Has Hillary had cosmetic work done?

I noticed how really good she looked at the last debate. I thought maybe it was good lighting. But I noticed this recent picture (on top) looked quite different from an older picture of her in the Senate. I think it hasn't been major, just some collagen injections, a bit of botox, and chemical resurfacing. It does look like an eye lift though.

There is nothing wrong with trying to look as young as possible. Heaven knows, I am all for it. But it is sad that women have to go through this kind of stuff. You won't see Fred Thompson getting all his sags and bags lifted.

Caption Contest

Presidential hopeful Barack Obama taped an appearance on The Tyra Banks Show on Thursday. Tyra offered him a crystal ball, which she suggested he give to his wife Michelle for their 15th wedding anniversary.

When she asked him what she saw in it, Obama said, "I see the White House right there."

Clarence Thomas.

CBS) In his first television interview, in which he discusses his childhood, his race, his rise to Supreme Court Justice and his job on the nation's highest court, Clarence Thomas says the real issue at his controversial confirmation hearings 16 years ago was abortion.

In 1991 I went home to Mississippi for a cousin's wedding. My brother was still an entrenched Democrat at the time. He isn't anymore, but he isn't a Republican either. He's a lawyer and the one in the family with whom I verbally spar the most.

We had a doozy of an argument over this. I knew without a shadow of doubt that this whole smear campaign on Thomas was about abortion. My brother thought I was crazy. The abortion lobby was so afraid that a conservative like Thomas would "turn back the clock" on their right to destroy their unborn children in the womb, that they were willing to do anything and everything to make sure that didn't happen.

Thomas now talks about it and I was exactly right. Fortunately, my brother has come around to my way of thinking on the abortion issue, so I can't call him today and say "I told you so."

Anyone who believed Anita Hill at that time didn't want to see the truth for what it was.

My grandfather was from the old south. Prejudice and proud. I was sitting in front of the TV at his house watching the hearings closely. We had the one and only political discussions we ever had. He asked me why I cared so much about a "negro" becoming a Supreme Court judge. I looked at my grandfather and said, "I don't care what color his skin is, he believes in the same things I believe in. He will help make decisions that will affect my children directly and generations to come. It's important." He just looked at me. He didn't say another thing.

What happened to Clarence Thomas should never happen to anyone wanting to serve our country. They tried to denigrate a good man with no evidence whatsoever other than heresay. This is one of the reason I think good people are reluctant to enter public life, and I don't blame them.

Evictions by Democrats.

A few weeks ago I wrote about the difference in the way the Bush daughters and Chelsea Clinton are living in their life in response to a slam on Jenna Bush by James Wolcott. I wrote about Chelsea working for Avenue Capital, a hedge fund run by Marc Lasry, a loyal donor to Democratic causes generally, and heavy supporter of the Clintons. (so says Wikipedia).

Well, John Edwards has been getting heat for working for the hedge fund that is responsible for some subprime loans and foreclosures in Iowa. But, as Slate points out, "the hedge fund for which Chelsea Clinton has worked is not exactly Landlord of the Year either " That landlord would be Marc Lasry and Avenue Capital.

Hedge funds, throwing people out on the street, and foreclosures. Don't you love how Democratic supporters are all about helping the poor?

Rudy explains his NRA speech cell phone call.

It was because of 9-11, of course!

Brody: I know there was some positive press from the cell phone call and there was some negative press. Do you care to clear that up?

Giuliani: Sure. My wife calls me when she gets on a plane. We'd just gotten back from England, hadn't had much sleep. I knew she was going to take a plane, but I didn't know which one she was going to take back to New York, and quite honestly since Sept. 11 most of the time when we get on a plane we talk to each other and just reaffirm the fact that we love each other.

Good spin. Except for the fact that he admits he doesn't take the call sometimes. (oh, dear! what if that's the one that crashes?!) He just thought it would be good TV to take that one.

"Sometimes if I'm in the middle of a very, very sensitive meeting, I don't take the call right then I wait. But I thought it would be kind of nice if I took it at that point, and I'd done that before in engagements, and I didn't realize it would create any kind of controversy.."

Blasphemy.

Blasphemy: impious utterance or action concerning God or sacred things.

You don't hear that word too often. But if it ever applied today, it would apply to The Folsom Street Fair ad in San Francisco where they have depicted the Last Supper with S&M gays and sex toys. I can't even bear to post the picture. Give it a look at Michelle's.

