Protecting Your Rear

Kofi says you can.

UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan is expected to recommend Monday that the rules of engagement of the enhanced UNIFIL force to be deployed in Lebanon include opening fire on Hizbullah where necessary, The Jerusalem Post has learned.

Whether you do or not is up to you…

“This is to date the most explicit expression of the upgrade to the UNIFIL force that has yet been received,” one senior diplomatic official said.
Nevertheless, even if the UNIFIL forces had authorization to open fire, whether they would indeed do so and subject themselves to a firefight with Hizbullah is questionable. Officials in the Prime Minister’s Office reserved judgment, saying they wanted to see the recommendation before responding.

…since those cranky bastards tend to fire back. Oh hell, let’s be honest ~ sometimes they even fire first. What are the French to do?! I know…give it to the Italians!

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, in a telephone conversation in the afternoon with Italian Prime Minister Romano Prodi on Sunday, said that Israel would like to see Italy lead the force, a change from the widespread expectation that France would be heading it up.

Get Me To the Church On Time

In one piece would also be loverly.

Snipers lurking on buildings and in a cemetery sprayed bullets into Shiite Muslim religious processions in the capital Sunday, killing at least 20 people in another spasm of sectarian bloodletting that many Iraqis fear is pushing them toward civil war.

I just don’t get the Religion of Pieces. Shooting parishioners walking to mosque like fish in the proverbial ‘wrong prophet’ barrel on one of their bigger holy days is something you do? That’s okay with whatever your version of the Koran says and whatever spaceship whatever prophet you bow to arrives on? I mean, really? That’s OKAY? And that same prophet in his spaceship calls the U.S. ‘Satan’? And I should feel bad for whatever it is we’ve done to try to move you, your prophet, his spaceship and all your religious, murdering buddies out of 700 A.D.? Must be cultural. None of that sh*t is okay in anything we have here, whether it’s King James, Roman Catholic, Telmudic, Pastafarian or Wiccan tree scrolls. Granted it’s boring, but at least we get where we’re going.

Blah…BlahBlah…BlahBlah…PGA….

…blahblahblah…[“P”-words]…blahblah…blah…Tiger…blahblahblah…blah.

In Quiet

…there is opportunity.

Equipment stolen from Katrina memorial site
Thieves make off with $100,000 in building equipment in New Orleans
Thieves hauled off $100,000 worth of heavy equipment that was being used to help build a Lower Ninth Ward memorial to the victims of Hurricane Katrina.
A Bobcat excavator and a Bobcat T300 Skid Steer Loader, both of which require trailers or flatbed trucks to transport, were removed from the site sometime between midnight and 6:30 a.m. Saturday, construction company officials said.
In the neighborhood that remains nearly pitch black at night almost a year after the levees failed, the equipment didn’t last three days at the site.

My first question would be: WHY, in a “neighborhood that remains nearly pitch black at night almost a year after” are we building ‘memorials’ and not using the resources for cleaning the mess up or repairing/rebuilding homes? (Even new homes someplace else?) If the place “remains a largely vacant, debris-stained portion of New Orleans“, just who the f*ck was the memorial for?
Memorials are for the DEAD…when everything else is DONE.

Mayor Nagin?

Excuse me?

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin on Friday blamed racism and government bureaucracy for hamstringing his city’s ability to weather Hurricane Katrina and recover from the disaster that struck the Gulf Coast nearly a year ago.
In remarks to the annual meeting of the National Association of Black Journalists, Nagin said the hurricane “exposed the soft underbelly of America as it relates to dealing with race and class.”
“And I, to this day, believe that if that would have happened in Orange County, California, if that would have happened in South Beach, Miami, it would have been a different response,” the mayor said.

FUCK you.

