Bravo to Shin Bet for refusing to provide anti-Semitic terrorist apologist Jimmy Carter with any security assistance during his trip to provide succor to Hamas.

Israel's secret service has declined to assist U.S. agents guarding former U.S. President Jimmy Carter during a visit in which Israeli leaders have shunned him, U.S. sources close to the matter said on Monday.

* * *

American sources close to the matter said the Shin Bet security service, which helps protect visiting dignitaries and is overseen by Olmert's office, declined to meet the head of Carter's Secret Service security detail or provide his team with assistance as is customary during such visits.
"They're not getting support from local security," an American source said.

Indeed, I’d like to know why the United States is providing this useless idiot with Secret Service protection as he walks into the lair of terrorists. There will be good men and women with him providing security – it would be just awful if one of them were to suffer harm protecting his worthless @SS from the very sort of terrorists he is traveling to meet.

Indeed, this raises the tangentially related question of whether or not Carter really needs Secret Service protection nearly three decades after the voters ejected the buffoon from office for incompetence. Is there not a reasonable point at which such protection should be cut off – reviewable on a case-by-case basis – following the end of a president’s term. After all, we cut the Secret Service protection of vice presidents immediately.

H/T Hot Air

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It seems to at society’s “evolving standard of decency” mandates that we kill these scumbags like the dangerous beasts they really are.

Ever since the Supreme Court reinstated the death penalty more than 30 years ago, justices have been finding ways to limit it.

In the intervening years, they have employed their interpretations of society's "evolving standards of decency" to remove juvenile and mentally retarded killers from death row.

Before that, they excluded kidnappers who did not kill and even some accomplices to murder. In 1977 the court also concluded that a state could not execute a man who raped an adult woman.

But on Wednesday the court will consider whether a person who rapes a child is different. Louisiana prosecutors will argue that the same societal mores that have persuaded justices to spare certain categories of criminals lead in the opposite direction when it comes to child rapists, demanding an expansion of capital punishment, not a retrenchment.

And herein lies the problem with the “evolving standard of decency” argument used by the Supreme Court. If it is, in fact, based upon what society holds is acceptable, then there is no fixed standard of what is or is not constitutional in the realm of the death penalty, which produces a degree of constitutional uncertainty which is unacceptable in a society that operates based upon the dictates of law rather than men. Unless, of course, the argument is that this evolution can move in only one direction, a liberal one, then the position taken by the justices is inherently flawed and illegitimate from a constitutional perspective because there is no language in the Constitution to support such a position. Indeed, I’d argue that most of the death penalty jurisprudence of the last three decades suffers from such flaws, all of which come back to the underlying problem that the justices have been substituting personal opinion and non-constitutional sources for the Constitution itself.

As for the question of the constitutionality of executing child rapists, an originalist reading of the Constitution certainly allows for it. Indeed, it would also allow for the execution of those under 18, based upon the practices in place at the time the Bill of Rights was adopted. One can question the wisdom of the law in question – but striking a law down as unwise is not the province of the Supreme Court under our system of government.

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Just a quick note on The Wrong Reverend Jeremiah Wright and his oft-quoted eulogy for a Chicago judge over the weekend. Look at how the Racist Reverend characterized the faith of Judge R. Eugene Pincham.

Reflecting on the late Pincham, Wright said his faith “was not the jingoistic, chauvinistic ‘you’re either with us or against us’ demonizing kind of faith.” Wright said Pincham was friends with “Jews, Muslims, rabbis, imams, fathers in the Catholic church and [Louis] Farrakhan in the Islamic faith.”

Well letÂ’s consider how that faith was lived out. I seem to recall this little incident from the past.

[Pincham] won seats on the circuit and appellate courts in Chicago and was not afraid of controversy, such as the time he suggested that anyone south of Madison Street who did not support Mayor Harold Washington should be hanged.

Did you get that, folks – failure to vote for the correct candidate should be grounds for lynching. Interestingly enough, the Illinois Courts did not consider that grounds to deem him unfit to serve as a judge – but I wonder if they would have ruled the same way if he had been a white man.

You see, it is no wonder that a short time later that Pincham joined Wright’s church – after all, he came from the same violent, hate-mongering mind-set as the pastor. Seems to me that there is a pattern here – especially as we hear more and more racist comments come out of the mouth of another member of Trinity UCC, Senator Barack Hussein Obama.

Birds of a feather flock together.

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I'm always glad when the New York Times covers the Supreme Court, even when it does so with a liberal bias. And I am pleased that they have noted this interesting study of confirmation hearings, but am somewhat taken aback by the interpretation of the testimony and behavior of certain justices.

The study — with the unwieldy title “An Empirical Analysis of the Confirmation Hearings of the Justices of the Rehnquist Natural Court” —published in Constitutional Commentary, looked at how nine long-serving justices answered Senate questions, and how they then voted on the court. While it does not say that any nominee was intentionally misleading, it still found a wide gap.

Justices Antonin Scalia and Clarence Thomas, for example, told the Senate that they had strong respect for Supreme Court precedents. On the court they were the justices most likely to vote to overturn those precedents. Justice David Souter deferred more to precedent than his Senate testimony suggested he would.

Here's the problem with the analysis - justices take an oath to uphold the Constitution of the United States, not the precedents of the Supreme Court. Their obligation when they find a precedent which they believe was wrongly decided is to make a decision that conforms with the Constitution, not the seemingly erroneous precedent. After all, it is the Constitution that is the highest law of the land, not the decisions of the Supreme Court.

Of course, the Warren Court also made short shrift of many earlier precedents. I don't see any objections to their work. But then again, that was a liberal court full of liberal justices, so I doubt that we will ever hear much criticism (explicit or implicit) out of the NY Times editorial board.

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This is an interesting preview of the papal visit, which will mark the second time a pope has visited the White House. Two of the firsts are rather interesting.

The leader of the world's 1 billion Roman Catholics has been to the White House only once in history. That changes this week, and President Bush is pulling out all the stops: driving out to a suburban military base to meet Pope Benedict XVI's plane, bringing a giant audience to the South Lawn and hosting a fancy East Room dinner.

These are all firsts.

Bush has never before given a visiting leader the honor of picking him up at the airport. In fact, no president has done so at Andrews Air Force Base, the typical landing spot for modern leaders.

A crowd of up to 12,000 is due at the White House on Wednesday morning for the pope's official, pomp-filled arrival ceremony. It will feature the U.S. and Holy See anthems, a 21-gun salute, and the U.S. Army Old Guard Fife and Drum Corps. Both men will make remarks before their Oval Office meeting and a send-off for his popemobile down Pennsylvania Avenue.

The White House crowd will be the largest of Bush's presidency. It even beats the audience last spring for Queen Elizabeth II, which numbered about 7,000.

Interesting so far, but what about the third? Well, this one is sort of weird.

The evening festivities will mark the first time the Bushes have put on a high-profile meal in honor of someone who isn't even a guest. Wednesday is the pontiff's 81st birthday, and the menu celebrates his German heritage with Bavarian-style food.

But Benedict's prayer service that evening with U.S. bishops at a famed Washington basilica preclude him from coming to the dinner, according to the White House. Catholic leaders will be there instead.

Am I the only one struck by the absurdity of having a big gathering to honor a man who will be across town at another event? Why schedule what ought to be a state dinner when the other head of state can't be there? Whose goofy idea was that?

Posted by: Greg at 10:23 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Rebecca Traister of Salon.com writes an interesting piece on how the anti-Hillary rhetoric of (male) Obama supporters is beginning to turn off fmale Obama supporters.

