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You would never know it from our one party media, but the "disruptor" at Prime Minister al-Maliki's speech was not just a random protestor.She was none other than the professional anti-America agitator (and Hugo Chavez paid agent) Medea Benjamin.From a CodePink press release: Medea Benjamin is arrested on July 26 for interrupting a speech by the Prime Minister of Iraq.Medea Benjamin Arrested For Disrupting Iraqi Prime Minister’s Congressional AddressFasting co-founder of CODEPINK and Global Exchange says Iraqis want war to endCODEPINK and Global Exchange cofounder Medea Benjamin is arrested on July 26 for interrupting a speech by the Prime Minister...

It's usually best in the American context to keep one's criticisms of Israel polite and measured, but there are times when it's better to be blunt in the hopes of achieving clarity. Israel's current war in Lebanon is strategically blinkered and morally obtuse. The idea that the United States or American Jews like me should support it out of friendship is akin to the notion that a real friend would lend a car to a drunk buddy after the bartender confiscates his keys. I understand why the Israeli government and public think this war is a good idea, but they're...

 The Sunday talk shows and the evening cables news show have devoted much of their time this week to the Israel/Hezbollah conflict. As if required by law to demonstrate perfect balance, the talk shows always find a Republican and a Democrat to discuss the war. What we are hearing from the two sides reflects some consensus, but also two very different views on the meaning of the conflict in this theatre, and more broadly, between the West and radical Islam.Both Democrats and Republicans have defended Israel’s actions in protecting its borders against cross border attacks and stopping rockets fired by...

Editor's note: In 2004, Richard D. Lamm, former governor of Colorado, addressed a conference sponsored by the Federation for American Immigration Reform in Washington. The following remarks are reprinted with his permission. Richard. D. Lamm I have a secret plan to destroy America. If you believe, as many do, that America is too smug, too white bread, too self-satisfied, too rich, let's destroy America. It is not that hard to do. History shows that nations are more fragile than their citizens think. No nation in history has survived the ravages of time. Arnold Toynbee observed that all great civilizations rise...

ANGELES (Reuters) - Karl Rove, U.S. President George W. Bush's senior political advisor, on Tuesday took the administration's message on immigration reform to Latino leaders, saying the country was approaching a "critical moment" in the debate. >br> Speaking at the annual convention of leading Latino civic group the National Council of La Raza, Rove said Bush would work with Republicans and Democrats in coming weeks to push through reform legislation that has bitterly divided Congress, the Republican Party and the nation. "We face a critical moment in our immigration debate, a moment when our nation will make an important decision...

White House adviser Karl Rove is scheduled to speak tomorrow at the annual conference of the federally funded, left-wing, open-borders-advocacy group, the National Council of La Raza. If he does not want his speech to look like an act of appeasement, he should confront La Raza on its opposition to commonsense policies designed to secure both U.S. borders and U.S. pocketbooks. La Raza, which means “The Race” in Spanish, has denounced as “horrendous” and “appalling” the House immigration bill passed in December, which was sponsored by Judiciary Chairman James Sensenbrenner (R.-Wis.) and supported by the overwhelming majority of House Republicans....

LOS ANGELES - Former President Bill Clinton praised President Bush on Saturday for supporting reforms that would allow millions of illegal immigrants to seek citizenship but said the debate in Congress is being fomented by Republicans who want to divide America. "I'm proud of him for doing it and I thanked him for doing it," he said of Bush during a "Cafe con Clinton" breakfast speech to the annual conference of the National Council of La Raza, the nation's largest Hispanic civil rights advocacy group. Clinton said Bush's roots in Texas — which has one of the nation's largest Hispanic...

The same North Korean ICBM efforts that throw a rock at Alaska can throw a large nuclear warhead at every ally the United States has in Northeast Asia. Japan and South Korea are not only close allies, they are critical trading partners. The risk of a war in this part of the world would inevitably threaten Chinese involvement in some form, and possible bloc trade with much of China for an extended period even if China did not become involved. Our troops and our bases in most of Asia would be at hazard as well. Americans need to stop thinking...

