Lacking Momentum

Well, so much for the momentum of Hillary Clinton's wins in Rhode Island, Texas, and Ohio. Barack Obama just won the Wyoming caucus, which further shows just how incapable the two candidates are of separating themselves from their opponent.

This situation is going to continue all the way until the convention.

And I guarantee that things will get ugly. All the factors are in place for a very ugly convention in Denver. No matter how much the Democrat operatives want to say that they've got a united party and that they've got two candidates who can't be beat, the fact is that neither has sufficient numbers of delegates to prevail, and it will come down to back room deals to select the nominee.

If it isn't Obama, who currently leads in the delegate count, what will happen to African American supporters within the party? Are they going to tolerate the rug pulled out from under Obama by Hillary Clinton, who's been busy closing the gap of late using everything and the kitchen sink to claim the mantle of the nomination for herself.

Obama has had a very tough stretch here, because of the Tony Rezko trial, problems with Samantha Power keeping a lid on the open secret that Hillary Clinton is a monster, and the perception that he can't win the big states.

Hillary hasn't exactly lit things up herself, having the good fortune to take advantage of external facts, but she did put together a good advertisement attacking Obama over his lack of experience and credentials to deal with a crisis.



The problem is that this kind of commercial could easily describe Hillary as well. She's just as untested as Obama is.

So, this will continue to lurch forward until the Denver convention.

And the craziness surrounding the possibility of holding new elections in Florida and Michigan will do nothing to solve this mess for the Democrats since even counting the delegates will not provide the margin for victory for either candidate.

UPDATE:
And while Hillary tries to poach Obama votes by saying she wouldn't have a problem with a combined ticket of Hillary and Obama (with Bill's approval to boot), Obama has come out and poured very cold water on the idea of being Hillary's vice presidential candidate. He's leading, and there's no reason for him to provide otherwise.

Hamas Admits Being Iran's Proxy

It's something I've been saying for some time now.

The Hamas commander, however, confirmed for the first time that the Iranian Revolutionary Guard has been training its men in Tehran for more than two years and is currently honing the skills of 150 fighters.

The details he gave suggested that, if anything, Shin Bet has underestimated the extent of Iran’s influence on Hamas’s increasingly sophisticated tactics and weaponry.

Speaking on the record but withholding his identity as a target of Israeli forces, the commander, who has a sparse moustache and oiled black hair, said Hamas had been sending fighters to Iran for training in both field tactics and weapons technology since Israeli troops pulled out of the Gaza strip of Palestinian territory in 2005. Others go to Syria for more basic training.

“We have sent seven ‘courses’ of our fighters to Iran,” he said. “During each course, the group receives training that he will use to increase our capacity to fight.”

The most promising members of each group stay longer for an advanced course and return as trainers themselves, he said.

So far, 150 members of Qassam have passed through training in Tehran, where they study for between 45 days and six months at a closed military base under the command of the elite Revolutionary Guard force.

Of the additional 150 who are in Tehran now, some will go into Hamas’s research unit if they are not deemed strong enough for fighting.

Hamas is a proxy for Iran. If you want peace in the Middle East, you're going to have to drain the swamp that is Tehran. They've got the money (from oil of course) and the ideological and theological purpose to their actions.

They seek nothing less than the destruction of Israel and the spread of Islam at the sword. That Israel refuses to cease to exist and that the US has now constrained Iran's ambitions are problems that Iran will seek to overcome through the existing and expanded use of its proxy forces - Hizbullah and Hamas.

The war against Israel being fought by Hamas every day and by Hizbullah in Lebanon in 2006 were an extension of the Iranian strategy to slowly bleed Israel out of existence. Combine this with the extremely aggressive statements by Ahmadinejad calling for Israel's destruction, and you get a picture of a regime that seeks to back its words with deeds.

So Much For Conventional Wisdom About Daylight Savings Time?

USA Today has an interesting report today, which notes a study of energy usage of homes in Indiana. The study compared power usage in homes located in counties that formerly did not utilize daylight savings time and then switched over two years ago. Indiana was a relic of the past as the state was split roughly in half and some counties maintained daylight savings time while other counties did not utilize the practice.

The researchers actually thought that it might be a good idea to study whether daylight savings actually produced the energy savings alleged by proponents.

The point of the study was to actually evaluate whether it does in fact save energy because there has been surprisingly little research that has looked into that question.

What were the results?

We found based on the natural experiment in Indiana that contrary to the conventional wisdom, daylight saving time ... decreases consumption for artificial illumination but increases consumption for heating and cooling.

The magnitude of our estimate (for increased usage) ranged between 1% and 4%.

In the study, what was the cost of daylight saving time?

The change in costs to Indiana residents in terms of increased electricity demand ... is just over $3 per household per year. Over the whole population, that comes out to $8.6 million a year.

Another element ... is the social (and economic) cost of pollution emissions. Having to generate more energy for electricity means there is going to be more pollution.

We estimate those costs are between $1.6 million and $5.3 million per year in increased pollution costs.

Do the results apply to the whole nation?

Based on places that have similar sunrise and sunset times and climate of Indiana, the same results might apply.

But while this is the effect in Indiana, and we suspect that it is in a lot of other places ... there may be places where daylight saving time actually does save energy.

So, instead of reducing energy usage, it actually resulted in a net increase in Indiana.

I'd say that this warrants further examination.

Daylight savings time comes early - time to spring ahead one hour overnight.

Times Square Bombing Update

Investigators are now claiming that letters mailed to members of the New York Congressional delegation are not related to the bombing of the US Armed Forces recruitment center in Times Square. They're continuing to focus on the similarities between the Times Square bombing and the bombing of two consulates in New York City in 2005 and 2007.

But like similar attacks in 2005 and last year on the British and Mexican consulates, the explosion frayed nerves of New Yorkers and tourists alike. It also heightened speculation that all three incidents were the work of a lone bomber who, perhaps emboldened by his past attacks, sought out the bright lights of Times Square.

"Times Square is `the crossroads of the world,' and we're concerned about it," Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly said at a news conference.

The blast left a gaping hole in the recruiting station's front window and shattered a glass door, twisting and blackening the building's metal frame. Guests at the nearby Marriott Marquis said they heard a bang and felt the building shake.

Police released a private security video showing a figure riding along a traffic island in the glow of Times Square's neon signs at about 3:38 a.m and getting off the bike just outside the recruitment center. About two minutes later, the cyclist rides away. Then the explosion occurs.

The images were too murky for police to get a clear description of the cyclist. But investigators were studying other security videos, including one showing a man exiting a subway station about 10 blocks away, carrying a bicycle, police said. The FBI was analyzing forensic evidence collected at the scene, Kelly said.

The New York Times notes that yesterday marked the 38th anniversary of three members of Weather Underground terrorist group blowing themselves up in a premature detonation but I don't think that the two incidents are connected.

Good News For Some Guys -- How Long Should Sex Last?

OK, sex sells, so here is the article:

The best sex should last between seven and 13 minutes, and even three-minute sex is "adequate", a major survey of US experts has concluded.

But Australian sex therapists commenting on the new research say most men Down Under wanted it to last considerably longer while most women were "not bothered" if it was over with fast.

The sex study is the first to review what the experts believe is the ideal length of time to have penetrative sex, with the random sample of Americans and Canadians labelling seven to 13 minutes most "desirable".

Intercourse lasting between three and seven minutes was deemed "adequate", but anything less was "too short" and beyond 13 minutes was "too long".

The study, published today in the international Journal of Sexual Medicine, is designed help calm couples' unrealistic beliefs that healthy sex should last a long time.

US studies show Americans expect penetrative sex to last between 15 and 20 minutes, even though self reports indicate it is over in less than half this time.

Lead researcher Dr Eric Corty, from the Behrend College in Erie, Pennsylvania, said this was a situation "ripe for disappointment and dissatisfaction".

"In the fantasy model of male sexuality, men have large penises, rock-hard erections, and can sustain sexual activity all night long," Dr Corty wrote.

"It appears that many men and women hold this fantasy.

"The results from the present study, by providing a realistic not a fantasy model of sexuality, are useful both in treating people with sexual concerns and dysfunctions, and, with wider circulation, in preventing the onset of sexual dysfunctions."

This is good news for the majority of men who are not porn stars.

In related sexual news:

NEW YORK - American men still don't pull their weight when it comes to housework and child care, but collectively they're not the slackers they used to be. The average dad has gradually been getting better about picking himself up off the sofa and pitching in, according to a new report in which a psychologist suggests the payoff for doing more chores could be more sex.

The report, released Thursday by the Council on Contemporary Families, summarizes several recent studies on family dynamics. One found that men's contribution to housework had doubled over the past four decades; another found they tripled the time spent on child care over that span.

