Iran on Modesty

Story: "Ghaemi said that the penalty for violating a code that requires the complete covering of women's heads and bodies in public depends on the officers involved and the women's political connections.

"The person could end up in jail depending on their relationship with the authorities," he said. "Generally, the imposition of strict Islamic codes has been increasing under Ahmadinejad."

Just as women in recent years had pushed the boundaries by wearing head scarves that revealed more than they hid, many Iranians had flouted the law banning them from owning satellite dishes, the report said. The government has been cracking down on them as well."

So. No showing of eyes!!! They will contaminated men. No showing of a nose, that would cause lustful thoughts. No displaying ears, or may you rot in hell.
And worst of all, no dish network. Stop polluting yourselves with the infedel garbage!!

The real story: Plamegate was a crock.

A Farce. A hoax. And whatever other word, in any language, that can be used to describe any variation of those words.

The Mainstream media harped on a fake story for 2 years, and what was it all about? Slate has a great wrap up here.

Liberals: What goes around comes around?

I was reading The First World War, by John Keegan last night, and came across his recounting of the Russian Revolution of 1917, and more interestingly, the October Revolution, where the Bolsheviks took power, and introduced the rule of the Soviet Union to Russia. In the war, Russia was fighting the Central powers, consisting of Germany, Austria, and Turkey.
After loosing hundreds of thousends of young russian pesents in the war, where several hundred miles of ground were lost, the people of russia began to lose their nerve to fight. The monarchy was overthrown early in 1917, and in October, Vladmir Lennin, with the assistance of the Germans, lead an asscension to the throne of Russia, and instituted Communisim. One of the main tennets of his revolution? Peace. Peace with the invaders, the Germans, the Austrians, and even the Turks. After Three Months of negotiations with the enemy, Germany broke the cease fire, and took another 150 miles of the eastran front. Immediatly, Lennin gave into all german demands.

And how about the liberals of today? Lets have Peace with the terrorists. Why do they hate us? John Kerry, Sen. Biden, Clinton, Shumer, and all the other liberals want us to stop fighting the war on terror, and negotiate a peace. And at the same time, they call Bush Hitler, and call for an impeachment.

Liberals are Liberals, wherever they may be.

WSA- A Christmas tale

"...Some may say their cute. But in the words of Jube D. "Their just rats with blow dried tails." If it wasn't against the law where I live, I would be using them for target practice. Moving targets are always better. I think it would be fun to pop the little vermin. I would even be willing to pick up the bodes and put them in the trash cans..."

More of the interview with Joyzey after the jump.

When squirrels attack: A Christmas Tale

UN helps kill Isralies

Weekly Standard: "DURING THE RECENT month-long war between Hezbollah and Israel, U.N. "peacekeeping" forces made a startling contribution: They openly published daily real-time intelligence, of obvious usefulness to Hezbollah, on the location, equipment, and force structure of Israeli troops in Lebanon.

UNIFIL--the United Nations Interim Force in Lebanon, a nearly 2,000-man blue-helmet contingent that has been present on the Lebanon-Israel border since 1978--is officially neutral. Yet, throughout the recent war, it posted on its website for all to see precise information about the movements of Israeli Defense Forces soldiers and the nature of their weaponry and materiel, even specifying the placement of IDF safety structures within hours of their construction. New information was sometimes only 30 minutes old when it was posted, and never more than 24 hours old.

Meanwhile, UNIFIL posted not a single item of specific intelligence regarding Hezbollah forces. Statements on the order of Hezbollah "fired rockets in large numbers from various locations" and Hezbollah's rockets "were fired in significantly larger numbers from various locations" are as precise as its coverage of the other side ever got."

Nice of the 'peace keepers' to do that, aiding and abeting a group that murduers civilions with impunity, even with intention.
Thats the global peace organization...

When Government Gets to big, again.

Story: "Top chefs in Chicago, known for its meat-heavy fine cooking, whipped out their knives this week to fight a restaurant ban on foie gras, the rich but controversial liver from over-fattened geese and ducks.

