Recently in World Events Category

Three cheers for brave Georgia !

Fuck the Russians. This was such a scam operation that it boggles the mind.

First the Russians generate passports for 2/3's of the population of an area whose total number of people wouldn't fill the resort town I live in. Then the Russians send in special op type people to attack ethnic Georgians in this enclave. When the Georgians respond, Russa sends in the only combat ready brigade in the entire country...which by magic just happened to be sitting on the border.

Fuck the Russians.

My question is: how did the intelligence pukes miss the Russian buildup?

The stimulus check showed up today. I am reminded of Evita throwing money to the peons from a train. In modern America we would use a helicopter.

I've got three purchase permits on the way.

I wish I could find a Browning Hi-Power in a gun store somewhere...I don't like buying guns on the Intertubes, altho I've purchased several. My Mak and SKS for two...both good buys.

The Execution of Britain | The Brussels Journal

In May 2008, 18 year-old Ben Smith was stopped in a routine check. The police officer noticed an English flag on the parcel shelf and ordered him to remove it because it was "racist towards immigrants." One of the first things foreign powers usually do when they invade a country is to ban its national symbols.

According to newspaper columnist Leo McKinstry, the English are being turned into second-class citizens in their own country: "England is in the middle of a profoundly disturbing social experiment. For the first time in a mature democracy, a Government is waging a campaign of aggressive discrimination against its indigenous population."

In a survey published in April 2008, one in three medical doctors in Britain said that elderly patients should not be given free treatment if it were unlikely to do them good for long. At the same time, Muslim men with multiple wives have been given the go-ahead to claim extra welfare benefits. The "welfare state" now means that the natives should watch grandma die because she's getting old anyway and we need the money to pay Muslims with multiple wives and numerous children so that they can feel comfortable while colonizing the country.

Bryan Cork, 49, was jailed for six months for "racist slurs" after he had shouted insults at Muslim worshippers outside a Cumbria mosque, including "proud to be British" and "go back to where you came from." This was after the London Jihadist bombings in 2005.

Even children face this kind of ideological intimidation. Codie Stott, a teenage British schoolgirl, was forced to spend hours in a police cell after she was reported by her teachers for "racism." She had objected, in the mildest possible terms, to being placed during class with a group of South Asian immigrants who talked among themselves in a language she didn't understand. For this, she was dragged to the local police station and had her fingerprints and photograph taken. 18-year-old Jamie who has Down's syndrome and the mental age of a five-year-old was charged with "racism" after an argument with an immigrant. Meanwhile, the UK is being brought to its knees in an epidemic of violent crime and white native girls get raped by immigrants in spectacular numbers, just like all over Western Europe.

The dutch speaking Flanders goes to the Netherlands and the French speaking Wallonia to France.  That leaves the independent Brussels region to be the capital of the EU (a la Washingtoon DC).  As Brussels is already over 50% muzzie, that would be interesting...a Sharia capital for the EU.

http://www.brusselsjournal.com/

Yikes!

The Great Frozen Nuts Memorial Race To The Pole....


I know you guys have been ragging on the US non stopped for 3 years over our 'un-necessary adventure' in Iraq, but don't you find this a bit ridiculous?

The Russians fake planting a flag on the bottom of the Arctic by using film scenes from Titanic, and back up their claim with a mountain chain that 'may' go under the ice.

Denmark, Canada, and anyone else with frozen nuts starts a counter-claim.  Even the US is involved now with a Coast Guard Icebreaker on the way.



So now we have at least 4 countries sending icebreakers, subs, scientists, and building military bases...isn't that getting a bit expensive?

On the one hand, it's water...wouldn't the 200 mile international limit apply?

On the other one hand...it's the goddamed commies.

Go Canada. Kick their Red asses.  Throw frozen cheese at 'em Danes.  Crank up those depth charges, Coasties.

It's just like the good ol' days.

I've been wanting to say this for years....NO WAR FOR OIL, EH!

Man, that felt good...I need a cigarette.

In 2006, the name Mohamed was the 467th most popular name for a baby boy in the US.

In the 1980s, it was 914th.

In the 1970s, it was not in the top 1000.

My name has been too low to be measured since the 60s.  My wife was #2 in the 20s.

Michael, John, or James have been #1 before and after Robert grabbed the title in the 30s.

...but only a bit.

China Executes Food-Safety Chief

The execution of Zheng Xiaoyu, 62, was confirmed by state media after the Supreme People’s Court approved the death sentence on charges that he took Rmb6.5m ($855,094) in bribes from eight pharmaceuticals companies. Mr Zheng is the most senior central government official to be executed since 2000 and the harsh penalty and swift enforcement, after an initial trial in May, underlines mounting government concern about the scandals that have damaged the reputation of Chinese products.

That's one way to get it straightened out, I guess.  Although hanging pickpockets in England only attracted more pickpockets to the hangings.

In the US the guy would have been imprisoned and the products recalled.  In China they execute the top guy and hope for the best.  Hard on this dude, but I doubt it'll amount to a hill of rice.

Talk about bad reviews. The hyperactive promotional film for the new neon Olympic logo for London's 2012 games was pulled from the Internet after it triggered at least ten epileptic seizures, as well as vomiting and headaches.

Thanx to Pajama's Media

That thing is pretty hard to look at, and I'm not epileptic.

The Media climbs all over itself to convict 3 Duke students of a rape that never happened, but they actively suppress this. Most people have never even heard of this case. Probably because the killers were black and the victims were white. Both victims raped, mutilated, body parts cut off, forced to drink bleach to hide oral rape evidence, burned, and after 4 days of this, murdered and dismembered.  God forbid that the liberal media should be forced to report nasty things about one of it's favorite entitlement groups.


Newsome, the young man was raped and beaten, they then castrated him and shot him several times. Then they dumped his body by some train tracks and set it on fire while his girlfriend was forced to watch.

Channon was gang raped over a period of days then her breasts were cut off while she was still alive, then they sprayed cleaning fluid in her mouth in an attempt to erase the traces of DNA, then her body was put into a garbage receptacle.

Charley Daniels Speaks out...

I've been following it for a couple of months, and the 5 dirtbags they caught are due back in court on the 17th. The wiki entry doesn't even come close to the horrors these two kids experienced.

...but you see the make-believe Duke case was OK because the virtual victim was black. I was surprised to read that the KKK is making a comeback.  Now I can see why.  Suppressing news like this just makes people wonder what else is being hidden...

Really now, I've been alive 60 years, and I've never seen the Media so worthless...I expect they've always been crap and we never had a way to check them before.  Thank God for alternate information sources.

