Having passed a bill mandating a withdrawal from Iraq and therefore surrender in the face of victory on the ground, there came this great comment.

The legislation, passed 218-203, was largely a symbolic jab at Bush, who already has begun reducing force levels but opposes a congressionally mandated timetable on the war. And while the measure was unlikely to pass in the Senate — let alone overcome a presidential veto — Democrats said they wanted voters to know they weren't giving up.

Excuse me, but giving up is precisely what this bill is about. They'd rather quit than fight, even though there has been tangible progress and vast improvements in the situation in Iraq. While it has been slower coming than anyone would have liked, the fact is that it is here -- and the Democrats still insist upon a cut-and-run policy because military defeat helps their own electoral prospects.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, The Virtuous Republic, Blog @ MoreWhat.com, Rosemary's Thoughts, guerrilla radio, Right Truth, , Leaning Straight Up, Cao's Blog, The Amboy Times, Big Dog's Weblog, Conservative Cat, Nuke's, Faultline USA, Woman Honor Thyself, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, CORSARI D'ITALIA, Dumb Ox Daily News, High Desert Wanderer, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posted by: Greg at 11:08 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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As a Romney supporter, this report concerns me.

Mitt RomneyÂ’s presidential campaign has television ads and mailings on standby to attack Rudy Giuliani but so far has not used them because of an internal dispute about the risks of a backlash in going negative on the Republican front-runner, according to numerous sources in and close to the Romney campaign.

With the first caucus and primary voting just seven weeks away, some of RomneyÂ’s top backers in early states said privately they are urging his high command in Boston to start drawing sharp and hard-hitting contrasts or risk letting the former New York mayor glide to the GOP nomination on the strength of his much higher national profile.

So far, the tough shots from Romney have not been fired. Some top strategists warn of a “murder-suicide” scenario, in which Romney might draw blood from Giuliani but get splattered himself if voters are turned off by attacks and take it out on the attacker.

Frankly, i see both sides on this one. Going too negative could hurt Romney with the voters -- one of the things i like about him has been his positive message about why he is the right candidate rather than negative attacks on other candidates. But at the same time, it is important to draw a contrast between yourself and you opponent -- and since Rudy's claim to fame is hwo he ran NYC, it is important to challenge him on it and show how there may be problems with that narrative.

The biggest danger, though, is giving ammo to the enemy. Think back to 1988, where a second-tier candidate named Al Gore sought to paint front-runner Michael Dukakis as soft on crime by highlighting the case of Willie Horton, a lifer granted regular weekend furloughs who used one to commit rape and murder in another state. Months later, that same material became devastatingly effective in the hands of surrogates for George H. W. Bush (and, eventually, the Bush campaign itself).

Still, I think that the Romney campaign must draw the distinction now -- and provided it maintains an overall positive tone, the Romney camp can afford to attack the front-runner.

Posted by: Greg at 11:02 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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As with any other form of media, the internet quickly became commercial. After all, you have the means to reach millions – indeed, billions – of people on the internet, and so it has to figure into any marketing strategy that one might devise. And when your primary focus is the internet, it becomes crucial to have good Internet Marketing Companies to help you with search engine optimization, because you can live or die by PageRank and page ranking.

One recent example of this is for a product I wish we would get here in Texas. McDonald’s has marketed the Angus Third Pounder in California and New York – but when they launched the product, they didn’t decide to have an internet campaign until ten days before the burger was set to roll off. Selected as the Internet marketing company, eVisibility.com created a website and online campaign in order to create a solid marketing campaign for the new sandwiches, complete with a coupon for customers to download. By using a 3000 word list of keywords and phrases, they were able to get the website seen by millions on search engines, garnering 119,000 visitors downloading 63,000 coupons in just the first two months. Not bad at all – indeed, I’d argue that is fantastic. Just imagine the success when/if the product goes nationwide!

That isn't the only example of SEO success -- they provide fantastic examples for a number of their clients. I'm really left speechless by some of them.

Posted by: Greg at 11:00 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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After hammering Hillary for not speeding the release of her records from her time as First Lady, Barack Obama now offers this startling admission.

Barack Obama, who's been scolding Hillary Rodham Clinton for not hastening the release of records from her time as first lady, says he can't step up and produce his own records from his days in the Illinois state Senate. He says he hasn't got any.

"I don't have — I don't maintain — a file of eight years of work in the state Senate because I didn't have the resources available to maintain those kinds of records," he said at a recent campaign stop in Iowa. He said he wasn't sure where any cache of records might have gone, adding, "It could have been thrown out. I haven't been in the state Senate now for quite some time."

I'm sorry, but his scrubbing of the documents strikes me as pretty questionable. It reeks of incompetence, and a lack of openness.

But then again, maybe what he meant to say was that he has no record. After all, his appeal seems to be that he is young, hip, and black -- and he doesn't need official records to document that.

Posted by: Greg at 10:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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What can I say -- now that Eliot Spitzer's "licenses for illegals" plan is dead due to the incredible public outcry against it, Hillary is prepared to get out in front on the issue by opposing it.

Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton on Wednesday came out against granting driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, after weeks of pressure in the presidential race to take a position on a now-failed ID plan from her home state governor.

Clinton has faced criticism from candidates in both parties for her noncommittal answers on New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer's attempt to allow illegal immigrants in his state to receive driver's licenses. Spitzer abandoned the effort Wednesday.

"I support Governor Spitzer's decision today to withdraw his proposal," Clinton said in a statement. "As president, I will not support driver's licenses for undocumented people and will press for comprehensive immigration reform that deals with all of the issues around illegal immigration including border security and fixing our broken system."

I have to agree with the Obama campaign on this one. When it takes two weeks and gyrations that result in no less than six distinct positions on what ought to be a simple yes or no answer to the question. And that she waited until after the plan was dead to give her final answer indicates a lack of both principle and spine. We need a leader in the White House, not an indecisive follower.

