Right Truth

The Wolf Who Cried “Boy!”

The Wolf Who Cried “Boy!”

By: Paul A. Ibbetson
(Right Truth Exclusive)

The wolf who cried “boy!” Make that statement today and it won’t take but a moment for someone to utter that a correction must be made, as you have obviously gotten the important parts of the childhood story title turned around. Of course, they would be right. The childhood story of the boy who cried wolf depicts a youth in charge of a flock of sheep that were under potential threat from the dangerous, hungry wolf that crept along the woods near the foot of a nearby mountain.  The boy, fighting bouts of loneliness, repeatedly tricked the villagers into coming to his aid with false calls of “wolf!” Of course, as the story goes, when the wolf actually came, no one believed the boy’s distress call and the hungry wolf had “leg of lamb” for supper. It’s an exciting and educational story about honesty and it shows the ramifications of true threats that are not addressed properly.

We can attempt to apply this very useful analogy to the wolves that crouch at America’s doorstep today. We can talk about who the wolves are and wonder, “Do we have the knowledge and fortitude to sound the danger call in time to save what is precious to us?” The problem is, for expanding periods of time today, the American people, the true shepherds of their own destiny, are having their attention diverted to nonsensical distractions while they are about to get bit in the backside.

We, the American people, are increasingly being faced with 24 hour news coverage by the media for events which have a news value equivalent to that of cheap plastic baubles. Walking hand in hand with quality is the issue of quantity. The amount of meaningless news feces being thrown at the public is now unending and, to prove the point, I can start almost anywhere. The Anna Nicole Smith death is a salient example. The death of the relatively unaccomplished reality star ran for weeks and was treated by the press with the same media blitz given to the JFK assassination. Like it would never end, the television talking heads pondered the obvious (to the public) as to whether Smith, who hadn’t uttered a slur-less word in years, might have died from drug abuse. It could be said that to expend the energy to say, “Why should I care about this?” is to care too much. The demise of Michael Jackson, in its grotesque over-coverage and analysis, may, in its own strange way, make the Anna Nicole Smith coverage seem normal and proper. Do you see the problem?

It could be addressed that the news stories like Anna Nicole Smith and Michael Jackson depict the false framing by the media that minimizes the true life tragedies of the lives of such people and treats them like success stories.  If this were the case, it would be much more like the story of the boy who cried wolf; it would be an issue of truth telling and accuracy when a true foe, that is - the truth itself, is at stake. Unfortunately, we are currently not in that ballpark, not even in that universe. Our country is in the midst of real monumental historical challenges, such as the War on Terror, border security, escalating national debt, and an environmental “cap and trade” bill, which will be the largest tax increase in U.S. history. Issues such as these are being left on the cutting room floor so extra 30 year old footage of the Jackson Five in concert can be aired. It’s not an issue of Jackson’s talent, or the inventiveness of the “moon walk,” or even the creativeness of the video “Thriller,” which took place over two decades ago; it’s the point of fact that the nation does not have time for this or other meaningless distractions. It is also a point of fact that the meaningless begets the meaningless to the point where we as a people, and as a nation, are so turned around on what is important that we live in a place where the statement “the wolf who cried boy” makes as much sense as anything else. It’s a place we can’t afford to be.

Paul A. Ibbetson is the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008 and 2009 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM. For interviews or questions, please contact Ibbetson91.9@gmail.com or go to www.IbbetsonUSA.com.

Lindsey Graham is an idiot

I'm sorry, I try to refrain from name calling, but every time Sen. Lindsey Graham opens his mouth he proves my statement -- he's an idiot.  Yes, he's a Republican RINO, but even RINOs don't have to sound stupid.  He reminds me of Gomer Pyle, "Golly!  Shazam!  Surprise, Surprise, Surprise!  Don't tell me, don't tell me, I know what it is....!"  Even Gomer Pyle had solid opinions, he took stands, he believed in something...

Graham says:  "You've said some things that have bugged the hell out of me," "Your speeches are disturbing, particularly to conservatives. ... Those speeches to me suggested gender and racial affiliations in a way that a lot of us wonder, will you take that line of thinking to the Supreme Court in these cases of first precedent."

Then he turns around and says, "...to be honest with you, your record as a judge has not been radical by any means. ... You have, I think, consistently, as an advocate, took a point of view that was left of center. You have, as a judge, been generally in the mainstream."  (read more)

Lindsey ("Unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed,") Graham, get off the fence,  quit trying to please everybody, quit tossing out statements that you think will get you some face time on the evening news.  You are a disgrace to Republicans, a disgrace of monumental proportions to those of us who are Conservatives, you are a disgrace to the South,  ... you are even a disgrace to RINOs! 

I respect Nancy Pelosi and Harry Reid more than I do Lindsey Graham -- at least they say what they mean.

Just because you want babies, doesn't mean you should have them...

In December 2006 Maria del Carmen Bousada de Lara, age 66, gave birth to twins conceived by in-vitro fertilization.  She was the oldest woman to receive IVF.  A few months after twins Christian and Pau were born, their mother was diagnosed with cancer and has now died.  With no partner or husband the children are left alone.  When she made the decision to have IVF she felt good and probably assumed she would live a long, healthy life like her 101 year old mother did.  Ms. Bousada de Lara, in my opinion, was selfish. God had a reason for keeping older women from having children.  

The Telegraph has the entire story here.

Storms

We've had severe thunderstorms starting yesterday evening through this morning.  Here's some news you may have missed:

Obama is a citizen of kenya..with actual laws to back it up.

"Evidence" from the birth certificate conspiracy,

Obama - "continent of his birth" quote

OBAMA’S REAL AFRICAN ROOTS REVEALED, The Last Crusade

Why The American Media Is Sad: In Four Simple Pictures

A sum between 3 and 5 million euros has been handed over to Al Qaida for the Islamic Maghreb for the release of the Swiss hostage, Werner Greiner,... ANSA

RELEASED GITMO DETAINEES FORM TERROR FRONTLINE

Help Save Mojave Cross

In the Year 2109: Will Books Be Found in a Museum or a Library?, A Blogger on Books,  From Dr. Phyllis Chesler

The Welcome Act, welcoming LEGAL immigrants

Decoding the Common Cunning Linguists of Jihad, The Outraged Spleen of Zion

R.I.P

It's time for a memorial, time to honor the passing of not one, but many who have been near and dear to our American hearts over the years.  First let us give a hearty farewell to TOTUS, Telepromptor of the United States, who met with an untimely demise this week.  But seriously ...

 Dying before our eyes is a time when our military could actually shoot back at the enemy.  The first order from America’s new commander is that the Marines must not return enemy fire for fear of killing an Afghan non-combatant.

We will soon be morning the passing of our current relationship with our doctors and insurance companies.   President Barack Obama is pushing for a government health care bill, any bill, something he can sign and brag about as another 'accomplishment' under his administration.  

Let us remember all the victims of illegal aliens here in the US.  Mourn the days of secure borders, agencies that enforce current laws and actually deport illegals.  The victims and their families have to peace.

R.I.P the days of US presidents shunning evil dictators like Hugo Chavez et al.  There was a time not so long ago that countries along with their leaders were considered evil.  US presidents didn't pal around with them, they avoided them when they came to the United Nations.  Kiss those days goodbye for now.

R.I.P. to government politicians who actually believe in the truth, who offer up bills without extra evils sneaked into them without public knowledge and R.I.P. to agencies who actually provide accurate reports and do not try to hide facts that don't fit their agenda.

R.I.P. a time when media actually reported events as they happened, without their personal slant or political agenda and a time when media did not bury information they didn't like.

R.I.P. a time when America could actually go and kill their enemies.

[snip] that the U.S. government has attempted to locate and kill al Qaeda members is not shocking. Bush’s signing of a classified finding authorizing the assassination of al Qaeda members has been a poorly kept secret for many years now, and the U.S. government has succeeded in killing al Qaeda leaders in Pakistan, Yemen and Somalia.

While Hellfire missiles are quite effective at hitting trucks in Yemen and AC-130 gunships are great for striking walled compounds in the Somali badlands, there are many places in the world where it is simply not possible to use such tools against militants. One cannot launch a hellfire from a UAV at a target in Milan or use an AC-130 to attack a target in Doha. Furthermore, there are certain parts of the world — including some countries considered to be U.S. allies — where it is very difficult for the United States to conduct counterterrorism operations at all. These difficulties have been seen in past cases where the governments have refused U.S. requests to detain terrorist suspects or have alerted the suspects to the U.S. interest in them, compromising U.S. intelligence efforts and allowing the suspects to flee.

A prime example of this occurred in 1996, when the United States asked the government of Qatar for assistance in capturing al Qaeda operational mastermind Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, who was living openly in Qatar and even working for the Qatari government as a project engineer. Mohammed was tipped off to American intentions by the Qatari authorities and fled to Pakistan. According to the 9/11 commission report, Mohammed was closely associated with Sheikh Abdullah bin Khalid al-Thani, who was then the Qatari minister of religious affairs. After fleeing Doha, Mohammed went on to plan several al Qaeda attacks against the United States, including the 9/11 operation.

Given these realities, it appears that the recently disclosed assassination program was intended to provide the United States with a far more subtle and surgical tool to use in attacks against al Qaeda leaders in locations where Hellfire missiles are not appropriate and where host government assistance is unlikely to be provided.  [snip]

 ...  Panetta has announced in a very public manner that the United States has taken one important tool entirely out of the counterterrorism toolbox: Al Qaeda no longer has to fear the possibility of clandestine American assassination teams.   (continue at StratFor)

R.I.P.

Please enjoy this week’s Watcher of Weasels Council submissions.  I'm sure there are many things you value that fall under the R.I.P category.

