A Roll Of The Dice

The Jewish celebration of Purim is March 1-5, 2007. It is derived from a Persian word, Pur, or "lot," describing how a day was chosen to destroy a people. Our pastor gave a sermon on this today and I felt moved to share it.

The events leading to this holiday are explained in the Book of Esther; a short, beautiful story of the Persian Queen Esther and her intervention in the attempt of Haman, a powerful prince, to slaughter the Jews.

Let's set the historical stage for the Book of Esther, for she was placed in the middle of a series of conflicts between the Persian Empire and Athens known as the Persian Wars.

In 722 B.C. the Assyrians conquer the northern Jewish tribes (Israel) and carry them off into captivity. This is the Assyrian exile.

In 587 B.C. the Babylonians under King Nebuchadnezzar defeat the Assyrians and then invade the southern Jewish tribes (Judah), destroying Solomon's Temple, much of Jerusalem's defensive walls and carry Judah off into captivity. This is the Babylonian exile.

In 538 B.C. the Persians under Cyrus conquer the Babylonians. Since the area now called Palestine was on the outer fringes of the Persian Empire, it was probably not completely assimilated until the reign of Cambyses (Cyrus' son) between 530 and 522 B.C.

Queen Esther is married to Ahasuerus (Xerxes is his title), the son of Darius the Great; Ahasuerus' mother was Atossa, the daughter of Cyrus the Great (580-529 B.C.) - the king who founded the Achaemenian Empire of Persia in approximately 648 B.C. When Cyrus' son, Cambyses II, died after a short, seven-year reign, Darius became the third King of Persia after murdering the impostor Gaumâta in 522 B.C.

Trouble between the Greeks and Persians had been brewing since 546 BC when the Persians defeated King Croesus of Lydia. Lydia had controlled the Greek city-states of Asia Minor until then. Under a series of corrupt governors and harsh taxation the Greeks learned to hate Persian rule and started rebelling about 500 B.C. In 498 B.C. the Athenians sacked the city of Sardis, the capital of Lydia.

To settle matters, Darius the Great sent an army into Attica in eastern Greece and was soundly defeated by Athenian hopelites at the Battle of Marathon in 490 B.C. Legend has it that a soldier ran 25 miles to inform the Athenians of the victory and died immediately thereafter, hence the word marathon became immortalized. Persian control of the area was eventually restored but the Persian kings wanted to teach Athens a lesson.

Darius' son, Ahasuerus, who became king in 485 B.C., reigned for twenty years until his murder in 465 B.C. by his vizar (high ranking minister or advisor) who installed Artaxerxes I (another title, his real name was as the new king.

The Book of Esther opens in approximately 483 B.C. as Ahasuerus is preparing his nobles and vassal states to support him in his military venture against Athens (it was actually launched around 481 B.C.). Raising an army is an expensive and thirsty business so Ahasuerus starts the ball rolling by holding a six month long feast followed immediately by a week long drinking binge.

Esther 1:1- Now it came to pass in the days of Ahasuerus (this is Ahasuerus who reigned from India even unto Ethiopia, over a hundred and seven and twenty provinces) that in those days, when the king Ahasuerus sat on the throne of his kingdom, which was in Shushan the palace, in the third year of his reign, he made a feast unto all his princes and his servants; the power of Persia and Media, the nobles and princes of the provinces, being before him; when he showed the riches of his glorious kingdom and the honor of his excellent majesty many days, even a hundred and fourscore days.

Esther 1:7-8 And they gave them drink in vessels of gold (the vessels being diverse one from another), and royal wine in abundance, according to the bounty of the king. And the drinking was according to the law; none could compel: for so the king had appointed to all the officers of his house, that they should do according to every man's pleasure.

So it's partay, partay for six months and drink 'til you puke for a week with indiscriminate, non-stop wenching thrown in for good measure. The Hebrew word for drink in verse 7 can also be used to mean drown. Maybe there was a Shushan Chapter of the Hell's Angels Motorcycle Club in ancient Persia.

Ahasuerus gets blasted along with his buddies and does something stupid. He calls for his beautiful wife, Vashti, to show her off before his drinking pals. Some intrepretors say that this meant she was to dance or even appear naked before them. This was beyond an impolite request; the king went over the top on this one. But,hey, he's king. It is also thought that she might have been pregnant at the time.

Bear this in mind, Vashti was the daughter of King Belshazzar of Babylon and the great-granddaughter of King Nebuchadnezzar. She had some street creds, but it didn't help her.

Queen Vashti tells the the old boy "no," thus infuriating Ahasuerus and putting into play the following chain of events that place a young Jewish girl near the seat of power of the most powerful empire on the planet. Remember, Xerxes ruled 127 other nations.

Vashti is voted off the island and Ahasuerus starts his version of Persian Virgin Idol.

In Chapter 2, Ahasuerus looks for another queen and the world's fairest maidens are brought before him. A beautiful Jewish orphan is one of the lucky ones. But the name she uses, Esther, is a Persian name; her real name is Hadassah. Later this will be important as it appears that she and her family have tried to hide the fact that they are Jewish. Upon her parents' death, Esther was brought up by her Uncle Mordecai. He also served in the palace, possibly as a eunuch.

She befriends one of the king's eunuchs, Hegai, and enters into the year long purification and beautification program before she is fit to be presented to the king. Ahasuerus favors Esther above all the other maidens and selects her as his Queen.

Sometime after the wedding Mordecai overhears two other eunuchs plotting against the King. He informs Esther and the perpetrators are arrested and executed. Mordecai, however, receives no credit for his actions.

In Chapter 3 we are introduced to Haman the Agagite. Haman is a descendant of Agag, the Amalekite king who was captured by the Isreali King Saul and executed by the prophet Samuel. Haman has just been promoted by Ahasuerus above all other Persian princes. And Mordecai proceeds to royally piss him off.

Esther 3:2-5 And all the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, bowed down, and did reverence to Haman; for the king had so commanded concerning him. But Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence. Then the king's servants, that were in the king's gate, said unto Mordecai, Why transgressest thou the king's commandment? Now it came to pass, when they spake daily unto him, and he hearkened not unto them, that they told Haman, to see whether Mordecai's matters would stand: for he had told them that he was a Jew. And when Haman saw that Mordecai bowed not down, nor did him reverence, then was Haman full of wrath.

Here is where the pur of Purim comes into play.

Esther 2:6-10 But he thought scorn to lay hands on Mordecai alone; for they had made known to him the people of Mordecai: wherefore Haman sought to destroy all the Jews that were throughout the whole kingdom of Ahasuerus, even the people of Mordecai. In the first month, which is the month Nisan, in the twelfth year of king Ahasuerus, they cast Pur, that is, the lot, before Haman from day to day, and from month to month, to the twelfth month, which is the month Adar. And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the peoples in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from those of every people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver into the hands of those that have the charge of the king's business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy.

It's a done deal. The Persian Jews are toast.

The King's proclamation is sent throughout the empire.

Esther 3:12 Then were the king's scribes called in the first month, on the thirteenth day thereof; and there was written according to all that Haman commanded unto the king's satraps, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the princes of every people, to every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and it was sealed with the king's ring.

Chapter 4
Mordecai freaks when he reads the King's proclamation; he transitions immediately into sackcloth-and-ashes mode and heads for the central business district for a bit of lamenting. Esther finds out that Mordecai is raising a fuss and sends another eunuch to find out why. Mordecai fills in the eunuch and asks Esther to intercede for her people.

Esther replies that it is against the law for anyone to approach the King without an invitation (this is an executive protection measure) and that the penalty is death. Also, he has not summoned her for a month. Mordecai responds in wonderful fashion:

Esther 4:13-14 Then Mordecai bade them return answer unto Esther, Think not with thyself that thou shalt escape in the king's house, more than all the Jews. For if thou altogether holdest thy peace at this time, then will relief and deliverance arise to the Jews from another place, but thou and thy father's house will perish: and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

The reply of Mordecai echoes through the ages. Examine and compare the words of German pastor Martin Niemoller:

"First they came for the Communists, but I was not a Communist so I did not speak out.

Then they came for the Socialists and the Trade Unionists, but I was neither, so I did not speak out.

Then they came for the Jews, but I was not a Jew so I did not speak out.

And when they came for me, there was no one left to speak out for me."

Mordecai's words come down to us through 2,500 years of mankind's inhumanity to man, a dark, fearsome legacy. And God's provenance shines through brightly.

and who knoweth whether thou art not come to the kingdom for such a time as this?

Since the beginning, God has placed individuals where He has purposed. The problem is that not everyone has always responded correctly to His prompting.

Look at Esther's life and see how God can use people even under the most trying circumstances.

Her uncle was most likely a eunuch. He hung with them, worked with them and she sent them to speak to him.
Both Mordecai and Esther denied their religion, their heritage and their culture.
Esther married Darius, a Zoroastrian, a pagan by her religion's standards.
Darius was also a murderous serial polygamist hell bent on punishing another people for daring to defy him (the Athenians).

Then consider Esther's next words:
Esther 4:15-17 Then Esther bade them return answer unto Mordecai, Go, gather together all the Jews that are present in Shushan, and fast ye for me, and neither eat nor drink three days, night or day: I also and my maidens will fast in like manner; and so will I go in unto the king, which is not according to the law: and if I perish, I perish. So Mordecai went his way, and did according to all that Esther had commanded him.

