Democrats demand $10 a gallon gas

Here's a news flash that hasn't been covered by our beloved mainstream media: Democrats won't allow drilling in the United States... even if gas hits $10 a gallon.

Mitch McConnell (R-KY): "What is the definition of an emergency? Maybe it is $7.50 a gallon? Therefore I renew my consent request with the following modification... that the implementation date that triggers the modification would occur when the price of gasoline reaches seven dollars and fifty cents a gallon."

Ken Salazar (D-CO): "I... I... object".

MM: "Mr. President, I renew my request with the modification that the trigger be ten dollars a gallon at the pump."

KS: "I object."

* * *
We have enough oil to satisfy American needs for at least the next 100 years, but Democrats won’t let you have it. They’d rather you pay $10 per gallon at the pump and watch food prices increase 250% rather than agree to drilling. If you don’t want $10 per gallon gas, vote Republican.

Not to worry. Barack Obama has a plan.

There are things you can do individually, though, to save energy... Making sure your tires are properly inflated - simple thing...

But we could save all the oil that they're talking about getting off drilling - if everybody was just inflating their tires? And getting regular tune-ups? You'd actually save just as much!

PMSNBC markets Barack Obama's additional claim that the billions in profits made by the oil companies (and paid out to around 100 million folks who own shares) are to blame.

Hours after Exxon-Mobil announced a record $12 billion quarterly profit, Obama whacked the oil industry. “While big oil is making record profits,” he said, “you’re paying record prices at the pump, and our economy is leaving working people behind.”

Obama defended his opposition to expanded offshore oil drilling, saying it wouldn’t provide “short-term relief or medium-term relief or, in fact, long-term relief.”

Obama, however, fails to note the government's involvement in "the tyranny of oil." About half of the oil companies' profits feed directly into the government's tax coffers:

ExxonMobil just announced their 2008 2Q earnings -- $11.7 billion -- which are being touted by the press as the "highest-ever" profit for a US company -- of course there is either a de-emphasis or no mention at all of the company's profit margin in most of these stories (ed. -- Exxon's 2008 2Q profit margin was just less than 8.5%) -- a number which might add some additional context to the report.

However, what might be most interesting about Exxon's 2008 2Q earnings report was its effective tax rate of 49% (pdf file), up from a rate of 44% in the 2Q of 2007.

And while Obama whines about Exxon-Mobil's $12 billion profit, during the same period, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Kuwait, the UAE, Libya and Venezuela collected roughly $250 billion in sales of crude oil!


By opposing drilling, Democrats are demanding we send our money to the Middle East and not American companies like Exxon-Mobil.

By opposing drilling, Democrats are demanding $10-a-gallon gas.

By opposing drilling, Democrats are weakening America.

Vote accordingly in 2008.

Update: Krauthammer makes a compelling argument that the no-drill policy of the Democrats harms the planet.

The United States has the highest technology to ensure the safest drilling. Today, directional drilling — essentially drilling down, then sideways — allows access to oil that in 1970 would have required a surface footprint more than three times as large...

Does Pelosi imagine that with so much of America declared off-limits, the planet is less injured as drilling shifts to Kazakhstan and Venezuela and Equatorial Guinea? That Russia will be more environmentally scrupulous than we in drilling in its Arctic? [Pelosi's policy] simply exports it to more corrupt, less efficient, more unstable parts of the world — thereby increasing net planetary damage.

Read it all.

Would you park this car in a Tow Zone?

Apologies for the low-grade pictures. It's the best I could do with a Blackberry. I couldn't quite figure out which model Lamborghini this is. It looks a little like a Murcielago, but I'll freely admit I'm not up on cars in the $200K to $400K price range.





And it really was parked in a tow zone.

Letter to the Editor o' the Day: Sí se puede

A letter from Manual Alvarez, Jr. of Sandy Hook as published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch:

Beware Charismatic Men Who Preach 'Change'

Editor, Times-Dispatch:
Each year I get to celebrate Independence Day twice. On June 30 I celebrate my independence day and on July 4 I celebrate America's. This year is special, because it marks the 40th anniversary of my independence.

On June 30, 1968, I escaped Communist Cuba and a few months later I was in the United States to stay. That I happened to arrive in Richmond on Thanksgiving Day is just part of the story, but I digress.

