October 30, 2004
Beheaded Asian body found in Iraq
The beheaded body of an Asian man was found wrapped in an American flag outside Baghdad today.
Officials initially thought it was the body of decapitated hostage Shosei Koda, murdered yesterday by terrorists. But later examination found that it was not Koda's body.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Hiroyuki Hosoda said Saturday, "It was nearly certain that the body is not the one of Mr. Koda."More information is sure to follow on this one.
UPDATE 12M ET Sunday: The body has now been positively identified as that of murdered 24 year-old Japanese hostage Shosei Koda.
Japanese Embassy officials in Baghdad sent fingerprints of the body to the Foreign Ministry in Tokyo, and police experts there positively identified the body as Koda's, (Japanese Foreign Minister Nobutaka) Machimura said.Monsters. That's the only term to describe such uncivilized individuals masquerading as human beings."It is to our great sorrow that after putting all our efforts into securing his release he has become a victim of terrorism," Machimura said.
"We cannot allow this kind of action. Japan, in cooperation with the international community …, must continue the battle against terrorism."
College instructor kicks student for wearing GOP shirt; gets in trouble
An instructor at Durango, CO's Ft. Lewis College says she's sorry for kicking a student. She admits she kicked him for wearing a College Republicans shirt.
Fort Lewis College student Mark O'Donnell said he was showing people his College Republicans sweat shirt, which said "Work for us now … or work for us later," when Maria Spero kicked him in the leg at an off-campus restaurant.I guess it would have been OK for her to kick someone if they weren't a student, eh?Spero then said "she should have kicked me harder and higher," said O'Donnell. "To physically take that out on someone because you disagree with them, that is completely wrong."
Spero, a visiting instructor of modern languages, apologized to O'Donnell in a letter dated Oct. 29.
"I acted entirely inappropriately by kicking you, giving vent to a thoughtless knee-jerk political reaction that should never have happened," she wrote. "Before the incident, I did not know you and that you are a Fort Lewis student."
O'Donnell says that Spero's apology letter isn't enough, and is planning on filing a formal complaint with the College.
October 29, 2004
Osama's transcript from after emerging from his Lazarus Pit
I can't help comparing Osama Bin Laden to Batman arch-villain Ra's Al Ghul.
Al Ghul (which translates from Arabic as "The Demon's Head) was exceptionally long-lived, thanks to something called a "Lazarus Pit," which contained a chemical brew that once immersed in it, would heal him of his maladies, leaving him rested and ready to face the Dark Knight once again.
A side effect of the Lazarus Pit was total madness, which also compares with Bin Laden.
BIN LADEN TRANSCRIPTMore below the fold...
FRI OCT 29 2004 17:45:46 ET
Newsreader: A new message from Bin Laden to the American people about the reasons and resulats of the 9/11 attacks.
Newsreader 2: The head of AL Qaeda says the continuation of us policy will lead to the repetition of what happened.
Male presenter: The head of AL Qaeda organization directed a message to the American people and this video and audio apearence in this tape which Jezeera required for the first time for two years. In the beginning of his message, he spoke about the reasons why they chose the US to execute 9/11.
OBL: You American people, my speech to you is the best way to avoid another conflict about the war and its reasons and results. I am telling you security is an important pillar of human life. And free people don't let go of their security contrary to Bush's claims that we hate freedom. He should tell us why we didn't hit Sweden for instance. Its known that those who hate freedom don't have dignified souls.like
the 19 who were blessed. But we fought you because we are free people,
we don't sleep on our oppression. We want to regain the freedom of our
Muslim nation as you spill our security, we spill your security.
Female presenter: Bin Laden spoke for the first time about the main reasons he thought of executing Sept 11 attacks, confirming that the Israeli operation in Lebanon was the first incident where he thought of it.
OBL: I am so surprised by you. Although we are in the fourth year after the events of sept 11, Bush is still practicing distortion and misleading on you, and obscuring the main reasons and therefore the reasons are still existing to repeat what happened before. I will tell you the reasons behind theses incidents.
I will be honest with you on the moment when the decision was taken to understand. We never thought of hitting the towers. But after we were so fed up, and we saw the oppression of the American Israeli coalition on our people in Palestine and Lebanon, it came to my mind and the incidents that really touched me directly goes back to 1982 and the following incidents. When the US permitted the Israelis to invade Lebanon with the assistance of the 6th fleet. In these hard moments, it occurred to me so many meanings I cant explain but it resulted in a general feeling of rejecting oppression and gave me a hard determination to punish the oppressors. While I was looking at the destroyed towers in Lebanon, it came to my mind to punish the oppressor the same way and destroy towers in the US to get a taste of what they tasted, and quit killing our children and women.
Male presenter: Bin Laden considered in his message that the results of Sept 11 were successful in his opinion and as a reason of that, he said that the similarity between the administration of Bush the father and the arab regimes said Bush learned so much from them during his visits.
OBL: We didn't find difficulty dealing with Bush and his administration due to the similarity of his regime and the regims in our countries. Whish half of them are ruled by military and the other half by sons of kings and presidents and our experience with them is long. Both parties are arrogant and stubborn and the greediness and taking money without right and that similarity appeared during the visits of Bush to the region while people from our side were impressed by the US and hoped that these visits would influence our countries. Here he is being influenced by these regimes, Royal and military. And was feeling jealous they were staying for decades in power stealing the nations finances without anybody overseeing them. So he transferred the oppression of freedom and tyranny to his son and they call it the Patriot Law to fight terrorism. He was bright in putting his sons as governors in states and he didn't forget to transfer his experience from the rulers of our region to Florida to falsify elections to benefit from it in critical times.
Female Presenter: Bin Laden considered the way Bush dealt with the first moments of Sept. 11, giving a good chance to the executors of Sept. 11 to complete it.
OBL: We agreed with Mohamed Atta, god bless him, to execute the whole operation in 20 minutes. Before Bush and his administration would pay attention and we never thought that the high commander of the US armies would leave 50 thousand of his citizens in both towers to face the horrors by themselves when they most needed him because it seemed to distract his attention from listening to the girl telling him about her goat butting was more important than paying attention to airplanes butting the towers which gave us three times the time to execute the operation thank god.
Male presenter: the final part of the message is that the security of the Americans depends on the policy that they execute despite the winner of the elections.
OBL: Your security is not in the hands of Kerry or Bush or Al Qaeda. Your security is in your hands. Each state that doenst mess with our security has automatically secured their security.
Female Presenter: In Bin Laden's message he approached other points. He pointed to the contradiction which considers oppression and killing of innocents a legal act. They formed an international law as bush the father did with the children of iraq according to bin laden. Bin Laden pointed to the millions of pounds of explosives dropped on Iraqi children as bush his son had done, as he said to remove an old agent and install a new agent to help instealing the oil of iraq. And bin laden said the events of 9/11 came as an answer to this oppression and said that if the answer to this oppression is considered bad terror, then we need to do it. And he stressed that he wants to deliver this message to the Americans in words and in deeds since the 9/11 events. He reminded Americans of a few warning messages through various news media like Time Magazine and CNN and other Arab and correspondents since 1996. He warned them of the conswquences of their countries policies. He talked abou t the damage Sept 11 caused the US economy and that it cost close to a trillion dollars. He talked about President Bush and that the emergency law requires more money.
END
The Kerry camp's continued pandering to black audiences: "We got you Al Sharpton!"
John Kerry was on his way through Ohio recently, particularly headed toward Xenia, OH (an area where I spent my summers growing up, and where my mother grew up).
At nearby Wilberforce and Central State Universities (they are about five or six miles east of Xenia; my grandparents' house was actually in the village of Wilberforce), supporters were led to believe that Kerry would stop if they could get 100 people to see him.
Eventually 150 students and supporters — including congressional candidate Kara Anastasio — gathered for four hours on a cold (rainy and snowy) Ohio day.Ah, but there's the rub. Kerry and the Democrats figure they do have the black vote sewn up.And the Kerry caravan drove right on by. All the long-suffering got from the candidate was a clenched "victory" fist out the window.
According to Shavon Ray, president of Wilberforce's NAACP, the students were devastated — with comments such as "This is why I don't vote."
Ray told the local NAACP chapter the affair was a "slap in the face."
After the incident — and Ray's criticism — made the local paper, the Democratic Party sent one Ken Miller to Wilberforce to meet with Ray. He offered 50 tickets — and 8 VIP tickets — to a Kerry event in Dayton.
Ray declined what she saw as "hush tickets." Taking seriously the idea that the NAACP is supposed to be non-partisan, Ray turned the tickets over to Wilberforce's student government.
Next, Miller offered to have Rev. Al Sharpton stop by as a speaker. That annoyed Ray even more: "We don't want a black face to speak to black students."
The final straw was when Miller said Sharpton would be sent to speak to Central State University — along with X-rated rapper Foxy Brown.
When Ray reminded Miller that they didn't want anything to do with Sharpton, Miller allegedly responded, "What do you want — Kerry to lose the f---ing race? We got you Al Sharpton. What more do you want?"
For Shavon Ray, it was simple: "The [campaign] could have just offered an apology and shared their sympathy to our school."
Perhaps Kerry shouldn't be held responsible for mistakes and intemperate behavior of the local Democratic organization. But Ray, fairly enough, says, "If you can't handle this situation — which is minor — how are you going to handle the type of situations a president faces?"
She adds: "This is not acceptable. You can't bypass us like we don't even matter, like you have our vote pocketed and you don't."
And they figure they can treat blacks like Oliver Twist asking for more gruel.
The sad part is that there are many blacks who take that kind of treatment from Democrats, when they wouldn't take it from anyone else. Why? Because they are afraid to leave the "liberal plantation."
Based on Osama's talking points, he's obviously believes Michael Moore's lies
New Osama VIDEO tape released on Al Jazeera
BREAKING: A new video tape of Osama Bin Laden, codemning President George W. Bush, has surfaced on Al Jazeera.
Senior intelligence sources have indicated that Bin Laden is speaking directly to the American people.
Sounds like he's giving his endorsement of John Kerry.
More details as they come.
UPDATE 4:30P ET Says the US resembles "corrupt Arab governments."
Osama also says the 9/11 attacks would have been less severe if we (as a nation) had been more alert.
He also accused the Bush Administration of "misleading" the American people in the years since 9/11.
I was joking before, but this REALLY DOES sound like Osama is campaigning for Kerry!
UPDATE 5P ET: According to Al Jazeera, Bin Laden's statements were critical of President Bush, but warned the American public that John Kerry would not be able to safeguard things either.
He accused Bush of reacting slowly to the September 11 attacks, saying: "I never thought that the supreme leader would leave 50,000 of his people in the two towers to face the terrifying events alone at the time they were in need for him."UPDATE 5:45P ET: Both President Bush and Senator Kerry are set to make responding statements to the Osama tape within the next hour or so. Stay tuned.Refering to next week's elections, he told Americans: "Your security is not in the hands of (Democratic candidate John) Kerry or (President George W.) Bush or al-Qaida. Your security is in your own hands ...."
Claiming responsibility for the attacks, bin Ladin said, "we decided to destroy towers in America," because "we want to regain the freedom of our nation."
He added that "the reasons to repeat what happened" on 11 September 2001 remain.
UPDATE 5:50P ET: Kerry's statement:
As Americans, we are absolutely united in our determination to hunt down and destroy Osama Bin Laden....I will stop at nothing to capture or kill these terrorists...Bush's statement:
Americans will not be intimidated or influenced by an enemy of our country. I'm sure Senator Kerry agrees with me on this. We're at war with these terrorists, and I'm confident that we will prevail.
Sky News: Japanese hostage beheaded in Iraq by monsters
Sky News and Reuters are both reporting at this hour that Japanese AQ hostage 24-year-old Shosei Koda, has been decapitated by the terrorists who held him in Iraq.
It follows a threat on Wednesday to behead 24-year-old Shosei Koda.At the same time we received word of this, word of a new tape from Osama Bin Laden speaking directly to the American people has surfaced. Al Jazeera is due to air that video within the hour.The threat was made by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's militant group in an internet video.
They said they would kill Mr Koda within 48 hours unless Japan withdrew its troops from Iraq.
But Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi insisted his non-combat troops would ill remain in the country.
And according to senior intelligence officials, this is a new tape that HAS been authenticated. More info (and a separate blog entry) due within the next half-hour .
Pentagon: 200 tons of Al Qaqaa explosives removed and destroyed by US forces
According to an early afternoon Pentagon briefing, soldiers from the 3-I-D destroyed more than 200 tons of conventional weapons at the Al Qaqaa complex in April 2003.
Major Austin Pearson from the 3-I-D was present at the briefing to talk about the ammunition stored at the depot.
Pearson says he brought the ordinance to a holding area, and then was in charge of destroying the Iraqi ordinance at the holding area.
This contradicts John Kerry's charges that the ordinance was in the hands of the terroists, thanks to the "ineptness" of the Bush Administration (and though he didn't say it, he laid blame on the soldiers as well).
