Ex-Navy Loser Leaker Lawyer Properly Disbarred

Surreptitiously shipping classified lists to a left-wing group will get a sailor/lawyer sunk real fast.

Mathew M. Diaz apparently never got the lesson on "Loose lips sink ships", not to mention how divulging classified information is a surefire way to sink your career and future prospects.

And it was not just any classified list either:

The Kansas Supreme Court has disbarred a former Navy lawyer who mailed a classified list of Guantanamo detainees to the Center for Constitutional Rights.

Ex-Navy Lawyer Is Disbarred for Sending Secret Names of Gitmo Detainees to Legal Group

It was also clearly not a mistake or spur-of-the-moment stupidity:

Diaz had printed the detainee names, cut the list into strips, and placed them in a Valentine’s Day card to Barbara Olshansky, the deputy legal director for the Center of Constitutional Rights, according to findings of fact cited by the court.

This was far from being some act of heroic dissident. He admitted that he was too much or a coward to even take this up with his chain of command, or do an open act of disobedience and take the consequences for his beliefs and acts, instead he decided to try to surreptitiously leak his way to glory:

The court noted, however, that Diaz did not take his concerns to higher-ups because, by his own testimony in court-martial proceedings, “I wasn't really to put—willing to put my neck on the line and jeopardize my career.” The information he disclosed also could have been used to identify detainee interrogation teams, putting them at potential risk, the court said.

Disbarment is appropriate, the court said, given the nature of Diaz’s criminal violations and his “admitted selfish reasons for the clandestine disclosure of classified information.”

So Diaz ended up with 4 felonies, 6 months in confinement - which seems a little light, and a disbarment, not to mention dropping from the rank of Lt. Commander to nothing. All on behalf of Guantanamo detainees who would likely kill him and other Americans if they got half a chance.

He chose....poorly.

France To Recognize Palestinians As A State, Surrender And Collaboration To Follow.

Ah the French.

France to recognize Palestinian state at UN

With the announcement, France becomes the first major European country to come out in favor, dealing a setback to Israel. The timing of the announcement appears aimed at swaying other European nations.

Foreign Minister Laurent Fabius told parliament that France has long supported Palestinian ambitions for statehood and “will respond ‘Yes’” when the issue comes up for a vote “out of a concern for coherency.”

Wonderful to see the French values of socialisme, anti-sémitisme, et arabisme in full flower.

Assuming the UN goes ahead and upgrades it to a non-member state it raises all sorts of questions as noted by Legal Insurrection, especially as the palis are claiming their state in territory they do not control (Jerusalem), do not have a coherent government (Hamas and Fatah are still rivaling each other and not a viable government) and will be a state born with its founding documents proclaiming the desire to destroy another state. What could possibly go wrong?

West Bloomfield Forks Over $12K In An Electrifying Greendogle

It's free, but it costs $12,000 to install and asphalt and electricity are extra.

West Bloomfield Patch: Township, Library to Share Cost of New Electric Vehicle Charging Station

The West Bloomfield Board of Trustees and the West Bloomfield Library have agreed to share the cost of a new electric vehicle charge station. The station will be the first of its kind in the township, and will be located on the Civic Center campus near township hall and the library.

"We are always looking at ways to become as green as possible," Trustee Howard Rosenberg said. "I think it's critical that the township takes this step, and hopefully it will inspire other places in the township to do the same."

Treasurer Teri Weingarden agreed, "We were the first to have a windmill and I think we need to continue the trend of being a green community. I think it will attract businesses and if we can show this is a success others will want to follow suit."

I somehow doubt that the presence of a charging station by city hall, a pretty far walk from most businesses, is going to attract much in the way of business development. Generally low taxes, and positive business environment will get you a lot farther than a single windmill-powered streetlight and an isolated electric charging station.

The township will have until next year to install the station that's being offered free to the township. The township and the library will split the cost of installing the station - approximately $7,000 to $12,000 total.

The township has yet to report if they've broken even on the windmill, so I'm glad to see they've apparently got the money to burn on this latest SWPL trend.

There's allegedly 200 electric-type vehicles in the township, so it'll take a long time to recoup this expense, assuming that is correct and people stop plugging in at home. Noted in the article, the township will charge 25 cents for 15 charging minutes up to two hours.

The library's share of $6,000 would sure have bought a whole lot of reading and audio-visual materials, and educational programs which is kinda the whole mission of a library after all.

Aside form this misguided flirtation with a township-level Solyndra, I must say the Library really is top rate with lots a great materials, a great learning environment and great staff. So we'll forgive this one misstep.

That is assuming they finally get with it and get some books by Tom Kratman, Larry Correia and Michael Z. Williamson on the shelves and while you're at it, update the John Ringo collection as you're just not keeping up.

You could get all of these authors on the shelves for under $200 and they'd actually be read - considering they've just gone and spend six grand on something the vast majority of their patrons will never use, what's the excuse for not buying that which their patrons will read?

Reloading Folly Stories

Murphy's Law relates his reloading mishap as an important lesson to always check your cases while loading.

My great reloading folly occurred out of a combination of ignorance and reliance upon another.

This occurred back in the early '90s when I was a newly minted shooter in Toronto.

Having been a member of the local gun range for two years and having already received permission by the police to buy a .22 pistol a year before, I was ready to move beyond owning a .22 to something with a bit more oomph.

I went out and bought a beautiful used Smith and Wesson Model 29-2 4" .44 magnum from a more senior club member, who also graciously sold me reloads for it. The range was strictly lead bullet only, no jacketed ammo at all so it was reload or reload, your choice.

After buying reloads from him for awhile, I then went out and bought an RCBS Partner press kit, some 44 Magnum dies and entered the fun world of reloading.

That's where Dan came in. A buddy of mine, he was interested in shooting and professed he possessed far more knowledge than as it turns out he really had at the time.

I had about 100 rounds of empty fired brass and he offered to clean it for me before we reloaded it, and he assured me that he knew what he was doing.

Sure enough the cases came back sparklingly clean.

Together we carefully loaded them with 20 grains of 2400 behind a 240 grain LSWC, weighing every powder charge and being exceedingly careful. The cartridges looked perfect and had been loaded perfectly.

We then proudly take them to the range. Now 20 grains of 2400 is a kickingly good load with lots of sound and fury. In my 29-2 it was also an exceedingly accurate load, capable of clover-leafing all 5 shots at 25 yards, so we were ready for some fun.

The first round was fired - whooooosh---then---bang! That didn't sound right. We checked the barrel for any hangups and moved on.

The second round was similarly a delayed ignition with sparks actually visible as it fired. Again, we checked the barrel for any hangups and moved on.

The third round was similarly so slow that standing behind the gun you could actually see the bullet slowly moving towards the target.

What the heck?

It turned out that Dan had cleaned the cartridges all right - in the closed silverware case in a dishwasher. He then dried them in his oven - enough that no moisture was readily visible but still not dried enough.

We had unintentionally created the first ultra-subsonic .44 Magnum load.

This is why you keep your powder dry.

And also why you don't rely on other people's helpful offers to take your cases and clean them for you.

From that day forth, all reloading was done at my place under my supervision and no further wet powder charges ever occurred.

Keep On Rockin' In The Unfree World

As Egypts Muslim Brotherhood President Mohamed Morsi is about to take on dictatorial powers (And, who could have seen that coming? Certainly not the Obama administration.)

