Denny's Sued Again

7 men sue Florida City Denny's after being called 'bin Ladens': South Florida Sun-Sentinel
If this is true -- Denny's simply needs to give up or increase their hiring standards - their employees simply can't get this racial thing down. How many law suits is that now? I hate law suits; however, Denny's has become a joke

Seven men of Middle Eastern descent have sued a Denny's restaurant in Florida City, claiming the restaurant refused to serve them.
Ehab Albarabi, Nabil Arafat, Usama El-A-Baidy, Esam Hessein, Mohammad Natour, Usama Mohamed and Ehab Mohamed, all of Boca Raton, filed the civil rights suit April 22 in Miami-Dade Circuit Court. They seek $4 million each from the owner and a former manager of the restaurant.
[...]
After waiting more than one hour, Albarabi asked manager Eduardo Ascano about the delay. According to the suit, Ascano called the men "Bin Ladens," referring to al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden.

Unfortunate and Unhappy

My Way News - Woman Fabricated Kidnap Story
This is unfortunate for the family who seemed to trust the women an felt she was happy -- evidently she seems to have experienced the mother of "cold feet" syndrome.

ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A Georgia bride-to-be who vanished just days before her wedding has admitted that she lied about being abducted, police said Saturday.
Jennifer Wilbanks, 32, called her fiance from a pay phone late Friday in New Mexico and told him that she had been kidnapped, police said. She had vanished Tuesday.
'She was in discussion with detectives and agents and she decided that she needed to do the right thing and tell the right story,' said Ray Schultz, the police chief in Albuquerque.

UPDATE: More information here.

Ex-N Korea Envoy 'Broke UN Rules'

BBC NEWS | Americas | Ex-N Korea envoy 'broke UN rules'
Well this big - let's forget the nuclear issues; failure of North Korea to answer and follow UN nuclear guidelines or refusal to participate in the talks -- this is much bigger, give me a break.

The UN's former North Korea envoy, who is being investigated over the Iraq oil-for-food scandal, employed a relative in breach of UN staff rules.
A UN spokesman said Canadian Maurice Strong recruited stepdaughter Christina Mayo to work for him in February 2003.
The violation was discovered during an examination of Mr Strong's employment file as part of the UN's oil-for-food programme inquiry.

Bow to Pressure - Shouldn't Have!

U.S. military releases photos of soldiers' coffins - U.S. News - MSNBC.com
Well the Department of Defense caves to pressure. I really disagree with this, period -- maybe if the families want to release photos, OK, but they and they alone should be allowed to make that choice -- certainly not the ghoulish media.

WASHINGTON - The Defense Department, under pressure from open-government advocates, released hundreds of images Thursday of flag-draped coffins of American soldiers.
The department had previously refused to release such images, which were taken by military photographers. Nor has it allowed the news media to photograph ceremonies of soldiers’ coffins arriving in the United States, saying it is enforcing a policy installed in 1991 to respect the privacy of families of dead soldiers.

Soldier gets Death

Soldier gets death penalty for killing officers in Kuwait - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com
As I predicted here.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - A military jury Thursday night sentenced a U.S. soldier to death for killing two officers in a grenade and rifle attack in Kuwait - murders for which the defendant apologized in a brief, barely audible courtroom statement.

Social Security - Sinking Ship?

(via Cox & Forkum)

Annan Not Cleared

Oil-for-food probe has not cleared Annan, Volcker says
I didn't think so but it is nice someone actually publishes the fact that Annan hasn't the authority to clear himself.

Former Federal Reserve Board Chairman Paul Volcker says his investigation into the scandal-plagued oil-for-food program has not cleared U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan of wrongdoing, despite Mr. Annan's claims to the contrary.

New Jobs - More Energy - What do You Think?

My Way News - Bush to Propose Oil Refineries at Ex-Military Bases
This is a new one to me and at first glance sounds pretty good -- what do you think?

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Under pressure over high energy prices, President Bush on Wednesday will propose tackling the root causes of the problem by encouraging new oil refineries be built at closed military bases and jumpstarting construction of new nuclear power plants.
In a speech, Bush will also propose giving federal regulators the lead authority to decide where to locate terminals for processing imported natural gas. States have increasingly been taking the lead on this issue.

Loving to Hunt - RIP

CNN.com - Two men go hunting together, die of heart attacks
I thought this was interesting -- I just hope they truly loved hunting and would have chosen to be doing that when they passed.

WENATCHEE, Washington (AP) -- Two elderly men who had gone turkey hunting together died of apparent heart attacks just minutes apart, authorities said.
Elmer Sapp, 78, and Alfred Hurd, 70, were hunting south of East Wenatchee on Monday when Hurd got out of a pickup truck and chased a bird down an embankment.

Abu Ghraib Day!

Liberals celebrate the one year anniversary of the Abu Ghraib Scandal - event schedule can be seen here (like a backyard barbecue celebration).
Ted Kennedy gets involved by releasing a celebration statement - (via Drudge Report)

I suppose liberals are so desperate for a 'win' they consider this scandal the closest they have come in years so why not celebrate -- I say more power to them - if they want to celebrate the Abu Ghraib Scandal sobeit.

Democrats - Where are Your Ideas

My Way News - Democrats Stage Rally for Social Security

Where are the alternative ideas? It has been well documented that even during the Clinton administration Democrats stated Social Security was in trouble, so they[Democrats] have stopped the "social security is not in trouble" line, but still have not introduced any alternative plan -- their plan as usual, go against anything BUSH and attack anything Republican...

WASHINGTON (AP) - From the buttoned-down confines of a Senate hearing room to a boisterous outdoor rally nearby, Democrats took on President Bush and his Social Security proposals with gusto on Tuesday and rebuffed pleas for bipartisanship from frustrated Republicans.
'If he's going out to push for privatization, let's help him pack,' Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois said to cheers from a sun-splashed crowd on the lawn across the street from the Capitol. He was ridiculing Bush's heavily publicized 60-day tour to build support for his proposals.
'Personal accounts unravels the Social Security safety net in a way that makes it hard to find common ground,' said Sen. Ron Wyden of Oregon, one of several Democrats who criticized the president's recommendations at a lengthy Senate Finance Committee hearing.

Here are some more quotes form Sen. Grassley, Iowa -R, you can read other here.

