Suitably Flip

Suitably Flip Mentioned In Time Magazine

Alert reader Marie in Pennsylvania (hereafter my Director of Press Clippings) has alerted me to the following blurb in the March 6th issue of Time:

After appearing on Fox News with a poster that showed cartoons of Muhammad, MICHELLE MALKIN found herself speechless--not because she was short on words but because her conservative blog had been shut down, a victim, she claims, of a "cyberjihad." Muslim hackers have attacked more than 2,000 offending websites, says Zone-H.org a cybercrime monitoring group. Posting from PAJAMASMEDIA, Malkin said she had traced the attack to hackers using a Turkish Internet provider. SISTER TOLDJA comforted, "Stay strong Michelle," while SUITABLY FLIP marveled, "Very cloak and dagger. And the baddies ... actually wear cloaks and use daggers."

Previously:
Cyberjihad

Second Senate Hearing on NSA Surveillance

The Senate Judiciary Committee held its second hearing on Wartime Executive Power and NSA surveillance authority today.  The full transcript is available here.

Some highlights...

A taste of Senator Kennedy's long and disjointed ramblings:

Now we have a wild-haired scheme which is going to open up, I think, the NSA individuals to suit, open up the telephone companies to suit, and is going to taint evidence, as we're even seeing at the Fourth Circuit at the present time, where evidence has been introduced and there's been a delay, in terms of sentencing and remanding of cases, because whether that evidence is going to be tainted.

And we'll have Al Qaida out there, individuals that ought to be treated harshly, and possibly creating the loopholes where they will escape.

Senator Leahy's selective memory on display:

Now, we're not told how many Americans are affected by the program.  In fact, we're not told whether it's produced any useful information at all.  So it's hard to see how it satisfies the Fourth Amendment.

If the program has provided valuable information -- and so far, nobody in the administration says it has -- but if it has, then the analysis may be different.

And Senator Schumer's trademark lack of respect:

We had General Gonzales, who was a spokesperson for the administration.  I don't begrudge him that.  That's his job.  Here today we have an extraordinarily distinguished panel of experts and thinkers, all smart on the law, smart on policy but, unfortunately, ignorant of the details of the NSA surveillance program at issue here today.

Previously:
Super Duper Precedent

Elsewhere:
Mark Noonan on Kennedy's ramble noted above:

Ted Kennedy is talking about "tainted" evidence...Senator, we're not looking for evidence. We are not going to put these people on trial - we are going to kill them. All we need to know is where they are and what they are planning...so we can stop them and kill them. There's no "loophole" in a Hellfire missile - terrorists blown to pieces do not file appeals that the "evidence" used to find them was "illegally" gathered; they are too busy explaining their misdeeds to Allah to concern themselves with Senatorial worries over their civil rights.

I Had Some Dreams They Were Clouds In My Coffee

Unbelievable (Hat tip: RNC Blog):

Skipping last fall’s vote on the Hurricane Katrina relief bill in order to get plastic surgery was worth it, says Rep. Shelley Berkley (D-Nev.), who loves her new look, ROLL CALL reports.

“For the last couple of years whenever I was on TV all I could do was look at my neck,” Berkley said in a recent online audio interview. “It was driving me crazy because my neck was starting to hang ... and it was making me very self conscious.”

Now, she joked in an interview with hosts of the Vegas-centric podcast show “The Strip,” “I have the neck of a 20-year-old and a 50-year-old body.” Until the Feb. 16 program, Berkley hadn’t said much about missing the September vote on the Katrina relief bill due to her nip-and-tuck job.

I guess Berkley feels that her 2:1 victory margin in 2004 immunizes her against such amazingly narcissistic dereliction of duty.

I sincerely hope the above picture is the after shot, because it seems to me if you pulled that face any tighter, it might slip right off her skull.

Elsewhere:  Pardon My English wonders what the reaction would have been like if Berkley were a Republican.

Iraqi Mayor's Letter To the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment

Senator Rick Santorum (R-PA) read this moving floor statement (pdf) into the Senate record today, reciting a letter received by the Army's 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (now completing their second tour in Iraq) from Mayor Najim Al-Jibouri of Tall-at, Ninewa, Iraq.

The letter lays strikingly bare the weighty impact of the profound sacrifices made by these brave soldiers.  It details this town's emergence from a state in which fear of "death awaited them around every corner," where terrorists "stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them in the streets in order to kill grieving parents."

It was the "courageous soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city."

The full text of the letter is available in the extended entry (thanks to Mudville Gazette).  The letter has apparently been available for the last two weeks, but has seen very scant media coverage.  After all, it's not terribly congruent with the one-note "brink of civil war" theme the MSM has been playing lately.

In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful

To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall’ Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.

To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.

To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.

Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi’s followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them.

I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.

The leaders of this Regiment; COL McMaster, COL Armstrong, LTC Hickey, LTC Gibson, and LTC Reilly embody courage, strength, vision and wisdom. Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.

God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute. They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and in every flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.

Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven’t the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families.

NAJIM ABDULLAH ABID AL-JIBOURI
Mayor of Tall ‘Afar, Ninewa, Iraq

Pay Attention, America - Part II

Hey, American consumer, why the long face?

The Conference Board, a New York-based private research group, said Tuesday its consumer confidence index fell to 101.7, down from a revised 106.8 in January, stalling a rebound that began in November following the Gulf Coast hurricanes. Analysts had expected a reading of 104.0 in February.

In a statement, Lynn Franco, director of The Conference Board Consumer Research Center, said "consumers are growing increasingly concerned about the short-term health of the economy and, in turn, about job prospects."

As for the short-term health of the economy, let's dig way into the archives and retrieve this morning's post, citing predictions of 4.5 - 5.5% annualized GDP growth this quarter.  As for job prospects, look no further than this CNN/Money article, detailing the sizzling job market by which the class of 2006 is enjoying being courted.  If you must look further, look here.  Unemployment is down.  New jobless claims are down.  Productivity is up.  Corporate earnings are up.  (These are good things.  Confidence-boosting things.)

Wait, shhh... I hear a collective whine emanating from the ethos:  "But aren't all these new jobs flipping burgers, while skilled labor is laid off or sourced overseas and real wages and buying power at home are falling?"

No.

Returning to the class of 2006, most can expect to outearn the class of 2005 by a fair clip beyond inflation (see table at right).  Across the board, real wages are increasing.  New, more productive, better paying jobs are being created week after week, month after month, quarter after quarter.  The gulf between the economic reality and the apparent perception of reality suggests either that Conference Board's index is flawed or that there is a massive fundamental misunderstanding among the American public as to the true state of the economy.

But what could possibly account for something like that?

Your economic prospects are bright, American consumer.  Now quit being such a grouch.  Nobody likes a worrywart.

You used to be cool, remember?

Previously:
4Q GDP Revised Upward
America's Secret Prosperity
And Tax Cuts Said, "Let There Be Growth."
Pay Attention, America!
2006 Economic Report of the President
Speaking of Taxes
Reason #411 Why Congress Must Make the Tax Cuts Permanent
Liveblogging the State of the Union
Oh Tax Cuts, Is There Anything You Can't Do?
Tax Cuts To the Rescue
Yet More Good Economic News
The Facts Are Not Enough
I Believe I Can Buy

4Q GDP Revised Upward

In the 11 quarters since the Bush tax cuts were passed in 2003, the U.S. economy has grown swiftly, despite numerous headwinds, including high oil prices, a natural disaster of unprecedented scale, ongoing global unrest, and the specter of terrorism.

As I noted recently, GDP has grown roughly 10% in the last 2.5 years, driven largely by a surge in private sector investment, an effect attributable to a tax scheme less punitive to wealth creation.

The one hiccup in this growth occurred in the fourth quarter of 2005 (the nominal GDP growth rates for the 11 quarters were 3.7%, 7.2%, 3.6%, 4.3%, 3.5%, 4.0%, 3.3%, 3.8%, 3.3%, 4.1%, and 1.1%).  Even so, newly installed Fed chief Ben Bernanke recently predicted in no uncertain terms that the U.S. economy will rebound sharply in the first quarter of 2006.

But this morning, a new report from the Commerce Department revised that 1.1% figure upward to 1.6%, far less anemic than previously thought.

It's still the slowest growth in three years, but then again, the quarter was up against some tough competition.  And at 1.6%, rumors of the expansion's death clearly were greatly exaggerated.  What's more, with predictions for first quarter growth coming in at 4.5 - 5.5%, we're poised to notch up the strongest growth in 2.5 years this quarter.

Yap... that's a fine economy, that is.

Let's check in with the media headlines and see how they're reporting this exciting breaking news.

• Economy Grows at Mediocre Pace
• U.S. Growth Slowest in 3 Years

Humbug.

Previously:
America's Secret Prosperity
And Tax Cuts Said, "Let There Be Growth."
Pay Attention, America!
2006 Economic Report of the President
Speaking of Taxes
Reason #411 Why Congress Must Make the Tax Cuts Permanent
Liveblogging the State of the Union
Oh Tax Cuts, Is There Anything You Can't Do?
Tax Cuts To the Rescue
Yet More Good Economic News
The Facts Are Not Enough
I Believe I Can Buy

Elsewhere: Blogs for Bush

The Definitive UAE Port Deal Blogger

There's one blogger out there who's had a well-reasoned, deliberate, non-inflammatory, actionable approach to the whole Dubai Ports World transaction from the get go.  In the early melee of the controversy, as pundits who typically find themselves on the same side of most every argument were suddenly at odds, pols too were a little discombobulated on both sides of the aisle, scrambling to find some intellectual, diplomatic, or electoral high ground to claim.  A few notable lawmakers even underwent immediate wholesale abandonment of their own long-standing, clearly stated attitudes on security in order to plant a flag of Presidential opposition.

But despite the convoluted politics of the deal and the very real security concerns associated with any apparent resolution (Does approving the deal invite unwanted access to our strategic protocol by an Arab state?  Does nixing the deal dissuade other Arab countries from assisting in the war on terror, as the UAE has?), I've been impressed by the prepense reasoning of this one right-of-center blogger.

Like many purveyors of fine blogs, the writer in question also holds a day job.  In this case, Majority Leader of the U.S. Senate.

Senator First resisted the temptation to flog a political point by squeezing into either extreme of the argument and instead argued that the proper course was to temporarily halt the deal and subject it to a full and open formal review process.  His February 21st post outlining this approach notched up over 1,500 reader comments.

It seems simple and relatively self-evident, but precious few voices were championing this course at the outset.  The vast majority of opinions were split between "Kill the deal no matter what" and "Here are the keys, Dubai".  I must admit I myself leapt out of the gate early to hurl a Kelo snark, before learning all the key details.  (I also overestimated the quelling effect of Rove's appearance on the Tony Snow show, though I still maintain that was the turning point that set us on the current trajectory that will ultimately see the issue resolved.)

After studying the deal further and understanding the key differentials so poorly understood by many even now (that no "security" or "control" is under DPW's prospective purview, that DPW is one of the best in the world at this function) and considering some of the pros and cons of either a go or a no-go decision (secondary consequences of which are noted above), three things became clear.

1) Given the information currently available, a reasonable person could come down on either side of this issue, a 2) more study is going to be necessary to determine where we should come down on it.

Today, Senator Frist reiterated his call for an "exhaustive, transparent review" of the deal.  This is a welcome move for those of us in the camp that doesn't instantly relish the idea of state ownership of any strategic domestic assets by a country with a checkered past, but who recognize the importance of quid pro quo in international trade, of messages and incentives for other prospective allies in the war on terror, and of the economic importance of free trade.

One unfortunate side effect of the review will of course be no small measure of grandstanding by certain agenda-less Senators who will choose to mount the effort as an election-year soapbox, rather than take fullest advantage of it as an intellectually honest fact-finding process.  But after witnessing hour upon hour of their empty vitriol and blind, aphilosophical opposition in the course of the Alito confirmation hearings, Attorney General Gonzales' recent testimony, etc., I think we're slowly building up an immunity to such petty twaddle.

Still open is the issue of whether the ultimate decision to bless or condemn the deal is endowed to the Senate upon completion of the review.  Chuck Schumer has publicly insisted on such authority.  Bill Frist, for his part, has said he'll wait until after the 45 day review before making a decision about legislative steps that may be required.

In the meantime, keep abreast of the situation with the highest ranking elected active blogger in the 'sphere (Denny Hastert posts at Speaker's Journal, but the site hasn't been updated in over a month, which I think has to relegate the Speaker to "inactive blogger" status for now).