"More couples are sharing family tasks than ever before, and the movement toward sharing has been especially significant for full-time dual-earner couples," the report says. "Men and women may not be fully equal yet, but the rules of the game have been profoundly and irreversibly changed."

Some couples have forged partnerships they consider fully equitable.

"We'll both talk about how we're so lucky to have someone who does more than their share," said Mary Melchoir, a Washington-based fundraiser for the National Organization for Women, who — like her lawyer husband — works full-time while raising 6-year-old triplets.

"He's the one who makes breakfast and folds the laundry," said Melchoir, 47. "I'm the one who fixes things around the house."

Joshua Coleman, a San Francisco-area psychologist and author of "The Lazy Husband: How to Get Men to Do More Parenting and Housework," said equitable sharing of housework can lead to a happier marriage and more frequent sex.

"If a guy does housework, it looks to the woman like he really cares about her — he's not treating her like a servant," said Coleman, who is affiliated with the Council on Contemporary Families. "And if a woman feels stressed out because the house is a mess and the guy's sitting on the couch while she's vacuuming, that's not going to put her in the mood."

Ok, in a recent dinner with Lawhawk and two other long time friends, I was accused of not pulling my fair share of household chores, especially with respect to changing diapers. And Mrs. Legalbgl always complains that I do not wash my dish after dinner. So, if doing the dishes more often and vacuuming every now and then will get me more of my 7-13 minutes, heck I am all for it.

Coincidence or Trend?

Last week, an African model was found floating in the Seine River. Paris police found no foul play and suspect the model, Katoucha Niane, died after accidentally falling into the river. Niane had become a prominent spokeswoman against the brutal practice of female genital mutilation.

Now, we learn that another African model has disappeared, this time from the streets of Belgium. Waris Dirie was an outspoken critic of female genital mutilation, had written a book on the subject, and was scheduled to speak at a conference in Brussels, which will also feature Sec. State Rice:

Dirie was due to speak to two conferences on women's rights organized by the European Union in Brussels this week, including one Thursday attended by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

Dirie's disappearance comes a week after French police said they'd found the body of another former model of African origin who had campaigned against female genital mutilation.

Guinean-born Katoucha Niane's body was found floating in the Seine River in Paris. French police said an autopsy showed no signs of foul play, pointing to the possibility that the 47-year-old Niane may have fallen accidentally into the river.

On Friday, Belgian police launched an official missing persons appeal for Dirie, asking the public for information. The police said they also were looking for the taxi driver that took her from the area between 3 a.m. and 4 a.m.

Lutschinger said Dirie had been involved in an altercation at a hotel reception after a taxi driver had taken her to the wrong branch of the Sofitel hotel chain after a visit to a night club. The police were called and drove Dirie around Brussels looking for the correct hotel, after she had apparently forgotten where she was staying.

At one hotel, while staff and police were checking for her name on a computer, Dirie walked out and climbed into a taxi that drove away, Lutschinger said police told him.

While, it may be nothing more than coincidence, I hope that the authorities do look closely at both situations to ensure that it is nothing more than a coincidence.

UPDATE:
Jihad Watch wonders about what happened to these two women - both strident opponents to FGM.

UPDATE:
Reports are coming in that authorities in Brussels have found Dirie alive and are questioning her over what transpired.

Dean Urges Do-Over Contests in Fla, Mich

WASHINGTON (AP) - Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean urged Florida and Michigan party officials to come up with plans to repeat their presidential nominating contests so that their delegates can be counted.
"All they have to do is come before us with rules that fit into what they agreed to a year and a half ago, and then they'll be seated," Dean said during a round of interviews Thursday on network and cable TV news programs.

The two state parties will have to find the funds to pay for new contests without help from the national party, Dean said.

"We can't afford to do that. That's not our problem. We need our money to win the presidential race," he said.

Officials in Michigan and Florida are showing renewed interest in holding repeat presidential nominating contests so that their votes will count in the epic Democratic campaign.

The Michigan governor, top officials in Hillary Rodham Clinton's campaign, and Florida's state party chair all are now saying they would consider holding a sort of do-over contest by June. That's a change from the previous insistence from officials in both states that the primaries they held in January should determine how their delegates are allocated.

Clinton won both contests, but the results were meaningless because the elections violated national party rules.

The Democratic National Committee stripped both states of all delegates for holding the primaries too early, and all Democratic candidates—including Clinton and rival Barack Obama—agreed not to campaign in either state. Obama's name wasn't even on the Michigan ballot.

Florida and Michigan moved up their dates to protest the party's decision to allow Iowa and New Hampshire to go first, followed by South Carolina and Nevada, giving them a disproportionate influence on the presidential selection process.

But no one predicted the race would still be very close at this point in the year.

"The rules were set a year and a half ago," Dean said. "Florida and Michigan voted for them, then decided that they didn't need to abide by the rules. Well, when you are in a contest you do need to abide by the rules. Everybody has to play by the rules out of respect for both campaigns and the other 48 states."

Personally, I thing the Florida vote should count as is. All of the candidates names were on the ballot and neither candidate campaigned there. To call a "do-over" in Florida is not right. In Michigan, however, they should redo the election, as Obama's name was not on the ballot.

I believe it is unfair for the party to take away the state's delegates and not seat them. The states, not the party, should make the rules for their own elections. If the party is not satisfied with the rules the state makes, they can withhold funding and support. To not seat the delegates disenfranchises the voters, without any recourse. There is something wholly un-American about not allowing people's votes to count in elections.

What Are They Hiding?

USA Today reports that the Clinton Library is holding on to hundreds of pages of documents requested by various parties, including the Obama and McCain campaigns about President Clinton's pardons.

What are the archivists hiding? Why do the Clintons not want their record to be in the public domain? This isn't the first time the Clintons have sought to limit the release of documents from Bill's presidency.

Federal archivists at the Clinton Presidential Library are blocking the release of hundreds of pages of White House papers on pardons that the former president approved, including clemency for fugitive commodities trader Marc Rich.

That archivists’ decision, based on guidance provided by Bill Clinton that restricts the disclosure of advice he received from aides, prevents public scrutiny of documents that would shed light on how he decided which pardons to approve from among hundreds of requests.

Clinton’s legal agent declined the option of reviewing and releasing the documents that were withheld, said the archivists, who work for the federal government, not the Clintons.

The decision to withhold much of the requested material could provide fodder for critics who say that the former president and his wife, Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, now seeking the Democratic presidential nomination, have been unwilling to fully release documents to public scrutiny.

Officials with the presidential campaign of Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., criticized Sen. Clinton this week for not doing more to see that records from her husband’s administration are made public. “She’s been reluctant to disclose information,” Obama’s chief strategist David Axelrod told reporters in a conference call where he specifically cited the slow release records from the Clinton library. “If she’s not willing to be open with (voters) on these issues now, why would she be open as president.”

From the way they're ducking and covering, you'd think that the Clintons had something to hide.

The fact is that the pardons are rich fodder for pundits and opponents, because so many of the pardons had a foul stench to them. Marc Rich got a pardon, despite the Department of Justice opposing one, all because Rich's wife was a big donor.

Others got pardons because Clinton family members benefited.

Name That Party: NYC DUI Edition

The car was moving erratically, weaving in and out of lanes on the West Side Highway in the early hours of Thursday, the police said, in a scene that soon seemed to belong in a cynical Hollywood movie about the rise and fall of a political dynasty.

There was an assemblyman at the wheel of a rented sedan, who emerged from the car to tell the police, “I had a few drinks, but I’m not drunk,” according to a prosecutor in court Thursday. There was a woman in the back, either asleep or unconscious, law enforcement officials said.

The assemblyman was Adam Clayton Powell IV, whose father, the Rev. Adam Clayton Powell Jr., represented Harlem in Congress for three decades and was so popular that he survived a corruption scandal before being unseated by Charles B. Rangel, now the dean of New York’s delegation.

It was the third brush with the law in four years for Assemblyman Powell, 45, who weathered allegations by two women that he got them drunk and then raped them in 2004. No criminal charges were filed in either case.

Thursday, Mr. Powell was charged with drunken driving in Manhattan Criminal Court. His lawyer, Stacey Richman, said he was not guilty, and refused an offer by the Manhattan district attorney to agree to a $1,000 fine, the revocation of his driver’s license for a year and five days of community service.

Here's a hint about his political affiliation. He's not a Republican.

UPDATE:
Jammie also notices the media's failure to denote Powell's political affiliations.

