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:: Sunday, October 31, 2004 ::

Reading the Tea-Leaves

Marginal Revolution has a primer on how to read polling results, taking into consideration the 3% "margin of error". This person obviously is in posession of the mathematical facts, something MSM has been light on in this election cycle--don't miss it.

Via Pejmanesque [>]


:: Max 9:57 PM [+] ::
...
Remember

American Digest has a terrific photomontage of what you are voting for on Tuesday. Start your week off right with 50 pics that remind us what is at stake in this election (lest we forget).

:: Max 9:51 PM [+] ::
...
:: Saturday, October 30, 2004 ::
Sour Grapes

The condescending, pretentious 'snots' are already spinning the election outcome--and blaming bloggers is, apparently, going to be the focus of their misplaced vitriol. Jeff Jarvis has thoughtful word or two for all those who would malign the emergent phenomenon of grass-roots journalism--what's his take?

"oh, shut up scooter"
.



:: Max 8:36 PM [+] ::
...
"Kerry Must Be Stopped"

"The great issue in the 2004 election--it seems to me as an Englishman--is, How seriously does the United States take its role as a world leader, and how far will it make sacrifices, and risk unpopularity, to discharge this duty with success and honor? In short, this is an election of the greatest significance, for Americans and all the rest of us. It will redefine what kind of a country the United States is, and how far the rest of the world can rely upon her to preserve the general safety and protect our civilization."

Dang, makes me all teary-eyed--by all means, old chap, read the whole bloody thing.

Tony Blair saw this coming--he really is an American hero.


:: Max 7:55 PM [+] ::
...
BeeCee By a Length?

Roger Simon is hanging his hat on The Horserace, a nice blog that lends some order to the wild swings in election polling. If you're confused about the crazy numbers Zogby and his peers are dishing (and you would have every right to be) drop in to Horserace Blog for a little clarity.

:: Max 7:29 PM [+] ::
...
Who Really Loses?

If Bush wins, who really loses? The answer is not as obvious as you might think-- Go here for the answer [>]

CLUE: Courage

Update: It's a meme! [>]

(Speaking of 'getting a clue', maybe it's obvious to everybody BUT those who should know better)



:: Max 7:18 PM [+] ::
...
Kerry to sue for presidency regardless of outcome?

You can thank Al Gore for this:

Democrats already have filed some 35 lawsuits in some 17 states. And if Kerry goes down to defeat on Election Day, there almost certainly will be an avalanche of lawsuits claiming that the Democrat somehow was cheated out of the presidency.

[T]he reality is that the rash of election-related litigation precipitated by Kerry and the Democrats is doing lasting, perhaps irreparable, damage to the democratic process in this country.

Indeed, Doug Lewis, executive director of the Election Center, a nonprofit organization, told the Associated Press this week that all the legal wrangling is "disastrous for fundamental faith in the system" by which presidents have been elected since this nation's founding.

RCP via Powerline [>]

:: Max 11:27 AM [+] ::
...
Bin Laden

OK, so I was wrong--he's alive. I'll say this for the guy, his timing is absolutely impeccable.

:: Max 11:17 AM [+] ::
...
Loons'n Mooks'n Dem's Oh My!

So I'm talking to a Liberal friend and I brought up the matter of the election. He was cautious, looking into my eyes for a glimps into my intentions and then said "have you been listening to Pacifica?" I said, 'yea, I listen once in awhile-- for laughs'. He responded with a twitchy, eye-bobbing, nervous fidget and then said nothing. I looked at him with a quizzical grin and said 'Bob, you believe Bush and Chaney organized 9-11 don't you?' to which he said "yes". Now, although we had never discussed politics much, I had some suspicion that my friend was a Liberal which is OK by me--but I didn't think he was a moonbat! When he told me that he actually thought that Bush and Chaney had conspired to bring down the World Trade towers I just shook my head, laughed and said 'Bob, that's a ridiculous, irrational, conspiracy theory that is simply impossible to believe--could you tell me how Bush could possibly benefit from such an action--what possible motive could the President of the United States have for blowing up the World Trade Center? All he said was "it goes deeper than that". At this point, I realized I was talking to a madman, dropped the subject and moved on. As I walked away, I thought to myself, how could liberals actually believe this garbage? I was under the impression that these fantastic conspiracy theories were limited to the realm of the arch-rightwingers--the survivor-guys who live in tar-paper shacks in Montana.

But then I wake up and read the news today and I see that even some people in very high places, people who should know better, actually believe this kind of insane BS.

(I hope Karl Rove isn't monitoring the secret transmitter that he planted inside my tooth--it always gives me such a horrible headache!--oh no--there it goes again!...)



:: Max 10:44 AM [+] ::
...
:: Friday, October 29, 2004 ::
Count All the Votes?

Not if you're a likely Republican serving in the military. This from the Philadelphia Enquirer via Wizbang:

Two soldiers from Pennsylvania serving abroad filed a motion in federal court yesterday to force the state to accept overseas absentee ballots received after Tuesday's election.

Without an extension, U.S. Army Specs. Matthew J. Schramm of Schwenksville, Montgomery County, and Steven J. Reitz of Venango County, probably won't have their votes counted, according to the court petition filed by lawyers with the Republican State Committee.

Of course, these two soldiers have had to initiate the lawsuit because they have yet to recieve their absentee ballots from Pennsylvania and Democrat Governor Ed Rendell has refused to extend the deadline for ballots from the soldiers recieved after the deadline. This is about as dispicable as it gets, but par for the course for Democrats--extraordinary.

:: Max 9:18 AM [+] ::
...
:: Thursday, October 28, 2004 ::
Pipsqueak

"People of the Planet Earth America, I remind you of the weighty words of our leaders, Zarak of the Planet Kandar Osama bin Laden and the evil and omnipotent Dr. Ayman al-Zawahri, that what took place on Sept. 11 was but the opening salvo of the global war on human civilization America," said Starforce Battalion Commander Macadam of the Tarmac Azzam. "And that Super-X-Force Allah willing, the magnitude and ferocity of the powerful brain-melting-Diaper Hats what is coming your way will make you forget all about Sept. 11."

Oooo...as we say here on Earth, Azzam, 'you be baaaad'...

:: Max 9:07 PM [+] ::
...
Moore Muckraking

Great White Whale sighting in Florida (what took him so long?).

Note to Jesse Jackson: The big, fat white-guy is coopting your...um...territory.


:: Max 7:57 PM [+] ::
...
"roarback"?

Ann Althouse, guest-blogging for Glenn Reynolds posts this interesting quote by William Safire on Larry King:

"Let me ... see if I can move the story of this story al Qa Qaa forward a little bit.

We now know from CBS's admission that CBS planned to broadcast this story, which we call in journalism, a keeper, one that's kept for its greatest impact. They planned to broadcast it next Sunday night, 36 hours before the polls opened. That is known as a roar back. That's a last-minute, unanswerable story, and it would have been all over the papers Tuesday morning as people went to the polls. Now, I think that's scandalous.

What happened, because "The New York Times" was working with CBS on the story, and I don't work on the news side of the "Times" at all, so I'm speculating, the "Times," either--probably from a combination of ethical and competitive standards decided, no, we're not going to hold this story. We're going to go with it now. And they went with it on Monday. And -- but just think for a minute, if the plan had gone ahead, we wouldn't have had this debate this week where it's possible we could shoot some holes in this story or focus on the attack on the integrity of the examination by the troops that were there.

And instead, we would have had a last-minute manipulation of the election."

Safire, the last honest voice at the NYTs...

