Thank you, sir. May I have another?

Red China’s banning of US military planes and ships is now more widespread than originally thought. What’s our cowardly ChiCom groveling cowboy unilteralist response?

“This incident has not prevented us from being able to work with the Chinese,” said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. “And this is something that (the) two nations should be able to work through.”

Asked whether Washington was toning down its rhetoric to avoid angering Beijing, Perino told reporters: “I don’t think escalating it every day is necessary.

“We’ve been communicating with them and I am sure that we will be able to work it out with them. But that’s why we are seeking a clarification from the other day and are working to make sure that this situation can be resolved.”

When asked “to clarify”, the Official Chinese spokesperson spit in Perino’s face, threw her on the floor, and told her to do his dishes.

“We are two very large countries, very powerful countries, we have a deep and mature relationship, we have open lines of communication and we are taking advantage of those now,” said Perino.

[...]

“This relationship is growing and maturing.”

Somebody’s “taking advantage” of something but it’s not us. If this relationship “grows” and “matures” anymore, we’re going to end up in a battered womens’ shelter. Most honorable favored trading husband must teach humble wife a lesson. We must apply the soothing steak of diplomacy to our black eye lest the neighbors talk.

To which, Spokeswoman Perino responds, “We can still go shopping this weekend, right?”

Why is this story getting no play again? Oh, yea.

***UPDATED***

So much for the ole we had “mixed signals” explanation:

BEIJING, China (AP) — China’s last-minute cancellation of a U.S. Navy visit to Hong Kong was no misunderstanding, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said Thursday.

Spokesman Liu Jianchao said ties between the U.S. and China had been “disturbed and harmed” by Congress’ honoring of the Dalai Lama and U.S. arms sales to Taiwan.

I suppose we should keep feeding the kids lead-chipped toys for Christmas while Red China continues to veto sanctions against Sudanese genocide and unduly attempt to influence our national elections as long as we’re airing grievances.

He denounced an earlier report from Washington that said Chinese Foreign Minister Yang Jiechi told President Bush the incident was a misunderstanding.

But Liu offered no concrete explanation as to why China barred the aircraft carrier USS Kitty Hawk and its escort vessels from entering Hong Kong harbor for a planned Thanksgiving visit.

“The report is not in line with the facts,” Liu said at a regular news briefing.

Our sources at the State Department (i.e., no one) have already confirmed that they will continue to ask “what does this mean?” until the story fades from the headlines again. Which at the current rate will be about half of one news cycle.

Me No Rikey Update: And It’s Getting Uglier –

China’s decision to deny US access to Hong Kong was wider than first thought and it has also barred a missile cruiser from making a New Year’s port call, Pentagon officials revealed Friday.

[...]

And a US military aircraft that flies to Hong Kong every three months to supply the US consulate has also been was denied permission to land by the Chinese, said a US defense official who asked not to be identified.

[...]

Pentagon officials sought to play down the dispute.

“We have certainly expressed concern and disappointment with the events that have transpired with the Kitty Hawk and the minesweepers, but we are moving on,” said Pentagon spokesman Bryan Whitman.

Meanwhile in Japan, Yomiuri Shimbun reported that Japanese authorities cancelled a tour by visiting Chinese sailors of an advanced Aegis warship because of US concerns about exposure of sensitive equipment.

Why is our Pentagon “moving on” and downplaying this? Every Chinese ship seeking to drop it’s products off on our shores should be denied port and sent home whether they have enough fuel to make it or not.

A message needs to be sent to show that we are serious.

Our official statement: You don’t have to go home but you can’t stay here!

Free Traitors Traders everywhere tremble at that thought, I know.

Fresh off the heels of author Rachel Ehrenfeld’s ordeal, as an American author being sued in England by a Saudi billionaire (who is alleged to fund terrorists), comes word from Canuckistan that their judicial jihadis are hijacking Canadian courts to slam their perverted ideology into columnist Mark Steyn’s free speech:

THE CANADIAN ISLAMIC CONGRESSPRESS CONFERENCE ANNOUNCEMENT

ISLAMIC CONGRESS LAUNCHES HUMAN RIGHTS COMPLAINTS AGAINST MACLEANS MAGAZINE FOR PUBLISHING ISLAMOPHOBIC ARTICLE

WHEN:
Tuesday, December 4, 2007 At 10:30 am

[...]

