UPDATE: Democratic presidential candidate Sen. Barack Obama has apologized to WXYZ reporter Peggy Agar for calling her “sweetie” during a campaign stop Wednesday in Sterling Heights.

Obama apologized in a voicemail he left on Agar’s cell phone at 3:16 p.m:

“Hi Peggy. This is Barack Obama. I’m calling to apologize on two fronts. One was you didn’t get your question answered and I apologize. I thought that we had set up interviews with all the local stations. I guess we got it with your station but you weren’t the reporter that got the interview. And so, I broke my word. I apologize for that and I will make up for it.

“Second apology is for using the word ’sweetie.’ That’s a bad habit of mine. I do it sometimes with all kinds of people. I mean no disrespect and so I am duly chastened on that front. Feel free to call me back. I expect that my press team will be happy to try to make it up to you whenever we are in Detroit next.”

Source

Before I show you this article, I have to remind you all of my consistent position on environmental issues: we may not know what’s going on, but we can all do better for a cleaner healthier planet, and environmental alarmists are ruining the ’cause’ with their hyperbolics.

With that out of the way, I present Walter Williams’ utter dissection of environmental alarmists.

False prophets of doom
Environmentalists would prefer that we forget these predictions
WALTER WILLIAMS
Creators Syndicate

Now that another Earth Day has come and gone, let’s look at some environmentalist predictions that they would prefer we forget.

At the first Earth Day celebration, in 1969, environmentalist Nigel Calder warned, “The threat of a new ice age must now stand alongside nuclear war as a likely source of wholesale death and misery for mankind.” C.C. Wallen of the World Meteorological Organization said, “The cooling since 1940 has been large enough and consistent enough that it will not soon be reversed.”

In 1968, Paul Ehrlich, Vice President Gore’s hero and mentor, predicted there would be a major food shortage in the U.S. and “in the 1970s … hundreds of millions of people are going to starve to death.” Ehrlich said 65 million Americans would die of starvation between 1980 and 1989, and by 1999 the U.S. population would have declined to 22.6 million. Ehrlich’s predictions about England were gloomier: “If I were a gambler, I would take even money that England will not exist in the year 2000.”

World ‘likely to be ruined’ by 2000

In 1972, a report was written for the Club of Rome warning the world would run out of gold by 1981, mercury and silver by 1985, tin by 1987 and petroleum, copper, lead and natural gas by 1992. Gordon Taylor, in his 1970 work “The Doomsday Book,” said Americans were using 50 percent of the world’s resources and “by 2000 they [Americans] will, if permitted, be using all of them.” In 1975, the Environmental Fund took out full-page ads warning, “The World as we know it will likely be ruined by the year 2000.”Harvard University biologist George Wald in 1970 warned, “… civilization will end within 15 or 30 years unless immediate action is taken against problems facing mankind.” That was the same year that Sen. Gaylord Nelson warned, in Look Magazine, that by 1995 “… somewhere between 75 and 85 percent of all the species of living animals will be extinct.”

It’s not just latter-day doomsayers who have been wrong; doomsayers have always been wrong. In 1885, the U.S. Geological Survey announced there was “little or no chance” of oil being discovered in California, and a few years later they said the same about Kansas and Texas. In 1939, the U.S. Department of the Interior said American oil supplies would last only another 13 years. In 1949, the Secretary of the Interior said the end of U.S. oil supplies was in sight. Having learned nothing from its earlier erroneous claims, in 1974 the U.S. Geological Survey advised us that the U.S. had only a 10-year supply of natural gas. According to the American Gas Association, there’s a 1,000 to 2,500 year supply.

Here are my questions: In 1970, when environmentalists were making predictions of manmade global cooling and the threat of an ice age and millions of Americans starving to death, what kind of government policy should we have undertaken to prevent such a calamity?

When Ehrlich predicted that England would not exist in the year 2000, what steps should the British Parliament have taken in 1970 to prevent such a dire outcome?

In 1939, when the U.S. Department of the Interior warned that we only had oil supplies for another 13 years, what actions should President Roosevelt have taken?

