Friday - December 21, 2007

In the land of the blind, the one-eyed woman is queen

From PMS-NBC:

Former President Clinton says his wife is a “world-class genius” when it comes to improving the lives of others.

Clinton stuck mostly to familiar themes in two hour-long appearances Thursday, describing at length what he views as the nation’s biggest challenges. Nearly 15 minutes into his first speech, he added almost as an afterthought that “everything I’m saying here is my wife’s position, not just mine.”

”Woops, I keep forgetting that I’m talking about her and not me”

Calling the ability to help others the most important quality in a president, Clinton first compared the successes of his administration in creating jobs and other areas to the failures of the Bush administration before finally turning the focus to his wife, a New York senator.

“The reason she ought to be president, over and above her vision and her plans is that she has proven in every position she has ever had in life, whether it was in elected office or not, that she is a world-class genius in making positive changes in other people’s lives,” he said.

”She cleaned me up good.”

What a bunch of crap.  We don’t need a President that “makes positive changes in people’s lives”, we need a president who will lead this nation and the world on the course for representative democracy and personal freedom.

Posted by      on 12/21/2007 at 10:08 AM   
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   Thursday - December 20, 2007

Tom Tancredo Has Dropped out of the Presidential Race, Endorses Romney

Tancredo Withdrawals from Race, Endorses Romney
Posted by Michelle Levi

From CBS News’ Michelle Levi:

Tom Tancredo pulled his hat from the Republican race for president and announced his endorsement of Mitt Romney in Des Moines today. The Colorado congressman’s campaign never gained any traction in the polls.

“It was apparent to me I cannot win this race” Tancredo admitted. Yet, the real impact of his run is in the prominence immigration policy has taken in the Republican race.

The congressman launched and sustained his campaign on his hard stance against illegal immigration. Debate after debate—often the only glimpses journalists and voters have had of the candidate—Tancredo reiterated the importance of securing U.S. borders and retaining a strict stance against illegal immigration and amnesty.

His outspoken advocacy is evident in provocative television ads released by his campaign which warn viewers that permeable borders could lead to terrorist attacks and increased crime. “Consequences” featured a series of crime scene photographs as a dramatic narrator says, “Mothers killed, children executed. The tactics of vicious Central American gangs, now on US soil. Pushing drugs, raping kids, destroying lives.” The candidate left little unsaid on his stance.

Now, two weeks before the Iowa caucuses these policies have become essential Republican rhetoric—his pet cause has become a major issue in the race.

On his decision to endorse Mitt Romney Tancredo said “at this point in time, he is the best hope for our cause. And it is the cause, that’s what motivates me. It’s not Tom Tancredo, it’s all the things we worked so hard for”.

He also admits that electability played a major role in his decision: “I mean somebody is going to win this race. Somebody is going to be President of the United States, it is not going to be me”.

He cited Huckabee and McCain as two candidates who would not be loyal advocates for his cause: “there are folks who are in this race that even though they have rhetorically said the right things, we have rhetorically forced them into that, I am not sure they are there beyond that”.

Romney, he said, at least has a record of standing up against illegal immigration. Without dispelling too many details, Tancredo said he had private conversations with other candidates but his conversation for a “good hour or more” this morning with Romney stood out.

Tancredo is unsure what role he will play as a Romney supporter but leaves the horserace seemingly satisfied with his contribution – bringing immigration to the forefront of the Republican race for president.

Dear Friends,

It is with my heart full of gratitude and a touch of sadness that I write today to tell you of my intention to end my campaign for the presidency.

As a loyal friend and supporter it is important to me that you understand why I am doing this, even though you may disagree.

For the past ten years I have dedicated my public life to the critical issue of illegal immigration.  I believed then –as I do now—that massive uncontrolled illegal immigration threatens our survival as a nation.  I could not stand by and let open border politicians and corporate lobbyists sell our country out to the highest bidder.

Then earlier this year when I feared that the issue would not be championed by any of the top candidates I threw my hat in the ring.  It was the only way I could be certain that the candidates would be forced to take a stand.

Thanks to your incredible support look what we have accomplished:

Just last week Newsweek declared that “"Anti-immigrant zealot [that would be me] had already won.  Now even Dems dance to his no mas salsa tune.” This month alone The Economist, the New Yorker, the Wall Street Journal and a score of other newspapers have written similar assessments, grudgingly crediting our campaign with forcing the issue of immigration to the center of the national stage and—more importantly—with forcing every presidential candidate to commit themselves to an immigration plan that calls for securing the borders, opposing amnesty and enforcing the law.

Of course, many of the candidates need to be pinned down on their understanding of the meaning of amnesty, but we have succeeded beyond my most optimistic expectations of a year ago.  We even have Hillary jumping through hoops on the issue!

So with so much success why drop out of the race now, you are probably asking.  For one reason and one reason alone: I believe the cause demands I do so.

The presidential campaign has come down to less than a handful of viable candidates.  Unfortunately several of them have abysmal records on immigration and can’t be trusted to do what is needed to preserve this country if they’re elected.  My fear is that if I were to stay in this race my votes could be the factor in handing victory to a pro-amnesty politician.  Friends, we have done too much, come too far and the stakes are too high to play that hand. And so I am ending my presidential campaign.

