One Word

Lame.

Is issuing a "partial apology" anything like being sort of pregnant? Is adopting a "wait and see" attitude anything like hoping like hell everyone will forget you did this but also leaving a door open so that if Rove is ever indicted for anything - even jaywalking - you can trumpet your success?

Inquiring minds and all that.

Perhaps a name change to name to Truthyout is appropriate.

UPDATE: Jane Galt: "Are those burning trousers I smell?"

Lamont Forces Primary

Well, Joe Lieberman's challenger Marcos Lamont - oh, I guess it's Ned Lamont, sorry - received about 1/3 of the delegate votes at the Connecticut Democratic party convention, and so forces a primary. While others among the left try to say it's not about the war, Lamont and his supporters say it sure is.

Lamont said he believes the level of support he received at the convention will send a message to Washington that people are fed up with the war.

"They are saying this war was a mistake and bring the troops home," he said. "I think 33 percent of the people in the convention are telling people in Connecticut and Washington they want a change."

What's interesting is that Lamont's strength appears to be from the relatively small towns in Connecticut, while the cities went pretty solidly for Lieberman. But it would appear that the support might not be quite as strong as the outcome shows:

The bitterness toward Lieberman and his support of the war was evident Friday night. About 60 peace activists protested outside the Expo Center. And some Lamont supporters loudly chanted "Go Home Joe" when U.S. Sen. Christopher Dodd, D-Conn., nominated Lieberman. Dodd acknowledged the discontent, saying he appreciates people who speak up about issues.

"Unlike the other party, we don't try to stifle those differences. We honor and respect them," Dodd said.

Only 60 demonstrators? That's not a huge turnout, is it? What bugs me is the way that last sentence just gets tossed out there. The lefty rhetoric is being picked up and repeated by the so-called mainstream politicians, despite the fact that it is utter hogwash. The people who like to say they're being suppressed won't shut up about it. And nobody is trying to shut them up. But the myth becomes the message, I guess.

So, the netroots have succeeded in forcing a primary where they will spend money and effort to defeat a reliable Democrat. They'll take him out of the chance to help nationally and spend a lot of resources. If Lamont wins, it will be because of people outside of Connecticut. Good luck with that, folks.

* The funniest thing about this is that I had never even heard of Joe Lieberman before he ran with Gore. That didn't exactly endear him to me. But in the years since, I have come to respect quite a lot about the man. While we would disagree - possibly vehemently - on some things, I actually think we'd agree on others and get along quite well.

UPDATE: Well, this description of the scene in the convention hall is kind of weird.

A lot of the small town delegates apparently just never told anybody what they were going to do until they did it. As the roll call began, the Lamont people were telling each other it would be between 20 and 25 percent, but not in the tones of people who were really sure. More like people who hoped they were right.

Gradually, several patterns emerged, the most striking of which was no pattern at all. That is, the Lamont support seemed to be coming from almost everywhere, in dribs and drabs. (His floor manager David Pudlin, whose Mort Sahl-ish jokes sometimes take a moment to sink in, said when it was all over:  "He seemed to do well with the very rich and the very poor. The radical left tells me that's the whole state of Connecticut.") Another pattern was that those small towns, with two or three delegates and nobody to boss them around, went heavily for Lamont.

The author, Colin McEnroe believes the independent run is looking better for Lieberman.

Totten Crosses The Green Line

Michael Totten, who I have linked a number of times, has an absolutely fascinating article posted about crossing into the Palestinian territory. This is a must read. It's not quite what you think it is from all the reports you have read in the MSM. It is both better and worse. Definitely worth the read.

Payback Time

Blackfive says it time for a little payback. I covered the eviction of Fran O'Brien's from the Capitol Hilton pretty thoroughly. The Hilton won the battle.

Now maybe it's time to show them they lost the war.

Say it with me: I'll never do business with Hilton Again.

UPDATE: Smash lives up to his moniker and does just that to the excuse Hilton gave for tossing Fran O'Brien's.

This Is Neat!

The American Chestnut tree used to make up almost 25% of all forests in the eastern part of the United States. They were magnificent shade trees with a wide canopy and they produced what were reported to be very tasty nuts. They were also a source of very rot-resistant wood. Unfortunately, in the early 1900's a fungus was introduced into the US which began killing the trees. It was a swift demise, the blight spread very rapidly and the American chestnut passed almost completely into history. I happen to own an antique dresser that is made from chestnut. It's a very pretty wood. In recent years researchers have been trying to come up with varieties of chestnut that are resistant to the fungus. They have had a fair amount of success with a Chinese variant.

