New poll shows 34% job approval for Bush- But it seems Dems were heavily favored in the sample (40% of unweighted sample, versus 27% for Republicans):
UNWEIGHTED - WEIGHTED
Total Respondents 1018
Total Republicans 272 - 289
Total Democrats 409 - 381
Total Independents 337 - 348
2/27/2006
Good luck guys
Tyra at it again!
"Chanel"!!! HAHAHA
Reuters - Fri Feb 24, 6:09 PM ET
Talk-show host Tyra Banks poses as she prepares to go undercover as a stripper by the name of 'Chanel' in a topless club for a segment of her talk-show 'The Tyra Banks Show' in this undated publicity photograph released February 24, 2006. Banks donned a wig, fake teeth, a prosthetic nose and a lot of makeup. The segment is scheduled to telecast March 1, 2006. NO SALES NO ARCHIVES REUTERS/Rick Rowell/Warner Bros./Handout
Reuters - Fri Feb 24, 6:09 PM ET
Talk-show host Tyra Banks poses as she prepares to go undercover as a stripper by the name of 'Chanel' in a topless club for a segment of her talk-show 'The Tyra Banks Show' in this undated publicity photograph released February 24, 2006. Banks donned a wig, fake teeth, a prosthetic nose and a lot of makeup. The segment is scheduled to telecast March 1, 2006. NO SALES NO ARCHIVES REUTERS/Rick Rowell/Warner Bros./Handout
2/26/2006
Listen to the Teuton!
All is not quiet on Chargers' homefront
Bolts coach wonders if club's on same page By Jim Trotter UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 26, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS – While seemingly everyone else was offering an opinion on the Drew Brees situation the past few weeks, Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer was relatively quiet.
Not so yesterday.
Choosing his words carefully, and pausing at times to weigh their potential impact, Schottenheimer said he wants Brees back and believes the Chargers will be even stronger with him.
Later, he acknowledged an icy relationship with General Manager A.J. Smith and said he was uncertain if everyone in the organization is pulling in the same direction.
“I think it's important that there always be communication between the coach and the general manager,” he said during a break at the annual NFL Scouting Combine. “I've sought to see that realized, but, quite frankly, there hasn't been as much communication as I would like.
Normally teams don't allow 27-year-old, Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks to test the market without protection, but the Chargers elected to do so because of what Smith calls “medical concerns” about Brees' throwing shoulder, which was surgically repaired after he tore his labrum in the season finale.
The sides have until Thursday night to agree on a contract; otherwise Brees would become an unrestricted free agent and free to sign with another club. If he departs, 2004 first-round draft choice Philip Rivers would assume the starting job.
“In my opinion, we're better off if Drew Brees is here,” he said. “We've all come to realize that it takes more than one quality quarterback in this league to be successful. If he's able to recover from this injury – and I'm optimistic about that – I think it gives us an advantage.”
Schottenheimer refused to speculate whether the Chargers – who with a little tweaking have the potential to make a deep run in the playoffs – would take a step back with Rivers behind center.
“I don't know that you can say that,” he said. “I would think that history would indicate that (you would struggle some), but every situation is different. That would be pure speculation on my part.
“What I do know is, we've certainly gone through a process in the development of Drew to get him to where he is, and it's very difficult to condense that time frame.”
Bolts coach wonders if club's on same page By Jim Trotter UNION-TRIBUNE STAFF WRITER
February 26, 2006
INDIANAPOLIS – While seemingly everyone else was offering an opinion on the Drew Brees situation the past few weeks, Chargers coach Marty Schottenheimer was relatively quiet.
Not so yesterday.
Choosing his words carefully, and pausing at times to weigh their potential impact, Schottenheimer said he wants Brees back and believes the Chargers will be even stronger with him.
Later, he acknowledged an icy relationship with General Manager A.J. Smith and said he was uncertain if everyone in the organization is pulling in the same direction.
“I think it's important that there always be communication between the coach and the general manager,” he said during a break at the annual NFL Scouting Combine. “I've sought to see that realized, but, quite frankly, there hasn't been as much communication as I would like.
Normally teams don't allow 27-year-old, Pro Bowl-caliber quarterbacks to test the market without protection, but the Chargers elected to do so because of what Smith calls “medical concerns” about Brees' throwing shoulder, which was surgically repaired after he tore his labrum in the season finale.
The sides have until Thursday night to agree on a contract; otherwise Brees would become an unrestricted free agent and free to sign with another club. If he departs, 2004 first-round draft choice Philip Rivers would assume the starting job.
“In my opinion, we're better off if Drew Brees is here,” he said. “We've all come to realize that it takes more than one quality quarterback in this league to be successful. If he's able to recover from this injury – and I'm optimistic about that – I think it gives us an advantage.”
Schottenheimer refused to speculate whether the Chargers – who with a little tweaking have the potential to make a deep run in the playoffs – would take a step back with Rivers behind center.
