Hot Air for February 16 is about the plight of Tulsan Jamal Miftah, a moderate Muslim whose letter to the Tulsa World condeming Osama bin Laden and other terrorists that are twisting Islam.
Saturday, February 17, 2007
Baghdad Plan Is a ‘Success’
NYT reported Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki told President Bush on Friday that the increased effort to provide security in Baghdad had gone exceedingly well so far, Mr. Maliki’s office said in a statement. The two spoke via video link and, according the statement, Mr. Maliki said, “The security plan has been a dazzling success during its first days.”
And at the same time, A Divided House Rebukes Bush on Iraq for that success.Across Baghdad, there were signs of the heightened troop presence, as cars were searched at new checkpoints and raids resulted in the arrest of at least 35 people, according to Iraqi officials.
Maj. Gen. Joseph F. Fil Jr., commander of the First Cavalry Division in Baghdad, told reporters on Friday that there had been a substantial reduction in violence in the past 48 hours, which he attributed both to the increased troop presence and the decision by Sunni and Shiite militants to keep a low profile.
Because they don't want to tangle with the US Military, and in the Shiite case, becaue their leaders are cowering in Iran.
Chávez Threatens to Jail Price Control Violators
NYT reported Faced with an accelerating inflation rate and shortages of basic foods like beef, chicken and milk, President Hugo Chávez has threatened to jail grocery store owners and nationalize their businesses if they violate the country’s expanding price controls.
Don't you have any economists in Venezuela that understand Supply and Demand? Shortages are the normal result of price controls.Food producers and economists say the measures announced late Thursday night, which include removing three zeroes from the denomination of Venezuela’s currency,
Talkabout major inflation.are likely to backfire and generate even more acute shortages and higher prices for consumers
It will happen.Inflation climbed to an annual rate of 18.4 percent a year in January, the highest in Latin America and far above the official target of 10 to 12 percent. Mr. Chávez, whose leftist populism remains highly popular among Venezuela’s poor and working classes,
Who are learning that it is better to have the stores filled with goods it is difficult to afford, than to have prices they can afford, but empty stores.seemed unfazed by criticism of his policies. Appearing live on national television, he called for the creation of “committees of social control,” essentially groups of his political supporters whose purpose would be to report on farmers, ranchers, supermarket owners and street vendors who circumvent the state’s effort to control food prices.
That's totalitarian government for you. Do you think these spies are going to persuade farmers to grow more when they can't get a good price for what they do grow?
Friday, February 16, 2007
Liberal Bloggers Demonstrate Their Political Immaturity, Democrat Says
Dan Gerstein wrote on Politico.com If the liberal blogs want to understand why so few people outside their narrow echo chamber take them seriously, and what it will take to gain the broader credibility they crave, they should look no further than their handling of the recent flap over John Edwards’ foul-mouthed blogger hires.
ROF, LMAOThis ugly morality tale - which mercifully concluded Tuesday with the second of the two offending online staffers resigning from the Edwards campaign - revealed the Kossacks in all their angry adolescent glory: impudent, impotent, unreflective and unaccountable.
Precisely. the left side of the Blogosphere is much angrier, and feeds much more on itself than the right side.Throughout the course of the controversy, the left’s bigger digital diatribers never stopped to address the substance of what the Edwards bloggers actually wrote before joining the campaign. Had the bloggers done so, they might have found the postings were widely deemed by Democrats and Republicans alike as bigoted and patently offensive to many Christians, not just devout Catholics or evangelicals.
Precisely. It is something Edward should have considered before hiring them, but he just wanted a couple of big names from the netrooters, and he was too stupid to realize he would be blaimed for what they had written. And here he was trying to reach out to Christians.Nor did they ever stop to think how hollow and hypocritical it sounded for the same people who ravaged George Allen, for his “macaca” moment in last year’s Virginia Senate campaign to cry “free speech” when confronted with a far more nasty, vulgar, and hurtful display of prejudice from two of their own. Instead, right until the bitter end, most liberal bloggers responded in their familiar mode – by lashing out at their critics and trying to marginalize them. This was, in their eyes, purely a manufactured controversy by the “right-wing smear machine” and a cynical attempt to silence and marginalize the Netroots.
