Democratic response by Governor Tim Kaine

"Rights given by our creator"

"Today, we pray"

"G-d Bless the United States of America"

Have Democrats found G-d? What is going on here?

Who didn't know that Cindy Sheehan would be her usual lunatic self when invited to the State of the Union?

3:22pm:

Cindy Sheehan said she will be part of the live audience during the president's State of the Union speech to congress Tuesday.

Bay Area Congresswoman Lynn Woosley gave anti-war activist a gallery pass late Tuesday, just hours before the planned State of the Union speech. Sheehan was in Washington to protest the president during his national address, but then came word she was invited to see the speech live.

A spokesman for Sheehan says she decided to accept the invitation two hours prior to the speech. The spokesman also said that Sheehan will be respectful and listen to the address because she is a guest of a member of congress.

9:51pm:

Peace activist Cindy Sheehan was arrested Tuesday in the House chamber after she unfurled an anti-war banner before President Bush's State of the Union address.

4pm, EST

(Click the pic to listen)

Update: Call in number is 866-884-8255 (TALK).

Our guests today are Michelle Malkin and Jim Geraghty.

Done Deal

Welcome Justice Alito:

The voting list is here.

Random question

Why does the question 'are you a Jew?' bug me so much more than 'are you Jewish?'

Europe, you have a problem.

Fury grows over Denmark cartoons

Threats by Militants Alarm Scandinavians

Gunmen storm EU office over cartoons

My personal favorite is this not at all inciteful piece in a UAE newspaper titled 'Deal with Danish offenders strongly'.

Greaaaaaaaaat

Virus could mean obesity is contagious

Right-wing New York

The list of February events for right-minded New Yorkers is now up at Rightevents.com. There is a lot going on so be sure to check it out.

Question

The Republican Majority for Choice has released a statement supporting Lincoln Chaffee's decision to vote against confirming Alito.

Here is the comment:

The Republican Majority for Choice is proud to stand with Senator Lincoln Chafee in opposition to the confirmation of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court. We strongly agree with Senator Chafee that Judge Alito's consistently anti-choice record simply cannot be ignored. Furthermore, after Judge Alito continually side-stepped the issue of whether or not the right to privacy in the Constitution extends to reproductive choice....

Look at that last line. Alito has refused to answer whether 'the right to privacy in the Constitution extends to reproductive choice'. Now, I'm no Constitutional scholar or anything so I have to ask: has the (actually nonexistent) 'right to privacy in the Constitution' ever been used to defend anything other than abortion?

No comment

Today- Climate risk 'worse than thought'

January 8, 2004- Global Warming 'far, far worse than we thought'

April 18, 2002- Climate change worse than predicted

July 12, 2001- Global warming 'worse than feared'

I can't be the only one thinking 'why the hell would Israel fund the Palestinian Authority in the first place?'

Israel freezes funding to the Palestinian authority

One Way or Another (by guest blogger Dorian Davis)

...we WILL prove Republicans racist.

Study Ties Political Leanings to Hidden Biases

Via: Drudge Report

If we can't have freedom, no one will!

Muslims ask UN to limit free speech in Denmark

The Muslim world's two main political bodies say they are seeking a UN resolution, backed by possible sanctions, to protect religions after the publication in Scandinavia of cartoons depicting the prophet Muhammad.

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

MSM: Spinning future numbers

Headline: Any uptick in Bush's numbers after speech won't last, analysts say

Quote of two days ago

Dawn Summers: And that's all we have in common. We both support the war in Iraq, we both like poker and we both hate bananas.
Me: I like bananas.

Our poker blog has some new posts up, by me, and I'm sure Dawn is working on one right this second as she was recently recognized in Atlantic City. I mean like 'I know a girl named Dawn who looks like you and plays poker' kind of recognized.

An honest politician

I have no vision, declares Eliot Spitzer's running mate, David Paterson.

Blogroll Update

NYC:

Wil's Notes- Blogging straight from The Bronx.

DC:

In the Beauty of the Lilies- My friend Adriel's new blog. Adriel is just out of the Peace Corp and leaving to work in Iraq, you can imagine he'll be an interesting read.

Update: Also in the NYC section, The NY Press blog Fifth Estate, written by the fabulous Azi Paybarah, is now called 51st State. Do check it out for the best in local politics snark.

Another Update: In the 'Internationally Known' section, welcome Slinging Ink 'a Brit, born in Dublin and living in Rio de Janeiro'. It doesn't get more international than that.

What not to do

The news that UK foreign secretary Jack Straw will 'press for action on Iran' showcases the absolute futility of our current methods for dealing with international threats. First of all, who, exactly will Straw press? And, second of all, what, exactly, will he press them to do? Well, here it is:

Mr Straw is expected to urge the IAEA [International Atomic Energy Agency] to refer Iran to the United Nations Security Council for censure.

Oh.

So, if I understand it, Mr. Straw will recommend meetings. And, those meetings will recommend, maybe, sanctions. Which, of course, is what we did with Iraq. That produced thirteen years of defiance by Saddam, empty threats from the 'international community' and ultimately led to our current war. I don't know what the solution to the Iran problem is, but I know it's not making the same mistakes we made with Iraq.

The BBC piece linked above ends thusly:

In his speech to the forum, Mr Straw is expected to say that Iran must not be allowed to develop nuclear weapons.

He will address 2,000 business leaders and politicians in what our correspondent describes as "one of the most influential authorities in the world".

Mr Straw has previously told the BBC that Iran can be persuaded to co-operate over its nuclear programme only "by peaceful means", saying the situation there was unlike that in Iraq.

I'm glad the correspondent feels they're so influential. I can't help but disagree. Meetings and words are not influential. I'm looking forward to seeing how the whole 'peaceful means' thing turns out. I just don't see how people who can't see the parallels between Iraq all those years ago and Iran today are going to work this all out. I'm rooting for peace, but I'm not optimistic.

I'm not sure they get the whole 'democracy' concept

Fatah Members Riot After Defeat

The China Syndrome (by guest blogger Dorian Davis )

China to "strike hard" against rising unrest.

Nice.

Let's keep propping them up.

Real Congress

When the cameras are on, find out what happens when Senators stop being coached and start being real.

Who didn't get the message in '04? Who?

