Ending Earmarks Express

Mary Katharine Ham reports on Hugh Hewitt I was at the kick-off for the Ending Earmarks Express this morning. I've blogged about the bus before, but Americans for Prosperity is taking a busload of fiscal hawks around the country to visit sites of the 50 most egregious earmarks the American people have been privileged to fund. The few folks in Congress who are anti-earmarks showed up to speak.

• Sen. Tom Coburn
• Rep. Tom Feeney
• Rep. Scott Garrett

AFP's new website will chart the route of the Ending Earmarks Express.

This will be something to keep an eye on.

US considers use of nuclear weapons against Iran

Stop the ACLUblogged One of the military's initial option plans,

Note this is ONE OF the plans the Pentagon provided. This does not mean we are going to do it tomorrow. Next month, maybe. We need to wait for El Baradei to leave. <grin>

as presented to the White House by the Pentagon this winter, calls for the use of a bunker-buster tactical nuclear weapon, such as the B61-11, against underground nuclear sites. One target is Iran's main centrifuge plant, at Natanz, nearly two hundred miles south of Tehran. Natanz, which is no longer under I.A.E.A. safeguards, reportedly has underground floor space to hold fifty thousand centrifuges, and laboratories and workspaces buried approximately seventy-five feet beneath the surface.

Meanwhile, leftwinger blogs are ready to oppose this.

The truth is that the administration of George Bush has never wanted a diplomatic solution to the Iranian nuclear crisis, at least not one short of complete capitulation by the Iranians, something that no analyst believes can or will happen.

If something less than capitulation, how many nukes do you think Iran should have? How many would it take for them to "wipe Israel off the map" as their President has indicated his intent is?

The Iraq war has certainly given pause to Mr. Bush and the neo-cons in and around his administration who want a piece of the Mullahs, but perversely as the situation deteriorates in Baghdad, it seems that Tehran is beginning to look like a good diversion. The IAEA chief, Mohammad El Baradei, despite U.S. urgings to the contrary, is visiting Iran next week to meet with Iranian leaders, still hoping to salvage a compromise deal. The U.S. would hardly object to Mr. El Baradei's trip unless it wants all options to fail so that the one option left (which we constantly remind the Iranians is still on the table, not getting stale) will be war.

Imagining the unimaginable: America slept (or shopped) through the unimaginable Bush administration lies that took us to Iraq. We slept and shopped successively through Guantanamo,

Wwhich is a good idea

the horrors of Abu Ghraib

which everyone deplored

, rendition,

which is legal

illegal detentions,

which were not ilegal

the Valerie Plame leak,

which has not been proven yet

and most recently illegal wiretaps on U.S. citizens.

which were legal

We're sleeping and shopping through administration claims that Iran is building weapons of mass destruction,

who does not believe they are

the preposterous claim that Iran is supplying their Sunni arch-enemies al Qaeda with arms and bombs,

Maybe they are providing them to their Shi'ia buddies

that Iran is the world's foremost sponsor of terrorism,

It is. Do you really think Syria does more?

and that Iran, if allowed the technology to manufacture nuclear fuel, will not only make nuclear weapons but use them against us or our allies (or just hand them over to terrorists who will).

Or all of the above.

No proof required, and hey, there's a sale on at Saks!

Preposterous claims eh? Maybe leftard pacifists are gullible enough to to believe a extreme theocratic nation that isn't shy about its hatred of America, and loudly proclaimed that Israel should be wiped off the map, are only seeking nuclear capabilities for peaceful purposes. Perhaps they are naive enough to put all hope in diplomacy working with radical leaders that believe they are ushering in the Muslim messiah to rule the entire world under Islamic rule. I'm sure they have complete faith in Russia and China as well. However, some of us don't feel so comfortable.

I have NO FAITH in the UN or the international community. They are paralyzed by corruption, moral inversion, and unending discourse. If they can't save lives in Darfur, an unambiguous case of genocide, Iran is far far beyond their grasp. America must save the world, from itself, yet again. We need our peeps, our crew, our coalition - trusted allies that share our values, to get anything done.

Amen to that Pamela. One thing the lefties are correct about is that America needs to wake up, but it isn't like they think. I for one, am glad that we have every option on the table right now. If it takes a few bunker buster nukes to penetrate where Iran is hiding their nuclear experiments, then by all means use them. The left crying like we are talking about another Hiroshima is not only an overexaggeration, but very revealing. Sadly, we can already see who the lefties will be rooting for. To the left, the real enemy is not radical extremists getting their hands on nuclear weapons! To them, the enemy is President Bush. We are pursuing diplomaticly, but it doesn't hurt to have a plan B. If it ends up that Iran keeps playing games with us, and refusing to cooperate with the international community; and when the international community once again shows its uneffectiveness in dealing with the situation; its good to know we've got a plan in place to deal with ourself. And if it ends up that we can't find anything afterwards, the only people to blame will be Iran. They are digging their own graves, and if they don't wake up out of their little apocolypse dream, we will have to give them a wake-up call.

