Wednesday, October 31, 2007
The Media - It's always the agenda, stupid!
I'm labeling the media's behavior here as "mean spirited".
Perhaps, it's time for a warning label like "BEWARE - Media at Work"...
Perhaps, it's time for a warning label like "BEWARE - Media at Work"...
At TownHall.com, Kathleen Parker sets the record straight:
" The controversial photo shows Bush donning a black headscarf decorated with the iconic pink bows signifying breast cancer awareness. It was the only time Bush covered her head during the trip and the episode lasted perhaps a minute.
The scarf in question was a gift to Bush from a dozen Saudi women who shared their experiences fighting breast cancer with the first lady. The morning meeting was touching and intimate, the sort of bonding experience that opens hearts and minds in diplomatically useful ways.
Upon receiving the gift, Bush did what any decent, well-mannered person would do. She demonstrated her appreciation by placing the scarf on her head. In Saudi Arabia, it was a sweet, wordless gesture of friendship and mutual respect. "
L.O.S.T. - And it sounds so innocent
In this case, I'm hoping for some "do nothing"...
Here's some of what the editors at National Review Online have to say:
"Law-enforcement agencies, in their efforts to solve crimes, look for 'signature' patterns — a regular alias, an explosive used to crack safes, a particular method of breaking into homes — that point to the identity of the perpetrator. Maybe the FBI should look into the 'Mysterious Case of the Law of the Sea,' which is an attempt to smuggle through the U.S. Senate a transfer of sovereignty from the U.S. to the United Nations — without even waking the senators up.
Who could propose such a daring crime? Consider the following clues: There have been two clear attempts in recent years to get the Law of the Sea — or as it is known to Interpol, 'The United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea' — ratified without holding proper hearings that include respected and respectable critics of UNCLOS. Remember anything else recently that was intended to be rushed through Congress without proper scrutiny? Was it perhaps the proposed 'comprehensive' immigration reform? Exactly so."
Politicians - Overcooking It?
Sometimes, politicians can get too political...
Here's a part of Jack Kelly's opinion at JewishWorldReview.com:
"Ms. Pelosi 'is working very quietly and very effectively behind the scenes' to gather votes to impeach President Bush, Rep. Diane Watson (D-Cal) told a town hall meeting in Los Angeles Oct. 17.
Mr. Kucinich, Ms. Watson and Ms. Pelosi are three of the reasons why I think historians will regard the Democratic sweep in the 2006 midterms as the essential prerequisite to the Republican victory in the 2008 presidential election.
The Democratic seizure of Congress caused President Bush to change strategy in Iraq. The dramatic improvement in Iraq since the troop surge began is depriving Democrats of the issue they had hoped to ride to victory."
Hillary Clinton - Happy Halloween?
You know, of all the holidays, I never really liked Halloween...
Mac Johnson scares us at HumanEvents.com:
"President Hillary offers us a true nightmare scenario -- the return of the Clinton administration’s rogue’s gallery of bad characters and steady triangulation leftward, without any of the personal skills of Bill Clinton. Nope, this is going to be bad policy, bad personnel and bad personality all at once.
Now that’s scary. That’s the coming prospect of “Hill-o-ween” -- a 4 to 8 year curse filled with a host of political poltergeists and technocratic terrors. Here are just a few of Hillary’s haunts and horrors to consider this coming fright night…"
Meanwhile, in California
This could really be interesting...
From Riverside County, CA, Ben Goad reports:
" Inland Rep. Darrell Issa is throwing his political clout and significant financial support behind a state ballot initiative to change the way California's electoral votes are cast in presidential elections -- a measure some say could decide the next president.
The wealthy congressman, who single-handedly jumpstarted the 2003 recall of Gov. Gray Davis, said Tuesday he has agreed to support the measure both financially and by providing access to his own fundraising network, including his substantial e-mail lists. "
Politicians - Dennis Kucinich
As FOX News says, "We report, you decide"...
I found this tidbit at FoxNews.com:
"According to MacLaine, Kucinich saw the UFO in the 1980s while visiting the actress at her home in Washington state.
'He saw a gigantic triangular craft, silent and observing him,' MacLaine wrote. 'It hovered for about 10 minutes or so and sped away with a speed he couldn't comprehend. He felt a connection in his heart and heard directions in his mind.'"
Polticians - Hillary Clinton
This says quite a bit, especially if you read the quotes of her opponents in her own party...
At Politico.com, Roger Simon has this from the latest Democratic debate:
"We now know something that we did not know before: When Hillary Clinton has a bad night, she really has a bad night.
In a debate against six Democratic opponents at Drexel University here Tuesday, Clinton gave the worst performance of her entire campaign.
It was not just that her answer about whether illegal immigrants should be issued driver's licenses was at best incomprehensible and at worst misleading.
It was that for two hours she dodged and weaved, parsed and stonewalled."
Politicians - Hillary Clinton
A politician with a hidden agenda?
How could this be! [sarcasm OFF]...
How could this be! [sarcasm OFF]...
At TownHall.com, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann "read the tea leaves" and conclude:
"The answer is not pretty. If she is elected, as it looks like she will, there is a very good likelihood that she will bring with her a heavily Democratic Senate. With four Republican incumbents endangered (Coleman, Minn; Sununu, N.H.; Smith, Ore; and Collins, Me) and four open seats likely to go from Republican to Democrat (Virginia, N.M., Colorado, and, possibly Nebraska), she could have 58 Democrats at her beck and call, making a filibuster unlikely.
That highly Democratic Congress and President Hillary would likely combine to enact legislation so far reaching and ideologically polarizing as to be a rare turning point in American history. One has to think of Woodrow Wilson's first two years, FDR's first term, Lyndon Johnson's first two years as president and, on the right, Reagan's revolution to find anything comparable in scope and extent.
It's a frightening thought. "
Politics - And Waterboarding
So, Congress passes laws that indicate one belief, and then for political purposes, they posture with a different belief.
No surprises there! It's really quite transparent...
No surprises there! It's really quite transparent...
At the National Review Online, the Editors discuss it:
"On that score, Congress has twice in the last three years enacted legislation on coercive interrogation. On both occasions it could have prohibited waterboarding — and on both it declined to do so. In the 1990s, the United States ratified treaties that ban not only torture but 'cruel, inhuman, and degrading treatment' (CID). These terms are inherently vague, and Congress has refused to clarify them."
Tuesday, October 30, 2007
And now, the weather forecast
Whoops!
Maybe they'll do better next time.
Is this the time to discuss global warming predictions?...
Maybe they'll do better next time.
Is this the time to discuss global warming predictions?...
Florida State University's Ryan N. Maue posts this:
"Unless a dramatic and historical flurry of activity occurs in the next 9 weeks, 2007 will rank as a historically inactive TC year for the Northern Hemisphere as a whole. During past 30 years, only 1977 has had less activity to date Jan 1-Oct 30."
Politicians - Nancy Pelosi
Apparently, the House of Representatives has gotten worse than what was already considered bad...
I found this in an editorial at Investors Business Daily:
"Speaker Nancy Pelosi's popularity is plummeting as Democrats realize she is ineffective, Republicans find her dishonorable and voters feel betrayed. That's what she gets for putting politics first.
