Most Influential Blogger

With out doubt, Daily Kos is the most influential blogger, he moves his enemies and allies to act. Hot Air has this little video clip and an interesting discussion in the comments. I am not influenced by the blogs I visit, I am informed by them and have expanded my knowledge base astronomically since I entered the blogosphere following the Dan Rather "Memogate" disaster, thanks to Radio talkers, Hugh Hewitt and others.

Link: sevenload.com
Who do I read first, Hugh Hewitt/Townhall followed by Hot Air and Michelle Malkin and then it varies a bit and by topic and what is happening. That is the beauty of blogging is that you can develope contacts around the world with news from the immediate area and often with a more personal edge to it. The New Media and Old Media are engaged in a strange tango of parasitism of each other, each needing the other, and I think this is for the good.
Ultimately we have to reach the generic visitor arriving on a keyword search and not about influencing fellow bloggers in an echosphere as the left has done.

Big Game Day

Who can blog when all the big college rivalries are today, especially in the SE, Alabama vs Auburn is just getting started, Florida is killing Florida St., Tennessee over Kentucky in a wild overtime showdown. In a nod to Trader Rick and Florida, that Tim Tebow is one hell of a quarterback with over fifty TDs this season by pass or run and he is only a sophmore, they are going to be unstoppable next year. I understand he is a real class act as well, teaching Sunday school for one. He deserves the Heisman Trophy. It says something about the SEC when both top contenders are from our conference, Darren McFadden of Arkansas being the other. If your team can make it out of the SEC undefeated there is a very good chance that team will be the next National champion, LSU this year, Florida last year. It is a different brand of football played down there, hardnosed , the Big 12 and Big 10 know the game but forget these left coast teams, USC never deserved the top spot and now it shows.

Environuts Hate Babies: Save The Planet Have an Abortion

I have seen this story several places today, about some Brit young lady getting an abortion and then her tubes tied for the good of the planet, from the sounds of her she should never be a parent anyway as she hates people, so good on her getting fixed. How about this, if you don't want kids follow her lead or don't have unprotected sex.
Michelle has more.
Hot Air has this Mark Steyn clip afterall he wrote the book on this, can't wait to read his coming column.

Robert Redford Blasts Al Gore: Updated

Now Redford is a long time environut and Hollywood liberal icon and if he is dissing Gore's alarmist retoric as an attempt to line his own pockets with green cash that could bring the whole scam crashing down. Noel Sheppard has been following this ever growing story and has two posts on Al Gorebal Warming, one is the Redford story and the other is a look at Al's financial scheming.

If you are interested in the climate and the evolving debate Icecap has a great site with constantly updated news and information.

Update: Welcome folks from GoreHub, I notice you haven't got the fortitude to comment but I know you are there, LOL.

Iraqi Shia Reject Iran

Many handwringers over Iraq have fretted that Maiki is a puppet of Iran and that the majority Shia would capitulate to Iranian influence. Well I have got news for them, that ain't quite what is going on. Iraq is largely Arab even among Sunni and Shia sects, Iran is Persian and has a different form of Shia than the Arabs and is different culturally as well. Plus they fought a very bloody war not that many years ago and Saddam had promoted nationalism and Iraq's arabness that laid a crude patriotic foundation.
From Reuters via Gateway Pundit who has lots more.

More than 300,000 Iraqis including 600 Shi'ite tribal leaders have signed a petition accusing Iran of sowing "disorder" in southern Iraq, a group of sheikhs involved in the campaign said.

The sheikhs showed Reuters two thick bundles of notes which contained original signatures. The sheikhs said more than 300,000 people had signed the pages.

Such a public and organized display of animosity toward neighboring Shi'ite Iran is rare in Iraq. Iranian influence has grown steadily, especially in the predominantly Shi'ite south, since the U.S.-led invasion toppled Saddam Hussein in 2003.

"More than 300,000 people from the southern provinces condemned the interference of the Iranian regime in Iraq and especially in spreading security disorder in the provinces," the sheikhs said in a statement.

What's On Your Menu

I will be at ny buddy's with the broken foot to cook our traditional Thanksgiving dinner tommorrow, usually shared high in the Sierra at the cabin. We will smoke a chicken on the grill, greenbeans and yams on the side with an apple pie to follow. I will stuff the hen with a combination of apples, onions and some fresh herbs and smoke it over a combination of mezquite, plum and oak. We may be a couple single dudes but we will eat good, dang, one thing missing, ladies, the best half of the equation.
Hey all you idiot guys out there, cherish your bride and family, you are blessed to have such and you gals, take care of that goofy guy running around in his boxers. As a divorcee, we appreciate what we don't have so be thankful for, a family.

Laura Ingraham Totally Owns A Moonbat

In case you missed it, Laura blows a moonbat socialist out of the water while subbing for Bill O as he takes a trip to visit the troops in Afganistan, some how I doubt this bitch would ever make such an effort.

Laura is a trained attorney that clerked under Justice Thomas and she unloads on the idiot communist.

A Blessed And Happy Thanksgiving

As a member of one of America's oldest families I can think of so much to be thankful for in this greatest nation of all. My family arrived in what is now the Boston area in 1623, the same year as the first Thanksgiving of the Pilgrims and has flourished since. I am thankful to be a son of America, I am thankful of the freedom and liberty my forefathers sought and the hardships they had to endure to see those goals. I am thankful for the Uncles and Grandfathers that fought to keep this country free. Though thousands of miles from my direct family I am thankful to have friends to gather with and give thanks, I am thankful that I can give thanks to God without fear.
We enter into the Holiday season again at war with those that want to destroy us from the islamo-fascists to the secular bigots that seek to purge the meaning of this season from history itself. The hectic schedules, crowded airports, traffic jams, irritating inlaws, longlines at the grocer and never enough time add to the confusion of what it all means and erodes the deep gratitude we should all share to live in a country so blessed.
Michelle Malkin has an excellent piece today that will hopefully place things in perspective for those many folks running around in a hectic scramble to get everything just so for the big feast tommorrow. Read her article and when the pressure seems too much, stop and reconsider, before you cuss out the idiot that just cut you off or let the ingrate relative complaining that the turkey is a little dry get to you.

Stop and think of the Johnson family. Army Spc. John Austin Johnson of El Paso, Texas, is recovering from massive head wounds sustained in an IED attack. Johnson is a member of Fort Bliss’ 4-1 Cavalry. He had survived five previous bombing incidents. That is not all.

Earlier this month, Johnson and his wife, Mona Lisa, buried their 9-year-old son, Tyler Anthony Johnson. The little boy had been on life support for several weeks after sustaining critical injuries in a horrible car accident. He was on his way with his family to see his dad in recuperation at Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio. He never made it. The family car rolled over several times after being hit by powerful blasts of wind. Tyler was laid to rest at Pinecrest Memorial Park in Benton, Ark. That is not all.

The Johnsons had two other children. Ashley Mishelle was 5 years old. Logan Wesley was 2. They were killed instantly in the same car crash that claimed their older brother’s life.

To lose one child is devastating enough. To lose three? While recovering from traumatic war injuries? And to bury three little angels just weeks before Thanksgiving? No parent can read of suffering like that of the Johnsons and indulge the petty, selfish complaints of holiday gripers and road-ragers. The complainers featured on the nightly news this week wallowing in self-pity over a few hours’ delay on the road or in the air need to get a grip, get over themselves and get some perspective.

Jackie Mason Goes Off

His latest rant is one of his best.

Jackie And Dunlap Do Vegas

The Red State Update duo interview Democrats prior to the debate.

Here They Go Again: Updated

Congressional Democrats are again trying to piss off a key ally in the Long War against islamo-fascists by cutting of technical support to Ethiopia. They are helping their neighbor Somalia stand up to Al Qaeda and keep peace in the Horn of Africa. This is as stupid as ticking off Turkey over the Armenian genocide controversy. It seems the Democrats are doing everything they can to help AQ and their related groups of killers. Believe it or not the NY Times has the story.

