THE PASSION OF THE MOVIE STAR

Poor Mel Gibson. He couldn't just get a DUI, he had to get an anti-semitic DUI:

(CNSNews.com) - Actor and director Mel Gibson, arrested for drunken driving in Malibu on Friday, apologized over the weekend for the ugly things he said about Jews when police stopped him.

But his apology has not convinced the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), which three years ago warned that Gibson was "seriously infected" with anti-Semitic views.

In a statement issued on Saturday, Gibson apologized for saying "despicable things" during his arrest that he "does not believe to be true."

According to press reports, Gibson was abusive to the arresting officer, telling him that "Jews are responsible for all the wars in the world," and asking the officer is he was a (bleeping) Jew.

Abraham H. Foxman, ADL National Director, called Gibson's apology "unremorseful and insufficient. It's not a proper apology because it does not go to the essence of his bigotry and his anti-Semitism."

If only Mel understood the rules of anti-semitism, he wouldn't be in so much hot water. To avoid future controversy, he should consider doing the following:

-Use code words like "neocon" and "zionist" instead of referring to "Jews"
-Convert to Islam
-Become a French citizen
-Start hanging around with Jesse Jackson and Al Sharpton
-Refrain from discussing Jews unless Cindy Sheehan is present
-Get a job at the U.N.
-Always be sure to mention the Palestinians and their "plight" when ranting about Jews

If he follows the suggestions above, accusations of anti-semitism will be few and far between.

If those suggestions are too much effort, he can always give a few million dollars to Moveon.org. Then he'll have a free pass to blame the Jews for anything he wants.

TRAINING FOR "WAR CRIMINALS"

The New York Air National Guard's 174th Fighter Wing is ramping up for a deployment in support of the GWoT. In preparation for the deployment, they're practicing on ranges at Ft. Drum, NY.

Controllers in the tower use TV's, microphones and sensors to score the accuracy of the pilots. Part of the training is to help soldiers identify what sites are of historical significance.

This kind of training is essential for soldiers headed to the Middle East.

"It's extremely unique, it's the only place with most of the capabilities in the whole Northeast, really the east coast north of Florida. There's some ranges bigger down in Florida, but north of Florida and east of the Mississippi we're pretty much the best capabilities out there," said Adirondack Range Operations Officer Lt. Col. Fred Tomaselli.

As part of their training, a simulated archaeological ruin and Muslim cemetary have been built so pilots can identify them and avoid them as targets.

(emphasis mine)

Kind of an odd way to train for a military that supposedly has no regard for the Laws of Armed Conflict, don't you think? Which of our adversaries, or potential adversaries, do you think spend time training to avoid hitting inappropriate targets? Al Qaeda? The Taliban? Iran? North Korea? How about "none of the above?"

You can read the rest of the story and watch the video from News10 Now here.

BETTER LATE THAN NEVER?

Senate Democrats are taking Iraqi Prime Minister Nuri al-Maliki to task over his comments about the Israel-Hezbollah situation. From CNN:

In a letter to al-Maliki, Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid of Nevada, Democratic Whip Dick Durbin of Illinois and Sen. Charles Schumer of New York called the Iraqi leader's comments troubling.

"Your failure to condemn Hezbollah's aggression and recognize Israel's right to defend itself raise serious questions about whether Iraq under your leadership can play a constructive role in resolving the current crisis and bringing stability to the Middle East," the letter said.

The senators said some Democrats are considering boycotting al-Maliki's speech before Congress.

"I want the prime minister to denounce what Hezbollah has done," Reid said at a news briefing. "I will lose a lot of confidence in al-Maliki if he does not denounce what Hezbollah has done."

Apparently, the Senate's leading Democrats have zero tolerance for Arab politicians who fail to recognize Israel's right to exist. Better late than never, I guess.

IF ALL OF THE RA1NDR0PS WERE LEM0N DR0PS AND GUM DR0PS...

"If I was president this wouldn't have happened."

-John Kerry, referring to the current situation in Lebanon and Israel.

