From Here For Enternity

Deborah Kerr rest in peace, age 86..   The BBC:

British actress Deborah Kerr, known to millions for her roles in The King And I, Black Narcissus and From Here To Eternity, has died at the age of 86.

Born in Scotland in 1921, the actress made her name in British films before becoming successful in Hollywood.

Hat tip:  IMDB.

So that our readers will not be under informed on earthshaking events, I will pass along word from the United Nations that 2008 will be the international year of the potato.

No, really. at first, this kind of thing would seem contrived, as so many United Nations projects are.  But this one, actually make some sense.

Let’s see here.  The potato is round,and usually an ugly thing, yet starchy and stiff.  It gets soft when the heat is on. It grows best in the mud… mud which can be easily picked up and thrown by any passerby, mud which smells suspiciously like cattle droppings.

How fitting, that the UN should tie itself to such a project.

Little Green Footballs is passing along an AP report that says Sam Brownback will be dropping out of the presidential campaign on Friday. The problem, according to another report, is money.

Says LGF:

And then there were eight. (If you count crazy uncle Paul.)

Well, it’s true, Ron Paul is a complete fool, a full- goose bozo flake, who I don’t want allowed in the White House even as a party goer … as I’ve said here previously.  Then again, you can understand why Brownback is leaving the race…. The polling data that I quoted earlier this morning suggested that Brownback was coming in significantly behind that full goose bozo flake. The real reason isn’t lack of money, it’s a lack of supporters… money being a product of supporters, rather than the reverse.
Which a rather put things into perspective in terms of what I consider to be Brownback’s qualifications for the job.  And apparently, most people in Iowa.

There’s an awful lot of smoke going on just now over the reporting of KDFW’s Rebecca Aguilar, as regards a 70 year old guy whose business was broken into twice, and who twice defended himself with his firearms.

The Dallas Observer, says:

Monday night, KDFW-Channel 4 ran a piece about 70-year-old James Walton, owner of Able Walton Machine & Welding in West Dallas, who, early Sunday morning, shot and killed and man trying to break into his business. What made Walton’s story so extraordinary was that it was the second time he’d killed an intruder in three weeks. As it happens, Walton also lives at his place of business.
But today you will not find the Fox4 story on the station’s Web site; there’s a page for it, but no accompanying video. (Update: It’s available here.) That’s because Rebecca Aguilar‘s piece elicited a torrent of outrage, both on local blogs (chiefly FrontBurner but also elsewhere) and from viewers who began deluging the station with angry calls Monday night and much of the day yesterday. As Trey Garrison pointed out on D‘s blog:

This is her idea of journalism? Ambushing a 70-year-old man who has been through life-and-death twice in three weeks? “Are you a trigger happy kind of person? Is that what what you wanted to do? Shoot to kill?” Good Lord, I hate the people in this field.

Well, Trey need not worry about Aguilar, at least for a while: Unfair Park has confirmed that Aguilar — who was just named one of the National Association of Hispanic Journalists’ Broadcast Journalists of the Year — has been indefinitely suspended, based on concerns about how Aguilar treated Walton.

I’ve seen the “interview”.  There seems to me a level of anger in this woman’s “reporting” that even the typical leftist antigun hysteria we so often find among the press didn’t explain.

So I got to thinking; what else might explain it?  Perhaps the membership in the national association of Hispanic journalists might give us a clue.  The second perpetrator who was killed, his name might also give us a clue; Raul Laureles. The first guy killed, Jimmy Gannon…may or may not have an Hispanic background as well, I don’t know, though the chances seem rather high of it. I note with some dismay, that the press didn’t bother putting any pictures of either of the perps In their online particles.
I don’t want to jump to any firm conclusions here, at least in terms of making accusations.  However, I have to tell you in all honesty that my ‘gut’ is screaming at me that there is a racial element involved with this.  It’s the only thing I can think of that would explain the outrage that this “reporter” demonstrated.

Forget the idea that the 70 year old gentleman has been faced with a life or death situation twice in the last three weeks by people who wanted to steal from him.  Forget that the people who were killed were by definition criminal , and frankly deserve everything they got and more, my suspicion is that this woman is upset, and lost her supposed “neutrality” because the perpetrators that were killed, were Hispanic.

If you think that can be a very large motivator in such matters, I give you a Geraldo Rivera as an example of such.

