Pelosi to Give Her Syrian Allies Pep Talk

More evidence that Democrats' real war is with the Bush administration, and that they are not above colluding with terrorist regimes:

WASHINGTON (AP) - House Speaker Nancy Pelosi will visit Syria, a country President Bush has shunned as a sponsor of terrorism, despite being asked by the administration not to go.
"In our view, it is not the right time to have these sort of high- profile visitors to Syria," State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters Friday.

Pelosi arrived in Israel on Friday in what is her second fact-finding trip to the Middle East since taking over leadership in the House in January.

Her repeat trip, an indication she plans to play a role in foreign policy, is also a direct affront to the administration, which says such diplomatic overtures by lawmakers can do more harm than good.

Seeking political help from America's enemies is a tradition with Democrats, going back at least to when Teddy Kennedy conspired with the Soviets against the Reagan administration.

Freedom Journal Iraq #616

This edition features stories on U.S. Soldiers helping Iraqi security forces establish a joint security station in Sadr City, U.S. Airmen moving cargo to troops in the field and troops filling in potholes to help keep Baghdad streets safer. Hosted by Pvt. Rheanna Douglas.

Freedom Journal Iraq #616
Yahoo video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #616
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #616

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Chocolate Jesus

In another sign of just how isolated from society the "art world" has become, promoters of a life size crucified Jesus made of milk chocolate are surprised that unveiling the work during Easter Week has caused controversy.

From NBC5.com:

NEW YORK -- The Easter season unveiling of a milk chocolate sculpture of Jesus Christ, dubbed "My Sweet Lord" by its creator, left a sour taste Thursday in the mouths of a Catholic group infuriated by the anatomically correct confection.

"This is one of the worst assaults on Christian sensibilities ever," said Bill Donohue, head of the watchdog Catholic League. "It's not just the ugliness of the portrayal, but the timing -- to choose Holy Week is astounding."

The gallery's creative director, mincing metrosexual milquetoast Matt Semler, described calls for a boycott as "a Catholic fatwa."

Oh come on. Have your artist come up with a statue of Mohammed having sex with child bride Aisha, made of pork suet, and we'll talk "fatwa," you pussy.

Update: Cancelled!

Freedom Journal Iraq #615

This edition features stories on soldiers who repair ceased Iraqi weapons at an Armament section of the 2nd Brigade Combat Team, Third Army's mission, a council meeting of Iraqi and American engineers and paratroopers who stimulate local economies by shopping in Iraqi neighborhoods. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #615
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #615
Yahoo Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #615

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Times: Iranian Kidnapping Pre-meditated

The Timesonline reports that Iranian Revolutionary Guards attacked and abducted 15 British sailors using tactics that indicate the operation was a carefully planned act of piracy, rather than a spur-of-the-moment decision by a local commander:

The British sailors and marines being held by Iran were ambushed at their most vulnerable moment, while climbing down the ladder of a merchant ship and trying to get into their bobbing inflatables.

Out of sight of their warship and without any helicopter cover, their only link to their commanders was a communications device beaming their position by satellite.

That went dead as they were captured. One theory is that it was thrown overboard to prevent the Iranians getting hold of the equipment and the information it contained.

The Ministry of Defence has released coordinates showing that the Brits were not in Iranian waters, as claimed by Mahmoud Ahmadinejad.

A deliberate act sanctioned by Iran's government would indicate that the regime will not release the kidnapped sailors without major concessions, and might welcome a limited war to help stifle domestic unrest. In other words, a measured military response would play into their hands.

MSM Silent on Feinstein Corruption

Billions in contracts to her husband's defense contract companies and not a single mainstream journalist has printed a word. Not even when Feinstein quietly resigned after getting wind that the website metroactive was about to expose the graft.

More details at The Jawa Report.

Freedom Journal Iraq #614

This edition features stories on U.S. and Iraqi soldiers going on a joint patrol in southeast Baghdad, Iraqi soldiers leading, planning and executing their first joint mission of their own and two U.S. Soldiers planning an air assault mission into a village in Baghdad. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #614
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #614

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Freedom Journal Iraq #613

This edition features stories on Multi-National Corps Iraq's Command Sgt. Maj. Neil Ciotola visiting troops at Forward Operating Base Key West, Iraqi Prime Minister Maliki visiting the Al Anbar Province for the first time since being elected, Iraqi soldiers receiving mortuary training to prepare for the opening of a processing center, and Baghdad community leaders meeting to plan a strategy for the success of Iraq. Hosted by Spec. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #613
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #613

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

House Republicans Rebuke 'Flying Imams'

Republicans in the House of Representatives have sent the "Protect John Doe" bill back to committee, specifically to add language to prevent legal atrocities like the lawsuit by the notorious Flying Imams.

