Bush Avoids Obnoxious, Irrelevant Troll

BUSH SNUBS HELEN THOMAS [AGAIN]

Drudge Report
Thu Jan 26 2006 15:42:32 2006

President Bush today again avoided taking a question from White House doyenne Helen Thomas during his 45-minute press conference, even though he took questions from every reporter around her front-row, center seat.

"He's a coward," Thomas said afterward. "He's supposed to be this macho guy. He'll take on Osama bin Laden, but he won't take me on."

Thomas, who worked as the UPI White House reporter for 57 years and is now a columnist, raised her hand every time the president was concluding an answer to a reporter's question, but he never called on her.

She had a few questions in mind, though. "I wanted to ask about Iraq: 'You said you didn't go in for oil or for Israel or for WMDs. so why did you go in?' "

She also had another question at the ready, just in case, this one about the president's contention that a 28-year-old wiretapping law known as FISA is out of date, which prompted him to order the National Security Agency to conduct a secret electronic surveillance program that Democrats contend is illegal.

"You keep saying it's a 1978 law, but the Constitution 200 years old. Is that out of date, too?"

Afterward, Thomas sat sullenly in her chair in the White House press work area, huddled in her leopard-print winter coat.

But as she left, she made a prediction: "He came on to my turf. I'll bet the next press conference will be in Room 450 of the EEOB," a theater-style room in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building, where she would not be in the front row.

Developing...

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Ok, let's see, Helen of Troll, where to start? (I'll ignore the fact that you are no longer relevant and just address your loaded questions.)

"He's supposed to be this macho guy. He'll take on Osama bin Laden, but he won't take me on."

Maybe President Bush is tired of your liberal rhetoric and stale questions and wanted to address other reporters who, although doubtful, may have some new questions to ask?!

"I wanted to ask about Iraq: 'You said you didn't go in for oil or for Israel or for WMDs. so why did you go in?' "

Wow! That's original! Those questions have never been asked before! I think the President has made it adamantly clear that even though WMDs have not been found, yet(might have to ask Syria about that one), we removed a brutal dictator from power. A brutal dictator who harbored, trained, and paid Islamic terrorists. From the begining, this was addressed as a front against international terrorism and we're killing terrorists every day in Iraq instead of having to fight them here.

"You keep saying it's a 1978 law, but the Constitution 200 years old. Is that out of date, too?"

Of course it isn't, you miserable misinformed dwarf. But I don't think the Constitution addresses the evil that we are now facing. The FISA law certainly does, but don't you think the state of international (Islamic) terrorism is a wee bit different now since 9/11?? A majority of Americans understand what our government was trying to do and approve of the steps President Bush took in order to protect us. There IS NOT a carte blanche order to spy on all Americans. There WAS an order given to intercept international phone calls and emails that either were sent to or originated from known terrorist groups. Understand Helen?


If anything good came from 9/11, it was that it exposed libs for who they truly are. As long as the Dim-ocratic Party continues to embrace their leftist brothers and sisters, the more and more elections they will lose, and the more irrelevant they will become. RIP.

More Lunacy From Everyone's Favorite Banana Boat Singer

Belafonte Continues Tirade Against Bush

By VERENA DOBNIK
The Associated Press
Saturday, January 21, 2006; 6:47 PM



NEW YORK -- Entertainer Harry Belafonte, one of the Bush administration's harshest critics, compared the Homeland Security Department to the Nazi Gestapo on Saturday and attacked the president as a liar.

"We've come to this dark time in which the new Gestapo of Homeland Security lurks here, where citizens are having their rights suspended," Belafonte said in a speech to the annual meeting of the Arts Presenters Members Conference.

"You can be arrested and not charged. You can be arrested and have no right to counsel," said Belafonte.

Belafonte's remarks on Saturday _ part of a 45-minute speech on the role of the arts in a politically changing world _ were greeted with a roaring standing ovation from an audience which included singer Peter Yarrow of the folk group Peter, Paul and Mary, and members of the arts community from several dozen countries.