LAST WEEK, IT LOOKED as if Sacramento might use a fraction of this year's multibillion-dollar budget surplus to expand health coverage for more kids in California. But in their final budget negotiations, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Legislature decided that it was better to cave to a small group of vocal Republicans who believe that sick 3-year-olds should be punished for their parents' actions.

Despite the combative statements, despite the promises not to capitulate and even though every hour that passes and every Qassam that is launched raises the bar of violence and causes both sides to hold steadfastly to a commitment to use still harsher means, it is not yet too late to begin talks on ending the crisis and coming up with new agreements. Before making an extreme decision about assassination, or even about arresting ministers of the Hamas government, it is worth trying to speak with the Palestinians. The last few months have been wasted on expressing disappointment over the results...

Angelina Delivers Due Date By Sarah Hall Wed Apr 26, 3:08 PM ET The paparazzi detail on the Brangelina Baby Watch beat just got some bad news. Contradicting reports that she's due to pop any day now, Angelina Jolie has delivered word that she's not quite eight months pregnant. That means anxious shutterbugs can expect another full month of dodging Namibian officials, not to mention Jolie and Brad Pitt's aggressive security goons, if they want any chance of capturing the money shot of the most important and beautiful baby ever to be born, ever.

Gym Instructor Mocks Bush In Front Of First Daughters Tue Apr 25 2006 10:32:05 ET A spinning instructor at Washington, DC's Sports Club/LA mocked President Bush without realizing (believe it or not) that a first daughter was in his class! ROLL CALL reports: The instructor, Glenn Makl, is said to be horrified to learn after class that the president's daughter Jenna was there to hear his making fun of President Bush and handing out of a video clip compilation of some of the president's more memorable gaffes and malapropisms. Jenna Bush was working out at the club with her boyfriend,...

The conspiracy moonbat libs on DU again demonstrate that they fear Bush more than the prospect of Iran's obtaining nukes: redirish28 (305 posts) Tue Apr-18-06 05:24 PM Original message Poll question: Do you think Bush is capable of dropping a nuke on the US if he feels too threaten or just because he is pissed off enough. Poll result (50 votes) Yes 84% No 14% Other(details ) 2% uppityperson (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-18-06 05:27 PM Response to Original message 2. only a small tactical one napi21 (1000+ posts) Tue Apr-18-06 05:27 PM Response to Original message 3. This man is...

Latin America: It looks like Peru's election will bring a new leftist strongman to the region. That's sad, given how much progress Peru has made in recent years. There's still tallying to do. But if trends continue, the winner will be far-left Ollanta Humala, followed by Peru's disastrous ex-president, Alan Garcia. The unpromising pair will face off for a final round in May. Hard to say which would be worse. Humala's a verified human-rights violator who tortured peasants as an army officer in the 1990s. He's also an admirer of dictators, like Peru's last one, Juan Velasco, remembered in the...

Please wear the pin, Ms. McKinney -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Controversial Georgia Rep. Cynthia McKinney might be charged with a crime after a physical altercation with a Capitol Police officer. But somebody needs to file multiple counts against McKinney of assault on common sense. The Georgia Democrat long has been one of the House's more inflammatory members. She has insinuated that the Bush administration knew about the 9/11 attacks before they were to happen, but no warning was issued nor action taken so that the Bush-backers in big business could profit from the war that ensued. McKinney has been quoted as saying that...

[Note: You may perceive some of this column as a "spoiler".] If you liked the politics of last weekend's Oscar nominees, you'll love "V for Vendetta." It's an exciting, quality Bin Laden film. But if you're like the rest of mainstream America--you support our troops, believe in firmly responding to terrorists on our own shores, and/or respect Christianity--then, don't waste your time at this piece of garbage masquerading as a superhero movie. It is anything but. If most other Hollywood films subtly whisper of an agenda, "V" clocks you over the head with it with a still sizzling, iron frying...

A potential Off Broadway production of "My Name Is Rachel Corrie," an acclaimed solo show about an American demonstrator killed by an Israeli bulldozer while trying to stop the destruction of a Palestinian home, has been postponed because of concerns about the show's political content. The production, a hit at the Royal Court Theater in London last year, had been tentatively scheduled to start performances at the New York Theater Workshop in the East Village on March 22. But yesterday, James C. Nicola, the artistic director of the workshop, said he had decided to postpone the show after polling local...

