Judges Back Bush on NSA Spying

The mainstream media once again under threat of exposing themselves as hypocrites, liars, and thugs, chooses to ignore yet another big breaking story. By the way, out of the five judges who appeared before the Senate panel, one, Judge Allan Kornblum, was the actual author of the FISA Act. Your move Mr. Feingold.

Immigration Tensions Spark Flag-Burning

Not that I condone what these Arizona students did, after having the American flag taken down and replaced with a Mexican flag, can you really blame them for being a little reckless in their response. Note to Mexican immigrants – Mexico lost the war with the U.S. Get over it!

Feingold Asks Watergate Figure to Testify on Censure Resolution

If this doesn’t reek of ‘Please, Vote for Me!’ then I don’t know what does.

America, Under Invasion? Nah!

But Florida isn’t even close to the border with Mexico!

American Terrorist Ahmed Omar Abu Ali Gets 30 Years

Called the ‘Rosa Parks of the Muslim Community’, the sentencing of American-born al Qaeda terrorist Ahmed Omar Abu Ali to thirty years in prison for plotting to bring terrorists over the border from Mexico is yet another constant reminder as to why the United States desperately needs stricter immigration laws.

Take with a Grain of Salt

UPDATE: The reports are not true at all, sadly.

Spanish-language publications are reporting that Cuban leader Fidel Castro is dead. Sadly, it comes forty years too late.

Is It a Civil War Yet?

Mucho Caliente

NR-Editor Jonah Goldberg Speaks at Marquette Tonight

From Marquette University News Briefs …

Jonah Goldberg, editor-at-large of National Review Online and a syndicated columnist, will present “Online Political Journalism” at the Varsity Theatre at 7 p.m. today. A reception will follow the event, which is sponsored by Marquette University Student Government.

Be There!

The Illegal Immigration Debate Continues

I seriously don’t know how to feel about this. On the one hand, I agree that throwing out all twelve-million illegal immigrants is impractical. Not only would it be hideously expensive, it would be an improper allocation of resources. That said, however, I am against a call for an all-out amnesty which I feel only aggravates the illegal alien epidemic. If you will recall, amnesty in 1986 led the way for the illegal alien population to balloon from three-million to over twelve-million today. By 2015, it is expected that there will be as many as thirty-million illegal immigrants in the United States. That’s ten percent of this country’s population! If illegal immigrants are actually working in this country then I say let them stay as long as they apply for US citizenship. If they don’t, then kick them out.

Then again …




… when they pull shit like this, you can’t feel the least bit sympathetic toward their 'cause'. If average Americans saw more of these photos then perhaps they would realize that the United States is truly under invasion. But what are the chances that the mainstream media will ever print these photos?

Sean Penn Has Ann Coulter Torture Doll

According to Contact Music, ‘actor’ Sean Penn has a torture doll of best-selling conservative author Ann Coulter which he likes to use when he feels angry. A routine basis I can assume. As if we didn’t already know that he had problems, now this comes along. The man is seriously messed up. No doubt it must have come from his pinko father.

Green and Ethanol

It is times like these that I worry about Daniel Suhr’s blind support of Rep. Mark Green. Knowing that he once interned for the Milwaukee County Executive, I can’t understand why he chose Green over Walker so early on in the race. Anyone so much as criticizes Green on anything, whether he be deserving of it or not, is labeled as ‘self righteous’. For example, Sean at the American Mind really gave Green what for in regards to his support of the ethanol mandate. Suhr praised Green for not caving into ‘the right-wing on ethanol even as he was getting pounded on both talk and paid radio’. This in spite of the facts that the reasons he gave for supporting the mandate were illogical and went against conservative, as well as economic, principles.

I have a gut-feeling Green may be a RINO. One issue can’t be the deciding factor, I agree, but it is just a gut-feeling. I don’t know as much about him as I did Walker, so I’ll give him time. Right now I am not at all comfortable with the reasons he have for supporting the ethanol mandate. I also see him as less gung-ho about school choice as Walker was.

Equality in Education Tomorrow Night

This is simply a reminder to everyone that tomorrow night the Marquette University College Republicans are sponsoring an “Equality in Education” panel at 8pm inside Room 227 of the Alumni Union Hall. The event is expected to go until 9:30pm.