The press appears to be spinning this as a CYA political move by the Pentagon.
More details are sure to follow as the hours progress.
New ad slams Kerry's arrogance
John Armor, veteran political pundit from North Carolina, has pieced together a late television ad critical of John Kerry.
Armor admits that it could be illegal under the McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform act, but points out that Americans want to talk about their candidates right up until the election itself.
[Shot at home. 80-mile view of Blue Ridge Mountains in background.]Good points, all. And well worth getting on the air -- provided the feds don't put the kybosh on it.I'm John Armor -- and this ad may be illegal. Small gifts paid for it.
I’ve known John Kerry 41 years. When he joined the Yale Political Union, I was an officer and veteran debater. Here's what I saw:
Kerry was arrogant. He thought we must believe him, because HE was John Kerry.
[Show photo of Kerry in his shaggy-hair mode before Congress in 1971. Photo dissolves into Kerry pointing with his bony finger of doom, today. Give captions for both photos – John Kerry, Senate “war-crimes” testimony, 1971 – John Kerry, campaigning for President, 2004]
How has he changed? More money, more wrinkles, more arrogance. But still self-centered. Should such a man command the American military -- in time of war?
What makes this ad illegal? A divided Supreme Court approved the campaign finance “reform” act. [Use gestures for quote marks.]
It says we can’t broadcast ads that name a federal candidate, 60 days before an election. But that’s EXACTLY when we want to talk about candidates. I'm doing that. If the feds don't like it, they can find me here:
[Displayed on screen to end of ad:
www.ArmorforCongress.com
Box 243, Highlands, NC 28741]I'm John Armor. I not only approve this ad, I wrote every word of it.
Ann Coulter on the black vote: "40 Excuses & a Mule"
Ann Coulter opened up with both barrels this week on the Democrats continued reliance on the black vote in America.
White liberals have been indulging their fantasies of violence against conservatives lately – physically attacking conservatives, ransacking Bush-Cheney headquarters (though not any NRA headquarters, I note). The white wife of vice presidential candidate John Edwards recently warned of riots unless Kerry is elected.Gosh! I thought we were supposed to be the bad guys!And Democrats wonder why they have to ask white people to hold "African-Americans for Kerry-Edwards" signs at their rallies – as happened in St. Petersburg, Fla., last Saturday. The Kerry campaign is hemorrhaging black voters like teenaged girls fleeing an R. Kelly house party. None of the Democrats' top black leaders – Jesse, Al, Bill Clinton – has been able to stem the tide.
Here's the deal on politics and race in America: Republicans don't need black voters, but they want them. Democrats don't want black voters, but they need them. Blacks have been the Democrats' most loyal voters, typically giving the party upward of 90 percent of their vote. But Democrats ignore blacks.
That's according to none other than the Rev. Jesse Jackson, who said precisely that in a speech to "Campaign for America's Future" at the Democratic National Convention this summer.
The Democrats' inspired 11th-hour message to black voters is: "Here are your crumbs, your scraps, your measly handouts. Too bad you're so childish, incompetent and dependent, huh? Now run along and cast your vote for the guy with the "D" next to his name and we'll see you in four years, 'K? Buh-bye, now."
And apparently, black voters can also look forward to a lot of patronizing demagoguery from the Democrats, such as the claim that Republicans maliciously suppressed the black vote in Florida in 2000.
Kerry claims Republicans disenfranchised 1 million black voters in Florida in 2000, but neglects to mention that after extensive and expensive hearings, the U.S. Civil Rights Commission failed to name a single one of them. Can you name just one out of that "million," Sen. Kerry? We've found more WMDs in Iraq than we've found disenfranchised blacks in Florida.
Indeed – to the contrary! – in 2000, blacks composed 11 percent of registered voters in Florida, but made up 17 percent of those who actually voted. If that's how Republicans "suppress" the black vote, blacks are better off when Republicans attack them than when Democrats pretend to be nice to them.
Ah, but Revrum Jesse & Revrum Al says it's OK to listen t' John Kerry -- after all he'll give Revrum Jesse & Revrum Al a place in his new administration (and everyone else be damned, right?).
See ya next Tuesday...
The KSTP video is not the be-all, end-all to the Al Qaqaa story
Liberal bloggers and posters across the web are making much of a video from KSTP-TV/DT Minneapolis/St. Paul which shows canisters of some sort in a warehouse in Iraq.
What the leftists don't realize (or are ignoring) is that Al Qaqaa is not a single warehouse, but multiple buldings. Not only that, but there are still SOME explosives at Al Qaqaa today.
Oh, and let's not forget the seal of the IAEA weapons inspectors that's on the door of one of the rooms in question -- troops from the 3-I-D say they specifically did NOT enter that room.
Finally, there's the satellite evidence released by the Pentagon showing trucks moving materials out of the facilities prior to the arrival of the 3-I-D and 101st Airborne.
Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld entered the debate Thursday, suggesting the 377 tons of explosives were taken away before U.S. forces arrived, saying any large effort to loot the material afterward would have been detected.Is it definitive? I'll admit that it isn't -- toward either explanation."We would have seen anything like that," he said in one of two radio interviews he gave at the Pentagon. "The idea it was suddenly looted and moved out, all of these tons of equipment, I think is at least debatable."
The Pentagon also declassified and released a single image, taken by reconnaissance aircraft or satellite just days before the war, showing two trucks outside one of the dozens of storage bunkers at the Al-Qaqaa munitions base.
The particular bunker is not one known to have contained any of the missing explosives, and Pentagon spokesman Larry Di Rita said the image only shows that there was some Iraqi activity at the base when it was taken, on March 17. Di Rita said the image says nothing about what happened to the explosives.
But it does not support the haranguing of the leftists who call me and others on the right stupid and idiots.
But then again, as long as they call us stupid, and try to throw enough "October Surprise" fecal matter at the wall, they think they can keep us off balance enough to sweep in and take the election Tuesday.
Bottom line: I don't trust John Kerry to protect the citizens of this nation -- he's too concerned with political correctness, and with America's standing in the world to protect the people here at home. Period.
October 28, 2004
The official SW Episode III teaser poster is out
The poster (the SW official site) was shown today on Entertainment Tonight.
Each fall before the May release of a Star Wars film, fans have two things on their mind: teaser poster and teaser trailer. Now, the first of these wish-list items is a reality, as starwars.com reveals the striking new teaser poster for Star Wars: Episode III Revenge of the Sith.The first teaser trailer for Revenge of the Sith will likely be out next week (running in front of Pixar/Disney's The Incredibles).Next week, the teaser poster and banner for Episode III will start appearing in movie theaters in North America and elsewhere.
Like the teaser posters for The Phantom Menace and Attack of the Clones, this one features Anakin Skywalker. Hayden Christensen is depicted as the heroic Jedi warrior, with the encroaching dark cloud of his future represented by his flowing cloak hinting at the Dark Lord to come.
My inner geek is happy again.
IRS reviewing NAACP's tax exempt status
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In a letter dated Oct. 8 and released Thursday, the IRS told the NAACP it had received information that chairman Julian Bond conveyed "statements in opposition of George W. Bush for the office of presidency" and specifically "condemned the administration policies of George W. Bush in education, the economy and the war in Iraq."The NAACP has refrained from endorsing a Presidential candidate this year, but speeches by Bond and others associated with the organization leave little doubt that the organization fully supports John Kerry, and would do everything within it's power to remove Republicans in general and the Bush Administration in particular from office.The letter reminded the NAACP that tax-exempt organizations are legally barred from supporting or opposing any candidate for elective office.
Bond's speech on July 11 included a long section that sharply criticized the Republican Party, Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney for their positions on an array of issues important to black Americans.
Bond defended his remarks Thursday, saying they focused on policy, not politics. "This is an attempt to silence the NAACP on the very eve of a presidential election," he said. "We are best known for registering and turning out large numbers of African-American voters. Clearly, someone in the IRS doesn't want that to happen."
He added, "It's Orwellian to believe that criticism of the president is not allowed or that the president is somehow immune from criticism."
Bond's statements in response to the IRS letter reenforce that notion.
It's a wonder that Bond hasn't cried "Racism," in response. Then again, the day is still young.
Drudge: ABC News WITHHELD parts of terror video from the Feds
A new charge from The Drudge Report this afternoon in the terror video received by ABC News over the weekend: ABC held back the last 15 minutes of the newest Al Qaeda video, which was received by ABC from a contact in Pakistan over this past weekend.
ABCNEWS withheld portions of an alarming new al Qaeda videotape which warns the next terror attack will dwarf 9/11 from the feds when they submitted the video for analysis, a top federal source tells the DRUDGE REPORT.Or, to look at this logically, ABC does not want to put out something that might benefit President Bush and his chances at reelection.ABC strongly denies the charge.
"What took place on September 11 was but the opening salvo of the global war on America and that our Lord willing, the magnitude and ferocity of what is coming your way will make you forget all about September 11," the man, whose face is covered by a headdress, warns in the video. "After decades of American tyranny, now it's your turn to die."
A top goverment source said from Washington that ABC withheld the final 15 minutes of the tape from the feds -- the portion of the tape where the man warns of retribution for Americans electing Bush and Cheney.
"The FBI did not see the last 15 mins," the source claims.
"You are guilty, guilty, guilty. You're as guilty as Bush and Cheney. You're as guilty as Rumsfeld and Ashcroft and Powell...," the man states.
He goes on to warn of an upcoming horror: "The streets will run with blood," and "America will mourn in silence" because they will be unable to count the number of the dead.
"People of America, that was the verdict now for the sentencing: as participants and partners in the crimes of the regime, you too shall pay the price for the blood that has been spilled."
One ABC source, who demanded anonymity, said Thursday morning, the network was struggling to find a correct journalistic "balance" before airing any story on the video.
"This is not something you just throw out there while people are voting," the ABC source explained.
It is widely felt that AQ elements might attack the US in the days leading up to the election in hopes that American citizens would elect John Kerry out of fear for our collective safety. However, most analysts from both sides of the political aisle believe that such an attack would remind the American public of the danger we face, and how President Bush helped to overcome those fears after 9/11 -- and vote in increasing numbers for Bush next week.
It is speculated that ABC News, seeing this writing on the wall (and of course considering their on-the-record stance of doing whatever they can to remove the Bush Administration from the White House), wants to spike this story, at least until after Tuesday. After all, they want to give their boy (Ketchup Boy) a good chance if they can for Tuesday.
If Americans die as a result of ABC's action or inaction, every individual involved in this debacle inside of ABC News needs to be prosecuted for treason. This is not something that is worth playing games with. But here we are -- with ABC playing political games with the lives of the American public.
UPDATE 6p ET: New word out that ABC News plans on playing the video on World News Tonight at 6:30p ET. It is not known whether or not it will be the entire tape or not.
CNN finally killing off CNNfn in December
CNN's ailing financial network, CNNfn, will finally be put out of its misery in mid-December. The New York-based network, started nine years ago, has traditionally been trounced in the ratings by both Bloomberg Television and CNBC.
CNNfn is only available in about 30 million of the nation's 110 million television homes. With the coming expiration of its deal with the DirecTV satellite system, it faced the prospect of losing more distribution.Other announcements from "the Death Star" (neé CNN Center) today include a partial revamp for Headline News.It began in December 1995 when business, and business news, was hot. CNBC's ratings plunged when the Internet bubble burst on Wall Street, and CNNfn failed to gain footing, too.
Management turmoil didn't help: CNNfn's biggest star, Lou Dobbs, left in 1999 and then returned in 2001. He'll continue his program on the main network. CNNfn also announced in 2001 that it was changing the network's name to CNN Money, but the idea was dropped after a management change.
It recently shifted focus away from Wall Street toward personal finance. Two of its programs — the real estate series "Open House" and "Dolans Unscripted," a talk show with personal finance experts Ken and Daria Dolan — will move to the main network.
Headline News will soon offer actual prime-time programming, as opposed to its ongoing thirty-minute "newsradio" type of newscast.
Monsters kidnap Polish (Polish-American?) woman in Iraq
Al Jazeera (maybe they should be renamed the Hostage Broadcasting Network) has broadcast a new video this morning from a previously unknown terrorist group in Iraq. The video has the usual hooded cowardly monsters standing in front of a flag, and with a hostage in a seat in front of them.
Today's hostage is an unnamed Polish or Polish American woman.
The monsters have said they'll hold her until their demands are met. They haven't threatened her life -- yet.
The group, calling itself the Abu Bakr al-Siddiq Fundamentalist Brigades, says that she will not be released until two demands are met. Al-Jazeera denies that the group has threatened to kill her but has not yet released the entire video.First, the group demanded that all female Iraqi prisoners be released. The Coalition, though, has consistently denied holding more than two women since that demand was first made by The Army of Ansar al-Zawahiri, a group that had kidnapped the now released Italian aid worders Simona Pari and Simona Torretta.
The second demand by the group was that Poland withdraw it's troops from Iraq. According to Middle East Online news service Polish Defense Minister Jerzy Szmajdzinski has said "The Polish government is not in the business of meeting kidnappers'
demand."