A Kerry presidency would also mean:
-It would never rain on weekends
-Every day would be Sunday
-Everyone would win the lottery
-Pizza would be fat free
-No more computer viruses
-The class dork can date the homecoming queen (yes, even Al Gore would have a shot)
-Global warming would end
-All taxes would be abolished (except on those greedy "rich" people)
-All entitlements would triple
-The federal budget would be balanced

and, most importantly:
-The French would love us

Did I miss anything?

ISRAEL UNDER ATTACK

Israel is under attack. But who is attacking them? Is it a gang of criminals? Should they go to the world court and file a criminal complaint? Or a lawsuit? Hardly. This isn't about crime, this is war. Israel is under attack by Iran. From GlobalSecurity.org:

The Qods (Jerusalem) Force of the Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) is responsible for extraterritorial operations, including terrorist operations. A primary focus for the Qods Force is training Islamic fundamentalist terrorist groups. Currently, the Qods Force conducts training activities in Iran and in Sudan. The Qods Force is also responsible for gathering information required for targeting and attack planning. The Pasdaran has contacts with underground movements in the Gulf region, and Pasdaran members are assigned to Iranian diplomatic missions, where, in the course of routine intelligence activities they monitor dissidents. Pasdaran influence has been particularly important in Kuwait, Bahrain, and the United Arab Emirates.

The largest branch of Pasdaran foreign operations consists of approximately 12,000 Arabic speaking Iranians, Afghans, Iraqis, Lebanese shi’ites and North Africans who trained in Iran or received training in Afghanistan during the Afghan war years. Presently these foreign operatives receive training in Iran, Sudan and Lebanon, and include the Hizballah ["Party of Allah"] intelligence, logistics and operational units in Lebanon [Hizballah is primarily a social and political rather than military organization]. The second largest Pasdaran foreign operations relates to the Kurds (particularly Iraqi Kurds), while the third largest relates to the Kashmiri’s, the Balouchi’s and the Afghans. The Pasdaran has also supported the establishment of Hizballah branches in Lebanon, Iraqi Kurdistan, Jordan and Palestine, and the Islamic Jihad in many other Moslem countries including Egypt, Turkey, Chechnya and in Caucasia. Hizballah has been implicated in the counterfeiting of U.S. dollars and European currencies, both to finance its operations and to disrupt Western economies by impairing international trade and tourism.

The Office of Liberation Movements has established a Gulf Section tasked with forming a Gulf Battalion as part of the Jerusalem Forces. In April 1995 a number of international organizations linked to international terrorism -- including the Japanese Red Army, the Armenian Secret Army, and the Kurdistan Workers' Party -- were reported to have met in Beirut with representatives of the Iraqi Da'wah Party, the Islamic Front for the Liberation of Bahrain, Hizballah, Iran's "Office of Liberation Movements," and Iran's Guardians of the Revolution. Tehran's objective was to destabilize Arab Gulf states by supporting fundamentalists with military, financial, and logistical support. Members of these and other organizations receive military training at a Guardians of the Revolution facility some 100 kilometers south of Tehran. A variety of of training courses are conducted at the facility for fundamentalists from the Gulf states, Egypt, Algeria, Tunisia, and Lebanon, including naval operations, mines, and diving operations in a special camp near the Orontes River.

The State Department asserts that Iran supports the Lebanese Hizballah, as well as Palestinian Islamic Jihad and Hamas, groups labeled as foreign terrorist organizations that are active in Israel.

Hizballah Deputy Secretary-General Naim Qasim appeared to confirm the importance of Iran to his organization during a late-July ceremony in the town of Tulin, when he said "We must stand side by side against the Israeli enemy, because Lebanon's strength is part of Syria's strength, and Iran's support and [Hizballah's] support for Palestine are an honor for us."

