PELICANPOST.BLOGSPOT.COM: November 2004

U.N. Said Not Protecting Sudan Refugees

AP Breaking
Nov 26, 5:58 p.m. EST
By Bradley S. Klapper, AP Writer

GENEVA - "The United Nations is failing to protect millions of people displaced by conflict in Sudan's Darfur region and violence in other hotspots around the world, a U.N. report said Friday.

The world body's approach to the problem of people who have fled their homes but not crossed any international borders "is still largely ad hoc and driven more by the personalities and convictions of individuals on the ground than by an institutional, systemwide agenda," the report said.
The U.N.'s Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs and the Brookings Institution, a Washington-based think tank, compiled the 102-page study.

Dennis McNamara, head of OCHA's refugee division, said there is no single U.N. agency that deals with providing assistance for the 25 million internally displaced people around the world....

....More than 1.8 million people are estimated to have been driven from their homes in the 21-month-old Darfur conflict...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com for entire article.

Pelican Post Commentary: The worthless U.N. is giving de facto approval to the displacement, rape and murder of these defenseless people by standing by and doing nothing of substance to help. As Secretary General, Kofi Annan has become a symbol of incompetence, nepotism, protectionism, corruption and total absence of ethics and leadership in that worthless cesspool---the United Nations. The list of unattended to atrocities, genocides, disasters and frauds under his watch is endless.

Annan is, now frequently, overtly and boldly speaking and acting against our own country in a manner that is not only subversive to our best interests but also supportive of terrorists---especially those engaged in the terrorist insurgency in Irac.

Under Annan's watch, reason and logic have been turned on their heads by the elevation of terrorist nations to seats on the UN Security Council and by placing terrorist sympathizers in high posts in the IAEA where they either appease or turn a blind eye to obvious nuclear proliferation abuses by terrorist supporting and exporting countries. What is it going to take---a neon sign by the front door of the UN announcing "We support terrorists and their jihad against America and the west" before Americans realize that the UN has become a subversive tool that is undermining our government even as they use our hospitality and money to accomplish it?" Enough already! It's time for the UN to go.

Report Links 9/11 Attacks, Madrid Bombings

AP Breaking News
November 28, 2004 7:44 p.m. EST

MADRID, Spain - "An unidentified Muslim militant suspected of helping plan the Sept. 11 attacks in the United States also ordered this year's Madrid train bombings, a Spanish newspaper said Sunday, asserting the closest link yet between the two terrorist attacks.

The man is believed to be a lieutenant of Mustafa Setmariam, a fugitive with dual Syrian and Spanish nationality who is considered a key figure in the March 11 backpack bombings that targeted the Madrid commuter rail network, the newspaper ABC said, citing information from the FBI...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com for entire article.

Brown Pelican Trio

Ukraine state TV in revolt

Breaking News
November 26, 2004
By Sebastian Usher, BBC world media correspondent

Ukraine journalists pledge impartiality.
Journalists on Ukraine's state-owned channel - which had previously given unswerving support to Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych - have joined the opposition, saying they have had enough of "telling the government's lies".

Journalists on another strongly pro-government TV station have also promised an end to the bias in their reporting. The turnaround in news coverage, after years of toeing the government line, is a big setback for Mr Yanukovych.

Journalists in Ukraine seem to have responded to the call by opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko for them to reject government censorship.

A correspondent on the state channel, UT1, announced live on the evening bulletin that the entire news team was going to join the protests in Independence Square. She said their message to the protesters was: "We are not lying anymore"....

Rebellion
For the first time in years, the UT1 bulletin aired opposition views in a balanced way after the station's management acceded to the journalists' demands...."

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/4044791.stm for the entire exciting article. Emphasis added by Jacqueline, not the BBC.

Bush: Validity of Ukraine Vote in Doubt

Breaking News
By Scott Lindlaw
Nov 26, 8:50 p.m. EST

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) - President Bush declared Friday that charges of voter fraud have cast doubt on the Ukrainian election, and warned that any European-negotiated pact on Iran's nuclear program must ensure the world can verify Tehran's compliance.

"The only good deal is one that's verifiable," the president told reporters as he emerged from his Texas ranch for a brief visit to a coffee shop.

Bush issued a new appeal for the power to delete specific items that he deems excessive from budget plans.

He spoke a week after Congress approved a $388 billion spending package that lawmakers loaded up with special items for their home-state industries and communities.

The president said he was not troubled by the total cost of the measure, which he said conformed to the outlines of spending requests he had made to lawmakers...."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041127/D86JTQU00.html for the entire informative article.

The legitimate winner of the presidential race...

Viktor Yushchenko with supporters at Kiev, Ukraine after presidential election

Ukraine Rivals Fail to Resolve Stalemate

Breaking News
By Aleksandar Vasovica, AP Writer - Nov 26, 8:36 p.m. EST

KIEV, Ukraine - "Ukraine's two rivals for power failed in nearly three hours of talks Friday to resolve the political stalemate over who will lead the bitterly divided nation, and opposition candidate Viktor Yushchenko told a huge rally that he was insisting on a new election.

Outgoing President Leonid Kuchma presided at the meeting with Yushchenko, Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovich and a delegation of key European envoys, and he said a working group had been established to find a solution to the crisis over who will succeed him. The group was expected to begin meeting as soon as Saturday...."

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/U/UKRAINE_ELECTIONS?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME for entire article, including actions of the protesters, the U.S. and the EU.

Patriotic Sailing in Charleston Harbor

Zarqawi network appeals for help in first signals of defeat

Breaking News
November 26, 2004

BAGHDAD — "Sunni insurgents backing Abu Mussib Al Zarqawi have expressed alarm at the prospect of a defeat by the U.S.-led coalition in Iraq. An audio tape said to be from Al Zarqawi charged Muslim clerics with letting down the insurgency "because of your silence."

On Wednesday, Al Zarqawi, with a $25 million bounty on his head, was the target of a major manhunt in the Sunni Triangle, Middle East Newsline reported. Iraqi military sources said Al Zarqawi was said to have been seen in an area south of Fallujah.

Islamic sources said that for the first time in more than a year the Tawhid and Jihad group led by Al Zarqawi appears to have lost control over many of its insurgents in the Sunni Triangle.

The sources said Iraqi and U.S. assaults on major insurgency strongholds in such cities as Baghdad, Fallujah, Mosul, Ramadi and Samara have resulted in heavy insurgency casualties and a break in the command and control structure.

Over the last few days, Al Zarqawi supporters have appealed for help from Al Qaida and related groups. The sources said Al Qaida's allies, including the Salafist Brigade for Combat and Call, have sought to increase recruitment of Muslim volunteers to fight the coalition.
The Internet has also reflected: the growing concern that Islamic insurgents would be routed in Iraq...."

http://www.worldtribune.com/worldtribune/breaking_9.html for the entire breaking news article. Emphasis in article added by Jacqueline.

Regime Change at the CIA

From the December 6, 2004 issue of the Weekly Standard: It's long past time for a shake-up.
By William Kristol - 12/06/2004 - *****Five Star Article

"PORTER GOSS was confirmed as director of central intelligence on September 22, 2004. That day, acting CIA director John McLaughlin said, "I know I speak for my colleagues at CIA and throughout the intelligence community in congratulating Porter Goss on his confirmation by the Senate as director of central intelligence."

It was a gracious statement from a man who had wanted the job. But in terms of accuracy it should go down as the latest in a long line of bogus CIA assessments. McLaughlin was not speaking on behalf of many of his colleagues at the CIA when he congratulated Goss on his confirmation.

As chairman of the House Select Committee on Intelligence for seven years, Goss had been highly critical of the agency, particularly its clandestine services. He arrived at Langley with reform of the stubborn CIA bureaucracy on his mind.

So within two weeks of McLaughlin's statement, current and former CIA officials started firing warning shots at their new boss. These ranged from disgraceful attempts to tarnish the personal reputation of Goss's associates, to silly stories of how Goss's team was being rude to oh-so-sensitive bureaucrats in Langley, to ridiculous claims that Goss was trying to politicize an agency that had become more politicized than either of our political parties...."

http://www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/963mxcyp.asp for the entire, excellent article.

The use and abuse of labels

By David Limbaugh
November 26, 2004
*****Five Star Commentary

"Liberals often decry labels, but labels can be helpful. It is the misuse of labels to which we ought to object. In secular-liberal Orwellian speak, words and concepts are cleverly twisted to demonize political and religious opponents. From "intolerance" to "racism" the liberal quiver is pregnant with verbal arrows tipped with the very poison they pretend to abhor...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/commentary/20041126-125801-7922r.htm for entire excellent commentary.

Dan's departure

EDITORIAL - November 26, 2004

"Dan Rather Scrambles to Confirm Story of his Resignation," read a headline on the parody news site, Scrappleface.com. It's a sad but fitting epitaph for the career of one of America's most recognized journalists. On March 9, Mr. Rather will officially step down as anchorman of "The CBS Evening News," a position he's held for since 1981, while continuing as an investigative reporter for "60 Minutes." As many have said, it is the end of an era, yet the story behind Mr. Rather's resignation goes far beyond Mr. Rather himself.

In many ways, Mr. Rather epitomized the decaying monopoly of the Big Three networks. But before assigning their ever-diminishing relevance to the rise of cable news and the Internet bloggers, it should be remembered that the "new" media would never have come about if there hadn't been a need for it.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20041125-085449-7144r.htm
for entire editorial.

