WinkyDog

Nice to know that someone has their thinking hats on.  Nonlethal force was not authorized…

The INS Tabar opened fire on a pirate “mother ship” after it came under attack, a government statement said.

[...]

The Indian navy said the Tabar spotted a pirate vessel while patrolling 285 nautical miles south-west of Salalah in Oman, on Tuesday evening.

When the Indian ship asked the vessel to stop for investigation, “the vessel’s threatening response was that she would blow up the naval warship if it closed on her”, the statement said.

“Pirates were seen roaming on the upper deck of the [pirate] vessel with guns and rocket propelled grenade launchers. The vessel continued its threatening calls and subsequently fired on INS Tabar,” it added.

The Indian warship retaliated and opened fire on the pirate vessel, leading to fire breaking out in the vessel, the statement continued.

“Fire broke out on the vessel and explosions were heard, possibly due to exploding ammunition that was stored in the vessel.”

Two speedboats accompanying the pirate vessel were also seen escaping during the attack.

The navy said the warship chased the first boat which was later found abandoned, while the second boat escaped.

The Tabar has been patrolling the Gulf of Aden since early this month, and has escorted 35 ships safely during the “pirate-infested waters”, the statement said. [...]
(hat tip: BBC)

If immigrants have to pass a test to become citizens, wouldn’t it be great if there was a civics quiz that folks had to pass on the way into the polls… just a thought.

The data below are highlights from a Zogby poll, taken with Obama voters being interviewed about their knowledge of the issues in the campaign.

* 57 percent thought the Republicans still control Congress. Note that this is worse than a random result, since there are only two possible answers.

* Only 12 percent could identify Obama as the candidate who said that his energy policies would cause the cost of electricity to skyrocket.

The only issues on which the Obama voters were well-informed (or thought they were, anyway) had to do with Sarah Palin. Thus:

* 94 percent knew that Palin was the candidate with a pregnant teenage daughter, the highest correct score recorded by the Obama voters.

* Likewise, 86 percent knew that Palin was the candidate whose party bought her a $150,000 wardrobe.

Those answers suggest that the mainstream media’s emphasis in this election was not exactly on the nuances of public policy. To be fair, though, they probably also reflect where the interests of Democratic voters tend to lie. This one is interesting:

* 87 percent said that Sarah Palin was the candidate who said she could see Russia from her house. Actually, it was Tina Fey who said that. Once again, though, it shows that Palin seemed to be the candidate who made the biggest impression, for better or worse.

It’s worth noting that the Obama voters in Zogby’s sample were 97 percent high school graduates and–rather shockingly–55 percent college graduates. It’s almost enough to make you wonder about the future of democracy.
(from PowerLine)

More at the webiste HowObamaGotElected.com

What a surprise.  All of Gaza is a PR advantage, used against Israel and the West, from the beginning of the Refugee fiasco.

It seems the recent electricity “crisis” in Gaza was manufactured by Hamas for maximum PR advantage.

Read the whole article at Gates of Vienna.

From JPost:

The Sudanese government and rebel groups in Darfur have flagrantly violated a UN arms embargo and chosen a military solution to the conflict over peace talks, a UN panel said in a report released Tuesday.

In the 93-page report to the UN Security Council, the panel painted a grim picture of combatants stepping up the violence in
Darfur while expanding their attacks elsewhere in Sudan and across the border into Chad.

Offensive military overflights, which are supposed to be banned, are also continuing with impunity, it said.

The panel said the new UN-African Union force, which took over peacekeeping in January from a beleaguered AU force, “has proven so far to be incapable of defending itself or the civilian population of
Darfur or fulfilling its obligations to monitor the arms embargo.”

The Reality of The United Nations

The UN also took the time today to once again denounce Israel for Gazans’ inability to care for themselves, and to unveil a magnificent, 23 million dollar mural in it’s Human Rights Council.  Unfortunately it seems to have been funded with Foreign Aid Money.  It must be wonderful to answer to no one.  And our new President will be as cozy with the UN as the Clinton Administration.  Fantastic.

The Honorable Gentleman From Tyler, Fighting The Illegal Hordes

 Tue Nov 18, 2008 at 04:10:34 PM 

From Mere Rhetoric:

Well that was totally unpredictable wasn’t it?

