Atlas Shrugs

State of the Union Rocks the World

Liveblogging SOTU:

Before the SOTU kicks off, Cindy Sheehan is removed frm chambers in handcuffs attempting to unfurl a ginormous banner. WHAT A MAROON!

[UPDATE: It was reported at the time I was liveblogging that Sheehan was trying to unfurl a banner and was subesequently arrested. Further developments showed her to be disruptive and was arrested and removed from the House gallery Tuesday night just before President Bush's State of the Union address, a police spokeswoman said. According to FOX News' Judge Napolitano on John Gibson's show this afternoon (2/1/06), da mama Sheehan had a banner that she was aboutt to unfurl before her removal from the chamber. Lovely

Thus far, only the Washington Post has revealed, “She was also vocal, said U.S. Capitol Police Chief Terrance W. Gainer, and after she ignored instructions to close her jacket and quiet down, she was led out and arrested. Demonstrating in the House gallery is prohibited.” (Emphasis added.)

Those who have looked for more information about Sheehan’s disturbance have learned she concealed a t-shirt that read “2,245 Dead – How Many More??” until she got inside the chamber. Capitol Police Sgt. Kimberly Schneider recalled, “She was asked to cover it up. She did not.” This is as far as most mainstream media sources go.

Unless you  follow the Hate America Left closely, what you don’t know is that Sheehan was ejected because she and her cronies tried to hijack the president’s constitutionally mandated annual speech by shouting him down. And a “progressive” congresswoman may have been her enabler.Why was she vocal enough to get ejected from her seat – in Gallery 5, seat 7, row A? Because she was following the orders of a pillar of the radical Left. In addition to the t-shirt, Sheehan wore a pink scarf, in solidarity with Code Pink, the far-Left organization that donated $600,000 in cash and supplies to “the other side” in Fallujah in 2004. This radical organization, founded by supporters of the Nicaraguan Sandinistas, has been the most vocal section of Sheehan’s “amen corner” since before she rose to national prominence. This weekend, Sheehan returned from a trip to meet Venezuela’s dictator Hugo Chavez with Code Pink leaders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans. Earlier yesterday, Sheehan joined the Code Pink brigades and another leftists in front of the White House chanting, “You’re evicted! Get out of our house!” (More here)

 

President enters to wild applause, wild applause beyond the usual SOTU cacophony.

"Pursuing the enemies of freedom, isolationism ends in decline, abroad , we seek the end of tyranny - the future of the security of America depends on it."

"Necessity of freedom....Radical Islam, perversion of the few All of us must take their threats seriously. Terrorists have chosen the weapon of fear."

"We love our freedom and we will fight to keep it."

"There is no peace in retreat and there is not honor in retreat."

"We will never surrender to evil". [Charles Rangel wont applaud, sits looking long faced and forlorn -- schmuck! How can you disagree with that statement?]

"Iraq - We are winning and second guessing is not a strategy." [Kerry is looking down at his skis I suppose].

Family of slain soldier standing up for Bush, patting their hearts. Wild applause. "Let us never forget the sacrifices of or military families."

"The leaders of Hamas MUST RECOGNIZE ISRAEL, disarm and work for peace" (looking dead on the camera).

"Iran a nation held hostage by a small group........the nations of the world MUST NOT ALLOW IRAN TO GET NUCLEAR WEAPONS."

Bush begins talking directly to Iran's citizens. Spoke in very concilitory terms encouraging to fight for freedom and assuring we would support them.

Domestic spying: "If there are people in this country talking to al qaida we will not sit back and wait to be hit again" Crowd goes wild [Hillary Clinton shaking her helmut head]

What a sorrow sack of faces on the right (the Democrats) side of the aisle. Pitiful.

"We created more new jobs than the EU and Japan combined. The American economy is preeminent."

Bush looks good, confident, strident. Very cool indeed.

"Tax cut sets to expire............MAKE THE TAX CUTS PERMANENT". Left side of aisle ovation,right side writhing in the aisle. pitiful.

"Cut the deficit in half by 2009". Earmark reform......PASS THE LINE ITEM VETO!" Dems just about crying now.

"Congress did not act last year on passing Social Security reform"..........the Democrats go WILD, whooping and screaming. Is that ridiculous? They killed private accounts and they are hootin' and hollerin'? What contribute do these people make?

Immigration: "Orderly and secure borders" "Rational guest worker program"

"MEDICAL LIABILTY REFORM!"

"We are addicted to foreign oil. Energy initiative. We must get off of foreign oil from unstable regimes" Rattles off litany of alternatives, wind ethanol etc.

OVATION FOIR ALITO!!!!!!!!!!!! hOO-ah "I will continue to nominate servants of the law, not legislate from the bench."

Talking Katrina. Blood drains from Blanco's face.

My favorite personal moment? When Bush referred to Bill Clinton as Bush Senior's other son, yes yes, thats how close they'e all become. Shrillary blanched . And I thought it a stroke of genius.

Hillary smirked but it clearly got to her. Bush was using her husband to his advantage much the same way as as Hillary uses Bill to her advantage. Vote for Hillary and you get Bill, wink wink. The thing is Bill is such a narcissitic lover of the limelight, that he will stand in anyone's light, JUST GIVE BILL LIGHT and he is thrilled.

