Warrants Could Be Stake Through the Heart of Candidate's Campaign

Jonathan "the Impaler" Sharkey's bid for governor of Minnesota may be over before it got a chance to get going. An observant dispatcher was able to cast some very damaging sunlight onto the candidate's shadowy past, uncovering two outstanding felony warrants.

A fringe candidate for governor who played up his satanic side — and pledged public impalement for terrorists — wound up behind bars today thanks to a sharp-eyed sheriff's dispatcher.

Jonathon Sharkey, 41, of Princeton, was arrested Monday night on two felony counts from Indiana, said Mike Smith, the Mille Lacs County jail administrator. One warrant was for escape, another for stalking.

Sheriff Brent Lindgren said Sharkey's warrants were discovered by a dispatcher making routine warrant queries. Lindgren said the dispatcher had seen news stories about Sharkey's campaign and recognized the name on the warrant — Rocky Flash — as a name Sharkey had used as a pro wrestler.

I'm guessing this will drive a stake through the heart of Sharkey's dreams for public office. Well, at least he got his 15 minutes. This has to be a blow to many journalists who were looking forward to a few easy stories from the freak-show angle. However, the most disappointed person in the state has to be Mike Hatch. If Sharkey drops out, Hatch no longer can say "Hey, at least I'm not the most unhinged candidate in the race."

Non-Blogging Day

Apologies. Client meetings all day, political meetings all evening, no time to blog. I'll have one up in the morning 1/31.

Parrot Outs Cheating Girlfriend

Parrot owners beware...

A devastated man found his girlfriend was cheating on him when his parrot kept blurting out her lover's name.

Every time her mobile rang the bird, named Ziggy, screeched: "Hiya, Gary".

The African Grey also made kiss noises every time it heard the name Gary on TV or radio.

Owner Chris Taylor said he dismissed it as something the bird had picked up watching telly.

He finally twigged something might be up when he cuddled up to his girlfriend Suzy on the sofa and Ziggy squawked: "I love you, Gary."

Chris, from Leeds, said: "She left that night and I haven't seen her since."

He has also parted company with Ziggy because he won't stop mentioning Gary.

"I love him to bits," said Chris. "But it was torture hearing him repeat that name over and over again."

Dems Johnson & Byrd Announce Support of Alito

The Alito nomination goes from very probable to all but certain as Alito picks up support from two more Democrats. Today Senators Tim Johnson (SD) and Robert Byrd (WV) indicated that they would vote yes on judge Alito.

Alito already was assured the votes of at least 51 of the 55 Republicans in the 100-member chamber -- enough to be put over the top -- when West Virginia's Byrd and Johnson of South Dakota joined Nebraska's Ben Nelson in saying they'll vote yes.

Johnson is in a red state that Bush won by 21 percentage points. A vote against Alito would put him in an even more tenuous position in his next election bid. Senator Byrd may be recalling days when Supreme Court nominations were actually based on the qualifications of the nominee. More likely, he's feeling pressure from this announcement...

A multimillionaire businessman entered the GOP race to challenge Sen. Robert C. Byrd on Wednesday, hoping to deny the 88-year-old incumbent Democrat a record ninth term.

Word is that "Independent" Jeffords will keep his near flawless Democrat party-line voting intact and vote against confirmation.

UPDATE: Senator "Irrelavent" Kerry calls for a filibuster...

Sen. John Kerry has decided to support a filibuster to block the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito to the Supreme Court, CNN's Congressional Correspondent Ed Henry reported Thursday.

Kerry, in Davos, Switzerland, to attend the World Economic Forum, was marshaling support in phone calls during the day, Henry said.

Have fun on the slopes, Senator. Based on your floor statement regarding the nomination, you could use a vacation to regain what's left of your sanity.

UPDATE II: For good entertainment, go watch the KosKids turn on Robert Byrd. You can almost hear the forehead veins a-poppin'.

I Wanna be A Hipster Too

Everyone in the MOB (Mitch, Doug, The Elder) seems to be doing their own version of Mpls/StPaul Magazine's hipster survey. Well dangit, I want to be a hipster, too (which is probably very unhip).

Where do you live? NE Mpls

With whom? Myself and with my son every other weekend plus some.

What’s your coffeehouse/coffeeshop? The coffee maker in the office breakroom-- $.25/mug. Occasionally, the Caribou by work or Audobon near my house.

What’s your Sunday breakfast spot? My kitchen. I've really been into frittatas lately.

What do you drive? 2003 Subaru Legacy Sedan that still has a W'04 sticker on the bumper.

