SPLASH ONE BOGIE!

Put another notch in the gunbelt of the blogosphere.

Owned

New York (AP)- CNN chief news executive Eason Jordan quit Friday amid a furor over remarks he made in Switzerland last month about journalists killed by the U.S. military in Iraq. Jordan said he was quitting to avoid CNN being "unfairly tarnished" by the controversy.

This is to differentiate from the time it was "fairly tarnished" when Eason admitted the Baghdad Office lied about what was happening in Iraq. This time, the lies uttered were all his.

"I never meant to imply U.S. forces acted with ill intent when U.S. forces accidentally killed journalists, and I apologize to anyone who thought I said or believed otherwise," Jordan said in a memo to fellow staff members at CNN.

Translation: This was all supposed to be off the record!

After several management restructurings at CNN, Jordan actually had no current operational responsibility over network programming. But he was CNN's chief fix-it man overseas, arranging coverage in dangerous or hard-to-reach parts of the world.

He was really good at it, too. He'd just promise whatever rapists and thugs he had to deal with the "Saddam Plus Gold Deluxe" package.

CNN's global newsgathering infrastructure is chiefly the result of Jordan's work, said Jim Walton, chief of the CNN News Group.

Question of the Day: Is this praise, or blame? Discuss amongst yourselves.

Brought to you by The Donegal Express. Without it: a thousand years of darkness.

See that sign up here - up here. "Defcon." That indicates our current defense condition. It should read "Defcon 5," which means peace. It's still on 4 because of that little stunt you pulled.

--McKittrick

East Asia-Intel.com is reporting a Chinese helicopter fired upon, and sank, an Indian submarine. I've yet to find anyone else confirming this. I also don't subscribe, so I am not seeing the full story.

This /can't/ be good.

MORE BLOOD FOR OIL!

Rick Mercier, an editor at the Free Lance-Star wrote this up about the genocide in Sudan:


But you can bet that a resolution with any teeth to it will meet firm resistance in the council — much of it from veto-wielding permanent members Russia and China. France may also play an obstructionist role.

As this sorry spectacle unfolds in the coming days and weeks, it will be useful to remind ourselves that these three countries not only are blocking meaningful action against the Sudanese government, they’ve actually aided and abetted Khartoum in its cleansing of certain ethnic groups from Darfur.

Here’s how:

—China: The Chinese have been Sudan’s principal arms supplier over the past decade, furnishing Khartoum with copious amounts of tanks, fighter jets, helicopters, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenades.

China also is heavily invested in Sudan’s oil industry, and depends on the country’s oil fields to supply the Chinese industrial dragon with a sizeable portion of the energy it needs to keep growing. Needless to say, Sudan’s weapons purchases are funded largely by the revenues generated by this oil extraction.

—Russia: According to a report issued in November by Amnesty International, the Sudanese government imported four MiG fighter jets from Russia in December 2003 and January 2004. Khartoum was expected to have imported 12 new Russian MiGs by the end of last year. This purchase coincided with the use of MiGs against civilians in Darfur.

When I met with refugees from Darfur in September, a number of them told me that their villages had been attacked by MiGs in late 2003 and early last year. Human-rights groups also have cited the use of MiGs in raids on Darfur villages.

The Russians also have ties to Sudan’s oil industry. Last summer, as the crisis in Darfur was continuing to worsen, a Russian company inked a deal to build an oil pipeline in Sudan.

—France: The Amnesty report found that the French have sold large quantities of bombs, grenades, ammunition and other military items to Sudan in recent years. The French corporation Total holds the rights to an oil concession in southern Sudan.

The United States must confront these forces of complicity and greed by pushing hard for a tough resolution on Darfur.

Well, smack my mouth and call me Sally! Who would have thought the French would be giving weapons to blood-soaked dictators in exchange for oil? I mean, I never heard of such a thing. Say it ain't so, France! We all look up to you, paragon of moral virtue that you are. I mean, you wouldn't use your influence in the UN to protect some cozy little oil deal with the scum of the earth, right? I mean, your opposition to the war in Iraq, that was pure principle, right? Right?

My bad. Apparently, they're big on "blood for oil".

Whenever anything big in the world happens, look at where the usual suspects show up. Maybe we just need to realize they're not going to be rooting for the good guys.

Lions and Tigers and Bears, Oh My!

