BMEWS
 
Sarah Palin will pry your Klondike bar from your cold dead fingers.

calendar   Friday - December 15, 2006

CAIR Silences Blogger

imageimageThose of you who have been readers here since the beginning (way back in 2004) know who Vilmar is. He and I started this blog back then and we parted ways about two years ago. Nowadays, he blogs at Ranting Right Wing Howler. Don’t bother to click the link. Vilmar’s hosting company has suspended his account.

Why has he been silenced? He has been shut down by CAIR who was offended by something he said. Apparently, freedom of speech is a one-way street for the Muslims in our midst. Their Imams preach hate in mosques all over America (and around the world). They call for jihad and kill all infidels. They collect money to send to the Middle East to blow up innocent civilians.

But when a non-Muslim returns the favor, they get highly offended and file lawsuits and silence the offending party. Now a blogger has been shut down because he gave them a dose of their own medicine? Yep, it seems that in America today you can do that and get away with it thanks to cowardly hosting services and a horde of lawyers.

Let me say this about Vilmar: he is a good man who served his country honorably in the US Air Force. He loves his children and grandchildren and is currently caring for his aging parents. Does he really want to “kill Muslim children”? Good Lord, no. He is concerned about the future of this country as am I. He understands the threat posed by Islamofascists, both overseas and here at home.

Are his posts inflammatory? Maybe. That’s just his style. My experience with Vilmar tells me that he is simply trying to hit people hard and fast with strong speech to wake everyone up to the danger we face. Is it hate-speech? No more so than the “kill the infidels” sermons you can hear in mosques in Detroit, Michigan or Alexandria, Virginia.

So CAIR has managed to silence another critic. What happened to free speech? It evidently left the building on 9/11 when too many people decided we needed to make sure we didn’t offend any of the “good Muslims”. As far as I’m concerned, there aren’t any good Muslims and this proves it.

Any time a small group forces the majority of the populace to listen to their members preach murder and bloodshed while silencing anyone who throws their words back at them, then the people have surrendered everything. How long before CAIR comes for me ... or you?

I urge all of you to write to Vilmar’s hosting service and to every politician you can. If you don’t then you might as well just sit there and keep your mouth shut because if the truth were known Vilmar has only been saying what we all have been thinking but were afraid to say out loud. Now you know why ...

FL Web Host Asked to Drop ‘Kill All Muslim Kids’ Site
12/14/2006 4:35:00 PM

To: City Desk

Contact: Ahmed Bedier, 813-731-9506, or abedier@cair-florida.org or Ibrahim Hooper, 202-488-8787 or 202-744-7726, or ihooper@cair.com or Rabiah Ahmed, 202-488-8787 or 202-439-1441 or rahmed@cair.com or Amina Rubin, 202-488-8787 or arubin@cair.com all of the Council on American-Islamic Relations

TAMPA, Fla., Dec. 14 /U.S. Newswire/—The Tampa, Fla., office of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR-Tampa) is calling on an Internet web hosting company in that state to drop a hate site that supports calls to “kill all Muslim kids.”

Under the headline, “Love Your Kids? Fear For Their Future? Kill All Muslim Kids,” the Web site’s owner, who lives in the Tampa area, wrote: “Makes sense to me. After all, if Muslims are raising their little crumb- snatching, curtain climbing, ankle biting rug rats to strap on bombs in order to kill us, it is logically correct to assume that in order to stop that from happening we need to kill all Muslim kids. Starting now.”

SEE: http://rightwinghowler.com/2006/11/29/love-your-kids-fear-for-their-future-kill-all-muslim-kids/

Other entries on the site contain obscene and hate- filled attacks on Islam and Muslims, as well as support for violent actions. One entry states: “It’s bad enough some (expletive deleted) in Minnesota elect a Muslim to Congress but the people in Michigan might have done them one better...Start sticking (sic) up on guns and ammo. The war will start soon.”

SEE: http://rightwinghowler.com/2006/11/09/dummies-in-minnesota-have-company-in-michigan/

In a letter to Boca Raton-based Hostgator.com LLC, CAIR-Tampa Executive Director Ahmed Bedier wrote: “While we respect an individual’s right to freedom of speech, we oppose hate-filled speech that calls for violence against innocent people...It’s clear that (the website is) in violation of your company’s ‘Terms of Service’ agreement which states: ‘...Any material that, in our judgment, is obscene or threatening is prohibited and will be removed from our servers with or without notice.’ The agreement also clearly defines ‘hate sites’ under ‘Examples of unacceptable material.’”

Bedier asked Hostgator to stop hosting the site. He noted that CAIR had raised concerns about the anti- Muslim site at a local forum on hate crimes in November.

SEE: Meeting Focuses on Hatred in Hernando (Tampa Tribune)

http://www.hernandotoday.com/MGBJE0LJ4VE.html

CAIR, America’s largest Islamic civil liberties group, has 32 offices and chapters nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

http://www.usnewswire.com/

- Thanks to Beth at My Vast Right Conspiracy for the tip on this ...

- Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiller ...

- IMAO ...

- Jawa Report ...

- Snapped Shot ...

- Cold Fury ...

- Stop The ACLU ...