“I don't know that you can say that,” he said. “I would think that history would indicate that (you would struggle some), but every situation is different. That would be pure speculation on my part.
“What I do know is, we've certainly gone through a process in the development of Drew to get him to where he is, and it's very difficult to condense that time frame.”
2/24/2006
Idiotic beyond belief
What this columnist is describing is called the "Fenno Paradox" which was developed by Richard Fenno at the University of Rochester (shameless plug, I know). This is nothing new, it happens all the time and is the reason it's so hard to defeat incumbents.
Friday, February 24, 2006
We'll have front-row seat in battle for Congress
By JOEL CONNELLY P-I COLUMNIST
In what confounds opinion experts, national surveys find Americans saying their country is headed in the wrong direction and that Congress is doing a poor job -- but adding that their own congressman is OK.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/260726_joel24.html
Friday, February 24, 2006
We'll have front-row seat in battle for Congress
By JOEL CONNELLY P-I COLUMNIST
In what confounds opinion experts, national surveys find Americans saying their country is headed in the wrong direction and that Congress is doing a poor job -- but adding that their own congressman is OK.
http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/connelly/260726_joel24.html
2/23/2006
Step 1: Throw at wall - Step 2: See what sticks
Watchdog Group Questions 2004 Fla. Vote
By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer 2/23/06
An examination of Palm Beach County's electronic voting machine records from the 2004 election found possible tampering and tens of thousands of malfunctions and errors, a watchdog group said Thursday.
Bev Harris, founder of BlackBoxVoting.org, said the findings call into question the outcome of the presidential race. But county officials and the maker of the electronic voting machines strongly disputed that and took issue with the findings.
"I actually think there's enough votes in play in Florida that it's anybody's guess who actually won the presidential race," Harris added. "But with that said, there's no way to tell who the votes should have gone to."
Palm Beach County election officials said the BlackBoxVoting.com findings are flawed, and they blamed most of the errors on voters not following proper procedures.
"Their results are noteworthy for consideration, but in a majority of instances they can be explained," said Arthur Anderson, the county's elections supervisor. "All of these circumstances are valid reasons for concern, but they do not on face value substantiate that the machines are not reliable."
Harris said one machine showed that 112 votes were cast on Oct. 16, two days before the start of early voting, a possible sign of tampering. She said the group found evidence of tampering on more than 30 machines in the county.
However, Harris said it was impossible to determine what information was altered or if votes were shifted among candidates.
By BRIAN SKOLOFF, Associated Press Writer 2/23/06
An examination of Palm Beach County's electronic voting machine records from the 2004 election found possible tampering and tens of thousands of malfunctions and errors, a watchdog group said Thursday.
Bev Harris, founder of BlackBoxVoting.org, said the findings call into question the outcome of the presidential race. But county officials and the maker of the electronic voting machines strongly disputed that and took issue with the findings.
"I actually think there's enough votes in play in Florida that it's anybody's guess who actually won the presidential race," Harris added. "But with that said, there's no way to tell who the votes should have gone to."
Palm Beach County election officials said the BlackBoxVoting.com findings are flawed, and they blamed most of the errors on voters not following proper procedures.
"Their results are noteworthy for consideration, but in a majority of instances they can be explained," said Arthur Anderson, the county's elections supervisor. "All of these circumstances are valid reasons for concern, but they do not on face value substantiate that the machines are not reliable."
Harris said one machine showed that 112 votes were cast on Oct. 16, two days before the start of early voting, a possible sign of tampering. She said the group found evidence of tampering on more than 30 machines in the county.
However, Harris said it was impossible to determine what information was altered or if votes were shifted among candidates.
Unbelievable Headline and First Sentence
Amazing, Reuters all but admits they think Bush made up 9/11, it never happened, terrorism doesn't really exist...
Terror Fears, Stoked by Bush, Now Bite Him
By Alan ElsnerWed Feb 22, 1:30 PM ET
For almost five years President George W. Bush has warned Americans to fear terrorism, but now those words may come back to bite him.
Terror Fears, Stoked by Bush, Now Bite Him
By Alan ElsnerWed Feb 22, 1:30 PM ET
For almost five years President George W. Bush has warned Americans to fear terrorism, but now those words may come back to bite him.
2/22/2006
Benedict Al-Arnolds
These guys better be charged with treason (two are US citizens), and hung from the gallows. Or better yet, make them eat a pulled pork sandwich and pet a dog...the ultimate punishment!
Three Charged with Planning Attacks on Troops in Iraq
By Deborah Charles Reuters Tue Feb 21, 12:46 PM ET
A grand jury in Ohio indicted three men for conspiring to kill people and for planning attacks against U.S. forces overseas, court documents showed on Tuesday.
The indictment said the three men -- Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman el-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum -- were part of a conspiracy that began in November 2004 to kill people outside the United States, including U.S. troops in Iraq.
