Goracle Claims Son's Drug Bust 'Private'

No doubt the blockheaded blowhard would like everyone to ignore the fact his son is a public menace, even though he was driving an allegedly environmentally-friendly piece of junk like the Prius.

Still, I'd be remiss if I didn't remind the Keeper of the Planet that when the Spawn of Goracle is careening down I-5 in a mobile pharmacy, it's everyone's business, especially law enforcement.

Gore: Son's pot bust 'private'

NEW YORK -- Former Vice President Al Gore said today he's glad his son is safe and getting treatment a day after the 24-year-old was arrested in California on suspicion of illegally possessing marijuana and prescription drugs.

"We love him very much," Gore told NBC's Today show, adding, "We are going to leave it as a private matter."

Well, I'm not. Maybe when your son was getting in trouble with the law as a minor back in the days before blogs, you had a willingly compliant media always willing to sweep it under the rug. Those days are over. You, your family and your son clearly have larger issues to deal with, and wouldn't it be perhaps a better idea that you spent time with them rather than traipsing around the globe preaching endless doom and gloom while inflating your ego, wallet and waistline?

Some trans-fat-free food for thought.

Gore, who appeared on NBC to publicize this weekend's Live Earth concerts, also briefly discussed politics.

He called President Bush's decision to commute the perjury and obstruction of justice sentence of former White House aide I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby "disappointing" and reiterated that he has no plans to run for president, saying: "I don't expect to be a candidate again ever."

"I've kind of fallen out of love with politics," Gore said. He said the best use of his experience is to bring awareness and a sense of urgency to the issue of climate change.

Sure. I see his emotional grief hasn't diluted his ability to parse words in mealy-mouthed fashion.

Gore laughed when asked if he was ready to endorse a candidate for president. He said his evaluation would be based on what each decides to do about climate change.

"Some of them have made good, positive statements, but it's still treated as a side issue. I will predict for you that within the next 500 days that this issue will be the Number One issue on the agenda," he said.

It may be his Number One issue, but the rest of us have larger priorities, like staving off Islamofascist terrorists who want to murder us all.

It speaks volumes of a man who sat by as Vice President and did nothing to fight terrorism while pushing an environmental hoax on children and gullible adults.

UPDATE: Fishwrap links, with other assorted reaction as well.

Seemingly, the overwhelming response to this story is the revelation the Prius can get it up to 100 mph.

U.S. Productivity Far Outpacing Europe

Here is one good reason why the U.S. productivity rate is generally higher than that of Europe.

Europe heads to beach, Americans head to work

As Europe's workers take a few weeks of holiday this summer, their American colleagues will be lucky to get a few days off work, says a report published by the European Trade Union Institute.

Finland, followed by France, offers working people the most statutory vacation, at more than six weeks per year, the report, an international snapshot of how much paid leave people get by law and in practice in 21 countries, says.

The United States is the only country where employees have no statutory leave, and they get about half as much time off in reality as Europeans get, according to the report, compiled by the Washington-based Centre for Economic Policy Research.

Of course, the socialists at Reuters write this up with a critical attitude toward the U.S.

"The United States is in a class of its own," the report says. "It is the no-vacation nation."

Andrew Watt, an economist at the Brussels-based European Trade Union Institute, said the report not only highlighted a conscious decision to ensure more free time in Europe. It also showed the errors many economists make when saying U.S. productivity and economic output is better than Europe's.

Errors? Errors! Errors?!? U.S. productivity and output is better than Europe's over time, pure and simple. One of the reason why the U.S. has historically seen higher productivity rates than Europe is we work harder than they do. Six weeks a year vacation? My gosh, if I have any employees that can be gone six weeks a year every year, then I don't need that position to begin with.

This argument reminds me of the sleazy sports agents who whine their client should get paid top dollar even though he sits out half the season every year with minor problems, that but for the injury time off he would be top producer. Maybe, but the fact remains that he took the time off and did not produce.

The market compensates you for the true value of your productivity. You will always see socialists refusing to accept that reality.

45 Doctors of Death Planned U.S. Attacks

The President is constantly ridiculed by the left when he says the terrorists will follow us to America if we do not finish the job eradicating them in Iraq and elsewhere.

Funny how silent they've been since the Doctors of Death terror ring has been busted up the past week.

Well, here's more ammunition for his case, and I hope the adults on the Democrat side of the aisle are paying attention.

45 Muslim doctors planned US terror raids

A group of 45 Muslim doctors threatened to use car bombs and rocket grenades in terrorist attacks in the United States during discussions on an extremist internet chat site.

Police found details of the discussions on a site run by one of a three-strong "cyber-terrorist" gang.

They were discovered at the home of Younis Tsouli, 23, Woolwich Crown Court in south-east London heard.

One message read: "We are 45 doctors and we are determined to undertake jihad and take the battle inside America.

"The first target which will be penetrated by nine brothers is the naval base which gives shelter to the ship Kennedy." This is thought to have been a reference to the USS John F Kennedy, which is often at Mayport Naval Base in Jacksonville, Florida.

The message discussed targets at the base, adding: "These are clubs for naked women which are opposite the First and Third units."

It also referred to using six Chevrolet GT vehicles and three fishing boats and blowing up petrol tanks with rocket propelled grenades.

UPDATE: Sure enough, the idiotic Democrats are planning a new cut-and-run proposal.

New Effort To End War Set Monday

WASHINGTON -- Five weeks after President Bush won unfettered funding for America to fight the war in Iraq until September, Senate Democrats will try again on Monday to end the war.

Their opening gambit this summer will be three key amendments to the 2008 bill that authorizes defense spending. The bill is set to be marked up on July 9. Most appealing to wavering Republicans will be an amendment offered by a senator who served as President Reagan's secretary of the Navy, a Democrat from Virginia, James Webb. Mr. Webb proposes to lengthen the leave time of active and reserve duty soldiers, making reinforcement of the current surge next to impossible.

Their craven cowardice knows no limits.

Also at Captain's Quarters, Jihad Watch.

Israelis Whack Five Hamas Goons

Some good news to start the day.

GAZA (Reuters) - Israeli troops and armor crossed into the central Gaza Strip on Thursday, killing six Palestinians, at least five of them militants from the Islamist Hamas group that controls the coastal territory.

Israeli forces exchanged fire with gunmen in al-Maghazi refugee camp, and militants said they also fired rocket-propelled grenades at the troops.

Israeli aircraft attacked several militants who came close to troops during the raid, an Israeli military spokeswoman said. Palestinian medics said two militants were killed in the air strike and a Hamas television cameraman was wounded.

Palestinian medical workers said the bodies of three other militants and an unidentified man arrived in hospital, apparently killed in the ground clashes. Five of those killed by Israel belonged to Hamas, medics said.

The army spokeswoman said soldiers had carried out a routine operation about a kilometer (half-mile) inside Gaza to search for militants, including those involved in rocket attacks against Israel, and to find tunnels used to smuggle weapons.

One thing I wish they'd do with these tunnels is fill them with explosives, detonate them, flush out the garbage, then seal them with concrete. So what if a few "militants" are in there?

Bank of England Raises Key Rate

It looks like inflation continues to heat up in England.

Bank of England raises key rate to 5.75%: U.K. rates hit six-year high; further hike may be on the cards

The Bank of England elected to raise interest rates for the fifth time in under a year Thursday, with rates hitting a six-year high as the bank continues to fight above-target inflation.

The central bank's Monetary Policy Committee hiked its key rate by a quarter-point to 5.75%, in line with the forecast of most economists. The move followed a tight vote at the committee's last meeting in June, which saw Governor Mervyn King's call to raise rates defeated in a five-to-four vote.

This now raises the English discount rate to 0.50% higher than the US rate. Look for the dollar to depreciate relative to the pound. That will make U.S. goods relatively cheaper to buy and thus improve the U.S. export/import picture.

