Today's Nuze: October 16, 2006

Monday, October 16, 2006

BUSH AND ROVE UPBEAT ABOUT ELECTION

A news report over the weekend says that President Bush and his political adviser Karl Rove are upbeat over the GOP's prospect at the polls in three weeks. In fact, it is reported, they don't even have a contingency plan for a Republican defeat. Confidence or Bravado?

Rove only thinks the Democrats will gain 8 to 10 seats...short of the 15 they need to take over. As for the Mark Foley scandal, Rove said late last week: "The data we are seeing from individual races and the national polls would tend to indicate that people can divorce Foley's personal action from the party." So have the president and Rove lost their minds? Is their confidence warranted?

Maybe. The one thing the media focuses on is the so-called "generic ballot." This is the polling question where people are asked whether they intend to vote for the Republican or the Democrat. But this is a somewhat useless measurement...because that's not how people vote anymore. They vote for the individual. Take Connecticut for example. Many Republicans will be voting for Joe Liebermann, a liberal Democrat running as an independent. Unless you ask people whether they intend to vote for Joe Blow or Mary Smith, you're never going to get accurate polling data. Just asking "Democrat or Republican?" has been shown not to get an accurate pool of polling data.

In the end, it's all going to come down to whether or not people think that Congressman or woman is doing a good job and warrants re-election. Will they take their frustration against the administration and its Iraq policy out on their member of congress? Maybe...but only if they go vote. There's 3 weeks and 1 day to go....an eternity in American politics. Stay tuned.

Now ... having said all of this, I'm still bothered by this show of confidence in the White House. It's as if they've done nothing wrong, and they don't really believe that the voters have a legitimate beef.

No .. I'm not talking about the war on Islamic fascism here. It's ugly. Mistakes have been made. Opportunities wasted. But it's a war we fight now or later ... and the cost later would surely be much higher.

I'm talking here at home. If Republicans maintain control of the House it will just be seen as a signal to them that the American voters aren't upset with they way they've handled their stewardship of the House. Just consider this short list:

Earmark (pork) spending truly out of control
Government growing bigger by the day
The hideously expensive prescription drug program for wizened citizens who spend an average of $1.70 a day for their prescription drugs.
No real move against eminent domain abuses
The McCain-Feingold Campaign Finance Reform monstrosity.
Sarbanes-Oxley. (If you're not a part of the corporate world you don't realize how hideous this anti-competitive, anti-free enterprise bill is).

The truth is the Republicans have not come close to earning the control they seek. The only thing they have going for them is the fact that the alternative is even more hideous. Isn't that a pathetic choice to have on election day?

FREE SPEECH ON THE ROPES IN ENGLAND

It was towards the end of the program on Friday that this item was brought into my studio. A girls in Manchester, England was arrested and put in jail because she didn't want to be a part of a tutoring group that spoke a language she could not understand.

First .. the source of the article. It came from The Brussels Journal which bills itself as "The Voice of Conservatism in Europe." This website deserves to be bookmarked on your computer.

OK .. here's your story.

A 14-year-old girl, Codie Stott, was assigned to a six-student group to receive tutoring in science at the Harrop Fold High School. The girl had a problem with the group because all of the other five students were Asian and only one of them spoke English. Stott told the teacher "I'm not being funny, but can i change groups because I can't understand them." The teacher then told her that she was a racist and was going to get "done" by the police. She was put in isolation at the school for the rest of the day.

The teacher filed a complaint with the police officer assigned to the school. More than a week later Codie Stott was taken to the police station and placed under arrest. Her fingerprints were taken, as was a mug shot.

According to this article in the Daily Mail, Codie was then questioned of (now get this!) committing a section five racial public order offense. She was placed in a bare cell for three-and-one-half hours. Finally she was released without any charges being brought ... but the matter is still under investigation.

Yes .. it is getting this bad. The left has unleashed the monster of political correctness on our society, and every day we learn of a new absurdity. Sure, this story is about Great Britain, but how long before this type of nonsense reaches our own schools? How long hell!! It's already here! Just look at some of the so-called "free speech" codes that exist on many college and university campuses across the nation.

You can't say anything about it, though. To dare to speak up would, of course, make you a racist right along with Codie Stott!

IT'S ALL TALK RADIO'S FAULT. IMAGINE THAT!

The Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) is now claiming that there is a rise in anti-Muslim harassment and whatnot across the country, and it's all because of the Internet and talk radio! Now CAIR has launched a campaign that is "designed to counter anti-Muslim hate on radio talk shows." They're calling their campaign "Hate Hurts America."

