Mood:  cool

Arctic resists warming

RESEARCHERS: New patterns of cooling ocean currents, winds suggest region is struggling to keep its balance.

An international team of scientists reported Thursday that rising temperatures are steadily transforming the Arctic -- warming millions of square miles of permafrost, promoting lush greenery on previously arid tundras and steadily shrinking the annual sea ice.

Yet the researchers also found new patterns of cooling ocean currents and prevailing winds that suggested the Arctic, long considered a bellwether of global warming, may be reverting in some ways to more normal conditions not seen since the 1970s.

Taken together, these findings may be evidence, the researchers said, of the region struggling to keep its balance, as rising temperatures slowly overturn the long-established order of seasonal variations.

"This is a region that is fighting back," said lead author Jacqueline Richter-Menge, a civil engineer at the Cold Regions Research and Engineering Laboratory in Hanover, N.H. "There are things that showed signs of going back to norms, trying to right themselves under very dire circumstances."

For a year, 20 researchers in seven countries reviewed the condition of the atmosphere, ocean, sea ice and land at the top of the world. They summarized their findings in the "State of The Arctic," a report released Thursday by the National Oceanic & Atmospheric Administration.

On average, global temperatures have been steadily warming for decades -- 2005 was the warmest year since record-keeping began in 1880 -- but the polar region appears to be warming twice as fast as the rest of the world. Local weather variations at Earth's upper latitudes create a seesaw of annual hot spots and cold sinks above the Arctic Circle that, combined with incomplete data records, can easily disguise longer regional climate trends.

By pulling together data from many countries and scientific sources, the researchers sought to determine more conclusively how the climate throughout the Arctic behaved from 2000 through winter 2006.

"Arctic temperatures were above their average -- at least 1 degree centigrade above average over the entire Arctic over the entire year. This is a unique situation," said co-author James Overland at NOAA's Pacific Marine Environmental Laboratory in Seattle.

The study reports an increase in northward movement of warmer water through the Bering Strait in 2001 to 2004. This may have contributed to a continuing reduction of sea ice.

Last year, the Arctic sea ice set record lows every month except May, the researchers reported, continuing a trend that started in 2000. The permanent ice cap has been thinning as well. Summer melting began earlier every year of the study and was more extensive.

Glaciers everywhere receded. For the past five years, rivers flowing into the Arctic Ocean have been 3 percent to 9 percent higher than average with fresh melt water, stream gauges showed. That, in turn, has made the seawater less salty, affecting ocean currents.

Permafrost throughout the Alaska Arctic steadily warmed, records documented. Last year, soil temperatures in the interior of Alaska were among the warmest of the past 70 years, the researchers reported.

In response, vegetation in the tundras increased by 10 percent over the past 20 years, satellite measurements showed.

Shrubs rooted more readily above the Arctic Circle in Alaska and Siberia. The new ground cover provided shelter for some creatures while making it harder for others, such as reindeer and caribou herds, to move through their grazing grounds.

The study was designed to assess the overall impact of climate change in the Arctic and will be updated annually. It was compiled by researchers from the United States, Canada France, Germany, Poland, Norway, Sweden and Russia, she said.

In addition, 2007 has been designated the International Year of the Arctic, with intense scientific study of the region planned.

There have been many changes over the Arctic land areas, said Vladimir E. Romanovsky, a professor at the geophysical institute of the University of Alaska. These include changes in vegetation, river discharge into the Arctic Ocean, glaciers and permafrost.

The tundra is becoming greener with the growth of more shrubs, he said. This development is causing problems in some areas as herds of reindeer migrate.

At the same time, there is some decrease in the greening of the northern forest areas, probably due to drought. The glaciers are continuing to shrink and river discharge into the Arctic Ocean is rising, Romanovsky said.

Key findings
• temperature: One degree Celsius above average over the entire year.
• sea ice: Record lows last year for every month except May.
• Glaciers: For the past five years, rivers have been 3 percent to 9 percent higher than average.
• permafrost: Last year, soil temperatures were among the warmest of past 70 years.

The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Anchorage Daily News ~ LA Times - Robert Lee Hotz ** Arctic resists warming

Posted by yaahoo_ at 6:20 PM EST

Updated: Saturday, 18 November 2006 1:33 AM EST

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Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous

SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- Syracuse University professor Arthur C. Brooks is about to become the darling of the religious right in America -- and it's making him nervous.

