Love letters from Wackypants Ahmadinejad

Mahmoud "the madman" Ahmadinejad is at it again. And this time he penned a crap-filled letter to the American people. How sweet... Noble Americans, Wow. He sure knows how to butter up us freedom loving, capitalistic types... Were we not faced with the activities of the US administration in this part of the world and the negative ramifications of those activities on the daily lives of our peoples, coupled with the many wars and calamities caused by the US administration as well as the tragic consequences of US interference in other countries; Right, it's all Bush's fault. If it weren't for that meddling Texan, the Taliban would still be running Afghanistan instead of running for their lives, Saddam would still be in power instead of on trial for genocide, and Iran would be so much closer to nuclear weapons. Women would be busy being seen and not heard, wearing their burkas, and not *gasp* educating themselves, voting, holding hands with their boyfriends, or running for office. We'd still be stoning homosexuals in the streets and respecting the right of a father to kill his daughter should the mood strike. It must suck having the US make life better for so many people... Were the American people not God-fearing, truth-loving, and justice-seeking, while the US administration actively conceals the truth and impedes any objective portrayal of current realities; God-fearing? Don't you mean infidel or Great Satan? I'm confused... And since you're in such an open and honest, "truth-loving and Justice-seeking" frame of mind, let's talk about those nuclear weapons you think are your God given right... And if we did not share a common responsibility to promote and protect freedom and human dignity and integrity; And by freedom you mean killing courageous college students who've stood up against your regime? I don't recall that happening in the US... you must be confusing us some other ass-backwards tinpot dictator like Hugo Chavez or Fidel Castro... Then, there would have been little urgency to have a dialogue with you. While Divine providence has placed Iran and the United States geographically far apart, Thank God for small favors... we should be cognizant that human values and our common human spirit, which proclaim the dignity and exalted worth of all human beings, have brought our two great nations of Iran and the United States closer together. That "common human spirit" line may get you all the babes in Iran, it may even get you a date with Kofi Annan, but your humanity is in question until you can accept reality. You know... equality for women, freedom of religion, that the holocaust really happened and isn't just some Zionist conspiracy... Both our nations are God-fearing, truth-loving and justice-seeking, and both seek dignity, respect and perfection. Wait... didn't you say that already? Don't you have any other pick up lines? Both greatly value and readily embrace the promotion of human ideals such as compassion, empathy, respect for the rights of human beings, securing justice and equity, and defending the innocent and the weak against oppressors and bullies. Well we value human ideals at least... We are all inclined towards the good, and towards extending a helping hand to one another, particularly to those in need. We all deplore injustice, the trampling of peoples' rights and the intimidation and humiliation of human beings. We all detest darkness, deceit, lies and distortion, and seek and admire salvation, enlightenment, sincerity and honesty. The pure human essence of the two great nations of Iran and the United States testify to the veracity of these statements. You don't get to talk about my essence until you can stop lying about your nuclear ambitions, acknowledge that Israel has a right to exist, and confirm the simple fact that the Holocaust happened. Millions of Jews died in it. Until then keep your mitts off my essence. Perv. Noble Americans, Funny... I don't feel noble... I feel like I work for a living... Our nation has always extended its hand of friendship to all other nations of the world. And by friendship you must mean holding our diplomats hostage in our embassy, your subversive role in the Lebanese assassinations along with Syria, and your desire to wipe Israel off the map. I don't know how those were misinterpretted... Hundreds of thousands of my Iranian compatriots are living amongst you in friendship and peace, and are contributing positively to your society. Our people have been in contact with you over the past many years and have maintained these contacts despite the unnecessary restrictions of US authorities. And the funny thing about most of the people of Iranian descent here in the US is that they hate you and the mullahs. That's why they live here and not there... As mentioned, we have common concerns, face similar challenges, and are pained by the sufferings and afflictions in the world. There'd be a lot less suffering and affliction if you'd just dissapear. Too bad the CIA's been all sissified and won't take you out... We, like you, are aggrieved by the ever-worsening pain and misery of the Palestinian people. Persistent aggressions by the Zionists are making life more and more difficult for the rightful owners of the land of Palestine. In broad day-light, in front of cameras and before the eyes of the world, they are bombarding innocent defenseless civilians, bulldozing houses, firing machine guns at students in the streets and alleys, and subjecting their families to endless grief. It's the eeeeeviiil Jooooooos fault! Bombing civilians, buldozing houses, killing Palestinian students, yada yada yada... You forgot that the eeeeviil Jooos need the blood of the Palestinian babies to bake their matza. You ought to have your speech writer shot. No day goes by without a new crime. Palestinian mothers, just like Iranian and American mothers, love their children, and are painfully bereaved by the imprisonment, wounding and murder of their children. What mother wouldn't? Matza bread! What about the matza?! Famous quote: There will not be peace in the until Palestian parents love their children more than they hate Jews. How else do you explain 14 year old Hamas wannabes blowing themselves up in pizza parlors... For 60 years, the Zionist regime has driven millions of the inhabitants of Palestine out of their homes. Many of these refugees have died in the Diaspora and in refugee camps. Their children have spent their youth in these camps and are aging while still in the hope of returning to homeland. Yet the Palestinian government can't function to meet the basic needs of it's people without the Israeli government. How weird is that? You know well that the US administration has persistently provided blind and blanket support to the Zionist regime, has emboldened it to continue its crimes, and has prevented the UN Security Council from condemning it. Those evil Zionists at it again... Next you'll tell me they were behind 9/11... Who can deny such broken promises and grave injustices towards humanity by the US administration? Governments are there to serve their own people. No people wants to side with or support any oppressors. But regrettably, the US administration disregards even its own public opinion and remains in the forefront of supporting the trampling of the rights of the Palestinian people. How are they trampling the rights of the Palestinians? They had free elections. They elected Hamas terrorists into power. That's their right. And it's our right to decide to not deal with those terrorists now matter how fair the election. Next time maybe they'll think electing terrorists to office isn't a good idea when the rest of the world doesn't want to deal with terrorists. Let's take a look at Iraq. Oh goody... I can't wait... Since the commencement of the US military presence in Iraq, hundreds of thousands of Iraqis have been killed, maimed or displaced. Unfortunately lots have. And 99% of of those were killed by terrorists, insurgents, and other peace-loving Muslims... If only the US would get out so the religion of peace fanatics can really start killing. Terrorism in Iraq has grown exponentially. ...because they're too cowardly to actually come out and fight and have to resort to kidnapping, suicide bombs, car bombs, and booby trapping dead bodies... With the presence of the US military in Iraq, nothing has been done to rebuild the ruins, to restore the infrastructure or to alleviate poverty. Bullshit. We're building hospitals and schools. Rebuilding roads and refineries. If you're so concerned get off your ass, go to your neighbor nation, and help. The US Government used the pretext of the existence of weapons of mass destruction in Iraq, but later it became clear that that was just a lie and a deception. Weapons have been found, just not the quantity that was expected based on the huge friggin' stink Saddam put up about allowing inspections. Inspections were all we wanted to begin with. Invasion was the next option. He thought we were bluffing. Although Saddam was overthrown and people are happy about his departure, the pain and suffering of the Iraqi people has persisted and has even been aggravated. I'm sure they'll feel lots better after he's hung. In Iraq, about one hundred and fifty thousand American soldiers, separated from their families and loved ones, are operating under the command of the current US administration. A substantial number of them have been killed or wounded and their presence in Iraq has tarnished the image of the American people and government. While every US death is a tragedy, our casualty rate is far below just about any other war in our history. Their mothers and relatives have, on numerous occasions, displayed their discontent with the presence of their sons and daughters in a land thousands of miles away from US shores. American soldiers often wonder why they have been sent to Iraq. Should you, by some weird twist of fate, actually come face to face with a military mom and compare her to Cindy Sheehan, expect an ass-whoppin'. Cindy Sheehan does not speak for anyone other than herself. I consider it extremely unlikely that you, the American people, consent to the billions of dollars of annual expenditure from your treasury for this military misadventure. Don't worry. It's worth it. Freedom's not free and it's certainly not cheap... That's about all I can stand... If you really want to punish yourself and read the other half (yes that's only half of his letter), here's the link to page 2... UPDATE 12/1/06 @ 4:17pm: Cox & Forkum mocks wackypants too...

