Wiki Fallout

It's amazing how much trouble one little thumb drive can cause. Of all the revelations coming from this insidious, disgusting act of treason against western civilization perhaps the most stunning is just how much secret information can fit on a 2G memory stick, and how easy it was to obtain. More on that and the leaks in general in this excellent assessment.

Personally I'm no fan of pie-eyed moralists like Assange but I do confess a small amount of sinful delight in seeing a man who so whipped Bush over his "secrecy" get hoisted on his own transparency petard by another liberal through real transparency. At the same time it's also conflicting because the leaks evoke sympathy for said individual--every government needs a secure vehicle for sending candid assessments back to their capitals (even of the ass-kissing variety).

Sure, somebody needs to think of a creative way to handle anaracho-moonbats like Assange before they destroy western democracy but unfortunately knowing our current crop of politicos they are just as likely to 'handle it' by trying to regulate the internet.

Anyway they're news now so I'll read along with all the others, including message traffic from the Yemen area; the New York Times has already provided this detail:

“We’ll continue saying the bombs are ours, not yours,” Mr. Saleh said, according to the cable sent by the American ambassador, prompting Yemen’s deputy prime minister to “joke that he had just ‘lied’ by telling Parliament” that Yemeni forces had carried out the strikes.

This shouldn't be news to anyone, even to folks in Yemen, but it confirms a long held notion about the two-faced game Arab leaders play with the Great Satan. Good grief, some of these Arabs might as well get together with McCain for a few bars of "Bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb, bomb Iran" based on their hatred of all things Persian. In the meantime, economic aid backed by the US Navy does still get results, doesn't it?

By the way this same Yemeni tinpot was once chummy with Saddam, indeed there have been some strange activities reported there (not widely) in the past two years, such as visits from former Iraqi Ba'athist officials still on the lam. Imagine some inconvenient revelation tumbling out in the docs about ties between a country harboring Awlaki-AQAP and the Sunni Iraqi insurgency, for instance? Or would Mr. Sunshine even allow it? In other words, how does anyone know Assange is providing the full picture and not cherry-picking what he's got to fit his own ideology?

Hitchens vs Blair

Courtesy Hot Air, a snippet of Christopher Hitchens' debate on religion with Tony Blair...



Hitchens' vocal eloquence sometimes tends to butter over his argument, which probably happened here. He makes the case against communism by calling it well-meaning but short-sighted and ultimately wrong based on the individual freedoms it removes, then takes that concept and leaps into an analogy with organized religion via requirements to follow religious leaders and rules, etc.

Seems his problem lies more in the organization than the faith. According to the Gospels the message of Christ was more about the individual--not necessarily following stale rules or leaders but about living a life on earth that would lead to a salvation in the great beyond. Using his commie comparison maybe it's more akin to sharing and helping society without being forced via the authoritarian boot on the neck. The true leaders are not of this world, and they provide a choice here on earth.

Granted, not all religions are the same in this department, and since Blair is not a religious expert it might be more useful to pair Hitchens off against someone more learned such as Billy Graham or Rick Warren, or even Jeremiah Wright. He did spar with Al Sharpton one time, but that wasn't quite a fair fight.

Persons of Interest

Every now and then it's fun to drop by Ed Lake's site and see what the conspiracists are saying about Dr. Ivins and the anthrax letter case. For those not keeping score the case was officially closed a short while ago but it's still open in the minds of many doubters, some of whom will be attending a scheduled panel discussion about the case this Monday in Washington, DC.

While Ed has dismissed most of these 'true believers' (he's the Jack Webb of the internet--just the facts) he seems mildly intrigued with a last-minute addition to the panel, a 'terrorism expert' by the name of James Van de Velde. According to Ed's quick search and a explanatory subsequent email Mr. Van de Velde was added "because he was the DOD key government analyst on anthrax."

Lo and behold his resume indicates he has held top clearances and even interviewed a couple of AQ perps at GTMO suspected for their involvement in the AQ bio-weapons program. But there's more.

Seems Mr. Van de Velde was once a 'person of interest' in a murder case himself, much like Dr. Steven Hatfill, except in the former's case there was even less published evidence. Both were seemingly thrown to the media without formal charges due to lack of suspects.

What Ed didn't mention is even more interesting--details about the case--which seem to be right up his alley. Mr. Van de Velde was an educator teaching a military strategies political science course at Yale in 1998 when Suzanne Jovin, a popular 21 year old German-born student was brutally murdered off-campus. Keep that year of 1998 in mind while reading how Wiki describes her last day on earth:

After dropping off the penultimate draft of her senior essay on the terrorist leader Osama bin Laden,

A bit of a 'wow' sentence in hindsight. So, what did her draft thesis suggest?

[read the rest here]

Side Tracks

Here's a reunion of some early members of The Byrds singing their most famous hit..



Crosby has a colorful history in music (and in and out of jail and rehab) and is probably best known of late for surrogate fathering Melissa Etheridge's children, but his harmony voice was among the best at one time. Chris Hillman, also in "The Flying Burrito Brothers", later formed the Desert Rose Band in the late 80s with John Jorgensen (seen in the background) and Herb Pedersen. Hillman played bass in The Byrds (and on this video) but Pedersen took over bass duties in DRB. A not-so-good quality video of "Running" can be found here. DRB continued the biblical theme of "Turn, Turn, Turn" in some of their California folk-bluegrass songwriting but the country market basically dried up for them in the mid 90s.

Bits and Pieces

Obama's Kenyan granny Sarah started out the presidential campaign as a 'non-practicing Muslim'. Then she morphed into a Christian around the time Obama was nominated. Then after his election she apparently re-converted into a practicing Muslim who recently attended the Hajj and prays that our current president will one day convert himself. Well at least that means he isn't a Muslim. Whew! Or is he?

-------

Fed Ex is looking for a shipment of radioactive material apparently lost in transit.

Munoz says as long as no one tries to open the metal container, the rods do not pose a danger.

Well, that's a nice warm fuzzy considering the news of late.

-------

Considering what's going on in Korea why isn't this famous picture enough evidence to forever condemn communism as a viable political system?



Yet guys like Bill Ayers, the washed up terrorist turned professor who hardly knew Obama according to 'fightthesmears', still calls himself a 'small-c communist'. In other words, it's only the corrupt rulers who fall short in their attempts to manage the system, not the system itself. Maybe that's why they lied about Ayers.

Of course, if the following picture is the only face of capitalism then it's no wonder some of our utopian dreamers dream of a land of equal equality (run by them)...