Messages seeking comments from Homeland Security and White House officials were not immediately returned.

He had called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" during a trip to Venezuela two weeks ago. Belafonte, 78, made that comment after a meeting with Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

The Harlem-born Belafonte, who was raised in Jamaica, said his activism was inspired by an impoverished mother "who imbued in me that we should never capitulate to oppression."

He acknowledged that the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks demanded a reaction by the United States, but said the policies of the Bush administration were not the right response.

"Fascism is fascism. Terrorism is terrorism. Oppression is oppression," said Belafonte, who served in the U.S. Navy during World War II.

Bush, he said, rose to power "somewhat dubiously and ... then lies to the people of this nation, misleads them, misinstructs, and then sends off hundreds of thousands of our own boys and girls to a foreign land that has not aggressed against us."

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Here's a fact for you, Harry. If you are not a fanatical islamic terrorist or consorting with fanatical islamic terrorists, then you stand a very good chance of not getting monitored by the NSA or getting arrested for conspiring to kill innocent civilians. A vast majority of Americans understand this and think you and other lefties of your ilk are MORONS!!!

Stick that in your day-o banana boat and smoke it!

Ben Stein On Oil Prices

Oil, Oil, Oil

By Ben Stein
Published 1/11/2006 2:14:03 AM

To begin at somewhere near the end, I am at a gas station in the small town of Calimesa in the high desert between Beverly Hills and Rancho Mirage. It's late at night, maybe 10 p.m., and it's cold. My wife and I are getting gasoline to put in our old Caddy and complete the drive home to make sure our son goes to school tomorrow.

As I pay the kindly attendant, George, a man who actually greets me, checks the oil, and pats our dogs, my head is spinning and it's spitting out thoughts like a mad laser printer. Here they are, as I remember them:

What a great world this is where I can get some people I don't even know to work on oil platforms out in the middle of the ocean, off the coast of Nigeria or Mexico, in the middle of nowhere in deserts in Libya, in jungles in Indonesia, on terrifying desert stretches in the Middle East, to bring me oil and gasoline to power my car for a price so low it makes me humble. The bottles of water in my car cost about a dollar a pint and they are a bargain brand and they come from a well in California. The gasoline I put in my car comes from ten thousand miles away, has to be brought here, refined, have huge taxes attached to it, and it's still thirty cents a pint. I am so grateful, and I am thinking how Senator Barbara Boxer and Senator Bill Frist want to surtax the oil companies for the superlative job they do bringing oil to us. WHY?

Why do politicians have it in for oil companies? What did the oil companies do wrong? They set their price based on world oil prices set by traders on Wall Street and in London who could not care less about how hard it is to find oil. There's no more John D. Rockefeller who could charge what he wanted for oil (and who, by the way, supervised a huge drop, not increase, in oil prices over his lifetime). There is no monopoly in oil. It is a world price, like wheat or copper or tungsten. Why beat up on oil companies when the price is high and oil companies raise their prices to cover replacing the oil they just sold? Why beat up on oil companies that -- over long periods -- make less profit on sales than the banking business, insurance, pharmaceuticals, and many other businesses?

And anyway, when did "profit" become a bad word? Isn't that what our whole system is about? Aren't profits what pay the dividends that allow men and women to retire? Aren't profits where the incentive comes from to find and provide more oil for us? Aren't profits what we all want for ourselves and our children? And why are profits in the oil business a bad thing but not a bad thing in the cable TV business or the soap business?

Why are people on Capitol Hill angry at the executives of the oil companies? They do an incredibly hard job in a difficult environment all so slobs like me can get our cars down the highway and have juice to cool and warm our homes and run our electric blankets and computers. They get paid a lot compared with what I get paid but very little compared with people in Hollywood -- and pennies compared with what successful men and women on Wall Street make. But they provide an indispensable service. Why aren't we grateful to them instead of yelling at them?