I see Memeorandum has a fair number of links on the subject. Also covered at Riehl World View, The Jawa Report, Captain’s Quarters, Wizbang, TBogg, Instapundit.com, Confederate Yankee, Hot Air, and FrontBurner

Right Wing News emailed more than 240 right-of-center bloggers and asked them to answer 10 questions. The following 59 blogs responded:

The Absurd Report, The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler, Bad Example, The American Princess, AtlanticBlog, Atlas Shrugs, Barking Moonbat Early Warning System, Bit’s Blog, BizzyBlog, Blonde Sagacity, Blue Crab Boulevard, Bluey Blog, Boi From Troy, Bookworm Room, The Captain’s Journal, Dr. Melissa Clouthier, Conservative Grapevine, Dispatches from Blogblivion, Argghhhh!, Elocutio, Musings, Euphoric Reality, Fraters Libertas, GayPatriotGhost of a Flea, GOPUSA Northeast, GraniteGrok, Gocinatlanta, Jeff Gannon – A Voice of the New MediaIan Schwartz, IMAO, Liberty Pundit, Liberty Pundit, Likelihood of Success, Moonbattery, mountaineer musings, The Jawa Report, Neocon News, Newsbeat1, Newsbusters, Pal2pal, Pirate’s Cove, PoliPundit, Right Thinking From The Left Coast, Right Thinking Girl, Right Wing Rocker, Say Anything, Sane Nation, Screw Loose Change, Don Singleton, Sister Toldjah, Slobokan’s Site Of Schtuff, Solomonia, Stolen Thunder, Don Surber, dcthornton.com, Viking Pundit, Vox Popoli, WILLisms

The response to some of those ten questions were a bit of a surprise to me personally.  Particularly unsurprising was this response:

5) Using the following enhanced interrogation techniques on captured foreign terrorists: stress positons, sleep deprivation, and waterboarding.
Support: 53 — 91%
Oppose: 5 — 9%

This would seem to speak very loudly to the discussion I had with Henke, and McQuain on the matter over a year ago now.  I’m quite sure we’re going to get into that discussion again, but I posted it here as a reference point.

Also of interest, given recent discussions;

1)SCHIP expansion that was vetoed by Bush.
Support: 2 — 4%
Oppose: 55 — 96%

No surprise, here.  Well, that’s not quite correct.  I’m actually a little surprised that the 4% is as high as it is.

In any event go RTWT.

The Rasmussen website is reporting this morning …

The first Rasmussen Reports poll of the Iowa Republican Caucus for 2008 finds former Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney enjoying a six-point lead while former Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson and former Arkansas Governor Mike Huckabee are virtually tied for second.

I’m not seeing a whole bunch of solidity in those numbers however.  one problem that Fred Thompson is going to have, is the female.  Granted, that the female vote in Iowa is substantially different than the female vote in, say, New York. but I wonder if the wisdom of Ann Coulter doesn’t speak to this point… that being the if you take away the women’s vote Democrats would never get elected again.  I suppose that means that women voters will tend to allow for a more big government streak in the people they vote for.  According to the report ready and Thompson are basically even as far as the man’s vote goes, but Thompson’s only attracting 10% of female vote.

It should also be noted that the chatter I’m hearing speaks of a great deal of softness in these numbers, not a whole bunch of solidity…  a point which even this report raises. How that’s going to bear on things going forward is anybody’s guess, and is entirely dependent on who the steps out in front of the pack.

Patrick O’Connor over at The Politico ( BBCT: Memeorandum) is reporting that former speaker Dennis Hastert is planning on announcing that he’s going to be leaving the house later this year.

In looking at the timing of all of this, and some of the other opinions, what this means in terms of outcome, apparently depends on where you who you ask.  There are some, the such as O’Connor, and  Andrew Malcolm over at the Los Angeles Times, who seem to feel that it’s going to help the democratic party, given that Illinois has a Democrat Governor… Who would be responsible for setting up the special election.  and of course, the usual suspects are having a field day.

But, let’s inject a little reality, here.  The problem with that special election for the Democrats and heir wet dreams of conquest, is that it would be impossible to coattail a Democrat congressman in on a special election.  The voting for the as yet un-named Democrat would be undoubtedly heavier around the Chicago area, particularly in the unlikely event that the Democrat candidate for POTUS is Obama.  But a special election would require that such a vote happen on a completely different day, and as a standalone vote.  So much for the Democrat advantage.

One of the people noticing the democrats problems with the FISA legislation is Michelle Malkin. She properly labels at the FISA obstruction legislation.  She says:

Question of the night comes from Paul Mirengoff at Power Line in the wake of the Democrats’ withdrawal of their flawed FISA obstruction legislation:

My question is: how did the Democrats sink to a place where they place pandering to left-wing constituencies and sticking it to the president ahead of the safety of Americans, including American GIs? Tonight, more than a few “moderate” congressional Dems are probably wondering the same thing.

Actually, I think that line was crossed several years ago.  We’ve been pointing that out here with some degree of regularity since the day this website went online on Blogger’s pages.

