Some news stories are unintentionally funny. Maye it is the choice of words, or perhaps the unusual circumstances related to the story. Take this line from an AP story.

Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger underwent surgery Saturday to remove a metal plate and cables from his leg, a spokesman said.

Anyone want to bet that the reporter and editor had a great laugh as that went out over the AP wire? I know I couldn't stop laughing as I read it. Imagine the fun that Leno and Letterman could have with this one sentence if the Writer's Guild weren't out on strike.

So instead, you can feel free to insert your own Terminator joke here.

Posted by: Greg at 06:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Posted by: Greg at 06:36 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It must suck to have to be governor and have to listen to little things like the voice of the people. But it looks like that is what the governor of New York might just have to do in the case of his "licenses for illegals" plan.

Facing growing pressure from his own party, Gov. Eliot Spitzer indicated he had not ruled out rescinding a heavily criticized plan to issue driver's licenses to illegal immigrants, according to published reports.

Spitzer's proposal has generated a politically charged debate that has reverberated in the presidential campaign. He said Friday he was standing by the plan for now, but he suggested he might consider backing off if he could not build enthusiasm for it, the reports said.

"I don't think there's ever been an executive, a president, a governor who hasn't put out ideas that at the end of the day there isn't support, and so things don't work out," the governor told reporters after meeting with Hispanic lawmakers in San Juan, Puerto Rico. "But as of now, sure, I think this is the right idea from a security perspective. We'll wait and see."

Here's the problem, Governor.

The American people want illegal immigrants out of our country. We don't want them receiving government benefits or government licenses. We don't want sanctuary city or sanctuary states to give them refuge. Frankly, we want enforcement of our borders and state and local law enforcement to assist federal authorities in getting rid of those who are violating immigration laws.

Your plan was designed to do exactly the opposite, and so you got hosed.

The only good thing about your plan is that it may have harmed teh Hillary Clinton campaign due to her inept handling of the issue.

Posted by: Greg at 06:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Posted by: Greg at 06:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Sometimes diplomacy is an over-rated virtue. Directness has its place, too, even in foreign affairs.

King Juan Carlos of Spain showed that in a confrontation with Venezuelan dictator Hugo Chavez.

Spain's King Juan Carlos told Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez to ``shut up'' minutes after Chavez referred to former Spanish Prime Minister Jose Maria Aznar Lopez as a ``fascist.''

The king spoke in Santiago during the closing of the Ibero- American summit.

Posted by: Greg at 07:32 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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After all, just because victims of the Chandler Rapist say that their attacker was Hispanic doesn't mean that he should be described that way.

Spanish-language radio station has protested the police description of the "Chandler Rapist" as a "Hispanic," claiming it amounts to racial profiling.

The man, believed responsible for five attacks on teenage girls since June 2006 and possibly a sixth on Thursday, is described as Hispanic, 28 to 40 years old, 5 feet 6 inches tall, muscular, with a mustache and black hair.

Radio station 1190AM refused to use the word "Hispanic" when it broadcast the description.

"We need to be fair when we describe the person and saying this person is Hispanic, is, I think, profiling," said Mayra Nieves, vice president of programming for New Radio Venture, which owns 1190AM.

She said the man may look Hispanic, but may not be.

"It's feeding more into the anti-Hispanic sentiment that everybody's saying is not there, but is seen everywhere," Nieves said. "For me, saying he's Hispanic because the victims are saying he's Hispanic, is actually doing racial profiling."

yeah, we wouldn't want to risk racial profiling by giving credence to the statements of those brutally assaulted by a rapist. Political correctness must trump legitimate law enforcement needs. I sure hope that the cops are pulling in a sufficient number of white, black, and Asian men to ensure that there are no accusations of racial profiling when the case is brought to trial.

But I think the radio station should go a bit further in its protest -- why describe the Chandler Rapist as male? After all, he could be a woman with a very large clitoris or a strap-on sex-toy.

Posted by: Greg at 07:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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How, I wonder, do you successfully repudiate your mother for her expressions of bigotry on the campaign trail.

John McCain's 95-year-old mother, in a swipe at her son's rival Mitt Romney, said Friday that Mormons were to blame for the scandal that rocked the 2002 Salt Lake City Olympics.

During an appearance on MSNBC, Roberta McCain laid out why her son, John, deserves to win the Republican presidential nomination. But in evaluating McCain's primary rivals, she criticized Romney's Mormon faith and his time in Salt Lake City.

"As far as the Salt Lake City thing, he's a Mormon and the Mormons of Salt Lake City had caused that scandal. And to clean that up, again, it's not a subject," Roberta McCain said.

John McCain quickly stepped in: "The views of my mothers are not necessarily the views of mine."

"Well, that's my view and you asked me," Roberta answered.

Frankly, McCain really didn't go far enough to distance himself from those expressions of bigotry. What's more, I don't know how he can successfully do so, especially after trying to spin the comments in a way that was not anti-Mormon.

I wonder -- has anyone asked her opinion of Jews lately?

UPDATE Here's Mommy!

Posted by: Greg at 07:18 AM | Comments (259) | Add Comment
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Posted by: Greg at 08:10 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Among the many reasons that I hate Ron Paul's presidential candidacy is the fact that it has resulted in the demise of Fort Bend County's only significant GOP political blog, Texas Safety Forum as its owner works for the Paul campaign. That's too bad, because we could really use Chris' insights into the current mess in the Fort Bend County GOP.

What am I talking about? The resignation of all of the party's officers. This decapitation of the Fort Bend Republicans, a violation of the fiduciary duty of these officers, may mean that there can be NO Republican candidates at all for any office in the overwhelmingly Republican county!

In a surprise announcement before an audience of elected Republican officials on Thursday, Fort Bend County GOP Chairman Gary Gillen said he and a slate of top party officers have quit.

Citing untenable political differences with what he termed “a number of fringe elements in the party,” Gillen said he, party Treasurer Richard McCarter, Secretary Nancy Porter and Parliamentarian Dick Hudgins have resigned effective immediately.

“We have a problem in Fort Bend County that I’d like to bring to your attention,” Gillen told an audience at a luncheon meeting of the West Fort Bend Republican Women, at Katy’s Falcon Point Country Club. “We’re facing nother less than a hostile takeover” of the county Republican Party.

Gillen did not identify members of a group he said gradually drove him to Thursday’s decision, but at one point in an interview after his announcement said, “if the executive committee of the party are not interested in helping all of our candidates equally, I am not interested in working with them.”

