Hiltzik Sock Puppeteer Cover Up by MSM

It is OBVIOUS the NY Times and others in the Main Stream Media (MSM) don't want the public to get it. It is real simple. Michael Hiltzik, an employee of the L.A. Times set out to deceive people by posting pseudonymous comments on his blog that praised his words and personage while belittling his opponents. The NY Times missed that little bit in it's news article regarding the suspension of Mikey's L.A. Times supported blog

In other words, he would post a comment using his real name then come by later with the name 'mikekoshi' and slap himself on the back for making such a wonderful point in the first comment. He did it on his blog and the blogs of others.

Sounds like something a child would do.

I guess he did not find enough people on his side to suit his purposes. He had to bring in Harvey.

Paterico's Pontifications (Patrick Frey - A Deputy District Attorney in Los Angeles found out and posted about the deception and what is being called 'sock puppetry' of Michael Hiltzik.

The NY Times did not contact Patrick Frey for it's article (he is not in hiding) and they (as others have) got it wrong by giving him the job title "assistant Los Angeles district attorney". I have to wonder if they even went to his website which they did mention.

Once again the MSM has demonstrated it's inability to get a story straight and to open up with all the facts. Not telling the public something, hiding facts, can be more deceptive than getting the facts wrong as far as I'm concerned. Case in point is Patrick Frey is a Deputy District Attorney - NY Times said, "assistant Los Angeles district attorney" - To most of us we at least know he does something in the legal profession. Had they not mentioned even the wrong job title we would be totally in the dark regarding his work outside of blogging.

On Friday the two words Googled together - hiltzik mikekoshi - Brought up less than 20 hits. At this point in time I read 27,500 hits. (Watch it jump by one when I click 'post'.)


The main impetus for this in the blogosphere is not Mikekoshi's sock puppetry (Which reminds me of Pee Wee Herman. He was being held down by a threatening bunch of tough bikers in the biker bar and Pee Wee said, "I say we let him go!" out of the side of his mouth.) but the MSM's inability and unwillingness to come to terms with ethics AND Michael Hiltziik's unwillingness to fess up and admit he was wrong.

A simple apology at the start would have stopped the wave that is still building. This really started as not a supper big deal really. All that was needed was an apology and all could have gone on their merry way.

That is something I learned in grade school.


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Pulitzer Prize-Winning Journalist Deceives the Blogosphere!

Imagine this. You have a blog up and running. Someone comes along and leaves a comment that criticizes and ridicules an idea or thought you posted. You log on under a pseudonym and defend yourself. You even go so far as to praise your real name/person while pretending to be someone else.

How about this scene: You leave a comment on another person's blog. A bit later you sign in as the pseudonym and praise the comment you had previously left.

What would your mother think of this kind of behavior?

I mentioned this premise to my wife and she didn't like it. Said it was "deceitful".

Well Patterico's Pontifications has unearthed someone who did just that. Not just any old run of the mill blogger like I am. An L.A. Times newspaperman and a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist. - quote - "Since at least 2004, (Michael) Hiltzik has left comments on the Internet under an invented pseudonym, at times explicitly pretending to be someone other than Michael Hiltzik." - end quote -

Patterico should not be slamming a Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist!

Unless he really has something.

Which he does. In fact Patterico has much more than I post here including a web page that directly links Michael's name with the internet handle, Mikekoshi. (found through Google - Hiltzik Mikekoshi - (banzuke.com page)

People don't seem to realize that as they surf the internet they leave tracks. Michael Hiltzik left tracks of his name linked to the pseudonym "Mikekoshi".

- Quote - Hiltzik's IP address is the same as Mikekoshi's. Nobody else has commented here using that IP address. - end quote -

and concerning another of Hiltzik's nicknames, "Nofanofcablecos" Patterico has this:

- Quote - "His (Nofanofcablecos) IP address wasn't from the L.A. Times; but guess what? It was the same as Mikekoshi's other IP address - the one beginning with "70." No other commenter on my site has ever used that IP address other than Mikekoshi and Nofanofcablecos. And, just to nail it down completely, I have verified that this address is one of two IP addresses used by Nofanofcablecos at Independent Sources (the other one being the L.A. Times address already mentioned)." - end quote -

Nofanofcablecos referred to Michael Hiltzik in the third person and Hiltzik posted a denial to another commentor that he was Nofanofcablecos.

The Los Angeles Times has suspended Michael Hiltzik's Blog. Like the blog did it?

~~~~~~~~~~~

Patterico's conclusions are the same as mine. Most likely the same as yours (I hope).

Quote - Why does this matter - or does it? After all, I'm obviously not objecting to use of pseudonyms by bloggers and blog commenters. How could I be? I mean, you're reading a post by someone who calls himself "Patterico." And, while I made the decision to make my real name public long ago (it's Patrick Frey), many of my commenters use pseudonyms. So what's the big deal?

Here's the thing. I am actually a strong defender of people's right to comment anonymously, or pseudonymously. I myself was semi-pseudonymous for the first several months of this blog. But I don't think that commenters should use pseudonyms to pretend to be something or somebody they aren't.

I don't go around pretending to be someone else. I am accountable for what I say. If I were anonymous commenter "Patterico," defending the arguments and actions of well-known blogger "Patrick Frey," I wouldn't be surprised if people found that fact worth sharing. And as far as I know, my blog commenters are not going around pretending to be people they're not, commenting on themselves using pseudonyms. If I found out that they were doing that, I'd let 'em have it. - end quote -

Patterico and I do not call for the firing of Michael Hiltzik. I think a strong apology with complete admittance to all places he posted deceitfully is in order. It would be the adult thing to do.

~~~~~~~

prying1 sez: What gets me about this deal is that Michael Hiltzik is a professional newsman. I could understand a kid doing it but an adult whose profession is "disseminating facts". Perhaps the problem starts in journalism schools where students are taught they can have a 'positive impact on the world' (read: press forth the liberal agenda) instead of being taught that their job will be to simply to tell who, what, when, where, why.


His actions only cause more harm to the MSM. The same MSM who claims blogs and bloggers are untrustworthy.

After all, They say, You really don't know who is posting what on the internet...


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Don't Link People Away From Your Site!

Don't you hate it when you put a link on your blog page or website and in effect it drives people from your page to someone else's? Ever notice that some people have links that you click on and it opens a new browser window so your page is still up but just in the background?

Here is a simple html trick to make the link open in a new window.

Use - (space)target="_blank" - Just after the final URL quotemark put a space and place the command just before the ending elbow (>) in the link url. Don't forget the quotes around the word and the underscore line or it won't work. It will look like this:

- a href="place_url_here" target="_blank" -

of course the elbow thingy's go on each end.

It does help keep people from surfing away from your page.

Here is a working sample - For a great time Click Here! -


target="_blank"

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New Blog Advertisement Site

New spot to advertise your blog - It is a Million Pixel Advertisement Page for Bloggers Only! - Jump on board while there is lots of room! Click the above title.

OR!!! If you are as lazy as I am and don't want to raise the cursor that high CLICK THE LITTLE BOX BELOW! -

I will suggest that you put together a small banner (60 X 20) like this:

See if you can find my little advert on The Pixel Page!!!

P.S. I used Irfanview (another great FREE program) To make my little banner. I also used it for the big one at the top.

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BlogMad Goes WackyGremlins Did It Sez prying1

Quite a few people woke up this morning, jumped to their computers and started surfing the blogosphere. Looking for news and checking on friends. After logging on to BlogMad they most likely saw a notice saying: Database Corruption! If you have changed anything within the last 20 days, please be sure to re-apply those changes!

HUH?

It seems that during the night some goblins got into the mainframe and shook things up a bit. These goblins are not at all nice like the cute little elves that helped the cobbler and tailor with making shoes and clothing. These goblins like to change things around and make people mad. Some people lost credits, some lost a banner, some lost their ranking and some accounts had to start from scratch. And a whole bunch did not loose anything.

I had lost my saved credits, stats and ranking but had kept the banner.

One thing I like about the folks at BlogMad is they are up front. Not like the folks at some other websites (Think BIG auction site). On their FRONT PAGE yet is a letter explaining the problem. Although they did not mention gremlins.

Dear BlogMad Member,

The unforeseen has happened and we are sad to inform you that today (19 April 2006), the BlogMad database got corrupted. We have managed to salvage most of the user accounts and blogs registered on the system thanks to backups. We cannot apologize enough for this and we are making every effort for this never to happen again. This does however have a few ramifications:

1.) Credits. Your credits will now be skewed because of the loss of information. Some of you will find that your credits haven't changed, simply because your account wasn't corrupted. We will try and rectify as much of this as possible in the coming days.
2.) Blogs listed. Some or possibly all of your blogs will have been lost as well. Please re-add them and contact support@blogmad.net with any queries.
3.) Favorites. Again, some or all of your favorites will have been lost here. If you have deli.cio.us integration, your favorites will still be saved there. The possibility of an import tool will be investigated.