Christians put up with a lot of bashing these days. It seems we aren't suppose to be outraged when someone offends that which is most sacred to us.

Nooses are hung in a tree in a small town of Louisiana and the media is all over it. Bloggers are all over. We are stunned and disgusted. Media Matters is at this moment waging a smear campaign against Bill O'Reilly because he dared to say that the black America of rappers and gangsters don't represent mainstream blacks. Now Rush is under attack as well as they take out of context a conversation Rush has with a caller.

But let a S&M street fair mock and desecrate our God and not a word from the left.

Miller beer is sponsering this abomination. I've never been big on boycotts, but I will never buy Miller again and I urge you not to as well. People have a right to offend in this country, but we don't have to buy the products that openly sponser that which offends us.

Burma.

Michelle has the latest.

It seems dissident blogs have gone dark.

Michelle tells us what is being done:

— The United States ordered a freeze on the assets of Burma’s military leader and 13 other top officials
— President Bush urged Burmese troops “not to use force on their fellow citizens”
— Foreign ministers of the Association of SouthEast Asian Nations (Asean) expressed “revulsion” at the treatment of protesters. “They were appalled to receive reports of automatic weapons being used,” said George Yeo, the Singaporean Foreign Minister
— Burma issued a visa to Ibrahim Gambari, who was dispatched by the UN Security Council to investigate the crisis.

Grab a tissue....

New John McCain Ads.

Excellent.

The "One Man" ad reminds us of why McCain is and always will be an American Hero.

Hillary LaughBot.

This is hilarious. Jon Stewart shows us the "timed" laughter of Hillary Clinton on all the Sunday talk shows. "I'm fun, I promise!"

Seriously. Watch this and wonder how the Democrats could even think of nominating this calculating brittle woman.

The Global Initiative.

Bill Clinton and Al Gore spoke at the Global Initiative Meeting yesterday in New York.

"This climate crisis is not going to be solved only by personal actions and business actions," Gore said Wednesday at the conference. "God knows, I'm evidence of that" "We need changes in laws, changes in policies. We need leadership, and we need a new treaty."

Ok, the quote in red is mine. I couldn't resist. This is typical though. The Democrats want to change laws and policies, but will not practice what they preach.

You can say what you want about Ralph Nader, but at least he lives the way he believes.

Still good news from the war.

(Col. Simcock on the right)

An Interview with Col. Richard Simcock, Regimental Combat Team 6 -- [ON Point]As Col Simcock describes, Fallujah is a far different city today :

Q – What’s new in Fallujah since we last talked ?

A – I’m pleased to say that nothing is new. It’s the continuation of good news throughout my AO. We’ve just finished the last part of a ‘swarm’, which is like a small-scale surge into a district of the city, and now the last district in town is under control of the I/P’s.Last week Gen Petraeus took Katie Couric into downtown Fallujah, and they walked down the street through the market. This wasn’t a John McCain photo op, this was a no-sh*t walk through the market, and she was absolutely amazed at how normal it was.

No place in Fallujah is considered unsafe today.

Q – Fallujah must be unique in this ?

A – Absolutely not. Shiek Sattar and the Sons of Anbar have reached out from Ramadi into the whole area. Habbiniyah is safe. You’ve been to Ramadi, you know it’s safe. Al-Quam, Rawah…this is a far different environment than a year ago.

Q – Problems with the Iraqi Security Forces continue to make the news, and Gen Jones called for the disbanding of the Iraq National Police. Are these problems you encounter also?

A – No. In fact the Coalition Forces have taken a backseat to the ISF. In my AO these guys do a great job; the IP’s are aggressive and very competent, the Neighborhood Watch is extremely effective. We’re available to help, but let me tell you that these guys are good.

Read the whole thing.

via Mudville

The Democratic Debate.

All I can say is that it seems to me that Obama and Edwards have given up on being the nominee and are just hoping for the Veep spot. It's like they aren't even trying. It was all admiration for Hillary night. I wouldn't be surprised if there were some whispering behind the scenes from the Hillary camp to both of them.

The most disturbing part was when the candidates were told of a school where a 2nd grade teacher read a story to her students about same sex marriage where a prince meets his prince. It doesn't matter if you are pro-gay rights or not, any decent thinking person knows that 2nd grade is too young to discuss sexuality in such a way, and even more importantly, it's the parent's job to do so. Not one of the Democratic candidates understood this.