--Dorothy

It must be mailbox day. Here's something else that just came in:

PETA bankrolls arsonists -- Tell the IRS it’s time for them to go! Dear Conservative Friend, If you were watching the State of the Union Address on the Fox News Channel last week, you also saw a provocative commercial from the Center for Consumer Freedom. It wasn’t about social security or Hillary Clinton, but it deserves your attention just the same. The Center’s advertisement asked Americans to support a petition asking the IRS to investigate and penalize People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA), an extreme animal-rights group that brazenly supports and openly funds domestic terrorists. Click here to watch this groundbreaking commercial. While most of our national discussion about Homeland Security has focused on threats from outside the United States, we’ve overlooked the dangerous threat of domestic terrorism. Since 1990, attacks by home-grown arsonists and bomb-throwers have caused over $150 million in damage. The FBI calls these animal-rights zealots and extreme environmentalists “the most dangerous and prolific domestic terrorists” in the United States today. PETA, it turns out, is bankrolling some of them. In 2001, according to publicly-available tax records, PETA contributed at least $1,500 to the North American Earth Liberation Front (ELF), a group of arsonists who engage in absolutely no lawful activities. PETA was either careless or bold enough to report this to the IRS. Eight different reporters have asked PETA’s leaders why their group wrote this check; they have offered eight different and contradictory answers. In 1995 PETA gave over $70,000 to Rodney Coronado, a convicted arsonist who firebombed a Michigan State University research laboratory on behalf of the terrorist Animal Liberation Front (ALF). While PETA insists that the money was for Coronado’s legal defense, court records show that PETA president Ingrid Newkirk communicated with Coronado about the Michigan State arson before it happened. Coronado never fingered PETA in court, took the fall alone, and served 58 months in federal prison. In 2003, six months after his parole expired, he was filmed in a Washington, DC college classroom showing dozens of young animal-rights activists how to build “crude incendiary devices.” Asked later that year on 20/20 to explain herself, Ingrid Newkirk called Rodney Coronado “a fine young man.” If PETA were financially supporting Hamas, the Islamic Jihad, or Al Qaeda, it would be laughable to argue that it’s possible to bankroll terrorists without supporting terrorism. Yet PETA continues to insist its motives were warm and fuzzy when it wrote a check to the arson-happy (and FBI-designated “terrorist”) ELF. PETA’s habit of propping up violent splinter groups shouldn’t surprise anyone. In the 1980s, PETA was a “spokesgroup” for the terrorist ALF, holding press conferences to gleefully announce arsons, burglaries, and thefts -- all perpetrated “for the animals.” PETA once had a “fact sheet” calling the ALF “an army of the kind.” And PETA’s leaders have openly advocated arson and other violence. Click here to listen to PETA campaign director Bruce Friedrich discussing the merits of “blowing stuff up” at a national animal rights convention. It’s time to put a stop to PETA, and you can help. Add your name to the list of over 50,000 Americans who have already asked the IRS to revoke PETA’s federal tax-exempt status. Believe it or not, PETA pays no income taxes -- just like universities and churches. And the promise of tax deductions helped the group raise over $21 million last year, mostly from unsuspecting Americans who thought they were helping puppies and kittens. Click here to sign the petition and “Take a bite out of PETA.” The Center for Consumer Freedom is dedicated to protecting the choices of American consumers. Those choices are threatened on a daily basis by PETA and other animal activist groups who presume to tell us all what to eat. PETA’s stated goal is “total animal liberation.” That means no steaks, hamburgers, chicken, veal, lamb, bacon, milk, or cheese. No milk chocolate on Valentine’s Day. No Thanksgiving turkey. No hunting, fishing, rodeos, circuses, wool, fur, silk, leather, or seeing-eye dogs; and no medical research using lab animals. PETA’s president is on record saying that “even if animal research resulted in a cure for AIDS, we’d be against it.” We’re pushing back against these lunatics, but we need your help. To make a one-time gift or a recurring pledge, please click here. Every little bit helps. Sincerely, James Bowers Managing Director Center for Consumer Freedom

When life hands you lemons

Just got this from a friend:

The local bar was so sure its bartender was the
strongest man around that they offered a standing
$1000 bet. The bartender would squeeze a
lemon until all the juice ran into a glass, and hand
the lemon to a patron. Anyone who could
squeeze out one more drop of juice would win
the money.

