[yes, they can]

Iraq starts to fix itself

AFTER all the blood and blunders, people are right to be sceptical when good news is announced from Iraq. Yet it is now plain that over the past several months, while Americans have been distracted by their presidential primaries, many things in Iraq have at long last started to go right. [snip]

In September 2007 this newspaper supported the surge not because we had faith in Iraq but only in the desperate hope that the surge might stop what was already a bloodbath from becoming even worse (see article). The situation now is different: Iraq is still a mess, but something approaching a normal future for its people is beginning to look achievable...

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[From Glenn Beck blog re: the above piece:]

Strange how when things are going wrong in Iraq, I rarely see articles about how Iraqis are doing it to "themselves". But when things go right, it must be some mystical magical self-healing process.

Amazing, but I guess this is the "good" coverage of the war we've been asking for. Or at least the "as good as it gets" coverage.

Roadside bombs decline in Iraq
Bomb attacks and fatalities in Iraq are down by almost
90% over the last year. Story missing from the NY Times.
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Darfur Is Part of The War on Terror

[HT:MD]
For years now, Sudan has not only been the locale of the planet’s bloodiest exercise in mass violence, but also the West’s most neglected front in the War on Terror. We have resisted understanding the ongoing massacre in Darfur for what it is — not some impenetrable tribal rivalry, but rather a prolonged irruption of Islamist terrorism in its most unapologetic form.

In 1989 Gen. Omar al-Bashir’s National Islamic Front seized power in a military coup, established Islamic law and went about prosecuting a “brutal jihad against the African population...

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Justice Kennedy: American Idle

After reading Justice Anthony Kennedy's recent majority opinion in Boumediene v. Bush, I feel like I need to install a "1984"-style Big Brother camera in my home so Justice Kennedy can keep an eye on everything I do.

Until last week, the law had been that there were some places in the world where American courts had no jurisdiction. For example, U.S. courts had no jurisdiction over non-citizens who have never set foot in the United States.

If Justice Kennedy can review the procedures for detaining enemy combatants trying to kill Americans in the middle of a war, no place is safe...

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Israel 'will attack Iran' before new US president sworn in, John Bolton predicts
Daily Telegraph [UK], by Toby Harnden

John Bolton, the former American ambassador to the United Nations, has predicted that Israel could attack Iran after the November presidential election but before George W Bush's successor is sworn in. The Arab world would be "pleased" by Israeli strikes against Iranian nuclear facilities, he said in an interview with The Daily Telegraph. "It [the reaction] will be positive privately. I think there'll be public denunciations but no action," he said.

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[nowhere in the entire article is Bolton quoted as saying Israel "will" attack Iran - only that it could. Yet the headline (in single quotes so as not to be technically inaccurate). Daily Telegraph: a professional news organization]

Dots...

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Ruling may cause 'Islamophobia'
Riyadh - The Organisation of the Islamic Conference (OIC), a league of 57 Muslim nations, said on Monday a Danish court's rejection of a suit against a paper for printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammad could provoke "Islamophobia".

The High Court for western Denmark on Thursday rejected a suit against Jyllands-Posten, the newspaper that first published cartoons of Islam's prophet... [snip]

The Saudi-based OIC, the largest grouping of Muslim countries, said the ruling could encourage "Islamophobia", which the group has identified as existing in the West.
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Islamic Bloc Passes Up Criticism of Sudan, Again
The world's Islamic nations have ended a conference without condemning the Sudanese government's actions in Darfur despite growing calls from Arab human rights groups for the Islamic bloc to ''end its silence'' over a conflict affecting millions of Muslims. The Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) ended a two-day meeting of foreign ministers in the Ugandan capital, Kampala, on Friday with a host of resolutions ranging from reinforcing the Islamic boycott of Israel to criticizing U.S. sanctions against Syria.
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Radical Islamists' ''Fair Share'' of the Security Council
The Security Council is the United Nations’ most powerful body. It is the one body in the United Nations system with the power under the UN Charter to dispatch military and peacekeeping operations, impose economic sanctions, mandate arms inspections, and enforce resolutions against international human rights violations. In short, it is charged with the guardianship of international peace and security.

(Snip) however, the 57 member Organization of Islamic Conference also wants a permanent, veto-bearing Islamic seat on the Security Council...
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[we must reduce the influence of middle eastern oil]

Oil Execs Should Be Tried For Crimes Against Humanity

Although it seems like just yesterday, Monday marks the 20th anniversary of the day James Hansen, the head of NASA's Goddard Institute for Space Studies, told members of Congress the world was doomed if the burning of fossil fuels didn't immediately cease. [and somehow we're still here]

To commemorate this inauspicious occasion, Hansen is going back to Capitol Hill to call for oil company executives to be put on trial for crimes against humanity and nature.

Can you imagine the media firestorm this is going to create? [snip]

Will the press outlets that cover Hansen's testimony address any of the criticism directed at the GISS chief concerning errors in how his organization measures and determines average global temperatures?

Might there be any reference to a June 5 article in the British Guardian accusing NASA of literally cooking the books on this matter?

Or how about former Director of Meteorology at the Weather Channel Joseph D'Aleo's response to Hansen posted at ICECAP Sunday:

Instead of suing big oil, I think the American people ought to seriously consider going after Hansen and Gore who are as much responsible for the energy and food crises by turning a minor largely natural, cyclical change into an earth- threatening, man-made disaster by manipulating both science and data. Environmental groups and some politicians share the blame and if we can't sue them, we can stop donating to their causes and/or kick the bums out of office. Maybe we can put Boxer's picture on Unleaded, Gore on high test and Hansen on Deisel pumps to remind folks where the blame really lies.