The NY Times Slimes is at it again

Can't they even pretend to put the best interests, safety, and security of this country ahead of a scoop? It's not even a scoop so much as it's a chance to make Bush look bad... Why else would they publish this? The memo, written by national security adviser Stephen Hadley and sent to President Bush, offers a candid and critical assessment of Iraq's embattled leader. Now it appears that publication of the classified memo's contents by The New York Times may have prompted the cancellation of the first of a pair of formal meetings the president was to hold with Maliki in the capital city of Amman. Mr. Bush arrived in Jordan Wednesday evening, local time. He was to sit down with the Iraqi Prime Minister and the Jordanian King shortly thereafter. Instead came an announcement that the session would proceed without Maliki. Here's an excerpt of the memo the NY Slimes published and you tell me there was a reason for publishing this other than the fact that it said "classified" on it and it would make Bush look bad. "Despite Maliki's reassuring words, repeated reports from our commanders on the ground contributed to our concerns about Maliki's government. Reports of nondelivery of services to Sunni areas, intervention by the prime minister's office to stop military action against Shia targets and to encourage them against Sunni ones, removal of Iraq's most effective commanders on a sectarian basis and efforts to ensure Shia majorities in all ministries -- when combined with the escalation of Jaish al-Mahdi's (JAM) [the Arabic name for the Mahdi Army] killings -- all suggest a campaign to consolidate Shia power in Baghdad." That's exactly the kind of info you want from your troops on the ground with the kind of analysis you need from intel. And it's certainly not the kind of thing that you publish on the front page of America's "paper of record." All it does it make it look like we don't trust Maliki when it's just an honest assessment of what's going on on the ground in Iraq. Instead of having cards to play in a diplomatic meeting with Maliki, Bush has zilch. He's actually got less than zilch, he's on the defensive, trying to difuse the mess created by the NY Slimes. And what about the troops on the ground? How supportive of our troops will the Iraqi government be when they know that it's likely what they say could end up as tomorrow's headline? Will they cooperate fully with our troops? Will they be honest with their info or will they just tell the commanders what they think the commanders want to hear, putting a good face on so they look good in the Times? Still think reporting like this makes us a stronger country?

Pelosi passes on Alcee Hastings for House Intelligence Committee chair spot

Even the best predictions can be wrong... Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi, preparing her party to take control of the House from President George W. Bush's Republicans when the 110th U.S. Congress convenes on January 4, told Rep. Alcee Hastings, a Florida Democrat, of her decision during a closed-door meeting. "I advised him that I would select someone else as chairman of the House Intelligence Committee," Pelosi said. Aides said Pelosi has yet to pick anyone else for the job. Perhaps avoiding the candidate who was one of only six federal judges in American history to be impeached for taking bribes was the smart move... Pelosi may not have picked anyone yet, but here's the speculated short list... Democratic Reps. Silvestre Reyes of Texas and Rush Holt of New Jersey (both members of the Intelligence Committee) and Norman Dicks of Washington state, who serves on the House Homeland Security Committee. Jane Harman is the current ranking Democrat on the House Intelligence Committee, but she's the dark horse here because she and Pelosi aren't on the best of terms, she's a fan of Israel, and generally doesn't appear to be liberal enough...

I'm thankful for Fantasy Football craziness at the Hot Wing Conspiracy!

It was another crazy week of football which included the NFL Network bastards televising a game that most of us regular people couldn't watch, a giant New York Giant meltdown, and Michael Vick losing momentary control of his middle finger after he lost the game... And on top of that, I was up for the pick 'em pot ($5 a week, just pick the winners) since I'd picked 14 of the 16 games correctly (including the Tennessee and Buffalo wins). It came down to points on last nights game... Who'd have thunk they'd score of 50 points in the snow... Hope everyone's recovered from their Thanksgiving turkey, tryptophan induced comas because it's recap time! Hot Wing Chump-ion - 52 Gridiron Wookies - 80 This one was all Tony Romo, all day long. In fact he was my only starter to score double figures in points. The Chumps point totals would have put them in contention most weeks, but what really killed them is not starting a second running back. 52 points with one less player is a valiant effort. This week however the Chumps were no match for the mighty Wookies! That's a 3 game win streak for the Wookies and sole possession of 3rd place. MVP: Romo and his 5 Thanksgiving Day TDs!! Dud: Travis Henry... 0 points? What happened? The Columbia Crunch - 70 Robots Eat Babies - 47 The crunch continue to roll with another solid performance and 3 different starters in double digits. That keeps them in 2nd place in the league and clinches them a playoff spot. Robots have been let down the past couple weeks with lackluster point totals from their star QB, Peyton Manning. Sure he'll be in the hall of fame, but will he make the Hot Wing Conspiracy Fantasy Football playoffs? MVP: Larry Johnson continues to crush opponets rushing for 157 and 1 TD Dud: Robots just didn't get the production from any starter not playing for the Colts, but we'll give the Dud award here to Braylon Edwards for his hissy fit on the sidelines after Cleveland got shutout by Cincy. The Ball Sackers - 45 bRight & Early - 67 bRight got Hasselback back from IR and got 3 other starters in double digits. The Ball Sack had three guys in double digits, but two with negative point totals. That was all bRight needed to take victory. It's a bad bit of luck for the Ball Sack... He lost McNabb last week, forcing him to start his back up Phillip Rivers, who'd been doing very well all year, until Sunday when he nearly lost to the Raiders... MVP: Steven Jackson had nearly 200 all purpose yards and 1 TD Dud: Rivers only passed for 133 yds, throwing one interception and getting sacked once. Hector Vex-o-trons - 59 fmragtops' spewers - 60 FM may have given up, but his team didn't. Both guys had 3 players in double digits, and it came down to last nights game. Donald Driver came up big for Hector, but it just wasn't enough to overcome the spew. In fact fm got lucky because along with 3 players in double digits, he had 3 who scored a bit fat zero. It's a bold strategy, and it paid off for fm. MVP: Devery Henderson. Hector must be scouring the waiver wire for wideouts cause I've never heard of this guy. He had a big week though, 158 yds and a TD. Dud: Marvin Harrison scored zero points! I didn't think that was even possible! Gumbo - 48 I Hate Hillary - 56 I Hate Hillary might hate the Seantor from New York, but he hates losing more, and broke his looooong losing streak against Gumbo. Both teams got some big totals from their running backs, but this one came down to Gumbo's 3 guys combining for a total of -1 points. MVP: Deuce McAllister laid the smack down with 2 big TDs against Atlanta Dud: Trent Green did his best Phillip Rivers impersonation with only 161 yds passing, 1 interception, and 1 sack for a grand total of -1 points. Buck Turgidson 52 RFTR - 16 Whenever I see Buck Turgidson I can't help but think of the SNL celebrity jeopardy skits with Sean Connery who one time insisted on being referred to as Turd Ferguson. That aside, this was a battle between crummy quarterbacks, Roethlisberger vs. Grossman. Who could get sacked more? Who could throw more interceptions? Big Ben won... MVP: Joseph Addai went nuts and scored 4 TDs Dud: Big Ben. How's this for a stat line: sacked 9 times & 2 interceptions for a grand total of -20 points! Tax Dodgers - 56 webcats - 74 How are the webcats not running away with the league? They've got a killer lineup led by none other than the #1 fantasy star, Ladanian Tomlinson, but they're only 6-6. Who'd have guessed? The Tax Dodgers must have blown their 1st round pick on Randy Moss. That alone deserves this weeks loss... MVP: LT is going to smash the single season TD mark. He rushed for 2 more this week, and then decided to pass for one as well. Dud: Corey Dillon got stuffed by the Bears. 0 points... that's gonna hurt. San Jose Arrowheads - 57 Rose Hill Reddogs - 54 Another battle that came down to the Monday night game. The Dogs had Josh Brown kicking Seattle to victory, but Arrowehads had Alexander returning and the magic man Brett Favre. Favre went and threw 3 interceptions, but Alexander had 201 yards rushing and that was enough to seal the win for San Jose. MVP: Vince Young brought Tennessee back from 21 points down to beat the Giants. Did you see that 4th and 10 play where he was sacked, got away, and rushed for 15 yards? Unbelievable! Dud: Brett Favre. Sorry Brett... 3 ints, and -1 points will put you on the Dud list. That's it for this week. There's only 2 weeks left in the Hot Wing regular season, then it's playoff time! Top 8 teams make the playoffs! So keep an eye on those lineups gentlemen... one player can make or break you!

