Spiegel Interviews Iranian Leader

He denys that the Holocaust happened, but says that if it did happen the land used to host Israel should be in Europe. Europe (Germany) is the party who wronged the Jews of WWII. Why should Jordan, Syria, Egypt, and the people of Palestine provide the land when they didn't commit the crime, he asks.

Well, that one is a bit over my head at the moment. Outside of the logistical nightmare, and the fact that Jerusalem is not in Europe, it may make sense. (Yes, you heard it here first! A blogger who says that he doesn't know the answer to a geopolitical question. Ooh the humiliation.)

The part I do understand is that when asked about freedom, democracy, and their role in governing people, he gives the reporter a Walter Payton forearm shiver, and slips away without answering. I find it quite interesting that he is cryptic in this answer, but he is so open about other issues. I am also disppointed that the reporter didn't make him clarify his remark.

If you remember the letter written to Ol' GW clearly says that the concepts of western liberalism, and democracy have failed, and another path must be traveled. The reporter was sharp enough to catch that statement. Here's the quote:

SPIEGEL: In this letter you also write that Western liberalism has failed. What makes you say that?

Ahmadinejad: You see, for example you have a thousand definitions of the Palestian problem and you offer all sorts of different definitions of democracy in its various forms. It does not make sense that a phenomenon depends on the opinions of many individuals who are free to interpret the phenomenon as they wish. You can't solve the problems of the world that way. We need a new approach. Of course we want the free will of the people to reign, but we need sustainable principles that enjoy universal acceptance - such as justice. Iran and the West agree on this.

The lack of follow up on that one, however, means the interview only gets a B+ when he should have gotten an A. His other questions and follow-up were done very well. The critical point is that the power of the people to govern themselves is under attack. Too many people refuse to recognise that truth.


Read all about it!

Integration on Soul Train!

Who knew that boys and girls once danced together on Soul Train?



Avery delivers da video, and da audio here!

Slammin.

Another reason Why I'm a Republican.

But always conservative (aka classical liberal) first.


Here's the heart from Herman Cain.

"They can't keep waiting for the Michael Steeles, the Lynn Swanns to draw people," said Cain, host of a radio talk show in Atlanta and former chief executive of Godfather's Pizza. "You've got to go to the black voters, to the black community and say, 'We are pro-life. We believe in the Second Amendment. We are fiscally responsible.' You can't keep waiting for black Republicans to reach in. You have to reach out."

and here's the... the other heart. (Yes. I said that.)

In west Mississippi, Yvonne Brown is challenging an incumbent black Democrat in the 2nd Congressional District. She said minds do not change until people meet someone who is black and Republican.

"We know there are black Republicans, and we know Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln were Republicans, but we don't see it," said Brown, 53, the mayor of Tchula, a town of about 2,300. "It's not immediately touchable.

"I'm out there. I'm touchable. It makes a difference."

Hat tip: the Dr. Eric Wallace, black Republican running for the State Senate in Illinois.

That's "Macaroni and Cheese"; Not "mac and cheese."

Joseph C. Phillips has a column on the releveance of Macaroni and Cheese.

Wonderful Subject!


It reminded me of my Aunt Jean. She had the ultimate recipe, and none other is fit so be served in the same room. As I understand it, my sister was given most of the recipe, but never the whole thing. She tinkered and dang near figured it out. Sometimes she gets it right. It happens often enough for us not to ask her to stop. Even when she is off the mark, she comes up with some of the best stuff ever drawn from an oven.

It is so peculiar that something like that is as universally seen as the mark of a great meal. With that being the case, I pose this question: Is it too much to say "Macaroni and Cheese" and leave the "mac and cheese" to the orange powder pasta?

Don't get me wrong, I hold the orange powder pasta in apropriate esteem. Without a doubt I had it more often than Macaroni and Cheese. We only got Macaroni and Cheese at Thanksgiving and Christmas. It was revered food. The orange powered pasta, however, was a frequent Friday night compliment to the Polish sausage. Okay, it may not be the same deeply ingrained tradition as the beloved Macaroni and Cheese, but it was good on a Friday night. My sister and I used to stack them up into pyramids, and they reminded us of cartoon sticks of dynamite. So that's what we called them; "Dynamites."

Of course I was the king of cornball, so when I bit into the first forkful, I had to make the "BKAOWWWW!" sound. Aaaaah, just the memory.

Macaroni and Cheese. Dynomites. I'm really going back now.

Welcome to Land of the Free, Ayaan Hirsi Ali!

We add another hero to our ranks:

Luckily for Ms. Hirsi Ali, she has found a country that doesn't fear her willingness to criticize the religion into which she was born. While visiting the Netherlands last Thursday, Deputy Secretary of State Robert Zoellick said the former Dutch legislator could come to the U.S. regardless of her status in the Netherlands. "We recognize that she is a very courageous and impressive woman, and she is welcome in the U.S."

