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Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen (R-Florida) proposed legislation that would require federal pensions to divest shares of any company with more than $20 million invested in Iran’s energy sector.
That’s good news. But if the idea is to hurt Iran, that’s not good enough, and it has no teeth. They should be forced to completely divest from any company doing any amount of business with Iran, period. That would get Coke and Pepsi out of Iran, very quickly.
Besides, how will they know how much goes directly to Iran’s “energy sector,” since we know money is a fungible good? Also, why does Ros-Lehtinen make allowances for $20 million? Like I said, full divestment is the only way Iran will ever starve and comply. Under the status quo, no-one in Iran is hurting, except a tiny minority of human rights advocates and the few Jews kept prisoner there.

I like the State of Missouri’s approach. USA Today reports that in June, the state ordered all state-employee pension funds to sell shares of companies with commercial interests in Iran, North Korea, Syria, and Sudan. Georgia, California, and Florida are also considering similar measures.
There is also a “terror-free” mutual fund that will be available in April from Nationwide Financial:

Nationwide Financial will add a “terror-free” mutual fund to options for 25,000 401(k) plans it administers. The Roosevelt Anti-Terror Multi-Cap Fund will screen out companies with ties to Iran and others on the U.S. terrorism list.

More details in USA Today.

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This weekend, the much-hyped “300” comes to theaters. But a much better movie–the story of Indian immigrants coming to and assimilating into America–also makes it’s box office debut. Both are entertaining, though:
* “The Namesake“: This is a very charming story of Bengali Indians who come to America and make their life here. At a running time of 2 hours, perhaps it could have been a tad shorter. But it spans over 30 years (and two generations), and the time goes by fast as you follow a kindly Indian scientist and academic, Ashok Ganguli, his arranged marriage to the beautiful Ashima. We see how she gets used to American life–cold weather, washing machines, and food.

We then follow the life of their son Gogol (the talented Kal Penn of “Harold and Kumar Go to White Castle” and “24”), a fully American kid who has completely assimilated into American culture, forsaking his Indian culture and traditions and dating a White American woman. He comes to appreciate his Indian roots only later in life upon the occurrence of a traumatic experience.
It’s a lot more interesting than my summary. This beautiful movie takes us from India to America and back, several times. I learned a lot about Indian culture from this film. But you need not be of Bengali or Indian heritage to appreciate it. This is the story of immigrants of every ethnic group which comes to America (except Muslims (mostly Arabs), who’ve chosen not to assimilate and to become separatists in our nation, demanding that we assimilate to them and their mores).
Entertaining, interesting, and enlightening. All of the acting in this is excellent. If you are Indian, you will enjoy it. But if you are not, you will enjoy it and learn something, too.
* “300“: This is a man’s movie. It has epic battle scenes and lots of graphic violence.
It’s supposed to be about the Battle of Thermopylae between 300 Greek Spartans and thousands of Persian King Xerxes’ men. It starts out well and good with Spartan King Leonidas’ message about fighting for liberty to the end and never becoming a slave, no matter what. The training of the Spartans from boyhood on and the engagement in battle are portrayed vividly . . . sometimes too much so, with the extreme blood and gore.
But, since it’s based on a long comic book (those go by the pretentious name “graphic novel”), it’s highly-stylized cinema for the masses, rather than real history accurately portrayed. There’s nothing wrong with that, except that this movie hasn’t really decided what it wants to be.
The actors, the lines, the story, the characters are all very serious and dire. But, then, there is a transvestite Xerxes–very silly, given the real thing was anything but that, and it belittles the real-life battle. And there are the bizarre creatures–an ogre who looks human but has arms of lobster claws, naked women amputees in a harem, and other grotesque figures that do nothing but take away from the movie and were gratuitously added as a point of interest to the video-gamer slacker dummies for whom this dumbed-down movie was really produced.
You won’t learn much history or real details from this movie about the fight to the finish for liberty fought by Spartan King Leonidas and his 300 Spartan soldiers. The scene of a deformed hunchback ogre creature betraying Sparta for one of the topless concubines in Xerxes’ harem bears no resemblance to reality. But it adds a cheap, bizarre porn chic for the dumbed-down male late teen lumpen movie-going-tariat to which the movie panders.
And that’s sad because the battle scenes are great. They are bloody and violent. It’s hard to keep track of the beheadings, impalings, and other sickening effects of war.
The tagline of this movie, “Prepare for Glory,” should have been, “Prepare for Gory.” Not sure so much graphic gore was necessary, but in a battle of the Spartans, I guess it’s accurate. As for the explicit sex scenes between Leonidas and his wife and the concubine scenes, not sure they added anything to the movie. More like, took away from it. Ditto for all the naked men’s rear-views. There’s so much of that, it’s as if some of this movie was made to appeal to a gathering backstage at an Elton John concert.
I liked the Spartan ethos, the commitment of Leonidas–stressed throughout–about fighting the enemy until death, even if you are vastly outnumbered. That’s the message we should take–but haven’t–in fighting the Islamic enemy. I liked the toughness of the men, the masculinity, the femininity of their wives, and the wives’–especially Spartan Queen Gorgo–to fighting to the death for freedom. Their fight is valiant and is portrayed as such in this film.
Whether the real Sparta was exactly a democracy or truly free is debatable. And readers have debated whether the Spartans were truly straight or had a strong homosexual dynamic and found it difficult to reproduce. But no-one can accuse this movie of having a lot in common with reality or true history.
Overall, very good, and entertaining. Could have done with less gore, and without the fictional monsters and deformed concubines inserted only for the amusement of the comic book class. Not for kids or even teens.

