Guantanamo Bay Abuses

Someone alert Amnesty International!

There are reports of hundreds of abuses at the prison at Guantanamo Bay!

No, the guards aren't attacking the prisoners. The prisoners are attacking the guards.

Thank you Landmark Legal Foundation for bringing out this information.

The lib media and so-called human rights organizations have been obsessed with the supposedly routine torture of prisoners at Gitmo.

No one, until now, has bothered to document the treatment of guards at the facility.

It's about time.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The prisoners held at Guantanamo Bay during the war on terror have attacked their military guards hundreds of times, turning broken toilet parts, utensils, radios and even a bloody lizard tail into makeshift weapons.

Pentagon incident reports reviewed by The Associated Press show Military Police guards are routinely head-butted, spat upon and doused by "cocktails" of feces, urine, vomit and sperm collected in meal cups by the prisoners.

They've been repeatedly grabbed, punched or assaulted by prisoners who reach through the small "bean holes" used to deliver food and blankets through cell doors, the reports say. Serious assaults requiring medical attention, however, are rare, the reports indicate.

The detainee "reached under the face mask of an IRF (Initial Reaction Force) team member's helmet and scratched his face, attempting to gouge his eyes," states a May 27, 2005, report on an effort to remove a recalcitrant prisoner from his cell.

"The IRF team member received scratches to his face and eye socket area," the report said.

It has to really bug the AP to put out this story.

Prisoners have engaged in abuses.

I thought the prisoners were actually tortured, helpless victims.

They sound like a pretty tough bunch of bad guys, not the meek and mild innocents that the lib media and lib lawyers and lib so-called "human rights" groups claim are being victimized and unjustly held.

Guards currently stationed at Guantanamo describe a tense atmosphere in which prisoners often orchestrate violence in hopes of unnerving their captors, especially with attacks using bodily fluids.

"I mean, seeing a human being act that way, it's terrifying. ... You are constantly watching before you take your next step to see if something is about to happen," Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer Mack D. Keen told AP in an interview from Guantanamo.

"You see little signs. They kind of show their hand every once in a while. They'll take their Quran and they'll cover it up," he said. "When you see a group of detainees taking their Quran and putting it away, you know something is about to happen."

Yes, protect that Quran before throwing bodily fluids around.

Moazamm Begg, 38, a prisoner for more than two years at Guantanamo before being released to Great Britain, said he was suspicious of the Pentagon's description of incidents, especially allegations that Muslim men tore their Qurans or used sperm in attacks. The Pentagon continues to publicly question Begg's claim of innocence.

"This just doesn't make sense _ especially since for Muslims this would be something that was disgusting, something that just wouldn't be done," he said. He added that some detainees told him they had mixed toothpaste and spit in the cocktails to make it look like semen.

Begg says that doesn't make sense, tearing up the Quran or using body fluids in attacks. Muslims wouldn't do that.

MUSLIMS HIJACKED PLANES FILLED WITH CIVILIANS AND FLEW THEM INTO BUILDINGS.

Does that make sense?

MUSLIMS ROUTINELY BLOW THEMSELVES UP TO KILL AS MANY CIVILIANS AS POSSIBLE.

Does that make sense?

MUSLIM MILITIAS HIDE AMONG WOMEN AND CHILDREN, IN SCHOOLS, HOSPITALS, AND MOSQUES, EXPLOITING THEM AS HUMAN SHIELDS.

Does that make sense?

Hey, Begg! Are those things disgusting to Muslims?

Are those things "something that just wouldn't be done" by Muslims?

Begg, who has written a book and spoken frequently about his experience, said most incidents he witnessed were spontaneous reactions "when word spread" among prisoners that a guard had done something wrong.

"I rarely saw lone prisoners acting out on their own for no reason except if they had some sort of mental illness or if they were on medication," he said.

Naturally, AP reporter John Solomon would seek out someone like Begg to comment on the incident reports.

Solomon is looking to discredit the reports and to make up excuses for the prisoners' behavior.

The lib media are not about to let go of the anti-American Guantanamo torture story.

Nonetheless, the incident reports released under the Freedom of Information Act to a conservative legal group and reviewed by AP, provide a rare chronicle of events inside the prison from the guards' perspective.

Why is it that the lib media never qualify their reports about abuses on Gitmo prisoners with phrases like "from the prisoners' perspective"?

Entire wings of prisoners were reported to become riotous after complaints emerged that guards mishandled a Quran or mistreated prisoners. On two occasions, however, prisoners themselves were reported to have destroyed their Muslim holy books, the reports state.

"Detainee residing in cell (redacted) block tore his Quran into small pieces," a guard reported in May 2003. A month later, a prisoner "did intentionally destroy his Quran and throw (it) out of his cell," another report stated.

Will Newsweek run a story about this?

No chance. Qurans are only destroyed and flushed down toilets by the Americans in their fictional world.

Read some more of the details of the reports.

It's a rare occasion that a lib media outlet would put out this sort of information.

Luckily for them, they have dead civilians in Lebanon to dwell on, so they can easily bury this story or ignore it altogether.

The reports detail more than 440 incidents between guards and prisoners from December 2002 through summer 2005 that resulted in recommendations of discipline, an average of about three per week. The names of guards and prisoners as well as the final discipline were blacked out by the Pentagon.

Often, guards went weeks without reporting problems; other times incidents were bunched together during times of frustration and tension.

For instance, nearly a quarter of the incidents occurred in July 2005, the month dozens of detainees started an extended hunger strike.

Tensions likewise flared during Christmas week 2004, with inmates frequently spitting on guards. On Christmas Eve, a prisoner who was angry that he couldn't finish his meal was said to have used a plastic fork-spoon utensil _ called a spork _ to attack a guard collecting his tray.

"Detainee stabbed the MP guard ... in the hand with his spork from chow meal," the report said, adding the prisoner later "made a slicing motion across his neck" and vowed to kill the guard.

With many nearing five years in U.S. captivity, the prisoners "have a Ph.D. in being a detainee" and "know our procedures and they try to turn them against us and try to make us question what we are doing," said Army Lt. Col. Michael J. Nicolucci, the prison's executive officer.

"They'll take the smallest things, be it a piece of rust," he said. "They told us they are going to take that piece of rust and they are going for the jugular, they are going for the eye. They know what our vulnerabilities are, anatomically speaking."

Meal plates, shower flip-flops, cleaning brushes and other items deemed harmless in civilian life also are commonly turned into weapons, the reports said. For instance:

_"Detainee in cell (redacted) grabbed the radio from an MP and then threw the radio at the MP. The detainee then threw rocks at the MP," a Dec. 23, 2003, incident report stated.

_A detainee "reached out of his bean hole and attacked MP (name redacted) with a piece of metal foot pad from toilet striking him on the left hip area," a July 15, 2005, report said.

_"Detainee broke off the top of his sink, subsequently broke out the window then began throwing the sink and pieces of pipes at the Block Guard," a March 25, 2005, report said.

One of the most unusual incidents detailed in the four-inch stack of incident reports occurred when a detainee in the prison recreation yard assaulted a guard with a bloody tail torn from a lizard.

The detainee "caught the iguana by the tail at which time the tail detached," the May 2005 report described. When the guard turned to talk to a commanding officer, "he felt something strike him in the lower right back" and then "saw the tail on the ground at his feet and blood was in the same area of his uniform." The detainee said he was "just playing."

These are just a few of the incidents of abuse.

There are over four hundred!

Can you imagine how the lib media would react if they had four hundred prisoner abuse incident reports to splash?

They would be positively giddy.

Nicolucci said one of the most serious incidents occurred this May, too recent to be recorded in the Pentagon's released reports. A prisoner staged an apparent suicide attempt while his inmates slicked the floors with human waste, seeking to overpower guards when they slipped, he said.

"We provide fans in order to keep them cool," Nicolucci recalled. "And they were using the basket, or the grate of the fan as a shield, the blades as machetes, the pole as a battering ram."

That disturbance was turned back in a few minutes with some guards and prisoners sustaining minor injuries, he said.

Take note Amnesty International: The prisoners get fans to keep them cool. And what was done with the fan in this case?

It was used by the prisoners in a carefully planned attack against the guards.

The Landmark Legal Foundation, a conservative legal group that fought to force the Pentagon to release the reports under the Freedom of Information Act, said it hopes the information brings balance to the Guantanamo debate.

"Lawyers for the detainees have done a great job painting their clients as innocent victims of U.S. abuse when the fact is that these detainees, as a group, are barbaric and extremely dangerous," Landmark President Mark Levin said. "They are using their terrorist training on the battlefield to abuse our guards and manipulate our Congress and our court system."

It should not have taken a legal fight under the Freedom of Information Act for these reports to be made public.

There most definitely needs to be balance.

These latest revelations provide crucial context, necessary to understanding the situation at Gitmo.

Though all detainees are foreigners, many are clearly Americanized when it comes to their insults and gestures. Male guards are frequently derided as "donkeys" while female guards are routinely called "bitches" or harassed by references to their breasts or genitalia, the reports said.

