Pam's New Radio Ad

Yesterday Pamela Geller sent me a picture of her at a party with some gentleman and asked me to use the picture (sans gentleman) for her radio ad, a small banner to publish on her blog Atlas Shrugs.

This was a challenge. I had to remove the gentleman (and he refused to go quietly, I might add), then remove the background leaving only Pamela. Since Pamela was standing slightly behind the gentleman, once he was removed a critical piece of her anatomy also disappeared on her right side. No problem; I digitally painted it back in and was quite pleased with the natural appearance. You would never be able to tell which one was real and which one was digital. Damn, I'm good.

Then I put a radio microphone in front of Pamela and a wall behind her with a sign "On the Air." Finally, I increased the twinkle in her eyes and applied a tad of rouge to her lips. She looked great. I was sure she would be pleased, but when I sent it to her she said it was "too sexy." I threatened to Photoshop in a burqua but the lady stood firm. I'll have to find another use for that great Photoshop of Pamela in the lovely cocktail dress (and I will, so stay tuned, heh, heh, heh). I think I will get a photo of Louis Armstrong's band or maybe one of the big bands from the 40's and make her the singer. She loves that great old music. And the cocktail dress will make her appear "in character."

In any case, I located another photo of her that I had stored on my hard drive, so removed the background and put in a new background, of the New York sky at sunset. That plus a microphone and voila, all done over my lunch hour today. See it above left.

Pamela and several other prominent bloggers will be hosting "Voices of Freedom" on Radio KFNX out of Phoenix, every Thursday at 8 PM Pacific Standard Time. Tomorrow Pam will lead off with an interview of Carolyn Glick.

I am posting the Radio Ad in the left sidebar. Just click on it and it will take you to a web page where you can listen to the show online. Look at her picture. Pamela is a very beautiful woman and a pleasure to Photoshop. Rush Limbaugh, on seeing a photo of Pamela, remarked "She's a babe!"

Just to show I'm not biased, I will also Photoshop a radio ad for any of the other talk show hosts if they so desire. Just send me a photo of yourself and I will create it. I do hope Pastorius won't wear a cocktail dress, however, there's only so much you can do with a graphics program.

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Meanwhile, please download one of the Radio Ads (I have a narrower version in the left sidebar to save space, if you prefer) and run it on your blog or website with a link to KFNX. Let's help our fellow bloggers make this show a success!

Atlas Shrugs: Latest Proof of Obama Birth Certificate Forgery

Pam Geller has a fascinating post today on the latest evidence that Obama's Birth Certificate, released by the Daily KOS, is a forgery. A forensic digital media expert, Techdude, provides overwhelming evidence. Read it here.

Someone was very upset with Techdude for analyzing and publishing the results of his investigation. They vandalized his car and left a dead and mutilated rabbit on his front porch.

Obama may very well have been born in Hawaii and may refuse to release his birth certificate for other reasons. It has recently come to light that his parents weren't married and perhaps that fact is indicated on the birth certificate. But this is speculation on my part.

If his parents weren't married, it isn't a reflection on Obama and should not be a source of shame to him nor would it be a legitimate political argument against his candidacy. However, the only way to clear up the question surrounding his birthplace (to be eligible to run for President) is to release his actual, authentic birth certificate. He should do so at once.

THE PROOF OF FORGERY: Techdude points out that the KOS released Certificate of Live Birth (COLB) does not line up when overlayed with a COLB that is known to be genuine. Different fonts are used. When two genuine COLBs are overlayed, they line up perfectly, e.g. the Date of Birth title on one document lines up and perfectly covers the Date of Birth title on the other genuine document. When a genunie COLB is overlayed with the KOS COLB, the titles do not line up -- in fact, you get two of the same title, one above the other. The same is true for Island of Birth and other titles on the documents. I have outlined the pertinent sections of the COLBs in red in the graphic below to help you see the difference.

Techdude also points out that the security border around the peremiter of the KOS COLB is one that is not used by the State of Hawaii. The KOS border is faint and blurry, but a genuine border is laser printed when a genuine COLB is produced by the State of Hawaii, and is sharp and clear. Techdude thinks the blurred one could be due to the use of solvent to erase data from a genunine COLB so that its blank paper could be used for a forged document. The border simply fails to erase completely. Here are two of Techdude's graphics with my comments and red circled areas. Click on the image to see it full size.

