Will The Nobel Go To A Heroine Or Huckster?

Irena Sendler is 97-years young.

During World War Two, she risked her life in an heroic effort to save Jewish kids from the German death factories. "She is the last surviving person from the group she worked with that ran an underground network to save these children ...."

On October 12, 2007, will the Nobel Committee honor a true heroine?

Or, will they play politics join the 'global warming' alarmists and honor al-Gore - the leader of the cult - his motives notwithstanding?

We report. You decide.

Irena Sendler for Nobel Peace Prize

Irena Sendler is a Polish heroine who risked her life to save lives of Jewish children from Gestapo and Nazi death camps during World War II.

In German-occupied Poland, a Pole assisting Jews would get a death sentence.

Irena worked as senior administrator in the Warsaw Social Welfare Department that ran the canteens of the city, when Germany invaded the country in 1939. The canteens not only provided food, financial aid and other services for orphans, elderly, and poor but also clothing, medicine and money for Jewish families. To avoid inspections, they were registered under fictitious Catholic names and they were reported as patients suffering highly contagious diseases such as typhus or tuberculosis.

In 1942, with the designation of a closed area to herd Jews, known as the Warsaw Ghetto, the Jewish families could only wait for a certain death. In October 1942, when the Council for Aid to Jews - codename Zegota - was organized by the Polish Underground, Sendler was one of its first recruits.

Irena managed to get a pass from the Warsaw Epidemic Control Department to be able to enter the ghetto legally. She and her co-conspirator, Irena Schultz, visited ghetto daily with the aim of reestablishing contacts, bringing food, medicines and clothes. However, given the terrible conditions in the Ghetto, where 5,000 people were dying a month from starvation and disease, the two decided to help people, particularly children, to get out of the Ghetto.

Persuading parents to separate from their children was a horrible task for Irena, a young mother herself. Finding families on the Christian - so called Aryan side - willing to shelter the children, and thereby willing to risk being executed if the Germans ever found out, was also not easy.

She started to smuggle children in an ambulance as victims of typhus, but also in gunnysacks, garbage cans, toolboxes, loads of goods, potato sacks, coffins. Other methods included a church with two entrances, one opened into the ghetto and the other opened into the Aryan side of Warsaw. Children entered the Church Jews and exited as Christians. Irena could recruit at least one person from each of the ten Centers of the Social Welfare Department. With their help, she issued hundreds of false documents with forged signatures, giving the Jewish children temporary identities.

It was easier to escape the ghetto than to survive the Aryan side. The rescue of a child required help of at least ten people.

As a rule, the children were first placed in a temporary shelter, then to a foster home after they had somewhat recovered from their period of destitution. There was also a need to wait for them to receive from the Polish Underground false identity papers that were good enough to pass German muster. Each child had to be provided with a factitious birth and baptismal certificate and a family history of parents, siblings, aunts and uncles, etc. which the children, if old enough, had to commit to memory. "I sent most of the children to religious establishments," she recalled. "I knew that I could count on the Sisters." Irena kept record, in coded form, of the children and their true identities.

The only record of their true identities was kept in jars buried beneath an apple tree in the neighbor’s back yard, across the street from the German barracks. She hoped she could someday locate the children and inform them of their past.

In all, the jars contained the names of 2,500 children...

On October 20, 1943 Sendler was arrested by the Gestapo. Although subjected to beatings and torture during which both of her feet and legs were broken, but not her spirit: she revealed nothing. Never again would she be able to walk without crutches. Irena spent three months in the Pawiak prison where she was sentenced to death.

She was rescued by Zegota which, fearful that she would break down and reveal the location of the children, managed to bribe a guard to check off her name on a list of those already executed. As a result, she was listed on public bulletin boards as among those on whom a sentence of death had been carried out.

Rescued, she had to assume a completely new identity and live an entirely new life. She could not visit her dying mother, nor attend her funeral. But she did again become deeply involved in the work of Zegota.

At the end of the war, Irena dug up the jars and used the notes to find the 2.500 children she had given to adoptive families. She reunited them with their relatives scattered across Europe, but most of them had lost their families in Nazi concentration camps.

After the war she worked for Social Welfare; she helped create houses for elderly people, orphanages and an emergency service for children.

In 1965 the Yad Vashem organization in Jerusalem awarded her with the title Righteous Among the Nations and in 1991 she was made an honorary citizen of Israel.

"If Sendler actually wins, this will be the first time a Nobel prize would have been awarded in connection to the Holocaust." (haaretz.com)

Via Polonia News

Also at abcnews.com

Got a Light, Dog?

"Spoon," a French bulldog, poses as part of a photo shoot related to the upcoming second annual "Dog & Horse Show" being held from Oct. 12-14 in Dortmund. The trade show is also Germany's largest dog show, with over 9,000 thoroughbreds from 240 breeds expected to take part. Horses and horsemanship form part of the mix, too, to place the focus on "man's most popular leisure companions."

Via Spiegel Online.

It's Just Jews We Want To Intimidate

Prague bans extremists' march through Jewish district
The Prague City Hall today banned a march of Czech right-wing extremists through the former Jewish Town that was originally planned for November 10, the anniversary of a Nazi anti-Jewish pogrom, the City Hall has informed CTK.
.
The Young National Democrats, organisers of the march officially announced as "a protest against the Czech Republic's participation in the occupation of Iraq" can appeal the City Hall's decision with the Municipal Court.

The Prague authority explained that the announced purpose of the march leads to the incitement to intolerance and hatred against citizens on the basis of their ethnicity, origin and religious conviction, which is one of legal reasons for banning such an event.

The extremists' march was originally scheduled for the anniversary of the Kristallnacht in Germany in 1938 when tens of Jews were killed and tens of thousands of them were deported to concentration camps. The plan therefore stirred up sharp protests.

The City Hall said previously it did not agree with the march, but it cannot officially ban it as it was declared to be a demonstration against the Czech participation in the Iraqi war. It offered to the organisers to change the route.

March organiser Erik Sedlacek told the City Hall on Wednesday that he would postpone the march until November 17, which is a national holiday - the Day of the Fight for Freedom and Democracy, marking the beginning of the collapse of communism in 1989.

"We are aware that the staging of a march on this day may have a certain negative undertone and make an inappropriate impression," Sedlacek said, explaining the change of the event's date.

Not exactly the ideal candidate for MENSA.

However, the City Hall could not allow the march on November 17 as the Jewish Liberal Union announced earlier to hold a meeting in the streets of the Jewish Quarter on the same day. The union actually reserved the place for all days from October until the end of the year.

The City Hall has ordered expert opinions from Zdenek Zboril, expert in extremism, and the police.

Zboril's opinion shows that Sedlacek is connected with the National Resistence [sic] movement whose activities focus on the promotion of nationalism and anti-Semitism and his stances can be close to neo-Nazists', the City Hall says.

The police reported that Sedlacek is a very active supporter of the neo-Nazi movement in the Czech Republic, in particular the National Resistance. The City Hall has allegedly also information from the past that Sedlacek might have links to the National Resistance.

"It is apparent from the above mentioned reasons that the formally announced purpose of the meeting convoked by Erik Sedlacek, that is 'a protest against the Czech Republic's participation in the occupation of Iraq,' is only fictitious," the City Hall justified its decision to ban the march.

The extremists planned a similar march last December, but the City Hall banned it over its possible disturbance of municipal traffic. In March the court cancelled the decision and the Prague City Hall had to accept it.

The extremists then announced a new date of their march.

The Jewish Liberal Union convoked a commemorative meeting in Parizska street, in Prague's Jewish district, for November 10.

Via Ceské Noviny

Neither Frau Erika Steinbach nor David Irving was available for comment.

On Getting It

It's funny how those hailing from New Europe can see right through the revamped Democrat Party.

Is Free Speech not guaranteed any more?
The Free Speech is in danger. It is not guaranteed anymore if anyone’s words can be misrepresented even when original text or sound recording exists.

The condemnation of radio host Rush Limbaugh for using a phrase “phony soldiers” is a BAD, BAD joke.

Anyone, who wants to, can go to Rushlimbaugh.com and watch the video and listen to sound clip from the day when the phrase was used, and if you listen to the entire clip you will know what Limbaugh said. Unfortunately some television and radio shows only play the part that more or less supports their claim. It’s also in this clip. The clip can be found at:

http://www.rushlimbaugh.com/home/daily/site_092807/home.guest.html and if you don’t ever want to visit his site search him at youtube.com.