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Posted by: Greg at 10:42 PM | Comments (77) | Add Comment
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The ability to read, write, and play music is a gift that some people have naturally and others need to learn to get that musical ability jump-started. There are many music education programs in schools and out that can stimulate that talent. Artists House Music is a music marketing is a non-profit music organization with the purpose to helping those interested in music achieve desired proficiencies. Artists House MusicÂ’s method of music marketing helps musicians, students, industry professionals, and people who love music make their way in the music business. Sound interesting? Then you need to check out their site at ArtistsHouseMusic.org for more information, so that you can make a change in your life today.

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Not only isn't he going to be President, come January 2009 he won't even be Congressman.

Paul, a long-time incumbent, was first elected to Congress in 1976. After a detour to run against Phil Gramm for the Senate in 1984 and for president as a libertarian in 1988, the former physician took over the district 14 seat in 1997.

ItÂ’s assumed heÂ’ll seek reelection in the Republican primary next March, at the same time heÂ’s still running for president. ItÂ’s entirely possible that Paul will be wreaking havoc in early-primary states across the country just as his base in Texas implodes. What kind of impact would that have on his presidential candidacy? It would be like a NASA astronaut aboard the International Space Station hearing that his home back in Texas burned down and firefighters discovered a meth lab in the smoldering embers. The trip home would, at once, be both devastating and embarrassing. Because NASA is based in PaulÂ’s district, the metaphor may fit.

Angst over Paul has been building for years. In 2004, disgruntled Republicans asked me to find encouragement for challengers. We polled his suburban Houston district and found that voters resist his contrarian and stark libertarian perspective that even sells out local interests. When told that “Ron Paul consistently opposes taxpayer funding for NASA and wants to eliminate the agency,” 61 percent of Republican primary voters said this information would make them less likely to vote for Paul’s reelection. Similarly, a 54 percent majority said they’d be less likely to vote for Paul when told he “was one of only four Republicans in Congress to vote against President Bush’s plan to encourage faith-based charities.” The list of negatives was long.

To be fair, the 2004 polling also found that his voters endorsed some of the quirky congressmanÂ’s actions, particularly his refusal to take a congressional pension and his vote to allow airline pilots to carry guns after the events of Sept. 11, 2001. But there was significantly more bad news than good in that poll for Rep. Paul. But detractors were unsuccessful is recruiting a suitable opponent.

Zoom ahead to this election cycle, almost four years later. Recent polling by another Texas Republican pollster confirms that PaulÂ’s electorate doesnÂ’t appreciate the increasingly leftish libertarian bent of PaulÂ’s voting record. In the eyes of voters, Paul is now also wrong to oppose the Patriot Act, off base on energy policy that affects Texas enormously, and to be faulted for knee-jerk opposition to the fight against terror in the Middle East.

The difference this time is that PaulÂ’s critics have a bona fide challenger lined up: Chris Peden, a mainline social conservative who has distinguished himself opposing the tax hijinks of local elected officials. If Paul files to run for both Congress and the presidency by the Jan. 2 deadline, heÂ’ll likely lose to Peden on March 4. ThatÂ’ll be OK, though. Dr. Paul can just move to New Hampshire where the libertarian Free State Project might try and elect him their first governor, leveraging the boost in name ID and image that his presidential bid will have wrought. Good riddance.

I've met Chris Peden a number of times, and he is a good guy -- a real conservative. And I know many folks in Paul's district just itching to get rid of him -- and I'll be glad to make the 5 minute drive into the district to offer my support to Peden.

But I'm shocked at a mistake in the article. NASA is not located in Ron Paul's district, though I believe it was at one time. It has been a part of CD22 for several years, put there to ensure that Tom DeLay would look out for the interests of the space program. Johnson Space Center is currently (mis)represented by Nick Lampson (D-Carpetbag), pending the return of Congresswoman Shelley Sekula Gibbs to office (or the election of one of several other fine GOP candidates) after the 2008 election.

Posted by: Greg at 01:02 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Why is the party identifier missing in this story about not one, but two, governors involved in a scandal concerning child sexual abuse by one of them?

The Oregon State Bar has asked Gov. Ted Kulongoski to respond to allegations that he lied about his knowledge of former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt's sexual abuse of an underage girl.

The bar, acting on complaints by conservative radio talk show host Lars Larson and Newberg resident James Johnson, has given Kulongoski until Nov. 30 to give his account "concerning his knowledge of former Gov. Neil Goldschmidt's misconduct."
Kulongoski spokeswoman Patty Wentz said Kulongoski "absolutely" will respond to the bar's request by the deadline.

The governor, an "inactive" member of the bar, has hired a private lawyer, Roy Pulvers, of the Portland firm Hinshaw & Culbertson, to represent him. The bar's letter was sent to Pulvers, rather than directly to the governor.

Chris Mullman, the bar's assistant general counsel, is reviewing the complaint to determine whether to reject it or begin a more formal investigation.

The complaint stems from statements by Goldschmidt's former speechwriter Fred Leonhardt that he told Kulongoski details about Goldschmidt's abuse in 1994, while the two were at a party, and that they discussed it on several other occasions. Kulongoski has said on numerous occasions that he never heard allegations or rumors that Goldschmidt had sex with a minor when he was Portland's mayor in the 1970s.

Although Leonhardt's statements were first made public in The Oregonian in 2004, they have resurfaced in recent weeks as the state investigates similar allegations of lying by Multnomah County Sheriff Bernie Giusto. Leonhardt says he first heard details of Goldschmidt's misconduct from Giusto, who had been Goldschmidt's driver.

Somehow this critical bit of information was left out of the entire article. Any informed reader would know the answer, though – the child molesting Goldschmidt and the justice obstructing Kulongoski are both proud Democrats. Why aren’t the Democrats at the oh-so-liberal Oregonian willing to claim them as such?

H/T Don Surber

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Odd, isnÂ’t it, that liberals regularly insist that states and cities cannot set their own immigration policies when it comes to enforcing our nationÂ’s immigration laws. Then, suddenly, these same liberals insist it is the right of states and cities to set their own immigration policies flouting our nationÂ’s immigration laws.

The Board of Supervisors voted Tuesday to issue municipal identification cards to city residents - regardless of whether they are in the country legally - and to double the amount of public money available to candidates running for supervisor.