Charles Krauthammer Dissects Obama

The Germans say "NO" to Obama's desire to use the Brandenburg Gate as a political prop; Charles Krauthammer explains why.

UPDATE: Readers' comments to this post are all about the existence or non-existence of black Confederates in the Civil War. If that interests you, read the comments.

Songstress Jo Stafford Dies

I have always loved the music of Jo Stafford. Her song "You Belong to Me" was my favorite. Ms. Stafford died last Sunday at the age of 90.

The Los Angeles Times has her story:

Jo Stafford, a singer who was a favorite of GIs during World War II and whose recordings made the pop music charts dozens of times in the 1950s, died Sunday of congestive heart failure at her home in Century City. She was 90.

Jo Stafford had a series of hits in the 1950's and I remember listening to them as a child and loving them all. They included I'll Walk Alone, I'll Be Seeing You and I Don't Want to Walk Without You.

Powerline has the best summary of her accomplishments and a description of why she was so special.

Ms. Stafford leaves behind a legacy of great music. Below is a video of her singing "You Belong to Me," followed by the words.



YOU BELONG TO ME

See the pyramids along the Nile
Watch the sun rise on a tropic isle
But just remember darling all the while
You belong to me

See the market place in old Algiers
Send me photographs and souvenirs
Just remember when a dream appears
You belong to me

I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too
And blue

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
Just remember till you're home again
You belong to me

I'll be so alone without you
Maybe you'll be lonesome too
And blue

Fly the ocean in a silver plane
See the jungle when it's wet with rain
But remember darling, till you're home again
You belong to me

Obama's Phony Trip Abroad

Fox News is saying this morning that Obama's swing through Europe may elevate his "rock star persona to new heights." Obama, being one of the youngest and most inexperienced candidates ever to run for President, is hoping to "burnish his foreign policy credentials."

What credentials? Barack Obama has no credentials and this short trip won't give him any. What it really is, is a meaningless photo-op, so the mainstream Democrat media can create an illusion by posing their candidate in front of the historic Brandenburg Gate, built in 1791, or at the Berlin Victory Column, built in 1864 to commemorate German victories in war. If standing an airhead next to historic European monuments will turn him into a wise and learned diplomat, than by all means, do it. Being older and crotchety and terribly cynical, I have my doubts as to the efficacy of the monument-osmosis method. But that's just me.

But if it works, let me know. I will turn myself into a cigar-chomping version of Arnold Schwarzenegger by posing in front of Gold's Gym; or acquire Bill Gates' fortune by standing next to Fort Knox while Mrs. Chomper takes pictures.

I think, however, that there is a better explanation for Obama's European posing and posturing. That is the political rule that perception trumps reality every time. If Obama looks wise, presidential and sagacious beyond words, this means that he is presidential and sagacious, and holding an election is just a necessary legalism to ratify what the Press has already accomplished in the hearts and minds of the Sheeple. Never mind that Obama couldn't even spell Europe, let alone find it on a map.

Accompanying Obama on his foreign adventures are all three of the network news anchors, one from ABC, CBS, and NBC. Do you suppose they will also accompany McCain anywhere? No. That's because they are all voting for Obama and supporting him, as they have with every other Democrat candidate stretching back into the misty recesses of history. One can only wonder whether Katy Couric will wear her old cheerleader outfit ("Give me an O, give me a B, give me an AMA.") When we say the mainstream media is Democrat-biased, it is an understatement. The three major networks are an arm of the Democratic Party. They passed bias on their way to devotion some time ago.

Photos: Top - a photo of Ronald Reagan speaking before the Brandenburg Gate in 1987. Bottom Left: the Berlin Victory Column; Bottom Right: Katy Couric in her cheerleader days.

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See also Charles Krauthammer's column on Obama's trip, "The Audacity of Vanity."

Update: See Charles Krauthammer discuss this issue on Fox News.

A Real Alternative to War With Islam

According to Brian Sussman, one of my favorite talk radio hosts (KSFO, 640 AM, San Francisco), the United States is sitting on more oil than all the Middle East countries combined. Whether that's true or not, I don't know, but it is clear we have tremendous, untapped reserves. The Democrats are doing everything they can to ensure those reserves never enter our gas tanks.

