Onion News Network: Al Qaeda Disputes 9/11 Truther

(Via Allahpundit at HotAir.com)

"It's like talking to a goat!"




9/11 Conspiracy Theories 'Ridiculous,' Al Qaeda Says

The Party Of Fiscal Responsibility

In today's Washington Post, Paul Weinstein and Marc Dunkelman pick and choose evidence to try to paint Republicans as the party of big spending and Democrats as more responsible. Nice try. Here's a bit:

To Washington insiders, Republican commitment to fiscal discipline has been broken a thousand times. They laugh when they hear Republicans go to the House floor to excoriate Democrats as old tax-and-spend liberals. And they roll their eyes as so-called Republican budget hawks simultaneously call for an extension of the Bush tax cuts, a major factor contributing to endless budget deficits.

The entire column is an illustration of unusually partisan framing and selection of facts. The current situation has an extremely important context going back thirty year to Ronald Reagan. Reagan faced an America that believed itself to be in decline, that had lost its confidence and its nerve in the face of unchecked Soviet aggression and the constant drumbeat of domestic partisans--many of them later revealed as agents of the Soviet Union, and many not--claiming that the era of America was over and the era of socialism had begun. Reagan's plan was most likely the best available: militarily outspend a Soviet Union that he knew could never keep up. The military had languished during the Carter years, a victim of liberal neglect and post-Vietnam malaise. This military build-up required the assistance of a Congress controlled by a Democratic party turned away from its old hawkish ways and focused on increasing social spending; the resulting compromise, in which both sides would simply spend a lot more on what they wanted, made sense at the time and was certainly a bipartisan effort. That doesn't mean that Reagan was simply a big spender; some of his attempts to limit government spending on social programs are reviled by liberals to this day.

After the collapse of the USSR and the subsequent election of Bill Clinton to the presidency, Republicans began to concentrate on decreasing spending again. No compromises needed this time; there was no need for a large military build-up anymore, with our major enemy out of the way. The 1994 Contract With America ushered in the first Republican house majority in decades, and a Senate majority as well. Its leader, Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich--a former college professor--outlined plans, bitterly opposed by liberals, for term limits, tax reductions, and cuts in spending. A battle erupted; Democrats pulled out every demagogic attack in the book. Those who paid attention to politics in the Nineties might remember how Republicans were attacked for depriving poor children of hot school lunches. Gingrich did not back down, and decided to bring government to a standstill in an attempt to force Clinton to reduce spending. Clinton refused, and the public disapproved of the government shutdown enough for Clinton to prevail. The GOP then passed a line-item veto for spending bills, which was promptly struck down by the Supreme Court. Only welfare reform, a major platform of the 1994 Republican invasion, was successful--and Bill Clinton, after several vetoes, signed and took credit for it.

The general defeat of the Republicans in the spending battles of the Nineties--also hurried along by a booming economy that increased tax revenues without really increasing taxes--led many congressional Republicans to abandon the spending restraints that had originally been so popular. A battle simmered among Republicans, won largely by the bigger spenders with George W. Bush's ascendancy to the White House, with his "compassionate conservatism." Now, the nation had three fiscal camps: a Democratic Party that continued to advocate high taxation and high spending, a GOP wing dominated by social conservatives that wanted moderate spending and low taxation, and a GOP wing dominated by fiscal conservatives and often social moderates who wanted both low spending and low taxation. The battle between the two GOP wings continues to this day, as witnessed in the recent GOP congressional summits and their battles for relevant chairmanships between big earmarkers and fiscal hawks like Jeff Flake and John Campbell.

The truth is that the column above does not ever say how the Democratic Party is more fiscally responsible; the truth is that, although they may have reined in earmarks, they have repeatedly resisted efforts at illuminating the process and have refused to institute a GOP-proposed moratorium on earmarking. But the real issues, the real reasons why the federal budget will continue to balloon--Social Security and Medicare--will never be addressed and will likely only be expanded by Democrats, especially those who are currently running for president. Although an unfortunate number of GOP members have proved themselves totally irresponsible in those areas as well, there are simply no Democrats at all who have proposed meaningful reform in those two all-important areas. The Republican Party is still the nation's only hope for fiscal reform.