Many people had tried over time, including
professional wrestlers and bodybuilders, but no
one could do it. One day a scrawny little man
came in, wearing a tie and a pair of pants
hiked up past his belly button.

He said in a squeaky annoying voice, "I'd like
to try the bet." Even the hillbilly chicks burst
into laughter.

After the laughter had died down, the
bartender said, "Ok," grabbed a lemon, and
squeezed away. He then handed the wrinkled
remains of the rind to the little man.

But the crowd's laughter turned to total silence
as the man clenched his fist around the lemon
and six drops fell into the glass. As the crowd
cheered, the bartender paid the $1000, and
asked the little man, "What did you do for a
living? Are you a lumberjack, weight lifter, or
what?"

The man replied, "I work for the IRS."

TO ALL MY DEVOTED READER

There will be no postings on Ash Wednesday.

And yes, I made "Reader" singular on purpose.

Should I Stay Or Should I Go?

--The Clash

So, is Gov. Richardson going to run in '08, or is he not? We're getting conflicting stories here in Santa Fe. First, the AP is reporting the Governor will be running in 2008. Ron Fournier says he's spoken with some "party leaders", and they're telling him Richardson has disclosed his plans to run.

Now, Steve Terrell is telling us the Governor is denying he said anything of the sort.

If he does run, I have no doubt whatsoever he'd be the strongest challenge the Democrats could field. I have no idea if he'd get the nod, but he would give the Republicans heartburn if he did.

Take a look for yourself, he's already triangulating:


Someone asked Richardson about the threatened Hollywood boycott of New Mexico if the Legislature doesn't ban cockfighting. He said that he thought the move by the Humane Society was "immature." He also said he'd spoken with several producers and directors -- including Robert Redford -- who assured him that such a boycott wouldn't get off the ground as long as the state remains hospitable to filmmakers.

As for cockfighting itself, Richardson still refused to take an actual stand on the issue, saying he feels it's a "distraction" from the real issues. He put it in the same category as gay marriage as a "wedge issue."

First, he's "standing up to Hollywood". If rural, 'values-type' voters are the new demographic craze, showing yourself unwilling to be bullied by the "Susan Sarandon types" is a big positive. Secondly, he's showing he can get the job done. Now dealing with Robert Redford is not the same as dealing with the French or the UN...then again, maybe it is.

Then notice how he doesn't go one way or the other on cockfighting. Personally, I couldn't care either way. It's a battle between the Hollywood elite and folks who like to strap razors to chickens. I don't really feel comfortable siding with either group, so I guess I have no cock in this fight. You have to hand it to the guy though, on the one hand, he's not encouraging a poultry blood sport. On the other hand, he's not trying to wipe out part of some traditional heritage at the behest of out-of-touch "foreigners". Well played.

Finally, this guy can at least speak the moderate language pretty well. Maybe I'm biased, I moved here from California. I lived under Grey Davis. I find myself with a Democrat governor who pledged to eliminate a tax (on food), because he felt a food tax was just plain "wrong". I know, he raised some other taxes to compensate, but when do you hear any Democrat call any tax "wrong"? He makes somewhat pleasing law and order sounds. Read the comments section on the New Mexican's blog about his running. He's obviously hated by the government employees' union.

He can at least be credible in appearing as a moderate. He can convincingly pull off a "Sister Souljah" moment. He'd have a shot in states like Colorado, Nevada, Arizona, and of course, New Mexico.

Then again, the Democrats will probably give us some retread leftist New Englander. Somebody pass them the collected works of Santayana.

He helped Joshua fight the battle of Jericho, he helped Daniel get out the lion's den, he helped Gilligan get off the island.

--Rev. Brown

I was reading Fructus Ventris earlier today, when I noticed something interesting.

Over at Open Book, I read a comment that basically opined that the song "My Way" was the most anti-Christian song of the last several decades. I am inclined to agree.

I disagree. This whole thing brought back a high school flashback. The most anti-Christian song of the last few decades is Whitney Houston's "The Greatest Love of All".

I went to a "Catholic high school". I place that in quotes because although there were religious brothers, I don't believe I actually learned one Catholic thing at the school. Actually, I take that back. I learned about the lamest, most insignificant form of "white martyrdom" you can imagine.

One of my "religious studies" classes was taught by Ms. X-Nun. Before we get to Whitney Houston, I'm going to try to remember what we were "taught" in this class:

The highest rule is one's conscious.