He said continuing friction with his political opponents has taken a toll on his family.

“I’m tired of seeing that hurt look in my wife’s eyes,” he added.

The problem, of course, is that Gillen came into the office of chairman as the result of a divisive primary in which he received only a minority of the votes in a three-way race. Not only that, he immediately found himself in conflict with a powerful faction of Executive Committee, made up of precinct chairs who had been elected by majorities in their own precincts and who were much more in contact with the desires of the GOP base in Fort Bend County. As the precinct chairs sought to exert their authority over the business of the party, Gillen chose not to work with them. Not only did he seek to impose the results of a rigged survey regarding Tom DeLay's successor on the party, he also made sought to divert Fort bend GOP funding into the coffers of a private PAC that he set up to eliminate accountability to the Executive Committee. And despite regularly being out-voted by the precinct chairs on policy matters, argued that the problem was the actions of an "extreme fringe group" among the precinct chairs, despite the fact that this faction included both religious conservatives and moderates. More recently, there have been issues over the mailing of the party newsletter and accusations of election law violations by Gillen.

This situation leaves the Fort Bend GOP, and the Republican Party of Texas, with a serious problem.

Another shoe dropped for local Republican Party officials on Friday, when they learned that the Fort Bend County GOP has been procedurally frozen in place by the sudden resignations of its chairman and top officers.

County GOP Chairman Gary Gillen stunned political officials and activists Thursday when he announced that he and party Treasurer Richard McCarter, Secretary Nancy Porter and Parliamentarian Dick Hudgins had resigned over continuing political differences with what Gillen called “fringe elements” within the party.

Then on Friday, members of the local GOP Executive Committee learned that they are at least temporarily unable to appoint even an interim chairman to replace Gillen.

According to the Texas Election Code, if the county party chairman’s position becomes vacant, the party secretary is to call a meeting “for the purpose of filling it.” But with no party secretary either, it’s up to the Texas Republican Party chair, “on written request of a member of the county executive committee,” to call a meeting to fill the county chairman vacancy.

Unfortunately for the party, no written resignations have been received and Porter won't take any phone calls -- so there is no way to determine if she has, in fact, resigned. It is therefore impossible for the state party to call a meeting, because it is not clear that the office is vacant.

And until the position of Party Chair has been filled, there can be no filings for county offices. After all, petitions for the primary ballot for such offices must be filed with the party chairman, starting in less than a month. No chairman, no filing for office, no Republican candidates in a county that has been a brilliant scarlet for years. In effect, the guy who claims he wants to help all candidates equally has acted to screw them all (and every Republican in the county) equally by creating a situation in which Republican voices cannot be heard at all.

And a couple of questions to ask about the decision by Gillen and his appointees to resign.

1) How successful were Gillen's efforts to raise funds for a reelection campaign -- and to pay of debts from the very expensive 2006 race?

2) What other candidates were on the horizon to challenge Gillen -- and which mainstream Republicans were supporting these other potential candidates?

Democrat political blogs are having a field day with this one.

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Posted by: Greg at 07:37 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Instant win cards are a great idea.

Let’s be honest – there have been many times when I’ve gone to a store simply because I knew they were giving out scratch and win cards that would give me a percentage off my purchases. Usually those types of scratch and win cards give you 10% or 15% off, but the promotional material states that some of the cards will give you a higher percentage off. I’m sure the stores that hold such promotions end up drawing more customers to their store when they’re giving out scratch and win cards than they do otherwise – and that the profits far outweigh the costs.

From time to time IÂ’ve also received scratch and win cards through the mail. Those scratch and win cards have sometimes made me consider visiting the business holding the promotion if they are selling a product I need.

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Posted by: Greg at 06:55 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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You know, folks who would kill school kids because they were a convenient target of opportunity.

FIFTY-NINE schoolchildren were confirmed dead today as a result of a suicide attack in northern Afghanistan that left another 96 injured.

The schoolchildren had been lined up to greet a group of politicians visiting a sugar factory in the northern province of Baghlan on Tuesday when a suicide bomber detonated explosives.

In total, at least 75 people were killed, including several members of parliament.

Fifty-nine schoolchildren aged eight to 18 and five teachers were among those killed in the attack, education ministry spokesman Zahoor Afghan said. The attack was the deadliest in the country since the US-led invasion in 2001 removed the Taliban regime from power.

Mr Afghan said: "The education minister has ordered that no children should ever again be used in these sort of events."

Actions like this one are intended to instill terror, and to make the people think twice about the ability of the government to protect them. Indeed, their purpose is less about killing a particular target than it is in making every person wonder if they are safe, and to sap th will of the people in general -- the true targets of such bombings. Indeed, these are exercises in propaganda through acts of barbarism. The choice, however, is clear -- stand firm in the face of terror, or surrender to those who murder children in order to achieve political victory.

Posted by: Greg at 06:32 PM | Comments (292) | Add Comment
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YouÂ’ve probably heard of iContact, the leading email marketing company with over 100,000 users worldwide. Well, theyÂ’ve recently launched a feature called the iContact Community that allows visitors to comment, rank, and discuss email newsletters. TheyÂ’ve managed to make making email interactive in a whole new way, and enabled subscriber discussions of email content.

What the iContact Community does is allow email marketers to create a public profile, archive their newsletters and blog posts, tag and categorize them, get their content indexed by Google, hold discussions with subscribers, and grow their opt-in lists by attracting interested readers.

Members of the iContact Community can vote on favorite content, comment on content, view the top ranked content in the communityÂ’s 18 categories, discuss topics in the forums, and find new email newsletters, RSS feeds, and blogs that interest them. Your votes as a member can help a newsletter that you think has great content move up in its category.

The iContact Community at http://community.icontact.com already has over 120,000 registered members and 212,000 pieces of content on it three days after launch. That is simply fantastic growth for such a new service, and is a tribute to the strength of iContact.com.

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If you want to find email newsletters and blogs you are interested in visit the iContact Community">iContact community now at http://community.icontact.com.

The design of the site is fantastic, and includes a great video that explains the entire iContact Community on the home page. I encourage you to stop by and check out their great features.

