Merry Marriage in Massachusetts

Barney Frank hard at work while talking to aspiring politician Mike Evans. Photo courtesy Washington Blade.


Massachusetts could face an "angry, divisive" fight if a proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage reaches the 2008 state ballot, Rep. Barney Frank says.

Do you think Barney has a vested interest in a particular side of this issue?

"Basically, they're the disturbers of the civic peace," he said. "We now have social peace in Massachusetts. They're the ones who want to stir it up ... This is a non-issue in Massachusetts."

Frank seems to feel the civic peace is imperiled by exercising the right to petition for the right to vote on an issue. Of course, if it were some group of flaming queens demonstrating for the right to fornicate in public Barney would probably see that as promoting social justice.

Will someone please slip him a poisoned gerbil at the New Year's party?

Murder, Kidnapping, Politics In Germany

Recently our "allies", the Germans, released a Lebanese serving a life sentence for the murder of a U.S. Navy diver during the 1985 hijacking of a TWA airplane.

German Chancellor Merkel has a visit scheduled to Washington in January. One would hope that it would be made painfully clear to her that this is not the way to improve relations with America.

“The United States will make every effort to see that this individual, Mohammad Ali Hamadi, faces justice in a United States court for his role in the murder of Mr. [Robert Dean] Stethem,” said State Department spokesman Sean McCormack during his daily briefing in Washington December 20.

Hamadi, a member of the radical Shiite Muslim terrorist group Hizballah, flew to Lebanon after his release December 15, according to a German government spokesman, who denied Hamadi’s parole had any connection to the subsequent release in Iraq of a kidnapped German archeologist, Susanne Osthoff.

This is the same Susanne Osthoff who said her captors told her not to be afraid as her kidnapping was "politically motivated."

"Do not be afraid. We do not harm women or children and you are a Muslim," she quoted them as saying.

"I was so happy to know that I had not fallen into the hands of criminals," she said. She described her captors as "poor people" and that she "cannot blame them for kidnapping her, as they cannot enter (Baghdad's heavily fortified) Green Zone to kidnap Americans."

I guess the Germans no longer consider kidnapping a crime either. Murder? Kidnapping? It's all just playing politics. Osthoff repeated more than once that she "was sold", without making clear what she meant.

U.S. officials originally sought Hamadi’s extradition to the United States at the time of his arrest in Frankfurt, Germany, in 1987, McCormack said. “Germany, at that time, made the decision to assert jurisdiction over the case, and he was tried and convicted and sentenced in Germany,” McCormack told reporters.

“In the years since his arrest and conviction, the United States has made its views known that Hamadi should face trial in the U.S. for the murder of Mr. Stethem,” McCormack continued. “We have demonstrated over the years that, when … we believe an individual is responsible for the murder of innocent civilians, that we will track them down and that we will bring them to justice in the United States.”

Stethem, a 23-year-old U.S. Navy sailor, was a passenger aboard TWA Flight 847 from Athens, Greece, to Rome in 1985, when hijackers seeking the release of Hizbollah prisoners in Israeli jails singled him out for brutal treatment because of his military service. After beating him and shooting him to death, the hijackers dropped his body onto the Beirut, Lebanon, airport runway. Hamadi’s three accomplices remain at large.

The United States now is talking with the Lebanese government about Hamadi’s extradition, but the issue is complicated because the United States and Lebanon do not have an extradition treaty, McCormack said. “So we are in contact with them on this issue and, as I said, regardless of the timeline, we will make every effort to see that this individual stands trial in a U.S. court for what he has done.”

Asked whether the United States renewed its extradition request with Germany after being notified by the German government that Hamadi would be released, McCormack responded later in the day that the U.S. government did not.

“The U.S. request to Germany for Hamadi's extradition was denied almost 20 years ago,” he said. “Our extradition treaty does not permit Germany to extradite a fugitive to the United States on the same charges for which he has already been tried and convicted in Germany.”

McCormack noted that the U.S. and German legal systems differ in their views of whether Hamadi, in fact, has served a sentence for all the potential crimes he may have committed. “In our view, he has not,” McCormack said during the press briefing. “He could be, in fact, convicted of the murder of Mr. Stethem so that -- again, there's a difference in the interpretations between the legal systems,” McCormack said.

“We made our legal case to the German authorities, and our policy is that we will make every effort now to see that he stands trial in the United States,” McCormack said.

The disappointment of the United States is not due solely to the fact that Hamadi was released before the end of his full sentence, McCormack clarified. In fact, even if Hamadi had served his full 25-year sentence, “we still would have him stand trial in the United States,” McCormack said.

“I think it's clear that from the history of this case that we would have preferred that he stand trial in the United States,” he said. “I think you can see that from the fact that we requested his extradition when he was first arrested and the German government decided that they were going to assert their right to try him and imprison him in Germany,” McCormack said.

“We were certainly disappointed at the time that we didn't get our hands on him then,” he said. “And we are disappointed now that he has been released before the end of his full sentence.”

Thanks to US Dept of State

Suspicious Spirit And The ACLU

Muslim Americans were detained near the Canadian border upon returning from the "Reviving the Islamic Spirit" conference in Canada. However, this conference has featured some attendees who should have drawn the attention of Homeland Security.

Once again the ACLU wanted to outlaw common sense under the pretext of protecting constitutional rights. However, in this case, a federal judge in Buffalo, NY ruled against them. They are, of course, planning to appeal.

The judge correctly noted, "As unfortunate as this incident may have been, I find that it was not unconstitutional," for Customs and Border Protection "had reason to believe that these conferences would serve as meeting points for terrorists to exchange ideas and documents, coordinate operations, and raise funds intended for terrorist activities." The fingerprinting, photographing and vehicle searches were necessary to verify that U.S.-based conferees were not attempting to "use the conference as cover."

Here is the wicked word twisting of the ACLU direct from their own site:

“As this decision demonstrates, we now are reaching a point in this country where the ‘war on terrorism’ has turned into a war on the constitution,” said New York Civil Liberties Union Executive Director Donna Lieberman. “With the recent disclosures about government spying on political activity, we no longer can trust our government to respect our most cherished traditions, including our right to religious freedom.”