As some restaurateurs looked for ways to sneakily flout the prohibition by serving the famed French delicacy as a "free" garnish, even Chicago mayor Richard Daley slammed the ban as the "silliest law" the city council had ever passed. "

Shame. Its just food folks, let'em eat it. But wait, this just is. The kind hearted health nazis are giving us on

" And public health officials indicated they would not make it a priority to enforce it after it took effect Tuesday."

And thew dumbest thing about this whole saga? That the main thrust of this is to stop the torturing of ducks and geese, who are force feed to make a larger liver. However, not a single duck liver from Chicago is used in Chicago, it all comes from Canada and New York.
This is just the health nazis being petty, with detrimental effects to the rest of the world.

Israel may take out Iran

Story: "Israel is carefully watching the world's reaction to Iran's continued refusal to suspend uranium enrichment, with some high-level officials arguing it is now clear that when it comes to stopping Iran, Israel "may have to go it alone," The Jerusalem Post has learned.

One senior source said on Tuesday that Iran "flipped the world the bird" by not responding positively to the Western incentive plan to stop uranium enrichment. He expressed frustration that the Russians and Chinese were already saying that Iran's offer of a "new formula" and willingness to enter "serious negotiations" was an opening to keep on talking.

"The Iranians know the world will do nothing," he said. "This is similar to the world's attempts to appease Hitler in the 1930s - they are trying to feed the beast."

He said there was a need to understand that "when push comes to shove," Israel would have to be prepared to "slow down" the Iranian nuclear threat by itself.

Having said this, he did not rule out the possibility of US military action, but said that if this were to take place, it would probably not occur until the spring or summer of 2008, a few months before President George W. Bush leaves the international stage."

And thats how you deal with evil...

Got Robotics?

The 2nd in the robotics ad series. I couldn't find any news that caught my eye, and I finished this last night, so I'm putting it up.
Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkaBt8__M8g

USA: A cultural leach?

Story: "Bennett says, "I have travelled around the world to Asia and Europe. They show you what they have contributed to the world. The British show you theatre, the Italians show you music and art, the French show you cooking and painting, and the Germans show you science. "The only thing that the United States, which is still a young country, has contributed culturally to the world is jazz - elongated improvisation. It's tragic.""

I think Bennett is missing a lot that we've contributed. Where else in the world does country music come from?
And Hollywood, for all its faults, has been one of the greatest contributors to the spread of freedom in the world, mainly because it exemplifies the freedoms availible to western culture.
And this doesn't even begin to reckon with the greatest modern musical invention: The Electric Guitar, which is proudly born of the Jazz age, spawned the rock 'n roll genre and is made in America.

Oh, yeah. And most of all, America brought Star Wars to the world. Thanks George.

Did I miss anything?

Iran Rattles Saber, rd. VII, possibly war

Story: "Iran attacked and seized control of a Romanian oil rig working in its Persian Gulf waters this morning one week after the Iranian government accused the European drilling company of ``hijacking'' another rig.

An Iranian naval vessel fired on the rig owned by Romania's Grup Servicii Petroliere (GSP) in the Salman field and took control of its radio room at about 7:00 a.m. local time, Lulu Tabanesku, Grup's representative in the United Arab Emirates said in a phone interview from Dubai today.

``The Iranians fired at the rig's crane with machine guns,'' Tabanesku said. ``They are in control now and we can't contact the rig.'' The Romanian company has 26 workers on the platform, he said.

Iran, which holds the world's second-largest oil and gas reserves, is due to respond today to a European Union-led offer of incentives aimed at persuading it to halt uranium enrichment activities that are crucial to its nuclear program."

Think of Iran what you will, but this is theft. Just plain stealing from a smaller nation, and should be cause for War from the free world. But no, we're going to sit here and use the 'diplomatic circles' to stop the largest Nazi government in the world.
This theft, and the refusual to stop the nuclear weapons program, is why we should have taken Iran out last week.

Iran rattles saber, rd. VI

Story: " Iran rejected suspending its uranium enrichment program, the main objective of a European Union-led offer of incentives to which the country is due to give a formal reply tomorrow.

``Under current circumstances, the suspension of uranium enrichment is not possible,'' Mohammad Saeedi, deputy head of Iran's Atomic Energy Organization, told state-run Fars News.