Council Submissions

• Joshuapundit - Using The “J” Word
• Rhymes With Right - WaPo: Do As We Say, Not As Obama Did
• The Glittering Eye - Fallacies in Healthcare Reform (Updated)
• The Colossus of Rhodey - Still more on Honduras
• Bookworm Room - Sterilizing our way to paradise
• Soccer Dad - A masterful assuaging
• Mere Rhetoric - Khamenei Seizes Control Of Iranian Republican Guard Militias, Installs Son As Head Thug
• The Provocateur - Dr. Charles Nemeroff and Emory University’s Culture of Corruption
• Right Truth - Relentless pursuit of destruction 2009
• The Razor - Book Review – Cheap: The High Cost of Discount Culture

Non-Council Submissions

• Submitted By: The Watcher – Christian Science Monitor - Nearly all my professors are Democrats. Isn’t that a problem?
• Submitted By: The Watcher – Legal Insurrection - Sotomayor Threw O’Connor Under The Bus
• Submitted By: Joshuapundit – David Kahane/NRO - I Still Hate You Sarah Palin
• Submitted By: Rhymes With Right – Big Lizards - Who’s an Embryo? St. Francis of Genomia at the NIH
• Submitted By: The Glittering Eye – zombietime - John Holdren, Obama’s Science Czar, says: Forced abortions and mass sterilization needed to save the planet
• Submitted By: The Colossus of Rhodey – The Chronicle Review - Islamic Civilization in Peril
• Submitted By: Bookworm Room – Rebirth of Reason - Dinner at the White House — a parable
• Submitted By: Soccer Dad – Rubin Reports - Al-Jazira’s Cartoons: A Glimpse at Real Mainstream Arab Thinking
• Submitted By: Mere Rhetoric – David Kahane / NRO - I Still Hate You, Sarah Palin
• Submitted By: The Provocateur – Politics Daily - Sarah “Barracuda” Palin and the Pirahnnas of the Press
• Submitted By: Right Truth – American Thinker - Obama the Trickster
• Submitted By: The Razor – IBD Editorials - Truth In Lending: Behind the Meltdown

Sick of Sotomayor Stories

Fellow blogger Torrence Stephens, a/k/a Raw Dawg Buffalo is as fed up with the Sotomayor hearings as I am, and the pitiful excuses for politicians in Washington.  He writes a great article Men all pause, you must read.  Here's a taste:

  ...   It seems that over the past 10 to 12 years, biologists have been observing interesting occurrences in the lakes, streams and rivers in our nation. They have been detecting extreme levels of organochlorine levels in tissues of fish.

In the Mississippi River, they have detected Chlordane, which is both a carcinogen and an endocrine disrupter, in shovelnose sturgeon (Scaphirhynchus platyorynchus) Potomac River. This has also been observed in Small Mouth Bass in the Virginia area, namely the , where a high rate of intersex (male fish exhibiting female characteristics) has led to an investigation of water quality and wastewater discharge the nation water-ways.

These chemicals have resulted in an interesting outcome to say the least – male fish that carry eggs. Yes eggs. It seems that this group of chemicals is not as important to our politicians as greenhouse gasses. Moreover, t seems that our government is so concerned with farts and global warming that they have missed something that may be even more dangerous than carbon emissions. Xenobiotic pollutants have revealed the capacity to disrupt reproductive endocrine system functions.   (continue reading, ... you know you want to.  Then check out his other great articles.

 At least 15 schools are participating in a program where young school children are given lessons on being a sex slave, or prostitute, at a brothel by a madam in the UK.  Don't let schools in the US know about this.  Also, I'll bet there are no Muslims in the class or we would hear about riots in the streets.   Remember that surplus of tolerance?  
Oh my.

Pupils initially heard a first-person account from 'Katerina', a Romanian prostitute who told how she came to Britain after being promised a job as a waitress.

When she arrived she was taken to a flat and gang raped before being forced into prostitution.

They also heard a recording of an undercover investigator's phone call to a brothel madam in Croydon.

The woman lists a string of services available along with prices. She also gives the vital measurements of prostitutes on offer and their ethnicity. (continue reading)

Another "oh my"  is the story of those poor White House staffers. They're just working so hard: "In West Wing: Grueling Schedules, Bleary Eyes."   Apparently they are not working hard enough, just look at The Wonders of Obanomics, graphs, graphs, graphs....


Be sure to see:

Government health care:  The Indian Health Service, and it is a harbinger of what a national single-payer system holds for all of us..

Budget deficit hits one trillion

PUBLIC KNOWLEDGE?   Sure, but if you want members of Congress to know, it’s not enough to send a memo. You need to staple a check to it.

Sotomayor hearings:  Sessions interviewing Sotomaryo  -video-

Sonia's Senators, IBD

Spark of Terrorism: The Progression of Electronic Circuits in Criminal Explosive Devices

Spark of Terrorism:
The Progression of Electronic Circuits in Criminal Explosive Devices

by R.J.  Godlewski

Originally Submitted to American Military University
July 9, 2009


“I am proud of the fact that I never invented weapons to kill.”
 Thomas A. Edison

    Terrorism, the saying goes, has been around for thousands of years. Crimes of religious jealousy, undoubtedly, have been around ever since Cain first invited his brother Abel out into the field under false pretense (Godlewski 2008, 25). Therefore, the West’s current struggle against Islamic radicalism can only be considered within the context of natural human evolution. So, too, must be the technological evolution of  weapons used within this ageless struggle between state and non-state. What one man invents for peace, another will likely misuse for war.

Sticks and stones may break my bones, but terrorists really want to hurt me…

    Historically, terrorists had been quite content to use either the dagger or the pistol to ply their trade until M. Chevalier of Paris decided to introduce the world to the time bomb (Laqueur 1987, 101).  Events began to turn more deadly when the Fenians, in 1867, killed twelve and injured 120 with a device comprising 500 pounds of black powder before Narodnaya Volya ultimately modernized terrorism with the use of dynamite on a wide scale  (Laqueur 1987, 104).

    Once terrorists acclimated themselves to the awesome power of modern explosives, they immediately began to devise ways in which to conceal or miniaturize their weapons for convenience and efficiency. Thus emerged the “philosophy of the bomb” which still exists within global terrorism today  (Laqueur 1987, 24). Therefore, like most technological aspects of human life, the evolution of criminal explosives accelerated proportionately with engineering developments.  Prior to the 1980’s, your “typical bomb consisted of several sticks of blasting powder…exploded by a timing device based on a cheap wrist-watch”  (Dobson and Payne 1982, 44). That may have been the rule within the eternal Northren Ireland struggle, but the elements of modern bombings began to emerge back in 1948 with the discovery of the transistor  (Kybett and Boysen 2008, 71). This simple invention shattered the world of electricity and electronics which, ultimately, eliminated the need for cheap watches with which to detonate explosives.

“I personally believe we were put here to build and not to destroy.”  Red Skelton

    Beginning with Benjamin Franklin’s experimentation with electricity, man slowly moved away from dependence upon natural or mechanical forces within his life  (Scherz 2000, 6). No longer would he need to rely solely upon fire to ignite the rapidly expanding choices of explosives at his disposal  (Akhavan 1998, 66). Shockley, Bardeen, and Brattain’s transistor led to the development of Kilby’s integrated circuit in 1958 that allowed the construction of both active and passive circuit elements simultaneously  (Smith 1987, 1). Complete electronic systems had now begun to shrink immeasurably, solving the “great technical problem that faced the terrorist during the last third of the nineteenth century” – that of reducing the size of their weapons (Laqueur 1987, 104).

    This development of miniaturized electronics had been wedded  to the techniques learned from special forces during the Second World War and culminated with the application of various electro-explosives devices  as detonators (Laqueur 1987, 107).
Terrorism now had possession of both the tactics and the weaponry of their nation-state adversaries.

“At his best, man is the noblest of all animals; separated from law and justice he is the worst.” Aristotle

Sarah Palin Writes ....

In the Washington Post today Sarah Palin writes in her op-ed "The 'Cap And Tax' Dead End":

  ...  nation's debt is unsustainable, and the federal government's reach into the private sector is unprecedented. 

Unfortunately, many in the national media would rather focus on the personality-driven political gossip of the day than on the gravity of these challenges. So, at risk of disappointing the chattering class, let me make clear what is foremost on my mind and where my focus will be:

And Palin does just that:

Job losses are so certain under this new cap-and-tax plan that it includes a provision accommodating newly unemployed workers from the resulting dried-up energy sector, to the tune of $4.2 billion over eight years. So much for creating jobs.

In addition to immediately increasing unemployment in the energy sector, even more American jobs will be threatened by the rising cost of doing business under the cap-and-tax plan. For example, the cost of farming will certainly increase, driving down farm incomes while driving up grocery prices. The costs of manufacturing, warehousing and transportation will also increase.

The ironic beauty in this plan? Soon, even the most ardent liberal will understand supply-side economics.[snip]

We must move in a new direction. We are ripe for economic growth and energy independence if we responsibly tap the resources that God created right underfoot on American soil. Just as important, we have more desire and ability to protect the environment than any foreign nation from which we purchase energy today. [snip]

We have an important choice to make. Do we want to control our energy supply and its environmental impact? Or, do we want to outsource it to China, Russia and Saudi Arabia? Make no mistake: President Obama's plan will result in the latter.   (read it all)

Of course the typical responses are out there.   I give the Huffington Post credit, they posted a couple of paragraphs with a link back to the original article and did not use the image of Palin winking, as some sites did ...

It has that 9th grade, five paragraph essay style along with random bits of right-wing jargon sprinkled throughout in appropriate contexts.   (The Plank)

And:

And then you have Sarah Palin show up, blathering about how we're "destroying America's economy" while we're "literally" sitting on mountains of oil and drill baby drill and blah blah blah. Sickening.  (Andrew Sullivan)

And:

 ...   Today, the world rakes you over hot coals while cackling wildly as it gives the dimmest American her own op-ed piece in The Washington Post. It’s the universe’s biggest bird-flip to those who make some vague attempt at being decent, intelligent, compassionate, hard-working people.  (Black Book Mag) 

In the meantime...   Carpet bomb American citizens with every possible program under the sun, that seems to be the Obama plan.  Drop bills in committee and congress, hoping to get them passed.  The media won't have enough pages or minutes of air time to cover them all,  seems that's the policy behind the Obama administration -- just ram it all down their throats at the same time, choke them if necessary, and push legislation through. 

Health Care bill  

We all hear the hoopla about how national health care would be the greatest thing since bandages for sliced fingers, but little has been discussed about what the industry groups will be getting in return for their cooperation in turn for their promised savings that may or may not ever materialize...  Health Deals Could Harbor Hidden Costs  

 
Day two of the Sonia Sotomayor hearing continues:

“Judge Sotomayor’s record on the Second Amendment causes us grave concern over her treatment of this enumerated right [to keep and bear arms] . . . As Second Amendment leaders deeply concerned about preserving all fundamental rights for current and future generations of Americans, we strongly oppose this nominee, and urge the Senate not to confirm Judge Sotomayor.”  --Sandy Froman former president of the National Rifle Association (NRA, Special Guest)

Obama eligibility case will be heard on merits

Obama eligibility case will be heard on merits, seems to be all over the web.   (hat tip Anti-Mullah)   WND reports:

In what ultimately could prove to be a turning point in the legal challenges to Barack Obama's eligibility to be president, a federal judge in California has planned a hearing on the merits of a federal court case raising those questions.

