A Solid Debate

MSNBC did a good job, fast pace and entertaining. The Reagan Library with the old Airforce One in the background provided a cool setting. Good to see that the Republicans did not wimp out with liberal MSNBC and Chris Matthews, unlike the Dems with Fox News and Brit Hume.

With the exception of Ron Paul who came across as a space alien, I could live with any of the candidates. Romney and Giuliani clearly bested the field. McCain seemed a bit up-tight, rehearsed, over-eager and angry at times, even though I agreed with most of his positions. The second tier candidates did generally well, though some seemed a bit out of their league on foreign policy. A long way to go, the gloves are far from coming off at this stage.

The far more interesting Presidential debate is the one that occurred in France yesterday, the "evil Neocon" Sarkozy making minced meat out of Socialist Ségolène Royal. Pajama Media's Nidra Pollar writes a killer analysis of that crucial debate. Polls indicate that Sarkozy extended his lead in the debate aftermath.

"The hate campaign against Sarkozy is steeped in anti-Semitic, anti-American poison; in polite circles it is fashionable to talk about his brutality. Ségolène Royal, at the height of fashion, never misses a chance to label her rival and his politics as brutal."

Nidra Poller,
Pajama Media Corespondent, Paris

Lewis Black on Hollywood Environmentalists

Israeli Report Shows Failure At Highest Levels
Poll: Sarkozy maintains Strong Lead In France
VDH: Hooked On Trivia While Threats Fester
Coulter: No Wonder They're Afraid of Brit Hume

Well over 100,000 people rally in central Tel Aviv for Prime Minister Olmert's resignation. The man has a 3% approval ratting according to latest polls in Israel. Harshly criticized in a national report for his indecisive and confused conduct during last summers war with Hezbollah, Olmert now puts himself out as the one most qualified to implement the reforms called for in the report.
_________________________________

I meant to post this little reminder yesterday but didn't get around to it: Yesterday was the 44th anniversary of the Democratic attack on little school children in Birmingham Alabama, by then Democratic National Committeeman, Sheriff Eugene "Bull" Connor. At the time, it should be noted, Connor was a Democratic National Committeeman from Alabama. A member of the Ku Klux Klan, Connor had been a Democrat state legislator and a delegate to the 1948 Democratic National Convention. A year after attacking the African-American children, Connor was elected, as a Democrat, president of the Alabama State Public Service Commission.
H/T: Grand Old Partisan
_______________________________

A quick reminder: Sheryl Crow recommends only one tissue square per sitting to save the environment...together we can make a difference!

Oxford Union Debates the Proposition: “This House regrets the founding of The United States of America.”

We are happy to report to you that the Oxford Union, in its infinite wisdom, has allowed America to continue to exist. Representing America in this life-and-death debate was Jonah Goldberg of the National Review:

Mr. President, Members, thank you.

As both a committed Anglophile and patriotic American, I am honored to be here.

Though, I must say that the proposition tonight saddens me.

Until recently, it never would have dawned on me that good, decent, and wise Britons, proud of their heritage, proud of their culture, honored to call themselves sons and daughters of this great nation and co-authors of its future achievements, would lament the birth of a sister democracy and comrade-in-arms — particularly when that democracy stands upon the shoulders of British giants.

There is no denying the question before this house is shameful.

No decent mother questions whether her daughter should ever have been born lest she already has an answer in mind.

And whatever regrettable commentary it may be on the child, the mere posing of the question is even more pitiable comment upon the mother.

Unless. Unless, of course this is all a grand joke in the great satirical tradition of Monty Python, Simon Pegg and the farcical oxymoron that is David Cameron’s “conservatism.”

There is hopeful evidence on this front.

When I learned that tonight’s proposition would have as its champions two passionate defenders of sharia law and the hijab plus one spokesman for the Communist party, it dawned on me: “Aha, this is all a joke.”

This house regrets the birth of America as much as Black Knight in Monty Python and the Holy Grail had naught but a “flesh wound.”

[pause]

I don’t know how it is in Britain, but in America, Communists are nearly extinct. A few aging relics do linger on — like Japanese soldiers refusing to surrender long after the war. They live in an archipelago of academic backwaters, their bunkers brimming with yellowing copies of The Daily Worker and the Guardian, saturated with the strong stink of despair mixed with the suggestion of old urine.

Communists are more commonly seen as comic-book villains or mythical creatures rumored to have once existed in fairy tales or, perhaps, James Bond movies.

A Communist!? My goodness, were Dr. Doom, Lex Luthor, and Ernst Blowfeld unavailable?

Did the most sagacious pundits of the Klingon Empire not return the Oxford Union’s phone calls?

Do the Oompah Loompahs refuse to fly coach?

I’m sorry, but my honorable opponent’s party stands — as a matter of principle! — in lockstep solidarity with the murderocracy of Kim Jong Il’s North Korea. He stands as the living exponent of the criminal tradition of Pol Pot, Joseph Stalin, and Mao Tse Tung, and he dares damn the United States of America from the safety of history’s dustbin. Please.

Surely, this evening was intended as a gag.

Where is the hidden camera? When will my opponents tear off their masks and laugh at the put on, joining us at the pub for beer and cigars giggling at the whole thing? As they say on MTV, Am I being punked?

And then there are my other “honorable” opponents: The gentlemen representing the “moderate” face of political Islam.

The Islamic Party of Britain holds that open homosexuals may receive the death sentence. Hizb ut-Tahrir openly desires a world — not merely a United Kingdom — where rejection of Islam by its adherents would bring a death sentence, and where Jews and Christians must live in official ghettos.

Both represent theocratic visions that make President Bush’s supposed “theo-conservatism” seem like a lapsed Unitarian’s weekend hobby.