I'd keep a close eye on this situation. Five increases in less than 12 months is the equivalent of locking up your brakes on the expressway. The Bank of England must be pretty spooked about the core inflation numbers and productivity numbers they are seeing.

Clinton Mistaken for Bob Barker

He's still a babe magnet although he's being mistaken for a man 20 years his senior.

Clintons Adjust to Her Turn in His Old Role

As thousands of people cheered along the Fourth of July parade route here, it was the tall man with the familiar white hair who made the crowd go truly gaga.

"Bob Barker! It's Bob Barker!" two women shrieked upon seeing the former president, Bill Clinton, in the distance, as he and Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton of New York marched hand-in-hand.

When the women realized who it really was, they seemed just as thrilled, shouting, "Ohhhh!" and clapping madly. A game-show-host-turned-two-term-president: how can anyone, even Mrs. Clinton, compete?

I saw some news footage of these two traipsing through Iowa, pretending to be a loving couple. Never thought I'd say this, but Mrs. Clinton looks better with the pantsuit on.

Breck Girl Got $1,250 Haircut

OK, no more jokes about $400 haircuts. He's really off the charts now.

Edwards's Hairstylist Recounts All The Trimmings: Man Behind Pricey Coifs Details Long Relationship

For four decades, Joseph Torrenueva has cut the hair of Hollywood celebrities, from Marlon Brando to Bob Barker, so when a friend told him in 2003 that a presidential candidate needed grooming advice, he agreed to help.

The Beverly Hills hairstylist, a Democrat, said he hit it off with then-Sen. John Edwards of North Carolina at a meeting in Los Angeles that brought several fashion experts together to advise the candidate on his appearance. Since then, Torrenueva has cut Edwards's hair at least 16 times.

At first, the haircuts were free. But because Torrenueva often had to fly somewhere on the campaign trail to meet his client, he began charging $300 to $500 for each cut, plus the cost of airfare and hotels when he had to travel outside California.

Torrenueva said one haircut during the 2004 presidential race cost $1,250 because he traveled to Atlanta and lost two days of work.

"He has nice hair," the stylist said of Edwards in an interview. "I try to make the man handsome, strong, more mature and these are the things, as an expert, that's what we do."

If he were so strong and mature, he wouldn't have his wife fight his staged battles for him.

Seriously though, $1,250? I don't think I've spent that in my entire life on haircuts.

He feels pretty, oh so pretty.

H/T Hot Air.

New Al-Zawahiri Tape Released

Perhaps he's sending his Independence Day wishes.

Well, while we're free, he's holed up in a cave somewhere, reduced to making pathetic, rambling videos for consumption by his zombies.

“The Advice of One Concerned” – A Video Speech by Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri, Produced by as-Sahab Media

Touching upon a variety of issues pertinent to the jihadi arena and Muslims, including Iraq, Saudi Arabia, Egypt, and Palestine, Zawahiri repeats his call for unification of Mujahideen and total support among Muslim populations for jihad, but his observations go into considerable depth by utilizing footage from a variety of speakers to dovetail his arguments. For example, in discussing Saudi Arabia and the malignancy of the Saudi Royal Family in regard to that country, Iraq, and the entire region, Zawahiri uses excerpts from Bob Woodward’s book, Plan of Attack, to portray the Kingdom’s culpability in the War in Iraq, its agenda, and collaboration with the West at the expense of Muslims. A PBS Frontline documentary and words from Prince Bandar bin Sultan and Dr. Sa’ad al-Faqih also serve this purpose, highlighting corruption, particularly in the Yamamah arms deal, and the socioeconomic gap between classes in Saudi Arabia.

Nice to see he's utilizing some of the crown jewels of our liberal media to make his case.

Ron Paul Morons Manipulating Digg

Which is probably why they're reduced to lame stunts like this.

There are rumors of Ron Paul supporters manipulating Digg. I’ve got the names and the evidence.

A funny thing happened last month. I wrote a blog post about the history of Digg.com as part of my study of the social bookmarking site. Normally when posting, my entries receive little to no response on Digg, which is fine since it’s hardly viral stuff. When I posted the “history” blog, however, I received a whopping 17 diggs, a number I had never reached with this blog before.

Realizing that something must be up, I did a little investigating. To my surprise, the majority of people that dugg my post were supporters of Republican Congressman from Texas Ron Paul, a Libertarian and presidential candidate.

When I say “Ron Paul supporters,” I mean that these people ONLY digg stories about Ron Paul, and many of them don’t read the actual content of submissions. My “history” post had Ron Paul’s name in the title (Digg Dirt: From the Digg Army to Ron Paul) but had only the minutest mention of him in the article – I referenced how a push from Digg may have resulted in him getting on the Daily show. The piece itself had NOTHING to do with Ron Paul!

Read the rest.

UPDATE 7/5/07: Thank you, Ron Paul Morons, for proving the case of the author linked above. This post has generated over 350 Diggs.

Please keep the insults coming.

Shalit in Hamas Control?

This is rather curious.

Army of Islam says Shalit moved to Hamas control

Army of Islam, one of the militant groups implicated in the abduction last year of Israel Defense Forces Corporal Gilad Shalit, told Channel 10 that it has transferred Shalit to the full control of Hamas.

Until his release Wednesday morning, Army of Islam had also been holding British Broadcasting Corporation reporter Alan Johnston, who had been captive in the Gaza Strip for four months.

In an interview aired Wednesday night, Army of Islam deputy commander Abu Mutha'ana said, "We at Army of Islam made the preparations for operation 'Dissipating Illusion,' which was carried out in cooperation with the Al Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade and the Popular Resistance Committees Salah a-Din. We kidnapped Gilad Shalit and handed him over to Hamas."

Abu Mutha'ana, fully masked and surrounded by weapons in the Channel 10 interview, did not fully explain why the movement handed Shalit over to Hamas. He said simply that Shalit was transferred "because Army of Islam was busy with other things."

None of them good, I'm sure.

After Johnston was released earlier Wednesday, Israel called on Hamas to free Shalit, saying that the militant group is responsible for the delay in the release of Palestinian prisoners as part of a swap for the soldier.

Miri Eisin, a spokeswoman for Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, called on Hamas to free Shalit immediately. "The Hamas that brought about Alan Johnston's release is the same Hamas that abducted Gilad Shalit," she said.

Bad News Mounts For Goracle

First, his son gets busted again, then we find out people are becoming more skeptical to his alarmist bloviations, and now his much-hyped Live Earth concerts Saturday are running into some problems.

Rio may cancel Live Earth gig on safety worries

Brazilian organizers of the Rio de Janeiro leg of the Live Earth global concerts were trying to convince authorities on Wednesday not to cancel the Saturday show due to security concerns.

The Rio state prosecutor's office said earlier there were not enough police to safeguard the climate change awareness concert on Copacabana beach as all security efforts would be concentrated on preparations for the Pan American Games, starting July 13.

Police have stepped up operations against drug gangs in Rio's slums in the run-up to the Games. Last week, they raided a slum on the city outskirts, killing about 20 people after a long siege of the area in which two dozen people had been killed and more than 60 wounded since May.

A real quagmire in and around Rio.

A cancellation would be embarassing for city officials who hope the events will showcase Rio's legendary charms instead of exposing its rampant crime.

Rio has one of the highest murder rates in the world, with a toll comparable to some war zones. At least 1,800 people were killed in the first four months of 2007 in the metropolitan area, official figures show.

Meanwhile, Rio isn't exactly the only trouble spot for this silly exercise in self-congratulations.

Last month, Istanbul was dropped from the list cities set to hold the concerts because of a lack of interest and security concerns. Ticket sales have been slow for most Live Earth shows and organizers had to shift venues in Johannesburg in a bid to improve sales.