Esther took charge.

Chapter 5
Esther does approach the king and he is delighted to see her. She has devised a plan to save her people and begins to put it into play. The King says that she may have anything she wants up to half the kingdom. Instead of asking for a new Mercedes, she invites the King and Haman to a private soiree' at her digs later that day. At the soiree', wine is served and the King repeats his offer. Esther bides her time and asks the King and Haman to return tomorrow for a feast where she will declare her wishes.

Haman is on Cloud Nine. He is in the good graces of the King and he is the only man the Queen invites to her parties besides the King. Nothing can mar his mellow, nothing can bring him down. Except for a ratty old Jew who still refuses to honor him.

Esther 5:9 -10 Then went Haman forth that day joyful and glad of heart: but when Haman saw Mordecai in the king's gate, that he stood not up nor moved for him, he was filled with wrath against Mordecai. Nevertheless Haman refrained himself, and went home...

To prepare the death of Mordecai. He special orders a 75' gibbet made for Mordecai's neck. He will seek the King's permission to hang Mordecai on the morrow.

Chapter 6
The King can't sleep that night. His doctor told him to take it easy on the Margarita's so instead he has his clerks bring in the official records of the Persian empire and has the clerks read to him. For the first time he is the official account of how Mordecai saved his hash. He asks what was done for Mordecai in appreciation and he is told, "nada."

The next day the King is looking for advice on how to reward Mordecai. He asks the first person in the court, who happens to be Haman (looking for Mordecai's scalp) how he should honor someone that he delights in. Haman, being the self deprecating person that he is, thinks the King refers to him and gushes forth with a whole list of delightful perks.


Es 6:8-9 let royal apparel be brought which the king useth to wear, and the horse that the king rideth upon, and on the head of which a crown royal is set: and let the apparel and the horse be delivered to the hand of one of the king's most noble princes, that they may array the man therewith whom the king delighteth to honor, and cause him to ride on horseback through the street of the city, and proclaim before him, Thus shall it be done to the man whom the king delighteth to honor.

The King says thank you very much, go and do this for Mordecai. Every. Single. One.

Talk about a kick in the ass. Haman is humiliated.

Chapter 7
Now Haman has to prepare for the Queen's soiree'. He hastens over to Esther's crib and wishes he wore Depends because the Queen tells Ahasuerus what Haman has done to the Jews, to her.

Esther 7:3 -6 Then Esther the queen answered and said, If I have found favor in thy sight, O king, and if it please the king, let my life be given me at my petition, and my people at my request: for we are sold, I and my people, to be destroyed, to be slain, and to perish. But if we had been sold for bondmen and bondwomen, I had held my peace, although the adversary could not have compensated for the king's damage. Then spake the king Ahasuerus and said unto Esther the queen, Who is he, and where is he, that durst presume in his heart to do so? And Esther said, An adversary and an enemy, even this wicked Haman. Then Haman was afraid before the king and the queen.

Someone Haman manages to make it worse. The King stalks off and Haman approaches the Queen to beg for his life. Wrong move. He stumbles and falls on top of the Queen and the King re-enters to find Haman sprawled across his wife. Haman finds himself swinging at the end of Mordecai's rope.

Chapter 8
Mordecai is given Haman's cushy gig as well as his estate. But the King's word may not be recalled so another tack must be taken. Another proclamation is issued authorizing all Jews in the Empire to defend themselves:

Esther 8:11 wherein the king granted the Jews that were in every city to gather themselves together, and to stand for their life, to destroy, to slay, and to cause to perish, all the power of the people and province that would assault them, their little ones and women, and to take the spoil of them for a prey...

Whereas the first proclamation condemning the Jews went out by Snail Mail, this one goes out via Pony Express.

Esther 8:14 So the posts that rode upon swift steeds that were used in the king's service went out, being hastened and pressed on by the king's commandment; and the decree was given out in Shushan the palace.

Chapter 9
The date of the attack comes and the Jews across the empire are aided by Persians who fear the proclamation.

Esther 9:3-4 And all the princes of the provinces, and the satraps, and the governors, and they that did the king's business, helped the Jews; because the fear of Mordecai was fallen upon them. For Mordecai was great in the king's house, and his fame went forth throughout all the provinces; for the man Mordecai waxed greater and greater.

And the Jews kicked some butt too.

Esther 9:5-6 And the Jews smote all their enemies with the stroke of the sword, and with slaughter and destruction, and did what they would unto them that hated them. And in Shushan the palace the Jews slew and destroyed five hundred men.

Esther 9:15-17 And the Jews that were in Shushan gathered themselves together on the fourteenth day also of the month Adar, and slew three hundred men in Shushan; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. And the other Jews that were in the king's provinces gathered themselves together, and stood for their lives, and had rest from their enemies, and slew of them that hated them seventy and five thousand; but on the spoil they laid not their hand. This was done on the thirteenth day of the month Adar; and on the fourteenth day of the same they rested, and made it a day of feasting and gladness.

To make the whole deal sweeter, all of Haman's sons are hanged. All ten of them.

Esther 9:26-28 Wherefore they called these days Purim, after the name of Pur. Therefore because of all the words of this letter, and of that which they had seen concerning this matter, and that which had come unto them, the Jews ordained, and took upon them, and upon their seed, and upon all such as joined themselves unto them, so that it should not fail, that they would keep these two days according to the writing thereof, and according to the appointed time thereof, every year; and that these days should be remembered and kept throughout every generation, every family, every province, and every city; and that these days of Purim should not fail from among the Jews, nor the remembrance of them perish from their seed.

What Mordecai and Esther did, as human and prone to sin, mistakes and failure as any one of us, will be remembered for eternity.

Our Savior Lives

In a new alleged documentary, movie producer James Cameron

and his director, Simcha Jacobovici, make the starting claim that Jesus wasn't esurrected --the cornerstone of Christian faith-- and that his burial cave was discovered near Jerusalem.

And they found His old gym locker too. They are now seeking archeological clues for the combination to open it.

And, get this, Jesus sired a son with Mary Magdelene.

It's not like we haven't heard this before. It's the same sad story that has been going on for hundreds of years. The authenticity of Scripture is challenged time after time. And Scripture always reveals itself to be true.

But the moonbats will flock to this and claim, like Friedrich Nietzsche, that God is dead.

No dear moonbats, Nietzsche is dead. You can find him here, in the Röcken Churchyard in Berlin where he has been busily decomposing for over 100 years.

A movie producer whose last works include the bomb King Kong does not shake my faith.

In the words of Samuel Medley:

I know that my Redeemer lives!
What comfort this sweet sentence gives!
He lives, he lives, who once was dead;
He lives, my ever living head!

He lives triumphant from the grave;
He lives eternally to save;
He lives exalted, throned above;
He lives to rule his Church in love.

Who's Watching the Store

This is what happens when you refuse to control your own borders.

Rival alien and drug smugglers on the U.S.-Mexico border are targeting each other in a wave of escalating violence to win control of smuggling corridors into the United States, with at least four recent killings tied to efforts to kidnap migrants for ransom.

Nature abhors a vacuum. Since the US government refuses to exercise dominion over the entrance and egress to our land, others are taking advantage of this opportunity to enrich themselves.

Authorities said gang members are kidnapping illegal aliens being guided into the United States, demanding ransoms of up to $2,500 a person and killing the illegals, along with gang rivals, who resist. The kidnappings save the gangs the cost of recruiting migrants in Mexico and hiring guides, or "coyotes," to bring them across the border.

Instead of controlling the thugs and murderers who infest our borders, the feds are prosecuting and imprisoning the cops who are trying to stop the violence.

A federal court has denied a request to release on bond pending appeal two former Border Patrol agents whose jailing for shooting a suspected drug smuggler sparked a political controversy.

The decision by the U.S. 5th Circuit Court of Appeals in New Orleans has given new impetus to a bipartisan chorus of congressional criticism over the prosecution and conviction of former agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who are serving prison terms of 11 and 12 years respectively.

[...] "Acquiescing to the insistence of the White House, the court has decided to treat Ramos and Compean worse that they would common criminals, which is consistent with the way the Bush administration has handled these two border agents from the beginning," said Rep. Dana Rohrabacher (R-Calif.), in a statement Friday.

The feds have treated these cops far, far worse than the FBI sniper who shot and killed Vicki Weaver during the Ruby Ridge incident under the Clinton administration in 1992. The FBI sniper that killed her was never punished.

This from Wikipedia:

In 1992, while working at sniper position Sierra 4 for the FBI Hostage Rescue Team at Ruby Ridge, Horiuchi allegedly killed Vicki Weaver, and wounded her husband Randy Weaver and Kevin Harris. Vicki Weaver was unarmed, clutching her infant daughter, when Horiuchi shot her in the face.

In September 1995, Horiuchi testified before the U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee's hearing on the Ruby Ridge shootings; however, following advice of counsel, he invoked his Fifth Amendment rights, which limited the ability of Idaho's prosecutorial team of Denise Woodbury and Stephen Yagman to build a criminal case against him.

In 1997, Horiuchi was charged in Boundary County, Idaho state court with involuntary manslaughter. Horiuchi removed the case to federal court, where the case was dismissed by U.S. District Judge Edward Lodge on May 14, 1998, who cited the Supremacy Clause of the Constitution which grants immunity to Federal officers acting in the scope of their employment. This decision was reversed by an en banc panel of the Ninth Circuit, which held that Horiuchi should stand trial.

