Friday, September 30, 2005

What A Kook!

I'm talking about him and whoever had the dandy idea to hire him in the first place.
Via Newsday
"The Fire Department this morning received the resignation of Imam Intikab Habib from his position of FDNY Chaplain," said FDNY Commissioner Nicholas Scoppetta. "Based on comments he made to Newsday, Imam Intikab Habib would have been unable to effectively serve in the role he was appointed to." "I did not want to (resign), but it was best for the department," Habib told NY1 today.In a telephone interview Thursday, Habib, 30, a native of Guyana who studied Islam in Saudi Arabia, said he questioned whether 19 hijackers were responsible for the Sept. 11 terror attacks, and suggested a broader conspiracy may have brought down the Twin Towers and killed more than 2,700 people...
"I've heard professionals say that nowhere ever in history did a steel building come down with fire alone," he said. "It takes two or three weeks to demolish a building like that. But it was pulled down in a couple of hours. Was it 19 hijackers who brought it down, or was it a conspiracy?"
(Emphasis added)

Okay, I've done this before but...

You have to read Ann Coulter's latest column about the next nominee. She makes some great(and of course, hilarious) points. I can only hope she's wrong.

This Could Be Great For Conservatives

I know I'm a little late in posting - I guess we all know by not that John Roberts was sworn in yesterday as the 17th Chief Justice of the SCOTUS.
Aside from my earlier concerns(and I still don't quite understand why Bush needed a "stealth nominee") this could turn out great for Republicans. All but a few Democrats voted for him because he was seen as a 'centrist'.
Now Bush can appoint someone just as qualified as John Roberts - but very pro-life. The Democrats must vote for them. After all, they voted for John Roberts, didn't they?

Wednesday, September 28, 2005

"Freedom Museum" dropped

In a huge victory for thousands of 9-11 families, NY Gov. George Pataki scratched plans for an "International Freedom Center" at Ground Zero. The Memorial would have showcased, among other things, the fall of the Berlin Wall and the Civil Rights movement.

'We must move forward with our first priority, the creation of an inspiring memorial to pay tribute to our lost loved ones and tell their stories to the world," Pataki said in a statement.'

This, of course, is fabulous news. But don't forget, there's another fight brewing over the proposed design for the Flight 93 memorial.

Tom DeLay Indicted

Good. Maybe finally this can be resolved. If DeLay did something illegal, he needs to face justice. Of course, there is no proof of anything yet. He could be completely innocent.(Actually, people are already bringing up that the DA, Ronnie Earle, is the same one who went after Senator Kay Bailey Hutchison. One of the charges was that Hutchison had physically assaulted an employee.)
But he's been guilty in the eyes of the media for months. This is just like gasoline on a fire. I'm really not looking forward to seeing Brian Ross "investigate" this every night. Expect Howard Dean to say something really dopey.

Tuesday, September 27, 2005

"Brown Shifts Blame For Katrina Response"

Now, I know there are many Conservatives who also believe that fmr FEMA direcor Michael Brown was incompetent. But just try to read the above link without growing outraged about the media bias:
Via AP
Former FEMA director Michael Brown blamed others for most government failures in responding to Hurricane Katrina on Tuesday, especially Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco and New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin. He aggressively defended his own role... [Brown] for many became a symbol of government failures in the natural disaster that claimed the lives of more than 1,000 people..."
Notice they don't argue with what Brown is quoted as saying. That's because there's no viable argument - it's true!
"Those are not FEMA roles," Brown said. "FEMA doesn't evacuate communities. FEMA does not do law enforcement. FEMA does not do communications."

Basically, the Democrats' only real argument seems to be that FEMA should have stepped in immediately. But to do so FEMA would have had to override States' authority - which, of course, would have been illegal and decried by the Democrats.... but, after all, it is Bush's cabinet. We all know they caused the storm.

