Ramblings' Journal

DBD: Media convergence in action

(Courtesy Day By Day)

Rall issues bogus web challenge

Idiot moonbat supreme Ted Rall claimed in a column last week that right-wing columnists and bloggers are more likely to post violent and vitriolic threats than those on the left-wing.

Idiot Rall then invited those of us on the right to send proof otherwise to him at rightwingchallenge@rall.com. Several folks have taken the moonbat supreme up on his challenge, but have found that e-mails to that address bounce higher than SuperBalls.

Moonbat Rall claims that no one has sent him anything, but the bounces belie that notion; sounds like he is full of used food. As usual.

Truth in education

Behind a Houston Chronicle piece entitled "Small study ties Ritalin to higher cancer risk," Laurence Simon over at Full of Crap delivers the ultimate trueism:

This is what you get for drugging kids instead of beating the hell out of them when they act up, America.

I love Bill Cosby's description of "The Belt" that his father used to keep him and his brother Russell at bay.

"We had never seen The Belt.

But we had heard about it.

The Belt was nine feet long. Eight feet wide. And it had hooks on it that would rip the meat right off of you if it ever hit you.

Sounds like a lot of ritalin-downing children in America would do better with a private consultation from "The Belt."

FNC's Linda Vester gets into pissing match with Omarosa on air

Fox News Live host Linda Vester got into it on the air this afternoon with Omarosa of Apprentice fame.

Seems Omarosa wanted to show Linda up with her knowledge of the "television business," based on her Bachelor's, Master's and Doctoral degrees all being in Radio/Television.

Then again, Omarosa's only practical experience in television was as the "queen/bitch/goddess" of the first season of Donald Trump's "The Apprentice."

Johnny Dollar has the video for your edification.

Hell freezes over: "Song of the South" due out on DVD in 2006

Sources inside Buena Vista Entertainment indicate that "Song of the South" will finally be released on DVD in 2006.

"Song of the South." The Academy Award winning film that former Disney Feature Animation head Thomas Schumacher once told Roger Ebert was on "permanent moratorium" has reportedly been greenlit for release late next year. A special 60th anniversary edition that -- thanks to a plethora of extra features -- will try & put this somewhat controversial motion picture in historial context.

"Why -- after all these years -- did Disney finally give in?," you query. It's simple, really. "Song of the South" 's 60th anniversary was simply too good a promotional hook for the Mouse's marketing staff to pass up. More to the point, Buena Vista Home Entertainment could really use a hit right about now.

Given that Disneyana fans have been clamoring for a "Song of the South" DVD for nearly a decade now, BVHE execs are hoping that all of this pent-up demand will eventually translate in really big sales for this disc. Disney is hoping to sell at least 10-12 million units of this particular motion picture.

"But aren't Disney Company execs concerned about how the African American community may response to 'Song of the South' 's release of DVD?," you continue. Yep. I won't lie to you folks. There's a lot of people in the Team Disney Burbank building who are very concerned that -- by releasing this much maligned motion picture on home video & DVD -- that the Mouse House is potentially opening itself up to a ton of bad publicity.

With the hope of avoiding that, BVHE reportedly plans to really pile on the extra features with "Song of the South." Among the ideas currently being knocked around is producing a special documentary that -- through use of clips from that TV movie version of Rodgers & Hammerstein's "Cinderella" that Disney produced back in 1997 as well as sequences from "The Proud Family" & "That's So Raven" -- would demonstrate that a person's color really doesn't matter at the modern Walt Disney Company. There's also talk of including Walt Disney Feature Animation's seldom-seen short, "John Henry," as one of the disc's special features.

"Song of the South" never made it out on video in the United States in past years, primarily due to the potential backlash among Civil Rights groups.

Fans of all races have begged and cajoled but Disney has stood their ground...until now.

So you can stop bidding on those overpriced black and gray-market videos on eBay, provided you can hang on for about a year and a half or so.

Bottom-feeder Ted Rall takes aim at bloggers

Notoriously and hopelessly moronic moonbat cartoonist (and I use the term "cartoonist" loosely) Ted Rall has now taken aim at bloggers in general, and Captain Ed of Captain's Quarters in particular.

Bloggers want you to know that there's a new sheriff in town. Edward Morrissey, writer of the right-wing blog Captain's Quarters, boasts to the New York Times: "The media can't just cover up the truth and expect to get away with it--and journalists can't just toss around allegations without substantiation and expect people to believe them anymore." And what are Morrissey's qualifications to police the media? When he's not harassing old-school journos like Dan Rather and CNN's Eason Jordan out of their jobs, Morrissey manages a call center near Minneapolis.

Bloggers are ordinary people, many of them uneducated and with nothing interesting to say. They're sitting in their rec rooms, regurgitating and spinning what real journalists have dug up through hard work. They don't have sources, they don't report, and no one holds them accountable when they make mistakes or flat out lie. Yeah, there's a new sheriff in town. Unfortunately he's drunk, he's mean, and he works for the bad guys.

Rall continues to excoriate bloggers -- of course sticking to those of us who are ideologically on the right, and admonishes us for death threats against him (without providing any supporting links or references), and calling us a new McCarthy-ite lynch mob.

I hope you'll excuse me if Rall's credibility is not among the highest in the world.

Captain Ed takes Rall the moonbat to the woodshed and gives him an intellectual beating to try to pound some sense into his head.

He draws cartoons -- badly -- and expresses opinions similarly. I don't pay much attention to him as a rule, as he generally makes almost no sense whatsoever, and this column is a perfect example.

(Rall) expected bloggers to exist only to agree with his radical beliefs. Of course, that's Rall's idea of free speech. He can criticize anyone he likes, including me, but when people criticize Eason Jordan for making unsubtantiated allegations of assassination strategies about our military, all of a sudden it's McCarthyism.

Rall doesn't really even have enough of a connection to reality to enrage; he just provides amusement, like a crazy old uncle locked in his rec room, typing and muttering about all of the people out to get him. Too bad he's not important enough for it, and that he doesn't even know it.

Go, Captain Ed, go! I couldn't have said it better myself.

Then what the hell are we supposed to call them, Charlie...'Teletubbies?'

Congressman Charlie Rangel (Moonbat-NY) told WWRL Radio hosts Steve Malzberg and Karen Hunter today that we shouldn't use the term "Islamic terrorists" when referring to the...Islamic terrorists. Rangel claims it's discriminatory.

(Rangel said,) "To call it Islamic terror is discriminating, it's bigoted, it is not the right thing to say."

Rangel even questioned whether, in fact, a worldwide Islamic terrorist movement even existed, saying, "We just take for granted that there is an Islamic terror movement because we do have some fanatic people who come from Islamic countries."

The Harlem Democrat complained: "When we had the Ku Klux Klan we didn't call them Baptist terrorists. When Hitler was killing Jews, we didn't call it Christian terrorists."

Unbelievable.

What the hell are we supposed to call the terrorists (for lack of a better term), then?

1898: Bayer mass markets heroin as cough suppressant

Stranger and stranger these things might be.

Bayer trademarked "heroin" in 1898 as a non-addictive substitute for morphine, and marketed it alongside it's other trademarked product, "aspirin," as a remedy to be used in the home by consumers. Heroin was actually accepted as a safe remedy for children as a cough suppressant.

