HEY MIKE, KARMA'S A BITCH, ISN'T IT?

Thanks to the extraordinary La Shawn Barber, the full text of the ethics charges filed by the North Carolina Bar Association against Mike Nifong are available for viewing here.

My prayer and hope is that this is the beginning of the end for the hell through which this prosecutor out of control has put the families of three young men since March of 2006.

Kudos to the North Carolina Bar Association for having the brains and the courage to deal with this debacle.

FINAL NOTE RE: THE LATE PRESIDENT FORD

Yesterday morning on the news, a clip was shown of the ceremony where President William Jefferson Clinton presented the Presidential Medal of Freedom to President Gerald R. Ford, with the remarks that President Ford put the nation's best interests ahead of politics.

Does William Jefferson Clinton ever really listen to what he is saying? And does he ever relate it to his own actions?

Apparently not!

PICKING OVER BONES NOT YET COLD, ARE WE BOB?

Literary vampire Bob Woodward barely waited until President Gerald R. Ford's funeral arrangements were announced to make his own announcement - that he's writing another book. Thereupon, the entire liberal world shuddered with anticipation! According to an article in today's L.A. Times (hardly a reliable source, but what the hell), former President Gerald R. Ford, said in an interview conducted little more than a year after President Bush launched the invasion, "I don't think I would have gone to war," he is reported by Woodward to have said about the Iraq invasion. An invasion, incidentally, which was advocated and carried out by prominent veterans of Ford's own administration. [Note - that interview would have been conducted more than 2 years ago.]

Gee, Bob, you'll do damned near anything to line your own pockets, won't you?

In an article appearing today in the New York Daily News Thomas M. DeFrank details his 2-hour lunch on May 11, 2006 with the late President, an account which is at odds with Woodward's claimed interview.

Since Mr. DeFrank's lunch was much more recent than the interview by Mr. Woodward, hmmmm - whose account deserves credence?

Why I do believe I will put my faith in Mr. DeFrank and his loving memory of his last encounter with President Ford, rather than trust the liberal press!

JOHN F. KERRY - CLUELESS AND ALONE!

Ben of Mesopotamia has an exceptional post up regarding John Kerry’s visit to Iraq. Suffice it to say, you could almost feel sorry for the junior senator from Massachusetts! Almost.

Rest in Peace, Good and Faithful Servant

Photo courtesy of FoxNews.com

WHAT IS MIKE NIFONG SMOKING? AND WHY ARE THE RESPONSIBLE OFFICIALS PERMITTING THIS NONSENSE TO CONTINUE?

Prosecutor-run-amok Mike Nifong has dropped the rape charges against the three Duke lacrosse players but let the sexual assault and kidnapping charges stand.

Why?

If the accuser’s statements are not, as Nifong himself admits, sufficiently reliable to prove rape, how then is she credible enough to prove sexual imposition or assault, let alone kidnapping?

If neither rape nor sexual imposition/assault can be proved, how can kidnapping be proved? Stop and think, just for one moment, about the exceptional seriousness of this particular charge. Even IF the accuser was even halfway credible, isn't this charge overkill?

Why was kidnapping even charged against these boys? She came to the house willingly, nothing happened to her (except possibly getting her feelings hurt by someone and it is by no means certain that these three boys were the ones who did that), and clearly she was intimate with three other disparate men either earlier in the evening or later in the evening, NONE OF THEM her boyfriend OR a Duke lacrosse player. My mama used to have a name for that kind of behavior. So do I.

Greta Van Susteren had an in-depth look at this case on her program over the weekend and has been following the botched investigation and insane indictments closely. I think that Jeannine Piro said it best when she opined that Nifong is either incompetent or “something more sinister”.

Now the lawyers of the three victims (the accused players) are demanding that the U.S. attorney general look into the prosecutor’s conduct during the entire case and are seeking federal intervention.

Nifong is claiming that the defense is committing character assassination? The man is clearly demented in my view! The defense is not committing defamation, they are committing DEFINITION of Nifong’s cynical misuse of the accuser’s multiple and contradictory stories and the racial element involved in this supposed case in order to further his own re-election agenda. In so doing, it is my belief that he is doing a major disservice to every future rape victim (white or black) by making the prosecution of properly identified assailants who are tied by DNA to the crime more difficult than it should be. He is showing himself to be both a despicable human being and a wholly incompetent public official who does not effectively serve the public by whom he was elected.

The true victims in this case are the improperly accused lacrosse players, their families and the entire community of Raleigh/Durham. Mr. Nifong should be recalled by the voters he duped with his prosecutorial misconduct. Criminal charges and/or civil action should then follow.

This man must be held up to all in his community, as well as throughout the nation, as an horrible example of the horrors of criminal “justice” gone completely off the rails and, perhaps, prosecutorial evil.

Alberto Gonzales has been asked to look into the matter. Many (including me) have written the N.C. State Bar Association complaining of Nifong’s conduct. On Greta Van Susteren’s show she had five prosecutors who ALL opined that Nifong was totally wrong in what he was doing at a minimum and some (like Jeannine Piro) had much stronger language for his conduct. Prosecutors do NOT normally criticize their brethren, so for five of them to do so in one place at one time is significant.

NIFONG MUST GO! And sooner, rather than later!

A woman in desperate need of unemployment!

(the one on the LEFT in every way)

HAVING A MERRY CHRISTMAS!


Over the past month or so, I have felt a compulsion to attend Christmas Mass at St. Ignatius of Antioch Church in Cleveland, Ohio – a church I have not even seen since 1958 when we moved away from the neighborhood. Which is why I headed out driving North from Columbus really early yesterday morning. This had an unintended benefit. NOBODY was on the roads between here and there! In fact, to avoid speeding I put the car in cruise control. This was after I noticed that I was inadvertently going 85 on a very straight stretch of I-71! Speeding tickets are not the kind of way I want to remember Christmas!

When I arrived on the west side of Cleveland, the first thing that struck me was that there was very little recognizable of the old neighborhood, although I drove by the house on Joan Avenue where I grew up and it seemed to be in reasonable condition, as indeed was the entire street. A bit shabby around the edges perhaps and certainly smaller than I remembered, but then, it IS winter. I drove west up Lorain Avenue (thanks to the lack of traffic, I had about 45 minutes to mosey around before Mass) and spotted a couple of well loved landmarks. The branch of the Cleveland Public Library where I spent an inordinate amount of time as a child, particularly during the summer months (they had air conditioning long before many homes were so blessed AND I love to read) and the old Variety theater was still standing. Mind you, it was closed, but at least it was still THERE. It was the only time and place I ever indulged in rock candy – which probably explains the state of my teeth!

I hate to recall how many times my father had to come drag me out of the Variety when I was a kid. I’d go up there for the Saturday matinees with my friends. My companions would go home on time. I would always want to see the movies that showed AFTER 6 p.m. which seemed a LOT more interesting than the kid’s fare in the afternoons!

I even passed a "Kucinich for President" storefront and saluted it in suitable fashion!

Finally, I drove over to the still-beautiful church at the corner of Lorain Avenue and West Boulevard. The "neighborhood" used to be comprised of mostly Irish families and it has changed, perhaps for the better. I saw a lovely patchwork quilt congregation of devout Asian, Hispanic, African-American as well as the expected Irish families (and a scattering of surprisingly well behaved and truly adorable babies - a good sign and so appropriate for the season). The pastor is a boy with whom I attended grammar school. And he has snow white hair! (sigh)

The beautiful marble interior seemed so much smaller than I remembered, yet so safe and familiar. When the carillon in the very tall spire of that still magnificent church started to herald the beginning of Mass, I was absolutely slammed with memories. I wept quietly throughout most of the service, so filled with the mostly joyous (and sometimes painful) remembrances of my childhood. When I left, I was somehow lighter for the experience. Clearly, my subconscious knew I needed to unload a burden, and unload I did!

Incidentally, if you do happen to live in the Cleveland area, I highly recommend a visit to St. Ignatius of Antioch for a Sunday mass. It’s an extraordinary experience.

After Mass, carefully following my Yahoo! map, I drove to my cousin Ernie’s house – arriving about 2 hours earlier than intended, again due to light traffic! But they were up and doing and I was able to have a good visit with Ernie that I might not have been able to enjoy had I arrived at the intended hour.