In all, nearly a quarter of incidents involved female guards, the reports show.

"They absolutely target female guards," Nicolucci said. "They have a lot of cultural biases about females, and we let them know in our culture that females do everything males do in a professional job environment, and we just hold firm."

Is this appropriate behavior by Muslims?

Perhaps Moazamm Begg could comment.

This is interesting--

The bodily fluid attacks are so numerous that guards now frequently wear specialized shields to protect their faces.

This certainly runs counter to the impression of Guantanamo that the lib media give.

The attacks are so common that our guards need special gear to protect them from the violent prisoners.

The incident reports also are noteworthy for information that is missing. With redacted names, it is impossible to tell whether bad behavior is widespread or the work of a few repeat offenders. Likewise, the documents don't tell whether certain guards are prone to confrontation.

Prisoners' hunger strikes, suicide attempts and threats to injure themselves aren't considered disciplinary matters and thus aren't recorded in the incident reports. Yet the Pentagon acknowledges there have been scores of such incidents.

Again, Solomon is clearly lending support to the prisoners. He plants doubts and suggests that "certain guards" may bring the attacks on themselves -- classic blaming the victim stuff.

Classic "blame America" stuff.

Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., a prisoner of war during Vietnam, said the treatment of the guards has been overshadowed by the legal and political debates surrounding the detainees, but he has been impressed with the guards' professionalism.

"Our personnel there have perhaps the most difficult task you can have in the military outside of being in a combat zone. ... These are bad guys and some of the most hardened of hardened criminals. And some I think will need to be kept permanently," he said.

No kidding. The treatment of our guards has been overshadowed.

More accurately, it's been virtually ignored.

We can thank Dick Durbin and those of his ilk.

McCain said the detainees' behavior and the likelihood of permanent confinement only hastens the need for the administration and Congress to finalize detention and trial policies consistent with the Supreme Court's direction.

While Washington addresses those questions, the guards look to stay one step ahead of the detainees.

"Yes, you do get upset but you get somebody to take your place," Keen said in explaining how he survives the tensions of the cell block. "You go outside. You walk it off and you come back and (say) I want to be back in the fight."

God bless our military, for the sacrifices they make and the dangers they face to keep us safe.

Mel Gibson and Anti-Semitism

Another celebrity's mugshot

I'm not an apologist for Mel Gibson.

His alcoholism relapse is no excuse for the horrible anti-Semitic remarks that he made after being pulled over for drunken driving.

However, I think there needs to be some perspective here.

According to various Hollywood insiders and commentators, Gibson's career is toast.

LOS ANGELES (AP) -- A stunned Hollywood debated the future of one of its biggest stars Sunday as a sheriff's watchdog launched an investigation into a possible cover up of a leaked report that quoted Mel Gibson unleashing a tirade of anti-Semitic remarks during a drunken driving arrest.

One media expert said Gibson irreparably damaged his career with his "crazy" behavior following his arrest by Los Angeles County Sheriff's deputies in Malibu early Friday. Charges of anti-Semitism were also leveled against the actor-director with the release of his 2004 blockbuster "The Passion of the Christ."

"It's a nuclear disaster for him," said publicist Michael Levine, who has represented Michael Jackson and Charlton Heston, among others. "I don't see how he can restore himself."

I don't know how this will affect Gibson's career.

He clearly harbors anti-Semitic feelings. It's despicable.

BUT--

Is his anti-Semitism worse than Cindy Sheehan's variety?

She calls herself a Christian, yet she has no qualms about saying:

"Am I emotional? Yes, my first born was murdered. Am I angry? Yes, he was killed for lies and for a PNAC Neo-Con agenda to benefit Israel. My son joined the army to protect America, not Israel. Am I stupid? No, I know full well that my son, my family, this nation and this world were betrayed by George Bush who was influenced by the neo-con PNAC agendas after 9/11."

What about Jesse Jackson?

Jesse Jackson, moral leader, called Jews "Hymie" and New York City "Hymie-town."

And Al Sharpton, another moral leader, referred to Jews as "diamond merchants."

Recall this incident:

In 1991, Sharpton turned the death of a black child in a traffic accident in Brooklyn, involving a Hasidic Jew, into a racial incident. Sharpton led 400 protesters through the Jewish section of Crown Heights. There were four nights of rock- and bottle-throwing, and a young Talmudic scholar was surrounded by a mob shouting, "Kill the Jew," and was stabbed to death.

Louis Farrakhan is one of the worst offenders.

Some of Farrakhan's gems:

"These neo-cons and Zionists have manipulated Bush and the American government and our boys and girls are dying in Iraq and in Afghanistan for the cause of Israel, not for the cause of America!"

"Israel is the tail waggin' the dog, which is America."

"I'm warning you America. You better get rid of them neo-cons. That's the synagogue of Satan. They have made America weak. You're a weak nation now, and your country has been taken from you by the synagogue of Satan. They own Congress. That's why the Congress ain't right."

"These false Jews promote the filth of Hollywood that is seeding the American people and the people of the world and bringing you down in moral strength ... It's the wicked Jews the false Jews that are promoting lesbianism, homosexuality. It's wicked Jews, false Jews that make it a crime for you to preach the word of God, then they call you homophobic!"

"And the Christian right, with your blindness to that wicked state of Israel ... can that be the holy land, and you have gay parades, and want to permit to have a gay parade in Jerusalem when no prophet ever sanctioned that behavior. How can that be the Israel, how can that be Jerusalem with secular people running the holy land when it should be the holy people running the holy land. That land is gonna be cleansed with blood."

By pointing out these other infamous anti-Semites, I'm in no way excusing Gibson. Obviously, he has issues. He revealed a very ugly side of himself.

But I think a double standard is being applied in his case.

Gibson is rightfully being condemned for his anti-Semitism.

That makes me wonder: Where is the outrage when Sheehan, Jackson, Sharpton, and Farrakhan spew their disgusting anti-Semitic, "blame the Jews" comments?

Do the Hollywood liberal elite and other members of the glitterati rise up against them with the same fervor? With any fervor?

No.

Do they condemn Hamas, Hezbollah, and nutjobs like Mahmoud Ahmadinejad for calling for Israel to be destroyed?

Do they turn their backs on Kofi Annan and the United Nations for their decidedly anti-Israel slant?

I would like the Left and the lib media to put as much energy into condemning anti-Semitism, WHEREVER THEY FIND IT, as they are putting into crucifying Mel Gibson.

No Slack for Haq

Don't be angry at Naveed Haq.

Try to understand why he shot six women, one fatally.

He was troubled. Give him a break.

WEST RICHLAND, Wash. (AP) -- The suspect in a fatal shooting rampage at a Jewish charity deeply disappointed his parents because he had dropped out of dentistry school, and had been getting psychiatric help for 10 years, a family friend and his lawyer said.

Naveed Haq, 30, was a bright student who moved to the East Coast to study dentistry after graduating from high school in 1994, said Muhammad Ullah, a close friend of the suspect's family.

But he dropped out after just a few years, frustrating his accomplished parents and straining their relationship.

"They had expressed to me their concern and unhappiness: 'He can't decide what he wants to do with his life,'" said Ullah, a senior member of the Islamic Center of the Tri-Cities. "He had grown distant from his family since he didn't finish school."

...He is accused of opening fire with two semiautomatic pistols at the Jewish told a 911 dispatcher: "These are Jews and I'm tired of getting pushed around and our people getting pushed around by the situation in the Middle East."

I guess Haq decided what he wanted to do with his life.

...Haq's family was well-known in the local Muslim community, where his father, Mian, an engineer, was a founding member of the Islamic Center in this south-central Washington town.

Haq, whose parents had moved to the United States from Pakistan in the excelled in writing, winning an essay contest as a teenager, Ullah said. He eventually completed an engineering degree at Washington State University.

Then in March, Haq was arrested at a Benton County stopping mall. Newspaper reports said that he climbed onto a raised coin fountain and exposed himself to young women.

Larry Stephenson, a Kennewick lawyer who is representing Haq on the lewd conduct charge, told The Seattle Times that Haq has been getting psychiatric help for about 10 years.

"He's had real difficulty," he said, adding that he thought Haq was single and unemployed.

Lots of people have real difficulty.

Lots of people disappoint their parents.

Lots of people don't commit murder because they're struggling.

Ullah told The Times that the parents were "desperately trying to help their son," who was on medication.

Haq had asked Ullah to bail him out of jail after being arrested at the shopping mall.

"He was too embarrassed to call his parents. He was in enough trouble with them already," Ullah said. "Because we were the closest friends to the family, he probably sensed he could trust me."

...Haq's parents are devastated and struggling to understand how their son strayed from the teachings of Islam, Ullah said.

Does that last sentence jump out at you?

Haq strayed from the teachings of Islam.

Really?

Millions of Muslims believe that their faith calls them to annihilate the Jews.

Haq is right on target with that intrepretation of the teachings of Islam.

No one answered the door at the Haq residence north of Pasco, where Haq's parents moved in the past few years after raising their two sons in nearby Richland.

