Some Of You Have Been Wondering Where I've Been

No need to be concerned. I've been pretty busy lately with the station, and I am moving this weekend. I also just found out that my 'minor' knee injury was actually a fracture.

The knee injury happened at my gym ... Striking Unlimited. We were working on the ground and pound, and getting the mount. I stepped over to get the mount, and my knee popped. It was loud, and very painful. The pain lasted about 5 minutes or so, and I was back to training.

My knees have popped on me for years, and I've been expecting to need surgery. Your body can only take so much football, and the Army caused its fair share of damage. Since popping was nothing new, and the pain went away for the most part ... I figured it was nothing serious.

I continued to train the next couple of days with a brace on my knee, and limiting my knee strikes (once I found out that hurt like a bitch). I started to notice that my knee wasn't feeling stable, and was constantly "crackling." So I took a couple of days and rested before returning to the gym for an hour's cardio. After that session ... I knew something was wrong with my knee. I figured an MCL sprain.

I made an appointment for the doctor, he looked at it and sent me to get an x-ray and MRI. Once the tests were all done he called me to say that there was a problem. This is where things start to get weird.

My doctor isn't a specialist with this sort of thing, but the x-rays and MRI came back with an 'abnormality' on my femur. This is strange since my pain was not in that region at all. He sent me to an orthopedic surgeon to figure out what exactly was wrong.

Now I went to the orthopedic surgeon's office, and was put at ease in the waiting room. Frank Trigg was also a patient of my new doctor, and was in the waiting room with me. I talked with him for a little bit, but left him alone for the most part. I found out later that Trigg is making a comeback, and will likely be training at my gym ... AWESOME!

The doctor came in and looked at my x-rays and MRI's and found a couple of things wrong with me. He noted that I had a bruise on my bone, and a fractured knee. Naturally, I was stunned ... as was he when he found out I'd been walking around for 3 weeks on a fractured knee. To make things more interesting ... that 'abnormality' on my femur I told you about earlier turned out to be an old fracture I knew nothing about, and had healed on its own.

So, I not only fractured my knee and didn't know about it, but at some point in my life I fractured my femur and didn't know it. Crazy, I know. Anyway, the treatment is 5 weeks on crutches, no cast, and no training.

Note: I transfered my gym membership to my wife, and she's kicking ass!

The doc is worried that my fracture may split and sever my ligaments so I've got to be careful ... which I'm not, but that is another story that involves a NASCAR race.

In 5 weeks if it doesn't look good ... I have surgery to get the fracture pinned.

This couldn't have happened at a worse time because I'm moving on Saturday, and I hadn't budgeted for hiring movers which I now must do.

Things should settle down next week a little so I can update the blog more, but in the meantime enjoy the news feeds in the right sidebar. Don't forget to check out the new merchandise I've made, and buy lots of it.

25 Democrats Refuse To Condemn 'Betray Us' Ad In Senate Vote

Hillary has been ducking, dodging and flat out refusing to respond to questions about the MoveOn.org ad taken out against Gen. Petraeus.

Today she had her chance to speak up with the rest of the Senate and condemn the ad ... something that most Democrats have refrained from doing.

Amanda Carpenter:

Sen. Hillary Clinton (D.-N.Y.) would not criticize MoveOn.org on the campaign trail for an offensive advertisement the group produced to attack Army Gen. David H. Petraeus, but she sided with the anti-war lobby in a vote on Thursday.

Motivated by the full-page advertisement MoveOn.org published in the New York Times that accused Petraeus of betrayal, the Senate passed a resolution condemning “attacks of honor and integrity” on the general and other members of the Armed Forces.

The advertisement, purchased at a discounted rate, mocked Petraeus’ name as “Betray Us,” suggested he was “cooking the books” for the White House and characterized the general as a “military man constantly at war with the facts” who “will not admit what everyone knows: Iraq is mired in an unwinnable religious civil war.”

Texas Republican Sen. John Cornyn’s “sense of the Senate” resolution passed 72-25.

At least now we know which Democrats are so knee deep in MoveOn money they are willing to accuse a four star general of breaking the law, and violating his oath.

1. Akaka (D-HI)
2. Bingaman (D-NM)
3. Boxer (D-CA)
4. Brown (D-OH)
5. Byrd (D-WV)
6. Clinton (D-NY)
7. Dodd (D-CT)
8. Durbin (D-IL)
9. Feingold (D-WI)
10. Harkin (D-IA)
11. Inouye (D-HI)
12. Kennedy (D-MA)
13. Kerry (D-MA)
14. Lautenberg (D-NJ)
15. Levin (D-MI)
16. Menendez (D-NJ)
17. Murray (D-WA)
18. Reed (D-RI)
19. Reid (D-NV)
20. Rockefeller (D-WV)
21. Sanders (I-VT)
22. Schumer (D-NY)
23. Stabenow (D-MI)
24. Whitehouse (D-RI)
25. Wyden (D-OR)

You can see the full role call here.