And just as we're down one ambassador to the region already, the Obama administration, in a blaze of sheer genius is about to send out another. And not just any ol' ambassador either:

The Detroit Free Press: As U.S. cultural ambassador, Ann Arbor rocker Andrew W.K. to party for peace in the Middle East

Yep, as the Middle East simmers and boils over, we're sending a not-very-well-known rocker whose last (minor) hit was in 2001 to go forth with a message that the Arab peoples should partake of the positive power of partying.

The mind boggles.

Smartest and most effective administration evah.

And eiaftinfo Gets It In One

eiaftinfo said... "reloading table?"

And he's right.

From that.

To This:

To This:

Total time: about 4 hours. Total cost: $96 $90.25 (After returning some unopened finishing nail and a wood screw package after realizing I already had enough on hand) in wood and screws for a nice solid bench that will give years of reloading service. The bench beats the comparable manufactured alternatives in terms of both cost and solidity.

I haven't mounted the Dillon Press yet, as I'm thinking of picking up the strong mount for it.

I also took the time to thoroughly clean up the armory/dive room and got rid of a lot of old boxes and lots of accumulated junk that really didn't need to stick around anymore. As a result, not only does the bench fit, but it is a much more user-friendly space and you can actually see the carpet.

And that's $50 on its way via Paypal to Tam. I hope she uses it towards the medical bills or towards something to take her mind off things medical. $25 for the right guess and $25 just because.

The Weekend Project And Guessing Challenge

What will this be?

If time permits, we will find out by the end of this weekend.

To make it interesting, if someone other than Murphy's Law (He knows and no, you can't ask him) guesses exactly and correctly what it is going to be, I'll throw in $25 to the Save Tam fund - after all, snark like that is worth saving.

Turning 9 Is Just Fine

This morning Abby woke us up at 0600, 'cause long weekend be darned, this was her birthday!

Turning 9 is a very exciting time and she has all sorts of things going on today to celebrate.

By her request, breakfast consisted of Natasha's finest cherry cheesecake accompanied by candles and a rousing rendition of Happy Birthday.

She then received her present, an iPod Touch. She's a hi-tech gal, and Tash vetoed me buying her a Walther P22 so an iPod it is.

I've now spent the better part of the morning battling the iPod into behaving and the battle isn't over yet. If only Apple would let kids have their own AppleIDs it would be a lot simpler. Instead, I'm trying to sync it through my Itunes ID but making sure it just gets her music choices and not my stuff nor my work applications, nor let it mess up my iPhone. So far its taking forever to sync all of 73 songs and we're still waiting. I'll get it done though.

She's off with mom to the mall to pick out a protective case for it, then we're meeting up later to go out to a restaurant she picked and have a celebratory dinner.

365 days until she hits double digits.....where did the time go?

Happy Birthday kid.

The After-Turkey Online And Offline Day

Recovering from the fine Thanksgiving meal (Natasha truly outdid herself and it was a feast beyond feasts) and having some good friends over last night, it was time this morning for a little online shopping in between kid events:

Brownells is running its aptly named Black Rifle Friday, offering 10% off most stuff, which is a very good deal, plus Bornwells has a great online shopping setup. Lots of stuff caught my interest.

I picked up some PMags, the allen key I need to complete the trigger guard install on the AR lower, some reloading dies, and something else that will hopefully get its own post after it arrives.

MidwayUSA is running some specials, but I'm pretty set for what they're offering this year.

And of course, Amazon is offering many deals, some of which are darn tempting.

Shopping done,now time to have some fun with the family.

So, I hope you've recover from your Turkey-induced coma and enjoy this fine day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

One of my favorite holidays of the year is now here.

On top of that, Abby's birthday is but a few days away as well, so its a very celebratory time of year for us, with much to be thankful for indeed.

I hope all of you have a wonderful and Happy Thanksgiving.

Cory Booker Falls For Fake Internet Quote

Mayor of Newark, New Jersey and Democrat rising star when not challenging Obama, Cory Booker fell for the dreaded trap of the internet - the convenient but fabricated quote.

Opposing Views: Newark, New Jersey Mayor Cory Booker Challenges Twitter User to Live on Food Stamps

The challenge came after Mayor Booker quoted the Greek historian Plutarch on Twitter.com: “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.”

Mayor Booker then explained how public investment in education and nutrition would save money on police and prisons.

Having studied the classics, the quote struck me as quite off, and sure enough Plutarch never wrote it.

The quote doesn't appear in any of his works, and the closest is a passage describing the appointment of Solon by the Athenians in The Life of Solon

The Athenians, now the Cylonian sedition was over and the polluted gone into banishment fell into their old quarrels about the government, there being as many different parties as there were diversities in the country. The Hill quarter favoured democracy, the Plain, oligarchy, and those that lived by the Seaside stood for a mixed sort of government, and so hindered either of the other parties from prevailing. And the disparity of fortune between the rich and the poor, at that time, also reached its height; so that the city seemed to be in a truly dangerous condition, and no other means for freeing it from disturbances and settling it to be possible but a despotic power. All the people were indebted to the rich; and either they tilled their land for their creditors, paying them a sixth part of the increase, and were, therefore, called Hectemorii and Thetes, or else they engaged their body for the debt, and might be seized, and either sent into slavery at home, or sold to strangers; some (for no law forbade it) were forced to sell their children, or fly their country to avoid the cruelty of their creditors; but the most part and the bravest of them began to combine together and encourage one another to stand to it, to choose a leader, to liberate the condemned debtors, divide the land, and change the government.

Then the wisest of the Athenians, perceiving Solon was of all men the only one not implicated in the troubles, that he had not joined in the exactions of the rich and was not involved in the necessities of the poor, pressed him to succour the commonwealth and compose the differences. Though Phanias the Lesbian affirms, that Solon, to save his country' put a trick upon both parties, and privately promised the poor a division of the lands, and the rich security for their debts. Solon, however, himself says, that it was reluctantly at first that he engaged in state affairs, being afraid of the pride of one party and the greediness of the other; he was chosen archon, however, after Philombrotus, and empowered to be an arbitrator and lawgiver; the rich consenting because he was wealthy, the poor because he was honest. There was a saying of his current before the election, that when things are even there never can be war, and this pleased both parties, the wealthy and the poor; the one conceiving him to mean, when all have their fair proportion; the others, when all are absolutely equal. Thus, there being great hopes on both sides, the chief men pressed Solon to take the government into his own hands, and, when he was once settled, manage the business freely and according to his pleasure; and many of the commons, perceiving it would be a difficult change to be effected by law and reason, were willing to have one wise and just man set over the affairs; and some say that Solon had this oracle from Apollo-

This is because your current policy preference always sounds better if you can support it with some ancient wisdom.

Indeed, as Abraham Lincoln (as channeled by Clayton Cramer) once said:

“The problem with Internet quotations is that many are not genuine.”

While the real text above has everything you need for a Battlestar Galactica episode: - Cylons, Lesbians, oracles and Apollo - it lacks any viable way to get to “An imbalance between rich and poor is the oldest and most fatal ailment of all republics.”

The real Plutarch would hardly be in favor of Booker's side.