Pelican Post Commentary: This editorial credits bloggers, including http://www.scrappleface.com with their role in the news revolution---helping bring about fair and balanced reporting and higher standards of credibility---both badly needed in light of the long term elite liberal media bias and control of what got reported. Technology and freedom of speech have joined forces to create a leveling effect---better known as a level playing field. Manipulation of the media is a dangerous tool which can be, and has been abused. Vigilance in keeping the news media ethical, legitimate and fair is a worthy and necessary endeavor.

Weapons cache biggest yet

Breaking News
By Tini Tran, AP Writer - November 26, 2004

Baghdad — "American troops said yesterday they had uncovered the largest weapons cache to date in Fallujah, where Iraqi officials said more than 2,000 people died in the weeklong U.S.-led offensive aimed at curbing the insurgency so that elections could be held nationwide....
The weapons cache, described by the U.S. military as the largest uncovered so far in Fallujah, was discovered Wednesday in the Saad Bin Abi Waqas Mosque, where fugitive rebel leader Abdullah al-Janabi often preached.

Troops found small arms, artillery shells, heavy machine guns, and anti-tank mines inside the mosque, the U.S. military said. U.S. forces also uncovered what may have been a mobile bomb-making factory as well as mortars, rocket-propelled grenades, launchers, and parts of surface-to-air weapons systems elsewhere in the mosque compound, the military added.

At a press conference in Baghdad, National Security Adviser Qassem Dawoud said troops found the suspected chemical lab in the southwestern district of Fallujah, where pockets of insurgents are still holding out following the Nov. 8 U.S.-Iraqi assault....

http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20041125-102445-4112r.htm for the entire informative article.

Pelican Post Commentary: The extremist Sunni Muslim leaders of Fallujah are now asking for three more months before elections---apparently to give them more time to set up a new base of insurgency terrorist operations elsewhere to make a stronger attack on the new government. They also want the military action halted before the total cleaning out of the southern part of Fallujah where the huge weapons cache was just discovered---including potential weapons of mass destruction. Who knows what else may be found in southern Fallujah---perhaps even al Zawahiri. This is part of their organized big push to gain a firm base of operations to support continuation of their wider jihad to bring back their long lost caliphate.

These Wahabist and/or Takfir extremist Muslims are hell bent on forcing their "purified" form of Islam down the throats of anyone they deem an enemy of the faith---their faith, for they consider themselves the only Muslim group. All others are considered "infidels."

Takfir dogma denounces even other Muslims---any who don't subscribe to Takfir extremism. Takfir means "excommunication," which is applied to countries or individuals whom they perceive as corrupt and deserving of retribution---in other words, they give themselves license to murder all infidels---a perpetual jihad, so to speak.

Both the Wahabists and the Takfir follow Sharia law which controls by terror, intimidation, torture and butchery. Their "taqiyya" beliefs include suspicions of outsiders, secretiveness , and employment of elusive tactics---such as setting up cells that blend into non-Muslim cultures.

This is what our troops are up against. This is what many other areas of the world are up against. We are literally in World War III---a war against extremist terrorism that we and our allies cannot afford to lose. Europe has had two shocking reminders of this in the past few weeks. After 9/11, we don't need a reminder. We need to strongly support our President, U.S. and allied troops, the Iraq War, and Iraqi elections and reconstruction. We also need to strongly support the security and integrity of our borders to prevent illegals and jihadists from gaining entry to break our laws and endager our citizens.

South Carolina wild turkeys...

CLINTON'S LIE-BRARY

By Andrea Peyser
November 22, 2004
*****Five Star Article - this is so hilarious I laughed until tears streamed down my face while reading it.

"LITTLE CROCK, Ark. — Our neediest president has out done even himself. Bill Clinton has chosen not to roll into history with his chin up and his pants zipped. He's staging an eternal hissy fit.

On the first day real people not titled President or named Bono were allowed inside, I traveled to this land of delusion for an up-close peek at the William Jefferson Clinton Presidential Library — the ex-prez's glass-and-concrete personal acid trip.

Now I get it. This jumbled tribute to history, Clinton-style, is not a museum in the classic sense. It tells deliberate lies. It tries too hard to be noticed. To be loved. Above all, to get in the last word.

Which means Bill Clinton spent $165 million of other people's money for a glitzy homage to Madame Tussaud's — where he can smooth out the wrinkles, Wite-Out the warts, and paint moustaches on those who defied him.

Even before you get to the infamous Scandal Suite — where Bill mewls about being impeached — there seems a deliberate attempt to minimize the failings on his watch.

How else to explain why a picture of Tinky Winky, in all his lavender gayness, is posted on a panel alongside a photograph of an embassy bombing in Africa? You'd think Tink's outing was the bigger event on Clinton's watch.

Nearby, an endless loop of Yasser Arafat shaking the hand of a reluctant Yitzhak Rabin is shown — in slo-mo, no less. No mention that Mideast peace is in shambles.

But all this pales next to the sheer audacity of the Monica Alcove — Clinton's embarrassingly self-indulgent screed at his impeachment. I stood there and watched for the longest time as a tape played of his enemies — Linda Tripp, Ken Starr and then Monica herself. But here, the girl who foolishly serviced her willing president is not presented as a victim, but a tormentor.

"After going through here, you'd think he should be canonized," whispered Ben Hollis of Little Rock, with a laugh.
With Monica's image still burned in my mind, I checked out the upstairs replica of the Oval Office. Some, no doubt, will see only the carved mahogany desk. I could not help but wonder how Monica could fit within such a small space underneath it to perform her uncontracted services.

Some will see this library as a tribute to a great man who was wronged. I am just grateful I no longer fear my daughter will come home from kindergarten talking about oral sex and the president.

Looking at a room dedicated to the fantasy love affair of Hillary and Bill — the pair waltzing romantically on an endless tape loop — I realized that this museum is really a high-tech cartoon. A howl into the abyss by a man who'll never get it.

At least the gift shop — featuring Clinton action figures and Socks the Cat computer mouse pads — is worth the visit.

http://www.nypost.com/commentary/34787.htm

Thanksgiving's Simple Meaning

By Ken Masugi
November 24, 2004 - *****Five Star Article and a must read

We are all familiar with the Thanksgiving holiday as a time for family, feasting, and football. All of these are great American institutions, but we forget too easily the meaning of this national holiday as it was first established by George Washington on October 3, 1789 and reaffirmed as we know it today by Abraham Lincoln on October 3, 1863, exactly 74 years later.

A mere glance at their Thanksgiving proclamations reminds us of the noblest purposes of government, including its greatest ends—fighting war and educating its citizens—which fulfill all the objects of peace.

Moreover, the simplest meaning of Thanksgiving reminds us—contrary to secularist courts and professors—that these presidents were proclaiming a holy day, a day for prayer and recognition of Almighty God's authority over man. We are most human when we honor our duties, to our country and to our Creator, and the wisdom that unifies these duties...

No understanding of the First Amendment, however crabbed, can possibly gainsay this official government acknowledgement of the power of the sacred in our lives...

...As our young men fight and die in Iraq and around the world, just as thousands died at home only a little more than three years ago, we should remember the war wisdom of Lincoln and the founding wisdom of Washington on Thanksgiving Day. Guided by prayer, we should recall our higher purposes. We enjoy the fruits of our leisure on account of the sacrifices of others today and before us. Thanksgiving Day is Memorial Day and the Fourth of July together, a time for both the Gettysburg Address and the Constitution—as well as for the family, feasting, and football that complete American life. http://www.claremont.org/writings/precepts/041124masugi.html
« Home « Writings « Precepts for the entire excellent article.

Iraq Troops Find Chemical Lab in Fallujah

AP Headlines - Breaking News
November 25, 2004, 9:58 a.m. EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq - "Iraqi troops searching suspected terrorist hideouts in Fallujah discovered a laboratory with manuals on how to manufacture explosives and toxins - including anthrax, Iraq's national security adviser said Thursday.

Qassem Dawoud said the lab was found in the southwestern district of Fallujah, where pockets of insurgents are still holding out following the Nov. 8 assault by American and Iraqi forces.

"We also found in the laboratory manuals and instructions spelling out procedures for making explosives," he said. "They also spoke about making anthrax...."

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_CHEMICAL_LAB?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME for the entire article. Please join us in prayer and thanks for all of our troops on this Thanksgiving Day.

The shining face of America's future...

President George W. Bush with Boy, Girl and Brownie Scouts... something to be thankful for on this day of Thanksgiving.

Rumsfeld supports Scouts meeting on military bases

By Rowan Scarborough
November 25, 2004

"Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld has entered the fray over the Defense Department's relationship with the Boy Scouts of America, endorsing in a letter to the House speaker continued support of Scout troops who meet on military bases.

At least three conservative Republican lawmakers have sent letters to Mr. Rumsfeld protesting a Bush administration partial legal settlement of a lawsuit brought by the American Civil Liberties Union's Illinois chapter. The Justice Department, representing the Pentagon, agreed to warn military commanders not to officially sponsor Scout units.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20041125-011205-9752r.htm for entire article and very welcome news.

Pelican Post Commentary: The hard-left liberals' and ACLU's on-going attacks against the Boy Scouts of America are unconscionable. Kudos for "Rummy" for stepping up to the plate to defend these targeted youth and their right to continue a tradition of meeting and holding their Jamboree on military bases. Some of these boys may well be among the leaders of our military in the future and the values they learn now and the positive examples they observe on military bases are very relevant to their preparation for whatever role they may eventually have in life.

