the things you believe you're seeing...

From PoliPundit about who gives more, conservatives or the compassionate all-caring liberals; To test what types of people give more, “20/20″ went to two very different parts of the country, with contrasting populations: Sioux Falls, S.D. and San Francisco, Calif. The Salvation Army set up buckets at the busiest locations in each city — Macy’s in San Francisco and Wal-Mart in Sioux Falls. Which bucket collected more money? Sioux Falls is rural and religious; half of the population goes to church every week. People in San Francisco make much more money, are predominantly liberal, and just 14 percent of people in San Francisco attend church every week. Liberals are said to care more about helping the poor; so did people in San Francisco give more? It turns out that this idea that liberals give more… is a myth . Of the top 25 states where people give an above average percent of their income, 24 were red states in the last presidential election. The people in S.D. outside of Wal-Mart gave...

Ya think maybe this guy is a racist? Hmmmm....

So after months of breathless reporting by the media the Iraq Study Group headed up by James Baker is ready to drop their big report on December 6. The NY Times, doing what it does best, leaks some of the major points; WASHINGTON, Nov. 29 — The bipartisan Iraq Study Group reached a consensus on Wednesday on a final report that will call for a gradual pullback of the 15 American combat brigades now in Iraq but stop short of setting a firm timetable for their withdrawal, according to people familiar with the panel’s deliberations. The report, unanimously approved by the 10-member panel, led by James A. Baker III and Lee H. Hamilton, is to be delivered to President Bush next week. It is a compromise between distinct paths that the group has debated since March, avoiding a specific timetable, which has been opposed by Mr. Bush, but making it clear that the American troop commitment should not be open-ended. The recommendations of the group, formed at the request of members of Congress, ar...

You get what you voted for! Democrats Reject Key 9/11 Panel Suggestion Neither Party Has an Appetite for Overhauling Congressional Oversight of Intelligence By Jonathan WeismanWashington Post Staff WriterThursday, November 30, 2006; A07 It was a solemn pledge, repeated by Democratic leaders and candidates over and over: If elected to the majority in Congress, Democrats would implement all of the recommendations of the bipartisan commission that examined the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001 . But with control of Congress now secured, Democratic leaders have decided for now against implementing the one measure that would affect them most directly: a wholesale reorganization of Congress to improve oversight and funding of the nation's intelligence agencies. Instead, Democratic leaders may create a panel to look at the issue and produce recommendations, according to congressional aides and lawmakers.

Wonder if the NY Times will splash this bit of news all over the front pages of its circulation-dwindling newspaper? I think not... Oversight board told of privacy protections By John Solomon, Associated Press November 28, 2006 WASHINGTON -- After a delay of more than a year, a government board appointed to guard Americans' privacy and civil liberties during the war on terror has been told the inner workings of the government's electronic eavesdropping program. Members say they were impressed by the protections. The briefing for the Privacy and Civil Liberties Oversight Board had been delayed because President Bush was concerned -- after several media leaks -- about widening the circle of people who knew exact details of the secret eavesdropping program. The board, created by Congress and appointed by Bush, focused on other classified work since it was named in spring 2005, but continued to press for a formal briefing by the National Security Agency. A breakthrough was reached ...

So Michael Richards goes on a racist tirade and now is all over the place apologizing. Alright already, I accept your apology. Now go away. But I bet you haven't heard about this, I wonder why? Race has no place in Irvin's analysis By Peter Kerasotis, FloridaToday.com Why is Michael Irvin still employed? And why am I typing that sentence? If you haven't heard, you're not alone. Many in my business, people who pride themselves on knowing all and being, you know, know-it-alls, still haven't heard. So let me bring you up to speed. Eight days ago -- yes, eight days -- Michael Irvin joined fellow ESPN employee Dan Patrick on Patrick's national radio show. Irvin is supposed to be ESPN's version of a football analyst, but he is really a lit match they hold in their hand, waiting to see how low he can go before singeing their fingers. On Patrick's radio show, the topic turned to Dallas quarterback Tony Romo, and Irvin, a former Cowboy star, offered the type ...