Plutarch, in this passage notes much of the discord was from the poor paying one sixth of their income to the creditors, while most now pay far more than one sixth in taxes.

Indeed, Plutarch's lives records the shift of the Athenians (and others in his other works) from democracy to tyranny, or Republic to dictatorship as the fickle mob is flattered and bought off by the demagogues. Not quite the message Booker would want to highlight considering he's a Democrat.

Yet another warning to be suspicious of un-sourced quotes on the Internet that support your position, especially when they sound both modern and convenient.

PaliWood, PaliLies and PaliJournos

Over at Legal Insurrection Professor Jacobsen points out multiple instances of the latest lies from Hamas and how the media is falling for it - including the dead kid photo that was blamed on Israel and actually was killed due to a Hamas rocket having a premature explosion, and how the media center in Gaza has been shielding Hamas operatives.

Worth a read, and given the sheer number of Hamas propaganda lies already spotted, including their constantly using photos from Syria and trying to pass them off as Gaza, expect more to come.

This kind of crude lies and propaganda will continue until the western media deals at least as suspiciously with claims and photos by Hamas as they do claims and photos from Republicans.

Henry Herskovitz, 66, of Ann Arbor: Modern Kapo and Idiotarian Extraordinaire

At least those Jews in world War 2 and the Holocaust that served as Kapos had the excuse of being in a life and death situation in incredibly extreme circumstances.

Modern idiot Henry Herskovitz has no such excuse.

Wearing a hat with "End Israel" on it, Herskowitz held a sign, visible at the link that said:

End Starvation in Palestine ------------------- End "Israel".

I do love those quotation marks - it's as if these scum cannot even bring themselves to write out the world Israel, much less admit and recognize that it exists.

The sign itself also ignores the fact that Israel is stupidly still allowing humanitarian shipments into Gaza while its being attacked from Gaza - let me know any other nation in the world doing that during wartime.

Mlive: Pro-Palestinian protestors in Detroit say U.S. needs to stop supporting Israel

What the article doesn't tell you is that good ol' Henry is quite the lefty activist who apparently got his start protesting US sanctions agianst Iraq and now has ties to the ISM of Rachel "Pancake" Corrie fame .

Let's remember the facts: this started current battle after the Arabs in Gaza continued to lob hundreds of rockets into Israel, leading to Israel taking out one of Hamas' military heads as a message to stop the attacks.

Its bad enough when Detroit's Arabs conduct their lies and propaganda, but it is absolutely shameful when a Jew who should darn well know better that he's being used joins them.

Benghazi Story Significantly Changing Post-Election

First we have Petraeus testifying that it was known to be a terrorist attack immediately. He is completely contradicting his pre-election testimony that it was an act of a spontaneous mob.

Petraeus also stated the assessment that it was terrorism and that Al Qaeda was known to be behind it was changed by unspecified "others" to purportedly avoid Al Qaeda being tipped off that we knew it was them.

Ok then....

The State Department is now walking back its claim that it was due to the idiotic film clip and was sure enough, a terrorist attack. (Full article at the Washington Times).

The State Department is now trying to throw someone else under the bus for its previousl public statements:

The description of what transpired throws dramatic new twists into the changing picture of the Benghazi attack that Obama administration have fumbled to present. The Obama administration had said the attack was a spontaneous response to the anti-Islam film “Innocence of Muslims”; it later claimed there was a protest against the film that terrorists suspected of al Qaeda links took advantage of to launch their attack.

When asked about those varying explanations, the State Department official said “that was not our conclusion” and that unspecified “others” could answer for their words.

Ok then....

Impressively convenient that these revelations come out after the election, now isn't it.

So, in the words of The Washington Times: Diplomats Died, Obama Lied.

EPA Rejects Revising Ethanol, Eschews Email Production

The EPA is refusing to reduce the increase of mandated amount of ethanol in gasoline even as Congress requests they do so because of both the shortage of corn due to crop issues and that the new mandate will likely harm gas-powered engines.

EPA, always ready to help out corn farmers and greenies at the expense of everyone else. That the EPA declares their increased amount mandate was not found by them to be stopped as they didn't find evidence to support a finding of severe "economic harm" is hardly comforting. Nevermind, that automakers have declared the new ethanol 15 mixture will harm vehicles older than the 2013 models. Then again, that will force Americans to buy new cars - that should increase economic progress!

On top of the gasoline issue, Republicans in Congress have requested the EPA turn over the contents of its secret email accounts - accounts designed to get around FOIA.

Most transparent administration evah folks.

Israel In Obama's New And Improved Middle East

Hamas continues to fire rockets that have hit Tel Aviv and Jerusalem.

It looks like Israel may expand the defensive measures to include ground forces to force Hamas to quit firing rockets at Israel. Hopefully that will be a success and they won't stop until they achieve a decisive victory against Hamas, or at least as decisive as possible before the UN and the US imposes a ceasefire to keep the conflict simmering.

Egypt's new (Obama supported) Muslim brotherhood government is coming out in support of its little-brother Muslim brotherhood Hamas and against Israel. Completely unexpected, at least by the Obama Administration.

Iran continues to move forward and accelerate its efforts toward making a nuclear weapon.

Meanwhile, there's protests against the king in Jordan.

The killing in Syria continues but has managed to slip out of the news except for Hillary offering Syria, presumably the new and improved anti-Syrian government coalition, $30 million in humanitarian aid.

And in a further example of Obama's smart new cohesive Middle East policy, just in time for the weekend: Iraq just released Hezbollah member Ali Mussa Daqduq and returned him to Lebanon, against US requests. So you know, Hezbollah's Daqdug was behind an attack in Iraq that killed 5 US soldiers. The US had him in custody in Iraq but under the Obama pull-out turned him over to the Iraqis and now he's free to kill more Americans.

How about that, Obama is just doing a bang-up job on Middle East policy.

EPA To Make The Rare Wisconsin-Michigan Badger Extinct?

The coal-fired steamship S.S. Badger to be precise.

The Detroit News: Full Stop: S.S. Badger could end historic journey in December

The ship, launched in 1952, is a registered historic site in both states and regularly ferries passengers and vehicles back and forth contributing millions to both states' economies.

This could all end on Dec. 19 if the Badger's parent company, Lake Michigan Carferry Service, doesn't come up with a way to stop dumping the boat's coal ash discharge into the waters of Lake Michigan.

The Environmental Protection Agency is currently reviewing an application by LMC that, if approved, would give the Badger a permit to continue operating past the Dec. 19 deadline, if the company sets a schedule for compliance with EPA water cleanliness restrictions.

Considering the Badger is the last coal-fired vessel in service on the lakes, the worry that one ship will harm the environmental balance of Lake Michigan is a bit overwrought, not to mention it save millions of gallons in fuel that vehicles would otherwise consume, and even carries windmill parts fer crying out loud:

The Badger not only transports people back and forth between Wisconsin and Michigan on a four-hour, 60-mile cruise, but it also transports automobiles, tour buses and commercial trucks across Lake Michigan, Brown said. It is 1 1/2 times the size of a football field. Nickels said the Badger often carries the massive pieces of wind towers — huge windmills produced by Broadwind Energies, which is based in Manitowoc. If not for the ship, he said, those pieces would have to be driven on flatbed truck trailers on highways around the southern tip of Lake Michigan. Brown said LMC estimates that the Badger saves 1 million gallons of fuel each year from vehicles that can avoid driving around Lake Michigan.