Civilian deaths in Iraq drop overnight
Yahoo! News reported The number of Iraqi civilians killed in Baghdad's sectarian violence fell drastically overnight, an Iraqi military official said Friday, crediting the joint U.S.-Iraqi security operation that began in force just days ago.
Dems need to hurry with their non-binding efforts to discredit the surge before it has a chance to be a complete success.Iraqi army Brig. Gen. Qassim Moussawi, a spokesman for the Baghdad commander, said only 10 bodies had been reported by the morgue in the capital, compared to an average of 40 to 50 per day. "This shows a big reduction in terror and killing operations in Baghdad," he said on Iraqi state television.
Another indication Global Warming may be wrong
Antarctic temperatures disagree with climate model predictions indicates A new report on climate over the world's southernmost continent shows that temperatures during the late 20th century did not climb as had been predicted by many global climate models.
The scientists in Antartica will have their themometers taken away for not being politically correct in supporting the Global Warming hysteria."It's hard to see a global warming signal from the mainland of Antarctica right now," he said. "Part of the reason is that there is a lot of variability there. It's very hard in these polar latitudes to demonstrate a global warming signal. This is in marked contrast to the northern tip of the Antarctic Peninsula that is one of the most rapidly warming parts of the Earth."
Amanda Marcotte whines on Salon
Amanda Marcotte whines on Salon News As one of the thousands, possibly millions, of bloggers out there holding forth on everything from cooking to politics, I'd always felt especially fortunate. I'd ascended from having a small, low-traffic blog to joining Jesse Taylor at the big-time liberal blog Pandagon to actually controlling Pandagon in the course of three years.
Maybe they will have you back, and you can continue spewing your anti Catholic and anti Religious thoughts.Still, my good fortune amounted mostly to being good at what was still essentially my hobby, since I worked full time outside of my blog life. So it surprised me that my streak of luck would result in the John Edwards campaign calling and recruiting me for the position of campaign blogmaster. Of course, when I was informed that the general gist of the job played to my strengths of writing about progressive politics and building a blog audience, then the recruitment made much more sense.
So you realized it was the strength of your writing about progressive politics that caused him to seek you out. Then why was it such a surprise that people questioned whether he supported the things you had written that got his attention?I was also heartened to find out that Melissa McEwan of Shakespeare's Sister would be joining part time as a consultant, tapping her talents at organizing bloggers.... My main concern about the relationship between my personal blog and the campaign blog was that I wouldn't have enough time to keep my personal blog updated as frequently as the readers had come to expect, a problem I solved by inviting other bloggers to join. I thought some about content concerns, but my opinion had always been that bloggers who work for campaigns should feel free to have personal blogs, so long as they disclosed their employment to their personal blog readers and refrained from using their personal blogs to bash other candidates.
I don't know whether Edwards prohibited you from having a personal blog, but it is reasonable to ask if he supports what you said on it."Reasonable people," I thought, "can tell the difference between a personal blog post and those I'll write for the campaign." What I naively failed to understand was that there is no relationship between what reasonable people think and what will be used in a partisan bout of mud-slinging.
What I also failed to understand was how much McEwan and I would stick out.
So you thought he would hire you for being a rock star, but not listen to what you were singing?I was aware that I didn't exactly fit the image people have of bloggers who join campaigns -- the stereotype being 30-something nerdy young white men who wear khakis and obsess over crafting their Act Blue lists. I wasn't aware that not fitting the image would attract so much negative attention. In fact, I mostly saw this all as a baby step in the direction of diversity, since McEwan and I differed from the stereotype mostly by being female and by being outspoken feminists...