That explains it

Kathryn Jean Lopez noted on The Corner The clearest reason the Dems blocked the Immigration bill in the Senate:

In private as well as public, Reid and Sen. Charles Schumer, D-N.Y., who heads the party's campaign effort, said they did not want to expose rank-and-file Democrats to votes that would force them to choose between border security and immigrant rights, only to wind up with legislation that would be eviscerated in future negotiations with the House, which has passed a bill limited to boosting border security.

That explains it. I thought they were just being Democrats, opposing everything, even though the "compromise" was almost a complete surrender to them.

That is interesting

Warren Bell noted on The Corner From a 'Sports Illustrated' interview with lead CBS Masters commentator, Jim Nantz:

SI: An SI poll found that almost 90 percent of Tour players said invading Iraq was a good idea, and zero had seen Brokeback Mountain. Is there something beyond socioeconomics going on? Something about golf that suits a conservative temperament?

That is interesting.

Courageous Woman

Betsy Newmark blogged Brigitte Gabriel is a courageous woman who grew up in war-torn Lebanon having to crawl through sniper fields to get water for her family. Eventually, she fled the wars in Lebanon to become a news anchor on an Arabic news show in the Middle East. She has founded the American Congress for Truth in order to combat the spread of radical Islam. Recently she was invited to speak at the University of Memphis. The reception that she received there from Muslims is reminiscent of the type of reaction that an Ann Coulter would receive at Berkeley.

Based on what happened to me in Memphis, I think its time for Americans to wake up as to what is occurring within their very midst. It is time to be energized and empowered to stand up and fight to take back our universities. Its incidents like this that spurs speakers like me to defend our civilization and everything it stands for.

Have we really reached the point when radical Islamicists at a university in the United States can try to prevent someone from speaking with a message condemning jihad and the murder of innocents in the name of Allah? If so, we have truly reached a sorry state.

We need to encourage more Moderate Muslims like her to speak up. If they do not speak up, people are going to assume that all Muslims are like the Islamoterrorists, and if that happens it will be hard to stop people from insisting we wipe all of the off the face of the earth.

Where are the Muslim moderates?

Clifford D May wrote in Townhall In 1956, Nikita Khrushchev addressed a closed session of the 20th Congress of the Soviet Communist Party. For nearly four hours, he spoke about the unspeakable: the crimes of his predecessor, Soviet dictator Joseph Stalin. Though listeners were warned not to reveal what was said, and the speech would not be published for 32 years, word leaked out. The most widely told story, probably apocryphal, had it that as Khrushchev was detailing the mass arrests, torture and executions carried out within the Gulag, someone in the audience shouted: “And what were you doing then?” “Who said that?” Khrushchev demanded. No one made a sound. “I want to know who said that!” he repeated, slamming a fist on the lectern. The audience was silent, trembling in fear. “That's right,” Khrushchev said finally. “That's exactly what I was doing.”

Trembling in fear. That is a very good point. I suspect that is why the Moderate Muslims are not speaking out. But they should, because their faith is being hijacked. Early Christians were persecuted for their faith, and many died as Martyrs, but they persisted in defending their beliefs, and so should the Moderate Muslims, because their faith in particular offers a major reward for Martyrs who die in support of Islam, and I guarantee them that this is what Allah was talking about, and not guys that blow themselves up or set off IEDs, just to kill a few innocents. In fact the Quran specifically says what will happen to those idiots: Surat an-Nisa,093 (Quran 4.93) says "If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (For ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him."

Where are all the Muslim moderates? Where are those who oppose terrorism, religious wars, hatred and intolerance? Where are those who think it crazy to attempt to recreate the 8th century in the 21st century? Where are those who want not to destroy the Free World but to join it? They are out there, I suspect; in larger numbers than we might be led to believe. But if most are silent and fearful of speaking out, can you blame them? The vast majority of Arabs and Muslims live in countries ruled by illiberal and oppressive regimes.

But if Moderate Muslims here in the US, and in Europe, would speak up, the word would get back to those oppressed Muslims. They might not overturn their regimes immediately, but they would hear the truth. That is better than just hearing lies.

And in the few relatively free countries – Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia – there is no protection from the long arm of Militant Islamism. Indeed, even in Europe it can be dangerous to challenge religious fascism.

But it can be even more dangerous NOT to challenge it.

And last year, Shaker Elsayed, leader of Dar al-Hijrah, one of the largest mosques in the U.S., told American Muslims: "The call to reform Islam is an alien call."

I hope he was deported, and if not, that he will be deported.

Muslims who dissent from this orthodoxy have received precious little support from anyone.

We should all praise them, and do our best to spread their word.

