As the 110th Congress continues its August recess, the big legislative news is that it has passed fewer laws than any Congress in the last two decades. An outfit known as Taxpayers for Common Sense reports that the fighting 110th has passed a mere 294 laws, while nonetheless finding time to consider 1,932 resolutions favoring such causes as National Watermelon Month. This is apparently supposed to be a matter of public consternation because Congress should be accomplishing more.
Sorry, but that's the best thing we've heard about this Congress. What a relief to discover the destruction could have been so much worse. With rare exceptions -- free-trade deals, money for the troops -- we wish the Members would spend every minute of every day passing resolutions. They'd have less time to do tangible harm.
Even we -- fated by bad career advice to write about this stuff -- haven't the foggiest idea what is in most of those 294 laws. The mayhem we know about is bad enough. There was that "reform" that blew up the student loan market and has led to Uncle Sam being America's college lender of first resort. This will be the Fannie Mae of the future. And don't forget the mortgage bailout, which puts taxpayers on the hook for as much as $300 billion in bad home loans.
Come to think of it, we'd feel safer if the whole crowd decided not to come back at all after Labor Day. Just stay home, or, even better, spend the rest of the year traveling on Congressional junkets. Sure, taxpayers would have to pay the airfare and hotel bills, but that's a bargain compared to what taxpayers will owe if Congress tries to solve any more problems.
Source
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
DEDICATED TO EXPOSING DISINFORMATION AND PROPAGANDA AND TO PROMOTING UNIVERSAL HUMAN RIGHTS - WITH SHARP ANALYSIS AND BLUNT COMMENTARY. NO ADS. NO TIP-JAR. JUST THE TRUTH.
Friday, August 22, 2008
Did McCain lift his cross-in-the-sand anecdote from Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago"?
Excerpt:
John McCain told a story about a Vietnamese guard who made a sign of the cross in the dirt while he was a POW. The story is very similar to a story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn from his times in the Soviet Gulags. Did John McCain steal this story?
There's no such story in "Archipelago." There is a somewhat similar story attributed to Solzhenitsyn, which we've traced back to Rev. Billy Graham by way of former Richard Nixon aide Charles Colson. But that's not proof that McCain's story isn't true.
The stories aren't exactly the same. In McCain's telling, a Vietnamese prison guard shows him kindness one night by secretly loosening his cruelly tight bonds, then draws a cross in the sand with his foot to indicate that he is a fellow Christian. In the various versions attributed to Solzhenitsyn, the cross is drawn by a fellow prisoner, not a guard, and with a stick, not his foot. The story certainly does not appear in the place that some of McCain's detractors are suggesting that he got it.
The Controversy
The Internet controversy was touched off when McCain repeated his often-told story during an August 16 question and answer session at Saddleback Church in California:
McCain: Because it was Christmas day, we were allowed to stand outside of our cell for a few minutes. In those days we were not allowed to see or communicate with each other, although we certainly did. And I was standing outside, for my few minutes outside at my cell. He came walking up. He stood there for a minute, and with his sandal on the dirt in the courtyard, he drew a cross and he stood there. And a minute later, he rubbed it out, and walked away. For a minute there, there was just two Christians worshipping together. I'll never forget that moment.
Within hours the Internet was littered with blog entries hinting at the possibility Sen. McCain had lifted the anecdote from Nobel Prize-winning Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "The Gulag Archipelago" and lied about it.
Solzhenitsyn's "Archipelago" was originally published in 1973 - the same year McCain returned from Vietnam. But "The Gulag Archipelago" contains no such story. We searched all three volumes of the work through an online version for several key words, and we found nothing remotely similar. It's just not there.
Just to be safe, we also checked the author's novel, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch." It's not there, either.
Tracing a Story
Many earlier blog entires don't quote Solzhenitsyn's "Archipelago" directly. Instead they quote a story told about Solzhenitsyn in a 1997 sermon from Fr. Luke Veronis, a Greek Orthodox priest:
Veronis: Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian author who spent many years in the gulag of Siberia, bears witness to the power of the cross. . Laying his shovel on the ground, he slowly walked to a crude work-site bench and sat down. ...
Slowly, he lifted his eyes and saw a skinny, old prisoner squat down next to him. The man said nothing. Instead, he drew a stick through the ground at Solzhenitsyn's feet, tracing the sign of the Cross. The man then got back up and returned to his work. As Solzhenitsyn stared at the sign of the Cross, his entire perspective changed. He knew that he was only one man against the all-powerful Soviet empire. ... Solzhenitsyn slowly got up, picked up his shovel, and went back to work. Nothing outward had changed, but inside, he received hope.
So we asked Veronis where he had acquired the anecdote. At first he said he had gotten it from Solzhenitsyn's "Archipelago," but later corrected himself. "I know I've read that story before. But I thought I had read it from Solzhenitsyn directly." Eventually, Veronis told us, "I don't know where I got it from." .....
But we see no evidence that McCain pilfered the quote. The two stories are markedly different, for one thing. In one version, it's a fellow prisoner drawing with a stick; in the other, it's a kindly guard drawing a cross with his foot. Furthermore, in Graham's version, Solzhenitsyn was contemplating suicide at the time. McCain says in his book that he did consider suicide while a prisoner, but that was on an entirely different occasion when he had been beaten for days and was about to sign a false confession to end his torture. It had nothing to do with the cross-in-the-sand story.
We asked the McCain campaign about the accusation, and a spokesman pointed us to a campaign blog entry with quotes attributed to Bud Day, a close friend of McCain. Day said that McCain told him the story prior to the publication of "Faith of My Fathers":
McCain Report: ...[Day] did confirm that "not long after we all got back together [in the camp]," McCain told him the story of the prison guard who drew a cross in the dirt one Christmas.
Another blog entry from the McCain camp says that Solzhenitsyn did tell the story but goes on to say: "The only similarity between the two stories is a cross in the dirt, but it is hardly an unlikely coincidence that there were practicing Christians in both Russia and Vietnam, or that in the prisons of those two Communist countries the only crosses to be found were etched in the dirt, as easily disappeared as the Christians who drew them." That entry quotes another former POW, who told the campaign that McCain told him the story sometime around the summer of 1971.