Look at those silly women. Now, if that was a sale on 60 inch LEDs...completely justifiable.

Giving Thanks

And now, the president of the United States..

The two Houses of the National Legislature having by a joint resolution expressed their desire that in the present time of public calamity and war a day may be recommended to be observed by the people of the United States as a day of public humiliation and fasting and of prayer to Almighty God for the safety and welfare of these States, His blessing on their arms, and a speedy restoration of peace, I have deemed it proper by this proclamation to recommend that Thursday, the 12th of January next, be set apart as a day on which all may have an opportunity of voluntarily offering at the same time in their respective religious assemblies their humble adoration to the Great Sovereign of the Universe, of confessing their sins and transgressions, and of strengthening their vows of repentance and amendment.

They will be invited by the same solemn occasion to call to mind the distinguished favors conferred on the American people in the general health which has been enjoyed, in the abundant fruits of the season, in the progress of the arts instrumental to their comfort, their prosperity, and their security, and in the victories which have so powerfully contributed to the defense and protection of our country, a devout thankfulness for all which ought to be mingled with their supplications to the Beneficent Parent of the Human Race that He would be graciously pleased to pardon all their offenses against Him; to support and animate them in the discharge of their respective duties; to continue to them the precious advantages flowing from political institutions so auspicious to their safety against dangers from abroad, to their tranquillity at home, and to their liberties, civil and religious; and that He would in a special manner preside over the nation in its public councils and constituted authorities, giving wisdom to its measures and success to its arms in maintaining its rights and in overcoming all hostile designs and attempts against it; and, finally, that by inspiring the enemy with dispositions favorable to a just and reasonable peace its blessings may be speedily and happily restores. Given at the city of Washington, the 16th day of November, 1814, and of the Independence of the United States the thirty-eighth.

..Happy Thanksgiving and be careful out there, y'all.

Korean Thing

Should we be concerned or go back to watching TV? Well, imagine a Kim-Jong controlled Korean peninsula with nuclear commie influence extending all the way into the Sea of Japan, pointed right in the faces of Japan and Taiwan. So there's concern aside from the overall potential catastrophic human toll.

As to today's scuffle, lots of ideas and furrowed brows. While this blog doesn't fashion itself as an expert source we are always open to wild speculation, and today's speculation centers around the responses from both the South Koreans and President Invisible.

South Korean president Lee Myung-bak emphatically stated that any further provocation would result in "enormous retaliation". That's patriotic and all but he's now placed the south in a box that will require 'enormous retaliation' the next time the Kims poke their toes across the line. And if they do, and South Korea doesn't, what then?

As to Washington, our vital interests remain peace and stability in the region along with the prevention of nuclear proliferation to places like Iran or Syria or Burma, but the past three presidents haven't been willing to go very far to enforce these goals. Therefore the lil Kims will likely keep it up knowing that 1) they are desperate, 2) they think it will get them concessions from the west as it always has, and 3) they believe Obama is weak.

With that, the president of the United States had this to say:

So Kokomo has a storied place in our history. This is a city where people came to invent things and to build things, to make things here in America; to work hard in the hopes of producing something of value and something that people could be proud of.

OK, to be fair that was the POTUS attempting not to project panic over an international incident, sort of like Bush continuing to read "My Pet Goat" instead of dashing out of a school room and plowing over a few kids to get back to the limo. Anyway, it's a mess calling for all the 'smart power' we can muster. And if that doesn't work, maybe some dumb power.

Aviation Update

AQ's propaganda rag is out with a new edition to taunt us dumb infidel westerners wherein they dropped this claim, again:

The magazine also repeats a controversial claim of responsibility for the September 3 crash of a UPS flight in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, which killed the two crew members.

Well, the internet doesn't contain a final report stating a probable cause on the event because it's being controlled by the noted UAE aviation investigation board, whom nobody but those in the UAE had heard of before this event. So we search for more.

Here's how ABC described the same thing:

AQAP also took credit for the September crash of a UPS cargo flight in Dubai. However, U.S. and U.A.E. officials have concluded that the crash was not an act of terrorism.

Sounds pretty final. But wait, the CNN story said this:

No evidence has surfaced of an explosion aboard the UPS cargo plane that crashed in September, officials in the United Arab Emirates have said. But authorities there have also said they are seriously looking into AQAP's claim.

Not final, as in still looking and haven't ruled out all incendiaries. MSNBC explained a bit more:

But U.S. officials insist the Dubai crash was an accident caused by a battery fire, not terrorism.

Yes, a fire where batteries burned, but how did the fire start? Is there a final report? Looking around some more here's CBS video that doesn't mention Dubai at all, and the LA Times buried an AP story that mentioned the battery fire. Nothing so far from the NY Times or WaPo as of post time. So there you go, the reader is left to his own conclusions.

Since "Inspire" is propaganda it's likely an opportunistic claim since they didn't seem to go into the surprising detail they did with the toner bombs. They also waited a long while before taking credit, which is also suspect. So it's probably bogus. More troubling perhaps is the ability for immediate taunting this format provides.

For instance, not only did they claim the operation was cheap, and not only did they exploit the current brouhaha (and millions spent in the west) over draconian security efforts, but they even claimed to have paid "shipping" on the printers for an extra added touch. And by using 4200 dollars and a printer price of 300 they indicated more are in the pipeline. Wonder how long before cruise missiles are flying over the Arabian Peninsula?

Tax Code Talkers

Anyone else amused at the political parlance used by the Democrats and their media lapdogs in describing the current federal tax code ? They keep saying "the Bush tax cuts", as if all legislation is named after presidents.

Wondering--if stupidity reigns in the lame duck and the Dems allow the current tax code to sunset will they insist on calling the new rates "the Clinton tax increases"? After all, Bill Clinton signed that massive tax increase in 1993 that led to "the Bush tax cuts" in 2001. Technically the country will be reverting to those rates, so will they call a spade a spade?

Or if that characterization catches on will the Dems get huffy and insist on the media calling them the "George HW Bush read my lips no new taxes tax increases increased again by Clinton who later had a budget surplus"? Hmm. But that might tick off the GOP, who might demand they be renamed "the Ronald Reagan tax cuts that lead to ballooning prosperity later torched by HW Bush and bombed to the moon by Clinton, later cut back to sanity by Bush 43 but now increased again by Pelosi tax increases"? It could get confusing.

Side Tracks

Here's some Canadian rock..

Maybe This...

