Jet Blue Snubs Boeing for the French

If you want Amercians to get back to work, find an airline other than Jet Blue. If you think the French are a bunch of back stabbing scum, shun Jet Blue. Here's why.

Religion of Peace Update

Amina Lawal is a Nigerian woman who has been convicted of adultery and under Islamic law, she is to be buried up to her neck and stoned to death. Is it any wonder that Islamic countries are so uniformly backward?

And We're Leaving Saudi Arabia Too!

We're leaving Saudi Arabia and moving our operations (registration required) to Qatar. You can bet that our servicemen and women will be glad to see those treacherous bastards in the rear-view mirror. But, I hope someday we come back - to toss them into the Gulf and replace the monarchy with a democracy.

US to Leave Germany?

It appears to be true. We're gone. Great. Double crossing the United States should have consequences. Let old Gerhardt explain this one to the voters. That's a lot of US greenbacks going somewhere else, where their source will be more highly appreciated.

So, We're Winning After All

According to statistics, we are winning the war on terror. According to CNN: "Attacks drop 44 percent
Powell cited increased cooperation in the war on terrorism and military action in Afghanistan and Iraq as contributing factors for the decrease in attacks.

The report counted 199 attacks conducted by international terrorist groups, a 44 percent drop from the 355 attacks in 2001.

The number of deaths from terrorist attacks was significantly lower than the previous year. Last year 725 people were killed, compared to 3,295 people in 2001, a majority of whom perished in the September 11 attacks.

There were 77 anti-U.S. attacks last year, down 65 percent from 219 in 2001, the report said.

Thirty American citizens were killed last year in terrorist attacks, including Wall Street Journal reporter Daniel Pearl in Pakistan, missionary Martin Burham in the Philippines and the U.S. administrator for USAID in Jordan, Lawrence Foley.

Black credited increased security measures across the world and the arrest of more than 3,000 al Qaeda operatives in more than 100 countries for the decrease.

The report said more than one-third of al Qaeda's leadership has been killed or captured, but noted that all the operatives arrested were planning attacks when they were captured."

Remember this the next time some Democrats whines that we're losing the war on terror.
And also remember the approbrium Steven Brill suffered after the publication of his book, "After." Liberals were outraged by his conclusion that the Bush Administration had made considerable progress against international terrorists.

Baghdad Jim McDermott on Saddam's Payroll?

Now that Saddam's files are open for the world to read, we're finding that lots of pro-Saddam journalists and politicians were having their palms crossed with Saddam's silver. One guy who collected some Iraqi cash was Seattle's Jim McDermott. Shortly after Bagdad Jim condemned George W. Bush while on Iraqi soil, Saddam bag man Shakir al-Khafaji deposited five grand into McDermott's Legal Defense Fund.
Baghdad Jim needs the money to defend himself from a lawsuit arising from his role in the illegal taping of conversation among Republican Congressional leadership.

Oh No! A Couple of Monkeys Died!

But how many lives might eventually be saved?
PETA's pissed off again because scientists decided that identifying the virus that causes SARS was worth the lives of a few monkeys. Proving that a particular microbe causes a particular disease requires several steps, one of which is that you infect a vulnerable host with your suspected bug, see the disease appear and find the suspected bug in the host's tissues.
When SARS first appeared, nobody new what caused it, but had several suspects. They injected isolates of these bugs into monkeys until, voila, some contracted SARS.
This detective work has already saved human lives. It might allow us to head off a pandemic. But PETA is mad because a few monkeys died in the process. Perhaps in the future, they'd like to ask their membership for a few volunteers to stand in for the monkeys.

And now there's this. If scientists had not used monkeys to verify the virus, we would have SARS diagnostic kits ready to go.

How to be Wrong and Prosper

So long as you are predicting doom for the United States, you are free to be as wrong as you want. Accoring to Paul Erlich, by now, the world was supposed to be in ruins, the result of famine and disease, and yet, Paul Erlich still receives juicy speaking fees to make equally inaccurate predictions. Leftists love hearing that the West is about to fall and will pay big money to hear somebody say no matter how wrong they've been in the past. Yale historian Paul Kennedy is the latest to demonstrate this principle. He's been wrong before and he'll be wrong again. And leftists will still buy his books.

So, Saddam Bought Journalists Too?

This explains a great deal. I was wondering why all those "objective journalists" were reporting Saddam's unanimous reelection with straight faces. I'd like to know how much money Al Jazeera, Peter Jennings, Peter Arnett, and the New York Times received.

Chirac Was Even More Treacherous Than Anyone Imagined

In the days and weeks leading up to the beginning of the Iraq war, all sorts of extravagent conspiracy type theories were advanced that predicted that France would be exposed as very dirty once we had a look at Saddam's records. As it turns out, the conspiracy theorists underestimated Chiraq's treachery. Villapin was being briefly honest when he said he wasn't sure whom he wanted to win the war.

So, This Was the War on Terrorism After All!

Surprise! Surprise!