I know there are many more battles in our future and you can count on me to stay in this fight with you.  We must continue to build the unquestioned momentum that is fueling our movement today. In the weeks ahead, I will write to you again to share with you my plans for the future, and for the immigration reform movement that is transforming
American politics.

But for now, I just wish to again express to you my deepest thanks and appreciation for your partnership with me in this historic effort.  I also want to wish you a very blessed and merry Christmas!

We have come so far together, and through our efforts we have made a stunning and, I believe, permanent impact on the debate over securing our borders and preserving our nation.

Not a day has gone by in this campaign that I have not thanked God for the dedication of so many Americans like you. I can promise you that as long as He gives me life and strength, I will work hard for our cause and to honor the trust you have placed in me.

With sincere best wishes,
Tom Tancredo

Hmm Who To Choose Who To choose

Posted by Infinity     on 12/20/2007 at 07:36 PM   
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Might be more good news for the day

From The Firearms Coalition:

The U.S. Senate today voted to pass their version of the NRA supported NICS Improvement Act (H.R.2640). The bill now must go back to the House to resolve differences between the versions passed in the two bodies.

NRA, NSSF, and the Brady Bunch are calling Senate passage a victory, while GOA, many grassroots gun groups, and the more radical gun control organizations like the Violence Policy Center are calling the bill a sell-out.  These groups opposed to the bill are calling for in-depth hearings on the bill to be held in the House. When this bill originally passed in the House, it did so on a voice vote with only one Representative speaking against its passage or reportedly voting against it; that one Representative was Dr. Ron Paul of Texas.

There will doubtless be much said about this bill over the next few days and it will be interesting to watch.  While gun rights groups have taken to calling the bill the “Veterans Disarmament Act” and anti-gun forces claim it will open a flood-gate of mentally challenged people regaining access to firearms, the truth is that, like so many bills passed in Washington, this bill wastes a lot of money to little effect. We’ll keep you posted as the political drama unfolds and more information becomes available.

HR 2640 “NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007”

NICS Improvement Amendments Act of 2007 -

Title I - Transmittal of Records
Section 101 -
Amends the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to:
(1) authorize the Attorney General to obtain electronic versions of information from federal agencies on persons disqualified from receiving firearms;
(2) require federal agencies to provide such information to the Attorney General, not less frequently than quarterly; and
(3) require federal agencies to update, correct, modify, or remove obsolete records and notify the Attorney General of such action to keep the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS) up to date.

Requires the Attorney General to submit annual reports to Congress on the compliance of federal agencies with such reporting requirements.

Requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to provide the Attorney General, not less than quarterly, information for determining whether a person is disqualified under the federal criminal code from possessing or receiving a firearm for use in NICS background checks.

Requires the Attorney General to:
(1) ensure that all NICS information received from federal agencies is kept accurate and confidential;
(2) provide for the removal and destruction of obsolete and erroneous names and information from the NICS; and
(3) work with states to encourage the development of computer systems for notifying the Attorney General when a court order has been issued or removed or a person has been adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to a mental institution.

Prohibits federal agencies from providing a person’s mental health or commitment information to the Attorney General if:
(1) such information has been set aside or expunged or the person involved has been fully released or discharged from all mandatory treatment, supervision, or monitoring;
(2) the person has been found to no longer suffer from a mental health condition or has been found to be rehabilitated; or
(3) the person has not been found to be a danger to himself or others or the person lacks the mental capacity to manage his own affairs.

Section 102 -
Grants states a two-year waiver of the matching fund requirement (10%) for criminal justice identification grants if such states provide at least 90% of the information required to be transmitted to the NICS under this Act. Requires states to provide reasonable estimates of the number of records transmitted to the NICS for purposes of granting such waiver.

Requires states to make electronically available to the Attorney General records relating to persons:
(1) disqualified from possessing or receiving a firearm;
(2) convicted of misdemeanor crimes of domestic violence; and
(3) adjudicated as mentally defective or committed to mental institutions. Requires states to update, correct, modify, or remove obsolete records in the NICS.

Requires the Attorney General to:
(1) establish regulations and protocols to protect the privacy of information in the NICS; and
(2) report annually to the Judiciary Committees of Congress on the progress of states in automating criminal records databases and making such data available to the Attorney General.

Section 103 -
Requires the Attorney General to make grants to states and Indian tribal governments to establish or upgrade information and identification technologies for firearms eligibility determinations. Allows up to 5% of grant funding for Indian tribal governments, including tribal judicial systems. Specifies allowable uses of grant funds. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.
Prohibits the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) from charging user fees for NICS background checks.

Section 104 -
Requires the Attorney General to submit to the Judiciary Committees of Congress an annual report on the progress of states in automating databases of information for transmittal to the NICS. Authorizes appropriations.
Provides for discretionary and mandatory penalties for states that fail to provide information required by this Act. Allows a waiver of such penalties for states that provide substantial evidence of reasonable efforts to comply with requirements for providing information.