(emphasis mine)

Hizballah is nothing more than a hand puppet for Iran. The mullahs are waging war against Israel by proxy. Just like they are waging war against the coalition in Iraq through their support of insurgent groups. If you want to shut down Hizballah and other IGRC-backed terrorist groups, you need to shut down Iran. I'm not talking about invasion. Or occupation. I'm talking about knocking down the Iranian theocracy. Let the Iranian people figure out how to run their country in the post-mullah era. Will chaos ensue? Probably. But better a chaotic Iran than an orderly Iran spreading chaos throughout the world.

SEE YOU IN COURT. NOT!!!!

Well, well, well. So Valerie "Double-O Soccer Mom" Plame and Joe "My 15 Minutes of Fame are NOT Up Yet" Wilson are going to sue, are they? Well isn't that special? I guess Cheney, Rove, and Libby are all shaking in their boots.

Look for this case to go nowhere. Not because the Special Prosecutor found no evidence of leaking. Not because Plame's position didn't meet the criteria for an "undercover" job. And not because Bob Novak says that he saw no evidence of a smear campaign. No, this case is going nowhere because Joe and Val don't want to answer questions like this:

"Mrs. Wilson, what role did you play in your husband being selected for this mission to Niger."

"Mrs. Wilson, considering that you were allegedly working undercover, do you think it was wise for your husband to go on such a mission? And to write about it in the NY Times? And to become a high-profile critic of the President and the war? And to put your name in his 'Who's Who' bio? And on his company's website bio?"

And my favorite:

"Mr. Wilson, considering the national security importance of your mission to Niger, what made you think that you -- a man who lacked military, intelligence, or investigative experience -- were qualified to go on such a mission?"

It's not that I think that Joe and Val lack answers to these questions, it's that I don't think they have any answers they'd want to try under oath.

HOW LOW CAN THEY GO?

After endless whining about how President Bush uses the war and the military for political purposes, the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee has produced a video that uses images of flag-draped coffins to push their candidates. More proof that there is no depth too low for these folks to sink to in their single-minded quest for power.

The video is not only shameless and offensive, it's disingenuous. Did you see Tom Delay's mug shot in the video? It looked something like this:

So, where'd that come from? This is Tom Delay's mug shot:

Check out the number on the fake mugshot: 9110GOP. Hmm, I wonder what the significance of that is. It's obvious why they used the fake mugshot, it's less flattering and makes a more emotion-packed statement. But what does that say, when a political party has to use photoshopped pictures of its opponents in a campaign ad? How many other images in the video are faked? Are the coffins even real? Only the DCCC Ministry of Propaganda can provide an answer to that. Don't hold your breath waiting for one.

h/t: Blackfive

FROG MARCH THIS! (UPDATED)

This is too good. Drudge is reporting the following:

BOB NOVAK, My Leak Case Testimony: 'I learned Valerie Plame's name from Joe Wilson's entry in 'Who's Who in America'... MORE Published reports that I took the Fifth Amendment, made a plea bargain with the prosecutors or was a prosecutorial target were all untrue... MORE... My primary source has not come forward to identify himself... Bill Harlow, the CIA public information officer who was my CIA source for the column confirming Mrs. Wilson's identity. I learned Valerie Plame's name from Joe Wilson's entry in 'Who's Who in America'... I answered questions using the names of Rove, Harlow and my primary source... I considered his wife's role in initiating Wilson's mission, later confirmed by the Senate Intelligence Committee, to be a previously undisclosed part of an important news story. I reported it on that basis.
(emphasis mine)

I wonder whether blowhard partisan hack Joe Wilson is going to turn himself in for revealing the name of a "covert" CIA employee. If so, will he frog march himself down to the local FBI field office?

Update: This quote at FrontpageMag is priceless:

One former senior clandestine officer scoffed at the claim that Valerie Plame had ever been truly covert. “How can you be [covert] when you are married to an ex-U.S. ambassador and work for the State Department overseas?” Somebody looking at her from a hostile power (say, Iran) would have to have a brain the size of a pea to miss her connection to the U.S. government, he added.

Classic.