The following didn't vote.

1. Biden (D-DE)
2. Cantwell (D-WA)
3. Obama (D-IL)

You'll notice that John Kerry voted against the measure to condemn the ad. This is odd given that he was one of only three Democrats to criticize the MoveOn ad shortly after it came out. Kerry is on record as saying the following:

WASHINGTON (CNN) – Sen. John Kerry, D-Massachusetts, criticized MoveOn.org Monday for taking an ad out in The New York Times criticizing Gen. David Petraeus. The general is testifying before Congress today about the situation in Iraq. (Related: Dems join GOP in slamming ad attacking Petraeus)

“I don’t like any kind of characterizations in our politics that call into question any active duty, distinguished general,” Kerry told CNN, adding “who I think under any circumstances serves with the best interests of our country.”

Gee, I wonder what changed his mind?

The GOP also asked the Democrat leadership to condemn the ad in an internal memo, but didn't get many takers.

Today, Bush finally spoke out against the ad, and Democrats that support it, publicly for the first time. We have had reports that he was furious in private meetings.

In a press conference Thursday morning, President Bush told reporters he thought the advertisement was “disgusting.”

He also spoke candidly about Democrats who were reluctant to criticize MoveOn.org. “That leads me to come to this conclusion: that most Democrats are afraid of irritating a left-wing group like MoveOn.org, or more afraid of irritating them, then they are of irritating the United States military."

"That was a sorry deal,” Bush said.

To top this whole thing off, Democrats have been running to hide under their desks to avoid having to go on record in support of the MoveOn ad. Dick "The Turbin" Durbin tried to block the vote from even happening.

Cornyn first offered his resolution immediately after the offending advertisement was printed on September 10—the day Petraeus was scheduled to make his first appearance to testify about progress in Iraq. When it was offered, Democratic Majority Whip, Sen. Dick Durbin (Ill.) used a parliamentary move--issued a point of order based on “germaneness”--against the measure to prevent the Senate from voting on it.

Make sure you don't question their patriotism everyone.

Proof Syria & Iran Collaborate On Chemical Weapons

Hopefully you've heard about Israel (with the help of Turkey) attacking a nuclear cache in Syria the other day.

Now Jane's Defense is reporting that a collaborative effort between Iran and Syria to make chemical weapons resulted in a severe accident.

Just so you know ... Jane's is the MOST respected source of its kind.

Proof of cooperation between Iran and Syria in the proliferation and development of weapons of mass destruction was brought to light Monday in a Jane's Defence Weekly report that dozens of Iranian engineers and 15 Syrian officers were killed in a July 23 accident in Syria.

According to the report, cited by Channel 10, the joint Syrian-Iranian team was attempting to mount a chemical warhead on a Scud missile when the explosion occurred, spreading lethal chemical agents, including sarin nerve gas.

Anyone remember Iraqi General Georges Sada?

The John Kerry Taser Video

Funniest video ever!

You can see another angle here.

It turns out the student who got stunned is a bit of a prankster.

AP:

The student in the middle of it all, 21-year-old Andrew Meyer, had no comment after he was released on his recognizance on various charges following a night in jail.

But details from his online writings and videos raised the question of whether his harangue during the forum was genuine or some kind of stunt.

Meyer, a senior telecommunications major from the Fort Lauderdale suburb of Weston, has a Web site featuring several homemade videos. In one, he stands in a street with a sign that says "Harry Dies" after the latest Harry Potter book was released. In another, he acts like a drunk in a bar while trying to pick up a man dressed in drag.

The site also has what is called a "disorganized diatribe" attributed to Meyer that criticizes the Iraq war, the news media for not covering the conflict enough and the American public for paying too much attention to celebrity news.

Another site had pictures of Meyer licking a woman's face and making a suggestive pose as he stood behind a fake cow. The site listed his activities as "getting wasted" and "being ridiculous."

Whether he disrupted John 'Baby Killer' Kerry or not ... he deserved to get tased.

Remember When Hillary Said Her Socialized Health Plan Wasn't Socialized? Well, It Is.

Take the poll at the top right of this page ...


UPDATE:

Will you be punished if you refuse to enroll in Hillary's new socialist health plan?


Many of you will remember when Hillary was asked by black journalists about the negative effects of her socialized health plan on the black community ... she responded by saying:

"I have never advocated socialized medicine. That has been a right-wing attack on me for 15 years."

Yesterday, Hillary rolled out her new "American Health Choices Plan." Well, it turns out that her 'non-socialized' health plan is very much ... socialized.

To refresh everyone on what socialized and socialized medicine means, I have included the following definitions:

Socialized Medicine:

Socialized medicine can refer to any system of medical care controlled and financed by the government.

Socialize:

1. To place under government or group ownership or control.
2. To make fit for companionship with others; make sociable.
3. To convert or adapt to the needs of society.

There, now we are all up to speed on what we are actually talking about here.

On Hillary's own website, you can read the summary of the plan in her own words.