Kerry will try Alito filibuster

Leon H. at RedHot says it best:

There are now five Democrats publicly committed to supporting a cloture motion: Byrd, Johnson, Nelson, Salazar and Landrieu.

Displaying his usual amount of stunning political acumen, John Kerry has responded to this news by mulling a filibuster.

Update: Also via RedHot, there's this great news.

More on the poker blog

Ex-bloggers Peter and Candace made the same joke about our new poker blog, 'I Had Outs': "Good, now Alarming News will be English only." Yaron, however, said he would miss the only sort-of understandable posts, as he isn't planning to visit our poker blog. I don't blame him. If I didn't play poker, I can't imagine finding stories of various hands interesting. But, if you're a poker geek like us, do visit 'I Had Outs'. Today, I pose a pointed question (pointed right at my friend SMVP): Should you check down your hand if you're heads up at a casino table with a friend?

So now we're giving in to terrorist demands?

This is no good:

The US military today said it would release five female Iraqi detainees, a move demanded by the kidnappers of an American reporter to spare her life.

Census

A year ago, I made fun of the idea that NY was going to try to count the homeless population. Well, the program is actually going to happen and they're looking for volunteers. I still think it's kind of silly, but it will be interesting to see the results.

Oh how much she's learned

Cindy Sheehan, August 16, 2005, on the Chris Matthews show- "I'm a one issue person. I know a lot about what's going on in Iraq but I don't know anything about anything else."

But, she seems to have learned a few things (either that or she realized a one-trick pony only gets so much press):

January 24, 2006, in Caracas, Venezuela- "I've always admired President Chavez for standing up to imperialism and the meddling of the American government in South America."

January 10, 2006, Interview with Ronan Sheehan in Dublin- "And what we're allowing to happen in Iraq, what's happening in the Sudan . . . "

January 10, 2006, Interview with Ronan Sheehan in Dublin- "You know, to me, these people--they're "pro-birth", but they're not "pro-life". My country executes people--we just executed one in California today, and my understanding of the Catholic Church was that we honored life from womb to tomb, not just from womb to "out"."

That's quite an admission

"His [Clinton's] policies are responsible for killing more Iraqis that George Bush."

-Cindy Sheehan

Longer Sheehan post coming up.

Today's 'you can not be serious' item

Mexico to Give Migrants Maps of Arizona

"Every way you look at it, you lose"

Palestinians vote as Hamas challenges Fatah

In NYC

Bill at Citizen Journal is hosting a party for the Bush's State of the Union address this Tuesday, January 31st at 7:00pm at Black Sheep, 583 3rd Avenue (38th Street).

Quite a team

From the Note:

Americans United, a union-funded liberal advocacy group that helped block President Bush's efforts to change Social Security last year, holds a 10:00 am ET press conference at the Hyatt Regency in Washington, DC to unveil an anti-corruption ad campaign. Among those speaking at today's event will be pollster Mark Mellman, media consultant Jim Margolis, and spammer Brad Woodhouse.

Emphasis mine.

Club for Growth finds pro-growth Dem

I'm a couple of days late on this but I just heard Club for Growth has endorsed its first Democrat, ever. There's no Republican seeking the seat (which is very weird, I expect that from NY Republicans but I don't understand it in Texas), however, so I don't think the Club will experience repercussions from its Republican donors. Whether the Democrat will experience repercussions from Democratic voters remains to be seen.

Because what we really need is another blog....

Dawn Summers and I have started a poker blog. If you like our poker posts, go on and blogroll us. We're not sure what it will be, exactly, but the first post is about a bad laydown that I made last night.

Yes, dude.

In a meme earlier this month, I noted 'no, dude' as a phrase I use often. Turns out, Michelle Malkin can 'no, dude' with the best of them.

It's not about Bush.

I knew European anti-Americanism didn't begin with Bush's presidency. Cathy Young has the proof.

Surreal Life

Anything to be on TV:

Joey Buttafuoco, his ex-wife Mary Jo and the 'Long Island Lolita' who shot her in a love triangle, Amy Fisher, are reuniting for a TV special.

Memo to people who see me in 'real life'

If you see a red string around my wrist it's not because I've jumped on the Kabbalah cult bandwagon, but because my brother brought one back for me from the Western Wall. I promise Madonna has nothing to do with it.

Blogroll Update

NYC:

Academic Infractions

Conservative Realist

Dooryard

NY Republican

Elections

All eyes on.... Canada?!? Canada's conservatives leading in polls

Meanwhile, Portugal has already done did it: Conservative wins Portugal’s presidency

Roe is 33

Just in time for the 33rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, Jane Galt has two excellent posts on everyone's favorite topic.

Genius

BOTW:

We're So Confused!

"Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad began a visit to Syria Thursday to consolidate an old alliance made increasingly crucial as both countries face mounting U.S. pressure and the threat of international sanctions," the Associated Press reports:

Syria is Iran's closest Arab ally. The two countries have had close relations since 1980 when Syria sided with Iran against Iraq at the start of the Iran-Iraq war.

How is this possible? Syria is a secular Baathist dictatorship, while Iran is ruled by Muslim fundamentalists. Everyone knows these groups are like oil and water; that's why Saddam Hussein's Iraq never had anything to do with al Qaeda!

That's not true, I hear there is a lot of yawning in the beltway too

GOP [Leadership] Contest Prompts Yawns Outside Beltway

Not so smart

Leftist group Code Pink photoshopped an Iranian demonstrator for freedom into an ad against the war in Iraq.

Hat-tip Banafsheh.

Newsflash

The left has problems.

25 years ago today, Ronald Reagan became president

You are missed, Mr. President.

Update: Red State remembers the earth shattering event that happened 80 minutes after Reagan became president.

John Walker Lindh should be happy with his 20 years

The father of John Walker Lindh, the American caught fighting with the Taliban against the U.S, is appealing for a reduction of his son's sentence. He calls the younger Lindh's 'maltreatment and imprisonment' a 'human rights violation' and says 'it was based purely on an emotional response to the 9/11 attacks, not on an objective assessment of the facts of John's case.'

So, objectively speaking, let's review: John Walker Lindh was captured in Afghanistan during a battle with American soldiers. He was carrying 'an assault rifle and two hand grenades' given to him 'by the Taliban commanders'. He admits to having met the grand puba himself, Osama bin Laden, on two occasions.