Geeze....

From The Corner:

The Code Pink crazies are at it again. Charlie Spiering in Bob Novak's office had his eagle eye on General Peter Pace's testimony on C-Span 3 moments ago.

Gen Peter Pace was testifying, Sen. Tom Harkin [D-Iowa] was grilling him about his comments on gays. Pace said that he had been raised to believe that sexual activity outside of marriage was immoral — which caused a huge "pink" uproar. Harkin suspended the hearing, demanding that they be "cleared out of the room." As noise came through the doors harkin demanded they be closed and asked, "Cant you get them out of the building?"

First of all, what does it matter what Gen. Pace thinks about gays? As long as he comports himself in the manner of a General, then he can dang well think what he wishes. Believing that something someone does is wrong is not the same as hating the person. Good grief. How many of us have friends or loved ones that do things that we think are wrong??? Everyone! This thought police thing is just getting out of control.

Second, oh, yeah, It's HORRIBLE to express your own sense of morality. How DARE he think sex outside of marriage is wrong!!! Off with his head!!!!!!!!!!!

Code pinkers are out of their mind. One either agrees with their warped worldview or to hell with them.

Tolerance. They should look the word up.

Women, Writing, and The Personal.

Salon Magazine has an article about political (way left communist type) columnist Katha Pollitt, who "has been vilified for airing her romantic dirty laundry. What's wrong with serious women writers exposing their soft underbellies to the world?"

It's an interesting look at a female writer who writes on serious political subjects, yet also has exposed her most vulnerable self with essays about finding another women's panties in her boyfriend's laundry and ignoring it, or cyber stalking her ex-boyfriend, or allowing him to belittle her and staying with him. All the while being a "feminist" writer.

Salon explains why this may be disconcerting to some:

"But the expectation for Pollitt, who is not twentysomething and not lithe, is that she care about Marxism and communism and feminism and not about breakups. It's surely not a coincidence that the review of her book in the New York Times runs next to a larger than normal photograph of her looking more than a little austere. Ew! Old lady writing about sex!

We frankly don't want to picture the emotional or romantic or sexual lives of non-dewy, non-leonine women. Even Pollitt herself finds it slightly distasteful, writing in the book that "People who despair after a certain age are just depressing. We don't have the looks for it, and besides, we make others uncomfortable: what if we're on to something?"

When I first starting writing this blog, I included quite a few extremely personal stories about my Father, my Grandma, my first love, and the death of my high school boyfriend. I wrote about my perfect summer and even recently about my daughter leaving for college.

But I notice that mostly when it comes to my own emotions and personal life, I only write from a distance. I look back. Never here and now. That would be too personal. And of course I would never write about my sexual life as Pollit does. I can't even imagine putting those things out there for the world to read and mock, as is what happened with Pollit. It would seem to take courage that Pollit doesn't seem to really have.

The writer of this article wonders if women writers can be taken seriously after exposing so much about herself:

"I understand the impulse to censure a writer like Pollitt for fueling her critics, for revealing so much of herself that she imperils her well-earned reputation. What if the next time I read her on single-issue voting or the death penalty or the Supreme Court, I'm actually thinking about how she never liked to give her ex blow jobs in the morning?"

More:

"I wonder how many women have been stopped from literary self-exposure by the fear of incurring a lasting bruise on their previously thick and unblemished skin. Maybe they were right to preserve the illusion of invulnerability, or perhaps in their effort to remain publicly invincible, they have deprived us of what might have been gripping and incisive narrative about their personal travails."

I have to say that is certainly true for me. I write things in private that I could never share and I wonder if I should. I certainly don't have the colorful and crazy life that Pollitt has, but I think I have many of the same feelings and problems of so many women.

I am a member of The Cotillion. A group of conservative women bloggers. We e-mail each other daily. Sometimes I get as many as 200 e-mails in one day. We share news items and opinions, but we also share our pain and heartache on every issue you can imagine, sexual, mental, and emotional.

I read some of these e-mails and sit in awe of the candor, honesty, and pain that so many carry with them. The rule of Cotillion is what is said in Cotillion stays in Cotillion, and I have never seen that trust breached in all my time there. But I admit, I don't pour my heart out even there, although I admire the ones who do. They receive so much support and advice.