Before we get started I'd like to point out that the idea you can increase the number of people insured, and increase the benefits while reducing the cost is absurd at best. Especially when you are talking about a minimum of 47 million new people.

This Plan covers every American - finally addressing the needs of the 47 million uninsured and the tens of millions of workers with coverage who fear they could be one pink slip away from losing their health coverage - with no overall increase in health spending or taxes. For those with health insurance, the plan builds on the current system to give businesses and their employees greater choice of health plans - including keeping the one they have - while lowering cost and improving quality. Specifically, the American Health Choices Plan will:

The language makes it sound good, but again you can't increase the number of the insured, and provide more benefits for less cost. This is grade school math people.

The Same Choice of Health Plan Options that Members of Congress Receive:
Americans can keep their existing coverage or access the same menu of quality private insurance options that their Members of Congress receive through a new Health Choices Menu, established without any new bureaucracy as part of the Federal Employee Health Benefit Program (FEHBP). In addition to the broad array of private options that Americans can choose from, they will be offered the choice of a public plan option similar to Medicare.

A Guarantee of Quality Coverage:
The new array of choices offered in the Menu will provide benefits at least as good as the typical plan offered to Members of Congress, which includes mental health parity and usually dental coverage.

Notice that they will have a 'public plan' to choose from. That's socialized medicine.

Americans who are satisfied with the coverage they have today can keep it, while benefiting from lower premiums and higher quality.

Again ... not possible.

Reducing Costs:
By removing hidden taxes, stressing prevention and a focus on efficiency and modernization, the plan will improve quality and lower costs.

Strengthening Security:
The plan ensures that job loss or family illnesses will never lead to a loss of coverage or exorbitant costs.

End to Unfair Health Insurance Discrimination:
By creating a level-playing field of insurance rules across states and markets, the plan ensures that no American is denied coverage, refused renewal, unfairly priced out of the market, or forced to pay excessive insurance company premiums.

This is the part that people will roll with their emotions on. Certainly, no one wants to be denied insurance, and I'd support that provision by itself. However, to not allow an insurance company to set their premium based on the health of the insured is blatant socialism. Many small companies will go under because of this provision. I don't believe people should not be able to get insurance, but I also believe that a company has the right to charge an appropriate premium based on the financial risk of the insured.

Relying on consumers or the government alone to fix the system has unintended consequences, like scaled-back coverage or limited choices. This plan ensures that all who benefit from the system share in the responsibility to fix its shortcomings.

This is damn risky! This allows the consumer influence over how a company operates. A company in a free market economy has the right to operate as it sees fit. Sometimes it works ... sometimes not. That's what the market is for. You do not let the customer tell the company how to do business.

Insurance and Drug Companies:
insurance companies will end discrimination based on pre-existing conditions or expectations of illness and ensure high value for every premium dollar; while drug companies will offer fair prices and accurate information.

Individuals:
will be required to get and keep insurance in a system where insurance is affordable and accessible.

Providers:
will work collaboratively with patients and businesses to deliver high-quality, affordable care.

Employers:
will help financing the system; large employers will be expected to provide health insurance or contribute to the cost of coverage: small businesses will receive a tax credit to continue or begin to offer coverage.

Government:
will ensure that health insurance is always affordable and never a crushing burden on any family and will implement reforms to improve quality and lower cost.

It doesn't get more socialize than to REQUIRE that all people get health insurance. What if I don't want health insurance? Maybe I have a medical savings account, or maybe I have enough money to pay cash for any medical issue that arises. Oh wait ... I get it now. I am going to be required to pay into the system so that my money will help cover the cost of those that are unhealthy who now get a discount on their premiums. I'M BEING TAXED!

Go to Hillary's site to read the last provisions of the plan.

At the very least, most Americans will now pay more money for their health care than they were before so we can provide lower cost insurance to people who have health problems. The plan is categorically unfair to those Americans that don't want health insurance for whatever reason.

To top it all off ... a very prudent question was asked about the plan that 'requires' all people to enroll. Will it cover illegals, or just American citizens?

Now Hillary has been working on this plan for over a decade now. You'd think she would have thought about this all important issue. Especially since illegals are such a massive burden on our medical industry. In fact, this could be the most important aspect of the plan's success or failure. So what was her response?

Senior [Clinton] policy adviser Laurie Rubiner–-while acknowledging that undocumented immigrants are a “huge issue” in this country–-said, “That’s one we’re going to have to think through a little bit.”

“We have not dealt with every single detail with this plan,” Rubiner continued.

They haven't even bothered to address the issue yet?

There is a couple of things to look at here. One of those being that illegals cost the medical industry about $35 billion a year. Which raises health care costs and premiums.

1. If illegals are not required to enroll ... will they still receive the same medical care as everyone else?
2. If so, won't premiums and costs continue to increase as the financial burden grows ... as it does now?
3. If they are required to enroll ... will we then deport them as they come forward?
4. If not, how can we confirm their income, and will their employers be punished?

