While I have great compassion for the mentally ill, this lady is just plain nuts!

A woman with a bizarre fetish for inanimate objects has revealed she has been married to the Berlin Wall for 29 years.

Eija-Riitta Berliner-Mauer, 54, whose surname means Berlin Wall in German, wed the concrete structure in 1979 after being diagnosed with a condition called Objectum-Sexuality.

Mrs Berliner-Mauer, whose fetish is said to have its roots in childhood, claimed she fell in love with the structure when she first saw it on television when she was seven.

She began collecting "his" pictures and saving up for visits. On her sixth trip in 1979 they tied the knot before a handful of guests.

What – she found folks as nutty as her to attend the wedding? I’m speechless.

But this may be the money quote for the entire article.

While she remains a virgin with humans, she insists she has a full, loving relationship with the wall.

Mrs Berliner-Mauer, who lives in Liden, northern Sweden, said: "I find long, slim things with horizontal lines very sexy.

"The Great Wall of China's attractive, but he’s too thick – my husband is sexier."

But not to worry about Mrs. Berliner-Mauer – she seems to have found substitute companionship. The article reports that she is currently in a fulfilling relationship with a local garden fence.

Posted by: Greg at 12:12 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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For all the hysteria about global warming, there really is no proof that human beings are making a significant contribution to climate change -- or that it is anything more than a normal cyclical process that is utterly beyond human control. But that didn't stop the Bush Administration from declaring polar bears to be endangered by global warming -- despite the fact that the population of polar bears is on the rise, and may be reaching record highs. That is one reason why the lawsuit filed by Alaska Gov. Sarha Palin is a good thing.

But there is an additional reason why this designation is dangerous -- the near limitless authority that the Environmental Protection act will now give the EPA -- and unelected federal judges -- over economic activity.

The act, for one, requires the department to ensure that "all actions authorized, funded or carried out" by all federal agencies aren't likely to "result in the . . . adverse modification of habitat" of listed species.

This was odious enough when the presence of a few worthless snail darters was sufficient to derail massive public-works projects.

But because polar bears are now imperiled by global warming (officially, anyway), any carbon emissions anywhere in the country could conceivably be judged an illegal threat to their habitat.

And far-left green outfits like the Center for Biological Diversity - the group that led the charge to get the polar bear listed in the first place - are already licking their lips at the prospect.

So be aware -- restrictions upon your lifestyle and economic well-being may becoming, even if there has not been a polar bear in your neighborhood since the last ice age (and even if the glaciers never reached your neck of the woods) on the theory that YOU may do the polar bears harm via carbon emissions in Illinois, Virginia, or New Mexico. The speculative harms done to the polar bears will be deemed to outweigh the actual harms done to you and your children in their name.

Posted by: Greg at 10:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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After all, he's spilling the beans on classified US intelligence about the military capabilities of our allies -- in an effort to help our mutual enemies get a handle on their strength.

Israel has 150 nuclear weapons in its arsenal, former President Jimmy Carter said yesterday, while arguing that the US should talk directly to Iran to persuade it to drop its nuclear ambitions.

His remark, made at the Hay-on-Wye festival which promotes current affairs books and literature, is startling because Israel has never admitted having nuclear weapons, let alone how many, although the world assumes their existence. Nor do US officials deviate in public from that Israeli line. Carter, who has immersed himself since his presidency in Israeli-Palestinian relations, was highly critical of Israeli settlers on the West Bank, and of Israel's refusal to talk to elected officials of the Islamic party Hamas, although he said that Israel's security was his prime concern.

All former presidents receive classified briefings about world affairs. It is one of the perks of having held the highest elected office in the land. But with that comes the responsibility not to disclose that information, and not to endanger our relationship with our allies by undermining their security.

Jimmy Carter has violated that obligation, in the service of his anti-Semitic agenda of supporting terrorists and rogue nations seeking to destroy America's closest ally in the Middle East.

Revoke Carter's security clearance now!

H/T Gateway Pundit

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Congratulations NASA on another job well done.

NASAÂ’s Phoenix spacecraft made a safe, flawless landing Sunday on Mars.

During the final, tense minutes of the descent, long stretches of quiet in the mission support room were punctuated by cheers and clapping as confirmation of crucial events like the deployment of the parachute were confirmed.

Then, at 7:53 p.m. Eastern time, Richard Kornfeld, the lead communications officer for entry, descent and landing, announced: “Touchdown signal detected.”

The mission controllers, wearing identical blue polo shirts made for the occasion, erupted in cheers and began hugging one another in congratulations.

“It was better than we could have possibly wished for,” said Barry Goldstein, the project manager for the mission. “We rehearsed over and over again. We rehearsed all of the problems, and none of them occurred. It was perfect, just the way we designed it.”

Two hours later, the first video transmissions came in from Mars -- indicating that the craft has arrived relatively undamaged after the voyage across the void between the two planets. And while there are additional tests to complete, it would appear that the craft is ready and able to perform all planned functions.

The articles above also explain why the mission is named the Phoenix -- the mission is making use of recycled equipment from earlier missions that were scrapped following catastrophic failures. Learning the lessons of the earlier missions, the team created a mission that "rose from the ashes" of those earlier misfortunes to bring about yesterday's success.

UPDATE: Why do we get better coverage -- and pictures -- from a foreign news source like the BBC than we do from the American media?

Posted by: Greg at 12:58 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The best description I've yet seen of why the media went bat-shit crazy over Hillary Clinton's reference to the tragic end of the 1968 California Primary.

This weekend’s uproar over Hillary Rodham Clinton invoking the assassination of Robert Kennedy as rationale for continuing her presidential campaign is an especially vivid example of modern journalism as hyperkinetic child — overstimulated by speed and hunger for a head-turning angle that will draw an audience.

The truth about what Clinton said — and any fair-minded appraisal of what she meant — was entirely beside the point.

Her comment was news by any standard. But it was only big news when wrested from context and set aflame by a news media more concerned with being interesting and provocative than with being relevant or serious. Thus, the story made the front page of The New York Times, was the lead story of The Washington Post and got prominent treatment on the evening news on ABC, CBS and NBC.

Did you catch that?

"The truth. . . was entirely beside the point."

Yeah, that's right -- as far as our "objective journalists" and their editors are concerned, the truth of what they report is not particularly relevant. Rather, what matters is is the spin they can put on it to attract viewers and readers, regardless of whether or not their reporting and commentary is fair or accurate.

As this piece later notes, Clinton said nothing outrageous.

But it was also clear that ClintonÂ’s error was not in saying something beyond the pale but in saying something that pulled from context would sound as if it were beyond the pale.

It would be a big story if Clinton said something like this: “Hey, I know it looks bad for me now. But, think about it. Obama could get shot and I’d get to be the nominee after all.”

It is a small story if Clinton said something like this: “Everyone talks like May is incredibly late, but by historical standards it is not. Think of all the famous milestones in presidential races that have taken place during June.”

And indeed, the latter is what Hillary was saying -- and at most, the recalling of the most horrific of June presidential campaign memories was an unfortunate reference, barely worth the ink (or electrons) it would take to get the story out to the public.

What we have, then, is an irresponsible and out of control media that no longer has an interest (if it ever did) of providing us with a serious look at the nation and the world. I guess that's what we bloggers are for.

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Posted by: Greg at 12:49 AM | Comments (8) | Add Comment
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It is a rather interesting question raised by this article in the Houston Chronicle.

With American motorists struggling to pay record-high gasoline prices, a debate rages in the halls of Congress and across the Oil Patch over the role speculators may be playing in driving up oil prices.

Crude prices have rocketed nearly $70 a barrel in the past year. Some energy experts suggest speculation could account for $20 to $30 of that run-up.

Desperate to help angry constituents, lawmakers have been scrambling to find solutions. They have voted to close the so-called Enron loophole by regulating electronic trading, and they've given the Federal Trade Commission more authority to guard against market manipulation.