Writing is cathartic. I wish I could express more of myself. I wish I was brave that way. For now, I'll give you what I can.

Stop Childhood Obesity...

This is an ad from Stop Childhood Obesity that uses that the Larry Craig scandal to promote Farm Bill reform.

It's effective, but kinda strange to use that particular scandal.

via Towleroad

Ok, I lied.

More on Ahmadinejad.

Not surprisingly, the Persian-language transcript of Ahmadinejad's speech and answers at Columbia University has excised both the question about treatment of gays in Iran and President Ahmadinejad’s denial of gays being in Iran.

Also, not surprisingly, Ahmadinejad's website which claims to provide the authoritative transcripts of his speeches and is relied upon by the news media in Iran, does not mention the gay reference either. To date, not a single Persian-language media outlet in Iran has reported on Ahmadinejad's remarks regarding gays.

SCHIP

I'm not surprised by the msm's distortion of the expansion of SCHIP. SCHIP bill simply goes too far toward federalizing health care. It turns a program meant to help low-income children into one that covers children in some households with incomes of up to $83,000 a year.

We all know what happens with federal programs. They never go away, they only expand. This is the problem I have with so many social programs. What starts as something we can all agree on to help the poor, just gets expanded to middle income. And the government bureaucracy always creates openings for billions of dollars in fraud (see welfare).

Powerline says this:

Now, however, it looks like Sen. Martinez has come up with a proposal that bridges the gap, and has the support of conservative activists such as Grover Norquist of Americans for Tax Reform, as well as the White House. The Republican plan is based on is based on a Heritage Foundation proposal. It's two key main elements are:

(a) Reauthorize SCHIP for eligible children, thereby covering children in families with incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty level.

(b) Enact a child health care tax credit for families with incomes between 200% and 300% of the poverty level.

The virtue of this plan is it covers the population targeted by the Democrats, but instead of forcing them to drop their current coverage and go on a government plan, it provides assistance to enable them to keep their current insurance plan.

And he has this:

UPDATE: An excellent discussion of SCHIP can be found in this paper by health care policy expert David Hogberg, written for The National Center for Policy Research. Its apt title is: "SCHIP Expansion: Socialized Medicine on the Installment Plan."

Last Ahmadinejad post!

MichaelSavage.com shows that Columbia University blacked out's it's name on the podium where Ahmadinejad spoke. It is curious. Why do you think that happened? So the world community wouldn't associate the University?

Sigh.

There is always more to the story, isn't there?

Just when you thought he couldn't be any crazier...

The Telegraph:

In a video distributed by an Iranian web site in November, Mr Ahmadinejad described how one of his Iranian colleagues had claimed to have seen a glow of light around the president as he began his speech to the UN.

"I felt it myself too," Mr Ahmadinejad recounts. "I felt that all of a sudden the atmosphere changed there. And for 27-28 minutes all the leaders did not blink…It's not an exaggeration, because I was looking.

"They were astonished, as if a hand held them there and made them sit. It had opened their eyes and ears for the message of the Islamic Republic."

He Has A Point.

Yahoo News:

Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu told Fox News that Ahmadinejad should not have been invited to address the General Assembly.

"Ahmadinejad is expanding a fanatic doctrine of genocide. He is developing nuclear weapons to achieve it. He is denying the Holocaust. Imagine someone who denied that slavery existed and they want to knock an African nation off the map. You would not invite them," he said.

Vandalism Against Jews.

As many as 19 incidents of anti-Semitic vandalism against synagogues and homes in Brooklyn Heights last night have shocked the neighborhood.The graffiti, including swastikas, was found last night at about 9 p.m.

More:

Rabbi Raskin said he found a swastika painted on the steps of the synagogue last night after congregants noticed it on their way to classes inside. It was the first such incident he knew of in the area, he said.
The rabbi suggested the attacks could be linked to the presence of President Ahmadinejad of Iran in New York this week."I think the president of Iran arriving to New York spurred these hatemongers to come out of the closet," Rabbi Raskin said.

Hate breeds hate.

The 10 Things You Didn't Know.....

Imagine that your a woman strolling down a street in a pair of jeans and a t-shirt with your boyfriend. Then imagine that there is a "morality" police that stops and berates you for dressing in such a fashion and commands the boyfriend to leave. Then issues you a "warning."