If illegals are not required to enroll, but still receive the same benefits as Americans do you will see a backlash of which the likes have never been seen before.

I'm also wondering if abortion will be covered, but I think we all know the answer to that question.

Poll Results On If Parents Should Be Jailed If Their Kids Ditch School

81% of you say absolutely not, but 18% of you still think that parents should be thrown in jail. What's wrong with you?

Breaking News: O.J. Arrested In Vegas!

UPDATE:

He was arrested at the Palms.

UPDATE 2:

Here is a time-line and list of charges against OJ.

UPDATE 3:

Very good background on the robbery, arrest and charges.

It looks like it finally happened. OJ Simpson was arrested in connection to the hotel robbery a couple of days ago.

Review Journal:

Las Vegas police arrested O.J. Simpson Sunday morning on one count of robbery with a deadly weapon for an armed robbery that took place at the the Palace Station Thursday, authorities said.

"He's under arrest and he's on his way to the office," said Lt. Clint Nichols of the robbery unit. Investigators will question Simpson before any more charges are added, Nichols said.

They also arrested his accomplice.

The man charged with armed robbery for allegedly helping O.J. Simpson recover what he claimed was stolen memorabilia at the Palace Station Thursday has been identified as Walter Alexander, 47, according to jail records.

Alexander was booked into the Clark County Detention Center Saturday and charged with robbery with a deadly weapon, assault with a deadly weapon, conspiracy and burglary with use of deadly weapon.

Police said Simpson remains a suspect and could face several felony charges. The former football great, accompanied by his lawyer, is expected to make a full statement to police on Monday.

The Juice is loose no more!

Here's The Deal ...

For those of you who know who I am, you know that I have been one of the most prominent voices in proving wmd's were found in Iraq. I have caved to the requests from my audience, and I am working on a book. All of this means nothing, and only serves as an introduction to those who don't know who I am.

Every time I do a show about wmd's in Iraq I get calls from military personnel who confirm my claims. They always seem to come out of the woodwork a week or so after I do a segment on it, and they often show up in person. They rarely have any proof, but describe what was found.

Today, an audience member brought a hard drive to me at the studio. He was a civilian contractor in Iraq for KBR. He was primarily stationed in al Asad and Anaconda. The hard drive is 100GB of pictures and video from Iraq.

On this hard drive are images of weapons ... including wmd's ... loaded and ready to fire. These have not been seen by anyone other than his circle of friends, and he has given me free use of the photos.

No, they are not classified.

I am working on confirming the official designation of the weapons, and will be posting the images in just a few days on this site. If you know of any places I can go to look at pictures of wmd munitions so I can identify these ... please let me know by using the "Contact Me" link at the top of this page.

NFL Week 2 Picks

8 of 16 ... not good this week.

Sunday

BUF @ PIT -- Pit *
HOU @ CAR -- Car
NO @ TB -- TB *
ATL @ JAC -- Jac *
CIN @ CLE -- Cin
SF @ STL -- Stl
GB @ NYG -- NYG
IND @ TEN -- Ten
DAL @ MIA -- Dal *
MIN @ DET -- Min
SEA @ ARI -- Sea
KC @ CHI -- Chi *
NYJ @ BAL -- Bal *
OAK @ DEN -- Den *
SD @ NE -- NE*

Monday

WAS @ PHI -- Phi

Ethno-Sectarian Murders In Iraq Down 55% Since 2006

Another tidbit of progress for you to digest that you won't hear anywhere in the MSM.

MNF-I:

The number of ethno-sectarian murders has declined significantly since the height of the sectarian violence in December 2006.

Iraq-wide, the number of ethno-sectarian deaths has decreased by over 55 percent, and it would have decreased much further if it not for the casualties inflicted by barbaric al-Qaeda bombings attempting to reignite sectarian violence.

Kucinich In Syria: The Effort In Iraq Was A Lie, Dishonest, & Crooked

Photo Ripped From Hotair

Dennis Kucinich (D-OH), and 2008 presidential candidate went on Syrian television the other day, and assaulted our nation. Here's some highlights of what he said ...

• Americans have an increased understanding today of how wrong the war was and is.
• The United States must end the occupation.
• I've repeatedly challenged the thinking behind the surge.
• Increasing the occupation with a surge is counter-productive.
• We also must pay reparations to the people of Iraq.
• The US must take steps to repair the damage that has been done to the lives of the people of Iraq.
• We need to see that there is honest reconstruction in Iraq, no Halliburton dishonest cheating of the people of Iraq.
• I want my country to be loved by the world.
• It hurts my heart to know how America is seen in places around the world right now.
• The truth is the war was wrong.
• This war was based on lies.
• The effort against Iraq was dishonest, or crooked, from the beginning, and nothing good can come of it.
• We have to understand that the policy was based on a lie.

Trust me, there is more in the nearly 9 minute video.

No doubt, Kucinich would fail the Iraq War Test. I doubt he'd even get one question right.