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When your hair is longer than your girlfriend’s (or wife’s) and/or you have the same hairstyle as her, it’s time to cut it.

If You’re A Guy, Don’t Look Like a Girl

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Aren’t you glad that blonde British starlet Sienna Miller is being promoted in fashion and celebrity mags as a role model for your kids?
Never heard of her? Well, you should take note, because she’s being pimped on your children all over American pop culture, and she thinks the drug culture is simply fantastic. (And that’s aside from her many nude photos, including one lesbian nude photo with another woman and a horse.) From the UK’s Daily Mail:

Actress Sienna Miller has sparked controversy by claiming that drugs are “loads of fun”.
Miller, 25, who recently split with fellow film star Jude Law, said she “loves” hallucinogenic experiences – describing magic mushrooms as her “drug of choice”.

And she admitted experimenting with morphine to “feel what heroin was like”.
Her remarks came in an interview to promote the new film Factory Girl, in which she plays Edie Sedgwick, the drug-addicted muse of Andy Warhol.
Asked why so many people experiment with illegal drugs, she says: “Cos they’re fun! They’re loads of fun!”
Describing her morphine experience, she added: “I took a pill just to feel what a safe way of taking heroin was like. I didn’t really feel a lot. I’m hardcore.”
Miller, who in the past has traded on her clean-cut image, said she spent a year in America researching her role as Sedgwick, the original 1960s It Girl, who became addicted to heroin before her death at the age of 28.
She denied that her research extended to her experimenting with heroin or amphetamines – Sedgwick’s drugs of choice – but said: “I still love a waterfall (a homemade device for smoking cannabis and other drugs) or the odd hallucinogenic drug.
“If I had a drug of choice, it would be magic mushrooms.”

Wait–you mean there’s a “safe way of taking heroin”? A celeb who does a movie on the harm of using drugs (the character she plays dies of an overdose), and she doesn’t get it. Only in Hollywood.
Supposedly, Al Qaeda targeted her on a recent movie shoot. Not sure why nor that she’d be missed.

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The Wall Street Journal’s “Washington Wire” reports that in the most recent Wall Street Journal/NBC News Poll, Rudy Giuliani edges out Hillary Rodham Cankles and Barack Hussein Obama and leads among the mystical “independents,” as well as the Oprah crowd (that means women):

GIULIANI’S STRENGTH among independents provides early edge in 2008 race.
The former New York mayor leads Hillary Clinton 47%-42% and Barack Obama 45%-39% in presidential matchups. In both cases, his advantage among independents exceeds 20 percentage points.

Giuliani runs weakest in his native region, which leans Democratic and is most familiar with his polarizing pre-9/11 tenure. Northeasterners rate him favorably by 46%-29%, a more tempered view than Southerners’ 63%-8%. Giuliani trails Clinton 49%-38% in Northeast but edges her 45%-44% among women.

Even though and think he’s the only hope for the GOP to win the White House and avoid a President Cankles Administration, the WSJ should have reported on one or two other Republicans with these numbers, so we can see how dire the situation is (that Giuliani is the only one with good numbers vis-a-vis Cankles and Hussein).

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As I’ve written, the , hasn’t yet happened, due to .
And, as I’ve written, many Americans and American media unfortunately promote Dubai and the rest of the United Arab Emirates as a great paradise and Western mecca. Hardly the case for these lands that and .
Now, there’s more info on why Dubai is not our friend and why we need to sever as many ties to the country as we can. Dubai is helping Iran attain its nuclear weapons goal, according to Iran Focus:

