Month: December 2005

Saddam whines and complains about being beaten and tortured by his captors.

Boo-frickin-hoo.

Saddam Hussein launched into an extended outburst at his trial Wednesday, alleging he had been beaten and tortured by his American captors while in detention after a witness testified that his agents had tortured people by ripping off their skin.

Chief prosecutor Jaafar al-Mousawi said he would investigate and that if American-led multinational forces were abusing the former Iraqi leader, he would be transferred to the custody of Iraqi troops.

“I want to say here, yes, we have been beaten by the Americans and we have been tortured,” Saddam said, before gesturing to his seven co-defendants around him, “one by one.”

After sitting quietly through several hours of testimony, Saddam said he’d been beaten “everywhere on my body. The marks are still there.”

I say strip him and let’s confirm it.

Sympathy pointed in the wrong direction.

About 2,000 people turn out to view the body of Stanley “Tookie” Williams, the killer and writer executed last week despite a high-profile campaign to save his life.

Standing outside the mortuary, watching the spectacle in the street, Wanda Smith, 42, shook her head and said, “I feel sorry for Tookie. It could have been my own brother, or my son.

Just where were any of these people when Tookie was doping, robbing and killing? How many of these people tried to stop Stanley Williams and Raymond Washington from starting the gang known as the “Crips”? How many of these people are out trying to stop new gangs from forming?

How many of these people called or wrote to the families of Tookie’s victims?

I have no idea what the story is about, but I’ll agree with this headline any day of the week, no matter the context.

When you’re an FOB (Friend of Bill), you never know what communicable disease you might pick up. In the case of Gov. Bill Richardson of New Mexico, it appears he caught a case of the “touchy feelies”.

Saturday’s Albuquerque Journal newspaper ran a story which included an allegation that the governor touched Lt. Gov. Diane Denish inappropriately.

The article, headlined “Hands-On Governor,” quotes Denish describing Richardson touching her at public events. It also notes how the governor has greeted people with bear hugs or head butts — or in the case of a DeVargas Middle School student in 2003, a headlock. For his part, Richardson said he’s just being playful. “I tease Diane. I touch guys. It’s my way of lessening tension,” Richardson said in the story.

Did he say he touches guys?

Denish told the Journal:

“He pokes me,” Denish said when confronted about photos taken of Richardson and her at an appearance in Bernalillo in late October. “He pinches my neck. He touches my hip, my thigh, sort of the side of my leg. I try not to put myself in that situation, trying not to stand or sit next to him.”

Sounds like sexual abuse to me. And it doesn’t appear that Denish has an axe to grind.

Dealing with Richardson’s touching and poking “is one of the challenges of this governor,” Denish told The Journal . “He has a lot of good qualities and this is one of the challenges.”

The article said, “When he’s doing it in these public environments, I have chosen not to embarrass him by not doing anything blatant about it publicly … I don’t think I should embarrass him.”

She used words like “joking” and “joshing” in the article. But, according to the article, she spoke about the problem with Billy Sparks, Richardson’s deputy chief of staff about the matter.

This deserves more attention, and probably a full-on investigation. If there’s one accuser, there’s often more.

Dean Esmay highlights Democratic party psychobabble (which, by the way, is too easy these days – there’s just so much material to choose from), then Dean silences the wind with this:   

Will someone at the Democratic National Committee put me in charge please? These people could absolutely neutralize the Republicans on national security issues quite easily, and then slug it out entirely on issues at home where they just might win. Instead it’s like Republicans just put a big “kick me, I’m soft on national security” sign on their backs and they’re too stupid to notice.

No, even that’s being too kind. It’s like they put the sign on their own backs.

He’s right, on both accounts. It might be too easy for Republicans to use the ol’ “they’re wimpy” case, and then think their job is done. Fact is, all it would take is a couple of bad PR stories and the power of the liberal MSM and the Democrats could win some seats back. Republicans need a wide-angle view of the playing field with an early warning detection system to thwart any covert move made by the Democrats. Since they believe having no Iraq policy is a good move for them, we know they don’t have any significant plan for the war or any subsequent plans for leading America. Therefore, the Democratic party message in 2006 will be no message. This means they’ll have to rely upon dirty tricks, whining and…well, that’s about it.