Monday, September 26, 2005

Cindy Sheehan Arrested

Even this is positive:
WASHINGTON (AP) - Cindy Sheehan, the California woman who became a leader of the anti-war movement following her son's death in Iraq, was arrested Monday along with dozens of others protesting outside the White House... Sheehan, 48, was the first taken into custody. She smiled as she was carried to the curb, then stood up and walked to a police vehicle while protesters chanted, "The whole world is watching."

I'm wondering what will happen next. Since there is no way(at least I don't think there is) this can go unmentioned, will Liberals start to distance themselves? I know she didn't exactly get arrested for "hittin' something till it was dead", but surely they won't continue to act as if she's just another housewife...

Update: Michelle Malkin has a great round-up, plus pictures.

Saturday, September 24, 2005

"Diverse political views"?

You should see how the msm describes these nuts who marched on Washington earlier today.
"Opponents of the war in Iraq" of "surprisingly diverse political views" hardly describes the paranoid, green-hair, LSD crowd populating the protest. While the AP was somewhat fair in mentioning the hundred or so counter-demonstrators, I mean, come on. Do you really think Republicans could get away with this?
(Before you click on the links I should warn you: (predictably) some photos contain obscene language.)

Friday, September 23, 2005

"Our worst fears came true"

New Orleans Levee breached

"Our worst fears came true," said Maj. Barry Guidry of the Georgia National Guard.
"We have three significant breaches in the levee and the water is rising rapidly," he said. "At daybreak I found substantial breaks and they've grown larger."...

Dozens of blocks in the Ninth Ward were under water as a waterfall at least 30 feet wide poured over and through a dike that had been used to patch breaks in the Industrial Canal levee.

This comes after a bus taking elderly residents away from Texas exploded, killing at least 24.

I keep thinking - a year after Charley and Ivan, "rebuild" concerts were still going on...
Pray for the coast. We need it.

Flight Plan

Have you seen Flight Plan? No, I haven't because I've seen trailers and to tell the truth, I'm not a fan of creepy movies. But now I'm beginning to think I didn't make such a bad choice.
SPOILER ALERT
So here's the deal: new widow Kyle(Jodi Foster)'s little girl goes missing(or does she...) on a transatlantic flight. Except no one on the plane remembers her little girl and there's no record of her. Is she going crazy? She suspects creepy Muslims onboard are involved. Are they?
Did Hollywood finally decide to add a dose of reality to it's dream world? Ha.
No, instead it's air marshals and flight attendants! The flight attendant is involved in the murder of Kyle's (Jodie Foster's) husband; kidnaps her daughter, tries to murder Kyle; laces the plane with explosives; steals Kyle's daughter's boarding pass, and commits fraud with the passenger manifest.
That's just the 'evil villian' attendant. The others are portrayed as hateful, arrogant, uncaring and lazy. This is not to mention the horrible way the air marshals are portrayed.
What a gross insult to both groups. How can Hollywood dare portray these people(who behaved heroically and whose throats were slit by real terrorists on 9-11) as terrorists themselves? Not to mention the part about creepy-suspicious-Achmed conspicuously not involved.
Do as Debbie Schlussel urges: Boycott Flight Plan.