:: Max 8:58 AM [+] ::
...
What's the New York Times Smoking?

Looks like maybe it's another exploding cigar...

:: Max 8:50 AM [+] ::
...
:: Wednesday, October 27, 2004 ::
Jeb Failing Election Test

Whether you're a Democrat or Republican, you should be concerned that the Govenor of Florida, Jeb Bush, didn't have the election mechanism defragged before the '04 cycle kicked in. I'm sorry, but can't feel sorry for the GOP when sh*t like this is allowed to happen, especially after the 2000 Gore debacle. It's obvious somebody's dropped the ball an my scapegoat of choice is Jeb Bush--he's blowing it.

Goofy rube (sheesh) what a friggin' loser...

(what is it with the Republicans--hmmm?--can't get an absentee ballot to a loyal constituent? Stoopid, incompetent goofballs!)

Ugh...




:: Max 10:36 PM [+] ::
...
UN Meddling In US Election?

When GWB dropped both of his cowboy boots into the filthy rats-nest that's the UN, we should've all been prepared for them to react and it appears they've done so. Go to Powerline right now and check out this post which links to two great articles on this revolting situation.

If you ever wanted proof that John Kerry is a coward, this is it. Think about it for a moment, he'd sooner side with the venal crooks that inhabit the UN and a complicitous, dishonest media than his own country in a time of war (deja vu all over again?). I really despise John Kerry--he's a gold-digging, back-stabbing, cowardly weasle of the first order--a pretentious, phoney, empty suit of a man--certainly not someone who should be a hairsbreadth from the oval office--God what a pig.

I really try not get too hot about this stuff when I'm blogging but, given what appears to be happening here--THE UN ALTERING THE COURSE OF A US ELECTION!-- I'm having a little trouble keeping my composure.

:: Max 5:18 PM [+] ::
...
Party Affilliation, Voting Records of Top Reporters Revealed by Lexis-Nexis Search

This is interesting I guess, but I'm certainly not surprised (Judy Woodruff is a Democrat?!--nooo.)

:: Max 5:05 PM [+] ::
...
Al Gore or Uni Bomber--you decide!

This blogger asks you to take the test--don't miss this one.

Link courtesy Pejmanesque [>]

:: Max 3:41 PM [+] ::
...
"Besieged by Chaos"

The Palm Beach Post is reporting widespread chaos at early voting sites:

Orange County Supervisor of Elections Bill Cowles, president of the state elections supervisors association, wrote Bush on Friday that his office had been "bombarded with phone calls, e-mails and correspondence from the voters because of the harassment they are enduring" at early voting sites at public libraries.

Likewise, LePore said her staff has frayed nerves as a result of being verbally and physically abused. One worker wearing her identification badge around her neck was throttled by an irate person "who tried to choke her with it."

"They're just ugly to staff, ugly to voters and everybody else," LePore said of some of the campaigners. "It's absolutely disgusting."

Link courtesy of the inimitable Florida Cracker (keep your eye this blogger for the inside skinny on election hijinks in the sunshine state).

:: Max 3:29 PM [+] ::
...
Iowa Electronic Market Update

The IEM is narrowing--maybe a result of Al QaQaagate? Hmmm...

:: Max 10:05 AM [+] ::
...
Terrorists Focus on US Election

And they ain't rooting for Nader (the way this election is shaping up, they ought to just waltz over the Mexican border and vote for Christsake).


:: Max 9:52 AM [+] ::
...
Pandora's Can of Worms

(I know--I've mixed a metaphore but I think it's apt given the context)

Powerline reports on the lawsuits the Mooks have already filed in Florida--hope the system can cope with the ensuing chaos (or all the king's horses and all the king's men will be crying over the spilled milk while attempting to put Humpty together again under the watchfull eye of the international observers, Jesse Jackson, Dan Rather, Michael Moore, Jimmy Carter....).

:: Max 9:02 AM [+] ::
...
:: Tuesday, October 26, 2004 ::
New York Times bombs with 'October Surprise'

N.Z. Bear has a nice shakedown of the NYTs 'coverage' of the so-called 'missing weapons' story; Polipundit has already run a poll to name the new scandal; And Roger Simon thinks this is a bigger scandal than the Jason Blair meltdown.

My opinion? MSM will continue to run this bogus 'story' until November 2nd--they're utterly shameless.

:: Max 9:11 AM [+] ::
...
Here we go...

Ann Althouse, pinch-hitting for Glenn Reynolds, has this report from her son who stopped by Madison, Wisconsin's City Hall to vote:

"No one ever asked for my ID, and in fact, I asked two different people if they wanted to see my ID, and they said no. So, anyone who wanted to could go in and write down somebody else's name if they knew their address, and vote for them."


Reports like this portend havoc on November 2nd--Republicans are going to have to turn out in record numbers to counter this wholesale attack on the system.


:: Max 8:47 AM [+] ::
...
:: Monday, October 25, 2004 ::
Dangerous Experiment

This journalist wanted to find out what would happen if he wore a Bush/Chaney tee shirt into the heart of Kerry/Edwards country.

:: Max 1:56 PM [+] ::
...
Revolution?

Jay Rosen over at PressThink has some questions about the radical changes in media--here's the list:

    Political attacks seeking to discredit the press and why they're intensifying
    Scandals in the news business and the damage they are sowing
    The era of greater transparency and what it's doing to modern journalism
    Trust in the mainstream media and what's happening to it
    Bloggers, their role in politics, their effect on the press: their significance
    How the Net explosion is changing the relationship between people and news
    The collapse of traditional authority in journalism and what replaces it
    Amateurs vs. professionals; distributed knowledge vs. credentialed expertise
    The entrance of new players of all kinds in presidential campaigning
    The producer revolution underway among former consumers of media
    Jon Stewart and why he seems to be more credible to so many
    "He said, she said, we said" and why it's such an issue this year
    The "reality-based community" thesis and the Bush Administration
    The political divide and the passions it has unleashed this year
    Why the culture war keeps going, this year reaching the mainstream press
    Why periods of intense partisanship coincide with high involvement
    The problem of propaganda and the intensity of its practice in 2004
    Why argument journalism is more involving than the informational kind
    Assaults on the very idea of a neutral observer, a disinterested account
    And then there's this: the separate realities of Bush and Kerry supporters


Via Instapundit [>]

:: Max 7:41 AM [+] ::
...
:: Sunday, October 24, 2004 ::
Poll Wrap

Pejman Yousefzadeh has a nice concise wrap of polling data. Dems...eat your heart out [>]

:: Max 11:34 PM [+] ::
...
Whaaa?

Got an email from a friend today that said in so many words "what's a blog?" I was...um...speechless.

Tom Biro, over at the Media Drop has a nice post on how blogging is continuing to rock MSM internationally. Drop in to see how the Japanese bloggers are stacking up against their MSM counterparts.

(good God almighty...what's a blog?...ugh.)

:: Max 11:09 PM [+] ::
...
:: Saturday, October 23, 2004 ::
Happy Saturday

If news of the Dem thuggery has got you down in the dumps, this report oughtta cheer you up.

:: Max 1:14 PM [+] ::
...
The Stakes are Immense--If Bush Loses Zarqawi Wins

This guy's got it right [>]


:: Max 11:47 AM [+] ::
...
Early Voter Intimidation

Democrat bullies intimidate early voters all over the country. When they can't win in the arena of ideas, they'll resort to base thuggery--they are trying to steal this election and they just might succeed--(better take your mace if you're going to vote early).