You’re a miserable excuse of a elected “leader”.
And I would hope to God things would be handled differently anywhere BUT New Orleans, because NO ONE deserves the magnitude of the negligence, ignorance and ineptitude evidenced on your watch. In all honesty ~ in spite of all your pandering ~ there are simply parts of New Orleans that should NEVER be rebuilt and it ain’t black and it ain’t white and it ain’t green, orange or purple. It’s called ‘underwater‘. And what a fine ‘thank you’ to the tens of thousands of folks who poured into the Gulfcoast in the aftermath of Katrina. Or, if they couldn’t be there personally, gave so generously? Or how about communities LIKE MINE, you arrogant ass? We already looked like this when Katrina went by (thanks to Cat 4 Ivan in Sep ’04 AND then a CAT 3 named Dennis made landfall right on top of an already devastated Pensacola Beach in Jul ’05), but we opened our arms to anyone from your city who could make it here. Our FEMA blue roofs could always shelter more folks. But you’ve probably never heard of us, big city guy that you are and all. And, big city guy that you are and all, you most likely have no concept what your pitiful, disgusting, ignorant, race baiting mouth is doing to the attitudes of the MILLIONS of Americans who gave in a heartfelt effort to do everything to SAVE YOUR CITY. They see the BILLIONS of dollars, federal and charitable, being poured into the gaping black hole that has ALWAYS been New Orleans’ nightmarish fiscal legacy. Of course the Federal Government’s a mess to deal with, but New Orleans and Louisiana have had an unimaginable carte blanche. Americans have seen Congress and the administration handing out hundreds of millions of dollars like candy, with no accounting for anything. They see the resources committed solely to YOUR city (Like Missippi, Alabama and Texas have no needs equaling yours?), YOUR evacuees still in Houston, Atlanta, PENSACOLA, et al, stretching and straining local resources and yet you’re calling the rest of us racist? And no where in all your rhetoric has there ever been an admission of your own culpability, your own INCOMPETENCE ~ all the while that damning finger of yours is waggling in every face but your own. You are going to curdle and squander every last bit of good will left. Race plays no part in that, I assure you.
As for Miami getting it better, let me leave your sorry ass with something written about Miami’s response to Andrew, from Hugo survivors.

In McClellanville, it never occurred to anyone that the federal government would come rebuild their town. Instead, the citizens got to work a few hours after the hurricane. They dug their own homes out of the mud and the slime that Hugo left behind; then they went next door and dug their neighbors out. They went on that way for months. There was help from outside, of course, especially from private charities, and nobody in McClellanville felt shy about taking it. But no one counted on it, either.
Three years later, most of the scars left by Hugo have disappeared. Folks hardly even talk about it anymore–or didn’t, until Andrew. Since then they’ve been watching the news stories out of Miami with interest. Once in a while, a reporter calls to ask if the people of McClellanville have any advice for the people of Miami. They always choose their words painstakingly.
“I don’t want to insult your community,” Thames says carefully. “But I think that, in certain respects, you’re going about things wrong down there. This thing is an act of God–there isn’t anyone responsible for it. It’s done, and you just have to put it behind you and get on with it. There’s always a lot of political hype after a disaster. But when it comes down to clearing away the rubble and debris and getting started on the rebuilding, you’d better do it yourself.”

We are so tired SICK TO DEATH of your schtick. Now.
STFU already and act like a leader…for once.
Brendon Loy in and on Spike Lee’s “When the Levees Broke”. I haven’t watched any of it.

Sweet Baby Jesus

I want THIS guy dead.
(And a warm Swill welcome back, martini boy.)

“Do You Think I’m Sexy?”

In a word…

…no.
I am also stunned to learn there exists an abomination known as ‘Burberry Speedos’.

Kreme Takes a Whipping

Nothing Left but the Hole in the Middle
Krispy Kreme’s first West Coast outlet sparked fanfare and big sales. Patrons moved on, and now so has the store.
Fans and employees of Krispy Kreme went from glazed to confused Thursday morning as the chain’s La Habra store — the first on the West Coast — pulled down its signs, packed up its doughnut mix and shut its doors for good.
From opening day in January 1999, the workers toiling inside the tidy white, green and red building fueled a feeding frenzy to the tune of 20 million doughnuts and $9 million in sales in the first year.
…Whatever the reasons, James Glass, an analyst with CIBC World Markets in Boston, put it bluntly: “People just won’t line up for doughnuts forever and ever.”

Can’t say I’m surprised. “Southern tradition” or not, I’ve never much cared for Krispy Kremes, bein’ a TO THE DEATH “Dunkin Donuts Chocolate Creme-Filled” kinda girl.
Even shuttering every Dunkin’ Donut for 65 miles five years ago didn’t drive me to Krispy Kreme desperation donut dementia. Now that’s loyalty.

The Kind Letter

“…but they both said that they would rather have him never come back than never have gone.”

…and TR’s response.
Makes me cry.

Overheard on Special Report With Brit Hume

…just now [ed note: refers to broadcast of 17 Aug.]: After discussing Iran’s attempts to rearm Hezbollah, the conversation shifted to troop allocations for the U.N./Lebanese ceasefire force. Brit asked why France has volunteered such a ‘puny’ number of troops when they’d been one of the driving forces of the plan.

Bangladesh pledged up to 2,000 troops and France offered 200, a disappointment to some who expected more from the country likely to lead the force.

The reason? It has been rumored through diplomatic circles that Syria has threatened France directly ~ if they participated in any great manner, there would be a repeat of 1983 and the Marine Barracks. (Can you imagine OUR reaction to that?!)
The French, being the French, are considering their response.