Posted by: Greg at 06:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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In 1980, Ronald Reagan spoke to a county fair near Philadelphia, Mississippi. It has often been claimed that the event was an appeal to racism by the Republican candidate, given a civil rights atrocity committed by members of the Democrat Party's paramilitary terrorist wing, the KKK, sixteen years earlier. Often overlooked was the fact that in the same week he gave a speech to the National Urban League which was a specific outreach to black Americans by pomising an agenda for economic opportunity.

New York Times columnist David Brooks sorts out the history of the speech and how it came to be given.

Reagan’s speech at the fair was short and cheerful, and can be heard at: www.onlinemadison.com/ftp/reagan/reaganneshoba.mp3. He told several jokes, and remarked: “I know speaking to this crowd, I’m speaking to a crowd that’s 90 percent Democrat.”

He spoke mostly about inflation and the economy, but in the middle of a section on schools, he said this: “Programs like education and others should be turned back to the states and local communities with the tax sources to fund them. I believe in states’ rights. I believe in people doing as much as they can at the community level and the private level.”

The use of the phrase “states’ rights” didn’t spark any reaction in the crowd, but it led the coverage in The Times and The Post the next day.

Reagan flew to New York and delivered his address to the Urban League, in which he unveiled an urban agenda, including enterprise zones and an increase in the minimum wage. He was received warmly, but not effusively. Much of the commentary that week was about whether ReaganÂ’s outreach to black voters would work.

You can look back on this history in many ways. It’s callous, at least, to use the phrase “states’ rights” in any context in Philadelphia. Reagan could have done something wonderful if he’d mentioned civil rights at the fair. He didn’t. And it’s obviously true that race played a role in the G.O.P.’s ascent.

Still, the agitprop version of this week — that Reagan opened his campaign with an appeal to racism — is a distortion, as honest investigators ranging from Bruce Bartlett, who worked for the Reagan administration and is the author of “Impostor: How George W. Bush Bankrupted America and Betrayed the Reagan Legacy,” to Kevin Drum, who writes for Washington Monthly, have concluded.

But still the slur spreads. ItÂ’s spread by people who, before making one of the most heinous charges imaginable, couldnÂ’t even take 10 minutes to look at the evidence. It posits that there was a master conspiracy to play on the alleged Klan-like prejudices of American voters, when there is no evidence of that conspiracy. And, of course, in a partisan age there are always people eager to believe this stuff.

Of course there is such an audience, given that the version attacking Reagan fits the false narrative built up by Democrat partisans about the GOP being a party of uneducated racists -- a narrative which is racist in its disregard for southern whites. ANd indeed, it overlooks the fact that, as Reagan points out in the speech, much of his audience was composed of Democrats -- folks who may have voted for Reagan that fall, but who also cast ballots for Democrats for every other office in that same election.

Posted by: Greg at 12:43 AM | Comments (2) | Add Comment
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Here's a neat story about high school football, and how a small town program has become a source of pride for a local community.

Their photos are on the cards traded over at the elementary school, and their exploits are on the lips of the old men who gather at the Second Cup Cafe each morning. They are the sons and grandsons of this north Kansas town, and for 30 autumns now, the Smith Center Redmen have puffed up the chests of folks here.

They are a high school football team, a superb one that has won 51 games in a row and three consecutive state championships, and has outscored opponents this season, 704-0. They are more than that, however, to the 1,931 people here who all know one anotherÂ’s names: The Redmen are proof that hard work and accountability still mean something.

The trading cards, for example, are not about hero worship. Each player and cheerleader signs a contract pledging to remain alcohol-, drug- and tobacco-free. If they break that promise, they must go to the elementary school to explain to the children why they were kicked off their team, and their cards are revoked.

Interest in the town’s youth is not limited to worshipful talk in its cafes, either. As many adults cruise Main Street as teenagers on weekends, and the Jiffy Burger remains a nexus for three generations of Smith Center denizens — except for Friday night, of course, when the Redmen (10-0) will travel to Oakley (11-0) to face the Plainsmen in a playoff game.

“What we do around here real well is raise kids,” Smith Center Coach Roger Barta said. “In fact, we do such a good job at it — and I’m talking about the parents and community — that they go away to school and succeed, and then pursue opportunities in the bigger cities.

“None of this is really about football,” he added. “We’re going to get scored on eventually, and lose a game, and that doesn’t mean anything. What I hope we’re doing is sending kids into life who know that every day means something.”

I've noticed the connection between athletics and making responsible citizens. At the school where I teach, athletes are held to a high standard, and we have seen well-over a hundred young men reach college on football scholarships that allow them educational opportunities they might not have gotten otherwise. Our other sports programs have had similar, if smaller, success. It sounds like Coach Barta of Smith Center, Kansas, has accomplished something similar with his program, which is as more important in my eyes than the phenomenal athletic success.

I'll be pulling for the Smith Center Redmen this weekend, hoping that they can manage another undefeated season and a 52-0 winning streak -- just as I will with my own school's shot at a seventh straight undefeated regular season.

Posted by: Greg at 12:24 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It could be that her "licenses for illegals" gaffe may cost her significantly in some states.

Hillary Rodham Clinton's once-commanding lead in New Hampshire has been slashed - a sign that the simmering driver's-license controversy may have bled into the critical first-primary state, a new poll shows.

Clinton leads top Democratic rival Barack Obama by only 10 percentage points - 34 to 24 - in the latest Rasmussen Reports poll, her smallest edge of the season. John Edwards comes in third, at 15 percent.

A month ago, Clinton had a 23-point lead in the same survey.

Last week, before Clinton stumbled in a Democratic presidential debate over Gov. Spitzer's plan to let illegal immigrants get driver's licenses, she led by 16 percent.

The survey also revealed that 66 percent of Democrats are against letting illegal immigrants get driver's licenses, with only 19 percent supporting the idea, an indication that Clinton's positive - but severely hedged - stance won't sell well in the Granite State.

And by the way -- her Iowa lead is down to 3 points.

The only problem is that there seems to be only a single Democrat in the race who is right on illegal immigration -- and even Chris Dodd strays far too far into the amnesty camp to be acceptable to the average American on the issue. It seems that it would be impossible for the rest of the Democrats to attack Hillary without it being noticed that they are all pro-amnesty, which would hurt them with middle America.

Posted by: Greg at 12:10 AM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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Charles Krauthammer sees the situation much like I do.