OK, it is an interesting hypothesis, one that I'd love to see backed by more than anecdotal data.

But the scary thing is Traister's revelation about herself -- and what it tells us about the institutional mindset at Salon.

I began reporting this story in part because, as a 32-year-old woman who is more liberal than either candidate, and who was quite torn until Super Tuesday, I had found myself increasingly defensive of Clinton in the face of the Obama worship that rules the mostly white, liberal, well-educated circles in which I work and travel.

MORE LIBERAL than Obama, who is rated as one of the most liberal members of the US Senate by liberal groups? More liberal than Hillary, who is not far behind him in those ratings? That certainly explains the absurd biases we see at Salon.com!

And interestingly enough, we discover just how lacking in diversity Salon.com and the circles liberal opinion leaders travel in really are, with the description of her co-workers and friends as "mostly white, liberal, well-educated" -- and clearly out of touch with large segments of the American people.

Many of us involved in the conservative movement count among our colleagues, friends, and loved ones a great many individuals who hold different political views from us, are of different ethnicities, with different educational levels. Yet somehow we are teh ones tagged as enemies of diversity. maybe we need to look much more closely at the liberal opinion leaders instead, and call them on their lack fo commitment to diversity in their day-to-day lives.

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Every now and then, I look over at the old computer sitting across the room, and wistfully wonder if there is any way to recover data from the hard drive that crashed. IÂ’ll be honest, most of what was on it was not that precious, but I wish I had thought to back up some old pictures of my late grandmother, her obituary, and the text file with the eulogy my father delivered. IÂ’ve managed to recover most of it, but some of those pictures are gone for good. I recently ran across a site that might help me out, because it has all sorts of article on Hard Drives and Operating Systems that might allow me to find a way to access those files on that dead drive. IÂ’ll let you know if I have any success with the techniques suggested.

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As the imam preaches a typical sermon of love, peace and tolerance to the followers of the Religion of Peace.

Following are excerpts from an address by Hamas MP and cleric Yunis Al-Astal, which aired on Al-Aqsa TV on April 11, 2008.

Yunis Al-Astal: Allah has chosen you for Himself and for His religion, so that you will serve as the engine pulling this nation to the phase of succession, security, and consolidation of power, and even to conquests thorough da'wa and military conquests of the capitals of the entire world. Very soon, Allah willing, Rome will be conquered, just like Constantinople was, as was prophesized by our Prophet Muhammad. Today, Rome is the capital of the Catholics, or the Crusader capital, which has declared its hostility to Islam, and has planted the brothers of apes and pigs in Palestine in order to prevent the reawakening of Islam – this capital of theirs will be an advanced post for the Islamic conquests, which will spread through Europe in its entirety, and then will turn to the two Americas, and even Eastern Europe.

I believe that our children or our grandchildren will inherit our Jihad and our sacrifices, and Allah willing, the commanders of the conquest will come from among them. Today, we instill these good tidings in their souls, and by means of the mosques and the Koran books, and the history of our Prophets, his companions, and the great leaders, we prepare them for the mission of saving humanity from the hellfire on the brink of which they stand.

And let me remind you about the conquest of Constantinople. The many people sold into slavery -- men, women, and children. The churches, including the beautiful Hagia Sophia, desecrated and turned into mosques. The second-class citizenship imposed upon non-Muslims. All in the name of the same Religion of Peace preached by this latter-day jihadi.

When will we in the West declare that the threats and violence in the name of Islam must stop? When will we declare that further attacks upon the civilized world in the name of Islam will result in massive retaliation in response? In other words, when will we finally open our eyes and recognize that we are fighting a war unlike any we have fought in modern times, against an enemy that will not respond to our normal overtures for peace? If we do not win, we in the civilized world will die or (in the words of Star Trek's Borg) be assimilated. The survival of civilization as we know it depends upon our victory.

H/T Jawa Report, Israel Matzav

UPDATE -- 4/142008, 6;25 CDT: Looks like maybe this effort is beginning.

ISN Security Watch reports: "Bosnia and Herzegovina's Federation Anti-Terror Unit on 20 March arrested five men: Rijad Rustempasic, Muhamed Meco, Abdulah Handzic and Edis Velic, all in their early thirties and from Sarajevo, along with Muhamed Ficer, from the central Bosnian city of Bugojno, who was released from custody after questioning.

"The four arrested in Sarajevo were members of the local Wahhabi movement -- the Saudi-based and financed order following a strict interpretation of Islam. Some of the suspects were already well known to the police for their radical activities. The group had been under surveillance for several months by the Federation Anti-Terror Unit and the State Prosecutor's Office.

"Federation Anti-Terror Unit and the State Prosecutor's Office have strong evidence that Rustempasic's group was planning attacks on Catholic Churches and international forces within the country during the Easter holidays." (LINK 1)

The ISN report includes several details that are hugely important:

the suspects were very well armed, having "anti-tank mines, laser sights, electronic equipment, topographic maps and bomb-making manuals".

Gotta love the the boys from the Religion of Blow Your Enemies to Pieces.

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Well, communist dictatorships have always been quite shameless in their words and deeds. But this one is over the top even for the butchers in Beijing.

Chinese media denounced the Dalai Lama and his supporters as "anti-human rights," and slammed top U.S. politician Nancy Pelosi as "the least popular person in China" for her stance on Tibet, in editorials on Sunday.

The belligerent commentaries by the official Xinhua news agency came the day after Beijing announced the arrest of nine Buddhist monks for bombing a government building in Tibet.

A Tibetan source with strong contacts in its capital, Lhasa, said the city was also swirling with rumours of fresh clashes between monks and security forces at the important Drepung monastery. No one at the monastery or the local police station could be reached for comment.

China has gone on the offensive in the face of mounting international criticism of its handling of violent riots in Tibet and a subsequent crackdown, which is clouding the run-up to the Olympic Games in August.

Of course, the Chinese have air-tight evidence of all these crimes -- because like every dictatorial state, they are experts at forging evidence. Indeed, the recent sentencing of a human rights lawyer to jail for effectively representing his clients is evidence of that.

Interestingly enough, the Red Chinese tyrants have also attacked Nancy Pelosi for one of the few things she has done right as Speaker of the House.

Xinhua also targeted Pelosi, the Speaker of the U.S. House of Representatives, after she backed a resolution urging dialogue with the Dalai Lama, the end of a crackdown on nonviolent protesters and a halt to repression in the region.

The People's Daily accused the California Democrat of cynical double standards and said she would likely top any Chinese poll to find "the most disgusting figure."

"Pelosi would remain the least popular person for China if she stiff-neckedly clings to her double standards and an anti-China stance," the commentary said.

"The Chinese are fully justified to call her 'a protector of mobsters, arsonists and murderers'. Why doesn't she give a thought to Iraq?" it added, an apparent reference to U.S. policy in Iraq, of which Pelosi has in fact been a strong critic.

I'll agree that Pelosi is a protector of mobsters, arsonists, and murderers -- look at her opposition to the Iraq War and her willingness to let the terrorists win. That said, her support for human rights in Tibet is a laudable stand in which I gladly join.

But at least the red Chinese have Ron Paul on their side on this issue -- I'm sure his supporters can whip up some cool YouTube videos justifying the repression in Tibet since their hero won't condemn it.

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Because Marylanders have cried out "Not In My Back Yard!"

Gov. Martin O'Malley (D) announced yesterday morning that he will bar commercial wind turbines from state-owned land, satisfying Western Maryland opponents of the turbines but disappointing supporters of the wind energy industry.

