Mock this gratuitously (?)

"My Three Chins"

Big (ignored) news

(All emphasis ours)

IRAQ: FORMER PM REVEALS SECRET SERVICE DATA ON BIRTH OF AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ

Baghdad, 23 May (AKI) - The number two of the al-Qaeda network, Ayman al-Zawahiri, visited Iraq under a false name in September 1999 to take part in the ninth Popular Islamic Congress, former Iraqi premier Iyad Allawi has revealed to pan-Arab daily al-Hayat.In an interview, Allawi made public information discovered by the Iraqi secret service in the archives of the Saddam Hussein regime, which sheds light on the relationship between Saddam Hussein and the Islamic terrorist network. He also said that both al-Zawahiri and Jordanian militant al-Zarqawi probably entered Iraq in the same period.

"Al-Zawahiri was summoned by Izza Ibrahim Al-Douri – then deputy head of the council of the leadership of the revolution - to take part in the congress, along with some 150 other Islamic figures from 50 Muslim countries," Allawi said.

According to Allawi, important information has been gathered regarding the presence of another key terrorist figure operating in Iraq - the Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"The Jordanian Abu Musab al-Zarqawi entered Iraq secretly in the same period," Allawi affirmed, "and began to form a terrorist cell, even though the Iraqi services do not have precise information on his entry into the country," he said.

Allawi's remarks come after statements to al-Hayat by King Abdallah II of Jordan over Saddam's refusal to hand over al-Zarqawi to the authorities in Amman.

On this question Allawi said: ''The words of the Jordanian King are correct and important. We have proof of al-Zawahiri's visit to Iraq, but we do not have the precise date or information on al-Zarqawi's entry, though it is likely that he arrived around the same time."


In Allawi's view, Saddam's government "sponsored" the birth of al-Qaeda in Iraq, coordinating with other terrorist groups, both Arab and Muslim. "The Iraqi secret services had links to these groups through a person called Faruq Hajizi, later named Iraq's ambassador to Turkey and arrested after the fall of Saddam's regime as he tried to re-enter Iraq. Iraqi secret agents helped terrorists enter the country and directed them to the Ansar al-Islam camps in the Halbija area," he said.

The former prime minister claims that Saddam's regime sought to involve even Palestinian Abu Nidal - head of a group once considered the world's most dangerous terrorist organisation - in its terrorist circuit. Abu Nidal's organisation was responsible for terrorist attacks in some 20 countries, killing more than 300 people and wounding hundreds more.

He added that Abu Nidal's refusal to cooperate with Islamist groups was the reason for his death in Iraq, in the summer of 2002.

Allawi is only the dude who put his ass on the line by serving as the Prime Minister of Iraq and we can't expect you Moonbats to see him as more credible than, say, NewsBleak, The NY Times, Dan Blather or that great student of geopolitics (and pizza) Michael Moo-er. After all, the orange-faced presidential nominee of the loyal opposition (John Kerry-Heinz) calumnied him as nothing but a puppet of the Bush Administration.

However, those of us not encumbered by an irrational, guilt-based ("it's not fair that I was born to such abundance") hatred for America and a limp-wristed need to be loved by those in truly corrupt and failed welfare states (*cough* France) knew this all along (the info is out there -- the media reported on this connection for years prior to 9/11) and will plot our troth with Allawi over the whiners on the Angry Left.

Perhaps if Allawi had alleged Koran abuse by Saddam's regime this revelation would have been front page news.

Related:
Jordan king: Iraq refused to deport Zarqawi

Related: Salman Pak

Expansion continues apace

GDP Up 3.5 Percent; Jobless Claims Rise

Economic activity advanced at a solid 3.5 percent pace in the first quarter of the year, somewhat better than initially thought.

The latest reading on gross domestic product, released by the Commerce Department on Thursday, raised hopes that there is enough momentum to maintain economic expansion and job growth in the months ahead.

The new GDP figure represented an upgrade from the 3.1 percent annual growth rate first estimated for the January-to-March quarter. That pace, which had been the slowest in two years, had drawn concerns about the nation's economic strength.

"The upward revision shows that those concerns were somewhat exaggerated," said Lynn Reaser, chief economist at Banc of America Capital Management. "The soft patch appears to have been short and fleeting."

The higher estimate mostly reflected a slight improvement in the nation's trade deficit, which was less of a drag than previously thought. More brisk spending on housing also helped.

On Wall Street, the report lifted stocks. The Dow Jones industrials gained 79.80 points to close at 10,537.60, the best finish since April 7.

GDP measures the value of all goods and services produced within the United States.

While the 3.5 percent rate was better than the initial estimate, it was still down a bit from the 3.8 percent of the final quarter of 2004. High energy prices crimped spending by consumers and businesses in the first quarter.

However other economic data, including brisk retail sales, solid orders for big-ticket manufactured goods, surging home sales and a pickup in hiring, suggest that the economy snapped out of its funk in April.

In a separate report Thursday, the Labor Department said new claims for unemployment insurance rose by 1,000 to 323,000 last week. The level of claims still points to an improving job market, analysts said.[emphasis ours]

...