WHAT:

The Canadian Islamic Congress has launched human rights complaints against Macleans Magazine and its editor-in-chief, Kenneth Whyte, for publishing a flagrantly Islamophobic article, “The Future Belongs to Islam”, in its Oct 23, 2006 issue.

This article continues to be published on the Macleans website

The future belongs to Islam | Macleans.ca – Canada – Features

The complaints have been submitted to the British Columbia, Ontario, and Federal Human Rights Commissions on the grounds that the article subjects Canadian Muslims to hatred and contempt.

The complaints have been accepted by the British Columbia and the Federal Commissions; hearings have been scheduled in British Columbia for June 2 – 6, 2008.

The press conference will be conducted by Mr. Faisal Joseph who will be arguing the matter before the BC Human Rights Tribunal.

Not since the famed Pot vs. Kettle case of 1897 has a plaintiff had so little moral high ground to boil over upon. The Canadian Islamic Congress attempting to lay charges of “hatred and contempt” against Steyn is like the Ku Klux Klan suing Thurgood Marshall for creating a hostile work environment.

Mohamed Elmasry, the president of the CIC, has a history of calling on Palestinian suicide bombers to attack all Israeli civilians over the age of 18. Would that warrant a “human rights complaint” or should the lawsuit against Mr. Elmasry’s statements be filed in an Israeli court? Indeed, the CIC’s site is infected with similar abscesses of rhetorical cancer where Elmasry himself is inciting hatred and contempt against Americans with outlandish conspiracy theories.

Steyn’s column is downright meek in comparison to some of the hatred spewed by Canada’s Egyptian-born turned Maple (Molson?) Mujahideen. So mark you calendars for December 4, 2007. Flying planes into buildings is too impermanent. Financially fueling squadrons of lawyers to attack your free speech in cherrypicked PC courtrooms has already turned into the next battlefield.

“LIVE FREE OR DIE TRYING” UPDATE: Steyn’s publisher responds:

“Mark Steyn is a thoughtful and experienced journalist, and the piece was a commentary on important global political issues. It was not in any sense Islamophobic, and Maclean’s is confident that the Human Rights Commissions will find no merit in the complaints.”

Somehow, I think Steyn will defend himself with more vigor than the average New Hampshirite.

Here we go again.

At the end of every college football season, the firings and hirings begin. Also at the end of every college football season, the Black Coaches & Administrators get their collective jock straps in a wad because the hiring process clearly demonstrates the racism that still exists in America today.

I’ve always said that racism is bad for business which is why most businesses do not practice racism. This is never more true than in college and professional athletics.

Outside of private donations, football is the leading cash-cow at major universities. The whole purpose of fielding a team is to WIN. Winning puts butts in the seats. Butts in the seats = money. Winning gets you to bowl games. Bowl games = money.

Are we are supposed to believe that an athletic director would not seek the best coach for the job but only the whitest coach for the job?

It’s completely illogical! It not only puts the school’s financial situation at risk, but that of the athletic director as well. I am quite certain that an AD who continually hires coaching duds instead of the best candidates would lose his job quickly. The fanbase would demand it.

Fans are truly colorblind. We don’t care what color the coach is. We only care about winning.

It seems that the only ones concerned with color are those who claim to be colorblind.

What is the Muslim perspective?

We’re offended.

We’re offended that this story got so much publicity presumably by the naturally xenophobic and racist white people.

Well in Sudan, if there was no offense at the Great Prophet Teddy Bear, then there wouldn’t be so much of that offense-giving attention.

I would think a paid journalist might recognize the relationship between cause and effect. Then again, causality might just be another racist construct invented by dead white males.

The Home and Garden Network has nothing on Coop & Co.

(via Ace O’ and the Corner) The Gay General was a plant from Kerry’s Steering Committee and is now on Hillary’s Steering Committee.

They even had Kerr show up to ask the question in person.

A choreographed ambush.

At least they were consistent. They had decided Democrat plants throwing softballs at Democratic candidates and then they had Democrat plants asking questions at the Republican debate.

But don’t question their integrity!