Donna Brazile

is supporting Bush? What?
Read Here

From NY Post:
Donna Brazile I'm a woman, 45 years old, whose birth certificate says 'Negro,' and I was Al Gore's campaign manager. With all that layin' on top of me, I thought nothin' could ever scare me."
CNN regular Donna Brazile, who now runs her own company out of D.C., was born in a Louisiana charity hospital. Mother a maid, father a janitor, dirt poor, no running water, Donna is one of nine children. The hurricane devastated them. She says: "I'm an African-American whose life has been a victory. But then came Katrina."
The family's whole area was under water. Her diabetic dad couldn't leave and was rescued after five days, dead bodies floating in his face. His only chair, a rocking chair, destroyed in 8 feet of water. One sister wasn't found for six days. Another's children, in the care of an older child, drowned. A disabled sister in a nursing home was only located after Donna appealed on CNN and offered $500 for someone to go there and look. The Wildlife and Fisheries operation eventually found her. An elderly cousin was raped in the Superdome. There was an autistic niece who couldn't help herself. An uncle lay trapped in an attic nearly a week.
Said my friend Donna: "Any day that you finally found someone, all you could do was burst into tears."
Then: "No difficulty with anyone putting up a casino, but the levee problem, which has been with us for centuries, never got fixed."
Donna Brazile's DNA is Democratic. During 2000's famous fateful vote, she was in Florida fighting that system that produced those chads that rejected her candidate and elected his opponent. But, today, as President Bush is pummeled for inadequacies in the wake of this tragedy, she's his fierce defender.
"Right now we need a president who will help. He's helping. I'm so grateful. Poverty and misery is humbling. I'm humbled to the core that this administration is helping the poorest of the poor. Why beat up on a president who's helping? When I'm calling around for willing hands, I'm not worrying about party affiliation.
"Like my aunt's a nurse. But she had no supplies. I called my friend Trent Lott, the senator from Louisiana. He got supplies to her.
"Kicking people who are working 24/7 to bring assistance? I don't think so. When I needed to relocate my family, some of whom were sick and on welfare, when I needed to find them housing, white people opened their hearts and homes. A Red Cross volunteer found my father. I've seen Anne Rice's house. It's in 5 feet of water. People, white and black, are reaching out to one another. If the government didn't act quickly, the people acted quickly. It's no time to play the race card."...
She tells you straight out: "Look, I know who I am. I know my only power is my mouth. I have been known to upset people. And I used what I had because Katrina was an equal-opportunity destroyer.
"These people are hurting. You can't put roadblocks in front of them. Can't tell them to go file an application. They don't know how. They have no computers. They have nothing. They're lost. Don't embarrass them. They've been humiliated enough.
"Girl, I only tell you, I applaud this president for stepping up."

Thursday, September 22, 2005

Terror in the skies.

I'm sure I wasn't the only person who sat spellbound last night when Bill O'Reilly was interrupted to show the Jet Blue flight that was having landing gear trouble. Apparently, we weren't the only ones.
The airliner circled Southern California for hours, crippled by a faulty landing gear, while inside its cabin 140 passengers watched their own life-and-death drama unfolding on live television.

Many prayers were answered when, thankfully the plane landed safely. A "textbook landing" one expert said.

Here we go again

As a Gulf Coast resident, I've been through my share of Hurricanes and Tropical Storms. Never like what the residents of East Texas are facing now.
I'll keep watch for politicizing...

No surprise here...

Dianne Feinstein to vote against Roberts
Like she really would have voted for anyone but the actual head of NARAL...

Wednesday, September 21, 2005

Eye Of The Storm Blog Rules

1: No profanity of any kind will be tolerated.
2: No sexual content, innuendo, crudeness or any other disgusting stuff will be, either.
3: Check your facts.
4: Don't offer or ask for personal info. If you know me, don't put my personal info out there, either.
5: Debate is fine - but unwarranted attacks on people (particularly Conservatives or my readers. YES, I'm biased.) won't be tolerated.
6: Advertise your blog all you want - but commercial spam or unrelated links to other people's blogs won't be tolerated.
7: Keep it pithy... long, rambling diatribes, or posting 2 or 3 times in a row is irritating and will get deleted at my discretion.
Break the rules: get deleted. Simple as that.

This

is a little worrisome. Leahy to back Roberts for Chief Justice:
This just might be confirming what some Conservatives had worried all along - that Roberts will be a so-called "moderate", i.e. Souter. Not that Roberts isn't qualified - if you watched any of the confirmation hearings, it's obvious this man is brilliant. But with a majority in both houses, and two consecutive election victories, why in the world would Bush appoint someone that might alienate most of his core base?

Monday, September 19, 2005

You won't believe this.

Louis Spaceship Farrakhan said:

"In that levee, there was a 25 foot hole, which suggested that it may have been blown up so that the water would destroy the black part of town."
9-12-05, Charlotte SC.

