Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 06:50:20 PM

Kerry Wants Debates

John Kerry challenged President Bush to weekly debates yesterday and the Bush-Cheney campaign responded:

"There will be a time for debates after the convention, and during the next few weeks, John Kerry should take the time to finish the debates with himself."

"This election presents a clear choice to the American people between a president who is moving America forward and a senator who has taken every side of almost every issue."

By making the Vietnam War the centerpiece of his campaign and it turning out less than desired, it now appears that Kerry wants to change the focus of the election dialogue. Bully for the President for rebuffing the challenge.

However, the wording of the Bush response could have been more descriptive and detailed. In the true spirit of American volunteerism, DaGoddess provides this alternative:

"Looky here, Senator. Now you might have all the time in the world to sit around and say things a million different ways in order to appeal to a million different people. And you might actually believe 1/10 of what you say. But the thing is, I'm the President of this here United States of America. I have a country to run. I can't be taking time off to sit around and palaver just because some pissant pussy with pretty hair deems it necessary to try out a new theory. I know what I believe in. I know where I stand. I don't need to reformulate my campaign at the top of each hour. You run off and play with your friends and I'll be here when you're clear about what you think and what you believe in. We'll have one debate. And you'll be prepared, concise, and leave the maple syrup at home. Until then, no debates."

Fine political prose.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 04:55:17 PM

Russian Plane Crashes - Update

According to this report from Moscow, flight recorders for the Tu-134 and Tu-154 have been recovered and indicate that "something happened very fast" which caused the planes to go down. Kremlin representative Vladimir Yakovlev stated the crashes are increasingly looking like a terrorist attack.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 03:57:06 PM

Brooke Hogan

The well-protected daughter of professional wrestler Hulk Hogan, Brooke Hogan is 16 and has embarked on a pop singing career. There's a rumor that she has also been asked by Playboy to do a nude pictorial.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 03:14:42 PM

Michael Moore - Columnist

With the credentials of a legitimate journalist, director Michael Moore, hired by USA Today, will write four opinion columns during the Republican Convention next week. It's not clear why since there's not been much secrecy about his opinion. Pick any issue and just about everyone can tell you exactly what his opinion will be.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 08:29:57 AM

Explosive Residue Found at Tu-154 Crash Site

Updating a previous report,

- Russian Federal Security Service personnel have found traces of an explosive called 'hexogen' at the Tu-154 crash site in southern Russia.

- Although the specific causes for the crashes are still under investigation, a group called the Islambouli Brigades has claimed credit via a website known for militant Islamic content.

- Of special interest to investigators is the location of two listed female passengers with Chechen surnames who are reportedly the only passengers about whom relatives have not inquired. Chechen rebels have been blamed for past suicide bombings.

Since the debris fields from the crashes encompass wide swaths of land area, it's expected that the searches will require considerably more time. (via Wizbang)

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 03:59:45 AM

Italian Hostage Murdered

(Dubai) Reuters reports that Italian journalist Enzo Baldoni was murdered by a group called the Islamic Army in Iraq because Italy did not remove their contingent of troops from the Coalition Forces. A spokesman for Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi confirmed the killing.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 02:33:38 AM

Hand Dryer Humor

Believe it or not, it's clean and too funny not to pass on. Take a look.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 01:02:04 AM

Olympian Diet

John Ray reports on the training diet of Ryan Bayley, an Olympic gold medal winner in cycling. Bayley's diet of deep fried chicken and Coke so worried his coach, Martin Barras, that he ordered an evaluation by a nutritionist.

"The nutritionist came back, she said 'well you know, there's not much variety in there but essentially he's got all his bases covered'," Barras said. "Once in 2000 I tried to force him to eat a salad and that got him violently sick so now if you leave him to his own devices he takes care of himself," he said."

And, taking care of himself with fried chicken and Coke, he avoids violent salad sickness and wins an Olympic gold medal.

It can be safely assumed that the vegetarian Gestapo would rather that the story of Ryan Bayley not become common knowledge. So, readers, pass it on. And, remember, once you get over the "variety" problem, fried chicken and Coke can lead to a gold medal.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/27/2004 12:14:56 AM

Twin Towers Toy

(Orlando, Florida) This is outrageous!