Previously:
Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Port Security, But Wanted Filtered Through a Government Agency
This Is the Way Portgate Ends
The Highest Form of Flattery: Suitably Flip Plagiarized on ESPN Forum
Protecting Our Ports - Now With Credibility!
Hey Buddy, Wanna Buy a Port?

Big Apple Blog Festival

Welcome to the Big Apple Blog Festival (BABF) for February 27, 2006, a representative roundup of the last week's posts by NYC bloggers. Thanks to A Guy in New York for creating this weekly roundup of the best posts from NYC blogs.  It's Suitably Flip's profound pleasure to host this week's installment.

The City So Nice

At Metroblogging NYC, Lisa Beebe managed to find the hands-down scariest theme bar in New York.  Even the sign creeps me out.  Meanwhile at Metroblogging, Chris Trent is feeling that pang of guilt we all feel when we find ourselves squandering the privilege of living in the Big Apple.

New York has the most dramatic, most recognizable skyline in the world.  But it's far from blight-free.  Harleys, Cars, Girls, and Guitars wants to get to the bottom of one of the more pervasive rooftop eyesores.

Amy at NewYorkology and Pamela at Atlas Shrugs reflect on the 13th anniversary of the first World Trade Center attack, which came to pass this Sunday.

On a lighter note, Gotham Gal had a run-in with one of New York's most honest cabbies.  Now if they would stop ripping us off with the EZ Pass.

On a much, much heavier note, Gothamist illustrates just how quickly and horribly you can expect to die when the bomb drops on New York, depending on your neighborhood.

Is New York City starting to feel like a police state?  Cameras everywhere, heightened security, bag checks... are we losing our basic civil liberties?  NYC Photobloggers gives us the most recent example of the ever-tightening reins on public behavior.

Gotham Grub

Slashfood happened upon the latest high-tech way to make ordering pizza take longer.

In other pizza news, A Brooklyn Life discovers Caserta Vecchia, an old-school, warm and fuzzy neighborhood pie joint.

It's hard to screw up a restaurant whose central theme is cheese.  Artisanal is one of my favorite gastro-indulgences in the city and the Big Apple Dining Guide gives us a compelling reason to make reservations tonight.

We had a nicely global-warmed January in New York. Unfortunately, we've paid for it with near nuclear winter throughout February.  But the occasional sunshiny day has led Gridskipper to pine longingly for a Madison Square Park Shake Shack burger, his eyes trained on the real-time "Countdown to Reopening" web clock (21 days to go!).

Politics

Late Final keeps tabs on Gubernatorial hopeful Eliot Spitzer's shifty shifting website.

8 years after changing the way the world looks at interns, President Clinton has ordered up a fresh batch of 25.  Scott Sala at Urban Elephants scooped the mainstream media by days on this one.

Gotham Gazette's Wonkster runs down and rounds up the tenacious controversy of the UAE sea port deal.  Karol at Alarming News weighs in.

Modern Fabulosity isn't willing to play Hillary Clinton's dangerous game.

Daily Heights sates your conspiracy lust.  This week's theme: affordable housing.

Blogs, Blogging, Bloggers

Few pop culture phenomena have captivated the blogosphere more than 24.  And few bloggers have been more captivated by it than The Man at GOP and the City. This is the consequent inevitability.

Suitably Flip started doing a little stripping on the side.

Citizen Journal's Bill Lalor gets his irony on with a post examining "Top 10 reasons I haven't been posting".  (I think the real reason may be that the 7 key is missing from his keyboard.)

Exit Zero has found the latest must-have blog metatool.

Gallimaufry

Gentlemen prefer blondes.  So did Og.  Ace of Spades has details.  But as Steve Silver points out, that doesn't mean they can't be vacuous.

On Probation couldn't be happier for the Powerball winners.

This week, Donald Trump unloaded on Martha Stewart.  Or he pretended to unload on Martha for cheap publicity.  Either way, Jossip was watching.

---

The Big Apple Blog Festival is listed on the ÜberCarnival page and in Carnival News.

To nominate your favorite blog post about NYC, or if you have a NYC blog and want to see something in the next BABF ... or you have a NYC blog and would like to host an upcoming BABF ... send us a short write up and a permalink to aguyinnewyork [at] gmail.com ... or use the Carnival Submit Form ... see you next week ...

You are free to repost the Big Apple Blog Festival so long as you leave this URL attached:  BigAppleBlogFestival.com

Arnold Meets the Press

Welcome to a new feature on Suitably Flip. Our erudite readership has made it clear that, while they appreciate acerbic sociopolitical commentary, they would occasionally like to see "less words, more pitchurs".

As humble servant to the basist whims of the readership, I happily oblige.  This strip will be produced on a weekly or as-I-feel-like-it basis.  Those who may like to harvest it for redistribution, please do so with my blessing (a link back to the post would be kindly appreciated).  I'll set up a dedicated feed for the strip shortly, so check back if you're interested.  Meantime, simply right-click to poach.

Enjoy!

---

This morning, Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will sit down with Tim Russert on NBC's Meet the Press to discuss "a variety of key California and U.S. issues."

The Governator has taken a lot of flak lately - from the left, which doesn't trust him because... well, because the left is physiologically incapable of trusting a Republican; and from the right because of certain peculiar moves, including expansive (and expensive) public works programs, support for a minimum wage hike, and the appointment of a slew of Democrats to the state bench and even to the role of his chief of staff.

A bid to rescind the state GOP's endorsement for Arnold's re-election was put down on Saturday, but is nonetheless indicative of a fragmented Republican landscape in the Golden State, some of the blame for which may belong squarely in the Governor's mansion.

One of Schwarzenegger's longest suits is his telecharm, so the timing of today's appearance could be shrewdly artful, particularly if he's got any new and substantive themes around which to rally a conservative electorate that has lately found itself uneasily fractured not only in California, but nationwide.

Just Why Is Mommy a Democrat?

A few days ago, I wrote about a new gem of a children's book entitled Why Mommy Is a Democrat.  Today at noon central, John Hinderaker from Powerline Blog will interviewed the book's author Jeremy Zilber on the Northern Alliance Radio Network (listen online).

This ought to be was good.

I shared with John my suggested entries for the logical rebuttal book - fingers crossed that he bounces a couple off Zilber.

Previously:  Howard Dean's New Playbook

---

Update:  Darn it, I was looking forward to snickering at a blathering fool.  No such luck.  Turns out Zilber's quite well-spoken.  Eloquent even.  Confused, to be sure.  But well-spoken nonetheless.

Ricin Found in Roll of Quarters | Update: Or Not

Feb. 26 Update:  The powder may not be ricin after all. Some tests have come back positive, some negative, and some inconclusive.

I think we need a new way to test for ricin.

---

From USA Today:

A University of Texas student found a substance that has tested positive for ricin, a potentially deadly poison, in a roll of quarters she was using to do laundry in her dormitory, officials said. The student and her roommate were being treated for potential exposure to the poison, although neither has exhibited symptoms, said Dr. Theresa Spalding of UT Student Health Services.

From Homeland Security:

Ricin – Ricin is a poison that can be made from the waste leftover from processing castor beans. It can be inhaled, ingested or injected, and works by getting inside the cells of a person’s body and preventing the cells from making the proteins they need. Without the proteins, cells die. Eventually, this is harmful to the whole body, and death may occur.

The student said the quarters were in her dorm room for months and had been given to her by her mother.  Assuming this was a deliberate act (and assuming the young lady's mom doesn't roll her own coins), it sounds like the ricin was intended for a bank (or a bank's customers), rather than a college campus.

While potentially clever, tainting a bunch of change rolls doesn't seem to be an ideal dispersal method.  I can envision it traveling a fair bit if, say, a grocery store picked up a bunch of rolls of riciny quarters for their registers and handed out a little touch of toxin with each customer's change.  But as noted above, ricin has to be ingested, inhaled, or injected to be harmful, which would only pose a risk to this guy.

Further:
CDC Facts About Ricin
DHS Guidance for Response to Ricin Delivered by Mail

Elsewhere:
Expose the Left
Generation Why? has tons of pictures from the scene.
Michelle Malkin has a round up of blogger coverage.
Junkyard Blog is tracking a Virginia-based ricin case.

Have You Seen This Man (More or Less)?

In the United Kingdom, Kent police have arrested 3 people in connection with the biggest cash heist in British history (£50m), perpetrated earlier this week.

Authorities have put together an "e-fit" (that's "composite sketch" to you and me, Russ) of an additional suspect still at large.

And here it is:

I truly am not one to malign the highly capable British authorities, but I just need to go on record as saying that the above beard is flat out comical.

Are these two renderings of the suspect A) without disguise and B) wearing a very cheap novelty beard, possibly made out of rat fur found in the Tube?

I've spent the last 10 minutes re-photoshopping the loosed neredowell and come up with what I think is a much better idea of what the chap on the left would look like with an honest-to-goodness home-grown beard and a bobby hat.

Scotland Yard, I'll expect your call.  I'm available for high profile felony investigations and children's parties.  Very reasonable rates.

Incidentally, Hugh Jackman, if you're reading this, the Kent police would like a word with you.

You Make the Call: Pathetic or Pointless?

How sad and lame.

After Illinois Governor Rod Blagojevich had an embarrassing appearance on "The Daily Show," many had a good laugh. The Associated Press even reported on it:

Blagojevich says he didn't realize "The Daily Show" was a comedy spoof of the news when he sat down for an interview that ended up poking fun at the sometimes-puzzled Democratic governor.

CNN also picked up the wire story, but decided to change an interesting detail:

Blagojevich says he didn't realize "The Daily Show" was a comedy spoof of the news when he sat down for an interview that ended up poking fun at the sometimes-puzzled governor.

Fake news about the fake news.  I guess it's oddly fitting.

What an absurd way to make perfectly clear your partisan bias.  How long will it take for the MSM to learn they need to be a little less blatant in their slant than doctoring published stories?  You'll notice CNN was the only news outlet to offer the AP story in this revisionist way (other than a local Philly site linking to CNN).

Chuckleheads.

Chiding Elsewhere: Musing Minds, GOP Bloggers, Expose the Left (with video)

25?! Bubba, I'm Impressed.

Good for a Friday laugh, New York jobseekers please note the following exciting opportunity (warning: may not be entirely safe for workplace viewing...).

Hat tip: GOP and the City

An actual quote from the Clinton Foundation Website:

No matter which branch of the Clinton Foundation you work in, you will experience some similarities between each of the programs:

• Hands-on experience: Interns have the responsibility of interacting directly with staff

Yikes.  Explicit.

Apply today!

Gunshots, Bomb Attack at Major Oil Facility

[Post continually updating.  Scroll for the latest.]

Crude oil futures jumped nearly $2 on news of at least one car bomb detonating at Saudi Arabia's Abqaiq oil facility.

An Arab satellite television station reported that one pipeline was damaged in an attack by suicide bombers in two explosives-packed cars.

One vehicle detonated when guards opened fire as it attempted to drive through the facility's gates, according to the Saudi-owned channel Al-Arabiya, which did not give a source for the report.
...
A second vehicle was stopped and two people inside it were killed, Al-Arabiya said. None of the guards were hurt, it said.

Nice shootin', guards.  Ever thought about getting into the seaport protection game?  Maybe you should take our card.

Dismaying as the incident was, I must say it's nice when suicide bombers succeed only in the suicide part.  The only damage so far reported (other than to the scumbags' cars and persons) was to a pipeline at the refinery.  Processing was reported to have halted temporarily, but is now back online.

The Abqaiq facility handles two thirds of the output of Saudi Arabia, the number one global oil producer.  By my calculations, that's nearly 6 million barrels per day coursing through the monster plant.  More than $100 billion worth of oil per year.

Sounds like a very major event was just prevented.  Beyond the economic implications, this could have been a very bloody day.  According to the Aramco jobs site, about half of Abqaiq's nearly 2,000 residents are North American.

Intraday prices for April crude oil futures are available here (times are GMT):

So who was behind the foiled attack?  Al Qaeda is obviously the first name to jump to mind.  Saudi oil fields haven't been their typical targets in the past, but in a recording that surfaced in December of 2004, Osama bin Laden called for attacks on oil assets in the Gulf to choke off supply to the Western infidels.

"Targeting America in Iraq in terms of economy and loss of life is a golden and unique opportunity... Be active and prevent them from reaching the oil, and mount your operations accordingly, particularly in Iraq and the Gulf."

Add to that the high concentration of Americans that live and work at the Abqaiq facility and it begins to sound like an ideal Al Qaeda target.