Isn't it incredible how the ACLU can feign love of religion when it suits their nefarious purposes.

Homeland Security officials said they had information that potential terrorists might have attended the "Reviving the Islamic Spirit" conference or other similar gatherings. So they ordered customs inspectors to photograph, fingerprint and question everyone who said they attended the conference. Kristi Clemens, spokeswoman for U.S. Customs and Border Protection, was quoted as saying, "In this instance, we had credible intelligence that conferences similar to the one from which these individuals were leaving were being used by terrorist organizations to fundraise and to hide the travel of terrorists themselves.

The issue here is not that these people attended a "religious" conference, it is whether or not these conferences may be a method for terrorists and other radical Islamists to cross the American border at will. That seems to be of no concern to the ACLU.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 115 blogs already onboard.

More Criminals Caught At The Border

As Mexico's leaders continue to disparage us for wanting to protect the integrity of our borders, here's another example of what's trying to slip through. From murderers to drug runners, they seize the opportunity to prey upon our nation. It's time to bar the door and tell Mexico where to go.


DOUGLAS — A man wanted on an attempted first-degree murder charge in Cochise County was detained at the federal port of entry in this border community and turned over to the Douglas Police Department late Monday night.
Esgardo Ysea, 41, a U.S. citizen, who was released from state prison in 2004, after serving nearly 19 years for a conviction of second-degree murder, is wanted for the multiple stabbing of a 44-year-old man in Douglas, according to police Lt. Carlos Guido.On July 3, Ysea, allegedly “viciously attacked the man stabbing him numerous times and leaving him for dead,” Guido said.
After the incident, Ysea fled the area and has been the subject of a search since then, said the police lieutenant, who commands the Douglas investigation section.Guido first came to know Ysea in September 1985, when as a patrol officer he was involved in an incident in which the man “stabbed his estranged common-law wife in the back with a butcher knife.”
The woman died a day later, and the result was Ysea’s conviction of second-degree murder at a Cochise County Superior Court trial and his prison sentence, the officer said.According to a spokeswoman for the Cochise County Jail booking section, Ysea is being held on a $250,000 bond on the current attempted murder charge and an additional $1,000 bond for a reported domestic violence charged allegedly committed earlier this year.
Guido said Ysea is accused of destroying furniture of his girlfriend and dolls belonging to her children during a March 28 incident.Ysea’s detention and turning over to the Douglas Police Department involved was one of two cases Monday involving people with outstanding warrants in Arizona.According to Brian Levin, spokesman for the U.S. Customs and Border Protection office in the state, agents at the Douglas Port of Entry recognized Ysea as being wanted by law enforcement.They also detained Romaine Heath, 52, on a warrant from Maricopa County, who was escorted to them by Mexican authorities.Heath, an American citizen, is wanted on a no-bond probation violation, according to a county jail spokeswoman. No information about the violation was available. He was turned over to the Douglas Police Department.Also, on Christmas Day, a husband and wife from Chihuahua, Mexico, were stopped at the Douglas Port of Entry and arrested for attempting to smuggle 127 pounds of marijuana, hidden in 86 packages inside special compartments built into a 1994 GMC Sierra pickup, Levin said.

From the Sierra Vista Herald.

Another Fine Mess

Stanley Kerry and Ollie Kennedy prepare their latest comedy of errors. Entitled "Hiding From The Law", a short description follows. On the run from the 180 police, the comic duo hide in, what they believe to be, a deserted boat house. But, Stan and Ollie soon find themselves waterlogged to the point of capsizing.


Well, Stanley, release your military records like you promised. What type of discharge did you originally receive? Free your 180, the whole thing. Tell the whole truth!

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Holiday Visitors

As long as Congress may be in the mood to finally start securing our borders it is well to remind everyone of incidents such as this. There is no reason the American public should be subject to the dangers of entry at will by the criminals of Mexico.

Dec. 4, 2005, CBP Tucson Sector Border Patrol agents apprehended a group of 19 illegal aliens east of the Douglas Port of Entry. At the Douglas processing station, all of the subjects’ fingerprints were submitted into the IAFIS, checking for criminal histories and searching over 49 million records in the Federal Bureau of Investigation fingerprint database.

One of the individuals, Jose Medina-Castañeda, a 43-year-old Mexican national who was illegally in the United States, was identified as having an outstanding felony warrant for murder/homicide in Los Angeles. Upon the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s office verifying the warrant and confirming extradition to Los Angeles, Medina-Castañeda was booked in the Cochise County Jail where he awaits extradition to California.

Thanks to the New York Jewish Times.


Important Note: Utilized throughout all sectors of the U.S. Border Patrol, the Integrated Automated Fingerprint Identification System (IAFIS) has identified 606 homicide suspects and 154,530 suspected criminals between the ports of entry since its inception Sept. 1, 2004.

Good News, Bad News

There's an old joke about a doctor who offers good news and bad news to a patient in the hospital. "Which would you like to hear first," he asks the man he's treating.

"Give me the bad news," says the patient.

"I'm afraid I have to amputate both your legs at the knees,"states the doctor.

The patient, visibly shaken, stammers, "What could the good news be?"

The doctor quickly responds, "the guy in the next room wants to buy your shoes."

That is how the Zogby America Poll left me feeling. Read on.

If the shadows of future presidential elections remain unchanged, Republicans again will take the White House in 2008, according to polling conducted this month. The results also conclude that U.S. Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., would be the winner.

A Zogby America poll was conducted Dec.6-8 of 1,013 registered voters across the nation, and those responding were asked who they would vote for if the election were held today.

In order to keep the Democrats out do I have to let McCain in?

More about the poll at The Intelligencer.

Merry Christmas To All

I have been out of commission since Tuesday afternoon due to some hideous bug. While I am starting to feel better, I am going to vacation from posting and continue to get rest and enjoy the holiday with family. Merry Christmas to all and may God bless!