A boy gets some toys from the local grocery store and one is a model of a plane flying into twin towers. Not only that, but imprinted on each toy is the number 9011. The toys are distributed by the Lisy Corporation, based in Miami, who bought them, sight unseen, from L & M Import/Export, also based in Miami. L & M stated that "they have no problem at all with the toy and don't consider it offensive at all."

Fortunately, storekeepers are pulling the toys from their shelves.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 11:24:09 PM

130 Guns Stolen

(San Francisco, California) A week after 130 guns were stolen from a storage facility, the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms was notified. Great! So now the authorities will try to gather evidence to find out where the haul of rifles, shotguns, revolvers and pistols ended up. In related disturbing news,

The gun heist last week is the second case in six weeks involving the theft of dangerous weapons in San Mateo County. In July, 200 pounds of explosives were stolen from a supposedly secure bunker with a broken alarm system.

These two events indicate a serious breakdown in control of firearms and explosives and some sort of corrective measures need to be taken.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 09:51:55 PM

Driving In The Fast Lane

Not being part of the fast crowd, I have to rely on periodic traffic reports from Spoons. In the realm of fast trackers and stellar numbers, one dollar per page view is being contemplated. Getting there is the challenge.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 05:34:51 PM

Iraqi Police Abduct Journalists

(Najaf, Iraq) Last night just after 9PM, Iraqi Police rounded up about 60 journalists from the Sea of Najaf Hotel and took them to the police station. Included were representatives from Arab and other international media, encompassing the BBC, the Guardian, the Independent, and the Times and Daily Telegraph. At the station, Police Chief Ghalib al-Jazae'ri commenced giving the journalists a good old-fashioned dressing-down. The Chief said,

[H]e was incensed by media reports in which Grand Ayatollah Sistani had allegedly urged his followers to descend on Najaf.

He said: "You are not under arrest but you will listen to us to see what disasters you have caused."

The police chief, whose father has been kidnapped by supporters of Moqtada al-Sadr, said the police base had been repeatedly mortared and many of his officers killed. After half an hour, he allowed journalists to leave.

The journalists were then driven back to their hotel. End of story.

Watch, though, as the media tries to make this event to be a much bigger deal.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 04:38:19 PM

John Kerry - The New Soldier

Pictured below is the cover of The New Soldier by John Kerry. It is a symbolic re-creation of United States Marines planting the flag on Mount Suribachi on Iwo Jima in 1945. Over 6,800 American men were killed in the battle for Iwo Jima. John Kerry felt comfortable in mocking a proud and honorable event in American history for purposes of political opportunism.

The New Soldier is out of print and John Kerry has refused to allow the publisher to reprint it. It is, however, available online free at http://johnkerrythenewsoldier.blogspot.com/.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 03:42:00 PM

Judge Charged For Stupid Comments

(Orlando, Florida) The Florida Judicial Qualifications Commission has charged Orange County Judge Alan C. Todd with breaking judicial rules by making a series of "rude, intemperate and demeaning comments." Specifically, he chastised a deputy sheriff who had a child out of wedlock, saying she was a "disgrace to society," "had no morals," and her child was "a bastard."

He didn't stop there. Judge Todd also said Deputy Mindy Hood's family "obviously had no morals" and that "it is acceptable for a male to have sex before marriage, but if a female does so, she is not respected and considered a tramp." And, to top things off, the notice of rulebreaking alleges that the judge said: Baptists "think there is no sin in the world and have no morals"; Pastors and priests shouldn't marry a woman that has children out of wedlock or couple that has been living together, because those actions are morally wrong and sinful; and children raised in single-family homes normally go to jail as adults.

Without any prompting, Judge Todd attacked just about all segments of society at some time. It kind of makes one suspicious about the fairness of his rulings.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 02:46:01 PM

Israel To Deport Journalist

(Tel Aviv, Israel) According to this report, British journalist Ewa Jasiewicz has been denied entry into Israel by a Tel Aviv District Court. The reason given was that she is naive and may be misused by Palestinian extremists. She is a member of the International Solidarity Movement which engages in hostile anti-Israel activity. She may appeal the court's ruling.