The Officers Club and Macsmind don't see Al Qaeda fingerprints, pointing to the ease with which the attack was thwarted and the implicit poor planning and general amateurishness of the perpetrators.  Then again, the distributed, cellular nature of the Al Qaeda network would tend to allow for a wide range of sophistication and skill level.  It's seems likely that we typically don't hear from the more dilettantish terrorists simply because their sloppiness leads to their being caught, blowing themselves up in their own caves, etc.

Unless and until we learn otherwise, I think Al Qaeda has earned the benefit of the doubt as suspect #1.

Terrorism Unveiled sees the culprits as "almost definitely members of al-Qaida in the Arabian Peninsula, although this does not rule out some support from senior leadership."  TU offers some compelling insights on this attack in the context of other incidents in the region and Saudi-based terror cells.

8:15 pm: The Saudi branch of Al Qaeda has claimed responsibility for the thwarted attack.

"The heroic mujahedeen of the squadron of Sheikh Osama bin Laden, god protect him, have successfully penetrated the oil and gas refinery in the town of Abqaiq... where two car bombs were able to enter," the 'Organisation of Al Qaeda in the Arab Peninsula' wrote on its website.

Elsewhere: The Counterterrorism Blog, Michelle Malkin, The Moderate Voice, Vital Perspective, Lawhawk, The Corner on NRO, Macsmind, Outside the Beltway, Terrorism Unveiled, The Anchoress

Everything You Always Wanted to Know About Port Security, But Wanted Filtered Through a Government Agency

Courtesy of the Department of Homeland Security, feast your browser on the "Securing U.S. Ports" fact sheet.

About a fifth of it is dedicated to selling the UAE/DP World transaction, but there are a few procedural nuggets that raise some interesting questions about the state of port security (which, as they correctly point out is a function not being outsourced via this or any deal).

We've long heard the statistic that only 5% of inbound cargo is inspected at the sea ports, which sets up any number of Sum of All Fears-style doomsday scenarios (and we don't need much further proof of Tom Clancy's prescience).

Still...

Screening and Inspection: CBP screens 100 percent of all cargo before it arrives in the U.S. using intelligence and cutting edge technologies. CBP inspects all high-risk cargo.
...
Use of Cutting-Edge Technology: CBP is currently utilizing large-scale X-ray and gamma ray machines and radiation detection devices to screen cargo.

Does this mean that every piece of cargo is subject at a minimum to non-intrusive inspection that can at least take a looksee and a smellsmell of the contents?  I assume that with X-ray and gamma ray inspection, one could pick out a loose nuke in an unopened container.  I suppose it wouldn't necessarily help detect a stockpile of anthrax or ricin, but that paints a rosier picture than I'd imagined.

Or is the term "screen" perhaps being used with slightly different conotations in different parts of the fact sheet?  Maybe the 100% screening rate also captures more cursory measures like some schlub spot checking a manifest to make sure a given container is scheduled for arrival.

Anyone with relevant knowledge is invited to comment.

This Is the Way Portgate Ends

Not with a bang, but a whimper.

On Thursday, White House Deputy Chief of Staff Karl Rove told FOX News' Tony Snow that the Bush administration wants to make Congress is comfortable with the contract, even if it means the sale of London-based Peninsular and Oriental Steam Navigation Co. is slightly pushed back.

"Our interest is in making certain the members of Congress have full information about it, and that, we're convinced, will give them a level of comfort with this," Rove said, adding that regulatory rules abroad could also add a few days to a final sign off on the transaction.

"There are some hurdles, regulatory hurdles, that this still needs to go through on the British side as well that are going to be concluded next week. There's no requirement that it close, you know, immediately after that," Rove said.

Ensure the diligence is done, the appropriateness of the deal is truly vetted, and that everyone in a position to evaluate agrees there's no undue security risk, and this whole thing goes away with minimal further in-fighting.  Really, that's all I've been pining for since this all bubbled up.  This leaves the door wide open for a Frist-style plan, which ought to diffuse all right-of-center angst other than that of those who want the deal blocked no matter what, even if and after it's put through all due paces.

Of course, if the overdue diligence fails to offer a high enough degree of confidence, I trust the deal will get the immediate kibosh with no tears shed.

Elsewhere:
The Dubai abides (HT: MM) a short delay

Previously:
Scatterbrained
Protecting Our Ports - Now With Credibility!
Hey Buddy, Wanna Buy a Port?

Hot Off the Presses: Hurricane Katrina Lessons Learned

This government will learn the lessons of Hurricane Katrina. We are going to review every action and make necessary changes so that we are better prepared for any challenge of nature, or act of evil men, that could threaten our people.

- President George W. Bush, September 15, 2005

Get your copy of the full report.  There will be a quiz tomorrow.

---

Shoppers who downloaded this title also enjoyed:

The Highest Form of Flattery: Suitably Flip Plagiarized on ESPN Forum

Oh, I feel so used.

ESPN.com user "Alaska_Fan" had this to say earlier today (in an apparently meandering thread about the St. Louis Cardinals):

... For the record sure I support what Clinton, Schumer, and their safety-come-lately ilk were suggesting (namely that the sale of the majority stake of the company that controls these ports needs to be blocked, or at least further studied). What sickens me is the idea that they want us to believe such suggestions were representative of their actual positions on national security. The newfound zeal for protecting our homeland was borne of nothing more than political expedience. Why else would these legislators so regularly vote against our security, in instances when the administration is more squarely on the pro-security side? Make no mistake, their positions are driven almost exclusively by a directive of blind opposition and future campaigns, rather than any affirmative, principled agenda. ...

I must say, Alaska Fan makes some good points.  So good I feel like I've made them myself.  Verbatim.  On Tuesday.

Luckily, "maddash1946" has my back:

Everyone. Do a search for what Alaska just "wrote" on this site: http://www.suitablyflip.com/

Dude! Plagiarizing a website?! That ain't cool man.

You didn't write any of that crap, you STOLE it from someone else and never gave them credit. You're a liar and a thief! LOW man, that's LOW.

I believe this was my first plagiarism (inbound or outbound).  Is there some kind of ceremonial rite I'm supposed to perform, now that I'm a documented plagiaree?

Previously:
Scatterbrained
Protecting Our Ports - Now With Credibility!

Cyberjihad

Michelle Malkin noted last Wednesday that her blog had been the target of a denial of service attack by foreign hackers angry with her stance on the Mohammed cartoons.  Today, it seems the e-hadis even managed to down her site for a while.

Michelle reports she has contacted the FBI about the incident and meanwhile, she can be read at Pajamas Media.

Relatedly, the Tampa Tribune reported earlier this week that tech-savvy terrorists are burrowing their way ever deeper into the bowels of cyberspace, increasingly resorting to internet fraud and online identity theft as means to finance global jihad.

Cybercrime is safer and easier than selling drugs, dealing in black market diamonds or robbing banks, [Cybirth's Tom Kellerman] said.

"In the underground and in chat rooms, these people are sharing information," Kellerman said. "The Internet is the wild, wild West. There is a community that shares tricks of the trade very freely."

The Internet is "almost like a giant arms bazaar," said Kellerman, where users can download weapons to hack into financial institutions.  "In this unregulated and wide-open space, they are facilitating the financing of terrorist acts," he said.
...
"A lot of people don't realize that until we build better castles and control cyberspace in a better fashion, we are not going to defeat terrorists' financing," he said. "The lack of security contributes to cybercrime, which contributes to terrorism. There is a direct link."

---

Update:  Michelle updates: "Confirmed DoS attack, with most of the IP addresses belonging to TurkTelecom. Tech people say the attack is shifting to different source addresses."

This is obviously no fun and quite unfair for Michelle and I hope her vigilance leads to the authorities closing in on some of the cyberscum.  But in an abstract way, it's also quite exciting.  Very cloak and dagger.  And the baddies are the type to actually wear cloaks and use daggers.  Thankfully, in this case it's only botnets and ping floods.

Update II:  Back in business.  With a vengeance.  And a highly definitive update on the status of "Portgate".

A Step Back for Tort Reform

The Supreme Court has handed down a 7-1 decision that allows Philadelphia woman Barbara Dolan to sue the U.S. Postal Service for injuries sustained when she tripped over packages left on her porch.

Clarence Thomas was the lone dissenter.

[T]he Federal Tort Claims Act, waives the government's sovereign immunity from suits in circumstances under which a private individual would face liability.
...
The outcome turned on the phrase "negligent transmission," or, more specifically, on the single word "transmission." If transmitting mail meant the same as delivering mail, as the government argued and the lower courts held, then negligent mail delivery would be covered by the exemption and could not give rise to a lawsuit.
...
Consequently, Justice Kennedy said, "we think it more likely" that Congress meant to immunize the Postal Service only for injuries caused when mail arrives late, damaged or at the wrong address, or does not arrive at all.

This one came down to the interpretation of the particulars of package remittal, but it should nonetheless prove titillating to trial lawyers everywhere.

John E'wards was just resurrected a little inside.

Speaking of lawyers, lobbyists, and Democrats (oh my), let's not forget the political dynamic at play in the big money game of slippin' and fallin' for dollars:

Lawyers & Lobbyists: Long-Term Contribution Trends

America's Secret Prosperity

I'm not in front of a TV right now - somebody tell me, is every news channel a-twitter with today's Labor Department report that initial jobless claims dropped by another 20,000 last week?

What do you mean 'no'?

Maybe they're too busy celebrating the fact that unemployment remains at its 4 1/2 year low of 4.7%?

'No' again, huh?

I guess they must be sticking with the big picture - the fact that 2 million jobs have been added in the last 12 months and that there are more American homeowners than at any time in history.

Is your TV even plugged in?

With 9.8% cumulative GDP growth over the last 2.5 years, and annual private investment growth of 8.5% over the same period, it seems hard not to attribute this surge in prosperity to 2003's pro-investment, pro-growth tax cuts.

Furthermore, states that saw increases in new jobless claims (like Michigan, which saw a rise of 8,000) were largely affected by layoffs in the automobile industry, whose troubles we can pin not on fiscal or monetary policy, but on oil prices and the crippling effect of legacy labor and healthcare costs wrought by entrenched union labor.  Excluding this effect, the report is even sunshinier.

The only potential downside to all this gitup'n'go in the labor market is the degree to which it may fuel inflation (if unemployment holds below the theoretical "natural rate", it can cause the economy to run too hot, ergo inflation).  In the Fed minutes released earlier this week, we did hear that inflation - while not currently worrisome - is toward the higher end of what the Fed would tolerate (though excluding food and energy, it was a tame 2.1% over the last 12 months).  Still, if inflation does notch upward, the worry is that we'll see further extension of the current streak of interest rate hikes, which could put the brakes on corporate spending and, in turn, output growth.

For now though, this economy is so good...

How good is it:
And Tax Cuts Said, "Let There Be Growth."
Pay Attention, America!
2006 Economic Report of the President
Speaking of Taxes
Reason #411 Why Congress Must Make the Tax Cuts Permanent
Liveblogging the State of the Union
Oh Tax Cuts, Is There Anything You Can't Do?
Tax Cuts To the Rescue
Yet More Good Economic News
The Facts Are Not Enough
I Believe I Can Buy

In On the Secret:
Blogs for Bush

Tracked at:
Stop the ACLU

Statements of Witnesses to Cheney-Whittington Shooting Released

Courtesy of The Smoking Gun, six eyewitness accounts to Dick Cheney's accidental shooting of Harry Whittington on February 11, given to the Kenedy County, Texas Sheriff's office have been released to the public.

The witnesses were ranch owners Katharine Armstrong and Sarita Armstrong Hixon, Ambassador Pamela Willeford, and ranch workers Oscar Medellin, Gerardo Medellin, and Michael Hubert.

Contrary to many press accounts, there are no inconsistencies in the statements as to the role of alcohol in the incident.

Katharine Armstrong:
"...to the best of my knowledge there was no alcohol involved."

Pamela Willeford:
"There was no alcohol consumed during the afternoon of the hunt in the field.  I did consume a glass of wine at lunch, approximately 4-4 ½ hours earlier."

Sarita Hixon:
"To my knowledge none of the members of my shooting group the afternoon of February 11, 2006 at Armstrong Ranch consumed any alcoholic beverage. ... To the best of my knowledge, alcohol was not a factor in the accidental shooting of Mr. Whittington."