It just seems so absurd.

But that is what happens in Iran. Not only that. The President of Iran, Ahmadinejad, was an instructor with the Basij, the youth volunteer organization that does exactly what is described above. It enforces the Islamic Republic's strict religious codes. The Basij searched the city on motorcycles, looking for women in violation of strict Muslim dress codes or in the company of males who were not close relatives.

Interesting? Read the "Ten Things You Didn't Know About Mahmoud Ahmadinejad" at USNEWS.

This just made me laugh.

What action figures do when the kids are away at school.

via GOC again.

The Real Hillary.

This is how a U.S. Senator looks upon a crook.

And this is how a U.S. Senator looks upon an American hero.

One day Grouchy Old Cripple will start charging me for using his stuff. I've got one more above.

Let's teach our youth this word. Civility.

From NRO's Media Blog:

Student journalists, great minds of tomorrow?

A four-word editorial published in the student newspaper at Colorado State University has landed the paper’s student editors in hot water with campus administrators, reports The Coloradoan:

The Rocky Mountain Collegian published an editorial
that reads, in total, “Taser this... F—- BUSH,” spelling out the expletive, along with an explanation that “this column represents the views of the Collegian’s editorial board.”

The second two words of the editorial are printed in extremely large print, about twice the size of a headline.

... In a letter addressed to the university community and Collegian readers, Jeff Browne, director of student media, said he is planning to launch an internal investigation into “the decision-making process” followed in publishing the editorial.

What Would Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Say About The Jena 6?

I grew up in Mississippi in the 1960's. Stories about nooses being hung in trees were not unusual. It fills me with sadness that something like this could still occur in 2007.

Because of racial tensions, hatred, and what is obviously a complete lack of parenting, these teens see violence as a way of avenging a wrong. The difference today, as opposed to the 60's, is that the black teens are free to find a white teen and beat them up because of this insult.

It reminds me of a saying about feminism. We (females) have become the men we hated. Have blacks become the racists they hated?

Everyone agrees that the nooses were unacceptable. Those that hung them are a sad reminder that we have not eradicated racism or hatred in the younger generation.

But what would Dr. King say about the Jena 6 who beat up the white teen? I think we all know what he would say.

"Darkness cannot drive out darkness; only light can do that. Hate cannot drive out hate; only love can do that."

"Nonviolence means avoiding not only external physical violence but also internal violence of spirit. You not only refuse to shoot a man, but you refuse to hate him."

"I have a dream that one day on the red hills of Georgia the sons of former slaves and the sons of former slave owners will be able to sit down together at the table of brotherhood."

We argue about who was hurt more, how unfair the punishment appears to be, and the equal pursuit of justice. But why aren't we talking about why the kids hate each other?

It's fine for Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton to pursue equal justice under the law for those who commit crimes, but how about spending some of the energy talking to the kids about why they commited the crime to begin with?

I think many adults think that we don't really have an influence on these kids. But you would be wrong. My respect for Mr. Jackson and Mr. Sharpton would be restored if they would only do what we all know Dr. King would do. Meet with the kids who did this, meet with the kids of this city in a room in a church and listen to them. And then tell them what the words quoted above by Dr. King mean.

Tell them that living a life filled with anger and resentment based on someone else's skin color will only bring violence and sadness into their life. Tell them the simple truth, that we are all God's children. Tell them that their mothers and fathers, grandmothers and grandfathers did not fight the fight in the civil rights movement so that they would have better jail sentences.

They fought the good fight so that they could have better lives and live lives of hope and happiness.

Tell them that one can be as destroyed by the lies of thugs as any one ever was destroyed by the lies of the KKK.

Ask the white kids if they want their legacy to their children to be one of racism and hatred. Ask them if they really think they are that different from their black peers? Do they not think they share the same concerns, fears, and hope?

These kids are not beyond hope yet. They are still children. We can make a difference. We can speak the words they need to hear.

I'll go with you Mr. Sharpton and Mr. Jackson. Let's talk to these kids. Let's encourage love and forgiveness, not resentment and taking sides. Bring us together, not apart.

That is what Dr. King would say.

Update: Michelle has more.

Remember when they sold cool things at J.C. Pennys?