Al QaQaa update: The MSM & Kerry campaign's 'Homer Simpson moment'
ABC News is reporting this morning that the Iraqi government may have overstated the amount of missing weapons from the Al QaQaa depot near Baghdad.
The Iraqi interim government has told the United States and international weapons inspectors that 377 tons of conventional explosives are missing from the Al-Qaqaa installation, which was supposed to be under U.S. military control.What's a missed digit between friends? And of course this on top of finding out that what WAS there got spirited away before the 3-I-D and 101st Airborne got there?But International Atomic Energy Agency documents obtained by ABC News and first reported on "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" indicate the amount of missing explosives may be substantially less than the Iraqis reported.
The information on which the Iraqi Science Ministry based an Oct. 10 memo in which it reported that 377 tons of RDX explosives were missing — presumably stolen due to a lack of security — was based on "declaration" from July 15, 2002. At that time, the Iraqis said there were 141 tons of RDX explosives at the facility.
But the confidential IAEA documents obtained by ABC News show that on Jan. 14, 2003, the agency's inspectors recorded that just over three tons of RDX were stored at the facility — a considerable discrepancy from what the Iraqis reported.
This sounds more and more like the NY Times, CBS News (this was supposed to be the lead on this Sunday's 60 Minutes in an attempt to trump Bush on the eve of the election), and the Kerry campaign went off half-cocked.
"D'oh!"
October 27, 2004
Game, set & match!
Developing from Drudge's front page (with a siren, no less) tonight, and according to tomorrow morning's Washington Times piece by Bill Gertz:
GERTZ // THURSDAY // WASH TIMES: Russian special forces troops moved many of Saddam Hussein's weapons and related goods out of Iraq and into Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 U.S. military operation, The Washington Times has learned. John A. Shaw, the deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said in an interview that he believes the Russian troops, working with Iraqi intelligence, “almost certainly” removed the high-explosive material that went missing from the Al-Qaqaa facility, south of Baghdad.Oops!
I guess Kerry and the Dems are left with egg running down their faces.
The Kerry campaign has been running with the missing arms story since the NY Times came up with it Monday morning -- even when NBC contradicted it Monday evening. The Kerry campaign has put two ads on the air with the obvious lies of the Times piece.
Now, the Pentagon is about to drive a nail into the story.
Checkmate.
Former Miami weatherman Kamal to remain in federal custody
To follow up on yesterday's story on WSVN-TV/DT Miami's chief meterologist, Bill Kamal's arrest and subsequent firing, Kamal will remain in federal custody, according to published reports in Miami.
Former Channel 7 Chief Meteorologist Bill Kamal remains in federal custody this morning facing charges of soliciting sex from a minor.Kamal was fired by WSVN once the scope of the charges against him became known.Kamal made his first appearance in federal court on Tuesday.
Prosecutors recommended against bond, so Kamal will remain behind bars.
His next court hearing will be on Nov. 3.
Seattle Protest (or will it be a riot?) planned with Bush victory
A Jenn Green article in the alternative Seattle newspaper The Stranger suggests that the public not take a Bush victory sitting down.
If Bush Wins--or Steals--This Election, Don't Just Sit ThereI truly have a fear that if President Bush is reelected Tuesday, there will be violence. And the conservatives won't be the ones to start it.If Bush gets reelected on November 2--if half of our fellow citizens lose their minds, or if he manages to steal the election again--storming Seattle's federal offices, prisons, and property will let him know that we're not going down without a fight this time. Here's a list of federal sites in Seattle that could be perfect places to protest:
[snip]
If things get out of control, seek refuge in the office of Senator Patty Murray (she doesn't really like W. either).
[snip]
But if we wind up with another 2000-style deadlock--if election results are contested in Ohio or Florida, or if Republicans try to stop people from voting in any state--that's where the real action will be. Protestors with guts should head to those states to make their voices heard. And if Bush manages to steal the election, then we'll see you in D.C. in January. Bring some eggs.
Arafish dying?
According to published reports, Yasser Arafat's health is deterioriating significantly -- and rapidly.
Yasser Arafat's health deteriorated Wednesday and a team of doctors went to his compound to examine the Palestinian leader, a Palestinian official said.According to LGF, he's in critical condition -- or perhaps already dead.The 75-year-old Arafat had been ill for two weeks, suffering from what Palestinian officials said was the flu. Israeli officials speculated he might have stomach cancer, but two of Arafat's doctors said Wednesday that a blood test, combined with a biopsy of tissue taken from his digestive tract, showed no evidence of cancer of the digestive tract.
Late Wednesday, Arafat's condition worsened and doctors were sent to examine him, an official in Arafat's office said. Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qureia and former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas were summoned to the compound to meet with Arafat, the official said.
October 26, 2004
Miami TV weatherman fired after child solicitation arrest
Bill Kamal, long-time chief meterologist for Miami's Fox affiliate, WSVN-TV/DT, was fired yesterday after his arrest in a police sting. 47 year-old Kamal's arrest came amid charges that he solicited sex online from what he thought was a 14 year-old boy.
It took a police officer, posing online as a 14-year-old boy, two minutes to attract the interest of WSVN meteorologist Bill Kamal, federal law enforcement officials said Monday.Federal attorney Marcos Jimenez said Kamal was charged with child enticement, which carries punishment of five to 30 years in prison, although the charge could be changed by a grand jury indictment. This is behind a state charge of solicitation of a minor younger than 16, which carries up to a five-year prison sentence.Oct. 18, 4 p.m.: St. Lucie County Sheriff's detective Neil W. Spector signs on to an America Online chatroom called ``Boyzformen.''
Oct. 18, 4:02 p.m.: Kamal, 47, using a sexually suggestive screen name, instant messages Spector that he's looking for a son to have sex with.
On Sunday, police officers followed Kamal from his Miami Beach condo to a convenience store parking lot in Fort Pierce, where he had arranged to meet his correspondent, and arrested him.
On Monday, Channel 7, owned and operated by Sunbeam Television, fired Kamal and ran the report as one of its lead stories.
''We have no other alternative but to dismiss Bill Kamal for cause,'' was all that Robert W. Leider, Channel 7 executive vice president and general manager, said.
Kamal had been on television extensively over the summer during the extended hurricane season in Florida, both locally in Miami, as well as on the Fox News Channel as part of it's coverage.
Station owners, upon learning of the charges, dismissed Kamal immediately. They had no other comment on the matter.
Parker: Why there's increased black support of Bush
A weekend NY Times poll has shown that black support for President Bush, as we go into the final week of the campaign, is up to a whopping 17 percent nationally. I've said repeatedly that ANY increase in black support for the President -- regardless of the overall outcome -- is certainly a victory in terms of black political outreach.
Star Parker takes a look at WHY that increase is happening in her new column.
The black community is by and large a religious community. When surveyed, blacks respond at higher rates than whites that religion plays a "very important" role in their life.Kerry's pandering to black congregations in swing states, while looking good on camera, is starting to backfire, based on these numbers.Gay marriage, and claims equating the gay movement to the civil rights movement, has been a wake-up call. Black pastors and their congregants are waking up to the fact that the liberal agenda that they have been supporting all these years does not liberate but denigrates, dehumanizes, and enslaves. They are beginning to see the liberal agenda, the welfare state agenda, as a moral problem, undermining the dignity and responsibility that makes men and women free.
The substance of Kerry's remarks was as revealing as his behavior. Kerry knows zero about Mary Cheney's personal struggles. However, he used her to claim that there is no choice in homosexual behavior. So, in one swoop Kerry threw thousands of years of religious tradition and teaching into the garbage. We're all victims now. And, of course, from a black perspective, John Kerry will argue that an individual's sexual behavior is as pre-determined as his or her race. So, indeed sexual behavior should fall into the realm of civil rights.
Blacks are picking up on all this. This is what these new polling results are telling us. View this as a trend.
October 25, 2004
Pretty Boy Edwards gets endorsement from black church in Cincinnati
Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards, continuing the religious pandering to black congregations that John Kerry is pushing across the nation, attended Allen Temple AME Church in Cincinnati yesterday, and accepted their endorsement.
John Edwards got a surprise Sunday at Allen Temple African Methodist Episcopal Church in Bond Hill.He was introduced by the church pastor as not only the Democratic vice presidential candidate, but also as a future president.
"I know he is going to be president of the United States," Rev. Donald Jordan told a cheering capacity congregation of 1,200. "The Republicans have no one who can compare to him. I ask your support of him."
John Kerry continued his round-robin tour of black churches yesterday, attending and speaking at Mount Hermon AME Church in Ft. Lauderdale, FL.MA Sen Ted Kennedy also hit the black church circuit, visiting Philadelphia's Mount Airy Church of God in Christ to stump from the pulpit for Kerry.
I've got a basic fundamental problem with any candidate or political group that passes out political fans in the middle of a church service. At the same time, I have to truly wonder whether a church that ALLOWS such a practice is truly a place where the pastor is thinking of spreading God's word, or that candidate's word.
Kerry GUARANTEES no further terror attacks if elected
John Kerry had a brain fart of monumental proportions on NBC's Today Show this morning. Kerry told host Katie Couric that he guarantees no further terrorist attacks anywhere in the world if elected.
George Bush and Dick Cheney have said to you, it is not a matter of if we're gonna be attacked. It is a matter of when...do you know that the-- that the President just the other day in an interview with Hannity and Combs said-- do you know what he said? He said he doesn't know if America will ever be safe. Well, I do know that America will be safe. Under my leadership.I don't think that even hardcore Kool-Aid-drinking leftists can comfortably subscribe to that kind of statement.
Couric had issues with it off the bat.
But can you really...Senator make that guarantee -- that America will be safe under all circumstances?Ketchup Boy is losing it. Big time.
UN Security Council members deny meeting Kerry
The story that the blogosphere was abuzz about over the weekened was one that in the eyes of some could be a "blockbuster," but what to me looks more like a non-starter. An investigation by The Washington Times reveals that while the candidate did talk for an unspecified period to at least a few members of the panel, no such meeting, as described by Mr. Kerry on a number of occasions over the past year, ever occurred. What else is new? Personally, I think that some of the newspaper endorsements -- some rather surprising (Hartford Courant, Palm Springs Desert Sun, Chicago Tribune & others) are far more significant.
October 24, 2004
UK's Guardian encourages Bush's assassination
The Guardian has printed an incendiary editorial which excoriates the Bush Administration. This, in and of itself, is not outside the norm for the British newspaper.
The problem with the piece in question is a quote near the end.
On November 2, the entire civilised world will be praying, praying Bush loses. And Sod's law dictates he'll probably win, thereby disproving the existence of God once and for all. The world will endure four more years of idiocy, arrogance and unwarranted bloodshed, with no benevolent deity to watch over and save us. John Wilkes Booth, Lee Harvey Oswald, John Hinckley Jr - where are you now that we need you?You want to encourage people to vote, that's one thing. You want to support one party or another, that's perfectly fine. I'm all for expressing your opinion regarding the political process.
But to beg for (or encourage) an assassin to take out the sitting President, regardless of political party is not only out of line, but something that in this country at least is borderline illegal.
I'm sure they wouldn't feel very good if someone her wished for a sniper to take out the Queen or the British PM.
They ought to give some serious thought before they go out of the way to become the non-official organ of terrorists and assassins everywhere.
UPDATE: The Guardian has since posted a retraction and apology of sorts.
Charlie Brooker apologises for any offence caused by his comments relating to President Bush in his TV column, Screen Burn. The views expressed in this column are not those of the Guardian. Although flippant and tasteless, his closing comments were intended as an ironic joke, not as a call to action - an intention he believed regular readers of his humorous column would understand. He deplores violence of any kind.I hope you'll excuse me if I find this half-assed "apology" a bit hard to swallow.
October 23, 2004
New problems for Kerry campaign by Monday?
Powerline Blog is quoting unnamed sources today, pointing toward a front page story in a major newspaper for Monday morning that "could create a serious problem for the Kerry campaign."
We don't yet have any details, but it relates to a foreign policy issue, and it will call into question--amazingly enough--John Kerry's truthfulness.Stay tuned.
Monsters behead yet another Iraqi
AQ-affiliated terrorists beheaded yet another one -- this time, an Iraqi accused of the crime of "collaboration" with US forces.
As usual, The Jawa Report is on top of the story with still pictures and the streamed video. (WARNING: LINK CONTAINS GRAPHIC IMAGES!)