-more-

Do ya love it? "Jobless Claims Rise" screams the headline ... Then ya get into the details and discover they rose by a paltry (and statistically irrelevant) 1000. If payroll jobs rose by 1000 (or 50,000) any given month, you'd read "Disappointing Jobs Report: The End is Near".

Anyhow, back in the real world, the expansion kicked into motion with the 2003 tax cuts continues at a solid pace, fueled by productivity growth and restrained from reaching loftier heights mainly by the odious Sarbanes-Oxley.

Thank Adam Smith that last November we were spared the Botoxed Gigolo and his tax hikes on the evil wealthy.

"I have a plan ... "

Ad hoc mockery trent -- BRYCE YOU IDIOT USE THIS!

"Christine can not know."

Howard Morris, 1919-2005

Comic Actor, Director Howard Morris Dies

LOS ANGELES - Howard Morris, the wry-faced comic who costarred with Sid Caesar and Carl Reiner on the TV classic "Your Show of Shows" before going on to success as a film director, and to fame as poetry-spouting Ernest T. Bass on "The Andy Griffith Show," has died. He was 85.

Morris died Saturday, according to his son, David.

He joined the cast of "Your Show of Shows" a year after it debuted in 1950, often playing the ambitious little guy whose grandiose plans go awry.

The 90-minute show, with scripts written by such luminaries as Mel Brooks, Neil Simon and Woody Allen, was one of the most heralded of television's Golden Era. It won Emmys as best variety show in its first two seasons, during which it also placed in the top 10 in audience ratings.

But as television's audience widened, viewers sought less sophisticated entertainment, and the series was canceled in 1954. Morris then joined Caesar and Reiner in another TV classic, "Caesar's Hour."

After that show ended in 1957, Morris moved to Hollywood where he played comedic characters in such films as "Boys' Night Out" and "40 Pounds of Trouble." He appeared with Jerry Lewis in "The Nutty Professor" and "Way... Way Out" and with Brooks in "High Anxiety" and "History of the World, Part I."

He also acted in sitcoms, perhaps most notably as Ernest T. Bass, his recurring role on "The Andy Griffith Show." Although he appeared in only a handful of episodes, his character remains warmly remembered.[emphasis ours]
-more-

It's fairly obvious that we are TV people. Our heritage lies as much in "Andy Griffith", "The Honeymooners" and "The Many Loves of Dobie Gillis" as it does in Smith, Locke and Madison.

We have never been "fanboy" types -- eager to gladhand our fave athletes or metal heroes. But Howard Morris is one of those people we would have loved to have met and share a few laughs with.

His body of work is massive and impressive (see below), but the character that we carry with us every day is Ernest T. Bass. the whacky, unwashed mountain man he appeared as in five episodes of "The Andy Griffith Show". Not a day goes by when we don't break ourselves up with an Ernest T-ism at an opportune time: "I don't chew my cabbage twice"; "How do you do Mrs. Wi-iley"; "My beloveded Romeena"; "Creechster?! I ain't no creechster!"; "I love you Miss Crump. I looo-oove you!"; "Wanna hear me sing 'Eatin' Goober Peas'?"; "Jelsic, walk with me. Jelsic, dance with me. Jelsic, kiss ma mouth."

For a character that only appeared in a handful of eps, he certainly was quotable. It's nigh near impossible to steal a scene from Don Knotts, but Morris did just that several times.

Watching the eps on TVLand tonight, the stuff is as funny as ever. "I didn't heave it, I passed it!" A great character, lovingly played in a very human way -- Ernest was no charicature, though there must have been the temptation to take him way over the top -- reading from a wonderful script.

As a final tribute to Morris, The Ponderosa Men's Glee Club offers the following:

Old Aunt Mariah, jumped in the fire
Fire too hot, jumped in the pot
Pot too black, jumped in the crack
Crack too shallow, jumped in the tallow
Tallow too soft, jumped in the loft
Loft too high, jumped in the sky
Sky too blue, jumped in canoe
Canoe too rotten, jumped in the cotton
Cotton so white she stayed there all night!


Wanna hear us sing "Eatin' Goober Peas"?

Tributes at the Ernest T. forum

Morris on TV

Morris on film

Econ 101, featuring our Uncle Walter

Our trade deficit

I buy more from my grocer than he buys from me, and I bet it's the same with you and your grocer. That means we have a trade deficit with our grocers. Does our perpetual grocer trade deficit portend doom? If we heeded some pundits and politicians who are talking about our national trade deficit, we might think so. But do we have a trade deficit in the first place? Let's look at it.

Insofar as the grocer example, there are two accounts that I hold. One is my "goods" account, which consists of groceries. The other is my "capital" account, which consists of money. Let's look at what happens when I purchase groceries. Say I purchase $100 worth of groceries. The value of my goods account rises by $100. That rise is matched by an equal $100 decline in my capital account. Adding a plus $100 to a minus $100 yields a perfect trade balance. That transaction, from my grocer's point of view, results in his goods account falling by $100, but when he accepts my cash, his capital account rises by $100, again a trade balance.

The principle here differs not one iota if my grocer was located in another country as opposed to down the street. There'd still be a trade balance when both the goods account and the capital account are considered. Imbalances in goods accounts are all over the place. For example, my grocer buys more from his wholesaler than his wholesaler buys from him. The wholesaler buys more from the manufacturer than the manufacturer buys from him, but when we put capital accounts into the mix, in each case, trade is balanced.