One would think the EPA would grant an exemption considering the environmental benefits of the S.S. Badger far outweigh its costs.

Then again, expecting such rational decision making from a greenie dominated, anti-coal driven administration is likely asking for too much.

Bear Grylls' Advice Could Make You An Endangered Species

I was watching a re-run of Worst Case Scenario - the show where Bear Grylls gets into various catastrophic situations and shows you some skills and how to hopefully survive them.

It's a fun show to watch and bear Grylls has done some amazing things, but at least in the segment I saw, concerning dealing with a home invasion, the advice was in one area glaringly counterproductive.

Unfortunately not seen in this clip, the advice (to paraphrase) was to arm yourself with a bat or golf club but not a gun because deadly force could get you in trouble.

This is wrong on multiple levels.

First, using a bat or golf club against someone will likely land you in the same use of deadly force conundrum if you do it wrong - assault with a deadly weapon or felonious assault depending on how your jurisdiction may name it. You would be charged just as using a firearm would result in the same or similar charges if you do it wrong.

Second, if you're acting in bona fide self-defense -- and defending yourself from a home invader in your house tends to fit that quite well -- you generally won't be charged with an improper use of deadly force and the whole thing becomes rather academic.

Now, Bear Grylls is English and in jolly olde England, using force and defending yourself in your home from an attacker is a no-no, so that may be why he cautions against using a firearm. So for a UK audience the run and hide advice works, but then he really should go all the way and caution against the use of bats and golf clubs - his advice does not fully work in either circumstance or country.

Third, going after an attacker (show to be armed with a handgun later in the segment) with a bat or golf club puts you in a rather dangerous position. You're much, much safer keeping your distance and fending off a home invader with an effective projectile weapon then closing with them and trying to hit them with an impact weapon. Getting in grappling range of an attacker is not great tactics when distance options are available. Heck, Grylls later in the show body checks the attacker down the stairs!

Indeed, if the homeowner has a firearm the invader may hopefully run out of your house screaming at the sight of your firearm and you'll be safe without even having to fire a shot, which is a rather optimal ending -- and you'll be safer for it than charging thorough the house pretending to be Tiger Woods.

Overall, Grylls' advice is rather decent - having a cell phone in your bedroom at night, calling the police as soon as possible, and staying locked in your room or if necessary safely gathering the inhabitants back in the room, or if needed to quickly get out of the house is all good advice.

But, his very tentative, contradictory, and confusing suggestions regarding the use of force and self-defense in case of a home invasion, especially his advice for a home owner to not use a firearm to protect themselves, will likely do more harm than good.

Wednesday Night Rule 5 - Keira Knightly

The Daily Telegraph of Sydney

Keira Knightly: 'No one is interested in my boobs'

KEIRA Knightley says she is happy to take her top off because no one is interested.

The actress made the comments in the latest edition of Allure magazine in the US, where she appears topless on the cover.

"I'm quite rigorous about what gets exposed," she said. "No bottom half! I don't mind exposing my t-ts because they're so small - people really aren't that interested."

Oh C'mon now.

I guarantee there will be many a Rule 5 Hit because the name Keira Knightly and the word boobs appear in this post.

Heck, Allure clearly banks on that kind of interest, with more shots of her at their link:

And besides, Knightly has some definite qualifying un-retouched hotness, and certainly doesn't need any touching up to look good.

Not

Not to worry Keira, you've got enough up top and all-around for any red-blooded American male to be interested in the complete package.

Israel Goes About Restoring Deterrence Against Hamas Rocket Attacks

The Detroit Free Press: Israel: Hamas killing launches broader operation

Note how the Freep and its source for the article, AP, neglects any context - namely the hundreds of rockets recently fired by Hamas into Israel that sparked this retaliation.

The Israeli military says its assassination of the Hamas military commander marks the beginning of an operation against Gaza militants.

Wednesday’s airstrike in Gaza killed Ahmed Jabari, head of the Hamas military wing. The killing was a dramatic resumption of Israel’s policy of assassinating Palestinian militant leaders.

Good riddance to terrorist rubbish. Since Hamas started it they need to pay the price for their attacks.

As Moshe Dayan presciently said:

“It is not in our hands to prevent the murder of workers in the fields and families in their sleep, but it is in our hands to fix a high price for our blood, so high that the Arab community and the Arab military forces will not be willing to pay for it.”

May it be so, and may Israel's response help restore the deterrence of these types of attacks.

Detroit Lions Looking To Hire Paula Broadwell and Jill Kelley?

I hear the Detroit Lions have expressed keen interest in hiring these two ladies.

The reasoning seems to be that since they can sack 4-star career quarterbacks so effortlessly, they can certainly help the Lions' defense win this season.

Detroit City Council Saves The Water Department's Horse-Shoer

Not even after a consultant found it was overstaffed by 81% and recommended getting rid of the obsolete positions, work rules and classifications that has a horse-shoer on staff when the department has no horses.

The Detroit Free Press: Detroit City Council declines to vote on water department overhaul

The City Council this morning declined to vote on a controversial contract with a Minneapolis-based consultant proposing a massive overhaul of the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department, including a recommendation to get rid of 81% of its workforce and outsource hundreds of jobs.

The council held a public hearing on the proposal this morning, and opponents including unions, environmental activists and DWSD employees urged the city to reject the plan as an assault on Detroit’s right to determine what’s best for the department and its workers.

“There is nothing wrong with the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department that the Detroit Water and Sewerage Department can’t fix,” said Catherine Phillips, a staff representative for American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees Council 25. “I am sick and tired of this ‘sky is falling’ mentality that we’ve had ever since Mayor Dave Bing was elected.”

And of course the usual suspects claimed this was an attempt - by reducing unneeded staff to make it more efficient and functional, to seize Detroit's jewel.

When your City's jewel is a sewage treatment plant.....

“This is nothing but someone trying to grab the biggest asset of the city to benefit their own coffers,” [Council member] Watson said.

Look, when a consultant points out that you're overstaffed by 81% - including a horse-shoer when your department hasn't had horses in decades, you have a problem, and its not with someone trying to steal your jewels, its about facing reality and controlling the cozy union-politician featherbedding relationship that has helped drive Detroit into the ground.

When you have a huge debt, an inefficient workforce and twice the number of employees per gallon that another hotbed of corrupt featherbedding - Chicago - has, well, you're in a bad way.

And the Detroit City Clowncil collectively put its fingers in its ears and said "Nyah, Nyah can't hear you."

That, or they heard the word blacksmith and figured that eliminating a blacksmith position would be racist.

Yet Again, Detroit Is Running Out Of Money

Not entirely unexpected given the City's refusal to get its finances in line.

Considering Detroit overwhelmingly voted against the Emergency Financial Manager law, they're likely to suffer the consequences.

The Detroit Free Press: Detroit finances may get even worse, fiscal board is warned

Detroit's financial condition is deteriorating more quickly than projected, and without an infusion of money from the state, the city could run out of cash by mid-December, a top city official told the board that has significant oversight of the city's finances.

Adding to the insanity, the Detroit City Clowncil is request the Detroit Legal Counsel decide if the financial board and the consent agreement with the state are also rendered ineffective with the repeal of the EFM law.