THE RETURN OF TIMOTHY MCVEIGH

Remember those radical right wing hate groups? You know, the ones we were told posed the greatest threat to our nation's security? The ones that the Clinton administration and the news media focused on all through the 90s while bin Laden and friends were recruiting and training the next generation of Islamic extremist terrorists? Well, they're back:

The military may be meeting its recruiting goals by relaxing standards that prevent “racist extremists” from joining, the Southern Poverty Law Center says.

Just on Monday, the Defense Department reported recruiting goals had been met for the 13th consecutive month.

The Montgomery, Ala.-based center has asked the military to crack down. The new concerns are based, in part, on a report from a military investigator based at Fort Lewis, Wash., who told the center that he and other defense officials have uncovered an online network of 57 neo-Nazis in the Army and Marine Corps, some of whom are recent combat veterans. They are spread over five bases: Fort Lewis, Fort Bragg, N.C., Fort Hood, Texas, Fort Steward, Ga., and Camp Pendleton, Calif., the center said

“Because hate group membership and extremist activity are antithetical to the values and mission of our armed forces, we urge you to adopt a zero-tolerance policy when it comes to white supremacy in the military and to take all necessary steps to ensure that the policy is rigorously enforced,” SPLC president Richard Cohen said in a July 7 letter to Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld.

OK, first up, the military already prohibits membership in racist organizations, hate groups, and street gangs.

Secondly, the Southern "Poverty" Law Center (whose assets are estimated at over $120 million) is a less than credible source, to say the least. The SPLC spent the 90s telling us that white supremacists were poised to overrun the country. More recently, they've turned their army of lawyer-thugs loose to open our borders to illegals and punish anyone who opposes them. For all their monitoring of hate groups, the SPLC hasn't noticed any of the radical Islamic groups out there (with the apparent exception of the Nation of Islam).

Now, SPLC leader Morris Dees, the "country lawyer" who pays himself a salary of $300,000 per year, is apparently setting his legal dogs on the military. Look for Islamofascist propagandists and antiwar moonbats to use this report to further bash the military. Asshats.

SMASH: REPORTING FOR DUTY

Smash has arrived at his duty station. Where is it? I'll give you a few hints:

-It's hot there this time of year.

-It's riddled with sectarian and ideological conflict.

-It's dangerous.

Anyway, good luck Smash. And thank you for your service to our country.

COURT STICKS TO THE LAW (FOR A CHANGE)

I was pleasantly surprised by the recent ruling by the New York State Court of Appeals on the issue of same-sex marriage. Unlike the 2003 decision by the Massachussetts Supreme Judicial Court, this decision was actually based on law, rather than some esoteric concept of "fairness." From today's Albany Times Union:

ALBANY -- There will be no wedding bells in
New York for lesbian and gay couples after
the state's highest court ruled Thursday that
same-sex marriage is not legal and it is up
to lawmakers to decide whether it should be.

"New York's statutory law clearly limits
marriage to opposite-sex couples," which
is consistent with the state constitution,
Court of Appeals Associate Judge Robert S.
Smith wrote.

"Whether such marriages should be recognized
is a question to be addressed by the
Legislature," Smith added.

(emphasis mine)

Regardless of how you feel on the issue of same-sex marriage, there is no reasonable argument that courts should be allowed to unilaterally change the definitions of words. Marriage has had a specific meaning since the founding of this country, and for centuries, even millenia, before that. If a word that defines the basic building block of our society is going to take on new meaning, it should be up to the people to decide what that meaning should be, not a small group of judges. Once judges are allowed to change the definitions of words at will, any law passed by the legislature, even the Constitution itself, become meaningless.


Court: No to gay marriage

WORLD WITHOUT AMERICA?

If you're as sick as I am of hearing leftists and European sophisticates (is that redundant?) calling the US the greatest threat to global stability, you should check out the latest column by Peter Brookes posted over at Military.com, in which he examines the state of affairs that would exist if the US was not in the picture.

The picture isn't pretty. Absent U.S. leadership, diplomatic influence, military might, economic power and unprecedented generosity, life aboard planet earth would likely be pretty grim, indeed. Set aside the differences America made last century -- just imagine a world where this country had vanished on Jan. 1, 2001.

