April 30, 2005

There's HappyFunDictatorship of the Norks:
N.Korea May Carry Out Nuclear Test by June

The United States has warned the International Atomic Energy Agency that North Korea has been preparing to carry out an underground nuclear test since March and could go ahead as early as June, Kyodo news agency said on Saturday.

And then there's the mad MOO-lahs in Iran:
Iran Threatens to Resume Nuclear Work as Talks Fail

Iran warned on Saturday it may resume uranium enrichment-related work next week after it failed to reach an agreement with the European Union over the long-term future of its disputed nuclear program.

The warning sets up a summer crisis in Iran's long-running nuclear dispute with the West and is likely to lead to heightened U.S. pressure to send its case to the United Nations Security Council for possible sanction.

This argues the case pretty clearly that we definitely need someone tough representing us in the UN like John Bolton.
Confirm him and get him in there!
It does look to be a hot summer and it's not even May.
(BTW, has Kim Jong-Il been seen in public since that train explosion yet?)

Bush draws 32.7 million

An audience of 32.7 million viewers watched President Bush's Thursday night news conference, according to Nielsen Media Research.

Though some networks initially balked at airing the 8 p.m. conference because it would pre-empt an hour of prime-time programming on the first night of the May sweeps ratings period, it was carried live on eight networks and cable channels -- ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN, MSNBC, Fox News Channel and CNBC. (The 32.7 million figure is the combined total.)

The conference was initially scheduled for 8:30 p.m., but when several networks hesitated to interrupt their hourlong programs, the White House rescheduled the president's appearance.

Afterward, an audience of 33.63 million viewers tuned in for Survivor: Palau and The Apprentice airing on CBS and NBC, respectively, from 9 p.m. to 10 p.m. Both were delayed an hour from their normal start times by the news conference. (The audience for Survivor was 21.21 million, while The Apprentice was seen by 12.42 million Thursday night.)

...according to Drudge, they cut right off the live feed from the President on the alphabet channels while he was still speaking to go to Paris Hilton, Survivor and Donald Trump.
I wonder what my fellow Americans thought about that, particularly the ones who don't have cable (news).
The networks hate this President as much as their reporters do.
Still, it was a lot of fun to see President Bush herd cats field questions from the fifth column fourth estate and it was good to hear his official stand on energy, SS reform, the Iraqi security situation, the judiciary and the role of faith in American lives.
I wish he'd either spoken about or been asked about our borders, but that didn't happen.
Even though we're all at lot less frantic 3 and 1/2 years away from 9/11, hearing our Commander-in-Chief speak is important to quite a lot of us, as this huge audience figure attests and it's inexcusable and outrageous that both the network execs and the White House press corps can't tailor their hateful behavior and personal disrespect towards President Bush accordingly!
The MSM deserves to get hurt and hurt bad by falling viewership and dwindling subscribers and lost "eyeballs" for their abuse of the public trust and our federally licensed airwaves, especially when they can't be bothered to give our President (in wartime even!) a few minutes to keep the citizenry informed.
(I'm not even mentioning the fact that many more people stayed put and watched their awful "May sweeps" offerings because they'd tuned in to hear the President, but who wouldn't normally have turned on just to see "Survivor.")
Let this be a reminder to you that we're still fighting one front of the [Culture] War here at home, but I'd say from the size of the American audience who crowded around the set to watch Bush that this was yet another small victory for the Good Guys.

'Leash Lady' to Plead Guilty of Iraq Abuses

Lynndie England, the U.S. soldier pictured holding a naked Iraqi detainee on a leash in the Abu Ghraib prison scandal that damaged U.S. credibility around the world,
[Thank you, MSM, for creating and disseminating this "scandal" in wartime when many battles for hearts and minds are being fought in the press.--Jen]
will plead guilty next week to most charges against her, her lawyer said on Friday.
[...]
The Abu Ghraib photos, many of which were taken on a single night in November 2003,
[Remember how the howling Dimocrats said that the "abuse" at Abu Ghraib was "systemic?"--J.T.]
shocked the world and badly damaged America's reputation in a world already skeptical about the U.S.-led invasion earlier that year.
[What it really hurt was the way Americans (especially our soldiers) were perceived by the Iraqis.--J.T.]
[...]

More senior officers have been exonerated of blame by the U.S. military despite concern that a drive to squeeze information out of detainees initiated at a high level created the atmosphere in which such abuses could occur.
[To Al-Reuters and the MSM's dismay, this hasn't been proved to be the case and never will be.]
[...]
"Monday she's going plead to two specifications of conspiracy, four specifications of cruelty and maltreatment and one specification of indecent acts," he said. "They are dismissing two of the charges."

