the things you believe you're seeing...

'White power' chanted during immigration discussion at school written by: Jeffrey Wolf , Web Producer and Nelson Garcia , Reporter BROOMFIELD – It started with a simple question and ended with at least one student chanting "white power" in a classroom. It happened Tuesday in a classroom at Holy Family High School, the Catholic school that sits at the corner of 144th Avenue and Sheridan Boulevard in Broomfield. The classroom discussion started with the question: Why do students need to learn Spanish? According to the Archdiocese of Denver, the conversation soon became about immigration and it turned ugly. "It became a heated discussion and some rhetoric was used that was inappropriate for the classroom," said Jeanette DeMelo, spokesperson for the Archdiocese of Denver. At least one e-mail sent to 9NEWS said that at least one student started a chant of "white power" and some said that all Mexicans should go back to Mexico. "Immigration is an e...

Remember these guys? They said they were headed to North Carolina, going the wrong direction. And they said they had fireworks in the trunk? Remember? Fla. students face explosives indictment By LARA JAKES JORDAN, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 19 minutes ago WASHINGTON - Two Egyptian students at the University of South Florida were indicted Friday for carrying explosive materials across states lines and one of them was charged with teaching the other how to use them for violent reasons. Ahmed Abdellatif Sherif Mohamed, 24, an engineering graduate student and teaching assistant at the Tampa-based university, faces terrorism charges for teaching and demonstrating how to use the explosives. He and Youssef Samir Megahed, 21, an engineering student, were stopped for speeding in Goose Creek, S.C., on Aug. 4, where they have been held on state charges.

It's interesting that the Dems who visit Iraq and found soldiers with bios on all of the congressmen's statements and positions regarding Iraq policy consider themselves slimed, by their own words... Lawmakers Describe 'Being Slimed in the Green Zone' By Jonathan Weisman Washington Post Staff Writer Friday, August 31, 2007; Page A13 The sheets of paper seemed to be everywhere the lawmakers went in the Green Zone, distributed to Iraqi officials, U.S. officials and uniformed military of no particular rank. So when Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.) asked a soldier last weekend just what he was holding, the congressman was taken aback to find out. In the soldier's hand was a thumbnail biography, distributed before each of the congressmen's meetings in Baghdad, which let meeting participants such as that soldier know where each of the lawmakers stands on the war. "Moran on Iraq policy," read one section, going on to cite some the congressman's most incend...

It seems Mr. Hsu's cover stories are not panning out. The NY Times reports ; People who met him said they knew only that he ran an apparel business. Efforts to learn more about his trade hit dead-ends yesterday. Visits to companies at addresses listed by Mr. Hsu on campaign finance records provided little information. There were no offices in buildings in New York’s garment district whose addresses were given for businesses with names like Components Ltd., Cool Planets, Next Components, Coopgors Ltd., NBT and Because Men’s clothing — all listed by Mr. Hsu in federal filings at different times. At a new loft-style residential condominium in SoHo that was also listed as an address for one of his companies, an employee there said that he had never seen or heard of Mr. Hsu. Another company was listed at a condo that Mr. Hsu had sublet in an elegant residential tower in Midtown Manhattan just off Fifth Avenue, but an employee there said Mr. Hsu moved out two years ago, after having liv...

Quick, notify Harry Reid. Also let the NY Times know so they can put this on the front page... UPI/Zogby Poll: Most Americans Say Iraq War Not Lost Survey finds two in three Democrats believe the war is already lost A majority of Americans - 54% - believe the United States has not lost the war in Iraq , but there is dramatic disagreement on the question between Democrats and Republicans, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. While two in three Democrats (66%) said the war effort has already failed, just 9% of Republicans say the same. The poll comes ahead of a September report to Congress by David Petraeus, commander of the multi-national force in Iraq, on the progress of the so-called surge in quelling attacks by insurgents and creating an atmosphere where the new Iraqi government can develop. Notice the party breakdown? Unsurprisingly 66% of democrats believe the war is already lost. Only 9% of Republicans believe its time to wave the white flag.

Ed Morrissey of Captains Quarters noticed an interview that General Petraeus gave The Australian newspaper last week where he drops some hints as to what will be in his report... David Petraeus, the top US commander in Iraq, said the build-up of American forces in Baghdad since late January had produced positive outcomes. These included the killing or capture of al-Qa'ida fighters, causing the terrorist group to lose influence with local Sunnis. The strategic gains against insurgents would lead to a changed and possibly longer-term role for Australian troops, shifting from security operations to a focus on training Iraqi soldiers and police. General Petraeus told The Australian during a face-to-face interview at his Baghdad headquarters there had been a 75 per cent reduction in religious and ethnic killings since last year, a doubling in the seizure of insurgents' weapons caches between January and August, a rise in the number of al-Qa'ida "kills and captures" an...