Section 105 -
Requires states, as a condition of grant eligibility, to establish procedures to allow persons with disabilities relating to mental health status or commitment to obtain relief from such disabilities for purposes of firearms eligibility. Requires states to allow de novo review in state courts of denials of relief.

Title II - Focusing Federal Assistance on the Improvement of Relevant Records
Requires the Director of the Bureau of Justice Statistics to: (1) study and evaluate the operations of the NICS; and (2) report to Congress annually on state estimates of records transmitted to the NICS and on best practices of states for handling information to be transmitted to the NICS.
Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.

Title III - Grants to State Court Systems for the Improvement in Automation and Transmittal of Disposition Records
Requires the Attorney General to make grants to states and Indian tribal governments for use by state and tribal court systems to improve the automation and transmittal of criminal history dispositions and records and mental health adjudications or commitments to federal and state record repositories. Authorizes appropriations for FY2008-FY2010.

Title IV - GAO Audit
Requires the Comptroller General to audit expenditures for criminal records improvement under the Brady Handgun Violence Prevention Act to determine if such expenditures were made in accordance with such Act and to report to Congress on the findings of such audit.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/20/2007 at 05:16 PM   
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Good News for the Day

Via the NRA-ILE we hear about a new bill proposed by Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zach Space (D-Ohio) entitled: H.R. 4900: The “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007”

Representatives Steve King (R-Iowa) and Zach Space (D-Ohio), have introduced H.R. 4900 the “Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives Reform and Firearms Modernization Act of 2007.” The bill would roll back unnecessary restrictions, correct errors, and codify longstanding congressional policies in the firearms arena. This bipartisan bill is a vital step to modernize and improve BATFE operations.

Of highest importance, H.R. 4900 totally rewrites the system of administrative penalties for licensed dealers, manufacturers and importers of firearms. Today, for most violations, BATFE can only give a federal firearms license (FFL) holder a warning, or totally revoke his license.

H.R. 4900 would allow fines or license suspensions for less serious violations, while still allowing license revocation for the kind of serious violations that would block an investigation or put guns in the hands of criminals. This prevents the all-too-common situations where BATFE has punished licensees for insignificant technical violation—such as improper use of abbreviations, or filing records in the wrong order.

Among its other provisions, H.R. 4900:

• Clarifies the standard for “willful” violations—allowing penalties for intentional, purposeful violations of the law, but not for simple paperwork mistakes.
• Improves the process for imposing penalties, notably by allowing FFLs to appeal BATFE penalties to a neutral administrative law judge, rather than to an employee of BATFE itself.
• Allows a licensee a period of time to liquidate inventory when he goes out of business.
• Allows a grace period for people taking over an existing firearms business to correct problems in the business’s records—so if a person inherits a family gun store (for example), the new owner couldn’t be punished for the previous owner’s recordkeeping violations.
• Reforms the procedures for consideration of federal firearms license applications. Under H.R. 4900, denial of an application will require notification to the applicant, complete with reasons for the denial. Additionally, an applicant will be allowed to provide supplemental information and to have a hearing on the application.
• Codifies limits on disclosure of firearms trace data—which Congress has already limited through a series of appropriations riders over the past three years, out of concern for gun owners’ privacy and the confidentiality of law enforcement records. The provision would still allow law enforcement agencies full access to trace data for bona fide criminal investigations.
• Requires BATFE to establish clear investigative guidelines.
• Clarifies the licensing requirement for gunsmiths distinguishing between repair and other gunsmith work and manufacture of a firearm.
• Prevents disclosure of information in FFL records outside of law enforcement agencies.
• Focuses BATFE’s efforts on violations of firearms, explosives, arson, alcohol and tobacco laws, rather than on broader areas such as gang or drug investigations.
• Eliminates a provision of the Youth Handgun Safety Act that requires those under 18 to have written permission to use a handgun for lawful purposes (such as competitive shooting or safety training)—even when the parent or guardian is present.
• Permanently bans taxes or “user fees” on background checks by the federal instant check system—fees that Congress has prohibited in annual appropriations riders since 1998.
• Permanently bans creation of a centralized electronic index of dealers’ records—a threat to gun owners’ privacy that Congress has barred through appropriations riders for a decade.
• Allows importation and transfer of machineguns by firearm and ammunition manufacturers for use in developing or testing firearms and ammunition. In particular, ammunition manufacturers fulfilling government contracts need to ensure that their ammunition works reliably.
• Allows transfer and possession of machineguns for use by federal security contractors. Additionally, H.R. 4900 provides for the transfer and possession of machineguns by professional film and theatrical organizations.
• Repeals the Brady Act’s “interim” waiting period provisions, which expired in 1998.
• Gives BATFE sole responsibility for receiving reports of multiple handgun sales. (Currently, dealers also have to report multiple sales to state or local agencies, a requirement that has shown little or no law enforcement value.)
• Restores a policy that allowed importation of barrels, frames and receivers from non-importable firearms, when they can be used as repair or replacement parts.