The Iranian government's reply will be ``very comprehensive and give a suitable opportunity for the West to solve the nuclear dossier through negotiations,'' Saeedi said.

The United Nations Security Council has given Iran until Aug. 31 to accept the EU-led proposal of incentives, and suspend uranium enrichment, or face the threat of economic sanctions."

And once again, we see that diplomatic negotiations don't work worth a darn. Sanctions, embargos, and strong reprimands are about as effective as throwing rocks at a tank.
The only solution to this problem is the agressive use of force to prevent one of the greatest threats to american lives and other innocents in the world.

Announcement: Defending Humanity

The Staff at Pushing Back the Frontiers of Ignorance would like to alert you to our newest effort:
Alerting and Defending Mankind from the Great Threat of our Time.

Ladies and Gentlemen, I present
When Squirrels Attack

The seriousness of this threat cannot be overstated, and we would like your help in the defence of Mankind.

Sharpton Gets it right, echo's the Cos

Story: ""We have got to get out of this gangster mentality, acting as if gangsterism and blackness are synonymous," Sharpton said Thursday at the annual conference of the National Association of Black Journalists.
"I think we've allowed a whole generation of young people to feel that if they're focused, they're not black enough. If they speak well and act well, they're acting white, and there's nothing more racist than that."
The key to leadership is taking the initiative to change things, said Sharpton.
...
"Nobody broke in my house in Brooklyn and dragged me out the projects and made me a leader, I wanted to do that. "

Exactly what needs to be heard. I usually don't agree with Sharpton, but this the right thing.

Now, how many of you remember Bill Cosby talking about this a few years ago?
The entire speech is a good read, but here's a sample.
"Kenneth Clark, somewhere in his home in upstate New York -- just looking ahead. Thank God he doesn’t know what’s going on. Thank God. But these people -- the ones up here in the balcony fought so hard. Looking at the incarcerated, these are not political criminals. These are people going around stealing Coca Cola. People getting shot in the back of the head over a piece of pound cake! Then we all run out and are outraged: “The cops shouldn’t have shot him.” What the hell was he doing with the pound cake in his hand? I wanted a piece of pound cake just as bad as anybody else. And I looked at it and I had no money. And something called parenting said if you get caught with it you’re going to embarrass your mother." Not, "You’re going to get your butt kicked." No. "You’re going to embarrass your mother." "You’re going to embarrass your family." If you knock that girl up, you’re going to have to run away because it’s going to be too embarrassing for your family.

In the old days, a girl getting pregnant had to go down South, and then her mother would go down to get her. But the mother had the baby. I said the mother had the baby. The girl didn’t have a baby. The mother had the baby in two weeks. We are not parenting. Ladies and gentlemen, listen to these people. They are showing you what’s wrong. People putting their clothes on backwards. Isn’t that a sign of something going on wrong? Are you not paying attention? People with their hat on backwards, pants down around the crack. Isn’t that a sign of something or are you waiting for Jesus to pull his pants up? Isn’t it a sign of something when she’s got her dress all the way up to the crack -- and got all kinds of needles and things going through her body. What part of Africa did this come from? We are not Africans. Those people are not Africans; they don’t know a damned thing about Africa."

Now, after Cosby's speech, what was the reaction?
"Bill Cosby has more harsh words for black community" San Francisco Chronicle July 1, 2004

"Bill Cosby Remarks Divide Black Community" Black America Web, May 31, 2004 (Associated Press)

CHICAGO — Bill Cosby went off on another tirade against the black community Thursday, telling a room full of activists that black children are running around not knowing how to read or write and "going nowhere." Fox News, Friday, July 02, 2004 (Associated Press)

The media reaction, if any, to Sharptons remarks, which so mirror that of Cosby's, will be interesting to watch. Will a Lion of Liberalism be ignored where a Man, who can deliever a message with humor, was lambasted?

Why Wal-Mart?

The Earth Can Be Moved: "Wal-Mart is the best political issue they can come up with?"