Laci Peterson Save Cable News Ratings

Thank goodness Laci Peterson and her baby washed up on the shore of San Pablo Bay. Now we can keep the rubes glued to their tubes. Ratings for cable television were beginning to decline. Pictures of Saddam Hussein statues coming down were getting somewhat repetitive and the news consuming public had grown weary of listening to experts predicting failure in Iraq. Besides, those guys have developed a bit of a credibility problem. And so far, the SARS epidemic has not really made for riveting news, unless you were planning a business trip to China or Toronto. Who knows what cable news and news magazines would have seized upon to keep ratings up, had not the Laci Peterson case conveniently re-emerged.
But now the talk shows have something new to focus their attention upon. Newly empanelled banks of experts can be seated and squeezed dry for every drop of speculation. The viewing public can become acquainted with a fresh set of anguished faces.
How do such things become such big news? Is it really news or is it entertainment? Does the news media consider itself in competition with reality shows like “Survivor” or “Big Brother?” Or, are they competing with “All My Children?”
Fox News Bill O’Reilly took a stab at this the other day – but missed. Journalists, and in particular, news broadcasters, frequently succumb to their need to indulge themselves in occasional moral exhibitionism. This is frequently accomplished by demonstrating sensitivity to the disparate treatment society gives to people from different socioeconomic groups. Fox News’ Bill O’Reilly achieves this purpose by pointing out how the news media report on similar crimes affecting different social strata. Last year Bill O’Reilly found an African-American couple whose child had vanished without a trace, and whom few people had ever heard of. He compared the treatment of their lost little girl to that of Elizabeth Smart, who was from a wealthy white family.
Because moral exhibition requires demonstrating how high above the rabble the exhibitionist is, Bill O’Reilly proclaimed that the only reason that the media treated the two cases differently was the race and socioeconomic circumstances the two girls grew up in.
More recently, he compared the disappearance and the ultimate discovery of the remains of a lower class Hispanic woman to the Laci Peterson case. Like Laci Peterson, she was carrying a nearly full term baby. Like Laci Peterson, she disappeared with few clues. And her body washed up on shore, just a couple of miles from where Laci Peterson’s remains were discovered.
Relatively few people have ever heard of this other case, whereas Laci Peterson has found her way to the front page for the second time. To the surprise of no one who has grown sensitive to moral exhibitionism, Bill O’Reilly blamed socioeconomic status for the very different treatment of the two very similar cases.
But there are other reasons for disparate treatment. It has to do with the ebb and flow of news itself. Christmas Eve, when Laci Peterson vanished, is a reliably slow news day. News hungry reporters will seize upon anything that happens on such days. It’s very likely that a pretty, white, middle class woman somewhere disappeared during the three-week war against Iraq. And you’ve never heard of her and probably never will, because cable news and news magazines were already operating at saturation level.
Elizabeth Smart vanished just as news was entering its summer dead zone. Little that is newsworthy goes on during the summer. The summer before Elizabeth Smart served to keep Time and Newsweek’s sales and advertising revenues up, the media seized upon shark attacks, even though three times as many people died from being struck on the head by coconuts falling from palm trees. All last summer, the news media focused upon the wave of child kidnappings, even though statistically 2002 was the lowest on record for such crimes.
Unless we go to war with North Korea, or terrorists manage another mega-attack, we’ll be entering the traditional summer slow news season in few more weeks. Correspondents will not be breaking into regular programming to report on the establishment of a new Iraqi bureaucracy. We’ve used up missing girls and sharks. And I don’t expect to be hearing from any coconut experts. I dread to think what they’ll come up with next.

Help For Liberals

The old cliche reads that a conservative is liberal who has been mugged. That's too simple. I've always believed that liberals can be converted if we just get more of their brains to work. Now, medical science may have developed a solution. This may change my attitude on stem cell research.

Why Didn't Rick Santorum Mention This?

If the Supreme Court decides that sodomy is protected by the constitution, then they will have opened the door to stuff like this.

I'm Sure GW's Ranch Has Quite Enough BS Already

President George W. Bush won't soon be inviting the French President to a barbecue at his Texas Ranch anytime soon. This is considered an earned honor. Jacques Chirac has earned dishonor.

Women Looking to Have a Real Man's Baby

Literally dozens of women, clearly dissatisfied with the course human evolution has taken in the last five thousand years, want a real Cro-Magnon to father their next child. Really!

Women Looking to Have a Real Man's Baby

Literally dozens of women, clearly dissatisfied with the course human evolution has taken in the last five thousand years, want a real Cro-Magnon to father their next child. Really!

Saddam Hussein Look-Alikes in Demand in London

There are supposedly quite a few guys in Iraq who are looking for just this work.

Being Howard Dean Means Never Having to Admit You're Wrong

From Matt Drudge
Democratic presidential candidate Howard Dean was asked on CNN Wednesday if he feels differently about the war now that it has ended.

Dean said, "Not really. I don't think anybody could reasonably suspect we weren't going to win. The problem now is how to govern, and that's where the real rubber is underneath the road.

"The hardest part is still ahead of us, and I think the events that we were watching on CNN showed that. The Shi'a in the south would like in some cases fundamentalist religious state or province, that would be much worse than Saddam Hussein in terms of a threat to the United States it would allow al Qaeda to move in.

"We seen chaos in Baghdad with the proclamation of somebody claims he's the mayor. And this is going to go on and on. So we've really got to now build a Democratic society."

Asked if the Iraqi people are better off now than they were under Saddam, Dean said, "We don't know that yet. We don't know that yet, Wolf. We still have a country whose city is mostly without electricity. We have tumultuous occasions in the south where there is no clear governance. We have a major city without clear governance."

And I suppose Howard Dean would not be will to stick his neck out and say whether or not, in his opininion, these guys would have been better off with their ears attached.

Or maybe Howard Dean thinks that we can't run Iraq any better than this.

Stolen Iraqi Artifacts Found

A vast treasure of stolen Iraqi artifacts, some dating back thousands of years have been discovered in Paris, France at some place called "The Louvre."
I'm sure that Bush's cultural critics will demand the return of these treasures too.

