The Noble Pundit

2 Links For Nighttime Reading

Getting up at ten of five in the morning every morning is still killing me and probably will until my body has a chance to better adjust to the new schedule. I had two other articles I was going to comment on, but instead I'll just present the links here, with a mild commentary after:

Aristide Defiant, to Sue US, France, Over Kidnapping - How dare he! Of all the low down, dirty, evil things to do to us! He can never be allowed to resume power ever again, anywhere. Not even as block captain for a neighborhood watch.

I don't really care about the kidnapping accusation. False accusations are levied all the time in foreign affairs. That's just part of the game. But to lump us with the French....that is just beyond the pale. That is what you call a low blow and is why I think that Aristide should spend the rest of his days hanging out in the Central African Republic as far away from the crystalline waters of the Caribbean as you can get him.

Iran Defends Nuclear Program In Face Of UN Criticism - I don't know about this. The Iranians seem to be playing a version of the "definition of 'is'" game, but with much higher global stakes. Methinks it might be about time to turn up the heat one the ayatollahs...

Some Stories To Chew On This Morning

I'm still in an exceptionally bad mood this morning, so rather than write something I might regret, I'm just going to post a few stories I found this morning with minimal commentary (á la my Quick Links of yore).

First up we have the first two stories on this page over at Fox News.

Re the first story: I've handled the boxes human tissue are shipped in. It takes a complete and utter moron to mistake them. In this case we had two. The chick shipping 119 lbs of pot via air cargo was pretty obviously a moron, but so was the cargo agent who gave her the organs. It's not too often that styrofoam coolers with big red labels marked "HUMAN TISSUE" come through. The only good thing here is that the organs got to the recipient in time. Otherwise I'd be calling for charging both the doper and cargo agent with some form of manslaughter. There is no excuse for this. None.

re the second item: At 63 years old doesn't this guy have a clue about acting maturely? Didn't he ever learn that committing a wrong to counter a wrong is still wrong? The very fact that he's on the city council makes me hope that the DA throws the book at him and charges him with each and every infraction. Politicians seem to be forgetting that they are not above the law. A reminder needs to be sent.

And the San Jose Mercury News has an article today that discusses the problems that Kerry, Edwards, and Kucinich (if he makes the trip west, and if anyone pays attention to him) are going to have trying to sell their opposition to NAFTA in California. Actually, I think Edwards might have a problem as he actually has taken a clear position on the issue. Kerry is on both sides of this fence, too having voted for NAFTA, but now claiming that he doesn't like it (Kerry seems to have a pattern of this - he votes one way and then expresses his regret about having done so, thereby trying to triangulate by staking out positions on both sides of the debate. His only clear position seems to be that he can claim to be on every single side of any issue.). And Kucinich, well nobody would listen to him anyway, so we won't go there. It's too bad that California probably won't accord this issue the attention it deserves. This, more than most issues, will definitely have an effect on their economy. Do I see another clear choice in the making???

This Weekend

Sorry about the lack of posts this weekend. I spent Friday and Saturday working over at the Church Street Ballroom (where I got an opportunity to listen to Lt. Governor Toni Jennings of Winter Park speak on Friday) and then I've been spending time with the family and watching the Super Bowl tonight.

I have been perusing the Internet some during the game and came across two very graphic and disturbing items (both were actually found via Drudge):

The first is disturbing more on an intellectual level, an article (link doesn't appear to be available at the moment) that details out some of the more disgusting parts of the German cannibal.

If that isn't quite enough for you, the Government of Israel has posted a video of the aftermath of the latest bus bombing. Before going over here, be warned, when they say it is graphic, it is graphic. I do think that it is instructive to remind us of just how devastating these terrorist attacks are on a human level. I challenge anyone to watch this and to find a rationale for why this should be acceptable behavior. There is no excuse for it. None.

Drudge also has one other headline with no links that I think merits some mention. He's talking about the Dean campaign and how they were providing valet parking at events and were also bussing in supporters to Iowa to pump up the apparent size of the crowds. So what? Yes, it was poor budgeting. Yes, it demostrates that they failed to develop a real, diverse support base. But it also simply demonstrates why the man does not have what it takes to be President. If he can't plan his campaign, why should we trust him to plan our national path for four years?

Quick Links

Navy Announces Ohio Class SSGN Conversion Contract Award - 145 Tomahawks, plus 60 Special Forces guys. Makes for one hell of a platform. I don't necessarily like the fact that we're giving up some of the SSBNs, but if they think that it will make us safer in the end...

Libyan deal shows need for shift in U.S. diplomatic tactics, analysts say - Negotiating is nice and should be the preferred method of dealing with others, but sometimes a use of force is the best negotiating tool available.

Is Kim sweating over dictator's capture? - Good question. I'm really starting to think that there is a link between Quaddafi's change of heart and Kim's mysterious Jimmy Hoffa impersonation.

Quick Links

This is the week I changed my mind about hanging - A death penalty opponent takes a long, hard look at his beliefs and has the intellectual honesty to realize that his actual belief was in conflict with his stated beliefs.

Arab Conspiracy Theories on Saddam's Capture - Is an event in the Arab world without a conspiracy theory really an event?

Revealed: the real reason for Gaddafi's WMD surrender - Intercepted shipment? Hmmm. Has anyone seen Kim Jong Il lately (rhetorical question, I know that he's been missing for over a month now)?

The Saudi Hate Machine - Interesting. Reeducating radical clerics. Why do I not think that it's going to be overly effective?

Iraqis Exact Revenge on Baathists - After 30 years of oppression, you knew that there had to be period of retribution after the fall of Saddam. Now that he has been captured and his reign is well and truly over, these acts need to be taken more seriously and cracked down on, in the name of law and order.

U.S. Contracting in Iraq Should Serve as Model for American Trade Policy - I don't know why there has ever been a question about the idea of not trading (not restricting trade, simply refusing to trade) with nations or companies that we find to be distasteful.

Quick Links

Green Eggs and Spam? E-Mailed Scam Gets Into the Wrong Hands - Man. Of all the people to target for a computer crime. Serves the stupid crooks right.

Give Them a Chance - There almost seems to be a coordinated effort in Saudi Arabia to make nice towards us.

Al-Jazeera Khartoum office closed - Gees. The Sudanese are calling them liars. Doesn't say much for their credibility, now does it?

Parliament supports setting up U.S. military bases - New Europe, this time Bulgaria, is really doing well with proving themselves to be true friends and allies.

Morning Linkage

The amazing depth and extent of anti-Semitic hatred in the Islamic world - and why it threatens every American - We already knew about the depth and extent of the hatred, but it's always good to remind ourselves anyways.

From the spiritual world:

Well you won't die laughing. It's deadpan humour only as Church bans jokes at funerals - (link requires registration) It's in Ireland, but it just goes to show how far we've slipped if they feel they need to ban inappropraite behavior at funerals. Personally, I like the Celebration of Life idea better than the morbid, depressing funeral, but that's just me.

Lawton woman burns apartment to get rid of ghost - In keeping with the spiritual theme... Apparently the ghost lived in her bathtub, so she torched to entire place. There's no accounting for some people....

Man Accidentally Killed When Posing As Piñata For Kids - You should just instinctively know that it's never a good idea to put a rope around your neck and stand on something like a chair. Never.

France to ban "symbols of stereotyping", introduce customer service - Ah, if only it were true....

Close encounter with a US diplomat - US Ambassador to Egypt David Welch "discusses: issues with Al-Ahram weekly. Actually, it's not much of a discussion as he pretty well takes them apart. Great read!

Morning Quick Links

P-3s Saved; Dutch Parliament Over-rules Military - A good move by the Dutch

Al-Qaeda "Recruits Bulgarian Students"

How The ACLU Stole Christmas

Should Hillary Be Tried For Treason? - I'm going to say no on this one. Her speech may be offensive and ill-timed, but treason should carry a very high burden of proof and telling our troops that the outcome is still in doubt, while completely tasteless, does not, in my opinion, meet that burden. Censure her in the Senate. Use her statement against her in her next campaign. But expressing an opinion, even if it is wrong, is not treason. This just doesn't meet the burden, even if I would love nothing more than to see her get kicked out the government in disgrace.

The Racism Of Diversity

Quick Links

Despite Saddam’s Capture, Iraq War Was Wrong: Experts - The Arab News goes looking for someone to still preach the "the war was wrong" line and they find someone in the CATO Institute.

Small Submarines Increasingly Appeal to Terrorists, Criminals - An interesting look at how subs might be used against us. But my favorite part is that the North Koreans have a sub class called "Yugo." I certainly hope that it is better than the car (and yes, I do know that "Yugo" is our term for the sub, not theirs)!

Talk of Blockading North Korea "not in our thinking" - I have to admit that I hadn't thought of using a naval blockage against the North Koreans. OK, so it's not in our thinking now, but maybe it should be?

Quick Links

I looked into his eyes and I was looking at pure evil, says victim -A description of Saddam and his victims finally getting together for a little more intimate meeting than their first.

France Pledges to Help Reduce Iraq Debt - It's a nice start, but they still have a ways to go to rebuild any kind of real goodwill in the international community when it includes the US.

And from Debkafile:

Russia has sold Iran advanced 300-A air defense missile system – against Washington’s objections - to defend its controversial Bushehr nuclear reactor. This was discovered Sunday when two missiles were fired accidentally during installation, killing at least two and injuring 20 aboard a minibus and causing heavy damage in town. Casualties and damage believed more extensive than admitted by Tehran.

Hmmm. Maybe the reactor is not so peaceful in intention after all. At least Israel now knows what it's facing if and when they go to neutralize the facility.

Quick Links

New boy Poland flexes its muscles - The Guardian notices that Poland is an up and coming nation (although much further along than the Guardian would ever admit). How does the Guardian respond? By painting Poland as a troublemaker, of course!

The privatisation of war - The Guardian has also noted the fact that there are private military contractors out there, a fact that I noted way back in July.

The 2004 Political Landscape: Evenly Divided and Increasingly Polarized - Hmmm. I think I hinted at the polarized part in my last post. Why, yes. Yes I did.

Blair 'to strip Mugabe of knighthood' - "In an effort to force a 'regime change'?" This will be the most wholy ineffective measure Blair could come up with. Absolutely a useless gesture.

Words that Kill - This is a tough one. I'm really glad that this isn't a case involving Americans, because I would then be forced to defend these two and their First Amendment right to free speech - no matter how distasteful. But since they're not American, I don't have to feel so bad. What does concern me though is that this is a step on the path towards policing thoughts, and the UN and the ICC are setting themselves up as the determinants of acceptable thought - a scary precendent.

U.S. Shuts Out France, Germany for Iraq Work - Aww, gee. Don't you just feel so bad for France and Germany after the way they tried to screw us? I don't.

Stone Age sites found under North Sea - Way cool stuff here. One day, I would love to be able to take some time out to help in an archaelogical exploration. I think that would be such a blast.

Special Mid Day Quick Links

I'm not done posting for today, but I've already got a few articles I'm likely not going to get around to today, so I'll go ahead and clear them out of the way with a midday quick links!

On the issue of religion in Europe:

France split by proposal to ban Islamic headscarves and crucifixes in schools - I don't think that Chirac and Co. would want to admit it yet, but this is merely a minor battle in the war to protect France from radical fundamentalism, the greatest threat of which is being presented by Islam. If the French government loses this battle, it will likely be the beginning of the end of the French Republic as an egalitarian institution.

Do Jews Have a Future in Europe? - It's becoming an age old question, but still as important as ever. Daniel Pipes looks at the question in light of the suppressed and now released-with-disclaimer report on anti-Semitism in Europe.

And a grouping on the Israeli/Palestinian part of the world:

Comfort and Joy, Palestinian Style - Another assertation that the PA might actually be corrupt? With examples of said corruption? Surely it must be a Zionist plot! </sarcasm>

The 'Times' embraces Geneva - The JPost has a pretty good fisking of the New York Times recent support for the Geneva Accord and why the Times is (surprise, surprise, surprise </Gomer Pyle Accent>) wrong.

In Sharon's plan, settlements may be 'moved' - And Ariel Sharon shows what an evil monster he is by risking his government to propose unilateral movement along the Road Map, specifically the dismantling of some of the settlements.

Quick Links

Chirac stokes Muslim veil debate - Ooooo. Chiraqi is expressing concern over Islamic fundamentalism is France. What what a foresightful genius he is!

64 Die in Congo From Anti-Sorcery Potion - They did it to ward off evil spirits. It sure warded them off, ALL of them.

Soldier's family facing eviction - There are a bunch of things about this story that stink. Something just doesn't seem right with the way that this was handled, by almost everyone involved, even disregarding the fairly obvious slant in the piece.

Two Court Decisions Have Declared Marriage "Irrational" - Marriage is irrational? Gee isn't that what men have been saying for years? Oh wait, this time you're serious, not just blowing smoke? Ohhhhhhhh.