Fallout

The investigation into how the terrorists managed to infiltrate the Yeshiva Merkaz Harav yesterday and murdered eight students continues. Thus far, the investigation has revealed that the terrorist was a driver for the school. The terrorist's family and neighbors are immensely proud of this heinous act.

"We are proud and happy, and everyone in Jabel Mukaber is proud of him," said a cousin, who identified herself as Umm Fadi.

They take pride in racking up a body count of Israelis. And Hamas flags were draped outside the house. They're also claiming responsibility for the attack (which thus far has been claimed by pretty much every terrorist group operating against Israel).

This is with whom the diplomats think peace can be achieved? All these terrorist groups do is seek Israel's destruction, and yet the diplomats think that Fatah is the moderate one of the bunch? They have no problem providing cover for the other terrorists so long as the money keeps flowing. But they do not carry out their own obligations to secure the territories and stop inciting Palestinians to violence against Israel.

Meanwhile, the UN continues to do what it always does - nothing. The UN Security Council met last night to pass a resolution condemning the terrorist attack, but Libya blocked the measure because it wanted to include a statement condemning Israel's actions to defend itself from terrorists in Gaza. Of course, that's not how Libya phrased it. The Libyans wanted to condemn Israel for attacking Gaza.

Amnesty International condemned the attack, but urged Israel to refrain from going on the offensive. Right. They want Israel to sit back and absorb terrorist attack after attack; such mindsets enable terrorists and restraint only emboldens terrorists to continue attacking.

For now, the Israelis have sealed the territories, which means it will be a matter of time before AI or the other human rights groups will complain about the checkpoints and restraint on Palestinian movement in the territories.

Israelis came out by the thousands to mourn and lay to rest the students from the yeshiva. Those killed ranged in age from 16 to 26. Those at the Yeshiva did not have kind words for the Olmert government either.

The scene outside the yeshiva was furious and passionate, with at least 50 ambulances and as many police cars, and angry students and local residents lined up behind police tapes, chanting, “Death to Arabs,” “Olmert — you are to blame” and “Who gave them weapons?”

Rabbi David Shalem, 43, the director of the Institute of Talmud Studies at the yeshiva, where he has spent the last 22 years, tried to wipe his tears away. “Tomorrow instead of religious lectures there will be funerals,” he said, then shouted: “Let the government go to hell! Write that down. Let the government go to hell!”

Asked what the government should do, Rabbi Nachum Levy, 60, said, “I would like to see Olmert go with a strong hand.” Where? “Everywhere, in Gaza and the north and inside,” he said, “and not dismantle settlements.”

The Olmert government thinks that the images of bloody talism (Jewish prayer shawls) and bibles should be spread around the world to show the intent of the terrorist group Hamas - linking the attack in Jerusalem to the rocket war in the South. That's fine for what it is, but the problem is that Olmert once again doesn't go far enough.

Fatah and all the other terrorist groups and their proxies are just as intent on Israel's destruction as Hamas. It is time for Israel to break off all talks with Fatah (after all, the al Aqsa Martyrs Brigade claimed responsibility for the attack yesterday - and it's a wholly owned subsidiary of Fatah).

UPDATE:
The Israelis have razed the home of the terrorist. Expect the outcry from the usual suspects over such limited acts.

UPDATE:
The Bush Administration loses big points once again for pushing negotiation with terrorists over killing terrorists. They're trying to get everyone behind the Egyptian efforts to get everyone back to the negotiating table.

It's a fool's errand. Negotiations by their very purpose, favor the terrorists over a nation struggling to defend itself from genocidal thugs hellbent on inflicting as much carnage on Israel as possible.

UPDATE:
Aussie Dave has more on the aftermath of the yeshiva attack. Meanwhile, Meryl Yourish catches Reuters in another lie. Hamas wants a ceasefire on its own terms, and it basically requires Israel to sit back and take further attacks, in the West Bank and Gaza, or else Hamas will resume its attacks on Israel (which never stopped).

UPDATE:
Israel continues to bury its dead. One of those murdered was Avraham David Moses, 16, whose parents moved from New York to Gush Etzion, which I had visited when in Israel back in 1993.

One victim, Avraham David Moses, 16, whose parents had moved to Israel from the United States, was buried in a quiet, restrained ceremony attended by several hundred people in Gush Etzion, a settlement in the West Bank.

Shaded by trees, the mourners carried the body up to the grave on a stretcher covered in a black and white prayer shawl. The victim’s young siblings gathered around the grave and helped throw soil onto the body.

“He was a really good kid,” said his stepmother, Leha Moses, who grew up in New Jersey and who said she had lived in Israel for 12 years. “He was just an incredible blessing,” she said.

Members of the family said the boy’s mother, Rivka Moriah, was originally from New England and his father, Naftali Moses, was from Long Island, and both had moved to Israel several years ago. Both had subsequently remarried.

Meanwhile, Abbas continues to play games, and the US continues to push for talks.

Hamas is now backing away from its prior claims of responsibility. Maybe they know that claiming responsibility might bring down the weight of the IDF on the heads of the terror masters. Israel should do so in any event. The terrorists continue plotting, even if they weren't responsible for this heinous terrorist attack.

UPDATE:
The Israeli Consulate in New York sent out an email today about the yeshiva massacre, and noted the similarities between the Palestinians celebrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks and the Palestinians celebrating the yeshiva massacre. To wit, Palestinians celebrating the 9/11 terrorist attacks on the United States:


The Palestinians celebrating the yeshiva massacre:

Yesterday evening at about 8:45 P.M. Jerusalem time, a Hamas terrorist armed with an automatic rifle, handguns, a knife, and extra ammunition shot his way into Yeshivat Merkaz Harav, one of the world's most preeminent schools for Jewish education, and wantonly murdered, in the most barbaric way, 8 young Jewish students studying the Torah (Old Testament). Seven of the eight students heinously murdered in yesterday's massacre were under the age of 18. This cowardly and deliberate attack on Israeli children, in what should be the safest of places, serves to highlight the barbarity, cruelty, and inhumanity of Israel's enemies.

The world should take swift and concrete action to unequivocally condemn this massacre, but alas, the UN Security Council once again could not bring itself to speak out against terror inflicted on the Jewish people and the Jewish State.

Although the Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas condemned yesterdays attack, this is a declaration expected from any decent human being, and should be followed by action to reign in the terrorists who act on a daily basis to kill Jewish citizens of Israel. Israel is committed to the peace process, but can only make peace with people who are also committed to peace in more than words.

Israel will not have peace because the Palestinians are not interested in peace; they're interested in Israelis in pieces.

UPDATE:
Here are the names of the Jewish boys murdered by the Palestinian terrorist:

Yohai Livshitz, 18, from Jerusalem; Yonatan Yitzhak Eldar, 16, from Shilo; Yonadav Haim Hirschfeld, 19, from Kohav Hashahar; and Neria Cohen, 15, also from the capital, Segev Peniel Avihail, 15, from Neve Daniel, Avraham David Moses, 16, from Efrat, Roee Roth, 18, from Elkana and Doron Meherete, 26, from Ashdod.

UPDATE:
Dry Bones has more on the Palestinian celebrations, and provides the video of the sweets being passed out by the Palestinians to celebrate the murder of the eight Jewish students.

Kurt Westergaard Doubles Down

Westergaard is one of the cartoonists whose images were useful fodder for Islamists who whipped their parishioners into a frenzy of rage and hatred and violence. The Muslims who rioted around the world complained about the bad portrayal of Muslims and that of Mohammad all while committing all manner of violence (torching embassies and businesses, and murdering more than 50 people).

He's doubling down. As someone who is the focus of multiple death threats and fatwas and a recent assassination plot that brought out media in Denmark to republish the same cartoons in response, he's not backing down from the jihadis:



UPDATE:
Found this interview of Westergaard at Family Security Matters, and it's quite an interesting read as he goes off on the multiculturalists that enable Islamofascism.

Palestinians Terrorists Murder At Least Seven At Yeshiva

I've broken out coverage of this story from an earlier post and reorganized and added to it. Aussie Dave is following the story closely.

The terrorists entered a dining hall where about 80 people were gathered, witnesses said, and opened fire. "There are at least seven killed," said Eli Dein, director of Israel's rescue service.

I fully expect there to be celebrating by Palestinians as news of this breaks across Gaza and the West Bank. It's what they do [ed: and here's the photographic proof].

Expect more candy to be passed out by the Palestinians: Seven people slain by two terrorists at Jewish seminary at entrance of Jerusalem, police tell AP. Terrorists also dead. (HT: anonymous emailer) The Jerusalem Post notes the following:

Two Palestinian terrorists entered the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe on Thursday night and opened fire at students inside.