What sites do you surf for news? To many to mention. For credible news, anything that didn't start as an AP story, (or CBS, CNN, BBC, ABC, NBC, MSNBC).

What’s the first thing you read in the Strib? The what? Is that the paper with the spoof stories like the Onion, only not funny (expect for Nick Coleman's parody of a frothing leftist columnist). I usually just skip to the sports scores & standings, if I read it at all.

What’s on your morning drive dial? AM1280, KQRS, KFAN, might give the new 100.3 am show a try.

When not in town, where are you? An occasional work trip -- most recently Philly/Willmington.

Who’s your local band/musician? I love the Suburbs, Soul Asylum wasn't bad. Have there been any since then?

Where do you have season tickets? None, but would love Gopher Hockey tickets. In fact I think I'll go put myself on the waiting list after this post.

What’s your apparel store? I have never worn apparel. I do have clothes. I don't have A store. I hit so many -- Kohl's, Penney's, Eddie Bauer outlet, too bad Mervyn's is gone. Might do Men's Warehouse for the fancy stuff.

Where’s your favorite “go to” place that always seems to have just the right thing? You can get pretty much everything at Target, although I've started going to Wal-Mart once in a while lately.

Where do you get take-out? Totino's on Central in NE. Home made ravioli that is inexpensive and true comfort food.

What’s your bakery? Don't do it much, but Sara Jane's on Johnson St. NE.

Where do you mall? Do you mean maul? I maul the English language every day on this website.

Where are you on a Friday night? Usually home watching Gopher Hockey and maybe a late night sci-fi or horror movie.

Where’s your gallery(s)? Does Bill's Gun Shop and Range count (shooting gallery?). If you mean art gallery, the only thing more annoying than art galleries are artists. I pass.

Who cuts your hair? Where? Whomever is working the Great Clips in my area when I walk in. The last lady, Roisha, did a great job. Hope she's there next time.

What are you really uptight about? Leftists and egotistic "hipsters".

What’s your substance of choice? Why a question about substance when this survey is clearly the antithesis of substance.

What subjects are you a total geek over? Chatting with my son, cooking, eating good food, politics, economics, WWII history, philosophic discussions, old sci-fi and horror movies, hockey, football. There's probably more.

Where do you refuel? One of the two Stop 'N Go's on Johnson street. Occasionally, Holiday or EZ Stop.

What’s your date night? A what night?

What’s the most you’ve paid for a concert ticket? Probably around 28 dollars, $89 with the ticketmaster charges.

When you’re at your naughtiest, you... I don't remember. About the naughtiest I get is over-indulging on good food and drink.

What’s your beauty/grooming thing? I have to confess, I do use hair gel or pomade, but I will never, never, never refer to it as "product".

What’s your workout? Where? Walking around the neighborhood, occasional dumbell curls and presses at home. In the summer, add yardwork and occasional in-line skating.

Who (or what’s) the service provider you can’t live without? Time Warner Cable (TV and Internet).

What’s your favorite night? Any night the Gopher Hockey team wins.

What’s the next performance you’ll attend? The WCHA playoffs.

What’s an arts organization you support? None, but if there is one out there focused on improving arts quality by culling the quantity of artists, I might send a check.

What’s your nightcap? Beer before liquor, never been sicker, liquor before beer, you're in the clear.

Where’s the afterparty? In bed, either sleeping or watching an old movie. Even when I was young I didn't do afterparties.

What’s your favorite restaurant for:

• food? Carmello's, Snelling & St. Clair

• quality? Carmello's, Snelling & St. Clair

• late night? White Castle

• scene? If a restaurant had a scene, I wouldn't go. I want to pay for quality food and service, not a "scene." Although sometimes it's fun to watch people make a scene at a restaurant.

• impress your date? My what? If I had a date, I'd be the one that would be impressed, or at least surprised.

• impress your client? Best client dinner in town was burgers and kabobs on the patio at The Joint (next to the Cabooze).

Who’s your favorite Twin Citian? My friend Molly. If you mean someone famous, the news chick on channel 11 at 10:00pm is pretty hot.

Hear me now – X will be Y in 6 months. . .Sara Janacek will be off the air.

Civics Survey Results

Young Master Nordeaster's final group project was administering, tabulating and presenting a political opinion survey of classmates, family and friends. One question asked you to focus on the main issue on which you base your vote. Another interesting one asked you to list the top 3 moral issues facing American politics. Both these questions were open ended. As you will probably be able to guess from the results, YMN attends a private christian academy, not a public school.

