Nancy Pelosi Acting Like A Girl, and Not in A Good Way

Soon to be Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi won't nominate Jane Harman to head the House Intelligence Committee even though Harman is the ranking Dem and obvious next-in-line because Nancy doesn't like Jane. Ruth Marcus has more on why that's a bad idea here.

Conspicuous Consumption in Kabul

This is a very big problem. Big houses and other trappings of upscale society are showing up around Kabul, but little has changed economically for the poor. I'm a big believer in trickle-down economics, but trickles are slow and these people need help now.

Whether it's true or not, The Daddy confirms that the impression of the locals is that foreign aid money has been stolen by the government ministers and used for luxurious mansions, fancy cars, etc. Given the depth of the poverty in Afghanistan, this isn't just in bad taste, it's extremely stupid. The rest of the world had better put pressure on the Afghan government to do better, much better, and fast, or chaos will reign supreme there once again. Soon.

World Championships

For Rock Paper Scissors players are being held in Toronto this weekend. These guys are very serious.

Tournament organizer Graham Walker said players will have to steel themselves against psychological pressure as players typically form teams to rally each other.

Sure, but do they know Tiger Hand?

Dean Promises Respect

Howard Dean makes many promises as the Dems take control, including this little gem:

"The most important promise we make is this -- we will respect all Americans. We will value your beliefs and your families as we restore America to its position of moral leadership throughout the world."

"Moral leadership" -- I'll bet when he says it, it means the same thing as "French military restraint."

Chien Bites Man

UNIFIL Chief: Israel doesn't trust us. No! How can that be? Could it have anything to do with continued arms shipments to Hizbullah? Surely not, or you'd think they would have mentioned that before the 15th paragraph. Fortunately, the French are very level-headed in a crisis.

"If we avoided an incident, it's because the French military showed great restraint and sang-froid."

French military restraint. Best euphemism ever.

God, Scientists Agree: All We Are Is Dust in the Wind

Smoggy skies 'created life on Earth' according to scientists, who say that a smoggy haze which covered the earth would have contained aerosolized organisms which provided the building blocks for life.

According to the Bible:

But a mist used to rise from the earth and water the whole surface of the ground. Then the LORD God formed man of dust from the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living being.
--Genesis 2:6-7

God is more succinct, but then He would be.

OIC

Howard Dean responds to Carville. (Emphasis mine).

After the Republicans have admitted to a thumping, why is it that the only one complaining on the Democratic side is James Carville, who today in addition to trashing Howard Dean, praised the RNC, the outfit that brought us the racist adthat defeated Harold Ford, James' supposed candidate for Chair?

Now I understand why Carville wants Dean out. If Howard misread the Tennessee race that badly, it could be he just got lucky in the other contests. Howard, here's a good rundown on what really happened. If you're having trouble believing it, just check out the comments from readers, especially the ones posted on blogs leading up to the election. Then, either give up your job, or lose your bigoted misconceptions about Southerners.

New Chair for the DNC?

I really can't blame the Kos Kids for being upset about this. Howard Dean just took the Democrats to their first victory in a long time, so why replace him with losing candidate Harold Ford, Jr.? Cuz he's pretty?

Outrageous

Germany thinks its laws should apply to our citizens and high officials while they are acting on our behalf in a war in a foreign country in which Germany has chosen not to participate. Yes, it's about Abu Ghraib, and yes, Abu Ghraib was bad, but we have already prosecuted those most responsible for that, and Abu Ghraib is not in Germany.

No word on whether those arrogant sons of Nazis plan prosecutions over the atrocities in Darfur, Rwanda, Zimbabwe, etc. Maybe genocide just hits too close to home.

Nancy, Harry, it really is time for you guys to tell someone to go bake themselves, and I don't mean President Bush. Are you really going to allow another country to assume jurisdiction over our citizens? Is there even anything for you to think about here? Sheesh...

This Must Make the Democrats So Proud..

Al-Qaeda in Iraq celebrates the Dem victory on Tuesday.

The group also said it welcomed the Republican electoral defeat that led to the departure of Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, and it added that its fighters would not rest until they had blown up the White House.

So does Iran's Ayatollah Khamenei.

"Since Washington's hostile and hawkish policies have always been against the Iranian nation, this defeat is actually an obvious victory for the Iranian nation."

