The End?

Well, it wasn't hard to predict this: Melissa McEwan has also resigned from her position in the John Edwards campaign. She announced it with considerably more grace and class that Amanda Marcotte did. She was, of course, by far the less vitriolic of the two to begin with. But I really hate to see anyone, left or right, lose their jobs because of their blogging. This is a self-inflicted wound for Edwards, however. McEwan would have been a minor embarrassment at best, Marcotte, not even remotely acceptable for a politician trying for the presidency.

Very interesting take on this from Blog P. I.  Absolute raging asshattery from HuffnPuffpo, however.

Others: Beltway Blogroll, QandO, Done With Mirrors, Bob Owens, Wizbang, Bill's Bites, Ace of Spades HQ, Hot Air, Jawa Report,

FLASH!!! Algore In Washington?

The House of Representatives Super-Duper-Ultra-Whamadyne-Double-Tippity-Top-Secret Subcommittee on Energy and Air Quality hearing on global warming has been postponed due to severe winter weather. Inquiring minds are demanding to know where, exactly, Al Gore is right at this very moment. Because it is strongly suspected that he is in Washington, DC at an undisclosed location.

Told Ya

Moqtada al Sadr did exactly what I predicted and ran like a rabbit seeking shelter in Iran. Oh, sorry, I forgot for a moment. The jihadis never flee their enemies, they walk briskly over the horizon. At speeds that approach that of light itself, apparently.

 Feb. 13, 2007 — While members of the U.S. House of Representatives take turns weighing in on President Bush's planned troop surge in Iraq, the focus in Iraq is not on the arrival of more U.S. troops, but the departure of one of the country's most powerful men, Moqtada al Sadr and members of his army.

According to senior military officials, al Sadr left Baghdad two to three weeks ago and fled to Tehran, Iran, where he has family.

Al Sadr commands the Mahdi army, one of the most formidable insurgent militias in Iraq, and his move coincides with the announced U.S. troop surge in Baghdad.

Sources believe al Sadr is worried about an increase of 20,000 U.S. troops in the Iraqi capital. One official told ABC News' Martha Raddatz, "He is scared he will get a JDAM [bomb] dropped on his house."

Sources say some of the Mahdi army leadership went with al Sadr.

If (some of) our politicians would stop posturing for a moment, they'd understand that the best thing they could do right now is not try to cut the legs out from under out troops and the new commander they just unanimously sent in there to do the job. (And politicians who vote against the surge and are wrong will be in desperately bad shape politically).

But that would be asking many of them to stop pandering. To much for some of them, I guess. Physical cowards like al Sadr are very big on sending other to heaven. Doing so themselves, not so much. In fact not at all, as the dust trails leading to the Iranian border testify. And our media should be shouting the outright cowardice of "Mookie" from the rooftops right now rather than undermining their fellow citizens at every turn.

UPDATE: Exclusive to Blue Crab Boulevard! Mookie Boasts of his prowess!

Snow Day, With Skunk

We have been in a real cold snap here in the Midwest. To add to the sheer joy of all that, we got hit with a sharp winter storm last night. The snowfall, not all the big an amount, was made much worse by high winds. Drifting is a real problem. The schools all over the area were closed and my wife decided she really did not want to try the roads (smart move) and stayed home. So I made it unanimous and stayed home, too. When I did venture out to get some milk, the roads were awful, even in the wife's Subaru. Bitter cold, high winds and loose snow do not a good travel day make.

So the kids watched television, my wife worked from home and I puttered around making beef stew for dinner and blogging now and then. I was sitting at my desk and suddenly became aware of a smell. Now this smell didn't gradually build up. No, it came all at once and hit with the subtlety of a Louisville Slugger to the side of the head. The unmistakable, eye-watering reek of skunk.

It is broad daylight in a freezing cold, wind howling winter and our dog got sprayed by a skunk.

Now for all the folks who may not be familiar with God's little natural teargas bombs. Skunks do not, as a rule wander about in broad daylight. Skunks do not, as a rule, wander about in winter very much. And skunks, if they do wander about in winter, wait for a decently warm evening to do so. Healthy skunks, that is.

