Clooney Tunes - An Open Letter - Dear George

Photo Credit: Reuters

This Op-Ed piece in the LA Times -

Max Boot:
Best supporting neocon
March 15, 2006

DEAR George Clooney,

Congratulations on that best supporting actor Oscar you picked up last week. I couldn't be happier for you. Not only because I admire your Cary Grant-esque panache but because I admire your politics. As an advocate of a hawkish but high-minded foreign policy, I can't find much to cheer about in Hollywood, but you, my friend, consistently deliver. Dare I say it — you're the No. 1 neocon in Never Never Land.
--
The message is clear: The U.S. should pursue its ideals in foreign policy, not simply try to protect its strategic or economic interests. Believe it or not, that is the essence of modern neoconservatism. And that is precisely the policy that President Bush has been following in Iraq, notwithstanding the sniping he's received from you and your friends.

Perhaps the problem is that you support the ends — getting rid of Hussein — but are leery of the military means. But what other alternative is there? As "Three Kings" showed, asking the Iraqi people to rise up against their oppressor wouldn't have worked. The U.S. had to step in, if only to make up for its betrayal of the Iraqis in 1991.

Anybody who wonders what U.S. troops are doing in Iraq today should rent "Three Kings." It makes an ironclad moral case for the invasion.

Good work, George. I'm looking forward to your next project: "Leo! The Leo Strauss Story."
Read It All>>

That hammer as opposed to a mirror approach out of Hollywood may be worth trying, do ya' think? George ... unwittingly thinks so!
ht: Laura Ingraham

Grinding Meathead – The Handle Turns

They can say anything they want about me,” Reiner says of critics. “I’ll take the hits as long as I reach my goal.” (Lori Shepler / LAT)

Rob Reiner meets with the press in Sacramento for the first time since the questions about the management of the program he oversees came to light and it turned into ... Sausage, Sweet Sausage!

Some choice excerpted statements -

Rob Reiner, movie director/activist: ""Let me finish. Let me finish. Let me finish."

Reporters made hamburger out of "Meathead" today, as he publicly answered questions for the first time about the possible misuse of taxpayer money. - abc7news.com
--
Sherry Bebitch Jeffe, a University of Southern California political analyst, said voters haven't focused on the debate, but "if charges are filed, all bets are off" on his political future. - USATODAY
--
Director Rob Reiner's reviews have never been worse.His latest movie — "Rumor Has It" — was panned by the critics the world over. It's "Reiner's slow slide toward oblivion," opined an Associated Press movie critic. Bermuda's Royal Gazette: "Rumor has it you should avoid this flick." And Taiwan's Taipei Times: "The movie was directed between naps."

But Reiner is learning the hard way that facing down his critics in Hollywood is nothing compared to those in Sacramento and Washington, D.C. "Hollywood? It's like child's play," he said. "This is much, much worse." -- And if that's not enough, Reiner was recently lampooned on Comedy Central's "South Park." They called him fat. - LA Times
--
Claiming he consulted with educational experts, interestingly Reiner failed to sit down with any associations representing preschools. He failed to consult with any of the California K-12 school reform groups. And he never talked with any home-schooling organizations. So, who did he consult? The existing interlocking layers of dysfunctional bureaucracy, California state, county and district levels of education, where parents, voters and taxpayers have very little say or control. Prop 82 will hand preschools over to the same bureaucracy.

Reiner also fails to consider the substantial analysis and findings on the effects of early preschool on under 5 year olds in his efforts to gain preschool for all.

Consider: Stanford University Findings: In their review, "How Much is Too Much? — the Influence of Preschool Centers on Children's Development Nationwide" they detail their analysis which utilized data from 14,162 kindergartners and their parents and teachers. Which found that children from poor families had gains in cognitive skills when attending preschools by about 10%, and double that for English-proficient Hispanic children. However, they also found that there is less evidence of cognitive skill gains for youngsters from middle-class home, or for other children from lower-income families compared with their counterparts who remain at home with a parent. - Renew America

ht: Hugh Hewitt

And, of course, there is much MORE and the audit hasn't even taken place. Sweet Sausage will be turned HOT if the results are as suspected. Keep watching, as the handle turns.