The accounts also back up the chronology and situational account we've already heard as to what precipitated the actual shooting - namely that none of the others nearby heard Mr. Whittington announce he was advancing toward other hunters, and that another shooter alongside Cheney (Ambassador Willeford) nearly took aim on Whittington in pursuit of the same bird the Vice President was firing on.  From Willeford's statement:

As I turned to my right to follow the flight of the bird, and at the same time that the Vice President was aiming and firing, I spotted Mr. Whittington in our field of sight.  Neither the Vice President nor I realized he had left his former position behind us and was now about 30 yards to the right (west) and slightly below us.  Mr. Whittington was hit by the Vice President’s shot and immediately fell to the ground.

I'm going to feel like a dope if this already exists elsewhere on the web, but I've taken the liberty of transcribing the images of the typed and handwritten statements, as well as the final incident reports from Sheriff Salinas and Deputy San Miguel, all of which are available as plain text in the extended entry and as Word documents below:

• Eyewitness Statements (.doc)
• Incident Reports (.doc)

Previously:
Harry Whittington Speaks, Liberal Deathwatch Dismayed
Hex on Valdez
Distressing Development
There Just Has To Be a Scandal In Here Somewhere
"Something Bit Me!"

---

Katharine Armstrong

I, Kate Armstrong, am one of the owners of the Armstrong Ranch in Kenedy County, Texas and was present and an eye witness to the hunting accident that occurred on Feb. 12th, at approximately 5:30pm in the Comal pasture of the Armstrong Ranch.  Although it was late in the afternoon and the sun was low, there was plenty of sunlight.  All three shooters were wearing blaze orange gear and to the best of my knowledge there was no alcohol involved.

After being alerted by an outride our hunting vehicle pulled up to the location where a covey of quail had been found.  When the Vice President, Harry Whittington and Pam Willeford got out of the vehicle to work the covey they were told that there was a second covey ahead and to the left.  They moved forward on the first covey and Mr. Whittington shot two birds that fell to his right in some tall grass and brush.  Mr. Whittington, with the assistance of Gerry Medellin and a Labrador went to the spot where the birds and [sic] fallen to find them.  The two men and the dog had difficulty finding one of the birds and spent several minutes attempting to find it in the tall grass.  While MR. Whittington stayed behind to look for his bird, the Vice President and Ambassador Willeford moved towards the second covey that was located further ahead and to the left of the first covey.  In the meantime, Mr. Whittington returned briefly to the car then went back to look again for his lost bird.  A short time later I noticed that Harry was moving forward to rejoin the Vice President and Ambassador Willeford.  As he was moving forward I did not hear him announce himself or call to them to let them know he was approaching from behind and to their right.  A single bird flushed in front of the Vice President and Ambassador Willeford.  The Vice President swung through to his right and shot at the bird.  Mr. Whittington fell to the ground about 30 yards away from the Vice President with his head facing towards the hunting vehicle.  I saw the Vice President rush towards Mr. Whittington and almost in the same instant the Vice President’s security detail was rushing to his side as well.  My sister, Sarita Hixon, Ambassador Willeford and I remained out of the way a short distance from Mr. Whittington until the ambulance arrived about 20 to 25 minutes later.

Katharine Armstrong
Feb 15, 2006

---

Pamela Willeford

Pamela P. Willeford
[Redacted]
Austin, TX 78703
512-[Redacted]

To:        Chief Deputy Gilbert Sanmiguel, Jr.
From:        Pamela Willeford
Date:         February 15, 2006
RE:        Statement on hunting accident of 2/11/06

I, Pamela Willeford, of [redacted], Austin, TX 78703, provide the following information regarding the hunting accident on the Armstrong Ranch on February 11, 2006.

I was a member of a group hunting quail on Saturday afternoon, February 11, 2006, at the Armstrong Ranch.  Included in the group were Katharine Armstrong, Sarita Hixon, Harry Whittington, Vice President Dick Cheney, and myself.  The hunting vehicle was driven by a staff member from the Armstrong Ranch; other vehicles included dog handlers and members of the Vice President’s group (security detail and others).

At approximately 5:30 p.m., the Vice President, Mr. Whittington and I left the vehicle to shoot a covey of quail that had been spotted by the outrider.  A second covey was also spotted to the left of our position.  Katharine Armstrong and Sarita Hixon remained in the vehicle so that there were three hunters “on the ground.”  I was on the left, the Vice President was in the center, and Mr. Whittington was on the right.  We flushed the first covey, and Mr. Whittington shot twice and killed two birds.  He stopped to pick up his birds and spent several minutes looking, as the second bird was difficult to find.

The Vice President and I watched him for a few seconds and decided to proceed to the second covey.  We turned left about 90 degrees and proceeded forward; I was on the left with Mr. Cheney on the right.  Mr. Whittington was directly behind us at that time.

We walked forward, and a bird flushed in front of the Vice President and flew to our right.  We both raised our guns, but I did not fire as the bird flew away from me.  As I turned to my right to follow the flight of the bird, and at the same time that the Vice President was aiming and firing, I spotted Mr. Whittington in our field of sight.  Neither the Vice President nor I realized he had left his former position behind us and was now about 30 yards to the right (west) and slightly below us.  Mr. Whittington was hit by the Vice President’s shot and immediately fell to the ground.  The Vice President rushed to Mr. Whittington’s position; at the same time medical personnel came to his aid.  From my position, I could see that Mr. Whittington was moving his arm and leg while on the ground.  We remained in the field until the ambulance arrived and took Mr. Whittington away to the hospital.

There was no alcohol consumed during the afternoon of the hunt in the field.  I did consume a glass of wine at lunch, approximately 4-4 ½ hours earlier.

Pamela P. Willeford
2/15/06

---

Sarita Hixon

My name is Sarita Armstrong Hixon.  I am one of the owners of the Armstrong Ranch in Kenedy County.  I also have a home at [redacted], Houston, TX 77027.  I was quail hunting at the Armstrong Ranch the afternoon of February 11, 2006 and was an eye-witness to the shooting of Harry Whittington on that date.

At about 5:30 p.m. the hunting car my group was riding in stopped near a covey of quail which had been located by the out-rider, Oscar Medellin.  Those present in the car were Gerry Medellin, the driver, Vice President Richard Cheney, Ambassador Pam Willeford, Katharine Armstrong, Harry Whittington and myself.  We decided that the shooters on the covey would be Vice President Cheney, Ambassador Willeford and Mr. Whittington.  The three shooters approached the covey, it flushed and Mr. Whittington shot two times, hitting two birds.  Both birds fell near some mesquite trees in tall grass ahead and to the right of the car.  Mr. Whittington and Gerry Medellin walked to where the two birds fell and began searching for the quail with a Labrador dog.  They had trouble finding the birds in the tall grass and continued searching for them at least five or more minutes.  At one point Mr. Whittington walked back to the car and I congratulated him on his “double”.  He then rejoined Gerry Medellin searching for the missing, downed bird in the tall grass.

Shortly after the first covey flushed, a second covey was located by the bird dog (pointer) up ahead and to the left of the car.  While Mr. Whittington and Gerry Medellin started searching for Mr. Whittington’s two quail, Ambassador Willeford and Vice President Cheney walked ahead to shoot the second covey located by the pointer.  Ambassador Willeford was on the left and Vice President Cheney was on the right as they approached the second covey. Before they flushed the second covey, Mr. Whittington started walking towards them from where he and Gerry Medellin had been searching for his quail.

He Mr. Whittington approached the shooters from behind and to their right with the sun behind him.  I did not hear him call out to warn the shooters of his approach.  Mr. Whittington appeared to be about 30 yards from the shooters when a quail flushed near the shooters and flew in Mr. Whittington’s direction.  The shooters swung their shotguns following the bird, I heard a shot and saw MR. Whittington fall to the ground.  I learned a few minutes later that the Vice President had fired the shot.  Katharine Armstrong and I were both in the hunting car when I witnessed the shooting.  I would estimate the time to have been between 5:45 and 6:00 p.m.

Sarita Armstrong Hixon
2/15/06

My name is Sarita Armstrong Hixon.  I would like to supplement the written witness statement I submitted earlier today to the Kenedy County Sheriff’s office.  To my knowledge none of the members of my shooting group the afternoon of February 11, 2006 at Armstrong Ranch consumed any alcoholic beverage.  The shooting group that afternoon consisted of Katharine Armstrong, Vice President Cheney, Ambassador Willeford, Harry Whittington and myself.  To the best of my knowledge, alcohol was not a factor in the accidental shooting of Mr. Whittington.

Sarita Armstrong Hixon
2/15/06

---

Oscar Medellin

KENEDY COUNTY SHERIFF DEPARTMENT
AFFIDAVIT

STATE OF TEXAS
COUNTY OF KENEDY

BEFORE ME, THE UNDERSIGNED AUTHORITY, ON THIS DAY PERSONALLY APPEARED Oscar Medellin AND AFTER BEING DULY SWORN, STATES UPON OATH THAT:

My name is Oscar Medellin and I live on the Armstrong Ranch, Armstrong TX, my mailing address is P.O. Box 395, Armstrong, TX 78338, and I am 19 years of age.

I was an outrider on the day of the incident.  I had found a covey of quail.  I called it in through the walkie talkie and the group said they were on the way.  On the way to my covey they encountered another covey that flushed up about 100 yards away from the one I found.  They decided to shoot at that one first.  After they were done they shooting at the covey the vice president asked me if I would take him to the covey I found.  The covey that I had found was in walking distance so the vice president, a lady, a secret service personnel, and I walked towards the next covey.  We walked about 75 yards and birds popped up.  There was a single that stayed in the grass so I flushed it up.  The bird flew behind towards the sunset and that was where Mr. Whittington was at walking from the last covey about 30-40 yards away from us in a lower spot from us.  The vice president followed the bird and shot and accidentally hit Mr. Whittington.  My dad ran to him and checked on him.  Then a doctor that the vice president had ran from the truck also.  After that I ran my horse towards him and saw him laying on the ground with a bloody face.  I then ran to the jeep to help put the dogs on the jeep and then I was told to leave so I rode back toward the trailer.

Oscar Medellin

---

Gerardo Medellin

Tuesday February 14, 2006

My name is Gerardo Medellin and I live on the Armstrong Ranch, Armstrong, TX.  My mailing address is P.O. Box 395, Armstrong, TX, 78338 and I am 45 years of age.

On Saturday February 11, 2006 at approximately 5:30 or 5:45 the dog handlers dog found a covey facing west.  We flushed the covey and everyone shot and Mr. Whittington had a double.  After that I worked the lab dog to find one of the birds of the double shot.  Mr. Whittington assisted me in finding the first bird.  After finding the first bird, Mr. Whittington asked me if I saw where the second bird had fallen.  I told him yes and went to find it.  As I was looking for the second bird Mr. Whittington went back to the hunting jeep.  It took me approximately 5 minutes to locate the second bird.  At that time, I saw Mr. Whittington walking towards the other hunters I yelled to him that I had found his other bird.

Shortly after that the outrider (Oscar) pointing where the other covey was at.  At this time I was walking towards them also to join them.

When I was walking towards the hunters a single bird flew behind the Vice President towards Mr. Whittington.  That is when Vice President shot towards the bird and Mr. Whittington was in the line of fire.

Gerardo Medellin

---

Michael Hubert

I Michael Andrew Hubert live at [redacted] El Camp, Tx, 77437 was a guide on the Armstrong Ranch on the day of 2-11-06.  Around the time of 5:40 pm my dog had pointed a covey.  I was the first to get to the dog and then Jerry was shortly there after.  Jerry was drove the car Mr. Cheney was in.  Pam, Mr. Cheney, and Harry where [sic] the hunters.  We walk up to the dog and shot the covey [illegible].  We had 3 birds down.  Mr. Cheney shot 1 and Harry shot 2.  We had found 2 of the 3 birds.  While we were looking for the 3rd bird Oscar the outrider flushed another covey.  Pam & Mr. Cheney walked over to Oscar.  Harry at this time had made his way over to the area where Pam & Mr. Cheney were shooting.  A bird got up in front of Mr. Cheney and flew in the direction of Harry.  Mr. Cheney not knowing that Harry had made his way into the shooting area shot at the bird.  And at that time is when Harry was shot.

Signed,
2-17-06

---

Gilberto San Miguel

KENEDY COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
TX 1310000
INCIDENT REPORT
02/11/2006
NUMBER: 06020136    REPORT DATE: 02/15/2006    ORI: TX1310000
LOCATION: ARMSTRONG RANCH        ZONE: ARMSTRONG

At approximately 1830 hrs on Saturday February 11, 2006, Kenedy County Sheriff Ramon Salinas contacted me, Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr.  The phone call was in reference to a hunting accident that occurred on the Armstrong Ranch.  I was told by Sheriff Salinas to report to the main house on the Armstrong Ranch on Sunday February 12, at 0800 hrs and I would receive more information when I got there.