Even though BlogMad is still in Beta, we constantly strive to provide the best service we can and certain measures are being put into place as we speak to ensure that unforeseen problems like this don't occur in the future.

- End Quote -

Emails are being promptly answered. The chat board has a member directing people to the title page (above) and the service is wonderful. This is the way service websites should be handled.

The folks on the chatwindow had nothing better to do that to talk about the problem and the banter there was jovial and informative. After all, none of them (ok, me included!) are techies and have to do the work of fixing everything. They/We could just sit around in our pajamas and write wise witticisms to each other.

Quite a few in the chat window are already hurrahing the BlodMad tech support team for clearing up their accounts and they are finding themselves better off than before.

Altogether this hiccup (or was it a cough) at BlogMad has shown the people using the service that BlogMad is here to stay. It has been steadily growing and their service is great. Wonderful bloggers that are using the service and I've made quite a few friends from blog surfing through their site. The ratio is view one site, earn one credit. - Credits can be used to have others visit your site through blog surfing or to play games with a potential of winning more credits. -

They will soon be offering credits for sale and perhaps even an auction to purchase credits. It really is a great way to drive traffic to your blog.

Try it! You'll like it!

Click on the image above and sign up. It's FREEEE!


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Taxes

prying1 sez:

The first person that conceived the idea of taxes should have been tarred and feathered then boiled in oil then run out of town on a rail.

Update: It was suggested that the people in the next town he reaches have him walk the plank.

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Learning the Truth From Blog Chains

In my previous post Gentle Cricket left a link to The Only Republican in San Francisco (excellent site!) whose posting You need better sources, and better sources need you (II) led me to The Mudville Gazette whose article Headless in the Headlines tells of how the NY Times March 27th Story 30 Beheaded Bodies Found; Iraqi Death Squads Blamed was bogus! (- registration required to see the article. It is still up at this time with NO update or correction -)
~~~~~
The previous paragraph is specifically designed for a particular left wingnut. He commented that he hated bloggers who gave nothing but a bunch of links in their first paragraph. This will give him something to direct his anger at instead of Bush and Rumsfeld. - p.s. Attn: particular left wingnut - please do not read this paragraph.
~~~~~
The Mudville Gazette reports the correction came in paragraph 17 of a Mar 29th Iraq news article. The first NY Times article (30 beheaded) is available for free with simple registration. The second (retraction in paragraph 17)is for paying customers only...



I know. This posting is a bit late. - It all happened over 15 days ago. I want to thank bloggers everyone because otherwise I would still have misinformation in my head. This does make me wonder how much other misinformation I still have in my head. - Don't worry. It doesn't hurt. I just don't like to be deceived. It seems the antiwar crowd does not mind deceiving people.

I remember hearing the blurb of the story on the radio news but did not, at that time, dig any deeper. I did not hear the radio news retract it. How many others heard no retraction and still think that 30 beheaded bodies were left laying by the side of the road in Iraq? News like this is bound to help instill the "We're losing" mentality that the Left wants to brainwash the U.S. (and the world) with.

Do they (lefties) care if it is a lie as long as it gets points for their side? Hmmmm... Let's see.

Mudville gives this quote from the Times showing it's retraction: - quote -
The police in western Baghdad discovered 14 bodies on Tuesday, all killed execution-style with gunshots to the head, apparently the latest victims of sectarian bloodletting. On Monday, Iraqi forces found 18 bodies near Baquba with similar wounds. Earlier reports of 30 beheaded bodies found in that area were wrong, the Interior Ministry official said. - end quote -

A comment from one of Mudville's readers: - quote -
Oh, ok, it is 32 bodies shot in the head, not 30 bodies beheaded. Whew! Thank god. I thought the conclusion that the Country is out of control was exagerrated. I am so glad to hear that it is shootings and not beheadings. Are you an idiot? What F*ing difference does it make? The Country is out of control.

Also, What happened to the "Crack" Iraqi Army that you and the other pentagon propagandists keep talking about? They are "afraid" to go retrieve the bodies?

You are more like Clinton than any democrat. Rather than looking at the point, you would rather argue about what the definition of "is" is.
Posted by Kevin at April 2, 2006 03:10 AM - end quote -

Please note that this is just one left leaning blogger. I will not say he is typical of ALL left leaning bloggers but it does illustrate my point... Also it does make me laugh that he uses Bill Clinton for the archetype.

Many Lefties do not care about the truth. All they want is their point of view to spread throughout the world.

Their concluding final ultimate purpose? TO WIN BACK POWER! To Win the Senate, Congress and the White House.

Should any American decide to vote for democrats this coming election please remember that you will not be getting what you hope for. They will lie to their base. They will lie to their voters. They will lie to themselves.

Does a person who is deceived know he is deceived? I didn't until I read Mudville's post.

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Vets For Freedom - A Positive Voice For Iraq!

We have had the voice of John Murtha with all it's negativity concerning the war in Iraq for quite a while now. However new voices are speaking out and making themselves heard. Positive voices that believe democracy can and will find it's way into the heart of the Middle East. With The help of the coalition of forces that have brought freedom to Iraq, I for one, expect to see this accomplished. But only if the voices FOR freedom keep speaking out.

Vets for Freedom dot org is up and running. Their "About Us" web page has this to say:

Vets for Freedom was founded by a group of Iraq and Afghanistan War veterans who believe in the mission of freedom, specifically Operation Iraqi Freedom, but who have become frustrated with the way the operation has been politicized and reported to the home front.

In January 2006, this group of veterans, enlisted personnel, and officers decided to take action. The result was the creation of Vets for Freedom, a non-profit advocacy group whose mission is to promote the unbiased, nonpartisan truth of military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan to educate the public and mobilize public support for the Global War on Terror.

The founders and members of Vets for Freedom have witnessed the firsthand events, both the successes and failures, of the Iraq War. While their voice has largely been ignored by many policymakers and the media, they have earned the right to be heard and will use this organization to lend their insights to this worthy cause.

Yesterdays Hugh Hewitt Radio Show had Wade Zirkle of Vets For Freedom on and I must say it was great radio. It was for interviews like this one that God invented the radio. Don't worry. You haven't missed it. Generalissimo Duane at RadioBlogger.com has typed out the entire transcript. BUT WAIT! THERE'S MORE! Generalissimo has provided the mp3's of the entire interview! Is this a great country or what?

Wade Zirkle wrote a letter to the Washington Post and they put it on their Op-Ed page. That can be found here. In it he says: "Murtha undoubtedly knows full well that the greatest single thing that drags on morale in war is the loss of a buddy. But second to that is politicians questioning, in amplified tones, the validity of that loss to our families, colleagues, the nation and the world."

Zirkle wrote the letter/article as a result of this confrontation between Sgt. Mark Seavey and John Murtha at a "town meeting" sponsored by Rep. Jim Moran (D-Va.).

Sgt. Seavey: My name is Mark Seavey, and I just want to thank you for coming up here. Until about a month ago, I was Sergeant Mark Seavey, Infantry squad leader. I returned from Afghanistan. My question to you (applause) like yourself, I dropped out of college two years ago to volunteer to go to Afghanistan. And I went and I came back. If I didn't have a herniated disc now, I would volunteer to go to Iraq in a second with my troops, three of which have already volunteered to go to Iraq. I keep hearing you say how you've talked to the troops and the troops are demoralized. And I really resent that characterization. The morale of the troops that I talked to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back, despite the hardships they had to endure in Afghanistan. And Congressman Moran, two hundred of your constituents just returned from Afghanistan. We never got a letter from you. We never got a visit from you. You didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got from any of our elected officials was one letter from the governor of this state, thanking us for our service in Iraq when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible. I don't know who you two are talking to, but the morale of the troops is very high. Thank you.

Vets for Freedom has a PayPal button and would appreciate any donations. So will the Iraqi nation!


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Iraq WILL be Rebuilt

SBS Radio from Australia has an interview by Nic Perpitch with Hassan Janabi, an Iraqi Australian. Hassan, who until recently headed up the marshland restoration project, previously worked for the Sydney Catchment Authority. He is now an advisor for the company in charge. - Iraq's reconstruction project includes a plan to rehabilitate the area and encourage the Marsh Arabs to move back to their historical land. Listen to the interview here.