I've thought a lot about the anniversary this year. The election-year rhetoric has made me think a lot about Cuba and what transpired there. In the late 1950s, most Cubans thought Cuba needed a change, and they were right. So when a young leader came along, every Cuban was at least receptive.

When the young leader spoke eloquently and passionately and denounced the old system, the press fell in love with him. They never questioned who his friends were or what he really believed in. When he said he would help the farmers and the poor and bring free medical care and education to all, everyone followed. When he said he would bring justice and equality to all, everyone said "Praise the Lord." And when the young leader said, "I will be for change and I'll bring you change," everyone yelled, "Viva Fidel!"

But nobody asked about the change, so by the time the executioner's guns went silent the people's guns had been taken away. By the time everyone was equal, they were equally poor, hungry, and oppressed. By the time everyone received their free education it was worth nothing. By the time the press noticed, it was too late, because they were now working for him. By the time the change was finally implemented Cuba had been knocked down a couple of notches to Third-World status. By the time the change was over more than a million people had taken to boats, rafts, and inner tubes. You can call those who made it ashore anywhere else in the world the most fortunate Cubans. And now I'm back to the beginning of my story.

Luckily, we would never fall in America for a young leader who promised change without asking, what change? How will you carry it out? What will it cost America?

Would we?

Manuel Alvarez Jr. Sandy Hook.

Hat tip: Onthow via LGF Quick Links.

Edwards "Love Child" Birth Certificate Shows No Father!

The John Edwards Love Child Saga™ (I've gone ahead and trademarked the phrase) has finally broken through the mainstream media blockade. Lisa Zagaroli of McClatchy Newspapers reports:

Birth certificate of child linked to Edwards lists no father
The birth certificate of a child who a tabloid newspaper claims is linked to former Sen. John Edwards doesn't identify a father... The certificate, obtained by McClatchy today, shows Frances Quinn Hunter was born Feb. 27, more than two months after an Edwards aide claimed to be the father. Andrew Young, a former Edwards campaign finance director, claimed paternity in a statement from his lawyer posted at the political blog mydd.com...

The girl was born at Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, Calif., to Rielle Jaya James Druck, also known as Rielle Hunter. Hunter, 44, was a videographer on Edwards' presidential campaign last year.

Asked Thursday why no father was listed on the birth certificate, Hunter's attorney, Robert Gordon of New York, said, "A lot of women do that.

Reminded that he and Hunter had publicly revealed the father's identity two months earlier to the National Enquirer, Gordon said, "That's a personal matter between them."

Gordon declined to comment further. (Ed: Ooops!!)

With unmarried couples, California State law requires both parents to sign a "Declaration of Paternity" form prior to the father's name being put on the birth certificate. If the father is not present, his name may be added to the birth certificate at a later date after proper forms are obtained from the Department of Vital Records.

On Wednesday, Edwards declined to answer questions about the allegations... About a dozen reporters and photojournalists attended a speech Edwards gave to an AARP Foundation symposium on poverty and aging in Washington... Edwards emerged near the rear of the hotel with two men. When approached by a reporter, Edwards said, "Can't do it now, I'm sorry" and quickly walked past.

Asked about the Beverly Hilton, Edwards said "sorry" and got into a waiting car with the other men. Asked twice more to address the Enquirer story, Edwards was silent until the car doors were closed.

Radar's latest Edwards update asks whether former NBA journeyman Eric Montross is the Edwards backer-turned-mistress-financier

Here's where things get weird: five days later, [DBKP] received a tip that the house Hunter had moved into was owned by a former NBA player who had contributed money to the Edwards campaign. Doing some digging, [another blogger] reported that the only former NBA player who had donated money to Edwards was Eric Montross, a UNC graduate who was drafted by the Boston Celtics back in 1994 and ended his NBA career in 2003. Montross gave $4,600 to Edwards during the 2008 election cycle; he was described as a "big backer of John Edwards' White House bid" by CNN. (Edwards went to UNC law school.)

...An Intelius search reveals that Montross does indeed currently reside in the Governors Club gated community, so that jibes with both the Enquirer's initial reporting as well as the subsequent blog tip.