UPDATE: I still haven’t found a transcript of the comments themselves, but the latest wire releases certainly lend credence to something Vichy going on.

…French President Jacques Chirac said he would dispatch only 200 army engineers in addition to the 200 already part of UNIFIL, which is commanded by a French general. He said 1,700 troops were offshore but would not be put under U.N. command. France had been expected to be the backbone of the force.
“We had hoped — we make no secret of it — that there would be a stronger French contribution,” Malloch Brown said. “Others have come forward and we are pretty convinced we’ve got the elements here of a strong force.”
FRENCH HESITATION
France’s hesitation has confused U.N. officials. On Wednesday, French Defense Minister Michele Alliot-Marie criticized the mandate of the force, which France wrote in drafting the August 11 resolution. She also objected to troops coming under U.N. control — another provision Paris had insisted on to meet Lebanese demands.

UPDATE Part Deux: I’ve found an NYT July 24, 2006 report where Syria threatened the UNIFIL Force itself.

One Syrian official issued a strong warning against a proposal that was gaining momentum on Sunday for an international force to guard the Lebanon-Israel border. Deploying such a force without the cooperation of Syrian and Hezbollah, the official said, will risk repeating 1983. That was a pointed reference to the 241 United States service members and 58 French soldiers killed in attacks on military installations by suicide bombers. It has long been considered likely that Hezbollah sent the bombers with Syria’s blessing.

The whole article is a basically a Syrian billboard.
From today’s WaPo: A new edition of “And NOT to Yield”

U.N. Secretary General Kofi Annan called Chirac on Thursday to plead with him to reconsider. The French president’s office released a statement later indicating he had not yielded.
The statement confirmed that France would send a company of 200 military engineers to Lebanon. They would join more than 200 French peacekeepers already serving in the relatively small U.N. Interim Force in Lebanon, known as UNIFIL. Chirac also told Annan that “France was prepared to assume command” of the bolstered U.N. force, according to the statement.
…The decision was prompted in part by the French military’s anxiety over serving under U.N. command, diplomats said. French officials cited the loss of 84 French troops in the U.N. mission in the early 1990s in Bosnia, and the seizure of French peacekeepers as hostages. French officials had also expressed concern that Hezbollah fighters were not prepared to disarm and might turn their guns on peacekeeping troops, according to U.N. diplomats. In 1983, Islamic militants killed 58 French paratroops in a suicide bomb attack in Beirut.

Let me translate that for non-French speaking Swillers:

“WE get to LEAD you wonderful Nepalese/Indonesian/Banglesdeshi/smallforeignbrownpeople guys into battle, since it was OUR idea.
YOU will get to do all the dying, so that WE do not soil OURselves.”

AGAIN: The French…

Alliot-Marie said troop contributions to the expanded UNIFIL force should come from a great number of countries, both in Europe and the Muslim world.
“What we must absolutely avoid is giving the image of a Western world imposing peace on the Muslim world,” she said.

…make me dizzy.

“Strolling Bones”

That’s hilarious.

BREAKING NEWS: Drudge and the AP

…are reporting…

Plane Lands in Italy After Bomb Report
A British passenger plane requested an emergency landing in Brindisi on Friday because of a suspected bomb on board, Italy’s air traffic agency said. The plane, a Boeing 767 with the Excel air carrier, had left from London’s Gatwick airport and was bound for Hurghada, Egypt, officials said.

If it’s true, Ryanair is gonna look pretty feckin’ stupid for this…

Ryanair Threatens to Sue British Government After Mid-Air Terror Scare
Budget airline Ryanair Holdings PLC threatened to take legal action against the British government unless it meets three demands for relaxing airport security and improving staffing at overstretched airports within the next seven days.

(In all honesty ~ I think they already do.)
UPDATE: A little more info.

A bomb threat scrawled on a sick bag caused a British passenger plane from London to Egypt to be diverted to southern Italy on Friday, but police said it appeared to be a hoax.
“The alarm has been called off,” said Brindisi border police chief Salvatore de Paolis.

“Light as a Feather”‘

…and different degrees of ‘dead’.