Where in the hell are the Republicans on this?

Via Drudge

:: Max 11:28 AM [+] ::
...
:: Wednesday, October 20, 2004 ::
UNSCAM Update

Claudia Rossett has written yet another excellent column on the UN Oil for Food scandal--don't miss it [>]


:: Max 8:10 AM [+] ::
...
Commies for Kerry

OK, I'm not making this up; the Cubans are manning the telephones for Kerry--really--go see for yourself [>]

Hat tip the Corner.

:: Max 7:50 AM [+] ::
...
OBL-RIP

I've been saying for a long time that Osama Bin Laden is dead. As there appears to be mounting evidence that the Sheikh has vanished--no sighting or communication from him for many months--would at least lead one to reasonably conclude he's toast. Today, Instapundit points to the Belgravia Dispatch that chronicles the recent history of bin Laden's complete lack of video and audio communications and by this account, it certainly doesn't look good for the Sheikh.

Update: OK already, I know...the guy is alive and I was wrong but judging from the content of the tape, he's singing a different tune (yeah, like quoting Michael Moore, John Kerry and the DNC talking points?!).

:: Max 1:06 AM [+] ::
...
:: Tuesday, October 19, 2004 ::
Iraqi Blogger Alert

Iraqi blogger Sam is warning that the terrorists are working overtime to influence the outcome of the US election. He rightly concludes that although increased violence will likely drive more Americans into the Bush GWOT camp it might have the opposite effect on Iraqis and others living in close proximity to the bloodshed.

:: Max 9:47 PM [+] ::
...
:: Monday, October 18, 2004 ::
Intimate Moments

The Breck Girl primps for the camera--an unrehearsed but poetic moment for the "cute one who exhibits boyish charm" (there's a lesson to be learned here--always check to see that the camera is turned off before you whip out your hairspray and compact).

:: Max 11:07 PM [+] ::
...
'Army Brat' Speaks Out

Laura Armstrong, a self-described Army brat gave a wonderful speech at a Vietnam Vets for Truth rally last month. Powerline's Deacon posted this somewhat edited version of the original:

"I am SO very proud to stand with you today, before our nation’s great capitol. Aren't you awed by the power and the tone of the messages we've heard? I know many of you have similar stories of unbelievable valor and sacrifice, just like our speakers. If only America could hear you all.
I wasn't in Vietnam, but I've been a military observer and participant all my life. Army brat, Marine wife, I worked also as a civilian journalist for a Navy newspaper in Pensacola. My brother was a CH-46 pilot in Desert Storm. I've been a widow for 11 years now, but, happily, there's a Marine serving out there who's on his way home to us this week, after more than a year away, so stakes are high for me personally when it comes to electing the next commander in chief.

My earliest memories however are of you, our wonderful men and women of the U.S. armed services. I was that Army brat who waited for you--and then cried when you finally returned home after a long hitch overseas. It took awhile sometimes, for us to recognize you. You guarded my gates. Double-timed outside my schoolhouse window. You unfurled the American flag each morning. You played taps each evening. You decorated my parade grounds on all the special occasions, and delivered Santa Claus in your Hueys. When I fell off my bike, riding to the post school, you picked me up, brushed me off, and told me to carry on. For years, I thought captain was a first name, and I still hit the rack each night at bedtime.

I learned early to cherish the traditions of the service, and knew enough about the world to be very proud when my dad told me he was going to a place called Vietnam so other kids could be freed from the threat of communism. When Dad was gone on his first tour, he was already my hero. I'd imagine him giving Hershey bars to little kids--he said he always carried some in the leg pocket of his flight suit, because little girls like me didn't always get enough to eat. He was a kind and decent person, even in war. And in spite of war.

I'm certain I don’t have to tell YOU how honor and service are revered in most military households. But for others listening I want to emphasize this--when you grow up knowing the meaning of mottos like Ex Libre Oppresso and Semper Fidelis, when you learn as a kid that freedom is not free and you see the direct and sometimes tragic toll it takes on your friends and neighbors, people you know and love, you realize that intangibles like honor and duty and trustworthiness aren't just from political speeches.

To military families, our honor is sacred. And when a tragedy happens, whether in combat or a routine training accident, sometimes our honor is all we have to hold onto. . .My dad helped me to understand this. He was a career soldier, an aerial rocket artillery pilot. A quiet patriot, raised up on a cattle ranch at the foot of Mt. Hood in Oregon. His adventurous spirit took him to the Army, where he loved the flying and the men with whom he served as much as he loved his family. I think some of them are here today. . .

Black Bart, my dad, distinguished himself in the battle of the Ia Drang first in 1965, when he was Charlie Battery commander for the 2nd of the 20th First Air Cav. . . .Like so many of you, Black Bart volunteered for a second tour and served as Battalion Cmdr. of the 4th of the 77th 101st Airborne. Just before Thanksgiving, 1968, we learned he was shot down and reported missing while taking out an enemy gun emplacement. That dreaded knock on the door came during The Macy's parade, the memory of that seared forever in my brain.

And speaking of SEARED, ironically, dad's funeral was held almost the same time a young John Kerry was seeing the doc about a splinter, and requesting his first purple heart.

Please let me emphasize...there are worse things than losing your dad in a war.
I soon realized that the myths and lies created by people with political agendas can be far more hurtful. It was bad enough to hear our dads criticized by those who hated the military, but to hear Kerry and his radical veterans distort the truth and tarnish every honorable action caused a righteous hurt and anger. Their lies dominated in the American dialogue, while your stories of valor went untold. Sound familiar?

What John Kerry and his political backstabbers did in the early '70s took no courage. It simply took a ringleader with access to Teddy Kennedy and the willingness to sacrifice truth and honor. More than any other person, that ringleader, Kerry, was responsible for the atmosphere of hatred and disdain you all came home to.

I believe you didn't complain because nothing like this had occurred before you. Kerry’s traitorous testimony in '71...was an unforgettable moment that cut deep through the ranks, as we've heard here today. But you all had lives to build, and so you did, putting the past behind you. You tolerated the lies and stereotypes all these years. But today, this guy has made it this far in the political process--and we stand here to object.

Let's remind Americans this is NOT a squabble between America's veterans, as so many talking heads want people to believe. This is about the CHARACTER AND JUDGEMENT OF one man--John Kerry. This is about holding him accountable for his actions, especially now in a time of war and when the well-being of our military is at stake. There is no statute of limitations when the honor of a generation has been grievously stomped upon.

While debates might rage about Kerry's short tour of duty, we're only concerned here with irrefutable facts. This is not my opinion...these are facts:

Donna Rowe saved a beautiful baby girl.
Jim Warner overcame 6 years of captivity by the enemy.
Some daddies didn't come home.
And Lt. John Kerry flew out of Vietnam after just a few short weeks in combat, Super 8 film in the can, and testified that those with whom he served were ALL murderers, rapists and criminals.
That’s on the record.

We are not here to re-fight the Vietnam war or even defend it. We are here to tell America that John Kerry did not have to attack the warriors to protest a war. Whatever his motivations back then, he showed he believes the means justify the ends, and everyone else be damned. Is this the kind of president we need today?

And we're here in solidarity with our newest soldiers. We don't want them having to salute a commander in chief whose respect for the troops is proven to blow with the political winds. We need a leader, not a weathervane.

It's worth repeating over and over. We are motivated by a deep concern for our country. We are NOT playing politics, but venting our hearts. . . .Here's a man who claims to be pro-military, yet his life's work has shown otherwise. It cannot be denied or spun or revised by journalists.