Now some energy and trading experts are calling on lawmakers to focus on the pension funds, endowments and other institutional investors — including the University of Texas and the state's teacher retirement system — that have poured billions of dollars into the commodities futures market in the last few years. The trend has exacerbated the crude price run-up, these analysts say.

Institutional investors' interest in oil "is accelerating and emboldening the price rise," said Mark Lapolla of Sixth Man Research, an Atlanta-based financial research firm. "We just can't quantify it."

I'll be honest -- according to the article, my pension fund has $4.4 billion dollars invested in commodities -- and the limits placed on speculators under federal law don't apply to it or other institutional investors. And with Pension funds buying almost as much oil on the market as China does, that has to have an impact on prices.

Posted by: Greg at 01:27 AM | Comments (13) | Add Comment
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Perhaps sometimes -- but in this case, where it could endanger American troops, I wonder if a higher degree of sourcing might be morally necessary.

Iraq's most influential Shiite cleric has been quietly issuing religious edicts declaring that armed resistance against U.S.-led foreign troops is permissible — a potentially significant shift by a key supporter of the Washington-backed government in Baghdad.

The edicts, or fatwas, by Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani suggest he seeks to sharpen his long-held opposition to American troops and counter the populist appeal of his main rivals, firebrand Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr and his Mahdi Army militia.

But — unlike al-Sadr's anti-American broadsides — the Iranian-born al-Sistani has displayed extreme caution with anything that could imperil the Shiite-dominated government of Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki.

The two met Thursday at the elderly cleric's base in the city of Najaf south of Baghdad.

So far, al-Sistani's fatwas have been limited to a handful of people. They also were issued verbally and in private — rather than a blanket proclamation to the general Shiite population — according to three prominent Shiite officials in regular contact with al-Sistani as well as two followers who received the edicts in Najaf.

All spoke to The Associated Press on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject.

Now let's look at this. There have been no public statements from al-Sistani. We don't REALLY know what the content of these verbal statements has been. And no one is willing to talk on the record. What we have, then , is anonymous hearsay with an AP reporter telling us "Trust me -- it's all true!" I'm sorry, but that strikes me as insufficient when we are talking about a story that could put the lives of American troops in danger by spreading claims that religious authorities are authorizing armed resistance against American forces in Iraq -- and in the midst of an election year in which the war is an issue.

Posted by: Greg at 10:20 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In today's paper, the New York Times laments a Supreme Court ruling that in its opinion criminalizes speech that ought to be protected by the First Amendment. In doing so, the editors would give safe harbor to pedophiles and others who sexually prey upon children.

The Supreme Court upheld a law on Monday that sweeps too broadly in its attempt to ban child pornography, which is repellent and illegal. Those who traffic in it must be punished, but this law is drawn in a way that also criminalizes speech that should be protected by the First Amendment.

* * *

This time, the court upheld the law by a 7-to-2 vote. That creates a bizarre contradiction. Fake child pornography is protected, but marketing fake child pornography is not. As Justice David Souter noted in dissent, it makes no sense to criminalize proposing to sell items that are themselves constitutionally protected.

It may seem hard to muster much concern about the speech at issue here. But the implications go beyond child pornography. As Justice Souter reminds us, it is an important principle in the court’s political speech and sedition cases that speech cannot be banned based on bad intent, only on a “realistic, factual assessment of harm.”

If the court had struck down the offensive parts of the law, the damage to child-pornography prosecutions would be minimal. The harm of weakening the protections of free speech is far more substantial.

As I noted the when commenting on the decision, what it actually does is take the common-sense position that the attempted sale of child pornography (even if the claim by the seller is fraudulent) is within the bounds of the Constitution -- just as it would be reasonable to punish a guy working a street corner selling crack even if he was in fact lying to his buyers and selling a product made entirely of such legal products as baby powder and corn starch.

And oddly enough, despite its deference to Souter's citation of precedent in political speech cases, it is interesting to note that the new York Times is no friend to freedom of speech in that area. Its editorial pages regularly seek to regulate political discourse to an ever greater degree in the interest of rooting out what it considers to be speech with a bad motive or bad impact, despite the historical fact that the Founders intended to give political speech (not pornography that exploits children) the highest level of First Amendment protection.

So to summarize the position of the New York Times-- speech falsely promoting kiddie porn should have full protection under the Constitution, but that directed at influencing the political process ought to be reined in or gagged. It seems pretty clear where their priorities lie.

Posted by: Greg at 09:41 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I fully expect to see the first suit under this legislation laughed out of court by the judge who hears it -- and the nations sued to give the US the proverbial bird if it isn't. After all, the sovereignty of OPEC members would certainly trump the ability of an American judge to claim jurisdiction over the decisions of the oil ministers of foreign countries.

The House of Representatives overwhelmingly approved legislation on Tuesday allowing the Justice Department to sue OPEC members for limiting oil supplies and working together to set crude prices, but the White House threatened to veto the measure.

The bill would subject OPEC oil producers, including Saudi Arabia, Iran and Venezuela, to the same antitrust laws that U.S. companies must follow.

The measure passed in a 324-84 vote, a big enough margin to override a presidential veto.

The legislation also creates a Justice Department task force to aggressively investigate gasoline price gouging and energy market manipulation.

"This bill guarantees that oil prices will reflect supply and demand economic rules, instead of wildly speculative and perhaps illegal activities," said Democratic Rep. Steve Kagen of Wisconsin, who sponsored the legislation.

The lawmaker said Americans "are at the mercy" of OPEC for how much they pay for gasoline, which this week hit a record average of $3.79 a gallon.

Frankly, a judgment requiring various OPEC members to increase production is likely to have as much impact upon the policies of those nations as judgments from their courts requiring America to increase its foreign aid budget or reduce defense spending. In other words, it is worthless, even as the Pelosi Petroleum Premium goes higher by the day -- $80 a barrel since Nancy Pelosi assumed the Speaker's chair.

Similarly, the "anti-gouging" measures will be ineffective as well -- after all, we found after the 2005 gas price spike that the Democrats insisted needed investigating was based upon supply and production factors, NOT illegal activity. I expect that any such investigation now will have the same result -- unless the deck is stacked in an effort to produce a sufficient number of scalps, regardless of actual guilt.

But what is also notable is what this bill does not contain -- any measures to actually secure energy independence or boost American production. We are the world's third-largest oil producer -- and we are sitting on untapped reserves in the ANWR and off-shore near California, Florida, and Virginia. Not only were no incentives offered to drill in those areas, but they remain off-limits by federal law, even as the Pelosi Petroleum Premium increases. No end to the ethanol mandate or boutique fuel requirements, either, which means that gas prices will continue to move higher due to Congressional and regulatory mandates. Nor are there other measures designed to wean us off of foreign oil -- or to move to alternative fuel sources.

So what am I saying? This bill is a farce, and th promised relief from high gas prices is a sham. I guess the Democrats think Americans are fools if they believe that such an absurd piece of legislation will placate us.

Posted by: Greg at 09:02 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In Sunday’s Seattle Times, Bill Knudson wrote a wonderful piece about two heroes. One of these heroes was his father – whose grave he recently visited in the American Cemetery at Normandy.

But last March, I had an experience that literally took my breath away and brought uncontrollable tears to my eyes. After 64 years, four months and 14 days, I finally got to meet my birth dad, Bill Cuthbert, whose final resting place is Plot D, Row 14, Grave 42 at the American Cemetery at Normandy, just above Omaha Beach, in Colleville-sur-Mer, France.

A dear friend, Dave Iverson, , and I made a long pilgrimage through the French countryside to a spot that the word "beautiful" does not even begin to describe — the American Cemetery at Normandy. In its 172.5 acres are 9,387 headstones, including 9,238 Latin crosses, 149 Stars of David, three Medal of Honor crosses, 38 sets of brothers, the grave of Teddy Roosevelt Jr. — and a cross with my dad's name on it:

William B. Cuthbert,
Second Lieutenant,
U.S. Army Air Forces,
Service # 0-687930
713th Bomber Squadron,
448th Bomber Group,
Awards: Air Medal /
Purple Heart
Died April 20, 1944

The cemetery grounds, given to America by the French government, include a white marble reception building, several statues, a small chapel and a reflecting pool that flows into the grounds. The grass and shrubs are so well manicured, you would have thought the head groundskeeper at The Masters had cared for them. The white marble crosses that stretch across the grounds are placed so that from any angle — north, south, east or west — they form perfect lines, as if the brave fighting men who reside there will be in formation forever.