ABC News Sounds Alarm On Bird Flu Migration

Photo Credit: ecj, Condor 3-2003

From Primetime -

Ready or Not, Bird Flu Is Coming to America
Officials Advise Stocking Up on Provisions -- and Warn That Infected Birds Cannot Be Prevented From Flying In
By BRIAN ROSS

March 13, 2006 - In a remarkable speech over the weekend, Secretary of Health and Human Services Michael Leavitt recommended that Americans start storing canned tuna and powdered milk under their beds as the prospect of a deadly bird flu outbreak approaches the United States.

Ready or not, here it comes.

It is being spread much faster than first predicted from one wild flock of birds to another, an airborne delivery system that no government can stop.

"There's no way you can protect the United States by building a big cage around it and preventing wild birds from flying in and out," U.S. Secretary of Agriculture Michael Johanns said.

U.S. spy satellites are tracking the infected flocks, which started in Asia and are now heading north to Siberia and Alaska, where they will soon mingle with flocks from the North American flyways.

"What we're watching in real time is evolution," said Laurie Garrett, a senior fellow for global health at the Council on Foreign Relations. "And it's a biological process, and it is, by definition, unpredictable."
MORE>>

And in a related story -

Alaska Villagers to Help Bird Flu Survey
By ANNE SUTTON, Associated Press Writer Sat Mar 11, 5:48 PM ET

JUNEAU, Alaska - He lives in one of the most remote areas of North America, but that hasn't stopped James Active Jr. from worrying about bird flu on its march around the globe.

A Yupik Eskimo from Kipnuk, a native village of 600 people on the edge of the Bering Sea, he follows the news on satellite television: millions of chickens and ducks dead or slaughtered in Asia, a scattering of human deaths, fallen swans in France, a dead cat in Germany.

Thousands of miles from these outbreaks, Active sounds resigned to the eventual appearance of the disease on his turf."We hear about it being overseas in different countries but somewhere down the line, I'm sure it will end up this way too," he said.
MORE>>

I sense a conspiracy theory out here, and it goes something like this …

The U.S. Congress, in a cost cutting move to finance the war against world terrorism, classifies Eskimo’s as U.S. spy satellites. This will have the effect of killing two birds (sorry) with one stone – to reduce the overall cost to our military infrastructure and to have a built in early warning system that will track flu infected migratory flocks of birds through the North American flyways into the United States.

Is it time yet to invest in N95 to N100 face masks?

WBC - Team USA In Must Win Situation, Again

Korea's Hee-Seop Choi watches his three-run homer in the fourth inning. (Chris Carlson/AP)

With a loss against unbeaten Team Korea, Team USA meets a powerful Team Mexico in a possible 'must win' situation in order to advance to the next round.

Team Mexico finds itself in the same situation tonight against Team Japan, however, if Japan faulters, Mexico will find itself in a position to take out Team USA.

In summation, Team USA, with this defeat against Korea, now needs to defeat Mexico with Roger Clemens on the mound and hope that the Japanese lose to either Mexico or Korea on Tuesday or Wednesday nights to move on.

GAME SUMMARY>>
ht: worldbaseballclassic.com

Canada Logs Warmest Winter, EVER RECORDED

Excerpted from AP via Yahoo News -

Winter Warmest Ever on Record in Canada
Mon Mar 13, 7:50 PM ET

TORONTO - The winter of 2005-2006 has been Canada's warmest on record and the federal agency Environment Canada said Monday it was investigating whether it's a sign of global warming.

Between December and February, the country was 3.9 degrees above normal — the warmest winter season since temperatures were first recorded in 1948. Environment Canada climatologist Bob Whitewood said it smashed the previous record set in 1987 by 0.9 degrees.