...

-more-

Awright, he's not REALLY our uncle ... but we are joined at the brain. Williams is a great antidote for those who read too much Krugman.

Hey fat bastard, here's the work of your "Minutemen"

These suicide bombings are not the work of displaced Baathists -- who long ago disavowed violence against Iraqis -- but of foreign Jihadists entering FREE Iraq via Syria and Iran.

Get this through your pot-addled skulls: Iraq is al Qaeda's last stand ... Unburden yourself of your insipid hatred of the president long enough to actually PRAY (eek -- someone call the ACLU) that the forces of America, Iraq and others can exterminate these vermin.

Washington State update

GOP Alleges Fraud in Washington Gov. Vote

A trial to determine whether the results of Washington state's gubernatorial election last fall should be thrown out opened Monday with Republicans charging Democrats "stole" the contest for Christine Gregoire, who won by 129 votes out of 2.9 million cast.

The GOP wants Dino Rossi declared the winner or a do-over election held.

"This is a case of election fraud," GOP attorney Dale Foreman said in his opening statement in the trial, which is being heard by a Superior Court judge without a jury. "This election was stolen from the legal voters of this state by a bizarre combination of illegal voters and bungling bureaucrats."

Democratic attorney Kevin Hamilton argued Republicans lack the "serious proof" they need to make their case and justify the removal of the governor. He also said the Republicans' belated claim of fraud demonstrates "desperation" on their part.

"Imperfection is not enough to overturn an election," Hamilton said. "It's not enough to throw a lot of dust in the air and make allegations."

Foreman surprised the court with a new claim: that the Democrats rigged the election by stuffing ballot boxes in Gregoire's two strongest precincts and by "losing" votes in two of Rossi's strongest precincts.

The findings in Seattle's heavily Democratic King County show "partisan bias and not random error," Foreman said. "If it walks like a duck and it quacks like a duck, it's probably a duck."

Up to now, the Republicans have largely complained of bungling rather than outright fraud on the part of election officials.

...

-more-

For those of you to whom the inability of functionally illiterate victims of public education to properly mark a ballot later mastered by eight year olds equates to "Bush stole Florida", we give you Washington State.

Take a look at Wisconsin '04 while you're at it.

Brutally gratuitous mockery ...

"And sometimes when we touch, and the honesty's too much ...
I wanna hold you till the fear in me subsides."

The text of the insipid compromise ...

... ... over at NRO

The offending bits:

Part II: Commitments for Future Nominations

A. Future Nominations. Signatories will exercise their responsibilities under the Advice and Consent Clause of the United States Constitution in good faith. Nominees should only be filibustered under extraordinary circumstances, and each signatory must use his or her own discretion and judgment in determining whether such circumstances exist.

B. Rules Changes. In light of the spirit and continuing commitments made in this agreement, we commit to oppose the rules changes in the 109th Congress, which we understand to be any amendment to or interpretation of the Rules of the Senate that would force a vote on a judicial nomination by means other than unanimous consent or Rule XXII.

-more-

In sum, the minority retains the right to use its "discretion" to determine "extraordinary circumstances" while the majority retains no discretionary powers whatsover as regards changing the Rules of the Senate (what the minority laughingly calls "an abuse of power").

Un-fricking-real ... We suppose it coulda been worse: Lincoln Chafee could have been involved and perhaps put the kybosh on Part A, feeble as it is.

Update

Chafee was part of this silliness. Figures.

Pusillanimous GOP Senators craft "compromise" with the enemy

Senators Reach Compromise on Filibusters

Centrists Republicans and Democrats reached a compromise Monday night to avoid a showdown on President Bush's stalled judicial nominees and the Senate's own filibuster rules, officials from both parties said.

These officials, who spoke on condition of anonymity, said the agreement would clear the way for yes-or-no votes on some of Bush's nominees, but make no guarantee.

Under the agreement, Democrats would pledge not to filibuster any of Bush's future appeals court or Supreme Court nominees except in "extraordinary circumstances."

For their part, Republicans agreed not to support an attempt to strip Democrats of their right to block votes.

-more-

"Extraordinary circumstances"? To Leahy, Schumer, Kennedy, Reid et al this will easily encompass the nomination of judges who actually interpret the pieces of the Constitution as they were understood when ratified. Essentially, the true extremists -- the ACLU, NARAL and NOW, ACT-UP, the NAACCCP, PETA, pornographers, perverts and Pagans -- will determine when circumstances are extraordinary. "Judge Vandelay doesn't think a man should be able to legally marry a pig?! I call 'extraordinary circumstances'!"

NRO is listing Senators McCain, DeWine, Snowe, Warner, Graham, and Collins as the weak-as-water GOP signatories to the deal.

Someone should remind these Senators of a recent "extraordinary circumstance", last November's election, wherein their party's president won the privilege, under a couple centuries of precedent, to have his nominees to the federal bench voted on by the full Senate.

How can you argue with "logic" like this?!