When Lt. Kerry left the battlefield and betrayed you, he chose his path--weak on defense, anti-military. And he carries on, alternately boasting and bashing, voting for and against. In fact, his lies about the troops are perpetuated even in his NEW book "Tour of Duty", written just last year. Listen to this line, from page 211 that expresses his attitude towards Cobra gunship pilots: "It disturbed (Kerry) that even a few trigger happy American yahoos considered killing Vietnamese civilians a sport."

TRIGGER HAPPY YAHOOS, MR. KERRY? How could anybody who really understands our military, say that about these fine young pilots?

So the pattern is clear: Kerry is the architect and perpetrator of one of the largest continuing slanders against American troops. He smeared you then, he is smearing the Swiftees today, and he will call us all liars tomorrow. His deceit and vindictiveness are fact.

I want you to know, some of us never questioned the character of the Vietnam veteran. You are the protectors--the heroes from everyday America who answered your country's call. And you've earned your right to speak, even 35 years later.

When Kerry supporters say you should be silent, America should stand up for you. They owe you. They should stand up and say --
Kerry was wrong to abandon you, both physically and in spirit.
Kerry was wrong to attack your honor based on lies and hearsay.
Kerry was wrong to paint that horrid imagery for the entire world to feast upon.

Those of us lucky enough to know this new generation of warriors understand they've been strengthened by the sacrifices you all made both in Vietnam and later. It’s their reverence for your sacred honor, DESPITE the John Kerrys of the world, that calls them to duty. Their clarity was forged by images of 9-11. But their courage is inspired by you.


Right-on...

:: Max 10:08 PM [+] ::
...
Online Financial Market Manipulation

Donald Luskin has updated his post on the apparent manipulation of the Tradesports Futures Market on the Presidential election. Luskin makes a good case that the person manipulating the market is billionaire Kerry supporter George Soros. Luskin speculates why Soros might want to tinker with the futures contracts (to rock the stock market) and offers technical details on how you, yes you can profit handsomely if the chief Mook financier, Soros, pulls this expensive stunt again. If you are into playing the market, I suggest you hop on over to Luskin's blog and get the details. You certianly won't break Soros but you might clip him for a few grand with little personal risk. Go for it [>]

:: Max 4:16 PM [+] ::
...
New Blog

The Truth About Iraq via LGF

:: Max 11:02 AM [+] ::
...
Chicago Tribune Endorses Bush

The Trib's endorsement is concise, to-the-point and accurate:

"A President Kerry certainly would punish those who want us dead. As he pledged, with cautiously calibrated words, in accepting his party's nomination: "Any attack will be met with a swift and certain response." Bush, by contrast, insists on taking the fight to terrorists, depriving them of oxygen by encouraging free and democratic governments in tough neighborhoods. As he stated in his National Security Strategy in 2002: "The United States can no longer solely rely on a reactive posture as we have in the past. ... We cannot let our enemies strike first."

Bush's sense of a president's duty to defend America is wider in scope than Kerry's, more ambitious in its tactics, more prone, frankly, to yield both casualties and lasting results. This is the stark difference on which American voters should choose a president.

There is much the current president could have done differently over the last four years. There are lessons he needs to have learned. And there are reasons--apart from the global perils likely to dominate the next presidency--to recommend either of these two good candidates.

But for his resoluteness on the defining challenge of our age--a resoluteness John Kerry has not been able to demonstrate--the Chicago Tribune urges the re-election of George W. Bush as president of the United States."


If you would like to see the war on terror relegated to a policing matter (and higher taxes), you will vote for John Kerry. If you want the fight taken to the terrorists (and lower taxes), you will vote for George W. Bush.

It's refreshing to see a major urban newspaper take a controversial but soundly-reasoned position on such a critical matter.

:: Max 10:23 AM [+] ::
...
Mr. Peanut Update

Powerline's John Hinderaker thinks Jimmy Carter has crossed the line. Read a few excerpts from this Scottsman interview with the former President and decide for yourself.

Jimmy Carter's a seditious, cowardly bum.

:: Max 10:01 AM [+] ::
...
Presidential Election Futures Contracts

For what it's worth, the IEM gap is widening--Bush is way up [>]

:: Max 9:43 AM [+] ::
...
:: Sunday, October 17, 2004 ::
Ignorance Incarnate

Put down that coffee big guy, this'll make you hurl [>]

:: Max 11:36 PM [+] ::
...
GroupThink

This is how bad it's gotten--these people are truly deceiving themselves and if you think they're rattled now, if Bush wins re-election...

...dad-burn-it, I don't know what they'll do--group hand-wringing?

The New York Times has become...well...anachronistic, pedantic, predictable, dishonest, uninteresting, superficial, solipsistic, self-important, disconnected, pretentious, tedious...unnecessary...

:: Max 9:44 PM [+] ::
...
South Park Republicans

I'd probably qualify--if you're curious though, here's the manual.

:: Max 9:59 AM [+] ::
...
:: Saturday, October 16, 2004 ::
Athena in Syria

Athena is blogging from Syria. Her weblog Terrorism Unveiled is a fascinating account of a blond-haired, blue-eyed, Christian, Neo-Liberal walking the streets of Amman. Where else you gonna get reporting like this--CBS? BwaaHawHaw....

:: Max 11:58 PM [+] ::
...
Osama Bin Laden is Dead

I've been saying for a couple of months now that I think OBL is dead. I mean, how could this egomaniac possibly resist issuing highly publicized edicts on Muqtada al Sadr, the election in Afghanistan or the American Presidential election for that matter? Get real--if he were alive he'd be sending Michael Moore feature length video tapes to humble and humiliate George Bush but no--not a word from the Sheik. I say he was vaporized in Tora Bora and now others seem to be coming to the same, obvious conclusion--he's dead [>]

:: Max 11:00 PM [+] ::
...
Soros Manipulating TradeSports?

Donald Luskin is watching TradeSports and reports someone is making carefully timed trades to influence the market:

"There is now no question whatsoever that the Bush re-election futures contract at Tradesports.com is being manipulated. Yesterday the price of the futures were sold down from about 55 (indicating the market's estimate of a 55% probability of Bush's re-election) to 10 (indicating on a 10% probability) with a single 10,000-lot order entered by a single trader. An order that size represents twice the normal volume of an entire typical day's trading. Within moments after the order was completed, the price recovered back to the low-mid-50's.

He surmises it's probably George Soros (Theresa maybe?...nah, couldn't be).

Related: Steven Den Beste returns (briefly) with an examination of the RCP plot of the presidential polls and he finds some interesting anomalies. Check it out [>]

Via Instapundit [>]

:: Max 9:51 PM [+] ::
...
Believing The Lie

For twenty years, the Democrats, with the assistance of the liberal media have portrayed conservatives as bigots, homophobes and narrow-minded intolerant rubes. When John Kerry--in an akward and inappropriate response to Schieffer's question--crassly invoked Chaney's daughter in the last debate, it revealed something very important about how liberals think. It revealed that they actually DO believe the lie that Republicans are the cranky, anachronistic, stereotype that they have unfairly conjured.

Ironically, this kind of thinking is the very definition of bigotry. It was almost as if Kerry had said "now I want to be clear about this, I think there is nothing wrong with the fact that the Vice President has a lesbian daughter and I think it commendable Bush actually has two negroes, three Jews, and a Mexican in his administration" oh really?!

In view of the intolerant and vulgar tactics of the left this election cycle, and given Kerry's intemperate debate remarks, the Democrats are finally exposing their achilles heel; an insidious and subtle bigotry that they wield to pander to the ignorant and uninformed souls they hope to capture this November.