Conflicting reports indicate that the man murdered by the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah in a new beheading video was named either Yassar Musil or Seif Adnan Kanaan. The following AP story, as well as the Reuters story in the extended entry, also miss some other crucial facts about the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah. For instance, just yesterday I reported that the Army of Ansar al-Sunnah praised John Kerry for his criticisms of the Bush administration. In the same communique, the group calls Osama bin Laden 'our sheik'--a reference of devotion and loyalty indicating an al Qaeda connection. Further, the group has solidified it's ties to Musab al-Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad terrorist organization which has recently pledged loyalty to al Qaeda. During the taped beheading of Turkish truck driver Ramadan Elbu on October 15th by the Army of Ansar al-Islam, one of the murderers identified himself as a follower of Zarqawi [information, video, and images here]. On October 11th, another individual claimed to be a member of Zarqawi's Tawhid and Jihad group on a beheading video released by the group--the victims were a Turkish truck driver and his Iraqi translator [information, video, and images here].The AP story Dr. Shackleford refers to comes to us from Australia's National Nine News.
Hopefully, the monsters will soon meet their own eternal (and suitably painful) punishment.
October 22, 2004
Happy 6,000th birthday, Universe?
British geologists are celebrating the 6,000th anniversary of the birth of the universe today.
At 6pm tonight at the Geological Society of London, scientists will raise their glasses to James Ussher, Archbishop of Armagh, who in 1650 used the chronology of the Bible to calculate the precise date and moment of creation.Of course that takes the Biblical description literally as opposed to allegorically, as many people believe.Working from the book of Genesis, and risking some speculation on the Hebrew calendar, he calculated that it began at 6pm on Saturday October 22, 4004 BC.
Actually, he put the date at October 23, and then pedantically realised that time must have begun the night before, because the Bible said that "the evening and the morning were the first day."
One thing that this does not take into account, is that 6,000 years after 4004 BC is actually 1997AD -- seven years ago.
AQ hostage Margaret Hassan begs for life in new video
In a scenario that is unsettlingly reminiscent of the Paul Bigley kidnapping a month ago, CARE International's senior worker in Iraq, Margaret Hassan, kidnapped less than a week ago, was shown pleading for her life on a video released to Al Jazeera earlier today.
"Please help me. Please help me," said a terrified Hassan, breaking down in tears and burying her face in a tissue. She said she might be killed like British hostage Kenneth Bigley, who was beheaded by his captors earlier this month.Hassan, seen from the shoulders up only in the video, directed her pleas toward British Prime Minister Tony Blair. Hassan implored Blair to prevent British troops from coming to Baghdad."This might be my last hours," she said in the video aired by the Arabic television station Al-Jazeera. She begged the British people to "ask Mr. Blair to take the troops out of Iraq, and not to bring them here to Baghdad. That's why people like Mr. Bigely and myself are being caught. And maybe we will die like Mr. Bigley. Please, please, I beg of you."
Unlike past kidnappings, no deadline has been set for Coalition forces to respond to the kidnapper's would-be demands and Hassan's pleas. However, many fear that Hassan may become the first Western woman to be beheaded by the monsters as the days progress.
Ketchup Boy looking more like Elmer Fudd
John Kerry, looking more like Elmer Fudd than American Sportsman, went goose hunting yesterday in Ohio.
Kerry stepped out of a field in a camouflage jacket and toting a 12-gauge shotgun, but with someone else carrying his goose.
"I'm too lazy," Kerry joked. "I'm still giddy over the Red Sox. It was hard to focus."He was referring to the Red Sox ALCS win over the Yankees the night before. Kerry stayed up late watching the game, then got up for the 7AM hunting trip at a supporter's farm in Boardman, OH.
The GOP and the National Rifle Association criticized Kerry's obvious 2nd Amendment photo op.
Campaigning in Ohio, Vice President Dick Cheney (news - web sites) on Thursday criticized Kerry's hunting excursion, saying, "The second amendment is more than just a photo opportunity."This begs the obvious question: Is Kerry's shotgun photo-op (sans goose, of course, lest he piss off the PETA crowd) every bit as stupid as the Dukakis tank photo-op in 1988?The National Rifle Association said it bought a full-page ad in Thursday's Youngstown newspaper that says Kerry is posing as a sportsman while opposing gun-owners' rights. Kerry has denied NRA claims that he wants to "take away" guns, but he supported the ban on assault-type weapons and requiring background checks at gun shows
"If John Kerry thinks the Second Amendment is about photo ops, he's Daffy," says the ad the NRA said would run in The Vindicator. It features a large photo of Kerry with his finger on a shotgun trigger but looking in another direction.
Meanwhile, labor unions have been circulating fliers among workers that say Kerry won't take away guns. "He likes his own gun too much," says one of the fliers from the Building Trades Department of the AFL-CIO that features a picture of Kerry aiming a shotgun.
It sounds like the Kerry campaign is in meltdown with stupid (Kerry's "gay" gaffe in the final debate) quote after stupid (Teresa Heinz-Ketchup's insult of teachers and librarians this week) quote after stupid (Kerry's "Elmer Fudd" photo op yesterday) image.
How long before he pisses off yet another group of Americans with his obvious pandering and idiotic statements? I'm sure he "has a plan" to prevent himself from looking stupid. But of course, he'll never let us in on what his plan is.
October 21, 2004
Martha Stewart: Helping fellowing inmates with microwave cooking
Martha Stewart is taking up her time in prison by helping her fellow inmates with their microwave recipes. Meanwhile, her lawyers are working on her appeal.
"She's making the best of what's necessarily a difficult situation," lawyer Walter Dellinger said on NBC's "Today." "There is no freedom. It's regimented. She has no privacy. They are subject to strip searches. But she's so resilient."Stewart is serving a five-month sentence at the minimum-security federal women's prison in Alderson, WV.the appeals brief, made public Thursday, argues prosecutors and the trial judge kept the jury from understanding the difference.
"A barrage of pre-trial leaks and in-court accusations left the indelible impression that she was guilty of that offense," it says. "Tarring Stewart with an uncharged, highly inflammatory crime was fundamentally unfair."
Because inmates can only use a microwave to do their own cooking, Stewart is working with fellow prisoners to "come up with some creative recipes" based on the limited number of ingredients available at the prison commissary, Dellinger said.
"She has a group that is cooking," he said. "She is trying to figure out innovative ways to do microwave cooking which is all they have."
October 20, 2004
Why Black Voters Will Cost Kerry The Presidency
The Horserace Blog has a detailed dissertation as to why black voters will cost Ketchup Boy the White House.
Regular readers are well aware that I think this election is over, that George W. Bush will be reelected. There are two reasons why I think this is the case:Further analysis on the black electorate and the remainder of the election process can be found at The Horserace Blog, which has now found a place in the blogroll.1. Kerry is going to under-perform badly among black voters relative to Gore’s performance in 2000.
2. Bush is going to over-perform among Catholics relative to his performance in 2000.Two weeks ago, the latest Pew Poll came out showing Kerry enjoying 70% support among blacks. Just today The Center for Policy and Economic Studies announced that in their poll, Kerry enjoyed 69% support among blacks compared to 18% for Bush. They conducted a similar poll at the same point in the 2000 race. It showed Gore 74%, Bush 9%. According to this poll, then, Kerry is underperforming among blacks by roughly 14% of the vote, a statistically significant difference. What would that mean if these numbers hold for the next month?
Kerry says he'll discontinue terror alerts; head in sand works better
John Kerry says that he'll quit using the color-coded terror alert system that's been in use since shortly after 9/11, in a new Rolling Stone interview by publisher Jann Wenner being published late this week.
"I think Americans, sadly, laugh at it," Kerry said, referring to the alerts in an interview to be published Friday in Rolling Stone. "They don't know what to do."The interview includes a response from Kerry to the Swift Boat Veterans group that has put commercials opposing his candidacy on television.
Kerry said he felt "a sense of bitter disappointment" by the ads run by the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth that questioned his conduct and the medals he received as a naval lieutenant during the Vietnam War. But he insisted he and others had dealt effectively with the ad controversy, despite widespread criticism that his campaign had been slow to respond.Rolling Stone is on the record as supporting the removal of President Bush by any means necessary. The magazine's support of Kerry is well known, and has had several articles supportive of the candidate over the course of the year."Look, when people hold up something that's a complete and total lie, it takes a few days to show people and convince them. We did. They've been completely discredited," Kerry said. "I was surprised that the media, even when they knew it was lies, continued to cover it and treat it as entertainment."
Proof that Jimmy Carter is ready for "Shady Pines"
Former President Jimmy Carter, appearing on MSNBC's Hardball on Monday evening, uttered words that I would never have though I'd hear from a president, sitting or former.
I think another parallel is that in some ways the Revolutionary War could have been avoided. It was an unnecessary war.I think it's time for Jimmuh to consider that retirement home down in south Georgia.
"It's worse than that, he's dead, Jim; dead, Jim; dead, Jim..."
When's the last time anyone heard from the elusive Osama Bin Laden?
To be exact -- and if you even believe it was him -- it was the May 7 audio tape offering gold for the assassination of Jerry Bremer.
Prior to that was the European "truce" offered by audio tape that showed up in the wake of the Spanish train bombings, which, if memory serves, was unauthenticated by the CIA. Then was an audio tape that surfaced on Al Jazeera in early January.
Last time we SAW him? A year ago -- October 19, 2003 -- a video of Osama with no sound, looking hale and hearty (in stark contrast to the frail-looking Osama from the Tora Bora bombing era of December 2001) picking his way up a slope in an unidentified rocky region.
Gregory Djerejian points out the signs that are becoming increasingly obvious: that Osama is as dead as Elvis, lest he show up at your corner 7-Eleven.
Folks, bottom line: we have to go all the way back to December 26th 2001 to see a video of UBL that really seems to get close to passing a smell test evidencing that's he actually, you know, alive (and he didn't look too smashing in it either).But then again, I guess if Osama were truly dead, it would completely torpedo the Kerry arguement of military attention to "the target."Now, does anyone seriously believe that UBL wouldn't, if he were alive, be doing his very damnedest to release a tape, soonest, rubbing Bush's nose in it for not having caught him--dead or alive? Just as a little pre-election present, say, maybe to give the opposition a little assist in hyping the disingenous Tora Bora meme? Doubtless, he would, no? Unless, of course, he's dead. Which, I'm beginning to feel pretty comfortable concluding, may well be the happy reality as we sit here today.
October 19, 2004
Are you crazy? Take the test and find out here
Click the link to take the Insanity Test:
•Turn on the Speakers and allow the page to load fullyFor the record, I made it for about five seconds.
• Stare at the Picture without laughing for 60 seconds
• If you start laughing consider yourself legally insane
Then I lost it. Completely.
I'm still wiping tears out of my eyes.
Kid swallows cocaine & dies, mother sues police
Parents of a 16 year-old boy who died after swallowing cocaine are suing the city of Dearborn, MI's police department for $50 million dollars.
Lawyers for the family of Quantrell Pryor claim that police saw Pryor swallow the cocaine, yet did not take him to the hospital until it was too late to save the boy.
"The doctor said if he would have gotten here in 30 minutes or earlier, or even an hour earlier it would have made such a difference," said LaTanya Pryor, the teen's mother.Several questions beg to be asked here: firstly, if police officers did see him swallow the cocaine, does normal procedure suggest they automatically take him to the hospital? Secondly, the mother appears, at least from the published reports in the local press, not to deal with any of her son's guilt. It's all the fault of the police, in her mind.Dearborn police stopped Pryor last Tuesday outside the JC Penney department store at Fairlane Mall when they noticed the left rear window was broken out in the vehicle he was driving.
Pryor panicked and swallowed cocaine he had in his possession, according to the station's reports.
Pryor was taken by squad car to the Dearborn police station at about 5 p.m. Police said he repeatedly denied that he had ingested any drugs when questioned by officers.
Pryor was transferred by ambulance to Oakwood Hospital from police custody after going into convulsions inside an observation cell at about 6:20 p.m., police said.
It sounds like she's more concerned with the money, her claims to the contrary notwithstanding.
I'm sorry. The cops, nor the city, are not responsible for her son's stupidity.
Police investigating claims of NAACP trading crack for fake voter forms in OH
Police in a Cleveland suburb are investigating whether or not an NAACP voter drive gave a man crack cocaine in exchange for voter registrations.
Defiance County, OH police arrested 22 year-old Chad Staton after he told them he had accepted crack cocaine in exchange for submitting more than 100 phony voter registration forms in names that included Mary Poppins, Dick Tracy, Michael Jordan and George Foreman.
"Staton was to be paid for each registration form that he could get citizens to fill out," the sheriff said. "However, Staton himself filled out the registrations and returned them to the woman who hired him from Toledo."What? The cemetary rolls haven't been checked yet?According to (Defiance Co. Sheriff David) Westrick, the NAACP's National Voter Fund had submitted the false registrations to the elections board in Cleveland. George Forbes, Cleveland chapter president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, said Monday that the voter fund operates independently from his chapter.
Officers said they interviewed a Toledo woman who claimed that she had paid Staton with cocaine for the registrations. Officers said they obtained a search warrant and took voter registrations and drug paraphernalia from her home.
And the Dems insist that WE are the paragon of dirty tricks?
Heh. Yeah, right.
The Breck Girl at work; Someone call the Fab Five!
Metrosexual and Vice Presidential candidate John Edwards primps, puffs, combs and flips his hair around as he prepares for a television appearance in this video captured for posterity by the incomprable Harry Shearer.