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/15/2006 at 08:59 PM   
Filed Under: •   
Comments (27) Trackbacks(8)  Permalink •  

Through The Looking Glass

image

“Honored Dead”

Lynn Moore with the Alexandria patriot Guard places a wreath during annual event at Arlington National Cemetery where volunteers place 5,000 wreaths on graves every year.

-- Photo by Carol Guzy, Washington Post

The Patriot Guard Riders, in their own words ....

The Patriot Guard Riders is a diverse amalgamation of riders from across the nation. We have one thing in common besides motorcycles. We have an unwavering respect for those who risk their very lives for America’s freedom and security. If you share this respect, please join us.

We don’t care what you ride, what your political views are, or whether you’re a “hawk” or a “dove”. It is not a requirement that you be a veteran. It doesn’t matter where you’re from or what your income is.  You don’t even have to ride. The only prerequisite is Respect.

Our main mission is to attend the funeral services of fallen American heroes as invited guests of the family. Each mission we undertake has two basic objectives.

1. Show our sincere respect for our fallen heroes, their families, and their communities.

2. Shield the mourning family and friends from interruptions created by any protestor or group of protestors.

We accomplish the latter through strictly legal and non-violent means.


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/15/2006 at 05:18 PM   
Filed Under: • Art-Photography •  
Comments (1) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Christmas Gift Idea #10

What better gift could you give than a good book for Christmas? Here are my four favorite picks. I have read all four and give each a five-star rating. Order any or all of these books from Amazon, Conservative Book Club, Barnes & Noble or BooksAMillion.

imageimageAre you ready for a conflict between America and the rest of the world? In America Alone: The End of the World As We Know It, Mark Steyn (the most widely read and wittiest columnist in the world today) argues that that’s just what’s coming. European and Islamic anti-Americanism, he explains, threatens to leave us isolated in the world: the global situation is rapidly reaching a point at which America will have to confront the enemies of civilization without help from anyone else. And when the world is divided between America and the rest, all those who don’t want to see the world shrouded in a new Dark Ages should hope that America wins.

Steyn argues forcefully that much of the Western world as we know it will not survive the twenty-first century, and much of it will effectively disappear within our lifetimes—including many if not most European countries. He shows how this process is already well advanced, and explains that whether we like the New Order in Europe and the world depends on whether America can summon the will to shape at least part of the emerging global picture. If not, then it will mean the end of the American moment and the beginning of the new Dark Ages: the return of much the planet to a primitive state.

America is facing this life-and-death challenge, says Steyn, because of the Western world’s demographic decline; the unsustainability of the welfare state in Europe (as well as in the United States, Canada, and Australia); and the apparent exhaustion of Western civilization. Suffused with Steyn’s trademark wit and piercing insights, this book calls on us to summon the will to fight this great struggle for Western civilization. In America Alone, Mark Steyn provides an enlightening primer to just how bad things are likely to get, and what we must do now to ensure that our children and grandchildren live in the bright light of freedom.

Conservative Book Club - $27.95

imageimageThere is something in this iconoclastic book to offend just about everyone. Crocker, a journalist and former political speechwriter, seems to delight in poking fun at a wide variety of targets in his survey of U.S. military conflicts from the colonial period to the present: Native Americans were savage, merciless barbarians; in the War of Independence, British generals were timid playboys, and many American patriots fought to protect their right to smuggle; Eisenhower was a cautious, political general who should have pushed American forces further east to limit Soviet domination. The one constant object of Crocker’s admiration is the prowess of the ordinary American fighting man, portrayed by Crocker as tough, disciplined, and able to adapt quickly to changing circumstances on the battlefield. This isn’t a scholarly work, and specialists could cringe at Crocker’s sweeping generalizations and hyperbole. But laymen who wish to gain a general acquaintance with America’s military history might appreciate Crocker’s breezy narrative and irreverant style.

The central thrust of Harry Crocker’s sparkling book is that a nation’s very essence is reflected in the character of its military, that its history is written in the blood and courage of its fighting men. In prose as unblinking as it is fast-moving, he tells the story of the creation of the ‘American Empire.’ This book is a true one-of-a-kind; its power flows from Crocker’s focus on the dauntless warriors who forged and safeguarded the United States of America.

If more historians covered their subject matter the way Harry Crocker does, perhaps today’s younger generation wouldn’t suffer from the historical “amnesia” that afflicts it. Fast-paced, stirring, and thoroughly researched, “Don’t Tread on Me” is at once moving and action-packed. Painting a 400-year panoramic picture of the broad sweep of military history is difficult, but Crocker does it with bold and detailed strokes. This is a must-read.

Books A Million - $19.24

imageimageAs Americans continue to worship at the altar of cultural diversity and endorse religious tolerance for tolerance sake, Muslims masquerading as “moderates” have insinuated themselves into the very fabric of American society, taking advantage of our blind trust and gaining footholds in our education system, government, workplace, law enforcement, and military. In this startling book, investigative journalist Paul Sperry uses revealing new interviews and classified documents to courageously explain how, for the past thirty years, these Islamist extremists have been covertly working to destroy our constitutional government and the Judeo-Christian ethics on which our nation was built. Their goal, according to Sperry, is to replace the U.S. Constitution with the Quran and turn America into an Islamic state. And, as Sperry details point-by-point, they have been unwittingly aided in their sinister aims by the politically correct media, government, and citizens, who don’t fully understand the dangers of the Muslim faith.