The whole family was there and we had a lovely, loving day filled with good companionship and great food. There are NO bad cooks in my family. The ham and turkey were stupendous. The cheesy potatoes were superb. The yams were great and the bread and biscuits absolutely luscious. The stuffed tomatoes were outrageously good. I kind of lost track of all the yummy food on the table, but I made it my business to taste at least a little of everything and enjoyed every savory morsel. I have never had curried fruit. Wow! I have been missing something.

The one thing I didn’t eat was the stuffed cabbage. I made it and brought it for my cousins’ enjoyment. After we made some inroads on clearing away the dishes, the desserts were brought out. Cousin Scott, our multi-talented pilot and wood splitter, made a luscious pecan pie. I don’t normally like pecan pie – but I really enjoyed tasting Scott’s offering. I made a homemade cheesecake (using the Barefoot Contessa’s recipe). It seemed to be quite popular.

As I drove home, far more slowly due to far heavier traffic AND some very annoying rain showers, it occurred to me that there really is nothing to compare with being with those you love on a holiday. Gifts aren’t the reason we gather together (although I LOVED mine) – we gather together to feel that connection to one another and our past lives while sharing laughter and, sometimes, a few tears. We gather to watch the progress of the young ones growing up. We gather to share the love that binds us as a family and to make note of the fact that, at least in my family, my cousins are still a doggone good looking bunch of people, even though most of us have got a bit of mileage on us these days!

I wish for all of you who read this that your Christmas was filled with the same happiness and love that I enjoyed. I further pray for all of you that 2007 is a year of health, love and safety.

And finally – showing my opinion of the ACLU – God bless us, every one!

SOMETIMES A KITTY JUST CAN'T CATCH A BREAK!

Monday the cats were most unhappy that I got up early and went to work. But that’s their normal state of angst.

However, on Tuesday they were sequestered in the spare room with the door closed because the cleaning crew was due to come and run the dreaded vacuum cleaner. Never mind that a big cushion is placed in there for them. Forget the fact that their food dishes, water dishes and grit box are all conveniently arrayed around the room, each of these disparate functions located in separate portions of a fairly good sized room. Sam dislikes being tucked away on cleaning day because it is HIS JOB to attack and, possibly, destroy the vacuum cleaner as well as anyone wielding it. Also, there were unknown persons in HIS house and that never sits well with my bodyguard cat! Tim, on the other hand, was unhappy because there were potential new admirers in the house and he was unable to make their acquaintance. Tim is firmly convinced that anyone who comes to our house is there specifically to see him! He could be right!

Yesterday, however, was the worst day of the week – at least for young Tim. For those who haven’t been introduced to this rather fey creature, Tim is a Bluepoint Siamese, just 27 months of age. He is possessed of more than his normal share of feline curiosity and a level of giddy energy that is astounding. Particularly to his big “brother” Sam who, at nearly 6 years of age, is more phlegmatic and, he thinks, dignified. As a result of his unfettered nosiness, Tim considers it his prerogative to investigate any and all parcels coming into or leaving the house (including the trash) and any and all cupboards and closets that are in the house. This is why I do a “cat count” every morning before leaving for work.

Yesterday morning, however, I had my mind firmly focused on a couple of errands I needed to do en route to the office (and I only live 3-1/2 miles from work, so I usually have ample time), so I neglected my normal precautions.

I'm sure you've already guessed that when I returned from work last night I saw Sam splayed comfortably on his favorite ottoman, sound asleep. So far so good. But no peppy little majordomo came to greet me. I went into the bedroom, thinking that perhaps Tim was taking a nice long nap also. No Tim. I checked my bedroom closets. Nope.

Finally I heard a pathetic little mewling sound from the direction of the living room, and I then realized that young Tim had darted into the pantry closet and had gotten stuck there for the whole day.

Ever seen a cat run with his back paws crossed? I did last night! My suspicion is that Tim barely made it to the grit box – but bless his little heart, he hadn’t done anything in the closet although he’d been there for 9 hours! I have no doubt he was sleeping most of that time.

After he’d made himself more comfortable, Tim came galloping onto my lap demanding affection and attention and lots of it. After 5 minutes of that, he jumped off my lap and proceeded to patrol the entire apartment for a good 2 hours – complaining non-stop. He would trot over to my lap once in a while, give me a head butt, and then he’d be back to his rounds, with occasional stops to annoy Sam who apparently was in Tim’s bad books because Sam hadn’t released Tim from the closet!

It didn’t help any that I was helpless with laughter through a lot of this. You know, cats consider themselves far too superior to be the object of laughter.

I love my cats. They fascinate, comfort and amuse. Their love is uncritical and their personalities are diverse. There is really no end to the complete delight afforded by a well raised and loved feline creature! And since I live with two wholly individual cats, I am doubly blessed.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE.

IT'S PAST TIME THIS FARCE CAME TO AN END!

I mailed this letter today, December 20, 2006.


THE NORTH CAROLINA STATE BAR
208 Fayetteville Street
PO Box 25908
Raleigh, NC 27611-5908

Disciplinary Hearing Commission: F. Lane Williamson, Chair, Carlyn G. Poole, Vice-Chair, Sharon B. Alexander, W. Steven Allen Sr., Stephen E. Culbreth, Charles M. Davis, Karen Eady-Williams, Michael A. Grace, Tommy W. Jarrett, T. Richard Kane, John M. May, M. Ann Reed

REFERENCE: Durham County District Attorney Mike Nifong

Dear Commissioners:

I have watched with mounting horror as rogue prosecutor, Mike Nifong, has trampled the civil rights of three male college students in his relentless drive for political gain.

He is prosecuting three young men for a rape which probably didn’t even occur. But then how would Prosecutor Nifong know? He has NEVER interviewed the indicted lacrosse players OR the accuser. He has ignored DNA evidence, the supposed victim’s multiple versions of events and even conspired with the testing laboratory to withhold exculpatory evidence from the defense (http://www.lashawnbarber.com/DNA_Motion_with_Attachments[1].pdf). His conduct of the photo lineup was execrable procedure at best and downright prejudicial and dishonest. Further, although exculpatory evidence of an uncompromising sort has been presented on behalf of at least one of the indicted students, Mr. Nifong has chosen to ignore that AND attempt to intimidate one of the defense witnesses, the taxicab driver, by attempting to have him arrested on thin to transparently untrue charges. He played the alleged rape charges to the hilt prior to the primary election and claimed that if the DNA evidence did not support the accuser’s charges, he would drop them. It didn’t and he didn’t. To say that this man is a reprehensible, racist, cynical huckster is to be restrained in my description of Nifong. I have to say that all I could think about during this pre-primary period was the Sam Sheppard case here in Ohio – the conviction that F. Lee Bailey got overturned by the U.S. Supreme Court due to prejudicial pre-trial publicity.

Mr. Nifong is flagrantly violating North Carolina law and common decency and holding the State Bar of North Carolina up to public ridicule on a daily basis because you have apparently chosen to do nothing about his prosecutorial misconduct for many months. I can assure you, based on personal knowledge, this would not happen in the State of Ohio. The Chief Justice of the Ohio Supreme Court answers his own phone so he is accessible to all citizens and all attorneys know this. I myself was the legal assistant to one of the now-retired justices, Hon. J. Craig Wright, an irascible but brilliant attorney and judge. So I am not indulging in ignorant blathering here. What Nifong is doing is wrong in so many ways that I was stumped as to how to begin this letter!

Something must be done about this case forthwith. Since nobody else seems to be willing to act in a definitive manner, I’m very much afraid that it’s on your shoulders.

Three young men have already had their lives effectively ruined to a greater or lesser extent by this prosecutor run amok. Their parents have been forced into expending great sums of money to defend and protect their sons from what are demonstrably bogus charges. Since it becomes increasingly certain that this case is wholly frivolous, the State of North Carolina and the City of Durham are already facing substantial financial consequences. Bringing this farce to a halt sooner rather than later might reduce the liability a bit.

Respectfully yours,

At a press conference this morning, a renowned 'beltway insider' confirmed that an archeological team from the National Geographic Society digging in Washington DC have unearthed the 17,000 year old bones and fossilized remains of what scientists now believe to be the very first politician.

h/t P-Jo

Senators Trek to Damascus, Defying White House Policy

In an article written by Eli Lake, a staff reporter of the New York Sun it is reported that, ". . . defying requests from the White House, four senators are making a pilgrimage to Damascus. "

The four, who are or soon will be in violation of the Logan Act, are Senator Bill Nelson, a Democrat from Florida (who met yesterday with President al-Assad), the Democratic presidential nominee in 2004, Senator Kerry of Massachusetts, who will be visiting Mr. Assad in the coming days, Senator Specter, a Republican from Pennsylvania who attended Hafez al-Assad's funeral in 2000 and is slated to visit Syria in the near future, and Senator Dodd, a Democrat from Connecticut, who was urged by Foggy Bottom not to follow through on his plans to visit the Syrian leader during a trip to the region in April.