"Those of you that are bad-mouthing every other suggestion out there, suggest your own plans," Iowa Sen. Charles Grassley, the normally mild-mannered committee chairman erupted at one point during the hearing. "Doing nothing is not an option, because doing nothing is a cut in benefits," he added. "Grandpa Grassley gets Social Security, but my granddaughter, when she retires 56 years from now, if we do nothing, is going to get this cut that you're talking about."

Republican Blasts - Finally

Republican Blasts Dems on Social Security - Yahoo! News
I hope more Republicans come forward and shed light on Democrats lack of opinions, plans, and their inaction.

WASHINGTON - The Republican head of the Senate Finance Committee lambasted Democrats and other critics of Social Security overhaul Tuesday, accusing them of offering no ideas of their own on how to keep the system from crashing.
Sen. Charles Grassley, R-Iowa, said that doing nothing will trigger at least a 28-percent cut in benefits by 2041, showing why the current Congress should work on changes to achieve "sustainable solvency."
"Those of you that are bad-mouthing every other suggestion out there, suggest your own plans," the 71-year-old part-time farmer exhorted, his voice rising. This came after a panelist at Grassley's initial hearing on the politically volatile issue of restructuring the retirement program suggested that benefit cuts and other changes triggered by creation of personal accounts would be more harmful than projected cuts under the existing structure.

Great News

USATODAY.com - Syria ends 29-year military presence in Lebanon

RAYAK, Lebanon (AP) � Surrendering to international pressure and Lebanese street protests, Syria ended its 29-year military presence in its smaller neighbor on Tuesday with a farewell ceremony near their shared border, where a Syrian commander told Lebanese troops: 'Brothers in arms, so long.' The soldiers responded, 'So long.

Frist Calls for Respect for Judges

My Way News - Frist Defends Effort to End Filibusters
Guess this will not produce the sound-bites Democrats hope for -- "judges deserve respect", but we will see how they spin it.

WASHINGTON (AP) - Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist was telling conservatives on Sunday that judges deserve 'respect, not retaliation no matter how they rule,' and he defended his effort to strip Democrats of their ability to block votes on President Bush's court nominees.
'I don't think its radical to ask senators to vote. I don't think its radical to expect senators to fulfill their constitutional responsibilities,' Frist said.

The spin has already started -- in a story about Senator Frist they writer still got his shots in at Tom Delay and attempted to make Frist look bad in doing so.

Instead, Frist seemed intent on steering clear of the views expressed by House Majority Leader Tom DeLay, R-Texas, and other conservatives in and out of Congress who have urged investigations and even possible impeachment of judges they describe as activists.

Some more words that want make a good "critical" sound-bite and ring true. By the way -- what is wrong with voicing your opinion about a decision you believe wrong - remember the continual out cry about the 2000 election from Democrats -- I guess this right as with many others are only reserved for the left.

"Our judiciary must be independent, impartial and fair," Frist said in his taped remarks.
"When we think judicial decisions are outside mainstream American values, we will say so. But we must also be clear that the balance of power among all three branches requires respect - not retaliation. I won't go along with that," Frist said.

The Honesty of Scalia

Candid camera with Supreme Court justices - Politics - MSNBC.com
Who would disagree with this analysis? Really -- Scalia stated honestly, what he sees/thinks and his words not scripted...

Some interesting points "If judges start interpreting the Constitution to suit political views" -- is this not the concern many have and therefore the following statement "the people in a democracy will try to seize control of it" indicates there should be no surprise... If the "seizure" or "retaining" of judicial power was not an issue why was it a topic in the MSM and of political debates leading up to the presidential election? Yes, Republicans and yes even the Democrates, who act surprised today -- knew this was a large issue, one might say bigger then demonstrated.

Scalia voiced concern that critics could try to 'seize control' of the Supreme Court because 'judges have become political entities much more than they ever were.'
'Something very fundamental has changed,' he said. If judges start interpreting the Constitution to suit political views, he added, then the Supreme Court 'becomes a very political institution and when that happens the people in a democracy will try to seize control of it.

For the record I am not for seizure of "judicial power" -- what I am for is a Supreme Court that actually does what it's purpose is -- interpret the law/constitution… What the Court has continued to do in my adult life more and more is legislate the law - change the law - taking this power away from the people… I will not forget just what Justice Scalia alluded to - democrats added to the "politicization" of the Supreme Court when they fought the 2000 election and both parties are guilty when blocking nominees is a political strategy or discussing nominees is a campaign topic. Basically, what are the Democrats acting shocked about -- they and the Republicans knew this battle was coming and both their goals is to achieve their agenda rendering most of the rhetoric partisan politics.

The Games Continue

Top News Article | Reuters.com
Hardly news worthy but I am very interested in the Korean Peninsula so I always add my two cents. North Korea is riding this "war exercise" horse until it dies -- it is bogus, these exercises have been going on, in the same time-frame for decades -- if anything they have shortened in length and dwindled in size.

SEOUL (Reuters) - The United States has brought six-party talks on North Korea's nuclear programs to a collapse, the chief of the general staff of the North Korean army said on Sunday.
Vice Marshal Kim Yong-chun, a member of the North's powerful National Defense Commission, told a national meeting his country would steadily bolster its nuclear capability to counter an invasion by the United States.
'The U.S. brought the six-party talks to a collapse and has staged large-scale madcap war exercises targeted against the DPRK after massively shipping ultra-modern war equipment and a nuclear strike group into South Korea in a bid to bring down our system,' Kim was quoted as saying by the official KCNA news agency.

No NOAA?

Weather info could go dark
This is just stupid -- unfortunately I believe a Republican is repaying someone here... The commercial sites new NOAA existed when they started their business so this is a non factor or should be. Come on guys there are more important things to occupy your time and 'weather' is a public concern and should be available to the public -- if the 'pay' sites want more revenue provide the best service... You want to cancel a public service lets talk about 'public television':-).

Do you want a seven-day weather forecast for your ZIP code? Or hour-by-hour predictions of the temperature, wind speed, humidity and chance of rain? Or weather data beamed to your cellphone?
That information is available for free from the National Weather Service.
But under a bill pending in the U.S. Senate, it might all disappear.
The bill, introduced last week by Sen. Rick Santorum, R-Pa., would prohibit federal meteorologists from competing with companies such as AccuWeather and The Weather Channel, which offer their own forecasts through paid services and free ad-supported Web sites.
Supporters say the bill wouldn't hamper the weather service or the National Hurricane Center from alerting the public to hazards — in fact, it exempts forecasts meant to protect "life and property."
But critics say the bill's wording is so vague they can't tell exactly what it would ban.
"I believe I've paid for that data once. ... I don't want to have to pay for it again," said Scott Bradner, a technical consultant at Harvard University.
He says that as he reads the bill, a vast amount of federal weather data would be forced offline.