Nashim Nzinga, National Chief Of Staff of the 'New Black Panther Party '(as if the old one wasn't kooky enough) was on Hannity & Colmes a few minutes ago defending Farrakhan. He said(with mind-numbing seriousness) to Sean Hannity "my leader... said you're the devil... and you're absolutely the devil and you need to know about the mother ship." His closing comment was "see ya later, devil."

Update: Video Here

How did he ever get to be Mayor?

That's what I'm wondering about Ray Nagin. He has now suspended the reopening of the city, yielding to pressure from top federal officials and even the President himself. What? Is this is the same New Orleans that was "covered in toxic soup" and had/has "dead bodies floating everywhere"?! What was the mayor thinking?

Saturday, September 17, 2005

I know I link Michelle Malkin a lot, but...

Check this out. Another example of environmentalist hypocrisy.

This reminds me of one time we got in touch with someone to arrange to take a stray dog. Their family is relatively well known, and quite well-to-do. They made an offhand comment on the phone about being a Democrat("we just won't discuss politics") and we got a kick out of that, laughing about us "rich Republicans". Then they drove up. In a foreign-made Mercedes SUV. And wearing leather boots.
Now, not that anything is neccessarily wrong with that, but when Liberals get unhinged about something(once I even saw a letter to the editor where the person said they got "the urge to run SUV's off the road") they need to avoid it themselves. It's hilarious when liberals (like John it's-my-wife's-SUV-honest! Kerry) get caught with their hand in the cookie jar.

Friday, September 16, 2005

Redefining Judicial Activism

Ann Coulter has a great(not to mention hilarious) column about the left's redefining 'judicial activism'.

"Judicial activism means making up constitutional rights in order to strike down laws the justices don't like based on their personal preferences. It's not judicial activism to strike down laws because they violate the Constitution...

"... The New York Times prissily informed its readers: 'There is a misconception that so-called activist judges who 'legislate from the bench' are invariably liberal. In fact, conservative judges can be even more eager to overrule decisions made by elected officials.'

"The Times' definition isn't even coherent. If it were "judicial activism" to strike down laws — any laws, ever — there would be no point to having a Supreme Court. We could just have some idiot functionary, like Joe Wilson, rubber-stamping whatever the other parts of government do."

Good point.

Flight 93 - update

Michelle Malkin reports on a story I've been following.

Architect offers to alter memorial

WASHINGTON - The architect of the memorial to a plane downed in western Pennsylvania on Sept. 11, 2001, said Wednesday he would work to satisfy critics who complained that it honors terrorists with its crescent-shaped design.
Designer Paul Murdoch said he is "somewhat optimistic" that the spirit of the design could be maintained.
"It's a disappointment there is a misinterpretation and a simplistic distortion of this, but if that is a public concern, then that is something we will look to resolve in a way that keeps the essential qualities," Murdoch, 48, of Los Angeles, said in a telephone interview.


Great. But, Sir, what about the simplistic design?

I'm still laughing

Over this picture. It seems that a Muslim lady showed up at one of CAIR's events (gasp!) without a veil (for those of you who don't know, a veil is traditional Muslim garb, and never ordered in the Quran.)
So, for the embarrased "progressive" Muslims, the obvious solution was to photo-shop a viel in. Genuis! (Check out the blown up version about halfway down the page -- it looks like maybe a junior CAIR member was called in to use magic-markers on it!) To quote Jihad Watch:

This is a small thing, of course. Just a bit of silliness. But coming from an organization that brands the truth about Islam "Islamophobia" and has never answered uncomfortable questions about its own loyalties and affiliations, it raises larger issues of trust. Why do the mainstream media and many government organizations still give CAIR a free pass as a neutral civil rights group when its commitment to the truth is so manifestly tenuous?

Hat tip: Michelle Malkin, Jihad Watch

Thursday, September 15, 2005

Hard to stomach

So, how far has being "cultured" come? Check this out.