What we have here is very, very likely not a healthy skunk. I called the sheriff's office and they strongly – very, very strongly – recommended shooting the skunk on sight. But not, under any circumstances, in the head. They want that examined. I went out for a bit and floundered through the drifts but did not see the creature. My wife and daughter mixed up the solution the vet recommended and bathed the dog, three times, thank you, and life goes on.

But I talked to my neighbor's wife just to let her know not to get alarmed if she heard gunfire. She informed me that the skunk had sprayed her husband two days ago. The weather was actually worse two days ago. So that pretty well confirms a very, very sick skunk. (I tried to call the state wildlife folks, but they were closed). At the moment, there are a couple of guns placed in strategic locations in case it wanders out where I can see it. (I think it is under the neighbor's pine tree at the moment).  

My wife just read this and pointed out the obvious. The Animal Uprising™ is obviously afraid of the fearless reporting that Blue Crab Boulevard has been providing about their nefarious schemes. They are sending rabid skunk warriors to silence your faithful reporter. We need more full automatic weapons! (Donations cheerfully accepted, just hit the AmmoPal donation button.)

Utah Elementary Schools In Lockdown

Someone called in a threat to a local post office in Salem, Utah claiming that a shooting would occur at a school today. Authorities have instituted lockdowns at three elementary schools.

Three elementary schools in Salem were placed in lock down after police say an anonymous threat was called into the local post office.

Police say a man called the post office in Salem claiming a shooting would occur at a school on Tuesday.

PETA: Save The Pigs, Eat Humans Instead!

PETA has finally come right out to promote cannibalism, or at least that's how we read this report. They think strict vegetarians make a better diet for humans than pigs.

PETA urged people to "treat pigs with kindness and stop eating them" because pork and other animal products have been linked to heart disease, obesity and other illnesses.

"As the Year of the Pig approaches, Chinese people around the world can make it a true celebration of life by recognising that pigs are smart, complex and even heroic animals who deserve everyones respect", said PETA's Coco Yu.

"Were calling on Chinese people everywhere to make a positive difference in their lives — and the lives of millions of pigs — by adopting a healthy, humane vegetarian diet."

Dictionary.com carries the following information when you enter the word vegetarian:

veg·e·tar·i·an  –noun 1. a person who does not eat or does not believe in eating meat, fish, fowl, or, in some cases, any food derived from animals, as eggs or cheese, but subsists on vegetables, fruits, nuts, grain, etc. 

Now vegetarians everywhere had better start thinking self defense. Because PETA is coming to humanely turn you into chops and cutlets. Hey, we didn't write the press release, they did. We just had no idea that PETA was here to serve man.

“Restructuring”

I guess "reframing" is out of style at the New York Times. They report that Barack Obama is "restructuring" his statement that lives of Americans who have died in the war in Iraq were "wasted". And he's willing to apologize if anyone was offended by his remark.

And he may have done severe damage to his campaign that simply.

As he arrived in New Hampshire, Mr. Obama said he would “absolutely apologize” to military families if they were offended by a remark he made in Iowa while criticizing the Bush administration’s Iraq policy.

“What I would say — and meant to say — is that their service hasn’t been honored,” Mr. Obama told reporters in Nashua, N.H., “because our civilian strategy has not honored their courage and bravery, and we have put them in a situation in which it is hard for them to succeed.”

A New Hampshire reporter asked Mr. Obama whether he regretted the remark, made at a rally on Sunday that “we ended up launching a war that should have never been authorized and should have never been waged, and to which we now have spent $400 billion and have seen over 3,000 lives of the bravest young Americans wasted.”

Frankly, he should have flat out apologized, no equivocations, no qualifiers, no "Gee, sorry you took offense". Kerry learned that the hard way. He says he did realize it was a mistake the moment he said it. So whether he's sorry because the remark was wrong or sorry that he said how he really feels doesn't really matter.

Romney Makes It Official

Mitt Romney has officially entered the race for the Republican nomination for president in 2008.

DEARBORN, Mich. – Mitt Romney officially entered the 2008 presidential race Tuesday, a former one-term Republican governor of Massachusetts suggesting that his record of leadership inside and outside government uniquely positions him to tackle the country's challenges.