The tribute to KnudsonÂ’s father is quite moving, and I encourage you to read it. I really cannot do justice to the experience that Knudson describes.

But you may wonder – where is the second hero? Interestingly enough, he is found at the beginning of the piece. We never learn his name, but Knudson reveals his heroism early in the article.

"Bill, your dad is not your real dad; he is your stepdad. Your real dad's name is Bill Cuthbert. You are named after him; he was killed in the Second World War. He was a navigator on a B-24 bomber and his plane was shot down over France on April 20, 1944, when you were just about 6 months old. He is buried in the American Cemetery in Normandy, France. Then your stepdad and I met in late 1945 and we were married in 1946. That is also the same year that he adopted you and we made a commitment to raise you as our son together."

Suffice to say, this hit me like a ton of bricks. Initially, I was sort of mad that she would keep this from me all these years. But then, as I began to reflect on it all, I started to realize what an amazing thing my stepdad had done.

In so many different situations, men take on the task of raising another manÂ’s child. Most, as did KnudsonÂ’s stepfather, make no distinction between these children and any other children they might have. And while their heroism and sacrifice is of a different order and magnitude than that of those who give their very lives for their country, it is still a particular sort of heroism that we ought to recognize and honor.

Posted by: Greg at 11:55 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I guess that the reality is that scientists studying global warming just don’t know what they are talking about. After all, it wasn’t that long ago that they told us to expect more and bigger hurricanes due to global warming – but now they are telling us to expect fewer, with only a moderate increase in intensity.

Hurricanes and tropical storms will become less frequent by the end of the century as a result of climate change, US researchers have suggested.

But the scientists added their data also showed that there would be a "modest increase" in the intensity of these extreme weather events.

The findings are at odds with some other studies, which forecast a greater number of hurricanes in a warmer world.

The researchers' results appear in the journal Nature Geoscience.

That is precisely the problem with the high priests of global warming. They don’t know what they are talking about – any outcome to any question is proof of global warming to them.

Posted by: Greg at 11:52 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I guess when you are trying to cash in on fraudulent scientific claims, making some fraudulent claims yourself isnÂ’t that big a deal.

Cars promoted as eco-friendly were criticised yesterday for pumping out up to 56 per cent more carbon dioxide than the manufacturers claim.

Three models, including the Honda Civic hybrid, performed so badly in tests that their environmental claims were dismissed as a gimmick.

A further five vehicles, including VolkswagenÂ’s Polo BlueMotion, hailed as BritainÂ’s greenest car when it was claimed that it emitted less than 100 grams of CO2 per km (g/km), failed to match the claims made by their makers.

Road tests were carried out by Auto Express magazine, which accused manufacturers of attempting to cash in on concerns about global warming.

In other words, your carbon footprint is bigger than you think when you drive the hybrids – so I guess you’ll have to buy some of Al Gore’s carbon indulgences anyway.

Posted by: Greg at 11:51 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Could you imagine the outrage if FOXNews or some conservative pundit wrote this column about how Hitler's demands and actions prior to the spring of 1939 were not outrageous?

Will the Left denounce this post by editorialist Bruce Ramsey? Will the writer be fired?

Democrats are rebuking President Bush for saying in his speech to the Knesset, here, that to “negotiate with terrorists and radicals” is “appeasement.” The Democrats took it as a slap at Barack Obama. What bothers me is the continual reference to Hitler and his National Socialists, particularly the British and French accommodation at the Munich Conference of 1938.

What Hitler was demanding was not unreasonable. He wanted the German-speaking areas of Europe under German authority. He had just annexed Austria, which was German-speaking, without bloodshed. There were two more small pieces of Germanic territory: the free city of Danzig and the Sudetenland, a border area of what is now the Czech Republic.

We live in an era when you do not change national borders for these sorts of reasons. But in 1938 it was different. Germany’s eastern and western borders had been redrawn 19 years before—and not to its benefit. In the democracies there was some sense of guilt with how Germany had been treated after World War I. Certainly there was a memory of the “Great War.” In 2008, we have entirely forgotten World War I, and how utterly unlike any conception of “The Good War” it was. When the British let Hitler have a slice of Czechoslovakia, they were following their historical wisdom: avoid war. War produces results far more horrible than you expected. War is a bad investment. It is not glorious. Don’t give anyone an excuse to start one.

In a few months, in early 1939, Hitler ordered the invasion of what is now the Czech Republic—that is, territory that was not German. Then it was obvious that a deal with him was worthless. And so when Bush recalls the unnamed senator who, in September 1939, lamented that he had not been able to talk to Hitler, he hits an easy target. But the moment of September 1939 is nothing like today.

And it is clear here that the writer has not learned the lessons of that era. It was precisely because the British and French gave in to his demands and violations of the Versailles Treaty that Hitler recognized that his further acts of aggression would go unpunished (Ed Morrissey offers a great analysis). As one of my students said recently as we studied these events -- "Why were those people so stupid, mister -- didn't they know that when you let a thug get what he wants he'll just come back for more?"

Which brings us back to the situation in Israel, and the fatuous argument that the editorialist uses to argue in favor of more negotiations for peace with the terrorists of the Palestinian Authority. From Day One, Israel was prepared to accept a two-state solution. It was the Arabs who rejected that arrangement and attempted to finish the job that Hitler started -- not just in 1948, but again in 1956, 1967, 1973, and in multiple terrorist attacks before and after each of those conflicts. Israel has gone so far as to offer the Palestinians 95% or more of the land that they have sought, only to have that offer thrown back in their faces. They have unilaterally withdrawn from Gaza -- uprooting every Jew from the region -- to give the terrorists a statelet of their own. The response has been ongoing terrorist attacks from within Gaza, directed at civilians. Where has talking with these terrorists -- seeking peace at any cost -- made any difference in the level of violence against Israel or improved peace and security in the region?

And just to remind the deranged author of this demented posting of the true situation in the Middle East, let me include a map for his consideration.

The only just claims that remain belong exclusively to Israel -- which must refuse demands from the rest of the world to continue to appease those who will not be satisfied until every Jew in the region is dead or expelled from the Promised Land.

H/T LGF, Sound Politics

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Posted by: Greg at 12:34 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Could you imagine the outrage if FOXNews or some conservative pundit wrote this column about how Hitler's demands and actions prior to the spring of 1939 were not outrageous?

Will the Left denounce this post by editorialist Bruce Ramsey? Will the writer be fired?

Democrats are rebuking President Bush for saying in his speech to the Knesset, here, that to “negotiate with terrorists and radicals” is “appeasement.” The Democrats took it as a slap at Barack Obama. What bothers me is the continual reference to Hitler and his National Socialists, particularly the British and French accommodation at the Munich Conference of 1938.

What Hitler was demanding was not unreasonable. He wanted the German-speaking areas of Europe under German authority. He had just annexed Austria, which was German-speaking, without bloodshed. There were two more small pieces of Germanic territory: the free city of Danzig and the Sudetenland, a border area of what is now the Czech Republic.

We live in an era when you do not change national borders for these sorts of reasons. But in 1938 it was different. Germany’s eastern and western borders had been redrawn 19 years before—and not to its benefit. In the democracies there was some sense of guilt with how Germany had been treated after World War I. Certainly there was a memory of the “Great War.” In 2008, we have entirely forgotten World War I, and how utterly unlike any conception of “The Good War” it was. When the British let Hitler have a slice of Czechoslovakia, they were following their historical wisdom: avoid war. War produces results far more horrible than you expected. War is a bad investment. It is not glorious. Don’t give anyone an excuse to start one.