Democrats Plot against the Black guy

Drudge reports that the DNC actively worked against the re-election of New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin. (here)

Imagine the firestorm this would have been if it were the GOP against their party's black candidate. Even though few in the party were happy about an Alan Keyes candidacy in the IL election for US Senate, I don't remember RNC agents continuing the campaign for Jack Ryan.

You only get good news from the Right

While all political viewpoints offer criticism for the current state because of the desire to replace said state with their own suggestions, in today's political landscape, word of our achievements and victories are almost exclusively written by the Free Market Capitalists.

Here's another example by Michael Baron:

...we seem to be living by far in the best economic times in human history... But aren't we also living in times of record strife? Actually, no. Just the opposite. The Human Security Centre of the University of British Columbia has been keeping track of armed conflicts since World War II. It reports that the number of genocides and violent conflicts dropped rapidly after the end of the Cold War, and that in 2005 the number of armed conflicts was down 40 percent from 1992.

Now that doesn't have to remain the case, he says:

After our victory in the Cold War, Francis Fukuyama proclaimed that we had reached "the end of history," by which he meant the end of any serious argument over what constitutes the best kind of society. That is disputed by the Islamist fascists, who have made it clear that they will do whatever they can to inflict harm on our civilization.

Entire Article is Here.

Two Years For Booker Rising!!!

In case there is anyone who reads me and misses Booker today. I like t opretend I have an independent audience beyond the cat who watches me type here. I guess I'm talking to the mythical rabbit in the movie with Jimmy Stewart, "Harvey." Anyway, whoever you are, be sure to Hop on over there and wish a great big Happy Blogoversary.

Today is two years!


Go Shea! It's your Blogday! Go Shea! It's your Blogday!

Here's another two cents on The Illegals

I wish there were more people who recognise that the first word in the term "illegal immigrant" is "illegal."

Some people don't like that term. For them I suggest the term "trespassers." I don't really know the law on this, and I don't suggest that we do this, but when there is a trespasser on your land, at some point you have the authority to shoot 'em, don't you?

No we shouldn't shoot the trespassers from other countries. We should enforce the laws already on the books.

The issue of illegal immigration is not about terrorism. It is about the law! When you learn to respect the law, it will makes sense.

Too many "activists" supporting Trespassing do not respect the law. Until then, they will continue to:


Intentionally equate the sales taxes paid by tresspassers with income taxes paid by citizens.

Intentionally equate the of marches by trespassers with e-mails, phone calls, letters and votes by citizens.

Intentionally equate trespassers who bus tables for less than minimum wage with citizens whodon't have the legal option to work for less than minimum wage.

Intentionally equate of those who illegally trespass from Serbia, Yugoslavia, Russia, and Romania with Black citizens who were (and sometimes still are) denied equal protection under the law.

Just Driving me NUTS!

Iran Sounds like the Left

I just read the first few paragraphs of the 8 page letter. No there's no surprise here. Iran sounds like the ranting cukoos of the left. It is Wednesday, and I am just getting to browsing over the letter from Ahmadinejad to 'Ol GW. I will write out these comments as I go through the letter itself, giving my full unfiltered initial reaction.

First though, my expectations:
I believe the Iran sees that there are dissenters here who are open to using propaganda from any source which opposes 'Ol GW, and I think the dissenters are the target audience for the writer of the letter.

I expect that this letter will be used by the left here in the US as an example of an olive branch offered to the "warmonger" in the White House.

I expect that the ideas in letter will be ignored by the White House when it comes to dealing with Iran.

See. I don't expect much to come of this. We know what they have, and what their intentions are, and we don't want them to cross that goal. They know this, and only want to shift the PR battle in their favor. Of course the left will oblige them.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
BACK TO THE LETTER!

He starts asking how a Christian could have attacked Iraq. Oh I get it! The hypocracy angle. Sounds like the left to me. But in his case it is an advantage for us to be weak spined. It allows the opponent to set the tone, and expect us to cower when they confront us. He quotes the debunked 100k dead in Iraq and weighs the price. Okay...

"on the pretext of wmd." yada, yada, yad....Oooh. Bit my tounge. Says the goal wasn't to topple Hussein, but to find the WMD. Nope. Not since Clinton. Our policy has been to end Hussein's reign in Iraq. Hell, he was shooting at our airplanes.

"Saddam was supported by the West." This sounds like a typical caller into a radio talk show. What is he doing, collaborating with Nancy Pelosi? If he's not, I can't see the difference between the two.
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Guantanamo Bay----Secret Prisons----Occupation---- then again the Christian hypocracy claim. Where's the "Illegal Wiretapping" complaint? Isn't he missing something here? It sounds to me like those who would supply the opponents of the US with propaganda fodder have fed him well.