According to the indictment, Amawi is a citizen of Jordan and the United States, Mazloum is a legal U.S. resident and el-Hindi is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Jordan.
Three Charged with Planning Attacks on Troops in Iraq
By Deborah Charles Reuters Tue Feb 21, 12:46 PM ET
A grand jury in Ohio indicted three men for conspiring to kill people and for planning attacks against U.S. forces overseas, court documents showed on Tuesday.
The indictment said the three men -- Mohammad Zaki Amawi, Marwan Othman el-Hindi and Wassim Mazloum -- were part of a conspiracy that began in November 2004 to kill people outside the United States, including U.S. troops in Iraq.
According to the indictment, Amawi is a citizen of Jordan and the United States, Mazloum is a legal U.S. resident and el-Hindi is a naturalized U.S. citizen born in Jordan.
2/21/2006
BOGUS!!!
Chargers are shooting themselves in the foot again, although this time I think it might be intentional. Spanos doesn't want to spend money, and wants to move the team. What better way then once again tearing apart the team (a la 1996), getting rid of Schottenheimer, and using poor attendance as an excuse to get out of town. The fact that Brees gave his all to this team, and played brilliantly, and the Chargers still might get rid of him shows the type of ownership we have...willing to screw over the good guys, from Harrison to Bobby Ross to now Brees. So if you are going to play for the Chargers, better not get too good, or off you go!
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Chargers are primed to let quarterback Drew Brees test free agency.
San Diego general manager A. J. Smith said Monday the team has declined to designate Brees, who played at Purdue during 1997-2000, as its franchise or transition player. The deadline for designating a player with either tag is Thursday.
SAN DIEGO (AP) -- The Chargers are primed to let quarterback Drew Brees test free agency.
San Diego general manager A. J. Smith said Monday the team has declined to designate Brees, who played at Purdue during 1997-2000, as its franchise or transition player. The deadline for designating a player with either tag is Thursday.
2/20/2006
Giving ammunition
Unfortunately, Europe is about to hand the Islamists some ammunition in the cartoon row. Austria just sentenced Holocause denier David Irving (a Brit) to three years in jail for speeches he gave in Austria downplaying the extent of the Final Solution. In defense of the Danish cartoons, we heard that free speech means the right to say stupid, even offensive things. I believe that statement is true, but we can't expect there not to be calls of hypocrisy with this verdict. Mr. Irving may be a fool, perhaps a dangerous fool, but he shouldn't go to jail for his stupidity.
AP - Mon Feb 20, 4:45 AM ET
Right-wing British historian David Irving holds his book 'Hitler's War' when arriving at a court in Vienna, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2006. Irving is accused of denying the Holocaust and is facing up to 10 years in jail. He has been in custody since his arrest in November on charges stemming from two speeches he gave in Austria in 1989 in which he was accused of denying the Nazis' extermination of 6 million Jews. (AP Photo/Hans Punz)
AP - Mon Feb 20, 4:45 AM ET
Right-wing British historian David Irving holds his book 'Hitler's War' when arriving at a court in Vienna, on Monday, Feb. 20, 2006. Irving is accused of denying the Holocaust and is facing up to 10 years in jail. He has been in custody since his arrest in November on charges stemming from two speeches he gave in Austria in 1989 in which he was accused of denying the Nazis' extermination of 6 million Jews. (AP Photo/Hans Punz)
Propaganda reversed
In WWI, the Allied governments often used as propaganda the battlecry "Remember Belgium!" This referenced the alleged crimes committed by German soldiers against Belgian non-combatants, namely women and children, during the invasion of France. Posters such as this were common at the time:
Of course, historians would later agree that these alleged crimes were limited or did not occur at all, yet the propaganda campaign was effective in creating a motivation to fight the Teutonic horde.
Today, the media seems eager to create propaganda to mobilize hatred against US troops. The latest publication of Abu Ghraib photos accomplishes just that. Salon.com justified its decision to publish the photos with "Abu Ghraib matters severely. It will go down in history as a terrible humiliation for our democracy, for our ideas about the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of conquering armies....As an American news organization, we do not believe we should make decisions about censoring discussion and debate of our government, and our military, based on fear of extreme Muslim reaction." (http://www.salon.com/letters/editor/2006/02/18/abu_ghraib/index1.html).
It is clear that many in the media either do not acknowledge a war on terrorism, or do not wish for America's victory. Rather, the media relishes in creating a caricature of the US soldier: a torturing, inhumane brute. This caricature stands alone in the media, due to their refusal to report positive stories in Iraq or Afghanistan and the progress our soldiers have made in those countries. These photos affect two groups of people: the victims and the victimizers. A housewife in Nebraska does not need to see the photos, nor the imam in Jordan.
