Saudis arrest 172 in airplane terror plot

They're saying this plot was at the zero hour. Even scarier then that is how extremely well funded these psychos were. Times Online - Police in Riyadh say that they have arrested Islamic militants who were being trained as pilots to fly suicide attacks on Saudi Arabia’s oil fields. The Saudi interior ministry issued a statement saying that the 172 detainees held in raids today were involved in plots to carry out suicide atttacks against “public figures, oil facilities, refineries ... and military zones". Some of the planned targets were outside the Saudi kingdom. “They had reached an advance stage of readiness and what remained only was to set the zero hour for their attacks,” Brigadier Mansour al-Turki, an interior ministry spokesman, told the Associated Press news agency. “They had the personnel, the money, the arms. Almost all the elements for terror attacks were complete, except for setting the zero hour for the attacks.” The ministry did not say that the militants would fly aircraft into oil refineries, as the 9/11 hijackers flew planes into buildings in New York and Washington, but it said in a statement that some detainees had been “sent to other countries to study flying in preparation for using them to carry out terrorist attacks inside the kingdom”. The militants also planned to storm Saudi prisons to free the inmates, the statement said. In their crackdown, the police seized large quantities of weapons, explosives and money. More than 120 million riyals (US$32.4 million) had been seized in the operation, one of the largest sweeps against terror cells in the kingdom. Wow. It makes me wonder though, suppose this plot had been fully executed, assuming the targets were strictly located in the Saudi kingdom, how would that change the perception of the world toward the GWOT, toward the Bush adminstration, and to the US/west in general? Saudi Arabia says they're an ally, but in reality they're no major help. If the Saudis were devestated by several suicide air attacks, the US is instantly there with aid and any military support they request. Saudi Arabia immediately moves away from the terrorist groups and their politics and begins to vigorously pursue them, ostracizing them from the majority of society. Perhaps the marginalized terrorists begin to lash out more like their bastard Iraqi insurgent brothers; they're not part of the solution for the country so they turn to the only option they have: cowardly acts of violence and murder. World opinion can't hammer Arabs for trying to police and protect themselves, so as an Arab nation takes the point (even if only for the moment) in the fight against terrorism, the world supports them, re-legitimizing the GWOT and strengthening Iraqi resolve and our position in it. Bush is once again the maverick cowboy trying to police the world. Of course excellent intelligence, surveillance, and police work went into preventing these planned attacks, no doubt saving thousands of lives. So I guess we'll never know how the world would react because the MSM sure as hell won't pay this story any attention.

Al Qaeda's military commander in Afghanistan captured

And guess where they caught him? WASHINGTON (Reuters) - An Iraqi al Qaeda member accused of assassination plots against Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf and other attacks was transferred by the CIA to the U.S. military prison at Guantanamo this week, the Pentagon said on Friday. Abd al-Hadi al-Iraqi was also accused of commanding al Qaeda's paramilitary operations in Afghanistan and launching attacks on U.S. and coalition forces from Pakistan, the Defense Department said. Al-Hadi was detained trying to get back into Iraq to "manage al Qaeda's affairs" there, according to Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman. There's no mention of axactly where al-Hadi was captured, or how long he's been in custody. Al-Hadi was a known long time trainer at terrorist camps in Afghanistan and Pakistan and was known and trusted by bin Laden. Seems like we might be able to get some good intel out of this guy if only Democrats would let us speak to him without his lawyer present. Heaven forbid we infringe on his civil liberites or so much as mess his hair up.

Giuliani hammers Democrats for being pinko commie peace-mongers

There's so many good quotes in this speech it's hard to narrow it down... “But the question is how long will it take and how many casualties will we have?” Giuliani said. “If we are on defense [with a Democratic president], we will have more losses and it will go on longer.” “I listen a little to the Democrats and if one of them gets elected, we are going on defense,” Giuliani continued. “We will wave the white flag on Iraq. We will cut back on the Patriot Act, electronic surveillance, interrogation and we will be back to our pre-Sept. 11 attitude of defense.” He added: “The Democrats do not understand the full nature and scope of the terrorist war against us.” [...] “This war ends when they stop coming here to kill us!” Giuliani said in his speech. “Never, ever again will this country ever be on defense waiting for [terrorists] to attack us if I have anything to say about it. And make no mistake, the Democrats want to put us back on defense!” Giuliani said terrorists “hate us and not because of anything bad we have done; it has nothing to do with Israel and Palestine. They hate us for the freedoms we have and the freedoms we want to share with the world.” Giuliani continued: “The freedoms we have are in conflict with the perverted, maniacal interpretation of their religion.” He said Americans would fight for “freedom for women, the freedom of elections, freedom of religion and the freedom of our economy.” Addressing the terrorists directly, Giuliani said: “We are not giving that up, and you are not going to take it from us!” Amen Rudy! Now if only we could steer you a little further to the right on some of those social issues you'd be damn near the perfect candidate.