Colo. School Bans Tag on Its Playground Aug 30, 7:44 AM (ET) COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (AP) - An elementary school has banned tag on its playground after some children complained they were harassed or chased against their will. "It causes a lot of conflict on the playground," said Cindy Fesgen, assistant principal of the Discovery Canyon Campus school. Running games are still allowed as long as students don't chase each other, she said. Fesgen said two parents complained to her about the ban but most parents and children didn't object. In 2005, two elementary schools in the nearby Falcon School District did away with tag and similar games in favor of alternatives with less physical contact. School officials said the move encouraged more students to play games and helped reduce playground squabbles. Imagine that? Kids were chased during a game of tag.

Well...never mind. Astronauts Were Not Impaired for Missions, NASA Says - New York Times

If Sen. Larry Craig were a Democrat would this still be a big scandal? Some don't think so.

The NY Times really should know better; (via InstaPundit ) It is an eminently good thing that the anti-suicide measure would require medical specialists to keep track of veterans found to be high risks for suicide. But that’s to care for them as human beings, under that other constitutional right — to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness. Respect for the grave sacrifices by veterans requires the Senate to strike down the Coburn ploy and hurry this vital measure to President Bush. I'm not a constitutional expert but that line is not in the Constitution....

and the ad features a pre-surge soldier from 2003-2004. From The Hill ; MoveOn targets pro-surge Democrat By Aaron Blake August 29, 2007 Rep. Brian Baird’s (D-Wash.) recent conversion on the Iraq war is beginning to affect more than the national dialogue. On Wednesday, liberal group MoveOn.org announced an ad campaign against the congressman in his own district. Baird recently returned from a trip to Iraq and reversed his position on a withdrawal timetable, citing military progress in the four-year-old war. MoveOn is calling the move a “flip-flop” and says it goes against the views of his constituents. The ad does not make specific reference to Baird’s conversion. Instead, it features a soldier who served in Iraq talking about the amount of resistance troops encountered and at the end asks viewers to tell Baird to bring the troops home. The soldier in the ad served in Iraq in 2003 and 2004 and describes a scene from that time, long before the current troop increase that Baird has ci...

Check out Captains Quarters for more info on the two guys apparently casing the Seattle Ferry system.

Yesterday the Wall Street Journal had a story about a The Paw family in California donating over $200,000 to Democratic candidates since 2005. That alone is not necessarily unusual until you look a little deeper. The Paws live in a 1280 sq ft. house that they recently refinanced for $270,000. William Paw is a mail carrier for USPS. Alice Paw is a homemaker, meaning she doesn't work. Their donations rank up there with those of people living in Greenwich CT and Manhattan's Upper East Side. This is a picture of their house in Califirnia; The WSJ goes on to discover that the dontions by The Paws' closely match the donations of Norman Hsu, a wealthy New York business man. By a strange coincidence Hsu once listed the Paw home address as his own. In another coincidence Hsu is the top fund raiser for Hillary Clinton. Read the whole article , it's very interesting. And today the LA Times has their own piece on Mr. Hsu who they claim is fugitive and they also build on...

A little enforcement here, a little there and see what happens? From the Arizona Republic ; Undocumented immigrants are starting to leave Arizona because of the new employer-sanctions law. The state's strong economy has been a magnet for illegal immigrants for years. But a growing number are pulling up stakes out of fear they will be jobless come Jan. 1, when the law takes effect. The departures are drawing cheers from immigration hard-liners and alarm from business owners already seeing a drop in sales. It's impossible to count how many undocumented immigrants have fled because of the new law. But based on interviews with undocumented immigrants, immigrant advocates, community leaders and real-estate agents, at least several hundred have left since Democratic Gov. Janet Napolitano signed the bill on July 2. There are an estimated 500,000 illegal immigrants in Arizona. Some are moving to other states, where they think they will have an easier time getting jobs. Others are retur...

NY Times ; Attorney General Alberto R. Gonzales, whose tenure has been marred by controversy and accusations of perjury before Congress, has resigned. A senior administration official said he would announce the decision later this morning in Washington.

So Hillary and Carl Levin and all the other screaming about no political progress...what will the say now? Probably nothing positive, but this is positive news; Iraq's leaders agree on key benchmarks By Waleed Ibrahim and Wisam Mohammed Sun Aug 26, 6:27 PM ET BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Iraq's top Shi'ite, Sunni Arab and Kurdish political leaders announced on Sunday they had reached consensus on some key measures seen as vital to fostering national reconciliation. ADVERTISEMENT The agreement by the five leaders was one of the most significant political developments in Iraq for months and was quickly welcomed by the United States, which hopes such moves will ease sectarian violence that has killed tens of thousands. But skeptics will be watching for action amid growing frustration in Washington over the political paralysis that has gripped the government of Shi'ite Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki. White House spokeswoman Emily Lawrimore congratulated Iraq's leaders on the acc...