Bayer quit making heroin (as you can imagine, in a very pure form for public consumption) in 1910, after they determined the addictive properties of the narcotic were more than they had originally determined.

The US government outlawed the production of heroin in 1924.

Jesse Jackson trying to become more moderate? Not hardly...

Jesse Jackson writes a weekly piece for the Chicago Sun-Times, and this week, the Sloganmeister actually sounds conciliatory toward President Bush.

We know now that, thanks to the news media consortium that recounted ballots in every Florida county, recounting under any method and any criterion they tested would not have overturned Bush's exceedingly thin plurality (in 2000).

"We know now?"

Uh, Jesse, we knew that four years ago. You and your cronies refused to accept the truth, and continued to peddle your lies and obfuscations as absolute and unquestionable truth from 2000 forward. You expect me to believe that you've had a monumental epiphany now? So does this mean we will have to wait four and a half years for you to accept the Ohio results of 2004?

Democrats hoped that anger over Florida would produce a huge turnout in 2004. John Kerry did win 16 percent more popular votes than Al Gore, but George W. Bush won 23 percent more popular votes than he did in 2000.

What might have hurt the Democrats even more is if Gore's strategy had been successful, and he had been installed as president by the partial hand count sanctioned by the Democratic-appointed Florida Supreme Court.

Ah. I see now. It's AlGore's fault.

So are we supposed to smile and let bygones be bygones now? I don't think so.

I don't trust you, Jesse. You've never let the truth get in the way of your own agenda, no matter what that was.

And now, with raving moonbats from Hillary Clinton on down working to present themselves as more moderate in order to woo those of us on the right, none of you have shown that you are still anything but stark, raving, slobbering moonbats. When the moon goes full, you'll sprout wings and rejoin Howard Dean screeching at the top of your collective lungs about how "eeeevil" those of us on the right are, and working to stab us in our collective backs.

No, Jesse, I'll pass on the "Kumbaya" singing today.

Legendary gonzo journalist Hunter Thompson commits suicide

Word just in from Aspen, CO: author, journalist and ESPN.com columnist Hunter S. Thompson, known for such works as "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas," and the inspiration for the "Doonesbury" character Uncle Duke, shot himself to death tonight, according to his son.

Pitkin County Sheriff Bob Braudis, who is a close personal friend of Thompson, confirmed the death. His son, Juan, found him Sunday evening.

"On Feb. 20, Dr. Hunter S. Thompson took his life with a gunshot to the head at his fortified compound in Woody Creek, Colorado. The family will shortly provide more information about memorial service and media contacts. Hunter prized his privacy and we ask that his friends and admirers respect that privacy as well as that of his family," Juan Thompson said in a statement released to the Aspen Daily News.

Thompson's first person narrative style, laced with action verbs and exploiting any story he wrote about to absurd levels became known as "Gonzo journalism."

He was also the originator of the phrase, "When the going gets weird, the weird turn pro."

Thompson's final Hey Rube piece for ESPN.com, "Shotgun Golf with Bill Murray" is dated February 15.

Thompson's final column ended on a strangely appropriate note.

So long and Mahalo.

Hunter.

Though it won't be on his headstone, that final sentence certainly places a notable coda on his life.

Farewell, Uncle Duke.

Hunter S. Thompson was 67.

Paris Hilton's T-Mobile Sidekick phone hacked; numbers released on 'net

Rich trailer-trash Paris Hilton's T-Mobile Sidekick was hacked this weekend, and phone numbers and e-mail addresses of familiar Hollywood names from Vin Diesel to Anna Kournikova were splashed across the internet.

In addition to Paris' address book, the notes section of her Sidekick was hacked and also put out in the ether for all to see.

The FBI has opened an investigation into the hack. Not that they'd open one if most of us "great unwashed" got hacked or anything.

FL NAACP head wants to outlaw bongs

St. Petersburg, FL NAACP head Darryl Rouson may be heading to jail on a misdemeanor charge of trespassing.

Rouson entered the Purple Haze Tobacco & Accessories Shop in St. Petersburg and wouldn't leave, despite admonishments and requests to the contrary by store managers and personnel. Rouson claims he didn't leave because he was afraid of pit bull terriers on the premesis.

Rouson contends that the glass pipes sold by Purple Haze and other shops are used to smoke drugs like crack cocaine.

"The law allows them to operate behind a curtain that says tobacco accessories," Rouson said. "Everybody and their cousin knows that these pipes are rarely used for smoking tobacco."

Earlier this month, state Sen. Stephen Wise, a Republican from Jacksonville, filed a bill for the new legislative session that begins next month to create a yearlong Drug Paraphernalia Abatement Task Force. It would recommend "strategies and actions for abating access to and the use and proliferation of drug paraphernalia," according to the bill.

Even before Rouson first visited the Capitol on the issue in December, Wise said his constituents in Jacksonville had been showing up with glass tubes containing roses to complain at his office.

"It's not something you give your girlfriend for Valentine's Day," he said. "I would suspect people on the street know exactly what it's used for. People who are selling it have a pretty good clue what it's for, too."

Rouson pointed out that Purple Haze is four blocks from Gibbs High School.

Leo Calzadilla, the store's owner, said he was not worried about the legislation.

"It's not going to affect my business because I don't sell drug paraphernalia. I sell tobacco products," Calzadilla said. He said he also sells cigarettes, cigars and 1-pound bags of tobacco bought increasingly by former cigarette smokers fed up with rising costs.

Some might call this admirable, but I have to question the motive. After all, this gets him some face time, and does nothing to address the personal responsibility issue of those who use said paraphenalia.

QOAE & Dean back at home with Drake

Word is The Queen of All Evil and hubby Dean Esmay (both of whom do fantastic work on their blogs) are back at home with their son Drake.

Young Drake was in hospital this week with pneumonia, but thankfully is doing better. He still needs to be monitored, but thank God he's resting at home.

Hannity says FReepers eat their own; FReepers strike back

Syndicated radio and Fox News Channel host Sean Hannity accused denizens of Free Republic of being fringe folks who "eating their own" on his radio show yesterday, which brought down the ire of many on the popular conservative forum.

Many on FR who responded to the on-air diatribe pointed out that Hannity appeared to be drumming up support and potential posters to the recently-established message board on his own site, Hannity.com.

"Free Republic is childish. Come to MY board instead".

Some agree with Hannity's assessment of FR as a "fringe element."

OK, I concur. The freepers are freakin nuts. There are over 2,500 comments on this post now. It's getting seriously kooky over there.

While others (myself included) find FR and a majority of the posters there to have significant merit.

Radio host Kevin McCullough also points out that Hannity seems to have confused the concept of a message forum (like FR) with what a blog is.

If he took some time, backed up a bit, he would discover that Freepers and Bloggers both would be quite generous to his new site and the new "messageboard" feature that he was pumping in the audio bite. That's part of what bloggers do, generously link and share traffic - based on the idea that the more people who distribute information - the more the public is armed to make informed choices. Blogs are not about crowing over how "BIG" your site is. Bloggers know who is big, and they know better than you do...

And in terms of full disclosure, I am a regular poster at Free Republic, and have been so for several years.

Much like many other message forums across the internet, there are good points and bad ones; good posters and bad ones. Free Republic does not have a monopoly on "bad guys" as many (including apparently Hannity) would have you believe. There is certainly merit there as there is in much across the web.