"You tell them the acting president is a dirty old man."

Look Curly Bill... The US already had a dirty old car saleman of a president, so 2 is probably a bit much. Not that we here at Cake or Death have anything against dirty old men. Hopefully I get to live long enough to be one. A nice little grandpa sitting on a porch watching the chicks walk by. Anyway, now that president Palmer has resumed his THC induced coma Curly Bill is back in the saddle and that means Karen Hayes is out. But she's gonna sell her man out rather than see her career go up in smoke faster than Valerie Plame's career as an undercover agent. So adios chiggy killer. You have served honorably and got the chance to say "Jack has gone rogue" one last time before you got the boot. Jack on the other hand is ready and willing to risk his life to save Audrey and his country at the same time. He's got the microchip, he's got his C4, and he's got his splodeydope vest ready to go in his Jack Sack. But Silverspoons has to go and ruin the perfect plan by shooting up the joint. His backup didn't get there in time because Chloe and her froggy ex-bubby are reliving their rocky marriage. You married couples know how the arguement goes... ... You left your dirty clothes on the floor again... ... Your cooking is horrible... ... Stop sending encrypted cell phone calls to my screen without telling me first... ... Stop arming nuclear weapons for terrorists. I don't care how deep they stick that powerdrill into you... Ahh... love. And we get to see Audrey's nose for at least one more episode, but now she's got a wicked torture induced twitch. Awesome. And now your Jack Bauer Moment of ZenTM: Chuck Norris Jack Bauer killed Mcgyver by making a set of nun-chucks using newspaper, two toothpicks, a womans weave, and a 3 legged dog. Chuck Norris Jack Bauer was there at the beginning of mankind, and he's damn well going to make sure he'll be the end of it. When Chuck Norris Jack Bauer goes through airport security, the metal detectors bow before him. Heh.

Ding Dong! The witch is dead! Which old witch? The Rosie witch!

Donald Trump insists she was fired, but everyone involed in the dealing say she quit. Rosie O’Donnell, who raised both the profile and the ratings of “The View” this season by commandeering it as a bully pulpit for her opinions on the Iraq war, Donald Trump, Oprah Winfrey and even her own cast mates, will leave the show in June after failing to reach a contract extension, she announced on the program yesterday morning. “I have decided that we couldn’t come to terms with my deal with ABC, so next year I’m not going to be on ‘The View,’ ” Ms. O’Donnell said on the show just after it began broadcasting live at 11 a.m. She said, however, that she expected to return to the program as a guest host occasionally next year, including to preside over one-hour special episodes like those this year about autism and depression. Ms. O’Donnell, whose contract with the program was only for this season, said that ABC had wanted her to sign a three-year extension, while she had wanted to commit only to a year. An ABC executive who was directly apprised of the negotiations but who was not authorized to discuss them confirmed Ms. O’Donnell’s account, but said that there had also been wide differences between the salary she was seeking and what the network was willing to pay. Honestly, ABC should have fired her for using their camera as her own personal propaganda pulpit. Don Imus gets fired for saying the Rutgers women's basketball team looked like nappy headed whatevers, but Rosie can say 9/11 was a fake, the Iranians are the victims, we should impeach the president, that there is basically no good and evil, and the Brits staged the Iranian hostage situation so we could go to war and blow some shit up so we can get gas cheaper. Oops! Looks like Rosie was wrong on that last one. Makes you wonder what other lies she's knowingly spreading. But it doesn't matter. Good riddance Rosie. We won't miss you.

Harry Reid: "My mind is lost. No... wait... I mean the Iraq war is lost. maybe"

I was originally going to title this post Harry Reid is a moron, but since I gave that headline to Rosie O'Donnell not too long ago I wanted to do something different. And to be honest, I could use that headline above just about any Democrat's comments. The war in Iraq "is lost" and a US troop surge is failing to bring peace to the country, the leader of the Democratic majority in the US Congress, Harry Reid, said Thursday. "I believe ... that this war is lost, and this surge is not accomplishing anything, as is shown by the extreme violence in Iraq this week," Reid told journalists. Reid said he had delivered the same message to US President George W. Bush on Wednesday, when the US president met with senior lawmakers to discuss how to end a standoff over an emergency war funding bill. "I know I was the odd guy out at the White House, but I told him at least what he needed to hear ... I believe the war at this stage can only be won diplomatically, politically and economically." Whoa talk about a shirt trial period for the surge. They only voted and approved the surge on January 10th and he's already declaring it a failure!! Damn. Tough town. Well, either that or Harry is trying to make a loss in Iraq a reality. Because if he says it long enough and loud enough someone might actually start paying attention to the drivel that comes out of his mouth...