Ultimately, it's far easier for McCain's detractors to question his story than it is for McCain to prove it's true. Only McCain and the long-ago prison guard, if he exists and is still alive, know for sure. But in a world where there are hundreds of millions of Christians, we see no reason to believe that both the McCain story and the one attributed to Solzhenitsyn can't both be true.
More here
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
John McCain told a story about a Vietnamese guard who made a sign of the cross in the dirt while he was a POW. The story is very similar to a story about Alexander Solzhenitsyn from his times in the Soviet Gulags. Did John McCain steal this story?
There's no such story in "Archipelago." There is a somewhat similar story attributed to Solzhenitsyn, which we've traced back to Rev. Billy Graham by way of former Richard Nixon aide Charles Colson. But that's not proof that McCain's story isn't true.
The stories aren't exactly the same. In McCain's telling, a Vietnamese prison guard shows him kindness one night by secretly loosening his cruelly tight bonds, then draws a cross in the sand with his foot to indicate that he is a fellow Christian. In the various versions attributed to Solzhenitsyn, the cross is drawn by a fellow prisoner, not a guard, and with a stick, not his foot. The story certainly does not appear in the place that some of McCain's detractors are suggesting that he got it.
The Controversy
The Internet controversy was touched off when McCain repeated his often-told story during an August 16 question and answer session at Saddleback Church in California:
McCain: Because it was Christmas day, we were allowed to stand outside of our cell for a few minutes. In those days we were not allowed to see or communicate with each other, although we certainly did. And I was standing outside, for my few minutes outside at my cell. He came walking up. He stood there for a minute, and with his sandal on the dirt in the courtyard, he drew a cross and he stood there. And a minute later, he rubbed it out, and walked away. For a minute there, there was just two Christians worshipping together. I'll never forget that moment.
Within hours the Internet was littered with blog entries hinting at the possibility Sen. McCain had lifted the anecdote from Nobel Prize-winning Russian author Alexander Solzhenitsyn's "The Gulag Archipelago" and lied about it.
Solzhenitsyn's "Archipelago" was originally published in 1973 - the same year McCain returned from Vietnam. But "The Gulag Archipelago" contains no such story. We searched all three volumes of the work through an online version for several key words, and we found nothing remotely similar. It's just not there.
Just to be safe, we also checked the author's novel, "One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovitch." It's not there, either.
Tracing a Story
Many earlier blog entires don't quote Solzhenitsyn's "Archipelago" directly. Instead they quote a story told about Solzhenitsyn in a 1997 sermon from Fr. Luke Veronis, a Greek Orthodox priest:
Veronis: Alexander Solzhenitsyn, the Russian author who spent many years in the gulag of Siberia, bears witness to the power of the cross. . Laying his shovel on the ground, he slowly walked to a crude work-site bench and sat down. ...
Slowly, he lifted his eyes and saw a skinny, old prisoner squat down next to him. The man said nothing. Instead, he drew a stick through the ground at Solzhenitsyn's feet, tracing the sign of the Cross. The man then got back up and returned to his work. As Solzhenitsyn stared at the sign of the Cross, his entire perspective changed. He knew that he was only one man against the all-powerful Soviet empire. ... Solzhenitsyn slowly got up, picked up his shovel, and went back to work. Nothing outward had changed, but inside, he received hope.
So we asked Veronis where he had acquired the anecdote. At first he said he had gotten it from Solzhenitsyn's "Archipelago," but later corrected himself. "I know I've read that story before. But I thought I had read it from Solzhenitsyn directly." Eventually, Veronis told us, "I don't know where I got it from." .....
But we see no evidence that McCain pilfered the quote. The two stories are markedly different, for one thing. In one version, it's a fellow prisoner drawing with a stick; in the other, it's a kindly guard drawing a cross with his foot. Furthermore, in Graham's version, Solzhenitsyn was contemplating suicide at the time. McCain says in his book that he did consider suicide while a prisoner, but that was on an entirely different occasion when he had been beaten for days and was about to sign a false confession to end his torture. It had nothing to do with the cross-in-the-sand story.
We asked the McCain campaign about the accusation, and a spokesman pointed us to a campaign blog entry with quotes attributed to Bud Day, a close friend of McCain. Day said that McCain told him the story prior to the publication of "Faith of My Fathers":
McCain Report: ...[Day] did confirm that "not long after we all got back together [in the camp]," McCain told him the story of the prison guard who drew a cross in the dirt one Christmas.
Another blog entry from the McCain camp says that Solzhenitsyn did tell the story but goes on to say: "The only similarity between the two stories is a cross in the dirt, but it is hardly an unlikely coincidence that there were practicing Christians in both Russia and Vietnam, or that in the prisons of those two Communist countries the only crosses to be found were etched in the dirt, as easily disappeared as the Christians who drew them." That entry quotes another former POW, who told the campaign that McCain told him the story sometime around the summer of 1971.
Ultimately, it's far easier for McCain's detractors to question his story than it is for McCain to prove it's true. Only McCain and the long-ago prison guard, if he exists and is still alive, know for sure. But in a world where there are hundreds of millions of Christians, we see no reason to believe that both the McCain story and the one attributed to Solzhenitsyn can't both be true.
More here
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
GEORGIAN INVASION BACKFIRING: RUSSIA ALREADY PAYING THE PRICE FOR THEIR GEORGIAN INVASION: FOREIGN INVESTORS FLEEING
BBC:
PUTIN'S GEORGIAN "ADVENTURE" HAS BACKFIRED: IT WILL BEGIN THE UNDOING OF HIS TYRANNY.
Russia has seen foreign reserves decline, a sign that the market is more nervous about investing in the region since the recent conflict in Georgia.THIS IS JUST THE START.
Central Bank figures show reserves were sharply down in the week ending 15 August, marking a fall of $16.4bn (£8.8bn) from $597.5bn a week earlier.
Tensions with the west have also been strained by Russia's objection to the US placing a missile defence in Poland. Georgia has urged the west to invest in the region as it seeks to rebuild.