His father says 'this is the story of a decent and honorable young man who became involved in a spiritual quest.' Of course, most spiritual quests don't usually end with the seeker taking up arms against his own countrymen, but that's neither here nor there to Dad Lindh. John Walker Lindh committed the most obvious form of treason. There was nothing hidden about his involvement, he wasn't passing along secrets to the enemy or giving other aid or comfort. He was holding a gun and pointing it at American troops. If that's not treason, then there is no such thing. Twenty years seems a rather short time to serve for turning against your country in so dramatic a fashion. While it may be true that he was a confused kid, at 20 he was still wholly responsible for his actions. Or, to put it another way, if you're old enough to be trapaising around hostile Afghanistan, on your own, you're old enough to understand that you're choosing a side in a war, and John Walker Lindh made the wrong choice.

Update: Dawn Summers has a funny take.

The times they are a-changin'

A priest in Ireland fathers a child. The London Times reports that Irish Catholics mostly shrug at the news. If this article really reflects the majority thinking of Catholics in Ireland, it's hard to imagine that the type of Catholicism directed from Rome is going to last much longer on the Emerald Isle.

Is it Michael Moore or Osama bin Laden?

You decide.

Ridiculous story of the day

Bush rules out Senate run for first lady

There's love....

....and then there's true love.

Anybody But McCain

Ankle Biting Pundits reports that conservatives are warming to John McCain. Well, not this conservative.

Here is a shortlist of my problems with McCain.

1. His media whoreness. I just can't deal with someone who loves getting his mug on tv. If the cameras are on, McCain is talking. I realize this isn't an issue-based opposition, it's just a pet peeve.

2. Campaign Finance Reform. McCain decided that Americans were sitting on the edge of their seats wanting campaign finance reform so, he ran on the issue in 2000. Don't get me wrong, I blame Bush for signing the debacle into law with a 'wink-wink no way will this pass Constitutional muster', but it was McCain who forced this to become a priority. Of course, nothing changed with BCRA (Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act of 2002), except that free speech became less free and people who wanted to influence elections now need to hire additional lawyers to bend the new rules. When people complain that the public is disengaged from politics, they can look to BCRA for an explanation of why that is. I have a Master's in Political Management, which included a class in Campaign Finance with one of the top Campaign Finance lawyers in the country, and I couldn't tell you all the rules and regulations regarding political speech. That's a problem.

3. I hate mavericks. A maverick is unpredictable. And, while I'm sure that's very exciting in a friend or boyfriend, I'm not looking for a president to be so erratic. I'm not saying that people can't change their minds. I realize Bush began his presidency as something of a isolationist, but then became a different person after 9/11. That's fine. Events should change our ways of thinking. But McCain is just all over the map to start with. Additionally, because of his media whoreness (see item 1), he's turned the word 'maverick' into code for 'will stick finger in the eye of president Bush whenever given the opportunity'.

4. His compromises always seem to hurt Republicans. He was one of the 'Gang of 14', a group of Republicans that gave away the right to filibuster in return for...well, no one is exactly sure but it seems that Democrats have promised to actually look at nominees and maybe even give them a vote. Now, call me crazy, but don't voters expect, at the very minimum, that their elected officials will check out nominees and give them a vote? Shouldn't this be the least we expect from people to whom we pay a six-figure salary?

5. He says he's pro-life but he supports pro-choice causes. Whatever you think of the abortion issue, I'm sure we can all agree that we'd like consistency from a potential president.

I realize that if McCain is the nominee, I'll have little choice but to support him. I know most conservatives and Republicans will do the same, especially if his opposition is one wife of an ex-president. That's why it's important for conservatives to stop McCain in the primaries. If he makes it to the general, he'll have to be our guy. If we can stop him in Iowa and New Hampshire, he won't.

Having to fight for your lives will do that

Israelis most patriotic people.

Click the link for numbers that include the opinions of Arab Israelis.

Quick, let's starve her to death!

Comatose Mass. Girl Responds to Stimuli a Day After Court Ruled Life Support Could Be Withdrawn

Quote of the Day

"A pro-choice Republican who wants the Democrats to nominate a more centrist candidate so that the Democrats can take back the White House is called a...what's the word I'm looking for???? Oh yeah...a DEMOCRAT."

-Rightwing Dad in response to a Newsweek article by Eleanor Clift that notes 'A pro-choice Republican who spoke with NEWSWEEK but didn't want her name used said she is more worried about Alito after hearing him testify, and wishes the Democrats would spend their time finding a candidate to beat Hillary Clinton in the primaries "or we're going to get four more years of judges like this." She thinks that to win the White House the Democrats need a more centrist candidate than Clinton.'

Dwarf bowling?

There are two Young Republican clubs in NYC, and they have nearly nothing to do with each other. Jess Bruder lays out why in the Observer ('The history of the two clubs reads like Hitchcock on acid, complete with an attempted frame-up for murder, a private detective, an episode on Phil Donahue’s talk show and even a bit of … dwarf bowling.') and concludes with a quote from me comparing the situation to the last two Jews in Kabul not being on speaking terms.

Bringing the number of television shows I watch regularly to 1

Fox Cancels 'That 70's Show'.

I'm looking forward to '08 already

Tom Daschle considers run for president.

MLK Day 2006

Last night was the yearly Martin Luther King Jr. Day dinner held by the Congress of Racial Equality. I attend this event every year and never fail to have a good time. A big thank you to CORE National Spokesman Niger Innis for the invite.

This year, my date was my brilliant and funny friend James Taranto.

The pictures of me are fairly terrible, I blame lack of sleep and only having 20 or so minutes to get ready for this shindig. James looked dashing in his tux:

And kept me amused throughout the dinner:

The dinner honored Ambassador John Bolton, Governor Haley Barbour (on behalf of the state of Mississippi for its great strides in race relations) and musical artist Usher.

The Ambassador and me:

That's Usher circled in white. It's harder to see him than the 50 carat stud in his ear.

Other notables in attendance included:

The National Rifle Association's Wayne LaPierre:

NY Gubernatorial candidate and tallest elected official in America, Pat Manning (6'11"):

Former Philadelphia Eagles fullback Cecil Martin (who also founded the charity Give Brotherly Love). That's him below getting his pic snapped with James by Adam Taxin. Adam (aka "Hungry Hungry Hebrew") is participating in a charity event in Pennsylvania called the Wing Bowl to raise money for the victims of Hurricane Katrina. More information here.

