BOUGHT AND PAID FOR

As you might already know, I'm no fan of former President Jimmy Carter.  I once referred to him as "an arrogant buffoon hiding behind a mask of piety."  As it turns out, my criticism of Mr. Carter may have fallen short of the mark.  Adding the word "corrupt" to my characterization of him may get me closer to a bullseye.  If Alan Dershowitz is to be believed, and I see no reason not to believe him, Carter may very well be corrupt. 

Recent disclosures of Carter's extensive financial connections  to Arab oil money, particularly from Saudi Arabia, had deeply shaken my belief in his integrity. When I was first told that he received a  monetary reward in the name of Shiekh Zayed bin Sultan Al Nahayan, and kept the money, even after Harvard returned money from the same source because of its anti-Semitic history, I simply did not believe it. How  could a man of such apparent integrity enrich himself with dirty money  from so dirty a source?
 
And let there be no mistake about how dirty the Zayed Foundation is. I know because I was involved, in a small way, in helping to persuade Harvard University to return more than $2 million that the financially strapped Divinity School received from this source.  Initially, I was reluctant to put pressure on Harvard to turn back money  for the Divinity School, but then a student at the Divinity School, Rachael Lea Fish showed me the facts. 

They were staggering. I was amazed that in the twenty-first  century there were still foundations that espoused these views. The Zayed Centre for Coordination and Follow-up, a think-tank funded by the Shiekh and run by his son, hosted speakers who called Jews "the enemies of all nations," attributed the assassination of John Kennedy to Israel and the Mossad and the 9/11 attacks to the United States' own military, and stated that the Holocaust was a "fable." (They also hosted a speech by Jimmy Carter.) To its credit, Harvard turned the money back. To his discredit, Carter did not.

You can read the rest at Frontpage Magazine.  I won't hold my breath waiting for the mainstream media to pick up on this story.

THE MEDIA AS A WEAPON OF WAR

The must-read item for the week, maybe for the month, is the report from the Kennedy School of Government of a study done by Marvin Kalb titled The Israeli-Hezbollah War of 2006: The Media As A Weapon in Asymmetrical Conflict. Here's the abstract:

Based on content analysis of global media and interviews with many diplomats and journalists, this paper describes the trajectory of the media from objective observer to fiery advocate, becoming in fact a weapon of modern warfare. The paper also shows how an open society, Israel, is victimized by its own openness and how a closed sect, Hezbollah, can retain almost total control of the daily message of journalism and propaganda.

The report is 40 pages long, but it's worth your time to read all of it. Odds are that it won't tell you anything new about media bias, but the fact that the study was conducted by Marvin Kalb (nobody's idea of a card carrying neocon) makes it a bit of a surprise.

MARTINEZ FACES DEATH PENALTY

The latest on the case from The Journal News:

Suffern soldier's accused killer faces death penalty

One of the motions that could have spared a National Guard sergeant the death penalty if convicted of killing two officers in Iraq has been denied by a military judge.

Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez is being tried for the slayings of Capt. Phillip Esposito of Suffern and 1st Lt. Louis Allen of Milford, Pa.

In decisions released yesterday, a military judge rejected a defense argument that the difference between premeditated murder and unpremeditated murder was unconstitutionally vague and therefore the death penalty for premeditated murder should also be unconstitutional. Another motion challenges the death penalty on the grounds that it is not officially a time of war. No ruling on that issue has occurred.

The judge, Col. Patrick Parrish, also has rejected three other requests by the defense for Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez, some of which could have consumed more time and further delayed a trial scheduled to be held Aug. 13 at Fort Bragg, N.C. Previously, it was scheduled for June.

Martinez, 40, of Cohoes, N.Y., is accused of mortally wounding Esposito and Allen at Forward Operating Base Danger near Tikrit on June 7, 2005.

The men died the next day at a military hospital. An explosion that tore apart their quarters was initially attributed to enemy fire, but an investigation implicated Martinez.

The other motions denied by the judge were:

-A request by the defense to appoint a liaison between Martinez's lawyers and the widows of the slain men.

-A request for more computer modeling of the locations and events relevant to the case.

-More time to investigate.


It's going on two years now since the murders. The wheels of justice are turning slowly, but they are turning.

YOU CAN RUN, BUT YOU CAN'T HIDE

The insurgents in Iraq are ten feet tall, invisible, and bulletproof--NOT! Check out this video of a few terrorist thugs who were dumb enough to believe the MSM's reporting on them.

THE WILL OF THE UNINFORMED

Jonah Goldberg's latest column at Townhall.com is today's must-read.  Sadly, I fear that he's right on the mark.

ALBERTO MARTINEZ UPDATE

Here are a few items on this story in the news to share with you:

Pretrial hearing set in Iraq fragging case

Judge in court-martial case asked to determine if U.S. "at war"

I'm no expert on military and international law, but I would think that the Joint Resolution to Authorize the Use of United States Armed Forces Against Iraq is a de facto declaration of war. It may be time to update the Uniform Code of Military Justice (UCMJ) to account for such situations, but such changes wouldn't apply in this particular case. Hopefully, the court will rule that we are at war.