Eyewitnesses said that they saw four people dead, Channel 1 reported.

Magen David Adom has confirmed casualties but the number of wounded was unknown. MDA has confirmed that one of the terrorists was killed.

Once again, terrorists targeting schools. This is what they do.

One of the terrorists may have had a bomb.

The seminar is the Mercaz Harav yeshiva in the Kiryat Moshe quarter of Jerusalem, a well-known center of Jewish studies identified with the leadership of the settlement movement. It is home to several hundred students, most aged 18-30.

Jerusalem police spokesman Shmuel Ben Ruby said the slain gunman had an explosive belt on his body. One or two terrorists infiltrated the Mercaz Harav seminary and opened fire in all directions. One terrorist was killed in an exchange of fire.'' He said the dead gunman was wearing a vest that at first appeared to be an explosives vest turned out to be a belt holding extra ammunition.

He said students were being evacuated from the building, and police were searching from room to room, apparently in pursuit of the second terrorist.

Anyone want to take bets on which Palestinian group will be first to claim responsibility? I'm betting on the PRC or Islamic Jihad, though it wouldn't surprise me in the slightest if it was Hamas or Fatah. And Fatah's al Aqsa Martyr's Brigade is now taking responsibility.

Will we hear condemnations from Abbas over this? Or will they try to claim that this is simply terrorists trying to derail the peace process and/or acting as revenge for Israeli strikes in Gaza. (Answer - all of the above). Fatah deserves to be run into the ground, just as surely as Hamas and gives lie to the supposed separation of the political and military wings of terrorist groups - they're one in the same.

This is what happens when Israeli leaders negotiate with some terrorists and fight half assed against others. It's a rope a dope, and Israeli civilians pay with their lives.

The Palestinians or their sycophants will invariably rationalize that no matter the age of the Israelis killed, they were justifiable targets, because they'll eventually be in the Israeli military.

By that kind of rationalization, Israel could go after the jihadis in the crib too. But Israel doesn't because it has a moral center and restrains itself from going after terrorists in the midst of civilians. And when it does, it puts Israeli soldiers at risk of attack - all with the intent of minimizing civilian casualties.

Palestinian terrorists seek to maximize the carnage.

They attack schools.

This is what they do. This is the face of the terrorists who kill in the name of Islam. It is war. And Hamas and the other Palestinian terrorists do not want a two-state solution no matter how many times the media says it - they seek the elimination of Israel altogether, and killing Israelis is part and parcel of that goal.

That, and they cheer the slaughter of people in school:

In Gaza City, residents went out into the streets and fired rifles in celebration in the air after hearing news of the attack on the seminary.

UPDATE:
Abbas condemns the attack. How nice, given that some reports indicate it was his own terrorist organization that carried out the attack. Make no doubt that the AAMB is a wholly owned subsidiary of Fatah.

UPDATE:
Still more reports (note that this is from Palestinian sources) that Palestinians are busy handing out sweets and celebrating the murder of Israelis at the yeshiva. Elder of Ziyon has more on the debasement of the Palestinians. Hamas is busy cheering on the jihadis who carried out the slaughter. So too, is the PRC.

The toll thus far is eight. Israel's Magen David Alom is bracing for more attacks and doubling the number of ambulances available for upcoming shifts.

UPDATE:
The number killed by Palestinian terrorists at the yeshiva is now 10, although some reports are still indicating that eight were killed. The terrorist opened fired on the study hall, before another student with a rifle fired and killed the terrorist outside.

The 'Galilee Freedom Brigades' – an Israeli-Arab group - has claimed responsibility for the attack. The organization has claimed responsibility for several terror attacks in Israel in the past.

Initial estimates indicate the gunman was a resident of East Jerusalem and likely possessed the blue ID card given to Israeli citizens.

There are conflicting reports over which terrorist group the murderous bastard belonged to, but as noted above, there's little doubt that all of them are gloating over the attack.

UPDATE:
Some of the linkages suggest a Hizbullah connection, but I'm skeptical despite the name of the latest group to claim responsibility.

Mere Rhetoric has more.

Jammie catches the media playing games - both with omitting the terrorists from the equation and from focusing solely on the terrorists killed and not even mentioning that eight Israeli students were slaughtered by those terrorists.

Israpundit notes that the student who killed the terrorist reportedly stated that Peres and Olmert armed the terrorists. That's not all that much of a stretch. Israel did provide Fatah with weapons, which promptly fell into the hands of Hamas when Hamas kicked Fatah out of Gaza, and Fatah is still a terrorist organization regardless of whatever legitimacy it claims to have because it engages in the taqiya of negotiations with Israel and the West. Fatah figures that so long as the money keeps rolling, they'll keep saying whatever will make the donors happy.

Gateway Pundit has more, and further notes that Hamas blesses the attacks. Figures. Homicidal terrorists love to cheer on fellow travelers.

UPDATE:
Terrorists with candy:


From the looks of the banner and the bandanna on the kids head, those are probably Hamas thugs passing out the candy.

UPDATE:
Aussie Dave has still more photos of the Palestinians celebrating the murders of Israeli citizens.

UPDATE:
Rusty at the Jawa Report is also following the situation and the media bias.

UPDATE:
Welcome Michelle Malkin readers. Please note my earlier coverage of the ongoing Palestinian war against Israel (usually accessible by following the label for kassam attacks - the primary method the Palestinian terrorists have employed to maximize the carnage in Israel until today).

The Rebuilding of Ground Zero, Part 21

 

The Survivor's Staircase, which is one of the last remaining remnants of the WTC complex above ground, is being moved this weekend to make way for additional construction at Ground Zero.

That staircase — 37 stairs that once connected the outdoor plaza outside the twin towers to the street below — survived Sept. 11 and remains the only above-ground remnant of the trade center complex.

After years of debate over whether and how to preserve the structure, though, the staircase will be moved this weekend for the first time. The stairs are moving about 200 feet west on the site, to be stored until they can be installed at the Sept. 11 memorial.

"I would have liked it if they could have left it where it was," said Canavan, 48. "I realize they couldn't do that."

Preservationists and survivors of the 2001 terrorist attack began campaigning years ago to leave the staircase as it stood, while developers refined plans for office towers, a transit hub and Sept. 11 memorial on the 16-acre site. The staircase, which had weighed 175 tons and stood 22 feet, sits in the middle of the footprint of a 1,278-foot skyscraper, one of five being built to replace the destroyed towers.

The staircase sits where the Sir Norman Foster designed Tower 2 (200 Greenwich) would be located.

Meanwhile, the itinerary for Pope Benedict will include a visit to Ground Zero during his trip to the US in April.

UPDATE:
I added the photo above of the staircase, which gives you a sense of the size and location.

Merchant of Death Nabbed In Thailand

Viktor Bout, a major arms dealer, was arrested in Thailand by the authorities there. The guy has ties to some of the worst scum on the planet, including Liberia's Charles Taylor (currently on trial for war crimes/crimes against humanity), the Taliban, and all other kinds of baddies.

According to U.S. officials, Bout -- a former Soviet air force officer who speaks multiple languages -- has what is reputed to be the largest private fleet of Soviet-era cargo aircraft in the world.

Bout acquired the planes shortly after the breakup of the Soviet Union, the U.S. Department of Treasury said in 2005.

At that time, the U.S. Treasury announced it was freezing the assets of Bout and his associates who are all tied to former Liberian President Charles Taylor. Taylor is currently on trial at the United Nations War Crimes Tribunal at The Hague.

Intelligence officials said he shipped large quantities of small arms to civil wars across Africa and Asia, often taking diamonds in payment from West African fighters.

British intelligence officials found evidence in Afghanistan that Bout had shipped arms to the Taliban and al Qaeda, as well as circumstantial evidence that he shipped weapons technology into Iraq.

And the U.S. government said it received information that Bout profited $50 million from supplying the Taliban with military equipment when they ruled Afghanistan.

Bout -- who is said to be the inspiration for Nicholas Cage's character in the movie, "Lord of War" -- told CNN in an interview in 2002 that he never sold arms to the Taliban or the al Qaeda terrorist network. He also denied providing weapons and missile guidance technology to Iraq.

Why would he admit to providing weapons to the Taliban or Al Qaeda? Arms dealers aren't exactly going to shout out about their links to global terrorist organizations or those who provided them shelter in the past? That's not exactly the way you stay out of trouble or gain new clients, so I discount his statements to CNN as nothing more than a smokescreen.

UPDATE:
The New York Times notes that Bout had links to FARC as well:

One of the world’s most notorious arms dealers, suspected of supplying weapons to the Taliban and Al Qaeda and of pouring huge arms shipments into Africa’s civil wars with his own private air fleet, was arrested by Thai authorities in a hotel here Thursday. His capture was prompted by a tipoff from the United States in connection with the procurement of weapons for the Colombian FARC rebels.