"We saw it coming from mid-January on that we were seeing something quite remarkable," Whitewood said.

MORE>>

Yep! This is a bell weather event. The first time EVER ... since 1948 ... RECORDED above an average recorded record temperature back in 1987 (19 years). Hey Harry, call Associated Press! "... were seeing something quite remarkable!" Maybe it's that new fangled thing called 'Global Warming'.

I can't wait to hear about the first ever recorded 100 year flood ... it could come at anytime, say in the next 45 years. I just hope someone is around to call AP.

Legislative Set Back For Ethanol

AP story in Convenience Store News -

Idaho, Wisconsin Reject Ethanol Legislation

BOISE, Idaho -- A proposed requirement for Idaho service stations to eventually sell gasoline with 10 percent fuel made from corn or straw died in a House committee today, reported the Associated Press. While in Wisconsin, state senators voted not to pursue a similar measure during the current legislative session.

The Idaho bill to require 10-percent ethanol in gas had passed the Senate last month. Then, proponents argued Idaho-made ethanol blended with gas would help wean America from dependence on foreign oil, according to the report.

Still, critics said too many questions remain, including concerns over possible interruptions to the fuel supply. Other concerns included whether it requires more energy to make ethanol than is actually derived from the grain alcohol. Idaho lawmakers opted to study the issue this summer, AP reported.

Meanwhile, in Wisconsin supporters of ethanol say the alternative fuel would give a boost to the state's farmers while creating a cleaner environment.

Several states have passed bills during the past year to require blending ethanol in their gasoline products, according to the report.

This report is in stark contrast stated in an article published about the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition and Senator Barack Obama's efforts found at the Renewable Fuels Association website.

RFA President Praises GEC, Senator Obama at GEC Annual Meeting
March 1, 2006

Washington, DC – Addressing the Governors’ Ethanol Coalition annual meeting today, Renewable Fuels Association President Bob Dinneen today thanked the GEC for its tireless efforts and noted the growing bipartisan support for ethanol on both sides of Capitol Hill and across the country, as highlighted by the remarks of Illinois Senator Barack Obama during yesterday’s session.

Dinneen specifically made reference to the proclamation issued by the GEC encouraging automakers to increase production of flexible fuel vehicles (FFV), capable of using ethanol blends up to 85 percent, as well as Senator Obama’s comprehensive energy agenda as important efforts towards furthering the debate about America’s energy future.

“The debate across the country, and especially in Washington, over renewable fuels has changed dramatically,” said Dinneen. “We used to debate the merits of renewable fuels. Now, we are talking about how much can we produce and how soon can we do it.”
--
Currently, 95 ethanol biorefineries nationwide have the capacity to produce over 4.3 billion gallons annually. There are 34 ethanol biorefineries and eight expansions under construction with a combined annual capacity of more than 2.1 billion gallons.
MORE>>

What does this capacity mean to the overall issue of oil dependence and how do we get distribution of this capacity without the Government passing legislation that promotes Ethanol mix adoption? Tough questions!

WBC - Controversial Win By USA Over Japan

This from The Sports Network -

U.S.A-Rod: Americans rally past Japan in WBC

Anaheim, CA (Sports Network) - Alex Rodriguez's two-out single in the bottom of the ninth scored Randy Winn to lift the United States to a controversial 4-3 win over Japan in the second round of pool play in the World Baseball Classic.

Rodriguez, who decided to play for America over the Dominican Republic shortly before the final rosters were announced, ended 2-for-5. Derrek Lee added a two-run homer and Chipper Jones hit a solo shot for the Americans (3-1), who rallied from a 3-0 deficit to capture the opener of Pool 1 play.

MORE>>

U.S.A. continues the second round with a 7 p.m. PT start against Korea on Monday night and then has two off days before playing Mexico at 5:30 p.m. PT on Thursday. Stay tuned.