MILWAUKEE– The College Republicans at Marquette University will facilitate a panel discussing “Equality in Education” on Tuesday, March 28th from 8:00- 9:30 pm. The panel will be held in room 227 of Marquette University’s Alumni Memorial Union. Featuring five respected authorities on Wisconsin education, panelists will address school vouchers, the achievement gap and disparity in school funding.

Panelists include: Dr. Gerard Robinson, a senior fellow at the Institute for the Transformation of Learning at Marquette University; Dr. Deborah M. McGriff, chair of the Black Alliance for Educational Options (BAEO); Dr. Peter Blewett, a senior lecturer at University Wisconsin-Milwaukee and expert in local and national education policy; Dennis Oulahan, president of the Milwaukee Teacher’s Education Association (MTEA) and Leah Vukmir, chair of the Assembly Education Reform Committee.

The event is free and open to the public. Parking is available along Wells Street on the north side of the union.

Thanks to GOP3.com for the heads up.

Walker Bows Out of Governor's Race

It is with deep regret that I have to report that Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker has announced today that he will drop out of race for the governorship of the state of Wisconsin. This is not the sort of news I wanted today. Not that it has been a bad day or anything. I just happen to have a lot of things to work on this weekend, including my review of ‘V for Vendetta’ which should appear online this Monday and a new viewpoint article I’m developing for this Tuesday’s edition of the Marquette Tribune. That aside however, I don’t know how to feel about this. On bright side, this puts to rest the fear I (and many other conservatives of this state) had that the GOP of Wisconsin would become as divided as the DNC was following the 2004 presidential primary.

I am not however one-hundred percent convinced that Mark Green can pull off a win as easily as Scott Walker could have. Two counties are key – Madison and Milwaukee. While Green doesn’t necessarily have to win both of them, he does however need to win at least forty-five percent of the vote in those areas. Milwaukee County would have been a shoe-in for Walker. Green is less known (or less trusted) in Milwaukee County so it will take some strong campaigning on the part of Wisconsin Republicans (more so then if Walker had won the primary) to do just that. Additionally, Walker who pulled in a substantial number of Reagan-Democrats with him in winning the County Executive’s office was seen as less divisive then Green would be.

Walker’s withdrawal from the race at this point can only serve to help Green and the Wisconsin GOP in general, not hurt them. Green is able to save up desperately needed campaign contributions (and build up more in the coming months) to do battle with sitting Governor Jim Doyle (who has nearly twelve million dollars in campaign donations - teacher unions, trial lawyers, Indian casinos and the like) as we draw ever closer to November 2006.

I am not particularly happy with Mark Green (the ethanol issue, as well as others, have me a bit wary of him), but anything is better then Jim Doyle at this point. I’ll support Mark Green (I will not be as actively campaigning for him as I would have for Walker though) and I will certainly vote for him, but it is going to take time before I am entirely convinced of him. I am sure in time things will work out. Bottom-line: Walker, while it was disappointing to hear from him, did the classy and smart thing by bowing out of the race this early rather then have it drag out even further and wasted valuable campaign contributions in the primary.

Debra Lafave Won't Face Student Sex Charges

This has been a long time brewing (figuring out how to delicately put this into words), so here goes nothing – the conservative in me decries this decision as blatant sexism. If this were a male, he’d be locked away for life. She on the other hand walks off scot-free without so much as a slap on the wrist for what she did. However, the college student in me has this to say – what couldn’t I have had a teacher like this when I was in school?

Reid Threatens Filibuster on Immigration

Damn this man and his oh-so-clever liberal issue-dodging political tactics! Whatever shall we do now?!

The Circle of South Park is Complete

First Isaac Hayes gives South Park the boot because it mocked Scientology, the ‘religious’ cult he belongs too. Then Tom Cruise comes out [of the closet – close but not quite there yet] and blackmails Paramount (who is owned by Viacom which owns Comedy Central) into cancelling a repeat of the South Park episode ‘Trapped in the Closet’ which openly mocks Scientology. Now South Park fans have threatened to boycott this summer’s Mission: Impossible III. Every action has consequences, Tom. It’s time you learned that. Sad though. Mission: Impossible III is the feature film directorial debut of J.J. Abrams, the genius behind Alias and Lost. And now Chef is dead. Can things go back to normal now?