The DEA tipped off the Thai authorities to his presence and a Thai security official claims that American counter-terrorism officials are questioning him.

NJ Corrupt Politicos Update

For a change, the Star Ledger actually reports Sharpe James' political affiliation in reporting on his ongoing corruption trial. It's right there in the third paragraph.

Sharpe James' personal secretary returns to the witness stand for a third day today in the federal corruption case that accuses the former Newark mayor of rigging city land deals to benefit a girlfriend.

Rose Marie Posella, James' secretary for his 20 years in office, spent the entire day Wednesday continuing her testimony for the prosecution and then facing a four-hour grilling by defense attorneys. Posella retired June 30, 2006, the same day James, who did not seek reelection, left office.

On Tuesday, Posella said James secretly requested city officials in 2005 to inform him about land sales in Newark. The prosecution showed a videotape of a television news interview and a copy of a letter to an Associated Press reporter in which the former Democratic mayor denied giving away land.

James, 72, is accused of making arrangements for Tamika Riley, 38, to purchase nine city-owned parcels which she quickly resold for nearly $700,000 in profit without redeveloping them as required by the contracts. James and Riley are both charged with fraud and conspiracy, but Riley also faces tax evasion charges. Both have pleaded not guilty to the accusations and deny any wrongdoing.

The same couldn't be said of an update in the Record on a whole bunch of New Jersey politicians who were indicted in September of last year for corruption. Missing is any reference to political affiliations, despite the fact that all named are not Republicans.

Rivera was arrested last Sept. 6 as part of a statewide FBI undercover sting that passed out more than $130,000 in bribes to officials in return for favorable action on public contracts.

Among the 11 officials arrested with Rivera were then state Assemblymen Alfred E. Steele of Paterson and Mims Hackett Jr., who is also the mayor of Orange; Passaic Councilman Marcellus Jackson and former Passaic Councilman Jonathan Soto; a Newark council aide, and school board members from Pleasantville in Atlantic County.

Six of the 11 officials have pleaded guilty, including Steele and Jackson, and a jury in Camden last week convicted former Pleasantville school trustee James T. McCormick, after three of his one-time colleagues testified against him.

Like Rivera, Soto has pleaded not guilty to charges of extortion and accepting bribes.

A two-count indictment, returned Jan. 16, charged Rivera with extortion in a scheme to peddle his influence on behalf of an insurance contractor in return for $50,000, and actually accepting $5,000 last summer.

The War Goes On

The AP reports that an Israeli soldier was killed in Gaza when the Palestinian terrorists ambushed an IDF vehicle and then attacked the rescue vehicles. Well, that's not exactly how the Times headlined it: Gaza Attack Said To Kill Israeli Soldier. It's such a lovely use of the passive voice to make one wonder who actually killed the Israeli soldier. It's also funny how when Gazans get killed or injured, the headlines clearly use an active voice to state that Israelis are responsible for the incident.

And the report notes that they're concerned that this might start a fresh wave of violence. Earth to AP (and NYT), but the Palestinian terrorists haven't stopped trying to kill Israelis. They just aren't very successful with their kassam attacks, despite firing thousands of them. This concern about a fresh wave of violence might make more sense when you note that the Palestinians fired a dozen rockets at Israel yesterday.

Here's how the first three paragraphs of the story read:

Palestinian militants ambushed an Israeli army jeep patrolling the Gaza border, then attacked a rescue crew that rushed to the scene, killing one soldier and wounding three in a brazen cross-border attack, according to military and witness accounts.

The attack raised the possibility of a fresh round of violence in Gaza, just two days after Israel ended an offensive that killed more than 120 Palestinians. Senior Israeli military officers held an emergency meeting to plot a response, officials said.

Palestinian witnesses said a large explosion tore through the jeep, which was on the Israeli side of the border fence near the Kissufim crossing into central Gaza, and set it on fire.

More to the point, the article clearly states that the Palestinian terrorists launched the attack across the Gaza border into Israel - killing and wounding the Israelis on the Israeli side of the border.

And the kassams continue to be fired from Gaza and slam into Israel. Sderot once again came under attack.

Meanwhile, Egypt is trying to rebuild its border fence with Gaza - having already rebuilt a section. Hamas had breached that fence and invaded Egypt, which included sending tens of thousands streaming across the border to cover for illicit activities, including smuggling weapons and materials necessary for the terrorist war against Israel.

UPDATE:
Media Backspin (via dhg4 at LGF) runs the numbers that the world media ignores. To wit:

28 Claims of damage for agricultural property and goods.

113 Cars damaged by rockets between Saturday and Tuesday.

230 Buildings in Ashkelon alone damaged by rocket fire between Saturday and Tuesday.

565 Overall number of Israeli buildings damaged between Saturday and Tuesday.

It takes a whole lot of rockets and mortars fired by Palestinian terrorists to cause that kind of damage. It's the context often missing in reports on the situation in Gaza and why Israel was forced to take military action in Gaza.

The fact is that the media is actively running interference for Palestinian terrorists, enabling them to attack and kill Israelis, while not having to worry about the repercussions because the media spin ignores or downplays the acts that initiate the Israeli response.

Steve Erlanger, a NYT reporter, leads with a sob story about a Palestinian who support the ongoing terrorism. It's always about the heroic struggle against Israeli actions - all the while downplaying the Palestinian terrorism that forced Israel to act.

“We all support resistance to the Israelis,” said Hitam Abed Rabo, 33, a lawyer with the military court set up by Hamas, which she supports. “They talk about responding to rockets, but nothing justifies what the Israelis did here. They have to be confronted with strong resistance, so they don’t come back.”

Will firing rockets on Israeli towns bring independence and freedom? “Yes,” she said. “Absolutely.”

Ayash Abed Rabo, 34, her cousin, scoffed. “These rockets are a joke,” he said. “We want to live. We want peace. I don’t want Israel here, and I don’t want resistance.”

Nothing? A couple thousand rockets fired at Israel, and you think Israel should just sit back and take it? Hundreds of homes and businesses damaged by Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists, and Israel should pack it in in Sderot. Well, according to the Palestinians, that is exactly what they want - they want Israel to pack it in.

The voices of reason in Gaza are few and far between, because Hamas has a way of silencing those who oppose its war with Israel.

Questions over just how many civilians were killed is a political one - because Hamas and Fatah need lots of civilian casualties to justify Israeli condemnation for its self-defense, while Israel knows that the number of civilians killed is far lower than the Palestinians will care to admit because the terrorists always seek to blend in so as to maximize the appearance of civilian casualties. They purposefully hide behind women and children, so if they are attacked, the body count will be ripe with images of blood soaked children and their toys.

UPDATE:
The moral equivalence brigade at the UN Human Rights Council issued a condemnation of the terrorist rocket attacks, but also condemned Israel's response. Figures.

Hamas says that they'll talk, but only if Israel lets down its guard and stops trying to kill terrorists.

The PRC is claiming responsibility for the morning's attack that resulted in a dead Israeli soldier on the Israeli side of the border, saying that it was in retaliation for the Israeli actions in Gaza.

They say this even as more kassams strike Sderot, and another Israeli was injured. That latest attack left a house on fire.

UPDATE:
Carl in Jerusalem has video of the attack on the Israeli forces at Kissufim Junction. Once again, the Palestinians handed out candies to celebrate the death of an Israeli.

UPDATE:
Expect more candy to be passed out by the Palestinians: Seven people slain by two terrorists at Jewish seminary at entrance of Jerusalem, police tell AP. Terrorists also dead. (HT: anonymous emailer) The Jerusalem Post notes the following:

Two Palestinian terrorists entered the Mercaz Harav Yeshiva in the Jerusalem neighborhood of Kiryat Moshe on Thursday night and opened fire at students inside.

Eyewitnesses said that they saw four people dead, Channel 1 reported.

Magen David Adom has confirmed casualties but the number of wounded was unknown. MDA has confirmed that one of the terrorists was killed.

Once again, terrorists targeting schools. This is what they do.

UPDATE:
I'm breaking out the Yeshiva attack into it's own post. More to follow.

Developing: Times Square Armed Forces Center Bombed

Waking up this morning, this was the first story to cross the wires. A bomb went off in front of the US Armed Forces recruiting center at Times Square in Manhattan. It blew out the windows and door of the center, but no injuries were reported.

This morning's incident is similar to two earlier incidents - one in October 2007 and one in May 2005 where an explosive device went off in the middle of the night:

The 3:45 a.m. blast is similar to two other incidents in New York, one in October and one in May 2005.