UPDATE: The Rio show is canceled (via Hot Air).

No 'Time Out' for Iran Nukes

Shocking how they never keep their word.

A senior Iranian official on Wednesday ruled out a nuclear "Time out" Proposal under which Iran would stop uranium enrichment expansion in return for a halt to further UN Sanctions, an Iranian news agency reported.

A senior diplomat said last month world powers were debating the idea of offering Iran a pause to end the row over its atomic plans, which the West says is aimed at building nuclear bombs, a charge Tehran denies.

Son of Goracle Busted on Drug, DUI Charges

This punk has had numerous run-ins with the law, but since he's the spawn of The Sainted One, you never hear much about it. Now he's back in trouble.

LAGUNA NIGUEL, California -- Al Gore's son was pulled over for speeding on a California freeway early Wednesday and arrested on suspicion of possessing marijuana and prescription drugs, authorities said.

Al Gore III, 24, was driving a blue Toyota Prius about 100 mph south on the San Diego Freeway when he was pulled over by sheriff's deputies who said they smelled marijuana, said Sheriff's Department spokesman Jim Amormino.

The deputies searched the car and found less than an ounce of marijuana along with Xanax, Valium, Vicodin and Adderall, which is used for attention deficit disorder, Amormino said.

"He does not have a prescription for any of those drugs," Amormino said.

Gore was being held in the men's central jail in Santa Ana on $20,000 bail

Some of his previous troubles go back a ways.

This is the second time he was arrested on a marijuana possession charge. Police in Montgomery County, Md., pulled over Gore in December 2003 and noticed the smell of pot and open windows and sunroof despite the freezing temperature.

Gore and his two male passengers at the time were charged with a misdemeanor count of possession of marijuana and released. Gore was also ticketed for reckless driving by North Carolina police in August 2000, and military police arrested him for drunk driving near a military base in Virginia in September 2002.

So we have three prior arrests, and he's still out on the street, endangering the lives of innocents, doing 100 mph while under the influence.

Next time his father lectures us all on how to live our lives, just think of the wonderful job he's doing as a father.

Arrest details, via Raw Story.

Inmate Name:


Gore, Albert Arnold

Booking Number: 2396538

Date of Birth: 10-19-1982

Sex: Male

Race: White

Height: 6' 01

Weight: 250 lbs.

Hair Color: Blond

Eye Color: Blue

Arrested on: 07-04-2007 at 08:54

Photo via (GaySocialites.com)

Also at JustOneMinute.

UPDATE: Good grief. Check out the Reuters account.

Al Gore's son busted for drugs in hybrid car

LOS ANGELES (Reuters) - The 24-year-old son of former Vice President Al Gore was arrested for drug possession on Wednesday after he was stopped for allegedly speeding in his hybrid Toyota Prius, a sheriff's official said.

Al Gore III -- whose father is a leading advocate of policies to fight global warming -- was driving his environmentally friendly car at about 100 miles (160 km) per hour on a freeway south of Los Angeles when he was pulled over by an Orange County sheriff's deputy at about 2:15 a.m.

So forget he's endangering his and other people's lives. He was driving an environmentally-friendly vehicle, and that's all that really matters, isn't it?

UPDATE II: Breitbart TV report.

'Those Who Cure You Will Kill You'

An Anglican churchman believes he was warned about the possible UK attacks. Very interesting account.

An Anglican churchman working in Iraq says he may have been given a chilling warning about the London and Glasgow terror attacks over two months ago.

Canon Andrew White says the message was delivered in a conversation with a terrorist he called the 'Devil'.

During it the man - who turned out to be a senior al Qaeda figure - used the phrase "those who cure you will kill you".

Canon White said he did not realise the significance of the "terrible" words at the time.

It was only when he learnt of the failed bombings last weekend and the suspects' links to the NHS that they "made sense".

White's email here.

UPDATE: Also at Hot Air and LGF.

Pantsuit Strategist Accused of Eavesdropping

This could be good. Let's see how the Clinton War Machine spins this one.

Clinton's Chief Strategist Is Accused of Illegal Eavesdropping

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's chief strategist is being accused of illegal eavesdropping in a lawsuit that alleges he and his polling firm monitored the personal e-mails of a former associate who started a rival company.

Mitchell E. Markel, a former vice president at Penn, Schoen & Berland, claims in the lawsuit that the firm began monitoring all messages sent from his personal BlackBerry device nearly a month after he had resigned and become president of his new business. The suit claims that Mark Penn, who is Clinton's chief strategist and pollster, knew about and approved of the monitoring, which the suit says violates federal wiretapping laws.

Penn, Schoen & Berland, which has helped elect clients such as former president Bill Clinton and New York Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg, is accused of hacking into Markel's BlackBerry and rigging his e-mail accounts to send copies of his e-mail to another account that the firm had set up. The suit says the BlackBerry that Markel used was always his own, never the property of his former employer.

Wow, Democrats accused of sneaky, underhanded tactics.

Whodathunkit?

Bush to Consider Libby Pardon

Good for him and I hope he does it. Judging by the incredibly infantile reaction by the bedwetting left, a full pardon may just finish them off.

President Bush yesterday said he will not rule out a pardon for I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby Jr., while political blowback from the left, critical of his decision to commute Libby's 30-month prison sentence, reached a crescendo.

"As to the future, I rule nothing in or nothing out," Mr. Bush said, after visiting wounded soldiers at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, where he awarded three Purple Hearts.

However, Mr. Bush said that some of the punishments that were given to Libby — such as a $250,000 fine and probation — were "adequate."

"I felt the punishment was severe, so I made a decision that would commute his sentence but leave in place a serious fine and probation," said Mr. Bush, who admitted it had been "a very difficult decision" to make.

The president's decision sparked denunciations by Democratic politicians, outrage and organizing among the liberal grass roots, and praise mixed with calls for a full pardon from conservatives.

Don Surber points out some of the hypocrisy and some silly observations from a little-seen "newsman" who takes himself way too seriously.

Speaking of taking themselves too seriously, the New York Times hyperventilates, though I don't recall such consternation after His Slickness freed FALN terrorists to help The Pantsuit win in New York. Old news, I guess.

In fact, not a single Democrat condemned that pardon. So they all really need to STFU and pipe down now.

More from Jules Crittenden.

UPDATE: Bryan at Hot Air notes Bill Clinton has the gall to even open his mouth about any of this.