Sen. Debbie Stabenow, D-Mich., waded into the Senate's battle over the confirmation of President Bush's judicial appointments Thursday, accusing majority Republicans of trying to silence the views of Democrats.

"What we are really seeing here is a fundamental debate not about judges, but it's really about free speech," Stabenow said in a speech on the Senate floor. "It's about our constitutional system of checks and balances."

...

"We're being told it's all or nothing. In the 6th Circuit, it's all or nothing. Three out of four judges -- not good enough. We're being told here it's all or nothing, that it's about complete and absolute power -- no checks and balances," Stabenow said.

"In other countries they call that dictatorships," she said. "We have a democracy."

...

-more-

Yoo hoo ... Hyacinth -- er -- Debbie -- no one is suggesting that you have no up or down vote on these judges.

As for the "dictatorship" crap -- try peddling that nonsense to anyone who's had a relative liquidated by Saddam's hellhounds ... Big difference between losing a vote and being fed into a plastic shredder.

Imbecile.

Stick to polishing your Royal Doulton china with the hand-painted periwinkles.

Once again, being a dopey lefty woman/minority means never worrying about the MSM branding you an idiot!

Our best to Sheridan and Tarquin ...

Stabenow	Bucket

JNN

Uday's Oil-for-News Program

On January 6, 2005, the U.S.-funded Arabic satellite network Al Hurra broadcast an explosive exposé detailing the financial links between Saddam Hussein's regime and the Arab press. Al Hurra's documentary--so far overlooked in the West--aired previously unseen video footage, recorded by Saddam Hussein's regime during its murderous heyday, of Saddam's son Uday meeting with several Arab media figures and referring to the bribes they had received.

Recipients of this Baathist largesse appeared to include a former managing director of the influential Qatar-based government-subsidized satellite network Al Jazeera, Mohammed Jassem al-Ali. The videotaped meeting between Uday and al-Ali occurred on March 13, 2000, when al-Ali still worked as Al Jazeera's managing director. Their conversation makes clear that this was not their first meeting, but that they had met on prior occasions--and that Al Jazeera had put into effect the directives that Uday had proffered in those previous meetings.

Referring to how his advice had affected changes in Al Jazeera's personnel, Uday states, "During your last visit here along with your colleagues we talked about a number of issues, and it does appear that you indeed were listening to what I was saying since changes took place and new faces came on board such as that lad, Mansour."

This "lad" is Ahmed Mansour, an Al Jazeera journalist who has been criticized for his pro-insurgency reporting. In particular, Mansour came under fire in early 2004 for his coverage of the U.S. attack on Falluja, which pointedly emphasized civilian casualties.

Uday goes on in his videotaped conversation with al-Ali to mention that some people have relayed to him al-Ali's comment that Al Jazeera is the station of Iraq's Baathist regime "both literally and figuratively." Thus, Uday says, "It is important that I share with you my observations about the station."

In response, al-Ali never denies saying that Al Jazeera was Saddam's station. Instead, his cloying remarks provide Uday every reason to believe that this is so. Al-Ali gives Uday his "unequivocal thanks for the precious trust that you put in me so that I was able to play a role at Al Jazeera; indeed I can even say that without your kind cooperation with us and your support my mission would have failed." Al-Ali also tells Uday that, in his mission at Al Jazeera to serve Iraq, "the lion's share of the credit goes to you personally sir, yet we would be remiss not to mention our colleagues here who constantly strive to implement your directive."

...

-more-

The fave network of Jihadists and American Moonbats was on the take?!

At least they were getting paid to prop up Saddam and foment anti-Americanism ... The NY Times, CBS and NewsBleak perform those services for free!

Blaspheme and its discontents

The Smug Delusion of Base Expectations

We're in the grips of a pathology. And it's not media bias.

Here's the late-breaking news (you'll want to be sitting down for this): The mainstream media is ideologically liberal and instinctually hostile to George W. Bush, U.S. foreign policy, and the American military.

...

Newsweek, in reckless pursuit of a scoop that might score the daily double of embarrassing the Bush administration while heaping more disrepute on the Left's favorite punching bag, Guantanamo Bay, falsely reported a martial toilet-flushing of the Koran. Oops, I'm sorry, I mean the Holy Koran — after all, I don't want to be left out of the new, vast right-wing "we can be just as nauseatingly pious as they can" conspiracy.

The false report, according to the New York Times, instigated "the most virulent, widespread anti-American protests" in the Muslim world since...well, since the last virulent, widespread anti-American protests in the Muslim world — particularly in Afghanistan and Pakistan, where at least 17 people have been killed.

That's right. The reason for the carnage is said — again and again, by media critics and government officials — to be a false report of Koran desecration. The prime culprit here is irresponsible journalism.

Is that what we really think?

Here's an actual newsflash — and one, yet again, that should be news to no one: The reason for the carnage here was, and is, militant Islam. Nothing more.

...