Like the anti-gunners like to say when introducing new gun restrictions: “This doesn’t accomplish all we’d like to do, but it’s a good first step”

Posted by Drew458     on 12/20/2007 at 05:15 PM   
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OH COME ALL YE FAITHFUL TO MIDNIGHT MASS.  BE THERE AT 8pm THOUGH ,SAY POLICE.

OH COME ALL YE FAITHFUL TO MIDNIGHT MASS.  BE THERE AT 8pm THOUGH ,SAY POLICE.

Police should safeguard Midnight Mass

Sir - I find it astonishing that the police have advised Roman Catholic clergy in many areas to hold Midnight Mass at eight in the evening, because of fears of alcohol-related violent crime (report, December 19).

The police have the powers to take action against licensed outlets that sell alcohol to someone who is intoxicated, and to arrest anyone who is drunk and disorderly. Is it the first tacit admission by the police that they have not only lost control of Britain’s streets, but also that they have no intention of trying to reclaim them?

Michael Perris, Brighton, East Sussex

Sir - I wonder if the leaders of other faiths would be happy to rearrange their traditional timetables if services were likely to be disrupted or worshippers were threatened with violence - or would they possibly expect the police to protect them?

John Haythorne, Woking, Surrey

Sir - Instead of taking the easy option of advising churches to hold Midnight Mass at a wholly inappropriate time to avoid disruption by rowdy drunks, the police should do what they are paid to do; be out on the streets to prevent such occurrences, thus ensuring that church-goers can worship in peace.

Bill Hollowell, Peterborough, Cambridgeshire

Sir - While members of our Armed Forces are giving their lives in countries far away to bring democracy to their populations, our own church-goers are scurrying surreptitiously to their places of worship hoping to arrive and depart safely. Instead of closing churches early, why not close pubs and clubs before it gets dark?

Gerald Fisher, Kettering, Northamptonshire

Sir - Am I really living in a country where Midnight Mass cannot be celebrated at midnight?

Tony Langford, Coventry

dtletters@telegraph.co.uk

I just HAD to post these letters from this morning’s paper.  Ain’t this somethin?  I just guess being a Christian at Christmas isn’t the thing to be if you expect peace at, in or near your church.  Midnight mass at 8pm.  Just doesn’t have a ring to it but hey, the rowdies and yobs and drunks have rights too ya know.
Wonder if the police advice was given with a straight face.  Ya think? Maybe.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/20/2007 at 12:51 PM   
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We Deserve to be Proud

The following was sent to me by a high school buddy who is a Lieutenant Colonel in the Army. He’s just come back from a two year tour in Iraq. I’ve already chastised him for failing to cite sources. You’d think he’d know better, he’s in Army Intelligence. (Please, no jokes...)

When in England at a fairly large conference, Colin Powell was asked by the Archbishop of Canterbury if our plans for Iraq were just an example of empire building by George Bush. He answered by saying, “Over the years, the United States has sent many of its fine young men and women into great peril to fight for freedom beyond our borders. The only amount of land we have ever asked for in return is enough to bury those that did not return.”

It became very quiet in the room.

Then there was a conference in France where a number of international engineers were taking part, including French and American.  During a break one of the French engineers came back into the room saying “Have you heard the latest dumb stunt Bush has done?  He has sent an aircraft carrier to Indonesia to help the tsunami victims. What does he intended to do, bomb them?”

A Boeing engineer stood up and replied quietly: “Our carriers have three hospitals on board that can treat several hundred people; they are nuclear powered and can supply emergency electrical power to shore facilities; they have three cafeterias with the capacity to feed 3,000 people three meals a day, they can produce several thousand gallons of fresh water from sea water each day, and they carry half a dozen helicopters for use in transporting victims and injured to and from their flight deck. We have eleven such ships; how many does France have?”

Once again, dead silence.

A U.S. Navy Admiral was attending a naval conference that included Admirals from the U.S., English, Canadian, Australian and French Navies. At a cocktail reception, he found himself standing with a large group of Officers that included personnel from most of those countries.  Everyone was chatting away in English as they sipped their drinks but a French admiral suddenly complained that, ‘whereas Europeans learn many languages, Americans learn only English.’ He then asked, ‘Why is it that we always have to speak English in these conferences rather than speaking French?’ Without hesitating, the American Admiral replied ‘Maybe it’s because the Brits, Canadians, Aussies and Americans arranged it so you wouldn’t have to speak German.’

I’d sure love to have sources for this. But even if anecdotal, it sure makes me proud. Especially the Boeing engineer. I’m a NavVet.

Posted by Christopher     on 12/20/2007 at 08:14 AM   
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   Wednesday - December 19, 2007

New Fred Thompson Ad

via RightWingNews

Heh.

Not official, of course, but should be.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/19/2007 at 02:06 PM   
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News Bits for the Day

A ton of things to write about today.

First off, the congress and, apparently, President Bush, thinks its just fine and dandy that they tell us which lightbulbs we will be able to buy, what vehicles we should drive and what kinds of fuels will be produced.

WASHINGTON (AP)—Congress by a wide margin approved the first increase in automobile fuel economy in 32 years Tuesday, and President Bush plans to quickly sign the legislation, accepting the mandates on the auto industry.

