Happy Thanksgiving!!

From all of us here at BL Rag...we appreciate you and wish all of you and your families a very Happy Thanksgiving!

Navy Seals Capture Terrorist On Most Wanted List, Now Face Assault Charges

FOX News

After capturing Ahmed Hashim Abed, wanted in the murder and mutilation of four Blackwater security guards in Mutilated Blackwater guard hanging on Fallujah bridgeFallujah in 2004, three Seals face charges of assault. Abed claims they gave him a bloody lip.

Ahmed Hashim Abed, whom the military code-named "Objective Amber," told investigators he was punched by his captors — and he had the bloody lip to prove it.

Britain's Secretary Of Defense Critical Of Obama's Delay On Afghanistan

Although the Europeans might find the U.S. President charming and love the many photo ops that he provides, it's becoming clear that they're unimpressed with his substance...or lack thereof.

British Secretary of Defense, Bob Ainsworth, claims Obama's 'dithering' on Afghanistan is responsible for the declining support of the war in Afghanistan from the English populace.

A “period of hiatus” in Washington - and a lack of clear direction - had made it harder for ministers to persuade the British public to go on backing the Afghan mission in the face of a rising death toll, he said.

Climategate: Evidence Global Warming Based On 'Cooked' Science

Telegraph.co.uk

A hacker infiltrating emails and documents has unearthed evidence that scientists at England's University of East Anglia, fabricated, hid, manipulated and deleted data contrary to their 'Global Warming' theories in an apparent conspiracy attempt to mislead the world. The University is the 'go to' group for the United Nation's IPCC. (Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change.)

The Washington Times reports that the hacked info includes information that the earth is actually in a cooling cycle.

Republican Senator Jim Inhofe of Oklahoma, who has long been one of the world's foremost skeptics and critics of global warming and climate change, has now called for a Congressional Investigation into the deceit.

In 2005, Inhofe said on the Senate floor,

"Today, I will discuss something else – scientific integrity and how to improve it. Specifically, I will discuss the systematic and documented abuse of the scientific process by an international body that claims it provides the most complete and objective scientific assessment in the world on the subject of climate change – the United Nations-sponsored Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, or IPCC. I will conclude with a series of recommendations as to the minimum changes the IPCC must make if it is to restore its credibility."

What significance and impact this will have on world policy and opinion is yet undetermined as most major news outlets have either ignored the story or attacked the source. But in light of these revelations, it would appear that fears that 'Climate Change' and 'Global Warming' are a threat to the world and call for draconian economic and legislative policies, are at best a result of tainted science, or at worst a monumental hoax.

Purity Test, 2009 GOP Edition

(Source: NY Times)

If you've been around the Internet (or its predecessors) for any length of time, you're probably run across a purity test.  (If you haven't, consult this archive of purity tests - you may see one of these as an Open Thread some Friday!)  They're usually somewhat tongue-in-cheek, designed more to embarrass than to actually gauge one's personal level of purity.

Well, some members of the Republican National Committee want to impose a formal purity test upon party members.  They've prepared a resolution for the RNC's next meeting that will deny party funds or party endorsements to anyone who breaks ranks--whether in votes cast, public statements or answering a questionnaire--on three or more of ten key points.  Why require an 80% score?  Well, that's easy - it's because Ronald Reagan once remarked that someone who agreed with him 8 out of 10 times was a friend, not an opponent.

What are the 10 points?  Well, here you go, and I'll try to hold my comments to a minimum:

(1) We support smaller government, smaller national debt, lower deficits and lower taxes by opposing bills like Obama’s “stimulus” bill;

OK, so any GOPers who were incumbents during their control of Congress in the 2000s have automatically lost on this point, right? 

(2) We support market-based health care reform and oppose Obama-style government run health care;

I guess this one was unavoidable, but more on this point later...

(3) We support market-based energy reforms by opposing cap and trade legislation;

Why don't (2) and (3) fall under the "smaller government" umbrella?

(4) We support workers’ right to secret ballot by opposing card check;

OK, no big deal on this one; it's understandable.