Cowardly Democrats refuse a debate on Fox but CNN is flying in Democrat plants somehow manages to get the good General from California to ambush the candidates. That should revoke all future CNN debates if there is evidence they coordinated getting Kerr in that audience.

They knew he submitted a Youtube video. They knew he was in the audience and they already had a microphone waiting for him.

So, Mr. Kerr. How long were you staying in Florida and who bought your ticket? And who at CNN handed you the microphone while they were playing the Youtube video?

This Youtube wanker was interviewing Kerr and posted his exchange approximately 2pm EST.

Operation: Blowback for Blowdry

Little Shop of Horrors Update: Another plant? David Cercone who asked the Log Cabin question and said he was of Pompano Beach, FL. Same guy?

Again, as an American who is living under the tyranny of a dubiously elected wannabe dictator, please world forgive us and know that Bush and Bolton are not representative of the majority of Americans. God help us all.
David Cercone, Fort Lauderdale, Florida

Yep. Mr. Log Cabin Republican questioner is an Obama plant.

If not a plant, definitely not an undecided Republican.

UPDATE: Thanks for Malkin for the link. From the looks of many of the first commenters on her site “fake but accurate” isn’t just a mantra for the evening news but one they’d like to use for their garden variety hitmen in the debates too.

Did the Paultards not install the infiltration program correctly? The cheers just weren’t there. Romney and Huckabee win the opening cheers though Huckabee had a smattering of groans.

******

CNN starts off with a goofy song and then comes out hard against Giuliani. Giuliani blames Koch. But he did it “for the children”.

*******

Amnesty is the issue for the opening and Thompson is swinging for the fences. Er, so to speak. He closes weak though.

******

McCain rocks back on his good buddy “Open Borders” Mel Martinez and the crowd isn’t buying what he’s selling. Which is that God loves illegal aliens.

We won’t call it “amnesty” or “sanctuary cities” – we’ll call it something else.

(more…)

This would be a question for the ladies.  A two-parter to be fair.
Let’s say you’re married for, oh, I dunno – 9 or 10 years and your husband dumps you for a waffle waitress.

a)  Would you keep his name?

b)  If so, why?

Discuss.

I thought that when she signed our non-compete agreement that we were clear on this. Leave it to a lawyer to find a way to wriggle out of it.

h/t Nigel

UPDATE: Dow soars 331 points on the news of Annika’s possible return to blogging.

So ya
Thought ya
Might like to go to the show
To feel the warm thrill of illusion
That cosmonaut glow
Tell me is something eluding you, comrade?
Is this not what you expected to see?
If you want to find out what’s behind these cold eyes ?
You’ll just have to claw your way through the
these old lies.

* * *

Kasparov’s not well

he stayed back at the hotel.

And they sent us along as a surrogate band.

We’re going to find out where you fans really stand.

Something tells me that Granny doesn’t want medium-sized reindeer slippers for Christmas this year:

MOMBASA, Kenya (Reuters) – Bethan, 56, lives in southern England on the same street as best friend Allie, 64.

They are on their first holiday to Kenya, a country they say is “just full of big young boys who like us older girls.”
[...]
“This is what is sold to tourists by tourism companies — a kind of return to a colonial past, where white women are served, serviced, and pampered by black minions,” said Nottinghan University’s Davidson.

[...]

“It’s not evil,” said Jake Grieves-Cook, chairman of the Kenya Tourist Board, when asked about the practice of older rich women traveling for sex with young Kenyan men.

“But it’s certainly something we frown upon.”

Also, the health risks are stark in a country with an AIDS prevalence of 6.9 percent. Although condom use can only be guessed at, Julia Davidson, an academic at Nottingham University who writes on sex tourism, said that in the course of her research she had met women who shunned condoms — finding them too “businesslike” for their exotic fantasies.

Frown upon? Yes. Dry heave Throw up a little in my mouth? Yes. Sort of threatens a whole new cardiac spin to “different strokes for different folks”.

My sentiments exactly.

Trent Lott will resign this year.

A professional poltitician with seemingly no guiding principles except that of bringing cash back to Mississippi, Lott shouldn’t be missed.

I’m not very smart and not well versed in the way of politics, but this sound like his era in “public” service ends so he can make some real money.