It seems they were not merely praying as they claim, from the Washington Times ; Muslim religious leaders removed from a Minneapolis flight last week exhibited behavior associated with a security probe by terrorists and were not merely engaged in prayers, according to witnesses, police reports and aviation security officials. Witnesses said three of the imams were praying loudly in the concourse and repeatedly shouted “Allah” when passengers were called for boarding US Airways Flight 300 to Phoenix. Passengers and flight attendants told law-enforcement officials the imams switched from their assigned seats to a pattern associated with the September 11 terrorist attacks and also found in probes of U.S. security since the attacks — two in the front row first-class, two in the middle of the plane on the exit aisle and two in the rear of the cabin. “That would alarm me,” said a federal air marshal who asked to remain anonymous. “They now control all of the entry and exit routes to the plan...

John "PS3" Edwards is refusing to have his book siging at Walmart because he says they don't pay their employees enough. He instead will be at the Barnes & Noble signing his book. Walmart pays $7.50/hr. B&N pays $7.00/hr. John? Any comment? John Edwards' folly: A book signing gone wrong Monday, Nov. 27, 2006 Former Sen. John Edwards is to spend an hour at the Manchester Barnes & Noble tonight promoting his new book. We find his choice of venue very interesting. In Manchester, the local Wal-Mart store sits right behind the Barnes & Noble. It has more floor space, a parking lot several times the size of Barnes & Noble's, and is easier to access by car or public transportation. But Edwards would not be caught dead inside a Wal-Mart. Saying that the company pays its employees too little, Edwards has embarked on an anti-Wal-Mart crusade. He instructs his staff members and all Americans not to shop at Wal-Mart. "Wal-Mart makes plenty of money. T...

The NY Times, trying to run out the clock on this case, got the answer they did not want yesterday; The Supreme Court, without noted dissent, refused on Monday to block the forced disclosure to federal investigators of telephone records of two New York Times reporters . Those records are being sought by a federal grand jury in an investigation of a suspected leak about freezing of the assets of two Islamic charities soon after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks. What a shame!

Charlie Rangel continues to lie and ignore the facts about those who join the military, and the media continues to let him get away with it. Rangel said on Fox News Sunday; “[N]o young, bright individual wants to fight just because of a bonus and just because of educational benefits. And most all of them come from communities of very high unemployment. If a young fellow has an option of having a decent career or joining the Army to fight in Iraq, you can bet your life he would not be in Iraq.” But here is a sample of what the Heritage Foundation found; Indeed, in many criteria, each year shows advancement, not decline, in measurable qualities of new enlistees. For example, it is commonly claimed that the military relies on recruits from poorer neighborhoods because the wealthy will not risk death in war. This claim has been advanced without any rigorous evidence. Our review of Pen­tagon enlistee data shows that the only group that is lowering its participation in the military is the...

Remember this prediction? STATE COLLEGE, PA, May 15, 2006-The AccuWeather.com Hurricane Center, led by Chief Forecaster Joe Bastardi, today released its 2006 hurricane season forecast. An active hurricane season appears imminent, which could have major repercussions for the U.S. economy and the one in six Americans who live on the Eastern Seaboard or along the western Gulf of Mexico. For the 2006 Hurricane Season-which traditionally runs from June 1 through November 30-Bastardi and his team are forecasting that six tropical cyclones will make landfall in the U.S. Five of these landfalling storms are likely to be hurricanes, with three being major hurricanes of Category 3 or greater. "The 2006 season will be a creeping threat," said Bastardi. "Early in the season-June and July-the Texas Gulf Coast faces the highest likelihood of a hurricane strike, possibly putting Gulf energy production in the line of fire. As early as July, and through much of the rest of the season, th...

This picture would do for Bush... ...what this picture did for Kerry.