One Less Toilet Seat (per Vet), Please!

As a veteran myself, I was shocked to read this story (sent to me by email today by a friend and fellow veteran). This report and action is over a month old and because it is an action initiated by the Department Of Defense, the responsibility lies with the Executive Branch of our Government ... President Bush.

The question begs to be asked: Couldn't they just buy one less stapler???

The Knight Ridder article follows -

Pentagon seeks to triple health insurance premiums for vets.
Some see hardships, breaking of promise
By DAVID GOLDSTEIN - KNIGHT RIDDER NEWSPAPERS, 2/18/2006

WASHINGTON - To slow its rising medical expenses, the Pentagon wants to triple the insurance premiums for its 3 million military retirees and their families.

Veterans and their advocates said the plan would create a financial hardship and violate the military's pledge to volunteers who wear a uniform for 20 years or more. "I think it breaks with the promise the Department of Defense has implied all these years, which is men and women who have dedicated their lives to service, who have fought wars and defended the nation, would get health care for life," said retired Army Col. Michael Neer of Overland Park, Kan., president of the Kansas City area chapter of the Association of the U.S. Army.

The plan was tucked away amid the billions for new jet fighters and warships that the Pentagon requested this week in its proposed budget for the fiscal year that will begin Oct. 1. William Winkenwerder Jr., assistant secretary of defense for health affairs, said the increases were needed because the military's share of the costs of retiree health benefits had risen 15 percent in the past decade while the premiums had not been raised in 10 years.

"Our fundamental purpose is to maintain and sustain a really outstanding health benefit for all of those we serve - active duty, families and retirees - by placing the program on a sound fiscal foundation," he said. "That is it in a nutshell."

The proposed increases would mean that the annual health insurance premium for a retired officer under age 65 with family coverage would more than triple - rising to $1,400 from $460 - by 2008. Premiums in the next two years for a retired officer with single coverage would jump to $700 from $230. A retired noncommissioned officer younger than 65, who earns a smaller retirement benefit than an officer, also would take a hit. Family coverage, now $460 annually, would cost from $650 to $950 by 2008. Single coverage, now $230 annually, would cost $325 to $475 in two years.

After that, increases could come through higher co-pays, deductibles and enrollment fees, said Pentagon spokeswoman Cynthia Smith. But she said the net financial effect on retiree health benefits would be no higher than the average health insurance increase for federal workers. Federal workers, whose health insurance premiums can vary from state to state, generally pay higher rates than the military.

Ecology & Superstition As Religion

Photo Credit: Associated Press-Global Warming

I just love this stuff. Science should not be opinion backed by politics ... it should be provable theory backed by sustainable facts.

This from Canada Free Press (.com) -

The science just keeps getting junkier
by Klaus Rohrich Saturday, March 11, 2006

A recent commercial for British Petroleum (BP) posed the question: what is your carbon footprint? With the camera panning across green fields, clear skies and smug looking people, the point of the commercial was to urge people to become aware of the world’s "greenhouse" gasses and how they adversely affect our climate. Similar commercials ran last year with perennial Canadian gagman Rick Mercer posing the one-ton challenge to urge people to reduce greenhouse gasses.

Now I am not against conservation, as I believe in wise use of non-renewable energy sources. However, I’ve had it up to here with the sky-is-falling-global-warming-Chicken-Little crowd. I will concede that it is quite likely that the earth’s climate is warming, as is that of our nearest neighbor, Mars. However, I am totally fed up with the moronic theories that insist the earth is warming because we are living too well.
--
There are many so-called scientists who claim that Greenland’s ice fields are melting. But satellite measurements conducted by the European Space Agency offer evidence to the contrary- the ice fields are actually growing.

A report by the Bjerknes Centre for Climate Research issued in October 2005 stated that, "Greenland's ice cap has thickened slightly in recent years despite wide predictions of a thaw triggered by global warming.