In June, Tech's governing board approved a violence prevention policy reiterating its ban on students or employees carrying guns and prohibiting visitors from bringing them into campus facilities.  HB 1572 failed. - this was a bill to allow VA CCW permit holders to have their guns on campus.

Well, that didn't work out.

I expect those of us in the gun community will need to be prepared for the onslaught of hopliphobia that this tragedy will engender.

A French correspondent just asked me:

Shouldn't you be more worried about your schools and Universities turning into the streets of Bagdad?

As long as leftist, progressive, fuckwits living in secure gated communities force no-gun zones upon the rest of us...yes.

From a comment...

What happened is what the school and the anti-gun crowd wanted to happen. It translates to power for them. Sound like a harsh judgment? Well, it is. But its still true.

There will more calls to make more people defenseless in more venues and to garner more police power to the state and quasi-state organizations. This happens EVERY time there is a push for more gun control.

It is a self-fulfilling prophecy. Less guns and more gun-free venues = more tragedies like this one = more stringent gun laws and more gun-free venues.

Criminals and venal politicians will never give up their desire to enforce their will on the law-abiding. Why should I give up my guns to make that easier for them?

From Kim du Toit -

Virginia Tech spokesman Larry Hincker was happy to hear the bill was defeated. "I'm sure the university community is appreciative of the General Assembly's actions because this will help parents, students, faculty and visitors feel safe on our campus."

So, fifty-odd dead and wounded students later, it appears as though the current law does not, in fact, do anything to protect students from someone who wishes to do them harm.

They might have felt safe on campus... but they weren't.

This horrible incident is not a rationale for more gun control; it is a case study of the effects of gun control: providing a murderer with unarmed, helpless victims.

Say Uncle has a roundup and constant updates...as well as Pajama's Media

The gun-grabbers will be happy.

"I hate to say it but it's going to take the kind of massacre that kills lots of children. That's the only way we are going to see progress, "I think it's got to be worse than (Columbine)." - Bryan Jones, director of the Center for American Politics and Public Policy at the University of Washington (Anti-gun organization)

He got his wish.

From a student...

Of all of the emotions and thoughts that were running through my head that morning, the most overwhelming one was of helplessness.

That feeling of helplessness has been difficult to reconcile because I knew I would have been safer with a proper means to defend myself.

I am qualified and capable of carrying a concealed handgun and urge you to work with me to allow my most basic right of self-defense, and eliminate my entrusting my safety and the safety of my classmates to the government.

...and you never hear about the school shootings that were stopped in their tracks by students or teachers with guns.

Creating sperm from women would mean they would only be able to produce daughters because the Y chromosome of male sperm would still be needed to produce sons. The latest research brings the prospect of female-only conception a step closer.

"Theoretically is it possible," Professor Nayernia said. "The problem is whether the sperm cells are functional or not. I don't think there is an ethical barrier, so long as it's safe. We are in the process of applying for ethical approval. We are preparing now to apply to use the existing bone marrow stem cell bank here in Newcastle. We need permission from the patient who supplied the bone marrow, the ethics committee and the hospital itself."

If sperm cells can be developed from female bone-marrow tissue they will be matured in the laboratory and tested for their ability to penetrate the outer "shell" of a hamster's egg - a standard fertility test for sperm.

Why would lesbians want to fertilize hamster eggs anyway? I'm so confused.

That whole sex thing with lesbians is nasty anyway. They're always screaming and you have to tie them up first.

Billie Holiday - Come Rain Or Come Shine

Clashes erupt at Paris train station

PARIS - Riot police firing tear gas and brandishing batons clashed Tuesday with bands of youths who shattered windows and looted shops at a major Paris train station, officials said. Nine people were arrested.

Officials said about 100 people were involved in the melee at Gare du Nord, one of Paris' most important transport hubs. Officers and police dogs fired tear gas and charged at groups of marauding youths, some of them wearing hoods and swinging metal bars.

Some pictures taken by people who were there....



From Atlantic, a poster on a French forum: "Commuters who do didn't seem really scared by the clashes, and stopped to watch the "show" and take pics and videos..."

Another little piece of Paris that the youths are trying to make their own. It doesn't take much of this to make law abiding people go around the long way.

France recently passed a law making it illegal for normal citizens to take pictures or videos that were not for the sole use of the State. I wonder if the commuters who took these pictures could be liable for prosecution?

Apparently not.

The law was passed ostensibly to stop the craze of 'happy slapping'....taking video of one of your buds smacking a stranger and then posting the video on the web. That law doesn't specifically say that tho, and could be used for anything the State wants to use it for....slippery slope and all that.

This thing is huge...

 This is not a Blimp. It's a sort of flying Queen Mary 2 that could change the way you think about air travel. It's the Aeroscraft, and when it's completed, it will ferry pampered passengers across continents and oceans as they stroll leisurely about the one-acre cabin or relax in their well-appointed staterooms.

I wonder how it will do in marginal weather?

To be revisited March 1, 2008

Fidel Castro
Ariel Sharon
Billy Graham
Ozzy Osborne
Jerry Lewis
Robert Downey, Jr
Charlie Sheen
Kirk Douglas
Lady Bird Johnson
Zsa Zsa Gabor
Nick Nolte
Margaret Thatcher
John Paul Stevens (SCOTUS)
Robert Byrd (D-WV)
Betty Ford
el-Haj Mohammed Suharto
Frank Lautenberg (D-NJ)
King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz (Formerly Crown Prince Abdullah)
Robert Mugabe (Zimbabwe)
Ayman al-Zawahiri (Al-Qaeda)

Create one of your own prior to March 1st 2007.   20 names maximum.

CARACAS, Venezuela - Meat cuts vanished from Venezuelan supermarkets this week, leaving only unsavory bits like chicken feet, while costly artificial sweeteners have increasingly replaced sugar, and many staples sell far above government-fixed prices.

President Hugo Chavez's administration blames the food supply problems on unscrupulous speculators, but industry officials say government price controls that strangle profits are responsible. Authorities on Wednesday raided a warehouse in Caracas and seized seven tons of sugar hoarded by vendors unwilling to market the inventory at the official price.

Unsavory??? Unsavory???

Well, when I was a kid we were happy to get chicken feet. We used to get chicken lips and be grateful for them, I tell ya.

We were so poor that if I wasn't a boy I wouldn't have had anything to play with.

I haven't done this for a while, so let's see what the froggies are up to today, shall we?