In a few months, in early 1939, Hitler ordered the invasion of what is now the Czech Republic—that is, territory that was not German. Then it was obvious that a deal with him was worthless. And so when Bush recalls the unnamed senator who, in September 1939, lamented that he had not been able to talk to Hitler, he hits an easy target. But the moment of September 1939 is nothing like today.

And it is clear here that the writer has not learned the lessons of that era. It was precisely because the British and French gave in to his demands and violations of the Versailles Treaty that Hitler recognized that his further acts of aggression would go unpunished (Ed Morrissey offers a great analysis). As one of my students said recently as we studied these events -- "Why were those people so stupid, mister -- didn't they know that when you let a thug get what he wants he'll just come back for more?"

Which brings us back to the situation in Israel, and the fatuous argument that the editorialist uses to argue in favor of more negotiations for peace with the terrorists of the Palestinian Authority. From Day One, Israel was prepared to accept a two-state solution. It was the Arabs who rejected that arrangement and attempted to finish the job that Hitler started -- not just in 1948, but again in 1956, 1967, 1973, and in multiple terrorist attacks before and after each of those conflicts. Israel has gone so far as to offer the Palestinians 95% or more of the land that they have sought, only to have that offer thrown back in their faces. They have unilaterally withdrawn from Gaza -- uprooting every Jew from the region -- to give the terrorists a statelet of their own. The response has been ongoing terrorist attacks from within Gaza, directed at civilians. Where has talking with these terrorists -- seeking peace at any cost -- made any difference in the level of violence against Israel or improved peace and security in the region?

And just to remind the deranged author of this demented posting of the true situation in the Middle East, let me include a map for his consideration.

The only just claims that remain belong exclusively to Israel -- which must refuse demands from the rest of the world to continue to appease those who will not be satisfied until every Jew in the region is dead or expelled from the Promised Land.

H/T LGF, Sound Politics

OPEN TRACKBACKING AT The Virtuous Republic, Rosemary's Thoughts, Right Truth, Kodera's Korner, Oblogatory Anecdotes, Cao's Blog, Democrat=Socialist, Conservative Cat, Diary of the Mad Pigeon, Faultline USA, third world county, Nuke Gingrich, Woman Honor Thyself, McCain Blogs, The World According to Carl, Pirate's Cove, The Pink Flamingo, , Right Voices, OTB Sports, and The Yankee Sailor, thanks to Linkfest Haven Deluxe.

Posted by: Greg at 12:34 PM | Comments (4) | Add Comment
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Some recession weÂ’re in, donÂ’t you think? I wonder if George W. Bush gets credit for the economic recovery that is now happening on his watch?

Construction of new homes posted the biggest increase in more than two years in April. While it was a rare spot of good news for the housing market, analysts said it's far too soon to declare an end to the prolonged slump.

The Commerce Department reported Friday that housing construction rose by 8.2 percent in April to a seasonally adjusted annual rate of 1.03 million units. Building of single-family homes continued to weaken, however. The growth came from a big jump in apartment construction.

Analysts predicted the surprising rebound in April would be temporary given the headwinds builders are still confronting, from slumping sales to soaring home foreclosures.

Of course, the press doesnÂ’t want to let the good news go unanswered.

A second report Friday showed that consumer confidence as measured by the University of Michigan/Reuters survey fell to a 28-year low of 59.5 in early May, down from 62.6 in April. The drop was blamed in part on rising concerns about higher gas and food prices.

And after all, if you keep being told by the press how bad things really are, you will soon really start to lose confidence in the economy – so they have to make sure that they do their best to minimize the economic good news and highlight the bad. Somehow I don’t remember that approach during the Clinton recession of 2000 – where every bit of bad news was bolstered with something good or somehow minimized, even though we weren’t on our way out of it. Not that I’m claiming media bias or anything….

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Matt at LoneStarTimes notes these “per gallon” costs of various products – something which puts current gas prices in perspective.

• Houston Municipal Water: 1,000 gallons for $2.95 = 0.3 cents per gallon.


• Coca-Cola Classic: 24 16.9-ounce bottles for $11.12 = $3.51 per gallon.


• Regular Unleaded Gasoline: $3.60 per gallon.


• Pine-Sol: 1.36-gallon jug for $7.49 = $5.51 per gallon.


• Olde English 800 Malt Liquor: 12 40-ounce bottles for $24.19 = $6.45 per gallon.


• FrenchÂ’s Classic Yellow Mustard: Two 30-ounce bottles for $3.87 = $8.26 per gallon.


• Rotella 15W-40 Motor Oil: 55-gallon drum for $467 = $8.49 per gallon.


• Jalapeno Nacho Cheese: Four 140-ounce bags for $42.33 = $9.68 per gallon.


• Mazola Corn Oil: 2.5-gallon jug for $26.88 = $10.75 per gallon.


• Red Bull Energy Drink: 24 8.3-ounce cans for $31.18 = $20.04 per gallon.


• Jagermeister Herbal Liqueur: Six 1.75-liter bottles for $230.23 = $83.00 per gallon.


• Glade Plug-In Scented Oil Refills: 3.55 ounces for $8.88 = $320.18 per gallon.


• Chanel No. 5 Eau de Parfum: 3.5 ounces for $95.00. = $3,474.29 per gallon.

So, my friends, as you are standing there pumping your gas drinking that Red Bull, ask yourselves why you are more outraged at pump price than the price of your drink at the vending machine.

Posted by: Greg at 11:36 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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No, not that Rocket Man.

This Rocket Man!

Some people go fishing on their day off. Yves Rossy likes to jump out of a small plane with a pair of jet-powered wings and perform figure eights above the Swiss Alps.

Rossy, 48, made his first public flight with his self-made flying contraption in front of the world press Wednesday, after five years of training and many more years of dreaming.

"This flight was absolutely excellent," the former fighter pilot and extreme sports enthusiast said after touching down on an airfield near the eastern shore of Lake Geneva.

Reports indicate that Rossy got up to 186 MPH. I don't know about you, but that sure impresses the hell out of me.

He also note that his safety secret is "altitude". And I'd have to agree -- at 186 MPH there is no room for error.

Posted by: Greg at 10:43 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Who will make it first, now that the Russians and Europeans are looking at a joint venture?

Russia and Europe are teaming up to build a spaceship which will fly astronauts to the moon, Russia said on Wednesday, although the European Space Agency struck a more cautious note.

The first test flight is set for 2015 and the first manned flight is planned for 2018, Russian space agency Roskosmos said.

"The European Space Agency (ESA) and Roskosmos both have the technologies and unique experience in designing various space systems to be able to create jointly a hi-tech vehicle," Roskosmos said on its website (www.roscosmos.ru).
"(This would) enable us to carry crews of up to six people to near-earth and lunar orbits." Roskosmos said the craft would allow "expeditions to the moon" but did not say whether landings were envisaged.

This would, of course, mean that there are multiple lunar programs – the planned US return to the moon, this Russian/European venture, the Red Chinese, the Indians – and we will have an honest-to-God space race on our hands. Anyone want to see about getting the private sector involved to beat the all?

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Just as all eventually will without a serious reimagining of the "business model".

EarthLink Inc. is pulling the plug on its troubled wireless high-speed Internet network in Philadelphia, once touted as a national model.

EarthLink, which pinned its future on municipal Wi-Fi networks following rapid declines in its dial-up Internet access business, said Tuesday that it could not find a buyer for the $17 million network.

It also said talks to give the network to the city or a nonprofit organization had failed, even after offering to pay $1 million in cash and donate the Wi-Fi equipment.

City officials have said it would cost taxpayers millions of dollars each year to operate the network, which will shut down after June 12.

Also Tuesday, the company sued the city in U.S. District Court seeking to remove its Wi-Fi equipment from streetlights and cap its liability at $1 million.

Quite frankly, there is no profit in free wi-fi. Cities simply will not pay enough for private firms to profit, and cities are unwilling (or unable) to sustain it financially. Free wi-fi, therefore will likely remain the province of businesses that offer it as a "value-added" amenity for customers -- or places like public libraries where it is practical to crate a small wireless bubble.