Chili Digit (Update 2)

CNN.com - Woman who claimed to find finger in chili arrested
Well looks like there is something fishing in the chili besides a fingertip.

SAN FRANCISCO, California (AP) -- The woman who claimed she found a well-manicured finger in her bowl of Wendy's chili last month was arrested Thursday night in Las Vegas, police said.
Anna Ayala was taken into custody at her home, San Jose police spokesman Enrique Garcia said. He said police would not give any details until a news conference Friday afternoon. Las Vegas police also refused to comment.

You can read previous post here, here, and here.

UPDATE: Read more here.

Japan Apologizes

CNN.com - Japanese PM apologizes for war
Interesting - although I do not know how the South Korean government will respond but have it on good authority the populous will not be satisfied.

JAKARTA, Indonesia -- Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi has apologized for Japan's wartime activities in Asia during his speech at a summit in Jakarta on Friday.
Koizumi expressed Japan's ''deep remorse'' and ''heartfelt apology'' for its wartime past when he addressed the Asia-Africa conference, which was opened on Friday by Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono.
Koizumi's remarks appear to be aimed at smoothing relations with China and South Korea in particular, where there have been anti-Japan demonstrations recently.

I Dislike Daylight Savings Time

Daylight saving push could save on oil, too
I really do dislike Daylight Savings time -- maybe because my grandfather did. Granddad called it 'man's time' and of course the other 'God's time' -- his contention was if you want more daylight get up earlier in the morning.

WASHINGTON -- When people go through the ritual of moving their clocks forward each spring ushering in daylight-saving time, they're also saving energy -- the equivalent of thousands of barrels of oil, in fact.
Congress says a good thing can be made better.
The House, in approving a massive energy bill, would extend daylight saving to the first Sunday in March and to the last Sunday in November. It now starts in early April and ends in late October.

Yahoo to Give Family E-mail

USATODAY.com - Yahoo will give family slain Marine's e-mail account
I am not sure how I feel about this -- really what if the guy had skeletons he really did not want his family, especially his Mom and Dad to know about? This is a slippery slope in my opinion. Of course, your sentimentally for the parents - but what if?

WIXOM, Mich. (AP) - E-mail provider Yahoo has pledged to give the family of a Marine killed in Iraq full access to their son's e-mail account, ending a court battle that began after his parents sought messages he wrote before his death.
An Oakland County probate judge signed an order Wednesday directing Yahoo Inc. to provide the contents of the e-mail account used by Lance Cpl. Justin M. Ellsworth, 20, who was killed Nov. 13 while inspecting a bomb in Al Anbar province.

Convicted

Sergeant convicted of attack on fellow soldiers
Is there a question weather this should call for the death penalty -- my opinion if any case deserved a death sentence this one does.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - An Army sergeant was convicted Thursday by a military jury of premeditated murder and attempted murder in a grenade and rifle attack that killed two of his comrades and wounded 14 others in Kuwait during the opening days of the Iraq war.
Hasan Akbar, 34, now faces a possible death penalty, which the 15-member jury will consider at a hearing that begins Monday.
Prosecutors say Akbar told investigators he launched the attack because he was concerned U.S. troops would kill fellow Muslims in Iraq. They said he coolly carried out the attack to achieve “maximum carnage” on his comrades in the 101st Airborne Division.

Cuba's Resolution Defeated

Top News Article | Reuters.com
Little surprised at the ease of defeating this -- it's a good think

GENEVA (Reuters) - The United States comfortably defeated a call to the U.N.'s top human rights body on Thursday to launch a probe into alleged violations at Guantanamo Bay.
The United Nations Commission on Human Rights rejected by 22 votes to 8, with 23 abstentions, a resolution brought by Cuba calling for the setting up of a special U.N. investigator for the detention center at a U.S. naval base on its territory.
European Union states on the 53-state commission sided with the United States in rejecting the resolution, saying that Washington was already in discussions with existing U.N. investigators about possible visits to the prison.

Good News from Afghanistan

USATODAY.com - U.S. military: More than 12 rebels die in Afghan battle

KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) - U.S. forces killed more than 12 insurgents in a clash in southeastern Afghanistan, the military said Thursday, while two former Taliban leaders joined a reconciliation drive that American commanders hope will undermine a three-year-old insurgency.

UPDATE: More information here.

Allawi Escapes

USATODAY.com - Allawi escapes car bombing; Al-Qaeda in Iraq claims blast
Failed attempt -- is this good or bad? I see both pros and cons. It is bad that violence is escalating but not surprising with the governmental announcement that was due today (see story here). Nonetheless, they failed proving yet again their lack of military skill and basic incompetence which leads to needless death (the insurgents overall goal I think) -- good, even better if he was guarded solely by Iraqi security.

BAGHDAD (AP) - Al-Qaeda in Iraq, the country's most feared terror group, claimed responsibility Thursday for a suicide car bombing that targeted interim Prime Minister Ayad Allawi's convoy but did not harm the Iraqi leader.
In a separate attack, a roadside bomb exploded on the highway leading to Baghdad's airport Thursday, heavily damaging three SUVs carrying civilians. Police Capt. Hamid Ali said two foreigners were killed and three wounded in the burning vehicles. But U.S. Embassy and military officials could not confirm the casualties.

Good News for Liberals

Top News Article | Reuters.com
Well this is bad news although not tragic if you actually look realistically at developing a completely new government and use history as a lesson. Nonetheless, I am sure Democrats will be cheerfully displaying their gloom and doom theme today

BAGHDAD (Reuters) - Last-minute disagreements appeared to have derailed Iraq's hopes of unveiling a government on Thursday, nearly three months after elections, with negotiations also strained by a surge in violence.
Iraqi President Jalal Talabani told Turkish television he did not think a deal could be reached, reversing hopes he expressed on Wednesday. Disagreement remained evident among the main factions -- Shi'ite Muslims, Kurds and Sunnis.
'I think the government will not be announced today ... We want to see the Sunni Arabs represented as well ... Negotiations also continue over the allocation of some posts,' the Kurdish leader told Turkey's CNN Turk television in an interview.