It surely bothered Hillary,  and you just know she went home and threw a shoe at Bill's head telling him to stop hanging around the Bush girls.

Enough dish, onto the serious business at hand;

STATE OF THE UNION EXCERPTS

America is always at its best when we are shaping events, instead of being shaped by events.

“In this decisive year, you and I will make choices that determine both the future and the character of our country.  We will choose to act confidently in pursuing the enemies of freedom – or retreat from our duties in the hope of an easier life.  We will choose to build our prosperity by leading the world economy – or shut ourselves off from trade and opportunity.  In a complex and challenging time, the road of isolationism and protectionism may seem broad and inviting – yet it ends in danger and decline.  The only way to protect our people … the only way to secure the peace … the only way to control our destiny is by our leadership – so the United States of America will continue to lead.” 

The President talked about America’s leadership role in the world, and the importance of working together to better protect our country, support our troops, and advance freedom:

“Abroad, our Nation is committed to an historic, long-term goal – we seek the end of tyranny in our world… the future security of America depends on it.” 

“In a time of testing, we cannot find security by abandoning our commitments and retreating within our borders.  If we were to leave these vicious attackers alone, they would not leave us alone.  They would simply move the battlefield to our own shores.”

“…Ultimately, the only way to defeat the terrorists is to defeat their dark vision of hatred and fear by offering the hopeful alternative of political freedom and peaceful change.” 

“To overcome dangers in our world, we must also take the offensive by encouraging economic progress, fighting disease, and spreading hope in hopeless lands.”

To keep America competitive in a dynamic economy, the President will set out an agenda focused on the priorities that families are most concerned about.  He will talk about the importance of having an educated, skilled workforce, reducing our dependence on foreign oil, and making health care more affordable, accessible, and portable:

“Here at home, America also has a great opportunity: We will build the prosperity of our country by strengthening our economic leadership in the world.” 

On Competitiveness:

“The American economy is pre-eminent – but we cannot afford to be complacent.  In a dynamic world economy, we are seeing new competitors like China and India.” 

“We must continue to lead the world in human talent and creativity.  Our greatest advantage in the world has always been our educated, hard-working, ambitious people – and we are going to keep that edge.”

On Energy:

“America is addicted to oil, which is often imported from unstable parts of the world…  The best way to break this addiction is through technology.” 

On Health Care:

“Our government has a responsibility to help provide health care for the poor and the elderly, and we are meeting that responsibility.  For all Americans, we must confront the rising cost of care … strengthen the doctor-patient relationship … and help people afford the insurance coverage they need.” 

Finally, the President spoke to the character and compassion of America:

“…our greatness is not measured in power or luxuries, but by who we are and how we treat one another.  So we strive to be a compassionate, decent, hopeful society.”

Full speech click below

Al-Zawahiri Video: Terrorist or Democrat?

Al-Zawahiri: Bush the 'butcher of Washington'

Harry Belafonte: Bush Is The "Greatest Terrorist In the World ...

Even a Tyrant Is Entitled to Due Process The Nation (and they don't mean Bush)

Tyrant Bush Inauguration Fiasco

Bush imposes right-wing thug as ambassador to UN

Everybody Loves A War Thug / On the verge of Bush's brutal war for ...

George Bush is a Thug, a Buffoon and a Coward | WesPac | Securing ...

CBS News | Kennedy: Case For War A 'Fraud' |

I protest.: Ted Kennedy: Bush lied.

lgf: Sheehan: Bush is Ten Times Worse Than Osama

I could go on and on, but as you watch Al-Zawahiri's latest video calling a Bush a Butcher (sort of like a Radical Islamist calling a Christian a Radical Islamist), see if you can distinguish between the terrorists talking points and the leftwing Democrats talking points. Pathetic.

View MEMRI video here (close your eyes and it sounds just like "Splash Kennedy"

"In response to this incident, I would like to convey several messages. The first message I convey to the butcher of Washington, Bush, to whom I say: Bush, not only are you a defeated liar, but, Allah be praised, you are also a complete failure. You bring misfortune upon your nation. You have brought and will bring catastrophes and tragedies upon it. Know, oh Bush, you failing Crusader, that your conflict is with the nation of monotheism, with us, who believe in Allah, the One, the Unique, 'who begets not, nor is He begotten, and none is like him,' and who has sent His Prophet to us with a well-preserved book, which has not been altered or forged like the books that preceded it. No human being is capable of producing a similar miraculous book. Allah told us, in His eternal and miraculous book, that 'every soul shall taste death,' and that the day of death is predetermined and predestined, and I will meet my predestined death, according to the will of Allah. However, if my time to die has not yet come, neither you nor all the forces of the world - and even all creations - could hasten my death even by a second.
Read full transcript here

Domestic Spying? Do You Really Want the Dhimmicrats Running Things?

Al Qaeda, not the FBI, is the greater threat to America.