Council members have asked the city's Law Department for a legal opinion on how the city should proceed with the agreement in the aftermath of the repeal. But council members already are talking about options such as seeking to disband the Financial Advisory Board or at least eliminate its pay -- the city and state split $25,000 annual salaries for each of the nine board members and their work-related expenses.

Council President Pro Tem Gary Brown said the city's top lawyer, Krystal Crittendon, is expected to give the council an opinion as early as this week. Her opinion is likely to give council members a significant amount of direction on what they can do to reassert authority and possibly reverse some of the cuts Bing imposed.

Of course, if the Consent agreement is repealed, then there should be no more money from the state under that agreement.

I'd hope both Governor Snyder and the State has the gumption to demand the return of the $57 million it has already extended to Detroit under the consent agreement, but somehow I doubt they'll take such a reasonable line. In any case, The State darn well better keep withholding the remaining $80 million it has in escrow until this gets worked out or Detroit will have played the State and Gov. Snyder like a cheap fiddle - They'll get all the money, with no accountability or fiscal reform.

Misleading Headline Of The Day Israel/Syria Edition

The Detroit Free Press' headline: Israel fires at Syria for 2nd straight day

Sounds awfully aggressive on the part of the Israelis, now doesn't it?

You have to did into the article to get the reason why:

The Israeli military says it has fired into Syria for a second straight day in response to errant mortar fire that landed in the Israeli-controlled Golan Heights.

In short, while the headline is technically accurate, it leaves out the context in a very familiar manner in regards to MSM reporting in the Middle East. At every opportunity they try to portray all acts with Israel as the aggressor.

A Beautiful Day For A Dive

It was a beautiful day today with a stiff breeze blowing so it was dive time.

Arriving at Union Lake, I met up with Reichy and we waited for everyone else to show up. A 10 am meeting time is apparently quite flexible, and means 10:30 or later to some on a Sunday morning. Surprisingly there was a lot of boat traffic - people were taking advantage of the nice weather but it sure didn't improve the visibility at all.

Then Keith and Andy showed up. I had never dove with Andy before but he's a nice guy and we all had a good time.

James and some other divers were also there so there was quite a good turnout. So We suited up and got in with Andy, Reichy, Keith and myself in our group.

Note the divers in the full faced mask. You'll hear about them in just a moment.

We headed off to the Model T and mirror and went to tie off the float.

Keith began tying it off.

Then things got complicated as the two face mask diver came right below and between us, meaning their float and line was trying its best to entangle me. I quickly finned out of the way but a little situational awareness would have been nice.

With that done, we headed off in a different direction from the face mask set, so we swam east.

And we got to the copier/microwave boat:

Then we went farther east to the trolling boat, which rests in the mud at 40 feet:

At this point, Reichy noticed his suit was flooding so we turned around before he turned the color of this dive gloves.

Keith however couldn't help but stop and admire himself in the mirror:

Passing by, we saw a fish that was head-first inside a line pole, making it a true underwater fishing pole.

Not sure what it was doing in there.

And of course Keith had to play with a passing crayfish

It turns out crayfish can neither fly nor swim.

We got out and Reichy was pretty well soaked. I, on the other hand, had no leaks which was a nice change, and I'm glad I brought my heated vest along as it kept me nice and warm. I had wrapped the battery pack in bubble wrap to insulate it - if the batteries get to cold they tend not to last, and if they get too hot while stored in the vest they shut off by themselves, so the bubble wrap seemed to work well as the vest was chugging rights along the whole time.

48 degrees, 37 minutes, 38 feet max depth and 1000 psi used. Good dive.

From A Fake Hate Crime To An Honor Killing?

The Detroit News: Husband arrested in beating death of Iraqi woman from Michigan

Eight months after the beating death of an Iraqi-American woman that drew international attention because it appeared to be a hate crime, the woman's husband has been arrested on suspicion of her murder.

Police in the San Diego suburb of El Cajon announced the arrest Friday of Kassim Alhimidi, 48, and described the killing as an act of domestic violence.

The family tried to cover up the murder by depicting it as a hate crime, a rather useful lie that had the press falling all over themselves as it fit their preconceived narrative so well:

The March killing of 32-year-old Shaima Alawadi made waves around the world after the couple's 17-year-old daughter told reporters that she found a note by her mother's bludgeoned body that read: "Go back to your country, you terrorist."

However, among other evidence, the Detectives found this text message from the daughter to her dad:

The document said detectives found a text message sent from the 17-year-old daughter's cellphone that read, "The detective will find out tell them cnt talk."

Should be an interesting trial. Wonder if they will charge the daughter as an accomplice or use her as a witness?

Not Gellin' With Magellan

At least not after yesterday.

After less than 90 days of use, My Magellan GPS had decided to pine for fjords.

Unfortunately, it has decided not to even display the route to those fjords but remained pretty locked up and fixed on a route on Woodward, even when I'm not on Woodward. This made it quite difficult to use it for navigation rather than as a paperweight.

Even a reset would only solve the problem for a short while and then it would lock up yet again, which is, as they say, not optimal.

Luckily, it decided to give up the ghost both when I wasn't going anywhere new and just within the Costco 90-day electronic return period so it was an easy exchange for a nice new Garmin nüvi 2455LMT.

I was easily able to transfer the waypoints that were in my old Garmin C330 to the Nuvi by using EasyGPS and the new Nuvi seems to be working very well indeed. This was convenient and beat the manual entries of all my stored waypoints as there had been no way to transfer from the Garmin to the Magellan - crazy that companies can't standardize waypoint storage types, and certainly a barrier to switching brands.

One of the annoying peculiarities of the Magellan was that when it was in map mode (when you don't select a destination or ask for navigation instructions), instead of displaying the approaching street on the title bar it would display the name the street you were on. This is less than helpful. I typically know what street I'm on and when I'm looking for a particular street to turn on, I could use a heads up rather than having to search for the name as it scrolls by on the map and was often cut off or too small to quickly see. The Garmin, by contrast displays the upcoming street on the title bar in map mode making it much easier to navigate.

Overall I'd have to say the Garmin is superior, both in terms of speed in calculating routes and in user features. I do miss the Magellan's landmark suggestions - not only would it say turn at X street but it would say for example, "At the BP Gas Station, turn left, X Street". Which was kinda cool, and surprisingly accurate.

So I'm now back to easy navigation with Garmin, which I probably should have gone with in the first place.

May the People Of Detroit Enjoy The Government They Elected

Elections, as they say, have consequences, and in the case of Detroit one of those consequences will likely be bankruptcy.

The votes by Detroiters confuse leftist analysts: The Detroit Free Press Nancy Kaffer: Contradictory votes signal bigger budget trouble for city

Partially this is because this particular pundit doesn't understand what contradictory means. The again this is the same pundit that thought the Pyramids were publicly-funded arts projects - yes, really. As such, I didn't really expect all that much deep thought. Sure enough she doesn't offer much in her column.

Talk about mixed messages:

Detroit voters thunderingly defeated Public Act 4, the state's Emergency Manager Law, clearly signaling that they don't want unelected officials mucking about in city business.

At the same time, Detroit voters whompingly approved the city's Proposal C, which gives Detroit's corporation counsel, a mayoral appointee, the ability to act independently of the mayor and the Detroit City Council when she perceives that a violation of the Detroit City Charter is at hand -- a clear signal that Detroiters totally want unelected officials mucking about in city business.

