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May 31, 2006

Iraq: The Data You Should Know

Gateway Pundit has compiled some incredible numbers that directly contradict the media and the anti-war left's accounts of our failures in Iraq.  What really caught my eye was the comparison between Iraq and American cities in regards to civilian violent deaths.

Appearing with Westwood One radio host Monica Crowley on Saturday, King said that the incessantly negative coverage of the Iraq war prompted him to research the actual death numbers.

"I began to ask myself the question, if you were a civilian in Iraq, how could you tolerate that level of violence," he said. "What really is the level of violence?"

Using Pentagon statistics cross-checked with independent research, King said he came up with an annualized Iraqi civilian death rate of 27.51 per 100,000.

While that number sounds high - astonishingly, the Iowa Republican discovered that it's significantly lower than a number of major American cities, including the nation's capital.

"It's 45 violent deaths per 100,000 in Washington, D.C.," King told Crowley.

Other American cities with higher violent civilian death rates than Iraq include:

Detroit - 41.8 per 100,000

Baltimore - 37.7 per 100,000

http://gatewaypundit.blogspot.com/2006/05/so-how-bad-are-things-in-iraq-really.html

Also take a look at Power Line's comments on these stats.

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/014244.php

Posted by Ed Z at 04:42 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 30, 2006

Open Letter to President Ahmadinejad

MEMRI has excerpts from Iranian satirist Ibrahim Nabavi's open letter to Iranian President Ahmadinejad. This is in response to Ahmadinejad's well-publicized letter to President Bush.

...In your explanation [about this letter], you said that you had written to [President] Bush to present a solution to the problems in the world. What an excellent idea. But have you noticed that the problem in the world is you yourself? Do you know that it is you who are the cause of most of the bad luck and punishments now descending upon the free peoples and the countries of the world? [Do you know] that if there is a problem that must be solved, it is called Ahmadinejad?...

http://memri.org/bin/latestnews.cgi?ID=SD117506

Posted by Ed Z at 10:56 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 27, 2006

Jesse MacBeth Update

The fun continues as MacBeth has produced what seems to be military discharge papers on his MySpace page.  Many are finding inaccuracies on the form and have them in detail.

Two points worth noting. First and most obviously, the information under “Primary Specialty” and “Decorations” is in a different typeface from the rest of the form … and, er, the word “qualified” in “Ranger qualified” is misspelled. Second, under “Nearest Relative,” it lists someone named “Amy.” That’s significant because one of McQ’s posts at QandO received a comment from someone claiming to be Macbeth’s sister. It was signed … “Amy.”

Hot Air has the story and links to other sites:

http://hotair.com/archives/the-blog/2006/05/26/jesse-macbeth-posts-his-discharge-form/

MacBeth's MySpace link still works:

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view

Posted by Ed Z at 10:19 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 26, 2006

Driving 55 mph Saves Gas?

There has been recent talk of reducing the speed limit to 55 mph in order to force drivers to be more fuel-efficient. I'm in favor of giving people the option to save gas, after being fully informed of the savings, but I'm certainly not in favor of a 55 mph national speed limit.

The numbers suggest that driving at 55 versus 70 will save gas, but this doesn't take into account certain cars which may have better fuel efficiency at different speeds. I'll go along with this theory anyway, as one person describes getting 35 miles per gallon driving at 55 mph and 25 mpg driving at 70, and see how it works.

A 100-mile trip at 55 mph will take you 1.82 hours and use 2.86 gallons of gas. The same trip at 70 mph will take you 1.42 hours and expend 4 gallons of gas. Your savings of 1.14 gallons, equivalent to $3.26, using today's national average gas price, will cost you 23.4 minutes in travel time.

I would guess that many of you would be willing to spend $3.26 to save that time, because, perhaps you time is worth more than that, considering it could be devoted to other endeavors.  And we haven't even brought up traffic impact. By definition, moving slower will allow fewer vehicles to pass though a certain point over time. More traffic, more idle time, more wasted gas.

