Right Wing Nut House

The totals are in from this week’s Watchers Council vote and once again, yours truly managed to come out on top. Also once again, the Watcher himself had to exercise his powers as Chairman and cast the tie breaking vote. This time, it was between my post “Please Don’t Run, Newt’ and an article I voted for from The Glittering Eye entitled “Intellectual Property and the Trade Deficit.”

The Eye’s article was an eye opener (sorry ’bout that, but it fit too nicely!). Did you know that 90% of application software in China is pirated? It’s unbelievable the amount of money this country is losing not just in software, but in other intellectual property like music and movies. It’s so bad that the U.S. Chamber of Commerce has estimated U.S. companies lose more than $200 billion in China each year because of sales of counterfeited and pirated goods:

Yes, $200 BILLION. Our trade deficit with China in 2004 was $162 billion or, said another way, if China were playing fairly and honestly all other things being equal we’d be running a $48 billion dollar surplus with China. And nobody (except for the Chinese) would be talking about revaluing currencies or Americans consuming too much.

I don’t see any real likelihood of this situation righting itself, the Chinese are unlikely to take anything but show measures to correct things, and I don’t believe that any outside agency (like the WTO) will actually do anything to correct the situation.

And the scary and depressing thing of it is; nothing can be done.

Read the whole thing. It’s, as I said. a real eye opener.

In the non-Council categoy, Varifrank won with an excellent essay “I Got Your Desecration Right Here Pal.” A sampling:

Hello, my name is Fabrizio Quattrocchi. I was captured by Muslim holy warriors and tortured before cameras, just for their sport. In the end, they set aside of any respect for international law common, human decency or even the restraint of their own religious doctrine and beheaded me. I shouldn’t have expected any special treatment as this is a common act that they perform even among their own people. However, you won’t see the video of my beheading because I died like a man rather than the sniveling coward they wanted me to be.

I just want you all to know that I find all Muslims who decry to horrors of “George Bush and abu-ghraib” and now this desecration of the Koran to be a bit, shall we say “shallow” in light of the fact that the same “abu-ghraib” that you decry under Bush was a charnel house under Saddam, and yet you said nothing since it was a fellow Muslim doing the killing Oh, and I tell you, the International Red Cross coming out for concern over “civilian deaths in iraq” now that Saddam is gone is rich, real rich. Where was all the concern when the Kurds were being gassed? Where was all the concern for the marsh arabs then, eh? Where’s all the indignity when the supposedly holy kingdom of Saudi Arabia works so hard at killing and subjugating so many of the worlds Muslims. See any Christians in Arabia? No, Golly why is that? Oh that’s right, because it’s a death sentence

I think he’s upset. We all should be.

Second place in the non-Council category went to Austin Bay for his thoughtful article on the fallout from the Newsweek scandal, calling it the press’ “Abu Ghraib,” and a great round-up of reaction from the world media:

But why might this be the press’ Abu Ghraib? Here’s the connection: globe-girdling technology has once again amplified foolish behavior, lack of professionalism, and disregard for consequences into a tragedy. Consider Abu Ghraib, without the fevered hyperbole of The Nation or The Guardian. The behavior of US troops at the prison was inexcuseable –frat rat hazing, trailer trash porn, street punk threat taken up ten quanta to felony prisoner abuse. But dump the hyperbole and call Abu Ghraib what it was: rank felony abuse, not deadly torture. The global dissemination of Lynndie England’s dog leash photos, etc., (and magnification of the abuse by anti-American critics) made Abu Ghraib the political and historical scar it is. The US soldiers committed a crime, but information technology made the crime an international fiasco.

If you’d like to participate in the Watcher’s Council Vote, go here and follow instructions.

You may have heard that Howard Dean will be appearing this Sunday with the maestro himself, Tim Russert on NBC’s “Meet the Press.” Since I’m pretty lazy on Sunday and don’t feel like interrupting my “Nicktoons” viewing for anything, I thought I’d pay a visit to my good friend and inventor Professor Hawkinshank.

Now the Professor has a marvelous invention he calls a “TV Time Portal” that allows the viewer to see future TV shows. Isn’t that something? For instance, I already know who wins “American Idol.” And I’ve already seen Michael Moore’s next three movies. Surprise! They’re clunkers. Now, the Professor made me swear that I wouldn’t reveal anything more than 4 days into the future…something to do with anti-gravitons doing a deadly dance with proto-energy. Evidently this wouldn’t do too much damage to the space-time continuum. I’m sure you’d have no problems. Everyone can get used to eating upside down.

But I was curious to see how the Reverend Dean would deal with the relentless Mr. Russert. So the Professor allowed me to view and take notes on this very interesting and revealing interview:

Russert: Welcome to Meet the Press Dr. Dean.

Dean: Please call me Governor. I’m not really a Doctor. My wife’s the Doctor. I mean, one of the reasons I ran for Governor was because I couldn’t hack it as a physician. I wanted to be a vet, did you know that Tim?

Russert: No Governor I didn’t. Now let’s…

Dean: Really, I did. I wanted to be a vet. Love animals. Love dogs.

Russert: Right. Now Governor, let’s talk about the Democratic Party. Where do you see the party heading in the near future?

Dean: Are you kidding? We’re going down faster than a $5 whore on Saturday night. I have no idea how to turn this damn thing around nor do I have a clue about what I’m doing. But I’m good on the internet! I’m great at raising those small donations - you know, the really small ones.