....is why they are frisking grandma. From the story about the time bomb discovered on the German airliner in Namibia:

Mr. Copello confirmed that his company, Larry Copello Inc., a maker of security testing products, had made and sold the device found in Namibia.

“Somebody had purchased it from me a few years ago,” he said, and then in a later interview clarified it might have been as long as four or five years ago. His grandmother, he said, assembled the simulated bomb.

The story says the man who sold the device is 64. He says the device was built by his grandmother. Wait, his grandmother? Just what kind of BS are they feeding us?!?!!! If the CIA was not involved in this caper it would be shockingly shocking.

By the way, speaking of bombs on airplanes, isn't about past time for someone on the far left to show their consistency and claim the PETN printer/toner bombs found on the cargo flights a few weeks ago (and now being used by TSA to increase the pat-downs) were phony and probably planted by the White House to foster the further pillaging of Muslim countries for oil? Oh, right..

Hey, everyone knows this is serious business but it's Friday and a little levity never hurts. This is from a Japanese comedy show..



Itte kimasu, everyone.

Back to the Contrail

Per a tip in the previous post from a fellow blogger, here's Jack Cashill writing about the 'mystery missile':

Had the Chinese wanted to use more than words to show their ability to strip America of its creature comforts, they could not have chosen a more symbolic way than an EMP – electromagnetic pulse –attack on, say, a cruise ship like the Splendor.

As it happens, the Splendor lost its power early Monday, Nov. 8, some 44 miles offshore and roughly 200 miles south of San Diego. No media report that I could find questioned the official "fire in the engine room" explanation. It may even be true.

Leave it to Jack Cashill to put two and two together and venture where others dare to tread. He readily admits this may be nothing more than a coincidence but at the same time it's weird to have a massive cruise ship develop a strange engine room fire Monday morning then have a frenetic "mystery missile" story from the same general area break the next morning.

While there was plenty of press about the Splendor most of it was about the sick and bitter passengers and not what caused the fire, one that seemed to disable even the auxiliary power system. There was indeed a fire--passengers reported smelling smoke, and the NTSB will investigate, but while it's proper for the press to wait for results from such an investigation before conclusively closing their story lines, it's also prudent for them not to rely solely on the NTSB by running their own parallel investigations. It's one of the main reasons we have a free press. Then again it's also proper for them to wait for a reasonable explanation or do their own investigation before calling a contrail a missile launch.

Cashill's main point was to illustrate the relative lack of curiosity from the main press about these weird happenings (usually when Democrats hold the government) once a generally-accepted explanation is issued. Such was the case when the feds explained under Clinton that the PETN and RDX found on seatback upholstery, cargo area, and the cabin floor of TWA 800 was caused by a "bomb-sniffing dog training exercise" over a month earlier in St. Louis--as if it's completely normal for a passenger aircraft to fly around for weeks with traces of explosive residue on it. As Time pointed out at the time, that was enough to throw cold water on anything aside from a mechanical cause going forward and indeed, instead of doing any in-depth investigations into the dog claim most of the media lost interest beyond that point as the circumstantial evidence for terrorism was 'removed'.

Lo and behold, one of the TWA 800 skeptics who failed to buy that story (or the zoom-climb fantasy) is back to work on this event:

Glen Schulze, whose technical expertise proved very helpful in the TWA Flight 800 investigation, sent the FAA a Freedom of Information Act request within three days of the sighting.

In that Schulze has already experienced roadblocks unique to his own situation, allow me to cite his references for those who might be interested in following up on their own.

It's true he's an engineer; it's also true there are many engineers and architects convinced 9/11 was a conspiracy so his curriculum vitae doesn't necessarily make him correct. That said, he's certainly correct in issuing a FOIA on this event for the radar tapes as they could provide a conclusive answer to the mystery in short order. Has anyone in the mainstream press done so?

Personally I think the answer is going to be a contrail, as shown by this GOES satellite image taken about the same time as the mystery event..

Notice the feature is almost perfectly aligned with UPS flight 902 from Honolulu, and ends about 35 miles offshore, which would fit a descent out of the contrail-producing altitudes for an easterly arrival at Burbank Ontario. It was illuminated by the angle of the setting sun.

But there's absolutely nothing wrong with confirmation--about this or the cruise ship. That's what hard-hitting journalists used to win Pulitzers for doing. Well, at least sometimes.

MORE 11/20/10

This site gets more convincing every day. Has Beck seen it yet?

OMG, not Snow Globes!

They've truly thought of everything:

"Additionally, TSA does not permit snow globes through the security checkpoint because they contain an undetermined amount of liquid," the agency adds.

Bastards! What next, banning Dobosh Tortes or fruit cakes?!! On second thought, they can ban fruit cakes.

Disappointment or Silver Lining?

Only a week ago someone in the O admin leaked a story to the WaPo saying that Holder may not get around to trying KSM and his Gitmo cohorts til after 2012. There was lots of speculation on how Obama didn't want to alienate his Soros-backed base too much.

Strangely, the story was leaked just as the Ghailani trial was winding down in Manhattan. The accused African Embassy bombing facilitator was the first terrorist tried in federal court who had been held in an off-site CIA facility or at Gitmo, and it was no doubt a test-case for the Holder terrorist justice paradigm.

And the Ghailani verdict is in--not guilty on all but one conspiracy charge (not guilty of murder, essentially). The media is running wild with that headline. Of course that one charge holds a 20 to life sentencing possibility so the administration is claiming victory. But everyone knew he wasn't going free anyway.

So the question is how this might affect the KSM situation, since the judge tossed out the most damning evidence on Ghailani due to his detention outside the court system.

Fear not, Holder might say, because with KSM there's plenty of damning evidence collected outside of Gitmo and the Black Site days, most notably that in support of his 1996 indictment. Of course revealing such means the general public might suddenly wake up and realize he was indicted in 1996. Indicted and not caught until after 9/11.

This might be shocking to some voters who believe the history of AQ terrorism began on either January 20 or September 11, 2001. Those halcyon days of Bubba have largely been left as a misty water colored memory and/or stain on a blue dress.

So lots of machinations to consider for our politically-minded president. Let's just hope they don't get swept away in the blink of an eye by another serious attack, because that could change everything.

MORE 11/18/10

Funny how the DoJ is patting themselves on the back for saying there were no security incidents in New York with the Ghailani trial, as if that proves anything about a potential KSM or bin Laden trial. Note also their dropping of the torture card on the Bush folks. They just can't resist.