Iran Gets Help From Dubai in Nukes Goal

A Dubai-based company owned by the Iranian government has been used by Iran’s Ministry of Defence to procure a key component needed for production of nuclear bombs, Iran Focus has learnt.
Sources inside the Iranian government have informed Iran Focus that the Dubai-based Gulf Resources Development Corporation (GRDC) has smuggled sizeable quantities of a type of graphite known as ceramic matrix composite (CMC) from China to Iran.
Ceramic matrix composite is used in the construction of nuclear bombs and preservation of highly enriched uranium. Without CMC insulation, highly enriched uranium cannot be placed in a bomb structure because of high radiation. . . .
The Iranian Defence Ministry’s front company, Gulf Resources Development Corporation, set up its Dubai subsidiary in 1995. Iran has been using the Dubai-based company for over a decade to procure sensitive precursors for its secret military projects, taking advantage of the port’s lax controls, free tax, and convenient banking facilities.
GRDC is not the only Iranian front company operating in Dubai, according to the sources who spoke to Iran Focus. . . .
The chief executive officer of GRDC, Raouf Mashayekh, is an Iranian national based in Dubai. He frequently visits Iran, according to the well-informed sources, for meetings with officials in Iran’s military industries, who are his clients.

Yes, Dubai is a very pro-U.S. ally, which just happens to allow Iran to obtain nuclear weapons ingredients via its country and just happened to help the 9/11 hijackers and just happened to spread anti-Semitic and anti-American sentiment. With friends like that, who needs enemies?
When will our ports operations finally be free of this very sinister Islamofascist country? Thanks to reader David for the tip.

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I warned you that Rudy Giuliani violated a cardinal rule of politics. He .
Well, now, the first “Rudy Has Nice Legs” column has cropped up in today’s Chicago Tribune. Columnist John Kass does the honors (and , which is always welcome).
Now, if we can only find an “Obama in Drag” photo. And keep all photos of Hillary’s kankles, er . . . legs away from public view.
Yes, Giuliani has better legs than Hillary. Much better. And, unfortunately, I think she’s more masculine than any candidate running. Can’t we do one of those gender tests like they do in the Olympics, and disqualify her? Just asking.
There’s only one man we can tolerate in pantyhose, and looking back on it, I’m not sure we can tolerate even him in nylons (doesn’t really stand the test of time) . . .

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Yes, I generally like the Kurds. Many were singled out as victims of Saddam Hussein’s brutality, and many Kurdish Muslims were civil and good to Kurdish Jews.
But unlike those of you who discovered Islam after 9/11, I’ve known about the Kurds far longer and appreciate the nuance that not all Kurds are our friends. Many of you do not. Not all Kurds are beyond reproach.
When I wrote about Kurdish Islamic terrorist –whom two immigration courts want deported and have labeled a terrorist–some people defended him because, hey, “he’s a Kurd.” Roger Ebert wasn’t the only one who didn’t appreciate the nuance (as in this movie review of his, in which he mentioned me and Parlak and defended all Kurds), as some of the commenters on this site also used the Kurd excuse.

Yassin Aref: Kurd in America Was Willing to Help Terrorists
But, in fact, Parlak trained in Islamic terrorist training camps in Lebanon, and it’s pretty obvious where his sympathies lie. He’s admittedly a member of the PKK, a Kurdish terrorist group allied with Al-Qaeda.
Now, we have another Kurd in America who doesn’t deserve our sympathy, Yassin Aref. Aref and Mohammed Hossain are leaders of a mosque in Albany, New York. They were convicted of conspiring to support terrorism through money laundering. Aref had ties to Kurdish terrorists holding sway in Syria. Syria–not our friend. Kurds who like Syria and hang out their–not our friends either.
More from The Jerusalem Post:

Two leaders of a city mosque snared in an FBI sting involving a fictional terror strike could face decades in prison when they are sentenced Thursday in federal court.
Yassin Aref, the former imam at an Albany mosque, and pizzeria owner Mohammed Hossain were convicted in October for their role in a money laundering scheme involving an FBI informant who pretended to be an illegal arms dealer.
The informant asked Hossain to launder money from the sale of a shoulder-fired missile that would be used to kill a Pakistani diplomat in New York City. Aref, spiritual leader of Hossain’s mosque, acted as a witness to the transactions.
Though the assassination plot was fictional, prosecutors in 2004 accused the pair of supporting terrorism.
Hossain, 52, a naturalized US citizen from Bangladesh, was convicted on all 27 charges against him, including three counts of conspiracy.
Aref was found guilty of 10 of the 30 charges against him. In addition to counts related to the money laundering scheme, the 36-year-old Kurdish refugee was found guilty of lying to FBI agents about having known a terrorist leader, Mullah Krekar, when he worked for a Kurdish political organization in Syria.
Assistant US Attorney William Pericak has said both men face 30 years in prison under federal sentencing guidelines. Defense attorneys Terence Kindlon and Kevin Luibrand have sought more lenient sentences for the two men, who are both raising families.
Pericak had argued during trial that Hossain wanted money, while Aref was drawn into the plot by ideology.

