2 Chinese Men Illegally Cross Russian Border on Lawnmower

From MosNews

Russian border officials in the country’s Far East have arrested two Chinese men who attempted to sneak across the border into Russia on a lawnmower, local media reported.

When they were stopped, the unauthorized immigrants claimed they had got lost while cutting grass. They showed a note on Broken Russian written by hand, but with their photographs saying: “We are workers, who clean fire-prevention zone. We got lost. Please, return me to China”. They claimed it was given by Chinese forest police.

Russian authorities said this was not the first time that illegal entrants had claimed to be lost gardeners.

Man in bra tried to lure teenager

Washington police are advising residents not to get in the car of purple bra-wearing man.

Sheriff's investigators are warning residents and local school officials about a man wearing a bra who tried to lure a 17-year-old boy into his car.

It happened about 8:40 a.m. Wednesday at a school bus stop at 24th Avenue Northeast and South Bay Road. The victim attends North Thurston High School and was waiting for a bus.

He reported it to school officials, who then called the Thurston County Sheriff's Office.

The man, who also wore a salmon-colored sweater, first offered the boy a cigarette and a ride. He then made a sexually suggestive gesture. When the victim declined his invitations, the man lifted his sweater, showing off his purple bra and chest, according to police reports.

You give but little when you give of your possessions. It is when you give of yourself that you truly give.

--- Kahlil Gibran

Twenty years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn't do than by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines. Sail away from the safe harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.

--- Mark Twain

Gaddafi offers help over riots

From Brisbaine Courie-Mail

LIBYAN leader Colonel Muammar Gaddafi called French President Jacques Chirac overnight to express his concern about rioting in Paris suburbs and other parts of France.

The Libyan national news agency reported that Mr Chirac thanked Colonel Gaddafi for his interest and reassured him that the situation was under control.

Colonel Gaddafi was reported saying Libya was "disposed to help France overcome these events," which he described as "regrettable."

The report did not outline what kind of aid might have been forthcoming.

French authorities have stepped up police action against youths responsible for more than a week of urban riots, in which hundreds of vehicles were set alight, as suspicions grew that gangs were becoming increasingly organised.

Italians rally for Israel

Pro-Israel demonstration held in Rome following recent statements made by Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad saying Israel ‘should be wiped off the map.’ Rome mayor: It is only natural that a city that advocates peace and dialogue object to any kind of intolerance.

Approximately 15,000 people participated in the rally, which was accompanied with chants of "viva Israel! viva freedom!" the website of the Italian newspaper La Republica reported. The rally was concluded with the singing of the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikvah." STORY

PARIS STILL BURNING

Paris seeks "hidden hands" in riots

AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France (Reuters) - With every night that France's rundown suburbs burn, officials grow increasingly convinced that drug traffickers and Islamist militants are using frustrated youths to challenge law and order here.

Many people who watch their cars, shops and schools go up in flames, however, are not buying it. They blame unemployment, racial prejudice and widespread youth boredom for the outbursts.

Finding "hidden hands" behind the unrest seems like trying to catch the rioters as they rampage through the night. Some may get caught, but far more slip away in the darkness.
MORE DETAILS

What a Wonderful Idea

Bill cuts funds to fugitive havens
The House yesterday approved a $20.9 billion foreign-aid package that includes a provision to cut off funding to countries that refuse to extradite anyone suspected of killing a U.S. law enforcement officer.

Four arrests linked to Chinese spy ring
Four persons arrested in Los Angeles are part of a Chinese intelligence-gathering ring, federal investigators said, and the suspects caused serious compromises for 15 years to major U.S. weapons systems, including submarines and warships.

Dutch Police Foil Attack on El Al

A news report from the Jerusalem Post via LGF:

Dutch police have apparently foiled a plot to shoot down an El Al airplane. (Hat tip: Uncle Sticky.)

Dutch television announced on Friday that Netherlands police arrested a youth who allegedly intended to shoot down an El Al airplane at Schipool Airport outside of Amsterdam.

Samir Azuz, 19, a Dutch citizen of Moroccan descent, was arrested with six other co-conspirators, Israel Radio reported.

According to the Netherlands intelligence service, the suspects enlisted the cooperation of two employees at an office near Schipool in order to perform reconnaissance. They also acquired weapons.

Reports revealed that Azuz, apparently expecting to die while bringing down the airplane, had prepared a videotape saying goodbye to his parents.

Approximately six months ago Azuz was acquitted on charges of attempting to vandalize a nuclear power plant in the Netherlands.

About Roe v. Wade

Commenting on the landmark Roe v. Wade decision of 1973, Justice Antonin Scalia may have said it best. In his dissent to the 1992 Casey decision elaborating on the Roe decision he wrote, "By foreclosing all democratic outlets for the deep passions the issue arouses, by banishing the issue from the political forum that gives all participants, even the losers, the satisfaction of a fair hearing and an honest fight . . . the Court merely prolongs and intensifies the anguish."

Opinion Journal has a very good editorial. Their conclusion matches my belief that the right to an abortion will not "go away"; it will not vanish if Roe were overturned.

"The issue would return to 50 state legislatures, nearly all of which would quickly make it legal with some restrictions. In short, the country would arrive at the position favored by most Americans, voters would be less polarized over cultural disputes, abortion would stop dominating Supreme Court nominations, and our politics would be a lot healthier."

Go read it, here. Now. That is all.