Russert: Yes, you’re a legend in your own mind. Now, Governor, the FEC report recently released shows that Republicans raised approximately twice the amount of money that you and the Democrats did. Why is this?

Dean: Simple. They cheat. Republicans always cheat. Just because your political party comes up with good ideas with attractive candidates to sell those ideas doesn’t mean your any better than us. It’s cheating. It’s what Republicans do. Besides, I raised more “small money” than the Republicans did. When it comes to raising between $5.00 and $10.00 donations, no one can touch me. I’m the champ.

Russert: Yes…Let me ask you this. A few months ago you said Republicans are evil. Do you want to retract that statement?

Dean: I said what I said and I’ll stand by it to the death…unless it offends blacks, feminists, gays, union people or old folks. And yes, Republicans are evil. They’ve hijacked religion, I tell you. They’re trying to make it seem like Democrats hate religion. That’s not so. I’ve made it a point to include at least 3 references to God in every speech I make. If that doesn’t convince people we Democrats are religious, I don’t know what will. We’re going to talk about “God” and “values” and maybe even throw in a few “Jesus” in those states where the guys have the shotguns and confederate flags on their pick up trucks. When it comes to religion, nobody is going to be holier than me.

Russert: Right…Governor, Senator Harry Reid, the Senator Minority Leader and one of the leaders of your party recently called the President a “loser.” Would you like to take this opportunity to denounce that kind of negative attack?

Dean: Denounce it? Hell, I told him to say it! Winning two wars and two elections and getting just about everything you want from Congress doesn’t make you a winner, ya know. There are other standards a President should be measured against.

Russert: For instance?

Dean: For instance….

Russert: Yes? You were saying?

Dean:

Russert:

Dean:

Russert: I see. Well Doctor, one more question. Who will be the nominee of the Democratic Party for President in 2008?

Dean: Now Tim, you know it’s much too early to speculate about that but I will say this. We’re going to campaign in every state in the nation. Not only are we going to New Hampshire, we’re going to South Carolina and Oklahoma and Arizona and North Dakota and New Mexico, and we’re going to California and Texas and New York. And we’re going to South Dakota and Oregon and Washington and Michigan. And then we’re going to Washington, D.C., to take back the White House.

YAAAAAAAAARRRRRGGGGHHH!

Russert: Thank you Doctor…er Governor Dean.

Here’s a bunch of good stuff I found shadowing the “Shadow Media” - nomenclature I got via Ace of Spades who thinks along with the folks at The Corner that “Blogosphere” is too unwieldy. I always thought of Captain Nemo and the Nautilus using a blogosphere to traverse the uncharted depths…But then, if asked, I would have not named them “blogs” in the first place. How about “Webbies?” Or “O-Jo’s” for online journals?

Sheesh. Hugh Hewitt will never link to me again…

John Little at Blogs of War links to a very funny video made by British soldiers in Iraq that’s so popular it’s crashing the Ministry of Defense Computers!

A group of soldiers who jokingly filmed a version of the video for the hit song (Is This The Way To) Amarillo? were coping yesterday with sudden stardom. And rather than being punished for acting like pop stars instead of privates from the Royal Dragoon Guards serving in Iraq, the Ministry of Defence has promised that none of them will be disciplined.

The MoD has offered the video to Comic Relief, which could use it to raise thousands of pounds for charity. The shakily filmed video ended up bringing one of Britain’s most sensitive computer systems to its knees, crashing the MoD’s e-mail system

La Shawn Barber has found “Some Holy Books are More Holy than Others.”

Physical objects are not to revered or worshiped, and they hold no “sacred” power. Islam obviously teaches something entirely different. I think it’s ridiculous for the United States to cater to prisoners of war in this way, no matter what their religion. But I don’t run anything except this blog.

Yes…and you do that quite well, thank you.

Kender informs us that Mae Magouirk has passed away. She was the 80 year old woman whose daughter thought she’d be happier “with Jesus” despite the fact that she had no brain damage and her condition was treatable:

Some people on the left are probably feeling a bit smug about this story today, much like they felt when Terri finally died.

Those same people are probably wringing their hands that people on the other side of the globe are dying in places that our military is stationed and wondering what they can do to stop the Big Bad Evil Bush War Machine.

Yup.

The Captain has been blogging the Canadian political crisis since its inception. It looks like things are about ready to come to a head:

Canada feels Ms. Parrish’s pain, waiting as they are for a resolution to the political crisis facing them in an almost-stalemated Parliament. The only prediction anyone can make now is that more potential vote-skewing developments will almost certainly occur between now and the vote.

God I almost wish we had a Parliament. Well, not really. But in the last two weeks they’ve had the Prime Minister buying votes with the budget, bribing a Tory to leave the party by giving her a cabinet post, more revelations of electoral shennanigans, etc.

I bet Canadian bloggers haven’t been suffering from writers block recently.

The Commissar has a special school for the Intelligent Design folks…They let kids decide what’s true. Example:

Chemistry - “Alchemy 666″ - Using the latest principles of Theodoric of York, the students will explore the wonders of transsubtantiation. Woot! They are going to have a special lab on converting lead into gold

Read it all…it’s a stitch.

Somebody get Beth at My Vast Rightwing Conspiracy an airsick bag. She’s found an Eason Jordan clone:

The more I look at this, I see that Ms. Foley is an avowed leftist with an axe to grind. For her it’s apparently all about the Pentagon being the bad guys (duh) who aren’t doing anything to protect journalists. She’s been wrapped up in efforts demanding investigations by the Pentagon for quite some time, so this latest thing isn’t surprising. She’s quite careful to not (publicly) accuse the military of targeting journalists outright, but she very CLEARLY implies it.