I've met Sean once, and have found him to be polite and gracious and a true gentleman. I'm truly surprised that he would take this "bite the hand that feeds him" tactic in regard to FReepers. If I had the opportunity to talk to him directly, I'd advise him to reconsider his words from yesterday. There is plenty of room for the forum on his site among the others on the web; he might find that there are a fair number of folks who post on his site that also post on FR.

DBD on Howard Dean's insulting comments

Yet black conservatives get constantly painted by blacks and liberals as "sell-outs" and "spooks who sit by the door."

Going on "O'Reilly Factor" tonight

I'm set to go on Bill O'Reilly's talkfest tonight on Fox News Channel.

Tonight's subject has to do with a local Atlanta case where a mother killed her own five-week old baby by shaking her to death in December of 1998.

34 year-old Carissa Ashe pleaded guilty to a charge of voluntary manslaughter last week in Fulton County Superior Court, bringing to an end her murder trial.

Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes sentenced Ashe to five years probation and to have a sterilization procedure performed in order to prevent her from having any more children. Ashe has had two more children since the death of her baby daughter Destiny Ashe in 1998.

The premature infant had been hospitalized for weeks and was killed two days after going home to her mother. Ashe told police the child simply stopped breathing.

Ashe, who has no prior criminal history or complaints of abuse, could have been sentenced to 20 years in prison on pleading guilty to voluntary manslaughter — defined as a killing committed with a sudden, violent irresistible passion after the assailant has been provoked.

Instead, Superior Court Judge Rowland Barnes ordered Ashe to serve five years on probation and to have the tubal ligation within three months. If she doesn't comply, prosecutors can try her on the initial murder charge.

The judge questioned Ashe to make sure she was voluntarily agreeing to the procedure.

"It was her choice to go forward," said Jan Hankins, director of the Fulton County conflict defender's office, which represented the mother.

Two of Ashe's children are living with her mother, while four are in state custody, Howard said. Her oldest child ran away from home, he said.

Local media reports that there are multiple fathers of the seven children, but conflicting reports as to how many. There is no indication that the father is present in the home with Ashe currently.

I'm set to be on around the bottom of the hour (Fox News Channel - 8P ET/5P PT), in what the producer describes as the longest segment of the program.

O'Reilly tapes during the 6P hour, so I ought to be back home in time to watch and live-blog it here.

MJ on same floor as pediatric unit at hospital

According to published reports this morning, Michael Jackson, who was admitted to a local hospital in Santa Barbara, CA suffering from flu symptoms, is on the same floor as the pediatriac unit.

My "blog-sister" LaShawn got wind of it from the local newscast on WMAL radio in Washington.

I just got off the telephone with WMAL anchor Michelle Basch, who confirms that Jackson is staying on the same floor as the Pediatrics Unit. He’s supposedly there because it’s the most isolated area at Marian Medical Center. Oh, the irony is disgusting!

Much like most of the rest of us, she was incredulous, and had to double-check.

I called Michelle Basch to reconfirm. She said the report is an ABC Exclusive paraphrased this way: “ABC has learned that Michael Jackson is staying on the same floor as the Pediatrics ward…”

For those of you under a rock, Jackson is on trial for child molestation.

You simply can't make this stuff up.

MJ: "I've fallen...and I can't get up!"

Michael Jackson was whisked to a hospital emergency room this morning before the start of today's proceedings in his child molestation case.

Published reports indicate that Jackson was suffering from the flu, leading Judge Rodney Melville to postpone jury selection until next week.

Eating bananas is racist? How stupid can you get?

I heard this story on Neal Boortz's show on the way in this morning, and couldn't believe it. Not only that, The Talkmaster said that you could take a look at the original story if you didn't believe him (and he wouldn't be surprised if you didn't).

Unfortunately, the newspaper in question, the Columbus (GA) Ledger-Enquirer, demands you pay a buck or three for stories more than a week old. But thanks to the wonders of modern technology (and Google's cache), we've got the entire original story from the Columbus paper, and lo and behold if'n it ain't completely true!

On January 15, there was a Civil Rights march in commemoration of Martin Luther King's birthday. As you would expect, there were members of the local constabulary present to maintain the decorum of the crowds -- not unlike any other march or parade.

Enter one unidentified black woman who came to town for the march. She was shocked and appalled at what she found, and wrote a scathing letter to the mayor about the conduct of one particular police officer.

Did the officer say anything untoward? Nope. Didn't utter a word.

Did he brutalize anyone? Nope. Didn't touch a soul.

Not only that, Columbus Mayor Bob Poydasheff received glowing remarks about the helpfulness of the local constabulary during the march.

So what, pray tell, did this member of Columbus' Finest do to tick off the letter-writer?

He ate a banana.

And no, before you go there, he wasn't doing an imitation of the Spice Channel or the Playboy Channel, he was eating the banana the way anyone would: Peel it, take a bite, chew, swallow. Lather, rinse and repeat.

So what ticked her off about a banana-eating cop?

Well, it seems that in the context of the march, she took the officer's banana eating to imply an analogous racial slur relating black people to apes.

Such a comparison would not be uncommon in the parlance of racist propaganda, particularly in the old days. But these days that kind of talk is pretty rare -- and pretty obvious, too, when someone really means it.

So as racial slurs go, simply eating a banana now has to be considered rather subtle, for this particular area.

The mayor looked into it, and sure enough found that the police officers had been given snacks from a snack van sent around by the department as refreshment for the officers. Sounds reasonable enough -- a banana would be a good choice; after all, bananas are an excellent source of postassium and quick energy. That's one reason that you will see bananas being handed out to distance runners and riders to eat during races.

So the mayor reported back to the letter-writer that simple fact. And then he did something that I wouldn't have done to someone as idiotic as that.

He apologized.

The screeching lunatic demanded the apology in writing. So the mayor did.

Dated Jan. 22, it says: "As I said in our telephone conversation, I am sorry you found Columbus police officers eating bananas on the street when you arrived in Columbus for the protest. Let me assure you there was no intent to offend. The officers needed some nutrition after standing long hours on the street and they particularly needed the potassium available in bananas and some other fruits."

Later the mayor writes: "There was no thought of insulting or offending anyone and perhaps this was thoughtless on our part. In any case, let me offer my sincere apology for anything our officers may have done that gave offense to you or anyone else."

Did that placate the screeching idiot?

No one knows. She hasn't seen fit to contact anyone back who has inquired.

But between you, me and the gatepost? Go ahead. Enjoy your banana. And if you catch me at home on the right day, I might even treat you to some bananas from our fruit basket. Or maybe even, at the risk of earning her ire, eat one myself.

This week's been a character builder at best...

My darling bride of nearly 20 years (She-who-must-be-obeyed) rolled her Jeep Wrangler Thursday morning. Which means that I spent most of the day Thursday in the Emergency Room.

Seems that as she was en route to work that someone tagged a car in the lane next to her, then sailed into her, sending her careening off of the roadway.

She's OK (thank God), but bumped, banged up, battered, and bruised six ways to Sunday. She gets to see a doctor tomorrow.

And that's only the middle of my journey through the gauntlet of last week. Earlier in the week, I had to put a water pump on MY car, and just before I received the phone call about Rachel's accident, I got the e-mail receipt for the bike rack I just bought for the back of her car.