HEARTBROKEN 11/18/10

...seems to capture this Times piece about what didn't happen in the Ghailani trial:

That said, the trial also failed to fulfill one of the hopes of some advocates of civilian courts, who saw them as a potential forum for a detailed examination of the Bush administration’s post-9/11 policies on detention and interrogation.

Evidently that was the silver lining for the Bush folks--the trial failed to show them for the criminals they are. Geez. Imagine what these "advocates of civilian courts" were/are expecting from the KSM version.

Deported Yet?

You know, Nicky Diaz-Santillan, the self-admitted illegal alien the Democrats used to help scuttle the Meg Whitman campaign in California? Surely she's not getting the Aunt Z treatment.

If the rule of law is to mean anything in America then this woman must be incarcerated and deported post haste. Eric Holder, what say you?

UPDATE 11/17/10

Allred secured 5500.00 in back pay for Ms Diaz-Santillan. They couldn't deport her while her suit was pending, apparently. Now they can. We will see what happens. No--breath is not being held. And no, this isn't a bitter xenophobic rage, it would be the same if the maid was from Norway and had admitted to breaking the law. Just today a judge presiding over the Ghallani terrorist trial, wherein he was acquitted on all but one weak conspiracy charge, praised the jury for upholding the rule of law. Funny how that noble notion only applies in certain areas anymore.

Security Junk

While there's no doubt some hyperbole, exaggeration and press foaming is in play with all these stories about security (this is the same press that reported a missile launch off the coast of California without verification), the TSA response to the "don't touch my junk" guy and various other opt-outers seems to reveal a secondary problem--a dysfunctional public relations department.

Really, is throwing Janet Napolitano out to explain how a digital strip search is for our own good (and must be done to thwart foreign underwear bombers entering from abroad) really smart PR or as Maguire says, shall we be looking for the clown car? Maybe Joe Biden will come out soon and say it's our patriotic duty.

Then there's this bit:

Images from the scans cannot be saved or printed, according to the agency. Facial features are blurred. And agents who directly interact with passengers do not see the scans.

Yet somehow images of these scans made Drudge . In other words, as improbable as it sounds that nothing can be saved or exported what's to stop an agent--sitting in a dark little secure booth--from simply using their own cell phone camera or digital camera to take pictures of something interesting they see on the screen? Oh well, onward we rush into the enlightened 21st century.

Side Tracks

Here's Tug McGraw's kid...



As a city boy I've always wondered how those giant hay rolls were created. BTW, "My Next 30 Years" is a decent song as well--of course by the end of my next 30 I'll be lucky to be around, what with the death panels and all. Anyway, McGraw is starring in a soon-to-be-released country/western movie starring Gwyneth Paltrow, who's lately been trying to sing some country herself.

Say it Ain't So

To keep the hysteria going over TSA's new X-rated security gauntlet Drudge links to a CNN story that contains this gem:

Meanwhile, the Council on American-Islamic Relations has issued its own travel advisory over pat-downs many "describe as invasive and humiliating."

Muslim women who wear a hijab and are selected for secondary screening because of a head scarf should remind TSA officers "that they are only supposed to pat down the area in question, in this scenario, your head and neck. They should not subject you to a full-body or partial-body pat-down," the group said.

Wait, surely certain women are not being exempted from full-body pat downs due to their religious garb. Here's what TSA's website says:

You are permitted to wear loose fitting or religious garments during the screening process. You may be directed to additional screening if your clothing (religious or otherwise) is loose fitting or large enough to hide prohibited items. If you are directed by the security officer to proceed to additional screening, then you will undergo a combination of hand-wand screening and/or pat-down inspections that could include any portion of the body and head area that requires further examination.

Is that clear? Well then it's not supposed to be--the nature of security is keeping the bad guys guessing, so telling everyone exactly what to expect would be counter-productive. This was illustrated in TSA's October 28 announcement about enhanced pat-downs. The one thing they seem unequivocal on is profiling for enhanced screening--never. The question now is whether they are profiling in reverse to keep certain people from enhanced screening.

It was only a matter of time before CAIR and other Muslim rights groups protested vigorously given the option of being seen virtually naked or having someone pass their hands over sensitive body areas--these are folks who largely blush when women go sleeveless. And while many are developing sympathies with the "opt out" folks, acceding to CAIR's demands would pretty much instantly prove all this new screening as meaningless kabuki. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to figure out that if terrorists realize that certain groups dressed a certain way are given easier treatment in accessing aircraft then that's the way they'll go. Again, repeating from the CAIR press release:

Before you are patted down, you should remind the TSA officer that they are only supposed to pat down the area in question, in this scenario, your head and neck. They SHOULD NOT subject you to a full-body or partial-body pat-down.

But that doesn't sound like TSA policy, it sounds like CAIR's fatwa. One has to wonder how a TSA agent is supposed to know if someone is actually a Muslim (or Catholic nun, or anything) at screening? Does the system that generates an "ssss" on the boarding pass tell them? If so, how does it know? Secondly, if they don't, and can't profile, what are the odds women appearing to be Muslim will be 'randomly' pulled out of line for extra scanning? And if Muslim women wearing the hijab start getting their privates tickled how long will it be til some nut blows up a security checkpoint? We await the explanations.

Bring it On...

Bush is out peddling his memoirs, or as some on the left might call them, memwars:

The ACLU is urging Attorney General Eric Holder to ask Assistant U.S. Attorney John Durham to investigate Bush.

For the waterboarding admission, of course.

Hmm, wonder how a Bush witch hunt would go over in the court of public opinion with the GOP in control of the House's investigative arm? DoJ can't even figure out where to try KSM due to the outrage expressed at Holder anytime he whispers about due process. We seem to be treating airline travelers worse than terrorist detainees at the moment.

Oh well, maybe the ACLU can enlist Ramsey Clark for a reprise.

Meanwhile I'm waiting for my personal copy of "Decision Points" to arrive. While it's likely he'll provide an honest summary of events, I have no confidence he'll be brutally honest:

"I didn't put everything in the book," Bush told the crowd.

As he says, history will do most of the judging.

Not a Contrail

Drudge is tipping another mystery streak, this time in New York City last evening around sunset...

Some so-called expert called it a contrail but it couldn't be. One, contrails do not appear at low altitude so if it's a contrail the object was actually hundreds of miles away at the altitudes normally conducive to contrails. Since this was fall at sunset the 'Harvest Moon' refraction effect could be coming into play here, making a distant object appear closer, but if this object is actually at 35,000 well away from NYC it's too large and moving too fast.