Republicans, quit sleeping; be ready.

Drudge steals a play from Tim Russert’s bag o’ tricks:

FLASHBACK: DEM LEADER HARRY REID ALL SMILES AT PATRIOT ACT SIGNING

THE DRUDGE REPORT has uncovered a photograph of President Bush signing the Patriot Act in the East Room of the White House on October 26, 2001.

And standing over the President’s shoulder with a smile on his face is Democratic Senate Minority Harry Reid (D-NV)!

Reid is currently leading efforts in the Senate to block the renewal of the Patriot Act.

After Reid successfully prevented the Patriot Act’s renewal late last week the Senator attended a Democrat political rally and proudly declared, “We killed the Patriot Act.”

One Republican strategist familiar with the photo said, “Democrats think they can regain the majority? Not a chance if they continue to put politics above what’s best for the country. Harry Reid is making a colossal miscalculation, but it’s not the first time and thankfully for us, probably not the last.”

Simple hypocrisy.

This just arrived at my house.

UPDATE: Whoa! Where did that day go?

Do you realize how fast the hours can go by when you receive a Phillips 37” Flat Panel LCD TV? What? You think I was sitting and watching television all day long? Heh, I wish. The setup on this thing is killer.

First, I replaced all the speaker wire in my living room. I brought in Monster Cable XP-CI speaker wire to all 5 speakers. Cutting wire, stripping wire, twistin’ wire, and crimpin’ wire takes A LONG TIME.

Next, it was the new television stand, because I’m too cheap to have the guys at Best Buy install the stuff (their cheapest install package was $399!). So, I had to pull this baby out of the box and build it.

And that didn’t go up in a couple of minutes either.

Finally, I got to unpack the TV, put the legs on and set it on the new table.

Then, came the tweaking – picture, surround audio, HD resolution, etc., etc., etc.

I’m still not done.

But wow…what a great TV, and a GREAT (early) Christmas present.

Puhleeze.

Cut and Run? Forget it.

My fellow citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq — we are winning the war in Iraq.

It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi friends — and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word. We would undermine the morale of our troops — by betraying the cause for which they have sacrificed. We would cause tyrants in the Middle East to laugh at our failed resolve, and tighten their repressive grip. We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us — and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous than ever before. To retreat before victory would be an act of recklessness and dishonor — and I will not allow it.

An act of recklessness and dishonor. He’s exactly right.

But, will this silence the detractors? Nope.

Sen. Edward Kennedy, D-Mass., said it was wrong for Bush “to attempt to silence his critics by calling them defeatists.” Senate Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., commended Bush for his “increased candor.” But he said Bush still had not told the nation exactly what had to be accomplished before U.S. troops could begin returning home.

Hello? Were they listening to the same speech I heard? Of course they were, but you see, they have no alternate solution, no recommendation, no plan. So, this is the response they give. It’s the only one they have.

It’s terribly important that we elect leaders in 2006 who are as strong and resolved as our president. After all, if it weren’t for George W. Bush, we’d be living in the United States of the Republic of Radical Islamists.

To the MSM and the Left – let Bush do his job. Let our military men and women do their job. Help us win this war, win the peace, and bring the troops home. 

Others: AP | Michelle Malkin | Glenn Reynolds |

Video of Bush Speech

As you know, today we celebrated the birthday of one of my kids. He received a few gifts, but none more significant to him than the ESPN Shot Block Basketball game.

Looks innocent enough right? Think again.

If you don’t put this thing together just right, you’ll have to take the whole thing apart and put it back together again. And then if you don’t put the loops through just right, you’ll have to take the whole thing apart, and put it back together again.

Oh, and if you put the chute right-side up instead of right-side down, you’ll have to take the whole thing apart and put it back together again.

We finally got to play ESPN Shot Block Basketball, late this evening.

The moral of the story? Don’t believe for one second that you’re smarter than the instruction booklet that comes with ESPN Shot Block Basketball.

And one more thing – the recorded sound effects include Dick Vitale yelling “Swisheroo Bay-beee”, over and over again. It gets really annoying. Make sure you hang this thing on a door, way away from wherever you spend the majority of your time.

It’s what being a Dad is all about.