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The Lunch Counter
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Thursday, June 29, 2006
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Kofi get your lawyer 'cause we're gonna go to trial. Accepting millions in kickbacks from Saddam Hussein in exchange for favorable UN Security Council votes, from co-conspirators like France, Germany, Russia, and China is a bad thing. Watch how underplayed, if at all, this story is handled in the MSM.
Oil-for-food trial eyes Iraq's backroom tactics (Reuters).
 Reuters - The prosecutor in the first U.S. federal trial over the U.N. oil-for-food program said on Tuesday he would show evidence of kickbacks, intrigue and back channel tactics that he claimed helped Iraq manipulate the United Nations.
[Yahoo! News: Politics News]
12:19:35 AM 
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Wednesday, June 28, 2006
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Monday, June 26, 2006
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Have the be-headings from those of the religion of peace become so commonplace, so mainstream, that there no longer is any outrage?
JIHADISTS BUTCHER RUSSIAN HOSTAGES.
***UPDATE: Google Video (beta)--also, Angelfire have succumbed and bowed down to radical Islam and removed the video "It's In the Koran" from public viewing.
[Freedom Watch]
8:41:14 AM
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Let's assume for a moment that the New York Times is not the intelligence wing of al-Qaeda and terrorists around the world. But if they were, how would their actions be any different?
A soldier's comment from Baghdad courtesy of PowerLine blog.
7:48:25 AM
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Sunday, June 25, 2006
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Washington D.C. politics has been under Democrat purview and control for decades. Unfortunately, democrats don't have any success stories they can point to that might instill confidence in voters to re-elect them for yet another term. The dollars per child that the District spends on education is among the highest in the nation and with what result? Only 58.1% of Black students that enter high school will graduate. In the same district, the graduation rate for White students is 84%. Candidate Dennis Moore correctly sees the problem as people and family oriented, rather than financial. 'It's the people stupid' is the tough-love message that Moore brings to the city. It's not that people are the problem, but rather the culture that the people are in is more destructive than constructive. Like actor Bill Cosby, Dennis Moore carries the right message, to the right people, and is determined to turn this up-hill battle into a new Washington.
DC has been a kind of anomaly in the human condition and city politics. This is a city who re-elected Marion Barry after being caught in a cocaine bust. The city's soul has suffered, not to mention the city's children. Along comes a voice of reason, Black Republican mayoral candidate Dennis Moore, whose campaign slogan is "Mayor for a New Washington."
Libertas at HipHopRepublican writes about the uphill battle Moore and any other Republican candidate in Washington faces. Time is right (no pun intended) for the people of Washington to say, we're fed up and we're not going to take it any more and to get out and support Dennis Moore.
If John Lennon had been a politician and still around today, he might have written it's time to 'give Moore a chance.'
10:46:07 AM
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Saturday, June 24, 2006
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Pretty low, and not surprisingly, the worst are in the big cities. My guess? Philly is where New Jersey goes to buy drugs. The kids drop out early to start making a living on the street. The clothes and the x-rated rap music seem to take priority and have more influence than school. These are problems that aren't created in the classroom, nor are they fixed there.
Phila. graduates 55.5% of freshmen. New Jersey graduates a higher percentage of students from high school than any other state in the country - 84.5 percent. Pennsylvania's 79 percent rate exceeds the national average of 70 percent.
[Front Page -- Philadelphia Inquirer]
4:29:46 PM
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Friday, June 23, 2006
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Fight Back Against Media Traitors!.
Michelle Malkin has a lot more on the reaction to the NY Times' and LA Times' manifestly anti-American and pro-al Qaeda activities here, here and here.
Write to the NY traitors:
letters@nytimes.com
fax (212)556-3622
Letters to the Editor
The New York Times
229 West 43rd Street
New York, NY 10036 Contact the LA traitors here.
Tell the DoJ to finally get serious about prosecuting those responsible for illegally revealing national security secrets.
AskDOJ@usdoj.gov
[GOP Bloggers]
4:19:01 PM
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The answer is it really doesn't matter, because today they voted with the majority to fight this war like wars are fought. That is to say, not on a timetable but on an event table, like the President has been saying from day one. Not a minute longer than necessary. Further analysis on the Senate vote today here. The vote tally here.
They really aren't all that divided. All of them represent sending signals of weakness and defeatism compared to the administration's goal of victory. Wars are fought and won when one side loses and the other side wins. They are never won by backing off of the front lines. Come election time, I think most Americans will say they'd rather be safe than sorry, and stick with the leader who is committed to winning the war and keeping us safe by taking the fight to the terrorists.