The bottom line is, this should be an individual decision based on the circumstances of a trip, time and needs, not a government imposed conservation effort.

Some reading:

http://acrosstheboard.blogspot.com/2005/10/driving-55-mph-does-save-gas-mileage.html

http://www.delphifaq.com/faq/auto/f994.shtml

Posted by Ed Z at 02:55 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 24, 2006

Jesse MacBeth

Jesse MacBeth claimed to be a former Army Ranger and had a laundry list of war crimes he and his fellow troops were ordered to commit on Iraqi civilians.  He created a Myspace profile and a video detailing his "experiences".

that was our attude. i remeber we were orderd to go intoa mosque while people were in prayer and slaughter them i remeber their screams the smell of burnt flessh aswe burnt the mosque afterward and blamed the whole thing on the Shiites

http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view

Of course, when the anti-war people caught wind of this, they trotted him out like the Alaskan Malamute, Costello, at the 2006 American Kennel Club National Championship. However, in hindsight, that's insulting Costello.

So now, we learn now that Jesse is a fraud. Though there are many on the anti-war left who would rather not let the truth get in the way of a good story.

Michelle Malkin and McQ at Qando.net have the skinny.

http://www.qando.net/details.aspx?Entry=3922

http://www.worldnetdaily.com/news/article.asp?ARTICLE_ID=50350

Posted by Ed Z at 03:11 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 22, 2006

Never Shake Your Baby

Waiting for the bus this morning, which by itself is an exercise in behavioral science, I noticed an advertisement on the side of a passing bus. "Take care of your baby", announced the headline. Followed by, "Never shake your baby."

Never shake your baby? What?

Underneath the headlines, the reader was directed to call 311 (New York's information and non-emergency number) for more information and to ask for the brochure. Brochure! Indeed, there is a Never Shake Baby brochure, compliments of the New York City government.

A baby is the greatest gift of all. Yet, some parents, siblings, or caretakers who would not consider hitting a baby, think that shaking a baby is okay. This is WRONG!

http://www.nyc.gov/html/hhc/html/community/shakenbaby.shtml

Am I missing something? Do people really need to be told this? How much money is this campaign costing the taxpayer?

Is New York using this as a disclaimer, so when they drag people in on abuse charges, the defendant can't claim they weren't aware of the harming effects of violently shaking your baby?

I fear the likely answer is that some people are trying to justify their existence. Justify their salaries by creating these types of social services. In the meantime, I'll be waiting for the next ad: Don't Forget to Feed Your Baby.

Posted by Ed Z at 11:04 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 18, 2006

Meager Donations to the NY 9/11 Memorial. But Why?

Back in October, 2005 Governor Pataki announced there would be a voluntary check off box on New York State tax returns where residents could donate to the World Trade Center Memorial Foundation.

"As we continue to move forward rebuilding from the devastating attacks of September 11th, we've placed the centerpiece of our efforts, the World Trade Center Memorial, as our top priority," Governor Pataki said. "The tax check-off box created today gives generous New Yorkers a way to pay tribute to our nearly 3,000 fallen heroes.

http://www.northcountrygazette.org/articles/102105Memorial911.html

Great idea. Guess how much money was donated through this method? $150,085. According to the May 18, New York Sun article, Taxpayers Spurn WTC Memorial, by Davidson Goldin, only 0.19% of the total tax returns filed in New York had donations. That's roughly $10 per donation.

I'd like to believe my fellow New Yorkers are a little more generous than that, in fact, I'm part of the 99.81% that didn't give anything. But, I think my reason would be a popular one, echoed so far by everyone I've asked. I had no idea it was there.

I realize it is just as easy for me to donate in other ways, but why wasn't there more publicity surrounding this? In between the endless string of commercials offering free nicotine patches, they could have thrown in a few about the memorial.