The first female speaker of the House may be from California, but less than 10 months after taking the gavel, the San Francisco-based Field Poll finds more Californians disapprove of Pelosi's performance (40%) than approve of it (35%). A recent Zogby poll found that only 11% view Congress positively, down from an already-dismal 14% in the summer."
Monday, October 29, 2007
Global Warming - Be careful what you "fix"
I sure hope the powers that be, think long and hard before making any decisions based on the current "good ideas" about fixing "global warming".
That is, if it indeed can be "fixed"...
That is, if it indeed can be "fixed"...
In the U.K., Lewis Smith, the Environmental Reporter for TimesOnLine reports:
"Professor Smith told Chemistry World: 'The significance of it is that the supposed benefits of biofuels are even more disputable than had been thought hitherto.' It was accepted by the scientists that other factors, such as the use of fossil fuels to produce fertiliser, have yet to be fully analysed for their impact on overall figures. But they concluded that the biofuels 'can contribute as much or more to global warming by N2 O emissions than cooling by fossil-fuel savings'."
The "M" Word?
When you see who hosted this debate, you may come to understand the word "pandering"...
Writing at TownHall.com, Austin Hill observed this, during one of the debates:
"The real story from Thursday night’s 'showcase' was the interesting avoidance of the 'M' word - - 'marriage' - - by Obama, Edwards, and Clinton."
The Media - Survey says...
I'm not at all surprised at this.
I was actually holding back on posting it as I figured it would be publicized all over the place.
NOT!...
I was actually holding back on posting it as I figured it would be publicized all over the place.
NOT!...
Breitbart.com reported this back in August:
"More than half of Americans say US news organizations are politically biased, inaccurate, and don't care about the people they report on, a poll published Thursday showed.
And poll respondents who use the Internet as their main source of news -- roughly one quarter of all Americans -- were even harsher with their criticism, the poll conducted by the Pew Research Center said."
Only in the U.K.?
I saw this a while back.
It's not something I can criticize; but, it sure does reflect sadly on the state of things in our society...
It's not something I can criticize; but, it sure does reflect sadly on the state of things in our society...
BBC News reports:
"Parents concerned about knife crime are getting 'slash-proof' school uniforms for their children."
Politicians - And Election Fraud
It seems obvious that neither party has the will to fix the election fraud issue.
One party seems to have some history on the subject...
One party seems to have some history on the subject...
Paul R. Hollrah explains, at the new Media Journal:
"For most of post-Civil War history Democrats have controlled political outcomes by tampering with access to the ballot box and by perfecting and engaging in every conceivable kind of fraud, violence, and intimidation. They have registered and voted innumerable dead and non-existent persons. They have intimidated many thousands more through arson, violence, and the threat of violence. And they’ve sent night-riding bands of KKK marauders to lynch thousands of blacks and more than a thousand white Republicans. They’ve done all of these things, and much of it continues to this day.
For example, in the 2000 General Election, more than a hundred thousand resident aliens in California, non-citizens, received voting cards from the California Democratic State Committee. The mailing list could only have been supplied by political appointees in the Immigration & Naturalization Service (INS). The cover letter was signed by Bill Clinton."
About Hillary Clinton's Health Care Plan
Considering the apparent lack of trust in a majority of politicians, I can't understand why anyone would buy what they are selling (and they are selling) on the health care issue...
At FoxNews.com, Dick Morris and Eileen McGann discuss some unpublicized parts:
"The public face of Hillary Clinton's new health care plan is sunny, filled with choices for consumers and bright with promises for better health care for all. But a close examination of the proposal alongside other initiatives of Sen. Clinton in the past few years reveals a dark side she wants to hide from public view until after the election is over."
Politicians - Hillary Clinton
There must be a lot of pressure being applied here...
In the Los Angeles Times, Martin Miller has discovered:
"The $40-million, five-hour ABC miniseries, which recently received seven Emmy nominations and drew a combined two-night audience of more than 25 million viewers, is for now on the path to nowhere. Its Amazon page reads: 'Currently unavailable. We don't know when or if this item will be back in stock.'"
Politicians - Sen. Charles Schumer
Money, money, money.
Politicians at work...
Politicians at work...
Michael Amon and Ridgely Ochs report at Newsday.com:
"Last year, Schumer wrote four letters on behalf of the nursing home operators to officials in the Philippines, including President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo. That summer, individuals and companies associated with Landa and Philipson's nursing homes delivered more than $75,000 to a national campaign fund headed by Schumer."
Liberal Thinking
I have to admit that I'm puzzled about this, too...
At AmericanThinker.com, Burt Prelutsky wonders:
"Why is it that liberals seem to believe that recycling cans is an important issue, but defeating terrorism isn't? Why do they put so much stock in the blathering of Al Gore and Michael Moore? Why do they regard secondhand smoke as a bigger menace than Mahmoud Ahmadinejad? What is wrong with these people?"
Tuesday, October 23, 2007
Politicians - Barack Obama
The picture is worth 1,000 words.
Commander in Chief?
I don't think so...
Commander in Chief?
I don't think so...
Mark Finkelstein catches it at NewsBusters.com:
"During rendition of the national anthem when the flag is displayed, all present except those in uniform should stand at attention facing the flag with the right hand over the heart. Men not in uniform should remove their headdress with their right hand and hold it at the left shoulder, the hand being over the heart. -- United States Code, Title 36, Chapter 10, Sec. 171"
Ditching the flag - Not Cool!
These actions are deliberate and overt.
They convey a message far greater than words can express.
Perhaps they are only the equivalent of a childish "attention getter"; but, I doubt it...
They convey a message far greater than words can express.
Perhaps they are only the equivalent of a childish "attention getter"; but, I doubt it...
I found this info and commentary at UnionLeader.com. It begins:
"In a room full of Americans, how do you tell who the real patriots are? They're the ones NOT wearing little U.S. flags pinned to their lapels. That's how Sen. Barack Obama and CBS News anchor Katie Couric view the world, anyway."
Pat Buchanan - He's skeptical
History has many interesting lessons.
Unfortunately, we don't seem to learn from them...
Unfortunately, we don't seem to learn from them...
At WorldNetDaily.com, Pat Buchanon reminds us:
"Parson Malthus predicted mass starvation 250 years ago, as the population was growing geometrically, doubling each generation, while agricultural production was going arithmetically, by 2 percent or so a year. But today, with perhaps 1 percent of our population in full-time food production, we are the best-fed and fattest 300 million people on Earth.
Karl Marx was proven dead wrong about the immiseration of the masses under capitalism and the coming revolution in the industrial West, though they still have hopes at Harvard.
Neville Chute's 'On the Beach' proved as fictional as 'Dr. Strangelove' and 'Seven Days in May.' Paul Ehrlich's "Population Bomb" never exploded. It fizzled when the Birth Dearth followed the Baby Boom.
'The Crash of '79' never happened. Instead, we got Ronald Reagan and record prosperity. The Club of Rome notwithstanding, we did not run out of oil. The world did not end in Y2K, when we crossed the millennium, as some had prophesied. 'Nuclear winter,' where we were all going to freeze to death after the soot from Reagan's nuclear war blotted out the sun, didn't quite happen. Rather, the Soviet Empire gave up the ghost."