Lorie Byrd blogged It is hard to believe, but I am almost convinced that Amanda Marcotte does not yet realize that she lost her Edwards campaign blogger gig due to words she wrote that Edwards could not defend. She has convinced herself that all problems were a result of a rightwing machine set on destroying her because she is a woman. Typical liberal attitude -- none of this could possibly have anything to do with the outrageous and profane statements of Marcotte. It is all about being a victim.
Thursday, February 15, 2007
Limit Muslim migration, Australia warned
smh.com.au reported Life can become untenable when the Muslim population of a non-Muslim country reaches about 10 per cent, as shown by France, a Jewish expert on Islam says. The Australian Jewish News yesterday quoted Raphael Israeli as saying Australia should cap Muslim immigration or risk being swamped by Indonesians.
That is certainly true, and many non Jews have said the same thing.Professor Israeli told the Herald that was a misunderstanding. But he said: "When the Muslim population gets to a critical mass you have problems. That is a general rule, so if it applies everywhere it applies in Australia." Professor Israeli, an expert on Islamic history from Hebrew University in Jerusalem, has been brought to Australia by the Shalom Institute of the University of NSW. The Australia-Israel Jewish Affairs Council is co-hosting many of his activities.
He said Muslim immigrants had a reputation for manipulating the values of Western countries, taking advantage of their hospitality and tolerance.
That is certainly true."Greeks or Italians or Jews don't use violence. There is no Italian or Jewish Hilaly [a reference to the controversial cleric Sheik Taj el-Din al Hilaly of Lakemba mosque]. Why?"
Because they are civilized???Professor Israeli said that when the Muslim population increased, so did the risk of violence. "Where there are large Muslim populations who are prepared to use violence you are in trouble. If there is only 1 or 2 per cent they don't dare to do it - they don't have the backing of big communities. They know they are drowned in the environment of non-Muslims and are better behaved."
Sunni or Shiite
Betsy Newmark
Personal bragging: I got 8 of 8.
I got the same score as Betsy. How did you do?
Vitriolic e-mails zero in on 'Muslim'
Elaine Jarvik and Deborah Bulkeley wrote in Deseret Morning News On ultraconservative Web sites like littlegreenfootballs.com,
LGF is certainly conservative, but what makes it ultraconservative? The fact that it is not liberal?the story of Monday's shooting rampage at Trolley Square has been reduced to one fact: "Salt Lake City Killer Was a Muslim."
A fact that you left out of the coverage."The media did everything they could to avoid mentioning it, but it's confirmed today that the mass murderer who terrorized a mall in Salt Lake City was a Bosnian Muslim," reads the intro at littlegreenfootballs.com. At MichaelSavage.com, the Muslim connection is a running-banner headline. At jihadwatch.org, the story begins "Sudden Jihad syndrome? Maybe." The online stories, as well as Tuesday's and Wednesday's stories in the Deseret Morning News, have resulted in a barrage of vitriolic e-mails to the News from people either angry at the paper for not mentioning the religion of shooter Sulejman Talovic in Wednesday's Web edition, or certain that because Talovic is Muslim that he must be a terrorist.
Why didn't you just mention the fact. Was it not "newsworthy" in this post 9/11 environment?There is no record that Talovic attended any of the mosques in the Salt Lake area, according to both Tarek Nosseir, president of the Islamic Society of Greater Salt Lake and Bobby Darvish, president of the Muslim Forum of Utah.
Do they have a complete record of those that attended, and if so have they shared that record with the authorities?Nosseir noted that many Bosnian Muslims are more secular than religious.
And a number are not, and yet they do not appreciate the fact that the US tried to protect them."Having lived under Soviet Union rules for decades, where religious freedom was not an option, a majority of these people" are not practicing Muslims, he added. "What I hear is that he came a couple of times at most, to Eid prayers, but I can't confirm that he came."
The Al-Qaeda manual directs operatives to "avoid visiting famous Islamic places (mosques, libraries, Islamic fairs, etc.)Although Salt Lake City police have not yet established a motive for the shootings, a handful of Bosnian refugees were verbally harassed at their workplaces on Wednesday, according to the Utah Consortium of Multicultural Groups. Local police report no incidents of violence against Bosnian or other refugees.