"Can't We All Just Get Along" - NO

CNN.com - Ethics chairman offers investigation of DeLay
Is anyone surprised by this? Whine - whine - whine; all the way to at lest 2006 is the Democratic strategy I suppose or they simply know they have nothing that will hold up to scrutiny -- mind you I am nether a supporter or opposer of Delay - still making up my mind.

WASHINGTON (AP) -- The Republican chairman of the House ethics committee offered on Wednesday to begin an investigation of Majority Leader Tom DeLay to end a stalemate that has kept the panel from functioning this year.
Rep. Doc Hastings, R-Washington, made the proposal at a news conference flanked by three of the four other Republicans on the ethics panel. The evenly divided committee also has five Democrats.
Senior committee Democrat Alan Mollohan of West Virginia quickly rejected the offer, saying his party would continue blocking the panel from operating unless investigative rules imposed by Republicans were changed.
This is the second time in two weeks that Republicans tried to break the deadlock, while Democrats have held their ground and criticized the GOP-written rules for investigating lawmakers, passed in January without Democratic support. Democrats have accused the majority party of writing the rules to protect DeLay.

Judge Allows Plea

BBC NEWS | Americas | Judge to allow 9/11 guilty plea
Have not decided how I feel about this yet -- has there been an agreement, will details be publicly shared as part of the agreement, will he get the death penalty; questions that need to be answered... He should get the death penalty.

A judge has ruled that Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person in the US charged over the 11 September 2001 terror attacks, can plead guilty.
Judge Leonie Brinkema has scheduled a Friday hearing at Alexandria district court, in the state of Virginia, a statement by the court said.

Elephants Rampage

BBC NEWS | Asia-Pacific | Elephants rampage through Seoul
Just an amusing site and story.

South Korea's busy capital Seoul faced an added complication on Wednesday when six elephants escaped from an amusement park, causing chaos.

Another Bad Thing in The Middle East

USATODAY.com - Kuwaiti parliament takes step toward women's voting rights
Note really a bad think but I am sure some will spin it that way.

KUWAIT CITY (AP) - In a major step toward granting political rights to women in Kuwait, lawmakers agreed Tuesday to permit them to vote and run in local council elections, although the measure requires more legislative action before it becomes law.

FYI - 9/11 Suspect to Plea Guilty

CNN.com - Report: Moussaoui to plead guilty - Apr 19, 2005

WASHINGTON (AP) -- Zacarias Moussaoui, the only person in the United States charged in connection with the September 11 terrorist attacks, says he plans to plead guilty, The Washington Post reported.
If a judge finds Moussaoui mentally competent, he could enter the plea as early as this week, the Post reported in Tuesday's editions, citing sources familiar with the case.
The government accused Moussaoui of participating in an al Qaeda conspiracy to commit terrorism that included the 2001 attacks on the World Trade Center in New York and the Pentagon in Washington.

Fox's Sandstorm

Fox's Sandstorm (washingtonpost.com)
Well Mr. William Raspberry’s theory of "foxidation" is all wrong - of course... People already were aware of the MSM's left-of-center spin before Fox News started, hence it's success. Blinded by loyalty are you?

For the Foxidation process to work, it isn't necessary to convince Americans that the verbal ruffians who give FNC its crackle have a corner on the truth -- only that all of us in the news business are grinding our partisan axes all the time and that none of us deserves to be taken seriously as seekers of truth.
This is huge. As a friend remarked recently, time was when if you found it in the New York Times, that settled the bar bet and the other guy paid off. But if the Times and The Post or any other mainstream news outlet -- including the major networks -- come to be seen as the left-of-center counterparts of Fox News Channel, why would anyone accept them as authoritative sources of truth?
What is at risk is not a reputation for infallibility; everyone knows that even the best newspapers and most careful broadcasters make mistakes. But it has been generally accepted that the mainstream media at least try to get it right -- even when they too grudgingly acknowledge their errors after the fact.

SUV Terrorist Jailed

CNN.com - Student gets 8 years for SUV vandalism - Apr 18, 2005
Interesting sentence for the SUV terrorist from the California court system -- I am sure it was not the personal property destroyed that got the sentence after all we know how vehicles are status symbols in LA... Don't mess with their status symbols (LOL). No matter the reason, I am glad and believe it sends a single to the ecoTerrorist.

LOS ANGELES, California (Reuters) -- An aspiring physicist was sentenced Monday to more than eight years in prison and ordered to pay $3.5 million for his role in a spree of arson and vandalism that targeted gas-guzzling Hummers and other sports utility vehicles.

This Should Make you Warm and Fuzzy

Illegal Workers Raise Security Concerns - Yahoo! News
This story should give you a "warm fuzzy feeling" about how serious airlines and airports are taking your security -- actually NOT! At least Homeland Security did catch them, but what will happen to the companies that hired them and gave them access to secured areas and aircraft? That is the question -- it should cost them and cost them big and drives them to practice proper hiring procedures; unfortunately what do you bet the ACLU will be screaming rights violation if and when the proper practices actually are followed?

The Homeland Security Department arrested 57 illegal immigrants last month working at airports and other risk-sensitive facilities around the country, underscoring concerns that lax employment background checks are leaving a security breach for terrorists to exploit.
In one example, a Peruvian was hired as an airplane mechanic in Greensboro, N.C., using a fake Social Security card he bought for $70 on a soccer field, according to court documents. In another, a Florida power plant was alerted to a Mexican working at its nuclear facility only after being tipped off by labor union employees, company officials said.

Actually Interesting N. Korea Nuclear News

Guardian Unlimited | World Latest | South Korea: North Shuts Down Nuke Reactor
Unlike the "slow news" articles I have been reading regarding North Korea’s nuclear program -- this article is actually interesting and should provoke some kind of movement from the US and South Korea... You would hope the UN would get involved, but it is dreaming to believe that would happen before America makes a statement.

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - South Korea said Monday it believes a reactor at North Korea's main nuclear complex has been shut down, a possible sign the communist state could be moving to harvest more weapons-grade plutonium.
Kim Sook, director-general of North American affairs at South Korea's Foreign Ministry, told KBS Radio that a shutdown of a nuclear reactor at the North's main Yongbyon nuclear complex had been confirmed.
Yongbyon houses a 5-megawatt reactor that generates spent fuel rods laced with plutonium, but they must be removed and reprocessed to extract the plutonium for use in an atomic weapon. They can be removed only if the reactor has been shut down.