Someone alleges a Koran flushing and what do we do? We expect, accept, and silently tolerate militant Muslim savagery — lots of it. We become the hangin' judge for the imbeciles whose negligence "triggered" the violence, but offer no judgment about the societal dysfunction that allows this grade of offense to trigger so cataclysmic a reaction. We hop on our high horses having culled from the Left's playbook the most politically correct palaver about the inviolable sanctity of Holy Islamic scripture (and never you mind those verses about annihilating the infidels — the ones being chanted by the killers). And we suspend disbelief, insisting that things would be just fine in a place like Gaza if we could only set up a democracy — a development which, there, appears poised to empower Hamas, terrorists of the same ilk as those in Afghanistan and Pakistan who see comparatively minor indignities as license to commit murder.

"Minor indignities? How can you say something so callous about a desecration of the Holy Koran?" I say it as a member of the real world, not the world of prissy affectation. I don't know about you, but I inhabit a place where crucifixes immersed in urine and Madonna replicas composed of feces are occasions for government funding, not murderous uprisings. If someone was moved to kill on their account, we'd be targeting the killer, not the exhibiting museum, not the "artists," and surely not Newsweek.

...

-more

Some of you are too young to remember (we seem to be stating that a lot lately ... Dammit!) to remember the late '80's when a wonderful piece of GOVERNMENT FUNDED "artwork", produced by a dead pervert, was the subject of great controversy ... It's name? "[Vernacular for urine] Chr-st". There was also another fury over a government bankrolled "art" exhibit in NYC that featured a painting of the Madonna (the Blessed Mother, that is) smeared in excrement.

We were going to post images of these abominations, but better taste prevailed.

Anyhow, while voices were raised in protest, no one rioted. No one was killed. No property was damaged. Indeed, when those offended by such talent-free "art" demanded that such not be paid for with their tax dollars, they were calumnied by the same Blue Staters who excuse the savage behaviour of Mohammedans, as "zealots" and "extremists".

Today, a friend of mine made a statement in email that was clearly blasphemous. Rather than blow him up, I made him aware of the offense I took and asked him to refrain from such blaspheme in the future.

I guess that's the difference between Mohammed and Jesus.

Scared straight?

Syria Heralds Reforms, But Many Have Doubts

Beset by U.S. attempts to isolate his country and facing popular expectations of change, Syrian President Bashar Assad will move to begin legalizing political parties, purge the ruling Baath Party, sponsor free municipal elections in 2007 and formally endorse a market economy, according to officials, diplomats and analysts.

Assad's five-year-old government is heralding the reforms as a turning point in a long-promised campaign of liberalizing a state that, while far less dictatorial than Iraq under Saddam Hussein, remains one of the region's most repressive. His officials see the moves, however tentative and drawn out, as the start of a transitional period that will lead to a more liberal, democratic Syria.

...

-more-

Um -- Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Lebanon, Syria ... and counting ... Even the Palestinians. Slowly, yes, those once thought un-liberate-able (?!?!) are seeking liberty.

Yet, the Internet kids are screeching about Star Wars (the silly movies), fascism and George Bush!

Step aside, kids. The adults are in charge. Stick to gaming.

Back by un-popular demand ... a new installment of ...

GRATUITOUS MOCKERY

"Why is he still here?"

Wisconsin vote fraud update

For our Moonbat friends who wouldn't know true vote fraud if it hit 'em in their hookahs:

[all emphasis ours]

Investigators Find Evidence of Voter Fraud

MILWAUKEE - A task force looking into potential voter fraud on Election Day said Tuesday that it found more than 200 felons voted illegally and more than 100 instances of people voting twice or using fake names and addresses.

The investigators found hundreds of fraudulent votes in all and counted 4,600 more ballots than registered voters in Milwaukee — but did not uncover any proof of a plot to alter the outcome of the hotly contested presidential race in Wisconsin's largest city. They also found ballots cast using the names of dead people.

Prosecutors have not filed criminal charges in the probe.

"There is not the evidence of an overriding conspiracy in all of this," U.S. Attorney Steven Biskupic said.

The task force, however, did find evidence of sloppy record-keeping and poor training for poll workers, who were overwhelmed by thousands of absentee ballots. Biskupic said the faulty records will make it tough to prosecute many of the crimes.

Biskupic, the Milwaukee County district attorney, Milwaukee police and the FBI launched the probe after a newspaper investigation found more than 1,200 people voted from invalid addresses and that election officials were unable to process 1,300 same-day registration cards.

Democrat John Kerry received more than 71 percent of the 277,000 ballots cast in Milwaukee in the presidential race. Kerry won Wisconsin's 10 electoral votes by about 11,000 votes.

The review comes amid a partisan fight over plans to make voters show ID at the polls.

Wisconsin allows same-day registration, and those who already are registered can simply show up to vote without ID. The state also allows anyone to vote absentee without a reason, which caused long lines and headaches for clerks around the state before Nov. 2.

Both the GOP-controlled houses of the state Legislature passed bills this year that would have required ID. Gov. Jim Doyle, a Democrat, vetoed them. Now, Republicans want to amend the state constitution to require voter ID.

Doyle said Tuesday a voter ID requirement wouldn't have solved any of Milwaukee's Election Day problems, which he attributed to "bureaucratic mistakes, poor management and lack of training among the poll workers."

Milwaukee election fraud alleged in charges against two

MILWAUKEE - Two people face charges of election fraud for allegedly faking voter registration cards ahead of the presidential election last fall to make more money from the nonprofit group that hired them.