NINE years ago, two nations began the first modern war in sub-Saharan Africa, leaving in two years more than 100,000 dead. Today Eritrea and Ethiopia could reignite their old border conflict. Arms and money from radicals throughout the Middle East, as well as troops trained in Eritrea, have strengthened an insurgency in Ogaden Province, in southeastern Ethiopia.

A new war in the Horn of Africa would destabilize the region and bolster radical Islam’s push to build a Muslim caliphate.

Sadly, Congress is poised to fuel the march toward war by passing a bill that threatens to cut off technical assistance to Ethiopia, one of our closest allies, if it does not, among other things, release political prisoners, ensure that the judiciary operates independently and permit the news media to operate freely. Ethiopia has already freed opposition leaders, reformed parliamentary rules to give opposition parties greater legislative responsibility and approved a new media law that meets international standards. By singling out Ethiopia for public embarrassment, the bill puts Congress unwittingly on the side of Islamic jihadists and insurgents

Hattip: Hot Air, Bryan has some thoughts and other links as well.
Update: Rusty comments at Jawa Report and Ace has a thing or two to say.

Bring Home our Boys

I just came back from a solidarity rally for the 3 kidnapped Israeli soldiers, Gilad Shalit, Ehud Goldwasser and Eldad Regev. Their families came to talk at the local synagogue and there were easily over a thousand people there, members of Parliament, local Jewish leaders, rabbis... I was on the verge of tears when I heard the parents of the soldiers describing their pain at the disappearance of their sons and the rabbi's stiring closing words about how when our ancestor Avraham heard that his nephew Lot had been captured, he went off to war and did everything that he could to bring him home and only them did G-d make the Covenant between the Parts with him. Our covenant with G-d is conditional on our concern for our fellow Jews. These soldiers were kidnapped over 2 years ago, Gilad by Hamas and Eldad and Ehud by Hizbullah. Even though the UN resolution 1701 which put an end to the Second Lebanon War called for the immediate release of the soldiers, they are still missing and Hizbullah even denied them Red Cross access, which is a violation of the Geneva Convention and of basic human rights.

I beg all of you to please write letters to Congress, to the Senate, to the Parliament, to your representatives, to the heads of the UN and the EU, to never let anybody forget about Gilad, Ehud and Eldad. Please donate to The Keren Maor Foundation dedicated to bringing them home, give some money to tzedaka in their merit, pray for Gilad ben Aviva Shalit, Ehud ben Malka Goldwasser and Eldad ben Tova Regev and recite Psalm 70, 13, 142 and 126 and then this prayer.

"Thus saith the LORD: A voice is heard in Ramah, lamentation, and bitter weeping, Rachel weeping for her children; she refuseth to be comforted for her children, because they are not. Thus saith the LORD: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes from tears; for thy work shall be rewarded, saith the LORD; and they shall come back from the land of the enemy. And there is hope for thy future, saith the LORD; and thy children shall return to their own border." (Jeremiah 31:14-16)

Don't give up hope. See my previous post and we must not despair because they too shall again see light.



Cross-posted from For Zion's Sake

Christian Opposition To The Nazis

Bruce Walker has a follow up essay to the one I linked the other day and another must read.

The notion that somehow Christianity was connected with Nazism has its roots in powerful forces. The world is increasingly secular, and when secularists talk of the "dangers" of religions, they really mean the "dangers" of Christianity. Because the Nazis were anti-Semitic, there is a false assumption that Nazi anti-Semitism arose out of the bigotries of Christians. It emphatically did not.

Far from being a totalitarian "danger," Christianity, like Judaism, is a bulwark against totalitarianism. What follows is hidden history - facts once well known, but which have fallen into the memory hole: the unique, Christian opposition to Nazism within Nazi Germany. Katherine Burdekin, in her 1937 dystopian classic, Swastika Night, foresaw that the only indigestible part of a future Nazi empire would be Christians, who would also be utterly despised by the Nazis, denied all rations and considered the lowest form of life.

Clinton News Network

I had always assumed as much about the Democrats using "plants" to ask questions in townhall formats and Hillary has been busted several times lately, but CNN using them in the debate the other night is pretty funny. I have always thought the audience questions were staged some what, though the use of known DNC operatives and activists as "undecided voters" was pretty stupid.
Michelle and her Hot Air team put together this little snippet for your viewing pleasure.

Juice Bars And Baghdad Nightlife Returns

Via Long War Journal comes this great story out of the Karrada suburb of Baghdad, life is returning to normal. There are more and more stories like this one starting to appear and that is a good thing, a very good thing indeed.

And then, suddenly, you've arrived and the mirage has become an oasis of generator-driven light; a colourful jumble of trendy juice bars, cosy restaurants, fruit shops, roadside eateries and fish vendors, where children play, families dine and lovers meet.

"Even two or three months ago we would have been afraid to come here at night," said 20-year-old Hussein Salah, an off-duty soldier, slurping a milkshake with his wife, Shihad, at the Mishmesha (apricot) juice bar in Baghdad's relatively safe Karrada suburb.

"Now we sometimes sit outside here till one or two in the morning. It is quite safe. The security situation is vastly improved," said Salah, the orange light from a nearby flashing palm alternatively brightening and dimming his clean-shaven face.

Declines in Iraqi civilian casualties and a sharp reduction in bomb and mortar attacks have sparked optimism that the capital is at last starting to revive.

Christopher Hitchen's in Salon
Hot Air has more.

Flashbacks in Jewish History: the Jordanian Desecration of Jerusalem 1947-1967

Hussein, King of Jordan, in a speech in Beirut on 24, August 1967, claimed "the right faithfully to guard the Holy Places that our Arab band has known how to guard these thousand years and more." This is nothing more than a mockery of the facts of the Jordanian desecration of Jewish and Christian holy sites.

Before the UN passed its resolution 29 in 1947 supporting the establishment of the State of Israel, the Arab Legion of Jordan launched an attack on Jerusalem and tried to besiege the Jewish majority by cutting of its supply of water, food and by blocking all roads. The Jordanians bombarded the city and Egyptian and Iraqi troops advanced from the south to mmet with the Jordanians for the final offensive.

The brave Jewish warriors managed to repel the Iraqi and Egyptian forces but the Old City fell to superiour Jordanian firepower. Once the Jordanians had conquered the Jewish Quarter, it annexed the city, expelled the ancient Jewish population and set out to destroy every last vestige of the long and proud Jewish connection to Jerusalem. The Jordanian forces desecrated 34 out of 35 Jewish houses of worship including the 16th century Hurva synagogue of Rabbi Yehuda He-Hasid and the Yochanan ben Zakai synagogue. For the first time in centuries, not one Jew lived in the Jewish Quarter of Jerusalem. The Jordanians ignobly burned hundreds of ancient Torah scrolls, thousands of holy books, razed tens of syangogues or used them as stables, coops or latrines and paved a highway through the millenial-old Mount of Olives cemetary, using centuries old tombstones as pavement. During these 19 long years, Jews were forbidden from going to pray at the Western Wall and had to climb the Mount of Olives just to get a glimpse of the holy site. Nor were Jews the only victims. Very limited numbers of Christians were allowed to make pilgrimages to their holy sites during Easter and Christmas. There were severe restrictions on the building of Christian schools and the Qur'an was required to be taught in all of them. The number of Christians in Jerusalem declined from 25,000 in 1949 to less than 13,000 in June 1967.

This travesty came to an end with the liberation of Jerusalem in 1967. After 2000 years of closing every Passover seder and Yom Kippur fast with the words 'Next Year in Jerusalem!', Israel's leaders plan to divide Jerusalem up. The last time that Jerusalem was in non-Jewish hands, it was desecrated. The Pali. Arabs have a very bad track record themselves on protecting the holy sites of other faiths. When Israel handed over Joseph's Tomb to the Palestinian Authority, it was torn apart and the holy books inside burned. The Islamic wakf is engaging in illegal excavation on the Temple Mount and destroying priceless archaeological evidence. Tens of churches were bombed this year. Think! There are absolutely no Jews living in any Arab-majority city in Judea and Samaria. There is no Jewish presence in the Shechem, now known as Nablus, the site of Joseph's Tomb. The Jewish community of Hebron where the Tomb of the Patriarchs is numbers in the hundreds and lives under intense security.