Yech.

Roundup from the Jammie Wearin’ Fool.

A disappointing milestone was passed over this weekend as the injustice of the Nicaraguan Kangaroo Courts have had Nashville native Eric Volz wrongly convicted and incarcerated for the murder of his Nicaraguan girlfriend for over 2 years now.

Despite abundant evidence of his innocence, Volz’s greatest crime was Traveling While American:

“Don’t misunderstand,” Nicaraguans told us, “We’re not anti-American. But we don’t want that rich ‘gringo’ to avoid paying for his crime.”

At this point, I don’t believe anyone outside of Nicaragua misunderstands anything about this case. They’re not Anti-American, they just want that “rich gringo” to pay for someone else’s crime.

• NONE of the physical evidence recovered from the scene linked Eric to the crime…

II. The Arrest and Prosecution of Eric Volz: • Despite the conclusive evidence showing Eric’s innocence, the police issued an arrest warrant for him, as well three others: Armando Llanes, Nelson Lopez-Danglas and Julio Chamorro. A few days later, in return for a testimony against Eric, Danglas was released and all charges against him were dropped.

• Llanes, who is from wealthy Nicaraguan family, disappeared after the murder for 16 days until he appeared at the first hearing where all charges were dismissed without any questioning of him.

• Outside the courthouse in Rivas on the date that Eric was ordered to stand trial, a vigilante mob gathered in an attempt to bring their own justice. They chased Eric and the RSO from the U.S. Embassy with clubs and machetes with the intent to kill Eric. They narrowly escaped.

• Further, the prosecution failed to establish that Doris had been raped, yet Eric was charged with rape. The conviction for that crime is unsupportable as the Medical Examiner’s testimony verified from the very beginning.

III. The Defense Case: • Three witnesses were allowed to testify on Eric’s behalf. The defense case was overwhelming. Indeed, it was conclusive. Those permitted to testify on Eric’s behalf were: Ricardo Castillo, a highly regarded Nicaraguan journalist (who is a contributor to The Washington Post, U.S. News and World Report, and The Economist…), Nick Petty an American businessman and journalist, and Rose Agularia a hairdresser who was cutting Eric’s hair when the phone call came notifying him of Doris’ murder.

• The judge threw out all of the defense testimony and supporting evidence yet the lack of evidence presented by the prosecution did not prohibit the judge from handing Eric a verdict of guilty. A lynch mob once again congregated outside the courtroom in Rivas where, at one point in order to quell the potentially violent mob the police fired gunshots at the crowd. All of this served to frighten the judge away from the truth.

Volz’s story is a cautionary tale for Americans traveling throughout Latin America but as Volz is not a buxom, blonde-haired teen with a margarita in his hand this story has been all but forgotten and 30 years is too long to wait for justice.

The Youtube video from his friends, family and co-workers.

Merry Christmas, everyone! Here, have some monkey meat.

Here we have New York officials clamping down – yet again – on religious freedom. And delicious smoked monkey meat. It does add a special flavor to any occasion.

Sometimes you just gotta have some brains. Monkey brains. Brains… brains!

This actually helps me out on an unrelated topic. There was a decapitated rabbit in my backyard not too long ago, which I thought might have been left there by a neighborhood cat or hawk. Now I know it was actually a gift from the Almighty. I’ll keep that in mind the next time I find a skull, torso or other body part lying around the house.

The story does mention, however, that the woman was already serving a 2-year prison sentence for trying to run over a woman who she suspected was sleeping with her husband. She’s a good egg, just a little confused. And monkey meat? Totally misunderstood.

I’m guessing the animal-rights bedwetters are going to have some trouble with this one. On one hand, you have a woman of color – a saintly immigrant, at that – being held down by the man. On the other hand, you have monkeys hacked to bits for dinner. Then on the third hand, the woman of color seems to belong to some sect of Christianity, and the only thing more evil than a Christian is a Joooooooooo, so this presents yet another problem. What to do, what to do?

The whole thing really reminds me of a song. It goes something like this…

Great big gobs of greasey grimey gopher guts,
Mutilated monkey meat…

h/t Mrs. Holmes

Praise the Lord Allah and pass the opprobrium:

THE Archbishop of Canterbury has said that the United States wields its power in a way that is worse than Britain during its imperial heyday.