Dean Abortion Rhetoric Needs to Change

SignOnSanDiego.com > News > State -- Dean tells state Democrats abortion rhetoric needs to change
Well Howard Dean speaks and as usual makes no sense.

I think we need to talk about abortion differently,' Dean said. 'Republicans have painted us into a corner where they have forced us to defend abortion. I don't know anybody who's for abortion.
[...]
"We can make common ground with folks," he said. "The issue we need to debate is not whether abortion is a good thing. The issue we need to debate is whether a woman gets to make up her own mind about her health care or whether Tom DeLay gets to make up her mind."

If not "for abortion" then you are "against abortion" -- if you are "against abortion", what choice is there to argue about? As I said -- Dean makes no sense.

Car Bomb Kills American Activist

Iraq Car Bomb Kills American Activist - Yahoo! News
Anti-war activist and American citizen dies from insurgent's bomb.

Marla Ruzicka, founder of Campaign for Innocent Victims in Conflict, died Saturday in the blast, which also killed an Iraqi and another foreigner, officials said. She had been in Iraq conducting door-to-door surveys trying to determine the number of civilian casualties in the country.
Ruzicka, 28, founded CIVIC in 2003 to 'mitigate the impact of the conflict and its aftermath on the people of Iraq by ensuring that timely and effective life-saving assistance is provided to those in need,' according to the group's Web site.

Want to know more about Marla Ruzicka? Read here.

UPDATE: More information here.

Yet Another Tragedy

CNN.com - Sheriff: Sex offender confesses in missing girl case - Apr 17, 2005
Well if this story aabout a "convicted sex offender" is not enough to convince you that "sex offender" rehabilitation is a farce, a lark, a long shot -- maybe this from the same state might. "Sex offenders" are a cancer - a cancer that is steadily growing and we the public allow it under the guise of "the accused rights", "rehabilitation", or "providing a second chance". How many innocent children must pay before the "adults" act?

RUSKIN, Florida (CNN) -- A convicted sex offender has confessed to killing 13-year-old Sarah Michelle Lunde, Hillsborough County Sheriff David Gee announced Sunday.

On The Home Front

Memphis Flyer :: Issue 842 :: Cell Mates?
This hits a little close to home.

What the FBI found was much more troubling: a hidden stash of loaded weapons and ammunition clips, $34,000 in cash, two pictures of Mawlawi shouldering a rocket-propelled grenade launcher, a gruesome videotape of war casualties with Arabic text and voiceover, and more than 20 passports to Morocco, Syria, Iran, and other Middle Eastern countries.
The agents were members of the FBI's Joint Terrorism Task Force. As outlined by prosecutors and agents in a federal courtroom last week, what they found could be evidence of a possible terrorist link in Memphis or something less sinister, as has proven to be the case in other investigations of Middle Easterners caught up in our legal system. The FBI investigation is ongoing.
'Mr. Mawlawi was a danger to the community,' assistant U.S. attorney Fred Godwin told U.S. magistrate Tu Pham during the hearing last week to decide whether Mawlawi should be jailed or released on bond.

Remeber this story

Do Republican Support Veterans?

If they do they sure have a strange way of demonstrating it -- based on information provided from the below article I have written (e-mail, letter, fax) my Senators and the GOP explaining my irritation... Well I get the good ole canned response. Probably, which will irritate me even further? Were 'Thad' and team on the fringe or is this just a political shell game?

Was this a ploy to make the vote close, to give some resemblance of veteran support, well never attending on pass it? Really, Republicans have fallen well short of what I define as 'support of Veterans' since the elections season -- besides having an influence on recruitment it will surely influence my lifelong support for the GOP... Simply put integrity is important and if you are going to say something you better dang will do and on this issue, there is 'zero wiggle room', as far as I am concerned.

By two 54-46 votes, the Senate blocked efforts Tuesday to add money for veterans’ health care to the 2005 supplemental appropriations bill.
Sens. Patty Murray, D-Wash., and Daniel Akaka, D-Hawaii, both members of the Senate Veterans’ Affairs Committee, sought to add $1.9 billion to the $80.6 billion wartime emergency supplemental appropriations bill to cover costs of treating returning combat veterans for war-related injuries and to cover shortfalls in funding for VA programs.
[...]
The amendment was blocked by a parliamentary motion from Sen. Thad Cochran, R-Miss., Senate Appropriations Committee chairman, who said the funding is not really an emergency need. The Senate voted in support of Cochran’s position, and then voted again when Murray tried to get the amendment approved even if the funding was not characterized as an emergency. The outcome was the same, with 54 senators voting to block funding and 46 voting to provide it.

“The administration has not asked for these funds,” Cochran said in explaining the rejection of the amendment. [read entire article here]

Well Mr. Cochran; I asked, as did my father, uncle, and cousins -- all veterans, do we count?

Should Have Gotten the Death Penality

Rudolph pleads guilty in series of bombings - Crime & Punishment - MSNBC.com
Rudolph gets life without parole -- it should have been the death penalty... People like this hurt my beliefs more then anyone can imagine and our country would be better off never hear from him again. However, Rudolph decided to stop short of martyrdom and made a plea bargain. Suffice it to say; yes, I disagree with on demand abortion and just as abortion wrong so is murder and this man is nothing more then a murder.

ATLANTA - A defiant Eric Rudolph pleaded guilty Wednesday to carrying out the deadly bombing at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and three other attacks, saying he picked the Summer Games to embarrass the U.S. government in front of the world - for its abominable sanctioning of abortion on demand.

Negotiate?

CNN.com - American hostage pleads for negotiations - Apr 13, 2005
I have this gentleman in my prayers, but I have to ask do we believe that the insurgents know the meaning of negotiate? Negotiate does not involve you getting 100% of everything you want nor does it involve threatening someone to get your way.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- An Indiana businessman whose firm works in Iraq was shown Wednesday in an insurgent video, surrounded by masked militants as he asked his family and friends to urge the United States to negotiate with the 'Iraqi national resistance.'

Murderer - Remember This?