Yet the local "multicultural group" wants to pretends its members are "victims".
Sunni vs. Shi'a: It's Not All Islam
Ralph Peters wrote in RealClearPolitics Among the worst members of the it's-all-a-conspiracy pack are those who insist that every Muslim is in on a vast Jihadi conspiracy to make Natalie Maines of the Dixie Chicks wear a chador (not a bad idea, aesthetically speaking).
Actually a Chador or a Hijab exposes the entire face. I think something better for her would be a nijab, so you could not see the gag that should block her mouth.But those most anxious to condemn Islam in its entirety skip over annoying facts: Overwhelmingly, the victims of Islamist terror have been other Muslims; even the Taliban or the Khomeinist regime never rivaled the Inquistion's ferocity; and Europeans, not Muslims, long have been the heavyweight champions of genocide (with the Turks a distant runner-up).
Not really. Muhammad wiped out a number of Jewish and Christian tribes when they did not accept his twisted version of their faiths.All monotheist religions have been really good haters. We just take turns.
There may be violence reported in the Torah and the Bible, but it never has God ordering it, other than perhaps to one particular group of people.But the biggest obstacle to establishing the Caliphate in California is that Shi'a "Islam" never bought into the Caliphate at all. At bottom, it's a different religion from Sunni Islam.
It has many differences with Sunni Islam, but what is the 12th Imam to do but establish a worldwide Caliphate.They're not just different branches of a faith, as with Protestantism and Catholicism, but separate faiths whose core differences are more-pronounced than those between Christians and Jews.
The big difference between them is who should have taken power when Muhammad died. The one who did, who was not a relative of Muhammad, or the relative that took power a few years later.Technically, Sunni militants are correct when they label the Shi'a "heretics."
And Shi'a are technicall correct, according to their beliefs, when they criticize Sunni Islam.Persians and their closest neighbors, with long memories of great civilizations, were never comfortable with the crudeness of Arabian Islam--which the anthropologist Claude Levi-Strauss aptly called "a barracks religion."
I am not comfortable with it either, but I don't think rule by the Iranian Mullah's is much better than Sharia Law under the Taliban.The struggle has never ended between the ascetic, intolerant Bedouin faith of Arabia, with its fascist obsession on behavior, and the profound theologies of Persian civilization that absorbed and transformed Islam.
How about comparing the ascetic, intolerant Persian interpretation, with its own fascist obsession on behavior, vs the profound theologies of the Bedouins? Both would take us back to the seventh century.While Shi'ism only prevailed in Persia within the last millennium (nudging out Sunni Islam at last), "Aryan" Islam had long been shaped by Zoroastrianism and other ineradicable pre-Islamic legacies. Persians made the new faith their own, incorporating cherished traditions--just as northern Europeans made Christianity their own through Protestantism. It's illuminating to hear Iran's president rumor the return of the Twelfth Imam, since the coming of that messiah figure is pure Zoroastrianism, with no connection to the Koran or the Hadiths.
al-Sadr in Iran
Yahoo! News An adviser to Iraq's prime minister said Thursday that radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran, but denied he fled due to fear of arrest during an escalating security crackdown.
He just had to go to Iran to get some clean underwear, because he soiled what he had when he learned of the surge.Sami al-Askari said al-Sadr traveled to Iran by land
So you cant say it was "flight"."a few days ago," but gave no further details on how long he would stay. A member of al-Sadr's bloc in parliament, who spoke on condition of anonymity because of fear of reprisals, said he left three weeks ago. "I confirm that Muqtada al-Sadr is in Iran on a visit," said al-Askari. "But I deny that his visit is a flight."
Because he traveled by land. But he did it really quick, and did not tell anyone he was leaving.Another lawmaker loyal to al-Sadr, Saleh al-Ukaili, insisted that al-Sadr is in Iraq and claimed the accounts of his departure were part of a "campaign by the U.S. military" to track down the elusive cleric.