Giacomo of Joust the Facts links to an article by Charles Fried, former U.S. Solicitor General under President Reagan who makes a reasoned, powerful argument to bust the filibuster. Giacomo sums up:

The politics was decided, at this moment in time at least, in the 2004 election where Republicans not only kept but extended majorities in the House and Senate and President Bush was re-elected to a second term. Yes, it was close, but name the last Democratic president who got a larger percentage of the total vote. (Hint: you’ve got to go back 40 years.)

Majority rule. It’s a simple democratic concept. You would think elected public officials would understand it.

Giacomo is the optimistic sort, isn’t he…especially when it comes to Senate Democrats.

Van Helsing serves up his specialty - Moonbat Guacamole. He’s blogging the LA Mayorl contest won by Antonio Villaraigosa - a full blown Hispanic moonbat of the first order who believes in Reconquista; returning California and much of the Southwest to Mexico:

Villaraigosa is former Chairman of the UCLA chapter of MEChA, a racist and seditious group devoted to the “Reconquista” of the Southwestern United States. The Reconquista is going well for the Mexicans, as anyone aware of our government’s outrageous refusal to defend the border will probably agree.

In closely related news, a 66-year-old woman suffered “inner cranial trauma” when she was assaulted for daring to protest the anti-American Danzas Indigenas monument in Baldwin Park, California, which features inscriptions in support of the notion that California should be ruled by Mexicans.

What’s the Spainish word for “nutcase?”

Don’t forget TJ’s excellent News - Interesting - Funny (NIF) for the best links to both the new and old media on the web.

And finally, Ferdinand T. Cat has the question of the ages for this weekend’s titanic match-up between the forces of good and evil here in Chicago. It’s my Go-Go White Sox versus the evil, corporate toady’s from the North Side. And while diplomatic, Ferdinand better stay away from my Ebony who adores the White Sox and whose 25 pounds of ferocious fatness would take out Ferdy in a heartbeat.

South Side cats rule!

Tom Wolfe, who chronicled Ken Kesey’s riotous, hallucenigenic trip across country in a painted school bus in The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test wrote in that American classic “It’s easy to have faith as long as it goes along with what you already know.”

I can’t think of a better explanation for the cognitive dissonance shown by the mainstream press since “Crapperquiddick” hit the fan this past weekend. Because make no mistake: The very same people in the press who took CBS to task last fall for their “fake but accurate” defense of the Bush TANG memos have elevated that apologia so that it’s now considered a legitimate way to report the news.

In editorial after editorial, the press has latched on to the idea that since abuse of prisoners happened in the past at Guantanamo and especially Abu Ghraib, the story of the flushing of a Koran down a toilet sounds true, seems true, and therefore, must be true. Never mind that the only people making these charges are former inmates, their families, and the lawyers representing them. And unless you believe, as the American left so feverishly imagines, that these same inmates were just innocent bystanders swept up in military dragnets and thrown into dungeons like Gitmo, one must be extremely concerned that a line somehow has been crossed.

It’s easy to have faith as long as it goes along with what you already know.

Forget for a moment that the press is more willing to believe the jihadist beheaders, Taliban thugs, and unreconstructed Baathists rather than their own government and military. Forget for a moment that these terrorists are not stupid, that like their bloodthirsty brothers in arms from 40 years ago, the Viet Cong, they know how to push the hot buttons of the American left and their allies in the press. What’s so very striking about this sea change in press standards is that it’s being used to justify the publication of a story that so far has resulted in 17 people losing their lives.

I say so far because as I’ve mentioned previously, I have little doubt that with enough digging, the press will find whatever it is their looking for. And when they do, the piously ignorant peasants who rioted in the streets of Pakistan and Afghanistan last week will pick up where they left off and more hell will break loose. To what end? The explanation given by the press is the eternal “people’s right to know.” A noble sentiment meaningless when placed in the context of covering a war where the United States is fighting for its survival. Terrorists are not just an inconvenience. They are a threat. And if the perfect storm of weapons of mass destruction and fanatical jihadists ever merge, there will be no place in America to hide from the cyclonic blast , least of all the newsrooms and boardrooms of MSM.

What then drives the press to go so far as change reportorial standards when it comes to confirming stories with the potential to harm American interests? Bias is the easy answer. Hugh Hewitt believes that arrogance and hubris - the corruption of power - has blinded reporters to what their real jobs are; to chronicle events in a fair and accurate manner.

Id take that a step farther and say that the press is lost, adrift on an undiscovered ocean where the old certainties and verities of just six months ago no longer apply. They can’t stand the new found scrutiny of the Shadow Media (HT: Ace). They try to cover their uncertainty with bravado and insolence, hoping like a teenaged boy being questioned by his parents why he came home at 2:00 AM to bluff their way through. It won’t work.

If the press thinks this “fake but accurate” paradigm will improve their credibility with the public they’re sadly mistaken. It just becomes that much easier for those of us in the Shadow Media to point out that the Emperor forgot something when he left the palace this morning.

Cross Posted at Blogger News Network

I’ve received several emails from people asking about my feelings regarding my brother riding Scott McClellen at the White House press briefing.

First of all, thank you for your emails and comments. Feedback like this is what separates blogs from the Mainstream Press. However, those expecting me to criticize or even critique what my brother does for ABC news will be disappointed.