We usually don’t get involved in anything outside of our little niche, news from Poland, but this time we have to take the stand because of the seriousness of the issue. Because next time it could be us or even YOU. Who can guarantee that next week, or next month what we say or write will not be purposely misrepresented? Either in this country (US), or elsewhere in the World. For many of us, immigrants, it is a nightmare jumping back from a dark place in our history called communism. We know how facts can be misrepresented for the purposes of propaganda. We know, because our protests were presented on TV as criminal behavior aimed at destruction of government or private property. What if this darkness is coming back? What if we stay quiet and it does come back?

Via Polonia News

Feds Drop The Ball Again

Six years after 9/11. This is unacceptable.

Vulnerable Germ Labs Tough to Identify

Federal terror-fighting agencies can't identify all the American research laboratories that could become targets of attackers, congressional investigators have found.

The Government Accountability Office asked a dozen agencies whether they kept track of all the labs handling dangerous germs and toxins, or knew the number. All responded negatively.

The findings were prepared for a House Energy and Commerce Committee hearing Thursday.

The government regulates 409 laboratories approved to work with 72 of the world's deadliest organisms and poisons, including anthrax, bird flu virus, monkeypox and plague-causing bacteria.

But less is known about other labs that work with organisms that cause whooping cough, tuberculosis, gonorrhea, meningitis, typhoid fever, hepatitis, herpes, several strains of flu, rabies, HIV and SARS.

The GAO said U.S. intelligence agencies, including the FBI, told its investigators they need to track all labs that could be vulnerable to terrorism.

U.S. intelligence agencies said they already are handicapped by the failure of some foreign countries to regulate the shipment or possession of biological agents.

The Associated Press reported this week that American laboratories handling the world's deadliest germs and toxins have experienced more than 100 accidents and missing shipments since 2003, and the number is increasing as more labs do the work.

No one died, and regulators said the public was never at risk during these incidents. But the documented cases reflect poorly on procedures and oversight at high-security labs. In some cases, labs have failed to report accidents as required by law.

The GAO report disclosed that inspectors for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention visited a high-security lab at Texas A&M University in February 2006, just 13 days after one worker was exposed to Brucella bacteria. Inspectors were not told about the exposure. The worker eventually became seriously ill, but recovered.

The feds may not know, but one guess may tell you who does.

And no profiling!


Also at Ft. Hard Knox

Moron Spitzer Forges Ahead With Licenses for Illegals

Plummeting in the polls and mired in scandal, idiotic New York Democrat Governor Eliot Spitzer continues to push forward with the insane plan to give driver's licences to illegal aliens, and the idea is being slammed by families of 9/11 victims.

Angry relatives of 9/11 victims yesterday fumed that Gov. Spitzer's decision to allow illegal immigrants to obtain driver's licenses provides a dangerous new tool for terrorists.

"When the next attack comes, I will hold [Spitzer] culpable for the murders," said Joan Molinaro, who lost her firefighter son on 9/11.

"It better not be one of my daughters or one of my grandchildren," she told a legislative hearing held by Republican assemblymen.

Under Spitzer's directive, the state will start issuing licenses later this year to people who don't have Social Security cards.

The change will begin in December, but state lawmakers opposed to the plan have said they may sue to try stop it or pass legislation creating restrictions.

"The governor seems to have lost his mind and wants to give in to terrorists," Peter Gadiel, whose son James was on the 103rd floor of the trade center's north tower when he died, told the legislators.

"Every illegal is a person whose true identity and possible history of violence and terrorism is unknown. Thus, any illegal may be a terrorist," said Gadiel, founder of the group 9/11 Families for a Secure America.

Molinaro said driver's licenses enabled al Qaeda terrorists to gain access to the jets they used to attack America on 9/11.

"I'm just a mother. I lost my son on 9/11, and I needed answers," she said. "My answer came that a small piece of paper that gives privileges to drive in the country was the weapon that was used to hijack planes and kill 3,000 Americans."

Rep. Tom Tancredo (R-Colo.), who is seeking the GOP presidential nomination, told the legislators that the issue goes beyond New York, because Empire State licenses would be recognized in other states.

"I'm here today because the governor's proposals, if implemented, will affect not only the citizens of New York, but the citizens of all 50 states," he said.

"It also is an affront to the Congress of the United States, because he has declared war on the Real ID Act," Tancredo said, referring to the legislation passed in 2005 that set national standards for state driver's licenses.

"He is basically thumbing his nose at the universal acknowledgement of the need for more secure ID documents."

Faced with near universal condemnation of this idiocy, the moron does what most Democrats do: attacks Republicans.

As opposition mounts to his plan to allow illegal immigrants to get New York driver's licenses, Gov. Eliot Spitzer, a Democrat, said Republicans are utilizing "politics of fear" and blasted them for their "selfishness."

Meanwhile, a man at the center of the spat, Rensselaer County Clerk Frank Merola, said in a letter to state Department of Motor Vehicles Commissioner David Swarts he would not accept the scanning device at his DMV branch.

The scanners are needed to process passports, which will be an acceptable form of identification under Spitzer's plan, but Merola recommended the state "save the postage."

"They think if they get it in the door we will start doing it, so I am not even going to let it in the door," said a fired up Merola. "If they send the scanner I will not accept it, so they may as well keep it and save the postage."
Merola said the present system of granting temporary licenses, enacted by Spitzer's predecessor Gov. George Pataki, is a better way to go about things because it is clearly identified as temporary and the holder more often than not is not a documented U.S. citizen.

"If the guy is going to park in the garage under the plaza, at least let the police know who he is," he said. "The way the governor wants to do it nobody would know. You would be mixing the good guys with the bad guys."

Spitzer claims the plan would improve public security by creating records for more immigrants and add what he calls anti-fraud measures to the process. The Democrat blasted Republicans.

"What has happened is that the politics of fear and selfishness has replaces the politics of common sense and responsibility," Spitzer said at Fordham University, Tuesday. "We are witnessing knee-jerk reactions to sound policies that have no business being politicized or polluted by fear-mongering rhetoric."

UPDATE: Allahpundit has more on this travesty.

Good News: Melting Ice Cap Brings Hope to Greenland

Wait until the global warming kooks get a hold of this one. Perish the thought these forlorn people may actually control their own destiny.

Not that they can really do anything about it, except maybe to make these poor folks feel guilty. Which, come to think of it, is what liberalism is all about.

Melting ice cap brings diamond hunters and hopes of independence to Greenland

Helicopters have been hard to hire in Greenland this summer. In most countries that would not be a big problem, but for the locals on the world's biggest island - where there are no road networks and sparse settlements are often 100 miles apart - it can make life tricky.

The scarcity has been caused by a diamond rush with prospectors, mostly from North America, believing they can strike it rich. As the ice cap recedes due to rising temperatures, rock covered for centuries could produce spectacular finds. The interest in the Greenland tundra was sparked partly by the announcement this year of the discovery of a 2.4-carat diamond at Garnet lake in west Greenland, the largest of 236 diamonds found in a trial dig in the area by Hudson Resources of Vancouver.

While the Hudson company was willing to announce its find, presumably to encourage its investors, most prospectors are less keen to discuss their activities in this vast mineral rich wilderness.

The belief in Greenland's potential riches stems from the fact that the geology is identical to that found across the now ice-free north-west passage in Canada, which has led to large opencast mining in the Arctic region.

But Greenland has other potential riches too. Gold has been discovered and is already being mined, although so far at a loss, and there are deposits of other minerals such as zinc, that could be exploited. Oil giants are negotiating licences to explore blocks of the coastline covering thousands of square miles.

The dash for minerals is fuelling another debate in Greenland: whether the country should go for independence from Denmark. With its 56,000 population scattered over an area almost the size of Europe, Greenland is heavily dependent on a subsidy from Denmark for survival. The island has internal self-government but Denmark is responsible for foreign policy.

Aleqa Hammond, the foreign minister in Greenland's home-rule government, hopes that the oil and mineral companies moving in will create sufficient wealth for her country to break from colonial rule. "It is natural for a country to want to be independent. We do not feel ourselves part of Europe - we are an Arctic people - but our way of life is changing and we have to change with it. My mother's generation fought for Greenland homeland government and achieved it in 1979, leaving only foreign affairs and defence in the hands of Denmark.

"Then, we could not strike out alone because we were so heavily dependent on Danish money, and we still are, but we can change that by exploiting our natural resources to achieve financial and political independence."