From the Washington Times:

House Republicans tonight surprised Democrats with a procedural vote to protect public-transportation passengers from being sued if they report suspicious activity -- the first step by lawmakers to protect "John Doe" airline travelers already targeted in such a lawsuit.

After a heated debate and calls for order, the motion to recommit the Democrats' Rail and Public Transportation Security Act of 2007 back to committee with instructions to add the protective language passed on a vote of 304-121.

Republicans said the lawsuit filed by six Muslim imams against US Airways and "John Does," passengers who reported suspicious behavior, could have a "chilling effect" on passengers who may fear being sued for acting vigilant.

Every "no" vote came from one of the usual suspects in the Democrat Party.

Via The Jawa Report and Michelle Malkin.

Rosie O'Donnell: Kidnapped Brits a Setup

From The National Ledger:

Loudmouthed gabber Rosie O'Donnell was welcomed by the September 11th conspiracy theorists when she jumped on the 'blame America for 9/11' bandwagon earlier this month. Now the civics challenged talk show host from ABC's 'the View' believes that what amounts to the kidnapping of British Sailors and Marines by Iran is a conspiracy and a plot to start a war with Iran by Britain. Rosie sides with the Iranian explanation of how the British sailors were captured, as her American hatred has apparently spread to Britain as well.

This is her quote: "But interesting with the British sailors, there were fifteen British sailors and Marines who apparently went into Iranian waters and they were seized by the Iranians. And I have one thing to say: Gulf of Tonkin, Google it. Okay.", in Iranian territory.

Drunk, fat, and stupid is no way to go through life, Rosie.

Freedom Journal Iraq #612

This edition features stories on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers rebuilding a children's hospital in Baghdad, U.S. Soldiers at Camp Liberty storing supplies and equipment for troops and Soldiers patrolling the mostly Sunni area of Saydiyah. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #612
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #612

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

What's in Your Sandwich?

Internet anus Michael Crook (Forsake the Troops) is having turds today.



Read the whole story about Crook's humiliation at 10 Zen Monkeys.

Freedom Journal Iraq #611

This edition features stories on Iraqi police training, a new Joint Security station opens in a Baghdad suburb, and Dental care for U.S. Soldiers in Iraq. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #611
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #611

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

The Nature of the Enemy Hasn't Changed

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Know Your Enemy

An American GI is burned in effigy - in Portland, Oregon.



Where does "free speech" cross the line into outright treason? Somewhat before these nominal Americans started advocating killing our soldiers and chanting for their deaths.

This is a predictable result of a political party being invested in America's defeat, and we can thank partisan Democrats for starting these retardates down that slippery slope. Their surrender vote in Congress is just the latest manifestation of their degeneracy.

Some Call it 'Expediency'

Honest folks call it "lying."

15 British Sailors Kidnapped by Iranian Forces

From Reuters:

LONDON (Reuters) - Iran captured fifteen British Royal Navy personnel during a "routine boarding operation" in Iraqi waters on Friday, Britain's Ministry of Defense said.

Iran's ambassador in London has been summoned and Britain is demanding the immediate safe release of the sailors.

"At approximately 1030 Iraqi time this morning, 15 British naval personnel, engaged in routine boarding operations of merchant shipping in Iraqi territorial waters ... were seized by Iranian naval vessels," the ministry said in a statement.

The question is, was this simply the act of an over eager local commander, or part of a scheme by Iran's government, which, after all, came to power using the kidnapping of US diplomats?

Why are Iranian embassies preparing escape plans?

"300" - the PG/PC Version

So that children may enjoy the movie as well. Brush your TEETH!

Freedom Journal Iraq #610

This edition features previously aired stories on Marines training Iraqi Soldiers, Coalition advisors stepping back while Iraqis Soldiers step up, female service members establishing themselves on the battlefield and the significance of pararescuemen in country. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #610
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #610

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Ahmadinejad Flies Into Snit Over "300"

From Entertainment Weekly:

Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has spoken out against the hit movie 300, joining the chorus of Iranian critics who claim that the Warner Bros. movie unfairly portrays the country's history. Though he didn't name the movie by name, in a speech delivered on Wednesday (March 21), Ahmadinejad said Western countries are ''trying to tamper with history by making a film and by making Iran's image look savage.''

Silly Mahmoud, it's not "300" that makes your country look savage. It's kidnapping diplomats. And denying the Holocaust. And trying to develop nuclear weapons for jihad. And threatening to wipe Israel off the face of the Earth. And supporting brave jihadi babyhunters...

Btw, "300" went over the $100 million mark last Friday.

Marines Call in Close Air Support

"Yeah, that's what you get, motherfucker."

North Carolina City to ACLU: Up Yours, A-Holes

Or words to that effect. Whatever, they've decided to challenge the forces of darkness.

From citizenlink.com:

Officials in Thomasville, N.C., voted 6-1 Monday to ignore threats from the American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) and allow prayer at city-council meetings.