The concept of putting political issuess in terms of morality is an interesting angle. We've all heard the saying, primarily from liberals, that you can't and shouldn't legislate morality. In reality, the purpose of almost all legislation is to legislate morality. Many, like me, think high taxes are immoral. Others, like Archbishop Flynn think it is immoral to not have high tax rates. Environmentalists feel it is a moral imperative to save the earth by banning DDT, while others find it immoral that so many die of malaria due to the ban. The degree to which the war on terror is prosecuted is a moral issue. Unsafe working conditions would be considered immoral by many, and on and on.

Here are some of the results:

Age of Participants:
Under 18 - 68%
18 to 30 - 16%
31 and over - 16%


Party Affiliation:
Republican - 70%
Democrat - 9%
Other - 7%
Don't Know - 14%

Oh, if only those were the numbers for the total US.


Main topic on which you base your vote:
Character - 32%
Blank or Don't Know - 20%
Abortion - 11%
Moral Issues - 11%
Economy - 7%
Marriage - 5%
War and Defense - 5%
Other - 9%

FYI - My personal response was individual rights (e.g. free speech, religious expression, personal property, etc). I was torn between that and defense, and it was very difficult to choose just one. Perhaps the fact that I'm reading Ayn Rand's first novel swayed me to that direction.

With this group I expected Abortion to be much higher. I was surprised that character was such a domininant winner. This is not a representative sample, but maybe I over-estimate the percentage of single issue abortion voters, even among a fairly evangelical population.


What are the top 3 moral issues facing America?
Abortion 28%
Marriage 22%
Defense & War 14%
Church/state 8%
Stem Cell 4%
Right to Die 3%
Individual Rights 3%
Taxes 2%
Property 2%
All Others or Blank - 16%


Other responses:

95% believed a fetus is a human being.
84% believed abortion should be illegal, of those 38% felt there should be exceptions
98% attend church (although the question should have broken it into weekly or more, once or twice a month, occasionally, never).


For the general public, there's really not much to take away from a non-representative, unscientific survey like this. For me, it's nice to know that a lot of my son's classmates, friends and friend's families value character and life. I'm glad his school offers a real civics class. I wish all did (civics not civic activism). Now if we could only put one together for the Dems on the judicial committee.

Work Focus Today

Yesterday and today I am loaded with work, so blogging will be light to non-existent until late Tuesday night (1/24) or Wednesday morning (1/25). I do have a couple of very good thoughts in mind for posts this week, so pop back tomorrow.

This evening I am taking in a high school basketball game with Young Master Nordeaster. His school has a pretty good team and the 3 games I've attended this year have been very entertaining -- two were overtime wins. Here's hoping for another entertaining win against a big rival. Until this year I didn't take in much other than his soccer games. I forgot how much fun it was to watch high school basketball, football and volleyball. Go Eagles!

UPDATE:

Last night's game was a tough 4 point loss to the #1 team in the state (class B). Our school got off to a bad start with an early 13 point deficit. They scratched to within 9 at the half. We went up by 3 with 2:38 left and the game was tied with just over a minute left. There were 3 or 4 very questionable calls or non-calls down, all of which went against us. Even though it was a tough loss, the team should be lifted by the fact that other than the jittery start they outplayed the #1 team in the state. Outcome aside, it was a very entertaining game.

Message In A Bottle Found 9,000 Miles Away

A message in a bottle thrown into the English sea by a four-year-old girl has received a reply - from Australia.

Alesha Johnson sent the bottle on its way from Morecambe Bay in Lancashire last July. She had drawn a picture of herself and written a note saying, 'My name is Alesha. If you get this message, please write back'.

This week, she got a reply from Bob, describing himself as a 10-year-old boy from Perth, Western Australia.

Bob's reply included a map pinpointing exactly where the letter was found.

The bottle travelled roughly 50 miles per day.

A Player to Root For

Ahmad Hall fought for his country, a football scholarship at Texas and the national championship. He's now competing for a job in the NFL.

The Texas fullback is one of the 104 college football all-stars trying to impress pro scouts this week before Saturday's Hula Bowl.

Years before the 5-foot-11, 235-pound Hall donned a Longhorns helmet, he wore a helmet for the Marines while serving in Afghanistan and Kosovo.
.....

The 26-year-old Hall said the Marine Corps helped straighten him out, teaching him discipline and "taking care of your business as a man and not depending on someone else."
....