Is It A Phobia If It's A Reasonable Fear?

From UPI:

Arab leaders ended a summit in Syria Sunday by issuing a statement lamenting what they see as growing anti-Islamic sentiment around the world.

"The growth of ferocious attacks against Islam and the rise of Islamophobia are a deep source of concern, particularly given that the offenses to Muslims are increasing in countries known for their pluralism and acceptance of difference," said the final statement reported by Gulf Daily News.

These guys sure know how to work a Western crowd. Plead the words "ignorance" and "racism" while being something other than a white male, and you automatically win, facts be hanged. On the whole, it isn't remarkable that "Islamophobia" would be on the rise in the world's most pluralistic countries; those are the very countries most likely to be attacked, because jihadists cannot abide pluralism--and those Arab leaders who are crying out for pluralism aren't exactly paragons of that particular virtue themselves. Neither is it remarkable that anti-Islamic sentiment should be increasing, since the global jihadist network continues to plot, too often successfully, to kill as many infidels as possible in as many nations as possible.

What is remarkable, historically, is that Muslims have not faced exile and death in the Western nations that many (though not all) of their co-religionists attack. There is hardly even any move by them to declare unity with their fellow citizens. The first fact speaks to the commitment to tolerance that our nation has, honestly, taken the lead in championing, and that's a fantastic thing. The second fact speaks to the lack of cultural confidence that plagues America, especially in relation to Islamism.

Now, the title of this post may seem a bit inflammatory; I certainly don't mean that it's reasonable to think that all Muslims are terrorists or want Americans dead. But it is certainly not unreasonable to think of Islam as a whole as a violent religion, spread originally by the sword and with a long history of imperialism, especially considering the rise of jihadism across the world. The global terrorist network is a distinctly Islamic phenomenon, despite Hollywood's best attempts at portraying terrorists as either Communists or, even better, neo-Nazis. The Pope references Islam's history of conversion at swordpoint, and a Turkish priest is shot dead. A few cartoonists poke fun at Mohammed, and there are worldwide riots resulting in fatalities.

Maybe this is the reason why anti-Islamism is on the rise? (Nah...) LiveLeak has, by the way, restored the video to their website after beefing up security; Indonesians have called for the video's creator, Dutch MP Geert Wilders, to be killed. (h/t Ed Morrissey at HotAir.com)

All About 42

Announcing a new blog by a good friend of mine: All About 42, where Mr. 42 himself talks about the answer to life, the universe, and everything. It'll basically be stuff that Danny thinks is cool, so, needless to say, it will be a must-read blog. That's why I'm adding it to my new friends blogroll, which feature will be...featured...on my left side-bar. Check it OOUUTT!

Obama: New Politician Or Old Partisan?

Hot Air's Ed Morrissey reports on some interesting news:

Politico has caught Barack Obama in another misstatement about his past, and this one goes right to the heart of his posing as a New Politics candidate. Working on a tip from opposition sources, Kenneth Vogel found a survey with Obama’s handwriting that he had previously denied handling. It shows that Obama himself established much more liberal positions on gun control, abortion, and other issues than he has admitted in his campaign.

The answers--apparently written by a staffer and then supplemented with handwritten notes by Obama himself--supported a total ban on firearm possession and manufacture, non-requirement of parental notification for abortion for anyone over the age of 14, and the abolition of the death penalty. These things might sound moderate to the average churchgoer at Trinity United Church of Christ, but...