Mike Johnson, senior legal counsel for Alliance Defense Fund (ADF), provided the council with a proposed policy in compliance with the U.S. Constitution.

“It’s amazing that, in a country founded on religious liberty, the right to open a public meeting with a prayer would be under attack,” he said. “But that is exactly what the ACLU has been doing the past several months – using its familiar tactics of fear, intimidation and disinformation to force municipalities into passive compliance with its agenda to eliminate our First Liberty, religious freedom.”

Councilman Dwight Cornelius said he hopes other municipalities will stand up to the ACLU.

“This is a freedom of speech issue, pure and simple,” he said.

ADF offers assistance to any municipality that’s under attack for “simply continuing a practice that the Supreme Court knows is ‘deeply embedded in the history and tradition of our country,’ ” Johnson added.

Via Stop the ACLU.

Stryker Patrol Fires on Terrorist-Insurgents

Soldiers of the 3rd Stryker Brigade in action on March 14, 2007.



From the YouTube account of MNFIRAQ.

R.I.P., Larry "Bud" Melman

Calvert DeForest, better known as Larry "Bud" Melman, has died:

NEW YORK (AP) -- The balding, bespectacled nebbish who gained cult status as the oddball Larry "Bud'' Melman on David Letterman's late night television shows has died after a long illness.

I first saw Larry "Bud" Melman in a Knoxville, Tennessee hotel room while en route to the World's Fair.

There were four of us staying in the room, but my wife and her brother had fallen asleep after a full day of travel. My longtime buddy Frank and I watched the introduction of the Larry "Bud" Melman character and laughed 'til tears came. It was the most original television I had ever seen, and we weren't sure at the time whether the premise, that Larry "Bud" was simply a random audience member asked to step in for host David Letterman was true or not.

Larry "Bud" provided more entertainment than that ill-starred World's Fair. Much more.

Godspeed, Calvert DeForest. Thanks for making me laugh out loud.

Freedom Journal Iraq #609

This edition features stories on a day in the life of medics at Camp Liberty, a forward ammunition and refueling point where Soldiers maintain helicopters and how Chaplains are nurturing spiritual needs in Iraq. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #609
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #609

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Children Used as Props in Car Bombing

If any reasonable person needed another reason to doubt the humanity of Islamist terrorists, this report provides it:

Insurgents in Iraq detonated an explosives-rigged vehicle with two children in the back seat after US soldiers let it through a Baghdad checkpoint over the weekend, a senior US military official said Tuesday.
The vehicle was stopped at the checkpoint but was allowed through when soldiers saw the children in the back, said Major General Michael Barbero of the Pentagon's Joint Staff.

"Children in the back seat lowered suspicion. We let it move through. They parked the vehicle, and the adults ran out and detonated it with the children in the back," Barbero said.

These are the animals to whom the irresponsible idiots on the Left (tautology alert) demand that we surrender.

Jihadi Sock Puppet Brigades

You know what a "sock puppet" is in intertubes-speak don't you? A commenter to a website pretending to be someone or something that they're not.

Memri.org posts excerpts from a jihadi online war instruction manual:

Indicate You Are an American

"Obviously, you have to register yourself using a purely American name... Choose an icon that indicates that you are an American, and place it next to your nickname [in the forum]..."

"Invent Stories About American Soldiers You Have [Allegedly] Personally Known"

"Obviously, you should post your contribution... as an American... You should correspond with visitors to this forum, [bringing to their attention] the frustrating situation of their troops in Iraq... You should invent stories about American soldiers you have [allegedly] personally known (as classmates... or members in a club who played baseball and tennis with you) who were drafted to Iraq and then committed suicide while in service by hanging or shooting themselves..."

"You should enter into debate or respond only if it is extremely necessary... Your concern should [only] be introducing topics which... will cause [them to feel] frustration and anger towards their government..., which will... render them hostile to Bush... and his Republican Party and make them feel they must vote ton bring the troops back from Iraq as soon as possible..."

The real question is, why do they feel they need to invent American traitors when the American Left supplies so many genuine ones?

Via Dr. Rusty Shackleford at The Jawa Report and Allahpundit at Hot Air, both of whom have more on this.

Freedom Journal Iraq #608

This edition features stories on the Iraqi workers who help keep a combat hospital running 24 hours a day, U.S. Soldiers handling detained prisoners in Iraq and Anti-Coalition groups threatening Iraqi civilians to keep them from aiding Coalition forces. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #608
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #608

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Fred Thompson on "300"

Former US Senator and possible Presidential candidate Fred Thompson weighs in on Iranian government reaction to the movie "300" at Pajamas Media:

But the Iranians have filed a flurry of complaints with the United Nations, claiming “300” is “cultural and psychological warfare.”

Who are these guys who are getting all flushed over our cultural insensitivity?