Let's Be Americans First

When will the word American once again be used as a stand-alone adjective? Today we seem to be awash in hyphen American. You know Hispanic-American, African-American, and without the hyphen Native American.
When you take this in the context of what the Islamic world is like you can draw some surprising parallels. What is the biggest cause of friction in the Muslim world? The fact that they identify with a particular sect of Islam, Sunni, Shiite, or Wahhabi first and then maybe their tribe or village and somewhere way down the line they associate themselves with a nation. One of the biggest obstacles facing our rebuilding efforts in Iraq is the fact that these different groups cannot or will not unite under one banner.
In America we are sliding down this path. It used to be all one had to say was he was an American. Not anymore. Previous waves of immigrants strived to be known as Americans with no qualifiers in front. They pushed their children to become Americans. This doesn’t mean they forgot the old customs of their homeland or that they completely abandoned any connection to their past. Quite the opposite. They folded their heritage into the fabric that makes up America.
This very trend to now be known as something first with the word American coming second is no different then the Muslim who first and always considers himself Muslim and then something else. This is why the Muslims have such a hard time mixing into the countries they immigrate to and become alienated. In a lot of cases they want to change their new homeland into what they left. That very thing is what is threatening America now.
If you want to include your previous ethnic identity why does it have to come first instead of after American. Why was it decided to be African-Americans instead of Americans of African decent or Americans of Hispanic origin?
As a young man serving in the Army in Germany I saw the transition from being viewed with suspicion by the Europeans to being able to walk down the sidewalk head high with an almost cocky air because of President Reagan speaking loud and embodying the American ideal. It started with him and trickled down to the least of us. Our hockey team beating Russia in the Olympics further promoted this. In each case it mattered not what the color of your skin was, what kind of accent you had, or where in the world your ancestors came from you were now simply an American.
The recent events surrounding the immigration bill that has captured the attention of the American public once again brought this sort of nationalistic pride to come forward only to be beaten down once again by the usual list of suspects who started smearing critics as racists and bigot. It seems to be the one thing that will get most Americans to sit down, shut up and go hide is a corner is the use of these words. It is time to realize that anybody who wishes to crush public dissent will somehow manage to get these words into any debate to cow their detractors. I say it is time to quit being ashamed of being called a racist or bigot. Even the Islamic mouthpieces such as CAIR have begun using the word racist to silence critics. I thought Islam was a religion not a race. Are you racist if you express reservations about Catholics or Mormons? If you are proud to be an American, and just that, an American, start taking the word back. Make the word American mean something again. No qualifiers, no need to identify with sub group, no some sort of primal instinct to pigeon hole yourself into a group based solely on your skin color or country of origin of your ancestors.
One thing I learned in the army, that was not taught by getting in touch with my inner self or any of the embracing diversity stuff that is so common now, but learned by acts of facing a shared difficulty or enemy. Whether that enemy was a Drill Sergeant or the Soviet Army, once you faced hardship and conditions, that most people would brand you as certifiable nuts, when you came out the other side you were only one thing, a soldier. A running joke was we were all green, granted some were light green and others dark green but we were all green. That unifying spirit is why reenlistment rates are so high while the recruitment rates lag. It is the reason that our Armed Forces are the best in the world in spite of what seems at times as everybody else in the world doing their best to keep them from succeeding.
It is that spirit that must be reborn in America. We must begin to define ourselves as Americans first and foremost. I just hope that unlike the military who instills this through trials by fire that we, the average citizen of this country, will not have to have a this trial to recognize that we are all in this together. We must be Americans only.
I think Red Skelton said it best with his explanation of the Pledge of Allegiance.

America

A Patriot's Everlasting Gift To His Country

His opening tribute to American heroes placed this above and beyond all other interpretations.

We are truly blessed with this gift from a true patriot, as well as for having him in our presence for so many years..

Thank you, Ray.

Also at Mark Levin; FortHardKnox

Happy Birthday, America

A fitting tribute is The Americans Who Risked Everything, by Rush H. Limbaugh Jr.

It was a glorious morning. The sun was shining and the wind was from the southeast. Up especially early, a tall bony, redheaded young Virginian found time to buy a new thermometer, for which he paid three pounds, fifteen shillings. He also bought gloves for Martha, his wife, who was ill at home.

Thomas Jefferson arrived early at the statehouse. The temperature was 72.5 degrees and the horseflies weren't nearly so bad at that hour. It was a lovely room, very large, with gleaming white walls. The chairs were comfortable. Facing the single door were two brass fireplaces, but they would not be used today.

The moment the door was shut, and it was always kept locked, the room became an oven. The tall windows were shut, so that loud quarreling voices could not be heard by passersby. Small openings atop the windows allowed a slight stir of air, and also a large number of horseflies. Jefferson records that "the horseflies were dexterous in finding necks, and the silk of stockings was nothing to them." All discussing was punctuated by the slap of hands on necks.

On the wall at the back, facing the president's desk, was a panoply -- consisting of a drum, swords, and banners seized from Fort Ticonderoga the previous year. Ethan Allen and Benedict Arnold had captured the place, shouting that they were taking it "in the name of the Great Jehovah and the Continental Congress!"

Read the rest...

Michael Yon's latest is not for the faint of heart

Michael Yon's latest dispatch is up. It is named Bless the Beast and the Children.

This dispatch is not for the faint of heart. In words and photos Michael once again brings us the reality of the enemy we are fighting. It is not pretty and they are brutal. I have to wonder why Michael's dispatch is not the lead item on every newscast. It is horrific and have we in genteel society simply become unwilling to face the evil in our midst? Are we so adverse to confrontation that simply ignoring or wishing away the Islamic fascists we can magically make this terror go away? Do we think that because it is happening half a world away that it can't come here?

We go through our day to day lives and never give a second thought to what could be. If we joined in one voice and screamed from the rooftops as loudly as we do about Abu Gharib and Gitmo about the atrocities being committed in the name of a most unholy god could we knock it down and diminish it? This dispatch from Michael shows the true face of barbarism and if you read it and see the pictures and are not moved to throw everything you have in the effort to purge this evil from the face of the world I would then question your humanity.

Those are harsh words but unless we awake from our slumber and quit providing cover for these animals they will continue to ravage the countryside, wherever they are.

Here are words from the Carpenters' song of the same title.

Bless the beasts and the children
for in this world they have no voice
they have no choice
Bless the beasts and the children
for the world can never be, the world they see
Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
give them love, let it shine all around them
Bless the beasts and the children
give them shelter from a storm, keep them safe, keep them warm
Light their way when the darkness surrounds them
give them love, let it shine all around them
Bless the beasts and the children
give them shelter from a storm, keep them safe, keep them warm

UPDATE: Why haven't you heard about this in your newspaper or on the network news? Michael Yon wants to know too. He is giving them permission to use his story as long as he gets the credit, which is just right.

On this question of media selectivity, the blogosphere has become incensed that big media mostly ignored the murders, especially given that there are reporters currently in Baqubah. Newsbusters and countless others are on it. More disturbing to many bloggers is that major mainstream players were busted (again) by Pajamas Media just days ago for reporting outright fabrications of a “massacre” that never occurred.
Although I can’t answer to the cause of the problem, I humbly offer permission to media outlets to republish excerpts of the dispatch or the dispatch in its entirety, including my photographs from the story (if used as they are in the dispatch) at no cost during the month of July 2007. I only ask that the site receive proper attribution and that any publication taking me up on the offer email the website with the details.

Jihadi Doctors a 'Diverse Group'

The whitewashing continues. Now the Associated Press is trying to sell the fiction that the jihadi doctors were a diverse group.

LONDON - They had diverse backgrounds, coming from countries around the globe, but all shared youth and worked in medicine. They also had a common goal, authorities suspect: to bring havoc and death to the heart of Britain.

The eight people held Tuesday in the failed car bombing plot include one doctor from Iraq and two from India. There is a physician from Lebanon and a Jordanian doctor and his medical assistant wife. Another doctor and a medical student are thought to be from the Middle East.

All employees of the United Kingdom's National Health Service, some worked together as colleagues at hospitals in England and Scotland, and experts and officials say the evidence points to the plot being hatched after they met in Britain, rather than overseas.

"To think that these guys were a sleeper cell and somehow were able to plan this operation from the different places they were, and then orchestrate being hired by the NHS so they could get to the UK, then get jobs in the same area — I think that's a planning impossibility," said Bob Ayres, a former U.S. intelligence officer now at London's Chatham House think tank.

"A much more likely scenario is they were here together, they discovered that they shared some common ideology, and then they decided to act on this while here in the UK," he said.

No one has been charged in the plot in which two car bombs failed to explode in central London early Friday and two men rammed a Jeep Cherokee loaded with gas cylinders into the entrance of Glasgow International Airport and set it on fire the following day.

Investigators believe the main plotters have been rounded up, including one in custody in Australia, though others involved on the periphery, including at least one British-born suspect, were still being hunted, a British government security official said, speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the details.

Such diversity.

Conveniently omitted from the story is the word Islam.

Glasgow, London Attacks Carried Out by Same Men

More breaking news on the UK attacks by Muslim terrorists.