Yeah ... right. It's all talk radio. It has absolutely nothing to do with the fact that in 50 different countries around the world you have Muslims involved in some sort of a shooting war with non-Muslims. Additionally, while it can certainly be said that not all Muslims are terrorists, all terrorists do seem to be Muslims.

Would you like to know a little bit more about this group ... CAIR ... that is calling out talk radio? Well, WorldNetDaily provided us with some interesting information last week.

Just a few items from that story:

The CAIR board chairman is Omar Ahmad. In 1998 a California newspaper quoted Ahmad as declaring that the Quran should be America's highest authority. That would put the Constitution where? Second place? Third?

Ibrahim Hooper is the chief mouthpiece for CAIR. You'll see him on television from time to time. In 1993 the Minneapolis Star Tribune interviewed the loving, peaceful Ibrahim Hooper. During that interview Hooper is quoted as saying that he wants to see America become a Muslim country. Here's your quote:

"I wouldn't want to create the impression that I wouldn't like the government of the United States to be Islamic sometime in the future," Hooper told the paper. "But I'm not going to do anything violent to promote that. I'm going to do it through education."

How nice. Well, that's what talk radio is doing, Mr. Hooper. Educating. Sorry you find that so troubling.

AND I GUESS THIS WAS TALK RADIO'S FAULT TOO

Another story about the wonderful, loving, peaceful religion of Islam. This one from Australia's Gold Coast. It seems that Dr. Muhammad Hussain got just a little bit less than loving and peaceful when he learned that his 17-year-old daughter was going to convert to Christianity. Well, according to this story from the Herald Sun, when a son or daughter does something that is wrong for a Muslim, it is the child's mother who is automatically at fault. So, Dr. Hussain, a wonderful, peace-loving Muslim if ever there was one, took a knife and stabbed the girl's mother to death.

Now I'm sure that if CAIR were to go to Australia and investigate this incident they would find that some Australian radio talk show host was actually behind the entire bloody incident.

The Quran does, by the way, state that anyone who leaves the Muslim faith must be killed. My guess is that part was written by a radio talk show host.

THE POODLE'S SECOND CHANCE

John Kerry says he hasn't decided whether or not he's going to run for president in 2008. But he says if he does, he deserves a second chance. Yeah .... sure he does.

Exactly why would the Democratic Party put a losing candidate at the top of its ballot in 2008? Does he actually think he has any hope of defeating Hillary Clinton, much less somebody like Al Gore, who might still run? Evidently The Poodle thinks so.

Why should people give Kerry a second chance? It's not like anything has changed. John Kerry is still the same person he was in 2004. He still stands for the same things. Over and over again he blames the Swiftboat Vets for derailing his campaign, but that's an excuse. The fact is people looked at John Kerry...they looked at his problems with the truth...they looked at his voting record...and they took a pass. They decided he wasn't presidential material

They didn't like his solution for Iraq, either. He had every possible thing going for him he could....an unpopular war. a president with low ratings...and he couldn't convert. The voters rejected him. Just like they did Walter Mondale in 1984, Michael Dukakis in 1988 and Al Gore in 2000. Just more of the same Democratic presidential losing streak.

Face it ... 2008 will be the year of The Hildabeast. With the money and name recognition she has, The Poodle won't make it past Iowa.

POOR JOHN MURTHA

John Murtha wrote an extensive op-ed piece in the Washington Post over the weekend complaining about Republican name-calling. But is it really name-calling if it's true? Specifically, Murtha takes issue with being called a "Defeatocrat." OK...fine. Let's look at the word...which, for those of you who went to government schools, is a combination of defeat and Democrat.

The fact is that since oh..about 2003, Leftist Democrats like Murtha have been betting and hoping for America's defeat in Iraq. Their hatred of George Bush after the 2000 election is so intense that they will sacrifice the safety of this country and give outright comfort to the Islamic fascist enemy if it means they can discredit George Bush in the process. Not only have they been steadily predicting failure, they've been hoping for it. They are betting their election dreams this fall on it. They see no path to victory for the United States in Iraq, nor do they want one. They're Defeatocrats. Catchy name that fits.

Murtha also complained about people calling the Democratic Party the "cut and run" party. For years now...going back to the 2004 presidential election, Democrat after Democrat has proposed cutting and running. Well ... they don't exactly call it cutting and running, they've come up with a fancy word that covers the true meaning. The Defeatocrats call it "redeployment." They have never once proposed a workable solution to the Iraq mess. All they've offered is surrender. Nothing would please the Islamic terrorists running the insurgency more than a total surrender. This is what Murtha and a lot of the Democrats want.