The child of academics, raised in a liberal household and educated in the liberal arts, Brooks has written a book that concludes religious conservatives donate far more money than secular liberals to all sorts of charitable activities, irrespective of income.

In the book, he cites extensive data analysis to demonstrate that values advocated by conservatives -- from church attendance and two-parent families to the Protestant work ethic and a distaste for government-funded social services -- make conservatives more generous than liberals.

The book, titled "Who Really Cares: The Surprising Truth About Compassionate Conservatism" (Basic Books, $26), is due for release Nov. 24.

When it comes to helping the needy, Brooks writes: "For too long, liberals have been claiming they are the most virtuous members of American society. Although they usually give less to charity, they have nevertheless lambasted conservatives for their callousness in the face of social injustice."

For the record, Brooks, 42, has been registered in the past as a Democrat, then a Republican, but now lists himself as independent, explaining, "I have no comfortable political home."

Since 2003 he has been director of nonprofit studies for Syracuse University's Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs.

Outside professional circles, he's best known for his regular op-ed columns in The Wall Street Journal (13 over the past 18 months) on topics that stray a bit from his philanthropy expertise.

One noted that people who drink alcohol moderately are more successful and charitable than those who don't (like him). Another observed that liberals are having fewer babies than conservatives, which will reduce liberals' impact on politics over time because children generally mimic their parents.

Brooks is a behavioral economist by training who researches the relationship between what people do -- aside from their paid work -- why they do it, and its economic impact.

He's a number cruncher who relied primarily on 10 databases assembled over the past decade, mostly from scientific surveys. The data are adjusted for variables such as age, gender, race and income to draw fine-point conclusions.

His Wall Street Journal pieces are researched, but a little light.

His book, he says, is carefully documented to withstand the scrutiny of other academics, which he said he encourages.

The book's basic findings are that conservatives who practice religion, live in traditional nuclear families and reject the notion that the government should engage in income redistribution are the most generous Americans, by any measure.

Conversely, secular liberals who believe fervently in government entitlement programs give far less to charity. They want everyone's tax dollars to support charitable causes and are reluctant to write checks to those causes, even when governments don't provide them with enough money.

Such an attitude, he writes, not only shortchanges the nonprofits but also diminishes the positive fallout of giving, including personal health, wealth and happiness for the donor and overall economic growth.

All of this, he said, he backs up with statistical analysis.

"These are not the sort of conclusions I ever thought I would reach when I started looking at charitable giving in graduate school, 10 years ago," he writes in the introduction. "I have to admit I probably would have hated what I have to say in this book."

Still, he says it forcefully, pointing out that liberals give less than conservatives in every way imaginable, including volunteer hours and donated blood.

In an interview, Brooks said he recognizes the need for government entitlement programs, such as welfare. But in the book he finds fault with all sorts of government social spending, including entitlements.

Repeatedly he cites and disputes a line from a Ralph Nader speech to the NAACP in 2000: "A society that has more justice is a society that needs less charity."

Harvey Mansfield, professor of government at Harvard University and 2004 recipient of the National Humanities Medal, does not know Brooks personally but has read the book.

"His main finding is quite startling, that the people who talk the most about caring actually fork over the least," he said. "But beyond this finding I thought his analysis was extremely good, especially for an economist. He thinks very well about the reason for this and reflects about politics and morals in a way most economists do their best to avoid."

Brooks says he started the book as an academic treatise, then tightened the documentation and punched up the prose when his colleagues and editor convinced him it would sell better and generate more discussion if he did.

To make his point forcefully, Brooks admits he cut out a lot of qualifying information.

"I know I'm going to get yelled at a lot with this book," he said. "But when you say something big and new, you're going to get yelled at."

Belief Net ~ Religion News Service ~ Frank Brieaddy ** Philanthropy Expert: Conservatives Are More Generous

Posted by yaahoo_ at 5:24 PM EST

Updated: Friday, 17 November 2006 5:47 PM EST

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Al Franken, Air America Radio

ADIOS AL

Franken Leaving Air America Radio

*** Breaking News ***

We're hearing tonight that Al Franken is leaving Air America and giving up on talk radio for good.

His last day on the air will be December 8. A few libtalk stations have already begun to leak word of Franken's impending exit.

This confirms rumors we'd been hearing for several weeks that are now confirmed by these on- air announcements.

We'll have much more on this breaking story as details emerge.