According to attorney Orly Taitz, who is working on multiple cases alleging Obama is a "usurper" because he doesn't meet the constitutional requirement that only a "natural born citizen" can be president, U.S. District Judge  David O. Carter ruled in a hearing today that her case will move forward.

The hearing was on her motion for a default order against Obama, because although Taitz said she notified him of the action, Obama's attorneys did not make an appearance.

Her complaint was filed against the president on Jan. 20, the day of his inauguration, over his actions before he became president.

Taitz has told WND if her motion for default is granted she immediately would request access to Obama's birth records and other documentation that could determine his eligibility to occupy the Oval Office.  (continue reading)

Other reading:

New Polls Reveal Big Problems for Obama, Fox

Obama Numbers Follow The Economy, National Journal

Dinner with Obama — a parable *UPDATED*, Bookworm Room

July 1914, July 1939 — July 2009:   We all seem to be moving in slow motion, serenely out of touch with the hoofbeats of the Four Horsemen, distracting ourselves from the dark, gravitational pull of war  ... Dr. Phyllis Chesler

Obama Frees Iranian Terror Masters
The release of the Irbil Five is a continuation of a shameful policy.   National Review

An Open Letter to President Obama from the African American community, Townhall

Strategic Calculus and the Afghan War, StratFor

Iran to hang 14 rebels publicly Tuesday, 

Full recovery for two hearts girl, BBC

Obama Wants Health Reform Bill This Week, Fox

Video:  Ted Nugent on guns

The Tolerance Surplus, Sultan Knish

The Long Man: A Sherlock Holmes Encounter

The Long Man: A Sherlock Holmes Encounter, by Rafe McGregor, is described as a historical murder mystery featuring Sherlock Holmes and is now available as an audio book.

As he follows and observes an arms smuggling operation while on undercover assignment for Scotland Yard, Chief Inspector Roderick Langham encounters Holmes and Watson from a distance at the village inn. The morning after taking the tour of an archaeological dig with the talkative professor Edford, the pedant is found shot dead at the site and the Baker Street duo are on the scene.
(click image to enlarge)

David Ian Davies of One Voice Recordings does a fantastic job performing The Long Man in the mini-audiobook available for download at Audible.com for $5.59 or a very special free download offer. 

I have a sweet affection for Sherlock Holmes fans.  When hubby and I lived in Memphis, Tennessee I had the privilege of working with Walter P. Armstrong, Jr. (attorney, scholar, philanthropist, husband, father, bibliophile, collector of rare books, author, leader in legal ethics, and avid Sherlock Holmes fan).  Mr. Armstrong was a member of The Giant Rats of Sumatra, one of many Sherlock Holmes clubs -- and by association I was privileged to much inside the club information. 

The club had regular meetings, but the big event was Sherlock Holmes birthday *.  Mr. Armstrong would dress in full Holmes attire -- hat, pipe, cape.  He regularly presented well researched, well written, and entertainingly delivered papers for the Giant Rats of Sumatra as well as local civic clubs. 

If Mr. Armstrong were alive today, I have no doubt he would rush to ad The Long Man to his vast library.   I also predict Sherlock Holmes societies around the world will welcome the newest adventures via paper and audio books to their treasured possessions.

The audio quality is top notch, the delivery by David Ian Davies transports the listener back in time where you can almost see the fog, feel the dampness, as you are transported into the world of Sherlock Holmes.

The Long Man is part of the Wordsworth Editions Mystery & Supernatural series:

Once more, the game's afoot as Sherlock Holmes of Baker Street returns in twenty new adventures specially commissioned for Wordsworth's Mystery & Supernatural series.  The celebrated detective, along with his friend and biographer, Dr Watson, investigate a variety of baffling mysteries that will delight fans of the famous sleuth.  Striding through the foggy gas lit streets of London, Holmes tackles such cases as the puzzle of the Green Skull, the secret of the Brown Box, the conundrum of the Dragon of Lea Lane, as well as coming face to face once again with the Sussex Vampire.  We also learn what really happened at the Reichenbach Falls when Holmes had his fateful encounter with Professor Moriarty.  David Stuart Davies, Denis O. Smith, Mark Valentine, Matthew Booth, M.J. Elliott and the other talented writers who have contributed to this collection have followed closely in the footsteps of Arthur Conan Doyle in creating a wonderful feast of Sherlockian entertainment.

The Long Man is a reminiscence of Roderick Langham, late of the Indian Army and the Metropolitan Police Force.

Amazon

Amazon UK,

         

Audiobook 
          Audiobook UK 

Be sure to check out other goodies available at One Voice Recordings and while you are visiting Audible.com check out the many other audio books available for download.  Other books by Rafe McGregor here.

*On Sherlock Holmes birthday: 

Sherlock Holmes is the fictional creation of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who wrote about the detective in a series of 60 stories published between 1887 and 1927. (Who2) 

By the way, Morley gave the full date of Holmes’ birth as January 6, 1854. Which would have made him 33 years old (five years older than Conan Doyle) when his first adventure, A Study in Scarlet, saw print in Beeton’s Christmas Annual in November 1887. Dr. John H. Watson was then either 34 or 35, depending on your source.  (The Rap Sheet)

Note from Debbie:  As with everything, you can't please everybody and technical-human error does take place -- so pay no attention to the one little glitch when the book was first offered and go download your copy now.

Under the Nuclear Deluge: Practical Planning for the Unimaginable

Under the Nuclear Deluge:
Practical Planning for the Unimaginable

by R.J. Godlewski

Paper Originally submitted to American Military University

July 7, 2009

I am incensed, and I think we should all be incensed, that the courageous passengers of United Airlines Flight 93 were the White House’s first and only line of defense on September 11—not the CIA or the FBI or the Immigration and Naturalization Service or any other office or agency that we pay our taxes to support.   (Baer 2002, xix)

    The evolutionary nature of terrorism dictates that its practitioners will utilize the most destructive weapon at their disposal and when this option finally reaches the nuclear stage, the subsequent evolution of society may become its first casualty. With the United States firmly pegged as Islamic terrorism’s ennemi public numéro un, America’s leaders have emulated the character Indiana Jones in Raiders of the Lost Ark – desperately trying to outrun the nuclear “boulder” at the expense of merely getting out of its way. Stepping aside of nuclear terrorism may not seem politically palatable, but until the United States Government seriously considers proactive response to the threat, even simple blackmail could significantly disrupt America’s future  (Ferguson and Potter 2004, 5).  Such a future may, therefore, rest entirely within the hands of ordinary citizens.

Alice through the cooking gas.

    High-casualty terrorist attacks on American interests have had “significant strategic outcomes” for the benefit of those perpetrating such heinous crimes  (Merari 1998, 192). Nothing, however, could be considered more strategically “significant” than a nuclear attack upon American soil. Although few terrorist groups can be considered sufficiently motivated to unleash nuclear horror upon the United States  (Ferguson and Potter 2004, 6), this does not preclude the existence of a rogue state inspiring a non-state partner. Nor does it dismiss the reality that prior to September 11, 2001 few considered the use of commercial aircraft as guided missiles capable of taking out one of the world’s most recognized landmarks.

    In fact, the events of 9/11 may have been a low-cost, low-tech alternative to using a crude nuclear device to topple the World Trade Center  (Hughes 1996, 56).  Would the “next 9/11” progress further up or down the technology scale? The world will not know until it actually happens. Fortunately, there is some historical precedence in terrorists using tried and true methods to enact their craft  (Ellis 2007, 118-151). This would seem to suggest that the nuclear option is not considered practical enough for experimentation. Having said that, we need to consider not only September 11th – which took vehicular borne attacks to literally new heights – but also the Chechen separatists’ use of cesium-137 in Moscow  (Aloise 2007, 6).

    Nuclear devices thus represent the epitome of terror weapons and, therefore, symbolize the Holy Grail for any organization that seeks to grab the attention of the world’s political, media, and public bodies. Just the mere thought of vaporizing tens of thousands, if not millions, of innocent souls is sufficient enough to safeguard the objective of any terrorist organization. Moreover, a nuclear weapon in the hands of a rogue organization need not be as accurately delivered as its Cold War superpower cousins. A simple device touched off within the confines of any metropolitan area will far exceed the total death and destruction of both the World Trade Center and Pentagon attacks in 2001.

    The lethality of a nuclear explosion rests with the combination of blast, thermal, and radiation energies unleashed upon the target environment  (Glasstone and Dolan 1977, 588). The significant difference in comparsion with conventional explosives being that those caught outside during a nuclear attack are more susceptible to radiation exposure than those safely tucked away in office buildings  (Glasstone and Dolan 1977, 588). The awesome power of even a relatively small Improvised Nuclear Device (IND) warrants considerable attention from the federal government. Yet, the question remains, has the United States Government effectively planned for this potentiality?

To defend or not to defend, that is the question…

Get Real Hip Hop for peace in the Middle East

Posted at Michael's request:

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Identity Grab

Chips in official IDs raise privacy fears

Climbing into his Volvo, outfitted with a Matrics antenna and a Motorola reader he'd bought on eBay for $190, Chris Paget cruised the streets of San Francisco with this objective: To read the identity cards of strangers, wirelessly, without ever leaving his car.

It took him 20 minutes to strike hacker's gold.

Zipping past Fisherman's Wharf, his scanner downloaded to his laptop the unique serial numbers of two pedestrians' electronic U.S. passport cards embedded with radio frequency identification, or RFID, tags. Within an hour, he'd "skimmed" four more of the new, microchipped PASS cards from a distance of 20 feet.

Increasingly, government officials are promoting the chipping of identity documents as a 21st century application of technology that will help speed border crossings, safeguard credentials against counterfeiters, and keep terrorists from sneaking into the country.

(AP) In this April 10, 2009. photo, Chris Paget, a self-described "ethical' hacker," sits with his... Full Image

But Paget's February experiment demonstrated something privacy advocates had feared for years: That RFID, coupled with other technologies, could make people trackable without their knowledge.

He filmed his heist, and soon his video went viral on the Web, intensifying a debate over a push by government, federal and state, to put tracking technologies in identity documents and over their potential to erode privacy.

Putting a traceable RFID in every pocket has the potential to make everybody a blip on someone's radar screen, critics say, and to redefine Orwellian government snooping for the digital age.  (continue at

AP News My Way)

Sotomayor Hearings

First impressions:  As participants give opening remarks, I am drawn to Sonia Sotomayor.  She looks tired, scared, drugged, pale.  I generally do not comment on someone's appearance, but she doesn't look good.  She is sitting perfectly still, I cannot even see her eyes blink at first, her expression is static, no movement of body, hands glued to the table, no facial expressions, no nothing -- almost zombie-like.  Perhaps her handlers kept her up too late last night cramming for the hearing this morning.   If so, they have done her no favor.