Weather observations from LaGuardia Airport during the event:

KLGA 110051Z 35009KT 10SM FEW150 SCT250 10/M01 A3015 RMK AO2 SLP211 T01001011
KLGA 102351Z 36011G18KT 10SM FEW150 SCT250 11/M01 A3014 RMK AO2 SLP206 T01061011 10144 20106 51019
KLGA 102251Z 36009KT 10SM FEW150 BKN250 11/M01 A3013 RMK AO2 SLP201 T01111006
KLGA 102151Z COR 36012KT 10SM FEW150 BKN250 12/00 A3010 RMK AO2 SLP193 T01170000
KLGA 102051Z 35011G20KT 10SM FEW080 SCT140 BKN250 13/01 A3008 RMK AO2 SLP187 T01330006 53014

Clear, with only a few clouds above 8000 feet. Not likely a weather event. So on with the requisite speculation..

1. Astronomical phenomena? It looks somewhat like a "fireball meteor" sometimes seen during meteor showers. Thing is, they normally appear to be coming downward at a slight angle, while this object is maintaining its altitude and moving slower. But with refraction in play it's possible.

2. Aircraft? Only possible if the object is scores of miles away from New York, up at the contrail-producing altitudes. The 'Harvest Moon' effect could help this, but if it was an aircraft contrail it definitely not anything in the immediate NY area.

As with California, the FAA should be able to study their tapes and determine what was moving in that approximate location at that time, assuming they could approximate its location. Which is why FAA tapes might be inconclusive.

3. Cruise Missile? It was certainly moving along like they do. But who fired it? The New Confederacy? Mexico? Hugo Chavez?

4. Hoax? It did come only two days after the California 'mystery missile' so this must be considered. Ironically, both were seen and filmed by traffic helicopters but short of media hanky panky this kind of hoax would be a very elaborate (and kind of scary, if possible).

5. Pelosi, an alien space craft, a new Air Force vehicle or Santa Claus testing a new sleigh. Make up your own explanations here.

Pretty weird. A celestial object makes some sense--made to appear larger due to refraction (and if it was a long way off it would appear to be moving slower)--but I'm open to anything on this one.. except a contrail, which only leads to survey reactions like this.

SPEAKING OF WEIRD THINGS IN THE SKY... 11/11/10

The concept of the existence of such a video and what it would mean is fascinating. Keep in mind that on 9/11 Katie Couric, then with NBC News, twice mentioned that 800 had been "bombed". That clip was formerly available on You Tube then spiked; was on Google Videos then also spiked. They tried to put it here, and yep, spiked.

Veterans Day

Thanks to all those who serve and who've served. This post is a good reminder of the valor often required to win a war--they all volunteered for the mission. As to making your 'thanks' count, here's a suggestion from that same author..

Which is it?

CNN is asking whether this man is 'the most dangerous man in the world':

He has one eye, a thick beard streaked with henna and has lost a finger. He wears thick aviator-style dark glasses. At least we think so. There are very few photographs of 40-something Ilyas Kashmiri. But to counter-terrorism officials on three continents, he is one of the most dangerous men in the world.

Don't they read Fox News? Just today they announced it was Anwar Aulaqi:

During a lengthy presentation about Al Qaeda in the Arabian Peninsula for members of the security industry in NYC, an Intelligence Research Specialist with the NYPD’s Counterterrorism Division today called Anwar Al Awlaki "the most dangerous man in the world."

And here we thought bin Laden and Zawahiri were numbers one and two, with this up and comer at number three. Then again, there have been a lot of drone strikes, so maybe we've already sent them to hell (as promised), unless bin Laden just isn't that important anymore...

Missile or Contrail?

Wow, a lot of news organizations better hope it was a missile. Looked like a missile to me too, but further investigation is leaving high doubt. So, breaking it down...

A. It was a missile, and it was ...

1. Launched by mistake. This would be the most frightening outcome, as if some launch officer put his elbow on the ignite button and blamo.

2. Launched purposely to show strength. This is the most ridiculous outcome of all since everybody knows we can launch submarine-borne missiles. "Hey look, we can still kick ass" is pretty weak and utterly un-Obama. If he didn't order it that would be worse.

3. The Chinese or Russians launched to show everyone they can. Maybe upset about the dollar devaluation and sending the O a greeting card (aimed in his direction after all) to show their dissatisfaction. This actually makes more sense than the above two scenarios. But damn, 35 miles offshore? Pretty bold. But what could we do, attack Beijing?

B. It was not a missile, it was...

1. An airplane. Makes the most sense. Besides, FAA could prove this rather easily by looking at radar tapes and noticing anything leaving a primary target in that area coming from the horizon as well as all the overhead traffic around that location.

2. "Balloon Boy at 40, 000, the sequel".

My personal guess-- an airplane, probably a large wide body like A380 or B747, coming from the west towards the viewer (suffering from parallax effect). At least I hope so.

And if so that's a big fat strike two for the big media over the past week, some of whom also bought off on the 200 million a day India trip. One would expect that kind of weak fact-checking from bloggers but c'mon, these are supposed to be professionals... Unless they are covering up for the real reason (cue the heavy metal soundtrack and evil laugh..).

MORE 11/9/10

Here's another report saying the FAA did not find any fast-moving primary targets on their radar (a primary target is one that is not in contact with controllers, when in contact they light up a data block of information and are brighter).

One might think that if a missile was launched right off the coast of Catalina Island at least a few pilots would have noticed and advised ATC but none did according to reports, which is a bit odd since the videos themselves show aircraft flying past in the foreground. Granted, the helicopter crew first reported it and they are pilots, but they were low and not off the coast. Somebody should have seen this thing rise up off the ocean. We'll see if anyone comes forward.

In the TWA 800 crash one of the primary witnesses was a military helicopter pilot flying near shore who claimed to have seen a flare rise from the horizon then arc back east before exploding near the plane (he called it ordnance). Many other witnesses on the ground claimed to have seen it rise off the water and supposedly there was even amateur video footage of such aired for about 6 hours on some NBC stations that showed it (legend has it the FBI reportedly came and confiscated it). The FAA radar tapes showed some fast-moving objects nearby.

In other words, to this day there remains much more verification that something rose off the surface in that event as compared to this one. Decide for yourself if that says more about politics, the media or eyewitness accounts in general.

MORE 11/10/10

ABC just can't let go of this story, running it full top position on their web site as of this writing at 9:40 am CST. Here's a gem:

The contrail did not appear on the Federal Aviation Authority's radar replays.