(5) We support legal immigration and assimilation into American society by opposing amnesty for illegal immigrants;

No problem here.

(6) We support victory in Iraq and Afghanistan by supporting military-recommended troop surges;

This bothers me greatly.  The President is Commander-in-Chief for a reason; he isn't supposed to meekly go along with whatever the military leaders might recommend.  Are these folks really suggesting that the President simply roll over and say, "whatever you want, General"?  This is, by far, the most short-sighted item of the lot.

(7) We support containment of Iran and North Korea, particularly effective action to eliminate their nuclear weapons threat;

Depending on their definition of "effective action," I don't see this as a major bone of contention.

(8) We support retention of the Defense of Marriage Act;

They're fighting a losing battle on this one, simply because of the aging of America.  Support for same-sex marriage is inversely proportional to one's age group; this has been shown time and time again.  It seems almost inevitable that conservatives will ultimately see this one fail.

(9) We support protecting the lives of vulnerable persons by opposing health care rationing and denial of health care and government funding of abortion; and

More health care?  To be honest, I think that they were running out of easy items, so they padded the list with another easy-to-meet health care item.

(10) We support the right to keep and bear arms by opposing government restrictions on gun ownership.

I'm hoping that isn't implying "opposing any government restrictions;" some restrictions (mentally ill, convicted felons, et al.) are just common sense.

Overall, I'm rather disappointed in this list.  This is nothing more than a combination of hot-button issues and generic platitudes.  Consider that, if the GOP should regain control of either house of Congress, more than half of this list is rendered moot.  I'm sure that someone could come up with a fairly concrete list of 10 conservative principles, but this is just an ideological checklist to be wielded as a club.  If this should be adopted by the RNC, I'm sure that we'll see moderate Republicans labeled as "RINOs" and pushed aside at the first opportunity.  Bleah.

Bilious Bluegrass Book Brouhaha

I mentioned this in the Open Thread, but the followup is worth an article...

So, it came to light that two library workers had decided to keep a particular graphic novel, The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier, off the shelves of their public library.  First, they challenged the book's right to be included in the library's holdings; when that challenge failed, one of the workers simply checked out the book over and over, effectively keeping it off the shelves.  Finally, a patron issued a hold against the book, meaning that the library worker could not borrow it again.  When they learned that the patron issuing the hold was an 11-year-old girl, they decided to remove the hold, thus specifically denying the patron access to the book.  For this, they were fired.  (Background here...)

Well, the local library board met to hear public comment, and they got an earful from both sides.  As might be expected, the loudest protests came from the religious community:

An evangelist yelled at the Jessamine County Public Library Board, then turned his attention to the seated crowd of more than 100: "If this is not pornography, what is?"  He had passed out photocopies of a page out of The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen: Black Dossier to each of the board's members, and he held a copy aloft as he spoke.  Earl Lee Watts, who said he evangelizes around the state but has no parish, then explained to the rest of the crowd what the picture contained: A naked woman sitting on a naked man's lap being fondled.

Of course, you know that this couldn't be limited to just one book:

Darryl Diddle, a Wilmore minister, presented a petition signed by 950 asking that three more of the library's works be removed.

Their points were rebutted (rather well, I thought) by another local minister:

DeWayne Brewer, Brookside Baptist's pastor, asking for a little common sense, warned that if the Bible ever went into graphic novel form, the banning committee would have something to really fret about.

(Between Samson and Delilah, the Song of Solomon, and David and Bathsheba, I think Rev. Brewer has a really good point.)

Here's the thing - no one under 18 gets a library card without parental consent.   It's really that simple; if the parents sign for their kids to have borrowing privileges, it's their responsibility to follow what their kids are reading.  If they leave their kids at the library without supervision, it isn't the library's job to police their kids; again, it's the parents' responsibility.

I'll go out on a limb (but a sturdy one, I think) and suggest that there are materials in every public library that may be inappropriate for some young people.  I think we'll all agree on that point; even serious literary works can include scenes, or language, that parents may find objectionable.  That doesn't make it the library's job to anticipate the standards of every set of parents in the county, nor is it their job to police the adult section(s) of the library because a kid might wander over and pick up a book.