The money shot came after he got finished calling Bush, the military, Poland's military, Denmark's military, Duelfer, the UN, and every media outlet in the world liars. Kucinich actually quoted the Bible ... IN SYRIA ... ON SYRIAN TELEVISION!

Regardless of what you think of Bush, or the war, it is categorically indefensible to go to an enemy foreign nation, go on their television, and say we are the liars and bad guys. He did this to the face of the enemy during a time of war.

Syria is a sponsor of terrorism that has threatened the US, and is threatening our allies as we speak. The majority of suicide bombers in Iraq come through Syria. We have repeatedly asked Syria to stop its support of terrorism, and to help stop the flow of fighters into Iraq. All to no avail.

Instead, we get terrorist leaders meeting each other in Syria, threats of violence, and more threats of violence. We then continue to ask Syria to stop supporting terrorism with no results.

Even with all of that, and more, Kucinich is perfectly happy to insult this country on the soil of a nation that is a state sponsor of terrorism, and has been directly linked to insurgent activity that gets our troops hurt.

Washington would have executed him, Lincoln and FDR would have imprisoned him for this action. There is a very real argument for treason here under Article III, Section III of the US Constitution.

Kucinich may not have a chance in hell of winning the nomination (especially when he is campaigning in Syria), but he does have a decent shot at a cabinet appointment.

There is absolutely no excuse for any elected leader to go to an enemy nation, and verbally attack the character, and integrity of this nation. No matter how bad Kucinich's heart hurts that not everyone in the world loves us.

Bonus:

I would have thought Kucinich would have tried to hide from his statements in Syria, but he is embracing them. I haven't received a call back from his people yet, but he has put the video on his campaign site. He put it right below the 9/11 remembrance ... nice.

Plasma TV's To Be Banned

NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

Actual Headline: Housing Market Slump Forces Couple To Open Brothel

FORCES?

Yeah ... ok.

I love how these headlines get written up sometimes. It isn't the poor decision of this couple that is responsible for their opening a brothel illegally. It's the housing market slump!

Whatever.

Poll: Should Parents Be Put In Jail If Their Kids Skip School

Poll is at the top right of this page ...

Local6.com:

Parents in the Panhandle may face jail time if their children continue to skip school.

Officials in Escambia County are weighing a tough new penalty that says if children have 10 unexcused absences in 90 calendar days, their parents would be put behind bars.

Officials said children who miss that much school put their entire futures in jeopardy.

I have a big problem with this, and it is popping up all over the country. We were all kids once, and we know how the ditching game works. You get dropped off at school by your parents. Then you wait for them to leave, and sneak out. How in the hell can you hold a parent responsible for that?

What ticks me off more is that schools hammer into kids from an early age that THE SCHOOL is responsible for the children until they get home. Why aren't school officials going to be arrested? Nine times out of ten it is the school that allows the kid to just walk off campus. You can't hold a parent responsible for that.

This is just another way of removing responsibility from the schools for protecting kids, and securing more federal funding. That is the only reason they even care that kids come to school ... because they lose money if a child is absent.

Bill Richardson Pissed That Spanish Debate Was In English

I wish I were kidding, but I'm not.

WaPo:

"And I do want to say at this point that I was under the impression that in this debate Spanish was going to be permitted because I've always supported Univision all my career, but I'm disappointed today that 43 million Latinos in this country, for them not to hear one of their own speak Spanish -- (applause) -- is unfortunate," Richardson said. "In other words, Univision has promoted English only in this debate."

He then began speaking in Spanish, only to get cut off by the moderators. "The rules that the seven candidates have accepted for this debate is that everyone is going to communicate in English," one responded, "and everything would be translated into Spanish. Thank you very much."

The rebuke didn't stop the governor and only Latino candidate from speaking in Spanish. In the press room after the debate, both Richardson and Sen. Chris Dodd (D-Conn.), the only other fluent Spanish speaker of the seven candidates, both answered question after question in Spanish.

While picking this fight on camera allowed Richardson to speak more about his heritage, Univision had informed the candidates months before the debate answers would be in English and reminded them repeatedly before the debate, when Dodd and Richardson both started speaking in Spanish while testing their microphones. If Richardson had gotten his wish to speak Spanish, it's unlikely Hillary Clinton and Barack Obama would have showed up to the debate in the first place, defeating the purpose for Richardson.

Disgusting.

Petraeus Speaks

As I told you back in August ... Petraeus believes he can downsize our force in Iraq.

He also reiterated that the surge has worked, and violence in Iraq is down. Some of you may remember some of my previous posts where Petraeus tells you the violence is down, and about Reid lying to everyone on the contents of the "Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq" report. That's when Reid said the surge had failed.

Before Gen. Petraeus was allowed to speak ... he had to listen to a bunch of political rhetoric. Something I'm sure pained him greatly. Don't forget, Petraeus told Congress to shut their mouths back in April because the enemy was listening to them.