Those who fail to heed the past are condemned to repeat it.

Cross-posted from For Zion's Sake

Nazis And Christians

Lefty moonbats in America love to compare the conservative movement to the Nazi movement by calling the Nazis right wing when in fact they were secular socialists, lefties in other words. The religion of the state and its government were its tenets. Bruce Walker in a must read article for American Thinker looks at the decline of Christianity in Germany prior to Hitler and the Nazis rise to power and their hatred of religion in general and Christians and Jews in particular and rejection of Judeo-Christian morality.

Weimar Germany largely had abandoned Christianity and increasingly was embracing hedonism, Marxism and paganism. There, decline of Christianity in Germany led directly to the rise of Nazism. Professor Henri Lichtenberger in his 1937 book, The Third Reich, describes the religious life of the Weimar Republic as a place in which the large cities were "spiritual cemeteries" with almost no believers at all, except for those who were members of the clergy. The middle class went through the motions, but lacked all living faith. The workers, influenced by socialism, were suspicious of the church. Even in the countryside, preachers had little influence on the people. In the 1938 book, The War Against God, by Sidney Dark and R.S. Essex, describes pre-Nazi antipathy toward Christianity by noting that churches had lost all their vitality and that their services were lifeless. Mower, in his 1938 book, Germany Puts the Clock Back, wrote that by 1920, God and Christianity had been in steady decline, a process that had begun in 1860. Mower talks about a culture not so much casual as vicious about sexuality. He writes of art sickened into atonal music, about the absence of any sense of sin, about entire graduating classes in high school turning up for birth control devices, and about the commonplace occurrence of abortion.

Doesn't that sound an awful lot what the left is trying to do to America, removal of God from the public space, hypersexualization and eugenics? The exact opposite of the largely Christian conservative movement's policies that put God over country, small limited government over an all powerful all controlling huge central gov't. The left just like the Nazis worship the government and want it to control all aspects of the individuals life from birth to death and that we should all work for the good of the state not the good of ourselves and families. The left claims to not want to live under a Nazi gov't while pushing the very same policies that were pursued in Nazi Germany.

Merle Haggard For Hillary?

I am not a big country music fan but here is a Red State Update.

Jackie's Take On Ron Paul

I too respect many of Dr. Paul's positions but I have to laugh at many others.

Stark Contrast

Mike Yon has a new dispatch from Baghdad and the first Mass conducted at the newly reopened St. John's and attended by not only the local Christians and members of our Armed Forces but by their Muslim neighbors. The message was one of happiness and reconciliation as the Muslims asked their Christian neighbors who had fled AQ's violence to return home and in many cases had protected those homes for their friends and neighbors.

The interpreter “Ice,” pictured here with members of the congregation outside St John’s after mass, grew up in this neighborhood. His family is Christian and St. John’s is their church. I asked Ice if the Muslims treat the Christians poorly in Iraq, and he said what other Iraqi Christians and Muslims have also told me: an unequivocal “No.” Ice said they had no problems at all until al Qaeda instigated friction between people.

The gratitude is palpable among the Iraqis now freed from first Saddam and then AQ. So how do the Democrats repay that gratitude? With yet another attempt to abandon the Iraqi people to the thugs by pulling the troops and cutting funds, they can't stand the thought that George Bush could get the victory that he, the troops and the Iraqi people deserve. They are so invested in losing that they are actively trying to lose to the terrorists, well that's what losers do. They have sent another funding bill with timelines attached without a veto proof majority and Bush will veto it of course and the Dems will stall again with troops in the field at war with a dangerous enemy by playing political games. This will backfire on Reid and Pelosi again now that we are clearly winning in Iraq as they can now be neatly be painted pink and as more interested in losing to AQ than supporting their country. They clearly donot believe in defeating our enemies but in surrendering to and appeasing them by rolling over on Israel and freedom. They claim to be for "human rights" but support losing to the biggest oppressor of human rights there is, radical islamo-fascism.
The Democrats have descended to a level of disgusting that is rarely seen but always just under their thin veneer, bordering on treasonous.

Dems Do Vegas And Debate

Conclusion: Yay, its finally over, conservative bloggers with video editing skills are going to have a hay day, the winner, Wolf Blitzer and crew for some hard hitting follow ups putting the screwballers on the record. What a motley socialist, defeatist crew, Kucinich definately has the socialist worker party line down pat. Though they are excruciating to watch, I always feel better after suffering through one of these Democrat events, its like one of those wild multistage team adventure races when a team crashes and burns, the other gets back on track and passes them. The Democrats are crashing into the same wall over and over again and the GOP team has recovered enough to fight back and get back in the race.
I'll just leave it with this, Fred could forget his coffee and win a debate with this bunch of clowns just by dropping the Reagan bomb " There he/she goes again".

Update7:00: Any one of our top GOP candidates could run circles around these lightweights, Zippadee do da zippidee aye, my oh my what a wonderful day.

Update6:00: The more I watch these Democrats the better I feel about '08 for the GOP, they waffle when they know how they feel goes against the polls unable to tell the truth, using old stats out of Iraq, sheesh this is a mess. No wonder they can't get anything done in Congress.

Update5:50: Listening to these idiots on foreign policy is depressing, devoid of facts and defeatist. Richardson says that human rights trumps national security, Dodd actually sounds like the adult on stage. This is a very heated debate, they are in a bind for sure.

Update5:31: Should Illegals get a drivers licenses? Obama waffles, Dodd no, Hillary learned her lesson,no, Kucinich is open borders, Richardson,yes, Biden,no, Edwards,no.

Update 5:11: Hillary dodges out the gate and avoids the question that she won't answer the tough questions and Obama gets his shot and takes the opening with a jab. This going to be good, Hillary is already hot under the collar that grimace would make Medusa proud.

Update 5:05: Well here we go, it is a lively crowd with BO, HC and JE getting about equal applause and cheers. Obama and Edwards have nothing to lose by going full bore into Hillary.

Well the Democrats are going to line up on stage again tonight and try to please their intractable nutroot base while not alienating more centrist independents. I am going to watch Hillary waffle, Obama speak in empty platitudes, Edwards promise the moon with chocolate topping, Richardson's resume topped with some Biden and Kucinich baffoonery and Dodd trying to sound like an adult.
The first question from Wolf Blitzer's mouth should be to ask Hillary about drivers licenses for illegal immigrants. We'll see, I will update as I can.

Why Huckabee Can't Get Traction

Hugh Hewitt points to this piece for Salon from a homestate paper's reporter, The Arkansas Times, that shows some of Mike's ethics problems while Gov., this is just a sample of Hillary's file on him should he get the nomination.It seems he likes "gifts" and other graft.

In his successful 1994 run for lieutenant governor, he set up a nonprofit curtain known as Action America so he could give speeches for money without having to disclose the names of his benefactors. He failed to report that campaign travel payments were for the use of his own personal plane.

After he became governor in 1996, he raked in tens of thousands of dollars in gifts, including gifts from people he later appointed to prestigious state commissions.

In the governor's office, his grasp never exceeded his reach. Furniture he'd received to doll up his office was carted out with him when he left, after he'd crushed computer hard drives so nobody could ever get a peek behind the curtain of the Huckabee administration.

Meanwhile Huck takes a slap at Mitt on illegal immigration and Mitt punches pack, video courtesy of Hot Air, they have transcript if you have trouble with video, ie. dial up.




To counter further protestations about the illegals on Mitt's lawn, it is not his office's responsibility to vet the employees of the landscape company they used.

Meanwhile Back Here In The States

Mike Totten is headed to a Fallujah that is largely peaceful now and his business and sometime travel partner, Patrick Lasswell has a run in with a shotgun wielding maniac here at home. I am thinking that in some neighborhoods that are gang infested a COIN based policy could be followed and be very effective.