Two accused of plotting terrorist attack

TWO men appeared in court yesterday accused of plotting to mount a terrorist attack on Britain after they were allegedly found with bomb-making instructions.

Five Al-Qaeda senior members killed in air raid

BAGHDAD, Nov 4 (KUNA) -- The multinational force operating in Iraq revealed Friday that several senior officials of the Al-Qaeda terrorist organization were killed in an air raid last month.

The air raid was launched, by the multinational force, on Oct 29 against a site in the western Iraqi town of Hasseiba. Those killed included Abu Talha, one of the organization's leaders and Abu Asil, who was a North African and was a close companion to Abu Mus'aab Al-Zarqawi. More Details

Lebanese army flexes muscles

A Lebanese infantry unit supported by armored cars and armored personnel carriers put a siege on a hill used by Palestinians as a terrorist base on the Syrian border.

The troops sealed all approaches to the base of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine, PFLP – GC. The decision to try and remove the small terrorist unit from the hill top was made at the highest level of the Lebanese prime minister’s office following complaints by the U.S. Syria continues to smuggle large amounts of small arms and ammunition from border towns into Lebanon.

Source: G2 Bulletin

HAVE WE FORGOTTEN..........................

.........................that nearly 2 tons of enriched uranium was found in Iraq – enough to make dozens and dozens of nuclear weapons and countless "dirty nukes."

........................the U.S. government announced it had transferred the nearly 2 tons of enriched uranium found in Iraq to an undisclosed location in the United States.

.......................the uranium was what was left of supplies looted when the Iraqi facility was left unguarded between the retreat of Saddam Hussein's forces and the advance of U.S. forces.

.......................the airlift was completed June 23, five days before the U.S.-led Coalition Authority transferred the sovereignty to the Iraqi interim government.

.......................the uranium was from the Tuwaitha nuclear facility, about 20 kilometers south of Baghdad. It was once a premium Iraqi facility for development of nuclear weapons but was dismantled in 1990s after the first Gulf war. The facility is now under the control of the new Iraqi interim government.

It was not clear where exactly the uranium is being kept, but American Energy Secretary Spencer Abraham described its removal as a "major achievement" in the Bush administration's goal of keeping "potentially dangerous nuclear material out of the hands of terrorists."

"It also puts this material out of reach for countries that may seek to develop their own nuclear weapons," Abraham said in a statement.

In a letter to the Security Council, IAEA Director General Mohammad El Baradei confirmed the transfer, saying that about 1.8 tonnes of uranium enriched to the level of 2.6 per cent had been transferred June 23 along with 6.6 pounds of low enriched uranium and about 1,000 highly radioactive sources.

So who is lying? Senator Reid?

New Witnesses Said Found in Aruba Case

ORANJESTAD, Aruba (AP) - Aruban prosecutors said Friday they have new witnesses and leads into the disappearance of a U.S. teen who vanished on a school trip to the Dutch Caribbean island more than five months ago.

Natalee Holloway, then 18, was last seen early on May 30 leaving a bar with Dutch national Joran van der Sloot and Surinamese brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe. They were arrested on June 9 but released after a court ruled there was not enough evidence to hold them.

The Aruban prosecutor's office said it was conducting new interviews of witnesses in the disappearance. More Details

Violence Continues in France

Violence flares anew in French capital's suburbs

(photo: Pascal Le Segretain/Getty Images)

PARIS (Reuters) - Violence broke out in poor suburbs of northeastern Paris for a ninth consecutive night as French youths set fire to cars and buildings despite a heavy police presence in riot-hit areas.

Firemen rushed to put out fires in the suburb of Val d'Oise after youths torched some 10 cars and two buildings, one of them a bakery, were set alight late on Friday.

In another suburb, Epinay-sous-Bois, about 40 youths, wearing hoods to hide their faces, ransacked around 10 cars, police told a Reuters photographer. More Details

Israel kills Fatah commander conducting missile attacks

GAZA CITY — Israel has assassinated a leading Fatah commander responsible for missile attacks on the Jewish state.

An Israel Air Force helicopter fired a missile that struck a Palestinian Authority security vehicle in the Jabalya refugee camp north of Gaza City. The strike on Tuesday killed a Fatah commander and a leading Hamas operative.

The Fatah commander was identified as Hassan Madhoun, head of operations in the northern Gaza Strip. Madhoun was said to have ordered numerous rocket and missile attacks on Israel as well as a suicide bombing of the Ashdod port in 2004.

The Hamas operative was Fawzi Abu Al Qara. Al Qara was said to have served as a liasion with Fatah and Islamic Jihad in Kassam-class short-range missile attacks from the northern Gaza Strip.

Source: WorldTribune

U.S. officer's private memo paints a doomsday scenario for Korea

SEOUL — U.S. military officers in Korea are privately saying that North Korea has succeeded in its campaign to turn the South Korean public against the United States and break up the once rock-solid U.S.-Republic of Korea military alliance.

A senior U.S. officer, in a private memorandum to a network of friends and pro-U.S. contacts in Korea, predicted that in the next one to five years the Combined Forces Command, responsible for U.S.-ROK operations and training, will be dissolved while the United Nations command, set up in 1950 at the outset of the Korean War, will move to Hawaii.

The implications, he suggested, are dire for South Korea's ability to cope with a crumbling, heavily-armed communist North Korea with powerful anti-U.S. allies in the neighborhood.