The Media - How it is
Perhaps on a rainy day, I'll read the transcripts of this interview; but, for now this synopsis seems to say quite a bit on it's own...
At TownHall.com, Hugh Hewitt summarizes his interview with Howard Kurtz, the Washington Post's media critic. Here's part of it:
"Worst of all, they lost their collective news judgment years ago, and still haven't figured out how to get it back. They keep hiring people from inside the junior varsity bubble of the Ivies and J-schools and wonder why they can't break out of their Manhattan-Beltway bubble. They don't seem very curious about life outside of the elite world which they inhabit, and when they travel it is with the comforts of a nawab of the Raj. They have retinues that make star athletes jealous, and salaries that would suggest audiences that rival Cronkite's. In short, they are an aristocracy every bit as unaware of the revolution underway around them as that of France's in 1788.
Did I say "worst of all?" Whoops. The death of news judgment is their greatest failing, but their greatest burden for which they are only partially responsible is their loss of trust."
The Media - "Missing the story"
It looks like only "old news" fits their agenda.
Hopefully, progress, as indicated in the article, continues; and, if it does, the media's bias gets exposed again...
Hopefully, progress, as indicated in the article, continues; and, if it does, the media's bias gets exposed again...
On Pittsburgh's Post-Gazette website, Jack Kelly reports:
"'The U.S. military believes it has dealt devastating and perhaps irreversible blows to al-Qaida in Iraq in recent months, leading some generals to advocate a declaration of victory over the group,' Thomas Ricks and Karen DeYoung reported in The Washington Post Monday.
It's not difficult to find soldiers and Marines who support that view. 'All is well out here,' a Marine sergeant in Fallujah emailed the military blogger 'Blackfive' this week. 'Peace is breaking out all over the place and no one knows what to do. I spent the day with (the regimental commander). We rode straight through Fallujah without incident and down to Amiriyah to check on a police transition team. The TTs are quickly becoming the main effort.'"
The Media - A "Parliament of Clocks"
I found this entire article to be quite interesting.
It's pretty hard to comprehend these numbers.
Disclaimer - I admit to "having a dog in the race"...
It's pretty hard to comprehend these numbers.
Disclaimer - I admit to "having a dog in the race"...
Edward B. Driscoll, Jr. writes at the AtlasSociety.org:
"As has the size of the Blogosphere as a whole. In 2004, I estimated that there were a few million blogs. Today, the blog search engine Technorati.com claims to track some 87 million blogs—an endlessly and rapidly growing number."
The Media - At it again
This is somewhat dated; however, I think it's important to continue to highlight why we should be careful about what we believe about what we read...
I found this posted at the Jawa Report:
"Remember the 200 -300 civilians that were allegedly killed by a U.S. airstrike against top Taliban leaders? The Taliban claimed that what the U.S. really bombed was a busy market. Upon hearing claims of heavy civilian casualties, NATO investigated. Number of actual civilians killed: ZERO.
It's not so much that the Taliban makes these claims that bothers me, it's that the Western press actually reports them."
The Media - ABC vs. FOX
Apparently, foreign attempts to influence American public opinion have been going on for a long time.
Surprisingly, to me at least, is how our media goes along with it.
I hear the word agenda. I'd like to hear objectivity...
Surprisingly, to me at least, is how our media goes along with it.
I hear the word agenda. I'd like to hear objectivity...
At NewsMax.com, Humberto Fontova reports:
"Alas, with the videos finally in their hands, ABC started getting cold feet. The '20/20' segment kept getting smaller and smaller. That on-again, off-again funeral extravaganza widely expected in Havana has raised the perceived importance of Havana press bureaus, and ABC's Havana staff had already whimpered objections to this project. They were unaware of the smuggled videos but many of their colleagues stateside apparently 'felt their pain.' More cutting and more paring ensued.
On Sept. 12, '20/20' ended up running a short segment on the matter, barely five minutes long and with almost none of the smuggled video footage.
Even so, viewer response was thunderous. '20/20' was deluged with atta-boy! e-mails. The Cuban regime responded also. The Cuban Communist Party's Central Committee called a meeting to discuss the issue, then called in ABC's Havana bureau for a talking-to.
John Stossel's follow-up shows on 'Sicko' included no mention of Cuba's healthcare.
Enter Fox News, and the 'Hannity and Colmes' show in particular. Fox producers got word of these smuggled videos and immediately requested a look."
Chuck Norris - His choice for president
Chuck has some thoughtful points here...
At WorldNetDaily.com, Chuck Norris announces his choice for president. He begins:
"A short time ago, I wrote in jest about what I would do if I am elected president. Of course, that was written all in good fun.
Like most of you, over the summer and into the fall, I've been watching, listening, studying and praying about who could lead this country as our next president."
Sunday, October 21, 2007
Pakistan - going to war
Our relationship with Pakistan is difficult at times; however, they seem to be willing to put their military in harm's way for us.
I'm curious at the use of "pacify", which might be a translation anomaly...
I'm curious at the use of "pacify", which might be a translation anomaly...
I found this article in the Pakistan Times :
"According to the report, the fighting in North Waziristan that erupted two weeks ago and turned thousands of families into refugees while killing more people than any India-Pakistan war, is merely a precursor of the battle that is coming. Clear message: 'The army has sent a clear message to the militants that Pakistan would deploy its forces in the towns of Mir Ali, Miranshah, Dand-i-Darpa Kheil, Shawal, Razmak, Magaroti, Kalosha and Angor Ada. It aims to establish permanent bases which would be manned by thousands of military and paramilitary troops,' the security official said. He said the army recently delivered an ultimatum to the militants that had the army set a deadline to give safe passage into Afghanistan to all Al Qaeda members and Taliban commanders who, along with wanted tribal warrior leaders, would leave Pakistan and never return. The militants rejected the ultimatum. A qualified estimate by intelligence officials is that successful military pacification of the Waziristans would slash Afghan resistance by 85 percent, while also delivering a serious setback to the Iraqi resistance."
Thursday, October 18, 2007
In Our World - Be careful what you hang
Perhaps some people see what "they" want to see...
At HumanEvents.com, Katie O'Malley reports:
"Thanks to nosy neighbor Millie Hazelwood, Madison, New Jersey has its own Gladys Kravitz to make sure that delicate sensibilities are not offended. Millie spotted a hanging figure amongst the Maines family Halloween display and found an opportunity for relevance and her 15 minutes of fame. Poor Millie was so offended by the hanging figure, which has hung at the same house for the last five years amongst a plethora of ghoulish and obviously Halloweenish displays, that Millie had the vapors and called the local police department.
Let’s be clear: this was a hooded figure covered in chains, not an effigy of any identifiable race, ethnicity or what have you.
When it was clear to our lovable Mrs. Kravitz that local law officials did not have the authority to remove a Halloween display, Millie’s delicate nature forced her to call 1-800-hatecrime, in the form of the NAACP. It was, she reasoned, a symbol of slavery and Jim Crow segregation. The family must be racists, haters, evil. Millie and the NAACP said so, so it must be true. The NAACP can read minds. The NAACP can reach inside the darkest depths of your soul to find the inner racist in you. The NAACP is all knowing, all seeing."