Posted by: Greg at 10:47 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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IÂ’ve already got fire ants, and they tell us every year that killer bees are headed our way in Texas. But do I really have to contend with the possibility of these?

As if killer bees and kudzu weren't enough, the southern United States may soon have another invasive species to contend with — giant Burmese pythons capable of swallowing deer and alligators whole.

Approximately 30,000 of the big snakes, which can reach 30 feet and 200 pounds, already live wild in Florida's Everglades, thanks to thick-headed pet owners who've released them into the swamps when they've grown too large to keep at home.

But now the U.S. Geological Survey says Florida is not the only place the Burmese python can thrive.

In fact, the big beasts, which are not poisonous and rarely attack humans, could live happily in the entire southern third of the country, from Southern California to Texas and the Lower Mississippi Valley and up the Eastern Seaboard to Chesapeake Bay.

They say that a mere 50 snakes released in an area can create a viable breeding population. And since gators show up in our area on a regular basis (we are 5 or 6 miles from a nature preserve), I would imagine that the climate would support the big snakes.

Which would certainly discourage me from letting the dog run loose in the yard for any length of time.

Posted by: Greg at 09:08 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Not that it makes a bit of difference, of course -- there is that little deal about double jeopardy that appears in the US and California constitutions that makes another trial for the murders out of the question.

A memorabilia dealer who profited from O.J. Simpson for many years is the latest former crony to write a tell-all book, this one alleging a groggy Simpson, high on marijuana, confessed to killing his ex-wife after he was acquitted.

Mike Gilbert also claims he helped his former friend wiggle out of the murder charges by suggesting how to bloat his hands so they wouldn't fit the notorious bloody gloves.

Gilbert's book, "How I Helped O.J. Get Away With Murder: The Shocking Inside Story of Violence, Loyalty, Regret and Remorse" (Regnery Publishing, 232 pages, $27.95), is due in stores Monday. It was released to The Associated Press in advance.

He said Simpson had smoked pot, took a sleeping pill and was drinking beer when he confided at his Brentwood home weeks after his trial what happened the night of June 12, 1994. Simpson said he went to his ex-wife's condominium, but did not bring a knife with him. Simpson told him Nicole Brown Simpson had one in her hand when she opened the door.

In a soft mumble, Simpson told him: "If she hadn't opened that door with a knife in her hand ... she'd still be alive."

"Nothing more needed to be said," Gilbert writes. "O.J. had confessed to me. There's no doubt in my mind."

Blaming the victim? Well, that would be in keeping with the sociopathic tendencies that Simpson has demonstrated over the years.

My question is this -- even though we cannot imprison this murdering scumbag, why should we not engage in something much quite painful for this narcissistic man. You know, shunning.

Stop buying the books about him, his career, and his crimes. Stop the news coverage of his latest criminal trial, and ignore his well-deserved entry into prison after his conviction. And until then, sports shows should quit inviting him for autograph signings and businesses should quit doing business with him -- to the point that the staff of an empty restaurant would tell him "there doesn't seem to be a table available for you, Mr. Simpson." I'd argue that it would be a fate worse than death for him.

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Gee -- market forces might just kick in to start lowering oil prices.

After all, if the price gets so high as to cut demand for a product, the price begins to drop -- often due to increased production designed to maximize profits.

As prices jumped to another record, a member of OPEC signaled on Friday for the first time in months that the oil cartel might increase its output to prick the price bubble.

The comments, from LibyaÂ’s senior oil official, Shokri Ghanem, suggested a possible shift in OPECÂ’s position. Since the cartelÂ’s last meeting in March, OPEC has argued that the market was not lacking in oil supplies and blamed speculators for driving up prices.

But in recent weeks, prices have come under renewed pressure because of a string of export disruptions from Nigeria. Prices have been above $100 since early February. Crude oil for June delivery closed up $2.27, at $125.96 a barrel in New York on Friday, after rising as high as $126.25 during the day.

Gee, and here I heard it was all greedy oil companies driving up gas prices -- too bad that folks have ignored the supply-side issues at work to rais the cost of a gallon of gas.

Let's follow this one closely -- it may again prove that Adam Smith was right about how markets work, and the Left's idol Karl Marx was wrong.

Posted by: Greg at 11:54 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Classify this story under “funky science news”.

Earth may once have had more than one moon, most probably two more, NASA scientists think.

Prevailing scientific consensus holds that the existing Moon was formed when a Mars-sized planet collided with the Earth 4.5 billion years ago, when the solar system was very young.

So much matter would have been thrown up into space that it recollected under its own gravity to form the Moon, which for millions of years would have glowed red-hot as the molten rock from the planetary collision cooled.

However, researchers Jack J. Lissauer of NASA's Ames Research Center near Mountain View, Calif., and John E. Chambers of the Carnegie Institution of Washington figure quite a bit of that ejected matter would have recollected into two other small moons at the so-called "Lagrangian points" or "Trojan points."
Those are fixed places in the Moon's orbit around the Earth where the gravity of both large bodies would keep smaller objects in stable positions.

Odds are that such moons would have lasted at least 100 million years, and possibly as long as a billion years, depending upon their size.

But before you have some image of three large lunar bodies in the sky, please understand that their size and distance from the planet would have left them appearing as nothing more than bright stars or planets in the sky – nothing like our single remaining moon.

Posted by: Greg at 10:53 AM | Comments (14) | Add Comment
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So much for concern for "the little guy" -- the editors of the "paper of record" want us to pay more at the pump.

And for government to take a greater share of the cost in the form of taxes.

It was bad enough when Senators Hillary Rodham Clinton and John McCain decided to engage in some petty pandering by calling for a suspension of the federal gas tax over the summer. What they suggested would reduce needed tax revenues and hamper efforts to combat global warming. And it would fail to deliver lower prices while giving oil companies more money. But neither senator is actually running the country, so it might be tempting to chalk it all up to campaign pandering.

Unfortunately, their demagoguery is growing into a real problem, setting off a chain reaction of “me too” proposals across the country to suspend state gasoline taxes, which tend to be much larger than the 18.4-cent-a-gallon federal levy. If the pandering spreads, it would go a long way in setting the nation’s energy strategy in precisely the wrong direction.

Standard NY Times rhetoric -- a Neanderthal-like "Tax cut bad -- tax increase good" editorial if there ever was one. And if there is any doubt about the intent of making the American people suffer further at the pump, they make it explicit at the end of the piece.

Americans must find ways to curb their use of fossil fuels. That will require higher, not lower, prices for gas — even during a presidential campaign.

But don't worry -- the Democrats are on board to make sure that your gas prices go up substantially, along with government revenues.

Senate Democrats on Wednesday called for a windfall profits tax on oil companies and a rollback of $17 billion in oil industry tax breaks as part of an energy package. The proposal also would impose federal penalties on energy price gouging and calls for stopping oil deliveries into the government's emergency reserve.

* * *

Democrats characterized the proposal as attacking "the root causes of high gas prices," although it wasn't clear how today's high oil costs _ set in a global market _ or gasoline prices edging toward $4 a gallon would be appreciably affected.

Remember, of course, that oil companies don't pay taxes -- they pass such taxes along to consumers in the form of higher prices. These new, government-imposed, costs-of-doing-business always get passed along to the consumer -- and will until and unless Congress figures out a way to repeal the laws of economics (which it can do as soon as it finishes repealing the law of gravity). Remember, too, that those same laws of economics tell us that the higher gas prices brought about by this legislation will be accompanied by higher electricity rates, higher food costs, higher clothing costs and a host of other increased expenses for consumers as the increased cost of gasoline and other petroleum products ripples through the economy.

And since the Democrats are adamantly opposed to increasing the supply of oil -- especially of domestic crude -- they remain adamantly opposed to allowing oil production in ANWR or off-shore anywhere but in the Texas/Louisiana region of the Gulf of Mexico.

Most amusing is the proposed Democrat effort to apply anti-trust law to OPEC -- a cartel of sovereign governments. Given that American law rally doesn't apply to those governments, this is just window-dressing and grandstanding.