"We feel bad for his parents _ good parents, good people," Ullah said. "Today, this is a totally sad day for our community."

The devastation that Haq's parents feel can't begin to compare with what the loved ones of the slain woman are experiencing.

It sounds like the groundwork is being laid to excuse Haq's behavior, because he was troubled and had received psychiatric care.

If we're forgiving, compassionate people, we're expected to cut Haq some slack.

What he did wasn't really a hate crime. A sick man did a sick thing. He's a victim of his illness.

Blah, blah, blah.

Haq specifically targeted Jews. He shot six people, killing one.

That's not the typical response to dropping out of dentistry school.

Doyle's Refund

"What? I don't know. Huh?"
There's no end in sight to the felonious behavior, the wrongdoing, and the appearance of impropriety when it comes to Jim Doyle and his people.

At least that's the way it seems. There are so many instances of sleazy, questionable exchanges of money for various favors from Doyle that it's hard to keep track of them all.

Another weird one has surfaced.

MADISON, Wis. (AP) - Two months after Gov. Jim Doyle handed a yacht-building company a $1.16 million state grant, the company president hosted a fundraiser that netted more than $16,000 in donations to his campaign, records show.

Doyle accepted the donations even though he had returned $10,000 in contributions from the same Burger Boat Co. executives months earlier, citing the company's pending application for the state aid.

The donations Doyle returned were made in November, three days after a Department of Transportation panel recommended Burger Boat for the grant. Doyle, a Democrat running for re-election against U.S. Rep. Mark Green, has said he became aware of the close timing and returned them to avoid the appearance of impropriety.

But Doyle's latest disclosure report shows he turned around six months later and accepted $16,300 from company executives in May, two months after he formally announced the awarding of the grant at the company's Manitowoc headquarters.

A pattern is emerging here.

Time and time again, recipients of contracts and beneficiaries of different state deals have a Doyle campaign fund connection.

This one is particularly odd since Doyle returned cash and then later took it back in.

Did he think that no one was looking?

Doyle had a $2 million fundraising advantage over Green as of June 30, with $5.17 million in the bank. But he has insisted there's a firewall between the campaign and state government.

I think that "firewall" is being shown to be extremely porous.

David Ross, president of Burger Boat, the 143-year-old maker of luxury yachts, said the latest donations came at a fundraiser he hosted at his home for the governor. He gave $1,300 while his wife Katherine, also a company owner, gave the maximum $10,000 allowed.

Company vice president James Ruffolo gave $5,000 - the amount that was returned to him by Doyle's campaign six months earlier. Other executives from Manitowoc firms gave a total of $3,000 on the same day.

The fundraiser was in no way tied to the grant, Ross said, describing himself as a huge Doyle supporter.

"We want to help him out in his campaign," Ross said. "That's the bottom line and it really doesn't get simpler than that."

I don't think it gets any simpler than "I'll scratch your back if you'll scratch mine."

Very, very simple.

Doyle campaign spokesman Anson Kaye said the donations last year were returned "out of an abundance of caution" but that nothing inappropriate had occurred. He said Burger Boat executives approached the campaign after the grant process to again offer their support and the campaign accepted.

"The main thing here is that this is a good Wisconsin business that supports the governor for the work he's done for the state," Kaye said.

How many times recently has someone from Doyle's campaign had to say that "nothing inappropriate had occurred"?

It never seems to stop.

Doyle is hopelessly corrupt. He shouldn't get a free pass for abusing his position.

Bob Delaporte, spokesman for the state Republican Party, which has repeatedly accused Doyle of rewarding campaign contributors with state business, said Doyle was "tone deaf to the appearance of things."

"It looks like he got a refund," he said. "If the donations were inappropriate at one time, what made them suddenly appropriate?"

Exactly.

Doyle should have to answer for this. What exactly was it that changed to make it acceptable to receive those donations?

Why would Doyle decide to chuck the "out of an abundance of caution" strategy?

...Ross said state aid has been critical for an expansion of Burger Boat that has doubled the size of the firm to 400 employees. The company won $2.1 million in state grants and loans in 2003. Executives donated $10,000 to Doyle's campaign that year, too.

The Burger president said the governor has helped the economy in the Manitowoc area rebound from factory closures and mass layoffs.

"We need more people in politics that are like Jim Doyle," he said. "He's going up against a formidable opponent here and I happen to think he's doing a wonderful job and would like to see him re-elected."

Of course Ross wants to see Doyle re-elected.

Of course he thinks that Doyle's "doing a wonderful job."

HE GOT $2.1 MILLION IN STATE GRANTS AND LOANS OUT OF DOYLE.

What's not to love there?

Clift's Contempt for Israel?

On The McLaughlin Group this weekend, Eleanor Clift went over the far Left edge once again.

She echoed Kofi Annan's disgusting initial statement about the Israeli air attack that destroyed a UN post of "peacekeepers" in Lebanon.

Annan said:

"I am shocked and deeply distressed by the apparently deliberate targeting by Israeli Defence Forces of a UN observer post in southern Lebanon.

"This co-ordinated artillery and aerial attack on a long-established and clearly marked UN post at Khiam occurred despite personal assurances given to me by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert that UN positions would be spared Israeli fire.

"I call on the Government of Israel to conduct a full investigation into this very disturbing incident and demand any further attack on UN positions and personnel must stop."

Later, Annan softened his stance a bit after talking to Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert; but his immediate response cannot be forgotten.

Annan stated that Israel intentionally bombed a UN post. He cannot alter the fact that he accused Israel of targeting UN personnel.

That brings us back to Eleanor Clift and The McLaughlin Group.

The issue being discussed was Israel and Lebanon.

I was half-listening.

At one point, I heard Clift admonish Tony Blankley for his condescending attitude. It was getting unusually personal.

But the killer from Clift came when she was screeching about the Israelis. She referenced a recent trip she made to Israel and commented on the possiblity of the bombing of the UN post being an intentional strike.

I don't have the exact quote, but she said something close to this:

The contempt they (Israelis) have for the UN makes one wonder if it was a deliberate targeting...

That was followed by crosstalk.

I was stunned.

I thought I must be wrong. She couldn't have said that. She couldn't actually be trying to keep that horrible allegation alive.

At this point, I can't find anyone writing about it. I could be wrong about what she said, but I don't think so.

Maybe Newsbusters will have something on it, like they did when Clift said this about Bush:

"What we have in this country is a dictator who's ineffective."

Of course, Clift is a lib. That's nothing new; but now she's really becoming a kook fringe rabid radical Leftist nut.

The Chorizo Gets Smoked

Meat meet the new Meat.
A new link has been added to the famed Sausage Race at Miller Park.

Sorry PETA, the newest sausage is all meat.

Well, I can't back that up. For all I know, it may have some filler; but it's definitely not a Soysage.

The newest edition to join the elite league is the Chorizo, a Mexican sausage.
The Chorizo ran its first race tonight against the other talented sausages -- the Italian sausage, the Bratwurst, the Polish sausage and the Hot Dog.

The crowd was behind the Chorizo, cheering it on in its historic, and hopefully victorious, first run.

But it was not to be.

It could have been nerves.

It could have been the heat.

It could have been inexperience.

Personally, I think it's the sombrero. It causes too much drag. Anybody knows that a winning sausage can't have excessive drag.

While the Chorizo looks good in its sombrero, this isn't about looks. If it can't get the job done, an equipment adjustment may be necessary.

It's far too early to tell how the Chorizo will perform. Every sausage can have a bad night now and then.

We'll see what happens tomorrow.
______________________________
Read about Sausagegate, a sad chapter in Sausage Race history.

Hassan Nasrallah: Coward

COWARD

BEIRUT, Lebanon (AP) -- Hezbollah's leader on Saturday threatened more attacks on central Israeli cities, a day after guerrillas for the first time fired a rocket powerful enough to reach the outskirts of Tel Aviv.

Sheik Hassan Nasrallah, speaking on Hezbollah's TV station, said he supported Lebanon's efforts to negotiate a peace deal, but suggested tentative promises for the guerrillas to disarm would be off if conditions aren't met.

Nasrallah also dismissed a new diplomatic effort by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to bring about cease-fire, saying the United States wants fighting to continue. His statement came as Rice arrived in the Mideast to visit Israel; a possible Lebanon stop has not been announced.

The bearded Shiite Muslim cleric, wearing his trademark black headdress, insisted Hezbollah fighters were winning the battle with Israel, now in its 18th day. Israel has not made a "single military accomplishment" in its offensive on Lebanon, he said, speaking on the group's Al-Manar television.

He claimed Israel suffered a "serious defeat" in ground fighting around a Lebanese border town after Israeli troops pulled back Saturday afternoon. Israel said they left Bint Jbail because they accomplished their mission of wearing down Hezbollah fighters after a week of heavy battles.

On Friday, a Hezbollah rocket hit outside the Israeli town of Afula, the farthest strike yet. Hezbollah said it targeted an Israeli military base, but the rockets fell in an empty field.