John Kerry, He's A Dilly

In what he is now trying to be pass off as a joke, John Kerry commented to a veterans group in Boston, "If we take back the House, there a solid case to bring articles of impeachment against this president.”

The Boston Globe reports that a spokeswoman for Kerry, April Boyd, tried to downplay the senator’s comment with a zinger of her own, saying "Impeachment jokes in Washington are as old as Donald Rumsfeld." Not only does Kerry lack a true sense of humor but, he is constantly having to clarify, restate or extricate himself from his own words. So, John, is it not reasonable for many of us to have doubts about your 180 form?

Release your military records like you promised. What type of discharge did you originally receive? Free your 180, the whole thing. Tell the whole truth!

This was brought to you by the Free Kerry's 180 Blogroll.
If you want to join, visit Cao's Blog for instructions.

More on the John Kerry "impeachment joke" at NewsMax.

House Approves Norwood CLEAR Act

“This is a tremendous win for public safety and the ability of state and local law enforcement across the country to effectively fight violent criminal illegal aliens,” Norwood says.

Thank you, Congressman Norwood, for your persistence and determination to protect our nation. After almost three years of effort the payoff is at hand. Local law enforcement agencies will be approved to enforce federal immigration law during the course of routine duties.

The House of Representatives has passed the major provisions of the CLEAR Act, HR 3137, by U.S. Rep. Charlie Norwood (R-GA) as Amendment 65 to the Border Protection, Antiterrorism, and Illegal Immigration Control Act of 2005, HR 4437. The Amendment passed by a 237-180 bipartisan margin. The overall bill, HR 4437, is expected to be sent to conference with Senate immigration reform legislation, and if the two Houses agree to a final bill, the CLEAR Act provisions could become law sometime next year.

The CLEAR Act was considered by friend and foe to be one of the most powerful potential reforms in fighting illegal immigration. Currently, illegal aliens who make it past the border are largely able to disappear in immigrant communities, as only 2,000 federal officers are able to track down 460,000 criminal aliens each year, rendering effective enforcement virtually impossible. The CLEAR Act amendments allow an additional 700,000 state and local officers to join the fight.

Read more at this news release.

You'll Be Told What To Do

Obviously not open to diverse opinions regarding their organization's agenda, the ACLU can't bring itself to be cordial to the Christian clergy. What evil spell was the gay grinch Romero conjuring up in his den of iniquity that he couldn't drag himself away from for a few moments? I'll bet Satan is a jealous taskmaster.

I wonder where the letters are now...perhaps gone to the shredder that the ACLU has grown so fond of recently.

The following is from Agapepress:

...A Christian leader says the American Civil Liberties Union was anything but civil recently when he presented the organization with thousands of letters. Rob Schenck of the National Clergy Council recently presented to the ACLU 20,000 letters protesting that group's attacks on Christmas and other forms of religious expression. Schenck says ACLU executive director Anthony Romero was not interested in talking. "When I asked if I could see Mr. Romero, I was told no," Schenck relates. "When I asked if I could speak with his assistant, Scott, who was on the phone with me, he said no." Further, says the ministry leader, when he asked if he could simply deliver the letters and than discuss them later with ACLU officials, he was told: "When you get here, you'll be told what to do." When Schenck arrived at ACLU headquarters in Washington, DC, he was told to go to the back door, near the dumpster. The delivery service assured Schenck that the letters would be given to Mr. Romero. Schenck observes that "while the ACLU [claims to] be champions of free speech, they had no interest in hearing what we had to say." [Bill Fancher]

Sunday Funny

Feliz Navidad

Just Friday, in Fox Wants To Run Our Henhouse, I was writing how Vicente Fox should take care of his own country and not be so busy minding America's business. If Fox was really worried about the "rights" of his people he would do something about the harassment, extortion and robbery inflicted on them by Mexican government personnel.

Someone should translate that maxim about people living in glass houses for Mr. Fox. He certainly needs someone to remind him which country he's responsible for running and how it is not acceptable to meddle in your neighbor's internal affairs. Stuff that in your tortilla and eat it, Vicente!

MEXICO CITY (AP) — Mexican migrants returning home from the United States laden with money and Christmas presents have complained of being harassed, extorted or robbed by Mexican police and customs officials, the government announced Friday.Since Nov. 1, the government has received 28 complaints from migrants, about 20 percent higher than during the same period last year, said Florencia Martinez, head of the Paisano Program, a government effort to clamp down on corrupt public officials and to welcome migrants home for the holidays.
Martinez attributed the increase to migrants becoming more aware of their rights and initiatives that have made it easier to file a complaint — and not to more corruption.

Thanks to the Sierra Vista Herald.

Sunday Reading

For your Sunday reading, I encourage you to go to this article at PittsburghLIVE.com. It is called Taking license with liberty and is well written by Gery Steighner.

Here is a brief excerpt:

The ACLU's worldview is not one of liberty but of license, animated by a reckless abandonment of a belief central to the survival of the American dream.

If we wish to have rights, we must undergo the pain of defending them.

Most important, we must understand where those rights come from and the obligations they impose. The ACLU does not.

No Patriots These

In a vote early Friday, Senate supporters of the Patriot Act were not able to get the 60 votes needed to overcome a filibuster by Russ Feingold, D-Wisconsin, and Larry Craig, R-Idaho, and their allies. The final vote was 52-47. Below, I have listed the names of those voting nay. Frist, R-Tennessee, changed his vote at the last moment after seeing the critics would win. He decided to vote with the prevailing side so he could call for a new vote at any time.

If an act of terrorism occurs that could have been prevented by reauthorizing this legislation, these senators should be held accountable for every death, injury and property loss. A special court of the people should be convened, gallows built and justice meted out swiftly. We may need a specially reinforced facility for Teddy. The fact that all our senators feel it is ok to recess for the holidays while our security hangs in the balance shows how serious these egomaniacs are about serving their nation.