Rowan Williams claimed that America’s attempt to intervene overseas by “clearing the decks” with a “quick burst of violent action” had led to “the worst of all worlds”.

Survivors of Halabja might disagree (warning: profoundly graphic imagery and maudlin soundtrack). But worse than British imperialism? No offense Your Exalted Forgetfulness , but who do you think taught us? For the bad wrap the U.S. gets for Native Americans, from 1492 to 1776 people tend to forget that the French, English, and Spaniards were pitting tribes against one another long in advance of the Revolutionary War. Same goes for the slave trade which would not have even been possible without Britain’s key role.

I’ll digress on that point. But the world’s not all doom and gloom from the geopolitical exegesis of England’s Pompous Pilate:

In the interview in Emel, a Muslim lifestyle magazine, Williams makes only mild criticisms of the Islamic world. He said the Muslim world must acknowledge that its “political solutions were not the most impressive”.

He commends the Muslim practice of praying five times a day, which he says allows the remembrance of God to be “built in deeply in their daily rhythm”.

Meh. You were expecting maybe a Caliphate? They may execute the gays and dole out 200 lashes to rape victims but boy does that prayer have a nice beat and is such a welcome change of pace from that heretical Western Civ hegemony. Williams is little more than a celestial cat-herder with one faithful finger in the wind as his finicky flock disbands to the seven winds.

You won’t find me in church this Sunday morning. But after reading how this man who holds sway over some 80 million disjointed followers as he dispenses praise to practitioners of a false god yet sits in judgment of us – I can’t help but wonder why so many still do.

It was horribly painful, but a W is a W, which unfortunately means four more years of Fulmer. But on the bright side, we have a shot at an inexplicable SEC Championship, however massively unlikely.

I hope everybody is having a nice Thanksgiving weekend. Out in SoCal we’re dodging fires again. But otherwise things are great.

Here is something that is too atrocious not to share with you all. Because I love you.

If anyone made it through the entire video, you’re a much stronger person than I am, and I salute you.

Playing off of a Huffington Post contest to Posterize the GOP, Michelle Malkin calls for a counter poster protest.

Considering how liberals in general are supposed to be the creative thinking types, their suggestions seem to lack much imagination.

Here is my entry.

McMurphy: And I’ll jump in with a little simplisme:

A spirited little discussion got underway yesterday and this morning at the Ron Paul endorsing, Democrat leaning (redundant?) ABC affiliate Volunteer Voters.

Innocuously enough, it starts off as a query about how the lines are being blurred by the evolving roles of bloggers and party politics in relation to trying to beat on a local blogger hired to work for a state party. Seeing as how the lines between party politics and the old media have already been smeared to the point of being unrecognizable, I’m wondering how to judge these roles in the future as well.

For example, earlier this week a New York City anchorman had to resign his position after calling in a talk-show under a fake name to malign a particular candidate for office he did not like.

Situational ethics to be sure. But if those rules apply to an anchorman under the Old Media regime (tv/talk radio), how should we look upon so-called New Media Professionals posting comments under fake names on websites? “Professionals” is the keyword there. It is assumed that a higher standard comes with that paycheck. Rightly or wrongly.

Would it not be the professional, journalistic responsibility of that siteowner to disclose that information if they knew a fellow media professional was posting anonymously to attack malign or promote figures, public or private?

Who should make that decision?

I’m just sayin’.

And it’s kind of sad really, but sometimes, when you’re in the mood, you have to drop the hammer on someone for fun. This time, it’s some Mexican blog – I took Espanol in college, but had to use AltaVista’s Babelfish to try to figure out what the hell this guy was saying in this post. I’m still not sure, but decided that he deserved it simply based on the hotlinking.

So, I went out to a random sex toy site and found a nice picture of some toys for the accused hotlinker. Then I updated my own site so that said photo would not appear in my original post.

And, like magic, the hotlinker’s post is chock full of dildos. Screenshot after the jump (if you live in Alabama, don’t click on the link).

(more…)

More primary colored hijinx in the Soviet Union “United Russia”:

Russian police late Friday raided an office of The Other Russia coalition led by former chess champion Garry Kasparov, hours before he was to lead a march in Moscow against President Vladimir Putin.

