By
You know those promises the U.S. Census Bureau gives you–those assurances that all the info you fill out will be completely private? You know–the same claim repeated by the granola-y, rotten-Birkenstock clad pot-smoking girl that visits your residence after you haven’t yet filled in the form?
All lies. The Census Bureau said it inadvertently posted personal info from 302 households on its public website–not just once, but multiple times–over a five-month period. The info included income, home address, and birthdate info.
There is no evidence that the info was misused, Census spokeschick Ruth Cymber claims. Well, gee, now I feel so much better.

By
How nice. How unsurprising.
The ever butt-kissing State Department feels we haven’t butt-kissed the Islamofascists around the world enough. So the folks at Foggy Bottom have enlisted Muslim Congressman, Million Man March organizer, and right-hand man Farrakhan accolyte Keith Ellison to be their new spokesmodel to “help burnish the country’s image in the Muslim world.”
Haven’t we done enough of the “please, please like us, you uncivilized holy Muslim America-haters” chorus? Apparently not, in the eyes of the forever pandering State Department pan-Arabists and pan-Islamists.

Keith Ellison: New Official American Spokesman to Islamic World is Same as Old Unofficial American Spokesman to Islamic World
So, the State Department is featuring Ellison in articles in Arabic and other languages and profiled him in the State Department’s Bureau of International Information Programs.
The message: Look at us. We evil Americans have embraced an anti-Semitic official. You should to.
Oh, wait, you already have? Silly us. We were so busy pandering, we didn’t hear the “Death to America, Death to Israel” and evil Zionist chants that happen all over your countries.
And we only have one elected official who openly does that. Time for us to catch up to you, oh great ones.
Ellison claims he’s going to show the Middle East “American values.” Just like those “American values” trumpeted at the Million Man March he organized.
Oh, goody. No suprise that HAMAS front-group CAIR thinks it’s a sensational idea.
Time to wipe that brown stuff off the nose-tips of everyone at the State Department. It’s not very cosmetically pleasing.

By
Rosie O’Donnell–the most annoying of four extremely annoying yenta’s on ABC’s “The View” (and, yes, that includes airhead phony conservative Elisabeth Hasselbeck)–says she began treatment for depression after being extremely depressed by the Columbine school shootings.
Glad to know that Rosie–a total stranger and NOT the parent or relative of a single victim of Dylan Klebold and Eric Harris–is the one most affected by the tragedy.
O’Donnell says that as part of her treatment, she hangs upside down for up to a half-hour every day to improve her mental state. And judging by what we see on TV, it isn’t working.
The woman is still a raving lunatic and hating America is part of her mental disorder. More from AP:

Rosie O’Donnell says she began being treated for depression after the Columbine school shootings and hangs upside down for up to a half-hour a day to improve her mental state.
When gunmen killed 13 people at Columbine High School in Colorado in 1999, O’Donnell said she felt as if it had happened to her children.
“I couldn’t stop crying,” she said on an episode taped for ABC’s “The View” and due to air Friday. “I stayed in my room. The lights were off. I couldn’t get out of bed and that’s when I started taking medication.” . . .
When she began taking antidepressants, O’Donnell, 44, said she began yoga and “inversion therapy,” where she hangs upside down by a swing for 15 to 30 minutes a day. She demonstrates it on “The View.”

Can’t wait to see that.

O’Donnell said she also has seasonal affective disorder, often called SAD, the wintertime blues that can strike when the days grow short. SAD is characterized by recurrent major depressive episodes during the fall and winter.
She’s “instantly happy” on sunny days but feels as if she’s being tortured when it’s cloudy. She feels the most important thing to do when you’re feeling depressed is to get up and move.
“Like in ‘The Wizard of Oz’ the color goes out,” she said. “That is what happens in depression. Everything gets gray.”

So sad, too bad. Gee, she seems awfully un-depressed and very happy when American troops are in trouble in Iraq. Call that Non-Seasonal Hate-America Disorder.
Hanging upside down won’t fix that. But Rosie shutting the hell up certainly will.