I happen to know that, despite what you might think, my brother is a loyal American who loves this country as much as I do. Only good things can flow from that. His job is to ask questions of people in power. Only good things can flow from that. And if it upsets you about the way he does his job, don’t come to this site or email me. Go to the ABC website and talk to them. I am not responsible for how my brother performs his job.

I am responsible for the content of this site which will be unrelenting in its criticism of the MSM and its anti-Bush, anti-war bias - sentiments my brother mostly agreed with on Hugh Hewitt’s show earlier today. The only responsibility toward my brother that I have is the love and affection I feel toward him and his family and the tremendous pride I take in his professional accomplishments.

In a family of 10 children (9 of whom are more liberal than I am) you can imagine some of the dinner table discussions - especially when we were coming of age in the 1970’s. But whatever knock-down, drag-em-out fights that ensued we never lost our love and respect for each other. Blood is thicker than politics. Don’t believe me? Try coming here and dissing my brother…you’ll get an earful back.

Thanks to Hugh Hewitt for asking the tough questions that needed to be asked…and for the link!

I saw a great “Frontline - World” program last night on the progress of democratic reform in Lebanon featuring some extraordinary interviews by correspondent Kate Seelye with various members of the opposition. From statements made on the show plus more recent meetings of the opposition coalition, the Qornet Shehwan Gathering, the picture that’s emerging is one of a mostly united opposition working hard to paper over their political and sectarian differences in order to defeat the Syrian-backed candidates arrayed against them in the upcoming elections which will begin on May 29.

First, if the United States is under the expectation that Hezballah will disarm and not take part in the political process, we’re going to be sadly disappointed. Despite Hezballah’s terrorist activities against Israel and their acting as Syria’s enforcers during the recent occupation, they’ve become a political force to be reckoned with through both their numbers and their representation in Lebanon’s Parliament. With 12 seats in the 128 seat legislative body, Hezballah is well positioned to play a part in any post election government. And how that government will take shape will have to be hammered out in meetings like the one held yesterday under the auspices of the Qornet Shehwan Gathering and the Maronite Patriarch Nasrallah Butros Sfeir:

Some Christian politicians within the group had already sealed electoral alliances despite opposition from Sfeir and others who were hoping a refusal to participate would force a change in the election law.

But Sfeir denied there was any conflict within the gathering.

The patriarch said: “It is all rumors being circulated in the media to break up the unity of the opposition.”

Sfeir added: “I am sure that the Lebanese will unite despite the electoral process, which might politically separate them briefly.”

The “election law” dates from the year 2000 and was forced down the throat of the Lebanese by Syria. The law is an anathema to Christians because it favors other religious minorities:

The reason other sects are not strongly in favor of helping the Christians in their campaign to reform the electoral law is twofold.

First, the 2000 election law benefits the old, well-established political parties. Although the major politicians may not be the most popular representatives of their constituents, they have a wider range of support. The way the law is written, it is better to have 100 supporters in every city in the South than it is to have 1,000 voters in the same place.

Obviously, given that the government is a major employer in every city in Lebanon and given that Lebanese politicians designate employee status, old politicians have a wider range of support. This is particularly true in the case of Speaker Nabih Berri whose main source of power is in the assignment of government jobs.

Jumblatt’s power base was affirmed in 2000. He now only has problems in Baabda-Aley, but could gain seats in the Bekaa and South through deals with Hezbollah.

The good news is that the Christian minority will not call for a boycott of the elections. Like good democrats, they’re going to wait until after the election and then work within the coalition to radically reform the Lebanese political system. As it stands now, various jobs in government - the President, the Prime Minister, the Speaker of the House - are reserved for specific religious minorities. Also, legislative districts are drawn to maximize sectarian advantage. The Christians want to change this as it puts them at a disadvantage. They do have some support for this:

Following a meeting with U.S. Ambassador Jeffrey Feltman, Sheikh Abdel-Amir Qabalan said the best electoral law would be based on the single-district system and proportional representation. Qabalan said adopting a system of smaller districts, or qadas, will only promote sectarianism and hamper the country’s development.

“Adopting the mohafaza system with proportional representation allows the Lebanese to elect their representatives,” he said, adding that Parliament did not adopt the 2000 electoral law in order to “marginalize any Lebanese faction,” but only to avoid delaying the elections.

“We want to live in harmony and coexistence with different Lebanese sects,” he said.

And the old Druze warlord Walid Jumblatt along with Rafik Hariri’s son Said have also become part of this loose coalition, although Jumblatt is trying to align himself with Hezballah:

During a question-and-answer session with his supporters, Jumblatt tells a man in the crowd that he wants to cooperate with Hezbollah. He tells Seelye that Hezbollah is not a terrorist organization and that one solution to the problem of disarming Hezbollah is to integrate their militia into the Lebanese army. In his vision of a new Lebanon, Jumblatt supports modernizing the country by abandoning the traditional political system, which is based on religious affiliation.

He may get an argument on this integration of Hezballah with other members of the coalition who see Hezballah as too close to the Syrians. And at the very least, the United States (as well as others in the opposition) would like to see the Hezballah militias disarmed:

With Hezbollah embedded so deeply in the current political and social fabric of Lebanon, attacking the organization now could plunge the country back into chaos. Meanwhile, Hezbollah leaders have made several overtures to the United States. After September 11, for example, the group quickly criticized bin Laden’s attack. In recent interviews, Hezbollah leader Sheik Hassan Nasrallah has said that his organization is not a threat to the United States.