The Worldwide Standard, (BBCT: Memeorandum)lays out how this specific bill came to this specific pass.  Does a fairly decent job of it, too.

Perhaps most amusing of all, when forced to explain why they blocked a floor debate, Democrats said it was important to move swiftly to reauthorize the law. Never mind that it was they who insisted the law expire quickly; if this was really their view then they would schedule a vote to extend the measure as is–since the votes were clearly there for such a measure.

Quite so.  Clearly what’s going on is the Democrats want the law changed in their favor.  Their problem is they failed miserably in getting that accomplished. As they have been falling with their entire agenda.

As an aside, there is a lesson to be learned here about a decided minority winning strategic victories.  It’s a situation that I have described for al-Qaida and their tactics a few times in the past few years; all one needs do is fight to a stalemate, and let the public relations create the victory.  That’s precisely the tactic the Republicans are on.  Interestingly enough, the Democrats haven’t figured out that that’s precisely what we’re up against in Iraq.  That they have not identified the tactic in either case, tells me all I need to know about their ability to hold the office is they currently hold.  More correctly, their inability.

At this stage of the game, no matter what they do, the Democrats are going to come away looking like they are working against America’s interests.  I suggest that is the correct perception to take away; Any objective view of their actions can come to no other conclusion.

The Washington Times this morning is reporting a new threat from the south .  Actually, it’s an old threat and one we’ve talked about here before.  Part of border control after all, is disease control;

A Mexican national infected with a highly contagious form of tuberculosis crossed the U.S. border 76 times and took multiple domestic flights in the last year, according to Customs and Border Protection interviews and documents obtained by The Washington Times.
The Customs and Border Protection (CBP) agency was warned by health officials on April 16 that the frequent traveler was infected, but it took the Homeland Security officials more than six weeks to issue a May 31 alert to warn its own border inspectors, according to Homeland Security sources who spoke on condition of anonymity for fear of retribution. Homeland Security took one more week to tell its own Transportation Security Agency.

Guy’s name, apparently, is Amado Isidro Armendariz Amaya .

Why would it have taken that long to respond?  I can think of one reason; the guys Mexican.  It’s not politically correct to arrest Mexicans who cross the border illegally.  Even if they do make typhoid Mary look like a really sweet date.

BBCT: Memeorandum

It is clear that Nancy Pelosi’s reign as Speaker has been an absolute disaster for the Democratic party and for the entire nation

 Margaret Kimberley.

‘Raticide is just fascinating.   Mrs. Pelosi has not been winning any friends during her tenure as Speaker.    Kimberly is leftarded and has more to say about Mrs. Pelosi: 

The Democratic Speaker of the House would like to arrest activists for loitering. Her Quisling like behavior has led protesters to her front door in San Francisco, but she has only herself to blame for the inconveniences she and her rich neighbors now suffer. The great unwashed masses have a right to assemble at her home, her office, or anywhere else they choose in order to exercise what is left of their right to speak freely. Her own words show her level of contempt for the democratic process.

It seems that certain leftards hate Pelosi even worse than they do George Bush.

Jawa Report:

(Mexico City) On October 8th, Mexican writer of horror stories, Jose Luis Calva (pic), was arrested after fleeing from police who were investigating strange smells coming from his apartment.

Police were looking into the disappearance of Calva’s girlfriend, Alejandra Galeana, and into cases of the dismembered bodies of two other women, one an ex-girlfriend of Calva.

Investigators believe the strange smells came from decomposing human body parts in Calva’s cupboard and refrigerator and bones in a cereal box. Police also found pieces of lime and partially-cooked human flesh in a frying pan. Interestingly, police additionally discovered the draft of a novel, Cannibalistic Instincts, in his apartment.

While fleeing to avoid apprehension, Calva reportedly was swinging down balconies from his upper-floor apartment and then was hit by a car. He’s recovering in the hospital.

Yesterday, forensic experts reported that the pieces of flesh found in Calva’s apartment are human.

Ummmmm…. Yeah. OKaaaayyyyy.

As a matter of logic , I have to assume that this kind of nonsense goes on more than it’s reported.

Megan McArdle yesterday noting the story that we talked about here today,  and the press refuses to talk about at all;

 Thanks to George Bush’s amazing deficit reduction plan, the budget deficit is now only 1.2% of GDP. If this trend continues, by the time George Bush leaves office, the budget will be within a hair’s breath of being balanced. I can only hope that Democrats don’t squander this precious legacy of fiscal responsibility.

Just kidding! Not about the budget deficit, I mean, but about the reason for it. The reason the budget deficit has closed is a combination of economic growth and increasing inequality, which has allowed the government to collect more revenue on a smaller base. The rich really are different–they pay higher tax rates.