We are in an odd situation here. The western nations buy billions of dollars of oil from Muslim countries who hate our guts and want to kill us. We ship untold wealth to them, enabling them to build armies, weapons and nuclear power plants and ultimately, nuclear weapons to use against us and Israel. Iran is threatening to close the Strait of Hormuz, cutting off 20% of the world's daily oil production. No doubt they will use this threat to deter intervention when they finally attack Israel. Our dependence on Middle Eastern oil has made us into economic hostages and ensured the next war, should Iran make good on its threats.

If we could greatly reduce this wealth transfer to Muslim nations, we could defund their evil plans. We wouldn't have to fight these people. We could just starve them economically and isolate them so that they could not harm us.

Achieving energy independence would be the greatest plan we could have for preserving the peace. Of course it would have to include greatly restricting immigration from Muslim nations. We were attacked on 9/11 by Muslim immigrants who used our hospitality against us. We need to curtail both the internal threat as well as the external, and we need to be realistic and not idealistic about the nature of our enemy. If we can't win their hearts and minds, then we should concentrate on stopping their oil revenue and preventing new opportunities for domestic terrorism.

We need an effort comparable to the Marshall Plan to build new oil refineries, fund oil exploration on our own continent and off our own coast lines, and build new nuclear power plants. Solar and wind energy could add to the effort, but only as supplementary sources. We are not going to replace our energy needs with windmills. Any viable alternative energy sources are probably a century or more in the future. We don't need any more asinine pollyanna wishful thinking about switch grass, methanol or solar panels.

The Democrats' attitude towards energy independence is strange and unworkable. Bring up the subject and they start talking about "renewal energy sources" and massive funding of research in those areas. Whether this would produce any significant sources of alternative energy is highly doubtful, at least in our lifetimes. I almost get the impression that the Democrats are either dangerously naive or intent on destroying our economy, or that they enjoy seeing Americans suffer. They simply do not live in the real world.

McCain could exploit this very real problem by campaigning for increasing domestic energy sources and blaming our high prices, rightfully, on the Democrats. He could win with such a strategy; but will he use it? Probably not. McCain seems to have razor sharp instincts for how to lose this election.

Pamela Geller, Pastorius & Others on Phoenix Radio Tonight

Pamela Geller, Pastorius, the Gathering Storm, Always on Watch and Cassandra USA will host a broadcast radio show on KFNX, 1100 AM in Phoenix. You can call in at 602-277-KFNX.

You can listen live over the intenet.

I had trouble getting the stream earlier, but it's working now. The bloggers will host a broadcast radio show at 8 PM tonight, PST. Listen online here.

I will add the KFNX link to my radio list in the left sidebar.

UPDATE: I am listening to the show and it is coming in very clear. Online transmissions of radio programs are actually clearer and better than actual radio -- there is no static.

Pamela is in rare form. The show is lively and enthusiastic.

UPDATE: I called into the show and asked Pamela about what she will be doing as an official blogger at the Republican National Convention. She gave a great answer.

PODCAST HERE Download 1st_show_17_July.mp3 - listen to tonight's debut show and my clever questions and repartee (not).

American Indians Designate Obama as "Walking Eagle"

Barack Obama has been given the honorary Indian name of "Walking Eagle" by a group of New York Native Americans. No Sheeples Here has the story.

Now that's my kinda Indian! (The one on the right, not Obama.)

"Ransom Payment" for Colombian Hostages Proven False

Freeing the Colombian FARC hostages: The originator of the "Ransom Payment" rumor has been traced to a Swiss mediator and shown to be false.

The German newspaper Die Weltwoche has the story:

The Swiss mediator Jean-Pierre Gontard played a role in the hostage rescue in Colombia, albeit unknowingly and involuntarily. The false report concerning a supposed ransom payment originated from his milieu. With it, Swiss diplomacy has lost its last trace of credibility.

Hat tip: French Blog 5 Years Later

The German news article gives a lot of details about the extensive preparations for the Colombian military raid that freed Ingrid Betancourt and other hostages from the FARC communists. Apparently, the ransom rumor was picked up from a single source, not verified, and was rapidly dessiminated throughout European media.