The United States Constitution mandates that the Senate confirm all Supreme Court nominees. This confirmation process is critical, and it is essential that during this process both Judge Sotomayor and the Senate strictly adhere to the Constitution, as the Founders intended, according to the Heritage Foundation.  As we have seen in the past these hearings end up being bloviating sessions for everybody involved, they do love that face time on the news.

Republicans:  Comments from Republicans are pretty much as expected.  They seem more concerned that the hearings are respectful in tone than whether Sotomayor wants to make law or set policy, whether she has her own political and social agenda, or whether she is racist and unfit for the highest court in America. 

Every member of the committee who believes in the Constitution of the United States of America should agree with Republican Sen. Jeff Sessions:

So, we have reached a fork in the road. And there are stark differences between the two paths.

I want to be clear:

I will not vote for—no senator should vote for—an individual nominated by any President who is not fully committed to fairness and impartiality towards every person who appears before them.

I will not vote for—no senator should vote for—an individual nominated by any President who believes it is acceptable for a judge to allow their own personal background, gender, prejudices, or sympathies to sway their decision in favor of, or against, parties before the court.

In my view, such a philosophy is disqualifying.

Such an approach to judging means that the umpire calling the game is not neutral, but instead feels empowered to favor one team over the other.

Call it empathy, call it prejudice, or call it sympathy, but whatever it is, it is not law. In truth it is more akin to politics. And politics has no place in the courtroom.

Republican Sen. john Cornyn:

Over time, however, the Supreme Court has often veered off the course established by the Framers. First, the Supreme Court has invented new rights not clearly rooted in any constitutional text. For example, the Supreme Court has micromanaged the death penalty, creating new rights spun from whole cloth. It has announced constitutional rules governing everything from punitive damages to sexual activity. It has relied on international law that the People never adopted.

The Supreme Court has even taken on the job of defining the rules for the game of golf. [snip]

As the Supreme Court has invented new constitutional rights – it has often neglected the old ones. This flip side is troubling, too. Many of the original important safeguards on government power have been watered down or even ignored.

Don't get me started on RINO Lindsey Graham, who started out by saying, "No Republican would have chosen you, Judge; that's just the way it is. We would have picked Miguel Estrada ..."    Then he quickly reverted to type by saying  "Now, unless you have a complete meltdown, you're going to get confirmed. (LAUGHTER) And I don't think you will, ..."  *SIGH*

You can read the full opening statements of Sens.Chairman  Patrick Leahy of Vermont, Jeff Sessions Republican of Alabama, Chuck Grassley Republican of Iowa, Democrats Herb Kohl and Russ Feingold of Wisconsin, Democrat Chuck Schumer of New York, Benjamin Cardin of Maryland Democrat, Dianne Feinstein Democrat of California, Republican John Cornyn of Texas, Democrat Sheldon Whitehouse of Rhode Island, Republican Lindsey Graham of South Carolina.

The response to Sonia Sotomayor should be "NO."  "HECK NO."

The Country That Squeaks

Everyone knows that the United States of America is the most giving nation on the planet Earth.  We are attacked by an enemy, we defeat the enemy, then we help them rebuild with American finances, supplies, manpower, and resources.  What other nation does that?

In the movie The Mouse that Roared staring Peter Sellers, the Duchy of Grand Fenwick decides that the only way to get out of their economic woes and escape bankruptcy, is to declare war on the United States, lose and accept foreign aid.  Prime Minister Mountjoy says: "In other words, gentlemen, in effect, we declare war on Monday, we are defeated on Tuesday and by Friday we will be rehabilitated beyond our wildest dreams."

While the above story is pure fiction, there are many truths throughout the movie.  The United States has in the past been the country that roared.  When anyone was in trouble, when innocents were being attacked, the US stepped forward to do her part in protecting the innocent party.  When the US roared, people listened.

Seems things may be changing now under the leadership of Barack Obama, a/k/a the apologizer in chief, citizen of the world, hater of America. 

On July 9, 2009, 5 students in Iran were hanged in public for protesting a crooked presidential election and Islamic rule.  The protests continue today, July 12, 2009. The people are chanting: “Death to the turbans,” “Down with the dictator,” “We want democracy.”  (Dr. Phyllis Chesler has more)

Where is the roar of objection from the United States?

“President” Karzai of Afghanistan signed legislation that allows men there to starve their wives if they refuse to have sex with them. It’s an amendment to the law which gives husbands the right to force themselves on their wives if they’re not consenting.

More than 20 American Somalis have left the US, returned to Somali to join the jihad, three have lost their lives.  If they want to leave this country and die in Somalia, that's their choice.  What about the terror threat from Somalia to the rest of the world, and to those innocents within her borders? 

What about all those czars -- the latest John Holdren, Obama's Science Czar, says: Forced abortions and mass sterilization needed to save the planet.

Social Sense produces the following video on Arrogant Americans (hat tip Maggie's Notebook):

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Not only should America be roaring about what's going on in the world, Americans should be roaring about what's happening in our own country.  What are we mice or men?  Do we squeak or roar?  Do we want to live as a free nation or die under socialism?

Former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee asked, "Who is really running this country?  The President or the people?"  I don't think there is any question -- Obama gets what Obama wants with our present Congress and wimpy opposition party Republican RINOs. 

It's going to take all those arrogant Americans joining together to fight and defeat the tyranny consuming our nation before we find ourselves in the same situation.

Let's again be the country that roars when confronted with evil, not one that hides behind a president of questionable citizenship who's favorite activity is trash-talking America.

From Infidel Bloggers Alliance:  Obama declares to Africa: End tyranny, corruption

America's first black president spoke with a bluntness that perhaps could only come from a member of Africa's extended family.

    "No country is going to create wealth if its leaders exploit the economy to enrich themselves, or if police can be bought off by drug traffickers," he said

    "No business wants to invest in a place where the government skims 20 percent off the top, or the head of the Port Authority is corrupt. No person wants to live in a society where the rule of law gives way to the rule of brutality and bribery.

    "That is not democracy, that is tyranny, even if occasionally you sprinkle an election in there," he said, "and now is the time for that style of governance to end."

Yeah, no shit.  So, why tell Africa? Why not tell yourself?

Apparently, what is good for Africa is not good for the American people? I don't get it.  I feel a strange tingle going up my leg. It must be Obama "meddling".  -- Pastorius

Are American Catholics more Obaman than the Pope?

Are American Catholics more Obaman than the Pope?

By R.J. Godlewski
© July 12, 2009, All Rights Reserved
(Right Truth Exclusive)

“Even though incorporated into the Church, one who does not however persevere in charity is not saved. He remains indeed in the bosom of the Church, but ‘in body’ not ‘in heart’” [837]

“…the approval of new forms of consecrated life is reserved to the Apostolic See.” [919]

“’For the Roman Pontiff, by reason of his office as Vicar of Christ, and as pastor of the entire Church has full, supreme, and universal power over the whole Church, a power which he can always exercise unhindered.’” [882] -- Catechism of the Catholic Church

    When I heard about the recent commentary in Newsweek that suggested that President Obama was more Catholic than the Pope was, I could not stop laughing long enough to post these thoughts precisely when I wanted them to appear. It took a day or two, or maybe three now before I calmed down sufficiently to deal with this latest progressive liberal (read that, asinine) outlook on reality. I could very easily have tossed this insanity into the same trashcan that bears that report that informs us that ninety-odd percent of the U.S.-manufactured guns involved within Mexico’s drug wars can be traced back to the U.S. For the same reason, I am quite willing to suggest that at least ninety percent of federal government paychecks can be traced back to the U.S. taxpayer.

    As I said, I wanted to get on with life. To worry about things more important than what progressives spout through their mouthpieces. Important topics such as university homework assignments, whether the first place Tigers will lose two in a row to a last place team again, and whether I have Brats or burgers for dinner. Regardless, as a Roman Catholic layperson I have a fundamental responsibility to protect my Church and, henceforth, I do not want to deal with such secular issues on the Holiest day of the week.

    For starters, I am more African-American than President Obama is Catholic (hint for you liberals: both sets of my grandparents were Polish). Regardless of where Mr. Obama spent his childhood schooling, being Catholic is an “is or isn’t” proposition. You can be Roman Catholic for ninety years of your life and once you abandon the Church’s teachings, then you cease being Roman Catholic. God’s laws do not incorporate any “independents” like within American politics. This is precisely why we have had the 265 Popes descended directly from Saint Peter. Every decent Catholic bible has these popes outlined for the entire world to see and my trusty New American Bible that I have had beside me since February, 1994 states neither a Pope Barack Obama I nor a Saint John Q. Public of America in the leadership of Christ’s Church here on Earth.

    For starters, I fully understand that progressive liberals tend to pick and choose their beliefs to suit some specific agenda. This tinkering of the human mind leads to some pretty confiscatory thoughts as “Pro-Choice Catholics” when the Church has always been defensive of the unborn. This is why Pope Benedict reamed House Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s ass whereas the good pontiff merely spoke pleasantries with the current President. I am quite certain that, had Obama been a member of the Catholic Church, then Pope Benedict would have sent the politician to Ghana waddling as if his thongs were ten sizes too junior.

    The fact is, a pope leads his Church; he does not merely preside over it. He holds the literal keys of the “kingdom of heaven” and thereby gauges whatever loose on earth will also be loose in heaven. [Matthew 16:19 NAB] Christ did not pick a mere “community organizer” on which to build His Church. He picked a rock. If President Obama were even a legitimate Christian, he would be speaking out in fervent protest against abortion, against homosexuality, against government control, and against illegal immigration. Notice, friends, that I did not say procurers of abortion, homosexuals, or illegal aliens.

    The truth is, President Obama is a politician and nothing more. Albeit a significantly opportunistic one, but his talents to lead are no stronger than either Madonna’s or Michael Jackson’s abilities to entertain. It is not what we are that counts, but who. In others words, our actions speak volumes compared with our thoughts. Unfortunately, this is where we get into trouble here within America.

    Some sources have the number of “Catholic” voters who cast their lot with President Obama as high as eighty-percent. That is not a very scientific estimate. I would counter and say that no true Catholic ever voted for President Obama. Some erstwhile pew-warmers may have voted for Obama because they were concerned about the economy, or the poor, or the war in Iraq, but these are simply topics that even Christ largely ignored (You know, the poor will always be with us, don’t fret about tomorrow, etc. etc.).