Now, If Only End the Sanctions.org Would Join In

The French have suddenly changed their minds about sanctions. When the US suggested that sanctions on the no longer existing regime of Saddam Hussein be lifted, France, Russia and all the usual suspects disagreed, saying the the inspectors had to finish their work. Ha ha! That's a good one.
The Russian ambassador to the UN, Sergei Lavrov, uttered this delicious irony: "we are not at all opposing lifting of sanctions - what we are insisting on is that Security Council resolutions must be implemented".
Suddenly the French are agreeing with us. Why might that be? Could it be these articles in the New York Times, exposing French, German and Russsia corruption and duplicity?
Now, if only End the Sanction.org would join in. For years this clot of frauds has been demanding that we end sanctions on Iraq. Now that Iraq is free, they're against lifting sanctions. Go figure.

Darn, Now I Can't Find it!

I read a hilarious piece yesterday from an "Arab volunteer" who fought for Saddam. He complained that Iraqi generals placed the volunteers out on the front lines, where they were wiped out by US forces. Then, when the US military reached the Iraqis, the Iraqis either surrendered or just melted away. At one point, a "volunteer" (gosh that reminds me of Ross Perot) was aiming a shoulder fired anti-aircraft missile at a Cobra helicopter and he was ordered to stand down by his Iraqi commander who insisted that it was an Iraqi helicopter. If anyone reading this knows where that piece was, please e-mail me so I can link to it.

I, on the Other Hand, Have been Proved Right

Just before the war, I wrote that fewer Iraqis would die during this war than routinely die in an average year at the hand of Saddam regime of terror. Well, somebody has finally done the math and I was proven correct. H. D. Miller uses the most reliably exaggerated Iraqi body count from the leftist iraqbodycount.net and gets a figure of 2,325 civilian deaths. Meanwhile, John Burns of the New York Times credits Saddam with the deaths of a million Iraqis during his tenure as despot for life. This works out to 3600 per month. So, it was actually safer to be a civilian in Iraq during the war than it was during the peace.

Kristoff Recants

Nicholas Kristoff has earned such a reputation within the blogosphere for being wrong with his end-of-the-world predictions that his name has become both a noun and a verb. To Kristoff, is to predict with eargerness, that something dreadful will happen to the United States and that hopefully, George W. Bush will be blamed for it. Such predictions are also known as a Kristoff. Kristoff awards are given to those who also make such predictions, although such awards might be renamed for Gary Kamiya, who openly admits that he hoped for a long, bloody war with mounds of US casualties so that Bush could be defeated next year.
Anyway, the meaning of the verb, to Kristoff, might have to be changed as he as done something quite unique. He admitted that he was wrong and gave George W. Bush grudging credit.
Give the man credit. This doesn't happen often. Generally, being a liberal excuses one from ever having to admit error.

Oh, So This is the War On Terror After All

How about that? The war critics are just about out of ammunition now. First as several successes in Afghanistan and elsewhere showed, we could fight Al Qaeda and Iraq at the same time. Now we're learning that the war on Iraq was part of the war on terror. Both the New York Times (registration required) and MSNBC are reprorting that an Iraqi scientist is giving details of Iraq's chemical and biological weapons programs. He also says that Saddam's regime gave material support to Al Qaeda and has shipped some of his weapons to Syria, beginning in the mid-1990's.
What a shock! Bush was telling the truth and Saddam was lying.

Bob Schieffer's Case Of Peter Arnett Syndrome

The host of CBS's Face the Nation joined the New York Times, among many others by making a complete ass of himself with abyssmally ignorant criticisms of the American war effort. As Salon Magazine recently confessed, many liberals view of the war were colored by their desire to have things go poorly for George Bush. Schieffer was likely among those hoping that we would suffer many thousands of casualties, just so Bush's reelection chances would be harmed in 2004.

It's Not Smart to Piss Off George Bush

German Prime Minister Gerhard Schroeder is trying to grovel his way back into America's good graces. I think should tell him to just go kiss ass. And, I think we should move our military bases out of Germany. We wouldn't want to occupy them after all.

I Hope This is in Arabic Someplace Too

The English language version of the Arab News has an article presenting the United States military in a somewhat different light is customary in Arab news outlets or the New York Times.

Arafat Has a Sense of Humor Too

Now Yasir Arafat is asking for Abul Abbas. According to Arafat, the Oslo Accords confer upon Abbas world wide diplomatic immunity as a member of the PLO. Even if true, please remind me which of the Oslo Accords has Arafat followed.

At Least the Italians Have a Sense of Humor

Italy is seeking the extradition of terrorist Abul Abbas. This is laughable because Abbas has enjoyed his last 18 years of freedom because the Italians turned him loose. United States fighter jets intercepted a plane carrying Abbas and forced it to land in Italy. Italy demanded custody, then set Abbas loose.
The Italians tried and convicted Abbas in abstentia, but that satisfied only those who are willfully humbugged. Now they wan him to serve his sentence.
No way Guiseppe. He's answering to us this time.

Human Shield. You Wankers!

Here's something else that all you peace protestors were protecting - a dungeon of Roman barbarity. "The Marines found 123 prisoners, including five women, barely alive in an underground warren of cells and torture chambers. Being trapped underground probably kept them safe from the bombing of Baghdad by the coalition. Severely emaciated, some had survived by eating the scabs off their sores. All the men had beards down to their waists, said onlookers."

