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US death toll in Iraq at 8 month low. New York Times op-ed calls for Congress to support the surge into 2008. Wow.

So much for the myth that Americans are insecure about the economy. Consumer confidence hits 6 year high.

Another Senator investigated for corruption.

Democrats start another worthless investigation of Bush administration. These Democrats are intent on becoming the most useless Congress ever in the mistaken belief they can win the presidency next year. They're ruining their chances.

This shows just how effective the War on Drugs isn't: kids stealing freon from air-conditioners to get high. I'll guess they'll ban that next.

Citizens upset over naked mannequins. Naturally they want government to force their removal.

Of course the Pentagon has plans to extend the surge. I'm sure it has plans to end it too. It's their job to plan for contingencies. But liberals are trying to make political hay out of it.

Arming the Saudis never helps.

Christopher Hitchens wonders why we're afraid to offend Muslims. I think the answer is obvious.

Reason on Jerry Falwell.

Printers pose health hazard. So does living.

Our government's self-destructive energy policy. They should get the hell out of the way and let the free market work.

Or course a border fence would have ecological ramifications. So do illegal immigrants all over the country, along with social and economic ramifications. But we don't need any fence. If we enforce the law against hiring illegal immigrants, the jobs will go away, and the illegal immigrants will go home on their. This isn't hard.

WSJ op-ed explains the Bush wiretapping controversy, and reports that the program has been repeatedly emasculated, risking new terrorist attacks. But Congress doesn't care about that.

The 2 parties are little parties by Tocqueville's standards.

Article claims China is a natural ally, if we had leaders who could pull it off.

Sovereign weath funds defy capitalist logic.

John Murtha's plans to defeat us in Iraq and free terrorists from Guantanamo.

Michael Barone examines reports that the surge is working, and how that is bad news for the Democrats.

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New British Prime Minister Brown says the world owes the US a debt for taking the lead in the fight on terrorism. It's about time somebody noticed it.

Russia to sell long range fighter jets and refueling planes to Iran. Lovely.

71% of American approve of more surveillance cameras.

Bush asks Congress to update FISA to better track terrorists.

Google fights to open the wireless spectrum.

Man arrested for hate crime for flushing a Koran. Liberals have now forced thought crimes on Americas.

Boortz reports that cities are suing gangs to stop gang crime. Interesting idea, but the ACLU wants to put a stop to it. If liberals get their way, the only people the law will ever apply to is white men.

Americans think the Supreme Court is well balanced. What does that even mean, and why does it matter? The Court should have no ideological bias at all, and none of the justices decisions should be based on ideology. They should be based on the law - the Constitution first, then other laws next.

Mark Steyn rips society for the sexual abuse charges against the 7th graders who slapped other students on the butt. This is a sign of the decline of civilization. Renting pets is another. So is suing a school because your daughter got cut at cheerleading tryouts.

Another article shows that illegal immigrants are self-deporting because of the environment. I've said all along that they'll leave when the jobs dry up. The proof is in the pudding.

The failure of liberals to succeed at talk radio is not an issue for government to take up any more than the failure of cornish game hens to compete with chickens in the grocery. It' s a market decision.

Scientists breed a schizophrenic mouse. Watch it get loose and breed. Mouse attacks will become commonplace.

Schumer and liberals are upset that the Roberts court has made small steps to reestablishing the Constitution as the supreme law of the land.

China and Russia love it when people think Iran is our enemy. Iran, like North Korea, is just a proxy for China and Russia. They're our new Cold War of Terror enemies. Iran is a useful tool.

Congress wants to raise taxes on cigarettes to insure children who already have private health insurance. This is just a power grab popularized by punishing smokers.

Private enterprise may soon compete with NASA.

We better be prepared for China with all updated weapons in 10 years.

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The House of Representatives has blatantly overstepped its constitutional powers in an attempt to pardon 2 border agents. You watch, the right, which pretends to be a party of small government and limited powers, will embrace this abuse of power. But 2 wrongs don't make a right; they just make government even worse.

Proposed $20 billion arms sale to Saudis. I guess this is thanks for their great job keeping oil prices down and promoting a peaceful strain of Islam all around the world. Wait. They're doing just the opposite.

House bill banning paperless voting machines advances.

US intelligence community can't keep up with terrorists. Too much government makes us unresponsive and inflexible.

US to increase military aid to Israel. We're just going to arm everybody.

Chuck Schumer claims Roberts and Alito duped the Senate. Give me a break.

British tale of a CIA rendition.

Reason on the transhumanist conference.

Iraq wins Asian soccer tournament.

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America continues to make the Chinese rich while they continue to use our money to fund a new Cold War of Terror against us. China is now arming insurgents and police in Iraq while building up their nuclear and conventional arsenal. We keep voting for leaders who are too stupid to do anything about it, and Sun Tzu is laughing at us from his grave.

Ralph Peters goes over rarely reported good news from Iraq and suggests the next presidential debates be held in Baghdad.

US and Iraqi forces kill 17 Mahdi Army fighters.

Another explosion at Pakistan's Red Mosque.

US increases funding for Israel's missile defense. This could be preparation for a strike on Iran.

Iran says it will never stop its nuclear program. I think Ahmadinejad says that at least once a week.

Couple arrested for flying a flag upside down.

Reason says terrorism is a real threat.

Slate advocates liberal judges rewrite the law in their own image at will. I'm not kidding.

EPA investigates threat against global warming skeptic.

Michael Moore has been served a subpoena for his Cuba trip. It's a hard to get a proper permit to go to Cuba.

Reason considers if Ron Paul is good for the libertarian movement.

Review of The Simpson's Movie.

Competition is essential for school kids.

Boortz mentions a politically incorrect book from the 70s about a third world invasion of Europe. Sounds very insightful and prescient.

Does public accommodation of Muslims discriminate against other religions? Can you imagine how liberals would howl if institutions catered to Christians this way?

Ohio Senator Voinovich was the only Senator to vote against more border security. Is he nuts? Time for a letter.