As far back as 1989, Iranian Ayatollah Khomeini called for the murder of British author Salman Rushdie. Such a frontal attack on freedom of speech should have prompted Western governments to send Iranian diplomats packing. Instead, Rushdie went into hiding while most Western intellectuals persuaded themselves this quarrel was none of their business. Since that time, and perhaps partly as a consequence, Dutch filmmaker Theo Van Gogh was murdered for making a movie some Muslims found insulting. Danish journalists who dared publish cartoons satirizing the radicalization of Islam have been threatened. Such formerly-courageous publications as The New York Times declined to publish the cartoons, claiming – unconvincingly -- that they had not been intimidated; they were merely demonstrating sensitivity.

They were sensitive to having their editors killed and their building burned down.

.... If we in the West ever want to have allies in Arab and Muslim countries, we'll need to start supporting moderates -- and stop empowering their oppressors.

Amen to that.

Most immediately, it would be useful if American ambassadors in Muslim countries would welcome dissidents to their offices as they do cabinet ministers.

And maybe helped some of them get asylmn in our country, where they could speak out.

And perhaps Columbia University President Lee Bollinger – whose “primary teaching and scholarly interests are focused on free speech and First Amendment issues” -- might recognize how his institution has been compromised and at least express concern.

And maybe even Yale could send their Taliban student to Gitmo, and let a Moderate Muslim take his place

Google aims to track users with wi-fi

MSNBC. reports Google aims to be able to track its users to within 100-200 feet of their location through new wireless networks in order to serve them with relevant advertising from local businesses.

This is very interesting. But why just do it in San Francisco and Mountain View. What about other cities like Tulsa.

The leading internet search company, which depends on advertising for 99 per cent of its revenues, was selected on Wednesday by San Francisco as its preferred bidder to provide a basic free wi-fi internet service covering the entire city. Google and Earthlink will now enter final contract negotiations with the city. There were five other bidders including a non-profit group backed by Cisco Systems and IBM.

Why don't the four that lost the bid try for doing it in some other cities

The company hopes to defray the costs of offering a free service through contextual advertising. Analysts have speculated that the San Francisco bid could be a prelude to Google seeking to extend its reach into localities nationwide.

I hope that is the case.

First a Wall -- Then Amnesty

Charles Krauthammer wrote in WaPo My proposition is this: A vast number of Americans who oppose legalization and fear new waves of immigration would change their minds if we could radically reduce new -- i.e., future -- illegal immigration.

Absolutely

Forget employer sanctions. Build a barrier. It is simply ridiculous to say it cannot be done. If one fence won't do it, then build a second 100 yards behind it. And then build a road for patrols in between. Put in cameras. Put in sensors. Put out lots of patrols.

The only thing I would do to improve on that is to suspend Posse Comitatus in an area 10 miles from the border, and assign the military on training missions to help defend the border, and at the same time learn skills that would be ideal in Iraq and Afganistan, where they want to close borders to prevent terrorists from crossing them.

Can't be done? Israel's border fence has been extraordinarily successful in keeping out potential infiltrators who are far more determined than mere immigrants. Nor have very many North Koreans crossed into South Korea in the past 50 years.

Of course it will be ugly. So are the concrete barriers to keep truck bombs from driving into the White House. But sometimes necessity trumps aesthetics. And don't tell me that this is our Berlin Wall. When you build a wall to keep people in, that's a prison. When you build a wall to keep people out, that's an expression of sovereignty. The fence around your house is a perfectly legitimate expression of your desire to control who comes into your house to eat, sleep and use the facilities. It imprisons no one.

Absolutely.

Of course, no barrier will be foolproof. But it doesn't have to be. It simply has to reduce the river of illegals to a manageable trickle. Once we can do that, everything becomes possible -- most especially, humanizing the situation of our 11 million illegals.

And it should reduce a lot of drug traffic and middle east people from getting in to our country.

If the government can demonstrate that it can control future immigration, there will be infinitely less resistance to dealing generously with the residual population of past immigration.

Google Earth to Get Discovery Video

WaPo Discovery Communications Inc. is teaming up with Google to offer video clips of historic sites and other spots around the world through Google Earth software, one of several new ways the Silver Spring cable programmer is distributing its content beyond television.... Over the next few weeks, Google's program will begin including a globe icon, linking users to a series of two- to four-minute videos from Discovery's archives.

This is very interesting. There are a lot of applications developed that work with either Google Earth or Google Maps with their satelite images

Immigration Bill Surprises

New York Post reported How do you slip legislative poison past a U.S. senator? Bury it on page 302 of a bill. The Senate's Democratic and Republican leaders yesterday announced a compromise on an immigration bill - with some details still to be worked out. But details that may continue from the bill passed out of the Judiciary Committee should definitely be deal-breakers. Like that surprise hidden on page 302 - which would replace the country's entire bench of experienced immigration judges with pro-immigration advocates.

Right. Stack the court in favor of immigration.