Then, to add insult to injury, while running errands Friday (taking photos of the damaged car, going to the pharmacy to get her more drugs, going to the bank, paying the sitter, ad nauseum), I hopped out of the car for a quick stop. Three minutes later, I hopped back into the car, put the key in the ignition, and.....nothing.

The key wouldn't even turn.

I looked around to make sure I hadn't jumped into the wrong car by mistake, but no such luck.

I had to have it towed home (I wasn't about to leave it where it was), then Saturday morning, towed to the friendly, neighborhood Chrysler dealer. I'm still waiting for word on how bad the damage to my wallet will be.

When it rains, it pours. I guess. It's enough to make you shake your head and say, "Just damn."

RI high school project compares Bush to Hitler

Providence, RI high school student Jeffrey Eden came up with the concept for his award-winning art project in about fifteen minutes. The project, entitled "Bush/Hitler and How History Repeats Itself," created a firestorm of controversy after it was displayed alongside other award-winning high school art projects last week.

The piece, titled "Bush/Hitler and How History Repeats Itself," triggered a complaint soon after it was displayed with other award-winning entries at Alperts Furniture Showplace in Seekonk last week.

"It's offensive to me," said Paul Lewis, a 34-year-old North Providence man.

Lewis asked Alperts to remove Eden's piece and phoned area newspapers as well as Channel 10 and Channel 6.

He said he sees zero relationship between the policies of President Bush and Hitler.

Figures of President Bush and Hitler, drawn on Popsicle sticks, are at the focal point of Eden's work. Each is addressing his own army of plastic soldiers.

On a backdrop, Eden has pasted statements of Hitler. He has penned a few of his own sentiments, too.

He hopes people will read them.

"Hitler's own justification was his own hatred," said one slogan.

"Treatment of the prisoners was unspeakable [concentration camps]," said another.

To the right of President Bush, Eden's handwriting said "No justification" and "Saddam had no affiliation with the Taliban and there are no weapons of mass destruction."

He thinks they show that the work is comparing Hitler and President Bush -- not equating them.

His teacher, Lynn Norton, believed he got his point across. She gave him an A.

The moonbats keep equating the President with Hitler. Those that do insult both the memory of those who died at his evil hand, and insult those who support the President today.

Not that the moonbats care about insulting anyone on the right. That's par for the course for them.

CNN's Jordan resigns

CNN's Eason Jordan has thrown in the towel amid the unsubstantiated remarks he made last month in Switzerland. Jordan claimed that US soldiers had purposefully targeted journalists in Iraq.

Jordan said he was quitting to avoid CNN being "unfairly tarnished" by the controversy.

During a panel discussion at the World Economic Forum (news - web sites) last month, Jordan said he believed that several journalists who were killed by coalition forces in Iraq had been targeted.

He quickly backed off the remarks, explaining that he meant to distinguish between journalists killed because they were in the wrong place where a bomb fell, for example, and those killed because they were shot at by American forces who mistook them for the enemy.

"I never meant to imply U.S. forces acted with ill intent when U.S. forces accidentally killed journalists, and I apologize to anyone who thought I said or believed otherwise," Jordan said in a memo to fellow staff members at CNN.

But the damage had been done, compounded by the fact that no transcript of his actual remarks has turned up. There was an online petition calling on CNN to find a transcript, and fire Jordan if he said the military had intentionally killed journalists.

Men (and women) in Pajamas 2, MSM 0.

Dennis, put your clothes back on. Please.

Dennis Rodman nude?

Just. Damn.

Sacramento couple hangs US GI's uniform from noose in yard

A Sacramento couple, Steve and Virginia Pearcy, have politely hung a US military uniform from a tree in their front yard, with a sign dangling from it saying, "Your tax dollars at work."

Many neighborhood residents find the display offensive and disrespectful, while the Pearcy's insist they are utilizing their First Amendment right to free speech.

The homeowners behind the controversy are Steve and Virginia Pearcy. They released a statement saying, "There will always be people who are offended by political speech, and the most important forum of all ... is one's own residence. The First Amendment is meaningless unless dissent is allowed."

The display has been reported to the local police, the city attorney, and even the local city council.

Councilman Rob Fong pointed out that what the couple is doing is protected as free speech, saying, "Unfortunately or fortunately this is protected speech by the First Amendment ... so there is nothing we can do about it."

British media critic politicizes Budweiser "Heroes" Super Bowl ad

Stefano Hatfield, media critic of the UK's Guardian newspaper, was not happy with Budweiser's Super Bowl ad honoring returning GI's -- and neither did his neighbor.

It was described as "moving" and "powerful" by the obsequious Fox critics, and "obscene" by my furious upstairs neighbour who called me straight after because he regarded the spot as incitement to war with Iran, and knows I write about such things and so it was of course my fault.

Pass the sick bag, Alice. I was too stunned by the spot to really take in the full import of a beer company waving off "our boys" (and girls) to battle. But battle? Where? The war in Iraq's over, isn't it or so they keep telling us? With Rice's thinly veiled threats towards Iran everywhere, it is hard not to see the spot as anything other than hailing the troops off to war. Pure propaganda, and it picked up on one of the themes of the night: patriotism.

First off, this retard seemed not to realize that these troops were returning home.

Secondly, what did he expect the fellow travelers to do, spit on the troops?

Then again, the liberal Guardian hates the Administration and anything that we find patriotic. But they're not here. They don't -- or do not choose to -- understand. That's their loss. And our gain.

He's a Nazi, She's a Nazi, They're all Nazis....or are they?

It seems that the term "Nazi" is thrown around so casually these days, usually to describe those of us on the right, without regard to the true meaning of the word.

Former comedienne and Air America radio host Janeane Garofalo called Congressional Representatives and Senators who displayed a blue-tinged finger in support of the Iraqi vote at last week's State of the Union Nazis in comparing their salute to the stiff-armed "Heil Hitler" salute used during the second World War. Members of Democratic Underground and liberal bloggers alike cynically compared the patriotic salutes at this past weekend's Super Bowl in Jacksonville to the Nazi displays of nationalism at the 1936 Summer Olympics in Berlin.

Many leftists casually toss out the term "Nazi" as an epithet to describe those of us on the right in general and the Bush Administration in particular.

Samantha over at Uncle Sam's Cabin takes a closer look at the phenomenon and points out the overall fallacy of the term's use in that vein.

Churchill still planning to speak, despite cancellation

Controversial University of Colorado instructor Ward Churchill, who is still in lots of hot water over statements comparing the victims of the 9/11 disaster to Nazis, has proclaimed that he will speak tonight on the University's campus in Boulder, despite the cancellation of a planned gathering at the University's Memorial Center.

Officials with the university sited security concerns as the reason for cancelling the speech inside the University Memorial Center. Supporters then vowed to fight for a court-ordered injunction to allow Churchill to speak. A hearing on the injuction is set for 4 p.m. in Denver Federal court.

No matter what happens in court, supporters say, Churchill will speak tonight outside the University Memorial Center at 7 p.m.

Those who support Churchill say CU is restricting the professor's right to free speech.

"They can expect to hear what I actually said, and the implications of how the media's been spinning it," Churchill said, referring to the content of his speech.