Reuters with the scoop.
John F. Kerry, (who served in Vietnam), offers up his wisdom. ""It's unconscionable and it is unacceptable that five of the 10 richest people in America are Wal-Mart stockholders from the same family -- worth double-digit billions each -- but they can't find the money to secure health coverage for their own workers and their families"

But why is this, along with the assult yesterday by other senators, taking place in a coordnated fashion, with Wal-Mart as the target? After a little digging, I found it. Its an angry Union, taking revenge upon Wal-Mart for spurring its offers.

" The anti-Wal-Mart campaign was launched by the UFCW grocery workers union, which ended efforts to unionize the company last year and shifted to a strategy of building public pressure on it."

Once Again, labor is dictating policy to the Democrat party, much to the detrimient of their own agenda, and the good of the nation.

Democrats lash out at the vile armada

And it is not the republicans.
Courtesy the NY Times: (Sorry...)
"Democratic leaders have found a new rallying cry that many of them say could prove powerful in the midterm elections and into 2008: denouncing Wal-Mart for what they say are substandard wages and health care benefits.

Six Democratic presidential contenders have appeared at rallies like the one Mr. Biden headlined, along with some Democratic candidates for Congress in some of the toughest-fought races in the country.

“My problem with Wal-Mart is that I don’t see any indication that they care about the fate of middle-class people,” Mr. Biden said, standing on the sweltering rooftop of the State Historical Society building here. “They talk about paying them $10 an hour. That’s true. How can you live a middle-class life on that?”

And the pearls of wisdom continue, with stunning brillance from Senator Bayh:
"“It’s not anti-business,” said Senator Evan Bayh of Indiana, a former head of the moderate Democratic Leadership Council, appearing at an anti-Wal-Mart rally on Tuesday. “Wal-Mart has become emblematic of the anxiety around the country, and the middle-class squeeze.”"

And the fashion model of the Senate, John Edwards chimes in with:
"“Wal-Mart as an example of the problems that exist in America today is a powerful political issue,” he said in an interview on Wednesday. “I think our party pretty much across the board agrees that people who work hard should be able to support their families. When a company like Wal-Mart fails to meet its corporate responsibility, it make it impossible for that to occur.”"

I'm not sure exactly what the democrats are doing here. The 3 biggest issues, in order, of this year:
1. The War on Terror, and with it, the War in Iraq
2. Illegal Immigration
3. The Economy, and closely tied to it, the energy crises.

Where Wal-Mart fits in would be the 3rd most important issue. Except that Wal-Mart is one of the greatest pistons in the economy, the 2nd largest company in the history of the world.
The number of people employed by Wal-Mart? 1,300,000 associates. Most of them are part time and young, looking to move up in the world.
An entry level job at Wal-Mart is not meant to make a livelyhood. If you want to stay in retail, you move up in the company. If you don't you go to work somewhere else. If wal-mart wasn't a good employer, there were be a catestrophic lack of workers. As it is, its hard to get a job there. Why? Because Wal-Mart takes care of its assosiates, with good pay, working conditions, and other beinefits.

If they didn't they wouldn't be in buisness. And thats the bueaty of the free market. Competiton makes everything better.

Bizzare Story, Rd. II

Ok, this is officially the weirdest story I've read in a few weeks. Yes, weirder then the Taco Bell Hot Sauce one.
So, in Saudi Arabia, which is a muslim ruled monarchy, and any deviation from the Koran is punishable, we have this. A Gay Wedding, in the southren town of Jizan.
Not only was the problem that there was a gay wedding, but that 20 men were caught acting like women, with the burkas and who knows what else.
Another in addition to all that, there was a little narcotics ring going on right before the wedding.

This is just really wierd. It would be wierd in America, and its even weirder coming out of one of the most islamic countries in the world.
Link

Isreal legal immigration rises

Story: "According to Jewish Agency estimates, 24,000 people from countries around the world will immigrate to Israel in the course of the year 2006, up from the 22,657 people who made aliyah in 2005.

In parallel, two special ISRAIR flights –from Paris and Marseille - landed in Israel on July 25 bringing 650 new immigrants from France. This is the first time in decades that such a large number of new immigrants from France have landed in one day."

During the summer months, six EL AL flights will land in Israel carrying 1,500 new immigrants from North America. By the end of the year, it is estimated that there will be a total of 3,400 new immigrants from North America (U.S.A. and Canada), up from 2,987 in 2005."