Interestingly, she's been described as a journalist and a human rights activist, two vocations that are diametrically opposed to each other. If a person is a single-minded activist, it's impossible to be an objective journalist.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 05:03:36 AM

Canadian Legislator Calls U.S. "Idiots"

(Ottawa, Ontario) Contrary to Prime Minister Paul Martin's pledge to improve the demeanor of dialogue between Canada and the U.S., Canadian Member of Parliament Carolyn Parrish has decided to call the U.S. a "coalition of idiots." Last year, she stated that she hated "damned Americans" and called them all bastards. She later apologized.

This time around she begged the reporters not to mention her "idiots" remark. Apparently, they didn't listen.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/26/2004 04:09:14 AM

Islamic Militants Behead Alleged "CIA Spy"

This report from Reuters states that an Islamic militant group, the Army of Ansar al-Sunna, posted still pictures on its website showing the apparent beheading of a man it called a CIA spy.

The group said in an accompanying statement that Jamal Tewefic Salman, who became an U.S. citizen in 1980, confessed to be masquerading as a journalist in Iraq to spy on Islamic fighters for the CIA.

"A group of mujahideen were able to kidnap a spy called Jamal Tewefic Salman, who got U.S. citizenship in 1980. He changed his name to Khaled Abdul Messih," it said.

Rusty Shackleford has photos. Ogrish has video. Authenticity has as yet not been verified.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2004 11:23:00 PM

Bash-O-Matic

In the effort to eliminate guns in the United States, Rhode Island Attorney General Patrick Lynch has become a prominent crusader. Lynch is leading a campaign to smash toy guns throughout the state using a machine built by students at the New England Institute of Technology. It's called the Bash-O-Matic and it's used to pulverize the toys during Toy Gun Bash events.

The program offers $5 and $10 replacement toys to children and parents who are willing to forfeit their toy guns to a specially-designed "Bash-O-Matic" device.

[ ... ]

To date, the "Bash-O-Matic" has destroyed upwards of 1,000 toy guns, everything from water guns to gun replicas, according to Michael Healey, a spokesman for the attorney general's office.

So far, bashes have been held in Providence and Newport and more are planned.

While "sweeping the city's streets of toy guns," Attorney General Lynch disseminates his gun-control platform to educate the general public. He's stated that "children and adults alike find it hard to distinguish a toy gun from a real gun." Funny, I've never been confused about what's a toy and what's real. When I was a boy, I had a pair of Roy Rogers six-shooters and, when I was a teenager, I had a rifle and a shotgun. Never once did I have a problem distinguishing which was which.

Nevertheless, there should be no confusion about Patrick Lynch's message. All guns are bad and they should be removed from society and destroyed. In the meantime, we can all rest comfortably knowing that some streets have been swept clean of toy guns.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2004 06:32:05 PM

Kerry and the Swift Boat Vets

The ongoing controversy on John Kerry's Vietnam experience seems to grow new and different legs each day and, frankly, it's hard to keep up with who is saying what. One of the better sources for an all-around synopsis of the enduring discussion is Les Jones with his series of Kerry Grill posts. It's providing me with a quick way to keep abreast of the issues. Go visit.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2004 05:09:51 PM

No Child Support After Lesbians Separate

The Massachusetts Supreme Judicial Court ruled that if two lesbians decide to have a child through artificial insemination and then they split up, no child support can be ordered since their agreement to have a child together is not an enforceable contract.

Imagine the love a child will experience growing up in household filled with lesbian anger and the knowledge that the father was donated sperm. Some people call this situation an unconventional family. I'd call it a tragedy. And, just think, society is trending toward having many more "unconventional families."

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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2004 04:32:40 PM

National Punctuation Day

I missed it - didn't even know it existed until I saw this report. Last Sunday, August 22, was National Punctuation Day, the brainchild of Jeff Rubin, 54, who believes that people don't emphasize correct punctuation sufficiently.

I agree!