"I do not believe Washington can be transformed from within by lifetime politicians," Romney said, seeking to turn a potential liability, his limited political experience, into an asset. "There have been too many deals, too many favors, too many entanglements — and too little real world experience managing, guiding, leading."

The article calls that last bit a "veiled swipe" at John McCain. Not much of a veil, there. These presidential campaigns are getting to be much too long and much too expensive. And crowded. It's interesting how the AP makes it a point to say Romney has "limited" political experience. They really don't emphasize that point in the majority of the coverage about Barack Obama, do they?

Campaign Of Villification

Dennis Prager has a column up over at Real Clear Politics that captures what is going on right now with regards to global warming. Or rather the discussion about global warming. Taking Ellen Goodman's column from last week as a starting point, Pragar takes a look at what he calls a campaign of villification. He's right, I have pointed out the same thing.

In her last column, Boston Globe columnist Ellen Goodman wrote: "Let's just say that global warming deniers are now on a par with Holocaust deniers . . . "

This is worthy of some analysis.

First, it reflects a major difference between the way in which the Left and Right tend to view each other. With a few exceptions, those on the Left tend to view their ideological adversaries as bad people, i.e., people with bad intentions, while those on the Right tend to view their adversaries as wrong, perhaps even dangerous, but not usually as bad.

Those who deny the Holocaust are among the evil of the world. Their concern is not history but hurting Jews, and their attempt to rob nearly six million people of their experience of unspeakable suffering gives new meaning to the word "cruel." To equate those who question or deny global warming with those who question or deny the Holocaust is to ascribe equally nefarious motives to them. It may be inconceivable to Al Gore, Ellen Goodman and their many millions of supporters that a person can disagree with them on global warming and not have evil motives: Such an individual must be paid by oil companies to lie, or lie — as do Holocaust deniers — for some other vile reason……

…… the Ellen Goodman quote is only the beginning of what is already becoming one of the largest campaigns of vilification of decent people in history — the global condemnation of a) anyone who questions global warming; or b) anyone who agrees that there is global warming but who argues that human behavior is not its primary cause; or c) anyone who agrees that there is global warming, and even agrees that human behavior is its primary cause, but does not believe that the consequences will be nearly as catastrophic as Al Gore does.

If you don't believe all three propositions, you will be lumped with Holocaust deniers, and it would not be surprising that soon, in Europe, global warming deniers will be treated as Holocaust deniers and prosecuted. Just watch. That is far more likely than the oceans rising by 20 feet. Or even 10. Or even three.

Read the whole thing, he makes a number of very good points.

Getting Into Moosechief

The moose minions of the Animal Uprising™ have turned the city of Sandpoint, Idaho into their personal playground. They have invaded the city and are attempting to lure city dwellers into chasing them. This is, of course, an attempt to lure the foolish humans into an ambush. But really stupid people – and we are talking world class dumb here – keep right on following them.

Lockwood said residents are currently sharing the city with about three to five moose. Finding the animals at lower elevations isn't uncommon in the winter months, when deep snow at higher elevations drives animals to lowlands in search of food.

"When these animals roam into the city, they can become frightened and disoriented, making them more dangerous than if they were encountered in the wild," Lockwood said.

One woman pushing a jogging stroller recently chased after a moose in an attempt to photograph it, with a pack of people close behind.

</Humor> Which should be treated as endangering the welfare of a child. The chief of police, Mark Lockwood, puts it this way: "Sooner or later Bullwinkle is going to stomp somebody." He's right. The people who think it's a good idea to chase these things, even if it is just to get a photograph, are asking for a stomping. These are not cute, fuzzy, cuddly moose. These are half ton wild animals that can kill you if they get provoked. Leave the moose alone, you fools.

Allies?

The Telegraph reports that extremely lethal sniper rifles manufactured in Austria and sold to Iran have turned up in Iraq. Over 100 of the 800 sold to Iran have turned up, in fact. The Austrian government approved the sale of the weapons over the objections of Britain and the United States.

Austrian sniper rifles that were exported to Iran have been discovered in the hands of Iraqi terrorists, The Daily Telegraph has learned.

More than 100 of the.50 calibre weapons, capable of penetrating body armour, have been discovered by American troops during raids.

The guns were part of a shipment of 800 rifles that the Austrian company, Steyr-Mannlicher, exported legally to Iran last year.

