Amnesty International and the Gulag

In this day and age there is no cheaper shot to take than one against the United States. In the last week, AI showed its anti-Americanism proudly by declaring the detention center at GTMO to be the Gulag of our times.

This is hyperbole on par with comparisons to Hitler, the Holocaust, etc., and it dilutes the whole concept of those earlier atrocities. AI should be ashamed. I won't hold out hope for a public apology, of course.

It is estimated that some 24 million people went to the gulag from the 1920s to the 1940s. That's more than twice the current population of Cuba. Thus far there have been no reports of detainees dying of exposure or forced labor at Guantanamo, quite unlike the many unfortunate souls who passed away in Siberia. There was Newsweek's irresponsibly published allegation of a Koranflush, since retracted. A former detainee did claim that he 'witnessed two people get beaten so badly that I believe it caused their deaths.' Then again, an al Qaeda training manual discovered by police at a software company tells, in section XII to always claim mistreatment, even torture while in custody.

In this light, can any of these claims be taken at face value? Unless you are part of the Dead Tree Media, of course, still trying hard to turn the present conflict against violent Islamism into Vietnam II, the answer should be "no".

Cue the "Mark of the Beast" Crowd in 5...4...3...

From Drudge comes the headline "World ID Card?..."

New SHS Michael Chertoff says he wants to head off a tech war like that of Beta vs. VHS. (Or DVD-A vs. SACD or BluRay vs. HD-CD or...)

Gitmo Detainee Recants Koranflush Story

The folks at Media Slander have reported the Gitmo detainee at the heart of Newsweek's Koran Flush Story has recanted.

I echo the comments from that thread. Good to see them on the job.

New Blog added to the Blogroll

Jack Kelly has a blog called Irish Pennants. I've got it on my daily read list. Check it out.

Priscilla Owen has been confirmed as a Circuit Court Judge

Congratulations to Priscilla Owen on become our nation's latest Circuit Court of Appeals Judge. It has been a long time coming. Thank you for hanging in there.

The vote was 56-43. Two Democrats (Landrieu of Louisiana and *gasp* Byrd of West Virginia) voted for her. Lincoln Chafee (R-RI) voted against her. Daniel Inouye of Hawaii didn't vote.

That leaves two more judges on the "Memorandum of Understanding": Janice Rogers Brown and William Pryor. Brown was initially supposed to go next, but a vote on UN Ambassador nominee John Bolton has been pushed to the foreground.

Cap'n Ed says that's a big mistake. We'll see.

Frist doesn't seem particularly adroit when it comes to political momentum.

A question

If there was a button you could push that would make your previously incurable affliction go away, while at the same time killing one person--not a family member or anything... in fact, no one you know personally-- would you press it?

The GOP Attention Whore Caucus

Here are the "GOP" Senators who signed off on a deal to block a vote to kill filibusters against judicial nominees, and for that matter, to keep any future filibuster going on future, "uncommitted" nominees:

John McCain (AZ)
John Warner (VA)
Mike DeWine (OH)
Susan Collins (ME)
Olympia Snowe (ME)
Lindsey Graham (SC)
Lincoln Chafee (RI)

Enjoy your cocktail parties, ladies and gentlemen. Perhaps the New York Times will fund your future campaigns. I won't.

If you didn't read the text of the deal, here are the two nominees these Attention Whores threw under the bus: William Myers (9th Circuit) and Henry Saad (6th Circuit). No reasons are given, but Minority Leader Reid has alluded to Judge Saad's FBI file... something he should not have seen himself, since he is not a member of the judiciary committee. No member of that committee is supposed to make a peep about those files, either. (This is per point #5 of Rule 29... one of the hallowed Rules of the Senate these bozos hold dear.)

Don't get me wrong. I'm not holding my breath waiting for a motion to throw Uriah Reid out of the Senate. It's just ironic is all.

Mae Magouirk passed away

Mae Magouirk, a person who was recently saved from being dehydrated to death, a la Terri Schiavo passed away of natural causes. She died surrounded by family and thankfully not by lawyers and police.

Senate committees blocked by Democrats

Democrats are now obstructing all work of the Senate. That's going to play well next year. :)

The Weekly Standard on... Whole Foods?

I'm not an avid reader of the Weekly Standard. I usually just go there to read Hugh Hewitt's columns, or as with today, one by John Hinderaker. I stayed to browse around and found this piece on Whole Foods. It seems that Peter Singer--utilitarian bioethicist and Princeton professor--has given his grade A stamp of approval to Whole Foods.

(If you haven't previously seen Singer's views on sex-with-animals and the killing of infants, here's a Wikipedia article which outlines them. Mind your gag reflex.)

I'm sure Whole Foods has put this letter up for the same feel-good reasons as every other piece of socially conscious, touchy-feely claptrap they put up in their stores, that being "Look at us! We're socially conscious progressives who love animals!" And I'm holding out hope that Whole Foods may love animals, but they don't love animals.

Here's the link to the Standard piece, Brainwashing, Aisle 3, which includes the whole text of the letter in question.

Mid East Protest over Newsweek

Newsweek screwed the pooch. They lied and this time at least 15 people have died, to paraphrase the LLL bumper sticker.

Here's a photo via AP from a protest in Pakistan:


Newsweek should be banned! Why? Presumably for publishing a story without checking it out. Bush should apologize! Why? Because Newsweek had this incredible story about how....

Well anyway, hopefully the two gents won't come to blows.

CBS does it again

As reported on the Corner (hat tips to Rush Limbaugh and Steve over at Rantburg), CBS has carved up some interview tape of Judge Ken Starr and misrepresented the judge's opinion.

I posted a request to cbsnews.com's feedback form (head to cbsnews.com, go to the bottom and click on "Contact Us" for the popup form.)

"Please release the complete transcript of the interview with Ken Starr that was the basis for Gloria Borger's report. I take Judge Starr at his word when he says his opinion was misrepresented by your report. Let the viewers see his words and the context in which they were spoken. In short, let us decide for ourselves."

Illini ... football

Yes, they do still play football at the University of Illinois. I was glancing at Mel Kiper, Jr.'s look at NEXT YEAR'S draft. (reg. required) As I expected there wasn't a single Illini mentioned.

No wait! There one is, down toward the bottom of the screen: Steve Weatherford, best punter in the nation.

If that doesn't sum up recent Illini Football history, I don't know what does.

Right Thinking People take on... Vampires

A review of the finest portrayals of vampires on screen is underway at Right Thinking People.

I find it hard to disagree with Trodwell's favorite.