    Those Americans who voted for the President because they supported abortion rights, gay marriages, or euthanasia for that matter have long since forfeited their allegiance to either Christ or His Church. They have simply abandoned their oaths of baptism and confirmation. Americans do that from time to time – abandoned their personal responsibilities in exchange for temporal convenience. Hispanics, for one, are notorious for this.

    Tomorrow begins the week of confirmation hearings for what could possibly be the United States’ first Latino justice of the Supreme Court. Already, thousands of Hispanics within this country are calling for her to be confirmed. I have nothing against the woman herself, but her policies and actions are definitely anti-Latino. It is just another egregious example of an overwhelmingly Catholic culture abandoning its principles on a matter of race. And they call us white folk racist…

    Roman Catholicism is “universal” because it hands down the only non-discriminatory set of standards available from the only non-discriminatory being in existence: God. Each of us is free to gaze into our hearts and determine whether we wish to follow the Church’s teachings or not. Each of us can freely decide whether politics or Salvation is to be our guide. Each of us is given free rein by God to choose temporal convenience over the much more demanding structure of eternal harmony with the Blessed.

    In a culture where “American” has come to mean anyone who can sneak across the border without being caught, where “life” means any living species of value to the state’s agenda, and where personal responsibility is acquiesced to Washington on appeal, then I suspect  that being Roman Catholic does not mean very much.

    Fortunately, there are still a few of us devotees who remain. We carry on the spirit of those who were burned as ornamental torches within some ancient Roman governor’s courtyard. We still honor those who were fed alive to lions; hung, drawn, and quartered; or, if mercifully disposed by the emperor or king in question, simply beheaded for following the Church’s teachings. And folks, President Barack Hussein Obama isn’t even fit to loosen their sandals.

Relentless pursuit of destruction 2009

" I'll follow him around the Horn, and around the Norway maelstrom, and around perdition's flames before I give him up"

The above quote comes from Captain Ahab in the book Moby Dick by Herman Melville.

  For those of you who have never read the book or seen the movie, the quote may be familiar if you are a Star Trek fan:

"I'll chase him round the outer nebula and round the antares malstrom and round perditions flames before I give him up!" -- Noonien Singh Khan, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

The Wrath of Kahn is about Khan's relentless pursuit of Captain James T. Kirk which ultimately results in his own death and the loss of his ship, while Ahab's relentless pursuit is of his nemesis the great white whale Moby Dick.

The story of Ahab and Kahn deal with the concepts of class and social status, good and evil, and the existence of God (or gods), personal beliefs, one's place or role in this world.  Which brings me to the United States of America in the year 2009.

Enter US President Barack Obama, who I believe has been on a relentless pursuit to change America;  a relentless pursuit to find the purpose of his own existence;  to find his god;  to discover his personal beliefs;  to find his place in this world. 

I believe that Obama has already discovered the role he is to play, the god he will worship, a purpose for his existence with the help of mentors like Rev.  Jeremiah Wright, William Ayers, and on and on.  He was like a ship without a rudder, born of a father who didn't want him, a mother who left him with his white grandparents, influenced from a young age by a writer named Frank Davis.  He was taught that Blacks had been, and still are, being discriminated against, and by virtue of his half-black ancestry he had been mistreated.  He was taught the world, America, was not a fair nation and it was his job to grow up and change that.

Captain Ahab:  "The white whale tasks me; he heaps me."  Moby Dick

You could change that a bit to Obama saying "The white, Christian, conservative, capitalistic, private business owning America tasks me, and I shall change it."

Starbuck, Captain Ahab's first mate: [to Stubb and Flask]  "It is an evil voyage, I tell thee. If Ahab has his way, neither thee nor me, nor any member of this ship's company will ever see home again."   Moby Dick

It is an evil voyage that Obama is taking the USA on, and if he continues to have his way, no American citizen will ever see America as we have known her again.

Ishmael: Queequeg:    ...such behavior isn't Christian. In fact, it's downright pagan and heathenish."  Moby Dick

We've found that nothing Obama says is true, every statement, every promise, has an expiration date.  His word is not his bond, but his ultimate goal never changes.

"How do we know you'll keep your word?" -- Kirk

 "Oh, I've given you no word to keep, Admiral. In my estimation, you simply have no alternative." -- Khan, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Obama gives his word that we will have transparency, yet all he and his administration does us under the table, working through groups like ACORN and their many branches.  All the czars that answer to no one but his majesty Obama.  When we complain, when we ask for honesty and fulfillment of his promises, what do we get?

Captain Ahab: "I don't give reasons. I give orders!"  Moby Dick

"Let them eat static." -- Khan, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Where is Obama's nemesis, who is the brave soul like Kirk who will defeat Obama in the political arena?  I look out over the universe, over the great land and waters of this great nation, who will stand up to this evil?  How cold does it have to get here in the US before we see some Conservative revenge? 

"Revenge is a dish best served cold. ...." -- Khan, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan

Obama seems to be saying:  " ... from hell's heart, I stab at thee...for hate's sake, I spit my last breath...at thee..." -- Khan, Star Trek II: The Wrath Of Khan.  Yet as Americans against socialism, Marxism, communism, liberalism, and on and on, we do have recourse.

Starbuck, first mate:   "A captain who, from private motives, employs his vessel for another purpose from that intended by the owners, is answerable to the charge of usurpation, and his crew is morally and legally entitled to employ forceful means in wresting his command from him."  Moby Dick

Who out there will show relentless pursuit in the destruction of Obama's policies,  his administration, his position as President and the position of his minions in congress?  2010 and 2012 are just around the corner and Republicans are a ship without a captain lost at sea.

Liberation

There's something very liberating and frustrating at the same time about having a hard drive suddenly die, or having your computer croak completely.  Either way you start from scratch -- fresh, a clean slate, free of all the clutter you collected.  My new hard drive arrived via FedX yesterday, overnight service is really wonderful.  I spent most of the day yesterday installing my virus protection (Trend Micro Internet Security) and other programs I find necessary to daily computing -- Word, Micrografx Picture Publisher, Cannon camera software, Carbonite, iTunes, and a few other odds and ends. 

Outlook Express was empty, no folders, no contacts, and it looked good.  I've been having a great time with the "block message/sender" option today, getting rid of all those mailing lists I somehow got placed on without my knowledge.  Wooooo hooooo, checking email will be a breeze for a while.  I feel great!

I'm sure the Iranians would love to feel some liberation as well as many other people around the world.  Obama had time to visit Russia and Ghana to give another of his 'major speeches', saying "I do not see the countries and peoples of Africa as a world apart; I see Africa as a fundamental part of our interconnected world - as partners with America on behalf of the future that we want for all our children."  Too bad he couldn't have the same consideration for Iranian people, Georgians and the South Ossetians.

Obama has no problems meddling in Israeli affairs and completely destroying America, but sucking up to our enemies gives him a thrill.  Our foreign policy is a faux pas.  Abraham H. Miller writes:

The difference between radical Muslims and liberal American Jews is that the former seek to become martyrs, while the latter aspire to become victims. In an ironic twist of fate, radical Muslims and liberal American Jews were made for each other.

This ideological symbiosis is sufficient to give pause to the presence of intelligent design. But like all things that seem to emanate from a higher power, there is a paradoxical twist. It is not themselves that liberal American Jews want to sacrifice on the altar of victimhood; it is their Israeli brethren.

Barack Hussein Obama received nearly eighty percent of the Jewish vote and still garners strong approval among America’s Jews. In contrast, only six percent of Jewish Israelis support Obama.
Even before the election, Israeli Jews, unlike their sycophantic American brethren, saw through Obama.  Israelis were the least supportive population anywhere in the Western world of the inexperienced politician turned presidential candidate.  (continue at Pajamas Media)

I'm sure the Israelis would love to be liberated from their terrorist neighbors, able to live quiet peaceful lives.  Unlike my computer hard drive, wiped clean in an instant, liberation for suffering people around the world and here in the us is nowhere in sight.  Wouldn't it be wonderful to somehow with one keystroke call a special election, vote out Obama, the crazy Liberals, the RINOs in our own party and replace them with Conservatives.  I can dream can't I?

Cyber Attacks May Target Your Computer Next:

From The Gerard Group International and their blog Prometheus' Clarion:

Friday, July 10, 2009 - South Korea announced today that the cyber attacks that targeted scores of South Korean and U.S. Web sites was designed to morph into a more dangerous direction at 12:00 GMT today. Even as the announcement was made, the malicious codes broke into tens of thousands of local personal computers and started wiping hard drives.

The Korea Communications Commission said more than 350 computers were reported damaged as of Friday, but warned that the number could quickly rise, since up to 50,000 have been contaminated by the latest wave of cyber attacks.

South Korea's Intelligence agency, the NIS, told lawmakers on Friday that the hackers responsible for the attacks used 86 IP addresses in 16 countries. The countries include South Korea, the United States, Japan, China, Turkey, and Guatemala. But the spy agency cautioned it was too early to conclude that North Korea was responsible as the investigations were still under way. Some analysts have questioned the North's involvement, saying it may be the work of industrial spies or pranksters.

The breach of US government websites including those tasked with securing America's IT networks should be a cause of concern for security professionals. Our vulnerability to even the most unsophisticated of malicious codes should be a wake-up call.

Gerard Group recommends that network administrators take immediate measures to harden their security defenses. Firewalls should be re-set to the highest security levels. Counter-viral systems should be updated and set to scan all incoming and outgoing email utilizing heuristic algorithms at high security settings.

 Other Reading:

Obama Breaks His Promise on Presidential Signing Statements

Sarah 'Barracuda' Palin and the Piranhas of the Press

DARWIN DEBUNKED BY SHOCKING DISCOVERY

Another Elvis Sighting

Another Elvis Sighting

By: Paul A. Ibbetson
(Right Truth Exclusive)

    “I just saw Elvis!” Even decades after the death of the legendary singer, people still exclaim these same words with detailed accounts of their personal sighting of “The King.” I, along with most of the nation, mourned Presley’s death in 1977 but for me, like for most people, that day was the closing of the living story of Elvis, not the beginning of the secret life of the musician/actor.  When we look critically at the Elvis sighting phenomena of more than three decades, we can see a complex mental conditioning that allows certain people to come to a place where logic and reason are altered to a point where the next guy shuffling down the sidewalk in a pair of blue suede shoes could be “you know who”.