However, shortly after the Circuit court rendered its decision, the prosecutor moved to drop the case, and the District court granted the motion on June 26, 2001.

Horiuchi was also one of the FBI snipers engaged in Waco, TX, at the Branch Davidian compound.

We Get Cranky When We Get Old

Angry Tourists Break Mugger's Neck

SAN JOSE, Costa Rica, Feb 24: A group of U.S. tourists, including a former Marine, killed a Costa Rican mugger by breaking his neck after he pulled a gun on them in a Caribbean port, a local police official said on Thursday.

Not only are Americans living longer, they're living meaner.

She Did It Again

My daughter ran in the high school Section B indoor track meet at SU tonight and she broke her school's record in the 55m hurdles. Again.

Twice.

She broke her old record of 10.08 with a run of 9.74 and then broke it again with another run of 9.68. She didn't win the sectional though; another girl beat her by .03 second.

Proud much?

Bald Bad Brittany

What is with this chick? She shaves and flaunts that part of her body that shouldn't ever be seen in public and then shaves and hides under a hoodie that part of her body that should be seen.

Someone better grab her baby and haul Ms. Spears' ass off to involuntary detox. Next thing you know she'll be shaving her macaca and dangling the kid off a balcony in Rio de Janeiro.

Stay Calm? Hell No!

This story in the WaPo shows how the Bush Administration is reacting to the vigorous and unrelenting protest against the prosecution and incareration of Border Patrol agents Ramos and Campean.

Support Swells for Agents Who Shot Drug Smuggler
Conservatives Lead Movement to Free Ex-Border Patrolmen

Early this week, the Bush administration urged angry conservatives to remain calm over the convictions of two former Border Patrol agents who shot an unarmed Mexican drug smuggler, but petitions for their release continued to flood the White House.

It did not help that one the lawmen, Ignacio Ramos, was attacked by Latino gang members in his cell at the Yazoo City Federal Correctional Complex in Mississippi and beaten bloody. Days after prison officials confirmed the beating on Feb. 8, Department of Homeland Security officials admitted that an inspector general's report erroneously quoted Border Patrol agents as saying Ramos and his partner, Jose Compean, intended to kill Mexicans.

The phrase, "erroneously reported," is Washington-speak for "lied." And why would the White House urge conservatives to remain calm? The reason is simple. We're in another presidential election cycle and there is money to be made pledged and collected.

If my heated remarks to the Republican fund raiser who called me last week are any indication of what they are facing, the White House has a lot to be worried about.

Tagged Again

BlackisWhite threw a tag at me. The tag originated in Australia with LC Brendan, who then threw it on Emperor Misha's lap, from whence it crawled over to BisW and now I'm stuck with it.

Six Unusual Things About Me.

1) As a kid I could make myself fart.

2) The only memory I have of my birth father is the cops coming to the house looking for him. I was about five or six years old and was playing on the front porch at the time. They were all dressed in dark blue.

I retired from the police department in 1998 after 24 years service. I bet the shrinks could have a picnic with this one.

3) While working on my Master's degree in 1971 (never finished it) I did a research paper on urban mass transportation. I tried to get a job as an analyst with the NYS legislature. The NYC assemblyman/senator (asshole) who headed the transportation committee never gave me the job or my paper back. I later learned that part of my work was incorporated into the 1972 Urban Mass Transportation Bond that was voted down that November. He was a Democrat who knew how to take a good piece of research and turn it into a bad bill.

4) My great-grandmother and her husband lived in Brooklyn, NY. She was shot to death by her Sicilian brother-in-law around 1911 when my Nana (grandmother) was about ten years old. My great-grandfather promptly put his eight kids, all girls, in a convent and married his dead wife's sister. They had another seven kids, six girls and a boy. Nana has fourteen sisters and a brother. My grandmother was a bit of a mess but I loved her dearly.

Before my grandfather, James Arthur McKevitt, died in 1956 of cancer, he had my father (who adopted the three of us) promise to take care of Nana. She lived with us until her death in 1974 when I was in the police academy.

5) I was constantly in fights in junior high (middle) school. I lived in the Principal's office.

My sister and her husband were up here last weekend. We were talking about school and she related a story about a boy who scared the ever loving crap out of her in junior high. He was a big, loathsome creature that tried to drag her away from a dance to a more remote section of the school. My sister started screaming her brains out and some friends of hers joined in the outcry, bringing teachers in on a dead run. Thank G-d. That kid was never seen again in school. That's how they did it back then; kids just disappeared after a big time screw up.

She couldn't remember his name but described him to me. I immediately said, "Jerry Dash." My sister turned dead white, I thought she was going to pass out. She literally started shaking when I said those two words. She had buried his name some 45 years ago. He really did scare the daylights out of her.

I knew Jerry Dash because of my countless fist fests before, during and after school. He lived down the street from my bus stop. He was a year ahead of me academically but maybe two or three years older. I didn't lose many fights and one day after school I was in my customary position on top of another lad that I was pummeling. The lad (can't remember his name, some faceless neighborhood punk) gave up and I prepared to get up. Before I could arise, Jerry Dash squatted down in front of me and said, "Hit him."

Dash was about 16 at the time. I was 13 or 14. He was huge. Ugly. Red haired. Gap toothed. Stupid. Sonofabitch. Every time he showed up you swore you could hear banjos play. And his breath. The foul stench that emanated from his mouth could blister the chrome on a 1956 Buick Roadmaster grill. And he stuck his face just three inches in front of my nose and told me to hit this kid that I had just bloodied. He wanted to see me hurt him more. He liked it.

I said no.

That gap toothed sonofabitch punched me in the head. It was like getting smacked by a bag of dry mix cement. So I put a few half-hearted licks into the kid on the ground. I didn't want to hurt the kid and I didn't want Dash to pulverize me.

I hope that he is in jail with Bubba the Destroyer of Bungholes as his roommate.

6) I'll eat just about any vegetable without complaint but for one. I hate Lima beans, I refuse to eat them.


OOOPS!
Forgot, today was a busy day. I tag:

LC Mope

LC Jackboot

Cookie

The Merry Widow

Death Knyte, and

Hujonwi

House Could Hear Border Agent Case

Perhaps the case against the border cops is beginning to unravel.

The speaker of the House of Representatives will be asked to hold hearings on the case of two convicted Border Patrol agents for the shooting of a Mexican drug smuggler. The request, which comes on the heels of the Senate's decision to hold hearings last week on the case, was drafted by Rep. Ted Poe, R-Texas, and was sent Wednesday to all House members.

It's about time, but too early to start a happy dance. There must be more light shed on this case.

"Numerous and repeated attempts by Members of Congress to ascertain the facts of this case through inquiries with relevant federal agencies have been unsuccessful. Our requests for information have been delayed or denied, and certain federal investigators have even misled us about this case."

That's what puzzles me about this case. Why all this pressure to get a conviction on two low level cops? Even if the Mexican consulate is hot to trot on this (as mentioned in a previous post) why leave yourself open to charges like this? There is more here than meets the eye.

Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas, on Wednesday also sent a letter to Department of Homeland Security Inspector General Richard Skinner asking for an investigation into his office for misleading Congress about the circumstances surrounding the investigation of the agents.

At a private September meeting, House members from Texas, Poe, Rep. Michael McCaul and Rep. Kenny Marchant, were told by Skinner's office that they had evidence that Ramos and Compean "were out to shoot Mexicans" and that they had admitted to knowingly shooting an unarmed person.

Skinner admitted this month at two House hearings that those statements were false.

It isn't just US Attorney John Sutton who wanted a piece of Agents Ramos and Compean; now the Homeland Security IG has let his ass get dragged into this. Why did these people put the screws to these cops? Why expose themselves to this kind of criticism?

"These congressional hearings are necessary to shed light on the truth of this case," Poe added. "There are many unanswered questions regarding the trial and what happened that day. The Justice Department has no business being the long arm of the Mexican government."

Documents obtained by the Daily Bulletin show that the Mexican consulate was actively involved in the U.S. attorney's prosecution of the Border Patrol agents and a Texas deputy sheriff last year.

The Senate Judiciary Committee has dubbed its investigation in these events as "the Texas Three."

This doesn't make any sense. Illegal campaign contributions from drug trafficking aren't in the picture, even if there are some handsome profits to be made.

Item #1. The smuggler was sneaking almost 800 lbs (worth about $1m) of marijuana. Even if he was making only one trip a week he was smuggling $52m of product a year. He probably was doing more. And most likely he was not the only "mule" for his boss. What was the profit for his boss? Here is one source. Other estimates place the profit margin at 170% or more.

500 pounds of marijuana can be purchased in Juárez, Mexico, for $50,000 and sold in St. Louis, Missouri, for $400,000.

In 1998 Americans spent an estimated $11 billion on marijuana. I imagine some of that found its way into the pockets of Mexican elected officials and cops.

Item #2. Let's not kid ourselves about the nature of "doing bidnez" in Mexico. Corruption is rife. Look at what happened in Tijuana. If something happens to interdict the flow of illegal drugs into the US, you can bet your last dollar that there are plenty of pesos available to bring Mexican public officials into the act.