Defense for alleged fragger asks for more time

FORGIVE ME IF I DON'T SHAKE HANDS

This is just too much.  Apparently Sheryl Crow wants to save the planet...one bowel movement at a time.  From her blog at Huffingtonpost:

I propose a limitation be put on how many squares of toilet paper can be used in any one sitting. Now, I don't want to rob any law-abiding American of his or her God-given rights, but I think we are an industrious enough people that we can make it work with only one square per restroom visit, except, of course, on those pesky occasions where 2 to 3 could be required.

It isn't easy to parody the self-parodying, but what the hell, I'll give it my best shot.  I think Sheryl needs a nickname.  What do you think it should be?  Here are a couple suggestions:

"Stinky Fingers"
"Skidmark"

Feel free to vote for your favorite in the comments, or suggest another one if you wish.

ONCE UPON A TIME IN AMERICA: THE VIRGINIA TECH SHOOTINGS

I guess I don't have anything profound to say about this horrific crime. It's been analyzed to death by the talking heads of the 24 hour news cycle, and it's already been politicized by some of the shameless whores who pass themselves off as our political elite. But there are a few points worth mentioning that come to mind:

--Gun control won't work. Phoenix sums it up pretty well:

The MSM and liberals will call for more gun control because of this. They will reconjure the images from Columbine and the clocktower of the University of Texas. They will tell you that we don't have sufficient control over guns. But the fact of the matter is this: no gun law will ever keep weapons out of the hands of criminals. Outlawing and criminalizing possession of drugs hasn't kept people from getting drugs and gun laws work the same way.

When the bad guys want to get guns, they will. Even the UK, with it's oft-cited strict gun control laws, is seeing a rise in gun crime.

--Angry parents are already calling for the resignation of the VA Tech President. Wonderful. Finger-pointing has become our new national pasttime.

--The ensuing policy debates will be driven by the news media. This is a bad thing, as the news media isn't trying to inform the public. The media's real job is to SCARE THE SHIT OUT OF YOU. Panicky people are more likely to stay tuned. John Stossel has done a good job of explaining this concept.

--I've heard a number of talking heads blathering on about how many bullets that the "clip" on the shooters gun held. Clip? Um, no. It's not called a clip. It's called a magazine. OK, here's a quick lesson in firearms terminology for you.

This is a clip:


This is a magazine:

A magazine is the part inside the firearm that holds the ammo (unless it's a revolver, in which case it's referred to as a cylander). A clip is used to load the ammo into a magazine.

--The media powers-that-be are going to beat us over the head with this story 24/7. Until the next big story comes along.

MARINES TO THE RESCUE, MEDIA MISSING IN ACTION (AGAIN)

Here's a story the public needs to hear:

Alpha Company Heroes

MARINE BARRACKS WASHINGTON (March 28, 2007) -- What if you were given the opportunity to help a complete stranger who had been seriously injured? Would you just walk away or would you take immediate action to help save the person?

Two infantrymen from Alpha Company were faced with situation when they saw a male in his mid-twenties who was about to be assaulted in the late evening of Feb. 24.

Lance Corporals Jared Bolhuis and David Trester were on their way to watch a movie in Washington, D.C.'s Chinatown. They had just departed the subway when they heard a disturbance at the top of the escalator. As the two Marines reached street level, they found the man surrounded by a group of 15 young skateboarders.

"There was a young guy, nicely dressed like he was going out. He was squared off with a skateboarder that looked like he was about 18 years old. The skateboarder's friends surrounded the two of them and everyone on the streets was watching this build up," said Bolhuis, a Zeeland, Mich. Native. "Before I knew it, one of the older skateboarders came from behind and blindsided this guy with a punch right in the temple, knocking him out cold."

As soon as the victim was hit, the leathernecks rushed to his aid. As the Marines with their high and tight haircuts approached the victim, the gang of skateboarders quickly dispersed into the crowd.

Lance Corporals Bolhuis and Trester are a credit to the military, and the USMC in particular. Which is probably why (as of this writing), Google News lists exactly zero stories about their heroism. None. Two Marines save a man from assault by over a dozen thugs, and it's not news? Had 15 Marines beat up two skateboarders, there'd probably be over a thousand stories on Google News by now. I guess it falls on bloggers and other non-journalists to spread the word. Again.

h/t: Blackfive

AN INCONVENIENT TRUTH

I ran across this little item at the Snopes urban legend website:

LOOK OVER THE DESCRIPTIONS OF THE FOLLOWING TWO HOUSES AND SEE IF YOU CAN TELL WHICH BELONGS TO AN ENVIRONMENTALIST.

HOUSE # 1:

A 20-room mansion (not including 8 bathrooms) heated by natural gas. Add on a pool (and a pool house) and a separate guesthouse, all heated by gas. In ONE MONTH ALONE this mansion consumes more energy than the average American household in an ENTIRE YEAR. The average bill for electricity and natural gas is over $2,400.00 per month.