But now a stand of native American Chestnuts has been discovered growing wild in Georgia. Near where President Roosevelt used to vacation.

The find has stirred excitement among those working to restore the American chestnut, and raised hopes that scientists might be able to use the pollen to breed hardier chestnut trees.

"There's something about this place that has allowed them to endure the blight," said Nathan Klaus, a biologist with the Georgia Department of Natural Resources who spotted the trees. "It's either that these trees are able to resist the blight, which is unlikely, or Pine Mountain has something unique that is giving these trees resistance."

The scientists plan on harvesting as many of the seeds as they can and will use them in their studies to try to develop a blight-resistant strain.

The chestnut foundation may use pollen from the tree in a breeding program aimed at restoring the population with blight-resistant trees.

"When the flowers are right, we're going to rush down and pollinate the flowers, collect the seeds a few weeks later and collect the nuts," Klaus said. "If we ever find a genetic solution to the chestnut blight, genes from that tree will find their way into those trees."

The chestnut foundation has been working for about 15 years to develop a blight-resistant variety. The goal is to infuse the American chestnut with the blight-resistant genes of the Chinese chestnut.

I think that is some good news.

Oh Drat! Another One Bites The Dust

What's a poor, agitated lefty to do? Yet another "shocking big story" that will "bring the president down" has turned out to be - well - crap. BellSouth is demanding that USA Today retract the story from last week that accused the company of providing information to the NSA.

BellSouth spokesman Jeff Battcher denied the company had a contract with the National Security Agency and did not give access or provide call records to the spy agency as part of an effort to thwart any terrorist plots.

USA Today reported last week that the NSA has had access to records of billions of domestic calls and collected tens of millions of telephone records from data provided by BellSouth, Verizon and AT&T Inc..

"BellSouth insists that your newspaper retract the false and unsubstantiated statements you have made regarding our company," BellSouth said in a letter to USA Today President Craig Moon and the general counsel at the newspaper's parent company Gannett Co.

The NSA and the Bush administration has refused to confirm or deny the USA Today report.

Oops. I have no idea where case law on liability issues regarding the printing of false stories is, so I have no idea if USA Today is potentially in trouble over this one. I'd say there is a reporter and an editor or two who might be in a bit of hot water at the moment, though. I think my question from the other day is still relevant.

UPDATE: Editor and Publisher has an interesting little article about this controversy. Some people, veterans in journalism, are warning that this could be very, very bad indeed if the story turns out to be false. Others are maintaining that it will be no big deal. Here's my take: IF the story turns out to be false, or the bulk of it turns out that way, this will devastate the news media. Here's my reasoning. The media is already not trusted by a lot of Americans. There are polls saying that most people hold reporters in general in low esteem. This will really hurt if it turns out false. On the other hand, because most people simply are not concerned about this - per USA Today's own poll - if it turns out true it will NOT bolster the media's credibility.

This is almost a perfect lose-lose situation for the media.

101st Blog Of The Day

Continuing my project to visit a member of the Fighting 101st every day, today I took a trip over to visit the Musings of a Real Texas Cowgirl. She has the scoop on the newest secret weapon soon to be deployed on the border with Mexico. That'll seal things up once and for all.

Pelosi And Murtha Discuss Strategy

Nancy Pelosi and John Murtha had a strategy meeting the other day, our super-secret agent photographer from Magic 8-Ball Photography and Sideshow, Inc. had the good fortune to be hiding in a dumpster nearby and was able to catch the moment on film. Ok, truthfully, we're pretty sure he was pearl diving and just got lucky.

Scary, isn't it?

I Predict Bloodshed

Christie's, the world famous auction house will be holding a Star Trek "garage sale" this fall. Props and all sorts of other memorabilia from all of the various Star Trek television series and movies that have aired over the years will be offered for sale.

CBS Paramount Television Studios is cleaning out its vaults for the sale, comprising more than 1,000 lots totaling some 4,000 items, to be held from October 5 to 7 in conjunction with the 40th anniversary of the original "Star Trek" series, Christie's announced on Thursday.