General James L. Jones is widely rumored to be Obama’s preferred candidate to be White House National Security Adviser… Jones prepared a report on Israel’s policies in the territories… The World Tribune said it “blasted Israel’s role” for “hampering the movement of PA forces, blocking plans for weapons shipments and technology to the Palestinians and resisting coordination.” … Obama said this about Jones: “Let me tell you who I associate with… If I’m interested in figuring out my foreign policy, I associate myself with my running mate, Joe Biden or with Dick Lugar…or General Jim Jones, the former supreme allied commander of NATO.”

Totally, totally unpredictable:

John Brennan… is rumored to be Obama’s pick to head the CIA. Brennan published a long article on Iran in July 2008… “… U.S. national security would be best served if Washington publicly acknowledged and explored the roots of this shift in Iranian state support for terrorist activities … the new U.S. administration must be willing to exercise strategic patience….It would not be foolhardy, however, for the United States to tolerate, and even to encourage, greater assimilation of Hezbollah into Lebanon’s political system.

Read the rest…

Does our President Elect, or anyone he plans to appoint, know the difference between America’s enemies and allies?  Perhaps they just disagree.

Here we go.

cartoon by: WinkyDog

Children sent Out of class to recite The Pledge so Others won’t feel uncomfortable

Vt. town debates over Pledge of Allegiance

WOODBURY, Vt. – No one is sure when daily recitations of the Pledge of Allegiance fell by the wayside at Woodbury Elementary School.

But efforts to restore them have erupted into a bitter dispute in this town of about 800 residents, with school officials blocking the exercise from classrooms over concerns that it holds children who don’t participate up to scorn.

U.S. schoolchildren have long been able to opt out of reciting the pledge for religious reasons. But unlike other pledge controversies, this one centers on how and where schoolchildren say it, not whether they should.

All the RHINOs will be coming to kiss the ring.

I wonder if comprehensive immigration reform came up….?

Common Sense and Accountability rears its head.  Thank you Mr. Kemper…

Thanks to Michelle Malkin:

November 3, 2008

Mr. Henry M. Paulson, Jr.

Secretary of the Treasury

1500 Pennsylvania Avenue, NW
Washington, D.C. 20220

Dear Secretary Paulson:

As I reflect on the financial crisis that has gripped our nation, I feel compelled to write to you.

Government action was clearly needed to help shore up the nation’s financial institutions. I applaud you for taking quick action. However, I am gravely concerned with the actions that have been taken and their long-term implications for both our industry and the impact these measures will have on the moral fiber of our future leaders.

First, the rescue was more of a bailout. Its results will have made the large institutions larger and harder to manage and regulate. Secondly, as the system is repaired, these institutions which took such actions to bring the system down will be rewarded with new capital and clean balance sheets at the taxpayers’ expense. Meanwhile, financial institutions such as UMB will be penalized for operating with sound principles. Our first order of business is to protect our depositors’ liquidity. As a result of your actions, those who abused the system get stronger and those who protected their shareholders’ interest and those of the Deposit Insurance Fund will pay the price.

Lastly, I think it is inappropriate to use taxpayers’ funds to inject into healthy private enterprises. What message are we sending our future leaders? Is there no reward for doing the right thing? It seems there is only penalty. The reward seems to be for the reckless.

I believe that under a new administration, the CPP will become a political issue. I am afraid the new capital being used to shore up balance sheets and make acquisitions will not be looked upon favorably, as its original intent was to free up liquidity for extending credit.

Please while you go about the hard work of repairing our nation’s financial system, do not overlook the opportunity to restore dignity and respect for sound and responsible business principles.

If you don’t stand up for the good guys, who will?

Thank you for your consideration.

Yours very sincerely,

Mariner Kemper

Chairman & Chief Executive Officer
UMB Financial

The Republican whores are already lining up to kiss Obama’s ring.  And he hasn’t even taken office.  Names below….

From The Arsenal:

What:

H.R. 6257: Assault Weapons Ban Reauthorization Act of 2008

To reinstate the Public Safety and Recreational Firearms Use Protection Act.

Who:

Sponsor:
Rep. Mark Kirk [R-IL]

Cosponsors [as of 2008-11-07]
Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen [R-FL]
Rep. Michael Ferguson [R-NJ]
Rep. Christopher Shays [R-CT]
Rep. Michael Castle [R-DE]

Did I mention that I hate R.I.N.O.s?   (hat tip Jawa)