Rising Tide of Global Warming Skepticism

Rising Tide of Global Warming Skepticism

by Mark Luedtke

In An Inconvenient Truth, Al Gore writes of tackling man-made global warming: “When we do rise, it will fill our spirits and bind us together. Those who are now suffocating in cynicism and despair will be able to breathe freely. Those who are now suffering from a loss of meaning in their lives will find hope.” When we rise, “we will experience an epiphany as we discover that this crisis is not really about politics at all. It is a moral and spiritual challenge.”

Gore's invocation of spirituality is a religious assault on reason. But just like the Catholic Church was ultimately unable to stifle reason, science and debate, Gore and other prophets of the church of man-made global warming have failed to stop heretical climate scientists from injecting reason to the public debate.

Resisting the church is no easy task. The church of man-made global warming is big business. The United States government alone spends $4 billion a year on global warming research. Scientists like expensive SUVs like everybody else, and to win a piece of this multi-billion dollar pie, they have to bow to the church and propose research to study man-made global warming. Even prominent skeptical scientists warn their students to keep their skepticism to themselves or suffer professionally. As the Cato Institute reports, the result of scientists falling over themselves to get a piece of this huge pie is a rash of sloppy science.

But the reporting of this science is even sloppier. Newspaper and TV news programs, experiencing accelerating financial losses, look for sensational news stories to generate revenue. “Greenland Ice Cap to Disappear” sells a lot more papers than “Greenland's Ice Cap Changes Typical as Ever”. “Global Temperatures Rising at Unprecedented Rate” brings in a lot more viewers than “Global Temperature Variation Well Within Historical Norms”. The second headlines are accurate, but sensationalism, not accuracy, sells. The BBC has admitted its bias on global warming. Don't expect that kind of honesty from a major American news outlet.

The church of man-made global warming got a big boost by the natural disasters in the hurricane seasons of 2004 and 2005, but one of the reasons that skepticism is growing is the weather hasn't continued to cooperate with the church. The bad hurricane season forecast for 2006 never emerged. The church had to dump the term 'global warming' because the weather wouldn't cooperate. Record cold this winter and spring, record cold and snows in the Southern Hemisphere this June, and snow flurries in Wyoming also this June forced the church to adopt the new term 'climate change'. Now the church can claim any bad weather is evidence of man-made climate change.

Thousands of scientists working with funds that dwarf many industries have been searching for nearly 30 years for the holy grail of the church of man-made global warming: a theory of climate change that meets the observed data. So far, they've failed. Despite all the money, time, and expertise, they can't produce a climate model that is accurate when run backwards. That's cause for great skepticism in itself.

To cover up this failure, the church has promoted the idea of a scientific consensus that humans cause climate change, invoking the same standard used by the Catholic Church to imprison and threaten Galileo with excommunication because he bucked the consensus that Earth was the center of the universe. Politics is about consensus, and the church is about politics, but the public knows that science is about the scientific method and tested theories, not consensus.

And the politics of global warming is socialism, despite the overwhelming destructive consequences of central planning in the 20th century. Czech President Vaclav Klaus says that socialism powered by the church of man-made global warming is now more of a threat to freedom than communism. All proposed solutions to man-made global warming involve increasing socialism around the world, with Americans paying far and away the worst price. But if global warming was a tremendous man-made threat, nobody would suggest that China and India, the two most populous nations in the world, should be exempt from the Kyoto Treaty limiting greenhouse gas emissions, yet they are.

Also, the public can tell this bogus consensus is no consensus at all. Al Gore predicts that sea levels will rise 20 feet by the end of the century. In 2001, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) predicted that sea levels would rise by 4 to 35 inches. It downgraded its worst case to 23 inches in 2007. The IPCC can't agree with itself, let alone others, and even the New York Times told Gore to knock off the flagrant alarmism.

Gore scurries from honest debate, but he just produced a series of gas guzzling concerts around the world. By most accounts, even Gore's sermon from a planet-sized pulpit with loudspeakers failed to overwhelm. Skeptics recognize that Gore is amassing tremendous wealth by grandly preaching energy austerity then hopping on private jets with celebrity energy hogs.

At Gore's concert, Robert F. Kennedy Jr. attempted to intimidate skeptics by claiming they should be charged with treason. Others have likened skeptics to Holocaust deniers and called for Nuremberg style trails. An increasingly skeptical public is overcoming these assaults on reason and empowering quality science and reasoned debate which will ultimately lead to better policy.

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The NYTimes has a breakdown of Gen. Petraeus' plan for winning in Iraq. Slate has analysis explaining why success in Iraq is still a long-shot despite Petraeus' plan. But it's in our interest to try. So far the successes have been greater than we had any right to expect.

Judge throws out local law addressing illegal immigration.

The FBI calls Chinese spying a serious concern. Nice to see the FBI has finally noticed. It's been going on for years, and it's just now a serious concern? Has the FBI been stuck in a donut shop? The Chinese are waging a war of subterfuge against us.

Gonzales may face perjury probe. Bush should cut this loser loose. Not to appease ankle-biting Democrats, but for the good of the country. We need a competent Attorney General. Not another special prosecutor who might well run rogue and carry out another witch-hunt. What's the matter with the prosecutors we have? Looks like he's caught red handed.

Democrats try another unconstitutional ploy to end the war in Iraq. Just cut off funding or revoke the war authorization, and take your medicine for defeating your own country.

I don't want the government tracking me while I'm at the beach, or anywhere else.

It's reefer madness all over again: study claims smoking just one joint can raises the risk of schizophrenia by 40%.

Newt takes on the establishment.

Reason says Hillary would be another imperial president.

FBI and Chinese officials shut down Chinese software piracy ring.

Obesity spreads through social networks. Wow.

Worker sabotages NASA computer.

John Stossel explains that capitalism and wealth generation have enabled tolerance and humaneness, not government.

A strategy for winning in Iraq that means settling differences with Iran. Since that means allowing Iran to have the bomb, that option's out.

As I predicted, a Bloomberg candidacy would help Democrats. It gives the hate Hillary crowd a candidate who isn't a Republican, and it gives people fed up with Republicans but would never vote Democrat a candidate that isn't a Democrat.