Item #3. Sutton also went after Edwards County Deputy Sheriff Guillermo F. Hernandez for wounding an illegal alien being transported in a vehicle that tried to run down Deputy Hernandez. From the National Border Patrol Council web site:

The Texas Rangers conducted an independent investigation of Deputy Hernandez' shooting and cleared Deputy Hernandez of any wrongdoing; yet, somehow federal
Prosecutors managed to charge Deputy Hernandez a year and three months after the incident. Judging by the prosecutorial abuses that occurred in the Ramos and Compean case, one can only imagine how poorly the prosecution behaved in the
case against Deputy Hernandez

Why has our government responded so favorably to this manipulation?

Leaning On Iran

Internation economic pressure is mounting on Iran.

Trade figures and other data have begun to reflect deepening economic isolation taking place as a result of U.S.-led efforts to penalize Tehran for what the United States alleges is the pursuit of nuclear weapons and sponsorship of terrorist groups.

I wonder if it will work because it didn't for Iraq. My initial opinion is that pay back is waaaaaay overdue. With lots of interest.

For example, Iran's imports from Germany fell 14% in the first eight months of 2006, the German-Iranian Chamber of Commerce says. European Union countries account for 40% of Iran's imports, and Germany is Iran's largest European supplier, providing machinery, steel and electrical equipment, along with other goods.

German government export credits, used to finance trade, also fell by a third last year and are expected to drop again this year, said Ulrich Sante, a spokesman at the German Embassy in Washington.

Pressure is also being applies to corporations that have investments in Iran.

FRANKFURT (Reuters) -- DaimlerChrysler intends to divest its majority stake in the company that is its exclusive distributor for Mercedes-Benz vehicles in Iran, Germany's WirtschaftsWoche magazine reported on its Web site.

"The group is reacting to the growing pressure that the United States is applying on companies that do business in Iran," the magazine said Monday, without giving a source for its information.

It said DaimlerChrysler would sell its 51 percent stake in marketing group Setareh in the next few weeks.

This kind of pressure is certainly going to hurt Iran's economy, but will it make enough of a difference to influence those who make decisions regarding Iran's nuclear future?

And of course another consideration is the UN and its penchant for perfidy and greed. Is there an Irani Oil-For-Food deal in the future?

Mexico Is Now Calling The Shots

WorldNetDailey has a story on the role the Mexican government played in the prosecution of two Border Patrol Agents. This is not good news for el Jefe in the White House.

The Mexican Consulate played a previously undisclosed role in the events leading to U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton's high-profile prosecution of Border Patrol Agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean, who are serving 11 and 12 year sentences for their role in the shooting of a drug smuggler, according to documents obtained by WND.

Agents Ramos and Compean were not the only ones caught up in the targeting information provided by the Mexican to US Attorney Sutton.

And Mexican consular officials also demanded the prosecution of Texas Sheriff's Deputy Guillermo "Gilmer" Hernandez, who subsequently was brought to trial by Sutton, the documents reveal.

The Clintons used the FBI to collect documents on their political enemies. Bush uses the US Attorney to throw cops in jail. What the hell?

Rep. John Culberson, R-Texas – among a number of congressman who have fiercely opposed the prosecution of Ramos and Compean – told WND he has "long suspected that Mexican government officials ordered the prosecution of our law enforcement agents."

"Mexico wants to intimidate our law enforcement into leaving our border unprotected, and we now have confirmation of it in writing," Culberson said.

It's nice to know what you can and can't get away with. As long as you leave the borders wide open you have nothing to fear from the US Attorney's Office in Texas.

The Cause of Global Warming

Gaia is Mother Earth , the beloved Nature of the loony ecofascist left.

Gaia being the primordial element from which all the gods originated was worshiped throughout Greece, but later she went into decline and was supplanted by other gods.

So the old broad has gotten a little testy over the years.

No one sends her flowers any more.

And after seeing all this white stuff over the last twelve hours, I have reached some new scientific conclusions.

Global warming is caused by Gaia's hot flashes as she stumbles into menopause. This has lead US scientists to explore means of locking Gaia in a closet for the next ten years using massive hormone replacement IV's to offset the mood swings.

They're just stumped on what to do with all the empty boxes of chocolates.

They Got Their 100% DMR of Moonbat

BRUSSELS, Belgium — An animal lover was mauled to death by cheetahs after entering their cage at a zoo in northern Belgium, authorities and zoo officials said Monday.

Another PETA member graduates.

Karen Aerts, 37, of Antwerp, was found dead in the cage, Olmense Zoo spokesman Jan Libot said. Police said they ruled out any foul play.

Of course it wasn't foul play, it was feline play. Felines always play with their food.

Authorities believe Aerts, a regular visitor to the zoo, hid in the park late Sunday until it closed and managed to find the keys to the cheetah cage.

"Karen loved animals. Unfortunately the cheetahs betrayed her trust," Libot said.

One of the cats that killed Aerts was named Bongo, whom the woman had adopted under a special program. She paid for Bongo's food, Libot said.. [emphasis mine]

Just can't trust those cheetahs with a tasty moonbat in their cage. She certainly did throw herself, body and soul, into her commitment to the cheetahs. Bongo is very grateful and said *urp* just before he shat out her Birkenstocks. Authorities were grateful that she wasn't wearing Nikes because they tend to bind the big cats.

Animal rights group GAIA called for the immediate closure of the zoo, located 55 miles northeast of Brussels, saying it was unsafe for both visitors and the cats.

Aerts screwed up in that she didn't get the GAIA endorsement as a meat by product. You'd think instead that they'd name a special memorial medal for her. Or a new cat food product, maybe Aerts Bits or Fancy Feet.

The Impala Lost the 80m Relay

From Nelspruit, South Africa:

Lions killed an impala on a school sports field - shortly before an interschools tournament was to be held.

Staff at Skukuza Primary School in the Kruger National Park had to remove the carcass so that the athletics meeting could go ahead on Saturday.

"They killed the buck on the track itself - right on the 80m mark," said school principal Jannie Geldenhuys on Monday.

It's not the race that kills ya, it's the finish line.

Here It Comes Again, Maybe

The NOAA is issuing a weather advisory for possibly heavy snows tomorrow night through Wednesday and then more snow showers through the end of the week.

There is an excited undercurrent considering the possibility of a school snow day.

My snow blower broke last week.

UPDATE:

14 FEB o7 - We got about two feet of snow thus far (late afternoon) and are expecting another 12-18" by tomorrow morning. Fixed the snow blower so we're good to go. But it still took us a half hour to get my stuck car out of the driveway.

That is a 6' snow bank by the lamp post in my front yard.

Another One Lost

As your kids grow up you see them learn from their experiences what the world is like and the decisions that people make that lead to tragedy. Sometimes it is an accident, a rare mishap, that ends a life. Other times it is a series of what the shrinks call bad behaviors (I call it character or lack thereof) that will cut short a life.

As I walked into the kitchen this morning to grab a cup of coffee, my daughter looked up from reading the paper and said, "He's dead. Someone shot Xavier." I couldn't even begin to guess who this was until she explained it to me.

Xavier Scott, 21, is a young black man that went to my daughter's high school. He did not graduate, instead finishing up at a center for troubled youth. My daughter knew him as he dated a friend of hers for several years.

Xavier's clueless mother, Shirely Mitchell, said that she had no idea that her son was having any trouble with anyone lately despite the fact that this is the second time that Xavier has been shot in the past four months. Last October he was shot in the leg.

So What, We Have Some Snow

You may have noticed that Upstate NY is getting some face time in the national news because of all the lake effect snow that has fallen this week. I received maybe a foot or more at my house and places in the northern part of the county have gotten maybe 2 or 3 feet. Just thirty miles or so north of us is where the real snowfall has buried Oswego County and parts east of Lake Ontario. Up to 120 inches (that's ten feet of white, powdery frozen water to you southerners) of new snow has been officially recorded in some areas of the North Country since last Sunday.

I also see that Miss Sue from Eagle Lake, Texas, sent my blog buddy Cookie some real beautiful photos of other parts of the country that are not buried under ten feet of snow. These photos make Cookie feel so much better after digging his weary, sorry ass out of a snow bank.

Now I admire the scenery and appreciate the stunning natural beauty of our great nation. And I appreciate the efforts of our dear southern friends to educate us of the benefits on living closer to the equator. But there are other aspects of southern living that we here in the Great White Frozen North do not enjoy. I have included some photos of these.

No one denies that upstate New York does get snow and a lot of it, and the temperatures are less than optimal from December through March. But maybe because of all the snow and cold we don't see a lot of other things, like illegal immigrants doing this:

Or this:

And we certainly don't see a lot of this while driving to work:

And we never see this charming vista:

Thank you, but I'll keep the snow.

Not Since Teddy and FDR

According to Peggy Noonan, there have been two elections in the past 100 years where both the candidates for President were from New York....

... in 1904, when New York was the home of the hero of Oyster Bay, President Theodore Roosevelt, and reluctant Democratic nominee Alton Parker, a judge on New York's Court of Appeals, who carried only the solid South.

And then only forty years later it happened again. in 1944, when Teddy's cousin Franklin sought a fourth term against the bland and mustachioed Thomas Dewey, the New York district attorney.