On Sunday, February 12, 2006, at approximately 0805 hrs, I Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr., arrived at the bump gate to the Armstrong Ranch.  This ranch is located approximately twenty-one miles south of Sarita, Texas in Kenedy County.  There at the bump gate, Secret Service, and Border Patrol personnel met me.  I identified myself and told everyone I was to report to the main house.  I was instructed to park my vehicle so it could be inspected before I could proceed to the main house.  While my vehicle was getting inspected, a Secret Service agent approached me and he advise me he would be riding with me to the main house.  As I was approaching the main house, I was instructed to park my vehicle by the cattle guard.  There I walked across the cattle guard and was turned over to another agent who identified himself to me a s Michael A. Lee, Special Agent in charge with the Secret Service.

As we entered the main house, Mr. Lee introduced me to Vice President Cheney.  Mr. Cheney shook my hand and told me he was there to cooperate in any way with the interview.  As I got comfortable at a table inside the main house, I asked Mr. Cheney if he could explain to me what had happened the day of the incident.

Mr. Cheney told me that on Saturday, February 11, 2006 at approximately 5:30 pm on the Armstrong Ranch there was a three vehicle hunting party that consisted of himself, Bo Hubert, Pam Willeford, Jerry Medellin, Katharine Armstrong, Sarita Armstrong Hixon, Harry Whittington, and Oscar Medellin.  Mr. Cheney told me the sun was setting to the west when the dogs had located a covey.  Around the same time, Oscar Medellin notified the hunters he had also located a covey.  After the group shot at the first covey he and Pam Willeford proceeded to the second covey because Harry Whittington was looking for his downed birds.  Mr. Cheney told me he and Pam Willeford had walked approximately 00 yards from the first location and met up with Oscar Medellin and the hunting guide Bo Hubert.  There was a single bird that flew behind him and he followed the bird by line of sight in a counter clockwise direction not realizing Harry Whittington had walked up from behind and had positioned himself approximately 30 yards to the west of him.  Mr. Cheney told me the reason Harry Whittington sustained the injuries to his face and upper body was that Mr. Whittington was standing on ground that was lower than the one he was standing on.  Mr. Cheney told me if Mr. Whittington was on the same ground level the injuries might have been lower on Mr. Whittington’s body.

The weapon Mr. Cheney was using at the time of the incident was an over under twenty-eight gauge shotgun.  It had a brand name of Perazzi Brescia and was made in Italy.  The serial number on the weapon read 115288.

At that time, I told Mr. Cheney I didn’t need any more information at this time, but how could I reach him.  Mr. Cheney told me I could contact Mr. Lee.  I then excused myself and proceeded out of the main house.

While outside around the headquarters I was able to locate and get information from Gerardo Medellin TX dl# [redacted], who helped me identify the other people in the hunting party, Michael Andrew Hubert TX dl# [redacted], Pamela Pitzer Willeford TX dl# [redacted], and Katharine Armstrong TX dl# [redacted].  I was able to speak briefly with Katharine Armstrong who told me pretty much the same story Mr. Cheney told me.  (See her written statement for further details.)

On Monday, February 13, 2006, at approximately 1000 hrs I Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel Jr. and Lt. Juan J. Guzman went to Spohn Memorial Hospital located in Corpus Christi, Texas to speak with Harry Whittington.  We were escorted to Mr. Whittington’s room and there I introduced Lt. Guzman and myself to Mr. Whittington who was sitting in a chair.  I told Mr. Whittington we needed to speak with him on the incident that occurred Saturday February 11, 2006.  I asked Mr. Whittington if we could record our conversation and Mr. Whittington requested not to be recorded due to his voice being raspy.  It was then I requested a written affidavit be done and Mr. Whittington gladly agreed to do one as soon as he returned back home to his office.

Mr. Whittington did speak of the incident and explained foremost there was no alcohol during the hunt and everyone was wearing the proper hunting attire of blaze orange.  The hunting group was out to shoot a covey that the dogs had found, about the same time, a second covey was found by the outrider.  The first covey was flushed and he got a double.  While looking for the downed birds, he had returned back at one point to the hunting vehicles where Katharine and Sarita were to let them go for the second covey.  However, Katharine had told him to go and shoot the second covey.  So, at that time, he proceeded to join the hunters who had already moved from the first location.  At that time, a nurse came in the room and asked Lt. Guzman and I to kind of hurry up so Mr. Whittington could rest.  Mr. Whittington again reiterated that this incident was just an accident.  He was concerned this incident would bring a bad imagine [sic] to hunting in Texas.  I then told Mr. Whittington I would give him a call in a few days to get the written affidavit.   

On Tuesday February 14, 2006 I spoke with Gerardo Medellin who dictated to me as I wrote his affidavit.  (See Affidavit for further details.)  I was also taken to the area were [sic] the incident occurred.  The pasture name is the Comal Pasture and it is located at approximately four miles west of U.S. Highway 77.  The GPS readings for this incident was retrieved from my phone as N 26* 56.352’ W 97* 50.420” while on location, I was able to understand more how Mr. Cheney and Katharine Armstrong described the area in their statement.

On Wednesday February 15, 2006 I was able to make contact with Katharine Armstrong, Sarita Armstrong Hixon, Pamela Willeford, and Michael Hubert.  I requested a written affidavit from each one of them.  I was able to get everyone’s affidavit except for Mr. Hubert’s affidavit.  He told he would be in the area sometime Friday February 17, 2006 and would get in contact with me.

STATUS: CLOSED    STATUS DATE: 02/15/2006
OFFICER: SAN MIGUEL, GILBERTO JR.    502

02/15/2006 16:00 P.M.    3

---

Ramon Salinas

KENEDY COUNTY SHERIFF’S DEPARTMENT
TX 1310000
INCIDENT REPORT
02/11/2006
NUMBER: 06020136    REPORT DATE: 02/15/2006    ORI: TX1310000
LOCATION: ARMSTRONG RANCH        ZONE: ARMSTRONG

On February 11, 2006 at approximately 5:30 p.m., I, Ramon Salinas, III, and Sheriff of Kenedy County received a telephone call at my home from Captain Charles Kirk in reference to a possible hunting accident that had occurred on the Armstrong Ranch.  Captain Kirk stated that he was on his way to the Armstrong gate to get more information.

About 8 to 10 minutes later, I received another call from a United States Secret Service Agent; I believe his name was Martinez.  He said that the purpose of the call was to officially notify the Kenedy County Sheriff’s Office of a hunting accident that had just occurred on the Armstrong Ranch and that it involved Vice-President Cheney.

After I hung up, Captain Kirk called me back and said that he’d made contact with a Border Patrol agent at the Armstrong gate and that the Agent told him that he didn’t know anything about the accident.  I then told Captain Kirk that it was fine and that I would contact someone on the Ranch.

After speaking with Captain Kirk I contacted Constable Ramiro Medellin Jr., former Sheriff of Kenedy County and asked him if he had any information about the accident.  Constable Medllin stated that he would call me right back.

Constable Medellin returned my call and said, “This in fact is an accident.”  He stated that he had spoken with some of the people in the hunting party who were eyewitnesses and that they all said it was definitely a hunting accident.  I also spoke with another eyewitness and he said the same thing, that it was an accident.

After hearing the same information from eyewitnesses and Constable MEdellin, it was at this time that I decided to send my Chief Deputy first this Sunday morning to interview the Vice-President and other witnesses.

A few minutes later, I received another call from the Secret Service asking if I was going to send someone to the Ranch.  I told him that someone would be there first thing in the morning.  The Secret Service said they would be at the gate waiting.

At approximately 6:15 p.m. I contacted Chief Deputy San Miguel and advised him of the incident and to be at the gate at approximately 8:00 a.m.

See Chief Deputy Gilberto San Miguel’s report for further information.

STATUS: CLOSED    STATUS DATE: 02/15/2006
OFFICER: SALINAS, RAMON   501

02/15/2006 16:00 P.M.    2

Howard Dean's New Playbook

A new book entitled Why Mommy Is a Democrat makes plain the socialist nannyism that guides much of modern Democratic dogma.

To compel income redistribution, protect entitlements, and guard against marauding elephants: that's apparently why mommy's a Democrat.  The author, Jeremy Zilber, has apparently had success Democratizing not only young children, but domesticated animals animals as well.

Now taking bets on how long until the inevitable counter tome Why Daddy Is a Republican is offered up by a right-thinking web-goer.

A few suggested page headings:

• Republicans know you're smart enough to make your own decisions, just like Daddy does.
• Republicans want you to keep the money you make, just like Daddy does.
• Republicans will punish you when you break the rules, just like Daddy does.
• Republicans are going to give you a safe environment to grow up smart and strong, just like Daddy does, so one day you can forge your own destiny and actually take care of yourself.
• If anybody f***s with this family, Republicans are going to take care of it, just like Daddy does.

Elsewhere: I see Right Wing News has also compiled some WMIAD fan fiction.

Scatterbrained

My recent post about Bill Frist taking the reins on the sea port issue from flimsy national security posturers like Chuck Schumer and Hillary Clinton got me thinking about Senatorial voting records and the quantifiable differences among Senators and their legislative priorities.

To get a visual on these differences, I decided to scattergram Senators' votes along two dimensions: national security and pro-growth economic policy.

To assign each Senator a national security score, I took the average of the two measures mentioned in the previous post - the 2003-04 support ratings (0-100) according to two prominent national security interest groups (the Center for Security Policy and the American Security Council).  As a proxy for Senators' commitment to pro-growth economic policy, I counted the number of votes cast during the 109th Congress in keeping with the Club For Growth Congressional Scorecard (0-6).

Not surprisingly, these two dimensions carve up the Senate pretty cleanly along party lines.  Senators Frist, Schumer, and Clinton are plotted in green.  Others are colored by party (GOP: Red, Dem/Ind: Blue).  Some interesting anomalies and endpoints are noted by letter.

Click image to enlarge.

It's easy to forget how demonstrably weak certain legislators are on key issues like keeping us alive and allowing free market capitalism to drive global prosperity, but we can't let empty rhetoric slung around now and then by opportunistic ideologues erase their enduringly atrocious voting records.

From Miscarriage of Justice To Full-Fledged Travesty

With 6 hours remaining before the expiration of his death warrant, brutal rapist and murderer Michael Morales has just had his execution postponed indefinitely.

The execution was originally scheduled for 12:01 a.m. today but was postponed when two anesthesiologists withdrew their agreement to monitor the injections and make sure Morales was unconscious as he was being put to death.

The state then proposed to execute Morales with a massive dose of the barbiturate sodium pentothal, which it said would render him unconscious quickly and cause death within 30 to 45 minutes.

But U.S. District Judge Jeremy Fogel imposed further conditions to prevent a botched and painful execution: the drug would have to be administered by a licensed professional and injected directly into the prisoner's vein, rather than flowing through an intravenous tube from outside the death chamber.

About two hours before the scheduled execution, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals said it had been advised that the state could not comply and that the execution would not take place Tuesday.

For a third crack at Morales, the state of California now has to obtain a new death warrant, an effort which could take a month or longer or could fail altogether.

Previously:  Why Is This Man Still Alive?

You Ought To Be In Pictures

It turns out the Prophet "He Who Must Not Be Visually Depicted Lest We Torch Your Embassy and Threaten To Slaughter You" Mohammed has a long and rich history of visual depiction, often by the hand of Muslim artists.

Protecting Our Ports - Now With Credibility!

Thank you, Senator First.

As blogged by Dr. Frist himself on the Volunteer Political Action Committee (VOLPAC) website, on the topic of the planned acquisition by UAE's state run Dubai Ports World of a British firm that runs six major U.S. sea ports:

News that a Middle-East based firm is seeking to purchase the operating rights to several U.S. ports - from New York to New Orleans - raise serious questions regarding the safety and security of our homeland.

Post 9/11 prudence warrants - at the very least - a more extensive review of this matter. As Ronald Reagan used to say: 'trust, but verify.' And that's what we need to do. The simple fact is, there's no such thing as being 'too careful' in a post 9/11 world.

As of today, I'm requesting briefings on this deal. If the Administration does not put the deal on hold, I will introduce legislation doing so ... to ensure that this decision gets a more thorough review.

Common sense warrants it; our national security requires it.

I expect to be discussing this issue in greater detail this evening when I appear on Hannity & Colmes. I hope you will tune in. Much more to follow in the days ahead...