John McCain's presidential bid has been characterized by resolution in the face of adversity and, with a few exceptions, holding to principles shared by a majority of Americans and, incidentally, a majority of conservatives. Hillary Clinton's campaign has been characterized by a by-any-means-necessary attitude that has hurt her popularity but hurt Obama's, as well. What has characterized Barack Obama's campaign? Repeated deceit and pure emotional exploitation. Many of us suspected all along that Barack Obama's middle-way speechifying was pure politics; from his NAFTA dance, to the lie about his connection to the civil rights movement, and to his backtracking about his mentor/mere pastor, Jeremiah Wright, and now this...well, Barack Obama is shaping up to be about as shamelessly deceitful as, well, someone else we know.

There Are No Cinderellas

Guess their advertising was true; no Cinderellas this year--at least, not in the Final Four--as Kansas just eked out a win against Davidson 59-57. For the first time, the Final Four is entirely made up of top-seeded teams.

Not so in the Frozen Four, however; although top-overall-seeded Michigan advanced past Clarkson with a magnificent 2-0 shutout by Billy Sauer and two more points for c'mon-obvious Hobey Baker favorite Kevin Porter, lowest-ranked at-large team Notre Dame sent Spartina packing with a 3-1 victory in the West regional finals to advance to the first Frozen Four in Fighting Irish history. Michigan's trip to Denver is an NCAA record twenty-third Frozen Four appearance. (!)

Michigan Advances To East Semifinals; Wisconsin Killed And Eaten By Davidson

Michigan won 5-1 on the back of a Kevin Porter hat trick + empty net goal. Pacioretty scored first followed by Porter in the second period after a scoreless first; then Porter scored another THREE goals in the third. Niagara scored one after Michigan had already taken a 4-0 lead and secured the outcome of the game. Now Michigan must defeat the 3-seed from the ECAC, Clarkson.

Notre Dame scored seven (7) goals today against New Hampshire to advance to the West semifinals in Colorado Springs. Just to put this in perspective, Notre Dame's scoring is very poor this year and their best player was out. Yikes. UND will go on to play the winner of Colorado College vs. Spartina for the chance to play in the Frozen Four in Denver; it was 0-0 about halfway through the first period last I heard.

But the big basketball news: Stephen Curry and his teammates today beat Wisconsin today by a lot. No specific numbers, just a lot, like when people forget to keep score in a pickup game because the teams are so uneven. So Davidson will proceed to (almost assuredly) play Kansas in the Elite Eight; Kansas's potential road to the Final Four will now include no one higher than an 8-seed, as tenth-seeded Davidson awaits them after twelfth-seeded Villanova.

Non Scribo Hodie...

No blogging today (obviously), because I took a campus visit to the Classics Department at U-M; had a really good time, all the faculty members and other grad students were really friendly and helpful, and they treated us to a pretty nice lunch at the University Club in the Michigan Student Union. I'm definitely looking forward to going there after seeing what's awaiting me. And everyone wears their Maize and Blue! I'll be right at home...finally, hehe.

And as we speak, Michigan and Niagara are 0-0 after one period in Albany, though Michigan will have a man advantage for about the first minute of the second. Also, Clarkson has upset St. Cloud State, so that's the team we'll be facing if we manage to beat the CHA champs. Last I heard, Notre Dame was, insanely, leading New Hampshire 4-2 in the second period. (FOUR GOALS for Notre Dame? They probably won't score again for their next three games!)

Boren Out, Cowbell Commander Knows Why

This is just an amazing formulation. Check it out. I agree. Wholeheartedly.

Southfield, Michigan, Terrorist Arrest

(Via PowerLine)

Surprise! Southfield resident and former head of Michigan's chapter of CAIR (Council on American-Islamic Relations), Murthanna al-Hanooti, was indicted for working as a spy for Saddam Hussein. (What?! CAIR involved in militant Islam?!) Debbie Schlussel has the story, which you can read for yourself. Apparently the guy has a second family (including a wife) in Iraq.