Speaking at a scenic overlook in the Savage River State Forest in Garrett County, O'Malley said the state remains committed to exploring renewable energy sources but said the wind energy industry should look to other land for large-scale wind farms.

"While we must continue to explore and make progress on creating a more sustainable and independent energy future for Maryland, we will not do so at the expense of the special land we hold in the public trust," he said.

The decision primarily affects one project, a proposal by Pennsylvania-based U.S. Wind Force to build 100 wind turbines, each 400 feet tall, in two state forests in Garrett County. The company had asked to lease state land for the project.

Clean, renewable energy is what liberals cry for -- until it might inconvenience them by cluttering their view. Energy independence is a burden for someone else to bear, they argue, because it will require building roads to get to the best available sites. In one case, Ted Kennedy and his fellow fat-cats got a project side-tracked for years because they might be able to see the towers from their vacation homes -- as a smudge on the horizon five miles away.

Just wait -- next they'll be looking to ban the projects on private lands on the argument that the turbines make noise, kill birds, or are unsightly. Those have been the tactics of the anti-wind NIMBYs elsewhere.

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There is something beautiful about this story -- and the story of every service member who is seeking American citizenship. After all, they recognize the special nature of America in a way that we who were born here likely never will.

Evan Eskharia fled Iraq in 1990 when he was 9 years old, crossing into Turkey on foot one night with his parents and siblings.

On Saturday morning, Eskharia, now a U.S. Marine, strode into a palace built for the man his family had fled and recited the oath of citizenship.

He was among 159 service members who obtained U.S. citizenship during the largest overseas naturalization ceremony in history.

"When they called my name, I looked down and said: 'It happened! It's done!' " Eskharia said, standing under a grand chandelier that lights up the main hall of the Al Faw Palace, built as a retreat for Saddam Hussein. "It's ironic that I fled this country from a dictator and came back to get my citizenship here."

The numbers and the stories are staggering -- and heart-warming.

Since 2004, when Bush signed into law the new regulations that streamlined the citizenship process for service members, more than 5,000 soldiers have become U.S. citizens. Roughly 20,000 active service members are eligible to apply, according to immigration officials.

Since Sept. 11, 2001, more than 140 foreign-born U.S. soldiers have died while on active duty. Some have been naturalized posthumously.

The new rules allowed Army Spec. Sheikh Qaisar, 34, of Houston to become a citizen less than two years after he moved to the United States.

"I joined the Army the same month," said Qaisar, who was born in Pakistan and has been stationed in the city of Mosul since November. "I wanted to learn about the U.S. culture and system."

U.S. Army Spec. Myakol Mayom, 35, of Sioux Falls, S.D., who fled southern Sudan in 2001, said U.S. support for the people of his region, which was embroiled in a years-long civil war, allowed him to escape.

"When I came to the United States, I never felt like a refugee," said Mayom, holding a folded U.S. flag. "The U.S. saved my life. If I die tomorrow, I would die smiling because I did the right thing."

From time to time I have been accused of being anti-immigrant. I'm not, and attempt to clearly make the distinction between those who come to America legally and those who do not. And growing up in a military family, it was my privilege to know men (and a few women) who served this country while seeking citizenship -- and heard from my father that they were often the finest soldiers and sailors in terms of character and devotion to duty.

And so I honor these men and women who serve our country and who through that service seek citizenship. They are always welcome here as the exemplary Americans they are.

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I remember the "paper services" that were always posting stuff around campus when I was in college. Now that field has gotten a lot more sophisticated. Today you can browse through online sites containing tens of thousands of essays, and you can get a custom essay written for you, in your own writing style, in a matter of hours. As a teacher, I find this disturbing, because the whole purpose in of an essay assignment is for the student to learn about his/her topic and the writing process itself. Then there are the consequences that come with turning in one of these papers as your own – a college friend did exactly that and found himself expelled before the end of the week. Cheating has consequences -- and it is even easier for teachers to track down cheating today than it was in past years.

But I have no problem in principle with a company like FratFiles.com offering students access to papers and essays on common (or not so common) subjects. They do provide a good jumping-off point for research, and may even direct students to resources (online and print) that they might not have otherwise found. And they do offer some very good free essays for your examination. I am, on the other hand, less than pleased by their custom-writing service – after all, even if the essays are plagiarism-free, doesn't submitting them as one's own work constitute an act of plagiarism? I know how I would handle such a situation in my classroom – and how I have in the past.

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Now they whine about returning prisoners to their home country for trial.

When will the apologists for terror admit that they just want the terrorists given a cookie, a green card and an AK-47 so they can go out and kill more Americans?

Afghan detainees held at the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo Bay, Cuba, are being transferred home to face closed-door trials in which they are often denied access to defense attorneys and the U.S. evidence being used against them, according to Afghan officials, lawyers and international rights groups.

Since October 2006, the United States has transferred approximately 50 detainees out of Guantanamo to the custody of the Afghan government, part of a policy aimed at reducing the prison population and ultimately closing the facility. Once home, many of the Afghans have been left in a legal limbo not unlike the one they confronted while in U.S. custody.

"These people have been thrown into a deeply flawed process that convicts people on inadequate evidence and breaks numerous procedural rules of Afghan law and human rights standards," said Jonathan Horowitz, an investigator at One World Research, a public interest investigation firm that works with attorneys and advocacy groups on human rights cases and has monitored some of the detainees' trials.

We could, of course, have kept these murderous bastards at Gitmo, where they got fat on American cooking and received medical care unavailable in Afghanistan. However, that was not good enough -- even though the US could have held them until the end of the War on Terror under the terms of the geneva convention simply by declaring them to be POWs, which would have meant they were entitle to no trial at all. And since the War on Terror is going to take a generation to fight, that would have constituted a life sentence.

Instead we heard demands for repatriation from the "blame America first" crowd -- but now that the prisoners have been repatriated, the complaint is that Afghanistan's legal system doesn't afford them the same rights that America's legal system would have -- even though the Geneva Conventions would not have allowed them (and would have probably banned) any access to the US legal system at all!

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One of the things about contemporary marketing is that many businesses have established an internet presence. Take, for example, the online florist. Whether we are talking the “big names” in the floral industry or smaller companies, it is just amazing the beautiful flowers you can find at a great price for quick delivery – and you can get just about anything. During my mother-in-law’s final few months, we were able to find and order a silk floral arrangement for her, because real flowers would have caused her breathing problems. She loved them, and the served as a reminder of our love in those final weeks before she entered the hospital for the last time. Yes, flowers are special.

E-florist Incorporated offers all is one of the fine companies providing floral services on the web, and they offer beautiful, reasonably priced flowers for all occasions. They offer you two options -- you can call in and place your order over the phone or you can make your purchase online. They work with local florists, so they can guarantee the delivery will be made on the day you specify! Their site is user friendly, and offers a variety of ways for you to search for just the right item, including searches by price, flower, or event. Be sure to check them out the next time you need flowers.

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My darling wife, a Democrat, and I were both seized with the same thought when we heard the latest bit of inanity to come out of the mouth of Barack Obama (and his attempts to justify and explain his words) -- much of what he has to say describes himself more than your average small town American.

You go into some of these small towns in Pennsylvania, and like a lot of small towns in the Midwest, the jobs have been gone now for 25 years and nothingÂ’s replaced them. . . . And itÂ’s not surprising then they get bitter, they cling to guns or religion or antipathy to people who arenÂ’t like them or anti-immigrant sentiment or anti-trade sentiment as a way to explain their frustrations.