The Jerusalem Syndrome
The outrage of so many outraged people outrages me. On the scales of world opinion, some Muslim corpses are light as a feather, and others weigh tonnes. Two measures, two weights. The daily terrorist attacks on civilians in Baghdad, killing 50 people or more, are checked off in reports under the heading of miscellaneous, while the bomb that took 28 lives in Qana is denounced as a crime against humanity. Only a few intellectuals like Bernard-Henri Lévy or Magdi Allam, chief editor of the Corriere della Sera, find this surprising. Why do the 200,000 slaughtered Muslims of Darfur not arouse even half a quarter of the fury caused by 200-times fewer dead in Lebanon? Must we deduce that Muslims killed by other Muslims don’t count – whether in the eyes of Muslim authorities or viewed through the bad conscience of the west? This conclusion has its weak spots, because if the Russian Army – Christian, and blessed by their popes – razes the capital of Chechnian Muslims (Grosny, with 400,000 residents) killing tens of thousands of children in the process, this doesn’t count either. The Security Council does not hold meeting after meeting, and the Organization of Islamic States piously averts its eyes. From that we may conclude that the world is appalled only when a Muslim is killed by Israelis.

I Don’t Think This is Quite What Wal-Mart Wanted

…when they hired Andrew Young.

Civil rights leader Andrew Young, who was hired to help Wal-Mart Stores Inc. improve its public image, said early Friday he was stepping down from his position as head of an outside support group amid criticism for remarks seen as racially offensive.
…In the Sentinel interview, Young was asked about whether he was concerned Wal-Mart causes smaller, mom-and-pop stores to close.
“Well, I think they should; they ran the `mom and pop’ stores out of my neighborhood,” the paper quoted Young as saying. “But you see, those are the people who have been overcharging us selling us stale bread and bad meat and wilted vegetables. And they sold out and moved to Florida. I think they’ve ripped off our communities enough. First it was Jews, then it was Koreans and now it’s Arabs; very few black people own these stores.”

Whoa! Lucky thing for him he wasn’t a WHITE guy named…um…Allen or something.

…Allen’s gaffe earned him plenty of bad press, especially from the Washington Post which has thousands of readers in northern Virginia.
Democrats and Democratic-allied groups have pounced on Allen’s blunder, aiming to weaken him as he heads into his Nov. 7 contest against Webb.
Allegation of racism
“Republicans have used racism to try to win over voters for decades, but this kind of pandering has absolutely no place in our politics,” said Nita Chaudhary, a staff member of MoveOn.org in an e-mail to MoveOn.org members Thursday.
Moveon.org and its PAC, a group which backs Democratic candidates, is urging the Republican National Committee to withdraw its support from Allen.
“The sting of Sen. Allen’s words upset me personally,” Chaudhary wrote.
Chaudhary’s parents emigrated from India and she was born in the United States.
“I’d hoped to see his colleagues in Washington censure him for this display of bigotry. But just yesterday, Sen. John McCain stood with him at a town hall meeting. Race-baiting continues to be a time-tested tradition for the Republican Party in the South.”

Well, no one’s ‘pouncing’ by the ‘thousands’ on Mayor Young. (Although the WaPo is carrying the AP story, sans incisive commentary and excoriation.) Sadly, I guess that’s because powerful Democratic blacks can never, ever be ‘racist’ in this society. Having that ‘victim’ placard firmly attached to their indignantly puffed chests, Jesse Jackson, Louis Farrakhan, Reverend Al and their ilk have the race baiting down to a science. But there is enough smug hatefulness to go around, knowing full well the consequences will never, ever be equal to the offense…if any at all…a veritable ‘get out of jail free card’ from the media. They’re immune from the public pillorying that accompanies a simple misspeak for the rest of us, less mind a full blown statement à la Mr. Young*. As one man (and yes, in the interest of full disclosure, he is a Joo…) pointed out in the MSNBC piece…

The remarks surprised Rabbi Marvin Hier, dean and founder of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles, who pointed to Young’s reputation of civil rights work.
“If anyone should know that these are the words of bigotry, anti-Semitism and prejudice, it’s him,” Hier said. “I know he apologized, but I would say this, … during his years as a leader of the national civil rights movement, if anyone would utter remarks like this about African-Americans his voice would be the first to rise in indignation.“

Oh, indeed, sir. We’re all in this together. T-O-G-E-T-H-E-R.
We’re past the point where the ‘Reverends’ and the remaining vestiges of the 60’s Civil Rights Leadership get to brandish those laurels to protect themselves from what their mouths are REALLY saying. Now luminaries in the public sector just have to find the intestinal fortitude to call them on it in a BIG way, as rapidly and vociferously as the protestations for, say, Senator Allen.
Settle in. I’ve got a feeling it’s gonna be a while.
* ‘McKinney’ is a suitable substitute

Baby, It’s (Not Quite As) Hot Outside!

From TCS Daily.

