mischaracterization of their passion to preserve our sovereignty and unique American culture as racist. Many of them see the open-borders policy of the elite as wrongheaded naivete at best and economic idolatry at worst.

The Republicans don't have much time to get their act together. They are the party of ideas. Now is the time to begin presenting them coherently.

If We Had No Shame

Excellent satirical piece over at National Review today wonders what might happen If Republicans Were Democrats.

I wouldn't expect any liberals to see the irony here, as humor escapes them for the most part. Besides, they're now busy trying to wreck the economy and forge an alliance with Islamofascists, so they don't have to time to laugh about anything.

Read the whole thing.

If Republicans were Democrats the next thing they’d do would be to demand the abolishment of any voting system that involved advanced registration, government-issue photo IDs, machinery of any kind, electricity, or paper, perhaps in favor of a nationwide show of hands. Not only that, they’d also demand that anyone who ever worked in any capacity for any company that manufactured voting machines be stripped of their U.S. citizenship and immediately deported to…oh, I don’t know…Canada?

If Republicans were Democrats they’d have their version of a Terry McAuliffe — I’m drawing a blank as to who the Republican version of that braying, soulless lickspittle would be — explaining how last week’s setback was actually a great Republican victory for which he deserved considerable credit. Then, of course, they’d fire the guy. If Republicans were Democrats they would then take the one person who personified why they lost the last election and make him the chairman of their party, like Democrats did with Howard Dean. The Democrat-like Republican version of such a pas de deaux would be to replace Ken Mehlman with Jack Abramoff, who for all his faults would probably be a more effective fundraiser than Howard Dean has proven to be so far.

If Republicans were Democrats they’d next strike a blow for civility by refusing to acknowledge their opponents’ victory. They’d call Speaker Pelosi “Nancy,” and Majority Leader Reid “Harry.” Yeah, that’d show ‘em, all right. If Republicans were Democrats they’d point out that the major media were against them — and they’d be right. But in this case the story would be widely reported and treated as a credible charge, since if Republicans were Democrats roughly 90 percent of the working press would be registered, Democrat-like Republicans. If Republicans were Democrats they’d also demand broad new restrictions on free speech by media outlets that openly campaigned against them — whether effectively, like National Public Radio and Michael J. Fox, or not, like Air America Radio and Barbra Streisand’s current tour. If Republicans were Democrats they’d also be appearing on every cable TV around the clock claiming that the old-fashioned ass-whupping they got last week was merely the result of not getting their message out — despite the fact that after months of saturation coverage every man, woman and child in America can recite their losing message practically word-for-word. The “we didn’t get our message out” mantra would be repeated to the point where it, too had been unwittingly committed to memory by everyone in the continental U.S. within earshot of a television set or radio.

Finally, if the Republicans of today were Democrats, and last week’s results left the Democrats in control of the Senate by a margin of 51 to 49, the Republicans would do something really crass. Really sneaky. In other words, really Democratic. What they’d do is convince Joe Lieberman, who’s essentially a liberal Republican now anyway, to switch parties. What’s he got to lose — seniority? All that good will he’s built up with Democrats by supporting regime change in Iraq? An invitation to Ned Lamont’s Christmas party? They’d make it worth Lieberman’s while, of course. Make him a chairman of some dweeby committee, rename the Bridge to Nowhere “Lieberman Bridge,” offer him complimentary shabbas goy services for life — you know, something. Lieberman’s switch would leave the Senate in a 50-50 tie and return control of the Senate to the Republicans through 2008 by endowing Vice President Cheney with the tie-breaking vote. For two glorious years the entire U.S. Senate — Kennedy, Kerry, Barack Obama — would be answering to Dick Cheney. Just imagine the possibilities — why, Hillary Clinton herself might spontaneously burst into flames. If this strikes you as unfair, remember that it’s more or less what the Democrats did to the Republicans in 2001 using former Republican tool and future Trivial Pursuit answer Jim Jeffords. The principle differences being, of course, that Joe Lieberman is a man of integrity, and that making him a Republican would reflect the will of the voters, not subvert it.