In natural gas alone (which last time I checked was a fossil fuel), this property consumes more than 20 times the national average for an American home. This house is not in a northern or Midwestern “snow belt,” either. It’s in the South.

HOUSE # 2:

Designed by an architecture professor at a leading national university, this house incorporates every “green” feature current home construction can provide. The house contains only 4,000 square feet (4 bedrooms) and is nestled on arid high prairie in the American southwest.

A central closet in the house holds geothermal heat pumps drawing ground water through pipes sunk 300 feet into the ground. The water (usually 67 degrees F.) heats the house in winter and cools it in summer. The system uses no fossil fuels such as oil or natural gas, and it consumes 25% of the electricity required for a conventional heating/cooling system.

Rainwater from the roof is collected and funneled into a 25,000-gallon underground cistern. Wastewater from showers, sinks and toilets goes into underground purifying tanks and then into the cistern. The collected water then irrigates the land surrounding the house. Flowers and shrubs native to the area blend the property into the surrounding rural landscape.

HOUSE # 1 (20 Room Energy Guzzling Mansion) is outside of Nashville, Tennessee. It is the abode of that renowned environmentalist (and filmmaker) Al Gore.

HOUSE # 2 (Model Eco-Friendly House) is on a ranch near Crawford, Texas. Also known as “the Texas White House,” it is the private residence of the President of the United States, George W. Bush.

So whose house is gentler on the environment? Yet another story you won’t hear or see on CNN, CBS, ABC, MSNBC, or read about in the New York Times or the Washington Post. Indeed, for Mr. Gore, it is truly “an inconvenient truth”!

According to the folks at Snopes, the above is fairly accurate. Shocker, isn't it?

A MUST-READ ITEM

Today's must-read item is an interview with retired US Army LTC Ralph Peters at Frontpage Magazine.  Interviewer Paul Kengor questions Peters about the war in Iraq, the surge, withdrawal deadlines, and the state of Christianity in Europe.  Check out this quote from Peters on immigrants in Europe:

No European state--not one--has a functional model for integrating immigrants from different cultural and religious backgrounds. This is, indeed, a clash of civilizations. Europe's secular elites are, in fact, the last to get it. The average Frenchman or German or Englishman understands that the situation is dysfunctional, but the governing elites insist on pretending that all will be well--despite overwhelming evidence to the contrary. And, of course, there's blame on every side. Immigrants don't want to assimilate, but neither do Europeans really want them to assimilate. The miraculous North American model, in which "America makes Americans," has no counterpart in Europe. And for all their pacifist masquerading, Europeans remain really good haters--you can still smell the smoke of the ovens of Auschwitz.

Harsh, but I think he may have a point.  Time will tell, I guess.  Anyway, read the rest.  Interesting stuff.

STUPID IS AS STUPID SAYS

"I do believe that it was the first time in history that fire has ever melted steel."

-Rosie O'Donnell

Duh.  Get a clue Rosie.

And speaking of Rosie and her conspiracy nuttiness, Michelle Malkin reconsiders doing business with the companies that advertise on The View.

And speaking of advertising, actor and 9/11 conspiracy nut Charlie Sheen--who is rumored to be narrating the upcoming third edition of the 9/11 "documentary" Loose Change--is featured in the latest commercial for satellite television provider DirecTV.  As much as I hate my cable provider, I wouldn't switch to a service that uses a buffoon like that to hawk their product.  A spokesman is supposed to have credibility and inspire confidence in the product.  Any company that hires a clown who believes that real life is like an X-Files episode apparently doesn't get that.

DHIMMITUDE CREEP IN THE UK

Disheartening as it has been to watch the once-vaunted Royal Navy being punked on international TV by a gang of medievel thugs, this story from the UK may actually be worse:

Teachers drop the Holocaust to avoid offending Muslims

Schools are dropping the Holocaust from history lessons to avoid offending Muslim pupils, a Government backed study has revealed.

It found some teachers are reluctant to cover the atrocity for fear of upsetting students whose beliefs include Holocaust denial.

There is also resistance to tackling the 11th century Crusades - where Christians fought Muslim armies for control of Jerusalem - because lessons often contradict what is taught in local mosques.

The findings have prompted claims that some schools are using history 'as a vehicle for promoting political correctness'.

The study, funded by the Department for Education and Skills, looked into 'emotive and controversial' history teaching in primary and secondary schools.

So, they have to alter reality because it might offend Muslims?  That's pathetic.  And speaking of pathetic, check out this little bit of moral relativism from the above-linked story:

A third school found itself 'strongly challenged by some Christian parents for their treatment of the Arab-Israeli conflict-and the history of the state of Israel that did not accord with the teachings of their denomination'.

Note the fact that the school was challenged, and that there was no curriculum change made to accomodate the Christian parents.  It's also interesting to note that there were no details as to what was found objectionable.  Some pro-Palestinian propaganda, perhaps?  I guess we'll never find out, since that paragraph was just a little CYA for the newspaper.  Wouldn't want to offend any Muslims, right?

h/t:  Drudge