French PM attacks Iraq troop 'surge'

Former French foreign minister, Roland Dumas, on Monday said "if Iran had an atom bomb it would be an "element of balance" in the Mideast

French to open military school in the Gulf

New Clashes in Paris - Ho Hum!

Campaign to make French sole legal language in EU

Muslim converts to Christianity face problems in France

Quebec village bans stoning of women, veils, and excision

The Quebec village of Herouxville, 1300 inhabitants, has formally banned this week the stoning of women, face veils, female genital mutilation, or throwing acid at unveiled women’s faces, reports Montreal daily La Presse.

Andre Drouin, a municipal counselor in Herouxville, told La Presse, a document detailing the bans and the cultural norms of the local population was adopted in light of the stormy debate over the "reasonable accommodation" of religious and cultural minorities that has been raging in Quebec media over the last few months and has principally focussed on Montreal's small ultra-orthodox Jewish community.

The nature of the Herouxville bans suggests however that local politicians had Quebec Muslims in mind, though not a single Muslim or member of any religious or ethnic minority calls Herouxville home. But referring to Quebec's policy of encouraging immigrants to settle outside Montreal, Drouin says it was important to inform potential immigrants of the villages cultural norms: "We must ensure that people who come here want to live as we do", he told La Presse, "The Muslims who wanted to impose Sharia, had they known that we do not stone women here, maybe they would not have come".

Along with the bans, the Herouxville document states that Christmas trees are a Quebec tradition, that swimming pools are mixed, and that pork meat and beef are displayed on the same shelves. Asked whether he fears being labeled a racist, Drouin answers: "We are not racists, we are explaining our culture". (emphasis mine)

The Herouxville document of bans and "norms" was sent to the Ministries of Immigration of Canada and Quebec.

...they're just being careful because, you know - sometimes you just have to tell people you don't allow stoning, mutilations, veils, and recreational acid throwing.  They're not picking out any particular group you understand, this is just a general thing.  I mean, what possible group of people would allow stoning and the rest of it in this day and age.

From Mark in Mexico we get further confirmation that Mexico is on the fast track to ruin.

In past discussions we've looked at the possible results of cutting off all those gringo dollars the illegals send home to support

A record $16.6 billion is sent back to Mexico
from immigrants here in the U.S., a 24% increase from 2003. The latest
estimates show that this year those "remittances" as they call them,
are expected to top Mexico's oil industry as the number one form of
revenue for the country.

Now Mark takes a look at those oil revenues. 

Pemex is headed towards bankruptcy. The company (the Mexican
government, really) is 45 billion dollars in debt with 88 billion in
total liabilities. Its revenue stream is only 77 billion annually but
60% of that gets skimmed off and sent directly to Mexico City and
another billion gets lost to corruption. Its output is dropping by more
than 14% per year and it can only replace 9.6% of what it is
extracting. It knows of other possible reserves but lacks the
technology and the money to prove them, let alone begin extracting. It
needs to drill 20,000 new wells to replace its fading ones and that is
more than it has drilled in its 70 years of existence.

Mexico is on the raw edge.  Mexican economic and oil policies since 1938 have pretty much ruled out foreign investment.  Nationalization of foreign investment resources and federal laws soured the international money markets on Mexico before even WWII. 

Combine that with the growing grass roots call in America to stem illegal immigration from south of the border, and Mexico is staring into the abyss. 

I can imagine some non-partisan star chamber sitting in a room in Washington looking at Mexico.  I can see them deciding to do zippo about illegal immigration because they fear accelerating a collapse of the country.  I can see them pushing the advantages of cheap labor to the right, and the advantages of a new voting block to the left.

...but we can do nothing about Mexican oil unless that country changes it's laws to allow foreign investment.  Those foreign investors are still owed monies from the nationalization of oil resources in 1938 - they will require guarantees.  That's a shot of tequila you'd need to take with a grain of salt.

...and it will only be a matter of time before the US government is required to close the border or fall.

I like Mexico a lot...but not as much as I love America.  I would like to see Mexico opened to foreign investment but I would also like to see the border closed.  I have no problem with putting the existing illegals on a fast track to legal residency or citizenship, but the border must be closed first.  Close the border, let the illegals work here legally, let them continue to send money home, and open Mexico up for foreign investment so they can grow their economy to the point where illegals don't need to come here.

Otherwise we're looking at getting a front row seat for yet another Mexican Revolution.

Sometimes people fear the word disagree, but I say the more debate and the more disagreement you have, the better the decisions will be. - Raul Castro

Fidel must be dead....via Pajamas

New London — Fort Trumbull diehard Susette Kelo has sent out a heartfelt holiday greeting card to some 30 or so current and former members of the City Council and New London Development Corp., among others, wishing them, in essence, hell on Earth for the rest of their lives.

The text, accompanying a sparkling, snowy image of Kelo's iconic pink house in the Fort Trumbull neighborhood, reads, in its entirety:

Here is my house that you did take
From me to you, this spell I make
Your houses, your homes
Your family, your friends
May they live in misery
That never ends.
I curse you all
May you rot in hell
To each of you
I send this spell
For the rest of your lives
I wish you ill
I send this now
By the power of will

• Why the sport of Javelin Catching won't be in the Olympics - from Barcelona Pundit

Isn't there a joke in there somewhere?

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

Update: It looks like it the whole thing was cooked up to cause trouble.

Cowboy up, asshole. It's going to get worse - only intellectuals are stupid enough to believe your shit, normal people are not.

• Fuck Off - from the Englishman

Not only do they watch you everywhere, but now they're listening.

• Some are calling for a new wall between England and Scotland, while others want it around London - from Remittance Man

Londistan just doesn't have the same ring to it

• Poor Mark in Mexico is still up to his ass in Mexican Revolutionaries. Reading this story from the beginning gives you a perfect understanding of what would happen in Mexico if we closed the border.

...another very entertaining full blown Mexican revolution. If you get into this, try and read the comments on each post also.

• The Telegraph thinks that the death of that Russki was 'suspicious' - Samizdata

Ya think? I've gotta be more careful where I keep my Plutonium 210.

• Hmmm, very popular on the Net right now and a good sign of what the English really think. - The #10 Downing Street E Petitions

The People are always ahead of the politicians

• And a new ceasefire in Palestine.

Yeah, that lasted minutes longer than the last one.

• Apparently not everyone likes Thugo....

That's OK, Jimmy Carter has certified that Chavez got 98% of the vote in next week's election.