Controversial fence proves its worth - A postive story about the Fence? Can it be that there might be some benefit to border security? Nah. Surely you jest!

U.S. Officials Fear Socks Represent New Way to Smuggle Bombs Aboard Planes - No one ever thought before this to be a little suspicous of socks tied around a traveller's neck? Or is this just another excuse to make going through airport security even more of a hassle? Little half-measures like this are next to useless. We need to come up with a comprehesive security system, not a collection of security Band-Aids. And it's time to face facts, some sort of profiliing will almost certainly be needed. Uncomfortable or not.

Quick Links

Hollywood loses control of the political script - I'll bet that this has Tinseltown all in a tizzy that, basically, we don't care what their political beliefs are. We'd be much more happy if they'd go back to making the occasional movie that people wanted to watch.

Dean blasts Bush in Texas campaign stop - Dean says "I think it's time that elections in Texas were not about guns, God, gays and abortion. I think it's time elections in Texas were about jobs, health care and education." Well that's just great Howie, except that the people of Texas get to decide what the important issues are to them. It is smug, arrogant, and elitist to think that you have any right to tell the people of Texas what their issues should be. Your issues are no better than theirs and maybe it's time to grow up and learn that politicians are elected to serve, not to lord over the subjects.

Iran still hasn't signed nuke agreement - OMG! Shock! Surprise! Utter disappointment and disbelief at the fact that Iran still hasn't signed that agreement that they promised to. I'll bet if we keep looking, we'll find that they're still an oppressive, totalitarian regime, also. They probably still even support terrorism. How could they do this to us? How could they betray our trust like this? </sarcasm> Did anyone truly expect them to sign the agreement in the first place (besides the media)?

Quick Links

12 posts here today, plus one at my unofficial Orlando History Blog, and I got my book recommendation page up and running. Not a bad day of blogging, but I think I need to do some other stuff for a while. So here are tonight's Quick Links:

Revenue files 'disappear' from PA Finance Ministry - We lost the files. Sounds vaguely familiar for some reason. Something about a Rose. Hmmm.

Salvation Army baffled by lack of applications - I hate to see the toys not get handed out to needy kids, but if the parents are thinking that they're doing well enough to not need the help, well that's a wonderful gift for the parents. It's a little dark cloud with a huge silver lining.

Christmas is more than religion: Those who bemoan the holiday's commercialization should take a historical view - He has some good points, but I think that he misses the basic point of the argument he's attempting to refute. I don't think that many people want to decommercialize Christmas, just to rein in some of the excesses of the season - to remember a little more of the religious underpinnings of the holiday, while still enjoying the commercial and familial aspects of the holiday also.

Amtrak Posts Thanksgiving Ridership Mark - This would be great, except that these are the kind of numbers that need to be normal, not exceptional, if Amtrak is to remain in its current form. Otherwise, we really need to start taking a serious look at privatization or a system of regional rail systems that can better respond to the needs of the local region, rather than through executive fiat from Washington.

Quick Links

I'm off from work tomorrow, so hopefully we'll get a little more posting in than we have lately. Unless we keep referring to ourself as we, in which case we'll be committed to the loony bin.

Afghans on perilous road to democracy - It is a series of little steps that will make up the entire journey to democracy for both Afghanistan and Iraq. Afghanistan has now taken that first, tiny step on its journey.

Store owner fights display ban - Nice. A year-round Christams store has over $47,000 in levies against it for displaying Santa out of season. The bureaucrats all say "We value his contribution to the community" as they trying to put him out of business. Rules are rules, I've said that many times before and I still believe it, but I think that most every rule has some room for creative interpretation when faced with an unmitigated good that would otherwise be squashed by the heavy hand of government intervention. But this is Palm Beach County, where they're apparently just figuring out how to read and follow those rule things. Thinking must still be out of the question.

Dr. Dean's Infinite Arrogance - Howard Dean, trustbuster a la Teddy Roosevelt. Yeah, right. Want to bet that the only network he tries to break up is Fox?

Quick Links

Gun Laws do Not Reduce Criminal Violence According to New Study - A Canadian study that shows pretty damning evidence that gun control laws are relatively ineffective in controlling violent crime. Excellent article.

Wayne County Deputies Shop For Potential Jurors At Wal-Mart - Attention Wal-Mart shoppers: Jury Duty on aisle 12! Actually, I give them credit. So long as they're verifying the citizenship of each selectee, this is a good method of finding potential jurors. It's actually pretty innovative.

Louisiana School Punishes 7-Year-Old for Talking About Lesbian Mother, ACLU Alleges - This is wrong. The sins of the mother should not be visited on the son (to paraphrase another quote). His mother is what she is and he should be able to talk about his parents as other kids talk about theirs. If his mother is gay, well she's gay. It's a fact, not a slur. So far as I'm concerned this is another example of an overreacting educational system.

French troops under attack from mobs - Quagmire alert!!! Are the French creating another Vietnam for us to try to clean up? It sure seems like it.

Valuation Wave Reversion 3 - I'm going to have to read this in more detail, but at first glance it looks to be an excellent, if somewhat detail oriented, essay on how valuation can affect your long term returns on investment accounts. Most investors miss out on how important valuation is and how it is one of the worst factors to fight.

Quick Links

U.S. Troops Kill 46 Iraqis But Allies Suffer Losses - This is a wonderful example of an article full of loaded phrases. Referring to our allies as "foreigners," while technically true, smacks of an certain, over the top brand of arrogance. I certainly hope that someone at Reuters has a conversation of the importance of choosing words with the utmost of care.

Sharon Rejects Palestinian Condition for Talks - Sharon is smart to be refusing to make unreciprocated concessions. The Palestinians need to make more of a real effort at peace, rather than the current making of demands.

Roy Disney Steps Down From Board At Company - Another passing of an era. Now there will be no more living link to Walt on the board of the Walt Disney Company. I have to agree with Roy though, Eisner needs to go. He's gone from media genius in the '80s and early '90s to a mediocre and overpaid CEO now.

Ivory Coast Soldiers Call on French to Leave Line - Gee, why are they worrying about the French military? Are they afriad that the surrendering might get in the way of the fighting between the warring parties?

Quick Links

Faltering Chirac urged to step aside - He must really be getting bad if even the French want him to go.

Hillary Clinton urges slower handover - Gee first it was that we were turning it over too slowly, now we're going too fast. The contrarians are so confusing sometimes.

Taiwan's president tests China's nerves, threatens sovereignty vote in March - I don't know how good an idea it is to twist the tail of the tiger, but I like the spunk.

Chinese city to cut electricity one day out of four to save power - Maybe Gray Davis' California wasn't the best model to emulate....

Quick Links

Billy Bob says Bad Santa controversy is 'ridiculous' - Gee, if Europe is so much more accepting of this crap maybe it would be a great idea if all of his movies were made for release over there. And they complain about the degradation of American tastes....

US eyes plan to dismantle North Korea's nuclear program - I sure hope the plan consists of several demands and very little, if anything, in the way of concessions. We do not need to be appeasing this little tyrant whose nation is ready to implode anyways.

Federal splurge causes worry: Critics see the Medicare bill as the latest sign that U.S. spending is out of control. - I hate to say it, but this is a real concern. Where is the money coming from? Some deficit spending sometimes is ok, but this is starting to get out of hand - again.

Quick Links

Al-Qaida terrorists to gas U.S. subways? - Is anyone really surprised that Osama and friends are trying to get hold of a gas weapon to use in the subways?

Study Says Medieval New World Map Is Real - So maybe Leif Erickson did make it here before Columbus.

Quick Links

The 'new' anti-semitism: is Europe in grip of worst bout of hatred since the Holocaust? - Ignore the scare quotes for a moment. It's actually a pretty insightful article for the Guardian: " 'Anti-semitism has become politically correct in Europe' ," " 'What we are facing in Europe is an anti-semitism that has always existed and it really is not a new phenomenon' ," and " 'This anti-semitism is fundamental, and today, in order to incite it and to undermine the Jews' rights for self-defence, it is re-aroused. These days to conduct an anti-semite policy is not a popular thing, so the anti-semites bundle their policies in with the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.' "

Fresh nod to peace process in Israel? - Unilateral concessions haven't worked in the past, so why would they work now? But I'll give Sharon credit for trying again and again and again.

Britain threatens veto on EU - This would be the best move for protecting British sovereignty that there could be. If it's going nuclear, then go nuclear.

Quick Links

Israel threatens strikes on Iranian nuclear targets - So why are the Israelis still talking about it? Just do it already.

Muslims have just as much to fear from militant Islam - Towards the end of the column it starts to talk about a budding tyranny of the minority in Britain also. Just more proof that freedom must be defended against all threats - both foreign and domestic.

Why the Democrats Are All Boxed In - I don't agree with all the statements and insinuations, but the conclusions are pretty accurate.

THE PATH TO REBUILDING - I love this. Reopening a building with "WORLD TRADE CENTER" written across the front of it. Somewhere, if Osama is still alive, he's got to be beating his head against his cave wall. Just more proof that he failed in his quest to defeat or demoralize the American Spirit.

Democrats look away from Dixie - An absolutely brilliant strategy - position yourself as a national party by ignoring a large chunk of the nation. This has to be the most brilliant move I've seen in a while.

War on Terror: Holy War 101 - MSNBC looks at the madrassas as the next big ting in quagmires.

Moving Targets - And they follow up by trumpeting al-Qaida's latest success as proof that thy're on the rise, not the decline.

Al-Qaeda's hatred could be route to their demise - Obviously, the MSNBC folks don't read the Scotsman or else they wouldn't have such a doom and gloom glee about them.

Quick Links

Unwanted Penis Web Ads Prompt Calif. Spam Rage - I don't condone what the guy did, but you just kind of knew that it was just a matter of time before this happened. I only surprised that he simply threatened and didn't act. The spammers are really destroying the usefulness of the internet.

Congress poised for antispam vote - It's a nice token gesture (though very watered down at this point). It's just too bad that nothing will really change. The spammers are generally offshore and outside our reach.

Computer citations coming to Mississippi - I'm guessing that there will be a lot of people upset over this, but if it allows the cops to do their job better and more efficiently allowing them more time for patrolling and making the streets safer, then so be it. This is a good use of the technology available.

Quick Links

Sorry about the dearth of posts today. It was last day at my job and I start my new one tomorrow morning. I also have a kid over at the ER right now, so I'm not really in a great blogging mood at the moment. I need to start trying to get some rest so that I'm not tired for the first day. So here are some of the articles I had been thinking about:

Only U.S. Strength Can Defeat Islamism - Excellent essay and I have to agree with the conclusion that Arab honor/shame is by far the biggest stumbling block to peace in the Middle East.

Israel’s Sacred Places - I don't agree with all the statements in this one, but I know that when I went to the Wall, I experienced many of the same feelings Mr. Shapiro describes. It is absolutely incredible.

Yasser Arafat is the Big Winner - A column detailing how Arafat has manipulated Oslo and made himself out to be the champion of peace in the face of the war-mongering Israelis.

Enough is Enough: Let’s Take This Country Back - How can you pass up an article with this paragraph: "Mormons used to have multiple wives. They can probably have them again, I suppose. Moslems already do in places. What if I wanted to marry every unmarried or divorced woman in Oregon? Would my employer have to provide health insurance coverage for all of them? If you can marry somebody of the same sex, what about bisexuals? Could they wed one of each sex at the same time? What if I wanted to marry a burro? Would my employer have to provide veterinary coverage?"

Apollo 11 Moon Landing Footage Out-take - For the tinfoil hat crowd.

Ancient Buddhist temple uncovered in west Afghanistan - One good thing about the Taliban, they were so inept at most anything besides terror that they weren't able to accomplish any of their other "goals." As a result, they missed this Buddhist temple. Despite their best efforts, even they couldn't completely destroy history.

Quick Links

India to deploy Israeli planes along border with China and Pakistan - An Indo-Israeli military cooperation. That has got to be worst nightmare of the Islamists in between.

Trade without borders - A not-so-flattering look at globalization, NAFTA and the effects on the workplace.

Ancient Jewish village uncovered in Jerusalem - A really cool find, but I'm most amazed by the order given to the priestly class to drive around the site until an underground separation is built. That's one of those things I never would have thought about.

Quick Links

Lots of interesting news stories today, but I'm beat at the moment and getting ready to head off for an early bed. But here are the stories I was looking at tonight:

Limbaugh Promises 'more Honesty to Come' in Radio Return - Rush, for whatever reason, has never been one of my favorites, but it's good to see him back on the radio. He has a lot of rehabilitation in front of him, both personally and professionally. Honesty is going to be the only path to true success for him and he needs to remember that.

Palestinians reprint schoolbooks praising jihad 'martyrs' - Yeah, Arafat wants peace....teaching hatred, muder, and suicide is certainly the proper path to take, right?