DBKP's latest adds an entertaining tidbit:

Edwards Flees From Reporters 2nd Time in 10 Days

It may be too late for John Edwards to try out for the 1000 meters at the Beijing Olympics, but he's certainly getting in some practice running from reporters... Using a side area, usually reserved for the kitchen staff, John Edwards, fled from reporters, "at least some of whom wanted to question him about recent reports in the National Enquirer that alleged an inappropriate relationship with a former campaign videographer."

The best question raised in this whole affair: just where did the funds come from to pay Rielle Hunter? The American Thinker offers the best analysis of the financial aspects of the situation.

Huge DNC Contributor to Treasurer: Obama a bad investment

The following is a letter reportedly sent to DNC treasurer Andy Tobias. It was sent by "one of the DNC's biggest donors, a donor who has historically maxed out to the DNC and who was a maxed out donor in both the Kerry and Clinton campaigns."

It was sent as a direct response to comments made by Tobias that she [the donor] could not see the forest through the trees.

Dear Andy,

So you want to know what is taking me so long to "get on board"? Let me try to answer with some discussion of what my 25 years on Wall Street and the Hedge Fund community have taught me, and what insights I can share in order to explain my stance.

...Andy, if I worked and served the people in the 13th District in Chicago, I would have known all of the players. And to win that district, would I have gamed the system to run unopposed? Tony Rezko would not have had a seat at my table. Either Obama is a fool and is blind to what should have been obvious, or someone like Tony is fine by Obama's standards. The guy is a dirtball. And a dirtball would not be part of my circle, certainly not my inner circle. I would rather not be elected than associate with someone like Rezko.

Nor for political or any other reasons would I choose Rev. Wright, Rev. Meeks, or Father Plager as my spiritual mentors. Again, he is either blind or an opportunist. Would I be hanging out with Mr. Ayers? Would you? Would you refuse to be photographed with Gavin Newsom? There is a pattern with this guy - he manipulates; the ends justify the means. He lacks character.

Getting not one bill passed in the first 6 years of his career in not inspiring. Having Emil Jones hand him the ball 26 times on the one-yard line in order to make Obama a United States Senator does not cut it either. What deals he made, he did to benefit no one but himself. He never worked long enough in either Senate to help the people who elected him. Andy, I could never imagine you taking credit for legislation someone else slaved over. Starting in his community organizing days he claimed sole responsibility for other people's accomplishments all for the purpose to boosting his career.

In terms of the campaign itself, I had the opportunity to witness his methods up close. During the primaries I was in 6 states, 2 of which had caucuses; it was not clean. El Paso was a joke with the Obama campaign stealing the caucus packets, locking supporters out - Intimidation 101, 102 and 103. Fair elections do not seem to be a priority in my birth state. No other machine exists from the days of Boss Tweed, but Chicago's. How many elected officials are in jail?They are the joke of the nation. It is called the Chicago machine for good reason.

...Andy, I have consistently found you to be a compassionate person, but more importantly you have always put your money where your mouth is. Does it not bother you that a guy like Obama can serve a poor district and give away a paltry $1000 to charity? He only stepped up his giving when he decided to run for President and he knew his charitable giving would be made public. How could anyone see that much misery and not try to personally do something about it?

Please, show me something this guy ever did that was not done in a calculated fashion to create and advance his own personal narrative? Something selfless, perhaps, just because it was the right thing to do?

Every person I have talked to who worked at the Law Review at Harvard with him, or in the later part of his career, said the same thing: he was arrogant and self-centered. One person laughed, saying Obama wanted to be King of the World, that he was always running for something, never staying in one place long enough to amass accomplishments or be held accountable.

Do you not you find it troublesome that he has hundreds of paid bloggers, posting vicious attacks not only about the Clintons but her supporters as well? The whole purpose was to cast him as the second coming, while trashing her and quashing other points of view.

At first I thought is was just some hyped up kids, and then a pattern emerged. He paid others to do his dirty work. The most egregious sexist cracks were rampant, both on the Internet and the MSM. Yet, what did Howard and Obama say? Nothing. Obama promoted it, paid his bloggers to write it. Never once did he try to stop it. Howard, after the damage was done finally commented on it, but barely. Wink,
wink.