Hall was also selected by the media as the Big 12 Sportsperson of the Year, an honor given to an athlete who displays an extraordinary degree of sportsmanship and community service. He helped spearhead a drive to collect items for Marines serving in Iraq. He's also active with helping veterans.

Hall, 26, is married and has 3-year-old son, and often served as a role model and big brother to many of his Texas teammates.

It's a great story read the whole thing...

The left often projects their own disdain for the military by viewing it as a last resort option for minorities and poor. What often gets missed by the left are the opportunities and character building that come out of the military service experience.

I hope Mr. Hall finds a place in the NFL. He is the type of athlete that truly is worthy of being considered a role model. I wouldn't mind seeing him in purple this fall. If not, it would be a cool story if he ended up in the same backfield as another Marine, Mike Anderson of the Denver Broncos.

Chirac Said What?

French President Jacques Chirac has said France would be ready to use nuclear weapons against any state which launched a terrorist attack against it.

Speaking at a nuclear submarine base in north-western France, Mr Chirac said a French response "could be conventional. It could also be of another nature."

He said France's nuclear forces had been configured for such an event.

Mr. Chirac was not clear whether the nuclear strike would come before or after the surrender and/or appeasement phase.

This is typical hollow posturing. Most terror attacks cannot be declared as "state launched" and most state launched attacks would not be considered terrorist attacks, but military acts of war.

What if the terror attack comes from a terror cell within France? Do they nuke themselves?

A Few Holes to Fill

One of my goals is to travel to all 50 states. Bogus Doug found a fun little tool to help monitor my progress. I've hit a wide cross-section, but have a few chunks to fill in. A trip to DC will knock off two states plus DC very quickly. Looks like I need to plan a drive to the Pacific NW and a trip south of the Willie Dixon line, maybe to do a little volunteer work in the Gulf Coast.


Unfortunately, a few of these are what I would classify only as visits in the technical sense. For example, my visiting of New Jersey entails flying into the Newark airport and taking a shuttle to New York (of course that's about all the New Jersey I care to see). Missouri and Kansas are a couple of business trips into Kansas City where I covered both sides of the border.

The Original Chocolate City

New Orleans mayor, Ray Nagin has received a lot of flak for his now notorius "chocolate city" comments. A lot of the outrage is due to the insensativity of the comment itself, but I think the bulk of the outrage is rightly directed to the double standard held in the MSM and in the Orwellian PC speak that has infiltrated our society. Think of the fallout if the mayor of Omaha said we need to keep it a "vanilla city."

While I think the outrage towards the double standard is justified, I think some people are unjustly harsh on mayor Nagin. Though stupid comments, I really don't think he meant anything particularly mean-spirited by them. I simply think he is a man who enjoys his old-school 70's funk. I can't blame him. The mayor's comments inspired me to dig back into some of my own collection. Sly and the Family Stone, Parliament, Ohio Players, Tower of Power -- good stuff!

If you're curious, the complete lyrics to Parliament's 1975 "Chocolate City" (album cover above) can be found here.

Excerpts....

There's a lot of chocolate cities, around
We've got Newark, we've got Gary
Somebody told me we got L.A.
And we're working on Atlanta
But you're the capital, CC
....

A chocolate city is no dream
It's my piece of the rock and I dig you, CC
God bless Chocolate City and its (gainin' on ya!) vanilla suburbs
Can y'all get to that?

What's Your Issue?

Young Master Nordeaster's civics class is taking a survey of students, parents and friends. Obviously, the sample is not statistically representative, but that is not the objective and I'm sure that issue will be a point of discussion. I was surprised by how difficult it was for me to answer question 4. I hold so many issues vitally important, it was very difficult to boil it down to one single most important issue.

If you would like to participate, your responses to the questions below are welcome...

1. Age:
2. Gender:
3. Will you be able to vote in the 2006 election?:

4. When considering your vote, what single issue is most important to you?

5. What do you consider the top three MORAL issues facing us today?

6. Do you consider yourself pro-life or pro-choice?

7. Given your response in question 5, do you believe there should be exceptions (e.g. rape, late-term, etc.) & if so, what are they?

I thought question 5 was an interesting one. Not only do you have to consider what issues are important to you, but it forces you to put issues and arguments for and against those issues into the context of morality.

After a few days, I will share my personal responses. When Young Master Nordeaster's class tabulates the results, I will share those as well if I can get them.

MOVED TO TOP

Martin Luther King, Jr.