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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2004 03:58:50 PM

Home Parking Fee

It appears that residents in Sacramento, California, will be required to pay $5 annually to park in front of their domiciles. Each resident will get a sticker and a bothersome, yet reasonable, expectation that the city will raise the fee in the future. Once politicians get a mechanism to extract money from the public, they'll push to have it continually increased, and they'll be successful. If politicians thought they could get away with putting toll plazas on sidewalks, they would do it.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/25/2004 07:23:26 AM

Two Russian Airliners Crash

From the Moscow Times comes this report:

Russian airliners, a Tu-134 and Tu-154, which took off from Moscow's Domodedovo airport, disappeared from radar screens almost simultaneously, at about 11 p.m. on Tuesday.

The Tu-134, owned by Volga-Aviaexpress carrier, flew out to Volgograd at 10:15 p.m. and the Tu-154, owned by Siberia Airlines, to Sochi at 9:35 p.m.

The Tu-134 disappeared from radar screens at 10:56 p.m.. The place where the plane crashed was later spotted near the village of Buchalki in the Tula region's Kimovsky district. The regional emergency situations authorities reported, citing witnesses' accounts, that the plane exploded before it crashed.

The tail of the plane and part of the fuselage were discovered at the scene of the crash. The search for other wreckage and flight recorders is underway.

The Tu-154 disappeared at 10:59 p.m. on Tuesday, when it was at a distance of 138 kilometers from the southern city of Rostov-on-Don. The regional authorities have already marked the approximate area where the plane might have crashed.

Controllers of the Southern Regional Civil Aviation Department told Interfax that this area is near the towns of Kamensk-Shakhtinsky and Millerovo in the vicinity of the Ukrainian border. The search operation involves rescue workers, border guards and Interior Ministry forces.

According to the Interstate Aviation Committee, the Tu-134 had 34 passengers and eight crew members. Exact number on board the Tu-154 is currently not known but believed to be about 44 total passengers and crew. Both wreckage sites have been located and 20 bodies have been found at the Tu-154 crash site.

President Putin has ordered an investigation by the Emergency Situations Ministry, the FSB, and other law enforcement agencies.

Of note is that airport security was tightened earlier in the day due to an explosion on a Moscow bus that injured three people.

With regard to reports by people on the ground that they heard an explosion in the air, authorities stated:

"It would have been impossible to see an explosion, since the plane was flying at an altitude of 10,000 meters, above the clouds. Perhaps witnesses heard a loud bang which always goes with any breakage."

The Russian Interior Ministry has instituted elevated security measures ". . . at transportation facilities, such as airports, sea and river ports, and railway stations," involving increased police and dog-sniffer patrols. Also, the highest level flight security measures were implemented at the Pulkovo 1 and Pulkovo 2 airports in St. Petersburg.

Jeff Quinton has much more on the situation and Michelle Malkin posts on the seemingly obvious terrorism angle. While maintaining that Russian airlines don't deserve the bad reputation they have for frequently crashing, the Russian Dilettante weighs in from Moscow and readily admits that two aircraft perishing on the same night is "naturally suspicious."

Latest update from about 2PM Moscow time - A total of 89 people were traveling on the two airplanes.

A Volga-Aviaexpress company Tu-134 airliner traveling from Moscow to Volgograd was carrying 43 people, including 35 passengers and 8 crew members.

A Siberia Airlines Tu-154 flying from Moscow to Sochi carried 46 people, including 38 passengers and 8 crew members.

Also, according to Federal Security Service spokesman Nikolai Zakharov, there is no evidence so far that terrorism is behind the crashes.