Peace committed Palestinians fire barrage of rockets into Israel

That's how much they support the peace process. JERUSALEM, April 24 — The military wing of Hamas fired a barrage of rockets and mortar shells from Gaza into Israel today for the first time since the Palestinian faction committed to a cease-fire in November. A spokesman for the military wing in Gaza, who identified himself only as Abu Obeideh, declared the truce over. But more moderate political figures from Hamas who participate in the Palestinian unity government, including Prime Minister Ismail Haniya, said they were making efforts to preserve the cease-fire. And a spokesman for the Hamas movement in Gaza, Ismail Radwan, stopped short of calling off the cease-fire, saying today’s attacks were “a natural response to Israeli aggression and violations of the truce in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.” Over the weekend, Israeli forces killed up to nine Palestinians, mostly militants in the West Bank, in the course of military operations and confrontations. The November cease-fire agreement pertained only to Gaza. Palestinian leaders have asked to extend it to the West Bank, but Israeli officials have said that it must be implemented properly in Gaza first. Smaller Palestinian factions like Islamic Jihad, which rejected the cease-fire, have continued firing rockets at Israel on an almost daily basis. On. a. daily. basis. And the Paleswinian government terrorists wonder why there are confrontations at checkpoints. Maybe it because the Israeli government takes Paleswinian slime killing its citizens seriously. What a novel concept. What kind of response would you expect from a government after enemies sworn to the complete obliteration of not only the Israeli state, but the Jewish people as well, fire over 100 rockets and mortars into your cities. I'd say bombing begins in 10 minutes, but that's just me.

Mr. President... You owe me.

Damn. Jack's got cajones the size of basketballs to make a statement like that. The Fetching Mrs. Wookie and just about fell off the couch when he said that. Who else could possibly put the President of the most power country in the world behind the eight ball like that? And sure, president Chapelle isn't nearly as gutsy as his brother, but still he stone-cold bluffed the diplomat from Dirkadirkastan with an actual nuclear launch. Sure it turned out the missile was a dud but that's a damn good bluff. And Jack pushes him around like a chess piece. Jack's got his Jack sack full of C4 to use as his insurance that the stolen, Russian nuke-bits don't actually make it into the hands of the Chinese. The assumption is of course that Jack would kill himself rather than start World War III, but we're forgetting that Jack is the creator of "the force," the original Jedi. A little Jedi mind trick here and some levitation there, and we've got a bunch of dead Chinamen. Then Jack gets to snuggle with Audrey again. As long as her nose doesn't get in the way... And with that happy thought in mind, I bring you this week's Jack Bauer Moment of ZenTM: Chuck Norris Jack Bauer only brakes for people dressed like Chuck Norris Jack Bauer. Chuck Norris Jack Bauer once killed 5 people in less than a second. The only thing he said after this incident was, "Damn it, when Chuck Norris Jack Bauer doesn't want Girl Scout cookies, Chuck Norris Jack Bauer doesn't want Girl Scout cookies." When Chuck Norris Jack Bauer wants espresso, he simply gets a bag of whole bean coffee, and glares at it until his cup is full of the nervous sweat and tears of the coffee bean. Heh.

A story of heroism amid the tragedy

I heard this mentioned on the Dennis Prager show and found the article at LGF: professor and holocaust survivor died shielding students from the gunman. (IsraelNN.com) As Israel observed Holocaust Day, thousands of miles away, A Rumanian-born Holocaust survivor gave his life in another senseless murder - and apparently in an act of heroism. Among the 32 people killed by a lone gunman at Virginia Tech Monday is 77-year-old engineering professor, Liviu Librescu, a citizen of Israel. According to eyewitness accounts, Librescu ran to the door of his classroom and blocked it with his body – preventing the gunman from entering but getting shot to death himself as a result. Alec Calhoun, a 20-year-old student who had been in Librescu's class in room 204, told a reporter that at 9:05 a.m. the heard screams and a loud banging sound from the next-door classroom. When the students realized it was gunfire, he said, some hid behind tables, and others leapt from the classroom's windows. Calhoun himself was among the last to jump. "Before I jumped from the window, I turned around and looked at the professor, who stayed behind, maybe to block the door. He had been killed." He is survived by his wife of 42 years and two sons.