While running around in my PJ's armed exclusively with a flashlight, telephone, and civic virtue, my libertarian interest in keeping the police from having military weapons died of exposure. When the the kook drove by and kept pointing his lights at my position, I was all for the 911 operator getting access to laser armed satellites or police helicopters with precision guided munitions. The notion that patrol cars might have AR-15 rifles onboard seemed prudent, not an infringement. All apologies to Glenn Reynolds, but I wouldn't choose to face deranged shotgun toting citizens armed only with a pistol, why should the cops? Afterwards, I considered the comforting weight of my Navy Reserve unit's sweet shooting M240 machine guns and how nice it would be to lay the bipod on my driveway while covering the bad guy. Who am I do deny reasonable comfort to even the forceful Portland Police?

I would settle for a Desert Eagle .50 for personal protection in that situation but a combat style shotgun would be nice as well.

Blog World And New Media Expo

From the reports I am seeing from big name bloggers that were in attendance it was a very fun, informational and only slightly geeky, MK Ham has a round up with an interview video of some of those big names. Uncle Jimbo does as well with lurid tales of the after hours party with a bunch of the Milbloggers. Next year it will be in September just a few weeks from the biggest election in a long time, I am going to do my best to be there, Vegas is just a long days drive for me. Heck with gas prices the way they are, it would be cheaper to fly, its one of those earache flights for me up and down over the Sierra about an hour at most.

Of Note

Dr. Robert Spencer has begun his review of the jihadi Sura from the Koran, chapter 9, on Hot Air, "death to the infidel".

Good Reading

My friend Heidi has a must read post up coinciding with Bar's excellent post below, scroll down.

Bill Clinton, Er, Jackie Mason to the Rescue

Jackie at his best on the Clintons and Hillary's latest whining about being picked on, well 'Grrll its only just begun. You are welcome to run with the big dogs but you better be able to hunt and not by icing the opposition. How long is that list of people close to the Clintons committing suicide?

Go here for more Jackie.

A Scam Of Goracle Proportions: Updated

Update: I posted last week about John Coleman, the founder of the Weather Station, well Glenn Beck finally brought him beyond the blogosphere and talk radio.


Many of us with half a brain knew it was from the beginning when Al came out with his crocumentary on global warming, well the scam is being exposed as Al poises himself to rake in billions from his hyped alarmism. Noel Sheppard at News Busters has been following this whole scam from the beginning and has this must read piece posted looking at the financial web of deceit Al has built, interesting.

The financial scam involved in advancing climate alarmism got even more obvious Monday - to folks outside of the media, that is! - when Nobel Laureate Al Gore joined "Silicon Valley's most prestigious venture capital firm to guide investments that help combat global warming."

As reported by the Associated Press (emphasis added, h/t NBer Wildcatter 1980): "Gore, who won the Nobel Peace Prize last month for his work on climate change, joins Kleiner Perkins Caufield & Byers as it and dozens of other venture firms expand into so-called ‘clean-tech' investments worldwide."....

So, add this all up, and Al Gore's investment group is not only connected with one of the world's leading brokerage firms that just so happens to be the preeminent player in carbon trading, but he is also now working for the top venture capital company in Silicon Valley whose partner has reciprocally been placed on the board of Gore's organization.

As such, soon-to-be-billionaire Al Gore has brilliantly structured himself as a virtual financial hub of international investments associated with so-called global warming solutions whereby he'll benefit financially from any hysterical climate claim uttered by a media member, Hollywood sycophant, United Nations climate panelist, or, deliciously, himself.

Go read the whole thing! Why run for President when he can become super rich as a bloated gasbag spewing blatant lies and make huge profits doing it without having to debate anybody. I hope people wake up to this massive scam before its to late.

Apocalyptic Trigger

Throughout history, the Jewish yardstick for measuring events or world developpments was 'but is it good for the Jews?'. Now that the world is about to decide a very harsh and bad decree for the Jews, namely the division of Jerusalem, it is time for the West to ask itself 'but is it good for the West?'.

As we all know, the West is locked in a life and death struggle with the Islamic world. There are literally hundreds of thousands, maybe even millions, of jihadist Muslims in Europe, Canada and the United States who are ready to fulfill Muhammad's command to fight 'until all men say that there is no god but Allah and Muhammad is His prophet'. These people hate Western civilization and are ready to conquer to world for Allah. Could giving up half of Jerusalem to be a 'Palestinian' capital possibly diffuse their rage and frustration towards the US as some American policy-makers believe?

Jerusalem had little significance in early Islam and many imams and Islamic leaders warned against giving Jerusalem special status as this would be bid'ah, innovation, which is forbidden in Islam. Controversial Islamic jurist Tadiqq al-Din ibn Taymiyya whose views still inspire Wahabbi groups like al-Qaeda and was very influential in matters of jihad wrote: "And in Jersualem, there is not a palce one calls sacred and the same holds true for the tombs of Hebron". However, in later Islamic apocalyptic tradition, Sunni and Shia, Jerusalem gained an important position as either the capital of the Mahdi (Islamic messiah), or a necessary city to capture before his coming.

Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, president of Iran, is associated with a Shiite sect which views Jerusalem as essential for the coming of the Mahdi. Ahmainejad's famous 'Israel must be wiped off the map' speech was given on Oct. 26, 2005. He also declared that 'we are now in the process of an historical war between the World of Arrogance (ie. the West) and the Islamic world. Clearly, a connection exists for him between the destruction of Israel, the Islamic conquest of Jerusalem and the eventual defeat of the West by the Mahdi. According to certain Shiite doctrine, the Mahdi will appear in Mecca, move to Karbala and eventually conquer Jerusalem which will serve as his capital and as the base for the Mahdi's global jihad.

Such views are not unique to Shiism and are very widespread in Wahabbi and Salafi jihadist websites. "Rasulullah [Muhammad] said: "Armies carrying black flags will come from Khurasan. No power will be able to stop them and they will finally reach Eela (Baitul Maqdas in Jerusalem) where they will erect their flags." (Tirmidhi as quoted by Mohammed Ali Ibn Zubair Ali, Signs of Qiyamah) The Mahdis armies will march to Jerusalem and conquer the Baitul Maqdas (Beit Hamikdash, Temple Mount), conquer Israel and eventually the world. In a particularly venomous manner, Egyptian authors, Muhammad ibn Izzat and Muhammd ‘Arif comment on the above tradition:

The Mahdi will be victorious and eradicate those pigs and dogs and the idols of this time so that there will once more be a caliphate based on prophethood as the hadith states… Jerusalem will be the location of the rightly guided caliphate and the center of Islamic rule, which will be headed by Imam al-Mahdi… That will abolish the leadership of the Jews… and put an end to the domination of the Satans who spit evil into people and cause corruption in the earth, making them slaves of false idols and ruling the world by laws other than the Shari’a [Islamic Law] of the Lord of the worlds.

Every single concession in the face of Islam has been met with more terror and violence. Suicide bombigns only started after the Oslo Accords. Rockets began falling on Sderot after the Gaza Disengagement. The Israeli withdrawal from Southern Lebanon led to the Second Lebanon War in 2006. This alone should serve as testimony to why Islam must be answered with strength and not retreat but besides this, Islamic control over Jerusalem will embolden jihadists and prove to them that their struggle is successful. When the millions of jihadist Muslims in Europe hear of Islamic control over Jerusalem and have their faith in the appearance of the Mahdi vindicated, there will be riots in the streets, bombs, explosions and attempts to greet the Mahdi with a subjugated Europe under sharia. In short, Jerusalem will become a powder keg for an emboldened jihadist movement which will gain strength in Iraq, Afghanistan, Europe and all over the Islamic world. The Bush Administration, while trying to supress Islamic terror in Iraq and Afghanistan, will create an umbearable situation all over the world.