Sources reveal exclusively to PerezHilton.com that U.S. officials will be holding a press conference shortly to announce the death of Cuban dictator Fidel Castro. South Florida police organizations are calling in reinforcements before the announcement is made, we're told. PerezHilton.com was the first media outlet in the world to break the news ... We shall see...

At a fundraiser on Nashville Fred Thompson said this; “Sometime in the next few weeks, we’ll officially have our hat in the ring.”

Well...what else is new? GOP Senator Calls for Troop Withdrawals Aug 24, 6:03 AM (ET) By ANNE FLAHERTY (AP) Sen. John Warner, R-Va., discusses his recent trip to Iraq during a news conference in Washington... Full Image Google sponsored links Saudis get ready for war? - As the US and UK ponder Iraq, the Saudis make their position clear www.thefirstpost.co.uk Hillary Clinton in 2008? - Do you think Hillary Clinton would be a good choice for US President? www.PollingPoint.com WASHINGTON (AP) - Sen. John Warner's call for troop withdrawals from Iraq is likely to ratchet up pressure on President Bush substantially and lend momentum to Democratic efforts to end U.S. combat. Warner, R-Va., former chairman of the Armed Services Committee and Navy secretary during the Vietnam War, said Bush should bring some troops home by Christmas. Doing so, he told reporters Thursday, would send a powerful message that the U.S. commitment in Iraq was not open-ended. Warner says the president should g...

Stephon Marbury says that he didn't say what what he said because TV is putting words in his mouth, or something like that; Knicks guard has change of heart about Vick ESPN.com news services NEW YORK -- It didn't take long for New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury to go from defending Michael Vick to distancing himself from the soon-to-be-imprisoned Atlanta Falcons quarterback. After being criticized for his remarks Monday for calling dogfighting a sport and comparing it to hunting, Marbury told the New York Post for Thursday's editions that he despises dogfighting and that Vick "is 100 percent wrong." "I don't like it at all," Marbury said of dogfighting. "I don't think [Vick's] right. But this dude is trying to ask for forgiveness. ... The way the way it's going about in the newspapers and TV, it's ridiculous." Marbury also said he never called dogfighting a sport. "I said, 'From what I hear, dogfighting was a spo...

Poor Elvira Arellano. Even the Mexico Senate says she should not have been deported back to her own country. From the USA Today ; Mexican Senate sides with mom deported from USA MEXICO CITY (AP) — A Mexican Senate committee passed a measure Wednesday urging President Felipe Calderon to send a diplomatic note to the United States protesting the deportation of an illegal migrant who took refuge in a Chicago church for a year. The committee also approved a scholarship to help her 8-year-old U.S.-born son, Saul, who is an American citizen and stayed in the United States. Elvira Arellano, 32, became an activist and a national symbol for illegal immigrant parents by defying her deportation order and speaking out from her sanctuary in the Adalberto United Methodist Church. She announced last week that she was leaving to try to lobby U.S. lawmakers for immigration reform. On Sunday, shortly after she spoke at a rally in a Los Angeles church, she was arrested and deported to Tijuana, across ...

The managing editor scolds us dumb folk about the Seattle ferry photo flap; "I understand that people have a hard time with the concept that we get to decide what is news and what isn't..." Well, I look forward to reading what the Seattle PI decides what is news and what is not news in tomorrow's edition... Update: Media Blog found an example of more important news at the Seattle PI

Remember the big fight Clinton had with Chris Wallace when he dared ask Clinton why he didn't try to kill Bin Laden? Clinton freaked out and said that he tried really really hard to kill him? Well, I guess not; The report also criticized intelligence problems when Bill Clinton was president, detailing political and legal “constraints” agency officials felt in the late 1990s. In September 2006, during a famous encounter with Fox News anchor Wallace, Clinton erupted in anger and waived his finger when asked about whether his administration had done enough to get bin Laden. “What did I do? What did I do?” Clinton said at one point. “I worked hard to try to kill him. I authorized a finding for the CIA to kill him. We contracted with people to kill him. I got closer to killing him than anybody has gotten since.” Clinton appeared to have been referring to a December 1999 Memorandum of Notification (MON) he signed that authorized the CIA to use lethal force to capture, not kill, ...

Hysterical!