Just as the Allied goverments eggagerated or even knowingly spread false accounts of German attrocities in Belguim, the media today portrays Abu Ghraib as routine, and even a matter of policy. Thanks to the media, we have propaganda reversed...we are now the Hun.
Of course, historians would later agree that these alleged crimes were limited or did not occur at all, yet the propaganda campaign was effective in creating a motivation to fight the Teutonic horde.
Today, the media seems eager to create propaganda to mobilize hatred against US troops. The latest publication of Abu Ghraib photos accomplishes just that. Salon.com justified its decision to publish the photos with "Abu Ghraib matters severely. It will go down in history as a terrible humiliation for our democracy, for our ideas about the rights of individuals and the responsibilities of conquering armies....As an American news organization, we do not believe we should make decisions about censoring discussion and debate of our government, and our military, based on fear of extreme Muslim reaction." (http://www.salon.com/letters/editor/2006/02/18/abu_ghraib/index1.html).
It is clear that many in the media either do not acknowledge a war on terrorism, or do not wish for America's victory. Rather, the media relishes in creating a caricature of the US soldier: a torturing, inhumane brute. This caricature stands alone in the media, due to their refusal to report positive stories in Iraq or Afghanistan and the progress our soldiers have made in those countries. These photos affect two groups of people: the victims and the victimizers. A housewife in Nebraska does not need to see the photos, nor the imam in Jordan.
Just as the Allied goverments eggagerated or even knowingly spread false accounts of German attrocities in Belguim, the media today portrays Abu Ghraib as routine, and even a matter of policy. Thanks to the media, we have propaganda reversed...we are now the Hun.
2/18/2006
You had me at Guten Tag
Britain's Prime Minister Tony Blair (R) shares a table with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel after talks on Friday in Berlin February 17, 2005. REUTERS/Handout
Yeah, those cartoons were WAY off...
AP - Sat Feb 18, 2:44 PM ET
Iranian students fill in the papers of registration forms indicating their readiness for martyrdom, or to carry out suicide attacks, in Tehran, Iran, Saturday, Feb. 18, 2006. A gathering of Iranians who claim they are dedicated to becoming suicide bombers warned the United States and Britain on Saturday of attacks on coalition military bases in Iraq if there were a strike against Tehran's nuclear facilities. (AP Photo/Hasan Sarbakhshian)
Does their Bible have the "Book of Allah (Peace be upon him)"? It will...
These Peace Pimps need to realize pretty quickly what we're up against. If the Islamists win, they don't much care for Christian pastors lecturing them on morality. These "Christians" also probably complained that Bush wasn't doing enough to stop the genocide in Darfur. These guys are nothing more than Lenin in a priest's costume. Global warming, materialism, imperialism, blah blah blah.
U.S. Church Alliance Denounces Iraq War
By BRIAN MURPHY, AP Religion Writer
A coalition of American churches sharply denounced the U.S.-led war in Iraq on Saturday, accusing Washington of "raining down terror" and apologizing to other nations for "the violence, degradation and poverty our nation has sown."
The statement, issued at the largest gathering of Christian churches in nearly a decade, also warned the United States was pushing the world toward environmental catastrophe with a "culture of consumption" and its refusal to back international accords seeking to battle global warming.
"We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights," said the statement from representatives of the 34 U.S. members of World Council of Churches. "We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name."
U.S. Church Alliance Denounces Iraq War
By BRIAN MURPHY, AP Religion Writer
A coalition of American churches sharply denounced the U.S.-led war in Iraq on Saturday, accusing Washington of "raining down terror" and apologizing to other nations for "the violence, degradation and poverty our nation has sown."
The statement, issued at the largest gathering of Christian churches in nearly a decade, also warned the United States was pushing the world toward environmental catastrophe with a "culture of consumption" and its refusal to back international accords seeking to battle global warming.
"We lament with special anguish the war in Iraq, launched in deception and violating global norms of justice and human rights," said the statement from representatives of the 34 U.S. members of World Council of Churches. "We mourn all who have died or been injured in this war. We acknowledge with shame abuses carried out in our name."
And Libs embrace this guy (Chavez)
CARACAS, Feb. 16 (Xinhuanet) -- The Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) should cut its oil production by 500,000 to 1 million barrels a day, Venezuela's Oil and Energy Minister Rafael Ramirez said on Thursday.
Ramirez, also president of Petroleos de Venezuela, the state-owned oil company, said that based on current demand estimates, OPEC is now overproducing 1 million barrels per day.
Having peaked at a record 70.85 U.S. dollars per barrel in last August, oil prices have fallen back to their lowest levels in recent weeks since the end of December.
Venezuela, the world's fifth largest exporter of crude oil, produces 3.3 million barrels per day, some 1.5 million of which is sold to the United States.
Ramirez, also president of Petroleos de Venezuela, the state-owned oil company, said that based on current demand estimates, OPEC is now overproducing 1 million barrels per day.