Continual congrats to CORE for promoting healthy race relations and encouraging actual equality between the races. May they continue to prosper in their mission. And all of you in blogland should think about coming to their dinner next year. I guarantee a good time.

Guess who's back, back again.... (bumped)

Hoist the Black Flag returns from our hiatus today with guest Brian Anderson. Tune in from 4-5pm EST.

(Click the pic to listen)

Update: Call in number is 866-884-8255 (TALK).

Britain should unban the death penalty for these people

British dentist allowed non-dentist boyfriend to work on over 600 patients.

Seriously dude, stop talking

From Michelle Malkin:

New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin has sought to clarify comments he made on Martin Luther King Day to the effect that New Orleans should be a "chocolate" city. He said he had not meant that it should be an all-black metropolis, asking: "How do you make chocolate?

"You take dark chocolate, you mix it with white milk, and it becomes a delicious drink. That is the chocolate I am talking about," he told CNN.

A Brit sues the American government....for spying on Americans?

Christopher Hitchens, Others Sue Bush Administration for Spying

So....I guess the crack dealers are back in New Orleans

Before having an imaginary conversation with Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., Mayor Ray Nagin said that G-d was mad at America because 'he doesn't approve of us being in Iraq under false pretenses' and also because black Americans aren't 'taking care of ourselves'.

3 things that have happened in the last 48 hours.

1. I went to a wedding and no one got married.

2. I saw Amb. John Bolton, Usher, Wayne LaPierre and Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour all on the same stage (details and pictures forthcoming).

3. A hippie acquaintance, who I thought didn't like me since finding out I was a Republican, handed me a flirty note saying 'Me, James Carville! You, Mary Matlin?'

I'm alive....

...really. I'll be back later tonight for real blogging. Right now I'm going to CORE's annual Martin Luther King, Jr. Day dinner.

Blogroll update

NYC:

Link Mecca: Allahpundit is sort of blogging again. He posts links with short, sarcastic commentary and even throws in a photoshop or two.

Out there in America:

Republican Riot- Guest-blogger extraordinare Julia Gorin's blog. She used to live in NYC but now lives in Las Vegas. We miss her.

Go Steele!

A few days ago, I had the pleasure of meeting Maryland US Senate candidate Michael Steele. He was extremely impressive but I have to admit I have been a huge pessimist about 2006(you can't win all the time and even if the Democrats are a disaster, they're bound to win something at some point), and was resigned to the fact that a win would be a long shot in a dark blue state like Maryland. He said that he's polling even or slightly ahead of possible opponents and I hoped that wasn't politician-speak for 'in my imagination I am polling...'. Turns out, it's true. Yes, polls don't mean anything but it's encouraging to see Steele in the lead at this point in the race. I wish him the best of luck.

Update: I totally want one of these shirts:

I wonder if their essay is harder than NYU's

US government discovered alleged terrorist José Padilla's written application to join al Qaeda.

Mecca, we have a problem

Misplaced Bag, Haste Led to Hajj Stampede

I'm not making a joke. I'm not being insensitive. But how many times does this have to happen for there to be some kind of crowd control at this free-for-all? I mean, I went to Woodstock '94 and if a bunch of dirty hippies can manage not to trample each other, surely Pilgrims to Mecca and Medina can do the same.

2005- Ten Pilgrims Die in Minor Stampede

2004- Hajj stampede: 244 pilgrims dead

2003- 14 pilgrims trampled to death as thousands gather for haj ritual

2001- 35 dead in Hajj crush

1998- 118 Pilgrims dead in stampede

1990- 1426 pilgrims were trampled to death

I'm sure there are more but 5 minutes at 6:30am produced these quick results and I think they illustrate my point.

While googling around for the above, I came across this:

The deaths have not shocked many people, with several pilgrims certain that those who die during Hajj enter paradise.

"I wish I was among the pilgrims who died on Sunday," Kamal Shahada, an Egyptian pilgrim, said.

"I would have gone to heaven, because dying in these holy sites of Islam would assure one a place in heaven," he said, echoing a widespread conviction in the Islamic world.....

"Those who died will be missed by their families and friends but they have a chance no one else can have by dying on the holy land of Islam where they are then buried," said a Bangladeshi.

That's a special kind of stupid.

Are there many Palestinians working to protect Israel?

After free trips to Israel, some activists stay on in the Middle East - to work for the Palestinian cause.

My brother is currently on one of these free Birthright Israel trips. I don't think he'll be staying on to help Palestinians bring their bombs into Israel, though, I just have a feeling.

Via Allahlicious.

Something like Craig's list

Are you looking for a room in Manhattan? A friend of mine, a smoker with two cats, is looking to rent out a room in Stuyvesant Town. Email me if interested and I'll put you two in touch.

I'm sure that's just a misunderstanding

Cleric wanted Muslim rule in White House

Classy

In a Spanish soccer match, an Israeli goalie was taunted by fans wishing for the death of his prime minister.

Thank you, Bill Clinton

While writing the below post, I came across the Wikipedia entry for Rudy Giuliani. Apparently, Bill Clinton was a disaster for Democratic candidates as far back as 1993:

President Bill Clinton's campaign appearance on behalf of Dinkins may have backfired by accusing much of the electorate of the city of racism:

"it's not [Dinkins's] record people are against, it’s his race, just as in 1989 when he should have won easily. The real question is why were they against Dinkins in '89?"

Giuliani won the election by a margin of 82,000 votes in 1,889,000 votes cast. 53,000 votes were cast for third party candidates.

Someone tell him

New York Governor George Pataki mentioned ethanol in his State of the State speech last week. Of course, that means he's running for president.

This is the part of the political process I will never understand: I know he has no shot, you know he has no shot, how do his handlers and advisors not tell him 'George, you're a liberal Republican from New York and you're not even the liberal Republican from New York. Give it up. Go into lobbying. Start a consulting firm. Or, hell, do some fishing and hanging out with the fam. Don't waste your time."

In real life

I'll be at this THURSDAY (messed up the day when I first posted this), anyone else?

January 12, 2006, 7:30pm The New York Young Republican Club (the independent one) Monthly Meeting. Our featured speaker will be George J. Marlin, author Fighting the Good Fight: A History of the New York Conservative Party and of The American Catholic Voter: Two Hundred Years Of Political Impact. George Marlin is also former executive director of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey.