Technorati tags: talk radio air america al franken liberal talk progressive talk franken leaving

Frankendisaster: David A Lunde

The Radio Equalizer ~ Brian Maloney ** Al Franken Leaving Air America Radio

Liberal Talk Radio, Michigan, Ann Arbor

NUMBER FIVE

Since Election Day, LibTalk Cancellations Keep Coming

At this point, it's safe to call it a trend.

Today, yet another liberal talk radio station announced it would dump the format, this time in Ann Arbor, Michigan. In just over a week, that brings the count to five, with cancellations spread out across the country.

As talk radio reporter Perry Simon reports, 1290 WLBY will follow the lead of many of the others and adopt a sports format:

Another liberal Talk station bites the dust, this one in ANN ARBOR, where CLEAR CHANNEL jettisons the Talk format of WLBY-A and goes into a stunt starting at 12:01a tomorrow (11/17).

The station will air what it's calling an "all-VICTORS, all the time" format concentrating on the UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN, with marching band tunes, "MICHIGAN Memories" clips, and sports updates, flooding the frequency with the Maize and Blue in time for SATURDAY's big game against OHIO STATE.

In fact, WLBY's libtalk website has already been removed, but a cached version of it is available from Google, here. And in Michigan, the Detroit News had this to say in its sports section:

Big game report

Ann Arbor station goes all 'Victors', all the time

So, you love "The Victors". You think it's the greatest college fight song in the history of college fight songs.

Just how much do you love it? Enough to listen to it for 24 hours?

You'll get that opportunity beginning at 12:01 a.m. Friday when Ann Arbor Radio's WLBY 1290 AM begins playing "The Victors" and continues to play it and play it and play it some more.

"With the University of Michigan football team on the verge of another national championship, we expect rabid listenership for The New 1290 WLBY," station general manager Bob Bolak said in a release.

Bolak said he is not worried about the redundant nature of playing the same song repeatedly.

"'The Victors' is the kind of song that you can listen to over and over and never get tired of," Bolak said.

Angelique S. Chengelis

For our previous coverage on the subject, click here.

As always, we'll bring you the latest updates as they emerge.

Technorati tags: michigan talk radio liberal talk radio air america progressive democrats wlby perry simon al franken

The Radio Equalizer ~ Brian Maloney ** Since Election Day, LibTalk Cancellations Keep Coming

Posted by yaahoo_ at 2:36 AM EST

Updated: Friday, 17 November 2006 2:48 AM EST

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Mood:  party time!

The latest oil commodities trading price closed down by $2.50 at $56.26 per barrel of bubblin' crude...

Falling Gas Prices Help Push CPI Down

WASHINGTON -- Consumer prices, helped by another huge decline in gasoline pump prices, fell for a second straight month in October, providing more relief to Americans battered earlier in the year by soaring energy costs.

The Labor Department reported Thursday that consumer prices dropped by 0.5 percent last month, matching the September decline. It was the first back-to-back drops in the Consumer Price Index since late last year and provided more evidence that inflation pressures are beginning to ease.

Meanwhile, the number of Americans filing claims for unemployment benefits dipped by 2,000 last week to 308,000, the lowest level in a month, indicating that the labor market remains healthy in spite of the slowing economy.

The second 0.5 percent fall in consumer prices was better than the 0.3 percent dip that many analysts had been expecting. And core inflation, which excludes volatile energy and food prices, was also well-behaved, rising by just 0.1 percent, the smallest gain in 13 months.

The news on inflation was certain to cheer officials at the Federal Reserve. They are hoping that 17 consecutive interest rate increases will produce a soft landing for the economy in which business growth slows enough to reduce inflation pressures without threatening a recession.

Fed officials hold their last meeting of the year on Dec. 12 and private economists are forecasting that the central bank will leave rates unchanged at that meeting and will probably stay on hold for at least the first half of 2007.

The slowdown in inflation provided a boost to Americans' weekly incomes, which were up by 3.3 percent in October compared to a year ago, after discounting inflation. That was the biggest 12-month increase in eight years and followed a period of extremely sluggish wage growth, which Democrats said in the recent elections showed that Republican economic policies were failing the middle class.

Republicans, who lost control of both the House and Senate to the Democrats, countered that wage growth was poised to pick up with unemployment falling to five-year lows.

