Good Editorial promoting Arab support for Iraq...

The newspaper's op-ed piece calls for Arabs to put an end to their enabling of tyranny and despotism in the Middle East with their support, timidity or indifference:

Government apathy toward the plight of the Iraqi people is matched by the popular silence on the issue of Iraqi suffering. Arab citizens have quietly watched or even applauded as terrorists attack innocent civilians, including women and children. The people of the region have been reluctant to speak out and condemn the brutal forms of violence plaguing the country. We can no longer turn a blind eye to injustice and atrocity.

Outgoing Iraqi President Ghazi al-Yawar expects the Arab League summit to back Iraq's political transition "for the good of the Iraqi people, the Middle East and the Arab world." This is a good start, but much more is needed. Iraq's transition must be actively supported by Arab regimes, and regional governments must take serious steps to prevent their territories from serving as breeding grounds for terrorists in Iraq.

There are many ways that ordinary citizens can help the Iraqi people in rebuilding their war-torn country. First and foremost, we must stop silently condoning violence and we must actively promote the reconstruction of Iraqi society. Arab professional associations, medical professionals, legal experts and engineers can provide the badly needed assistance to help move the country forward. Religious leaders can encourage respect for Iraqi life and dignity.

This editorial wasn't from an American or European newspaper. It was from the Lebanese "Daily Star".

A good start.

Posted by: Gary at 10:25 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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GOP Senators going wobbly on judges?

I wouldn't even consider linking to a story like this except that it comes from the Washington Times. It looks like a few Senators in the Republican caucus are losing their nerve on enforcing the rules change that would end Democrat obstruction on judicial nominees.

"Of the 55 Republicans in the chamber, at least six are undecided or adamantly opposed to the plan of using the rare parliamentary procedure to end the filibusters with a simple majority vote, rather than the 60 votes normally required."

And who are we taking about here? Oh, just the usual suspects:

• Susan Collins (ME)
• Olympia Snowe (ME)
• John McCain (AZ)
• Chuck Hagel (NE)
• Lincoln Chafee (RI) &
• George Voinovich (OH)

But even more alarming are a couple of guys on the fence who you could normally count on: John Warner (VA) and John Sununu (NH).

But not all is lost as those in the leadership seems to be energized in getting the chickens back in the henhouse:

"Sen. Mitch McConnell, the Kentucky Republican and majority whip who had long cautioned his caucus against the option, announced his full support.

"Even if one strongly disagrees with a nomination, the proper course of action is not to obstruct a potential judge through the filibuster but to vote against him or her," he said in a statement. "Unfortunately, this obstruction necessitates that we restore these norms and traditions, and that includes through the use of the so-called 'constitutional' option."

Personally, I think McConnell is key is rounding up the necessary votes. And for all their talk, I believe McCain and Hagel - two individuals who are expected to pursue the GOP nomination in 2008 - are likely to look reality in the face and vote "yea". With it being this close, do they want to possibly be considered the ONE vote that killed this initiative? But Frist needs to move now. His window of opportunity is beginning to close. If he fails to make this happen, he can kiss his own quest for the nomination goodbye.

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Getting My "Geek" On...

Oh Boy. I've found a Wikipedia site for the new Battlestar Galactica series. Man, as if I didn't already neglect my kids.

Major hat-tip to Dead Parrot Society for the link.

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Screwtape Revisited...

Anyone familiar with C.S. Lewis' "The Screwtape Letters" will appreciate this offering by Meghan Cox Gurdon in National Review Online.

In the face of so many "culture of life" issues in the news these days, Gurdon explores an updated vignette featuring the demon Screwtape as he counsels Mildew, the brother of the novel's failed demon-in-training Wormwood.

The commentary of the current euphemisms for cloning, abortion and euthanasia is particularly relevant. Even if you've never read the original Lewis work, you can get the gist Gurdon's column. A strong piece of writing.

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Sen. George Allen on Dems: Call Their Bluff!

GOP Senator - and potential Presidential candidate - George Allen (VA) has an editorial in the Washington Times today calling on his fellow Republicans to enact the "Constitutional Option" on judicial nominations and force the hands of the Democrats who threaten to "shut-down" the Senate if they do.

In language that is very pointed and unequivacol (one of the reasons he's my early favorite to back for the 2008 nomination), Allen's rallying cry is "call their bluff":

"No senator has an obligation to vote in favor of a nominee, but every senator should have the backbone to get off their haunches and vote yes or vote no on these nominees and explain their vote to their constituents."

