No Obamamania from Michigan GOP Chair
By Juliet Eilperin
TAYLOR, Mich. -- Michigan GOP Chairman Saul Anuzis has a new nickname for Sen. Barack Obama (D-Ill.): "pet rock."
Speaking to a gathering of GOP stalwarts tonight, Anuzis conceded the presidential hopeful was loveable and popular. But that just makes him, in Anuzis' eyes, "the pet rock of the 2008 campaign."
"At the end of the day, we're going to figure out it's just a rock," Anuzis told the crowd, prompting a few laughs. "He's just another typical liberal senator who wants to be president of the United States."
No telling which Democratic presidential candidate will earn the nickname "Chia Pet" in the days to come.
As Ted Glick has recently stated, "We cannot accept people like Mitch McConnell and George Bush and Dick Cheney and the rest of them, who are, I would say advisedly, climate criminals."
opensecrets.org"Thousands protest in Gaza against "vampire" Bush"Why don't they post that video?
Some 20,000 members of the Islamist group, shunned by the West for refusing to renounce violence, set U.S. and Israeli flags alight. Bush was a "butcher" whose first presidential visit to the Holy Land was skewed towards helping Israel, they said.
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Protesters in Gaza, which Hamas seized in June after routing Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas's Fatah forces, waved green Hamas flags as well as posters with pictures of Bush as a vampire drinking from a cup marked "Muslim blood".
"Iran's president, Mahmoud Amadinejad, has said Israel should be "wiped off the map," and Israel sees Iran's nuclear program as an existential threat."
"If I were an Israeli, I would take the words of the Iranian president seriously, and as president of the United States I take them seriously," Bush said.
"Whether there's an imminent attack coming, I don't think so," Bush said.
If Iran did strike Israel, Bush said, "We will defend our ally, no ands, ifs or buts."
Colombian cocaine smugglers scuttled a U.S.-bound homemade submarine off the South American country's Pacific coast, Colombia's navy said on Thursday.oh..it's not just these two "homemade submarines", though. They have many more.
It was the second time in a month that Colombian forces, backed by the U.S. Coast Guard, stopped an underwater craft that was then sunk by its crew members to destroy their incriminating cargo.
In both cases, the smugglers quickly opened the hatches to sink the vessels before they could be boarded by authorities.
Both submarines had the capacity to ship 10 to 12 tons of cocaine to the world's biggest market.
Colombia's navy has stopped 18 cocaine submarines since 2005.My goodness. Cocaine laden submarines? No wonder the DEA says cocaine prices are going up. Transportation costs are a bitch.
India's tourism minister said today that the dollar will no longer be accepted at the Taj Mahal and other national tourist sites.aaahh, welcome to the "poor life". Where for each hour you work..your wealth becomes less and less worldwide. Thanks "resident" Bush.
For years tourists visiting most sites in India were charged either $5, or 250 rupees.
After falling 11 percent in 2007, hitting nine-year lows to hover around 39 rupees, the dollar is out.
Charging only rupees now seems more practical and will save tourists money because "the dollar was weaker against the rupee," Tourism Minister Ambika Soni told the CNN-IBN news channel.
"Before the dollar lost its value, there was a demand to have (admission tickets) just in rupees," he added.
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"We expect a slight appreciation of the rupee to continue, although it won't be as dramatic as last year," said Agam Gupta, head of foreign exchange trading at Standard Chartered Bank in India.
The dollar has fallen against most major currencies, and it has lost ground against the rupee due to an influx of foreign capital, Gupta said.
[best viewed while listening to the theme from Jaws.]
Aide: He's gaining. Some polls have him at a ten point lead in Iowa. That's a 25 point erosion in just the last month, and now clears the margin of error.
Hillary: I don't understand. We were running solidly for the last six months. What changed?
Aide: um. Nothing. Apparently that's the issue. Focus groups had us keeping you aloof and general. The more you stayed a symbolic blank slate, the more they liked you.
Hillary: So what's the problem?
Aide Well, it seems that at some point, people are looking for genuine. They want honesty, intelligence, and straightforward answers and discussion. It looks like Obama's been riding a positive wave with this strategy.
Hillary: But what about the focus groups? We tested honest and straightforward, and it tested horribly.
Aide: Uh, yes and no. We tested YOU attempting honest and straightforward. But the focus groups never bought it. Apparently genuine is more than a conversational style. And quite frankly, you made them very uncomfortable.