Why isn't anybody talking about social security? Because that would cost them the election.

A mini autobiography of Ayaan Hirsi Ali.

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Ron Paul sponsors bill to end the Iraq war constitutionally. Democrats don't have the integrity to do this.

Grand jury refuses to indict doctor of murder for mercy killings in the wake of hurricane Katrina. I don't like the logical conclusion of this thinking. I wouldn't want doctors killing every person in pain.

We've known for years that al Qaeda in Iraq reports to bin Laden. Remember Zarqawi's letters?

House judiciary committee approves contempt charges for Bush aids. While I'm sure the loony left loves eats this stuff up, the Democrats are imploding with the public at large. If they continue, they're going to lose this politically and legally.

Al Qaeda in Iraq is suffering a rebellion, as junior member provide information to US troops. Wow. This is how we'll win. Democrats want to defeat us before this becomes well known in the US.

Arab leaders travel to Israel with peace offer.

Russian built nuclear plant in Iran won't open until at least Autumn 2008.

Russia's youth praise Stalin. That's one sick country. No wonder Putin is getting away with returning to totalitarianism.

Ward Churchill, the fraudulent Colorado professor who called the victims of 9/11 "little Eichmanns", was finally fired.

Reason is against making smokers pay for children's socialized medicine.

The dangers of restrictions on potentially life-saving experimental drugs.

In another blow to Al Gore's church of global warming, hurricane forecaster reduces hurricane prediction.

Obama's aids dare to claim that his campaign is modeled on Ronald Reagan's. Invoking Ronald Reagan in support of this dangerous socialist is the hight of hypocrisy. Reagan's success came from his limited government, low tax message, not some vague, misleading concept as hope. Liberals simply cannot admit that Reagan's success was about limited government.

Hillary continues to try and hide who she is. Now she doesn't want to be called liberal.

UFO sighting over Stratford-upon-Avon. This will turn out to be some publicity stunt.

7th graders arrested for smacking girls' butts.

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Iran has increased support for Iraqi militias since talks began. Like al Qaeda, they're afraid we might succeed in Iraq. Heated exchange. Yet we're going to set up a security discussion group with Iran. Why not just them detailed plans for troop movements and allocations? And the codes to our nukes? How stupid are we?

No good answers as to why al Qaeda is a strong now as it was before 9/11.

It's about time Bush explained that fighting al Qaeda in Iraq is fighting al Qaeda. Al Qaeda has been telling us that for years.

Taliban commander blows himself up to avoid capture. This after being released from Guantanamo. Why are we releasing terrorists from Guantanamo?

Attorney General accuses aids to New York governor of using state police to smear political opponent.

New Haven, Connecticut provides legal ID to illegal immigrants. Supposedly to reduce crime. I guess they forgot that the illegal aliens are the criminals.

Harry Reid takes on file sharing.

Wikipedia discovers errors in Encyclopedias Britannica.

Reason asks if living longer is worth it.

Slate claims the Democrats' YouTube debate was entertaining. I guess instead of voting on issues and character, we should just vote on entertainment value.

House Democrats hold 10 to 1 cash edge on Republicans.

Hillary is changing her tune again. In April she said she would meet with troublesome world leaders. In July she slams Obama for saying same. Nice catch, Drudge. Newspapers should do more of this.

Biden calls gun owner nuts in debate.

Russian newspaper Pravda treats hollow earth theory as if it were serious.

Ralph Peters stands up for John McCain. This only makes sense if your only issue is winning the war in Iraq. McCain's support for amnesty, his disregard for the First Amendment, and position as a statist disqualify him for President.

Harry Reid and Nancy Pelosi are working overtime to defeat transparency of earmarks.

Democrats are mistaken when they claim Iraq has nothing to do with al Qaeda. Al Qaeda considers Iraq the central front in the war on terror, and devotes most of its resources there. That makes it the central front in the war on terror, and we should crush al Qaeda in Iraq while assaulting the rest of al Qaeda anywhere it hides.

The WSJ agrees with me that Democrats' threats to bring charges in spite of Bush's claims of executive privilege are spurious, and explains why Clinton's demands of executive privilege were bogus while Bush's are legal.

We should be certainly be worried about China's economy, and the way to answer China's growth is by adopting the FairTax and reducing the size and scope of government.

Thomas Sowell asks if America is morally paralyzed to act against Iran like France was morally paralyzed to act against Hitler. A nuclear armed Iran will be far more dangerous to the US than Hitler.

Ralph Peters criticizes the original generals in Iraq, and thinks that the good generals, Gen. Petraeus and his staff, have finally risen to the top.

Democrats are blocking bill that would protect citizens from lawsuits if they report suspicious behavior to authorities.

The top 10 discoveries of Mars rovers Spirit and Opportunity.

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Support for the Iraq war is on the rise. Petraeus has credibility.

Pakistani military is on the offensive in the tribal lands.

Turkey's Islamic pragmatists win in landslide, but promise to support secularism. Hmmm.

Hezbollah claims rockets can reach all of Israel. Iran should be proud.

Putin's power grabs are moving Russia backwards.

Reason on fuel efficiency.

Reason discusses paying kids for good grades. I think it's a great idea. Kids are unlikely to understand the value of the investment in education until they're preparing for college, but they'll understand that better performance generates more rewards.

Bush's bitter ex-Surgeon General has his own problem politicizing science.

Dick Cheney is rolling in dough because of Halliburton stock.

We may soon see $100 for a barrel of oil.

Dollar reaches new low. We need to adopt the FairTax.

British politician George Galloway profited from Saddam's oil for food program.

Newt Gingrich blasts the GOP candidates and the political process.

Democrats raise $100 million more than Republicans.

If you needed more proof that the 2 parties are almost identical, Wall Street is donating more heavily to Democrats than Republicans. You would think Wall Street would prefer even slightly lower taxes.

Romney is taking on Fred Thompson.

The Democrats held a YouTube debate? Apparently. It sure wasn't well publicized.

Woman stripped an beaten after being branded a witch. Patrick Fitzgerald caught another witch.

Google's plan to bid on 700 MHz spectrum.