WizBang reports that illegals are fleeing Oklahoma due to a new law that is set to go into effect. Kansas and Arkansas are going to implement similar laws. Finally, We are Seeing Some States Crackdown on Illegal Immigration (Wizbang)

Just as the Washington Post reports that the Dems have to recalibrate their position on Iraq due to the military successes occurring in Iraq over to attacking the political situtation we get this bit of news ( via Gateway Pundit ); Baghdad, 22 August (AKI) - The leader of Iraq's banned Baath party, Izzat Ibrahim al-Douri, has decided to join efforts by the Iraqi authorities to fight al-Qaeda, one of the party's former top officials, Abu Wisam al-Jashaami, told pan-Arab daily Al Hayat. "AlDouri has decided to sever ties with al-Qaeda and sign up to the programme of the national resistance, which includes routing Islamist terrorists and opening up dialogue with the Baghdad government and foreign forces," al-Jashaami said. Al-Douri has decided to deal directly with US forces in Iraq, according to al-Jashaami. He figures in the 55-card deck of "most wanted" officials from the former Iraqi regime issued by the US government. In return, for cooperating in the fig...

So will they now find a reason to publish the photos of the two middle eastern men the FBI is looking for? Discovery of 'suspicious package' delays state ferry service THE ASSOCIATED PRESS SEATTLE -- A "suspicious package" was found at the height of the Wednesday morning commute on one of the largest ferries in the Washington state fleet, idling the vessel for about an hour. The 460-foot Puyallup had just been emptied of cars and passengers after arriving at Colman Dock from Bainbridge Island about 8 a.m. when the package was found behind the toilet in the disabled passenger stall in the men's restroom, said Marta Coursey, a spokeswoman for the ferry system. Following a search and examination by State Patrol troopers, the 2,500-passenger, 202-vehicle capacity ferry was cleared to resume service about 9 a.m., Coursey said. The Seattle Times is reporting that what was found was possible remnants of a bomb that had not functioned correctly.

The Seattle PI still refuses to publish the photos of the two middle eastern looking men (via Captains Quarters) seen multiple times acting suspiciously on ferries in Seattle. But they have asked their readers to write a haiku poem concerning the issue. No I am not kidding. I like this one from Dani B: Don't be proactive More readers if ferry sinks Post pictures after Some others are here via Michelle Malkin

"I'm going to be honest with you, I don't know a lot about Cuba's healthcare system. Is it a government-run system?"

PEJ Study: War Coverage Down, Campaign Reporting Up By Joe Strupp Published: August 20, 2007 12:10 AM Monday NEW YORK Coverage of events related to the Iraq War decreased during the second quarter of 2007, but remained the top news issue, according to the Project for Excellence in Journalism, which noted 15% of stories across print, broadcast and online dealt with Iraq-related issues. That is down from 22% during the first quarter of the year. As in the first quarter, the Fox News Channel devoted roughly half as much coverage to the war (8%) than its rivals, CNN (18%) and MSNBC (15%). What a coincidence! Just as the surge strategy is working and the Dems ( and some Republicans) who were against the surge now are saying it is working...

Gotta get out before we win...but McCain says not so fast... Clinton, McCain split on Iraq pullout By JOHN HANNA, Associated Press Writer Mon Aug 20, 8:58 PM ET KANSAS CITY, Mo. - New military tactics in Iraq are working but the best way to honor U.S. soldiers is "by beginning to bring them home," Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton told war veterans Monday. Clinton, seeking the Democratic nomination for president, praised the work that soldiers have done in Iraq but described the government there as "on vacation," leaving American troops in the middle of a sectarian war. Later the Veterans of Foreign Wars were told by Sen. John McCain, who is seeking the GOP nomination, that withdrawing from Iraq would be a historic mistake — far worse than previous U.S. missteps in the country. McCain said he understands that Americans are "sick and tired" of the war, which he said hasn't gone well. Still, he said Gen. David Petraeus and other military leaders deserve pat...

From Gallup; "A new Gallup Poll finds Congress' approval rating the lowest it has been since Gallup first tracked public opinion of Congress with this measure in 1974. Just 18% of Americans approve of the job Congress is doing, while 76% disapprove, according to the August 13-16, 2007, Gallup Poll. "

Since then, Elvira Arellano has become the local face, the local symbol, for immigration reform. Last week, she left that church for the first time since seeking refuge to take her message on the road, knowing full well she could be arrested and deported under a 1997 order by federal immigration officials. And she was...good! The first step she can take to reform immigration is for her to enter the country legally...and start the process the way she should have back in 1997 when she first entered the country illegally. She was then deported, returned illegally in 2000. She then was arrested and convicted in 2002 for working under a false social security number. She was suppose to surrender to authorities in August 2006 but took refuge in the Humboldt Park church for over a year. She was arrested over the weekend when she left the church to participate in a pro-illegal immigrant rally in Los Angeles. She was deported yesterday and is back in Mexico where she will no doubt reenter ...