Did the 6 Imam's removed from a US Airways flight stage the whole thing?

Investors Business Daily has this interesting take on the story... By most accounts, the six bearded men were behaving suspiciously at a time when airports were on high alert for sky terror during the holidays. "There were a number of things that gave the flight crew pause," an airline spokesman said. According to witnesses and police reports, the men: • Made anti-American statements. • Made a scene of praying and chanting "Allah." • Asked for seat-belt extensions even though a flight attendant thought they didn't need them. • Refused requests by the pilot to disembark for more screening. Also, three of the men had only one-way tickets and no checked baggage. Police had to forcibly remove the men from the flight, whereupon they were taken into custody. A search found no weapons or explosives, and they were released to continue on their journey. Within hours, the men enlisted a Muslim-rights group to make a stink in the press, insisting they were merely imams returning home from an Islamic conference in Minneapolis. They say they were "harassed" because of their faith. But were they victims or provocateurs? Read the whole article. There's too many coincidences in this story with previous alleged terrorist funding, radical mosques supporting islamofacists, and previously filed racial-profiling lawsuits for this to have been happenstance. All you've got to do is connect the dots... UPDATE 11/28/06 @ 5:01pm: Hot Air took some time to connect those dots for us...

Quotes from the Wookie family Thanksgiving table...

"I dunno... that turkey looks kinda tough..." "That turkey doesn't look so tough. I could take it in a race..."

Happy Thanksgiving!

I hope you all have a fun and safe holiday weekend. Enjoy the time with your friends and family!

Harry Potter's back on July 13th!

The trailer's out for the 5th movie in the series, The Order of the Phoenix! Mark your calendars!

Michael Richards' to be sued for his slur and expletive laden tirade

Richards' little explosion was deplorable. He's a professional and should have been able to handle the situation. He's a comedian for crying out loud... I'm sure this wasn't the first time he got some flak from an audience member. But does this justify a lawsuit? Gloria Allred thinks it does, so Kyle Doss and Frank McBride are planning to sue. Watch the video interview of the two men from the club and Allred on the Today Show. There's obviously more than the video captured, and according to the two young men they came in in a group of 15-20 for a friend's birthday, they were late and trying to order drinks from their cocktial waitress which is what caused the original disturbance. Events spiraled downward from there. But if you listen to Gloria Allred here, you'd think Richards physically asssaulted these guys. She wants a sit down with him and a judge in some form of arbitration to determine monetary compensation so Richards can "listen to the pain he has inflicted on [her clients]." Is there a legal remedy here? What about freedom of speech? Matt Lauer asked the two men that and said they want Richards punished. I think the public flogging he's taken over the past few days ought to be enough and whatever "pain" they've felt ought to be cured with a couple aspirin or a couple drinks. Are we that pitiful a society that we can't take a joke? When black culture embraces "the n-word" by adoring rappers and comedians like Chris Rock, why is it OK for them and not for whites? When going to see comedians, often times we're paying to see jokes that push the envelope. Take Carlos Mencia. I saw his "Punisher" tour in LA, and he came right out and said, why can't whites say "the n-word"? He said it, as well as others like cracker and wetback, as part of his routine and challenged any white to say it. The room fell silent. No one would even laugh because they were too scared of being labeled a racist. Hell, I can't even type the word, and publish it on the internet even though I write under a pseudonym! Take the Tennie Pierce case, a recent lawsuit where a black fireman sued the city of LA when he was fed spaghetti with dog food as part of a firehouse prank. LA City Council awarded him $2.7 million in an 11-1 vote. NAACP amd NOW are calling for the fire chief to step down because he can't control this racist hazing. Nevermind that Pierce had taken an active role in previous pranks on other firefighters just as bad if not worse than the prank played on him. Here are the pictures to prove it. They came out after the settlement, and when a chance to review the settlement was brought before the city council in light of these pictures surfacing, they still voted to uphold the original settlement, the largest in the city's history. City mayor Villarigosa just overturned the settlement, forcing the city council to review the case again. Does that make him a racist? I bet if he was white it would. What about racial profiling? It's an effort to prevent terrorists from blowing innocent people up, but some argue it singles out Muslims. Until another group, ethnic, racial, or whatever, comes forward as the dominant perpetrator of terrorist attacks and plane hijackings, Muslims should expect to be watched more closely. If purple headed martians were the main terrorist threat, I'd say the same thing. So Muslims: deal with it. I JUST DON'T WANT MY PLANE TO EXPLODE. I don't care what color, religion, race, or sex you are, if it can help the government stop my plane from being used as a bomb and in the process keep my ass alive, I'm all for it. And I'm sure some loon out there is going to call me a racist for it. Does Richards saying "the n-word" make him a racist? No, it means he has poor judgement. It means he let his anger get the best of him. But one outburst said in anger doesn't a racist make. Has this happened before? Does he think minorities are second class citizens? Does he espouse policies that would segregate society? I don't know the answers to those, but I'm inclined to say no. Dennis tackled this subject this morning and had a caller that asked if Dennis thought he was a racist simply because he'd used "the n-word" in the past. Nevermind that the man had, as a senior electrician, personally trained hundreds of minorities as his apprentices over the years and treated each one fairly and helped them get into a profession where they could make good money. In private he had used "the n-word" and his wife said he was a racist because he'd used it. Dennis made the point that Truman, who'd been instrumental in the creation of the state of Israel and had a Jew as one of his best friends, often used the work "kike" in private. Does that make Truman a racist? Certainly not. So please, for the love of God, drop the stupid lawsuit Gloria. You're perpetuating the cycle, not solving anything.