"The bombardment of Afula and its military base is the beginning ..., Nasrallah said. "Many cities in the center (of Israel) will be targeted in the 'beyond Haifa' stage if the savage aggression continues on our country, people and villages."

He was referring to his earlier threat to attack deeper into Israel than Haifa, which has been hit repeatedly in the recent conflict.

Nasrallah said Hezbollah was willing to cooperate with the Lebanese government. He did not mention a Lebanese peace plan calling for guerrilla disarmament specifically, but suggested Hezbollah would not disarm if the government backs away from conditions outlined in its proposal.

I guess he didn't mention United Nations Security Council resolution 1559 either.

Of course, why would anyone assume that an agreed upon UN resolution would be followed, unless it condemns or penalizes Israel or the United States?

Most notably, the proposals demand a prisoner swap with Israel and the resolution of Lebanese claims on border land that Israel controls. Israel has ruled out a prisoner swap but has not said whether it would be willing to reconsider its hold on the Chebaa farms area.

...In Beirut, drivers stopped their cars and pedestrians stood in front of shops and cafes to watch the address. Fireworks erupted in the southern neighborhoods of Beirut, a Hezbollah stronghold, after Nasrallah finished.

Fireworks?

Good Lord.

When we go to war, we don't celebrate with fireworks.

And from Reuters, the news outlet that won't call a terrorist a terrorist:

Hizbollah's leader said on Saturday that U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice aimed to impose conditions on Lebanon and serve Israeli interests in her mission to end war between his group and Israel.

..."Rice is returning to the region to try to impose her conditions on Lebanon again to serve her new Middle East project and to serve Israel," Nasrallah said in a televised speech.

"The Israelis are ready to halt the aggression because they are afraid of the unknown," Nasrallah said. "The one pushing for the continuation of the aggression is the U.S. administration."

"The political events and attempts to find an exit to the crisis that we are seeing today are blessings of the legendary steadfastness of the resistance in Lebanon, of the Lebanese people," he said.

"It's clear the Zionist enemy has not been able to achieve any military accomplishment," he added.

"As for the destruction of the infrastructure, the killing of civilians and forced migration of people and destruction of houses, this is not a military achievement.

"It's a barbaric accomplishment which must not be allowed to be invested politically," he said.

..."There are many cities in central Israel which will come into target range in the period after Haifa if the barbaric aggression on our country and people continues," Nasrallah said.

..."We are eager to cooperate with the government and with all political forces to present a unified Lebanon committed to what guarantees its national interests," he said.

Nasrallah sounds like he belongs at the UN. He would fit right in with the corrupt, terrorist-appeasing, anti-American, anti-Semitics there.

Where is Nasrallah?

Where is the coward hiding?

Where is he finding safe harbor?

He's so quick to send suicide bombers to their deaths in order to kill as many Israelis as possible, but this coward is afraid to show his face, other than on TV.
_________________________________

The New York Times, propanda arm of the enemies of democracy and freedom, has declared Hezbollah to be winning.

I suppose when the publication has nothing to leak to undermine the opponents of terror, time is spent cheering on the terrorists.

John Kifner writes:

NO exit?

As the bloodbath in Lebanon spilled past its second week — with at least 400 Lebanese dead and many more presumed buried in rubble; some 800,000 refugees, nearly a quarter of the population, on the run; and the fragile nation’s infrastructure shattered — there was no easy way out for either Israel or Hezbollah, the combatants locked in what each saw as a deadly existential struggle.

The very clear winner, for the moment at least, was Hezbollah and its leader, Sheik Hassan Nasrallah. (Unless, of course, Israel succeeds in its efforts to assassinate him.) As the only Arab leader seen to have defeated the Israelis — on the basis of their withdrawal in 2000 from an 18-year occupation — he already enjoyed wide respect. Now, with Hezbollah standing firm and inflicting casualties, he has become a folk hero across the Muslim world, apparently uniting Sunnis and Shiites.

The standoff stunned Israel, whose offensive came in response to a Hezbollah cross-border raid that resulted in the death of eight Israeli soldiers and the capture of two others. Central to the embattled nation’s sense of survivability is the idea of its invincibility. Its intelligence knows everything, the mythology goes, and no army dare stand against it. In truth, Israel has, in part, been lucky in its enemies, mostly Arab regimes with armies suitable mainly for keeping their own populace in check.

...It is the United States that may well come out the worst in this impasse, particularly in terms of its influence in the Arab and Muslim world. Already widely seen throughout much of that world as the lapdog of Israel, it is now viewed as publicly sanctioning the continued pounding of Lebanon, blocking efforts for a cease-fire and even rushing the Israelis more laser-guided bombs.

“I think this is a loser,” said Augustus Richard Norton, an expert on the Shia of Lebanon who teaches at Boston University. “Time is working against us, not with us. The options stink.”

Vali R. Nasr, a professor at the Naval Postgraduate School, said that “the reason it’s an impasse is that there is a lot riding on it for the U.S. and Israel.” He added: “It potentially puts into question the entire rationale of whether overwhelming military force can shape the region. The bar for victory for the U.S. and Israel is growing every day and for Hezbollah it is lowering every day.”

...On Friday, as crowds spilled out of a Sunni mosque in Cairo, capital of one of America’s key allies, they waved posters with the bearded, black-turbaned portrait of Sheik Nasrallah.

“Oh, Sunni! Oh, Shiite! Let’s fight the Jews,” the crowds chanted. “The Jews and the Americans are killing our brothers in Lebanon.”

Americans are NOT killing people in Lebanon.

Perhaps our Egyptian ally should point that out to its crowds.

As usual The New York Times is happy to declare victory for the terrorists.

It's sick.

"Quagmire and defeat."

"Hezbollah is winning."

"Things look bad for Israel, ... I mean the U.S."

Do you think it's possible that Nasrallah is hiding out at the New York Times Building?

Naveed Afzal Haq

Naveed Afzal Haq: "Angry Muslim" and murderer

More is being learned about the Seattle shooter.

SEATTLE, July 29 (AP) -- The police have identified a man accused of killing a woman and wounding five others at a Jewish agency here on Friday as Naveed Afzal Haq.

The Federal Bureau of Investigation office in Seattle said Mr. Haq, 30, was an American citizen. Mr. Haq was booked into the King County Jail for investigation of homicide and attempted homicide, the police said.

His lawyer, Larry Stephenson, told The Seattle Times that he thought Mr. Haq was single and unemployed. Mr. Stephenson said Mr. Haq had a misdemeanor lewd conduct charge pending in Benton County; he had been accused of exposing himself in a public place.

What does the Koran say about exposing yourself in a public place?

Is that sort of act against Islamic teaching?

I wonder because it would be telling in terms of Haq's commitment to his professed faith.

It's interesting to me that some of these violent Muslims claim to be such faithful soldiers of Islam, yet their behavior is out of line with their religion.

The reports still linger that some of the 9/11 hijackers went to strip clubs and drank alcohol.

Not exactly what you'd expect from an Islamic fundamentalist, is it?

Mr. Haq previously lived in Pasco in southeast Washington, the police said. The Seattle Times reported that he had lived most recently in Everett, north of Seattle, but the police would not confirm that.

The authorities said Mr. Haq walked into the agency, the Jewish Federation, on Friday and opened fire in what they called a hate crime. The gunman forced his way through the center’s security door after an employee punched in her security code, said Marla Meislin-Dietrich, a co-worker who was not at the building at the time.

Staff members said they overheard him saying, “I am a Muslim-American, angry at Israel,” before opening fire, Ms. Meislin-Dietrich said. “He was randomly shooting at everyone.”

What?

No "Allahu Akbar" this time?

Haq shot six women. His victims are in their 20s and 40s. One of the injured women is pregnant.

What a strong, brave soldier of Islam!

What courage does it take to shoot and kill unarmed civilians?

It doesn't take courage. It takes a terrorist.

The police would not confirm the account.

The gunman surrendered after speaking with a 911 dispatcher. That conversation led the police to believe that the shooting was a hate crime, the authorities said.

“This was a purposeful, hateful act, as far as we know, by an individual acting on his own,” Mayor Greg Nickels said at a news conference.

I understand what's meant by the phrase "an individual acting on his own" -- the person received no orders to act from any sort of terrorist group.

What I don't like about the phrase is that it implies that the mindset that prompted the shooter to act is somehow confined to that individual.

In fact, there are a lot (millions?) of Muslims that believe walking into a Jewish community center in Seattle and opening fire is an act to be applauded.

While it's possible that Haq acted "alone," he had the spiritual backing of millions of Muslims.

In that sense, when he went into the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and killed innocents, he wasn't alone.

Haq is a terrorist.

Three of the five wounded people were critically injured. The names of the victims were not released.

The authorities said that officers were moving to protect synagogues and mosques around the city but that there was no evidence of a broad threat.

This is disturbing to me, too. I realize that authorities mean they have received no warnings that there is intelligence pointing to an orchestrated plan to target local places of worship; but let's not pretend that a "broad threat" does not exist.

It most certainly does.

9/11 provided evidence that there is indeed a broad threat.

Has the passing of time dulled us to that fact?