…Hurricanes require warm sea surface temperatures (SSTs), and last year the tropical Atlantic sea surface temperatures were running well above normal. Global warming was the explanation given by most ‘experts’ the media interviewed. And since global warming will only get worse, those SSTs were expected to just keep on increasing.
But now those same regions that had anomalously warm SSTs last year are — gasp! — near normal.
…This is not the only surprisingly cool SST story. A new scientific article now accepted for publication in Geophysical Research Letters shows that the globally averaged upper ocean cooled dramatically between 2003 and 2005, effectively erasing 20% of the warming that occurred over the previous 48 years!
The rapidity of this observed temperature change is beyond what computerized climate models can explain. This is perplexing for modelers, who tend to believe that their models contain all of the important physics of the problem.

Things are now heating up again (in a ‘normal’ fashion), but we’re very thankful for the peace and quiet while it lasts.
An abnormally warm Swill Salute to the Blogfadah.

The Affidavit From the Flight Crew of United 923

…confirms they had every reason to divert into Boston.

A woman on a trans-Atlantic flight diverted to Boston for security concerns passed several notes to crew members, urinated on the cabin floor and made comments the crew believed were references to al-Qaida and the Sept. 11 attacks, according to an affidavit filed Thursday.
…The flight, with 182 passengers and 12 crew members, landed safely with the escort of two F-15s after the pilot declared an emergency on board because Mayo spoke of being in Pakistan and made other remarks the crew believed were references to building a bomb.
…According to an affidavit by FBI Special Agent Daniel Choldin filed in U.S. District Court in Boston, flight attendants noticed Mayo about 90 minutes into the flight because she was pushing against the aircraft bulkhead. When the attendant told her to return to her seat, Mayo said she wanted to speak to an air marshal and made statements about knowing that people wanted to see what was in her bag.
FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz confirmed Thursday that authorities found a screwdriver and an unspecified number of cigarette lighters in her bag, items which are banned under new security regulations. Marcinkiewicz also confirmed that matches were found Mayo’s bag.
…Later during the flight, according to the affidavit, Mayo asked a flight attendant: “Is this a training flight for United Flight 93?” The flight attendant didn’t know if she made a mistake because the flight was actually Flight 923, or if she was referring to Flight 93, the hijacked plane that crashed in Pennsylvania on Sept. 11.
During that time, she was “biting her fingers, rubbing her feet and in a constant state of movement. She appeared very agitated,” the affidavit said.
She wrote in a note and said to flight attendants that she had been in a country illegally, and later said she had photographs of Pakistan. Her U.S. passport indicated that on Aug. 15 she had left Pakistan and entered the United Kingdom, according to the affidavit.
Flight attendants summoned the captain, who spoke to Mayo. During the conversation, she made reference to there being “six steps to building some unspecified thing.”
“She made reference to being with people associated with two words. She stated that she could not say what the two words were because the last time that she had said the two words she had been kicked off of a flight in the United Arab Emirates,” according to the affidavit.

Then she dropped trou and proceeded to pee on the floor, among other things. Speaking for my chicken-hearted self, if I was sitting back in coach, I’d be like “put this thing on the deck before SHE does.” And wouldn’t object if somebody did some tub thumping in the meantime.

BREAKING NEWS ~ Warrantless Wiretapping

…is ruled unconstitutional by a federal judge.

A federal judge ruled Thursday that the government’s warrantless wiretapping program is unconstitutional and ordered an immediate halt to it.
U.S. District Judge Anna Diggs Taylor in Detroit became the first judge to strike down the National Security Agency’s program, which she says violates the rights to free speech and privacy.

Let the games begin.

Oh…My…GOD!

Burton, Depp to Make ‘Sweeney Todd’
The director-star team will reunite to adapt the Stephen Sondheim musical to the big screen

Ahhhhhhhhhh!!!!!!!!!!

I REALLY Like Nicole Kidman

And not just because she sent beer out to the photographers waiting on her father’s curbside the night before her wedding.

Kidman condemns Hamas, Hezbollah
The actress, joined by 84 other high-profile Hollywood stars, directors, studio bosses and media moguls, has taken out a powerfully-worded full page advertisement in today’s Los Angeles Times newspaper.
It specifically targets “terrorist organisations” such as Hezbollah in Lebanon and Hamas in Palestine.
“We the undersigned are pained and devastated by the civilian casualties in Israel and Lebanon caused by terrorist actions initiated by terrorist organisations such as Hezbollah and Hamas,” the ad reads.
“If we do not succeed in stopping terrorism around the world, chaos will rule and innocent people will continue to die.
“We need to support democratic societies and stop terrorism at all costs.”

And quite a list signed it with her, bless their very un-Hollywood hearts. (Does anyone have a copy of the ad they want to share?)
A warm Swill Salute to RCP.
UPDATE: Got it and a warm Swill salute to Webloggin for that.