People who want to blow Jews off the face of the earth. The regime that stormed our embassy in 1979 and kept Americans captive for 444 days. Iran’s Hezbollah puppets have killed more Americans, than any other terrorist group except Al Qaeda. Explosive devices from Iran are being used right now against our soldiers in Iraq. They’re clearly more skittish about cultural warfare than the sort that actually kills people – like the one against Israel that Iran financed just a few months ago.

Via Ragnar at The Jawa Report.

Hitchens on the Decision to Go to War

Christopher Hitchens, perhaps Slate's most independently minded writer, offers his assessment of the decision to go to war in Iraq here:

So, you seriously mean to say that we would not be living in a better or safer world if the coalition forces had turned around and sailed or flown home in the spring of 2003?

That's exactly what I mean to say.

Read the rest. It's a forceful, reasoned refutation of the "shout it loud and long enough and it's true" crowd.

Double Plus Ungood

Obama supporters attack Hillary by reworking Apple Computer's notorious "1984" ad.

USS Cole Attack Plotter Confesses

An Associated Press "news alert" says that Waleed Mohammed Bin Attash, long suspected of masterminding the 2000 attack on the USS Cole, has confessed to the crime, according to a Pentagon transcript.

Freedom Journal Iraq #606

• Fighting Vehicle Fires
• Corps of Engineers Helps
Freedom Journal Iraq #606
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #606

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Iraq Terrorist-Insurgents Attack With Chlorine Gas

From MSNBC:

FALLUJAH, Iraq - Two suicide bombings involving toxic chlorine gas in Fallujah sickened 350 Iraqis and six U.S. troops, the U.S. military said Saturday, and another smaller bomb attack near Ramadi also released chlorine gas.

But where are they getting the chlorine from? It's not particularly easy to manufacture or handle. A hint comes near the end of the story (along with the info that one target was "a large housing complex")

Chlorine gas was used as a weapon in World War One but its use in guerrilla attacks in Iraq has particular resonance for Iraqis. Saddam Hussein used chemical weapons on Kurdish areas in the 1980s during the Iran-Iraq war.

Mainstream news media detest linking Saddams' name with weapons of mass destruction. Perhaps that's why this was the next to the last paragraph. The targets were revealed in the last paragraph.

Press Bias Poll: 'Well, Duh'

A new Zogby poll on press bias yields the expected results:

83 percent of likely voters think bias is "alive and well." Of that number, 64 percent said the press leans left, while slightly more than a quarter -- 28 percent -- said there was a conservative bias.

Naturally, there's a partisan divide, and a pronounced one. Among Republican respondents, 97 percent said the press was liberal. Two-thirds of political independents agreed with them, with less than a quarter of the independents -- 23 percent -- saying there was a conservative bias.

The only real surprise here is that a full 28% of Americans suffer from mental retardation and/or pathological dishonesty.

Freedom Journal Iraq #605

This edition features stories on an Iraqi police station forced to rebuild after a bombing, Iraq security forces taking the lead in security and search operations and the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers working to double Iraqi's import/export capacity. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #605
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #605

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Stack Those Persian Bodies High

As Dr. Rusty Shackleford says, if you don't love this movie, you either hate America...or you're gay.

Most Disturbing Image of the Week So Far

Donald Trump invokes the mind picture of Rosie O'Donnell upside down. Bare nekkid.

Chiquita Banana Admits Terrorist Payoffs

Chiquita has admitted paying off Columbian terrorist groups and will pay a $25 million fine.

From the Associated Press:

Banana company Chiquita Brands International said Wednesday it has agreed to a $25 million fine after admitting it paid a Colombian terrorist group for protection in a volatile farming region.

The settlement resolves a lengthy Justice Department investigation into the company’s financial dealings with terrorist organizations in Colombia.

Excellent, when can we charge the Italians, Fwench, and Germans?

Bad News For the Left

What's a dedicated defeatist to do about horrible news like this:

MIL-IRAQ-US SOLDIERS
Baghdad security crackdown seriously curbs killings of US soldiers

BAGHDAD, March 14 (KUNA) -- The rate of killings of US troops in Iraq has been on the decline, down by 60 percent, since the launch of the new security measures in Baghdad, according to statistics revealed by the Multi-National Force -Iraq Combined Press Information Centre.

Only 17 members of the US military in Iraq have been killed since February 14 till March 13, compared to 42 from January 13 to February 13; the rate was on the decline during the first month of the security crackdown, compared to a month before.

Two of the 17 soldiers died at US Baghdad camps of non-combat causes.

The remarkable decrease in killings among the US troops came at a time when more of these troops were deployed in the Iraqi capital, especially in districts previously regarded as extremely hazardous for them such as Al-Sadr City, Al-Azamiyah, and Al-Doura.

Meanwhile, US attacks on insurgent strongholds north of Baghdad curbed attacks against helicopters. Before the new security plan, many such craft were downed leaving 20 soldiers dead.