The United Nations - Scandalous and Incompetent?
The U.N. seems like bad government on steroids.
And financed by the U.S. taxpayer, no less...
And financed by the U.S. taxpayer, no less...
Cliff Kincaid writes at GOPUSA.com:
"The dramatic case, Sam-Thambiah against the Secretary-General of the International Seabed Authority, involves allegations of sexual harassment and pornography. One side charges 'distortions and fabrications.' The other side alleges 'mismanagement and irregularities.' What makes this case unique is that it involves the shadowy world of a U.N.-affiliated agency that the U.S. Senate is poised to provide with millions of dollars through ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS).
In addition to the explosive corruption case, taken before a United Nations Administrative Tribunal for adjudication, a confidential source in the United Nations has come forward to allege that the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is known for having management problems and that it suffers from a lack of administrative and ethical oversight.
What's more, a review of the public record demonstrates that many countries belonging to UNCLOS don't pay their dues or even show up at meetings of the ISA. The notes of one meeting suggest that U.S. ratification of the treaty and membership in the treaty organization could produce more funds to pay more countries to attend.
In effect, Senate ratification of UNCLOS could serve as a financial bailout of a failing and dysfunctional U.N. bureaucracy."
Politicians - "Flower Power Pork"
Earmark addictions are extremely hard to overcome...
In the Washington Post, Robert D. Novak tells about some:
"Will the Democratic-controlled Senate approve a $1 million earmark to celebrate Woodstock-era baby boomers, carved out of a bill funding health care and education? It will, because it is sponsored by New York's influential Democratic senators, Hillary Clinton and Charles Schumer. It will, because they are promoting the pet project of a big-time Democratic campaign contributor.
Nevertheless, as the Senate began consideration of the Labor/Health and Human Services/Education appropriations bill yesterday, Republican Sen. Tom Coburn of Oklahoma proposed an amendment to eliminate the earmark. The $1 million would go to the performing arts center of the Bethel Museum in Liberty, N.Y., at the site of the original 1969 Woodstock festival. Coburn argues that a 'taxpayer-funded Woodstock flashback' would cut into the government's Education for Homeless Children and Youth Program grants.
That fits a new approach in Coburn's crusade against earmarks. He has told his colleagues that their addiction to pork wastes money that otherwise would build bridges, regulate mine safety and litigate civil rights cases. All to no avail so far. The lawmakers still embrace pork and reject Coburn by the same big margins by which they passed the infamous Alaskan 'Bridge to Nowhere' in the previous Congress."
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
The Media - Fear, and more fear
If you watch the news, this article should ring true.
I'm thinking it will also put some things in better perspective.
I can't imagine anyone saying it better...
I'm thinking it will also put some things in better perspective.
I can't imagine anyone saying it better...
On his corporate website, Gavin de Becker offers help:
"It would be interesting if the standards of Truth in Advertising were applied to television news as they sometimes are to television commercials. In that unlikely situation, TV news writers would be required to use phrases and words that convey accurate information – as opposed to the phrases and words they use today.
I want to help you break the code of alarming newspeak so that you can more easily find the valuable information that may (or may not) be part of a story.
Given the disturbing reasons we’ve all been watching so much TV news, it would be understandable to overlook the sheer ridiculousness that is inherent in some of the sensationalism. Occasionally, the way TV news is delivered can be downright funny, and indeed, the ability to laugh at something indicates that we are beginning to gain perspective on it. Accordingly, some of what follows is funny, and I have a very clear purpose in offering it: I want to help change your experience of television news, help you actually watch it differently. I want to provide some tools you can use to ensure that when you watch TV news, only actual information gets through."
Hillary Clinton - Eavesdropping used to be OK
Funny how one's opinion changes, isn't it?...
At theHill.com, Alexander Bolton has this:
"Republicans plan to seize on an allegation from the 1992 presidential campaign to tarnish Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) on the red-hot issue of government surveillance.
Government surveillance will be at the forefront of the political debate this fall as congressional Democrats and President Bush square off over legislation allowing electronic spying on U.S. soil without a warrant.
Republicans are focusing on an allegation in a recent book by two Pulitzer Prize-winning reporters, which suggests Clinton listened to a secretly recorded conversation between political opponents.
In their book about Clinton’s rise to power, Her Way, Don Van Natta Jr., an investigative reporter at The New York Times, and Jeff Gerth, who spent 30 years as an investigative reporter at the paper, wrote: 'Hillary’s defense activities ranged from the inspirational to the microscopic to the down and dirty. She received memos about the status of various press inquiries; she vetted senior campaign aides; and she listened to a secretly recorded audiotape of a phone conversation of Clinton critics plotting their next attack.'
'The tape contained discussions of another woman who might surface with allegations about an affair with Bill,' Gerth and Van Natta wrote in reference to Clinton’s husband, former President Bill Clinton. 'Bill’s supporters monitored frequencies used by cell phones, and the tape was made during one of those monitoring sessions.'
Immigration - Gov. Spitzer in New York State
I can't understand why so many politicians are in such a hurry to seemingly weaken our ability to track illegals...
Tom Precious writes at BuffaloNews.com:
"The Spitzer administration three weeks ago quietly eliminated the state policy that required the special identification stamp on the driver’s licenses for noncitizens who are legally, though temporarily, residing in the United States. The policy change also eliminated the accompanying expiration date that was intended to show when the person’s legal right to be in the United States ended — raising the chance that a valuable form of identification could remain in the hands of people who want to remain in the country illegally. This recent decision to stop labeling licenses of noncitizens comes as the governor is also pressing ahead with a companion policy in which the state would permit immigrants here illegally to obtain driver’s licenses. Opponents of Gov. Eliot L. Spitzer’s latest move say it sends a signal that New York does not care whether individuals are within its borders illegally. They point out that three of the terrorist hijackers on 9/11 had expired visas and that driver’s licenses were among the forms of identification they possessed to carry out their plot. 'There are more holes in this plan than Swiss cheese,' said Wayne F. Jagow, the Niagara County clerk, whose office processes driver’s license applications for the state Department of Motor Vehicles."
Flight 800 - Still unresolved?
This has intrigued me for quite some time.
Not that I'm skeptical about the government's findings or anything...
Not that I'm skeptical about the government's findings or anything...
At WorldNetDaily.com, Jack Cashill continues to discuss it:
"What we concluded, in fact, is that this extraordinary video has the potential to break the TWA Flight 800 case wide open.
The video had been shot from a U.S. Navy P-3 Orion that had been flying almost directly above TWA Flight 800 when it exploded off the coast of Long Island on the night of July 17, 1996. For the record, the P-3 is a long-range, antisubmarine warfare patrol aircraft with advanced submarine detection and avionics equipment."
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
Al Gore - Facing a counter documentary
Not much of this kind of news is being published here in the U.S. ...
Jonathan Leake, the U.K.'s Sunday Times Environment Editor, writes:
"The tormentors of Al Gore, who last week won a legal victory against his film, An Inconvenient Truth, are to step up their battle by sending British secondary schools a documentary attacking the science of global warming.