Those dems are so good, they don't even have to be in power and things get better ... A brisk rise in American wages Pay rose faster than the cost of living for the first time in years. By Mark Trumbull | Staff writer of The Christian Science Monitor American paychecks are rising again at a pace not seen since the 1990s. The pay increase amounts to 4 percent on average over the past 12 months, and it comes at a very helpful time for millions of households. For three years, pay increases haven't kept pace with the rising cost of living. Then came this year's housing slowdown, which has further squeezed family finances. Those setbacks, however, are now being offset by rising income. Four percent may not sound like much, but you have to look back to 1997 to find a calendar year with a gain that big. Equally significant, tamer energy prices mean that the "real" wage gains, after inflation, are above 3 percent for the past 12 months. That, too, hasn't happened sinc...

I am at a loss to follow this logic but Rep. Charlie Rangel has again brought the idea of reinstituting a draft as a way to deter future wars. Huh? He says that if there were a draft which would put congressmen's sons and daughters (I am sure he means Republican congressmen) at risk of being sent to war that this would some how prevent the president from initiating wars such as the Iraq War. Huh? I am not sure how this would affect enemies of the US but it can't be anything positive. In fact it might embolden them to attack sooner if they think we would have an unwilling military. Nancy Pelosi and Steny Hoyer don't seem to enthused by the idea; Top House Democrats to bar military draft plan Mon Nov 20, 2006 12:46pm ET By Richard Cowan WASHINGTON (Reuters) - A reinstatement of the military draft, being pushed by a senior Democrat, will not be slated for consideration in the House of Representatives, the chamber's newly elected top leaders said on Monday. "We did n...

I can't stop laughing! CBS/AP) SAN FRANCISCO Two peace activists have planned a massive anti-war demonstration for the first day of winter. But they don’t want you marching in the streets. They’d much rather you just stay home. The Global Orgasm for Peace was conceived by Donna Sheehan, 76, and Paul Reffell, 55, whose immodest goal is for everyone in the world to have an orgasm Dec. 22 while focusing on world peace. “The orgasm gives out an incredible feeling of peace during it and after it,” Reffell said Sunday. “Your mind is like a blank. It’s like a meditative state. And mass meditations have been shown to make a change.” His mind is like a blank? I think we knew that already!

Steny Hoyer wins House Majority Leader over John "total crap" Murtha!

From today's hearings; Senator Rodham: “...hope is not a strategy...” General Abizaid: “I agree that hope is not a strategy but despair is not a strategy either ”

The NY Times on the front page today! Get Out of Iraq Now? Not So Fast, Experts Say By MICHAEL R. GORDON Published: November 15, 2006 WASHINGTON, Nov. 14 — One of the most resonant arguments in the debate over Iraq holds that the United States can move forward by pulling its troops back, as part of a phased withdrawal. If American troops begin to leave and the remaining forces assume a more limited role, the argument holds, it will galvanize the Iraqi government to assume more responsibility for securing and rebuilding Iraq. This is the case now being argued by many Democrats, most notably Senator Carl Levin of Michigan, the incoming chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee, who asserts that the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq should begin within four to six months. But this argument is being challenged by a number of military officers, experts and former generals, including some who have been among the most vehement critics of the Bush administration’s Iraq policies. ...

Really...he did! What you don't believe me? See here .

If she can't work with her own party how will she work with the Republicans. Not very well I should think; Rep. Nancy Pelosi plans to sideline colleagues who are hawkish on national security in the Democratic leadership in the House. Democratic Party sources said as House Speaker, Ms. Pelosi plans to block moves that would place hawks into important chairmanships. The sources said a key casualty would be Rep. Jane Harman, a six-term member of Congress who has cooperated with Republicans on the House Intelligence Committee. So what will she do instead? Appoint Alcee Hastings as committee chairman, an impeached former federal judge. Just beautiful. “If Nancy Pelosi’s apparent determination to deny Jane Harman the chairmanship of the House Intelligence Committee to appease the Black Caucus is any indication, Democratic control is not going to be good news for those who believe in competent oversight of the national-security apparatus,” said Loren Thompson, a defense analyst at the Lex...