The attempted attacks on London's West End and Glasgow airport were allegedly carried out by the same men, Sky sources say.

Sky's Foreign Affairs editor, Tim Marshall, said the two allegedly planted the car bombs in central London before heading to Scotland.

"We have had it confirmed by sources that the two men who attempted to bomb London, it would appear, are the same two people who allegedly attempted to bomb Glasgow airport," said Marshall.

"In other words after that failed attempt they quickly went up to Glasgow and arranged this.

"I also understand that Scotland Yard were pretty much on their trail already."

Marshall said police were also already watching one of the eight arrested by police investigating the two bomb plots.

"The domestic security services were already aware of one of those arrested," he said.

It apparently has been confirmed that sevin of the eight Muslim terrorists in custody are doctors.

A total of eight people are being held in connection with the failed bombings - the latest an Indian doctor arrested in Australia.

Seven of those eight are believed to be doctors or trainee doctors, while the one woman under arrest is a trained laboratory researcher.

The Indian doctor, Mohammed Haneef, was detained at Brisbane International airport last night at the request of the British authorities.

According to reports, the 27-year-old had a one-way ticket to Pakistan

Must have been headed on vacation.

UPDATE: Iowahawk's guest commentator Mohammed Asha, MD breaks down recent developments in the UK.

Pantsuit: The Movie

Sounds like a horror flick

ABC News' Jennifer Parker Reports: A group of conservatives are preparing to launch an attack against Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., beginning with a tough documentary called: 'Hillary, The Movie,' that the producers say will be released to theatres this fall. The movie already has its own website -- www.hillarythemovie.com, depicting an photo of an unsmiling Clinton, suggesting the tone of the movie will be less-than-favorable.

The website explains: " the film will include interviews with renowned Clinton expert Dick Morris … this project aims to expose the truth about her conflicts in the past and her liberal plot for the future."

The website and documentary are being financed by Citizens United, a conservative advocacy group run by long-time Clinton antagonist David Bossie, as reported by Newsweek in June. Citizens United most recently funded an anti-immigration reform bill ad featuring former House Speaker Newt Gingrich linking the 9/11 terrorists to illegal immigrants in the United States, which aired on cable news outlets.

Delusional Islamist: 'Our Religion is Friendly To Women'

Islam is so damn friendly, they will even murder you if you develop a relationship with an infidel.

Get this hag another glass of Kool-aid.

She is one of Morocco's most famous opposition figures, she's stood in the dock several times for her criticism of the royal family and she's a self-avowed feminist. In an interview with SPIEGEL ONLINE, Islamist Nadia Yassine discusses her opposition to Morocco's monarchy and the situation for women.

SPIEGEL: So what would you do differently? What would a Muslim state based on your ideas look like?

Yassine: The Islam we want to revive is an Islam of dialogue. We are a political and social organization, but we are also a non-violent, spiritual movement. We believe the Koran conveys a universal message. We criticize the fact that Morocco is an authoritarian hereditary monarchy. Many in the West believe Arab societies must automatically be despotic, but that is not true. A Muslim model of government in accordance with our ideas is very much an example of grassroots democracy, if you like.

Read the rest.

Taliban-style Mosque Raided in Pakistan

Things are heating up in Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD (Reuters) - A Pakistani paramilitary trooper was shot dead and seven students were wounded during clashes at a mosque run by a Taliban-style movement in Islamabad on Tuesday.

The clashes began when around 150 students attacked a security picket at a government office near the capital's Lal Masjid, or Red Mosque, snatched weapons and took four government officials hostage, according to police.

"I can confirm that one of our troopers has been killed in the firing from inside the mosque," Masha Allah, a senior paramilitary official, told reporters.

A Reuters correspondent saw seven students with gunshot wounds being taken to hospital.

Much more from Bill Roggio.

Muslim Madness Continues in the UK; Now Six Doctors in Custody

The latest news out of London is Heathrow Terminal 4 has been evacuated due to a suspicious package, all while investigators reveal up to 12 Al Qaeda members had been sent to work for the NHS.

Never underestimate the guile of the maniacal, evil plotters. The Brits had better do a top-to-bottom review of every single foreign doctor admitted to their country, if they haven't already done so.

Hundreds of passengers have been evacuated from Heathrow's Terminal 4 amid a major security alert today.

A suspect package is believed to have been left in the terminal.

Up to 12 members of Al Qaeda were sent to work in the NHS, security sources said today.

Eight people have so far been arrested in the hunt for the car bombers who tried to cause carnage in London and Glasgow. Six of them are NHS doctors.

The scale of the infiltration by the terror network has led police to believe several members of the gang are still at large and the threat of an atrocity remains high.

Many more stores here .

UPDATE: The Telegraph now says it is Seven doctors. It appears the only non-doctor in custody is Mohammed Asha's wife. So if the above report of 12 doctors sent over is correct, five more are still on the loose.

More from Michelle Malkin .

zombie's America

No, he doesn't have too much time on his hands.

But some may believe otherwise because Orlando at FortHardKnox has created a nifty little video presentation for us all that is aptly titled,

zombie's America
Great job Orlando!

The species lunaticus moonbaticae will surely love you for the extra publicity generated for their cause.

And Another Thing!

Mark Levin had a word or three during today's show about Dubya's commutation of Scooter Libby's Stalin-esque prison sentence.

It's available in Mark's archives.

Bush Commutes Libby's Sentence

He should have pardoned him outright.

Expect the hyperventilating left to have an absolute meltdown after blathering all day about Libby's appeals being denied.

Bush commutes ex-White House aide's jail term

WASHINGTON (AFP) - US President George W. Bush on Monday commuted a 30-month jail term handed down on former top White House aide, Lewis "Scooter" Libby, convicted last month of perjury and obstructing justice.

"I respect the jury's verdict. But I have concluded that the prison sentence given to Mr. Libby is excessive," Bush said in a statement.

"Therefore, I am commuting the portion of Mr. Libby's sentence that required him to spend thirty months in prison."

Libby, who was a former aide to Vice President Dick Cheney, still faces however a 250,000 dollar fine and a two-year probation in the case which threw a glaring spotlight on the US administration's case for waging war on Iraq.

More at NRO.

UPDATE: Hot Air has a roundup of reaction. Sure enough, the hyperbole is flying. And of course, the Kos Kidz are freaking out.

I hope... (13+ / 0-)

Recommended by:
Kestrel, SeanF, ghost2, EasyRider, Miss Blue, bablhous, donailin, david78209, VictorLaszlo, greenearth, Jbeaudill, Randall Sherman, ca democrat

...The next president turns these fuckers over to the World Court. Let The Hague sort them out, lock them up, and throw away the key with applause from the world as it happens

Tom Hagen is not a wartime consigliere

by jpfdeuce on Mon Jul 02, 2007 at 03:19:02 PM PDT

[ Parent ]

Of course, we had to wade into the smoldering cesspool of hatred at the HuffPost, and they do not disappoint.

Conservativeslayer (See profile | I'm a fan of Conservativeslayer)
Hello, Patrick Fitzgerald was appointed by Bush. He's a republican dummy. You repug sheep that see no evil make me sick. They outed a cia agent and you think that's ok because it was Bush that did it. You are the reason America is going down the drain. You and the rest of your authoritian following non-thinking sheep. You let druggie limbaugh and Faux noise tell you how to think. No wonder our country is in such bad shape.
Log in | Parent | posted 6:36 pm on 07/02/2007

More stupidity here.

Hamas TV To Replace Martyred Mickey

I swear, if they mess with Bugs Bunny, then they'll really have a problem on their hands.

Hamas TV to replace 'martyred' Mickey Mouse lookalike

GAZA, July 2 (Reuters) - A Hamas television station that last week killed off a Mickey Mouse lookalike who urged children to fight against Israel will use other famous characters to further their Islamist agenda, station officials said on Monday.