...[Obama] is turning out to be more like Bush than McCain; Obama is at least as arrogant as W, just more polished. Are you not ashamed, in these past weeks, of his reckless abandon of any pretense to a moral center on issues such as FISA, separation of church and state, gun control? And what he did to one of my heroes, Wes Clark? Insulting my intelligence and my standards will not win me over.

But, in this conversation, you will say, McCain wants to be in Iraq for 100 years. No, he said that as in Japan, or Korea, we could have a presence. We have been in both of those countries for 60 years and not leaving any time soon, and the world is safer for it.

Next will be, McCain is not knowledgeable about the economy. While with Carly Fiorina, who I remember from her Lucent days, at a town meeting he turned the mic over to Carly when asked about the mortgage mess, painting her as the expert. Wow - he gave a woman a compliment, praising her knowledge, referring to her as the expert. How often have you praised Charles, or me, and everyone for that matter? Why? Because you are gracious and you know it reflects well on you.

All this might not bother me if so much if the stakes where not so high, but they are. I am an issues person, not a cult of personality devotee. Substance matters. Barack is a politician, an inexperienced one at that, pretending he is different. I just see him as arrogant and power hungry. Our country deserves better, someone I would be proud to do business with.

Andy, my country comes first, not the Democrat party. Having said that, I believe that the Democratic Party has just kicked away the best candidate and our best chance to redeem our country, Hillary Clinton, a proven centrist. Given his resume, or should I say the lack of one, he is either ineffective or hiding something, neither answer gives me the warm and fuzzies. If she is chosen in Denver, you can count on my full and enthusiastic support. Until then,

I own my vote.

FW: I do believe some will be annoyed...

Sean is on a roll of late...

What Barack Obama hid from his readers

Barack Obama likes to talk about something he calls "economic justice."

And "restoring fairness to the economy."*

Why would Obama promote divisiveness and class envy?

In his book "Dreams From My Father", Obama reveals his childhood mentor was a man he cryptically refers to only as "Frank."

"Frank" was infamous communist Frank Marshall Davis, who fled Chicago after the FBI and Congress began investigating him.

Obama followed in Davis' footsteps, becoming a "community organizer" in Chicago... with disastrous results.

His boss was a man named Gerald Kellman, whose identity Obama also tries to disguise in his book. Kellman and Saul "The Red" Alinsky were infamous Chicago socialists; Alinsky authored "Rules for Radicals" and advocated the overthrow of the U.S. government.

And though his own book is dedicated to his memory, Obama also omits his father's feverish communist leanings.

Barack Hussein Obama Sr. challenged Kenya's pro-Western government for being insufficiently socialist. "Theoretically, there is nothing that can stop the government from taxing 100% of income so long as the people get benefits from the government commensurate with their income which is taxed," Obama Sr. wrote.

Among Obama's first campaign sponsors were William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn; both are unrepentant terrorists and self-admitted communists who believe that the U.S. government must be toppled.

Though he's written two books about his life, Obama hid his father's background and his own career-long affiliations with radical socialists and communists. All were striving together for "economic justice" and class warfare as unreconstructed Communists.

Vote accordingly in 2008.

* Perhaps Obama learned these falsehoods from Jeremiah Wright, his racist spiritual adviser who also believes the economy is a "zero sum" proposition.

Linked by: Ace of Spades, American Thinker and Common Sense Junction. Thanks! Major hat tip: Investor's Business Daily.

FW: Extra Tickets

Sean E. forwarded this email to me.

I have a friend that has 4 extra tickets for the Robbie Knievel event at
the Joe Louis Arena next weekend if anybody wants them.

He's going to try to jump 5000 Obama supporters with a bulldozer.
Let me know.

Flo

Enquirer: Edwards paying Hunter $15K/mo. in "hush money"

The Enquirer has another scoop regarding one-time Democratic presidential wannabe John Edwards:

John Edwards’ mistress, Rielle Hunter – the mother of his “love child” – has been secretly receiv­ing $15,000 a month as part of an elaborate cover-up orchestrated by the former presidential contender.

The money is being funneled to Hunter by a wealthy colleague who was closely tied to the Edwards’ campaign. This same man is also shoveling cash to Edwards’ pal and former aide Andrew Young – who tried to take the heat off the ex-Senator by claiming he is the father of Rielle’s baby.