The diplomacy from the lawmakers represents a challenge to the Bush administration, which is now weighing advice from the bipartisan Iraq Study Group to engage Syria and Iran in an effort to corral the regimes into helping stem the violence in Iraq. The study group also recommended that America pursue a peace deal between Syria and Israel that involves Israel ceding the Golan Heights to Syria.

For your edification, the Logan Act does apply:

§ 953. Private correspondence with foreign governments.
Any citizen of the United States, wherever he may be, who, without authority of the United States, directly or indirectly commences or carries on any correspondence or intercourse with any foreign government or any officer or agent thereof, with intent to influence the measures or conduct of any foreign government or of any officer or agent thereof, in relation to any disputes or controversies with the United States, or to defeat the measures of the United States, shall be fined under this title or imprisoned not more than three years, or both.

This section shall not abridge the right of a citizen to apply himself, or his agent, to any foreign government, or the agents thereof, for redress of any injury which he may have sustained from such government or any of its agents or subjects.

18 U.S.C. § 953 (2004)

Apparently these "independent" diplomats believe that, in the recent election, THEY were somehow gifted with powers that equal those of the President of the United States, who has the sole rights and responsibility for conducting our nation's foreign policy. In addition, they are clearly unconcerned that their behavior is sending a clear signal to governments hostile to our own that our President is somehow impaired in his prerogatives and thus, they will make it MORE difficult for the President and the State Department to effect any kind of influence over these regimes who are aiding and abetting the so-called insurgency in Iraq, not to mention aiding and abetting such rogue organizations as Hamas and Hezbollah who consistently and unrepentently threaten the well-being and survival of the State of Israel and Israeli citizens.

As I have said before, many of these middle eastern nations have only an imperfect understanding of how our Republic operates and view our nation and its government through the prism of their own political realities.

It is my belief that the passports of all four of these misdirected amateur diplomats should be revoked - preferably while they are off our soil. We don't need their "help" and we certainly would be better off without any of the four of them. My cat Sam could do their jobs better than they could - which sets the bar for the governors of their respective states replacing them pretty doggone low!

But that's my opinion. Feel free to weigh in. The one thing that is FACT, not opinion, is that these four ARE violating the Logan Act and that is intolerable hubris!

UPDATE:

At Yahoo News we find the following:

CAIRO (Reuters) - U.S. Senator John Kerry, the Democratic candidate for the presidency in 2004, said on Thursday the U.S. administration should engage in dialogue with Syria and Iran.

“I think it’s important to talk and have dialogue, but you don’t give up your principles and you don’t make deals that are against your larger interest,” Kerry told reporters after talks with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.“Syria needs to understand that and Iran needs to understand that, but I think it’s important to begin a discussion,” added Kerry, a Massachusetts senator.

WHAT IN THE NAME OF HELL DO THESE ASININE IDIOTS THINK THEY ARE DOING?

LET’S ALL JUST TAKE A DEEP BREATH AND STEP BACK!

Already the Internet is awash in stories of all the candidates for the presidency in 2008 (in HRC’s case, those rumors started back in 1999 – but I digress).

Folks, it isn’t my intention to attempt to stifle free speech and all - but seriously, we just HAD the mid-term elections – slightly over a month ago! Could we all just step back, take a deep breath and wait – LIKE A YEAR OR SO – before we start the next election cycle?

I mean, it isn’t like anyone can take seriously the already-declared candidate (the embarrassing troll Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH) who is apparently STILL looking for women willing to date him – as if), or even the ones being pushed by the mainstream media idiots.

Joe Biden? Give me a freaking break. The man has the IQ of wheat germ.

Barack Hussein Obama? Wouldn’t it be a novel idea if he actually ACCOMPLISHED SOMETHING before throwing his hat in the ring? And does anyone seriously believe that HRC is going to tolerate him sucking the oxygen out of HER buzz?

Senator John F. Kerry, not satisfied with being largely absent from the U.S. Senate during the entirety of his last run for the presidency, believes that the American public will allow him to pull that stunt again in 2008. It is a given that the Massachusetts taxpayers are notoriously willing to tolerate that nonsense from its politicians, but apparently Edward M. Kennedy (D-Stoly) has decided that one shot at the big score was all the glory to which John “Futile” Kerry was entitled and Teresa is back to using “Heinz” as her last name, so one suspects little or no support will be forthcoming in THAT quarter.

We American voters are weary, all y’all. We’ve heard enough obfuscations, “nuance” and general untruths to last us a while and we’d be really really grateful if all the politicians would just shut the hell up until, oh I don’t know, JANUARY of 2008?

Thank you for your consideration!

FROM OUT OF THE [POLITICAL] WILDERNESS!

Now comes the voice of Tom DeLay, the much maligned former Congressman, who has started his own blog - and a brilliantly conceived one it is.

Welcome to the blogsphere. Your site has already become a must-read for me and I think it will for many others. My greatest hope for the next two years is that the current Republicans in Congress will grow some stones and perhaps prevent some of the nuttier Democratic ideas from coming to fruition. I think they'll find that, when they do, the American people will forgive them their many failures and trespasses.

The Religion of Peace

“Residents of a southern Somalia town who do not pray five times a day will be beheaded, an official said yesterday, adding the edict will be implemented in three days.”

What more is there to say? It's barbaric, it's stone-age savagery, it's reprehensible.

h/t Ankle Biting Pundits

The 2006 Heisman Trophy Belongs To This Exceptional Young Man


This is a picture of the extraordinary young man named Troy Smith, quarterback of The Ohio State University Buckeyes football team.

Young Mr. Smith is a good student, a most humble and unselfish young man, an amazing quarterback and, oh yes, a Heisman candidate.

There are times when the insanity that swirls through our lives can threaten to overwhelm. I am, therefore, grateful for the occasional hint that there are better people out there in our world than can be found in Washington, D.C.,or in the pages of the mainstream media preaching doom, destruction and surrender.

If you don't watch the Heisman selection show on Saturday night, be sure to catch Mr. Smith's amazing talents dazzlingly on display in the BCS National Championship Game on January 8th, 2007, against the Florida Gators.

WHY BILL O’REILLY IS WRONG ABOUT JAMES EARL CARTER, JR.

Bill O’Reilly continues to insist that, as a former President, James Earl Carter, Jr. must be respected and, furthermore, not attacked by anyone for his personal views.

My response to that is simple: pfui!

When James Earl Carter, Jr. was sworn in as President, he swore on the Bible that he would “preserve, protect and defend” this country. He has since done, entirely too often, the exact opposite. But the height of his disloyalty to the nation which once honored him with the Presidency was to defame publicly, while our nation is at war, the current President of the United States, George W. Bush, while Mr. Carter was in a foreign country. That is despicable conduct and deserves any kind of opprobrium that can be heaped upon former President Carter.

Now from the widely respected Power Line blog comes a copy of an e-mail from Professor Kenneth Stein of Emory University and the Carter Center. To quote from Power Line:

“Professor Stein's expertise lies in the history of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Our reader writes that when he was an undergraduate student at Emory in the mid-1990's, Professor Stein was one of the most revered, respected professors on campus, and that Professor Stein had a long-standing association with the Carter Center in his capacity as an expert in Middle East politics and history. Professor Stein was in fact the first director of the Carter Center (1983-1986.)”

And what does Professor Stein have to say in his e-mail?

“This note is to inform you that yesterday, I sent letters to President Jimmy Carter, Emory University President Jim Wagner, and Dr. John Hardman, Executive Director of the Carter Center resigning my position, effectively immediately, as Middle East Fellow of the Carter Center of Emory University. This ends my 23 year association with an institution that in some small way I helped shape and develop. My joint academic position in Emory College in the History and Political Science Departments, and, as Director of the Emory Institute for the Study of Modern Israel remains unchanged.”