The Death of Chef

I supposed forgive and forget is out of the question now. Ah, well. Chef had a good run.

Helen Thomas in The Mummy Returns

Helen Thomas, how many people has Islamic fascism killed? How many women has been raped, executed, or abused under Islamic law? How many innocents died under the authoritarian rule of Communism, fascism, and Nazism? No, let’s hone in on how many people ‘we’ the imperialist United States have killed. I realize that she is like a god to the journalism community but shouldn’t this old dingbat be in a retirement home or something? I mean, seriously, look at the wrinkles on this woman. What in God’s name is holding her together?

Daily Kos: Feingold Leads All Other Democratic Candidates For President

It seems Wisconsin Senator Russ Feingold’s embarrassing efforts to steal the media spotlight away from Hilary Clinton, threatening to censure, yet not impeach, President George W. Bush over the so-called wiretapping ‘scandal’ (this of course in spite of the fact that President Bill Clinton did the exact same thing, only it wasn’t to combat terrorism), has worked (for the time being) as the Daily Kos reports (via the conduction of an online poll – please note polls, especially internet polls, are clearly biased and unless they are conducted properly should not be taken seriously) Feingold leading all other Democratic candidates. It is still too early to tell but Feingold has plenty of time to screw up royally, so I wouldn’t worry. At most I think he is trying to secure a VP spot.

Tribune Highlights

There were a few items in this morning’s edition of The Marquette Tribune I wanted to touch upon quickly if I may …

Joe Boesen published an article highlighting what was posted here earlier, ‘Jesus Decoded’, a website and documentary the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops launched in order to counter some of the more outrageous claims made within author Dan Brown’s The Da Vinci Code. This of course is set in time with the world-wide release of the feature film adaptation directed by Academy Award-winner Ron Howard this May. A little slow on the draw but I compliment the Tribune for discussing it.

[And, on a side note, be sure to check out the brand-new trailer for the feature film adaptation of The Da Vinci Code]

And echoing Allison Herre’s comments over at GOP3.com, I agree entirely with Tribune columnist John Heiderscheidt’s article concerning child sex offenders. When I interned for the Milwaukee County Executive’s office this past year, this was a hot-button issue as we tried to find a place for a child molester who set to be released on parole. The general opinion was that he should have been kept in prison for the rest of his life. The unfortunate part about it was, the law had our hands tied so that we could not do what we thought was best. The law desperately needs to be changed in this regard. Although who decry this effort out concern for ‘human rights’ need to think more about the children who these sexual offenders have violated then the perpetrators themselves.

Bin Laden Sought 'Joint Operations' With Saddam

Shocked! That's all I can say about this, I am stunned!

An Iraqi intelligence document released last week indicates that Osama bin Laden sought to conduct "joint operations" with Saddam Hussein's regime six years before the 9/11 attacks - and was given the green light by the Iraqi dictator.

...

The document indicates that Saddam personally granted bin Laden's request for help with propaganda broadcasts and instructed his agents "to develop the relationship [with bin Laden] and the cooperation between the two sides to see what other doors of cooperation and agreement open up"

In short, this simply reaffirms what the 9/11 Commission Report suggested and what the liberals in this country misinterpreted to mean that there was no connection between Saddam Hussein and Osama Bin Laden.

The Moderate Muslim Nation

6,000 women face execution in Pakistan under Islamic law for the ‘crime’ of being raped. Is there no decency anymore?

Something I Know McAdams Would Enjoy

I Secretly Want the US Wiped Off the Face of the Earth ... But I'm Not a Terrorist

Sayeed Rahmatullah Hashemi, the so-called ‘refuge’ of war-torn Afghanistan (this coming from the Yale University press release), was according to Clinton Taylor at Town Hall.com more then just a mere mouth piece of the Taliban. He was in fact a personal adviser to Mullah Omar himself. ‘I think Osama Bin Laden is a good guy and turning him in to the imperialist United States government would be unjustified … but I’m not a terrorist!”