Hillary: So you're saying I can't stay vague symbolic, and I can't pull off honesty well enough to compete with actual honesty. So where does that leave me?
Aide: Um. well. How do feel about running for President of the Senate?
Hillary: .....
Egypt's MPs are expected to pass a law requiring royalties be paid whenever copies are made of museum pieces or ancient monuments such as the pyramids.From the WP,
Zahi Hawass, who chairs Egypt's Supreme Council of Antiquities, told the BBC the law would apply in all countries.
The money was needed to maintain thousands of pharaonic sites, he said.
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Mr Hawass said the law would apply to full-scale replicas of any object in any museum in Egypt.
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"Commercial use" of ancient monuments like the pyramids or the sphinx would also be controlled, he said.
"Even if it is for private use, they must have permission from the Egyptian government," he added.
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But he said the law would not stop local and international artists reproducing monuments as long as they were not exact replicas.
"If you (want to) build an exact copy of the Great Pyramid we will stop you," Hawass told The Associated Press.Give me a break. Copyrighted antiquities are a joke. Hollywood prop makers beware. Don't make those props too realistic. Hmm..maybe a Sphinx body with the head of a rabbit. Ridiculous. It's just another "Pyramid Scheme".
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The draft bill comes amid recent complaints in Egyptian media about money being made by the pyramid-shaped Las Vegas Luxor casino.
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Egyptian lawyer Hossam Lutfi, an expert with the U.N.'s World Intellectual Property Organization, said the draft may be baffling since the authors of the works in question are long gone.
Huckabee knows a flip flopper when he sees one. Or as the N.H. Concord newspaper states, "a phony". A phony, flip flopper he is, and Huckabee couldn't resist.Mr. Huckabee laid out a string of attacks on Mr. Romney’s past statements about his views on abortion rights, gun control, the Reagan administration, and his past as a hunter.“You are not going to find moments on YouTube of me saying something different about the sanctity of life today than I said ten years ago, ten minutes ago, or fifty years ago,” Mr. Huckabee said, referring to footage of Mr. Romney declaring his support for abortion rights—a position he later changed. “You are not going to find something in YouTube where I said something completely different about gun ownership and the second amendment than I did last week, ten weeks ago, ten years go.”
“You are not going to hear me making up stuff about my biography. I don’t go around saying I was lifelong golfer because I once rode in a golf cart when I was eight years old,” Mr. Huckabee said.
Mr. Huckabee laid out a string of attacks on Mr. Romney’s past statements about his views on abortion rights, gun control, the Reagan administration, and his past as a hunter.“You are not going to find moments on YouTube of me saying something different about the sanctity of life today than I said ten years ago, ten minutes ago, or fifty years ago,” Mr. Huckabee said, referring to footage of Mr. Romney declaring his support for abortion rights—a position he later changed. “You are not going to find something in YouTube where I said something completely different about gun ownership and the second amendment than I did last week, ten weeks ago, ten years go.”
Ouch! Former Pastor, Huckabee has a vicious bite. Watch out McCain...you're next on the pastor's list. An eye for an eye. Duke it out with each other, reThugs..you are on the wrong side of change and progress.
"He's got I believe the knowledge and the judgement to attack one of the most difficult problems in current history and that is the rise of the Muslims, and make no mistake about it, this hasn't happened for a thousand years. These people are very dedicated and they're also very very smart in their own way. We need to keep the feet to the fire and keep pressing these people until we defeat or chase them back to their caves or in other words get rid of them."
Mr Musharraf said looters "must be dealt with firmly and all measures be taken to ensure [the] safety and security of the people".How can Mush, Bush, Brown, and Rudd believe that elections should still be held on Jan. 8th? Pakistan is in turmoil! Elections would be a COMPLETE FARCE on Democracy.
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Troops have been deployed onto the streets to try to quell the violence that has broken out since Ms Bhutto's death.
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Interior ministry spokesman Javed Iqbal Cheema said rioting across the country had destroyed 176 banks, 72 train cars and 18 railway stations, while at least 100 prisoners had been sprung from jails.
Nine election offices in Ms Bhutto's home province of Sindh were also reportedly burned to the ground.and here comes the best, most pathetic part...
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A spokeswoman for her Pakistan People's Party accused the government of trying to minimise its responsibility for Ms Bhutto's safety, and said the official account was "dangerous nonsense".
Brig Cheema also said Pakistan did not need the help of the international community in investigating the assassination.They are ALL complicit. The "government" has failed the people of Pakistan. Her political future is in DOUBT. Democracy will not survive without the WILL of the people.