Having peaked at a record 70.85 U.S. dollars per barrel in last August, oil prices have fallen back to their lowest levels in recent weeks since the end of December.
Venezuela, the world's fifth largest exporter of crude oil, produces 3.3 million barrels per day, some 1.5 million of which is sold to the United States.
2/15/2006
"When do we get to invade?"
The media is still trying to portray Merkel in a negative light, either as a buffoon (first pic) or a calculating Hitlerfrau (second pic)...
AP - Thu Feb 9, 9:10 AM ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel listens during a debate in the Berlin, Bundestag parliament on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006. (AP Photo/Fritz Reiss)
Reuters - Tue Feb 7, 9:57 AM ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a state commemoration ceremony for former German President Johannes Rau at the Berlin Dom, February 7, 2006. (Peer Grimm/Pool/Reuters)
AP - Thu Feb 9, 9:10 AM ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel listens during a debate in the Berlin, Bundestag parliament on Thursday, Feb. 9, 2006. (AP Photo/Fritz Reiss)
Reuters - Tue Feb 7, 9:57 AM ET
German Chancellor Angela Merkel attends a state commemoration ceremony for former German President Johannes Rau at the Berlin Dom, February 7, 2006. (Peer Grimm/Pool/Reuters)
Shake your Tailfeather!
Comptroller Asks Woman to 'Walk Again'
AP Feb 15, 2005
State Comptroller William Donald Schaefer reacted angrily Wednesday to questions about whether he may have offended an aide to Gov. Robert Ehrlich at a meeting of the Board of Public Works.
After the young woman brought him a beverage at Wednesday morning's meeting at the State House, Schaefer stared intently as she walked back to the governor's office. Then, just as she reached the door, he summoned her back as people waiting to testify before the board watched.
When the aide, looking puzzled, returned to the table, Schaefer told her, "Walk again," and watched her as she made the second trip to the exit.
When reporters asked him after the meeting about the incident, he called their interest "dumb." He said "this little girl" ought to be "happy that I observed her going out the door."
"The one who is offended is me," the Democratic comptroller told reporters.
"She's a pretty little girl," he said. "The day I don't look at pretty women is the day I die."
AP Feb 15, 2005
State Comptroller William Donald Schaefer reacted angrily Wednesday to questions about whether he may have offended an aide to Gov. Robert Ehrlich at a meeting of the Board of Public Works.
After the young woman brought him a beverage at Wednesday morning's meeting at the State House, Schaefer stared intently as she walked back to the governor's office. Then, just as she reached the door, he summoned her back as people waiting to testify before the board watched.
When the aide, looking puzzled, returned to the table, Schaefer told her, "Walk again," and watched her as she made the second trip to the exit.
When reporters asked him after the meeting about the incident, he called their interest "dumb." He said "this little girl" ought to be "happy that I observed her going out the door."
"The one who is offended is me," the Democratic comptroller told reporters.
"She's a pretty little girl," he said. "The day I don't look at pretty women is the day I die."
Rosie Warns on Iran
HAHA Someone told Rosie O'Donnell she's relevant...
NOW IRAN
Posted by ro @ 3:35 pm in in the news
feb 17 2005i wrote
“i saw on cnn
in the paper
an ariel shot of some place in iran
wake up moms
we have seen this before
iraq - remember
same photos
same terror talk
1,300 of our kids dead
130,000 innocent iraqi’s
but who is counting
moms - it is up to us
no to iran
no to syria -
no to north korea
no you cannot have our sons and daughters
no - no
i am the mom - that’s why
no”
now feb 8 2006
iran here we come
should people USE
a queens funeral
2 speak of naked emperors
war crimes
civility
yes
as live tv
is now the only place
where freedom of the press
rules supreme
there r other options
we know this spiritually
war is terrorism
every life counts
NOW IRAN
Posted by ro @ 3:35 pm in in the news
feb 17 2005i wrote
“i saw on cnn
in the paper
an ariel shot of some place in iran
wake up moms
we have seen this before
iraq - remember
same photos
same terror talk
1,300 of our kids dead
130,000 innocent iraqi’s
but who is counting
moms - it is up to us
no to iran
no to syria -
no to north korea
no you cannot have our sons and daughters
no - no
i am the mom - that’s why
no”
now feb 8 2006
iran here we come
should people USE
a queens funeral
2 speak of naked emperors
war crimes
civility
yes
as live tv
is now the only place
where freedom of the press
rules supreme
there r other options
we know this spiritually
war is terrorism
every life counts
2/12/2006
Flirting with treason...
and this guy thinks he's a statesman...a statesman would put the interests of his country first, not the liberal fetish of "abuses" against unnamed Arabs after 9/11.
Gore Laments U.S. 'Abuses' Against Arabs
By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer Feb 12, 2006
Former Vice President Al Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment.
Gore said Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaida's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications.