As Hillary Clinton and Rudy Guiliani have both announced their intentions to run for President, Ms. Noonan announces that

Right now New York, our beloved, overtaxed, postindustrial state, is the red-hot center of the political map.

I can't say I'm all that happy about it.

These are exciting times, with rival gangs roaming uptown and down looking for money and support. The styles of the two tongs are different. Hillary's people are cool and give away nothing; they're all business. They're like a captain from an army about to crush you. Why should he bother to charm you?

Hillary is a an empty shell of a woman consumed with ambition. And Guiliani ?

Rudy's people are more like old-style New Yorkers: They are pugnacious, and if you express reservations about their guy, they give you the chin. They don't make the case or try to persuade; they tilt their chins up and try to argue you into conceding he can win. As if they think it's all on them, and if they can win the conversation, he will win the nomination.

It is a long time until the 2008 political conventions convene: August 25th in Denver, Colorado (Democratic) and September 1st in Saint Paul, Minnesota (Republican) and a lot can happen.

She Finally Did It!

My youngest girl finally broke her high school's record for the 55 meter hurdles in a track meet held at Syracuse University's Manley Field House.

10.08 seconds.

Congressman Threatens to Impeach Bush

From CNS News:

Weeks after accusing President Bush of "shameful" behavior over the imprisonment of two Border Patrol agents who shot an unarmed suspected drug smuggler along the U.S.-Mexico border, a federal lawmaker turned up the heat further Wednesday, suggesting the president should be impeached if either of the two men is murdered in prison.

Speaking after the Federal Bureau of Prisons confirmed that agent Ignacio Ramos was assaulted by inmates in his Mississippi prison over the weekend, California Republican Rep. Dana Rohrabacher had a warning for the White House.

"I tell you, Mr. President, if these men -- especially after this assault -- are murdered in prison, if one of them lose their lives, there's going to be some sort of impeachment talk in Capitol Hill," he told a press conference in Washington D.C.

For their families' sakes I really hope nothing happens to these men while they're in prison.

When Ramos and colleague Jose Compean began their sentences of 12 and 11 years' imprisonment respectively last month, Rohrabacher said of the president for not pardoning the men, "This is the worst betrayal of American defenders I have ever seen."

"It's shameful this was done by someone who is in the Republican Party," Rohrabacher added, saying Bush "obviously thinks more about his agreements with Mexico than the lives of American people and backing up his defenders."

The outrage has targeted both the administration and U.S. Attorney Johnny Sutton, who prosecuted the two and offered an immunity deal to the suspected drug smuggler, Osvaldo Aldrete-Davila, in return for his testimony against the agents.

And that's the rub. You offer immunity or a lower charge to some dirtbag dealer because you want to go up to the next rung, so you can go after his supplier. But the US Attorney in effect, is rewarding this dirtbag to lie against the very men who were trying to arrest him in the first place. The 800 pounds of marijuana he was sneaking across the border when Ramos and Compean initially encountered him is suddenly of no concern to the US Attorney. To amke matters worse, this piece of garbage is caught several months later smuggling another 1,000 pounds of weed into the US while driving a government car.

For this two cops languish in the general population of a federal prison where they can be attacked at any time.

More on Congressman Rohrabacher here.

The Outrage Continues

The Feds aren't happy with imprisoning two Border Guards, now they let one of them get assaulted, stomped on for several minutes according to his wife, while under the care of the federal prison system.

EL PASO, Texas (AP) -- A former U.S. Border Patrol agent who was convicted of shooting a drug smuggling suspect and then lying about it was beaten by fellow inmates in prison, his relatives and a congressman said Tuesday.

Prison officials did not immediately confirm that Ignacio Ramos had been attacked.

Any prison official in his right mind knows that a former cop must be given special protection in a jail setting. Excuse me, any competent prison official.

U.S. Rep. Tom Tancredo, R-Colo., a vocal supporter of the agents and opponent of illegal immigration, criticized the Bush administration Tuesday for failing to protect Ramos and demanded a full presidential pardon for the two men.

"Not only did the administration choose the side of a foreign dope runner over the agents who stopped him from smuggling a load of drugs into the county _ now they've failed to protect that agent while his case is on appeal," he said in a statement.

There has not been that much press on this case, unlike how the treacherous MSM supports the murderous Mumia Abu-Jamal.

Ramos' wife, Monica Ramos, told The Associated Press on Tuesday that her husband described being attacked late Saturday, when he "let his guard down." She said the attackers kicked and stomped him for several minutes.

He was able to identify one man in the group, Monica Ramos said.

The first time he "let his guard down" was when he tried to do his job in the Border Patrol and stop a drug dealer. He was very fortunate that there were no hand made knives used in the attack.

Officials of the Federal Bureau of Prisons did not immediately return a phone call seeking comment Tuesday.

Of course not. They are too busy protecting terrorists and drug smugglers like Panama ex-strong man Noriega. And don't hold your breath waiting for something to happen to the inmate that Ramos was able to identify.

Admiral Nevershit

U.S. Navy Commander and NASA space shuttle driver "Wild Bill" Oefelein has what it takes to drive women wild. Wild enough to have married (to another man) mother of three, Navy Captain Lisa M. Nowak go non stop from Houston, Texas to Orlando, Florida, to confront her rival for Wild Bill's affections at the Orlando airport. In true astronaut tradition, she wore diapers.

Mrs. Nowak apparently had quite a crush on Mr. Wild Bill. She armed herself with a pellet gun, pepper spray, a knife, a steel mallet and several feet of rubber tubing to confront her rival, an Air Force captain who also works for NASA. According to the Houston Chronicle:

Nowak, 43, remains in Orange County Jail without bail on a variety of charges arising from a confrontation with Colleen Shipman, an Air Force captain whom she allegedly assaulted in the parking garage during what police characterized as an attempted kidnapping.

[...] The purpose of the pistol was "to entice Shipman to talk with her," police were told. When they asked her how squirting Shipman with pepper spray was going to aid the conversation, Nowak replied, "That was stupid."

A Kuhlua and Cream would have worked better. She drives 900 miles without a break, and hopefully without a leak, dons a disguise and follows this younger woman to her car. There she

pounded on her window and tried to open the door. She then asked Shipman for help.

"My boyfriend was supposed to pick me up and he is not here," Shipman said she was told. "I've been traveling, and it's late. Can you give me a ride to the parking office?"

Shipman said she declined. The woman then asked to borrow her cell phone. Shipman told her the battery was dead. When the woman began to cry and said she could not hear what Shipman was saying, Shipman lowered the window a few inches. At that point, Shipman was pepper-sprayed, she said.

Eyes burning, Shipman managed to drive away and alert a toll booth attendant who called police. They found Nowak near a parking shuttle bus stop and watched her drop items into a trash can, the affidavit stated. She was arrested after Shipman returned to identify her.

Nowak acts like she had an interruption in her O2 line during lift off. What exactly did she do on a shuttle? Her NASA bio states:

"Nowak was responsible for operating the remote arm during scheduled EVAs. "

Great. She has both a Bachelors and Master's degree in Engineering and operates a giant phallic symbol with a guy attached to the end of it. Like a sticky marshmallow pinanta on a club.

She drove nine hundred miles to spray this chick with Dog-Be-Gone. Nine hundred miles! That long a distance even going 80 mph is gonna eat up some time. Like at least twelve hours. Didn't even a little clue creep in during this time? Or was she listening non stop to Bonnie Tyler?

Turnaround,
Every now and then all my brains turn to shit and my eyes start to glaze
Turnaround,
Every now and then I gotta drive a thousand miles in a brown funky haze
Turnaround,
Every now and then I get a great old diaper and a big pellet gun
Turnaround,
Every now and then I get a folding pocket knife and start looking for fun
Turnaround whack job,
Turn the freakin' car around!
Turnaround whack job,
I can't tell my ass from a hole in the ground!

And I need a clue tonight
And I a clue more than ever
But I' must be wound too tight
I'll probably die in this forsaken slammer
There's no way I'll ever be contrite!
I shoulda turned around in Alabama!
I'll entice her with my pepper spray!
If I scream at her she will obey!
I 'm screaming like a moonbat and I'm always in the dark!
I'm pounding on her window and I'm giving off farts!
I really need a clue tonight
My ass'll be in jail tonight
My ass'll be in jail tonight

Once upon a time I was flying through space
But now I shit alone in the dark.
There's nothing I can do
But sit here and count my stretch marks.

Once upon a time orange spacesuits were my style
Now I wear orange jumpsuits in the pen.
There's nothing I can do
I really screwed up again.

As upset as I have gotten, I generally come to my senses after a bit. I think that would be especially so after you've just almost a thousand miles. Must be her training.

My Superbowl Pick

I really don't have a dog in this fight. But the COLTS have a bunch of SU grads that I like (Harrison, Freeney and a few others) so I'm gonna root for the ponies. Besides, in this frigid weather bears sit on their fat asses and hibernate, horses tough it out.

More UN Asshattery

I read this at LC BlackisWhite's site and tried to comment on it. The new blogger crap popped up and I lost the comment, the site and everything else (curse you Google) so I decided to bring it home and post it here. Thanks BisW.

We got harangued on Friday with a report from the UN that states we're all gonna die in ten years or 100 years or so from the melting snowcaps and cross dressing polar bears. Now these tree-tonguing nutbags are finally showing their true colors. From the Globe & Mail:

PARIS — Hundreds of scientists, business leaders, and non-governmental organizations have called for a new United Nations agency to manage the environment.