Yahoo! News - Defense: Kuwait Attack Not Premeditated
Do many of yall remember this traitor, murderer, and scum? I would say the attack murder was definitely premeditated and the case should have the penalty of death attached to it.

FORT BRAGG, N.C. - An Army sergeant charged with a grenade attack that killed two U.S. officers in Kuwait went on trial Monday, with his lawyer trying to stave off a possible death sentence by arguing that his client suffered from mental illness.

But a military prosecutor said Sgt. Hasan Akbar knew exactly what he was doing, pointing to his detailed diary entries before the March 2003 attack and the fact that he stole the grenades and cut power to his camp just before striking.

Premeditation is the central issue in the court-martial of the 33-year-old Akbar, who confessed several times and allegedly told investigators he carried out the attack in the opening days of the Iraq war because he was worried that U.S. forces would harm fellow Muslims.

Sore Looser Still Whining

The New York Times > Washington > Kerry Says Trickery Foiled Many Voters
I don't even think Al Gore whined this long!

BOSTON, April 10 (AP) - Many voters in last year's election were denied access to the polls through trickery and intimidation, Senator John Kerry of Massachusetts told a voters' group on Sunday.
'Last year, too many people were denied their right to vote; too many who tried to vote were intimidated,' Mr. Kerry said at an event sponsored by the League of Women Voters of Massachusetts.
He cited examples of trickery. 'Leaflets are handed out saying Democrats vote on Wednesday, Republicans vote on Tuesday,' Mr. Kerry said. 'People are told in telephone calls that if you've ever had a parking ticket, you're not allowed to vote."

Lite Blogging - Watching Masters

I have concentrated on watching one the most entertaining and beautiful golf tournaments of the year, so not much blogging. Well it appears Tiger is back -- congratulations!

Protest in Baghdad - What Matters?

Thousands protest U.S. on Baghdad anniversary - International News - MSNBC.com
It will be interesting to see how this is covered later today in the MSM (mainstream media). I found two very important words in this article; planned peaceful -- will anyone in the MSM actually reflect on these words... What do these words mean? Considering some US protesters are anything but peaceful and with some organizers teaching ways to be arrested - to me, planned peaceful, is a sign of growing democracy...

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Thousands of supporters of rebel Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr marched in Baghdad on Saturday to denounce the U.S. presence in Iraq and call for a speedy trial of Saddam Hussein on the second anniversary of the former dictator's overthrow.

Chanting “No, no to the occupiers”, thousands of young and old men gathered in the poor Shiite district of Sadr City to begin a planned peaceful march to Firdos Square, the central Baghdad spot where Saddam’s statue was torn down two years ago.

Digit Finder Being Fingered

Another Chili Digit - Update
SignOnSanDiego.com > News > Nation -- Woman who claimed to find finger at Wendy's has litigious history
Interesting past the finder of the "chili finger" has -- maybe she was looking
for a lottery ticket when she bought her chili.

LAS VEGAS - The woman who claims she bit into a human finger while eating chili at a Wendy's restaurant has a history of filing lawsuits - including a claim against another fast-food restaurant in Nevada.

Anna Ayala, who hired a San Jose, Calif., attorney to represent her in the Wendy's case, has been involved in at least half a dozen legal battles in the San Francisco
Bay area, according to more than a decade of court records.

Enlistment is a Contract

Another court rejects 'stop-loss' challenge
The fact that some do not understand the enlistment agreement made when one enlist in the military is astonishing. The "stop loss", as they call it, is in there, we called it "needs of the Army" in my day.

SAN FRANCISCO -- For the second time in as many days, the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals has denied a Pasco soldier's challenge to the military's 'stop-loss' policy that extends enlistments during war.
The entire panel of the San Francisco-based court yesterday declined to hear a motion for an injunction by Sgt. Emiliano Santiago to keep him from being sent to Afghanistan. On Wednesday, a three-member court panel in Seattle denied his appeal seeking release from the Army.

Chili Digits (Update)

Back in March I found this story about a human digit being discovered in a cup of Wendy's chili... Well here is an update that makes the discovery sound fishy --

SAN JOSE, Calif. Apr 7, 2005 — Investigators searched the Las Vegas home of a woman who claimed she scooped up a mouthful of finger along with her chili at a Wendy's restaurant last month.

City police, working with their counterparts in Las Vegas, served the warrant Wednesday as they investigated how a finger ended up in Anna Ayala's bowl of chili.

"We are looking into every aspect in this case," San Jose police spokeswoman Gina Tepoorten said. "We are talking to people she knows as well as the finder of the finger. … We want to determine who this finger belongs to how and how it ended up in a bowl of chili."

Insurgents Kill Children

CBC News - Four children killed in Baghdad explosion; Najaf bomb injures four
Well an insurgents bomb blew up children -- why is it I believe somehow liberals will blame this on the US Military?

BAGHDAD (AP) - Four children collecting trash were killed Friday by a homemade bomb in Baghdad, and masked gunmen killed an Iraqi Army officer in a restaurant in Basra, police said.

The children died in the New Baghdad neighbourhood in the southeast section of the city, police Capt. Sabah Hamid Al-Fartosi said. Insurgents frequently use hidden roadside bombs against U.S. and Iraqi Army convoys. Three masked gunmen killed an Iraqi Army officer, Maj. Mahmoud Hassan Al-Yassiri, late Thursday in the southern city of Basra, Capt. Firas al-Timimi of the Iraqi Army said.

Unemployment Down

USATODAY.com - Unemployment claims take largest drop in two months
Wonder if this will make its round on television news -- my bet is no.

WASHINGTON (AP) - The number of Americans applying for unemployment benefits dropped 19,000 last week, largest decline in two months, the government reported Thursday.
The Labor Department said the decline pushed the level of unemployment benefits down to 334,000 after claims unexpectedly jumped by 23,000 the week before.
The four-week moving average for claims, which smooths out week-to-week volatility, dipped slightly to 336,500 last week, a level viewed as pointing to further improvements in the labor market.

Simply Brilliant - NO

Author of Schiavo memo steps forward - washingtonpost.com Highlights - MSNBC.com
In a turn of events, it appears the "memo" was in a "round about way" real -- what an idiot Brian Darling must be... Senator Martinez' (R-FL) "legal counsel" admits to authoring the memo -- my only question is - what where you attempting to accomplish?