Thank you for addressing this issue in an aggressive, yet deliberate manner.  And thank you especially for giving us a more appropriate central figure around which to rally in this effort.  The hypocritical posturing lately displayed by Senators Clinton, Schumer, and others, in a transparent farce of an attempt to appear tough on security, now that they for the first time seemed to have an issue on which they could blast the Bush administration while so doing, was beginning to sicken me.

"But, Flip," you ask, "couldn't you support sensible pro-security initiatives, even if they were undertaken by Democrats?"

Sure, I support what Clinton, Schumer, and their safety-come-lately ilk were suggesting (namely that the sale of the majority stake of the company that controls these ports needs to be blocked, or at least further studied).  What sickens me is the idea that they want us to believe such suggestions were representative of their actual positions on national security.  The newfound zeal for protecting our homeland was borne of nothing more than political expedience.  Why else would these legislators so regularly vote against our security, in instances when the administration is more squarely on the pro-security side?  Make no mistake, their positions are driven almost exclusively by a directive of blind opposition, rather than any affirmative, principled agenda.

Consider their voting records and public statements in recent months.

• Both Hillary and Chuck voted (successfully) to filibuster reauthorization of the Patriot Act in December.
• Hillary has made clear that she feels the protections offered by the Patriot Act are too broad-based and fail to "strike a balance" between safety and freedom.
• Both Hillary and Chuck signed the "Declare a withdrawal timeline for Iraq" letter to the President in December.
• Both Hillary and Chuck voted to give terrorists extra legal protections in November.
• Both Hillary and Chuck voted (successfully) to filibuster a key defense spending bill in July.
• Chuck declared on behalf of two thirds of Americans that we were going in the wrong direction in Iraq that same month on CNN.

If that doesn't tell the tale, consider their support ratings with two of the major national security interest groups for 2003-2004:

• Schumer
  Center for Security Policy: 22%
  American Security Council: 10%
• Clinton
  Center for Security Policy: 28%
  American Security Council: 20%

And for comparison:

• Frist
  Center for Security Policy: 94%
  American Security Council: 100%

The control of our ports is an important security issue that does indeed need to be kept on a leash shorter than would likely be possible in the hands of a country with as worrisome historic connections as the UAE.  It's fully appropriate for the Senate leadership to lead this corrective initiative and I'm glad to see Senator Frist is doing so.  But in no small part am I further pleased that the badge of homeland protection falsely worn during this episode by purely opportunistic Senators like Clinton and Schumer may now be stripped.

Elsewhere:  La Shawn Barber, Macsmind, Michelle Malkin, Expose the Left, Pundit Guy, Sister Toldjah

---

Update: The President has now made his support for the deal amply clear, noting, "It sends a terrible signal to friends around the world that it's OK for a company from one country to manage the port, but not a country that plays by the rules and has got a good track record from another part of the world."

Bush said he would veto any Congressional bill that would block the deal.

Fresh Bloggerreax: Blogs for Bush, Michelle Malkin, Publius Rendezvous, Junkyard Blog

---

Update II:  For more cold, quantitative evidence of Chuck and Hillary's indifference toward national security, see Scatterbrained.

The Federal Reserve and Our Fear of Success

In about a half hour, we'll be treated to the very last set of Fed minutes under former Chairman Greenspan's long tenure (it's going to be a very Tupac moment).  Not much by way of new language is expected and any changes may be scrutinized slightly less zealously (but probably still fairly zealously) since we've heard extensive Congressional testimony from the new horse's mouth in the weeks since.

Still, as we near the inflection point, slippery as it may still be, at which the Fed will curb the rate hikes, the market is proving increasingly Fed-jumpy.

Case in point: the happy news saturating today's financial headlines and the market's party-pooping response.

With the Dow down 43 points in afternoon trading and the Nasdaq lower by a full one percent, you'd think there were gloomy happenings afoot.  On the contrary, a report issued this morning by the Conference Board showed its Index of Leading Economic Indicators jumped sharply in January.  The 1.1% increase was nearly double economists' already growthy expectations.  What's more, strong earnings were reported by a number of bellweather companies today, several of them outstripping analysts' expectations.

Oddly, Wall Street's reaction is not jubliation, nor even indifference, but lament at the prospect that such growth will make the Fed more likely to extend their rate hike campaign (making capital more expensive to obtain and serving as a governor on corporate spending, output, growth, etc.).  The market, for all its bellyaching, may have a point, although not every piece of good news can be seen as the incremental data point that will induce another quarter point, so they can curse the sunshine only so often.

The twisted crabbiness seems roughly on par with cursing your boss for giving you a raise and saddling you with a higher tax bracket.  In any event, we shouldn't let the temporary red ink on the ticker tape overshadow the unmistakably upbeat nature of the day's economic news.

Why is the economy doing so well?  Just ask Bill Frist (hat tip: GOP Bloggers).

---

Update: The minutes are out.

One interesting exposition jumps out.  In the policy statement following the January 31 meeting, the FOMC offered this:

The Committee judges that some further policy firming may be needed to keep the risks to the attainment of both sustainable economic growth and price stability roughly in balance. In any event, the Committee will respond to changes in economic prospects as needed to foster these objectives.

That was the statement that led to such malaise about indeterminate ongoing rate hikes.  I noted at the time that I read it as a distinct move to the dovish side, since it replaced the phrase "policy firming is likely to be needed."

The minutes seem to further bear that out, as expressed in this expanded language:

Although the stance of policy seemed close to where it needed to be given the current outlook, some further policy firming might be needed to keep inflation pressures contained and the risks to price stability and sustainable economic growth roughly in balance.

That seems to back up the idea that not even the one hike that everyone is expecting (at Bernanke's debut meeting in March) is necessarily a done deal, and certainly that a subsequent hike(s) to 5% or higher has not been telegraphed.  If the current opinion of the committee is that 4.5% is at or close to a neutral level for the Fed Funds rate, it seems that we'd need to see far more compelling signs of inflation to warrant a move to 5% or higher.

Why Is This Man Still Alive?

Time has run out for convicted rapist and murderer Michael Morales, and yet he continues to draw breath in San Quentin.  What's more, time will run out for the state to put him down if last minute snarls aren't quickly unsnarled.

In an unprecedented move in California since executions resumed in 1992, an anesthesiologist was to stay with Morales to make sure the 46-year-old man was rendered and remained unconscious after the first round of drugs entered his vein in a three-chemical lethal injection process. Another anesthesiologist was also to be present, but not in the execution chamber.

The impetus behind the court order was to ensure Morales wouldn't suffer during his extermination.

But when the anesthesiologists bailed out over ethical concerns at the last minute, they forced a stay of execution.  Now, if the execution is not carried out by midnight, the death warrant will expire.

[O]fficials would have to go back to the trial judge who imposed the death sentence in 1983 for another warrant.  Seeking another warrant could prove difficult for the state, however, since the original sentencing judge, Charles McGrath, joined Morales this month in asking Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger for clemency. McGrath said he no longer believed the credibility of a jailhouse informant whose testimony helped land Morales on death row.

On Sunday, a federal appeals court rejected an appeal based on the theory that the informant gave false testimony.

Again, today's snag is predicated on pulling out all the stops to make sure Morales doesn't suffer during his execution.  Frankly, that seems a little bizarre, since executions do typically involve a high risk of death.  And death just seems like one of those inherently unpleasant experiences.  Like a deep paper cut.  Or a bad charlie horse.  Or having your skull crushed with a hammer 23 times, before being raped and left for dead.

Now that the anesthesiologists have walked out, I have a few ideas for other ways to dispose of Mr. Morales.  We could shoot him.  Or hang him.  Or smother him. Or drown him.  Or incinerate him.  Or hurl him off the roof of the cell block.  Or back over him with the prison laundry truck.  Really, it's a dangerous world.  It's hard to keep people alive, not to make them dead.

Of course some of those might be a touch ghastly, if not for the soon-to-be-former consciousness known as Michael Morales, then for the witnesses and clean up crew.  So let's stick with this well-worn, relatively humane (given that death is rather inescapably the outcome) method.  If we can't guarantee it'll be 100% pain-free, well that's just going to have to be one of those bummers about being convicted of rape and murder.

The only undue suffering taking place this week is that of the family of Terri Winchell, the teenage girl upon whom Morales wrought so much suffering.  The only miscarriage of justice is the one being endured by the people of the state of California, as another day piles onto the 23 years they've had to pay to sustain this fetid deke of humanity.

Let's See, What's In the News...

Posting has been light recently as I've been on the road the last couple days.  In case you, like me, have been flitting around unable to keep fully abreast of goings-on this holiday weekend, here's a good sampler of weekend posts from some of my favorites to catch you up.

• Stop the ACLU on the new bin Laden "You'll never take me alive" tape
• Expose the Left, Right Wing News, and Blogs for Bush on the contorted and misconstrued history of Washington's Birthday vs. Presidents' Day
• Michelle Malkin on her apparent banning in the UAE
• Ankle Biting Pundits on Jimmy Carter's most recent bout of self-humiliation and anti-Americanism
• The American Thinker on the Saddam-al Qaeda connection

The ACLU Gets One Right (!)

Don't adjust your browser.  I know, it's flabbergasting.
(Hat tip: Stop the ACLU)

Black is white.  Up is down.  Dogs and cats living together.  Mass hysteria.

NEW YORK - The American Civil Liberties Union today called upon the University of Illinois to reinstate the editor in chief and opinions page editor of the student newspaper, the Daily Illini, who were suspended after reprinting a series of controversial cartoons satirizing the Prophet Muhammad.

“While we certainly understand the sensitivities surrounding the publication of explosive and controversial content,” said Anthony D. Romero, Executive Director of the ACLU. “It has been the long-standing belief of the ACLU that the best response to speech we find odious and noxious is more speech - not less.”

In a letter sent today to the Chancellor of the University, the ACLU expressed concern and disagreement with the decision to suspend the two students from their positions and noted that upholding the premise of free speech, many universities, including the University of North Carolina, Arizona State University and the University of Arizona, have published the cartoons without any retribution against students or the publications involved.

The ACLU has a long and demonstrated commitment to protecting free speech, as well as the rights of Muslims, Arabs and Asians in the post-9/11 context. The organization urges the University of Illinois to further a dialogue with students and faculty, and reach out to Muslim and Arab students to address issues of concern to those students.

“We understand that the publication of the anti-Muslim cartoons presents vexing issues for a democracy, but we also believe that that is the price of an open society,” added Romero. “Democracy means a great many things to a great many people. But it must never be a quiet business.”

The Harvard Salient (the school's conservative paper) also published some of the villainous cartoons, but their editor, Travis R. Kavulla, has thus far avoided the level of public furor hurled at the Illini editors (despite Fox News reporting on Kavulla's infidel ways between segments of the big Cheney interview that has other cable news networks so tied up in knots).  The Salient made a compelling comparison between the relatively tame still life of the Danish cartoons and one comparably horrific illustration from a state-run Islamic publication.

Bill Clinton, in the meantime, has called on any country that feels maligned to convict the papers who ran the cartoons.

Clinton condemned the publication of the caricatures by European newspapers and urged countries concerned to convict the publishers, according to the reports.

He said religious convictions of the people should be respected at all costs and no media should be allowed to play with the religious sentiments of people of any faith.

Nice work, Bubba.  Isn't there enough fuel on this fire without lending the credibility (I assume overseas there must be some people that assign him credibility) of a former U.S. President?

Relatedly, for real-time coverage of today's Cartoon Jihad in Washington, check out Michelle Malkin's liveblog from the scene.

Harry Whittington Speaks, Liberal Deathwatch Dismayed

Harry Whittington is up and around and giving press statements.  Good for him.  I'm happy to see he's "on the mend" as the Vice President put it.

This must be unwelcome news to all the salivating manslaughter hopefuls out there, not to mention to Kleberg Country D.A. Carlos Valdez.

Video at Expose the Left.
Story at Fox News.

Transcript of Mr. Whittington's statement:

Good Afternoon.

All of you in the media have been very patient in waiting for me to make my appearance here.  I hope you understand.  I’m sorry I delayed you, but I know your role is to get the news out to the public. I compliment you on what you’ve done.  I’ve read and seen many of your reports and I know your job isn’t easy.  I regret that I couldn’t have been here earlier so you could see what a lucky person I am.

For many years my family has been friends with the Armstrongs down in Kenedy County.  We have visited with them for over 25 years and have had some wonderful trips and visits – pleasant memories that we cherish forever.  However, this past weekend encompassed all of us in a cloud of misfortune and sadness that is not easy to explain – especially to those who are not familiar with the great sport of quail hunting.