In this Washington Post story, Sen. James M. Inhofe (R-Okla.) said the bill's failure was proof that Hansen's message had not caught on. "Hansen, Gore, and the media have been trumpeting man-made climate doom since the 1980s. But Americans are not buying it," Inhofe said. "It's back to the drawing board for Hansen and company as the alleged ‘consensus' over man-made climate fears continues to wane and more and more scientists declare their dissent."

Readers are strongly advised to review all of the articles NewsBusters has published concerning the junk science being advanced by Hansen the last two decades. [ long list - and that just re: Hansens' shenanigans]

*****Update: Please don't miss fabulous posts concerning this matter by CEI's Chris Horner published at NRO's Planet Gore such as this, this, and this. In particular, don't miss Horner exposing Hansen for staging his June 1988 Congressional appearance by timing it for the hottest day of the year, and having the air conditioning turned off in the hearing room to make it especially toasty. Also, D'Aleo has more here.

[a lot of unconcensus'd reading above - just note what, if any, mention any of it gets when Hansen's tripe is trumpeted around the nets]

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Anyone care about free speech?

The tragedy of the B.C. Human Rights Tribunal's case against Mark Steyn and Maclean's magazine over alleged "hate" mongering because of Steyn's views on Islam, is that most people don't give a damn. Oh, many sympathize with Steyn because the issue seems so silly, but most don't see the destructive effect of hate legislation, or how it threatens our freedom. Of all the benefits embodied in our county, free speech is -- or should be -- among the most precious. Without the freedom to express opinions on any matter, we cease being a free society.
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Petition To Stop The Fairness Doctrine

The Petition States:

I am signing this petition to urge members of Congress to bring the Broadcaster Freedom Act (HR. 2905) to a floor vote.

In addition, I am joining with other Americans who are standing against any and all efforts to censor, limit, or restrain the right of conservatives to participate freely in the marketplace of ideas through the “Fairness Doctrine” or similar legislative and bureaucratic efforts. I also call on the media to provide fair and balanced reporting on this issue. Our nation was built upon free and open discourse.

GO HERE {only seconds} > Petition To Stop The Fairness Doctrine
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EU lawmakers back new rules on expelling illegal immigrants

The European Parliament on Wednesday approved new rules for expelling illegal immigrants from the bloc, overcoming opposition from left-leaning lawmakers and ignoring protests from human rights activists. The move comes amid a tide of anti-immigrant feeling across the wealthy bloc, with Italy blaming foreigners for a spike in violent crime and France grappling with tensions in the immigrant-heavy suburbs ringing urban centers.
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Then there's California...

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Governor's bond plans add to debt

Since his election in 2003, Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has helped persuade voters to let the state borrow more money than it did in the previous 30 years combined.

According to state figures, the amount of voter-approved bonds has more than doubled – from $70 billion in 2003 to $144 billion today.[snip]

The more the state borrows, the more the state has to set aside each year to pay debt. It's a commitment that has siphoned off general fund money that could otherwise go toward public services such as law enforcement and health care.

California's debt burden as a percentage of personal income has nearly doubled since 2000. In 2008, the state's debt accounted for 4.3 percent of personal income, compared with 2.4 percent in 2000, according to Moody's Investors Service.

California now ranks 10th among states in debt burden per capita with $1,685 worth of debt for every man, woman and child in the state...
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Flurry of state fees - new or higher - pushed as budget boost
Californians would pay higher traffic ticket, parking, car registration, property insurance and other fees under dozens of proposals flying around the Capitol. Whether taxes ultimately are raised, state officials are looking to cut a $15.2 billion deficit by increasing other revenue...

[and thanks to the gerrymandering that occurred after 2000 {which, ironically, Schwarzenegger tried to fix with an initiative that failed}, virtually all of our incumbents will be re-elected dispite their continued mismanagement of the state]
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Willful Blindness: The Sequel

In the last month, Encounter has had two titles on the extended New York Times best-seller list: Climate Confusion: How Global Warming Hysteria Leads to Bad Science, Pandering Politicians and Misguided Policies that Hurt the Poor by Roy Spencer, and Willful Blindness: A Memoir of the Jihad, by Andrew C. McCarthy. But that list is the only place you will find these books mentioned in the pages of The New York Times…. [snip]

The Times in general has lost influence as the paper has receded into parochial, left-liberal boosterism and politically correct reportage. And where its news and comment have become increasingly politicized, its cultural coverage has become increasingly superficial and increasingly captive of establishment, i.e., left-liberal, pieties and “lifestyle” radicalism.

... it is pointless for us to send copies of our books to the Times—worse than pointless, because by so doing we help to perpetuate the charade that the Book Review is anything like even-handed in its treatment of conservative books. There is also this fact: the real impetus in selling books has decisively shifted away from legacy outlets like The New York Times towards the pluralistic universe of talk radio and the “blogosphere.”

That is why Encounter can see its books on the Times’s bestseller list without ever making it into the paper’s review columns.

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ABC Finds New Losers in Gas Price Highs: Nevada Brothels

From the Disney-owned Web site that brought you concerns that college co-eds were foregoing textbooks to pay for birth control comes the latest tale of high gas price-induced economic woes.

"Nevada Brothels Hit Hard by Gas Prices," ABCNews.com trumpets in a teaser headline in the top headlines slideshow on its front page. The editors showed a bit more leg in the photo caption: "Owners fight back: free $50 gas cards for high-spending customers."

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[ok, NOW we'll do something about our energy dependence...]