Why do I say that he is describing himself (I won't speak for my wife here)? Let's look at what he said.

Clinging to religion? You mean like refusing to dissociate yourself from a string of ministers -- including your own pastor -- when it is disclosed that they frequently make racist, sexist, anti-Semitic, and anti-American comments from the pulpit and in their speeches and writings?

Antipathy to people who aren't like them? You mean like the comments preached from the pulpit of your very own church while you lacked the testicular fortitude to denounce them or go elsewhere?

Anti-trade? Like opposing NAFTA or the free trade agreement with Columbia?

Anti-immigrant? Like opposing Asian business owners who open stores in black neighborhoods?

Indeed, the only thing that doesn't describe Barack Obama, his wife, and his closest associates is the comment about clinging to guns -- but then again, they really don't give a damn that this has been an American characteristic since the founding of our country, and that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual liberty enshrined in the Bill of Rights itself. So except for fidelity to the Constitution itself and exercising the rights guaranteed by that august document, the candidate and those closest to him display every one of the pathologies he diagnosed "small town" Americans as suffering from.

Oh, and by the way -- since it seems implicit in the context of this comment that he is referring to small town WHITE Americans, this would make it simply another example of the bigotry that Obama has publicly espoused in the weeks since his infamous "race speech"

This leads me to ask an important question.

Will the Democrats return to their roots in 2008, nominating yet another racist for President, this time one named Barack Hussein Obama

H/T The Caucus Blog, Michelle Malkin, Hot Air (multiple times), Stop the ACLU

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Incredible, isn't it, that the local Democrat bloggers have remained so silent about this story. Could it be that they are trying to cover up the evil and corruption in their midst? After all, the saga started on April 2, with this article in the Houston Chronicle.

City building inspectors on Wednesday issued several safety citations against an East End apartment complex owned by state Rep. Hubert Vo.

The citations to the Courtyard Apartments on Villa de Matel allege eight structural and electrical problems, including rotting wood, missing balcony railings, loose boards and broken windows, city officials said.

"There were the kinds of things you'd see in a building that has not been well-maintained," said Susan McMillian, a senior staff analyst in the city's Public Works and Engineering Department. "It needed more intense maintenance than what had been done."

Homeowners in the nearby County Club neighborhood have complained about the property for years, calling it a visual blight and a magnet for crime.

"It's really a deplorable situation, and the sad thing is that people are actually living there," said Charles Mayfield, a member of the area's Super Neighborhood Council. "It's really disheartening to see, and surprising, to say the least, that anybody — no matter who they are — would let the property get into such a condition."

Vo, a Democrat running for re-election to his southwest Houston seat in the Texas House, has owned the four-building, $2.8 million property under one of his companies, Newlink Investments, Inc., since 2002.

His campaign issued a statement late Wednesday:

"At the property in question, work was started a month ago to correct items the city has concerns about," the statement read.

"The city understands I will make all the necessary repairs because I want my properties to be a safe place for my tenants and an asset to the neighborhood."

Interesting, isn't it, how one four-building complex could get so bad, especially with an "upstanding citizen" like Vo -- a Democrat lawmaker and all that -- as teh owner. After all, he would certainly be quite concerned about the welfare of the "little people" who live in his property, wouldn't he? After all, he's part of the so-called party of the little guy, standing against all of us mean-spirited Republicans. Certainly he couldn't be a slumlord.

But then the story went a little bit further earlier this week, when it came out that it isn't just one complex -- it would appear to be many of the apartment complexes owned by the Houston Democrat.

Residents in local apartments owned by state Rep. Hubert Vo live in conditions that appear to violate numerous health and building standards, a Houston Chronicle review of the properties has found.

In recent days, the Houston Chronicle documented exposed electrical wires, rotting wood, broken and boarded-up windows and other potential violations of the city's "minimum standards" for occupied buildings.

After seeing the Chronicle's photographs, inspectors from two city departments pledged investigations into properties owned by Vo, D-Houston, saying the conditions could lead to misdemeanor criminal citations.

"There was nothing in those pictures that wasn't a violation," said Jodi Silva, a spokeswoman for the Houston Police Department's neighborhood protection division. "You have to keep your property to certain minimum standards, and that's what these are falling under."

The Chronicle's inquiry began last week after city inspectors, acting on complaints, cited Vo for conditions at an apartment complex he owns in the East End. There, inspectors found open electrical boxes, loose wiring and inadequate balcony railings — all misdemeanor violations.

Vo's other properties, in varying degrees, showed similar problems, though one complex was outside the city limits and not subject to post-construction inspections.

Among other potential city violations at three complexes were overflowing Dumpsters, damaged parking lots and an algae-filled swimming pool — all conditions that could prompt criminal fines.

Vo, who has owned the properties for years, took blame for the problems Wednesday, saying he had not done enough to ensure the complexes were maintained. He said he would improve the conditions, pledging personal inspections of individual units, cooperation with city officials and outreach to residents to encourage them to report concerns.

"It's not my intention to have those apartments like that," said Vo, a 51-year-old Vietnamese immigrant who founded a computing business and became a millionaire before seeking public office. "I don't want to blame anybody. I take full responsibility."

Now please note that quote that I highlighted. "It's not my intention to have those apartments like that." He did, of course, have them like that and profit off them like that for years -- including his entire tenure in the Texas House of Representatives. But he's getting them fixed up, don't you know - so that makes it all better, right. But somehow it doesn't explain how most of his properties unintentionally became slum properties that are unsafe and unfit for human habitation. Any explanation for that, Hubert? Nah -- I didn't think so.

And the city took even more action against Vo the next day.

City inspectors on Thursday ordered structural and electrical repairs at an apartment complex owned by state Rep. Hubert Vo, the latest action against his properties in recent days.

The city issued a notice giving Vo a month to make the changes, except for a few electrical issues that must be fixed immediately, said Tony Balay, a code enforcement chief inspector.

Vo, who had one of his East End complexes cited last week for similar issues, hired contractors to address the problems, many of which were documented Wednesday in the Houston Chronicle.

Misdemeanor citations could result if the work is not completed, but Balay said Vo appeared serious about the work.

"I'm convinced Mr. Vo is trying to get this done," he said. "To me, he's working in good faith."

Vo, who is seeking re-election to a third term this fall, could not be reached for comment on Thursday, but his campaign issued a written statement.

"I have talked to the city officials, and we are working to correct all the issues they pointed out," the statement said.

Vo, D-Houston, has owned the property, the Northpoint Apartments on Lyerly, since 1996. Residents interviewed by the Chronicle said poor conditions have been a chronic problem.

"Working to correct all the issues." That is great -- though the properties should never have gotten into that condition in the first place. And city officials are even being very careful to indicate that Vo has been cooperative with these efforts. That's good -- after all, one would hope that a lawmaker would make a good-faith effort to stop being a lawbreaker, especially when his violations of the law jeopardize the lives and safety of his tenants. Never mind the possibility that management of one of Vo's complexes appear to have engaged in retaliation against one of those who complained about the problems -- another violation of the law, I might add.

So what we have is Hubert Vo, a Democrat elected official, unaware for years that his properties were a shambles and that he was making profits while endangering his tenants -- but he's going to make everything right. After all, now that he knows about the problem he is on the case.

Not so fast. Read this letter from Vo -- written weeks ago, on his official legislative letterhead, seeking to intimidate the Houston Police Department for harassing the management of one of his complexes over non-structural violations of city ordinances!