Docked and Waiting

HOW TO STEAL A COUNTRY

By Ralph Peters
November 24, 2004

UKRAINE remains an independent state. For now. But last week's shamelessly rigged presidential-election results were engineered by Russian President Vladimir Putin and the Kremlin's security services.

Exit polling, opinion polling, international election observers, Ukrainian local authorities and the people agree that opposition leader Viktor Yushchenko, a pro-Western Democrat, won. But the pro-Moscow government of Ukraine claims that the spectacularly corrupt incumbent Prime Minister Viktor Yanukovych received the majority of votes. Tens of thousands of demonstrators took to Kiev's streets in protest....

This is the biggest test for democracy on Europe's frontier since the fall of the Soviet Union....Disgracefully, the international community appears ready to give Putin a free hand in subverting the freedom of a sovereign, democratic state....

Ukraine isn't Russia's to steal.

The people of Ukraine who went to the polls to elect Viktor Yushchenko as their president, who want to be democratic, Western and free, need to hear from the White House. So does Mr. Putin. If we allow Ukraine's freedom to be destroyed without so much as a murmur from our president, we will have betrayed the ideals we claim to support at home, in Iraq and around the world...."

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/32142.htm
for the entire article.

A RATHER UGLY EXIT

OPINION EDITORIAL
November 24, 2004

"Dan Rather announced yesterday that he will retire in March as anchor of the CBS Evening News — though he'll hang on as a correspondent for both editions of "60 Minutes."

"I have always been and remain a 'hard-news' investigative reporter at heart," Rather said in a statement. "I now look forward to pouring my heart into that kind of reporting full time."

Well, as Rather said on Election Night, albeit in a slightly different context: "Ladies and gentleman, if you believe that, you'll believe rocks can grow." Believe the bit about "the hard-news investigative reporter" bit, we mean.

After all, Rather's announcement comes as the world awaits the results of a CBS-ordered "independent" assessment of the coldly calculated election-year hit that Rather & Co. attempted on President Bush earlier this year.

Retired Associated Press exec Louis D. Boccardi and former U.S. Attorney General Dick Thornburgh are supposedly examining the "60 Minutes II" episode — and, in particular, the role producer Mary Mapes played in its preparation.

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/32164.htm for the entire article.

Congress gets into ACLU cross brouhaha - Atheist blames 'Jihad Jesus Republicans' for new designation by lawmakers

November 24, 2004, 1:00 a.m. EST

"As part of its massive omnibus spending bill, Congress has acted to designate a disputed area in San Diego, Calif., as a national veterans memorial, a move that helps those hoping to save a 43-foot tall cross that has stood for 50 years.

The Thomas More Law Center, a law firm that has been involved in the fight to save the cross, announced yesterday that Reps. Duncan Hunter and Randy "Duke" Cunningham, both Republicans representing districts near San Diego, inserted the memorial designation in the spending bill, which passed both houses of Congress on Saturday and is expected to signed by President Bush.

Mt. Soledad cross and veterans memorial above San Diego (soledadmemorial.com)

Phillip Paulson is the atheist who has mounted a 15-year legal battle – with help from the American Civil Liberties Union – to remove the cross. The structure has stood on Mount Soledad for 50 years...."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41617 for the entire article.

700 lawyers ready to fight ACLU lawsuits - Legal group's 'Christmas Project' designed to protect public schools

November 24, 2004, 1:00 a.m. EST

"Is it illegal to sing Christmas carols in public school? Or to display a manger scene or even to say the words "Merry Christmas" in those halls of learning?

Many public school officials act as though such prohibitions were clearly laid on in the Constitution and defensively ban every vestige of "religious expression" out of fear of an expensive ACLU lawsuit.

But this year, help is on the way: An army of 700 lawyers is being deployed to protect America's schools from the ACLU grinch.
In the past few weeks, the Alliance Defense Fund has contacted over 3,600 school districts nationwide, explaining the law and separating myth from fact regarding the celebration of Christmas in public schools. Moreover, as part of the group's "Christmas Project," more than 700 ADF and affiliated attorneys nationwide are available – at no cost to the school district – to combat any attempts to censor the celebration of Christmas in schools and on public property.

"The phrase 'separation of church and state' is not in the U.S. Constitution, but because of the fear, intimidation, and disinformation groups like the ACLU promote, many public officials and educational leaders mistakenly believe it is their duty to silence Christian religious expression," said ADF President Alan Sears. "ADF's goal this season is to inform and educate the 96 percent of Americans who celebrate Christmas regarding their rights...."

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=41610
for the entire excellent article. Help is on the way!

Low Country Black Swans

Den of Thieves

OPINION EDITORIAL
By NR Editors, November 24, 2004, 8:00 a.m.
*****Five Star Editorial - a must read

"U.N. secretary general Kofi Annan should either resign, if he is honorable, or be removed, if he is not. The mild-mannered Annan may not himself be corrupt. But he has presided over no less than the largest corruption scandal in the history of the world, Oil for Food. Never has the U.N. been more disrespectable or useless. Moreover, Annan's response to the scandal has been inadequate to the point of disgrace. That he still holds his post is testament to the culture of impunity that pervades the organization....

....Annan seems intent on finishing his term of office, which ends in 2006. Two more years of defending his errant subordinates from exposure and possible criminal proceedings would be two years too many. Annan must assume responsibility for their malfeasance — and make way for a new secretary general who sees reform of the United Nations as his primary task.

http://www.nationalreview.com/issue/editors200411240800.asp for the entire excellent and informative editorial.

Purported al-Zarqawi Tape Raps Scholars

AP Breaking News
By SAMEER N. YACOUB, APWriter
November 24, 2004, 12:37 PM EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq - "An audiotape purportedly made by Jordanian terrorist Abu Musab al-Zarqawi lashed out Wednesday at Muslim scholars for not speaking out against U.S. actions in Iraq and Afghanistan, saying they have "let us down in the darkest circumstances."

It was unclear whether the tape posted Wednesday on the Internet was intended as a direct threat against Iraq's Sunni religious establishment, who have come under attack recently with the slaying this week of two Sunni clerics by gunmen.

"You have let us down in the darkest circumstances and handed us over to the enemy. ... You have quit supporting the mujahedeen," said the voice on the tape, purported to be al-Zarqawi's. "Hundreds of thousands of the nation's sons are being slaughtered at the hands of the infidels because of your silence."

On the tape, whose authenticity could not be confirmed, al-Zarqawi addressed his comments to the "ulama" -- senior Islamic clerics...." scholars.

http://www.newsday.com/news/nationworld/world/sns-ap-iraq,0,2789634.story?coll=ny-leadworldnews-headlines for entire article that evidences al Zarqawi's desperation now that he no longer has a discrete base of operations.

BLOGGERS WIN THEIR AIR ATTACK VS. DAN

By Deborah Orin
November 24, 2004

WASHINGTON — "CBS anchor Dan Rather's discharge under less than honorable circumstances is the icing on the 2004 election cake for a lot of Republicans who see him as the icon of liberal media bias.

It's also a dramatic sign of the Internet-fueled revolution that means the old "mainstream media," such as CBS and The New York Times, can no longer set the terms of political debate, as they did just a few years ago. CBS and the Times tried, but failed, to dismiss challenges to Democrat John Kerry's Vietnam War service from the anti-Kerry Swift Boat Veterans for Truth. The Internet helped the group make its case.

Now Rather is going out in ignominy because of his "60 Minutes" report using fabricated memos from a discredited source to question President Bush's National Guard service. The story was quickly torn apart by Internet bloggers, who produced convincing evidence that the memos were forged.

Some anti-Rather bloggers now fume that he is still getting away with murder, and that there is a CBS cover-up because he's keeping his job on "60 Minutes."

But go back four years to the 2000 presidential election, in the pre-blogger era, and Rather would likely have gotten away with his phony story and it could have tilted the election against Bush. Instead, because of the bloggers, the story backfired, boosting Bush by revving up his supporters...."

http://www.nypost.com/commentary/20824.htm for the entire excellent commentary. Kudos to Deborah Orin for giving credit where credit is due.

Emphasis added by Jacqueline.

Europe to the barricades

By Tony Blankley
Nov. 24, 2004 - *****Five Star opinion piece and a must read

This Christmastime could be the moment when Western Europe finally joins our war on terrorism. Anti-Islamist fear and anger from the mouths of the European volk is breaking through the surface calm perpetuated by the elite European appeasers. The assassination and mutilation of Dutch filmmaker Theo van Gogh by an Islamic fanatic — and the retaliatory firebombings of mosques by ethnic Dutchmen — have forced high European leaders and news outlets to begin to publicly face up to the implications of September 11, 2001 and the migration of Muslims in large and hostile numbers into the heart of Europe....

From Holland's leading newspaper, the Telegraaf, to Germany's liberal Berliner Zeitung and Der Spiegel (roughly, the European equivalents of the The New York Times, The Washington Post and Time Magazine) has come the same heated prose that could be found in the United States in the aftermath of September 11. And here in the United States, even the liberal National Public Radio Network's "All Things Considered" is beginning to seriously report European volkish fury the way they usually report breathlessly on the latest developments in Brazilian rainforest depletion.

Der Spiegel wrote: "The veil of multiculturalism has been lifted, revealing parallel societies where the law of the state does not apply." The Berliner Zeitung headlined their story: "Fear is spreading." In Holland the very dignified Telegraaf wrote: "magazines and papers which include incitements should be suppressed, unsuitable mosques should be shut down and imams who encourage illegal acts should be thrown out of the country...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20041123-080540-5101r.htm
for the entire excellent op-ed piece.