Why believe them this time?

Finally, what makes us think that environmental alarmism is any more correct now that they have switched their tune to manmade global warming?

A few facts: Over 95 percent of the greenhouse effect is the result of water vapor in Earth’s atmosphere. Without the greenhouse effect, Earth’s average temperature would be zero degrees Fahrenheit. Most climate change is a result of the orbital eccentricities of Earth and variations in the sun’s output. And natural wetlands produce more greenhouse gas annually than all human sources combined.

Somewhere between “we’re all gonna die!” and “we don’t need to do anything” is the truth, and the only way to reach a majority of Americans is to figure out what that truth is, make it simple to understand, and help Americans make practical choices that will benefit the environment.

Until that happens, it’s all just a bunch of idiots screaming at each other.

At least he didn’t call her “toots.”

A few weeks ago, I posted my list of favorite video podcasts / video blogs, and one of them was Mahalo Daily. Truthfully, aside from Loren’s work over at 1938 Media, it’s my favorite and has been since the beginning.

Aside from the awesome work Veronica did as its first host, the show itself was a great idea. Video podcasts and most blogs seem to center on two things these days: politics and tech. Mahalo Daily’s range of topics, conversations, guests, and locales made each episode different and interesting. Jason Calacanis went way out on a limb with the idea of a daily podcast about general interest subjects, and not only hit a homerun, but put on a clinic for others to take notice.

Despite the fact that others have tried to be good general interest shows, Mahalo Daily was the only one that ever held any interest for me whatsoever (Rocketboom held it for a long time, but got stale really quick; it’s the only exception). There’s no “long tail” with Mahalo Daily, just a genuine desire to be interesting.

When Veronica announced her retirement, I was crushed. I was left wondering about what would happen to Mahalo Daily in her absence. Veronica wasn’t just the host, she was the brand. She was great on camera, comfortable talking to guests, and beautiful to boot. She was going to be nearly impossible to replace.

Jason was having none of it, though, and he quickly stepped in to take advantage of the situation by turning the search for a new host into a reality show. The first round of auditions happened live on Qik, and some of the cuts from those auditions made it to Youtube and Mahalo Daily. Then, the second round started, and it was like American Idol for Vloggers. Contestant after contestant turned up to be critiqued by Loren Feldman, Alex Albrecht, and the man himself, Jason Calacanis. After a few short episodes, we had our final group who were set loose on the Third Street Promenade in Santa Monica to do “man on the street” style interviews in a sendup of the The Bachelor called “The Bachelon” (thusly named because Lon Harris, the other host from Mahalo Daily, is looking for his mate). The final round of competition is taking place now, and the ladies are producing and hosting their own episodes of Mahalo Daily to be judged by Jason and crew and a new winner will be crowned.

There is a huge lesson to be learned here. Instead of just hiring someone, Jason publicized the hiring process and made it into something entertaining, and smoothed the transition from one very popular host to two lesser known hosts. Instead of having nothing going on, the “filler” during the transitional phase has proven to be extremely entertaining and has made for some great “tv” over the past few weeks.

Whereas Mahalo could’ve recoiled in pain, they kicked, punched, and fought, and have made the show (dare I say) even more compelling than it already was. That’s why Jason is a master at what he does, and that’s why people should pay attention when he speaks.

When he said Mahalo would be a great search engine, I poo poo’ed it, and now I find myself using it more and more because it’s 100% spam free. When he said he was producing a podcast that wasn’t typical geek faire, I balked at the idea, and ended up loving it.

He has a way of changing minds and working situations to his advantage, and it’s because of that that the loss of Veronica went from being a devastating blow to a shining moment.

Color me impressed.

Go right now. Do a Google search for George W. Bush Chimp.

I’ll wait.

Pages upon pages upon pages of results including a site devoted to it.

For the most part, I’ve heard very little outrage about it over the years; it’s just become part of the day to day discussion. Our President looks like a chimp. It’s funny. Have a sense of humor. We’re all supposed to laugh at it!

But what happens when you say another simean immitator bears a striking resemblance to a primate?

Well, as typically expected, you’re called a racist.