Wait.

No, you didn't miss anything. Like much in Detroit, it's complicated, and destined to get more so. Take away PA4 but add Prop C to the mix, and the result is serious financial and operational hurdles for a city that's already got problems aplenty.

It's only contradictory if you don't realize that Detroiters want: 1) The state to bail out Detroit and 2) They don't want the state to have any say over business as usual in Detroit.

Once you realize that its a simple matter to understand that Detroiters don't want a state appointed emergency manager that could overthrow the lock of the corrupt Democrat-Union alliance that has got them into this mess, and they somehow expect the Corporate counsel to go out and get that sweet state money for them under her legally laughable theories.

It's not contradictory, its simply Detroit.

In short with no EFM law, look to Detroit either filing bankruptcy or Snyder stepping in to bail the city out. There is now no real alternative.

If Snyder does that however, look for Michigan Republicans to sure as heck stay home come his reelection.

Detroit voted for it, now let them live with the consequences of their decision, perhaps Obama will now bail them out as thanks for reelecting him.

In addition, not content to just mess up the city, Detroit is sending a felon to the State House rather than the big house: 8-time felon from Detroit wins state House seat in Michigan. He joins another Democrat felon already in office: State Sen. Bert Johnson, D-Highland Park, pleaded no contest in a 1993 armed robbery.

Considering that Brian Banks may be charged with some new check bouncing felonies allegedly committed this year before he was elected, he might have a short term as a legislator.

From The Detroit News: 8-time felon from Detroit wins state House seat in Michigan

Detroit, the prime example of the result of Democrat policies fully applied.

Yet Another Detroit DGU

Yet another CPL hiolder protecting himself and others.

The Detroit News: Customer fatally shoots man attempting to rob Detroit coney island

A customer at a restaurant on the southwest side fatally shot one of two men attempting to rob the place Wednesday night after one of the suspects shot the owner, police said.

Two men attempted to rob Adi's Coney Island at 10:10 p.m. on the 6100 block of Michigan Avenue. The would-be muggers shot the restaurant's owner and grazed another man.

A 51-year-old customer, who had a concealed pistol license, pulled out a gun and returned fire, killing one of the assailants, who was 29 years old.

From The Detroit News: http://www.detroitnews.com/article/20121108/METRO01/211080408#ixzz2BffyX9rm

Robbing a coney island restaurant is just un-Michiganian, so one robber got his just desserts at the restaurant.

Yet Another Case Of A Mental Case With A Gun And A Crime

So the suspect in the Wixom area car shootings allegedly has mental health problems. I know, who would have guessed?

Yet a further example of the consequences of the policy of deinstitutionalization and lack of resources for treatment of the mentally ill.

Instead of treatment or institutionalization where they can get care they need and can be kept from harming themselves or others, we wait for them to commit crimes, then imprison them. And, to the demagogic politician's delight, if they use a gun in their crime, its an argument for gun control rather than preventing the mentally ill from these acts in the first place.

Clayton Cramer has spent lots of time blogging and writing about the problem. If you haven't checked him out before, you should make his blog a regular stop for firearms and mental health issues.

Losing Is Hard, Coming Back To Win Will be Harder

The Detroit Free Press asked its readers: In one word, tell us how you feel about the election

I answered: "Nuts!"

After all, it wasn't over after the Germans bombed Pearl Harbor, and it sure ain't over now.

Yes, it will be a tough 4 years ahead, likely with a crappy economy and the liberals' ratchet being pulled evermore leftwards.

Now its time to have a drink or two to dwell over what should have been.

Pick yourself up and help figure out what went wrong, deal with it and do what it takes to rebuild and be ready for the next election with smart candidates that can campaign, are electable and savvy enough to deal with the campaign environment we have, rather than the one we'd like.

The election should have been an easy win for Romney but so many chances were blown by Republicans that never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

Thank you Todd Akin (with a respectful salute to Senator McCaskill for choosing the most defeatable opponent possible - well done) and to Mourdock, you morons, for giving the Dems a golden opportunity for turning an election based on Obama's dismal performance in office to an election over "The Republicans will steal your lady parts".

Enough already with the stupid. Republicans better learn to vet candidates that know both some basic biology and just as importantly, how to not answer a question with the first stupid phrase that comes to mind.

Chris Christie being unable to remove his lips from Obama's nether regions similarly didn't help in the closing days of the campaign. Note To Christie: Kiss any dream of running as a Republican Presidential candidate Good-bye.

Of course, they didn't blow it alone, but you sometimes gotta wonder if the Republicans don't throw these elections on purpose.

Thank you MSM, including especially you CBS for withholding the Benghazi interview transcript you had September 12 that showed Obama was lying during the debate until two days before the election. And to all the rest of you in the MSM for making sure Fast and Furious never made any headway. And thanks to the LA Times for still not releasing the Rashid Khalidi tape.

Thanks also, Commission on Presidential Debates for ensuring all moderators were liberals with two of them actively intervening on Obama's side during the debates. Will Republicans ever learn that such a situation is not to be accepted?

Republicans next time better ignore the next "his turn" candidate for someone electable, smart and ready to do more than just appear presidential. That is not enough. In debates 2 and 3 Romney gave C+ answers when As were needed to boost his numbers, and appearing presidential doesn't cut it.

Its an uphill battle against the entrenched Democrat-Media complex and if you're not ready to fight it and fight hard while avoiding stupid 47% gaffes, don't run and let someone else step forth to do the job.

Already the Stock Market is down with news of the victory reacting to the upcoming financial storm that is almost sure to hit.

It's rough, it is both disappointing and annoying to lose what should have been a blow-out victory. But its not over and don't give up on America yet.

This is not over, there is still some life left in this Republic yet.

Michigan Proposals and Oakland Local Election Results

More thoughts on the national election results in a moment.

On the upside locally here in Michigan, Proposals 2-6 went down in flames, ending the Union-Green takeover attempt of the Constitution and ending Maroun's attempt to buy a slice of the Constitution. All good.

On the downside, Proposal 1 was defeated meaning no Emergency Manager Law and thus without such a law it means that Detroit better get ready for bankruptcy. Given the attitude of Detroiters who were opposed to the proposal, I have darn little sympathy. You voted for it, now you get to live with the results. Don't expect the rest of us to come bail you out.

The Oakland County results can be seen at the Detroit Free Press.

Unfortunately, Oakland county has been going from a prosperous though Country Club Republican Red to Blue. Refugees from Detroit and other locations in Wayne County have been moving here to escape that county's mis-management but then voting to bring about the same policies and Democrat leadership that caused the problem in the county they have left. (Sound familiar?).

On the Upside, L. Brooks Patterson was reelected as County Executive. While a Country Club Republican he at least knows that focusing on the economy is what matters, and a lot of Republicans would be better off if they got that hint.

On the downside two good Republicans fell to Democrat challengers, Bill Bullard Jr lost the County Clerk spot, and he's been a very effective County Clerk and John McCulloch lost his position as Water Resources Commissioner, again someone who was very effective. Democrats also held on easily to the County Treasurer and Prosecuting Attorney positions (to be fair, Dem Jessica Cooper is doing what is by all reports a good job there).