The sale was condemned in Washington and London because officials were worried that the weapons would be used by insurgents against British and American troops.

Within 45 days of the first HS50 Steyr Mannlicher rifles arriving in Iran, an American officer in an armoured vehicle was shot dead by an Iraqi insurgent using the weapon.

Over the last six months American forces have found small caches of the £10,000 rifles but in the last 24 hours a raid in Baghdad brought the total to more than 100, US defence sources reported.

It's hard to fathom why the Austrian government approved a sale of these things to Iran. It is even harder to fathom how people can go on believing that Iran has nothing to do with the violence in Iraq. Here is what a Steyr HS50 looks like. 

UPDATE: The rifles were purchased by the Iranian government supposedly for anti-drug efforts. Others: Confederate Yankee, Jules Crittenden, Roger L. Simon, Power Line, QandO, Gateway Pundit, The Bullwinkle Blog, Polimom Says, The Moderate Voice, Captain's Quarters,  Protein Wisdom, Hot Air, TigerHawk, Argghhh!, Instapundit, Hugh Hewitt, Outside The Beltway, Beltway Blogroll, Classical Values, The Political Pit Bull, 

North Korea Deal?

Well, on paper it looks like North Korea has agreed to start in the direction of potential de-nuclearization. But it is not yet, as some in the media are already calling it, nuclear disarmament by any means. And they are going to get substantial amounts of bribe money to even take those first steps.

Under the deal, the North will receive initial aid equal to 50,000 tons heavy fuel oil within 60 days for shutting down and sealing its main nuclear reactor and related facilities at Yongbyon, north of the capital, to be confirmed by international inspectors.

For irreversibly disabling the reactor and declaring all nuclear programs, the North will eventually receive another 950,000 tons in aid.

The agreement was read to all delegates in a conference room at a Chinese state guesthouse and Chinese envoy Wu Dawei asked if there were any objections. When none were made, the officials all stood and applauded.

The main U.S. nuclear envoy said Washington was satisfied with an agreement on initial steps for North Korea to disarm but called it just the start of the process.

"Obviously we have a long way to go, but we're very pleased with this agreement," Assistant Secretary of State Christopher Hill told reporters. "It's a very solid step forward."

My guess here – and it is only a guess – is that China finally leaned on Pyongyang enough to get them off of top dead center. But unless they keep up the pressure, North Korea will likely try to double-deal as they have in the past. It's a good thing that the US insisted on the six party talks, however. There are now other stakeholders that will be willing to help keep that pressure on.

Counterfish

There is a large - a really large – market in counterfeit fish. No, really. The grouper might not be grouper at all. There are people busily selling all sorts of different fish to restaurants as grouper. Investigators have not even been able to identify some of the fish involved.

In this area that some consider the national capital of grouper — more than three-quarters of the U.S. catch comes from Florida's Gulf and a grouper sandwich downed at a waterside bar is cherished as an authentically Floridian repast — the finding has amplified a local outrage that, experts say, points to a larger national problem of fish fakery.

"This problem is rampant across America," said Mark Kinsey, a special agent for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration who enforces marine resource laws. "And it isn't just grouper."

Much of the reason for the questionable grouper, red snapper and other fish stems from a simple matter of supply and demand, regulators and industry officials say.

With the popularity of grouper rising nationwide and the domestic catch at times limited by federal guidelines, restaurateurs have relied on imports to fill the gap.

The quality of those imports has proved harder to control, even as the lower prices — often a small fraction of domestic prices — have made the imports irresistible.

In many instances, not only is the "grouper" in fact farm-raised Asian catfish from Vietnam or other species that swim with grouper, but the filets have shown signs of salmonella and traces of illegal carcinogenic fungicides, NOAA law enforcement officials said.

In December, a Panama City businessman pleaded guilty to marketing more than a million pounds of Asian catfish as grouper, a remarkable volume considering that the domestic annual catch is about 10 million pounds. Yet law enforcement officers said they think larger cases are out there.

A man sells counterfish equal to 10% of the annual legal catch and there are bigger cases out there? Funny, but there are more and more seafood restaurants well away from the seacoasts these days that boast of flying seafood in daily. They don't mention that the seafood needed a passport to get here.