Another portent of the 'Hour', the time of the Mahdi's coming, is the massacre of the Jews. Allah's Apostle said, "The Hour will not be established until you fight with the Jews, and the stone behind which a Jew will be hiding will say. "O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, so kill him." (Sahi Bukhari Volume 4, Book 52, Number 178). When jihadists take over Jerusalem, no Jew worldwide will be safe. The already besieged Jews of Europe will most likely be attacked by Muslim hordes and a weakened Israel will not be able to protect them. Pogroms will happen through the streets of Europe. This is not far-fetched at all. Look at the evil barbarism committed to Ilan Halimi, a French Jew who was abducted by a Muslim gang and tortured for over a month and eventually set on fire. His captors repeatedly called his parents and read them Qur'anic verses and demanded money from the local synagogue.

Jerusalem will be the trigger for a worldwide Islamic attack on Jews, on Europe, on the United States. The West must think clearly and not cede one inch to Islam, especially in such a vulnerable place as Jerusalem. Instead of extinguishing the flames of radical Islam, they will be ignited into a fiery inferno that will consume Israel, the Jewish people, and the West.


Cross-posted from For Zion's Sake

When Not To Use A Leafblower: Updated: Plus Husky Pictures

These are archive photos of past trips, none recent, here is team Volcano, a pair of awesome dogs, answering a request, my buddy's dogs, a delightful pair.
Meet, Lassen, Mr. Personality, he's the talker, the woowoowrooer and he ain't shy about sayin' it.

Shasta, the ghost dog, she has the ice blue eyes, quiet, the hunter, she is a real sweetheart but she gives Lassen complete grief when playing. He is a big goofball, she is the smart one.

Team Volcano, I get to walk them for a few months and the name fits even being named after volcanoes, they wore me out this past weekend and today.

One of my favorites, it will be a while before we can go tromp around some of our favorite places, keep the Prayers coming, he feels them!

Update, Monday: Thanks for the many prayers, they are working, the post surgical pain is over and he can get around on crutches well enough, one of those strong, wiry sort, great climber. If any of my readers have any suggestions for the best crutches for long term use, 6 or seven months, other than the standard issue armpit killers. He won't be able to put any weight on his left foot till March, eight weeks in a gauze, cotton and ace bandage wrap, no hard cast just a fancy boot. The broken heel is bad but not splintered or pulverized, only one break, but rehab will still take time, so experienced tips will be passed on.
Thanks Y'all !

UD: It worked, the big boy is Lassen and the girl is
Shasta, on the road to the cabin

.

My best friend a top foreman for a major tree trimming company, took a spill while cleaning off his bucket truck with a backback blower and busted his heel. He is my climbing partner and this sucks, off his feet for a few months, so I came down to help him out for the next few days after surgery. He helped me out when I moved out here and we have explored alot of California together so I am damn sure going to help him out. Two huskies and a house are tough enough as it is so its the least I can do. He only has dialup so I will be limited in my blogging for a few days.
May I ask you to add Jeff to your prayer list,
thanks folks.

Update: Less time in front of a computer is actually nice, the upside is he has a wide screen TV with a gazillion channels, cool, and we basically have the same taste in TV. I am going to try and upload a picture of his awesome dogs, I have posted pictures before and older readers will remember team Volcano, Lassen and Shasta. I am working on his computer so lets see what happens.

I took them for a walk today and they are a powerful team, they caught me surprise taking off after something and yanked me off me feet when I wasn't paying attention, lol. The ground was wet and down I went, splat. I managed to hold on but if I had let go , a couple bums likely would have released in their drawers. Huskies are about the most lovable and personable dogs I have been around along with shepherding types. These two are great fun, playful happy dogs and I am a member of the pack.

Link Search And Beg

If you blog and like what you see here and aren't already blogrolled just ask and it will be done. I just ask the same or if you have linked to me already and I have not returned the favor let me know. Blogger retail politics is very real and very active, backslap for backslap, I need your help and offer mine.

Climate Facts Not Fiction

The Great Global Warming Swindle

Google Video is here if the above doen't work.
Lots of good information can be found here, pointing to the oceans as climate drivers not the atmosphere or the 1% of human created CO2. It seems that Al Gore and his buddies left out the most important atmospheric greenhouse gas that makes this planet hospitable, dihydrogen monoxide vapor better known as water vapor and if you live in a humid region you know what I mean. Ocean warming is what causes atmospheric warming and that is caused by the earth's core, ice is melting at the poles because of warmer water not warmer air as 90% of the ice is underwater with greater ability to transfer that heat and melt the ice. Ice is actually increasing inland on Antarctica and this winter saw the extent of the sea ice set a modern record. Don't buy snake-oil from bloated politicians seeking to control how you live with little regard for the actual consequences or concern for the environment. Do your own research there is plenty of info out there and almost none of it supports Al Gore's radically gross exagerations of global doom, he is just a politician with a massive tax scam afoot, that is why he won't debate anybody and why he won't run for President.
To think that man can control a climate that has been warming and cooling for gazillions of years is just plain foolish wishful thinking. Being clean and green is a good thing but bankrupting the economy for a pipe dream is as idiotic a proposition as has ever been put out there. Even if we were able to actually enact Kyoto around the world and reach its goals it would have a very miniscule effect on temperatures, wow about 1 degree at a cost of trillions of dollars. Pretty stupid, eh? Are you willing to pay a few thousand more for power a year for no real reason other than to enrich some carbon traders like Al Gore that have a larger carbon footprint a week than most families have in one year? Do your homework!
For some contrast Hot Air has these two video clips posted, remember the candlelight NBC Sunday Night football broadcast.


Glenn Beck at CNN responds.

Not to mention the UN and their staffers jetting off to balmy Bali, Indnesia for this winters climate conference, I guess Turtle Bay gets a little chilly that time of year so lets all fly to a 5 star resort in Bali to dicuss global taxation of carbon. I guess they forget we are made out of carbon and release it when we breathe, get the picture.

Some Interesting Statistics

Newt Gingrich's American Solutions conducted a series of polls over the last few months and the results are truly staggering as they demonstrate where the mainstream of American thought is. This country is much more united than divided on many key issues mostly ignored by the MSM and the Democrats.

America's Most Widely Held Views

96% It is important for the President and Congress to address the issue of social security in the next few years.

95% We have an obligation to be good stewards of God’s creation for future generations.

94% Children should be allowed a moment of silence to pray to themselves in public school if they desire.

93% Al Qaeda poses a very serious threat for the United States.

93% In the worker visa program, each worker should take an oath to obey the United States law, and to be deported if the worker commits a crime while in the United States.

93% It is important to acknowledge today that the reference to God in the Declaration of Independence – that we are endowed by our Creator with the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

92% Our focus should clearly be to provide long-term solutions instead of short-term fixes.

91% We should dramatically increase our investment in math and science education.

91% We should hold city governments to the same standards for cleaning waste water as are applied to the private industry.

90% We favor a law that allows public school children to take a moment of silence for prayer if they desire.

90% We approve of a Christmas tree or a Menorah being placed on public property during the holiday season.

90% We should give tax credits to homeowners and builders who incorporate alternative energy sources in their homes, like solar, wind, and geothermal energy.

View Newt's presentation on video here.

Global Warming Is A Scam: Updated

Update 11/8: Ahead of the news cycle once again, Dennis Prager and Mike Gallager highlighted this article on their radio shows today.

I know I have been saying this for a longtime but I am a nobody contractor and not a scientist or a pol with an agenda. What if the founder of The Weather Channel John Coleman says it? Well he has in an article for Icecap. Hattip: Noel Sheppard and Newsbusters

It is the greatest scam in history. I am amazed, appalled and highly offended by it. Global Warming; It is a SCAM. Some dastardly scientists with environmental and political motives manipulated long term scientific data to create in allusion of rapid global warming. Other scientists of the same environmental whacko type jumped into the circle to support and broaden the “research” to further enhance the totally slanted, bogus global warming claims. Their friends in government steered huge research grants their way to keep the movement going. Soon they claimed to be a consensus...

have read dozens of scientific papers. I have talked with numerous scientists. I have studied. I have thought about it. I know I am correct. There is no run away climate change. The impact of humans on climate is not catastrophic. Our planet is not in peril. I am incensed by the incredible media glamour, the politically correct silliness and rude dismissal of counter arguments by the high priest of Global Warming.