...sounds a lot like the old Democratic party; “It’s not just committees — our influence within the House Democratic caucus will grow enormously,” Mr. Rangel said in an interview. To that end, he sketched out an expansive federal agenda: Teaming up with Mayor Michael R. Bloomberg on gun control, passing new tax incentives for urban job programs, and redirecting federal money to New York in return for the outsize tax collections that the federal government makes here. “Mississippi gets more than their fair share back in federal money, but who the hell wants to live in Mississippi?” Mr. Rangel said .

Funny but all the howls that there was voter fraud, technology failures and voter intimidation, suppression and scare tactics to keep voters away from the polls are now GONE! Wonder why? I guess when Dems win its a perfectly legitmate election. No matter. There's always tomorrow. The dems had better get some things done in these next 2 years or they will be out just as fast as the blue wave broke yesterday. Mark my words.

Its always Dems that are being suppressed at the polls, intimidation at the polls. Not enough voting machines, the software doesn't work right. Votes being recorded for the other Republican candidate instead of the Democratic one. It's easy to make accusations, lets see some actual proof. I am guessing there will be none! Problems in PA Trouble in Indiana Denver too. Wrong Ballots in FL.

...but themselves. When you see stories like this, it can't be good for Dems... Dems will go to court this afternoon to ask for polls to stay open By ANITA WADHWANI Staff Writer Lawyers with the Tennessee Democratic Party will file suit early this afternoon asking that voting hours be extended due to reports of infrastructure problems, a party spokesman said. The party has received reports that some precincts lacked enough voting machines, voting machines that are not working, long lines and delays in the openings of polling paces, said the spokesman Mark Brown. Of course they need the polls open late, they must be losing in Tenn.

Last week a photograph of Amy Gutmann the president of University of Pennsylvania made its way across the internet. The photo was of the UPENN president at a Halloween party with a student dressed as a suicide bomber and she took a lot of heat for it. She posted an apology on the university website and has gone one step further; As many of you have heard or seen by now, there was a photograph from our annual Halloween party that has taken flight over the Internet. The photograph is embarrassing for the University and me alike. I posted a formal response on our website last week. However, I wanted to provide more context. Following a long standing Penn tradition, I host an annual Halloween party at the President’s House. Hundreds of students show up dressed in every imaginable costume — witches and warlocks, Jasons and Michael Myers, ax murderers and Frankensteins. In keeping with the spirit of the event, I appeared as Glinda, the Good Witch of the North. In this context, it’s hard to i...

According to the Pew Poll released yesterday the generic ballot, would you vote for a Democrat or a Republican, has decreased significantly. One month ago that number was a 11% lead for the dems and now it is only 4% in the Pew Poll. Other interesting tidbits as outlined by Ed Morrissey of Capt's Quarters; The last Pew Research poll was taken in early October. In a month, the Democrats have lost non-minorities altogether. The gap among all whites went from +5 Democrats to +5 GOP, a ten-point swing. White females had supported Democrats by a 15-point margin and a majority (55-40), but now give the GOP a 2-point lead. The Democrats have also lost the middle class, a big problem in this election. Households earning between $50K-$75K and $30K-$50K have both slipped to the GOP. The former switched from a 14-point margin for the Democrats to an eight-point Republican lead, while the latter has had an even more dramatic shift. Those earners had favored Democrats by 22 points, but now go R...

John Kerry's official website has linked to the Seattle Times editorial titled "Right Either Way" so he obviously is not sorry at all for what he said and believes what he said to be 100% accurate. John Kerry's Official Website

Judgment day looms for Saddam By Ibon Villelabeitia and Ahmed Rasheed Fri Nov 3, 7:59 AM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Three years after he gave himself up to American soldiers without firing a shot, Saddam Hussein may be condemned to hang on Sunday if an Iraqi court finds him guilty of crimes against humanity. The final act of Saddam's year-old first trial, the verdict is the high point of a historic, U.S.-sponsored experiment in international justice intended to unite Iraqis in exorcising three decades of rule by the former president, accused of mass killing and torture to keep power over Iraq's disparate peoples. Yet the country's descent toward civil war since Saddam was overthrown has blighted proceedings. Three defense lawyers were killed, the judge quit over political interference and Iraqis, who a year ago gasped in wonder to see the former strongman in court, have lapsed into distracted indifference to his fate. Saddam, 69, and seven co-accused have been charged with crim...