Akaka (D-HI) Baucus (D-MT) Bayh (D-IN) Biden (D-DE) Bingaman (D-NM) Boxer (D-CA) Byrd (D-WV) Cantwell (D-WA) Carper (D-DE) Clinton (D-NY) Conrad (D-ND) Corzine (D-NJ) Craig (R-ID) Dayton (D-MN) Dorgan (D-ND) Durbin (D-IL)

Feingold (D-WI) Feinstein (D-CA) Frist (R-TN) Hagel (R-NE) Harkin (D-IA) Inouye (D-HI) Jeffords (I-VT) Kennedy (D-MA) Kerry (D-MA) Kohl (D-WI) Landrieu (D-LA) Lautenberg (D-NJ) Leahy (D-VT) Levin (D-MI) Lieberman (D-CT) Lincoln (D-AR)

Mikulski (D-MD) Murkowski (R-AK) Murray (D-WA) Nelson (D-FL) Obama (D-IL) Pryor (D-AR) Reed (D-RI) Reid (D-NV) Rockefeller (D-WV) Salazar (D-CO) Sarbanes (D-MD) Schumer (D-NY) Stabenow (D-MI) Sununu (R-NH) Wyden (D-OR)

Fox Wants To Run Our Henhouse

President Vicente Fox always has more to say about the United States than he does Mexico. On Wednesday, he criticized the United States' decision to strengthen its border security and complete a wall along the border.

"This situation we're seeing, a disgraceful and shameful moment where walls are being built, security systems are being reinforced, and human and labor rights are being violated more and more, won't protect the economy of the United States," Fox said.

"It would be hard to know what would happen to the economy of the United States if it wasn't for the enormous contribution, the productivity, the quality of work of our countrymen in that country," Fox added.

The only concern Fox has about our economy is how much money he can pump into his own by encouraging his countrymen to break our laws. What is disgraceful and shameful is the continued culture of corruption that pervades his country and the fact that it will not take care of its own. The disgrace and shame all belongs to Vicente and those who have gone before him.

Fox has the unmitigated gall to tell Americans what they need when he can't even fix his own miserable economy that drives its citizens to acts of desperation.

"What the United States needs is a young (work) force, energy, quality, productivity, which is what keeps that economy competitive and the only way it can stop losing jobs to Asia, to China,"preached Fox.

What the United States needs is for Mexico to fix itself and for its leaders to stop advocating the breaking of our laws. Since taking office, Fox has traveled each year to Mexico's northern border to greet the wave of returning illegals. It is undesirable traits like that in a neighbor that cause walls to be built.

Freedom Of, Not Freedom From

Earlier this month, U.S. Rep. Gresham Barrett, R-S.C. filed legislation that he says will protect elected and appointed officials who want to pray in public.

"All we're doing is trying to clarify what the Constitution of the United States says," Barrett said. "What the Constitution says is 'freedom of religion,' not 'freedom from religion.'"

"Just because I'm a public official doesn't mean I'm not a citizen of the United States and protected under the Constitution of the United States," stated Barrett.

“What the Constitution says is you don’t have to believe as I believe. Any public official can stand up and pray. If he wants to be inclusive, fine. If he wants to be specific, fine,” Barrett said.

This certainly sounds reasonable, why should I have to abdicate my beliefs as a human being, my rights endowed by my creator in order to serve as a public official. Telling me how and where I can pray violates my freedoms of religion and free speech.

But, this is not good enough for the ACLU. One of their minions in South Carolina, Mike Cubello, says,"it's clearly unconstitutional. It disrespects people of other religions."

I'm sure Mike and the rest of the ACLU are deeply concerned about the sensitivities of religious folks. But,I missed the disrespecting of other religions clause in the constitution. When someone put the crucifix in urine and called it art, I assumed we were blessing disrespect of religion as part of our free speech. At that time the ACLU went to court to protect the right to disrespect Christianity. Is this one of those hypocritical stances by the ACLU...again!

According to a biography of Cubelo, he does not attend church and spends Sunday morning with the New York Times. It sounds very much like those who have disdain for organized religion and adore the pseudo-intellectual ramblings of the liberal elite, pushing tyranny by the minority once again.

Where is the disrepect in allowing each person to pray as they deem appropriate? What happened to the concept of displaying polite reverence for someone elses faith? As Barrett said, about those who hold beliefs different than his, "I would hope that they would be tolerant of me because I would certainly be tolerant of them."

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 115 blogs already onboard.

Iranian Clergyman Holds Ballistic Prayer Service

UPDATE: The head of Iraq's border guards denied police reports on Wednesday that a tanker truck stuffed with thousands of forged ballot papers had been seized crossing into Iraq from Iran before Thursday's elections.

Interior Minister Bayan Jabor also denied the reports, which the New York Times ran prominently, quoting a single unnamed Interior Ministry source, and said it was an attempt to discredit the election process.(Reuters)

In a choice between Reuters and the NY Times, which one do you believe if you believe at all. Still, it doesn't absolve Iran from interference in another soveriegn state's affairs.

As predicted, Iran has been caught red-handed interfering in the Iraqi election. Madman Mahmoud continues to deny the Holocaust. "They have fabricated a legend under the name 'Massacre of the Jews', and they hold it higher than God himself, religion itself and the prophets themselves," he said. And now, the ruling Ayatollah has placed his blessing on the nuclear obliteration of a nation. He did this, by the way, at a prayer service. See more details at the end of this post.

Who can still be in denial about the diabolical intentions of this rogue nation? It has been contended by both the US and Britain that sophisticated bombs have been smuggled across the border from Iran. They are more powerful and deadly than the rudimentary ones assembled in Iraq. As I have said before, the lunatic leadership of Syria and Iran live in fear of a democratic Iraq and they will do all they can to prevent it. Like it or not, confrontation with these fanatics is inevitable.

Here is the info on the latest statement of peace and tolerance from the Iranian cretinous clergyman.