Of note is that terrorists frequently take credit for their malicious deeds by making an announcement. It hasn't happened as yet in these crashes.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/24/2004 11:18:08 PM

Oprah Recommends

Got yourself an itchy caboose? Try Boudreaux's Butt Paste. It's a featured product at Oprah's Booty Club.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/24/2004 11:18:05 PM

Ohio Turnpike Speed Limit Raised

According to Gary Suhadolnik, Director of the Ohio Turnpike Commission, the speed limit for trucks on the turnpike will be raised to 65MPH on Sept. 8.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/24/2004 10:21:11 PM

Teresa Heinz Kerry Panders for Votes

(Columbus, Ohio) Before the Ohio Coalition of Labor Union Women (CLUW), Heinz Kerry promised "youth hostel-style child-care facilities where couples could leave their children while they go out on dates." This sounds like government-run national baby-sitting services. Interestingly, she also promised a free college education to all high school graduates who are willing to perform two years of community service. One has to wonder if the community service will include baby-sitting while couples go out on dates. And what about all the people who will lose their baby-sitting jobs when the government takes over?

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       Following Entry Posted 8/24/2004 07:00:50 PM

North Korea Endorses John Kerry

Chalk up Kim Jong-Il as supporting John Kerry for president.

"The North Koreans made it very clear, politely, that they want Mr. Kerry to win the election," said Kenneth Quinones, a former U.S. diplomat who was in Pyongyang this month for a Korean studies conference.

Coupled with the recent report that the Palestinian Authority is also supporting Kerry, it seems that foreign enemies and supporters of terrorism have found the Kerry/Edwards ticket to be a path to achieving their goals. And then there's the recent buzz about the communists and the anarchists being on the Kerry bandwagon. Next we'll probably see endorsements from Castro and Chavez. Of course, we can't forget Kerry has the support of Hollywood, the elite liberal media, the environmental extremists, the animal rights/vegetarian Gestapo, the homosexual advocacy, the feminist/abortion cabal, and the anti-gun gang. Did I leave anybody out?

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       Following Entry Posted 8/24/2004 04:02:28 PM

Iraqi Air Force

Within the past week, a milestone was attained in the rebuilding of the Iraqi Air Force as it commenced flight operations to provide security and protection for infrastructure facilities and Iraq's borders.

"We are rebuilding the air force, and it is giving us a different responsibility," Iraqi air force Col. Abed (surname withheld for security reasons) said. "These flights are meant to protect the oil installations, power lines and protect our borders from our enemies."

"This is the first move of our air force that will provide security," Abed said. "And this is very essential given the nature of our problems right now inside our country. And we can use them for peaceful missions as well."

The two Australian-built SB7L-360 SEEKER Reconnaissance Aircraft being used are the start of an eventual force of ten light reconnaissance planes to be ordered. And, the reconstituted force has a different mission than previously.

"Before our mission was very combative to other countries and threatening to other countries," he said. "Now our mission is to serve our country."

"We want to prove that the coalition is not an invading force, but a force that gave us our independence," Abed said.

"And we want to protect that," he added. "This is a new mission for us."

My take is that this is a small but noteworthy step towards the Iraqis achieving complete autonomy in defending their country. It should be loudly heralded by the media. Unfortunately, it won't be. It's inconsistent with their agenda to promote a picture of doom and gloom in Iraq. (via AnalogKid)

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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2004 10:31:21 PM

Effort-Based Grading at Benedict College

(Columbia, South Carolina) A new policy has been instituted at Benedict College which specifies that 60% of the grades for new students shall be based on effort and only 40% shall be based on academic achievement. This means that a passing grade can be awarded to someone who learned essentially nothing but tried real hard. Some faculty members have objected and two professors have been fired over the new policy.

Since it is already commonplace to teach remedial high school courses to entering freshman and now there will be no academic progress required of college students, it's unclear how Benedict College can maintain their accreditation. The school is trending toward being nothing more than an expensive diploma mill. Jeff Quinton has more at the Backcountry Conservative.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2004 08:59:08 PM

Alice Cooper Rants At Rockers

(Winnipeg, Manitoba) Responding to the fact that Bruce Springsteen, the Dixie Chicks, and other musical acts are making a rock & roll campaign tour for John Kerry, Alice Cooper accused them of treason.

"To me, that's treason. I call it treason against rock 'n' roll because rock is the antithesis of politics. Rock should never be in bed with politics," says the 56-year-old Cooper,

[ ... ]

"If you're listening to a rock star in order to get your information on who to vote for, you're a bigger moron than they are. Why are we rock stars? Because we're morons. We sleep all day, we play music at night and very rarely do we sit around reading the Washington Journal."