Free speech is a wonderful thing, but just because you have free speech, you don't have the right to demand that the public support it financially. No one is proposing to stop Churchill's right to speak. Just that they (the University, and by extension the taxpayers of the state of Colorado) won't necessarily support his right to free speech fiscally.

As for what Churchill says, he's just plain pathetic and completely wrong. But he's got a Constitutional right to be wrong.

Christian web columnist stalked and threatened by terrorists

Jeremy Reynalds, director of the New Mexico homeless shelter Joy Junction, and a regular contributor to several anti-Islamic terror forums, has been targeted for assassination.

Christian journalist and long-time friend of Internet Haganah, Jeremy Reynalds has been targeted for killing by Islamists on the Al Ansar forum (ansarnet.ws).

The thread:

http://www.ansarnet.ws/vb/showthread.php?t=27276

In a thread on the Houston-based site, the person who ran the now-defunct mawsuat.com site starts by blaming Reynalds for the site's demise, posts a POBox address for Reynalds, and asks if anyone else has more information about him.

In the discussion that follows, the Islamists first post Reynald's home address so that he might be "visited", then a picture of him and a wish that his ribs should be broken, and finally they offer their prayers to Allah that He should deliver to them Reynald's "fatty neck" - a clear reference to the current fad of decapitating anyone deemed to be a critic of the more lethal forms of Islam.

The thread closes with a heartfelt "amen".

Reynolds has responded by saying that threats like this do not intimidate him, and that he's not backing down.

The forum site which includes the threats is housed at a US-based internet firm, Everyone's Internet of Houston.

Spinning teeth!? For the love of God, why?

Am I the only one who has a fundamental problem with this site's wares?

So how many folks are going to rush out to spend a thousand dollars or more to get spinning teeth to go with the spinners on their tires?

Just damn!

Super Bowl XXXIX ad watch

USA Today ran their annual "Ad Watch" of the ads that ran during last night's Super Bowl this morning, and though many commercials were pretty lame to begin with (was I the only one that thought the Subway steamed windows commercial was simply pathetic?), there were some major standouts.

The biggest standout for many was the Anheuser-Busch ad honoring soldiers returning home to spontaneous applause in an airport (View the ad at A-B's "Hero Salute" site). Many leftist blogs are decrying that ad, along with the NFL's salute to the troops prior to the start of the game, and comparing the overall sentiment and feeling to...(c'mon, say it with me)...Nazi Germany in 1936.

Other stand-out ads included the Bud Light ad featuring a skydive instructor tossing a six-pack out of a plane as an enticement to a reluctant diver -- only to have the pilot take off out of the plane after it.

Super Bowl first-time advertiser (and halftime show sponsor) Ameriquest ran two ads, the first featuring a man on a cellphone getting beaten into submission by the proprietors of a convenience store after they mistakenly overhear the man say "You're being robbed." The second featured a man fixing dinner for his wife, and picking up the cat that had knocked over a pot of tomato sauce...while holding a butcher knife in the other hand, as the wife (or girlfriend - it could have been either one) walked into the apartment.

The usual round of upcoming motion picture ads were present, and included new footage for Batman Begins, Sahara, and War of the Worlds. I was surprised that neither Star Wars Episode III nor Fantastic Four were represented last night.

Overall though, the ads were pretty dismal as compared to past years -- good thing there was a fairly exciting game to balance them against.

iFilm has collected all the ads together for you to watch online.

Update: The NY Times slings mud at the A-B troops coming home ad.

A gauzy valentine to American troops, which ended with the Anheuser-Busch corporate logo superimposed on screen, was touching, but some viewers may have wondered whether "Busch" had been misspelled.

Leave it to the Times to let their biases show, even in discussing something as basic as a Super Bowl in a business article.

Update 2:GoDaddy.com CEO Bob Parsons reports on his own blog that Fox yanked their second scheduled ad last night, at the behest of the NFL.

As you may have noticed our Super Bowl ad only appeared during the scheduled first quarter spot. It was scheduled to run also in the second ad position during the final two minute warning. Our ad never ran a second time. Instead, in its place, we saw an advertisement promoting "The Simpsons."

The NFL persuaded FOX to pull our ad.

We immediately contacted Fox to find out what happened. Here's what we were told: After our first ad was aired, the NFL became upset and they, together with Fox, decided to pull the ad from running a second time. Because we purchased two spots, we were also entitled to a "Brought to you by GoDaddy.com" 5 second marquis spot. They also chose to pull the marquis spot.

Their ad can be seen as part of iFilm's Super Bowl ad roundup.

The LEAGUE plays here!

It's time. All the practice and drills and scrimmages and films have all led to this.

From 32 teams in the hunt back at Canton in August, to two in Jacksonville tomorrow.

Will the New England Patriots cement a dynasty like the Steelers in the 70s, the 49ers in the 80s or the Cowboys in the 90s? Or will the Philadelphia Eagles bring a championship home to a city long wanting?

The Patriots have a 7 point edge, but I'm going to take the Eagles (and the points). I'm a long-time NFC (and NFL before that) fan. Besides -- they beat up on the Falcons two weeks ago, they deserve it.

Enjoy the game everyone; enjoy the commercials, and remember that if you miss 'em, the commercials will be rebroadcast on an NFL Network special tomorrow night, and again both Monday and Tuesday.

I'm almost ready - I'm making homemade pizzas and homemade hot wings. I can justify it - I'll be back on my diet Monday.

Wrong network, but the question always applies: "Are you ready for some football?"

Janeane Garofalo: Inked Fingers = Nazi Salute

Air America talk show host and actress Janeane Garofalo continues to sink deeper into mediocrity, this time with a shrill declaration on MSNBC's After Hours that the members of the House and Senate that raised their fingers after having dipped them into blue ink, in solidarity with the voters of Iraq, are like Nazis rasing their arms at Adolph Hitler.

"The inked fingers and the position of them, which is gonna be a 'Daily Show' photo already, of them signaling in this manner [does the Nazi salute], as if they have solidarity with the Iraqis who braved physical threats against their lives to vote as if somehow these inked-fingered Republicans have something to do with that. And also, the bit of theater about the very distraught parents of the soldier who had died, the point is not if this was a real moment, if it was staged, if it was PR. The point is, is those parents and their son were misled about why that young man went into Iraq. And when he wrote a letter to his mother saying, 'It's my job to protect you now,' protect her from what? The imminent threat of Saddam Hussein and his weapons of mass destruction? So don't bring up, 'Is it helpful if the Democrats make some noise' when they're being lied to. That's not helpful, that's not helpful to pundits like you maybe, but it is not helpful to the country when a Republican President and his partisan Republican Party continue to perpetuate myth and dishonesty on the country."

Of course the left lapped it up.

Somebody needs to e-mail Janeane and let her know that she stopped being funny quite awhile ago.

LA Times op-ed piece rips black conservative ministers

"Selling Their Birthright to the GOP" screams the headline from the Los Angeles Times.

The venerable newspaper then allows two Southern California ministers rip into black conservative Christian ministers who would dare to support the Bush Administration in a hit piece that goes beyond the pale. And why? Because they don't toe the proverbial line that liberals insist that blacks toe.

Seventy pastors apparently turned out for Tuesday's meeting, which was supposedly organized by conservative black ministers who had backed George W. Bush in November and who are seeking to promote what they say is a new agenda for the black community.