Source: WorldTribune

Just Say No......

GOP warms to 'tax' on oil
The Bush administration clashed with Senate Republicans yesterday over proposals to use oil company profits to beef up heating assistance for low-income households this winter.

As I posted yesterday in this story, the government already makes more money off of gas and oil, through taxes, than do the oil companies. And so now government wants to get their hands on more of these 'obscene profits'. How is this going to help the general public? How is this going to bring prices down? What happens folks when expenses go up for companies? They add it to the cost of their product and pass the expense on to the consumer. Simple economics.

I only had a minor in economics, but come on. This isn't rocket science.

Online Freedom of Speech Act

House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-IL) issued the following statement after House Democrats rejected H.R. 1606, the Online Freedom of Speech Act. The bill failed 225-182. Under the House suspension rules, it needed a two-thirds majority to pass.

“Today’s action marks a sad day for one of our nation’s most sacred rights: freedom of speech. The federal government seeks to control and regulate the Internet, but the last thing this Congress should be doing is trying to stifle public debate online. This bill would have kept the hands of the federal government off of Internet speech and protected the online debate that’s underway. Our world has evolved and grown more technologically savvy. Lawmakers need to adjust to these changes. Unfortunately, opponents of online speech have decided to punish our changing technological world. It’s especially unfortunate that Democratic Leader Pelosi voted no to free speech. This bill will come back under regular order, and I encourage all those who support free speech on the Internet to make their voices heard.”

Note: When Congress passed campaign finance reform in 2002, the legislation did not identify the Internet as a target of regulation. But recently a federal judge ruled that the FEC's previous broad exemption of the Internet was impermissible, absent clear direction from Congress. HR 1606 would exclude blogs and other types of communications over the Internet from regulation by the FEC.

Confrontation is a good thing

According to The Sunday Telegraph, on this week's whirlwind tour of the Great Satan, the Prince of Wales "will try to persuade George W Bush and Americans of the merits of Islam…because he thinks the United States has been too intolerant of the religion since September 11". His Royal Highness apparently finds the Bush approach to Islam "too confrontational".

If the Prince wants to take a few examples of the non-confrontational approach with him to the White House, here's a couple pulled at random from the last week's news: the president of Iran called for Israel to be "wiped off the map". Kofi Annan expressed his "dismay".

Excellent. Struck the perfect non-confrontational tone. Were the Iranian nuclear programme a little more advanced and they'd actually wiped Israel off the map, the secretary-general might have felt obliged to be more confrontational and express his "deep concern".

In Sulawesi, Indonesia, three Christian girls walking home from school were beheaded.

"It is unclear what was behind the attack," reported the BBC, scrupulously non-confrontationally.

In the Australian state of Victoria, reports the Herald Sun, "police are being advised to treat Muslim domestic violence cases differently out of respect for Islamic traditions and habits". Tough luck for us infidel wife-beaters, but admirably non-confrontational Islam-wise.

Read the rest of Mark Steyn's piece here. Registration required.

Galloway ally's U-turn on payments

GEORGE Galloway's attempts to clear his name over the oil-for-food scandal suffered another setback yesterday when his spokesman confirmed that he had received payments from a businessman identified as a beneficiary of the scheme.

US Military Deployed to Help Pakistan Quake Survivors
(CNSNews.com) – The U.S. military has flown more than 750 helicopter missions, delivered thousands of tons of humanitarian supplies and transported some 7,500 people for medical or other reasons in earthquake-stricken Pakistan...

Blame China, Not Oil Companies for High Gas Prices, Prof Says
(CNSNews.com) – Poor but growing countries pose the greatest risk to the world’s oil supply and prices, according to a University of California economics professor, who added Wednesday that the American public should blame the laws of supply and demand, not “greedy oil companies.”

GOP mulls ending birthright citizenship
House Republicans are looking closely at ending birthright citizenship and building a barrier along the entire U.S.-Mexico border as they search for solutions to illegal immigration.

Muslim youths battle Paris police
Rampaging youths shot at police and firefighters yesterday after burning car dealerships and public buses and hurling rocks at commuter trains, as eight days of riots over poor conditions in Paris-area housing projects spread to 20 towns.

I hope the French understand what they are dealing with and get ahold of the situation rather quickly or it could get much uglier.

Captured Suspect Could Be Key Al Qaeda Terrorist
(CNSNews.com) – A terror suspect arrested after a shootout with Pakistani security forces may be one of the most-wanted al Qaeda fugitives, a man linked to major European terrorist attacks and the subject of a $5 million U.S. reward...

House Passes Private Property Protection Act
(CNSNews.com) – By an overwhelming margin, the U.S. House of Representatives passed a private property protection act on Thursday – a direct response to the recent Supreme Court ruling involving homeowners in New London, Connecticut...

Democrats Oppose Republican Move to Split the Ninth Circuit
(CNSNews.com) – On a day when another “activist” ruling from the Ninth Circuit Court of Appeals had conservatives fuming, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi stood up for the court, opposing a Republican plan to split it in two...

The left showing no "backbone of Steele"

Top Democrats duck on Steele hits
Three of Maryland's top Democrats -- including the two leading candidates for governor next year -- declined to repudiate comments by black Democratic leaders who said racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele are fair because he is a black conservative Republican.

Visit Lt. Gov. Steele's website here. He could use our help.