Professor Stein goes on to discuss James Earl Carter, Jr.’s current book:

"President Carter's book on the Middle East, a title too inflammatory to even print, is not based on unvarnished analyses; it is replete with factual errors, copied materials not cited, superficialities, glaring omissions, and simply invented segments. Aside from the one-sided nature of the book, meant to provoke, there are recollections cited from meetings where I was the third person in the room, and my notes of those meetings show little similarity to points claimed in the book. Being a former President does not give one a unique privilege to invent information or to unpack it with cuts, deftly slanted to provide a particular outlook. Having little access to Arabic and Hebrew sources, I believe, clearly handicapped his understanding and analyses of how history has unfolded over the last decade. Falsehoods, if repeated often enough become meta-truths, and they then can become the erroneous baseline for shaping and reinforcing attitudes and for policy-making. The history and interpretation of
the Arab-Israeli conflict is already drowning in half-truths, suppositions, and self-serving myths; more are not necessary. In due course, I shall detail these points and reflect on their origins."

It is clear that former President Carter is either delusional or dishonest at best; anti-Semitic at worst. Given his close friendship and support of the murdering thug Yasser Arafat, I have drawn my own conclusions and leave it to you to draw yours.

It may just be that it is past time for the former President to withdraw entirely from public life. He is harming the nation he swore to “preserve, protect and defend” and making an ass of himself in the process.

EXCELLENT CHRISTMAS MEME!

1. Egg nog or hot chocolate? Coffee Martini!

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? Everything wrapped.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Depends on my mood.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No way, Jose!

5. When do you put your decorations up? When I get around to it.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Leftovers.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child: Any gift from my Great Aunt Ida. She always hid little surprises inside her presents. As an adult, any Christmas spent with Sis.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? What truth about Santa?

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? I wait until Christmas Day.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas tree? Never know until I do it.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love to watch it fall, love to know it’s on the ground. Love cold weather. Love to stay home in front of a fire with the kitties and just SNUGGLE.

12. Can you ice skate? Absolutely. Bad back and all.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I love to give gifts to people and spend a lot of effort accumulating a lot of goodies for each person on my rather tiny gift list. My favorite gift in recent years is probably the record player I received last year from friend Pam. It looks like an old fashioned radio but it has a CD player AND a turntable so it also plays 33-1/3, 45 and 78 rpm records AND it has a terrific AM/FM radio as well. Just a really fantastic gift!

14. What’s the most important thing about the holidays for you? Family and friends.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Homemade cookies and candy. I make my own dark chocolate truffles to give as gifts and roll them in chopped toasted hazelnuts. Yum.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? Watching the Christmas Midnight Mass from St. Peters – just me and the kitties.

17. What tops your tree? I have an angel given to me by some former friends and I still honor our former friendship by using the angel.

18. Which do you prefer, giving or receiving? Both. But the fun of finding just the right gift for the few people on my gift list is priceless. It's a way of showing them that I noticed their likes and dislikes, care about their comfort or convenience or pleasure and value their friendship.

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? “Oh Holy Night!”

20. Candy canes: Don’t care for them and my bridgework likes them even less!

21. Favorite Christmas movie? Miracle on 34th Street

22. What do you leave for Santa? Sam the cat won’t let Santa in the door!

h/t: The Anchoress and Oh How I Love Jesus blogs.

A NEW BOONDOGGLE AT THE U.N.?

The U.N. building was built in 1951 and, as often happens with buildings in nearly non-stop use, it now requires substantial upgrades and renovations after over 55 years of service. The amount initially budgeted for this task was $700 million, a significant sum when you bear in mind that Donald Trump just built a luxury building right across the street for half that amount. But yes, renovations do frequently cost more.

Now we are hearing that the U.N. renovations will be costing $1.9 billion (of your dollars and mine principally since we still fund the lion's share of the anti-American U.N. budget, as well as the dollars of all the other member countries). No coherent explanation is available for this unconscionable jump in the projected cost and Donald Trump very much suspects the cost will reach closer to $3 billion!

Donald Trump – who knows a thing or three about construction of high rises as well as the renovations of same in Manhattan (which is a far different animal than the same work in say, Columbus, Ohio) was on Fox & Friends this morning absolutely excoriating Kofi Annan and the entire project which he insists should not cost more than the original $700 million – which is in itself a pretty huge sum of money.

What is more telling is that Mr. Trump tried to meet with Kofi Annan to discuss the proposed renovations and he says he quickly became aware that Mr. Annan knew nothing whatsoever about construction or the proposed project. In addition, he avers that within moments of them sitting down to talk, the doors to Anan’s office opened and in came the photographers! Clearly Kofi wanted “face time” but no substantive conversation.

Mr. Trump then claims that he met with the employee of the U.N. who will be supervising the renovations. He said that within a very short amount of time, he became convinced that this person had absolutely no clue about any construction terminology.

Mr. Trump has offered to spearhead the project and bring it in for the initial $700 million figure, which he claims is reasonable. His offer has been ignored. His take on the whole thing is that (a) the U.N. personnel are incompetent at best; and (b) this is another “Oil for Food” boondoggle.

Lest you think that Donald Trump is another right-winger attempting to smear the U.N., he made it very clear that he admired the U.N. and its work – up until about 10 years ago when, in his opinion, they became a useless organization accomplishing nothing and standing for nothing.

I’m not a fan of Donald Trump. But I find his criticisms to be utterly believable and logical.

Why are we still supporting this cancer on our nation's shores? It has no accountability, no ethical base and no real effect on world affairs, other than to offer a forum to a bunch of tinpot despots to call the President of the United States nasty names.

Write your Senators and Congressmen. It's unlikely that it will have an effect, but at least let them be on notice about what we think!

CROSS-COUNTRY SYNCHRONICITY

Was thinking this morning about the incredible stupidity of Gwyneth Paltrow and friend John B. in Los Angeles sent me the following:

Today's Fortune Cookie:
Hanlon's Razor:
Never attribute to malice that which is adequately explained by stupidity.

Works for me! Thanks John!

WHO AM I?

“Preserved in the permafrost of the Cold War is a piece of advice given by Pavel Sudoplatov, Stalin’s master spy, to an apprentice agent. Sudoplatov’s career in the Soviet secret service spanned three decades of Stalinism, and few understood better the brutal and complex psychology of spying.

When seeking to recruit a spy, Sudoplatov advised his underling that one should “search for people who are hurt by fate or nature — the ugly, those craving power or influence but defeated by unfavourable circumstances. In co-operation with us, all these find a peculiar compensation. The sense of belonging to an influential, powerful organisation will give them a feeling of superiority over the handsome and prosperous people around them.””

h/t Ace of Spades

To me, this is the description of a lot of liberals (although honesty compels me to state that John "Futile" Kerry jumps to mind too quickly).

So let's have a little game here and YOU name the person who fits the description in your view. No prizes, just recognition of your brilliance by me!

SOMETIMES THE MIND JUST REELS!

Last night on Hannity & Colmes, Alan Colmes was blathering away about Howard Dean reading a speech in Montreal in French and made the fatuous comment “We could have had a bilingual president!”

Note to Alan Colmes – for the record, you are demonstrably a moron. President George W. Bush IS bilingual. He is fluent in Spanish.

Unlike Howard Dean whose reading of a prepared text in French was rife with so many mispronounciations and stumbles over words that it was clear he doesn't really speak French - or if he does, he speaks it poorly.

What IS IT with liberals? Can they not see how absurd is their unreasoning hatred of our President and how utterly witless this hatred makes THEM look?

h/t Cousin Scott who stays up later than I do!

IT'S FRIDAY AND THE WEATHER IS FRIGHTFUL!

Across the country many people are being affected to a large or small degree by the onset of winter weather. There have been massive snowstorms - even in Seattle where friend Sandy got herself snowed in for a day or so - and here in Ohio we are under what can only be described as a "summer weather" set of warnings: tornado watches! The temperature here is plunging, the rain is whacking at us in varying degrees of ferocity and high wind warnings also abound.

So from me to you - stay safe and be careful if you're out on the roads. Y'all matter!

If you're looking for some really cogent and thought-provoking reading, head on over to The Anchoress who is a brilliant writer herself and links to other brilliant sites.

Over at Barking Moonbat Early Warning System there is a particularly horrifying story of an Afghan school teacher who was dragged from his home by Taliban scum and then partially disemboweled and dismembered. His sin? He ignored warnings from these Taliban fanatics who want girls not to be taught!

Me, I'm going to hunker down and get some file reorganization underway (in a law firm that is almost certainly a neverending process) and drink another cup of reasonably good coffee!

WHEN WILL THE DUCT TAPE GO ON?!

Both James Earl Carter, Jr. and John F. Kerry have been ubiquitous on CNN of late, each peddling their own particular brand of horse shit! For those who may be offended by this locution, I refuse to apologise. This is my blog and I'll phrase my opinion the way I want to.