(Origional story requires registration)
News Max.com ~ Money News - Associated Press ** Falling Gas Prices Help Push CPI Down
Related: This Blog *** Wages and benefits rise at fastest pace in more than 2 years

Posted by yaahoo_ at 1:30 AM EST

Updated: Friday, 17 November 2006 1:42 AM EST

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Did this cat breed with a dog?

This is Mimi, the first cat to give birth to puppies, her owner claims.

Brazilian Cassia Aparecida de Souza, 18, says three of the cat’s six offspring, which were born three months after Mimi mated with a neighbour’s dog, have canine traits.

A geneticist from the Passo Fundo University plans to take blood samples from the animals to verify the claim.

Reader comments --- UK Daily Mail ** Did this cat breed with a dog?

Posted by yaahoo_ at 3:02 PM EST

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Hasn't anyone ever wondered how the Demented-crats could so easily concoct the "Culture of Corruption" talking point / slogan idea??? Experience, experience, experience.

Abramoff Reports to Prison; Officials Focus on Reid, Others

As convicted lobbyist Jack Abramoff reported to federal prison today, a source close to the investigation surrounding his activities told ABC News that Sen. Harry Reid (D-Nev.) was one of the members of Congress Abramoff had allegedly implicated in his cooperation with federal prosecutors.

A spokesperson for Reid, elected yesterday as the Senate Majority Leader, said the senator had done nothing illegal or unethical.

"We have no idea what Abramoff is telling prosecutors to save his skin, but I do know that these kind of old allegations are completely ridiculous and untrue," Sen. Reid's spokesman Jim Manley told ABC News.

A source close to the investigation says Abramoff told prosecutors that more than $30,000 in campaign contributions to Reid from Abramoff's clients "were no accident and were in fact requested by Reid."

Abramoff has reportedly claimed the Nevada senator agreed to help him on matters related to Indian gambling.

The Associated Press reported earlier this year that Reid wrote at least four letters helpful to the tribes that had contributed money to his campaign.

Reid has denied there was any connection between the letters and the contributions and has said he is a longtime opponent of certain kinds of Indian reservation gambling.

The AP reported that Reid acknowledged "routine contacts" with Abramoff's lobbying partners and intervening to block rival tribal casinos.

The AP also reported that Abramoff's billing records showed extensive contact with Reid's office over a three-year period in which Reid collected more than $68,000 from Abramoff's firm, partners and clients.

Prosecutors have said that Abramoff's cooperation is essential to the corruption investigation, but, so far, they have brought only one prosecution against a member of Congress connected to Abramoff, Republican Bob Ney of Ohio, who resigned.

The source said prosecutors do not intend to rely solely on Abramoff's account of events, and his allegations against Reid and others will not necessarily result in criminal charges.

Sources close to the federal investigation say Abramoff has offered testimony about his contacts with "six to eight seriously corrupt Democratic senators" and an ever larger number of Republican members of Congress.

In addition to Reid, the sources say Abramoff has been most closely questioned about his contacts with Sen. Conrad Burns (R-Mont.), who was defeated in last week's election.

"Being defeated may have been one of the best things that ever happened to Burns," said a source close to the investigation. "There is much more interest in members of Congress who are still in office," the source said.

Burns, who received more than $150,000 in Abramoff-connected campaign contributions, has strongly denied any wrongdoing and returned the money.

Sen. Reid has been an outspoken critic of the connections between Abramoff and Republican legislators.

In a speech earlier this year, Sen. Reid described it as "a program where the lobbyists paid and the Republican members of Congress played."

The Justice Department said it would have no comment on the ongoing Abramoff investigation.

ABC News ~ The Blotter - Brian Ross and Rhonda Schwartz ** Abramoff Reports to Prison; Officials Focus on Reid, Others

Posted by yaahoo_ at 12:01 AM EST

Updated: Thursday, 16 November 2006 12:28 AM EST

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Largo, Florida -- Largo Police are looking for a little girl who pulled a knife on a Wal-Mart clerk as she tried to steal two boxes of Lego toy blocks.

It happened on the Missouri Avenue around 9:00 pm Tuesday night.

Police say the 7 to 8-year-old girl hid the toys under her coat and tried to walk out the door.

 A store employee was watching and approached the child, asking her to turn over the Lego blocks.

Police say the little girl then  opened her jacket and displayed a combo carving knife with a forked point and a 10" blade, saying she was armed for protection.

The employee talked the girl into putting down the knife and the toys.

The girl then rode away on her bicycle.