This is taken from a 1975 J.C Penny's catalog. I saw this over at boing and boing and just had to post it. For many years in the 70's we had the one on the right on our coffee table. No, my parents weren't hippies. It was purely decorative. But I will never forget my older brother saying "OMG, Dad has a bong on the coffee table." And I asked him what that was and he told me it was for smoking pot. We laughed ourselves silly and we never told Dad.

What Is Wrong With Juan Cole?

If there was anything I would think we on the right and the left could agree upon, it would be that Iran's President is a anti-Semite, a cruel dictator, and busy making sure that weapons that kill our boys in Iraq make into the hands that are willing to do the killing. But Mr. Cole thinks that we on the right just use Ahmadinejad for our own purposes to promote war:

Demonizing the Iranian president and making his visit to New York seem controversial are all part of the neoconservative push for yet another war.

We are demonizing Ahmadinejad?? Usually when one says that someone is being demonized, it means that it is being done unfairly. They aren't really evil at all. It means someone is making them look that way.

Does Ahmadinejad need demonizing? He does quite well demonizing himself. He calls the holocaust a myth. He wishes for Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth. He stands proudly in front of signs that say "Death To America." He executes young men for being gay (even though we now know that there are no gays in Iran. I suppose they are all dead) He hangs 16 yr old girls who have sex without the benefit of marriage from cranes in the middle of a city.

Is this not "demon like" enough for Mr. Cole? Is it only "neo-cons" who see the evil here? Is Mr. Cole that blind? It seems so. He defends the right of Ahmadinejad to visit ground zero:

His request was rejected, even though Iran expressed sympathy with the United States in the aftermath of those attacks and Iranians held candlelight vigils for the victims. Iran felt that it and other Shiite populations had also suffered at the hands of al-Qaida, and that there might now be an opportunity for a new opening to the United States.

Iranians might have held candlelight vigils, but Ahmadinejad certainly did not. No amount of fake sympathy coming from this man will make up for the fact that he arms those who kill our soldiers.

Mr. Cole says that Ahmadinejad denies he is an anti-Semite and has never called for any Israeli civilians to be killed.

What part of this quote from Ahmadinejad does Mr. Cole not understand?

"There is no doubt that the new wave [of attacks] in Palestine will wipe off this stigma [Israel] from the face of the Islamic world." Recalling the late Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, leader of Iran's Islamic revolution, he said: "As the imam said, Israel must be wiped off the map."

I'm thinking that wiping Israel off the map might result in a few Israeli civilians deaths. And denying one is an anti-Semite does not make one innocent of it.

It is fine for Mr. Cole to be upset at any talk of war with Iran. But he does his cause no favor by defending the indefensible.

Watching Columbia University.

Trying to make up for the outrage of letting Ahamdinejad speak, Lee Bollinger, President of Columbia University, is hammering hard tough questions at Ahamdinejad. I especially liked the part where he said that Ahamdinejad must be uneducated to deny the holocaust. He ends with the statement that he doubts Ahamdinejad will answer these questions.

So....why let him speak? It will be only charming lies.

I'll be updating as I listen.

1:09-Ahamdinejad lectures the President of Columbia on insulting the audience by giving them a preconceived idea about Ahamdinejad. They never do that at the University of Iran. This, believe it or not, is wildly applauded. That's disturbing.

1:12-We are now being preached to with a story about God, angels, and Adam. "The Almighty taught human beings what they were ignorant of." I'm thinking he means us. We just aren't listening.

I can only imagine what all the intellectual elites are thinking about this preaching on the connection between science and religion. He says "The Almighty" instead of "Allah" I notice.

1:18-He says the human heart should be devoid of hatred. (Is there no hatred in wanting Israel to be wiped off the face of the earth?)

He is now slamming Bush, but not by name, by saying those who "don't respect the privacy of it's own people" by wiretapping ect. Apparently we are misusing research and science.

I'm thinking that never in the history of Columbia University's Distinguished Lecture Series has a speaker mentioned God more than Ahamdinejad has.

Ahamdinejad says he really has only asked two questions that no one will answer. Palestinians have suffered for 60 yrs. (by Israel of course, although not mentioned) Here are the questions, and he urges us to not insult him, but to only answer them.

(These are paraphrased by me)

He is asking, if given that the holocaust is a reality of our time, why is there not sufficient research on this matter? Why are researchers put into prison because they are questioning certain aspects of the holocaust?