We are at war, and it's not a cold war.

The broad threat is grounded wherever there are militant Muslims seeking to destroy the infidels. Remember, WE are the infidels.

_________________________________

This really makes me sick.

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) issued this press release yesterday on Haq's attack.

CAIR CONDEMNS ATTACK ON SEATTLE JEWISH CENTER
Group says Mideast conflict must not be ‘transplanted’ to America

(WASHINGTON, DC, 7/28/06) - The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) today condemned an attack on a Jewish community center in Seattle, Wash., that left one person dead and several more injured. (A statement signed by representatives of the Seattle Muslim community, including CAIR-Seattle, is attached below.)

A lone gunman who reportedly said, “I'm a Muslim American; I'm angry at Israel," entered the Jewish Federation of Greater Seattle and began shooting. The alleged gunman was later arrested.

In a statement, the Washington-based Islamic civil rights and advocacy group said:

“We condemn this senseless attack on a religious institution and offer sincere condolences to the loved ones of those killed or injured. The American Muslim and Jewish communities must do whatever is within their power to prevent the current conflict in the Middle East from being transplanted to this country. We also urge local, state and national law enforcement authorities to step up security measures at synagogues, mosques and other religious institutions of both faiths.”

CAIR, America's largest Muslim civil liberties group, has 32 offices, chapters and affiliates nationwide and in Canada. Its mission is to enhance the understanding of Islam, encourage dialogue, protect civil liberties, empower American Muslims, and build coalitions that promote justice and mutual understanding.

That is so hypocritical it makes me physically ill.

Read about the CAIR-Terror Connection.

CAIR solicits funds for terror organizations and acts as an apologist for groups that directly support terror.

CAIR is active in "transplanting" the conflict to America.

The organization's condemnation of the Seattle attack is hollow.

_______________________________

More on Haq here.

Forced Celibacy

This is not a summer of hyped news stories.

It's not a summer of shark attacks, or missing persons, or O.J.

This summer, we're talking about things such as the upcoming elections and, depending on how you view things, the upcoming or ongoing World War III.

So, on this Friday, let's take a break from the heavy stuff.

Poison Pero points out this story:

Rahul Bedi reports from New Delhi that there's "Anger at 'single sex' zoos."

He writes:

India's Supreme Court has demanded a report from the environment ministry on the shortage of mates for animals in 163 zoos across the country.

Responding to a petition filed by the People for Ethical Treatment to Animals (Peta), the court wants to know why more than 500 chimpanzees, beavers, gorillas, gibbons, zebras and even love birds are living in "forced celibacy".

Peta has claimed that the enforced sexual abstinence amongst the country's zoo animals was not only unnatural, but also contravened federal law that state zoos must enable their exhibits to exist in "viable social" groups.

So, India's Supreme Court is upset about the lack of sex in zoos.

Why is it assumed that the animals are being forced into celibacy?

Animals will adapt to conditions. If sex is so important to them, I'm sure they'll figure out that an alternative lifestyle is an option.

If not, they can channel their energies into something else and make celibacy work for them.

What's the problem with a single sex zoo?

Does PETA frown on alternative relationships for animals?

Does PETA have a homophobic streak?

Animals should have the same options as people, right?

For the record, I do think zoo animals should have a choice of mates.

Generally speaking, I think mates are a good thing.

Cindy Sheehan's Scam

Cindy Sheehan's underhanded land dealings are coming to light.

It's not pretty.

The seller of the land that Sheehan helped to buy with her dead son Casey's insurance money had no idea that it was going to be used for Sheehan's protest base.

CRAWFORD -- When peace activist Cindy Sheehan returns here next month to protest the war in Iraq, she won’t be a guest. She’ll be one of Crawford’s newest residents.

Sheehan’s peace group, Gold Star Families for Peace, said on its Web site Thursday that Sheehan had purchased five acres on State Highway 317, about a half-mile north of the sole traffic light here. County records indicate she is acquiring the property through a third party who himself recently purchased it

...Longtime Crawford resident Bobby D. Ramsey sold a little more than five acres to Gerald T. Fonseca, a New Orleans native who said he was displaced by Hurricane Katrina last fall. Fonseca was in Crawford along with hundreds of other war protesters when the hurricane destroyed his home Aug. 29.

Fonseca, who identifies himself as a Vietnam veteran and a member of Veterans for Peace, had been living more recently in Eagle Rock, Mo., with relatives. He has been in Crawford the past four weeks, staying at the Crawford Peace House.

While Fonseca’s name is on the deed as the land’s new owner, Sheehan’s protest group will use the property for this year’s Camp Casey, the peace camp named for Sheehan’s son, Casey Sheehan, a 24-year-old Fort Hood soldier killed in Iraq in 2004.

In September, Fonseca said, ownership of the land will be transferred to Sheehan.

Ramsey, who soon may find unexpected neighbors when protesters move into a huge tent on the property he sold, said he was unaware before the sale that it would be used by Sheehan to host Camp Casey in August.

“(Fonseca) said he was going to build a home and, one day, a shop (on the land),” Ramsey said Thursday, speaking from his adjacent property in Crawford. “He told me that Katrina wiped him out.. . . . It didn’t even occur to me that he could use it for this.”

Fonseca is a liar.

Fonseca lied about his intentions. Clearly, the Sheehan mob felt it was necessary to concoct a story in order to get Ramsey to sell.

Fonseca confirmed he never indicated to his new neighbors that the land would be transferred to Sheehan, but he said that was always the plan. He said the $52,500 used to pay for the property — a spread of rustic, wooded prairie with no houses — came from Sheehan and her Gold Star Families for Peace.

The sale was made under false pretenses.

Fonseca admits that he deceived his new neighbors.

Mr. Rogers he ain't.

Fonseca said he acted as “an agent” for Sheehan, negotiating the purchase and closing the deal with Ramsey.

“They’re really good neighbors,” Fonseca said of families nearby. “The idea again is that we’re here to be good neighbors, to make it as comfortable as we can for everyone.”

Why act as an agent?

Why the facade about being wiped out by Katrina?

Sheehan claims that President Bush is afraid of her.

It seems like Sheehan is the one who's afraid. She had Fonesca lie for her because she feared no one would sell her property.

Very sleazy and cowardly.

...Sheehan gained international fame last August when she led war protests from a roadside ditch near the president’s ranch, demanding Bush interrupt his vacation to meet and discuss the war. The month also saw counterprotests staged by supporters of the president.

Citing concerns about traffic safety and roadside sanitation, county commissioners later passed an ordinance outlawing anyone from camping along the road near Bush’s ranch, which subsequently sparked legal challenges over free speech issues.

It's no longer a free speech issue when your expression becomes a public safety hazard.

...Retired postmaster Joyce Holmes said she could understand how property owners near the Sheehan spread might be anxious about next month.

“I know if I were living out that close, I’d be just like they are,” Holmes said. “I wouldn’t want all that commotion around me.”

Not to worry.

"Agent" Fonesca promises he's there to be a good neighbor.

Right.

If Sheehan believed that she would be welcomed to Crawford with open arms, there is no way that she would have hidden the fact that she would own property there.

She's not a protester.

She's a stalker.
________________________________

KXXV-TV has more local reaction to Sheehan joining the neighborhood.

Anti-War Activist Cindy Sheehan is going to become a neighbor of President Bush, and local residents are not happy about the mess.

On the Gold Star Families For Peace website, Sheehan explained how Central Texas had grown on her. She now wants a permanent place where she and fellow protestors can go to demonstrate against President Bush.

..."I doubt they would have sold her the property if she tried to buy it herself," said Foncseca.

Exactly.

That's why it was such a sleazy move.

"I feel deceived," said Celia Ramsey, who sold the land to Cindy Sheehan through a third party. She talked to News Channel 25 exclusively on the matter. "I would have never sold it to Sheehan. Nobody wants them here."

The Ramsey's claim Fonseca told them he was an evacuee from Hurricane Katrina.

Fonseca told News Channel 25 he "apologized to the Ramsey's for the inconvenience, but we (Gold Star Families For Peace) are going to do everything in our power to not disturb them."

Ramsey told News Channel 25, she plans on talking to a lawyer over the matter.

I'm glad.

The Ramseys had no idea when they made the sale that they were bringing Sheehan and her band of nuts into the neighborhood.

Fonesca lied about how the land was going to be used.

Celia Ramsey said she would never have sold the land to Sheehan. She would never have done that to her neighbors.

"I am very sad it came to this point where we had to buy a permanent home," said Sheehan. "I thought President Bush would have resigned by now. But I am happy about a permanent home in Crawford."

This woman has no shame.

Rabid Kevin Barrett

Do you want to know what REALLY happened? Read on.Charlie points to a story about Kevin Barrett that will have Bill O'Reilly licking his chops.

Recall that the Lefty blogosphere has been in frenzy claiming that O'Reilly threatened Barrett with death.

O'Reilly addressed the issue on The O'Reilly Factor, July 25, 2006.