Mr. Carter continues to believe that the undeserved Nobel Peace Prize he won has somehow made him intelligent, when in truth, he was born challenged and hasn't improved with age. His anti-Semitic fondness for a thug like Yasser Arafat is proof positive that the man's brain is defective at best, inoperative at worst. I continue to believe that the man is in the throes of Alzheimer's disease and that his family should, in all kindness, reel his blathering ass in and stash him somewhere where he cannot do himself or OUR COUNTRY any more harm.

John "Futile" Kerry was on CNN's Larry King Live again last night, still trying to do damage control for his "stupid military" remark. John: Give it up. You've been making your disdain for the military and 99% of your fellow citizens quite clear since 1971 when you spewed your despicable lies about your fellow soldiers in front of the Congress. Nothing has changed. You are an undistinguished pantywaist, effete, rather dumb snob and coward (who lied in order to get 3 purple hearts and a ticket out of service in Vietnam after 4 lousy months there). You are a so-called man who has had the good fortune or guile to marry two wealthy women - although I cannot for the life of me glean the slightest spark of an idea as to what they saw in you. Be grateful you have a freaking JOB and Teresa's lap at your disposal and remove your odious presence from our television screens.

There. Now I feel better.

WHEN WILL THE GLOVES COME OFF!?

The extraordinary Anchoress has a posting called Anti-Clinton: Weirdest Headline of the Day on her site.

Apparently, if you give money to another person seeking the presidency, you are Anti-Clinton. My question is, why does the MSM consider that to be a perjorative term? Certainly, as the Anchoress correctly points out, George Soros was never described as making anti-Bush contributions (although that is inescapably true).

What is more interesting to me, and something that has continued to fascinate me for the past six years, is the deference shown to the Junior Senator from New York, Hillary Rodham Clinton, by both government officials and employees and the mainstream media.

Why exactly has this POLITICIAN never had to face a tough question in two political campaigns in what is arguably, one of the tougher states in which to run for office. Last time I checked, New York people were neither dainty nor shy!

It follows from the manner in which Mrs. Clinton has been treated for these six years that this kid glove treatment will continue should she run for president, thus making it possible for someone to (heaven forfend) be elected to the presidency without ever having revealed anything about her true character and beliefs.

If you don't find that frightening, I'm worried for you.

ANOTHER SO-CALLED “VICTIM” – THE WHINING OF ALCEE HASTINGS!

November 28, 2006, 8:04 a.m. The National Review

Alcee Hastings: I’m An Innocent Victim of Politics

He says his impeachment was a political hit job. The record says
otherwise.

By Byron York

The procedures of the impeachment were discussed extensively at a July 26, 1988, meeting of the committee in which members unanimously voted in favor of articles of impeachment. At the meeting, Michigan Democratic Rep. John Conyers, who chaired the subcommittee which investigated Hastings, addressed the political issue head-on.

“It was said at times during the course of the subcommittee’s inquiry that impeachment is a political process, and that may be true, but it is also misleading,” Conyers said. “Impeachment is political in the sense that it is committed to the House of Representatives, a popularly elected
and, therefore, political body. Impeachment, however, is not, nor should it be, treated in the way that we treat a piece of legislation.”“An impeachment decision must be based upon the facts. It would be inappropriate, in my opinion, for any member of Congress to make factual determinations based upon polls or letters received or calls coming into one’s office or from any other secondary matter. “We must weigh the evidence and reach conclusions based upon what that evidence discloses, and not upon anything else.”

Conyers, who at the beginning of the proceeding said he had initially doubted the charges against Hastings case and therefore took particular pains to make sure Hastings received fair treatment, then went on to list what the committee had done. He did not want to “rubberstamp” any previous investigation, Conyers said, so he and his investigators re-reviewed everything. “We reconstructed all of the hearings, trial materials, [and] grand jury information concerning the allegations,” Conyers said.

“We obtained complete records of the proceedings involving Judge Hastings before the Eleventh Circuit Judicial Council, the transcript of Judge Hastings’ criminal trial, and the transcript of the criminal trial of [Hastings’s alleged co-conspirator] William Borders. Independent interviews of
numerous persons were conducted.”All that would have been a time-consuming process under any circumstances.

But Conyers told the committee that the investigators’ work was made more difficult by Hastings. “During the course of the inquiry, the subcommittee sought certain records from the courts,” Conyers continued. “Judge Hastings, despite his assertions that he was interested in a full and complete disclosure of the facts, resisted these efforts. The matters were litigated and ultimately the committee prevailed. The delay occasioned by the litigation, however, has probably doubled the amount of time spent conducting the inquiry.”

It’s bad enough when the “flying Imans” claim to be victims, despite their overtly provocative behavior, but a former judge really should know better!

Alcee Hastings was impeached and convicted because he was GUILTY and he has absolutely no business being the head of any Congressional committee, least of all intelligence! He is as “bent” as they come and would be an absolutely heaven-sent target of corrupters, because he is, after all, already corrupt!

Jane Harmon is qualified for the post and deserves it. We should all be writing to our congressmen demanding that Alcee Hastings be denied the post and that Jane Harmon be put in the position because she is far less likely to suborn our national security!

HOW I SPENT MY THANKSGIVING EVENING!

It seemed like a really good idea on Thanksgiving morning so I called friend Pam and suggested that we go to the Jeffersonville Outlet Mall (about 45 minutes south of Columbus, Ohio) for their Midnight Sale that night. I told her I’d be by at 11 p.m. to pick her up.

I went to visit my dear friend Dotty at the Rehabilitation Center where she is recuperating from some major health issues which included a mild stroke and then on to cousin Linda’s house where her family was gathered for Thanksgiving Dinner.

My cousin and her husband have 6 daughters between them, all but one of whom is married. One of Linda’s daughters lives in upstate New York so she wasn’t there, but all the rest of them were present with their children (3 for each girl, total 12), plus Linda’s sister and her boyfriend and me. A portion of the floor was a occupied by some of the smaller grandbabies playing with Barbies and trucks. Some of the older grandchildren are now, to my delight, quite interesting conversationalists. I must admit, it’s likely that I find their conversation enjoyable because they are, bless their hearts, conservatives one and all! Clearly the result of good parenting!

I got home about 5 p.m. and decided to play with the cats for a few minutes and then take a nap. I was up and out and picked up Pam and her son promptly at 11 p.m., and then the adventure began!

The trip was going smoothly, except that of course there was heavier-than-a-normal-Sunday-evening traffic heading south on I-71 for quite a while. Then it seemed to thin out. Then, about 5 miles before the Jeffersonville Outlet, the traffic stopped altogether! Two lanes worth! Clearly, I had not had an original idea!

We stuck with the debacle for nearly an hour – somehow hoping, I think, that it would thin out. It didn’t. Billy was comfortable with his book in the back seat. Did YOU know you could read by the light of your cell phone? I didn't either - but I suspect that is a skill possessed only by 23 year olds!

Finally, after sitting patiently in this long line of barely-moving traffic, we decided that it wasn’t worth the effort. I know – you would have bailed a lot earlier. Color me stubborn! Actually, Pam had opined that she needed a potty break and I offered to pull off at the rest area - several times. She didn't decide it was urgent until after we were PAST the exit to the rest area.

We managed to slip out of the double line of traffic, still nearly 3 miles distant from the exit. As we drove in the only unobstructed lane heading South, we could see that the outlet mall parking lot was utterly full and that, in fact, people were parking on the frontage road and jumping the fence. Two exits later we found both a Subway (it was now around 1 a.m.) and, more important, a BATHROOM. We fiddled around, eating our subs, and finally started back towards Jeffersonville and then home. As we reached a point roughly 1 mile prior to the Jeffersonville exit, again we could see brake lights and indeed there was a single line – on the highway – of people waiting to exit the freeway. What was more amazing was that just after we passed the exit, we realized that people had parked on the shoulder of the freeway and left their cars there in order to get to the outlet mall. May I just say – THERE IS NO SALE ON EARTH WORTH RISKING YOUR CAR!

As we were nearing the Columbus area, I opined to Pam that I still felt the pangs of “shopping interruptus” and she agreed. So without much consultation, off we headed to Canal Winchester, Ohio – and WAL-MART! The best thing about Wal-Mart is that it’s open 24-hours per day! We arrived at 2:30 a.m. and got it out of our systems!

Happy Thanksgiving, indeed!