Channel 4’s The Great Global Warming Swindle has become one of the most notorious documentaries of the year, attracting complaints from dozens of scientists and viewers.
This weekend, however, the campaigners behind the High Court case said they planned to send copies to 3,400 secondary schools 'to counter Gore’s flagrant propaganda'."
L.O.S.T.
Here's more on that Law of the Sea Treaty...
At the Heritage Foundation website, William P Clark and Edwin Meese, III express their views:
"It is an impressive testament to the abiding affection and political influence of former President Ronald Reagan that the fate of a controversial treaty now before the U.S. Senate may ultimately turn on a single question: What would Reagan do?"
Sandy Berger - Just do it!
What is it with this guy?
How come he doesn't have to do what he agreed to?
Who would want to be associated with this guy if he won't come clean?
Oh, I think I answered that in a previous post...
How come he doesn't have to do what he agreed to?
Who would want to be associated with this guy if he won't come clean?
Oh, I think I answered that in a previous post...
This information is provided at WorldNetDaily.com:
"Two years after agreeing to a polygraph in a plea deal, former National Security adviser Sandy Berger still has not taken the test, prompting 23 Republican Congress members to demand action by the Department of Justice."
Dragonflies; or the next urban legend?
Did you see what you think you saw?...
I found this stort by the Washington Post's Rick Weiss at SantaFeMexican.com:
"That is just one of the questions hovering over a handful of similar sightings at political events in Washington and New York. Some suspect the insectlike drones are high-tech surveillance tools, perhaps deployed by the Department of Homeland Security. Others think they are, well, dragonflies — an ancient order of insects that even biologists concede look about as robotic as a living creature can look."
In the Medical World
This sounds promising...
Andrea MacDonald reports in the Halifax Daily News:
"Brian Lowe is asking shareholders to have a little patience.
He believes his company is on the verge of a major breakthrough: a vaccine that eradicates cancerous tumours in mice that could eventually be used in humans."
The Media - Just some of the facts
Some things just need to be said.
Unfortunately, the media isn't honest enough to report criticism of themselves...
Unfortunately, the media isn't honest enough to report criticism of themselves...
I found this post by John on the PowerLine Blog:
"If the Bush administration gets attacked, the press will report it. But what if someone attacks the press? If the attack goes unreported, did it ever really happen? Today General Ricardo Sanchez gave a speech to the Military Reporters and Editors' annual conference, in which he criticized just about everyone associated with our effort in Iraq. The Washington Post's headline was typical: 'Former Iraq Commander Faults Bush.' Actually, I don't believe Sanchez ever mentioned Bush by name, although, as I say, he was critical of just about everybody. But it would be hard to tell from press accounts of Sanchez's speech that he was mostly critical of...the press. Here is the first half of Sanchez's speech, verbatim: GOOD AFTERNOON LADIES AND GENTLEMEN... "
Secrecy - On the way out?
This writer "gets it".
Sadly, too many others don't.
And, there's quite a high cost...
Sadly, too many others don't.
And, there's quite a high cost...
In Northwest Montana, Frank Miele reports at DailyInterLake.com:
"In its continuing effort to get the word 'secrecy' stricken from the American lexicon, the New York Times earlier this month reported on several so-called classified documents related to the government’s tactical decisions about how to fight the war on terror. This is not the first time The New York Times has reported on 'top secret' government documents, programs, or war plans. The paper’s argument, of course, is that the government works for 'we the people' and therefore 'we the people' should know everything the government is doing. The problem is that whatever 'we the people' know, 'they our enemies' also know. Information is fungible; once it is in circulation it cannot be contained in a discrete 'safe' form. It can instead be applied by anyone for anything at any time. And like magnesium, it burns brightest (and most dangerously) when it is in the open air."
Government in Louisiana
If one hundred people were surveyed, I wonder how many would find this distinction honest...
David Freddoso discusses it at the National Review Online:
"Louisiana’s constitution requires the state legislature to “define and suppress gambling,” a crime that carries a $500 fine and up to six years in prison. So in 1991, the criminal code and the English language were altered in Baton Rouge so that “[t]he intentional conducting or assisting in the conducting of gaming activities upon a riverboat…whereby a person risks the loss of anything of value in order to realize a profit is not gambling..."
The Bull!
This sounds like clear sailing ahead; however, my experience tells me not to count my chickens.
Let's just hope it stays good for a while...
Let's just hope it stays good for a while...
At the International Tribune, Paul J. Lim discusses the current bull market:
"The stock market bull grows old, but can it keep going?
To the growing list of descriptions for this bull market - like 'record-setting,' 'resilient' and 'uninterrupted' - you can add one more: 'old.' Last week, this bull did something that only four other U.S. stock market rallies since 1942 have accomplished: It lived to see its fifth birthday on Oct. 10."
Saturday, October 13, 2007
L.O.S.T.
Here's more on that Law of the Sea Treaty...
At the Heritage Foundation website, William P Clark and Edwin Meese, III express their views:
"It is an impressive testament to the abiding affection and political influence of former President Ronald Reagan that the fate of a controversial treaty now before the U.S. Senate may ultimately turn on a single question: What would Reagan do?"
Progress at Transformational Defense Industries Inc.
On this subject, that label surely depends on the agenda of the beholder...
Jon W. Glass writes in the Virginia-Pilot:
"Maffin is senior gunsmith for Transformational Defense Industries Inc., a weapons technology firm that conducts its research and development from a Virginia Beach office park near Lynnhaven Mall.
By early next year, the Washington-based TDI plans to open a production facility in Virginia Beach to begin manufacturing the submachine gun for police and military use and a .45-caliber semi automatic carbine for the commercial shooting market.
Industry experts say the weapons are unlike any other now on the market and could shake up the firearms world."
Submit first, peace second?
Their Quran tells of their philosophy.
It's not a secret publication.
Yet, it seems, that our media can't find it to publicize it's content.
It seems grossly irresponsible to me...
It's not a secret publication.
Yet, it seems, that our media can't find it to publicize it's content.
It seems grossly irresponsible to me...
In his WorldNetDaily column, Hal Lindsey sees what we all should be seeing:
"Unfortunately, there are verses in the Quran that nobody wants to talk about – probably because nobody wants to consider the awful implications of their meaning.
The ignorance of our political leaders and the media concerning Islam's true beliefs is beyond deplorable; it is more in the range of criminal negligence in time of war.
Under Islamic law, before Islam can make war against the infidel with Allah's blessings, the infidels must first be offered an opportunity to submit to Islam. Osama bin Laden has just recently asked the leaders and people of the United States to embrace Islam. So has Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. All these letters offer the West the 'opportunity' to submit to Allah as being equal to God. They also warn that, should their offer be rebuffed, 'The very survival of the world is at stake.'"
Politicians - Hillary Clinton
How can this be explained?
Perhaps he can't get another job, and she is reaching out to help a friend in need.
Yea, right!...
Perhaps he can't get another job, and she is reaching out to help a friend in need.
Yea, right!...