I was going to post a column for Martin Luther King, Jr. Day, but decided to go a different route. Instead I will simply commemorate the day with one of my favorite quotes from Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr, one to which our politicians could pay closer heed:

"Cowardice asks the question - is it safe?
Vanity asks the question - is it popular?
Expediency asks the question - is it political?
But conscience asks the question - is it right?

There comes a time when one must take a position that is neither safe, popular, or political; but because it is right."

and another by Viktor Frankl, from his book Man's Search For Meaning:

"There are two races of man in this world…the 'race' of the decent man and the 'race' of the indecent man."

Reverend King was a shining example of the former.

It Was Twenty Years Ago Today...

...that Mitch 'Shot In the Dark' Berg started posting this series (or at least it feels like it).




Just kidding, Mitch.

The series is an interesting diversion from the typical.

Please, Oh Please

Wolf Blitzer is reporting that the target of a CIA directed airstrike on the Afghanistan-Pakistan border was Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda's #2 man. Approximately seventeen are believed killed in the attack. This is the 2nd attack in the area in as many days. Reports also are speculating that there may have been as many as 5 al Qaeda operatives in the building (or area, the report is a little unclear at the moment). Obviously, there are no confirmations, yet and won't be for some time. We've had near misses and disappointments before.

Let's hope that Zawahiri has indeed come to justice. Even if this is another near miss, it appears the dogs have the fox's scent and are hot on his tail. At this point, it sounds is though the worst case result of the attack is a couple less al Qaeda operatives and one less safe house to deal with.

If Zawahiri is dead, the only thing that could be better is that he lived just long enough to experience great pain and suffering.

If we did miss Zawahiri, but know he is in the area, he couldn't have gone far. Do you scorch the area or wait for another lead?

UPDATE: Sounds like another near miss, unfortunately. Also unfortunately, our tenuous relationship with Pakistan requires us to choose the latter option above. You will now hear complaints of innocents killed. It is a possibility, but if you house al-Zawahiri, know where al-Zawahiri is or have any leads that would help the authorities capture or kill him and you don't pass the information on, you have forfeited your innocent status.

Europe Getting "Tough" With Iran (Well, Tough by European Standards, Anyway)

The Iranian football team should be banned from this year's World Cup because of Tehran's nuclear programme, a leading British politician has demanded. Tory Foreign Affairs spokesman Michael Ancram said the move would send a "hard signal" to Islamic state that the international community would not accept the move.

Mr Ancram said exclusion from football's biggest tournament "would give a very, very clear signal to Iran that the international community will not accept what they are doing".
"It may be unpleasant, but you can give a very hard signal which isn't going to hurt people as such but is going to at least give a chance of registering in the minds of the Iranian people that what their president is doing is unacceptable to the international community."

FIFA, soccer's governing body, said last month it would not expel Iran from the June 9-July 9 World Cup finals in Germany despite calls from German politicians for it to be excluded because the Iranian president denies the Holocaust.

FIFA spokesman Andreas Herren said: "FIFA is a sporting organisation and not a political organisation."

It's a good start, Mr. Ancram, but I was thinking that a "hard signal" looked a little more like this...

Roll Out the 132 Year Old Barrel

Another light story for Friday...

The central Ohio city of Westerville, once known as the "dry capital of the world," is dry no more.

A pizza parlor on Thursday became the first establishment in Westerville's uptown business district to legally serve a beer since 1875.

"Here's to a new tradition in Westerville," local jeweler Bill Morgan said as he raised his plastic cup of Budweiser at Michael's Pizza.

Westerville's temperance history dates back 131 years, when the town's saloon was blown up during what's known as the "Whiskey Wars."

The Anti-Saloon League moved its headquarters to Westerville in 1909, and the city became known as the "dry capital of the world."

I wonder if 130 years from now we will be seeing a story like this about a Minneapolitan lighting the first cigarette to be smoked in a pub in 130 years?

Harriet Who?

That is all...

Friday's News of the Weird

Cy, short for Cyclopes, a kitten born with only one eye and no nose, is shown in this photo provided by its owner in Redmond, Oregon, on Wednesday, Dec. 28, 2005. The kitten, a ragdoll breed, which died after living for one day, was one of two in the litter. Its sibling was born normal and healthy.

Clueless Joe

After taking a sledgehammer to the fine china, "Clueless Joe" Biden is complaining that it is broken....

Supreme Court nominees are so mum about the major legal issues at their Senate confirmation hearings that the hearings serve little purpose and should probably be abandoned, Democratic Sen. Joe Biden said Thursday.

"The system's kind of broken," said Biden, a member of the Judiciary Committee considering the nomination of Judge Samuel Alito.