BILL O'REILLY, HOST: "Factor" follow-up segment tonight: The strange and disturbing saga at University of Wisconsin — teacher Kevin Barrett. A couple of weeks ago Barrett accused the USA of attacking itself on 9/11.

(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)

KEVIN BARRETT, PROFESSOR AT THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN: It's happening, you know, largely through this false flag terrorism. It looks to me like, you know, not only 9/11, but also Madrid, 7/7, the Bali hotel bombing, and probably most of the so-called Zarqawi-style bombings in Iraq, are all false flight operations being carried out by, you know, a special wing of probably U.S. or western military intelligence.

(END VIDEO CLIP)

O'REILLY: Of course, that's nuts. But university Provost Patrick Farrell says Barrett can continue teaching, and he's going to teach a class on "Introduction to Islam." After that ruling I said this:

This guy would have been gone at Boston University, my alma mater, in a heartbeat. The chancellor their, John Silver — this guy would be in the Charles River floating down toward the harbor.

So what did Barrett do when he heard I said that? He wrote a letter to my boss saying, quote, "It has come to my attention that one of your announcers, Bill O'Reilly, has stated on national television that he would like to see me murdered and thrown into the Boston Harbor," unquote.

In addition to writing to O'Reilly's FOX News boss, Barrett also filed a complaint with the FCC.

James H. Fetzer, founder and co-chair of Scholars for 9/11 Truth, said that the absence of a response from the FCC, Fox News, and the national media speaks volumes about the state of the nation.

"When public threats can be made to a citizen's life for expressing his opinions on a controversial topic and neither the government nor the media respond," he observed, "that is a sure sign we are living in a fascist state."

No one cares. No one is taking Barrett seriously.

I wonder why.

Could it be that everyone knows that Barrett is an anti-American media whore?

Everyone knows that, EXCEPT: UW-Madison's Provost Patrick Farrell, Gary Sandefur (dean of the College of Letters and Science), Ellen Rafferty (chair of the department of languages and cultures of Asia), David Walsh (president of the UW System Board of Regents), the Board of Regents, and radical Left extremists in Madison, in Wisconsin, and around the country.

Here are the latest revelations on Lefty loon conspiracy crusader Kevin Barrett, from Madison's WKOW 27:

UW-Instructor Barrett Pushes Woman's Deportation

Controversial UW-Madison Instructor Kevin Barrett has attempted to have a Lithuanian immigrant deported from her Madison home.

But federal officials told 27 News Jekaterina Bittar, 45, resides here legally.

And a Dane County judge has labeled Barrett's repeated, unsubstantiated accusations of theft against Bittar as "rabid."

Imagine.

A judge cites Barrett as the maker of "repeated, unsubstantiated accusations."

Gee, how out of character for a man claiming that Dick Cheney orchestrated the 9/11 attacks!

Barrett making "rabid" remarks -- really??? How can that be???

Barrett ignited controversy when he discussed his view that Bush administration officials caused the Sept. 11, 2001 explosions at the World Trade Center on Milwaukee radio talk show host Jessica McBride's program.

...Bittar worked as a crossing guard in Shorewood Hills. Bittar is a domestic abuse victim and is estranged from her husband, Evelyn Edward Bittar, 76, an emeritus professor.

Estranged husband and emeritus professor named Evelyn... Hmm... The plot thickens...

As an immigrant victim from a country classified as underserved, Bittar qualified for legal help through the Immigration Project of Wisconsin.

Barrett and his wife, Fatna Bellouchi formerly rented a home with Bittar.

"She puts on a very good victim act," Barrett told 27 News.

Speaking of putting on an act...

Barrett is the master. He actually managed to act like an instructor worthy of being employed at a prestigious university.

I may be giving Barrett too much credit. Maybe that has nothing to do with Barrett's acting ability. It might just be a reflection of the total incompetence and utter cluelessness of the powers at UW-Madison.

Shorewood Hills police officials told 27 News they were contacted by federal authorities about complaints filed by Barrett against Bittar, alleging Bittar was a "green card girl" who had duped her husband into a sham marriage.

"She had basically come to America as a Russian bride by marrying an elderly man and then inventing false abuse accusations to get American funding for her legal help," Barrett said.

But an Immigration official with the Department of Homeland Security told 27 News Bittar maintains a legal resident status.

"Green card girl"?

What a nasty term and negative label!

But of course, God forbid anyone use the term "illegal" to describe an ILLEGAL immigrant. That's racist.

In Barrett's world, "Green card girl" is an acceptable epithet.

Apparently, Barrett is anti-LEGAL immigrant.

And Dane County Judge William Foust dismissed an attempt by Barrett and Bellouchi to collect rent money from Bittar. "There are elements of the Barrett-Belouchi case that suggest manipulation."

Foust determined Bellouchi ordered Bittar out of the house before the end of Bittar's lease.

Both Bellouchi and Bittar's estranged husband have been cited for disorderly conduct after harassing Bittar.

Through a Russian interpreter during a court hearing on rent issues, Bittar said Barrett stunned parents of school children when Barrett told her she would go to prison as she worked as a crossing guard.

"He screamed at me."

Barrett and his wife also filed police reports over the theft of a comforter and pillow and suggested Bittar was the thief. Foust termed their efforts a "rabid pursuit."

Barrett also claimed to police an abandoned grocery store cart on his front lawn was the work of Bittar and amounted to a sinister "message" to Barrett and his wife.

HAHAHAHA

Yes, the "'sinister' abandoned grocery store cart on the front lawn message" is indeed troubling.

It reminds me of that scene in The Godfather, when Sonny unwraps that fish.

Sonny: "What the hell is this?"Tessio: "It's a Sicilian message. It means Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes."

I don't know what the significance of the grocery shopping cart is, but I think it might mean that Barrett "shops for the groceries."

It's not surprising that Barrett finds hidden messages in shopping carts. The man can find something sinister and conspiratorial anywhere.

Bittar denied the accusations.

When asked by 27 News about Foust's suggestion of manipulation by Barrett and the confirmation of Bittar's legal resident status, Barrett rejected both opinions. "The INS (Immigration and Naturalization Service), I'm sure they don't have enough evidence to throw her out of the country."

I guess Barrett doesn't know that there is no INS anymore. It's the USCIS (U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services). He's probably been too busy filling all the holes in his disgraceful "9/11 was an inside job" theory.

Clearly, Barrett doesn't want to embrace immigrants.

Will his buddies on the fringe Left bash him for being so anti-immigrant?

I doubt it, because Bittar is here legally. She's irrelevant as far as the Left's immigration agenda goes.

Barrett said he would end his quest for Bittar's deportation, but could not promise the same for his wife.

"Kevin and Fatna were trying everything they could to besmirch Katrina and we don't know why," Bittar's attorney, Mark Maciolek told 27 News.

"It's been very stressful. It's caused her no end of concern."

"We hope this is the end of this twisted saga."

With all due respect to Barrett (meaning NONE), this guy is really a slimeball, harassing this poor woman and demanding her deportation.

Barrett justified his targeting of Bittar as a means of trying to help her estranged husband in the couple's divorce case.

Barrett and Bellouchi were evicted from the house they once shared with Bittar.

Barrett's contract to teach at UW-Madison qualifies him to live at his present residence in University housing.

I think this very twisted saga clearly shows that Kevin Barrett is a truly twisted man.

He is a nut.
He's a wacko IN the UW-Madison classroom and OUT of the UW-Madison classroom.

Be proud Provost Farrell!

A Day at the Hearing

The agony of defeat...

That's what the Dems experienced at the John Bolton nomination hearing on Thursday. They tried their damnedest to bloody Bolton, and put on a brave face, but it was hopeless.

A little over a year ago, the Dems brutally attacked Bolton. They threw everything they had at him. And, they did manage to temporarily derail his nomination. President Bush, of course, responded by doing the right thing by appointing the right man to represent the U.S. at the UN.

Naturally, the Dems were horrified. What arrogance! Certain disaster awaited.

Poor George Voinovich was in tears.

What a difference a year makes!

Yesterday's hearing was an exercise in futility. There's no question that Bolton will be confirmed this time around.

Even George Voinovich managed to dry his tears and actually commend Bolton for a job well done at the UN.

Dana Milbank provides a play by play of Thursday's session.

The monotony of the rerun of the Bolton hearing was broken up by a broken hot-water pipe from two floors above the hearing room, sending water streaming down through the ceiling light fixtures and on to the proceedings.

The egomaniacal senators tried to one-up each other with cracks about the leaky ceiling when John Kerry put an end to the frivolity.

Milbank writes:

Sen. John Kerry (D-Mass.) entered the room and declared in solemn tones that he would be making no remarks about the leak.

"All the comments have been made about the flood," he announced. That ended the fun before some of the best puns could be made.

Such as "Bolton's in hot water now."

In his account of Kerry's performance, Milbank left out the best part.

While Kerry was questioning Bolton on North Korea, this exchange took place:

KERRY: Well, the most that you seem to want is to go back to a six-party talk that isn't in existence.

BOLTON: No, no, quite the contrary. We said expressly...

KERRY: Are you prepared to go to bilateral talks?