Terror futures market back in business - Strikes me as kind of low-class and distasteful, but I guess some people will gamble on anything. Don't know how much help it would really be in combating terrorism, but if it helps, I guess it helps.

Democrat Edwards Promises Higher Minimum Wage, Equal Pay - Let's see. We're in the first stages of a naisscent recovery - and we're going to raise the minimum wage, pricing more people out of the marketplace. And this is good economic policy, why?

U.S. Senate fails to force vote on aviation bill - You know, if the FAA, of all government agencies, is recommending that part of their job be privatized - DO IT! Ignore the unions in this case. The FAA is one of the least efficient agencies in the government and one that will not privatize so long as there is any other even slightly unreasonable reason not to. If the FAA is saying that these 69 towers should be privatized, then they need to be. Heck, even the DOT says there is no difference in safety while there is an improvement in efficiency.

Quick Links

Predators at law - Dishonest lawyers? Who'd a thunk it?

Betting on Bulgaria - Bulgaria is rapidly becoming one of the new success stories of Eastern Europe and good friends to us.

A Muslim Scholar Raises Hackles in France - Tariq Ramadan defending himself against accusations of being a demagogue and anti-Semite.

Gloomy French offered grim reading on nation's decline - This aren't looking to good in France these days and DeGaulle's quote: "France can only carry out reforms via revolutions" doesn't make it look any too promising.

Same-Sex Smooch Gets High School Girls Suspended - I got to agree with the school on this one: the way she handled the kiss, shouting it out, jumping on a tile, and then keeping it going for 12 seconds can certainly legitimately be labeled as disruptive.

Scan shows how brain suppresses latent racism - So does this imply that racism can be scientifically tested for?

Limbaugh's return to the microphone: Will his signal fade? - The true rehabilitation of Rush starts tomorrow.

Why Microsoft wants to buy - then trash - Google - A conspiracy theory to make the conspiracy theorists proud.

Closing the books on Arafat - Corruption in the PA? Say it ain't so!

A short history of PA corruption - Yep. I guess there really is. Gee, what a surprise.

Quick Links

A special expanded edition tonight!

Is porn beginning to beat a retreat? - She obviously hasn't seen my inbox lately....

Allard blasts Daschle for leaving Senate debate to attend Denver fundraiser - Daschle is saddened by the accusations. But not enough to refrain from accusing Allard of hypocrisy.

BROKER BLASTS MARTHA IN COURT - More on Martha. But in her lawyer's assault on the broker's invocation of the Fifth Amendment, isn't he still in jeopardy until he's sentenced and therefore his use of the Fifth Amendment protection would still be justified?

New Service Is the Last Word in E-Mail (link requires registration) - $9.99 for the ability to send email from beyond the grave during the next three years. I guess people will pay for just about anything.

Slavery lives on in Sudan - Is anyone really surprised that slavery would still exist in a land of dhimmitude?

Baby Sitter Arrested, Accused Of Witchcraft, Satanism - Actually she was charged with giving the kids alcohol, but that doesn't sound as freaky as witchcraft and satanism, now does it?

U.N.: Al Qaeda Trying to Use WMDs - Gee, it is nice to see the UN might actually be waking up to the facts of the real world.

Energy Bill Would Impose Power Grid Rules - Great. Another big government answer. Got a problem? Solve it with more government rules and regulation!

Democrat Blanco Wins La. Governor's Race - Well, they had to win something, right?

Blame Israel, says Red Cross as it ends food aid for West Bank - Whoa! I'm confused. They're stopping emergency food aid because of an economic collapse in the West Bank that they claim is being engineered by....THE JEWS!!!! Isn't an economic collapse the time when food aid is needed most? Is the Red Cross only supportive when it isn't desperately needed?

U.S. businesses take sides on free trade arret ea (sic) spanning Western Hemisphere - There are two sides to every story. Always interesting when they meet in a small town.

Three Brokerages Face Charges Over Discounts - American Express, Wachovia and Legg Mason join the parade of mutual fund miscreants. This is a complete and total failure on the part of the regulators at every level.

Quick Links

Germany Backs Down on EU Military HQ - Hmmmm. German reproachment. I think that we ought to let this play out.

Tribute for gay victims of Nazism - A "me-too" memorial for, at most, 15,000 dead cheapens the memory of the Holocaust, in my opinion. What happened was deplorable and unacceptable, but worthy of a tax payer funded memorial?

Charges Schwab Joins Brokerage Scandal (link requires registration) - Even the brokerage firm for the little guy isn't clean. Just goes to show that the mutual fund scandal was not a localized event.

Quick Links

IOC OK Transsexual Athletes in Olympics - Men's, Women's and Other's? Sheesh, this is getting out of hand.

Turks Concerned Over Rising Christian Missionary Activity - Hmmm, it addresses the needs of the people, rather than the people addressing the needs of the religion. Maybe the Turks could learn something from the missionaries rather than just complainin about the aid.

Jerusalem Cafe Still Employs Arabs Despite Poison Attempt - You know them? There are probably people who said the same thing about Mohammad Atta.

What Memo? - Hugh Hewitt takes on the mainstream media and their reluctance to take on "The Memo."

Quick Links

Gore blames TV for U.S. complacency - This coming from the man who claimed to have invented the Internet.

Like it or not, America is becoming an imperial power - Are we having to do some of the same things as the imperialsts did? Yes. But does that make us imperialsts? I don't think so. I we wanted to have an empire, we could have an empire. But we don't. That is what seperates us from the imperialsts of years past.

When Will the Next Ice Age Begin? (Link requires registration) - So does this mean that global warming is or isn't a problem? I'm getting confused. How are we going to warm our way into the next ice age?

Quick Links

It's not raining men for Saudi women - Well, gee. After seeing pictures of some of the aging ones, I can understand this.

Arsonist's parents must pay $715,000 - This is one of those articles that makes me just so happy to be a parent.

Petition drive aims to repeal Nevada tax increase - Another tax increase is followed by another tax revolt. Surprise, surprise, surprise.

Quick Links

Dean dispute puts focus on Dems' lag in the South - Yeah, points out that the Democrats lost the South, but mainly points out that Dean hasn't got a clue about us.

Education 'Miracle' Has a Math Problem - My kids are currently being taught using the new math crap, and let me tell you, I can believe that there is a math problem in the statistics. After seeing the new math up close and in person, I can understand why our kids can't do it.

Paris Store Offers Striptease Lessons - I wonder which waiting list was longer: the one to take the lessons, or the one to watch the lessons?

Will Investors Stampede Out of Mutual Funds? (link requires registration) - Coming full circle for the day. It's no surprise that people are pulling their money out of the mutual funds that are accused of dirty dealing. I would not be surprised if a few go out of business or are merged out of existance.

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Mini job miracle - Germany learns about the value of reducing the burden of overtaxation. The unions are, of course, up in arms about it.

There once was a word for tax freedom: 'fray-oh-dome': U of T releases next letter in dictionary of Old English - Too bad we don't have a word for tax freedom today...

"I didn't know I was suing you!" - Lawyers interfering in the doctor-patient relationship in the name of venue shopping. This is truly offensive. The lawyers have got to be stopped before they destroy our civilization.

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Bush Challenges Iran, Syria to Adopt Democracy - Good to see Bush raising the pressure on the nutcases in the Middle East.

Reality show looks for porn stars of tomorrow - I wonder how long it will be before this follows Joe Millionaire IV....

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Republicans Win Kentucky, Mississippi Governorships - For all the claims that they Republicans would suffer from the war and the economy, this doesn't bode well for the Democrats.

Advocates Want Other Cities to Follow San Francisco and Raise Minimum Wage - Hmmm. Another brilliant economic move. Let's raise the minimum wage to an unrealistic level to encourage illiegal immigration, a black market in under minimum wage labor, and many more unemployed poor people. I love it, let's help people by taking away opportunities. Pure genius, it is.

Judge dismisses lawsuit that sought to legalize gay marriage - Oh! OH! A judge who understands that the proper way to change the law is through the legislature, not by judicial fiat. Someone needs to promote this lady!

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Al-Qa'ida Website Issues Ramadan Warning of Imminent Attacks: Calls on Muslims in DC, NY, and LA to Leave Those Cities - These guys are becoming a joke. They threaten, threaten ,threaten, but nothing ever seems to happen like they claim. Either we're really, really good at stopping them, or they're really, really inept. I'm guessing it's probably somewhere in the middle.

THE COMING COLLAPSE OF FREE TRADE (registration required) and FOLLIES: New Republic Blames America First (Again) - Two different looks at free trade. The first article tends to contradict itself at times, but it's interesting to read nonetheless.

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Saudis fear that Britain sees them as the next Iran - If the House of Saud is getting concerned that the West is seeing through the facade, that's a good thing.

Power-tower 'terrorist' arrested in California - The guy is complaining because it was difficult to negotiate his surrender. He's pulling bolts out of power towers and endangering people, and his biggest concern is getting an exact answer regarding his fate?

Two original Erie Canal locks rediscovered - See? Not all cool historical discoveries happen overseas. I'm just surprised that we managed to lose the canal in the first place.

Spanish treasure ship missing since 1681 found - But then again, a lot of cool discoveries do happen overseas (or in this case, in the seas).

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Make excellence a 'black thing' - SATs, HOPE scholarships and grade inflation. A well written column that makes excellent sense.

Castro: Is Schwarzenegger All Muscle? - Fidel questioning someone's intelligence. Pretty funny.

Mind the gap - A column slamming "hipocrisy." Yes, spelled with an "i" not a "y." Excellent article.

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Permanent ban on Internet service taxes bogs down as temporary ban runs out - The ban needs to get renewed ASAP. The last thing the Net needs is getting taxed.

Day of the Dead: Many Mexicans seek burials in their homeland - I'm going to skip the rude comments here - although the possibilities are legion.

UT students single out profs: The Young Conservatives of Texas target professors over ideology - I know this has got to have the professors up in arms, but I really don't see anything wrong with it. The kids are advertising who they are.....

Lawmakers Fume on Canceled N. Korea Trip - North Korea is a bad enough situation without having Congress getting in there trying to screw it up even more.

More Quick Links

I couldn't resist linking to these also:

Get PLAY: NU gets good vibrations - Hmmm. Makes you wonder what they're really studying at Northwestern.

The perfect gift for the pet that has--ahem--almost everything - " 'How are you, Bucky?' He gave me his paw, and I shook his hand. He went to clean himself, and I'll never forget the look on his face. He looked down and didn't do anything but look up at me, then look back down and back up with those big bloodhound eyes. 'Where in the world did they go?' he was asking. After that, he acted extremely depressed for three days.' " Can I really say more?

Man makes startling discovery in break-in: Nude photos of sister found in apartment - This is when you know that burglary is not the profession for you.

Hillary Thinks Bush is Bad For Democracy - Well, she would know now wouldn't she?

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Ignoring Jewish Humanity - Raises good questions, but ones that are never answered.

Poll: Young not in step with 30-plus crowd - Oh great. Now, according to CNN, I'm old.

BLOODY KING LINKED TO SAXON BEACH FIND - Another of those little history stories I like so much.

"35 or 40" countries able to make nuclear weapons: IAEA chief - He wants to create a new safety system based on fairness, not dissuasion. Sounds like a pipe-dream to me.

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Discriminatory deeds a shocking discovery and Racist fliers likely protected as free speech, FBI reports - Just because something is offensive does not necessarily make it illegal. In both cases here, the speech was reprehensible, but protected.

Deficit warning for France and Germany - France to rest of EU: "EU rules for thee, but not for me." Is anyone really surprised?

Texas Sex Offenders Face Halloween Orders - Frankly, I'm surprised that this wasn't already in place. I just don't like the "for the children" justification quote at the end.

Curbs sought on DoD contracting with foreign civil air carriers - This is a good move, hamstring our ability to move large numbers of troops and equipment in a fit of "Buy American"ism. This is a bad move. Foreign companies should not be the backbone of CRAF, but should be able to participate in an airlift if it becomes necessary.

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When Rogues Defy Reason: Bashar's Syria - Ah, haven't seen too much of Baby Bashar in the news lately. Good to know he still hasn't gotten a clue.

AP: Iraq Expense Leaving Others in Cold - Lots of whining about a lack of spending on those other important programs.

French May Scrap Holiday for Health Care - Hmmm, think that might be a good idea after this summer's debacle?

THE WORST HALLOWEEN COSTUMES OF ALL TIME - I'd try to find one or two of these for the kids for Friday, but they're probably too much money and I'd get killed.

Quick Links

I'll get the Quick Links posted early tonight, in anticipation of the coming of the Carnival...

Hispanic advocates decry tax-preparation deceit - I don't know why, but I am consistantly surprised by the people who abdicate the use of common sense. If you're going to take business deductions, doesn't it just make sense that they would have to bear some resemblence at least to your business?

Jihad remains key subject in Pakistan's religious schools - No real great surprise here. Doesn't make you feel all warm and fuzzy about the possibility of rational dialogue, huh?