On security, the United States is the global balance of power. While it's not our preference, we are the world's "cop on the beat," providing critical stability in some of the planet's toughest neighborhoods.

Without the U.S. "Globo-cop," rivals India and Pakistan might well find cause to unleash the dogs of war in South Asia -- undoubtedly leading to history's first nuclear (weapons) exchange. Talk about Fourth of July fireworks . . .

In Afghanistan, al Qaeda would still be an honored guest, scheming over a global caliphate stretching from Spain to Indonesia. It wouldn't be sending fighters to Iraq; instead, Osama's gang would be fighting them tooth and nail from Saudi Arabia to "Eurabia."

Check out the rest, it's good stuff.

HAPPY 230th BIRTHDAY, USA

The Declaration of Independence

When in the Course of human events it becomes necessary for one people to dissolve the political bands which have connected them with another and to assume among the powers of the earth, the separate and equal station to which the Laws of Nature and of Nature's God entitle them, a decent respect to the opinions of mankind requires that they should declare the causes which impel them to the separation.

We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness. — That to secure these rights, Governments are instituted among Men, deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed, — That whenever any Form of Government becomes destructive of these ends, it is the Right of the People to alter or to abolish it, and to institute new Government, laying its foundation on such principles and organizing its powers in such form, as to them shall seem most likely to effect their Safety and Happiness. Prudence, indeed, will dictate that Governments long established should not be changed for light and transient causes; and accordingly all experience hath shewn that mankind are more disposed to suffer, while evils are sufferable than to right themselves by abolishing the forms to which they are accustomed. But when a long train of abuses and usurpations, pursuing invariably the same Object evinces a design to reduce them under absolute Despotism, it is their right, it is their duty, to throw off such Government, and to provide new Guards for their future security. — Such has been the patient sufferance of these Colonies; and such is now the necessity which constrains them to alter their former Systems of Government. The history of the present King of Great Britain is a history of repeated injuries and usurpations, all having in direct object the establishment of an absolute Tyranny over these States. To prove this, let Facts be submitted to a candid world.

He has refused his Assent to Laws, the most wholesome and necessary for the public good.

He has forbidden his Governors to pass Laws of immediate and pressing importance, unless suspended in their operation till his Assent should be obtained; and when so suspended, he has utterly neglected to attend to them.

He has refused to pass other Laws for the accommodation of large districts of people, unless those people would relinquish the right of Representation in the Legislature, a right inestimable to them and formidable to tyrants only.

He has called together legislative bodies at places unusual, uncomfortable, and distant from the depository of their Public Records, for the sole purpose of fatiguing them into compliance with his measures.

He has dissolved Representative Houses repeatedly, for opposing with manly firmness his invasions on the rights of the people.

He has refused for a long time, after such dissolutions, to cause others to be elected, whereby the Legislative Powers, incapable of Annihilation, have returned to the People at large for their exercise; the State remaining in the mean time exposed to all the dangers of invasion from without, and convulsions within.

He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither, and raising the conditions of new Appropriations of Lands.

He has obstructed the Administration of Justice by refusing his Assent to Laws for establishing Judiciary Powers.

He has made Judges dependent on his Will alone for the tenure of their offices, and the amount and payment of their salaries.

He has erected a multitude of New Offices, and sent hither swarms of Officers to harass our people and eat out their substance.

He has kept among us, in times of peace, Standing Armies without the Consent of our legislatures.

He has affected to render the Military independent of and superior to the Civil Power.

He has combined with others to subject us to a jurisdiction foreign to our constitution, and unacknowledged by our laws; giving his Assent to their Acts of pretended Legislation:

For quartering large bodies of armed troops among us:

For protecting them, by a mock Trial from punishment for any Murders which they should commit on the Inhabitants of these States:

For cutting off our Trade with all parts of the world:

For imposing Taxes on us without our Consent:

For depriving us in many cases, of the benefit of Trial by Jury:

For transporting us beyond Seas to be tried for pretended offences:

For abolishing the free System of English Laws in a neighbouring Province, establishing therein an Arbitrary government, and enlarging its Boundaries so as to render it at once an example and fit instrument for introducing the same absolute rule into these Colonies

For taking away our Charters, abolishing our most valuable Laws and altering fundamentally the Forms of our Governments:

For suspending our own Legislatures, and declaring themselves invested with power to legislate for us in all cases whatsoever.