BREAKING - At least 20 killed at Virginia Tech in campus shooting incident

***Scroll down for updates*** Another tragedy on a US campus. Police said there had been "at least 20 fatalities" in two locations at Virginia Tech university this morning. Earlier, the university released a statement saying that one person had been shot and a suspect had been arrested but released the higher total to astonishment several hours later. "Today the university was struck with a tragedy that we consider of monumental proportions," said university president Charles Steger. "The university is shocked and indeed horrified." The shootings are reported to have occurred two hours apart at an engineering building and a dormitory, on opposite sides of the campus. Amateur footage showed armed officers running over the campus with the sounds of gunshots in the background. At the news conference where the initial death toll was announced, Wendell Flinchum, the university's police chief, said that one man was believed to be responsible for the shootings and that he had been killed. Most of the victims are believed to have been students. "We have a ballpark figure on fatalities. It’s at least 20 fatalities," he said to gasps. "We don't know whether the shooter was a student." There's a lot of information that still hasn't been released yet, and rumors abound... was the shooter a student? One rumor states it was a young man who was looking for his ex-girlfriend (this is still rumor at this point of course). Was his fatal wound self-inflicted or was he shot by authorities responding to the incident? I'll post updates as I find them. UPDATE @ 10:22am: The VT website confirms 22 dead. Families wishing to reunite are suggested to do so at The Inn at Virginia Tech. UPDATE @ 10:47am: ABC reports 29 dead now. UPDATE @ 11:25am: Fox reports 32 dead and 21 injured. UPDATE @ 2:31pm: The LATimes put the number wounded at 56, but not all of those were shot by the gunman. Medical personnel are seeing lots of injuries from people trying to escape; cuts from broken glass, broken bones, and sprains as people fled the shooter. UPDATE @ 3:02pm: Seems like this might be a good point for a timeline of events (as reported in this SFGate article). The first shooting was at about 7:15am at West Ambler Johnston, one of VT's dorms. 2 were killed in the dormitory. The second set of shootings occurred at least 2 hours later about a mile and a half across the campus at Norris Hall, an engineering building. 30 were killed at Norris Hall; the shooter killed himself here as well. Much of the confusion with the inceident stems from the 2 hour gap as the gunman moved from the dorms to the engineering building which is why initial reports released had only one killed. University president Charles Steger says a school closure wasn't put into effect after the initial shooting in the dorms because authorities believed the dorm shooting was a "domestic dispute" and the gunman had fled the campus. UPDATE @ 3:11pm: Fox News says the gunman was described as an asian male. He was wearing a vest covered in clips which I assume were for the two 9mm handguns that police recovered at the scene. UPDATE 4/17 @ 9:12am: The information on the gunman yesterday has been released April 17, 2007 — Cho Seung-hui, 23, the Virginia Tech student who police believe is responsible for killing 33 people yesterday, was "a loner, and we're having difficulty finding information about him," said university spokesman Larry Hincker. Police identified Cho, a native of South Korea and resident alien who lived in Centreville, Va., as the shooter by linking the fingerprints at the scene to his immigration documents. Police say the senior English major, who lived in Harper Hall dormitory on the university campus, was likely responsible for both shootings at the university, the first of which took place at around 7:15 a.m. Monday morning when two people were killed at West Ambler Johnston Hall dormitory. Later that morning, the remaining victims were killed in Norris Hall, the engineering studies building. ABC News has learned that Cho left behind a note after the killings at West Ambler Johnston Hall. He then returned to his own room, rearmed and entered Norris Hall, roughly a half a mile away, to continue his shooting rampage. The Sydney Morning Herald confirms what I posted yesterday as simple rumor: the gunman's rampage began with the death of his ex-girlfriend, Emily Jane Hilscher, whom he shot in a jealous rage allegedly because she cheated on him. The second victim was the RA, Ryan Clark, who came by most likely responding to the gunfire. Thus far, those who are confirmed to have died in yesterday's tragedy are Maxine Turner, senior, chemical engineering; Henry Lee, freshman, computer engineering; Matt La Porte, freshman; Jamie Bishop, instructor, foreign languages and literature (German); Professor G.V. Loganathan, civil and environmental engineering; Juan Ortiz, graduate student, civil engineering; Jarrett Lane, senior, civil engineering; Ryan Clark, senior, biology, English, psychology; Leslie Sherman, sophomore, history and international studies; Caitlin Hammaren, sophomore, international studies and French; Professor Liviu Librescu, engineering, science and mechanics; Professor Kevin Granata, engineering, science and mechanics; Reema Samaha, freshman; and the killer's former girlfriend, Emily Hilscher, freshman, animal and poultry sciences, and equine science.