Hezbollah’s status is in flux, its future unclear. A few key questions remain to be answered: What will be the likely effect of this U.S. pressure? Can Hezbollah withstand the diplomatic onslaught, rally its allies, and sustain its position? Will the U.S. government launch an all-out assault? Or might Hezbollah be willing to pay a price — that of disbanding its military activities — for its survival, in order to grow even larger as a powerful political party in Lebanon?

Good questions those. And this makes Hezballah something of a wild card when it comes to determining the shape of the Lebanese government. If they forsake their militia role for a purely political one, will they continue to receive support from Assad in Syria? Or the mullahs in Iran?

As for the overall pace of reform, there’s a debate going on now as to how much, if at all, America is helping speed the process. There are some who believe that reform movements should steer clear of American assistance lest they be tarnished by our unpopular policies. But there are others who see George Bush’s commitment to democracy as one of the biggest catalysts for change. Here’s American scholar Michael Hudson (no fan of the President or his policies);

“There is a really substantial stirring for change in societies throughout the Middle East that we have not seen before,” he says. “People are talking, debating, and organizing everywhere, and even members of the ruling elite see that the time has come for real change.” He calls for a serious debate on whether the American government’s Arab reform promotion policies are having any impact, noting that this is not a black and white case where Washington is either presciently honorable or deviously duplicitous. Is there a causal relationship between Washington’s reform promotion policy and the changes taking place in the region? At the least, he believes, President George W. Bush has enjoyed lucky timing, and has tapped into forces and calls for change that were already under way in the Middle East, even though he may have had nothing to do with fomenting those forces.

Clearly Lebanon is at a crossroads. It’s very encouraging that for the moment, the opposition seems to be on the same page. But once the election is held and the grasping for power begins, it will be interesting to see whether or not the “earthquake” that rattled Lebanon following the assassination of Rafiq Hariri will provide enough momentum so that Lebanon’s many factions can safely traverse the rocky road in front of them and achieve the freedom and democracy the people devoutly wish for.

As I write this, dozens of reporters and perhaps thousands of bloggers from lefty sites are desperately, frantically searching for evidence that U.S. military personnel desecrated the Koran to apply psychological pressure to Muslim prisoners. They’re combing the archives of foreign newspapers, calling GI’s who served at detention facilities, milking their sources for all they’re worth, and wearing out search engine bots hoping to find the “smoking toilet” niblet that will propel them to moonbat stardom.

I have bad news for the Bush Administration and all of us smugly self-satisfied righty bloggers, basking in the glow of one more MSM scalp dangling from our lodgepoles; they’re going to find something.

I can picture it now. Some poor schlub of a corporal being interviewed on “60 Minutes,” his faced blacked out and voice disguised so that he can avoid “retribution” telling us in that ridiculously altered “voix changé” that he personally saw some red-neck Major/Captain/Colonel wave the Holy Koran in front of some poor, suffering terrorists face and then deliberately try and flush the book down the crapper.

I say try because it’s evident that Newsweek reporters Isikoff and Barry don’t use toilets very much. The only book that’s going down your garden variety “necessary” are the kinds of books you find in a box of Cracker Jacks. I’m dating myself here but Cracker Jack used to have a “surprise” in every box and one of the surprises was a “Joke Book” that had two or three really bad puns in it. The book was about the size of a matchbook and you were usually terribly disappointed you didn’t get the ring or the super small compass.

So after this truly startling and upsetting piece of information is “revealed” we’ll have to endure a month or two of moonbat crowing, solemn and sanctimonious editorials from the New York Times, and probably a round of Congressional hearings.

In the meantime, the benighted 10th century peasant savages, stirred into a frenzy of anguish by their holy men and holy warriors, will once again take to the streets and pick up where they left off last week. There will be head bashings and beatings and burnings and the usual posing before news cameras, complete with signs in very bad English saying something like “Amerikins Hands up Our Koran Holy!”

Of course, the irony of the protest will escape these feeble-minded, dirty necked galoots. Simply put, there is no othe religion on the planet today that shows less respect for the symbols and saints of faiths that differ from theirs.

The Palestinian gunmen holed up in the Church of the Nativity seized church stockpiles of food and “ate like greedy monsters” until the food ran out, while more than 150 civilians went hungry. They also guzzled beer, wine, and Johnnie Walker scotch that they found in priests’ quarters, undeterred by the Islamic ban on drinking alcohol. The indulgence lasted for about two weeks into the 39-day siege, when the food and drink ran out, according to an account by four Greek Orthodox priests who were trapped inside for the entire ordeal….

The Orthodox priests and a number of civilians have said the gunmen created a regime of fear.

Even in the Roman Catholic areas of the complex there was evidence of disregard for religious norms. Catholic priests said that some Bibles were torn up for toilet paper, and many valuable sacramental objects were removed. “Palestinians took candelabra, icons and anything that looked like gold,” said a Franciscan, the Rev. Nicholas Marquez from Mexico.42

These devout Muslims also urinated and defacted in the church - a church that Christians believe sits on the site marking where Jesus Christ was born.

An isolated incident?

Did any Buddhists riot and murder when the Taliban Muslims blew up the irreplaceable giant Buddhist statues in Afghanistan?

When all Christian services and even the wearing of a cross were banned in Saudi Arabia? When Christians are murdered while at prayer in churches by Muslims in Pakistan?