Supervisor Tom Ammiano, who authored the ID card legislation, said the program is a smart public safety measure because it would make residents living on the social margins of San Francisco more likely to seek the help of police and could give them more access to banking services.

"People are afraid to report crimes," Ammiano said, referring to illegal immigrants who avoid local law enforcement authorities over fear of being arrested or deported by federal immigration officials.

The legislation would require companies holding city contracts to accept the municipal card as a legitimate form of identification - except in cases where other state and federal laws require other forms of proof of age, name and residence.

Under San Francisco's sanctuary ordinance, it is city policy that no municipal government personnel or resources be used to assist federal immigration officials in the arrest and deportation of illegal immigrants.

I ask it again – since San Francisco can’t secede from h US, can’t the US secede from San Francisco? That way they can set their own immigration policy and issue whatever identification documents they want. Of course, once San Francisco is no longer a part of the US, we can build a wall and keep the liberal fringe out in the name of national security. After all, they will have no reliable form of identification with which to enter the USA.

Posted by: Greg at 12:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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IÂ’ve not written about the issue of planted questions because it didnÂ’t matter. IÂ’ve always assumed that campaigns planted softball questions. But given the denials from the Clinton camp, this strikes me as an actual scandal.

The college student who was told what question to ask at one of New York Sen. Hillary Clinton's campaign events said "voters have the right to know what happened" and she wasn't the only one who was planted.

In an exclusive on-camera interview with CNN, Muriel Gallo-Chasanoff, a 19-year-old sophomore at Grinnell College in Grinnell, Iowa, said giving anyone specific questions to ask is "dishonest," and the whole incident has given her a negative outlook on politics.

Gallo-Chasanoff, whose story was first reported in the campus newspaper, said what happened was simple: She said a senior Clinton staffer asked if she'd like to ask the senator a question after an energy speech the Democratic presidential hopeful gave in Newton, Iowa, on November 6.

"I sort of thought about it, and I said 'Yeah, can I ask how her energy plan compares to the other candidates' energy plans?'" Gallo-Chasanoff said Monday night.

According to Gallo-Chasanoff, the staffer said, " 'I don't think that's a good idea, because I don't know how familiar she is with their plans.' "

He then opened a binder to a page that, according to Gallo-Chasanoff, had about eight questions on it.

"The top one was planned specifically for a college student," she added. "It said 'college student' in brackets and then the question."

Topping that sheet of paper was the following: "As a young person, I'm worried about the long-term effects of global warming. How does your plan combat climate change?"

And while she said she would have rather used her own question, Gallo-Chasanoff said she didn't have a problem asking the campaign's because she "likes to be agreeable," adding that since she told the staffer she'd ask their pre-typed question she "didn't want to go back on my word."

Now the Clintonoids are going to have to clarify this. Either there are pre-cleared and scripted questions, or there aren’t. Either Hillary is prompted to call on these plants, or she isn’t. And the problem is not one of planting the questions – the problem is one of the apparent dishonesty that followed. Once again we have to ask – can Hillary (and her staff) be trusted.

Posted by: Greg at 12:37 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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This is really a no-brainer for anyone who studies political science.

Democratic voters in Iowa and New Hampshire — the states that begin the presidential nominating battle — say Senator Barack Obama and John Edwards are more likely than Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton to say what they believe, rather than what they think voters want to hear, according to the latest New York Times/CBS News Polls. But they also view Mrs. Clinton as the best prepared and most electable Democrat in the field, the polls found.

Republican voters in those two states say that Mitt Romney, a former governor of Massachusetts, shares their values and views on immigration, a red-hot issue for Republicans in Iowa especially. But they are divided over whether Mr. Romney or Rudolph W. Giuliani, who Republican voters say does not share their values, would be the party’s strongest general-election candidate — and electability looms as a crucial factor for Republican voters in those states.

These are some of the findings in twin polls conducted by the New York Times and CBS News in the two states, which will begin the nominating process in less than two months. The polls found that the electorates in the two states had different perceptions of the candidates and concerns about issues, while suggesting that the outcome was far from settled in either place.

Political parties exist for one purpose -- to elect candidates to office in order to implement public policy along a general framework supported by its members. That means, in order to be successful, a party needs to select candidates with the ability to win elections, not the most ideologically pure candidates.

I've endorsed Mitt Romney. I have stayed with Mitt Romney. Mitt Romney offers an agenda I support. That said, I will wholeheartedly embrace Rudy Giuliani, despite my previously expressed doubts, if he is the nominee. After all, I want the process to produce a candidate who can win the Presidency more than I want the perfect candidate.

Indeed, if you want an example of where that difference has been most striking in recent years, look at the Connecticut Senate race in 2006. Yes, Ned Lamont offered a vision closer to that of the majority of primary voters. But when the chips were down, was he electable? No -- as evidenced by the fact he was crushed by Joe Lieberman, who he had defeated in the primary. What did the ideologically pure folks who nominated Lamont gain by their purity?

Posted by: Greg at 11:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Never let it be said that the Democrats are prepared to victory on the field of battle ahead of victory at the polls.

Bowing to the most extreme elements of the Democrat coalition, Senate Majority Leader Extremist Follower Harry Reid has announced that he will not allow the Senate to approve any money to ensure victory following our military's recent successes in Iraq.

Instead, he wants a commitment to a surrender date and an immediate move to withdraw troops.

Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid said Tuesday that Democrats won't approve more money for the Iraq war this year unless President Bush agrees to begin bringing troops home.

By the end of the week, the House and Senate planned to vote on a $50 billion measure for operations in Iraq and Afghanistan. The bill would require Bush to initiate troop withdrawals immediately with the goal of ending combat by December 2008.

If Bush vetoes the bill, "then the president won't get his $50 billion," Reid, D-Nev., told reporters at a Capitol Hill news conference.

House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., made a similar statement last week in a closed-door caucus meeting.

The tough rhetoric does not necessarily foretell another veto showdown with Bush on the war. Similar legislation has routinely fallen short of the 60 votes needed to overcome procedural hurdles in the Senate. It is possible the upcoming bill will sink, in which case Democrats would probably wait until next year to revisit the issue.