Although Biden's statement may be valid regarding the futility of the hearing process, it is he and his cronies that have made a sham out of what should be a sober and respectful procedure.

What "Clueless Joe" really means by this statement is, "we suck at this game so we want to play a new one." Believe me, had the Dems been able to pin Alito on some slip-up that would have resulted in his rejection they would be proclaiming, "This is why have these proceedings. This is they way the system is supposed to work." However, since Biden, Kennedy, Feinstein, Leahy, et. al. are the ones that came out looking like dolts, the system must be broken.

No, "Clueless Joe" you are just dolts. This was a case of a bunch of state tiddley-winks champions believing that qualified them to take on Kasparov in a game of chess.

Perspective, or to Put It Another Way, Whatever...

Alito shines, the dems look like buffoons, but does the public really notice? Sometimes, I think we in the blogosphere put things under too great a microscope. While the Alito nomination is one of the most important political events of the last decade, we also have to realize that the general public is much more concerned with how Jennifer feels about Brad and Angelina's baby...

According to a December 2005 national survey conducted by FindLaw, only 43 percent of American adults can name at least one justice who is currently serving on the nation's highest court. Fifty-seven percent of Americans can't name any current U.S. Supreme Court justices.

The percentages of Americans who could name each current justice were as follows:
Sandra Day O'Connor - 27%
Clarence Thomas - 21%
John Roberts - 16%
Antonin Scalia - 13%
Ruth Bader Ginsburg - 12%
Anthony Kennedy - 7%
David Souter - 5%
Stephen Breyer - 3%
John Paul Stevens - 3%

Mr. Stevens and Mr. Breyer may want to think about hiring a PR consultant.

Alito Hearing Inacuracies

Though I have watched the majority of the Alito hearings, they are being covered so well I really can't contribute much that hasn't already been said better by someone else. However, some might find this site interesing. It contains an accounting of all of the inacuracies put forth during the first two days of questioning/bloviating.

Hobby or Obsession? Yes.

A Danish historian has celebrated the 200th anniversary of the Battle of Austerlitz by recreating the scene with model soldiers.

The 6,100 tin soldiers, 1,000 horses and 34 cannon have all been individually painted.

His model soldier collection goes beyond Austerlitz. He has 9,500 tin soldiers, 1,750 horses and artillery pieces from Napoleon's army as well as those of Russia, Austria, Britain, Prussia, Holland, Denmark and Spain.

Hansen estimates that his collection is worth 1.5 million kroner (200,000 euros, 239,000 dollars), and says that to his knowledge, only the National Army Museum in London has more tin soldiers than he does.

He says his wife Inger "sometimes thinks she lives in a battlefield," but compares his work to that of a silversmith.

"Each little figure measures only 25 to 35 millimetres (about an inch) and you have to paint them in different colours, exactly as in the history books, for example with gold buttons on the grenadiers' tiny boots," he explains.

"I spend about 45 minutes painting an infantry soldier and more than an hour and 45 minutes for a trooper, so do the math ... that makes about 10,000 hours over the past 30 years," he says.

I have great appreciation for Mr. Hansen’s hobby. It was my hobby for years as well. As a boy and even into my college years, I spent a great deal of time painting miniatures and building WWII models and dioramas. As a youngster, I had an interest in WWII history. The hobby not only fueled that interest, but gave me a tangible creative outlet to bring the history to life. At some point I hope to have the time and spare money to get back into it, although there is no danger of me taking it as far as Mr. Hansen has.

I can't help but believe Mr. Hansen has one of the most understanding wives on the planet to allow him to spend 10,000 hours and $239,000 on a hobby.

Brilliant Idea

Credit to Ken Mehlman or whomever’s idea it was to have to embrace new journalism by scheduling the blogger’s conference for the Alito hearings. It was great to be able to read first hand accounts, interviews and live blog’s throughout the day.

Pope Calls Terrorism "Moral Perversion"

With most of the media focused on the Alito hearings this story has flown under the radar. Though not earth shattering, Pope Benedict XVI’s speech contains some significant statements.

Pope Benedict XVI condemned terrorism as a "moral perversion" and demanded religious freedom around the globe Monday in an annual foreign-policy speech to Vatican-based diplomats.

Benedict stressed the need for forgiveness and reconciliation to bring peace in armed conflicts around the world. And he told the ambassadors that wealthy countries must do more for the world's poor. Even half of what they spend on weapons "would be more than sufficient to liberate the immense masses of the poor from destitution," he said.