DAVID LIMBAUGH’S NEW COLUMN

"I realize Democrats won the elections, but I believe the last thing the president should do the next two years is retreat from his agenda or extend the hand of bipartisanship to liberal Democrats who will only bite it off to a nub anyway.

The elections are not a mandate for the Democrats' policy agenda, because they didn't offer one. I tend to agree with the commentators who contend the elections were not a repudiation of conservative principles, but a referendum on the GOP's perceived competence. If so, the lesson should not be to tack toward the center, or radically alter their ideological approach, but to govern more effectively."

There is no doubt whatsoever that David Limbaugh is absolutely correct, although I would argue that the Democrats didn’t WIN, but rather the Republicans LOST – an entirely different story.

With all the self-congratulatory grandstanding going on in D.C. these days, it is good to remember that the Democrats have developed a reassuring genius for shooting themselves in the foot. That does not, however, mean that the Republicans should just assume that Democratic missteps will insure their return to power in 2008. In order for that to happen, the Republicans must engage in a thorough self-assessment and begin to correct the many mistakes they have made over the past few years.

I have said, BOTH frequently and as loudly as possible, that the Republicans have been groveling for far too long in the hopes that the Democrats will LIKE them. That isn’t ever going to happen. You can bank on it. BUT, had the Republicans exercised their power in a firm and unyielding fashion, the Dems would have at least respected them, which is the most we should expect.

Had Republicans stated loudly and unequivocally that the Bush bashing had to stop, the MSM might have been less slavish in their devotion to publishing every foul and untrue canard uttered by the left against our President.

Had we, as Republicans, been more active in defending our President and our interests as a nation, perhaps the MSM would have thought at least ½ second about piling it on to the extent that they have done.

Had we, as Republicans, communicated our deep disagreement with the President’s approach to illegal immigration, perhaps THAT debate would not have been quite so harmful.

Had we, as Republicans, communicated with our Congress at the first hint of the first scandal that we were not disposed to tolerate that kind of behavior, perhaps the utterly corrupt and cynical leftwing Dems would have had less with which to slander all Republicans.

Had we all exercised our RESPONSIBILITY as Americans and voted in this past election, might the outcome have been different? It might not have been – but now we’ll never know. Voting is not an elective – it is a requirement. Sitting on your hands is NEVER an option, I’m sorry.

We too share a responsibility for our own good government. It’s time that all of us started, to the extent we are able, to make sure our elected representatives know exactly what we want from them. To that end, do not think for one second that my new Senator from Ohio is going to be immune from inclusion in my mailing list, because he is not! I may not have voted for the s.o.b. but once he takes office, he is still responsible to me just as fully as he is to any other citizen of Ohio. And I intend to be certain he knows that!

SOMETHING ELSE FOR WHICH I AM THANKFUL!

Courage. Not necessarily my own because like most human beings, I’m somewhat inconsistent in the application, although I hope that I have been courageous more often than cowardly.

An example of courage was on view at the Cup of China figure skating competition, part of the Grand Prix series that leads to the World Championships each year.

In August of 2005, Zhao Hongbo, the male half of China's first figure skating pairs world champions Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue, blew out his Achilles tendon, an injury which is almost always a career ending event for most athletes. During the 2005 Cup of China competition, Zhao Hongbo could be seen backstage walking with a cane.

I cannot even imagine the hard work and conditioning that permitted this brilliant team to come back and compete in the Olympics – but compete they did – winning the Bronze medal against nearly-impossible odds. To say that this was an inspirational feat of determination, hard work, skill and pure courage is obvious. It is what follows that is even more astounding.

At the 2006 Cup of China competition, this brilliant pair skated an almost otherworldly and beautifully powerful program, capturing the Gold Medal by over 20 points ahead of the next closest team. Their skating was passionate, lyrical, powerful and in the end, moved me to tears. My tears were of course for the sheer beauty of their skating but also, I have to say, as a recognition of the courage and dedication that brought these brilliant skaters to this pinnacle once again.

I was once a very determined but not naturally talented ice dancer – a long time ago. I remember what it was like to persevere against difficulties and must confess that I didn’t always possess the requisite courage to do so. Skating past pain requires reserves of strength, determination and faith in your own self that are unimaginable and I can only surmise that when you are the former 2 time World Champions and nearly sidelined forever by an excruciating injury, the strength of character needed is even more stupendous. While it might be easy to say that, after all, the Chinese skate for the glory of the State, what can be seen in Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue (who must trust the strength of her partner’s arms AND legs for her own safety) transcends mere nationalism.

Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue have hinted that they may retire after the 2007 World Championships. He is 33 years of age and though he has managed to somehow resuscitate his injured Achilles tendon in order to return to the ice, there is no doubt that he will never be able to entirely rely on his leg again. But oh, how I wish that somehow they won’t leave us too soon. Among the truly remarkable pair skaters I have ever seen, they rank right up there in the top 3 and there are times when they rival the legendary Oleg and Ludmilla Protapopov! And that in itself would have seemed to me to be unthinkable just five or six years ago!

So to Zhao Hongbo and Shen Xue – my complete appreciation and admiration, and no small amount of affection for your courage, strength and the sheer beauty of your pair skating. You are a treasure.

IT'S TIME TO GIVE PROFOUND THANKS

It's time to thank the good fortune of our birth and/or citizenship/legal residency in this great and good country we are lucky enough to call home.

It's time to thank God for the blessing of having George W. Bush as our President during this past six years - and for another 2 years. If nothing else, with our encouragement and prayers, he will do his duty by deflecting the worst of the moonbattery that is destined to come from the decidedly liberal Congress, while preventing the craven in Congress from somehow instituting "cut and run" as our new national posture.

It's time to thank God for the blessing of our brave, all-volunteer military and to further give thanks that the insanity proposed by Rep. Charlie Rangel appears to have been deflected.

It's time, most of all, to thank God for our family, our friends and our good fortune to have the blessings that we do have.

It's time, for me at least, to thank God for all of you who read my blog and for all my friends in the blogsphere who have encouraged me over the past couple of years, and to further thank the Diety for the blessings of good health, freedom from want and freedom to worship as I so desire.

TO ALL OF YOU, I WISH THE MOST JOYOUS OF THANKSGIVING HOLIDAYS and may the weight gain be negligible! After all - there's still Christmas to consider!

AND FROM THE SUBLIME TO THE RIDICULOUS:

National 'Nurse-In' Planned at U.S. Airports Over Treatment of Breast-Feeding Mom
Tuesday , November 21, 2006

MONTPELIER, Vt. — Twenty-four-old college student Valarie Roney doesn't have children, but she plans to park herself at an Atlanta airport "nurse-in" just the same — just on principal.

Pregnant mother Ashley Clark, 26, of Calverton, N.Y., accompanied by her 2-year-old son, will do the same in New York.

Others irate over the ejection of a nursing mother from a Delta Air Lines commuter flight in Burlington plan similar actions Tuesday at more than a dozen airports around the country. Among them: New York, Baltimore, Detroit, Nashville, Tenn., Minneapolis and Las Vegas.

"This is not an isolated incident," said Roney, of Carrollton, Ga. "It's every day in every city, people walking up to women feeding their babies, saying 'You should go to the bathroom,' or 'You should put a blanket over her.' They wouldn't want to eat in a bathroom or eat lunch with a blanket over their heads."

Ladies, they are BABIES but we are ADULTS and excuse me for being crass but I do NOT want to see your big tits while I am in a restaurant, on an airplane, on a public street or anywhere in public. Have you stupid cows (pun intended) never heard of discretion? I'm sure you think you are being all "back to nature" and the like and certainly breast feeding is healthy for your child - but do you have to SHARE with the world as if you are the FIRST woman on earth to breast feed? It's called MODESTY ladies and it is an all too uncommon attribute that needs to be revived!

HOUSE SPEAKER NANCY PELOSI

Has a poll up inquiring as to whether or not the minimum wage should be raised to $7.25 per hour. You can contact her at the House Speaker website to vote on this poll. There's also a link where you can tell Speaker Pelosi exactly what you think of her. Just remember to not be offensive and vile - we aren't the leftwing!

NIGHTMARE - ONE THAT COULD HAPPEN!

GO

READ

THIS!

h/t Barking Moonbat Early Warning System

A MONDAY MORNING MUST-READ!

The exceptional Laura Lee Donohoe at Wide Awake Cafe examines the patronizing tone of She-Who-Would-Be-President-But-Is-Not-Qualified versus our current commander in Iraq, including a quote from a family member who is serving there at this moment!