The second nasty surprise? Just before the committee approved the bill on the evening of March 27, Sen. Richard Durbin (D-Ill.) offered the "DREAM Act" as an amendment. It passed on a voice vote. The DREAM Act is a nightmare. It repeals a 1996 law that prohibits state universities from offering in-state tuition rates to illegal aliens. The principle, of course, is that no illegal alien should be entitled to receive a taxpayer-subsidized benefit that out-of-state U.S. citizens can't get. But the committee's bill allows illegals to be treated better than those U.S. citizens on tuition. The bill also gives an amnesty to the nine states (including New York) that have been flouting the '96 law, two of which (California and Kansas) are now facing lawsuits (I'm a counsel to the plaintiffs in both cases).

Another reason why the entire bill should be scrapped.

The third nasty surprise lies in what the bill fails to do. The measure envisions a massive amnesty for illegal aliens now in the country - but doesn't give the Citizenship and Immigration Service (CIS) the personnel or infrastructure to implement the amnesty.

I don't like those ammendments, which apparently got in the bill, but I do like S.AMDT.3215 to S.2454 To demonstrate respect for legal immigration by prohibiting the implementation of a new alien guest worker program until the Secretary of Homeland Security certifies to the President and the Congress that the borders of the United States are reasonably sealed and secured.

Senate Deal on Immigration Falters

NYT Senate leaders reached agreement Thursday on a broad, bipartisan compromise that would put the vast majority of the nation's estimated 11 million illegal immigrants on a path to citizenship, but its prospects for passage grew more uncertain as Republicans and Democrats clashed late into the night over parliamentary procedure. Both sides said that without a quick resolution of the differences they would not have a vote on the final legislation before Congress leaves for its spring recess on Friday, raising the possibility that the painstakingly negotiated compromise might unravel as it is exposed to intense political scrutiny during the two-week Congressional break.

This is wonderful news. Hopefully the plan will fail altogether, and we won't run the risk of a House/Senate conference committee. The borders must be sealed before any discussion of citizenship. I propose a secure ID card with photo, fingerprint, and other biometric data, available at cost to those outside our borders, and with cost + $2000 to people in the US, repeal Posse Comitatas within 10 miles of the border and station the military there on training missions to learn how to seal the border (skills that would be very valuable in Iraq and Afganistan), and funds appropriated to build a fence (but that could be used on hitech virtual fence tools if the military decided they were more effective

Betsy Newmark blogged The solution that the Senate came up with yesterday on immigration is so delusional. The idea that there can be some sort of documentation that will be fraud-proof to show if people have been here for more than five years is a joke. The Congress shouldn't pass a law that will clearly be broken. And this bill does nothing to address the problem of the new illegal immigrants who will come in every day.

Bipartisan culture of corruption

Investor's Business Daily House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi House and Senate leaders are allowed one so-called leadership PAC in addition to their own campaign committee, the purpose of which is to make contributions to other candidates. Pelosi had two. In early 2004, the Federal Election Commission fined both PACs associated with Pelosi, the second making $5,000 contributions to 36 campaigns that had already received the maximum $5,000 allowed by law from the first.

Why just a fine? Isn't it a criminal matter?

Senate Minority Leader Harry ReidAnd when it comes to cashing in on family connections, DeLay's relatives can't hold a candle to Reid's family. In June, 2003, the Los Angeles Times reported that in the prior four years firms employing Reid's sons or sons-in-law earned more than $2 million in lobbying fees from special interests that were represented by the kids and helped by the senator in Washington.....

The Democratic version of Family Values.

Sen. Hillary Clinton The 2000 campaign of Sen. Hillary Clinton, who would be our president, recently conceded filing false FEC reports, understating in-kind contributions by nearly $722,000, including those of three-time convicted felon Peter Paul.

Oops

Jack Abramoff As we have noted, Reid got $70,000 from sources linked to lobbyist Jack Abramoff, whom Democrats tried to hang around DeLay's neck like a political albatross. John Kerry got $100,000, and Senate campaign committee chief Chuck Schumer got nearly $30,000. Schumer in 2003 quietly paid a $130,000 fine plus $120,000 in refunds to 77 donors for violations in his 1998 campaign.

Abramoff was an equal opportunity briber. The only reason Republicans got more than Democrats is that they were the party in power.

An analysis by the nonpartisan Center for Responsive Politics shows that since 1990, Democrats have taken in nearly 10% more in campaign contributions from lobbyists. In 2005, the GOP received 55% of lobbyist contributions, but in the 1990s during the Clinton administration, Democrats got 70%.

Poll Finds Steele May Be Magnet for Black Voters

WaPo reports An internal document prepared by a top Democratic strategist warns that a majority of African American voters in Maryland are open to supporting Republican Senate candidate Michael S. Steele

Of course African American voters are likely to support an African American who makes good sense, and has shown he can get results.

and advises the party not to wait to "knock Steele down."

In other words if you can't come up with ideas as good as Steele's, knock him down some other way. Call him names. Lie about him. Use all possible Democratic techniques to knock him down.

The 37-page report says a sizable segment of likely black voters -- as much as 44 percent -- would readily abandon their historic Democratic allegiances "after hearing Steele's messaging."