In case you missed the news, Saddam Hussein ordered the draining of the southern marshes to remove a hiding place for dissidents. Under Saddam 100,000 people were displaced, bombardment of villages, imprisonment of thousands, torture of Marsh Arab detainees held in government custody and the total of those tortured and murdered will never be known. Many of these people were forced out of their homelands and forced to settle near highways so the government could keep better control over them.

The current problems in Iraq do not come close to matching or exceeding those the citizens of Iraq had under Saddam Hussein. That is why I wonder at statements like this from the left.

- Quote: "Alas, it is the Iraqis more so than Americans and Britons who will bear the burden of a deranged decision to launch a pre-emptive war that has destroyed an already weak social fabric, killed many Iraqis, Americans, and Europeans, while leaving the most potentially rich nation in the Arab world shattered nearly beyond repair." end quote - (GlobalEcho.org)

Well, I don't think so. For the "Doom and Gloom crowd on the left I say, Hoonnnnkkkk!
GET OUT OF THE WAY!!!!

It is people like Hassan Janabi that will prove those naysayers wrong.

Want more proof that I am right? Check out the short video at Journeyman Pictures.

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Blog Surfing To the Truth About Libby and Plame!

Clicking through a few of the long list of blogs on my right sidebar I hit on over to 1or2Thoughts who had a bit on Google location tracking of their FREE Wi-Fi service in San Francisco(dated 9 APR 06) - Mark linked to Okie on the Lam (whose post was dated 7 APR 06) - Both have great posts on the subject and they are both fun/entertaining/informative blogs to read. As is this one of course.

BUT

This post is veering away from the Google topic because Okie had a post just below the Google one concerning the President of the United States doing something legally for a change. Praise the Lord and pass the ammunition!

What did President Bush do that was so legal???

He declassified some information!

Scooter Libby mentioned it and now the liberals are all over it.

Okie says, - quote - "The news, at least in the minds of those who make up the MSM, coming out of the "Scooter" Libby revelation is that the leak of classified information that he passed on to the press was authorized by President Bush himself. The Left, typified by today's Los Angeles Times reaction, is almost giddy - once again they think, we've got him! Once again, they are deluding themselves. It's really quite sad in an ironic sort of way. Here's how the LA Times started out today: - end quote -

Okie then splashes some thick gooey substance the Times calls 'news' onto his blog. I guess he had to put it there get his point across which is that the President can make info classified AND he can make info DEclassified. So it goes.

The Los Angeles Times is all over this information but they are putting the wrong spin on it. They act like the President declassified the info for some dark, 'clandestine and criminal' reason, as The Okie puts it. Just so Bush could go to war and get oil I guess. The Times doesn't know. They are just splashing and playing in their their mud pies.

Well I want to tell you the real reason he declassified the info. Besides the fact that it no longer needed to remain classified of course.

President Bush declassified the info because he is a CLOSET COMMUNIST! He is truly dead set against capitalism. I know this because he won't declassify real important information. I mean, who cares about Scooter and Valery Plame and some other deadbeat, whazziz name. I want the President to release the REAL information that America needs to know!

PRESIDENT BUSH, RELEASE THE REAL INFORMATION FROM PROJECT BLUE BOOK!!!!

Not that swampgas/weather balloon nonsense. The real stuff with the dead aliens and the "more of 'em are coming soon!" info that is being held back so we won't panic.

You see, I have 1000 baseball caps that I have carefully and artfully covered with tinfoil. I drag 'em to swapmeets and sometimes stand outside of sporting events trying to sell these things. - ($29.50 slightly used / $39.95 new - PayPal accepted) - There just isn't enough call for foil hats at the moment and the subject of interstellar brain washing isn't high on the news chain.

If the President really loves capitalism and this country (and me) he will start a spate of flying saucer news stories so I can dump sell these hats real quick.

I figure if the liberals will believe the L.A. Times then they will pay me top dollar for these hats. Do me a favor and email the prez at whitehouse.gov! Tell him to release the REAL Project Bluebook Info Now. It will help build the American economy!

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Profanity In Blogging

Had a bit of time this morning to visit a few blogging friends this morning when I came across this line in Scotwise's Friday post: - Support bacteria, they're the only culture some people have.
from:
DAILY ENCOURAGEMENT FRIDAY - A JOYFUL HEART. #21. - Some really good jokes mixed in with the groaners. -

~~~~~

This reminded me of a subject I had been meaning to blog about for quite a while. Hence the title: Profanity In Blogging.

Profanity in blogs does not endear most readers to the site.

I guess some people just enjoy writing words that they know others will find offensive. Perhaps they think it adds shock value. It may be that some don't even realize that others might find their explitives disagreeable. Perchance they are trying to drive away goody-two-shoe readers or hoping for comments from someone reviling them for their language so they can belittle the commenter in return. I'm certain some do it purposefully while others do not even think about it. The reasons could be near endless.

I have used expletives throughout my life. Most of the time I hear myself and don't appreciate the word I used. Once it is out however there is no taking it back. I've tried to limit my use of certain words because the last thing I want is to accidentally use one when around children or perhaps some lady from a church we do business with. Heaven forbit it be both! If I find one slips out around kids or ladies I do quickly apologize but...

Posting blogs is quite a bit different than speaking. The backspace key can quickly remove any words that might 'slip out'. The only way I will use a vulgarity in posting is if it is necessary for the posting's continuity or storyline but most often non-vulgar words can be used to get the same point across. In fact it can sometimes be a challenge to find a way to word a statement that makes it humorous as opposed to crass.

That is one reason I like to keep a window open with Thesaurus.com while I write. Not just the cuss words of course but any time I've found I've used a word too often I can type it into the thesaurus and come up with an alternative. I also might take a word that is in the entries given and run it through the search bar. I've used it for this post and am not too proud to admit it. It comes in handy and I heartily suggest it to others. It will only improve your writing.

I'm hoping that some of the bloggers that use gross and crude language in their postings will read and take at least a portion of this little sermon to heart. Often times I blog surf and come across sites whose offensive language just turns me off and I know others are turned off too. Some I place on 'block this site' and I'm sure others do too.

To those bloggers that use crudities I say, have a little consideration for your readers. Not everyone is pleased by what you write. You don't know when some child will come by and get an eyeful of execrable words that will later get their mouths washed out with soap.

Try going to the thesaurus linked above and type in your favorite dirty word. You might be delighted to find you can use substitute words that will give your readers a better impression of you and your work.

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Cynthia McKinney Feels Free In Russia?

For those who don't pay any attention to news here is the layout.

- Cynthia McKinney tried to go around a security checkpoint with no ID badge or lapel pin., as members of Congress are entitled to do with the ID showing. An officer did not recognize her.

She was challenged but kept going. An officer tried to stop her and apparently tapped her or caught her arm. McKinney apparently struck the officer in front of witnesses. A Grand Jury has been convened to investigate and charges may be filed.

She claimed the cop was a racist and that is why he stopped her. - Not one of her co-congress peoples backed her up on the deal.
~~~~~~~

On Hugh Hewitt's Radio Show yesterday (6 APR 06) Governor Bill Owens of Colorado had this exchange with Hugh:

HH: - ... I've got a lot to cover with you, but first, I understand you and Cynthia McKinney are really quite close.

BO: (laughing) Yeah, right. You know, I was telling your producer that back in the 1980's, I used to take over state legislative groups to the Soviet Union. I was a tour guide, and we would go over there, and I'd show legislators what the Soviet Union was like. I'm anti-Soviet, anti-Communist. It was a great way to do it through the people to people program. Cynthia McKinney was in one of my groups, and within three days, she had told Pravda that she had never felt so free as she did in the Soviet Union. And then when many of us objected, and went to Pravda and asked for equal time, she accused us of being racist.

HH: Did that ever get written down somewhere?

BO: You know, it was in the Bukhara Pravda. There are five or six people here in Colorado, including one person in my cabinet, who was there, and would verify it. I actually called the Georgia Republican Party once about it when she was running her first time. She, in the Soviet Union. Told a Soviet newspaper that she had never felt so free as when she was in the Soviet Union. When we objected, we all became racists.

