Happy Hanukkah!

Found at The Jawa Report:

Of course, we're dreaming of a RED Christmas...

Hats in the News

Where can we get a sexy hat like one of these?

Garry Kasparov explains the recent news in a WSJ editorial:

When I was arrested last April and fined $40, some poked fun at the trivial amount. And five days in a Moscow jail is not the worst fate that can be imagined. Some commentators even suspected I wanted to provoke my own arrest for publicity, a chess player's far-sighted strategy.

First off, the penalty is not the point; the principle is. Are we to have the rule of law in Russia or not? Second, I have no intention of becoming a martyr, or in leading an opposition movement from prison. I had no illusions and now I can confirm it is not a pleasant place to be. And this is not chess, with its cold-blooded calculations. This is about honor and morality. I cannot ask people to protest in the streets if I am not there with them. At the rally on Saturday, I said our slogan must be "We must overcome our fear," and I am obliged to stand by these words.

It is also essential to point out that these arrests are only the tip of the iceberg. Such things are taking place all over Russia on a daily basis. Opposition activists--or just those who happen to be in the way of the administration--are harassed and arrested on false charges of drug possession, extremism, or the latest trend, for owning illegal software.

MSM, and Today's Kasparov Arrest [Comments]

Kasparov was arrested and given a 5-day sentence today in Russia. The national election in which he is a candidate is in eight days. Today's top story - Homes Burn in Malibu.

"We should overcome the fear that the regime uses to sustain itself," Mr. Kasparov told the crowd. "For the Putin regime, our country is just a source of enrichment."

Questions:

Why would Kasparov be detained 8 days before the election if Putin and his thugs enjoy 70% support?

Will it also be 2nd page news if Hillary is arrested October 27, 2008 and held for five days?

Is the MSM's priorities for today's news motivated by geography, or ideology?

Thanksgiving: Blessing of the Govt. Taxes

Read the full prayer at The People's Cube. Very creative!

Let me, Dear God, shift the paradigm on this Thanksgiving and blissfully give thanks for the gift of government, and thank the government for the gift of taxes. Bless my taxes, O God! Give me peace of mind as I rejoice in filling out forms and returning money to its rightful owner, the government. Keep me joyous, I pray, as I write out those checks. Yea, Lord, we know that there is little reason to be joyous with this Administration's imperialism and impending rape of the Iranian peaceful energy program, but the thought of a new tax year still brings to us a swelling tear of joy. And whisper to me, Lord, all the good reasons that I send my money to my government every year.

...

Fixing Venezuela

Found at Townhall:

Planting Questions at CNN?

A great Hot Air video:

But we thought CNN was a legitimate news service...

Karl's Weekend Reading

Here is a two-week dose of reading. Enjoy!

Mark Heminway at the NRO made a couple calls to the Communist Party USA and the American Nazi Party for their reaction to Bush's warning that "History teaches that underestimating the words of evil, ambitious men is a terrible mistake." He mentioned Lenin and Hitler as those underestimated. One organization took it as a compliment, the other as an insult.

So the US has waterboarded one terrorist for every one thousand Americans killed on 9-11. No wonder the Democrats' panties are in a bunch this week over the wreckless use of torture! Deroy Murdock at the NRO explains:

Waterboarding has worked quickly, causing at least one well-known subject to break down and identify at least six other high-profile, highly bloodthirsty associates before they could commit further mass murder beyond the 3,192 people they already killed and the 7,715 they already wounded.

Though clearly uncomfortable, waterboarding loosens lips without causing permanent physical injuries (and unlikely even temporary ones). If terrorists suffer long-term nightmares about waterboarding, better that than more Americans crying themselves to sleep after their loved ones have been shredded by bombs or baked in skyscrapers.

Bret Stephens at the WSJ compares the ends-justifies-the-means of WWII firebombings and atombombing to today's means-focused debate on waterboarding. At this rate, the next generation of America's fighters will be handing out free iPods to our enemies. (Full disclosure: Karl owns Apple stock in preparation for the next war)

Mike S. Adams at Townhall apologizes to communists for his recent speech.

I am sorry that communists actually exist in the United States of America – a nation so great that it must construct walls to keep people out.

I am sorry that these communists would like to turn this great nation into one that must construct walls to keep people in.

Bush Hatred is explained in Peter Berkowitz's WSJ opinion article, The Insanity of Bush Hatred.

Ann Coulter combines criticism of the MSM with a solid summary of recent events in Pakistan in her Townhall article, Musharraf: The Tolstoy of the Zulus.

Now, with the surge in Iraq working, Democrats are completely demoralized. Al-Qaida was counting on them. (We know the surge in Iraq is working because it is no longer front page news.)

In a tape released in early September, Osama bin Laden bitterly complained, "You elected the Democratic Party for this purpose" -- of ending the war in Iraq -- "but the Democrats haven't made a move worth mentioning."

It isn't enough for the media to drop all mentions of the surge or to subsidize ads denouncing Gen. David Petraeus as "General Betray Us." (He IS betraying liberals by winning the war for America, the enemy of liberals.) They need to stir up trouble for the U.S. someplace else in the world.

Hillary '08

Don't let anyone tell you that the Ushanka.us clan isn't for Hillary! We support her campaign 100%, we salivate at the thought of her nomination, and well, we think she has the most delightful giggle. This video is a bit old, but like Hillary, timeless...

Sunday Afternoon Cigar

A Helix cigar burned on the back nine this evening.

Headlines, or Punchlines?

You be the judge!

Here are a couple headlines from this week. Did they make you laugh as they did us?

The AMT Must Go. By Charles B. Rangel

Putin Commemorates Stalin Purge Victims