The employee was not hurt.

WTSP Tampa Bay's 10 News ~ CBS - Tampa / St. Petersburg ** Little girl flashes knife as she tries to steal toys

Yikes all mighty

Posted by yaahoo_ at 11:27 PM EST

Updated: Wednesday, 15 November 2006 11:40 PM EST

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Five Common Types of Democrats

An identification guide

By Justin Hartfield

1. The College Student
In college, previously disinterested students are inundated with leftist rhetoric from college professors who seem to have all the world perspective the students themselves lack. College students are further blessed with lots of free time, time which they can now use to save Nelson Mandela via a cardboard protest on a busy campus intersection. (Or did they save him already? Oh well, we can just change the signs to read "IMPEACH BUSH." Great idea, Tad!) It makes sense that such idealistic young people would gravitate toward the Dems. They see the Republican Party as about holding onto past ideals and conserving, and the Democrats as the forward-thinking alternative. To many young adults, new always trumps old. Since they have little or no previous convictions to hold on to, these students often are swayed toward new ideas which seem to them novel or even brilliant at first glance. That's why it is with no bit of irony that Kucinich once said, "I hold in my heart that rebellious spirit of youth that demands change."

2. The social liberal but economic moderate
The classic liberal, as it was originally defined and is currently found all throughout Europe, is extremely different from the breed of liberal found in the US. Classic liberals support the free market. Usually these people would vote Republican (due to their pro-market positions), but many are so revolted by the Christian Right's domination of the party that they feel compelled to support the Dems. This is often the case when the voter regards social issues as more significant than economic because he or she is already wealthy. For example, Steve Jobs is regarded as a liberal, yet he is a passionate defender of the free market. It is his social positions that resemble those of the Democrats.

3. The socialist
This voter believes in the corrupting power of Capitalism and supports the Democrats on social issues. However, his economic policies often stray left of the traditional party line. Dennis Kucinich and his cohorts are examples of Democratic Socialists. They generally believe in immediate withdrawal from NAFTA, preventing any privatization of social security, and creating single-payer universal health insurance. They are also extremely liberal on social issues and support same-sex marriages. They are so far left that even Hillary Clinton would blush at their latent, unrepentant communism.

4. The minority
Minorities are essentially born into the Democratic Party. Many are raised to believe that programs like Affirmative Action give them the boost they need to be competitive in America. Their leaders (e.g. Rev. Jesse Jackson) have hoodwinked them into believing that they need handouts in order to contend with their white counterparts. The tendency for minorities to be affiliated with the Democrats is so widespread that those not registered as Democrats are often scorned and ridiculed by their peers. Larry Elder, the black champion of libertarianism, is often called an "Uncle Tom" or "anti-black" by his detractors. Instead of asking Mr. Elder how he got to where he is today, they criticize him for not toeing the party line.

5. The victicrat
A victicrat is someone who views his government as a form of protection against the evils the rest of us call life. They look for handouts before helping themselves. To be clear, victocrats are not necessarily found in the welfare line. They are often affluent heirs who blame illegal immigration for taking their jobs, or minorities "accepting" their lot in the US because of their skin color. Not only do they refuse to market their differences, they use it (them) as an excuse for their lack of effort. Like Dr. Dre has said, breaking out of the "slave mentality" is crucial to succeeding in business.

Prometheus Institute ~ Justin Hartfield ** Five Common Types of Democrats

Posted by yaahoo_ at 12:01 AM EST

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Libtard Soros Group Blasts Pelosi Endorsement of 'Unethical Murtha'...
Public Statement

CREW Blasts Pelosi Endorsement of Unethical Murtha for Majority Leader

Washington, DC -- Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) questioned soon-to-be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi's (D-CA) commitment to eradicating corruption with her endorsement of one of the most unethical members in Congress, Rep. John Murtha (D-PA), to be Majority Leader of the House of Representatives.

Rep. Murtha was listed in CREW's report Beyond DeLay: The 20 Most Corrupt Members of Congress (and five to watch). As reported in the study and by the news media, Rep, Murtha has been involved in a number of pay-to play schemes involving former staffers and his brother, Robert "Kit" Murtha.

Eight incumbents in CREW's report lost their races to ethics issues.

CREW's report can be found at www.beyonddelay.org.