The Democratic Party not be able to count on blacks voting for it automatically? Why the party might have to come up with some real ideas if the want to win elections.

"Governor Ehrlich and [Lt. Gov.] Michael Steele have a clear ability to break through the Democratic stronghold among African American voters in Maryland," says the March 27 report by Cornell Belcher, polling consultant for the Democratic National Committee, which bases its findings on a survey of 489 black voters in Maryland conducted last month.

Good luck guys

McKinney Apologizes for Incident With Cop

Forbes reported Rep. Cynthia McKinney, D-Ga., expressed "sincere regret" Thursday for her altercation with a Capitol police officer,

Did she regret

• Hitting the cop,
• Calling several press conferences to accuse the cop of "improper touching" and racism, or
• The fact that the case has been turned over to a Grand Jury, and that she may be indited for a crime.

and offered an apology to the House. "There should not have been any physical contact in this incident,"

Does that mean he should not have stopped her, or that she should not have hit him?

McKinney said in brief remarks on the House floor. "I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all

What misunderstanding. Did she wear the proper button to allow her to bypass security?

and I regret its escalation

What excalation: her calling news conferences, or it being submitted to the Grand Jury?

and I apologize."

South Park Takes On Islamists

Captain's Quarters Last week, when the raunchy cartoon series South Park killed off Chef after Isaac Hayes complained about the show's religious intolerance,

He had no problem when they criticized Jews or Christians, but when they targeted his faith, Scientology, he was upset. Heck, just about everyone but Tom Cruise makes fun of Scientology.

some CQ readers noted that Matt Stone and Trey Parker had never taken on Muslims. Actually, Mohammed made an appearance in the "Super Best Friends" episode, where Big Mo teamed up with Moses, Jesus, Buddha, Joseph Smith, and Sea Man to stop a giant stone Abraham Lincoln -- by creating a giant stone John Wilkes Booth. They also skewered al-Qaeda in an episode where the boys go to Afghanistan to return a goat sent to them by four boys who received their one-dollar donation.

However, in this week's episode, the duo take on Islamists and the cowardice of the media in confronting their intolerance. The episode begins with the town going insane and stampeding towards the community center for shelter-- because Family Guy is going to depict Mohammed in their cartoon. Fox wimps out at the last moment,

Of course they would take an additional shot at Fox.

but that doesn't stop Family Guy from trying again. In the first installment of a supposed two-parter, the two manage to satirize the ultrasensitive multiculturalists, the scolds of the mainstream media, and Comedy Central for pulling their "Trapped In The Closet" episode from their normal repeat cycle. I suspect that the gag will be that the second half will never air.

South Park may be raunchy and tasteless, but it has become the bravest voice for freedom and common sense in modern entertainment. If you have not yet started watching it or have refused to do so in protest of its language, please give it another shot with this season's episodes, especially this one.

It is going to take more than this one episode, but I am certainly willing to add my post to their praise in the blogosphere for this effort.

The Anchoress agrees, even though the last episode of last season ("Bloody Mary") offended her enough for her to shut off the television. Too bad everyone doesn't understand how to react when something offends you ...

The Captain is exactly correct. If something offends you, don't watch it. Don't riot in the street, don't kill anyone, don't burn down any embassies; just don't watch it.

McKinney Abuses Anchors As If They Were Capitol Police

NewsBusters reports Congresswoman Cynthia McKinney appeared on CBS, CNN, and FNC on Wednesday morning to address charges she hit a Capitol Police officer in the chest with her cell phone when he tried to stop her as she tried to walk right past security screeners. Well, actually, she refused in all three interviews to address the basic facts of the fracas. In all three interviews, she forced in her talking points, that the kerfuffle was "much ado about a hairdo"

If you changed your hairdo, making it less likely they would recognize you, then you had even more reason to wear the pin you are required to wear, to identify yourself as a member of Congress. Either that, or go through security, like everyone else.

and that 250 black officers sued the Capitol Police for racial discrimination.

What does that have to do with whether or not you were wearing your pin, and why you hit a police officer?

Program on Vouchers Draws Minority Support

NYT Amie is one of about 1,700 low-income, mostly minority students in Washington who at taxpayer expense are attending 58 private and parochial schools through the nation's first federal voucher program, now in its second year.

Last year, parents appeared lukewarm toward the program, which was put in place by Congressional Republicans as a five-year pilot program, But this year, it is attracting more participation, illustrating how school-choice programs are winning over minority parents, traditionally a Democratic constituency.

If they are smart, they will demand such programs, and vote for the Republicans who are offerring these vouchers, and not the Dems, who just want to protect the failing public school system

81, 76, 50, 49, 43, 25

Myelectionanalysis blogged 81, 76, 50, 49, 43, 25... they’re the number of troops that have died in hostile actions in Iraq for each of the past six months. That last number represents the lowest level of troop deaths in a year, and second-lowest in two years....
attacks on Iraqi military and police 215, 176, 193, 189, 158, 193....
car bombs 70, 70, 70, 68, 30, 30....
civilians 527, 826, 532, 732, 950, 446....