The host of the children's show "Tomorrow's Pioneers", Farfur, dressed in a full body-suit to resemble the Walt Disney cartoon character. The character was beaten to death in the show's final episode last week by a character posing as an Israeli.

Farfur and a female co-host instructed their young viewers on Hamas's militant brand of Muslim piety and urged children to support armed resistance against Israel.

Mohammad Saeed, the director of production at Al-Aqsa Television, told Reuters the station would use other famous cartoon characters in future shows.

"Farfur was a story alive and he has turned into another story as a (martyr)," Saeed said.

UPDATE: More at Hot Air.

Point Differential Update

Just updated my baseball point differential spreadsheets. There has been some movement to report. The three division winners in each league per my analysis are Boston (.609), Detroit (.600) and the Angels (.588) in the American League and the Mets (.569), Brewers (.561) and the Padres (.622) in the National league.

There are two key points. The numbers indicate that the Tigers (currently in second place) should overtake the Indians for the division if trends continue. Second, the Brewers have played a lot better lately and now the numbers indicate that they should hold onto their division lead over the Cubs.

On the other hand, we also have the garbage of each league. The three teams most stinking up the joint in the American League are Tampa Bay (.388), the White Sox (.413) and the Royals (.430). The three worst teams in the National League are the Nationals (.352), the Cardinals (.402) and the Pirates (.413).

Out of this bunch I would look for the White Sox GM Kenny Williams to start dumping aging/expensive pitching (Buehrle, Vasquez and Contreras most likely to go) for anything he can get. Also, Thome, Dye, Konerko, Uribe and Iguchi could probably be had for a cracked bat and a bag of practice balls.

The White Sox got old, bad and slow real fast, their minor league feeder system is a vast wasteland right now, so I look for the White Sox to overtake the K.C. Royals for the drive for last place in the Central Division before much longer.

How A Free Press Works Under A True Democrat

Freedom of the press in the Soviet Union Russia ends up not being so free, Leftist swooning notwithstanding.

Journalists Flee The Paradise Of Vladimir Paranoid
Yuri Bagrov and Fatima Tlisova who were reporting from the volatile North Caucasus have been granted political asylum in the United States, the New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Sunday. The reporters said they had emigrated because of persecution of the Russian Federal Security Service (FSB). This is the first time that Russian journalists have received political asylum in the United States.

[....]

“The most terrible thing is that they had to flee simply because they were doing their job well,” says Nina Ognyanova, Europe and Central Asia coordinator at the Committeee.

The two journalists have repeatedly caused indignation with Russian authorities. Yuri Bagrov worked for Radio Freedom and reported about a possible role of the FSB in adbuctions in Ingushetia on the North Caucasus. In an alleged retaliation, Mr. Bagrov was charged with forging documents. The journalist told Kommersant off the record that authorities would never forgive him for his reports and close friendship with another critical journalist, Andrey Babitsky.

Fatima Tlisova reported for The Associated Press in 2005, covering a militant attack on Nalchik, which left 129 people dead. Kommersant reported in March that Ms. Tlisova was seeking political asylum in the United States, something that she was denying at the time. She said that someone was trying to poison her last October.

The decision is all the more noticeable after the U.S. Department of State issued a report in May with blistering critism on media freedom in Russia. The U.S. State Department was unavailabe for comment on Sunday.

“I don’t find anything surprising about this news,” says Igor Yakovenko, secretary general of the Russian Union of Journalists. “Real journalists are forced out of mass media with all possible means.”

Kommersant, based in Moscow, is not on Putie's friendly list.


Like the State Department, Leaky Loony Leahy was unavailable for comment.

Buffoon Moore Heading to Iran

Please, just keep him.

Michael Moore Comes to Iran

TEHRAN, July 02 (ISNA)-Writer, producer and director, Michael Moore is to come to Iran for the screening of his new production SICKO in the first international documentary film festival held here.

This festival will be held from the 15th to the 19th of October in Tehran.

According to reports in SICKO, Michael Moore interviews Americans who have been denied treatment by the U.S. health care insurance companies, whose policies are designed to maximize profits at the expense of providing essential care. The consequences of these individuals' plights range from bankruptcy to the unnecessary deaths of loved ones.

Check out his bio.

Michael Moore was born in Flint, Michigan April 23 1954. He studied journalism at the University of Michigan-Flint, but also pursued other hobbies such as Gun shooting, for which he even won a competition. Michael started working as an editor for the journal of the University he attended at the beginning to his journalism career. He then turned to filmmaking, and to earn the money for the budget of his first film Roger & Me (1989) he ran neighborhood bingo games. He eventually got himself into leading a string of documentaries and TV series all predominantly around the same subject; attacks on politicians and business corporations, getting his opinion around and about. He landed his first big hit with Bowling for Columbine (2002) about the bad points of the freedom of weapon holding in America, which earned him an Oscar and a big reputation. He then shook the world with his even bigger hit Fahrenheit 9/11 (2004) - making fun of President George W. Bush. Michael is known for having the guts to give his opinion in public, which not many people are courageous enough to do, and for that is respected by many.

Bush, Putin United Against Iran?

We'll have to see how this plays out. Somehow I doubt Putin is being genuine.

KENNEBUNKPORT, Maine - President Bush and Russian President Vladimir Putin projected a united front Monday against Iran's suspected nuclear weapons program.

"When Russia and the United States speak along the same lines, it tends to have an effect and therefore I appreciate the Russians' attitude in the United Nations," Bush said. "We're close on recognizing that we got to work together to send a common message."

Putin predicted that "we will continue to be successful" as they work through the U.N. Security Council.

Security Council members have begun discussing a U.S. proposal for sanctions against Iran because of its refusal to stop enriching uranium. The U.S., Russia and their fellow permanent U.N. Security Council members, however, have told Iran they will hold off on new sanctions if it stops expanding its enrichment activities while they seek to restart talks about the program with Tehran. Diplomats say the Iranian government has not yet responded to the proposal.

Putin suggested there would be "further substantial intercourse on this issue."

It was unclear whether the leaders had agreed on methods or merely wanted to gloss over for public consumption any differences on strategy.

Why am I suspicious whenever the UN is involved?

Meanwhile, it's high time Iran is held accountable for their actions in Iraq.

Iranian forces helped plan one of the most sophisticated militant assaults of the Iraq war -- a January raid in which gunmen posed as an American security team and launched an attack that killed five U.S. soldiers, an American general said today.

U.S. military spokesman Brig. Gen. Kevin J. Bergner also accused Iran of using its Lebanese ally, the Shiite militia Hezbollah, as a "proxy" to arm Shiite militants in Iraq.

The claims were an escalation in U.S. accusations that Iran is fueling Iraq's violence, which the government in Tehran has denied. It was also the first time the U.S. military has said Hezbollah has a direct role -- which, if true, would bring a dangerous new player into Iraq's conflict.

Hezbollah has denied any activities in Iraq, saying it operates only in Lebanon.

Jihadi Doctors Identified (Update) A Third Doctor...Now Five?

A picture of Mohammed Asha provided by his family during an interview with Reuters in Amman is seen July 2, 2007. Asha and his wife were among those arrested by British anti-terrorism police hunting those behind attempted car bombings, a police source said on Monday. Asha qualified as a doctor in 2004 in Jordan and is also a registered medical practitioner in Britain. British media said Asha worked at a hospital in central England. REUTERS/Muhammad Hamed

We finally have a couple of names of suspects picked up in the UK. Shockingly, one is named Mohammed.

Fresh arrests over British bomb plot, seven held

PAISLEY (Reuters) - Police arrested two more suspects in a widening hunt for members of a suspected al Qaeda cell which rammed a fuel-packed jeep into a Scottish airport and left two car bombs in London, police said on Monday.