Fans and collectors will have a chance to acquire "Star Trek" artifacts ranging from models of the "Starship" USS Enterprise to Capt. James Kirk's uniform or Capt. Jean-Luc Picard's jumpsuit in an auction where Christie's expects to raise more than $3 million.

Other items to hit the block include props, weapons, prosthetics and set dressings unearthed from five Paramount warehouses.

Among the highlights are a miniature of the Starship Enterprise used in visual effects for the film "Star Trek: The Undiscovered Country," expected to sell for $15,000 to $25,000, and a replica of Kirk's chair from the original TV series that was recreated for the 1996 "Star Trek: Deep Space Nine" episode "Trials and Tribble-ations," which is estimated at $10,000 to $15,000.

Now, given that Trekkies are some of the most ardent fans ever, I'm guessing phasers won't be on "bid", they'll be on "kill". Get between a Trekkie and a mustard colored minidress from the original series and you are as like as not to find yourself in orbit!

I've known a few Trekkies over the years, by the way. Nice enough folks if you don't pay any attention to the fake ears and such. Or get between them and that minidress.

You Couldn’t Get Me That Drunk

A Canton, New York man was arrested for breaking in to a business and taking a little nap. Apparently, he was quite intoxicated at the time, so he took it into his head to break in and get a little shuteye. The business was a funeral home. (You know it's coming) His napping spot was inside one of the coffins on display in the establishment.

Debra White, wife of the home's funeral director Joe White, said she noticed a broken window and open door to the casket display room when she awoke at 6:30 a.m. Inside, she saw a boot and pair of pants on the floor and a pair of knees sticking out of a stainless steel coffin.

Which must have been very, very disturbing for the poor woman. She can't be used to hearing snoring coming from that room.

Can she?

Wow, I Thought I Had Bad Neighbors

No, not now, I kind of like the ones I have now. In the past, though, I have had various neighbors who, if not exactly from Hell, were at least from somewhere near the nether regions. But this woman makes them look like saints.

A retired businesswoman accused of vandalizing her neighbors' property and blocking local roads with dead animals and dog feces was served with an order Thursday banning her from engaging in anti-social behavior.

Jeanne Wilding, 57, is accused of clashing with at least 15 individuals and organizations in the idyllic rural hamlet of Bottomley in northeast England.

Prosecutors said Wilding repeatedly and loudly played a choral work "about rape, pillage and the trashing of villages," caused extensive damage to neighbors' vehicles, beamed floodlights into a neighbor's home and tipped oil over his driveway at night.

She also deposited dead animals, rubbish, dog feces, glass and nails on the road, obstructing other homes and communal spaces, they said.

In all, there were more than 250 alleged incidents involving Wilding in less than 16 months.

I mean this is taking anti-social to a whole new level. The judge in the case probably made one of the greatest understatements of all time: "It's clear she has little or no appreciation of the effect her behavior has on other people."

Although the choral piece was a nice touch. I wonder where I could get a copy?

Hoffa Hunt, Day Two

Well, I suspect it's more than day two, but I only mentioned it yesterday. Anyway, if you're interested here's coverage from the Detroit News. It is much, much more thorough than the national news on this event. John Wisely, the reporter, did a heck of a job with this one. (There were a whole bunch of contributers as well, but Wisely has the byline.) Lot's of photos, too.

Wake Up, Folks

IMPORTANT UPDATE: Hot Air is reporting that the original story linked to below appears to be false. The original has been pulled and replaced. I will update again if any more detail or confirmation turns up. At this point everything below this update appears to be incorrect based on new information. ADDENDUM: The Australian reports that Iran's only Jewish MP is calling the stories completely false. He says that there was a bill to require Islamic dress for women, but there is no mention of religious minorities in that law.

I saw this article just now and it shocked even me. I have long been trying to point out that we have a real problem in the world right now. Iran is a true problem that we need to focus on. There have been many writers who have pointed out that the time period we are in closely resembles the world in 1938, when the European powers missed their chance to stop Hitler.

It just got even more like 1938. The Iranian Parliament has passed a law requiring non-Muslims to wear identifying badges.

Human rights groups are raising alarms over a new law passed by the Iranian parliament that would require the country's Jews and Christians to wear coloured badges to identify them and other religious minorities as non-Muslims.