Pelican Post Commentary: Europe's choice: Do they protect their culture and identity or do they appease their way into becoming Islamized through their elite "enlightened multiculturalism.? They cannot afford a laissez-faire or appeasement position on this issue. They also cannot afford to dither while their option to choose vanishes.

Intelligence reform and political spin

EDITORIAL
Nov. 24, 2004 - *****Five Star Editorial and a must read

"Rarely has a national security issue of major importance become a subject of distortion and spin like the debate over the intelligence reform bill on Capitol Hill — the outcome of which will determine how U.S. intelligence agencies and our military function for a generation to come. This is particularly true of the heated debate now taking place over how much power should be given to a new director of national intelligence.

Along with House Armed Services Committee Chairman Duncan Hunter, one of the most respected defense experts on Capitol Hill, the Joint Chiefs of Staff and other elements within the Defense Department have raised serious questions about the far-reaching authority granted to the intelligence director under the Senate version of the bill. Specifically, Mr. Hunter believes that the Senate bill would interfere with the military's access to intelligence on the battlefield...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20041123-080537-1837r.htm
for entire excellent editorial concentrating on getting the bill right, not rushed through without thorough study of the sticking points---which are valid points that need to be carefully considered.

South Carolina High Country Autumn

Immigration enforcement grows weaker

By Jerry Seper
Nov. 24, 2004

Immigration enforcement efforts actually have become more lax since the September 11 attacks and have had "no meaningful impact" on the growing number of immigrants now in the United States — which has reached a record high of 34 million, according to a report released yesterday...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/national/20041124-121323-5124r.htm for entire article about a seriously gathering danger.

From 160,000,000 U.S. voters who gave President George W. Bush a mandate to govern, 2005-2008.

Iraq Protests U.N. Decision on Probe

AP Breaking News - By Edith M. Lederer, AP Writer
Nov 23, 7:54 p.m. EST

United Nations - "Iraq has protested a U.N. decision to use $30 million in revenue from the U.N. oil-for-food program for Iraq to help pay for the investigation of alleged corruption in the humanitarian effort.

In a letter obtained Tuesday by The Associated Press, Iraq's U.N. Ambassador Samir Sumaidiaie argued that Security Council resolutions don't support the use of oil-for-food money "for an investigation into the internal practices of the United Nations in carrying out its duties."

"My government believes that the use of such funds has no legal basis," he said in a letter dated Nov. 19 to U.S. Ambassador John Danforth, the current Security Council president...."
http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/U/UN_OIL_FOR_FOOD?SITE=FLTAM&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT for the entire article.

Bush Wants CIA to Offer Up 'Diverse Views'

Breaking AP News by Scott Lindlaw, AP Writer
Nov 23, 9:28 p.m. EST

CRAWFORD, Texas (AP) -- "President Bush has ordered up new measures to bolster the CIA in combating weapons of mass destruction and other threats, directing an agency that lawmakers have accused of engaging in "group think" to present "diverse views" to policy-makers.
The new steps came as part of a response to the Sept. 11 commission's report, presented last summer. In measures he approved last Thursday and announced late Tuesday, Bush elaborated on how he will respond to two recommendations he had previously embraced.

He directed Attorney General John Ashcroft to press ahead with a "specialized and integrated national security work force" within the FBI. This group includes agents, analysts, linguists and surveillance experts who seek to cultivate "an institutional culture imbued with a deep expertise in intelligence and national security."

Bush also ordered Ashcroft to improve intelligence information-sharing throughout the government....

Bush also said in the new directives that the CIA should increase the number of "fully qualified, all-source analysts" by 50 percent....

The president delayed action on one contentious recommendation. He told Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld and CIA director Porter Goss to review within 90 days a commission recommendation that lead responsibility for undercover paramilitary operations should shift to the Pentagon...."

http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/B/BUSH_INTELLIGENCE_REFORMS?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT for entire article.

Brokaw and Rather

It's Time for Some Fresh New Faces and Attitudes....

Mass Offensive Launched South of Baghdad

AP Breaking News
Nov. 23, 12:14 p.m. EST
By Tini Tran, AP Writer

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) -- "Some 5,000 U.S. Marines, British troops and Iraqi commandos launched raids and arrested suspected insurgents Tuesday in a new offensive aimed at clearing a swath of insurgent hotbeds south of Baghdad, the U.S. military said...."

http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME Washington Times, for the entire article about military actions around Irac.

Murder ... So What? Film Reveals Growing Callousness to Abortion

By Ed Vitagliano
November 22, 2004

(AgapePress) - "[A]t the end of the day, the truth is that when you perform an abortion you are killing something," said Dr. David Molloy of the Australian Medical Association. For pro-lifers, that is a statement of the obvious.

But what if you were confronted with the full horror of what that death represented -- and still didn't care? Is it possible that pro-abortionists could finally admit that abortion is murder, but then collectively shrug their shoulders?

That seems to be the case after the release of a British documentary entitled My Fetus, which aired in Britain in April, and then in Australia in August. The documentary contains footage of an unborn baby being sucked out of a mother's womb, shows dismembered babies -- one of whom is being rinsed in a sieve -- and other remains being carefully put back together in order to ensure that no body parts were left in Mommy's tummy.

The film is apparently staggering in its emotional impact. One pro-abortion journalist, Lauren Booth of the Daily Telegraph (London), who has herself had an abortion, watched the documentary and was stunned. "My hand flew to my mouth in shock," she said. "I swallowed. I didn't want to say it, but the word 'murder' came to my lips."

There is tremendous irony involved here, however, because My Fetus was not made by pro-lifers...."

http://headlines.agapepress.org/archive/11/222004d.asp
for the entire excellent article.

Injudicious Battles - Is there any stopping the judge madness in the Senate?

By Senator John Cornyn - *****Five Star Article - a must read.
November 23, 2004, 8:33 a.m.

"One important lesson learned during this past election year is that the American people want a return to basic American values, and an end to vicious, Michael Moore-style politics. Certainly the last thing Americans want is yet another year of incessant, baseless, and venomous attacks.

But if liberal special-interest groups in Washington have their way, more vicious politics is exactly what the American people will get, particularly in the likely event of a vacancy on the U.S. Supreme Court...."

http://www.nationalreview.com/comment/cornyn200411230833.asp for the entire excellent article.

Iraq Says U.S.-Led Military Role Crucial

AP Breaking News - Nov 23, 11:29 a.m.EST
By Salah Nasrawi, AP Writer

Sharm el-Sheik, Egypt - "Iraq told an international conference Tuesday that U.S.-led military operations in the war-ravaged country are essential to allowing all people to vote in January national elections. And it received broad global support in the process........

But Iraq took center stage, with Iraqi Foreign Minister Hoshyar Zebari telling the conference that security was the key concern in staging his country's Jan. 29 elections. He also defended the American-led multinational force in Iraq, which is widely seen in the Arab world as an army of occupation."

http://ap.washingtontimes.com/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ_CONFERENCE?SITE=DCTMS&SECTION=HOME&TEMPLATE=DEFAULT for entire article.

Despite U.S. pressure, Arab states far from ready to commit to deal to forgive $30B in Iraqi debt

AP Breaking News - November 23, 2004
By Tarek al-Issawi, AP Writer

DUBAI, United Arab Emirates — "Arab countries made clear Tuesday they are far from ready to commit to a deal to forgive more than $30 billion owed them by Iraq, despite U.S. pressure and a recent debt-relief package by other major countries.

The hesitation on the part of Saudi Arabia and Kuwait — both strong U.S. allies — could have widespread ramifications for the effort to help Iraq get back on its feet economically.

A weekend deal by Russia, Japan, Europe and the United States to forgive 80 percent of their portion of Iraq's debt hinges on Arab countries going along.

http://wire.jacksonville.com/pstories/world/20041123/2605888.shtml
for the entire breaking news article.

Pelican Post Commentary: How clever of the debt forgiving other nations to tie their debt forgiveness to that of Arab nations whom they know to be averse to any success for Irac in setting up a democratic government in their midst. Their obstinancy should be met with the new Iraqi government not taking responsibility for Saddam Hussein's debts, considering that he defrauded the people of Irac, just as he defrauded everyone else but the crooked nations that accepted his bribes for contracts and access.

Other nations protecting and housing Iraqi monies stolen by Saddam should be made to cough it up and fork it over to the new Iraqi government. And corrupt Kofi Annan and the U.N. should be made to return every penny of the Oil-for-Food program they have taken and used for any U.N. purposes---including the very investigation of their own corruption and complicity in conscripting money which belongs to the Iraqi people. Every penny of that money should be seized and turned over to Iraq.

Museum Addition Brings More Things to Try

AP Breaking News
Nov 23, 5:15 p.m. EST
By Malcolm Ritter

New York - "Kids arm-wrestle all the time, but over the Internet? And there's nothing unusual about checking your weight, but in gallons? And all of this to illustrate lessons about networks and the search for life in outer space?

That's the deal in a large addition to the New York Hall of Science that will open on Thanksgiving Day. As in the rest of the museum, it puts a premium on not just looking, but doing.

"You will not find a 'Keep your hands off' sign anywhere in the building" Mayor Michael Bloomberg said Tuesday before officials opened the new 55,000-square-foot space to reporters and invited guests.

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041123/D86HRD500.html for the entire article about this exciting new science museum.

Pelican Portrait in Profile

Pelican study...

Droves of Iraqi parties throw hats in the ring

By Betsy Pisik
November 23,2004

"At least 122 political organizations have registered to run in Iraq's Jan. 30 elections, thrilling organizers but setting the stage for tough bargaining over the next eight days....