Firefox 2.0.0.5 password vulnerability. This is just one reason I never allow my browsers to remember my passwords.

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Dubai claims world's tallest building. The US doesn't even bother to compete anymore in a sign of western decline.


Company implants employees with RFID chips.

Turkey invites Iraq and US to discuss PKK terrorist problem.

Military has Taliban hostage takers surrounded.

Israeli troops kill 2 Hamas gunmen. It must be Tuesday.

Chavez consolidates power, merging political parties into 1.

Refinery problems drive up gasoline prices.

Mark Steyn discusses the American hostages in Iran. More on the American hostages and Iran's abuses against its citizens.

Charles Krauthammer explains that Gen. Petraeus is finally carrying out an American vision in Iraq, and it's about time. We should never have put our eggs in Maliki's basket. Now we're pacifying the country without him. Either the government will use the ensuing security to form a unity government with Sunnis, or it not. That's up to them.

Democrats are more out of touch with religious voters than ever.

Article claims it's in Pakistan's interest against India to keep Afghanistan unstable. Pakistan's first priority is in countering India, not defeating terrorism. In a similar vein, author asks 2 great questions regarding Pakistan:

There are two big questions worth pondering gravely: 1. Are we witnessing a repetition of the events in Iran, in 1979, in which all the relatively "liberal" elements in Persian society fell to squabbling among themselves, while the totalitarian Islamists under Ayatollah Khomeini deposed the Shah? 2. Whether or not this could happen, will it come to appear so likely, that India will resolve to prevent it by main force?

Keith Olbermann is losing it.

Author wonders if anybody is listening to Gen. Petraeus. Everybody should be.

Linux desktop based on Firefox.

Editorial claims that a majority of Senators from both parties want a new mission in Iraq - fewer troops focused on al Qaeda, training Iraqis, and force protection. This isn't a new mission. This is the same old mission that failed for 4 years. Bush changed course and leadership in Iraq as the public demanded. We finally have a man in charge, Gen. Petreaus, who can get the job done, and we have enough troops to pacify the Baghdad region and possibly the whole country. For the first time in 4 years, Al Qaeda in Iraq is being destroyed. Why would anybody want to go back to the failed policy of the last 4 years?

The New York Times has an extensive piece on Ron Paul.

Author astutely recognizes that Republicans are preparing to pull the plug on Iraq after Gen. Petreaus' report in Sept. Gen Petreaus' honest assessment of the surge and of the consequences of potential changes in strategy is unlikely to win over any Democrats or fence sitting Republicans. Even in the surge is magnificently succeeding, Gen. Petreaus would never say that because he isn't given to that kind of excess. Nice title.

Diplomat describes his past discussions with Iran concerning invading Afghanistan in 2001.

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Fatah gunmen disarm and pledge not to attack Israel in support of Abbas. Interesting.

Turkey prepares for election to determine if it will remain secular or become an Islamic state.

China shuts down 3 plants for safety concerns.

Good news about the weak dollar. This shows that free markets with floating monetary policy work.

Bush issues orders regarding interrogation techniques.

Congressman hunts for CIA employees who leaked info on secret prisons.

There's nothing wrong with businesses accepting pesos in payment. A business can accept anything it wants. If immigration hawks don't like it, they should work to stop illegal immigration, not attack businesses for taking advantage.

OxyContin Maker and 3 executives fined $634 million for misleading public about addiction. This is how it's supposed to work.

Libertarian positions on animal cruelty. Animals are not people, but that doesn't excuse animal cruelty.

As comfortable as it is here in late July (a high of 74 yesterday), there's a heat wave in southern Europe.

Slate on the Pentagon-Clinton dust-up. I think it will just disappear.

The world's stupidest fatwas.

Space station to dump more space junk. We need to find a better solution or we won't be able to leave the planet.

Dust storms threaten Mars rovers, Spirit and Opportunity. Awesome picture of lightning in Mars dust storm.

More proof that conservatives are just liberals-light. Republicans complain that bill doesn't have enough spending for social programs.

Australians are recognizing The Great Global Warming Swindle. So is everybody else. Skepticism is on the rise.

Larry Kudlow explains that today's great economy is part of Reagan's legacy. The greatest economic story never told indeed.

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Rocket launcher found on lawn in New Jersey.

White House asserts expanded privilege, stating Congress has no power to compel the Justice Dept. to pursue contempt charges. This makes sense to me, but we should have never gotten to this point. Congress' stupid, baseless attacks on the President over firing attorneys that he has complete power to fire has led to this assertion so that Bush can protect his advisers. Now they've created a Constitutional crisis over a non-issue, just like they got Libby convicted on a non-issue.

Committee passes high tech supported patent reform.

Harry Reid's rudeness has left Senate relations at all time low.

General warns that it will take until spring to consolidate gains made so far, and any premature pull out will lose those gains. Even the UN warns against accepting retreat and defeat in Iraq.

The CIA read emails as they were written in Iraqi internet cafes. How boring would that job be? Surveillance is always boring, until you find what you're looking for.

Iranian President Ahmadinejad meets Syrian President Assad. Two terrorists in a pod.

Pakistani Supreme Court reinstates Chief Justice previously suspended by President Musharraf.

China sends us poisoned, fake, and rotten imports, then warns us against talking about it. Why do we put up with this bull?

China has developed an anti-ship missile that can't be stopped by our anti-missile defenses. How could we be behind China in this arms race? Also, Bush pushed Dubai ports deal in exchange for intelligence.

Russia threatens British companies over diplomatic standoff. We need to stop these thugs, China and Russia, who are waging a very real Cold War of Terror against the west.

Underground lake in Darfur is dried up. We're back to building a water pipeline.

Reason asks why pro sports owners are scared of marijuana. Because it's illegal.

Oil hits $76.

Harry Potter secrecy run amok.

Anti-smoking ads have opposite effect on kids. Maybe because kids are rebellious? This should surprise nobody, but it will surprise liberals anyway because their religion is so out of touch with reality.

Slate has an homage to space travel.

Cassini discovers 60th moon orbiting Saturn.

Funny hypothetical questions for presidential debates.