But some argue that independence has dangers. Greenland is the land mass closest to the North Pole and has rapidly assumed greater strategic importance as its much more powerful and populous neighbours vie for a slice of the Arctic's supposed mineral wealth. The United States is strengthening its air base at Thule on the extreme north of the island and the Russians have already planted flags on the sea bed.

'There are Advantages in Being a Pop Star ... Girls Wink at You'

Sure. They just wink at you.

And maybe a little bit more.

Well, it appears one Matthew Fisher has tired of the winking and is looking for a nice payday.

File this one under Whiter Shade of Pale = Darker Shades of Green.

Appeal in 'A Whiter Shade of Pale' case

LONDON - The lead singer of British band Procol Harum is appealing a judgment awarding the group's former organist 40 percent of the royalties from their iconic hit "A Whiter Shade of Pale."

Gary Brooker argues that it was his idea to use the Bach theme played by organist Matthew Fisher on the record, and that he was unable to make his case properly because Fisher didn't tell him he was pursuing his legal claim.

Fisher, 61, sued the leader of Procol Harum nearly 40 years after he recorded the song, saying he was entitled to both credit and royalties.

On Wednesday, Brooker's lawyer charged that Fisher had waited until May 2005 to begin court proceedings because he wanted to enjoy the life of a pop star and knew that a lawsuit would end his career with the band.

"There are advantages in being a pop star. Girls wink at you," attorney John Baldwin said. "There are huge lifestyle benefits from being a pop star and this was Mr. Fisher's dream, and he realized that dream over the last 40 years."

In December, a judge awarded Fisher, a classically trained musician, a 40 percent share in the copyright of the song, saying his organ solo was "a distinctive and significant contribution to the overall composition."

Brooker has said that he and lyricist Keith Reid wrote the song before Fisher joined the band in March 1967. The two have called Fisher's court victory a dangerous precedent, saying it meant any musician who had played on any recording in the past four decades could claim joint authorship.

I agree with that. Considering Fisher left the band 38 years ago, he seems to have enjoyed the lifestyle ever since and is still looking to cash in.

Fisher, now a computer programmer living in south London, left the band in 1969. Brooker, 62, still tours with Procol Harum.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali

'We Are Making Fools of Ourselves in the Eyes of the World'
by Leon de Winter

Fear of fanatical Islamists prompted Ayaan Hirsi Ali to leave the Netherlands, her adopted home, and now she has been forced to return. Paying for her bodyguards in the United States is too expensive for the Dutch government -- what a disgrace.

Amsterdam - There are exactly five people that the Dutch government has to protect against death threats from radical Islamists.

This sort of protection is expensive. Society bears the costs because freedom of opinion, a cornerstone of our culture, is on the line. The extremists, for their part, are prepared to risk their own lives to kill those under government protection.

The costs of protection are completely disproportionate to the outcome: the continued existence of our values and norms.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali is the sixth person granted protection by the Dutch government. She began receiving threats when, as a Dutch citizen and member of the parliament, she spoke out critically against political Islam. After the so-called "passport scandal," when the Dutch minister of immigration and integration threatened to confiscate her passport after Ayaan had been accused of lying about her name and birth date when she first arrived in the Netherlands, she moved to the United States, which precipitated a sharp upswing in her career within only a few months. She wrote a bestseller and landed a job at the American Enterprise Institute. But as a Dutch citizen, Ayaan does not qualify for protection in the United States under US laws and regulations.

Contrary to what many in the Netherlands believe about the success of her autobiography, she is not wealthy. She could not pay for the kind of protection she needs out of her own pocket -- no matter how much she would like to do so. Besides, the Dutch government apparently failed to find the right US officials with whom they could have reached an agreement. Under a decision by Justice Minister Ernst Hirsch Balin, the protection paid for by the Dutch government expired on Oct. 1. Ayaan returned to the Netherlands, because without protection she doesn't have a day left to live.

How much is her life worth, according to Minister Balin's budget?

When someone in the Justice Ministry leaked classified documents on Ayaan's protection to the newspaper NRC Handelsblad, it set off a media circus. Neither Ayaan nor anyone directly associated with her was behind all the attention she is currently attracting. She would have preferred to go on living quietly in the Netherlands, and she would have liked to quietly work out a solution with Hirsch Balin.

How much is her life worth, according to Minister Balin's budget? How does he calculate this? These are politically sensitive questions, questions that former British Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher never asked when it came to the life of Salman Rushdie, wherever he happened to be.

Dutch society has no choice in this case. Canceling Ayaan's protection would be the equivalent of a death sentence. She can lead a relatively quiet life in the United States, but not in the Netherlands. And because she is so well known in the Netherlands and practically lives the life of a prisoner, not even able to go out on the street, the most humane solution is to continue to provide her with protection in America.

When commenting about the fact that the Netherlands paid for Ayaan's protection in the United States, parliamentarian Sybrand van Haersma Buma of the Christian Democrats can't help but admit that "it was a transitional solution, one that cannot last indefinitely."

How many days will he give Ayaan? Another week to live? A month? And then it would be time for the butchers of fundamentalist Islam to move in?

Whether we think she is nice, kind or opportunist, we cannot afford anything happening to her. The Dutch government is making a problem out of something that shouldn't be one, something that only causes chaos and sorrow.

Both Hirsi Ali and Hirsch Balin can only lose. The winners are the extremists who laugh about our inability to offer this courageous woman quiet and safety. You see, it's too expensive. In fact, though, it makes you want to weep.

Translated from the Dutch by Verena Bardtholdt

Via der Spiegel International.

For the time being, Ayaan Hirsi Ali is living in a safe house.

And the free speech wonks of the Kooky Kult of Koslam/New Democrat Party are . . . silent.

Also at Atlas Shrugs.

Oddball Crank Raises $5 Million

Well, when you live in your mother's basement, don't get out much since you're busy spamming Internet polls, and probably haven't had a date in years, if ever, then why not send your money to Ron Paul?

Just think, if you get to 3% in the polls, you've accomplished something.

Ron Paul raises $5 million for bid

WASHINGTON - Long-shot Republican presidential candidate Ron Paul raised a surprising $5 million during the past three months, capitalizing on his stance as the only anti-war contender in the GOP field.

Paul, a Texas congressman who once ran for president as a Libertarian, also will report having $5.3 million cash on hand, campaign spokesman Jesse Benton said.

The amount places Paul well ahead of all but the Republican front-runners in the race. His fundraising for the quarter almost matches what Sen. John McCain is expected to report. His total is half the amount that former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney is reported to have raised.

Paul barely registers in polls of Republican voters, a sign of low name recognition nationally. Since he entered the campaign, he has operated with little media attention, getting the spotlight only during debates. But that has been enough to attract an avid Internet following.

Benton said most of Paul's money has come from online contributions. He said the donations had placed a strain on the relatively small campaign staff, which was trying to keep up with the accounting challenge.

Meanwhile, Republican Mike Huckabee was expected to report raising about $1 million for the quarter, according to a Republican familiar with his fundraising. Huckabee, the former governor of Arkansas, had been considered the most likely candidate to emerge from the back of the Republican field because of his charismatic appeal. But his fundraising has been far less than expected. His third-quarter total would bring his overall fundraising for the year to about $2.3 million.

Paul, meanwhile, turned some heads at midyear when he reported having $2.3 million cash on hand. Since then, Benton said, the campaign has increased its staffing from 10 to 40 employees. "We're adding employees as we speak," he said.

It says little for Huckabee's hopes, not that he had much of a chance, though he'll easily outdistance Paul if they both get to the primaries.

As for Paul, maybe he envisions himself as the modern-day Ross Perot, sans personality. He may even grab 0.5% as a third party candidate come November 2008.

Mrs. Clinton should probably be the only one worried about losing the closet-case vote.

UPDATE: I see a lot of Ron Paul supporters are visiting. It occurs to me that not only are they delusional, they're also completely devoid of any semblance of a sense of humor. One idiot even claims that if Ron Paul were president on 9/11, then the WTC would still be standing.

Pathetic.

Where's The Love?

What is the world coming to? President Vaclav Klaus of the Czech Republic dismisses him as a nut with the true motive of subverting freedom. Now, a judge in the United Kingdom sets forth another Inconvenient Truth.

Schools must warn of Gore climate film bias
Schools will have to issue a warning before they show pupils Al Gore's controversial film about global warming, a judge indicated yesterday.

The move follows a High Court action by a father who accused the Government of 'brainwashing' children with propaganda by showing it in the classroom.