Two of the hijackers of flight 77 were Khalid al-Mihdhar and Nawaf al Hazmi. The two hijackers lived in San Diego and received more than a dozen phone calls from an Al Qaeda "switchboard" in Yemen. The National Security Agency (NSA) had the numbers being called in the U.S. but didn't intercept the calls because of fear the agency would be accused of domestic spying. "The rest is history."
On the Editorial Page BY DEBRA BURLINGAME

By the way, in case you are wondering who Debra Burlingame's source is - it is none other than NBC. It aired a story in 2004 by senior correspondent Lisa Myers, who called the failure to intercept the calls one of the "missed opportunities that could have saved 3,000 lives." Today, NBC and all the networks call the same phone intercepts "domestic spying." So, according to "big media" the Bush Administration failed when it didn't intercept phone calls into the U.S. from known terrorists, and it is violating the Constitution now when it does intercept such calls.
Hat tip:Brigitte Gabriel

Read it all, click below

Hamas Will Drive Israel Into the Sea

Hamas Leader Mahmoud Zahar on Al-Manar TV: "Palestine means Palestine in its Entirety - From the [Mediterranean] Sea to the [Jordan] River... We Cannot Give Up a Single Inch of it... Why Should We Recognize Condoleezza Rice... or Israel's Right to Exist?"

click here for Video

Following are excerpts from an interview with Hamas leader Mahmoud Al-Zahar, which aired on Al-Manar TV on January 25, 2006. Read all here

Mahmoud Al-Zahhar: We will not give up the resistance in the sense of Jihad, martyrdom-seeking, sacrifices, arrests, the demolition of homes, and the uprooting of trees, at the same time, nor the shattering of the Israeli enemy's honor in all the confrontations - the war of tunnels and of security against the Israeli enemy, which ultimately led to its withdrawal from the Gaza Strip and part of the West Bank.

I Believe Iran has the Bomb

It makes perfect sense if you think about it. The taunting, the goading, the "wiping Israel off the map". When queried what a Holocaust survivor learned from his experience during the war, he said "when someone says they are going to kill you, they are going to kill you".

URI DAN: IRAN ALREADY HAS THE BOMB (Read it all)

Rafi Eitan suspects that Iran already has enough enriched uranium fissionable material to manufacture at least one or two atom bombs of the Hiroshima type. "Otherwise Iranian President Ahmadinejad would not have dared come out with his declaration that Israel should be wiped off the map," repeating it in various versions. His efforts at denying the Holocaust in which six million Jews were slaughtered prove that there is method in Ahmadinejad's madness. "Don't treat him like a madman," Chief of General Staff Dan Halutz recently cautioned.

U.S. fears North Korea-Iran plutonium deal

Chavez, Castro, Evo embrace Iran

Remember what I said, the Ahmadinejad Doctrine or The Bush Doctrine, who side are you on?

It's that simple, just like Hitler and Churchill.

Agency: Iran Papers Are for an Atomic Bomb
A document obtained by Iran on the nuclear black market serves no other purpose than to make an atomic bomb, the International Atomic Energy Agency said Tuesday.

Alan Greenspan, Randite retires

Alan Greenspan on Ayn Rand Alan Greenspan once wrote the following to the New York Times Book Review, circa 1957:

"To the Editor:

Atlas Shrugged is a celebration of life and happiness. Justice is unrelenting. Creative individuals and undeviating purpose and rationality achieve joy and fulfillment. Parasites who persistently avoid either purpose or reason perish as they should. Mr. Hicks suspiciously wonders "about a person who sustains such a mood through the writing of 1,168 pages and some fourteen years of work." This reader wonders about a person who finds unrelenting justice personally disturbing.

Alan Greenspan, NY"

It is well-known that Alan Greenspan was an acolyte of Ayn Rand in his early years. It is also well known that Greenspan presided over the longest economic expansion in American history.

A group of admirers of Ayn Rand gathered on Saturday evenings in Rand’s living room “for discussions of philosophy,” Greenspan is listed among members of the group and identified only as “an economic consultant.”

Greenspan had recommended to a Senate committee that all economic regulations should have fixed lifespans. Senator Paul Sarbanes (D-Md.) accused him of “playing with fire, or indeed throwing gasoline on the fire,” and asked him whether he favored a similar provision in the Fed’s authorization. Greenspan coolly answered that he did. Do you actually mean, demanded the senator, that the Fed “should cease to function unless affirmatively continued?” “That is correct, sir,” Greenspan responded. “All right,” the senator came back, “the Defense Department?” “Yes.”

The Senator could scarcely believe his ears. “Now my next question is, is it your intention that the report of this hearing should be that Greenspan recommends a return to the gold standard?” Greenspan responded, “I’ve been recommending that for years, there’s nothing new about that…. It would probably mean there is only one vote in the Federal Open Market Committee for that, but it is mine.” This may be the first time that advocating a policy on a nationally televised Senate committee meeting has been characterized as trying to implement a policy “ever so quietly.”

Greenspan doesn’t talk to the press as a matter of policy. But it appears he has tried to implement policy changes coherent with laissez-faire capitalism whenever it was possible, and he has articulated his case when given the opportunity. As Barbara Branden observes, “Alan believes in the art of the possible.” And, as his friend Joan Mitchell Blumenthal has observed, “Alan is very devoted to Ayn. He still thinks of her most kindly.”

No Homeland for Israel? No Homeland for Ireland

Hey Ireland, no homeland for the Jews? How about no homeland for the Irish? Oh and BTW STFU, who asked you? Go blow up your schoolchildren so that you can have your own country eh? Wasn't it the IRA that gave lessons in terrorist murders to the Palestinian Arabs?