Both times an explosive device was detonated around 3 a.m.

In the October incident, a bomb was detonated near the Mexican consulate, shattering windows. At that time the authorities said the explosive device was similar to the ones used in a May 2005 blast at the British consulate.

In both cases, authorities were looking for a person spotted riding a bicycle in the area.

Police stopped several bicyclists for questioning Thursday morning near Times Square, but no one was detained, WABC-TV reported.

The recruiting office, whose neon lights help it blend in with the bright atmosphere of Times Square, sits on a triangular traffic island across the street from the Hard Rock Cafe.

Two witnesses, a man and a woman, told a local TV station they heard a "huge bang" from their hotel rooms, but there were no police or fire reports of serious damage or injuries.

Mayor Mike Bloomberg will be holding a presser this morning.

The recruitment center is normally staffed by two noncommissioned officers, but was empty at the time of the explosion.

The center is normally staffed by two noncommissioned officers but was empty at the time of the explosion, said Capt. Charlie Jaquillard, the commander of army recruiting operations in Manhattan.

"If it is something that is directed toward American troops, then it's something that's taken very seriously and is pretty unfortunate," he said.

Members of the police department's bomb squad and fire officials gathered outside the recruiting station, which has occasionally been the site of anti-war demonstrations, ranging from silent vigils to loud rallies.

Police cars and yellow tape initially blocked drivers from entering one of the world's busiest crossroads, though some traffic was allowed through around the start of rush hour.

Guests at the Marriott Marquis on 46th Street said they heard a "big bang" and could feel the building shake. A large plume of smoke was also visible after the explosion, they said.

Ed Morissey notes that the anti-war types have been escalating their tactics since their protests have failed to generate much in the way of support or sympathy to the point of stopping the war. That's certainly a possibility given the target, but for now no motives or suspects are in custody.

UPDATE:
Leave it to the fine folks at Daily Kos to tell it to you straight - the bombing was a right wing plot. These people are clearly delusional and have no problem projecting their own issues on to others. And these are also the same people that Obama and Hillary are courting for support in the primaries and heading into the convention.

UPDATE:
Others blogging the situation: Michelle Malkin, Jammie, and Dave in Texas at Ace.

UPDATE:
The NY Sun reports that the explosive was black powder that was packed in an ammunition box.

The homemade bomb was left outside a military recruitment office on Broadway between West 43rd Street and West 44th Street and exploded at 3:43 a.m., police said. Windows were shattered in the office, but no one was hurt.

Mayor Bloomberg and Police Commissioner Raymond Kelly, speaking at a news conference at the scene this morning, said the explosion had been caused by black powder that had been packed inside an ammunition box.

The box, which Mr. Kelly said is one that would be available at most Army-Navy stores, was slightly larger than a phone book. Though "not particularly sophisticated," Mr. Kelly said, "this type of device could certainly cause injury and even death."

Mr. Kelly said a witness had seen a person riding by on a bicycle "in suspicious manner" shortly before the incident. The person was wearing a hood, dark colored clothing, and a backpack, and had ridden onto the traffic island where the military station stands, Mr. Kelly said. A small police station is also located on the traffic island.

UPDATE:
Hot Air has posted a copy of surveillance video, and it shows someone on a bicycle approaching the recruitment station and the bomb detonating moments later.

UPDATE:
Members of the New York Congressional Delegation received letters in advance of the bombing, including a photo of a man standing in front of the recruiting center in Times Square, along with an anti-war manifesto.

Patrick Swayze's Last Dance All Too Soon?

Word began percolating this afternoon that Patrick Swayze, the star of movies like Dirty Dancing and Ghost, had been diagnosed with pancreatic cancer. Some of the more excitable sites claimed that he had but weeks to live. The truth is bad enough.

Swayze’s rep issued a statement Wednesday after the report began circulating, claiming the star is continuing his normal work schedule, and Swayze’s doctor said the reports of Swayze's imminent death are unfounded.

“Patrick has a very limited amount of disease and he appears to be responding well to treatment thus far. All of the reports stating the timeframe of his prognosis and his physical side effects are absolutely untrue. We are considerably more optimistic,” Swayze’s physician Dr. George A. Fisher said in a statement. Fisher is an associate professor teaching at Stanford University Cancer Center and is involved in many experimental cancer treatments.

Caught in its advanced stages, pancreatic cancer, which strikes about 30,000 people a year, has a less-than 5 percent survival rate for five years. If caught early and treated aggressively with surgery and chemotherapy — and, if the cancer has not spread to lymph nodes — the five-year survival rate can go as high as 17 to 25 percent, said Dr. Avram Cooperman, surgical director for the Pancreas and Biliary Center at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Manhattan.

In any event, this is a very serious illness and my thoughts go out to the Swayze family. Swayze is one of those actors we grew up watching, and among his earliest breakout roles were in the movies Red Dawn and The Outsiders.

Zimbabwe Breaks New Ground

Congratulations to Zimbabwe and Robert Mugabe. As a result of Mugabe's insane clown economic policies, not only has he turned the former bread basket of Africa into a basket case, but the country now possesses the world's highest inflation - 100,500 percent.

Put another way, one US dollar is equal to 25 million Zimbabwe dollars.

The Mugabe government can print all the money it wants - because it's absolutely worthless. Unemployment is rampant and starvation and misery threatens the very existence of the country.

What Else Was On That Captured FARC Laptop

While the media is thus far focused on the captured FARC laptop and how Colombian authorities are showing that it links FARC with Venezuela and [T]hugo Chavez, other information on the laptop might be a harbinger of things to come should Barack Obama win the Presidency.

Why do I say that? Well, because apparently the terrorists hold Obama in high regard and that they think Obama wont help out our current allies in Colombia. The key graf (original and translation):

"6. Los gringos pedirán cita con el ministro para solicitarle nos comunicara su interés en conversar estos temas. Dicen que el nuevo presidente de su país será Obama y que ellos están interesados en sus compatriotas. Obama no apoyara Plan Colombia ni firma de TLC. Aquí respondimos que nos interesan las relaciones con todos los gobiernos en igualdad de condiciones y que en el caso de Estados Unidos se requiere in pronunciamiento público expresando su interés en conversar con las Farc dada su eterna guerra con nosotros.

Es todo, Abrazos, Raúl."

(translated)
6. The gringos will ask for an appointment with the minister to solicit him to communicate to us his interest in discussing these topics. They say that the new president of their country will be Obama and that they are interested in your compatriots. Obama will not support "Plan Colombia" nor will he sign the TLC (Colombian Free Trade agreement). Here we responded that we are interested in relations with all governments in equality of conditions and that in the case of the US it is required a public pronouncement expressing their interest in talking with the FARC given their eternal war against us.

The terrorists have Obama pegged correctly. He's against free trade (as he has repeatedly stated he'd renegotiate or exit NAFTA - much to the chagrin of the Canadians, which caused the kerfuffle over the weekend).

Obama also has no problem dealing with former terrorists including Weather Underground leader Bill Ayers. I can't help but think that the leftists (and revolutionaries) with whom Obama has surrounded himself with hasn't rubbed off on him.

Meanwhile, the situation remains tense along the border between Venezuela and Colombia. The laptop suggests that Chavez and FARC have been courting each other for years, and that [T]hugo may have thought the timing was right to push forward with his agenda for the region. He might also have been motivated to act because Colombia is on the verge of taking out FARC once and for all, and he feels dedicated to backing the terrorists against a rival nation. Austin Bay has more on this development.

Fausta has a rundown of the military capabilities for the nations involved thus far, and notes the farcical headline claiming that Venezuela has shut the border. It's as porous as ever, considering that FARC has been able to cross back and forth at will, despite Colombian pressure.

Venezuela Moves 10 Tank Battalions to Colombian Border

Like any good can come from this.

CARACAS, Venezuela — Venezuela has nearly completed its deployment of thousands of troops to states along the border with Colombia, a top general said Wednesday.

"Between 85 and 90 percent of the troops are situated," Gen. Jesus Gonzalez Gonzalez told reporters at a news conference, saying soldiers were largely sent to the border states of Zulia, Tachira and Apure.

He said the movement of troops began Sunday, immediately after President Hugo Chavez ordered 10 battalions deployed to the border in response to a Colombian military strike that killed two dozen leftist rebels on Ecuadorean soil.

Those battalions sent to the border region included approximately 9,000 men, retired Gen. Alberto Muller Rojas, a former top aide to Chavez, told The Associated Press.

Chavez also dispatched tanks and ordered an air force deployment, but the military has been tightlipped about specifics of troop movements along the border, which runs 2,200 kilometers (1,370 miles), including stretches through mountains and thick jungle.