From Howard Kurtz of the WaPo; In an embarrassment to the industry, some staffers at a Seattle Times news meeting cheered when Rove’s resignation was announced. To his credit, Editor David Boardman made the incident public and warned that staff meetings should not “evolve into a liberal latte klatch.” Rove responded by sending a basket of cookies to the newsroom, with a note saying “my wife shares in your enthusiasm." But there is no media bias...

FEMINISTS' HOT AIR 'WOMEN-RUN' RADIO NETWORK FALTERS By CARRIE LUKAS August 20, 2007 -- TO thunderous acclaim from the liberal intelligentsia, a team of feminist icons - including Gloria Steinem and Jane Fonda - last year launched a women-run radio network. The mainstream media dutifully parroted press releases describing the launch as a "breakthrough" for women in the male-dominated world of talk radio. The Boston Globe, for example, proclaimed that "GreenStone gives women an outlet." Business Week described the venture as "Talk Radio Minus The Testosterone." Last Friday, GreenStone Media signed off for good. Why did this effort fail? After all, the programming carefully was designed by feminist experts to appeal to female tastes. According to Steinem, "women are more and more turned off by the hostility and argumentative nature of AM talk radio." Greenstone Media was supposed to capitalize on that by offering a different tenor, mor...

Best answer of the Dem debate from yesterday morning from Hillary Clinton... By the way the question was is Obama ready to be president...

Interesting story from Richard Miniter over at Pajamasmedia.com on how The New Republic was snookered again and what the latest is on the scandal. One interesting point not known until now; What Foer did not tell McGee [the whistlebower] was that Beauchamp was married to Elspeth Reeve, one of the magazine’s three fact-checkers (a point that the press missed too). So Beauchamp was effectively an insider—and would get treated as such. Read the whole thing here.

But would he have done the same if no one ever found out? From the NY Times ; DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards, who has called homeownership ''the foundation of the American dream,'' said Friday he will divest his holdings in funds linked to lenders that have foreclosed on Hurricane Katrina victims. ''I will not have my family's money involved in these firms that are foreclosing on people in New Orleans,'' he told the Associated Press. Edwards has reported $29.5 million in assets, millions of which are invested in the hedge fund Fortress Investment Group., a company that paid him nearly half a million dollars last year for consulting advice.

Sen. Patty Murray (and by association Harry Reid) exploited the Minnesota bridge collapse to new levels of absurdity; Murray: "I have learned of a bridge where school buses have to stop and let all of the children out and pick them up on the other side because of weight restrictions." See Captain Ed for more.

How come when stocks fall 340 points like they did today we get headlines like this; Global stocks dive as U.S. bonds jump | Reuters.co.uk MARKET SNAPSHOT: Stocks Fall Sharply As Credit Woes Intensify Panic Selling As Stock Markets Crash Towards Bull Market Support Levels :: The Market Oracle :: Financial Markets Forecasting & Analysis Free Website But when the market stages a huge rally we get this; MARKET SNAPSHOT: Stocks Off Lows In Late Afternoon Trade Off lows? Thats like saying Roger Clemens won today without allowing any hits.

Well the left howled about how the President was going to change the Constitution to remove the presidential term limits and essentially allow him to run for President endlessly...Well it looks like they were right. Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez Proposes Changes to Constitution Allowing His Perpetual Re-Election Wednesday, August 15, 2007 CARACAS, Venezuela — President Hugo Chavez called for changes to Venezuela's constitution Wednesday night, delivering a key address pitching reforms that are expected to allow him to be re-elected indefinitely. Chavez, speaking to the National Assembly, said the changes affect "less than 10 percent" of the constitution but would bring Venezuela "new horizons for the new era." Chavez, who is seeking to transform Venezuelan society along socialist lines, denied he wants lifelong power as his opponents allege. "They accuse me of making plans to be in power forever or to concentrate power. We know it isn't like that. I...

This sounds mighty familier.... Pipe bombs found in car during Boynton traffic stop By Kevin Deutsch Palm Beach Post Staff Writer Wednesday, August 15, 2007 BOYNTON BEACH — What started as a traffic stop on a gold Nissan Sentra early this morning led to the discovery of two pipe bombs, masks and gloves and 15-feet of PVC pipe inside the car. Boynton Beach police have detained the four men who were inside the car when Officer Vincent Haugh stopped it in on North Federal Highway around 2:24 a.m. Three suspects are from suburban Lake Worth. The fourth is from Boynton Beach. Their ages range from 21 to 22. Police are not releasing their names. Haugh stopped the car after he saw one of the men throw something out a window. When he approached the vehicle and asked for identification, none of the occupants had any to provide. The men were asked to step out of the car. As they did, Haugh noticed what looked like two pipe bombs on the floorboard. The devices were about the size of a fist. Each ...