Catholic Bishops Launch Website to Refute 'Da Vinci Code'

This is what I like to see. Rather then boycott the upcoming feature film adaptation of the Dan Brown best-seller, The Da Vinci Code, which is being directed by Academy Award-winning director Ron Howard and stars Tom Hanks, or exploit it the way the environmental wackos exploited The Day After Tomorrow two years ago for their own political agenda, the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops, the same organization which labeled Brokeback Mountain ‘morally offensive’, has launched a website and a straight-to-DVD documentary debunking some of the more outrages claims the Dan Brown novel makes regarding the life of Jesus Christ and the history of the Catholic Church.

In much the same light as Fahrenheit 9/11 in the heat of the 2004 presidential election, people for the most part will come out of this film believing a majority of what is told to them because they are either too lazy or too busy to do the research themselves, via the internet, the library, etc. This website/documentary will provide a healthy and helpful counterbalance to the big-budget summer blockbuster and the best-selling novel.

Brokeback Author Claims Hollywood Isn't Liberal Enough

According to Annie Proulx, author of the short story which inspired Ang Lee’s gay-cowboy movie, Brokeback Mountain, left leaning Hollywood is not liberal enough, that is why they still hate “gays and fags” she claims. A little bitter about losing out to Crash, are we?

Tom Cruise is Trapped in the Closet

First Isaac Hayes and now couch-jumping Tom Cruise gets in on the act. Cruise, upset with the possibility that the episode of the hit animated Comedy Central series South Park which directly mocks the cult of Scientology (entitled ‘Trapped in the Closet’) would be repeated on cable television, censored the program by threatening to not promote his upcoming project, Mission: Impossible III. Paramount Pictures, the motion picture studio behind Cruise’s third installment in the Mission: Impossible film franchise, which is owned by Viacom which also owns Comedy Central, balked at the threat and pulled the episode from the airwaves. Doesn’t this constitute blackmail? And they say the Bush Administration is secretly manipulating the media? Who checking liberal Hollywood then?

Ding, Dong - The Dictator's Dead

Audit: Katrina Contracts Wasted Millions

Oh, if only there had been a member of congress to have stood up against this legislative measure on the basis that it did not contain a system of checks and balances to ensure the financial aid was going to the right people then this would not have happened. Wait, there was!

No! Really? Can't Be!

The Pentagon has just released public documents from Operation Iraqi Freedom. The following stuck out in my mind …

ISGZ-2004-019920

Synopsis: 2002 Iraqi Intelligence Correspondence concerning the presence of al-Qaida Members in Iraq. Correspondence between IRS members on a suspicion, later confirmed, of the presence of an Al-Qaeda terrorist group. Moreover, it includes photos and names.

Georgetown University Sells Out

Seeing as how the NCAA Men’s Basketball Tournament officially kicks off today, I thought it was only appropriate to point out that Georgetown University, a Catholic educational institution, has accepted $20 million from Prince Alwaleed Bin Talal Alsaud of Saudi Arabia. What for? The Center for Muslim-Christian Understanding, of course. This reeks of hypocrisy because in Christianity is outlawed in Saudi Arabia. Anyone else notice the problem with this scenario?

Spike Lee: I Don't Think African Americans Can Vote For Her

Director Spike Lee whose new film, Inside Man, starring Denzel Washington and Clive Owen, opens in theatres nation-wide on March 24th has dubbed himself the official representative of the black race …

“African-Americans will have to really, really, really, really, really, REALLY analyze the Secretary of State’s record, and get past the pigmentation of her skin,” he said. “If we do that, I don’t think we can vote for her"

Film Exposes Immigrants to Dutch Liberalism

So much for the idea that Europeans are more tolerant of other people then Americans are. And to think the liberals in Congress are upset about America’s immigration laws. Ha! They are nothing compared to the Netherlands.

Isaac Hayes Quits 'South Park' Over 'Bigotry'

Can we say hypocrite? I watch South Park on a regular basis (although it does poke fun at the Republican Party, it is relatively right-slanted in its commentary, more of a libertarian point-of-view) and there is not a single episode in which Eric Cartman does not refer to Kyle as a ‘filthy Jew’. The show takes swipes at Christianity on a regular basis and routinely pokes fun at other religions (In ‘Super Best Friends’, the show has Jesus, Mohammed, Joseph Smith, Krishna, Lao Tsu, and Moses join forces to combat evil, a jab at the DC Comics’ Justice League). So I find it to be totally preposterous to see him quit after one single episode (‘Trapped in the Closet’) in which they rightfully mock the cult of Scientology. South Park co-creator Matt Stone said it best – “"This is 100 percent having to do with his faith of Scientology... He has no problem - and he's cashed plenty of checks - with our show making fun of Christians”.