The new agency would transform the existing UN Environment Program, into “a fully-fledged international organization that is genuinely universal,” French President Jacques Chirac told delegates to the Citizens of the Earth conference, which was organized by his government.

If you thought Operation Rescue Helpless Rwandans was a debacle, just wait until the Fwench and their European compatriots attempt to rescue the whole stinking planet. This should be good for at least 400 million deaths. The existing UN Environment Program should be transformed into an empty suite of offices.

“We know that humans are destroying, at an alarming rate, resources and balances that have enabled them to evolve and are determining their future,” he said. “We must admit to ourselves that we can no longer afford to be idle and that the risks and dangers are exacerbated with each passing day.”

If you were thrilled by the provisions of the Kyoto Treaty, you'll be overjoyed when Chirac and his minions cob together another UN fiscal black hole demanding bribes financial support.

Thought the UN's Oil for Food Program was bad? Just wait until the UN's "Dialing for BTU's" takes off. The energy/pollution credits will be up for grabs to the highest bidder like an emergency emasculation kit at a Rosie O'Donnell auction.

There is no excuse for us to resist this environmental movement because, well, Chirac says so.

Delegates at the meeting said UN efforts to protect the environment until now have been ineffective because of a lack of political commitment and because there is too much red tape. Mr. Chirac said the new organization would be a “strong voice with universal recognition.” It would assess environmental damage, monitor various agreements to protect the environment, and promote technology to protect ecosystems.

He also called for an international declaration that would make the right to a sound environment a universal human right. [Emphasis mine]

And there it is. If it is a right, then it must be enforced. Our parochial Bill of Rights is not enough. More, much more is needed. And our Supreme Court has already put into play the notion that they must take into consideration international laws during their deliberations. Whether or not it takes root is another matter, but all that is needed is a few democratic administrations making appointments to the bench; this could be reality.

Key world polluters — including the United States, China, India and Russia — steered clear of the proposed new agency, while Europeans embraced it. A total of 46 countries agreed to pursue plans for the organization, and to hold their first meeting in Morocco this spring.

Without naming the United States directly, Mr. Chirac expressed frustration that "some large countries, large rich countries, still must be convinced." They are "refusing to accept the consequences of their acts," he said.

I'm not surprised that we have been labelled as "key world polluters." But who is the world's worst polluter? If you go here it is the Australians, if you go here it is Ireland, if you go here it is the USA, if you go here it is the Chinese. Japan is bringing up the #4 slot and India is also in the mix. Go ahead and tell a billion Indians or a billion and a half Chinese that Al Gore only wants them to flush once with their brand new toilet.

Chirac has found himself a cheese eating hand puppet.

Quebec Premier Jean Charest, who was at the conference, said Quebec will support the new organization “whether Canada does or not.”

This putz has no authority to sign treaties. It's like Montana Gov. Brian Schweitzer saying he's going to Russia to negotiate a nuclear nonproliferation treaty with Putin.

Time For A Rant

You don't have to have a degree in psychology to realize whether or not someone esteems or respects another person or group of persons. This is readily apparent in how the American media treats our Armed Forces.

First, the New York Times story on the death of Army Staff Sgt. Hector Leija by their news staff. Michelle Malkin has the story here.

I am writing to express my profound disappointment in The New York Times's decision to publish a photograph of a mortally wounded American soldier in its Jan. 29 issue and Web site posting.

I am writing to express my profound disappointment in the way the Army has decided not to do anything about this outrage.

In a nutshell, the Times allowed pictures of this brave soldier's death to be posted on their website before the family could be informed. But there was more then stills. A video was hosted by the Times showing the last moments of Sgt. Leija's life, the collection of his personal effects and the swath of blood left where his friends dragged him from the room where he was ambushed.

This is in direct violation of the NEWS MEDIA GROUND RULES (IAW Change 3, DoD Directive 5122.5) Ground Rules Agreement imposed on the media by the Multinational Corps - Iraq.

Here is a pdf of those rules; the operational section violated by New York Times personnel is at the top of page two, section 11.

11) Media will not be prohibited from covering casualties provided the following conditions are adhered to:

(a) Names, video, identifiable written/oral descriptions or identifiable photographs of wounded service members will not be released without
service member’s prior written consent.

(b) DOD will release names of KIAs. In respect for family members, names or images clearly identifying individuals "killed in action" will not be released. Names of KIAs may be released 24 hours after Next of Kin have been notified. [Emphasis mine]

These regulations were not followed and we will perhaps never know how this affected the family of Staff Sgt. Hector Leija. The offending reporter and cameraman were not punished. They are still in theater, just not allowed to embed with the unit of the slain soldier. They are free to go with any other unit.

Why the Commander allowed this is unknown. It makes no sense to reward this kind of unethical behavior by journalists. The video is still up on the NY Times web site. I refuse to reference it here.

The second item concerns a piece of media trash by the name of William Arkin who works for the Washington Post. First Arkins calls our troops "mercenaries" and then insinuates that they are magnificently remunerated for their sevice.

So, we pay the soldiers a decent wage, take care of their families, provide them with housing and medical care and vast social support systems and ship obscene amenities into the war zone for them, we support them in every possible way, and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead, defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?

First, let's examine the pay rate for US soldiers. A private's base salary with two years on the job is $15,282 per annum. That works out to $293.88 per week. Try to raise a family on $7.35 an hour. You can't. And don't give me any nonsense about housing and food allowances. It's still like being the kid next dog working as a grocery bagger and living with your mom.

Actually the private makes less. Wegman's grocery store here in central NY pays $8.00 an hour, that's what they paid my daughter three years ago.

Second, the mercenary bit:

But it is the United States, and the recent NBC report is just an ugly reminder of the price we pay for a mercenary - oops sorry, volunteer - force that thinks it is doing the dirty work.

No comment. It doesn't deserve one.

America needs to ponder what it is we really owe those in uniform. I don't believe America needs a draft though I imagine we'd be having a different discussion if we had one.

Our nation pondered this very question of what we owe those in uniform a long time ago, Arkin. It's called Veterans Day. Memorial Day. Fourth of July. The Veteran's Administration.

Then in his next article, after getting his ass handed to him, Arkin apologizes for calling our service people mercenaries (a one line throw-away) and proceeds to merrily dig himself another hole.

These men and women are not fighting for money with little regard for the nation. The situation might be much worse than that: Evidently, far too many in uniform believe that they are the one true nation. They hide behind the constitution and the flag and then spew an anti-Democrat, anti-liberal, anti-journalism, anti-dissent, and anti-citizen message that reflects a certain contempt for the American people. lEmphasis mine]

Our service people are worse than mercenaries! They are *gasp* CONSERVATIVES!!!

I never said we shouldn't support the troops. I just lamented that "we support them in every possible way

No, you don't. You haven't yet. There was a grace period right after 9/11 that lasted less than 24 hours after the Second Tower went down. Ever since then it's been pure hell.

and their attitude is that we should in addition roll over and play dead,

No, just shut up and stop giving encouragement to our enemies. But if you want to make me happy, don't play dead, go for the real thing.

defer to the military and the generals and let them fight their war, and give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up because they are above society?"

If you had testicles and found out that you had testicular cancer, would you defer to a medical expert? Or would you open up the New York Times and seek advice from a nutless journalist?

And what are your rights and responsibilities to speak up? Would this responsibility to speak up include withholding evidence from the public indicating that then Arkansas Attorney General William Jefferson Clinton raped Juanita Broaddrick in a Little Rock hotel right before Clinton's Senate impeachment vote? Puhleeeeeese.

There is more of this man's ramblings. I can't make up my mind whether he is insane or merely incompetent.

[...] something is inculcated into the minds of military members from day one of duty. It is not just defense of the Constitution, it is also unanimity of thought and an unwavering regard for hierarchy. Without this, you can't have a military and you can't expect human beings to go against their instincts to put their lives on the line.

It is the military's high regard for the Constitution and hierarchy that stops them from putting a bullet in the back of your head, Arkin. It is this regard that has successfully preempted any thought of a military coup in this country for over two hundred twenty years of peaceful transition of political power. Look around you, how many other nations have fared as well?

I'm not saying that this makes people in the military automatons, or that they are stupid. But this unanimity of thought and this absolute allegiance to a hierarchy of ideas is and should be foreign in the civilian world. That's what makes the two different.

It is not "unanimity of thought," it is sharing a common purpose. That's what makes the two different. The purpose of the military is to defend the Constitution. That is the oath of office I took so many years ago as a cop, to defend the Constitution, not any particular political party or ideology. And unfortunately this concept is becoming more and more foreign in the civilian world. Especially among journalists.

A "hierarchy of ideas" is what gives consistency to our world. There are absolutes that guide us, that provide instruction, that protect us. In the world of liberal relativism, there is no allegiance to anything but convenience. No absolutes or moral conscience to trouble us.

Bush and company, and the Abizaid's, Casey's, and Petraeus's have had years to make their case to the American people that the threat is so great and the mission so noble that the sacrifice is worth it. They clearly have failed to make their case and that is why the majority of Americans no longer support the war.