:: Max 4:33 PM [+] ::
...
:: Friday, October 15, 2004 ::
Broadcast Media Propaganda

Ted Koppel's outrageous program regarding the Swiftboater's allegations of Kerry's service record is just another nail in the coffin of broadcast news media. Powerline post's John O'Neill's response to Nightline's blatant and obvious propaganda:
While I have a tremendous amount of respect for Ted Koppel and ABC News I was appalled to learn that ABC News would go to the lengths of traveling to Vietnam to interview three Viet Cong communists in yet a third attempt by ABC to corroborate John Kerry’s version of the events that took place on February 28th, 1969.

I would only ask the American people: "Who do you trust more, three members of a communist regime that tortured and killed our American troops or a group of more than 280 highly decorated American veterans, who proudly served their country and are now responsible members of their respective communities?"

The number of veterans who support John Kerry's accounts of his military service would not fill one Swift Boat. But instead of sitting down to interview some of the 280 plus members of our Swift Boat organization, ABC News chose to travel to Vietnam taking extraordinary and highly suspect steps to find someone to corroborate John Kerry's story.

ABC News Nightline has now dedicated three separate programs to this one incident while ignoring John Kerry's now discredited Senate testimony that he spent Christmas in Cambodia, his receiving a purple heart after all three of the officers required to approve such an issuance rejected his application, or his constantly changing account of the circumstances surrounding his remaining medal, a bronze star.

Further, one has to wonder why ABC News will not address the serious questions as to why John Kerry only received an honorable discharge through the act of then President Carter, seven years after his discharge, and had to have all of his military citations reissued, on the same day, when he became a United States Senator in 1985. And, finally, why has Nightline found it of no interest to permit any POWs to come on their program to explain why they believe John Kerry betrayed their nation, caused them to be incarcerated for an additional two years and caused them tremendous additional hardship and suffering.


Mr. O'Neill asks "who do you trust more". If you are still getting your news fix from the talking-heads, you're totally out of the loop--the credibility of ABC, CBS and NBC is utterly bankrupt and it's so obvious that it's, frankly, embarrassing.

:: Max 6:41 PM [+] ::
...
Kerry's Credulous Foreign Policy Intentions

Dan Drezner's 'P Value' had him drifting toward Kerry--until he received this severe response from "a former US diplomat who served in both the Clinton and Bush administrations":

"I don't dispute some of Kerry's criticisms of the current Administration's conduct of foreign policy. But KE04 presents no actual solutions on foreign policy from which we can derive a reasonable belief that his performance would be better than the current White House. In fact, it just might be worse.

Many of Kerry's policy proposals on foreign affairs strike me as nastily disingenuous. His "fair trade" mantra raises the specter of protectionism at a time when America's continued global economic engagement remains a lynchpin of the "soft power" Kerry so ardently wishes to use as leverage in the war on terror. His fulminations on a lack of allies in Iraq don't pass the red face test -- French, German and Russian interests are now clearly arrayed in a classic balance of power position against the U.S. This will not change with Kerry in the White House. As for other allies (minus the UK and Australia), we're the victims of our Cold War success - most participants in Iraq are already projecting about as much power as they possibly can, having comfortably atrophied under our security umbrella for the past 60 years. This is the burden of hegemony, and I'm not quite sure Senator Kerry, whose mind still fully inhabits the Vietnam paradigm, is up to the task of bearing it forthrightly.

Kerry's respect for multilateralism should not be praised, but questioned, given the changing nature of international politics today. The days of America being able to win a kitchen pass from UN members on any number of issues have come to pass. The Cold War is over, and as your U of C colleague Mr. Mearshemier warned back in 1990, multipolarity will make us outright miss the Cold War. But Kerry hasn't grasped this fundamental change. He hasn't comprehended that the UN, as well as other multilateral institutions, has stopped being a preserve of internationally agreed rules and collective action backed by broad consensus. These institutions have become, instead, vehicles for the pursuit of narrow self-interests by any number of major regional powers which aspire to great power status. (France, Russia, Germany, India, Brazil, China). This is a drastically different international order from the one Kerry presumes to know.

You also have to ask yourself, who is going to carry out Kerry's multilateral approach? And on that score, things simply get worse. A Kerry White House would mean the Madeleine Albright B Team moving into senior foreign policy positions. And, with the notable exception of Richard Holbrooke (his hair may be on fire, but he gets things done), this would be disastrous. These are the same folks who fiddled for 8 years on counter terror, negotiated a terrifyingly naive nuke deal with North Korea, and generally treat foreign policy as a rhetorical exercise. This is a team who has demonstrated, in past position of influence, an alarming propensity to get rolled by their foreign counterparts. Let's pick just two: Susan Rice? Jamie Rubin?! Are you serious?? During her sojourn as assistant secretary for Africa in Albright's State Department, Rice had to be consistently bailed out of trouble by career diplomats. As for Rubin, he is anti-gravitas. He's Edwards-lite.

Think about Kerry's foreign policy track record and his much ballyhooed commitment to "multilateralism". Think if that reflects accurately the state of world politics today. Think about the people who would occupy senior Cabinet, NSC, State and DoD positions under Kerry. Then think about your vote again, please.

It's a good bet that if Kerry's elected we're going to see the Clinton foreign policy team resurrected with all of the trappings, including Yasser Arafat chilling his heels in the Rose Garden--look for a Jimmy Carter 'special-appointment' to the UN 'Security Council'.

(Imagine all the people...)

Hat Tip to The Corner's Rod Dreher [>]

:: Max 2:49 PM [+] ::
...
How to Cheat

The Denver Post has published an 'instruction manual' on how to commit voter fraud and predicts a post election train-wreck in Colorado. If the election is close, and problems like this repeat in other states, such as Florida, it could be months before the Presidential election is resolved. It's time we hold our election officials responsible for implementing orderly, lawful and reliable elections before the whole system is thrown into suasage-machine of politically motivated litigation. We deserve better.

:: Max 9:16 AM [+] ::
...
:: Thursday, October 14, 2004 ::
2004 Voter Fraud

Instapundit points to Bill Hobbs who is keeping tabs on reports of voter fraud nationwide--drop in for a visit [>]

I just checked in and was redirected to Vodkapundit's excellent observations on the subject. Here's a little excerpt but read the whole thing--it's spot on:

"I don't mean to say that Republicans haven't used dirty tricks, or won't in the future. But I have yet to see them pull anything as crass as replacing a losing candidate with a more-popular one just weeks before election day, and in violation of state law. I have yet to see Republicans calling on the world's most corrupt international organization, run largely by apparatchiks from the world's most brutal dictatorships, to pass judgment on how we run our elections. I have yet to see the Republicans encouraging their own to commit fraud by shouting "Fraud!" where none yet exists, putting at risk everything we've built here in the last 228 years.

Because, in the end, that's what the national Democrats are doing: They're trying, however inadvertently, to destroy the Republic in order to rule it.


I really do believe the Democrats would not hesitate to destroy the Republic to regain their power--they can't win at the polls, they can't win in the arena of ideas so they trash the freakin system. When in 2000, Gore unleashed his lawyers in Florida, I thought it was the begining of the end--that he'd opened Pandora's box--God I hope I'm wrong.


:: Max 5:00 PM [+] ::
...
Dems to sue for the election?

Nothing will get me into a polling-booth quicker than the thought of this happening!