The entire conversation (with MP3 file) can be found at RadioBlogger.com (Thanks Duane!)

prying1 sez: This exchange came after the news of Cynthia McKinney's non-apology in which she stated"

Thank you, Mr. Speaker. I come before this body to personally express again my sincere regret about the encounter with the capitol hill police. I appreciate my colleagues who are standing with me, who love this institution, and who love this country. There should not have been any physical contact in this incident. I have always supported law enforcement and will be voting for H.R. 756, expressing my gratitude and appreciation to the professionalism and dedication of the men and women of the U.S. Capitol police. I am sorry that this misunderstanding happened at all and I regret its escalation and I apologize." (Thanks to Greg Strange at Blogger News Network for the text! The MSM I checked had only a couple lines!)
~~~~~
Great lines from the mini-speech:
sincere regret about the encounter
I appreciate my colleagues who are standing with me (Not one did!!!)
I regret its escalation
~~~~~

The line: "There should not have been any physical contact in this incident." Sort of leaves me wondering if she meant the officer touching her arm or her poking his snoot? I guess she would/could say one or the other or both depending on which group she is flapping her gums towards.

H.R. 756??? What is that??? Well I checked it out and apparently it is the bill excluding from income taxation all compensation received for active service as a member of the Armed Forces of the United States. Click here for more

- What does that have to do with a black woman screaming racist to cover something she did wrong? It has nothing to do with this incident which she labels a misunderstanding. - I for one certainly hope the good people of the wonderful state of Georgia remember this next time they are faced with electing this person.


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Christian Pundits' Comments Dredged Up From Potential Obscurity

I found this exchange on Christian Pundits' blog and thought it needed a bit of daylight. I wrote to her and received her permission to drag it out in the open.

TW said...

You want to know why the war in Iraq is wrong, and why any good christian who supports Bush in this war should be ashamed of themselves. Click on this link. Open your eyes.
The following link has GRAPHIC pictures (unknown origin) of wounded and dead civilians. - prying1 -
http://www.robert-fisk.com/iraqwarvictims_mar2003.htm
~~~~~~

Response to tw.

Sorry, but if your link was meant to shock or shame me into admitting that our military action in Iraq is wrong, it didn't work.

Yes, there are innocent victims of warfare, and I grieve for the families of those affected by it.

But what about these innocent victims?

And please don't give me that liberal song-and-dance about Hussein not having anything to do with the 9/11 attacks.

Even Hillary Clinton admitted that Saddam "has given aid, comfort, and sanctuary to terrorists, including al Qaeda members."

But if the senseless murder of over 3000 Americans isn't enough to convince you that Hussein had to be stopped, maybe this will.

"From 1977 to 1987, between 4,500 and 5,000 Kurdish villages in northern Iraq were destroyed and the population placed in 'resettlement camps.' As many as 50,000 Kurds died.

In the spring of 1987, thousands of Kurds were killed by chemical and conventional bombs. In at least 40 cases, Gen. Ali Hasan al-Majid, "Chemical Ali," used chemical weapons to kill or chase Kurds from villages.

In 1988, as many as 5,000 Kurds were killed and 10,000 injured in Halabja.

During the Anfal campaign, from February to September 1988, Iraqi soldiers rounded up more than 100,000 Kurds, mostly men and boys, and executed them.

More than 1-million Kurds fled and tens of thousands were killed or imprisoned when Iraq crushed an uprising after the 1991 Persian Gulf War." SOURCE

Wouldn't "any good christian" do everything they can to stop those atrocities tw?

~~~~~

The FULL POST which spawned this exchange can be found here!

~~~~~
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Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds: Secret Shoppers Scammed

Please read this and spread the word! - I'm certain you and your friends won't fall for this but what about the friends of your friends?

Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds: Secret Shoppers Scammed

Quotes from Ted's post:
Here is how this latest scam works as reported in the Minneapolis Star Tribune:

"John McCullough, business coordinator for the Financial Crimes Task Force, said the perpetrators ran an ad in the Star Tribune classified section last month luring readers with an offer to be "Secret Shoppers" for "$100/hr. guaranteed" and "no experience necessary."

People who responded to the ad were sent a letter congratulating them on being selected and instructing them to cash a $2,830 check at their bank or other institution, to keep $200 for themselves, and to send most of the rest to the Canadian address. The check-cashing task is described in the letter as an "assignment" to "evaluate the effectiveness and efficiency of a payment system called 'Moneygram' which is available at all Wal-Mart (sic)."

~~~~~
- Ted Richardson sez:
As I am constantly saying, Advance Fee is a continuously mutating animal. The Secret Shopper twist is new and if history proves correct, we will see this version of the scam travel quickly in the borderless environment of the internet.

end quotes -
~~~~~

prying1 sez:
Check the comments on the Fraud, Phishing and Financial Misdeeds post! Bad guys want your money and foreknowledge will at least slow them down.

Students Murdered by Illegal Aliens!

From Associated Rooter's News:

...This note (translated from Farsi) was all that was found on the only body that was not completely burnt to ashes. Authorities are still sifting through the wreckage of the school for clues. They expect to find little else.

~~~~~~~~~~

The job is almost finished. All that is left to do is to die and get the rewards from Allah. It would be nice to take out a few more of the infidels for greater rewards but care must be taken that we walk from this planet under our own power and not from the power of infidels. It is Allah's will that we are still alive but also Allah's will that we meet him soon. All have done their part and the mission is successful.

This Mission of Allah really started a couple years ago when three of our faithful had entered the United States with student visas. They quickly had left their schools, had gotten forged documents and began working in a small town in Southern Texas. The jobs didn't matter. The menial work at a fast food store, gas station and a convenience mart was just a cover for the real job. This job that is almost finished.

They had plenty of money sent to accounts they could access via the internet. Their earnings could be used as they saw fit but the money donated by the faithful was sacred. For Allah's use and none else. It had been given through Moslem charities and laundered through several layers of bank transfers so the financiers will be protected. Many of the financiers live in the U.S. and it will not do to have their covers blown.

Some of the money was used to purchase protective gear such as bullet proof vests and gas masks. Some went to establish a few safe houses. Some went for a few chemicals. Some 'almost' went to American 'gangsters' (now dead) for weapons and ammunition. Some went to traveling about while 'purchasing' weapons and searching for the perfect target. All went to the glory of Allah!

The main portion of the team crossed the Mexico-U.S. border only two nights ago. The mule, who had called himself Pedro, was extremely agitated when he discovered his 'customers' were Arab. He was expecting us to be Guatemalans. His nervousness was abated somewhat but not completely by the large amount of cash received and that nervousness ended at the other end of the trail when the bullet entered his infidel brain and the (counterfeit) money was removed from his other few pitiful possessions. We left him his few possessions. He might need them in his Catholic hell.

10 minutes from Pedro's entry to the eternal home for infidels to the van that awaited us. The entire trip across into Texas was less than four miles from start to finish. We did get our feet wet but not our backs. With the original three brothers that had met only occasionally in the past two years our team was now nine strong. That was more than enough.

Passing through the countryside to the safehouse was uneventful. The driver knew the route and brought us safely 'home'. The plans were played out, maps and diagrams studied. Four doors through which to enter, three hallways to herd the children and teachers to the cafeteria. Over 1000 infidels in all. Two spoke Farsi, claimed allegiance to Allah and we released them to their homes.

Besnia had taught us well. We did not bother with the hostage and rescue nonsense. We released the gas which sent most of the children and teachers to the infidel's hell, shot the rest who had not succumbed to our homemade gas and waited for the local police and firemen to came into range of our firepower.

The fear of death by these little pigs and their teachers shows they know their final resting place will be without Allah! Allah be praised!

Three minutes forty five seconds and the first two 'rescuers' were dead. Seven more dead or injured by the time five minutes had elapsed. Twenty five more of the infidel dogs have been sent to hell and the two grenades we had are expended. I love loud noises. I wish I could have watched as they went off and ripped through the pigs bodies. Shrapnel prevented my watching. I can only hope many more were maimed and killed.

Lots of ammunition left but I think it is near time for us to end our work here. Allah has been served through our actions but apparently the infidels, through heat sensing devices, have figured out that the children are dead and we are the only ones alive.

Allah be praised!!!

~~~~~

Local politicians are blaming the federal government. The federal government promises new laws but no fence or walls despite the popular demand even by a large majority of Mexican-Americans.

~~~~~
~~~~~
~~~~~

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It Is Really About Border Security.

It seems that the Illegal Alien issue has become the highlight of the border issue and post 9-11 border security has fallen to the wayside. The photos of the Mexican American/Latino community are disturbing even to many in that community however they are not the real issue concerning border control.

Hugh Hewitt once again brought the real issue into focus. Yes the ILLEGAL issue is important however keeping terrorists out of our country is more important. We can accomplish both issues with a wall.

The Mexican government is not helping the U.S. with either issue. They have produced maps for Illegal passage to the U.S. showing the best routes and giving handy helpful hints to keep their people from dying. These same pamphlets can be used by terrorist s and the Mexican government obviously does not care.

