PunditGuy

Iraqis walking to the polls.

Early Iraqi election poll numbers suggest that over 8 million eligible voters successfully cast their ballot. Husbands bring wives along with their children to celebrate the historical day. Sky News in Britain reports that at one precinct, a pregnant woman gave birth to her baby.

– A party atmosphere in Bagdad.

For the latest news and observations relating to this weekends election in Iraq, you’re encouraged to visit Friends of Democracy, a blog setup especially for this history making event.

“Dobson sets the record straight”, is the title of an email message from Dr. James Dobson sent to supporters of Focus on the Family. The text follows…

By now you’ve undoubtedly heard about the controversy surrounding statements I made recently in which I reportedly accused a cartoon character named SpongeBob SquarePants of being “gay.” Although I never made any such comment, the media has repeated the story incessantly, to the point that the truth of the matter has been completely obscured.

Here’s what actually happened. In an address to congressional leaders last month, I briefly took the time to express my concern over a video that is being distributed to elementary schools featuring not only SpongeBob, but more than 100 additional children’s characters including the Muppets, Barney the Dinosaur, Bob the Builder, and Winnie the Pooh. The video itself is relatively harmless and is devoid of any sexual content. However, it is being incorporated into a larger campaign, created by an organization called the We Are Family Foundation, to teach “tolerance” to young children. Unfortunately, rather than simply encouraging tolerance of those who come from different cultural, religious, or socio-economic backgrounds – which we believe is a worthy objective – the curriculum also contains material designed to encourage young children to celebrate homosexual behavior.

To complicate the issue further, soon after this story broke, the pro-homosexual resources to which we took offense were suddenly removed from the We Are Family Foundation’s Web site. However, despite the suspicious disappearance of this material and the public denials on the part of the foundation that it was promoting homosexuality, we have extensive and detailed documentation showing that my original statements are still valid. It should be obvious that my concern lies not with SpongeBob or Big Bird or any of the other characters in the video, but with the way the We Are Family Foundation is hijacking those childhood symbols to blatantly promote the teaching of homosexuality to children in elementary school.

Now, more than ever, we must be vigilant in staying abreast of what our little ones are being taught in the classroom.

Unfortunately, I don’t think this will be the final word on the controversy.

Nope, not a stinkin thing. That’s right, I got nothing today. There’s just a serious lack of anything interesting to talk about as far as I’m concerned. So, that’s it then.

Until tomorrow.

Iraqi voters cast ballots in Australia.

Margaret Carlson looks at the recent Rice hearings and praises Barbara Boxer’s performance. Yikes.

Peggy stands by her Bush slam.

Tonight on “Channel 4”, a broadcast television station here in London, Michael Moore’s documentary Fahrenheit 9/11 is airing. The station has been hyping this all week – it seems that every time I turn on the channel in my hotel room, they’re running the preview. And the breakfast shows have gotten into it too. The “presenters” chortle on air, in an almost giddy way about the public airing of the movie tonight. Perhaps worse are the ones that show a clip, then react in a dramatic way and comment about the “importance” of the viewing event. No wonder Bush and many things American are ridiculed here. It certainly won’t be any better after this airs tonight. To get a sense of the build up ahead of the airing, read the program description here.

Canada a bit player worldwide, says the Edmonton Journal:

A major study of politicians, diplomats and thinkers from Europe, Asia, Africa and Latin America has concluded that Canada has become an irrelevant force on the international stage, but can regain its edge if it creates a swift and mobile brigade of peacekeepers.

Although the world appreciates Canada’s military contributions to the Balkans and Afghanistan, the country is seen as a bit player in bringing peace to war-torn parts of the world.

But the international community does not want it to stay that way, Greenhill added in the interview.

“Everybody from the Africans to the Americans to the Europeans said Canada having an autonomous mobile brigade that could actually get into tough regions quickly and be there for a couple of months at a time would make a huge difference,” he said.

“First is that few people can do it today. Secondly, those who can, like the Americans and British, are often seen as compromised politically.

“Where as Canada coming in with the Maple Leaf, with civility, is seen as very useful.”

Uh, yeah, right. The peace loving Canadians. And we’re supposed to believe that just because Canadians come in to patrol and rebuild, the insurgent terrorists wouldn’t want to slit their throats? These people want to kill anyone who is against Islam, no matter where in the world they call home.

Go back to your lives citizens.