Greek Muslim women want education first, sharia abolition later - I think it should be the other way around. Education first, abolition second just means that they will intellectually know how badly they're getting screwed - and still won't be able to do anything about it.

'Smart stamps' next in war on terrorism - It's Orwellian, it's obnoxious, and it's probably a next to useless waste of money. The only real effect I see this having is to scare off folks engaging in legitimate free speech that may be unpopular. We really need to find better ways to spend our money, we really do.

Quick Links

Before we get to the quick links for tonight, don't forget that the deadline for Carinival of the Capitalists submissions is 6 pm Eastern tomorrow! Email your entry to cotc - at - cbnoble.com or capitalists - at - elhide.com Looks like we're going to have well over 20 entries, so don't be left out!

Also, take a look at the blogroll. Many new names have been added to it over the last few days. Go pay them a visit!

And now for tonight's quick links:

Saudi terror plot in "final stages" - It's tough when the evil minions turn on you. Really, really tough.

Afghan Women Heal War Trauma with Opium - I wonder how many new addicts the war really created - and how many are old addicts that are just now boiling to the surface since the Taliban has left. I'm guessing that this is a deep rooted problem just now coming to light because of the war, not created by it.

Taliban Resurgence Undermining UN Afghan Aid Work - Is there any great surprise here?

'Shock and Awe' Barrage Hits Patent Office - You would think that companies would show a little more ingenuity than this...

Many Husbands Make Woes For Indian Women - With them all being brothers, I'll bet determining paternity is a pain. And that's in addition to all the other problems associated with this kind of relationship.

Quick Links

Only two links tonight, as I haven't been feeling well all day.

Debate erupts anew: Did Thera's explosion doom Minoan Crete?

Bye Bye, Beringia Anthropology and Archaeology of The Americas

For whatever reason, the last few days I've been finding quite a few articles like this. I like them, so I link them.

Don't forget to get your entry in for the Carnival of the Capitalists! The deadline is 6 pm Eastern on Sunday. Got a whole bunch of good entries today that I'm still reading through. Email yours to cotc - at - cbnoble.com or capitalists - at - elhide.com

Quick Links

Who Destroyed Megiddo? Was It David or Shishak? - The destruction of Armageddon. Such a pleasant topic, it is. Actually, I find it to be extremely fascinating. If I ever get enough money that I can tell the world to kiss off, I'm going to go and volunteer at a bunch of these biblical dig sites. It would be a lot more interesting to me than discussing the types of wood used in furniture.

Team finds secret of mummies' preservation - Keeping with the same theme of studying really old dead people, here's a report on how they may have finally discovered the way the Egyptians embalmed their mummies - by reading Pliny the Elder, a Roman scholar who died some 2000 years ago. We known the answer all this time, yet we just discovered it. Amazing.

Satanic Ritual Cancelled By Salem Knights of Columbus - I don't really know what to say. Who scheduled it in the first place? Did they not notice that it was a pagan ritual? Does someone need some religious diversity training?

Father, Daughter Sentenced In Tax Case - Ah, our tax dollars at work. This girl managed to get a half a million dollar refund check from the IRS - for slavery reparations. And to make it worse, the IRS sent it, allowed her to cash it and blow over half of it before they figured out that Daddy had put a huge captial gains refund on her tax return. Did someone in the IRS not think it was odd when this girl suddenly claimed this massive deduction? Did it not trigger a manual review - before it cost the taxpayers $266,000? It should have.

Quick Links

There are no quick links this evening, as I was out most of the night.

Instead, I'll just leave you with a reminder that you Carnival of the Capitalists entry is due by Sunday! cotc - at - cbnoble.com or capitalists - at - elhide.com

Also, there is a discussion going on in the comments at BusinessPundit and at Jay Solo's Verbosity about possibly changing the name to something else. I've already entered my vote for Wealth of Notions. Get your votes in early and often!

Quick Links

The Quick Links are kind of short tonight as I really didn't find a whole lot to comment on, outside of the Terry Schiavo situation, which I don't want to comment on, yet.

In the mean time, I'd like to call your attention to the fact that I've added some new blogs to the blogroll, including: Wizbang, You Big Mouth, You!, Stage Left, and Kin's Kouch. I'm scouting around, looking for potential entries to the Carnival of the Capitalists and I'm blogrolling interesting looking sites as I'm going. Get your entry in today! cotc - at - cbnoble.com or capitalists - at - elhide.com

Human Rights 101 Trains High School Students to Be Global Citizens - You know, this is a wonderful idea - except that most of these kids don't know how to be local citizens, much less global ones. Maybe this time would be better spent teaching them the values of community.

Boy's Internet research snags him in FBI web - Well, I guess I know what kind of reports my kids won't be writing for quite a while.

Running Mate Spot Still Gives Graham Chance on Ticket - Bob Graham is just out to prove that he hasn't got a clue. It is really getting embarassing watching him. You want to feel bad, you really do. Give it up, Bob. At this point, even your re-election to the Senate is in question, assuming you start devoting eveything to it now.

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Don't forget your Carnival of the Capitalists entry: capitalists - at - elhide.com or cotc - at - cbnoble.com! Got some great entries so far - don't be left out!

No Candy On Halloween? Yale Study Suggests Toys As Alternative - Halloween without candy is like Easter without eggs, Christmas with presents, New Year's without booze, the Fourth without fireworks - it's blasphemy! Which makes the only surprising thing here is that it didn't come from UC Berkeley.

Eleven killed in Israeli airstrikes in Gaza; Islamic groups threaten revenge - The cycle of violence goes round and round, round and round, round and round all through the town.

U.N. Report: U.S. War on Terror Radicalizes Arabs - The US doesn't create radicalized Arabs, radicalized Arabs create radicalized Arabs.

Quick Links

Dean Gets Standing Ovation from Arab-Americans - Howard Dean has no more right to deny the flag to anyone than I do to deny it to him. The flag is not Howard Dean's to give to people - as he said himself, it belongs to every American citizen - including those he would deny it to.

'Ghettopoly' No Bigger Insult Than MTV Rap - This is getting blown way out of proportion to what it is - a game. A tasteless and trite game, but nonetheless, a game. I still stand by my original question: don't we have more important things to worry about?

Israeli media slams as ''Anti-Semitic'' Chirac refusal to join EU condemnation of Malaysian PM speech on Jews - Did they really expect Chirac to do the right thing? Come on now.

TERRORISM HEADLINES OF THE WEEK - From The Search For International Terrorist Entities. Looks like an interesting site.

Quick Links

Sorry about the lack of posting today. I had to work, go on a job interview (I'm likely going to be changing jobs in the next few weeks, finally), and got a couple of comments that I am having trouble getting past (not you Thomas).

Reminder about the comments. Call me what you will, use whatever invective or overwrought rhetoric you will, just keep it clean and don't expect me to respond to ad hominem attacks in which you never really address the point of the post. I like rational debate and don't mind people disagreeing with me. Just don't expect a whole lot when the basis for your argument is that I am clearly uneducated and insane. Tell me something my friends haven't already told me. But enough on this before I ramble on all night.

Here are tonight's quick links:

Fake Catholic church ordered by judge to tell the truth - I'll bet that someone, somewhere is screaming "Freedom of religion!" Sorry, but the ruling here seems entirely reasonable.

Iran leads Islamic world's nuclear quest - Aren't you glad that the leaders of Iran are just such peace loving thugs that we'll never have to worry if they build the bomb? </sarcasm>

Schwarzenegger transition team heavy on business, tax conservatives - California is in a fiscal crisis. I'd hope that Arnold had more business and tax people than social engineers.

The Great and Enduring Heresy of Mohammed - For being nearly 65 years old, it seems to be rather accurate about the threat of radical, revivalist Islam.

Values outsourced: What are the social costs of the Wal-Mart economy? - A look at the effects of Wal-Mart, not in the business arena so much as in the socio-economic one. Obviously biased against Wal-Mart, but it does have some interesting points to consider.

Quick Links

Bush's grandfather was director of bank seized by government for affiliation with Nazi-funding German industrialist - I love political hit pieces. They couldn't make it stick for Arnold, so they try to label Bush as a proxy Nazi. It was one share. And it was Prescott Bush, not Dubya. The sins of the grandfather should not be visited on the grandson.

German Press Review: Buy Moscow, Ignore Berlin, Punish Paris - Divide and conquer. Still works like a charm. I do love how even the Germans are now accusing their EU compatriots, the French, of saving face instead of standing on principle.

Kach Sites Blacklisted In U.S. - Of all the various hate sites out there, we pick four Jewish sites to ban first?

Report: Saudis funded infiltration of U.S. military - Isn't it wonderful to have friends like these?

Peace With Egypt Getting Colder - As if it were ever truly warm to begin with.

Give them libertarianism, and a moving van - I like the idea, but do you really have to move to New Hampshire?

What Atheists Want - Is this like the question What Women Want?

Quick Links

Vichy mentally ill patients 'were not murdered' - Let's see malnourished, "eating their own hands and books, causing stomach ruptures and death." Nope, nothing there that might resemble murder.... Sick, just sick.

Top U.S. General Says Muslims Worship 'Idol'; Islamic group calls for Reassignment Over 'Extremist' Views - Gee, General Boykin is a Christian, one who truly believes in his faith. He lives it and lives by it. He has learned and he follows many of the spiritual lessons of his faith. In short, he is a true, believing Christian - and CAIR wants him reassigned because of it. Bet they'd be ok with it if he prayed facing Mecca five times a day, yet many Christians would see that as extremist. So where do we draw the line?

Quick Links

U.S.: Linguist Took Classified Data to Egypt - How did this guy not realize he had 132 CDs with him? And what is going on in Gitmo anyways? This is getting ridiculous!

Bracelet Fad Among Middle-Schoolers Said Linked to Sex - Maybe if parents spent more time worrying about their kids education instead of worrying about possible sexual innuendo related to jelly bracelets things wouldn't be so bad.

Bragging to police about sex backfires for driver - Some things are better left unsaid and some criminals are just too dense to realize that. This guy is one of them.

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Library books burned by court order - Where they burn books.....

Roddey says discount airline, 500 jobs coming to Pittsburgh - Wild guess here. I'll bet that three of the destinations will be Miami, Ft. Lauderdale, and Orlando. Hey! Maybe a job opportunity for me!

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One Californian's View: Gray Davis Tactics Mirror Hitler's Public Speaking Methods - Not that it really matters any more, but the California recall election does seem to have revolved more around Adolf than Arnold or Gray or Cruz or anyone else actually running.

Ancient Tombs Reveal Bronze Age Civilization - I love little ancient civilization articles like this.

Iraqi leader attacks US over plan to use Turkish troops - This is a case where I don't agree with the Iraqi position. The Kurds and the Turks need to learn how to at least tolerate each other a little better.

Mass demonstrations of teachers in Iran - Little by little the pressure mounts. The eventual explosion is coming. You can't oppress a people for this long, this harshly, without consequence. The thugocracy's Day of Reckoning is drawing near.

Quick Links

NAACP Up in Arms Over Student's Proposed "Caucasian Club" - So the NAACP is not bigoted, but a Caucasian Club by definition must be? Something doesn't smell quite right, here.

We report, you get it wrong - An unfair and unbalanced look at FOXNews.

Some Dealers Experiment With Eight-Year Auto Loan - This is just brilliant. Let's give people an opportunity to own a worthless, run down piece of junk that they still owe thousands on. Such a deal.

Quick Links

Even if ousted, Davis wouldn't go immediately - There doesn't seem to be anything normal or easy about the recall, even getting rid of Gray if its successful.

Flying Into Hypocrisy - A fairly harsh condemnation of the double standard in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, focused primarily around the 27 pilot's refusal to fly missions in the territories.

Confounded by Chads? Don't Vote! - Dennis Miller invokes the concept of common sense as a needed virtue in the voting process. He not only does so in a funny way, but for once he does so in plain English! A great read.

Quick Links

Sorry about the lack of posts today. I was over in Sebastian taking out cabinets and pulling up flooring. I'll be around more tomorrow so you should see more posting.

On immigration - Excellent opinion piece. Should be a must read article.

Poland Says It Was Mistaken in Report That Troops Found Newly Built French Missiles in Iraq - I'll bet Chirac doesn't realize that this story was so hot because it was so believable. No he still thinks that he can get away with trying to convince the world that a decade is fifteen years long.

Blue Cross of California to accept Mexican ID cardholders - Well this is mighty progressive of them. Let's take the costs of illegal immigrant health care and transfer them from being a responsibility of the entire state and make them a cost to be borne by those fortunate enough to be insured by Blue Cross.

Oxygen not booze draw students to local bar - No second hand oxygen for them! But isn't unfair for them to be hoarding and wasting all this precious oxygen when oxygen poor kids are suffering outside of third world polluting power plants?