Posted by Ed Z at 02:27 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 16, 2006

Judicial Watch Obtains Video of Flight 77 Striking the Pentagon

Judicial Watch has obtained a video showing the 9/11 attack on the Pentagon. 

Judicial Watch, the public interest group that investigates and prosecutes government corruption, announced today that Department of Defense will release a videotape to Judicial Watch at 1:00 p.m. this afternoon that allegedly shows American Airlines Flight 77 striking the Pentagon on September 11, 2001. The Department of Defense is releasing the videotape in response to a Judicial Watch Freedom of Information Act request and related lawsuit.

http://www.judicialwatch.org/5772.shtml

Posted by Ed Z at 01:08 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 15, 2006

Steelers Linebacker Gears Up for White House Visit with Trashtalk

Joey Porter, linebacker for the NFL champion Steelers, feels it is necessary to use his team's visit to the White House as an opportunity to deliver a personal message.

It used to be an honor to visit the White House, but Mr. Porter's behavior is just another example of the disrespect our President endures.

"Yeah, I got something to say to Bush, I'm going to have a swagger when I walk in there, too," Porter said, laughing loudly. "I'm looking forward to it. I have something to tell him, too. I don't like the way things are running right now. I feel like he has to give me some of my money back, so I got something to tell Bush."

http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06135/690263-66.stm

Posted by Ed Z at 02:33 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Richard Lamm’s Eight Part Plan to Destroy America

An email you may have seen making the rounds last year is resurfacing and deserves new attention.  Richard Lamm (D) was governor of Colorado from 1975 to 1987 and in early 2004 spoke at an immigration overpopulation conference in DC.  This is what he calls his Plan to Destroy America.

Turn America into a bilingual or multi-lingual and bicultural country. History shows that no nation can survive the tension, conflict, and antagonism of two or more competing languages and cultures. It is a blessing for an individual to be bilingual; however, it is a curse for a society to be bilingual. The historical scholar Seymour Lipset put it this way: 'The histories of bilingual and bi-cultural societies that do not assimilate are histories of turmoil, tension, and tragedy. Canada, Belgium, Malaysia, Lebanon all face crises of national existence in which minorities press for autonomy, if not independence. Pakistan and Cyprus have divided. Nigeria suppressed an ethnic rebellion. France faces difficulties with Basques, Bretons, and Corsicans."

http://www.snopes.com/politics/soapbox/lamm.asp?print=y

Posted by Ed Z at 12:18 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 12, 2006

The "No" Juror

Take a look inside the jury room, where one dissenting vote prevented a death sentence for Zacarias Moussaoui.  The shocking aspect is the anonymous "no" voter, blocking any sort of direct open debate on the issues.  The "no" juror was able to hide in the room, never having to explain their reasoning, and the other jurors could do nothing about it.

Some might conjure up images of Henry Fonda, relentless in his dissention, but unfortunately, that was not the scene.  No, the juror didn't have to articulate, didn't have to worry, just had to vote and let 11 other people sort it out.

The foreman said deliberations reached a critical point on the third day, when the process nearly broke down. Frustrations built because of the repeated 11 to 1 votes on one charge without any dissenting arguments during discussions. All the ballots were anonymous, and the other jurors were relying on the discussions to identify the holdout.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2006/05/11/AR2006051101884.html?nav=rss_nation

 

Posted by Ed Z at 10:52 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 08, 2006

9 of 12

Once a defendant is found guilty, in most cases, the jury is asked to weigh the aggravating and mitigating factors in the case in order to decide the sentence. Aggravating factors relate to the evidence that supports the harshest penalty, while mitigating factors relate to evidence that would support a lesser sentence. In cases with the death penalty, a juror would weigh the circumstances and decide. A death sentence must me unanimous while life sentence does not.