"The forces of darkness and terrorism will not benefit from this democratic experience and will fight it," Mr. Allawi told the Associated Press yesterday. "But we are determined that this experiment succeeds."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/world/20041123-120552-1474r.htm for the entire informative article.

NEST OF EVIL

By Frederick J. Chiaventone *****Five Star article - a must read.
November 23, 2004

In Fallujah the shooting has died down to the occasional burst of automatic weapons fire and the stray rifle shot. For all practical purposes, according to one officer, the "back has been broken" of the terrorists who called Fallujah their headquarters. What remains are smoking ruins, wary, battle-hardened Marines and dead terrorists.
Scores of dead terrorists.

Perhaps most significant, according to sources in the field, is what has been uncovered in a battle-damaged house in Fallujah where, alerted by Iraqi troops, Marines moved in to find two dozen dead terrorists strewn among the rubble of what appears to have been Abu Musab al-Zarqawi's nerve center.

Frederick J. Chiaventone — award-winning novelist, screenwriter and retired Army officer — taught counter-insurgency and National Security Policy at the U.S. Army's Command & General Staff College.

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/34813.htm for entire excellent article.

'CONTROL FREAK'

By John Podhoretz - *****Five Star article and must read
November 23, 2004

"PRESIDENT Bush proved in his first term that he had a talent for provoking fits of madness in the brains of liberals who disagree with him. It appears his second four years will be no different. For a week now, you see, authoritative Washington pundit-types have been making a very serious and deeply reasoned argument about the president's new Cabinet choices for which there is only one possible word: Bonkerswackocrazymeshugah.

They claim, in all seriousness, that Bush is exceeding his political, executive and electoral authority by nominating experienced administration officials to serve in his Cabinet. These choices are bad, they say, because — get this — the president is daring to appoint people who are a) loyal to him (horrors!) and b) don't disagree with him enough (meanie)....

Here's the thing: We Americans elected him because we want him to exercise his judgment. We elected him to serve as the steward of our interests and the representative of our views. What we Americans know, based on his campaign for re-election, is what he stands for, what he believes, what he's done and what he says he'll do....

Hey guys: Pick an argument and stick to it, will you? Otherwise, people will start thinking you're crazy...."

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/34822.htm for the entire excellent article.

GETTING THE INTEL FIX RIGHT

EDITORIAL

November 23, 2004 -- An intelligence-reform bill drafted in the wake of the 9/11 Commission re port once seemed on a fast-track to passage, but now appears to be on life-support....

So what's the problem?....Fingers are pointing everywhere. Under current law, about 80 percent of the intelligence apparatus (and seven of the 15 individual spy agencies) fall under the oversight of the Defense Department — which itself answers in part to the Armed Services Committee....

Turf fights of far lesser magnitude derail important legislation all the time.

Meanwhile, other critical issues are in play. (Sen. Duncan)
Hunter says he's concerned that the proposed new setup could compromise the flow of actionable intelligence to military commanders in the field. If so, getting a speedy bill must be subordinate to getting a smart bill....

Post-election, there is time to assess calmly America's intelligence needs, particularly when ill-considered legislation could place deployed troops in danger. Yes, reforming the nation's intelligence structure soon is important....But if it doesn't happen immediately, that's fine, too.

Regarding intelligence issues, it's far more important to get it right than to get it quick.

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/editorial/34832.htm for entire excellent editorial.

W. SOARS IN POST-VOTE POLL

By Deborah Orin, November 23, 2004

Washington — "President Bush is heading into his second term, with his job approval rising to 55 percent, a new poll shows. Bush's post-election bounce and growing public support come at a time when 72 percent of Americans say the country is deeply divided, according to the nationwide Gallup/CNN/USA Today poll.

Bush has been seen as a polarizing president, but his job approval is at 55 percent while disapproval is down to 42 percent — his best job rating since last January, when he was still riding the boost from Saddam Hussein's capture...."

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/34896.htm for entire article.

Reshaping the electorate

By: Michael Barone
November 22, 2004

"Amid the Cabinet reshuffling, little attention has been paid to the appointment of Bush campaign manager Ken Mehlman as Republican National Committee chairman. But Mehlman's appointment could turn out to be as significant for our politics as Condoleezza Rice's is likely to be for foreign policy.

If Karl Rove was the architect of George W. Bush's thumping re-election victory, Mehlman was the structural engineer who turned the plans into reality. Mehlman's great achievement was to create a largely volunteer organization of 1.4 million people who turned out the vote in counties big and small for Bush. He managed this task the way Rudolph Giuliani managed the NYPD: by requiring metrics -- numerical goals, validated by independent parties -- to measure the work being done every week.

This enabled the Bush organization to plug holes and provide psychic rewards for those doing good work. No one (including Giuliani himself) thought Giuliani could cut crime in half in New York City; very few thought that Mehlman could produce 10 million new votes for Bush. But Giuliani did it, and so did Mehlman...."

http://www.townhall.com/columnists/michaelbarone/mb20041122.shtml
for entire excellent article.

Who's 'in' and what's 'out'

By Suzanne Fields, November 22, 2004

"Washingtonis about power, and that means it's about who's "in" and who's "out." How else will anybody who's anybody in Washington know who(m) to invite to dinner? Condi Rice for Colin Powell....We're talking about who controls the agendas.

The post-election blues are about who gets what done. Bill Clinton wasn't joking (although he may have thought he was) when he told a luncheon audience in Little Rock for the opening of his library that the good news is that now he can speak his mind. "The bad news is that nobody has to listen because I don't have any power any more." The former president has finally become the hip celebrity he always yearned to be, and now without responsibility....

....The library on the south bank of the Arkansas River displays the dark glasses he wore when he played "Heartbreak Hotel" on the saxophone on "The Arsenio Hall Show" during the 1992 campaign. The critics of the library's $165 million glass and steel design call it "mobile home architecture," and even the ex-prez himself describes it as a "glorified house trailer." Bubba goes home, and to a library.

Meanwhile, back in Washington, traveling under the radar for all his prominence, the Texas cowboy brings high culture to the White House. The president's award of the National Medals of Arts and the Humanities to creative men and women brings artistic talents and scholarship a different kind of power to the nation's capital. This year several of the awards went to writers concerned with reviving moral purpose to the American culture.....

....At a White House reception where Laura Bush entertained the recipients of the medals, the first lady told how the arts and humanities nourish us all. She pointed to a painting on the wall of the reception hall and noted that John Adams put it there —the famous portrait of GeorgeWashingtonby Gilbert Stuart...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/20041121-105707-7835r.htm for the entire excellent op-ed piece.

Nature's Trumpets
Photograph by Jacqueline - All Rights Reserved

Kofi's downward spiral

EDITORIAL - November 22, 2004

"You can hardly blame United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan if he's spending a lot of his free time these days touching up his resume. For even by U.N. standards, the oil-for-food scandal; misconduct charges against senior U.N. officials (and furious complaints by U.N. employees in recent days that Mr. Annan is covering up); and the organization's failure to stop genocide in Sudan represent a low point for a world body that had fallen into disrepute decades ago....

Mr. Annan's refusal to permit U.N. employees to testify before Congress or to make internal U.N. audits available to congressional investigators smack of a cover-up. And Mr. Annan's recent foot-in-mouth episode, in which he asserted that the coalition military campaign that ousted Saddam was "illegal," further eroded what little was left of his credibility in Washington.

From there, it only gets worse...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/op-ed/ for entire excellent editorial.

Something to think about....

" To be prepared for War is one of the most effectual means of preserving peace."
- George Washington

"Courage consists, not in blindly overlooking danger, but in seeing and conquering it."
-Jean Paul Richter

Rebuilt Museum of Modern Art opens

By Frederick M. Winship, UPI Writer
New York, NY, Nov. 19, 2004

"The Museum of Modern Art, rebuilt and expanded at a cost of $858 million, reopens Saturday after a closure of more than two years required to bring the nation's major repository of 20th century art into the 21st century on its 75th anniversary.

MoMA is now the size of the National Gallery in London, designed for a full day's visit. According to chief curator John Elderfield, about one-tenth of the museum's holdings can now be exhibited at any one time....

....Whatever has been lost of MoMA's old charm has been replaced by one of New York's most distinguished public edifices, bound to be more of a major tourist attraction than it has ever been even if its admission fee has been jacked up to $20, the highest of any major art museum in the United States.

http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041119-082408-9602r.htm for the entire excellent article.

Guggenheim museum revisits Aztec empire

By Frederick M. Winship, UPI Breaking News
New York, NY, Nov. 19, 2004 "

In a season of blockbuster art shows none outdoes the splendor of the Guggenheim Museum's $5.5 million overview of the Aztec empire displayed in a dramatic setting that constitutes a re-design of the museum's spiraling interior...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com/upi-breaking/20041116-125947-1331r.htm for entire article about a new exhibit and this refurbished Frank Lloyd Wright designed art museum.

Brown Pelican in Flight

GOSS'S GOT GUTS

*****Five Star Article and a must read.
By Peter Brookes, Nov. 22, 2004
November 22, 2004

"When a new CEO takes over a failing company, it's not at all uncommon to fire (or force out) a couple of senior people. After all, senior management is responsible for an organization's poor performance, so why keep the deadwood around? Sure, lopping off heads can be a risky strategy. But it certainly makes the rest of the employees stand up and take notice. And it sends a clear message: "Things are going to change. Get with the program — or get out."