A total of seven people are now in custody in connection with the attacks. Two of those arrested were confirmed to be doctors, one of whom qualified in Iraq and the other in Jordan.

The Iraqi-trained doctor was named by police sources as Bilal Abdulla and the Jordanian-trained doctor as Mohammed Asha. Asha's wife has also been arrested.

The Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley, outside Glasgow where the airport was targeted on Saturday, confirmed Abdulla had worked at the hospital as a doctor.

UPDATE: Sky News is reporting a third doctor is in custody.

Sources told Sky News that a third man, aged 26, arrested in Liverpool, was a doctor.

He was reported to have worked at Halton Hospital in Cheshire.

A colleague told the Muslim News the doctor may have been detained because he was using the mobile phone and internet account of another man who has left the UK.

Coming soon: A story lamenting a shortage of doctors in the UK.

More from the Daily Mail.

Tonight it has been revealed that a third man, aged 26, arrested in Liverpool, was also reported to be an Indian doctor who works at Halton Hospital in Cheshire.

UPDATE II: Q&A: Mohammad Asha and foreign doctors

Engaging in bombings is hardly compatible with a doctor's normal duty of care, is it?

It is entirely alien to all that doctors have stood for since Hippocrates first drafted the oath than enjoins doctors to "do no harm". While not all graduates these days swear the Hippocratic Oath on graduation, its principles still bind their conduct.

There's also now an eighth arrest.

An eighth person has been arrested abroad as part of the inquiry into the failed car bombings at Glasgow Airport and in London, the BBC has learned.

Police have not specified in which country the arrest took place.

It is also understood the Metropolitan Police will be taking charge of both inquiries and are to transfer a suspect held in Scotland to the UK capital.

UPDATE III: John Gibson on Fox said there are now five doctors involved. A report from Sky News, which hasn't update yet as of 5:40 pm.

UPDATE IV: Latest suspect apparently captured in Australia.

Ride a Bicycle, Save the Planet

The gloom and doom just never ends. Expect a tenfold increase in hysteria by the time the Concert for Goracle rolls around Saturday.

UN calls for pedal power to reduce environmental damage

KUALA LUMPUR (AFP) - More bicycle riding and other lifestyle changes are urgently needed to reduce climate-altering carbon emissions that are damaging Asia's health and could also threaten the economy, the World Health Organisation said Monday.

Climate change contributes directly or indirectly to about 77,000 deaths per year in the region, according to WHO estimates.

Some evidence of this claim would be nice. Oh, there isn't any?

"So far the impact is on the health of the people. If the trend continues, it may have an impact on the economy," said Shigeru Omi, WHO's regional director for the Western Pacific.

"Of course the threat is there. We should not wait for that to happen," he told reporters at the start of a four-day conference on the impact of climate change and health in Southeast and East Asian countries.

Omi said urgent action was needed because Asia's share of the world's greenhouse gas emissions was expected to grow larger with the rapid economic expansion of China and India.

"We have now reached a critical stage at which global warming already has seriously impacted lives and health and this problem will pose an even greater threat to mankind in coming decades if we fail to act now," Omi said.

He said that in some countries environmental issues were not given the highest priority but "if we ignore the environment, humanity will suffer."

(AFP photo)

More Muslim Mayhem in Yemen

Terrorists never take a day off.

Car Bomb Explodes at Temple in Yemen

SAN'A, Yemen -- A car bomb exploded Monday at an ancient temple in northeast Yemen, killing eight people at the popular tourist site and wounding at least seven, police said.

Police in the province of Mareb said six of the dead were tourists, believed to be mostly from Spain. The other two were Yemenis, they said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to speak to the media.

Question. How long until Bush is blamed?

More from IHT:

Witnesses reported seeing a car enter a gate before exploding at the site of temple, which was built about 3,000 years ago at the time of the ancient Queen of Sheba.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but police in Mareb said they had received information last month about a possible al-Qaida attack. Authorities did not elaborate.

Al-Qaida has an active presence in Yemen, the ancestral home of Osama bin Laden, despite government efforts to fight the terror network. Al-Qaida was blamed for the 2000 bombing of the USS Cole in Aden that killed 17 American sailors and the attack on a French oil tanker that killed one person two years later.

Big Bucks for Obama

Barack Obama raked in $32.5 million this past quarter, outdistancing Mrs. Clinton by a substantial amount.

Apparently, the Breck Girl didn't unleash his wife on Ann Coulter soon enough, as he struggled to pony up $9 million.

Among other Democrats, former senator John Edwards (N.C.) finished third in the fundraising race this quarter, meeting his $9 million goal after a last-minute appeal from his wife, Elizabeth Edwards, that played off of controversial remarks by conservative television commentator Ann Coulter. Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico was not far behind, raising $7 million for the quarter.

The GOP numbers seemingly pale in comparison, and we're waiting to see what Rudy Giuliani brought in. It seems to me Obama and The Pantsuit have the ability to consistently bring in big money, so one would think that's the Democrat ticket right there.

Curious though that Democrats are spending so much time raising cash when they get and endless supply of free, fawning publicity from the overwhelmingly liberal media.

Lame Analysis From Liberal Apologists

Apparently the weak-kneed apologists are worse in the UK than over here, but honestly, could it really be worse than the drivel offered up by morons like Keith Olbermann?

Déjà Vu: Apologists Unfurl Stale Arguments

Moments after the latest terror attack on Britain, television commentators engaged in the usual rhetorical hara-kiri, blaming everyone but its authors: the two Muslim jihadists jumping out of a burning car at Glasgow's international airport ululating "Allah! Allah!" — even as one of them was barbecued — and the European Union's vast Muslim fundamentalist infrastructure, which spawned them.

The initial discussions of the three car bombs — two in central London were defused, unexploded — were déjà vu writ large: Blaming the victims, criticizing British foreign policy offenses that might have "driven" British Muslims to kill their countrymen, highlighting the frustrations of minority communities forced to live in the West, and renewing calls for — yes, indeed — more interreligious dialogue.

It was not much better in America. With live images of the Glasgow International Airport fires blazing away, American networks hosted the so-called experts who, again, explained the "torment" of poor Muslims. Disgracefully, one guest — Michael Scheuer, a former CIA analyst who is a familiar face now whenever instant analysis is needed — droned on about the many reasons Muslims are "so" offended by this or that behavior in the West.

Mr. Scheuer's mindless diatribe, unquestionably motivated by the need to land consulting contracts in Muslim country, pushed a Fox News anchorwoman, Michelle Malkin, to interject something akin to "Let us not blame the victims now." But it was not enough to stop the rant.

But so the story goes: Whenever it comes to Muslims, commentators feel the need for obfuscation. It reaches absurd proportions in Britain, but America is certainly its sideshow.

Read the rest.

Two UK Terror Suspects are Doctors

So much for the notion these savages are the usual disaffected "youths" striking back at society.

Two Terror Suspects Are Hospital Doctors

Two of the five terror suspects being held in the wake of the failed car bombings in London and Glasgow are hospital doctors working in the UK.

The majority of the five terror suspects being held in police custody in connection with bomb attacks in London and Glasgow are not British and at least one is still at large, according to Sky sources.

Sky sources believe one of the men arrested at Glasgow airport and a 26-year-old man arrested on the M6 with a 27-year-old woman in Cheshire are both doctors.

Sky Crime Reporter Martin Brunt said: "This is very far removed from the picture we normally have. These are professional people with highly paid jobs who are intent on killing people."

Two men were arrested after ramming a Jeep into Glasgow Airport on Saturday and two people were arrested on the M6. A fifth terror related arrest was made in Liverpool after a car was stopped in the Lime Street area of the city.