According to the Financial Times, the latest drop in capital reserves is the largest "since comparable figures began" in 1998, though similar funds were taken out during the currency crisis.
PUTIN'S GEORGIAN "ADVENTURE" HAS BACKFIRED: IT WILL BEGIN THE UNDOING OF HIS TYRANNY.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
Obama shows true colors again: Criticizes Russian Invasion by Blaming... America
Blame America First? Check.
Moral equivalence gone wild? Check.
A valid indicator as to where this Marxist serial liar would come down whenever the "Wolves" of the world threaten the "Sheep"? Check. (can you say "Baaaaa..."?)
This is right up there with Kerry's "you might end up in Iraq" remark.
Charles Johnson:
John Hinderaker adds (emphasis mine):
Moral equivalence gone wild? Check.
A valid indicator as to where this Marxist serial liar would come down whenever the "Wolves" of the world threaten the "Sheep"? Check. (can you say "Baaaaa..."?)
This is right up there with Kerry's "you might end up in Iraq" remark.
Charles Johnson:
I also loved this comment from Gateway Pundit reader IOpian (emphasis mine):Barack Obama’s naïve, almost schoolyard-level attitude toward international politics is on display again today, as he says the US needs to set a better example for Russia: Obama: Russia, U.S. should not ‘charge into’ other countries.
“We’ve got to send a clear message to Russia and unify our allies,” Obama told a crowd of supporters in Virginia. “They can’t charge into other countries. Of course it helps if we are leading by example on that point.”
This is normal “progressive” thinking, and you find these bizarre assumptions everywhere in leftist circles: if we just achieve some noble ideal of behavior, that alone will be enough to usher in a new era of peace and global good will — and in the meantime, it’s important to let our adversaries know that we’re not perfect and we understand their feelings.
But not even Jimmy Carter was this starry-eyed.
Also see:
Hot Air - Obama: We should probably stop setting examples for Russian aggression
Well maybe for those that are unable to make the distinction of enforcing 17 UN mandates, toppling a tyrannical regime and liberating its people, that threatened and invaded its neighbors, that attempted to assassinate a former US President and sought to develop WMD [and] opposed the conquest for control of all oil supply to Europe. Then yeah it would appear to be no different.How can this guy be anywhere near the lead in the polls to be America's next Commander and Chief (and defender against our enemies)? Truly mind-boggling that so many Americans are this naive...
John Hinderaker adds (emphasis mine):
Beautifully put. One can only hope this finally does get through--to even the most dense..So our "charging into" Iraq--with dozens of allies, supported by a U.N. resolution, as a last resort after six months of build-up and negotiations, to unseat one of the cruelest dictators of modern times who had twice invaded neighboring states, was in violation of more than a dozen U.N. resolutions and was responsible for the deaths of something like two million people, who was shooting at American aircraft and had tried to assassinate a former President of the United States, in Obama's childish mind, was just like Russia's "charging into" Georgia, which resembles Saddam's Iraq in no respect. And, of course, we invaded a horrifying charnel-house so as to establish a democracy, whereas Russia invaded a peaceful democracy that it wants to re-incorporate into its empire.
Is Obama an idiot? I don't think so, really. But one of the many problems with being a leftist is that it leads you to say lots of stupid things. Today, the Obama gaffe machine went into overdrive. By November, I suspect that most voters will have heard enough to know that Barack Obama is unqualified to be a middle-manager in a well-run company, let alone President of the United States.
MCCAIN'S COMB-OVER: TAB SCOOPS VANITY FAIR BY MORE THAN 7 MONTHS!
TODAY, 8/20/08 - VANITY FAIR VIA HOT AIR:
REGULAR READERS KNOW THAT WE SCOOP THE BIGGIES BOYS ALL THE TIME.
SPREAD THE WORD. BLOGROLL US!
TAB:Here’s yet another issue in John McCain’s personal life that the supposedly left-leaning mainstream media have been too timid to explore: does he have comb-over? The visual evidence is suggestive but, at least to a layperson’s eye, inconclusive. Take a look at these photos.
The candidate’s snow-white hair, visibly thinning, is parted high on the right side of his head, sweeping in a uniform sheet over his crown and all the way down to his left ear. From certain angles, it looks like a frozen waterfall, or maybe a clamp designed to keep his big angry head from bursting. Clearly there is a strategic deployment of finite resources here—as, to be fair, is the case with many hair styles—but is it a comb-over in the classic, Giulianian sense?
... Will the candidate’s hair, or his lack of it, combed-over or not, matter to voters?
... the U.S. has only elected five bald presidents. Four of them were in the White House before TV’s were around.” The fifth was Dwight Eisenhower, who, it’s worth noting, became president went television was still a relative novelty and also had the luck to run for president—twice—against the equally bald Adlai Stevenson. In 1960, John F. Kennedy set a standard for hirsuteness that candidates have been grappling with ever since.
... the hairier or as hairy candidate has won every time, with the arguable exception in 1988 of the luxuriantly-tressed Michael Dukakis vs. the elder, slightly receded George Bush. (Perhaps Al Gore’s Achilles heel was not Florida but his bald spot.) “Hair has always been a sign of strength—historically and presently,” Scrivo says.
Wednesday, January 09, 2008
CAN AMERICA ELECT A MAN WITH A COMB-OVER? (bumped)
JUST ASKING.
BECAUSE THE CANDIDATE WITH THE BEST HAIR WINS.
WE HAVEN'T HAD A HAIR CHALLENGED PREZ SINCE IKE.
ANOTHER WAR HERO.
REGULAR READERS KNOW THAT WE SCOOP THE BIGGIES BOYS ALL THE TIME.
SPREAD THE WORD. BLOGROLL US!
APPEASEMENT IN PHILIPPINES HITS A ROADBLOCK
BBC:
THOUSANDS HAVE DIED IN THE MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN WARS HERE SINCE 1996.
THE ONLY WAY TO END THE VIOLENCE IS TO WIPE OUT ABU SAYYAF AND THE MILF.
The Philippine government has pulled out of a controversial autonomy deal with Muslim separatist rebels in the south, following days of fighting.THE FRUITS OF APPEASEMENT.