So, despite missles flying in with reckless abandon, muslim women and children walking around with bombs set to go off in a pizza parlor, and the persistant threat from Iran, people are still moving in. And running from the liberal paradise of France, no less.

Homosexual discharges rise

Story (I know its the New York Times, but this seems to be a mostly unbiased article):
"The Army, by far the largest branch of the military, discharged more gay personnel last year than the other branches with 386, the figures show, followed by the Navy with 177, the Air Force with 88 and the Marines, the smallest force, with 75.
...

Under a policy introduced by the Clinton administration known as “don’t ask, don’t tell,” the military cannot inquire into service members’ sex lives unless there is evidence of homosexual conduct.

Those who volunteer the information have to be discharged. More than 11,000 members have been discharged for that reason, the legal group said."

The Army knows what they're doing, and this is probably whats best best for unit cohesion. I usually don't agree with the Clintons, but this seems to be the best way to deal with the problem. Meaning, unless the individual makes themselves a problem, they stay in.

Howard Dean is afraid

Story: ""I know how hard this is for Joe, and he is a good person, but the truth is I lost one of these races and I got behind my party's nominee and I think that is what you have to do if you want to help this country," Dean, former governor of Vermont, said on NBC's "Meet the Press.""

Translation: We beat you in the primary! You can't do this to us, and run as an incumbent against us when your an independant!! Drop out now, so we can acctually win!!! Its what I did, because I was beat as a wild eyed liberal nut! (EEEEEYYYYYEAAAH!)

Why is this? Because Lieberman is winning some polls.

When government gets to big

THIS is what happens.
"For the last three summers, 13-year-old Joey Cadieux has headed outside with his flashlight on rainy nights to collect nightcrawlers from his yard.

Purchased by passing fishermen for $2.50 a dozen, the wriggling worms brought him $7 to $10 in a good month, just enough for bike trips to his favorite neighborhood pizza joint.

But when a town official recently objected to his stenciled black-and-white "nite crawlers" yard sign, Joey's business got the hook.

"It's so weird," he said. "I only make a few bucks a month if I'm lucky. I don't know why it's a big deal."

The brouhaha started in July when Al Diaz, a town Planning and Zoning Commission member, mentioned during a meeting that the sign did not conform with Cromwell's rules and should come down. A town zoning officer sent a letter last month ordering Joey's stepfather, August Reil, to take down the sign and stop selling nightcrawlers.

"I actually laughed when I opened it. I couldn't believe they were serious," Reil said.

But they are. If Joey's sign, now hidden from passing motorists, goes back up, the family could face penalties for violating town zoning rules.

"In a residential zone, if you want to put up a business and work out of your home you really need a special permit," Diaz told The Hartford Courant in a story published Friday. "You come before the commission and state your case ... and then a decision is made. Chiropractors do that, lawyers do that, doctors do that, and then you're allowed to put up a sign."

Reil could plead his case to the Zoning Board of Appeals, but would have to pay a $130 filing fee — something he refuses to do, both on cost and principle.

"I pay thousands and thousands of dollars in taxes, so why should we have to pay to appeal something we didn't even know we were doing wrong?" he asked Friday.

Cromwell First Selectman Paul Beaulieu, who has fielded dozens of complaints from residents about the issue, is among those who support Joey's right to sell worms.

"I would hope that reason would prevail, and that both lemonade stands and nightcrawler signs are seen as part of summertime traditions here in central Connecticut," Beaulieu said. "I don't consider nightcrawler sales to be a major operation. We're not talking General Motors here."

Simply insane. I don't think I need to add anything, other then be vigilant with what your local government is up to.

60 Terrorist arrested yesterday. In Iraq.

Story: "U.S. soldiers raided a funeral and detained 60 men suspected of ties to al-Qaida car bombings, the U.S. command said Saturday in announcing the first major roundup of suspected insurgents since troop reinforcements began arriving for a new crackdown in Baghdad.
...
The 60 detained men are believed associated with a senior Iraqi al-Qaida leader in a cell that "specializes in bomb making," the statement said.