Wal-Mart Makes John “Hair Like a Pony” Edwards

…and John “I Wouldn’t Buy a Cambodian-Made Magic Hat There” Kerry very angry ~ two gaZILLIONAIRES who don’t have a clue. Welcome to one of the Democratic Party’s whipping boys.

[In 2004]…”Every consumer should know when they walk into Wal-Mart their tax dollars are going to provide healthcare for Wal-Mart workers?.?.?.?while the people who own Wal-Mart are making billions of dollars,” he proclaimed. The retailer struck back immediately. A Wal-Mart official denounced the Pittsburgh event as part of “a union-funded publicity stunt that’s more about politics than anything else”.
…John Kerry, to whom Mr Edwards was running-mate, cited Wal-Mart and the family of founder Sam Walton in a speech this month on the failings of the US healthcare system. “It’s unconscionable and it is unacceptable that five of the 10 richest people in America are Wal-Mart stockholders from the same family – worth double-digit billions each – but they can’t find the money to secure health coverage for their own workers and their families,” he complained.
…Working Families for Wal-Mart, funded mainly by the retailer, is part of both strategies. Operating with more personal animosity than might be appropriate from the company itself, it is attacking the store chain’s critics. For instance, it has just launched a website called PaidCritics.com, aimed at exposing what it says are special-interest links between the anti-Wal-Mart campaign, the unions and politicians in the Democratic party (Wake Up Wal-Mart struck back with its own site – Abunchofgreedyrightwingliarswhoworkforwalmart.com).
Working Families has also set out to mobilise support. It is chaired by Andrew Young, the pro-business former mayor of Atlanta who served as the first black US ambassador to the United Nations. Its board includes Hispanic business figures, while its recently created state organising groups include leading black clergy.
…the black caucus on Chicago’s city council was evenly split on the move to set a minimum wage for workers in the city’s big stores – with opponents saying depressed inner-city areas needed Wal-Mart’s investment and tax revenues.
The vote in Chicago also highlights the risk to the Democrats of trying to use Wal-Mart’s record to galvanise support in the run-up to 2008. While Mr Kerry and Mr Edwards might see Wal-Mart’s low-paying jobs and healthcare record as a rallying point for voters who feel left out of the American dream, other elements of the party will take a different view – including New York’s Senator Hillary Clinton, who in 1986-92 served on the board of the retailer based in Arkansas, her home state.
John Zogby, the pollster, argues that focusing too much on Wal-Mart “means no net gain”, because union voters already favour the Democrats and the party must seek other support if it is to recapture the White House in 2008. “When are the Democrats going to talk to Wal-Mart shoppers?” he asks . Mr Zogby, who has done some polling work for Wake Up Wal-Mart, says Democrats still lack “a strategy that deals with Joe and Mary Middle America – and Joe and Mary Middle America are at Wal-Mart”.

Even Joe Biden ~ who sometimes can actually speak without a forked tongue ~ is bangin’ the drums.

Eye on Election, Democrats Run as Wal-Mart Foe
Senator Joseph R. Biden Jr. of Delaware, a likely Democratic presidential candidate in 2008, delivered a 15-minute, blistering attack to warm applause from Democrats and union organizers here on Wednesday. But Mr. Biden’s main target was not Republicans in Washington, or even his prospective presidential rivals.
It was Wal-Mart, the nation’s largest private employer.
…“My problem with Wal-Mart is that I don’t see any indication that they care about the fate of middle-class people,” Mr. Biden said, standing on the sweltering rooftop of the State Historical Society building here. “They talk about paying them $10 an hour. That’s true. How can you live a middle-class life on that?”