Once again, by her dismissive, condescending and nasty tone, the shrill harpie has revealed her contempt and disdain for our military! And despite that, they will still protect her! HRC is truly an ignorant and vicious b**ch!

IT WAS A GOOD KIND OF SATURDAY HERE IN COLUMBUS, OHIO!

Actually, it was the most nerve wracking football game (and the best) in many, many years! And the game really went down to the wire which made it even more exciting. What's really weird is that the Ohio lottery pick 4 numbers that night were the exact same numbers as those in the score! Isn't THAT strange?

On to the national championship game now. I very much doubt that OSU's opponent will be Michigan. It's much more likely to be USC and if that is the case, it will be a fantastic contest!

And finally - a word about Wal-Mart: I was there at 9:15 yesterday morning, hoping to beat the rush to do my grocery shopping. They ALREADY had the sweatshirts proclaiming the Big Ten Championship WITH the game's score on sale. Now THAT IS efficient marketing! Needless to say, they were going at a great clip - but I did get mine and one for my sister for her Christmas present.

GO BUCKS!

Now Carl Levin (D-Losing Team) is REALLY going to be grumpy!

A WORD ON THE SUBJECT OF “NO AUDIT TRAIL” WITH A VOTING MACHINE

When you wrote out your ballot or punched out little cardboard “chads”, what audit trail did you have? I’ve been voting for 43 years and I cannot recall ANY.

This is a bogus issue, IMHO.

What is NOT a bogus issue is the poor security for these machines when they are not in use. And THAT my friends is not the fault of Diebold or any other manufacturer, or the Republican Party, or even the Democratic Party. The poor security measures used to protect the integrity of voting machines when they are "between" uses is the DIRECT AND SOLE RESPONSIBILITY of your local Board of Elections.

SO IF YOU DON’T LIKE how your voting machines are being secured, don’t start a “Kos”-like crusade against the manufacturer – take your complaints and concerns to the next public meeting of the Board of Elections. And, if you don’t get satisfaction on your first attempt, keep on going back. Write letters to the editor. Find other like-minded voters in your area to join in the campaign.

In other words, quit waiting for the other guy to take care of a problem and get on it yourself.

He was a giant, and he will be missed!

He will be remembered as part of one of the greatest college football rivalries in history, but he will also be remembered as an assistant coach to the legendary Woody Hayes at The Ohio State University and also as one of the true gentlemen in college football.

Rest in peace, Bo!

THANKSGIVING IS COMING! LET THE EATING COMMENCE!

The Anchoress is providing us with a recipe for a scrumptious Meringue Cake on her site today! I'm going to try it. How about you?!

If I were not taking Nigella Lawson's QUADRUPLE Chocolate Loaf Cake (recipe available on the Food Network site) to my cousin Linda's house for Thanksgiving dinner, I'd make this. What the heck - I may make it anyway and bring it into the office as a gift of love (and calories) to my co-workers - yes, even the attorneys!

NOW THIS IS A VOTE WE CAN BE PROUD OF!

National Poll to designate the top college moments. Of course, I'm sure YOU are going to vote for "Script Ohio". Anyone who has ever seen it knows that it is SPECTACULAR!

UPDATE: With over 1,300,000 votes cast, Script Ohio is now at number 3 with close to 21% of the vote. Vote early, vote often!

UPDATE #2: Script Ohio is now at number 2 with 29% of the vote. Git 'er done!

UPDATE #3: Script Ohio remains at number 2 with 38.5% of in excess of 1,700,000 votes. Keep it going!

UPDATE #4: As of Friday morning, Script Ohio is #1 with 56.4% of the vote! Git 'er done!


GO BUCKS!

THE ARROGANCE IS STUNNING!

"Exultant Chuck Says He’ll Veto the Next Alito New King of Washington Promises Moderate Court; Rove-like, Plans Permanent Democratic Majority; More N.Y. Homeland Money, Iraqi Federalism
By Jason Horowitz writing in the New York
Sun"

I wasn't aware that a Senator, even Senator Shumer from New York State, one of 100 in a 51-49 Senate had usurped the powers of the Presidency! The hubris is absolutely mind-boggling!

SLOW LEARNERS

The Republicans just don’t learn their lessons very well, do they? Despite the repudiation of many of their less savory policies by the voting base and the loss of their Congressional majority, they seem to have decided to continue doing business as usual.

How else to explain the selection of Mel Martinez (a perfectly nice but uninspiring man) over Michael Steele to head the RNC? Planning to have a majority any time soon guys?

How else to explain the willingness to consider Trent Lott as Minority Whip? While I considered the fall of Senator Lott to be a ridiculous travesty, over the years since that happened we have witnessed one of the finest imitations of Robert Byrd ever given by a U.S. Senator in Trent Lott’s pork-barrel addiction and his contempt for the voters who question his predatory money-grubbing.

Hint to the Republicans – here’s what Americans want:

1. Secure borders. That means do not ALLOW the border fence issue to be re-visited, except to increase its length and/or funding.

2. Support our military and our mission in Iraq. Despite his pretensions to the contrary, Senator Carl Levin is NOT the new Commander in Chief, nor should he be. Aside from the fact that he never SERVED in the military (which in an intelligent and courageous man would not be a disqualifier, but in Levin’s case certainly is), he is dedicated to undermining our military (like most liberals) and the good work done by them in Iraq.

3. Courage in standing up to the liberal nuttiness. For years I have been saying this and nobody seems to want to listen. THEY WILL NEVER LIKE YOU. Quit trying to achieve the impossible! Courage, strong moral character and resolve are something most liberals cannot muster on their best days and if you stand up to them and hold your ground, they will at least respect you. Quit kissing butt and start displaying the very real differences between us and them.

4. Do not succumb any longer to what the liberals are calling the “culture of corruption” – we are supposed to be the more ethical party. Being drunk with power is an unattractive trait in anyone – left or right or in between.

5. Continue the tax cuts to stimulate the economy in the way that it has been stimulated since their inception. Don’t TALK about how you are for the little guy – actually DO SOMETHING FOR THE LITTLE GUY! And remember - you let them stymie many good initiatives while you were in power. It's no sin to use THEIR tactics against them in a good cause.

Go Bucks!

THEY JUST CANNOT HELP THEMSELVES!

Senator Carl Levin (D-MI), perhaps in an attempt to console himself over the University of Michigan's 5 years of defeat at the hands of the Ohio State Buckeyes, has decided to promote himself to Commander in Chief and has announced that there WILL be a phased redeployment (translation: "cut and run") in Iraq.

Congressman Jack Murtha (D-PA) is positively cackling with glee as he prepares to stab our military in the back for no other reason than that he will be able to do so - or so he thinks. He is prepared to preside over another Vietnam defeat that, like the first one, is NOT inevitable and which is PREVENTABLE.

Nancy Pelosi, she of San Francisco values with the overly botoxed face and the incredibly shrill voice, is preparing for her own coronation as Speaker of the House of Representatives before even one caucus has been held to decide on who WILL be the Speaker.

Charlie Rangel is setting his sights on which tax cuts to destroy first, while impeachment investigations are being commenced unbeknownest to the great American public.

Alcee Hastings is preparing to bring his felonious and impeached self back to the Congressional forefront from which he was ejected a number of years ago.

As to their promises, the Dems have already broken two of them. They ARE preparing to cut and run and they ARE preparing to raise taxes on the rich.

OH YES, and our enemies are preparing new and more flamboyant attacks on our homeland because now, they believe, they can attack us unanswered. After all - in their minds - the Democrats, that grand party of cowardice, disloyalty, anti-military and anti-Americanism, are now in charge.

So to all of you who sat on your hands and did not vote - thanks a lot! Are you happy now? Are your content with the message you sent?

Operation Gratitude Fourth Annual Holiday Drive

Organization to send 50,000 Care Packages to Support the Troops

During the Veteran's Day Weekend, November 11- 12, Operation Gratitude, a nonprofit, all-volunteer organization, will kick off its Fourth Annual Holiday Drive, to assemble and mail over 50,000 care packages to deployed troops for the Holidays.

Operation Gratitude's mission is to put a smile on a service member's face, lift morale, and express the appreciation of the American people for the sacrifices of the men and women defending our freedom. To see more information on Operation Gratitude's program to Support the Troops, click here: Operation Gratitude Video

Beginning November 11, Operation Gratitude's more than 1000 volunteers, along with stars from Hallmark Channel's upcoming holiday movies, will assemble and ship at least 50,000 Holiday Care Packages filled with Flash Drives, Sports Calling Cards, DVDs and CDs, Candy, Gum, Cough Drops, Cookies, Hand Warmers, Skin Care Products, Coffee and Flavorings, Greeting Cards, Batteries, Energy Drinks, T-Shirts, Socks and assorted Snacks.