Of note: Saddam paid for a trip to Iraq through al-Hanooti for several congressmen, including Michigan liberal congressman David Bonior. Sadly, there are also financial ties between al-Hanooti and Michigan Republican congressman Joe Knollenberg, whom Debbie Schlussel names "Hezbollah's Congressman." I was not aware of this fact, and regret that the rare Republican also sometimes engages with these murderous people.

Detroit: Making All The Wrong Headlines

It seems that no news from Detroit is good news. Detroit: Good place to live, or bad place to live? The worst by far, according to its own people: Metro Detroit lost more than 27,300 people in the last two years; to compare, only five other metro areas in the entire country lost more than 5000--Pittsburgh and Cleveland among them. Detroit's loss was more than three times the loss experienced by any other metro area. At least they have that nice new river walk. One wonders how they expect to keep maintenance up on all those nice public works with revenue steadily declining and all that widespread corruption.

A Comment, And A Reply, On The Auto Industry

I thought this was interesting, so I'm going to turn this into its own post. Tell me what you think about this debate!

Thomas Kazmierczak
"Honestly, I don't think Detroit's (or Michigan's) auto industry can be saved. In the past, Michigan was able to stay dominant due to its pool of highly skilled auto workers. Unfortunately, with newer and more advanced automation processes, auto workers don't need to be skilled anymore. Thus, auto companies will shift their production centers to places with large supplies of cheap, unskilled labor, which Michigan does not have. IMO Michigan needs to transition as quickly as possible from jobs that do not require skilled labor (such as manufacturing) to jobs that do (biotech, geospatial tech, etc.) it will not be an easy one, but it is a necessary one.

Additionally, with regard to your "excessive" environmental policies, we have an example of what happens when modern industry is allowe to run unchecked. It's called China. Massive economic growth at the expense of ruining the soils, rivers, and lakes you depend on? I'll err on the side of protection, thanks."

The Wandering Wolverine
"I agree with you that Detroit's auto industry probably cannot be saved, at least in the sense that GMC and Ford are beyond repair. I disagree that the introduction of more advanced machinery would lead companies to seek out less-skilled workers; the current situation is that, perversely, American automakers are opening plants in cheap labor areas like Mexico, whereas Japanese and other foreign automakers are opening plants in Ohio, Alabama, et al. In other words, foreign automakers are seeking more skilled labor and domestic automakers are seeking cheaper labor.

This is an indication of the real situation, which is not that there are simply job losses being suffered in areas with highly skilled workers. It is that some auto companies are thriving and expanding production, whereas others are struggling, find themselves without the ability to cut losses (fired union workers get put in lucrative job banks funded by the companies, plus there are exorbitant pension funds to deal with), and have to risk expansion through cheap labor alternatives in a desperate bid to stave off bankruptcy. Union control and the excessively lucrative contracts guaranteed to auto workers are now taking an inexorable toll. That must be stopped.

Finally, the demise of the American car manufacturers will be significantly hastened by proposed controls on CO2, something that does not create smog or health problems, but is in fact plant food. These controls on CO2 will hardly make a dent in atmospheric CO2 levels, even according to global warming die-hards' models, but it's more a religious issue now than anything else. Since the Detroit manufacturers have found their niche in the market for low fuel efficiency, high safety and stability SUVs, this is a de facto subsidy to Toyota and Honda (and actually a real subsidy, since the Prius only exists because of special tax incentives) and a knife in the back to American industries.

As far as China is concerned, instead of being an example of lack of government control leading to excessive pollution, their situation is in fact illustrative of the normal story of industrialization. At the beginning, pollution is awful as factories and plants are inefficient and technologically primitive. As efficiency is increased, pollution is cut down (since pollution represents output loss from waste); so we saw in America, as smog levels began to clear up significantly after 1900, long before any environmental controls. Pollutant levels in the air and water also began to decrease somewhat before the beginning of environmental legislation--that's not to say that pollution controls did not encourage the process, but it is to say that free markets take care of pollution on their own quite nicely. In fact, the United States is currently cutting down their rates of increase of CO2 production far faster than more government controlled systems like those in Europe."