Some wacko Liberal Babe on Hugh's radio show was saying that none of the 9-11 terrorists came across the southern U.S. border as if they have not nor ever will. After all, Terrorists would not break U.S. law by sneaking into this country would they. We can trust them to live by the rules.

Check Out Hugh Hewitt's new book "Painting the Map Red"

Hugh Hewitt's New Book!

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Illegal Immigrants Sons and Daughters

Watching the scenes of students cutting classes to run around 'voicing their opinion' is sad. - Then there is this:

- Pic & Quote from Christian Pundits - Yeah, that's the flag of the United States of America - being flown upside down AND under a Mexican flag ... in America!

The scene unfolded when Whittier area students from Pioneer, California and Whittier high schools walked out of classes March 27 to protest the proposed federal immigration bill.

What those little snot-noses don't seem to realize is that they should be d%#n grateful that they live in a country where they are able to perform a dishonorable stunt like this. - End Quote -

~~~~~

It seems a shame that these sons and daughters of illegal immigrants want to bring the corruption of Mexico across the border. - I guess they want villages with no sewer systems, federales that demand bribes, Vicente Fox, and $8.00 a day. -

A friend of mine (who is an American born LEGAL immigrant's son) took his kid down to visit relatives in Mexico for 2 weeks. The kid came back in three days and said it stunk to high heaven. He will not go back. He prefers toilets not holes in the ground.

Why don't these people dissatisfied with life down there, so dissatisfied that they illegally cross the border, stay down there and work to change things. Instead they come up here and allow Vicente Fox to continue to rob their brothers and sisters who do not make the trip.

What do they think California, Arizona, New Mexico and Texas would look like had Mexico been running the land all these years? -

Oh, Forget that question. It is obvious these people don't think.


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# Current Affairs -

Afghanistan Christian, Abdul Rahman, Released

Abdul Rahman, The man who converted to Christianity 15 years ago, has been released by the Afghanistan courts and from prison. He is currently in hiding and is seeking to flee Afghanistan if he hasn't yet done so.

~~~~~
Update: Yahoo News: ROME - The Afghan man who faced the death penalty after converting from Islam to Christianity flew to Rome on Wednesday after the Italian government granted him asylum. Abdul Rahman, 41, "is already in Italy. I think he arrived overnight," Premier Silvio Berlusconi said. - End update - We will now return you to the original post...
~~~~~

This is the point where the news starts getting fuzzy. One article will say he is seeking asylum while another says Italy has offered asylum. One says his family has rejected him. Another says his family met him at the gates and whisked him away. Yet another makes it appear the government is hiding him in a 'safe house'.

One story I found interesting was this:

From Time.com: Abdul Rahman's Family Values

- Western leaders breathed a sigh of relief yesterday at the release of Abdul Rahman, a Christian convert who had faced the death penalty under Afghanistan's Islamic law for renouncing his Muslim faith. Rahman, 40, has become the poster boy for the Christian right and for religious freedom. Closer up, however, the picture painted by the local police who arrested him shows a candidate not quite ready for family values. Rather, a portrait emerges of a deadbeat dad with psychological problems who couldn't hold down a job, abused his daughters and parents and didn't pay child support. -
...
Colonel Mohammed Saber Monseffi, the chief crime officer at the 15th district police station in Kabul, brought Abdul Rahman in for questioning after a domestic dispute turned violent late last month. Says Monseffi, "He told me, 'I'm a Christian,' and I said that is not of any interest to me. I asked him why did you beat your father, why did you beat your daughters?" The fact that Rahman was Christian was secondary to his family's desire to get him out of the house, said Monseffi, who adds that his own wife is a Russian Christian.
...
it continues
...
Witness statements by his teenage daughters Mariam and Maria, aged 13 and 14, on the night of his arrest appear to detail his failures as a parent. "He behaves badly with us and we were threatened and disgraced by him. He has no job and has never given me a stitch of clothing or a crust of bread. Just his name as a father," said his 13-year-old daughter Mariam in a statement signed with her inky fingerprint.
...
"He said he was my father but he hasn't behaved like a father since he came back to Afghanistan. He threatens us and we are all afraid of him and he doesn't believe in the religion of Islam," her statement said.
...
Abdul Rahman's own parents refused to take his side. A statement by his mother Ghul Begum reads: "We brought up his children and for eight years he didn't come home. Because he has converted from Islam to another religion we don't want him in our house." His father Abdul Manan's statement says, "(Abdul Rahman) wanted to change the ethics of my children and family. He is not going in the right direction. I have thrown him out of my house." Abdul Rahman's own statement does not dispute his financial straits. "Since I am jobless my family is with my children. I had economic problems with my family and my father has many complaints about me. He has warned me if I don't become a Muslim, I will be driven away from the house."
...

prying1 sez:
I really have to wonder about the veracity of Times article. I see so many contradictions throughout all the stories concerning this man I think it will take a while for the dust to settle. I'm willing to bet that the man did get violent however the children's statements as written by Time.com did not include physical violence but more of the mental abusive type.

Was Colonel Mohammed Saber Monseffi right in asking the question about him beating his children and father? Is the man really nuts?

But more importantly, was there any reason to condemn this man to death?

All Time.com's story really does, besides making me ask more questions, is reinforce the old bumper sticker slogan: "Christians Aren't Perfect, Just Forgiven".