He points out that the Democrat threat of further obstuctionism is an empty one:

"How would an uncooperative Democratic leadership be any different than what we've seen over the last few years in the Senate? The Democrats have attempted to block us on almost every issue we've brought forth since they lost their majority in the Senate. This year they've already thrown up blocks on the bankruptcy bill and class action reform and we fully expect a fight on upcoming legislation regarding Social Security reform, the budget, tax cuts, energy independence, medical liability reform, welfare reform and a whole host of other measures. You can bet they'll continue with these tactics, regardless of whether or not we move forward with judges."

It's refreshing to see someone in the Senate walk the talk over this issue and put it plainly.

"It looks to me like the Democrats are trying to play some poker. I think they're bluffing and I think Republicans need to call them on it. We also need to remind the Democrats that governing our nation is not a game.

Now is the time for Republicans in the Senate to "go for it" without timidity; we must not cower or worry about the Democrats' political reaction."

I whole-heartily agree. Republicans are in the majority. This is a seminal moment and it's time for them to act like it.

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Will Hillary stop at one term?

John Podhoretz, writing in today's NY Post, examines that very premise. He quotes an unnamed Bush administration official who says he doesn't think she'll run for reelection for her Senate seat? Why? Too risky. The longer she serves as Senator the more votes she'll have to cast that will be open to scrutiny.

Remembe John Kerry's famous "I actually voted for the bill before I voted against it? That one came back to dog Kerry throughout the campaign and may have turned out to be his biggest political mistake. The recent bill over Terri Schiavo was passed by a "unanimous consent" voice vote and didn't require any Senators to go on the record. But what, asks Podhoretz, if she had been required to? And what if this was 2007 or 2008, not 2005?

He explains:

"This is exactly the kind of vote that would and should terrify any Democratic senator looking to expand his or her political base beyond the blue states. The passion surrounding the Schiavo case is a perfect reflection of the cultural divide between those Americans in whose life faith plays a central role and those who fancy themselves the heirs of Enlightenment reason."

No why should Republicans - especially NY Republicans - care if Hill opts out and concentrates full time on the Presidential campaign that EVERYBODY knows she is planning? Because two individuals from NY - George Pataki and Rudy Giuliani could benefit. Says Podhortez:

"[I]f Pataki went for the Senate seat, he would clear the way for none other than Rudy Giuliani to go up against the Democrat's all-but-certain nominee for governor, Eliot Spitzer.

Rudy could whale the tar out of Spitzer, a candidate about whom Democrats are overly confident in any case. The state attorney general is not a very good campaigner, as he demonstrated in 1998, when he very nearly lost his bid for attorney general to a truly horrible incumbent, Dennis Vacco.

Thus, Hillary's departure from the Senate could lead to a Republican pickup there and Giuliani in the Albany governor's mansion. This is a major two-fer — in part because Governor Rudy would be almost a certain vice presidential nominee for the Republicans in 2008.

Hillary could do herself some major damage inside her party if she causes it to lose ground in the Senate and lose its best shot in Albany in a decade."

Interesting to ponder. Especially since Giuliani's absence from the GOP Presidential field in 2008 would certainly shift the dynamics considerably.

Posted by: Gary at 06:38 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Republicans & Democrats: Trading Places...

I've been waiting for the Weekly Standard to post this one all day.

Paul Mirengoff, a contributor to Power Line, comments on how the two major parties have played a bit of a role-reversal in recent year:

"There was a time when the Democrats seemed like the party of pragmatism and the Republicans like the party that opposed, on principle, solutions that offered hope. Forty-five years ago, the Democrats were bursting with ideas for alleviating human suffering and want: a minimum wage, Medicare, various elements of what became the War on Poverty. The Democrats were flawed pragmatists because they didn't account for the hidden costs and burdens of their programs, but at least they were proposing serious solutions to real problems. Conservative Republicans seemed less interested in this project, even to the point of opposing, in the name of states' rights, legislation designed to combat the evils of racial segregation and discrimination. But today, we find conservative Republicans pushing for reform and Democrats resisting on principle."

The GOP is now the party of "problem-solving", although it must beware the traps of government growth. As Mirengoff explains:

"If it is true that Republicans have become the more pragmatic of the two parties, how and why did this transformation happen? The "how" part has a great deal to do with the failure of a potentially great pragmatist, Bill Clinton, to propose a pragmatic answer on healthcare. It has even more to do with the rise of George W. Bush and his big government conservatism. But that's a subject for another day."