How is it that the leaking of these programs does NOT qualify someone as a traitor?
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Surely he doesn't expect to persuade any American that Israel has no right to exist. Didn't we already cross that bridge? They're here, the're near, Get used to it. What the heck is this (PBUH) thing they keep putting after Jesus' name? Now after Moses' name?

Hello Wikipedia.

oh. That's rather nice. Really, I think it is quite respectful. They get points for that.


Thank you Wikipedia.
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Now he says that the only time technological progress has been a crime was in the Middle Ages. Thus their persuit of nukes is in keeping with expected advancement. Sounds like the leftists upset with 'Ol GW for refusing to buckle under to the Kyoto Gods.

Chomsky, right?
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...Quick kiss of Hugo's a55... non sequitor into the benign nobility of the residents of Africa, and the Christian Hypocracy thing again bla, bla, bla...

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OKAY! He finally talks about Iran! And makes clear why it is that they should be wary of us. Well, that one I will concede. But it was the enemy of my enemy thing for us.
---------------------------------


Oh, here comes the "Bush is too secretive" claim.
Oh, and the complaint about remembering that people want to kill us. Interesting that if we just forget about the whole Sept 11 thing, the "Blame America First" crowd would blame America if we are hit again.

"It is our fault for being weak, and looking like a target. If we had kept in the forefront of our minds the attacks of September 11 we would have seen this one coming," they would say.
--------------------------------

This guy really is just a Democrat.

"The question here is 'what has the hundreds of billions of dollars, spent every hear to pay for the Iraqi campaign, produced for the citizens?' "

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500 rhetorical questions on the role of a national leader.
Welcome to 7th grade.
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It is ironic the way he continues to make religious references. ...So much hate speach... The US left, of course, loves that, but if someone in our government does the same, they have a cow.
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Now the voice of the left reminds us that we all worship the same God. Well, I got news for you buddy. If the God you worship didn't take human form and die to clean your sins, then he ain't the same God. If Jesus ain't God, in your faith, then it ain't the same God. Close, but no cigar. That don't make you a bad guy or nothin, but it does mean the guy Muhammad speaks for is not the same guy Jesus is.

I am not very Bible savvy, but this one drives me nuts.

He reminds me of Farrakhan.

I'm not that stupid.

Thanks for playin'.
---------------------------------------------

This is where he really brings it home to preach to the left:

"Liberalism and Western style democracy have not been able to help realize the ideals of humanity. Today these two concepts have failed."

The US left is still in love with communism, but when Iran says that the West has failed, the left thinks it means that communism is the next step. This is why we can't get anywhere with them when it comes to seeing Islamofacism as the enemy.

They hear an attack on capitalism, but fail to hear the support for a Caliphate.(Wiki Thanky) Anyone with half a brain knows that is what he is talking about, but since he knows that most of the left is welded to the attack against capitalism, or Western Liberalism, he knows they will go for the okey-doke.

By "Liberalism," he means free markets, and free people.


He doesn't like that.


Aint that a hint?

Time for some BushBashing

I doubt that I am breaking any new ground here, but I'd guess that if 'Ol GW had been on the right track on his domestic policy (outside of tax cuts) his polling numbers would be much better right now. He's only gotten it right on the Judges, and that's only after he was smacked back to alertness on the whole Meiers fiasco. He's wrong on spending. He's wrong on borders. He's wrong on the prescription drug benefit. So let's kick him while he's down, and hope we can get him to wake up once again. This time it's the borders.

Of course the GOP wants to keep the House and Senate this fall, and I guess I want them to as well. I'm not sure why. Maybe it is just pride. I'd hate to see the Dems gloat over the victory, and then claim he's a Lame Duck for two years. Well, it is more than that, because where GW is just wrong, the Dems are treasonist.

Case in point: Immigration.

We're at a point where there's no distinction between legal and illegal. Bush wants to just let everybody stay where they are. This after five consecutive years of neglect when it comes to the US/Mexican border. If only we had some enforcement at the border during his tenure, then we would have an illegal population of under 10 million. We've got to respond. No, we aren't going to march in major cities. We have jobs, and can't afford to just walk out on them. Even for just a day. How, then, do we get the message across that we are fed up?

Well in July of 2004, I sent the RNC $25. I really thought they could use the money. Kerry hadn't been mopped up just yet, and I thought things were still a tossup. I figured every little bit helps; throw some to my guy. Since then their fund raisers have been steaked out in my mailbox. I sent back a couple of surveys, and I might have written another check. I don't really remember. The key here is this. When the noble Minutemen first set up camp along the border, I sent back one of the money requests with a note to get tough on the borders. I said I would send another check when they had done something there. Needless to say they haven't seen another penny since.