The French Blackout...is at 100%. But the bloggers keep an eye on it. Yesterday's toll Bilan (provisoire) pour la nuit du 31 octobre au 1er novembre 2006 Clichy-sous-Bois (Seine-Saint-Denis, 28 000 hab). Attaque de journaliste. 2 blessés. Tourcoing (Nord, 93 000 hab) : Incendie de collège Wittenheim (Haut-Rhin, 15 000 hab): Attaque de bus Trappes (Yvelines, 28 000 hab) : Attaque de bus Buc (Yvelines, 5 700 hab) : Attaque de bus Poissy (Yvelines, 35 000 hab) : Attaque de bus Guyancourt (Yvelines, 27 000 hab) : Attaque de bus (Cocktail Molotov) Mantes-la-Jolie (Yvelines, 43 000 hab) : Emeute anti-policier Elancourt (Yvelines, 27 000 hab) : Emeute anti-policier Clichy-sous-Bois: 2 faux-journalists from France2 attacked and injured (payback for their phoney al-Durah shit) Tourcoing: middle school torched Wittenheim: Bus attacked Trappes: Bus attacked Buc: Bus attacked Poissy: Bus attacked Guyancourt: Bus attacked (Molotov cocktail) Mantes-la-Jolie: general rioting Elancourt: general rioting And in Mexico, things are heating up.

Wow, the Juáristas are at it again. Revolution in Mexico. Yep, this is a country we want an open border with. Mark identifies 4 separate governments in the country. Mark in Mexico via Pajamas Media

Regular at 1.999 out on Route 37 in Toms River. I blame Bush.

Trouble each night in Paris suburbs.... PARIS, Oct 14, 2006 (AFP) - A police officer was hospitalized Saturday after being hit in the face with a stone after responding to a report about a robbery in one of Paris's "hot" suburbs, police said. According to the police union, the officer and a colleague fell into an ambush and were surrounded by about 30 youths, some wearing masks. The youths blocked the police vehicle with their cars and sprayed the officers with tear gas. The two officers escaped after firing their pistols into the air.

Let's see how that would play in NYC?

New York Sun - October 13th, 2006 According to the police union, the officer and her partner fell into an ambush and were surrounded by about 30 young men of Middle Eastern appearance, sensibility, and deportment, some wearing masks. The wilding group blocked the police vehicle with their cars and sprayed the officers with tear gas. The two officers escaped harm after shooting 32 of the 30 masked youths. "We shot a few bystanders who were cheering them on just to be sure", said Officer Friendly, a young black woman with 12 years on the force. Several New Yorkers joined in to help the police, reloading multiple police weapons and passing them back to the officers. Others brought coffee and donuts for the officers during and after the melee. When the ACLU complained that none of the wounded or dead offenders appeared to be armed, the other officer involved, Officer Dastardly replied, "...then they should have brought a gun to a gun fight". The New York District Attorney has stated that all survivors will be charged with terminal stupidity and deported to France. The officers will receive a commendation and a transfer to the security detail for the New York Mets. Responding to complaints that the officers used disproportionate force, a police union spokesperson replied, "Wadda youse complainin' about? We kilt 'em, but we didn't eat 'em. Geese". Senator Clinton could not be reached for comment as she hasn't been seen in her office for the past 13 months. The City has been exceeding quiet since this incident.

Dear Leader Are you freaking nuts? I would dearly love to leave this little problem up to your friends and relatives in China and South Korea to solve. That would be a win/win for us, you know. We would get to remove our troops and dependants from SoKo, redeploy them to watch other third world shitholes, save a bunch of money, use that money to arm up your favorite local member of the South East Asia Co-Prosperity Sphere - Japan, and stay out of it for once. That lovely scenario probably isn't going to happen, tho. It looks like your big test fizzled, and when was the last time your Long Dong missile flew successfully. That puppy is supposed to be able to reach the US, but maybe you need a bit of Viagra in the rocket fuel. That little threat about sending a nuclear tipped missile at the US of A if we don't lift sanctions on your money laundering and counterfeiting of our currency would have a bit more weight in it's ass if your missiles and nukes worked. But credit where credit is due; even though you appear pathetic, It was actually an official threat from the dear leader of a (possibly) real country. Good thing TR wasn't President, you'll already be crispy critters and alpha bits. I'm sure you are happy with all the attention, but you really must understand that you are only a stalking horse for Iran. We are all merrily munching popcorn and watching to see how the fiasco that is the UN handles this. You're a test case for when a marginally more dangerous nutjob gets nukes. Oh, and your buddies in China are pissed. Feeling ronery right now, are we? Interesting that Kofi's replacement will be a South Korean, isn't it. Full stop...this is the UN we're talking about. How do you say strongly worded letter in Korean. The reality of the situation is this. While the US is struggling with a steep learning curve about how to fight insurgents, we really are prepared to fight a third world standing army with delusions of grandeur…you know, always preparing to fight the last war and all that. By an amazing co-inky-dink, we're in the neighborhood. If it wasn't for that shit-for-brains Carter, even Clinton would have taken care of you 12 years ago. Let's see. We move out our troops and dependants to clear the battlefield, park a boomer off shore with about a hundred MIRVs, turn over the defense of the peninsula to the ROKs, arm up Japan (who hate your guts more than we can comprehend), blockade your ports, interdict your airspace, shut down your flow of info to the rest of the world, and put I Corps on standby. You'll get all the attention you have longed for. You could call it a leaden courtesy - heavy on the lead. You can attack, or starve. It's hard to attack us, so you're left with attacking your friends in the South, or your enemies to the East. Go ahead and make your choice, moron. Or starve. Just shut the fuck up and get hot. Don't look for much help from China this time. They like our exchange rate too much to risk it for marxist nutjobs from the wrong century. You've got countries nervous all the way to Australia. Gee, I wonder if anyone would care if you accidently had a bad accidental accident, dear leader? Ronery, get used to it. Video

I am overwhelmed by the pure expression of Christianity shown by these good people. Reminds you of your average MEDC doesn't it.

Col. Cooper is Gone. One bleeding-heart type asked me in a recent interview if I did not agree that "violence begets violence." I told him that it is my earnest endeavor to see that it does. I would like very much to ensure—and in some cases I have—that any man who offers violence to his fellow citizen begets a whole lot more in return than he can enjoy. His commentaries may be found on the sidebar, but for me life is spelled out in a poem by his daughter Lindy Cooper Wisdom... There ain't many troubles that a man can't fix with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six

Gas at the WaWa on route 37 near the SeaSide bridge is down to 2.219. That's down 70 cents in a month. Woof...a savings of about $45 a week with the driving I do. Off brands are cheaper. Update: So I get up in the AM to drive to work, and the same station is now down to 2.179. At that rate it'll be free in 55 days.