If you are old (like me) enough to remember the Abscam bust, where politicians were videotaped in bribery investigations with people who they thought were Arab sheiks, you may also remember that there were 8 unindicted co-conspirators named in that case. One of them was today's premiere voice for the left, John Murtha. Robert Novak remembers, it was 26 years ago in 1980.
Murtha got into politics in 1968 as a 36-year-old highly decorated Marine and in 1974 became the first Vietnam War veteran elected to Congress. In 1980, the FBI named him as one of eight members of Congress videotaped being offered bribes by a phony Arab sheik.
The other seven targets took cash and were convicted in federal court. The videotape showed Murtha declining to take cash but expressing interest in further negotiations, while bragging about his political influence. Murtha testified against the popular Rep. Frank Thompson, which created lifelong enemies in the Democratic cloakroom. The House Ethics Committee exonerated Murtha of misconduct charges by a largely party-line vote, after which the committee's special counsel resigned in protest.
That and more good stuff in James Taranto's column today.
Best of the Web Today. Cut-and-run proposals divide Democrats. Plus John Murtha, unindicted co-conspirator! [OpinionJournal.com]
12:53:39 AM
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Tuesday, June 20, 2006
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If they were beheaded, wouldn't you expect the media to say so? By saying the soldiers died in a 'barbaric way' seems to be sanitizing the religion of peace terrorists a bit. ABC radio news used the same term as the Telegraph. How about at least some explanation as to how they died or what they were subject to? We need to know what our enemy is doing. This is not a street gang, this is a war.
Bodies of two missing US soldiers found. A senior US military official has said that the bodies of two missing American soldiers were discovered on a street near the town where they went missing. [Telegraph News | Breaking News]
10:23:48 AM
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Iran modifies the stall-proceed diplomacy slightly. As Iran continues it's nuclear enrichment program, they begin to hint at maybe some sort of negotiated settlement, but doesn't like preconditions. Preconditions like stopping the program now and then we'll talk.
Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad knows how to buy time while continuing to violate their treaty. But, as Ahmadinejad has already stated, he doesn't recognize documents signed by Iran's former leaders. A clue to the mental state of this terrorist President.
Clearly the UN hasn't a clue or the will to do anything to Iran, including speaking up about Iran's nuclear project. It's Bush who did the hard work and took the lead in building a coalition of countries to speak with one voice, and it is Bush who delivered the message. This doesn't make Bush a warmonger, this makes him a leader. And shows the UN as the see-no-evil, hear-no-evil, and speak-no-evil, incompetent and corrupt apologists for all that is wrong in the world. In A World Of Wimps, Thank God There's Bush
Bush Gives Iran an Ultimatum [NewsMax.com]
AP
12:36:37 AM
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Monday, June 19, 2006
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The Camden, N.J. school system is in shambles and the students and the city will pay the price. In no special order, school district officials and employees are under investigation for cheating on test scores, fraud and 'misuse' of the taxpayers' money and embezzlement. It certainly makes the case for a school voucher system for children caught in the failing Camden schools.
Tough time for schools in Camden. For the Camden school system, a tumultuous year ends when summer vacation begins this week, leaving a district rocked by scandal and officials trying to figure out how to repair the damage. [Front Page -- Philadelphia Inquirer]
12:51:34 AM
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Friday, June 16, 2006
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The Democrat caucus had more than one meeting to discuss exactly what their platform is or should be. After 4 years of denial that the war on terror is real and that Iraq is a front in this war, they are still following the Vietnam template; bad war, wrong war, and we should get out by the end of the year.
Democrats' problem with this notion is that no one is confident that Iraq could handle themselves if we were to pull back or leave Iraq prematurely, which labels them weak on the war on terror and national security.
There is only one way the Democrats can get out from under their 'weak on defense' trait, and that is to remove the issue as an issue.
The way to do that is to get on board with the administration in this war on terror, like they were from 9/12/2001 until 01/12/2002, including the NSA 'controversy' and all other elements of the war. Three things will result, they'll be viewed as helpful and willing participants in defending our country and winning the war, AND, it will shorten the war itself by months, if not years, bringing our troops home earlier, AND it will go far in dispelling the commonly held belief that democrats are weak on defense and national security matters. Thus easing their burden going forward to the '06 and '08 elections to the point that they could then concentrate on other important issues they also harp on like education, health and welfare, and taxes. Those are issues where democrats seem to be in agreement.
Winning Is Not An Option by Jonah Goldberg, June 16, 2006
The war in Iraq isn't their only event in search of a position. By default, bashing Bush apparently still remains the Democrat party's platform. After almost a full year, millionaire Democrats (Aug 7, 2005) and special interest groups (Jan 24, 2006) are still working on a platform and agenda that the American people would vote for.