Stewart Dimmock said the former U.S. Vice-President's documentary, An Inconvenient Truth, is unfit for schools because it is politically biased and contains serious scientific inaccuracies and 'sentimental mush'.

He wants the video banned after it was distributed with four other short films to 3,500 schools in February.

Mr Justice Burton is due to deliver a ruling on the case next week, but yesterday he said he would be saying that Gore's Oscar-winning film does promote 'partisan political views'.

The outcome marks a partial victory for Mr Dimmock, who had accused the 'New Labour Thought Police' of indoctrinating youngsters by handing out thousands of Climate Change Packs to schools.

Mr Dimmock, a lorry driver from Dover with children aged 11 and 14, said at the outset of the hearing: 'I wish my children to have the best education possible, free from bias and political spin, and Mr Gore's film falls far short of the standard required.'

His solicitor John Day, said yesterday that the Government had been forced to make 'a U-turn', but said it did not go far enough.

He said 'no amount of turgid guidance' could change the fact that the film is unfit for consumption in the classroom.

Read it all.


Renowned climatologist Jean-Pierre Keri was unavailable for comment.

Despite Attack, Poles Refuse to Cut and Run from Iraq

God love the Poles, who've quickly become a reliable and steadfast ally of the United States.

In spite of the Polish ambassador being wounded in an attack on his convoy, they refuse to knuckle under to the terror goons in Iraq. Some other European nations, as well as the Democrats in the Congress and Senate, should take heed.

Poland to keep troops in Iraq despite attack

Poland will not withdraw its 1,000-strong troop contingent from Iraq after the Polish ambassador was wounded in an attack on his convoy in Baghdad on Wednesday, Prime Minister Jaroslaw Kaczynski said.

"Desertion is always the worst option," Kaczynski told reporters. "This is a difficult situation, but those who became engaged and were there for years and then withdraw are making the worst possible mistake."

The Polish ambassador, General Edward Pietrzyk, was wounded and one of his bodyguards was killed when his diplomatic convoy came under attack in the Iraqi capital on Wednesday.

Kaczynski and his twin brother Lech, Poland's president, are conservatives and strong allies of the United States who support extending the Iraq mission beyond the end of the year even though most Poles want to bring the troops home.

Some opposition parties in the European Union's largest ex-communist state are calling for the end to the mission and the Wednesday attack could bring the issue into the campaign for a snap parliamentary election on Oct. 21.

Kaczynski urged the opposition to rally behind the government, saying any internal split would encourage more attacks on Polish officials or troops in Iraq.

"This should not be used in the election campaign because it would be the worst outcome if terrorists would have an effect on what happens in a democratic country," he said.

Carter Bigtimes Locals in Darfur Shouting Match

Don't you know who I am?

The meddling nitwit known as Jimmy Carter, worst U.S. president ever, is ingratiating himself with the folks in Darfur.

Former President Carter in Showdown With Officials in Darfur

KABKABIYA, Sudan — Former President Carter got in a shouting match Wednesday with Sudanese security services who blocked him from a town in Darfur where he was trying to meet with refugees from the ongoing conflict.

The 83-year-old Carter walked into this highly volatile pro-Sudanese government town to meet refugees too frightened to attend a scheduled meeting at a nearby compound. He was able to make it to a school where he met with one tribal representative and was preparing to go further into the town when Sudanese security officers stopped him.

"You can't go. It's not on the program!" the local security chief, who only gave his first name as Omar, yelled at Carter, who is in Darfur as part of a delegation of respected international figures known as "The Elders."

"We're going to anyway!" an angry Carter retorted as a crowd began to gather. "You don't have the power to stop me."

U.N. officials told Carter's entourage the Sudanese state police could bar his way. Carter's traveling companions, billionaire businessman Richard Branson and Graca Machel, the wife of former South African President Nelson Mandela, tried to ease his frustration and his Secret Service detail urged him to get into a car and leave.

"I'll tell President Bashir about this," Carter said, referring to Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir.

What is this, third grade? "Ooh, I'm telling!"

The visit by "The Elders," which is headed by Nobel Peace laureates Carter and Desmond Tutu, is largely a symbolic move by a host of respected figures to push all sides to make peace. Tutu visited a refugee camp in south Darfur, but the U.N. Mission in Sudan deemed it too dangerous for Carter to make a similar visit.

Misleading Reporting on "Children's Health Bill"

This reminds me of back in the mid-90's, when spending on the school lunch program went up only 5% instead of the 7% the Democrats wanted, and it was called a "cut" and Republicans were accused of starving school kids.

Here we go again with the "children's health bill," where the president want to limit the increase to $5 billion, while the Democrats and some Republicans want to gouge smokers with another tax increase and jack the costs up to another $35 billion.

The propaganda has already started, with misleading headlines like this:

Bush vetoes bill on children's health care

WASHINGTON, Oct 3 (Reuters) - U.S. President George W. Bush on Wednesday vetoed a measure to expand a popular children's health care program, launching the first in a series of major battles with Democrats over domestic spending.

The legislation would have provided an extra $35 billion over five years for the health program, which is administered by the states. Taxes on tobacco products would have been raised to pay for the increase.

The health bill enjoyed bipartisan support. The veto is likely to anger a number in Bush's own Republican Party who fear the issue will cost them votes in the congressional and presidential elections.

Supporters of the bill said it would have helped provide health coverage for some 10 million children.

Bush contended the increase would have expanded the program beyond its original intent of covering low-income children and taken a step toward government-controlled health care.

He has proposed a much smaller increase of $5 billion in the children's health program.

No doubt we'll see an endless stream of reports claiming Bush doesn't care about the health of children.

Pentagon Celebrates Bombadan

You really have to wonder how long until this politically-correct pandering gets us all killed.

I recall just over six years ago members of a certain religion flew an airliner into the Pentagon (yes, Troofers, it really happened).

Now the Pentagon celebrating Ramadan with DoD employees.

I think I'm going to be ill.

Pentagon observes Muslim holy month

Navy imam Chaplain Abuhena M. Saifulislam lifted his voice to God as he called to prayer more than 100 Department of Defense employees Monday at a celebration of Ramadan at the Pentagon.

“God is most great,” sang the lieutenant commander and Islamic leader, in Arabic, as iftar — the end of the daily fast began.

Uniformed military personnel, civilians and family members faced Mecca and knelt on adorned prayer rugs chanting their prayers in quiet invocation to Allah.

“We do all we can to help meet the religious needs of our soldiers,” said Deputy Pentagon Chaplain Army Maj. Alan Pomaville, a Christian, who attended the iftar alongside the Muslim chaplains. “The leadership in the [Defense Department] wants to care for the body of the whole soldier.”

As the Pentagon celebrated Ramadan, the White House is in preparations for an iftar feast tomorrow, said Lt. Cmdr. Saifulislam, who will be participating at the White House events.

“President and Mrs. Bush host an iftar dinner every year because they want people around the world to know how much they respect Islam and the many Muslims living in the U.S. who are free to worship as they want, and are an integral part of our society," said Gordon Johndroe, spokesman for the White House National Security Council.

With the Pew Hispanic Center estimating the U.S. Muslim population in 2007 at 2.35 million people and growing, it's no surprise to see the Muslim population play an important role in all facets of government, said Defense Department officials.

Great. Let's make sure we keep them up to speed, especially where our military secrets are concerned.

Ramadan, which is practiced by the world's more than 1 billion Muslims, began on Sept. 13 and concludes on the Eid al-Fitr, a special break-the-fast meal, on Oct. 12.

The Navy's chief of chaplains, Rear Adm. Robert F. Burt, reminded those attending the ceremony that American men and women, regardless of their religious background, should be honored because all "are willing to put their uniform on and lay down their life for this country."

Cmdr. Saifulislam said he has presided over funerals of young Muslim service members who have given their lives in the fight against terrorism.

For the Pentagon, as with the rest of the country, the process of mending fences since the September 11 attacks has not always been easy but necessary, he added.

"I think there is a misconception at times," said Cmdr. Saifulislam. "I have attended many funerals of American Muslims who have died in Iraq. If you take the time to get to know somebody, your attitude toward them changes."

The first Muslim U.S. congressman — Rep. Keith Ellison, Minnesota Democrat — also attended the iftar, along with Imam Sheik Rashid Lamptey, executive director of the Muslim Association of Virginia. Sheik Lamptey also served as the deputy imam of the All Dulles Area Muslim Society in Virginia.