Marietta tavern owner Mike Norman says the T-shirts he’s peddling, featuring cartoon chimp Curious George peeling a banana, with “Obama in ‘08″ scrolled underneath, are “cute.” But to a coalition of critics, the shirts are an insulting exploitation of racial stereotypes from generations past.

“It’s time to put an end to this,” said Rich Pellegrino, a Mableton resident and director of the Cobb-Cherokee Immigrant Alliance. He was among about 15 people who protested outside Mulligan’s Bar and Grill Tuesday afternoon against the sale of the “racist and highly offensive” shirts.

“There’s no place for these views, not in this day and age,” he said.

Now, let’s put aside his narrow head and gigantic ears and protruding jaw for a moment. Is there anything racist about calling someone who looks like a chimp a chimp?

And if so, why has it been okay for 8 years?

And if you’re planning on making the race argument, don’t bother. We’re talking strictly because he looks like one not because poor oppressed black people have been called apes for years and years by evil unrelenting racist white slave owners.

At least O’Reilly’s F-Bomb happened off-air…

Or at least he had them…

I can post this without feeling the slightest bit guilty because I post everyone’s speech goofs equally…

The media continues to demonstrate its back-pocket shilling for Obama, proving that it has zero objectivity when it comes to his candidacy for President.

Today, USA Today and countless other media outlets ran this story (or something very much similar):

John McCain has been using “smear” tactics, Democratic presidential contender Barack Obama says today in a pre-recorded interview that will go on the air during CNN’s The Situation Room (4 p.m. to 7 p.m. ET).

Specifically, says Obama, it is “offensive, and I think it’s disappointing” for McCain to say that Hamas would prefer that Obama be elected in November.

“John McCain always says ‘I am not going to run that kind of politics,’ and to engage in that kind of smear is unfortunate, particularly because my policy toward Hamas has been no different than his,” Obama tells Wolf Blitzer.

Obama says of Hamas that “I’ve said it’s a terrorist organization and we should not negotiate with them unless they recognize Israel, renounce violence, and unless they are willing to abide by previous accords between the Palestinians and the Israelis. So for him to toss out comments like that I think is an example of him losing his bearings as he pursues this nomination. We don’t need name calling in this debate.”

CNN’s Political Ticker blog has a report here, and CNN has put some video clips here.

On last night’s The Daily Show with Jon Stewart, McCain said “a spokesperson from Hamas said they wanted Sen. Obama. … It’s indicative of how some of our enemies view America. I guarantee you they’re not going to endorse me.”

Obama thinks it’s a smear; specifically that Hamas wants Senator Obama to win the election. The implication is that it’s something untrue that would hurt the integrity of Senator Obama’s campaign.

There’s only one problem. None of the media outlets reporting that Obama is calling it a smear have bothered to mention that it’s true.

ABC News (WABC in NYC) did an interview with one of Hamas’ political advisers. In the interview, they asked him if he’d be willing to meet with either of the Democrat candidates to which he responded…

“We don’t mind–actually we like Mr. Obama. We hope he will (win) the election and I do believe he is like John Kennedy, great man with great principle, and he has a vision to change America to make it in a position to lead the world community but not with domination and arrogance,”

None of the outlets reporting the story even bothered to mention that what McCain said was actually true. Not a single one of them.

I’m sorry, but that’s either obvious blatant bias or the worst case of lazy reporting ever; especially considering the information took me all of eight seconds to find.

Katrina is the daughter of a friend of mine. Try to imagine the world reaction if Israel was shelling the Palestinians the same way. In fact, try to imagine any other country getting shelled like this on a regular basis. Do you think the world’s collective yawn would be as deafening? I don’t.

Today was the most traumatic day of my life. I don’t even know where to start in explaining what I went through and how I felt, because I just don’t know the words to express the whirlwind of emotions I felt. I guess the best way to give a picture of what I went through is to go through my day as it happened and try to give some sort of idea as to what I experienced.