[W]we need to make clear our choices. The best among the awful ones Musharraf has presented to us is to try to broker a truce between the two forces before the blood starts to flow, keep Musharraf to his promise of holding early parliamentary elections -- which Bhutto will win -- and then guarantee him a dignified and gradual exit that ensures his protection while Bhutto and her allies claim legitimate authority and try to reach an accommodation with Musharraf's successor as military chief.

It's a long downfield pass. But Musharraf never consulted us on the choice of plays.

Indeed, given that this recent declaration of emergency went strongly against US urgings. We have been trying quite hard to heal the Musharraf/Bhutto breach and aid in restoring democracy in Pakistan. Ultimately, Musharraf decided to ignore US appeals, and even his decision to leave the army and hold elections seem to be on his terms. Unless Condi Rice and George Bush can prevail upon Musharraf to release the political prisoners currently under arrest (including Bhutto herself), the currently scheduled elections are a farce and the outcome as ham. I'm beginning to get the answers I need to make a conclusion on this point from last weekend.

So for me, a key question will be how long these opposition leaders are held, and how long elections are delayed. Indeed, I'd argue the legitimacy of the entire Pakistani political system -- and the government of a nation with nuclear arms -- depends upon those very issues.

I think the latest course of actions in Pakistan are clearly undermining the legitimacy of the whole enterprise -- and that Musharraf has only a limited time in which to turn loose his opponents before being permanently relegated to international pariah status.

Posted by: Greg at 12:06 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Are you a business owner? have you ever thought that it might be better to incorporate? Well, you might want to consider the advantages of using the S corporation structure to take advantage of the legal and legitimate deductions offered to such businesses under the tax code. The result is lower tax liability under the law, which can be the difference between profit and loss, or increase your profits. Consider the possibilities today after you check out SCorporationsExplained.com for more information.

Posted by: Greg at 08:57 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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If this is true, it strikes me that General Musharraf may have gone one step too far for the international community to tolerate.

The opposition leader Benazir Bhutto was placed under house arrest this morning, her political party said. Streets were filled with police officers carrying batons and shields, and trucks blocked roads, trying to prevent access to a protest rally that Ms. Bhutto had helped organize in Rawalpindi, the garrison city adjacent to the capital of Islamabad.

Gen. Pervez Musharraf said Thursday, a day after President Bush called, that PakistanÂ’s parliamentary elections would be held before Feb. 15. But his security forces continued to widen their crackdown and jailed thousands of opposition party members before the rally, which is scheduled to start in the early afternoon today.

I'm sorry, but there is absolutely no positive spin that can be put on this story. While the rescheduled elections had appeared to be a positive development yesterday, the arrest of the key opposition figure that the General had been courting is a key misstep. My suspicion is that this move, along with the arrests of thousands of Bhutto's followers to stop protests against the Musharraf regime, will result in a withdrawal of support from the Musharraf regime, and demands for strong sanctions against Pakistan until Musharraf is removed from power. As a result, I see the US losing a key Muslim ally in the war on Islamist terror groups like the Taliban and al-Qaeda.

H/T Malkin, Hot Air

Posted by: Greg at 07:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Posted by: Greg at 06:46 PM | Comments (17) | Add Comment
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We know, of course, that the reason for all of the intriguing geological formations and geysers around Yellowstone national park is the history of volcanism in the area. Well, is the pressure building for another big blow?

Yellowstone National Park, once the site of a giant volcano, has begun swelling up, possibly because molten rock is accumulating beneath the surface, scientists report.

But, "there is no evidence of an imminent volcanic eruption," said Robert B. Smith, a professor of geophysics at the University of Utah.

Many giant volcanic craters around the world go up and down over decades without erupting, he said.

Smith and colleagues report in Friday's issue of the journal Science that the flow of the ancient Yellowstone crater has been moving upward almost 3 inches per year for the past three years.

That is more than three times faster than ever observed since such measurements began in 1923, the researchers said.

"Our best evidence is that the crustal magma chamber is filling with molten rock," Smith said in a statement. "But we have no idea how long this process goes on before there either is an eruption or the inflow of molten rock stops and the caldera deflates again."

It has been 642,000 since the last major eruption, but scientists tell us not to worry about an imminent cataclysm. Still, such swelling was detected at Mount St. Helens before it erupted in the 1980s, and the three documented major eruptions in the last 2 million years all exceeded that event. Scientist do keep a close watch on the area, so we should have plenty of warning before a major event does occur.

Posted by: Greg at 06:38 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Broadband internet service has become affordale for most people, at speeds that were unthinkable for your average web surfer only a few years ago. BT is offering cheap broadband packages in the UK at reasonable prices, as low as £8.95 in some cases. Why wouldn't you want to make the switch?

Posted by: Greg at 06:24 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One more example of how the regime of Mahmoud the Mad represses basic human rights.

Nearly a year ago, French-Iranian filmmaker Mehrnoushe Solouki arrived in Tehran to shoot a documentary about the burial rites of Iran's religious minorities. But when she stumbled upon a mass grave of regime opponents summarily executed in 1988, Solouki was suddenly thrown into Tehran's notorious Evin prison.

She was released after about a month, but authorities confiscated her French passport, barring her exit from the Islamic Republic. Frightened, she briefly sought refuge in the French Embassy. "Every moment, I feel like I'm in a state of limbo between life and death," Solouki told RFE/RL's Radio Farda in a telephone interview on November 6.

Now, Solouki is due to go before an Iranian court on November 17. She apparently faces charges of intending to make antiestablishment propaganda, which she denies. But the proceedings will take place behind closed doors, their outcome far from certain. And fearing the worst, Solouki is urging the international community to shine a light on her case, with a particular appeal to French President Nicolas Sarkozy.

Now we are only talking about a grave containing the bodies of nearly 3 thousand political dissidents murdered in contravention of international law. The Iranians donÂ’t like having that little atrocity discussed, and so they have acted to silence a filmmaker who might share details of it with the world. The world must not allow the Islamist dictatorship to suppress the truth.

Posted by: Greg at 11:50 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It appears that PakistanÂ’s elections will be delayed a month.

Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf has decided that parliamentary elections will be held by Feb. 15 and reiterated plans to step down as head of the Army, partial concessions to the pressure building on him from Washington and inside Pakistan since he declared a state of emergency over the weekend.

However the embattled president still seemed headed for direct confrontation with former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who said Thursday's announcements would not dissuade her from a mass rally planned for Friday in Rawalpindi. Authorities rounded up hundreds of members of Bhutto's Pakistan Peoples Party in overnight raids -- the first time that party activists have been targeted since the emergency was declared.