A presidential spokeswoman described the move as a "painful step", but said leaders were still open to talks.
The government had agreed to expand an existing Muslim autonomous zone in a bid to end decades of violence.
But Christian communities opposed the deal and when the Supreme Court blocked it, the rebels launched attacks.
Earlier this week, raids by guerrillas from the Moro Islamic Liberation Front (MILF) on several towns near the border of the existing autonomous zone in the southern island of Mindanao left at least 30 people dead.
THOUSANDS HAVE DIED IN THE MUSLIM-CHRISTIAN WARS HERE SINCE 1996.
THE ONLY WAY TO END THE VIOLENCE IS TO WIPE OUT ABU SAYYAF AND THE MILF.
RUSSIA TO SELL MORE NEW ARMS TO SYRIA
- PUTIN HAS BEEN ARMING OUR ENEMIES FOR YEARS.
- PUTIN IS BUILDING IRAN'S NUCLEAR REACTOR.
- SYRIA HAS LONG DEFENDED THEMSELVES WITH RUSSIAN CRAP,
- AND THE IAF HAS NO PROBLEMS EVADING IT - CUZ IT'S CRAP,
- AND CRAP MANNED BY SYRIANS TO BOOT.
- STILL IT RE-PROVES THE FACT THAT PUTIN AND RUSSIA ARE PART OF THE PROBLEM,
- NOT PART OF THE SOLUTION.
- GETTING MUCH TOUGHER ON PUTIN IS PART OF THE SOLUTION.
- MCCAIN GETS THAT -
- HE'S BEEN PUSHING IT SINCE 2000.
GREAT VIDEO: OBAMA IS AN OLD FRIEND OF AN UNREPENTANT RADICAL TERRORIST
AYERS.- WRIGHT.
- KHALIDI.
- REZKO.
VOTE ACCORDINGLY.
MI5 STUDY PROVES: ONLY CONNECTION AMONG MOST DANGEROUS TERRORISTS IS ISLAM
THE GUARDIAN VIA GLENN:
NO OTHER PROFILING WOULD BE EFFECTIVE - NOT AGE, OR GENDER OR MOSQUE ATTENDANCE, ANYTHING - ONLY WHETHER A PERSON IS A MUSLIM.
THE ONLY SENSIBLE RESPONSE TO THIS FACT IS TO ACCEPT IT AND FOCUS OUR EFFORTS AGAINST ISLAM.
... ... MI5 has concluded that there is no easy way to identify those who become involved in terrorism in Britain, according to a classified internal research document on radicalisation seen by the Guardian.THE ONLY THING CONNECTING THE MOST DANGEROUS THREAT IS ISLAM.
The sophisticated analysis, based on hundreds of case studies by the security service, says there is no single pathway to violent extremism....
The researchers conclude that the results of their work "challenge many of the stereotypes that are held about who becomes a terrorist and why".
Crucially, the research has revealed that those who become terrorists "are a diverse collection of individuals, fitting no single demographic profile, nor do they all follow a typical pathway to violent extremism".
... The MI5 authors stress that the most pressing current threat is from Islamist extremist groups who justify the use of violence "in defence of Islam", but that there are also violent extremists involved in non-Islamist movements.
NO OTHER PROFILING WOULD BE EFFECTIVE - NOT AGE, OR GENDER OR MOSQUE ATTENDANCE, ANYTHING - ONLY WHETHER A PERSON IS A MUSLIM.
THE ONLY SENSIBLE RESPONSE TO THIS FACT IS TO ACCEPT IT AND FOCUS OUR EFFORTS AGAINST ISLAM.
- WE DE-NAZIFIED GERMANY. WE MAY HAVE TO DE-ISLAMIFY THE EARTH.
- THIS WILL TAKE A LONG TIME.
- BUT IT'S NOT IMPOSSIBLE.
- OTHER IDEOLOGIES AND OTHER RELIGIONS HAVE BECOME EXTINCT OVER TIME.
- BOTTOM-LINE: MUSLIMS NEED TO BE CONVERTED TO A NON-VIOLENT, NON-XENOPHOBIC, NON-MISOGYNISTIC RELIGION.
- WAFA SULTAN - A BRILLIANT AND COURAGEOUS FORMER MUSLIM - KNOWS THIS.
- WALID SHOEBAT AND HIS SON KNOW THIS, TOO.
Obama: "John McCain doesn't know what he's up against"
Can you believe the nerve? Barack Obama on the campaign trail: "I don't intend to lose this election. John McCain doesn't know what he's up against raht now."
Oh, I think he does. He's up against a Chicago politican with disturbing, suspicious ties to convicted felons; a man who lies about his far left abortion record on a routine basis; a man whose every mentor was a Marxist or an out-and-out Communist; a man who won't release any of his records (from the Annenberg Challenge, to his law-firm records, to his state legislative background or even his medical records); a man who sat for twenty years in a church that spewed the most virulent forms of racism and hatred (and then lied about hearing any of it); a man who promised his MoveOn pals that he would disarm America; and a man who routinely changes positions for partisan advantage, sometimes in a matter of hours.
And a man who treats John McCain, a certified war hero and ex-POW, like a punk. That's who John McCain is up against.
Oh, I think he does. He's up against a Chicago politican with disturbing, suspicious ties to convicted felons; a man who lies about his far left abortion record on a routine basis; a man whose every mentor was a Marxist or an out-and-out Communist; a man who won't release any of his records (from the Annenberg Challenge, to his law-firm records, to his state legislative background or even his medical records); a man who sat for twenty years in a church that spewed the most virulent forms of racism and hatred (and then lied about hearing any of it); a man who promised his MoveOn pals that he would disarm America; and a man who routinely changes positions for partisan advantage, sometimes in a matter of hours. And a man who treats John McCain, a certified war hero and ex-POW, like a punk. That's who John McCain is up against.