The most serious of the dropped charges alleged she engaged in a sex act with her then boyfriend Charles Graner -- who has been sentenced to 10 years in prison for his role in the abuses -- as another sergeant took a picture.

Poor Lynndie--she's not real bright and probably had never been out of her little hometown until she joined the Army and got sent to Baghdad.
She was trying to impress and amuse her boyfriend (probably her first and only boyfriend) and to make herself feel important and powerful.
Pathetic, really, but she's gonna pay the price and so will the father of her child with some hard time in prison.
In the meantime, over in our nation's capital, Sen. Ted Kennedy wants to commemorate Abu Ghraib day every year--can we give it a rest, Senator Oldsmobile?
At least Lynndie's victims weren't injured or killed by her pointing to their genitals while she smoked a cigarette, which is more than you can say for Mary Jo Kopeckni's evening with Captain Ted.

April 29, 2005

Report: Osama Bin Laden may be dead

An internet site linked with Al-Qaida has announced that the terror organization's leader, Osama Bin Laden, is dead.

Sources in the Al-Qaida network told the London based Arabic language A-Shark Al Awasat newspaper that the report is false and a videotape featuring the group's leader will soon be released.

If Bin Laden is in fact dead, he is expected to be replaced as head of the international terror network by his second in command, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, Army Radio reported.

All the Israeli papers are carrying this story.
(Does the Mosad get around or what?)
Hmmmm....a lot of us thought he bought it 3 years ago at Tora Bora, but now would do just fine.
My fingers are crossed--aren't yours?
We haven't heard from the old boy since he did that campaign ad for Kerry back in the fall and that was 6 months ago.
Ooh, hope it's true!
The jihad would have lost their latest Mahdi and that Zawahiri dude is such a live wire, he should have Al Queda hopping!

April 27, 2005

Laura's Official Home On The Web
Our dear Laura2 (Laura1 being our First Lady) returned home today after having a cancerous lump successfully removed yesterday.
I was devastated when I heard the news that she'd been diagnosed with breast cancer, but immediately started sending up prayers for her complete healing.
Bet you did, too.
If you haven't already, send her an email with best wishes and prayers by clicking on her pic.
Laura's a national treasure; if Ann Coulter is the "devil" of the VRWC, Laura2's our angel, although they both are irreverent, hilarious and smart as all get out, as well as being pretty and charming!
I can't start the day without listening to Laura's show on the radio--hope you get it where you live.
If not, join Laura's 365 club which allows you to listen live on the net or to archived shows later at your convenience!

I'm also glad to see Tony Snow, who's also dealing with colon cancer, back in the saddle on his radio show and taking on the Lib Dem beast with more vigor than ever!

We know very well how sharp the Powerline boys are, but who knew they were so hilarious?
This is a few days old, but I couldn't let it go without posting about it.
Scott Johnson does a complete and unbelievably funny takedown of Friedman's NYT column and his newest book "The World is Flat."
Trust me: You won't wanna miss it, and you can speak with knowing aspersion when your Liberal friends start yapping about how "brilliant and perceptive" Friedman's cr*p book or his latest offal-ing in the Slimes is at the next cocktail party or BBQ...which they inevitably will!
Power Line: Thomas Friedman is flattened
When the PL men post this sign, they mean business!

Oil-for-food probe has not cleared Annan, Volcker says

Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker says his investigation into the scandal-plagued oil-for-food program has not cleared U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan of wrongdoing, despite Mr. Annan's claims to the contrary.
[But being the media animal™ he is, Kofi thinks that if he claims he's been cleared on camera, that that's all that matters.--Jen]

In an interview aired yesterday with Fox News, Mr. Volcker took direct issue with Mr. Annan's insistence that he had been exonerated by investigators probing both his role in overseeing the Iraq aid program and conflicts of interest involving a key contract awarded to a Swiss firm that employed Mr. Annan's son.
    
"I thought we criticized [Mr. Annan] rather severely," Mr. Volcker said of his panel's interim report, released March 29. "I would not call that an exoneration."