That would be a first, since air traffic radars have never shown clouds or contrails before.

This story could have easily been put to rest had the initial video been longer than a few snippets. In other words, if some amateur videographer (or maybe a security camera pointed west and tilted upwards) had captured the entire event it would have been conclusive as to whether the object was moving towards or away from the coast. Towards the coast and it's clearly an airplane, with the viewer perhaps seeing a 75-100 mile contrail fanning out in the upper breeze. Away from the coast and it has to be moving up, ergo, a mystery missile.

Surely Keith Olbermann will be pointing out the hilarity of all this tonight, after all Glenn Beck isn't buying the airplane (cough swamp gas weather balloon) explanation. Of course he'd have to accuse his own network of balloon boy coverage.

What would Ghandi Do?

Maybe this was part of the reason the Indian trip cost 200 million...monkey control:



YES! I know the 200 million came from some anonymous Indian source and the right wing fell for it--I do watch Colbert sometimes, but this is just comically ironic. Here we have a story about monkeys possibly terrorizing the president. It must be a tough tightrope for them to walk...

...seeing as how Bush is back out in public giving interviews in support of the book. BTW, this is a perfect example of what happens when a country takes too seriously a religious glorification of an animal, packs of monkeys running wild in the streets.

It's Tough to be the King

From NY Times coverage of O's Indian adventure regards the 'town hall meeting':

“We call him the world king, king of the world,” said Chetman Rawal, 20, who studies commerce at the college. “I think he will change the world.”

To be fair, these foreign idealists don't have the luxury of seeing the wild-eyed version of their hero talking about punishing enemies and ditches and acting stupidly. It's sometimes hardest to maintain the mojo in your own backyard.

But this is not a knock on the trip at large. There are some benefits to appearing in India and talking to youngsters about how Pakistan...

..is not making progress against militants "as quick as we'd like." Pakistan has a lot of potential, but has some "extremist elements within it," the president said. "The problem has to be addressed."

While not all the town hall attendees were impressed, the answer wasn't directed at them but rather at Islamabad. Dubya tried the same trick by signing a nuclear deal with New Delhi and we're still fighting the ISI's proxy army and searching for bin Laden, but props to Obama where due; the outside pressure is needed. This trip will also produce outside pressure on China.

As to a video or transcript, hard to locate yet but here's a Voice of America report about one of the other questions:

Mr. Obama had this advice for a young man who asked about core moral values versus materialism.

"I don't want any young person here to be dismissive of a healthy materialism because in a country like India, there are still a lot of people trapped in poverty, and you should be working to try to lift folks out of poverty, and companies and businesses have a huge role in making that happen," Mr. Obama said.

Doesn't sound very Ghandi-like. Here's another from OneIndia News:

Obama stated that US can't withdraw army completely from Afghanistan. He described Afghanistan as more complicated problem. US need to follow Iraq model in Afghanistan.

Would that be the same "Iraq model" he opposed or another one?

The media meme was "students ask tough questions" but were they scripted or pre-screened like US town halls? Seems the answer would be yes. According to this report there were only six questions in total, so if the event lasted an hour as advertised Obama did what he does here--filibustered his answers to an average of 10 minutes each. That would be like an Obama presser with the White House media. But as always it's the symbolism that really counts, not the substance.

Side Tracks

In the spirit of the week..

Lame Duck

Obama's Saturday address rather whimsically lays it out-- he's not gonna waver over tax cuts for the millionaires and billionaires but he wants to work with the new Congressional winners, which he identifies as Republicans, Democrats and Independents. The people have spoken, and the message they sent by electing a GOP House was to tell him that socialistic change had not come fast enough! Well, at least he's a glass-half-full kind of guy, even if a bit myopic.

But in strongly defending tax cuts for the 'middle class' he's kind of contradicting previous rhetoric..

He also talked about reversing Bush's tax cuts for the rich, to the delight of the crowd bringing about a large round of applause. He explained that many rich people are happy to reverse the tax cuts as long as they know that the money is going to a good cause.

Notice the parsing. Back then the tax rate was always described as "Bush's tax cuts for the rich", now suddenly, with middle class voters about to be shellacked, they are Bush's "tax cuts for the middle class". Such is the nature of change in DC.

Of course this rhetoric is simply to set up the mother of all lame duck battles between the Pelosi House and the incoming leadership. The Dems were smart by not showing their hands on this issue before the election as some wanted and now they hold a tremendous card going into 2011. If the GOP wants the current rate extended fairly and for everyone they'll have to cut a deal. But can they afford to be cutting deals before they even get the gavel? Any deals will be criticized not only by the Dem-media complex but by the Sarah Palin-Tea Party complex. In many ways this battle will set the tone for the 2011 Congress and how they are viewed. So strap in...

PS, the above-linked article from 2007 contains some real gems about Obama worth highlighting...

"It is irresponsible to be continually borrowing from the next generation. At some point something's got to give," he said.

Yes, but only in terms of tax cuts, not political payoffs and pet projects. And..

He also talked about creating a more efficient system by instituting 'PAYGO,' which would mean that if tax cuts were given, it would only be able to happen if there was a way of retrieving that loss.

"If you are going to cut taxes, you have got to find a way of paying for it," he said.

PAYGO is in effect yet he wants to extend the middle class cuts. Are they paid for? He's also ignoring revenues back to the Treasury when people have more money to spend. And..

Many people don't know who Obama is yet. According to Patrick, Obama is from Kenya and his name is Swahili. It is a good thing that one of the other issues that Obama wishes to address when he becomes president is the shameful mud slinging that goes on during an election, and he suggests that if the campaigning was paid for with public funds it would eliminate a lot of the sniping. He also suggested that TV stations cover the campaign for free with designated time slots.

From Kenya? Birther alert! Mud-slinging? Punish your enemies! As to the public money, apparently that was only for McCain. And finally..

Given that Obama rhymes with Osama and Barack sounds decidedly Muslim or Arabic, although he is reported to be a devout Christian, the media could be used as a tool to destroy his campaign purely based upon his name. So, reforming the election process and dragging political campaigning out of the gutter could pave the way for a more civilized election, in theory, but Obama will have to get in to the Whitehouse first.

Yes, but before reform to a more civilized election we first must get the car out of the ditch and make the opposition sit in the back of the bus and take away their Slurpees, all due to the irresponsible actions of the previous administration!

Aviation, Again

Here's a photo of the Qantas A380 that lost an engine on takeoff from Singapore. Passengers report hearing two loud 'bangs'..