Infiltration explodes the facade of moderation and patriotism that Muslim scholars, imams, clerics, businessmen, and other leaders in the burgeoning Muslim community in America have conveyed in the wake of the 9/11 terrorist attacks. In reality, the Muslim establishment that publicly decries the radical fringe-represented by al-Qaida’s brand of Islam known as Wahhabism, the official religion of Saudi Arabia-is actually a part of it. The only difference is that they use words and money instead of bombs to accomplish their goals.

Now, thanks to Sperry’s peerless research, piquant prose, and forthright presentation, their cover is blown. He will not only make readers forget nearly everything they’ve been told about these “moderate” and “mainstream” leaders, he will expose the true agenda of these “moderate” and “mainstream” leaders, and he will explain the full scope of the dangerous threat of Islam in America.

With everyone still on edge after 9/11, this book will garner wide interest, appealing specifically to people interested in current events and/or religion. Additionally, the book will appeal strongly to women whose roles, values, and rights are greatly threatened by fundamentalist Islam.

Amazon - $17.24

imageimageThe President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister is a sweeping, dramatic account of how three great figures changed the course of history, as told by John O’Sullivan, former editor of National Review and the Times of London, who knew all three and has conducted exclusive interviews that shed extraordinary new light on these giants of the twentieth century. They were three “middle managers” no one imagined could reach the top.

Ronald Reagan was too old to be president and too conservative anyway. Margaret Thatcher was not only too conservative she was a woman, and not on anyone’s short list to lead Britain’s Conservative Party. And the idea of a Polish pope that was truly absurd, especially when the cardinal in question was a strong anti-Communist and defender of orthodoxy when many in the Church and throughout the world believed the future belonged to détente with the Soviets and social liberalism in the West.

Not only did Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher, and Karol Wojtyla (the future John Paul II) rise to the top, but all three of them also survived assassination attempts, collaborated in the miraculous peaceful liberation of Eastern Europe from Soviet Communism, and reinvigorated their respective countries and the West. They were beacons of optimism cutting through the malaise and despair that afflicted 1970s America, strike-ridden and economically moribund post-imperial Britain, and a Catholic Church rocked by social and sexual revolutions.

In The President, the Pope, and the Prime Minister, veteran journalist and former Thatcher speechwriter John O’Sullivan reveals:

● How Reagan, Thatcher, and John Paul developed as strong and individual leaders, perfectly suited to take power when liberalism failed How John Paul’s papal visit to Poland in June 1979 led to the birth of the Solidarity labor union

● How the pope’s moral undermining of Communism worried the Soviet Politburo more than any military threat

● Why Thatcher’s handling of the Falklands crisis was a turning point in the Cold War

● How Reagan arranged for the pope to receive U.S. intelligence on developments in the Soviet bloc

● Reagan’s reluctant support for the nuclear “balance of terror” and how he gratefully adopted the Strategic Defense Initiative (SDI) as an effective alternative

● The Soviets’ attempts to lure the pope into an anti-SDI campaign and his refusal

● How Reagan’s refusal to compromise with Gorbachev in Reykjavik precipitated the unraveling of Soviet power

● How Reagan, Thatcher, and John Paul II restored optimism and hope to their people

Today, as we face a new and perhaps even deadlier enemy than Soviet Communism, we need to revisit the powerful lessons taught by these three great leaders who revived the faith, prosperity, and freedom of the West.

John O’Sullivan covered the Reagan presidency as a Washington columnist, was a special adviser to Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, and has written regularly on Pope John Paul II and the Catholic Church’s influence on international relations. A veteran journalist in Britain and the United States, he was the editor in chief of National Review, The National Interest, Policy Review, and United Press International, editorial page editor of the New York Post, op-ed and editorial page editor for the London Times, and an editor with the London Daily Telegraph. He is currently editor at large for National Review, a weekly columnist for the Chicago Sun-Times, and a senior fellow with the Hudson Institute. A Commander of the British Empire and founder of the New Atlantic Initiative, he divides his time between his apartment in Washington, D.C., his home in Decatur, Alabama, and frequent trips to Britain, Europe, and Latin America.

Barnes & Noble - $22.36


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/15/2006 at 02:24 PM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
Comments (1) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Surrender?

image
John Trever - The Albuquerque Journal

image imageSurrender By Any Other Name...
-- by Ann Coulter
(HUMAN EVENTS ONLINE)

How did we go from winning the war in Iraq to losing overnight? Was this decided by the same committee that changed “Peking” to “Beijing”?

These word changes are a fortiori evidence that liberals are part of a conspiracy. On what date did “horrible” and “actress” vanish from the English language to be replaced with “horrific” and “actor”? Who decided that? (Meanwhile, I’m still writing “Puff Daddy” in my nightly dream journal when everybody else has started calling him “Diddy.")

When did “B.C.” (before Christ) and “A.D.” (anno Domini, “in the year of the Lord") get replaced with “BCE” (before the common era) and “CE” (common era)? “Withdrawal” is “redeployment,” “liberal” is “progressive,” and “traitorous” is “patriotic.”

These new linguistic conventions—like going from “winning” to “losing” in Iraq—simply spread like an invisible bacterial invasion.

To be sure, last month the Democrats did win a narrow majority in Congress for the first time in more than a decade. And it cannot be denied that for the past 50 years, Democrats have orchestrated humiliating foreign policy defeats for America. So it is understandable that some might interpret their midterm gains as a mandate for another humiliating defeat.