My only point is that, at the very least, people who complain that good news coming out of Iraq gets shuttered by the press aren’t crazy.

Very interesting

Phone Service Has Parents in Mind

NYT With the help of the Walt Disney Company, parents can make sure it's still a small world for their children, at least when it comes to their cellphone use.

I don't have any children, but if I did, I think this would be ideal.

On Wednesday, the company will introduce a wireless phone service that will allow parents to set limits on their children's cellphone use as well as track them on a map using Global Positioning System technology.

Do you know where your children are?

Parents can determine what hours and days of the week children can use phones, blocking school hours for example,

This is good

and what numbers they can dial.

This is very good

They will also be able to set spending limits on their phone bills.

This is fantastic

Criminal alien exception blocked

Washington Times reported Senate Democrats refused to allow consideration of an amendment yesterday that would bar illegal aliens convicted of felonies from obtaining U.S. citizenship.
Democrats said the amendment would "gut" the immigration bill under consideration in the Senate and refused to allow a vote on it.

If you don't like an amendment, vote against it.

"It hurts the bill," said Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada. "It hurts the very foundation and what I believe is the spirit" of the legislation.

The Democratic spirit being to make all criminals citizens so that they can vote for other criminals (i.e. Democrats)

Senate Republicans Strike Immigration Deal

NYT reported A group of Senate Republicans reached agreement Wednesday night on a compromise proposal that they hope can garner bipartisan support and bring passage of a bill on the future of the nation's 11 million illegal immigrants. The compromise, which followed a day of negotiations, was endorsed by Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, the majority leader. But it did not have the commitment of all Republicans, much less Democrats who have backed an approach that would put nearly all illegal immigrants on a path toward citizenship.

What about border security? Before they even consider making any of the illegals citizens they should build a secure fence, repeal posse comitatas within 10 miles of the border, and station the military there for training, so they can learn how to close borders; something they need i both Iraq and Afganistan.

As outlined by Senate Republicans late Wednesday, the compromise would place illegal immigrants in three categories:

• Those who have lived in the country at least five years would be put on a path toward guaranteed citizenship, provided that they remained employed, paid fines and back taxes, and learned English, a senior Republican aide said.

  There should be no guarantee of citizenship, and if they have a criminal record there should not be any way of getting citizenship.

  The aide said this group accounted for about 7 million of the roughly 11 million illegal immigrants believed to be living here.
• Those who have lived here for two to five years, said to number about three million, would have to leave the country briefly before reporting to an American port of entry, where they would be classified as temporary workers. They would be allowed to apply for citizenship but would have no guarantee of obtaining it. Those who did not would have to leave after participating in the temporary worker program for six years.

  They should be given an unforgable ID card with photo, fingerprints, and other bio data, and a dna swap should be taken. If they have a criminal record they should not be readmitted.

• The remaining one million or so, those who have lived in the country less than two years, would be required to leave. They could apply for temporary worker status but would not be guaranteed it.

Congratulations CQ: Blogger of the year

CQ blogged Now that the event has concluded, I can reveal why I came to Washington DC tonight. The Week Magazine selected me as Blogger of the Year for 2005, following in the footsteps of my friends from Power Line, who won the honor last year. The magazine flew me out here earlier today and put me up at an excellent hotel, and then brought me to the Andrew Mellon Auditorium for dinner and the presentation

Congratulations

Massachusetts Set to Offer Universal Health Insurance

NYT reported Massachusetts is poised to become the first state to provide nearly universal health care coverage after the state legislature overwhelmingly passed a bill today that Gov. Mitt Romney says he will sign.

They do it by saying everyone has to get health insurance.

The bill does what health experts say no other state has yet been able to do: provide a mechanism for all of its citizens to obtain health insurance. It accomplishes that in a way that experts say combines several different methods and proposals from across the political spectrum, apportioning the cost among businesses, individuals and the government.

So the government decides how individuals and businesses must spend their money.

"This is probably about as close as you can get to universal," said Paul Ginsburg, an economist who is president of the nonpartisan Center for Studying Health System Change in Washington. "It's definitely going to be inspiring to other states about how there was this compromise. They found a way to get to a major expansion of coverage that people could agree on. For a conservative Republican, this is individual responsibility. For a Democrat, this is government helping those that need help."

The bill, which resulted after months of wrangling between legislators and the governor, requires all Massachusetts residents to obtain health coverage by July 1, 2007.

I know how we can save NASA a lot of money. Let's just pass a law requiring everyone to be able to fly in space.

Individuals who can afford private insurance will be penalized on their state income taxes if they do not buy it.

And it will be the government that decides whether you can afford it or not.

Government subsidies to private insurance plans will enable more of the working poor to be able to afford insurance and will expand the number of children who are eligible for free coverage.