Paradoxically, the amount of real civilization in the world -- as represented by actual security and effective governance -- is declining in direct proportion to the increase in the number of filigrees and curlicues in the treaties, declarations, understandings and covenants that the "International Community" has barricaded itself with. Two parallel universes begin to coexist. An imaginary universe obsessed with Global Warming, multiculturalism, world governance and image inhabited by bureaucrats and intellectuals, and a real universe shot with poverty, rife with ethnic hatreds, chaos and inhabited by militias; with the imaginary universe pretending it is in control of the real universe. - Belmont Club

This is a serious problem for the West. More and more in this War against the un-namable we are seeing people take control of their own lives....if only because their political classes are unable or unwilling to lead. As we know, "people" tend to over-react. It wouldn't be too difficult to imagine that we are setting ourselves up for a wrenching shock. A shock that couldn't be buffered by current political structures that failed to work. A shock that neither the Islamofascists nor the current political structure would survive. There is a world of difference between a government embarking on a program with the consent of the people, and a people embarking on a program that a government couldn't or wouldn't support. Neither do I find it impossible to imagine that this long war will bring the end of that strange experiment called the United Nations. Already shown to be useless in the face of any real global challenge, it has evolved into a spectacularly corrupt forum for countries that wouldn't have made it onto a map prior to the Second World War. The politics of pursuasion do not work with kleptocracies only interested in Swiss back accounts or tribal and religious hegemony. Really now, putting the 190 'countries' of the world in the limelight has only shown how few really deserve the name. Who would miss it in it's present form? I can't really say that I complain a lot about how America and the West is seen by most of the world. After all, the world has a long way to go before it would reach the level where those complaints come from societies people would be moving to, instead of from.

We see it on the airliners.... People in the strangest places are buying personal firearms... Governments who won't act are being ignored.... Even the Europeans, at least the man in the street, is starting to get it....

Islam has overplayed it's hand. The fuse is lit.

The Pope is giving a speech at the University of Regensburg on September 12, and quotes a Byzantine emperor, Manuel II Paleologus, who was having a dialog 600 years ago with a Persian scholar: Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached. God is not pleased by blood, and not acting reasonably is contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason properly, without violence and threats... To convince a reasonable soul, one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means of threatening a person with death.... This quote was used by the Pope to illustrate his belief that conversion under duress was not valid. Violence used in the name of God was unholy. So what does the religion of peace do? Burn Churches Threaten the Pope with Assassination Compare the Pope with Hitler and brand him a crusader. Threaten War Demand a Papal Apology ...and generally bomb and riot globally. ...and generally riot and bomb globally. So protesting the Papal quote that decries violence as a method of Muslim conversion...the Muzzies resort to violence. Who'da Thunk it. Or as Cowboy Blob says.... ...and the Lawdog weighs in with his wonderful command of the written word: I wonder if the Children of Mohammed realize how how they look to the rest of the world? On one side we have the Pope, white robes, benedictions and always smiling -- and on the other paw we have the metaphorical equivalent of a pack of Alka-Seltzer chewing chihuahuas; little turbans flying off their heads while they spew foam in their berserk barking fury. ...and of course, the Muslim Rage-O-Meter

So SHE comes to me out of the blue and asks..."How much does a camel cost?" Sucker: "I'll bite, how much does a camel cost?" SHE: "No, really, how much does a camel cost? As much as a car? Call Angel (our Kuwaiti daughter-in-law), she'll know." Sucker: "Angel is a Kuwaiti City girl who has been living here for a couple of decades now, she does her all shopping at the Galleria. No camels there...and I doubt she buys camel meat from the Super Foodtown...I think that they're more into Indian food."

Knowing better than to ask why this thought has percolated thru her fever'd brain, I start looking on the web for how much a camel costs. It wasn't that easy. I must have looked a a dozen sites before I found a comment thread talking about the price of camels.

Apparently (at least in Egypt), the price has been steadily rising this past decade and is now around $500US. I expect that's for a meat (?) camel. And I am reminded by my distaff resident camel expert that there are different types and uses for camels. See what watching the Discovery Channel can do. I thought she never switched away from the Home (Husband) Improvement Channel.

Are we witnessing the beginning of the End Game in the Middle East? Hamas and Hizballah for decades were non-state actors imbedded in the weak government of Lebanon and the quasi government of the Palestine Authority. Hamas is now the duly constituted government of the PA, and Hizballah could be facing another diaspora. I'm wondering if some combination of the IDF, the Lebanese Army, possibly the UN or NATO, with backing from others could push what is left of Hizballah into Syria. No one could ever argue that Syria isn't strong enough to control them. What would we be looking at then? There would no longer be any non-state actors in this part of the Middle East. The remaining two terror supporting regimes of Iran and Syria now responsible for the acts of Hizballah, and the PA isolated and fair game when it attacks Israel. For all of the media outcry, the insurgency is losing in Iraq. The Horn of Africa countries are horrible but consumed in internal battles. Without their proxies, countries would have fewer options when it comes to attacking neighbors…and much greater expectations of reprisals. Nukes? As offensive weapons, they are only a bargaining chip before they are used...and the classic answer to one nuke is two. A new paradigm.

the pure stupidity of Palestinians. Update: Go here for the latest... Lebanese and Israeli bloggers at TLB (his SQL crashes now and then) Over the past year....

• Israel leaves the Gaza and large portions of the west bank to the Palestinians unilaterally.
• The Palestinians trash all sources of income left by the Israelis
• Palestinians shoot nearly 500 missiles into southern Israel.
• The Lebanese 'cedar revolution' encourages security Syrian forces to leave the country, but Hizballah (a Syrian client) remains in control of the south bordering Israel.

In the past few weeks...

• Hamas sneaks into Israel thru a tunnel, kills two soldiers and captures one as well as 2 civilians (executing the civilians shortly afterwards).
• Israel moves into the Gaza to look for its soldier and carve out a buffer zone between Gaza and southern Israeli cities.
• Hizballah shoots 100 missiles into northern Israel, crosses the border, kills 3 soldiers and captures 2 more.

In the past few hours....

• Israel bombs Lebanese communications, airport runways, Hizballah sites, and seals the country by air, land, and sea blockade.
• Hizballah shoots missiles into Haifa.