He also asks, given this historical event, should the Palestinians being paying for this event? This happened in Europe. Why are Palestinians paying for this? Why am I facing insults for asking for this?

Gee, I guess the actual FILM of holocaust victims and hundreds and hundreds of eye witnesses, including those who were there, MIGHT, just might be enough research for us to believe that the holocaust happened as history tells us.

1:32-Now he is whining about not having enough time to speak and whining about trade embargo's.

Well, he got booed at the end. That's refreshing. I think he lost them with the whole holocaust denial thing. Something even elites get angry about. Now, questions start.

1:36- Basically asking if he wants the destruction of Israel. He says Palestine has right to determine it's own destiny. (I suppose if it's destiny is to destroy Israel then, yeah)

The question is repeated. Ahamdinejad keeps repeating the right of Palestine to determine it's own future.

I'm bothered by the amount of people who clap for this monster.

1:40- Ahamdinejad says we need to eradicate the root causes of terrorism. (which are???) He says they always reached out to other nations. It is Iran who has been the victim of terrorism. Then the fingers are pointed at them. "This is regrettable."

1:43-Once again he wonders why in the world would we not be willing to question the research on the holocaust?? He says he is not questioning whether it happened at all, just what it has to do with Palestinians?

1:48- He asks why does Ahamdinejad allow executions for those such as gays and adulterers? Ahamdinejad says, Well, don't you punish drug traffickers? It's the same, right? Uhhh...no. This sentence got applause though. Weird.

1:50-The questioner says the question wasn't about drug traffickers, but homosexuals and women. Ahamdinejad says we don't have homosexuals in our country. BIG LAUGHS. He repeats it and says I don't know who told you we have this problem, we don't. It is funny that he believes this. This will be a MUCH repeated line tonight on the news.

1:53-The questioner asks why he wanted to visit Ground Zero. Ahamdinejad thinks we are being disrespectful by not wanting him to pay his respects. Uh....yeah. That's right. You finally got something right. We don't respect you.

1:54-Now he wants us to truly find out who was behind 9-11.

The questioner wants to know why Ahamdinejad is attaining uranium. He says he is operating under the law. Fuel for power plants. That is all I'm doing.

Ahamdinejad says the politicans who are pursuing atomic bombs are "retarded."

Ahamdinejad is saying that we can be friends. But he says Iraq used chemical weapons against Iran and the U.S. let them.

He is inviting Columbia students to visit Iranian Universities. He says they will respect you and you can say what you wish.

Yeah, What if they want to speak about gay rights? Someone should ask that.

He's done. Much clapping.

The first thing Shepard Smith says is "There are no homosexuals in Iran." That will be the line of the day.

Black vs. Gay

Black ministers and gay activists are clashing in Fort Lauderdale, Florida. This is also causing a divide in the black community. The Mayor Jim Naugle recently came under attack for endorsing an advisory board proposal to spend $250,000 on an automated public restroom on Fort Lauderdale beach. The mayor said it would cut down on men having sex in public facilities.

This, apparently, is hate speech.

"20 gay activists wearing red shirts and AIDS pins condemned the clergymen the next day for not being sympathetic to their cause -- one they say mirrors the African-American struggle.
The ministers did not agree.

''You didn't have to drink from separate fountains. Our struggle is not the same . . . you can't equate race and sexuality,'' O'Neal Dozier, pastor of the Worldwide Christian Center, told one activist. ``Slavery was not a choice.''

''Yours is a message of hate, minister . . . You don't speak on behalf of freedom,'' answered Michael Rajner of the Campaign to End AIDS, a nonprofit group."

The NAACP is coming down on the side of the gay activists which upsets the black members of the faith community:

''The NAACP is getting away from their mission . . . the organization never got involved with sex sins,'' said Mathis Guice, director of the men's ministry at Koinonia Worship Center and former vice president of the Broward NAACP. ``Homosexuals have masterfully redefined words to suit their cause . . . theirs is not a civil rights issue.''

More:

Some black ministers in Miami-Dade also were disappointed in the NAACP.
''I was very taken back by their position,'' says the Rev. Richard P. Dunn, the head of PULSE, People United to Lead the Struggle for Equality. ``I get offended when they compare gay rights to civil rights.''

So I guess the denial of blacks drinking at the same public water fountains as whites is the same as the right to have anonymous gay sex in public bathrooms? No wonder the ministers are upset. It's absurd.