I'll never forget my experience with this sort of librarian interference.  When I was 11 years old, I ran across Alexander Solzhenitsyn's works in our public library; I walked up to the checkout desk with One Day in the Life of Ivan Denisovich and The Gulag Archipelago, only to have the librarian call my father over and ask, "Do you really want him reading this stuff?"  One of my fondest memories of my late father is the sound of his voice saying, "He can borrow any book in this library; his mother and I will decide what is or isn't appropriate."

No preacher, or library employee, needs to act as a gatekeeper to library resources; leave it to the parents.  Shelve adult books in the adult section, and that's that.

Ye Olde Open Threade...

In no particular order, here's fodder for your weekend discussion:

• Peruvian authorties have arrested a ring of theives dealing in - wait for it - fat stolen from dead people.
• If you're a Black Friday shopper, check the fine print.
• Hey, Mac owners - secondhand smoke voids your warranty!
• Post a nasty word from work, lose your job.
• Kentucky library worker keeps checking out a graphic novel - to protect the children!

Have a great weekend, folks!

Concede, Un-Concede, Claim Fraud, Scream "ACORN!"

So, Doug Hoffman's insurgent candidacy in New York's 23rd Congressional District fell short on Election Night, and he conceded the election to Bill Owens...but no, not really.  Later, on the Glenn Beck show, Hoffman effectively "un-conceded" after some prodding by Beck.  Now, according to the local paper, he's claiming that the election was "tampered with" by....who else? ACORN!  From Hoffman's website:

As evidence surfaces, we find out that reported results from election night were far from accurate. ACORN and the unions did their best to try and sway the results to Obamacare supporter Bill Owens. [...]

That is why I am writing you today. Recent developments leave me to wonder who is scheming behind closed doors, twisting arms and stealing elections from the voters of NY-23.

I'm sure you are as dismayed as I am to learn of the mischief that took place in Oswego and neighboring counties. We know this would not be the first time for the ACORN faithful to tamper with democracy. [...]

Oswego County elections officials blame the mistakes on "chaos" in their call-in center that included a phone system foul-up, and on inspectors who read numbers incorrectly when phoning in results. This sounds like a tactic right from the ACORN playbook.

Meanwhile, from the Watertown Daily News:

Oswego County did not have full results on election night because of what William W. Scriber, a Democratic elections commissioner there, called a “perfect storm” of problems. He said the elections board had assigned staffers to take results for specific districts, but the phone system redirected poll workers' calls to the wrong people.

Mr. Scriber said the board decided to close its public reporting system early - with nine districts still unreported - as a safeguard. [...]

George J. Williams, Oswego County Republican chairman, said Mr. Hoffman's assertion “is not accurate.” The chairman said he roamed the county on Election Day and saw no evidence of tampering.

“We're not going to take the blame because he didn't hold his concession speech,” Mr. Williams said. “If there's any doubt, I would never concede. I know things could happen. Did illegal things happen? No, I do not believe that.”

So, even the county's Republican chairman says that he didn't see any hint of tampering or illegality.

Oh, and things have apparently reached the point of no return, according to the local paper:

Rep. William L. Owens, D-Plattsburgh, has erased Conservative Party candidate Doug Hoffman's lead among absentee voters - and is now 61 votes ahead of his challenger in that category. Mr. Owens is now 3,181 votes ahead of Mr. Hoffman overall with 1,467 ballots left to be counted.

If Hoffman is planning to run again after this special election, he'd do well to stay away from the whiny "they stole my election" stuff...

Jesse Jackson Plays Race Card On Health Care Vote

THE HILL

Jackson fired a verbal shot at Rep. Artur Davis at a reception, held by the Congressional Black Caucus, Wednesday night. Davis was the only black Congressman to vote against the recent House Healthcare Bill. The Congressman is a democrat from Alabama and is running for Governor.

“We even have blacks voting against the healthcare bill,” Jackson said at a reception Wednesday night. “You can’t vote against healthcare and call yourself a black man.”