He tries to straighten it with his fingers. A makeup technician approaches with a comb, but the senator likes it just so and does the combing himself. He signals he's ready for hair spray by closing his eyes expectantly, like a child.Then he says, "Thank you, Mommy."
I wonder if his wife does this for him at home. He looks like a prime candidate for the Fab Five from Queer Eye for the Straight Guy.
CARE head in Iraq kidnapped
The senior official from CARE International in Iraq has been kidnapped by the monsters.
Margaret Hassan was taken this morning, according to a CARE spokesperson.
Robert Glasser, a director with the charity, said Ms Hassan was CARE's head of operations in Iraq.CARE is an international charity - not anybody's occupying force or anything.He said she was an Iranian national who had been caring for people in the country for more than 25 years.
Mr Glasser added he had no idea of a motive for the kidnap and believed Ms Hassan had been unharmed.
"We are doing what we can for her release," he added.
Just damn.
October 18, 2004
'Embarrassed' college students start StopMarionBarry.com
A group of college students from Washington, DC, who describe themselves as "embarrassed," have started StopMarionBarry.com.
The site includes a request to sign a petition in protest of the candidacy of the former DC mayor and current DC City Council candidate.
Barry was arrested in 1990 for drug possession at a downtown Washington hotel. The FBI videotape of Barry's crime and arrest were broadcast worldwide. He served six months in jail, and was reelected to the mayor's office once again, serving until 1999.
In 2002, Barry campaigned for an at-large seat on the city council. During the campaign, Park Police caught Barry with "a powdery substance under his nose." Drug-sniffing dogs found traces of cocaine and marijuana in his car.The students are outraged at the very thought of Barry running for, and most likely winning political office once again in the Nation's Capitol.
Barry's lack of common sense is well known, but the locals in DC continue to support him anyway.
Marion Barry, in his own words:Logic certainly isn't Barry's strong suit, and judging by the citizens in Washington who are poised to put the man back in office, seem to enjoy being laughing stocks represented by an idiot of a laughing stock."First, it was not a strip bar, it was an erotic club. And second, what can I say? I'm a night owl."
"Bitch set me up."
"I am clearly more popular than Reagan. I am in my third term. Where's Reagan? Gone after two! Defeated by George Bush and Michael Dukakis no less."
"The laws in this city are clearly racist. All laws are racist. The law of gravity is racist."
"People blame me because these water mains break, but I ask you, if the water mains didn't break, would it be my responsibility to fix them then? Would it?"
"I am a great mayor; I am an upstanding Christian man; I am an intelligent man; I am a deeply educated man; I am a humble man."
"If you take out the killings, Washington actually has a very, very low crime rate."
October 17, 2004
Is this the face of Kal-El?
According to Ain't It Cool, Dark Horizons, Latino Review & Empire Online, former soap star Brandon Routh has been tapped by director Bryan Singer to be the new Superman.
Routh is a native Iowan, and is known to most audiences for his role as Seth Anderson on ABC's One Life To Live in 2001 & 2002. Routh has had guest roles on Will & Grace, Cold Case & Gilmore Girls over the past couple of years.
Singer, of course, is known for directing both X-Men movies, as well as The Usual Suspects.
He's set to make us believe Routh can fly in July 2006.
October 15, 2004
KRS-One -- not one of the smartest folks in the world
Rapper KRS-One has come out with a statement at the New Yorker Festival at the beginning of October that has many folks up in arms.
claiming that he and other African-Americans "cheered when 9/11 happened . . . I say that proudly."He has no problem with taking American money, yet goes on a bitch-fest? If this country is so damn corrupt, then you've got two options: make a change, or get the hell out. I don't see him doing either one.As reported in the New York Daily News and confirmed by a New Yorker spokeswoman, the rapper explained his views by saying that prior to the attack World Trade Center security guards prevented black people from entering "because of the way we talk and dress. So when the planes hit the building, we were like, 'Mmmm -- justice.' [9/11] doesn't affect us. 9/11 happened to them, not us. The rich . . . those who are oppressing us. RCA or BMG, Universal, the radio stations."
KRS-One also criticized recent voter registration campaigns by members of the hip-hop community. "Voting in a corrupt society adds more corruption," he said. "America has to commit suicide if the world is to be a better place." This comment drew a heated response fellow panelist and former Nirvana bassist Krist Novoselic, who yelled, "That is wrong, man. Suicide is not the answer."
Talk about hypocritical. Not only that, if he actually DID cheer, I would dare say that I would wonder about his sanity.
It sounds like when common sense was handed out, he missed the delivery.
October 14, 2004
Kerry/Edwards planning to charge voter intimidation -- even if none exists!
Matt Drudge has obtained a 66 page document to be issued by the Kerry/Edwards campaign and the Demcratic National Committee which directs supporters to make loud and vocal charges of voter intimidation against the GOP and the Bush Administration -- even if none exists.
A 66-page mobilization plan to be issued by the Kerry/Edwards campaign and the Democratic National Committee states: "If no signs of intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a 'pre-emptive strike.'"UPDATE (11:15A): Drudge has posted a .PDF file with the first page of this manual. You can also click the image to see a .JPG of the same PDF file.
If no signs of intimidation techniques have emerged yet, launch a "pre-emptive strike" (particularly well-suited to states in which there techniques have been tried in the past).And they claim that they are the good guys and we are the bad guys? Uh....Prime minority leadership to discuss the issue in the media; provide talking points
Place stories in which minority leadership expresses concern about the threat of intimidation tactics
UPDATE (11:35A): More from Drudge:
One top DNC official confirmed the manual's authenticity, but claimed the notion of crying wolf on any voter intimidation is "absurd."UPDATE (4:30P): The Democratic National Committee is charging that the Drudge Report is "misleading" the public over the document."We all know the Republicans are going to try to steal the election by scaring people and confusing people," the top DNC source explained.
(T)oday the Drudge Report posted a misleading statement about Democratic efforts to fight voter suppression.Actually, this sounds more like one of their hole cards might have been turned. The pre-emptive strike quote intimates that the Democrats are going to assume that intimidation will take place, period. It sounds like they don't care about playing fairly, just about winning.In response, the Democratic National Committee released: 1) A statement from DNC Communications Director Jano Cabrera; 2) A brief review of past GOP voter intimidation efforts from this year alone; 3) The full excerpt from the DNC field manual which was a alluded to, but unfairly characterized, on the Drudge Report.
Jesse Jackson adds his own sound byte to the "Spin Cycle"
Jesse Jackson, joining the other partisan pundits in the post-debate "spin alley," making the round of the television networks, repeated an earlier criticism of the Bush Administration -- insisting that Bush was pushing the "ideology of the Confederacy."
"[Bush is pursuing] the states' rights ideology, in contrast to the Union; the embrace of [former Confederate President] Jefferson Davis rather than Abraham Lincoln," Jackson told CNSNews.com.Democratic party head Terry McAuliffe thinks that it's OK to allow Jackson to spew his racial rhetoric on behalf of Kerry.Jackson said the Bush administration can be compared to the Confederacy because "it's anti-labor and it's anti-civil rights, it's anti-workers rights, and that is the Confederacy, and it's why people like [Mississippi Senator] Trent Lott and [House Majority Leader] Tom Delay have disproportional power in this administration."
When asked if he thought Kerry would support his comparison of the Bush administration to the Confederacy, Jackson responded, "This is my language. Kerry supports the Union and Bush supports states' rights."
Jackson added that Kerry "supports workers' right to organize and Bush supports right-to-work laws. And so the contrast is stark and clear in my mind."
"The Reverend Jackson has spoken for himself his entire life and does a very effective job doing that."Sounds like Jackson is trying to do his level best to position himself for a lucrative position in a Kerry Administration, where he can bully the right all he wants.
Ketchup Boy contradicts himself on outsourcing
In last night's debate, John Kerry insisted that he would stop outsourcing.
But less than a year ago, he insisted that he CAN'T stop outsourcing.
Well, any candidate for president who stands up and tells people, as some are, that they’re going to just stop [outsourcing] by getting tough on trade or whatever, is lying to the American people. Outsourcing is particularly painful at this moment because we haven’t been creating jobs, and we haven’t been creating jobs to some measure because of the overhang of the 1990s, the excess capacity that we were left with and the need to sort of burn it up.I wonder what's changed in Kerry's mind since last December.
October 13, 2004
Danziger backpedaling on racist cartoon?
Jeff Danziger's offensive political cartoon was the subject of much ire across the web over the past few days.
But as of this evening, the cartoon has been removed from his website.
Of course, leave it to me to make sure I've got a copy for your perusal, so you can see that it was, indeed, over the line.
Danziger's been sending out a form letter to anyone who complains about the cartoon, as Tony over at Red Mind in a Blue State found out.
Thanks for your letter.If the tables were turned, and Rice were a LIBERAL black woman, he wouldn't dare put anything of the sort there.In fact the idea for the cartoon was suggested to me by a friend who is African-American. It wasn't racist. Nor am I. I have been doing this for nearly thirty years, and any review of my work will prove that no racism attaches. Further, I am a decorated Vietnam veteran who voted for Nixon once, GHW Bush twice and even for Bob Dole. So keep your labels.
Nothing racist about it at all. Just the standard lies told by a political operative, out of her depth, who happens to be African- American. Whenever this administration is in trouble they send out Condi Rice because the press, which is mostly white and male, gives her a far easier treatment than they would a white male.
Yet another double-standard for black conservatives at work. It's OK to toss racist rhetoric at a black conservative, but Katie bar the door if you do the same to a black liberal.
Just damn.
Bishop Harry Jackson supporting President Bush
Bishop Harry Jackson, who regularly appears on TBN's Praise The Lord has just made a formal statement throwing his support behind President Bush, and urging all fellow Godly men and women to do the same thing.
I support George Bush and I believe that the Black vote will push him over the top. I also believe that this year’s October surprise will be the Black community standing up for righteousness and justice. High impact African-American churches are creating high impact leaders who are developing high impact congregations that are changing their communities. These high impact Black Christians are more likely to read their Bibles and practice the spiritual disciplines of prayer, fasting, or worship than their White, Hispanic, or other ethnic counterparts.The article also points out that three other prominent black evangelists are also supporting Bush: Bishop Wellington Boone, Apostle Kimberly Daniels and Bishop Larry Jackson.Black pastors are beginning to speak out and Black members of multi-cultural churches are ready to make a difference in their world.
In my view, God has been preparing the heart of President Bush to take a radical stand for social justice in his next term. This could be the beginning of the development of a "kingdom agenda" instead of a limited "conservative" versus "liberal" approach to the woes of our society. The current political labels have led to bitter divisions that do not serve the nation’s best interests.
A Southern black minister tells why he will vote for George W. Bush
Pastor Clarence William Page from Greensboro, NC has published an open letter to black America.
In it, he includes his reasons for voting FOR President Bush, and not to vote for Senator Kerry. He also poses some questions for people to ponder.
I know the hurt we feel (and have felt for hundreds of years). I am aware of the blatant racism the Republican Party has condoned (and in some cases still condones). My reasons for the stance taken in this position statement have little to do with racism but they do have much to do with race.I'm sure that Jesse Jackson and company will denounce any black man that dares to make statements such as these.
I will vote for the reelection of President George W. Bush because:
1. He is pro-marriage. He believes marriage is between a man and a woman.
2. He is pro-life. He believes that the killing of unborn, helpless, innocent children is wrong.
3. He is willing domestically to stand for what God stands for (Faith-based initiatives prove this).
4. He has a Black woman in the White House (and she is not a maid).
5. He has a Black man as Secretary of State (and he is not a "Tom").
6. He has a Black man as Secretary of Education (and he is not a "figurehead").
7. He has stood by (not fired) those high profile Black cabinet members.
8. He believes that "No Child Should Be Left Behind".
9. He has publicly honored God and welcomed the representatives of God.
10. He is willing internationally to stand for what God stands for (against sinful UN initiatives).
11. He cares about being right (though, [as all human beings] he is sometimes wrong).
12. He welcomes and seeks the advice of God's people
I will not vote for Mr. John Kerry because:
1. He claims he is for marriage but he won't stand against the proposed abuses of it.
2. He claims he is against abortion but he won't stand against the uses of it.
3. He does change his stated positions often.
4. He claims to be Catholic but he won't stand for what the Catholic Church stands for.
5. He tries to accommodate the sinful agendas of some Democrats and thus weakens his moral stance.
6. He tried to run on his Vietnam "record" and not on his Senate record.
7. He does not seem to have a clear view of where he thinks America should be going.
Now, my answer to Black intellectuals (who think I'm just a stupid Southerner whose mind was never freed from the shackles of slavery):
1. Some of you are willing to sell your souls for money and position (and have done so).
2. Some of you have adopted the position of those who hate Jesus, Jews and Americans.
3. Some of you are too ignorant to realize that we "got where were are" on Grandma's and Grandpa's prayers.
4. Many of you no longer believe in God.
5. Many of you say you are Christians but won't stand for what God stands for (in His Holy Word).
6. Many of you are pushing the "gay marriage" agenda (or you are "silent" about it).
7. Many, many, many of you are "silent" about the horrors of abortion.
8. Many of you are supporting all the "cussing" and moral decadence many black artists are espousing and exporting.
9. Many of you refuse to hear the truth (whether it's told by preachers or Bill Cosby).
10. Many of you have finally "arrived" and have now forgotten God.
11. Some of you have been tricked into believing that God is "White" or is the "White Man's God".
12. Some of you have no interest in an integrated, peaceful America.
Now, my statement to Racist Republicans
1. God cares zero, zip, zilch about your color.
2. Racism is demonic, ignorant, stupid, and counterproductive.
3. The White Man is NOT "more intelligent", so forget it.
4. Here we come and we "ain't sitting in the back of the bus" (no thanks to you).
5. The Holy Bible says that "God is no respecter of persons".
6. Your racism is a drag on the Republican Party.
7. We will help you be delivered (if you let us).
How will the reelection of President Bush help Blacks?