The Road to Albany 2006 Candidate Series: This month, we are honored to have John Faso, the former New York State Assembly Minority Leader and gubernatorial candidate, speak about his plans for a better New York. Soldiers, Sailors, Marines and Airmens Club 283 Lexington Ave (bet 36th & 37th St), 2nd Floor Admission: Members - FREE, Non Members - $5, F/T Students - $2. After-politics Socializing- We always head out for drinks after the meeting, so please join us at Margarita Murphy's, 591 Third Ave Between 38th and 39th streets.

Celebrate here at Alarming News

Via All Things Jennifer, I see that it's National Delurkers Week, a time for readers who never comment to come out of the closet. Leave one for me, why don'tcha.

Identity politics come full circle

Live from Britain, it's Saturday Night:

A black police bodyguard who protected the Duchess of Cornwall has won $70,000 compensation after suing Scotland Yard for "over-promoting" him because of political correctness.

Sgt Leslie Turner -- the first black personal protection officer to guard the royal family -- will receive the "racial discrimination" payout after reaching an out-of-court settlement with London's Metropolitan Police.

His representatives argued he landed the prestigious job as Camilla's bodyguard only because he was black.

Via BOTW.

Least Favorite Senator

Red Hot contributors are noting their least favorite Democrat Senators. I chose Colorado's Ken Salazar. Who is yours?

No anti-Israel bias here.

The Guardian investigates staged photo-ops in the Palestinian territories and, instead of finding that Palestinians put on whole movies for the cameras, discovers that the evacuation of settlers from Gaza was staged.

Yep, completely staged.

One of the reasons given for this staging is that it was meant to change the impression of the IDF from children-eating monsters to, well, 18 and 19 year olds doing a really tough job in a really tough place:

If the media coverage made disengagement look like Sharon's "painful concession", it made the IDF look like heroes. Prior to it, the IDF typically featured in the world press as a brutal force, harassing Palestinians at checkpoints, demolishing homes, shooting kids and making bloody incursions into Gaza and the West Bank. Now, here they were, conducting settlement evacuations with calm and dignity, often in the face of verbal assault. "They were given a prime opportunity, on a plate, to present themselves as caring, strong, brave, tender, you name it," says Ward.

Look, dummo Guardian writers, leftists and Palestinian sympathizers: if Israel wanted, there could be no Palestinians and no Palestinian 'territories' tomorrow. The old argument that the Palestinians throw rocks because that's all they have is partly true; if they had Israel's arsenal, they'd use all of it, you could take that to the bank. But Israel doesn't come anywhere near using the entire might of its military. They take extra care not to hurt civilians in raids. They never target innocent people on busses or in discos and weddings. So if the IDF is 'typically featured in the world press' as absolute monsters, perhaps the world press should reconsider its knee-jerk Israel-hating and consider the fact that this is a humane force of a humane country.

Beyond that, I don't know how anyone could have watched the withdrawal from Gaza and felt it was staged. The Guardian cites the relative ease of the army removing the settlers and the lack of any real resistance from the settlers. A Haaretz writer is quoted as saying 'If the settlers really wanted to open fire, it would have been a piece of cake. But 99.9% would never cross that line.' Gee, ya think? The settlers existed, and still exist, in hostile territories BECAUSE OF MILITARY PROTECTION. Without military protection, they're dead meat. That's why they have to listen to orders to evacuate. Of course they're not going to open fire on the soldiers.

If the Guardian wasn't so naturally inclined to assume the worst of Israelis, and was able to see Israel as a beacon of civility and sanity surrounded by countries that embody everything that is wrong with the world, it wouldn't be news that Israeli soldiers behaved themselves and were genuinely sad to have to remove their fellow Jews from their homes-- regardless of the reasons.

JT Leroy may not exist

Had I been able to get through the entirety of the book 'Sarah', I'm positive I'd be interested in this controversy surrounding its author, JT Leroy.

Via Media Bistro.

This doesn't sound good

Via Bridge and Tunnel Club:

A suitcase found Thursday morning in Brooklyn -- chock-full of photos of Big Apple landmarks and subway stations -- provoked a massive mobilization of antiterror units when it was finally opened two days later, police said. "The pictures had everything -- from Police Plaza to 26 Federal Plaza. It was scary," said Derwin McDuffie, 40, a security guard at Linden Plaza, where the bag was found.

"The weird thing is if a tourist took those pictures, there would be people in them. There was nobody in these."

...

Meanwhile, a man who went to pick it up Friday vanished when told it had been taken to Lost and Found, said McDuffie, who didn't see the man.

May it be so

Michael Ledeen says Osama bin Laden is dead.

The new leadership

Alex Brunk of Save the GOP reminds Republicans to consider past votes before choosing new party leaders, specifically on the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act. He quotes one of Morton Blackwell's laws of public policy: "Don’t fully trust anyone until he has stuck with a good cause which he saw was losing."

Good advice

(Cross-posted at Redhot)

Good

The Congress of Racial Equality will be honoring Mississippi for strides in race relations and presenting an award to Governor Haley Barbour at their 22nd annual Martin Luther King Ambassadorial Reception and Awards Dinner.

Europe and Iran

Via BOTW, comes this story out of Iran:

The head of Iran's Supreme National Security Council, Ali Larijani, who is also the man behind Iran's foreign policy, has warned Europeans "not to force the Islamic Republic to cut short the dialogue process and to opt for another scenario". Speaking on Tuesday night on state television he said: "We are for a strategy based on dialogue, but if the counterparty Europe plays dirty, then we will pass onto another plan that we have worked out and then there will be problems for the Europeans."

Comparing the situation to a chess game, but one in which there can be two winners or two losers, he added:

"In this game, we are for a result that will be satisfactory to both Iran and Europe," said Larijani adding that "if we lose, the same will also happen to the other party (Europe) and they will have to prepare themselves to live in a hell."

Stephen Green also has some words for Europe on Iran. Except his are coherent and make sense.

The British Al Sharpton that, scarily, gets elected

Most people know that George Galloway is a joke. The fact that he's actually a member of parliament in Britain should be a source of embarrassment for Brits. And, no, even if you despise Bush, it's not a fair comparison to compare your George to ours. It would be the equivalent of Louisiana actually electing David Duke governor, instead of just coming awfully close.