The energy bill, boosting mileage by 40 percent to 35 miles per gallon, passed the House 314-100 and now goes to the White House, following the Senate’s approved last week.

In a statement, the White House said Bush will sign the legislation at the Energy Department on Wednesday.

In a dramatic shift to spur increased demand for nonfossil fuels, the bill also requires a six-fold increase in ethanol use to 36 billion gallons a year by 2022, a boon to farmers. And it requires new energy efficiency standards for an array of appliances, lighting and commercial and government buildings.

“This legislation is a historic turning point in energy policy,” said Majority Leader Steny Hoyer of Maryland because it will cut demand for foreign oil and promote nonfossil fuels that will cut greenhouse gases linked to global warming.

Nevermind that I want to be able to decide what kind of lightbulbs to buy.  Nevermind that the food industry is suffering from so much corn being diverted to fuel.  nevermind that biofuel will reduce imports by four million barrels per day.  Those same folks are the ones who are rejecting as “very very bad”, the drilling in ANWR to bring us a million barrels per day.

Lastly, they always tote out the line of “...fuels that will cut greenhouse gases linked to global warming” Linked by who, precicely?  Jerks.

Iraqis Include Christmas As Religious Holiday!

The following is a translation from Iraq’s news paper Alamashriq on December 18, 2007 by Iraqi-American Haider Ajina:

Iraqi Government extends Religious Holidays to Include Christmas.

The Iraqi Government announced, yesterday Monday, the extension of the religious holiday (for all Government offices) to celebrate Eid Al-Adha (Three day Muslim Religious Holiday at the end of the Pilgrimage to Mecca) one extra day to Include celebrating the Birth of Jesus Christ on Christmas day. The Iraqi national press office released this announcement which declared December 25th a national holiday in Iraq for all government offices (national and provincial). The government in its press release mentions that this allows our citizens to celebrate Eid Al-Adha and the birth of the messiah (peace be upon him).

Haider Ajina comments,

While I was growing up in Iraq, in the sixties and seventies, Christmas (or Celebration of Birth of the Messiah as it’s called by Arab Christians) was acknowledged and celebrated but it was never a national holiday. Christians had the day off with pay and Christian children did not have to come to school on Christmas. Even children from Mixed marriages (Christian and Muslim parents) could stay out of school if they wanted, it was an excused holiday.

I am pleased and surprised to see the government declaring it a national holiday. This way almost all Iraqis can celebrate their religious holidays together. This is another positive change and one of many steps towards national unity. Eid and Christmas celebrations will be held under substantially improved circumstances from last year.

Iraqis have plenty to celebrate as this year comes to an end. Thanks to our men and women who have served and are still serving in Iraq. The future of Iraq is looking very bright and hopeful, with much hard work to rebuild and ground this new democracy and rule of law, still ahead.

Regards,
Haider Ajina

Washington Times Columnist Lists Some Very Inconvenient Truths For The Global Warming Cultists
David Deming’s commentary on global warming in this morning’s edition of the Washington Times is one of the best I’ve ever read.

If he’s right - and I believe he is because he’s obviously done his homework - the global warming bunch will end up with a substantial amount of egg on their face by the end of this winter:

South America this year experienced one of its coldest winters in decades. In Buenos Aires, snow fell for the first time since the year 1918. Dozens of homeless people died from exposure. In Peru, 200 people died from the cold and thousands more became infected with respiratory diseases. Crops failed, livestock perished, and the Peruvian government declared a state of emergency.

Unexpected bitter cold swept the entire Southern Hemisphere in 2007. Johannesburg, South Africa, had the first significant snowfall in 26 years. Australia experienced the coldest June ever. In northeastern Australia, the city of Townsville underwent the longest period of continuously cold weather since 1941. In New Zealand, the weather turned so cold that vineyards were endangered.

Last January, $1.42 billion worth of California produce was lost to a devastating five-day freeze. Thousands of agricultural employees were thrown out of work. At the supermarket, citrus prices soared. In the wake of the freeze, California Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger asked President Bush to issue a disaster declaration for affected counties. A few months earlier, Mr. Schwarzenegger had enthusiastically signed the California Global Warming Solutions Act of 2006, a law designed to cool the climate. California Sen. Barbara Boxer continues to push for similar legislation in the U.S. Senate.

In April, a killing freeze destroyed 95 percent of South Carolina’s peach crop, and 90 percent of North Carolina’s apple harvest. At Charlotte, N.C., a record low temperature of 21 degrees Fahrenheit on April 8 was the coldest ever recorded for April, breaking a record set in 1923. On June 8, Denver recorded a new low of 31 degrees Fahrenheit. Denver’s temperature records extend back to 1872.

Recent weeks have seen the return of unusually cold conditions to the Northern Hemisphere. On Dec. 7, St. Cloud, Minn., set a new record low of minus 15 degrees Fahrenheit. On the same date, record low temperatures were also recorded in Pennsylvania and Ohio.