Stephen Simon was a successful Hollywood producer whose resume includes hits like "Smokey and the Bandit," "The Electric Horseman" and "Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure." But one day four years ago he had what he calls "a crisis of conscience." He decided that most of his movies, while paying the bills, weren't doing much for the good of humanity. So he packed his bags and moved to Ashland, Ore., where he now lives. After fleeing Hollywood, Simon founded the Spiritual Film Circle, a DVD-of-the-month club that promotes the kind of movies he wants to see more of, little-known productions that...

from "Hannity & Colmes," ... SEAN HANNITY...from San Francisco tonight, the board of supervisors here overwhelmingly voted to reject a plan last year that would bring the historic World War II Iowa battleship right here to San Francisco harbor, as a museum and tourist center. We're now joined by one of the supervisors that voted against that plan, Gerardo Sandoval is with us. You don't want a symbol of war in the harbor. Is what you said to me. GERARDO SANDOVAL: That's right... it's a warship and it's got guns on it. It fires things. You know, you can't deny...

Monday, February 13, 2006 You know your city is too small when... (The back of Heather Wilson's head, on the left, with the top of the computer screen I'm hiding behind visible as I take the photo as quietly as I can...) ...you go to Starbucks to write and the evil Congressman (yes, man) Heather Wilson walks in, dressed in a manly blazer and manlier pants. Just call her W's mini-me. I don't know what the hell she's doing here. She is sitting here in front of me as I write. I just happened to have my digital camera and...

I created this video a few days ago and finally got around to posting it on my blog. It was only my second attempt at using Windows Movie maker, but I find it hilarious. Check it out and leave me comments if you'd like...

Offers of discounted Venezuelan diesel fuel from CITGO to the Chicago Transit Authority have sparked speculation on similar offers being made to Madison Metro. The offer to the CTA would have given a 40-percent discount in return for reduced fares for lower income groups. Ann Gullickson, transit service manager of Madison Metro, wrote in a memo to general manager Catherine Debo that if a similar offer were made to Madison, it could provide “in excess of $1 million.” She noted the CTA refused the offer because of incompatibility of diesel fuel standards. According to Gullickson, the CTA and Madison Metro...

HILLARY'S EXPOSED LEFT FLANK 'SCARES THE HORSES' (VIDEO) (MISSUS CLINTON SUPPORTS ALITO FILIBUSTER) by Mia T, 01.31.06 ccording to conventional wisdom, missus clinton, owing to exceptional popularity with the Democratic base, (that is to say, with her radical leftist comrades), has the luxury to pose during the primary season as a centrist, as a conservative even, and, at times even as a right-winger more right-wing than your run-of-the-mill redneck right-winger, defying the First Presidential Law of Motion: Lean toward one's extreme during the primary, swing toward the mean during the general election. But as we see, clinton lust for...

Rep. Linda Chapa Lavia Seeks Statewide Ban on Water Pistols, Says ISRA 1/25/2006 11:00:00 AM To: State Desk Contact: Richard Pearson of the Illinois State Rifle Association, 815-635-3198, Website: http://www.isra.org SPRINGFIELD, Ill., Jan. 25 /U.S. Newswire/ -- The following was released today by the Illinois State Rifle Association (ISRA): "What kind of nut would want to ban squirt guns?" That's the question that tens of thousands of law-abiding Illinois firearm owners are asking today after it was revealed that Rep. Linda Chapa LaVia (D-Aurora) has co-sponsored a measure that would ban the possession of everything from water pistols to hunting...

Democratic senators took the Bush administration to task Friday for four years of domestic spying, while the president fought back with a planned embrace of the intelligence agency that is carrying out the effort. In preparation for Senate hearings, Edward Kennedy of Massachusetts noted that President Bush asserted in 2004 that "when we're talking about chasing down terrorists, we're talking about getting a court order before we do so." That Bush statement came at the same time the National Security Agency was engaging - at the president's direction - in warrantless eavesdropping on Americans. "If President Bush can make his...