Ireland's Zionist slurs like Iran, says Israel

Ireland's Zionist slurs like Iran

EXCLUSIVE BY ROB HARRIS
IRELAND sparked a diplomatic outcry last night by refusing to back Jewish rights to a homeland.

An aide to Irish Prime Minister Bertie Ahern told the Jewish Telegraph that Zionism was a religious issue and refused to take a position on "an Old Testament mandate".

The Israeli government hit back, comparing the Republic to the hardline Iranian regime.

"I am very sorry that Ireland takes this position because in doing that they support [Iranian President Mahmoud] Ahmadinejad," blasted a senior aide to premier Ariel Sharon.

Last month Ahmadinejad told a "World without Zionism" conference that Israel should be "wiped off the map".

We are lifting the lid on these explosive comments after Mr Ahern refused to go on the record to denounce claims by former Irish minister Justin Keating that Jews have mounted a "self-serving and untruthful Zionist myth" to lay claim to Israel. John Kennedy, a foreign policy adviser to Mr Ahern, said the Republic would recognise Israel only in its modern form and would not comment on any historical claims on the land.

Mr Kennedy said: "Support for Israel isn't premised on Zionism. Our support for Israel is that its effect in being. Zionism may be what brought it to be there, but Zionism is essentially a religious issue - a faith issue. I don't think you're going to get the Taoiseach to take a position on that."

Mossad head Meir Dagan, who was listening to our interview, pointed out: "We were here 1,600 years before the Arabs." Mr Gissin added:

"If you don't support Zionism ipso facto you are actually saying, in the logical progression, we don't support the right of the Jewish people to have a state of their own, in their own ancestral homeland.

Mossad head Meir Dagan, who was listening to our interview, pointed out: "We were here 1,600 years before the Arabs." Mr Gissin added:

"If you don't support Zionism ipso facto you are actually saying, in the logical progression, we don't support the right of the Jewish people to have a state of their own, in their own ancestral homeland.

Desecration of Judaism by Irish

IRA targets Israel fans

Jihad in Dublin

"When did the Muslim people become the standard by which we all should live?"

From rational reader Barbara;

Any chance you and your fellow bloggers will get behind Handel.  Being from Fort Worth, TX I don’t listen to Bill Handel in California.  However, I firmly stand behind what he is requiring those who are demanding an apology.

I am tired of bowing down to those who are terrorists – and to be a Muslim is to be a terrorist because there aren’t a lot of Muslims denouncing terrorism – and to be a Muslim is to hate Israel which is totally unacceptable.

My email to Bill Handel this evening was:

PLEASE DON’T BACK DOWN – DON’T GIVE INTO PRESSURE – APOLOGIZE IF AND ONLY IF THEY MEET YOUR DEMANDS FOR APOLOGIES.

I am tired of hearing how flight attendants flying into Muslim countries now have to dress like a Muslim upon arrival.  Are there Muslim flight attendants flying into our country and do they have to dress like Americans upon arrival?

I truly don’t know when the Muslim people became the standard by which we all should live.

Barbara

Barbara I could not agree with you more. ATLAS READERS PLEASE DO SAME. Email Handel here: bill@kfi640.com, News Director here: kfinewsdirector@kfi640.com all other contact info here.

This is  the same kind of blackmail and thuggery being exacted on the Danish people here for a Danish cartoon, but they are not backing down either. But sadly the dhimmi newspaper did here.

Cair strikes again and read the whole ludicrous piece here;

So, CAIR has asked me for an apology for making fun of Muslims.  Or in this case, specifically, for making light of the fact that hundreds of Muslims died while performing their annual pilgrimage to Mecca, and I was wrong in describing the event as a “stampede.”  Although, I don’t know what other word you would use, when you have hundreds of people…stampeding, but so be it.  And, characterizing Islam as a “strange religion…I sure did…I characterize Judaism as a strange religion, I characterize Catholicism as a strange religion, and every other religion as a strange religion, across the board.  But, I guess when you are an Islamic organization; all you care about is, when I make fun of that particular religion.  And I portray Muslims as Anti-Semites.  Yeah, I got to apologize for that one, because I don’t know where the hell I ever got the idea that Muslims are Anti-Semites.  Where would I ever get that idea?!!  You’re right, you’re right; I guess I manufactured that out of a whole cloth.

This is a man you could love................he takes on CAIR here;

I would like reporters, media, print, radio, television reporters, to ask CAIR…how do you respond to Handel?  You’ve demanded that Handel apologize, Handel has come back and said, I’ll be more than happy to apologize, if you denounce bombings as terrorism. The way the do it, is bombings against Israelis is that of a freedom fighter.  And attacks from Israelis to Palestinians are terrorism.  See how that works?  Osama Bin Laden is a freedom fighter, to these people.  The attacks on civilians are simply a revolution, to get out the bad guys.  I want reporters to ask CAIR, respond!  Do you denounce all bombings as terrorism, doesn’t matter of political motivation, doesn’t matter if an Israeli does it, doesn’t matter if a Palestinian does it, doesn’t matter if a Chinese guy does it, doesn’t matter if an Irish Republican Army guy does it, it is terrorism, if the victims are innocent civilians.  Number two; Israel is a sovereign nation recognized by the world, has a right to exist.  And you’ve never had any ties to anybody associated with terrorism…Hamas, Islamic jihad, Hezbollah, the Muslim Brotherhood, Al Qaeda.  I’d love to see that.  Then you get your apology.  By the way, we have called CAIR, all through the weekend, left messages to their communications director, and we have not gotten a response.  I would like to them to come, and respond on the AIR, and respond to these charges.  I’m sure their response will be, that’s not the issue.  Yes, it is the issue.  I’ll be more than happy to talk about your issue if you talk about my issue.  Maybe, they’ll shock me.  You are invited to come on the show, and respond, because I am accusing you of all three of those allegations, and I’d like you to respond.   