Radar Online names names:

Her name is Frances Quinn Hunter, and she was born at Santa Barbara Cottage hospital. Edwards' good friend and former aide Andrew Young stepped forward last December by claiming to be the father of the child (he's married with kids himself), but the Enquirer reports that he too is receiving cash from the same guy who is paying off Hunter. A few weeks after the story first broke at the end of last year, the Enquirer noted that Hunter was "living in Chapel Hill, N.C. in a gated community, just a few streets away from Andrew Young," and that she had been spotted around town driving a BMW registered in his name. Young hasn't been heard from since. (Maybe the house in question belonged to Edwards backer, Tar Heel, and former NBA center Eric Montross?


...Whether the money is enough to keep Hunter quiet remains to be seen—she's supposedly in the process of securing an interview with a major network. Edwards has yet to address the latest crop of rumors directly, and he won't have to until a mainstream outlet asks him to do so. Which may not happen for a few weeks because the Enquirer says it won't release the photos from the Beverly Hilton ambush, and the MSM seems to have unilaterally decided not to do anything until they are released.

A commenter on Radar uses the handle RielleHunter to further develop the story.

The moneyman was Celtics player Eric Montross who also has been paying $8500 a month to ex-Edwards campaign manager Andrew Young, who coincidentally acknowleged untested paternity of female baby Frances Quinn Hunter-Edwards on her birth certificate.

All told, Edwards is paying $23,500 a month ($282k per year) payments to keep this baby quiet.

Stick a fork in John, he's done.

Posted by: RielleHunter on July 30, 2008 4:41 PM

---

Sorry, Edwards is paying Andrew Young $18,500 a month, not $8,500 a month, making his total outlay $33,500 a month, or $402k per year.

By the time the baby turns 18, that will be more than SEVEN MILLION DOLLARS!

Posted by: RielleHunter on July 30, 2008 5:04 PM

Seven million? That's more than Don Surber makes in blog ads over an entire month's time!

Update: DBKP, on the story from the get-go, quotes National Enquirer editor David Perels:

“We drew ‘em a road map to the story. All they had to do was follow it and do a little basic reporting. We did it. Fox did it. They can, too–if they want to.”

Update II: HuffPo's Rachel Sklar weighs in:

Fox News went with it Friday, confirming it with an independent witness, and media-watching sites began writing about it by writing about how no one was writing about it.

Usually a story like this moves as media outlets swarm in to investigate, but today over a week after the Enquirer revived the story — the mainstream media is still mum...

Kaus postulates that the blogosphere is operating as a "minor league" for the MSM, where stories "try out" and sometimes break through. That's probably not a bad analogy.

Update III: Deceiver's Simon offers an excellent insight:

One problem with the "minor league" analogy: When a player goes to the show, they don't have any problem mentioning where he came from.

Update IV: Larwyn points me to Don, who points me to Ann, who is responsible for a mouthful of ice tea on my keyboard.

For those few Americans without an Internet connection and to whom I have not faxed the National Enquirer stories: Evidence is accumulating that John Edwards is right -- there really are "two Americas." There's one where men cheat on their cancer-stricken wives and one where men do not cheat on their cancer-stricken wives.

To put it another way, it would appear that ambulances aren't the only things John Edwards has been chasing lately...

...Which brings up a fascinating legal question: Would it be admissible for Edwards to channel the very love child at issue during such a [paternity] proceeding? Reminiscent of his performances in medical malpractice cases, he could say: She speaks to you through me and I have to tell you right now -- I didn't plan to talk about this -- right now I feel her. I feel her presence. She's inside me, and she's talking to you, she's saying: "John Edwards ain't my daddy!"

Audi A5: Baddest Headlights in North America

Early one morning last month a car followed me into work at very high speed. Its running lights were bizarre.

Bright, angry blue slashes that stuck out even in the early morning summer sun. Usually able to figure out a car instantly by its shape or headlight configuration, I simply couldn't identify the make or model.

A bit of searching led me to the Audi A5. And I found an excellent explanation of the headlight technology in AudiWorld:

Daytime running lights make an impression
The xenon plus headlights on the Audi A5 with the optional adaptive light system include a raft of innovations that were previously unavailable in this vehicle segment. The most striking feature of the stylishly designed light modules is the revolutionary strip of daytime running lights comprising eight light-emitting diodes on each side. From a safety point of view, they provide an important enhancement by making the Audi A5 easier to see, especially in critical visibility conditions, for instance, when the sun is low in the sky. Moreover, the LED strip on the lower edge of the headlight is also a clear distinguishing feature for the Audi A5.