We all assume certain risks in whatever we do, whatever activities we pursue.  And regardless of how experienced, careful and dedicated we are, accidents do and will happen – and that’s what happened last Friday.

I am very grateful and want to thank all the people that remembered me in their prayers and the kindness you have extend to my family that’s been here this week.

My family and I are deeply sorry for all that vice president Cheney has had to go through this past week. We send our love and respect to them as they deal with situations that are much more serious than what we’ve had this week.  And we hope that he will continue to come to Texas and seek the relaxation that he deserves.

Whittington is apologizing to Cheney?  That's one classy gent.

Elsewhere: RightWinged.com photoshops the deatwatchers' fantasy into sharp (amusing) relief.

Hey Buddy, Wanna Buy a Port?

Michelle Malkin is wielding comprehensive coverage of the steadily building flap over the deal to turn control of 6 U.S. ports over to a company owned by the United Arab Emirates.

It does strike me as odd that the development of commercial research facilities constitutes sufficiently vital public use to warrant seizure of private homes, but that the ports of New York, New Jersey, Baltimore, New Orleans, Miami and Philadelphia aren't sufficiently critical to mandate domestic control.

Elsewhere:
California Conservative
Gina Cobb
Captain's Quarters
American Thinker
Kim Priestap
Pajamahadin
Hyscience

Keep It Simple, Senators

In my view, there are 4 ways you can improve the tax code at any level of government.

1. Lower rates
2. Flatten (ungraduate) the rate schedule
3. Align tax incentives with pro-growth behavior
4. Simplify the code

I typically think of them in that order too, with simplification being an important step, but the one I'd most readily trade in for a similarly sized shift in any of the other variables.

I may need to rethink that though, judging by an IRS study published earlier this week (hat tip: Tax Foundation Blog).

The study, which looks at Tax Year 2001 (hey, it's the federal gummint - give them credit for being caught up to the current millennium) finds that the overall gross tax gap, defined as "the difference between what taxpayers should have paid and what they actually paid on a timely basis" was $345 billion.  Further, they cited the complexity of current tax law as a key cause of the gap, noting the problem "can be seriously addressed only in the context of fundamental tax reform and simplification."

"But, gummint..." you say, "how can we ever implement fundamental tax reform and simplification?"

Well, your President has a few ideas.  He recently presented them to Congress in his FY2007 budget proposal.

• Expanding third-party information reporting to include certain Government payments for property and services;
• Expanding third-party information reporting on debt and credit card reimbursements paid to certain merchants;
• Clarifying liability for employment taxes for employee leasing companies and their clients;
• Expanding beyond income taxes the requirement that paid return preparers sign returns, and imposing a penalty when they fail to do so; and
• Authorizing the IRS to issue levies to collect employment tax debts prior to collection due process proceedings.

Much like reduction of fraud, waste, and abuse, eliminating this undue complexity should be embraceable on both sides of the aisle.  Tax code simplification has the capacity to be a bi-partisan, win-win, arm-in-arm, kum-ba-ya for both sides, one which would knock out a sizable slice of the annual budget deficit without a partisan shot being fired.  No spending cuts, no tax increases.  Just good news to bring home to the consituents without expending an ounce of political capital.

So what's the hold up?

Sadly, as the Tax Foundation notes, these steps don't seem to curry as high a priority with Congress as more partisan moves that flex politicians' "ability to control society’s allocation of resources through preferences in the tax code".

For comparison, the tax reform package that has knocked around both houses lo these many months, causing so much tinkering, compromise, and doomsaying, weighs in at less than $70 billion.  For those keeping score at home, that's about 1/5^th the size of the 2001 tax gap.

Note to legislators: if you're looking for a hero moment (isn't there some election coming up...), think about sponsoring a tax simplification bill that would seek to knock out $100 billion in the annual tax gap.  And don't cram it full of little riders that are going to make it less palatable to your colleagues across the aisle.  In fact, leap across the aisle for co-sponsors.  An apolitical effort focused squarely on reducing needless complexity - and nothing else - would be utterly passable and hugely effectual.

Further:
IRS Tax Gap Figures (pdf)
Tax Foundation's special section on Tax Reform

Sleeping Too Well? Read This.

Helping to keep you safe and slumber-free, the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance have released their list of top emerging internet threats for 2006.

As it turns out, there's actually relatively little to worry about.  Unless of course you use instant messaging.  Or if you have an online brokerage account.  Or an e-mail account.  Or if you own a cell phone.  Or use the internet.  Or, well...

Emerging Internet Threats for 2006

• Hackers Use Instant Messaging To Spread Viruses and Worms:  ... The Virkel virus opened a backdoor in consumers’ security software, giving hackers access to files and personal information and disabling parts of anti-virus and other security software.  Since consumers are largely unaware of the fact that IM and text message services can be used to spread viruses, they are extremely vulnerable to these types of attacks.

• Phishing Fraud Becomes More Prevalent and Sophisticated:  ...  One example of such a targeted approach is called “spear phishing,” which is a phishing email that targets a group of people within a specific company or organization, often appearing to be sent from an internal employee in the human relations department, IT department or even a former colleague.

• Viruses Attack Cell Phones and PDAs:  ... Last year, the number of viruses and worms that affected cell phones and PDAs increased substantially.  Mobile device viruses like “Cabir” and “CommWarrior.A,” could read addresses and phone numbers and spread from mobile phones and BlackBerrys through Bluetooth connections and mobile messaging services without the user’s knowledge.

• Hackers Target Online Brokerage Accounts:  In 2005, there were increased reports of hackers using malicious code to crack consumers’ online brokerage accounts. ... Since the nature of online brokerage accounts makes it easy to transfer funds from various accounts outside the firm, online brokerage accounts are attractive targets for hackers and thieves. 

• Internet Crimes Go Unreported:  ... [T]he FBI’s “2005 Small Business Computer Crime Survey” indicated that only 9% of those businesses that experienced a computer security incident reported it to a law enforcement agency.

To seal the deal, you can take the NCSA "How Safe Are You?" quiz (it's like Cosmo for paranoid geeks).  I scored "Fairly Security-Conscious" (as you can see, it's a highly quantitative scoring system), which earned me a brisk admonishment that I need to get my online act together.

Dizzying Feats of Hypocrisy

Kofi Annan, Secretary General of that towering irrelevancy on the East River, has informed us that we need to close the prison at Guantanamo Bay as soon as possible and either try or set free all the terrorists within.

White House spokesman Scott McClellan rejected the call to shut the camp, saying the military treats all detainees humanely and "these are dangerous terrorists that we're talking about."

The panel's report, released Wednesday in Geneva and leaked earlier in the week, said the United States must close the detention facility "without further delay" because it is effectively a torture camp where prisoners have no access to justice.

The panel in question (which issued this report on the situation yesterday) was appointed by the U.N. Commission on Human Rights, a body that counts among its membership such beacons of human rights as China, Congo, Cuba, Nepal, Sudan, and Zimbabwe.

While you're at it, Kofi, could you kindly ask East Timor how they think we should proceed with our space program?  We'd also like to know what Sierra Leone thinks about the direction of our monetary policy.  And Burundi could really help us out in fine tuning our regulation of futures exchanges.

Elsewhere:
Blogs for Bush notes the critics never even visited Gitmo (they declined their official invitation).
Bullwinkle Blog loses no love for Kofi

Dow Hits 4.7 Year High

As a great man once said, "Yay capitalism."

Strong corporate earnings (especially in technology), new signs of life in the housing market, a second day of surprise-free testimony from Fed chief Ben Bernanke, and a downtrend in oil prices all contributed to the three-day rally.

Flip's 11

Googling yourself is so 2005.  It's time to step up to a true vanity search.

With thanks to Sean Gleeson for pointing out the site, I've just had the highly humbling experience of being told what celebrity I most resemble, courtesy of the clever face matching tool at My Heritage.

And the verdict is...

Just call me Hermione.

The other, less precise matches make up a fairly motley cast of characters - some flattering, some not so much, but happily mostly male.  (Clicking the image enlarges it.)

I think I'd enjoy a movie with this cast (though it would require some clever compositing of existing footage of the dearly departed members of the ensemble).

Go ahead - humble yourself.

And a Donut With No Holes... Is a Rose of the Prophet Mohammad

Somehow I think that line from Caddyshack would've lost some of its punch if it'd been written that way.

Still, the Iranian powers that be have decided the word "Danish" is so offensive that its namesake pastry needs reclassification.

Iranians are to rename "Danish pastries" in protest at cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed.

The cartoons, which have sparked worldwide Muslim anger and some violent protests, were first published by a newspaper in Denmark.

Iran's official news agency says the locally baked treats which dominate cake shop shelves will be known as "Roses of the Prophet Mohammad".

The move echoes calls in 2003 by the United States House of Representatives to rename "French fries" as "Freedom fries" after France refused to back the US-led invasion of Iraq.

The move may "echo" the menu rejiggering that took place when Franco-American culinary relations soured in the wake of France's failure to back the Coalition, but the situations are hardly comparable.  Denmark isn't supporting the financial wherewithal of and aiming to shield from international rebuke the murderous and unanimously-deemed uncompliant regime of a declared enemy of Iran.

They printed some cartoons.

(Hat tip: An alert reader)

Elsewhere: California Conservative, Michelle Malkin, GOP and the City, American Princess

I Thought We Had Something Special Here, Lost

First, as I've made plain within these frames in the past, let me say I am an avowed and hopelessly addicted Lostaphile.  It's the only show that I happily shell out $2 for on iTunes even after I've caught it on the first run.

Thus, it pains me to say it, but last night's Lost on ABC (which kicked off with a flashback to footage of 1990's pre-liberation Iraq in a Republican Guard bunker - ABC's taking integrated marketing to new heights, eh?) really irked me.

Mark Noonan over at GOP Bloggers and John Podhoretz at The Corner noted similar pestering.

So get this. Tonight's "Lost" revolves around Sayid, the character who was a member of the Iraqi Republican Guard and someone guilt-riddled over his past as a torturer. Tonight we learn, preposterously and offensively, that he became a torturer because he was seduced into it by the U.S. army, which wanted information in 1991 about a downed pilot. "Before the Americans came, I was a soldier," he said. "When they left, I became something else. My name is Sayid, and I am a torturer."

The plot has always had a love-hate relationship with torture.  It's occasionally been employed by both pro- and antagonist, in matters ranging from survival to revenge, and was always clearly intended to be allegorical of, well something.  If nothing else, it was an occasional attempt to put you through the mental exercise of debating whether torture can ever be justified.

Last night's episode, though, made a heroic leap from the realm of mere thought provocation to the more crystalline message of "F' you American imperialism (and by the way, get over this 9/11 business)."

In addition to the above referenced scene, the ep closed with Sayid bending the ear of the Charlie the Junkie (aka Merry the Hobbit) about his recently completed torture of a [seemingly innocent] island newcomer.  Sayid (a former reluctant member of Saddam's Republican Guard, but really a conflicted good guy at heart and certainly a protagonist on the show), is suddenly looking vacant and detached (his girlfriend was accidentally shot and killed a few weeks ago, but that's neither here nor there) as he describes his newfound lack of remorse for his torturing ways.

He informs Charlie that the others (not "The Others", but the other good guys) will never understand why he is now able to torture carefree.  It's because - wait for it - "They have forgotten.  They have forgotten how [the evil island natives] kidnapped Walt and tried to kill Claire and yadda, yadda, yadda."

Then Sayid gives the junkie Hobbit a long look (which for the viewer is right into the camera) and asks dramatically, "Have you forgotten?"

And... scene.

So the lesson I suppose we're to take from this is that torture, prisoner abuse, and other atrocities carried out by Americans in the name of 9/11, parroting "Have you forgotten?" to detractors (as is the wont of we vile warmongers), brings us down to the level of a vengeful professional torturer who "badly beats" some poor sap from Minnesota who had the bad luck to crash land his hot air balloon on a strange island.

Simply odious.  (The fact that the episode did almost nothing to advance the island plot didn't help matters either (except for that little Ctrl-Alt-Del trick that Locke pulled to reset the Dharma computer - anyone know what that was about?).)

J.J. Abrams, I went so far as to thank you in my special Thanksgiving post.  Please don't make a fool of me.

Iraq's WMD "Smoking Gun"

[Bumped]

Update:  Having just watched the Nightline report on Saddam's secret tapes (transcript, excerpts) and understanding that they only played about 60 seconds worth of 12 hours of tape, I have to say these recordings are hard to swallow as "secret".  They may have been unavailable for the last 10 years, but the conversations were hardly secret strategy meetings about how and where to hide weapons.