Are they doing it with programs that bring jobs, education and opportunity? Nooooooooooooo. They are doing it with a campaign against gay marriage. They are unveiling a "black contract with America on moral values." That's right, Newt Gingrich is back and he's black!

That the ideological descendants of the architects of Jim Crow would be setting up shop in inner cities to structure a solution to the problems of being black in America is beyond ludicrous.

The saddest part is that these ministers, who have inherited a legacy of respect, leadership and authority, would squander their profound birthright for a bowl of faith-based porridge. The underbelly of this Republican initiative is the promise of funding for church programs. That's a true sellout.

The black church has always stood with the oppressed and never the oppressor. It has not been in the forefront of the "pro-life" movement because it recognized that prohibiting abortions leads to the maiming and death of thousands of poor, often black, women. It has not been in the forefront of the movement against gay marriage because it doesn't adhere to the biblical literalism of many fundamentalist churches and looks more to the compassion of Jesus than to conservative legalism.

The authors of the LA Times hit piece insist that anyone who would follow the evangelical teachings of the Bible are short-sighted and stupid, as opposed to being scholarly followers of the Word of God. And the Times, in giving this an audience continues to follow it's long-standing agenda of providing voices to those who would put down more conservative viewpoints, no matter what kind of racial hatred might be stirred up -- even if it is racial hatred within the black community.

The authors, in feeding into that sort of hatred, apparently agree that there should only be one school of thought in black America - one that begs for handouts, as opposed to providing a moral compass.

But let me ask: Isn't there truly room for multiple schools of thought in black America? Isn't there room for those who find that gay marriage is offensive to their sensibilities in addition to those who might otherwise support gay marriage? Many of us on the conservative side of the aisle think that out of a diversity of opinion can come strength in the community. Apparently, the authors of this hit piece feel otherwise. And that's a sad state of affairs, indeed.

Ossie Davis, R.I.P.

I've always had a soft spot for Ossie Davis' work. With his work and life partner, his wife Ruby Dee, they have always portrayed good, distinctive work and have done work that would touch your soul.

Ossie Davis died today in his hotel room in Miami, where he was making a film called Retirement..

Ossie Davis' long career both in front of and behind the camera was exemplerary for a number of reasons, not the least of which is his long-standing relationship with Ruby Dee. When other show business relationships falter quickly, Davis and Dee's withstood the test of time. Indeed, he will be missed by many.

Ossie Davis was 87.

AIM: "Ward Churchill is not a real AmerIndian."

The American Indian Movement Grand Governing Council in Minneapolis issued a release this week pointing out that Universtiy of Colorado Professor Ward Churchill, who has earned the ire of many Americans by calling the victims of the 9/11 terrorist attacks "little Eichmanns" (referring to World War II Nazi thug Adolph Eichmann), is not a true American Indian.

Churchill’s statement that these people deserved what happened to them, and calling them little Eichmanns, comparing them to Nazi war criminal Adolf Eichmann, who implemented Adolf Hitler’s plan to exterminate European Jews and others, should be condemned by all.

The sorry part of this is Ward Churchill has fraudulently represented himself as an Indian, and a member of the American Indian Movement, a situation that has lifted him into the position of a lecturer on Indian activism. He has used the American Indian Movement’s chapter in Denver to attack the leadership of the official American Indian Movement with his misinformation and propaganda campaigns.

Ward Churchill has been masquerading as an Indian for years behind his dark glasses and beaded headband. He waves around an honorary membership card that at one time was issued to anyone by the Keetoowah Tribe of Oklahoma. Former President Bill Clinton and many others received these cards, but these cards do not qualify the holder a member of any tribe. He has deceitfully and treacherously fooled innocent and naïve Indian community members in Denver, Colorado, as well as many other people worldwide. Churchill does not represent, nor does he speak on behalf of the American Indian Movement.

On a related note, word came out of Boulder, CO this morning that Churchill's pick-up truck was vandalized this week with swastikas painted on it.

The vandals painted the swastikas on the tailgate of Churchill's Chevrolet pickup late Tuesday or early Wednesday, said Lt. Phil West, a sheriff's spokesman. He said deputies told him that Churchill's truck was parked in front of his home when the vandals struck.

Also Wednesday, Churchill turned over to deputies copies of "hate mail" he said he had received. Churchill told the deputies he already had provided the hate mail to the CU campus police, West said.

Though New York's Hamilton College has cancelled Churchill's speaking engagement, Churchill is set to speak at the University of Colorado in Boulder, CO this coming Tuesday night. The speech is on his book, On the Justice of Roosting Chickens: Reflections on the Consequences of U.S. Imperial Arrogance and Criminality, and will be Tuesday night (2/8/05) at 7PM (MT) in the University Memorial Center's Glenn Miller Ballroom on the Boulder campus.

I'm sure local folks in the Denver area will make him feel welcome (rolling eyes).

It's all fun & games until someone puts an eye out

After trying to off himself (it didn't work), R&B singer Houston did the next best thing: he gouged his eye out.

According to sources, the singer first attempted to jump out of a London hotel window last Thursday. Prevented from doing so by his security staff, Houston was locked in his room, at which time the injury occurred. No additional details as to his current condition or whereabouts have been disclosed.

Featured in a McDonald's commercial, Houston's 2004 hit single "I Like That" peaked at No. 11 on the Hot 100 singles chart. The song also featured Chingy, Nate Dogg and I-20.

Houston's debut album, "It's Already Written," has sold 208,000 units to date, according to Nielsen SoundScan, having peaked at No. 14 on The Billboard 200.

That's GOTTA hurt.

No word on why he became so self-destructive.

"Wormer? Dead!"

John Vernon, veteran character actor best remembered as Dean Wormer in the 1978 classic Animal House has died. Saskatchewan -native Vernon played the perennial bad guy in movies from The Outlaw Josey Wales to Dirty Harry to Airplane II and television guest roles up through and including CSI.

Vernon was most recently seen in the special follow-up feature add-on to the "Double Secret Probation" Special Edition DVD of Animal House, which showed where the characters would be today. Dean Wormer was shown as a wheelchair-bound crochety old man in a nursing home.

John Vernon was 72, but nobody picked him; or scored on him in the Dead Pool.

I guess we're finally off of double-secret probation now.

SOTU Follow-up: One picture says a thousand words

First lady Laura Bush, right, applauds as Safia Taleb al-Suhail, leader of the Iraqi Women's Political Council, back to camera, hugs Janet Norwood of Pflugerville, Texas, on Capitol Hill last night during President Bush's State of the Union address. Mrs. Norwood's son Sgt. Byron Norwood was killed in Iraq last November.

I'm not the only one who picked this as the money shot from the speech. Kevin at Wizbang beat me to the punch.

SOTU Follow-up: Did Bush snub McKinney?

President Bush knocked it out of the ballpark tonight.

Others are doing some major-league live-blogging, so I'll leave the bulk of the commentary to them, but one thing did strike me.

President Bush appeared to have completely ignored "aisle-bird" Congresscritter Cynthia McKinney (Tin Foil-GA).

McKinney generally parks her ample butt along the center aisle hours prior to the State of the Union, or any other joint session of Congress where the President is slated to speak. She parks there in order to be certain to get her pearly whites on television while she shakes the President's hand.