Advice from the guy who tried to juggle extramarital affairs

Bill Clinton doesn't like the way that his replacement is doing things
"Our paradigm now seems to be: something terrible happened to us on September 11, and that gives us the right to interpret all future events in a way that everyone else in the world must agree with us," said Clinton, who spoke at a seminar of governance organized by Conference Board "And if they don't, they can go straight to hell."
Clinton is criticizing President George W. Bush for an overly aggressive foreign policy. But wait. Somebody please tell me how many different countries Bill Clinton bombed or otherwise threatened with military force. Let's see, I recall Haiti, Bosnia, Serbia, Kosovo, the Sudan, Afghanistan, and Iraq at the very least. And, he recently claimed that he came within a hair's breadth of nuking North Korea.
Clinton "suggested that the current administration had trouble juggling foreign and domestic issues."
It's much easier to prove that it was Clinton who had trouble juggling affairs. Attacks on many of the nations listed above occurred on days when there was embarassing testimony or revelations resulting from the Monica Lewinsky affair.

Seattle Finally Wishes the Troops Well

Three weeks ago, the Seattle City Council was asked to simply wish well those United States servicemen who were serving in the Gulf. The resolution did not support the war, or George Bush, or US foreign policy. It only thanked those Puget Sound residents who were serving for their service and wished them a safe return. This was too pro-American, too pro-war and too right-wing for the Seattle City Council. So they fussed with it, trying to alter it into a criticism of the war until they finally gave up yesterday and passed it, now that the war is over.

Mathematical Conjecture Proven

Nearly overlooked in all the war business, was the Russian mathematician, Dr. Grigori Perelman's proof of the Poincare Conjecture. Dr. Perelman, of the Steklov Institute of Mathematics of the Russian Academy of Sciences in St. Petersburg, says that he proved it. He hasn't published his work yet so we only have his word on it. And once he does, it will require months for other mathematicians to pore over it, looking for errors and verifying his work. But, if he's right, I know I'll sleep easier.

Getting Under Seattle's Skin

One of the tiny ripples I generate for my remote outpost near the Idaho/Washington was actually perceiveed in the Emerald City. Seattle Times editorial page editor James Vesely quoted yours truly liberally in his Sunday column. But, what I liked best was his adoption of my favorite term of endearment for the residents of that soggy city, "Seattleistas." That term may be a little dated. It's a reference to the communists who once ruled Nicaragua - the Sandanistas.
Oh well, it's nice when one can be a nuisance to an elephant.

Why Should We Believe CNN?

What's the point of have a bureau in Iraq if it is only pemitted to disseminate Iraqi propoganda? When Eason Jordan finally admitted what most of us already knew, that CNN taylored its news coverage to satisfy Saddam Hussein, he gave a number of excuses including the need to maintain a presence in Iraq. But why bother?

Franklin Foer asks much the same question in his Wall Street Journal opinion piece today.

"With so little prospect for reporting the truth, you'd think that CNN and other networks would have stopped sending correspondents into Iraq. But the opposite occurred. Each time the regime threatened to pull the plug, network execs set out to assiduously reassure them. Mr. Jordan made 13 of these trips."

Even Al-Jazeera admits things are getting better.

Now the the populace has taken their revenge upon the Baathist party apparatus, order is returning to Baghdad.

Tom Harkin Needs to Apologize Too

Iowa's senior US Senator Tom Harkin should apologize too, to all the soldiers and their familes. What an arogant jerk!

Time for Janeane Garofalo to Crawl on Her Hand and Knees?

She promised she would crawl through broken glass on her hands and knees and apologize to George W. Bush. Start crawling babe.

Guess What? The Elite Media Covered Up For Saddam

I once wrote a column in which I accused the big media of cowtowing to Saddam in order to maintain their offices in Baghdad. My editor told me the thesis was ridiculous. Now, CNN confesses that I was right on the money, and that it was worse than I imagined.

Chirac and Schroeder Want it Both Ways

These spineless worms are toeing the Nancy Pelosi line, that they're happy we won, but wish we hadn't started. That makes perfect sense doesn't it?