And why do we want to punish one of the most indispensable sectors of the economy by taxing it to death? What good ever came of heavy taxes on a vital sector? Why are we punishing companies we cannot live without?

And where does Barbara Boxer get off yelling at the oil companies' executives for their pay? She's best pals with plaintiffs' class action lawyers who get paid in a day what a big guy at big oil gets paid in a lifetime. And who provides a more useful service? Why isn't she angry at movie stars about their pay? What good do they do compared with bringing us gasoline? Can it be that Babs is just plain jealous of how efficient the oil companies are compared with her government? And isn't envy a terrible basis for public policy?

Well, all of this occurred to me, and then I gave my dogs a bowl of water, closed the door, waved good-bye to George, and headed off to home, and was glad that the oil companies, and not Barbara Boxer, were responsible for getting me there at a price I can afford.


Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He also writes "Ben Stein's Diary" in every issue of The American Spectator.

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Ben makes some excellent points in this article. I've always been one to bash oil companies whenever the price of gas goes up at the pump, which is contradictory to my normal conservative views on capitalism and free enterprise. I suppose I'm letting the effect on my pocket book effect my reasoning. Time to rethink that position. Thanks Ben. You're always the voice of reason in a crazy, mixed-up world.

View Of Progress In Iraq You Won't See In The Mainstream Media

The View From Al Qaeda

January 10, 2006: The al Qaeda reaction to the withdrawal of American troops from Iraq was interesting. Al Qaeda declared that this was a sign that the terrorists were winning. The terrorists are in need of a morale boost, for they have been losing the military and, more importantly, the media war, for some time now. Chatter on some pro-terrorist websites even suggests that maybe attacking the United States was not such a good idea, and perhaps the war should be kept within the Islamic family (or nations) until all Moslems can be united. Then go after the infidels. The reasoning here was that 911 just pissed the Americans off, and, gee, four years later, they don’t seem to be getting tired of chasing Islamic terrorists all over the place, and killing them.

Iraq has turned into a major al Qaeda defeat. Iraqis have nothing nice to say about al Qaeda, or Islamic terrorists in general. Over the last year, the number of Iraqis ratting on Islamic militants has more than doubled. Not only that, but the informants have been giving up larger targets as well. More terrorist leaders, and major arms stockpiles and workshops are being found as a result of the tips. Trying to go Iraqi on the Saudi Arabia government turned out to be a big mistake as well for al Qaeda. Wealthy, and zealous, Saudis have long been major contributors of money to al Qaeda. Not so much any more. Young Saudi militants have long provided key operatives for overseas terrorism. Not any more. Since 911, young Saudis can’t travel as freely, and many have turned away from terrorism. This is simply being practical. Back in Saudi Arabia, everyone is closely watched by large, extended families. Which is why young Saudis like to travel abroad. Even traveling to Moslem countries is no panacea, for they are on the lookout for radical young Saudis there as well. All of a sudden, everyone is watching young Arab men for signs of terrorist tendencies.

Terrorist activity is rising in Moslem countries partly because of the difficulty of getting into Western countries, but also because, let’s face it, there are a lot of social and political problems in Moslem countries that many Moslems want to solve. Radical action is, for many, seen as the only solution. But all Moslems are watching events in Iraq very carefully. There’s a real democracy going on, along with the usual corruption, warlords, and Saddam’s unemployed secret policemen still abusing people. Not a pretty picture, especially with al Qaeda suicide bombers still blowing up children. Moslems are getting tired of bloody minded fanatics announcing that the solution to everyone’s problems is at hand. That, it is now well understood, just means that a new tyrant will take over once the current ones are deposed. Democracy, on the other hand, is a novel approach which Iraqis, and many other Arabs, are keen on trying out. This does not please the monarchs and dictators that rule most Arab nations.