Sins of omission - OK, maybe the time between Rosh Hashana and Yom Kippur should be used as a time of reflection. And maybe Sharon's government is a little arrogant. But is that sufficient reason to think that dialogue and gradual capitulation will make anything better? The real Palestinian side of the story gets out. It's not Israel's fault that the Palestinian story is racist, anti-Semitic and offensive.

Medical examiner accused of keeping breast implants after autopsy - OK, he's a teacher also, right? If he kept them for educational purposes it is in poor taste and morally questionable. But if he kept them for any other reason, they need to throw him with all the other sickos. Either way, it's disgusting.

Quick Links

Polish Troops Find New French Missiles in Iraq - If Chirac understood the concept of shame, this might be big news, but since he doesn't, I don't think anyone is really all too surprised.

ESPN's Jackson reportedly threatened to resign if Limbaugh stayed - If this is true, I will lose some respect for TJ, but ultimately I watch Sunday Morning Countdown for the sports analysis, not the political commentary. That is why Tom Jackson is on the show - and why Rush never should have been on it to begin with. See my comments here for how I feel about the issue.

Ghettopoly Causing A Stir - The game itself sounds like it probably is trite, but the responses of the PC crowd are priceless. "Racist pornography?" Give me a break. It's just obnoxious and in your face. It may not be pleasant to deal with, but deal with it. There are more pressing issues in Detroit than Ghettopoly.

Quick Links

No quick links tonight as I spent this evening watching the Cardiac Canes squeak by West Virginia 22-20.

Back to normal tomorrow.

Quick Links

California Law Undermines Air Safety - Another reason to not like the new driver's licensing scheme in California.

Racism In Federal Hiring - Got to love the whole color blind society implementation.

US losing the war of ideas in Muslim world - Another in the line of "why do they hate us" type stories. Why care why they hate us? If we know, will they then like us? I don't think so.

Quick Links

Sharon defies US on West Bank fence - Sharon really needs to start watching out for the best interest of Israel, not the Roadmap. This is probably a good start.

Canada Author Causes Stir with 'Trouble with Islam' - Glad to see that the leaders of Islam are open to contructive criticism.

Ayatollah Rohallah Khomeini's Grandson Promotes Freedom and Democracy - In 1979, you'd have thunk that we'd be seeing the Ayatollah's grandson rebuking the revolution less than a quarter of a century later?

Roman souvenir of wall found - This really makes me wish I could get back to London to see this in person.

Sex At Sam's Place: Our Readers Get Wild At Wal Mart - Playboy is prepping the market for a new Women of Wal Mart issue. They really must have a much different Wal Mart crew than any of the ones I've ever been in - or they're now targeting the AARP crowd. Gives me shudders just thinking about it. (This ought to be good for a few wierd Google hits)

Quick Links

A Tale of Two Leaders - Has Arafat outfoxed Bush?

Gaza Children Undernourished - Mr. Arafat, Where is the Money? - It makes you glad that he's looking out for the well-being of the Palestinians instead of just simply exploiting them for personal gain, huh?

Muslim slays daughter in 'honor killing' - Why do some people feel that tribal tradition should trump the laws of their new home country?

The Surprises of Suicide Terrorism - Has some very interesting points.

Anger overmanagement: Some men simply can't get mad - I don't think that people would accuse me of having this problem.....

Quick Links

German president: UK gave in to Hitler - Yeah, Neville did cave to Hitler, but is it really accurate to compare the plight of the Holocaust Jews to that of the Germans displaced after the war? Just the scale and barbarity of the Holocaust makes the comparison repulsive.

Dean of Students Shuts Down Affirmative Action Bake Sale - U. Cal Irvine shuts down a bake sale as unfair because the pricing is preferential based on race and sex. The whole point of the sale was to prove that affirmative action is unfair because it is based on race and sex. The Dean proved the point. But will they notice? The same thing happened at SMU recently. Where is the students right to political protest?

Inside the Islamic Mafia - So maybe the Islamists aren't the religion of peace people they would like you to believe that they are.

TV Talk Dirtier Than Ever Before - Yesterday, I noted a problem. Today, FOXNews notes a possible reason for the problem. Now all we need is a solution.

Quick Links

Ship comes in for tanker-chasing team - OK, I can't say I've ever surfed a tanker wake, but I have run Jet Skis and a regular boat through tug and barge wakes. Not quite as big wave wise, but an incredible rush nonetheless and probably just about as stupid and dangerous.

ISLAMIC 'JUSTICE' TKO'D - This is probably the brightest thing I've heard coming out of Nigeria in a while, but then again, most of what I hear from them consists of "Dear Sir, I am the son of a tribal chief...."

Why Denmark Decided to Participate in the War Against Saddam Hussein - An excellent and well written reminder that not everyone in Europe is an evil Chiraci. We need to cultivate and strengthen our friendship with nations like Denmark. Found while perusing this post at Free Republic about NATO considering joining the coalition in Iraq.

Whatever happened to customer service? - What happened to customer service? Automated phone system hell, that's what. For being a service based economy, we are really starting to suck at service.

Quick Links

Not quite done with the emergency stuff yet.

French prostitutes take to the streets over new vice law - Gee, Jacques must be really upset if he's taking to the streets. Oh wait, wrong prostitute.....

Border Patrol Stops 'Freedom Riders' Buses - How many "Freedom Rider" buses will be coming north now?

Protest sale offered cookies at different prices, depending on race - Old trick, but still effective. I kind of surprised that they only raised $1.50 before getting shut down. But nonetheless the article is worth reading just for the quote from Matt Houston: "They were arguing that affirmative action was solely based on race. It's not based on race. It's based on bringing a diverse community to a certain organization." Sounds like institutionalized racism to me.

Discovered: Europe's biggest amphitheatre after the Coliseum - I'm going to venture a guess and say it was commissioned by either Trajan or Hadrian, but no matter why it came about, it is still an impressive find.

Quick Links

Posting has been light yesterday and today due to a small family emergency (I only wish it was small!), but I think it might have been resolved this evening, so things should be back to "normal" tomorrow and over the weekend.

Here are tonight's quick links:

German States Move To Enact Headscarf Bans - a brilliant populist move, but not the kind that you really want to see happen here. Sometimes freedom of religion involves accepting customs that are objectionable to the majority. As much as I dislike the idea of Islamic fundamentalism running rampant across America, banning headscarfs would not be a solution I would support.

The international decentralisation of US commercial aircraft production: implications for US employment and trade - another essay on the loss of high quality jobs to low cost nations.

Israel grounds pilots who refused missions in Palestinian territories - "One has to realise that this is not a democratic organisation." And a military should not be. It's good to see the Israeli Air Force taking a stand for discipline.

The Caligulization of the Democratic Party - An interesting comparison of some of the current political players to various Roman emperors or institutions.

Quick Links

Actually, there are no quick links tonight as I only found a couple of interesting news articles out there today. The only other newsy/political thing I want to comment on is the Court deciding that the California recall should go on as scheduled. My only comment is that it's about time someone interjected some rationality into the whole argument.

I have some other thoughts, but we'll leave them for another night.

Oh, and Curt, I understand the feeling completely. I get it everytime, too.

Quick Links

Sorry about the light posting this weekend. I was out of town yesterday and was out doing stuff today. Should be back to "normal" by tomorrow.

Incumbent protection racket? - I hope that the Supreme Court strikes down all the campaign finance reforms. No one has more of a right to free speech than anyone else.

Poor urged to go to polls - I don't agree with Belafonte's politics, but if he's encouraging people to participate in the political system, then good for him.

Pity the French, but they deserve their miseries - A harsh, but hard to disagree with, slam of the French.

Links From This Week

Is chivalry outdated? - Only if you have no interest in dating....

Woman, 70, hurls knife at husband who wouldn't prepare for hurricane - If he was watching the Dolphins, I can certainly understand his position....

Muslims Urged to Marry More Wives - Too many things to say here, too many things.

Election economics - Nice big article that misses the one, most obvious answer. That nice big gap is reflective of a growing black market in labor. And as labor laws get more restrictive and payroll taxes rise, we're going to see more of discrepancy.

Quick Links

Reaction to Monday's ruling postponing the recall election - Would someone please tell me when the Voting Rights Act became "the core of our democracy?" Was this like some little known law on the books for nearly 200 years before someone said "Oh! Look! A Voting Rights Act that Washington and friends used as the core of our democracy! What a find! We should enforce it from now on!"? Bustamante has got to get a grip on what really makes our democracy work.

U.S. to Withhold Some Funds from Israel - Is there a similar withholding for the Palestinians? If not, this is a crock. Fair is fair. If the claim is being made that Israel hasn't lived up to its obligations, the same needs to be said for Arafat and his corrupt cronies.

Tax wealthy to pay for Iraq war - No, no, NO! This was a war fought by the American military, not the military forces that defend only the rich Americans who pay for their services. "ALL MEN ARE CREATED EQUAL." This means that everyone can kick in their fair share - even poor folks like me. To put the financial burden on a select few would be to set the country down the slippery slope of elitism in which the poor are disenfranchised by virtue of not being able to afford a stake at the table. Raise my taxes or whatever else needs to be done, but do not financially disenfranchise me or any other poor person.

Quick Links

Conservative Media Under Attack! - Apparently some folks are trying to slip a version of the Fairness Doctrine into the new FCC bill. I want to know who will decide what is a conservative viewpoint and what is a liberal viewpoint. Implementation should be interesting.

A confluence of cynicism - A nice look at some of the less ethical events related to the California recall.

Iran envoy in bombing inquiry is freed on bail - The British Court system is, despite the pressures, doing an excellent job of following the rules and regulations - even when it isn't the most popular decision.

Language influences the way you think - Another excellent analysis of how language can affect the ways in which we communicate - even the non-verbal ones.

Quick Links

I've been trying to avoid getting into the whole reflecting on 9/11 thing today. I figure that two years after the fact, no one wants to hear about what I did that day or anything else like that. Problem that I've been having today is that pretty much all the news article are 9/11 related. The other stories are not exactly the easiest in the world to write about, so here are the links for your reading pleasure:

Questions Related to Aqidah (Faith). - Some of these are really, really out there. Really makes me wonder....

Frequently Asked Questions (and Answers) about Linking - With some large companies going overboard with attempting to limit speech through the manufacturing of "copyright" violations for linking, this page is very useful to help you to understand what is ok and what it not.

The Only Safe Place To Put Money - It's long, but it's a good analysis of the current state of the economy and where we might be heading.

The Day Nothing Changed - I don't agree with everything that is written here, but I'm not sure how to express the points on which I disagree.

Quick Links

The Quick Links will be early tonight as I have a six part essay (this time it really will be six parts only) that I'm going to post after this - and I want to stay on top until tomorrow (don't worry, it'll be very easy to follow). So, with out further jabbering:

Jordan becomes new R&R spot for occupation troops serving in Iraq - This will be a really cool R&R spot. I loved Petra - a most cool city and well worth the time to visit.

What Americans know - It begins and ends with some pretty vile anti-Americanism, but his look at some of the true problems with textbooks and curriculums rings very true. Too bad he buried it so much that few people will ever get to it.

Dutch trades union calls for Cuba boycot [sp.] - If we could only make Castro go away..... But I'm glad to see the Dutch unions pushing to get on board, even if their support is likely to only be temporary in nature.

Quick Links

Expect Monday nights to be light on postings for the next, oh, 17 weeks or so. But I'll try my best to keep them coming.

Survey: Americans still favor security over personal liberties - Some people never learn, I guess.

Belarus Dictator Tightens Grip With New Restrictions on Religious Groups - But here's a good lesson.....

'Don't Take The Clothes Off My Back' - a 10 cent tax on espresso in Seattle. Pure taxing genius. Not good for re-election prospects though.

Greens wage on Africans - More evidence of eco-colonialism and unintended consequences.

Rents Up Over 1/3 Since '99, Study Says - Interesting problem, but is more government interference in the housing market really the best answer?

US military plane sets off earthquake gauge in Hiroshima - Ah, the earth shaking power of the US military.

Ex-KKK leader endorses Bustamante - When you lie down with dogs, you've got to expect to get bitten by the fleas. Bustamante wants to hang around with racists and now the racists want to hang around with him.

Quick Links

Sorry about the lack of posts today. There was a job fair downtown this afternoon and I was tweaking and sending resumes this evening, so I didn't get my normal blogging in.

As these two articles and my one other post tonight show, today was not a great news day for Iran:

IRI Intimidating Israel
Blair issues warning to Iran over nuclear weapons

I guess the Islamic Republic of Iran has to work on their public relations a bit this week.

We also found these two interesting articles:

Group Says Teachers Union Avoided Taxes - Oh, so many snide comments I could make here, but I won't - for now.

Wake-Up Call on Spending - If the market mentality is at play here, then the recent spate of negative articles would be pointing to an economic upturn. For some reason, I don't see it happening any time soon. Too many fundamental problems in the economy right now.