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The article describes preparations for the raid as follows:

For months, Colombian elite troops had planned the operation and rehearsed it again and again down the last detail. Psychologists, martial arts and meditation trainers, and even an acting coach prepared them for their roles. Television images of an analogous hostage release that took place last January under the patronage of the Venezuelan caudillo Hugo Chávez served as model. Even the red and white Russian-built Mi-17, with place for two dozen passengers, corresponded exactly to the scenario of the January operation. Only the Red Cross insignias were missing.The aircraft had barely taken off when the members of the “humanitarian” delegation overpowered the two FARC commanders. As Ingrid Betancourt later reported, the hostages were so overjoyed by the unexpected turn of events that the helicopter starting rocking from their jubilant celebration. Colombia had awakened from a nightmare.

Read the article here.

Saber Point reported the emergence of this rumor before it was widely known.

Burn a Candle for Victims of Islam? No, BURN A QUR'AN

Atlas Shrugs has an article about a couple of Afghani women in Burquas moments before their murder by the Islamic thugs of the Taliban. The women were accused of prostitution or associating with Americans or whatever. The pictures are disturbing, particularly the "After" photo showing the crumpled bodies with a stream of blood running into the sand.

She also has an article about the return of Israelis who were kidnapped and murdered. Their bodies were exchanged for some living Palestinian terrorists.

When the Israelis opened the coffins of their slain comrades, they were shocked at the degree of torture and mutilation that had been visited upon their murdered countrymen. I hate Islam and I make no bones about it. Sooner or later, the civilized world must find a way to end this barbaric and lethal ideology.

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Such news is commonplace in the Muslim world. Whenever I hear of such atrocities in the future, I plan to accompany my comments with photos of a burning Qur'an. You know, the hateful little book of the world's vilest religion, started by a false prophet and starring the non-existent god named Allah.

So here are some photos of burning Qur'ans. Enjoy, you Muslims.

And if this make you very angry, well then, we're even. Watching Muslims murder people makes me angry; watching lifeless paper and ink burn makes you angry. Which of us is nuts?

The Wild One Lives: the Hollister Biker Rally

The Hollister, California biker rally takes place this weekend, and the rumble of thousands of Harleys can be heard in the streets. Bikers come from all over to attend the Hollister biker rally, some traveling hundreds of miles.

The biker rally in Hollister started in 1947 in what is now referred to as "the incident." Thousands of bikers descended on the town for the 4th of July celebrations, got roaring drunk, covered the town about three feet deep in empty beer bottles, beat each other up, beat townsfolk up, belched a lot, slept on people's lawns, rode their bikes into restaurants and broke the furniture, and made general nuisances of themselves. The police were outnumbered and finally had to bring in police forces from neighboring towns to push the bikers out, like squeezing toothpaste out of a tube.

"The Incident" led to a short story about bad bikers, which led to the movie "The Wild One," starring Marlon Brando. The movie was released in 1954 and starred Brando and Lee Marvin as a rival motorcycle gang leader. Here's how a biker website, Custom Motorcyles, describes the incident:

History of the 1947 'Battle for Hollister'
The town's mythical status as a July 4 refuge for the 'one-percenters,' outcasts, and outlaw biker misfits began on July 4th, 1947, when some 4,000 bikers, led by the 'Boozefighters Motorcycle Club' and the 'Pissed Off Bastards of Bloomington,' descended on the town for a three-day drunk-fest, during the AMA sponsored 'Gypsy Tour' race held outside of town.

At the request of the Hollister police department's seven deputies, the California State Highway Patrol imposed martial law. Over a three day period, approximately sixty people were injured in the malay.

Of the 1947 incident, Life Magazine described the event as a "cyclist's holiday," but the subtext of the article showed a darker side, telling of outlaw bikers "racing their vehicles down the main street and through traffic lights," as they "rode into restaurants and businesses, breaking furniture and mirrors."

In the article, the only explanation for the rowdy behavior came from one of the participants, stating: "we like to show off."

'One-Percenters'
A San Francisco Chronicle reporter photographed the iconic (but allegedly staged) shot of a drunken biker teetering on his Harley Knucklehead bobber, surrounded by broken beer bottles. In response this indelible negative imagery, the AMA responded with the explanation that the mayhem was not committed by the 99% of mainstream cyclists" who are law-abiding citizens, but by the last "one percent."

Hollister and 'The Wild One'
The town's mythical status as a July 4 refuge for the 'one-percenters,' outcasts, and outlaw biker misfits was codified in the 1954 Marlon Brando, Lee Marvin movie 'The Wild One.'

