Please note that you can leave a comment on any of our posts at our Facebook page.  Subscribers can also comment at length at our Angel's Corner Forum.

OUR DAILY SNIPPETS ARE HERE.

SUNDAY, AUGUST 22, 2010

HEY, MORE GOOD NEWS...NOT – AT 6:55 P.M. ET:  We can't say we weren't warned.  Sane experts on the Mideast have warned for years that if Iran's nuclear program progressed, other countries in the region would want one too.  Now the proof:

Sudan plans to build a nuclear reactor for peaceful purposes by 2020, the SUNA state news agency said Sunday.

Sudan has noted economic and political ties with Iran, which has been facing increasing sanctions and international pressure over its nuclear program. Like Iran, Sudan is under US sanctions, and has been since 1997.

Notice how effective these "sanctions" actually are.  Sudan is genocidal, and is going right ahead with its own program.

The International Criminal Court charged Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir with three counts of genocide in Darfur last month, marking the first time the world's first permanent war crimes tribunal has issued genocide charges.

The International Atomic Energy Agency is planning to travel to Sudan on August 23 to discuss importing a nuclear reactor for "research purposes." SUNA said Sudan began plans to develop a nuclear program early this year.

COMMENT:  Impoverished, genocidal, its president under international charge for mass murder.  Why, why shouldn't they have a nuclear program?  Aren't all cultures equal?  Don't they have rights?

Our failure with Iran, which is playing out every day, is going to have grave consequences down the line.

August 22, 2010      Permalink

QUOTE OF THE DAY – AT 10:36 A.M. ET:  Andy McCarthy does some of the best work on exposing radical Islam.  He's been there.  A former federal prosector, he prosecuted the perpetrators of the first World Trade Center bombing, in 1993.  Today he asks, "Which Islam Will Prevail in America?"  Consider this:

Most of the mosques and Islamic centers in our country are controlled, to a greater or lesser degree, by the Muslim Brotherhood and its satellites. The North American Islamic Trust (NAIT) was established in the early Seventies to buy up property for the establishment of American mosques and “Islamic centers,” the latter being what the Brotherhood calls “the axis” of the Islamist movement in America. The Islamic Society of North America (ISNA) supplies literature and vets imams. Both NAIT and ISNA, along with CAIR and other Brotherhood groups, were identified by the Justice Department as unindicted coconspirators in the recent Hamas-financing prosecution against the Holy Land Foundation. These Islamists owe their vision to the Brotherhood. Just as important, they owe their livelihood, influence, and power to moneyed Middle East patrons, particularly the Saudis. 

Oh dear, how politically incorrect.  We must not say things like that.  It could upset people, and that's why they attack us.

In fact, America has been remarkably generous toward Islam, despite some extraordinarily disturbing things that are taught in mosques in the United States. 

The Kingdom and the Brotherhood have combined for a half-century to put American Muslim communities in a stranglehold. They proselytize a fundamentalist interpretation of Islam — an amalgam of Saudi Wahhabism and Brotherhood Salafism — that is virulently anti-Western. Its instruction to Muslims in the United States, Canada, and Europe is voluntary apartheid: Immigrate but don’t integrate, infiltrate but don’t assimilate.

We were able to ask questions, present challenges, and even take legal action when it became clear that there were rogue priests inside the Catholic Church who were engaged in child molestation.  Religious freedom has survived in the United States, and the overwhelming majority of American Catholics have supported the right to ask questions and seek justice. 

Somehow, though, in some circles, it is considered "culturally offensive" to question anything that goes on in Islam.  We usually get something like, "Who are we to question another culture?"  We're thoughtful, informed citizens, that's who we are.  And we will continue to question, and to be informed by writers like Andy McCarthy.

August 22, 2010      Permalink

PROGRESS IN WASHINGTON STATE – AT 9:57 A.M. ET:  There's a hot Senate race in Washington state, pitting incumbent Patty Murray against GOP challenger Dino Rossi.  First poll is out:

The first KING 5 Senate poll for the 2010 general election shows Republican Dino Rossi is actually ahead of Democratic incumbent Patty Murray, 52% to 45%.

In most polls leading up to this week’s primary election and on primary night, Murray was in the lead. Primary election results placed Murray 13 points ahead of Rossi, but Rossi splitting the Republican vote with Clint Didier who got 12%, and Paul Akers, with 3%.

The new K5 poll of 618 likely voters, conducted by SurveyUSA, is the first look at a Murray-Rossi matchup in November. It suggests that even without an official endorsement from Didier, many of Didier’s supporters would choose Rossi over Murray. Akers has endorsed Rossi, but Didier is withholding his endorsement at this time.

"The race may tighten, which is what we might expect, but I do think that we can say going in as this first poll shows, is that this is not a layup for re-election and that there’s a real fight here," said Jay Leve, Editor of SurveyUSA.

COMMENT:  This is a must-win for Republicans if they want to have any chance of taking over the Senate, which is a statistical long shot.  Unity is the key for the GOP in Washington state.  There is still some dissension involving the demands of Tea Partiers.  Smart politicians should hold a meeting of the various factions in someone's basement, preferably one with a pistol range.