Bill we stand with you. Never give up, never give in. CAIR is the enemy.

Recent CAIR posts;

CAIR The Enemy Anti-Patriots and The Patriot Act here, 

CAIR ON THE ATTACK --- AGAIN here, "

We control the media instead of the media controlling us."

BOYCOTT THE MARRIOTT here

Islamic Lies Eagerly Devoured by a hungry Left Wing  Media - they have really lost it... 

President Bush's State of the Union

Be there. It should be nothing short of historic.

As readers of my blog know, I have long believed that the Bush Presidency will be defined by how he handled Iran.

Bush got what he wanted yesterday, as a first step.Iran got tied to the whipping post yesterday. The UN's five permanent members agreed that the U.N.'s nuclear watchdog, the International Atomic Energy Agency, should report Iran to the Security Council, according to the Associated Press.

The Security Council, in the wake of failed attempts by Western powers to get Iran to adhere to U.N. nuclear regulations, could impose sanctions or other strict punishments in March, the AP reported. Lets hope those sanctions go the way of Oil for Food, with Russia and China there is always a chance of serious skulduggery.

When President Bush talks to the Congress this evening about the importance of Iran's transition to democracy, will face some skepticism - fueled by his own State Department which has irked both houses by blocking support to Iran's pro-democracy movement for fear of disrupting now-failed nuclear talks

The House version of the Iran Freedom Support Act, introduced January 6, 2005, by Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican of Florida [yes yes the sane Republican from Florida that just sponsored lefislation to cut Hamas off here] now has 333 cosponsors - almost 77% of the House. The Senate companion bill, introduced February 9, 2005, by Senator Santorum, a Republican of Pennsylvania, has 42 bipartisan co-sponsors, or almost half the Senate. 

Neither Senator Clinton nor Senator Schumer, both Democrats of New York, has signed on to the bill. *SPIT* 

Iranian President: "Westerners too Retarded to Grasp the Depth of the Concept"Read it all here.  Now. Please.
 

"The First Terrorist People"

"The Palestinians are the first people in the history of humanity to embrace terror and genocide as a way of life. Palestinian schools train kindergarteners and first graders to aspire to murder innocent Jews by blowing themselves up alongside them, and then tell the children that if they're lucky enough to have male genitalia they will go to heaven and be rewarded with 72 virgins to attend their every whim. Palestinian parents murder their own children by telling them to kill Jewish children so that Allah can receive them. This is the sickest culture on the face of the earth, and the fact that it is supported by secular leftists in Europe and America reveals the terminal sickness, as well, of those who crusade in the name of 'social justice'." —David Horowitz

Some Warn of Rising Islamist Tide in the Middle East - Timothy M. Phelps
Dov Zakheim, a former top official in President Bush's Pentagon, said Thursday after the Islamist terrorist Hamas movement swept Palestinian elections, "We have a situation not unlike Germany in 1932 when we had an upstart [Nazi] party ruled by thugs that preached hatred and racism, and also claimed they would clean up a corrupt Weimar Republic."

Pipes on Hamas in Todays New York Sun;

I abominate Hamas and have called for its destruction, but I also recognize that the elections might bring benefits, prompting Israelis finally to recognize the deep and pervasive anti-Zionism in the Palestinian Arab body politic. Hamas and Fatah together won all but 13 seats in the legislative council. A leftist terrorist group, the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, got three seats; three leftist parties - Al-Badil (or the Alternative List), the Independent Palestine List, and the Third Way List - each won two seats, and four independents won seats. With the possible exception of some marginal figures, then, the legislative council wall to wall rejects Israel's right to exist. Or, in David Horowitz's biting description, Palestinian Arabs are "the first terrorist people."

The Palestinian election outcome resulted partly from more than a decade of misrule by Yasser Arafat and his cronies, who stole, plotted, embezzled, and ran roughshod over their subjects. Hamas, in contrast, built a record of community service, relative probity, and modesty. Looked at positively, the success of Hamas implies that Palestinian Arabs do take other matters into consideration besides eliminating Israel. Looked at negatively, they merely prefer honest terrorists to dishonest ones.

The strong Hamas victory, wrote Steven Plaut of Haifa University, is "the only thing that stands a chance of forcing Israelis to open their eyes and wake up." Its ascent might conceivably wake others up, too; will Spain's blinkered government note the recent call by a Hamas children's publication for the city of Seville to be returned to Muslim rule?

Possibly. But I hold out meager hope that Hamas in power will provide a reality check. The "peace process" community will not give up its cherished negotiations just because a murderous totalitarian organization has been elected. As has inexorably been the case since 1993, it will ignore this setback and press ahead for more Israeli concessions.