But their remarks reflect an emerging Democratic strategy on the war: Force congressional Republicans and Bush to accept a timetable for troop withdrawals, or turn Pentagon accounting processes into a bureaucratic nightmare.

What this amounts to is a demand by the Democrats for the setting of a timetable for US military defeat despite the steady advances that have occurred over the last year. The Democrats need their terrorist allies to win in Iraq if they are to win in November, 2008 at the polls in America. A military victory by the United States could, and likely would, harm the party's electoral prospects.

When can we begin to call this strategy treason?

Posted by: Greg at 11:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Bowing to near universal opposition, New York Gov. Eliot Spitzer has decided to not pursue his plan to give drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Those not in the country legally will not be given an official government identification document and permission to drive without fear of being deported as the law requires.

Gov. Eliot Spitzer is abandoning his plan to issue driverÂ’s licenses to illegal immigrants, saying that opposition is just too overwhelming to move forward with such a policy.

The governor, who is to announce the move formally on Wednesday, said in an interview Tuesday night that he did not reach the decision easily. “You have perhaps seen me struggle with it because I thought we had a principled decision, and it’s not necessarily easy to back away from trying to move a debate forward,” he said.

But he came to believe the proposal would ultimately be blocked, he said, either by legal challenges, a vote by the Legislature to deny funding for the Department of Motor Vehicles or a refusal by upstate county clerks to carry it out.

“I am not willing to fight to the bitter end on something that will not ultimately be implemented,” the governor said, “and we also have an enormous agenda on other issues of great importance to New York State that was being stymied by the constant and almost singular focus on this issue.”

In other words, in the face of opposition from the federal government, his fellow state officials, local officials, and the people of New York (and the United States), as well as likely defeat in the courts, Spitzer realized that his plan was doomed. And so the people win.

At least one liberal website is already frothing.

No, leadership is doing what's right. Gov. Spitzer needs to get some spine.

In other words, screw the people -- Spitzer should have gone ahead with the plan despite the disapproval of 3 out of 4 New Yorkers. After all, "leadership" consists in doing what the liberal interest groups demand, even if it is likely illegal and certainly opposed by the folks who are ultimately supposed to be in charge of government, namely the voters.

Just remember that, folks -- voting Democrat in 2008 means 4 years of a government that doesn't care what you think on issues of border security and immigration.

H/T Malkin, Fighting GOP, Old War Dogs, Assorted Babble

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Posted by: Greg at 11:23 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One of the latest cost-cutting measures by my health insurance company is the push for us to begin using an online pharmacy to buy long-term supplies of maintenance medications that we may need. Now I understand this from a purely economic point of view -- why should they pay twenty-five cents a pill for my thirty day supply of a drug that the pharmacy service can ship to me for fifteen cents a pill, including postage? And after all, my medications are pretty tame -- the pills for my diabetes and my blood pressure. While my doctor needs to monitor me and my use of those pills, it is relatively safe to give me a three month supply and send me on my way.

The problem comes when they want other medications purchased that way. My wife, for example, has some additional medications for her conditions that she may need to take for a long period of time, but which need closer monitoring. After all, in light of the way pain management doctors have been prosecuted in recent years, asking a patient to buy Tramadol or some other pain medication in a three month dosage is fruitless -- doctors are hesitant to prescribe for any longer period of time than from one visit to the next, even if that means you end up having to pay a co-pay twice a month instead of just once. In such cases, it simply is not possible to follow the wishes of the company.

Posted by: Greg at 11:11 PM | Comments (283) | Add Comment
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David Broder notes that the election of future president Bobby Jindal as governor of the state of Louisiana is part of a trend in statehouses across the South.

With Jindal's impressive victory, Republicans have established a phalanx of successful conservative governors across the Southeast who share a pragmatic streak that voters seem to like. They are the mirror image of the band of pragmatic liberal governors the Democrats have elected in states ranging from New Hampshire to Arizona, but concentrated in the Midwest — Ohio, Michigan, Wisconsin, Iowa, Kansas and Oklahoma.

Next door to Louisiana in Mississippi, Haley Barbour, a former Washington lobbyist and chairman of the Republican National Committee, is about to win easy re-election to a second term.

In Alabama and Georgia, two more Republicans, Bob Riley and Sonny Perdue, both former businessmen, are in their second terms as governor. And in Florida, Charlie Crist, another Republican, has proved to be even more popular in his first year in office than Jeb Bush.

As a Republican, this gives me reason for optimism.

This trend means that there is a new generation of leadership developing -- these governors and their staffers -- who will be in a position to win election to Senate seats and appear on national tickets for a generation. And if the sort of trends demonstrated in Jindal's election are, in fact, a long-term trend, it means that the GOP message still resonates. It will be the new faces -- young faces like Jindal, in particular -- who will continue to spread the Republican message to an ever more receptive electorate. So while the GOP may have stumbled recently, and may even lose in 2008, the future is bright.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Outside the Beltway, Perri Nelson's Website, third world county, The Random Yak, Right Truth, The Populist, Shadowscope, The Pet Haven Blog, The Pink Flamingo, Leaning Straight Up, Big Dog's Weblog, The Bullwinkle Blog, Wake Up America, Right Voices, and Gone Hollywood, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posted by: Greg at 11:10 PM | Comments (194) | Add Comment
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Why do folks seek Laser Hair Removal? Well, lots of reasons. It may be that someone has unsightly hair growth, especially on the face. Or some women prefer to remove hair from under the arm or around the bikini region for aesthetic purposes. There are, of course, other reasons for this procedure, which is primarily cosmetic in nature. And as the laser technology has advanced, individuals of different complexions and hair colors have become more likely candidates for the procedure.

But how do you find out how much laser hair removal costs, and where to find a qualified professional who will safely and effectively remove that unwanted hair? You can try word of moth, or searching via search engines, but your best bet might be to check out websites that specialize in providing information on the procedure. After all, such sites would be quite likely to have feedback and information from both hair removal professionals and those who have had the procedure done.