"The thoughtless way in which visas are now handled, that is a mistake," Gore said during the Jiddah Economic Forum. "The worst thing we can possibly do is to cut off the channels of friendship and mutual understanding between Saudi Arabia and the United States."
Gore told the largely Saudi audience, many of them educated at U.S. universities, that Arabs in the United States had been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."
"Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it's wrong," Gore said. "I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country."
Gore Laments U.S. 'Abuses' Against Arabs
By JIM KRANE, Associated Press Writer Feb 12, 2006
Former Vice President Al Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment.
Gore said Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaida's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications.
"The thoughtless way in which visas are now handled, that is a mistake," Gore said during the Jiddah Economic Forum. "The worst thing we can possibly do is to cut off the channels of friendship and mutual understanding between Saudi Arabia and the United States."
Gore told the largely Saudi audience, many of them educated at U.S. universities, that Arabs in the United States had been "indiscriminately rounded up, often on minor charges of overstaying a visa or not having a green card in proper order, and held in conditions that were just unforgivable."
"Unfortunately there have been terrible abuses and it's wrong," Gore said. "I do want you to know that it does not represent the desires or wishes or feelings of the majority of the citizens of my country."
2/11/2006
What the hell is the matter with the media? oh wait...
The media is now referring to Muhammad as "the Prophet Muhammad" as though Prophet was his first name. They don't refer to Jesus as "the Saviour Jesus Christ"! This is another example of how afraid the media is to offend muslims, or appear to offend them, although they have no problem bashing Christians, especially serious Christians (that's not you, John Kerry) as crazy, nutty cavemen. Good thing the current media wasn't around during WWII.
Thousands Protest Against Prophet Drawings
By LEE KEATH, Associated Press WriterSat Feb 11, 2:56 AM ET
Thousands of worshippers emerging from Friday prayers demonstrated against drawings of the Prophet Muhammad in the Mideast, Asia and Africa, clashing with police in some cities despite religious leaders' attempts to keep marches peaceful.
Thousands Protest Against Prophet Drawings
By LEE KEATH, Associated Press WriterSat Feb 11, 2:56 AM ET
Thousands of worshippers emerging from Friday prayers demonstrated against drawings of the Prophet Muhammad in the Mideast, Asia and Africa, clashing with police in some cities despite religious leaders' attempts to keep marches peaceful.
This guy has it about right...
New York Press editors resign over Mohammed cartoons
Wed Feb 8, 6:41 PM ET
The editors of a New York alternative newspaper resigned over the publishers' refusal to carry cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that have provoked a storm in the Muslim world.
Harry Siegel, editor in chief of the New York Press -- the city's second-largest free weekly -- said the newspaper had betrayed its own principles by not re-printing the cartoons that first appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Siegel resigned along with the managing editor, arts editor and the paper's city hall reporter.
While acknowledging that the New York Press was far from a big player on the media scene, he said resignation was the only choice.
"Even on the far margins of the world-historical stage, we are not willing to side with the enemies of the values we hold dear, a free press not least among them," he said.
Wed Feb 8, 6:41 PM ET
The editors of a New York alternative newspaper resigned over the publishers' refusal to carry cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed that have provoked a storm in the Muslim world.
Harry Siegel, editor in chief of the New York Press -- the city's second-largest free weekly -- said the newspaper had betrayed its own principles by not re-printing the cartoons that first appeared in the Danish newspaper Jyllands-Posten.
Siegel resigned along with the managing editor, arts editor and the paper's city hall reporter.
While acknowledging that the New York Press was far from a big player on the media scene, he said resignation was the only choice.
"Even on the far margins of the world-historical stage, we are not willing to side with the enemies of the values we hold dear, a free press not least among them," he said.
Hot story, even if they are old...
Woman convicted of groping screener
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A woman who was upset over being searched bodily at an airport was convicted Tuesday of assaulting a security screener by grabbing the federal officer's breasts.
A federal jury heard the case against retired teacher Phyllis Dintenfass, who also allegedly shoved the screener during the search at the Outagamie County Regional Airport in Appleton in September 2004.
On Monday, Transportation Security Administration screening supervisor Anita Gostisha testified that Dintenfass activated metal detectors at a checkpoint, and she heard Dintenfass say she thought the problem was bobby pins and barrettes in her hair.
Gostisha said she took the woman to another screening area, where she used a handheld wand. Gostisha said she was following protocol when she also performed a "limited pat-down search."
Gostisha said she was using the back of her hands to search the area underneath Dintenfass' breasts when the woman lashed out at her.
"She said 'How would you like it if I did that to you?' and slammed me against the wall," Gostisha testified. "She came at me and grabbed my breasts and squeezed them."
Distenfass claimed she acted in self-defense.
"I said, 'What are you doing? No one's done that to me before,'" she said. "And she kept going ... for what felt like an interminably long time."