I'm telling you the Democrats are going to try to steal this election and if it's close, they might succeed. You are forwarned.

And Kerry has a friggin' trial-lawyer on the ticket!

:: Max 11:47 AM [+] ::
...
:: Wednesday, October 13, 2004 ::
Newspapers Inflate Circulation Stats?

Drudge has had the Circ Stat teaser up for the last 24 hours, but now the NYT's is reporting that the SEC is investigating the practice of print-media inflating circulation numbers to bolster ad revenues. Not that I distrust them or anything, but maybe it's time someone looked into the Neilsen ratings for similar manipulations by the broadcast media--just to be thorough, mind you.

:: Max 9:24 AM [+] ::
...
Moral Clarity

Roger L. Simon points to this eloquent essay by a liberal Jew who explains why she will be "voting with more passionate conviction than I have ever mustered in a lifetime" for George W. Bush. Here's an excerpt:

"Senator Kerry has decried "the rush to war," stating that America "has lost its moral authority" because we overthrew Saddam without a sufficient number of allies. 34 countries joined us in our military endeavor there; Senator Kerry preferred to wait until we secured the co-operation of France, which means we would still be waiting today.

If we went to Iraq too early to please Senator Kerry, we are now lingering too long for his taste. Dismayed by the hopeless "quagmire" he perceives, he has declared his intention to bring our troops home as soon as possible, preferably in six months.

Too early, too late: It's never quite the right time to do battle on Senator Kerry's calendar. There is always another ally to consult, resolution to be passed, conference to be convened, process to be perfected, obstacle to be avoided.

And yet history has appointed the hour of our challenge, and however much we wish to turn back time, our moment has come. When the World Trade Center was attacked the first time in 1993, we chose to ignore the true seriousness of its implications. But on September 11th, 2001, with the Pentagon in flames, the World Trade Center collapsing, and a hijacked plane speeding towards Congress, we finally began our generation's rendezvous with destiny.

"You can not escape the responsibility of tomorrow by evading it today," said President Lincoln at another decisive moment in our nation's history. The War on Islamic Terror must be waged fully, humanely, and successfully. This monumental battle is both our burden and our privilege, for as Thomas Paine said when our country was born, "If there must be trouble let it be in my day, that my child may have peace."

On November 2nd, I will choose to honor my heritage as a Jew and as an American by voting for George Bush.


RTWT [>]

Related: Powerline has a nice post on why the Palestinians DO NOT want a seperate, independent Palestine state. The article illuminates why the never-ending peace-talks have proven to be futile. Should Kerry be elected president, look for more Arafat glad-handing in the Rose Garden with Jimmy Carter as chief negotiator--a return to the good-old-days?

:: Max 6:38 AM [+] ::
...
:: Tuesday, October 12, 2004 ::
More Democrat Voter Fraud

Colorado ACORN chapter pays for fraudulent registrations:

"Kym Cason says she was helping her boyfriend earn more money from a get-out-the-vote organization called ACORN or Association of Community Organizations for Reform Now. ACORN works with low or moderate-income families on housing issues. Cason said her extra registrations earned her boyfriend $50.

Gerald Obi says workers pressured him to keep registering to vote so they too could earn extra cash. When asked how many times he had registered this year, Obi said, "about 35 times.""


This is gut-wrenching--any sleazeball who conspires to disenfranchise a whole class of voters--in this case, thousands of Republicans--should lose their right to vote for 5 years and spend a month in jail. The level of fraud this cycle is truly unprecedented--if you're concerned, better call a friend or two to counter this typically sleazy Democrat scheme to steal the 2004 Presidential election.

:: Max 1:39 PM [+] ::
...
"otherwise, this is just a success story"

Instapundit has this report from Afghanistan correspondent Scott Norvell:

"It was a regrettably typical comment from an American reporter in this part of the world. "At least it's news," he said of the Afghan election scuffle over the weekend. "Otherwise, this is just a success story."

God forbid it be a success story.

But that's what it was here, no matter how hard the international media tried to spin it. There were no car bombs raining body parts all over the polling stations. There were no last-minute assassinations. There were no drive-by shootings. The best they could come up with for "news" was grumbling from hopelessly trailing opposition candidates about washable ink and threats of a boycott. The media's disappointment was palpable.

Can't say I'm at all surprised by this comment--just refreshing to see them admit it (wonder who the reporter was).

:: Max 8:25 AM [+] ::
...
A Question for Senator Kerry

The Democrats constantly bemoan the fact that terrorists are pouring into Iraq and that Iraq has become a haven for terrorists since Saddam was deposed--and the point is?

Dennis Praeger cuts to the chase:

"The claim that there are more, indeed many, terrorists in Iraq now is true. But the terrorists are there because they know that if America prevails in establishing a relatively free country where there once stood an America-hating terrorist-supporting Arab regime, they are ultimately doomed. Liberals love to find out the root causes of sociopathological behaviors. Well, one root cause of Islamic terror is the hermetically sealed Arab-Muslim world. Open that up to even some freedom, and the cesspool that produces the terrorist monsters begins to dry up.

That is why so many terrorists have moved to Iraq. They agree with President Bush--the war on terror is taking place in Iraq."

The Iraq thingy has the terrorists kind of occupied right now. What would they be doing if not fighting the Big Satan in Messopotamia Mr. Kerry--hmmm, I wonder.

:: Max 8:00 AM [+] ::
...
ABC's Liberal Bias in Black and White

The Washington Times comments on ABC News Political Director Mark Halprin's memo to the news division to "help voters evaluate" the presidential candidates (is anybody still watching network news?!).

:: Max 7:49 AM [+] ::
...
:: Monday, October 11, 2004 ::
Positive Developments

The Messopotamian reports on the Sadr City weapons surrender:

"A positive development, definitely, that which is happening in Sadr City, or Thowrah City. The first day seems promising and weapons are being surrendered seriously, we are keeping our fingers crossed, as it is said "chez vous". There is little doubt that the majority of people everywhere, including trouble spots are longing for peace. I have not been in Sadr City lately, but it is said, that the entrance of I.P. and ING was met with "ululation" (remember the word?) from women and general satisfaction. And in all honesty, something has to be said about the so-called "Sadrist Current". Well, despite all their transgressions and crimes, these people are not the "hardcore" terrorists who are the real danger in Iraq. Anyway let's hope that these latest developments result in a real appeasement of this important front, and more importantly unify at least all the Shiaa people towards the future political process. And in the final analysis the real solution to the whole problem has to be political, although we must appreciate the effect of American fire power that seems to have certain tranquilizing and sobering effect upon agitated souls.

However we have some worry that the patient may relapse in the absence appropriate doses of the "sedatives" abovementioned.


Related: Don't miss Florida Cracker's nice post on the Afghan election (lots of pics).

:: Max 3:33 PM [+] ::
...
:: Saturday, October 09, 2004 ::
Aussies Retain Howard--Gain Seats

Australian PM John Howard has been re-elected and apparently increased his coalition's majority. Powerline has more [>]

Update: Chrenkoff promises 'many stories'--after he's finished celebrating.

:: Max 8:26 AM [+] ::
...
:: Friday, October 08, 2004 ::
ABC's Halprin Skews News

Americans should be very troubled by this ABC effort to manage public opinion. This is why I no longer, ever, under any circumstances, watch network news--it's become irrevelant, boring, tedious and suspect. One would think the advertisers, supposedly motivated by the bottom line, would be concerned about negative ratings given alarming statements like Mr. Halprin's--particularly in view of the RatherGate scandal.