Our troops are sacrificing their time, talents and safety to insure that we live safe here in our homeland. Why not sacrifice buying that tie for Uncle Fred (that Uncle Fred will never wear anyway) on their behalf?

h/t Lucianne.com

ONCE AGAIN - MAINSTREAM MEDIA "STRETCHING THE TRUTH"

Since a recount is mandated by LAW in Virginia, the so-called victory of Webb (if in fact it exists) will not be certain until NOVEMBER 27TH! Lying scum-sucking swamp creatures of the news media!

From Breitbart.com
Dems Complete Election Sweep of Congress

Nov 08 9:25 PM US/Eastern

By LIZ SIDOTI

Democrats completed an improbable double-barreled election sweep of Congress on Wednesday, taking control of the Senate with a victory in Virginia as they padded their day-old majority in the House.

Jim Webb's victory over Sen. George Allen in Virginia assured Democrats of 51 seats when the Senate convenes in January. That marked a gain of six in midterm elections in which the war in Iraq and President Bush were major issues.

AND SO IT BEGINS!

“Donald Rumsfeld’s resignation is a step in the right direction,” said Anthony D. Romero, ACLU Executive Director. “Rumsfeld is responsible for the torture and abuse of detainees in U. S. military custody and must be held accountable for the failures that occurred on his watch. He has placed the blame on junior military members and has been nothing but derelict in his duty. Congress must initiate an immediate and exhaustive investigation into his six-year-long record of unlawful activity, violations of the rule of law and complicity in the executive branch abuse of power.”

The new Congress hasn't even taken the oath of office (even if they don't MEAN IT - which many of them do not) and here we go!

Some Rumsfeld Moments:

The Secretary of Defense rushes BACK INTO the burning Pentagon in an effort to save some of his people.

The Secretary of Defense staging (and WINNING) 2 WARS!

The Secretary of Defense standing up to (and putting down when warranted) both the grasping, rude and dimwitted Defense Department Press Corps and some members of the U.S. Congress.

WE LOVE YOU RUMMY, AND WE WISH YOU WELL! Unfortunately, your like will not be seen soon again! Our nation is richer for having had you on the job for the past six years, and poorer for losing you now while danger still abounds - from without (the terrorists) and from within (the already power-drunk Democrats)!

WHAT IS NEXT?

For the past 6 years, the Democratic Party has flown under the radar, obsessed with Bush Derangement Syndrome and their lack of power since 1994, after being the majority party (it seems) since infinity!

Now the Democratic Party has the majority in the House of Representatives. Rumors have abounded that the first order of business for probable House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will be to begin impeachment proceedings against President George W. Bush based on the charges that he lied about Saddam Hussein's nuclear ambitions, among other things. Since documents recovered in Iraq prove conclusively that Saddam Hussein did indeed have such ambitions, these charges would be well nigh impossible to prove, but would provide the Democrats with a platform to, they think, permanently regain their power and position themselves to take the Presidency in 2008. In fact, even considering the beginning of impeachment proceedings against the President would conclusively PROVE to the American electorate that Democrats are NOT serious about national security.

It has been frequently stated that most of the country doesn't really know who Nancy Pelosi really is, but she will no longer have the ability to hide her politics and inclinations as she has been able to do in the past. The fact that those of us who have studied the woman know her to be a dangerously leftwing San Francisco liberal (than which there is no more left wing thinker) and the fact that it frightens the bejabbers out of those who know the truth of Nancy Pelosi's complete disconnect from the thinking of the majority of Americans (Republican and Democrat) that she may now sit third in line for the presidency find this enormously frightening.

There is, of course, the proposed Committee chair issue as well. Will the American people really welcome Alcee Hastings, an impeached Federal judge and convicted felon, in charge of national security? Will Jack Murtha and Charlie Rangel really "go down" well with the ordinary American citizen. Will, in fact, the largely moderate Democrats who have been elected to the House readily accept this extremist woman and her agenda? There have been rumblings already. Pray that they continue.

The Dems have been able to bop along for 6 years on an agenda that consists mainly of "We hate George W. Bush" but that luxury is no longer theirs. Now they must GOVERN - at least in the House of Representatives. Now they must reveal their true agendas to public view. And what will that revelation do to the presidential hopes of one Hillary Rodham Clinton and, if in fact the decisions made by Nancy Pelosi and her gang of extremists threaten Senator Clinton's hopes for a White House campaign, what will Madame Clinton decide to do about it. Nancy Pelosi may be a shark, but she's a tiny shark compared to Mrs. Clinton and Ms. Pelosi could learn, to her dismay, that her power is only what Senator Hillary Rodham Clinton and her cabal are willing to allow her.

Times have changed radically since the Clinton presidency. There is an alternative media that will be scrutinizing anything and everything done in the House of Representatives with a very intense magnifying glass.

Howard Dean is likely to remain the chairman of the Democratic Party as a result of these elections. Will he temper his vicious invective? And if he does not, will this further illuminate the non-agenda of the Democrats in Congress?

And finally, what of Senator Joe Lieberman? He was BOTH abandoned and vilified by his own party. It would be astonishing to me if he did not remember that and act upon it.

Perhaps the best thing that has emerged from this election cycle is that finally and thankfully, Senator John F. Kerry (D-Teresa's Lap) has destroyed his own political career all by himself and we will no longer be subjected to the arrogant maunderings of this liberal idiot.

We will be living in interesting times between now and 2008.

Gold Star Families Take Secret Trip to Iraq

Delegation provides SacUnion with an exclusive account of trip

SacUnion Staff Report
Published: November 3, 2006 20:43 Last
Updated: November 6, 2006, 7:48 am

In a stunning and historic trip under the utmost secrecy, a delegation of families of fallen U.S. troops have traveled to Iraq to counter critics of the war effort, just days before the Nov. 7 midterm elections. The delegation of “Gold Star Families” agreed to provide the Sacramento Union with an exclusive account of their trip to Iraq based on the assurance that news of their mission would not be published until they had safely left Amman, Jordan.

So secret is their trip that even members of the Bush Administration were kept in the dark about their planned activities. They’ve come to Iraq from cities throughout America as part of a 12-person delegation in a history-making effort – no other coordinated group of “Gold Star Families” has ever traveled to Iraq, and they come with a message that is sure to ignite a firestorm of debate. Adding to the explosive nature of the trip is that it comes amid new reports from The New York Times that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear weapons program under development. Some analysts indicated Hussein could have been 1-2 years away from developing a usable nuclear weapon.

“The American people are shown a skewed picture of the situation in Iraq day after day by the international news media. We felt it was time to allow the families of U.S. troops who died in Iraq to come see the progress being made in Iraq and report it back to the American people ,” said Melanie Morgan, Chairman of Move America Forward.

So our news media are so biased and ineffective that civilian monitors have to travel at their own expense into a dangerous situation in order to get the truth back to the U.S.? That's just despicable and a good reason to get out and vote tomorrow!

DAVID LIMBAUGH CUTS TO THE HEART OF THINGS


In a brilliant article appearing on Townhall.com today “Don’t Tread On Our Military”, David Limbaugh analyzes the indefensible remarks made by John F. Kerry (D-Teresa’s Lap) this past week inferring that our military are not as smart as say – the junior senator from Massachusetts!

Mr. Limbaugh opines:

This heightened voter scrutiny will remind voters that it was the Democrats who conspired to disqualify military ballots in 2000. It is Democrats who embrace far-left anti-war groups like Moveon.org and leftist blogs like Daily Kos. It is Democrats who have glorified Michael Moore, who publicly rooted for the enemy in Iraq. It is Democrats who have rushed to judgment to presume the guilt of our soldiers in Iraq accused of crimes. It is liberal professors who sneer at the military and the ROTC. It is Democrats who have essentially indicted the military by saying we haven't done enough to train Iraqi troops and haven't wisely conducted the Iraq war, since President Bush has largely delegated the running of the war and the training of the troops to the generals.

(Just imagine - President Bush is leaving the conduct of a war to the trained professionals!)

Mr. Limbaugh is absolutely correct.

VOTE ON NOVEMBER 7th. If it isn’t close, they can’t cheat – and trust me, they are trying like crazy to cheat!