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Breaking: "Playgirl" Editor FIRED after outing herself as a Republican...

Drudge posts the following:

PLAYGIRL editor-in-chief Michele Zipp has been stripped of her duties after she revealed how she voted Republican in the 2004 election.

Zipp, in an e-mail, claims she was fired after an onslaught of liberal backlash.

"Hello Drudge,

"After your coverage of my article about coming out and voting Republican, I did receive many letters of support from fellow Republican voters, but it was not without repercussions. Criticism from the liberal left ensued. A few days after the onslaught of liberal backlash, I was released from my duties at Playgirl magazine."

"After underlings expressed their disinterest of working for an outed Republican editor, I have a strong suspicion that my position was no longer valued by Playgirl executives. I also received a phone call from a leading official from Playgirl magazine, in which he stated with a laugh, "I wouldn't have hired you if I knew you were a Republican."

"I just wanted to let you know of the fear the liberal left has about a woman with power possessing Republican views."

I linked Drudge's original flash on March 8 in this post.

Will the Feminists sue for wrongful termination? I'm sure the silence will be deafening.

Posted by: Gary at 10:26 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This is why Jim Taranto makes the big bucks...

Last Friday I posted about a stupid Reuters quote regarding "global warming" that asserted that "virtually no one disagrees human activity is fueling global warming", which is ridiculous because MANY disagree with that statement.

But in his "Best of the Web" for that day, Taranto makes a really good point that I didn't pick up on. It's found in the paragraph immediately preceding that quote:

"Even if people stopped pumping out carbon dioxide and other pollutants tomorrow, global warming would still get worse, two teams of researchers reported on Thursday. . ."

So, he says, if there's nothing we can do to stop "global warming," how can we be causing it to begin with?

Posted by: Gary at 09:48 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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New Cox & Forkum Cartoon Re: ANWR

Posted by: Gary at 05:09 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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This DEFINITELY comes under the category of things that make you go "WTF?"

Linked by Vilmar at BMEWS:

"Two penises, no wife"

Guy mangles his johnson in a motorcycle accident and the doctor fixes it. Works well enought to sire a child. He wants a better one and goes back to the doctor. The doctor leaves the old one attached, just in case.

Now ladies, what would YOU do? His wife took it in stride. She ran off.

Oh, and BTW, if everything works out, his nuts will be attached to a THIRD tallywacker (after the first two are "pissed" away).

Say it with me people: "WTF?"

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Kevin Says...

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Personal reports from the Moonbat Parade...

Kellipundit and Rocco from Anti-protester attended an "anti-war" rally in Providence and has some interesting first-hand accounts of the goings-on, including pictures.

Attending the rally of about 300 nutjobs, she recounts her impressions:

To stand among the vile, misguided signs, I felt incredibly ‘out of place’ to be so close to people who whole heartedly believed what was printed on their signs. Soon after we arrived a car stopped next to the rally and a young man rolled his window and yelled at the crowd: “The only reason you can say and do these things are because people have fought for you. Hoorah!” The crowd booed him. I wanted to desperately catch his eye to shoot a wink and smile over at him so he would know that I was not ‘with’ the protesters. He looked like he was a soldier.

Go check out the whole post, it's a really good one.

Posted by: Gary at 12:16 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Attorney to Hillary: "Help Us Starve Terri"...

Newmax is reporting that the lawyer for Michael Shiavo is calling on Hillary Clinton to intervene on their behalf as Congress puts together a deal that will help keep Terri Schiavo alive and bring her case to Federal Court.

Michael Schiavo knows all too well that if this case is taken out of the hands of Judge Greer in Florida, that all of his attempts to end her life are at risk of being overruled. So attorney George Felos is calling on their friends in the Democrat party to fight for Michael - as the GOP fights for Terri.

"Complaining about efforts by congressional Republicans to have Terri Schiavo's feeding tube reinserted, attorney George Felos told a press conference yesterday: "I want to say to Hillary Clinton and John Kerry and Tom Harkin and the - Patrick Leahy and the Democratic senators: Don't do this to Terri Schiavo again."

Personally, I don't see any Dem Senators getting their hands (and reputations) dirty on this one. And Hillary? I'm pretty comforable predicting that even she - despite her personal feelings - won't touch this one with a "thirty-nine-and-a-half foot pole".