It probably couldn't be said much better. But, unfortunately, every year there's over a million new 18-year-old potential voters whose knowledge of economics, history, and politics was gleaned from MTV. (via Aaron's Rantblog)

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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2004 05:06:44 AM

Protected Rats

It's reported that, in Germany, if you have a rat infestation, your options for getting rid of the rats are limited by animal protection laws. One must first determine the type of rat. If one has black rats, an endangered species protected under German law, the only option is to carefully trap and relocate the rats to another, more rat-friendly, place. [Insert cheap joke here.]

However, if one has brown rats in the home, they can be eliminated, but they "may only be killed under anesthesia. If the killing is done without anesthesia as part of licit pest control, the killing may only be carried out if it doesn't cause more than the inevitable pain." This means traps and guns are prohibited because they cause pain. Consequently, the only method permissible is a slow, presumably painless (I don't know how anyone would know if a rat was in pain) poisoning with a blood-clotting substance. This process takes several days. While waiting for them to die, I assume a person just learns to live with the rats.

It's obvious that the Germans have become unreasonable in legislating protection for animals. Rats are disease-carrying vermin and they should be eradicated. They have and will continue to be ubiquitous on the planet Earth despite any effort to save or destroy them. The idea of protecting rats is the most ludicrous concept I've heard.

Of course, I probably shouldn't be so quick in forming an opinion. When the animal rights extremists get a foothold in the political realm, protecting rats easily becomes law. Next, I'll probably find that the Germans are protecting cockroaches also.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2004 02:51:02 AM

U.S. Broadcasting Television to Cuba

In addition to Radio Marti, the Office of Cuba Broadcasting is now sending television signals to Cuba via a circling C-130 Hercules aircraft.

"Television Marti at this moment is transmitting for the first time from an airplane in the United States of America," read the Saturday evening announcement. "It is already in flight, sending the signal from Television Marti to Channel 13, fulfilling the initiative adopted by President George W. Bush to speed up a democratic transition in Cuba."

It's not known what programs will be on Television Marti, but if it turns out to be PBS, Castro will probably require all Cubans to watch and learn more about socialism and anti-Americanism.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/23/2004 01:14:31 AM

Paula Zahn's Technical Glitches

This report cracked me up.

Paula Zahn's ratings were higher for the 15 minutes when her show suffered technical glitches than for the next 15 minutes when she was back on the air.

If people leave the party when you show up, it's not only an embarrassment and an insult, it's an indication you probably stink. (via The Owner's Manual)

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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2004 11:56:05 PM

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's Website Hacked!

Rusty Shackleford of My Pet Jawa has the exclusive report about hackers penetrating the murderer al-Zarqawi's website. He's the psychotic criminal responsible for the beheadings of Paul Johnson and Kim Sun-Il. Go visit.

On a different note, Rusty mentions that he's been receiving oogats of ugly emails from leftist wacko nutjobs who think they're writing to Michelle Malkin. All because she linked to him.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2004 08:58:58 PM

Bloggers Who Served

Jeff Quinton is compiling a list of bloggers who have served or are serving in the military. I'm one: U.S. Navy, 1967-1973, IC Electrician. Although Jeff just started a few days ago, the list is already pretty long. Take a look.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2004 06:19:20 PM

Time For Tolerance

(Cleveland, Ohio) According to this report, over 500 rapists, child molesters and other sexual offenders have been released from prison and taken up residence in Cleveland and Cuyahoga County within the past year. And, they are all over the place, every community has seen a surge.

In a related report, statistics indicate that about 40% of the sex offenders will be back in prison within three years, most new sex offenses will occur within 12 months of release, and about 80% of the sex offenders target children 13 years-old and younger.

Using the scientific methodology of 2 plus 2 equals 4, it's easy to predict that there will be an increase in sex crimes and missing children.

Isn't this just ducky?

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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2004 04:54:58 PM

Fired For Incompetence Then Hired To Teach

(Cleveland, Ohio) Fired for incompetence and "scientific fraud" that resulted in sending an innocent man to prison for 13 years, forensic technician Joseph Serowik has been hired to head the forensic science program at Youngstown State University, a position that carries the possibility of lifetime employment through tenure.