Have any Jews rioted in all the years since it was revealed that Jordanian Muslims used Jewish tombstones in Old Jerusalem as latrines? Or after Palestinians destroyed Joseph’s Tomb in 2000 and set fire to the rebuilt tomb in 2003?

It is quite remarkable that many Muslims believe that an American interrogator flushing pages of the Koran is worthy of rioting, but all the torture, slaughter, terror and mass murder done by Muslims in the name of the Koran are unworthy of even a peaceful protest.

So the moonbats will have their triumph, a fat lot of good it will do them. If they’re so desperate to “get” Bush to the point that they’re willing for people to die to help quench the fires of hatred that burn so hotly in their tortured souls then there’s not much you can say to them that will deter their quixotic quest to…what? What do they want?

The left wants a 9/10 world. They want the way the world used to be not the world as it is today. The psychic anguish they’re experiencing as a result of the toppling of their comfortable, fantastic worldview following 9/11 has left them emotionally adrift and psychologically battered. All of their assumptions regarding international order and how the United States should relate to other countries have taken the same route as their mythical Koran - they’ve been flushed down the toilet.

A few - a very few- voices on the left have tried to cobble together a set of principles consistent with traditional liberal values and a hard headed, realistic approach to the War on Terror. Senator Joe Lieberman comes to mind as does Christopher Hitchens. There are others; solitary figures groping in the dark trying to make their way in this Brave New World of radioactive mullahs, nutty NoKo’s, and fanatical jihadists hell bent for leather on killing as many Americans as Allah will grant them the favor to do. So far, their efforts have been met with contempt by their fellow liberals. And they have yet to come up with coherent policy prescriptions to counter the Bush Administration’s neo-realpolitik outlook on world affairs.

Judging by the single minded determination of their brethren on the left who will not be deterred from their seek and destroy toilet mission, it may be a while before they’re taken seriously by anyone.

Whew! It’s a good thing we live in a neo-fascist, semi-theocratic military dictatorship. Otherwise, poor Karl Rove would be going to jail for about 10,000 years. As it stands, Karl’s getting a free pass because his boss, Der Fuehrer Adolph…er, George Bush controls the government, the press, the judiciary, and just about anything else that isn’t nailed down or shut tight. So of course, Rove’s boss would protect his “architect” with all the power of the state at his disposal.

I mean, here’s a perfect example.

Newsweek getting “caught” like this has Karl Rove’s stink all over it. Am I the only one who sees this pattern at work?…one that is destroying the credibility of the press? Not that the press hasn’t made its own mistakes (thanks NY Times/Jason Blair)…but when it comes to “big news” stories where The White House gets to shout “How dare you!” because sources turn out to be shady (even though the facts of the story are never refuted)…

Come on, folks…who’s going to benefit most from living in a country where when CBS or Newsweek says the people in power have done something bad those people can do their best Ronald Reagan imitation and say “There they go again.”

Imagine that! Rove using the rope-a-dope on the press. Cleverly drawing them into his spider web where he can watch them hang there, twisting, slowly…slowly in the wind. I must say, I didn’t see this one coming. Looks like I’ll have to get my tin foil hat adjusted again, dang! This is what I missed last September when the TANG story broke on CBS. I had to send the damn hat back to the factory to have it reinvigorated with anti-protons to repel the Rovian waves emanating from the White House:

The right wing better watch how far they want to take this. Perhaps Bush was able to destroy the original Killian memos to ensure that the truth about his National Guard service will never see the light of day. But he is not powerful enough to destroy the proof of these prisoner abuses, if they indeed occurred (and I think they did). Somebody will talk, somebody will release the Guantanomo version of the Pentagon Papers, and the credibility of the right wing will take another substantial hit.

Maybe the moonbats should start using reverse-reverse psychology. You know..like Maxwell Smart used to catch the KAOS spies.

Max: I know

99: I know you know.

Max: I know you know that I know.

99: I know you know that I know that you know.

Max:

99:

Max: Sorry, 99.

Or would somebody rather play politics with this? The way Craig Crawford reconstructed it, this one went similarly to the way the Killian Memos story evolved at the White House. The news organization turns to the administration for a denial. The administration says nothing. The news organization runs the story. The administration jumps on the necks of the news organization with both feet — or has its proxies do it for them.

That’s beyond shameful. It’s treasonous.

Now that’s more like it. Line ‘em up against a wall and shoot ‘em! Just one thing though…what’s treasonous about it? I mean, do you think it’s treasonous that the press is so easy to bamboozle? Or is it treasonous that the “Administration” (it was actually the Pentagon that Isikoff sought confirmation from…we think) in the person of some low level flunky doesn’t know everything about every scrap of paper that passes through the halls of government?

I’d go for the former. That way we can hang Rush Limbaugh from a sour apple tree and give the hot shot to Ann Coulter.

One thing’s for sure. I don’t care what anyone says, I’m keeping my hat on tight - at least till 2008. If Karl Rove wants to try and control my thoughts, he’ll have to pry this thing from my cold, dead fingers.

This article originally appears in The American Thinker

Even his enemies concede that Newt Gingrich is a visionary. Listening to him give a speech or engage in a colloquy with Brian Lamb of C-Span, one is astonished at the sheer volume of ideas that spring forth from his inquisitive and overactive mind. The concepts and strategies that he espouse run the gamut from “wise use” stewardship of the environment to pondering the future of democracy in Russia and everything in between, in the margins, and outside the lines.