Michael Moore Statement on Canadian Election Michael Moore is currently in production on his next movie. As an avid lover of all things Canadian, he has issued the following statement regarding Canada's upcoming election on Monday: Oh, Canada -- you're not really going to elect a Conservative majority on Monday, are you? That's a joke, right? I know you have a great sense of humor, and certainly a well-developed sense of irony, but this is no longer funny. Maybe it's a new form of Canadian irony -- reverse irony! OK, now I get it. First, you have the courage to...

Domestic Spying Program U.S. House of Representatives, Conyers, J. (D-MI) Washington, District of Columbia (United States) ID:190809 - 01/20/2006 - 3:00 - No Sale Conyers, John Jr., U.S. Representative, D-MIWaters, Maxine, U.S. Representative, D-CA Nadler, Jerrold, U.S. Representative, D-NYScott, Robert "Bobby", U.S. Representative, D-VAHinchey, Maurice, U.S. Representative, D-NYMartin, Kate, Director, Center for Natl. Security StudiesSchiff, Adam B., U.S. Representative, D-CABamford, James, Author Van Hollen, Christopher, U.S. Representative, D, MarylandFein, Bruce, AttorneyFredrickson, Caroline, Director, American Civil Liberties Union, Legislative Affairs

Over the course of the eight months of the D.C. Chapter's Friday night demonstrations in support of our troops recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center, we've been fortunate to be able to able to speak with many soldiers and hear their thoughts about the war and those who protest against it. Recently, one soldier shared his stories with us of his experiences with those opposed to the war. To preserve his privacy from vindictive leftists, I'm leaving out details that might help them identify him. The soldier told us of returning to a stateside civilian airport last year in...

From the moonbats at the Campus Antiwar Network: ENDORSED BY: Cindy Sheehan, Pablo Paredes, war resister; Camilo Mejia, war resister; David Airhart, Iraq War vet and Kent State student facing expulsion for peaceful counter-recruitment; Tariq Khan, George Mason University student assaulted for peaceful counter-recruitment; Charles Peterson, Holyoke Community College student assaulted for peaceful counter-recruitment; Traprock Peace Center; Peninsula Raging Grannies; David Swanson, co-founder of AfterDowningStreet.org; Anthony Arnove, editor, Iraq Under Siege and co-editor with Howard Zinn, Voices of a People's History of the United States * Say No to the Solomon Amendment! Campus Anti-War Network is calling for actions around...

Mar del Plata, Argentina, Nov 4 (EFE).- A Nobel laureate and a leftist Bolivian presidential candidate - but not, as had been promised, an Argentine soccer icon - led a march of thousands of anti-U.S. protesters through the streets of this seaside resort city Friday, hours before the inauguration of the Summit of the Americas. Retired athlete Diego Maradona, who had vowed to lead the demonstration to "repudiate" the presence of U.S. President George W. Bush, was in town but did not join the vanguard of the marchers. The explanation provided was that the former captain of the national soccer...

Panama, Nov 1 (Prensa Latina) A US presidential visit to Panama may be received by angry banana growers in front of that country´s embassy here. George W. Bush will arrive in this capital next Sunday for a less-than-24-hour visit, and although the government has worked hard to present the US statesman´s stopover as a step forward in bilateral relations, rejection prevails. The Cooperative of Multiple Services of Puertos Armuelles (COOSEMUPAR), in the province of Chiriqu¡, has some issues with the US transnational banana company Chiquita Brands International, and has asked the Panamanian government to get back four million dollars worth...

Here's something to get you all riled up for the weekend... Join CODEPINK for New Year’s in Cuba December 27-January 2, 2006 Cuba is one of the most beautiful and fascinating countries on Earth—and George Bush says you can’t go there. Well, we’re going anyway, and we invite you to join us! This New Year’s CODEPINK will be organizing a large group of fun-loving and freedom-loving Americans to break George Bush’s ban on travel to Cuba. Join co-founders Medea Benjamin and Jodie Evans, together with Academy Award winning producer Paul Haggis, as we visit with farmers at their co-ops, doctors...