Well, at least liberals can count on juicy attacks against civilians, can't they? Alas, sadly, no:

The US army in Iraq had earlier said that sectarian fighting and violence in Baghdad had dropped sharply, by about 80 percent, since the launch of the plan.

According to radio host Rush Limbaugh, Matt Drudge has been receiving death threats from the progressive crowd since linking to this story on his website.

Freedom Journal Iraq #604

This edition features stories on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers trying to improve Iraq's oil infrastructure, Soldiers on guard at combat outpost Falcon and how Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon is bringing more Iraqi Police into Baghdad. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #604
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #604

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

"300" Still Under Assault From the Left

I absolutely adore the way the movie "300," adapted from a graphic novel and filmed on the cheap without any "name" stars, has reduced the Progressive set to so many fanatical, spittle-cheeked censors, determined to stop people from seeing the film. Who knew such a simple message ("freedom isn't free..." says the Spartan queen at one point) could send so many of them into such a frenzy of homophobic ranting?

This story in the Toronto Star, attacking the movie struck me as rather venomous for a simple assistant history professor. Apparently, "300" is the greatest fraud perpetrated on mankind since the Cardiff Giant.

Professor Ephraim Lytle lays it on pretty thick, accusing the movie's creators of massive historical distortions (undoubtedly, they're guilty of taking poetic license, though nowhere does the phrase "based on a true story" appear in the credits).

This moral universe would have appeared as bizarre to ancient Greeks as it does to modern historians. Most Greeks would have traded their homes in Athens for hovels in Sparta about as willingly as I would trade my apartment in Toronto for a condo in Pyongyang.

Wow! The Spartans were insane, starving Communists deliberately cut off from the rest of the world! Who knew?

Now, keep in mind that Ephraim Lytle is offended by "300" as a historian, so there's no reason to think Lytle's article is part of the general liberal assault on the film, is there?

Of course, the Star didn't mention that Ephraim Lytle was a Kos Kid. "Eph" signs his full name to the letter below.



[click for larger image]

Freedom Journal Iraq #603

This edition features stories on Soldiers training to maintain and operate the Armored Security Vehicle, the U.S. Corps of Engineers constructing a maxium security prision in Baghdad, a maxium security prison designed to rehabilitate Iraqi prisoners and service members qualifying at a shooting range. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #603
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #603

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Al Gore's Retirement Plan

Ever wonder who gets the money when Al Gore buys a "carbon offset" to balance the enormous energy consumption of his household? Al Gore gets the money.

Signal 94 explains it all.

300 - The Sout al-Kuffar Remix

"300" is the best, most entertaining film I've seen in years, and has the added bonus of celebrating the traditional Western values that drive liberals apoplectic.

NYT: is 'Inconvenient Truth' Alarmist?

Well, duh. A movie made by a politician and designed to build his base by conferring heretic status on anyone who disagrees with him just might be a bit...overstated.

The New York Times writes:

But part of his scientific audience is uneasy. In talks, articles and blog entries that have appeared since his film and accompanying book came out last year, these scientists argue that some of Mr. Gore’s central points are exaggerated and erroneous. They are alarmed, some say, at what they call his alarmism.

“I don’t want to pick on Al Gore,” Don J. Easterbrook, an emeritus professor of geology at Western Washington University, told hundreds of experts at the annual meeting of the Geological Society of America. “But there are a lot of inaccuracies in the statements we are seeing, and we have to temper that with real data.”

Real data? We don't need no steenkin' real data!

Gore explained that he wanted to get his divine revelations important message out in "lay language" that he understands.

And, of course, as Mr. Gore and the mainstream media have been telling us, the debate is over:

“Nowhere does Mr. Gore tell his audience that all of the phenomena that he describes fall within the natural range of environmental change on our planet,” Robert M. Carter, a marine geologist at James Cook University in Australia, said in a September blog. “Nor does he present any evidence that climate during the 20th century departed discernibly from its historical pattern of constant change.

"An Inconvenient Truth" - coming to your kid's school soon.

Freedom Journal Iraq #602

This edition features stories on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers building a water treatment facility in the An Nasiriyah region, Soldiers dropping cargo to troops by parachute and Soldiers taking part in a marriage enrichment class at Camp Taji. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #602
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #602

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

300

As the headless body falls to its knees, the flesh of the truncated neck is seen to quiver with the impact.

If you don't like violent, graphic novel-influenced action flicks, stay away from 300. And, apparently, if you're a liberal, you should avoid having your ideology tainted by its celebration of independence and self sacrifice. Several lefty reviewers, unfamiliar with the comic book, graphic novel convention, are calling 300 a justification of pre-emptive war and macho patriotism. Fine, more seats for the rest of us.