The legal counsel to Sen. Mel Martinez (R-Fla.) admitted yesterday that he was the author of a memo citing the political advantage to Republicans of intervening in the case of Terri Schiavo, the senator said in an interview last night.

One other comment -- if this next statement is factual I simply hope that Floridians say good-bye to Mr. Martinez.

Martinez, a freshman who was secretary of housing and urban development for most of President Bush's first term, said he had not read the one-page memo. He said he inadvertently passed it to Sen. Tom Harkin (D-Iowa), who had worked with him on the issue. After that, other Senate aides gave the memo to reporters for ABC News and The Washington Post.

Would Teddy Consider this Torture?

CNN.com - Saddam sees new president's election
Curious if Senator Kennedy would consider allowing Saddam to watch Iraqi democracy in action on television as torture... Maybe it is ok as long as they don't force him to watch it.

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- Iraq's new transitional assembly took an expected but historic step Wednesday, electing Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani as the nation's president -- a symbol of the new Kurdish clout in the largely Arab nation.
Former Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein watched from his jail cell as the longtime leader of the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan assumed the title Saddam held before he was ousted by a U.S.-led invasion in 2003.

You Go Bo

SI.com - MLB - Bo Jackson sues paper over steroid claim
A blast from the past - how many younger then I remember Bo Jackson. Bo has every right to sue if indeed the dietary expert is lying. However, shouldn't he also be suing the dietary expert along with the paper?

CHICAGO (AP) -- Bo Jackson filed a defamation lawsuit Wednesday against a California newspaper that quoted a dietary expert who said the former two-sport star used steroids.
The lawsuit was filed in Cook County against the Inland Valley Daily Bulletin, MediaNews Group Inc., MediaNews Group Interactive, Inc., sports editor Jim Mohr and three other employees of the newspaper.

Freedom Moves Forward

BBC NEWS - Iraq president set to be sworn in
Democracy continues to march forward despite the insurgency -- I like it.

Iraq's new interim president, the Kurdish leader Jalal Talabani, is due to be sworn in.
It comes a day after he was elected to the largely ceremonial post by parliament, ending weeks of deadlock.

Sometimes Forgotten

CNN.com - 16 killed in Afghanistan copter crash - Apr 6, 2005
I feel sometimes with all the "anti-anything" about Iraq, we we miss the fact that military personnel are in harms way in Iraq... Remember them too, please!

(CNN) -- Sixteen people were killed Wednesday when a coalition helicopter traveling in 'severe weather' crashed in Afghanistan, the Pentagon said.
Eighteen people, including crew and passengers, were listed on the flight manifest. Two people remain unaccounted for.
A CH-47 Chinook helicopter crashed near Ghazni, roughly 100 miles (160 kilometers) southwest of Kabul.

Tech -- Neat Feature

Google Maps adds new Satellite Images geekBlue.net
Google adds a neat feature to their Mapping venture -- is this enhancement truly needed maybe not, but it is neat. I have been using Google Maps, more user friendly, faster, cleaner, since its launch.

Google's Map Service has been very popular as it takes the place of Mapquest and other searching tools. Google is now trying to increase its popularity by adding Satellite images. Keyhole, which is a satellite imaging company, was acquired by Google last year. It is a very interesting tool with great possibilities. By adding this service to their Map service Google will boost past their competitors and gain more positions in that area.

Think Jimmy is Getting the Message?

VOA News - President Bush, two Former Presidents to Attend Pope's Funeral
Well again, Jimmy [pacifist/isolationist] Carter sent a message of exclusion -- good.

The president and Mrs. Bush are preparing to leave for Rome Wednesday to attend the funeral of Pope John Paul. They will be accompanied by two former presidents.
President Bush says he and the First Lady will lead America's delegation to pay the nation's respects to a man the president called a great world leader.
'He shows that one man can make an enormous difference, and I look forward to honoring the memory of Pope John Paul II,' said Mr. Bush.
Mr. and Mrs. Bush will be accompanied by the president's father, former president George Herbert Walker Bush as well as by former president Bill Clinton. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice rounds out the five-member delegation.

Liberal LA Times - Concede Social Security?

Democrats Are Lost in the Shuffle While GOP Holds All the Cards
Although most of this piece by Ronald Brownstein is spent positioning the Democrats with an excuse for any failures over the coming years by saying they can't do anything because of GOP. I will agree Democrats the GOP has the majority but the reason is that Democrats are inept and lost, but Dems are proving they can obstruct and the blame for this reset squarely on their shoulders. But, during his "their" polls are inaccurate and concede that change will happen?

Democrats are furiously laboring to prevent Bush from carving out private investment accounts from Social Security, but even if they succeed - which increasingly appears likely

Courage, Valor, Honor

Top News Article | Reuters.com
Everyone should be aware of heroes like SFC Smith.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - President Bush on Monday awarded the first Medal of Honor in the Iraq war to Army Sgt. 1st Class Paul Ray Smith, who saved dozens of soldiers before he died in a firefight days before Baghdad fell.
Bush presented the military's highest award for bravery to Smith's young son at a White House ceremony attended by Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, Gen. Richard Myers, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, and a roomful of military men and women from all branches of the armed services.

I mentioned this hero back in February here.

Just a Nice Picture

Gun Not Needed

BBC NEWS | 'Bloodbath' at church in Germany
Just as demonstrated here and here a nut does not need a gun to kill and create mayhem... Something the "anti-gun"/"anti second amendment" crowd simply refuse to admit -- a crazed individual set on causing devastation will follow through with his attempt if all he has is a butter knife or in this case a sword.

A man wielding a sword has killed a woman and injured at least three other people during a service at a church in southern Germany.
Police said they found 'grisly' scenes, including severed limbs, at the scene of the attack in Stuttgart. "

What? - What Happened to Berger Inadvertently...

Philadelphia Inquirer Berger admits to thefts
Remind me if I am wrong, but was not the first excuse he accidentally took the documents? Now we have Berger admitting to taking and destroying them -- destroy indicating premeditation eliminating any chance of " WHY?

WASHINGTON - Samuel R. Berger, a former White House national security adviser, pleaded guilty on Friday to a misdemeanor, acknowledging that he intentionally removed and destroyed copies of a classified document about the Clinton administration's record on terrorism

Sunni Elected Parliament Speaker

USATODAY.com - Sunni Arab elected Iraq parliament speaker
Here is more good news from the fledgling government. Sunni - can you imagine that -- aren't they the ones liberals are saying were screwed in the January 30th election?