RELATED:
GOP Chair Hits Dems’ ‘Bigoted Attacks’ on Black Candidate
(CNSNews.com) - The chairman of the Republican National Committee Thursday lashed out at Democrats for what he called their “bigoted attacks” directed at Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael Steele, a black conservative running for the U.S. Senate in 2006...

Cardin rejects racial tactics
U.S. Rep. Benjamin L. Cardin yesterday pledged not to use racially tinged attacks in his campaign for U.S. Senate but stopped short of repudiating fellow Maryland Democrats who have said such tactics are acceptable against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele

Nothing More Than a Fund Raising Ploy

Democrats intensify Bush slams
Democrats yesterday escalated their fiery attacks on President Bush's rationale for going to war by tying his decision to the indictment of a top administration aide in an aggressive political strategy that has energized the party's anti-war activist base.

Ya' gotta keep that activist, anti-war base happy and keep that money rolling in.

No Agenda or Bias Here

"The Big Three nightly newscasts have become nothing more than anti-war activists with a national platform. The Media Research Center recently released a review of over 1,300 news stories on Iraq from January through September. Among their findings was the following: 61 percent of the stories were negative or pessimistic, while only 15 percent were positive. The gap became even worse in August and September with negative stories nearing 75 percent; positive stories at seven percent. Stories about heroic actions by the troops were outnumbered eight to one by stories of abuse or other misconduct. Two of every five news stories covered bombings, kidnappings and other mayhem. Election stories also trended negative, as if things truly were better under Saddam Hussein. We think most Patriot readers will agree—the words that come to mind are 'aiding and abetting'."

Source: The Federalist

Positive News From Iraq That You Won't Get From the Media

"Military analysts recently returned from Iraq have many positive things to say about not only our own brave Patriots in uniform, but also Iraqi forces and elections. Major General Don Shepperd said of Iraqi security forces,

"These guys are good. They're coming up to speed very, very quickly." He added that 20 percent of Baghdad is now under their watch. Major General Robert Scales praised the Iraqis as "in many ways...better than we are... I mean, they can spot insurgents by their body language and by how they act and the language they use. They can spot foreigners far better than our soldiers can... [B]eing part of the culture really means a lot when you're fighting an insurgency."

Apparently, it's not all destruction and incompetence in Iraq after all..."

Source: The Patriot

"A judicial conservative is not necessarily politically conservative, but believes in sticking to the actual Constitution as it was understood by those who made it law rather than amending the Constitution from the bench... I don't think the question is whether the candidate is like a politician who can bring the country together. The question is whether a candidate respects the actual Constitution. A candidate who does that is not a right-wing extremist."

--- Robert Bork

"The bosom of America is open to receive not only the Opulent and respectable Stranger, but the oppressed and persecuted of all Nations and Religions; whom we shall welcome to a participation of all our rights and privileges, if by decency and propriety of conduct they appear to merit the enjoyment."

-- George Washington

Blogger Marshall Wittmann, a McCain Republican turned moderate Democrat, notes that pandering to the tinfoil-hat crowd carries dangers beyond a reinvigorated GOP base:

Will the American people have faith in and trust a party that claims that it was gullibly duped, or as George Romney claimed about another war--that it was "brainwashed"? Moreover, should the objective be re-fighting the reasons to go to war and making the Democrats the official anti-war party or should the goal be achieving reasonable success in Iraq? If you believe in the former than you would encourage more efforts like the one Senate Democrats undertook yesterday. If you believe in the latter, you want the opposition party to present a better plan for winning this war.

While the war is increasingly unpopular, the Democrats should be careful that they are positioning themselves as a party that is gullible, feckless and indecisive on national security.

From James Taranto, Opinion Journal

The Golden Rule

"I'm so sick and tired of the pontificating about [Democrats] not being the party of faith. The next Republican that tells me I'm not religious, I'm going to shove my rosary beads down their throat."

--- Sen. Joe Biden, with the spirit of grace so common among believers

Courtesy of The Federalist

Gas Windfall

"So, Exxon Mobil broke corporate records last week, posting a $9 billion profit on $100 billion in revenue in the third quarter. Right on cue, Democrats demanded that Washington confiscate some of those profits. Are they predictable or what?... Want to know who is making a bigger windfall than oil companies are making from the prices paid by the poor gasoline consumer? It's good old Uncle Sam and his 51 little brothers. Refining costs and profits combined make up about 15 percent of the cost of a gallon of gasoline, according to the U.S. Energy Department. State and local taxes make up almost double that, about 27 percent. State and local gas tax collections exceed oil industry profits by a large margin, according to a Tax Foundation study released last week. Since 1977, consumers have paid $1.34 trillion in gas taxes—more than twice the profits of all major U.S. oil companies combined during that same period. Last year, state and federal gas taxes took in $58.4 billion. Major U.S. oil company profits last year totaled $42.6 billion."

--- New Hampshire Union Leader

Riots spread to 20 Parisian suburbs

Eighth day of protesting poor housing conditions includes shooting at police.

Youths watch as firefighters extinguish burning vehicles in the Paris suburb of Aulnay sur Bois early Thursday.

(AP) AULNAY-SOUS-BOIS, France - Rampaging youths shot at police and firefighters Thursday after burning car dealerships and public buses and hurling rocks at commuter trains, as eight days of riots over poor conditions in Paris-area housing projects spread to 20 towns.