I'd love to see someone like Nancy Pelosi or Harry Reid tell 'em to go to hell, but so far the most quoted post-election Democrat seems to be Charlie Rangel saying no one wants to live in Mississippi.

Doesn't it bother these guys at least a little bit that the terrorists think they're on the same side?

Cheese-Eating Surrender Monkeys Fiddle While Paris Burns

The French were very happy about our elections. Odd, really. Their elections bore us at the best of times; I can't imagine we'd pay any attention at all if we were in their situation. Quick, can you even name the French equivalents to Denny Hastert and Bill Frist? Didn't think so.

No fair gloating (much) if you don't know who Hastert and Frist are.

School Girls, Take Heed!!

Hamas Military Wing Calls for Attack on U.S. Targets.

And terrorist leaders everywhere say "D'Oh. Why didn't we think of that?"

Noviana Malewa

Beheaded Girls Were Ramadan Trophies

Eight male attackers, six machetes, and...

The attackers cleanly beheaded three of the students but a fourth, Noviana Malewa, escaped after a struggle and ran away screaming. Her attackers gave chase but were unable to catch her.

So, Noviana Malewa is an ordinary high school girl walking to school one morning when she is surprised by a bloody attack in which her companions are brutally murdered, but she manages to escape and outrun all of her would-be killers. She didn't escape uninjured.

'All I could do was pray to Jesus for his help,' she said.

This article goes into a lot more detail about the situation in Noviana's area of Indonesia. Including this bit of information:

By the summer of 2001, with little attempt by the government to halt their migration, thousands of militants, mainly from outlawed groups such as Laksar Jihad and Jemaah Islamiyah, had travelled here with weapons, military training from Afghanistan and a mission to drive out the infidels.

For those who have trouble with chronology, the summer of 2001 is before Iraq. It's even before Afghanistan.

Those Wacky UN Peacekeepers

All things considered, it's hard to believe the rest of the world ever, ever, criticizes the U.S. military. This article sites a report in Der Spiegel.

Spanish UNIFIL official Richard Ortax admitted to the paper that no patrols are carried out at night “because of the danger involved.”

...The report cites a long tradition of UNIFIL inaction, which it says allowed time for a Finnish contingent to construct a giant sauna and an Indian contingent to decorate its base with traditional Indian artwork.

The UNIFIL troops and the 14,000 Lebanese soldiers stationed in the region add up to a total of around 20,000 troops in the 18-by 31-mile region of southern Lebanon. Another 6,000 troops are still expected to arrive.

The United Nations itself has admitted that Syria was still successfully smuggling arms to the Hizbullah, which neither UNIFIL nor the Lebanese army plan to stop.

Israel has maintained overflights in the region in order to monitor and discourage the smuggling, yet UNIFIL officials condemn the continued Israeli maneuvers. The Lebanese army even attempted to shoot down Israeli fighter jets on Tuesday. France and the European Union have been accusing Israel of violating Resolution 1701 with its flights over Lebanon.

The noise from the Israeli jets must really spoil the serenity of the sauna.

Sheesh. Why do certain people in politics seem to think we need U.N. approval or advice for anything?

Attack of the Giant Snails

Seriously. Barbados is being invaded by giant snails.

Couldn't they just invite the French for lunch?

Nuance Is Everything

New York Plans to Make Gender Personal Choice.

"It’s the permanence of the transition that matters most."

Uh huh.

Faith and Family

Harold Ford, Jr., says God is on his side. I can understand his confusion, what with all the resurrected voters hanging out at the polls these days, but I'm thinking that's not God, it's just Auntie Ophelia.

Still, just in case God really is managing the Congressman's campaign, HF,J might want to avoid hanging out alone in hotel rooms "writing" a "book." I mean, God has enemies, you know?

Fewer British Kids Eating School Lunches

A campaign for healthier school lunches has resulted in fewer kids getting lunch in British schools. Seems kids won't eat food they don't like, which makes it less nutritious, actually. I think if this had happened in the U.S., the press would have touted it a a weight-loss success.

Just Because She's A Hypocrite, Doesn't Mean She's Wrong...

Actually, this gallery of Posh looks pretty much demonstrates the wisdom of her advice. Learn from her mistakes.

Crash! Bang! Pow!

This video of an F-4 hitting a wall is just cool, even if that is the whole plot. I'm hoping that in addition to being very entertaining for those of us who are easily entertained, it also acts as a deterent to those who might think it would be fun to crash a jet plane into a nuclear power plant.