So he can whine all he wants.....but people are calling him names because they fit. And as the saying goes, if the shoe fits, wear it.

ENOUGH! HERE'S THE ROAD RASH LINK!

Sometime last week I read portions of an article by Brittany Morrow entitled "Extreme Roadrash: Cause, Effect, and Lesson Learned." What I read was merely a part of the story of a young pretty blond who came off the back of a motorcycle at high speed wearing no protective gear other than a helmet. Since then I've received hundreds of emails asking for a link to the site where that story goes. Well .. being the public minded person that I am, and hoping that maybe some of you who don't ordinarily wear road gear will re-think your position after reading this .. here you go. Click and learn. Please wear road gear! As they say, dress for the slide, not for the ride.

WEALTH ENVY

You can find it everywhere ... even on the wealthy enclave of Martha's Vineyard. A listener sent me a copy of a letter to the editor that appeared in the Martha's Vineyard newspaper. The writer, one Don Keller, is upset because someone -- someone obviously with a lot of money -- is building a large home on the Vineyard and the local government officials actually approved it. So ... where does the wealth envy come in? Here's a paragraph from his letter:

"Now, don't get me wrong, I have met Mr. Rattner and Ms. White, and they are not the devil. They are nice people, but they have too much money, and no awareness of their carbon footprint. They can drive around in their gas guzzling Escalade, fly around in their private jet, and occasionally live in their 15,573-square-foot vacation home and never worry about the cost."

Now there's an interesting thought from Mr. Keller. The owners of this house have "too much money." And not only is Mr. Keller upset with the size of their home, he doesn't like the fact that they fly in private airplanes and drive a large SUV. Poor Mr. Keller. It must be just miserable having to live around all of those accomplished people who live in houses bigger than his, fly on private jets while he goes commercial, and drive cars he can't afford. The problem isn't that he just didn't work hard or smart enough to acquire those things; the problem is that they have them, and he doesn't. And that, of course, is just not fair. The government ought to step in and do something.

WELL SAID!

I'm posting an editorial written by Phil Boyer, the president of the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association (AOPA). It was posted on the AOPA website today. Good reading for the hysterics out there who are trying to use the Cory Lidle crash in New York as a reason to put even more restrictions on general aviation.

Enough is enough

BY PHIL BOYER

Mayor Daley's latest rants have sent me over the edge. He used the accident in New York to once again demand a no-fly zone over downtown Chicago for general aviation aircraft.

It was expected, of course. He has an irrational hatred for piston-engine aircraft, as evidenced by his illogical tirade this week. "They should not jeopardize, through intentionally or by accident, a single- or two-engine plane flying over our city [sic]," the Meigs Field destroyer exploded at a press conference. (I don't think he was including Boeing 737s, 757s, and 767s in his list of twin-engine aircraft.) "Remember: a single- or two-engine plane can kill as many people as possible if they want to."

And if it were just Daley, I'd ignore his ravings, just as the folks in the federal government in charge of security and airspace do.

But it's not just him. Other politicians (with the spectacular and notable exception of New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg) and self-appointed "experts" are jumping on the tragic accident - repeat, accident - in New York to sound off again about the "danger" of light aircraft, and how they must be regulated, restricted, banned.

OK, for all of those ranting about "threats" from GA aircraft, we'll believe that you're really serious about controlling "threats" when you call for:

Banning all vans within cities. A small panel van was used in the first World Trade Center attack. The bomb, which weighed 1,500 pounds, killed six and injured 1,042.
Banning all box trucks from cities. Timothy McVeigh's rented Ryder truck carried a 5,000-pound bomb that killed 168 in Oklahoma City.
Banning all semi-trailer trucks. They can carry bombs weighing more than 50,000 pounds.
Banning newspapers on subways. That's how the terrorists hid packages of sarin nerve gas in the Tokyo subway system. They killed 12.
Banning backpacks on all buses and subways. That's how the terrorists got the bombs into the London subway system. They killed 52.
Banning all cell phones on trains. That's how they detonated the bombs in backpacks placed on commuter trains in Madrid. They killed 191.
Banning all small pleasure boats on public waterways. That's how terrorists attacked the USS Cole, killing 17.
Banning all heavy or bulky clothing in all public places. That's how suicide bombers hide their murderous charges. Thousands killed.

Number of people killed by a terrorist attack using a GA aircraft? Zero.

Number of people injured by a terrorist attack using a GA aircraft? Zero.

Property damage from a terrorist attack using a GA aircraft? None.