Nay Sayers Move on to Their Next Crusade

An endless parade of original deep thinkers are constantly reminding us that a government installed by American and British armed forces will not enjoy the international community’s presumption of legitimacy. It would have been preferable if the oppressed people had tossed off the yoke of tyranny themselves and chosen their own leaders. Nevertheless, I advise against simply dismissing the governments of France and Germany, even though both were established by the United States and Britain after we liberated those countries from Nazi domination. But neither should we take any advice from them regarding post-war Iraq.
Whoever puts up history’s road signs should warn followers of American history to: “Watch for falling dictators.” For all the loathing that United States’ military might seems to elicit from this era’s back seat drivers, it will be recorded that, for most of its history, America has collected the scalps of a long list of deposed tyrants. The United States certainly has a better record than the United Nations, which recently almost satirically appointed Libya to chair its human rights commission and Saddam Hussein’s Iraq as chair of its disarmament commission.
Just added to America’s trophy shelf is Saddam Hussein. The symbols of his dictatorship bit the dust Wednesday as Iraqis climbed upon the thug’s enormous bronze statue in the ironically misnamed “Paradise Square” in central Baghdad, and battered it with their shoes. Next they pummeled the marble base with a sledgehammer. Then they tried to pull it down with a rope. The statue was more sturdily constructed than most things in Iraq and resisted their efforts.
Finally, the Iraqis invited the Marines to rip it down with a tank retriever. In quick order Saddam joined a fraternity that includes Lenin, Hitler Stalin, Idi Amin and Pol Pot, among many others. But barely had it struck the ground, and the Iraqis were dancing joyously on Saddam’s face, when those who doubted we could win the war, were hopefully doubting that we could win the peace.
Not long ago, wise and the anointed were telling us that we were in trouble. The Peter Arnett view of the world was summarized nicely in Newsweek’s “Conventional Wisdom” section last week.
Just days before the capture of Baghdad, Conventional Wisdom gave Vice President Cheney a thumbs down: "Tells Meet the Press just before war, 'We will be greeted as liberators.' An arrogant blunder for the ages."
Also earning a thumbs-down from Newsweek was President George W. Bush. "Steadfast, but his war cluelessly flings open the gates of hell, making any sort of victory Pyrrhic."
The thumb was also pointed southward for Secretary of Defense, Donald Rumsfeld: "Taking fire from TV retired generals for flawed war plan. And how did you miss the fedayeen?"
As Peter Arnett said, he was only telling Iraqi television what everybody else already knew. Newsweek’s wisdom was conventional, among the America-doubting media elite.
As grateful Iraqis gave the Marines hugs, kisses and flowers, “Shock and Awe” quickly became, “Aw Shucks.” But, now that we’ve won the war, the nay sayers are pounding away at their typewriters again. Surely the Bushies will foul up the post-war period.
“The end of Operation Iraqi Freedom should not mark the beginning of Operation Eternal War,” worries The New York Times’ Maureen Dowd.
Regarding humanitarian efforts, they’re not yet good enough for Thomas Friedman, who also writes for America’s Al-Jazeera outlet: “The Umm Qasr townsfolk scrambled after that food like pigeons jostling for bread crumbs in a park. This was a scene of humiliation, not liberation. We must do better.”
We haven’t even picked up our shell casings, and they’re condemning for screwing up the aftermath.
But as everyone knows, the Left never admits error or defeat. Iraq’s ambassador to the Arab League needs work, perhaps the Times could hire him. "Iraq will not be defeated," the Associated Press quotes Ambassador Mohsen Khalil as saying. "Iraq has now already achieved victory--apart from some technicalities."
Expect The Times, Newsweek, and the Democratic Party to point out technicalities.
And remember this: “I would never start this war if I were president.” Al Gore, April 3, 2003.
As the former Democratic Mayor of New York, Ed Koch, said of Bush recently, “I don't know anyone who would do it as well at this moment in the Democratic party."

For more, look here, here and here.

Sean Penn, Gun Owner?

Sean Penn may now take his place alongside fatass Hollywood celebrity Rosie O'Donnell and late Washington Post colmunist Carl Rowan as elitists who fail to practice what they preach for the rest of us.

Weapons Grade Plutonium?

Quick, somebody call Hans Blix. The Marines seems to have uncovered quite a lot of weapons grade plutonium in the Al Tuwaitha nuclear complex. Tellingly, UN weapons inspectors have been there, but it seems that they only looked at what the Iraqis wanted to show them. The real treasure was underground.
Well, duh! You'd expect them to try to hide it wouldn't you?
Meanwhile, Kofi Annan wants UN weapons inspectors to return to Iraq, saying that their mission was only interrupted.
Well Kofi, they'll probably have more luck if the Marines take their hands and lead them around than they were having with Saddam's goons as guides.

How wrong did they get it, let us count the ways.

Just how wrong was the elite media. Look here, here, here, and here for examples.
And you really must look here.
And you really, really, really must look at Andrew Sullivan's collection of flubs.

Reuters Liberated

Reuters, which in mid September, 2001 opined that, "one man's terrorist is another man's freedom fighter," seems to be experiencing the same sense of liberation as the Iraqis felt as Saddam's statue came tumbling down. Reuters has been notoriously pro-terrorist, pro-Saddam and anti-American. Peter Arnett might have been to friendly to Americans for Reuters. But in the last couple of days, they've suddenly starter reporting the truth. Here's an example.

Saddam's Suffering

The cruel side of me hopes that Saddam escaped US bombs so he could see Iraqis trashing the symbols of his power. He needs to suffer a little longer on this earth before he spends eternity in Hell.
And once he's in Hell, I hope he gets to watch lots of South Park.

Chirac Celebrates the Fall of Saddam?

What a crock of bull$h*t!

Don't Blame him, He Was Probably Watching Peter Arnett

"Where is the liar [Iraqi information minister Mohammed] Sahhaf," he asked rhetorically. "He sounded and looked so confidant when he told us that the Iraqis were slaughtering the crusaders and mercenaries at the gates of Baghdad. Everyone believed that the Iraqis were cleverly luring the Americans and British into Baghdad, which was supposed into a huge graveyard for the crusaders."

So What? The New York Times was Saying the Same Thing

From the Jeruselum Post: "Some Palestinians chose to vent their anger on the Arab media, especially al-Jazeera, Abu Dhabi and al-Arabiya TV stations, for broadcasting lies about the developments on the battlefield. "For the past three weeks these stations gave us the impression that Iraq had the upper hand in the fighting against the US and British forces," complained Yahya al-Natsheh, the owner of a boutique in al-Bireh, the twin city of Ramallah."

Palestinians Choose Poorly, Again

Guess what? Yassir Arafat backed the wrong horse again! The only surprise here is that the Palestinians are surprised.
Said Nael al-Am, "I invested a lot of money in buying a satellite dish and a new TV set because I wanted to watch the day the battle for Baghdad begins," explained the bearded shopkeeper. "I was sure that this was going to be one of the great battles of the century, where an Arab army would inflict heavy losses on the invading crusaders. I feel as if a dagger has been stuck in my heart when I see American soldiers strolling in the heart of Baghdad."