He has abdicated Government here, by declaring us out of his Protection and waging War against us.

He has plundered our seas, ravaged our coasts, burnt our towns, and destroyed the lives of our people.

He is at this time transporting large Armies of foreign Mercenaries to compleat the works of death, desolation, and tyranny, already begun with circumstances of Cruelty & Perfidy scarcely paralleled in the most barbarous ages, and totally unworthy the Head of a civilized nation.

He has constrained our fellow Citizens taken Captive on the high Seas to bear Arms against their Country, to become the executioners of their friends and Brethren, or to fall themselves by their Hands.

He has excited domestic insurrections amongst us, and has endeavoured to bring on the inhabitants of our frontiers, the merciless Indian Savages whose known rule of warfare, is an undistinguished destruction of all ages, sexes and conditions.

In every stage of these Oppressions We have Petitioned for Redress in the most humble terms: Our repeated Petitions have been answered only by repeated injury. A Prince, whose character is thus marked by every act which may define a Tyrant, is unfit to be the ruler of a free people.

Nor have We been wanting in attentions to our British brethren. We have warned them from time to time of attempts by their legislature to extend an unwarrantable jurisdiction over us. We have reminded them of the circumstances of our emigration and settlement here. We have appealed to their native justice and magnanimity, and we have conjured them by the ties of our common kindred. to disavow these usurpations, which would inevitably interrupt our connections and correspondence. They too have been deaf to the voice of justice and of consanguinity. We must, therefore, acquiesce in the necessity, which denounces our Separation, and hold them, as we hold the rest of mankind, Enemies in War, in Peace Friends.

We, therefore, the Representatives of the United States of America, in General Congress, Assembled, appealing to the Supreme Judge of the world for the rectitude of our intentions, do, in the Name, and by Authority of the good People of these Colonies, solemnly publish and declare, That these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States, that they are Absolved from all Allegiance to the British Crown, and that all political connection between them and the State of Great Britain, is and ought to be totally dissolved; and that as Free and Independent States, they have full Power to levy War, conclude Peace contract Alliances, establish Commerce, and to do all other Acts and Things which Independent States may of right do. — And for the support of this Declaration, with a firm reliance on the protection of Divine Providence, we mutually pledge to each other our Lives, our Fortunes and our sacred Honor.

— John Hancock

New Hampshire:
Josiah Bartlett, William Whipple, Matthew Thornton

Massachusetts:
John Hancock, Samuel Adams, John Adams, Robert Treat Paine, Elbridge Gerry

Rhode Island:
Stephen Hopkins, William Ellery

Connecticut:
Roger Sherman, Samuel Huntington, William Williams, Oliver Wolcott

New York:
William Floyd, Philip Livingston, Francis Lewis, Lewis Morris

New Jersey:
Richard Stockton, John Witherspoon, Francis Hopkinson, John Hart, Abraham Clark

Pennsylvania:
Robert Morris, Benjamin Rush, Benjamin Franklin, John Morton, George Clymer, James Smith, George Taylor, James Wilson, George Ross

Delaware:
Caesar Rodney, George Read, Thomas McKean

Maryland:
Samuel Chase, William Paca, Thomas Stone, Charles Carroll of Carrollton

Virginia:
George Wythe, Richard Henry Lee, Thomas Jefferson, Benjamin Harrison, Thomas Nelson, Jr., Francis Lightfoot Lee, Carter Braxton

North Carolina:
William Hooper, Joseph Hewes, John Penn

South Carolina:
Edward Rutledge, Thomas Heyward, Jr., Thomas Lynch, Jr., Arthur Middleton

Georgia:
Button Gwinnett, Lyman Hall, George Walton

UShistory.org