Meanwhile a suspect car has been blown up by police in the grounds of the Royal Alexandra Hospital in Paisley where one of the suspects from the Glasgow airport attack is in a critical condition and being held under armed guard.

Let's keep hearing about how this is an isolated incident from some bumbling, ragtag bunch. Feel free to also warn the public that "backlashes" against the "Muslim community" will not be tolerated.

Allahpundit has massive amounts of updated info.

Daily Mail photos.

UPDATE: Arrest total now stands at seven.

Psychopathic Murderer Claims CIA More Murderous Than Ever

One can only imagine the joy this brings to his boytoy Michael Moore.

Convalescing Cuban President Fidel Castro charged on Sunday the release of classified CIA documents detailing past abuses was a smoke screen behind which the Bush administration hoped to hide even worse methods.

"I think that this action could be an attempt ... to make people believe that these methods belong to another era and are no longer used," Castro wrote in an editorial published by the communist country's official media.

"Everything described in the documents is still being done, only in a more brutal manner around the entire planet, including an increasing number of illegal actions in the very United States."

The CIA declassified on Tuesday hundreds of pages of long-secret records that detailed some of the agency's worst illegal abuses during about 25 years of overseas assassination attempts, domestic spying and kidnapping.

The documents are known in the CIA as the "Family Jewels" and some describe the agency's efforts to persuade Johnny Roselli, believed to be a mobster, to help plot the assassination of Castro.

"Sunday is a good day to read what appears to be science fiction," Castro began his three-page editorial, titled "The Killing Machine."

He went on to quote extensively from material covering the attempt on his life, as well as a New York Times analysis of all the documents.

Cuba charges that Castro has been the target of hundreds of assassination attempts. The Cuban leader has said numerous times that President George W. Bush has ordered him killed.

Doesn't he realize Cheney is the brains behind it all?

More Arrests in Scotland

We'll assume there's a reason the perps have yet to be identified. Probably don't want to offend the Muslims, as we know how delicate their feelings are. Yes, that must be it.

U.K. police make 5th terror arrest

Police searched several houses near Glasgow International Airport on Sunday in connection with a fiery attack on its main terminal and a foiled car bomb plot in London, and police arrested a fifth suspect in the case.

Britain's new prime minister, Gordon Brown, said the country was dealing with terrorists associated with al-Qaida. And Lord Stevens, Brown's new terrorism adviser, said the two attacks in Britain indicate that "al-Qaida has imported the tactics of Baghdad and Bali to the streets of the UK."

Four suspects were in police custody Sunday — and a fifth man was under guard in hospital — after a flaming Jeep crashed into a Scottish airport on Saturday and two car bomb plots were foiled in central London on Friday.

On the upside, it appears some folks in the UK are beginning to get it.

n a column in Sunday's News of the World newspaper, Lord Stevens, London's former police chief and Brown's new terrorism adviser, said: "This weekend's bomb attacks signal a major escalation in the war being waged on us by Islamic terrorists."

He said, "This week's terrorists used the same technology, the same bomb-making techniques, the same operating methods as their brothers-in-arms in both Baghdad and Bali," Indonesia.

In central London, police foiled a car bomb plot early Friday, discovering explosives packed into a Mercedes outside a nightclub near Picadilly Circus and in another car parked nearby.

Glasgow police chief Willie Rae announced the attempted attacks were connected and said a suspect device had been found on a man wrestled to the ground by officers at Glasgow airport and hospitalized in critical condition with severe burns. John Smeaton, who saw the airport attack, said the man shouted "Allah, Allah" as he was detained.

Still, the idiot "Red Ken" Livingstone apparently has a death wish. Such breathtaking stupidity.

Michelle Malkin has a further roundup.

NY Times Pens Love Note to Elizabeth Edwards

There's fawning coverage usually reserved for the Clintons, then there's unabashed puffery in this drivel about Elizabeth Edwards, moonbat wife of the Silky Pony.

Perspective on Her Side, Mrs. Edwards Enters Fray

When Mrs. Edwards called in to a television talk show this week to confront the conservative commentator Ann Coulter who had attacked Mr. Edwards this year, it was a decision that Mrs. Edwards said she made impulsively and on her own. The resulting dramatic four minutes of television created a surge of attention that at least momentarily electrified her husband’s campaign, winning applause from the left and apparently spiking contributions in the critical final days of this second-quarter fund-raising period.

It also made Mrs. Edwards the sympathetic face of the Edwards campaign, for a few days overshadowing the candidate himself.

Similarly, Mrs. Edwards told gay leaders at a kick-off event for the San Francisco gay pride parade last week that she supported same-sex marriage, a position at variance with Mr. Edwards’s. He learned of her remarks from reading a newspaper, an aide said. Mrs. Edwards said that she was just offering her opinion, as well as an explanation for her husband’s more conservative views on the issue, in response to a question. But the interview, some Democrats said, had the political effect of at least appeasing some liberal Democrats over Mr. Edwards’s views of gay-rights issues.

Anyone with a functioning brain knows the Coulter stunt was a pre-planned hit, so these reporters are either dangerously naive or just plain disingenuous. Even the Koslings figured that one out.

We're also to believe that her husband only learned of her position on gay marriage by reading the newspaper?

Please, don't insult our intelligence.

Still, several campaign advisers said the sharpest change in Mrs. Edwards’s role was the extent to which she has become a public figure in her own right. There may be a risk to this, aides to the couple acknowledged, to the extent that Mrs. Edwards might at once overshadow and diminish her husband at a time when opponents have sought to portray him as intellectually weak.

Nobody needs to portray him that way. He's doing an great job of it himself.

Can you imagine such puffery about the wife of a Republican candidate?

Neither can I.

Poles to EU: Nope

Poles smudge EU agreement before the ink has even dried
A deal on Europe’s future, stitched together at last week’s bad-tempered summit, began to unravel yesterday after the intervention of the EU’s most unpredictable leader.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski, the Polish Prime Minister, who sent his brother Lech, the President, to the summit, stunned Brussels by declaring his determination to renegotiate the compromise. The twins spent much of last week’s detailed negotiations on the phone to each other and Lech had said that his brother was content with the package. But Jaroslaw, who demanded extra voting power for Poland, insisted yesterday that the deal had not taken full account of Poland’s demands.

Now he wants a permanent mechanism that allows a minority of dissenting states to be able to delay EU decisions for up to two years. His latest outburst has alarmed EU leaders, who were hoping for a trouble-free passage to a final text in October and a signing ceremony in December. An Inter-Governmental Conference will open on July 23, with representatives from all 27 EU nations to write the EU reform treaty, which critics say will be a thinly disguised version of the failed EU constitution.

With general agreement on the contents, all seemed to be going smoothly until Jaroslaw Kaczynski, referring to the deal to delay new voting weights for each country, said: “We have to finally resolve this issue at the Inter-Governmental Conference.” The European Commission responded furiously. “This was clearly settled at the European Council last week,” a spokesman said. “A mandate is a mandate and a deal is a deal. Now it is time for IGC to finish its job.

The Dutch and le Froggies gave you a mandate two years ago; and that was to shove the EU constitution up your brain.

Portugal, which takes over the EU’s rotating presidency from Germany tomorrow, said: “There was a deal at the highest level and we hope that deal will be respected.” A German government spokesman added: “The outcome of the summit was unanimously backed and Poland agreed to it.”

Ahhh, the European Commission is furious with Poland. They got their jaws tight over Iran, too.

Expect an Up yours! to be sent from Warsaw to Brussels, perhaps via Berlin, in the near future. Then the EU/EC can send the Poles the tried and true s t e r n l y ... w o r d e d ... l e t t e r.
Then the Fwench - led by the ever-intrepid Koslings - can spring into action and surrender save the day.

Previously on JWF