If necessary, Venezuela's military is "ready to defend the sacred sovereignty of the homeland," Defense Minister Gen. Gustavo Rangel Briceno said.

No major troop presence was seen by journalists at border crossings Wednesday. National Guard troops stood watch at the main border crossing in San Antonio as usual, as cars passed.

Venezuela's agriculture minister, Elias Jaua, said Tuesday that Venezuela had closed the border to imports and exports. And many trucks with Colombian imports lined up at major border crossings, unable to pass.

But Rangel said Wednesday that "we have received no order to close the border."

Hundreds of troops were seen on Tuesday boarding buses and trucks at the Paramaracay base in the central city of Valencia, headed for the border.

Ecuador has also sent troops to its border with Colombia, denouncing the weekend military strike in its territory as a violation of its sovereignty.

Ok, so Colombia kills a few dozen FARC terrorists in Ecuador and now Thugo wants to go to war with Colombia. This should be fun to watch. Of course, the major down side here is that oil is bound to go up because of this. However, a major upside, maybe if Venezuela loses a military engagement with Colombia, Thugo could be deposed. I know it is a stretch, but could Colombia be a stabilizing force in the region?

This one has all the earmarks of playing out badly no matter what. I am just waiting for the spin that this is somehow Bush's fault.

Talk Is Cheap

Once again, the diplomats think that they can restart the dead peace process and get the Palestinians talking with the Israelis. Talk is real cheap. The rockets and attacks against Israel continue, and the Palestinians talk (well, it's mostly a whining and seething about how Israel continues to kill Palestinian terrorists who have either already attacked Israel causing mayhem and injuries, or who were on their way to attack Israelis).

Five kassams slammed into Israel today so far. That tells me plenty about Palestinian intent. Abbas can talk all he wants about restarting talks with Israel, but that's mostly to remain relevant as Hamas continues to attack Israel directly and through its proxy thugs. Abbas sees only the benefit of diplomacy as far as it can personally benefit his own standing, which is why he's not going to condemn terrorist attacks against Israel - because it would annoy the Palestinian masses who have no problem with attacking Israel and who welcome Israeli casualties with candy and dancing.

UPDATE:
Seems that the diplomats can't agree on the conditions for talks resuming. Sec. State Rice thinks that the talks can continue even without a truce and while the rockets keep slamming into Israel once the Israeli offensive in Gaza ends (nice way to have an open ended commitment). Abbas thinks talks can't start until there's a truce.

Here's a novel idea - tell the terrorists to stop firing off their rockets at Israel and plotting terrorist attacks and see what happens. If the Palestinian terrorists can restrain themselves from their genocidal and homicidal dreams and ambitions, then maybe talks can resume. Otherwise, Israel cannot and should not engage in any talks with the terror-sympathizing Abbas and his cronies.

The reason that Israeli forces are picking off terrorists and civilians are getting caught in the crossfire is because the jihadis are busy using civilians as human shields to maximize the body count in their war against Israel. The diplomats continue to ignore that underlying fact.

UPDATE:
Time to reach for the tissues - the Gaza crisis is the worst since 1967. Gee, what happened in 1967? Oh wait, that was when Israel defeated the nations that sought to throw Israelis into the sea and wipe Israel from the map, and captured Gaza from Egypt, much to Israel's chagrin.

Oh, and the Arab League is once again claiming Israel is engaging in genocide. If it is genocide, then it's the most inept variety given that there are more Palestinians now than when Israel started the campaign - and that Israel continues to treat Palestinians in Israeli hospitals.

Meanwhile, the rockets keep slamming into Israel, courtesy of the jihadis.

UPDATE:
Leave it to the Olmert government to cave once again and provide Hamas with another chance to survive to fight another day. How many times do we have to watch the Olmert government take the offensive and cripple Hamas or any of the other jihadi groups that seek Israel's destruction, only to let up at the worst possible moment and let the terrorist group not only slip away, but use the opportunity to claim victory over Israel. How many more Israelis have to be hit by kassams to see the wrongness of this latest hudna by the terrorists?

Headaches For Democrat Bigwigs

I can't help but having a smile on my face as the Democrats face the prospect of not only a brokered convention, but a huge mess on their hands and Hillary will try to pry the nomination from Obama's hands by any and all means necessary - claiming that she deserves the FL and MI delegates to be seated (in her favor of course).

We might get a do over of the FL and MI primaries as a sop to her, but what then was the punishment to the states for pushing up their elections? The DNC punished both states by refusing to seat any state's delegates who moved up their primaries ahead of the schedule set by the DNC. If they hold a new primary, how is that a punishment? If they seat the delegates, despite the punishment, how is that a punishment, and it actually serves as a double punishment on the wrong candidate - Obama followed the rules and didn't put himself on the ballot in either state. Clinton did, and she'd benefit from the rules violations - that's how badly she wants to win the nomination.

Hillary won last night, taking Texas, Ohio and Rhode Island, which closed the gap, but she's still behind Obama in the delegate count. She's going to claim that they're tied (they're not). She's going to claim that this makes it a whole new race (it does not). It does, however, show that people have real issues with Obama (not like they don't have huge problems with Hillary). Both candidates are flawed - show me their experience and achievements (anyone? Bueller?)

So, they'll head in to the convention pretty much deadlocked, and the party insiders will have a headache on their hands of epic proportions. And they'll have no one to blame but themselves.

Four Score

So, it may come down to this. Can Hillary Clinton take one or both of the big states up for grabs tonight? Can she take Texas and/or Ohio? Exit polls seem to show that it's going to be very tight in Ohio, but Texas looks like it's going to go for Obama in a big way.

That's not good for Hillary by any stretch. Media outlets are already calling Vermont for Barack Obama, but Hillary managed to take Rhode Island, which puts an end to Obama's winning streak, if only for a night.

The weather may be playing a role in how Ohio turns - storms across the state could keep the turnout low.

Obama remains ahead of Hillary in the total number of delegates, and the talk attempts to seat Florida and Michigan continue to percolate and threatens the entire process.

The DNC punished both states for moving their primaries up, and said that they would refuse to seat them at the convention. The DNC told the candidates not to put their names on the ballot or campaign in the states. All the candidates listened, except one - Hillary. She won both states, and some of her supporters are calling for them to be seated despite the DNC ruling, claiming that to do anything else would be discriminatory and violate the rights of the voters in those states.

This is a mess of the DNC's own making. They laid down the rules, the punishment, and if they go ahead and seat the delegates, it would give Hillary a serious advantage since those delegates would all go to her - more than making up the lead that Obama presently has. Holding a new primary election makes little sense to me, and I'm of the opinion that the DNC should hold to its original ruling not to seat those delegates because changing the rules in the middle of the contest adversely affects Obama, who played by the rules and would benefit the candidate who broke the rules - Clinton.

Over on the other side of the aisle, John McCain clinched the nomination, winning handily, and media reports that Mike Huckabee will be issuing a concession speech tomorrow to officially drop out of the race. That's pretty anti-climatic since he's been pretty much out of the race since before Super Tuesday. He's saying that he fought the good fight? Who is he kidding?

UPDATE:
NBC is calling Ohio for Hillary, and she's leading by 18 points with 55% vote in:

Hillary Clinton 699,014 58%
Barack Obama 485,604 40%

Texas is still too close to call, but Hillary is starting to pull ahead. Will Obama be calling this the buyer's remorse phase of the campaign, as he tries to blame his losses here on Hillary's dirty tricks campaign (the whole series of negative stories that have come out in advance of today's primaries)? I'm sure they'll try, but the sad fact is that until the last few days, the media has treated his campaign with kid gloves and haven't bothered asking him tough questions about his credentials and actual achievements and leadership experience. Saying you're for hope and change sounds great, but they're nothing more than empty platitudes.

UPDATE:
It goes without saying that the show will definitely go on for Hillary given her wins in Rhode Island and Ohio. If she wins Texas, she's in an even better position as she starts to close the gap in delegates. The fight for super delegates will intensify even more, as will the fight over whether to seat the Florida and Michigan delegates.

Inventor of Dungeons and Dragons Lost His Last Roll

Gary Gygax, inventor of the game Dungeons and Dragons, has died at the age of 69 at his home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. This was one of the great games of my youth, and legalbgl and some other friends would spend hours campaigning. This was before computer games - indeed, Gygax paved the way for multi player games that are now all too common online that are based on a fantasy world of trying to advance character development, battle fierce creatures, and gain control of the dominion.

Standoff

The situation between Colombia, Venezuela, and Ecuador is approaching a boiling point, and it stems from Venezuela's and Ecuador's support for the terrorist group FARC, which has caused countless deaths and untold misery for the people of Colombia.