Al Qaeda, despite it’s plunging popularity ratings, can still mobilize volunteers. But the quality of this manpower is declining, meaning more botched attacks, or preparations so mismanaged that no one even gets close to carrying out an attack. The one place where al Qaeda can still find some sanctuary, and quality manpower, is in Europe. Here, twenty million Moslems are free from the poverty and oppression of the old country, but still subject to discrimination by native Europeans. This breeds hostility among many young Moslems, and enthusiasm for a radical solution to their problems. This is a common defect among the young, but when such blind enthusiasm meets up with al Qaeda, mayhem and murder can result.

European governments are well aware of the explosive situation they are sitting on. While it doesn’t get a lot of news attention in the United States, European police regularly arrest Islamic terrorists who are planning attacks on the United States. The anti-American attitudes so popular in Europe at the moment make the Islamic terrorists think that they can safely plan attacks on America, without endangering the comfortable refuge they enjoy. European police and intelligence agencies don’t see it that way, and prefer to put all the terrorists out of business, no matter what their target is. That’s a major shift, as for decades, many European nations were content to tolerate Islamic and Leftist radicals, as long as these terrorists did their killing somewhere else. No more, and that’s a major defeat for al Qaeda.

Islamic terrorists are only winning in their increasingly bizarre press releases. But they will keep trying, and occasionally succeeding, for several more years. They are down, but not yet completely out.

American Idiot.

Belafonte Calls Bush 'Greatest Terrorist'

By IAN JAMES, Associated Press Writer
Sun Jan 8, 8:59 PM ET

CARACAS, Venezuela - The American singer and activist Harry Belafonte called President Bush "the greatest terrorist in the world" on Sunday and said millions of Americans support the socialist revolution of Venezuelan leader Hugo Chavez.

Belafonte led a delegation of Americans including the actor Danny Glover and the Princeton University scholar Cornel West that met the Venezuelan president for more than six hours late Saturday. Some in the group attended Chavez's television and radio broadcast Sunday.

"No matter what the greatest tyrant in the world, the greatest terrorist in the world, George W. Bush says, we're here to tell you: Not hundreds, not thousands, but millions of the American people ... support your revolution," Belafonte told Chavez during the broadcast.

The 78-year-old Belafonte, famous for his calypso-inspired music, including the "Day-O" song, was a close collaborator of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr. and is now a UNICEF goodwill ambassador. He also has been outspoken in criticizing the U.S. embargo of Cuba.

Chavez said he believes deeply in the struggle for justice by blacks, both in the U.S. and Venezuela.

"Although we may not believe it, there continues to be great discrimination here against black people," Chavez said, urging his government to redouble its efforts to prevent discrimination.

Belafonte accused U.S. news media of falsely painting Chavez as a "dictator," when in fact, he said, there is democracy and citizens are "optimistic about their future."

Dolores Huerta, a pioneer of the United Farm Workers labor union also in the delegation, called the visit a "very deep experience."

Chavez accuses Bush of trying to overthrow him, pointing to intelligence documents released by the U.S. indicating that the CIA knew beforehand that dissident officers planned a short-lived 2002 coup. The U.S. denies involvement, but Chavez says Venezuela must be on guard.

Belafonte suggested setting up a youth exchange for Venezuelans and Americans. He finished by shouting in Spanish: "Viva la revolucion!"

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Day-o, day-ay-ay-o
Daylight come and, Harry, please shut up and go the f*** home!!!

More lib lunacy!

University of Texas Captures National Championship

In what might have been the greatest football game I have ever watched, the University of Texas Longhorns prevailed over the pre-annointed "greatest team of all time", USC Trojans. Behind Vince Young's MVP performance and a never-say-die attitude which has become commonplace for the Longhorn's, the boys from Austin scored two touchdowns in the final 5 minutes to secure the victory over the Trojans.

Vince Young's performance will go down as one of the greatest big-game performances of all time. 267 yards passing, 200 yards rushing, 3 touchdowns, UNBELIEVABLE!!!!

Congrats go out to: The University of Texas, The Longhorn Football Team, Mack Brown, Vince Young, UT students and alumni, UT fans worldwide, Matthew McConaughey, IMOM, and the GREAT STATE OF TEXAS!!