Signs the surge is working

Charles Krauthammer has a novel idea to determine if its working: talk to the people on the ground making the decisions to find out what's going on. You'd think something so profound yet simple would have occurred to some others in the MSM, but apparently they're too busy reading their Democrat talking points... The news from Anbar is the most promising. Only last fall, the Marines' leading intelligence officer there concluded that the U.S. had essentially lost the fight to al-Qaeda. Yet, just this week, the marine commandant, Gen. James Conway, returned from a four-day visit to the province and reported that we "have turned the corner." Why? Because, as Lt. Col. David Kilcullen, the Australian counterinsurgency adviser to Gen. David Petraeus, has written, 14 of the 18 tribal leaders in Anbar have turned against al-Qaeda. As a result, thousands of Sunni recruits are turning up at police stations where none could be seen before. For the first time, former insurgent strongholds such as Ramadi have a Sunni police force fighting essentially on our side. Retired Gen. Barry McCaffrey, a major critic of the Bush war policy, now reports that in Anbar, al-Qaeda is facing "a real and growing groundswell of Sunni tribal opposition." And that "this is a crucial struggle and it is going our way -- for now." Baghdad's a bit more of a mixed bag, but don't take my word for it. Read the rest at Real Clear Politics.

Duke lacrosse players delcared innocent

Now all they've got to do is rebuilded their tattered lives, reconstruct their shredded reputations, and try to recoup some $5 million in legal costs. And they're not the only victims in this. There is this interesting little piece in the Charlotte Observer which notes that this may have unintended consequences: making it harder for true rape victims to come forward. The three young former Duke lacrosse players who were accused must rebuild their lives. The university they attended must buff the tarnish left on its reputation. North Carolina's criminal justice system has to heal a painful black eye. But there is also painful collateral damage. Rape victims may find it harder than ever to report and press charges. Law enforcement and district attorneys may be more reluctant to investigate and prosecute. And when charges are leveled, victims and prosecutors could face juries that are more skeptical because of the scam in Durham. [...] Why? Rape victims often face shame and blame. Sadly, the facts of the case in Durham -- an unstable victim, trumped-up charges, a district attorney who ignored inconsistencies and plunged ahead during a political campaign -- plays to wrong-headed public attitudes. DA Nifong was disgusting throughout this entire scandal. He saw a black victim, upper class white perps, and a pot of gold at the end: re-election. Disguting.

Rutgers women's basketball team accepts Don Imus' apology

Thank God. I was so worried. NEW BRUNSWICK, N.J. — Rutgers women's basketball coach C. Vivian Stringer said Friday the team had accepted radio host Don Imus' apology. She said he deserves a chance to move on but hopes the furor his racist and sexist insult caused will be a catalyst for change. "We, the Rutgers University Scarlet Knight basketball team, accept — accept — Mr. Imus' apology, and we are in the process of forgiving," Stringer read from a team statement a day after the women met personally with Imus and his wife. "We still find his statements to be unacceptable, and this is an experience that we will never forget," she said. To be honest, until all this happened I'd never heard of Don Imus, and from what I've heard of his show in general, it sounds like its a bit on the crass side, but still he's still got free speech. Don't get me wrong... Imus should have apologized, and it was gracious of them to accept. And people who were pissed over his nappy head comment had every right to put pressure on his sponsors and press his employers to reprimand him. Hell I'd do the same to Rosie for her treacherous remarks. But the lynch mob that's formed over this mess didn't stop there, they wanted him fired, wanted publicly flogged, castrated, as well as the blood of his first born. The problem however is that this still won't be the end of the issue. Will Jesse "Hymietown" Jackson or Al "Steve Pagones is a racist rapist" Sharpton ever be satisfied? The answer there is, of course, no. Imus is white so he can't make racial comments. Jackson and Sharpton are free to be as racist as they like. They are black after all. So to what extent must Imus excoriate himself to cleanse himself in the eyes of these two moral arbiters of all that is derogatory, racist, or insulting? He's lost his job. he's lost his reputation. Perhaps a scarlet letter is in order? This is a lamer scenario then the Michael Richards mess and all the crap he took for his outburst in that comedy club. Richards at least used true racial slurs; Imus didn't even go that far, but he's still a racist, or bigot, or whatever other slander the well intention yet pitifully ill-informed Reverends wish to throw at him. UPDATE @ 2:32pm: Cox & Forkum... On point as usual... UPDATE @ 4:06pm: Jackson and Sharpton are terrorists?!? Thank God this guy's black or the esteemed reverends would force him into an early retirement (via HotAir and The Big Lead).