In Zacarias Moussaoui's case, the jury decided against the death penalty, and instead of simply saying there wasn't a unanimous decision, we can look a little deeper into the process. The jury goes through a Special Verdict Form, where in 42 pages, they review the aggravating and mitigating factors of the trial. This document is available to read.

http://coop.vaed.uscourts.gov/mou1852.pdf

A few things that caught my attention were in the mitigating factors sections. Here we can see how many jurors felt the defense had "established the existence of each listed Mitigating Factor by a preponderance of the evidence." Not one juror thought a life sentence would be a more severe punishment than death, nor did they think his execution would fulfill his jihad and provide him martyr status while also serving up a martyr for other fanatics to feed from. No jurors at all.

However, nine out of the twelve felt that his unstable early childhood and abusive father were factors that supported a lighter sentence.

In essence, creating a martyr was not an issue at all, and given the choice to inflict the severest punishment, the jury felt that his childhood was enough of an influence to play part in excusing him from the death penalty.

Treating terrorists as criminals is a huge setback in any fight against Islamofacism. As Mark Steyn wrote in today's New York Sun, "A 'criminal' approach gives terrorists all the right of criminals, including the 'Gee, Officer Krupke' defense: I'm depraved on account of I'm deprived."

Posted by Ed Z at 12:13 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 06, 2006

New York Times Defends Zarqawi's Weapon Skills

Power Line points out how the New York Times, in an article today, actually defended Zarqawi's inept use of a weapon in a video released by the U.S. Military.

The Times also said they think that releasing the video footage wasn't effective propaganda because Zarqawi looks "clean and plump." (Really, I'm not making this up.) Okay, here's an idea: how about if we haul Khalid Shaikh Mohammed out of whatever cell he's being kept in and release a video of him? I doubt that he's looking too "clean and plump" these days. Do you think the Times would like that propaganda effort better? No, I don't either. Other than waving a white flag, it's hard to think of anything the military could do of which the Times would approve.

http://powerlineblog.com/archives/013999.php

Once again the paper undermines any effort to counter terrorist propaganda.  I wish the paper would criticize Zarqawi's own video releases (beheadings, death threats, etc.) with as much gusto.

Posted by Ed Z at 04:45 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 04, 2006

Moussaoui Verdict: A Crack in the Cellar

Life in prison. "America, you lost. ... I won", his words as exiting the courtroom after the verdict had been reached. Some think the jury's decision against the death penalty prevented him from becoming a martyr. It may have, though some may argue death at the hands of western lawmakers, not in battle, would have achieved the same goal, but I'm sure his masters would have made an exception.

I fear however, that we may have done something far worse than making him a martyr, and that is a folk hero…a celebrity; a living icon for hatred, still capable of thinking, speaking, and touching.

At first, he will be sent to a Colorado supermax, where he will be cut off from the outside world and as U.S. District Judge Leonie Brinkema said today, he'll "die with a whimper". But time changes all things. Even now, before they've turned down the bed in his cell, the French government is preparing a request to have him serve his sentence there.

As long as he is breathing, as long as he is alive, there is a chance -- as time puts the memory of 9/11 behind us, as our children grow up never knowing the World Trade Center, as history is re-written by apologists -- that he can claw closer to the living world.

It happens all the time with serial killers, as the distance from their horrors grow so softens the general opinion. And their aged faces make us think of our grandfathers, not murderers. Maybe 20 years from now, people will start wondering, "What did he do that was so bad? He wasn't on any of those planes?" "Hasn't he paid his debt?"

We've left a crack, seemingly microscopic now, but any fracture left unattended for several decades has the chance to facilitate a collapse. It is our duty to prevent this. We must remember the evil he embraces and pass it down. Even if time heals our personal wounds, we can never, should never, hide the scars that remain.

Posted by Ed Z at 12:20 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 03, 2006

Ernesto "Che" Guevara: A Quick Look

There seems to be a common thread among the immigration protestors - Che Guevara. A symbol of revolutionary movements, the face of the socialist who once wrote "hatred as an element of struggle; unbending hatred for the enemy, which pushes a human being beyond his natural limitations, making him into an effective, violent, selective, and cold-blooded killing machine" adorns the t-shirts and placards of countless protestors and bystanders.