So Mr. Mayor (and Mr. Governor, Ms. Senator, Mr. Congressman, and Mr. "Expert"), if you're truly serious about "protecting" the public, advocate all of the bans I've listed above. Using the "logic" you apply to general aviation aircraft, newspapers, winter coats, cell phones, backpacks, trucks, and boats all pose much greater risks to the public.

So be consistent in your logic. If you are dead set on restricting a personal transportation system that carries more passengers than any single airline, reaches more American cities than all the airlines combined, provides employment for 1.3 million American citizens and $160 billion in business "to protect the public," then restrict or control every other transportation system that the terrorists have demonstrated they can use to kill.

If you're not willing to be consistent, then we might think that you're pandering to uninformed public fears, posturing from the soapbox of demagoguery, screaming security for your own political ends.

Actually, I don't really know if Boyers' column will do anything with the aviation know-nothings out there. I know it won't have an impact on those who hate small airplanes simply because they think that they're all owned by rich people. There are even people out there who want general aviation shut down simply because I own and fly a small plane! Here's a portion of an email I received from a listener in Oregon:

"I was having lunch this afternoon with a group of coworkers. We were talking about the crash in New York and what should be done with all small planes. This guy from our HR department said that he wanted to see all small private planes banned from any populated areas. He also said that nobody should be allowed to fly without first getting permission from the traffic control people and filing a flight plan. I asked him why he wanted to be so severe. He said 'Oh, I don't know. I just know that Neal Boortz guy has a small plane, and I'm for anything that will ruin his day."

How nice. But at least he has a reason!

REDNECK SCRAP BOOK

I guess self-mutilation is cheaper than a Bluetooth device. Clark Howard would be so proud.. More in the Redneck Scrap Book.

READING ASSIGNMENTS

Neal's guest today at approx. 10:30AM ET, Mark Steyn, talking about his book America Alone: The End of the World as We Know It.

A newspaper in Spain is reporting that the CIA has an Al-Qaeda leader in a secret jail. It's supposedly one of the planners of 9/11 and the 2004 Madrid train bombings. This on top of the fact that Dick Cheney is holding Osama Bin Laden in his basement, waiting to announce his capture the week before the elections. Amnesty International is obviously concerned.

Hillary Clinton is apologizing to John McCain for a comment made by an aide. The person in question had accused McCain of doing the White House's dirty work..similar to what he did while in captivity in Vietnam. Ouch...that wasn't very nice.

Bad news for Keith Olbermann....bad, bad, bad news. It seems one of his scorned lovers has fired up a blog...upset that he pulled his hit and run routine on her. What's worse is that more women have joined in to report their experiences with Olbermann...and the stories are not flattering.

The verdict against Saddam Hussein is expected to be delivered November 5th. The media is reporting that if he is found guilty, he could be sentenced the same day. If he's found guilty? Does anybody really think he won't be? Talk about a complete waste of time this entire trial has been.

You know that Republican down in Florida that has the unenviable task of running in Mark Foley's place, with Foley's name on the ballot? It turns out he might actually win. Not only that, but polls show that the scandal won't be much of a factor in the elections. So much for the Democrats dreams.

Michael Barone says that if the Democrats do take control of the House, it will be by the slimmest of margins. Predictions on this are changing....some people are starting to say the Republicans are going to remain in control. Wouldn't it be something if they Democrats or the Republicans won by a single seat?

Debra Saunders accurately states that global warming is a religion, not a science. In today's column, she profiles Jim Inhofe, the Oklahoma Republican who hasn't bought into the global warming hysteria. The media has been taking him on lately.

How bad are things going to be for the Republicans come November 7th? Fred Barnes makes his predictions and says to ignore some of the polling and focus on President Bush's approval ratings and voter enthusiasm.

The media has been doing their usual liberally biased job when it comes to covering the Mark Foley scandal as well as the treason charges filed against the California kid accused of joining Al-Qaeda. Mark Steyn breaks it all down.

Star Parker points out a new poll, similar to Fred Barnes' conclusions, that says only 33% of Republicans are enthusiastic about voting in 2006. She wonders if things in Congress are going to have to get worse before they get better.

Now we have sneakers made especially for Mexicans who are ready to join the invasion force. They're handed out to Mexicans waiting to cross the border into the United States. Here in the U.S. they're considered collector's items.

The world's most expensive restaurants. Shouldn't you get a whole cow for $277?

60 Minutes' Andy Rooney doesn't understand why the U.S. thinks it's okay for us to have nuclear weapons but not North Korea.

Photo gallery from the Voices of Distinction Series at Kent State University Tuscarawas 10/12/06.

Food Stamps In Four Hours teaches immigrants, legal and illegal, the basic English they'll need to apply for food stamps in Southern California.

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