This is precisely what's going on at the CIA under new director, Porter Goss. His forward leaning, no-nonsense approach at Langley is upsetting some, but it's just what the doctor ordered. Reforming an agency the likes of the CIA in today's national-security environment is no job for Melvin Milquetoast. That's one reason President Bush picked Goss, the former chairman of the House Intelligence Committee and an ex-spook, to clean house.

But Goss has his work cut out for him. He must: hold people accountable for intelligence failures; reform operational practices; end irresponsible leaks to the media — and stem misguided attempts by intelligence analysts to play policymaker.

* Accountability: The CIA is responsible for some of this nation's most significant intelligence lapses — 9/11 and Iraqi WMD (or lack thereof) come quickly to mind. It's high time to hold people responsible for their failures. Without accountability, you get a climate that accepts shoddy analysis and sloppy operational tradecraft. That is absolutely un-acceptable in this day and age. (Despite what you hear in the liberal media, Goss's move to hold people accountable is getting rave reviews within the CIA.)..."

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/brookes.htm for the entire Five Star article.

When He Wins, He Loses - Bush just can't do anything right

By Johah Goldberg, NRO Editor at Large
November 22, 2004, 8:18 a.m. EST
*****Five Star Article - a must read

"In the second term as in the first, Bush can do nothing right.
John Kerry was right about at least one thing. He repeatedly said that if Bush were reelected we'd get "more of the same." What he meant, always vaguely, was war, tax cuts, and carping from France and Germany. On the war, Kerry was absolutely right. On tax cuts, I hope he was right. And on the Franco-German carping, I couldn't care less.

But Kerry left out another area where the status quo was to be extended by another Bush term: The president can do nothing right.

This has been a constant theme of the last four years....

....To understand the president's Catch-22 with his critics, consider his latest move as he prepares for his second term: shaking up the Central Intelligence Agency. Ever since 9/11 a cacophonic chorus has been calling for shake-ups at the CIA. "Why hasn't anyone been fired?" demanded everyone from the New York Times and the Democratic party to the so-called 9/11 families. The 9/11 commission demanded a huge shake-up not only of our intelligence bureaucracy but of the way we think about national security more broadly...."

http://www.nationalreview.com/goldberg/goldberg200411220818.asp for the entire excellent article.

FINDING TRUE ISLAM

By Ralph Peters
November 22, 2004

"Last week, I had an in spiring conversation with a Muslim-Ameri can. An immigrant from Pakistan, he hadn't yet been granted citizenship, but he had more faith in America than our native-born elite does. "I write to my brothers and sisters," he said, "And I tell them that they do not know true Islam. If you want to see true Islam, you must come to America."

He meant the social justice and the respect for the individual, rich or poor, prescribed by the Koran. He had not found those qualities in the land of his birth. Nor do they prevail in any Muslim state between Casablanca and Karachi...."

http://www.nypost.com/postopinion/opedcolumnists/34732.htm for the entire excellent article.

WAR OVER 9/11 INTEL IMPASSE

By Ian Bishop and Leonard Greene
November22,2004

"The Pentagon is denying any role in an ugly congressional tug-of-war that for now has killed the intelligence reforms sought by the 9/11 commission and President Bush.

Three months of work to appoint a national intelligence czar collapsed over the weekend when two key Republican House members said the changes would endanger national security in a time of war.

Supporters of the overhaul immediately accused the Pentagon of fear-mongering and trying to protect its control over the U.S. intelligence budget. A Pentagon spokesman said it's absolutely false that Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld tried to get the bill tabled.

The bill stalled when Reps. Duncan Hunter (R-Calif.) and James Sensenbrenner (R-Wis.) — who chair key House committees — complained that it could interfere with the military chain of command and didn't go far enough in dealing with illegal immigration.

But cynics pointed out that the Pentagon controls roughly 80 percent of the estimated $40 billion spent on intelligence each year and would lose power if budgeting is shifted to a national intelligence czar.

"The secretary of Defense wasn't enthusiastic about this loss of budget authority," said Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.) on NBC's "Meet the Press." "Remember, most of our fiercest debates in Washington come down to who controls the money....

http://www.nypost.com/news/nationalnews/34778.htm for entire article.

Pelican Post Commentary: Liberal Democrats and some Republicans are trying to ramrod this dangerous bill through Congress without careful scrutiny of it. We only need to look at who was on the Commission that recommended the current provisions to know how and why it was devised. Jamie Gorelick, one of the members of the 9/11 Commission was instrumental, along with Janet Reno---at Bill Clinton's behest---in putting into place the wall of separation that kept intel agencies from communicating and sharing intelligence with each other.

Democrats in Congress, particularly Senators Ted Kennedy and John Kerry, have made a career of gutting defense and intelligence. Both Kennedy and Kerry have been involved in pro-Communist activities that have undermined our government and sitting presidents---even in time of war. Getting this defective bill passed and taking the Defense Department's control over a critical strategic area of their budget would give those two---and other---hard left liberal Democrats what they have not been able to get through defense and intel legislation---gutting of both defense and military intelligence, tying their hands behind their backs and endangering our troops.

This morning on Fox News Channel, Congressman Duncan Hunter said a major concern with this bill is that it would take away control of satellite communications that soldiers use in the field of battle that require instantaneous answers on key moves that need to be made. With this bill, those critical and timely battlefield decisions would have to be run through the bureaucracy and decisions would be made by some bureaucrat in Washington. Even a few minutes delay in battle could cost precious lives.

Later today, Sen. Sensenbrener said on Fox News Channel that he objected to not having a prohibition in this bill that would prevent illegal aliens and non-citizens from being able to get driver's licenses in the U.S. The 9/11 terrorists had a almost 70 U.S. driver's licenses among them. Issuing driver's licenses to illegal aliens sanctions their being here illegally, places U.S. citizens at risk and dilutes the rights of legitimate citizens and people who are going through the immigration process legally. An illegal alien applying for a driver's license should be arrested and deported, not rewarded by being granted citizens' rights and privileges.

Further, our military and military intelligence communities do not need a new layer of bureaucracy to impede their actions to maintain security and defense of our country and its citizens, to act in defense of our allies, and to prosecute military actions with the necessary supporting intelligence and timely decisions.

Let your U.S. House of Representatives members and Senators know that you do not want this bill stampeded through Congress---under the cover of 9/11 emotion---by liberal members who are anti-defense, anti-Defense Dept., and anti-Irac War.

And let them know that you do not want them using this back door defense-gutting bill to get control of the Defense Dept. budget and contract process. This is a defense weakening bill and we are in a war against terrorism. It's a no-brainer, really. A bad decision now could bring fatal consequences.

-Jacqueline

Iraq Force Is Seen As Likely to Grow - U.S. Plans Require Boost, Officers Say

By Bradley Graham, November 22, 2004

Baghdad - "Senior U.S. military commanders in Iraq say it is increasingly likely they will need a further increase in combat forces to put down remaining areas of resistance in the country.Convinced that the recent battle for Fallujah has significantly weakened insurgent ranks, commanders here have devised plans to press the offensive into neighborhoods where rebels have either taken refuge after fleeing Fallujah or were already deeply entrenched........

"What's important is to keep the pressure on these guys now that we've taken Fallujah from them," a high-ranking U.S. military commander said, speaking on condition he not be named because of the sensitivity of the deliberations on adding more troops.

"We're in the pursuit phase. We have to stay after these guys so they don't get their feet set."The possibility that additional troops would be required to battle the insurgency in this critical period preceding the Iraqi elections, scheduled for Jan. 30, has been signaled for weeks....

The officers said the exact number of extra troops needed is still being reviewed but estimated it at the equivalent of several battalions, or about 3,000 to 5,000 soldiers.The number of U.S. troops in Iraq fell to nearly 100,000 last spring before rising to 138,000, where it has stayed since the summer....

To boost the current level, military commanders have considered extending the stay of more troops due to rotate out shortly, or accelerating the deployment of the 3rd Infantry Division, which is scheduled to start in January.

But a third option -- drawing all or part of a brigade of the 82nd Airborne Division on emergency standby in the United States -- has emerged as increasingly likely...."

http://www.washingtonpost.com/ac2/wp-dyn/A2565-2004Nov21?language=printer for the entire article.

The Rebels of Turtle Bay

EDITORIAL, November 21, 2004

"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's problems extend be yond that congressional investigation of the gargantuan Oil-For-Food ripoff and related ethical lapses.Now it turns out that even the people who work for him don't trust him. (Maybe that shouldn't be surprising. After all, they know him best.)

Friday, the U.N. employees union recorded a vote of no-confidence — citing "upper management" at the world body, but clearly aiming at Annan. After all, Annan is the U.N.'s top dog, so the resolution is a de facto rebuke of the man himself.

The U.N. staff revolt began when Annan essentially gave a pass to oversight official Dileep Nair, who had been accused of sexual harassment of employees and hiring favoritism. The staff had called for a formal probe of Nair's behavior. Instead --- following a purported "thorough review"--- Annan declared that he "had every confidence" in Nair.

This was the second time in two weeks that Annan has refused to take action against a senior official accused of harassment.And the "review" of Nair's conduct hardly means anything. After all, it was just last month that it came to light that Annan crony Benon Savan — who had been in charge of the now-scandalous Oil-for-Food program — previously ran a relief operation for war-torn Afghanistan in the 1980s and '90s. U.N. audits subsequently discovered that that program was riddled with waste, fraud and abuse — just like the Oil-for-Food program. Savan suffered no career consequences for the Afghan shenanigans — and Annan certainly seems to be doing his level best to keep his buddy off the Oil-for-Food hook.....

http://www.nypost/op-ed for entire article re the no-confidence vote. Emphasis added by Jacqueline, not NYPost.