HairRemovalForum.com is a resource for people who are ready to find a provider to remove unwanted hair. It is part of the SignatureForum network of professional websites, which is noted for allowing only the best of the best to join the network. Not only that, but these providers have to meet the minimum criteria of service and quality to maintain their membership. These specialists are also rated by their clients, so the issue of client satisfaction is an important one. Any individual can sign on to the forums and read reviews by written by previous users and clients, or ask questions to receive feedback. This guarantees that providers are careful to meet the expectations of their clients and do their very best to maintain the trust of this community that includes anyone who has ever come in contact with these professionals.

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And in doing so is forced to admit that cooperation with Chinese authorities to crush political dissent is wrong.

Yahoo Inc., reeling from a growing backlash over human rights and its China operations, settled a lawsuit Tuesday that accused it of illegally helping the Chinese government jail and torture two journalists.

Neither side disclosed details other than to agree Yahoo would pay the attorneys fees of Shi Tao and Wang Xiaoning and the family member who sued on their behalf. Yahoo also said it would "provide financial, humanitarian and legal support to these families."

The settlement has reopened debate over Internet companies cooperating with governments that deny freedom of speech and crack down on journalists.

It marked a dramatic change of heart for Yahoo, which had steadfastly maintained it had to comply with a request from Chinese authorities to share information about the online activities of the two Chinese nationals.

Personally, I believe Yahoo's actions that led to this settlement are the equivalent of revealing the names and whereabouts of Jews to the Nazi regime in 1938. As such, I'm unhappy with the settlement. After all, a more just outcome would have involved Shi Tao and Wang Xiaoning becoming the new owners of Yahoo. However, if the outcome is a refusal of American companies to stop becoming agents of oppression, I think millions of people living in repressive regimes around the world can live with the outcome.

Posted by: Greg at 10:58 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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So, are you like the rest of us -- using one cell phone but having several old ones sitting around the house, collecting dust, because you upgraded? Well, you can actually make some money if you recycle cell phones with CellForCash.com! It may be a few bucks, or it may be a couple hundred, but they will pay you to recycle that old phone, keeping it out of the landfills. So what have you got to lose -- other than those extra phones?

Check out the details below. more...

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That's what it looks like, if NewsCorp's current plans are carried out.

Rupert Murdoch, the chairman of the News Corporation, said today that he intended to make access to The Wall Street JournalÂ’s Web site free, trading subscription fees for anticipated ad revenue.

“We are studying it and we expect to make that free, and instead of having one million, having at least 10 million-15 million in every corner of the earth,” Mr. Murdoch said, referring to The Journal’s online readership.

The News Corporation has signed an agreement to acquire Dow Jones & Company, and the deal is expected to close in the fourth quarter. A special shareholders meeting is scheduled for Dec. 13 in New York.

Mr. Murdoch said he believed that a free model, with increased readership for wsj.com, will attract “large numbers” of big-spending advertisers.

What this means is that one of the better sources of news and business information will be available to the common man.

What this means for me is that I will be able to access some of the better pieces of news and commentary that get overlooked by the mainstream media.

And for NewsCorp? Well that is easy -- a 10-15-fold increase in readership online will more than offset the loss of subscriber revenue.

In the end, everyone wins -- with the possible exception of the competitors of the WSJ, who will all face increased competition.

Posted by: Greg at 10:51 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Keeping your data safe is important. Whether you have pictures, documents, or other sorts of data to preserve, you need it to be secure and available to you. You cannot afford to have it lost.

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Posted by: Greg at 06:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Are the Democrats really on the side of the American people? This tax bill makes it clear that the answer is "NO!"

House Ways and Means Chairman Charles Rangel, D-N.Y., is planning for a trillion-dollar tax hike in 2009.

The non-partisan Joint Committee on Taxation took a look at Rangel's soak-the-rich tax increase and discovered that as early as 2011, 94 million families earning as little as $20,000 a year will see a tax increase.

Only 800,000 will see a tax reduction.

By my calculation, that means that nearly 120 families will see a tax increase for every family that sees a tax decrease. And the bill is hardly “revenue neutral”, given that it claims to reduce tax receipts by $50.6 billion while increasing taxes by $78.3 billion. That is an extra $27.3 billion cash grab by Rangel and the Democrats – unless, of course, they are admitting that the tax increase will slow the economy and reduce tax receipts by more than the $50.3 billion, essentially validating the supply-side model that has been demonstrated time and again by the economic growth spurred by tax cuts.

In other words, RangelÂ’s bill is bad for Americans and bad for America. It must be defeated.

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Some folks are going to scream about this being an over this case, and argue that this was an overreaction. IÂ’ll have to disagree. It looks like the cops behaved reasonably here.

Officers received the 911 call from the teen's mother around 7 p.m. Monday, police spokesman Paul Browne said. The 911 operator could hear the teen yelling in the background, claiming he had a gun, Browne said.

When officers arrived at the Brooklyn apartment building, they could see the 18-year-old, Khiel Coppin, pacing inside the first-floor apartment. His mother was outside.

The teen's mother had attempted to have him hospitalized earlier in the day, Browne said. He said the teen had a history of mental illness.

The teen began screaming from a window at his mother and officers before climbing out of the window and heading toward the officers holding a black object in his hand, police said.

The officers ordered him to stop, Browne said. When the teen refused and kept approaching them, they opened fire, he said.

Police said it was not immediately known how many of the 20 bullets struck Coppin, who was pronounced dead at a hospital.

So what have you got?

A young man carrying on, claiming to have a gun and making threats.

Cops trying to safeguard the public, ordering him to drop his weapon and quit advancing on them.

When he refused, they engaged in the reasonable defensive action of firing their guns.

Only later is the object identified as not being harmful.

But for those of you wanting to hang the cops out to dry, let me ask – how many officers needed to be shot (or stabbed) before firing on this threatening individual? How many widows and orphans needed to be made before you would accept that their actions were reasonable? It is really easy to say they were wrong now, in the clear light of day, after it has been discovered that there was no gun. Unfortunately, those officers didn’t have that luxury – all they had was their knowledge of the situation and their training, which it appears they followed appropriately.

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A request for polite behavior has prompted VenezuelaÂ’s dictator to compare himself to the Son of God.