By
**** UPDATE, 03/08/07: “ZAB” is apparently Zabdiel J. Santiago Balaguer. Balaguer delivered guns and drugs to Puerto Rico several times himself and offered to pay Munoz as much as $5,000 to make the delivery to Puerto Rico. This time, it’s just a small gun-running and drug-runing operation. But at any time, it could be a terrorist operation by those with such motives. A giant, gaping hole in the system. All Airport employees must be screened. As I’ve noted, and that’s only done randomly, not universally. ****
I’ve written several times before about the TSA’s and of airport employees, who usually have badges that get them access to dangerous places (like planes).
The arrest, Tuesday, of Thomas Anthony Munoz, a Comair customer service agent, is more evidence that we aren’t safer. We’re less safe.
Munoz brought 13 handguns, an assault rifle (M-16), and eight bags of marijuana on a flight from Orlando to Puerto Rico. And he wasn’t caught or arrested until his flight made it safely to San Juan. Munoz took money from another Orlando Airport employee–identified only as “ZAB” in a government affidavit–in exchange for getting the guns on the plane. Who is ZAB? Is he a Muslim? Was it a dry run for terrorists? (Watch both frightening video news reports from Orlando’s Local 6 News.) Even if not this time, next time it could be.

Safe?: Airline Employee Got All of This on a Plane
The passengers on Munoz’s flight were lucky. He didn’t try anything. But what if he was an Arab Muslim employee of Comair or some other airline, with a jihadist disposition and the same all-access badge to get around security?
Munoz’s weapons weren’t caught by the TSA because he DIDN’T GO THROUGH THE TSA SECURITY CHECKPOINT. He didn’t have to, because of his credentials.
The TSA says “no passengers were ever in danger.” Uh-huh. They might have been. As I’ve written before, members of the Detroit Terror Cell , as did a (and had been discharged from the Air Force for that very reason).
One day, someone like them will choose to do what Munoz did. And lives will be lost. All airport employees, except federal agents, should be forced to go through passenger screening . . . like the rest of us.

By
**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE ****
I saw the much touted “300,” last night. And, believe me, it is NOT the commentary on Bush some are saying that it is. It has absolutely nothing to do with Bush, and I get the idea that promoters are silently getting that message out in order to sell tickets.
If anything, it is the kind of message we should all take with us about the Muslims we are fighting today. While Spartan King Leonidas, the film’s hero, knows his 300 Spartans are vastly outnumbered by Persian King Xerxes’ troops, he knows his Spartans have a spirit and ethos that Xerxes’ legions do not.
Leonidas also repeatedly states throughout the movie that it is better to fight and die a free man than live as slaves. It’s also about commitment and hard work–the training the Spartan boys go through at such a young age makes them real men, not soft, wimpy, feminized girlie-men. The beautiful Spartan queen is committed to liberty and the fight to the end ethos, too.

The New York Times wrote about the debate regarding whether Bush is like Xerxes or Leonidas. The answer is: neither. Bush’s pandering to Muslims and bending over backward to show them that we’re tolerant is not the way you win a war. It’s a sign of weakness, a sign that both Xerxes and Leonidas would exploit. They had no tolerance for the enemy whom they recognized as wanting to eliminate them. Bush has far too much tolerance: our porous borders and rampant illegal alien menace, his pandering to Muslims who hate us–none of that would happen under either a Leonidas or a Xerxes.
While it was a little more gory and bloody than I’d prefer–lots of up-close, graphic beheadings–that’s war. The battle scenes are pretty good (aside from the gore). I thought it was overall a pretty good movie, if you can stand a lot of graphic violence, sex, and blood. It ain’t for the squeamish. (I was shocked to see a man brought his very young daughter who looked to be about 7.)
Could have been a lot more accurate than this comic book version, which is based on a graphic novel. And I don’t get making it so real, but then having this comical villains and fighters with lobster claws as arms and other fictional characteristics. Ditto for the portrayal of Xerxes as a bizarre, bejeweled transvestite with the voice to match–which has no basis in fact. The real Xerxes was mercurial and not smart, but hardly a girlie-man.
This movie certainly bears little resemblance to real history and the real Battle of Thermopylae, a significant event reduced to high-style cinema for the lumpen movie-tariat masses. But still an overall valiant epic movie.
Stay tuned for my full review on Friday.
**** UPDATE: Reader Ari writes:

The real spartans WERE girlie men. Okay, yeah, they were great warriors, but they were all having sex with one another. In fact, Sparta had population problems, because they could not get any of their “non-girlie-men” to actually have sex with real girls.
So, it makes me kind of queasy when anybody refers to spartans as “real men.”