Indeed, despite some vein-popping hysteria here and in Europe, the fact is that America is no theocracy, and it mixes religion and government less you folks in Britain and Europe do.

However, on the off chance that there are some in the room who do not get the joke, or — worse — that someone here isn’t kidding, let me make a few brief points.

First, there is no objection my honorable opponents could make to the existence of America that could not be made about the existence of Great Britain herself.

At least two of these men reject the Enlightenment. And I’m not talking about the French one. But the good one from Scotland. (When it comes to Enlightenments, as Michael Meyers says in So I Married an Ax Murderer — “if it’s not Scottish, it’s crap.”)

And all three of my opponents stand against the kind of Liberalism the United States, the United Kingdom, and this very Union represent.

The United States is not flawless, to be sure, but we are the fruit of freedom, the flawed champions of liberty and defenders of decency.

And, if you are honest with yourselves, you know — KNOW! — that should any of my opponents succeed in having their perfect world realized, those of you who did not stay in Britain to fight such oppression would count yourselves lucky to find asylum in the United States of America.

And, you know full well, that the United States of America would gladly offer it.

Second, whatever causes some of you to roll your eyes or titter at these statements must either be of very recent vintage indeed or, again, you must stand athwart Britain’s own history yelling, “Stop.”

And, if the case is the former, then your vote against America will be a badge of honor, for I want the support of no man who counts the United Kingdom as a villain.

But, if your position is the latter, if you were a fan, friend, or ally of the United States, until George W. Bush was elected — or until he allegedly seduced your own prime minister with some sort of Jedi Mind Trick into going into Iraq or some other recently minted grievance, let me say this: How childish of you.

To reject a former colony or ally for most of the last 400 years only to say that it was all for nothing because of a war you honorably enlisted in yourselves? For shame.

If in 2001 you would have voted against this proposition but today you want to vote for it, if you honestly think the last six-plus years erase all that was good about and of America for the previous four centuries, then you are either suffering from what we in the United States call Bush Derangement Syndrome or your friendship was never worth anything to begin with.

The proposition is not that the Bush presidency, the war, slavery, or even disco should be regretted. It is that the United States of America should be.

And that proposition would reap the scorn of Edmund Burke, William Gladstone, Winston Churchill, and countless others.

Please, my friends, let us be grownups. This is not Cambridge.

Lastly, let me just note that if the ugly fantasy at the heart of the proposition were somehow made real and America had never been born, then a lot more than democracy and freedom would suffer. America is the engine of global prosperity — a job we inherited from Britain.

From penicillin to the iPod, the artificial heart to rising crust pizza, jazz and the Simpsons to the Marshall Plan, America — through its ingenuity, openness, generosity, and adherence to the liberal principles it inherited from this great land — has championed the relief of man’s estate (in the words of Francis Bacon) and the liberty to let your freak flag fly (in the words of David Crosby).

Yes, anti-Americanism fashions itself a form of anti-globalization. But this is most often a ruse. Do keep in mind that my opponents represent a truly tyrannical form of globalization. Whether it’s “Workers of the World Unite” or the World Caliphate, the choice they are presenting is globalization for losers, while America, to the extent it represents globalization at all, offers the globalization of liberty.

The mere fact that you had to select three men from outside this heritage to defend the proposition, is proof enough that it is indefensible from within it. For, again, if you want to lament the birth of America, you must lament all that has been born of America.

And if you are prepared to do that, you are prepared to regret all that was born of Britain as well.

To which I say again: Surely you must be joking.

Washington diary: Land of ideas
Justifying America to a doubtful audience.

Washington, D.C., Lawyer Roy Pearson Sues a Dry Cleaners for $67 Million for Lost Trousers

Lawyer Roy Pearson -- himself a local judge in Washington D.C -- says in court papers that he's been through the ringer over a lost pair of prized pants he wanted to wear on his first day on the bench. He says in court papers that he has endured "mental suffering, inconvenience and discomfort." He complains that he was misled by a "Satisfaction Guaranteed" sign.

Pearson plans to call 63 witnesses. Defending themselves against the suit -- for two years running -- are Korean immigrants Jin and Soo Chung and their son, who own Custom Cleaners and two other dry cleaning shops in the Fort Lincoln section of Washington D.C. The have so far spent thousands of dollars defending themselves.

"It's affecting us first of all financially, because of all the lawyers' fees,'' Jin Chung said. "For two years, we've been paying lawyer fees... we've gotten bad credit as well, and secondly, it's been difficult mentally and physically because of the level of stress." Later, Soo Chung broke down in tears. "I would have never thought it would have dragged on this long," she told ABC News. "I don't want to live here anymore. It's been so difficult. I just want to go home, go back to Korea."

First, Pearson demanded $1,150 for a new suit. Lawyers were hired, legal wrangling ensured, and eventually the Chungs offered Pearson $3000 in compensation.

No dice.

Then they offered him $4,600.

No dice.

Finally, they offered $12,000 for the missing gray trousers with the red and blue stripes.

Pearson said no.

The judge went to the lawbooks. Citing the District of Columbia's consumer protection laws, he claims he was entitled to $1,500 per violation.

Per day. He believes he is entitled to $1,500 for each violation, each day during which the "Satisfaction Guaranteed'' sign, and another sign promising "Same Day Service'' was up in the store -- more than 1200 days.

And he's multiplying each violation by three because he's suing Jin and Soo Chung and their son.

He also wants $500,000 in 'emotional damages' and another $542, 500 in legal fees, even though he is representing himself in court.

He wants $15,000 for ten years worth of weekend car rentals as well.

After enlisting neighbors and fellow customers, he sought to expand the case into a class action suit, but was denied.