"The group has been reported to be planning and conducting training for future attacks," it said. "Multiple forms of credible intelligence led the assault force to the location, later determined to be a funeral gathering, where the suspects were detained."

Women and children at the funeral were separated from the men and the arrests were made without incident, the statement said without giving any details."

60 bomb makers were arrested, and all 60 of them were at a funeral. That must have been one mighty interesting funeral. No one was hurt, and there are now 60 fewer islamic terrorist scumbags roaming the face of the earth.
And thats why we're in Iraq.

Patriots still join the Army

Story: "The U.S. Army, which fell short in recruiting last year, made its 14th straight monthly goal in July and is expected to hit its 2006 target despite the Iraq war making recruiting harder, officials said on Thursday.

"It looks very good right now," Spara said of the active-duty Army reaching its goal of 80,000 new soldiers in fiscal 2006, which ends September 30. It fell about 7,000 recruits short of the same numerical goal in fiscal 2005.

The Army provides the bulk of U.S. ground forces in Iraq. Spara said the war continues to complicate recruiting, with parents and other influential adults more likely than in the past to counsel potential recruits against volunteering.

The Army sent 10,890 recruits into boot camp in July, exceeding its biggest goal of the year of 10,450 and pushing it 4 percent above its year-to-date goal. The Army has landed 62,505 recruits through July, and needs 17,495 more in the final two months of fiscal 2006 to meet its goal."

Despite the negative press, the disgruntled generals and war mothers, the barrage of liberal tirrades against the war, we still have well nigh 11,000 young Americans going into the army, and within a few months, going to offer Freedom to the people of Iraq and Afganistan. And thats what Americans do, they support their country.

We're at war

Story: "A plot to blow up planes in flight from the UK to the US and commit "mass murder on an unimaginable scale" has been disrupted, Scotland Yard has said.

It is thought the plan was to detonate explosive devices smuggled in hand luggage on to as many as 10 aircraft.

Police are searching premises after 21 people were arrested. Home Secretary John Reid said they believed the "main players" were accounted for. High security is causing delays at all UK airports.The threat level to the UK has been raised by MI5 to critical after the arrests in London, High Wycombe and Birmingham.

Critical threat level - the highest - means "an attack is expected imminently and indicates an extremely high level of threat to the UK".

Three US airlines are believed to have been targeted. Mr Reid said had the attack gone ahead it would have caused a loss of life of "unprecedented scale".
He said they were "confident" the main players were in custody, but neither the police nor government are "in any way complacent"."

Thats what I woke up to this morning, as did other Americans and British. But the attack was stopped, and many lives were saved.

Who was this? "The scope or the magnitude of this attack is much larger than previous attacks," said Rohan Gunaratna, a terrorism expert at Singapore's Institute of Defense and Strategic Studies.

He added that everything known so far points to involvement by Osama bin Laden's terror group.

"It is a classic al-Qaida tactic. It is a hallmark of al-Qaida to carry out coordinated, simultaneous attacks, and the aviation domain is certainly known to al-Qaida. They have obvious experience in working around that system and extensive knowledge of the aviation domain."

U.S. Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff echoed those sentiments, saying the attack "was sophisticated, it had a lot of members and it was international in scope." He added that: "It was in some respects suggestive of an al Qaida plot," but cautioned that the investigation was still under way.

There have been dozens of thwarted plots around the world since the Sept. 11 attacks, and several that were murderously successful. Suicide bombers killed 52 people in London on July 7, 2005, 58 in two attacks in Istanbul, Turkey, in 2003, and 202 in Bali in 2002. Islamic radicals killed 191 people in Madrid on Mar. 11, 2004, then blew themselves up days later when police were closing in."

So, it maybe al-queda, or some wannabe group. Also, look at the number of thwarted strikes in recent years.

The result of all this? Britan on highest alert, and the US is on RED alert for the first time.

And here is the best round-up I've seen.

So bizzare...

Story: " A group of 10 to 15 masked individuals entered Taco Bell, 3244 S. Western Ave., around 10:46 p.m. Tuesday to return a three-year stash of fire sauce packets, police say.