Davis, so far, has taken the high road and refused to address the comment.

“One of the reasons that I like and admire Rev. Jesse Jackson is that 21 years ago he inspired the idea that a black politician would not be judged simply as a black leader,” Davis’s statement said. “The best way to honor Rev. Jackson’s legacy is to decline to engage in an argument with him that begins and ends with race.”

Obama Warns Too Much Debt Could Lead To Double Dip Recession

REUTERS

In Bejing today, President Obama warned that a double dip recession could result from too much government debt. Ya think??

President Barack Obama gave his sternest warning yet about the need to contain rising U.S. deficits, saying on Wednesday that if government debt were to pile up too much, it could lead to a double-dip recession.

"Sternest warning yet," just as the budget defict at the end of last quarter came in at a record,...yes record, $1.42 TRILLION! Triple that of last year.

Just exactly who is he giving such a "stern" warning to, when he and his party are the ones with the credit card and have masterfully tripled the deficit?

And to think of all the heat 'W' took when the deficit hit $290 billion.

Dems House Reform Bill Will Increase Healthcare Costs

According to a report from the federal agency that manages Medicare and Medicaid. Politico reports:

Democrats have promised that health reform would reduce health care costs, but legislation the House passed last week would increase costs over the next decade by $289 billion. By 2019, health costs would rise to 21.1 percent of GDP compared to 20.8 under current law, according to an actuarial report prepared by the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services.

“With the exception of the proposed reductions in Medicare payment updates for institutional providers, the provisions of H.R. 3962 would not have a significant impact on future health care cost growth rates. In addition, the longer-term viability of the Medicare update reductions is doubtful,” the report said.

In other words, outside of Medicare payment cuts to hospitals, the bill doesn’t curb increasing health care costs. And even the Medicare payment cuts will be difficult to sustain.

The analysis is more bad news for Democrats, who are facing increasing criticism that their reforms don’t do enough to control costs. Republicans released the analysis and jumped on the news.

“This report confirms what virtually every independent expert has been saying: Speaker Pelosi’s health care bill will increase costs, not decrease them,” said Rep. Dave Camp, the ranking Republican on the House Ways and Means Committee. “This is a stark warning to every Republican, Democrat and Independent worried about the financial future of this nation. I hope my colleagues in the Senate heed CMS’ findings and refuse to rush ahead until any bill under consideration can be certified to actually reduce health care costs.”

The President Has The Wrong...Blood?

Are you KIDDING me?

In today's Washington Times, the "editor emeritus," Wesley Pruden, takes President Obama to task for the bow he offered the Emperor of Japan.  Sure, OK, I think it's another case of goofy, opportunistic criticism, but he can complain about that to his heart's content.  This, however, is beyond the pale:

It's no fault of the president that he has no natural instinct or blood impulse for what the America of "the 57 states" is about. He was sired by a Kenyan father, born to a mother attracted to men of the Third World and reared by grandparents in Hawaii, a paradise far from the American mainstream.

He doesn't have the right "natural instinct" or "blood impulse", because he was "sired" by the wrong man?  Pruden denigrates President Obama for his father's blood and casts aspersions on his mother?  In short, Pruden argues that Obama's lineage renders him insufficiently American.

Pruden's implied desire for (to borrow a phrase from Lord Voldemort) 'pureblood' is disgusting in the extreme.

Stimulus Saves Or Creates Jobs In Congressional Districts That Don't Exist

ABC News

Recovery.gov details stimulus spending and subsequent job creation and/or job saving results by Congressional Districts. Problem is, many of these districts don't exist.

Here's a stimulus success story: In Arizona's 15th congressional district, 30 jobs have been saved or created with just $761,420 in federal stimulus spending. At least that's what the Web site set up by the Obama administration to track the $787 billion stimulus says.

There's one problem, though: There is no 15th congressional district in Arizona; the state has only eight districts.

Giuliani Praises NYC Terror Trial

(Courtesy NY Daily News)

"At the same time, I was in awe of our system," the former mayor continued. "It does demonstrate that we can give people a fair trial, that we are exactly what we say we are. We are a nation of law. . . . I think he's going to be a symbol of American justice."