BOLTON: Quite the contrary. We said expressly that what we wanted from North Korea was not simply a return to the six-party talks, but an implementation of the September 2005 joint statement from the six-party talks which would mean their dismantlement of their nuclear weapons program.

KERRY: But this has been going on for five years, Mr. Ambassador.

BOLTON: It's the nature of multilateral negotiations, Senator.

KERRY: Why not engage in a bilateral one and get the job done? That's what the Clinton administration did.

BOLTON: Very poorly, since the North Koreans violated the agreed framework almost from the time it was signed. And I would also say, Senator, that we do have the opportunity for bilateral negotiations with North Korea in the context of the six-party talks, if North Korea would come back to them.

How perfect, and how true!

Kerry held the Clinton administration up as the model for successful diplomacy and Bolton completely destroyed him by pointing out what a dismal failure the Clinton administration proved to be on North Korea.

Milbank did do a good job of exposing Russ Feingold's foolishness.

He writes:

Sen. Russ Feingold (D-Wis.) appeared to be particularly agitated about Bolton. As he prepared to question the nominee, Feingold furiously scratched out items on a 24-point list, which he had scribbled on wrinkled yellow legal paper in black, red and blue ink. The list, which the senator later discarded, was entirely illegible.

But Feingold, too, was in the strange position of scolding Bolton for being insufficiently tough on Iran, North Korea and the U.N. Human Rights Council.

How funny that Feingold's multi-colored 24-point list was utterly pointless!

Apparently, Feingold thinks that pretending to have deep thoughts is just as good as actually having deep thoughts.

Watch Feingold try to look serious, tough, and presidential, then remember his scribbled fake notes.

Milbank makes no mention of the protester who disrupted the hearing.

This is getting to be commonplace -- more proof that the wacko Lefties are growing more desperate.

PROTESTER: (OFF-MIKE) from the District of Columbia. I have no representation on this panel or any say.

LUGAR: The committee will be in order. The committee will be in order.

PROTESTER: I oppose the nomination of this man, John Bolton, as U.S. ambassador. He is a disgrace to the United States. He is not...

LUGAR: The committee will stand in recess until police can restore order.

PROTESTER: He should not go to the U.N. He is not representative of our interests. The man will only...

LUGAR: The committee will continue the hearing.

Let me just mention that Assistant Secretary for International Organizations Kristen Silverberg is with us today. And I want to acknowledge her presence and we appreciate that.

I want to take a few moments of my time to read the letter that former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger has written on behalf of the nominee.

He said: "Mr. Chairman, when John Bolton's nomination for the position of ambassador to the United Nations was before the committee, I wrote a letter, together with a number of other former secretaries of state, urging confirmation.

LUGAR: "I did so because I believe that the president should be given wide discretion in selecting his advisers. Since then, I've had the opportunity to observe Ambassador Bolton perform his duties under a recess appointment, skillfully and with dedication.

"He has had to deal with a wide range of issues, from Darfur to the recent resolution concerning North Korea's missile tests.

"He's handled these assignments effectively and with great articulances (ph). I've observed him at a number of official functions. This enabled me to note that his relationship with his colleagues has been professional and mutually respected.

"It would be unfortunate if he were to be prevented from continuing these tasks, especially as a new General Assembly is about to begin and a number of crises, such as the Middle East crisis and the Iranian nuclear weapons crisis, are on the verge of coming before the United Nations.

"For these reasons, I respectfully urge the committee to deal favorably with the president's recommendation and confirm John Bolton."

And it's signed, "With warm regards, Henry Kissinger."

PROTESTER: I object! I am a citizen of the United States of America!

LUGAR: The committee will be in order.

The committee will stand in recess until police can restore order.

PROTESTER: John Bolton does not speak for me or those who want to uphold justice! We are becoming (inaudible)! We are the powerless! We are (inaudible).

LUGAR: The committee will resume the hearing.

A broken water pipe, a lunatic protester, John Kerry and Russ Feingold's comic relief, AND the certain confirmation of John Bolton...

Who could ask for anything more?

Casey Sheehan's Insurance Money

Cindy Sheehan is using some of the insurance money she received when her son Casey was killed in Iraq to buy five acres of land in Crawford, Texas. She needs a place to stage her August protest against President Bush.

As if she hasn't disgraced Casey's memory enough, she's actually using some of the money from his death to hold her anti-Bush circus of extremists.

CRAWFORD -- As President Bush prepares to spend some vacation time at his ranch here, not all is peaceful within the peace movement that has doggedly criticized his war policies for the past year.

The Gold Star Families for Peace says on its Web site that its members will again flock to Crawford in August to protest Bush's wartime decisions. Leader Cindy Sheehan is again demanding to meet with the president -- a replay of a year ago -- garnering worldwide attention and making Sheehan, the mother of a fallen soldier, the most familiar face of anti-war protesters.

But Sheehan and Mark Mattlage, owner of the 1-acre property where protesters have been allowed to gather, have had a falling out over scheduling and increased costs for liability insurance.

So, Sheehan has purchased a 5-acre plot in Crawford, saying she did so with some of the insurance money she received after her son, Casey Sheehan, was killed in Iraq.

"We decided to buy property in Crawford to use until George's resignation or impeachment, which we all hope is soon for the sake of the world," Sheehan said in a newsletter, scheduled to be sent to her supporters today. "I can't think of a better way to use Casey's insurance money than for peace, and I am sure that Casey approves."

Now an official resident of Crawford, like Bush, Sheehan predicted in the newsletter that she and her supporters will "enjoy a cordial relationship with everyone."

I'm truly sorry that Sheehan lost her beloved son. However, just because she has suffered does not mean she should be considered off limits in terms of criticism. She does not have that immunity. She does not have absolute moral authority on the war in Iraq because of her loss.

Therefore:

What a radical Left nut!

"George's resignation or impeachment..."

Was Casey hoping that his Commander in Chief would be impeached?

I don't know.

I don't think he would have re-enlisted in August of 2003, DURING the Iraq war, if he believed that Bush was a criminal or the war was wrong.

This is interesting.

I didn't know much about the person who let Sheehan use the land near Bush's ranch to hold her protest/ media fest last summer. I was under the impression the individual was a supporter of Sheehan's extremism.

Apparently not.

...Mattlage, who no longer lives near Crawford, said he is a registered Democrat but has not opposed Bush's decision to go to war in Iraq. He said he did not lend his land to the protesters for political reasons. Instead, Mattlage said, he was worried that someone would get hurt if anti-war advocates continued to assemble just off Prairie Chapel Road, leading up to the president's ranch.

...He said he did not charge for the use of the land but did require the protest group to reimburse him for the cost of liability insurance, initially amounting to between $700 and $800. For subsequent gatherings, including Thanksgiving and then Easter, Crawford Peace House paid to put in electrical and water lines.

Mattlage said he had no idea so many Sheehan supporters would gather on his property, and he acknowledged some of what the protesters said about Bush and the U.S. in the war made him cringe.

"I did not want a Jane Fonda incident," he said, referring to the actress's 1972 visit to a North Vietnamese anti-aircraft camp that earned her the famous nickname "Hanoi Jane."

Last summer, I didn't see any of that in the lib media. I think it would have been an angle of the story worth reporting.

Despite some misgivings, the business relationship between Sheehan and Mattlage was friendly and, at times, jokingly flirtatious, according to an exchange of e-mails between the two, provided to the Star-Telegram by Mattlage.

The relationship began to sour somewhat, he said, when he recently learned on the group's Web site that protesters planned to return to Crawford in August. He said he did not agree to let them use the land at that time because it coincided with his family's plans to hunt doves. He said he also did not want Sheehan to use his property when Bush was at his ranch. "I just didn't want his vacation to be interrupted. It was out of respect for the president," Mattlage said.

He said he eventually agreed to let Gold Star Families for Peace use his land in August but only with the understanding that, because of the expected huge crowds, liability insurance costs were going to increase significantly to between $5,500 and $6,000. Mattlage said that, on the advice of his lawyer, he also told the protest group to sign a "hold harmless" agreement that would further free him of liability if something went wrong.

In a newsletter e-mailed to Mattlage and protest organizers on June 23, Sheehan told Mattlage, "I cannot in good faith accept the terms that you and your lawyers are holding us hostage with. ... I fear we will have to find alternatives to using your land ..."

Good grief!

"Lawyers holding us hostage..."

What is that?

Mattlage, in a phone interview, said Sheehan had initially agreed to pay the higher insurance costs. It made him mad, he said, when she later sent an e-mail to organizers suggesting he was holding her "hostage."

Mattlage sent his one-time friend an e-mail back that said, "You can go away now."

And Sheehan replied: "Okay. Bye."

Really strange, isn't it?

Would Casey want his mom to be doing all this?

I have no idea. I'm sure he loved his mom.

Given that Casey re-upped, I'm also sure he was committed to his mission and loved his country.

It's Stem Cells, Stupid

Stem cell research continues to play a dominant role in the Wisconsin governor's race.

There are other issues -- jobs, taxes, crime, CORRUPTION IN GOVERNMENT. Nonetheless, Doyle wants to make this race about stem cell research.