August 22, 2010      Permalink

IRANIAN PEACEFUL DEVELOPMENT NEWS – AT 9:44 A.M. ET:  One day after firing up a Russian-built nuclear reactor, Iran gives us more evidence of its peaceful intent:

TEHRAN, Iran (AP) -- Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Sunday inaugurated the country's first domestically built unmanned bomber aircraft, calling it an ''ambassador of death'' to Iran's enemies.

The 4-meter-long drone aircraft can carry up to four cruise missiles and will have a range of 620 miles (1,000 kilometers), according to a state TV report -- not far enough to reach archenemy Israel.

''The jet, as well as being an ambassador of death for the enemies of humanity, has a main message of peace and friendship,'' said Ahmadinejad at the inauguration ceremony, which fell on the country's national day for its defense industries.

Well, of course, all ambassadors of death bring messages of peace and friendship.

The goal of the aircraft, named Karrar or striker, is to ''keep the enemy paralyzed in its bases,'' he said, adding that the aircraft is for deterrence and defensive purposes.

The president championed the country's military self-sufficiency program, and said it will continue ''until the enemies of humanity lose hope of ever attacking the Iranian nation.''

News of this development undoubtedly came to President Obama on his sixth vacation of the year, and Martha's Vineyard.

August 22, 2010     Permalink

SATURDAY, AUGUST 21, 2010

VULGARITY – AT 8:19 P.M. ET:  You'd think there'd be some decency left in American politics.  It's hard to believe that when you read this:

You might call him Governor Moonbeam, but I prefer Governor Double Dip, and there’s nothing harmlessly moonbeamy and charmingly hippie dippie about his doing business with Jodie Evans, co-founder of the obnoxious anti-American group Code Pink and someone with a well-documented history of supporting terrorists and those countries that would do America harm.

The Great Melanie Morgan is putting together a protest for tomorrow and according to Variety’s Wilshire & Washington, it looks as though the protest will also be an opportunity to do a little star-gazing:

Jerry Brown will be at the Venice home of Jodie Evans for a $500-per-person event on Saturday, with a host list that includes Frank Gehry, Sally Kellerman, Bill Press, Stanley Sheinbaum, Hope Warschaw and Gail Zappa.

Hey, so what if Jodie Evans and her Code Pinksters likes to partner up with Hamas to donate $600,000 in “humanitarian aid” to the same terrorists out on a rampage to kill our military in Iraq? These prominent Hollywoodists and their moneyed ilk are just trying to be open-minded and tolerant. It’s not like she’s Sarah Palin.

COMMENT:  Let us call it as it is:  Code Pink is a pro-Communist and anti-American organization that has infiltrated into "respectable" political society.  It is anti-democratic.

Yet, you will never hear the group described accurately or completely in the mainstream media.  For more than half a century there's been an unspoken arrangement in elite journalism wherein Marxists are vaguely described as "anti-war" advocates, "peace" advocates, or "progressives."  If one tells the truth and identifies them as Communists, one is called a "McCarthyite."

It is outrageous that Jerry Brown, who at times has shown some hints of maturity, would accept the support of these political slimeballs.  But the sad fact is that, among Brown's potential pool of voters, a meeting with Code Pink will probably make no difference.  Just keep the social-project checks coming.

August 21, 2010       Permalink

FORGET IT – AT 1:46 P.M. ET:  Forget the bulletin just below.  Sweden apparently has had second thoughts:

Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) -- Swedish authorities say they have revoked an arrest warrant that had alleged rape against the founder and editor of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange.

Assange is "no longer wanted" and "is not suspected of rape," Chief Prosecutor Eva Finne said in a statement posted on the agency's official website Saturday. He is also no longer arrested in absentia, the statement said.

COMMENT:  Very, very strange.  How can you issue a formal charge, then revoke it within hours?  Was there a legal error?  Is politics involved?  I have no idea, but there's something not right.

August 21, 2010      Permalink

BULLETIN – AT 8:57 A.M. ET:  Some people seem to be attracted to trouble.  He'll probably blame the CIA:

Stockholm, Sweden (CNN) -- The founder and editor of the whistle-blowing website WikiLeaks, Julian Assange, has been charged in Sweden with rape and molestation, a spokeswoman for the Swedish prosecutor's office told CNN Saturday.

I love the way CNN refers to WikiLeaks as a "whistle-blowing" website.  No, it's an anti-American website that releases classified Pentagon information that can be damaging to our own troops and to those who help us in Afghanistan. 

Spokeswoman Karin Rosander said the charges were filed Friday night in relation to two separate instances, but she didn't have more detail about when the alleged crimes occurred or who the alleged victims are.

Assange denied the charges in a posting Saturday on the WikiLeaks Twitter page, saying, "The charges are without basis and their issue at this moment is deeply disturbing."

The rape charge carries a possible prison sentence, while the molestation charge would not, Rosander said.

There is no further information available at this time.  We'll be watching this.