Yes, most Kurds are good people and very pro-American. But some are not. And we must get away from the lack of nuance when it comes to this group, which has a lot of tight connections with Syria.
Don’t forget: The PKK’s leader, Abdullah Ocalan, was living in Syria under the auspices of the Assads for years. That’s not a good thing, when you consider his allegiance and those of his followers, which predictably leans toward the Assads, thus Mr. Aref’s willingness to launder money for terrorism.

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Next time Muslim propagandists tell you that so many Muslims (and it’s not that many) are joining are armed forces, keep in mind that that’s hardly a sign of patriotism for them. It might be, instead, a way to get top secret info and target our troops from within.
I’ve written about a long list of very loyal Muslim American soldiers . . . very loyal to the jihad. And the latest is Paul R. Hall a/k/a Hassan Abujihaad (“Father of the Holy War”). He supports Bin Laden and the attack on the U.S.S. Cole. And, yesterday, he was arrested and charged with taking part in a conspiracy to kill American military personnel by giving suspected terrorists info aobut American ship movements in 2001.
And guess who Abujihaad’s roommate was? None other than Derrick Shareef, who was arrested in December for planNing to use grenades to attack an Illinois mall. And guess to whom he turned to defend him? CAIR. AS Gomer Pyle would say, surprise, surprise.

More from The Arizona Republic:

PHOENIX – A former U.S. sailor was arrested Wednesday on charges that he took part in a conspiracy to kill military personnel by giving suspected terrorists information about American ship movements in the Middle East in 2001.
Hassan Abujihaad, 31, who served aboard the destroyer USS Benfold from 1998 to 2002, also allegedly sent e-mails to a terrorist website, according to the Justice Department. The e-mails applauded Osama bin Laden and praised al-Qaeda’s attack on the USS Cole in Yemen in 2000.
Abujihaad, formerly known as Paul Hall, was arrested in Phoenix, FBI spokeswoman Deb McCarley said. He will be sent to Connecticut to face charges in federal court.
According to court records, Abujihaad linked up by Internet with British nationals Babar Ahmad and Syed Talha Ahsan through a London organization known as Azzam Publications. Ahmad and Ahsan also are under federal indictment. The government says Azzam had an intelligence and fundraising role in terrorism.
Scotland Yard agents searched Ahmad’s residence in 2003 and found classified information about a Navy battle group. According to court records, Abujihaad had sent detailed intelligence from the Benfold to Azzam in 2001, nine months after the Cole attack, which killed 17 sailors.
Abujihaad’s messages allegedly said the battle group would pass through the entrance to the Persian Gulf, in 19 days, adding: “They have nothing to stop a small craft with RPG (rocket-propelled grenade) etc. except their Seals’ stinger missiles ‚Ķ Please destroy message.”
Abujihaad received an honorable discharge from the Navy in 2002, according to an FBI affidavit. Abujihaad’s alleged role was first reported in news media 27 months ago, but no charges were filed at the time. Thomas Carson, a spokesman for the U.S. attorney in Connecticut, wouldn’t comment on what delayed the indictment.
In December, the case against Abujihaad apparently received a boost after the arrest of Derrick Shareef, 22, of Genoa, Ill. Shareef, who lived with Abujihaad in 2004, was accused of planning to use grenades to attack a mall. An informer who became acquainted with Shareef helped the FBI set up a sting against Abujihaad.
Amid reports in 2004 of Ahmad’s arrest, Abujihaad turned to the Council on American-Islamic Relations for support. Deedra Abboud, then executive director at the council’s Arizona office, said at the time that Abujihaad told her he sent e-mails critical of U.S. foreign policy to Azzam, but denied divulging classified information.

Yup. Muslim soldiers serving in our armed forces are just sooooo patriotic . . . just not to America.

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In February, the Wall Street Journal gave Bank of America chief Kenneth D. Lewis space to “defend” his bank’s sell-out to illegal aliens, issuing them credit cards.
Today’s WSJ had a couple of good letters to the editor attacking Lewis and BoA (and one moronic letter defending him–by a woman named Elaine Jancourtz of Plainsboro, NJ). The letter was by Vincent P.A. Benedict of Collegeville, PA was terrific, so I reprint it below:

Thank you for allowing Kenneth Lewis to plead his case for granting illegal immigrants access to credit cards through his bank; you acted in the true spirit of press freedom.
And I, exercising my freedom, canceled my $39,900 credit-line credit card, which I had held since 1996.

Bank of Illegals

In addition, I have canceled all of my Bank of America accounts and have elected never to do business with Mr. Lewis’s company again. Freedom is a wonderful thing.
Vincent P.A. Benedict
Collegeville, Pa.

Kudos to Mr. Benedict.