Youths ignored an appeal for calm from President Jacques Chirac, whose government worked feverishly to fend off a political crisis amid criticism that it has ignored problems in neighborhoods heavily populated by first- and second-generation North African and Muslim immigrants.

[snip]

The unrest in the northern and eastern suburbs, heavily populated by North African and black African minorities, has been fuelled by frustration among youths over their failure to get jobs and recognition in French society. Full details.

As James Taranto points out: Overall unemployment in France is 9.8%, but for under-25 Frenchmen the figure is a stunning 23%. Oh well, at least they have "free health care."

"One way to honor the troops is to stop spreading the idea that they died for a mistake or that they were 'wrongly sent to Iraq.'... The loss of every life in Iraq is heartbreaking. But the number 2,000 is not, as Lt. Col. Steve Boylan said, 'a milestone.' Frustrated by the media's anticipation of the 2,000th casualty and the planning of anti-war protests to commemorate it, Boylan called it what it is—an 'artificial mark on the wall set by individuals or groups with specific agendas and ulterior motives.' What is truly worth noting is the number of young men and women who are willing to serve their country in an age of such cynicism." --- Oliver North

by Pfc. Laura M. Bigenho

October 31, 2005

Staff Sgt. Stacy Bruno, from the 42nd Military Police Brigade, shares stuffed animals with 12-year-old Rihad. The brigade distributed stuffed animals, school supplies, shoes and other items (all donated by Soldiers and Army civilians in Iraq) to children in Baghdad. This photo appeared on www.army.mil.

"[T]he fact that the abortion debate so controls the debate over judicial philosophy is unfortunate. There are more important issues out there, such as federalism and private property rights, the cornerstones of our liberty."

--- Edward Crane

"What is a 'moderate' judge? One who gives opinions half way between what the Constitution actually says and what they'd like it to say? Talking about 'moderate' judges makes no sense, but talking about moderate politics does."

--- Justice Antonin Scalia

"Liberty is the hardest test that one can inflict on a people. To know how to be free is not given equally to all men and all nations."

--- Paul Valéry

"The object and practice of liberty lies in the limitation of government power."

--- General Douglas MacArthur

TODAY'S OP-EDS

On the Editorial Page
How Democrat are lying about Bush lying us into war.

Peggy Noonan
Bush didn't get rolled. He rolled with the punches.

A STICKY PROBLEM

Man sues Home Depot after using glue-covered bathroom toilet

Thursday November 03, 2005

BOULDER, Colo. (AP) Home Depot is defending a lawsuit filed by a man who claims the chain's Louisville store ignored his cries for help after he fell victim to a prank and was glued to a toilet seat.

Bob Dougherty, 57, of Nederland, said he became stuck to a bathroom toilet seat last year after somebody smeared glue on it.

``They left me there, going through all that stress,'' Dougherty told The (Boulder) Daily Camera. ``They just let me rot.''

His lawsuit, filed Friday, said Dougherty was recovering from heart bypass surgery at the time and thought he was having a heart attack. A store employee who heard him calling for help informed the head clerk via radio, but the head clerk ``believed it to be a hoax,'' the lawsuit said.

Home Depot spokeswoman Kathryn Gallagher said she could not comment on pending litigation.

The lawsuit said after about 15 minutes, store officials called for an ambulance. Paramedics unbolted the toilet seat, and while wheeling a ``frightened and humiliated'' Dougherty out of the store, he passed out.

The lawsuit said the toilet seat separated from his skin, leaving abrasions.

``This is not Home Depot's fault,'' he said. ``But I am blaming them for letting me hang in there and just ignoring me.''

THE POOR STATE OF THE DEMOCRATIC PARTY

The Democrats look foolish and childish with their use on Tuesday of Rule 21. The party is floundering... they're flailing. They cannot get any traction...any footing. It kind of reminds of log rolling.

And I don't mean log rolling in the political sense where politicians are forced to balance their preferences on some issues against their preferences on others, knowing that it is unlikely that they will get their way on all of them; and they, therefore, make a concession to the other party on a less important topic in exchange for that other party's support on a more vital issue.

I mean this kind of log rolling:



Their behavior has become worse with each passing month of the Bush presidency. They are unaccustomed to be in this position of "powerlessness".... Republican presidency, senate, and congress. They don't know how to handle it. They don't like it.

The "party of no ideas" is reacting like a child who wants to take his ball and go home - with one big problem - they don't know how to get the damn ball back either.

"[J]udges, therefore, should be always men of learning and experience in the laws, of exemplary morals, great patience, calmness, coolness, and attention."

--- John Adams

Democrat’s Request for Plame ‘Leak’ Hearings Rejected Again
(CNSNews.com) – In rejecting another request for special hearings into the leak of a CIA agent’s covert identity, a top House Republican suggested that Democrats really just want another excuse to attack the Bush administration’s decision to go to war in Iraq...

Catholic Schools Punish Students for Opposing Homosexuality
(CNSNews.com) - Two Catholic universities have tried to censor students during the past week for defending the church’s teachings against homosexuality...

Britain Shifting Toward US View of Climate Change
(CNSNews.com) – Amid continuing signs of a shift in Prime Minister Tony Blair’s views on the Kyoto Protocol, the British government is warning against too much “enthusiasm” in developing new targets and timetables for reducing carbon emissions...