Here are some of Kathryn Jean Lopez's comments at TownHall.com:
"Perhaps candidate Clinton feels the need to prove that she is up for a challenge. How, after all, can she continue using the Democrats' top talking point -- the claim that they are the antidote to a 'culture of corruption' in Washington? If Berger's top-secret rampage isn't corrupt, I don't know what corrupt is.
However you view it, the facts are that the Berger case is weird, troubling and mishandled. It's been mishandled by the Clintonistas, who haven't had an open-door policy on the classified after-action report. Berger hasn't been in a rush to set the record straight, giving up his law license rather than let the D.C. bar do a thorough investigation. It's been mishandled by the Bush administration: The Justice Department let Berger plea bargain, admitting guilt to a misdemeanor handling of classified information, slapping him with a $50,000 fine. No jail for Berger the Burglar."
Politicians - Eliot Spitzer
Can you believe they can't even send an email right?.
[sarcasm ON]
I'm sure glad they aren't in charge of anything important...
[sarcasm OFF]
[sarcasm ON]
I'm sure glad they aren't in charge of anything important...
[sarcasm OFF]
In the New York Sun, Jacob Gershman reports:
"A draft of the letter to the IRS, which was signed by three Democratic state senators, was mistakenly e-mailed to the wrong recipient, landing in the hands of Senate Republicans and the New York Post, which published an article about it yesterday."
Politics - Portraying Good as Bad?
For me, the keyword here is "private donors".
The "criticism" just reinforces that politics is a dirty business.
I have to wonder who advises them...
The "criticism" just reinforces that politics is a dirty business.
I have to wonder who advises them...
This is from a Washington Times editorial:
"Perhaps the most shameful episode in this campaign is the case of Rep. Lincoln Diaz-Balart, Florida Republican. This week the Florida Democratic Party issued a news release and the national Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee made press calls attacking Mr. Diaz-Balart for helping nine disabled Ukrainian children obtain prosthetic limbs from generous Floridians. The children's travel arrangements, prosthetics and medical care were all paid for by private donors. Mr. Diaz-Balart also arranged a trip to a Miami Seaquarium for the children."
Politicians - Money seems to find them
Politicians obviously know where the money is, and vice versa.
Upon review, the chart in this article might be the real item of interest... It's the reason for my opening point...
Upon review, the chart in this article might be the real item of interest... It's the reason for my opening point...
Kenneth P. Vogel reports at Politico.com:
"Thompson joined Guggenheim’s board four months after retiring from the Senate.
Fred Thompson drew on his Senate intelligence experience to help a $3 billion investment group protect its wealthy investors’ cash from market fluctuations caused by international dust-ups and security threats."
In Our Schools - No Moms and Dads
I'm certainly not against equality; however, this kind of stuff seems wrong to me.
Perhaps Arnold has to please/appease his California constituents, however, I don't like the idea of a trend being started...
Perhaps Arnold has to please/appease his California constituents, however, I don't like the idea of a trend being started...
An article I found at WorldNetDaily.com reports:
"'Mom and Dad' as well as 'husband and wife' have been banned from California schools under a bill signed by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, who with his signature also ordered public schools to allow boys to use girls restrooms and locker rooms, and vice versa, if they choose.
'We are shocked and appalled that the governor has blatantly attacked traditional family values in California,' said Karen England, executive director of Capitol Resource Institute."
Immigration - Security vs. the Environment
Sometimes, it's really difficult to get things done in this country...
Jerry Seper writes in the Washington Times:
"'Environmental groups filing lawsuits to prevent the construction of critical border infrastructure comes as no surprise,' Mr. Hunter said. 'For years, a stretch of border in San Diego identified by the Border Patrol as 'Smugglers Gulch,' which federal law requires be fenced, has been left open and unprotected due to unrelenting legal action initiated by environmental groups.'
'This has created unnecessary complications in local efforts to secure the border and prevent illegal immigrants and drug smugglers from making their way into the San Diego community,' he said.
On Thursday, Judge Huvelle ordered a temporary halt on construction of a border fence along a 1.5 mile stretch between Mexico and Arizona, on grounds the federal government had not thoroughly performed an environmental impact study."
Friday, October 12, 2007
Have-Nots - How bad is it?
Another poll that indicates the opposite of what facts show.
This happens so often these days.
I don't see how anyone can trust polls anymore. I know I don't.
PS - Don't miss what 'have-nots' actually have...
This happens so often these days.
I don't see how anyone can trust polls anymore. I know I don't.
PS - Don't miss what 'have-nots' actually have...
Larry Elder writes in the JewishWorldReview:
"Thirty-four percent of Americans say they belong to the 'have-nots.' Twenty years ago, only 17 percent of Americans defined themselves this way. What happened?
Apparently party affiliation, race and self-perception play a greater role than one's actual economic condition. The Pew Research Center, the organization conducting the poll, writes that one arrives at this belief, '... whether grounded in objective facts or not... Analysis of polling data over the years,' writes Pew, 'also strongly suggests that the growing perception of societal divide is driven as much by political factors as by economic ones.'"
Politicians - Clueless in Washington, D.C.?
Kudos to the people who are exposing the reality of this bill.
Don't miss the last two paragraphs of the article...
Don't miss the last two paragraphs of the article...
At TownHall.com Amy Ridenour reports this and more:
"Reid and Pelosi aren't telling the full truth about the price tag of their big baby, either. As the Wall Street Journal has reported, $35 billion is the price tag for extra spending for just five years. As the Journal put it, 'come 2012 Congress will either have to pass new spending or kick kids off the rolls. The chances of the latter happening are approximately zero...'"
Phony Soldiers? - They ARE out there
At least according to this article, they are.
Perhaps, the attack on Mr. Limbaugh was unjustified, not to mention disingenuous...
Perhaps, the attack on Mr. Limbaugh was unjustified, not to mention disingenuous...
L. Brent Bozell discusses it at Creators.com:
"Limbaugh also pointed out that he wasn't the first to discuss the Macbeth phony soldier story. Brian Ross had filed a report on this man several nights before, on ABC's "World News." Ross even used the term "phony soldier" — and not a soul on the left found fault with that.
So the left returned with another charge: Limbaugh had used the plural, "phony soldiers," therefore Limbaugh's sole example — Macbeth — was inadequate. So are there any other "phony soldiers" out there? Jeffrey Sullivan, the U.S. attorney for the Western District of Washington, thinks so. Besides prosecuting Macbeth, he's prosecuted another five "phony soldiers." Jim O'Neill, the assistant inspector general for investigations at the Veterans Administration, confirms that the federal government is presently conducting another 60 such "stolen valor" cases. Rush was right, in spades."
Alan Greenspan - Mum is no longer his word
I think Mr. Cavuto's points are well made...
Neil Cavuto of FoxNews.com, ponders:
"For years, no decades, this guy said nothing and the rare times he did say something, he meant to state nothing. He was deliberately vague, deliberately obtuse — quite literally, the quiet man.
Now?
Now you can't shut him up.
His book is out and he's yapping everywhere. He's been on my show, every major network show, on radio, on TV… even pod casts."
Politicians - Hillary Clinton
I think we all should wonder about this...