The group returned six 40-gallon trash bags filled with approximately, 25,000 sauce packets to the restaurant.

With the stash was a note stating that they had been accumulating the sauces over three years and kept them stored in the trunk of a vehicle, but felt guilty about keeping them and decided to return them to the restaurant."

See, we do live in a moral society! They returned the goods!

Democratic Primary Results

Joe Lieberman is no longer a democrat.
Story: " Sen. Joe Lieberman has conceded the U.S. Senate primary to challenger Ned Lamont but vowed to petition his way onto the November ballot as an independent."

Interestingly enough, Joe's site was down all day long, courtesy a Denial of Service attack, by who know who. Lieberman claims it was Ned Lamont, Lamont of course denies it. I think the MoveOn crowd is at fault, or one of their members.

Cynthia McKinney:
Story: "Attorney Hank Johnson, a former county commissioner, won the nomination with 59 percent of the vote, surpassing McKinney by more than 11,000 votes."

Not suprised. Most people don't approve of cop slappers.

So, one loss for the good guys, one victory, although Lieberman could win the election still.

5 Illegals die

Story: "The driver of a sport utility vehicle packed with suspected illegal immigrants flipped over while trying to elude federal agents, killing nine people and injuring 12, officials said.
Five of the injured, including a pregnant woman, were hospitalized in critical condition in Yuma and Phoenix, most with head trauma.

Five people were pronounced dead along the road Monday while four others died at Yuma Regional Medical Center, according to the U.S. Border Patrol. Three men and six women died.
The Chevy Suburban was carrying 21 people — all Mexican citizens — when the driver tried to circumvent a checkpoint on the highway more than 30 miles north of Yuma, according to authorities."

How in the world do you fit 21 people into a chevy suburban? Man, they must really want to get into the US, really bad. Not only will they become criminals in a forign land to do it, they stuff themselves like sardines to enter America. And I'm glad the border patrol found this, there 21 people that won't be entering the US illegally today. While its a shame the 5 people died, they shouldn't have been there in the first place.

Reuters makes it right

Story: "Reuters withdrew all 920 photographs by a freelance Lebanese photographer from its database on Monday after an urgent review of his work showed he had altered two images from the conflict between Israel and the armed group Hizbollah.

Global Picture Editor Tom Szlukovenyi called the measure precautionary but said the fact that two of the images by photographer Adnan Hajj had been manipulated undermined trust in his entire body of work.

"There is no graver breach of Reuters standards for our photographers than the deliberate manipulation of an image," Szlukovenyi said in a statement.

"Reuters has zero tolerance for any doctoring of pictures and constantly reminds its photographers, both staff and freelance, of this strict and unalterable policy."

Rueters realizes they have a problem, and are doing their best to fix it. Good job, thats the way a news agency should react when they have a problem, unlike the New York Times, or dare I say it, Dan Rather and the ENTIRE CBS News organization.

Syria isn't Stupid

Tanker Brothers

This is a post by a new found blog, 2 guys who are in Iraq as tank operators.
Part of the post, which is well illustrated and very effectivly written.

"...
Syria knows attacking Israel in retaliation for hunting down and eliminating Hizbullah would lead to an immediate counter-attack by Israel. With one of the most lethal Air Forces in the world, it would make short work of the Syrian MiGs.

The Israelis already destroyed the high-speed avenues of aproach coming into Lebanon from Syria.

Syria is already on the Coalition's "Bad Guys" list, and it's no secret that a good number of the foreign fighters fueling the "insurgency" in Iraq come in through Syria. By launching an attack on Israel, Syria weakens it's 360 degree security...."

War on terror, with the Isreali Style.

Story: "The Israeli attacks on the four bridges on the main north-south coastal highway linking Beirut to Syria severed the only remaining major road link between Lebanon and Syria. The 90-minute drive to the Syrian border takes at least double the time on the small coastal road that remains open.

Lebanese President Emile Lahoud, a staunch pro-Syrian and close ally of Hezbollah, charged that Israel is trying to pressure Lebanon to accept its conditions for a cease-fire , which include Hezbollah's disarmament and ouster from a swath of south Lebanon.