And that last part of the report raises an important issue – will these be free elections, or will they be a show that does not have the actual substance of democracy. The reality was that Musharraf was on a path towards legitimizing his rule a week ago, but has now done a great deal to destroy the credibility of any outcome in which he remains in power. And in light of the question I asked this morning, I find myself wondering if we will see the Pakistani leader leaving the country bound for some foreign refuge, just as Ferdinand Marcos was forced to do in the Philippines. I'm curious -- how many pairs of shoes does Mrs. Musharraf own?

Posted by: Greg at 11:49 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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And it will ultimately be unsuccessful.

The wife of executed killer Michael Richard filed a federal lawsuit Wednesday accusing Texas Court of Criminal Appeals Presiding Judge Sharon Keller of causing the inmate's Sept. 25 lethal injection.

Marsha Richard of Houston claims Keller had no authority to prevent what would have been a successful appeal to stay her husband's execution.

The lawsuit says Keller violated Michael Richard's due process rights when she ordered the court clerk's office to close promptly at 5 p.m. on Sept. 25 before his lawyers could file an appeal. Houston attorney David Dow had asked for more time after having computer problems.

The suit names Keller in her individual and official capacity, as well as other unnamed defendants in their individual and official capacities.

Excuse me -- Michael Richard was a scum-sucking murdering bastard who caused his own death by his life of crime, having been duly convicted by a jury of his peers and had every appeal rejected. There was no chance of his death sentence being overturned. The only question was when, not if, justice was going to be served -- and even if the appeal had been successful, in the end the only question would be one of HOW the sentence would have been carried out.

Besides, Keller acted appropriately under the law and the procedures in place at the time -- as was shown by the Supreme Court's unwillingness to take up the issue and stop the execution. Interestingly enough, Mrs. Richard didn't see fit to include the justices of the US Supreme Court who refused to grant a stay of execution after Judge Keller properly rejected the appeal when Michael's Richard's lawyers didn't meet the filing deadline.

Dismiss this suit, assess Marsha Richard for all court costs and legal fees for those she sued, and sanction the lawyers for this frivolous suit.

And I'm sure I speak for most Americans when I say that I don't give a rat's ass if murderers suffer a bit while being executed, given the lack of regard they showed for the lives and sufferings of their victims. But if lethal injection of a drug cocktail is a constitutional no-no based upon speculation of suffering, I'm all for the lethal injection of lead at high velocity -- or public hanging in the county where the crime took place. Especially since any reading of the original intent of the Eighth Amendment will show that the founders did not consider the latter to be cruel and unusual punishment, as it was the preferred form of execution in their day.

Posted by: Greg at 11:15 PM | Comments (272) | Add Comment
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Is Benazir Bhutto the new Corazon Aquino?

Following four days of relatively tepid statements, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Wednesday issued a rousing call to action against President Pervez Musharraf's declaration of emergency rule, setting up a possible direct confrontation between two titans of Pakistani power.

Bhutto, whose legions of rank-and-file supporters have been conspicuously absent from anti-Musharraf demonstrations this week, urged her backers to attend a major rally Friday in Rawalpindi, the headquarters of the army, which Musharraf heads. After that, she said, opponents of emergency rule would begin "a long march" from the eastern city of Lahore to the capital, Islamabad. The 250-mile journey will take them through the heart of Punjab, Pakistan's largest and most politically influential province.

For reasons that are not always clear, Bhutto is often seen as the great symbol of Pakistani democracy, despite her somewhat checkered history. Ity may be that her call for people to march peaceful for a change will be very effective. And any effort to break up her rally will be seen quite negatively in the West, and will make even tepid support of Musharraf from the West completely untenable.

Looks to me like any outcome will be bad for Musharraf, unless he can cut a deal with the opposition along the lines of what President Bush indicated must happen -- resignation from the army, free elections on schedule, and an end to the state of emergency. But has the situation already gone beyond the point where that can happen?

Posted by: Greg at 11:03 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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With the rise of the internet, one of the new ways of getting an education that has developed is online education. You can earn a degree in many fields by taking the bulk of your coursework at home, online. That really expands your educational opportunities, because now you can get yourself an online degree!

Frankly, I am all for such developments. After all, I actually teach part-timein an online program, though one that is in a mixed-delivery format that includes a classroom session once a week. The way it works is for students to access a server and read materials, watch streaming-video lectures, submit assignments and do tests online. My classes even have a bulletin board on which we discuss topics I set (which often get quite detailed), with participation in the discussion threads being factored into the course grade. Best of all, students can participate at their convenience, day or night.

I've worked with colleagues who have earned their masters degree through fully online programs. They have generally been happy with the programs, and have found them both strong in content and practical in focus. One of the great things for them is that it has enabled them to do coursework through colleges that they could never have attended while continuing to live and work where they are now. The result is access to programs that would have been otherwise unavailable to them. That makes the internet a real boon for those seeking to improve themselves through education.

Posted by: Greg at 11:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Fifteen years ago, this was an important endorsement. A decade ago, it was one that might have made a difference. But let's be honest -- does anyone really care what Pat Robertson says anymore.

Televangelist Pat Robertson, founder of the Christian Coalition, endorsed Republican presidential candidate Rudy Giuliani on Wednesday.

"It is my pleasure to announce my support for America's Mayor, Rudy Giuliani, a proven leader who is not afraid of what lies ahead and who will cast a hopeful vision for all Americans," Robertson said during a news conference with Giuliani in Washington.

The former New York mayor backs abortion rights and gay rights, positions that put him in conflict with conservative GOP orthodoxy, and has been trying to persuade evangelical conservatives like Robertson to overlook their differences on those issues.

Evangelicals have split in their support for the leading Republican candidates. Kansas Sen. Sam Brownback, a favorite of Christian conservatives who dropped out of the race last month, endorsed fellow Sen. John McCain of Arizona on Wednesday. Former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney recently announced that Paul Weyrich and Bob Jones III were on board with his candidacy.

It isn't that I don't have a certain amount of respect for Robertson -- I do. Rather, it is a question of how relevant he is to the process today. Twenty years ago he was a candidate for the presidency. His star has fallen since then, or rather it has been eclipsed by other leaders on the evangelical right. I just don't know that he is the sort of heavyweight that James Dobson would have to be considered. Indeed, it will only be something for those who hate the religious right, like homosexualist blogger and columnist Andrew Sullivan, to froth about.