This is from an Investors Business Daily editorial:
"What does the Clinton campaign's use of convicted and disgraced Sandy Berger as an adviser say about the judgment of someone who wants to be president of the United States?"
Today's Unions
This kind of activity doesn't fit the purpose of a union as I understand it...
Clarice Feldman writes about it at AmericanThinker.com:
"For some time Code Pink has been demonstrating against the war outside Walter Reed Hospital, to the great distress of the wounded soldiers and their families. This is simply unconscionable. Who are these people?
Brave counter-demonstrators have shown up regularly and voluntarily to show their support for the troops, and the Code-Pink crowd has dwindled. Among the regulars holding up the line for Code Pink is Bruce Wolfe, of local 2 of the Office and Professional Employees Union, who's called the soldiers 'scabs'. One of the counter-demonstrators reports:
This week, one of their newbies came by our troop-support rally at the gates by mistake, and spilled the truth: a labor union had recruited this worker to show up at the lefties' phony 'vigil.' The worker's remarks clearly revealed that standing outside the Walter Reed Army Medical Center with anti-war signs wasn't a personal choice, but a workplace commitment demanded by a union representative."
In Woodland, CA
If this is true, I just don't know what to say...
I found this AP story at SFGate.com:
"A dentist accused of fondling the breasts of 27 female patients is trying to keep his dental license by arguing that chest massages are an appropriate procedure in certain cases. Mark Anderson's lawyer says dental journals discuss the need to massage the pectoral muscles to treat a common jaw problem."
Thursday, October 11, 2007
"Can Ailes Outfox CNBC?"
Read this and see if you could like Roger Ailes.
Personally, I wish him the best in his new venture...
Personally, I wish him the best in his new venture...
This is part of an interview by Rebecca Dana of the Wall Street Journal and Roger Ailes:
"When I see something [in the news] particularly horrible about America that I think is a little out of proportion to what is actually going on, I call up the desk and say, 'Do you have any pictures of people lined up at the border trying to get out?' They say, 'What do you mean?' I say, 'I just watched that, and hell, we've got to get out of here, America's a terrible place. We need to get out fast. There must be guys stacked up at the airport trying to get out of here.' No. It turns out everybody's trying to get in, and nobody's trying to get out. We've got to keep that perspective in mind when you cover the news. It doesn't mean you don't cover the bad news about America. You do. It means you don't get up in the morning hating your country."
Technology vs. Technology
If true, this probably has a few countries feeling insecure...
I found this on the website under Israel Ynetnews,com:
"US aerospace industry and former US Air Force officials told Aviation Week's Senior Military Editor David A. Fulghum that Israel must have used 'a technology like the US-developed 'Suter' airborne network attack system'.
The cutting-edge technology allows users to invade enemy communication networks, to 'see what enemy sensors see and even take over as systems administrator so sensors can be manipulated into positions so that approaching aircraft can't be seen', experts said."
Al Gore - Following the Money
Mr. Gore doesn't seem to be high on the altruistic scale...
At Human Events.com, Corey Barnes discusses the money and connections:
"As for Al Gore, the former Vice President brings emotional fervor to his carbon crusade. He travels the country displaying charts and graphs, quoting scientific experts and appealing to philosophers and religious leaders to save the planet from global warming. But he says nothing about his business partners who yearn to trade on the emerging carbon market. And the media pay no attention to the companies offering “carbon advisory services” that will profit from federal carbon emission controls."
Wednesday, October 10, 2007
Al Gore - "A convenient fraud?"
Well, this is from Australia about happenings in Britain.
I wonder why we in America aren't hearing about it in our media.
Duh!...
I wonder why we in America aren't hearing about it in our media.
Duh!...
In Australia's Herald Sun, Andrew Bolt writes:
"A WORD of advice to the many teachers who have been scaring our children with screenings of Al Gore's An Inconvenient Truth. Be aware that a judge this month instructed British teachers showing the film to tell their pupils that Gore makes at least 11 false or unsupported claims."
Blast from the Past - Al Gore
You remember this, don't you.
They say that leopards don't change their spots.
Hmmm...
They say that leopards don't change their spots.
Hmmm...
Charles C. Thompson II and Tony Hays wrote this at WorldNetDaily.com back in 2000:
"In addition to his three now-documented 'exaggerations' or 'reconstructions' -- the student with no desk in her science class, the senior citizen's need to pick up cans to pay for her prescription drugs and the supposed trip with FEMA Director James Lee Witt to a Texas fire scene -- Vice President Al Gore's first presidential debate performance included another apparent faux pas."
Did you buy into this? - Jennifer Bush
The agenda trumped fact-checking in 1994 too...
Michelle Malkin had the story way back then:
"Do you remember Jennifer? Probably not. First Lady Hillary Clinton, who helped turn Jennifer into a national political prop for health care reform in 1994, must be very grateful that we've all forgotten the poor little girl from Coral Springs. Jennifer's story, which took a shocking but largely unnoticed twist last week, is not merely a case of legislation-by-anecdote run amok.
It's poster child abuse."
Did you buy into this? - Graeme Frost
I remember a saying that says something about one person lying and a second person swearing to it.
Some people clearly aren't fact checking...
Some people clearly aren't fact checking...
Rick Moran writes at AmericanThinker.com:
"Do you remember 12 year old Graeme Frost from Maryland? He's the young man who gave the Democratic radio response to President Bush following the veto of the chidren's health care program SCHIP.
In that heart tugging speech, Graeme pleaded with Congress to pass SCHIP and extend coverage to the middle class because without that program, he and his family would have been in a lot of trouble following a car accident the young man was in last year.
Following up on the story, the Baltimore Sun reported that the two income family could not afford health insurance on their own and didn't receive any through their employment - the mother working in a medical publishing firm and the father as a 'woodworker.'
It turns out, that's not entirely accurate."
Politics - the S-CHIP Bill
This bill doesn't seem to be exactly as it sounds to be...
At the North Star Writers Group, David Karki digs into it. Here are two of his points:
"The bill is supposedly for "children," yet childless people up to 25 years old are eligible. Since when is a 25-year-old with no kids eligible for taxpayer-funded insurance through a "children's" program? Since this isn't a children's program but pure HillaryCare with kids as cover, that's when.
This bill is supposedly for those not poor enough to qualify for Medicaid, but it includes incomes up to 400 percent of the poverty line. That's $82,000 a year! That is not poor, by any legitimate definition of the word. This is simply a middle-class entitlement, and one that anybody worthy of the title middle-class and the independence it connotes should neither need nor want."
Politics - the S-CHIP Bill
This is an apparent satire of the S-CHIP Bill that President Bush vetoed.
Unfortunately, it seems to state exactly what the bill would do...
Unfortunately, it seems to state exactly what the bill would do...
It is from a blog called the Minority Report:
"'My Fellow Senators,' 'I intend to insure people 25 years old and call it Children’s Health Insurance. I intend to extend benefits to people making $83,000 per year in income in the name of fighting poverty. I intend to extend these benefits to non-citizens residing either legally or illegally in the country. Letting more people drop anchor babies makes America a better neighbor.' 'I intend for this program to be 72% more expensive per recipient to operate. Not enough money has been wasted to put this program in the major leagues. We sure know how to take care of that in a jiffy.' 'And to make this program a perfect symbol of the new era of American Government, we’ll finance much of this debacle by taxing a group of consumers who are addicted to a narcotic.'"