Allahpundit: Video Confirms Hillary's Sniper Comments

(Via Allahpundit at Hot Air.)

Wow. Just...wow.

Michigan Democrat's Mask Falls Off, Briefly

Nick DeLeeuw posts a characteristically caustic comment about a Democrat's derogation of dummies. (You like that?) Anyway, it seems that Mark Grebner, a Democratic strategist and member of the Ingham County Board of Commissioners, claimed that whereas Democrats were gaining ground in wealthy suburbs and remaining strong in urban centers, they were losing among rural folks and blue-collar workers--people he called "stupid." Here's a bit from Nick:

Just so we've got this straight... if you go to the book store to pick up the NYT and sip a latte then you're a smart person but if you go to work at the factory, put in an honest days work and support your family then you're an idiot? Oh, and the best part, the "urban cores" are solidly Democrat and not "stupid people." Apparently folks who make the least and depend on government the most are brilliant. Hey, they figured out how to milk the system and make a living doing nothing, right, Mark?

Surprise, surprise. More evidence that the REAL party of stereotyping isn't sitting on the right side of the aisle, if any such evidence were needed. You see, sipping lattes and reading the Grey Lady...that's how life is supposed to be for the decision-making class--that is, the people who are smart enough to run society. The proles, on the other hand, just have the job of believing the promises of future prosperity and being satisfied with the lottery and food stamps. I think the Dems are taking their stereotypes about country bumpkins and illiterate factory workers a bit too seriously.

I wonder why, incidentally, blue-collar workers are leaving the Democratic Party in Michigan? It's not as though their jobs have been endangered by irrationally structured and excessive corporate taxes. It's not like the corrupt, power-hungry unions who have been exploiting them for years own this state's Democratic Party. And it's certainly not as though the Democrats advocate for extreme environmental policies that will hasten the demise of the Detroit auto industry on which so many jobs and so many schools' revenue streams rely. So what's their deal?

Is Barack Obama REALLY A Liberal?

Yes.

Or, I mean, maybe not, according to UPI:

Obama defies categorization, analysts say, despite being rated the most liberal senator in 2007 by the National Journal. He presents himself as appealing to independents and some Republicans, the Post said.

No questions asked in the article about what Obama's policies might or might not be. And, really, this is where it becomes clear that Obama is not only highly partisan, but also seriously dishonest with the American people. As the article quotes John McCain saying, Obama's policies are down-the-line liberal: national health care, Iraq War pullout, high taxes, plenty of new spending on social programs. Of course he isn't presenting himself as a liberal; that's political suicide in national elections. Instead, he's pronouncing himself the candidate of change--even though he harbors the same-old leftist philosophy that has been prominent in the Democratic Party since the 1970s. He's running as a unity candidate, even though his promises are far more partisan and radical than anything George W. Bush has done in the last seven years.

Obama isn't hope for the future; he's straight from our socialist past. Let's just keep him there, shall we?

"Those Who Stay..."

Justin Boren, an outstanding young offensive lineman, has left the Wolverines.

Workouts = too hard.
Good = riddance.

"Those who stay will be champions."
--Glenn "Bo" Schembechler

Michigan: Ensuring Your Safety By Eliminating Your Freedom

Freep.com reports that one-time beauty pageant winner and Berkeley-trained liberal will require parents to use booster seats for any child between the ages of 4 and 7 who is under 4'9":

Gov. Jennifer Granholm is expected to sign a bill requiring car booster seats for all passenger kids ages 4 through 7 who are under 4-foot-9 inches tall.

Current state law requires a car seat of some kind only or children under age 4.

And hilariously/frighteningly:

The state is planning a public awareness campaign for the new booster seat law, through the he Office of Highway Safety Planning.