Extreme cold weather is occurring worldwide. On Dec. 4, in Seoul, Korea, the temperature was a record minus 5 degrees Celsius. Nov. 24, in Meacham, Ore., the minimum temperature was 12 degrees Fahrenheit colder than the previous record low set in 1952. The Canadian government warns that this winter is likely to be the coldest in 15 years

Of course, the global warmers will answer with this type of psychobabble double-speak:

If you think any of the preceding facts can falsify global warming, you’re hopelessly naive. Nothing creates cognitive dissonance in the mind of a true believer. In 2005, a Canadian Greenpeace representative explained “global warming can mean colder, it can mean drier, it can mean wetter.” In other words, all weather variations are evidence for global warming. I can’t make this stuff up.

We’ll know in afew short months if Gore’s dire end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it predictions are an incovenient truth as he would have us believe, or just convenient for his bank account.

In the meantime, my hat’s off to David Deming for this incovenient article.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/19/2007 at 01:17 PM   
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Guess they never looked in New York City

A giant rodent five times the size of a common rat has been discovered in the mountainous jungles of New Guinea.

The 1.4kg Mallomys giant rat is one of two species of mammal thought to be new to science documented on an expedition to an area described as a “lost world”.
...
“It’s comforting to know that there is a place on Earth so isolated that it remains the absolute realm of wild nature,” said Bruce Beehler, who led the expedition.
...
The trip was the second time that CI had visited the Foja Mountains, part of the Mamberamo Basin, the largest pristine tropical forest in the Asia Pacific region.

In 2005, the area was dubbed a “lost world” after scientists discovered dozens of new plants and animals in the dense jungle.
...
“The giant rat is about five times the size of a typical city rat,” said Kristofer Helgen, a scientist with the Smithsonian Institution in Washington, D.C.

“With no fear of humans, it apparently came into the camp several times during the trip.”

Posted by Drew458     on 12/19/2007 at 10:20 AM   
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HOW’S THIS FOR REALLY CREEPY?

HOW’S THIS FOR REALLY CREEPY?

Mother kept baby’s body for 50 years
http://tinyurl.com/yteu9q

By Graham Tibbetts

Last Updated: 3:06am GMT 19/12/2007

A woman who had an affair with her married dance instructor kept the remains of their love-child hidden away from a disapproving world for half a century, an inquest was told yesterday.

Gladys Mary Briggs, who gave birth out of wedlock in 1957, locked the baby’s body in a suitcase and lived with it in her council flat for 50 years.

It was only discovered this year when council staff visited Mrs Briggs’s home after ill-health forced her to leave. They found the remains wrapped in cloth, enclosed with a copy of a newspaper of the time.

Mrs Briggs refused to reveal the baby’s identity to police and denied having given birth to him. She died three months after the discovery in January. The boy’s father, Godfrey Moorhen, now 102 and living in sheltered accommodation, has also refused to discuss the matter.

Mr Moorhen’s daughter told an inquest into the boy’s death at Reading, Berks, that she had been “absolutely shattered” by the discovery that she had a half-brother.

Patricia Clements said: “My father had an affair with Mary Briggs from 1944 until she died. Really, they were dancing partners.

“We knew that there was a baby. I was 20 when I found out and I am 76 now.” She had assumed that the boy had been given up for adoption.

Mrs Clements said she had tried to get her father to admit the dead baby was his but he had so far refused. “He was very worried about the consequences might be.”

Posted by Drew458     on 12/19/2007 at 09:59 AM   
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¿usted me está embromando?

FoxNews link to AP story here

MEXICO CITY — The Mexican government reported the results of recent studies on Tuesday showing that 68 percent of Mexicans who migrate or try to migrate to the United States do so without documents and 55 percent of them hire immigrant smugglers.

The report, timed to coincide with the U.N. International Migrants Day, also noted that the Mexican-born population living in the United States increased from about 800,000 in 1970 to more than 11 million in 2006.

The majority of Mexicans now living in the United States — 6.2 million — are undocumented, according to the report, which was based on surveys of migrants and information from the government’s National Population Council.

Almost 30 million people in the United are direct descendants of Mexico migrants, the report stated.

In contrast, the report said the immigrant population in Mexico is quite small and has not experienced rapid growth.

The number of foreign residents in Mexico grew from 340,000 people en 1990, or about 0.42 percent of the population at the time, to about 493,000 in 2000, or about 0.5 percent, the last year for which data is available.

More than two-thirds of the foreign residents are from the United States, and many of those are of Mexican extraction.

So, we get 42 million of theirs, and they get barely half a million of ours, most of which were theirs to begin with. Sounds like free trade to me!

20 million illegals probably have at least 60 million children. That’s 27 percent of the population, caused by lack of border security. No wonder I can never find a parking spot.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/19/2007 at 08:48 AM   
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   Tuesday - December 18, 2007

Was it slavery, or just cultural differences?

Justice or BS?

LINK TO STORY

A millionaire couple who brought two Indonesian women to America to work for them as housekeepers inside their Long Island mansion were convicted today of what prosecutors called a case of “modern-day slavery.”