"Save our wetlands - to heck with our cities!"

That's how some environmentalists seem to feel. I was shocked when I saw this story:
Floodgate May Have Thwarted Storm Tragedy
"Hours after Hurricane Katrina passed, Orleans was underwater. Some experts say the flooding could have been stopped a quarter-century ago — had environmentalists not interfered...

In 1965, after Hurricane Betsy, President Lyndon Johnson authorized the Army Corps of Engineers to build two floodgates at the mouth of Lake Pontchartrain... The Army spent millions planning the project — until it was stopped by an environmental group called Save Our Wetlands, which filed a lawsuit arguing that the floodgates would damage sensitive marine life.

“If there was some sort of storm structure there, like floodgates, it would have reduced significantly the amount of storm surge into Lake Pontchartrain,” said Prof. Greg Stone of the Louisiana State University Coastal Studies Institute.

Now, naturally, this hasn't been jumped on by the MSM. But it should've been.

Wednesday, September 14, 2005

Flight 93

Michelle Malkin has a great column about the planned PC memorial.
Quote:
"Memorial architect Paul Murdoch, whose firm emphasizes "environmental responsibility and sustainability," did not return calls and e-mails seeking comment, but he did emphasize to the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette that his creation was about "healing" and "contemplation." He is also proud of his idea to hang a bunch of wind chimes in a tall tower at the site as a "gesture of healing and bonding."
Wind chimes? Hey, why not add pinwheels and smiley face stickers and Care Bears while we're at it, too?"


Ditto.

But don't forget the good stories

Like this. And this and this.

Despicable

is one of the many words that comes to mind when you read this story.

"Keep it pithy..."

Someone ought to tell that to the Senators "questioning" John Roberts. Democrats and Republicans seemed more interested in hearing themselves bashing/ praising Roberts than in actually questioning him. Fox News has been running constant coverage of the Roberts hearings, so from time to time I'll check in. Not to ruin it for you, but this is most of what you'll hear:
10 - 20 minute questions consisting of Democrats asking Roberts in a million different ways "do you agree with us on abortion?"(and desperately trying to give themselves a viable reason to vote against him) and Republicans heaping praise and sounding for all the world like the RNC website. Sure, there were some real questions asked. But it sounded mostly like bloviating.

Monday, September 12, 2005

Confirmation Hearings

for John Roberts began today.

"Judges and justices are servants of the law, not the other way around. Justices are like umpires" in that they call the game as they see it, Roberts said in unwritten remarks that took only six-and-a-half of the 15 minutes allotted to him. "I will remember it is my job to call balls and strikes, not to pitch or bat."

Here are some websites to watch:

Senate Judiciary Committee
Supreme Court

Little Susan Torres has died

A baby whose severely brain-damaged Mom was kept on life-support to save her has died.
Via AP:
The baby's father, Jason Torres, had made the decision after his wife lost consciousness to keep her on life support for the sake of her fetus... The mother died shortly after her daughter's birth when she was taken off life support. The baby was about two months premature and weighed 1 pound, 13 ounces. There was no immediate indication why the baby's health deteriorated.

Keep Jason Torres in thoughts and prayers.

Sunday, September 11, 2005

Will this be repeated umpteen times?

From the Hattiesburg American:
Michael Gannon
McLAIN - Marlene Freeman struggled to carry the box of donated canned goods across this parking lot in rural Mississippi, offering nary a protest to a stranger's help to load them in her car. Freeman, 49, was exhausted after more than a week of caring for her husband, a diabetic with heart problems, in a home with telephone and electric service knocked out by Hurricane Katrina..."It's been horrible," Freeman said, weeping. "Our phones are out. Nobody cares and no one's telling you nothing." Destitute residents of the rural Pine Belt continue to suffer more than 10 days after Katrina's winds wreaked havoc on the area outside the media spotlight on the shocking ruins of New Orleans and the Gulf Coast. They are isolated from less devastated areas to the north like Hattiesburg, where stores are reopening, and food and commodities are becoming more available again.In McLain, gasoline supply is still sporadic and many lights remain dark. Residents desperate for help, however, have not cast blame on the Federal Emergency Management Agency...They instead blame their local and county officials for failing to keep them apprised of opportunities to gather much-needed items like food, water and ice."It has nothing to do with FEMA. They're doing a great job," said Martha Hendricks, who with her husband, Joe, called the Salvation Army when no local officials seemed willing to help. Martha Hendricks said a promise from a Greene County official... proved unkept to this point."He... said he knows about our situation and he'd get us help," she said. "We haven't seen him again."(italics and bold mine)