Ruling Iranian cleric Ayatollah Ali Akbar Hashemi-Rafsanjani declared Friday that the Muslim world could survive a nuclear exchange with Israel - while accomplishing the goal of obliterating the Jewish state.

"[The] application of an atomic bomb would not leave anything in Israel - but the same thing would just produce damages in the Muslim world," Hashemi-Rafsanjani said, in quotes picked up by the Iran Press Service.

"If a day comes when the world of Islam is duly equipped with the arms Israel has in possession, the strategy of colonialism would face a stalemate," he posited.

More at NewsMax.

Survey Says...

Attitude is 90% of everything. How we interpret circumstances and events and channel our reactions will usually determine if what happens to us is positive or negative. The left seems to always expect and embrace the negative. They flock to failure and eschew success as it suits their agenda. Of course, as usual they give themselves a free pass by referring to their own failures as "deferred success".

I have faith in the ability of America to accomplish great deeds. Guess which poll I believe?

Rep. John Murtha (D-Pa.) at a December 7th news conference.

"Eighty percent of the people, according to a British poll reported by the Washington Times, says we want the United States out; 77 percent of the people in Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt say there's a better chance of democracy if the United States is not there because we're considered occupiers; 45 percent of the people in Iraq think that it's justified to kill Americans."

But then there is this from an ABC News poll:

Most Iraqis want U.S. forces to stay until security is better. 52 percent of Iraqis want the U.S. troops to stay. That includes 31 percent who say stay until security is restored, 15 percent who say until Iraqi security forces can operate on their own and 5 percent who say stay even longer. 59 percent of those living in Shiite areas say the United States was right to invade their country and topple Saddam. 64 percent say democracy will be the right government for Iraq in five years' time.

Thanks to the Washington Post and the New York Post.

All We Want For Christmas

Democrat John Kerry blasted the Republican Party for creating a Web video that features a white flag of surrender waving across his face for suggesting U.S. troops are "terrorizing" Iraqis.

Kerry is seen telling CBS newsman Bob Schieffer: "There is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraqis in the dead of night terrorizing kids and children, you know, women."

Sounds like John has updated his "American atrocities" speech for a new generation.

Yet, one of Kerry's minions, David Wade, administered the ad nauseam reference to Kerry's 1 year tour in Viet Nam that was shortened into a 4 month stint by questionable wounds. Now that the Kerry jackal pack is yipping it up, perhaps they'd like to clarify the lingering questions about the details of his 180. Come on boys, if you're so sure of Kerry's heroics let's lay the whole record out in the light of day. Make the "Cambodian Christmas Kid" deliver this year. Make him report for truth!

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Persons of the Year, ACLU Style

To help select the Person of the Year for 2005, TIME has asked some well known people whom they would choose.

For reasons that I won't argue here, one of the people solicited was Anthony Romero, the executive director of the ACLU. Now, do you think anyone from the ACLU is seriously going to weigh the merits of who should truly be the Person of the Year or will they nominate some self-serving entity that will promote the personal agenda and subjective opinions of their organization?

Ladies and Gentlemen, I give you the nomination of Anthony Romero and the ACLU, the envelope please:

I nominate "Ghost Detainee X," representing almost 30 prisoners held incommunicado, without legal rights or access to counsel, in a network of secret prisons in Europe and Asia. Their existence raises serious doubts about whether or not we are betraying the best of American values.

I didn't expect him to nominate the American soldier although that would have been an excellent choice. I got what I expected and what TIME knew they would get, a left wing talking point. We have all come to anticipate this kind of America bashing from both the ACLU and TIME but, now they are so bold as to not even attempt to hide that they are working in concert. I cannot decide which organization is more disgusting.

To give you some idea of how ridiculous this nomination is, you need to see the TIME poll where you can vote for your favorite. Although the "Ghost Detainee" is not currently an option, Mother Nature is, right up there with Pope Benedict XVI. Of course, two other options are Bono and Valerie Plame. Andrew Weil who nominated Mother Nature also offered"the unknown Iraqi victim" as an option. I wonder if they checked to see what he was currently medicating himself with while he considered the question. Need I say more?

Sunday Funny Time

A director of the ACLU was in an exclusive hospital for a complicated operation. To assist in his recovery, he made arrangements for a large private room and paid extra for a window looking out on a virgin forest.

The surgery took place early in the morning and several hours later the director awoke in his hospital bed. Standing over him were the doctor, a nurse and a priest. The blinds and curtains were closed hiding the beautiful pastoral view.

"What the hell are you doing here," he said to the priest, "and why are the curtains closed? I'm paying a bundle for that view."

The priest replied, "I am the hospital chaplain. While you were under the knife, a huge forest fire broke out. All you could see from this window were giant flames and clouds of smoke. We were afraid if you awoke to that, you'd think you had died.

Iran Plots Rigging Of Iraqi Election

The emergence of democracy in Iraq is so threatening to Iran and Syria that they will do anything to prevent it. To complicate things even more, both nations are run by leaders out of the mold of Hitler and Stalin. This is one more reason that our success along with the freedom loving people of Iraq and the Middle East is so important.

The following is from Iran-Focus News.

Iran has ordered its “agents” in Iraq to rig the parliamentary elections on Thursday, according to an Iraqi website.

The plan is to be carried out in three stages, the website Iraq al-Qad wrote on Wednesday.

The first stage involves voting multiple times with forged ballots. There will also be widespread propaganda to mislead ordinary Iraqis to vote for the pro-Iran Shiite slate led by the cleric Abdul-Aziz al-Hakim.

During the second stage, Tehran’s agents will attempt to tamper with the records of all the ballot boxes at the end of the polls, the report said.

The third stage is when the final voting slips are delivered to the provincial capitals to be transferred to the United Nations’ tally centre. Tehran has ordered its agents, some of whom have senior official positions, to tamper with the votes in certain provinces.

Law Enforcement Roasts ACLU Report

Here's an interesting piece from CNSNews:

Law enforcement supporters defended the electronic immobilization device known as the "TASER" Thursday, dismissing a claim that it was responsible for nearly 150 deaths since 1999. The Law Enforcement Alliance of America called a report by the American Civil Liberties Union "junk science (that) puts cops' lives at risk."