Oh, wait, that was the trial of Zacarias Moussaoui in 2006, in which Giulinai testified as part of the penalty phase.  Let me check...oh, wait, here's what Giuliani has to say about terror trials:

"I think it shows you put terrorism on one side, you put our legal system on the other, and our legal system comes out ahead."

Well, that was what he had to say about the 1993 WTC bombing trial...in NYC.

Now, of course, terror trials in NYC get this reaction from Giuliani:

GIULIANI: Why? We generally don’t do that. We generally don’t bring people back to the scene of the crime for justice. [...]

GIULIANI: And if there’s no other alternative, I support civilian trials for terrorists. The reality is there is another alternative here. [...]

He goes on to throw the current mayor of NYC under the bus:

WALLACE: But your successor, Mayor Bloomberg, disagrees with you on almost every point. He says it is, quote, “fitting” to try these men in downtown New York City. He says that your city has handled big terror trials before, and he says the New York City Police Department can handle the security issues. Is Mayor Bloomberg wrong?

GIULIANI: I don’t agree with him. I mean, the reality is I agree with him the New York City Police Department can handle the security. No question about it. And of course, if the case had to be in New York, we should handle it. It doesn’t have to be. [...]

How transparent can he be?  There were alternatives to the Moussaoui trial; Gitmo was up and running, and there had even been a few of the military tribunals.  Where was his angst then?  Oh, wait, his political allies were running the show at the time...never mind.

When the Forum Grows Silent

We are going to pause, reflect, and take a break from our normal routine today to honor a fellow blogger and friend, Jimmmco,  who passed away some time back after waging a brief but brave struggle against cancer.  Jim,  whose real name was James Harold Slipson, was well-known to us old timers,  and was a mainstay at the now-defunct site (Ankle Biting Pundits), that most of us used to frequent.

A good friend of Jim's,  a gentlemen by the name of Tom, had tried to contact Jimmmco's friends at ABP, but because the site has been down for quite some time, was faced with a near-impossible task. But he recently found one of our editors and shared the sad news--that Jim had passed away on May 14 of this year. Since we know a number of members here were also members of ABP, we thought it appropriate to share the news.

A longtime friend of the BL Rag's founders, Jim followed us over from the old ABP site when we first started. The name Jimmmco was most often found in the forums, for Jim was not a man that sought attention, or one who would rely on outlandish statements or mean-spirited rhetoric.  Instead, he preferred to share any news he came across that he felt would  be of interest to others,  posting numerous threads daily.  He was satisfied simply in  knowing that others had read his posts---to receive comments was like icing on the cake. The forums were always active when Jim was around. 

A frequent visitor of both political websites and stock market forums, Jim regularly provided us with numerous news links,  stock tips, and general information.  He would often lighten things up with his daily doses of jokes, and humor that he seemed to pull from a bottomless bag--day in and day out--to the point that we set up a Humor Section at the site just for him.  Jim had been a daily fixture here until late last autumn and then one day disappeared. The site istelf had entered into a rocky period roughly at the same time--a period where we lost a few editors and some of our site members,  and we assumed that, like some of the other members, Jim had simply tired of posting here.  Sadly, that assumption was a mistaken one.

Back in October, Jim became ill and had suffered a stroke. With the help of his friends, he had tried to resume his life as before, but eventually had to be hospitalized. While he was there, a brain tumor was discovered, and cancer was found in several other parts of his body. Jim never tried to blame anyone for his fate---he just continued pressing on. Even when the medical bills started to pile up and Jim was left applying for state aid, he was able to find the humor in his circumstance.  "I'm starting to act like a Democrat,” he stated.

He was buried at the National Memorial Cemetary at Cave Creek north of Phoenix. If any of you would like further details, feel free to contact the website (or post a comment in this thread), and we will put you in touch with his friend Tom for further inforamtion.  And a special thank you also goes out to Tom and his wife, who stood by our friend in his most trying of times.  

In our thoughts...  the late Jimmmco...