Ben Stein Salutes The United States Armed Forces

Ben Stein: Good Morning, 2006

The American Spectator ^ | 1/1/2006 | Ben Stein

It's almost 2006, a date that seems like something from a science fiction movie in which men are traveling around on teleporters and making weekend trips to Jupiter. But, no, it's 2006, and most of the day I am still stuck in traffic, especially the traffic in my head. That traffic is thoughts of old times and of how much less time I have left than I did even a few years ago.

I've started asking friends what their favorite memories are, what their happiest days were. I get stories of love, of parents' expressing love to children, of romantic love, of a man fly fishing with his sons in a river in Montana. I get stories of peace and stories of revenge. And this thought keeps coming to my mind, which I'll share with you now.

Probably the happiest moment of my whole life was when I had just quit being a trial lawyer for the FTC, the world's worst job, had moved out to UC Santa Cruz to teach, dragged my colitis-racked body into my tiny prefector's dorm room, unpacked, and then gone to look around. It was a surprisingly warm August night in Santa Cruz in 1972. I found a picnic table, a sturdy table indeed, and lay down on it on my back just for a lark. I looked up at the stars. I had never seen so many and they danced all around in the California sky.

I was at peace, free from cares and worries, about to plunge into a new life of love and redwood trees. And I know I've told you about this before and will again if I live.

For the next several weeks, I had a riot of romance with various women around Santa Cruz, got my first Weimaraner, learned to say good-bye to the day by staring at the sunset, and became generally a new man.

The old, frightened Benjy was gone at least for a few weeks or months.

I was a hero of the revolution, James Bond raking in the girl chips.

I was happy.

BUT WHAT JUST OCCURRED to me today, December 29, 2005, is that none of this, absolutely none, not one bit of it, would have been possible without the men and women of the Armed Forces. While I was busy being born (and not dying), men and women were getting blown to pieces by German 88's and Japanese mortars to win the big one. While I was growing up, our freedom was saved by the Strategic Air Command ("Peace is our Profession") and by men and women patrolling in the Arctic Circle. While I was in elementary school, my cousin Joe and my uncle Bob were fighting and fine men and women were dying at Cho-Sin Reservoir.

And at the moment I was looking at the stars in perfect peace, far better men than I were getting killed in ambushes in Vietnam.

So, yes, I had a moment of peace and weeks or months of romantic glory, but all behind the shield of the men and women who wear the uniform.

Other happy moments flood back to me: lying in my parents' living room not long before they died, with my mother offering me grapes and my father reading the American Economic Review, and all of us at peace. And this was a rare moment indeed. All inside the glittering dome made for us by the men aboard nuclear submarines and the women caring for the sick, and the policemen of the District of Columbia and the firemen and EMT's, too.

And my favorite moments now, lying in bed in front of the fire, wind blowing through the palm fronds outside, with the dogs and my wife, napping while the dogs snore and my wife reads her mysteries: and all while far better men and women than we are fight and die in Iraq and Afghanistan and their families live in terror back home.

A glorious moment: speaking as valedictorian of my class at Yale Law, '70, talking airily about peace and love and gardens of Eden, and all the while, as I chattered in my bubble, high on something, I am sure, with my coterie of girls watching and oooh-and-ahhing, far better humans than I, with far better claims to human decency than I, with far closer relations to the Almighty, were being held in prison camps and torture chambers in Vietnam.

Now that I think of it, every moment that's great in my life shares the same foundation: we live large thanks to those who serve in difficult, life-threatening places and ways.

So, as the science fiction year of 2006 dawns, my main resolution is to keep in mind the guys in whose shadows we all walk, behind whose shields we all live, the men and women of the U.S. Armed Forces, and God bless them and their families in 2006 and forever.

Ben Stein is a writer, actor, economist, and lawyer living in Beverly Hills and Malibu. He also writes "Ben Stein's Diary" in every issue of The American Spectator. Please click here to subscribe.