Likening himself to Jesus Christ, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez says that if he stops talking -- as suggested at the weekend by an irate Spanish monarch -- "the stones of Latin America will cry out."

Chavez was speaking on his return from an Ibero-American summit in Chile, which took a sour turn when the outspoken Venezuelan leader repeatedly called conservative former Spanish prime minister Jose Maria Aznar a "fascist," prompting Spain's King Juan Carlos to tell Chavez to "shut up."

"When the king explodes because of the statements of an Indian, it is the explosion of 500 years of imperial arrogance, 500 years of royalism, of outrages, 500 years of feelings of superiority," Chavez said, in reference to Spain's colonial legacy in Latin America.

"If I stopped talking, the stones of Latin America would cry out, because the people are willing to be free of any kind of colonialism after 500 years," he added.

In case the allusion to Jesus was missed, the office of the presidency issued a statement giving the biblical reference (Luke 19:38-40).

This thug seems to view himself as Christ-like. IÂ’ll half agree. After all, he is on my personal list of candidates for the anti-Christ.

Posted by: Greg at 12:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Maybe she can get them into the same ritzy rehab that she and her Hollywood pals spend time in.

Paris Hilton is being praised by conservationists for highlighting the problem of binge-drinking elephants in northeastern India.

Activists said a celebrity endorsement such as Hilton's was sure to raise awareness of the plight of the pachyderms that get drunk on farmers' homemade rice beer and then go on a rampage.

"The elephants get drunk all the time. It is becoming really dangerous. We need to stop making alcohol available to them," the 26- year-old socialite said in a report posted on World Entertainment News Network's Web site. Her comments were picked up by other Web sites and newspapers around the globe.

Last month, six wild elephants that broke into a farm in the state of Meghalaya were electrocuted after drinking the potent brew and then uprooting an electricity pole.

"There would have been more casualties if the villagers hadn't chased them away. And four elephants died in a similar way three years ago. It is just so sad," Hilton was quoted as saying in Tokyo last week. She was in Tokyo to judge a beauty contest.

Gee, if only she could, like help some, you know, people. Instead she appears to want AA for elephants.

Posted by: Greg at 12:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Knock yourself out, folks. WeÂ’ve seen how (little) youÂ’re colleagues have been missed in the entertainment end of the business.

CBS News writers could be joining their enter tainment colleagues on the picket lines.

The writers, members of the Writers Guild of America, East, are expected to vote unanimously Thursday to authorize a strike on both the national and local levels.

They've been working without a contract since April 2005.

There are writers for the news shows. Gee – I thought that it was all done by reporters. Maybe they will have to start doing the actual job of reporting themselves.

But we do have to ask -- is Katie Couric really just a talking head, and an empty one at that?

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Why on earth is Howard Dean commenting on this issue this way?

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean came out for inclusive team prayers in public schools while speaking Sunday to a gathering of thousands of Jewish leaders, according to a leading Jewish news agency.

In another statement likely to stir debate among the evangelical Christians his party is urgently trying to court, Dean also asserted “there are no bars to heaven for anybody,” according to the report by JTA, a 90-year-old non-profit organization which calls itself “the global news service of the Jewish people.”

So, is Howard Dean attempting to impose a theological litmus test on Americans? And if he is, will he seek to impose it on his party first, where anti-Semitism among Democrat activists like those on Daily Kos and Democratic Underground has repeatedly flaired over teh last few years.

Unfortunately, portions of Dean's remarks were so blatantly partisan that his claims to oppose "theocracy" (read that "Christians publicly expressing their faith") amounts to intolerant bigotry on his part.

"This country is not a theocracy," Dean said, according to JTA. "There are fundamental differences between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. The Democratic Party believes that everybody in this room ought to be comfortable being an American Jew, not just an American; that there are no bars to heaven for anybody; that we are not a one-religion nation; and that no child or member of a football team ought to be able to cringe at the last line of a prayer before going onto the field."

Now let's look at this.

1) This country is not a theocracy. I don't know of a single Republican who argues that it is. I do know many Republicans who support full participation by all Americans, including religious believers, in the public policy process -- which includes the right of religious believers to see their policy preferences enacted on the same basis as everybody else's.

2) There are fundamental differences between the Republican Party and the Democratic Party. Yes, Howard, there are. The GOP is inclusive, and the Democrats are exclusive, of people of all faiths and ethnic groups. The GOP believes in the advancement of the individual, while the Democrats believe int eh advancement of the group. The GOP believes that America is fundamentally good, and the Democrats don't.

3) The Democratic Party believes that everybody in this room ought to be comfortable being an American Jew, not just an American; Gee, so does the GOP, Howard.

4) that there are no bars to heaven for anybody; Sounds rather theocratic and exclusive to me, Howard -- the declaration of an official party theology. Does that mean that anyone who deviates from your theology is not welcome in the Democrat Party? And I'm curious -- does that "open heaven" include Islamist suicide bombers and the guys who crashed four planes on 9/11?

5) that we are not a one-religion nation; Funny, i don't know of anyone in the GOP who thinks that this country ought to be a one religion nation -- at least not by force or government edict. On the other hand, I do know plenty of folks -- members of many different religions -- who believe that it would be great for God to act in the hearts of every American (and every person on earth) and bring them to follow the tenets of one particular faith.

6) and that no child or member of a football team ought to be able to cringe at the last line of a prayer before going onto the field. I'm going to assume that Dean misspoke here, and that he isn't imposing a rule that forbids cringing during prayer. Rather, I assume what he is wanting to do is impose a rule that forbids Christians from praying publicly in a Christian fashion -- and that he is stating this in his capacity as the head of the supposedly inclusive Democrat Party. Funny, isn't it, that his version of "inclusion" involves restricting the religious practices and language of the majority? And funny, isn't it, that Howard Dean fails to recognize the right of every American to NOT participate in prayer -- Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Hindu, Buddhist, etc. -- that is offensive to them.

Once again, folks, Howard Dean and the Democrats practice he "politics of inclusion" by demonizing and excluding Christians who hold to the historical Christian faith and who don't follow the latest liberal theological (and political) trends. Too bad that in claiming to oppose "theocracy" Howard Dean seeks to impose a theological orthodoxy on America.