Dintenfass denied shoving Gostisha, but admitted putting her hands on the agent's breasts.
"I was mortified that I had done that," she said. "I was reacting to what felt like an absolute invasion of my body."
GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — A woman who was upset over being searched bodily at an airport was convicted Tuesday of assaulting a security screener by grabbing the federal officer's breasts.
A federal jury heard the case against retired teacher Phyllis Dintenfass, who also allegedly shoved the screener during the search at the Outagamie County Regional Airport in Appleton in September 2004.
On Monday, Transportation Security Administration screening supervisor Anita Gostisha testified that Dintenfass activated metal detectors at a checkpoint, and she heard Dintenfass say she thought the problem was bobby pins and barrettes in her hair.
Gostisha said she took the woman to another screening area, where she used a handheld wand. Gostisha said she was following protocol when she also performed a "limited pat-down search."
Gostisha said she was using the back of her hands to search the area underneath Dintenfass' breasts when the woman lashed out at her.
"She said 'How would you like it if I did that to you?' and slammed me against the wall," Gostisha testified. "She came at me and grabbed my breasts and squeezed them."
Distenfass claimed she acted in self-defense.
"I said, 'What are you doing? No one's done that to me before,'" she said. "And she kept going ... for what felt like an interminably long time."
Dintenfass denied shoving Gostisha, but admitted putting her hands on the agent's breasts.
"I was mortified that I had done that," she said. "I was reacting to what felt like an absolute invasion of my body."
James Cromwell IS Cindy Sheehan
2/08/2006
Are you ready for this?
University of Cincinnati men's basketball has a player named Jihad Muhammad...out of control.
http://ucbearcats.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/cinn-m-baskbl-mtt.html
13
Jihad Muhammad
5-11
175
G
SR
1L
Plainfield, N.J.
Plainfield
http://ucbearcats.collegesports.com/sports/m-baskbl/mtt/cinn-m-baskbl-mtt.html
13
Jihad Muhammad
5-11
175
G
SR
1L
Plainfield, N.J.
Plainfield
2/07/2006
Uh oh
Remember when the Germans released a terrorist and gave money to Zarqawi to gain the release of Osthoff? Here it looks like they are doing it again to gain the release of two engineers who were taken hostage. The Germans claim the release is only due to his pending appeal, but I doubt it.
February 7, 2006- BERLIN (Reuters) - Mounir El Motassadeq, a Morrocan man convicted in August of membership in a terrorist organization and sentenced to seven years in prison, will be released early, an official in the Hamburg Justice Ministry said on Tuesday.
DW staff (jam) www.dw-world.de © Deutsche Welle.
No Progress in German Hostage Crisis There has been no word from the kidnappers since this video from Jan. 31
The German government has no news so far of two German hostages in Iraq after a Friday-night deadline set by their captors expired. Berlin is still trying to establish contact with the kidnappers.
In a videotape broadcast last week by Qatar's Al-Jazeera television network the hostage takers said they were from a group calling itself "Followers of Unity and Prophetic Tradition" and made demands towards the German government, including closing the German embassy in Baghdad, ending all collaboration with the new Iraqi government and withdrawing German companies operating in Iraq.
In the videotape, the kidnappers gave Germany 72 hours to act on their demands.
The two hostages, Rene Bräunlich, 31, and Thomas Nitzschke, 28, work for a German gas equipment installation company and were snatched near the Baiji oil refinery compound by armed men in military uniforms.
February 7, 2006- BERLIN (Reuters) - Mounir El Motassadeq, a Morrocan man convicted in August of membership in a terrorist organization and sentenced to seven years in prison, will be released early, an official in the Hamburg Justice Ministry said on Tuesday.
DW staff (jam) www.dw-world.de © Deutsche Welle.
No Progress in German Hostage Crisis There has been no word from the kidnappers since this video from Jan. 31
The German government has no news so far of two German hostages in Iraq after a Friday-night deadline set by their captors expired. Berlin is still trying to establish contact with the kidnappers.
In a videotape broadcast last week by Qatar's Al-Jazeera television network the hostage takers said they were from a group calling itself "Followers of Unity and Prophetic Tradition" and made demands towards the German government, including closing the German embassy in Baghdad, ending all collaboration with the new Iraqi government and withdrawing German companies operating in Iraq.
In the videotape, the kidnappers gave Germany 72 hours to act on their demands.
The two hostages, Rene Bräunlich, 31, and Thomas Nitzschke, 28, work for a German gas equipment installation company and were snatched near the Baiji oil refinery compound by armed men in military uniforms.
2/04/2006
Angie Baby
Merkel gets it right, sets example for Europe. Many Germans have felt that their country should not engage in international affairs, for fear of rekindling other nations' fears of a meddling Germany. However, if any nation is qualified to warn the international community of dangerous despotic regimes, it would be Germany. It's nice to see Merkel engaged and taking this point of view. This German hesitancy was also seen during the Balkan crisis and the hesitation to send any military support.