Yeah, they support the troops! E-Mail Ballots for Military Questioned WASHINGTON (AP) -- A New Jersey congressman raised questions Thursday about a new military voting program that lets service members request and submit their ballots by fax or e-mail. The Defense Department, however, said the program is as secure as possible, and any risks are detailed for the military members when they access the e-mail system. In a letter to Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Democratic Rep. Rush Holt said the electronic registration and voting service is well-intentioned, but could expose troops to identity theft, or allow hackers or others to tamper with the ballots when they are in transit. "After the Defense Department was stopped from implementing a program like this two years ago because it was full of security holes, I'm angry and astonished that they're doing it again without review, scrutiny, and oversight," said Holt. He said that while U.S. military personnel should p...

From the Washington Times; Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin yesterday tried to rally support among black Democrats in Prince George's County, while Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele campaigned with county Democratic leaders who broke ranks this week to endorse him. Mr. Cardin appeared with Prince George's County Executive Jack B. Johnson and about 30 other lawmakers in Hyattsville, aiming to keep a diminishing lead in the polls... ...But the rally turned sour later. State Sen. Nathaniel Exum, Prince George's Democrat, berated Mr. Cardin for excluding him and other local delegates from speaking or being mentioned. "You do the same [stuff] over and over again, just ignore us," Mr. Exum yelled at Mr. Cardin after the rally, which was held in Mr. Exum's district. Mr. Cardin shrugged off the incident.

Shame on Him John Kerry picked the wrong people to insult. BY RONALD R. GRIFFIN Friday, November 3, 2006 12:01 a.m. EST I missed the joke. You must forgive me, for there just is not a lot of room in my life for even good jokes--and there is absolutely no room for "botched jokes"--when the subject of the joke is my son who was killed in Iraq. I know exactly what came out of Sen. John Kerry's mouth, and in those words there is no interpretation required. His attempt to convince us--and, I believe, to convince himself that that there was really a botched joke buried deep within his insult is in fact a reaffirmation of his ever-present condescending nature. He actually believes that we are stupid enough to agree with him and start laughing simply because he said it was a joke. Mr. Kerry said exactly what he meant and meant exactly what he said. In those words Mr. Kerry did in fact wash completely away the facade of his support of our magnificent troops and revealed for all to...

The NY Times has inadvertantly confirmed the existence of Saddam's nuke program in 2002 and said that Iraq was within a year of having a nuke! What they probably thought they were doing was another "Bush is incompetent" hit piece because these documents were available on the internet for all to see and the government had to pull them down due to fears they would aid Iran in there quest for a nuke. Among the dozens of documents in English were Iraqi reports written in the 1990’s and in 2002 for United Nations inspectors in charge of making sure Iraq abandoned its unconventional arms programs after the Persian Gulf war. Experts say that at the time, Mr. Hussein’s scientists were on the verge of building an atom bomb, as little as a year away.

THE ENEMY FAILS IN IRAQ'S BLOODY RAMADAN, THE FORCES OF CHAOS LOSE by Amir Taheri New York Post October 29, 2006 October 29, 2006 -- AMERICAN angst over Iraq typically misses two key points. First: The United States has already achieved the goals it had proclaimed when it set out to liberate the country in 2003. Saddam Hussein and his war machinery are gone, with a democracy in their place, inspiring reform across the region. Second: This success threatens countless interests - so the many enemies of the new Iraq are attempting to derail it. Yet their only real hope of victory lies with America public opinion. Consider the events of the last month. NEW Iraq's various enemies had designated the Muslim fasting month of Ramadan that has just ended as "The Month of Battle and Victory" (shahr al-maarakah wa al-nasr). Through their various statements, distributed on jihadist Web sites and TV channels owned by Arab despots, they had fixed a number of objectives that they had...