Posted by: Greg at 12:37 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Fortunately his choice of tools didn't make him an award winner -- the guy who used a shotgun to loosen a lug nut is going to survive.

A man trying to loosen a stubborn lug nut blasted the wheel with a 12-gauge shotgun, injuring himself badly in both legs, sheriff's deputies said.

The 66-year-old man had been repairing a Lincoln Continental for two weeks at his home northwest of Southworth, about 10 miles southwest of Seattle, and had gotten all but one of the lug nuts off the right rear wheel by Saturday afternoon, Kitsap County Deputy Scott Wilson said.

"He's bound and determined to get that lug nut off," Wilson said.

From about arm's length, the man fired the shotgun at the wheel and was "peppered" in both legs with buckshot and debris, with some injuries as high as his chin, according to a sheriff's office report.

"Nobody else was there and he wasn't intoxicated," Wilson said.

I don't know about you, but that last line concerns me deeply. After all, I could understand the decision if he was drunk. Doing it stone cold sober is a whole lot harder to justify.

Posted by: Greg at 11:17 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Now I’m something of a contrarian in the field of education today. I firmly believe that we send too many kids on to college, and that we really need to be encouraging some students to consider a trade which suits their aptitude and interests and which will equip them for success in their lives. I’m not talking digging ditches – I mean skilled trades like plumbing, where there is good money to be made.

Well, over the last 3 years, Avand.co.uk has been helping folks find just such vocational training in the field of plumbing. They act as a clearinghouse for plumbing courses. Now they have branched out into the field of sales. They are preparing to connect interested people with sales training programs, which can teach folks how to succeed in a field in which there is good money to be made if you are willing to do what it takes to learn the skill. After all, there is nothing wrong with doing honest work, whether in blue collar manual trade like plumbing or a white collar one like sales. The key is to love what you do and do it well. So for Sales Training UK, visit Avand.co.uk!

Posted by: Greg at 11:15 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know, given Cruise's frequent box office failures.

Tom Cruise’s new film “Lions for Lambs” didn’t even crack the top three at the box office, and “Tom is not happy,” says a source close to the actor. “Lions,” Cruise’s first release since “Mission Impossible: III,” is also the first film to come from Cruise and Paula Wagner’s United Artists studio.

“Tom wanted to really hit a home run with his first United Artists movie,” says another source. “It was more about how the industry was going to view him than the moviegoing public that Tom was worried about.”

Oh, I see. it isn't how the little people who buy tickets to the movies view him. Rather, it is how the insiders in the motion picture industry view him that matters.

Could that be why he stars in movies that are critical and commercial failures as often as he stars in hits?

And could that attitude explain why Hollywood really doesn't attract viewers like it used to? After all, when the consumer doesn't matter to the producers, the result is lower sales.

Posted by: Greg at 11:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know, I'm a native Californian, and I wouldn't mind going back there one day. One of the really great places to live is in La Jolla. There has been a great deal of development in the area over the last 10-20 years, and so there are lots of great luxury homes, condominiums and apartments available for interested buyers. After all, there are lots of great La Jolla Homes for Sale. And having lived there as a kid and having made many trips back over the years to visit family members still in the area, I can tell you that the entire San Diego area is a wonderful one in which to live, given the wide variety of activities available for all interests, and the booming economy.

Now who do you want to do business with if you are in the market La Jolla Real Estate? Well, Prudential Realty has the Mills Team working out in that part of California, and from looking at their website they seem to be doing a booming business. And what's more, they give you access to listings in the area 24 hours a day -- and will even update you when as there are developments with the sorts of properties you are interested in. So whether you are interested in La Jolla Condos for Sale or other sorts of properties in the area, check out RuthMillsTeam.com!

Posted by: Greg at 11:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Seems to me that the Pakistani leader is out to delegitimize himself even further. He has again ordered the most popular opposition leader placed under house arrest to prevent her from leading public demonstrations in opposition to his suspension of the Constitution.

Hundreds of riot policemen today blocked the opposition leader Benazir Bhutto and her supporters from making a planned long march from this eastern city 160 miles through Punjab Province to the capital, Islamabad.

Police officers surrounded the house where Ms. Bhutto was staying here and arrested party workers who tried to cross police lines to reach her. Riot policemen using barbed wire and dump trucks loaded with sand blocked off the neighborhood.

“We will definitely try to come out,” said Farzana Raja, a party spokesman, referring to street protests. “She will definitely try to come out.”

Minutes later, the police arrested Ms. Raja and several dozen other party workers. With the police deployed across the city, it appeared that Ms. BhuttoÂ’s supporters would again be blocked from demonstrating.

The question is, will Bhutto and others again seek to take to the streets? Will they be stopped? And how much force is Musharraf prepared to use in the process? Given the recent example in Burma, I don't see how he believes that he can avoid international condemnation and ostracism if he continues down this path.

Has the time come for the US to send a plane to take him out of the country into a well-deserved exile? Or should Pervez Musharraf be left behind, to suffer the fate of Mussolini?

Posted by: Greg at 11:05 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Is there nothing that Leonardo could not do?

It's a new Da Vinci code, but this time it could be for real. An Italian musician and computer technician claims to have uncovered musical notes encoded in Leonardo Da Vinci's "Last Supper," raising the possibility that the Renaissance genius might have left behind a somber composition to accompany the scene depicted in the 15th-century wall painting.
"It sounds like a requiem," Giovanni Maria Pala said. "It's like a soundtrack that emphasizes the passion of Jesus."

Painted from 1494 to 1498 in Milan's Church of Santa Maria delle Grazie, the "Last Supper" vividly depicts a key moment in the Gospel narrative: Jesus' last meal with the 12 Apostles before his arrest and crucifixion, and the shock of Christ's followers as they learn that one of them is about to betray him.

The case made is interesting – and the illustration does show what could be interpreted as the notation for Gregorian Chant. This could certainly make for an interesting topic for scholarly debate for years.

Posted by: Greg at 12:17 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Benedict XVI will be visiting New York City – with a stop at Ground Zero – this spring. He will also visit Washington, DC.