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Russia expels 4 British diplomats in ongoing struggle over extradition of Litvinenko murder suspect. British scramble fighters to intercept Russian bombers approaching British airspace. This new Cold War of Terror is really starting to resemble the old Cold War.

Bombs in Pakistan kill 33.

Iraqi group reported to be front for al Qaeda, spokesman an actor. Sunni insurgents attempt to unite and become a political force.

Because of our shortsightedness, energy supply will not meet demand without huge investment in new production of oil. It didn't take a rocket scientist to realize this would happen. We've been reading about exploding demand for decades, but we've done little to expand supply.

Bush sets up panel to investigate safety of imports.

Valerie Plame's spurious lawsuit against administration bogeymen is dismissed.

Congressman mistakenly thinks taxpayer money is his personal money. He also claims that Republicans lost the majority because of opposition to earmarks. I can't make this stuff up.

Reason says Bush is the biggest regulator since Ford and Nixon, but most of his regulation is on post 9/11 security.

Slate thinks that more domestic spying is in our future, and wonders how it will be done legally.

Justice Dept. oversight of the FBI is a farce.

Ban alert: New Zealanders unhappy with ban on political satire of parliament.

Gore keeps stepping up the alarmism in his apocolyptic visions. All religions need an end-of-the-world scenario. This man needs to be in a straight jacket. Eating beef is more green-house gas unfriendly than driving. I drive to get my beef, so there.

Walmart considers investing in Chinese retail giant.

Reason follows John Edwards. You'd think they'd have something better to do with their resources.

Obama supports sex ed for kindergarteners.

Scientist thinks imported Asian parasite is killing American bees.

Enigma machine for sale on ebay.

Crocodile bites off vet's arm, rescuers save it, and doctors reattach it. Graphic picture warning. From boortz.com.

Author shows that perceived lack of opportunity frustrates Americans, not income disparity. This is so obvious, it should go without saying, but liberals like to pretend otherwise to advance their socialist agenda.

Hugh Hewitt interviews Gen. Petraeus.

Executive order aimed at freezing assets of Iranian forces and their proxies operating in Iraq.

The fate of Iraqi refugees if we prematurely pull out of Iraq.

Pentagon official challenges Hillary for her suggestion the Pentagon plan for retreat and defeat.

Austin Bay describes 7 potential scenarios if we prematurely pull out of Iraq.

Dick Morris points out that the House bill that supposedly mandated a withdrawal from Iraq was in fact merely a reduction in troops. This highlights what I've been saying - Democrats know we can't actually retreat from Iraq, despite what they keep saying. There will be no fundamental difference between the parties on the Iraq war, and this election will come down to socialism versus big-government conservatism, and Americans won't vote for socialism.

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Captured al Qaeda in Iraq leader documents ties to bin Laden and Zawahri. Does this photo look staged or what?

Militants ambush Pakistani troops.

Britain foils Russian plot to kill billionaire. Britain suggests 3rd country trial of suspected Litvinenko murderer.

Democrats only muster 52 votes in Senate to force retreat from Iraq. So much for the wavering Republicans. Congress' approval ratings at record low. The voters see through these ridiculous stunts.

Discovery of underground lake could end Darfur conflict. Why didn't somebody just build a water pipeline?

Stealth ads appearing in news programs.

New Orleans ocean dead zone expected to grow.

Earmark for organization that may not exist.

Reason discusses how the news media plays on people's emotions, leading to policy driven by emotion instead of reason.

Why doctors should fear the DEA. As should we all.

Slate assumes there's a problem with executive privilege. I think the problem is Congress' abuse of oversight for perceived political gain because it distracts from their failures.

Slate incorrectly claims that the Iraq war is making us less safe at home. They don't seem to understand opportunity cost. All those terrorists fighting and dying in Iraq aren't fighting elsewhere. The few who leave to murder elsewhere are a much smaller number than would attack us if we pulled out of Iraq.

Trying to understand democracy in the Middle East.

Democratic candidates promise tax-payer funded abortions for everybody. They're cutting their own throats. Many pro-choice people don't want to pay for others' abortions.

Hillary reschedules location from gay bed and breakfast to traditional inn, fearing backlash.

Reason wonders if Bill Richardson is a libertarian Democrat. I don't think such a beast really exists, but Bill Richardson is the best of a terrible Democratic field.

Sonar evidence supports great flood theory making Great Britain and island.

The NIS reports that al Qaeda's leaders meet regularly in Iran.

White House order freezing of assets for groups that support terrorism. Why did this just happen? Didn't this happen on 9/12? Why the delay?

Americans recognize liberal bias in the mainstream media.

Norwegians upset over exorbitant taxes.

Thomas Sowell points out the folly of propping up an elected Iraqi government before we built the institutions for democracy, including security. Thank you! I've been saying this for years, and it's nice to have somebody else finally saying it.

Ed Koch is done supporting the Iraq war.

John Stossel continues to pound on Michael Moore in the big-government debate.

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US faces persistent terrorist threat from al Qaeda in Iraq. This is why we need to continue destroying al Qaeda in Iraq, not retreating from them. Al Qaeda in Iraq is on the run. Great WSJ article explaining that not all libertarians oppose the war in Iraq. Some even supported the invasion. Do we need a news article to tell us that safe havens are a problem? Didn't we learn that in Vietnam?

Russia threatens UK over expelled diplomats. Russia is like a spoiled kid who think it can murder at will with no consequences, then threatens everybody who fights back.

There are no good plans for Iraq, but the surge is the least bad and the most likely to succeed. Democrats plan all night debate as a political stunt. That ought to help us win the war. Most Democratic supporters will see right through this stunt. Contrasting positions of Gen. Pace's comments about a sea change in security in Iraq and Harry's Reid's slumber party for defeat political stunt in the Senate.

Airborne antimissile laser passes test.

Muslim US Senator compares Bush to Hitler.

Sweden is failing to integrate Muslim immigrants.

Reason examines if high oil prices are here to stay. We're not doing anything to increase supply, so of course they'll stay.

Stay at home mothers are gaining new respect.