You can read some of the Dems' comments here.

You can read the AP article here.

To further illustrate Gen. Petraeus' point that violence is down I have a graph for you of the terrorist attacks in Iraq since 2000.


As you can see, violence is way down in Iraq this year by nearly 2/3. There is still a couple of months left in the year, and the terrorists were very active at the end of last year. However, this year has seen significant improvement in Iraq.

Last year, in Iraq, there were just over 330 terrorist attacks per month. This year, that number has declined to 127 per month.

Furthermore, global terrorism is also way down from last year.


It is important to note that even though terrorist attacks last year were so high ... the entire world, outside if Israel and Iraq, saw a decrease in terrorist activity.

Global terror last year yielded 554 attacks per month. This year, so far, those attacks have declined to 181 per month ... big difference.

You can compile any terrorist data you'd like using the analytic tools at TKB.ORG.

Illegal Uses 'Guilt Trip' Of Losing Her Baby To Remain In The US

• Sneak into the US illegally -- check!
• Continue to break US law for over a decade -- check!
• Open an illegal business -- check!
• Get pregnant to make it easier to stay in the US -- check!
• Finally get caught by the authorities -- check!
• Blame your miscarriage on the 'rough' treatment you received being deported -- check!
• Go to court -- check!
• Use a guilt trip to get the judge to allow you to stay in the US permanently -- check!

She is also "happy" and "very excited" at what has happened. Not very motherly of her to be happy given that she just miscarried.

Philadelphia Enquirer:

An illegal Chinese immigrant who miscarried twins after being hustled off for deportation by federal authorities in Philadelphia last year will be allowed to stay in the country permanently, a judge has ruled.

"I feel happy, very excited," Zhen Xing Jiang, 33, said yesterday. "I don't need to hide now."

Jiang's husband said the Philadelphia couple would like to resume a normal life, perhaps even running their own restaurant, as they had in the past. He said he hoped the decision would bolster his case for permanent residency.

"Finally, finally, we can settle down and make a living," said Tian Xiao Zhang, 36. He said their two young sons were overjoyed.

Jiang "is now allowed to stay in America," said her attorney, Richard Bortnick of the Cozen O'Connor law firm, reading from the order of federal Immigration Judge Barbara Nelson. "Her status is changed from illegal status to legal status."

Essentially the judge ruled that it was "our bad" to have tried to deport a pregnant woman, and it may have led to her miscarriage.

Jiang entered the United States illegally in 1995, coming from Fujian province on China's southeast coast, and for nearly a decade helped her husband run their Chinese restaurant in Philadelphia. On Feb. 7, 2006, she was 13 weeks pregnant with twins when she arrived at the Center City immigration office for what she expected to be a routine interview.

Instead, as her family sat unaware in the lobby, Jiang was taken into custody and driven to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport for immediate deportation.

The effort to expel her was halted when Jiang, complaining of stomach pain, was taken to a hospital and doctors learned she had miscarried.

In interviews, Jiang said she was roughly shoved into a van in Philadelphia and that her pleas for medical help were at first ignored - allegations the government denied.

They applied for asylum because of China's one child policy, but the government never really got to that part of the case. Yes, their two current children are US citizens.

Israel Snatches Hamas Leader Responsible For Kidnapping Of Gilad Shalit

IT'S ABOUT DAMN TIME!

They should have done this a long time ago, but it is nice to finally see them being proactive in their attempts to find Shalit, and the other two Israelis being held by Hezbollah in violation of UN resolution 1701.

YNetNews:

Palestinians report Israeli troops disguised as members of Hamas' security force kidnapped Muhawesh al-Kadi, senior member of group's military wing in Rafah. Sources say man involved in abduction of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

Looks like turnabout is fair play punk.

A group of undercover Israeli soldiers disguised as Arabs on Friday kidnapped a senior Hamas member of the Izz al-Din al-Qassam Brigades, Hamas' military wing, near the Rafah crossing in the Gaza Strip, Palestinians sources told Hamas' website.

Palestinian sources told Ynet that the man was apparently involved in the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit.

The sources said that the undercover soldiers entered the Gaza Strip, and carried out their operation near the Rafah Crossing. According to the sources, the undercover soldiers were disguised as grocers riding a donkey-pulled wagon. Sources said they disguised force even chatted with locals near the crossing.

Al-Kadi was working his land when the disguised force approached and kidnapped him. The Palestinian sources reported that the operation went quickly and smoothly. The undercover force left Rafah with al-Kadi, and brought him to Israel.

At first, Hamas blamed Fatah. They were even planning an attack to retaliate until they found out it was Israel.

This was a daring operation that stunned Hamas because of how far into Gaza the Israelis went.

Israel has been appeasing Hamas and Hezbollah since their last conflict died down. They keep releasing terrorist scumbags in order to get the Israelis (including Shalit) released, but none of the Israelis have been let go. There was even a protest in NY outside of the UN building to force them to secure Shalit's release. All to no avail.