FARC may have gotten more than $300 million from Chavez's Venezuela over the years, and Colombia may pursue criminal charges against [T]hugo in the International Criminal Court as a result.

Colombia also says that FARC was pursuing dirty bombs, which is par for the course, and makes you wonder what Iran and Venezuela have been sharing all these years since [T]hugo came to power.

“Just yesterday (Monday) our national police submitted an initial report regarding the content of two computers found with Raul Reyes, second in command of FARC, who was killed last Saturday,” Santos said.

They contained “information from one commander to another indicating that FARC was apparently negotiating for radioactive material, the primary basis for generating dirty weapons of mass destruction and terrorism,” he added.

Initial information verified with international support showed “terrorist groups, based on the economic power of drug trafficking, constitute a serious threat not to just our country but to the entire Andean and Latin American region,” he said.

Things are definitely approaching a boiling point, and Chavez is behind it.

UPDATE:
The Counterterrorism Blog has much more background on the situation, and notes a thus far unconfirmed report that the US Treasury Department has found that the Chavez regime has found billions in laundered funds involving senior Venezuelan officials and their associates hidden overseas, which may have been used in terrorism related activities.

Quick Hits: Told You So Edition

The Record proves that they still want to play name that party with Sharpe James. My bet is still intact. Here's a hint. He's not a Republican.

Meanwhile, I reported back on February 13, 2008 that Mayor Bloomberg's congestion pricing tax would be completely undermined by the fact that the Port Authority increased its tolls to fill the difference and the city would see no money from New Jersey commuters. I was right - and now city officials are trying to either get the Port Authority to turn over some of that money to them, or to further increase the congestion pricing tax to hit up New Jersey residents. Nice.

UPDATE:
The AP does no better than the Record in providing the party affiliation for Sharpe James.

Meanwhile, it looks like New Jersey will get toll increases and a gas tax hike to cover transit improvements.

Resurrecting a Dead Process

So, suicidal tendencies by Palestinian terrorists will not stop Sec. State Rice from trying to resurrect a totally dead and hopeless peace process between Israel and the Palestinians.

How many times do you have to hit your head against the same problem to realize the futility of trying to force a terrorist group and its minions to stop its ideological and theological war against Israel's very existence to try and make peace with Israel?

It can't be done. In fact, it's delusional to think that a deal can be done in 2008. There's absolutely no reason to think that the Palestinians will simply give up their ideological and theological opposition to Israel's existence.

Fatah is incapable of doing it - they can't even bother eliminating the "symbolic" stuff in their own charter calling for Israel's destruction. If they can't do that, how can you trust them to do anything else, like stop the rocket attacks and all the other plotting of attacks against Israel that occur on a daily basis. Indeed, they were supposed to do that all the way back in 1993, and have never done so. 15 years later, and the calls for incitement are present in the Palestinian media just as they were back then. The mullahs call for Israel's destruction and the Palestinian media gives them a bully pulpit on which calls for Israel's destruction are broadcast regularly.

And Fatah is the least of Israel's concerns, given that if Israel weren't in the West Bank, Fatah there would likely fall to Hamas within days, giving the jihadi group control over both Gaza and West Bank from which to expand its war against Israel.

About Time

Someone finally got around to asking Barack Obama some tough questions yesterday about his campaign, his relation to Tony Rezko, and the ballooning mess of his own making over comments made about NAFTA and his campaign's contacts with the Canadian government.

It took months before these questions were finally raised.

Of course, Obama tried to scurry away after just eight questions.

The day before primaries in Ohio and Texas that could effectively seal the Democratic presidential nomination for him, a smiling Obama strode out to a news conference at a veterans facility here. But the grin was quickly replaced by the surprised look of a man bitten by his own dog.

Reporters from the Associated Press and Reuters went after him for his false denial that a campaign aide had held a secret meeting with Canadian officials over Obama's trade policy. A trio of Chicago reporters pummeled him with questions about the corruption trial this week of a friend and supporter. The New York Post piled on with a question about him losing the Jewish vote.

Obama responded with the classic phrases of a politician in trouble. "That was the information that I had at the time. . . . Those charges are completely unrelated to me. . . . I have said that that was a mistake. . . . The fact pattern remains unchanged."

When those failed, Obama tried another approach. "We're running late," the candidate said, and then he disappeared behind a curtain.

Before he beat his hasty retreat, however, Obama found time to assign blame for the tough questions suddenly coming his way. "The Clinton campaign has been true to its word in employing a 'kitchen sink' strategy," he protested. "There are, what, three or four things a day?"

Flyweight, he is.

His NAFTA-Canada mess should surely raise serious red flags over his competence, but for the fact that the Tony Rezko trial should have done that far earlier. His campaign is bending itself into pretzels to try and avoid what should be self-evident - that he and his campaign lied about what it did or did not do.

The NAFTA mess is of his own doing. Captain Ed sums things up thusly:

The pattern of deception seems rather clear. At each step, the campaign denied what it thought could not be proven. At each step, they have been forced to backtrack and re-make the message. No, we never had contact became Well, we had contact but didn’t discuss NAFTA. That shortly became We discussed NAFTA but they misunderstood us, closely followed by Goolsbee wasn’t representing the campaign, he was representing the university.

Does anyone believe this at all? Why would Goolsbee represent the university at the Canadian consulate? What business did the University of Chicago have with the Canadian diplomatic corps — and if they did, why was Goolsbee discussing the Obama campaign during the entire visit?

Goolsbee had an obvious mission with the Canadians: to reassure them that Obama wouldn’t throw NAFTA on the ashheap. Team Obama thought they could keep this mission quiet while Obama tried stirring up populist passion in Ohio by telling people how much he disliked the trade treaty and how he would demand it be renegotiated.

This is what happens when you have a protectionist demagogue like Obama who needs to win votes in a border state who makes statements about trashing NAFTA, which was passed with bipartisan support in Congress, and the Canadian government seeking to have assurances that the agreement will remain in place. Obama has to lie to someone - and he's clearly trying to get voters to believe that he's going to change NAFTA, while trying to convince Canada that things will remain the same. In other words, he had to lie to everyone. And this is what happens when you get caught.

UPDATE:
Here's video of the encounter with the press:



Eight questions.

Cult of Destruction

Alan Derschowitz hammers home the problem. There are Islamists who simply worship death. They can't get enough of it and are more than eager and willing to watch their children become suicide bombers.

Zahra Maladan is an educated woman who edits a women's magazine in Lebanon. She is also a mother, who undoubtedly loves her son. She has ambitions for him, but they are different from those of most mothers in the West. She wants her son to become a suicide bomber.

At the recent funeral for the assassinated Hezbollah terrorist Imad Moughnaya -- the mass murderer responsible for killing 241 marines in 1983 and more than 100 women, children and men in Buenos Aires in 1992 and 1994 -- Ms. Maladan was quoted in the New York Times giving the following warning to her son: "if you're not going to follow the steps of the Islamic resistance martyrs, then I don't want you."

Zahra Maladan represents a dramatic shift in the way we must fight to protect our citizens against enemies who are sworn to kill them by killing themselves. The traditional paradigm was that mothers who love their children want them to live in peace, marry and produce grandchildren. Women in general, and mothers in particular, were seen as a counterweight to male belligerence. The picture of the mother weeping as her son is led off to battle -- even a just battle -- has been a constant and powerful image.

Now there is a new image of mothers urging their children to die, and then celebrating the martyrdom of their suicidal sons and daughters by distributing sweets and singing wedding songs. More and more young women -- some married with infant children -- are strapping bombs to their (sometimes pregnant) bellies, because they have been taught to love death rather than life.

I've been watching the situation with the Palestinians for years and have seen that they have no problem giving birth to children with the intent and purpose of watching them turn into suicide bombers. It's the message plastered all over Islamist websites and while some of it is clearly propaganda, enough Muslim women actually believe that there is no problem having children who grow up with the intention of becoming suicide bombers and a blob of pink mist.

That more women are apparently strapping the bombs on themselves is a two-fold development. Part of it has to do with the fact that the US and Western efforts to interdict and kill jihadis has been extremely successful so that the jihadis have to look at women and children for suitable suicide bombers because they're less likely to draw attention of security forces. The other part has to do with the way women are treated by Islamists generally, which is as second class citizens, and many will be forced to become suicide bombers by relatives who believe they've been shamed by the acts of those women.

However, enough women seemingly have no problem becoming incubators for suicide bombers because they've been so thoroughly indoctrinated for years by hateful mullahs who preach unending hatred and jihad against infidels.