I can't believe they made me want one, but I do... CleanIsHappy.com

Michelle Malkin's got the news ...stand up and cheer!

During a report on people defrauding hospitals in order to not pay their insurance fees; "As egregious as this sounds, it may be another example of how fed up people are with the health care system. One survey found one in ten people believe it's okay to submit false claims or collect when you don't deserve it."

Consumer Prices Edge Up, Dow Falls at Opening - washingtonpost.com Consumer Prices Steady in July - New York Times

I am sure she is a very nice person and what Imus said was disgusting, but come on, how much damage to her reputation really occurred? Imus apologized, repeatedly. He met with the team who then accepted his apology. He was fired from his job. I think it was Imus reputation that was more damaged by this then anyone on the Rutgers womens basketball team. But hey, there's money to be made... Rutgers Player Sues Imus, CBS Radio - AOL News

The Miami Herald is on a quest, looking for the cool Republican, because all Democrats by default are cool, so there must be one cool Republican, right? I nominate....myself. My search for cool among Republicans Posted on Sat, Aug. 11, 2007 BY BETH REINHARD breinhard@herald.com The good-looking hipster with the slicked back, slightly mussed hair looks out from his dark shades. ''He's a Republican,'' reads the billboard spotted around South Florida in recent weeks. ``But you don't see that.'' A Sunglass Hut official denied that the ad is a political statement, but its message is clear: Being a Republican isn't cool (unless you have fabulous hair and expensive sunglasses). Is that you, Karl Rove, behind those Foster Grants? The ad's undertone harkens back to Michael J. Fox's buttoned-up role as a teenaged conservative on the 1980s sitcom Family Ties. His character, Alex P. Keaton, was cute, but he was a square in a suit -- and that's when R...

Someone has created a handy little utility that tracks and identifies IP addresses of whoever makes editing changes on Wikipedia. It also shows what the entry was and what it was changed to. Very slick. It seems that some clowns over at the NY Times have been changing Wikipedia entries on conservatives and Republicans represented on the site. See here here and here. I wonder if the NY Times will report on this? .

Red faces at NASA over climate-change blunder Agency roasted after Toronto blogger spots `hot years' data fumble Aug 14, 2007 04:30 AM DANIEL DALE STAFF REPORTER In the United States, the calendar year 1998 ranked as the hottest of them all – until someone checked the math. After a Toronto skeptic tipped NASA this month to one flaw in its climate calculations, the U.S. agency ordered a full data review. Days later, it put out a revised list of all-time hottest years. The Dust Bowl year of 1934 now ranks as hottest ever in the U.S. – not 1998. More significantly, the agency reduced the mean U.S. "temperature anomalies" for the years 2000 to 2006 by 0.15 degrees Celsius. NASA officials have dismissed the changes as trivial. Even the Canadian who spotted the original flaw says the revisions are "not necessarily material to climate policy." But the revisions have been seized on by conservative Americans, including firebrand radio host Rush Limbaugh, as evidence that...

Obama defended his push to prosecute a tougher military effort to root out al-Qaida on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border, which drew criticism from primary rivals for sounding too bellicose. “Now you have narco drug lords who are helping to finance the Taliban, so we’ve got to get the job done there, and that requires us to have enough troops that we are not just air raiding villages and killing civilians, which is causing enormous problems there, ’’ Obama said. Campaign spokesman Reid Cherlin said Obama was not endorsing the current Bush policy, which consists solely of air raids and bombing of civilians. So not only does Obama say we are killing civilians but his spokesman confirms it. Going off the cliff...

The Democrats (and some Republicans) are and have been unwittingly setting themselves up for a massive failure of immense proportions. And that failure is not far off. With Gen. Patraeus expected to report progress next month, the USA Today article from yesterday detailing how major attacks are down 50% since the surge began and now German's Der Spiegel reporting that "the US military is more successful than the world wants to believe" it now appears that the US military is engaged now in the greatest comeback in military history thanks to how the Democrats have portrayed the war to this point. And now the LA Times is joining the party too.

Now Der Spiegel , the German magazine that has been vehemently opposed to the Iraq war (they declared Iraq lost on their cover last year) has apparently reconsidered their opinion after sending a reporter to Iraq to see for themselves; Since June, Ramadi residents have only known the war from televison. Indeed, US military officials at the Baghdad headquarters of Operation Iraqi Freedom often have trouble believing their eyes when they read the reports coming in from their units in Ramadi these days. Exploded car bombs: zero. Detonated roadside bombs: zero. Rocket fire: zero. Grenade fire: zero. Shots from rifles and pistols: zero. Weapons caches discovered: dozens. Terrorists arrested: many. Ramadi is an irritating contradiction of almost everything the world thinks it knows about Iraq -- it is proof that the US military is more successful than the world wants to believe . Ramadi demonstrates that large parts of Iraq -- not just Anbar Province, but also many other rural areas along th...