So I woke up early today for Hebrew classes, exhausted as usual but excited that we were meant to be going to the market today to practice our vocabulary. But before I left my boyfriend started throwing up and was so sick and vulnerable that I felt I couldn’t leave him, and for me it was more important to stay and look after him. I spoke to my leader and she said it wasn’t a problem. At 10.30 we were due to leave on another trip to somewhere called Sderot, which was a place I had heard of recently but knew very little about. I made the choice to stay with my boyfriend and take an unexcused absence rather than go on the trip. However my leader kept calling me and demanded that I come with and I went.

It was going to be a long journey and so to keep us occupied and entertained we had ‘Charlie and the Chocolate Factory’ playing on the TVs. We were laughing and smiling, shouting when the bus driver made it quieter, and generally doing as we do everyday. No one gave much thought to anything but the amazing look of wonderful chocolate on the screens above us. When we drew closer to our destination our teacher turned down the film (which we got VERY angry about) and said he needed to say a few things. He told us that the city we were visiting constantly has rockets, called ‘Quassam rockets’, directed at it. This is a fact most people knew and was indeed the reason we were visiting this city. He then went on to tell us that there had already been 10 rockets in the early hours of this morning and so it is unlikely that we should have any now. However, we must be aware and alert and that when a rocket is fired a siren sounds all over the city, at which point one has 15 seconds to seek shelter before the rocket lands. No one knows where the rockets will land so wherever you are you must take cover in case it is near where you are. He finished by telling us that we are not in danger and we should not worry. I was instantly taken aback as I had not expected this at all. I was still half asleep and worrying about whether my boyfriend was still throwing up all over the place and then I hear about all this. But I really didn’t give it as much thought as you’d expect. We all laughed a bit at the fact that we are apparently “not in danger” and yet we were told how serious it is for us to act and move quickly if we hear the siren. As awful as it sounds, you just don’t dwell on it at the time. You trust that you are safe and you can’t possibly imagine anything like that happening to yourself because it is simple not something that we are familiar with.

As we drove along I noticed that every bus stop is also a bomb shelter and that more shelters were located all over the town. There is no stretch of land where there is not a shelter; they were everywhere and this really mad me start to think about how normal it must be for these people to require bomb shelters in their daily lives.

We began our trip by visiting a police station where we saw hundreds of previously launched rockets that had been collected. Each was labelled with the date it was fired. Most are braded with different colours or symbols which indicate the organisation that was responsible for firing that particular rocket. It was strange and shocking, yet once again I was still able to think of other thing: to read a text I was sent, to think of how hungry I felt, to think about the blazing sun on my face and anything else that was going on around me. I was focused and listening, but I can’t pretend that what I was hearing was having a huge effect because it wasn’t really. Don’t get me wrong, it did make me think and bring to my attention things I never knew and was chocked to learn, but the feelings were minimal.