Now, Swillers know I am no fan of Wal-Mart, but only because I don’t feel we need 12 Superstores in a 15 miles radius and I despise the influence they peddle, moulding every greedy city council to their wishes. But I am well aware of the resource they provide, both in available jobs and affordable products, services and comestibles (Okay, OKAY, I shop there, too. Sometimes. Ouch.), hence my agreement with Mr. Zogby’s warning.
The people who want to see Wal-Mart villified are the unions, who are already basically Democratic Party operatives. The Democratic elite is so far removed from the man on the street (Would anyone but them think the ‘abunchofgreedyrightwingliars‘ etc .com is anything but pissy, petty pique?) that they are pandering shamelessly (and sounding like equine asses) to those union voices already in their pockets. Those same unions who couldn’t deliver the presidency to either Gore or Kerry because their current stature doesn’t match their rhetoric. (Of course, their stature would increase exponentially if they forced Wal-Mart workers into the fold. Union bosses could give a hooyah about the welfare of Wal-Mart workers ~ more dues in their coffers = more influence. )
The vast majority of regular folks who voted for Bush and Co. are also a fair percentage of the ones who are IN Wal-Mart every day, shopping and working. If the Chicago wage regulations have adverse effects on what already were (from all accounts) well paid and satisfied Wal-Mart employees in the area, those happy Democratic voters might change their minds. As in “well, thank you for saving me from the $11/hr job I ALREADY had and don’t NOW.” The Democratic Party needs to get it’s head out of it’s collective nitrogen filled green space helmet and find someone unlike Gore/Kerry/Kos who can listen to the guy in the NASCAR T-shirt or the family with 3 kids at Wal-Mart EVERY DAY and then say something intelligible back.
Maybe even connect on a level somewhere south of their usual exalted pedestal. Actually pulling the SUV entourage into a Wal-Mart parking lot would be a good start. Shoot! Stay in the Escallade/Suburban/Excursion, roll down a window, hobnob with the common little people loading their cars, make a good impression. To a one, you’ll hear they LOVE Wal-Mart and you don’t even have to touch any of them to find that out. Plus all those same little people will scurry home to tell all their low to middle class friends they met John Kerry in the parking lot at the Wal-Mart and ‘what a nice guy’.
Grandstanding at a union rally or Kossites flinging epithets few Wal-Mart shoppers ever have access to does nothing for the voters waiting at the markdown ground beef bin. To be honest, they’re not going to look kindly on someone intent on both costing them money and destroying something they really enjoy. They might even get mad.

You GOT to Be

…sh*ttin’ me!

Report: Arrest made in JonBenet case
Suspect detained in Thailand in connection with ’96 murder, DA source says
The family of slain 6-year-old beauty queen JonBenet Ramsey expects arrests in the ten-year-old mystery surrounding her murder, NBC News reported Wednesday.
Jon Ramsey, JonBenet’s father, was told by Colorado authorities that an arrest was made overseas in connection with his daughter’s death in 1996, MSNBC-TV reported.

Color me gobschmacked. That’s a headline I never thought I’d see anywhere but the National Enquirer. Nancy Grace and the rest of the foam-at-the-mouth shellac-heads will be all over this.
UPDATE and bump: Yeesh! This is unbelievable and he is unbelievably creepy.

Well, just being ‘creepy’ never convicted anybody. (At least I hope not.) They’re saying they’ve got DNA samples from the scene (and probably took samples from him when they arrested him), a palm print on the doorjamb, plus one well defined bootprint next to the body as hard evidence. Will it match? And is Mr. Karr going to do a rapid about-face when he gets here and lawyered up?
Of course, being in Thailand when they nailed him for a murderous sexual assault against a six year old isn’t going to help him any.
UPDATE: Well, it just keeps getting more twisted.

Relatives say suspect studied JonBenet case
Teacher held in girl’s murder wrote term paper about case in college

UPDATE: He’s a whacko.

…Court records show a 14-year-old girl sought an annulment of their “ceremonial marriage” in 1985, claiming she feared for her life when she agreed to wed him in 1984, when she was just 13 and he was 19.
Karr admitted she was a minor, documents show, but he disputed she was 13. A judge granted the annulment, and they didn’t have any children.
Karr later married Lara Karr, who was 16 when their twin daughters died the day they were born on Sept. 1, 1989. The girls, Angel and Innocence Karr, are buried in the cemetery of a rural church in a family plot.
Twins die after home birth
Former Sheriff A.C. Tice and others recalled the death of the newborns partly because of the circumstances: They were born at home rather than in a hospital.

Now Here’s a REAL Man For You

Just like shootin’ fish in a barrel.

Country star accused of killing tame bear
Troy Lee Gentry allegedly shot enclosed animal with bow and arrow
…Authorities allege that Gentry purchased the bear from Greenly, a wildlife photographer and hunting guide, then killed it with a bow and arrow in an enclosed pen on Greenly’s property in October 2004.
The government alleges that Gentry and Greenly tagged the bear with a Minnesota hunting license and registered the animal with the state Department of Natural Resources as a wild kill.
Gentry allegedly paid about $4,650 for the bear, named Cubby. The bear’s death was videotaped, and the tape later edited so Gentry appeared to shoot the animal in a “fair chase” hunting situation, the government alleges.
…Gentry’s manager, Johnny Dorris, said Wednesday that Gentry, an outdoorsman and hunter, expects to be exonerated.
Gentry “relied on the knowledge and expertise of a local guide to obtain the proper permit,” Dorris said in a written statement. “Troy felt what he did was legal and in full compliance of the law and was surprised to hear of the indictment.”