Ron Paul leads Republicans in donations from the military. Reason says libertarians have a lot to gain from Ron Paul's candidacy even if he loses.

"None of the above" is the leader in the Republican race.

Blogs and Google are taking advertising from tech media.

Mitochondria and reviving the dead.

3 points about terrorists that should be reported every day.

Elderly couple may lose house because they missed $1.63 tax bill.

8 year old boy stopped from flying because his name is on the terrorist watch list.

Hamas has replaced Mickey Mouse lookalike that promotes suicide bombing with a cute bee that promotes suicide bombing. Very peaceful.

Article says that Islam is in the middle of a civil war all over the middle east, and that makes it hard for us to influence events.

Thomas Sowell asks what happens afterward if we pull out of Iraq.

Jonah Goldberg puts some perspective on claims of imperial presidency in the 20th century and the effect of partisanship.

Small donors increase campaign funding.

The only office Democrats want to cut is the one for labor union oversight.

The government has no power to force people to buy health insurance.

Ayaan Hirsi Ali politely puts anti-American Canadian interviewer in his place.

Bill Bennett says Republicans should unite behind victory in Iraq. I say all Americans should do the same.

Dick Morris examines a poll that shows that the vast majority of Iranians disagree with their terrorist government.

Pat Buchanan asks if President Bush is waging a covert war in Iran, in preparation for a hot war, and what Congress' role is. Now is not the time for a hot war with Iran. I'm all for a covert war that leads to regime change, but we need overt pretense for a hot war, and even then it should only be on the fringes of Iran, like sinking their navy and blockading their ports, so that Iranian public sentiment doesn't turn to support for their regime.

Peggy Noonan rips President Bush, seemingly on a personal level. I understand ripping Bush for tangible reasons, but it seem Peggy as lost her objectivity.

Hypocrisy Over Libby

Hypocrisy Over Libby

by Mark Luedtke

Bill Clinton admitted to lying to a grand jury, and he never spent a day in prison or even lost his job. The same liberals who are up in arms because President Bush commuted Scooter Libby's prison sentence want to reward the admitted perjurer with 4 more years as co-president. Bill Clinton lied to cover-up sexual assault and witness tampering. There was no underlying crime in the Libby case, but liberals are gathering torches and pitchforks because Bush saved him from prison. Liberals love it when their side gets away with lies, but those on the other side must pay a steep price.

This whole Plame/Wilson/Libby affair is an encapsulation of what's wrong with our government: self-interest, dishonesty, hypocrisy and exaggerated partisanship.

It all started with Valerie Plame's self-interest. Frustrated from riding a desk, Plame wished to return to a covert agent role at the CIA. She was against the Iraq war from the start, and when she had an opportunity to assert herself beyond her bureaucratic position into the pre-war debate, she recommended her husband, Joseph Wilson, for the task of verifying whether or not Saddam Hussein had attempted to buy yellow-cake, a form of uranium, from Niger. Unfortunately, instead of sending a professional, the CIA took Plame's advice.

Wilson traveled to Niger and obtained confirmation from the former prime minister of Niger that an Iraqi delegation had expressed interest in yellow-cake, but Niger let the matter drop. Wilson dutifully returned to Washington and reported his findings. President Bush used Wilson's confirmation to back up his now famous statement in his State of the Union that, “The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa.”

Wilson's lies followed. He wrote an op-ed in the New York Times claiming he had not received confirmation. He also testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee that he had seen a suspected forged memo documenting Saddam's attempted purchase before that memo had ever surfaced. After examining all the evidence, the Senate Intelligence Committee concluded that Wilson had lied in the op-ed and in his testimony.

You don't have to take my word regarding those facts. The Senate Intelligence Committee reports about Wilson's and Plame's actions, including Plame's email recommendation, are readily available. Wilson and Plame's lies have been exposed by their own words, but liberals regard them as heroes.

After Wilson's op-ed was published, Richard Armitage, a war opponent who worked at the State Department, not the White House, accidentally leaked the information to Robert Novak that Plame had recommended her husband, Wilson. Novak's revelation triggered a partisan rampage. Reports from several reporters and more witnesses that Plame's marriage to Wilson was common knowledge in Washington were drowned out by the baseless attacks on the White House.

Unrelenting partisan attacks led to the appointment of Patrick Fitzgerald as special prosecutor to investigate the leak. Within the first 2 weeks of his investigation, Fitzgerald discovered that Valerie Plame had been a bureaucrat, not a covert agent as defined by law, well past the statutory limit on outing covert agents. Fitzgerald also learned that Richard Armitage had leaked Plame's name to Robert Novak. At that point, Fitzgerald had met the goals of his investigation, and any responsible prosecutor would have shut it down, announced his findings, and ended the whole sordid non-affair.

But Fitzgerald saw a chance to pay Libby back for defeating him in a high profile case several years before, so, stoking partisan fervor, Fitzgerald orchestrated a grand jury process that guaranteed everybody in his investigation would make statements that contradicted each other and even contradicted themselves because of imperfect memory of minutia recalled several times over several years. For 3 years, Fitzgerald spun his web of contradictions. Inevitably, nearly a dozen witnesses told contradictory stories, but Fitzgerald singled out only his nemesis, Libby, and charged him with perjury and obstruction of justice. Because Fitzgerald knew that Plame had not been legally covert at the time of the outing, he didn't charge anybody with that crime.

When Fitzgerald ended his investigation, President Bush should have stepped in and pardoned Libby and fired Fitzgerald for conducting a witch-hunt. It was a mistake for Bush to sit on the sidelines and allow Fitzgerald's personal vendetta, fueled by partisanship, to continue. Libby was convicted by a partisan jury that wanted to see Cheney in the dock, as they told the press after the trial, but settled for convicting Libby because he was all they had. After the trial, when his claim couldn't be refuted in court, Fitzgerald claimed Plame was covert in a successful attempt to draw a harsher sentence.

Fitzgerald's prosecution is reminiscent of Mike Nifong's Duke case. Like Nifong, Fitzgerald withheld exculpatory evidence for 3 years that would have ended his investigation. Like Nifong, Fitzgerald used partisanship to advance self-interest. Unlike Nifong, Fitzgerald got away with prosecutorial abuse instead of losing his job.