The Rebels of Turtle Bay

EDITORIAL, November 21, 2004

"United Nations Secretary-General Kofi Annan's problems extend be yond that congressional investigation of the gargantuan Oil-For-Food ripoff and related ethical lapses.

Now it turns out that even the people who work for him don't trust him. (Maybe that shouldn't be surprising. After all, they know him best.)Friday, the U.N. employees union recorded a vote of no-confidence — citing "upper management" at the world body, but clearly aiming at Annan. ....Annan is the U.N.'s top dog, so the resolution is a de facto rebuke of the man himself.

The U.N. staff revolt began when Annan essentially gave a pass to oversight official Dileep Nair, who had been accused of sexual harassment of employees and hiring favoritism. The staff had called for a formal probe of Nair's behavior. Instead --- following a purported "thorough review"--- Annan declared that he "had every confidence" in Nair. This was the second time in two weeks that Annan has refused to take action against a senior official accused of harassment.

And the "review" of Nair's conduct hardly means anything. After all, it was just last month that it came to light that Annan crony Benon Savan — who had been in charge of the now-scandalous Oil-for-Food program — previously ran a relief operation for war-torn Afghanistan in the 1980s and '90s. U.N. audits subsequently discovered that that program was riddled with waste, fraud and abuse — just like the Oil-for-Food program. Savan suffered no career consequences for the Afghan shenanigans — and Annan certainly seems to be doing his level best to keep his buddy off the Oil-for-Food hook.....

http://www.nypost/op-ed for entire article re the no-confidence vote. Emphasis added by Jacqueline, not NYPost.

NBA Suspends Artest for Rest of Season

AP Breaking News, Nov 21, 9:30 PM EST
By Chris Sheridan, AP Basketball Writer

New York - "Ron Artest was suspended for the rest of the season Sunday, and two of his Indiana Pacers teammates must miss a total of 55 games for fighting with fans during a melee that broke out at the end of a game against the Detroit Pistons.

Overall, the NBA issued some of the harshest penalties in its history by banning nine players for more than 140 games. Artest's suspension is the strongest ever levied for a fight during a game.

"The line is drawn, and my guess is that won't happen again - certainly not by anybody who wants to be associated with our league," commissioner David Stern said...."

http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/B/BKN_PACERS_PISTONS_BRAWL?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME for entire article.

PelicanPost Commentary: It is somewhat refreshing to see the strong action taken by the league and Commissioner David Stern. If, after these penalties, similar violence on the court happens, the players involved should be removed from the team permanently. And, if any of these players are convicted of assault, they should be permanently removed from the team. Nationally covered sports players are role models to the youth of this country and should live up to that honor by setting a healthy and positive example---and not behaving like immature, violent thugs. Their "bad apple(s)" image also rubs off on other teams in the league, which is grossly unfair to those other teams. The same is true for the members of their own team who were not involved in the brawl. It's time to grow up, brawlers. The opportunity cost for being a rotten apple is too dear.

Irac Sets Election Despite Fresh Violence

AP Breaking News,Nov 21, 9:04 p.m. EST
By Maggie Michael, AP Writer

Baghdad, Iraq - "Iraqi authorities set Jan. 30 as the date for the nation's first election since the collapse of Saddam Hussein's dictatorship and pledged that voting would take place throughout the country despite rising violence and calls by Sunni clerics for a boycott.

Farid Ayar, spokesman of the Independent Electoral Commission of Iraq, said voting would push ahead even in areas still wracked by violence - including Fallujah, Mosul and other parts of the volatile Sunni Triangle.

The vote for the 275-member National Assembly is seen as a major step toward building democracy after years of Saddam's tyranny...."
http://breakingnews.nypost.com/dynamic/stories/I/IRAQ?SITE=NYNYP&SECTION=HOME for entire article.

Bush Vows to Work for 9/11 Bill's Passage

AP Breaking News
By Jim Abrams, Nov 21, 8:50 p.m. EST

WASHINGTON (AP) - Unwilling to concede defeat, congressional leaders expressed hope Sunday that lawmakers could return next month to resolve a turf battle that has blocked passage of an overhaul of the nation's intelligence agencies. President Bush pledged to work with them for passage. Congressional leaders said prospects depended on how successful Bush was in lining up support.

"For us to do the bill in early December it will take significant involvement by the president and the vice president," said Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist, R-Tenn. "It will take real focus on their part."

At a news conference after an economic summit in Chile, Bush said: "I was disappointed the bill didn't pass. I thought it was going to pass up to the last minute...." He said he and Vice President Dick Cheney had talked with key members of the House and "it was clear I wanted the bill passed." Bush noted that Congress would return for another effort in December.

"Hopefully, we'll get a bill done," Bush said, promising to work with interested parties. "When I get home I look forward to getting it done."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041122/D86GKBOO0.html for entire story.

Raid on Mosque Sparks Battles in Baghdad

AP Breaking News
by Hamza Hendawi, Nov 21, 9:47 p.m. EST

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) - A U.S.-Iraqi raid on the Abu Hanifa mosque - one of the most revered sites for Sunni Muslims - spawned a weekend of street battles, assassinations and a rash of bombings that changed Baghdad. The capital, for months a city of unrelenting but sporadic violence, has taken on the look of a battlefield....

....After sundown Sunday, four large explosions shook the area near Baghdad's U.S.-guarded Green Zone - a frequent target of insurgent mortars and rockets.... Adding to the sense of unease, U.S. military helicopters have begun flying lower over the city. The distant roar of jets has become a fixture of Baghdad at night.

The latest escalation appeared to have been triggered by a U.S.-Iraqi raid Friday on the Abu Hanifa mosque in the Sunni neighborhood of Azamiyah as worshippers were leaving after midday prayers. Witnesses said three people were killed, and 40 were arrested....

....Lt. Col. James Hutton, spokesman for the U.S. Army's 1st Cavalry Division, which is in charge of security in Baghdad, acknowledged that there has been an increase in insurgent activity in the capital. But he linked the increase to the fighting in Fallujah, where U.S. troops are still fighting pockets of resistance after recapturing the city last week, rather than the raid on the Abu Hanifa mosque.

The government has said the raid was carried out because of suspicions of "terrorist activity" there. It appears the operation was part of a crackdown on militant Sunni clerics, many of whom are believed to have links to some insurgent groups and who had spoken out against the Fallujah operation...."
http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041122/D86GL6K00.html for entire article

APEC Leaders Vow to Scrap Trade Barriers

AP Breaking News
By Alan Clendenning, AP Writer
Nov 21, 8:22 p.m. EST
Full Image

Santiago, Chile - "Pacific Rim leaders wrapped up a two-day summit Sunday with pledges to shore up global security and get rid of trade barriers seen as impediments to economic growth.

Leaders of the 21-member Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum endorsed new security measures aimed at fighting terrorism while issuing strong support for World Trade Organization talks aimed at liberalizing trade for the 148 WTO member nations....

....The APEC leaders also approved a wide variety of counterterrorism measures aimed at improving commercial flight safety and making sure shipping and food stocks are safe from attacks by terrorists.

"We reaffirm our pledge to take all necessary actions to ensure security of our peoples and sustainable growth of our economies," the leaders' statement said....

....The declaration also vowed renewed efforts to fight public and private sector corruption. "Corruption constitutes a serious threat to good governance and deters investment, therefore fighting corruption is essential to the development of our economies," it said....

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041122/D86GJUOO0.html for entire article.

Colombia Deploys 15,000 Troops for Bush

AP Breaking News
Nov. 21, 2004
By Kim Housego, AP Writer

Cartagena, Colombia - "The Spanish colonialists who fortified this Colombian seaport 400 years ago to guard against pirates and rival imperial powers could only have dreamed of the security being implemented for President Bush's visit here Monday.

About 15,000 Colombian security forces — backed by warplanes, helicopters, battleships and two submarines — will safeguard Bush's four-hour trip to discuss the nation's war on drugs. That is the same number of American troops deployed in the Fallujah offensive in Iraq.

"If something happened during the president's visit, we would lose everything — tourism, business. ... The country's image would suffer greatly," said Navy Capt. Nelson Fernandez, who is in charge of security.

Colombia is wracked by a 40-year-old Marxist insurgency and there is concern the rebels could try to attack Bush...."

http://apnews.myway.com/article/20041122/D86GJAIG1.html for entire story.

War crimes?

COMMENTARY
By Oliver North, Nov. 21, 2004
*****Five Star Commentary & a must read

"By now, almost everyone in the world with a television has seen the videotape that appears to show a U.S. Marine shooting a wounded Iraqi terrorist inside a mosque in Fallujah. For the record, here are the facts — because facts — not rumors or emotions — really are important. Here is what those who were there told me:...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com for entire excellent commentary.

Hillary's Senate record

EDITORIAL - November 21, 2004
*****Five Star Rating & must read.

"Our friends at the National Review spotted this post-election howler in an Associated Press dispatch: "For 2008, the presumptive leading presidential candidates are New York Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, a Northeastern centrist . . ."

Recalling Mrs. Clinton's pre-senatorial work for Marian Wright Edelman's radical Children's Defense Fund and Robert Treuhaft's "revolutionary" and Black Panther law firm, the National Review understandably responded to this evolving new line on Hillary by exclaiming, "Whoa, whoa, whoa!"