See Ragnar's review here at The Jawa Report for a link to selected libby reactions, and this follow up; Ragnar discovers that Alternet accuses fans of the movie of being cat murderers and closet Bush-lovers.

I saw the movie yesterday, and it was the best entertainment money I've spent in years. Don't miss it.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Freedom Journal Iraq #601

This edition features stories on the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers employing Iraqi workers to expand an important Iraqi port, a citizen-Soldier from Egypt undergoing a naturalization process to become a U.S. citizen and Iraqi leaders trying to reopen a factory in Al Anbar Province. Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 601
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 601

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Nazis and Racists and Gays, Oh My!

The previews for 300 had already half-convinced me not to wait for the DVD, but seeing that the movie has got so many libby knickers in a twist clinches it. For some reason, the wimpy set really, really hates this movie. Enough so to compare it to Nazi propaganda and gay fetish films.

Ragnar provides the reason in his excellent review at The Jawa Report. It seems that the central theme of 300 is anathema to the Left these days: freedom isn't free. It comes from people willing to shed their own blood to secure it.

But every good progessive knows that freedom comes from non-violent demonstrations and civil disobedience. If only the Germans had tried that with Adolf...

Islamic State of Iraq Leader Captured

Another one bites the dust. The Associated Press is now reporting that Zarqawi's replacemnt has been captured by Coalition forces:

BAGHDAD (AP) -- The leader of the al-Qaida-affiliated Islamic State of Iraq has been captured in a raid west of Baghdad, an Iraqi military spokesman said Friday.
Abu Omar al-Baghdadi was captured Friday in a raid in Abu Ghraib on the western outskirts of Baghdad, said Brig. Gen. Qassim al-Moussawi, spokesman of the Baghdad security operation. U.S. officials had no confirmation of the capture.

"One of the terrorists who was arrested with him confessed that the one in our hands is al-Baghdadi," al-Moussawi said.

It's an even bet as to which organization is harder hit by the news, al Qaeda in Iraq or the Democrat party.

No videos up about al-Baghdadi yet, so here's a little video that celebrated Zarq's sudden departure from the planet.

The Nanny State Takes a Hit

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON (AP) -- A federal appeals court overturned the District of Columbia's long- standing handgun ban Friday, rejecting the city's argument that the Second Amendment right to bear arms applied only to militias.
In a 2-1 decision, the judges held that the activities protected by the Second Amendment "are not limited to militia service, nor is an individual's enjoyment of the right contingent upon his or her continued intermittent enrollment in the militia."

The court also rejected the specious argument, that could only arise in the mind of a lawyer, that DC residents aren't covered by the Second Amendment because they don't live in a state.

Brit Muslim Gloats Over 9/11

A follower of radical Muslim cleric Omar Bakri Mohammed laughs about 9/11 and refers to the passengers on the planes as "pigs."



Don't worry, mate, we'll get around to you.

Via The Jawa Report.

FBI 'Lost Track' of Patriot Act Requests

From the Associated Press:

WASHINGTON - An internal Justice Department report accuses the FBI of underreporting its use of the Patriot Act to force telecommunications and financial firms to turn over customer information in suspected terrorism cases, according to officials familiar with its findings.

Shoddy bookkeeping and records management led to the problems, said one government official familiar with the report. The official said FBI agents appeared to be overwhelmed by the volume of demands for information over a two-year period.

Unacceptable. The Patriot Act grants the FBI wider powers to protect the nation against terrorism, but it's not a blank check.

While AP reports that the omissions appear to be inadvertent and non-criminal, FBI record-keeping must be precise and complete; they must not carelessly give America's domestic political enemies ammunition for shameless grandstanding and distortion.

Freedom Journal Iraq #600

This edition features stories of a presence patrol in Ramadi, humanitarian missions, and weapons training. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #600
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #600

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Albany Muslims Get 15 Years

But, say they don't know what they're guilty of:

ALBANY, N.Y. (AP) -- Two leaders of an Albany mosque who were snared in an FBI sting involving a fictional terror strike were sentenced Thursday to 15 years in federal prison.
The former imam, Yassin Aref, professed innocence before his sentencing and criticized the government's treatment of Muslims.

"I never had any intention to harm anyone in this country," said Aref, a 36-year-old Kurdish refugee. "And I don't know why I'm guilty."

Pizzeria owner Mohammed Hossain, a founder of the Masjid As-Salam mosque, said in a voice choked with emotion that he knew nothing about bombs and terrorism.

"I do not know why it was me who was chosen. I was not a criminal," he said. "I was not even thinking of committing a crime."

The two were convicted in October for their roles in a money laundering scheme involving an FBI informant who posed as an illegal arms dealer.

The informant asked Hossain to launder $50,000 from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile from China that would be used to kill a Pakistani diplomat in New York City, authorities said.

Oh, you mean that shoulder-fired missile.