This is a great rebuttal to the ACLU anti-law enforcement tactics and anti-police propaganda. Please read the article and then take advantage of the link to the rebuttal report itself. The whole package gives much insight into the nefarious workings of the saboteurs known as the ACLU.

Is Sanity Slipping Back Into The Court?

From the New York Daily News:

The Supreme Court appeared ready yesterday to rule against colleges like Columbia and NYU that want to limit military recruiting on campus to protest the Pentagon's policy on gays.

New Chief Justice John Roberts and other court members signaled support for a law that says schools that accept federal money also have to accommodate military recruiters.

The good news is that sanity may slowly be returning to the Supreme Court. Justice Stephen Breyer said that many people disagree with government policies, but they are not allowed to get out of paying taxes or following laws because of that. If all goes well, we will be reading the inane dissenting opinions of ACLU justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg and her comrades in the near future.

Madman Mahmoud Needs Sedation

The Iranian lunatic Ahmadinejad is ranting again. It is curious to me that everyone condemns his statements, the UN, the EU, Austria, the US, even John Kerry but no one does anything about it. Why don't they save their breath? We all know the man's a nutcase yet the world gives him a stage and treats him as if he's normal. Then when he has one of his fits everyone reacts as if it's uncharacteristic of a madman to say such things. Is this how the world reacted to Hitler initially?

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Thursday expressed doubt that the Holocaust occurred and suggested Israel be moved to Europe.

His comments, reported by Iran's official IRNA news agency from a news conference he gave in the Saudia Arabian city of Mecca, follow his call in October for Israel to be "wiped off the map", which sparked widespread international condemnation.

"Some European countries insist on saying that Hitler killed millions of innocent Jews in furnaces and they insist on it to the extent that if anyone proves something contrary to that they condemn that person and throw them in jail," IRNA quoted Ahmadinejad as saying.

"Although we don't accept this claim, if we suppose it is true, our question for the Europeans is: is the killing of innocent Jewish people by Hitler the reason for their support to the occupiers of Jerusalem?" he said.

"If the Europeans are honest they should give some of their provinces in Europe -- like in Germany, Austria or other countries -- to the Zionists and the Zionists can establish their state in Europe. You offer part of Europe and we will support it."


Thanks to Iran-Focus News.

A House Divided

There's an article in the NY Times regarding internal squabbles at the ACLU. Apparently the jackals are fighting for control of the pack and how the hunt will be conducted. One of the chief bones of contention is the "leadership" style of Anthony Romero. Some of it has to do with the privacy issue I wrote about last week. In that post, I pointed out that last year Romero registered the ACLU for a federal charity drive that required it to certify that it would not knowingly employ people whose names were on government terrorism watch lists.

The day after The New York Times exposed its participation, the organization withdrew from the charity drive and, of course, later filed a lawsuit to contest the watch list requirement.

The data collection practices were implemented without the ACLU board's approval or knowledge, and were in violation of the ACLU's own privacy policy.

The latest article by the Times says:

"Since Mr. Romero stepped into the job just four days before the Sept. 11 attacks, the A.C.L.U. has been transformed. Under his watch, membership and revenues have risen sharply. The use of data to maximize contributions has become more sophisticated. Big donors have been wooed and won. At the group's first membership conference in Washington in 2003, 1,500 members descended on Congressional offices.

But Mr. Romero has also become a lightning rod, with a band of vociferous internal critics saying that civil liberties are not his top concern. They have seized on his failure to inform the board about a settlement with the New York attorney general over privacy breaches on its Web site and his signing of a government fund-raising agreement that the organization later renounced. In both cases, they say, Mr. Romero was not entirely forthcoming even after those controversies came to light.

There have been heated boardroom exchanges and an unusual number of resignations from the board. Dissidents say Mr. Romero is ignoring the A.C.L.U.'s traditions, of encouraging dissent; threatening its core principles, like free speech, and too often acting without the full knowledge and support of the board, which is supposed to guide him.

"I think there is an ideological difference among board members having to do with pure principle versus the pragmatism of money," Ms. Esman said, echoing current and past board members.

The internal friction has roiled the organization, which is unaccustomed to scrutiny of its operations, and prompted members of the executive committee to try to limit access to recordings of board meetings.

Several critics of Mr. Romero's leadership have left the board. Michael Meyers, his fiercest opponent, was voted off the board in September after 24 years of membership."

Michael Meyers had learned about the new research by accident during a committee meeting. He objected to the practices, and the next day the privacy policy on the group's Web site was changed. "They took out all the language that would show that they were violating their own policy," Meyers said. "In doing so, they sanctified their procedure while still keeping it secret."

It sounds like Romero and friends are doing a good job of stifling dissent and eliminating anyone with a different viewpoint from the organization. While membership and revenues may be up right now, the sacrifice of principle for money will eventually take its toll, consuming this beast from the inside out.

Merry Christmas ACLU!

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And Now For Something Completely Different

This almost sounds like a Monty Python routine. "Oh you want robbery? I'm sorry, that's at the next window.

A bank robber fled empty-handed in Austria after being referred to a different counter.

The clerk he approached tolm his she did not "deal with those types of queries".

But there was a big queue for the next cashier at the Landeskbank-Hypothekenbank in Vienna.

So the man, who was holding a silver box that he claimed was a bomb, fled before repeating his request.

Clerk Maria Bertel said: "He came up to me wearing his scarf wrapped high around his face and said he wanted money. I said I didn't deal with money here and told him to go to the next counter.

"It was only afterwards I realised he was trying to rob the bank. We called the police, but by the time they came he had run off."

Thanks to Ananova.

Kerry Demonizes Our Armed Forces, Again

The following quote is from John Kerry on Face the Nation (CBS News) Sunday, December 4th, 2005. Read the entire transcript here.