In the continuing struggle to confront Putin’s imperial-sized penis envy, the jackboots descend to protect Pooty-Poot’s little pecker from being challenged. As if to scream “I’ll be damned if the Chess Club is going to be talking shit about me in front of my back. ”

“They had no documents, acted on the authority of some secret decree, so they could not say what it was about,” she said.

“They wrote down passport data of all our staff, drew a map of the office, and wrote down that they found nothing criminal, no drugs, no weapons.”

[...]

“Our staff reacted calmly. This is not the first such raid, a year ago they broke in with weapons …”

Kasparov & Co. should count themselves lucky. Most times, the opposition is just shot or poisoned. Or poisoned. Or poisoned and then shot.

And this has much to do with my qualm with people riding Thompson’s “gaffe” of calling Russia the Soviet Union. Har they heckled:

Note to Fred; check out December 1991.There was a huge event back then.

Or that:

Seriously senile is what we here in Tennessee call Freddie “So-Not-Ready” Thompson. In an interview in Iowa, the former Tennessee senator was talking about Russia, only he called it “the Soviet Union.” Ouch. This is getting beyond embarrassing.

Or more appropriately:

I am afraid that there are too many Fred’s in American politics who still see the Soviet Union when dealing with Russia.

Do we really want someone as ignorant in international affairs running the White House again for the next term? I pray the country will agree with me, but unfortunately too many people judge Fred Thompson on other factors than his international affairs capability. After our current president, we need someone very capable in international affairs.

[...]

Well, before you think the Russophile hates all Republicans, Ron Paul has better ideas than either of these guys.

And so on. But is Thompson wrong is the question. Is “United Russia” all that lyrical a stretch from “Soviet Union”? Call things what they are I say.

No, we’re not the United States of America – we’re America United.  And you’re a fool to speak in such anachronisms. 

If it walks like a commie and it talks like a commie – it’s a commie. An albeit, geographically smaller commie than it was before but that lost territory was replaced by a chip on it’s shoulder. Ferchrissakes, won’t someone stand up and call what’s going on over there what it is or do we actually need to see Sputnik above us to get in gear?

Lame duck President my ass. Bush is likely to chap a few hides after a little known radio announcement this afternoon calling on more provisions added to the Patriot Act. Unfortunately, we’re dealing with a major-league sithhead in Darth Proboscis:

Washington, D.C. (AP) – President George W. Bush warned his supporters on Friday that anyone voting against his proposed constitutional changes would be a “traitor,” rallying his political base before a referendum that would let him seek unlimited re-election in 2012 and beyond. Brandishing a little blue book listing his desired 69 revisions to the United States Constitution, Bush exhorted his backers to redouble their efforts toward a victorious “yes” vote in the Dec. 2 ballot.

“He who says he supports the U.S. but votes ‘no’ is a traitor, a true traitor,” the president told an arena packed with Brooks Brothers-clad supporters. “He’s against me, against the revolution and against the people.”

Did I say “Bush”? I meant Man of the People ™ Hugo Chavez:

“If you don’t approve (the referendum), maybe we’ll have time for a parachute jump in five years,” Chavez, a former paratrooper, told the crowd. “But if you wish—if you approve the referendum—I will stay as long as God wills! Until the last bone of my skeleton dries out!”

Strangely, some on the Looney Left appear to be getting cold feet.(link still works but many comments appear to be deleted, out of order, and due to Anti-Chavez comments the moderators turned comments off.)

Too late to take back all the adulation now fellas and fellates. You’ve already been in bed with Chavez for a few years now. All of your heroes too. Sean Penn, Danny Glover, Cindy Sheehan, Medea Benjamin.

It’s hard to wipe the guilt off your chin when Chavez is still flossing his teeth with the breakaway panties you tossed at his feet like he was Julio Iglesias and you were the unwed mother of three pobrecitos in Oaxaca.

I said “some” on the Looney Left. Definitely not all.

Maybe on a lark some Hollywood chucklehead might consider a movie on Iraq that would actually, you know, make money.

Undeterred by a lack of writing talent and money, I nevertheless have been rolling over ideas of what might make a great pro-American war movie that wouldn’t be overly jingoistic.