Ex-Sailor Charged With Spying For Al Qaeda

From ABC News:

March 7, 2007 — A former U.S. Navy sailor has been charged with allegedly passing military secrets about U.S. Navy movements through waters in the Middle East to al Qaeda-related Web sites during the spring of 2001, just months after the USS Cole was attacked in Yemen.

Hassan Abujihaad, formerly known as Paul R. Hall, allegedly passed information about U.S. Navy warship movements in the Straits of Hormuz in April 2001 while he was a member of the Navy. The information passed along contained details about vulnerabilites of U.S. vessels — including susceptibility to small boat attacks by terrorists.

Abujihaad has been charged, not convicted, and I won't pull a Murtha and claim he's guilty without due process. I will say that the spooks had better step up to the plate. If they have the resources to periodically question the employees of defense contractors working with classified material (and they did in the nineties when I was working in that industry) then they should be paying attention to major life changes among serving members of the armed forces with access to important classified tactical information. A sudden name change might be a clue.

Also interesting in this story, especially in light of Dr. Shackleford's recent emphasis on electronic jihad, is this:

Abujihaad's arrest arises out of the investigation of Babar Ahmad, who is suspected of developing radical Islamic Web sites popular with members of al Qaeda and other mujahedeen. Ahmad was indicted in the United States in 2004 for allegedly providing material support to Chechen terrorist groups and the Taliban.

ABC notes further that Ahmad was said to have received information from a sailor, apparently using al Qaeda recruitment web servers based in Connecticutt.

Via Howie at The Jawa Report.

Al Qaeda's Unholy Pact With Western Press Continues

Ever wonder why stories like this one are daily fare in the MSM?:

Attacks on Iraq Shiite pilgrims continue

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Attacks on Shiite pilgrims showed no sign of easing Wednesday with at least 11 people killed by bombs and gunfire as they streamed toward a Muslim shrine ahead of a weekend holiday.

It's not really that the Sunni AQ terrorists hate Iraqi Shi'a so much. They do, of course, but these attacks aren't about that. They're about maintaining the AQ position in the Western press.

The mainstream media and the jihadis have hammered out a tacit agreement; if the jihadis supply fresh blood in a suitably grisly and/or spectacular fashion, the MSM will continue to emphasize the stories, and pretent not to know that they're being perpetrated for the purpose of generating press. The MSM will also make sure that stories that reflect well on the US and her military will be ignored or relegated to the back pages.

Now, even sportscasters will refuse to show player fights at games. They don't seem to think that the public's right to know includes encouraging the players to mix it up for air time. Wouldn't it be nice if the newscasters had something approaching this level of morality?

Freedom Journal Iraq #599

This edition features stories on Coalition forces clearing Baghdad as part of Operation Fardh Al-Qanoon, military veterinarians treating working animals in Iraq and Soldiers securing combat outposts in Ramadi.
Freedom Journal Iraq #599
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #599

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Freedom Journal Iraq #598

This edition features stories on Coalition forces teaching the Iraqi military how to continue the work being done to rebuild the country, U.S. Soldiers thwarting a possible attack after stumbling on an improvised explosive device and country singer Chely Wright visiting troops in Baghdad. Hosted by Spc. John Sheldon.
Freedom Journal Iraq #598
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq #598

McCaskill Given 'Rubber Stamp Award'

From our friends at The News Buckit, comes word that the Missouri College Republicans somehow got Claire McCaskill to agree to accept their "Rubber Stamp Award" for tossing Missouri overboard in the name of liberal Democrat solidarity.

Adding self-inflicted injury to insult, McCaskill's supporters attempted the chickenhawk argument:

You know, every single one of those Young Republicans looks like a healthy, strapping lad -- prime material for the military. Perhaps they can show how "brave" they are by volunteering to serve in Iraq or Afghanistan.

But the College Republican pictured below congratulating McCaskill on her "award" is News Buckit contributor Daniel Bell, who spent nine years in the Army, including tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.



Read the whole thing.

Freedom Journal Iraq #597

• Iraqi Army Takes Lead
• Getting Involved in Government
Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 597
Google Video Copy of Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 597

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

No Hate Speech From the Left?

Patterico mercilessly bitchslaps the hapless Glenn Greenwald, who foolishly claimed that prominent left wingers never engage in hate speech:

Below I have listed more than 20 examples of hate speech by prominent leftist figures, such as politicians, journalists writing for major newspapers or radio networks, television and movie industry personalities, and the like.

I have restricted the examples to true hate speech, such as calling for (or exulting over) the beating and/or deaths of conservatives, or naked racism and anti-Semitism. I have deliberately excluded speech that simply brands conservatives as Nazis or fascists. Such speech is hateful, but I want to leave minimum room for leftists to quibble with the list.

Patterico's examples include calls to shoot the President and a desire for Clarence Thomas to die "...early like many black men do, of heart disease."