Maybe he'll teach what not to do.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2004 03:11:37 PM

The Deadly Oops

Yesterday, a British base jumper at Staldenfluh in Switzerland abruptly retired from the sport. A police spokesman said this was not the first retirement at Staldenfluh.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2004 03:48:04 AM

Al-Qaida in Latin America

(Monterrey, Mexico) According to this report, an Al-Qaida cell is believed to be operating in Mexico to funnel people into the United States and to recruit terrorists to attack locations in Central America. The Panama Canal is considered to be a likely target. Authorities throughout the region have been alerted to increase security measures.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/22/2004 12:02:05 AM

Ethics in Journalism

Last week at the 7th Annual President Quezon Symposium on Ethics, Rep. Teodoro L. Locsin Jr. of the Philippine Congress gave a speech that fundamentally attacks journalists for not honoring their profession. His remarks are incisive and insightful. As an example,

Indeed, many people look on the mass media today as composed of poltroons for the most part, and idiots for the rest: quick with the cutting word but slow with the careful thought that should have prompted the word; more adept at entertaining than enlightening; and just a few degrees less corrupt than the politician and the policeman - but only for lack of equal opportunity.

[ ... ]

I think the best solution lies in each journalist being the best he can with utter fidelity to his profession, and to steer clear of those who will not try to improve themselves.

I think the greatest crime is committed by those journalists who tolerate the company, and defend the right to write, of unworthy colleagues who bring shame on their honored profession. I think the crime is compounded when the worst practitioners of the journalistic craft are honored for the success that has rewarded their perversion of its ends and their debasement of its methods.

I think the public must educate itself to tell good from bad journalism, and educate itself further to appreciate that good journalism will not always entertain while bad journalism will never inform. [Emphasis mine]

There's more at the link and, despite the fact that Locsin is speaking specifically of Filipino journalism, his words ring true for any country that purports to have a free press, competent journalists, and objective media. (via A Sassy Lawyer)

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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2004 10:41:42 PM

French Journalists Vanish in Iraq

Missing and strongly feared to have been kidnapped are two French reporters on assignment in Iraq. George Malbrunot of Le Figaro newspaper and Christian Chesnot of Radio France Internationale, described as "seasoned Iraq specialists," have been missing without a trace since Thursday.

Since previous kidnappings and threatened executions have been for purposes of extorting concessions from coalition forces and their supporters, it's unclear what the purpose is of taking Frenchmen. With the possible only exception of supplying ground and air forces, France seems to be totally supportive of the militant Islamic murderers. But, then again, murdering thugs usually aren't very bright nor are their supporters.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2004 09:41:59 AM

Blind Man Gets License To Drive

(Orland Park, Illinois) Walking with a white cane, Bob Zukas entered the driver's license facility and successfully renewed his license even though he told the examiner that he was legally blind since suffering a stroke. The examiner said OK and then filled out the renewal forms and issued him a new license.

Kind of makes me wonder just how many disqualifiers a person might need to be rejected. For example, what are the chances of a quadriplegic, blind, deaf, illegal alien getting a license? In Illinois, I'd say 50-50.

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       Following Entry Posted 8/21/2004 08:44:26 AM

Court Strikes Pledge From Schools

According to the 3rd U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, it is unconstitutional for Pennsylvania schools to require students to recite the Pledge of Allegiance or sing the National Anthem. The appeals court upheld the decision last year by Senior U.S. District Court Judge Robert F. Kelly in Philadelphia.

The state law in contention allowed students to opt out of the pledge and anthem, but required written notification to be sent to the parents of instances where it occurred. The notification provision is the reason that the ACLU filed the initial lawsuit. They considered it to have a 'chilling' effect on students exercising their rights.

I personally don't see any harm in requiring the pledge and anthem in schools, but I do see harm in the courts legislating policies based on the gripes of a handful of socialists, or anarchists, or nazis, or cultists, or just plain-old contrarian jerks.

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