But then again, since when have the Democrats ever been about solutions to real problems?

Posted by: Greg at 10:30 PM | Comments (104) | Add Comment
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Yes, it is clearly a suicide. Yes, there were plenty of warnings given that she would kill herself. But that won't stop plenty of folks from coming up with conspiracy theories about "who killed the DC Madam."

A woman convicted two weeks ago of being the "D.C. Madam" hanged herself Thursday, apparently making good on her vow never to go to prison for running a high-end Washington prostitution ring.

The body of Deborah Jeane Palfrey was found in a shed near her mother's home about 20 miles northwest of Tampa. Police said the 52-year-old Palfrey left at least two suicide notes and other writings to her family in a notebook, but they did not disclose their contents.

Palfrey apparently hanged herself with nylon rope from the shed's ceiling. Her mother discovered the body.

Officers were outside the mother's white and pink home in the community of mostly retirees.

Of course, the fact that her mother says that Palfrey was not suicidal will fuel the conspiracy theories -- even though a number of other folks claim she had been making comments about killing herself rather than going back to jail for some time.

And I've already seen plenty of members of the mouth-foaming Leftosphere speculating about which Republican/conservative was being protected by the "murder of Deborah Jeane Palfrey".

Even though there wasn't a murder.

And even though the fact that she was so quick to disclose Republican names ought to make one wonder if she might have been holding (Bill Clinton) back (Bill Clinton) on (Bill Clinton) the (Bill Clinton) names (Bill Clinton) of (Bill Clinton) prominent (Bill Clinton) Democrats (Bill Clinton) -- and the threat of disclosure at the height of the Democrat presidential nomination contest serving as grounds for her timely and convenient demise, as has happened so often over the years to those with inconvenient information about a particular wannabe political dynasty.

Not, of course, that I believe for one second that this is anything more than a suicide by a troubled woman. But if the nutroots are going to toss around conspiracy theories, I might as well suggest one just as plausible in order to demonstrate teh absurdity of their efforts.

Posted by: Greg at 10:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is sick.

In 2007, Costa Rican "artist" Guillermo Vargas Habacuc, took a dog from the street, tied him to a rope in an art gallery in Honduras, and starved him to death. For several days, the 'artist' and the visitors of the exhibition have watched emotionless the shameful 'masterpiece' based on the dog's agony, until eventually he died. And now the prestigious Visual Arts Biennial of the Central American decided that the 'installation' was actually art, so that Guillermo Vargas Habacuc has been invited to repeat his cruel action for the biennial of 2008.

If you'd like more information and to sign a petition to stop this from happening again:

[Go here and here]

The photos are pretty sickening, even to those of us in the unwanted animal biz who have to see sick, starving and dying animals every day. How anyone could have passed by and not given that poor dog a bowl of water and some food is beyond sick.

Thank you.

I can’t help but echo Jonah Goldberg’s opinion that we should try this with Guillermo Vargas Habacuc instead of some poor animal. But this sort of cruelty makes me wonder if perhaps we’ve found a new line of defense for Austria’s Josef Fritzl. I can hear it in court: “It wasn’t rape, false imprisonment, and unspeakable evil, your honor – it was ART!”

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Most folks have heard by now about Susan LeFevre, the San Diego woman arrested after more than three decades on the lam following her escape from prison in Detroit. But did you see the comment her husband. Alan Walsh, made about her?

"Our family is threatened to be destroyed by something that happened to her as a 19-year-old teenager 34 years ago in Michigan," Walsh said.

Excuse me? “Something that happened. . . 34 years ago in Michigan”? Is this guy serious?

Dude – your wife lied to the world for over three decades since she escaped from prison, and to you for the over 23 years that you have been married. Rather than own up to her crimes and do her time, she worked to hide them and avoid the consequences. What may, sadly, destroy your family is her web of dishonesty and criminality dating back to the Ford Administration. Why don’t you meditate on that for a while.

Posted by: Greg at 12:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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I have to laugh at this story -- because it brings to mind a discussion I had in my classroom a couple of years ago.

A Greek court has been asked to draw the line between the natives of the Aegean Sea island of Lesbos and the world's gay women.

Three islanders from Lesbos — home of the ancient poet Sappho, who praised love between women — have taken a gay rights group to court for using the word lesbian in its name.

One of the plaintiffs said Wednesday that the name of the association, Homosexual and Lesbian Community of Greece, "insults the identity" of the people of Lesbos, who are also known as Lesbians.

"My sister can't say she is a Lesbian," said Dimitris Lambrou. "Our geographical designation has been usurped by certain ladies who have no connection whatsoever with Lesbos," he said.

The three plaintiffs are seeking to have the group barred from using "lesbian" in its name and filed a lawsuit on April 10. The other two plaintiffs are women.

We'll refrain from jokes about Lambrou being a male Lesbian (I vaguely to recall a Limbaugh caller over 15 years ago claiming to be a "male lesbian") and simply note that this lawsuit seems pretty frivolous to me.

But as I said, it does bring back memories of a classroom discussion a couple of years ago.

As do most world history texts, ours mentions Sappho of Lesbos as one of the great writers of Greek antiquity. One openly lesbian 10th grader immediately made the connection between "Lesbos" and "lesbian" and raised the point. The sort of banter one would imagine among 15-16 year old students ran for about 20-30 seconds until I could tamp it down, at which point I answered her question by noting that "Lesbian" would be the term used to describe anyone of either gender and any sexual orientation if they were from Lesbos -- and that in the ancient world the island was noted for its fine "Lesbian" wine and other products. So despite my assessment of the merits of the lawsuit, a part of me is glad to see the people of the island seeking to reclaim their right to the word.

Posted by: Greg at 10:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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But apparently not enough to even consider the possibility that it might be a hate crime.

A north London man is to appear in court charged with assault after two Orthodox Jews were stabbed in two random street attacks.

Mohamed Jama Ahmed, 37, of North Circular Road, will appear at Hendon Magistrates` Court charged with two counts of grievous bodily harm.

The two victims, both men, were attacked within minutes of each other on Friday evening, but police say the incidents are not being treated as hate crimes.

I guess that when a member of the Religion of Peace commits a couple of violent assaults upon a couple of Jews on a city street for no apparent reason, there is no basis for treating the matter as a hate crime.

After all, we never hear violent anti-Semitic rhetoric out of Muslim communities here in the western world.

And Muslims rarely if ever engage in random violent attacks against innocent Jews just going about their daily lives anywhere in the world.

So it mustnÂ’t be a hate crime.

Posted by: Greg at 10:44 AM | Comments (3) | Add Comment
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And IÂ’m not just asking an idle question.

The bruised economy limped through the first quarter, growing at just a 0.6 percent pace as housing and credit problems forced people and businesses alike to hunker down.

The country's economic growth during January through March was the same as in the final three months of last year, the Commerce Department reported Wednesday. The statistic did not meet what economists consider the classic definition of a recession, which is a retraction of the economy. This means that although the economy is stuck in a rut, it is still managing to grow, even if modestly.

Many analysts were predicting that the gross domestic product (GDP) would weaken a bit more—to a pace of just 0.5 percent—in the first quarter. Earlier this year, some economists thought the economy would actually lurch into reverse during the opening quarter. Now, they say they believe that will likely happen during the current April-to-June period.

"The economy is weak but not collapsing," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Bank of America's Investment Strategies Group. "A recession can't be ruled out, although the stars are not lined up at this point to definitively say one way or the other."

Which makes us wonder – liberals have been telling us for months that we are in the throes of a recession. Economists, however, find that not to be the case and question if we are actually entering one. Could the recessionary claims all be partisan smoke designed to obscure the weakness of the Democrats running for the presidency and Congress? Are the Democrats willing to trash America’s economy – like they trash our military and the war effort – in order to improve their chances of electoral victory?

Great additional commentary on the non-recessionary recession at Don Surber, Right on the Left Coast and Blogs for Victory.

Posted by: Greg at 10:36 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Well, consumer confidence is down -- in large part because of a decrease in housing prices.