...I wanted to address the Lifetime series of "The Dirty Girls Social Club" again. First, I should let you all know I haven't heard a peep from anyone at the network since I last posted. I have talked to my co-executive producer, Nely Galan, who talked to an exec at the network who, I am told, told her that they have no problem with me at the repitch meeting. Rather, they just want to meet with everyone but me in order to "bond". Okay. ... Basically, there's a thing that happens in Hollywood. Moneylust. They all want to make money,...

Sucias, Meet Lylah Alphonse. She is the "LA" who keeps blasting me on this blog. She used to work with me at the Boston Globe. She was a copy editor at the time, and the only solid thing I really remember about her is that she made her own coffee in a cute little desktop pot. ... I should say that Lylah eventually got a book published. It is called "Triumph Over Discrimination: The Life Story of Farhang Mehr." I haven't read it all the way through, mostly because I fell asleep after page...nine. The writing is passive, weak, bland,...

Unabashed terrorist supporter, Cindy Sheehan, delivered another one of her Al-Qaeda pep talks at Johns Hopkins University, on September 20th. (For which our hero mother is paid an estimated $30,000 a pop.) You can watch the video here. It is fascinating viewing, especially as it is delivered in Cindy's bizarre 14 year old Valley Girl sing-song.Among Cindy's talking points: Congress gave away their responsibilities to declare war to "someone they knew was a maniac. And they did it anyway."The media "challenges me for calling my second grade teacher a poo-poo head.""If [Bush] says he is making America safer, I say...

NEW YORK - Anti-war activist Cindy Sheehan said Tuesday she was hurt slightly in a scuffle that erupted when police broke up a rally as she was at the microphone. An organizer was arrested and charged with using a loudspeaker without a permit. “I was speaking and someone grabbed my backpack and pulled me back pretty roughly,” Sheehan said, describing the scene at Manhattan’s Union Square on Monday. “I was shoved around.”

<p>Forgotten but not gone, mad mama Cindy Sheehan is still ranting away over at the Fluffington Toast in hope of defying Andy Warhol and scoring a 16th minute of fame. In her latest post, she declares, "George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self [sic] from power."</p>

Mother of slain soldier decries 'military and governmental fascism'Fresh from a visit to hurricane-ravaged Louisiana, anti-Bush activist Cindy Sheehan is demanding the U.S. military be removed from "occupied New Orleans." In a dispatch on leftist filmmaker Michael Moore's website, Sheehan said she was troubled by the "level of the military presence" in the Gulf Coast state. "George Bush needs to stop talking, admit the mistakes of his all around failed administration, pull our troops out of occupied New Orleans and Iraq, and excuse his self from power," she said. "The only way America will become more secure is if we...

[WARNING: This is a hard-left piece from Greenpeace. If you don't want to read their tripe (and it gets pretty thick in places), then I suggest skipping this article. It's only real value is that it is a popular press-oriented account of the Japanese nuclear program that goes into some detail.] On September 2, as we reached the 60th anniversary of the end of World War II, Northeast Asia had changed in so many ways since the devastation brought about by years of conflict. But tragically, many historical problems remain unresolved. The Korean peninsula is still divided; the United States...

Unfortunatelly, as I predicted http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1476254/posts #28 the stupid white fat man is going to make a movie about New Orleans tragedy. If you have any sources in english with further details please provide them here.

The warnings not heeded in New Orleans must teach other cities about the need to prepare for the worst New Orleans is about to be flooded by recriminations. No levee is strong enough to hold back the wave of blame for the neglect of the city's protective barriers, the failed disaster plan and the slow, haphazard rescue effort. You can already see it coming, just as experts long warned that a Category 4 hurricane like Katrina could breach the earthen levees around New Orleans and flood much of the city. The challenge now is to channel the anger and frustration...

OK. We all know the Left has become so unhinged that they blame Bush and the right for all the ails of the world. But never content to simply ascribe man-made evils upon us, the Left has now broken (wetted?) new ground by blaming President Bush for Hurricane Katrina and all the damage that is sure to ensue. Here are a few examples: "in a poor neighborhood".... Say no more." "Most sickening thing I have ever seen in this country... Where is the f*&^%$g FEDERAL GOVERNMENT?" " Heartbreaking...and sickening. Gee, where's our National Guard? Oh that's right. They're in Iraq."...