But that’s not what the Democrats told Americans when they were running for office. To the contrary, they claimed to be gun-totin’ hawks. A shockingly high number of Democratic candidates this year actually fought in wars. And not just the war on poverty, either—real wars, against men with guns.

It was a specific plan of Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee chair Rep. Rahm Emanuel to fake out the voters by recruiting anti-war veterans to run against Republicans. (And when did “chairman” become “chair”?)

To the credit of the voters—especially the American Legion and VFW—the Democrats didn’t fool enough Americans to even match the average midterm gains for the party out of power.

But the point is: You can’t run as a phony patriot and then claim your victory is a mandate for surrender. That would be like awarding yourself undeserved Purple Hearts and then pretending to throw them over the White House wall in protest. No, that’s not fair—nothing could be as contemptible as throwing someone else’s medals on the ground in protest.

Is it the report of the “Iraq Surrender Group” that suddenly caused everyone to say we’re losing?

The ISG report was about what you’d expect if the ladies from “The View” were asked to come up with a victory plan for Iraq. We need to ask Syria to tell Hamas to stop calling for the destruction of Israel. Duh! “Dear Hamas, Do you like killing Jews, or do you LIKE killing Jews? Check yes or no.”

- More ...


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/15/2006 at 09:54 AM   
Filed Under: • EditorialsMiddle-East •  
Comments (1) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

calendar   Thursday - December 14, 2006

Through The Looking Glass

image

“Andromeda”
(Click image for larger 1200x860 in popup window)

Our Nearest Neighbor: Two Million Light-Years Away

Andromeda is the nearest major galaxy to our own Milky Way Galaxy. Our Galaxy is thought to look much like Andromeda. Together these two galaxies dominate the Local Group of galaxies. The diffuse light from Andromeda is caused by the hundreds of billions of stars that compose it. The several distinct stars that surround Andromeda’s image are actually stars in our Galaxy that are well in front of the background object. Andromeda is frequently referred to as M31 since it is the 31st object on Messier’s list of diffuse sky objects. M31 is so distant it takes about two million years for light to reach us from there. Although visible without aid, the above image of M31 is a digital mosaic of 20 frames taken with a small telescope. Much about M31 remains unknown, including how the center acquired two nuclei.

Note: For purposes of comparison and to remind us of how insignificant we are, the light we’re seeing from Andromeda now left that galaxy about the time our species learned how to walk upright. Space is a really, really, really, really, really, really big place. Indeed.


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/14/2006 at 05:22 PM   
Filed Under: • Art-Photography •  
Comments (2) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Christmas Gift Idea #11

I’m considering buying one of these little boxes for myself. I have over 1,100 phonograph albums from the 1950’s, 1960’s and 1970’s (including all 13 of the Beatles original albums). This could solve my problem by easily converting them all to CD’s plus having a record player around in case I want to play the original record. And before anyone asks ... no, I don’t have any 78RPM records (although this thing will play them).

TEAC Phono CD Recorder
(FirstStreetOnline) - $399

imageimageIs storage space running low from all of those boxes filled with old, worn out, vintage, vinyl albums? Are all of those boxes wasting away on a shelf or in the attic? Why not put those albums and that space to good use? Those classic albums still hold their sentimental and monetary value while sitting sadly in the dark.

Of course, there is that feeling that you still want to listen, and enjoy that music but the hassle of pulling them out and cleaning them is often just too much. Well then take those old albums and change them into CDs. What? How?

Easy, you can use the Phono CD Recorder. It allows those old vinyl albums to be recorded in digital audio format, for high quality sound in a smaller more modern Compact Disc. If you still want to enjoy the old style of the vinyl album then the Recorder still provides a 3 speed turn table, with a special stylus which will eliminate some of the hiss from the album.

The Phono CD Recorder also features a record level control and a record level indicator. Once you have the CDs ready to go but you can’t figure out which one to listen to, then put the built in CD player on shuffle. If you find yourself enjoying one specific song then put the CD player on the repeat option and you’re ready to go.

There is also a built in radio that has a 32-track memory and provides AM/FM frequencies. A rotary tuner gives the Phono CD Recorder an elegant and exciting look. It also has a hinged cabinet design, and a black wood finish.

If you have a ton of cassette tapes you can hook a tape deck to the Phono CD Recorder and copy those to a CD as well. It’s an all-in-one unit that can take care of your stereo needs. Now you can have all the necessary equipment in one unit instead of buying separate pieces.
Do you want to bring your favorite tunes out of hiding and listen to them while traveling down the road or just relaxing in your home? If you answered yes, this is the perfect solution for you! Arrives with remote control, two “AA” batteries, and a 45rpm adapter.


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/14/2006 at 05:01 PM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
Comments (3) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Just Die, Damn You! In Great Pain!

The title of this post sums up my feelings toward this asshat. Nothing else need be said.

Terror Fears as Blind Sheikh Faces ‘Medical Emergency’
(ABC NEWS) - December 14, 2006 11:31 AM

imageimageThe imprisoned al Qaeda spiritual leader known as the “Blind Sheikh” suffered a “medical emergency” at the Springfield federal prison last week, and the FBI is warning his death could lead al Qaeda to launch terror attacks against the United States in reprisal.