Jim Doyle's ad "Six Times" has prompted back and forth shots between the Doyle campaign and Mark Green.

In "Six Times," via Jody Montgomery, mother of Maddy, a four-year-old with diabetes, the Doyle campaign makes the ridiculous claim that Green wants to shut down stem cell research.

In an email interview, Green said this is what he would tell the girl, if he could speak to her one-on-one:

"First off, I'd tell her that I've been working for eight years to make sure medical research funding is a top priority for the federal government. I'd tell her that with my help we've doubled funding on diabetes research, so that we are now spending over $1 billion every year to try and find treatments and cures for diabetes.

"But, mostly, I'd tell her that I hope and pray every day that we'll find a cure for juvenile diabetes -- and all the other diseases that touch so many Wisconsin families, mine included.

"More than any political title I have, I'm a dad. My kids mean more to me than anything else. So, I understand why that mom wants to do anything she can to help her daughter get well. If they'd take a closer look at my record and get to know me, I think she'd find out that I am much more of an ally than I am a foe."

In response, the Doyle campaign issued this press release.

Today, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel is reporting that Mark Green told them what he would say to Maddy Montgomery, a four-year-old girl with juvenile diabetes, who appears in a Doyle campaign television spot about stem cell research.

Maddy’s mom Jody released the following statement, through the Doyle campaign:

“I’m just a mom who is looking out for my daughter’s health. I don’t want to get into a war of words with a Washington politician. It’s pretty simple to me. Actions speak louder than words.

“And that’s really all that Mark Green has to offer my daughter – words. Mark Green says he stands for stem cell research, but all he’s done is stand in the way of a cure for my daughter.

“Any parent whose child has juvenile diabetes knows that Mark Green’s support of President Bush’s veto of legislation that would have done wonders for stem cell research, and all of the other votes and things that he has said in opposition to stem cell research, knows full well that he doesn’t believe in stem cell research and wants to put a stop to it.”

“When Mark Green stands here in Wisconsin saying he’s for stem cell research and then flies right back to Washington to vote against it again and again, I know he’s not being straight with us, and he’s not standing up for us.”

Do you think that Jody Montgomery wrote that statement herself?

It's possible, if she's a paid campaign staffer for Doyle.

Montgomery is an adult. She obviously has no problem being exploited by the Doyle campaign; but this "I'm just a mom" stuff doesn't fly.

"I don’t want to get into a war of words with a Washington politician."

Give me a break!

It's horrible that Maddy has diabetes, but there's good news.

Research at the University of Florida reveals that ADULT STEM CELLS show promise in the treatment of diabetes.

That's the sort of research and treatment that Mark Green supports. If Green had his way, little Maddy wouldn't have to have her blood tested six times daily. Green backs the sort of research that's getting results.

I'm sorry that Jody Montgomery's daughter has diabetes, but that doesn't give her the right to lie about Mark Green.

Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary

Luke, Paul, John, and Noah Yates, murdered June 20, 2001


Mary Yates, murdered June 20, 2001




The medicalization of society continues.

We've evolved. We're more sophisticated now, more compassionate. It's possible to murder five children -- GUILT-FREE.

Wrongdoing and evil has moved from being a sin, to being a crime, to being an illness.

HOUSTON (AP) -- Andrea P. Yates was found not guilty by reason of insanity Wednesday in the second murder trial over the drowning deaths of her five children.

Ms. Yates, 42, will be committed to a state mental hospital and held until she is no longer deemed a threat.

Ms. Yates stared wide-eyed as the verdict was read, then bowed her head and wept quietly. Her relatives also shed tears, including her ex-husband, Rusty Yates, who muttered, “Wow!” as he, too, cried.

In 2002, another jury convicted Ms. Yates of murder, rejecting claims that she was so psychotic that she thought she was saving the souls of her children by killing them. An appeals court overturned the convictions because of erroneous testimony from a prosecution witness.

Ms. Yates’s lead lawyer, George Parnham, called Wednesday’s verdict a “watershed for mental illness and the criminal justice system.”

Ms. Yates’s first conviction prompted debate over whether Texas’ legal standard for mental illness was too rigid, whether the courts treated postpartum depression seriously enough and whether a mother who kills could ever find sympathy and understanding in a tough-on-crime state like Texas.

...A prosecutor, Kaylynn Williford, said she was very disappointed in the verdict. “For five years, we’ve tried to seek justice for these children,” Ms. Williford said.

I agree with Parnham that the Yates verdict is a watershed. However, he sees it as a positive thing. I don't.

The only explanation that I can come up with for the sympathy that is being showered on Andrea Yates is that her crime is so horrific, systematically murdering her five children, that people can't comprehend it.

Mothers don't drown their children. So, she must be insane.

But, mothers do drown their kids.


Michael and Alex Smith

Susan Smith killed her two little boys in 1995. She was sentenced to life in prison, eligible for parole in thirty years.

Gee, Smith has less than twenty years to go before she has a chance of being released.

I wonder what Michael and Alex would be like now if their mother hadn't killed them. What would they be dreaming of being when they grow up?

I think the public didn't cut Smith slack because they felt personally betrayed by her TV appeals for the safe return of her babies. They had become emotionally invested in the case. As a result, people weren't willing to buy into a mental illness excuse for Smith.

I wonder if Smith is following the Yates case from her prison cell.

I can just hear Smith screaming, "Hey, I'm crazy, too. You have to be crazy to drown your children. Don't hate me because I murdered my kids."

I'm not denying the existence of mental illness, nor am I denying the need to show compassion to the afflicted.

But insanity, a complete breakdown in one's ability to discern what's real and what isn't, what's right and what's wrong, is unusual.

I'm not denying that Andrea Yates is mentally ill. Anyway you look at it, the Yates case is a tragedy for everyone involved.

I am uncomfortable with the jury deciding that Yates was legally INSANE when she held her five children underwater in the bathrub until they were dead.

The question: Did she know that what she was doing was wrong?

From the Associated Press:

[Y]ates, who believed Satan wanted her to drown her five children in the bathtub, knew that her actions were wrong and therefore is not legally insane, Dr. Park Dietz said.

That opinion about Yates also is based on her statements that she knew her thoughts were bad and that killing the children was a sin, said Dietz, who evaluated Yates more than four months after the June 20, 2001, drownings.

While Dietz acknowledges that Yates was/is ill, he believes that she knew murdering her children was wrong.

The jury didn't see it that way. It bought into the mental illness excuse.

Mental health advocates are claiming victory.

President of the National Mental Health Association David Shern said:

[The] verdict affirms that individuals with severe mental illnesses cannot be held to the same standards of criminal responsibility as other Americans. It demonstrates we as a nation are rightfully reassessing our treatment of people with mental illnesses in the justice system.

That bothers me. This is such a gray area -- deciding whether or not people with severe mental illnesses know the difference between right and wrong.

If they don't know the difference, should their caretakers be held responsible for allowing an ill person to go on a killing spree?

Who is responsible for the deaths of the five Yates children?

No one?

It seems that it's getting easier to claim victim status and get away with crimes.

There always seems to be an excuse, from being raised in poverty, to having inattentive or abusive parents, to poor instruction and supervision in public schools.

Reacting to the Yates verdict, defense attorney Wendell Odom said:

Five years makes a big difference. Five years ago, there were a lot of people that couldn't get past the anger of what happened. And there has been a whole lot of education the last five years.

So now people are past the anger. Now a jury was ready to accept insanity and give Andrea Yates a break. They could believe that she had no control whatsoever over her actions when she committed murder five times. She's sick.

Does this insanity verdict really stem from increased education on mental illness or a relaxing of standards of personal responsibility?

Has the public been brainwashed into believing that the perpetrators of crimes are also victims?

I agree with Dianne Clements, a victims-rights activist and president of Justice For All.

Clements commented:

"Why can people accept with such enthusiasm the idea of the devil speaking to her and telling her to do things and not even entertain the idea that Andrea Yates could not cope with her responsibilities and saw no way out except for murdering her children? Which I think is exactly what happened. ... She knew what she wanted to do, what she was planning to do, and she did it."

I have no doubt that Andrea Yates' mental illness played a part in the murders, but there's a difference between citing a reason for something and deeming it to be an excuse.

I suppose it's comforting to neatly tie up this case with an insanity verdict. I think Yates benefited from the assumption that mothers love their children and murdering them is proof of insanity.

That's easier than confronting the reality that people, including mothers, commit horrible crimes.

Jeffrey Dahmer murdered 17 people, kept body parts in his refrigerator, and ate one of his victim's flesh, with A.1. Sauce. He, of course, was sane. Does that make sense?

Who knows? Maybe Dahmer would have benefited from that "whole lot of education" that Wendell Odom says helped Andrea Yates out.

With all the talk of the troubled Andrea Yates' state of mind, I think people have forgetten the real victims -- Noah, John, Paul, Luke, and Mary.

They're dead because their mother killed them.

She took away their lives, but the verdict is that it wasn't her fault.

Frankly, that's insane.