Interestingly, Qantas just had an engine explosion on a 747 crossing the Pacific back in September:

Some of the 212 passengers, relieved to be safe after the mid-air emergency, have spoken of their shock immediately after the 747-400’s engine exploded above the Pacific Ocean late on Monday. Some panicked and cried, ”We’re going to go down, we’re going to go down”, but most handled the emergency calmly.

Here's the picture:


Was it a compressor stall? Here's one for comparison..



Such events are different from 'uncontained engine failures' as this picture indicates:


Finally, here's what an engine/wing hit by a missile looks like..


So from just a lay standpoint it would appear the Qantas event looks more like an uncontained engine failure. Of course to make things even more interesting today another Qantas flight leaving Singapore had to return due to an engine problem--this time a Boeing 747. Notice in all of the above examples the aircraft returned safely to the airport but with paranoia running rampant over the parcel bombs everything is being reported right now.

Everyone should be just as concerned about this.

MORE 11/5/10

AQAP is now tooting about how they were responsible for the package bombs and, oh by the way, the UPS 747 in Dubai. A couple of observations..

One, terrorist groups are long known for taking credit for all kinds of things after the fact. Only the evidence can be trusted, and if the authorities say there was no 'pressure wave' detectable on the black boxes then that seems to rule out a package bomb. Of course that doesn't rule out a dud bomb that simply lit the fire or some kind of incendiary device but my jury is definitely still out on this one. It would help if the UAE investigators would release the CVR/FDR tapes publicly as the NTSB is wont to do. This withholding of data has been common with several overseas crashes though, so no hopes there.

Two, the Saudis are saying the defector came to them in early October. The Dubai crash was early September. He would have known whether AQAP pulled it off and likely have told them. So if this guy is the real deal then someone already knows. Of course the Saudis were also told by an AQAP defector that Ethiopian 409 was taken down with an underwear bomb.

Onward to India!

Drudge has a headline up this morning about Obama taking 34 warships to India to protect the waters offshore during his visit:

He will also be protected by a fleet of 34 warships, including an aircraft carrier, which will patrol the sea lanes off the Mumbai coast during his two-day stay there beginning Saturday. The measure has been taken as Mumbai attack in 2008 took place from the sea.

Arrangements have been put in place for emergency evacuation, if needed.

Yes we already have a fleet in the region, they are simply moving them to the coast off Mumbai. Previous stories have mentioned 40 aircraft, a Batman-like Lincoln to carry the prez, renting the entire Taj Hotel and even flunkies being told to remove coconuts from the trees above his projected path so he doesn't get bonked on the head. All very secure at about 200 million per day.

But from whom is he securing himself? The Indians aren't enemies and after all, he's going in part to discuss lucrative trade agreements. India is certainly not Pakistan or Indonesia where AQ cells are more rampant...er wait, he IS going to Indonesia later in the trip (so we'll be able to compare the security in that Islamic country versus this Hindu nation). Or is any of this related to his decision not to visit the great Sikh temple?

Or more aptly, is it all just routine?

Very possibly just routine. The world is a place of many threats. AQ has shown over the past two years they are still determined to win. But wait, this is a man who repeatedly said..

"When George Bush steps down," Obama once declared, "the world is going to breathe a sigh of relief."

He was the one who said his own international background and new approach to handling our enemies would reduce their numbers. Not just him though, his Secretary of State said the following after the inauguration:

"There's a great exhalation of breath going on around the world as people express their appreciation for the new direction that's being set, and the team that's put together by the president to carry out our foreign policy goals," Clinton said after telephoning dozens of world leaders in her first five days on the job. "We have a lot of damage to repair."

Unfortunately Hillary could not be reached for comment.

One could take this publicity over massive security to mean they've been slacking off on the job or just garden variety idealist ignorance and arrogance from liberals coming in the door. Some may say they were just words. The trick is figuring out which words represent the truth, sometimes known as a Kinsley gaffe in Washington.

MORE 11/5/10

The left is now having some revenge fun over what appears to be a series of bogus sources fueling these reports about the India trip, well, aside from renting the entire Taj Hotel, which hasn't been refuted. But OK, guilty as charged, some of this is quite ludicrous on its face (like the 200 million a day stuff).

But why is someone leaking this? And who? Has this ever occurred in the past before a major presidential visit where sources in the visiting country tried to kneecap the trip before it started?

Meanwhile, on the Battlefield..

Rumors have been swirling since early fall that a very big al Qaeda honcho that very few know--Saif al-Adel--has been released from 'house arrest' in Iran and has returned to the battlefield in Waziristan:

Saif al-Adel enjoys a truly outstanding reputation among Islamic militants around the world. The Egyptian, whose nom-de-guerre means "sword of justice," is considered a seasoned operational planner and an experienced field commander. He is often mentioned together with Khalid Sheikh Mohammed, the mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001 attacks on New York and Washington. Among other things, the United States accuses him of involvement in the bombing of two US embassies in Africa in 1998. The last position Saif al-Adel held within Osama bin Laden's terror network was that of a very senior al-Qaida military chief, a role which put al-Adel at the very pinnacle of international jihadist terrorism.

He's wanted for the African Embassy bombings and was a good friend of Abu Hafs, aka Mohammed Atef, who was killed by a CIA drone in late 2001. He was also involved with Zawahiri's "Vanguards of Conquest", aka Egyptian Islamic Jihad, before they rolled into al Qaeda in 2001. Recall that EIJ members were summoned to Baghdad for a confab before our tanks rolled in but of course Saddam would have never worked with religious fanatics, so never mind.

Al-Adel's Wiki site is mainly propaganda, as if written by either bin Laden or Adel himself, and includes this quote:

We say to those who want a quick victory, that this type of war waged by the Mujahideen employs a strategy of the long-breath and the attrition and terrorization of the enemy, and not the holding of territory.

In other words, he's not giving a timetable for departure.

Surely his release will cause about as much public commotion as the release of Yazid Sufaat, the Malaysian chemical engineer whose condo was used for the 'terrorist summit' in Kuala Lumpur in 2000. From Isikoff:

The 9/11 Commission report also details Sufaat's efforts to make weapons for Al Qaeda. The terror group's leaders sought Hambali's help in finding a scientist to "take over" Al Qaeda's biological-weapons program. Hambali introduced Sufaat to Osama bin Laden's deputy, Ayman al-Zawahiri. In 2001, the report says, Sufaat spent "several months attempting to cultivate anthrax for Al Qaeda in a laboratory" he helped set up near the Kandahar airport in Afghanistan.