Why should they be tracking him down, unless he is doing something he should not do.U.S. and Iraqi forces have increased pressure on backers of the anti-American cleric and other militants in a major security operation that began in force this week.
And the fact that al Sadr is in Iran, along with a lot of his key people, "for consultation", and the fact that the Mahdi Army has been told to hide its weapons and not do anything in public, shows the bad guys are worried about the Surge, no matter what the Dems say.Conflicting reports on al-Sadr's whereabouts have been exchanged for days.
The 1/2 Hour News Hour
Hal Boedeker wrote in Orlando Sentinel Fox News Channel bombs with comedy show
How do you know. It has not aired yet.Jon Stewart knows how to do slashing comical commentary.
He is a liberal, and takes shots at conservatives, and Hal thinks that is funny.He weighs in on what's happening, such as the media's bizarre coverage of Anna Nicole Smith's death.
Gee, what we need. More coverage of Ana Nicole Smith. However Fox is covering it too.David Letterman knows how to do slashing comical commentary.
He is a liberal, and takes shots at conservatives, and Hal thinks that is funny.He takes President Bush's awkward speeches and contrasts them with the lasting words of John F. Kennedy and Franklin Roosevelt.
How about the lasting words of Ronald Reagan? Oh, yes, you are a liberal, and don't want to admit that Reagan did anything good.Fox News Channel does not know how to do slashing comical commentary. The channel debuts
I.E. it has not aired yet, and already Hal is panning it."The 1/2 Hour News Hour" at 10 p.m. Sunday and repeats it at 10 p.m. Feb. 25. This show was meant to be a conservative version of "The Daily Show." It is a botch.
It will allow conservatives to laugh at liberals."The 1/2 Hour News Hour" does not comment on what is happening; it simply takes swipes at people.
And I suspect what those people are doing.These people include Howard Dean, Hillary Clinton, Dennis Kucinich, Barack Obama and Ed Begley Jr. Other joke topics are the ACLU, Time magazine, children's books and global warming. Laughter, of an awfully canned variety, greets all the gags. Nothing happening on screen justifies these outbursts. Hey, I'm all for a good dig at the high and the mighty.
Particularly if they are conservativesBut these satirists fall short of hitting their targets with wit, timeliness or punch. Which raises the point: What is a comedy show doing on a news channel?
What is a pretend news show doing on the Comedy Channel."The 1/2 Hour News Hour" was developed by Joel Surnow, who has given the world many minutes of entertainment through "24." On the basis of the premiere, Surnow should stick to political thrillers. At the top, Rush Limbaugh puts in a cameo as the U.S. president (the year is 2009); Ann Coulter drops in as his vice president. Then they disappear, a smart move. Fox News Channel will offer a second episode at 10 p.m. March 4. If we're lucky, we'll never hear of this dreadful show again.
If you don't like it, don't watch. I don't watch the Daily Show or David Letterman
Wednesday, February 14, 2007
Al Qaeda group calls for attacks on U.S. oil
CNN reported A Saudi wing of al Qaeda called for attacks on U.S. oil sources across the world, saying targets should not be limited to the Middle East and listing Canada, Venezuela and Mexico as U.S. oil suppliers.
Why don't you go afer Venezuela first.The threat appeared in the al Qaeda Organization in the Arabian Peninsula's e-magazine, Sawt al-Jihad (Voice of Holy War), which was posted on a Web site used by Islamist militants. "It is necessary to hit oil interests in all regions which serve the United States not just in the Middle East. The goal is to cut its supplies or reduce them through any means," it said.
And besides, if they buy oil other than in the Middle East, it is more difficult to siphon some of the revenue off to fund al Qaeda.
Taliban flee battle using children as shields
: Yahoo! News reported Taliban fighters used children as human shields
Brave Taliban fighters, did your bosses not tell you about the 72 virgins that are supposedly waiting for you if you are killed in combat, or do you just know they are lying.to flee heavy fighting this week during an operation by foreign and Afghan forces to clear rebels from around a key hydro-electric dam, NATO said on Wednesday. The Taliban have used human shields before, but never children, local residents say.