I was first exposed to this jaw-dropping exercise in rapid fire conceptualized rhetoric at a breakfast meeting of some long forgotten business trade association where, at that time, second term Congressman Newt Gingrich appeared to speak on behalf of the Reagan Revolution, then barely one year old and in considerable trouble. The economy had gone south, spending was out of control, and the President’s tax plan was in trouble.

Gingrich was late as he blew into the room, all smiles and apologies. There were about 15 of us working through a plate of stale danish and tasteless muffins, exchanging desultory comments about the weather when the Congressman sat down at the head of the long table and said “Okay, where do you want to start?” Someone asked him about interest rates and he was off.

Forty-five minutes later I was a convert to the cause. I had never heard anything like it. Thoughts and images poured off him like rainwater from a roof. There was simply no stopping him. Like a great blues guitarist, he went from one intellectual riff to another with perfectly logical transitions and bridges.

It was exhausting. And it was exhilarating.

We had a million questions to ask. But in the end, Gingrich was out of time and had to leave before he could answer any of them. And therein lies the problem with the man and why, sadly, I have to urge someone I admire and respect to do something that for him is unthinkable.

Please don’t run for President, Newt.

I’m hardly breaking any news here by saying that Newt Gingrich has wanted to be President since at least the time he first set foot in the Capitol. In fact, one of the things that I think attracts people to Newt is the bright light of personal ambition that illuminates so much of what he does. He’s that rarest of breeds, a visionary who seeks power not for power’s sake, but to make his vision a reality. To that end, he’s been accused of being ruthless, uncaring, a megalomaniac, and just plain dangerous. In truth, some episodes in Gingrich’s life reveal a man with those attributes and worse.

The Newt Gingrich at that breakfast had just been recently remarried. He separated from his first wife Jackie in 1980. Jackie was his high school math teacher who he married at age 19. As it turned out, Jackie developed cancer and had to go into the hospital for treatment:

After the separation in 1980, she had to be operated on again, to remove another tumor While she was still in the hospital, according to [Lee] Howell (former press secretary), “Newt came up there with his yellow legal pad, and he had a list of things on how the divorce was going to be handled. He wanted her to sign it. She was still recovering from surgery, still sort of out of it, and he comes in with a yellow sheet of paper, handwritten, and wants her to sign it.

Gingrich barely survived the election in 1980. The incident at the hospital, along with an incomprehensible intransigence regarding child and spousal support almost cost him the election. But it didn’t seem to dim the light in his eyes or bounce in his step as he and other young, back bench Republican conservatives began to plot the overthrow of the welfare state.

A favorite tactic of this group of young turks was to utilize “Special Order” speeches. Given after the legislative day is over and when the House chamber is virtually empty, Gingrich, Robert Walker from Pennsylvania, Vin Weber from Minnesota, and others, would take the floor and hold forth on a variety of issues. Oftentimes, they would turn these “speeches” into fascinating colloquy’s between one or more of the members that would range from historical dissertations on policy, to rancorous partisan attacks. Gingrich especially seemed to wield the sharpest knife of the group as he used the Democrats own words to reveal what R. Emmett Tyrell has called liberalism’s “riot of conceits.”
(more…)

I was going to call this episode “Love Boat Night on 24″ but seeing as the subject matter of the hour was so extremely serious, I didn’t want to jump the shark. But when you think about it, many of the episode’s most important moments had to do with love. Tony and Michelle. Jack and Audrey. Heller and his son. Even Tony’s sacrifice for poor Chase when he tried to save his live could be considered a supreme act of love. The question all of them were asking was is love enough?

On this night, the answer would have to be no.

SUMMARY

The missile is on its way and we find out it’s a cruise missile with an 1800 mile range. The fact that it looked absolutely nothing like a cruise missile (which in configuration resembles an airplane more than a missile) doesn’t bother me. I’ve already gone past the point of trying to match reality to TV drama so let’s just continue to suspend belief for another two hours shall we?

Marwan, smug and confident, awaits the inevitable grilling by Jack. What follows is a classic confrontation between the not so good and the very, very evil. And to those wondering why we just can’t invite Osama Bin Laden to lunch and hash out our differences, I give you Habeeb Marwan:

Jack: You and I both know all I want to do right now is kill you. But I have my orders. You win. I’ve been instructed to ask you what you want.

Marwan: What I want is already happening.

Jack: The death and destruction is a means to an end, Why don’t we just skip to the end?

Marwan: To the end?

Jack: Everything you did today you did for a reason, for your people. What do you want to change?

Marwan: I have no desire to have a political discussion with you..

Jack: You tell me where the missile is headed, you help me stop it and I’ll guarantee you’ll talk to the President. Believe me, he’ll have no choice but to listen. You have a chance to get what you want.

Marwan: I already have agent Bauer. After this day, elected officials and the American people will know that they can’t intervene in our lives, in our countries with impunity. Besides, your President sees me in only one dimension - evil.

Jack: As you see us?

Marwan: Yes…and vulnerable.

I think the writers did a very good job of capturing the logical irrationality (?) of the terrorist. Many on the left in this country think that if we could only find out what the terrorists “want” that they’ll somehow leave us alone. The left believes that if we withdraw from the world and apologize for being such meanies, the Marwan’s of this planet will go away. It’s not enough. Marwan isn’t out to “change” anything. He’s all about killing. He’s managed to rationalize it by tying it to the impotent rage felt by Arabs as they see the west represented by America pay their kleptocratic leaders for access to the lifeblood of human civilization - oil. But Marwan’s satisfaction is not in getting America to stop intervening to protect itself. His satisfaction comes from killing Americans…a lot of them.