Quick Links

Immigrants 'should pass Britishness test' - This might not be a bad idea to implement here also.

Calls Show Pre-Blackout Utility Confusion - They blacked out the entire Northeast, of course there was confusion.

China Agrees to Eventually Allow Currency to Trade Freely - So when is "eventually?"

Quick Links

Arafat: 'The road map is dead' - He is quick on the uptake, now isn't he? Just about anyone paying attention has been saying this since about the day after the road map was proposed. In the current environment of violence, it was doomed to be a non-starter. Nice to see Yassar catching that finally.

Judge: Public school teacher can lead Bible club meetings - Just becuase someone is a teacher does not mean that they must give up their right to free exercise of religion. I can accept that she may not be able to teach a Bible class at the school in which she is currently employed, but she should be able to teach a Bible class, if that is what she wants to do.

I had a couple of other articles that looked interesting but required paid registrations, which I'm in no mood for at the moment. I'll try to do better tomorrow.

Quick Links

After a hiatus over the weekend, the Quick Links are back!

The Ayatollah: Iraq's archduke? - I think that comparing the murder of the Iraqi Ayatollah to the murder of Archduke Ferdinand is a bit over the top. Possible, but not likely.

Civics 101 -- Getting it right... - a rational look at the case of Judge Moore's monument, examining the Constitutional aspects rather than the religious ones.

China Is Resisting Pressure to Relax Rate for Currency - This is one of the problems when the market is not allowed to work freely. China isn't concerned so much with profit as they are with providing full employment, which helps them to avoid social unrest from the idle.

Transfer of power would be tricky - If a candidate hasn't taken the time to formulate his team, I'm guessing that he hasn't spent much time formulating policy positions either. If the voters in California vote him in, knowing he hasn't taken the time or effort to accomplish either of these basic tasks then they deserve what they get.

Quick Links

VOTE! The World Votes - If it amuses them, let 'em do it. They just better not even believe that we should really care about their choice. It's our President; our choice.

Time for liberals to come out of the closet - Gees. "Come out of the closet"? How cliche.

A Judge Prejudged - A great column from Krauthammer about Judge Pryor - the guy who made Judge Moore in Alabama take out the Ten Commandments - and how he's being kept from the 11th Circuit for having too deeply held beliefs.

Northrop Grumman/Government Team Shapes Aviation History With Sonic Boom Tests; Theory Proven Sound in First Flight Demonstration - This could be the next great revolution in aviation, the next paradigm shift equivalent of going from the propeller era to the jet age.

Quick Links

Today was not a good day for France in the news (again):

France should train its own imams, says minister - Do they really think that training more imams will help to control the spread of fundamentalism?

France shoulders shame of heat deaths - Health laws that deny facilities the abilty to use climate control (read: air conditioning), maybe they do think that training more imams will halt the spread of fundamentalism. And the Health Ministers obviously need to spend a summer in Central Florida to get perspective on air conditioning.

Iran tried to buy nuclear equipment from France: report - So if you can't beat them, train more of 'em and sell 'em nuclear equipment? Is this the new rule?

NAACP files complaint against Florida education department - Perhaps it's time to start concentrating on why the students aren't performing instead of attacking the test. Maybe it's not the test. Or are they scared of what the truth might be?

Palestinians are at the crossroads - The Toronto Sun is catching on to what the blogosphere has been saying for a while now.

Teaching History: Fact or Fiction? - The manipulation of history for political purposes is one of the most offensive acts I see taking place in our schools right now.

Quick Links

Nigerian mother Amina Lawal appeals Sharia stoning sentence

Homosexual Activists Rate Corporations

Brady warns Democrats: The issue is party jobs

Santa Claus Found Dead In Illinois Home

Quick Links

Debunking the myth of the 'Arab street' - The "Arab street" does have one commonality from country to country - anti-Americanism.

Teachers share the blame when poor students fail - As well they should. But the parents still have to accept more responsibility for their kids' education.

Why computer virus writers are useful and we should thank them - Right up until the moment your computer gets infected.

Let's talk about ramps: GSA can't figure out what's wrong with picture - This is almost too ironic. Eugene, OR and the government forgot the handicapped ramp.

Quick Links

It was pointed out to me over the weekend that the stress of my current job, along with looking for a new job, along with other issues was certainly beginning to take its toll on me with the level of my writing here being the most obvious sign. And it's true, I have noticed as of late that my posts have been becoming a bit shorter and more sarcastic than usual or than I normally like.

Unfortunately, until the job situation changes, I don't think my writing will too much. Today was Unfounded Racial Discrimination Charge Day at work. I think tomorrow we're going for Unfounded Transgendered Confusion Discrimination Day. I'm hoping that by Friday they'll go for Unfounded Discrimination Against The Office Manager Just Because Day so that I can get an early afternoon off. It sucks being the only functional adult at work.

But until then, here's tonight's Quick Links:

Political debate over fat growing along with American waistlines - Two words: Personal Responsibility. Now move on to something more important.

Conservative -- and cool How the right has come to reflect middle America's pop culture - Uh oh. The Berkeley crowd is starting to realize that middle America (all those red states....) doesn't really care for the Berkeley crowd.

Rice: Israel must fulfill its responsibilities for peace - Let's see: Jewish bus blows up and Israel has to fulfill its responsibilities because the PA is doing such an outstanding job of stopping the terrorists. And I guess that bus just blew itself up, huh?

I'm going to try to do a few more of the Investing Series articles over the next few days. If you have any suggestions on what you might want to see, leave a comment or send me an email and I'll see what I can do.

Quick Links

Israel updates:
The fantasy of including Hamas on the road-map
Fatah's Central Committee Approves Palestinian Interior Minister
We are Sick of Hudna
Holocaust in Progress

The whole mess in Israel seems to be getting worse and worse and probably heading towards a larger scale conflict. People on both sides are starting to get too polarized for dialogue - which may be exactly what needs to happen.

And on the California recall:

Statute should be junked after vote
Records: Schwarzenegger's father was member of Nazi storm troops
Living in a state of disrepair: California

Leave it to California to make Floridians look like sane voters.

What are the roots of religious violence? A professor travels the world for an answer - And unfortunately she came up with the same redistributionist BS - it's all because we have money and they don't. I will truly be impressed the day that a report comes out saying the answer to religious violence is something other than standard communist, one world government line.

Director: Total loss unknown - The Air Force Museum in Dayton, OH apparently has a few significant items missing fro the collection. They say some have been found at other musuems and it was just a case of the records having not been updated. I sure hope that's the case for all the items.

Is the hyphen heading into history? - I never could really figure out the hyphen or the semicolon - I generally just end up using them when Word tells me to. But I really like the new "blamestorming." It is exactly what happens at my current job.

Quick Links

Arms cache could have leveled house, agents say - OK, so he really believed in his Second Amendment rights. But I really like the name of his road: Trouble Road. So apt in this case.

Venezuela slams ruling barring Cuban doctors - Hallmark of a free society - rule of law. Hallmark of a repressive regime - demonization of opponents. Venezuela is rapidly heading down the latter path.

The new anti-Semitism - The only thing new is Israel as a focal rallying point for the anti-Semites. Other than that, it's the same old evil.

Russia stages mock emergency exercise near N. Korea border - Hmm. Staging a mass refugee drill on the NK border. What do the Russians know and when did they learn it?

Quick Links

Hamas 'Committed' To Cease-Fire 'Detour' on Mythical Road Map To Peace or Hamas Abandons Truce After Israeli Strike? - It's amazing how a little spin can completely alter the conlusions of the article. The Road Map is a sham. Israel needs to expose it for what it is and quit playing this deadly game which they will always lose in the PR arena.

Imron rues straying from Islam - Gee, maybe he didn't really want to be a martyr, it was just that all the cool kids were doing it. Throw in the Archangel Gabriel and a healthy dose of jihad misinterpretation and, well, you can understand why he's sorry.

Free Trade Floods US With Imported Food - I just don't know what to say about this one. It just seems to me like overboard protectionism.

Quick Links

Doctors Call for National Health Insurance - I don't have health insurance, but I would rather be in my current situation than to have Socialized medical care. Better to live in bankruptcy than to die in red tape.

Egyptian Sues for 'Mrs. Taliban' Remark - Woud be interesting to hear the rest of the story (why was she really fired, etc.), but I could see the claim of a hostile work environment.

Jerusalem Night Out - Powerful first person account of last night. It really makes you wonder how much longer Israel will tolerate the sham of the Road Map.

Temple Mount reopened to Jewish visitors - Should read Jewish and Christian, but no matter. It's about time. Going atop the Temple Mount was one of the highest highlights of my trip to Israel.

Electric terrorists? - A positive spin on three of the darkest minutes since 9/11.

Quick Links

Islam and Intellectual Terrorism - Another look at the foundations of Islam

Soldiers of an Islamist New World Order - And who says that the new music isn't offensive?

The War is Over; The Jihad Isn’t - An examination of some of the deeper reasons why jihadists are going into Iraq and the west.

Airport Security: One If By Land, None If By Sea - Scroll down to find the article. When I worked for the airlines, the airport was responsilble for the perimeter security, not the rent-a-cops they had. So unless they had a major change (and one that I haven't noticed), then it was probably the Port Authority that dropped the ball here. TSA is a massive waste of resources, but blame needs to be placed where it's due.

Palestinian Airlines to resume operations after year-long hiatus - Oh, boy.

'How to be Gay' course draws fire at Michigan - It is stuff like this that sabotages the gay movement every time they get a head of steam going. "How to be gay?" This is as much a waste of taxpayer funds as a course on "How to be hetero" would be.

Quick Links

Spent most of the day with the kids, so no real posting today. But here are some of the more interesting stories I came across today:

3 insurers quietly end a brokerage policy - I think this is very significant. When I worked at one of the big firms (actually one that is mentioned here) one of our best selling points when we were selling the multimillionaires was excess SIPC insurance. Losing that insurance is going to make things real interesting as the rich start moving money around to avoid the SIPC maximums.

Lastman wants Toronto spared - Just a wee bit elitist, in my opinion.

Social Security: Libertarians have better idea - It just might be workable. It's certainly a better deal than Social Security.

U.S., Saudi Leaders Reaffirm Relations, Cooperation - We reaffirmed? Reaffirmed what? That relations are less than optimal and that "cooperation" is a sham that is put on only for public relations benefit?

Iran-Pak strategic ties key to confronting US challenges: Pak - I really hope that Pakistan isn't thinking about forging stronger ties with the current Iranian regime. Now it is true that China, being a neighbor with India has a greater interest in the region, but the US isn't there solely for economic or investment reasons. We really are interested in seeing peace in the region.

Quick Links

It's all your fault, Canada and US tell each other - Oh how I love watching the blame game in action.

Officials say Florida system more resilient - This guy has obviously never seen Progress Energy in inaction. These guys probably couldn't keep the lights on with a generator and a gas pump. They still haven't inspired my confidence in their ability.

Quick Links

I'd really love to post something tonight, but today was such an emotionally draining day at work that I just don't have it in me. So here are the stories I was looking at:

ISMer visits the Western Wall - I don't spend much time on IndyMedia, but this was somewhat interesting. What the guy did was wrong, but when you read the comments below it, the thread got nailed by a couple of folks who went too far the other way. There were also several factual errors thrown out by the right wingers. I will come back to this one in before the end of the weekend.

The Awakening - I really enjoy reading Victor Davis Hanson and this column is no slouch. Our friends have changed. It's time to face up to it. Not sure I agree about Canada, though.

Self-Inflicted Terrorism Evident in Blackout - Very well put. The NO crowd will be the death of us yet.

Analysis: High noon for gun rights - My opinion - the 2nd Amendment says what it says - nothing more, nothing less.

Quick Links

America's Most Important Battleground: Christian vs. Secular Education - Interesting article. A little too extreme for my tastes, but I agree that we shouldn't ignore religion in education. We just shouldn't base our educational system on it.

When dialogue is the best form of rebellion - An interesting article about the study of literature by Iranian women. An uplifting story, although it shows just how serious the law of unintended consequences can be. Revolutions are not always positive.

Quick Links

Pilot fixes faulty jet stranded on Spanish island - When I used to work for the airlines, one of my favorite airplanes was the 757. It seemed to be nearly indestructible (and God only knows I saw a few with pieces missing or broken!), but it always seemed that when something did go wrong, they could have it flying again in a matter of hours, where other planes would take days. A great airplane, the 757.

Internet Worm Plaguing Computers Worldwide - I know this has been linked a few other places already today, but I know of at least one large company that had issues with it, so it sounds like it was a bit more powerful than Symantec wanted us to believe at first.

Poli Sci Prof: P.A. Must Be Crushed - He's takes a bit harder line with the PA than I do. Just a bit.

Israeli wall suffocates Palestinian towns - I couldn't find an actual link to this one, but I have to say it's an, ummm, interesting read. Unfortunately, the comments below the article seem to be almost as extreme the other way.