Watching the President make his way down the aisle prior to the speech as well as back up the aisle afterward, I could see him stop to shake hands with Congresswoman Sheila Jackson-Lee (Moonbat-TX), but it looked like he completely ignored McKinney's presence.

I guess her "smile in your face, then stab you in the back" routine finally got old. It's about time.

UPN/Paramount finally kills off Star Trek Enterprise

The low-rated fifth series in the Star Trek franchise, Star Trek Enterprise will come to an end in May.

UPN and Viacom announced the decision today.

A number of changes had been made in the series ahead of this, the fourth season of the series, but the one thing that didn't change was the low ratings the series earned.

"Star Trek has been an important part of UPN's history, and Enterprise has carried on the tradition of its predecessors with great distinction," UPN Entertainment president Dawn Ostroff said. "We'd like to thank Rick Berman, Brannon Braga and an incredibly talented cast for creating an engaging, new dimension to the Star Trek universe on UPN, and we look forward to working with them, and our partners at Paramount Network Television, on a send-off that salutes its contributions to The Network and satisfies its loyal viewers."

Paramount Network Television president David Stapf added, "The creators, stars and crew of Star Trek: Enterprise ambitiously and proudly upheld the fine traditions of the Star Trek franchise. We are grateful for their contributions to the legacy of Trek and commend them on completing nearly 100 exciting, dramatic and visually stunning episodes. All of us at Paramount warmly bid goodbye to Enterprise, and we all look forward to a new chapter of this enduring franchise in the future."

TrekToday sources report that CBS president Les Moonves himself yesterday reached the decision to pull the plug on Enterprise. Most Enterprise crew members only found out about their show's cancellation this morning.

The as-yet-untitled series finale (to be written by series killers creators Rick Berman and Brannon Braga) will air on May 13.

CNN honcho enjoys the taste of shoe leather

Eason Jordan, "head honcho what be's in charge" down inside the monolith known as CNN Center, suffered from major foot-in-mouth disease late last week, when he charged that US military forces in Iraq were purposefully targeting US journalists.

Jordan claimed that he personally knew of 12 journalists who had not only been killed by US troops in Iraq, but in fact had been targeted.

During one of the discussions about the number of journalists killed in the Iraq War, Eason Jordan asserted that he knew of 12 journalists who had not only been killed by US troops in Iraq, but they had in fact been targeted. He repeated the assertion a few times, which seemed to win favor in parts of the audience (the anti-US crowd) and cause great strain on others.

Due to the nature of the forum, I was able to directly challenge Eason, asking if he had any objective and clear evidence to backup these claims, because if what he said was true, it would make Abu Ghraib look like a walk in the park. David Gergen was also clearly disturbed and shocked by the allegation that the U.S. would target journalists, foreign or U.S. He had always seen the U.S. military as the providers of safety and rescue for all reporters.

Eason seemed to backpedal quickly, but his initial statements were backed by other members of the audience (one in particular who represented a worldwide journalist group). The ensuing debate was (for lack of better words) a real "sh--storm". What intensified the problem was the fact that the session was a public forum being taped on camera, in front of an international crowd. The other looming shadow on what was going on was the presence of a U.S. Congressman and a U.S. Senator in the middle of some very serious accusations about the U.S. military.

Here's where it gets really bizarre -- the person who finally told Jordan to put up or shut up during the ensuing verbal maelstrom was none other than -- get this -- Congresscritter Barney Frank (Boystown-MA)!

Of course the $64,000 question at this point is whether Jordan will be allowed to stay with CNN or not.

Considering that he has personal relationships with officials across the Middle East, and has been involved in making sure that CNN was front and center, head and shoulders above the other networks in the region in terms of trying to cover the news there, I wouldn't hold my breath.

But in any event, consider this more proof of the downfall of the traditional mainstream media, and more evidence of the rise of the new media. Because without blogs and the internet, this story would be quickly covered up and never see the light of day.

Blue-stained GOP fingers at the State of the Union?

Neal Boortz began his talk show this morning by extolling the virtues of a caller's suggestion: that the Republicans in the House Chamber all dip their fingers in blue ink, and show said ink-stained fingers in a "V For Victory" sign to President Bush during the SOTU speech tonight.

Neal indicated that he had called the office of Speaker of the House Denny Hastert and placed the suggestion in the hands of the powers that be on Capitol Hill.

This afternoon, Wizbang has word that other like-minded folk are thinking in the same vein (or inkwell, as the case may be).

Rep. Bobby Jindal is planning to demonstrate solidarity with Iraqi voters by dipping a finger in purple ink before President Bush (news - web sites)'s State of the Union speech Wednesday.

In a letter to be circulated Wednesday among fellow lawmakers, Jindal, R-La., said he would have ink available for anyone attending the speech who wanted to make a gesture of support for Iraqis and "people throughout the world who seek freedom."

I wouldn't look for Ted "Jabba The Drunk" Kennedy, John "Ketchup Boy" Kerry, Nancy "Cruella DeVil" Pelosi or Barbara "Cryin' Woman" Boxer to have ink-stained fingers tonight.

But given her flip-flopping to the point of making herself physically ill this week, don't be surprised if Hillary "The Wicked Witch of Westchester" Clinton tried it. After all, she is still working on her transformation into a "more moderate" Presidential Candidate.

Crazy Al joining PETA to boycott KFC

Al Sharpton has made an eight-minute video for PETA, and is calling for a boycott of KFC restaurants in conjunction with the animal rights group.

Mr. Sharpton is joining forces with the animal rights group People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals to urge a boycott of KFC, which is owned by Yum Brands of Louisville, Ky. Mr. Sharpton and PETA want the fast food chain to require its chicken suppliers to put in place new standards for the treatment of the 750 million chickens they process for KFC every year in the United States. The rap mogul Russell Simmons is also joining the Sharpton campaign.

"If we give our money to KFC, we're paying for a life of misery for some of God's most helpless creatures," says Mr. Sharpton in an eight-minute video that will be shown outside KFC's around the country.

The organization was eager to enlist Mr. Sharpton because KFC has many stores in largely black neighborhoods and in late 2003 KFC executives told investors they were making an increased effort to market to blacks.

I wonder just how much they're paying Crazy Al not to eat at KFC (and to try to get the rest of us not to eat there).

Cynthia 'Jihad Cindy' McKinney plans to get aisle seat for State of the Union

US Congresscritter Cynthia McKinney (Tin-Foil Wearing Moonbat-GA) plans to park her silly grin along the center aisle of the House chamber hours before Wednesday night's State of the Union speech, as she has each year she's been in Congress.

This year she returns to the aisle after an absence of two years, thanks to her defeat by Denise Majette in 2002. Majette chose not to run for the 4th District seat, instead opting for a shot at the US Senate seat vacated by Zell Miller (Majette lost).

McKinney breaks her neck to get on that aisle so that she can be seen cheesing and kissing the President as he enters. Of course, that won't stop her from making idiotic statements, like the one in 2002 when she charged that President Bush knew about the 9/11 attacks in advance.

When President Bush walks through the doors of the House chamber Wednesday night to deliver the State of the Union address, the congresswoman again plans to be standing in his path, ready to shake his hand and smile for the cameras.

"I don't know that it's anything that's going to change public policy, but it certainly does make the constituents feel good to know I'm there and they can see me participate," McKinney, D-Ga., said Tuesday in an interview with The Associated Press.