8:29:20 AM
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Wednesday, June 14, 2006
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The father of one of those soldiers will be on Hannity & Colmes show tonight. He phoned into Sean's radio show this afternoon and immediately agreed to be on.
THE CAMP PENDLETON 8. My column this week calls attention to the Camp Pendleton 8--7 Marines and Navy corpsman being held in shackles with no charges against them as higher-ups investigate an alleged murder of an Iraqi man earlier this spring in Hamandiya. Excerpt:... [Michelle Malkin]
4:35:07 PM
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Tuesday, June 13, 2006
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Demonizing Ann Coulter only makes her point for her. Do you think it odd that in his lead sentence for the story, Howard Kurtz characterizes his and all the media's attacks on Ann Coulter as 'lavishing attention?' I'd call it the media's conundrum instead. Seems the more they bash her while ignoring her main point, the more people are interested to hear what her new book is all about, and the fear of it backfiring on them is spreading like the flu.
The Coulter Conundrum . Is it time for the media to stop lavishing attention on Ann Coulter? By washingtonpost.com. [washingtonpost.com - Howard Kurtz (washingtonpost.com)]
8:24:06 AM
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Monday, June 12, 2006
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When the so-called mainstream media writes or broadcasts news concerning author Ann Coulter, you can be sure it is not to promote her new book, 'Godless, The Church of Liberalism.' That's because in her book, Ann makes a case for her point of how the Democrat party uses victims to advance their causes or policies, who (until now) have enjoyed victim-hood immunization from (even the slightest) challenging questions. So the left and the willing accomplices in the media set out to trash the author instead. Shoot the messenger. It's what they do.
Take these four examples for example. Two from the NYT, a Miami Herald piece, and a video of Air America's 'Ring of Fire' radio host Mike Papantonio, clearly not a fan of Ms. Coulter. My point is, none of these media blurbs mention the point of her book. All that is secondary to the way she said it, and for that she is demonized.
Why do liberals always use spokesmen like the Jersey Girls, like Cindy Sheehan, like Joe Wilson who because of some personal aspect of their life, we're not allowed to respond?
Watch how Mike Papantonio 'takes on Ann Coulter', and, when finally pressed with this question, posed by Ann herself, via Joe Scarborough's video clip, he doesn't touch it. Instead he harps on the messenger instead of the message.
Were the reporting to be fair, you would at least know that the democrat tactic of using (untouchable) victims to advance causes so that they don't have to, is one of the main points in her book. If all you are hearing is name calling and no meaningful relevant dialog, you know she is effective in peeling the mask off of the DNC and Democrats in Washington. That, and her book is reportedly selling like crazy. So while not addressing Ann's point, they continue to make her point.
New York Times | New York Times | Miami Herald | MSNBC
6:08:03 PM
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Friday, June 09, 2006
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It was the perfect ending for Zarqawi. He didn't get off as easy as the others in that 'safe house.' He was conscious long enough to realize that U.S. Air Force and Special Forces had rocked his world. Sweet!
Zarqawi Briefly Survived After Airstrike. A military spokesman described him as turning away and mumbling when U.S. troops approached the stretcher that Iraq police officers had placed him. By JOHN O'NEIL. [NYT > Home Page]
3:25:56 PM
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What's new at the Ring of Fire? According to this observer, Robert F Kennedy Jr. said on Minority Report, (an Air America radio show that nobody but the hard core lemmings listen to,) that he and co-host Mike Papantonio are filing lawsuits on the '2004 election fraud in Ohio.' To re-run the 2004 election in Ohio by going to their legislature (the courts), over accusations that have long been investigated and disproved, shows us where the vacuous left is nowadays. But Papantonio pulls a Kerry, I was for it before I was against it.
Long before The Ring Of Fire radio show started at the bottom and went down from there, in December of 2004 or January 2005, Mike Papantonio was telling the lemmings on his Forum to call off the dogs, get over it, the Dems in Ohio lost. He accepted the election results, now he doesn't, and now wants to sue? So just what is a Kennedy and a class action lawyer like Mike Papantonio to do?
And to what end? Is there a reset button in Washington somewhere? Bobby, Mike, the mother ship left you a message.
1:28:59 AM
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Thursday, June 08, 2006
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Across Iraq, news of Zarqawi's demise was greeted with jubilation:
It's a great day in Iraq, too, as Iraq's Parliament confirmed Prime Minister al-Maliki's last three cabinet nominations:
Abdul Qadir Muhammed Jasim, a Sunni Arab, was confirmed as the new Minister of Defense.
Jawad al-Bolani, a Shiite, was confirmed for the Minister of Interior.
The final position of state minister of national security was put in the hands of Sherwan al-Waily, also a Shiite.