If you still depend the old system for your news consumption, you are in an ever shrinking minority of the misinformed.

:: Max 9:41 PM [+] ::
...
The Economy

Powerline points to this Heritage Foundation Report entitled "Framing the Economic Debate", a condensed but detailed primer on the current state of the American economy--useful for debunking tonight's presidential debate which will focus on domestic issues. Read it, bookmark it.

:: Max 2:31 PM [+] ::
...
:: Thursday, October 07, 2004 ::
This is a refreshing admission--they're catching on--slowly--but they're catching on.

Of course, the Blogfather has it [>]

:: Max 9:16 PM [+] ::
...
AFL/CIO Conspired to Attack Republican Campaign Offices Nationwide?

50 members of congress have petitioned Attorney General Ashcroft to invesitgate yesterday's coordinated attacks on Bush/Chaney campaign offices. Powerline has more [>]

:: Max 4:51 PM [+] ::
...
"Kerry's UN Fetish" Revisited: The 'Global Test'

John Kerry on Meet the Press:

"If I'm president, I will not only personally go to the UN, I will go to other capitals. . . . I will immediately reach out to other nations in a very different way from this administration. Within weeks of being inaugurated, I will return to the UN and I will literally, formally rejoin the community of nations and turn over a proud new chapter in America's relationship with the world."

This quote is taken from an April 04 column by Jeff Jacoby of the Boston Globe. In view of the continuing revelations of the UN Oil for Food scandal, this statement by Senator Kerry seems utterly preposterous. I linked to it via this American Thinker column entitled "Why Jews Should Vote for Bush". Read it and pass it on.

:: Max 1:51 PM [+] ::
...
White Knuckles

"Am going frantic. HUBBY has disappeared and I dunno what to do....The last time I spoke to him was yesterday afternoon, he had called me to tell me that he has arrived safely somewhere in the south of Iraq. His usual number wasnt working in that area, I have no clue what number he used. He said he will get intouch me with today since he is going to another location and staying the night. Till now no call, and its 2330 here, which means its 2230 in Iraq.

I tried his mobile knowing that I wont get through, but I am thinking to myself, maybe just maybe he will answer....OMG....

Maybe its nothing, but I am worried, really worried, shit I dont know what to do...I sent him emails and messages and still nothing. DAMN......I know that if he gets a chance he will call me no matter what cuz he knows how worried and panicky I get.....My heart hasnt stopped beating so fast ever since bad ideas are festering inside......OMG

I pray to God to keep him safe, safe for me. I dont think I can go on like this, living in stress and worries. HUBBYYYYYYYYYYYYYY CALL MEEEEEEEEEEEEEE PLEASEEEEEEEE TELL MEEEE YOU ARE OKKKKK. Oh God please, please protect him...."

Neurotic Iraqi Housewife is missing her spouse--c'mon Hubby, call home...NOW.

:: Max 1:36 PM [+] ::
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IEM Update



:: Max 1:08 PM [+] ::
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Kerry's Thugs Strike Again

Wow, you'd think someone took away their Michael Moore DVDs and rusty Volvos--sheesh, what in the hell are the Democrats smoking for crying out loud? Storming Bush HQ in Orlando; burning swastikas in peoples yards in Wisconsin; ransacking campaign offices; stealing computers in Washington, shooting windows out in Knoxville--geez, if they are this pathologically unhinged now wonder how they're gonna react if Bush is re-elected?

Via Powerline [>]

:: Max 11:12 AM [+] ::
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Distributed Research

Holy cow...Samizdata directs our attention to Vigilant.tv "That essential source for civil liberties issues...is showing signs of life again after a long absence from the blogosphere." Click and ye shall receive [>]

More: vigilant.tv is clinically deconstructing the Berg beheading video, a task MSM should have concerned itself with at the outset; they didn't care to examine the video carefully so the blogosphere takes over where MSM left off: Rather...eat your pretentious heart out.

Which reminds me...

of Tom Brokaw's recent and public disparagement of grass-roots journalism:

"Blogger Jihad" my ass--Vigilant.TV's Berg post is just good old-fashioned journalism Mr. Brokaw--something your enormous and overpaid research-staff obviously has little interest in persuing. The 'story', sir, is under your arrogant and upturned nose!

:: Max 1:31 AM [+] ::
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:: Wednesday, October 06, 2004 ::
World: We are sooo sorry.

Bet this'll make old Jacques get teary-eyed!

N.Z. Bear, in a selfless effort to mend international fences, posts an open letter of apology to the whole world for us wayward Americans who elected another cowboy guy for president. In this heartfelt admonition of America's imperialistic tendencies, Mr. Bear cops to Bush's grievous international policy sins and begs forgiveness from the peace-loving, global community. I join the rest of humanity and applaud this well reasoned and timely appeal for universal, planetary forgiveness.

Kumbaya!


:: Max 11:09 PM [+] ::
...

"WE BE BAD..."


P.J. O'Rourke on the Americans:
"WE BE BAD. ... We're three-quarters grizzly bear and two-thirds car-wreck and descended from a stock-market crash on our mother's side. You take your Germany, France and Spain, roll them all together, and it wouldn't give us room to park our cars. We're the big boys, Jack, the original giant economy-sized new and improved butt-kickers of all time."

This extraordinary O'Rourke quote was pulled from a wonderful column by the indespensible Claudia Rosett. You can read the whole dang thing but you'll have to go through LGF to get it...big guy [>]

:: Max 10:35 PM [+] ::
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A faint light at the end of the long, dark tunnel?

In the middle east, even the smallest efforts of self-examination are a big deal. Omar Amiralay, a Syrian film maker has created a documentary which is surprisingly critical of the rigid Damascus regime that has crippled his country's society and economy. Although the film has been derided in the Arab media as an evil Zionist plot, others have taken notice of Amiralay's critical examination of the debilitating effects that the Socialist Baathist regime has had on Syria--the film was "awarded a prize for best short-film at the Institut du Monde Arabe in Paris in June."

Via Winds of Change [>]

:: Max 9:45 PM [+] ::
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Vagina Monologues Update

Eve Ensler, creator of the Vagina Monologues is fielding a new effort The Good Body in which she obsesses about her stomach (!?):

"For most of my life I have felt wrong, dirty, guilty and bad, and my stomach is the carrier, the pouch for all that self-hatred. My stomach has become the repository for my sorrows, my child-hood scars, my unfulfilled ambition, my unexpressed rage.

Like a toxic dump, it is where the explosive trajectories collide: the Judaeo-Christian imperative to be good; the patriarchal mandate that women be quiet, be less; the consumer-state imperative to be better ..."


"Explosive trajectories" colliding in your stomach? Yikes...Scott Burgess has all the pathetic, self-absorbed, gut-wrenching, toxic details [>]

:: Max 8:57 PM [+] ::
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Jumping the tracks

Ok, so I go to Volokh via Instapundit to check in on important matters regarding the infringement of some white guy's civil liberties and I end up here.

Go figure.

:: Max 4:33 PM [+] ::
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Iraqi Blogger Alert



Iraqi blogger Hammorabi is suggesting there has been a major pull-back by 'insurgents' in Iraq. He also suggests Zarqawi might have been killed or left Iraq altogether and that Iyman Al-Zawahri might have been captured on the Pakistan border. See for yourself [>]

Wow--hope he's right. If there is any truth in this report it would be a huge turning point in the war in Iraq.