Well, now Galloway is out in the open about being a clown. He's appearing on a reality show called 'Celebrity Big Brother', which is the British equivalent of 'Real World', with the celebrity version being most similiar to the American show 'Surreal Life'. Some must-see photos are here, with Galloway actually wearing a Cuba sweatshirt. We get it, you're a Communist, don't let the fact that it's a dead ideology that facilitated the death of millions of people stop you there, George. As they say in Britain: what a prat.

Via GOP Vixen, which also reports that Galloway's Muslim constituents are mad at him for being an absent MP and also for mingling with a Page 3 model and a Baywatch actress.

"I don't remember how I built my bankroll, but I can't stop thinking how I lost it"

I somehow ended up in Atlantic City last night (I know Dawn has a good post coming, as we wrote most of it in the car on the way back, so I won't say too much more about it) and won a good amount of money playing poker at Ceasar's, aka the least intimidating poker room in AC or, the home of dead money. Everyone came back to NY with more than double their money, probably the first time in my life that I have seen that happen. I had a couple of excellent hands, a full-house for my first hand at the table, flopping a straight and a few other nice ones. But, of course, I can't stop thinking about the hand I lost and whether a better player would have been able to walk away from it.

Here's the story:
I'm dealt AQs on the button. There are a bunch of limpers and I raise it to $15. I have one caller. The flop comes AA6. I bet $25. The other player raises to $40. I raise to $140 and he goes all-in. Now, I definitely put him on an ace at this point but I was confident that I had him outkicked. There was the outside chance he had an A6 or 66, but certainly unlikely. He flips over his cards and he has AK. Crushing. I was figuring maybe A10 or AJ. He didn't raise pre-flop with big slick and I never saw it coming.

I know I have some decent players reading my site so do give me your honest review. What would you have done differently? Would you have been able to lay it down to his first raise? Should I have just called that first raise? I was positive I had the best hand and, obviously, I was wrong. I think I know one player (hi Fisch), maybe two (hi Byk), that would've walked away from this hand. Would you?

UPDATE: Dawn's post about our trip, and about a poker game at her house earlier this week, is up at her site. It is full of pokerese but still a great read as Dawn has a knack for 'life' posts like these.

UPDATE: Oh yeah, a funny story from last night: I met a guy from my part of Brooklyn, who now lives on the upper east side, at the poker table. We chatted the whole time and then when I was leaving, we both walked to the cashier window to cash out our chips. I cashed out first and while he was talking to the cashier, a woman approached me and asked for 5 dollars. I said no and proceeded to put my money in my wallet. Then she asked him for 5 dollars. He handed her a single and we started to walk away. Then the woman actually said 'no, I asked for a 5, the machines don't accept singles.' With that, he plucked the single out of her hand and said 'ok, no problem, bye.' She, of course, tried to talk her way back into the owning the single but it was too late. Have you ever?

ID for me

I went to a good debate a few nights ago, on the topic of teaching Intelligent Design, as science, in public schools. While I don't believe that ID is science, and therefore don't believe it should be taught in science class, the pro-ID debater was really incredible. You can read the gist of his argument here. Even if this isn't a hot topic for you, like it isn't for me, his post is well worth a read.

The memes that took 5 days

During my absence, I got tagged for not one, but two, memes by Jill at Feministe and Zelda at Urban Grind. And, since I'm still kind of jetlagged and out of it (or, I was when I first started this days ago), here goes.

MEME #1 FROM JILL:

Seven Things To Do Before I Die
1. Have a family.
2. Visit Samara, Russia to see where I was born.
3. Visit every US State. I'm off to a slow start.
4. Finish writing at least one of the three books I've started.
5. Become rich enough to not have to worry about money.
6. Leave NY.
7. Come back to NY.

Seven Things I Cannot Do
I couldn't think of good answers to this so instead:

1. 'I am the Lizard King, I can do anything.'- Jim Morrison
2. 'Difficult takes a day, impossible takes a week.'- Jay Z
3. 'If I can't do it, it can't be done'- 50 Cent
4. 'I can do anything (it’s delacratic)'- De La Soul
5. 'There's nothing I wont do'- Aerosmith
6. 'Anyone can play guitar'- Radiohead
7. 'I'd do anything for you'-Jay Z

Seven Things That Attract Me to…Blogging
1. Forcing myself to write something, anything, every day.
2. Getting to know people I would've never met otherwise.
3. The sharing of information.
4. Exposure to every possible opinion.
5. Instead of sending emails with articles, directing friends to one place.
6. People reading me.
7. Everybody's doing it.

Seven Things I Say Most Often
1. Wow
2. Awesome
3. Nu? (It means 'well?' in Russian and many of my non-Russian friends use it)
4. And quick. (Example: 'I got out of there, and quick'.)
5. C'mon, let's go.
6. Guy (often used like 'guyyyyyyyy, what the hell are you talking about?' to Dawn Summers)
7. No, dude. (picked this up from my friend SMVP. It's said in a really sarcastic way with the emphasis on the 'dude')

Seven Books That I Love
1. Life After G-d by Douglas Coupland
2. What I saw at the revolution by Peggy Noonan
3. Life is Elsewhere by Milan Kundera
4. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Jonathan Foer
5. The Outsiders by S.E Hinton (essentially the book that turned me into a life-long reader)
6. The History of Luminous Motion by Scott Bradfield
7. Immortality by Milan Kundera

Seven Movies That I Watch Over and Over Again
1. Trainspotting
2. My Own Private Idaho
3. Old School
4. Snatch
5. Lock, Stock and Two Smoking Barrels
6. Requiem for a Dream
7. Beautiful Girls

Seven Songs I Play Over and Over Again
1. I'm On Fire- Both the Bruce Springsteen and Johnny Cash versions.
2. Don't Think Twice- Bob Dylan
3. Famous Blue Raincoat- Leonard Cohen
4. Runnin'/Long Night- Notorious B.I.G with Frank Sinatra
5. Bump Heads- Eminem with 50 Cent, Tony Yayo and Lloyd Banks
6. Start From Scratch- The Game
7. Lover I don't have to love- Bright Eyes

Seven People I Want To Join In Too
I'm picking seven women I'd like to know more about.
1. Annika
2. Cathy Young
3. Charmaine Yoest
4. Drink This
5. Dana Superstar
6. GOP Vixen
7. Venemous Kate

MEME #2 FROM ZELDA:

Five Weird Habits that I have:
1. Sitting either crosslegged or with one leg under me, even at fancy restaurants.
2. Preferring conversations online to phone ones.
3. I'm addicted to lipgloss and mints.
4. I wear skirts more often than I wear pants.
5. I have to read something before going to sleep, even if it's 7am and I've been out all night.