Big 3 Networks to Mark 9/11 with Harder Stance - It's really a good thing that the big three were run different during WWII. Can you imagine what would have happened if on December 7, 1943 if they had pulled this kind of a stunt? If you want to ask questions, fine. The government needs to be held accountable. But don't denigrate the symbolism of the day. It is a day for remembrance, for now and forever. It is not an opportunity to effect some great anti-President reporting policy.

Quick Links

US told to quit Afghanistan - Boy, I'm scared. I think I'll write GW and tell him to pull out and turn Afghanistan back over to the Taliban </sarcasm> Yeah, right.

At the bottom - Scroll down to that sub-headline to read about another Bob Graham meltdown.

Wish you were here - Looking for a new vacation spot? This probably won't do much to turn you on to that vacation hotspot of - Albania.

Candidate Sought to 'Break Down' the System - What a surprise that someone is trying to shut down the California recall by making a travesty.

China's PLA Sees Value in Pre-emptive Strike Strategy - Long and detailed, but an interesting read if you're into what the Chinese military is up to.

Quick Links

U.S. probes jail ministry for Muslims: Critics say some chaplains spread extremist views - Gee. Muslim clerics spreading extremist views to a disaffected population. And we're surprised, why?

Jobless recovery lasting longer than economists expected - Great. I want a new job and now the productivity boom from the tech spending in the '90s takes hold. Just great. But it is a very good thing for the economy.

How killers in state stay untouchable Mexican court scraps extradition treaty - This is a tough one. If they extradite, we're dictating policy to them; if they don't they're dictating policy to us.

Quick Links

Looks like I probably should have stopped writing before my Pakistan post today. Doesn't seem to be my most popular posting (to put it mildly).

So before I end up with no readers, here's tonights Quick Links:

Why African-American boys often fail in school - I want to write something on this, I really do. But I'll keep my mouth shut about parental involvement, returning to teaching the basics, and stuff like that before I stick my foot in my mouth (again).

Why EU Pharmaceutical Companies are Being Forced to Relocate - The EU is slowly starting to learn about economics.

Woman Who Went to Iraq as 'human Shield' Faces Federal Fine - saw this over at On The Third Hand this morning also. Why is it news that the government is enforcing the laws?

Scientists devise formula for happy marriage - Too bad they came up with a mathematical formula. Guess I still need to keep looking for the other one.

Freedom and Firearms - Just read it.

There will be one more posting tonight. I normally don't post after the Quick Links, but I'm going to make an exception tonight for this story.

Quick Links

Must Elected Officials Answer The People's Petitions? Can We Withhold Our Money If They Refuse? - Interesting lawsuit and the questions it asks are excellent and pertinent. Too bad the media will give the Supreme Court cover to dismiss it as being fro a bunch of crackpots.

Poland is Doing the Right Things - Those calling for Iraqi perfection in three months should read this. Thirteen years Poland has been working on the same kind of stuff, and while they've made excellent progress, they still have a way to go. It is not and will not be an overnight process.

U.S. Seeks Ideas to Promote Cuba Change - It's good to see the Administration focusing on bringing down Castro. The man should have been gone a long time ago.

Democracy in Iraq? It's a Fairy Tale - I think the author needs to read the article on Poland and he also needs to realize that even our system took more than three months to develop. The term "unreasonable expectations" keeps coming to mind for some reason.

How Canada Threatens North American Security - You know, there's been a real dearth of "Blame Canada" articles lately. This should take care of that.

Most Shocking Gay Day Event Ever At Walt Disney World - Breathless over-reaction and selctive reporting to counter the absolute utter lack of consideration shown by the participants. As usual, the truth lies between the two extremes.

Quick Links

Robert Prather brought out his email listing a number of the potential candidates for the 75 Greatest Americans and I'm tired at the moment, so I'm going to go back to holding off on disclosing my list until Sunday.

Saudi Arabia's naked emperor - It's good to see the Saudi's getting called out for what they are.

JetBlue U Heading To Orange County - a job opportunity for me maybe? Hopefully?

Couric on Schwarzenegger: “He's the Son of a Nazi Party Member” - the sins of the father should not be visited on the son. Period.

Democrats file lawsuit to keep from being arrested - It's time to grow up and just go back to work - or return the portion of your salary that the taxpayers of Texas have given you for nothing.

Swollen Orders Show Spam's Allure - Gee, these must be the same people that respond to the Nigerian scammail also. I can understand why they need the pills. Obviously they're lacking as it is......

'A Slap in the Face' - This isn't a way to win votes, George. Jesse isn't exactly the best choice for a meeting. Is Sharpton next on the agenda?

Woman going to trial disputes state's validity - Breast feeding a baby while driving and her husband argues that the troopers haven't been properly trained? I think some common sense training might be in order for the couple....

Quick Links

Islam stops Iran having nuclear arms - Rafsanjani - <Dr. Evil voice>Right....</Dr. Evil voice>

Does Islam threaten democracy? - certain segments of Islam, absolutely.

Iran and Cuba Zap U.S. Satellites - This probably won't be one of Castro's better moves.

Lieberman Concerned About Dean's Candidacy Tugging Others to the Left - Keep tugging Howard, keep tugging. You'll simply eliminate yourself as a viable candidate.

Heatwave puts Swedish bus driver in touch with his feminine side - ok, but at 77 degrees? I don't think it gets down to 77 here at night!

Photo: Missile Gets Saddam's Sons - Is it THE missile? Who knows, but it is a cool picture anyways.

Misguided Libertarians Are Hindering the War on Terrorism - Should read "Civil Libertarians," but the bottom line is that the PATRIOT Act still goes too far. Changes were needed, but PATRIOT should have been tempered some. Too bad our politicians don't actually do the job we hired them to, you know stuff like reading bills and voting for the interests of their constituents.

Quick Links

Bush's oil move backfires - It's all about the oil and always has been. Oil, oil, oil. Courtesy of our friends at the Guardian.

Pumping oil into government reserve may have added to price increases, critics charge - More oil, oil, oil. But this time it's Bush's fault that oil is going up becuase he's diverting too much to the Strategic Reserve.

Trojan horse found responsible for child porn - This would suck. And friends ask why I have two firewalls along with the standard anti-virus regime....

Racist?! - Haven't been accused of racism yet, but I have been accused of channeling evil. Does that count?

Quick Links

There are a few more links in here than usual tonight:

The Need for a New Constitution - Jeff Medcalf at Caerdroia has a good essay on some of the problems with the current interpretations of the Constitution. I think we need to move back to a more strict interpretation, also.

The Bush strategy that beat bin Laden and destroyed Saddam - excellent article, but it maybe gives too much credit to Bush and not enough to the US people.

Eco-Terrorism Torch - I think that we need to put some real pressure onto the eco-terrorists.

Officer `B. Gettin' a new job after buying motorcycle - Proof that wearing a badge doesn't necessarily make you bright.

Lieberman: Dems Must Shun Gov't Programs - Lieberman moves towards the center. At times, he almost sounds reasonable.

Even Italy Realizes Economic Dangers of Kyoto - And we start to look a little bit more prescient for rejecting Kyoto.

New Word Wars in the Trenches - The cheapening of the English language is becoming a real problem. We are losing our ability to communicate distinction as more and more words have their meanings twisted for political means.

Death marches at double in Iraq but US public unaware - How the use of "statistics" and "military observers" can lend credibility to complete and utter bunk.

FBI: U.S. awash in spies - And next we'll hear the EU complain that the US is bugging their headquarters building. Seriously though, who didn't know that there are industrial spies working here? We needed the FBI to warn us about this?

Quick Links

Here are some of the more interesting articles I found, but didn't talk about today:

Sharon's history lesson - a very interesting look at the history leading to the Road Map from Sharon's point of view.

Tilt to totalitarianism - Is Putin starting to head down the same road as so many before?

Counterfeit drugs hit pharmacies - Hopefully the problem is as small as the FDA says it is. Otherwise, we could be in for a real crisis as our population starts to age.

Which brings me to my last link of the night:

Ageing Europe is unprepared - Some folks are starting to catch on over there. They are really faced with two options now: get their fiscal house in order, or take whatever immigrants they can get - the first option won't happen and the second will greatly increase the number of Muslims and Hollywood stars living in Europe. Kind of makes me really glad I'm not living there.

Quick Links

Without the nannies - Walter Williams asks what we ever did before the government decided to protect us from that evil that we call life.

Christopher Caldwell: An honourable debacle - Trying to put a positive spin on the French debacle in Brazil, but I'm not buying it.

Howard tips request for US bases - I'd like to see us open a couple of bases Down Under. The location is good, the people are friendly and if there is any nation that has stepped up lately, it is Australia. They are an excellent match for us.

Iraqi treasures to tour US - Hopefully this tour makes it to Central Florida. But I'm guessing that I'll have to drive to Miami or Tampa to see it.

Iraq's 'gold' mostly copper - Gee, what a surprise. Should we clue them in that there might be some counterfeit currency floating around also?

Gray Davis reverses decision on immigrants - Well, not quite. He reversed his decision on illegal immigrants getting drivers' licenses. But hey, what's a word like "illegal" among liberal friends?

Democrats go to extremes - Not at all upbeat on the prospects for the Democratic Party in the next election cycle.

Quick Links

Islam should not be reason to stop Turkey joining EU, says minister - He's right, Islam shouldn't be a reason for keeping Turkey out of the EU. Just try to convince the EU of that.

Lawsuit filed to keep Prop. 54 off October ballot - If the law states 100 days and the Proposition hasn't been available for review for 100 days, then yes, it should be pulled. However, if Prop 54 will have been ready for 100 days by the October 7 recall election, then it needs to go ahead.

Where the Good Jobs Are Going - Gee, I thought that multi-nationalism was supposed to be a good thing. Is it or isn't it? Or are the liberals deciding that multi-nationalism is good except when it might affect tax revenues?

Quick Links

OK, so I've targeted a version of my resume and started spamming it out. Even found time to research Chapter 57 violations in Orlando and wrote a couple of posts. I've spent way to much time sitting here tonight.

So without further wasting of time, here's tonight's Quick Links:

Global Warming Not a WMD - an entertaining smackdown of a "scientisit" who believes that there is a relevancy between global warming and global terrorism.

France apologises over rescue bid - did I miss the UN vote on the French invasion of Brazil for the purpose of freeing a woman being held in Columbia? Did we veto it? There was no vote? How could the French do this? Mon dieu!

US Journalist Ordered to Serve Two-month Jail Sentence - I expect that we'll hear complaints about censorship in China pretty soon. Right after they get done complaining about France invading South American countries without explicit UN approval.

Quick Links

Busted Bars Suing Underage Drinkers - I don't really feel bad for the kids. They engaged in fraud and caused economic loss to the bar owner. The bar owner has a right to seek compensation for that loss. The kids screwed up and sometimes mistakes have serious consequences.

Muslim thinkers still playing the blame game - Amir Taheri takes a relatively open-minded look at Islam and it's tendency to play victim. If only more Muslims could have such open minds....

No way to tackle racism - The fine of the Lions by the NFL was wrong. They contacted some black candidates, none of whom would interview with the team. If no one wants to interview, how can you hold the team responsible for a lack of candidates?

I also have a friend who has asked me to post an ad for his new cruise consulting business. If you have a need for a cruise, give him a call or click the ad to go take a look at his site.

Quick Links

Only 7, and he's addicted to porn - Methinks Grandpa is none too bright. And Mom doesn't exactly strike me as rocket scientist material either.

U.S. begins to isolate Venezuela - Might this be the next really hot hotspot in the world?

Syrian Foreign Minister Farouq Al-Shar'a on the U.S. Government: 'The Most Violent and Stupid American Administration Ever' - They must have taken a page from the Sons of Saddam playbook on "How To Diplomatically Handle The Americans."

Ronnie Shows Visits Liberia - Religion - just one more unacceptable reason for going to Liberia. Someone still needs to make a concrete argument as to what our interest is over there. I still haven't heard a good reason for going....

Quick Links

RIAA apologizes for erroneous letters - The RIAA really seems to be digging themselves a deeper and deeper hole. Good.

Don't quote me, but they're all losers - Some of the best of the misquotes from this year.

Bush playing his cards right in Iraq - Mark Steyn takes on the wonderful things that are being said about the situation in Iraq.

Enemies From Within: Iran And Saudi Arabia - Interesting view from the far reaches of the Middle East.

Quick Links

Deseperation of Church and State - I can't figure out exactly what it is about this that just doesn't sit right, but something just doesn't.

The war against Hollywood - this has got to be the most pathetic defense of the left that I've seen yet. The author engages almost exclusively in ad hominem attacks to try to prove his point that there can't be any reason for a bias against the left.

Scenes from Liberia: Horror, chaos and a people pleading for help - a little view in to what's happening in Monrovia and some of the whining being engaged in by the aid workers.