Posted by: Gary at 12:01 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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The Right-Stuff V. The Wrong-Stuff

Polipundit links from Tim Blair's Blog this compare & contrast photo essay of Bush and Kerry.

Really makes you take a breath and be thankful for at least 62 million smart Americans. Thanks Lorie.

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Diane Lane Photo of the Week...

"Hey there Gandalf, I could sure use a nice two-hour back rub."

Posted by: Gary at 04:06 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Reorganizing the Blogroll - a work in progress...

Over the last couple of weeks I've been tinkering with the links I have to other blogs, trying sort them into subcategories and stuff. For example, the criteria for designating a blog as The Pajamahedeen are 1) I distinctly remember them leading the blogswarms promoting the Swifties and exposing Dan Rather's bogus TANG story in Sept. and/or 2) they have a total hit count of at least one million. Nonetheless please bear with me as the organization of that right sidebar will likely shift and change many times in the near future.

Of note, however, I've added a couple of sites recently.

Just today I added Red, White & Blue Hens. It's a team blog comprised of four Delaware college students manning the conservative front lines in the hostile territory of the Academy. I look forward to reading their stuff. Besides anyone who posts a photo of Ann Coulter deserves a link on that basis alone.

I've also added The Spoons Experience, a site I've heard a lot of good things about but only recently had a chance to check out.

And lastly, I've submitted my request to join the Free Alliance of Blogs and posted their photolink and their blogroll (which I had to put at the bottom because the long links through my template out of whack).

Posted by: Gary at 03:50 PM | No Comments | Add Comment
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One of the most baseless and irresponsible quotes on Global Warming I've ever read...

Reuters (big surprise) files a report today about "Global Warming" claiming that this supposed phenomenon may be irreversible and certainly will be if actions are not taken with regard to reducing greenhouse gas emissions.

Here's the outrageous quote from an organization that is supposed to be reporting facts - something this piece is sorely lacking:

"Virtually no one disagrees human activity is fueling global warming, and a global treaty signed in Kyoto, Japan, aims to reduce polluting emissions. But the world's biggest polluter, the United States, has withdrawn from the 1997 treaty, saying its provisions would hurt the U.S. economy."

WHAT? No one disagrees? How about MANY disagree? How about there is absolutely NO concrete evidence that greenhouse gas emissions has ANYTHING to do with the fact that surface temperatures have increased by less than 1 degree over the last fifty years?

And this was what the reporter wrote. This was not a quote from a supposed "expert" on the issue. This is a statement that will be taken as fact by a reader who doesn't question it's validity.

Sure, there are many environmentalist group-funded scientists who'll be happy to theorize a connection but there hasn't been one single solitary study that has documented one iota of empirical proof that such a connection does in fact exist.

And how about the fact that surface temperatures were actually HIGHER 500 years ago than they are today. What was causing the those temperatures to rise? Methane gas from cow farts?

And what about the fact that as recently as 1975, Newsweek magazine was reporting that the world was headed for a new Ice Age because the consensus among scientists at the time was that the earth was experiencing "Global Cooling"?

Let's go back and read that quote again, shall we?

"Virtually no one disagrees human activity is fueling global warming, and a global treaty signed in Kyoto, Japan, aims to reduce polluting emissions. But the world's biggest polluter, the United States, has withdrawn from the 1997 treaty, saying its provisions would hurt the U.S. economy."

My God, if that isn't media bias then what the hell is? Just another Liberal pinhead who went to j-school to become a reporter so she could no doubt "change the world". Uh, how about reporting the news. Accurately.

Man, my bullsh*t detector is going to ringing ALL DAY over this one.

Posted by: Gary at 11:27 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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New in the "Featured Timewaster" section...

It's called "Squares!"

Note: the music - which can get on your nerves - is optional. At least you can turn it off after the first time you play. See the "music" button at the bottom and click it.

The trick is to "hit" as many black squares (and black circles when they come around) but avoid any red objects or - game over. Watch out, though. Every once in a while all the black objects will disappear for about five seconds and you get bombarded by red.

Oh, and one other thing. The red squares like to try and "hide" behind the black squares. You can see them if you're paying attention but stay away because hitting both will kill you.

Happy Friday!!

Posted by: Gary at 06:53 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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Friday Funnies...

A HUGE thanks to Ace for linking this: Office Space - Superfriends Version.

Posted by: Gary at 06:47 AM | No Comments | Add Comment
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