Marquette to Take on Alabama in NCAA Tournament

vs.

Congratulations to the Marquette University Men’s Basketball team on returning to the Big Dance for the first time since their 2003 Final Four run. Ranked seventh, they will take on tenth-seeded Alabama University this Thursday in San Diego, California, at 1:30pm Central Standard Time. If you are anything like me, you’ll be at the Sports Annex at that time. Good Luck Marquette!

Illegal Alien Accused of Stabbing Couple with a Pitchfork

Still think ‘undocumented workers’ should go unchecked within this country?

Fitzgerald and Green: Chumps for Ethanol

In my opinion (and I do not think I am alone in saying this) the ethanol mandate has been a source of public embarrassment for the Republican Party of Wisconsin. It just goes to show you that in one area we are no different then the Democrats in this state – special interests. The Republican Party of Wisconsin has been bought and sold by the transportation industry – simple as that. From the standpoint of a true conservative, the ethanol mandate should be a no brainer. Someone try informing Scott Fitzgerald about that. I have nothing against Mr. Fitzgerald personally. I’ve met him a few times and thought he was a pretty decent individual. But this goes against conservative principles and I just can’t stand by and let that slide.

The same holds true in regards to Mark Green, candidate for the governorship of the state of Wisconsin. As much as I admire Daniel Suhr over at GOP3.com, his blind faith in Mark Green is troubling to say the least. In regards to the ethanol mandate, Mark Green said he “wouldn't support any ethanol requirement if it adds to the regulatory burden on business”. And as to why he supportive of ethanol, he said, “98% of all the gasoline in America is totally petroleum-based. There is no choice right now.... I want to see people have real choices”. If this sounds like a load of horse crock, it is. The American Mind has a wonderful analysis of why Green’s statements don’t add up. Milwaukee County Executive Scott Walker, also a candidate for the governorship of the state of Wisconsin, has rightly been critical of Green and his stance in defense of the ethanol mandate. Though I suspect this will hardly be the deciding factor in the primary race for the governorship of the state of Wisconsin, this definitely doesn’t help Green’s image in Walker country.

South Dakota and Abortion

Hilary Clinton and Wal-Mart: Always and Forever?

I never thought I would be discussing Hilary Clinton two days in a row and it’s a scary thought to be quite honest. With that said, I’ll try and keep this as short and sweet as possible. The subject of Hilary Clinton and her connections to Wal-Mart came up at the tail end of today’s episode of The Rush Limbaugh radio program. Rush has the link to the article on his website but for some reason it won’t come up at the moment. Keep checking in to see if it’s working. In any event, while Senator Clinton has gone on a rampage about the evils of Wal-Mart as of late as she gains momentum for her presidential run in 2008, it turns out that while her husband, Slick Willy, was governor of Arkansas, she served on the board of directors for Wal-Mart from 1986 to 1992. For those of us well aware of Hilary Clinton’s hypocritical tendencies in the past, this should not come as a surprise but I thought I would post it as a reminder for those of us less informed on the matter.

Celebrating Our 1st Year Anniversary ... 5 Days Late

Blast those pesky mid-terms! I can assure you however that I did not try very hard. I kid, although the results may warrant that exact sentiment. It’s complicated. I studied hard for American Public Policy on Thursday. The short-answers I felt went well but I totally screwed up the longer essay. Oh well. It’s a writing intensive course which means the main portion of the grade depends on the thirteen – seventeen page paper due at the end of the semester. I just need to put a little more effort into that essay in order to make up for the exam. The Hitchcock examination was difficult but I have a feeling it went a little better then last time. And Nature of Mathematics went surprisingly well this afternoon, although the second question did hold me up a bit.

In any event, yeah for us! The Office of Homeland Security is officially one year old as of five days ago! My, has it been that long already? Boy, how time flies!