August 21, 2010      Permalink

THE BARBOUR OF CIVIL (OKAY, OKAY) – AT 8:14 A.M. ET:  We've suggested to readers before that they watch Haley Barbour, the Republican governor of Mississippi.  He's one of the most accomplished governors we have, and one of the most politically astute.  He was a successful chairman of the Republican National Committee.  From The Politico:

Mississippi Gov. Haley Barbour is the most powerful Republican in American politics — at least for the next three months.

Barbour, who runs the Republican Governors Association, has more money to spend on the 2010 elections — $40 million — than any other GOP leader around. And in private, numerous Republicans describe Barbour as the de facto chairman of the party.

It’s not just because he controls the RGA kitty but, rather, because he has close relationships with everyone who matters in national GOP politics — operatives like Karl Rove, Ed Gillespie and other top Republicans running or raising cash for a network of outside political groups.

And...

“He’s clearly the top political strategist and political operative of his generation,” said Rep. Tom Cole (R-Okla.), a former RNC chief of staff. “He is without peer when he is raising money.”

And now the sweet spot:

Barbour’s clout is also derived from his serious interest in running for president in 2012, a point he is making clear in private conversations. His logic, one adviser told POLITICO, is simple: When he surveys what most Republicans consider to be a weak field, he sees no reason he couldn’t easily beat them. He’s a better strategist and fundraiser than any other candidate currently considering running — and just as good on television and in debates, his thinking goes.

I'd like to see him run, but he has one enormous liability:  Mississippi.  The governor of the state often seen as the symbol of resistance to racial progress facing off against the nation's first black president?  You know exactly how the Dems will use that.  You can write the script.  It won't just be the race card.  It will be the full deck.  The Politico notes:

A portly Southern conservative who represented tobacco firms and made millions building a lobbying firm isn’t the ideal profile for a Republican nominee in this or any political environment. In recent polls, Barbour is stuck in low single digits, way behind Mitt Romney, Mike Huckabee and Sarah Palin.

I think it's uphill, and Barbour might have to settle for being a power behind the throne and a good candidate for White House chief of staff.  As superb as he is, the baggage may be too much in a general election. 

But they said that about Richard Nixon in 1968, didn't they?

August 21, 2010     Permalink

ANOTHER DAY IN IRAN, ANOTHER DAY CLOSER TO THE BOMB – AT 8:09 A.M. ET:  This is a major day for the Iranian nuclear program.  From AP:

Iranian and Russian nuclear technicians made final preparations to start up Iran's first reactor on Saturday after years of delays, an operation that will mark a milestone in what Tehran considers its right to produce nuclear energy.

Nationwide celebrations are planned for the fuel loading at the Bushehr facility in southern Iran, while Russia pledges to safeguard the plant and prevent spent nuclear fuel from being shifted to a possible weapons program.

I don't know if I want my children's lives to depend on Russian guarantees.

The startup operations will be a big success for Iran, conservative lawmaker Javad Karimi said in Tehran. It also shows Iran's resolve and capability in pursuing its nuclear activities.

The West has not sought to block the reactor startup as part of its confrontations over Iran's nuclear agenda, a clash that has resulted in repeated rounds of UN sanctions against Tehran. Washington and other nations do not specifically object to Tehran's ability to build peaceful reactors that are under international scrutiny.

However, it is seen by hard-liners as defiance of UN Security Council sanctions that seek to slow Iran's nuclear advances - which Tehran's foes worry could eventually push toward atomic weapons.

What concerns America and others - including Russia - is Iran's refusal to halt uranium enrichment, a process that can be used to make fuel for nuclear arms.

In fact, Iran hasn't halted any part of its nuclear program.  Yesterday's "reassurance" from the administration that Iran is a year away from a bomb is no reassurance at all. 

We hope the president is enjoying Martha's Vineyard today.

August 21, 2010      Permalink

PRETTY STUNNING, AND AT A COST OF BILLIONS – AT 8:05 A.M. ET:  How do we manage to spend so much on education, and get so little?  We were alerted to this by reader Joseph J. Gallick.  From The Wall Street Journal:

New data show that fewer than 25% of 2010 graduates who took the ACT college-entrance exam possessed the academic skills necessary to pass entry-level courses, despite modest gains in college-readiness among U.S high-school students in the last few years.

The results raise questions about how well the nation's high schools are preparing students for college, and show the challenge facing the Obama administration in its effort to raise educational standards. The administration won bipartisan support for its education policies early on, but faces a tough fight in the fall over the rewrite and reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind program.

While elementary schools have shown progress on national achievement exams, high-school results have stayed perniciously low. Some experts say the lack of rigor in high-school courses is partly to blame.

What?  Lack of rigor?  You mean courses like "Race, gender and ethnicity in the history of American oppression, as seen by Oprah Winfrey" isn't a rigorous course?  Who is this reporter?  Some egghead?

"High schools are the downfall of American school reform," said Jack Jennings, president of the Center on Education Policy, a nonpartisan research organization in Washington. "We haven't figured out how to improve them on a broad scope and if our kids aren't dropping out physically, they are dropping out mentally."

Gee, how do we do it?  Guess we never educated anyone?  How about tough courses on important subjects, subjecting students to high standards and insisting that they meet them?  That might be a start.  And ridding schools of political correctness, which just dumbs them down, might be a good finish.

August 21, 2010     Permalink