The top positions of defense and interior were filled by former generals, both under the former regime. Neither Jasim nor al-Bolani are said to not have any strong political ties to their respected ethnic parties
[Power Line]
7:03:37 PM
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Yes! Al-Zarqawi has sliced his last throat, killed his last baby, raped and tortured his last victim, and killed his last Iraqi, and his last American. It's good to celebrate the death of this terrorist. He is not a martyr, he's just another dead jihadist terrorist. That, plus the 17 other simultaneous raids have reaped an intelligence 'treasure trove' of this terrorist organization's people both in and outside of Iraq. Were it up to John Murtha or John Kerry, and most other Democrats in Washington, this good day in the war on terror probably would never have happened. It is just amazing how, after all this, these Democrats are still saying we should be getting out of there. And that makes you feel safe?
Thanks to PowerLine for this video link.
3:15:04 PM
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Tuesday, June 06, 2006
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The 'order in English' story from South Philly's own Geno's Steaks has brought out the best of the left, as one might expect. This is like one of those cases where, oh, say Hillary Clinton would yell and screech that Joey Vento has every right to state his mind on whatever he so pleases! It is his first amendment right! (My ears are ringing from just typing that.)
There is no mention of defending such rights in this editorial yesterday. Quite the contrary. Joey Vento becomes the author of 'boneheadded policies.' It presents an opportunity to negate his right to run his business the way he wants, and to mock his belief and pride in America for saying what everyone knows, that English is and always has been the language of this country.
Tell you what Inquirer, I won't tell you how to run your paper, and don't you portend to tell Joey Vento how to run his cheesesteak shop.
Then there's this ditty from the fringe left, The Huffington Post, Ariana Huffington's blog. Things like:
'Could I have some bigot with that sandwitch, please?' from- belldaere, 06.03.2006
'Every Italian-American kid I knew when I was growing up had a grandparent living in America who didn't speak English. This guy should go fuck himself.' from- MoeLarryAndJesus, 06.03.2006
It doesn't stop at name-calling:
'It would be SO RUDE to call Geno's at 215-389-0659 and order "dos emparedados del filete con queso". So don't do that.' from- Maezeppa, 06.03.2006 This is a good example of how the left deals with people they don't agree with. No matter what the topic. And whether they are in Congress or on Huffington's blog, there's no difference.
2:03:53 AM
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Saturday, June 03, 2006
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Not to worry. Judge Donald V. Ferlise would be about right for working the window at a cheesesteak shop on 9th Street. That is, if his judge gig is over. Want to fix something really broken? How about the 9th Circuit Court Of Appeals, the most overturned court in the country?
I like a judge with a sense of humor. Regarding his 'Me Tarzan, You Jane' comment, I'm surprised that people with no sense of humor, and supposedly all adults, would be causing him all that grief over nothing. Nothing anyone should be troubled by. Does a felony record disqualify you from being an immigration judge? Maybe you would prefer Martha Stewart?
'Bullying' immigration judge absent, replaced. A Philadelphia immigration judge, recently rebuked by a federal appeals panel for "bullying" and "bias-laden" courtroom conduct it said warranted further review, has been replaced in his chambers following an unexplained two-week absence.
[Front Page -- Philadelphia Inquirer]
12:47:25 AM
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Thursday, June 01, 2006
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Rep. Dennis Hastert, the longest-serving GOP speaker. Yeah, about a week too long if you ask me, over his reaction to the William Jefferson (D-La) investigation.
Hastert is longest-serving GOP speaker (AP).
 AP - Rep. Dennis Hastert, who vaulted out of political obscurity when Newt Gingrich resigned as speaker of the House more than seven years ago, on Thursday became the longest-serving Republican speaker in history.
[Yahoo! News: Politics News]
4:30:18 PM
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Just yesterday, At a news conference in Las Vegas on Tuesday, Reid said he would continue to accept free tickets. 'I'm going to go whenever I have the opportunity,' he said
Today, Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid's office acknowledged Wednesday night he misstated the ethics rules governing his acceptance of free boxing tickets and has decided to avoid taking such gifts in the future.
I wouldn't characterize this as a flip-flop though, despite the same end result. The motivating factor in play in this case isn't to get votes, it is the appearances of ethics violations that is reigning him in.
Isn't it curious that they would run on a platform of 'Honest Leadership and Open Government'? Can you say 'Mission Accomplished'?
Reid Says He Won't Accept Free Boxing Tickets Again. Sen. Harry Reid, D-Nev., acknowledges that he misstated Senate ethics rules and has decided to not accept free tickets to boxing matches again. By foxnewsonline@foxnews.com. [FOXNews.com]
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