At past Bush speeches, the exchange has been relatively playful, but this will be McKinney's first State of the Union since her radio comments in 2002 that the administration profited by the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks and may have known ahead of time. Some interpreted the comments to indicate she thought Bush let the attacks happen so his friends could profit, but McKinney later insisted that wasn't the case.

She's an idiot. She's full of used food.

Doesn't look like anything's changed.

US GI hostage story and photo faked; MSM falls for it--again

Looks like this was a fake, now that we've seen the photo, and kudos are due to A Small Victory, Wizbang and Free Republic for calling it.

It looks like this was a GI Joe-type doll on sale on the internet. Note the face, plus the gun and the fact that you don't see anyone's hands in the photo.

In addition, the Pentagon has verified that no soldiers are missing presently.

Score another one for the new media, as the MSM gets scammed again.

Iraqi terrorists claim to have US GI hostage, threaten beheading

A posting on a jihadist website claims that an Iraqi terrorist group is holding a US soldier captive, and is threatening to decapitate him if male and female prisioners held in Iraq are not freed within 72 hours.

The posting, on a Web site that frequently carried militants' statements, included a photo of what appeared to be an American soldier in desert fatigues seated with his hands tied behind his back. A gun barrel was pointed at his head, and he is seated in front of a black banner emblazoned with the Islamic profession of faith, "There is no god but God and Muhammad is His prophet."

A statement posted with the picture suggested the group was holding other soldiers.

"Our mujahadeen heroes of Iraq's Jihadi Battalion were able to capture American military man John Adam after killing a number of his comrades and capturing the rest," said the statement, signed by the "Mujahedeen Brigades."

"God willing, we will behead him if our female and male prisoners are not released from U.S. prisons within the maximum period of 72 hours from the time this statement has been released," the statement said.

The claim has not been formally verified yet.

UPDATE - 3P ET The Pentagon insists that no soldiers are missing, though this image, supposedly of a US soldier would otherwise disproove that notion.

I'll post video as soon as it's available.

UPDATE: I've got a link to the "fake GI" story here.

P21: "Profiles of Empowerment"

A new Project 21 piece by Virgil Beato points out the successes of blacks today who do not wave the "Soul Patrol flag of whining" around like a badge of honor.

It points to successful blacks like Dr. Ben Carson, director of pediatric neurosurgery at Johns Hopkins in Baltimore, Ann Marie Fudge, who is the president of ad firm Young & Rubicam, American Express CEO Kenneth Chenault, who helped the firm weather major losses of both life and property during 9/11, and former US Senate candidate and former Godfather's Pizza CEO Herman Cain.

These modern-day heroes also share strong family values. While the American Enterprise Institute estimates close to 70 percent of black children are now born to single mothers, these people have enjoyed long marriages and raised or are raising their children in stable homes with both parents present.

These modern heroes also give back to their community. Cain, for example, an alumnus of the historically black Morehouse College, now serves on the school's board. Chenault serves on the board of CASA, a drug-use prevention group. Carson started the Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. to help Third-World schoolchildren stay academically competitive. Fudge is involved with the Partnership for a Drug Free America and the United Way.

Many high-profile black "leaders" such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson seem to regard capitalism as unfair to African-Americans. People such as Cain, Carson, Chenault, and Fudge show the American Dream can work for anyone with enough faith and determination.

But to the Jackson-Sharpton cabal, people like these are not worthy of acclaim, because they aren't on bended knee, whining about the state of black America. They have the "audacity" (I call it courage) to do something about it.

They are truly the leaders that black youth need to know about and seek to emulate.

The full P21 piece is available for your perusal below the fold...

Profiles of Empowerment

By Virgil Beato

A New Visions Commentary paper published January 2005 by The National Center for Public Policy Research, 501 Capitol Court NE #200, Washington, D.C. 20002, 202/543-4110, Fax 202/543-5975, E-Mail Project21@nationalcenter.org, Web http://www.project21.org. Reprints permitted provided source is credited.

Black History Month celebrations largely focus on those who secured equal rights for all: People such as Harriet Tubman, Fredrick Douglass and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

What's often overlooked, however, is the path of opportunity they paved and its importance today.

The accomplishments of living African-Americans can provide the younger generation with hope for the future. Past heroes deserve no less honor, but drawing attention to those who seized upon the opportunity they secured lays the groundwork for a more prosperous future.

For example:

* Before running for the U.S. Senate in Georgia last year, Herman Cain spent over 25 years in the business community - most notably as president of the Godfather's Pizza chain (which he saved from financial ruin in the late 1980s). He also served as president and CEO of the National Restaurant Association, where he made national headlines after challenging former President Bill Clinton on his health care proposal on behalf of small businesses during a nationally-televised townhall meeting in 1994.

* Kenneth Chenault is now chairman and CEO of the American Express Company after spending over 20 years working his way up the ranks of the Fortune 500 giant. Chenault helped revolutionize the company by increasing the variety of credit cards issued from four to 60. When the company's headquarters in the World Trade Center was damaged in the 9/11 terrorist attack, he kept the company stable during a time of great difficulty.

* Dr. Ben Carson is the director of pediatric neurosurgery at the Johns Hopkins Medical Institutes in Baltimore. In grade school, Dr. Carson struggled to succeed. With the encouragement of his mother, who only had a third grade education herself, he rose to the top of his class and earned scholarships to both college and medical school. He is a world-renowned expert in separating conjoined twins previously considered inseparable. He also refined a technique for radical brain surgery known as hemispherectomy, which is used to treat seizures, and has written over 90 neurosurgical publications and three bestselling books. A one-act play, Ben Carson, M.D., has even been produced about him.

* Ann Marie Fudge is the president of the Young & Rubicam advertising firm. She became recognized as one of America's top corporate women while serving as an executive at Kraft Foods, where she successfully revived old brands such as Log Cabin Syrup, Minute Rice and Stove Top Stuffing. Fudge successfully linked Kraft's business objectives to projects benefiting the communities Kraft serves.

These people obviously owe a debt of gratitude to those who came before them, but they deserve admiration for taking advantage of available opportunities. Thurgood Marshall and Reverend Otis Brown may have been key to the integration of our public schools, but Dr. Carson and the others took advantage of it. They stayed in school and strove to succeed.

These modern-day heroes also share strong family values. While the American Enterprise Institute estimates close to 70 percent of black children are now born to single mothers, these people have enjoyed long marriages and raised or are raising their children in stable homes with both parents present.

These modern heroes also give back to their community. Cain, for example, an alumnus of the historically black Morehouse College, now serves on the school's board. Chenault serves on the board of CASA, a drug-use prevention group. Carson started the Carson Scholars Fund, Inc. to help Third-World schoolchildren stay academically competitive. Fudge is involved with the Partnership for a Drug Free America and the United Way.

Many high-profile black "leaders" such as Al Sharpton and Jesse Jackson seem to regard capitalism as unfair to African-Americans. People such as Cain, Carson, Chenault, and Fudge show the American Dream can work for anyone with enough faith and determination.

They and others like them are true sources of inspiration, and should be honored during Black History Month.

# # #

Virgil Beato is a former staff assistant for the African-American leadership network Project 21. Comments may be sent to Project21@nationalcenter.org.

Note: New Visions Commentaries reflect the views of their author, and not necessarily those of Project 21.