Newsday. Leftwing Tool

Long Island's only newspaper, Newsday. Leftwing stranglehold.  This cartoon speaks volumes to the entire Newsday culture and all the tiny LI papers follow suit.
Hat tip Bill S (click to enlarge). Love what Bill said

McGruder's confusing Pol Pot with Henry?  What the...........????????

exactly.

Speaking of clueless, The Carnival is up here. Nobody does it better. Rick Rocks.

Google: Search Tool of the State

One of the ways urbandictionary.com defines "sellout" is to alienate core fans by changing one's style to appeal to a broader audience -- and becoming what one's fans were rebelling against in the first place. The U.S. government wanted search history to help fight child porn and Google said no way, to cheers from their Big Brother-hating constituency. But for its search service in China, Google caved to the communists, removing offending results for "Human Rights" and "Things that are Democratic." Tough choice. Founder Sergey Brin is quoted by Fortune as saying, "it will be better for Chinese Web users, because ultimately they would get more information, though not quite all of it." There will be no staring down tanks in Tiananmen Square.

Google could have kept their cool and trusted image if they'd just worked with someone else in China, someone they could smash. Eggroll.com powered by Google. Someone else to blame for those unsearchable keywords. Users in the West may not desert them, but a billion soon-to-be-online Chinese will forever associate Google with lame and censored results -- search tools of the state. That's just dumb. And totally uncool. [Wall Street Journal here]

And this in the  New York Sun;
Googling the Great Firewall: Google Kowtowed to Communist Censorship

Hat tip Maogoogle illustraton:Ken And do not miss my favortie military fellas over at the Officer's Club and their take on Google here.

Congress Rushes to Cut Hamas Off Now

Hamas Is Resolute On Fighting Israel Washington Post
Days after Hamas's victory in Palestinian parliamentary elections, the group's exiled political leader vowed Saturday to continue its confrontation with Israel. The Radical Islamic movement would turn its military wing into a national army for defensive reasons "like any other country".

Yes, you read that right, Hamas is assembling their own army. In the words of the immortal housekeeper in the Klaus Von Bulow case (when referring to the insulin) "for voos?"

Photo: Gaza City, Jan 27th

It's moments like these you gotta drop to your knees and thank Gd our boys control Congress;

Republican Ros-Lehtinen Bill Would Slash Funding

WASHINGTON — Congress is moving quickly in the face of Hamas’s victory in the Palestinian elections to slash American funding for the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations and ensure that America moves to isolate the new regime.    Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, a Republican of Florida, will introduce House legislation this week to slash American funding to the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations; designate the Palestinian Authority as a “terrorist sanctuary,” and close down some Palestinian Authority offices in America as part of a reduction of Palestinian-American diplomatic ties.

    The bill would be the first official move in Washington toward cutting funding to the Hamas-controlled Palestinian Authority, as concern about the terrorist organization’s electoral victory has prompted increasingly vocal calls on Capitol Hill to stop aid to the Palestinian Arabs.

“Abu Mazen and the PA leadership were given numerous opportunities to prove what they’re made of — to prove that they’re committed to peace and security,” Ms. Ros-Lehtinen said yesterday of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas of the Fatah Party, also known as Abu Mazen. “They showed their stripes. Even after Israel withdrew from Gaza, they refused to disarm Hamas and other terrorists, and they allowed them to gain strength.

Lest you not forget, the United States is the number one contributor to the Palestinians. And Iran is the largest sponsor of Hamas.

This is rich

In addition to slashing aid and severing some diplomatic connections, the bill would designate the Palestinian Authority a “terrorist sanctuary,” under the terms of the 2004 “9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act.” The act, pursuant to the recommendations of the 9/11 Commission, adds to the State Department’s state sponsors of terrorism list a separate designation for countries that knowingly harbor terrorists. “Terrorist sanctuaries” are subjected to sanctions applied against state sponsors of terrorism, including prohibitions against foreign aid and restrictions on trade and financial transactions.

   “You are either with us or against us on the war on terror,” Ms. Ros-Lehtinen said yesterday. ” [Amen-Atlas]

More thoughts on the Hamas victory from Neo-Con here

The Basil Interview

Basil of Basil's Blog conducts the Atlas Interview here. Go over there and read it all.........I had a blast doing it.

What can we expect to hear from you at the Bloggingman 2007?

Truth, justice and the American way. Scary stuff eh?

 

Do you feel that Iran has a double-blind strategy- get Syria, No. Korea, and Palestine to act up to buy Iran time- then bring out "Crazy Ahmadenijad" and the spectre of Iranian nuclear proliferation- stage riots in Paris (as reconnaisance)- all to mask THE IMPENDING SEIZURE OF FRANCE AND HER NUCLEAR ARSENAL

Iran is a monstrous aggressor whose first aggression is against their own people. The only thing that would stop them from starting a nuclear war is America . Iran operates by proxy. Syria is the organ grinder's monkey……as is Hizbollah, Hamas, and all the other Iranian financed barbarians. Iran declared war on America back in 1979. Little did we know we had a spineless, dickless, woman in the White House at the time

 

When will we win the war on terror?

When we accept the fact we are indeed at war.

 

Do you ever wear your Superwoman outfit in public?