Audrey's alive?? Noooooo!!

Just when you thought it was safe again. Just when you though the danger was over. Just as soon as Jack hitches a ride underneath the terrorist's garbage truck, locates their secret hideout, singlehandedly kills all the terrorists, strings Fayed up from the nearest yardarm, and gains control of the remaining suitcase nukes; who decides it's that moment to call Jack out of the blue? Audrey. Yep, she's back and contrary to previous reports, she's very much alive. And now it's the Chinese shot at Jack. Again. I mean really... talk about bad days. Can this really get any worse for Jack? Sure it can, the only question is how. So I'm betting now that Audrey dies; some Chinese guy kills her and makes Jack watch. How they tie it into national security, I don't know. I mean we've got a few hours left before the day's over, so how is Audrey being held hostage put the nation at risk? If Jack tries to save her, do the Chinese attack? And what was with that secret plot to let Fayed escape? That was a horrible conspiracy (nevermind that it worked) because it was so complicated. But still it wasn't as bad as Captain Dudley's sooper-dooper conspiracy. So hopefully all those Loose Change nuts were taking notes; government conspiracies never work. Some mid-level bureaucratic nitwit ends up spilling the beans and the whole plan goers to crap. That's why the government couldn't have pulled off 9/11. It couldn't be that organized and efficient if it wanted to. And now your Jack Bauer Moment of ZenTM: Michael Jackson wrote the song "Bad" while pretending he was Chuck Norris Jack Bauer. If Chuck Norris Jack Bauer were an Olympic athlete, the Olympics would be canceled. Every four years they would just mail Chuck Norris Jack Bauer his 237 gold medals. The total number of deaths from World War II is 52,199,262. Chuck Norris Jack Bauer is 2 kills from breaking that record. Heh. UPDATE 4/12 @ 12:01pm: Check out the Carnival of Bauer being hosted this week at Remote Access. Funny stufff!

Hot Wing Baseball returns!