TALIBAN CLAIMS RESPONSIBILITY FOR PAKISTAN BLASTS
In the wake of Musahrraf's resignation, the Taliban are making a play for control of Pakistan, and ultimately, Pakistan's nuclear arsenal. From the Washington Post:
RELIAPUNDIT ADDS: THESE ARE THE FRUITS OF APPEASEMENT: WHEN THE ENEMY SEES THAT IT IS REWARDED FOR ITS VIOLENCE, THEN THEY INCREASE THEIR VIOLENCE.WAH, Pakistan, Aug. 21 -- At least 60 people were killed and 100 injured in coordinated suicide bombings on the country's largest army munitions factory here Thursday, the latest in a series of Taliban attacks against Pakistani government targets. The Pakistani branch of the Taliban quickly asserted responsibility for the attack at the heavily guarded facility. The first blast occurred about 2:30 p.m. when two suicide bombers walked up to the main gate of the Pakistan Ordnance Factory and detonated vests loaded with explosives. A second explosion ripped through another gate minutes later when a third suicide bomber approached on foot, witnesses said. Nasir Durrani, regional police chief of the Rawalpindi police district, said most of those killed were civilians who worked in the factory. Durrani said the suicide bombers approached the gates during a shift change, then detonated their bombs amid the crowd.
Amir Shah said he heard two huge blasts and ran toward the main gate of the factory. When he arrived, he saw the bodies of the two suicide bombers, burned beyond recognition. "The security situation here is very bad today," he said. "It is supposed to be a very highly protected area because of its sensitive nature, so I don't know what happened." The blasts left heaps of debris and body parts near the gates of the factory, but the building was more or less unharmed. Police and army officials swarmed the area after the bombing, and several investigators searched the area with bomb-sniffing dogs after a vest laden with explosives was found near one of the gates. Dozens of the wounded were rushed to the main hospital, but the overwhelming number of casualties forced officials to begin directing ambulances to hospitals in the nearby city of Rawalpindi. Authorities said several people injured in the explosions were in critical condition and that the death toll was expected to rise.
The attack, one of the largest to strike near the capital of Islamabad within the past year, dealt a strategic blow to the Pakistani military at a time when it is struggling to contain the threat from an increasingly powerful Islamist insurgency.
The bombing at the munitions factory came as leaders of the Pakistani Taliban vowed to step up attacks on military facilities across the country in retaliation for military operations in the country's troubled tribal areas. Maulvi Omar, a spokesman for the group, asserted responsibility for Thursday's attacks.
The twin blasts marked the second major attack on a military target in Pakistan in the past two weeks. Last week, at least 17 people were killed and several injured when a bus carrying Pakistani air force troops struck a roadside bomb near the northwestern city of Peshawar.
Pakistani security forces launched operations in the Bajaur tribal area about three weeks ago in an effort to quell an Islamist insurgency in the region. The fighting has displaced more than 200,000 people from the remote, mountainous tribal area in recent weeks. On Thursday, military officials said they expect more people to be displaced as operations in the nearby tribal area of Kurram get underway. More than two dozen people have been killed in clashes between rival tribes there over the last two days.
Military operations in the tribal areas come amid renewed pressure from the United States to quell a rising insurgency inside Pakistan near the Afghan border. The insurgency includes elements of the Taliban and al-Qaeda but has also been fueled by rivalries among local groups and tribes. Thursday's violence also comes at a time of political upheaval as the country's coalition government debates its future after the resignation this week of President Pervez Musharraf. Top members of the Pakistan People's Party and the Pakistan Muslim League-N faction appear to be at loggerheads over reinstatement of about 60 judges deposed under Musharraf's border last year. Coalition leaders are expected to meet in Islamabad again Friday to discuss the issue.
THE ENEMY IN THIS CASE SEES THAT THEY WERE ABLE TO GET MUSHARRAF OUSTED SO THEY ARE STEPPING UP THE HEAT.
THERE'S A LESSON IN THIS FOR EVERYONE.
Report from Tbilisi (Georgia) by Michael J. Totten
Excerpt:
Russia's invasion of Georgia has unleashed a refugee crisis all over the country and especially in its capital. Every school here in Tbilisi is jammed with civilians who fled aerial bombardment and shootings by the Russian military--or massacres, looting, and arson by irregular Cossack paramilitary units swarming across the border. Russia has seized and effectively annexed two breakaway Georgian provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It has also invaded the region of Gori, which unlike them had been under Georgia's control. Gori is in the center of the country, just an hour's drive from Tbilisi; 90 percent of its citizens have fled, and the tiny remainder live amid a violent mayhem overseen by Russian occupatio! n forces that, despite Moscow's claims to the contrary, are not yet withdrawing.
On Monday, I visited one of the schools transformed into refugee housing in the center of Tbilisi and spoke to four women--Lia, Nana, Diana, and Maya--who had fled with their children from a cluster of small villages just outside the city of Gori. "We left the cattle," Lia said. "We left the house. We left everything and came on foot because to stay there was impossible." Diana's account: "They are burning the houses. From most of the houses they are taking everything. They are stealing everything, even such things as toothbrushes and toilets. They are taking the toilets. Imagine. They are taking broken refrigerators." And Nana: "We are so heartbroken. I don't know what to say or even think. Our whole lives we were working to save something, and one day we lost everything. Now I have to start everything from the very beginning."
Seven families were living cheek by jowl inside a single classroom, sleeping on makeshift beds made of desks pushed together. Small children played with donated toys; at times, their infant siblings cried. Everyone looked haggard and beaten down, but food was available and the smell wasn't bad. They could wash, and the air conditioning worked.
"There was a bomb in the garden and all the apples on the trees fell down," Lia remembered. "The wall fell down. All the windows were destroyed. And now there is nothing left because of the fire."
"Did you actually see any Russians," I said, "or did you leave before they got there?"
"They came and asked us for wine, but first we had to drink it ourselves to show that it was not poisoned. Then they drank the wine themselves. And then they said to leave this place as soon as possible; otherwise they would kill us. The Russians were looking for anyone who had soldiers in their home. If anyone had a Georgian soldier at home they burned the houses immediately."