My opinion: That this case has not been thrown out of court as an act of pure insanity and bullying is an indictment of the entire US legal system. The plaintiff should be disbarred, thrown off the bench, fined a serious amount of money to be paid to the defendants, and sent to a mental institution for evaluation (indeed perhaps the entire system should be sent to a mental institution). Too many lawyers see the legal system as their own personal ATM and grievance chamber. This case will become the new poster-child for tort reform.

Roy L. Pearson, Jr. and the $65 million pants
Lawyer Basically Seeks $65 Million For Missing Pants
Lawyer's Price For Missing Pants: $65 Million
Judge Pearson, we will buy you a new suit
D.C. Judge Seeks $67 Million for Lost Pants
Judge Sues Dry Cleaners for $65 Million
Lessons from the $65,000,000 pants suit

Speaker of the Palestinian Parliament: Kill All Americans and Jews..."To The Very Last One"

Well, calls for genocide against the infidel are not uncommon in the Arab world, but it is unusual to hear it so publicly from a top Palestinian official, who would usually be more low key in his sympathy for the idea of mass murder. These types of sentiments are usually left for Imams to express in Friday sermons to the masses. Lady's and gentlemen, I give you the Speaker of the Palestinian Parliament, Sheik Ahmad Bahr:

_______________________________

Hotel Replaces Bible with Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth": This little item makes sense, since this type of environmentalism is a religious cult, more potent than Hari Krishna.

What the #@%&?: Russian Army Choir do 'Sweet Home Alabama!'

This post is from the 'What The F#%&?" category. The Leningrad Cowboys and the Red Army Choir bring it home with "Sweet Home Alabama." Love the video (funny), love the song, love Alabama; especially fishing off of Mobile Bay, Dauphin Island and Bayou La Batre.

BBC: The UK is a Vipers Nest of Islamo-Fascist Terror Activity

The demonisation of Sarkozy by the Left

Liberal Newspaper Circulation Falls 2.1 Percent

Good news for the environment, and for the battle against pollution of the mind. Newspaper circulations continue to drop like a manhole cover falling from the sky. Liberal papers like the New York and Los Angeles Times see the largest drop. Save the trees; ditch liberal newspapers. together we can make a difference!

Germany Rediscovers the US as a Partner
The Strange Death of Multiculturalism

FLASHBACK: They may have been Hill Billys singing rockerbilly but they were great... What a killer solo.

Olmert: Brisk Attack Could Delay Iran Nukes by Years
VDH: Iraq, and the Truth We Dare Not Speak
Killer Mitt Romney Speech
Mainstream Caliphate Confessions

The Face of Evil

above is the face of evil that many of our friends on the left refuse to acknowledge, as clearly illustrated in the video below of Democratic candidates refusing to recognize that there is even such a thing as a war on terror.

Gas-bag Biden Finds His Groove

Clinton Says Her sometimes Southern Twang a Virtue: Says "America is ready for a multi-lingual President."

Quote of the day: "If as a liberal you have a problem with the death penalty, just think of it as a very late-term abortion to put your mind at ease."

Jon Voight is one Celebrity who gets it

An Incoherent Truth:
"Art, music, film, dance, poetry - all the arts - have long been our greatest tools to explore the regions of imagination that defy our efforts to think rationally about subjects that our emotions tell us are too painful to contemplate,"
Al Gore
Deep baby, real deep.
H/T: Jawa

Poll: French outpace Americans in French-bashing

Holland: School Scraps Nature Course As Pigs Enrage Muslim Pupils

Australian PM Howard: US Congress aids Al-Qaeda

"I think it is wrong, and I don't think it is doing anything other than giving great comfort and encouragement to Al-Qaeda and the insurgency in Iraq. They are looking at all this, they read newspapers, they see it on television and they say, 'The American domestic resolve is weakening, therefore we should maintain our resolve.' If there is a perception of an America defeat in Iraq, that will leave the whole of the Middle East in great turmoil and will be an enormous victory for terrorism."

Edwards Wife Plays Virginia Tech Race Card on Hardball

Elizabeth Edwards: Blacks don't get as much attention because they're "not a pretty picture."

"Global Warming" Update: All Democrats arrive to MSNBC debate in private jets

Micro-Algae: Pond Scum or Planet Savers?

Dr. Isaac Berzin is the kind of scientist and environmentalist that a Neocon like me could love:

"We believe that if you want to make an environmental revolution it should not come as the law. Okay? It should come as a great business. And if it's a great business, it has life of its own. So, you don't come to the power industry and tell them, 'you guys are the worst polluters and I have to shut you down. I have to fine you for every...like a carbon tax, whatever.' I think that's the wrong approach. I think the right approach would be, 'guys, you're throwing all this CO2 away? Are you crazy? Let's make more money.' And that's how the world will change. That's how it will become a reality."

Dr. Berzin is a pioneer in harvesting Micro-Algae for the purpose of generating bio-fuel for energy production. Micro-Algae devours Co2 to grow, and produces algae oil; bio- fuel that can be used as a clean, non-Co2 emitting energy. It is people like Dr. Berzin, not Al Gore, who will deliver the solution to our known fossil fuel dependency problem, and perceived "global warming" problem. So no, the world will not be coming to an end, thanks to Dr. Berzin and many others like him.

Why CAIR Dropped Its Lawsuit Against Andrew Whitehead
Dear Harry: If the US Lost, Who won?
Jewish woman attacked in France

Save the Enviroment: Stop Reading Print Newspapers

Sheryl Crow pontificated recently that we should all drastically cut back on toilet paper to save the environment. Pajama Media point to further evidence of declining print newspaper circulations across the country. See the connection? In other words, get your news online! ditch the liberal print version of the NY Times and save the environment!!!! Hey, I'm really catching on to this this environment thing; it could have all sorts of positive implications for the conservative cause. Imagine, ditching fossil fuel for the "global warming" scam...and free yourself from Arab oil at the same time. I'm seriously thinking of signing an alliance of convenience with greeny.