More free health care for Democratic voters, and force the Republicans to buy it themselves.

And businesses with more than 10 workers that do not provide insurance will be assessed a fee of up to $295 per employee per year.

It does not matter whether they can afford to buy health care for their employees or not. I bet we find a lot of small businesses with 10 to 20 part time workers firing half their staff and having nine employees working overtime.

Zarqawi fired

News24 reported Iraq's resistance has replaced Jordanian-born Abu Musab al-Zarqawi as political head of the rebels, confining him to a military role, the son of Osama bin Laden's mentor told AFP Sunday in Jordan. "The Iraqi resistance's high command asked Zarqawi to give up his political role and replaced him with an Iraqi, because of several mistakes he made," said Hudayf Azzam, who claims close contacts with the rebels.

Since when did he ever have a political role? Was he on the ballot in the last Iraqi election?

"Zarqawi's role has been limited to military action," said Azzam, whose late father Abdallah Azzam was the mentor of bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda boss.

But he is afraid to actually battle with the military. They have guns, and can shoot back.

"Zarqawi bowed to the orders two weeks ago and was replaced by Iraqi national Abdullah bin Rashed al-Baghdadi," Azzam said.

Is he going to hide like Zarqawi did?

Azzam, 35, whose father was known as the "prince of mujahedeens", said he regularly receives "credible information on the resistance in Iraq".

So should Azzam be arrested as a collaberator?

He said Zarqawi "made many political mistakes", including "the creation of an independent organisation, Al-Qaeda in Iraq".

"Zarqawi also took the liberty of speaking in the name of the Iraqi people and resistance, a role which belongs only to the Iraqis," Azzam said.

And a majority of them don't want the resistance to continue.

As a result "the resistance command inside and outside Iraq, including imams, criticised him and after long discussions demanded that he be confined to military action", Azzam said.

How about confining him to prison instead.

"Zarqawi pledged not to carry out any more attacks against Iraq's neighbours

Yes, his family is now against him after he bombed the wedding party in Jordan.

after having been criticised for these operations which are considered a violation of sharia (Islamic law)," Azzam said.

Actually his attacks which kill innocent Iraqis are in violation of Quran 4.93 which says "If a man kills a believer intentionally, his recompense is Hell, to abide therein (For ever): And the wrath and the curse of Allah are upon him, and a dreadful penalty is prepared for him."

Kuwaiti women vote for first time

BBC reported Polling is taking place in a Kuwaiti council by-election in which women are allowed to vote for the first time.

It's about time

Two women are also among eight candidates running for the seat in the Salmiya district, south of the capital.

You go, girl.

The 28,000 eligible voters, 60% of whom are women, are voting in segregated polling booths, a condition demanded by Islamist and tribal MPs.

Does it frighten the men to see women voting, or are they worried that someone might do something naughty with them in a public polling place?

Virginia Beach agrees to change the way it scores police math exams

The Virginian-Pilot reported Virginia Beach agrees to change the way it scores police math exams....

What are they going to do? Allow an answer of 3, 4, or 5 to the question "What is 2+2"?

The Justice Department claimed that the test’s pass-fail system had a disproportionate effect on minorities because the passing rates for blacks and Hispanics were less than 80 percent of the passing rate for whites.

It would seem that the proper solution is to tell the schools to stop wasting time trying to brainwash people into thinking like liberals, and teach them some actual math (along with being able to read and write)

From 2002 to mid-2005, about 85 percent of white applicants passed the math exam, compared with 59 percent of blacks and 66 percent of Hispanics.

Could the blacks and Hispanics do the necessary calculations to come up with the percentages?

Under the old standard, Virginia Beach required all recruits to score 70 percent on each of three written tests for reading comprehension, grammar and spelling, and math.

When I went to school, a grade of 70 was a C Minus (just barely above a D)

The Justice Department questioned whether math is relevant to the daily duties of a police officer.

If it is not, why test them on it at all? But if it is important, then why not require them to know it?

The city agreed to eliminate the 70 percent cutoff score for the math part of the test.

Under the new standard, an applicant must score at least 70 percent on the reading and grammar parts of the test and score an average of at least 60 percent on all three parts of the exam. The new scoring method will take effect as soon as next week, when the next exam will be administered.

Are you going to set your alarm clocks?

Michelle Malkin observed On Wednesday at two minutes and three seconds after 1:00 in the morning, the time and date will be 01:02:03 04/05/06.

I don't know about you, but I plan to sleep right through it. If you set your alarm clock to get up to see it, take a picture of it and send it to me. Yawn.

Learning from Mexico

Michelle Malkin blogged The Center for Security Policy has published an excellent primer by J. Michael Waller on how Mexico treats its own "undocumented" residents. Read the whole thing--and then demand that our lawmakers have the guts to enforce America's immigration laws as unapologetically as Mexico enforces its own.