Lebanon cancels Independence day celebrations

In the wake of yesterday's assassination of Pierre Gemayel and attempted assassination of Michel Pharaon, today became a day of sorrow as opposed to the joyous occassion it should have been. Lebanon canceled Independence Day celebrations and people huddled around televisions to watch the live broadcast Wednesday of dignitaries paying last respects to a Christian politician whose assassination threatened to push the country's political crisis into wider violence. [...] Pierre Gemayel, the minister of industry, was killed Tuesday when two cars blocked his vehicle at an intersection in the suburbs of Beirut and an assassin shot him numerous times through a side window. His killing - the fifth murder of an anti-Syrian figure in Lebanon in two years - immediately drew condemnation from all quarters. Prime Minister Fuad Saniora and Pierre's father and former president Amin Gemayel received calls from national leaders around the world including of course George Bush and Pope Benedict. Thousands of mourners filled the streets to mourn with the Gemayel family...

Prominent Lebanese, Christian, anti-Syrian politician assassinated

Syria had been seriously implicated in Hariri's death, what's to stop them (or Iran and their proxy Hezbollah for that matter) from taking out another independent voice in the Lebanese government, especially with their renewed interest in the regional power politics. BEIRUT, Lebanon - Pierre Gemayel, scion of Lebanon's most prominent Christian family and a leading opponent of Syria, was gunned down Tuesday in a brazen daytime hit. The assassination threatened to intensify Lebanon's power struggle between the U.S.-allied government and the Syrian-backed Hezbollah. Gemayel, 34, was leaving church when he fell into a well-coordinated attack: One vehicle cut off his car from the front, another rammed him from behind, then gunmen burst out and sprayed a dozen bullets into his passenger-side window. The killing sent tensions spiraling at a time when Lebanon was already facing a worsening political crisis. The Shiite Muslim guerrilla group Hezbollah and its pro-Syrian allies have threatened massive protests — as early as Thursday — aimed at bringing down Prime Minister Fuad Saniora's government unless it gives them greater power. It certainly looks like an assassination, and Hugh is calling it an attempted coup by Hezbollah when you also take this bit of news into account as well: that there was an attempted assassination of a second Lebanese cabinet member, Michel Pharaon, according to Belmont Club. Belmont reports that that would have been enough to topple the Cedar Revolution. We'll have to watch the situation to see how this plays out. Stay tuned for updates... UPDATE @ 4:37pm: Hezbollah blames the assassination on Israel. Really... they do... Hot Air's got the video to prove it.

This is the brain trust America elected...

America, you put these people in power and these are the kinds of ideas you can expect until 2008... Key Democrats, including the incoming House speaker, House majority leader and chairmen of the House and Senate armed services committees, said they do not support a resumption of the draft. They predicted that the idea will gather little momentum in the 110th Congress, which convenes in January. Pentagon officials also restated their opposition to a draft. Their comments came a day after Rep. Charles B. Rangel (D-N.Y.), who will chair the Ways and Means Committee, said he would again introduce a bill calling for a return to the draft, which has been suspended since 1973. Rangel's previous bids to reinstate the draft stirred little interest in Congress but considerable agitation among some bloggers and talk radio hosts, who suggested the public was about to be blindsided. Yesterday, congressional leaders tried to allay such fears, saying the 2007-08 legislative agenda will not include a resumption of the draft. The draft. Briliant idea Chuck. So brilliant in fact that one of Kerry's lies about Bush in the '04 election was that Dubya'd reinstate the draft. I guess not... Must only be the Democrats who think our professional armed forces aren't good enough to finish the job.

Hot Wing Conspiracy Fantasy Football: Week 11

Wookies win again! Sorry bRight, neither of us did particlarly well. I just got lucky... GOP and the City has the recap... Gridiron Wookies - 59 bRight & Early - 47 GW got a poor performance from Romo, but Jamal Lewis got some insane points (22) to win his 7th game against only four losses. MVP - Jamal Lewis RB - 22 Points (3 TDs) Goat - Tony Romo QB - -2 Points (1 Sack, 1 Fumble, 1 INT) That win puts me in 4th place with a 7-4 record. Things are looking good as far as making the playoffs are concerned. The only downside there is that I'd have to play the 5th ranked team, which is Robots Eat Babies. Sure I beat Robots last week, but he's got Peyton Manning. I'd rather not have to play against the team that has Peyton again, if I can avoid it. Fortunately, the last 3 regular season games have me playing 3 teams under .500. Usually I'd be happy about that, but... wait... I am happy about that. So tune in next week! I'll be your host for the full recap!

What to do with Iran...

It's funny to see this coming from the LATimes, but it's an op-ed that basically says diplomacy's failed, start bombing Iran. So if sanctions won't work, what's left? The overthrow of the current Iranian regime might offer a silver bullet, but with hard-liners firmly in the saddle in Tehran, any such prospect seems even more remote today than it did a decade ago, when students were demonstrating and reformers were ascendant. Meanwhile, the completion of Iran's bomb grows nearer every day. Our options therefore are narrowed to two: We can prepare to live with a nuclear-armed Iran, or we can use force to prevent it. Former ABC newsman Ted Koppel argues for the former, saying that "if Iran is bound and determined to have nuclear weapons, let it." We should rely, he says, on the threat of retaliation to keep Iran from using its bomb. Similarly, Newsweek International Editor Fareed Zakaria points out that we have succeeded in deterring other hostile nuclear states, such as the Soviet Union and China. Go figure... the MSM runs around in circles screaming "the sky is falling, the sky is falling." I don't know that I'd totally throw in the towel on revolutionary elements within Iran, but time is short. If that's still an option, something needs to happen there fast. Besides that, our options are bleak if we continue to put all our eggs into the diplomacy basket. Do we simply sit back and hope Israel can take out all of Iran's reactors? If that fails we're faced with a nuclear Iran, and what Koppel fails to realize is that this would be more than just a cold war. Iran would be more than willing to pass a nuke off to a terrorist group. Why else could they want an Iranian, Saif Adel, to take bin Laden's place as al Qaeda's leader? That'd certainly be convenient, wouldn't it? And what about the power shifft in the region? Israel's nuclear program is probably the only reason they still exist, along with their willingness to pre-emptively strike at those attempting to develop nukes. Would a nuclear Iran send Iraq's fledgling democracy into a tailspin? And Syria could easily hop on the coat tails of their nieghbor. Syria's going to continue to get bolder as we continue to wring our hands, so we'll get more demands from Syria, like their current demand for a timetable of our withdrawal from Iraq. Should we take bets on what Iran wants to discuss with this summit they've invited Syria and Iraq to? They say it's about the sectarian violence, but if you take what Ahmadinejad tells you at face value, I've got some great beach front property in Arkansas I'd love to sell you. I'd like to keep the "bombing Iran back to the stone age" option on the shelf, but we're painting ourselves into a corner here...