According to an FBI bulletin, obtained by ABCNews.com, the 68-year-old Omar Abdel-Rahman began to spit up blood on Dec. 6, and was rushed from prison to the emergency room of St. John’s Regional Hospital in Springfield, Mo.

“He accepted a needed transfusion to replace lost blood. While he was under examination, medical authorities also discovered a tumor on his liver,” the FBI situational awareness bulletin noted.

Omar Abdel-Rahman, convicted in 1996 of conspiring to blow up New York City landmarks, has long suffered from diabetes and heart ailments and has spent much of his imprisonment at the Springfield Medical Center for federal prisoners.

The FBI bulletin reminded authorities that the sheikh had previously called for reprisal attacks in the case of his death in prison. The bulletin cited what it said was his last will and testament distributed at an al Qaeda press conference in 1998.

“My Brothers...If they [the Americans] kill me, which they will certainly do – hold my funeral and send my corpse to my family, but do not let my blood be shed in vain. Rather, extract the most violent revenge, and remember your brother who spoke the truth and died for the will of God...The Mujahid Sheikh Omar Abdel al Rahman. In the name of God the kind and merciful.”


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/14/2006 at 01:56 PM   
Filed Under: • RoPMATerrorists •  
Comments (14) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Tax Information

Here is a little bit of early tax information that may save you a few bucks when you file. In general, anyone who paid long-distance telephone tax will get this refund on their 2006 federal income tax return. This includes individuals, businesses and nonprofit organizations. The 2006 return is usually filed during 2007.

The IRS is making it easier for taxpayers by offering a standard refund amount between $30 and $60, so they don’t need to gather old phone bills. Taxpayers who choose the standard amount will only need to fill out one line on their tax returns. The standard amount is based on actual telephone usage data and the amount applicable to a family or other household reflects the long-distance phone tax paid by similarly sized families or households. Using this amount is the easiest way for taxpayers to get their refunds and avoid gathering 41 months of old phone records.

Businesses and nonprofits must fill out the new Form 8913 and base their refund requests on the actual amount of tax they paid.  The IRS is considering an estimation method that businesses and nonprofits could use for figuring the tax paid and is asking for public suggestions on potential methodologies that are both accurate and relatively easy for taxpayers to use.  Comments should be e-mailed to Telephone.Tax@irs.gov and must be received by Sept. 15, 2006.

Who is eligible to request the telephone tax refund? In general, any individual, business or nonprofit organization that paid long-distance tax for service billed after Feb 28, 2003 and before Aug 1, 2006 is eligible to request the refund.

What is the standard amount? Individual taxpayers can take a standard amount from $30 to $60 based on the number of exemptions claimed on their tax return.  For those claiming:

• one exemption, the standard refund amount is: $30
• two exemptions, the standard refund amount is: $40
• three exemptions, the standard refund amount is: $50
• four exemptions or more, the standard refund amount is: $60

image


- More Information At The IRS Web Site ...


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/14/2006 at 11:09 AM   
Filed Under: • Personal •  
Comments (4) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Karl Rove Strikes Again

imageimageSen. Tim Johnson, Democrat, Has Stroke
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Wed Dec 13, 2006 4:20pm ET140

U.S. Sen. Tim Johnson, Democrat of South Dakota, had an apparent stroke on Wednesday at his office in Washington and has been hospitalized, NBC News reported. The condition of the 59-year-old Johnson was unknown, the network said.

When the 110th Congress convenes on January 4, there will be 49 Democrats in the Senate, 49 Republicans and two independents. But the two independents will align themselves with the Democrats, giving them majority control of the Senate.

South Dakota’s governor, Michael Rounds, who would appoint any successor if there is a vacancy, is a Republican.

UPDATE I:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Wednesday, December 13, 2006 - 7:44PM

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was hospitalized after becoming disoriented Wednesday, weeks before his party is to take control of the Senate by a one-vote margin. Johnson, who turns 60 on Dec. 28, was admitted to George Washington University Hospital with an undiagnosed illness, said a spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher.

She said, however, the senator did not suffer a stroke or heart attack. His office had said earlier it was a possible stroke. Fisher said Johnson would undergo further tests at the hospital Wednesday night. She said his office did not plan any more updates on his condition until Thursday.

Johnson became disoriented during a conference call with reporters at midday Wednesday, stuttering in response to a question. Before he ended the call, Johnson appeared to recover and asked if there were any additional questions.

Fisher said he then walked back to his Capitol office but appeared to not be feeling well. The Capitol physician came to his office and examined him, and it was decided he should go to the hospital. He was taken to the hospital by ambulance around noon, Fisher said.

UPDATE II:

WASHINGTON (AP) - Thursday December 14, 2006 7:01 AM GMT

Democratic Sen. Tim Johnson of South Dakota was undergoing surgery early Thursday after being admitted to the hospital with symptoms of a stroke weeks before his party is slated to take control of the Senate by a one-vote margin. There was no word on the nature of the surgery - which began late Wednesday and lasted past midnight - or Johnson’s condition.

Apart from the risk to his health, Johnson’s illness carried political ramifications. Democrats emerged from last month’s elections with a 51-49 Senate majority. If he is forced to relinquish his seat, a replacement would be named by South Dakota’s GOP Gov. Mike Rounds. A Republican appointee would create at 50-50 tie, and allow the GOP to retain Senate control.