One of the scenes I liked best in the movie has a pretty girl asking the Marlon Brando character "What are you rebelling against?" He replies, "What've you got?"

Nowadays the bikers are a lot more polite. The city welcomes them. You see signs for "Biker Breakfasts" put up by restaurants and "Welcome Bikers" signs in the roads approaching town. Motorcycle manufacturers bring in their latest models for display; streets are closed downtown to all but foot traffic and motorcycles; booths are erected everywhere to sell food, bike gear, accessories and clothing. The streets are lined with thousands of Harleys, their gas tanks painted in bright colors and impressive art. Biker chicks walk around in plunging necklines. You can even buy hand-rolled cigars, rolled while you wait. Hey, these last two items always pique my interest.

More important, the bikers are largely a patriotic lot. Bikes with American flags or POW-MIA stickers are common.

This year the city decided to hold the rally on the weekend following July 4th, to save money on overtime pay for the police. What started out as a drunken brawl 61 years ago has become a commercial street fair. And it ain't half bad.

Cancer Claims Tony Snow; Tony's Faith in the Face of Death

Tony Snow, the handsome and affable conservative reporter for Fox News Sunday and later, President Bush's Press Secretary and White House spokesman, died today. He lost his battle with colon cancer at the age of 53.

I liked Tony Snow the first time I saw him on Fox News. I was most impressed by what a gentleman he was; he never got angry or personal or mean when arguing a point with a liberal.

May God bless and keep him in a better world than this.

Picture: Tony Snow (left) with President George W. Bush.

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UPDATE:

Tony's faith in the face of death was wonderfully expressed byTony himself. NoSheeples has the best article on Tony that I have seen yet. Read Tony's own inspiring words of faith, hope and courage here.

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And here's a great video tribute to Tony.

Fun With Photoshop: the Iranian Missiles

The Iranians released an obviously altered photograph of their much criticized missile launch this week. They apparently copied one of the missles and then pasted it into the picture to make their three missiles look like four missiles. I have posted their fake photo here (1) with the obvious copied parts outlined in red.















The second photo is the first one re-Photoshopped by myself. It took me five minutes to disguise the copied smoke plume, but apparently the Iranians aren't smart enough to do that themselves. Had they done so, their fake photograph might have escaped detection. See Photo 2.


















The third photo shows the actual launch as it happened. The Iranian missiles are flying off course because of their seriously deficient guidance systems! Well actually, this one is another Stogie photoshop. But don't tell the Iranians.

Feel free to reprint these photos if you wish.

Click on the photos to see them actual size.

Lawrence Auster Draws Fire from Atlas Shrugs

There's an interesting post over at Atlas Shrugs today. Lawrence Auster of "View from the Right" (which is included in my list of "must reads" sites), is being heavily criticized by Pam Geller and others for attacking Robert Spencer on Auster's website.

I like Lawrence Auster, and I think Fjordman does a great job of explaining Auster's worth to the blogosphere. He writes:

In this respect, Lawrence Auster is very different. Whereas LGF is a link blog which produces virtually no ideas of its own, Auster debates ideas. He questions every assumption of the ruling ideologies, and he does so under his own name, which takes guts to do. He deserves credit for that. The problem with the Western world today, and the reason why we have an Islamic threat in the first place, is too much ideological censorship and conformism. In such a situation, I can definitely see the value in having a website such as Auster's, which is contrarian as a matter of principle and leaves no ideological stone unturned.

However, Auster often attacks prominent conservatives that I like, including Robert Spencer, Mark Steyn and Jonah Goldberg. I am of the opinion that these attacks are borne of professional jealousy, an emotion most unworthy of someone of Auster's talent.

In my post of June 13, I defended Lawrence Auster from Charles Johnson's silly claim that Auster is a fascist. I wrote:

I don't always agree with Lawrence Auster; I think he is unnecessarily antagonistic towards some conservatives I really like, like Jonah Goldberg and Mark Steyn. Larry and I have had our arguments. But Larry is no fascist or Neo-Nazi or racist. He is a traditional conservative and one of the best critical thinkers I know. He routinely defends Israel.

Nevertheless, Pamela Geller is right in pointing out Auster's unwarranted antagonism towards Spencer. Lawrence Auster would be more effective by building alliances with other conservatives rather than attacking them. (It's okay to disagree and hold them accountable.) But by continually attacking them, he only shoots himself in the foot.