Fantasy football rules!

But as much fun as fantasy football is, apparently it's better to be a real live football player... if you believe rumors about the millions of dollars in pay, fancy houses and cars, celebrity status, and Tony Romo dating Jessica Simpson... Lucky bastard... Anyway, GOP and College has the full recap. Best Come From Behind Gridiron Wookies - 74 Robots Eat Babies - 63 This game came down to the wire, but with Wookies only trailing by 2, and Steve Smith coming into MNF vs. the Bucs, it looked pretty grim for the Robots. Sure enough, Smith came through. With a stunning 149 yards and a TD, Smith put the game away for the Wookies. MVP: Steve Smith - Heck of a game gives the win to the Wookies Goat: Peyton Manning - Only 236 yards and one score vs. Buffalo? Were you hung over Peyton should've had a couple shots of whiskey... hair of the dog and all... Needless to say though, I'm giving the MVP to Romo for throwing 2 TDs, passing for over 300 yards, and landing a date with Jessica Simpson. You my boy, Romo!

General Abizaid says "Cut and Run" philosophy is bad

Timetables are bad, m-kay? Democrats had been hammering Bush for ignoring the advice of his commanders on the generals on the ground in Iraq, so let's see if the Democrats decide to ignore the advice of the generals on the ground. WASHINGTON -- The top U.S. commander in the Middle East warned Congress Wednesday against setting a timetable for withdrawing U.S. troops from Iraq, rejecting the arguments of resurgent Democrats who are pressing President Bush to start pulling out. Gen. John Abizaid instead urged quick action to strengthen Iraq's government, predicting that the vicious sectarian violence in Baghdad would surge out of control within four to six months unless immediate steps were taken. "Our troop posture needs to stay where it is," and the use of military adviser teams embedded with Iraqi army and police forces needs to be expanded, Abizaid told the Senate Armed Services Committee. It was the first hearing on Iraq policy since last week's elections gave Democrats control of both houses of Congress starting in January. I've got money that they push "cut and run" anyway, despite the general's advice that leaving now will simply turn Iraq into a terrorist cesspool. What most articles that discussed Abizaid's comments left out was his entire exchange with Hillary Clinton. Hugh played it on the radio last night and the SF Gate came the closest to transcribing the exchange. Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., said benchmarks for progress only continue to recede. "Hope is not a strategy," said Clinton, another likely presidential contender. "Hortatory talk about what the Iraqi government must do is getting old. I mean, I have heard over and over again that the government must do this, the Iraqi army must do that. Nobody disagrees with that. The brutal fact is, it is not happening." [...] Abizaid also countered the pessimistic views of the senators by saying that despair is not a strategy. "And when I come to Washington, I feel despair. When I'm in Iraq with my commanders, when I talk to our soldiers, when I talk to the Iraqi leadership, they are not despairing. They believe that they can move the country toward stability with our help. And I believe that." The commanders, our troops, and the Iraqis have hope still. Too bad the hand-wringers in Washington don't... UPDATE @ 2:46pm: Maybe not cut and run... Dems pick Hoyer over Murtha.

IAEA finds plutnoium and highly enriched uranium in Iran

While the US is focused on a balance of power shift in Washington, Iran continues to forge ahead with their nuclear program. VIENNA, Austria - International Atomic Energy experts have found unexplained plutonium and highly enriched uranium traces in a nuclear waste facility in Iran and have asked Tehran for an explanation, an IAEA report said Tuesday. [...] "The agency will remain unable to make further progress in its efforts to verify the absence of undeclared nuclear material and activities in Iran," without additional cooperation by Tehran, said the report, by IAEA chief Mohamed ElBaradei. Such cooperation is a "prerequisite for the agency to be able to confirm the peaceful nature of Iran's nuclear program," it added. [...] Since revelations more than three years ago of a covert uranium enrichment program, Iran has moved to develop its capabilities, activating two small experimental enrichment plants and enriching small amounts of uranium to nuclear fuel level. Although that is far short of the weapons grade uranium that could be used for nuclear warheads, international concerns about Tehran's ultimate intentions led the Security Council to set an Aug. 31 deadline for an enrichment moratorium — which Tehran has ignored. Officials have said they plan to have 3,000 centrifuges operating by next year — enough to make enough material for several nuclear weapons a year. Of course they still insist the program is completely peaceful, for electricity generating purposes only. Yet they refuse to let the IAEA confirm that with simple site inspections. Something fishy going on there?

Al Qaeda leader in Iraq takes credit for Rumsfeld's resignation

Why is it so hard for Americans to believe that the Iraqis are closely watching what we do here at home, including our elections? BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- A purported audio recording by the leader of al Qaeda in Iraq vows to step up the group's fight against the United States, saying, "We haven't had enough of your blood yet." The recording was posted Friday on an Islamist Web site and the speaker is identified as Abu Hamza al-Muhajer, successor to Abu Musab al-Zarqawi. Al-Muhajer is also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri. "Come down to the battlefield, you coward," the speaker says on the recording, which CNN cannot independently confirm as the voice of al-Muhajer. Calling President Bush a "lame duck" the speaker tells Bush not to "run away as your lame defense secretary ran away," referring to Donald Rumsfeld, who resigned Wednesday. [...] The speaker on the tape vows that al Qaeda in Iraq will not stop its jihad "until we sit under the olive trees in Rumiya after we blow up the wicked house known as the White House." He says the first phase of the jihad is now over, and that the next phase -- building an Islamic nation -- has begun. "The victory day has come faster than we expected," he says. "Here is the Islamic nation in Iraq victorious against the tyrant. The enemy is incapable of fighting on and has no choice but to run away." And being that we're in a "lame duck session" on top of Rumsfeld's resignation, America needs to take note that our actions at home are being monitored by the terrorists, and they're taking their cues from us. Rumsfeld's resignation is seen as a retreat. The Republican's loss in the midterm election is seen as weakness. America take note. We are under surveillance...

So who's going to run the House Committees for the Democrats?