In time, a decade or two, the outrageous scam will be obvious. As the temperature rises, polar ice cap melting, coastal flooding and super storm pattern all fail to occur as predicted everyone will come to realize we have been duped. The sky is not falling. And, natural cycles and drifts in climate are as much if not more responsible for any climate changes underway. I strongly believe that the next twenty years are equally as likely to see a cooling trend as they are to see a warming trend

Lots of interesting reading at Icecap, cool new find! Check it out.

Thank You America

That is the message Mike Yon sends from Baghdad on the reopening of a Catholic Church there as Muslims and Chtistians celebrated together. They broke out the bells and let freedom ring over their ravaged country, moving news indeed.

A Muslim man had invited the American soldiers from “Chosen” Company 2-12 Cavalry to the church, where I videotaped as Muslims and Christians worked and rejoiced at the reopening of St John’s, an occasion all viewed as a sign of hope.

The Iraqis asked me to convey a message of thanks to the American people. ” Thank you, thank you,” the people were saying. One man said, “Thank you for peace.” Another man, a Muslim, said “All the people, all the people in Iraq, Muslim and Christian, is brother.” The men and women were holding bells, and for the first time in memory freedom rang over the ravaged land between two rivers.

You have to go to Mike's to see the picture of the Cross being remounted on the cathedral's dome!

Save Jerusalem

The United Coalition for Jerusalem
Emergency Campaign to Save Israel !

“If I Forget Thee O Jerusalem”
By capitulating to foreign interests and to the tiny but powerful anti-Zionist Left in Israel, the government is shattering the social contract that is the source of its right to govern. By violating the foundational principles and norms of the Jewish State, this government has delegitimized itself.
At the “Munich Conference” in Annapolis, the prime minister intends:
-To establish an Arab terrorist state to be called Palestine;
-To divide Jerusalem and give the Temple Mount to the Muslims;
-To cede all of Judea and Samaria;
-To give the enemy control of the mountain ridge overlooking “little Israel,” placing all the large population centers within range of Katusha rockets;
-To expel hundreds of thousands of Jews from their homes and to destroy their communities.

THEY MUST BE STOPPED.

This is not an “Israeli” issue; it is a Jewish issue.
Jerusalem is the birthright of every Jew.
Jerusalem was the capital of the Jewish People for 3,000 years.By their failure to assert Jewish rights in our city and our holy sites, Israeli governments have set the stage for the ongoing destruction of our 3000 year old heritage. This government has forsaken the State of Israel’s duty to protect our Jewish birthright. If successful, they will sever the Jewish People’s ties to their history, land, and heritage. They will, in effect, deny the very basis of the right of a Jewish State to exist in the Land of Israel.
To divide Jerusalem is to commit national suicide.
To thwart this threat, we have established a coalition dedicated to saving Jerusalem and the Eretz Israel, the United Coalition for Jerusalem, encompassing organizations and groups in countries all over the world. Uniting us is the belief in the centrality of Jerusalem for Jews and Christians alike.
The Israeli wing of the coalition is composed of a long and growing list of extra-parliamentary organizations, Members of Knesset, military leaders, activists, media personalities and, of course, religious leaders. The hallmark of this effort is our inclusiveness. The members come from a wide spectrum of Israeli society: any group or individual opposed to the division of Jerusalem is invited to join.
Short Terms Goals:
To isolate Olmert and his government, and to expose the fact that they are acting against the will of the people and without their support.
To send out a clear and resounding message to the world that Jerusalem belongs to the Jews, now and forever.
To make it clear to Olmert that his government will fall if he proceeds as planned.
Stage One: Building a coalition of forces.

We aim to build as broad a coalition as possible. Everyone who opposes the abandonment of Jerusalem and the Temple Mount is welcome.
Stage Two: Gathering forces.

We envision the active participation of representatives from a wide spectrum of Israeli society, the Jewish world, and Evangelical Christians in conveying the campaign’s message.
The different organizations will operate under the United Coalition for Jerusalem, but will undertake the tasks that they do best. Lobbying the Knesset and Congress, mobilizing Evangelical Christian support, education and public relations in Israel and among world Jewry, and obtaining international support are of utmost importance. The minimum required budget will be $1 million and will include dozens of pinpoint campaigns.
Stage Three: Arousing public outrage and rebellion against the government.
“If I Forget Thee O Jerusalem…” is a non-sectarian, inclusive campaign.
Given a Knesset whose prime motivation is to cling to their seats, our immediate goal is to threaten the stability of the government coalition by arousing a level of public anger and unrest that can’t be ignored. This shall be achieved by worldwide pressure on PM Olmert and his government.
We will organize a massive demonstrations in Israel and in the USA as a show of strength demonstrating a readiness to do whatever it takes to defend Jerusalem.
Our activities will intensify, moving into non-violent civil disobedience, until the government backs down.
This national disaster, which will place Israel’s continued existence in jeopardy, is being orchestrated by a self-serving and corrupt political clique bent on trading the nation’s most sacred and vital interests for a reprieve from their legal problems.
We, therefore, declare that:
We do not recognize the government’s right to cede the Land of the Bible and to blithely discard the Jewish People’s unique heritage of thousands of years. Nor do we recognize its attempt to reverse the Biblical prophecies of return to Zion that were fulfilled in our era at such tremendous human cost.
We do not recognize the right of the government to tear our land into pieces, to destroy cities, towns, and communities, to make hundreds of thousands of Jews into homeless refugees and to steal their property, as was done to the loyal citizens of Gush Katif.
We do not recognize the authority of the government to use the state as a tool to deny our right to the Land of Zion and to nullify the Zionism that built the state on the strength of 2,000 years of Jewish yearning for Zion.
We do not recognize the government’s right to give our homeland to a fake people to establish a fake state.
When a government becomes a cancer, destroying all that it is charged with protecting, the people must cease obeying its suicidal decrees and oppose the destruction.The Jewish People in Israel and throughout the world will not be bound by the criminal concessions made by this government: it severs any and all connection with its immoral acts.
The Jewish People in Israel and abroad will do whatever it takes to save the nation and land of Israel from its degenerate leaders.
We truly believe that the tremendous power embodied in shivat tzion, the return of the Jewish people to their homeland, is dormant but not dead. A tremendous battle lies ahead, but
“Let us ascend and we shall gain possession of it, for we can surely do it!” (Numbers 13; 30)
We can’t do this alone. We Need Your Help! -
Donations
Make checks out to the Central Fund of Israel, Re: L’Eretz Yisrael HaShleima.
Mail checks to:
Central Fund of Israel.
c/o Marcus Brothers Textiles
980 6th Ave
New York NY 10018
Tax ID number: 13-2992985
Telephone numbers:
US: Jeff (212)519-0207
Israel: Jay Marcus: 054-699 8155
Tsafrir Ronen - (Israel coordinator) - 972-52-235 8440

Endorsements

Well it goes to show that the conservatives are pretty divided over their POTUS candidate choices. After Paul Weyrich went to the Romney camp, Pat Robertson jumped onto Rudy's and Sam Brownback came out for McCain. Matt Lewis takes a look at how this may effect the race to February and the early states. McCain has made somewhat of a comeback since the Shamnesty debacle earlier this summer by acknowledging he was wrong to push a comprehensive bill before enforcement first but he has no money. Mitt has not shown any signs of slipping in Iowa and has strengthened his lead in New Hampshire and some polls show him now leading in So. Carolina and polling is a statistical deadheat in Florida and has by far the best run organization nationwide. Rudy still maintains his national polling lead but his position in the early states is not near as strong. Fred keeps slipping from his early strong numbers with his lackadaisacle campaign and gaffes on abortion and gay marriage, not to mention his unorganized constantly shifting staff. It is a wide open race with a great slate of candidates, may the best man win.