ENERGY

Fueling Outrage
The media love David and Goliath stories, and they’ve manufactured another one pitting the Poor Innocent Consumer vs. Big Bad Oil. The problem is, oil companies didn’t set the prices that led to their recent high profits. That was the work of old-fashioned market forces. Now angry consumers and politicians want to hit the companies with new taxes, which would limit the gasoline supply – ironically, the opposite of their goal to make gas more accessible.

Herman Cain: Punishing Profits
Politicians on the left and the right are calling for a “windfall profits tax” on oil companies’ earnings. But in America’s free market, there should be no limits to success. We work hard so that we can enjoy the fruits of our labors – and the government takes enough of that away from us already.

Commentary:
As oil becomes more expensive, oil sands and oil shale could become the next viable energy source.

RELATED: I posted on the subject of oil sand and oil shale earlier here.

Commentary: They never learn… commentary from Investor’s Business Daily on the failures of government meddling in energy markets.

ANWR

The senate votes on ANWR tomorrow, Nov. 3rd. With all the griping of high gas prices, by the Dems and their "let's blame Bush" for high gas prices mentality, let's see if they step up to the plate and allow us to drill for oil.

But don't hold your breath.

Any Attack is 'Fair' Against a Conservative

'Party trumps race' for Steele foes

Black Democratic leaders in Maryland say that racially tinged attacks against Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele in his bid for the U.S. Senate are fair because he is a conservative Republican. More.

Yes, indeed. Another shining example of compassion and inclusiveness from the "party of no ideas." From here on out, will be recognized as the PONI party.

"The Times actually calls the Alito pick "yet another occasion to bemoan lost opportunities," and opines: "Mr. Bush could have signaled that he was prepared to move on to a more expansive presidency by nominating a qualified moderate who could have garnered a nearly unanimous Senate vote rather than another party-line standoff." In other words, Bush should have betrayed those who voted for him by appointing a justice who would have pleased those who voted against him."

--- James Taranto

Food for Thought .................

A good read over at Opinion Journal, Remember Theo van Gogh, and shudder for the future, by Franis Fukuyama.

Australia Has Advice of Specific Terrorist Threat

Australian Prime Minister John Howard said the government has received information on a credible terrorism threat and will recall legislators to give police extra powers to deal with the threat. Google News.

Quite Surprising.....

"The New Orleans disaster was meant to happen.......It was an act of God.......I think people responded to it the best way they can........What KANYE WEST was saying, I don't know where that came from."

--- rapper 50 Cents

Scalito

Michael Barone does a thorough analysis on Why Democrats won't want to oppose Samuel Alito.

From The Australian:

Tehran's 'rewards' for rocket attacks

TEL AVIV: Iran has promised a reward of $US10,000 ($13,300) to Islamic Jihad if the militant group launches rockets from the West Bank towards Tel Aviv, a senior Palestinian intelligence official says.

Hat tip "Regime Change Iran."

French official defends policies despite rioting

French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy defended his tough anti-crime policies yesterday after a fourth night of riots in a Paris suburb, in which tear gas was fired into a mosque during evening prayers.

New Worm Targets AOL Instant Messenger

Panel to Recommend Major Tax Law Changes

WASHINGTON - Chosen to find a simpler way to tax the nation, a presidential panel is set to recommend two designs that would rewrite virtually every tax law for individuals and businesses. More details from Yahoo News.

"It is a singular advantage of taxes on articles of consumption that they contain in their own nature a security against excess. They prescribe their own limit, which cannot be exceeded without defeating the end purposed - that is, an extension of the revenue."

-- Alexander Hamilton

Alito isn't "pro-life" or "pro-choice" but "pro-law."
BY JONATHAN H. ADLER, Opinon Journal

CONFIRM ALITO

Blogs for Bush

Support the Alito nomination. Write your Senators. I did. Check out Hugh Hewitt, Beyond the News, Confirm Them, and Blogs for Bush.

BRUCE WILLIS ..........

.......... SUPPORTS THE TROOPS.

Michael Yon writes about it here.

This time, they said they would crush Democratic opposition.

Bush choice of Alito could mean historic shift of Supreme Court

WASHINGTON -- President Bush nominated Appeals Court Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court on Monday, hoping to usher in a historic new era of judicial conservatism while ending a Republican divide that doomed an earlier pick. Full details.

Hat tip: PoliPundit

Wife beating is A-OK

Also from Red State Rant:

As long as you're a Muslim.

[Australian] POLICE are being advised to treat Muslim domestic violence cases differently out of respect for Islamic traditions and habits.

Officers are also being urged to work with Muslim leaders, who will try to keep the families together.

...

Police are told: "In incidents such as domestic violence, police need to have an understanding of the traditions, ways of life and habits of Muslims."

They are told it would be appreciated in cases of domestic violence if police consult the local Muslim religious leader who will work against "fragmenting the family unit".

Via Nickie Goomba.

U.S. Military Raids into Syria?

From Outside The Beltway:

"Lost in the media storms surrounding the Libby indictment and appointment of Sam Alito to the Supreme Court is a rather strong escalation of tensions between the United States and Syria."

Syria accuses US of launching lethal raids over its borders (London Sunday Telegraph)

Syria has accused the United States of launching lethal military raids into its territory from Iraq, escalating the diplomatic crisis between the two countries as the Bush administration seeks to step up pressure on President Bashar Assad's regime.
Major General Amid Suleiman, a Syrian officer, said that American cross-border attacks into Syria had killed at least two border guards, wounded several more and prompted an official complaint to the American embassy in Damascus. He made the allegations during an official press tour of Syrian security forces on the Iraqi border, which the US claims is a barely guarded passage into Iraq for hardcore foreign jihadis.