Yesterday I mentioned Conyers taking control of the Judiciary Committee and Rangel over at Ways & Means and what that moght entail. But those aren't the only committees in the House. Here's an indispensible article by Patrick Poole, cited by Dennis today, that gives you a little more background into the likely new House Committee Chairs. You have to read the whole thing, but I'll give you some of the highlights. Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence – Alcee Hastings (FL-23) Pelosi is likely to pick her friend Hastings over ranking current Democrat on the committee, Jane Harman. Hastings was one of six federal judges in American history impeached when she was caught taking a $150,000 bribe in exchange for a lenient exchange. Oh and Harman's been taking flak from her own party for being too pro-Israel. Committee on Appropriations – David Obey (WI-7) Obey has openly vowed to battle our country's biggest national security threat, global warming and would love make individual contributions to a political candidate a federal crime. Committee on Armed Services – Ike Skelton (MO-4) Skelton is mentioned as one of the "more sensible" Democrats in Congress, but has lately fallen into the John Kerry approach to the war in Iraq. He was for the war before he was against the war. Or is it the other way around? I can never keep track. Skelton's also been hanging around with and approving of Murtha's cut and run Iraq policy. Committee on the Budget – John Spratt (SC-5) The National Taxpayer's Union gave Spratt an "F" grade last year as one of the biggest spenders in Congress. However, he will be up for re-election in '08 in a district that voted overwhelmingly for Bush in '04, so he might try to bump that "F" up to a "C" to appeal to his constituents. Committee on Energy and Commerce – John Dingell (MI-15) Currently the longest serving member in the House, he's also had a longstanding plan to nationalize America's healthcare. Committee on Financial Services – Barney Frank (MA-4) Frank is infamous for being censured when it was discovered his boyfriend was running a male prostitution ring out of Frank's home. He was also one of only 3 representatives to vote against the Fallen Heroes Act that prohibited protests in national cemeteries during soldiers' funerals. Committee on International Relations – Tom Lantos (CA-12) Openly pro-Israel, but also a member of faaaaaar-left group Progressive Caucus, founded by socialist Bernie Sanders and currently headed by Dennis Kucinich. Please go read the rest of Patrick Poole's article for all the links on each of the above Congressmen and women. In fact email it to all your friends.

150,000 Iraqis killed by insurgents

150,000 killed by insurgents since the March 2003 invasion? 3 times that wounded? I know the Iraqis are the main targets of the insurgents, an attempt to dissuade them from joining Iraqi police and military forces and fighting with coalition troops, but that number seems way too high... BAGHDAD, Iraq - Nearly simultaneous car bombs struck two markets in predominantly Shiite areas of Baghdad on Thursday, killing at least 16 people. Iraq's health minister said about 150,000 have been killed by insurgents since the war started, giving the government's first overall casualty estimate. [...] The health minister [Ali al-Shemari] also said the United States should hand Iraqis full control of its army and police force. Doing so, he said, would allow the Iraqi government to bring the violence under control within six months. "The army of America didn't do its job ... they tie the hands of my government," al-Shemari said. "They should hand us the power, we are a sovereign country," he said, adding that as a first step, U.S. soldiers should leave Iraq's cities. Hey, al-Shermari, we'd love to hand the Iraqis full control of the police and miltary to you if you could function without our support. The American people certainly don't want to be in Iraq any longer than we have too. But listening to the Health Minister, you ought to know the full story. He neglected to explain how he reached the 150,000 which is three times most other estimates. He is also a member of Muqtada al-Sadr militia which was the apparent impetus of a raid on his office last August and the arrest of several of his guards. Think that it's possible that he has his own agenda?

Immediate election fallout: Rumsfeld resigns and stocks decline

Rumsfeld is stepping down as Secretary of Defense, and former CIA Director Robert Gates will take over. Fox News talked a lot about this as a possibility last night, a change to give the impression that the President will be flexible in his approach to the war in Iraq instead of what appeared to be obstinant, "we move ahead as planned", and resistant to any change. Most of that is simply perception of course, not reality, but this is the olive branch to the American people who voted for change. I think the more interesting story is the stock market decline. Nov. 8 (Bloomberg) -- Shares of health-insurance providers such as Humana Inc. and drugmakers including Pfizer Inc. fell after voters gave control of the U.S. House of Representatives to Democrats who've pledged to cut government health-care payments. Sounds good up front, but what it's saying is in an effort to cut costs the government is looking to stiff the pharmaceutical companies. [...] House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi has vowed in the first 100 legislative hours of the new Congress in January to seek votes allowing the federal government's Medicare program, the biggest U.S. buyer of health-care products and services, to negotiate with drugmakers for lower prices. Democrats who oversee Medicare also have said they want to cut payments to health insurers that manage certain types of government plans. "It is going to give them a lot of leverage in dictating price rather than negotiating price, and that is the scariest thing coming out of this election," said Jack Lafferty, managing director at US Trust Co. in New York, in a telephone interview. The Medicare system is a mess to begin with, and I've maintained the first step in fixing the problem is actually tort reform. Make it a loser pays system; that helps lower doctors' malpractice rates; might makee medical insurance rates decline, and reduce legal costs for the drug companies constantly scared about created wonderful new drugs to save lives since there will be that one person out there that has a negative reaction and is hurt who will sue for a bazillion dollars. More profit for drug companies due to less legal overhead means more money for research into new therapies and lower prices on existing drugs. With Democrats taking control, don't expect to see any legal reforms whatsoever. Instead they'll try to strong arm the companies into submission undoing the Medicare privatization efforts Republicans had begun. It's a possiblity at this point. Hasn't actually happened. We'll have to wait and see... UPDATE @ 12:17pm: In from the Cold has a great post giving credit where credit is due with regards to Rumsfeld's tenure as SecDef. He's also got this blurb on the new choice Robert Gates. Regarding Mr. Gates, he is a good man but the wrong one for the job. He spent most of his professional life at the CIA before retiring and becoming the President of Texas A&M University. Robert Gates certainly knows the intelligence end of military affairs, but his expertise ends there. Moreover, his management skills as DCI weren't particularly impressive, and as an analyst, he was part of a CIA team that consistently got it wrong on their assessments of the former Soviet Union. Gates strikes me as a easy confirmation, someone with no ties to the current Pentagon regime. That's probably a necessity in today's political climate, but that doesn't make Mr. Gates the right choice for DoD. Reading through Gates' wikipedia page, he spent 2 years in the Air Force, and 26 in the CIA. He was involved in the Iran/Contra affair to a limited degree since he was never indicted for anything. Ought to make for an interesting confirmation hearing... UPDATE @ 2:52pm: BlackFive is not particularly thrilled with Rummy's resignation and he certainly doesn't mince words. During a mid-term election that turned into a referendum on W's leadership overall, and in Iraq especially, he stands tall and says Rumsfeld will stay out the rest of his presidency. Knowing full well that this will alienate some of the moderate Dems and Repubs who support the war on terror, but wonder about Rumsfeld's prosecution of it. So these folks decide enough is enough and take their frustration to the only place they can voice it, voting the bums who support Bush out and a Dem majority in. Now both Houses of Congress will be run by a party that burns with hate from having 2 elections stolen. [...] If this was a possibility then it should have happened before the election and would probably have shown the folks who voted against staying the course that he was making important changes. Instead he ensures they believe the prevailing story that W and Rummy are not listening and have no plan and it cost dearly. Can't argue with his logic... How many votes would have swayed if this had happened before the election? Gates has said he was contacted about possibly returning to the government's service as SecDef a month or so ago. What might have been... If nothing else check out BlackFive's post, Rumsfeld's 6 years: a pictorial... It's classic...

Conservative California?