A quick note from one of our regular readers:

The New York Times needs to stop publishing its daily newspaper immediately. It must go on-line.
One of the biggest rapists of our fragile earth are newspaper publishers. Publishers need paper which comes from our precious forests. Massive amounts of trees must be clear cut and trucked to the mills where they convert the trees to paper, generating huge waste pumped into our local waterways. The paper must then be transported on more polluting trucks to New York Times printing facilities around the nation. These facilities consume vast amounts of electricity, oil-ink and god knows what else. Finally, after just ONE SINGLE DAY, almost all of this production is put in the trash and trucked yet again, this time to land-fills, and the entire dirty process starts all over again! I call on all Global Warming co-religionists to picket the NYT building in NYC. Together we can make a difference!

F. Garvin, Ph.D., S.J.

You see, I'm really beginning to get the feel for this enviro-thing.

Congress Passes Iraq Withdrawal Bill

Hezbollah puts up Large Images of Captured Israeli Soldiers at the Lebanon-Israel Border

This is an interesting little item from the Middle East: Hezbollah militants erected a large sign on Thursday with photographers of the abducted Israeli soldiers they hold, in an area along Lebanon's border with Israel, clearly visible from the Israeli side. Notice the UN "peace Keepers" driving by in their white little vehicles with no reaction to the provocation.
Later, the UN responded harshly by taking aggressive... notes! The situation could escalate to a full-scale... nasty letter, should Hezbollah refuse to back down.

Arrest Warrant for Richard Gere in India...for this kiss:

There is something deliciously ironic about all of this. A liberal Hollywood actor completely failing to grasp the cultural sensitivities of his surroundings...wrongly assuming that Hollywood values are universal. That Indian activists would bringing in a Hollywood liberal to "raise awareness" about AIDS is strange; and the up-tight judge describing what we in the West would view as a harmless and innocent kiss as being "highly sexually erotic," and that Gere "transgressed all limits of vulgarity." Wow! Penalty is up to 3 months in jail; 'gentleman' Gere bolted the country. The Indian female actress also charged is left to fend for herself.

UPDATE: Gere apologises to Indians over Shetty kiss
Another UPDATE: Gere blames "Right Wing" for his India problem

The Top Democrat Priority During Time of War

VDH: Is the War on Terror Over?

French Journalist: In Sarkozy, France Is Experiencing a Neocon Revolution!

In France, it's 1980 and Sarkozy is playing the roll of a French Ronald Reagan. The French "days of malaise" are about to end: Sarkozy represents everything that liberals hate, and that we love here at the Neocon Express. Pro-America, pro-Western, pro-Israel, pro-free markets, pro-individual initiative, pro-freedom....PRO-FRANCE. Listening to the media one would think that neo-conservatism is dead, and that Europe in general and France in particular are all America-hating lefty socialists who worship at the alter of cradle-to-grave welfare programs, and moral relativism. Nonsense! What most Europeans want is their self-worth back. It only takes a positive-thinking bold leader like Sarkozy to tape into this bottled-up positive and creative energy. Is it possible that IT IS MORNING IN FRANCE, and a new day is about to dawn? Go Sarkozy!

Note: Some will squirm and say that such open talk, even if true, will only hurt Sarkozy's chances. Again, nonsense I say.

Washington Times: Sarkozy vs. Royal: "Though Miss Royal, 53, is not very bright, she is good-looking." OUCH!

Mental Case Rosie O'Donnell Out at 'The View'

To understand how deep her mental illness goes, watch the below segment. If you find yourself identifying with her comments, it may be a good idea to check yourself in to the nearest mental institution and seek help immediately.


Blankley: Is There Writing on the Wall?
DeLay: Media easily influenced
Martin Amis on "Islamophobia"

Las Vegas to Offer Zero-G Flights for $3,500

A new attraction is coming to the strip: Zero-G flights. And judging by the reaction to the flights, going weightless in Las Vegas will be a very big thing. Not only is the sensation rare -- only about 2,700 people have flown on a Zero-G flight since 2004 -- it takes just a few hours, making it ideal for well-to-do weekend visitors, big-spending corporate customers in town for conventions and gamblers who want a memorable experience without getting too far from the casino. "Hell yes," said Jim Kilby, a professor of gaming at University of Nevada, Las Vegas, when asked whether he envisioned casinos booking guests on the flights - One more reason for a Euro-wheenie to hate America and for "global warming" cultists to freak out.

Abraham Lincoln: "Firmness in the right"

Andrew Klavan has a killer op-ed today in City Journal, with a great reference to the first Republican President, Abraham Lincoln:

"The thing I like best about being a conservative is that I don’t have to lie. I don't have to pretend that men and women are the same. I don't have to declare that failed or oppressive cultures are as good as mine. I don't have to say that everyone's special or that the rich cause poverty or that all religions are a path to God. I don't have to claim that a bad writer like Alice Walker is a good one or that a good writer like Toni Morrison is a great one. I don't have to pretend that Islam means peace.

Of course, like everything, this candor has its price. A politics that depends on honesty will be, by nature, often impolite. Good manners and hypocrisy are intimately intertwined, and so conservatives, with their gimlet-eyed view of the world, are always susceptible to charges of incivility. It's not really nice, you know, to describe things as they are.

If these people in their public personae seem harsh to more genteel conservatives, it may be because it requires that extra dollop of aggression to shatter the silence created by the Left’s increasingly elaborate sensitivities.

Still, mannerly as we would rather be, truth-telling continues to be both compelling and ultimately satisfying. There is, after all, something greater than courtesy. "Firmness in the right," Lincoln called it, "as God gives us to see the right."