The charges were filed a day after Milwaukee County District Attorney E. Michael McCann and U.S. Attorney Steve Biskupic announced their probe into election irregularities in the city of Milwaukee had turned up clear evidence of voter fraud.

Warrants were issued Wednesday for Urelene Lilly, 48, and Marcus Lewis, 23, both of Milwaukee.

Court records available via the Internet show Lilly and Lewis were charged in Circuit Court with five felonies each: three counts of forgery, one count of election fraud and one count of misconduct in public office, because they had been sworn in as deputy voter registrars. The charges carry up to 25 years in prison.

Authorities said both admitted they filled out multiple voter-registration cards using fictitious information to earn money from Project Vote, a national nonprofit group headed by the former head of the Ohio Democratic Party.

It was one of several groups that ran large-scale registration drives in Wisconsin, a key battleground state.

The organization paid workers $40 a day plus $1.75 for each registration above the daily quota of 24 new voters. Project Vote registered about 40,800 names in Milwaukee County alone, according to a national spokesman.

McCann would not say when or if more information on other allegations of voter fraud might be available.

The warrant filed for Lilly says she was addicted to crack cocaine when the alleged fraud happened, and that she handed in "approximately 75 fraudulent voter registration cards," using names taken from the phone book, made-up birthdates and Social Security numbers, then had her 15-year-old daughter sign each card.

She turned in no valid registrations, the warrant says, and is charged in connection with nine registrations for people who didn't vote in the November presidential election.

Lewis' warrant says he was fired by Project Vote for submitting a registration card in the name of a dead person, but before he did that, he allegedly turned in duplicate cards for the same voter on numerous occasions. He admitted turning in multiple entries for some family members, the warrant says.

Looks like Barbara Boxer and John Conyers made asses out of themselves over the wrong Midwestern state.

And what exactly is the problem you Lefties have with requiring ID to vote? It's a completely indefensible position that belies your true agenda.

And while we're at it, let's not forget ...

Lawmaker's son, 4 others charged in tire slashing

MILWAUKEE (AP) — The sons of a first-term congresswoman and Milwaukee's former acting mayor were among five Democratic activists charged Monday with slashing the tires of vans rented by Republicans to drive voters and monitors to the polls on Election Day.
Sowande Omokunde, son of Rep. Gwen Moore, D-Wis., and Michael Pratt, the son of former Milwaukee acting mayor Marvin Pratt, were among those charged with criminal damage to property, a felony that carries a maximum punishment of 3½ years in prison and a $10,000 fine.

The activists are accused of flattening the tires on 25 vehicles rented by the state Republican Party to get out the vote and deliver poll watchers Nov. 2.

Also charged were Lewis Caldwell and Lavelle Mohammad, both from Milwaukee, and Justin Howell of Racine.

The GOP rented more than 100 vehicles that were parked in a lot adjacent to a Bush campaign office. The party planned to drive poll watchers to polling places by 7 a.m. and deliver any voters who didn't have a ride.
...

Rick Wiley, state GOP executive director, discovered the vandalism on the morning of Election Day.

"It was unbelievable that people could stoop this low in a political campaign," he said. "I figured it had to be someone from the opposition. But I didn't think someone on the paid (John) Kerry campaign would do this."

The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel quoted sources Sunday as saying the five were paid staffers.

-more-

The Florida 2000 Myth has served the Angry Left well the last four years, helping to swell the Moonbat ranks and raise campaign cash. Republican-types are a bit less prone to frothing at the mouth, but the GOP would be well-advised to push election reform hard before another Wisconsin scenario costs it a presidential election.

Those manly French

PARIS - Teachers, transport workers and much of France ignored the government's call to sacrifice a paid holiday to raise money for the elderly Monday — causing widespread disruption on a day meant to symbolize national unity.

Public transport in up to 90 cities and towns across France was disrupted. Many city halls and classrooms were closed, post offices scaled back services because of striking employees and many private companies gave their staff the day off. Polls showed more than half of the leisure-loving French planned to stay home.

...

-more-

What is the French workday anyway ... 2 hours? These poltroons couldn't endure an extra "day" of "work", even to feed the maw of their beloved Welfare State?

These are the people whose disdain for us (well, for Americans) has caused so many of you to get your flowered panties in a wad?

"Global test" our metal arses.

Our enemy the MSM

Newsweek Retracts Story on Quran Abuse

Newsweek magazine, under fire for publishing a story that led to deadly protests in Afghanistan, said Monday it was retracting its report that a military probe had found evidence of desecration of the Quran by U.S. interrogators at Guantanamo Bay.

Earlier Monday, Bush administration officials had brushed off an apology that Newsweek's editor Mark Whitaker had made in an editor's note and criticized the magazine's handling of the story.

Protests broke out across much of the Muslim world last week after Newsweek reported that U.S. investigators found evidence that interrogators had flushed a copy of Muslim's holy book down a toilet in an attempt to rattle detainees. The violence left about 15 dead and scores injured in Afghanistan.

"It's appalling that this story got out there," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said as she traveled home from Iraq.

"People lost their lives. People are dead," Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld said on Capitol Hill. "People need to be very careful about what they say, just as they need to be careful about what they do."