Separate daytime running lights are expected to become legally obligatory for all new cars in the EU from September 2010. Audi is already offering the maximum safety advantage of this feature today with an extraordinary design and low energy draw. The power consumption per headlight is only 12 watts. That ultimately saves fuel...

The A5 headlights use a new mercury-free xenon system. Conventional xenon bulbs contain small quantities of mercury, which can now be eliminated thanks to new bulb and control unit technology. At speeds of 120 km/h or higher, the dynamic headlight range control raises the light cone slightly to illuminate a longer stretch of road ahead for motorway driving.

The adaptive light is an additional feature of the xenon headlights. At speeds between 10 and 110 km/h, this dynamic cornering light system turns the ellipsoidal module for the dipped and main beams to follow the line of the road and bends. This greatly improves illumination in front of the vehicle and to the sides, making it easier for the driver to anticipate the course of the road ahead.

Once you see 'em in person, you'll know what the fuss is about.

Linked by: Dan Riehl. Thanks! Hat tips: AudiWorld

Dumb and Dumbercrat

A Democrat named Ray Torres Sanchez is running for Congress in Florida's 23rd District. The incumbent, Alcee Hastings, is also a Democrat and was impeached in 1988 for bribery and perjury. He subsequently made his way back into power after his conviction was overturned on a technicality.

Sanchez has made some outlandish claims on his website. Among them, that incumbent Hastings is controlled by a political operative named Art Kennedy. During a debate, a GOP candidate for the office (Marion Thorpe) debated Kennedy rather than Hastings. Kennedy claimed he was serving as a "representative of Hastings".

When someone complained that beating a non-candidate (Kennedy) in the debate wasn't nearly as compelling as beating Hastings himself, the GOP candidate offered an extremely bizarre response.

"Mr. Kennedy is the puppet-master who controls Hastings' strings. In many ways, winning a debate against Mr. Kennedy is more politically significant than winning a debate against Hastings."

"If you will allow me to describe their working relationship in medical terms, my opponent is the mouth and Mr. Kennedy is the brain."

Are you aware of Mr. Kennedy's political affiliation? "Though he calls the shots for...Democrat...Hastings, Kennedy is a long-time Republican... the plot thickens."

Take care, my friend.

Marion D. Thorpe, Jr., MD MPH
U.S. Congressional Candidate

Sanchez' view is obvious: Hastings can't speak for himself and, as an added bonus, is actually controlled by a puppet-master who happens to be Republican!

Let's do a little homework on this, shall we?

Using an incredible new tool called an Internet Search Engine, we first find a list of campaign donations made by one Art Kennedy of Fort Lauderdale, FL.

Art Kennedy's occuption? Alcee Hastings' Congressional Staff Member. As was also the case in 2000. Interesting. In 2000, Kennedy donated only to Republicans including George W. Bush.

The Broward Times (September 2002) adds an interesting tidbit:

...The first thing blacks have got to ask themselves is how our democrat congressman Alcee Hastings allowed his Republican Chief of Staff, Art Kennedy to become a part of the plot to undermine Broward's first black Elections Supervisor, Miriam Oliphant -- by concocting along with the white boys a bull -- community task force and setting-up Oliphant to strip her of her elected office...

So Kennedy really is a Republican? The Broward-Palm Beach New Times says so.

Hastings' chief of staff... is a GOP operative named Art Kennedy. As the Sun-Sentinel put it in an October 24 story about leading black Republicans, Kennedy has "direct connections to the governor's mansion and the White House."

In 2005 Onyx Magazine featured a profile of Kennedy.

In 1992, former Judge Alcee Hastings (then attorney) ran for congress with redistricting. In November 1992 I resigned from the school system to become a part of his staff. In doing that, the last staff for a Democrat. That goes back to when he was on trial for allegedly lying under oath in a trial where he was found "not guilty". In Miami, the House of Representatives found him guilty. The Senate conducted a trial. Each of one hundred senators had to vote as to whether to impeach him or not.