Whether or not people are driven to denounced the obvious death of Presley because they love his records or movies or any other variation thereof is moot; the point is that some people find themselves predisposed to deny factual evidence (e.g.: death certificate, accounts of people who handled the body, the funeral, the burying of the coffin). Instead, they cling to fantastic, non-realistic, evidence that Elvis still lives, which can be found in reported cryptic songs by Waylon Jennings, crazy theory books, movies, and, of course, the person on the street that swears that Elvis just pumped their gas and checked the oil on his or her car. On a more magnified level, for the Elvis seer of today, the direct evidence that the musician must be dead is replaced with the theoretical evidence that he could still be alive if a series of less probable possibilities were to fit together properly. Thus begins the mysterious stories of conspiracy theories and the other grand creations that tantalize many, but have no true factual substance. Don’t think for a moment that this is just an “Elvis thing.”

In the political sphere we see the same psychological reality building that created the immortal Elvis scenario being used by the modern liberal. Wrapped within radical leftist organizations, such as PETA, the man-made global warming crowd, or the tax-and-spend liberals that Barack Obama faithfully leads, we see the same framing of non-reality that has brought some Elvis admirers to seeing the equivalent of jumpsuits and capes that don’t really exist. The radicals at PETA ignore the fact that they exploit women to save chickens, and that their mission statement falls in diametric opposition to mainstream Christianity. The man-made global warming crowd disregards the direct evidence that their green initiatives will most certainly destroy the American economy and, of course, that the planet keeps getting cooler, in order to follow a socialistic game plan to “save the Earth.”

When it comes to Barack Obama and his tax-and-spend philosophy, it’s so expensive that even a scrap of logic left on the table causes major problems to the reality that is being spun. It’s true that many of these groups have cross-over affiliations but they are all searching for their own personal “Elvis” sighting. That is, they search for something that is unattainable, not real, and there are going to be a lot of disappointed people in the end.

As the curtain begins to close, we are faced with some facts that shake, rattle and roll many of us, but it is time we face the music. In reality, Elvis will always be the “The King” in the music industry, but on this Earth, he is as dead as dead can be. On the other hand, liberalism, in all its facets and faces, will always be a dead philosophy that we dare not allow to become “king.” I would say that the latter situation is painfully close to coming to fruition, and for that I have great concern for this country. Through years of mental conditioning, the liberal philosophy threatens to create a world where reality has truly left the building and our nation pre-destines itself for future anguish and woe far greater than the passing of the beloved Elvis Presley. 

Paul A. Ibbetson is a former Chief of Police of Cherryvale, Kansas, and member of the Montgomery County Drug Task Force. Paul received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degree in Criminal Justice at Wichita State University, and is currently completing his PhD. in sociology at Kansas State University. Paul is the author of the books Living Under The Patriot Act: Educating A Society and Feeding Lions: Sharing The Conservative Philosophy In A Politically Hostile World. Paul is also the radio host of the Kansas Broadcasting Association’s 2008 and 2009 Entertainment Program of the Year, Conscience of Kansas airing on KSDB Manhattan 91.9 FM. For interviews or questions, please contact Ibbetson91.9@gmail.com or go to www.IbbetsonUSA.com.
 

Here are the links to Mr. Ibbetson's last couple radio shows:  Enjoy:

 
http://ibbetsonusa.podomatic.com/player/web/2009-07-01T00_12_15-07_00
 
http://ibbetsonusa.podomatic.com/player/web/2009-07-07T23_35_24-07_00

Punks Mauled By A Pitbull

An

From the Watcher of Weasels Council

(courtesy of Red Planet)

Interesting mix this week, and a boatload of fine entires from both the Council and their non-Council nominees.

Congratulations to winning Council member The Provacateur for his article How Bonds Work (and How Current Policy Will Wreck Them and the Economy With It) and non-Council entry Reclusive Leftist for Feminists and the mystery of Sarah Palin.

Please read and share these and the other fine pieces in this week’s contest…you’ll be glad you did.

Le Bon weekend..and again, congratulations not only to the winners but to the participants. Oh, and thanks for putting up with yours truly as substitute Watcher this week!

Rob Miller @ Joshuapundit

Winning Council Submissions

• First place with 2 1/3 points! – The Provacateur - How Bonds Work (and How Current Policy Will Wreck Them and the Economy With It)
• Second place with 1 2/3 points – Bookworm Room - The Declaration of Independence . . . and chickens?
• Third place with 1 1/3 points – Mere Rhetoric - Prominent Jewish Democrats Double Down On Obama.Unpersuasively.
• Fourth place with 1 point – The Glittering Eye - Haeckel and the Development of Nations
• Fifth place with 2/3 point – (T*) – Soccer Dad - Extra! Extra! get Your Paper
• Fifth place with 2/3 point – (T*) – Right Truth - Pride Or Lack Thereof
• Sixth Place with 1/3 point – Rhymes With Right - In Re:Palin

Winning Non-Council Submissions

• First place with 2 1/3 points! – Reclusive Leftist - Feminists And The Mystery Of Sarah Palin
• Second place with 1 2/3 points – Rubin Reports - The Middle East is a place where wishful thinking gets people killed but makes careers for politicians, diplomats, academics, and journalists
• Third place with 1 1/3 point – (T*) – Michael Totten - The real Quaqmire in the Middle East
• Third place with 1 1/3 point – (T*) – Ralph Peters - The Moscow Giveaway
• Fourth place with 2/3 point – Diana West - Victors Don’t Declare Victory Over Each Other
• Fifth place with 1/3 point – (T*) – Star Parker - When Color Trumps Christianity
• Fifth place with 1/3 point – (T*) – Rick Richman / Commentary - The Coming US Peace Plan

Everyone involved with the Flight 93 Memorial knows that the Crescent of Embrace points to Mecca

Thanks to Error Theory:

In 2007, Flight 93 Advisory Commission member Tim Baird told Alec Rawls (the author of these blogburst posts) that everyone at the meetings he attended is fully aware that the giant crescent, originally named the Crescent of Embrace, really does point almost exactly at Mecca. Professor Baird says they all just assume (himself included) that the Mecca orientation must be an innocent coincidence.

Pretty crazy, when they have also been told the meaning of a crescent that Muslims face into to face Mecca. Every mosque is built around a Mecca-direction indicator called a mihrab, and the classic mihrab is crescent shaped. Geometrically, the Crescent of Embrace is the world’s largest mihrab.

However honestly Project Partners believe that the Mecca orientation of the crescent must be a coincidence, this is not what they tell the public. When reporters asked Memorial Project Superintendent Joanne Hanley about the Mecca orientation, she denied it:

"The only thing that orients the memorial is the crash site," she said.

Thinking that the Mecca orientation of the crescent must be a coincidence in no way justifies lying to the public about this explosive information. If Baird’s account is accurate—that the dozens of Memorial Project Partners all know that the giant crescent actually does point to Mecca—then the Memorial Project has a lot of explaining to do. Now an overlooked article from 2007 corroborates Professor Baird’s information.


Dr. Glenn Kashurba

It turns out that a Pennsylvania psychiatrist who has been intimately involved with the memorialization of Flight 93 (writing two books on the subject) argued to a reporter before the July 2007 Memorial Project meeting that the Mecca-orientation of the giant crescent (which he took as a given) should be seen as coincidental:

“When you calculate angles to Mecca - I'm going to be in Washington, D.C., this week, and I'm sure if I calculate angles of the monuments, at least one points to Mecca,” Kashurba said. “I don't know if it will be the White House or the Lincoln Memorial, but at least one will. People looking for a way to support their way of looking at things will look at this in this way for ever and ever.”

If Dr. Kashurba was getting his information from the Memorial Project’s public statements, he would have denied that the crescent points to Mecca. Here is what Memorial Project Partner Patrick White told the press 9 days before the Kashurba story:

Rawls, of Palo Alto, Calif., contends that the centerpiece of the design points toward Mecca.

Rawls’ claims are untrue and “preposterous,” according to Patrick White, Families of Flight 93 vice president. “We went through in detail all his original claims and came away with nothing.”

Kashurba knew better, as did Patrick White himself. The week after his public denial, a local woman asked White how he could be okay with the Mecca orientation of the giant crescent. This time White did not deny the Mecca orientation, but argued that it cannot be seen as honoring Islam because the inexactness of the Mecca orientation would be "disrespectful" to Islam. xs9adzwi2c

Kurds Defy Baghdad, Laying Claim to Land and Oil

BAGHDAD -- With little notice and almost no public debate, Iraq's Kurdish leaders are pushing ahead with a new constitution for their semiautonomous region, a step that has alarmed Iraqi and American officials who fear that the move poses a new threat to the country's unity.

The new constitution, approved by Kurdistan's parliament two weeks ago and scheduled for a referendum this year, underscores the level of mistrust and bad faith between the region and the central government in Baghdad. And it raises the question of whether a peaceful resolution of disputes between the two is possible, despite intensive cajoling by the United States.

The proposed constitution enshrines Kurdish claims to territories and the oil and gas beneath them. But these claims are disputed by both the federal government in Baghdad and ethnic groups on the ground, and were supposed to be resolved in talks begun quietly last month between the Iraqi and Kurdish governments, sponsored by the United Nations and backed by the United States. Instead, the Kurdish parliament pushed ahead and passed the constitution, partly as a message that it would resist pressure from the American and Iraqi governments to make concessions.

The disputed areas, in northern Iraq, are already volatile: There have been several tense confrontations between Kurdish and federal security forces, as well as frequent attacks aimed at inflaming sectarian and ethnic passions there.

The Obama administration, which is gradually withdrawing American troops from Iraq, was surprised and troubled by the Kurdish move. Vice President Joseph R. Biden Jr., sent to Iraq on July 2 for three days, criticized it in diplomatic and indirect, though unmistakably strong, language as "not helpful" to the administration's goal of reconciling Iraq's Arabs and Kurds, in an interview with ABC News.

Mr. Biden said he wanted to discuss the proposed constitution with the Kurdish leadership in person but could not fly to Kurdistan because of sandstorms. Instead he spoke to Kurdish leaders by telephone on Tuesday, and Christopher R. Hill, the new ambassador in Baghdad, met with them in Kurdistan on Wednesday.

American diplomatic and military officials have said the potential for a confrontation with the Kurds has emerged as a threat as worrisome to Iraq's fate as the remnants of the insurgency.