ORIGINAL CAMPAIGN:
CREW releases 2nd Annual Most Corrupt Members of Congress Report, 09/20/2006

Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington ** CREW Blasts Pelosi Endorsement of Unethical Murtha for Majority Leader
Related: This Blog *** Demented-crats Act To Surrender Quickly To Al Qaeda
Pelosi backs Murtha for House Majority Leader...
Roll Call ~ John Bresnahan ** Pelosi Puts Weight Behind Murtha in Leader Bid
Democrats to Call For Iraq Troop Withdrawal... NY Times ~ Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Mark Mazzetti ** Democrats Push for Troop Cuts Within Months

Posted by yaahoo_ at 7:05 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 13 November 2006 7:21 PM EST

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Democrats Act To Surrender Quickly To Al Qaeda

Update: Iran Says Israel’s destruction near. We need to hear from the Dem Congressional Leaders on this threat to our ally. And we need to hear now, before Iran assumes the Democrats really want Israel wiped off the map. And why would they get that idea? Clarice Feldman explains how.

OK, I must be living on a different planet because I never thought the Democrats would be so stupid as to go out and do all those terrible things people predicted they would do - but the are. The first terrible move is to call for troop reductions in Iraq. Troop reductions have been big losers in Senate votes, the latest just this past June. And there has been no public support for a surrender to Al Qaeda in Iraq. None. So why the dems are pushing this subject now is an interesting issue.

This is bad on so many fronts for the Dems it is hard to fathom if any logic is being applied at all. First off you have the Lieberman factor. He owes the Democrats absolutely nothing and his top priority is success in Iraq. Now we hear that Lieberman is flexing his new power (as the 2nd most powerful person in the country right now):

Sen. Joe Lieberman on Sunday repeated his pledge to caucus with Senate Democrats when the 110th Congress convenes in January, but refused to slam the door on possibly moving to the Republican side of the aisle.

Asked on NBC’s “Meet the Press” if he might follow the example of Sen. Jim Jeffords of Vermont, who left the Republicans in 2001 and became an independent, ending Republican control of the U.S. Senate, Lieberman refused to discount the possibility.

“I’m not ruling it out but I hope I don’t get to that point,” he said. “And I must say -- and with all respect to the Republicans who supported me in Connecticut — nobody ever said, ‘We’re doing this because we want you to switch over. We want you to do what you think is right and good for our state and country,’ and I appreciate that.”

It seems the battle inside the Democrat party is just beginning. The old dog liberal democrats are trying to grab power. But in their effort to grab it, it may just slip away. Who knows, but I think they are over reaching. I have not seen any polls, but the country is watching to see if the Dems defy or embrace all the negative predictions that the conservatives put out on what the Dems would do if elected. Stunningly, they seem to be embracing the worst of the predictions.

Surrendering to Al Qaeda in Iraq is probably the worse move. We still have our soldiers there, in country, trying to help Iraq stay afloat. These signals are just the worse thing to be sending to all sides in that conflict. While Democrats see Vietnam, the rest of the country still sees 9-11 heros. I doubt this will play well. Recall that Iraq was the fourth most important issue ini exit polls, so a rapid surrender is not higher on the people’s list than terrorism, the economy -- and corruption.

And the House dems seem to be going full throttle into the corruption tank by looking to experienced, corrupt pols to be leaders. Now that is ambition. Don Surber did an excellent overview of the scandal riddent Dems riding into town to claim their share. $100K in illicit money is not enough to get in the way of Democrat morals. But that is only part of the issue. The new blood of moderate Dems coming into the Congress seem to have either shaken the liberal leaders to the core, or they are still too taken by Bush Derangement Syndrome to comprehend what they are doing. By example, Jane Harman is one tough, seasoned moderate who cares about this country and its security - and she just got the liberal royal shaft by those liberal morals we now see on display. It is not about what is best for the country. It seems all of Grandma Pelosi’s actions are about personal revenge. Pathetic.

Actually, what is truly pathetic is the Democrats still think they can put lipstick on their pig-headed plans to surrender to Al Qaeda. They think Americans are going to embrace the democrats near panic to retreat because they have some ex-marine to play cover for their surrender plans:

But in her first real decision as the incoming speaker, Pelosi said she was swayed by Murtha’s early stance for a withdrawal of U.S. forces from Iraq. Her letter of endorsement yesterday made clear that she sees Iraq as the central issue of the next Congress and that she believes a decorated Marine combat veteran at the helm of the House caucus would provide Democrats ammunition in their fight against congressional Republicans and President Bush on the issue.