A month before complaints about problems at his apartments were disclosed publicly, state Rep. Hubert Vo used his government letterhead to complain to Houston police commanders about the department's scrutiny and accuse officers of harassment.

"What I am concerned with is the appearance that the NPC officers are using their authority to harass and issue tickets instead of working with the apartment managers to remedy any deficiencies," he wrote in the Feb. 25 letter to Assistant Chief Dorothy Edwards, who heads the Houston Police Department's Neighborhood Protection Corps.

"The word 'harass' is a very strong word and I use it very cautiously, but the conduct of the officers involved in this situation leads me to no other conclusion."

The three-page letter, which goes on to complain that the manager at the Villa De Matel apartments was not treated fairly and "taunted," was obtained from HPD by the Houston Chronicle late Friday under the Texas Public Information Act.

Vo's campaign manager, Karen Loper, said he was not available for comment.

A spokeswoman for the corps, which issues citations for blight such as illegal trash dumping, graffiti and nuisances on private property, but not structural problems handled by city code inspectors, denied any mistreatment.

Interesting, isn't it, that "Mr. Responsibility" is unavailable for comment when he has been caught trying to avoid responsibility for the conditions of his apartment complexes? Especially when he is engaged in what is clearly unethical behavior in using his official position to cover his personal ass in this manner.

So what do we have here? A Democrat slumlord seeking reelection using his office to get preferential treatment form those charged with enforcing the laws that protect his tenants. And interestingly enough, the local Democrats are all notoriously silent about this situation. Could it be that they are more interested in holding on to the legislative seat in question than the protection of the residents of Hubert Vo's personal ghettos?

Oh, and there are a couple of questions I'd like the Houston Chronicle to report on:

1) What percentage of the resident's of these properties are receiving federal housing aid (Section 8) to pay for their apartments, and how much money has Hubert Vo been paid over the years from these programs?

2) Given the amount of government assistance given to our permanent guests from New Orleans , how much money has Hubert Vo received for housing victims of Hurricane Katrina in his slum properties?

After all, if Hubert Vo is willing to rip-off and endanger his tenants by renting them apartments in such deficient properties, doesn't it also stand to reason that he would have no scruples against ripping off the taxpayers while doing so?

UPDATE: I just found one Democrat blogger who dares to speak out on this issue -- and even he notes his own silence and that of his fellow Democrats.

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT Stop the ACLU, Outside the Beltway, Rosemary's Thoughts, WayWard Fundamentalist Christian, Right Truth, DragonLady's World, Shadowscope, Leaning Straight Up, InvestorBlogger, A Newt One-punking the global warming cult, Adeline and Hazel, Pursuing Holiness, Chuck's Place, D equals S, Woman Honor Thyself, A Newt One- Coverage of Vets on the hill!, Pirate's Cove, Celebrity Smack, The Pink Flamingo, A Newt One- Don't miss this show!, A Newt One, Dumb Ox Daily News, Rant it Up, Stageleft, Right Voices, A Blog For All, 123beta, Adam's Blog, Maggie's Notebook, The Christian Nationalist, Cao's Blog, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Nuke Gingrich, Allie is Wired, McCain Blogs, The World According to Carl, Blue Star Chronicles, Oblogatory Anecdotes - Photoshop Montage/Open Trackbacks, Beagle Scout, Tilting At Windmill Farms, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

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Why on earth would anyone give the original "story" any credence whatsoever?

he Virgin Mary on a grilled cheese and the Illinois-shaped corn flake appear to have new competition for webbies' fascination: Dick Cheney's mysterious sunglasses.

An undated photo of the vice president on the White House Web site has caused a stir on the Internet, causing some people to wonder if he's in eyeshot of an unclad female.

The White House says it's just someone holding an innocuous fishing rod (the veep -- allegedly -- is fly fishing in Idaho).

Image analysis of the photo shows that the image is, in fact -- a hand holding a fishing rod.

Just one more example of deranged Cheney-haters wanting to find something -- anything -- nefarious in the deeds of the VP.

I'm curious, though -- given the Left's defense of Bill Clinton and his lies regarding Monica Lewinski, why would Cheney looking at a nude woman even be a matter for public concern?

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Are you interested in getting started in the medical field? Have you considered getting CNA training? As my wife and mother-in-law have spent time in the hospital over the last few years, IÂ’ve seen how important these folks are to patient care. Not only that, CNA courses at a CNA school are a great way to learn the basics of the medical field before trying to advance to another position, be it as a nurse, radiological technician, or other specialized field.

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Having bad credit can put real obstacles in your way when it comes to buying a house, a car, or even getting a job. But those who have made bad financial decisions which ruined their credit can get another chance. There are financial institutions that bad credit loansand credit cards. Badcreditoffers.com which can help you find such institutions if you need them.

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The winning entries in the Watcher's Council vote for this week are "If You Give A Mouse A Cookie"... Accommodating Islam by Joshuapundit, and Creating a European Indigenous People's Movement by The Brussels Journal.  Here is a link to the full results of the vote and the full tallies of all votes cast:

Overall, I'd have to say we had some really good choices here. I would like to call your attention to my nominee for non-council post, Complaint Against Fero A Wake Up Call For Blogger Rights And Protections from Capitol Annex -- a liberal blog here in Texas. It serves as a wakeup call to bloggers about how tenuous our status as citizen-journalists really is.

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MotherÂ’s Day is right around the corner. And IÂ’ll be honest, IÂ’ve always struggled with how to mark that day. After all, my own mother is far from me, and isnÂ’t always the easiest person to buy for. And since my wife and I have no children except for a four-footed, fur-covered one, the day is a difficult one. And given my late mother-in-lawÂ’s breathing problems, we went for gift baskets of food.

But MotherÂ’s Day this year will be different. We lost my mother-in-law a few weeks ago, and so this year will be an especially hard one. IÂ’m feeling like I need to do something special this year. So for my own mother, I will probably send a live plant. For my wife, roses from me and the dog to show her how much we both appreciate all the mothering she does for the two of us. Perhaps this sense of loss makes it more important in my eyes to do the right thing.

One small comfort at this time is that my wife and I got to spend a weekend with her mom shortly before she died. We both got to tell her what a special lady she was. At 1800Flowers.com, they are holding "The Celebrate Mom For Who She Is" contest where you can enter to win $30,000 by writing a short story and uploading a video about your mom – a chance to say just how special she is. Take the opportunity to do that. You won’t regret it.

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My wife has needed a variety of tests that involved the use of specialized equipment by sonography technician. trust me, a good sonography tech is worth his or her weight in gold -- we've dealt with some with who clearly needed additional training, and one with a lousy interpersonal style, as well as some who are fantastic. If you would like to get into this rewarding field, check out this listing of sonography schools for more information.

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I've always been struck by the credulous nature of the left-wing extremists who embraced David Brock following his conversion to their side of the political divide.

After all, how can you trust a man whose main credential to bolster his credibility s his own admission that he is a political/journalistic whore who is willing to lie for the highest bidder?

And now left-winger George Soros, a Jewish collaborator with the Nazis during WWII and convicted financial swindler, is putting Brock in charge of his high-dollar smear campaign against John McCain -- an American hero and the Republican nominee for President.

Wealthy Democrats are preparing a four-month, $40 million media campaign centered on attacks on Sen. John McCain. And it will be led by David Brock, the former investigative reporter who first gained fame in the 1990s as a right-wing, anti-Clinton journalist.