They usually use women, because they are larger, and you may be able to hide behind one woman, (or just take her burka and pretend to be a woman), but with children you may need several to hide behind.
Rep. Ellison calls the cops to snuff Tancredo’s cigar
The Hill reported Rep. Keith Ellison (D-Minn.) believes it is his right as a Muslim to be sworn into Congress with the Quran. But apparently, the freshman lawmaker doesn’t believe it’s Rep. Tom Tancredo’s (R-Colo.) right to smoke a cigar in his congressional office. Ellison’s office called the Capitol Hill Police on Tancredo last Wednesday night as Tancredo was in his office smoking a cigar. The lawmakers have neighboring offices on the first floor of the Longworth House Office Building.... Tancredo said he would not stop smoking in his office. “Heck, no!” he said. “If he [Ellison] would have [had] the courtesy to say something I’m sure I would have been more accommodating to his wishes.”
Like invite Ellison over for ham sandwiches and beer.
Illinois Bill Would Ban Social Networking Sites
Slashdot AlexDVwrites"Library blogger Michael Stephens is reporting that an Illinois state senator, Matt Murphy (R-27, Palatine), has filed a bill that 'Creates the Social Networking Web site Prohibition Act. Provides that each public library must prohibit access to social networking Web sites on all computers made available to the public in the library. Provides that each public school must prohibit access to social networking Web sites on all computers made available to students in the school.' Here is the bill's full text."
This local effort harks back to an attempt last May to get federal legislation banning school and library use of social networking sites (Wikipedia summary here). The DOPA bill passed the House but died in the Senate.
A lot of people are yelling that this violates the first amendment, but this does not say that the Social Networking sites can't be there, just that School and Public Library computers should not access them. This means that kids are less likely to be able to use them without their parents knowledge, and I think that is a good thing. I also support School and Public Library computers being required to block porno, sites urging violence, etc.
Black Leaders Back Clinton
BREITBART reported Two key black political leaders in South Carolina who backed John Edwards in 2004 said Tuesday they are supporting Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton's bid for the Democratic presidential nomination. State Sens. Robert Ford and Darrell Jackson told The Associated Press they believe Clinton is the only Democrat who can win the presidency.
She probably is the only one that can get the Democratic Nomination, but the question is will she have to move so far to the left to get it that she can't pretend to be a centrist to get elected.Both said they had been courted by Illinois Sen. Barack Obama; Ford said Obama winning the primary would drag down the rest of the party. "Then everybody else on the ballot is doomed," Ford said. "Every Democratic candidate running on that ticket would lose because he's black and he's at the top of the ticket _ we'd lose the House, the Senate and the governors and everything."
You give too much credit to the top of the ticket. Dems are very likely to do well in 2008. The problem is that whoever they elect as President is going to be too weak on the Islamoterrorist threat, and they will attack several times once the new President takes over, and it is the revolt against that which will cause you to lose the House, Senate, and governors in 2010."I'm a gambling man. I love Obama," Ford said. "But I'm not going to kill myself."
Having someone on the slate is not going to be what kills you. It is the Islamoterrorists that threaten that, and if they get into a position to impose Sharia law, that will destroy most of the supporters of the Democratic party.
Tuesday, February 13, 2007
Kilroy calls for 'backward' Islam to open mosques to women
Guardian Unlimited reported Robert Kilroy-Silk set himself on a collision course with sections of the Muslim community today when he claimed that most religious doctrine practised in the UK's mosques was "backward, tribal and from a medieval period".
Did he just discover that fact?The controversial MEP and former talk-show host made the remarks in an interview with the BBC in which he called for legislation to allow Muslim women into UK mosques. He was speaking as it was claimed that a majority of mosques in the UK - around 60% - do not admit women at all.