In West Bloomfield, Michelle Economou-Ureste of getting-a-ride-home-from-the-police-because-we're-tired fame was easily reelected, and the one Republican on the board of Trustees was lost, making it all Democrat Drama, all the time in the Township.

Ah, Drat

Fox News has called it for Obama, even as many a vote in Ohio remains uncounted and its still close so maybe it's not over yet.

But if it is over, then we're in for a rough time the next 4 years.

On the upside, it will be hard for him to claim an overwhelming mandate with Romney winning the popular vote and with Ohio won by less than a percentage points.

Quick thought to end this night: This election, Republicans never missed an opportunity to miss an opportunity.

More Michigan Democrat Electoral Dirty Tricks

Democrats pulled at least two dirty tricks in oakland county this election season:

First, in Oakland's 5th District, the Democrats wanted to oust John A. Scott as County Commissioner, so they ran their candidate Alexandria T. Riley and also ran an "independent" John Scott to confuse voters.

Nice trick, but I and others darn well saw though it and voted for the great Scott.

Second, I also saw this sign at lunch today. While it is not in my Congressional district, it is an interesting example of a visible Democrat Dirty Trick run amok on election day.

The only thing is, there is no real group Republicans for Dr. Taj. This "groups" seems to be comprised of an anonymous Facebook page and some signs. Just another Democrat Dirty Trick trying to throw an Congressional seat to the Dems.

Syed Taj is a Democrat facing Kenny Bentivolio, a Tea Party supported candidate that won the Republican primary. This occurred because the Republican lock-in candidate, Thaddeus McCotter, inexplicably and amazingly went down in flames after his idiot staff committed fraud on his candidacy petitions. There was certainly a lot of heat over Kenny winning the nomination and the Country Club wing of the Republican Party was not happy about it, but they did finally come around and support him.

These despicable Michigan Democrat tricks, while sadly typical of them, should hopefully be seen through by the voters.

Sandy Mucks Up Michiganian Absentee Attempts

Superstorm Sandy affecting Michigan voting; some to miss out because of late ballots

Superstorm Sandy caused so much disruption on the East Coast that New Jersey officials allowed displaced residents to vote by e-mail in today's election.

What could possibly go wrong? On the upside, New Jersey is a blue state lock in any case, so they just need to reduce the totals to the number of actual registered living voters and it might turn out a wash.

But that's not all the disruptions and there's now a few Michiganians suffering votus interruptus:

But the storm also disrupted the absentee voting plans for a few Michigan residents visiting the area affected by the Oct. 29 storm that caused widespread flooding and power outages.

Not a lot of sympathy. if you were planning to be out of town, you could have already received your absentee ballot, had it sent to your home address for forwarding or made some other arrangement. It's not like no one warned that Sandy was coming to visit.

On the other hand, I can understand and sympathize with the problem faced by Richard Bernstein:

Pummeled first by a bicycle on a New York City sidewalk in August and then by Sandy, blind Oakland County attorney Richard Bernstein, 38, said Monday he's afraid he won't get to vote today for the first time since he turned 18.

Michigan Secretary of State officials said Bernstein is out of luck after the storm delayed delivery of his absentee ballot to a New York hotel, where he is recuperating from the smashed pelvis he suffered when a fast-moving cyclist struck him from behind in Central Park.

Bernstein spent nearly 10 weeks in Mt. Sinai Medical Center in Manhattan as a result of his injuries before moving to the hotel Oct. 26 to continue his rehabilitation as an outpatient.

He said he applied for his absentee ballot the same day he got a fixed address, and Birmingham City Clerk Laura Broski said Monday that her office mailed the ballot to his hotel Oct. 30.

Bernstein's ballot still hadn't arrived Monday and officials with the Michigan Secretary of State are "basically saying I don't get to vote," Bernstein said. "I don't think that's really fair."

Of course, he probably should have had it delivered to his Michigan address back before the storm and brought up by family when they came to visit him - or he could likely have had it mailed to him at the hospital or sent via Fedex by his family to the Hospital. He's a smart guy and unfortunately didn't anticipate Sandy slowing down the arrival of his ballot.

I'm sure he had a lot more going on considering he's recovering over the past 10 weeks and I'd bet he didn't really think about getting an absentee ballot while he was laid up.

And in another interesting example, for which I have no sympathy:

Sharon Lipton of Waterford said she was going to deliver absentee ballots to her daughters Sara and Andrea, who are staying in New York, but she was unable to travel there because of the storm.

She instead filled out their ballots for them according to their instructions and signed as having assisted them to vote. But officials in Waterford told her that the ballots won't be counted.

"I am going to pursue this," Lipton said Monday.

Good luck with that. Again Proper Planning Prevents Poor or in this case missed Performance. Fedex is your friend. So no, you can't fill out other people's ballots for them as that is one heckuva bad precedent to set regardless of for whom you might be casting those ballots.

Voted.

I arrived at the polling station this morning and turnout was much lighter than I expected at my precinct. The parking lot was not full and multiple spots were available. The lineup to vote was quite short.

People in line were saying it is much, much shorter than the line in 2008 - back then it wrapped all the way around and was very lengthy indeed. Today I was in and out very quickly.

Considering that I'm trapped in a heavily Democrat area, make of the comparatively light turnout what you will.

Interestingly enough, there were Democrat campaigners handing out a voting list in the parking lot. Interestingly, it did not say vote for Obama but started its endorsements way down the line with state and county level races only. Funny that.

I figure its gonna be a long day and night.

Katy Perry Goes Gaga For President Obama

Katy Perry performs for Obama in skintight ‘ballot’

I'm wondering if she dedicated this hit song of hers to him, 'cause it fits him like a glove:

Are The Kilpatrick Snakes Starting To Commit Suicide?

Kilpatrick's codefendant Victor Mercado pleads guilty in middle of trial

I always figured Mercado for the sucker being played by the Kilpatricks, acting as a middleman in their criminal enterprise of robbing the city blind - all the while the Kilpatricks were busy dispensing patronage to Democrat supporters in return for bribes and money to enrich themselves and be reelected.

The Detroit Free Press:

In a stunning potential setback for former Detroit mayor Kwame Kilpatrick and two others, ex-city water director Victor Mercado pleaded guilty to conspiracy today, admitting he helped steer lucrative contracts toward Kilpatrick’s contractor friend Bobby Ferguson.

And Mercado said he did so at Kilpatrick’s behest.

Under the terms of his plea deal, Mercado, 61, faces up to 18 months in prison and a $100,000 fine for conspiring to commit extortion. He also could get probation. He is not cooperating and is not expected to testify against Kilpatrick and the two other codefendants at trial.

Darn it, one of the conditions should have been he testifies against them. How they let that get by is interesting. Then again his guilty plea now won't be in a vacuum, and he sure as anything didn't act alone but was the conduit.

Meanwhile, yet another figure in this incredibly broad corruption scandal gets, in return for his cooperation, a year in prison for tax evasion arising from the bribery scandal: Restaurant owner who admits bribing Kilpatrick's right-hand man gets 1-year prison term

The more that's revealed, the clearer it becomes that Kwame and Kompany were busy using the City of Detroit as their own personal piggy bank and patronage system on such a blatant scale that's hard to imagine outside of the one-party (yes, and you can play name that party! with this article) cesspool that is Detroit.