The planned campaign is the product of a shakeup in the top ranks of the struggling independent Democratic groups. Brock, now best known as the ex-conservative founder of the liberal group Media Matters, last month quietly assumed the chairmanship of what's expected to be the main vehicle for independent Democratic attacks on McCain, now called Progressive Media USA.

The move comes after the groups that had been expected to spearhead attacks on McCain — the Fund for America and Progressive Media USA's previous incarnation, the Campaign to Defend America — failed to raise the money needed to dent McCain's armor.

"We're a little behind where we need to be," he said.

But after a dinner Tuesday night at the Manhattan apartment of liberal megadonor George Soros, at which Brock and consultant Paul Begala laid out the group's plans, Brock said his group now has commitments worth $7.5 million — almost twice what the Fund for America is expected to report raising in the first quarter of this year. He said the group would begin running ads before it meets its $40 million goal.

So let's see -- we have the uniting of two of the greatest scumbags of the Left in an effort to destroy a man of high moral character who has served the country well for over half a century. A confessed liar and a larcenous kapo teaming up to destroy a war hero. That the Left will stand by and support this effort after attacking those who served honorably with John Kerry for daring to speak out against him shows how unfit the Democrats are for any elective office in this country.

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Yes, I know.

It is still early.

It is only a snapshot of now.

And the only poll that counts happens in November.

But for McCain to close the gap on the singularly unqualified junior senator from Illinois is a good sign that the GOP may retain the White house this year.

Republican Sen. John McCain has erased Sen. Barack Obama's 10-point advantage in a head-to-head matchup, leaving him essentially tied with both Democratic candidates in an Associated Press-Ipsos national poll released Thursday.

The survey showed the extended Democratic primary campaign creating divisions among supporters of Obama and rival Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton and suggests a tight race for the presidency in November no matter which Democrat becomes the nominee.

And with plenty of time for the Democrats to continue bloodying each other -- and an increasing number of embarrassing revelations about Obama, his associates, and his absurd stances on the issues -- this trend is likely to continue.

The Dems may find, once they wake up with a hangover, that they have entered into the political equivalent of a drunken Vegas wedding in selecting the Obama over Hillary Clinton.

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I guess he really doesn’t give a rat’s ass about human rights after all – you know, like a true believer in freedom and liberty would.

The U.S. House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution Wednesday calling on China to end its crackdown on Tibet and release Tibetans imprisoned for "nonviolent" demonstrations.

The vote was 413-1. Rep. Ron Paul, R-Texas, who recently dropped out of the presidential race, was the lone congressman voting against it.

I guess that the disgrace from CD14 is of the belief that Jefferson got it wrong, and that the people of Tibet were not endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable rights. After all, upon what basis – constitutionally or morally – could one oppose a resolution calling upon the Communist slave masters of Red China to respect the human rights of the people of occupied Tibet?

H/T Hot Air

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With the weather here in Houston making that change to spring, it is already time for young ladies to make their appearance on the beach or by the pool wearing exquisite swimwear. Hey, it gets warm early down here, and stays warm late. And it isn’t like I’m dead – as long as I don’t gawk or drool, I think that enjoying the scenery is a healthy thing.

Now maybe it is the fact that I was a swimmer as a kid, and therefore surrounded by girls in Speedo suits, but I have always been and remain partial to one piece swimsuits. They leave a little something to the imagination in most cases, whereas many two piece suits are simply too revealing. I’m not a prude (or anything like one), but there is a certain virtue in modesty – and I’ve also found that quite often less (skin) is more (beauty). As I once told a friend – I found the nude beach I visited in Europe to be much less interesting than the beach where everyone wore swimsuits, because the naked flesh at the former made people-watching and conversation rather awkward.

But in the end, whether we are talking bikinis, tankinis, or some other swimsuit design, I look forward to the arrival of swimsuit weather and the joys that it brings with it.

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Much less that any network would actually consider hiring her for an hour-long news show.

After two years of record-low ratings, both CBS News executives and people close to Katie Couric say that the "CBS Evening News" anchor is likely to leave the network well before her contract expires in 2011 -- possibly soon after the presidential inauguration early next year.

* * *

One possible new job for Ms. Couric: succeeding Larry King at CNN. Mr. King, who is 74 years old, has a contract with the network into 2009. CNN President Jon Klein, a CBS veteran with close ties to some at the network, has expressed admiration for Ms. Couric's work, and the two are friends. They had lunch in late January, and the anchor attended Mr. Klein's birthday party in March. Time Warner Inc.'s CNN said, "Larry King is a great talent who consistently delivers the highest profile guests, and we have no plans to make a change." Through a publicist, Mr. King declined to comment.

Personally, I think it is simply a matter of Couric trying to find another husband – isn’t it about time for old Larry to trade his current wife in on a newer model? Granted, the old gray mare ain’t what she used to be (if she ever was), but then again, neither is Larry without pharmaceutical intervention.

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Seriously. Do you save any of your earnings for the future? After all, making that deposit into a bank or sometimes investment like a bond is a great idea, because it earns you interest. Imagine that – money earning money just because you park it in the right place. But the important thing is that you save.

Once you save that extra money, you can begin to meet your future goals and dreams. Or maybe you have a rainy day fund for when something goes wrong. But regardless, you can now open and manage a savings account online? Savings Account s maintained online gives you make it easy for you to get your business done – and you don’t even have to get dressed, wait in line, or do any of the other things that you do when you go to a brick-and-mortar bank. But what is best is to be able to access your cash at any time.

WaMu is one of the entrants into the online banking industry. Their new accounts offer the following features.

• Free Online Banking

• Free Electronic statements

• No service charge if you maintain a balance of at least $300 daily in your account.

• No monthly service charge for Online Savings accounts with a WaMu Free Checking account online or if you link a new Online Savings to an existing active WaMu checking account, for the life of the checking account.

There are so many more great features to these accounts. Why donÂ’t you visit http://www.wamu.com/personal/savings_account/online_savings_account/default.asp to learn more about this offer from WaMu.

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And to prove his enmity to Jews, Richard Falk has called for an investigation of “neoconservatives” (translation – “the JOOOOoooossss!) for their responsibility for 9/11.

A new U.N. Human Rights Council official assigned to monitor Israel is calling for an official commission to study the role neoconservatives may have played in the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks.
On March 26, Richard Falk, Milbank professor of international law emeritus at Princeton University, was named by unanimous vote to a newly created position to report on human rights in the conflict between Israel and the Palestinian Arabs. While Mr. Falk's specialty is human rights and international law, since the attacks in 2001, he has devoted some of his time to challenging what he calls the "9-11 official version."

On March 24 in an interview with a radio host and former University of Wisconsin instructor, Kevin Barrett, Mr. Falk said, "It is possibly true that especially the neoconservatives thought there was a situation in the country and in the world where something had to happen to wake up the American people. Whether they are innocent about the contention that they made that something happen or not, I don't think we can answer definitively at this point. All we can say is there is a lot of grounds for suspicion, there should be an official investigation of the sort the 9/11 commission did not engage in and that the failure to do these things is cheating the American people and in some sense the people of the world of a greater confidence in what really happened than they presently possess."

Oh.

My.

God!

Can you believe this crap!

The evidence is incontrovertible – as is the claim of responsibility by no less than Osama bin Laden himself.

That this piece of Ivy League excrement insists upon blaming America first – and, in particular, blaming American Jews for the murder of so many thousands of Americans – is un-freakin’-beliveable. That a UN body would appoint him to anything related to Israel – or any position at all – is proof of the moral bankruptcy of the UN and the importance of the United States and all civilized countries abandoning the organization as beyond redemption.