As If It Couldn't Get Any Worse ...

Hell, even a campus organization at UCLA is unveiling the Mohammed cartoons. As if UW-Madison publishing them and not us wasn’t embarrassing enough for Marquette.

Ex-'Apprentice' Announces Run for Congress

I have not watched NBC’s The Apprentice in the longest time. Frankly, I have not been able to catch much of anything on television lately including the latest episodes of Lost. I’ve been fortunate enough to catch 24 on Monday but that’s about it. Additionally, I’ve found The Apprentice to be a little oversaturated ala Who Wants to be a Millionaire? on ABC a few years ago. However, I was sort of an addict during the second season of the hit reality program (I have my father to thank for that) and one of my favorite contestants was Raj Bhakta, a fellow Republican. He has apparently decided to use his new found fame to run for public office, “challenging Democratic U.S. Rep. Allyson Schwartz for the state's 13th District seat representing suburban Philadelphia” according to the article. We at the Office of Homeland Security wish him the best of luck.

The Bunnies Are At It Again ... So to Speak

A parody of Brokeback Mountain (with bunnies) in thirty seconds or less.

Senators Eye 'Virtual,' Not Real Border Wall

I say screw the virtual wall! What the Hell is that going to do? Dig a moat, plant some barbwire – do whatever you need to in order to make the incentive to cross the United States-Mexican border illegally all the less enticing. The creation of a virtual wall requires money and manpower to monitor the cameras and technology used, something of which has severely been lacking at the border right now.

Sen. Clinton Slams GOP Immigration Bill

I do not know who Senator Clinton thinks she is trying to fool with this one but it is sure as Hell not working this time. Illegal immigration made this country great, she says. Note the word ILLEGAL! That’s what made our country great?! My, aren’t we in a sorry state of affairs if that is the case.

Right now the benefits of crossing the US-Mexican border illegally vastly outweigh any costs which might be imposed on those who are caught. Yes, Professor John McAdams’ American Public Policy course, and, to a lesser degree, my Micro-Economics course, has ‘warped my fragile little mind’ to quote Eric Cartman from South Park. The worst thing we can do to those who are caught is to ship them back to Mexico, only for them to try again the next day. We have to create an environment that is entirely inhospitable to illegal immigrants.

The following however is my favorite part of the article …

The senator also sent a four-page public letter to constituents outlining her views on immigration. In the letter, she shied away from specifics but said she does support allowing at least some of the estimated 11 million undocumented workers to earn citizenship.

Yeah, take careful note of the phrase ‘undocumented workers’. In other words, Mrs. Clinton, don’t you mean ILLEGAL IMMIGRANTS!

The Three T's

MUCDs Are a Godsend Compared to These Guys

As much as I and my fellow Marquette University College Republicans like to complain about the rather sophomoric antics of our campus’s College Democrat organization, I think I speak for everyone (both on the left and the right) when I say that they are no where near as bad as UC San Diego College Democrats are. They apparently held a ‘Day of Action’ on campus, inviting Mother Moonbat Cindy Sheehan and former State Department official Ann Wright who actually said she ‘sympathized’ with Osama Bin Laden.

Not Exactly What You Wanted to be When You Grew Up

Hamas, the Palestinian Authority’s ‘democratically’ elected terror organization ruling the false nation-state of Palestine, has officially launched a website aimed at children called Al-fateh.net which glorifies martyrdom and celebrates the mass killing of Jews by Palestinian suicide bombers. As annoying as they can be, it is stories like these that you thank God for Barney, Blue’s Clues, and Sesame Street.

You're an Idiot!

I am not ashamed to admit that I enjoy watching the immature antics of comedian Adam Sandler. Frankly, he has not made a worthwhile comedy since 1998’s The Waterboy. Big Daddy and The Longest Yard remake were decent, but nothing spectacular. I bring this up because quite to my amazement (as it will be for anyone who reads this) a quote from an Adam Sandler film, specifically the 1995 comedy Billy Madison, has been quoted in a court order by a Texas bankruptcy judge in dismissing a motion on a count of its “incomprehensibility”. Click the picture below to read the quote which was cited as a footnote in the judge’s court order.

Plastic Man: The Minuteman?