I have noticed something different going on this time..... Hamas is a 'legally constructed government' now and hasn't seemed to realize that they are supposed to act like it....fat chance. What they are doing is seen by everyone as 'acts of war'. Hamas is obviously being controlled by their leadership in Syria. You knew that they were going to screw it up sooner rather than later. Egypt, Jordan, et al tried their hands at negotiating a settlement, got rebuffed by the Palis, and gave up. WTF was Hizballah doing attacking Israel...did they think that a 2nd front was going to help the Gaza fend off the Israelis? Why are the Israelis isolating Lebanon...a budding democracy? Are they limiting the ability of the Syrians to attack Israel (Syria still controls the Lebanese military), trying to convince the rest of Lebanon that it is time to remove Hizballah from their country, or something else....perhaps finally treating non-state actors (sheltered by states) as official state parties. I notice that 'world' opinion hasn't immediately jumped into condemnation of Israel this time. Austin Bey thinks that the countries in the area are tired of Hezbollah and Hamas and have a tacit agreement with the Israelis to prune them back. I am reminded that Arafat got all of the land that he said he wanted and 1/2 of Jerusalem in negotiations...took them, and continued to attack Israel. The reality being that they want Israel to disappear. Arafat dies, and Hamas takes over the Palestinian so-called government, and immediately starts rocketing and attacking Israel again. Like you expected them to be satisfied with half the country. Remember, there is a Palestinian state already...it's called Jordan. This group of Palis got pushed out when they tried to take over the government by force....likewise Lybia and Lebanon...I wonder where they'll go next? All of the countries around Israel have either treaties or have admitted that they can live with Israel in the Middle East...all except Hamas, Hizballah, and Fatah (Fatah was making noises about living with Israel recently). Hizballah/Hamas can expect help from only Syria or Iran. Syria is in the pay of Iran as it is. Baathist Syria is also bordered by Israel, Jordan, Turkey, and Iraq...not their best of friends. I think that Syria would have been much happier right now if these two idiot clients, Hamas and Hizballah, had chosen some other time for their games. If Austin Bey is right, Israel is going to pound the living crap out of Hizballah and Hamas, Hizballah might get thrown out of Lebanon, Hamas might lose its power base in Palestine, Syria loses a client, and Iran gets stiffed. Me, I never underestimate the stupidity of Palestinians....they will escalate, or get their mama to escalate. Any serious escalation by Syria or Iran as state actors would bring the West (namely us) into it. Not boots on the ground, but there are other ways to skin a camel. Iraq the Model thinks that this is exactly what Iran is hoping for...to distract the West from sanctions over its nuclear ambitions. It doesn't help that the proxies are trying to move their soldier captives to Iran. I think that Hizballah and Hamas are getting a lesson in realpolitik....they're out of their weight class, and the support they used to depend upon has dried up or is a bit gun shy right now.

And now it's war... Interesting Updates: All found thru links on Pajamas Media Jordan tells Hamas not to even think about firing missiles from the West Bank into Israel The PM of Palestine threatens to quit because he has no international stature and can't control his country Saudi Arabia blames Hisballah for the whole thing and tells them to straighten it out on their own Iran is threatening a 'fierce responce' if Israel attacks Syria The UN is on the case....we're sure to be OK now. The Moonbats are debating what a wonderful world it would be without Israel. The rest of the Muslim world is pretty much staying out of it. Arab Reactions....SandMonkey and Hal. Different but the same. From LGF.

ESPN said something about 168 'injuries' resuling in about 40 odd real injuries. What a strange sport to engender such passion by the rest of the world. Guys running around like nutcases, falling down and holding their knees, no scoring. The games are uniformly decided on bad calls by referees at the end of the game. You might as well miss all but the last 5 minutes. Not an American sport. Fortunately it won't be around for another 4 years until it surfaces in South Africa. At least the 8-40 tap showed up from Brownells, along with the black screws I needed. I drilled and tapped the remaining hole in the Mossberg receiver and permanently attached the Ghost Ring. Sweet.

Acidman, one of the pillars of the early blogs, has gotten away. His song....My Door is Always Open. Right click to save.

My company has a ton of highly educated soccer nutcases. The world cup is on every computer and all the TVs. While the peasants make do with streaming ESPN and the TVs in the break rooms, the Partners are running huge flat screen TVs in the conference rooms...catered.

I admit I got interested in the Ukraine v. Saudi Arabia game today. Probably cuz two of my favorite co-workers hail from those parts...and they were fruitloops all this afternoon. Ukraine 4 Saudi 0. Oh, and I'm taking Thursday off for the America/Ghana. The Italians tied with the US 1 all, and kicked Ghana's butt 2 zip. There's a chance. unfortunately to get into the second round, the US has to win and the Italians lose to the Czechs...who lost to Ghana but creamed the US 3 zip. Either of them is anyone's game.

Here are some soccer babes from Iran.....thanx to the Sand Monkey! ...and Iranians get cranky when they lose.

A bunch of American teenagers kicked Nazi ass...and kept kicking it for 10 months until the war was over. A valuable lesson learned.... 1. Start on the 6th of June 2. Kill Nazis until there are none left who want to fight 3. Stop fighting and go home We could use that kind of dedication now.... 1. Start on the 6th of June 2. Kill Jihadis until there are none left who want to fight 3. Stop fighting and go home

If a seven year old can do it.... ....maybe they made it. They were never found - only deflated rubber raincoats they used to build a raft. I'd like to think they survived and lived a life of quiet contemplation. They were career criminals and as they never surfaced again, they probably drowned.

And all we have is Easter. This just cries out for a caption contest on a blog that has more traffic than mine.

I have not seen it all, but I'm getting close. I've seen what is inside people and what is inside a nuclear weapon. I've seen birth and death. Once when I was stoned, I stopped a clock by pure mind power. I've seen she/hes and he/shes. I've seen a cat kick the ass of a Doberman. I've seen houses completely covered by snow in Buffalo and a desert at 132^o in Needles. I've seen everything New York has to offer on an average day. Today I saw a store called Everything Eyebrow. And it was mobbed...at 8PM on a Thursday night. So if you need something for your eyebrow, anything at all...There's a basement store for you on John Street near Broadway. Just for shits and giggles I googled it. Seems to be quite popular with the drag queen set.