U.S. Soldier Questions Flag Proclamation Policy After Virginia Tech Slayings

Fox New raises an interesting question. Why lower the flag to half-staff because of a shooting on the Virginia Tech University campus that was apparently not related to national service (although I still do have questions about (Ismail Ax"). It was not an attack on the country as an idea, it was an act of an individual madman who apparently was not politically motivated. Meanwhile, about 20 GI's have died in active service to the country since the Virginia Tech shooting, and no-one has suggested lowering the flag nationally to half-staff for them.
______________________________________

Meanwhile, Three Danish lawmakers have been reported to police for making remarks comparing Muslim women's headscarves with swastikas, pointing out that both are symbols of oppression. Apparently TRUTH is a reportable offence in Denmark these days.

Kentucky Fried Hillary, PART 2

I'm amazed that this woman has the Chutzpah to talk about finding "all kinds of stuff under the carpet at the White House" and needing to clean it out. Good lord! The most likely thing that she'll find are some old used prophylactics left over by her husband.

Today: Israel's 59th Anniversary

The Neocon congratulates Israel on its 59th anniversary. Surrounded and outnumbered by much larger, hostile, totalitarian forces sworn to its destruction. Tiny Israel is an outpost of democracy and enlightenment in a very bad and backwards neighborhood. Keep up the good fight!

UK Times: Al-Qaeda Planning 'Hiroshima' Attack on Britain

I'm not clear on why this is "news"; anyone who doubts that radical Islamist are motivated to bomb our cities with nuclear weapons is living in a dream-land. Unfortunately, only after it actually happens will many lefties begin to realize what we are facing, and I suspect that even after that, many will still cling to the religious cult of non-judgmental moral relativism.
______________________________________

In another piece of news, Boris Yeltsin died today. The man that ushered in the post-communist era. His most memorable moment was delivering a speech in front of the Parliament building on a Tank, where he personally defused a communist coup attempt to retake the country.

Sheryl Crow, "Global warming" and the Toilet Paper Police

Sheryl Crow: "I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting."

No, this is not a joke, the woman is dead serious. This is what happens to a brain when it joins a mind-control cult.

Sarkozy Wins!

Conservative candidate Nicolas Sarkozy and Socialist rival Segolene Royal will face each other in a presidential run-off on May 6th after they came through a first-round vote on Sunday. According to numbers from the French Interior Ministry, Sarkozy earned 30.46 percent of the votes, while Royal won 24.41 percent. At this point our candidate Sarkozy seems in a very good position.

Penn & Teller: Gun Control is #%&*!

This little clip will be enough to drive a Euro-weenie mad

It's Election Day In France: Go Sarkozy Go!!!

Sarkozy, the Neocon candidate, is France's only hope for saving itself from the pathetic, Euro-whinie basketcase country that it has become over the years.

Elizabethtown

I just watched the movie 'Elizabethtown' on HBO; a Cameron Crowe film released in 2005, I never got the chance to see it in the theater; and even though wacko hate-America lefties Susan Sarandon and Alec Baldwin have secondary rolls in the film, 'Elizabethtown' captures the positive essence of America in ways that are rarely seen on film. Crowe is one of my all-time favorite directors (Almost Famous) and he does not disappoint in this wonderful film; his use of music to capture atmosphere is, as always, masterful. This is a movie that I would highly recommend for my European friends and readers, especially those who love to hate America all day long. I tend to trash Hollywood a lot on this site so when I come across a film that moves me, it really is a joyful experience and worth a post. ELIZABETHTOWN, check it out on HBO or DVD.

Jihadist Video Shows 12 Year Old Boy Beheading Man

The boy with the knife looks barely 12. In a high-pitched voice, he denounces the bound, blindfolded man before him as an American spy. Then he hacks off the captive's head to cries of "God is great!" and hoists it in triumph by the hair. Full video at Jawa, too difficult for me.
_________________________
Great article in City Journal by Christopher Hitchens: America’s first confrontation with the Islamic world helped forge a new nation’s character: Jefferson Versus the Muslim Pirates

Tape: Alec Baldwin Threatens his 11 Year old Daughter

If you would like to know how Hollywood's leading "liberal" voice, Alec Baldwin, treats children, you should go here. This is so disturbing I don't even know where to begin. But unlike conservatives, Baldwin "CAAAARES" about the world. Real Left wing values in action. This man is one step short of Cho Sueng Hui.

But on the other hand, Baldwin is a good actor, I'll give him that. (In Hollywood being a celebrity actor and a liberal counts for more than being a human being).


The Mainstream Media: Islamist Facilitators
Harry Reid's White Flag

Democrat Leader: "We Have Lost the War"

In addition to the unseemly public defeatism that will be celebrated by our enemies, the Democrat leader will undoubtedly continue to work hard to insure that his declaration of defeat for the United States will not be proven wrong. If one is declaring defeat, they will likely do everything in their power to ensure that their words are proven accurate. In other words, he now as a stake in American defeat and failure and anything less will hurt his credibility. Why would anyone wish to paint themselves in such a corner?