Wrong again. The media has largely ignored the stories of weapons of mass destruction and the precursors found in Iraq. The American media has downplayed the atrocities committed against us on September 11, 2001. How many times in the past five years have you seen pictures of the WTC collapsing in smoke and flames? Have many times have we not been reminded of the suffering of 3,000 people, fellow Americans, some of whom threw themselves out of 1,000 foot buildings to escape the flames?

Where is this footage being played then? What audience is viewing the coverage of American destruction? It's seen in arab countries where they rejoice at the sight and await more of the same. The same countries that run newspaper articles on how the jews grind up arab babies to make bread.

Why is this? Because the media does not want to incite anti-arab/Islam sentiment in the American people. But we are treated to weeks and months of evil American soldiers putting underwear over the heads of naked terrorists. This man's hypocracy makes me sick.

"give up our rights and responsibilities to speak up"

Arkin you senseless clod. You have abdicated these responsibilities.

The American people have been force fed a systematic denial of Islamic terrorism and the partnership of the Iraqi, Syrian and Irani governments with these bloodthirsty devils.

In the same vein, Palestinian murderers detonate themselves amid defenseless women and children in shopping centers and weddings but the American/European/Islamic media blames Israeli "aggression" for the problems in Gaza and the West Bank. If the Israelis were truly aggressive, they'd own the whole damn Arabic peninsula!

That is what truly threatens this country. Not a strong military but a weak, immoral civilian population.

Remember this - we get our military and police recruits from the civilian society at large, not from a clone factory in Utah.

Iowahawk has an outstanding satire on this idiot (there is some mild profanity).

Former UN Ambassador Bolton Speaks At SU

Former UN Ambassador John Bolton spoke last night at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs. This morning's Post Standard reports that Bolton addressed current national issues such as Iran's development of nuclear technology and the need for reform at the United Nations.

Diplomacy is not likely to stop Iran from pursuing development of nuclear weapons, John Bolton, the former U.S. permanent representative to the United Nations, said Friday in Syracuse.

Political and economic isolation, and ultimately a new regime, likely would make a difference, Bolton said.

The political and economic isolation did not work in Iraq, the regime change did. Can we skip the next twelve years of isolation (we don't have that long) and go right for the regime change?

"When the Security Council speaks, people need to listen," Bolton said during his nearly 90-minute public appearance at Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

And if countries opt to disregard the United Nations, then the United States will step up, he said.

This has been the story of the UN ever since it's inception after World War II. In every successful intervention, it has been US troops that have saved the day. Witness the one intervention spearheaded by France and Belgium. That enterprise resulted in the deaths of nearly a million Rwandans.

The US has carried the UN's water for almost sixty years. And all the US gets for this is a corrupt, festering carbuncle on the ass of our nation's largest city.

Bolton touched on other issues, such as the challenges of restructuring the permanent membership of the Security Council, which currently has five members, including the United States. It comes down to a question of which countries to add to the permanent membership and how many, Bolton said.

The current council composition dates to 1945 and reflects the geopolitical atmosphere at that time, not the present state of the world, he said.

Bolton is right, the UN is completely powerless without the US to back it up. In 1945 there were several great powers, Great Britain was one of them, the USSR another. Now there is only the US and China is emerging. Because of the Security Council, the UN is completely useless against totalitarian states.

Bolton criticized the U.N.'s Peace Building Commission, saying it hadn't made a decision in the last 10 years, and its Human Rights Council, saying that the attempt to restructure the former Human Rights Commission resulted in a nearly identical group.

Amen to that. The UN is an insane culture of never ending committees fueled by ambition and greed. And of course the moonbats were out last night.

Cynthia Banas, of Vernon, said she agreed with Bolton that the U.N. has faults. But the United States should not act on its own when making decisions. She mentioned the call for weapons inspections during the weeks before the U.S. military action in Iraq.

"The United States needs to listen to the other countries that make up that organization," Banas said, referring to the United Nations.

And that is the typical moonbat howl. If we had only listened to Saddam Hussein, he would not have feed his people into wood chippers. If we only had listened to the Khmer Rouge, they would not have slaughtered a quarter of Cambodia's population. If we had only just listened, and I mean listen with our hearts, to the Communist nations they would not have shot, strangled, starved to death, run over with tanks, cut the throats, burnt alive, worked to death, froze or poisoned 100 million people in the past eighty years.

If we would just only listen to them the world would be a so much more very very much better place to live. We must do this for the children...

"To say we don't listen is not the case," Bolton responded. He said the United States invaded Iraq because Iraq was not listening to the United Nations.

"Somebody has to do something about it," Bolton said. "Why is that the United States? Who else is there?"

There is no one else.
Because no one else cares.
And if they care, they can do nothing about it.
Because no one else can project force anywhere in the world within hours.
And that is how we make tyrants care.

As Stalin asked about the Catholic Church: "How many divisions does the Pope have?"

With questions like this, how else are we to answer?

NYC Plans To Honor Cop Killer

On December 9th, 1981, a 25 year old Philadelphia police officer by the name of Daniel Faulkner pulled over a Volkswagen driving the wrong way on Locust Street. In a few minutes, Officer Faulker was dead.

As Danny attempted to handcuff William Cook, Mumia Abu-Jamal ran from across he street and shot the officer in the back. Danny turned and was able to fire one shot that struck Abu-Jamal in the chest; the wounded officer then fell to the pavement. Mumia Abu-Jamal stood over the downed officer and shot him four more times at close range, once directly in the face.

Mumia Abu-Jamal was found still at the scene of the shooting by officers who arrived there within seconds. The murderer was slumped against the curb in front of his brother's car. In his possession was a .38 caliber revolver that records showed Mumia had purchased months earlier. The chamber of the gun had five spent cartridges. A cab driver, as well as other pedestrians, had witnessed the brutal slaying and identified Mumia Abu-Jamal as the killer both at the scene and during his trial.

It's not as if there was a lot of confusion over identifying the suspect, or questions of violating his constitutional rights during a rigorous interrogation. The dude was there, he shot the cop and was himself shot in return. More on the specific actions of Officer Faulkner's killer.

Officer Faulkner was able to draw his gun and fire one return shot at his assailant, Mumia Abu-Jamal. This bullet was later extracted from Mr. Jamal's upper abdomen. Having fired this shot, Officer Faulkner fell to the sidewalk. While the wounded officer lay helpless and unarmed on his back, Mr. Jamal was seen by four individuals standing over the Officer with his five shot, .38 caliber Charter Arms revolver in his hand. From approximately 3 feet, Jamal began to fire at the officer's upper body.

That's four witnesses who testified that Abu-Jamal (real name Wesley Cook, he was the older brother of the man Officer Faulkner was trying to arrest) shot Officer Faulkner. If four people who by coincidence happen to be in the same approximate location and witness a crime, it behooves any cop in his right mind to slam the cuffs on whomever they point their finger at.

Officer Faulkner is believed to have been conscious at this point and to be looking up at his assailant, who was later identified by several people at the crime scene as Mumia Abu Jamal. It's believed that in an attempt to save his life, Faulkner began to roll from side to side as Jamal fired at him. Jamal missed his first several shots. He then moved closer to Faulkner and bent down over him. Mr. Jamal put the muzzle of his gun within inches of Officer Faulkner's face, and squeezed off the final, and fatal, shot. The bullet entered the officer's face slightly above the eye and came to rest in his brain, killing him instantly.

This is death penalty territory. No need to go any further. Please go here to sign the petition against naming a Harlem street after this piece of unrepentant filth.

There is no reason whatsoever for this waste of oxygen to still be alive today. Yet there are those who disbelieve witnesses and a court reviewed sentence.

Mumia Abu-Jamal was arrested at the scene.
He couldn't flee, he had been shot in the chest.
Sucking chest wounds discourage flight.
The weapon was recovered at the scene.
He bought the gun.
He registered the gun.
The gun was his.
Officer Faulkner was shot five times.
The gun was fired five times.
Four witnesses testified that Abu-Jamal shot Officer Faulkner.
Four witnesses testified that Officer Faulkner shot Abu-Jamal.
One witness, Robert Chobert, was directly behind Officer Faulkner's car.
Bullet fragments were "consistent" with the Charter Arms that Abu-Jamal was carrying.

Sometimes all you get are fragments, depending on the type of ammunition, distance to the target and what the slug passes through before coming to rest. The notion of a perfectly formed (or deformed into a "mushroom") bullet is not that common. I was a crime scene specialist, an evidence technician, for eight years. I've recovered quite a number of bullets under many different circumstances. Sometimes even a bullet that seems remarkably whole to the naked eye is difficult to impart to a specific firearm due to irregularities in the rifling striations.

If the bullets passed through Officer Faulkner's body and hit the pavement or other hard object (see the crime scene map here, remember it is not a sketch and is not draw to scale), there could be sufficient damage to the projectiles as to render them useless for a 100% certainty match to the firearm.

It makes my head hurt, but I sometimes try to understand how a convicted murderer like Abu-Jamal attracts such a freakishly dedicated flock of jackasses who maintain his innocence despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. But this is standard operating procedure for moonbats. Any means that will revoke or weaken the rule of law, specifically laws that they don't like, is to be pursued.

Wild assed conspiracies seem to be the mother's milk of liberals. They just happened to latch on to this insane Mumia titty and are working it for all it's worth. The efforts to have a street named after Abu-Jamal are an attempt to legitimize his protestations of unfair treatment at the bar.