:: Max 1:19 PM [+] ::
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CNN Attempts to Silence Blogger

Geez, you would have thought CNN would've taken a clue from the NYT's failed attempt to put a lid on Robert Cox's blog The National Debate. For those of you who might not remember, Cox created an excellent parody of the New York Times masthead and he had so much fun with that that he's now taking on CNN. His new effort displays a CNN look-alike page showing Kerry leading in the pre-debate polls among "fraudulently registered voters, with a clearer edge among illegal aliens".

This has really pissed off the cable news network, so much so that they've invoked the DMCA (?!) and threatened Cox's ISP--what losers. CNN's going down on this one just like the NYTs--Cox is a genius and he is greatly admired in the blogosphere.

Via Instapundit [>]

:: Max 10:31 AM [+] ::
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Another Blogger AP Smack-down

Roger L. Simon is reporting the AP published it's debate wrap 30 minutes before the debate ended!--and he's got some choice words for the so-called "news" organization. Think maybe they wanted to get out in front of the Blogosphere?

I think we're getting to them.

:: Max 10:16 AM [+] ::
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First-Lady Debate?

Jeff Jarvis comments on Mrs. Jarvis' reaction to Theresa Heinz-Kerry and wonders if other women feel the same way...hmmm.

(Talk about your steel-cage-deathmatch--I'd probably pay to see Laura square off with Theresa--what a great idea!)

:: Max 10:06 AM [+] ::
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:: Tuesday, October 05, 2004 ::
They both won...

Right now, the only people who are undecided will be undecided the day they walk into the polling both. If you're a Democrat, Edwards was clearly the victor. If you're a Republican, Chaney dominated on substance. On the issue of style, Edwards probably came out on top because Chaney was all hunched over and kept looking down at the table with his clenched fists in front of his mouth (playing the archtypal Republican crank). Edwards, on the other hand, definitely knew where the camera lens was and played to it like he was back in the courtroom pleading to the Jury--effective for those who aren't up to speed on foreign policy complexities but are suckers for Edwards boyish, Clintonesque charm. At the end of the day, the Vice Presidential debates will have little effect on the outcome of the 2004 election.

:: Max 10:08 PM [+] ::
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:: Monday, October 04, 2004 ::
Diversion

"Caution: This page contains some works of 'anomalous motion illusion', which might make sensitive observers dizzy or sick. Should you feel dizzy, you had better leave this page immediately."

Via Slashdot [>]

:: Max 8:12 AM [+] ::
...
:: Sunday, October 03, 2004 ::
France, Russia Bribed

Although this is no big suprise in the blogosphere, big-media seems to be picking up on the Oil for Food scandal:

"The records demonstrate that the UN oil-for-food programme provided Saddam with a vehicle to buy support internationally by bribing political parties, companies, journalists and other individuals," he said. "This shows the need for a complete review of the UN."

Anybody plan on asking Kerry about this situation? And what 'journalists' does the London Times refer? Don't look for answers anytime soon. Power Line has it [>]

:: Max 1:30 PM [+] ::
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:: Saturday, October 02, 2004 ::
NYT outs lame McAuliffe debate ploy

Well, give credit where credit is due. Check out how this typically inane ploy by DNC 'punk' Terry McAuliffe played-out in the paper of record [>]

:: Max 11:43 PM [+] ::
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Marine Corps Moms

Blogs of War reminds us about Marine Corps Moms "the most underrated blog in the universe". I've added MCM to the blogroll under the WarBlogging header. One MCM is looking for assistance with...umm...basic necessities for her son [>]

:: Max 11:25 PM [+] ::
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Dem Voter Fraud--Florida

The Dems continue to disenfranchise Republican voters, this time in Florida. It's going to require many thousands of Republican votes to neutralize this onslaught of fraudulent Dem votes this election cycle--you are forwarned.

(this is serious BS and it's going on all over the country--the penalties obviously need to be increased--sheesh)

:: Max 10:47 PM [+] ::
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Kerry's Go-To Ally

Glenn Reynolds has this illuminating quote from a NY Post article by Amir Taheri:

"Add to this the recent bizarre phrase from French Prime Minister Jean-Pierre Raffarin. The head of the Figaro press group went to see him about the kidnapping of two French journalists in Iraq; Raffarin assured him they would soon be freed, reportedly saying, "The Iraqi insurgents are our best allies."

Nothing bizarre about this statement at all--as unbelieveable as it may seem, the French are purposely allying with radical Islam in an attempt to countervail American hegemony. These are the people that Kerry refers to when he browbeats GWB about a 'meaningful' coalition--he sees the french as 'our friends'.

Update: Here's more on Oil-for-Food from the NYT via Instapundit [>]


:: Max 8:43 AM [+] ::
...
:: Friday, October 01, 2004 ::
Florida Update

Florida Cracker has a typically compelling run-down of the situation in Florida--as always, she has some photos you'll be unlikely to find anywhere else. Just keep scrolling [>]

:: Max 8:11 PM [+] ::
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WOW

Couldn't make it through Lilek's bleat because he redirected me to this government image site; lest we forget, here it is [>]

(OK, I'll admit it--I can no longer do without the World Wide Web--it's become a part of my psyche. Take my beer and I'll be very pissed--take my house and I'll smash an expensive heirloom--take my WWW and I'll load my banana clip and go looking for the asshole who cut the freakin phone-line).

:: Max 7:43 PM [+] ::
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In My Opinion...

Osama Bin Laden is dead. I think he bought the farm in Tora Bora. It's pretty hard to maintain this guy is still alive when we haven't heard a peep out of him for so long. Note to John Kerry and the DNC: George W. Bush killed OBL and redirected the action to Iraq, taking out Hussien in the process. Add to this (likely) success the take-down of Pakistan's A.Q. Kahn, Libya's roll-over on WMD's, melt-down of the Oil-for-Food scam; the smack-down of Yasser Arafat and the ridiculous Palestine situation; free elections in democratized Afganistan and Iraq and you've got an extraordinary legacy in the making.

I feel pretty comfortable predicting that history will reveal the extraordinary truth about Bush's 'war on terror'. The only positive outcome from a possible Kerry win in November, I guess, is that Colin Powell, Condoleeza Rice, Dick Chaney, Donald Rumsfeld, Paul Wolfowitz and GWB will be able to publish their books on the inside account of the first term four years sooner than if they manage to hold on to the Presidency for a second term (don't get me wrong--I'll be happy to wait for their memoirs).

:: Max 6:12 PM [+] ::
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Bush's Hands Tied

There's a major diplomatic issue GWB couldn't address in last night's debate: the Oil for Food scandal which nixed France, Russia, Germany and the UN from any meaningful 'coalition' of 'allies' going into Iraq in the first place. So it's easy for Kerry to browbeat the President over the lack of participation by these entities because he knows Bush can't risk alluding to the complicated scam, further damaging relations with Chirac, Schroeder, Putin and Annan while he's trying to put Humpty back together again. This is particularly true as the scandal has received so little media attention--most people are simply unaware that our European 'allies' and the UN had such a profitable conflict of interest with Saddam Hussein's regime.

It's maddening the question of Oil-for-Food never comes up when discussing the 'coalition' situation--if the UN and Europeans had no such conflict, Hussein could have been deposed without any military intervention whatsoever but MSM seems loathe to question Kerry or Bush (much less Chirac and Annan) on this aspect of the war in Iraq.

Update: Looks like the house is zeroing in on Oil for Food. If you have any doubt that Chirac & Co. were scamming the Iraqi people for billions, and that it affected their willingness to depose sugar-daddy Saddam Hussein, your living in fantasy-land. Here's the link [>]



:: Max 8:43 AM [+] ::
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