Rare Photo of Katharine Coman, Colleague of Katharine Lee Bates

When I was researching my July 4th post about the song "America the Beautiful," I became interested in the life and poetry of Katharine Lee Bates (1859 -1929), the author of the great hymn. Bates graduated from Wellesley College, an all-woman college in Falmouth, Massachusetts, in 1880. Wellesley would have many famous graduates in the years ahead, including Mrs. Chiang Kai-Shek and Hillary Clinton. Bates moved from student to professor, as she taught English literature at Wellesley throughout her working life.

One of Bates' colleagues, a fellow teacher at Wellesley College, was Katharine Coman (1857 - 1915), a distinguished economist who wrote books on history and economics. Wellesley named a professorship in her honor.

Both Katharines were close to the same age, became fast friends and lived together for 25 years, until Coman died of breast cancer in 1915. Neither Bates nor Coman ever married, and it is debated whether or not they were lesbian lovers. Personally, I don't care, as it does not detract one iota from my respect and admiration for either woman. Others, however, contend that they were only "Boston wives," a term given to women and widows who lived together to share household chores and expenses. Many women of the time did this, particularly widows who lost their husbands in World War I.

Both Bates and Coman graduated from college in 1880 -- a rare feat in those days, even for men. By becoming great scholars and career women (at a woman's college yet) they substantially reduced their chances for marriage. In those days men did not want to marry women who were more educated or who made more money than they did. Many if not most men preferred women who would be mothers and homemakers, and in those days where modern conveniences were lacking, it would have been very difficult to be both homemakers and professors. So it is not surprising that the two women lived their lives single, regardless of whether they were heterosexual or not.

Whatever the case, the two women loved each other as family, and this love is obvious in Bates' poetry following Coman's death. Bates nursed Coman for three years after her diagnosis, during a difficult time of decline, and grieved deeply when Coman died. Bates wrote a book of remembrance, of poetry, dedicated to Coman. The book was called "Yellow Clover," after the flower they identified with each other. It was published in 1922.

The poetry is lovely and fresh and original. It speaks to all humans who have grieved over the loss of a loved one, regardless of their orientation.

I found a copy of "Yellow Clover" at the Googles Books website, where they release out-of-copyright books into the public domain, as pdf files. I downloaded the book and discovered that one of the first pages bore a photograph of Katharine Coman. I made a copy of it with screen capture, then enhanced it and cleaned it up with Photoshop. Since photos of Coman appear to be rare if nonexistent on the web, I am releasing it here for anyone who might be interested. Use it as you see fit.

These two great American women led incredibly productive lives and contributed to the education of hundreds of women during their careers. They deserve to be remembered.

2nd French Blog Features Saber Point! Une Vision Neoconservatrice

The French blog Une Vision Neoconservatrice has featured Saber Point today. My circle of French friends is growing and I couldn't be happier. The article is called Le blog de notre ami Stogie : Saber Point.

Right now my wife is watching "An American in Paris," a musical film made some years ago. She is Filipina and for many years I have had to listen to her yak away in another language, unable to understand her. When we were in Paris, I had my first real French conversation with a lovely young woman in a pharmacy, and for the first time, the tables were turned! My wife had to listen to me converse in another tongue without her comprehension. It was delicious!

Thanks to my friends at Une Vision Neoconservatrice -- I am honored.

Here in America we always hear about the French who hate us, but rarely do we hear about the French who love us, and they do exist. There is a French Right, and it is articulate, intelligent, educated and informed. They are our allies. We fight the same battles.

And, they have such great taste in American blogs! :)

A-Qaeda's Last Stand in Iraq

The Times of London reports what the American media won't: Al-Qaeda is on the verge of extinction in the War in Iraq.

American and Iraqi forces are driving Al-Qaeda in Iraq out of its last redoubt in the north of the country in the culmination of one of the most spectacular victories of the war on terror. After being forced from its strongholds in the west and centre of Iraq in the past two years, Al-Qaeda’s dwindling band of fighters has made a defiant “last stand” in the northern city of Mosul. A huge operation to crush the 1,200 fighters who remained from a terrorist force once estimated at more than 12,000 began on May 10.