Oh, and as for the Brownback endorsement of McCain, I consider it about as relevant as an endorsement from Tommy Thompson, another failed presidential candidate who could not even make it into 2008.

Posted by: Greg at 10:55 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I hope I never need to sell property fast, because that would mean that I would be reacting to a crisis that would put me out of my home. But the reality is that sometimes things happen in life that are beyond control that can impact your financial situation. When that happens, you need to be able to tap into that equity quickly, and not by getting a loan. In such cases, where do you turn to save yourself from financial ruin?

Of course, saying that you want to sell your home fast and actually accomplishing that are two different things. It depends on if it is a seller's market or a buyer's market. Right now, it seems to be a buyers market in most parts of the country. And sometimes the market is simply down.

However, WeBuyHouses.com can help you sell your house fast . They are a group of investors that buy homes around the United States. You just fill out one form about your home and they will then put you in contact with an investor interested in purchasing your home. Then the two parties work out the details – after all, maybe you really need to have cash upfront, or perhaps you can finance the sale over the long term. They understand that in some situations a fast home sale is more important than a listing the property and waiting for someone to come along and buy – especially when the situation in question is the source of a lot of stress. WeBuyHouses.com can help relieve that stress by connecting you with that buyer so you can sell property fast!

Posted by: Greg at 10:46 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Always an appropriate response.

And this parody, sung to the tune of "It's A Small World (After All) -- the most annoying song in Disney history -- is just as annoying as the original when it gets stuck in your head. Love the parenthetical comments, too.

ItÂ’s a world of tinfoil, a world of hats.
Dennis Kucinich is completely bats.
Let us not be afraid
As we drink our Kool-Aid.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

ThereÂ’s the Internet and here is our plan:
EvÂ’ry online poll we will gently jam.
Ron Paul is our hero.
HeÂ’s like H. Ross Perot.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

[How do you turn this thing off?]

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

[Oh great. IÂ’m in a Do loop.]

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

[Enough already.]

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Paul world after all.
ItÂ’s a Ron Paul world.

H/T Don Surber

Posted by: Greg at 10:25 PM | Comments (1) | Add Comment
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I've got to tell you -- I don't know how I lived without wireless broadband before this summer. Really, the change in speed and convenience has been phenomenal! If you are in the UK BT Wireless Broadband is the wi-fi solution to all your internet needs. Check out their website for details on great deals on wifi broadband.

Posted by: Greg at 06:07 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is just what we need.

More than 80 House Democrats and Republicans yesterday teamed up to propose a new immigration-enforcement bill, saying they reject the Senate's two attempts at "amnesty" and signaling that only an enforcement measure can pass this Congress.

Led by Rep. Heath Shuler of North Carolina, a freshman Democrat who won election with a tough immigration-enforcement message, the bill also challenges conventional wisdom by showing a large number of rank-and-file Democrats agree with most Republicans that the first step should be a get-tough approach on border security.

That new approach includes going after businesses that hire illegal aliens, better information-sharing among federal agencies such as the IRS, Homeland Security and the Social Security Administration to track illegal aliens, and an increase in enforcement agents both at the border and in the nation's interior.

"The reason you're seeing so many of us standing here today, Democrats and Republicans, is this is the immigration reform bill the American people have been waiting for," said Rep. Jason Altmire of Pennsylvania, a freshman who is one of 44 Democrats signing on as original co-sponsors, along with 40 Republicans.

Once we make it impossible for illegals to work (or go to school) in this country, they will start to self-deport. And even if they donÂ’t, attempts to illegally seek benefits to which they are not morally entitled will cause them to self-identify as illegal.

And, as always, my policy preference is as follows.

Round ‘em up! Ship ‘em back! Rawhide!

Posted by: Greg at 01:21 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Kid is busted for drugs at school. Cops are called. Parents are called. Cops determine the whole family are in the country illegally (smoking the pot that Americans wonÂ’t smoke?) and call the Border Patrol. Family gets deported.

Sounds like a happy ending to me, in accordance with the laws of the United States.

Unfortunately, students and administrators in the Tucson Unified School District disagreed. And now the cops have announced their intention to ignore, rather than enforce, the law.

>About a hundred students demonstrated outside a Tucson high school Tuesday, then marched five miles downtown to protest the arrest and removal to Mexico of a classmate and his family.

The students apparently did not walk out of classes but arrived at Catalina High School on ready to demonstrate and head to the federal building, Tucson Unified School District spokeswoman Chryl Hill Lander said.

Tucson police spokesman Sgt. Mark Robinson said at least some of the demonstrators veered off to congregate peacefully outside police headquarters.

* * *

School officials searched the backpack of a 17-year-old freshman who was incoherent, and when they found a substance that looked like marijuana, called police — standard procedure.

"Police were called in because there was marijuana found in a student's backpack," Lander said. "Administrators have the right to go through a backpack when the situation warrants, and the student was acting strangely, was incoherent. He wasn't able to talk and make complete sentences," she said.

Police called the boy's parents and asked them to come to the school. When they arrived, police asked to see their drivers' licenses.

The parents acknowledged living in the United States illegally with their two sons, including a sixth-grader, for a half-dozen years.

Police in turn notified the Border Patrol, who took all four people into custody.
Immigrants rights activists voiced concern about the incident, but Tucson police defended calling the Border Patrol as the appropriate action.

In other words, this is really straightforward. They weren’t even looking for illegals – they were dealing with a kid so stoned that he couldn’t see straight who got busted with drugs. The discovery of the immigration status was merely incidental. This is the classic case of when everyone OUGHT to agree that rounding them up and sending them home is appropriate

IÂ’m particularly incensed by this comment.

Jennifer Allen, director of the Border Action Network, said allowing immigration agents into schools could create more mistrust and fear in the immigrant community.

More mistrust? More fear? You say that like it is a bad thing. I want them so damn scared that they are pissing their pants every time they set foot on the streets of our nation or hear a knock on the door. I want them so mistrustful and frightened that they go back to their countries of origin. Criminals OUGHT to be mistrustful and fearful, and it is a sign of mental and moral weakness to think that they should not be.

And yet you get a street protest by a bunch of kids cutting school, many of whom are probably in this country illegally themselves.

On Tuesday morning, more than 100 students, mostly from Catalina, gathered outside TPD headquarters, 270 S. Stone Ave., to protest the removal of the boy and his family by the U.S. Border Patrol.