[...]

The charge follows leaks in Washington that the US has already engaged in military raids into Syria and is contemplating launching special forces operations on Syrian soil to eliminate insurgent networks before they reach Iraq.

"No one in the administration has any problem with acting tough on Syria; it is the one thing they all agree on," said Edward Walker, a former US ambassador to Egypt and Israel, who is now head of the Middle East Institute think-tank. "I've heard there have been some cross-border activities, and it certainly makes sense as a warning to Syria that if they don't take care of the problem the US will step up itself." But he warned that the increased blurring of battle lines between Iraq and Syria could turn a diplomatic stand-off between the two nations, playing out at the UN, into a fully fledged military confrontation. "It could escalate. With Syrian border guards getting shot, it could turn into a major issue."

"Interestingly, there are no quotes in the story from the United States government either confirming or denying these raids."

Hat tip Red State Rant.

LACKING SOCIETAL INTEREST

"The Left...offers an appeal to moral virtue: It's better to pay more in taxes and to share the burdens as a community. It's kinder, gentler, more compassionate, more equitable. Unfortunately, as recent European election results demonstrate, nothing makes a citizen more selfish than socially equitable communitarianism: Once a fellow's enjoying the fruits of government health care and all the rest, he couldn't give a hoot about the broader societal interest; he's got his, and if it's going to bankrupt the state a generation hence, well, as long as they can keep the checks coming till he's dead, it's fine by him. 'Social democracy' is, in that sense, explicitly anti-social."

--- Mark Steyn

SPENDING PRIORITIES

"Americans...are getting increasingly angry with out-of-control government spending, waste, fraud, and abuse... It is the sense of increasing disgust about blatant overspending and our ability to make the tough choices people on budgets have to make each and every day... In the State of Washington alone there are 17,590 homeless people, and we are going to take money from Housing and Urban Development and we are going to build a sculpture park. I think that is not the right priority. It may be a good idea, but the priority is certainly out of line with what the fiscal needs are, and certainly out of line with the expectations of the American people on how we are spending their money... I also remind our fellow Members [of Congress] that if you read the Constitution, there are great difficulties—regardless of what our history has been—justifying, looking at the Constitution and saying this is a role for the Federal Government... It is probably a great project, but not now, not at this time, and not with Federal money."

--- Sen. Tom Coburn

Border Discontent

"The American people have made themselves clear: our borders must be secured and our laws must be enforced before any guest worker plan can go into effect... Even with the President's backing, no plan that offers amnesty to illegal aliens will pass this Congress... Slowly, the President's team is coming to realize that they have a political revolt on their hands. And, it's no longer just the conservative base that's angry about illegal immigration—there's widespread discontent about our broken system from coast to coast, from left to right... I sincerely hope the Administration's [recent] language is backed up by action."

--- Rep. Tom Tancredo

"Most of the labels people use to talk about judges, and the way judges decide [cases] aren't too descriptive... Judges should be judges. They shouldn't be legislators, they shouldn't be administrators...

---Judge Samuel Alito

"Liberty has never come from the government. Liberty has always come from the subjects of the government. The history of government is a history of resistance. The history of liberty is the history of the limitation of government, not the increase of it."

--— Woodrow Wilson

Schumer...the Schmuck

Schumer said "Alito, like Rosa Parks, can make history simply by virtue of where he sits.”

Scummer Schumer said he went to the rotunda to pay respects to Rosa Parks. "Will Alito, like Rosa Parks, use his seat to change the course of history for the better, or will he return it to the injustice of the past?” Schumer asked.

"It’s sad that the president felt that he had to pick a nominee likely to divide America, instead of picking a nominee like Sandra Day O’Connor that had united America,” Schumer said.

You're a sick little man, Chuckie.

Violent Clashes at Mexican Border Double

WASHINGTON -- Attacks on U.S. Border Patrol agents nearly doubled along the Mexican border during the past year as authorities stepped up efforts to curb drug smuggling and illegal immigration. MORE.

Hugh Hewitt blogs: Schumer Hits Bottom

Chuck Schumer just argued that it is possible that Judge Alito, as Justice Alito, would roll back the achievements of Rosa Parks. That can only be understood as Schumer's belief that Judge Alito could find segregationist policies acceptable under the constitution. While it is undeniable that the nomination of Robert Byrd would have raised such a question, it is preposterous and indeed base to even hint at such a thing about a distinguished judge and public servant.

Schumer's argument for delay is as predictable as it is unpersuasive. Chairman Specter needs to knock down this noonsense today.

I also heard Schumer today say that it was a shame the President named someone who would divide the country.... not unite it. I have heard these same assinine comments before coming from the left.

G*@!* d&!@ it!

What in the *&*@!* blazes are they talking about?

When in the *@!@!*# did it become the Supreme Courts job to unite the *!*&@!* country?

How in the %$#@!* are they going to do this anyway?

When in our past history did we have this *^#@!*# nirvana ... when were we all of like mind?

Huh?

@!*@! never. That's when.

Whew! My fingers are still mad.... but my mind is now clear and at peace.

That is all. Thanks for listening. I need a new keyboard.