Her husband had remained behind and arrived in Tbilisi shortly before I did. "He was trying to keep the house and the fields," she explained. "Afterward, he wanted to leave, but he was circled by soldiers. It was impossible. He was in the orchards hiding from the Russians in case they lit the house. He was walking and met the Russian soldiers and he made up his mind that he couldn't stay any more. The Russian soldiers called him and asked where he was going, if he was going to the American side."
"The Russians said this to him?" I said.
"My husband said he was going to see his family," she said. "And the Russians said again, 'Are you going to the American side?'"
"So the Russians view you as the American side, even though there are no Americans here."
"Yes," she said. "Because our way is for democracy."
More here
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
Russia's invasion of Georgia has unleashed a refugee crisis all over the country and especially in its capital. Every school here in Tbilisi is jammed with civilians who fled aerial bombardment and shootings by the Russian military--or massacres, looting, and arson by irregular Cossack paramilitary units swarming across the border. Russia has seized and effectively annexed two breakaway Georgian provinces, South Ossetia and Abkhazia. It has also invaded the region of Gori, which unlike them had been under Georgia's control. Gori is in the center of the country, just an hour's drive from Tbilisi; 90 percent of its citizens have fled, and the tiny remainder live amid a violent mayhem overseen by Russian occupatio! n forces that, despite Moscow's claims to the contrary, are not yet withdrawing.
On Monday, I visited one of the schools transformed into refugee housing in the center of Tbilisi and spoke to four women--Lia, Nana, Diana, and Maya--who had fled with their children from a cluster of small villages just outside the city of Gori. "We left the cattle," Lia said. "We left the house. We left everything and came on foot because to stay there was impossible." Diana's account: "They are burning the houses. From most of the houses they are taking everything. They are stealing everything, even such things as toothbrushes and toilets. They are taking the toilets. Imagine. They are taking broken refrigerators." And Nana: "We are so heartbroken. I don't know what to say or even think. Our whole lives we were working to save something, and one day we lost everything. Now I have to start everything from the very beginning."
Seven families were living cheek by jowl inside a single classroom, sleeping on makeshift beds made of desks pushed together. Small children played with donated toys; at times, their infant siblings cried. Everyone looked haggard and beaten down, but food was available and the smell wasn't bad. They could wash, and the air conditioning worked.
"There was a bomb in the garden and all the apples on the trees fell down," Lia remembered. "The wall fell down. All the windows were destroyed. And now there is nothing left because of the fire."
"Did you actually see any Russians," I said, "or did you leave before they got there?"
"They came and asked us for wine, but first we had to drink it ourselves to show that it was not poisoned. Then they drank the wine themselves. And then they said to leave this place as soon as possible; otherwise they would kill us. The Russians were looking for anyone who had soldiers in their home. If anyone had a Georgian soldier at home they burned the houses immediately."
Her husband had remained behind and arrived in Tbilisi shortly before I did. "He was trying to keep the house and the fields," she explained. "Afterward, he wanted to leave, but he was circled by soldiers. It was impossible. He was in the orchards hiding from the Russians in case they lit the house. He was walking and met the Russian soldiers and he made up his mind that he couldn't stay any more. The Russian soldiers called him and asked where he was going, if he was going to the American side."
"The Russians said this to him?" I said.
"My husband said he was going to see his family," she said. "And the Russians said again, 'Are you going to the American side?'"
"So the Russians view you as the American side, even though there are no Americans here."
"Yes," she said. "Because our way is for democracy."
More here
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
McCain takes lead over Obama in poll
Excerpt:
In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama's solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll.
The reversal follows a month of attacks by McCain, who has questioned Obama's experience, criticized his opposition to most new offshore oil drilling and mocked his overseas trip.
The poll was taken Thursday through Saturday as Obama wrapped up a weeklong vacation in Hawaii that ceded the political spotlight to McCain, who seized on Russia's invasion of Georgia to emphasize his foreign policy views. "There is no doubt the campaign to discredit Obama is paying off for McCain right now," pollster John Zogby said. "This is a significant ebb for Obama."
McCain now has a 9-point edge, 49 percent to 40 percent, over Obama on the critical question of who would be the best manager of the economy -- an issue nearly half of voters said was their top concern in the November 4 presidential election.
That margin reversed Obama's 4-point edge last month on the economy over McCain, an Arizona senator and former Vietnam prisoner of war who has admitted a lack of economic expertise and shows far greater interest in foreign and military policy.
McCain has been on the offensive against Obama during the last month over energy concerns, with polls showing strong majorities supporting his call for an expansion of offshore oil drilling as gasoline prices hover near $4 a gallon. Obama had opposed new offshore drilling, but said recently he would support a limited expansion as part of a comprehensive energy program.
That was one of several recent policy shifts for Obama, as he positions himself for the general election battle. But Zogby said the changes could be taking a toll on Obama's support, particularly among Democrats and self-described liberals. "That hairline difference between nuance and what appears to be flip-flopping is hurting him with liberal voters," Zogby said.
Obama's support among Democrats fell 9 percentage points this month to 74 percent, while McCain has the backing of 81 percent of Republicans. Support for Obama, an Illinois senator, fell 12 percentage points among liberals, with 10 percent of liberals still undecided compared to 9 percent of conservatives.
Source
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
In a sharp turnaround, Republican John McCain has opened a 5-point lead on Democrat Barack Obama in the U.S. presidential race and is seen as a stronger manager of the economy, according to a Reuters/Zogby poll released on Wednesday. McCain leads Obama among likely U.S. voters by 46 percent to 41 percent, wiping out Obama's solid 7-point advantage in July and taking his first lead in the monthly Reuters/Zogby poll.
The reversal follows a month of attacks by McCain, who has questioned Obama's experience, criticized his opposition to most new offshore oil drilling and mocked his overseas trip.
The poll was taken Thursday through Saturday as Obama wrapped up a weeklong vacation in Hawaii that ceded the political spotlight to McCain, who seized on Russia's invasion of Georgia to emphasize his foreign policy views. "There is no doubt the campaign to discredit Obama is paying off for McCain right now," pollster John Zogby said. "This is a significant ebb for Obama."