~~~~~
sources:
http://www.christianfreedom.org/messages.aspx?id=622
http://civilliberty.about.com/b/a/2006_03_28.htm
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1178054,00.html
http://www.wdcmedia.com/newsArticle.php?ID=948
~~~~~
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Immigration Protests Are Not the Way To Win Friends and Influence People

Most people in the U.S.A. have heard about the demonstrations going on throughout the country concerning Illegal Immigration. 500,000 gathered in L.A. over the weekend. I know it is against the law to shout fire in a crowded movie theatre but I'm wondering if it would have been against the law to shout Immigracion' at the rally? (that's Spanish for Immigration for those of you in Rio Linda)

Today children left their classes to carry Mexican flags and shout their slogans throughout L.A. and Orange Counties. Didn't hear if this sort of nonsense went on in other locations in America. Some even walked on freeways and stopped traffic. In L.A. this is not the way to get people to embrace your cause. Anything but mucking up the traffic! I'm certain there were more than a few motorists that were tempted to run over the little darlings. Had it not been for the police presence I'm sure there would have been some of these teens hurt or flattened.

Carrying Mexican flags is not the way to get either red or blue states to jump on the bandwagon. Well, maybe some of the blue states. I talked to three people today that were not born in the U.S.A. (Assorted countries to the south) and all three disagreed with the open borders that these protestors are demanding. All three came in legally. All three were ticked at these people. All three were working instead of protesting.

One Naturalized American in particular voiced my own opinion. These Illegal Aliens that want to bring their third world culture across the border and claim California, Arizona and Texas as part of Mexico should take a good hard look at where they came from and ask themselves, "Is this what they really want?" Do they want Vicente Fox running portions of America? Do they want Federales collecting bribes? Do they want the wages in California to drop to $8.00 a day? Why did they travel north if not to get away from Fox and his corrupt government.

Some of these protestors use the usual liberal tactics against anyone who disagrees with a liberal cause. Call 'em names instead of entering a dialog. Anyone whose desire is to enforce our immigration laws and wants to keep the borders secure is a racist.

Immigrationwatchdog.com has a couple little video clips that proves this to be untrue. It shows a Jim Gilcrist/MinuteMan rally that had all shades, all colors of humans gathered while across the street some obvious south of the border people carried signs that demanded, amongst other things "White Racists You Get Off Our Continent" and "White Racist Go Back To Europe" - They did not have signs for the black folks that were on the Minuteman side of the street nor were there black americans on their side of the street. The La Raza (The Race) side uses the race card ineffectually. This is not a race issue.

Do we need reform in immigration?

YES!

We do not need new laws though. - We need to reform out government so that it enforces the laws already on the books. We need to work towards changing the Constitution so that babies born within our borders are not automatic citizens. We need to hold our government officials, Civil servants and elected politicians feet to the fire so they secure our borders. If all else fails we need to build a wall along the entire southern border. We need to remind politicians that Illegal Aliens do not vote!!!

At least they are not supposed to!

If we don't raise our voices in counterpoint then eventually this invasion of lawbreakers will overwhelm us. The have already changed the face of this nation. There is not a state in the union that has not been adversely affected culturally and financially. They want to change it even more!

Call your Congress and Senate. Don't leave it up to the guy next door. He might be leaving it up to you!
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Afghan Christian To Be Set Free

I'm sure most everyone has heard the story of Abdul Rahman, an Ex-Muslum who converted to Christianity 15 years ago and recently was facing the DEATH PENALTY for doing so. Apparently the Afghan court has decided that there are flaws in the case and it is being sent back to the prosecutors.

- Quote from Yahoo News, Reuters - "The case, because of some technical as well as legal flaws and shortcomings, has been referred back to the prosecutor's office," the judge, Ansarullah Mawlavizada, told Reuters.

He declined to elaborate or say if the review would delay the trial, which had been due to begin in coming days.

A prosecutor said Rahman's mental state would be examined on Monday following suggestions that he may be mentally unstable.

Rahman, detained this month for converting to Christianity, told an Italian newspaper from his Kabul jail cell that he was ready to die for his new faith. - end quote -

prying1 sez: So they are going to proclaim him nuts to save his life. They know he isn't but they will save their pride and face by taking the easy way out.

When his feet hit the streets will the loving and kind Muslums tell him of their care, prayers and concerns for him and his case? Perhaps invite him out for lunch and pick up the check. Will they prove that their religion is a "religion of peace" or will they murder him in the streets in cold blood because the courts are "subverting the will of Allah"?

Heaven forbid they should look to the real source of their problem and work to fix it. The real problem is an unwillingness to ask the question, "Does the god of Islam demand human sacrifices?" Evidently so. We have a case here of human beings working real hard to ignore the will of Allah. Which now begs the question, "Who or what is really Allah?"

Is he the one true, living, loving God or something else?

I can ask that question as a non-Muslum and search for the truth. Unless some "holy man cleric" from "The Religion of Peace" gets some sand ants up his butt and decides to put a contract out on me. A Muslum asks that question and he is murdered. A Muslum decided to seek the Living God and "holy men clerics" demand his blood be spilled as a sacrifice to Allah.

Are these jerks so insecure of keeping a congregation that they are willing to murder people to keep the rest in the fold in fear so they won't seek the truth? What kind of congregant would hang out in a church, mosque, temple where the leader wanted human blood spilled on the altar? Why do these people follow these bloodthirsty animals that claim to be priests? I loose my Christianity at this point.

Jesus wants us to pray for people like this.

I say, "Pray hell Lord! These jokers deserve the pit of hell. With the blanket of worms and the whole bit! And quickly!"

Jesus says, "Remember what I said while on the cross? "Father, forgive them for they know not what they do."

"Yeah, Lord."

"OK. Pray for these clerics because they fit right in there."

"(sigh) - OK Lord. (reluctantly) Change their hearts Lord and bless their pointy little heads.

Update: - Quote - from NY Times.Com - The court said that two of Mr. Rahman's relatives, a daughter and a cousin, had told the court that Mr. Rahman had mental problems, according to Abdul Wakil Omari, a spokesman for the Supreme Court.

"Also during his preliminary court hearing, he had said that he was hearing strange voices and that he was not feeling well spiritually," Mr. Omari said. -

But the prosecutor, Abdul Wasei, said he doubted the claim. "I did not see any kind of mental problem in this case," he said. And he said that Mr. Rahman, when asked about his mental health, insisted it was fine.

"I am O.K., you can prosecute me, I can answer your questions," Mr. Wasei said Mr. Rahman told him.

If a hospital examination bears that out, Mr. Wasei said he expects to have the case back before the court in a week.

If, however, Mr. Rahman is found to be mentally ill, Mr. Wasei acknowledged in an interview, "that's another thing and of course things will change."

Mr. Wasei dismissed as inaccurate news reports that Mr. Rahman was about to be released. "When his mental examination is finished, maybe he will be released," he said. "But I don't see any possibility of his being released before that."

The court also raised questions about Mr. Rahman's nationality. Mr. Rahman had lived abroad, in Germany, Greece and Belgium. If he acquired dual nationality, that could change the status of his case, Mr. Omari, the Supreme Court official, said.

The case began as a domestic dispute, when Mr. Rahman's family opposed his attempt to regain custody of his two daughters. In the course of the investigation, family members told authorities that Mr. Rahman had converted to Christianity 15 years ago.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

What a bunch of PIGS in the Afghan State Religion!.

(sorry Lord)

- I get carried away with emotions and forget these jerks "know not what they do."

Trust me on this as a Full Fledged Charismatic/Pentacostal Christian. The true church of the Living Christ (Totally interdenominational), that is, the ones whose names are truly listed in the "Lambs Book of Life", do not want "Christian" or "Theocratic Rule" in the U.S.A. - So when you hear the Liberals talk against Christians saying they want blue laws and claiming Christians want to set up a THEOCRACY know that once again the liberals are lying or decieved by their own leaders. A theocracy in this country would have to be run by humans subject to the desire for power. WE DON'T WANT CRAP LIKE THIS IN THE U.S.A....

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Reading Blogs is Better Than Newspapers!

Ok. I'll admit that most of the news you read on blogs comes from the MSM news sites. But the MSM does not bother to inform the American taxpayers about news like AubreyJ posts on his simple little blog.

- Quotes from AubreyJ (click the above link for real news from Iraq!)

March 23, 2006: Operation Swarmer, a combined operation involving Iraqi soldiers and police commandos and coalition forces wrapped up yesterday without any casualties and all of the tactical objectives met, Multinational Force Iraq officials announced today.
~~~~~
~~~~~
The combined force moved through the area using intelligence and planning provided primarily by the Iraqi security forces, officials said. The operation, they added, resulted in 104 suspected insurgents being detained and questioned and 24 weapons caches discovered.
~~~~~
~~~~~
In other news from Iraq, elements of the 2nd Battalion, 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, found five weapons cache sites west of Baghdad yesterday. The caches contained 17 pressure plate initiators, 18 106 mm heat rounds, 400 blasting caps, 20 radios with timers, 40 artillery rounds of various sizes and a large amount of 50-caliber rounds.

prying1 sez: The MSM is like a dying dinosaur! The blogosphere takes up a lot of the slack of their one sided reporting! - Thank You AubreyJ for your service!

In case you did not click the link above go visit AubreyJ now and read what I did not carry over While you are there scan through the past entries to get you up to speed!

- Ignorance can be cured! - - Leave stupidity for the liberals!

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Is Bill Clinton Muzzled or Not?

There are two stories on Newsmax.com - These came out after Bill was in favor of the Dubai Ports deal and Hillary against it.

Bill Clinton: Hillary's the Boss
&
Hillary Clinton: I'm Not Muzzling Bill -

Bill's Side sez: (21 MAR 06)

Ex-president Bill Clinton has agreed that when it comes to speaking out on controversial issues, his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, will have the last word from here on out.

Mr. Clinton has promised to clear all future pronouncements with his wife after he embarrassed her by lobbying for the Dubai Ports World deal, which she publicly opposed.

"He knows it's Hillary's time now," an adviser close to both Clintons told the New York Daily News, which said Mrs. Clinton invoked her veto power out of fear that her husband's wayward comments might hurt her 2008 presidential bid.

"Hillary has final say," said the adviser, explaining that even Bill's staff has been warned not to comment on anything without first clearing it with Hillary's office.

THEN

Hillary's Camp sez: (22 MAR 06)

2008 presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton is denying that she's put her foot down over her husband's tendency to make pronouncements that contradict her own positions.

"The story is not true," Mrs. Clinton's spokesman Philippe Reines told Chicago Sun-Times columnist Michael Sneed on Wednesday.

On Tuesday, the New York Daily News frontpaged the story under the headline: "Zip It: With Eye on 2008, Hill Tells Bill: Say Nothing Without my OK." (prying1 here - I could not find the link to this story but I found this instead)

The report claimed that "the former president agreed to give his wife a veto to avoid his habit of making controversial headlines that could hurt her chances of returning to the White House."

prying1 sez: Notice any contradictions between the two days worth of Clinton news? These folks have been spinning the news so much that they are getting dizzy. No wonder they are confused from one day to the next.

I'm willing to bet that the first story is true and the second one was put out by Hillary's "Major Tom Damage Control Team". Now there is a place of employment that has job security. She'll never dump them because of all the Tell-All Books that would come out.

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Message to Liberals - Get the Wax Out of Your Ears!

The Presidents Press Conference (21 Mar 06) had the same pack of liberals spouting the same leading questions. Questions that are filled with factoids they have created. I heard portions of the Press Conference, compliments of Hugh Hewitt, who devoted a lot of his radio air time to getting the president's message out. The same message the liberal press corp has evidently failed to hear time and again.

To those who pay attention it was like second verse, same as the first BUT this time I think the liberal media ignored him even harder. Watching the MSM news tonight I saw they were strained to put their usual HATE BUSH spin on the Press Conference but with artistic editing they did manage some damage control to help continue their make believe world view.

For those who missed it here are some factoids Bush demolished:

(Q from Terri (AP) - Q Iraq's Interim Prime Minister said Sunday that violence is killing an average of 50 to 60 people a day, and that, "if this is not civil war, then God knows what civil war is." Do you agree with Mr. Allawi that Iraq has fallen into civil war?

THE PRESIDENT: I do not. There are other voices coming out of Iraq, by the way, other than Mr. Allawi -- who I know, by the way, and like, he's a good fellow. President Talabani has spoken. General Casey, the other day, was quite eloquent on the subject. Zal Khalilzad, who I talk to quite frequently. Listen, we all recognize that there is violence, that there's sectarian violence. But the way I look at the situation is that the Iraqis took a look and decided not to go to civil war. - ... -

THERE IS NO CIVIL WAR GOING ON IN IRAQ!
- End of factoid.