Midweek Must Read:Updated

Via Instapundit is this great piece in the Guardian about the evils of biofuels and converting food to fuel is actually worse for the environment than burning traditional fossil fuels. I have been saying this for a longtime now, ethanol and biofuels are a pipedream and an incredibley stupid shortsighted one at that.

In principle, burning biofuels merely releases the carbon the crops accumulated when growing. Even when you take into account the energy costs of harvesting, refining and transporting the fuel, they produce less net carbon than petroleum products. The law the British government passed a fortnight ago - by 2010, 5% of our road transport fuel must come from crops - will, it claims, save between 700,000 and 800,000 tonnes of carbon a year. It derives this figure by framing the question carefully. If you count only the immediate carbon costs of planting and processing biofuels, they appear to reduce greenhouse gases. When you look at the total impacts, you find they cause more warming than petroleum.

A recent study by the Nobel laureate Paul Crutzen shows that the official estimates have ignored the contribution of nitrogen fertilisers. They generate a greenhouse gas - nitrous oxide - that is 296 times as powerful as CO2. These emissions alone ensure that ethanol from maize causes between 0.9 and 1.5 times as much warming as petrol, while rapeseed oil (the source of more than 80% of the world's biodiesel) generates 1-1.7 times the impact of diesel. This is before you account for the changes in land use.

Update: Noel Sheppard at News Busters points to a John Stossel 20/20 segment on this same topic and Townhall article.

Blog Awards

Update: My blogger buddy Angel has pulled ahead in her category, Michelle, Hot Air, and Townhall need some support in theirs, go vote! My readers know who to support, GO VOTE!
Go vote for your favorite bloggers in numerous catagories. I can't ask for your vote anywhere though friend of the Barnyard, Angel at Woman Honor Thyself has been for top 500-1000 blogs in the TTLB ecosystem so go boost her up. Some of my choices were:
Best conservative blog- Michelle Malkin
Best Milblog- Mike Yon, tough choice with Blackfive, OpFor, Mudville Gazette and Jeff Emanuel on the ballot
Best Video blog- Hot Air

Is MTV Waking To Reality

From my blogger Platoon Leader Amy Proctor.

Mike Yon From Iraq

He is so bored in Baghdad he is giving a camera review of the best digital to carry and combat photography with links to old posts and alot of his best pictures.

Dr.Paul's Loonybin Haul

So Ron Paul managed to raise a chunk of change online over the last couple days, some 4 million bucks. Impressive to say the least but it means little considering he is a fringe candidate of the dispossessed conspiracy mongers, white supremacist groups and assorted drug addled libertarian anti-war nuts. I like having Dr. Paul in the House for his staunch anti-tax and spend small government positions but not for his convoluted and irresponsible positions on National Security and Foreign Policy. I realize his supporters are passionate and motivated but they are also on the fringes of the conversation and not all are GOP primary voters, he won't get the nomination but parts of his message are resonating and the GOP should listen to some of them in my opinion.
I would still love to see a Ron Paul vs Dennis Kucinich or Mike Gravel debate purely for entertainment value. I don't think he will go third party and he has said as much since he would not want to hurt the GOP and help Hillary who he and his supporters despise as much if not more than the GOP in general.

The Torture Myth

The moonbats are all up in arms over the coming confirmation of Judge Muckasey to Attorney General and his refusal to call waterboarding torture. Besides using it on all combat pilots in training it has been used on three other AQ suspects all involved in the 9/11 attacks and was key in breaking Khalis Shaik Mohammed, a mastermind of the attacks. JR Dunn looks into it in depth in his latest post. We can't let the moonbats set the narrative, if waterboarding is torture why are moonbats doing it to each other? Then again they love to pierce and tattoo themselves in all matter of places and support S&M bondage shows in San Francisco. The Code Pinkos demonstrate the technique for us all to see courtesy of Michelle Malkin.

And

They seem to take their role playing quite seriously, these are also the same kooks that have violent fantasies about conservative commentators and politicians.I would rather be waterboarded than be forced to listen to Hillary give speeches.

Hollywierd Writers Strike

Yay, what are they striking against, America is not watching them enough? They haven't written anything worth watching in years, they swim in such a tiny aquarium that they have lost touch with reality. I haven't been able to stomach a sitcom in years, and crime/medical dramas haven't changed in decades. Their movies are tanking at the box office and their hate America eliteness is making no friends in the heartland. I say let them strike, we need less of their writing not more of it, none wouldn't bother me because I don't watch anyway.

Let's Invent The News

Michelle Malkin has a round up on this nutty story out of Birmingham, Al. where I am essentially from. ABC had a plot to hire gay and lesbian actors/actresses to kiss and otherwise show affection to each other in public in order to judge reactions to homosexuality in the South with hidden cameras. The local Fox affiliate busted them, hee, good for them. Funny Birmingham has a fairly large gay community with their hangouts, gay PDA is nothing new and polite southerners just avert their eyes and steer their children away. They have their gay bars and leave the rednecks alone so we left them alone. They are such a small minority there that the radicalism of San Francisco is not present. I don't know what ABC was expecting to catch, redneck hate speech maybe for a piece about how southerners are bigoted homophobes. Sorry ABC, fake news hit pieces are not well responded to, in fact trying to bait people into a negative reaction as part of a radical agenda is downright sleazy gotcha yellow journalism. Way to go, thats the way to gain marketshare in a booming region.

60 Minutes Falls Off The Edge

Ack, so since we are winning the war in Iraq SeeBS has to go back and debunk the start of the war, weak. Who cares, we are there and we best finish it right and now that we are they have to hype up the ever diminishing gaggle of Code Pinkos with this crap. Its the same old failed CIA reports to Foggy Bottoms and Colin Powells speech , old news but they have to dredge it up again with an exclusive report. Hey SeeBS we know the CIA case was trumped up and largely ungrounded and have for a couple years now, your point is we didn't have a reason to go, but we have been there for a few years now and are now winning so you better report some negative news to rile the moonbats since none is coming out of Iraq. I look forward to seeing this story ripped by bloggers better than me.

Will Mitt's Mormonism Matter?

I have heard this mentioned many times since he announced he was running for President. The vast majority of the people who say they would never vote for a Mormon are from the left and would never support Mitt anyway or the GOP, for that matter, and all the negative stories are from a liberally biased MSM. I have many evangelical friends and Mormonisn is never given as a reason why they may or may not be supporting Mitt in the primaries so I don't see it as being a problem in the general elections either. One of Mitt's staffers on his Faith and Values steering committee Justin Hart penned an excellent piece for the American Thinker on the new and growing relationship between Evangelical Christians and the Mormons. The past is certainly very rocky but that is no reason the future can't be brighter, afterall our shared values and belief in God, America and family are what is important.
Justin closes with this but read the whole thing.

Of course, beyond the courtesy and rapport of the authors are serious disagreements with Mormon theology. "Mormonism's challenges are real and can be dismissed only at a cost evangelicals are unwilling to pay" says Carl Mosser.

The newfound dialogue between Mormons and Evangelicals has left the melee in favor of the gentleman's war. While it can get messy and sticky at times, the general tenor of the battle seems wholly improved and marks a significant thaw in their relations. For example, in his chapter on Mormon theology, Mosser notes: "One has failed to appreciate Mormonism's distinctiveness if one can classify it as Christian without qualifications." I believe this is a definition that most Mormons would agree with.

Of course this is at the academic level. Is there discomfort among Evangelicals about Mormons? Yes. Is the breach in the wall large enough where a dialogue can begin in the grassroots? Perhaps. Is it insurmountable? Time will tell. After all, as someone noted, if common religious bonds were the only yardstick in the voting booth, conservative evangelicals would have chosen Jimmy Carter over Ronald Reagan.