The Arab Street Speaks, from Dearborn Michigan, Michigan

From Fox News "Standing on car roofs, cheering and waving American and Iraqi flags, people in Dearborn, Mich., breathed a sigh of relief as they realized the day they never thought would come appeared to be imminent: Saddam is on his way out of Iraq for good, if he's not already dead.

"Today is my birthday," said Ali Al-Ghazali, 46, a native of southern Iraq. "But it's also the birthday for all Iraqis."

The Arab Street Speaks, from London

Reuters | 4/09/03


Jubilant Iraqi exiles storm embassy in London

LONDON, April 9 (Reuters) - Iraqi exiles living in London on Wednesday stormed the former Iraqi embassy in the capital in celebration of the apparent collapse of Saddam Hussein's government in Baghdad.

The embassy has stood empty since Britain ordered Iraq's last diplomat in London, who worked at a scaled-down mission called an Interests Section under the umbrella of the Jordanian Embassy, to leave the country last month.

"They had to force entry but it was a peaceful takeover," Zuhair Al-Maher, a member of the Iraqi opposition and one of the organisers, told Reuters.

"There are about 60 of us and our intention is to publicise our relief and jubilation at the downfall of Saddam's regime."

A spokeswoman for London's Metropolitan Police said they had made more than 20 arrests for criminal damage but were still dealing with the incident in west London.

The action came as television networks around the world played live footage of scenes in Baghdad showing residents welcoming U.S. forces into the centre of the city as the Iraqi president's 24-year rule crumbled into chaos and looting.

As the U.S. Marines rolled into the city centre on day 21 of the war, hundreds of people gutted official buildings, hauling off anything of value and pulled down a massive statue of Saddam.

"It is still hard to take in but this is one of the happiest days in the history of the Iraqi people," Al-Maher said.

He said it was very likely similar scenes would be played out at other Iraqi embassies around the world.

"Saddam is irrelevant now. Of course we would like to see him stand trial for his crimes but the important thing is that he and his regime and apparatus of terror are gone -- for good."

A spokesman for the Foreign and Commonwealth Office said the embassy was closed down in 1991 before the Gulf War but had retained a small staff working under the auspices of the Jordanian Embassy until last month.

Last month, the last diplomat and another staff member were asked to leave ahead of the U.S.-led war in Iraq.

The Arab Street Speaks Again, from Qalat Sukkar

They began to chant in English. "Stay! Stay! U.S.A.!" So reports the New York Times, regarding the arrival of the Marines in Qalat Sukkar, a city of about 45,000 in southern Iraq. If the New York Times can report such a story, can Al-Jazeera be far behind.
It's becoming quite apparent that Michael Moore, who insisted that his vacuous rant at the Oscars represented "most Americans" is not even representative of many Iraqis.
Incidentally, Moore refers to the liberation of Iraq as "colonization." Shouldn't he ask those Iraqi children the Marines liberated from Saddam's children's prison about colonization before he bloviates? Maybe their parents would like to speak up too.

Now, Al-Jazeera wants our help

Al-Jazeera, which earlier accused the United States of specifically targeting one of its reporters, is now asking US help in getting the rest of its reporters out. Get them out, I say. Iraq has been forcing all foreign journalists to stay in the Palestine Hotel. That makes me suspect that Saddam's regime is hiding something in the basement. Once the press is out, let's knock it flat and look underneath.

Where's the children's prison story?

Still nothing on the websites of The New York Times, The Washington Post, on CNN, or MSNBC. I don't think their sister outlet, Al-Jazeera has it yet either.
They must be following the Scott Ritter line, that telling the truth about Saddam might make people think he's evil or something.

The Arab Street Speaks Again (From Baghdad)

This story deserves much more attention than it's getting.
"BAGHDAD (AFP) - More than 100 children held in a prison celebrated their freedom as US marines rolled into northeast Baghdad amid chaotic scenes which saw civilians loot weapons from an army compound, a US officer said. "Around 150 children spilled out of the jail after the gates were opened as a US military Humvee vehicle approached, Lieutenant Colonel Fred Padilla told an AFP correspondent travelling with the Marines 5th Regiment."
"Hundreds of kids were swarming us and kissing us," Padilla said. "There were parents running up, so happy to have their kids back."
Why isn't this in the New York Times? Where were Al Jazeera's cameras?

Now This Takes a Lot of Nerve

Winona Ryder is hoping to turn a profit on her shoplifting

The Arab Street Speaks Again (From Basra)

From MSNBC "British forces took control of the heart of Basra on Monday, met by only a few pockets of resistance and greeted by hundreds of people who shook their hands and welcomed them to Iraq’s second-largest city. Emboldened by the British presence, residents went on a rampage, indulging in looting sprees and reprisals against militiamen loyal to Saddam."

Hot Heads

Global warming takes another hit as researchers from Harvard University produce evidence that the Earth was warmer in the Middle Ages than it is today. What warmed it up then, sewage in the streets?

A Tribute to Michael Kelly

I don't normally get choked up when I hear that a war correspondent is killed. Better a journalist than a soldier is my view. But Michael Kelly was special. A former far left liberal, he was cured of his liberalism by the corruption and sanctimony of the Clinton Administration. His conversion cost him his job as editor of The New Republic.
Of late, he has served as editor of the Atlantic Monthly and wrote a syndicated column. But he gave up the easy life to chronicle the war as an embedded reporter. His moving story were the best coming from the the front.
There's a great story about him in today's Washington Post. Read it.

Oh Damn!