I have long said that I believe Shalit is dead, but I hope I'm wrong. Israel will interrogate Al-Kadi, and they will get the info they need from him. Let the interrogation begin!

New Osama Tape, & Transcript

It has been authenticated, but the beard is most likely fake. You can see the similarities in the facial features.

OBL apparently criticized the Dems for not stopping the war in Iraq (h/t Hotair) ...

Officials said bin Laden criticized Democrats in Congress in the video for being unable to stop the war in Iraq. The al-Qaida leader also urged young Muslims to carry out suicide bombings against the West — a piece of advice he offers in most tapes…

Here's the full transcript. It's damn funny stuff! Global warming even gets a shout out.

Hsu Arrested ... Again

Caught!

Edwards Actually Has A Good Idea

I've been saying this since I was in the military in the 90's. There is already some cooperation between some nations, and it is very effective. The organization should be volunteer as far as combat personnel are concerned, and only allow intelligence sharing that is strictly terrorist related. As long as there are protections from sharing info vital to national security, and the independence of those nations is respected ... it's a damn fine idea.

AP:

Democratic presidential candidate John Edwards is proposing an international organization to fight terrorism through shared intelligence.

This is far better than his previous plan to combat terrorism.

He then attacked Bush as being the only guy in the history of the world to make mistakes with terrorism, and he said some other stupid, untrue things ... like:

"Today, terrorism is worse in Iraq, and it's worse around the world," Edwards said in excerpts provided by his campaign. "It means the results are in on George Bush's so-called global war on terror and it's not just a failure, it's a double-edged failure."

Notice he failed to address Clinton's policies, and he did not give a reason why global terrorism shot through the roof in 1998. You and I know it was the fatwas, but he doesn't.

The interesting part of his comments that terrorism is worse around the world is technically false, and at best a spin.

As you can see from the graph below from the Terrorism Knowledge Base ... global terrorism is WAY DOWN this year from last.


If you look at this graph, you will see that terrorism in Iraq is also far less this year than last.


He also failed to note that outside of Iraq and the war in Israel last year ... global terror was significantly reduced. You can't count Iraq and Israel in the terror count because they were battlefields, and the argument has always been that the rest of the world was/was not safer since Iraq. Well, it is, and there is no way to deny it.

Now that those corrections have been made in what Edwards had to say ... his plan is still good.

"Those nations who join will, by working together, show the world the power of cooperation," Edwards said. "Those nations who join will also be required to commit to tough criteria about the steps they will take to root out extremists, particularly those who cross borders. Those nations who refuse to join will be called out before the world."

I really don't know what he means by "called out." This seems to be Edwards' version of Obama trying to act tough because they have a reputation for being weak. We all know Edwards won't do anything but talk about countries who refuse. He won't take any real action against those nations that don't support anti-terrorist activities, and he's been critical of others who do want action against those countries.

He did make a very laughable statement in his speech regarding the Cold War.

Edwards accused Bush of focusing on Cold War institutions designed to win traditional wars instead of cooperation with allies to take out small hostile groups. He also accused him of "an exclusively short-term focus on the enemy we know" and "a foreign policy of convenience that readily does business with whoever is available and regularly turns a blind eye when our allies behave wrongly or fail to cooperate."

Once again another Democrat completely ignores the coalition of allies assisting us in this conflict. Even though there are more of them than the first time around.

The rest of his statement was hypocrisy at its best. He is willing to turn a blind eye to our allies doing bad things, and the Dems are notorious for continuing to focus on Cold War institutions that are now obsolete. That is the focus of appeasement.

Bush, S. Korean President Clash Over Ending Korean War

Many of you out there are no doubt confused. The Korean War ended decades ago, right? Wrong! The war has never ended ... kind of like our war with Iraq never ended in the 90's.

You still get combat pay when you are deployed to Korea because it is a war zone.

The S. Korean president wanted Bush to formally end the war with N. Korea, but Bush refused.

Breitbart:

Bush said that during his talks with Roh, he reaffirmed the U.S. position that Washington will consider the war formally over only when North Korean leader Kim Jong Il actually dismantles his nuclear program.

Whatever Roh heard Bush say through his translator, it wasn't good enough.

"I think I did not hear President Bush mention the—a declaration to end the Korean War just now," Roh said as cameras clicked and television cameras rolled.

Bush said he thought he was being clear, but obliged Roh and restated the U.S. position.

That wasn't good enough either. "If you could be a little bit clearer in your message," Roh said.

Bush, now looking irritated, replied: "I can't make it any more clear, Mr. President. We look forward to the day when we can end the Korean War. That will end—will happen when Kim verifiably gets rid of his weapons programs and his weapons."

The White House immediately downplayed the testy exchange and said the meeting went smoothly.

"There was clearly something lost in translation," National Security Council spokesman Gordon Johndroe said in a rushed e-mail to reporters.

"I really think the interpreter must not have conveyed the president's comments entirely clearly," Johndroe said. "The president made clear in his opening remarks that he told Roh that the U.S. is committed to a peace agreement once North Korea complies."