Pope Benedict XVI will make his first visit to the United States as pontiff in April. He plans to visit ground zero, address the United Nations and celebrate two public Masses during the six days of his visit, The Associated Press reported this morning, citing a Vatican official.

The popeÂ’s visit would be only the fourth in New York CityÂ’s history. Pope Paul VI visited in October 1965, during the first papal visit to the United States. Pope John Paul II visited New York in October 1979 and October 1995.

I canÂ’t help but regret that the Holy Father will not be visiting other parts of the US as well.

Posted by: Greg at 12:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Imagine the uproar if the Archdiocese of St. Louis were to host a Seder featuring ham sandwiches and pork rinds and an introductory reading fromMein Kampf. There would be, rightly, outrage and accusations of anti-Semitism. Jewish organizations would certainly choose to break ties with the Catholic organizations, and it would rightly be seen as a setback in the relationship between the two religious groups.

So where is the condemnation of the synagogue hosting this grave insult to Catholicism?

To the Roman Catholic Church, the ceremony was not an ordination. In fact, it wasn't even Roman Catholic. But to two women and the approximately 600 people who came to cheer them on, history was made Sunday in St. Louis as the two became the first women ever in the city to be ordained as Catholic priests.

And the first ever, perhaps in the world, to be ordained in a synagogue.

Rose Marie Hudson, 67, of Festus, and Elsie Hainz McGrath, 69, of St. Louis, were ordained as priests by an organization called Roman Catholic Womenpriests, which defines itself "as an international initiative within the Roman Catholic Church."

Not only is the Archdiocese of St. Louis upset about the women participating in an ordination ceremony, but the church and others in the interfaith community were upset that the Central Reform Congregation, in the Central West End, hosted the event.

"The event of today is really very sad because the name Roman Catholic has been misused and misapplied," said Dr. Lawrence J. Welch, a Kenrick-Glennon Seminary theology professor. "There's been no ordination of Roman Catholic priests. In fact, there has been a profaning of something Roman Catholics believe is very sacred."

To members of the diverse crowd — the dozen ministers in robes and stoles of different colors, those wearing yarmulke, and some wearing buttons saying "God loves us, just ask her" — the ceremony showed unity and understanding.

"What a day, what an occasion, what a case, what a rabbi," said Patricia Fresen, the ordaining bishop with Roman Catholic Womenpriests, referring to the synagogue's rabbi, Susan Talve. The room boomed with applause.

Shame on Rabbi Talve and her congregation for hosting this event. Shame on those who assisted in this profaning of a Catholic sacrament. And shame on Fresen, Hudson, and McGrath for not having the honesty and the courage to proclaim themselves what they truly are – Protestants who have broken with Rome and placed themselves outside of the Catholic Church.

Posted by: Greg at 12:14 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know, for those of you who were taught that Joe McCarthy made such things up, and that there were not penetrations of sensitive programs and agencies by ideologues working for Moscow.

He had all-American cover: born in Iowa, college in Manhattan, Army buddies with whom he played baseball.

George Koval also had a secret. During World War II, he was a top Soviet spy, code named Delmar and trained by StalinÂ’s ruthless bureau of military intelligence.

Atomic spies are old stuff. But historians say Dr. Koval, who died in his 90s last year in Moscow and whose name is just coming to light publicly, was probably one of the most important spies of the 20th century.

On Nov. 2, the Kremlin startled Western scholars by announcing that President Vladimir V. Putin had posthumously given the highest Russian award to a Soviet agent who penetrated the Manhattan Project to build the atom bomb.

The announcement hailed Dr. Koval as “the only Soviet intelligence officer” to infiltrate the project’s secret plants, saying his work “helped speed up considerably the time it took for the Soviet Union to develop an atomic bomb of its own.”

Of course, we've known for years that stuff like this went on, but a loud chorus of denial cried out from the Left. Even now, when mounds of evidence has shown there were communists in the Departments of State and Defense and that the Rosenbergs and Alger Hiss were guilty as sin, those who espouse such positions are called Red-baiters. Will one more candid admission by the heirs of the Kremlin do anything to lay to rest the canard that there was no Red Menace? I'd like to hope that it would, but I fear that ideology will continue to trump truth on this matter.

Posted by: Greg at 11:33 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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I’ll be honest – I am comfortable enough with my body and appearance that I don’t think I would ever seriously consider Plastic Surgery. Maybe it is a guy thing, or maybe it is just that I am comfortable in my skin and don’t feel a need to meet some other standard of beauty beyond that. Not, of course, that I am judging others who look at the matter differently. After all, plastic surgery and other cosmetic procedures are an intimate and personal choice.

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Posted by: Greg at 11:31 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Senator Obama thinks he doesn't pay enough taxes.

"I think the best way to approach this is to adjust the cap on the payroll tax so that people like myself are paying a little bit more and people who are in need are protected," the Illinois senator said.

Well, Senator, put your money where your mouth is. Cut the check for what you think you should be paying right now.

Gifts to the United States
U.S. Department of the Treasury
Credit Accounting Branch
3700 East-West Highway, Room 6D17
Hyattsville, MD 20782

This way you can not only pay that "little bit more" that you believe you should be paying, but you can show us exactly what that "little bit more" will be. After all, if you are under-taxed now, you ought to do the moral and ethical thing and pay those taxes TODAY, even if it is not legally required.

The same goes for every other under-taxed liberal -- prove your point by paying up now.

Posted by: Greg at 11:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Electronics are a part of everyday life in a way that they weren't when I was a kid -- that was a topic we talked about at length in one of my classes today as we studied the Scientific Revolution.

But as electronic consumer items have become ubiquitous, the need for more information on them is critical -- whether that information is in the form of research about, shopping for, or repairing electronic products. That is where Retrevo.com comes in handy.

Retrevo picks the best consumer electronic products and reviews. They also help hook you up with repair facilities to fix proken products. So whether we are talking about digital cameras, camcorders, cell phones, GPS units, or laptops, Retrevo.com has scoped out the market for you so that you can make an informed pick much quicker than if you started from scratch. So before you buy this holiday season, check out Retrevo.com to know that you are giving the best.

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