Senator Specter of Pennsylvania suggested very strongly to us one evening that some member of our team should become Republican.

The reason? Kennedy explains:

Most people don't understand the significance of the congressman and I being able to have some lines of communication open with regardless of who is in the White House or in the Governor's Mansion––whether that person is Democrat or Republican, one of us has the opportunity to try to get the ear of that person... Now that Jeb's governor, I am the point of contact.

So, has Democrat candidate Ray Torrez Sanchez discovered some insidious scheme in which the secret hands of Rove and the Republicans control Alcee Hastings?

Apparently not. Using this amazing new "SEARCH" "ENGINE" technology, I discovered the real reason behind Kennedy's ostensible affiliation with the GOP. Elapsed time: four minutes and eight seconds.

If Sanchez is the best the Democratic Party can muster against a disgraced laughingstock like Hastings, I don't think the GOP has much to worry about in any battle of wits.

Hat tip: Vin.

The Jihadis are making a list and checking it twice

Today the Ottawa Citizen published an ominous report of a recent message discovered on a terrorist discussion board. The message in the password-protected forum, reportedly affiliated with Al-Qaeda, was posted on July 7, the third anniversary of the London transit bombings.

"The website is a notorious and favoured site of hardcore jihadists... Most unsettling, perhaps, is the instructional nature of the posting, which epitomizes the burgeoning tactical weapon the Internet has become for teaching operational knowledge about political assassinations, kidnappings and other crimes to young, amateur homegrown jihadists.

...[it] warns jihadis not to attack religious figures because it harms the jihadi cause. Instead, urban jihad cells should seek economic targets, such as Jewish investments in Muslim countries, international companies, international economic experts, exports from "Crusader countries" and raw materials being "stolen from Muslim countries by the enemies," with Mr. al-Moqrin calling for attacks on oil wells, pipelines and oil tankers.

The human target list... should be prioritized as follows:

1. Jews: Jews from Israel and the United States have priority over Jews from Britain and France.

2. Christians, especially those from Canada, the United States, Britain, Spain, Australia and Italy.

3. Apostates, particularly Muslim leaders who keep close ties with Jewish and "Christian governments," such as Egyptian President Husni Mubarak and the leaders of the Gulf States.

4. Secular individuals, including "spies and security officials" who "protect Jews and Christians."

...The latest message, [the director of the Canadian Centre of Intelligence and Security Studies...] should be viewed with real concern... for three reasons: al-ekhlass.net is a legitimate militant Islamist website; the call to target oil and energy infrastructure and individuals is specific; and the message may be a formal warning required by Shariah law before jihadists can attack.

I have a hunch Karl Rove is behind the whole thing: it's just more of the same old Politics of Fear*.

* Snark added specifically for Liberal Gary, who believes all references to terrorism are "The Politics of Fear"

Rick Moran's feeling creepy about the Democratic candidate

Rick Moran has the complete list of things about Obama that have him feeling a tad creepy. Here's an excerpt.

3. I find it very creepy that Obama removed the American flag at the back of his plane and replaced it with a great big “O?” Tell me that doesn’t creep you out. The flag and the “O” would be just fine. But why remove the flag?

Judging by the way he has flip flopped all over the place on the flag pin mess (which I believe is a non-issue whether or not he wears it but the flip flopping is of legitimate concern) it should call into question just what this guy believes. Again, warning bells should be going off in everyone’s head and either the press is too cowed to ask him questions about it or they just don’t care.

2. I can’t believe every American wasn’t creeped out by Obama’s fake presidential seal that he featured for exactly one day at a conference of governors. This story actually gave me a slight feeling of panic wondering if this guy is a megalomaniac with delusions of grandeur or…what? I couldn’t think of another reason any candidate would have the audacity of overweening pride and destructive ambition to create, approve, and then display such an artifact. Did someone bother to ask the candidate what he was thinking when he approved the use of that seal?

I thought not. The press may not have liked the answer.

Who's making these decisions for the Obama campaign? Obama himself?

If this guy gets any more personalized symbology, we'll have to start calling him Ernst Stavro Obama.

Even the non-mainstream media is in the bag for Obama!

Paranoia Magazine features Senator Obama and his spirtual mentor, the Reverend Jeremiah Wright.


Hat tips: Campaign Spot and Larwyn.