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Flowers can have so many effects upon the human heart. They can engulf one with passion. They can inspire serenity. They can provide comfort in a time of grief and loss. The custom of giving flowers and the messages they communicate are a fascinating thing to study – but more importantly, they are a the presentation of a thing of beauty from one person to another.

As IÂ’ve noted, there are many times and reasons to send flowers. The myriad occasions include an anniversary, a birthday, a wish for good health, a gesture of sympathy, a show of esteem, or some other special reason. At these times, sending flowers to another is a special form of expression recognized by people around the world. But then again, why wait for some special occasion to send flowers? Why not do so right now, for your own reason?

And if you are looking for beautiful flowers, consider the collection of martha stewart flowers from 1800Flowers.com . After all, they provide the freshest available flowers at a reasonable price – and with great customer service.

Or maybe you would like to consider one of the martha stewart plants or gift baskets for your special (or out-of-the-blue) occasion. If you take a few minutes to look around the site, you will be amazed. You might decide that you want to send the Blooming Bulb Garden in Handled Basket, or perhaps one of the other great gifts. Who wouldnÂ’t be thrilled with such beauty, and the promise of more to be revealed? To learn more, visit the site at http://www.1800flowers.com/marthastewart.

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Robbie at Urban Grounds tagged me for this meme.

The Rules: 1. Write your own six word memoir. 2. Post it on your blog and include a visual illustration if you want. 3. Link to the person that tagged you in your post and to the original post if possible so we can track it as it travels across the blogosphere. 4. Tag at least five more blogs with links. 5. Leave a comment on the tagged blogs with an invitation to playÂ…

How about a quick paraphrase of Chaucer from The Canterbury Tales?

“Gladly would he learn and teach”

(Original quote: "And gladly would he learn and gladly teach.")

It was a great motto for my alma mater, and fits my outlook on life quite well.

IÂ’ll tag the following folks:

Hube at Colossus of Rhodey
Soccer Dad
Freedom Fighter at JoshuaPundit
Laer at CheatSeekingMissles
Darren at Right on the Left Coast

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Let's be honest here -- training employees can be hard work, and monitoring the effectiveness of a training program can be even harder. That is one of the great things about the new training management software from ConductIt.com -- Conductor. The best thing about this software is that it allows you to seemlessly track what training every employee has had, what training they need to have. That is especially true where licensure questions arise -- after all, failure of an employee to have the proper training at the proper time could result in it being a violation of the law for that employee to continue to do their job! Conductor includes modules for employee tracking, curriculum development, curriculum design, training scheduling, training tracking, training registration and reporting all in one affordable easy-to-use software package. Why wouldn't you want this sort of software for your business?

Posted by: Greg at 09:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I could have told you that.

Most of the college students who got the mumps in a big outbreak in 2006 had received the recommended two vaccine shots, according to a study that raises questions about whether a new vaccine or another booster shot is needed. The outbreak was the biggest in the U.S. since shortly before states began requiring a second shot for youngsters in 1990.

Nearly 6,600 people became sick with the mumps, mostly in eight Midwest states, and the hardest-hit group was college students ages 18 to 24. Of those in that group who knew whether they had been vaccinated, 84 percent had had two mumps shots, according to the study by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and state health departments.

That "two-dose vaccine failure" startled public health experts, who hadn't expected immunity to wane so soon — if at all.

Part of the problem was a new strain of the vaccine that these young people hadn't been vaccinated against.

But beyond that is the fact that the vaccine does not confer lifetime immunity.

And i speak from experience.

You see, i was one of the test subjects for the vaccine back in the 1960s. My family lived in Maryland at the time, and my brother and I were a part of one of the trials of the new vaccine.in late 1965 or early 1966. Several years later, around 1972 or 1973, I got mumps. Since we were now in northern Virginia, my parents took me back to the Naval Hospital at Bethesda -- and in the middle of the night I had a dozen doctors in lab coats standing around me, poking, prodding, and drawing blood. They were members of the original research team from NIH (also located in Bethesda), and having me on site let them check out how much immunity the vaccine conferred and whether it reduced the severity or durration of the disease. It didn't.

i don't know what changes were made over the years, but to hear that the immunity was not entirely effective sure doesn't surprise me.

Posted by: Greg at 10:44 PM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Bilal Hussein actively coordinated his work for AP with the terrorists whose attacks on Americans he photographed. he was duly and properly arrested for his misdeeds. But a new Iraqi law granting amnesty to those charged with terrorism related offenses applies to him as well as to other terrorists, and so charges were dropped by an Iraqi court yesterday.

An Iraqi judicial committee has dismissed terrorism-related allegations against Associated Press photographer Bilal Hussein and ordered him released nearly two years after he was detained by the U.S. military.

Hussein, 36, remained in custody Wednesday at Camp Cropper, a U.S. detention facility near Baghdad's airport.

A decision by a four-judge panel said Hussein's case falls under a new amnesty law. It ordered Iraqi courts to "cease legal proceedings" and ruled that Hussein should be "immediately" released unless other accusations are pending.

The ruling is dated Monday but AP's lawyers were not able to thoroughly review it until Wednesday. It was unclear, however, whether Hussein would still face further obstacles to release.

U.S. military authorities have said a U.N. Security Council mandate allows them to retain custody of a detainee they believe is a security risk even if an Iraqi judicial body has ordered that prisoner freed. The U.N. mandate is due to expire at the end of this year.

Also, the amnesty committee's ruling on Hussein may not cover a separate allegation that has been raised in connection with the case.

Now notice -- this does not clear Hussein of the charges against him. Instead, it simply notes that the law places the offenses out of reach of the courts as a part of the healing and reconciliation process. And that law was one of the "benchmarks" to show "progress" by the iraqi government -- so the Left ought to be crowing about that progress.

But that isn't what the lying supporters of Bilal Hussein are claiming.

AP Photographer Bilal Hussein has been in American detention since April 2006. As the second anniversary of his captivity approaches, Bilal has achieved a major breakthrough. Yesterday in Baghdad, an Iraqi Judicial Commission reviewing his case took ten days to reach a conclusion: No basis existed for the terrorism-related charges which had been brought against him. The conclusion was a sweeping repudiation of accusations U.S. military figures have brought against him, backed by no evidence, but by a handful of strangely motivated American wingnut bloggers.

Oddly enough, this claim by terrorist apologist Scott Horton is not only at odds with reality, but also with AP's own news story above. You would think that if the commission had ACTUALLY determined that there was no basis for the charges, Hussein's employers might have mentioned it in their own story. The fact that it is missing proves the mendacious nature of Scott Horton, and anyone who makes a similar claim.

H/T Malkin, Hot Air

Posted by: Greg at 10:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The leftists will no doubt remain dissatisfied.

President Bush plans to announce today that he will cut Army combat tours in Iraq from 15 months to 12 months, returning rotations to where they were before last year's troop buildup in an effort to alleviate the tremendous stress on the military, administration officials said.

The move is in response to intense pressure from service commanders who have expressed anxiety about the toll of long deployments on their soldiers and, more broadly, about the U.S. military's ability to confront unanticipated threats. Bush will announce the decision during a national speech, in which aides said he will also embrace Army Gen. David H. Petraeus's plan to indefinitely suspend a drawdown of forces.