Police called Border Patrol officials after they had been told by the family that is had been in the country illegally, police officials said.

But the students, some carrying signs including "Migra (immigration agents) out of our schools," said they should not be afraid they might be yanked from their classrooms by immigration police.

In Arizona, public school districts are forbidden by law to deny an education to any school-age child living here, Tucson Unified School District officials said.

The district's stance on the issue was clear: "We don't want immigration laws enforced on our campuses," said TUSD Superintendent Roger Pfeuffer.

He, deputy superintendent Patti Lopez and police officials including Assistant Chief Roberto Villaseñor, met as the protesters waited in a orderly fashion outside the station.

Pfeuffer said Villaseñor came out to speak with students after their meeting and pointed out that police never would have called the Border Patrol if police hadn't been called to the school for criminal activity.

Villaseñor said police have to ask the question of citizenship when they are taking someone into custody.

Community activist Isabel Garcia questioned that action. And, she added, "You should not have called Border Patrol onto campus."

Someone explain to me why the Border Patrol should not have been called. When you become aware of a violation of the law, that is what ought to happen. Any kid who doesn’t feel safe because they come on campus probably has good reason to feel unsafe, and does not belong at the school – or in this country. And as for the superintendent of the district, may I suggest that if he doesn’t want immigration laws enforced on his district’s campuses, he needs to immediately renounce and return all federal aid of any kind. After all, most Americans don’t want their tax money being spent on illegal aliens of for schools where contempt for the law is openly encouraged. Heck, I hope some courageous member of Congress will seek to add a rider to some bill targeting every penny that TUSD receives in federal money.

And then the cops folded like a cheap hide-a-bed.

Villaseñor said Tuesday afternoon that TPD would no longer call the Border Patrol to churches or schools, although it will cooperate with the Border Patrol.

Got that, folks – churches and schools in Tucson are now law-free zones, where cops will ignore illegal activity. Disgusting.

The time has come for our nation to start enforcing policies penalizing sanctuary cities – and expanding those policies to also penalize sanctuary schools. Not only should schools not be allowed to ignore our nation’s immigration laws, but they should be expected to cooperate with immigration authorities. They should also be forbidden to penalize employees who report immigration violations brought to their attention.

Posted by: Greg at 01:20 PM | Comments (5) | Add Comment
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After all, why else would they want to require a reporter to disclose the identity of confidential sources before releasing what is, by law, public information available to any citizen?

A South Texas public television station has refused to turn over financial documents to the Valley Morning Star unless a reporter reveals confidential sources, the newspaper reported Nov. 3.
Reporter Bruce Lee Smith on Nov. 2 tried to pick up financial documents he had requested from KMBH television and radio, run by RGV Educational Broadcasting Inc. as the local Public Broadcasting System affiliate.
When Smith arrived at the television studio, he was told KMBH officials would release the documents only if the reporter signed a letter in which he agreed to disclose confidential sources who provided background information to him about the stationÂ’s finances and operations.

This was not even a Freedom Of Information Act request – these are records that are required to be available for public inspection as a condition of receiving federal grant money to operate as a PBS station.

Now I donÂ’t know whether there is actually any wrong-doing in the use of the grant money. What I do know is that there seems to be some problem with their willingness to follow the laws under which they receive tax money to operate.

Posted by: Greg at 01:17 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Believe it or not, my high school down here in Houston actually has a surfing club. Yeah, I know, that's what I thought when they formed it, but it has quickly become a big deal among a segment of the student body.

Since I have a couple of kids from the club in my classes, I have learned a bit about surf equipment, and the importance of getting good quality accessories like fins, traction pads, leashes, bags, racks and assorted other items. For that matter, some of the kids have even adopted the "surfer look" in terms of their apparel and sunglasses.

One great site for getting all the best in surf equipment is SurfboardsEtc.com. They have the best brands and the hottest styles -- and they even feature Surfboards from custom board shapers, those artisans who design boards for surfers. They link to the shapers (for free) right from their website, so you can get what you want straight from the shaper.

Posted by: Greg at 11:35 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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It was not too many decades ago that young men in trouble with the law were given an option by a judge -- jail or the military. Many of them joined the military, got their acts together, and became upstanding citizens.

As the military became an all-volunteer force, standards became higher. Minor offenses that might have gotten a guy to join the military became disqualifying factor. And some things became disqualifiers that really had nothing to do with fitness to serve at all. Example? Tattoos, even if they weren't gang-related -- even as tattoos became more socially acceptable in American society.

Which leads us to this story.

Faced with higher recruiting goals, the Pentagon is quietly looking for ways to make it easier for people with minor criminal records to join the military, The Associated Press has learned.

The review, in its early stages, comes as the number of Army recruits needing waivers for bad behavior — such as trying drugs, stealing, carrying weapons on school grounds and fighting — rose from 15 percent in 2006 to 18 percent this year. And it reflects the services' growing use of criminal, health and other waivers to build their ranks.

Overall, about three in every 10 recruits must get a waiver, according to Pentagon statistics obtained by AP, and about two-thirds of those approved in recent years have been for criminal behavior. Some recruits must get more than one waiver to cover things ranging from any criminal record, to health problems such as asthma or flat feet, to low aptitude scores — and even for some tattoos.

The goal of the review is to make cumbersome waiver requirements consistent across the services — the Army, Marine Corps, Navy and Air Force — and reduce the number of petty crimes that now trigger the process. Still, some Army officers worry that disciplinary problems will grow as more soldiers with records, past drug use and behavior problems are brought in.

I've seen how these processes go. One of my students wanted to be a Marine, but had to get a waiver for a tattoo on his shoulder memorializing his cousin, who had been killed in a random shooting. Another was arrested at 13 for breaking into a neighbor's house to recover a stolen bicycle -- he ended up with a year's probation and went on to become an honor student. And I won't even begin to get into the cases of kids who tried marijuana once at a party and had to go through the process. I'm willing to bet that most of these waivers are for good kids who have messed up -- and who will make exemplary citizens after the experiences of military service. They are the kids who I work with to try to ensure that they don't screw up again -- the ones you want to see get a second chance.