Only when I am in love………..so no. Maybe if i could find a phone booth…………

 

Not a question but a comment. I have been reading Pamela’s blog for a year and I personally think she is terrific. She has the intellectual know-how and the guts to call a spade a spade. Her enthusiasm is boundless. I share with her the feeling she has about the Jews and Israel. I don’t trust the Iranians or anyone else that is a Jew hater. Atlas Shrugs is my first stop on the net in the morning. My wishes for a terrific second year!

I love you! The hatred if Israel is one that is reviled by good rational men.The Arabs are the least developed culture. Nomads. Their culture is primitive and barbaric and they hate Israel because it is the sole beacon of modern science and civilzation and technology on their continent. Rand said when you have civilized men fighting savages you support the civilized men no matter what.

 

Favorite euphemism or epithet for Ted Kennedy?

"Splash"

 

Is there an event that happened that made you realize you needed to take yourself more seriously?

I was born

 

Is there an event that happened that made you made you think you took yourself too seriously?

this interview?

 

Have you ever seen Ted Kennedy do it?

yeah, in a small boat off the French Riviera, still gives me nightmares. Do you remember a few years back, when Splash was caught by the paparazzi off the Saint Tropez coast en flagrante, coitus interruptus, on a small boat……his ginormous ass flying, belly flopping………let me tell you………it was one for the books. I think the femme underneath him got sucked into one of his belly folds

Go over to Basil's Blog there is more here........mangia!

 

GOOGLE ISRAELI FLAG......

Keep telling me these are "accidents" then spit in my face and tell me its raining.
Google Israeli Flag here hat tip Lois

 Bad enough last March Ynet, reported that Google had been running advertisements for the recruitment web site of the terrorist group Hamas, that show up when the word “Hamas” is entered in Arabic: Google advertises Hamas.

And this terror love seems to be endemic to Google...........BTW if someone would capture the page for me I'd really appreciate it..........I just cut and pasted the above but I would love a snapshot of the page and I don't know how to do that. 

UPDATE: Screen shot, courtesy of Mathew, Blogging Man 2007 BE THERE!.........I will

Photo right: Close-up of the middle flag on the Google page

Reason has all been but lost, Passion and Prejudice governs the world

Saddam ordered WMD strike on Israel [transferred to Syria]

he former deputy of the Iraqi air force, General Georges Sada, revealed on Saturday that that former dictator of Iraq, Saddam Hussein, ordered him during the first Gulf War to bomb Israeli population centers with chemical weapons.

Sada said he convinced Saddam to abort the mission by telling him that the Iraqi pilots could not complete the mission with the equipment at their disposal, and that the Israelis had radar that could detect them before they reached their target.

In his book, which was written four years ago, Sada also claims that Iraq's chemical weapons were taken to Syria aboard civilian Iraqi "Boeing" airplanes just prior to the US invasion.

The 65-year-old Sada said that 56 flights of this type took place, but went largely unnoticed because they were flying under the guise of humanitarian aid.

Prior to the second Iraq war Israel warned that Iraq was moving chemical weapons from its territory into Syria.

Why isn't this splashed across frontpages and TV screens everywhere? Sada is being ignored. You can't tell me a diabolcial agenda is not at work here.

Courage readers courage. All things beautiful has a great post up, read it here

Excellent extensive analysis from Rockets Brain here and Ground State here, read them both.

UN acknowledges Holocaust

Wonder of Wonder, Miracle of Miracles. I know John  Bolton has praised Gillerman for making this happen. It took 61 years..........NEVER AGAIN

Harry Truman said "It is amazing what you can accomplish if you do not care who gets the credit" and I believe John Bolton had more than a  hand in pulling this off.

Thank you John Bolton.

Harry Truman also said "I had faith in Israel before it was established, I have in it now. I believe it has a glorious future before it - not just another sovereign nation, but as an embodiment of the great ideals of our civilization".

Thank you Harry Truman

UN acknowledges Holocaust, first time in over 60 years

New York - The United Nations on Friday acknowledged for the first time the deaths over 60 years ago of millions of Jews and ethnic minorities in Nazi death camps.

For the occasion, ageing survivors of the death camps walked up to the podium of the 191-nation UN General Assembly in New York to deliver short speeches remembering the events that nearly destroyed their lives under Nazi Germany during World War II.

Gerda Weissmann Klein told the assembly she was 15 when she and her family were seized and sent to a five-year ordeal in the Jewish ghettos, slave labour and concentration camps. On January 15, 1945, she was forced into the infamous three-month 'Death March' at the hands of the Nazis as Allied troops were finally liberating Europe.

Her entire family perished in the Death March.

'Where will my thoughts be on this awesome occasion?' she said. 'As I stand before representatives of many nations, my mind's eye will recall the bitter cold of the winter Death March and the battered, rusty bowl I held in my hand, hoping that when I got to the front of the line there would be soup left in the kettle.

The designation marked a historic turnaround in the world organization.

Israeli UN Ambassador Dan Gillerman, whose grandparents and family died in the death camps, noted that since the Holocaust, the world has witnessed genocides in Cambodia and Rwanda in 1975 and 1994.

Gillerman said if the state of Israel existed in 1938 or 1943, the Holocaust would not have happened. Israel was established in 1949. More here

Iran to hold Holocaust conference despite furor

The Danes Wont Deign, But Will the UN?