Playing basketball can be considered "holy".

A "totem" is a an aboriginal depiction of a trait or quality prized by a tribe to the extent where it is paid homage. Said quality or trait is then embodied in a physical/spiritual form, usually an animal, which is believed to represent the aforementioned quality or trait. (Gee, do you think she drilled that one in much?). Any attempt to correlate a "totem" with a "totem pole" was met with a stern rebuke. Please God she would have defended the Catholic Faith nearly as strongly.

We don't roll like that in South Philly.

Let me share the three things I remember most vividly from my Catechism in a Catholic primary school (1st-6th Grade).

There are three fingers on each hand of a priest that are consecrated when he is ordained. When the Communists capture a priest, they cut those fingers off. In that way, they hope to deny the Mass to the world, and bring about Hell on earth.

The Story of St. Tarcisius. (EWTN tells it better than I could).

Once upon a time, the Protestants came and tried to blow up our parish with a cannon. When they found out this one church was armed and waiting, they didn't seem so eager to burn it to the ground. It wasn't until they lied and got us to disarm, that they found their courage. Moral of the story? Love our 'separated brethren' but always keep a musket handy.

And now I'm told, "playing basketball can be holy."

Really? Well, we don't play basketball in my neighborhood.

Anyways... so when I went to my religious studies class with a slightly different than normal ear for the subtleties of Catholic Theology. That's why I noticed this one class. At the beginning of the class, Ms. X-Nun strolls in with a tape recorder. When the class quieted down, she played "Greatest Love of All".

The greatest love of all

Is easy to achieve

Learning to love yourself

It is the greatest love of all

So the bells went off in my head. Not the tinkling little bells that ring for the Consecration. The big church bells that ring when the village is on fire, that's what I was hearing. I opened my Bible (We had to buy one for class. We never used it, but we had to buy it), and waited for the song to end. Then Ms. X-Nun starts, "I find this song very moving and spiritual. It touches on many deep meanings. Who would care to share an opinion?"

So I raise my hand. When she called on me, I read:

Greater love than this no man hath, that a man lay down his life for his friends. You are my friends, if you do the things that I command you. I will not now call you servants: for the servant knoweth not what his lord doth. But I have called you friends: because all things whatsoever I have heard of my Father, I have made known to you. (Matthew 15:13-15)

Then I asked, "Is it your opinion that in matters of the salvation of my eternal soul that I should trust in (opening my left palm) Whitney Houston, or (opening my right palm) Jesus Christ, Son of the Living God?"

Principal's Office.

One week's detention.

Being a disruptive influence in class.

Of course, I saw white martyrdom. Me and St. Tarcisius, shoulder to shoulder. And for those Communists out there, never bring a knife to a musket fight.

Knights of Columbus!

--Ron Burgundy

Hat tip to Catholic World News and Doxology for this one.

In 2003, Deborah Chymyshyn and Tracey Smith rented a Knights of Columbus hall in Port Coquitlam, British Columbia. When the Knights became aware that it was to be for a homosexual couple, they cancelled the booking. The BC Human Rights Tribunal began hearing their case on Monday and a ruling was expected Thursday.

I ran across a blog a bit earlier from a self-proclaimed "blue stater" living in a red state. One of the things he found offensive was the idea of a pulpit being used to tell people how to vote. On the contrary, I find it offensive to have a court attempt to usurp the authority of the pulpit in the name of some cause. The Church existed before the State, and deference should always flow towards one's elders.

The people involved in this case know what they are doing. They want to humble the Church. They want to embarrass the Knights of Columbus, force them to bend to their will. Every dark fantasy the Left dreams about "organized religion" they gleefully carry out against it in the name of their unholy cause. The people involved in this particular assault are also God's Children. I pray for them, and I hope in the mercy of Christ. While they continue on this particular path, however, there is nothing between us but emnity.

On a related note, the Knights of Columbus need your help. If you are a Catholic male over the age of eighteen, contact your local parish to find your nearest council. If you are married to a Catholic male, or in some way related to one, drag him to a parish and have him join up. If you still can't find a council, contact me or visit here. And don't even start with me about how you don't have time. I really don't want to hear that. Your Church needs you, will you forsake Her in this hour?

Crux mihi certa salus.
Crux est quam semper adoro.
Crux Domini mecum.
Crux mihi refugium.