The primary thrust of what I heard tonight was a "Who us?" style PR job, in which Saddam and his henchmen do a lot of agreeing that America sure does have it coming (but note that just about anyone can put together a biological or chemical attack, so don't look their way when it happens).  They then go on to stroke their chins about whether or not to tell the international community about all their weapons capabilities, then shrewdly decide not to.  This is followed by more vigorous agreeing that they sure do have more capabilities than they're owning up to.

If these are the "most dramatic" excerpts, as ABC claims, I don't think the tapes will serve to bolster either side of the WMD debate. It's seems pretty clear to me that Saddam's regime intended these tapes to be heard by the west and that these strategy sessions were nothing more than stage shows.  We already knew that Saddam's MO was to strenuously wink and nudge about his extensive weapons programs, while maintaining a deliberately thin public veneer of compliance with sanctions and inspections.

In that regard, producing "secret" tapes for accidental public consumption seems like an effective way to straddle that line (even if it did take a decade for the message to get out).

Reserving final judgment until the full set of recordings is released on Friday, I'm thus far unmoved (which is to say I remain equally convinced of the regime's possession of WMDs and Saddam's willingness to use them, but recognize that this evidence should do little to sway doubters).

Elsewhere:
Captain Ed finds the conversations banal.  Well put.
John Hawkins shares the view that the tapes shed little new light.  Smart guy.

---

[Earlier]

From Cybercast News Service:
(via Ankle Biting Pundits, Macsmind, Drudge, et al)

Secret audiotapes of Saddam Hussein discussing ways to attack America with weapons of mass destruction will be the subject of an ABC "Nightline" program Wednesday night, a former federal prosecutor told Cybercast News Service.

The tapes are being called the "smoking gun" of weapons of mass destruction (WMD) in Iraq. The New York Sun reported that the tapes have been authenticated and currently are being reviewed by the U.S. House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence.

Not just weapons of mass destruction, mind you.  Weapons of mass destruction that Saddam planned to use in attacks on America.  The tapes are also purported to suggest possible locations of the missing WMDs.

According to ABC News, in footage taken in the mid 1990's, Saddam predicted what he called "terrorism" using WMDs to be inflicted on the Americans and British.

Terrorism is coming. I told the Americans a long time before August 2 and told the British as well … that in the future there will be terrorism with weapons of mass destruction.

Of course we need to treat with great skepticism any sensational MSM expose, but the Sun is indeed reporting that the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence has authenticated the tapes, according to Committee Chairman Peter Hoekstra.

The tapes will be made public in full on Friday at the annual meeting of the Intelligence Summit.

Frankly, I question the timing of the release of these tapes.  This seems like yet another attempt by the Bush administration to divert our attention from the real issue at hand, which today is the horrific culture of secrecy surrounding the Vice President.  The way this administration systematically withholds and manipulates information is deeply troubling.  It dates all the way back to the lies they told us to trick us into going to war to depose a regime which we know never had any weapons... of... um... never mind.

Speaking of questioning the timing, the Nightline special isn't going to preempt Lost, is it?

Bloggerreax:  Say Anything, Ankle Biting Pundits, Macsmind, RightWinged, Sundries Shack, Publius Rendezvous, Right Wing Nuthouse, Protein Wisdom, Pardon My English

Horrific Photo

Matt Margolis has posted a spine-chilling photograph at GOP Bloggers.  And it wasn't taken at Abu Ghraib.

Click below to reveal the horror (not suitable for the faint of heart).

Once you've regained your composure, help floss the image from your brain by photoshopping it into something more palatable.

Send it this way when you've finished.  Submissions will appear in the extended entry.

Hey, You Got Your Irony In My Hypocrisy!

I don't know which is more galling:

A)  That Ted "I let Mary Jo Kopechne Either Drown or Suffocate In My Car At the Bottom Of a Lake and Didn't Tell the Police Until the Next Day" Kennedy makes fun of Harry Whittington's injuries during a Senate Armed Services Committee hearing

-or-

B)  That Hillary "I Concealed Vince Foster's Suicide Note From Everyone, Including My Husband the President, For 30 Hours" Clinton is troubled by the administration's refusal "to be forthcoming about information that is of significance and relevance to ... the interests of the American people."

Elsewhere:
GOP and the City
Blogs for Bush
Generation Why?

And Tax Cuts Said, "Let There Be Growth." And There Was Growth. And It Was Good. And Ben Saw That It Was Good.

The expansion of the American economy is on track and durable.  Don't take my word for it.  Take the Fed Chairman's.

In Ben Bernanke's debut this morning before the House Financial Services Committee (which I percolated over earlier today), he plucked the markets out of their downturn and flung them into positive territory by virtue of his encouraging remarks about the state of the economy.

In an extreme nutshell, his message boiled down to this:

1. The economy is in a durable expansion
2. I will maintain continuity with my predecessor
3. Fed funds rate moves will be data-driven

These were the three points that traders and Fed watchers were by and large expecting to hear, but now finally hearing them - free of surprises or radical policy shifts - seems to have provided the financial Zoloft the hand-wringing market was jonesing for.

Bernanke did caution there was an ongoing inflation risk (not surprising given the good clip at which the economy is running and the consequent high capacity utilization), but that the risk continued to appear contained.  This is exactly what Greenspan has been saying (and the way he's been saying it), giving traders further assurance of continuity in the Fed's outlook.

The Dow flirted briefly with a a new multi-year high, but didn't quite punch through.

Previously:
Bernanke Takes Center Stage

Border Vigilance: It's Not Just For Mexico Anymore

Mass illegal border crossings are all the rage here in the northeast as well.

A series of early morning raids in Toronto, Windsor, Detroit and New York City has broken up an international human smuggling ring, the RCMP said today.
...
Police are alleging that migrants from China, Korea, Albania and Eastern Europe arrived in North America and were then smuggled across the border hidden in trunks of autos, on rail cars, in the backs of transport trucks and on small boats.

Canadian authorities, bless 'em for helping us out, got the focus of the problem a little mixed up.

“There was a complete disregard for the safety of these migrants who paid thousands of dollars to a gang for the 'privilege’ of being treated worse than cattle,” said RCMP spokesman Insp. Glenn Hanna.

Yes, Canada, that's tragic news for those illegal migrants.  But isn't the primary problem here the threat posed by potential neredowells who, for mere thousands of dollars, get the privilege of illegal entry into the United States?

Imagine... for less than the price of a cup of coffee (every day for a few years), you can sponsor a deserving terrorist.  Every month, you can track the progress of your terrorist through threatening video and audiotapes, as he celebrates his holy jihad against your western oppression.

This slug of arrests is at once en- and discouraging.  By all accounts, it was a very successful operation, but it also points just out how easily and regularly people are slipping through our porous northern border.

“We have no idea who were coming over,” said Stephen Murphy, the U.S. attorney for the eastern district of Michigan. “There could have been drug dealers, terrorists and God knows who coming in those boats, cars and trains.”

Bernanke Takes Center Stage

At 10:00 am, new Fed Chairman Ben Bernanke will address Congress with his first semi-annual report on the economy.  He testifies before the House Financial Services Committee today and the Senate Banking Committee tomorrow.

The markets (with the Dow freshly above 11,000 yesterday, though slipping today pre-market) are in a bit of a twist about it, as some folks are worried he may trumpet a bloodier inflation battle than Greenspan waged.  Most immediately at issue is whether (through discussion of either current inflationary pressures or his philosophy on monetary policy in general) Bernanke will telegraph the likelihood of more than one additional rate hike before the Fed pauses.

[But wait, there's more...]

I wouldn't expect him to particularly allay anyone's fears (nor to stoke them) through any hints or winks in his testimony this week, but that won't stop market watchers from dissecting every word he utters to try to strip out hidden meaning.  In the end, I think the hand-wringing over prospects of a more vigilant Fed under Bernanke is overblown.  Greenspan was a dogged crusader against inflation, laying down a record that would seem to set the likely upper bound of his successor's range of pugnacity.

I think simply having this debut performance in the rear view mirror will provide some solace for this enduringly sideways market.  Any time uncertainty is assuaged, market glee tends to beat back gloom (and the glee is out there, waiting to be reveled in).  So assuming Bernanke doesn't renounce capitalism and run around the chamber with no pants on, I suspect today's hearing is a market buoying one.

During tomorrow's testimony on the Senate side, I'd watch for some grandstanding (*gasp*) among the Senators on the Banking Committee.  Since the Q&A portions of these sessions are fairly broad-based, and as this is the first time legislators are encountering a new Fed regime in 18 years, I'd be shocked if we didn't see attempts to exhort a few quotables, most likely on the issues of tax policy and Social Security reform.

Further, I'll make the brazenfaced prediction the bulk of such exhortative grandstanding will come from the left.  Not that Republicans wouldn't be equally keen on leveraging the Chairman's viewpoint to bolster their own initiatives, but the status quo set by Greenspan (unabashedly in favor of tax cuts and Social Security reform; maligned by Harry Reid as "one of the biggest political hacks" in Washington) was such that any shift in philosophy (if only a move away from Greenspan's explicitness) would likely imbue Democrats' with incremental validation of their pro-tax, anti-reform agenda.

Plus, the Banking Committee counts among its members the granddaddy of grandstanders himself, so Ben's not getting out of there without some measure of berating and abuse.

I won't be able to liveblog the session this morning, but watch for a recap later today.

---

Update: Recap

Hex On Valdez

Carlos Valdez, district attorney in Kleberg County, Texas, an elected Democrat, seems to have set his sites on Dick Cheney.

From The New York Times:
(Hat tip: Drudge)

The downturn in Mr. Whittington's health significantly changed the tone of the White House reaction to the hunting accident. In Texas, Carlos Valdez, the district attorney in Kleberg County, said a fatality would immediately spur a new report from the local sheriff and, most likely, a grand jury investigation.

That, despite this:

Authorities have cleared Cheney of wrongdoing in the accidental shooting of Whittington, but questions about Saturday's incident remain.

...and this:

Kenedy County Sheriff's Office Press Release
... The investigation reveals that there was no alcohol, or misconduct involved in the incident.

Why, then, would a fatality (a tragedy that no medical personnel have even suggested is a prospect, though I'm sure Mr. Whittington appreciates the speculation, Mr. Valdez) spur a grand jury?

Do we need to further probe the failure to buy the $7 hunting stamp?  Conspiracy to forestall David Gregory?  I'm no lawyer, but "cleared of wrongdoing" and "no misconduct" seem to leave little room for interpretation.

Previously:
Distressing Development
There Just Has To Be a Scandal In Here Somewhere
"Something Bit Me!"

Elsewhere:
Protein Wisdom
Pundit Guy
Expose the Left

Distressing Development

Get well soon, Mr. Whittington.
(via Drudge)

The 78-year-old lawyer who was shot by Vice President Dick Cheney in a hunting accident has some birdshot lodged in his heart and he had a "a minor heart attack" Tuesday morning, hospital officials said.
...
"Some of the bird shot appears to have moved and lodged into part of his heart in what we would say is a minor heart attack," Banko said in a news conference outside the hospital.
...
David Blanchard, chief of emergency care, called it "a silent heart attack, an asymptomatic heart attack. He's not had a heart attack in the traditional sense."

Sickly, the Kos Kids are running with the conspiracy theory that Whittington never survived the accident and salivating over what criminal charges might be hung on the Vice President for the slaying and cover-up.

They must be the only sickos rooting against Whittington though, right?

Elsewhere:
Mary Katherine Ham and Decision '08 wish well.
Michelle Malkin requests a moratorium on the jokes.

Get Your Act Together, Scotland!

So long as I'm slinging countrywide rebukes today, the Scots have earned one with this slip up, in which they lost a half pound of highly enriched uranium from a nuclear plant in Dounreay.

What's more...

Another nuclear plant, Winfrith in Dorset, has also mislaid some HEU, [the Department of Trade and Industry's annual Nuclear Materials Balance survey] found.

The material is at the heart of the crisis over Iran's nuclear ambitions. Intense diplomatic efforts by western nations and the United Nations are focused on stopping the Iranian government producing HEU in its nuclear power programme.
...
The audit has previously shown even larger gaps in the nuclear balance-sheet. Last year, the Sellafield plant in Cumbria could not account for more than 30kg of plutonium.
...
While the amount of missing uranium would not be enough for a conventional nuclear device, it could be used in a "dirty bomb", in which a conventional explosive blast is used to scatter radioactive particles.