Prime Minister Nuri Kamal al-Maliki is already not on speaking terms with the Kurdish region's president, Massoud Barzani. Iraqi political leaders have vociferously denounced the constitution as a step toward splintering Iraq.  (continue at AINA)

Friday reading:

My Baby's Back in Town, The Grouch

WND: 'Obama's birth letter: Is this thing for real?', Hyscience

Fuerzas Comando coming up, BlackFive

Atlas Vlogs Sarah Palin - Oorah!

Checking Out the Latest Imports, Obama and Sarkozy checking out women's butts

Aafia Siddiqui Goes To Court, Fore Left

The Trillion Dollar Mulligan, Gina Cobb

Imam Zaid Shakir: The Life of a Muslim “Rock Star”, HAHmed

"Stay at home and pray"

China bans prayer in Mosques, saying "Stay at home and pray".  That's what an unnamed government official told the Associated Press news agency that people in Xinjiang should "stay at home and pray", rather than gathering in mosques, according to the BBC.  I guess those Uighur's in Bermuda, formerly of Gitmo, are feeling pretty good right now.  Also, can you imagine what would happen if we banned prayer in any mosque here in the US?

The order comes after several days of ethnic violence between Uighur Muslims and Han Chinese. At least 156 people have been killed so far.

Thousands of troops remain in Urumqi, the capital of Xinjiang province, to try to maintain order.

The Chinese authorities have vowed to administer "severe punishment" to those involved in the riots......

'Al-Qaeda links'

The violence began on Sunday when Uighurs rallied to protest against a deadly brawl between Uighurs and Han several weeks ago in a toy factory in southern Guangdong province.

Security has been high in the city since the recent unrest

Officials say 156 people - mostly Han - died in Sunday's violence.

Uighur groups say many more have died, claiming 90% of the dead were Uighurs.

More than 1,400 people are thought to have been detained.

On Thursday, China said it had "a great deal of evidence" that some of those involved in the violence had "training from foreign terrorist groups including Al-Qaeda".

Foreign ministry official Qin Gang did not say what the evidence was, but said the groups were "inextricably linked with three vicious forces from abroad".

Zogby Poll - computer chip in my brain

I took a Zogby poll today and thought some of the questions were pretty interesting.  The poll ranged from the type coffee maker I use, to what I think of Barack Obama (hee hee), to computer chips implanted in my brain.  How would you answer these:

1.  Would you agree to have a computer chip implanted in your brain if it would make you immune to disease?
    Yes
    No
    Not sure


2.  Would you agree to have a computer chip implanted in your brain if it would provide you a storehouse of knowledge?
    Yes
    No
    Not sure


3.  Would you agree to have a computer chip implanted in your brain which would provide you with entertainment?
    Yes
    No
    Not sure

As for me -- NO computer chip in my brain for any reason.

Iran Updates

From Gerard Group International:

"Bassij used a gas that burned our skins its still red and inflamed Confirmed" (source: twitter from Iran)

That tweet was just received from Iran regarding the use of unconventional weapons by the volunteer paramilitary organization (which includes Palestinians, Lebanese Hezabullah, and other who have been brutal against the demonstrators and are not answerable to anyone. The fires of dissent continue to burn in Iran on Thursday as thousands took to the streets to protest against the regime.

The governor of Tehran authorized a "crushing response" to the demonstration, sending paramilitary police, undercover units and Basij volunteers to put down the protests. Twitter messages from the scene cite many injuries and mass arrests at Engelhab Square, in front of Tehran University. Another "Tweet" claimed that the security services sprayed a gas at the crowds that "burned our skin".

Thanks to tools like Twitter and YouTube, this uprising continues, despite the harsh tactics of the government, which has executed at least 20 demonstrators (that we know of), beaten those in prison into falsely admitting foreign ties, filled hospitals with the wounded, and used the undisciplined Bassij to carry out street violence and brutal home invasions.

Cyper Attacks

From Prometheus' Clarion

North Korea Suspected of Cyber-Attacks on the USA and South Korea

DEVELOPING NEWS!

North Korea has been blamed for an attack on dozens of websites in South Korea, paralysing banks, government agencies and internet portals.

Read more here: Telegraph

Posted by Aukmuntr 

Massive Cyber-Attack Hits US Government Agencies and Others

DEVELOPING NEWS!

The United States and South Korea have been under a sustained Cyber-Attack since the 3rd of July.

As of 12:00 EST today the attacks continue unabated creating chaos in the halls of the U.S. Defense establishment and it's South Korean counterpart.

U.S. Targets have been identified as; The US Treasury Department, Secret Service, Federal Trade Commission and Transportation Department, the National Security Agency, Homeland Security Department, State Department, the Nasdaq stock market and The Washington Post. Also targeted are the White House, the Pentagon and the New York Stock Exchange.

Amy Kudwa, spokeswoman for the Homeland Security Department, said the agency's U.S. Computer Emergency Readiness Team issued a notice to federal departments and other partner organizations about the problems and "advised them of steps to take to help mitigate against such attacks."

South Korean intelligence officials believe the attacks were carried out by North Korean or pro-Pyongyang forces. U.S. officials so far have refused to publicly discuss details of the attack or where it might have originated.

The unprecedented scope of the attack illustrates the fact that we as a nation remain under-protected and vulnerable to Cyber warfare. It also confirms the urgent need for new cyber-security measures to be adopted on the National, Municipal, and Corporate level.

Read more as this story develops at: BBC News

Posted by Aukmuntr

News you might have missed...

UK deports more terror threats!, Jihad Watch

All right. So they deported some Methodist eighth graders, but surely this time the British authorities are going after Anjem Chaudary, or Abu Qatada, or Abu Izzadeen, or any of the 4,000 other jihadists in Britain?

Nope. This time they're deporting a Coptic Christian family that faces persecution once back in Egypt. Please sign the petition.

Another Absurd Britannia Alert: "Appeal to save the Mansour family from deportation," from GoPetition, July 4 (thanks to Ibrahim):  (continue)

Welcome to the Police State: 20,000 uniformed troops inside U.S. by 2011, Jihad Watch

It's for our own good

And it will be an Orwellian Police State, too: Thoughtcrime is already subject to ostracism and vilification, and what with the UN ready to codify it, and Obama signaling that he wants to increase the importance and influence of the UN, how long will it stay out of the U.S.?

And why is this necessary? Primarily "to help state and local officials respond to a nuclear terrorist attack." Of course, to call the Muslim community in America to account and compel it to stop teaching Sharia supremacism and hatred of Jews and Christians -- that would be "bigoted." Of course, to halt Muslim immigration in light of the impossibility of distinguishing peaceful Muslims from actual and potential jihadists -- that would be racist. Of course, even to institute some kind of screening of Muslims who enter the country in order to determine their adherence to Sharia principles and to make agitation for Islamic law (stonings, amputations, no free speech, no freedom of conscience, etc.) in this country grounds for deportation -- that would be "Islamophobic."

So if we can't do all that or even anything close to those things, what is left? What can we do? Why, become a Police State, with armed troops roaming the streets. After all, the next terror threat could just as easily come from the local Methodist church as from the local mosque. Better have that Wesleyan Center adequately covered.

"Pentagon to Detail Troops to Bolster Domestic Security," by Spencer S. Hsu and Ann Scott Tyson for the Washington Post, December 1 (thanks to Anne Crockett):  (continue)

OSAMA BIN LADEN’S TRIP TO L.A. REVEALED, The Last Crusade

Al Qaeda Leader Spent Weeks in USA

By

Paul L. Williams, Ph.D.

thelastcrusade.org.

After years of speculation, the rumors finally have been confirmed.

Dr. Ayman al-Zawahiri and Khalid Sheikh Mohammed were not the only top al Qaeda operatives to spend some time in the U.S.A.

Osama bin Laden made the trek from Saudi Arabia to the land of the free and the home of the brave in 1978 with his first wife Najwa and his son Omar.

The account of the trip is reported by Najwa bin Laden, Osama’s first wife, in Growing Up Bin Laden, soon to be published by St. Martin’s Press. (continue)

Video: Olbermann: We Have To 'Legally Stop' Glenn Beck,

On the June 30 editon of Beck's show, former CIA analyst Michael Scheuer said: "the only chance we have as a country right now is for Osama bin Laden to detonate a major weapon in the United States." Apparently Scheuer thinks that's what it would take to shock the country and its leaders back to their senses. Olbermann was infuriated that Beck didn't "scream at him" or otherwise jump down Scheuer's throat, choosing instead to nod gravely while suggesting that would be the last thing OBL would do.

posted by : Nancy George on July 8, 2009, Family Security Matters

Amendments to the 2010 National Defense Authorization Act, which has already been passed by the House, would empower the Attorney General Eric Holder to define gun owners, anti-abortion activists and tax protesters as domestic terrorists in light of recent federal reports that classify millions of Americans as “extremists”. (more at ATS)

Obama's AG Holder to decide who is a 'domestic terrorist' and who is not.....What?

An amendment to a bill swiftly moving through the US Congress will allow the Obama Administration’s Attorney General to classify Americans as domestic terrorists if they are pro-life, pro-gun and anti-big government.

Impeached Florida judge — now a Democrat Party member of the House of Representatives — Rep. Alcee Hastings introduced what some claim is a disturbing piece of legislation. Hasting’s amendment calls for the Attorney General to have discretion over who is called a terrorist and what groups will be treated as terrorist groups.

Hundreds of Troops Become Citizens

American Forces

Press Service Donna Miles

Vice President Joe Biden and Army Gen. Ray Odierno, commander of Multi-National Force - Iraq, presided over a July 4 naturalization ceremony in which 237 service members deployed to Iraq became American citizens.

Republicans gather to fight Obama health care... I'll believe it when I see it.

The weekly  Watcher’s Council Nominations represent some of the most scintilating stuff in the blogsophere.

Join us on Friday for the winning entries.

Council Submissions

• The Provocateur - How Bonds Work (and How Current Policy Will Wreck Them and the Economy With It)
• Right Truth - Pride Or Lack Thereof
• Rhymes With Right - In Re: Palin
• The Glittering Eye - Haeckel and the Development of Nations
• Mere Rhetoric - Prominent Jewish Democrats Double Down On Obama.Unpersuasively.
• Wolf Howling - The Pot Simmers
• Soccer Dad - Extra! Extra! get Your Paper
• Bookworm Room - The Declaration of Independence . . . and chickens?