 Asked point-blank whether Mr. Annan had been cleared of wrongdoing in the $10 billion scandal, Mr. Volcker replied, "No."
[...]
Mr. Annan, who has fiercely resisted calls that he step down, immediately claimed vindication after the Volcker panel reported on March 29 that it had found "no evidence" that the secretary-general had used his influence to help Cotecna win the contract.
[...]
Asked whether he was considering resigning from his post before his term ends next year, Mr. Annan answered emphatically, "Hell no."
[Not just "No" but "Hell, no?" What nerve!
This grifter isn't getting off the gravy train until it's proven that he's crooked--which may not be far off.--Jen]
[...]
Mr. Volcker's panel, which was commissioned by Mr. Annan last year, has come under fire with the recent resignation of two of the panel's lead investigators, Robert Parton and Miranda Duncan, who left reportedly because they thought the reports released to date had gone too easy on Mr. Annan.

I *knew* in my gut a long time ago that Kofi and many of his fellow travelers and pals in the U.N. were in on the take, but if you're one of those people who likes all the evidence lined up or you just love watching this soap opera as it unfolds, skip on over to Roger Simon's blog; he's all over the U.N. scandal like white on rice, but his journo friend Claudia Rossett OWNS the story--check out her latest column for the New York Sun here.
(I got a subscription to the NYSun online just to read Claudia's column but there's a heap of factual reporting and intelligent analysis there by others, too. NYTimes beware! You've got competition.)

Putin arrives in Israel for a historic 2-day visit

Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived for a historic visit in Israel on Wednesday evening.

He is the first Russian leader ever to visit Israel, and arrived on the same day that a verdict was expected in the controversial trial of Russian oligarch Mikhail Khodorkovsky, the Jewish former owner of oil giant Yukos, accused of fraud and tax evasion.
[...]
In addition to Iran's nuclear program and Moscow's sale of missiles to Syria, the question of fugitive Russian Jewish oligarchs in Israel may come up in the talks.

What a world we live in, huh?
Did you ever think you'd see the day?
(Maybe Dr. Condi's talk with Vlad did him a little good...)
When you stop to think that it was the USSR that armed the Arab nations who attacked Israel in '67 and '73 and given Russia's loooooonnnng history of anti-Semitism under both the Commies and the czars, this is an amazing development.
Of course, earlier this week, Mohammed came to the mountain in lowly Crawford, Texas:



Much MSM ink has been spilled about what this picture "means," but if President Bush was brought up like I was, he was taught to be kind and patient to elderly people; his own parents are contemporary with the Saud monarch.
Prince Abdullah is a senior citizen who has trouble getting around now that he's in his late 70's.
Does this photo mean our President is "in bed" with the Crown Prince? No.
It probably means nothing more than that Dubya genuinely likes the old boy and has a good relationship with him.
What caught my eye were the beautiful bluebonnets in bloom behind them--our state flower!
Thanks to Lady Bird Johnson and her wildflower project, bluebonnets are blooming all over the Lone Star State!
(She may be a Democrat, but over and above that, she's a proud Texan.)

April 25, 2005

Syria Intelligence Quits Lebanon HQ After 29 Years

Syrian intelligence quit its Lebanese headquarters in the border town of Anjar on Monday, virtually completing a pullout of Syrian forces from Lebanon and ending Damascus's 29-year domination.
[Whoo-Hoo!
Pop the champagne corks in Beirut!--Jen]

As the last Syrian military and intelligence units pulled out, Lebanon's Syrian-installed security apparatus showed signs of collapse with the resignation of the country's most powerful security chief allied with Damascus.
[...]
But the United States, which led international pressure on Syria to withdraw from Lebanon, was skeptical.

"It's clear that Syria has been withdrawing its military forces from Lebanon," State Department spokesman Adam Ereli told reporters in Washington. "This process isn't complete either (on) the military forces or the intelligence assets."

[The] Lebanese election due in May would test whether Syria still intervened in the affairs of its smaller neighbor, said one U.S. official who asked not to be named.
[...]
"It's finally over. I'm very optimistic about Lebanon's future," said Michael Young, a political commentator critical of Syria. "No doubt they will continue to try to play a role in Lebanon, but the structure of their system of authority in Lebanon has collapsed."

Residents welcomed Lebanese troops as they took over, waving Lebanese flags and showering them with flowers and rice.

The military road that links the two countries will be closed after the farewell ceremony ends, they said.

This is very, very good and the Cedar Revolution rolls on, but...what's happened to Hezbollah?

Witness: Akbar Attack Compromised Iraq War

A sergeant's attack on his own colleagues in the 101st Airborne Division in Kuwait sidelined key personnel the unit needed for its assignment in the invasion of Iraq, a commander testified Monday.