1. Black men are already scarce (we sure don't need "gay marriage")
2. All over the world Black people are dying (we sure don't need abortion).
3. It is only by the Grace of God that we are still here (we sure don't need an un-Godly America).
4. President Bush will keep Blacks in his administration (I believe).
5. Faith-based initiatives are better (for us) than are sin-based initiatives.
6. For too long our children have been "left behind". We need "No Child Left Behind".
7. We, of all people, truly need a Godly man in the White House.
And the third one's history...
The debates are increasingly becoming irrelevant in the overall scheme of things; they are becoming an opportunity for the candidates to rip on each other personally.
That being said, I think President Bush came out with a slight edge over Senator Kerry.
This debate, being more in tone and structure to the first debate than the second, included questions primarily geared toward domestic policy.
Kerry came out swinging the talking points that he has played with continually as this campaign has moved forward.
Bush pointed out the inaccuracies and contradictions in Kerry's record over the past 20 years in Congress.
Kerry continued his mantra: "I have a plan."
If I had a dollar for every time Kerry claimed to have this nebulous "plan," I'd be filthy rich.
Ratings for the debate are expected to be down, as the ALCS and NLCS are running on Fox and Fox Sports Net.
Bush v. Kerry: Third period. Just don't expect this hockey game to have any fights.
The third round of debates is tonight at Arizona State University in Tempe.
The Grady Gammage Memorial Auditorium where the debates will be held was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, and coincidentally, was the building whose design was used by Wright for the design of the Baghdad Opera House.
CBS News veteran Bob Schieffer will moderate a debate that will be very much, procedurally, like the first debate. Schieffer will sit at the moderator's position in front of the two candidates, who will stand at podiums 10 feet apart.
For those who cannot get to a television set, live streams will be available on the web in multiple places, including C-Span (RP) and BBC World (WMP) online.
Live blogging is running all over the frazzlin' place; as with the other debates, I'll most likely be adding my two cents in over on Free Republic's live message thread.
Post-game coverage to come later on.
DBD'll be back. Soon.
From Day By Day:
Chris has gone through some major personal trials and tribulations lately.
I told him he should take as much time as he needs. We'll still be here when he gets back.
Fear and loathing from the left
In New York City, my friend Renee got her own taste of the tangible and solid hatred that liberals feel toward conservatives in general, and the GOP in particular. She was attending a meeting for people who want to volunteer for a health expo in New York, and got treated to a sermon from a Bush-loathing, foaming at the mouth liberal.
There's a guy up front talking about Bush,etc. and I'm ignoring him because it's a meeting. Then he starts really getting animated, talking loud with very anti-white rhetoric, very anti-Western rhetoric. I hold up my hand and ask him (very nicely) when is he going to be finished and help return control to the person running the meeting. A older gentleman mentions the crisis in Ethiopia, Sudan and how he travelled extensively in Africa and was about to mention Zimbabwe and the same idiot up front goes PROFITABLE FOR WHO? Then launches into a tirade against Western Civilization,etc. The self hating white idiot sitting next to him is AGREEING WITH HIM and the black lady sitting next to me is muttering that she didn't come here to get a lecture (from the man up front). I really couldn't keep my mouth shut anymore and said in a firm voice 'You're talking about this crap, and look how you're manipulating the conversation, what the hell do you know about Africa? That guy has been there, and you haven't'.What I don't understand is the unmitigated hatred and scorn that the left heaps upon anyone who is conservative, or supports the right.Well I thought he was going to leap over the chairs and strangle me. I wasn't going to sit there and allow him to continue to INSULT the United States of America by saying people struggling to come here are WRONG. I wasn't going to stand for the anti-white rhetoric, and someone HAD to stand up to this man. Ordinarily I would have walked out but volunteering means I get into this very expensive expo free and would mean a lot of business opportunities for me. I wasn't about to let this leftist wacko filth deprive me of the golden opportunities by walking out of the meeting. I sat there though as he continued to insult me to his other friends up front.
Meanwhile, the older gentleman walked out of the room but not before he gave me a little wink and thumbs up.
Even my volume of hate mail is increasing in intensity and venom. I don't get it.
October 12, 2004
Liberals SAY they love you, then they stomp on you
From Nykola.com:
I realize that there are ugly sides to both sides of this political game. However, I find that the continual return to the small percentage of psychotic abortion clinic bombers as the rule and not the exception gets old. However, the "lovely-ness" of Liberals is rarely displayed or re-hashed in such a repetitive and vast fashion.But we're supposed to be the "evil" guys, right?I received the following email and photo from a reader.
Ambra,They managed to take out his front window as well. Who knew the doctrine of "tolerance" has loopholes. I'll let you draw your own conclusions.
I thought you like to see what a nasty Kerry fan did to the windshield and side window of my car this weekend. Attacking the encouraging hate sign that way is particularly revealing. I think his scheme backfired though. Now people walking down my busy street are even more likely to stop and stare.
-Mike P. (Seattle, Washington)
You remember the Ted Rall debacle this summer. Now comes yet another one.
Left-wing cartoonist Jeff Danziger has put out a political cartoon about National Security Advisor Condoleezza Rice that is just as bad and racist as the Ted Rall screed this summer.
If you remember, Ted Rall had a racist cartoon that offended many, and was the source of a protest letter that I sent to Rall's syndicator, United Features, back in July.
I don't know what makes these racist leftists think that it's OK, simply because their target happens to be a conservative. What's wrong is wrong. What's racist is racist. Period.
Wanna give Danziger and his syndicator, the New York Times Syndicate, a piece of your mind?
Danziger Cartoons are syndicated by the New York Times Syndicate. Call 917-306-3616 or email to jeff@danzigercartoons.com for all publication and permissions.What's wrong is wrong. Period.
Body of Michael Moore (no not THAT one, darn it) found after 40 days missing
49 year old Michael Moore's body was found this week near a Queens highway where it was thrown after smashing into a concrete barrier. The Kawasaki Ninja motorcycle he was riding was found nearby.
The decomposed body of Michael Moore, 49, was discovered facedown in a patch of 6-foot-tall grass between the Whitestone Expressway and the Cross Island Parkway in Malba, cops and witnesses said. He was about 10 feet from the southbound lane of the parkway, which carries more than 100,000 vehicles every day.Moore, a motorcycle-riding bus driver, had been missing for the past 40 days.Moore's beloved green-and-black Kawasaki Ninja was nearby, cops and witnesses said.
Damn. I feel for his family.
Although one can wish that it was Fatass, I doubt that there is a moving bike that could support the weight of his fat butt, let alone a helmet that could fit his fat head.
October 11, 2004
The AQ "Murder by Beheading" machine still churning out victims
An Islamic website has posted new video of two decapitation murders of AQ hostages in Iraq. One of the victims was a Turkish contractor, the other, an Iraqi translator wearing a badge for the Titan security company.
A statement said the two were killed by the Ansar al-Sunnah Army, which claimed responsibility for slaughtering 12 Nepalese workers and three Iraqi Kurds on Aug. 31.Stills and video of the beheadings are available (WARNING: GRAPHIC IMAGES & VIDEO) at The Jawa Report.Also Monday, the Arabic language television station Al-Arabiya broadcast a video showing three hooded gunmen threatening to behead another Turkish hostage within three days unless the Americans release all Iraqi prisoners and all Turks leave Iraq.
A written statement appearing on the Internet video accused the Iraqi Kurdish translator, Luqman Hussein, of participating in raids with U.S. troops in the Ramadi area. A second statement said the Turkish contractor, Maher Kemal, was working for the Americans at an air base north of the capital.
Brave John (Sir Robin) Kerry bravely ran away...away...
John Kerry has been painting himself as heroic and "angry" during the events on 9/11. A BBC documentary, recently aired on Public Television in the US, showing the events of 9/11 in several areas, including on Capitol Hill. Footage of John Kerry's 'as it happens' reactions is also shown in this documentary.
Last night my local PBS showed two documentaries about 9/11/01.This is the same John Kerry who has been jumping up and down about President Bush not reacting for six minutes as he sat in a classroom full of grade school students (and repeating the mantra of "Bush is dumb" that Michael Moore has been trying to forcefeed onto the American public).The first was about NY and the second about PA and DC.
In the raw footage shot that horrible day they showed the Capitol building being evacuated.
Hundreds of people were struggling to get down those massive stairs. You saw EVERYONE helping eachother- like the elderly or women who were wearing high heels, etc.
Then the camera switched position and the vantage point was of a side staircase next to the main one. Who comes out but John Kerry.
He was dressed in an immaculate dark blue suit with a matching powder blue pocket handkerchief and silk tie. Not a hair on his overly-coiffed head was out of place.
Now remember- this was filmed while the Pentagon was in flames, three years ago...the camera man did not film John Kerry "The Candidate" he was showing some guy coming out the door...
Well our friend the hero John Kerry looks over at the crowd, shrugs his arms a bit, looks around as if to see if anyone is looking- and BOLTS down the side stairs! He didn't help a single soul! ( I guess no one was drowning)
Meanwhile- Donald Rumsfeld was ignoring his Secret Service detail so he could help carry the injured out of the burning Pentagon.
I'm immediately reminded of "brave" Sir Robin from Monty Python and the Holy Grail, as portrayed in that legendary motion picture by Eric Idle.
Brave Sir Robin ran away, bravely ran away away. When danger reared its ugly head, he bravely turned his tail and fled. Yes, brave Sir Robin turned about, and valiantly, he chickened out. Bravely taking to his feet, he beat a very brave retreat. A brave retreat by brave Sir Robin.Sounds like Ketchup Boy beat a hasty retreat, which has been caught on tape.
NBC's Today exploits Reeve to benefit Kerry
It didn't take long for the leftists in the media to start to employ and exploit the memory of Christopher Reeve to the potential benefit of John Kerry's campaign.
We were treated, not once but twice, to the same clip of Reeve from the 1996 Democratic National Convention, saying "America does not let its neediest fend for themselves," as a man in a wheelchair looked on. Got it.And we're supposed to be the "bad guys?"Just in case anyone was still wondering where Chris was coming from, here was a clip of him saying "it gets lonely sometimes to say 'come on, let's get more progressive.'" Yes, that's the problem with America. Not liberal enough.
The message could not have been made too much clearer. Honor Chris Reeve: vote Democrat!
He made us believe a man could fly...
Clark: "Uh, not really, no."
Indeed. Rest well, Chris...
Christopher Reeve
1952-2004
From Dan Jurgens' legendary Superman #75 (1992):
"But most will remember this sad day as the day the proudest, most noble man they ever knew finally fell. For those who loved him -- one who would call him husband, one who would be his pal, or those who would call him son -- this is the darkest day they could ever imagine. They raised him to be a hero: to know the value of sacrifice, to know the value of life. And for those who served with Superman in the protection of all life comes the shock of a failure: the weight of being too late to help. For a city to live, a man had given his all and more. But it's too late. For this is the day that a Superman died."
October 10, 2004
More Democrats get their talking points from ABC News than any other source
Today's New York Post includes an editorial that finds it unfathomable that bias against the GOP by the mainstream media is as open and as blatant as it is during this election cycle.
Though many in the press deny this bias, Newsweek editor Evan Thomas all but confessed the bias on this week's edition of PBS' Inside Washington.
"The media, I think, wants Kerry to win. And I think they're going to portray Kerry and Edwards — I'm talking about the establishment media, not Fox — as being young and dynamic and optimistic, and there's going to be this glow about them, collective glow."A memo from ABC News Political Editor Mark Halpern surfaced on The Drudge Report on Friday. Halpern's memo, to the chagrin of ABC, all but told reporters to be harder on Bush than on Kerry.
An internal memo written by ABCNEWS Political Director Mark Halperin admonishes ABC staff: During coverage of Democrat Kerry and Republican Bush not to "reflexively and artificially hold both sides 'equally' accountable."This rings true when you look back at ABC News over the course of the past year, most notably at their daily political news column, The Note, back on February 10.The controversial internal memo obtained by DRUDGE, captures Halperin stating how "Kerry distorts, takes out of context, and mistakes all the time, but these are not central to his efforts to win."