My son Jesse sent this newspaper clipping to me: March 6, 2006 05:59 PM - Lloyd Alter, Toronto Tyler Hamilton of the Toronto Star and website Clean Break has been digging around a very secretive company. Asking them for information they said: "EEStor is not making public statements at present time," company co-founder and chief executive Richard Weir replied when the Toronto Star requested an interview via email. "EEStor would also like to have you and your paper not publish any articles about our company and the Toronto Star is certainly not authorized to publish this response." which of course he published instantly in Canada's biggest newspaper, BoingBoing style. . What they are doing in Austin with their Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers money is developing a "parallel plate capacitor with barium titanate as the dielectric" or hypercapacitor as John recently coined. Says Tyler: "BusinessWeek reported an interesting comment from Kleiner's John Doerr, who recently spoke at a California event where tech VCs gather to make their predictions for the year. Doerr reportedly referred to an investment in an energy storage company he declined to name, calling it Kleiner's "Highest-risk, highest-reward" investment." Tyler's source describes it: (warning: if you continue reading you have to eat this post) The batteries fully charge in minutes as opposed to hours. * Whereas with lead acid batteries you might get lucky to have 500 to 700 recharge cycles, the EEStor technology has been tested up to a million cycles with no material degradation. * EEStor's technology could be used in more than low-speed electric vehicles. The company envisions using it for full-speed pure electric vehicles, hybrid-electrics (including plug-ins), military applications, backup power and even large-scale utility storage for intermittent renewable power sources such as wind and solar. * Because it's a solid state battery rather than a chemical battery, such being the case for lithium ion technology, there would be no overheating and thus safety concerns with using it in a vehicle. * Finally, with volume manufacturing it's expected to be cost-competitive with lead-acid technology. "It's the holy grail of battery technology," said my source. "It means you could do a highway capable electric city car that would recharge in three or four minutes and drive you from Toronto to Montreal. Consumers wouldn't notice the difference from driving an electric car versus a gas-powered car." From his Star article: Energy storage has long been the bottleneck for innovation, holding back new energy-sucking features in mobile devices and preventing everything from the electric car to renewable power systems from reaching their full potential. Build a radically better battery at lower cost, experts say, and the world we know will be forever transformed. "There's been nothing big or disruptive, and we're due for it," says Nicholas Parker, chairman of the Cleantech Venture Network, which tracks investment in so-called clean technologies. He says energy storage is one of the hottest areas for venture capital funding right now. "Right across the board, better energy storage is essential." Among EEStor's claims is that its "electrical energy storage unit" could pack nearly 10 times the energy punch of a lead-acid battery of similar weight and, under mass production, would cost half as much. It also says its technology more than doubles the energy density of lithium-ion batteries in most portable computer and mobile gadgets today, but could be produced at one-eighth the cost. If that's not impressive enough, EEStor says its energy storage technology is "not explosive, corrosive, or hazardous" like lead-acid and most lithium-ion systems, and will outlast the life of any commercial product it powers. It can also absorb energy quickly, meaning a small electric car containing a 17-kilowatt-hour system could be fully charged in four to six minutes versus hours for other battery technologies, the company claims. According to patent documents obtained by the Star, EEStor's invention will do no less than "replace the electrochemical battery" where it's already used in hybrid and electric vehicles, power tools, electronic gadgets and renewable energy systems, from solar-powered homes to grid-connected wind farms. "If everything they say is true, then that's pretty amazing," says MacMurray Whale, an energy analyst at Sprott Securities and a former professor of mechanical engineering at the University of Victoria. "To do all of that is unheard of when you look at any other battery technology out there." Tyler Hamilton does not impress easily- he was not impressed with us for falling head over heels in love with the magenn turbine Don't bother googling for a website for EEStor- you will get a clothing site. But do read ::Clean Break and ::The Toronto Star before they send in the lawyers or break his fingers.

I have read several science fiction stories which featured the batacitor, a device that could charge instantly like a capacitor and discharge over time like a battery. The upshot of these stories was that individuals could choose to opt out from society...moving to the deep woods or uninhabited islands by taking their energy needs with them. An average home uses about 250 kilowatts a month...with the cost of manufacturing a kilowatt averaging about 8 cents a kWhour. Charge the batacitor up for $250 and live in the woods for a year. A device like this could change the world.

I found this on Wonkette I have a couple of thoughts on the matter.... The Cartoons are funny... He shot a lawyer...Hmmmmmm He violated Rule #4...Big Time! That was a very expensive designer Parazzi Brescia 28ga shotgun he was using....something of a girly gun This story was made for Moonbats, but it ain't going to play in flyover country.

For an hour-and-a-half during my commute this morning, I switched thru six radio channels trying to hear something 'aboot' the national elections in Canada....ABC, CBS, FAN, Bloomberg, NPR, and Air America. It got a one sentence mention on Bloomberg and Air America....simply that elections were held and the conservative parties came out on top. Now this is a country where the Liberals have ruled for 75 years of the last century. One would think that the national elections of our largest neighbor and gigantic trading partner would have an interest to the American media. I guess not. Especially since the conservatives won. They have four main parties....the most conservative would be considered the moderate left in this country. Wingnut: center right Moonbat: center left Pretty Far Gone Moonbat: way left Separatist (Quebec must be free): mostly center right The Wingnuts picked up just enough seats to be able to form a minority coalition government with the Separatists. The Separatists kept their portion of seats in the Parliament, but bled voters heavily. The Pretty Far Gone Moonbat party nicely increased its number of seats in their legislature, but didn't do nearly as well as they had hoped. The Moonbat party lost the control of government and bled voters to both the Wingnut and Pretty Far Gone Moonbat parties, but not that badly. There it is in a nutshell. It was a clear disaster for the Moonbats, but none of the other parties got exactly what they wanted either. The electorate knew it didn't want the Moonbats, but couldn't really embrace the Wingnuts or Pretty Far Gone Moonbats right now either. The big deal is that the Wingnuts went from 2 seats 12 years ago to 124 in this election. Australia, Canada, and the US have all gotten conservative governments in recent elections. It's a shame that the British conservative parties are such a wreck...it'd be nice to have England on the side of the angels.

The strike might not be over, but the subway and bus guys are back to work... Halalujeh You don't even want to know the hide and seek games I played today trying to find an entrance to the PATH station on 33rd street around noonish. They even closed the one I came up out of earlier in the morning. In order to get from midtown to Wall Street I had to take the PATH to Jersey and then back to the WTC. What fun.

Twice This is why a life sentence is a worthless piece of shit As for you, Mr Mohammed Ali Hammadi, nowhere to run to , baby..