Blogging will probably be light the rest of the weekend as we're taking our youngest to Universal for his birthday party tomorrow and I'll probably be painting on Sunday. I'll post what I can, but it probably won't be much.

Quick Links

They Blinded Me with Science - Jonah Goldberg takes on the latest compost material to come out of Berkeley. Unfortunately his take was much funnier than mine.

I also came across a wonderfully named publication: Jewsweek, which actually has a couple of good articles in it:

Islamic imperialism - a good review of the demographic changes happening in Europe, which are increasing the power of the Muslim extremist blocs. The author also speculates on the effect that Islamic imperialism may have on the US.

Thoughts on the road map to peace - An interesting reminder of the situation facing the Road Map in regards to the participants.

Quick Links

Nordic protest against Olympic brothels - "...a greater demand for sexual services during the Olympics is expected..." And Sweden (among others), the ultimate in prudish states, is protesting this? Something just seems a wee bit ironic in this whole story....

California's budget deficit stuns nation's state lawmakers - " 'I don't think California's a laughingstock. It just demonstrates how difficult the budgeting process can be,' Monson said." How difficult it can be, yes. Take the income subtract the expenses and you'd better come up with a positive number. I'm up a creek when mine goes 38 cents negative, I can only imagine coming up $38 billion short. The answer is easy: increase revenue or cut spending. And when you're economy is in the tank, the revenue portion isn't a very good option, which leaves - cut expenses.

NEA Shouts Down Conservative Teacher's Call for Tolerance - "she urged the NEA to support students in their right to choose not to engage in homosexual behavior. But Jochmann says delegates booed and shouted angrily at her while she spoke." (emphasis mine) - sad part is that I can't say I'm overly surprised. It was the NEA after all.

Calif. Gov. Davis Will Face Recall Vote - This should get interesting, for the first time in recent history politicians are reminded that the serve at the will of the people, not of the party or divine appointment.

Pots and kettles - Ann Coulter takes on the newly anti-Machiavellians.

Quick Links

IRAN, SYRIA WARNED US may take action, says Bush - I think that we're nearing the point where the rhetoric has to end and we need to decide once and for all what we're doing. You can only bluster for so long before it starts to lose effectiveness.

Open microphone catches California Democrats talking about prolonging budget crisis - as Homer Simpson would say "Doh!" It's going to be hard to spin out of this one.....

The Perfect American - an interesting site that I came across today. Take a look particularly at the postings on Orwell and 1984 and the Freedom OF, Not Freedom From religion. I found them both to be very interesting and the rest of the site really isn't all that bad either.

Quick Links

Our New "Peace Partner" - a good recap of the actions of our friend Abu Mazen, but I'm not quite sure what he's calling for in comparing the US/Israeli relationship to the Roman/Israeli relationship of 2000 years ago. It almost sounds to me as though he wants Israel to distance itself from the US. Not too bright at this time, I wouldn't think.

Green Party faction wants McKinney for president in 2004 - Nader/McKinney is 2004, if you didn't think the Green Party was dead in the US before....

Business Meets Its Match - will new EU chemical testing regulations become the impetus for a nasty and damaging trade war?

Is Iraq "better off"? - you should know my answer by now.

They Like Us! - Liberia, more proof that people - even Chirac, Kofi Annan, and Charles Taylor - respect power and the ability to enforce one's will.

France insists Saddam has never bought uranium - but they won't say that he never acquired any......

Quick Links

The Fourth of July - an excellent essay by Thomas Sowell, well worth the read as we head into the Fourth.

Seven in 10 Are "Extremely" Proud to Be Americans This Independence Day - I'd like to talk to the other three.

Politician Arnie's right up there with the best of them - Looks like someone at the Guardian needs to do some homework. He naturalized, not a citizen by birth.

Thousands of Liberians March to U.S. Embassy, Pleading for American Forces to Restore Calm - as we go into the Fourth, our beacon stil shines out to those less fortunate. Kind of funny how we don't see them begging France to come rescue them.

Islam set direction of area man's life - and just in case you were starting to think that all Americans know how to handle their freedom responsibly.

Have a Happy Fourth and come back to visit.

Quick Links

OK, that last post got a little overly sarcastic. It must be time for bed. So without further ado (or snide remarks) here's tonight's quick links:

With Conservatives Like These On The Court, Who Needs A Liberal? - Marianne Jennings takes on Sandra Day O'Conner and isn't exactly kind.

High-Income Workers Protest Limits to Overtime Pay - Meanwhile, me being a low income worker, I protest my lack of enough pay which forces me to rely on occasional overtime to make ends meet.

Our Capitalist Economy, Our Socialist Government - But despite my lack of sufficient income, I still don't like socialism. I'm broke as of my own free will (and as each day passes I question my intelligence just a little more.....)

French to U.S.: Please love us - But I still don't have to beg for love. I know that you folks still love me (right???)

Common Sense Drowning Out Green Screamers - Know that stories about the alligators (of course you do). Ever wonder where they release most of the captured 'gators in Central Florida? Lake Jessup. The one that's just a few miles from the house and supposedly the most gator infested lake in the state.

Oh well. One more day of work left for this week.

Quick Links

Events have conspired to prevent me from doing much blogging again tonight, so here are some of the articles I was looking at:

The Figures Which Show Europe's Gun Culture Rivals US - A few more guns than I thought, but they still don't "rival" the US. Misleading statistics, too.

Ala. Judge Loses Ten Commandments Appeal - I don't really like this as it takes a little bit further away from our founding ideals. Legally, it's a correct decision, but for the strength of the country - I'm not so sure.

White House Weighing US Military Mission to Liberia - I have yet to see a good reason why we should go to Liberia. As of right now, I'm not seeing the strategic reason for going there. Show me why we should go and I'll consider it. But right now it looks like we would simply be going over to save a nation from a civil war.

I'm taking the laptop to work tomorrow so that I can get some free thought blogging in so that I can just upload that stuff and I'll be able to concentrate my more normal blogging.

Quick Links

Expect posting to be light and sporadic at best this weekend as I head out to San Francisco. I'm taking the laptop as I figure I'll have time to get some decent stuff written on the flights, I just don't know when I'll be able to get it on the site.

But for tonight, here's my quick links:

Cease-fire Will Bring Increased Death - Unfortunately, I think this will be true.

Homestead is the first Florida city to accept the Mexican consular ID card - This is one of those things that is both good and bad. I'm just not really sure which way I want to come down on this one. Maybe I'll figure it out better tomorrow.

Lazy Guide to Net Culture: Fighting penis enlargement - Nothing really new or exciting in this article, but it is kind of a nice review of how to avoid at least some spam.

Climate change law to be first in nation - I'm going to have more on this tomorrow definitely. My bottom line, the agreement was wrong, but the law itself is ok.

U.S., EU to Begin Talks on Opening Aviation Markets - I'll believe that there is real change coming when Heathrow opens up.

A giant hissing sound from north of the border - I'm starting to think that the anti-Canadian backlash is getting dragged out a bit more than necessary. Yes, Chretien is obnoxious. Yes, the Canadians have some issues that need to be sorted out, but so do we. And ultimately, the Canadian people are still showing themselves to be our friends, even if their government is not.

Quick Links

Tonight's Quick Links:

Christians duped by Muslims? - Now they wouldn't do that, would they?

Missionaries Under Cover - Christians trying to convert Muslims in Iraq and other violent hotspots.

Mainline Airways gives refunds to fewer than half its customers - Make sure your airline exists before booking that Hawaiian vacation.

Iran to Give Saudis al-Qaida Members - Must be time for the migrant workers to go back home for the season.

Security checks ground air marshals - I leave for San Francisco on Thursday. This makes me feel SO much safer.

Quick Links

Tonight's quick links:

Tolerating Terror In Sudan - Why are we supporting this guy? I think the "lesser of two evils" and "known evil" arguments are lacking in this case.

A Solution to the Conflict - Give the Palestinians a state? OK, we're trying. All that we're asking is that they act responsibly. Yet it still hasn't happened.

Should Americans Who Don't Pay Taxes Have A Say? - Yes. I agree that we should all have to pay something, even if it's simply a token amount (I also think that taxes should be consumption based), but the right to vote is a right of citizenship. No citizen should be deprived of that basic right without good cause, and not making enough money is not good cause in my opinion - there are just too many potentially extenuating circumstances.

France double-crosses Iranian freedom fighters - Is anyone really surprised?

Quick Links

US sends warning to Libya over 'pursuit of WMD' - another Arab nation, another potential problem

"The Bill of NO Rights!" - Should be required reading for the victimhood cult

Balancing the Books: Feds will spend more than $21,000 per household this year - I hope that I can earn what the government is going to spend on my behalf this year!

Either way, ACC has harmed itself - Trying to blame Virginia's politicians for the problems with the ACC expansion plan.

US Senator pauses on PC destruct button - Hatch backtracks on his stupid comments (plus a mention of the blogosphere).

Quick Links

I'm still tired, trying to recover from the last week and I promised not to write about work today, so I'm going to call it an early night. But I did have a few interesting stories that I had found that might be worth a look:

Iran Will Test The Left's Mettle - I'm becoming more convinced each and every day that something big is coming in Iran - soon.

Teen Sues Over "Lesbian Barbie" Shirt Ban - I can kind of see both sides of the argument, but in the end I believe it was an overreaction by the school and the lawsuit is really a thinly veiled money grab.

More Cities Want Companies Who Do Business With Them to Disclose Past Ties to Slavery - And what does this really accomplish besides providing ammunition for the reparations crowd? I sincerely hope that more than a few companies tell these folks to jump in a lake (I doubt it will happen though).

Who CAIRs? Anatomy of misplaced outrage. - CAIR proves that they care little for the truth so long as it makes for a good hatemail campaign.

From London: War news not biased, says ITC - If I remember correctly the sailors of the Ark Royal thought a bit differently.

And finally, Laurence Simon over at Amish Tech Support has proposed a one stop solution for both illegal mp3 downloading and the Middle East problems. I'm just not sure that it was a real good idea to give the recording execs any more bright ideas - they come up with enough on their own.

Tonight's Quick Links

Orrin Hatch Endorses Destroying Computers Of Illegal Downloaders - forget the 5th Amendment and all that due process stuff! Gray Davis may not be the only politician in dire need of recall.

Iran's Khamenei calls US "melting mountain of ice" - when life gives you a "melting mountain of ice" make...make...make... make your peace, 'cause you're screwed.

Look like the site for the above article is pretty interesting. Go take a look.

Clinton Urged To Head NATO - that should finish them off quicker than a merger between NATO and the UN

Quick Links

Here are some of today's stories that I didn't say anything about (but wanted to):

Rome's Imam Removed Over Jihad Sermon - Good, but he should have been removed the next day

Secularism Is On The Rise - Potentially interesting political ramifications

Arab Totalitarianism - An interesting analysis of the politics of the Middle East

A Few Quick Links

OK, I'm calling it a night early tonight. Here are a few of the stories I found that I didn't write about:

Greenpeace Tells Coal Industry To Shut Up Shop - what would they propose in it's place? Nuclear energy?

Teacher Fights For Right To Teach Religion After School - isn't the state denying her her right to teach religion on her own time a violation of her right to practice her religion without interference? (I may write on this tomorrow as it really bugs me)

Drivers May Be Taxed Per Mile - No government intrusion into private life here...

Regime Change And Nazi Germany - strikes me a bit as hindsight and a bit as reasonable analysis. Kind of an odd article, I want to write about it, but don't know where to start.

Muslims Protest TV Show On Bombers - tough luck. If you don't like, get the merchants of hate under control.

A Few Quick Links

OK, here are tonight's stories that didn't quite make the cut with me for whatever reason:

Palestinian Authority Says Rift With Hamas Can Be Healed - Yeah, right.

In Defense Of Islam - an American Jew puts forth a defense of moderate Islam.

Give Me A Job - Or I'll Sue - Frivolous lawsuits hit Britain.

Elf, Oiling The Wheels Of Corruption - More reason to feel good about cancelling their contracts with Baghdad.

Watch Out, Kim Jong Il, The Heat Is On - Anti-North Korean psyops

A Few Quick Links

Here are some of the stories I was looking at today that I didn't post anything on. Maybe you'll find them of some interest.

Why Does No One Like Bush? - typical Left Coast BS

Suspect Quiet On Northern Front - so what exactly is going on in North Korea?

Credit Bubble Bulletin - so just how stong is the current market environment?

Iraqis Showing True Colors - an angry military mom takes ingrate Iraqis to task

Confronting The Enemy - Dave Duffy send a little love note the terrorists way

OK, 1 post

Actually, I'll post some of the articles I had been looking at tonight. Maybe you'll find a few of the interesting, too.

Is Martha being unfairly persecuted?

Is Bin Laden sub-human? Karzai thinks so.

Does America want to destroy Islam?

Is Intermarriage a problem?

I'll have thoughts and commentary tomorrow.