Benedict described a global "clash of civilizations" taking root and said the danger was made even greater by terrorism, whose causes he attributed to politics as well as "aberrant religious ideas."

"No situation can justify such criminal activity, which covers the perpetrators with infamy, and it is all the more deplorable when it hides behind religion, thereby bringing the pure truth of God down to the level of the terrorists' own blindness and moral perversion," he said.

Benedict stressed the need for all human rights to be respected, but said religious freedom was most important because it involves "the most important of human relationships: our relationship with God," he said.

"Unfortunately, in some states, even among those who can boast centuries-old cultural traditions, freedom of religion, far from being guaranteed, is seriously violated, especially where minorities are concerned," he said.

"To all those responsible for the life of nations, I wish to state: if you do not fear truth, you need not fear freedom!" Benedict said.

In its context the “No situation can justify…” statement appears to refer to the Palestinian cause so often used as justification by Muslim terrorists. The Pope went on to condemn violence in Darfur and pointed out Israel’s right to exist in peace and the importance of Palestinians being allowed to develop democratic institutions.

In a separate but related statement the Vatican pointed out two priorities for this year – unification of the Catholic Church and increased dialogue with China.

One of the things that made John Paul II such an amazing man was that although benevolent, he was not afraid address evil for what it was. Pope Benedict XVI is continuing in that mold – and the world is better for it.

Catching Up

I’m still trying to catch up from being wiped the last two weeks by some type of bug. Whatever it is, it has really sapped my energy.

Zawahiri - the Black Knight

Predictible and no coincidence of timing vis-a-vis yesterdays attacks in Iraq...

Al Qaeda's No. 2, Ayman Al-Zawahiri, said in a videotape aired Friday that the United States' recent decision to withdraw some troops from Iraq represented "the victory of Islam."

"You remember I told you more than a year ago that the American withdrawal from Iraq is only a matter of time, and here they are now ... negotiating with the mujahedeen," Al-Zawahiri said.

"Bush was forced at the end of last year to announce that he will pull out his forces from Iraq, but he was giving excuses for his withdrawal that the Iraqi forces have reached a good level."

Since they often seem to work from a similar playbook and have a common enemy (George W. Bush), I wouldn't be surprised to see a similar tactic used by the Democrats in the 2006 elections ("we pressed for withdrawl and because of our pressure the president had no choice but to agree to a draw down of troops").



I remember the rhetorical posturing Zawahiri is taking being used once before....Where was that...Hmmm....Maybe here....

The Black Knight: I'm invincible!

King Arthur: You're a loony.

The Black Knight: Have at you!

King Arthur: You're indeed brave sir knight, but the fight is mine.

The Black Knight: Oh, had enough, aye?

King Arthur: Look you stupid bastard, you've got no arms left.

The Black Knight: Yes I have

.King Arthur: Look!

The Black Knight: Just a flesh wound.

Sunni Tide Slowly Turning...

First, the Sunni leadership called for a cessation of violence for the December 15, 2005 election. Then the Sunni's turned out in heavy numbers to vote, and then took to peaceful protests to dispute election results while calling for national unity. Once the elections were declared legitimate, the Sunnis unexpectedly negotiated a coalition agreement with the Kurds. Now, even more Sunni's are turning against Al-Zarqawi.

Yesterday was a bloody day in Iraq, which of course made the headlines in most US newspapers. What didn't get picked up by many papers was this angle on the story (courtesy of the Hartford Courant)...

Enraged Sunnis Blame Al-Qaida
Carnage In Ramadi, A Hotbed Of Iraq Insurgency, Turns Many Against Al-Zarqawi

The residents of Ramadi had had enough. As they frantically searched the city's hospital for relatives killed and wounded in bomb blasts at a police recruiting station Thursday, they did something they had never publicly done: They blamed al-Qaida in Iraq, the insurgent movement led by Abu Musab al-Zarqawi.

"Neither the Americans nor the Shiites have any benefit in doing this. It is Zarqawi," said Khalid Saadi, 42, who came to the hospital looking for his brother, Muhammed. Saadi said he hoped that sympathies in the city, considered a hotbed of support for the Sunni Arab insurgency, would turn against al-Zarqawi's faction.

The surviving police recruits showed where their sympathies lay - after the bombing, they got back in line to continue the screening process, the U.S. military said.

...

The Ramadi residents responded to the attack with fury. Nearly everyone at the scene said they believed it had been ordered by al-Zarqawi's al-Qaida in Iraq, considered the most ruthless and best-organized faction in the insurgent movement.