I've got news for him, that is just one of the restrictions placed on females in Islam. At least in the UK they can drive a car. I think.The East Midlands MEP called for women to be treated "equally, with dignity and respect" and said it was "totally unacceptable" that they were not allowed into all mosques.
if they are to be treated "equally, with dignity and respect", then they are to be treated in an UnIslamic Way, and in that case, why would they want to be allowed into a mosque?.... He added: "I don't believe in religions. I think all religions are fairy tales, I think they are evil
Then why are you saying should be admitted to a mosque?and I don't think Islam is one of the better ones,
You are certainly right there.so I don't want anybody to be forced to go to a mosque. "What I do want is women to be treated equally, with dignity and respect. I don't want them to be subservient to Muslim men."
You will probably see pigs fly first, and possibly even into mosques.
McCain To Deliver Keynote Speech For Creationists
Think Progress blogged Today is Darwin Day, commemorating the anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth and of the publishing of On the Origin of Species
Whoopee. Do we all get a slice of cake, or have we not evolved far enough for that?...... Yet, on February 23, Sen. John McCain (R-AZ) will be the keynote speaker for the most prominent creationism advocacy group in the country. The Discovery Institute
Boy your ignorance is unbounded. The Discovery Institute is a proponent of the theory of Intelligent Design, not Creationism. If God is involved, you just lump everything in together, don't you., a religious right think-tank, is well-known for its strong opposition to evolutionary biology
Actually it does not object to what Darwin really proved, and what the Secular Progressives pretend that he proved.and its advocacy for “intelligent design.”
Muslims say God Bless America
This is an interesting clip, but I wonder how much of what he says does he really believe?
Nothing will work with Israel except nuclear bomb
Haaretz reported "That cursed Israel is trying to destroy al-Aqsa mosque," Mohammed el-Katatny of President Hosni Mubarak's National Democratic Party (NDP) told a heated parliament session held to discuss the Israeli digging. "Nothing will work with Israel except for a nuclear bomb that wipes it out of existence," he said.
And what effect do you think that a nuclear bomb would have on the al-Aqsa mosque? I am sure that Israel's response would have major impact in a number of Muslim countries. They might even have a response planned that would take out Mecca and Medina as well.
A little digging is not going to affect the al-Aqsa mosque, although I think it would be interesting if we all prayed for meteorites to destroy the al-Aqsa mosque, and perhaps Mecca and Medina as well, indicating what Allah thought of what these nutcases are doing in His name.
Monday, February 12, 2007
Militant Islamic Groups Turn to YouTube
AP reported Anyone with an Internet connection can watch videos of bombings and sniper attacks against U.S. forces - shot and edited by Islamic militants and broadcast on YouTube, the world's largest video-sharing Web site.
YouTube removes content that is critical of Islam. Are they equally as prompt removing this sort of content, and content critical of Christianity and or Judiasm?With the global spread of high-speed Internet connections and the relative anonymity afforded by the world's biggest and busiest sites, extremists have found a new theater to display violence and anti-American propaganda.
YouTube Censors Criticism of Religion?
Google Blogoscoped reported Outspoken atheist Nick Gisburne claims that the staff of Google-owned YouTube deleted his account simply because he posted a selection of Quran quotations, among other religious criticism. In a video he released on February 8th, he states:Today, in fact just a couple of hours ago, YouTube deleted my account – in fact all of my accounts. They deleted the NickGisburne account, they deleted the Gisburne2000 account. And this is the reason that they gave me: “After being flagged by members of the YouTube community, and reviewed by YouTube staff, the video below has been removed due to its inappropriate nature: ... Islamic Teachings - Cruelty From the Quran
His video was just quotes from the Quran. Does YouTube prohibit any criticism of any religion, or is only criticism of Islam and the Quran off limits? Would you be equally fast to remove something critical of Christianity or Judiasm?Due to your repeated attempt to upload inappropriate videos, your account has now been permanently disabled, and your videos have been taken down.”... You can’t imagine how it feels, I just went completely white when I saw the email.