The Media - Agenda driven omission?
Well, it looks that way.
And it certainly does change the story.
And I'm not at all surprised...
And it certainly does change the story.
And I'm not at all surprised...
This was reported at MensNewsDaily by Warner Todd Huston back in early September:
"Leave it to the MSM to refuse to follow up on a candidate's comments solely for the purpose of making that candidate look bad. In this case they employed the method of making Thompson look bad by what they don't say, rather than what they do say of him.
So, what did Thompson really mean then? How did al Qaeda's smoking ban really affect the situation in Iraq? What did the media not bother to reveal about the real situation in Iraq, the one that Thompson referenced?"
The U.N.'s Law of the Sea Treaty
Anything that the U.N. is involved in worries me.
The acronym is L.O.S.T.
That should put us on guard, right away...
The acronym is L.O.S.T.
That should put us on guard, right away...
At Accuracy in Media, Cliff Kincaid
writes about it:
"Liberal Senate Democrats and the U.S. State Department are desperate to get the U.N.'s Law of the Sea Treaty ratified. But Senator David Vitter, a conservative Republican, keeps getting in the way. Through skillful questioning during Thursday's Senate Foreign Relations Committee hearing, the Louisiana Republican got a leading treaty supporter to acknowledge that America's enemies can manipulate the process of mandatory dispute settlement under the treaty so that the United Nations Secretary-General plays the key role in the outcome. Vitter called this a 'recipe for disaster' for America and urged more hearings into the treaty's flaws."
Nobel Peace Prize - Is it a joke?
It's clearly mislabeled.
It's certainly not about peace anymore...
It's certainly not about peace anymore...
There's no respect for the Nobel Peace Prize here on the IBD Editorial Page:
"Once a symbol of distinction, this honor has plumbed shameful depths in recent years. A county fair blue ribbon has more significance. Since 1990, winners include terrorist Yasser Arafat, fraud Rigoberta Menchu, foreign-policy incompetents Jimmy Carter and Kofi Annan, unreconstructed communist Mikhail Gorbachev and the useless Mohamed ElBaradei.
Each year, the Peace Prize committee has a chance to redeem itself, yet it never seems up to the task. It looks like 2007 will be no exception. Later this week, say reports, it will name as this year's co-winners Al Gore and Sheila Watt-Cloutier, a Canadian who has drawn attention to what she believes are climate change's effects on Arctic communities."
Tuesday, October 09, 2007
The Media - Using Quotation Marks
This is a sports article and may not seem like a big deal; but, if writers don't think quotes need to be accurate, what are we to believe?...
The media's handling of quotation marks is discussed by Deborah Howell at the Washington Post website:
"When you read a quote in The Post, is what's between the quotation marks exactly what the person said? Post policy says it should be, but it ain't necessarily so.
Several readers of an early edition of the July 28 Sports section noticed different versions of the same quote from Redskins running back Clinton Portis in a story by Howard Bryant and a column by Mike Wise. In Bryant's story, Portis said: 'I don't know how anybody feels. I don't know how anybody's thinking. I don't know what anyone else is going through. The only thing I know is what's going on in Clinton Portis's life.' Wise quoted him as saying: 'I don't know how nobody feel, I don't know what nobody think, I don't know what nobody doing, the only thing I know is what's going on in Clinton Portis's life.'"
In Our Schools - Deception?
Is this is true, children are being indoctrinated with bad info.
I, for one, really don't like that...
I, for one, really don't like that...
On his blog, Russell Wilcox tells us what he has discovered:
"The real problem is what some of the alarmists are doing. Both Laurie David, the wife of Larry David, one of my favorite comedians and the brains behind Seinfeld and Curb Your Enthusiasm, and Al Gore have grossly misrepresented the facts:
'On page 18 of Laurie David's new children's global warming book, there is a glaring scientific error.'"
Politicians - Sen. Lindsey Graham
Senator Graham's immigration stance is not popular in South Carolina's Greenville County...
In South Carolina's Times Examiner, Bob Dill tells about the details:
"A resolution proposed by Chris Golden would have asked Sen. Lindsey Graham to resign as a member of the Republican Party, and not seek the Republican Party nomination for the United States Senate or any other office in the future.
After extended debate, the resolution passed with an amendment that was a compromise between the original strong resolution and a much weaker one.
The resolution that passed with a majority vote of representatives from 60 of Greenville’s 105 organized Republican precincts follows:"
Politics - Remember Kathleen Willey?
Well, she written a book, and apparently, someone wants to read it before it's published...
At StyleWeekly.com, Jason Roop reports:
"Kathleen Willey had planned to spend the Labor Day weekend proofing pages of her forthcoming book, 'Target: In the Crosshairs of Bill and Hillary Clinton.'
Instead, she says, someone broke into her Powhatan County home Friday, Aug. 31, and stole a copy of her unpublished 230-page manuscript. Her publishers are 'aghast,' she says."
Gun Control Laws
Apparently, this issue has never been reviewed/ruled on by the Supreme Court.
Somehow, that surprises me. Perhaps it's been deemed too hot to handle...
Somehow, that surprises me. Perhaps it's been deemed too hot to handle...
At his USAToday.com blog, Jonathan Turley discusses the issue:
"This term, the Supreme Court may finally take up the Voldemort Amendment, the part of the Bill of Rights that shall not be named by liberals. For more than 200 years, progressives and polite people have avoided acknowledging that following the rights of free speech, free exercise of religion and free assembly, there is 'the right of the people to keep and bear arms.' Of course, the very idea of finding a new individual right after more than two centuries is like discovering an eighth continent in constitutional law, but it is hardly the cause of celebration among civil liberties groups.
Like many academics, I was happy to blissfully ignore the Second Amendment. It did not fit neatly into my socially liberal agenda. Yet, two related cases could now force liberals into a crisis of conscience. The Supreme Court is expected to accept review of District of Columbia v. Heller and Parker v. District of Columbia, involving constitutional challenges to the gun-control laws in Washington."
In Our Schools - Math Skills
These are the results we are getting for our (tax) money...
At the AmericanThinker.com website, Christopher Chantrill has these quotes and more:
"'[A]fter a haircut, I noticed that the 20-something cashier could not count out change. The next day, at the electronic outlet store, another young clerk could not read - much less explain - the basic English of the buyer's warranty. At the food market, I listened as a young couple argued over the price of a cut of tri-tip - unable to calculate the meat's real value from its price per pound.'
It's not just California. In Washington State Bruce Ramsay writes in the Seattle Times:
'At community colleges, half the students take remedial math. At the University of Washington, atmospheric-sciences professor Cliff Mass says, 'I saw a profound drop in math skills starting in the mid-'90s.' New-age math, he says, has created 'a whole generation of students who can't do fractions.'
'The official measure of math skills is the Washington Assessment of Student Learning... a new-age test... [C]onsultant Michael Cohen, who has reviewed the WASL, says the actual math in it is seventh-grade level.'"