~~~~~


The President called on Steve...

Q Thank you. You describe Iran as a threat, yet, you're close to opening talks with them about Iraq. What would be the objective in these talks if they are not negotiations? And is there a risk of getting drawn into the nuclear issue?

THE PRESIDENT: - ... - ...our negotiations with Iran on the nuclear weapons will be led by the EU-3. And that's important because the Iranians must hear there's a unified voice about -- that says that they shall not have a capacity to make a nuclear weapon and/or the knowledge as to how to make a nuclear weapon, for the sake of security of the world.

It's important for our citizens to understand that we have got to deal with this issue diplomatically now. And the reason why is because if the Iranians were to have a nuclear weapon they could blackmail the world. If the Iranians were to have a nuclear weapon they could proliferate. This is a country that's walking away from international accords; they're not heading toward the international accords, they're not welcoming the international inspections -- or safeguards -- safeguard measures that they had agreed to.

And so our policy for the Iranians, in terms of the nuclear program, is to continue to work with the EU-3, as well as Russia and China. Later on this week, there's going to be a P-5 -- that's a diplomatic sloganeering for the permanent members of the Security Council -- plus Germany, and working together to make sure that the message remains unified and concerted.

THE UNITED STATES IS NOT GOING TO BE THE ONLY COUNTRY INVOLVED IN THE IRAN NUCLEAR ISSUE!
- End of factoid.

~~~~~

Q = Helen Thomas

Q I'd like to ask you, Mr. President, your decision to invade Iraq has caused the deaths of thousands of Americans and Iraqis, wounds of Americans and Iraqis for a lifetime. Every reason given, publicly at least, has turned out not to be true. My question is, why did you really want to go to war? From the moment you stepped into the White House, from your Cabinet -- your Cabinet officers, intelligence people, and so forth -- what was your real reason? You have said it wasn't oil -- quest for oil, it hasn't been Israel, or anything else. What was it?

THE PRESIDENT: I think your premise -- in all due respect to your question and to you as a lifelong journalist -- is that -- I didn't want war. To assume I wanted war is just flat wrong, Helen, in all due respect --

Q Everything --

THE PRESIDENT: Hold on for a second, please.

Q -- everything I've heard --

THE PRESIDENT: Excuse me, excuse me. No President wants war. Everything you may have heard is that, but it's just simply not true. My attitude about the defense of this country changed on September the 11th. We -- when we got attacked, I vowed then and there to use every asset at my disposal to protect the American people. Our foreign policy changed on that day, Helen. You know, we used to think we were secure because of oceans and previous diplomacy. But we realized on September the 11th, 2001, that killers could destroy innocent life. And I'm never going to forget it. And I'm never going to forget the vow I made to the American people that we will do everything in our power to protect our people.

Part of that meant to make sure that we didn't allow people to provide safe haven to an enemy. And that's why I went into Iraq -- hold on for a second --

Q They didn't do anything to you, or to our country.

THE PRESIDENT: Look -- excuse me for a second, please. Excuse me for a second. They did. The Taliban provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where al Qaeda trained --

Q I'm talking about Iraq --

THE PRESIDENT: Helen, excuse me. That's where -- Afghanistan provided safe haven for al Qaeda. That's where they trained. That's where they plotted. That's where they planned the attacks that killed thousands of innocent Americans.

I also saw a threat in Iraq. I was hoping to solve this problem diplomatically. That's why I went to the Security Council; that's why it was important to pass 1441, which was unanimously passed. And the world said, disarm, disclose, or face serious consequences --

Q -- go to war --

THE PRESIDENT: -- and therefore, we worked with the world, we worked to make sure that Saddam Hussein heard the message of the world. And when he chose to deny inspectors, when he chose not to disclose, then I had the difficult decision to make to remove him. And we did, and the world is safer for it.

Q Thank you, sir. Secretary Rumsfeld -- (laughter.)

THE PRESIDENT DID NOT MOVE INTO THE WHITE HOUSE WITH AN ITCHY TRIGGER FINGER. DIPLOMACY WAS TRIED WITH SADDAM HUSSEIN AND FAILED. WMD's WERE NOT THE ONLY REASON FOR GOING INTO IRAQ!
- End of factoids.

~~~~~

Q Good morning, sir. Mindful of the frustrations that many Americans are expressing to you, do you believe you need to make any adjustments in how you run the White House? Many of your senior staffers have been with you from the beginning. There are some in Washington who say --

THE PRESIDENT: Wait a minute, is this a personal attack launching over here? (Laughter.)

Q Some say they are tired and even tone-deaf, even within your party who say that maybe you need some changes. Would you benefit from any changes to your staff?

THE PRESIDENT: I've got a staff of people that have, first of all, placed their country above their self-interests. These are good, hardworking, decent people. And we've dealt with a lot. We've dealt with a lot. We've dealt with war, we've dealt with recession, we've dealt with scandal, we've dealt with Katrina. I mean, they had a lot on their plate. And I appreciate their performance and their hard work and they've got my confidence.