I like presents

A big thank you to Mr. Worldwide Rants for my new Team America DVD.

Quote of the Day (with that day being yesterday)

It now looks like Ariel Sharon may have struck the most devastating blow against Palestinian statehood by allowing them to have Gaza all to themselves. Sharon, who may be dying at this very moment, gave the world a fishbowl for the Palestinians to demonstrate the endgame of their nihilism. They have now made a ruin of Gaza, attacked Egypt, kidnapped the parents of one of their own folk heroes, and turned the territory into a gangland instead of a state. Egypt has yet to respond to the murder of its guards, but one doubts that Cairo will react with brotherly love to a government that it insisted be given this golden opportunity to prove it could run Gaza as a state.

-Captain's Quarters.

It's late and Allah hasn't sent me a tip in awhile

What Is Your Animal Personality?
brought to you by Quizilla

Via Red Guy in a Blue State.

Be well, Ariel Sharon

Ariel Sharon probably beats George W. Bush in the 'most disgusting things said about him' contest, and his longevity is definitely part of the reason. It seems that at one point or another, everyone, myself included, felt at odds with Sharon. Some of the criticism plum made no sense. Most of it was far beyond the bounds of human decency. My friend in Scotland called him a terrorist. Daniel Pipes called him a 'left-wing liberal' (on 'Hoist the Black Flag', last year), a label with which, these days, I agree. He has been everything to everyone. The badass, the bully, the dove, the leader.

All I can think of now is: please don't die. I'm terrified to imagine an Israel without Ariel Sharon. People hated him when he was tough, and people hated him when he gave away Gaza, but I don't think there's anyone who can dispute that everything he has ever done has been to protect, defend and uplift the country that he so loves. My thoughts and prayers are with Ariel Sharon and with the country of Israel. Israel will survive, I know, but I'm so much more confident of that with Sharon at the helm.

Update: Allah sends along an article noting that Ariel Sharon likely has brain damage. Sad news.

Blogroll Update

NYC:

Baseball Crank

Red Guy in a Blue State

Safety for me but not for thee

When the Harvey Milk school, an institution for gay, lesbian, bi-sexual and transgender youth designed to 'protect' kids who feel harassed in regular schools, opened in NY, many conservatives, and other sane people of different political persuasions, asked if similar schools would be set up for kids with glasses or weight problems. Dorian Davis posted on the school's three-year anniversary here.

Chad posts about a similar segregation that happens at Riker's prison in NY. Gay people who have felt threatened have had a separate section of the jail. Now Rikers is planning to allow anyone who feels threatened access to the unit. Sounds fair, right? 'Eighteen groups sent a letter to Horn on Thursday asking him to reconsider, including the Lambda Legal Defense and Education Fund, the New York Civil Liberties Union and the National Gay and Lesbian Task Force.' Go read Chad's take-down of the idea that gay people should be protected while other people should not, especially his conclusion 'And let's not forget... there's always the option of not breaking the law to begin with.'

Eye on PA

Former Steelers star Lynn Swann has declared his candidacy for Pennsylvania governor, as a Republican.

I guess that's one way to pick a candidate

It seems the Republican US Senate candidate from NY will be John Spencer, the conservative ex-mayor of Yonkers. I like Spencer but it looks like the main reason he's the guy is that he's the only one left. Jeanine Pirro's people chased out Ed Cox before Pirro herself folded. It's a sad state of affairs in the NY Republican party.

(Cross-posted at RedHot)

Will this make him more or less popular in Europe?

Feeling left out by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's media attention, Venezuela's Hugo Chavez takes a stab at anti-Semitism to prove he's here, he's nuts, get used to it.

What's a little kidnapping between friends?

Rachel Corrie's parents kidnapped by Palestinian terrorists.

They've since been released but there's still something very ironic about it all. I wonder what they're doing in Gaza? Are they continuing the work of their daughter, assisting terrorists in bringing weapons into Israel?

Via Joe Grossberg.

Consistency

Iran leader Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's position on the Holocaust:

Israel was created out of Europe's holocaust guilt and, also, as a way of completing the holocaust.

But, there was no holocaust... and anyway, shouldn't we be tolerant of different opinions regarding this non-event? Apparently, we should be, even if they're all held by a single man.

Who's in?

I'm going to this tomorrow (or, actually, today):

January 4, 2006, 8:00pm: Jinx Magazine presents a debate: John Carney and Ken Silber debate the question "Do Public School Boards Have the Right to Mandate the Teaching of Intelligent Design as Science?" (with Michel "The Brain" Evanchik moderating and Todd Seavey hosting) at the next Jinx Athenaeum, downstairs at Lolita bar (free admission, cash bar) on the northeast corner of Broome and Allen on Manhattan's Lower East Side, one block south and three west of the Delancey St. subway stop.

For all other right-leaning events in NYC, visit Rightevents.com

Miracle

Families Say 12 W.Va. Miners Found Alive

Update: As you may have heard by now, all but one of the miners are dead. My thoughts are with the families.

They did call them 'showers'

Iranian TV claims crematoriums and gas chambers during WWII used for hygienic purposes only:

For hygienic reasons, they used to burn the bodies of those who died of typhus or contagious diseases. This means the crematoria were used for hygienic, not political, purposes, and even this was not systematically. That's one thing. The crematoria... The gas chambers were for disinfecting the clothes and the possessions of the prisoners. This too was done for hygienic reasons.

Via Allah.

The death of the gay rights movement

Washington Blade names Pope most anti-gay person of the year.

LSAT Update

I did well enough that applying to law schools is now a real possibility.

That "crazy blog money"

Victor Neiderhoffer, a writer and prominent investor who founded the libertarian group Junto in NYC, has a site called Daily Speculations which offers contributors $500-1000 for posts or letters to the editor which encourage 'good thinking about the market'.