"And there is no reason, Bob, that young American soldiers need to be going into the homes of Iraquis in the dead of night, terrorizing kids and children, you know, women, breaking sort of the customs..."

So, Kerry is, once again, describing our military as terrorists. The fact that a US senator would do this is disgusting enough but, Kerry continues to denigrate our armed forces without making his own military record completely open to public scrutiny. Why is that John? What do you fear?

Please keep your mouth shut until your records are open!

Release your military records like you promised. What type of discharge did you originally receive? Free your 180, the whole thing. Tell the whole truth!

This was brought to you by the Free Kerry's 180 Blogroll.
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Students Offended By Freedom Of Speech

Here's a good one from The Record.

Many Muslim students are upset over an artwork in the current show, "My Country, Right or Left: Artists Respond to the State of the Union," at Delta's L.H. Horton art gallery in California.

Called "Kalashnikov Jihad," the work by local artist John Lechner is a life-sized ceramic Kalashnikov assault rifle wrapped in pages of flowing Arabic script from the Quran.

A procession of mostly male, obviously perturbed, Muslim students marching through the gallery doesn't like it, said gallery director William Wilson.

Many demand the artwork be taken down, some loudly, Wilson said. One interrupted Wilson's art talk. Another intruded upon a private business mixer held at the gallery.

Mohammed Al-Otoum, who identified himself to Wilson as a full-time student and an imam, or mosque leader, also complained.

Saying "defacing the Quran" was "unacceptable," Al-Otoum asked that the work be removed from the exhibition; that the Quran pages be separated from the artwork and given to him, "to burn and bury them according to Islamic tradition"; and that officials arrange a private meeting between the artist and a student Muslim leader, according to Wilson, who documented the complaint.

I guess the freedom of speech concept hasn't penetrated theses pea-brained pupils. It would seem to me some diversity training is in order, perhaps along with some anger management and etiquette classes. The religion of peace and tolerance strikes again!

Massachusetts Chief Justice Caught With Impartial Pants Down

Margaret Marshall is the chief justice of the Massachusetts state Supreme Judicial Court. She has, in the past, attacked what she call the "rhetoric" about judges destroying the country. She claims the suggestion that court decisions should conform to public opinion is threatening public trust in the judicial system, a cornerstone of democracy.Yet this widely criticized judicial activist who wrote the court's 2003 decision allowing same-sex marriage, has now had to apologize for her own remarks.

After a citizen complaint was filed with the state's Commission on Judicial Conduct, the chief justice has apologized for a remark she made about "red states" during a commencement speech last spring.

In greeting the audience at the Brandeis University commencement last May, Chief Justice Margaret Marshall commented on the hundreds of blue and white balloons held in nets tied to the rafters.

"No red states here," Marshall told the crowd, using a term used to describe Republican-leaning states.

Here are some interesting facts about this judge.

She married Anthony Lewis, former columnist for the New York Times. The Boston Globe, a big fan of the activist Marshall, is owned by the New York Times Company.

In an opinion where Marshall struck down a Boston ordinance creating domestic partners because it was clearly forbidden by state law the Boston Globe wrote:
"Marshall urged state lawmakers to craft legislation that acknowledges the place of nontraditional families in modern life. 'We recognize that . . . [a] "family" may no longer be constituted simply of a wage-earning father, his dependent wife, and the couple's children,' Marshall wrote. Nonetheless, 'Adjustments in the legislation to reflect these new social and economic realities must come from the Legislature.'"

And the Globe wrote: "When the SJC last August ruled that anyone convicted of a sex crime is entitled to a hearing before being listed on the state's sex-offender registry, Marshall wrote: 'The burden will be on the sex offender board to establish at the hearing that the offender poses a risk to vulnerable populations.'"

Are we seeing conflict of interest yet? That does not seem to bother Marshall. She attends functions that clearly strain any perception of her judicial impartiality. She attended a Gala of the Women's Bar Association where the featured speaker was the former Press Secretary for Bill Clinton, Dee Dee Myers, who warmly acknowledged Marshall and noted that both of them were married to the New York Times, because they both had husbands who worked there. At that political event, a lawyer, Mary Bonauto, who is employed by the homosexual law firm, GLAD, was honored. Bonauto had cases pending in the Massachusetts courts at that time.

She was the honored guest and keynote speaker at the, Massachusetts Lesbian and Gay Bar Association. That organization reported in its newsletter that Marshall, who was born in South Africa and moved here to attend college, noted "with pride" that her native land was the first country to write sexual orientation protections into the national Constitution. In 1998, South Africa's courts struck down laws banning sodomy between consenting adults. According to MLGBA, "Marshall read excerpts from the stirring decision. The Justice encouraged those lawyers in attendance to pay attention to the growing body of gay-friendly international jurisprudence." She told the audience that lawyers in other countries have been referring to equality jurisprudence in the United States for several hundred years and that perhaps it is the time for lawyers in the United States to seek assistance from courts in other countries like South Africa, where new precedents are now being set. Is that not a frightening statement from an American judge?

In her apology, Marshall said: "I hold sacred my oath to decide every case fairly and impartially and according to law."

But who's law and how does this woman define fair and impartial? Power Mad Margaret is exactly the kind of judge that has helped create the outcry against the abuse of authority by the judiciary in this country. Her actions and statements leave the integrity and independence of the law open to question. She has failed to refrain from the appearance of impropriety which is absolutely vital to maintain people's faith in the justice of our courts.

Marshall is reaping what she herself has sown.

Some analysts accused Marshall of ''muddying the waters" with her suggestion that critics want polls to drive judicial decisions. Judicial activism ''doesn't have anything to do with whether their opinions are popular or unpopular," said Brian Camenker, director of Article 8 Alliance, a Waltham group founded to remove Marshall and the other three justices who ruled for same-sex marriage from the bench.

'' 'Activist judges' is a specific term that refers to judges who rule outside the rule of law," he said. ''It has to do with whether they use objective, legal, constitutional means to base their decisions."