Wowza, Romney Up By 1 In Michigan!?!

Elizabeth Foley, blogging at Instapundit, notes a Democrat poll that has Romney leading Michigan by 1 Point.

The Hill:

The poll, conducted by Democratic polling firm Baydoun-Foster for Fox 2 News Detroit, has Romney up 47-46 on Obama. The same polling firm pegged the race in Michigan a tie in a survey late October.

The poll is the first in Michigan since August to give Romney a lead, however, while Obama holds a 3.8 percent lead in the Real Clear Politics polling average.

Baydoun-Foster’s Michigan polling has leaned more toward Romney than other Michigan surveys by several points throughout the final months of the campaign, a review of RCP’s Michigan polling shows.

As the Instapundit says, don't get cocky. After all, 1% is well inside statistical error range, but this result is impressive as all heck. Like I said before, if he can make it close in as blue a state as Michigan is, then he's seriously in contention.

If Mitt Romney can win the Mitten State, we're looking at a preference cascade blowout and we're looking at Bob Krumm's scenario 5.

So yes, there is a shot to beat Obama and take Michigan by 1% -- bit only if 100% of us get out there and vote. I'm darn well getting up bright and early tomorrow and heading to the polls to cast my vote for Romney. How about you?

Update: Apparently this particular pollster has quite the interesting background and may not be a pollster at all. Debbie Schlussel has the scoop, and a very interesting scoop it is.

Syria Regime Losing So Is It Seeking To Broaden The Conflict?

Syria's leaders seem to continue to overlook the axiom that "When You're In A Hole, Stop Digging".

After having its hands full with its own citizens, and really annoying and provoking Turkey, it looks like Syria is attempting to provoke Israel and widen the conflict even further.

Not sure if the Syrian regimes thinking is that a war with Israel will somehow unite the Syrians in their hatred of Jews and let the Assad regime come out ahead, but it would likely not end too well for them.

The Detroit Free Press: Syrian tanks enter demilitarized Israeli frontier

Three Syrian tanks entered the demilitarized zone in the Golan Heights on Saturday, Israel said, raising concerns violence from Syria's civil war could heat up a long-quiet frontier that has not seen such an incursion in nearly 40 years.

Israel complained to U.N. peacekeepers present in the area, a relatively low-key response that suggested it did not see the Syrian armor as an immediate threat. But the entry marks the most serious spillover of Syria's turmoil to date at the frontier, where stray ordnance has exploded on the Israeli side in the past.

Gee, what could possibly go wrong?

Imams Claim Hurricane Sandy The Wrath Of Islam Upon America

Ah, the Religion of peace at it again.

The Detroit Free Press:Some Muslim clerics say Sandy is divine punishment for anti-Islam film

Some anti-American Muslim clerics have cast the deadly Superstorm Sandy as divine punishment for a film mocking the Prophet Muhammad or for other perceived ills of American society.

The remarks by some on the fringe brought a backlash from other Muslims who said it was wrong to relish the suffering of others.

In Egypt, one radical cleric described the hurricane as revenge from God for the crude, anti-Islam film made in the U.S. that sparked waves of protests in the Muslim world in September.

"Some people wonder about the hurricane in America and its causes," Egyptian hardline cleric Wagdi Ghoneim tweeted twice this week in the aftermath of the storm. "In my opinion, it is revenge from God for the beloved prophet," he added, alluding to the film.

..............

In Saudi Arabia, prominent cleric Salman al-Audah said the storm, which killed more than 140 people, was a wake-up call for Americans to convert to Islam.

But not just in such backward areas as Iran and Saudi Arabia, but try next door, in Toronto:

Toronto Islamist Website Calls Sandy a ‘Divine Slap’ in Face of U.S. ‘Arrogance’

A pro-Islamist website in Toronto is calling Hurricane Sandy “a divine slap on the face” of American “arrogance.”

The website of Crescent International, which calls itself the “newsmagazine of the Islamic movement,” published an unsigned post which concluded by saying: “Hurricane Sandy, as a divine slap on the face of arrogance, is smashing its way through the Eastern Coast of the US.”

The post also criticizes the U.S. for allowing women the right to vote.

One also wonders what they are saying in Dearborn these days.....

So, how's that multiculturalism and Islam-Means-Peace trope working out for you?

Now Don't Forget!

This.

New Tomb On Saturday

After laying undiscovered beneath the sands for 4,500 years, an Egyptian princess's tomb found near Cairo

It's currently being checked out by the Czechs:

Czech archaeologists have unearthed the 4,500-year-old tomb of a Pharaonic princess south of Cairo, in a finding that suggests other undiscovered tombs may be in the area, an official from Egypt's antiquities ministry said Saturday.

Mohammed El-Bialy, who heads the Egyptian and Greco-Roman Antiquities department at the Antiquities Ministry, said that Princess Shert Nebti's burial site is surrounded by the tombs of four high officials from the Fifth Dynasty dating to around 2,500 BC in the Abu Sir complex near the famed step pyramid of Saqqara.

Quite an interesting discovery. Statutes and sarcophagi have been found in the antechamber and they haven't announced yet if there is an intact mummy and artifacts within the burial chamber itself.

The Case Of The Democrat Bouncing Check Candiate

Some Democrats are just a bit more blatant about their criminal aspirations than others.

Take Democrat candidate for Michigan's District 1 Brian Banks for example.

How else to explain a Detroit Democrat running for the State House who can't even balance his own check book who makes it by writing bad checks, and he wants to be elected to spend the State's (read: your) money?

Standing already convicted of eight felonies involving bad checks and credit card fraud, he's running in Detroit for a seat in the Michigan legislature.

After claiming he's reformed (In Democratese this apparently means - "I haven't been caught or convicted again - yet"), he's now bounced a few checks to his current landlord: The Detroit Free Press: State House candidate was still writing bad checks this year, records show.

The Saddest Part: Given the overwhelmingly Democrat domination of his district, comprised of part of northeast Detroit, Harper Woods, Grosse Pointe Woods and a part of Grosse Pointe Shores, The Michigan Democrats are about to seat a once and future felon in Michigan's legislature.

Some Blogroll Additions

Just added a few more read-worthy blogs to the list on the left side:

According to Hoyt - Sarah Hoyt - Smart and a Sci-Fi Author. Time to give some of her books a try.

Not Clauswitz - he's been making many an insightful comments here, least I can do is link back to his fine blog.

The Warrior Class - Six also leaves comments on my blog and his is a fine shooter blog.

If you haven't checked these blogs out before, they're certainly worth a click, and another, and another.

But Does The Car Come With A Wookie Suit?

Last evening, I saw this car in a parking lot. Politics can certainly be worn on more than just your sleeve:

Yes, Someone actually has gone out and bought RONPAUL as their license plate.

Since Ron Paul doesn't live in Michigan, this is a case of fandom gone wild.

As much fun as politics can be, when you're that far into a cult of personality that you pay to have a political figure's name on your vanity license plate, you've gone and moved into the little bit creepy territory.

Incidentally, this is one more decent reason to vote for Mitt Romney.

Ron Paul has a cult-like following.

Barack Obama has developed and consciously cultivated a cult-like following.

I'm pretty sure that Mitt Romney lacks both the charisma and inclination to pull off the whole cult-of-personality thing. And that's a good thing.