“I salute your courageous leadership that changed the national debate and helped make Iraq the central issue of this historic election. It was surely a dark day for the Bush Administration when you spoke truth to power,” she wrote. “Your strong voice for national security, the war on terror and Iraq provides genuine leadership for our party, and I count on you to lead on these vital issues.”

Yep, they are speaking to power (Al Qaeda) and saying ‘you win’. That’s a democrat’s definition of courage -- to bravely slink away and then have a parade marking the successful retreat.

The Dems are in serious trouble here. They are playing a classic Neville Chamberlain to Bin Laden’s version of Hitler. Except that in this modern day, we have the record of Chamberlain’s mistakes to compare against. And we have the responses of Al Qaeda to the news the Democrats are riding to the rescue - ready to retreat and give the field of battle to our enemies. Last century the people of Britain and Europe did not have the insight we have today, but that will not ensure we do not repeat history. It may only allows us to see this disaster pan out in real time. These acts of appeasement will not satiate our enemies’ lust for land and power.

As I noted before, the terrorists are planning now to go on the offensive. They need to build momentum in the Muslim world to enhance their image as the ones who brought down the Great Satan. They need to grab as much of their Caliphate as possible before the West realizes the mistake we just made. This is from the terrorists’ viewpoint, so don’t expect the Dems to have a clue on this. If they did, we wouldn’t be seeing these early, unforced errors by the Dems. Al Qaeda has mobilized 12,000 fighters and redeployed them. We see them coming back into Saudi Arabia and Egypt and Jordan from Afgahnistan - and possibly Iraq. So what is the possible plan?

First, Al Qaeda needs to sow the seeds of doubt in Europe and Australia (and possibly Canada). They need to attack there so the people in those countries pull a Spain like America just did (elect the Surrenderers-in-Chief). Second, the democracies or pro-West nations in the ME need to be toppled or, at least, distracted. That means Lebanon is a target for toppling the still weak government there. This would allow Syria, Iran and Hamas Hizbollah to begin round two of their campaign on Israel from Southern Lebanon. The other big target now is Pakistan. The fastest path to the Islamo-fascist’s nuclear bomb is taking over Pakistan. That is the number one strategic goal, while eliminating Israel is more a political goal.

Sadly, it will be a Democrat Congress that brings civil war to Iraq -- and Turkey. The one force out there still very pro-West and still very potent are the Kurds. They will be target number one -- but I am not sure how this will play out. They are fierce fighters and will not abide the coming tide. But every time they consolidate some power Turkey gets the jitters. Turkey might be able to finally fulfill its NATO role as the defender of Europes southern flank. They coudl ally with the Kurds and hold norther Iraq and do some serious damage in Norther Iran (the other Kurdish region). Or they could fold to the Islamo-fascist forces that are roiling Turkey. That is another battlefield that could open up on us.

The Democrats, in the myopic fit, are releasing the pressure we have been applying to the region so that things would not begin spiraling out of control. But just like Chamberlain actually freed up Hitler to start is putsch on Europe, so will the Democrats. This is a different kind of war from WW II, so signals are sent in a different way. But they are there. AQ knows they have a small window to act in to gain as much ground as possible. The question is do they think that window is open now or not. It is hard to tell. If the Dems keep doing their Chamberlain-role my guess is the terrorists accelerate their efforts. America has always been the big problem. Our military is so strong and can project anywhere that the terrorists know only political will can stay our hand. But a wave of attacks followed by inept statements by Dems could backfire on the terrorists. My fear is the terrorists are as myopic as the Dems seem to be and will go full throttle to bring on the pending war. As has been said, more attacks were inevitable. But many of us hoped they would be last ditch efforts of a dying movement. The Democrats have lit the fires of hope again in our enemies, and the next attacks will now be an offensive effort.

Strata-Sphere ~ AJ Strata ** Democrats Act To Surrender Quickly To Al Qaeda
Related: Pelosi backs Murtha for House Majority Leader...
Roll Call ~ John Bresnahan ** Pelosi Puts Weight Behind Murtha in Leader Bid
Democrats to Call For Iraq Troop Withdrawal... NY Times ~ Sheryl Gay Stolberg, Mark Mazzetti ** Democrats Push for Troop Cuts Within Months

Posted by yaahoo_ at 5:02 PM EST

Updated: Monday, 13 November 2006 5:10 PM EST

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