"This is reminiscent of the Holocaust," said Rabbi Marvin Hier, the dean of the Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. "Iran is moving closer and closer to the ideology of the Nazis."

Iranian expatriates living in Canada yesterday confirmed reports that the Iranian parliament, called the Islamic Majlis, passed a law this week setting a dress code for all Iranians, requiring them to wear almost identical "standard Islamic garments."

The law, which must still be approved by Iran's "Supreme Guide" Ali Khamenehi before being put into effect, also establishes special insignia to be worn by non-Muslims.

Iran's roughly 25,000 Jews would have to sew a yellow strip of cloth on the front of their clothes, while Christians would wear red badges and Zoroastrians would be forced to wear blue cloth.

The lights are going out, folks. Better start focusing.

UPDATE: One commenter linked a report out of Montreal that the original story linked above might not be true. However, the Jerusalem Post is reporting the story and has given additional detail and reaction from around the world. There have also been official statements from the Israeli government and a protest to the United Nations. This story appears at this time to be true and, if the details in the J-Post are correct, the problem may be even worse than it appeared earlier.

The new law was drafted during the presidency of Muhammad Khatami in 2004, but was blocked. That blockage, however, has been removed under pressure from current President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

According to Ahmadinejad, reported the National Post, the new Islamic uniforms will establish "visual equality" for Iranians as they prepare for the return of the Hidden Imam.

The final shape of the uniforms is yet to be established but there is consensus on a number of points.

I Think This Is More Revealing Than They Planned

If you read this New York Times article on the first day of confirmation hearings for General Michael Hayden, one fact jumps out at me.

Many US Senators are very whiny people.

I mean, this kind of juvenile behavior is pretty funny when you step back and look at it.

There were two types of senators at Thursday's confirmation hearing for Gen. Michael V. Hayden: the briefed, and the briefed-nots.

The former were mostly polite. The latter, especially Democrats, threw the Congressional equivalent of a temper tantrum.

It wasn't equivalent at all, it was a temper tantrum.

Ms. Feinstein opened her remarks by saying she had proposed legislative language that would amend the National Security Act to require that all committee members be briefed on sensitive programs, and in the "very rare cases where only certain members are briefed," the others receive a summary.

In a sense, the hearing tapped into a Congressional inferiority complex that has been particularly acute under Mr. Bush, who has taken a muscular approach to expanding the executive branch's authority. Lawmakers like to say Congress is a "co-equal branch" of government; nothing irks them more than when the White House punctures that balloon.

"It's such an affront to the balance of powers," Ms. Feinstein said in an interview, "and it's what this administration has been doing, which is gathering executive power and dismissing the Congress."

I know the left likes to say the administration is doing this or that to "expand Presidential powers". But when you read this you wonder if it isn't really that some politicians simply resent not being let into the secret - whatever secret may be the topic of discussion. I have no way of judging why the administration kept the circle of people briefed on this (or any other) program small - incidentally, neither does anyone on the left. There may have been reasonable grounds for doing so. I am not aware of anyone who has been briefed in going on the record against the program.

Iraq Exposed

This is an absolute must read about Iraq that you will likely see absolutely no mention of in the MSM. Amir Taheri went to Iraq and describes what he found there.

It would be hard indeed for the average interested citizen to find out on his own just how grossly this image distorts the realities of present-day Iraq. Part of the problem, faced by even the most well-meaning news organizations, is the difficulty of covering so large and complex a subject; naturally, in such circumstances, sensational items rise to the top. But even ostensibly more objective efforts, like the Brookings Institutions much-cited Iraq Index with its constantly updated array of security, economic, and public-opinion indicators, tell us little about the actual feel of the country on the ground.

To make matters worse, many of the newsmen, pundits, and commentators on whom American viewers and readers rely to describe the situation have been contaminated by the increasing bitterness of American politics. Clearly there are those in the media and the think tanks who wish the Iraq enterprise to end in tragedy, as a just comeuppance for George W. Bush. Others, prompted by noble sentiment, so abhor the idea of war that they would banish it from human discourse before admitting that, in some circumstances, military power can be used in support of a good cause. But whatever the reason, the half-truths and outright misinformation that now function as conventional wisdom have gravely disserved the American people.

This is an important article. Please spread the word on it.