Realizing he’s getting nowhere, Jack starts to take Marwan back to CTU for some proper interrogation. Out of the blue, a rocket is fired from unseen attackers and World War III breaks out. Pinned down, Jack and Curtis can only watch helplessly as Marwan is spirited away, once again outsmarting CTU and the American government. I think the writers had Marwan captured just so they could stage that conversation with Jack. Good writing. Good theater.

Following Marwan’s escape, CTU’s focus returns to trying to intercept the missile. When searching Marwan’s cell phone records, who do they find on there but our old friend, moonbat Richard Heller, the Secretary of Defense’s son. Chloe breaks the news to Buchanan and Tony who wonders if they should inform Richard’s sister:

Tony: Chloe - Does Audrey know about this?

Chloe: No. This is more of a management conversation, don’t ya think?

Tony looks at Chloe in disgust and just shakes his head. That’s our Chloe!

Back in the Presidential bunker, Jellyfish meets the Congressional leadership and immediately runs into trouble. Speaker Ashton who, according to Palmer, has confused his own personal ambition to be President with doing what’s best for the country, questions whether Jellyfish is really in charge. If he only knew….

Tony and Michelle have a sit down where Tony goes for the gold, telling Michelle he wants to get back together but not if they’re working at CTU. Michelle balks because she can’t imagine life without these nice, relaxing days at headquarters where the guys and gals at CTU prove that saving the country can be fun. Before Michelle can answer, reality intrudes once again and they’re off to follow up a lead supplied by Richard Heller.

Richard has been dragged kicking and screaming into the infamous holding room where Audrey convinces Jack that before he begins his torture routine she be allowed to talk to him. Jack relents and Audrey pleads with her brother to tell what he knows. Richard keeps claiming he doesn’t know anything at which point the Secretary, who’s been absent for several hours, makes an appearance. After informing Richard he’s going to let Jack use “every piece of equipment they have”, Heller shames his son into finally revealing the truth. He likes to have sex with men. Turns out Richard met a swinging couple at a bar. And while Richard was playing slap and tickle with the man, the woman made a phone call to Marwan who was able to connect to Richard’s phone and listen to all his subsequent conversations thus finding out when the Secretary was going to visit and enabling Marwan to plan the kidnapping.

I thought the Secretary handled the news of Richard’s (bi?) sexuality quite well. And given that Richard screwed the pooch by not revealing this information during his earlier interrogation, I thought the Secretary was more understanding than he probably should have been.

Maybe he was just relieved Richard wasn’t a terrorist.

Meanwhile back in the Presidential bunker, Novik realizes Speaker Ashton could try and make a move to remove Jellyfish unless he were convinced the Spineless One was in charge. So Palmer, Jellyfish and Novik cook up a little Kabuki dance where Jellyfish pretends to order Palmer around in front of Ashton. The subterfuge works but begs the question: Why can’t Jellyfish pretend to be in charge all the time?

After finding out where the swingers live by tracing the cab they took to an apartment complex, Jack and Tony make ready to pick them up. On his way out, Tony and Michelle, as predicted here numerous times, kiss and make up. This was actually a no brainer, of course. The real question comes next week. Will they be able to enjoy their retirement…together?

And Jack and Audrey have a conversation where Audrey almost relents and acts like a human being toward Jack. She’s torn but I’ll be extremely disappointed if those two make it back together. Too much water under the bridge, too much ugliness.

The swingers, who evidently really, really like to have sex together are about to leave the apartment to go and meet Marwan when the woman hears the copters and sees the cops gathering outside the complex. After casually shooting her lover, she starts to make her escape. Jack busts into the apartment and after finding the man, calls on everyone to search the perimeter. Everyone but Tony who’s been taken hostage by the woman. At a time when a nuclear missile is in the air and headed for an American city, Tony gives up his gun to save Chase? Not only doesn’t it do any good, but one would think at that point that everyone is expendable. Wrong move.

Jack finds Chase’s body and informs CTU of the probable hostage situation involving Tony. As teams of agents fan out over the complex to look for their one last link to Marwan, Michelle hears of Tony’s capture and almost loses it. But being the professional that she is, she snaps out of it and issues terse orders for everyone to “move it.” Brave words to mask the fear underneath.

BODY COUNT

Bad night for CTU tactical.Four go down during Marwan’s rescue and Chase gets it during the woman’s escape. And Richard’s boyfriend bites the dust just minutes after making love to the swinger woman.

At least he died happy.

Jack: 42

Show: 232

Chloe: 1

LOOSE ENDS

Many, many loose ends to be tied up in the last two hours. Chief among them of course is the identity of the mole. One more piece of evidence for the mole could be the fact that Marwan had people outside waiting to rescue him. If they were there before CTU arrived to capture him, why didn’t they open fire then? This means they must have arrived after Marwan was captured.

This mole business is a huge problem for the writers because it appears now that neither the SoD or Audrey could be the mole. It appears that neither one of them knew about Richard’s homosexuality which would mean they couldn’t have set him up in the bar. I believe now that there’s a real chance the writers will not give us a mole; that the numerous American mercs working with Marwan, the transponder code for the football, and all the other clues that we’ve been speculating about over the last many weeks may in fact be left as is with no mole at all.

If that happens, I’ll be extremely disappointed in the writers. They’ve got to know there are literally millions of people tracking these loose ends. So either next week’s two hour finale is going to rock our world or it’s going to be a huge bust.

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