Commuting Libby's sentence allows Libby a chance to clear his name. A pardon can't do that at this point, though I expect if Libby's appeal fails, Bush will pardon him. President Bush missed his window of opportunity to take the high ground and use his bully pulpit against a rogue prosecutor powered by partisanship, and so liberals hypocritically rage on while the Plame non-affair continues to divide the nation. But Scooter Libby is paying an unjust price.

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Two car bombs kill 80 in Kirkuk. Gen. Petraeus has tightened security in Baghdad, and al Qaeda is on the run, but they're trying to keep the killing in the press. This is al Qaeda's counter offensive against the surge.

US plans to keep robots in operation in Iraq for years. US general makes case for continuing the surge until the beginning of spring.

Cheney pushing Bush towards military strike on Iran. We still haven't tried tough sanctions. We should stop doing business with any company that does business with Iran. Iranian prisoners in Iraq escape.

UN inspectors confirm that North Korea shut down nuclear reactor.

UK and Russia in stand-off over extradition of Polonium murder suspect. UK expels 4 Russian diplomats.

Reason questions Bush's optimism about Iraq. Again, they're underestimating the effects of security on the grass roots.

India plans mandatory registration of fetuses to cut down on abortions.

Rising food prices mean UN can't afford food aid. If the UN stopped feeding people, they would feed themselves. Welfare of all kinds is damaging to both recipient and provider. This push for ethanol doesn't make any sense because it's not driven by the free market and it's driving up the cost of food, but welfare doesn't make any sense either. Ice cream makers feeling heat.

Suspected al Qaeda cell in Hollywood after 9/11.

House Democrats vote to surrender Iraq to al Qaeda and Iran. Senate considers same.

More and more people dislike Hillary every day.

Apparently fundamentalism is common in Muslim professionals. Lovely.

British schools will stop teaching about Churchill, Hitler, Stalin, etc., to focus on drugs and GM food. This is not a joke.

Tax cuts around the world fuel record global economy. We need to adopt the FairTax to remain at the top of the economic food chain.

Democrats are trying to derail Thompson.

Thomas Jefferson attended church in the House of Representatives. That's not a violation of the First Amendment. Judicial activism has run amok regarding the separation of church and state.

Robert Novak says earmark reform is a sham.

Michael Barone warns against stopping the surge prematurely.

Remembering Hillarycare; socialized medicine.

The precarious position of Unifil in southern Lebanon.

Phylis Schlafly blasts the Senate for another education power grab.

Earmark for Andre Agassi. The government subsidizes millionaires including Scottie Pippen not to farm.

If Islam is a religion of peace, why won't Muslims put an end to Muslim violence and hatred. Why aren't there a 1000 Muslim leaders calling for Osama bin Laden's capture? Why haven't Muslims turned him in? Why aren't there a 1000 Muslim leaders calling for peace for every radical cleric calling for suicide bombings? Why aren't there 1000 Muslim schools teaching tolerance and peace for every Wahhabist and other radical Muslim school? The war on terror won't end until Muslims stop violent Muslims, when Muslim mothers care more about their children's lives than jihad. I'm not disparaging the many peaceful Muslims, I hope for their help, but the ideology clearly, commonly inspires fanatical violence.

Rich Lowry calls Bush the last hawk standing.

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Website posts bin Laden video. This fits the pattern for a call to attack. I hope they can't pull off anything.

Pakistan terrorists end truce with government. We should bomb that entire area into dust. Allowing al Qaeda to use it as a safe haven and reconstitute it's strength back to pre-9/11 levels is unconscionable.

Iranian rocket launchers found in Iraq, targeting American base.

Israel continues to boost Abbas. US warns that terrorists are targeting US businesses in Israel.

Of course we want to see US troops off the front lines in Iraq. I don't think these comments by the President mean anything. The Iraqi Parliament is seriously hurting itself if it takes August off.

Marines on trial for murder.

LA Archdiocese to pay $660 million to settle abuse lawsuits. Wow.

Firefox is threatening IE domination in Europe. Come on Americans. We can kick Microsoft too.

Fantasy Congress game online.

Excellent essay tying al Qaeda closer to Soviet communism and other murdering utopian movements.

Fantastic summary of a discussion about why we can't fathom our jihadist enemies.

William Kristol is right that if Bush succeeds in Iraq and a Republican wins the election in 2008, Bush will be considered a successful President. I think that despite Democrats' best efforts, both will happen. I don't think much of the other policies mentioned.

Unbiased data shows our income tax system is indeed progressive despite what liberals claim. This doesn't address the serious problems with the income tax itself. Adopt the FairTax for progressive system that frees American workers and companies to compete on a level playing field with foreign competition.

The US government is reaching out to the wrong Muslim groups. Britain has learned to reach out to the right ones.

George Will blasts Antioch College, celebrating its closing.

Rich Lowry says Michael Moore's Sicko attacks the character of America.

Harrison Ford dons the Indiana Jones hat once again.

Maliki's comment that Iraq could handle its own problems without Americans was misconstrued. I should hope so.

Cato recognizes that welfare is counter-productive to fighting poverty.

Cato calls for abolishing the office of surgeon general.

Cato says pulling out of Iraq later will be even more catastrophic than pulling out now, but they can't back it up, and it defies credibility. Their underlying assumption is that things can only get worse, and that assumptions is grossly incorrect.

Cato thinks Bush is abusing signing statements. Since they have no force, I'm not sure what the problem is. If somebody thinks they have force, that somebody is making a mistake.

Cato discusses the failures of socialized medicine.

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Fears that last Zawahiri message was a call to attack.

Russia suspends treaty with NATO on conventional forces in Europe. This is just another small part of its new Cold War of Terror with the west.

Iraqi troops becoming more dependent on US troops due to attrition. That means they were never truly self-sustaining.

US skeptical of Iranian nuclear agreement. I would hope so.

Indian doctor in Australia linked to doctor's terrorist plot in Britain.