Johnson, who turns 60 later this month, was admitted to George Washington University hospital at midday Wednesday after experiencing what his office initially said was a possible stroke. His spokeswoman, Julianne Fisher, later told reporters it had been determined that the senator had suffered neither a stroke nor a heart attack.

But several hours after she spoke, Dr. John Eisold, the Capitol physician, called that into question with a statement of his own. “Senator Tim Johnson was admitted to the George Washington University Hospital today with the symptoms of a stroke. He is currently under the care of physicians at the George Washington University Hospital.’’

Fisher and Eisold both said they did not intend to issue further updates on Johnson’s condition until Thursday. There was no formal announcement of the surgery, which was disclosed by an official who spoke on condition of anonymity, citing the sensitive nature of the subject.


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/14/2006 at 02:30 AM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists •  
Comments (13) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

EnviroNuts Take Control

The game of musical chairs in Congress is going to make for some strange new policies for the next two years. The environment is one area that is probably going to see radically different legislation (and bullshit hearings) for the next two years.

As Bill Steigerwald explains below, when Senator James Inhofe (R-OK) departs as chairman of the Environment and Public Works Committee he will be replaced by Senator Barbara Boxer (D-CA) and the two are “polar opposites.” (Dang! I wish I’d thought of that phrase!)

Inhofe doesn’t believe all the hype about glowball warming and he believes the media is full of crap. Boxer, on the other hand, is a Liberal darling of the media and to her, glowball warming is a religion. Literally. She has faith in the media reports and considers any scientist who questions glowball warming to be a heretic. She probably has a summer home in Kyoto.

So you all better buckle up your seat belts and strap on your helmets for the party that is about to start in January. It is going to be an agonizing two years ahead as the tinfoil-hat crowd tries to make up for six years of being stuck outside in the wilderness. You are going to learn a lot about spotted owls, polar bears and penguins real soon. Oh yeah ... almost forgot ... you’ll also learn a lot about the E-E-E-EVIL oil and energy companies. Stay tuned ...

image
Mike Lester - The Rome News-Tribune (GA)

Blowing Cool Air at Global Warming
-- By Bill Steigerwald

imageimageDoes hot air about climate change spewed in the U.S. Senate contribute to global warming? No one really knows for sure, since Al Gore didn’t address that question in “An Inconvenient Truth.”

But we’ll probably find out in January, when, thanks to the Democrats’ capture of Congress, Sen. Barbara Boxer takes the wheel of the Environment and Public Works Committee from Republican Sen. James Inhofe and makes a liberal U-turn.

As Boxer showed Wednesday morning during Inhofe’s hearing on “Climate Change and the Media,” the California Democrat and Inhofe are polar opposites on global warming.

Boxer is a 10-alarm believer in human-caused climate change. She thinks global warming is the challenge of our generation and can’t wait to start holding hearings and passing laws to tax carbon and torture the evil energy companies.

Inhofe, the current chairman, still holds the quaint, old-fashioned conservative belief that government policy—especially when addressing huge issues like global climate change—should be based on nonpoliticized science and should take into account economic costs.

As the Senate’s chief GW skeptic, he is the archenemy of the global worrying crowd and their evergreen allies in mainstream media, who he charges have misled the public with their “nonstop hyping of ‘extreme scenarios’ and dire climate predictions.”

Inhofe also has dared to utter—on the sacred Senate floor!—the politically heretical truth that “catastrophic global warming is a hoax.” (The key word “catastrophic” is usually dropped when his enemies quote him.) Streamed live on the Internet and featuring scientists on both sides of the global warming debate, Inhofe’s hearing was an under-attended, underreported dud.

Incoming chairwoman Boxer, already feeling her oats, pontificated about the importance of a free press, befuddled witnesses with dumb questions and presented evidence she said proved the media are fair and balanced on global warming coverage.

Apparently, Boxer, who touts herself as a former journalist, is the only liberal in America who doesn’t religiously read The New Yorker, The New York Times, The Washington Post or Time magazine.

Because each of those “Four Flagships of the Global Warming Apocalypse”—as well as the major networks and even The Weather Channel—regularly commits what star skeptical witness and Australian paleoclimate researcher Bob Carter said is the media’s main sin: the failure to fairly transmit the reality—i.e., all the facts and the scientific uncertainty—of global climate change to the public.

Amazingly, Boxer wasn’t the most airheaded or most arrogant senator at Inhofe’s hearing. That prize went to New Jersey Democrat Frank Lautenberg, who is equally concerned about his grandchildren’s lives and the polar bears, which he has been mislead to believe by Time magazine have been reduced to “ragged herds searching for food.”

Inhofe called his hearing to show how media bias and unbalanced or simplistic reporting could mislead the public and cause Congress to make “poorly conceived” policy decisions on global warming.

Grandma Boxer’s and Grandpa Lautenberg’s public blatherings unwittingly proved Inhofe’s point. It looks like there’s going to be a lot of scientific silliness in the Senate for the next two years when Boxer and her crew get to be in charge of saving the Earth.