Bush Announces Do-Not-Wiretap List Scott Ott (2005-12-19) Just days after the New York Times released classified information about eavesdropping by the NSA on Americans linked to international terrorists, President George Bush at a news conference today announced creation of a new website which allows people to voluntarily exclude their phone numbers and email addresses from NSA wiretap lists. The new National Do Not Wiretap Registry (DoNotWiretap.gov) follows the successful DoNotCall.gov model of allowing citizens to opt-out of harassment by electronic means. If youre concerned that your civil rights might be violated simply because some al Qaeda member has your information in his cellphone or computer, the president said, then go to DoNotWiretap.gov, enter your contact phone number, email address, and names of terrorists who might have you on speed dial and well let the National Security Administration know that you dont want them eavesdropping on you.

Let's see....

• Congress has been briefed on this 12 times in the past 2 years
• Bush must justify his choices for wiretaps every 45 days
• It sunsets quickly, and must be renewed - at least 30 times to date
• Calls must be international from countries harboring Al-Q
• Wiretaped numbers must be the result of foreign-gleaned intellegence
• The FISA Court alone approves something like a half a dozen a day outside of this program

What's the big deal? Are we at war or are we dicking around? The NY Slimes had this info for a year...I wonder if we'll get an investigation on who leaked it? Nah.

It would appear that the Times is admitting that they released this information, knowing it would damage national security.

OK, lets assume for a moment that this is the worst attack on personal liberty since FDR put Japanese-Americans in camps. There are mechanisms for sorting it out and placing responsibility and blame where needed. I think that's a weak argument after all the advising and consenting on this matter the President has been getting from Congress as well as the Attorney Generals office. My question is: Is there anything the Media won't do? Who ever leaked this knew that it was going to compromise national security, make the prosecution of the war more difficult, and quite possibly cause the deaths of thousands of Americans if an attack gets through because of missed intelligence. NSA folks have several internal review procedures if they are concerned about the legality of their actions...and if they were the leak, those procedures may have been ignored. Anyone else is a flat-out traitor and deserves to hang. There is a mountain of recent law, including SCOTUS rulings, that these limited wiretaps are legal. There are comments not two weeks old by democrat members of the intellegence committee that this is a valuable program. The one seemingly abuse of the program was when one call had both ends in the US...but it turned out an Al-Q guy had gotten into the US and was still using his international cell phone. This was what this program was supposed to watch. And now it's shot to hell. The New York Times should be closed down.

$1.879 at the WAWA on Rt. 37 West

$1.899 on Rt. 37.

$1.919 - Everywhere, even at the Majors.

Gas is below $2 bucks at many stations in town, including the majors. The lowest price today is at the Delta on RT 37........$1.949

When we hit 10000, I'm going to chain myself to the gates in front of the Citroen plant.

$2.059 at the WAWA on Rt 37 today. Seeing that the most I spent was $3.569 on the Parkway last month...that's a biiiiig difference. I use 50 gallons a week, more if I go into the office instead of just driving to the train.

The town had previously escaped the violence, the worst rioting in at least a decade in France. Some residents demanded that the army be deployed, or that citizens band together to protect their neighborhoods. At the school gate, Mayor Alain Outreman tried to calm tempers. "We are not going to start militias," he said. "You would have to be everywhere."

...and they're going to form Militias with what? Militias require (1) leaders, (2) a population with some guts, (3) a sense of organization, and (4) a citizenry with their own arms. Oooops.

Gas at the WAWA on RT 37 was $2.139. Thats a savings of over $50 bucks a week from a month ago.

$2.159 at the Delta and $2199 at Vospers on RT 37....sweeeet.

Gas at the Delta on Rogers in Harrison by the PATH station for $2.299. If it keeps on like this, they'll have to start paying us to take the damn stuff. Update: 2.229 at the Gulf station on Route 37 and Fischer just before the SeaSide bridge on the 29th. As my co-workers in the city are still spending over $3.30 a gallon, this is starting to make me feel (fill) guilty...not!

I saw a Gulf station on Rt37 in Toms River at $2.379. That's lower than it was before Katrina.

Saddam Hussein's trial for alleged crimes against humanity has been adjourned to 28 November after an initial sitting in Baghdad. From AlJazeera

Alleged? I guess by their standards there are about a half-million people allegedly taking a sand nap. It's like that movie Princess Bride..."It just so happens that your friend here is only MOSTLY dead." That guy shoved in the woodchipper is only allegedly camel chow. or... The famous line'..."We find the murderer OJ Simpson, Not Guilty"

...But in the other two Sunni-majority provinces, Diyala and Ninevah, it appears that most Sunnis supported the new constitution. In Diyala, 70% supported the referendum, with only 20% opposed. In Ninevah, with more than 80% of polling places reporting, 79% had voted in favor. There is no way to get those numbers unless most Sunnis voted "yes." So it appears that there is a split among Iraqi Sunnis that is largely geographic, and that a great many Sunnis do support the constitution and Iraq's fledgling democracy, even though it will mean that they lose their historic dominance over the country.

Remember that a minimum of three provinces needed to defeat the constitution by 66% for the whole thing to be scrapped and a 'do over' process started. It appears that one Sunni province did just that...but the other two went overwhelmingly for the new constitution. Iraq stuggles along...with people more concerned with the availablility of power and water than the ideology of head-hunting barbarians.

From Powerline...

The European Union insisted Friday that governments and the private sector must share the responsibility of overseeing the Internet, setting the stage for a showdown with the United States on the future of Internet governance. Update I Update II The Internet brought to you by Iran, Syria, and China

The Katrina Response Timeline.... Rightwing Nuthouse has put together an excellent timeline for the disaster using only local New Orleans resources. In his own words, he says..."IT IS NOT MY INTENTION TO PLAY THE BLAME GAME BY PUBLISHING THIS TIMELINE.. In fact, if you have a link to a story that contradicts or adds to this timeline, I urge you to send it along. My sole purpose is to place this timeline on the record to dispel the rumors, the spin, and the outright falsehoods being flung about by both right and left bloggers and pundits." And he does a wonderful job. My impressions... I have more sympathy for the Mayor, Governor, and the Feds. The storm for which they've been prepping the past 30 years was not the storm they got. I wonder if the Mayor and Governor did their best but they weren't of the quality of Giuliani and Pataki. I also think the government generally did it's job...but they didn't have much to work with early. The alternative is to give the government first-responder responsibilities country wide.

before I fall over. Every minute you watch Katrina coverage another 1.902 illegal aliens slip across the border.

Jews raise 14 million to buy greenhouses in Gaza that employ 3500 Palestinians. Palestinians ransack and loot the greenhouses while the cops watch. I'm shocked, I tell you, shocked! This whole Gaza thing would be wonderful entertainment