This is a good idea. Rather than listening to Mexico tell us how we should treat illegals from their country, we should treat them the same way Mexico treats even legal foreigners in their country

All the news that NBC wants to create

Michelle Malkin blogged about an example of where NBC's Dateline Show is looking for some male Muslims to stage confrontations to allow it to show anti-Muslim and anti-Arab racism: A source who monitors political e-mail lists sent me an intriguing message disseminated last week, which involved an apparent Dateline NBC solicitation to Muslim groups. Check this out:

They are looking for men who actually "look Muslim". They want a guy with no foreign accent whatsoever, a good thick beard, an outgoing personality, and someone willing to wear a kufi/skullcap....

So they should ""look Muslim" but not sound Muslim

They also want someone who is fairly well accomplished and has contributed to American society at large in some meaningful way....

It will make it a better story if they can get racist behaviour against someone that has contributed to American society. So they probably don't want a Taliban student from Yale.

NBC is willing to fly in someone and cover their weekend expenses....

Free trip if you will help us stage an incident.

We already have a hijabi sister who will be filmed there but a Muslim is also needed to join her....

Because doesn't Islamic law mean a woman must stay home unless accompanied by a brother or husband?

Catch that? The apparent "sting" involves targeting Nascar and other sporting events. 'Cause that's presumably where the fair and balanced NBC news staff thinks all the bigots are.

Easy photo mapping with Google Maps

NaviGadget blogged Tim Vidas has a great description of how he was able to equip his Ricoh D200 with a GPS unit to easily Google Map pictures he takes with it. He explains that “The tagging of GPS data into the Exif of each picture is a really nice novelty for me” On his page he has posted the source code for you to be able to do this yourself, and even makes his custom map pins available to anyone that wants to use them!

This is very interesting. I am disabled and home bound, so I will not be able to use it, but if I was still mobile, I think I would be playing with it.

Deadliest Day in Months

NYT reported In the deadliest day for American forces since the beginning of the year, at least nine members of the military were killed in the insurgent stronghold of Anbar Province, including four in a rebel attack and at least five when their truck accidentally flipped over, the American military command said Monday.

While we grieve the loss of every member of the military that dies, another way of looking at this headline is Iraq has become a much safer place for the US military this year than last year, and even yesterday, we lost more soldiers in an auto accident than we did to enemy fire.

How the GOP Became God's Own Party

WaPo reported Now that the GOP has been transformed by the rise of the South, the trauma of terrorism and George W. Bush's conviction that God wanted him to be president, a deeper conclusion can be drawn: The Republican Party has become the first religious party in U.S. history.

That is primarilly because the Secular Humanists control the Democratic Party

Betsy Newmark blogged I happen to be one conservative who is not religious in the slightest, but I have the deepest respect for those who have a strong faith. I think Phillips' whole premise is hogwash. Certainly, there are conservatives whose political views are guided by their religious values. But I think that our history has always had people whose political beliefs were shaped by their faith. Read the founders on their writings about mankind's inalienable rights. Where do you think they thought those rights came from? Even Thomas Jefferson, held up as the oracle on separation of church and state, believed that those rights came from the Creator. Read the Declaration of Independence again.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness

Some of the people most admired today for their work on reforming our country whether it was ending slavery or rights for women were religious people whose desire to help others stemmed from their faith.

Egyptian cartoonists strike back at Denmark

Sandmonkey blogged The Syndicate of Egyptian cartoonists decided that they would respond to the danish cartoons by making their own cartoons on what happend.

This is a MUCH better way to respond; it certainly beats death threats and burning embassies.


A cartoon showing Islam as a flower being waterd by an angel, and when the evil people (note the "jewish nose"; egyptians in cartoons and books always protray jews with croocked noses) tried to step on the hose, it sprayed blood all over them. There is a Koranic verse on the bottom that looosely translates to "They tried to plot against Islam so we made them lose/fail".






A pig drawing the cartoon while saying saracsticly: "What is it? What's wrong? You never heard of something called Freedom of Expression? Hahahahahahaha". Please note the star of david hanging on the wall behind him.

I don't really see much humor in these cartoons, but then I did not see much humor in the Danish ones. However this is a much more civilized way to respond.

Attacking Iran May Trigger Terrorism

WaPo reported As tensions increase between the United States and Iran, U.S. intelligence and terrorism experts say they believe Iran would respond to U.S. military strikes on its nuclear sites by deploying its intelligence operatives and Hezbollah teams to carry out terrorist attacks worldwide.

Just tell them that for every terror act, we would take out one of their leading clerics, who control the country, and who keep the country from going democratic.

Iran would mount attacks against U.S. targets inside Iraq, where Iranian intelligence agents are already plentiful, predicted these experts. There is also a growing consensus that Iran's agents would target civilians in the United States, Europe and elsewhere, they said.

Also we will take out one of their nuclear sites for every attacks. They are buried too deep to bomb, you say? Well if they want nuclear weapons, then give them one for each nuclear site. I bet that would go deep enough to eliminate it.