Recent growth in the interior regions of the Greenland Ice Sheet is reported by a Norwegian-led team of climate scientists. The growth is estimated to be about 6 cm per year during the study period, 1992-2003. They derive and analyze the longest continuous dataset of satellite altimeter observations of Greenland Ice Sheet elevations by combining tens of millions of data points from European Space Agency (ESA) satellites, called ERS-1 and ERS-2, and NASA."
--
Science has assumed the mantle of High Priest to the religion of Ecology and superstition is now passing for scientific fact. It’s a complete shame that in an age where scientific information is so readily available, most people are allowing themselves to be misled.

Read It All>>

I really like the phrase - "... longest continuous dataset of satellite altimeter observations of Greenland Ice Sheet elevations by combining tens of millions of data points from European Space Agency (ESA) satellites, called ERS-1 and ERS-2, and NASA."

Naw, its you cow raising, meat eating, SUV driving, Republican voting, free market loving, dishwasher using, vacation home owning, Christian, auto race watching humans involved in a freedom based life activity heating up the Earth that are the problem!

ht: Pajamas Media - Klaus Rohrich is columnist with Canada Free Press. He can be reached at: letters@canadafreepress.com.

"With Us Or Against Us?"

The Saudi Prince - Foreign Minister Prince Saud - pledges continued financial and political support of the Hamas effort to govern without recognition of Israel.

This from Reuters-

Hamas says gets Saudi promise on continued aid
By Andrew Hammond Sat Mar 11, 4:42 PM ET

RIYADH (Reuters) - Palestinian militant group Hamas said on Saturday that Saudi Arabia had vowed to remain one of the biggest financial backers of the Palestinians, despite U.S. and European threats to cut aid.

Hamas leaders are in Saudi Arabia, the world's biggest oil exporter and birthplace of Islam, on a tour of Arab and other countries seeking support after their surprise win in parliamentary elections in January.

"They affirmed that political and financial aid to the Palestinian Authority and Palestinian people would continue," said Ezzat El-Resheq, a member of Hamas' politburo.
--
"We believe the Saudi position ... will be extremely important in breaking the embargo that America and Israel want to impose on our people," Resheq said. "It is completely unreasonable to cut off an entire people."

Read All>>

Question:

Mr. Resheq, is it just a little "unreasonable" to not just cut off an entire (nation of) people ... but to actually commit a decades long terrorist suicide/homicide bombing campaign designed to eliminate an entire nation of people?

Just asking.

Iraq Update - More From The Front

This from The Fourth Rail -

March 10, 2006
Iraq Update
Political developments, where’s the civil war, and Operation Tribal Chivalry launched in Anbar - by tribal sheikhs?

President Talibani has pushed the political process forward by calling for the new parliament to convene on March 19, and the contentious debate over the Shiite-led United Iraqi Alliance's choice of Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari will come to a head. A majority of the Parliament, a coalition of the Kurdish parties, the Sunnis and the secular party of Allawi rejects Jaafari's selection. And while this does not get much attention, there is a significant element of the UIA which dislikes the selection of Jaafari, as they feel he will beholden to Muqtada Sadr, whose party provide thirty votes to allow Jaafari to win a narrow 64-63 vote within the UIA selection process.

General John Abizaid, the CENTCOM commander, warns of an increase in sectarian violence, but believes the threat of civil war, while still possible, is capable of being contained by Iraqi security forces, "There's no doubt that the sectarian tensions are higher than we've seen. And it is of great concern to all of us. It's my belief that the security situation in the country, while changing in its nature from insurgency toward sectarian violence, is controllable by Iraqi security forces and multi-national forces." It should be remembered that sectarian violence is not civil war, and the Middle East and the greater Islamic world is rife with such violence. Countries such as Nigeria, India, Indonesia, the Philippines, Pakistan, thailand and others suffer from such sectarian strife.

Read All>>