Non-Council Submissions

• Submitted By: Right Truth – Star Parker - When Color Trumps Christianity
• Submitted By: The Provocateur – Ralph Peters - The Moscow Giveaway
• Submitted By: Rhymes With Right – Reclusive Leftist - Feminists and the mystery of Sarah Palin
• Submitted By: Joshuapundit – Diana West - Allies Don’t Declare Victory Over Each Other”
• Submitted By: The Glittering Eye – Michael Totten - The Real Quagmire in the Middle East
• Submitted By: Mere Rhetoric – Rick Richman / Commentary - The Coming U.S. Peace Plan
• Submitted By: Wolf Howling – Seraphic Secrets - The Great Obama Moscow Give-away
• Submitted By: Soccer Dad – Rubin Reports - The Middle East is a place where wishful
  thinking gets people killed but makes careers for politicians, diplomats,
  academics, and journalists
• Submitted By: Bookworm Room – Investor’s Business Daily - Canada’s Single-Prayer Health Care

Satellite Marks the Spot, Uncovers Pirate Weapons Haul

From Wired.com, by Nathan Hodge:

Tanks parked at Kahawa Barracks, northeast of Nairobi (c) DigitalGlobe Inc.

Back in September, Somali pirates boosted the MV Faina, a Ukrainian cargo ship laden with rocket-propelled grenades, anti-aircraft guns, and T-72 tanks. The pirates then scored a major ransom in return for the arms and the vessel.

But one mystery lingered: The true destination of the Faina’s cargo. Kenya’s government said the weapons and munitions were for its military, but observers speculated that they were intended for the breakaway government of South Sudan.

With the aid of some satellite analysis, Jane’s Defence Weekly has the answer: The weapons were part of a series of weapons shipments bound for South Sudan. JDW Middle East/Africa editor Lauren Gelfand and Jane’s imagery analyst Allison Puccioni drew on extensive satellite imagery to track the movement of the T-72s from the port of Mombasa, Kenya, to South Sudan; they also confirmed previous arms shipments from Ukraine.

It’s yet another example of how commercial imagery satellites are allowing private citizens to gather intelligence in ways that only government-funded spies could do before. George Mason University doctoral candidate Curtis Melvin uses such snapshots form space to plot out North Korea’s military bases.  The News of Pakistan found in a Google Earth cache pictures of U.S. drones parked on Pakistani runways.

Images captured by DigitalGlobe satellites in March 2009 showed 33 tanks parked at Kahawa Barracks northeast of Nairobi (pictured); in parallel, satellite imagery captured from southern Sudan showed tracked vehicles, parked under camouflage, at a Sudan People’s Liberation Army (SPLA) compound northeast of Juba, the capital of South Sudan. Jane’s observed that SPLA attempts to conceal the location “were deliberate and masterful, but dimensional analysis, tracked-vehicle scarring and the staging of three vehicles in a tactical perimeter established the concealed vehicles as tanks.” 

All told, Jane’sestimates that South Sudan has ordered around 100 main battle tanks. Observers have worried that an arms race is now under way between the Khartoum government and the government of South Sudan. A comprehensive peace deal was reached in 2005 after two decades of civil war, but that agreement has recently frayed; a referendum in 2011 opens the possibility that South Sudan may secede.

[PHOTO: DigitalGlobe Inc.]

Also see Somali Pirated Free Arms Ship

Love her or hate her -- you are talking about her

As has been stated before, the conventional wisdom in Washington is if you have bad news you bury it by announcing it late on Friday afternoon.   Nothing could be further from the truth when it comes to Sarah Palin.  She announced that she was resigning her position as Governor of Alaska and media on both sides of the isle can't stop talking about her.  One must ask why?    Why is she so hated, feared, loved???  

During the last presidential elections, Sarah Palin said many things that most of us knew to be true, and many have since proven to be true, like Barack Obama paling around with terrorists.  Just being a private citizen, like that's a bad thing, Sarah Palin can truly speak her mind and share her beliefs, beliefs that so many American citizens also share.

According to a Gallup Poll,  Americans, by a 2-to-1 margin, say their political views in recent years have become more conservative rather than more liberal.  You can't say that about our present elected officials, but it is true of private citizens.

I do not believe that Sarah Palin is leaving politics forever [see my predictions below].  Just look at the words she used in her announcement ... "I WILL,  ...STAND FOR... FIGHT FOR...  CONTINUE TO...  SPEAK OUT..."  Also look at the reasons for resigning vs reasons to stay on, and it is obvious she has done the right thing for her family, her future, Alaska's future and the future of America.  She is putting Alaska first, leaving her position of Governor which brought with it endless frivolous lawsuits draining both Alaska and the Palin family financially.  Jay Valentine says:
 

The fight is between an out of control government led by media and government elites and common sense Americans, of both parties, who have had enough.  Sarah Palin is in the enviable, although personally painful position, of being the "anti elite" voice of common sense and shared American values. 

The vicious left put her there and now they may live to regret it. [snip]

What an irony if the only American President who can make a 3 point shot were taken out by a point guard who came up to his shoulder.  And if the guard was a chick -- who went to a no name school?

After reading J.R. Dunn's thoughts on Sarah Palin and the utterly retarded and useless Republican Party (see below), I predict that the country may be ripe for a third party -- a true Conservative party -- and Sarah Palin will be leading the charge.  Either that, or she will bust the old rank and file of the GOP wide open, shake that useless tree free of all the dead wood and set it back on the right direction.

She will be back. Not for 2012. The GOP has its plans already worked out. Very clever ones, too. The Republicans will do what they always do when they're up against it: grab an empty suit and run around shaking it in people's faces while shouting, "Here's the man!" By 2012, after his policies really hit home, as gas and home fuel prices triple and quadruple, as medical rationing begins, as the renewed Axis of Evil runs wild across Eurasia, Obama will be ready to drop. At that point he could be defeated by a ticket consisting of Charley Manson and Jojo the Dogface Boy. But the GOP will blow it all the same. Exactly as the party did in '96, following the same script to the letter. They will, to coin a phrase, Mitt it up.

That moment will mark the start of a new phase for Sarah Palin. The exquisite branch of conservatism will drift away, assuring each other that "It's still possible to live well in a dying civilization." The GOP operatives will, as always, be blaming the "legacy of Reagan" and looking for a RINO who can somehow fool the backwoods rubes. Obama will spend his entire second term racing back and forth trying to put out forest fires using buckets with holes in them. Palin's enemies will have destroyed themselves, and her moment will come at last.  (continue)

All the Palin bashing from the Left and even some from the RINOs in the Right, may be helping Palin rather than hurting her.  Conservatives are the true feminists, and Sarah Palin is the leader.  Sarah Palin doesn't need more than twenty attendants costing tax payers hundreds of thousands of dollars like Michelle Obama has, she cooks her own meals, washes her own clothes, takes care of her own family, hunts, shoots, fishes, attends church regularly, she loves her husband and he loves her, she can lead a town as mayor, a state as governor, or a country as president ...  That is a feminist in the true Conservative sense.  That's a feminist that men love, women respect, and children can look up to.

I understand Palin will give an interview to Fox News today and I look forward to hearing what she has to say, just as I look forward to following her plans for the next several years.

Go Sarah Go!

Al Franken, Chickenhawk

Al Franken, Chickenhawk

By Anthony Gregory, The Independent Institute

I used to love Franken on Saturday Night Live. Although his Stuart Smally character got old very quickly, he did a wonderful Paul Tsongas impression. I’d link to an example on YouTube, but NBC takes its intellectual property very seriously and therefore hundreds of the most humorous bits ever to air on late night television have been tragically withheld from us.

I enjoyed his 2003 book Lies (And the Lying Liars Who Tell Them): A Fair and Balanced Look at the Right. Well, I enjoyed the first half, much of which was a trenchant critique of modern, Fox-style conservatism. Some of the worst distortions of the Bush-era right were properly put in their place. The second half was just left-liberal boilerplate.

But this is what has always stuck in my mind about Franken’s book. It includes an illustrated chapter called “Operation Chickenhawk: Episode One” in which he characterizes many modern war advocates as hypocrites for their effortless success in dodging “service” in Vietnam. The chapter discusses such prominent hawks as George W. Bush, Dick Cheney, Bill O’Reilly, and Bill Bennett. But one big problem with this humorous chapter is it includes Pat Buchanan, who, although we might all agree holds many bad positions, including on the Cold War, did not support the Iraq War. But do you know who did? Al Franken.

In chapter 41 of Liars, Franken discusses how he was among the many deceived about the war, convinced by Bush of its necessity because, after all, “the world changed” on 9/11, and the U.S. government needed to deal with Saddam’s infamous Weapons of Mass Destruction. Franken cites the uranium-from-Niger lie as the piece of evidence that clinched it for him. When it became politically correct to point out that Bush had lied the country into war, Franken felt so betrayed.

But actually, that uranium lie was discredited before the war even began. Given that he had so many researchers helping him with his book, he should have known that.

Besides, even if he did believe every single piece of propaganda about Saddam’s non-existent weapons program—and here, by the way, is my Independent Institute article from before the war, explaining why we could not trust the propaganda and why the case for war was so transparently without credibility—he should have still opposed the war. There was never any justifiable reason to support Bush’s plan to wage aggressive war on the people of Iraq, to murder many thousands of them, even if you believed Saddam had Weapons of Mass Destruction. It is an act of aggression to start a war, even if the enemy has scary weapons. The U.S. has a weapons stockpile that makes all the Middle East countries combined—even including Israel—seem minor in comparison. But that sure didn’t justify 9/11, did it?

Al Franken is a warmonger who turned against Bush only after it became politically correct to do so, and only turned against the war to score partisan points. He is, in principle, no less committed to U.S. imperialism and mass killing than are the neocons, even if his rhetoric isn’t nearly as offensively bloodthirsty as theirs is. In fact, his book also reveres Lincoln, one of the greatest warmongers in U.S. history.

This is all you need to know about the Franken left: They aren’t quite as crazy as the neocon right when they discuss foreign policy, but they are every bit as devoted to U.S. empire and aggressive war. And Iraq, even given Bush’s propaganda, was still, by any measure, an aggressive war, and it still is an aggressive occupation.

Am I being too harsh? I’d be happy to see Franken prove me wrong. Next chance he gets, he can refuse to finance Obama’s bloody exploits in Iraq, Afghanistan and Pakistan. He can stand by principle and resist the urge to vote with the hordes to continue to appropriate our tax dollars to slaughter abroad. If he turns out to be a consistent critic of the Obama administration on questions of war and peace, I will apologize and praise his principle to the skies. But if he does vote to continue sending Americans to die and kill, he is no better than the lying liars he has made a fortune criticizing. He is no better than the chickenhawks he lambastes, and certainly not nearly as good an opponent of jingoism and aggressive war as the much more thoughtful, if sometimes inconsistent, Pat Buchanan.