Perhaps Margaret should heed her own words, ''Each new generation must decide, each of you must decide, whether to embrace, to protect the rule of law, or to repudiate it," she said.

Well Margaret, we are asking you to follow the rule of law not write it.

Thanks to these sources:
NewsMax
Massachusetts News
The Boston Globe

Sunday Funny

A very successful attorney for the ACLU went duck hunting in rural Tennessee. He shot and dropped a bird, but it fell into a farmer's field on the other side of a fence. As the lawyer climbed over the fence to collect the bird, an elderly farmer drove up on his tractor and asked him what he was doing.

The lawyer replied, "I shot a duck and it fell in this field. Now I'm going in to retrieve it."

The old farmer looked the lawyer in the eyes and stated firmly, "This is my property, and you are not trespassing on it."

The lawyer replied angrily, "I am one of the finest trial attorneys in the ACLU. If you don't let me get my duck, I'll sue your butt and you'll be lucky to keep your overalls by the time I'm done"

The old farmer smiled. "Well now, I guess you don't know how we do things here in Tennessee. We settle small disagreements like this with the Tennessee Three Kick Rule."

The lawyer laughed and asked, "What's the Tennessee Three Kick Rule?"

The farmer answered, "Well, since it's my property I go first. I get to kick you three times and then you kick me three times, and so on, back and forth, until someone gives up. It's quicker and cleaner then going to court."

The attorney thought about the proposed contest and decided that he could easily take the old man. He agreed to settle things by the local custom.

The old farmer slowly climbed down from his tractor and walked up to the lawyer. His first kick to the shin had the lawyer hopping around on one foot when suddenly the farmer planted the toe of his heavy work boot into the lawyer's groin and dropped him to his knees. The attorney was flat on his belly when the farmer's third kick to the tailbone nearly caused him to pass out.

The lawyer summoned every bit of will he could muster, struggled to his feet and said, "Okay, old man, now it's my turn. I'm going to kick your redneck butt to hell and back."

The old farmer smiled and said, "Naw, I give up. You can have the duck."

Atheists Attack Memorials

The atheists should get over being offended by crosses and start being offended by the fact that there is a need for them. What is more of a threat to our way of life, the memorials or the deaths of the state police?

How cold and unfeeling do you have to be to even bring such a suit to court? The names of some of the ungrateful culprits follow. Heaven protect us and our nation from little men such as these.

Plaintiffs Stephen Clark, Michael Rivers and Richard Andrews in conjunction with the American Atheists Inc. also seek to have the UHP symbol removed from the crosses.
"The presence of the UHP logo on a poignant religious symbol is an unconstitutional violation of the United States Constitution. It is government endorsement of religion," said Rivers, Utah director for American Atheists.

What in the world is an "unconstitutional" violation?

A lawsuit filed by the American Atheists in U.S. District Court on Thursday seeks to remove steel crosses that dot roadways throughout Utah and memorialize Utah Highway Patrol troopers who have died in the line of duty.
The suit has drawn harsh reaction from family members of the fallen troopers and promises to be the source of an emotional battle.
"The crosses are used as an international sign of memorial similar to those in Arlington National Cemetery," said Sgt. Todd Royce, of the Utah Highway Patrol Association.

Read more at The Salt Lake Tribune.

Fugeddaboudit

I'm not of Italian extraction but I always loved the Italian festivals when I lived in NYC. There was always a lot of fun and the food was outstanding. I don't think anybody was offended because corned beef and cabbage wasn't represented.

What is this guy's problem? Maybe the Sopranos need to pay him a visit.

The Italian Festival of Angels, attended by dozens of food and crafts vendors and thousands of residents, concerned at least one North Haven resident. The issue was brought to the attention of the Board of Selectman at their last meeting.

Resident Morris Pederson was upset that the festival was held on the town green.

“I had no problem with the festival, I do have a problem with the location,” wrote Pederson. “It doesn't leave a good impression with us taxpayers that are not Italian.”

The letter was given to First Selectman Kevin Kopetz on Oct. 10 and stated that Pederson was concerned with the use of the Green for the festival because it was “bias for a single culture.”

In the letter Pederson suggested an international festival where people can sample foods from all over the world, in hopes of not discriminating all the other nations. He also noted that the line-up of outhouses in front of Town Hall was “disgraceful.”

From Shore Publishing.

It Depends On What You Mean By Privacy

In the past, I have mentioned how the ACLU seems to pick and choose those rights it will defend and in some cases only defend if the aggrieved party and/or right is popular with their supporters. I have written before about their duplicity and prejudice for example here and here. So, I give you one more example of the ACLU's hypocrisy. This incident occurred last year. One has to believe that much of the aggressiveness of this organization would be better spent policing its own internal politics and decision makers rather than making life miserable for innocent bystanders.

If the American Civil Liberties Union is the protector of our privacy and is so critical of government agencies and corporations accumulating data on people then why was it using sophisticated technology to collect a wide variety of information about its members and donors? This was not something that applied to major contributors but donors who gave as little as $20 were ensnared.

Last Year, Anthony Romero, its executive director, registered the ACLU for a federal charity drive that required it to certify that it would not knowingly employ people whose names were on government terrorism watch lists.

The day after The New York Times exposed its participation, the organization withdrew from the charity drive and, of course, later filed a lawsuit to contest the watch list requirement.

The data collection practices were implemented without the ACLU board's approval or knowledge, and were in violation of the ACLU's own privacy policy.

According to Michael Meyers, vice president of the organization, he learned about the new research by accident during a committee meeting. He objected to the practices, and the next day the privacy policy on the group's Web site was changed. "They took out all the language that would show that they were violating their own policy," Meyers said. "In doing so, they sanctified their procedure while still keeping it secret."

Sounds like someone on the inside noticed the emperor had no clothes.

Read more at The New York Times.

This was a production of Stop The ACLU Blogburst. If you would like to join us, please email Jay at Jay@stoptheaclu.com or Gribbit at GribbitR@gmail.com. You will be added to our mailing list and blogroll. Over 115 blogs already onboard.