That is why I will find the reaction of liberals like Oliver Willis on this topic informative. Liberals love to tell us that kids shouldn't be thrown away for youthful mistakes. Why, then, does Willis (and other liberals) feel it necessary to degrade them when they seek to serve their country? Could it be that they loathe the military, and the country, so deeply that they are prepared to tear down folks trying to better themselves? Is it merely rank hypocrisy from the left -- the kind we are all so used to? You bet it is.

Posted by: Greg at 11:33 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Even if it does not really mean what they want it to mean. After all, as we have documented, deaths among American troops in Iraq have been trending sharply downward after a spike earlier this year.

The U.S. military announced six new deaths Tuesday, making 2007 the bloodiest year for American troops in Iraq despite a recent decline in casualties and a sharp drop in roadside bombings that Washington links to Iran.

With nearly two months left in the year, the annual toll is now 853 — three more than the previous worst of 850 in 2004.

But the grim milestone comes as the Pentagon points toward other encouraging signs as well — growing security in Baghdad and other former militant strongholds that could help consolidate the gains against extremists.

It takes until 3/4 of the way through the article to get to the good news about Iraq casualties.

The noticeable drop in U.S. and Iraqi deaths in recent months follows a 30,000-strong U.S. force buildup, along with a six-month cease-fire order by radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, among other factors. There were 39 deaths in October, compared to 65 in September and 84 in August.

And as noted by military officials, the reason for the spike in deaths had been the increase in contact with enemy forces following the implementation of the Surge strategy. The results of that strategy, though, constitute strong steps on the road to victory in Iraq. Something that this story is designed to minimize by quoting statistics without context. And counting on the sort of reaction that any decent individual will have -- that each death of a serviceman is a tragedy -- those involved in writing the article want to lead folks to the conclusion that each death is a wasteful, needless one, and that the numbers indicate defeat.

They would have been great to have around on D-Day.

Posted by: Greg at 11:11 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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So, are you in the market for a car? Want to get an Accord or one of the other great cars from Honda? You can get Honda Car Quotes really easy by going to CarsBlvd.com. They have dealers competing for your business, trying to offer you the best price for the vehicle you want. We're talking about getting down to wholesale, friend! Drop by and let them give you two quotes free!

Posted by: Greg at 11:00 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Some folks are going to want to make this about a split withing the conservative movement. It is far from it. Instead, it is a simple contract issue.

Five authors have sued the parent company of Regnery Publishing, a Washington imprint of conservative books, charging that the company deprives its writers of royalties by selling their books at a steep discount to book clubs and other organizations owned by the same parent company.

In a suit filed in United States District Court in Washington yesterday, the authors Jerome R. Corsi, Bill Gertz, Lt. Col. Robert (Buzz) Patterson, Joel Mowbray and Richard Miniter state that Eagle Publishing, which owns Regnery, “orchestrates and participates in a fraudulent, deceptively concealed and self-dealing scheme to divert book sales away from retail outlets and to wholly owned subsidiary organizations within the Eagle conglomerate.”

Some of the authors’ books have appeared on the New York Times best-seller list, including “Unfit for Command: Swift Boat Veterans Speak Out Against John Kerry,” by Mr. Corsi and John E. O’Neill (who is not a plaintiff in the suit), Mr. Patterson’s “Dereliction of Duty: The Eyewitness Account of How Bill Clinton Compromised America’s National Security” and Mr. Miniter’s “Shadow War: The Untold Story of How Bush Is Winning the War on Terror.” In the lawsuit the authors say that Eagle sells or gives away copies of their books to book clubs, newsletters and other organizations owned by Eagle “to avoid or substantially reduce royalty payments to authors.”

The authors argue that in reducing royalty payments, the publisher is maximizing its profits and the profits of its parent company at their expense.

I'm not familiar enough with the publishing industry to tell whether the suit has merit or not. I'll be quite interested in seeing what becomes of the case, given Regnery's prominence on the right. But rest assured, the result will not be the end of conservative publishing.

Posted by: Greg at 10:59 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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There's been a change -- US National Telecom is now trading as USNT, having changed its name from Yi Wan. So quit tracking YIWA, and change it to USNT.

And by the way, check out the US National Telecom (USNT) site at USNationalTelecom.com for more information about this fast-growing company, which has grown 161% since January -- and also look at its subsidiary, Vitelity.com.

Posted by: Greg at 06:02 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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First conspiracy theorists.

Then Nazis and other racists.

Now anti-Catholics for Ron Paul?

Historians and British schoolchildren remember Guy Fawkes as the Roman Catholic, anti-Protestant rebel who on Nov. 5, 1605, tried to assassinate King James I by blowing up the Parliament. Supporters of the Republican primary campaign of the libertarian Representative Ron Paul may remember Fawkes as a wildly successful fund-raising gimmick.

On Monday, a group of Paul supporters helped raised more than $4.07 million in one day — approaching what the campaign raised in the entire last quarter — through a Web site called ThisNovember5th.com, a reference to the day the British commemorate the thwarted bombing.

Now let's remember what the history of Guy Fawkes Day has always been -- the reveling in anti-Catholicism. Given the sort of hate-mongers already attracted to Paul's campaign, is this really a coincidence?

Posted by: Greg at 11:15 PM | Comments (7) | Add Comment
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1 Looks like you are grasping at straws here. I am a Catholic and I gave to Ron Paul yesterday. It was inspired more by the movie V for Vendetta and people throwing out the corrupt politicians. The donation had everything to do with Ron Paul and nothing to do with Guy.

Posted by: Sean at Tue Nov 6 01:05:53 2007 (0I0sm)

2 I agree with Sean. I like what Paul has to say..I don't agree with him on everything but I agree with him on a lot more than I do the RINOs and the Christian right wingers. Paul seems to understand that this country was built on freedom and an opportunity to succeed and not as the Christian right wing would have you believe..Christian moral principles. I am still supporting Thompson and Tancredo but if neither gets the nomination and Paul runs on a third party ticket he has my vote..and if he manages to get the GOP nomination..which I doubt..then he for sure has my vote.

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Posted by: Ymdqrkdf at Wed Oct 7 10:56:07 2009 (bsQ3M)

6 Prisoner Of A Morbid Cradle Mp3

Posted by: Trusme Mp3 at Mon Oct 12 06:05:09 2009 (PpFFE)

7 Keep Tthe Faith Baby feat. KD Lang, siuvcwlv, 8864, usvyhfzv, wjloww, nfrrwctr, 9362,

Posted by: Fuqjhiiq at Mon Oct 12 12:41:33 2009 (ianfZ)

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