Another Phony War Hero? Atlantic City's Democrat Mayor Goes AWOL

Looks like we have another case of a Democrat embellishing his military record. Though, of course, this account from the Philadelphia Inquirer doesn't identify his party affiliation.

To be fair, the Mayor of Atlantic City did indeed serve in the military, but claimed to be a Green Beret when he was not.

A.C. mayor goes AWOL

ATLANTIC CITY - Where's the mayor? Not since "Where's Waldo?" and "Where's the Beef?" has such a query caused such a stir.

In this resort, where the streets are literally paved by gambling revenues, they're taking bets on what might have become of Mayor Bob Levy and whether his disappearance signals another impending scandal involving the city's top job.

Amid reports of a federal probe into false claims that Levy admits he made regarding his Vietnam military service, the mayor drove off last Wednesday in a silver, city-owned Dodge Durango and has not officially been heard from since.

His lawyer says that Levy is in a hospital, but isn't giving up anything else.

Rumors flew last week that Levy was ready to resign and would hold a news conference. But his assistants insisted that none of that was true.

Then where is he? Might this have something to do with it?

Levy's public problems started last fall, when he acknowledged to a reporter for the Press of Atlantic City that he misrepresented his military background during his mayoral campaign.

He had claimed to have served in the Army Green Berets during the Vietnam War, but in November said he never was in the elite Army Special Forces group.

Levy's service record shows he served two tours in Vietnam and was decorated for bravery twice.

Why would someone who was decorated for bravery twice find it necessary to embellish his record?

Nonetheless, like many Democrat officeholders in New Jersey, many in Atlantic City face assorted corruption charges.

Currently, one-third of Atlantic City's City Council members are in prison or awaiting sentencing. Another city councilman was caught in a videotaped sex act with a prostitute last year. He said he was set up by political opponents.

Since taking office two years ago, Levy may have spent as much time out of his City Hall office as he did serving in it.

As 2006 closed, the mayor turned over city government to the city business administrator, Domenic Cappella, without telling anyone while he took a mysterious 11-day medical leave.

After Levy returned to work, his attendance record around the office and at City Council meetings has been spotty, according to colleagues. He rarely makes ceremonial appearances for groundbreakings or ribbon-cuttings.

More from the Star-Ledger.

By all accounts, Robert Levy, now the 60-year-old mayor of Atlantic City, was a fine soldier during his two tours of Vietnam.

The former lifeguard came home with two Bronze Stars. He was a native son who, before enlisting, had risen above his own family's prejudice to marry a local African-American woman. After his homecoming, he remained in the military until he became eligible to retire, with 20 years of service.

But at some point, Levy began to embellish his service record in Vietnam by saying he had been a member of the Green Berets, the elite special force of the Army and stirring figures in the popular imagination. During his campaign for mayor in 2005, the trim 6-footer even campaigned as a former Green Beret.

Since then, Levy has been outed by the local newspaper, The Press of Atlantic City, for padding his résumé, and he has admitted the lie. Last Friday, amid reports that the federal government was investigating his military record, he abruptly went on medical leave and dropped out of sight.

Yesterday, as federal sources confirmed the investigation, Levy remained missing. His spokesman, Nick Morici, said he was in a hospital somewhere.

In the meantime, state Assemblyman Jim Whelan (D-Atlantic), a former Atlantic City mayor and lifeguard as well as a longtime friend of Levy, complained that the mayor's unexplained absence has "paralyzed" the city. Atlantic City officials fought over who was entitled to fill the void, and Council President William Marsh hired a legal adviser. But at City Hall, where workers planted colorful mums in planters, Domenic Capella, the city business administrator and self-described acting mayor, said Atlantic City was functioning just fine.

Two people familiar with the federal probe said Levy is under investigation on suspicion that he lied about his service for financial gain. According to one of the sources, Levy is suspected of lying about having received a Combat Infantryman's Badge, a medal given to soldiers who participate in active ground combat, and about having post-traumatic stress disorder.

As a veteran, he was entitled to veteran's payments, but by embellishing his record, he could get more money, the sources said. The total financial benefit gained in this way would be less than $25,000, they said. His current salary is around $101,000, according to the acting mayor.

The controversy bubbling around Levy erupted in November 2006, when the Atlantic City paper reported he had "knowingly misrepresented" his military record to family, friends, reporters and the public for years.

The newspaper said it began examining Levy's record after a local veteran expressed doubts that Levy had been a Green Beret. The Press examined Levy's claims by contacting the National Archives and Records Administration's National Personnel Records Center, which reported Levy had never been involved with the Special Forces.

The government left no doubt that Levy had a distinguished war record. He was awarded two Bronze Stars for valor over two tours in the combat zone. Yet for some reason, Levy told people he'd also been a Green Beret. The elite unit was formed early in the Vietnam War and its members -- soldiers with additional training in ways to kill and elude capture by the enemy -- wore distinctive green berets.

Over the years, so many Vietnam veterans have made false claims about having been Green Berets that actual Green Berets have taken to trying to expose people who have told the lie.

This lengthy account from the Star-Ledger also mysteriously leaves out his party affiliation. As it turns out, he's a former Republican.

Since it's so easy to identify his party, why does the media omit this information?

UPDATE: Thanks to Glenn Reynolds for the Insta-lanche. Also linked by Don Surber and Gateway Pundit.

Here also is the latest from CBS3 in Philadelphia. Mysteriously, still no mention of his party affiliation.

(CBS 3) ATLANTIC CITY There is growing frustration in Atlantic City as the mayor remains missing.

The question of "where is the mayor?" was asked quite frequently during a meeting in Atlantic City Wednesday evening and angry residents are demanding answers.

Mayor Bob Levy went AWOL last week and many are wondering where he is and who is in charge during his absence.

Residents and City Council members alike are looking for and demanding answers.

"If you are sick, if you are in the hospital, let the public know, let the council know," City Councilman Tim Mancuso said.

Levy's attorney said his client is on extended medical leave but would not give specific details.

Business Administrator Domenic Cappella has been acting mayor. Some residents and council members are asking him to step down because they said he was not officially appointed.

The Press of Atlantic City is also apparently unaware he's a Democrat or intentionally omits this fact.

One would think with all the manufactured outrage over Rush Limbaugh, his party affiliation would be noteworthy.

UPDATE II: Well, we've really hit the bigtime, as this post was mentioned by Rush Limbaugh himself today. Major thanks, Rush, from a longtime fan.
Unfortunately, I had stepped away and didn't hear it, but was alerted to it by the folks from Little Green Footballs, where this is also now linked, so thanks also go out to to Charles Johnson.

I hope the twerps from Hillary Clinton's Media Matters wet their pants when they heard it. And you know they were monitoring every word out of Rush's mouth.

UPDATE III: Here's the link from Rush's Stack of Stuff Quick Hits Page. Scroll down to Story #3.

Frenchman Weighs In On Putie

Kouchner breaks ranks to criticize 'prime minister' Putin
French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner expressed concern Tuesday at Russian President Vladimir Putin's plans to take the post of prime minister, although the EU said it was an "internal" matter.

Kouchner, one of the few senior international politicians to publicly express misgivings, told Europe 1 radio that there were not enough counterweights to the power of the Kremlin in Russia.

He said US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice had been right to express reservations in a newspaper interview about the political situation in Russia.

"Condi Rice was absolutely right to highlight that this is an 'unprecedented procedure'," he said.

Asked about the absence of counterveiling powers to the Kremlin, Kouchner -- who paid an official visit to Russia last month -- said: "Unfortunately, there is not enough.

"The opposition is not taken sufficiently seriously, the country has lots of difficulties and the whole world knows it."

[...]

According to Michael Emerson of the Centre for European Political Studies in Brussels, Monday's move by the president should not have come as such a political earthquake.

"Everybody should have been expecting some twist to enable Putin to stay in power virtually indefinitely," he said.

"He is not quite president for life -- but he's not doing that badly. It's obviously a perversion of the intentions of the Russian constitution but he will get a mandate to become PM, and then president for another two terms."

"That gives us another 10 or 12 years [of Putin]," he said.

Emerson added: "They [the West] are not saying anything because they are not enthusiastic at this latest demonstration of Russia's non-democracy, but there's nothing much they can do about it."

Open & transparent elections advocates Maxine Waters, Jimmy Carter and al-Gore were unavailable for comment.


From June 9, 2007: Will Putie be setting up a caretaker government?

What Would We Do Without Alyssa Milano?

Bill Clinton must have dreamt up this Global Initiative scam knowing all the empty-headed Hollywood nitwits would lap up his drivel, among other things.