North Korean reactor to shut in days. Is it even useful anymore? North Korea claims to have shut down the reactor.

Warning that the UK will break from US foreign policy. PM Brown denies.

Spain seizes salvage ship that found treasure ship.

China seeds clouds for rain. I guess we're making a big deal out of it because he haven't gone beyond the experimental stage.

Iran asks Japan to pay for oil in Yen, not dollars.

Democrats block amendment to prevent Fairness Doctrine.

Bush spins Iraq report as 1/2 full. Slate takes issue with that conclusion.

Foreign retailers are moving in on the US. They can sell cheaper because their parents don't have to pay any US income tax. We need to adopt the FairTax so all American workers and companies in every market segment can compete on a level playing field.

Australia has coldest June since 1950.

America on the decline: wannabe cheerleader sues because she failed to make team.

The people of Easter Island are changing because of prosperity.

Technological gadgets are taking over some applications of our long term memory. Of course our long-term memory is still storing stuff, like it always has, it just no longer stores the things we keep in our gadgets. The calculator did this to math skills 25 years ago.

IKEA offers sleepovers in showrooms for shoppers.

Charles Krauthammer decries that the Senate is giving up on Gen. Petraeus just when he's implemented a successful counterinsurgency strategy.

Victor Davis Hanson rips the New York Times call for American defeat.

Pat Buchanan praises Robert Novak.

Essay on the debate between long war and big war proponents in the Pentagon.

UK editorial gets it right on the war in Iraq and wrong on illegal immigration.

Interview with Gen. Petraeus.

Great world-wide economy. We aren't getting out share because of our oppressive income tax. Adopting the FairTax would bring unprecedented growth to the US.

The war on terror is driving expansion of government. No kidding.

William Kristol wonders if the Democrats have overplayed their hand on Iraq. Details. I think they once again overplayed their hand. They are misreading America's anger at Bush's execution of the war for a desire for defeat. Democrats' greatest fear is that the US will turn the tide in Iraq and they'll be exposed as the political opportunists who would defeat America for political gain that they are. They fear that Gen. Petraeus will report success in September, and that the American people will hear him and regain hope. So the Democrats are surging against Bush and Petraeus now in an attempt to keep the American people from hearing what will likely be positive news in 2 months.

Author says we should abolish the SAT. It's bad enough that the SAT lowered its standards in the 90s so that our educationally challenged students wouldn't feel so bad about themselves, but abolishing the great standard that has been used by colleges for over 50 years is ridiculous. The SAT should be returned to it's historical difficulty level so we can have a measure of the effectiveness of our schools over generations.

It's a sad measure of the Bush Presidency that al Qaeda is as strong today as it was 6 years ago. Bush will be remembered for the war on terror, and after 6 years, we're no better off than when we were attacked.

Indiana exempts BP from pollution laws for development.

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Bush has enough votes to veto if Congress passes a bill to force a pullout from Iraq.

US General says that due to success in Diyala province, US troops could begin a draw-down in January. I think Bush will begin troop withdrawals in January, and I think that's been his plan since he announced the surge.

Senate doubles bin Laden's reward. Excuse my cynicalness, but I can't imagine the terrorist harboring bin Laden saying to himself, "I held out long enough. I knew if I waited long enough they would double the reward so I could make an extra $25 million. I'll turn him in now."

North Korea wants military talks with the US. They haven't followed through on even one requirement of the last deal. No doubt this is a way to get more concessions without giving up anything.

Computer scientist suggests privacy is a biological imperative. I like the way this person thinks. Our minds and our society reflect our genes, and we want privacy. It's very likely a biological imperative.

Iranian nuclear agreement fails to address the key issue of Iran's nuclear program - enrichment. But the deal is still a deal, and any deal is a step in the right direction. I don't know what Iran has to gain, except maybe fooling the public into thinking their leaders are rational. It may be a ploy to slow down what they see as ever increasing sanctions or even a military attack.

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FBI using data mining for more than hunting terrorists. This has to be stopped.

White House to deliver mixed report on Iraq. That sounds about right. Made progress on 8 of 18 goals.

Undercover operation exposes weakness in US nuclear security.

Al Qaeda is back to pre-9/11 strength. Why do we allow al Qaeda a safe haven in Pakistan?

New Jersey state Senator proposes making toy guns adult only. Boy are we stupid for voting for these people.

83 dead after seige of the Red Mosque in Pakistan. Terrorists should be sent to their martyrdom on our terms, not their own.

NBC gives 75 hours of free air-time to Gore's concerts. Do you think they'll give 75 hours of time to global warming skeptics? Do you think they'll play The Great Global Warming Swindle 37 times? I doubt it. Do you think the Fairness Doctrine would apply to NBC? Their ratings would be better if they played skeptical programing.

Reason downplays the war on terror because the terrorists aren't very capable. This argument is flawed for several reasons. First, the reason al Qaeda's capability is so diminished is because we're attacking them. Second, even a broken is right twice a day - bad terrorists can still kill us. Third, one nuke exploding in an American city is all it takes to pretty much end freedom forever. Just because this war is like nothing we've ever seen before, doesn't make it less dangerous. We better fight and win this war.

Reason on the Fairness Doctrine and government regulation of speech.

Researches say fat tax could save lives. How does this jive with the recent report that obese people live longer? We can look forward to this and 100,000 other regulations if we allow socialized medicine to take over.

Walmart changes policy back to prosecuting shoplifters. How dumb was it to let crooks get away with stealing?

Democrats claim to have found religion. This won't jive well with their homosexual issues debate. They're trying to have it both ways, and it's going to backfire on them.

Counting fish in the Caribbean.

Robot learns how to walk.

Scientists find water on extra-solar planet.

Author looks at the history of English speaking nations and says if they stick together, they can win the war on terror. It doesn't look like England will stay in the fight for long.

Victor Davis Hanson discusses the upside-down politics of dealing with terrorists and the middle east.

Fred Thompson comments on his legal career and the attempts to use it against him.

Gen. David Petraeus speaks to Ralph Peters.

Victor Davis Hanson says education has transformed from learning facts and thinking to being therapeutic.