I know it never entered my mind when I decided to support Mitt but then I am more of the fiscal conservative than the social, small 'l' libertarian. That is why I think Mitt should stop trying to be the ultimate social conservative, where he has soft spots, and focus on his strong suit of leadership and accomplishment as Mr. Fix It problem solver. He has a record, he doesn't need to pander, just stay on message.

Turn the lights off in Gaza!

In the past couple months, thousands of Kassam rockets have landed on Sderot and its surroundings (don't forget that Sderot is inside the Green Line). Kassams have been falling non-stop on schools, hospitals and homes since the Israel government disengaged form Gaza in the summer of 2005. For two years, the Arabs of Gaza have been free from any Israeli occupation and were even given originally a built-in economy: the famrs and greehouses left behind by the expelled inhabitants of Gush Katif and the other Jewish towns of Gaza. Immediately after Israel pulled out, Arab hordes desecrated the synagogues that were left behind, smashed the greenhouses instead of using them and using the farms as terrorist training camps, apparently getting the whole 'beating their swords into plowshares' wrong. Instead of working to improve the conditions of their suffering people, Hamas and Fatah set out training terrorists, even allowing the streets to overflow with sewage since the pipes were used to make rockets. With this colossal Arab failure to build a normal society in mind, think about the dangers of handing over Judea, Samaria and half of Jerusalem to these same people. Remember the desecration of Joseph's tomb and the illegal destruction on the Temple Mount and think again about giving the Palestinians control over key Jewish and Christian holy sites.

Despite the constant dangers for the people of Sderot, Israel is still hesitant to shut off the energy in Gaza, which comes from Israel, along with water, food, TV and radio, the very country that Hamas and Fatah want to destroy (!). Israel is worried that turning off the elctricity in Gaza is a form of collective punishment, which of course is immoral. The opposite of collective punishment is targeted killings, something which Israel has carried out against many terrorist leaders like Sheikh Ahmed Yassin (may his name be accursed), which is of course also immoral. Collective punishment and targeted killings are immoral- I'm starting to think that its the part about Jews defending themselves that the world thinks is immoral.

Imagine that your neighbour is constantly firing a machine gun at your house; would you even hesitate for a second to turn off his lights? And yet this is what the people of Sderot have to endure every single day. We were told that the Palestinian people elected Hamas democratically and therefore we should recognize the will of the people, no matter how much we disagree. Fine, they chose Hamas, chose rockets, chose murder and mayhem and Israel should repay them in kind. They made their bed and now must be forced to sleep in it. Shut off electricity, water, don't let any food go into Gaza, force them out, stop the TV and radio signals, bring Gaza to its knees until Hamas surrenders and the missile attacks stop. Collective punishment may be against international law but we needn't worry if we know that there is a higher law than that: basic law. The law that mandates that you survive and defend yourself supercedes any foolish notion that Israel must take every Kassam attack and turn the other cheek.

Collective punishment didn't seem so bad when the Allies destroyed Dresden, liquified Tokyo and bombed Hiroshima and Nagasaki out of existence. And yet, this is the kind of existential threat that Israel is facing. It is every state's responsibility to guarantee the safety and security of its citizens, something that Olmert and his corrupt cronies have neglected to do. Call in the jets- warn Gaza's population that they have 48 hours to stop the rocket attacks or leave and if they don't stop, turn Gaza into a parking lot. Expel all the inhabitants of every village that is used as a base for rocket attacks. 'I am my brother's keeper'- if you don't want to face the consequences, prevent your home form being used as a terrorist launch site or leave. The time for mercy has passed. Israel must retaliate and retaliate harshly. 'Measure for measure', 'eye for an eye'. Force is the only language that is understood in the Middle-East and force is the language that we must learn. Turn off the lights! Let them sit in the dark until Israelis don't have to be constantly ready to run to the miklatim, shelters. If not, carpet-bomb Gaza. Anything, as long as Sderot will no longer be bombarded.

Cross-posted from For Zion's Sake

The Dems And Nascar

Jackie and Dunlap explain it for you.

A Victory Parade

Yes, a victory parade in Ramadi, Iraq, just a few months ago the most dangerous city on earth.

Iraq is poised to become the economic tiger of the ME and the people can smell it and they want it. Foriegn investment will start pouring into Iraq now that the violence is down, they are uniquely positioned to be a commercial hub along with their vast oil and agricultural wealth. As for those diplomats grumbling about being sent to the Bagdad US embassy, I bet they could readily be replaced from our disabled vet corp that still long to serve.

Jihadis In Georgia

Yes our Georgia, a couple compounds/training camps, you decide. Hattip: HotAir

Great Political Ad

In this day and age of UTube politics John Edwards, yes the Silky Pony, appears to have some kick in him yet, this is rich, nailing Hillary down by not nailing her down. She is getting hit hard from all sides and responds by whining about being picked on by a bunch of men. The mask has been dropped to reveal a two faced witch. I think ole Silky Pony may be the GOP's best weapon against Hillary. Hattip: Matt Lewis

The glares Hillary was giving John and Barack when they were softly jabbing her would have made Medusa proud, while at the GOP debates the jabs and punches are tough and generally jovial more like friends argueing over a ballgame.
The GOP put out this little fun piece as well.

Mitt Romney takes the opening and grabs the reins with his new ad, his best yet, Mitt needs to spend more time on his impeccable record and life and less trying to be the most republican or conservative, I don't fault him for moving to the right on guns and abortion, I welcome him to our side, flipflopping is what Hillary does. Why berate the man for coming around to a more conservative point of view? Mitt knows how to get things done and has the record to prove it.

Al Qaida Defeated In Iraq

Those are the words of one of the most influential tribal leaders in Iraq as Mike Yon reports in his latest dispatch. Mike also called into Hugh Hewitt's radio show today and spoke of the incredible progress and bored Marines in Anbar wanting to go where the fight is in Afganistan. Mike was embedded during the early fights for Fallujah and Mosul and I believe he is the most trusted voice from Iraq.

“Al Qaeda in Iraq is defeated,” according to Sheik Omar Jabouri, spokesman for the Iraqi Islamic Party and a member of the widespread and influential Jabouri Tribe. Speaking through an interpreter at a 31 October meeting at the Iraqi Islamic Party headquarters in downtown Baghdad, Sheik Omar said that al Qaeda had been “defeated mentally, and therefore is defeated physically,” referring to how clear it has become that the terrorist group’s tactics have backfired. Operatives who could once disappear back into the crowd after committing an increasingly atrocious attack no longer find safe haven among the Iraqis who live in the southern part of Baghdad. They are being hunted down and killed. Or, if they are lucky, captured by Americans.

Related:
Jeff Emanuel relates a tragic and heroic firefight in the early days of the "surge"
in Samara.
Mike Totten has a couple new articles in Commentary and a review of SSgt David Bellavia's book on the clearing of Fallujah.

Newt's Bullet Points

Newt calls them his red, white and blue platforms and all candidates and their supporters should check them out. He hits every issue critical to America today with a bunch of ideas to begin the conversation to find real solutions for our challenges of the future and problems of today. This is a platform any smart pol could run on and win, I sure don't see anything this comprehensive and solid coming from the left.

AMERICAN SOLUTIONS VALUE PROPOSITION

There are certain values that unite a large majority of Americans.

It is vital to have an organization in this country to pursue the goal of strengthening and revitalizing America’s core values.

Our focus should clearly be to provide long-term solutions instead of short-term fixes.

It is important to move the government into the 21st century.

There will be incredible possibilities to meet our country’s challenges in a variety of fields because in the next 25 years, there will be 4-7 times the amount of new technology and science in the world.

We should dramatically increase our investment in math and science education.

Everyone needs to be involved in the scale of change needed in America.

We clearly need to change the way the government operates by bringing in ideas and systems currently employed in the private business sector.

He then goes on to lay it out in some detail and Mitt Romney is the only one hitting many of the same points. Mitt and Newt are the big thinkers in the GOP always coming with new ideas, some good some bad but for the most part very good. That last sentence in the graph I highlighted says it all, Mitt Romney knows how, could a nod of support be around the corner?