Climate change skeptics say it's hard to get heard
Scientist: Warming not caused by humans
Islamic Fanatics Beat Journalist in Canada

The Neocon Express Joins Pajamas Media Network

I am happy to report that the Neocon Express has been invited to join the Pajamas Media Network. I'll be joining some well known blogs such as Little Green Footballs, Michelle Malkin, Instapundit, Roger L. Simon, Volokh Conspiracy, Tammy Bruce, Jawa Report, Jihad Watch, Atlas Shrugs and many other great blogs. I will try to live up to the standards and I'm grateful to PM for inviting me on board...and no, this does not mean that I'm selling out to "the man." Please excuse the minor kinks as we work out the technical details of integrating the Neocon Express into Pajamas Media's system.
Joe Gelman

McCain: Bomb Bomb Bomb, Bomb Bomb Iran

Democrat Senate Leader Announces: "The War is Lost"

Video: Virginia Tech Killer, Cho Seung-Hui / Ismail's Rant on NBC

I watched the video of this creep, which is available here, and was struck by a few things: The video looks like a typical tape of a Jihadi before going off on a suicide mission, except instead of complaining about crusading Zionist pigs and the great Satan... the words were more like a liberal rant against the "system." Angry, incoherent, full of conspiracies and paranoia (like most liberal rants are). Truly stunning. I also noticed that he rants against Christianity, the evil rich, says that he did it for his "brothers and sisters" and the package arrived at NBC from "Ismail".

As things have unfolded in the past few days, I now agree with this killer assessment from laissez-fair: The Virginia Tech Shooting: Thanks Liberals !!

Ismail Ax: The Shooter Was Another 'Son of Sacrifice': First it was Johnny Muhammad, now it was Cho Sueng Hui aka Ismail Ax. Precisely how many mass shooters have to turn out to have adopted Muslim names before we get it? Islam has become the tribe of choice of those who hate American society. I'm not talking about people who grew up as Muslims, confident and secure in their faith, good fathers, sons and neighbors. I'm talking about the angry, malignant, narcissist loners who want to reject their community utterly, to throw off their 'slave name' and represent the downtrodden of the earth by shooting their friends and neighbors.
_______________________________

This little item in the Financial Times is enough to drive a conspiracy theory-loving liberal mad: Iraq may hold twice as much oil as thought!

Gunman sent package to NBC News

Chris Matthews: "Is 'Ishmail' like the 'Ishmail' from Moby Dick?" ...Good Lord.

Virginia Tech is Not the "Worst School Killing" in US History, the 1927 Bath School Bombing Was

Plains Feeder gets history right by pointing out that the US media are simply wrong when they describe the Virginia Tech shooting as the worst school massacre in US history.

"The media is noting that the Virginia Tech massacre on Monday is the very worst school killing ever in America since Charles Whitman went nuts on the Texas Tower. The media bias against the Second Amendment shows clearly in this assertion. The fact is, the 1927 Bath, Michigan school killings had a death toll of 45 with 58 injured. So why doesn't Andrew Kehoe, the Bath killer, get any mention? Kehoe didn't use a firearm! He blew up the school with a bomb. No gun control mileage here. Into the wastebasket of history goes the Bath School tragedy. No useful purpose."

It might also be worth noting that bombs were and are illegal, and no "bomb control" law stopped Andrew Kehoe from blowing up the school in Bath. Criminals will not be deterred by a "law." ...OK, I know what you're thinking...so no, that is not to say that bombs should be legalized, unlike firearms, bombs are not used for self protection.

Local Islamic leaders push to cancel author's talk
Iranian-made arms meant for the Taliban seized in Afghanistan
UK: Don’t stare at Muslims says advice to schools
Whacko: Kucinich to file Articles of Impeachment against Cheney
Bad Day in Blacksburg

Other Stuff

OK, so NJ Gov. Jon Corzine was traveling 91 mph and not wearing a seat belt. While I do have sympathy, these folks seem to think that laws... even the laws of physics don't apply to them.

Keystone Cops: Two Secret Service officers injured at White House after accidentally discharging weapon... in the White House! Good Lord! The President was at Virginia Tech when the incident occurred.

Polygamous husbands in UK can claim cash for their harems
"All Women Should Wear A Veil"

Nagasaki mayor dies after being shot on a city street: This is in a country with some of the strictest gun control laws in the world.

Debbie Schlussel makes the interesting observation that of the many thousands of Virginia Tech students, and photo's taken of them, the Washington Post chose this photo for thier cover. Hmmmm.

Unarmed and vulnerable

Bradford B. Wiles:

"I am licensed to carry a concealed handgun in the commonwealth of Virginia, and do so on a regular basis. However, because I am a Virginia Tech student, I am prohibited from carrying at school because of Virginia Tech's student policy, which makes possession of a handgun an expellable offense, but not a prosecutable crime. I had entrusted my safety, and the safety of others to the police. In light of this, there are a few things I wish to point out. First, I never want to have my safety fully in the hands of anyone else, including the police. Second, I considered bringing my gun with me to campus, but did not due to the obvious risk of losing my graduate career.

Third, and most important, I am trained and able to carry a concealed handgun almost anywhere in Virginia and other states that have reciprocity with Virginia, but cannot carry where I spend more time than anywhere else because, somehow, I become a threat to others when I cross from the town of Blacksburg onto Virginia Tech's campus. Of all of the emotions and thoughts that were running through my head that morning, the most overwhelming one was of helplessness. That feeling of helplessness has been difficult to reconcile because I knew I would have been safer with a proper means to defend myself. The policy that forbids students who are legally licensed to carry in Virginia needs to be changed."

I would argue that this policy, more than any other, may have been responsible for the high death toll. There was simply nobody in the vicinity who was in a position to respond with appropriate force. Only the most naive would buy into the idea that criminals would not obtain firearms if firearms are banned. Fire arms ARE banned in the community of Virginia Tech, population 27,000. Result? You make the call. Cocain is illegal, does that stop druggies from obtaining cocaine? Good people need to be in a position to respond, not to be disarmed and indoctrinated with a pacifist mentality where they can be slaughtered like sheep in the name of political correctness and criminal naivete.
Joe

Michelle Malkin writes a highly relevant piece on this matter at Real Clear Politics today: Wanted: A Culture of Self-Defense

Shelter's Limits

Ismail Ax: What does it mean?