The following are from the mainstream media (and one presidential candidate) on Karl Rove's resignation, and they wonder why the public hates them. First we have Chris Matthews' name calling; Matthews referring to Valerie Plame case: "Yeah but Bush, the President said, that 'anyone of my people involved with leaking this will be taken care of.' Did he, is that what he meant by today's ceremony, the bear hug and everything? Was that being taken care of? And, I mean, I've never seen a staff aide be signed-off on at the presidential helicopter with such majesty. It was almost regal today, like he was knighting the guy. And, and he said he was going to take care of this bum , anybody that leaked in the CIA case. Well this is how he took care of him. He knighted the guy." Ah Chrissie, I believe he said anyone convicted of a crime would be taken care of. Next we have Bill Plante of CBS (via TVnewser); As Karl Rove embraced President Bush today following an e...

From Rasmussen Reports: Favorable ratings: Rove 29% Congress 25%

The AP continues to peddle that Karl Rove leaked Valerie Plame's name to Robert Novak when we all know that Richard Armitage was the actually leaker, Rove provided confirmation, if you can call it that. From Robert Novak's book; I mentioned [in a phone call to Rove] that I had heard Wilson’s wife worked for the CIA in the counterproliferation section and that she had suggested Wilson be sent to Niger. I distinctly remember Rove’s reply: “Oh, so you know that, too.” But the AP reports on Rove's resignation this way; The most explicit testimony on Rove came from columnist Robert Novak, who outed Plame in a July 2003 column. He testified that Rove, a frequent source, was one of two officials who told him about Plame. Libby, with whom he seldom spoke, was not a source. Rove, though, was not indicted after testifying five times before the grand jury, occasionally correcting misstatements he made in his earlier testimony. The jury in Libby’s trial did not hear that testimony, nor...

The Blotter says the background images in recent AQ videos are doctored in order to portray a different location; For example, in one video of Zawahri released in July of last year, he appears to be seated in a news studio complete with a backdrop of images of the World Trade Center attacks and hijacker Mohammed Atta. News commentators at the time remarked on how Zawahri, who many assumed to be hiding in a cave, was able to record a video message from a high-tech newsroom. Krawetz, however, says that background was very likely added after Zawahri filmed his message. "That's the fakest one so far," said Krawetz. Krawetz found six different layers on one JPEG from that video, implying the various background components were very likely added after Zawahri recorded his message. Krawetz says an even more visible clue occurs as the video itself plays, when there is a subtle shifting of the camera. The image of Zawahri appears to move side-to-side as if the camera is shaking wh...

Remember when Congressman Clyburn responded that success in Iraq from the surge would be "a real big problem for us?" Well I guess you've got a problem; Major attacks decline in Iraq By Jim Michaels, USA TODAY The number of truck bombs and other large al-Qaeda-style attacks in Iraq have declined nearly 50% since the United States started increasing troop levels in Iraq about six months ago , according to the U.S. military command in Iraq. The high-profile attacks — generally large bombs hitting markets, mosques or other "soft" targets that produce mass casualties — have dropped to about 70 in July from a high during the past year of about 130 in March, according to the Multi-National Force — Iraq.

Waiting for a comment from John "Earmark" Murtha, I am sure the media will be all over for him for his thoughts; Charges Dropped for Two Marines in Haditha Case NPR.org, August 9, 2007 · Charges have been dropped against Marine Capt. Randy W. Stone and an enlisted marine in connection with the deaths of 24 civilians in 2005 in Haditha, Iraq, the Corp said Thursday. Two other enlisted men are charged with murder, and three other officers besides Stone are accused of failing to adequately investigate the deaths. The Marine Corps dropped all charges against Stone, a 35-year-old battalion lawyer from Dunkirk, Md., and Lance Cpl. Justin Sharratt, 22, of Canonsburg, Pa. "It is clear to me that any error of omission or commission by Capt. Stone does not warrant action under the Uniform Code of Military Justice," Lt. Gen. James Mattis wrote in dismissing the charges. The Corps also said that charges had been dismissed against Sharratt. Prosecutors had alleged that he and ot...

