News: November 2005 Archives
Despite recently admitting that he accepted bribes and resigning from Congress in disgrace, it's worth remembering that more than 30 years ago Randy Cunningham was an ace fighter pilot who put his life repeatedly on the line for his country. Wretchard's commentary is poignant:
They were two different days, separated by 32 years. The grandfather paradox argues that the past exists independently of the present, that it remains graven in the mind of God, beyond our power to alter -- or to besmirch. Whatever Randy Cunningham did in later life, it remains true that on the tenth of May, 1972 ShowTime 100 would shoot down two MIGs, then a third. ...
A man can redeem himself from past disgraceful acts by doing good later in life, but disgraceful acts later in life are rarely excused on account of good done earlier. It's sad to see a hero fall, even when he's brought down by his own hubris.
Thanks to my lovely wife for passing along this picture of Cindy Sheehan waiting for someone, anyone, to show up for her book signing.
Now that she's been divorced by her husband and dumped by the left, maybe she should start dating others in similar circumstances, like Michael Moore.
Just about everyone has seen this already, but I feel like I have to mention that ex Canadian Defense Minister Paul Hellyer says UFOs are real and warns that America might be trying to start an intergalactic war. Yes, for real.
A former Canadian Minister of Defence and Deputy Prime Minister under Pierre Trudeau has joined forces with three Non-governmental organizations to ask the Parliament of Canada to hold public hearings on Exopolitics -- relations with “ETs.”By “ETs,” Mr. Hellyer and these organizations mean ethical, advanced extraterrestrial civilizations that may now be visiting Earth.
On September 25, 2005, in a startling speech at the University of Toronto that caught the attention of mainstream newspapers and magazines, Paul Hellyer, Canada’s Defence Minister from 1963-67 under Nobel Peace Prize Laureate Prime Minister Lester Pearson, publicly stated: "UFOs, are as real as the airplanes that fly over your head."
Mr. Hellyer went on to say, "I'm so concerned about what the consequences might be of starting an intergalactic war, that I just think I had to say something."
So, be warned. Bush = Space Hitler.
I heard on the radio this morning (KFI) that in the wake of the recent alarm over Muslims praying at a Giants game New York is going to add a special Muslim prayer area to the stadium. The original controversy started when:
The men said they looked for a clean area to pray, near the ticket scanners, but not in the way of incoming fans. They chose what looked like a concrete wall, in sight of stadium workers and others.But the men said they didn't find out until yesterday from the media that they had prostrated themselves in prayer near the main air duct and food preparation area. That area has since been fenced off.
"It had everything to do with where they were and nothing to do with who they were," said Special Agent Steve Siegel of the FBI's New Jersey office. "You had concerned fans who walked by and saw these gentlemen proceed to an area that was not normally traveled. They alerted security guards. ... We'd rather follow 10,000 leads that go nowhere instead of miss the one that might go somewhere."
Right, and if little Jimmy wandered into the food prep area I'm sure he also would have been grilled on his relationship with Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman.
"You know the blind sheik?" Khalifa said one agent asked him, referring to Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, convicted of engineering the 1993 World Trade Center bombing."I said to him that's not even a smart question. You guys took my ID. You know I'm 27. When was the blind sheik around? I was 14, 15?"
These Muslims were definitely detained in part because their attire and actions made them look suspicious, and I don't really have a problem with that. It's a fact that 99% of terrorists are young Muslim males. Sorry.
Anyway, I'll be curious to see how New York football fans deal with a Muslim prayer area in the stadium. Maybe Christians can get a chapel installed, too.
Quick, call the UN!
Anyway, the Los Angeles Times has an interesting, if shallow, article about the discovery of a mass grave containing 45 members of the Mayan royal family. I love history, so if anyone can find any other articles about this site I'd love to read them.
Archeologists excavating the ruined Guatemalan city of Cancuen have stumbled across the remains of what they believe is one of the pivotal events in the collapse of the Maya civilization — the desperate defense of the once-great trading center and the ritual execution of at least 45 members of its royal court.An enemy as yet unknown not only wiped out the royal dynasty about AD 800, but systematically eliminated religious and cultural artifacts — in effect, killing the city and leaving it abandoned to the elements, according to new research announced Wednesday.
The archeological team found dozens of remarkably preserved skeletons piled in mass graves, as well as other artifacts, indicating what the lead researcher described as "a war crimes scene."
After the siege of Cancuen, cities in the western Maya lowlands in what is now Guatemala were abandoned, most within 20 to 30 years, the researchers said. The displaced populations moved to the east and north, where they eventually depleted local resources and faded away.
"This was a critical historical moment, like the assassination of [Austrian] Archduke [Franz] Ferdinand [which triggered] World War I," said archeologist Arthur A. Demarest of Vanderbilt University, whose team discovered the charnel house this summer. "It set off the domino of Classic Maya collapse."
Time to go learn more about the Maya civilization!
Dorrance Smith, former head of the Iraqi Television Network, has an essay outlining the collaboration between terrorists, al-Jazeera, and the American news media.
On April 11, Jeffrey Ake, an American, was taken hostage in Iraq. Video of him in captivity was shown on al-Jazeera on April 13. A short time later six American networks--ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN and MSNBC--aired the same video, a vivid example of the ongoing relationship between terrorists, al-Jazeera and the networks. Last week, al-Jazeera showed video of a helicopter being shot, bursting into flames and trailing smoke as it fell to the ground. It also aired video of the lone survivor being forced to walk on a broken leg and then being shot by the terrorists, one of whom said, "We are applying God's law."As the war continues, more hostages will be taken and acts of murderous violence committed--leading to more videos for al-Jazeera and the networks. Isn't it time to scrutinize the relationship among al-Jazeera, American networks and the terrorists? What role should the U.S. government be playing? ...
While I was in Iraq in 2004, Al-Jazeera was expelled from the country by the Iraqi Governing Council for violating international law. Numerous times they had advance knowledge of military actions against coalition forces. Instead of reporting to the authorities that it had been tipped off, Al-Jazeera would pre-position a crew at the event site and wait for the attack, record it and rush it on air. This happened time after time, to the point where Al-Jazeera was expelled from Iraq. The airing of the Ake video, however, demonstrates that it can still operate on behalf of the terrorists even from outside the country. ...
In addition to being subsidized by Qatar, Al-Jazeera has very strong partners in the U.S.--ABC, NBC, CBS, Fox, CNN and MSNBC. Video aired by Al-Jazeera ends up on these networks, sometimes within minutes. The terrorists are aware of this access and use it--as in the Ake case--to further their aims. They want to reach the American audience and influence public opinion.
The arrangement between the U.S. networks and Al-Jazeera raises questions of journalistic ethics. Do the U.S. networks know the terms of the relationship that Al-Jazeera has with the terrorists? Do they want to know?
Terrorists use the murder of innocents as a currency to purchase airtime on American news networks. The money the networks make as a result is soaked in blood.