Over and over, I thought that the story should center on an Iraqi who possibly served in the Baath army rather than a U.S. serviceman.

Set during the Occupation around 2004, this Iraqi guy gets to explain clearly that the American invasion has not been all bubblegum and roses. Even though it replaced something worse, it has brought chaos, destruction and death. Perhaps a few scenes where Marines rough him up a checkpoint and stuff like that can illustrate the point.

However at some point, it becomes apparent that for better or worse, the Americans are trying to reconstruct the country. Two sides, neither pure nor idealistic, join forces to oust al Qaeda. Friendships are forged, lives are saved and children are flying kites.

Anyway, my brilliant idea has been torpedoed by some Iraqi asshat who had the audacity to do this in real life.

(s/t Ace)

Send a message to Beijing this Black Friday.

In light of Communist China’s refusal to allow the U.S.S. Kittyhawk to dock for a scheduled port visit so that the soldiers could visit with their hundreds of family members who flew into Hong Kong for Thanksgiving, take a moment this Black Friday to eschew companies that continue stocking their shelves with the GHB and lead-laced spoils that fund the coming war against us:

The top U.S. military commander in the Pacific said he’s “perplexed and concerned” by China’s last-minute decision to deny a U.S. aircraft carrier entry to Hong Kong for a previously scheduled port visit.

The USS Kitty Hawk and its escort ships were due to dock there for a four-day visit Wednesday until they were refused access. Hundreds of family members had flown to Hong Kong to spend Thanksgiving with their sailors.

“It’s hard to put any kind of positive spin on this,” Adm. Timothy Keating told The Associated Press in a telephone interview Thursday while flying back to the U.S. after visiting troops in Iraq.

[...]

It was the second time in a week that China refused to let U.S. Navy ships into the port.

Two U.S. minesweepers seeking to refuel and shelter from bad weather in the South China Sea had asked for permission to enter Hong Kong three or four days before the Kitty Hawk. Those ships were denied, Keating said.

Naturally, this will find us at loggerheads with our sometimes allies in the Ayn Rand camp but we’re not asking for a government boycott yet and it takes an industrial strength ideological cocoon not to see the difference between trading with a murderer and trading with a murderer who is sending signals that he’s going to kill you as soon as he has enough of your money.

So Boycott China today. The life you save will be your own. And your kids. And your pets.

A stronger signal would be to revoke Most Favored Nation Trading status to a country that is spitting in our soldiers’ faces during our illusory, so-called “peace time”.

PowerLine receives a message from a naval officer:

What hasn’t been widely reported yet is that several hundred families of the Kittyhawk crew, who live here in Yokosuka, Japan, had flown to Hong Kong to spend the holiday with their spouses. I personally know three wives who made the trip, taking their small children with them. Ever spent $2500 on airfare to fly 10 hours round trip by yourself with two kids under age 4, then found out it was for nothing?

The LA Times reports that the ChiComs relented after it was too late and that they were creating a public relations nightmare for themselves under the capricious claims that they would allow the visit “out of humanitarian consideration only”. A day later after the ship had almost returned to its home port. Falun Gong, Tibetan and Taiwanese recipients of their vaunted humanitarian largesse were unavailable for comment:

Word spread Wednesday afternoon that China’s Foreign Ministry had suddenly and inexplicably blocked a five-day visit by the giant vessel and its strike group, despite prior approval and weeks of planning.

A day later, Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Liu Jianchao told journalists that Beijing would relent, saying its change of heart was “a decision out of humanitarian consideration only.” Repeated efforts by foreign reporters to get him to explain the reversal failed.
[...]
Amid the head-scratching, some praised this week’s moves, even if they too were uncertain about the intent.

“My guess is the U.S. did something that wasn’t so friendly toward us,” said Ni Lexiong, a military expert with the Shanghai Institute of Political Science and Law. “It’s good to let them know in a rather abrupt way, otherwise they might not notice.”

Let the ChiComs know you noticed this Christmas. (more…)

Say, what do you call a wealthy ruling class which has deigned to protect the lowly? They collect taxes from the tradesmen and peasants while living lavishly themselves?

The term eludes me.

Oh yes.
(more…)