And now he's free because the Malaysians say he's a new man, all reformed. Note also that around the same time the rumors began about al-Adel returning to Pakistan there was an uptick in terrorist warnings regards the German plot.

Yes, most Americans remain enthralled with politics or dancing with stars or football (don't mention the Titans picking up Randy Moss) but as we live our lives these nuts are still out there writing verse and planning our demise via terrible means. The package bombs were just calling cards.

Aftermath--Gibbs Was Right!

Not the steamroller some had predicted but mission accomplished--the Obama express has been partially derailed and there's a new sheriff in the house. It's a great thing to live in a country where the voters can go out, pull a lever, and change the future all by themselves (then again let's not get too carried away--Alvin Greene got almost a third of the vote in South Carolina and he made Christine O'Donnell look like Madame Curie by comparison).

Some observations. Fox News was the slowest internet site of the evening for me. Whether that means they have inadequate servers or were being overwhelmed by tea partiers who were most active in this cycle is mere speculation.

As to explanations, surely the mainstreamers will stumble out of their hangovers this morning and blame everyone but Obama--the economy (stupid), temper tantrums, Beck or whatever--but of course this was a referendum on el gaffe de presidente. The sheer amount of independents who voted GOP this time was a dead give-away.

So what happens in January? Actually, what happens in December and the lame-duck? Since the GOP didn't run the tables and both Reid and Pelosi survived in their seats it might set up a last ditch opening for some of the more radical to suggest a last gasp ramrod of more unpopular legislation via reconciliation. Would they dare? With these cats you never know, although such acts of gross arrogance and would set up the president as an even bigger villain since he'd have to sign anything. So they'll probably just pass the tax cut extensions.

When showtime comes the new GOP House will be full of bluster but won't be able to do much with a Dem Senate and prez--there will be no shutting down the government or witch hunts for impeachment or overturning Obamacare, just threats to such and partial gridlock. Obama may choose to play rope-a-dope and stall hoping the economy comes back on its own, since any meddling from the House on the economy means they can take partial credit. So maybe the Dems will become the new party of no (surely they will be painted as heroic for it).

Whatever, Robert Gibbs was right, and many are glad about it. Pelosi will have to hand over that ostentatiously enormous gavel next year and there is still poetic justice in the world when "patriots" such as Alan Grayson can be removed from office by the people, with prejudice. Otherwise, just glad it's over.

DOING NO HARM? 11/3/10

In the clip about Slurpees (we have "Icees" down here, btw) Obama said he wants to sit down with the current Congressional leadership and the leaders-to-be in 'the next few weeks' and discuss where they can move forward with no harm done. Since he mentioned the tax cuts maybe he was referring to them, but maybe he was referring to already enacted Dem legislation as well.

In other words, he might suggest giving them a FULL extension of the Bush tax cuts in exchange for their promise to leave the health care bill alone.

If the new GOP leaders balked at such a shakedown then the outgoing Congress could let the cuts lapse and blame it on a lack of bi-partisanship, tea party anger, etc. They know the Senate will remain in Dem hands making it difficult to gin up new tax cuts once the old ones expire (without the Dems wanting to tack on all kinds of riders) so it seems to this observer that the most significant legislation in the next two years might be decided in the next 2 months between the lame duck Dems and the GOP leaders who aren't leaders yet. Let's hope 'sanity' prevails.

WRAP 11/3/10



Good Lord, is it possible that our old friend Baghdad Bob actually resurfaced in America in 2006 disguised as "Nancy Pelosi" and has been fooling everyone since? "We are on pace to maintain our majority"? With a 60 seat shellacking in progress?

Notice carefully out the window--for all we know that man walking to his car and driving off might have actually been John Boehner leaving to accept congratulations.

The Sum of all Fear

I'm an enemy of the POTUS. Actually an enemy via extension--anyone who's an enemy of the Latino is an enemy worthy of punishment according to our leader, and he's urged them to take out their wrath against their enemies at the voting booth. Will it matter?

All the professional pollsters have long ago given the mid-terms to the GOP. It's a pre-landslide landslide. But wait--nothing is official until the Diebolds have been scanned. Are we sure the pollsters have accurately factored in the felons, illegals, dead people and double voters? What if they are wrong? What would punishment look like?

Will we be targeted with drones (we are, after all, the enemy) or just have the amnesty bill rubbed in our faces like playground bullies or sanctimonious UN bureaucrats? Or will seeing the smug faces of Keith Olbermann and Jon Sanity Stewart be enough punishment?

Mm. Try to imagine a Democrat victory. After all the hoopla it would be called the biggest surprise of the century--Truman beating Dewey again. All they need do is hold the House by a thread to qualify. The mainstreamers would be practically orgasmic for weeks or even months on end. Obama would be held up as the greatest president of all time, the man who pulled victory from the jaws of the evil Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. He may even have to cut short his Asian mystery tour to come back home and bask in some glow.

Meanwhile every pundit would immediately be predicting the GOP's demise using the following logic--"if they can't win this one, when can they ever win?" etc. It would be a bloodbath. The narrative would have every GOP candidate as diminished, even those who won.

Sure the pollsters' reputations would be part of that bloodbath but all would be forgotten soon--they are just pollsters. Sure, there would be challenges in races across the nation to save face or to actually combat fraud but those too would wind down as the holiday season approaches.

After all, if the Justice Dept won't prosecute New Black Panthers standing in front of voting stations holding billy clubs there's no reason to believe they'd pursue much in this scenario either. And there would be very little pressure on them from the ecstatic mainstream media. Fox News would try but they would be fighting irrelevancy as the invigorated media would be on a crusade to ostracize them into the dustbin of history via 'media reform'. Same with talk radio--the louder they cried foul the bigger target they would become.

Meanwhile Obama, with the new 'mandate' in his pocket, would be like Karl Marx on a shopping spree with confiscated money from the bourgeoisie. Imagine the change to come.

Granted, Halloween was yesterday. This horror story outcome for the right is not liable to occur with the mood of the country. But if you've actually read this far you might consider it a reminder to do your civic duty tomorrow. After all, as Yogi Berra once said, it ain't over til they get at least a 5 percent margin of victory.

SANITY RESTORED! 11/1/10

Well, no matter what happens tomorrow it's comforting to know that at least some sanity was restored in DC this past weekend...



Just couldn't pass up the embed (for easy reference in the future, if nothing else).