Enter Alyssa Milano, pinup girl and new HuffPoster. She's found her calling: The dreaded NTD's.

The Threat of Neglected Tropical Diseases

I learned about NTDs when I heard Dr. Peter Hotez speak at least year's Clinton Global Initiative and I felt compelled to help raise awareness of this injustice. In the past year, we have made tremendous progress in educating people about the impact of NTDs on the developing world -- but the fact of the matter is that most people still don't know what they are.

These diseases are rightfully called "neglected" because the lives they destroy are those of "the poorest of the poor" -- one billion men, women and children who have no power, who have no voice. Diseases like river blindness, that's caused by black flies that bite their victims near the eyes and leave behind parasitic worms to destroy sight. And snail fever, which you get by simply bathing or washing in a stream, and which causes severe liver or kidney damage. And elephantiasis, so named because it leads to unspeakable deformities, like swelling of the legs to elephant-sized proportions, making even walking impossible.

Well, I know why Clinton wants to fight elephantiasis. But enough about Hillary. Just look at the allstar cast lined up.

Jackie Chan, Dikembe Mutombo, Dr. Jeffrey Sachs, Senator Kennedy and I are among the many people who are strongly supporting the STOP NTDs Campaign. Now, it's your turn to take action. Log on to www.stopntds.org, watch the campaign video and sign the online petition and, if you can, make a tax-deductible donation. Remember, just $25 will protect 50 people for an entire year.

Together, we can help lift the world's most neglected people out of poverty and disease.

So Jackie Chan, Dikembe Mutombo and Ted Kennedy walk into a bar...

UPDATE: Via reader Meredith, check out this quote from Details.

“The fact that these diseases can be eradicated was like, well, this is a no-brainer,” she says. “It’s like a sale in global health!”

Alyssa, baby, the MENSA application is in the mail.

Freed Gitmo Detainees 'Still a Threat'

The media, ACLU and Democrats caterwaul for years about how unfair life is for terror suspects at Guantanamo Bay; then we go and release some of these folks back to their native countries and lo and behold, the Associated Press discovers that might not have been such a good idea.

Interestingly though, there does seem to be some preference given to Saudi detainees.

Hmmm. There's that cozy relationship with our key ally.

Files raise questions on Gitmo transfers

Two dozen prisoners were cleared for transfer from Guantanamo Bay last year even though U.S. military panels found they still posed a threat to the United States and its allies. Dozens more were cleared even though they didn't show up for their hearings.

One Saudi arrested in Afghanistan was approved for release after offering a peculiar account that he had gone to the Taliban-controlled country to lose weight.

Pentagon documents obtained by The Associated Press show seemingly inconsistent decisions to release men declared by the Bush administration to be among America's most-hardened enemies. Coupled with accusations that some detainees have been held for years on little evidence, the decisions raise questions about whether they were arbitrary.

Human rights groups contend the documents show the military panels, known as Administrative Review Boards, often are overridden by political expediency at Guantanamo, where about 340 men are still held.

"What it says on your passport is more important than what it says in your ARB," said Ben Wizner, an attorney for the American Civil Liberties Union, noting that European citizens at Guantanamo were among the first to get out amid intense lobbying by their countries. "It's all about diplomatic pressure."

Indeed, there does some to be a curious relationship concerning some purported allies. But why on earth are suspects who are still considered a danger released knowing their home countries would soon free them?

The Pentagon created the Administrative Review Board process in 2004 as the U.S. Navy base in Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, was filling up with men captured around the world in the war on terrorist groups. It said the boards would "help ensure no one is detained any longer than is warranted, and that no one is released who remains a threat to our nation's security."

The boards hold sessions in an air-conditioned trailer, hearing testimony from shackled detainees and making recommendations on whether to transfer, release or continue to hold the men. The final decisions are made by Deputy Secretary of Defense Gordon England, who is not bound by the recommendations, but who officials say usually follows them.

The Pentagon, in response to a Freedom of Information Act request from AP, released transcripts and memos last month from last year's hearings.

Based on those sessions, England ordered 273 inmates kept at Guantanamo and 55 transferred to authorities in other nations. He didn't order any outright releases, but most detainees transferred from Guantanamo have been freed soon after arriving home.

The heavily censored documents indicate testimony before the panels often had little effect on the outcome. Of the 55 detainees cleared for transfer to their homelands or countries of residence, only 14 participated in their hearings. And 24 found to still pose a threat were ordered transferred by England anyway.

Navy Cmdr. Jeffrey Gordon, a military spokesman, said "a great majority of detainees who left Guantanamo have been a threat," but added that many factors are considered in deciding their fate.

"There are mitigating factors that the deputy secretary of defense can take into account in deciding whether to approve a transfer of a detainee," Gordon said by phone from the Pentagon.

U.S. officials say those include whether the receiving country can confiscate the detainee's passport and monitor or detain him.

Sure, that'll stop them from rejoining the battle.

Dig the story from this guy:

Abdul Rahman Mohammed Hussein Khowlan, a Saudi, said he went to Afghanistan to lose weight and to find the Prophet Muhammad's clothing — even though the founder of Islam had never been in that country.

A board member asked Khowlan to explain the search, but the detainee, who allegedly was carrying a Kalashnikov assault rifle when he was captured, responded: "There's nothing to add."

England ordered Khowlan sent home to Saudi Arabia, whose government is a key U.S. ally in the Middle East.

Car Mysteriously Explodes; Three Hamas Goons Killed

This really redefines religion of pieces.

A few possibilities here. They accidentally detonated prematurely, the Israelis whacked them, or Fatah had a hand in it. Whatever the case, three terrorist subhumanoids are gone, and this may not entitle them to the 72 virgins.

Three Hamas men killed in Gaza car blast

GAZA, Oct 2 (Reuters) - Three Hamas security force members were killed and one wounded when a car exploded outside a security headquarters building belonging to the Islamist group in Gaza City on Tuesday, a Hamas spokesman and medics said.

It was not immediately clear what caused the explosion in the Hamas-run coastal enclave. An Israeli army spokeswoman said she was not aware of any involvement by Israel in the incident.

Palestinian medics said they received three bodies and said one person was seriously injured. Earlier, medics and witnesses said two Palestinians were killed in the blast.

The Hamas spokesmen said all four men belonged to the group's newly formed naval police force. Hamas's paramilitary Executive Force police is investigating the explosion.

Tensions between Hamas and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's secular Fatah faction have been running high in Gaza since the Islamist group seized control of the enclave in June.

Israel regularly launches pinpointed attacks against militants in the Gaza Strip to try to curb cross-border rockets fired by Palestinian militants into nearby Israeli towns.

UPDATE: Haaretz says it's four dead.

This account from early September notes several similar occurrences.

Report: Pakistan Army Crumbling

The notion of these Taliban cavemen ever taking over in Pakistan and getting their hands on nukes should be causing alarm worldwide. Though we have much more pressing issues in this country, such as Britney Spears losing custody of her children, and the Democrats trying to destroy media personalities while concentrating on surrender in Iraq.

When they write our epitaph, never let it be said we didn't have our priorities in order.

Throwing in the Towel in Pakistan

As a widening political crisis distracts President Pervez Musharraf, Pakistan's army appears to be folding in the face of a mushrooming Taliban insurgency sweeping down from the Afghan border, diplomats and Western military officials say.

"I am very concerned that they are sort of throwing in the towel because it's something the people don't support and since Musharraf is also on the ropes," a Western military official told ABC News.

A series of deadly attacks that have killed hundreds of Pakistani troops this year and the abduction of more than 200 soldiers in the volatile Waziristan district have convinced longtime observers that the military lacks clear direction from the top.

Foreign governments, including the U.S., Britain and other European nations that have suffered terrorist attacks on their soil, are particularly concerned President Musharraf has lost focus, amid a widening political crisis and his struggle to remain in power, diplomats say.

This week, the U.S. government pledged $750 million in USAID development funds to the tribal areas over the next five years. In addition, U.S. and U.K. troops will retrain the Frontier Corps, an ethnically Pashtun paramilitary force, in counterinsurgency tactics, Western military officials say.

Pakistan has stationed some 80,000 troops from the predominantly Punjabi army in the tribal areas, a Pashtun region.

"The Pakistan Army has always been the wrong force to use there," say military officials. "They don't speak the language. They are not trained to do counterinsurgency."

In the wake of stinging recent defeats for the Pakistan Army in the tribal areas, some Western officials fear the Pakistan Army will simply withdraw its Punjabi troops before the new Pashtun force can be properly trained.