Protest Medea Benjamin founder of CODE PINK.http://www.globalexchange.org/getInvolved/speakers/12_events.html Fri, Aug 26 8pm - 10pm Annie Lamott and Voices: A Duet for Peace -- to benefit CODEPINK Metropolitan Community Church 150 Eureka Street San Francisco, CA, California Tue, Aug 30 7:30pm Stop the Next War Now Book Event and Signing Unitarian Universalist Church 505 E. Charleston Road Palo Alto, California Wed, Sep 07 8pm - 9pm HERE / NOW festival Project Artaud Theater 450 Florida St San Francisco, California

I am an independent and have become uneasy about what is happening in Iraq. The constitutional crises now going on is pitting the various factions against each other. What bothers me the most, however, is the fact that Iraq is on it's way to becoming a country ruled by islamofacists. I realize this was not our goal, but the reality is our policy there has created a situation that does exactly the opposite of what we wanted. How does this benefit the US?

The past four years since 9-11 has seen several important and contentious elections. In the West, where the peaceful transfer of power can often be taken for granted, voters returned to power statesmen like Bush, Blair and Howard, who's War Against Terror is being waged also in support of global political liberty. Elsewhere, entire nations selected their own leaders for the first time. In Iraq, where political liberty remains under threat, many died exercising their right to vote while eight million succeeded in spite of the danger posed by terrorists and the disapproval of Western elites. But in the United...

London: Increasing numbers of lions are becoming man-eaters, placing lion conservation efforts in jeopardy. Nearly 1000 people have been killed or maimed by lions in Tanzania over the past 15 years, a study published in Nature says. The attacks have escalated in part because of Tanzania's rapid population growth - from 23.1 million in 1988 to 34.6 million in 2002 - and an associated loss of lion prey outside protected areas. Victims have included old people, nursing mothers, children playing outside their homes and people dragged from their beds. Lions often select smaller dwellings where it is more likely that...

LABOR has warned against a knee-jerk ban on Muslim groups in the wake of the London bombings and the threat of terrorism. The Australian Security Intelligence Organisation (ASIO) is investigating Hizb ut-Tahrir, which has been banned in Britain, and is expected to deliver an assessment on its activities within days. The group has described suicide bombers as martyrs and has said Muslims have a duty to resist the occupation of Iraq. Prime Minister John Howard is planning a meeting with Australia's Muslim leaders in the next few weeks to enlist their help in exposing extremist cells, and Hizb ut-Tahrir has...

Many argue that communism will never be possible because of "human nature". The essence of this false argument is the belief that a communist society would consist of an all-powerful central government that would tell everybody what to do--and would therefore undermine the creative initiative of individuals and the search for happiness. • This argument is based on two false assumptions: (1) It assumes that a communist society will look like the former Soviet Union, or the current China, North Korea, etc (ie: corrupt police states with a feudal-style ruling class) (2) It assumes that people will only work in...

Ray McGovern a 27-year senior CIA intelligence analyst has exposed the lies of the Neocons and the Israeli-controlled foreign policy of the United States. The session took an awkward turn when witness Ray McGovern, a former intelligence analyst, declared that the United States went to war in Iraq for oil, Israel and military bases craved by administration “Neocons” so “the United States and Israel could dominate that part of the world.” He said that Israel should not be considered an ally and that Bush was doing the bidding of Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. “Israel is not allowed to be...

Conference seeks to morph energy into political clout Liberals have complained for two decades that conservatives misuse religion for political gain, but it wasn't until well-organized evangelicals powered President Bush's election in November that some decided that they had to do more than gripe. The latest post-election attempt at transforming the spiritual energy of the left into political clout began Wednesday at UC Berkeley, where 1,200 people attended the opening of a conference on "Spiritual Activism." The goal of the four-day conference is to create a spirituality-based platform to counter the religious right, but organizers are also intending to...