"People in this city helped Zarqawi a lot, and I hope this would make them change their minds," said Saad Abid Ali, a captain in the Iraqi army hit in the legs by shrapnel.

Another group of people beat a doctor in the hospital after he told an Iraqi journalist that U.S. forces were to blame for the attacks.

Compare the paragraph directly above the ellipses to this one from a CBS News story:

In the Sunni insurgent stronghold of Ramadi, 70 miles west of the capital, Marine Capt. Jeffrey S. Pool said police recruits got back in line to continue the screening process after a suicide bomber attacked. They were apparently desperate for a relatively well-paying job in the impoverished area.

Unlike the story above, the CBS/AP reporter cannot comprehend anything other than desparate poverty motivating police recruits. The fact that they might want to fight for their new freedom, to make their country a better place despite the dangers doesn't even register a possibility with the reporter. What do you expect, they make the same claims about the US military.

Get Off My Side

Pat Robertson is making headlines, again. And of course it is an absurd statement rather than his charitable work which gets the headlines...

Christian broadcaster Pat Robertson suggested Thursday that Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's stroke was divine punishment for "dividing God's land.''

...the evangelist said he had personally prayed about a year ago with Sharon, whom he called "a very tender-hearted man and a good friend.'' He said he was sad to see Sharon in this condition.

I don't doubt Pat Robertson's sincerity or his intentions. I believe that he believes he is doing what is right. It is his judgement and tact that are sorely lacking. I don't see the exact quote as being as dramatic as the headlines. However, Robertson must realize that he is a lightning rod. Mr. Robertson must also realize that with wreckless statements like the one above about Prime Minister Sharon and the one made earlier this year about assassinating Hugo Chavez he can do as much damage to the cause of Christianity as a bus load of ACLU lawyers.

An Open Letter to Old Europe and Thoughts on Russia

I used to read Vodkapundit fairly regularly, but haven't been to the site in a while. Today's post, An Open Letter is a very entertaining and worthwhile read.

Excerpt...

I know you think we're all religious nuts over here, but Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is the real deal. We're trying, however imperfectly, to bring a little freedom to the Islamic world. Ahmadinejad says he wants to wipe Israel off the map. How's that for nuts? He's not making any idle threat, either, like launching "a thousand-year Reich" or promising "liberty, equality, fraternity." Iran wants nukes. Iran has an advanced nuclear program. We'd like to stop them, without using military means.

And we'd sure like some help, fellas.

There's another Holocaust brewing, and I don't mean your parlor-room talk about how America is killing brown babies for oil. Besides, we aren't the ones who committed the first Holocaust – that was your doing. What we're trying to do is prevent another one, and we'd like to think that you guys might be a little sensitive to that sort of thing. "Go forth and sin no more," and all that.

...

Also, there's an interesting editorial regarding Russia and an even more interesting reader reply from FormerComrade.

Check 'em out.

Bush 2nd Most Admired Man In 2005 -- By Democrats

According to a Gallop Poll (subscription required), George W. Bush is the clear choice as the most admired man for the fifth year in a row. Hillary Rodham Clinton edged out Oprah Winfrey and Condoleezza Rice as the most admired woman. This is the fourth straight year respondents considered Hillary Clinton their most admired woman. The Rev. Billy Graham finished among the top 10 most admired men for a record 49th time.

Courtesy of Everything I Know Is Wrong here's the breakout of the top five men by party affiliation:

Democrats
Bill Clinton 13%
George W. Bush 7%
Jimmy Carter 6%
Pope Benedict XVI 4%
Nelson Mandela 3%

Independents
George W. Bush 11%
Bill Clinton 3%
Pope Benedict XVI 3%
Jimmy Carter 3%
Bill Gates 3%

Republicans
George W. Bush 44%
Billy Graham 5%
Gordon B. Hinckley 3%
Colin Powell 3%
Pope Benedict XVI 2%
Bill Gates 2%

A little disconcerting -- Angelina Jolie finished as the sixth most admired woman.

This poll highlights something that most on the right and few on the left seem to grasp. There is often a vast difference between being liked and being admired and respected. I highly doubt that George W. Bush would show up at all on the most "liked man list" or "most popular man list" for Democrats or probably even Independents. However, it is far better for the leader of the greatest nation on earth (or anyone else for that matter) to be admired and respected than it is to be liked.

Wiped Out

The good news. I've had a couple of much needed days off work. The bad news, I have been wiped out by some nasty bug. I've had no energy to do much of anything, including blogging.

I hope everyone has a wonderful new year.