McCain now has a 9-point edge, 49 percent to 40 percent, over Obama on the critical question of who would be the best manager of the economy -- an issue nearly half of voters said was their top concern in the November 4 presidential election.
That margin reversed Obama's 4-point edge last month on the economy over McCain, an Arizona senator and former Vietnam prisoner of war who has admitted a lack of economic expertise and shows far greater interest in foreign and military policy.
McCain has been on the offensive against Obama during the last month over energy concerns, with polls showing strong majorities supporting his call for an expansion of offshore oil drilling as gasoline prices hover near $4 a gallon. Obama had opposed new offshore drilling, but said recently he would support a limited expansion as part of a comprehensive energy program.
That was one of several recent policy shifts for Obama, as he positions himself for the general election battle. But Zogby said the changes could be taking a toll on Obama's support, particularly among Democrats and self-described liberals. "That hairline difference between nuance and what appears to be flip-flopping is hurting him with liberal voters," Zogby said.
Obama's support among Democrats fell 9 percentage points this month to 74 percent, while McCain has the backing of 81 percent of Republicans. Support for Obama, an Illinois senator, fell 12 percentage points among liberals, with 10 percent of liberals still undecided compared to 9 percent of conservatives.
Source
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
Wednesday, August 20, 2008
Another Obama half brother found
Only kidding!But ya gotta admit there's a STRONG family resemblance.
NEWS OF HIS REAL HALF BROTHER HERE.
GLENN'S COMMENT:
UPDATE: Speaking of selfishness, perhaps the millionaire Obama could do something for his long lost brother living in poverty in Kenya: "Mr Obama, 26, the youngest of the presidential candidate's half-brothers, spoke for the first time about his life, which could not be more different than that of the Democratic contender. 'No-one knows who I am,' he told the magazine, before claiming: 'I live here on less than a dollar a month.' . . . He has only met his famous older brother twice - once when he was just five and the last time in 2006 when Senator Obama was on a tour of East Africa and visited Nairobi. . . . Of their second meeting, George Obama said: 'It was very brief, we spoke for just a few minutes. It was like meeting a complete stranger.'"AND HERE'S A BARACK PARODY/IMPERSONATION VIDEO I THINK IS HILARIOUS. BUT DEFINITELY NSFW:
REPRISE: An Obama Christmas Carol
"The Little Drummer Boy" rewritten for Our Savior, the Senator from Illinois.
DECEMBER 20, 2006 - YEAH: 2006.
MCCAIN BRINGS UP AYERS... AT LAST!
STACLU:
ACE HAS SOME GOOD COMMENTS, TOO.
Obama took the gloves off and threw a sucker punch at McCain today with a new ad. McCain turned around and body slammed Obama!RTWT.... will Barack Obama immediately call on the University of Illinois to release all of the records they are currently withholding to shed further light on Senator Obama’s relationship with this unrepentant terrorist?” —McCain spokesman Brian Rogers.
ACE HAS SOME GOOD COMMENTS, TOO.
BEST POST OF THE MONTH: OBAMA TRASHES AMERICAN CHARITABLENESS
- WHENEVER OBAMA STRAYS OFF SCRIPT HIS INNER-LEFTIST REARS HIS UGLY HEAD AND ANTI-AMERICAN FUN ENSUES.
ARIZONA BORDER FENCE HALTED: TAB SCOOPS JAWA BY A DAY
- JAWA HERE, TODAY.
- US YESTERDAY.
- REGULAR READERS KNOW THAT WE DO THIS ALL THE TIME.
Republican Jewish Coalition: Remove Carter From Democratic Convention Program
The new Democratic Party never seems to miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity. Read this article, and see if you agree with my analysis.
It is likely, the Democrats will not accede to these demands.
I believe we are seeing the beginning of the end of the general Jewish consensus on the Democratic Party.
It's a pity for the left.
And, what will happen if McCain picks Lieberman as Veep?
RELIAPUNDIT ADDS: HERE'S CONTEMPORANEOUS NYT COVERAGE OF THE TRAITOROUS CARTER:
Washington, D.C. (August 20, 2008) -- The Republican Jewish Coalition (RJC) today called on Sen. Barack Obama and the Democratic Party leadership to remove former President Jimmy Carter from the program at the Democratic National Convention. Yesterday it was announced that Carter is scheduled to speak at the Convention in Denver on Monday, August 25, 2008.
Through the years, President Carter has consistently demonstrated by his statements and actions a troubling anti-Israel bias. In April 2008, despite strong protests by Israeli leaders, the U.S. State Department and several Democratic leaders, Carter met with Hamas leader Khaled Meshal in Syria.
In an August 2006 interview with Der Spiegel, Carter ignored Israel's right to defend its citizens and borders. Instead, Carter claimed Israel's attack was "unjustified" and that "Israel looks upon this as a justification for an attack on the civilian population of Lebanon and Gaza."
In 2006, Carter also published an error-filled, egregiously biased book entitled Palestine: Peace not Apartheid. Carter said publicly that Israeli treatment of Palestinians is "one of the greatest human rights crimes on earth."
"Jimmy Carter's long history of anti-Israel bias has rendered him unfit to address the Democratic Convention. It is incumbent upon the Democratic Party leadership and Senator Obama to remove Carter from the program in Denver. The Democratic Party and Senator Obama's continued embrace of Carter and his anti-Israel bias sends a troubling message to the Jewish community. It stands in stark contrast to the GOP and John McCain's pro-Israel stance," said RJC Executive Director Matt Brooks. "Additionally, Senator Obama should reject Carter's superdelegate vote. The hand that shook Khaled Meshal's should not be allowed to rise in support of Senator Obama's candidacy for president."
I believe we are seeing the beginning of the end of the general Jewish consensus on the Democratic Party.
It's a pity for the left.
And, what will happen if McCain picks Lieberman as Veep?
RELIAPUNDIT ADDS: HERE'S CONTEMPORANEOUS NYT COVERAGE OF THE TRAITOROUS CARTER:
Defying opposition from the Bush administration and Israel, former President Jimmy Carter met for several hours Friday night in Syria with the exiled leader of Hamas, the militant Islamist group, to discuss efforts to resolve the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.Mr. Carter also met earlier in the day with Bashar al-Assad, the Syrian president, as part of a Middle East peace tour that also includes visits to Israel, Egypt, Jordan and Saudi Arabia.