And he again accused a Pakistani militant, Baitullah Mehsud, of ordering the killing.
The tribal leader from South Waziristan, who has close links to al-Qaeda, has denied the accusations through a spokesman.
But Brig Cheema said: "We have the evidence that he is involved. Why should he accept that he has done it? It does not suit him. I don't think anybody has the capability to carry out such suicide attacks except for those people."
From Waronterrortheboardgame.comGotta Love it. Good Humored, Satirical fun the whole family can enjoy. Nature vs. Nurture? Which philosophy will you play by? Bush "cowboy diplomacy" or Richardson's "New Realism" of diplomacy? Just make sure you follow the rules.Christmas is that special time for falling out with family. But with the help of War on Terror the Boardgame it doesn't have to be that way. We suggest trying for 'World Peace' this Christmas instead. We put this special ending in the rules ages ago but in three years of testing, peace only broke out twice...so do your bit this year and make it a peaceful one. Although for all you warring nutters out there don't worry, being the peace envoy doesn't mean you can't have your murderous fun too: you can still be an aggressive war criminal at the same time.
Roast a terrorist, gorge yourself on a defenceless empire, plump up a coup, nestle up with a politician or spring a delightfully well wrapped IED - your choice. Play by our rules, or play by your rules, and hope they're the same as your neighbours' rules.
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It's got suicide bombers, political kidnaps and intercontinental war. It's got filthy propaganda, rampant paranoia and secret treaties and the Axis of Evil is a spinner in the middle of the board.
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You can fight terrorism, you can fund terrorism, you can even be the terrorists. The only thing that matters is global domination - err, liberation.
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Everyone starts with the best intentions. Then things start to get cramped. Then you notice your neighbour has more oil than you. Before long, war is waged, nukes are dropped, revolutions are fought and terrorists are doing your dirty work, before turning on you...
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This is the War on Terror, the boardgame: A quality boardgame for 2 - 6 players, lovingly illustrated and politically correct (in a very literal sense). Playing it will bring out the nastiest, greediest, darkest, most paranoid aspects of your character. It's all great family fun.
Dec 13 - Hollywood stars George Clooney and Don Cheadle have received the 2007 Peace Summit Award for their efforts to bring peace to Darfur.
The actors were presented with the award by former Soviet President and Nobel Peace Prize winner Mikhail Gorbachev.
Clooney and Cheadle have both made trips to Darfur in the past two years and spoken with government leaders about the humanitarian crisis in the region.
"The Simple truth is that when it comes to the atrocities in Darfur. Those people arSadly enough, we are lucky we have Hollywood..otherwise we wouldn't have DIPLOMACY in Africa. We'd be left with Wolfowitz and his wild ideas about Africa. (we already saw what is "ideas" did to Iraq...should we allow him to be "planning" for Africa?).e no better off now as then they were years ago. The murders continue, the rapes continue and some 2.5 million refugees have yet to go home...and when they write about this the question will be asked...Where was the rest of the world and the answer will be...it just wasn't a priority. "I am the son of and journalist and I understand that Freedom of Speech doesn't give you the right to run into a crowed theater and yell "FIRE" unless of course there is one. And there is a FIRE."
"You can't turn a financial toad (into a prince) by kissing it or by securitizing it or by transferring its ownership to somebody else"So Warren Buffet says the U.S. is nearing a recession if "jobless rates increase", eh. Guess what...they will. What most Americans and obviously the mainstream press, analysts, and all the Real Estate prognosticators fail to mention is how the "housing crunch" affects not only the "jobless rate", but also the immigration debate.
asked about the subprime mess and the Financial industry "write downs", Buffet commented,Billionaire investor Warren Buffett said the United States could slip into a recession if the jobless rate increases, he told CNBC television on Tuesday.
....."If unemployment picks up then we could be in for a recession," Buffett said.
The U.S. unemployment rate in October rose to the highest level since August 2006, and was steady at 4.7 percent in November.
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Buffett said daily figures from his own outlets, which include a broad range of companies in sectors ranging from food to furniture, indicated the season was "looking soft."
"You can't turn a financial toad (into a prince) by kissing it or by securitizing it or by transferring its ownership to somebody else"The dollar is shot! Unemployment is up! The Fed is wildly lowering rates! Foreigners are realizing their power and purchasing many U.S. assets! Welcome to the impending recession.