…

Yes, one could argue (and Bob Rubin has) that closing the budget deficit a little made for amazing economic growth, thus raising tax revenues and allowing for even more deficit reduction. But the behavior of tax revenues under George W. severely undercuts this story. For reasons we still don’t understand, though inequality clearly plays a large part, tax revenues started rising faster than the rate of economic growth under Clinton. This trend has continued under Bush. That–and neither Rubinomics, nor supply side magic–is why tax revenues in both administrations keep delivering huge upside surprises, regardless of whether the administration cut taxes or raised them.

Megan, I’m surprised at you.  The reason was the 1994 tax cuts which were rammed through by a Republican Congress over the objections of  Bill Clinton.

IPS, CF RELEASE 25 DETAINEES PRIOR TO EID

Posted: 17 Oct 2007 04:17 AM CDT

IPS, CF RELEASE 25 DETAINEES PRIOR TO EID

SEVERAL WANTED TERRORISTS CAPTURED AND 11 ADDITIONAL SUSPECTS DETAINED DURING OPERATIONS TARGETING AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ

Posted: 17 Oct 2007 04:11 AM CDT

SEVERAL WANTED TERRORISTS CAPTURED AND 11 ADDITIONAL SUSPECTS DETAINED DURING OPERATIONS TARGETING AL-QAEDA IN IRAQ

• A thank you to Michelle Malkin for her link from VDARE.COM. Good article, by the way.
• Noted in passing at Billy Beck’s…

> The Bawlmer Sun had a front page article
> on the “right-wing smear campaign” against
> the Frosts.

Saw that.

> Let’s see if you gag at the same places I
> did. Love how other peoples’ “needs”
> become our fiscal responsibility.

I can’t even get started on this stuff without blowing chunks all over the walls.

Housekeeping at your place must be a real problem, then. And Billy, I have to say this, you’re right.  When Republicans hold up examples, it happens every time that they get questioned on the examples presented. And, properly so. Why shouldn’t be any less for Democrats?  Of course the advantages that under those conditions, the Democrats get to shut down any debate on the matter.  Which is, I think, precisely the intent.

• I see by way of Memorandum that Morgan Stanley has dumped all of their holdings of the New York Times company.  The sad part is, I doubt even this will affect the editorial content of the times.  They will continue with their left wing diatribes that got them into this mess in the first place.  Know what?  I’m OK with that.  We could do with one less Pravda.
• Little Green Footballs passes along word of a gathering of the left:

Coming to the University of California, Davis, on November 1, sponsored by the Leftist-Islamist Axis of Students for Peace and Justice and Totalitarianism, Students for Justice in a Nonexistent Country Called Palestine, and the ubiquitous Radical Muslim Student Association: fraudulent, plagiarizing, disgraced former professor Ward Churchill. The theme of the speech, in keeping with its antisemitic, Islamofascist sponsors, is “Zionists Are Nazis.”

Yes, I know I’m not supposed to quote the whole thing, but  it’s a classic as is… I didn’t have the heart to break it up. It fits so well, as is.

• Based on the e-mail, (45, so far…)  and the links (more than that) that I’ve been getting, the screen capture I posted yesterday is but one example of the many transgressions of the like from the creature in question.  One of the more interesting to follow up on is one in FREE SPEECH, this afternoon. the only question I have, is how somebody could so willingly make themselves a target like that?  There are some serious self hatred issues hanging around that guy is the only thing I can figure.  So be it.  All I need do is let him be him, and point out here were the lines get crossed.  By what I’m getting told, it should be freed when enough to provide a regular bit of entertainment around here.
• Even absent the business with Chuckles, the traffic around here has been going through the roof, for the last week.  It’s good to see. Traffic is never been a real problem around here, anyway as I indicated last evening.  The last several days, however, from about Friday afternoon on, have been nothing short of amazing.  If you’re a new reader here, welcome.  Pull up a chair.  Relax.  We’re glad to have you.  For those who have been with us since the day we started, and there are quite a few of you, thank you.  You are what keeps this place going.

Froomkin:

A defensive President Bush insisted that he was still relevant this morning in a news conference dominated by his bitter complaints about the Democratic Congress.

Asked how he found himself vetoing a children’s health insurance bill that had passed Congress with bipartisan support, Bush insisted that using a veto is “one way to ensure I am relevant.”

When a reporter followed up and asked Bush if he felt he was losing leverage and relevance, Bush replied: “I’ve never felt more engaged and more capable of getting the American people to realize there’s a lot of unfinished business.”

Which, let’s be blunt, is hard to believe.

Oh, I think you can believe him.

If the President wasn’t relevant, wouldn’t Pelosi and Reid have gotten out of the starting blocks on their agende by now?

BBCT:  Memeorandum