Varsha Sabhnani collapsed into the chest of her husband, Mahender Sabhnani, after a jury found them guilty of all charges in a 12-count federal indictment that included forced labor, conspiracy, involuntary servitude, and harboring aliens.

This sounds just awful. Keeping slaves? The subhuman bastards. Hang ‘em.

The verdict brought an end to a trial that portrayed the Sabhnanis’s elegant mansion as a house of horrors for the two victims, who came to America for a better life but ended up making pennies an hour under horrendous conditions.

The victims said they were beaten with brooms and umbrellas, slashed with knives, forced to climb stairs, and take freezing cold showers as punishment for various misdeeds. One victim was forced to eat dozens of chili peppers against her will, and then was forced to eat her own vomit when she couldn’t keep the peppers down, prosecutors said.

Twisted sickos. What is wrong with the minds of some people?

But is there another side of the story?

The defense contended the two women concocted the story as a way of escaping the house for more lucrative opportunities. They also argued the housekeepers practiced witchcraft and may have abused themselves as part of an Indonesian self-mutilation ritual.

You mean they’re muslims and celebrating ramadan? But witchcraft? What? Huh?

The trial also provided a glimpse into the growing problem in America of domestic workers being exploited in slave-like conditions. Experts hoped that the verdict would have a lasting legacy.

“This certainly does send a message that people can’t do this,” a sociology professor at Hunter College, Nancy Foner, said. “This is a lesson; I hope this verdict will make people frightened.”

Ok, whenever I hear that “we’re sending a message” line in connection with a jury verdict, my BS detector automatically switches on. What aren’t we hearing here? What evidence was suppressed? What’s the spin?

Assistant U.S. Attorney Mark Lesko said in closing arguments that the poorly educated women barely eked out a living in Indonesia and came to America to work as housekeepers for $100 or $150 a month — all of which was sent to their relatives back home.

$100 a month is an awfully low wage in the US for full time work. But is that net or gross? I don’t know what the laws are for live-in domestic help, but can they be charged for room and board? What about taxes? And who made the decision to send all of the money back to the relatives?

The women said they were tortured and beaten for misdeeds that included sleeping late or stealing food from trash bins because they were poorly fed. Both women, known only as Samirah and Enung, also said they were forced to sleep on mats in the kitchen.
...
Although Varsha Sabhnani, 45, was identified as the primary culprit in inflicting punishment, Mr. Lesko said her 51-year-old husband was charged with the same crimes because he allowed the conduct to take place and benefited from the work the women performed in his home.
...
the Sabhnanis — he is from India, and she is from Indonesia, but both are naturalized American citizens

So we have a high and mighty rich lady from Indonesia treating her Indonesian servants really poorly. Is there perhaps a “cultural angle” to this story?

The Sabhnanis spent nearly three months in jail following their arrest before a judge signed off on a bail package that required the couple to post $4.5 million and pay an estimated $10,000 a day for round-the-clock security monitoring while they were kept under house arrest.

Holy smokes. 10 grand a day? What, did they hire an army division? That’s $50 an hour for 24 people for 6 months; over 1.8 million dollars. To sit on your butt with a cellphone and watch their house. Where do I sign up for this job? And this couple had to pay for this, prior to any verdict against them? Don’t we have some document somewhere that says something or other about cruel and unusual punishment and levying excessive fines?

There’s got to be more information out there .... ah, here’s another piece about it.

prosecutors say the two Indonesian women were made to sleep in closets of the sprawling, multimillion-dollar home of their employers.

There are closets, and then there are closets. In a mansion like this one, a closet could be the size of your living room. But the other article says they slept on mats in the kitchen. When I was in college we lived in a run down off-campus house and rented out rooms to whoever could pay the rent. One housemate was this guy Jerry from China, who slept on a thin cotton pad on a door resting on cinder blocks. He could have had a normal mattress but a pad on the floor was what he was used to. I’m just saying.

The defense lawyers, who are scheduled to begin their case on Monday, have characterized the two women as liars, practitioners of witchcraft, and inventors of a false claim designed to win them fast-track advantages that federal immigration law grants certain victims of torture and abuse. Whatever injuries the women may have suffered, the lawyers said, were self-inflicted in the practice of a traditional Indonesian folk cure known as kerokan.

I’ve never heard of kerokan before, so I looked it up and it sounds a bit rough but it is widely accepted over there -

Coining (kerokan) is scraping the back ribs with the edge of a coin or spoon to bring up long red welts.
...
Coining looks primitive and cruel to Westerners who first encounter this weird household ritual. But Indonesians swear it’s effective
...
Dr Haryadi is currently studying the effects of fasting. The Javanese have several systems, including fasting on alternate days or excluding certain foods from the diet.

Better health through beating yourself up and not eating. But all cultures are equal these days, so we have to accept this as valid.

But the fast-track immigration angle is worrying. “Abuse” in America can be awfully slight; look at the zero-tolerance nonsense in schools ( the 3 second rule for children hugging? Oh fer God’s sake), the sexual harassment oversensitivity in the workplace, the “Lautenberg Amendment” in domestic violence situations, etc. I’m not saying abuse does not occur, I’m only saying that we are extraordinarily sensitive to it and often overly quick to judge. This is not how the rest of the world works, and I can guarantee you things are worse than you can imagine in the Third World.