We then visited someone’s house that had been hit two months ago. The old lady is in a fragile state physically and was therefore incapable of running for cover in a bomb shelter, and so when she hears the siren, she has no choice but to stay put. For years she was fortunate enough to be safe where she was, but two months ago a rocket fell through her roof and destroyed her family’s house. Fortunately she is alive, although how that is appears to be a miracle. Her house is in shambles. The roof in on the floor; every room is turned upside down; all her possessions are destroyed, and yet she is still here. Her daughter was severely injured and hospitalised for days, but is also fortunately now well and safe. I saw the look of despair and loss in the old lady’s eyes and fell silent with sadness at what I was seeing. The family are currently living in a small apartment elsewhere but do not have the money to move nor repair their house. As I walked out the house, neighbours were asking us to witness the destruction to their homes too, but we were hurried onto the bus to leave. As we drove away I could see that her house was only one of many hit on her street alone. At this point the bus was quieter, everyone in thought about what we were seeing and how devastating it must be for them to live in such a way.
We then went to lunch in a shwarma place in the city. We were glad to be eating there as opposed to the normal packed lunches we receive on trips, and were told that the reason for this was to try to help the city out by buying their food. We were sitting together and eating away, laughing and chatting as usual. It was easy to go from a state of thought and sympathy for the people of the down, to the thoughts of my food and trying my best not to make a mess! I had finished up and was sitting watching a boy eat a white ice-cream, although I can’t now remember who the person was, when all of a sudden everyone was rushing and shouting and I was confused as to what was going on. Over all the chaos I heard my leader shout, “Everyone to the bomb shelter!!” The siren had sounded and we had 15 seconds to reach safety. I jumped up and grabbed my bag and ran for the door. As I did so my bag got caught on the chair and I actually took about 1 or 2 of those precious seconds to release my bag so that I would have it with me. Looking back it seems insane to have taken that time, or rather wasted that time to get my bag, but at that moment all I was thinking was that God forbid I get hurt or worse, then I want to be able to speak to the people I love. All that kept going through my head was if I would ever see my family and those I love again, would I tell them I love them, would I laugh and smile with them…..would I live? As I ran out of the building I just thought I was going to die; I was in open space and I just thought that was it. I ran with such panic across the road to the closest bomb shelter which was a small bus stop. I was one of the very last to reach the shelter and couldn’t quite manage to get in. after a few seconds of shouting and pushing I was under cover. My eyes began to tear slightly and I began to shake, but I was still confused and mixed up and overwhelmed by what was happening. Shortly after we were given the clear that we could leave the shelter. As I walked out I began to cry. We all hugged each other close, both those who we like and don’t like, whoever they were it didn’t matter, we were all together and we all had to be there for each other. I managed to get hold of my dad, but when he picked up the phone saying “hey sweetie how are you?”, I throat closed up and I began to sob so hard that no words could come out. I was finding it hard to breathe normally and could simply sob. I was shaking so hard that my whole body jerked. A friend of mine came up to me and put his arms around me, at which point I relaxed enough to explain to my dad what had happened. We then all sat together, comforting those around us, joining as a group and supporting one another. We were told that we would not be ending our trip and that we would continue the day. I understood that if our leaders had decided to take us home straight away it would not be a very good lesson or message, yet at that point all I wanted to do was go back to Jerusalem and feel safe again.

As we made our way to the coach and continued on our journey, I couldn’t not relax. I would sit still, then suddenly burst out in tears at any quick movement, I saw the bomb shelters in the road as we drove by and I pictured the moment I ran towards it for my life, and welled up once again. I couldn’t get the awful thoughts out of my head. What if I had died? What if I never saw my loved ones again or told them what they mean to me?? When we got off the bus again I heard the teacher telling another girl how lucky we were that the rocket was not near us. He said that we did not reach the shelter in nearly enough time and that had the rocket been where we were, half our class would have died. Half our class would have died. That would have been me too. I was one of the last three to reach the shelter, I could barely even get in once I got there, and so if the rocket had been near us, I would not be able to write about my experience now.

I couldn’t get these thoughts out my head. I could not relax or take anything else in. I just wanted to leave. A car alarm sounded behind a group of us girls and we all jumped, some of us bursting out crying in fear that it was another siren. My eyes would not dry out, every second I thought I could feel alright again, I would feel the fear and anxiety I felt as I ran for cover and I would begin to cry again.

We were visiting a building in the process of development which was being built with protection from rockets. Everyone went onto the roof to see the view and be taught about something, although I do not know what that something was because I couldn’t bare to go onto the roof in open space. I stayed downstairs with a group of other people discussing our feeling and how shocked we were that as educated Jews who visit Israel on a regular basis, we knew noting of this place or what people experience on a daily basis.