Bill Steigerwald is a columnist at the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. E-mail Bill at bsteigerwald@tribweb.com. ©Pittsburgh Tribune-Review, All Rights Reserved. If you’re not a paying subscriber to our service, you must contact us to print or post this column on the web. Distributed exclusively by Cagle Cartoons, Inc. Contact Cari Dawson Bartley cari@cagle.com for subscription information.


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/14/2006 at 01:30 AM   
Filed Under: • Climate-WeatherDemocrats-Liberals-Moonbat Leftists •  
Comments (6) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Think Outside The Report

image
Gary Markstein - Copley News Service


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/14/2006 at 01:00 AM   
Filed Under: • Iraq •  
Comments (0) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

calendar   Wednesday - December 13, 2006

Through The Looking Glass

image

“I’ll Drink To That”

These men are participating in the Fourth Annual Drunkard Race in Apopa, El Salvador. After the race they are registered in programs to help them stop drinking. 

Now, why in heck can’t we get quality entertainment like this in the US? God onlly knows we have plenty of drunks to make it interesting. Maybe throw in a few hundred dopers to really make it entertaining.

-- Photo by Luis Romery (AP)


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/13/2006 at 04:10 PM   
Filed Under: • Art-Photography •  
Comments (2) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Christmas Gift Idea #12

May the Force be with you as you tell your “little buddy” to fetch you another beer during the football playoffs. Forget about giving one of these to the kids though. Wise in the ways of the Force they are not ...

imageimageStar Wars: Life-Size R2-D2
(Sharper Image - $119.95)

In the hundred-year history of science fiction films, only one robot can truly be called a movie star, and that’s R2-D2™ of “Star Wars®”. Celebrate R2’s big 30th birthday next year by bringing the droid into your home now.

Charming and affable, he will serve as your dedicated helper (an extendable utility arm holds a drink) and loyal friend. He obeys commands, communicates with beeps and whistles, gestures, flashes his lights, swivels his dome, dances to a cantina song, plays games and navigates with sonar and infrared sensors.

Voice activated, R2 functions in three modes: Companion, where he’s friendly; Game, where he plays tag, spins and dances; and Command, where he maneuvers in different directions. He recognizes 30 phrases and responds to your voice commands.

He’ll react differently when you mention Luke Skywalker, Han Solo, Anakin, Obi-Wan, Chewbacca, Jabba the Hut or his best friend, C-3PO. For example, say Princess Leia’s name and R2 emits excited wolf-like whistles, but mention Darth Vader and he shakes with fear!

R2-D2’s power supply is 4 AA batteries and 4 D batteries (order all separately). Measures 16 1/2” x 11” x 11” and weighs 7 lbs. Ages 8 and up. 90-day warranty.


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/13/2006 at 02:16 PM   
Filed Under: • Fun-Stuff •  
Comments (6) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  

Goofiest Editorial Of The Week

I look forward to each week’s editorial from Ms. Dowd in much the same way I look forward to the occasional visit to my proctologist. The two have a lot in common. I read Ann Coulter’s column each week for intelligent discussion of events based on facts. I read Maureen Dowd for ... no good reason other than the fact that I need to keep an eye on the loons at the NY TIMES.

I would really like to see the two debate each other ... in a WWE Smackdown type event. Maybe have Ann in a tight, black-and-silver thong bikini outfit and a skulls-head mask and Dowd in a pink frilly tutu with a teddy bear and a big yellow lollipop. Get me Vince McMahon on the phone - STAT! I think I’m on to something here. This could be big ....

imageimageWill Hillzilla Crush Obambi?
-- By MAUREEN DOWD
(NY TIMES) - December 13, 2006

So the question of the moment is: Which would be a greater handicap in a presidential bid, gender or race? The answer will depend, of course, on how manly the woman, and how white the black. Hillary Rodham Clinton and Barack Hussein Obama both straddle two worlds, trying to profit from both.

Despite her desire to seem far more experienced than her rival, Hillary’s role in high-level politics has been mostly that of a spouse — a first lady who felt that she got elected too. The Yale-trained lawyer had one pump in the “The West Wing” and one in “Desperate Housewives,” one foot in the world of hotshot alphas ruling the globe and one in the world of middle-age women humiliated by their husbands’ dallying with office cupcakes.

She won her Senate seat only after becoming sympathetic as a victim. And she still struggles with the balance between her Mars and Venus sides, sometimes showing her political steel and other times fetching coffee for male colleagues.

Senator Obama glides between the black and white political worlds. In New Hampshire on Sunday, speaking to nearly all-white audiences, the Harvard-educated lawyer looked utterly at home, dressing like a Wall Street banker on casual Friday and sounding as white as Lou Dobbs.

He quoted Martin Luther King Jr. and Louis Brandeis with equal aplomb and wryly noted that when he worked rebuilding a black community on Chicago’s South Side, people there couldn’t pronounce his name and called him “Yo Momma.”

He admits that he talks to black groups with a different cadence, but says that’s because he’s picking up a different rhythm from the audience. He rejects what he calls the expected script for black politicians, “that for them to be authentically black they have to somehow offend white people,” as he told Jeff Zeleny in The Chicago Tribune. Mr. Obama rejects complaints from blacks that he’s not black enough; but as Mr. Zeleny noted, Hawaii, where the senator’s white mother from Kansas and black father from Kenya met, and where he grew up and went to prep school, is not exactly the ’hood.