Yes, it's a new baseball season and when opening day rolls around even the Cubs fans think their team has a shot. But more important than that is the return of Hot Wing Conspiracy Fantasy Baseball! And it returns in new and improved fashion! We've got a dedicated blog that will be all Hot Wing sports, all the time. So check it out for the full weekly recaps, news, notes, and sexy chick pics! My Wookies return to the field with a chance to defend their title, and with Albert Pujols leading the charge at first base again this year, we've got a good shot. So let's look at the rest of the roster... Replacing Paul LoDuca at catcher this year is Jason Varitek. To me that's a bit of an upgrade. Jason's pretty clutch and seems to get those big hits when Boston needs them. Ray Durham replaces Nick Punto at second base, and again I feel its an upgrade. I'll lose a little in batting average, but I think Ray will make up for that in power numbers and maybe a few extra stolen bases. Chipper Jones' spot at third is being taken this year by Scott Rolen. I want to call this a push, but to be realistic Rolen is more potential than anything else. Chipper will have another solid year, but Scott hasn't done much over the past couple years so I think this ends up being a net loss. Rafael Furcal had a stellar year for me last year, so he's leaving Miguel Tejada some big shoes to fill, but if anyone can do it, it's Miggy. Even if Miggy has an off season like he did last year, the power numbers are a push with a small upgrade in RBIs. I'll lose out on Raffi's stolen bases though, so I'm calling this an overall push as well, with a possible upgrade if Tejada puts up the out of this world numbers Baltimore's paying him the big bucks for. Last year's outfield of Jermaine Dye, Magglio Ordonez, and Alex Rios (with Garret Anderson subbing where needed) is replaced by Corey Patterson, Jeff Francouer, and Hideki Matsui (with Sammy Sosa as a sub). With Dye's near MVP like numbers from last year and Rios' huge breakout season, it's a tough act to follow. Overall I'm losing power numbers but picking up stolen bases thanks to Patterson. The key I think is going to be Sosa. I picked him up off waivers which is a steal if he can find his homerun groove again. But as it stands now, I have to think this is a net loss overall. As far as utility players go, I've got an excellent one this year with Hanley Ramirez (and perhaps Placido Palanco every so often). But Ramirez is replacing Carlos Delgado who couldn't play first base because Albert Pujols was a baseball god last year. I obviously lose a lot in power numbers, but Hanley should make up for that with stolen bases, runs, and batting average. I think it might be a bit generous but I'm calling this a push. Starting pitching this year is going to be a bit interesting however. Last year I was pretty consistent with John Smoltz, Curt Schilling, Tim Hudson, Jason Marquis, AJ Burnett, and Woody Williams. combined they had 80 wins last season. This year they are being replaced by Eric Bedard, Mark Buehrle, Dave Bush, Brett Myers, Zach Duke, Josh Johnson, and Esteban Loaiza and these 7 only had 4 more wins last year than my starting 6. Since Johnson and Loaiza started the year on the DL, I picked up Matt Morris and Mark Redman. Morris has bounced back well from a dismal season last year; Redman on the other hand ran into a bit of tough luck and has Atlanta's only loss so far this year. Overall, this I've got to say my sarting pitching has been downgraded. Relief pitching isn't looking much better. Bob Wickman and Tom Gordon combined for 67 saves last year. All I've got this year is Jonathan Papelbon. Definitely a downgrade simply because I don't have that second closer. And since we've put the first week behind us already, let's see how my defending champion Wookies played last week! Wookies Will Repeat - 7 Fmragtops Spewers - 6 This score was a repeat of last season, only this time wookies were leading the whole time. Pitching wise, both teams sucked it up with the winning team having a 5.80 ERA And offensively both teams seemed pretty average. We'll see how these teams perform later. Game MVP: Hanley Ramirez - .320 average, 3 Stolen Bases, and 8 Runs. That's a good lead-off hitter. Game Goat: Jose Contreras - 1 inning, 8 hits given up, and 7 Runs for an ERA of 63 for the week. Eww. Hanley even threw me a bone and knocked a homerun for me too! This week's matchup for the Wookies is against Anna Benson is Yummy. And hopefully the Wooks will beat the pants of her... them... whoever... Anna's got some damn good pitching, but I think my offense can wipe them off the field. So we'll see who wins this one, pitching or offense.

Happy Anniversary to me and my Fetching Mrs. Wookie

Married 5 years ago today! I can't believe it... seems like it's been much longer than that. And now of course we've got the bundle of joy too. Happy anniversary babe. Love ya!

Denying global warming is tantamount to heresy

I guess I'm a heretic now, equivalent to the scum who deny the holocaust. But the bright spot is that maybe this whole global warming thing means that next year my front yard won't die from 2 straight months of severe cold. That'd be nice... But in the mean time, check out this great op-ed piece by Walter E. Williams over at Townhall.com. Most climatologists agree that the earth's temperature has increased about a degree over the last century. The debate is how much of it is due to mankind's activity. Britain's Channel 4 television has just produced "The Great Global Warming Swindle," a documentary that devastates most of the claims made by the environmentalist movement. The scientists interviewed include top climatologists from MIT and other prestigious universities around the world. The documentary hasn't aired in the U.S., but it's available on the Internet. Among the many findings that dispute environmentalists' claims are: Manmade carbon dioxide emissions are roughly 5 percent of the total; the rest are from natural sources such as volcanoes, dying vegetation and animals. Annually, volcanoes alone produce more carbon dioxide than all of mankind's activities. Oceans are responsible for most greenhouse gases. Contrary to environmentalists' claims, the higher the Earth's temperature, the higher the carbon dioxide levels. In other words, carbon dioxide levels are a product of climate change. Some of the documentary's scientists argue that the greatest influence on the Earth's temperature is our sun's sunspot activity. The bottom line is, the bulk of scientific evidence shows that what we've been told by environmentalists is pure bunk. And it just so happens The Great Global Warming Swindle is over on YouTube (thanks to commenter Ted for pointing it out to me). It's about 75 minutes long so snuggle up with a cup of hot cocoa and a warm blanket and... Wait a sec... global warming... duh... Snuggle up in a t-shirt, shorts, and flip-flops with an iced tea and watch it. Good stuff.