Much of the damage has stemmed from a slump in the housing market, where prices are nearly 15 percent off their high in July 2006.

In the 12 months ended in February, the Case-Shiller home price index, which measures the value of single-family homes in 10 major metropolitan regions, fell 13.6 percent, the biggest decline since records began in 1987. A broader 20-city index dropped 12.7 percent.

Of course, there is a reason that we have seen housing prices drop so precipitously -- the last several years have been a part of what analysts were calling a housing bubble. You know, as in the prices of residential real estate was significantly inflated beyond its actual value. And I certainly recall experts saying that in some metropolitan areas we were seeing prices exceed the real value of the property, and the ability of many consumers to afford to make real estate purchases. Not only that, but we were assured that we were headed for a fall wehn the bubble burst.

Well, folks, the bubble has burst. We have experienced what on the stock market is euphemistically called "a correction".

In other words, housing prices are adjusting to a more realistic level, below the highly speculative levels that they reached in the recent past.

Am I saying that the current situation in the housing market is a good one? Not necessarily. But it is interesting to note that the drop in home prices will put a house within the reach of folks who one year ago could not afford to buy one a year ago. These individuals, who acted responsibly and lived within their means, will now be able to make the purchase that they deferred as out of their price range. Shouldn't we be celebrating these responsible purchasers rather than rewarding the irresponsible ones who exceeded their means by giving them a government mandated (and maybe financed) bail-out?

Posted by: Greg at 10:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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That is the question that readily springs to mind as we learn about record fines for a Houston slumlord.

A landlord whose north Houston apartment complex was closed by city inspectors over unsafe conditions last year has paid a $100,000 fine, officials said Thursday.

The one-time owner of the Carter's Grove Apartments at 3405 North Shepherd, identified as Samuel Pinter of New York, settled more than 240 Municipal Court citations as a deadline approached last week.

Chief Prosecutor Randy Zamora said the fine was the largest against a single defendant in recent memory. The deal came after negotiations with Pinter's attorney.

"When you've got someone who is truly ignoring the laws of the city of Houston, and he is one of the worst of the worst, that's when we do everything we can to make them comply or suffer the penalty," he said.

Pinter and his attorney, Brian Cweren of Houston, could not be reached for comment Thursday. A spokesman for Pinter previously had blamed the city's enforcement on "gentrification" in the neighborhood, where new homes have sprouted up nearby.

Pinter's complex, which recently was sold to a Phoenix company that rehabilitates troubled properties, had so many unresolved electrical, plumbing and nuisance violations that city officials took the unprecedented step last year of closing the property and helping residents move.

Gee -- sounds just like the sort of problems we've seen at the multiple properties owned by Democrat State Representative Hubert Vo. Will the city of Houston be as diligent in prosecuting Vo for the multiple violations on his properties -- especially after he attempted to use his official position to intimidate those charged with enforcing the housing code? Or will Vo's political clout be sufficient to keep him from court?

Posted by: Greg at 10:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know, that the Maliki government is a failure which has failed to make any concrete steps towards reconciliation.

After all, the Democrats and the press keep telling us those things -- they must be true, right? Why on earth would the Sunnis throw their lot in with such a failed government?

IraqÂ’s largest Sunni bloc has agreed to return to Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-MalikiÂ’s cabinet after a boycott that lasted nearly a year, several Sunni leaders said on Thursday, citing a recently passed amnesty law and the Maliki governmentÂ’s crackdown on Shiite militias as reasons for the move.

* * *

“Our conditions were very clear, and the government achieved some of them,” said Adnan al-Duleimi, the head of Tawafiq, the largest Sunni bloc in the government. Mr. Duleimi said the achievements included “the general amnesty, chasing down the militias and disbanding them and curbing the outlaws.”

The recently passed amnesty law has already led to the release of many Sunni prisoners, encouraging Sunni parties that the government is serious about enforcing it. And the attacks on Shiite militias have apparently begun to assuage longstanding complaints that only Sunni groups blamed for the insurgency have been the targets of American and Iraqi security forces.

So let's get this straight -- from the point of view of the Iraqis (who are the folks who really count), the Maliki government is making great strides towards uniting the country and accomplishing important goals necessary to heal the wounds left by the Hussein years. What a different picture from what the forces of defeat in this country tell us. Could it be that, unlike the Left and the Media (two ways of saying the same thing, I know), the Iraqi people want victory over terrorism and a stable, democratic government in Iraq?

Posted by: Greg at 10:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is simply incredible.

Whether he was up to no good or simply desperate to play BrickBreaker, a Mexican press attache was caught on camera by Secret Service pocketing several White House BlackBerries during a recent meeting in New Orleans, FOX News has learned.

Sources with knowledge of the incident said the official, whose first name is Rafael, took six or seven of the handheld devices from a table outside a special room in the hotel where the Mexican delegation was meeting with President Bush.

Everyone entering the room was required to leave their cell phones, BlackBerries and other such devices on the table, a commonplace practice when high-level meetings are held. American officials discovered their missing belongings when they were leaving the session.

It didn't take long before Secret Service officials reviewed videotape taken by a surveillance camera and found footage showing "Rafael" absconding with the BlackBerries.

Sources said "Rafael" made it all the way to the airport, where the Mexican president was preparing to leave New Orleans, before Secret Service officers caught up with him. He was forced to return the BlackBerries.

Sources said the man claimed to have taken the devices accidentally. The sources said they believe no further actions were taken against him by American authorities, though it is unclear what disciplinary measures, if any, await him in Mexico.

What seems to have been discounted here is the possibility that this was actually a case of espionage. After all, during the Cold War, "press attache" often meant "CIA operative" in countries behind the Iron Curtain. I suppose that they could have been seeking classified information of some sort.

I'm curious -- did "Rafael" have time to do a data dump of the information from the Blackberries? And whose devices did he steal? Many more questions than answers.

UPDATE: More info from Malkin. The thief/spy is Quintero Curiel -- and he claimed diplomatic immunity and was allowed to leave the country despite his crimes. Why hasn't the US media done more with this story? Afraid of the patriotic reaction of real Americans, and afraid to offend the undocumented ones?

Posted by: Greg at 10:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is what showed up in the headline.

Fish Tales: Former President George H.W. Bush Catches a Mammoth in the Keys

Given that mammoth have been extinct for a few millennia, I was curious, so I dropped by for a quick look -- especially since the Florida Keys doesn't have a climate conducive to mammoth, either.

Here’s the ACTUAL story – with a picture.

Former President George H. W. Bush caught a mammoth tarpon Saturday while fishing off the Florida Keys near Islamorada, Fla., according to the Florida Keys News Agency.

Bush chose to release the giant with an estimated weight of around 135 pounds -- the largest tarpon the 84-year-old ex-president has ever caught, the agency reported.

I don’t know about you, but somehow the story doesn’t seem so interesting when you drop the word “tarpon” from the headline.

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I was completely unaware of this event over the weekend.

Having read about it, I have three observations to make.

1) Nazis and white supremacists are scum, and merit nothing but contempt from decent Americans of every political stripe.

2) Even when they are more or less on the right side of an issue, it is incumbent upon decent Americans to denounce and repudiate them.

3) The greater danger to American freedom comes not from such scum, but instead from ignorant Americans willing to limit their rights under the Constitution.

A march by a busload of neo-Nazi activists on Constitution Avenue yesterday wreaked havoc on a balmy afternoon in the capital, bringing traffic to a halt, filling the streets with hundreds of police and provoking an ugly confrontation on the sidelines that resulted in at least three arrests.

About 30 marchers from the Michigan-based National Socialist Movement, waving red swastika flags and shouting "Sieg Heil," emerged about 2:30 p.m. from a bus one block from the White House and strode toward the Capitol, flanked by thick cordons of police who walked the route in riot gear and hundreds of officers on horseback, bicycles and motorcycles.

The marchers said their purpose was to denounce illegal immigration and to offer white Americans an alternative to the two-party political system. Many wore black storm trooper uniforms, boots and armbands.