Following the criticism, Whitaker released a statement through a spokesman later Monday saying the magazine was retracting the article.

"Based on what we know now, we are retracting our original story that an internal military investigation had uncovered Quran abuse at Guantanamo Bay," Whitaker said.

White House press secretary Scott McClellan called Newsweek's retraction "a good first step" but said it could not repair all the damage that had been done.

"The report had real consequences," McClellan said. "People have lost their lives. Our image abroad has been damaged. There are some who are opposed to the United States and what we stand for who have sought to exploit this allegation."

...

Whitaker added that the magazine's original source later said he could not be sure he read about the alleged Quran incident in the report Newsweek cited, and that it might have been in another document. Whitaker said the magazine was still looking into the charges.

-more-

Ah, the "60 Minutes Wednesday" defense -- the source is bogus but the story is true! Such journalistic integrity.

Another story the MSM wanted so badly to be true because it would have reflected poorly on an institution they despise -- the military, the president, AMERICA.

Once again, their negligence feeds the hatred of our enemies (see: Abu Ghraib) and puts at risk the lives of our service people and the citizens of a nation we are trying to coax into the 19th century.

The Old Media can't die fast enough.

Listen up Moonbats, Moore-ons and other Malcontents

War in Iraq looks like last stand for al Qaeda

(All emphasis ours)

The war in Iraq is increasingly looking more like a showdown with Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda followers than a battle primarily against Saddam Hussein loyalists.

The shift is making the fight a focal point of the U.S. global war against Islamic terrorists and one that might dictate whether the U.S. wins or loses, said a senior official and an outside expert.

"If they fail in Iraq, Osama and his whole crew are finished," said retired Air Force Lt. Gen. Tom McInerney, a military author and analyst.

The changing dynamic was highlighted this week when the U.S. military launched a major offensive in western Iraq, primarily against foreign jihadists who crossed the border with Syria to join the al Qaeda network in Iraq led by Abu Musab Zarqawi. In a troubling sign, U.S. officers said Zarqawi's terrorists seemed well-trained and well-equipped.

The U.S. offensive, code named Operation Matador, entered its third day yesterday in the dusty border towns west of Baghdad near Syria. The command said three Marines and more than 100 enemy fighters have been killed.

"In the Muslim world and extremist world, this fight for Iraq is their key battle," said Gen. McInerney. "If they lose it, they lose the war. And so the imams are inciting young people, not particular well-educated, to head to Iraq. Most are going through Syria via Damascus.

"This is why Iraq is such a fundamental part of the global war on terrorism. When we finally defeat Muslim extremists, it will be the battle in Iraq that defeats them."
The war's changing nature is also illustrated by the list of the high-ranking enemy announced as captured by the new Baghdad government. Virtually all of those caught since December have been identified as lieutenants of the Jordanian-born Zarqawi, not operatives for Iraq's former dictator Saddam Hussein.

Since the January elections of the new Iraqi parliament, Zarqawi's suicide terrorists have unleashed more than 100 car bombings, killing hundreds.
On the plus side for the U.S., it is receiving a record number of intelligence tips from Iraqis that have resulted in scores of captures of Zarqawi's terrorists.

...
-more-

Get that, Moonbats? These ain't Minutemen fighting for their country against an invading army. They are Jihadists from the outside, bent on murdering Iraq's new democracy in its cradle -- because they have to. First Afghanistan, then Iraq, then Lebanon ... someday Iran ... Egypt ... The swamps that breed these vermin are being drained one by one ...

It's tough to foment hatred where freedom, hope and prosperity prevail. At that point, convincing a kid to fly a plane into a skyscraper becomes a tougher sell.

The Jihadists understand this much. We wish we could say the same for the loyal opposition here.

The President and The Piker

Bush: Georgia is example to the world

George W Bush, the American president, told a crowd of thousands of Georgians that the former Soviet Republic is an example of freedom to the world.

In a speech in Freedom Square in the capital Tbilisi, Mr Bush said: "Your courage is inspiring democratic reformers and sending a message that echoes across the world: Freedom will be the future of every nation and every people on Earth.

"You gathered here armed with nothing but roses and the power of your convictions and you claimed your liberty. and because you acted, Georgia is today both sovereign and free and a beacon of liberty for this region and the world."

In a line that appeared directed at Vladimir Putin, the Russian president, Mr Bush declined to support the bid of two separatist regions aligned with Moscow to gain independence from Georgia.

He added: "The sovereignty and territorial integrity of Georgia must be respected ... by all nations."

...

-more-

Making good on the rhetoric of his second inaugural address, President Bush continues to stoke the bonfires of freedom, this time in a former Captive Nation. We are confident that, when the story of this presidency is written 25 years from now, it will be seen as the completion of the work begun by President Reagan.

Unlike his teenage predecessor, Bush does not wake every morning wondering "what can I do for my legacy today", rather he acts on his core principles, most notably that every man in every nation has rights that pre-exist any government -- particularly the right to self-government.

For decades, policy makers accepted tyranny for the sake of stability. That era is over.

Meanwhile ...

Reid doesn't back down from Friday remark about Bush

If Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada still feels remorse for calling President Bush a loser, he didn't show it on Tuesday.