Terrorists are very appreciative of Pelosi's visit to Syria

And the terrorists hope that she'll continue to win elections. They came right out and said it... We want the Democrats to win. Palestinian terror group members call US House speaker's visit to Damascus 'brave' and hope for talks with Iran; ‘I think the Democratic Party can do things the best,’ Islamic Jihad member says House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's visit to Syria Wednesday – in which she called for dialogue with Damascus – was "brave" and "very appreciated" and could bring about "important changes" to America's foreign policy, including talks with "Middle East resistance groups," according to members of Palestinian terror organizations whose top leaders live in Syria. One terror leader, Khaled Al-Batch, a militant and spokesman for Islamic Jihad, expressed hope Pelosi would continue winning elections, explaining the House speaker's Damascus visit demonstrated she understands the Middle East. Pelosi's visit was opposed by President Bush, who called Syria a "state sponsor of terror." "Nancy Pelosi understands the area (Middle East) well, more than Bush and Dr. (Condoleezza) Rice," said Al-Batch, speaking to WND from Gaza. "If the Democrats want to make negotiations with Syria, Hamas, and Hizbullah, this means the Democratic Party understands well what happens in this area and I think Pelosi will succeed. ... I hope she wins the next elections." Terrorists say, Pelosi understands us and if Democrats continue to win they will legitimize terrorist groups like Islamic Jihad and Hezbollah by involving us in international discourses and summits. In light of that, we ought to rename our esteemed speaker of the house Damascus Nancy (a la Hanoi Jane). Or perhaps Hezbollah Nancy? Hamas Nancy? Which one do you think sounds better?

Jack Bauer: The terrorist whisperer

But I don't think Robert Redford will be making that movie anytime soon... Still it was pretty cool... Jack was pinned down by terrorist gunfire while pursuing Fayed and Chernobyl (who was doing his best impersonation of Romano the one-armed wonder doc). Jack takes down the first terrorist with one shot and then whispers to the second, "Show your head," and the terrorist just pops up like he was in some whak-a-terrorist game and Jack gives him a new ventilation hole in his forehead. How did Jack do it? Is it the force? Can Jack make weak-minded terrorist fools do his bidding? Is Jack the great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-great-grandfather of Luke Skywalker? Did Jack Bauer create the force? Maybe that question will be answered when the series comes to its finale... In the meantime Presdient Chapelle needed a few more hits care of Dr. Dre to survive Curly Bill's attempted coup. But it still looks like Dr. Dre is going to pull some Cheetos out of his bag of tricks because President Chapelle's about to pass out from a major case of the munchies. And now we come to the 24-South Park connection. South Park did their interpretation of 24: blinking clock, annoying CTU ringtone, funny split screens, and all. But the big question is have Trey Parker and Matt Stone revealed this season's finale? Will the terrorists take one of their remaining suitcase nukes and put it up Hillary CLinton's snizz to create what Cartman referred to as "the snuke"? This of course raises an even bigger question: If they do create a Hillary "snuke" will Jack disarm it or let it detonate? Because really... what's better for the US in the long run? And while you ponder over that cunundrum, please enjoy this week's Jack Bauer Moment of ZenTM: Chuck Norris Jack Bauer has a Hot or Not rating of 1,000,000. Chuck Norris' Jack Bauer's blood has never been tested because everytime testing is attempted, his blood destroys the equipment. Chuck Norris Jack Bauer can turn back time simply by staring at the clock and flexing. That sure sounds like the force to me! Especially that Hot or Not rating... damn. UPDATE 4/5 @ 2:02pm: Morning Maniac Music has the latest Carnival of Bauer up! Stop by and check it out.

Wackypants Ahmadinejad says he's freeing the kidnapped British soldiers

After he gives his Iranian troops who captured them medals of honor of course... WaPo - Iran today announced the release of 15 British sailors and marines it seized two weeks ago in disputed waters of the Persian Gulf, ending a diplomatic crisis with a bit of political theater that included a chatty, smiling round of goodbyes between Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad and the Britons. In a surprise turn of events, Ahmadinejad in a Tehran press conference first awarded bravery medals to an Iranian commander involved in seizing the British seamen on March 23, then announced that the captives were being freed as a "gift" honoring both the Easter holiday and Muslim celebrations commemorating the birth of the Prophet Muhammad. "I announce their freedom," the Iranian president said, according to a translation of his press conference aired on CNN. "They will be free after our meeting. They will go to the airport and be with their families." Wackypants also took the media spotlight and used it to poke fun at the West by questioning our family values because we allow women to join the armed forces and also jokingly pleaded with Blair to not be mad at his soldiers for their remarks that Iran broadcast saying Britain was at fault. As if Britain would actually bring legal action against them for statements made while be held captive, basically a POW. But that's what you get from a megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur... a lame sense of humor after reckless acts of war.