"I am worried they will use this as an excuse to dump out fast and that will leave a vacuum," said a Western military officer.

How about going in with a strong counter-insurgency and wiping these thugs out, and letting us help?

Negotiating with and keeping your hands of the Taliban sure hasn't helped.

Mrs. Clinton: 'I Helped Start Media Matters'

Well, everyone pretty much knew this was the case, but Noel Sheppard over at NewsBusters noted this Monday and now Rush Limbaugh just played the clip.

Is there any doubt left who is behind this smear campaign?

UPDATE: We need to come up with a name combining Mrs. Clinton and Media Matters, since they're now clearly linked.

Clinton Matters just doesn't have any cache. Sugegstions welcome.

This completely demolishes any notion Media Matetrs is a "watchdog" group, and they'll soon find their press releases are no longer being used by the MSM; assuming, of course, the MSM wants to retain any shred of objectivity.

They also need to be stripped immediately of 501(c)(3) status and, like MoveOn.org, condemned by the Congress and Senate for their slanderous attack on Mr. Limbaugh.

Thanks to Hot Air and LGF for the video links.

Saved by the Surge

It's quite telling that on the first of the month, rather than touting the recent success of our effort in Iraq, the Democrat Senate leadership was reduced to spouting phony talking points from Media Matters on the Senate floor.

Just pathetic.

With that in mind, check out John Podhoretz today and his piece in the NY Post.

IS the surge in Iraq working? Consider this plain, simple and overwhelmingly power ful fact: Hundreds and hundreds of Iraqis are alive today, on Oct. 2, who'd be dead by now if there had been no surge.

There were 1,975 Iraqi civilian fatalities in August. In September, the number fell to 922 - a drop of 53 percent.

How do we know this decline is due to the surge? We can't know for certain, of course. And there's a caveat: The fatality reduction in September is particularly dramatic because there was no attack last month to match the horrible slaughter of hundreds of members of the Yazidi sect in August.

That attack was actually an anomaly, as it was a strike against a small subgroup of Kurds who live in a long-pacified area where there is no sectarian strife between Sunnis and Shiites and no al Qaeda activity. There is very little American troop presence there, and the troop surge is entirely focused elsewhere.

So just for the sake of argument, let's remove the 350 Yazidi victims from the overall number of Iraqi fatalities in August. In that case, the drop in civilian casualties falls to 700 and the percentage decline falls to around 40 percent.

That's still a stunning change for the better - though we should keep our perspective and note that this just brings the level of violence against civilians to levels we last saw in early 2006. Everybody thought we were losing the war with those kinds of casualty numbers, so it doesn't make sense to claim that we're winning now that we've returned to these depressing statistics.

Read it all.

'Sharia is Often Perceived as Oppressive and Brutal by Westerners'

The BCC is doing their part to get the Brits ready for Sharia Law, as they give viewers an inside look at how a Sharia Court works in Nigeria.

I hope they're paying attention. It isn't pretty.

Inside a Sharia Court

A devout Muslim, Judge Isah explains that Sharia is "a path which leads to Almighty Allah, so you cannot separate Sharia from Islam and Islam from Sharia".

Over the weeks I spent at his court, I witnessed the man's passion, his conviction, his wry humour, and the speed with which he administered his justice. And I was astonished by the extraordinary variety of cases he sees each week.

Nothing like the "wry humour" of a sharia judge. Must be a real cut-up between handing out stonings and public floggings.

In one case, Sa'adiyya Ibrahim claimed that since her separation from her husband, he had refused to perform his Islamic duty of providing for her. He insisted he had.

In the end, the judge decided in her favour because she swore it was true on a copy of the Koran. Judge Isah - which literally means Jesus - was convinced the plaintiff would not risk divine condemnation by making a false oath. He ordered the husband to pay up, which he did without protest.

For all anyone knows, she's a pathological liar, but hey, she swore on a Koran, so who are we to question her?

His court works more like a community centre, where every morning he sees people in his chambers. His aim is to mediate and avoid unnecessary expensive court cases that clog up the system.

This plays an important role in more way than one. Sharia is attractive to local people because anyone can bring a case to court and represent themselves.

"In our Sharia law, we can summon anyone to appear provided there is an allegation to defend. No exceptions," explained Judge Isah.

Boy, Rush Limbaugh would be in court every day. No wonder the left is so fervently embracing dhimmitude.

Sharia is often perceived as oppressive and brutal by Westerners, because of punishments like stoning to death for adultery and amputations for theft.

Uh, yes, I do perceive stoning for adultery and amputations for theft as oppressive and brutal, as do most normal human beings. Because such stone-age punishments are, well, oppressive and brutal.

One hot, dusty afternoon, I followed three young men being taken from the courtroom to the market square. They were convicted of alcoholism - strictly frowned upon in Muslim society - and received 80 lashes in front of a gathered crowd.

Judge Isah explained that public humiliation was part of the punishment. It also served to deter others who were tempted to indulge in vice.

"By stopping people from drinking alcohol, society will be in harmony and sanity," he said. "More over the sentence of 80 lashes is in the Koran so no one can question it".

See how simple it all is. It's it the Koran, so do not question it.

Is seething and whining also ordered up by the Koran when a Muslim perceives an offense?

In Zamfara, there are only two recorded cases of people who have had their hands amputated for stealing. According to official records both of them refused their right of appeal and insisted the punishment be carried out.

I found one amputee, Lawalli Isah, still languishing in the local prison, but when questioned about the severity of the punishment, he simply said: "It is in my religion, I accept it".

Like he's going to complain?

Most of the people that I met in Zamfara said they welcomed Sharia. It has cut down drinking and violence, and the court is no longer an intimidating place of wigs and gowns, doing business in a language that they do not understand.

After six weeks in Zamfara, I can see how Judge Isah's court functions well as a small claims court for this rural Islamic society. But my reservations about Sharia remain the same. For me, the sticking points are still the floggings and the amputations, and the undeniably unfair treatment of women in rape and adultery cases.

Other than that, it's just peachy.

UPDATE: LGF has the video here.

Company Withdraws 'Nazi Collection' Bedspreads

Of course they claim the title Nazi has nothing to do, you know, with actual Nazis.

Just a lack of historical knowledge.

'Nazi Collection' bedspread to be withdrawn after protest by Indian Jews

A home furnishing company agreed to withdraw the name "The Nazi Collection" from a new line of bedspreads on Monday after objections from India's Jewish community.

Furnishing dealer Jagdish Todi met Jewish community leaders to assure them that the family-owned company did not intend to hurt the sentiments of Jews, said Jonathan Solomon, chairman of the Indian Jewish Federation.

Todi apologized for offending the Jewish community and said all advertising and publicity material with the name "The Nazi Collection" would be immediately destroyed and not allowed to be circulated or marketed, and the company wouldn't use the word in the future, Solomon said.

Todi could not be reached for comment but a letter signed by him read, "We wish to assure all concerned that we did not have and do not have the slightest intention of hurting the feelings and sentiments of Jews."

Todi's letter added, "We sincerely regret our action in proposing such an obnoxious name as 'Nazi Collection' for our products."

The furnishing company angered India's small Jewish community with its use of swastikas in promotional material and refusal to withdraw the name, which it insisted stood for "New Arrival Zone for India."

There are about 5,500 Jews living in India, a predominantly Hindu nation of 1.1 billion people.

Some Indians regard Hitler as just another historical figure and have little knowledge about the Holocaust, in which 6 million European Jews were systematically killed during World War II.

The swastika symbol, which was appropriated by the Nazis, was originally an ancient Hindu symbol and is displayed all over India to bring luck.

They might want to go with another symbol to clear up any confusion.

Supreme Court Rejects Club Gitmo Prisoner Case

In a huge defeat for Democrats, the ACLU and various enemies of America, the Supreme Court has rejected an appeal from terror suspect Salim Ahmed Hamdan.

Of course, Reuters doesn't quite see it that way, naturally.

The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday turned down an appeal by a Guantanamo prisoner whose legal challenges had forced changes to President George W. Bush's anti-terrorism program last year.

The justices refused to take up the case of Salim Ahmed Hamdan, who faces a possible military tribunal as an accused driver and guard for Osama bin Laden in Afghanistan.

Hamdan, from Yemen, won a landmark Supreme Court ruling in June 2006 that struck down Bush's first military tribunal system.

Hamdan's lawyers wanted his case included with two others that the justices are expected to hear in early December.