From there we went to the Sderot media centre to have a look at photos from previous attacks and hear about what exactly they do. When we walked in we began to write down our email addresses in order to receive regular updates on the situation in Sderot. As the second person began writing down their details, a lady ran in to the building to tell us it was a ‘Red Alert’. The siren ha just sounded again, another rocket had been launched. Our teacher shouted for us to run out to the bomb shelters but as we went to leave, we were told we did not have time to reach the shelters. One girl had already run outside towards the nearest shelter and was out in the open when she realised no one was with her and turned back towards the building. She was back with us in a matter of seconds. We were told to stay inside, to drop to the floor and stay as low as possible and if possible next to walls. I dropped to the floor and crunched into a ball and began to shake and sob harder than I ever knew I could. This time I really thought it was it. We were lucky the last time, even our teacher said that, we were still there because we were fortunate, but perhaps this time it would not be the case. I couldn’t catch my breath and I was shaken up with panic. The same thoughts went through my head, my mum, my dada, my siblings, my boyfriend, my friends; everyone I love and care about….. What if this is it? Moments later we were told to jump up and run to the shelters, at which point another rocket was launched and once again we would not reach the shelters in time. One person was shouting for us to leave, another was shouting for us to stay, what were we meant to do? And then a third siren, yet another rocket launched. My cries became deeper and harder and at this point I thought it would never end. This was all happening in a number of seconds, each rocket about 20 seconds apart, but as I was curled up on the floor rocking myself in my own arms it felt like forever. My usual concept of time was out the window. It was all such a rush and panic that it seemed too quick to comprehend, and yet it felt like I was sitting awaiting my destiny for hours.

As we sat crunched together we heard 2 of the 3 rockets land and explode somewhere. I don’t know how near or far away they were, but we could hear them land. After the third rocket, there was no sound of a further siren and so we knew we had time to make it to the shelter and so we ran across to safety. This time I was the first one out of the building and into the shelter. I cried and cried and shook with fear, yet felt relief that I was under the safety of the shelter. At that moment my step mum called me and I cried harder at the sound of a voice o someone I love. I was told to get off the phone however and so I stood alongside the people around me. We were so united and joined as one, it was amazing how much because can care for one another in such times. Some people ensured that their friends were out the building before they themselves ran for cover. Some didn’t appear shaken but rather acted as the supporters for those who were braking down. I myself ran for my life with no other thought other than my own safety in the hope that I would not be taken from the ones I love. Is that selfish? I don’t know, but it’s what I did and it’s how I reacted. I was so happy to be with the people around me and it made the experience more manageable, if it is possible to say that, by having companions with me, however when my thoughts were with the people I care about and I did all I could to protect myself for them.

A while after we were told that we would no be ending our trip and leaving straight away. It was not necessary to visit more of the town in order to understand what was happening there; we had seen it for ourselves. We made our way to the coach and left soon after. The tears did not stop the whole journey back. Towards the end they stopped rolling down my cheeks but my eyes did not dry up. When we arrived at our youth hostel in Jerusalem I was slightly more composed and could the tears had stopped. I went straight to see my boyfriend and as I saw his face I burst out crying once again and felt so unbelievably blessed at the fact that I could see him and was not taken from him. I sobbed into his arms and though I felt relieved to be safe, I could not get rid of the fear that had taken over me just hours before. Since I’ve been back in safety for the past four hours, I have been up and down. Every time I speak to a family member I can’t control myself and my emotions are thrown all over the place, but the bottom line is: I am so happy that I am speaking to them right now.

Today has been a whirlwind of emotions and it is something I will never ever forget. I have never been so scared in my entire life and have never actually considered the possibility of my life coming close to an end. The thought is not something that can be explained or described and I do not believe that anyone can understand what it feels like until you are in that position yourself. We all handled it in very different ways today and you could see a large variation of responses to the traumatic situation, and you can’t know how it is you would react until you experience it. I hope that you will never have to know what you would do, because it is simply the most horrible thing in the world to have to go through such a situation.

As I’ve been writing this I’ve managed to keep going the whole time just letting it out as it comes, but right now I stopped for a few moments, tearing up again, just thinking how lucky I am to be sitting here and how horrible today was.