Ari has a good point. I stand corrected.
On the other hand, reader Erich writes:

“Leonidas 2008” . . . maybe we should put that on a bumper sticker?

Not a bad idea.

By
As readers know, because of . I’m definitely troubled by his past positions on illegal aliens and immigration, but I’m hoping that will change.
Still, Rudy violated the number one rule in politics: Never get your picture taken in funny hats or weird costumes. Only Nancy Reagan successfully did that, as “Secondhand Rose.” As for the rest, think John Kerry in a bizarre space suit that looked like a giant condom; think Michael Dukakis in a military helmet riding on the side of a tank.
And now, think Rudy as a Rockette (complete with legs shaven and pantyhose–sorry, only Joe Namath can get away with that) and as Marilyn Monroe. Since the original occupants of the White House wore wigs and silk stockings, maybe Rudy can, too. But I can just imagine the campaign materials. Uh-oh:

These Are NOT Photoshopped

By
Reader KGS of the excellent and highly recommended Tundra Tabloids alerts me to the press coverage of the Bosnian funeral of Trolley Square Terrorist Sulejman Talovic. It’s notable that 300 people, most of them strangers, came to honor this murderer of 5 Americans (who also seriously injured 5 more). And THEY (not the victims’s families) forgave Talovic for his mass murder. Sickening.
KGS writes:

I wonder why a funeral for a cold blooded mass murder, would draw over three hundred well wishers who were complete strangers to the family?

Whatever the reason behind his monsterous deed, it still doesn’t explain why hundreds of complete strangers turned out to “forgive him”.

Why would 300 total strangers attend the funeral of a mass-murderer of innocent Americans? Could there be any reason other than that they think it’s great that this man murdered Infidels jihadi-style? I don’t know about you, but I don’t make it a habit to attend funerals of murderers I don’t know . . . just ‘cuz.
Wake up, America. These “Religion of Peace” adherents are not peaceful. If the fact that they celebrate a “martyr” en masse anywhere in the world doesn’t alert you to this fact, what will? Check out the photos of his funeral. They look like they could be a funeral for a HAMAS homicide bomber.

This is what we get for taking the side of Muslims against Christians in Bosnia. Just love how they thank us. We picked the wrong side. That should be apparent.
More from the Salt Lake Tribune, which oddly makes most of the article about the “horrible violence” against Bosnian Muslims, so I guess that makes it okay if one of them murders and/or seriously injures 10 Americans picking out Valentine’s Day cards:

TALOVICI, Bosnia-Herzegovina – Sulejman Talovic, who shot and killed five people at Trolley Square mall in Salt Lake City nearly three weeks ago, was buried Saturday in his family’s war-ravaged hamlet.

More than 300 people – most of them strangers – paid their respects to his heartbroken parents, who expressed grief and sorrow as well as appreciation for the people of Utah.

Thanking the people of Utah after killing and/or injuring ten of them. Well, Thank Heaven for small favors.

Before the casket was taken to the cemetery, lead imam Sulejman Sulejmanovic asked all the gathered women if they would “halaliti” (forgive) all of Sulejman’s sins before he departed to another world. By tradition, the question was repeated three times, and the women forgave Sulejman. . . .

No, Halaliti actually means “permit” or “permissible” or “I permit.”

After the prayers led by three imams, the question: “Are we going to forgive?” was repeated three more times.
“He is forgiven!” said the men gathered.
“Only great Allah knows why Sulejman Talovic did this,” Sulejmanovic said.

Yup, I’m sure Allah knows. But we know, too.