The Washington Post has called the Republicans that stormed off the House floor last night "insurgents" after the Democrats literally stole a victory from the Republicans. It was unclear by midday when, or if, Republicans would return. Rep. Patrick McHenry (N.C.), a Republican insurgent , this morning called Democrats "cheaters," prompting a new eruption. Nice chose of words there...The Democrats who stole the vote away from the Republicans after their own screw up cost them are simply "cheaters" but the Republicans who are understandably angry over what the Democrats are trying to pull are labeled "insurgents." I believe an apology is in order. And The WaPo has completely mis characterized what actually happened declaring the vote on a agriculture bill as a 214-214 deadlock when in fact the vote was closed with the Republicans winning the vote 215-213. From the Politico; In a massive flare-up of partisan tensions (video link courtesy Breitbar...

Bush trusted by 24%, Congress gets 3%. Not exactly resounding support for either. But whot about this number, 3% approve of Congress handling of Iraq. Thats right, 3% think Congress is doing a good job on its handling of the Iraq war. UPI/Zogby Poll: 54% Lack Confidence in Bush's Ability As Commander in Chief Survey shows just 3% of Americans approve of how Congress is handling the war in Iraq ; 24% say the same for the President A majority of American adults (54%) lack confidence in President Bush’s ability as Commander in Chief of the U.S. military, a new UPI/Zogby Interactive poll shows. A majority (60%) said they do not trust the president’s judgment when it comes to the war, while 38% say they have faith in his military decisions. Just 24% give the president favorable ratings of his performance in handling the war in Iraq, but confidence in Congress is significantly worse – only 3% give Congress positive marks for how it has handled the war. This lack of confidence in Congres...

As well they should have. Simply stunning! From The Politico : House erupts in chaos In a massive flare-up of partisan tensions, Republicans walked out on a House vote late Thursday night to protest what they believed to be Democratic maneuvers to reverse an unfavorable outcome for them. The flap represents a complete breakdown in parliamentary procedure and an unprecedented low for the sometimes bitterly divided chamber. The rancor erupted shortly before 11 p.m. as Rep. Michael R. McNulty (D-N.Y.) gaveled close the vote on a standard procedural measure with the outcome still in doubt. Details remain fuzzy, but numerous Republicans argued afterward that they had secured a 215-213 win on their motion to bar undocumented immigrants from receiving any federal funds apportioned in the agricultural spending bill for employment or rental assistance. Democrats, however, argued the measure was deadlocked at 214-214 and failed, members and aides on both sides of the aisle said afterward. One G...

This is just unbelievable. Well....it always was. TNR has issued a statement on their "Shock Troops" piece written by alleged army soldier Scott Thomas Beauchamp claiming that after an exhausting review cut short by the Army's investigation (damn the Army) the entire story is accurate except for one tiny detail. The melted-face-woman that Beauchamp and his friend ridiculed and used as an illustration in the piece of what war can do to a human behavior was not in Iraq as first reported but actually in Kuwait. But wait....it gets better. It turns out, if we are to believe this load of crap, that the disgusting behavior towards the melted-face-woman took place BEFORE Beauchamps deployment in Iraq but after his tour in Germany. So Beauchamp didn't turn into a pathetic excuse for a human being because of the war in Iraq, he was already one before he got there. So the focal point of the story, which Beauchamp used to lead off the piece was just off by one little count...

Georgia voters must show a photo ID in order to vote in that state, via LaShawn Barber; Georgia voters will be required to show a photo ID at the polls for a special election in September, following several years of court and legislative battles, the secretary of state said Tuesday. … A lawsuit contended the 2006 law was an undue burden on voters, and a Fulton County judge agreed, ruling the law unconstitutional. The Georgia Supreme Court threw out the case, though, finding the plaintiff lacked legal standing to challenge the law. On Friday, the high court denied a motion to reconsider. Secretary of State Karen Handel said Tuesday that the refusal to reconsider cleared the way for Georgia to implement the law for its Sept. 18 special election. But first, she said, the state will launch an education effort to let voters know about the new requirement. Powered by ScribeFire .

Exactly what is with these dems that think its perfectly fine to call President Bush names. Today Congressman Earl Pomeroy (D-North Dakota) called the president a clown. What exactly does this accomplish except make the name-caller look small and juvenile; Most of the people I represent think that’s (impeachment) a horrible idea. I’m a Democrat, and I can’t stand this president, but I’m to represent the people that I represent and they are against impeaching the president,” Pomeroy said while pointing and waving his arms. … “I’m here to represent people. The people I represent don’t want to impeach this clown . I’m here to represent the people of North Dakota,” Pomeroy said. Powered by ScribeFire .

Its gets kinda confusing, which is why I question the need for the "hate crime" designation. Isn't all crime a form of hate anyway? Burning the American flag - protected free speech Burning the President in effigy - protected free speech Place the crucifix in bodily waste - protected free speech Depict the Virgin Mary covered in Elephant dung - well....you know. Putting the Koran in the toilet ??? Powered by ScribeFire .