The Chicago Tribune is reporting that the Virginia Tech killer, Cho Seung-Hui, apparently had scrawled the words "ISMAIL AX" on the inside of one arm, which they say may be a reference to the Islamic account of the Biblical sacrifice of Abraham.

VA Tech mass shooting: Who or what is Ismail Ax? UPDATED

It's Tax Day: knee in my package

The 2006 Pulitzer Prize Winning Photograph for "Breaking News" Photography

Oded Balilty was covering a violent clash in the West Bank last year for AP when he came across a haunting image: Israeli officers in riot gear pushing against a lone Jewish settler who resisted their charge with all her might. "I saw this woman hesitate a little bit, and I saw the line of the police and I just grabbed my camera," he said. "It just was there."

Bill Clinton: Israel-Syria peace deal could be reached within 35 minutes. Wow, that Bill Clinton guy sure is a whipper-snapper. He can solve a 60 year dispute in 35 minuets! That's almost as fast an encounter with Monica Lewinsky!

World Renowned US-Israeli Professor, Liviu Librescu, Killed in Virginia Tech Shooting - Actions Described as Heroic.

The names of the victims have not been officially released, but it has been confirmed that one of the victims in the Virginia Tech shooting was a Senior Researcher and Lecturer, Professor Liviu Librescu of Israel.

In speaking of her father in law, Ayala Librescu said "He has been teaching there for 20 years, and was a senior, world-renowned lecturer. He is the professor with the highest number of publications in the history of Virginia Tech. In the past, he taught at Tel Aviv University and the Technion," she added.

Witnesses described the professors actions as heroic: One of Lebrescu's students, Alec Calhoun said "When students realized the sounds were gunshots, they started flipping over desks for hiding places. Others dashed to the windows of the second-floor classroom, kicking out the screens and jumping from the ledge of the room." Calhoun said that just before he climbed out the window, he turned to look at the professor (Librescu), who had stayed behind to block the door. He was killed by gunshots while attempting to block the gunman's entrance.

Prof Librescu and his wife are both Holocaust survivors who immigrated to Israel from Romania (ironically, Prof Librescu was murdered on Holocaust memorial day). The Communist regime had tried to prevent him from immigrating and he was fired from his job after refusing to sign a loyalty oath to the communist regime. He was allowed to leave the country only after the Israeli prime minister at the time Menachem Begin personally appealed to then Romanian dictator Nicolae Ceausescu. years later, Librescu left for a sabbatical in the United States and has remained here since. His first son, Arieh, lives in Israel, while his other son, Joe, resides in the US. Librescu's colleagues described him as a "true gentleman."

It is truly shocking that such an accomplished man who survived the Nazi holocaust and Communist totalitarianism rose to such prominence in his field (Material Stress), would die in such a senseless way. May he rest in peace and may his family find strength in the face of such a devastating loss.


More First Hand Testimony on the Hero Professor: 'I don't think my teacher got out':

Junior Richard Mallalieu said he and about 20 classmates instantly dropped to the floor, ducking under and behind desks for what sounded like the first 10 shots. Their next move became instantly clear: Get out. Mallalieu said his professor held the door shut while students darted to the windows. Some climbed on desks, ledges and a radiator cover to pull down the screens and kick at the metal-framed glass, Mallalieu said. Three windows easily gave way and swung open on hinges as the gunshots got louder.

Closer....

UPDATE: Media is reporting that ALL of Professor Liviu Librescu's students survived the attack (by jumping out the window) while Professor Librescu blocked the door to the room with his body giving the students time to escape. He was apparently shot through the door by the gunman.

It's Too Early for 'Healing'

NY Daily News: The Courageous final act of professor Librescu
"Hero" Professor among victims of Virginia Tech massacre
Slain VT Professor Saves Students: Hero & Holocaust Survivor
Lecturer died shielding Virginia Tech students from gunman
Professor Liviu Librescu, 76, threw himself in front of the shooter
Professor died like a hero by blocking the door to his class
Remembering Liviu Librescu … And Others Like Him
Prof Liviu Librescu among the VaTech murdered
Professor Librescu, sacrifices life for students at Virginia Tech
Liviu Librescu: Hero
77-year old physics professor displayed preternatural courage
Surely, the Righteous do walk among us.
Holocaust Survivor Murdered at Virginia Tech
Liviu Librescu Was Killed While Trying to Save His Students
Wall Street Journal: He Died Saving His Class


UPDATE: President honors professor who died in university shooting:

"With the gunman set to enter his class, this brave professor blocked the door with his body while his students fled to safety. On the day of remembrance, this Holocaust survivor gave his own life so others may live. We honor his memory, we take strength from his example."

Preseident Bush

Fox News is Now confirming that Police have ID'ed the Killer

Sowell: The Gutless Duke Lynch Mob

Chicago Sun Times: VT Killer Identified?

CST: Authorities are investigating whether the gunman who killed 32 people on the Virginia Tech campus in the deadliest shooting rampage in U.S. history was a Chinese man who arrived in the United States last year on an F1 student visa. The 24-year-old man arrived in San Francisco on United Airlines on Aug. 7 on a visa issued in Shanghai, the source said. Investigators have not yet linked him to any terrorist groups, the source said.

Sicko Hoax: 'I am not the VT Killer'

UPDATE: Well, it looks like the Chicago Sun Times got it wrong. The killer is not Chinese, is not here on an F1 visa, and did not arrive in the United States on August 7th through San Francisco. The killer is Seung-Hui Cho, 23, was born in South Korea on Jan. 18, 1984 and entered the United States through the Detroit airport in 1992 as a child of 8. He was a permanent resident alien, a "green card" holder entitled to most of the legal rights held by U.S. citizens.