Some prisoners held by the U.S. military at the Guantanamo Bay base in Cuba are challenging the law that removes their right to have federal judges in Washington review their detention.

Hamdan's lawyers argued his case further involved the issue of whether that law allows Guantanamo prisoners to bring pre-trial challenges to the military tribunal process.

The high court may have denied the appeal because a U.S. appeals court has yet to rule on Hamdan's case.

We shall see.

It is not about religion at all

When are we going to realize that the terrorists are only the using the Islamic faith as a front? If you still think this about religion and not being sensitive enough to other cultures maybe you want to tell it to the parents of a 15 year old boy the Taliban hung for possesing American dollars.
If you want to continue thinking and blaming America for all the actions of these murderers it is time to put your money where your mouth is. Instead of taking potshots at our adminsitration go join the side that you do agree with. Just make sure that you don't bring any dollars with you. I wonder if they would have accepted US dollars for the Korean hostages they took? I bet they accept it from the drug dealers who market their opium.
Or how about this 15 year old that was used a suicide bomber in Pakistan? What all of this points to is the fanatics having lost so much of their manpower are now resorting to the age old Islamic custom of using children.
Just like Iran did in their war with iraq.

Anyone Notice a Trend?

Well, it appears the good news from Iraq is beginning to filter out finally.

As we've noted recently, the U.S. troops casualties have decreased, there's been a noteworthy downtick in
Ramadan violence, and today comes a report from the BBC that is sure to depress the Democrats.

Iraq violent death rates 'plunge'

The number of Iraqi civilians killed per month in bombings and shootings has fallen to the lowest level this year, the Iraqi government says.

In September, 884 civilians were killed by violence, less than half the figure for August, the government said.

The BBC's Jon Brain in Baghdad says the figures suggest the so-called surge involving 30,000 extra US troops is having some success.

September also saw the lowest number of US troops killed for more than a year.

Also decreasing were the number of Iraq security forces killed, and in a bit of bad news, fewer terrorists went off to meet Allah, although that could well be the fact the bad guys are running out of fresh reinforcements.

Additional figures released by the government indicated that the death toll had fallen by 38% compared with last year's Ramadan, according to the Muslim calendar.

The figures showed 78 members of the Iraqi security forces were killed, down from the 87 killed in August.

The militant death toll was 366, a drop of 106 from the previous month.

Chuckie Schumer and the military experts from MoveOn.org were unavailable for comemnt.

UPDATE: Gateway Pundit also noticed the trend.

Slaughter in Burma

No wonder they cut off Internet access the other day. This is just horrifying.

Burma: Thousands dead in massacre of the monks dumped in the jungle

The left will probably blame George W. Bush for offending the killers last week.

Thousands of protesters are dead and the bodies of hundreds of executed monks have been dumped in the jungle, a former intelligence officer for Burma's ruling junta has revealed.

The most senior official to defect so far, Hla Win, said: "Many more people have been killed in recent days than you've heard about. The bodies can be counted in several thousand."

Mr Win, who spoke out as a Swedish diplomat predicted that the revolt has failed, said he fled when he was ordered to take part in a massacre of holy men. He has now reached the border with Thailand.

Meanwhile, the United Nations special envoy was in Burma's new capital today seeking meetings with the ruling military junta.

Ibrahim Gambari met detained opposition leader Aung San Suu Kyi in Rangoon yesterday. But he has yet to meet the country's senior generals as he attempts to halt violence against monks and pro-democracy activists.

Reports from exiles along the frontier confirmed that hundreds of monks had simply "disappeared" as 20,000 troops swarmed around Rangoon yesterday to prevent further demonstrations by religious groups and civilians.

Word reaching dissidents hiding out on the border suggested that as well as executions, some 2,000 monks are being held in the notorious Insein Prison or in university rooms which have been turned into cells.

There were reports that many were savagely beaten at a sports ground on the outskirts of Rangoon, where they were heard crying for help.

Others who had failed to escape disguised as civilians were locked in their bloodstained temples.

More from Jules Crittenden, Gateway Pundit (with disturbing images), Blue Crab Boulevard, Michael van der Galiën.

More Dubious Fundraisers in the "Cult" of Clinton

Maybe we should just figure out if there are any legitimate Clinton donors and work our way from there.

Perhaps the crackhead investigative teams from Media Matters or MoveOn.org can look into this rather than concocting bogus stories about the "enemy" media they purport to find so offensive.

HILLARY'S $30,000 FANS ARE HER 'CULT' FOLLOWING

A purported pyramid-scheme operator who was run out of Arkansas when Bill Clinton was governor has reinvented himself as the head of an upstate group accused of being a "cult" - and his devotees have pumped thousands into Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential run.

Executives and top associates of the Albany-based NXIVM group - along with their family members - donated $29,900 to Clinton's presidential campaign, according to federal records.

On March 14 and April 13, records show, more than a dozen contributions poured into Clinton's coffers from NXIVM, an executive and group-awareness training organization led by Brooklyn-born Keith Raniere, 47.

Most were from first-time political donors, each giving the $2,300 maximum.

The revelation comes on the heels of the arrest of Norman Hsu, who raised $1.5 million in campaign contributions for the Clintons and other Democrats, even though he was technically a fugitive from fraud charges in California.

Hsu jumped bail in early September but was nabbed and is currently locked up in California.

In his previous incarnation, the Svengali-like Raniere ran a $30 million multilevel marketing business that imploded after federal agencies and regulators in 23 states alleged it was an illegal pyramid scheme.

He has managed to attract famous names to NXIVM.

Three of the March and April Clinton pledges came from Raniere's most high-profile followers: Seagram heiresses Clare and Sara Bronfman, and Pamela Cafritz, daughter of D.C. A-listers Buffy and Bill Cafritz.

Cafritz shares a condo with Raniere.

The Bronfman sisters are also deeply involved with NXIVM and, according to a 2003 article in Forbes magazine, have loaned millions to the group and provided use of their jet.

Their father, Edgar Bronfman Sr., once took NXIVM classes but soon severed ties, telling Forbes, "It's a cult."

Naturally, the Clinton campaign dismissed any possible campaign finance violations, just as they did when the Hsu story first broke.

The Clinton campaign downplayed the significance of the NXIVM-related contributions.

"Over 100,000 people from across the country have contributed to Sen. Clinton's campaign for change, and regardless of who supports her, she will always continue to stand up for what she feels is right," said campaign spokesman Blake Zeff.

It's all about feelings.

This shady group also donated money the the New York State Republicans.

NXIVM spokesman Frank Roberts told The Post the organization doesn't have a presidential candidate it is officially backing.

Last month, the Albany Times Union reported that NXIVM associates gave $31,600 to the state Republican Senate Campaign Committee and provided $34,763 worth of air transportation.

The recent campaign contributions led one close observer of NXIVM to speculate that the group is trying to curry favor for its effort to expand training centers upstate.

This Keith Raniere sure sounds like a wacko.

At NXIVM - according to court papers, cult watchdogs and relatives of members - Raniere has defrauded devotees, shattered families and drove at least one person to suicide.

After four months attending NXIVM's expensive, "intensive" studies, Alaska resident Kristin Marie Snyder grew angry, depressed and irrational.

In winter 2003, she disappeared. Her family believes she drowned herself. Her body was not recovered. Snyder was last seen leaving a NXIVM course, and police released a note she left behind.

"I was brainwashed and my emotional center of the brain was killed/turned off," Snyder scrawled in a spiral notebook.

Here's a very interesting story on Mr. Raniere, who claims to have the highest IQ in the world. Read it all, but check out this part.

“I know what was done to me,” she continues. “I know what was done to my family. I know what they are doing to other families. I know how they mind-fuck people. I know how dangerous they are. I know how dangerous Nancy Salzman is, and Keith Raniere. They are very, very dangerous, scary people.”

It has taken her six years of therapy, she says, to be able to talk at length about her experiences with Raniere. She still lives in fear, and she says, rarely leaves the house alone.

“The scary part of the organization,” Natalie says, “is that they have a philosophy, his philosophy . . . called ‘right action’ or ‘wrong action.’ And if he believes that something is ‘right action’ . . . it is OK to do whatever it takes. If you had to kill somebody, and it is for the betterment of the Family, it would be OK.”

Another item here about NXIVM suing critics. Curious how their representation, Sidley, Austin, Brown & Wood, are also donors to Mrs. Clinton, notably one Paul Kalb.

UPDATE: More from Michelle Malkin, Captain's Quarters.