This is an absolute drubbing of Greenwald, who has continued to lose credibility since the infamous sock puppet incident, which Patterico also mentions. Remind me to stay on Patterico's good side; if this had been a fight, boxing would be banned.

Apostate

A prominent scientist challenges the hierarchy:

In the 1980s and early 1990s, when concern about global warming was in its infancy, little was known about the mechanics of how it could occur, or the consequences that could befall us. Since then, governments throughout the western world and bodies such as the United Nations Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change have commissioned billions of dollars worth of research by thousands of scientists. With a wealth of data now in, Dr. Allegre has recanted his views. To his surprise, the many climate models and studies failed dismally in establishing a man-made cause of catastrophic global warming. Meanwhile, increasing evidence indicates that most of the warming comes of natural phenomena. Dr. Allegre now sees global warming as over-hyped and an environmental concern of second rank.

His break with what he now sees as environmental cant on climate change came in September, in an article entitled "The Snows of Kilimanjaro" in l' Express, the French weekly. His article cited evidence that Antarctica is gaining ice and that Kilimanjaro's retreating snow caps, among other global-warming concerns, come from natural causes. "The cause of this climate change is unknown," he states matter of factly. There is no basis for saying, as most do, that the "science is settled."

Somewhere, Al Gore is gathering wood and planting a stake.

Freedom Journal Iraq #596

• Troops Secure Samarra
• RolloverTraining
Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 596
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 596

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Sunday Funny

From the Dry Bones Blog.

Freedom Journal Iraq #595

• Providing Clean Water
• Preventing Infection
Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 595
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 595

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Senate Fights Over Wrong TSA Issue

When the Transportation Security Administration was formed, it was made a matter of law that TSA screeners could not be represented by unions. TSA executives are not qualified or authorized to conduct airport security and a strike by uniformed personnel would paralyze the airways.

From ABC News:

WASHINGTON Mar 2, 2007 (AP)— Senators left town Friday with little to show for a week of debate on a massive anti-terrorism bill and squabbling over whether to let federal airport screeners join unions and risk a veto of a Homeland Security bill by President Bush.

Acutally, screeners are allowed to join unions. But, it's an empty gesture as the unions are not allowed to participate in collective-bargaining.

The answer to TSA employee issues is not unionizing, it's holding the TSA Executive Service to account. Too many TSA suits are incompetent, and too many Federal Security Directors have placed loyal but stupid cronies in positions of authority, resulting in astronomical turnover rates and the highest injury rate in federal service.

TSA is unique in having been recently created from the ground up. Most such organizations are headed by people who have worked their way up from the ranks. In the TSA, virtually all of the executives are career bureaucrats recruited from other departments. They should have been placed in their positions with the understanding that they were temporary, and that uniformed TSA personnel would replace them as they were promoted.

Replacing these drones with people who actually know the score would obviate the need for union representation.

Wishful Thinking at Reuters

Remember the "accidental" X that covered Vice President Dick Cheney's image a while back?

More evidence that Reuters and the rest of the MSM (especially CNN, who, oddly, made the exact same typo) hate having a non-Democrat in the White House:


From Hot Air, where Allahpundit also has a screen cap of the CNN video.

Via The Jawa Report.

Finally, Science Catches Up to Hollywood

Remember the Orgasmatron from the Woody Allen film "Sleeper?"

At last, Science has developed its own version.

Thanks to Cookie at The Cook Shack--Gab & Grub, who has an unpleasant NSFW photo lurking under the polar bears, the dogs, and the priest in the post below the orgasmatron one. It's not the car, sweety.

Freedom Journal Iraq #594

• Soldiers Play for Morale
• New Police Commander
Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 594
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 594

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Scientists' Global Warming Petition

More than 17,000 American scientists have signed the Global Warming Petition, which calls for rejection of the Kyoto Protocols, and contradicts the so-called consensus opinion of the scientific community.

Excuse me? Brian Williams and Katie Couric have assured me that the Global Warming debate is over. After all, Katrina proved that manmade climate change exists. Who are these "scientists" with their fancy advanced degrees to say that Brian and Katie are wrong?

Via Good Lt. at The Jawa Report.

Freedom Journal Iraq #593

• Strykers in Baghdad
• Refueling Combat Aircraft
Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 593
Google Video copy of Freedom Journal Iraq Episode 593

Courtesy of The Jawa Report.

Ex Canadian Defence Minister: Use UFO Tech to Fight Global Warming

From Agence France Presse:

OTTAWA (AFP) - A former Canadian defense minister is demanding governments worldwide disclose and use secret alien technologies obtained in alleged UFO crashes to stem climate change, a local paper said Wednesday.

"I would like to see what (alien) technology there might be that could eliminate the burning of fossil fuels within a generation ... that could be a way to save our planet," Paul Hellyer, 83, told the Ottawa Citizen.

O-o-okay.