One of the more interesting aspects of this whole exchange is that the US can't end the war. We didn't declare war against the North, and the US was not the only combatant.

And despite Roh's challenge for Bush to make a declaration to end the war, the war was not between the United States and the North but between the North and the United Nations, and Bush alone could not end the war with a simple declaration. "As we say, `all parties involved,' " Johndroe said, when asked about the mechanics of achieving a peace treaty.

In June 1950, the U.N. Security Council, acting on a resolution advanced by the United States, adopted a resolution calling on its member states to help South Korea repel an invasion by the North.

So, even if the US 'considers' the war over ... it will not be over until the UN acts.

Nevertheless, I smell a poll coming on. You can take it on the top right of this website.

Should the UN declare the Korean War over?

Poll Results On If You Believe Sen. Craig Is Guilty

I wish I could say that I was surprised by the results of this poll, but I'm not. It was pretty close for a while, but the last few days have been ruled by those who think Craig is guilty.

51% of you said he was guilty.

33% said he was innocent.

15% said that there were problems with both accounts of what happened.

I really don't know what 51% of you thought Craig was guilty of ... he broke no law. That's the beauty of polls though ... your opinion counts.

NFL Week 1 Picks

UPDATE:

Looks like I went 9-15 in week 1. I was close on a couple of games that were won on last minute field goals. All in all, not bad for week 1 picks.

I didn't get this post up in time to include the Colts/Saints, but I would have picked the Colts ... though not so easily.

Sunday
TEN @ JAC -- Jac
ATL @ MIN -- Min *
PIT @ CLE -- Pit *
KC @ HOU -- Hou *
PHI @ GB -- Phi
NE @ NYJ -- NE *
DEN @ BUF -- Buf
CAR @ STL -- Stl
MIA @ WAS -- Was *
TB @ SEA -- Sea *
DET @ OAK -- Det *
CHI @ SD -- Chi
NYG @ DAL -- NYG

Monday
BAL @ CIN -- Cin *
ARI @ SF -- SF *

Well, there you have it. I will pick every week, and keep track of my success on this site.

New Comment System

I want to apologize to everyone who has been posting comments on this blog. I have not had a good experience with Haloscan in regards to your comments. There were not sorted by topic, and I often didn't know anyone had commented on the site. It was far more work than was necessary, and I have reverted back to the standard Blogger comment system, and I am now using Forret for my trackbacks.

See, I Told You Steroids Had Nothing To Do With The Benoit Murders

I have received great criticism for openly stating that steroids had no possible role in the Benoit murders. It really isn't that difficult to understand, but people are idiots. The situation isn't made any easier with the media constantly using the "roid rage" myth as a way to explain the murders.

Bottom line is, there was a crime that needs to be solved. No one benefits from us perpetuating the lie that Benoit murdered his family in a three day roid rage that has never been seen before in the history of mankind.

If Benoit did murder his family (and there are questions) then we need to find out why. Was it an event that happened in their lives? Was she leaving him? Did he catch her having an affair? Perhaps it was the drugs he was taking. After all, we already know that Percocet and Xanax can lead to violent behavior. It's well documented, and widely accepted that these drugs have violent side effects. If drugs led Benoit to murder ... it is far more likely that these are the prime suspects ... not steroids.

However, now we are learning that there is another possible explanation as to why Benoit would suddenly become violent towards his family.

Fox News:

Pro wrestler Chris Benoit suffered brain damage from his years in the ring that could help explain why he killed his wife, son and himself, a doctor who studied Benoit's brain said Wednesday.

The analysis by doctors affiliated with the Sports Legacy Institute suggests repeated concussions could have contributed to the killings at Benoit's suburban Atlanta home.

Finally, a legitimate explanation!

The level of brain damage Benoit had can cause depression and irrational behavior, Cantu said.

Benoit's brain showed the same degenerative processes that doctors working for the institute found in the brains of three men who had played pro football and committed suicide, Cantu said. There were abnormal protein deposits caused by trauma to Benoit's brain, Cantu said.

There's no evidence that steroid use causes such protein deposits, Cantu said, though he noted the issue has not been exhaustively studied.

Would anyone like to take a stab as to why the institute was studying Benoit's brain?

Michael Benoit said Wednesday that he agreed to the testing because murder-suicide was out of character for his son. He also disclosed that after the killings, he discovered a diary written by his son that showed his son was having problems.

"After reading the diary, I would have thought it was written by someone who was extremely disturbed at the time," Michael Benoit said.

He did not elaborate, but he did say a friend told him that prior to the murder-suicide, Chris Benoit had been wearing a rosary, which he said was also out of character.

This is extremely important. While it can not be determined that the brain damage caused Benoit to snap ... we now have Benoit's diary. Benoit was displaying unusual character for himself for an extended period of time before the murders. Thus, proving once and for all that steroids had nothing to do with the murders.