The meeting with the Hamas leader, Khaled Meshal, took place under tight security in Damascus, the Syrian capital, and was closed to reporters. But The Associated Press said it included talks about the fate of Cpl. Gilad Shalit, an Israeli soldier captured by Palestinian militants in 2006.
State Department officials had advised Mr. Carter not to meet with leaders of Hamas, which is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Israel and the European Union, responsible for kidnappings and for suicide bombings that have killed hundreds of Israelis.
Several members of Congress made similar appeals.
CARTER IS LEFT-WING ANTI-AMERICAN SCUM;THEREFORE, HE'S THE PERFECT PERSON TO ADDRESS THIS YEAR'S DEMOCRAT PARTY.
Why haven't the Left got Georgia on their minds?
Comment from Britain
Pity I was away last week. I must have missed the march through London against the Russian invasion of Georgia. What a magnificent sight it must have been - half a million protesters standing firm against tyranny and supporting freedom and democracy. I'd have loved to have heard Red Ken denouncing the bloodthirsty gangster regime in Moscow, George Galloway comparing Vladimir Putin to Hitler and Tony Benn declaring it was all about oil.
What's that you say? There was no such rally? I suppose they must all have been too busy demonstrating against Chinese oppression in Tibet and demanding a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Or perhaps not. Funny how the Not In My Name crowd always overlooks aggression by Communist or 'former' Communist regimes.
There's no such reticence when it comes to portraying George W. Bush as the new Hitler or daubing swastikas on the Israeli flag. Look at the protests against the wars in Iraq and Lebanon. The same people who can't wait to burn the American flag in Trafalgar Square are only too happy to ignore Russian, Chinese and Iraqi genocide.
Where were all the marchers when the Russians were crushing Chechnya? Why so silent on Tibet? They must have been looking the other way when Saddam slaughtered the Kurds.
It hasn't been difficult to find apologists for the invasion of Georgia. We're told that the 'American-educated' Mikhail Saakashvili provoked the Russians beyond all reason. What did we expect encouraging the spread of democracy in former Soviet satellite states? No wonder Moscow feels threatened when independent countries it once ruled by military might become members of the European Union and apply to join Nato. Putting a Western missile defence system in Poland is like waving a red rag at a bull, the sophisticates say. Putin has no option but to retaliate. I don't remember them demanding the withdrawal of Soviet nukes pointing at Western capitals from East Germany. Back then, the Guardianistas were all for one-sided disarmament on our part.
The Left has always been picky about their protests. While they rightly denounce white racism in South Africa, they stay silent on black racism in Zimbabwe. They bang on about American cultural imperialism, but have nothing to say about Russian or Chinese military imperialism. America is constantly denounced for its 'yuman rites' abuses, but you never hear a dicky bird about the denial of basic freedoms in China or throughout the Muslim world.
Europe's Leftists define themselves by their hatred of the U.S., yet cheerfully tolerate all kinds of tyranny elsewhere. They're against 'torture' at Guantanamo Bay, but take a relaxed view of Chinese and Russian death squads. There are still plenty of 'comrades' in the Labour Party and the trades union movement who regret the day the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. They're only too willing to give succour to the enemies of freedom and democracy around the world.
Source
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
Pity I was away last week. I must have missed the march through London against the Russian invasion of Georgia. What a magnificent sight it must have been - half a million protesters standing firm against tyranny and supporting freedom and democracy. I'd have loved to have heard Red Ken denouncing the bloodthirsty gangster regime in Moscow, George Galloway comparing Vladimir Putin to Hitler and Tony Benn declaring it was all about oil.
What's that you say? There was no such rally? I suppose they must all have been too busy demonstrating against Chinese oppression in Tibet and demanding a boycott of the Beijing Olympics. Or perhaps not. Funny how the Not In My Name crowd always overlooks aggression by Communist or 'former' Communist regimes.
There's no such reticence when it comes to portraying George W. Bush as the new Hitler or daubing swastikas on the Israeli flag. Look at the protests against the wars in Iraq and Lebanon. The same people who can't wait to burn the American flag in Trafalgar Square are only too happy to ignore Russian, Chinese and Iraqi genocide.
Where were all the marchers when the Russians were crushing Chechnya? Why so silent on Tibet? They must have been looking the other way when Saddam slaughtered the Kurds.
It hasn't been difficult to find apologists for the invasion of Georgia. We're told that the 'American-educated' Mikhail Saakashvili provoked the Russians beyond all reason. What did we expect encouraging the spread of democracy in former Soviet satellite states? No wonder Moscow feels threatened when independent countries it once ruled by military might become members of the European Union and apply to join Nato. Putting a Western missile defence system in Poland is like waving a red rag at a bull, the sophisticates say. Putin has no option but to retaliate. I don't remember them demanding the withdrawal of Soviet nukes pointing at Western capitals from East Germany. Back then, the Guardianistas were all for one-sided disarmament on our part.
The Left has always been picky about their protests. While they rightly denounce white racism in South Africa, they stay silent on black racism in Zimbabwe. They bang on about American cultural imperialism, but have nothing to say about Russian or Chinese military imperialism. America is constantly denounced for its 'yuman rites' abuses, but you never hear a dicky bird about the denial of basic freedoms in China or throughout the Muslim world.
Europe's Leftists define themselves by their hatred of the U.S., yet cheerfully tolerate all kinds of tyranny elsewhere. They're against 'torture' at Guantanamo Bay, but take a relaxed view of Chinese and Russian death squads. There are still plenty of 'comrades' in the Labour Party and the trades union movement who regret the day the Berlin Wall came tumbling down. They're only too willing to give succour to the enemies of freedom and democracy around the world.
Source
Posted by John Ray. For a daily critique of Leftist activities, see DISSECTING LEFTISM. For a daily survey of Australian politics, see AUSTRALIAN POLITICS Also, don't forget your roundup of Obama news and commentary at OBAMA WATCH
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