BAGHDAD (AP) - Iraqi lawmakers elected a Sunni Arab as parliament speaker and Shiite and Kurdish leaders as his deputies on Sunday, ending days of deadlock as they sought to balance the country's predominant religious and ethnic groups in a new government.

Daylight Savings Time

Don't forget -- Spring forward -- set your clocks forward 1 hour.

Will the Liberals be Outraged

BBC NEWS Insurgents attack Abu Ghraib jail
Well more then just "alleged abuse" has fallen the prisoners of Abu Ghraib -- wonder if the liberals will be outraged? Probably not since there is no alleged US Military involvement... I would hint there maybe outrage for the fallen US soldiers, but I doubt it, I mean we are talking about liberals who have proven over and over they are more concerned about the prisoners of Abu Ghriaib and Guantanamo then any active service member. I guess we can watch and see -- maybe I will be pleasantly surprised.

Dozens of insurgents in Iraq have carried out an attack on Baghdad's Abu Ghraib prison.
The US military said the assault began after dark with two car bombs, followed by small arms fire and grenades.
Soldiers fought back, and the Americans say they have now restored control. At least 20 US soldiers and 12 prisoners were reported wounded.

Terri Schiavo - The Rest of the POLL

Zogby Poll: Americans Not in Favor of Starving Terri Schiavo
Well now, after the fact we get the other poll -- for over a week many have disputed the poll results that implied the majority of Americans were for "killing" Terri, and their arguments are now validated. Unfortunately too late.

Washington, DC (LifeNews.com) -- Polls leading up to the death of Terri Schiavo made it appear Americans had formed a consensus in favor of ending her life. However, a new Zogby poll with fairer questions shows the nation clearly supporting Terri and her parents and wanting to protect the lives of other disabled patients.
The Zogby poll found that, if a person becomes incapacitated and has not expressed their preference for medical treatment, as in Terri's case, 43 percent say 'the law presume that the person wants to live, even if the person is receiving food and water through a tube' while just 30 percent disagree.
Another Zogby question his directly on Terri's circumstances.
'If a disabled person is not terminally ill, not in a coma, and not being kept alive on life support, and they have no written directive, should or should they not be denied food and water,' the poll asked.
A whopping 79 percent said the patient should not have food and water taken away while just 9 percent said yes.

Rest in Peace

No Scandal

Rich Lowry: The WMD scandal that wasn't
Rich Lowry has great thoughts about the study of flawed Iraq and WMD(s) intelligence -- but don't expect the liberals to buy it or stop, nothing has stopped their rhetoric before from the 9/11 commission that did not give them the "smoking gun" they hoped for to the Iraqi elections -- so expect business has usual. Nevertheless, is it such a bad thing? Look we have Dean as the DNC head; he and many on the left keep spewing their hate proving that they are unwilling the work together, heal, and that their only desire - only goal is the Whitehouse forget anything else.

The commission studying the intelligence failures that produced disastrously flawed estimates of Iraq's weapons-of-mass-destruction capabilities has finally produced its report, and it's devastating. Not just for U.S. intelligence, which is portrayed as hapless and bungling, but for Bush critics who have vested so much in the argument that Bush officials pressured intelligence agencies to support the case for war.
New York Times columnist Maureen Dowd is the epitome of this school of thought. The very morning the report was released she wrote that "political pressure was the father of conveniently botched intelligence," and fingered Dick Cheney as the lead culprit. Cut to Page 50 of the WMD report: "The Commission found no evidence of political pressure to influence the Intelligence Community's prewar assessments of Iraq's weapons programs."

Pay particular attention to what Mr. Lower says here.

No. The change began in 2000, when President Clinton was still in office. It was based on information from a (totally dishonest, as it turns out) source code-named Curveball. That year, the National Intelligence Estimate was updated to say: "New information suggests that Baghdad has expanded its offensive BW program by establishing a large-scale, redundant and concealed BW agent production capability.

News from The Associated Press

Google Doubles E-Mail Space
Could not let the day go without saying something about this -- some bloggers have a problem with Google News, and I must admit their "news" standards need to be worked out and better defined, but they do take care of users. So look for the link on the right and Gmail me! Gmail is the new standard for web-based mail continuing to improve, and others are struggling to keep up… There are many other features then just the 2+ Gigabytes of storage - check it out!

SAN JOSE, Calif. (AP) -- A year after unveiling a free e-mail service with a full gigabyte of storage, Google Inc. is doubling the capacity of each account and plans to keep bumping up the limit in the future.
Once the upgrade takes effect Friday, Gmail users will be able to store up to 2 gigabytes of e-mail and attachments for each account. Even more capacity will be made available after that as it becomes feasible, the company said.
'Our goal is to make sure storage is no longer an issue for Web mail users,' said Marissa Mayer, Google's director of consumer Web products.

Not a Big Deal - Doesn't Involve Republicans

BBC NEWS | Americas | Ex-Clinton aide took secret files
I have heard many liberals talking of how the Bush administration has ruined our reputation for intelligence in the world -- of course, they leave out the little fact we were operating with an agency that had been revamped over the previous eight years and Bush had just under eight months before 9/11... Now we have a former Clinton aide pleading guilty to sneaking papers out -- if our reputation is ruined or is in question I guess Clinton and his administration get a pass, gotcha, I understand -- that is I understand their motivation but their story is lacking foundation.

A former top aide to US President Bill Clinton has admitted taking classified documents from the National Archives.
Former national security adviser Samuel Berger pleaded guilty to removing copies of a classified memo before his testimony before the 9/11 Commission.

Team Up Against Evil

The New York Times > Clerics Urge Sunni Arabs to Join Iraq's Police and Army
Well this is good news and I am pleasantly surprised to see it in the New York Times... Teaming up against evil is always a good thing.

BAGHDAD, Iraq, April 1 - A group of Sunni clerics, including some hard-line figures who fiercely oppose the American presence here, issued a statement today urging Iraq's Sunni Arabs to join the Iraqi army and the police.
The edict, signed by 64 imams and religious scholars, was a striking turnaround for the clerics, who have often lashed out in their sermons at the fledgling army and police, branding them collaborators.

Chris Matthews is a Ghoul

No since in repeating the idiotic statement you can see it and the contrasted pictorial facts here. Michelle Malkin hits the nail on the head - again!