Merkel Urges Action to End Iran's Nuclear Program Now
By JUDY DEMPSEY NY Times
MUNICH, Feb. 4 —Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said Saturday that the world must act now to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, evoking her nation's own history as a cautionary tale of what can happen when threats to peace remain unchecked.
"We want, we must prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program further," Mrs. Merkel told an audience of top security officials and policy makers during a speech to the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy.
Mrs. Merkel, whose speech came on the same day that the International Atomic Energy Agency voted to report Iran's case to the United Nations Security Council, said Germany's own experiences during the 1930's should be a warning over how to deal with Iran.
"Now we see that there were times when we could have acted differently," she said. "For that reason Germany is obliged to make clear what is permissible and what isn't."
Mrs. Merkel, discarding any diplomatic niceties and raising her voice in a tone of frustration, said Iran had "blatantly crossed the red line" — and not only with regard to respecting its international obligations as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
She said it was also "unacceptable" for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to deny the Holocaust and say that Israel should be "wiped off the map."
"A president that questions Israel's right to exist, a president that denies the Holocaust, cannot expect to receive any tolerance from Germany," Mrs. Merkel said to applause. "We have learned our history.".
Merkel Urges Action to End Iran's Nuclear Program Now
By JUDY DEMPSEY NY Times
MUNICH, Feb. 4 —Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany said Saturday that the world must act now to stop Iran from developing a nuclear bomb, evoking her nation's own history as a cautionary tale of what can happen when threats to peace remain unchecked.
"We want, we must prevent Iran from developing its nuclear program further," Mrs. Merkel told an audience of top security officials and policy makers during a speech to the annual Munich Conference on Security Policy.
Mrs. Merkel, whose speech came on the same day that the International Atomic Energy Agency voted to report Iran's case to the United Nations Security Council, said Germany's own experiences during the 1930's should be a warning over how to deal with Iran.
"Now we see that there were times when we could have acted differently," she said. "For that reason Germany is obliged to make clear what is permissible and what isn't."
Mrs. Merkel, discarding any diplomatic niceties and raising her voice in a tone of frustration, said Iran had "blatantly crossed the red line" — and not only with regard to respecting its international obligations as a signatory of the Nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty.
She said it was also "unacceptable" for President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran to deny the Holocaust and say that Israel should be "wiped off the map."
"A president that questions Israel's right to exist, a president that denies the Holocaust, cannot expect to receive any tolerance from Germany," Mrs. Merkel said to applause. "We have learned our history.".
2/03/2006
Finally, some introspection
Protests Over Muhammad Drawings Intensify
By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer
In Iraq, about 4,500 people protested in the southern city of Basra, burning the Danish flag. Some 600 worshippers stomped on Danish flags before burning them outside Baghdad's Abu Hanifa Mosque, Sunni Islam's holiest shrine in Iraq. Demonstrators also burned Danish journalists in effigy and torched boxes of Danish cheese.
Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, condemned the publications as a "horrific action."
But in remarks posted on his Web site, al-Sistani referred to "misguided and oppressive" segments of the Muslim community whose actions "projected a distorted and dark image of the faith of justice, love and brotherhood."
By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press Writer
In Iraq, about 4,500 people protested in the southern city of Basra, burning the Danish flag. Some 600 worshippers stomped on Danish flags before burning them outside Baghdad's Abu Hanifa Mosque, Sunni Islam's holiest shrine in Iraq. Demonstrators also burned Danish journalists in effigy and torched boxes of Danish cheese.
Iraq's leading Shiite cleric, Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, condemned the publications as a "horrific action."
But in remarks posted on his Web site, al-Sistani referred to "misguided and oppressive" segments of the Muslim community whose actions "projected a distorted and dark image of the faith of justice, love and brotherhood."
Islamist Hypocrisy
These cartoons and captions are from http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/ArabCartoons.htm . Keep these in mind when you hear liberals and Islamists claim that the Danish cartoons are offensive and demand an apology.
Arab News (April 10, 2002)
Arab News (April 10, 2002)
2/02/2006
Flashback- CNN tries hard to "Nazify" Merkel (Hail=Heil)
FROM CNN.COM
German Conservatives Hail Merkel
Monday, August 29, 2005; Posted: 11:45 a.m. EDT (15:45 GMT)
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Germany's conservatives have launched the main phase of their election campaign, confirming Angela Merkel as their candidate to unseat leftist Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the September 18 poll.
German Conservatives Hail Merkel
Monday, August 29, 2005; Posted: 11:45 a.m. EDT (15:45 GMT)
BERLIN, Germany (CNN) -- Germany's conservatives have launched the main phase of their election campaign, confirming Angela Merkel as their candidate to unseat leftist Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder in the September 18 poll.
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