In a news conference, Reid was asked if his comment about Bush would make it more difficult to negotiate with Republicans.

"I tell people how I feel about things. I don't try to hide how I feel," Reid said.

"Maybe my choice of words was improper, and I have indicated that maybe they were, but I want everyone here, I repeat, to know I'm going to continue to call things the way that I see them, and I think this administration has done a very, very bad job for this nation and the world." [emphasis ours]

...

-more

Such small words from such a small man, foisted upon us by half a million voters from a small state. Again, 20 years from now, who will remember Harry Reid?

Gratuitous mockery of a crime against Nature

The moonbats are gonna loooove this!

Halliburton gets $72 mln bonus for work in Iraq

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - The U.S. Army said on Tuesday it had awarded $72 million in bonuses to Halliburton Co. for logistics work in Iraq but had not decided whether to give the Texas company bonuses for disputed dining services to troops.

Army Field Support Command in Rock Island, Illinois, said in a statement it had given Halliburton unit Kellogg Brown & Root ratings from "excellent" to "very good" for six task orders for work supporting U.S. troops in Iraq.

The Army said its Award Fee Board in Iraq had met in March and had agreed to pay KBR bonuses for work it did in support of U.S. forces there.

The Army said in a statement later that while it had given the company an additional $72 million, it had denied KBR $10.1 million in bonuses and not paid the maximum allowed on any of the task orders.

"We have protected the taxpayer FIRST," said the Army in a statement released later, pointing out this paragraph had been "inadvertently left off" the original news release.

...

-more-

Productive, innovative people making a profit helping the U.S. military ... Can it get any worse for the Loony Left ... ?

Cracked the window just now and can hear the howling ...! Awesome!

Bark at the moooooon ........!

Another dose of ... gratuitous mockery!

"I will not cross the line!"

Reid update

Sorry to beat a dead horse, but this dead horse deserves it. More details of Hairy Weed's lunacy ... (all emphasis ours)

DEL SOL HIGH SCHOOL APPEARANCE: Reid calls Bush 'a loser'

...

Reid took students through a primer of the five most-disputed judicial nominees, arguing some were opposed to the 1973 Roe v. Wade case legalizing abortion. He charged others with trying to dismantle government programs like Social Security.

"I don't want them. I think they're bad people," Reid said of the nominees

He described California Supreme Court Justice Janice Rogers Brown, one of the Bush nominees Republicans will probably float first for approval, as an African-American opposed by the Congressional Black Caucus.

"She is a woman who wants to take us back to the Civil War days," Reid said.

...

-more-

Weed's belching out crap like this, Dean hates Republicans, Gore spews vitriol to Internet kids, Maxine Waters praises Michael Moore, moonbats throw pies and heckle conservative speakers ... AND WE'RE the angry extremists!

Yup, noooo liberal media here!

Reid's scorn validates Bush's worth

In the course of a discussion on filibusters and Senate rules, Washington's top Democrat gave the 60 juniors a lesson in partisan politics, particularly about the commander in chief. "The man's father is a wonderful human being," Reid said in response to a question about President Bush's policies. "I think this guy is a loser.

"I think President Bush is doing a bad job," he added to a handful of chuckles.

...

-more-

Who give a rat's ass what Harry Reid thinks? Were Reid a member of the GOP he'd be lampooned in the media as a vapid, intolerant, mediocrity -- unremarkable, uninspiring.

In 50 years he will be remembered only by his great grandchildren.

Scorn from this pixilated old crank should be worn as a badge of honor. Loser, indeed.

Just in case you missed it in the MSM ...

THE EMPLOYMENT SITUATION: APRIL 2005

Employment rose in April, and the unemployment rate was unchanged at 5.2 percent, the Bureau of Labor Statistics of the U.S. Department of Labor reported today. Nonfarm payroll employment increased by 274,000 over the month. Job growth was widespread, with gains in construction, mining, and several service-providing industries.

Unemployment (Household Survey Data)

...

Total employment grew by 598,000[emphasis ours] in April to 141.1 million, and the employment-population ratio--the proportion of the population age 16 and over with jobs--edged up to 62.6 percent. The civilian labor force increased by 605,000[emphasis ours]in April to 148.8 million; the labor force participation rate, at 66.0 percent, also was up over the month.
-more-

Common sense prevails: Marine exonerated

Marine cleared in videotaped shooting

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- Navy investigators have determined a U.S. Marine acted in self-defense when he shot an apparently wounded and unarmed Iraqi inside a Falluja mosque in November, a senior Pentagon official said Wednesday.

The Marine corporal, who will not face charges, was under investigation in the shootings of four enemy combatants as part of an operation during the siege of Falluja on November 13, 2004. The mosque shooting was captured on videotape by an embedded reporter.

An investigation by the Naval Criminal Investigative Service determined that the Marine acted in self-defense, within military law and the law of armed conflict.

...

-more-

Let the wails of "cover-up" begin!

Former paper of record belittles Iraq's achievements

Iraqi Cabinet Is Sworn In, but 6 Positions Still Remain Unfilled


Refresh our memories ... how many years after INDEPENDENCE did it take us to form "a more perfect Union"?

A-holes.