It would be hard to get much more revolting than that. Maybe we should zip strip ducks to his carnival games, too.

Gah

Summary
The relatively quiet hurricane season we’ve been enjoying is not going to last. A very active period will start, as soon as the atmosphere destabilizes a bit more. If one believes the long-range 2-week outlook from the GFS model, the current quiet period should last another 4-12 days. Around August 21, I expect it will appear that a switch has been thrown, and the Atlantic will be very active indeed. Expect our first hurricane in the Atlantic by August 26, and a very active September. However, I do expect we will get many recurving storms that will miss land, and that this hurricane season will be similar to the ones we experienced in 1995-2003.

He could be way wrong. And the ‘1995-2003’ does nothing to make me feel better. I’ll post why shortly.

No Wonder Bras Allowed!!

You can separate, but you can’t lift. And you can thank the baby bombers.

Authorities Warning Women Not to Wear Gel Bras As Worries of Possible Female Bombers Increase
U.S. authorities are advising women not to wear gel bras on airplanes as information developed in the foiled London plot points to an expanding role for women in smuggling explosives on to an aircraft.

Authorities at Scotland Yard are questioning a husband and wife, suspects in the London terror plot, about allegations that they were planning to use their baby’s bottle to hide a liquid bomb.

UPDATE: The ABC News website report seems to be down right now, but I just got me a screenshot. It’s in the extended section.

Read more »

Hezbalkah Just Says “No”

Hezbollah balks at withdrawal from south
Lebanese officials work on compromise
Hezbollah refused to disarm and withdraw its fighters from the battle-scarred hills along the border with Israel on Tuesday, threatening to delay deployment of the Lebanese army and endangering a fragile cease-fire.
…Hezbollah’s reluctance to get its men and arms out of the border zone reflected nervousness over the continuing presence of Israeli soldiers on Lebanese soil. But it also demonstrated the militant Shiite Muslim movement’s increased assertiveness here after a war of more than a month during which it stood off the Israeli army while Lebanon’s national army stood aside.
‘Insensitivity and immorality’
In a televised speech Monday evening, Nasrallah accused those who are pushing Hezbollah for immediate disarmament of “insensitivity and immorality.” He recalled that Lebanon’s Shiite-inhabited areas took the worst battering and suffered the highest number of casualties during 33 days of warfare in which about 800 Lebanese civilians were killed and 750,000 were driven from their homes.
“Those people have performed veritable miracles,” he said, referring to the Shiite Muslims who are the largest sect among Lebanon’s 4 million inhabitants.
“And at this emotionally difficult and fateful time, some individuals speaking with wooden tongues sit behind desks in their air-conditioned offices and talk about these issues,” he added. “This is inappropriate and wrong. I advise that no one exert pressure, bearing in mind that the most ferocious battle in the history of Lebanon has just been waged south of the river.”

And why is the Lebanese government working on a compromise with these snakes? Nasrallah had already agreed to the U.N.cease-fire resolution ~ it gave him his ‘great victory’ over Israel, recognising Hezbollah as a separate entity to bargain with ~ so the world at large should deal with this. He doesn’t get to hide behind the Lebanese all of a sudden.
UPDATE and Bump: Quite a thoughtdful analysis from Nick Blanford, the Times [U.K.] Correspondent in Lebanon.

Analysis: why Hezbollah will not be disarmed
“I think you can forget about Hezbollah being disarmed. It is just not going to happen. Hezbollah doesn’t want to be disarmed and there is nobody else willing to do it. In that simple fact lies the potential for future trouble.
…”Even if the Lebanese Government had been crazy enough to try to force the army to do it, I think the army would have refused. A lot of its senior officers are loyal to President Emile Lahoud, the last leading ally of Syria to remain in office in Lebanon.
“Many people regard the army as almost a proxy of Hezbollah.
…”I think Hezbollah realises that they made a big mistake by kidnapping those Israeli soldiers on July 12. They have already admitted that they thought it would cause nothing more than a mini flare up, they didn’t expect the powerful military reaction they got from the Israelis.
…”But I think it is clear that the reason why Hezbollah is now promising to pay a year’s rent for homeless Shia families and compensate them for damaged property is because they have a lot of work to do to bring their supporters back on board.
“What is more, I think the recriminations are about to start in earnest from the other sectarian communities in Lebanon, who stayed quiet during the war out of loyalty to the country. Shias only represent 35 per cent of Lebanon – the rest is divided between Sunnis, Christians and Druze. Overall, the conflict has made an already polarised society even more polarised.

A good read.