So, even though I'm sure all these people know who they're choosing to represent their cause, a quick look at some aspects of his life couldn't hurt. Right?

The one job Guevara excelled at was when he was commander of La Cabana prison, Havana's equivalent of Moscow's notorious Lubyanka. He liked overseeing executions and personally administering the coup de grace. Pierre San Martin, an inmate of La Cabana who made it out alive, gave the tenor of Guevara's administration in an article published in El Nuevo Herald from December 28, 1997.

A 14-year-old boy, badly beat up, was brought to the prison. When those in his cell asked why he was there, he explained that he had tried to protect his father, who was being taken to the firing squad. Che's guards soon returned and led the boy from the cell. "Then we spotted him, strutting around the blood-drenched execution yard with his hands on his waist and barking orders - Che Guevara himself," Mr. San Martin recalled.

"'Kneel down!' Che barked at the boy.

"'Assassins!' we screamed from our window.

"'I said: KNEEL DOWN!' Che barked again.

"The boy stared Che resolutely in the face. 'If you're going to kill me,' he yelled, 'you'll have to do it while I'm standing! Men die standing!'

"Then we saw Che unholstering his pistol. He put the barrel to the back of the boy's neck and blasted. The shot almost decapitated the young boy."

http://www.futurodecuba.org/an_icon_of_evil_.htm

In his trenchant short study, Che Guevara, the British historian Andrew Sinclair concludes that, during the guerrilla war, Che 'discovered a cold ruthlessness in his nature. Spilling blood was necessary for the cause. Within two years, he would order the death of several hundred Batista partisans at La Cabana, one of the mass killings of the Cuban Revolution.' Later too, after the botched Bay of Pigs invasion by anti-Communist Cuban exiles, all the survivors were summarily shot.

http://observer.guardian.co.uk/review/story/0,6903,1258340,00.html

For a different take on the man, visit www.che-mart.com (remember to bring your sense of humor).

Posted by Ed Z at 12:17 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 02, 2006

Judge Moody's Statement to Sami Al-Arian

After cutting a deal and pleading guilty to assisting members of the terrorist organization Palestinian Islamic Jihad, Sami Al-Arian was sentenced to a maximum 57 months in prison. Federal judge James Moody had strong words for Al-Arian:

And yet, still in the face of your own words, you continue to lie to your friends and supporters, claiming to abhor violence and to seek only aid for widows and orphans. Your only connection to widows and orphans is that you create them, even among the Palestinians; and you create them, not by sending your children to blow themselves out of existence. No. You exhort others to send their children... You are indeed a master manipulator.

http://www.sptimes.com/2006/05/01/State/Judge_Moody__You_are_.shtml

Some of the words Judge Moody refers to are from a letter written by Al-Arian after Palestinian Islamic Jihad suicide bombers killed 18 people in Israel.

The letter solicits funding for “the jihad effort in Palestine.” Al-Arian, according to an FBI translation of the Arabic letter, praised the terrorist attack, writing, “The latest operation carried out by the two mujahidin (warriors), who were martyred for the sake of God, is the best evidence of what the believing few can do in the face of Arab and Islamic collapse before the Zionist enemy and of the still-burning firebrand of faith, steadfastness and challenge.”

http://www.siteinstitute.org/bin/articles.cgi?ID=news5203&Category=news&Subcategory=0

Posted by Ed Z at 10:38 AM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

May 01, 2006

Crime OK, Toilets Not

It seems that British jails are being designed to have the toilets facing away from Mecca when a prisoner sits.

Faith leaders had told prison bosses it was unacceptable for Muslim inmates to face Mecca while using the toilet.

"The refurbishment has been carried out with due consideration for all faiths", a Home Office spokeswoman said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/london/4926114.stm

Though they claim there was no added cost, I still can't grasp the idea of making prisoners comfortable.

Posted by Ed Z at 01:41 PM | | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)