R.W. Johnny "Quagmire" Apple is having a bad day (registration required). That means the United States has had a good day. Apple has been chanting quagmire since the first shot was fired. But dammit! We're operating at will in Baghdad. And so Johnny Boy is lamenting, "Dash to Baghdad Leaves Debate in Dust."
All those carping complainers that the Times had recruited to tell us what an ignorant, naive moron George Bush was, it turns out that GW has been proved right again. We're in Baghdad.
"By any standard," former Defense Clinton Administration Secretary William S. Cohen said Friday night, "it is a remarkable military achievement."
Apple coudn't keep a little petulance out of his article: "Just days ago," Mr. Fleischer complained (meaning Apple and his ilk), "people were saying we were bogged down, and now they're saying, `Describe for us and give us the names of the government that's going to be running Iraq in the future.' We're still in the middle of war."
Now, is Mr. Fleischer really complaining, or his he just making an observation? By using the word "comlaining," he is trying to paint Fleischer as a whiner.
But, Apple is the whiner. It's a bad day for the Times.
May he have many more.

Saddam Slaughterhouse Discovered

British soldiers discover hundreds of mutilated, decaying bodies http://www.ananova.com/news/story/sm_767726.html?menu=news.latestheadlines All had been executed and many showed evidence of severe torture. Will Al Jazeera or the New York Times report this?

Seattle City Council Won't Even Wish Its Own Soldier-Citizens Well

Can we just give Seattle to France? They certainly deserve each other. As our service men risk their lives to protect such fly specks as the Emerald City, the Seattle City Council cannot bring itself to pass a resolution wishing them well.
Michael Behar submitted to the Seattle City Council the following resolution for it to consider: “WHEREAS, The President of the United States has activated and deployed numerous men and women of the Armed Forces from Seattle to assignments and missions related to the ongoing global war on terror and the current crisis in Iraq; and, WHEREAS, The citizens of Seattle have achieved worldwide renown for their zeal and patriotism in answering their nation's call to duty whenever the cause of Freedom and Justice is threatened by foreign tyrants and aggressors; and, WHEREAS, The uniformed men and women of our community are once again called upon to offer their utmost devotion in the defense of their country and to bring peace to a troubled corner of the Earth.
NOW THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED, BY THE CITY COUNCIL OF SEATTLE AS FOLLOWS:
Section 1: It wholeheartedly supports and appreciates the brave men and women of Seattle serving in the United States Military, and wishes them Godspeed in their dangerous missions and a safe return from harm's way.
Nowhere in that resolution is there an endorsement of the war, or of George Bush, or anything but servicemen hailing from Seattle. It thanks our soldiers for their sacrifices and wishes them a safe trip home.
Perhaps only in Berkeley and Seattle would that have been considered controversial.
A month has now passed, and the Seattle City Council has not yet managed to pass it. Instead it has whittled and hacked at the resolution making it more to their liking.
Seattlistas take offense at such phrases as, “in defense of our country,” and object to the notion that we are threatened by “foreign tyrants and aggressors.” They would rather replace them with words like, “unnecessary combat” and expressions of sorrow for Iraqi casualties.
This is all so - Seattle. Twelve years ago, after the first Gulf War, cities of consequence all across the country were holding parades welcoming our soldiers home. Seattle just couldn’t bring itself to do that. Finally the city’s national embarrassment and the political aspirations of the mayor, Norm Rice, forced a compromise upon the city. The soldiers could march, but they could not carry their rifles, or any other weapons. The knuckle draggers in the region who wished to thank their country’s servicemen and women for a job well done could do so. But the Seattle city fathers and both of Heather’s mommies also got the satisfaction of forcing a ritualistic unilateral disarmament.
This is, after all, the city that returns Baghdad Jim McDermott to the House of Representatives every other year. Baghdad Jim managed to win reelection this last time even though he openly took the side of Saddam Hussein versus the United States. On the question of whether or not Saddam had a nuclear, chemical or biological weapons program, Saddam’s denials were good enough for Baghdad Jim. He called the President of the United States a liar on Iraqi soil.
Just this last Thursday, Baghdad Jim repeated Iraqi propaganda that an explosion in an Iraqi market place was caused by a United States missile. Our military says that it can account for all the munitions dropped that day and that none of them landed in the market place. But, Baghdad Jim considers Iraqi propaganda more reliable than our military. And this boob manages reelection in a landslide.
And so it is hardly surprising that the lefties who float on top of Seattle’s political cesspool struggle and juggle words trying to craft something that doesn’t make them sound even remotely pro-American. If Seattle’s lefties had their way, our soldiers would not just march in parades disarmed. They’d be asked to march to Baghdad empty-handed.
Certainly Seattlistas must be conflicted. Even they must realize how ridiculous they will seem if they follow the lead of Jim McDermott and his ilk. But they just can’t bear to appear pro-military at their next wine and cheese tasting party. It is difficult to keep so many balls in the air when you only juggle with your left hand.

Well, It's About Time!

According to the CNN.com headline, "Blix 'curious' about unconventional arms in Iraq." And, the first paragraph reads:"Chief U.N. weapons inspector Hans Blix said Friday that he would be interested to learn whether Iraq has chemical, biological or nuclear weapons.
If only he were a little more curious earlier.