But Halperin claims that Bush is hoping to "win the election by destroying Senator Kerry at least partly through distortions."
Like every other institution, the Washington and political press corps operate with a good number of biases and predilections.The overriding evidence shows that ABC News obviously has a liberal agenda, geared toward removing the current Administration from office by any means necessary, and they won't hesitate to use underhanded and unethical means to do so.They include, but are not limited to, a near-universal shared sense that liberal political positions on social issues like gun control, homosexuality, abortion, and religion are the default, while more conservative positions are "conservative positions."
It still has a hard time understanding how, despite the drumbeat of conservative grass-top complaints about overspending and deficits, President Bush's base remains extremely and loyally devoted to him -- and it looks for every opportunity to find cracks in that base.
More systematically, the press believes that fluid narratives in coverage are better than static storylines; that new things are more interesting than old things; that close races are preferable to loose ones; and that incumbents are destined for dethroning, somehow.
Ketchup Boy continues to pander to black audiences
John Kerry continued his stretch of pandering to black church congregations, while kissing the feet of Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson today in Miami.
The Democratic presidential nominee attended two church services Sunday, instead of his usual one, worshipping first with Haitian Catholics and then with Baptists, where the Rev. Jesse Jackson (news - web sites) and Al Sharpton (news - web sites) tied his election to the civil rights struggle.Kerry continued to preach to the false mantra of black disenfranchisement in Florida, a spectre which was initially raised in the midst of the 2000 election fiasco."We have an unfinished march in this nation," Kerry said at Friendship Missionary Baptist Church, as many congregants waved fans handed out by the campaign with his slogan, "Hope is on the way."
"Never again will a million African Americans be denied the right to exercise their vote in the United States of America," Kerry promised, referring to the disputed Florida recount in the 2000 presidential race. As he often does before black audiences, Kerry said he has a legal team that will aggressively respond to any allegations of disenfranchisement.
Jackson, Sharpton and US Rep Carrie Meek (D-FL) spoke at the church services in support of Kerry while deriding President Bush and those who support him.
Jackson told worshippers their political concerns are issues that touch their everyday lives, not gay marriage.While I have ancestors did pick cotton, they did so in order for me to think for myself; to move forward and make my own decisions -- not have Jesse Jackson and his cronies (up to and including John Kerry) make my decisions for me."I see disturbing signs today that some of our churches have been confused by wolves in sheep's clothing," Jackson said. "How did someone else put their agenda in the front of the line?"
"November 2, the power is in your hands, hands that once picked cotton," Jackson said.
October 09, 2004
Ohio men videotaped vandalizing and urinating on Bush/Cheney sign
Two men who ripped down and urinated on a Bush/Cheney campaign sign were caught on tape -- literally -- Friday morning.
The videotape shows the men sneaking into the yard of a West Market Street home and bending the sign to the ground. The men struggled to rip the sign out of the ground by shaking it and pulling it but couldn't get it off the posts, so they knocked it down. Sounds heard on the tape suggest the men urinated on the sign. They were white males, about 30 to 35 years old, well-dressed and well-groomed. They parked across the street in what police think was a foreign car, a Toyota or Honda.The vandalizing video of the "wanted water-makers" is available on the web (.MOV) for your sampling.The homeowner, Steve Kotsatos, who is also assistant to the director of the Summit County Board of Elections, called Akron police dispatchers at 10:38 a.m. Friday and told them about how his campaign sign was vandalized.
He said he caught the vandals on a night-vision camera he had installed the day before.
The large 4-by-8-foot, red, white and blue sign was tipped over in Kotsatos' yard about 1 a.m. Friday.
John Kerry's name was scrawled across Bush's name in black marker on one side of the sign -- the work of previous vandals, Kotsatos said.
Mt. St. Helens undergoing more indigestion
Earthquake activity is up once again at Mt. St. Helens in southern Washington state, but according to geologists, there is no reason to raise the volcanic alert level -- at present.
Scientists said earthquake activity had been low until Friday, indicating molten rock was moving upward with little resistance. By Saturday, however, quakes of magnitude 2.4 were occurring every one to two minutes, they said.Some people are speculating that a blast rivalling the 1980 eruption that killed 57 people. Scientists with the US Geological Survey are discounting that possibility at present. But they are keeping an eye on the seismograph and on the summit of the volcano."It's at levels equal to or higher than the Oct. 5 steam and ash eruption," said Jeff Wynn, the U.S. Geological Survey's chief scientist for volcano hazards at Vancouver.
A bubble on the south side of the dome has also risen to at least 330 feet since scientists first spotted it on Sept. 30 and is now almost as tall as the dome's 1,000-foot summit, said USGS geologist John Pallister.
Austrailan PM Howard reelected to fourth term
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Mr Howard, 65, is now guaranteed a decade in power, unless he retires early, and will become the nation's second-longest serving prime minister behind Liberal Party founder Sir Robert Menzies.Howard's conservative government was among the first to join the "Coalition of the Willing" in working to root out terrorism around the globe. Australia is an integral part of the war on terror, and an ally I'm glad we have on our side.Opposition Leader Mark Latham phoned Mr Howard to congratulate him on his victory at about 9:30pm (AEST).
Mr Howard claimed victory about an hour later after winning a swing to the government in all states.
"I am truly humbled by this extraordinary expression of confidence in the leadership of this great nation by the coalition," he told cheering supporters in Sydney.
"In accepting their charge to lead the nation I rededicate myself and all of my colleagues to the service of the Australian people."
October 08, 2004
Post-game analysis, first watch
Bush looked much better tonight than last debate. He looked far more relaxed, and he got in more zingers against Kerry.
At more than one point, it looked like a case of "who can insult who better," though.
Ultimately, I think Bush won this debate; he brought forth more points, he connected more with the audience as a whole.
Kerry fell into the trap of repeating himself over and over again (much as Bush did last week). He looked far more nervous, and much less comfortable than he did during last week's debate.
I was pleasantly surprised that Kerry didn't bring up Vietnam -- someone close to Kerry is obviously telling him to dummy up about Vietnam and concentrate on THIS century.
Finally, that last question regarding Bush's "mistakes" was a Democratic set-up, if there was one.
The Bush-Kerry Debates, Round Two
Time for the sequel.
As I mentioned last week, this debate, live from Washington University in St. Louis, will be in a "town hall" format, with questions from a live audience. The audience is made up of undecided voters (as if I completely believe that).
Charles Gibson, anchor of ABC's Good Morning America will moderate this evening's debate.
As with last week's debate, live streaming coverage can be found from C-Span (RP) or BBC World (WMP) online.
Live blogging has commenced all over the place -- check the blogroll at the right; most folks are offering some form of live, running commentary. In addition, Free Republic has a live message thread running with ongoing conversation.
Post-game analysis will run pretty much all weekend long in the usual places.
British hostage Bigley beheaded
Sad word in this morning that 62 year-old British hostage Ken Bigley, kidnapped with murdered Americans Jack Hensley and Eugene Armstrong three weeks ago, has been murdered in Iraq.
Militants in the Iraqi city of Fallujah say they believe Mr Bigley was killed on Thursday in the town of Latifiyah, 22 miles south-west of Baghdad.There are conflicting reports regarding the circumstances of Bigley's murder.A news presenter in Abu Dhabi said on television: "We have learned from informed sources in the Iraqi capital that the kidnappers of Kenneth Bigley have killed him."
The horrific alert comes just 24 hours after Iraq's interim prime minister, Ayad Allawi, said there were promising behind-the-scenes to secure Mr Bigley's release.
U.S. military sources told NBC News that they have reports from Iraq that Bigley might have been killed while trying to escape. The reports indicate that a number of "others" who might have been trying to help Bigley escape were also killed, the sources said.No stills or video has been released of the decapitation by the monsters, as has been the practice in the past.
UPDATE - 12:30P ET:Reuters confirms that a videotape of Bigley's beheading exists, and they have seen it. It will be available on the web soon. I'll have links to it once it becomes available.
Bigley's brother has been quoted as saying that Prime Minister Tony Blair has his brother's "blood on his hands."
October 07, 2004
Playing God. No other words for it.
When you think you've heard everything about the sliminess of the attitudes of some doctors, something else comes along to blanch your skin and drop the pit of your stomach even further.
Leading doctors today called for a major overhaul to avoid babies being born alive after abortions.As I mentioned previously, I try to stay away from abortion conversations as a whole. But what happened to the vaunted Hippocratic Oath? Blog brother Avery put it succinctly: "At Least Our Ob/Gyn Was Human..."Professor Campbell said that all abortions carried out after 18 weeks of pregnancy should include an injection, followed by drugs, to induce labour and a stillborn child.
Next week a motion is being tabled at the British Medical Association conference that babies should be entitled to all the intensive care that babies born prematurely receive. Consultant obstetrician-Jim Thornton said in the past babies were born alive after abortion more regularly but "people didn't make a fuss and pretended not to realise the baby was born alive".
Professor Thornton, of City Hospital, Nottingham, said: "Once it is born, you can't kill the baby but the law doesn't say anything about to what degree you resuscitate it.
"The way it is dealt with is by sensible doctors and sensible nurses keeping it under their hat and allowing the baby to pass away peacefully."
Professor Campbell does not believe that a baby born in this way should be kept alive at all costs.
"What paediatricians do is spend resources keeping a baby that is going to die, alive. It is absolute nonsense. It does show that is up to us (obstetricians) to make sure the baby is not moving."
CBS to BoycottCBS.com founder: "You're a putz!"
CBS has sent it's first statement to the founder of BoycottCBS.com, in the form of a snarky e-mail from CBS executive Ted Data to BoycottCBS.com founder Michael Paranzino.
Addressed to BoycottCBS.com founder Michael Paranzino, the email from the CBS’ “Black Rock” headquarters in New York City was brief and to the point:Paranzino responded with aplomb to the e-mail.“PARANZINO..YOU'RE A PUTZ!
“GET A LIFE PARANZINO!!!!”
“I’m flattered that CBS News executives read our web site, because we certainly don’t watch their news programs. CBS News debate ratings last night ranked fourth behind NBC, ABC, and Fox, which was showing baseball. It’s time for CBS executives to stop sending silly emails and start cleaning house at their troubled news department.No other "official" word has come out of Black Rock to BoycottCBS.com's efforts.“And I’d like to thank Mr. Data for his email, which made me feel young again. I haven’t been called that since junior high.”
"This Land" sequel to premiere on Jay Leno tonight
Jib Jab, the outfit that gave you "This Land," the satirical flash animation of George Bush and John Kerry going at each other to the tune of "This Land is Your Land," are at it again.
From the creators of the political satire sensation "This Land" comes a sequel set to the tune of "Dixie."The new piece is set to premiere on The Tonight Show Thursday night, and will be available online at JibJab.com shortly after.The online animation "Good To Be in DC!" features the presidential and vice presidential candidates along with Attorney General John Ashcroft, CBS News anchor Dan Rather, filmmaker Michael Moore, talk show host Rush Limbaugh and Jane Fonda.
"In `This Land,' you had basically (President) Bush and (John) Kerry," said Evan Spiridellis, who co-produced the cartoons with his brother, Gregg. "This piece is more about the whole town, the whole system."
Dennis Miller on George W. Bush
From Dennis Miller's Tonight Show apparance the other night:
That's why I like Bush. He doesn't over-think it. He wakes up every morning, jumps out of bed, lands on his two feet, scratches his balls, and says, "Let's kill some f@#@$ing terrorists!"
October 06, 2004
High-octane beer on the way from Anheuser-Busch
Anheuser-Busch is introducing a sweetened, caffeinated beer, targeted at twenty-somethings that regularly guzzle vodka-based drinks like they're going out of style.
The new beer B(E) -- read as "B to the E power" -- will roll out in several phases starting in November.The new drink will be priced somewhat higher than standard beers, and marketed in slimmer cans, not unlike Red Bull and other energy drinks.Advertising will focus on in-store merchandising and promotions at bars and nightclubs, with some local print work and online marketing, Anheuser-Busch officials said.
B(E) infuses beer with caffeine, guarana and ginseng, along with berry aromas for a sweeter, yet more tart taste at 6.6 percent alcohol by volume, said company brewmaster Nathaniel Davis.
Anheuser-Busch designed the new brew for 21- to 27-year-old drinkers who seek novel beverages and switch drinks more frequently according to mood and occasion, the company said.
Liberal Dominance of Black Media Won't Fix Itself
My new Project 21 piece was published this week.
Not all blacks are liberal, but liberals nonetheless dominate the black media.
So what's a conservative - especially a black conservative - to do about it?
For one thing, stop allowing this dominance to occur by default, because it's falsely defining black America as less conservative than it really is.