Fun Stuff.

Someone compiled The Simpson stills that correspond with the referenced movie stills. Funny and cute. (I'm a new Simpson fan. I never watched one episode before this year)

via boing boing

ZombieTime gets a cyber-jihad all over his...

umm...site. You know the great website that I link all the time with such delicious photos of protests and such? The Muslim radicals are not happy with him.

via Cotillion mail

Hillary talks...

..but says nothing.

She hit all the talk shows and she talked and talked. But as this WaPo article points out, she actually said very little. This is her gift, you know, to be able to expound on an answer that makes her sound so intelligent, yet not really answer the question. She will never make an impulsive statement. Ever. She won't risk anything. Her carefully planned journey to the White House has been decades in the making. And careful is her middle name. It makes her seem to be not really passionate about issues, but nothing could be farther from the truth. She is passionate, but you will not see this passion until she has the ability to implement her socialistic ambitions on America.

Monday will be interesting. (bumped)

Kevin McCullough at Townhall says that it looks like Ahamdinejad still fully intends to visit Ground Zero tomorrow. According to Sunday night's 60' Minutes interview with Ahamdinejad, which was partially leaked by Drudge, he still has it on his schedule: (AP has now confirmed this)

In the leaked interview transcript Ahmadinejad never confirms that he took the Ground Zero stop off his schedule. In fact he confirms in the interview that he still has it on his schedule.
Little Green Footballs was, to my knowledge, the primary voice who did not yet believe what the press had accepted at less than face value. In fact at press time for this column, written especially late in the day, much to my editor's chagrin the Iranian owned Islamic Republic News Agency is STILL reporting that Ahmadinejad is intending to go to Ground Zero. His arrival time is expected to be 10am.

What will make Monday so interesting will be the reaction of the American people. It seems outraged New Yorkers are talking about forming a human chain to keep Ahamdinejad from entering into this sacred ground.

Now that, my friends, would be a sight to see.

Kevin's article reminds us of all that is evil about Ahamdinejad and he invites all of us near or in New York to join him at Liberty Street and Broadway at 9am.

I would give anything to be there. If you are near, please go. Let's not let this place be visited by someone who would honor the 19 who attacked us.

Update: Meanwhile, Iran closes it's border to northern Iraq to protest the U.S. detention of an Iranian official the military accused of weapons smuggling. (via NRO)

Update: Protests planned:

"A noon rally across the street from the U.N. led by the Conference of Presidents of Major American Jewish Organizations and the Jewish Community Relations, in cooperation with the United Jewish Communities, the UJA-Federation of New York and the Jewish Council for Public Affairs. Speakers include Debra Burlingame, sister of Charles F. "Chic" Burlingame III, pilot of American Airlines Flight 77 that crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11.

A rally outside Columbia University from 1 to 3 p.m. By students from Columbia and other universities including Rutgers, Brooklyn College and Queens College, area high school students and dozens of Jewish organizations all outraged by the appearance of Ahmadinejad.

Demonstration outside of Washington's National Press Building protesting Ahmadinejad's video linked speech at a luncheon at National Press Club from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m."

The NRA Convention.

The American Thinker says this:

"McCain got in a line on a protester, Thompson got in a line on Bill Clinton, and Rudy tried to make peace with his previous anti gun positions."

But he says the best speaker of the night by far was "Sgt. 1st Class Greg Stube, and you can read more about him here. told of his massive injuries while fighting the Taliban in Afghanistan. Trying to relay his story here seems futile. I can't match in print the emotion of the man nor the way I felt about him even were I a better writer."

C-SPAN has posted video of the speech. Go to 7:45 on the Real Player version for Sgt. Stube's speech.

How exactly was the NRA and Sgt. 1st Class Stube related?

"He talked about his recovery, the year he spent in the hospital, only recently getting out. He said that what sustained him was his faith in God, his incredible wife, the amazing military medical professionals who rebuilt him, and something that surprised me, the wonderful assistance of the NRA and corporate partners that took a personal involvement in his recovery."

I can't imagine why we haven't heard about this in the MSM. (rolls eyes)

via Instapundit

In case you haven't seen the video of Rudy answering a cell phone call from his wife in the middle of his speech to the NRA, HotAir has it. All I have to say is that it was completely idiotic.