I wrote of this Eurabian moment here and here. Calling for death to America, death to Israel, that's ok. Incendiary antisemitic cartoons that run on a daily basis against the Jews in the Arab Islamic press? Accusations of blood libel against the Jews? Part of the school curriculum.

All of this began when Danish author Kåre Bluitgen had difficulties in getting artists to illustrate his book about Muhammad due to fear of reprisals from Islamic extremists. Jyllandsposten, Denmark's largest newspaper, responded by asking 40 illustrators to make drawings of Muhammad, and published twelve in this Saturday's edition. Not all of them were good, but here's the best one, made by Kurt Westergaard

Jihad Watch queried if the murderers of Theo van Gogh were seeking to deter other European artists from taking up Islam as a subject for artistic discussion, the Jamaat-e-Islami party in Pakistan is offering a reward to anyone who kills any of the artists.

And the Radical Islamists want the UN to sanction this?

Radical Islam's intimidation campaign in Europe comes from Denmark, thanks to Filtrat.

Muslims seek UN resolution over Danish prophet cartoons

CAIRO (AFP) - The Muslim world's two main political bodies have said they were seeking a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions following the outcry caused by publication in Scandinavia of cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed.

Organisation of the Islamic Conference secretary general Ekmeleddin Ihsanoglu told reporters in Cairo Sunday that the international body would "ask the UN general assembly to pass a resolution banning attacks on religious beliefs."

The deputy secretary general of the Arab League, Ahmed Ben Helli, confirmed that contacts were under way for such a proposal to be made to the     United Nations.

"Consultations are currently taking place at the highest level between Arab countries and the OIC to ask the UN to adopt a binding resolution banning contempt of religious beliefs and providing for sanctions to be imposed on contravening countries or institutions," he said.

Twelve cartoons depicting the Prophet Mohammed, published in Denmark's Jyllands-Posten daily last September and reprinted in a Norwegian magazine earlier this month, sparked uproar in the Muslim world where images of the prophet are considered blasphemous.

Officials in Muslim countries and various religious bodies have expressed anger at the cartoons, while the editors of the newspapers have defended their publication on the grounds of freedom of expression.

Muslim wrath has spread rapidly in the Middle East with Gulf retailers pulling Danish products off their shelves and protestors gathering outside Danish embassies.

    Syria and Bahrain were the latest Arab countries to join the chorus.

Consider this, Syria...........murderers, invaders.............outraged.

"Syria calls on the Danish government to take the necessary measures to punish the culprits. The dialogue of civilisations is based on mutual respect," said an official quoted by the official Syrian news agency on Sunday.

The Bahraini cabinet, at a meeting on Sunday, condemned the cartoons "which are a deliberate attack against the glorious Prophet Mohammed and have angered Muslims the world over."

State Minister for Cabinet Affairs Sheikh Ahmed Attiyatallah al-Khalifa said the government "warned against the negative repercussions" of the cartoons' publication.

Sheikh Adel al-Mouwdah, a salafist member of the Bahraini parliament, also announced that Islamist organisations had set up a "committee for the defence of the Prophet Mohammed".

Want to see all the cartoons, go to Further Adventures of Indigo Red here

Who needs defending? The victims of Radical Islam

"We demand an apology from the Danish government and from the newspaper that published the caricatures," he told AFP.

"We are going to launch a campaign for the boycott of Damish products in order to send a message to the Danes and to the Danish government,' he added.

"Regardless of all the acts of extremism and terrorism that are taking place, there are red lines," said the official, one of the main radical Muslim leaders in Bahrain.

There you go.

A poll published on Saturday showed that a majority of Danes felt their government should not apologise over the cartoons.

Thank Allah.

If the UN even touches this, it ought to be disbanded. They are still dying in dying by the tens of thousands at the hands of the Sudanese Radical Islamic government and the UN is going to feign outrage over utter nonsense?

Solomonia has an interesting post on the Danish cartoon scandal with some pertinent comments about the insecurity it reveals about “a shockingly weak and fragile religion of over a billion people.”

UPDATE: January 31

Norwegians Told to Leave Gaza
Norway's Foreign Ministry was heeding a warning Monday from Islamic groups that want all Scandinavians out of Gaza. The groups claim the Scandinavians have offended them by printing controversial caricatures of their prophet Mohammed. Armed members of the al-Aqsa Martyrs Brigade handed out pamphlets in Gaza encouraging Danes and Swedes to leave, and burned a Danish flag. Norwegian Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Store last week urged Norway's embassies to apologize for the caricatures, but that has spurred counter-criticism that Muslim countries should respect freedom of expression. (Aftenposten-Norway)

    See also Poll: Denmark Should Not Apologize for Cartoons
A majority of Danes feel their government and media should not apologize to Muslims for controversial cartoons published in the daily Jyllands-Posten last September and reprinted in a Norwegian magazine this month. In a poll for Danish Radio Saturday, 79% said Prime Minister Rasmussen should not apologize on Denmark's behalf. (AFP/Yahoo)
    See also Caricature of Mohammed Leads to Boycott of Danish Goods - Hassan M. Fattah (New York Times)

UPDATE: Going against the will of the people, the dhimmi newspaper apologized. Argh.

Goodbye, freedom of speech in Denmark. Jyllands-Posten editor Carsten Juste's letter of apology, "Honourable Citizens of The Muslim World," can be found here.  Jihadwatch hat tip Tom