THE PRESIDENT CHOSE A STAFF THAT IS LOYAL AND HAS A GRASP OF HIS VISION. UNLIKE A PREVIOUS PRESIDENT WHOSE STAFF SEEMED TO CHANGE WITH THE WIND NONE OF HIS STAFF WILL BE REMOVED BECAUSE THE LIBERAL PRESS (OR MICHAEL MOORE'S CROWD) DOES NOT LIKE THE PERSON.
- End of factoid

~~~~~

prying1 sez: There was much more repetition of the same stuff from this same tired liberal press corps such as the President ignoring manufactured polls (read: lies instead of polls - he will continue to ignore them) - Firing Rumsfeld (still not going to happen) - terrorist surveillance program (quote "nobody from the Democrat Party has actually stood up and called for getting rid of the terrorist surveillance program.") - Timetable for withdrawal from Iraq (AGAIN - When the generals decide)


This is the same hash that has been going on for how long now? Hence the title of this post!

Hearing the exchange between Helen Thomas and the president I was struck with how rude this supposedly "enlightened and caring' liberal woman is. Mean and rude! But then again. Should I be surprised? The caring and loving liberals are the same ones that applaud "Piss Christ" and abhor the posting of the Ten Commandments.

The entire press conference (with video) can be seen at the White House News Release Page



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More Internet/Email Jokes

Please don't groan too loudly. People will think my blog sickens you...

There was a lonely guy who decided that life would be more fun if he had a pet.

He went to the pet store and told the owner that he wanted to buy an unusual pet. After some discussion, he finally bought a centipede. It came in a little white box to use for his house. He took the box back home, found a good location and decided he would start off by taking his new pet to the park.

So he asked the centipede in the box, "Would you like to go to the park with me?"

But there was no answer from his new pet. This bothered him a bit, but he waited a few minutes and then asked him again, "How about going to the park with me?"

But again, there was no answer from his new friend and pet. So he waited a few minutes more, thinking about the situation. He decided to ask him one more time; this time putting his face up against the centipede?s house and shouting, "Hey, in there! Would you like to go to the park with me?"

A little voice came out of the box: "I heard you the first time! I'm putting on my shoes."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

At a world brewing convention in the States, the CEO's of various brewing organizations retired to the bar at the end of each day's conference.

Bruce, CEO of Fosters, shouted to the Barman: "In 'Strylya, we make the best bladdy beer in the world, so pour me a bladdy Fosters, mate."

Bob, CEO of Budweiser, calls out next: "In the States, we brew the finest beers of the world, and I make the king of them all, gimme a Bud."

Hans, CEO of Lowenbrau, steps up next: "In Germany ve invented das beer, ferdamt. Give me ein Lowenbrau, das ist der real King of beers, danke."

Paddy, CEO of Guinness, steps forward: "Barman, would ya give me a diet coke with ice and lemon. Thanks."

The others stare at him in stunned silence, amazement written all over their faces. Eventually Bruce asks: "Are you not going to have a Guinness, Pat?"

Paddy replies "Well, if you flippin' pansies aren't drinkin', then neither am I!"

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Ever mindful of the congregation, the Baptist preacher and his wife decided to get a new dog, and knew that the dog also had to be a Baptist. They visited kennel after kennel and explained their needs. Finally, they found a kennel whose owner assured them he had just the dog they wanted. The owner brought the dog to meet the pastor and his wife.

"Fetch the Bible," he commanded. The dog bounded to the bookshelf, scrutinized the books, located the Bible, and brought it to the owner.

"Now find Psalm 23," he commanded. The dog dropped the Bible to the floor, and showing marvelous dexterity with his paws, leafed through and finding the correct passage, pointed to it with his paw.

The pastor and his wife were very impressed and purchased the dog. That evening, a group of church members came to visit. The pastor and his wife began to show off the dog, having him locate several Bible verses. The visitors were very impressed.

One man asked, "Can he do regular dog tricks, too?"

"I haven't tried yet," the pastor replied. He pointed his finger at the dog. "HEEL!" the pastor commanded. The dog immediately jumped on a chair, placed one paw on the pastor's forehead and began to howl.

The pastor looked at his wife in shock and said, "Good Lord! He's Pentecostal!"

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Priceless Way to Get Cheap Advertising Copy at Priceless.com!

Just saw a commercial advertising the Mastercard "Priceless" commercials. Apparently they are running out of ideas because this commercial had lines like ________:$9 (Voice says, "Blank: Nine Dollars")...

They want you to go to their website, Priceless.com and "Fill in the blanks" to win cash prizes.

Prizes are as follows:

Prizes: (30) Semifinalist Prizes: $100 MasterCard Gift Card (Approximate Retail Value "ARV"=$100). (4) Finalist Prizes: $500 MasterCard Gift Card (ARV=$500). (1) Grand Prize: a) $1,000 MasterCard Gift Card & b) Spot completed by winner will air live based on a schedule designated solely by Sponsor (ARV=$1,000). MasterCard Gift Card restrictions may apply. Total ARV of all prizes=$6,000. Limit (1) prize per person, family, or household.

prying1 sez: Looks to me to be a real cheap way for Mastercard to get copy for future ads. But I'm just a cynic...

I'm really just jealous and wish my brain was filled with originality and personal creation like their rules specify. Oh well! For those that want to enter my inabilities equals less competition.

Good luck to all who decide to enter...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Update: - Just found out this promo contest was first aired on the Academy Awards Broadcast. - Whose bright idea was that? Now there is a joker in the advertising world that should be replaced...

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

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Retirement Jokes!

I think they are funny so I thought I'd share. - This is for those of you that don't get the joke emails passed around via emails. Your mailbox might not be filled all the time but look at all the fun you are missing!

RETIREMENT:

Question: How many days in a week?
Answer: 6 Saturdays, 1 Sunday


Question: When is a retiree's bedtime?
Answer: Three hours after he falls asleep on the couch.

Question: How many retirees to change a light bulb?
Answer: Only one, but it might take all day.

Question: What's the biggest gripe of retirees?
Answer: There is not enough time to get everything done.

Question: Why don't retirees mind being called Seniors?
Answer: The term comes with a 10% discount.

Question: Among retirees what is considered formal attire?
Answer: Tied shoes.

Question: Why do retirees count pennies?
Answer: They are the only ones who have the time.

Question: What is the common term for someone who enjoys work and refuses to retire?
Answer: NUTS!

Question: Why are retirees so slow to clean out the basement, attic or garage?
Answer: They know that as soon as they do, one of their adult kids will want to store stuff there.

Question: What do retirees call a long lunch?
Answer: Normal.

Question: What is the best way to describe retirement?
Answers: The never ending Coffee Break.

Question: What's the biggest advantage of going back to school as a retiree?
Answer: If you cut classes, no one calls your parents.

Question: Why does a retiree often say he doesn't miss work, but misses the people he used to work with?
Answer: He is too polite to tell the whole truth.

AND, If you have not yet retired, look what you have to look forward to....

Thanks to Sandejay for the above lines!

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Where Does the Money Go?

Hugh Hewitt had this exchange on his radio Show Last Friday.

HH = Hugh Hewitt - Radio Host
JC= John Campbell - Congressman for the 48th Congressional district, California

HH: I appreciate your flying back from D.C. to do this show, because now finally...I can talk with Dreier about the rules, but you're on Financial Services, you're on Veterans Affairs, and you're on the floor voting on these things, not yet in the leadership. And so, I am confounded, befuddled, by what happened this week on the spending stuff, and I want you to walk our people through. What is going...why are you people spending money like drunken sailors?

JC: I think it's actually just...I'm going to give you the conclusion before we get to it. We need a spending limit, and we need a line item veto. And I'm not sure that anything else is going to stop it, just because of the way that Congress works with individual...with so many members and so many interest groups. Let me just give you a few examples. I've been in Congress now just over 90 days. Not a long time, right?

HH: Right.

JC: Brand new guy. Just came in. Had 63 requests for earmarks.

HH: No.

JC: 63 requests. And they only had 60 days to get to me.

HH: Where do they come from?

JC: Everything from a number of private contractors looking for defense money. You know, we have this thing and it's really good, and it'd be great for the national defense. The Department of Defense unfortunately doesn't recognize that. So if you can get us $3 million or $4 million dollars, we can create this thing.

HH: Explain to people what an earmark is. I always make that mistake.

JC: Sorry. Okay, I've assumed that the listeners of the Hugh Hewitt show have been educated by you, but I guess not.

HH: I try, I try.

JC: All right. Okay.

HH: There are Pittsburgh Steeler fans listening.

JC: What an earmark is, is members of Congress and the U.S. Senate have the opportunity to direct specific money to something in their district. So rather than its...let's say you have a transportation bill, and it's got however many billion dollars in it, and it gets sent to the states to spend on transportation things. But let's say you want to do a particular transportation project in your district. You can earmark and say I want this $4 million dollars to go specifically to the interchange of the 5 and the 22 freeway. You know, whatever it may be. Something like that. So that's what earmarks are. Most of the earmarks requests I got were from public agencies. But I mean, you get things like that. The point is, is that the easiest way as a member of Congress to make friends is to spend money on people. And there's lots of opportunities to do that. I would say 80% of the meetings I've had in my office thus far have been people asking for money. Either earmarks or simply in the budget, make sure we increase this. Or in the budget, we need to put money for this. Or in the budget, we need to increase the money for this. And one of the things I've asked every single person that's come in thus far, is I've said you know, we have a budget issue. We have deficits. There's...money isn't endless, even for $2.7 trillion dollars, which is the federal budget amount, even...is a finite number. You want us to spend $10 million on this. Could you bring me a suggestion of something we can spend $10 million less on, so that then, we can spend $10 million on the thing you want. And people kind of don't want to come in with that. But something I've been asking. But because of this whole...I mean, the number of people, constituents, non-constituents, whatever, that come and ask you for money is amazing. And it's frankly, it's hard to say no to everybody, to 80% of the people who come to see you. It's easy to say yes, and so that whole impetus creates...and that impetus times 535 people, members of the House of Representatives and the U.S. Senate, creates a whole wave of wanting to spend more money on things. So that's basically, I think, what's making it happen, plus the reality of votes. You know, well, gee, I won't vote for the budget unless we increase this by $100 million, or that by $50 million, or that by $150...and you see that dynamic going on as well.

HH: I'm going to quote you, and Radioblogger's going to put up with interview. I've been in Congress a little more than 90 days, and I have received 63 requests for earmarks, is that correct?

JC: That is correct.

HH: What did they total? Are you keeping a running total?

JC: Actually, I didn't add up the numbers. It'd be in the hundreds of millions.

HH: That is just incredible.

The Complete Interview with mp3 sound clips can be found at radioblogger.com

prying1 sez: John Campbell, near the beginning of this exchange said we need spending limits and the line item veto. That, and making it legal to whop these people over the head with rolled up newspapers. -

We really do need more people like John Campbell in the Congress and the Senate. Look for them in your neighborhood and help get them elected.


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