Well, I can't think of any way our state funds could be better used. We're going to pass a law restricting your freedoms for your own good. And we'll spend your money to tell you about the fact that we can now fine you $65 if we suspect you're driving down the road with an insufficiently buckled child.

Michigan is like a one-state liberal paradise! I only wish it was Ohio instead of us.

Akindele Akinyemi: Flood The Kwame-ists Away

(Via RightMichigan.com)

Akindele Akinyemi has an incredibly long list of public supporters of Kwame Kilpatrick who should not, under any circumstances, be supported and who must be ousted as swiftly as possible. The long list of Christian ministers supporting the thuggish mayor is shocking in itself. Check it out yourself.

I myself remain skeptical about Detroit's chances. Image means a lot, and the image most people come away from Detroit with is that of a burned-out, unsafe city. The new riverwalk is nice, but it won't fix anything. The governance is hopelessly corrupt and not likely to improve anytime soon; to me, that corruption is almost a part of Detroit's culture. Money is swiftly leaving the city, since anyone who gets any of it uses it to leave. Crime is rampant, and unless there is a sincere effort to throw criminals in jail and uphold all the laws without making apologies, that will continue.

Yes, it is important to sack the City Council and the mayor's entire staff. But it's just as important to raise wages and benefits for policemen, to recruit them more aggressively, and to take back the streets and throw criminals in prison. Yes, it is important to stop corruption and stealing of public funds, but it's just as important to use what money is spent wisely. Instead of creating the appearance of a prosperous city by building nice-looking parks that will be littered by used needles and condoms in two years, Detroit must lay the foundations for the reality of a prosperous city by cleaning up the streets, cutting down on crime, and providing private school vouchers to encourage competition in education.

Most of all, this is a social issue. Top-down solutions are almost never the answer; the best cure is to spread the message of following the law, getting educated, and taking responsibility for your own life and your own actions.

Brits Abdicate, Iraqi Army Picks Up Slack

(Via Captain Ed at Hot Air)

Moqtada al Sadr's Mahdi Army and the Badr Brigades began fighting in Basra after the British pulled troops out, and who moved in to secure the area for the central Iraqi government? The Iraqi Army, that's who.

The surge has given us an enhanced opportunity to train Iraqi military units, and the results have been extremely positive. Long gone are the days when the Iraqi Army was an incompetent mess, entirely dependent on their American partners. Such victories may be very important to establishing a sense of national pride and confidence in the government, which has been succeeding to a degree unimaginable merely a year and a half ago.

This event should also be instructional about the consequences of pulling out of Iraq. The British left one section and triggered intense infighting. We are fortunate that it happened when the Iraqi Army had already become capable of dealing with the situation. What would happen if we left? Who would stop the bloodshed? If we found ourselves in another war, what local nationals would want to help us, seeing how we betrayed those who helped us in Iraq? But give us time to establish the government, to train and equip the army properly, and to instill a sense of secular national pride--then, although we may need permanent bases as staging areas against other threats, we can bring a great many of our brave soldiers home to their families.

AQI On Last Legs?

(Via Ed Morrissey at Hot Air)

Michael Yon is reporting that Nineveh may be Al Qaeda in Iraq's last stand; read his whole report for yourself. (Also, Michael Yon's reporting is funded by donations, so if you appreciate the excellent reporting he's doing, then send him a few bucks!)

Captain Ed's post about this report, to me, displays the danger involved when headlines, news tickers, and even whole stories simply report that there's a new wave of violence. Americans don't understand that, quite often, the upticks we see in violence now are a result of new and important offensive operations by us rather than new outbreaks of insurgency.

Michael Yon has been reporting from Iraq since nearly the beginning of this war, and while he's seen dark times there for our troops and for that nation, his reporting has grown considerably more optimistic since the surge began turning the tide. At this point, it is reasonable to believe that we may very well see the establishment of a stable Iraqi state that will fight jihadists.

George W. Bush may very well be the Harry S Truman of his time.