CNS NEWS

This Time, Liberals Voice Opposition
(CNSNews.com) – Liberals were quick to express their disappointment -- even anger -- on Monday, but conservatives were jubilant, calling the Supreme Court nomination of Samuel Alito a wise move that will galvanize conservatives...

Alito ‘Mindful’ of Federal Judges’ Responsibilities
(CNSNews.com) - In nominating Judge Sam Alito, President Bush hailed his record – and said he has shown a “passionate commitment to the rule of law.” Judge Alito said he is “mindful of the solemn responsibility that goes with service as a federal judge.”

Lawsuit Against Senate Filibuster of Judges Defended
(CNSNews.com) – On a day when Washington, D.C., was abuzz over the indictment of vice presidential aide Lewis “Scooter” Libby, a public interest law firm was in federal court Friday defending its lawsuit against the U.S. Senate over the use of judicial filibusters...

‘Gold Star’ Families of Slain Soldiers Clash Over Name
(CNSNews.com) – Groups representing the family members of slain American soldiers in Iraq are upset with anti-war protester Cindy Sheehan and her group for the alleged “misuse” of the term “Gold Star.”

UN to Create International Holocaust Remembrance Day
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – In an unprecedented move, the United Nations General Assembly was set on Monday to approve a resolution creating the first-ever international day of remembrance for victims of the Holocaust, an Israeli official said...

Former Israeli Security Chief Says US May Have to Attack Iran
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) – The U.S. might have to attack Iran if the country reaches the point of no return in its nuclear development, the former head of Israel’s Shin Bet security service, Avi Dichter, told a conference of the pro-Israel lobby AIPAC in Los Angeles over the weekend...

Surprising Quote of the Day

From Lanny Davis, counsel to President Clinton, in an op-ed piece written for the New York Times:

The best result of this latest scandal, and the hypocrisy and finger-pointing exhibited on both sides, would be for voters to say, "A pox on both your houses," reject the scandal culture and gotcha politics of both parties and seek new politics of common cause, collegiality and the public interest. The alternative is that most people will conclude that in American politics today the only standard is the double standard, and the cycles of conflict and rancor will continue.

Hat tip to FlexBlue.

Wow! Who woulda' ever thunk such bi-partisan clarity coming from Lanny Davis.

GOOD READING

Good op-eds TODAY ON OPINIONJOURNAL

On the Editorial Page BY CHRISTOPHER HITCHENS
The Plame kerfuffle has made hypocrites of just about everyone.
12:01 a.m. EST

John Fund on the Trail
The Miers denoument shows the power of the new media.
12:01 a.m. EST

Extra BY RICHARD MINITER
The myth of "suitcase nukes."
12:01 a.m. EST

SO TRUE, SO TRUE

Due to our lefty friends, this is ever so true today:

"A morsel of genuine history is a thing so rare as to be always valuable."

--- Thomas Jefferson

YEH, RIGHT, CHARLIE

Charles to target U.S. attitude toward Islam
Prince Charles will try to convince President Bush of the merits of Islam this week because he thinks the United States has been too intolerant of the religion since September 11, 2001.

Budget bill would boost green cards
The Senate's budget package includes provisions that would make available hundreds of thousands of green cards for new permanent legal immigrants, in what is shaping up as the next congressional fight over immigration.

From the Religion of Peace

Three Schoolgirls Beheaded in Indonesia
Associated Press

JAKARTA, Indonesia — Unidentified assailants attacked a group of high school girls on Saturday in Indonesia's tense province of Central Sulawesi, (search) beheading three and seriously wounding a fourth, police said.

The students from a private Christian high school were ambushed while walking through a cocoa plantation in Poso Kota (search) subdistrict on their way to class, police Maj. Riky Naldo said. The rural area is close to the provincial capital of Poso, about 1,000 miles northeast of the Indonesian capital Jakarta. MORE.

Yo Gott'a be Kiddin' Me.

Chavez: Halloween part of U.S. culture of terror

CARACAS, Venezuela (AP) -- President Hugo Chavez urged Venezuelan parents not to dress their children in costumes for Halloween, calling it a U.S. custom that has no place in the South American country's cultural traditions.

Speaking during his weekly radio and television show Sunday, Chavez called Halloween a "gringa," or North American, custom.

"Families go and begin to disguise their children as witches," Chavez said. "That is contrary to our ways." MORE.

Black Unemployment Drops Under Bush
Read article @Human Events.

Obstruction for What?

Libby is charged with lying about a crime that wasn't committed.

Patrick Fitzgerald's investigation took nearly two years, sent a reporter to jail, cost millions of dollars, and preoccupied some of the White House's senior officials. The fruit it has now borne is the five-count indictment of I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, the Vice President's Chief of Staff--not for leaking the name of Valerie Plame to Robert Novak, which started this entire "scandal," but for contradictions between his testimony and the testimony of two or three reporters about what he told them, when he told them, and what words he used. MORE.

Galloway hit by US criminal investigation

GEORGE Galloway is under criminal investigation over allegations that he lied to the US Senate about his role in the Saddam Hussein oil-for-food bribery scandal, American prosecutors have disclosed.

BACK IN TOWN

It's Sunday evening and Heavy, Mrs Heavy, and Heavy Jr. just returned from out of town. We went to visit a sick family member who has cancer, and her days, sadly, are numbered. That is why the lack of posts over the weekend.