Movie review

King Kong=Brokeback Mountain

Rap confusion

I like the new Damian Marley and Nas song 'Road to Zion'. I was kind of impressed that Nas mentioned the atrocities of Zimbabwe's Robert Mugabe, as Nas is generally one of those 'socially conscious' rappers which, more often than not, just translates to America-criticizing. But then I read the lyrics and the last line of his verse sounds like an unnecessary dig at Pope John Paul II. It's vague enough that I could be wrong. Any rap fans in the house want to clear this up?

Sometimes I can't help but feel helpless

I'm havin daymares in daytime

Wide awake try to relate

This can't be happenin like I'm in a dream while I'm walkin

Cause what I'm seein is haunting

Human beings like ghost and zombies

President Mugabe holding guns to innocent bodies

In Zimbabwe

They make John Pope seem Godly

Sacrilegious and blasphemous

US in Iraq: payback for American Indians

Hadi Jalomarai in an Iraqi-based online paper, Azzaman:

Despite its massive military and economic power, it is very likely for America to be defeated in Iraq. The world’s only superpower has a history of cut and run.

It also has a legacy of injustice right from the very beginning of its history which is based on the extermination of the Red Indians who, from time immemorial, had for themselves the plateaus, the mountains, the rivers and the falls of the land.

The history of the U.S. as a nation started with a tragedy, the victims of which were the original inhabitants of the land known today as America.

The Indians must have cursed their tormentors for not only usurping their land but having them finished off as a nation.

The souls of the Indians killed at the hands of the forefathers of today’s Americans, and their descendants if any, should now recoil with joy at what is happening to America in Iraq.

They also must have received with glee what happened to New Orleans.

Both events can be seen in the context of heavenly reprisal against those who killed them and their wild horses, those who raped their brown-skinned women and burned their children.

It's interesting to note, though, that the first paragraph, quoted above, equates the possibility of America losing in Iraq with cutting and running. Essentially, that's the greatest possibility for American loss. If we stay and finish the job, it's unlikely that we can really 'lose' in Iraq.

Via Allah.

Thank you!

A great big thank you to Julia Gorin for filling in during my absence. I think she did a great job and is welcome to come back and guest-blog any time. Read more of Julia's stuff on her website, JuliaGorin.com.

Small world

At around 7am yesterday morning, and on about 45 minutes of sleep, I found myself ambling through the airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico. About 20 feet away from me, I saw a guy wearing one of those 'Celebrate Diversity' shirts featuring a selection of firearms. As I was marvelling at someone wearing that shirt in a Puerto Rican airport, I realized the shirt-wearer was Elio Bonazzi with his wife Banafsheh, experts on the situation in Iran and friends of mine from the NY right-wing scene.

Banafsheh has an interesting connection to this blog as my post about her story earned me my first Instalanche (and Best of the web-alanche, among others). Read her story on my old blogspot site by scrolling down to September 10th.

I'm back!

Did you miss me?

Europe's Strategy Revealed: Israel and America to Solve World's Problems (by guest blogger Julia)

A New Year's Day "Insider Report" dispatch from Newsmax.com quotes Israeli military intelligence chief Aharon Zeevi speaking about the world's reluctance to confront a soon-to-be-nuclear Iran:

"'I had meetings with senior officials in Europe,' he told Uri Dan. 'And their position is, why should we fear Iran's nuclear weapons? After all, we lived under the nuclear threat after World War II.

"'And besides, either you or the Americans will solve the problem.'"

Even Jeans Hate Christians (by guest blogger Julia)

On Friday, an AP dispatch informed us of a popular brand of jeans in Sweden that's sweeping other European nations too: Cheap Monday jeans--whose logo is a skull with an upside-down cross on its forehead.

"It is an active statement against Christianity," said Bjorn Atldax, the logo's designer. "I'm not a Satanist myself, but I have a great dislike for organized religion."

Organized religion, huh? So where's Mr. Courageous's logo of an inverted crescent moon and star? After all, Islam is a much more organized religion than Christianity. Ah, but 'organized religion' has always been the hackneyed sophomoric rebel's euphemism for Christianity, and only Christianity. That's the "organized religion" he takes a stand against, since he knows its followers aren't going to kill him.

All I have to say is, may Mr. Atldax's life be full of Muslims. Wait a second! He's in Sweden, so it already is. And that's probably why he designed the logo: the poor boy is shaking in his jeans. He must have seen this letter to me from a Swedish-American reader named Charles, written in all caps:

"THE MUSLIMS ARE TAKING OVER SWEDEN. 38% OF POPULATION ARE MUSLIM IN MALMO AND THAT IS THE THIRD LARGEST CITY IN SWEDEN FOR NOT TALKING ABOUT ALL THE OTHER PLACES IN THE SAME COUNTRY. ADD 7-10 PER FAMILY DOWN THE ROAD AND ADD TWENTY YEARS AND ONLY ONE CHILD PER SWEDISH LUTHERAN FAMILY. YOU CAN GET THE PICTURE FROM ONLY ONE COUNTRY IN EUROPE ALONE."

Designer Atldax figured he'd simply abet the inevitable, and help rid the world of the only religion remaining in Islam's way. Too bad it won't earn him any brownie points with that clan. After all, he's probably gay.

The AP article explains that the logo hasn't presented many conflicts for consumers in Sweden, "a secular country that cherishes its free speech and where churchgoing has been declining for decades." Sweden is also a country where the majority of births are out-of-wedlock, and a world leader in single motherhood and the poverty that accompanies it.

Hmm, declining churchgoing, single motherhood, poverty and Islam rising. These things always seem to go together, don't they?

Earth to the NY Republican party: You will eventually run out of billionaires.

Report: Donald Trump considering run for New York governor

Awkward conversations with a couple from Chicago

Me: So, how long have you been married?
Her: We're not married.
Me: Oh, how long have you been together?
Her: 5 years

20 minutes later

Him: ...to get back to the kids.
Me: How many kids do you have?
Him: Oh, that's, uh, um, well, it's kind of.....
Her: I heard that. I have four kids.
Him (sheepishly): I have five.

Copycats

London Subway Workers Stage Holiday Strike

Not a good way to start the year

Rapper Obie Trice Shot on Detroit Freeway

Alarming News 2006

Happy new year!