I couldn’t help but post this amusing photograph of Plastic Man (a comic-book superhero from 1952) combating illegal immigration as a minuteman on the US-Mexican border.

Christina Aguilera and Torture: Good Bed Fellows?

Brainster's Blog has an interesting article examining the interrogation log of Detainee 063 (Mohammad al-Qahtani), the supposed 20th hijacker of the September 11th attacks, which was recently obtained by Time Magazine. I warn you that it is quite extensive (eighty-four pages in all), but nothing stands out in my mind that can be classified as ‘torture’. I despise Christina Aguilera as much as the next person, but torture? Please!

Clooney: Proud to be Out of Touch

Source: The Hollywood Blacklist

While I admit that given the circumstances it could have been a lot worse. The Academy Awards were for the most part an uneventful, apolitical presentation. The only exception was George Clooney’s pompous and self-serving acceptance speech when he received the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for his role in the ‘blood-for-oil’ drama, Syriana. Just goes to show that pretty boy George is full of hot-air.

Here is an excerpt from his acceptance speech …

And finally, I would say that, you know, we are a little bit out of touch in Hollywood every once in a while, I think. It’s probably a good thing. Uhm, we’re the ones who talk about AIDS when it was just being whispered. And we talked about civil rights when it wasn’t really popular. And we, uh, you know, we bring up subjects…we are the ones…this Academy, this group of people gave Hattie McDaniel an Oscar in 1939 when blacks were still sitting in the backs of theaters. I’m proud to be a part of this Academy. I’m proud to be part of this community. I’m proud to be out of touch.

Yep, all hail Hollywood. If it weren’t for them, blacks would still be getting the short end of the stick in movie industry and Africa would still be inflicted by AIDS. Oh, wait! Africa is still afflicted by AIDS. But at least they’ve alerted the world to the problem. This affliction could be eliminated altogether if the celebrities would amass their egregious fortunes, but why do that? That would be too self-sacrificing. Let others less wealthy shoulder the burden. Additionally, wasn’t the NAACP biting at the bit just a short few years ago about the black community, especially women, being underrepresented by the Academy? Is that not why Halle Berry was selected as the token recipient of the Oscar for Best Actress for her role in Monster’s Ball? Yeah, Hollywood solves all our problems.

Whatever Happened to St. Cindy of Crawford?

You know you are a ranting, raving lunatic if you are bumped down from writing articles for the mainstream media and now spend your time constructing embarrassing left-wing propaganda pieces for Michael Moore (Hate to sound a bit like Jeff Foxworthy there but if it works, go with it) and his website.

Oscar Predictions

Best Picture – Brokeback Mountain

[As much as I want Capote to win, it doesn’t stand a chance against the two main contenders – Brokeback Mountain and Crash. Crash could very well be the upset pick of the evening, so it would not surprise me if it stole the award away from Brokeback this evening]

Best Actor – Philip Seymour Hoffman

[Definitely deserves it. Joaquin Phoenix would have had a clear shot at it any other year, but I doubt he stands a chance this time around. Too bad]

Best Supporting Actor – George Clooney

[As much as it pains me to select him, the Academy will more then likely award his contribution to both Good Night and Good Luck and Syriana]

Best Actress – Reese Witherspoon

[If Walk the Line had been nominated for Best Picture, it would be a guarantee for her. Sadly, Felicity Huffman may present some competition for her, though I am sure she will be come out the winner in this contest]

Best Supporting Actress – Amy Adams

[The dark horse category, Amy Adams and her little seen independent film, Junebug, will likely be recognized in this category]

Best Director – Ang Lee

[Personally I believe Bennett Miller should win since Capote was his directorial debut, but if Brokeback Mountain has a clear shot at Best Picture then more then likely they will give the award to Ang Lee for Best Director]

Best Foreign Film – Paradise Now

[Regardless of the objections of Israelis affected by the devastating attacks of these suicide bombs, the Academy – not to mention the press who are voting for it – is clearly left-wing biased, so they will more then likely choose to recognize this terrorist propaganda piece. My, how the mighty have fallen]

Best Adapted Screenplay – Dan Futterman for Capote

Best Original Screenplay – George Clooney and Grant Heslov for Good Night and Good Luck

Best Animated Feature – Wallace and Gromit in the Curse of the Were-Rabbit

Best Art Direction – King Kong

Best Cinematography – Brokeback Mountain

Best Sound Mixing – King Kong

Best Sound Editing – King Kong

Best Original Score – Munich

Best Song – “In the Deep” for Crash

Best Costume – Pride and Prejudice

Best Documentary – March of the Penguins

Best Documentary (Short Subject) – God Sleeps in Rwanda

Best Film Editing – Cinderella Man

Best Makeup – Star Wars: Episode III – Revenge of the Sith

Best Animated Short – ?