Sure we re-elected Feinstein again, but in the state elections California took a much more conservative attitude. Moderate Republican Schwarzenegger won re-election as Governnor, solid fiscal conservative Tom McClintock is winning for Lt. Governor, McPherson beat Brown for Secretary of State, and Poizner beat Cruz Bustamante for Insurance Commissioner. For those outside of Califnornia, driver's licenses for illegal immigration was Cruz's pet project (he tried to get it passed 8 times). We did lose Attorney General (ultra liberal Brown beat Poochigian), Controller where Chiang beat Strikcland, and Treasurer where Lockyer was re-elected. The 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, and 1E initiatives passed, sticking California with $40 billion in bond debt to pay over the next 30 years. I was for 1A because it restructured existing taxes, but not the other 4. Prop 83 passed in an effort to increase punishments for convicted sex offenders. This one was really a landslide. Not even close. Prop 84 passed. Another bond measure to get money to clean up water and improve our parks. I was against it simply because it was a bond, but at least it made Californians think. It's only winning 52 to 48. Prop 85 is unfortunately losing 53 to 47. This would have required that doctors notify the parents if a minor came in for an abortion. The No on 85 scare tactics worked, making it seem like every girl comes from an abusive house where she'll face physical harm if she tells her parents she wants an abortion. Prop 86 is losing. Tax increases are tough to pass, even if you're tripling cigarette taxes and saying it will all go to health services (even if that's a total lie). It's close though, going down 53 to 47. Al Gore got the no vote again as the Alternative Energy (Prop 87) bill that would increase taxes on oil companies appears to be losing. You've got to wonder if having Gore and Clinton in ads for this one helped or hurt... Prop 88 was a property tax increase to fund education, as if education really needs to suck up and waste more money. Fortunately Californians said borrowing billions more (Prop 1D) was more feasible than tax hikes and this won lost big 77 to 23. Californians sniffed out the bad side of campaign finance reform, Prop 89, and sent it to a resounding no. It lost 74 to 26. Prop 90 is really the only proposition that may still be in play. An eminent domain bill that seemed to favor construction monopolies is losing, but only barely, 51 to 49.

This is not what I wanted to see when I woke up this morning...

Ugh... I need some coffee... It's going to be a long two years. Don't expect to hear any whining here though. None of that "if Dems win I'm moving to Canada" crap. Not here. But America voted, turned out in record numbers in fact. And there was angry streak in some Republicans looking to send a message to what they perceived as a Republican govenrment that had strayed from its core values: fiscal responsibility, border security, small government, and family values. Turns out that faction got what it wanted. Lots of Republican representatives are cleaning out their DC offices for new Democrats to take over. The message has been sent; hopefully it motivates Republicans still in office to get their priorities straight. We controlled the House, Senate, and White House for 6 years but couldn't manage to get a fence across the entire Mexican border, we continue to waste money on huge social programs like prescription drugs and education, the government bureaucracy is larger than ever, and scandals were an anchor around several Republicans trying to replace their corrupt predecessors. In the mean time however, we've got Speaker Nancy Pelosi (San Francisco liberal), Judiciary Chair John Conyers (openly for impeaching Bush), and Ways and Means Chair Charlie Rangel (education and employment are the government's job). So look for the silver lining... Blogs sure aren't going to have a shortage of material with Dems taking over the House. Maybe we can show the country exactly what their priorities are. Still... Speaker Pelosi? (shudder)

Judicial voting guide for Californians

Probably the dumbest votes we have to cast are for judges that we know nothing about. While I don't want to have judges out there campaigning, how are we supposed to know anything about them with almost no information? Here's a link to a guide to conservative voting on the judicial candidates for our courts. It will give some info on the major appointees and let you know who appointed them to the courts originally. So figure out if you trust Deukmejian, Wilson, and Shwarzenegger and the judges they appointed... And check how I voted on the Propositions if you need some more info there...

Terrorists want Democrats to win

It's that simple. Here is video of Nasrallah saying that he wants Iraq to be another Vietnam, where we will see US troops leaving with Iraqis running after the helicopters wanting to be taken back with the Americans, just like what happened in Vietnam when we left. Vietnamese allies ran after the helicopters knowing that if they stayed behind they'd be slaughtered by the communists. That's what the terrorists want. That's what Nasrallah says. That's what will happen if the Democrats win. Video via LGF. Thanks to Dennis for pointing it out to me.

California proposition voting guide

I'm sure most of you have already figured out that I'm voting Republican down the ticket... Arnold Schwarzenegger for Governor, Tom McClintock for Lt. Governor, Bruce McPherson for Secretary of State, Tony Strickland for Controller, Claude Parrish for Treasurer, Chuck Poochigian for Attorney General, and Steve Poizner for Insurance Commissioner. But when you get to the propositions it always gets a little trickier. There's so many ads saying different things. Who knows what's right? So I thought I'd take a look at what else is on the ballot and let you know what I thought. Yes on Prop 1A: Transportation Funding Protection Legislative Constitutional Amendment To me this one makes some sense. It will help dedicate all gas taxes to transportation needs like road construction, road repairs, & congestion relief where those taxes are supposed to go. In legal terms, the bill amends Prop 42 which allows for the easy transfer of money from gas tax revenues to the general fund where it can be spent on whatever. I think it can help force the state to balance the books better, by not allowing them to use the gas revenues as a credit card, forcing them to use that money for infrastructure repair. No on Prop 1B: Highway Safety, Traffic Reduction, Air Quality, and Port Security Bond Act Basically it wants us to borrow more money for more infrastructure repairs and increased port security. I’m going to bet it will pass, but I’m tired of borrowing. It will sell almost $20 billion in bonds and will cost us nearly $40 billion to repay over the next 30 years. It’s not that we don’t need the things this would pay for, but do we need to borrow the money to do it? I say trim the fat on the budget. The money’s in there, you guys will just have to find it. No on Prop 1C: Housing and Emergency Shelter Trust Fund Act It’s a feel good proposal, borrowing $2.85 billion to help fund battered women shelters, low income housing for seniors, and homeownership assistance for the disabled, veterans, and working families. It will cost $6.12 billion to repay. I’m sorry, but no more borrowing. No on Prop 1D: Kindergarten-University Public Education Facilities Bond Act Save our kids; borrow $10.4 billion more to do it. Must we continue to throw more money at our public schools? We spend more per kid on education than just about every other nation on the planet, yet our kids seem to do worse every year. Obviously throwing money into the system doesn’t solve the problem, so why waste the cash? No on Prop 1E: Disaster Preparedness and Flood Prevention Bond Act More borrowing. Should we borrow $4.1 billion to rebuild levees to help prevent flooding? Seems to me that this is an important issue and being that important that the state legislature would do everything in it’s power to squeeze that into the annual budget. But no… they want us to borrow the money. Arnold is encouraging voters to approve 1A, B, C, D, and E, and something tells me they’ll pass. Unfortunately… Now for some of the big gun propositions… Yes on Prop 83: Sex Offenders, Sexually Violent Predators, Punishment, Residence Restrictions and Monitoring (aka Jessica’s Law) Makes life hard for the perverts who sexually abuse children… How can you argue with that? No on Prop 84: Water Quality, Safety and Supply, Flood Control, Natural Resource Protection, Park Improvements Borrow, borrow, borrow! For crying out loud! Borrow $5.4 billion to improve water supply. If you’re keeping track at home, that’s a total of over $42 billion that people are voting on. It will cost double that to pay back: $84 billion over 30 years to pay back. Where do we stop? Yes on Prop 85: Waiting Period and Parental Notification Before Termination of Minor’s Pregnancy This one seems like common sense to me. Parents are responsible for their children in every other legal capacity, so why not this too? Parents should be notified if their girl is looking to get an abortion… No on Prop 86: Tax on Cigarettes I don’t smoke but increasing the tax on cigarettes from $0.87 to $2.60 is outrageous! No way. No on Prop 87: Alternative Energy, Research, Production, Incentives. Tax on California Oil Producers. Al Gore and Bill Clinton are doing commercials for 87. Do I really need to say more? When commercials first started airing for 87 I was actually on the fence. Then I saw Al Gore pimping 87. I made up my mind real quick... No on Prop 88: Education Funding. Real Property Parcel Tax. Throw more money into the money pit that is our public education system with an added bonus of higher property taxes. If we had school vouchers, maybe (and that’s a big maybe) I’d think about voting for this one. We don’t need to throw more money at the schools. Period. No on Prop 89: POltical Campaigns. Public Financing. Corporate Tax Increase. Campaign Contribution and Expenditure Limits. It looks to similar to the disaster that McCain-Feingold’s campaign finance reform was. And it increases taxes on state companies. No on Prop 90: Government Acquisition, Regulation of Private Property. What exactly are property damages that will be sustained to properties by new laws and rules? This one appears to be a trap. That about sums it up... if anything changes I'll update the post. Other than that, make sure you get out and vote tomorrow!