"Everybody knew this would be a big fight," Col. Ben Hodges testified Monday at a sentencing hearing for Sgt. Hasan Akbar, convicted in a grenade and rifle attack that killed two soldiers and wounded 14. "I never dreamed my first casualties would occur inside Camp Pennsylvania and they would be caused by one of my own soldiers."

Hodges commanded the 101st's 1st Brigade Combat Team and was among those wounded in Akbar's attack. He testified for the prosecution, which is seeking a death sentence for Akbar, 34.
[...]
Hodges said Akbar's attack took out of action key personnel responsible for planning troop movements. He said that resulted in the brigade being slow to isolate the city of Najaf, allowing some Iraqi fighters to escape.

"I lost three or four positions that were the worst possible ones we could have lost," Hodges said.
[...]
Akbar's father, John Akbar of Seattle, said outside the court building that he went to church over the weekend and prayed that his son's life would be spared. The father is expected to testify for the defense.
[Doesn't Al-Presseera mean he went to a mosque to pray?
You can't make me believe that either this man or his son was born with the name "Akbar," either.--Jen]

Before the start of testimony Monday, the military judge overseeing the case said he would not allow prosecutors to introduce evidence of a fight Akbar had with a military police officer in the court building last month. Akbar secreted a weapon in an office and stabbed the MP in the neck while in the restroom, but the judge said that "opportunistic stabbing" didn't show a pattern of violence.
[Looks as if a Clintonista liberal judge snuck into this military tribunal...J.T.]

The defense has said Akbar carried out the attack but was too mentally ill to have premeditated it — a necessary condition for a death sentence. Now, the defense has the task of persuading the jurors — all of whom said they could vote for a death sentence — to spare Akbar's life.

This man not only committed the worst crime a soldier can carry out, murdering his fellow soldiers (if memory serves, he killed 2 of his commanding officers), but he did if for the Enemy: he was waging Islamist jihad as a radical Muslim against the American "infidel."
There's no question that he should receive the death penalty, particularly because he appointed himself judge and jury to carry out his "executions."
The more troubling question is how this man got into our armed forces without his true loyalties to Islamism and jihad being discovered before it was too late.
(Even allowing the argument that he was "mentally ill" to stand, how did his lunacy evade detection in the ranks then?)
It's common knowledge that Islamist clerics have penetrated our military's chaplain corps as well as those of our prisons.
Now that we're 3 and 1/2 years past 9/11 and the commencement of the War on Islamist Terror, isn't requiring a loyalty oath to America (superseding any loyalty to wage jihad) a good idea for these "men of God Allah?"

Mother of Zacarias Moussaoui urges France to oppose death penalty in his case

The mother of the only person charged in the U-S over the Nine-Eleven attacks is urging France to oppose the death penalty in her son's case.
[Uh, madame, the French don't have any say in these United States.What they're going to do? Stop the shipments of wine, cheese and Chanel?...LOL--Jen]
Zacarias Moussaoui (zak-uh-REE'-uhs moo-SOW'-ee) -- a French citizen -- has pleaded guilty to six felonies, four of which carry the death penalty. The prosecutors in the case have said they will seek to put Moussaoui to death.

His mother (Aicha el-Wafi)
[Notice that both son and mom have very non-French names.--J.T.]
says "for the moment there is no reason to condemn him to death."
[If Zacharias were being tried in any Islamic country, he would have been executed long ago and publicly beheaded in Saudi Arabia with little or no "trial."]

Moussaoui has said he was chosen by Osama bin Laden to fly an airliner into the White House. He said at the time of his plea that he intended to fight the death penalty.

The European Union condemns the death penalty for foreign nationals in the U-S. France outlaws the death penalty at home.

...which is why the crime problem is bad and getting worse in EU countries.
Believe it or not, the French kept the guillotine in use for capital punishment until 1977.

We heard from this woman before, right after 9/11, if you'll remember.
He wasn't able to be a 9/11 hijacker on Flight 93 because he'd been arrested the month before.
The FBI had a huge file on him a foot high then.
In fact, if the Gorelick wall had been down and aggressive interrogations had been used on him, we might have found out about the 9/11 attacks in time to stop them.
At least we can thank the heroes on Flight 93 that brought the plane down before it could hit the White House or the Capitol and this was a bit easier for them to do because Moussaoui wasn't on board.
Fry him--whining mother be d*mned!
He fully intended to kill lots of us and still does.