Nick claims he had hundreds of subscribers to his YouTube channel. While that channel is now closed, the video in question is currently being mirrored by other YouTube members. You may agree or disagree with the video’s message, but why remove it, and why remove Nick’s account with it?
Here is Nick Gisburne's Video
Sunday, February 11, 2007
New wage boost puts squeeze on teenage workers across Arizona
AZCentral Oh, for the days when Arizona's high school students could roll pizza dough, sweep up sticky floors in theaters or scoop ice cream without worrying about ballot initiatives affecting their earning power. That's certainly not the case under the state's new minimum-wage law that went into effect last month.
Surprise, surprise, this is whar raising the minimum wage will do.Some Valley employers, especially those in the food industry, say payroll budgets have risen so much that they're cutting hours, instituting hiring freezes and laying off employees.
Clinton says she is stronger than other dems
The Fix reported At the second house-party gathering of her second day of campaigning in this key primary state, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.) insisted that she is the best candidate to win the White House back for her party in 2008.
So New Hampshire people should stop asking her questions, and making her do these stupid house warming parties and just elect her.And, what's more, she said Republicans know it. Sen. Clinton talks during a gathering at the home of Mike and Debora Pignatelli in Nashua, N.H. The candidate told attendees that she is the best candidate to win back the White House next year.
So ignore the polls."I know what [former House Speaker Newt] Gingrich [R-Ga.] tells people privately, I know what [former House Majority Leader Tom] Delay [R-Texas] tells people privately, I know what Karl Rove tells people privately," she said. "I'm the one person they are most afraid of. Bill and I have beaten them before and we will again."
None od them are currently in office, and she and Bill both have a loy of baggage they did not have when Clinton was elected, and it is Bill Clinton with the charisma.The remark drew loud cheers from the assembled crowd here at the home of Debora and Mike Pignatelli this afternoon. And it led to a rare discussion by Clinton of how her campaign would differ from those of the last two Democratic nominees.
An experiment that hints we are wrong on climate change
TimesOnline reported When politicians and journalists declare that the science of global warming is settled, they show a regrettable ignorance about how science works. We were treated to another dose of it recently when the experts of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change issued the Summary for Policymakers that puts the political spin on an unfinished scientific dossier on climate change due for publication in a few months’ time. They declared that most of the rise in temperatures since the mid-20th century is very likely due to man-made greenhouse gases.
The small print explains “very likely” as meaning that the experts who made the judgment felt 90% sure about it. Older readers may recall a press conference at Harwell in 1958 when Sir John Cockcroft, Britain’s top nuclear physicist, said he was 90% certain that his lads had achieved controlled nuclear fusion. It turned out that he was wrong. More positively, a 10% uncertainty in any theory is a wide open breach for any latterday Galileo or Einstein to storm through with a better idea. That is how science really works.
But anyone that mentions science works that way will be yelled out and ridiculed by those that want to pretend they know the cause of Global Warming.Twenty years ago, climate research became politicised in favour of one particular hypothesis, which redefined the subject as the study of the effect of greenhouse gases. As a result, the rebellious spirits essential for innovative and trustworthy science are greeted with impediments to their research careers. And while the media usually find mavericks at least entertaining, in this case they often imagine that anyone who doubts the hypothesis of man-made global warming must be in the pay of the oil companies. As a result, some key discoveries in climate research go almost unreported.
Enthusiasm for the global-warming scare also ensures that heatwaves make headlines, while contrary symptoms, such as this winter’s billion-dollar loss of Californian crops to unusual frost, are relegated to the business pages. The early arrival of migrant birds in spring provides colourful evidence for a recent warming of the northern lands. But did anyone tell you that in east Antarctica the Adélie penguins and Cape petrels are turning up at their spring nesting sites around nine days later than they did 50 years ago? While sea-ice has diminished in the Arctic since 1978, it has grown by 8% in the Southern Ocean.
Maybe it is that Two Earth Idea, where the Northern earth is warming and the southern but less politically significant Earth, is cooling.
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