Claudia Flores, a staff lawyer for the American Civil Liberties Union who recently represented three Indian women kept in involuntary servitude by foreign diplomats in Washington, said foreign workers unfamiliar with American culture and language, already vulnerable, are pushed beyond the pale by isolation.

“Many times, they are forbidden to talk to people who come into the house,” Ms. Flores said. “If there are two of them, they are often forbidden to talk to each other. Their phone calls are monitored. They are not allowed to go anywhere unaccompanied. We are only seeing the women who are lucky enough and capable enough to find assistance. What we see is really only the tip of the iceberg.”

If the ACLU is involved then I’m almost certain this case has a dizzying amount of spin attached to it. I think this case is really a matter of Third World people with money treating Third World people without money exactly as they would back in the Third World. In other words, a lack of full assimilation into American culture. Iz pozzibul? Ah, but that’s a crime, at least in this case. 

Posted by Drew458     on 12/18/2007 at 10:35 AM   
Filed Under: • Miscellaneous •  
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A Picket Fence Instead

The 2006 Secure Fence Act specifically called for “two layers of reinforced fencing” and listed five specific sections of border where it should be installed.  When congress passed their spending bill last night, how do you think it came out?

Spending bill shrinks border fence

Congress last night passed a giant new spending bill that undermines current plans for a U.S.-Mexico border fence, allowing the Homeland Security Department to build a single-tier barrier rather than the two-tier version that has worked in California.

The spending bill, written by Democrats and passed 253-154 with mostly their votes, surrenders to President Bush’s budget demands, meeting his spending limit with a $515 billion bill to fund most of the federal government and setting up votes to pay for the Iraq war. But Democrats reached his goal in part by slashing his defense and foreign-aid priorities to pay for added domestic spending.

I don’t mind slashing some foreign aid, but defense cuts and domestic spending increases?  Good grief, if we don’t secure the border, there won’t be anything domestic to spend it on.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/18/2007 at 11:15 AM   
Filed Under: • Illegal-Aliens and Immigration • Politics •  
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7 for 7

via Gateway Pundit

Media Quagmire Continues… 7 Bogus Slaughter Stories in 7 Weeks!

The mainstream media remains perfect-- 7 bogus reports in 7 weeks.

Another exaggerated slaughter story made the news this weekend just like the bogus al-Kawwaz family slaughter made headlines last month.

On November 29, 2007, the Western media reported that 11 close family members of Jordanian-based Baathist reporter Dia al-Kawwaz, who runs the online anti-Iraq newspaper Shabeqat Akhbar al-Iraq, were slaughtered in Baghdad. This made headlines around the world. Two days later, the “dead family members” of Dia Al-Kawwaz appeared on Iraqi television smiling and waving to the cameras. Not one Western media organization showed this photo or film of the waving family members. (Andrew Bolt’s blog with the Australian Herald Sun posted this photo from Barutha News earlier today.)

There was another gruesome report from Diyala Province in Iraq this weekend.
Reportedly, Al-Qaeda and local villagers suffered dozens of casualties in a massive attack.

Up to 51 Iraqis were reportedly killed during an Al-Qaeda attack including three women!
The Herald Sun reported this news by Agence France-Presse:

AT least 39 people were killed in fierce clashes today between suspected al-Qaeda fighters and Sunni Arab villagers in the Iraqi province of Diyala, north-east of Baghdad, police said.

Baquba police Colonel Khairallah Ibrahim said two Sunni villages were attacked by al-Qaeda militants.

“Fierce fighting broke out between the villagers and al-Qaeda fighters in which 17 villagers and 22 al-Qaeda militants have been killed,” he said.

Col Ibrahim said three women were among the villagers killed.

“Most of those killed from the villages were members of the anti-Qaeda front formed recently in the area,” said another police officer, Lieutenant Colonel Ibrahim al-Obeidi.

The Times of India, among others, also carried this Diyala slaughter story.
Iran Press TV reported that 51 were dead in the Diyala fighting.
RTTNews reported that 51 were killed in the Al-Qaeda attacks.

But, guess what?…
This was just another bogus report.
It wasn’t a mass slaughter after all.
The MNF-Iraq forces investigated this Diyala attack thoroughly and wrote me with their findings later today:

The Provincial Joint Coordination Center (PJCC) in Diyala reported an attack on the villages of Sufeit and Nye near Khalis by al-Qaeda on Dec 16. Two civilians were killed and three civilians were injured as a result of this attack.

** Two civilians were killed- Not 39 and not 51 like the media reported.

It was just another bogus exaggerated report of mass violence from Iraq.

Add this bogus report with the other 6 that were found out to be false and you have 7 bogus slaughter reports from Iraq in 7 weeks since October 29, 2007.

The MSM keeps it perfect.

But we’re supposed to trust them and their scores of fact-checkers to give us the “real” story, right?  Right.

Posted by Drew458     on 12/18/2007 at 11:00 AM   
Filed Under: • Media-Bias • Middle-East •  
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