Saddam to be executed

A good old fashioned hanging! Thank God... BAGHDAD, Iraq - Saddam Hussein was convicted and sentenced Sunday to hang for crimes against humanity in the 1982 killings of 148 people in a single Shiite town, as the ousted leader, trembling and defiant, shouted "God is great!" As he, his half brother and another senior official in his regime were convicted and sentenced to death by the Iraqi High Tribunal, Saddam yelled out, "Long live the people and death to their enemies. Long live the glorious nation, and death to its enemies!" Later, his lawyer said the former dictator had called on Iraqis to reject sectarian violence and refrain from revenge against U.S. forces. The trial had taken an OJ trial turn for a while where it was more a circus than a legal proceeding. At least they got the sentence right.

Troops send a message to John Kerry

I hope he can read it though... they're so stupid they got stuck in Iraq afterall... Looks like they didn't get Kerry's joke either Olbermann...

Hamas slime end standoff in mosque by hiding among women to make their escape

Michael Moore's noble freedom fighters at their best... Gaza gunmen flee hidden among protesting women GAZA CITY (CNN) -- Palestinian militants who had been in a standoff with Israeli soldiers escaped Friday, many of them slipping away in a crowd of women who had come to protest the Israeli action. The gunmen had been holed up in a northern Gaza mosque for hours mingling with a crowd of Palestinian women who had formed a human shield outside, the Israel Defense Forces said. Palestinian sources said some of the militants had put on women's clothes. The number and identities of those killed remained unclear Friday amid conflicting reports. (Watch women flee the gunfire and one fall dead -- 1:54 ) The group of women rallied outside a mosque in Beit Hanoun shortly after Hamas radio called on women and children to march in protest at the incident, IDF said. First they hide in a mosque then recruit women to come and hide them so they can flee to safety. Hamas: your friendly, neighborhood cowards...

Olbermann takes stupid to a whole new level

If you thought Kerry's comments about our troops being stuck in Iraq because they weren't smart enough to do anything else with their lives was bad, you've got to see Keith Olbermann's 10 minute rant that it is President Bush who owes the troops an apology not Senator Kerry. Olbermann takes "stuck on stupid" to a whole new level... AlterNet has the video posted; just look to the right and click on Keith's ugly mug and try not to have anything nearby that might be used as a projectile. I'd hate to get complaints about staplers and tape dispensers being thrown through computer screens. We've also got the transcript up over at the AND Network. Here's some of Keith's commentary that's so brilliant it can only be attributed to an ingenious Karl Rove plot to drum up more anger at liberals... Sen. Kerry, as you well know, spoke at a college in Southern California. With bitter humor he told the students that he had been in Texas the day before, that President Bush used to live in that state, but that now he lives in the state of denial. He said the trip had reminded him about the value of education - that “if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework, and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you can get stuck in Iraq. The senator, in essence, called Mr. Bush stupid. The context was unmistakable: Texas; the state of denial; stuck in Iraq. No interpretation required. And Mr. Bush and his minions responded by appearing to be too stupid to realize that they had been called stupid. Context unmistakable, huh? Sure... cause I always assume the joke is about Bush when I hear "you know, education, if you make the most of it, you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well. If you don't, you get stuck in Iraq." I think there must be a participle dangling there somewhere... You can only say "you" so many times before you've got to think that all eight "you's" in the sentence refer to the same person... Maybe Keith needs to hear the Kerry clip again.... So, that's either the most complicated joke in the history of the world... ever, or Keith Olbermann is some sort of uber-genius, and somehow I don't think genius takes the path from sports reporting to MSNBC stooge. But then again he's probably from the retarded 1/4 that also believes Bush was behind 9/11 and that Elvis is still alive...

Man arrested for murder and arson in the Esperanza fire

I think we should slow roast him over an open fire... Raymond Lee Oyler, a 36-year-old car mechanic, was accused today of starting the Esperanza wildfire and faces arson and murder charges in connection with the nation's deadliest blaze for firefighters in more than a decade. Oyler, who was already in custody and accused of setting two smaller fires in the same area of Riverside County, appeared in court and pleaded not guilty to all charges. He was held without bail and is to return to court Dec. 15. According to the complaint, Oyler faces five counts of murder, 11 counts of arson and 10 counts of using an incendiary device. He is accused of setting fires from June 7 to Oct. 26, the date of Esperanza fire. The complaint also alleges two special circumstances, murder during an arson and multiple murders. All these charges could make the bastard elligible for the death penalty, but the DA is going to ask the friends and family of the firefighters who died if that's something they'd want. Like I said... slow roast him...

Iran test fires missile capable of reaching Israel

It's a scary day to be in Jerusalem... TEHRAN (Reuters) - Iran's Revolutionary Guards fired missiles carrying cluster warheads to shouts of "God is the greatest" at the start of 10 days of military maneuvers on Thursday, state television reported. Tehran had said the maneuvers, dubbed "The Greatest Prophet" and which will include drills in the Gulf and Sea of Oman, were to demonstrate "defensive strength." The article goes on the remind us that this isn't a display of newly developed technology, but it certainly doesn't make anyone feel good... unless you're a crazy Iranian trying to bring about the end of the world via the 12th imam... Then you're super-stoked. Plus you can kill lots of jews at the same time. So when do we stop him from destroying the Middle East?

Are Iran and Syria trying to overthrow the Lebanese government

After Hariri's assassination and following popular uprising forcing Syria to withdraw all influence from their puppet state, Syria with Iran's help might be looking to subvert the current Lebanese government. The U.S. is "increasingly concerned by mounting evidence that the Syrian and Iranian governments, Hezbollah and their Lebanese allies are preparing plans to topple Lebanon's democratically elected government," the White House said in a statement. The Bush administration said there are "indications" Syria is trying to disrupt passage of a statute by the Lebanese government permitting an international tribunal to try those accused of involvement in former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri's assassination. The U.S. statement noted that an international tribunal can be established "no matter what happens in Lebanon." Terrorists in liege with Iran and Syria? Surely not?! I wonder where we've heard that before... Oh, and that sounds like a pretty damn good reason to not let nations that cooperate with terrorists (**cough**Iran**cough**) get nuclear weapons, don't ya think?