I am lucky, but I can’t say the same for everyone who was in Sderot today. What about the innocent civilians that live there? What about the children that have to run out their classrooms numerous times a day? When I cried “I want to go home!”, what did they cry? They are home. That is their lives and they have no choice but to live it for as long as they can. Rockets have been launched over the border from Gaza for 7 years now, into Sderot and other nearby areas. In that times over 8000 rockets have been launched. My experience today, though complete out of the ordinary in my perspective, is part of the everyday lives if the people living there. When we were in the bomb shelter after the first rocket, an Israeli lady was making a fuss for us to let her out quickly because she was going to miss her buss. Someone responded that it is better for her to miss her bus than miss her life. For us it is crazy to even think of the importance of catching the next bus at such a time, but for people who live there and have had hundreds of rockets a month for seven years, they have no choice but to continue with their lives as normally as is possible. Yet they also have to live in a way that takes into account their situation. Families sleep in one room so that they are all together when sirens sound at night; people bare in mind the shoes and clothes they are wearing so that they are able to run when necessary; people take very quick showers and usually have someone standing near them who can tell them if the siren sounds; and so many other things become a routine in these people’s lives so that they can find a way to live in a town which does not know safety.

How is it that I never knew this was going on? How is it that it hasn’t been stopped in so many years? If this was happening in London…. well it just wouldn’t be, it would never continue like this, it would be stopped and we would all know about it. But we do not know about everything. As a person who has come to Israel over 20 times in my life, and who has learnt about Israel and who is interested in politics and current affairs, I never knew about this. I never knew until today, even after having been living in Israel for the past 7 months, I still never knew.

I don’t even know what else to say. I am still overwhelmed by what has gone on today, I can’t get rid of the feelings and emotions that I have felt, or the shock that something so horrific can be taking place for so long and yet barely anyone knows and barely anything is done. If I can ask one thing of you, please read my story and share it with others and perhaps if enough people become aware of the situation, changes can begin to take place. There is so much more that I don’t know about and my story really only gives you part of the picture.

(I apologise if some of this is jumbled or doesn’t make sense but at this stage I just had to get out what I felt and I can’t bare to read it over again so it is in front of you exactly as it came out when I wrote it.)

Katrina

Apparently, they annoy this guy, too…

This is the guy Barack Obama thinks we should “talk” to…

Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad said on Thursday that the state of Israel is a “stinking corpse” that is destined to disappear, the French news agency AFP reported.

“Those who think they can revive the stinking corpse of the usurping and fake Israeli regime by throwing a birthday party are seriously mistaken,” the official IRNA news agency quoted Ahmadinejad as having said.

“Today the reason for the Zionist regime’s existence is questioned, and this regime is on its way to annihilation.”

Ahmadinejad further stated that Israel “has reached the end like a dead rat after being slapped by the Lebanese” - referring to the Second Lebanon War in the summer of 2006.

In Indiana:

Barack Obama got 40% of the white vote and 89% of the black vote.
Hillary Clinton got 60% of the white vote and 11% of the black vote.

In North Carolina:

Barack Obama got 37% of the white vote and 91% of the black vote.
Hillary Clinton got 61% of the white vote and 7% of the black vote.

Hmmmm…

Some folks are voting purely on racial lines here…

The picture above is from the New York Daily News and is a nice tight shot of some of the protestors who threatened (and failed) to shut down the city yesterday. Led by the insufferable race baiting douchebag, Al Sharpton, hundreds of people appeared at each of a few strategic locations around the city. They had no intention of protesting. Their stated intention, and they made this loud and clear from minute one, was to “shut down the city.” When people reacted negatively, Sharpton changed his tune to call it a “pray-in,” but in the end, the locations were chosen because they could do the most damage to the city (or at least they could if you’re a complete idiot, but I’m not talking about execution; I’m talking about intent).

My question is a simple one.

If Osama bin Laden and his scumbags had made a threat to shut down the city, how long do you think we would have put up with it?

My guess is not very long.

But in this case, Al Sharpton and his band of merry goons incited the city into a frenzy (or at least the succeptible idiots that showed up for the “pray-ins”) and announced the locations he would be protesting in. Following suit like good little soldiers, the media echoed every single press release from Sharpton’s organization and actually helped to organize the rallies for him. For the mere price of a fax, the National Action Network had the stupid NYC media eating out of the palms of its hands and organizing the rally for him.

How insane is that?

That we allowed this to happen is ridiculous. That we allowed the media to organize it for him is even more ridiculous.

That it’ll probably happen again at some point and there probably won’t be any repurcussions or outcry over it is unacceptable.