The march itself was peaceful, and U.S. Park Police said the organizers had a permit. But the atmosphere was tense, and before the event started, a clash broke out between march supporters and local demonstrators who came to condemn the message.

I hate to say it, but according to this report the scumbags behaved better than their opponents. After all, it wasn’t the racist scum who engaged in violence – they engaged in political speech (though political speech of the most repulsive kind). And while I understand the impulse to kick the living dog crap out of anyone sporting a swastika (or a hammer and sickle, for that matter), everything they did was within the law and protected by the First Amendment.

Unfortunately, this march has harmed a good cause. Illegal immigration is a problem in this country, and we need to deal with it by acting to limit illegal access to this country, sanction employers, and deport aliens who are here illegally. But let me speak clearly – if the only way to accomplish those ends were to accept the assistance of scum like the National Socialist (bowel) Movement, I’d prefer that our country were overrun with undocumented border jumpers. Secure borders are important – but stopping the ideological heirs of Hitler from gaining any legitimacy is more important.

But most disturbing are some quotes from the opponents of the wannabe stormtroopers.

"People marching in brown shirts and swastikas is a tool of intimidation and terrorism. We came out here to oppose them so they won't feel they can do it safely," said Dan Peterson, 23, a D.C. resident who was arrested.

No, it is not a tool of intimidation or terrorism. It is free speech, pure and simple, guaranteed by the Constitution. Indeed, Mr. Peterson, your actions are much more reminiscent of the terrorist intimidation tactics of the Nazis than anything these mental defectives said or did.

Or this observer.

"I support the right to free speech, but when it disrupts the city this much and costs this much, there have to be limits," said John Thiry, 38, from Lancaster, Pa.

I’m curious – would Thiry have applied this same reasoning to many of the great marches of the past? You know, Dr. King’s March on Washington, for example? Does Thiry believe that threats of violent opposition to First Amendment protected activity should be used to limit unpopular speech through a heckler’s veto?

Scum like the National Socialist (bowel) Movement are not a threat to liberty in our society. They are rightly held in contempt by the overwhelming majority of Americans. It is instead those who consider it their patriotic duty to silence such folks who are the greater threat to liberty – for with every restriction on political speech, no matter how disgusting the speech limited, the rights of every other American are equally limited.

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At least with regards to those who international law has long defined as "enemies of all humanity".

ON April 11, French commandos went in with guns blazing and captured a gang of pirates who days earlier had hijacked a luxury cruise ship, the Ponant, and held the crew for ransom. This was the French solution to a crime wave that has threatened international shipping off Somalia; those of us who have been on the business end of a pirateÂ’s gun can only applaud their action.

The British government on the other hand, to the incredulity of many in the maritime industry, has taken a curiously pathetic approach to piracy. While the French were flying six of the captured pirates to Paris to face trial, the British Foreign Office issued a directive to the once vaunted Royal Navy not to detain any pirates, because doing so could violate their human rights. British warships patrolling the pirate-infested waters off Somalia were advised that captured pirates could claim asylum in Britain and that those who were returned to Somalia faced beheading for murder or a hand chopped off for theft under Islamic law.

Excuse me! Piracy has been recognized as beyond the bounds of civilized behavior for millennia. No less than Julius Caesar led an expedition against pirates in his youth, punishing those captured as the criminals that they were -- and which their professional descendants remain. Indeed, traditional international law allows for nations to track down pirates anywhere and to dispense justice in a summary fashion -- tough more contemporary views require trial in regular courts rather than drumhead courts marital.

That the British have now adopted a policy of letting pirates go rather than risk nonsensical claims for asylum being granted under the nations absurdly liberal asylum laws is a sign of how far down the pike the Brits have gone in terms of coddling foreign criminals. Indeed, the concern that Muslim pirates might face penalties under Muslim laws in their Muslim country of origin seems equally absurd -- especially as powerful figures in Britain suggest that incorporation of sharia law into the UK legal system would be a positive step.

Who would have ever believed it -- the French are standing tough and the UK is waving the white flag in the war on piracy!

AND SPEAKING OF PIRATES AND THE LAW...

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Shhhhhh!

Don't tell the Democrats. It might upset their entire worldview.

CD shops sell love songs again. Some women emerge from their homes without veils, and alcohol sellers are coming out of hiding in the southern city of Basra — where religious vigilantes have long enforced strict Islamic codes.

The changes in recent weeks mark a surprising show of government sway — at least for now — after an Iraqi-led military crackdown that was plagued by desertions, ragged planning and ended in a virtual stalemate with Shiite militias in Iraq's second-largest city.

But it's unclear whether the new tone in parts of Basra represents a permanent tilt toward the Iraqi government or just a temporary retreat of Shiite hard-liners challenging the current Baghdad leadership.

During five days of heavy fighting last month, Iraqi troops struggled against militiamen, particularly the Mahdi Army loyal to anti-U.S. cleric Muqtada al-Sadr. The military was plagued by desertions and poor organization — and, in the end, the offensive was inconclusive with Iran helping mediate a truce.

Still, the crackdown appears to have succeeded in giving some sense of government control in Basra.

In other words, as expected, the surge and subsequent efforts of the Iraqi government and military have been a success. Now I'll admit that the Democrats have to continue to hope and pray for more setbacks and the ultimate defeat of American and its Iraqi allies if they are to win in November -- but this is good news for the rest of America, and for Iraq.

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Finding that in my email inbox would freak me out.

But it really happened on Capitol Hill recently.

At 4:15 p.m. on Wednesday afternoon, Lee Pitts, the spokesman for Sen. Lamar Alexander (R-Tenn.), saw an unusual e-mail message pop up on the corner of his computer screen: “Please call 911 for me,” the subject line said.

Less than an hour earlier, Herman Wang had been transcribing interviews in the Washington bureau of the Chattanooga Times Free Press — which happens to be on the second floor of his house, since Wang is the Washington bureau of the Chattanooga Times Free Press. Wearing headphones and re-listening to Tennessee pols speculate on whom they would prefer as vice presidential candidates, Wang didn’t hear his basement door kicked in. He did hear, however, a man’s footsteps on the stairs.

Wang met the intruder in the hallway. “I’m just looking for — ” said the man, who didn’t finish the sentence but instead rushed at Wang and beat him in the face as the reporter tried to defend himself.

* * *

Wang crawled to the master bedroom, hid behind the bed and tried to think of who might have a BlackBerry on hand. The obvious answer: a Hill staffer like Pitts.

“I was just robbed at home by two burglars,” reads the e-mail Wang got off. “Laptop, phones and wallet all taken. They missed my wife's laptop. I dont' [sic] know if they're still around the house. Please call 911 and ask them to send police.”

“Calling now,” wrote Pitts at 4:16 p.m., a minute after Wang’s e-mail came in.

“Thanks, I am in upstairs bedroom,” Wang wrote at 4:18.

If you read one story today that isn't "hard news", this is the one you should look at. it is a great story of kindness and decency -- and reminds us that some things transcend rivalries and adversarial relationships.

A hearty "attaboy" to Lee Pitts -- and best wishes to Herman Wang.

Posted by: Greg at 10:25 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Because France doesn't have any real problems -- like rioting Muslim youth -- for the government to deal with.

The French parliament's lower house adopted a groundbreaking bill Tuesday that would make it illegal for anyone — including fashion magazines, advertisers and Web sites — to publicly incite extreme thinness.

The National Assembly approved the bill in a series of votes Tuesday, after the legislation won unanimous support from the ruling conservative UMP party. It goes to the Senate in the coming weeks.

Fashion industry experts said that, if passed, the law would be the strongest of its kind anywhere. Leaders in French couture are opposed to the idea of legal boundaries on beauty standards

Now I'll grant that I prefer my women with a little meat on their bones rather than bird-boned with ribs sticking out like a Darfur refugee or concentration camp survivor (which describes most fashion models). But that isn't a matter for the government to legislate on. And if the legislative branch has time to debate such a measure, it is time for them to go into recess until serious problems face France for them to deal with.

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