I'm really not happy about it. I'd rather be out the cash. Instead, I'm out the security and frustration level. Whenever I hear someone say that "ferners" will do jobs that Americans won't I get hot. Pair that up with black unemployment rates. Goodbye ferners, hello full black employment. Not exactly. I know many of us need to get new attitudes about work, but many of us don't. Illegal aliens lower wages for the low end. That's all there is to it. Them gone doesn't really give unskilled blacks jobs, but it does just seem right. I mean when the first name of your status is "Illegal" you might want to get a clue or something.

Look, I was going somewhere with this, and as I avoid work, I remember that I had a point. Here's the point. The next time I get a solicitation to contribute to the RNC, I'm going to send them one of these:
















And I hope they get the point soon.

Sounds like LSB is up for some BushBashing too.
She's going a bit far for me, but it could be a good way to wake 'em up.

Gangster is the problem.

Nice to meet you, but... wrong. Well, partially wrong. Gangsterism, or Thug life is a plague on us all, and rap music just happens to be more deeply afflicted than other parts of society. Pimping has been elevated to equate a modern priesthood, and has replaced drug dealing as the preferred activity to build 'street cred.' But the problem is not rap. That is like saying that guns casue crime. Simply not true. If you wrote a rap yourself, you probably wouldn't glorify criminality, and neither would I. Rap itself is a tool, an just like the screwdriver used to threaten me to give up my bike at age 9, it is a tool being misused.
Maybe it could be said that the spoken word is not music, but the vocal intonations used in rap along with the track or even live music in the background clearly prove that rap is music. I understand your attitude about it's negative consequenses, and back in the mid-to-late-80's I had the same opinion. I'm from Chicago, and House music was huge here, so rap got little attention. The only attention it did get was the news coverage of a concert fight or something else negative. In those days, the messages in rap was nowhere near as negative as the grand swath of they are today.
If you want to reassure yourself and be in tuned with your optimistic side, I can give you some examples of rap that don't fit the negative bill. Now, I'm not talking about the Fresh Prince, or some Disney drivel, I mean rappers who are deep into the game, but are not really about crime.
Some examples of people who are talented rap records but not tied into the negative include the following:

Passing Me By - Pharcyde Check the video
http://www.nobodysmiling.com/hiphop/showvideo.php?rid=1951&path=pharcyde
Freedom - Jurassic 5 (Ode to Freedom)
If you only knew - Jurassic 5 (Anti-"Keepin it real")
Bonita Applebum - Tribe Called Quest (Classic Appreciation of a woman)
Sharp Shooters - Talib Kweli & Dead Prez (Second Ammendment Defense)
Jesus Walks -Kanye West (Grammy winnner for Best Rap)
I used to love H.E.R. - Common (Laments negative portrayal in rap)

RESPONSE TO THIS

Two Faced Cop-out

In his review of the new film "Flight 93" reporter Joel Siegel tries to offer up an insightful quick-hit review by mentioning that the some of the cast played themselves, and that there was no happy ending, and no relief from the sorrow. He says it is sure to make his "Ten Best" for the year. Sounds like it is worth look. He then cops out. He just can't let himself state the conclusion he leads up to. He cannot recommend the film. I don't know why he stopped short. I want to say that is was his liberal, blood dripping heart, but I don't know this guy. I want to say that he hopes to balance his actual review against his Lib-Elite friends who think Iraq was invaded to defend 41's honor. He wants to have it both ways, and I'm calling him on it.

Yea, I decry "bull-$h!t" Joel, you wimped out. Here is the quote that jacks my head:

The screen goes black. And from the audience, no applause. Sobs. Real, deep, heartfelt sobs. That's why I can't recommend you see this movie.

WHAT?

What did he say about "Titanic," or about "Steel Magnolias," or "Fried Green Tomatoes," or "Schindler's List"... hell, what would he say about "My Girl?" AAAARRRGH! [control yourself, Bee--- it's just a goofo review.] Casablanca ends on a sad note, and it is the greatest movie ever made. How can you justify holding back a recommendation because it ties you to the moment it depicts? AARRRRGHHHH!!!!!!!!!

The motion picture is probably the most powerful, and influential art form ever devised, and when you get one that hits you the way an actual story hit you, it seems that a reviewer would want droves to flood the seats.

My gut reaction is that he doesn't want to recommend a vehicle that will help boost the approval ratings for the president. I have not yet seen the film, from the reviews I have come across (admittedly, less than 5) it does justice to the situation. Any film that offers an accurate depiction of the events of September 11 will remind us of the struggle, no make that WAR, we find ourselves roped into, and my right-wing paranoia leads me to think that Ol' Joel Siegel don't want none of that.

If you think you have the stomach for it, here's the review.

I don't recommend you read it.