This is Very Bad News

Michael Kelly, one of the freshest writers in print has been killed in Iraq. Michael Kelly has always been one of the best, but he really gained prominence when he was fired by The New Republic for not paying sufficient repect to Al Gore. He was hired to replace Andrew Sullivan as editor of TNR after Sullivan resigned for health reason. Kelly immediately made corruption busting a high priority and the Clinton White House was to inviting a target for him to refuse.
Al Gore is one of TNR -owner and publisher Martin Peretz's best friends and Kelly crusading journalism did not sit well. Kelly was fired. He went on to write syndicated columns and edit the Atlantic Monthly, but his passion was in great causes and the Iraqi war (which he advocated for years) was too much for him to decline.
Now he is dead. I don't normally get all gushy when reporters die. Better them than soldiers I usually think. But, the world (minus the left) will miss Michael Kelly.

The Arab Street Speaks Again, from Najaf, Iraq.

At the request of an Iraqi officer, United State troops destroy (registration required) a huge bronze statue of Saddam. "The blast, when it came, was met with rousing cheers."
Al Jazeera might not report this, but its sister news outlet, the New York Times did.

The Arab Street Speaks, from Baghdad

Bob Schmidt, an ABC reporter emedded with the 3rd Infantry Division (The Rock of the Marne) reports from the tarmac of the soon to be renamed Saddam International Airport that Iraqis on the outskirts of Baghdad were cheering the arrival of US troops.
"He reported seeing Iraqis waving and cheering as U.S. tanks rolled toward the airport which is just 10 miles from central Baghdad."
Will this be reported on Al-Jazeera, or the New York Times?

Holy Endorsement for the War

The Pope may not appreciate this war, but a prominent Shiite Mullah is encouraging his flock to welcome US troops.

Jewish Restaurant Torched in Paris

Meanwhile, the nation whom John Kerry thinks we should emulate is experiencing an escalating rate of anti-Semitic violence. Now, a Jewish restaurant has been torched.

The Arab Street Speaks Again, From Najaf

Once again, Iraqis celebrate their liberation. And just last night, I heard some left wing deep thinker ridiculing Dick Cheney for predicting that Iraqis would cheer our arrival.

Kerry Just Can't Avoid Blowing It

A couple of months ago, John Kerry surged to the front of the pack of Democratic contenders for the presidency in 2004 by contracting prostrate cancer. The cancer helped him by putting him in a hospital for a while as his rivals alienated voters by pandering to their party's left wing. By the time he was released from the hospital, they had done enough damage to themselves that their steps backward placed Kerry out in front.
But Kerry's all better now and he has decided to join his cohorts in their self-destructive groveling before the McGovern/Sharpton wing of the party. Citing the need for a "regime change" in the United States, he has called for the removal of George W. Bush. He blames the war on failed diplomacy on our country's part.
Hmmm. Does he sincerely believe that pandering to France is in this country's best interest. Save the tapes on this one. Should Kerry successfully emerge from the swamp of Democratic primaries to take his first steps on dry land, this remark will be helpful to establishing him and his party as an evolutionary dead end.

We Get Them Where We Get Young Women Like This?

It might once have been considered hyperbole to say that we could whip the Iraqis with our girls. No more. Jessica Lynch fought with phenomenal courage, even after all those around her had fallen. Even after she has suffered wounds herself, she fought until she ran out of ammunition. In the process, she took down several of Saddam Hussein's "finest."

Where Do They Get Young Men Like This?

A month ago, Martin Savidge was a typically cynical CNN reporter. Now, he knows better.
"At that Martin Savidge totally broke down and was unable to speak. All he could get out before signing off was “Where do they get young men like this?”."
I only wish he would have asked, "Where to WE get young men like this?"

Maybe Rick Francona Should Read the Washington Post

Even the left leaning Washington Post knows better.

What Planet is This Guy From?

Let's see. The United States is on the doorstep of Baghdad after achieving the most rapid advance in military history. Iraq is suffering more than a thousand fatalities for every American the Iraqis manage to kill. Their armor is gone. Their airforce has not gotten off the ground. They have no communications. But, according to MSNBC "news analyst" Rick Francona, the Iraqis have managed some battlefield successes.
They've learned from the last war and updated their tactics and are giving us fits.
How much does MSNBC pay its contributors to write such obvious bullshit?

Truth, the Enemy of the Anti-war Protestors

It seems that anti-war protestors are running into some unexpected headwinds, unedited images from Iraq. The emebedded journalists are sending home pictures and stories that support allegations of Saddam's barbarism. The genuine decency and civility of the American soldiers is also clear for all to see. And, the people back home are now seeing liberated Iraqi citizens celebrating the arrival of coalition forces.
Truth and the anti-war crowd have nothing in common.

Will Al Jazeera Report This?

British troops capture one of Saddam's torture chambers.

Peace Activists Learn the Truth About Saddam-

Four human shields were dumped in Jordan after spending 8 days in one of Saddam's notorious Abu Ghraib prison. They had some trouble sleeping. It seems that they kept awake at night by the screams of those being tortured. I wonder if they now appreciate what it was they were shielding?

The Arab Street Speaks, from Najaf, Iraq.

The citizens of Najaf are celebrating in the street after being liberated by coalition forces. Will Al Jazeera, or The New York Times report this?

The Arab Street Speaks, from Najaf, Iraq.

The citizens of Najaf are celebrating in the street after being liberated by coalition forces. Will Al Jazeera report this?

Seattle, a Suburb of Paris?

The French are rather evenly divided over who they want to win the war. Roughly a third want the United States and Brits to win and about a third favor Saddam. The rest are uncertain, don't care, or haven't been sober enough lately to discover that there is a war.
Now we find that Seattle can't decide whose side it is on.
But, what do you expect? This is the city that returns Baghdad Jim McDermott to congress every couple of years and, in 1991 almost prohibited US soldiers from marching in a parade after Gulf War I.