Best Live-Action Short Film – ?

Best Visual Effects – King Kong

UPDATE - A complete list of winners from last night can be viewed at Comingsoon.net with the only surprise of the evening being Rachael Weisz winning for Best Supporting Actress (No, Crash was not a surprise – an upset, sure, but not a surprise. Brokeback Mountain was severely frontloaded and it was going around for the past week that Crash was the likely candidate to overtake it) in my opinion.

Islamic Awareness Week - Can Islam Be Reformed?

Two intellectual scholars, Andrew C. McCarthy and Mansoor Ijaz, openly debate on an intriguing new website set up by the National Review called Opinion Duel about whether or not Islam can reform itself. It is a very absorbing article to say the least. Please be sure to start at the top and read the whole thing.

As President Bush has made clear from the beginning, we are at war with the terrorists, not the entire religion of Islam. Regardless of partisan criticism of this website, I believe that as well. When the United States entered World War II, it sought to eradicate the disease of Nazism, not to pick a fight with the entire German people. The same held true for the Cold War and the war in Vietnam, but as our enemies’ tactics grew more sophisticated, it became increasingly difficult to do just that. The question stands: Can Islam reform? Yes, if, and only if, it is willing and able to purge itself of the religious fanaticism which has twisted and contorted itself today. I have increasing anxiety over whether this is possible or not in light of the riots in Paris and the recent Mohammed cartoon protests. Preferably I as well as the rest of the United States would like nothing more then to avoid a war with the whole of Islam. It is a whole lot easier for us and the Islamic community to avoid such a clash of cultures. But unless Islam is willing to be under the microscope until Islamic terrorism is eradicated or is reluctant to do its part in the war against terrorism, our hand may be forced.

Iraqi's Real Torture Chambers

Here is a pictorial report of the Baathist Party’s real torture chambers.

I'm Lovin' It

Political Agendas and Polls

GOP3.com was quick to point out yesterday that the CBS poll indicating that President’s Bush’s approval rating was thirty-four percent was clearly biased (out of the 1018 surveyed, 272 were Republicans, 409 were Democrats, and 337 were Independents) yesterday.

With that said, I want to examine quickly how easy it has been for the left-wing media analysts to distort the truth of this poll. The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel printed this morning on the front page (below the fold in the bottom right-hand corner) “Most Troops in Iraq Favor Leaving”. However, to their credit, unlike The New York Times and Editor & Publisher, they admit that “some U.S. military officials question validity of poll”, although I have only seen admission in the online version of the paper.

According to Zogby International, here is how the survey question was broken down …

How long should U.S. troops stay in Iraq?

"They should withdraw immediately" - 29.0%

"They should withdraw within the next six months" - 22.4%

"They should withdraw within six to twelve months" - 20.6%

"They should stay as long as they are needed" - 22.9%

"Not sure" - 5.0%

However, the poll does not take into account the Pentagon's plan to reduce US troops in Iraq by half in the next six months and by about seventy-five percent in the next year. More then likely the soldiers surveyed took this into account.

One need not go into this deep analysis to figure out the poll is bull-shit. A little further down, Zogby International has this intriguing little nugget …

A majority of troops (53%) said the U.S. should double both the number of troops and bombing missions in order to control the insurgency.

Wait, I thought a majority of them wanted immediate pullout from Iraq? This interesting little tidbit kind of puts a stop to that myth.

Oh, and one more item you won't hear from the media ...

A large majority of the troops serving in Iraq said they were satisfied with the war provisions from Washington (adequate troop protection; body armor; Humvee plating, munitions).

Hat Tip: The Jawa Report

Bush First President to Visit Afghanistan Since Eisenhower