In a October/November 2003 Gallup poll, more blacks identified themselves as conservative (30 percent) than liberal (22 percent). A 1996 Joint Center for Political and Economic Studies poll similarly found a nearly equal distribution among blacks who defined themselves as conservative, liberal and moderate. School choice and gay marriage are just two of the recent high-profile splits between black America and the liberal establishment.
It's obvious there's a diversity of political opinion in the African-American community, but what about the seemingly monolithically liberal black media?
In most major radio markets, black radio dominates the dial. In black radio, Tom Joyner rules the roost. His ABC-distributed program is among the top draws not only in black radio but in urban and suburban radio, period. A long-time radio veteran with extensive local-market experience in Chicago and Dallas, Joyner holds court over a cornucopia of topics. He and his cohorts are frequently visited by phone or in person by newsmakers and commentators who maintain a definite sway among black Americans. Jesse Jackson, Al Sharpton and Julian Bond are among Joyner's semi-regular guests. NPR and PBS talk show host Tavis Smiley is a regular weekly contributor.
Joyner additionally hosts gatherings at Disney World, festivals around the nation and even an annual ocean cruise. He holds fundraisers for historically black colleges and is an outspoken advocate of "giving back" to the community.
Tom Joyner is an opinion leader in the black media establishment.
His mantra nowadays is getting President George W. Bush out of office. Joyner's program hosted several of the Democratic presidential candidates, but he hasn't had on anyone from the GOP. While part of this can be attributed to the current anti-Bush, anti-Republican bias of Joyner and his compatriots, just as much blame lies with the Republicans themselves.
The visible communication sources in black America - from Joyner and Smiley on the radio to BET to TV One on television as well as publications ranging from Johnson Publishing's Jet and Ebony to Earl Graves' Black Enterprise and the local black press - are a virtual wasteland when it comes to conservative ideas.
Conservative blacks from Project 21 often are represented in press reports and with New Visions Commentaries, but why isn't the President there? Why aren't Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell there? Why aren't John Ashcroft or Donald Rumsfeld there?
Why was Trent Lott only on BET to apologize for putting his foot in his mouth regarding the late Strom Thurmond and not to discuss conservative proposals to reform Social Security, how tougher standards and choice can improve education and how tax cuts don't just help the rich?
All those individuals will readily show up at Sean Hannity or Rush Limbaugh's bully pulpits. That's not a bad thing. It's always good to preach to the choir.
But always rallying the faithful doesn't expand one's presence. One cannot expand their message unless and until they step outside their comfort zone.
Going on black radio may not be easy or comfortable for conservatives at first. A wariness exists on both sides. As the ice is broken - and as black America recognizes that this is not a matter or a means of being used or pandered to simply for votes or support - both sides will begin to open up and to discover that a common ground truly exists.
Even Tom Joyner may discover there is not only room but a necessity for a vigorous political debate among black Americans. To deny it is to deprive black America of something it truly deserves. But it is something that both he needs to be open to as well as those pushing conservative policies.
And the No-Prize goes to...
I didn't get a chance to award the "No-Prize" yesterday; it got a bit on the busy side here (plus I was out for a good chunk of the day).
Anyway, the best caption for Ketchup Boy's attempt at playing football has to go to Songstress7 for here entry, "Senator Kerry attempts to find his head in the last place he left it...
I don't know when I'll do another one -- although doing one weekly sounds like it might be a fun thing to do.
I want to thank all you folks who participated though! Thanks!
Oh, and for us Nip/Tuck fans...
Nip/Tuck's season finale was last night on FX.
The "out of left field" revelations kept coming hot and heavy.
First we find out that Ava's a man (ok, transgendered).
Then not only do we get to see the slimy Alec Baldwin as the doctor....
...we find out that HE'S AVA'S HUSBAND!
And if you think I'm revealing everything, just wait until the last five minutes (after all, The Carver is still out there and gunning for Sean)!
And after the teardrop in the final scene, we're left hanging until next June!
Both The Shield and Nip/Tuck are starting late next season, due to Michael Chiklis and Julian McMahon both appearing in Fantastic Four, shooting now for a July release (as Ben Grimm and Victor Von Doom respectively).
October 05, 2004
Ooh...that's gonna leave a mark...
Quote of the night that sums up the entire debate from Vice President Cheney:
"Now, in my capacity as vice president, I am the president of Senate, the presiding officer. I'm up in the Senate most Tuesdays when they're in session. The first time I ever met you was when you walked on the stage tonight. "That's what you call "smackdown."
John "Breck Girl" Edwards fidgeted, hemmed, hawed, and did his level best to try to deflect, defend and otherwise protect the man at the head of the Democratic ticket, John Kerry.
Edwards insisted that he and Senator Kerry were not guilty of the flip-flops that their record strongly indicates, while Cheney went on the offensive, attacking the dismal voting and attendance records of both Kerry and Edwards.
Edwards tried to link Cheney's personal association with defense contrator Halliburton with failed companies like Enron, and the criminal activities of that company's head, Ken Lay. Cheney countered by challenging Edwards' lack of experience on the Hill (Edwards has only been in the Senate since 1999; Cheney has served in four presidential administrations, and has also been a part of the leadership of the US House).
Unlike last week's tie, I've gotta give this one to Cheney.
Darth Vader v. "Bambi for the defense"
Dick "Lord Vader" Cheney is set to take on John "Breck Girl" Edwards this evening.
As with last week's debate, live streaming coverage can be found from C-Span (RP) or BBC World (WMP) online.
The post-game analysis will be all over the place; stay tuned for our own post-game wrap.
Rodney, we all respect you. God bless you.
1921 - 2004
God welcomes Rodney home today....with much respect.
Bye, Rodney. We'll miss you.
October 04, 2004
BREAKING: New Mt. St. Helens eruption - live video
A new eruption of steam is coming from Mt. St. Helens in Washington state. But as we watch the live shots this morning, the clouds are much darker, which may or may not indicate the presence of magma or lava as opposed to only steam, which has gone up over the past three days.
NorthWest Cable News and their affiliates KGW-TV/DT Portland & KING-TV/DT Seattle are providing live streaming coverage (WMP).
The USGS has maintained their Level 3 alert, which is the highest volcano alert level. The USGS has said that there is at least a 70% chance of a "major" eruption over the near term, ranging from the immediate timeframe to as far out as two to three weeks from now.
SpaceShip One set to make history
Burt Rutan's Ansari X Prize entry, SpaceShip One, is set to make it second qualifying flight in order to win the 10 million dollar prize this morning.
NASA-TV is set to stream the flight live beginning at 9:30A ET.
The ship, piloted by 51 year-old Brian Binnie, will be ferried aloft by a Rutan-designed plane called the White Knight to 50,000 feet, where it will be released. SpaceShip One's engine will ignite, thrusting the ship upward to an altitude of more than 60 miles above the surface of the earth. The ship will glide back to a landing in the Mojave desert about an hour and a half after the initial take off of the tandem White Knight/SpaceShip One pair.
UPDATE: The Virgin Galactic/SpaceShip One team is also streaming live video now.
October 03, 2004
Dr. Alveda King appearing in ad for BlackGenocide.org
I tend to purposefully keep away from abortion conversations as a general rule; I've never had one, and don't plan on it, either.
In any event, the niece of Dr. Martin Luther King, Dr. Alveda King, is appearing in a new public service announcement, entitled "Restore the Dream," for BlackGenocide.org, a website that discusses abortion and the negative effect it has on black America.
VirtueMedia's newest film commercial, starring Dr. Alveda King, outspoken pro-life advocate and niece of the legendary Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. The commercial reveals the Black Genocide of abortion, that is plaguing African American Communities in America.You can view the ad here (Flash required).
October 02, 2004
I REALLY could say something here, but you can caption it so much better....
When John Kerry does stuff like this, he just begs for really bad captions. I could say something really bad here, but I'll leave it to you to caption this one. I'll award a "No-Prize" (back from when Marvel really was Marvel) on Tuesday. Excelsior!
Iraqi AQ hostage beheaded; video released on internet
Nafi'a Daoud Ibrahim is the victim this time; he's an Iraqi citizen who, according to an AQ-affiliated Iraqi terrorist group, was a contractor working for United States forces.
The footage from the group, Ansar al-Sunna, showed a militant beheading the man, identified as Iraqi national Barea Nafea Dawoud Ibrahim.Still photos of the monsters' handiwork (GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING!) can be found at MyPetJawa, while the beheading video (GRAPHIC CONTENT WARNING!) can be downloaded here (WMP video link courtesy NEIN).The group said in a statement accompanying the video that Ibrahim was an "apostate" (a person who abandons their faith). It was dated Oct. 2.
"I have set up three telecommunications networks for the Iraqi National Guard. I have been working in Taji since June 2004," a frightened-looking Ibrahim told the camera. He was wearing an access badge issued by the U.S. forces around his neck.
Two men later held him down and one proceeded to behead him, before placing his severed head on top of his body.
"We say to all those who even consider working with the crusader forces that they should repent," the group warned.
October 01, 2004
Bigley cage video was "staged?!?"
Dutch intelligence raided the home of the brother of British AQ hostage Ken Bigley in Amsterdam Friday night.
Apparently there have been claims made that Ken Bigley was able to roam about his captor's locale free, and was only caged for the purpose of the terrorist videos.
Dutch intelligence officers raided the home of Kenneth Bigley's brother last night. An intelligence officer from the Foreign Office is understood to have accompanied them to Paul Bigley's home in Amsterdam.Kasim, an Iraqi-born British citizen who claims to have "joined" the resistance in Fallujah, says that he hears about Bigley every day, and made the assertion that Bigley was only caged for the videos.The raid came amid claims that the British hostage was free to roam his kidnappers' home in Iraq and was "caged" only for terrorist videos.
Paul Bigley's computer was seized and he was interrogated about his alleged contact with the Tawhid and Jihad group, which yesterday claimed responsibility for Thursday's killing of at least 35 children in Baghdad.
In Fallujah, Mohammed Kasim, an Iraqi-born gunman with a British passport, said the latest video of Mr Bigley showing him shackled in a cage had been staged to "terrify" the British public. There was no way of verifying the claim, particularly in a country awash with rumour and conspiracy theories.
Two of Mr Bigley's American colleagues were beheaded by the captors, believed to be the group led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Gruesome footage of the murders was transmitted on the internet.
Kasim says that he is not part of the Zarqawi-Al Qaeda-affiliated group that has been responsible for most of the terrorist beheadings in Iraq. He would not show a passport to confirm his claim of British citizenship, nor would he confirm his London address, citing a need to protect his family who still lives there.
BREAKING: Mt. St. Helens Erupts
Mt. St. Helens is currently erupting steam.
KGW-TV/DT Portland & KING-TV/DT Seattle are providing a live video stream (WMP).
Geologists are describing this as a "small eruption."
It was not immediately known if this is the event that scientists have been predicting for days, or if it is a precusor to a larger event.
UPDATE (4:25P ET):Forester lives near Mt. St. Helens, and is liveblogging it.
The Boondocks to premiere on Adult Swim in Fall '05
Here's one that nearly slipped under the radar. Cartoonist Aaron McGruder's The Boondocks, who's pilot was rejected by Fox for this fall, has been picked up by Cartoon Network.
The failed FOX pilot has found new life as the cable channel has committed to 15 half-hour episodes of the animated comedy, which is based on the Aaron McGruder comic strip of the same name. The network hopes to begin production in time for "Boondocks" to premiere in the fall of 2005 as part of its successful "Adult Swim" lineup. McGruder will executive produce the project, which comes from Sony Pictures Television, alongside Reggie Hudlin. "Boondocks" tracks the adventures of two boys, Riley and Huey, who experience a culture clash when they move from inner-city Chicago to the suburbs to live with their grandfather.Cartoon Network's Adult Swim block runs in overnight hours, and consists of domestic and international animated programs that are more geared toward adults than toward children, including off-network series' like "Family Guy" and "Futurama," original programs like "Aqua Teen Hunger Force" and "Harvey Birdman Attorney at Law," and imported anime including "Case Closed" and "Cowboy Bebop."
Friday Morning Quarterbacking
As I savor my first cup of coffee and chew on all of the commentaries from last night, I think most pundits can agree that last night was a draw. Kerry had to step up last night, and he did.
In the post-game analysis, the partisan pundits pulled no punches to promote his/her candidate, but, as I mentioned in last night's piece, no one's opinion was truly changed by last night.
Plenty of commentary and analysis from the usual suspects here on the web.
LaShawn thought Bush was far superior to Kerry, as did Hugh Hewitt, In The Bullpen, Weapons of Mass Discussion
In the "tie" department (along with me), was DC Thornton, Right on Red, INDC Journal, Blogs of War
Expertise, along with The Komissar, Wizbang, VikingPundit and QandO thought that Bush dropped the ball.
Finally, Dean Esmay points out that memory is a strange thing -- so many thought that Al Gore won the first debate four years ago right after the debate, but later most thought (and still think) that Bush cleand the floor with Gore in that debate.
And of course that's just at a quick read this morning. There are plenty of others who both liveblogged and have an opinion this morning. You know the routine: your mileage may vary.