FBI on the Virginia Tech Shooter: There is no indication that this is an act of terrorism...however

The FBI: There is no indication that this is an act of terrorism; however every avenue will be investigated."

I love these kinds of pronouncements from the FBI. If there is no "indication that this is an act of terrorism", does that also mean that there is also no indication that this is NOT an act of terrorism? They say that they still have not identified who the killer is, so why announce that there is no indication that this is a terrorist attack if you don't even know who the killer is? For all we know it could have been Osama Bin Laden himself.

And why does the media seem to have a intense disinterest in who the killer is, other than to announce vaguely that he was "Asian." ASIAN! that could be almost anybody...the implication is that he was not Anglo or black. Hmmm.

Was he even a he?
Was he a student?
Was he a foreign student?
Was he here legally?
Was he Christian, Jewish or... Muslim?
Was he a Timothy McVeigh type?
And what was he motivated by?
A love gone bad (domestic dispute)?
Violent video games?
Bad grades?
The love of Allah?

UK Daily Mail believes it has the full story: A lovers' tiff in the dormitory... then the university killer began his rampage

And then there is this item that will undoubtedly be the subject of debate down the road: Virginia Tech lobbied against students being allowed to carry guns on campus

New leads on the gunman? Authorities are investigating wheather the gunman was a Chinese man who arrived in the United States last year on a student visa. The 24-year-old man arrived in San Francisco on United Airlines on Aug. 7 on a visa issued in Shanghai, the source said. Investigators have not yet linked him to any terrorist groups, the source said.

Vanity: John Edwards & the $400 Haircut - Two Americas

Is this what Arnold Schwarzenegger meant when he called Democrats "girly men?" Good Lord!

Syria: Accept Arab initiative or we'll resort to violence

Virginia Tech Shooting: at least 32 Dead... Details are Foggy

Waiting for the fog to begin to clear on this horrendous incident... on any indication on motive or identity of shooter/s. Disturbed student/s or radical Islam? Already the worst school shooting in US history. Waiting like everyone else.

UPDATE: Media describing the shooter as "Asian".

UK Muslims will not waver over veils
Golden Age of media-but not for long, if the Left has its way
Bad Options on Iran

JL Kirk Associates Threaten to Sue Nashville Blogger Kathrin Colbe

Legal Bullying of the CAIR kind has backfired big time for one company: It looks like JL Kirk Associates and their law firm have created a massive firestorm on the Internet by suing blogger Kathrine Colbe for expressing negative comments about her experience with JL Kirk, an employment agency, on her blog. The lawsuit has been picked up by many, many blogs and instead of only a few hundred folks reading about it, hundreds of thousands are now aware of the JL Kirk Associates lawsuit, creating a nightmare of negative publicity for the company. Kathrine Colbe is now represented for free by a legal foundation that defends free speech.

Iran: Vigilante Killers Are Not Guilty Because Their Victims Were Involved In "Un-Islamic Activities"

Welcome to Iran:

Iran's Supreme Court has acquitted a group of men charged over a series of gruesome killings in 2002, according to lawyers for the victims' families. The vigilantes were not guilty because their victims were involved in un-Islamic activities, the court found.

Congressional travel junkets explode
Soros blasts the "Israel lobby" - No word on the Wahabi lobby

Palestinian Militants: 'We killed BBC reporter Alan Johnston'

When this story of a BBC journalist being kidnapped by Palestinian militants was first reported, my initial reaction was "don't care". The BBC is a mouthpiece for Palestinian militants no less than Al Jazeera. I never imagined that any Palestinian would be so stupid as to murder a sympathetic journalist, and I expected him to be released in a few days. In my own defense, I did express sympathy for the individual journalist as opposed to the BBC. Weeks passed, and now comes word from the Palestinian militant group that they have murdered Alan Johnston and vowed to release a video of his "execution." I am sick to my stomach. If this report is true, it will be a first, and will mark a sea-change. If a BBC reporter is not safe in Gaza, no Westerner is.

UK "Journalists" vote to Boycott Israel
UK Leads European Rise in Anti-Semitic attacks
Third of Israeli youth fears second Holocaust
Iran Announces Plans to Build 2 More Nuclear Power Plants

Kinky "Jew boy" Freidman: "There's no excusing Imus' recent ridiculous remark, but there's something not kosher in America when one guy gets a Grammy and one gets fired for the same line."

Are mobile phones wiping out our bees? Scarier than "Global Warming"

Personally, I find this scenario far scarier than "global Warming," and a more realistic threat than GW as well. Certainly, mobile phones are not the proven culprit, but a mass extinction of bees would be devastating to human agriculture and to the food supply, no doubt.

Eye on Iran, Rivals Pursuing Nuclear Power

Jason Whitlock on Imus

H/T: Debbie Schlussel
Don Imus' Crime: Rapping While White
Top Iran MP wants talks with US House speaker Pelosi
Alarm in Spain over al-Qaeda call for its "reconquest"
Muslims ask city to use leverage with hotel firm
Bias: UK "Journalists" vote to Boycott Israel

Saudis: 'Israeli melons have AIDS'

"Beware of Israeli melons infected with AIDS arriving in Saudi Arabia!" An SMS message being sent around the country this week said, "The Saudi Interior Ministry warns its citizens of a truck loaded with AIDS infected melons that Israel brought into the country via a 'ground corridor.'" The rumor has become so widespread that the Saudi Interior Ministry felt compelled to issue a denial.

Muslims charged with Firebombing Montreal Jewish Center
Green candidate stands by remarks praising 9/11

Freedom: Warning - Not Available on Al Jazeera

Researchers Explore Scrapping Internet

KILLER LINKS:
Net reaches out to final frontier
Conservatives Develope Alternative to YouTube
Soros Takes Credit for Imus Fall
Is Climatology a Science?