"The Israeli enemy's bombing of bridges and roads is aimed at tightening the blockade on the Lebanese, cutting communications between them and starving them," Lahoud said.

He linked the new raids to Israel's failure to win quick victory in the south, where Israeli soldiers have been mired in ground battles with Hezbollah guerrillas for several days."

Not suprised... Hezbollah fires 120 rockets, kills 2. Isreal destroys four roads, and cuts off the supply of rockets from Syria. Good day for the world.

The State of Global Warming: 1930

Story: "People sweltering from a heat wave in the Mid-Atlantic region of the U.S. might find cold comfort in the fact that the temperatures of the past few days are not the hottest on record. That "honor" belongs to a summer 76 years ago -- decades before the controversy over "man-made global warming" began.

"From June 1 to August 31, 1930, 21 days had high temperatures that were 100 degrees or above" in the metropolitan Washington, D.C., area, Patrick Michaels, senior fellow for environmental studies at the libertarian Cato Institute, told Cybercast News Service. "That summer has never been approached, and it's not going to be approached this year."

Between July 19 and Aug. 9 of that year, heat records were set on nine days and they remain unbroken more than three-quarters of a century later. "That's hot," added Michaels, who also serves as professor of natural resources at Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University in Blacksburg, Va.

The summer of 1930 also marked the beginning of the longest drought of the 20th century. In 1934, dry regions stretched from New York and Pennsylvania across the Great Plains to California. A "dust bowl" covered about 50 million acres in the south-central plains during the winter of 1935-1936."

Not suprised, and niether should you be. The Dust bowl, I believe it was called.

Senate sees iceberg, changes course

Story: "The Senate did an abrupt about-face yesterday, voting overwhelmingly to begin paying for 370 miles of fencing and 500 miles of vehicle barriers on the U.S.-Mexico border, just three weeks after voting against the same spending.
The amendment's sponsor said senators were so embarrassed by that July 13 vote that most felt they had to reverse course and vote for it this time -- especially after so many were on record in May voting to build the fence in the first place. The amendment, which provides nearly $2 billion for the project, passed 94-3, with 66 senators switching from "no" to "yes" votes since last month. "

After the last time, I can only imagine the number of calls they recieved. I was pretty hopping mad about it, but they apparently changed they're mind. A lot of them.
And now 66 senators can say "I voted for the fence, before I voted against it, and then voted for it again."

Tagged...

I was tagged by Matt at The Cult of Christ. (Yes, that is my new name for it.)

1. One book that changed your life:
One thing You can't do in Heaven, By Mark Cahill

2. One book that you’ve read more than once:
Just one??? Fine... Star Wars: Heir to the Empire by Timothy Zahn. Oh. Star Wars: Shatterpoint by Matthew Stover.

3. One book you’d want on a desert island:
The New International Version of the Bible.

4. One book that made you laugh:
Laugh a lot? The Far Side Gallery, any of them.

5. One book that made you cry [or feel really sad]:
Old Yeller, by I forget who.

6. One book that you wish had been written:
Right now? 'Wittless' by Ann Coulter.

7. One book that you wish had never been written:
Little Red Book, by Mao.

8. One book you’re currently reading:
Why the Allies Won(WWII), by Richard Ovary.

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read:
Disclosure, by Michael Chriton

10. Now tag five people:
Five? Nuts...

Earthy, Mercy Now, Redwall, Jenifer, and Carey.

Drilling for oil

Story: " The Senate cleared the way Monday for legislation that would open 8.3 million protected acres in the Gulf of Mexico to oil and gas drilling.

Senators voted 72-23 to limit debate, assuring a final vote on the bill later this week before senators depart for the summer recess. The bill's supporters said they have the majority needed to push it through.

But a battle loomed with the House, which has approved a bill that would allow drilling far beyond the limited acreage in the central Gulf of Mexico. Negotiations to reconcile the two measures won't begin until September.

The House would lift a quarter-century moratorium that has kept 85 percent of the nation's coastal waters off-limits to energy companies from New England to Alaska."

This is good news. It could be better, i.e., the entire Moritorium is repealed, but we've got to start somewhere, and the Gulf of Mexico is a great place to start.
Oil independance would be a wonderful thing.