By
You know the drill. A team wins the Superbowl, and the game’s MVP gets asked, “Payton Manning, You’ve just won the Superbowl. What are you going to do next?” Response: “I’m going to Disney World.”
Well, now, it’s a HAMAS operative’s chance at the refrain. , has asked a federal judge for permission to go to Disney World.
While he was found guilty of some charges in the early February verdict in his trial, Salah was, unfortunately—-acquitted of terrorism charges, thanks to an O.J-style jury and an incompetent U.S. Department of Justice. My friend, , warned the government to do something about Salah. But they did too little, too late, and disciplined him for pushing the issue.

HAMAS Operative Muhammad Salah & Family to Terrorize, er . . . Visit Mickey & Minnie

Still living under restrictive bail conditions while he awaits sentencing this summer on the obstruction charge, Salah has to get court permission to leave the area — and his movements are tracked by an electronic monitoring device strapped to his ankle. He now wants permission to take it off.
“The ankle monitor will be of no use in Florida and will only unnecessarily hamper Mr. Salah’s enjoyment of his family’s vacation,” [his lawyer] wrote.
Salah wants to pack up the family van and take his wife and five kids on a one-week road trip to the Orlando, Fla., tourist mecca later this month.
Assistant U.S. Attorney Joseph Ferguson said he had not yet reviewed Salah’s request and declined to comment. If approved by U.S. District Judge Amy St. Eve, the spring break sojourn will mark a light-hearted escape from a legal saga Salah’s been living for the past 14 years.
The only U.S. citizen to be designated an international terrorist by the federal government, Salah spent nearly five years in an Israeli prison after he was nabbed at a military checkpoint in 1993 and accused of running money to Hamas leaders in the Occupied Territories.
After returning to Bridgeview, he found himself the target of a civil lawsuit that resulted in a $156 million judgment against him and others, as well as a long-running criminal probe that led to his indictment in 2004.

So nice that he gets a “light-hearted escape,” but his two American homicide bombing victims (whose families won multi-million dollar lawsuits against him) will never have such “light-hearted” anything.
A HAMAS terrorist wants to visit Disney World. Time to warn Mickey and Minnie!

By
I have a movie headache. It’s the moviegoing version of an ice cream headache–when you consume too much ice cream too quickly and get a weird sensation in your head.
Today, I didn’t post much because I went to a triple header of movie screenings, and have to go see a fourth one, tonight. It’s too much for one day and makes you feel like you’re wasting valuable hours of your life away–and you are. Or, at least, I was.
I know, I know. I’m lucky to be able to do this as part of my vocation. Most people don’t have this opportunity–to watch movies for free and review them, so why am I whining? Too much of a good thing (or, in this case, a not so good thing) is never good. And I have a movie headache. My head is spinning. One thing I wish Hollywood would do: make movies shorter! They are way too long.
Anyway, of the movies I saw today, so far, I liked “The Namesake“–about an Indian family that comes to America and assimilates–the best. It was a charming, if sad, film (a little long, though). Going to see “300,” later tonight. Did NOT like “The Lookout.” Also saw, “The Hoax.”
Check out my reviews when the movies are released.

By
USA Today media and journalism critic Peter Johnson finally noticed something we’ve seen all along: advocacy journalism–biased, one-sided news coverage with an agenda–is predominant, today:

The “social journalism” that made Oprah Winfrey an international fairy godmother is the new rage in network and cable news, and it’s expanding to other media.
Increasingly, journalists and talk-show hosts want to “own” a niche issue or problem, find ways to solve it and be associated with making this world a better place, as Winfrey has done with obesity, literacy and, most recently, education by founding a girls school in South Africa.

Full of Herself: What Oprah “Journalism” is Really About
(Artwork Courtesy of the Talented David Lunde)

Experts say the competitive landscape, the need to be different and to keep eyeballs returning, is driving this trend, along with a genuine desire from some anchors and reporters to do good.

Wrong. Reporters don’t care about doing good. Neither does Oprah. They care about you thinking they’re doing good. It’s all about PR for their image. And they care about advancing their own agendas.
Nothing positive about that.
Not sure how Oprah’s endless self-promotion of how she spent millions on a school in South Africa, suddenly makes her “own” the “education niche.” Puh-leeze.
She does own the trumpet-my-own-horn niche. But that’s not “journalism.”