This is a list of the lunatic conspiracies that the liberals insist denied their murderous poster child a fair trial. Some of them are:

1) The bullet that killed Officer Faulkner was a .44 caliber bullet, while Jamal's gun was a .38 caliber.

Wrong, just.... so wrong. There was never any evidence that another weapon was used. Police backup was there in minutes as Officer Faulkner had previously called in for assistance. Mumia's revolver was recovered at the scene with the spent cartridges still in the gun.

2) Several "eyewitnesses" saw someone else shoot Officer Faulkner and then escape up an alley.

Where are these witnesses? Obviously the Philadelphia Police Department's "Witness Intimidation Unit" has successfully kept these people silenced for over 25 years. These cops are amazing. Long after they are retired or dead they continue to scare the crap out of people.

3) Mumia Abu-Jamal was denied his right to self representation, in violation of his Constitutional Rights. Mumia Abu-Jamal's court appointed attorney was admittedly incompetent and incapable of mounting a defense on Jamal's behalf.

Can't have it both ways. Either mount your own incompetent defense or let the State do it for you.

4) The ballistics evidence used to convict Mumia Abu-Jamal was flawed. The police failed to test Jamal's hands to see if he had recently fired a gun and they never "sniffed" Jamal's gun to see if it had been fired.

This one is actually funny. Of all the guns I remanded to the crime lab, I never sniffed a one because I didn't want to get my sniffer blown all to hell. You treat every gun as if it is loaded. That means keeping your nose and all other body parts well away from the business end of the thing.

The whole ridiculous mess needs to be flushed. Just like Mumia's internal organs after the prison doctor performs the post-execution autopsy.

UPPDATE:
Last December, Michelle Malkin ran a memorial page for Officer Faulkner here.

Last year, a street in the Paris suburb of St. Denis was named after the murderer of Officer Faulkner. The April 29 ceremony was hosted by the city of St. Denis and its mayor, Didier Paillard. It appears that this was an attempt to placate the seethin' heathen hordes of Muslims who trashed this suburb in the riots of 2005. From Fox News, November 3, 2005:

In a seventh consecutive night of skirmishes, young people threw rocks at police Wednesday in six suburbs in the Seine-Saint-Denis region north of Paris — about a 40-minute drive from the Eiffel Tower. In one of them, Le Blanc-Mesnil, about a dozen cars burned and curious residents, some in slippers and bathrobes, poured into the streets.

So who in Harlem is being placated now?

Let 'Em Eat Steak

Or something to that effect.

Well, it wasn't exactly a blog fest, but four of us - LC Jackboot, Imperial Correspondent for the Rott, The Dread Pundit Bluto, Cookie of the Cook Shack Gab & Grub and yours truly - got together for lunch today at a nice Italian restaurant just off the NYS Thruway. Jackboot and I maintained satellite communications (okay cell phone tower) during his transition from New England Moonbat to Mid Altantic Moonbat Control. Coming from one Blue State to another, no passports, patchouli transfusions or inspections by crotch sniffing dogs were needed to gain entry.

Today was a last minute, seat of the pants arrangement as the original restaurant I wanted had closed for the day. I spent a frantic half hour trying to find a nice eatery that was open before 3 PM, and then informing our Band of Bloggers of the changes. After staying to clear up network problems for some new users, I barely managed to leave the office on time.

The snow had just started to fall when we reached the restaurant and continued to fall throughout our sumptuous repast. Bluto was recovering from a bad cold and had thankfully regained much of his voice for the blog meeting. When I called him yesterday to confirm the time, I thought I was speaking to Helen Thomas after she had her tonsils bronzed. Cookie was there in rare form also, sporting his snappy leather hat ensemble. He only tried to gum the waitress twice.

As it turned out, our poor waitress had a cold also and sounded much like Bluto did yesterday. She cheerfully croaked and honked at us through the meal and refreshed our beverages on a regular basis so we could continue talking. If I get sick I'll know who to blame.

And we talked. We talked about blogging and politics and engaged in personal male bonding manly stuff. This is the third time we have met in the past year or so and the first time with Jackboot.

Of course as manly men we all had some form of steak for lunch (someone's steak more processed than others, eh Cookie?). Cookie and Jackboot found out that they shared some common experiences with their prior military service. Cookie, you really should post about the time your mate nearly sunk the lot of ya.

The upcoming Rott Fest in Tampa, Florida, was a topic of conversation as well as our concerns for the nation and what we could do to offset the incredible media bias. Bluto said it straightly, as far as the news is concerned, we are in a constant election cycle. Jackboot passed along some encouragement from Emperor Misha also.

It is just so good to hear from our Band of Bloggers.

After lunch we transitioned outside and talked for almost an hour. Protected by the entrance shelter, those who had 'em smoked 'em while the snowfall got heavier and heavier. By time we left to go home, the roads were downright sloppy and the plows were out in full force.

After I finish this post I'll give Jackboot another hour or so to see if he got home.

[Update: I did indeed none the worse for wear either at 2003 and worth every single mile of it too!!! (575 miles R/T). Sig managed to hit the secure, encrypted satellite link to get confirmation with me. All is well. Thanks to my brothers for a Great Day- God Bless Y'all !!!-JB IC/A]

Central New Yorker Murdered By Terrorists

In both the New York Post and the Syracuse Post Standard, we are told that four US soldiers, one of them Pfc. Shawn P. Falter, 25, of Homer, N.Y., were murdered in an ambush by terrorists on January 20th. Homer is a town about 20 miles south of Syracuse.

From the Post Standard:

4 troops abducted, killed in Iraq attack
1/27/2007, 6:24 a.m. ET
By STEVEN R. HURST and QASSIM ABDUL-ZAHRA

The Associated Press

BAGHDAD, Iraq (AP) — In perhaps the boldest and most sophisticated attack in four years of warfare, gunmen speaking English, wearing U.S. military uniforms and carrying American weapons abducted four U.S. soldiers last week at the provincial headquarters in the Shiite holy city of Karbala and then shot them to death.

In response, all terrorists in U.S. custody will be forced to wear their underpants on their heads for a week. Clean skivvies will be issued each day, of course, to prevent excessive patchouli build up.

The U.S. military confirmed a report earlier Friday by The Associated Press that three of the soldiers were dead and one was mortally wounded with a gunshot to the head when they were found in a neighboring province, about 25 miles from the compound where they were captured. A fifth soldier was killed in the initial attack on the compound.

This will not decrease the liberals' outcry against "imperialistic" U.S. actions in the Middle East. This will hardly get any attention at all in the MSM. As you read the bird dropping catcher known as the Post Standard, it sounds like the US is at fault for this atrocity. Did you catch how the AP reporters noticed the boldness and sophistication of the attack?

The new account contradicted a U.S. military statement on Jan. 20, the day of the raid on an Iraqi governor's office, that five soldiers were killed "repelling" the attack.

So the news here is that the US military contradicted itself, not the bloody-minded business of murdering captives. Then this:

The security breakdown and the dramatic kidnapping and murder of four soldiers leaked out just as President Bush faces stiffening congressional opposition over his plan to flood Baghdad and surrounding regions with 21,500 more American troops. Two of Congress's most vocal war critics, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi and Rep. John Murtha, were in the Iraqi capital as the news broke.

Again, the news is not the outrageous behavior of terrorists, but security breakdowns, opposition to the war and critics of the President's policies. Garbage coverage.

This is a breakdown of the stories Qassim Abdul-Zahra has written for the AP. This is the breakdown of Steven Hurst's stories. As you read this trash you'll get a notion that these reporters get a charge out of negative news from Iraq for they write of nothing else. I checked back to July 2003 on Hurst (68 articles) and July 2005 on Abdul-Zahra (59 articles). All but a few were negative reports.

Contrast this with what the NY Post has to say:

January 27, 2007 -- Those who insist so loudly on following Geneva Conventions rules regarding captured terrorists need to take a long, hard look at the latest atrocity in Iraq, news of which broke yesterday.

Four U.S. soldiers, one of them a New Yorker, were captured - and promptly murdered - last Saturday in the Shiite holy city of Karbala, 50 miles from Baghdad, officials confirmed.

Two of the slain soldiers were found handcuffed together in the back of a vehicle.

The soldiers were murdered after being captured. Their bodies were found miles away from where they were taken. This is the money quote:

But the murder of disarmed and helpless troops - killing POWs, in effect - is what's at issue here.

[...] The murder of helpless captives is a stark reminder of the barbaric nature of the enemy that American-led forces face in Iraq. Indeed, it puts into perspective the complaints about U.S. "atrocities" committed against prisoners at Guantanamo and Abu Ghraib.

Frankly, complaints about degrading photos and alleged desecration of the Koran can't hold a candle to the savage abduction and execution-style murders of brave soldiers.

Those who have led the outcry over what they hysterically decry as U.S. "war crimes" in Iraq have a particular obligation to speak out against genuine atrocities of the kind committed by these terrorist insurgents.

Their failure to do so will only serve to confirm their actual motive: not to hold America to the highest moral standard, but to undermine the U.S. effort and ensure a Vietnam-style defeat in Iraq.

You'll find nothing like this from the AP.

The enemy has one one Rule Of Engagement; kill every man, woman and child who does not support them. There are no circumstances too despicable for these animals. And no atrocity so evil that it can't be overlooked and/or spun by the liberals.