The Cross is my sure salvation.
The Cross I ever adore.
The Cross of my Lord is with me.
The Cross is my refuge.

ST. THOMAS AQUINAS

Non-Catholic readers, you may skip past this one.

Are they gone?

Ok.

As all of you should know, Lent is fast approaching. Please notice the emphasis on "fast". It's time for another Lenten season, and most of you are going to totally blow it off.

Knock it off, already! Can't you people settle down for like, six weeks and think beyond petty every day stuff? Is it so hard not to go out to eat, or hit the bars? Can you possibly squeeze in one prayer, just one, more than you usually do a day. For many of you that would bring the prayer level up to....one.

Now I can hear some of you starting to grumble. I've seen the half-hearted attempts at observing Lent. I know, it's hard. It's not very fun. It's a downer.

And I'm sure that whole "Crown of Thorns" thing was a real picnic too.

Let's put this in perspective, ok? The Prince of Peace came down to earth, and suffered a grotesque, horrific death for our sakes. That's the short form.

First, He was captured by the Temple Guards, beaten, and subjected to a kangaroo court. After the court found Him guilty, another beating was thrown upon Him. Then he was jurisdiction shopped between King Herod and Pontius Pilate. Finally, Pilate had a terrible beating placed upon Him.

They whipped Him with sticks.

They tore His Flesh with cruel devices of torture.

They beat Him until His Ribs showed.

They mocked and spit on Him, then wove a helmet of inch thick thorns which they pounded into His Skull.

Oh yeah, after that they marched Him up a hill, drove nails through His Arms and Legs into a big freaking piece of wood, and hung Him till He died.

Now here comes the good part. The worst part of all that torture and death and whatnot was the fact the He was carrying /our/ sins. The sins of all of us. Each time we screwed up, each time we didn't think, each time we didn't /care/; we weighed down His Footsteps that much more. The greatest agony He carried was our ingratitude.

So just maybe you could keep that twinkie out of your mouth until Easter Sunday. Waddya think?

At this point, I'm figuring the only people still reading are those who actually have a slight interest in making their Lent less of a joke. In that spirit, I offer the following guidelines:

1. Buy a rosary. Use it.

2. Buy a scapular. Use it.

3. Don't go out for dinner. For a few weeks, just head on home and make yourself something to eat.

4. Just have a pastry and juice for breakfast. Have an apple for lunch.

5. Lay off the nicotine, caffeine, and alcohol.

6. Eat a carrot, skip the meat.

7. Refrain from movies and TV; substitute prayer or spiritual reading instead.

The preceding was in ascending order of difficulty. Think of it as exercise, people. Don't try to jump in and do all of them at once. Unless you have iron discipline, you will fail. Start small this year, try a few of the steps above. Add to it each Lent. When you get down to it, it's not so tough. Tough is dragging a large piece of wood to your execution, all the while being kicked and beaten.

Finally, I'd like to address one final thing. Over the last few years, there has been this big emphasis on community work as a focus of Lent. Avoid this like the plague, it's a bad, bad idea.

While working at a soup kitchen or cleaning up a park is a good thing, it is not a Lent thing. Lent is about a person's personal penance and conversion. Christ himself tell us not to make a big deal to others about our personal fasting (Matthew 6:16-18). If we fast secretly, God will bless us openly. Making a point of making your Lenten observance public defeats that. Secondly, it's an encitement to pride. You shouldn't be making your observance in a way that makes people notice how "good" you are. Finally, you should be doing some of these things anyway. Catholics are called to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, etc etc all year long.

That is all.

WHATEVER

(Originally Posted on The Wide Awakes):
God, I hate the Patriots

Yet, I love Guinness. I guess I can find a balance in sweet, sweet oblivion.

And I Thought the Job Market Here Was Bad

(Originally posted on The Wide Awakes)

From The Telegraph (and numerous bloggers):

A 25-year-old waitress who turned down a job providing “sexual services'’ at a brothel in Berlin faces possible cuts to her unemployment benefit under laws introduced this year.

I feel like Chandler in “Friends":

Too…many…jokes…Must…mock…Germany.

Geez, I don’t even know where to start on this. Congrats, Germany. You’ve certainly earned some sort of lifetime achievement award with this one.

These are the people whose approval we seek on the international stage?

I’ll comment on this later, when I figure out if this means they’ve desceneded to the third or fifth level of Hell.