Operation Lion’s Roar, in which the Iraqi army combined forces with the Americans’ 3rd Armoured Cavalry Regiment, has already resulted in the death of Abu Khalaf, the Al-Qaeda leader, and the capture of more than 1,000 suspects.

Read the whole thing.

Colombian Rescue: Leftist Rumor Mongering Right on Cue

Exactly as Le Blog Drzz predicted, leftists claims that the Colombian rescue mission was "staged" are right on cue.

The U.K. Mail Online headline for Monday, July 7 screams:

Freed hostage Betancourt returns to France amid claims Colombian rebels were paid a £10 million ransom

At the Puffington Ho, one reader noted that McCain was present in Colombia at the time the raid was carried out. "This has 'staged' written all over it," she said.

An MSNBC spokesman wondered on TV if "the Colombian hostage rescue was a ruse by McCain." See video clip at this link.

It's interesting how good news is bad for Democratic and leftist politicians, so they have to suppress it or at least color it with doubt and suspicion. If good news is bad for your party, maybe you're in the wrong party. If your political success relies so heavily on propaganda, what does that say about your politics? Think about it kids.

Saddam Hussein's Nuclear Weapons Program- Proved!

There is a breaking story on American Thinker and also on Une Vision Neoconservatrice, about the fact that Saddam Hussein did indeed have a nuclear weapons program. American Thinker writes:

The media have been telling us for years that Saddam had no WMD, so "Bush's War": was based on a "lie." And those who believed Saddam did have WMD or WMD programs were delusional or worse. But today, on July 6, 2008, the Associated Press reports that Saddam Hussein had a nuclear program At the Tuwaitha nuclear complex just south of Baghdad, which included 550 metric tons (over 1.2 million pounds) of "yellowcake", or concentrated uranium and multiple devices that could be used in a nuclear weapon.

Read it all here.

No doubt the Congressional Democrats will want to convene a special session of Congress to express a formal and deeply profound apology to President Bush, then resign their seats to go home and get honest, productive jobs. Maybe something they're actually good at.

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As for that yellow cake, it looks good! Might need some vanilla icing, though.

Misuse of The Black National Anthem

From the Cleveland Plain Dealer:

When a jazz singer last week substituted the lyrics to the "Black National Anthem" for those of the "Star-Spangled Banner" at a ceremony, she not only surprised her Denver audience. She focused attention on a song little known outside the black community.

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The jazz singer, Rene Marie, was supposed to sing the traditional National Anthem at the ceremony in Denver. She sang the "black National Anthem" instead, without announcing it in advance. This has angered a lot of people.

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Here are the words to the "Black National Anthem," which was written as a poem in 1899 by James Weldon Johnson:

"Lift every voice and sing Til earth and heaven ring.

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Ring with the harmonies of Liberty.

Let our rejoicing rise High as the glistening skies, Let it resound loud as the roiling sea.

Sing a song full of the faith that the dark past has taught us.

Sing a song full of the faith that the present has brought us.

Facing the rising sun of our new day begun

Let us march til victory is won."

The words are not offensive in themselves. In fact, they are inspirational. Singing them would be appropriate in the right context, particuarly if Rene Marie had announced in advance that she was going to sing them, and had she invited the audience to share with her the hope and inspiration that the words convey. Then she would have been applauded to the skies. Shared experience does much to glue a community together.

The anger comes from the impression that the song was not sung for cultural pride or inspiration, but for use as a cultural wedge, a tool to underscore division rather than unity.

Rene Marie said the traditional National Athem "does not represent me." Okay, Rene, we get it: you don't like white people, and what better way to say it than to denigrate the National Anthem that is sacred to so many Americans.

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You don't identify with America or the rest of us who live here too. We can never be friends, for how can the oppressed be friends with the oppressor? So no cinnamon rolls over coffee in the morning for us. No backyard barbeques, no car-pooling together to the football game. It wouldn't work. For you it's endless, burning, smoking anger, and for us, eternal shame, endless mea-culpas, and nonstop apologies like supplications from a Tibetan prayer wheel.

You want to emphasize your separateness, to underscore your eternal victimhood, your unrelenting oppression, your eternal hostility to white America, the fact that white society will forever owe you deference, apology and probably endless monetary reparations as well.

The black grievance industry is getting a bit tiresome these days. We are sick of hearing your endless song of woe. There can never be racial healing while many prominent blacks choose to nurse their sense of grievance and resentment. Think about that, Rene.