While Bill Clinton’s campaign pollsters used to worry that Hillary was not coming across as maternal enough, Senator Obama peppers his talks with remarks about being a father and husband. “I don’t miss diapers,” he confided to some parents at a book signing in New Hampshire, and later told reporters that he would decide whether to run with his wife, Michelle — “the smartest, toughest, funniest best friend that I could ever hope for.”

He was equally graceful reaching out to the female audience on “Oprah” and the male audience on “Monday Night Football,” when he did the opening skit this week on the audacity of hype, ending by putting on a Bears cap and flashing that killer smile. (The Windy City doubleheader must have made Hillary, a Chicago native, pea green.)

.... blah-blah-blah-blah-blah ....

- Read the rest at the NY TIMES (requires subscription - $49/year - and worth every Euro of it) ...


avatar

Posted by The Skipper   United States  on 12/13/2006 at 01:36 PM   
Filed Under: • Democrats-Liberals-Moonbat LeftistsMedia-Bias •  
Comments (11) Trackbacks(0)  Permalink •  
Page 8 of 14 pages « First  <  6 7 8 9 10 >  Last »

Five Most Recent Trackbacks:

Once Again, The One And Only Post
(4 total trackbacks)
Tracked at iHaan.org
The advantage to having a guide with you is thɑt an expert will haѵe very first hand experience dealing and navigating the river with гegional wildlife. Tһomas, there are great…
On: 07/28/23 10:37

The Brownshirts: Partie Deux; These aare the Muscle We've Been Waiting For
(3 total trackbacks)
Tracked at head to the Momarms site
The Brownshirts: Partie Deux; These aare the Muscle We’ve Been Waiting For
On: 03/14/23 11:20

Vietnam Homecoming
(1 total trackbacks)
Tracked at 广告专题配音 专业从事中文配音跟外文配音制造,北京名传天下配音公司
  专业从事中文配音和外文配音制作,北京名传天下配音公司   北京名传天下专业配音公司成破于2006年12月,是专业从事中 中文配音 文配音跟外文配音的音频制造公司,幻想飞腾配音网领 配音制作 有海内外优良专业配音职员已达500多位,可供给一流的外语配音,长年服务于国内中心级各大媒体、各省市电台电视台,能满意不同客户的各种需要。电话:010-83265555   北京名传天下专业配音公司…
On: 03/20/21 07:00

meaningless marching orders for a thousand travellers ... strife ahead ..
(1 total trackbacks)
Tracked at Casual Blog
[...] RTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPL [...]
On: 07/17/17 04:28

a small explanation
(1 total trackbacks)
Tracked at yerba mate gourd
Find here top quality how to prepare yerba mate without a gourd that's available in addition at the best price. Get it now!
On: 07/09/17 03:07



DISCLAIMER
Allanspacer

THE SERVICES AND MATERIALS ON THIS WEBSITE ARE PROVIDED "AS IS" AND THE HOSTS OF THIS SITE EXPRESSLY DISCLAIMS ANY AND ALL WARRANTIES, EXPRESS OR IMPLIED, TO THE EXTENT PERMITTED BY LAW INCLUDING BUT NOT LIMITED TO WARRANTIES OF SATISFACTORY QUALITY, MERCHANTABILITY OR FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE, WITH RESPECT TO THE SERVICE OR ANY MATERIALS.

Not that very many people ever read this far down, but this blog was the creation of Allan Kelly and his friend Vilmar. Vilmar moved on to his own blog some time ago, and Allan ran this place alone until his sudden and unexpected death partway through 2006. We all miss him. A lot. Even though he is gone this site will always still be more than a little bit his. We who are left to carry on the BMEWS tradition owe him a great debt of gratitude, and we hope to be able to pay that back by following his last advice to us all:
  1. Keep a firm grasp of Right and Wrong
  2. Stay involved with government on every level and don't let those bastards get away with a thing
  3. Use every legal means to defend yourself in the event of real internal trouble, and, most importantly:
  4. Keep talking to each other, whether here or elsewhere
It's been a long strange trip without you Skipper, but thanks for pointing us in the right direction and giving us a swift kick in the behind to get us going. Keep lookin' down on us, will ya? Thanks.

THE INFORMATION AND OTHER CONTENTS OF THIS WEBSITE ARE DESIGNED TO COMPLY WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA. THIS WEBSITE SHALL BE GOVERNED BY AND CONSTRUED IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE LAWS OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA AND ALL PARTIES IRREVOCABLY SUBMIT TO THE JURISDICTION OF THE AMERICAN COURTS. IF ANYTHING ON THIS WEBSITE IS CONSTRUED AS BEING CONTRARY TO THE LAWS APPLICABLE IN ANY OTHER COUNTRY, THEN THIS WEBSITE IS NOT INTENDED TO BE ACCESSED BY PERSONS FROM THAT COUNTRY AND ANY PERSONS WHO ARE SUBJECT TO SUCH LAWS SHALL NOT BE ENTITLED TO USE OUR SERVICES UNLESS THEY CAN SATISFY US THAT SUCH USE WOULD BE LAWFUL.


Copyright © 2004-2015 Domain Owner



GNU Terry Pratchett


Oh, and here's some kind of visitor flag counter thingy. Hey, all the cool blogs have one, so I should too. The Visitors Online thingy up at the top doesn't count anything, but it looks neat. It had better, since I paid actual money for it.
free counters