Interestingly enough, this is being done even as the phased withdrawal of troops is underway -- and also under criticism from the anti-war crew because it is being conducted in a way consistent with preserving the security gains of the last year. They still are interested in a pell-mell cut-and-run strategy that would have every American out by next Thursday -- even though their false messiah Barack Obama is committed to leaving 60,000 troops in Iraq indefinitely, much like John McCain is (and much like we did in Germany, Japan, and Korea, those ongoing quagmires in progress for the last five or six decades).

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Why would any person with a lick of sense support the implementation of this program?

After all, it is designed to cost the taxpayer more money, slow down construction projects, and likely result in shoddier work.

Mayor Daley's plan to bolster minority participation by changing the way the city awards construction contracts got the go-ahead from a City Council committee Tuesday despite concerns it could increase costs and slow the building process.

Ald. Ginger Rugai (19th) told Chief Procurement Officer Montel Gayles she has waited "an inordinate amount of time" -- seven years and counting -- to get a new fire station in her Far Southwest Side ward.

"Hopefully, the contract changes you're recommending don't delay projects" any further, Rugai said during a Budget Committee hearing.

Ald. Bernard Stone (50th) said the decision to break up contracts into "bite-sized chunks" that minority businesses can more easily swallow could "make it more costly" and "harder for management to monitor."

* * *

Instead of hiring an architect to design a project, then awarding the construction contract to the lowest bidder, City Hall would do it all in one fell swoop. A request for proposals would be issued and price would not be the only factor. Selection would be based on qualifications and levels of participation by minorities and women.

Don’t you love that part that says “price would not be the only factor”? That is Chigagoese for “The city will pay the contractors more so the right pols will get their kickbacks.” And rather than getting the best for the least, what we’ll see Chicago get is a rainbow coalition of contractors – and the taxpayer get the shaft.

Reminds me of the court ruling 25 years ago in the Chicago area in which a judge actually held that holding minority contractors to the same performance standards was a violation of the Constitution because such businesses cannot perform at the same level of quality as those owned by white men. Fortunately, a higher court struck that one down – and hopefully another will declare this blatant racial and gender-based favoritism to be unconstitutional – and a violation of the fiduciary duty of elected officials to taxpayers.

Posted by: Greg at 10:11 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And so tolerant!

A primary school in Amsterdam wished to provide its pupils with an understanding for other cultures. But during a visit to a mosque, the children were told they were dogs.

With a view to developing understanding and respect for other cultures among children, primary school De Horizon regularly organises outings to various religious organisations. The chairman of the El Mouchidine mosque told the children from group 7 (aged 10) and their chaperones however that non-Muslims are dogs.

In a letter to the children's parents, the school expresses its regret at the incident: "We are shocked that during the guided tour, the mosque's chairman told the children and chaperoning parents that non believers were dogs. We consider this statement as unacceptable since we allow our children to partake in this project to develop respect for freedom of religious choice".

I have regularly stated that most Muslims are wonderful, decent people.

I have also stated that some, on the other hand, are nothing more than Islamist swine.

I think it is pretty clear which sort are in charge at the El Mouchidine mosque in Amsterdam.

Posted by: Greg at 10:10 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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IÂ’d encourage he Pope to make sure that he has plenty of bodyguards when he has that interreligious dialogue with Muslims at the Vatican.

Otherwise he might have a problem with an incident like this one.

KARACHI: Dozens of Muslim workers at a factory in Karachi beat to death a Hindu colleague on Tuesday for alleged blasphemy, officials said.

Jagdish Kumar, 25, was tortured and killed at the garments factory after a debate on religion became heated, police and hospital officials said.

“About 1,500 workers at the factory in the Korangi industrial area beat to death the Hindu worker over [allegations of] blasphemy,” police superintendent Farrukh Bashir said.

And of course, we all know that the appropriate response to someone challenging your religious beliefs is to torture and kill them.

So be careful, anyone who tries to have a debate or discussion with Muslims – you could really lose your head if they lose theirs!

Posted by: Greg at 10:09 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Senator John D. Rockefeller IV really betrayed the contempt with which he views our men and women in uniform. I don't think this apology really cuts it.

Senator John D. Rockefeller IV personally apologized to Senator John McCain of Arizona on Tuesday after remarking in an interview that Mr. McCainÂ’s years as a Navy fighter pilot would not have given him an understanding of everyday issues faced by Americans.

In an interview in his home state, West Virginia, on Monday, Mr. Rockefeller, a Democrat, told The Charleston Gazette that Mr. McCain, the presumptive Republican nominee, could not relate to the everyday concerns of people on issues like health care.

According to the article, Mr. Rockefeller said: “McCain was a fighter pilot, who dropped laser-guided missiles from 35,000 feet. He was long gone when they hit. What happened when they get to the ground? He doesn’t know. You have to care about the lives of people. McCain never gets into those issues.”

Could you imagine the outrage if McCain were a Democrat and a GOP senator had made such a comment? Why the relatively low-key response from the Dems and the press. After all, when John Kerry's own fellow officers -- men who served with him in the same unit at the same time -- questioned the nature of his service and his fitness for office (based in large part on his anti-American actions after returning home), it was condemned by the Democrats and their media surrogates. When will they do the same in this instance -- not simply take the approach of Barack Obama and issue a milquetoast statement saying "I disagree with Senator Rockefeller"?

Probably never -- it would require them to have some integrity, and some actual respect for our military.

H/T Hot Air

Posted by: Greg at 10:49 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Looks like the Obama campaign isn't interested in new tones and dialogue about race -- as witnessed by the bum's rush given to one of its delegates over a trivial matter.

An Illinois delegate for Democratic Sen. Barack Obama resigned after using the word "monkeys" to describe black children playing in a tree, the Obama campaign said Tuesday.

Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski, a trustee in the Chicago suburb of Carpentersville, was issued a $75 ticket for disorderly conduct after neighbors complained to police. She says the word wasn't meant racially and she will fight the ticket.

"Given the incident, Linda Ramirez-Sliwinski is stepping down as a delegate and will be replaced," said Obama spokeswoman Amy Brundage.

The incident occurred Saturday, when two children were playing in a tree next door to Ramirez-Sliwinski's house.

She said the parents were outside supervising the children, but she went over and told them to get out of the tree because she was concerned about the boys' safety and because the small magnolia tree was being damaged.

The father of one of the boys told her it was none of her business, she told the Chicago Tribune, and "I calmly said the tree is not there for them to be climbing in there like monkeys."

The mother of one boy called police.

Cmdr. Michael Kilbourne said Tuesday a ticket was issued because the ordinance bans conduct that disturbs or alarms people. One of the boys told police he was scared by her comment and a mother said she was disturbed, he said.

Now, let's make a couple of points.

1) It wasn't any of Ramirez-Sliwinski's business what was going on in the neighbor's yard -- especially with the parents there.

2) One the parent -- who presumably owns the tree -- said they didn't have a problem with the kids playing there, Ramirez-Sliwinski should have backed off.

3) If Ramirez-Sliwinski was concerned about the safety of the children, she should have called the police and let them sort it out.

That said, the reaction of the parents -- and the cops -- was absurd.

Disorderly conduct? For saying "monkey" in a context where it clearly didn't have a racial context? Just because a racial grievance-monger didn't like it? You have got to be kidding!

And after all the talk of a "new tone" and "discussion" on race, the Obama campaign didn't waste any time in caving in to those who follow the old paradigm -- that a shout of "racism" by a black person is a scarlet letter that cannot be removed, and that common sense cannot be allowed to enter into the analysis of the events leading to the claim or the motives of those making it.

Nice speech, Senator -- too bad your own campaign won't even try to live up to it.

Posted by: Greg at 10:34 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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