Now, I'm not going to say FEMA's response has been perfect, but surely these folks' opinion is just as valid, as say, those who we've seen every night on the News saying the Federal Government doesn't care and wanted them to die...

Hmm.
Still waiting for a "civil rights" leader like Al Sharpton to jump to McClain residents' defense.

Here we go again...

In case you missed it, the plan for the Flight 93 memorial came out a few days ago. Take a close look. If you think it looks strangely like the Red Crescent of Islam, you're not alone. Outrage is growing over this latest pc scandal. Bloggers are all over it.
Zombie has this page showing different pictures and perspectives.
Real Clear Politics has different Islamic flags for comparison.
Michelle Malkin has a great roundup.

If you, like me, feel the design is inappropriate and at least in very poor taste, you can e-mail the architect, Paul Murdoch, at: paul@paulmurdocharchitects.com
and/or the National Park Service (which will make the final decision on the design) here.

Make your voice heard. Post on your blog, send a letter to the editor or call talk shows. We can't afford to let this go as far as the IFC.

Bias? What liberal bias?

That's how Michelle Malkin starts her, as usual, great blog piece. On Saturday, CNN.com had an article titled, Firms With White House Ties Get Katrina Contracts.
Quote:
At least two major corporate clients of lobbyist Joe Allbaugh, President Bush's former campaign manager and a former head of the Federal Emergency Management Agency, have already been tapped to start recovery work along the battered Gulf Coast.
One is Shaw Group Inc. and the other is Halliburton Co. subsidiary Kellogg Brown and Root. Vice President Dick Cheney is a former head of Halliburton.


CNN said the Shaw Group is a major corporate client of Joe Allbaugh, but, to quote Michelle,

"...in their zeal to embarrass the Bush administration, CNN overlooks one very fat and inconvenient fact--and embarrasses only itself.
The Shaw Group, a multi-billion-dollar conglomerate, is headed by Jim Bernhard, the current chairman of the Louisiana Democratic Party. Bernhard worked tirelessly for Democrat Louisiana Gov. Kathleen Blanco's runoff campaign and served as co-chair of her transition team. Another Shaw executive was Blanco's campaign manager. Bernhard is back-scratching chums with Blanco, whom he has lent/offered the Shaw Group's corporate jets to on numerous occasions."

This is from Best Of New Orleans.com:
He(Shaw) backed former state Attorney General Richard Ieyoub for governor in 2003, then jumped head-long into Kathleen Blanco's runoff effort. They became fast friends.

Oops.

In case you want to know...

My sister has now started her own blog, "In The Pines". Hope you visit!

Four years later

Michelle Malkin has a sobering page of pictures.
This blogger has a memorial. So does this one. Take Back The Memorial has a list of those killed. Little Green Footballs has personal stories.

Now, does the IFC still seem like a good idea?

Saturday, September 10, 2005

Welcome!

I just want to say welcome to all my new readers. I'm so excited about this and I hope you guys will enjoy it, too!

Some quick rules and guidelines:

No profanity will be tolerated.

Don't ask for or give out personal info. If you know me, please don't put my personal info out there either.

Liberals and Conservatives, please check your facts before commenting.

Although Democrats, Republicans, Independents and Greens are more than welcome,
if your idea of debate is "Bush is Hitler. He did September 11, I hate Republicans" etc. go somewhere else.

Thanks!