The Washington Times editorial page would like to add its two-cents' worth by reviewing Mrs. Clinton's first years in the Senate and comparing her voting record to the record of liberalism's unquestioned standard-bearer, Teddy Kennedy, who would be proud to say that he has never been mistaken for a "Northeastern centrist." What do you know? The unquestionably liberal voting records of these two Northeasterners are virtually indistinguishable...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com for the entire editorial which is a must read to see thorough analysis of why Hillary Clinton is not a "centrist." Rather, she is a full-fledged, flaming, hard-left liberal---by any valid rating system.

Bush touts allied unity on nukes

By James G. Lakely, Nov. 21, 2004, Breaking News

Santiago, Chile — "President Bush said yesterday that the leaders of China, Japan, South Korea and Russia are united in their determination to get North Korea and Iran to abandon their nuclear-weapons programs.

Speaking to a gathering of international business executives at the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) summit, Mr. Bush said "the will is strong" among members of the so-called Group of Six that are applying intense diplomatic pressure on North Korea...."

http://www.washingtontimes.com for entire article.

Congress Passes $388B Spending Bill

AP Breaking News
Saturday, November 20, 2004

WASHINGTON — "Republicans whisked a $388 billion spending bill (search) through Congress on Saturday, a mammoth measure that underscores the dominance of deficit politics by curbing dollars for everything from education to environmental cleanups.

The House approved the measure by a bipartisan 344-51 margin, while Senate passage was by 65-30...."

http://www.foxnews.com for entire article.

SpongeBob SquarePants in his quest to reclaim the crown.

....The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie

Released: 11/19/04, PG Rated, 90 Minutes, Family movie

"Starring: Carolyn Lawrence, Tom Kenny, Clancy Brown, Rodger Bumpass, Bill Fagerbakke, Scarlett Johansson.
Someone has stolen King Neptune's crown, and it looks like

Mr. Krabs is the culprit! Though he's just been passed over for the promotion of his dreams. SpongeBob stands by his boss and along with his best pal Patrick, sets out on a treacherous mission to Shell City to reclaim the crown and save Mr. Krabs' life."

For more on The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie, read Matt Soergel's review: MOVIES REVIEW: SpongeBob SquarePants.

http://www.jacksonville.com Matt Soergel's review is great; a must read.

Rebellious Republicans Derail 9/11 Reform

By Jesse J. Holland, AP Writer - Breaking News
Nov 20, 5:40 PM EST

Washington - "In a defeat for President Bush, rebellious House Republicans on Saturday derailed legislation to overhaul the nation's intelligence agencies along lines recommended by the Sept. 11 commission.

"It's hard to reform. It's hard to make changes," said Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill., who sought unsuccessfully to persuade critics among the GOP rank and file to swing behind the measure.

Hastert's decision to send lawmakers home without a vote drew attacks from Democrats, and capped an unpredictable day in which prospects for enactment of the measure seemed to grow, then diminish, almost by the hour. He left open the possibility of summoning lawmakers back in session early next month.

As approved by key negotiators, the White House and the bipartisan the 9-11 commission, the compromise would create a powerful position to oversee the CIA and several other nonmilitary spy agencies. A new national counterterrorism center would coordinate the fight against foreign terrorists.

Bush and Vice President Dick Cheney both contacted congressional negotiators by phone in hopes of nailing down an acceptable compromise that could clear Congress in the final hours of a postelection session.

But Reps. Duncan Hunter and Jim Sensenbrenner, chairmen of the Armed Services and Judiciary committees, raised objections. Officials said Hunter, R-Calif., expressed concerns that provisions of the bill could interfere with the military chain of command and endanger troops in the field. Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., wanted additional provisions dealing with immigration, these officials said...."

http://www.tbo.com, AP News, for entire article.

Violence Sweeps Baghdad; Insurgents Fire on US Troops in Fallujah After Waving White Flag; Iraqi Soldiers Murdered in Mosul

AP Breaking News
By Robert H. Reid, AP Writer, Nov. 20, 2004

Baghdad, Iraq (AP) - Insurgents ambushed a U.S. patrol, killing a soldier, gunned down four government employees and clashed with American troops in neighborhoods across Baghdad on Saturday. Nine Iraqis died in fighting west of the capital - another sign the insurgency remains potent despite the fall of its stronghold, Fallujah
.
In Fallujah, where U.S. Marines and soldiers are still battling pockets of resistance, insurgents waved a white flag of surrender before opening fire on U.S. troops and causing casualties, Marine spokesman 1st Lt. Lyle Gilbert said Saturday without elaborating.

U.S. troops in the northern city of Mosul found the bodies of nine Iraqi soldiers Saturday, all shot in the back of the head. The military first reported that seven of the victims were beheaded, but a second statement issued later Saturday said those reports were false.

Four decapitated bodies found earlier in the week in Mosul have not been identified, the military said Saturday. American and Iraqi forces detained 30 suspected guerrillas overnight in Mosul, the U.S. military said...."

In a positive development, a. ..."

http://www.tbo.com AP News - Breaking, for the entire article.

House Passes Resolution on Boy Scouts

AP Breaking News
Saturday, November 20, 2004

WASHINGTON — "The House on Saturday commended the Boy Scouts (search) and condemned legal efforts to limit government ties to the group because of its requirement that members believe in God.

A nonbinding resolution, passed by a 391-3 vote, recognized the 3.2 million-member Boy Scouts for its public service efforts. But the main thrust of the debate was what the House Judiciary Committee chairman, Rep. James Sensenbrenner, R-Wis., said were the "strident legal attacks" on the group.

The Pentagon (search) agreed last week to tell U.S. military bases around the world not to directly sponsor Boy Scout troops. The warning resulted from legal challenges to government relations with a group that bans openly gay leaders and compels members to swear an oath of duty to God.
The American Civil Liberties Union (search) and others say that direct government sponsorship of such a program amounts to discrimination.

The Pentagon's ruling does not prevent service members from leading Boy Scout troops on their own time. Also, Boy Scouts still can meet on areas of military bases where civilian organizations are allowed to hold events...."

http://www.foxnews.com for the entire article.

PELICANPOST.BLOGSPOT.COM

Sunday, November 28, 2004

U.N. Said Not Protecting Sudan Refugees

Report Links 9/11 Attacks, Madrid Bombings

Saturday, November 27, 2004

Ukraine state TV in revolt

Friday, November 26, 2004

Bush: Validity of Ukraine Vote in Doubt

The legitimate winner of the presidential race...

Ukraine Rivals Fail to Resolve Stalemate

Patriotic Sailing in Charleston Harbor

Zarqawi network appeals for help in first signals of defeat

Regime Change at the CIA

The use and abuse of labels

Dan's departure

Weapons cache biggest yet

Thursday, November 25, 2004

CLINTON'S LIE-BRARY

Thanksgiving's Simple Meaning

Iraq Troops Find Chemical Lab in Fallujah

The shining face of America's future...

Rumsfeld supports Scouts meeting on military bases

Wednesday, November 24, 2004

Docked and Waiting

HOW TO STEAL A COUNTRY

A RATHER UGLY EXIT

Congress gets into ACLU cross brouhaha - Atheist blames 'Jihad Jesus Republicans' for new designation by lawmakers

700 lawyers ready to fight ACLU lawsuits - Legal group's 'Christmas Project' designed to protect public schools

Low Country Black Swans

Den of Thieves

Purported al-Zarqawi Tape Raps Scholars

BLOGGERS WIN THEIR AIR ATTACK VS. DAN

Europe to the barricades

Intelligence reform and political spin

South Carolina High Country Autumn

Immigration enforcement grows weaker

Tuesday, November 23, 2004

Iraq Protests U.N. Decision on Probe

Bush Wants CIA to Offer Up 'Diverse Views'

Brokaw and Rather

Mass Offensive Launched South of Baghdad

Murder ... So What? Film Reveals Growing Callousness to Abortion

Injudicious Battles - Is there any stopping the judge madness in the Senate?

Iraq Says U.S.-Led Military Role Crucial

Despite U.S. pressure, Arab states far from ready to commit to deal to forgive $30B in Iraqi debt

Museum Addition Brings More Things to Try

Pelican Portrait in Profile

Droves of Iraqi parties throw hats in the ring

NEST OF EVIL

'CONTROL FREAK'

GETTING THE INTEL FIX RIGHT

W. SOARS IN POST-VOTE POLL

Monday, November 22, 2004

Reshaping the electorate

Who's 'in' and what's 'out'

Kofi's downward spiral

Something to think about....

Rebuilt Museum of Modern Art opens

Guggenheim museum revisits Aztec empire

Brown Pelican in Flight

GOSS'S GOT GUTS

When He Wins, He Loses - Bush just can't do anything right

FINDING TRUE ISLAM

WAR OVER 9/11 INTEL IMPASSE

Iraq Force Is Seen As Likely to Grow - U.S. Plans Require Boost, Officers Say

Sunday, November 21, 2004

The Rebels of Turtle Bay

The Rebels of Turtle Bay

NBA Suspends Artest for Rest of Season

Irac Sets Election Despite Fresh Violence

Bush Vows to Work for 9/11 Bill's Passage

Raid on Mosque Sparks Battles in Baghdad

APEC Leaders Vow to Scrap Trade Barriers

Colombia Deploys 15,000 Troops for Bush

War crimes?

Hillary's Senate record

Bush touts allied unity on nukes

Saturday, November 20, 2004

Congress Passes $388B Spending Bill

The SpongeBob SquarePants Movie