October 12th 2008
Sunday Scan – 10/12/2008
Global Warming Update
W
e haven’t been hearing much about global warming lately – economic reality vs. bogeyman theories, you know – so I thought it a good time to provide an update on just how the nasty warming of our planet is going:
Big snow flakes fell early Friday evening, turning Downtown Boise into a giant snow globe for people on their way home from work. The snow caught many people off guard, including this bicyclist heading down Idaho Street between 8th and 9th around 5:45 p.m. Across the Treasure Valley, tree branches heavy with wet, snow-covered leaves fell on power lines, causing scattered power outages.
This is the earliest measurable snowfall in Boise since recordkeeping began in 1898, according to the National Weather Service. At 10 p.m., the Weather Service said 1.7 inches of snow had fallen. The previous earliest recorded snowfall was Oct. 12, 1969, when a little more than an inch fell.
Pesky reality, dropping like thick, wet snow all over their lovely computer models.
Hat-tip: Jim
Pushing Around Grannie
T
he Jewish Council for Education and Research, fresh off misrepresenting the positions of Israeli leaders in a phony pro-Obama video, is now sicking grandchildren on their wiser elders:
Jonathan Packman has spent the past few days enjoying poolside views of the Atlantic at his elderly Jewish grandparents’ condominium, eating quantities of their Mandel Bread – while trying to ensure that “pop pop” and “mom mom” vote for Barack Obama.
“I think my grandmother is moving towards Obama,” he says. “My grandfather is still undecided. He is old-fashioned and is having a hard time getting his mind wrapped around voting for a black man.”
Mr Packman has travelled from the ultra-liberal city of Berkeley, California, hoping that he can use his influence as a grandson to flip Florida – and the White House – back into Democratic hands.
It is called “The Great Schlep”, an effort organised by the pro-Obama Jewish Council for Education and Research, which should lead to hundreds of grandchildren descending on the Fort Lauderdale area for the Columbus Day weekend to combine an annual family visit with some ruthless political activism. (London Times)
The Obama campaign and its lieutenants are leaving no stone unturned. The old Jews should read their Proverbs, which makes it quite clear that wisdom resides with the elders ( “The glory of young men is their strength, gray hair the splendor of the old.” Prov. 20-29). After all, polls show they are not nearly as supportive of Oama as they were of Kerry four years ago – just 55% now vs. 77% then.
Just Another San Francisco Field Trip
E
ighteen first graders at a local San Francisco elementary schools took a little field trip the other day:
In the same week that the No on 8 campaign launched an ad that labeled as “lies” claims that same-sex marriage would be taught in schools to young children, a first grade class took a school-sponsored trip to a gay wedding. Eighteen first graders traveled to San Francisco City Hall Friday for the wedding of their teacher and her lesbian partner, The San Francisco Chronicle reported. The school sponsored the trip for the students, ages 5 and 6, taking them away from their studies for the same-sex wedding. (source)
You see, we can open up marriage to just anyone – who cares about this a man and a woman thing? – and it won’t insidiously start working its way into our society, changing our norms, changing our principles, changing our children.
Hat-tip Jim
Iran’s Dirty Bomb For Israel
O
n Sept. 29, I brought you the story of the ship Iran Deyanat, which was hijacked by pirates off Samalia – pirates who subsequently checked the contents of the cargo … and started dying shortly thereafter. I speculated at the time that the ship was carrying chemical weapons, but I may have been wrong; waaay wrong.
The ship remains at dock in Somalia and no one’s talking, except the Russians. The Israeli blog Shiratdevorah has a detailed story, but here’s the meat:
Although American intelligence and government sources are maintaining a strictly observed silence, the same does not apply to the Russians and so it is that we learn the real story of the MV Iran Deyanat. She was an enormous floating dirty bomb, intended to detonate after exiting the Suez Canal at the eastern end of the Mediterranean and in proximity to the coastal cities of Israel. The entire cargo of radioactive sand, obtained by Iran from China (the latter buys desperately needed oil from the former) and sealed in containers which, when the charges on the ship are set off after the crew took to the boats, will be blasted high into the air where prevailing winds will push the highly dangerous and radioactive cloud ashore.
Given the large number of deaths from the questing Somali pirates, it should be obvious that when the contents of the ship’s locked cargo containers finally descended onto the land, the death toll would be enormous. This ship was nothing more nor less than the long-anticipated Iranian attack on Israel. Not the expected rocket attacks (which could be intercepted by the Israelis) but an even more deadly and unexpected attack by sea.
If this is true and Iran had pulled it off, it would have been impossible for the Tehraniacs to avoid blame for the attack, and the Chinese would have been hard pressed to avoid accusations of knowingly abetting the plot. I’ve always felt that if (when) Iran gets the bomb, it will be delivered via intermediaries to Israel for detonation, not atop an Iranian missile because I thought plausible deniability was important to the Tehraniacs.
Apparently I was wrong, and they’re crazier than I thought.
Hat-tip: Jim
Resounding (Almost Deafening) Bias
I
t takes either (a) a lot of guts or (b) a complete loss of all perspective to post a video clip that proves your lead wrong, but that’s exactly what NYTimes hockey columnist Lynn Zinser did last night. Here’s the lead:
When Sarah Palin dropped the ceremonial first puck at the Flyers’ opener on Saturday night at the Wachovia Center, she was greeted by resounding (almost deafening) boos.
And here’s the clip. Note all the clapping you see in the background, and note that fans are most definitely cheering loudly, not booing.
Undaunted, Zinser pounds on:
While Philadelphia fans are known for not being shy about voicing disapproval, the question has been raised — including by me in an earlier version of this post — whether the appearance was appropriate at a sports event like this.
What could possibly be inappropriate about a politician who’s running for office dropping the ceremonial puck – especially one as identified with hockey as Sarah Palin?
Could it be inappropriate, Lynn, because she’s a … gulp … Republican?
Is Rezko Talking?
B
ack in June, when the jury found Obama-buddy Tony Rezko guilty of corruption, I wrote:
With Tony Rezko’s conviction today on 12 counts of wire/mail fraud, two counts of corrupt solicitation and two counts of money laundering, the most important date on his organizer is now September 3, the day he’ll be sentenced.
A day that’s two months and one day before the general election.
The Rezko agenda for tomorrow and the foreseeable future looks like this:
- Discuss an appeal
- Discuss a deal
- Avoid that big guy in the shower
Now it’s October and still no sentencing. Why? apparently because Rezko is “whispering secrets,” according to AP. He must be whispering a lot, since Rezko’s sentencing is now five weeks overdue. So what’s up? Depends on who you ask.
Two recent articles – AP’s and Alex Koppelman’s at Salon - both agree that the main target of Rezko’s ratting is Illinois Dem Gov. Rod Blagojevich. But what about Obama? Are the feds pushing for goods on Obama that might be released before the election?
AP says maybe.
But based on the known facts, charges so far and testimony at Rezko’s trial, there’s no indication there’ll be a so-called “October surprise” that could hurt the Democratic presidential nominee — even though Rezko says prosecutors are pressing him for dirt about Obama. (emphasis added)
But Koppelman reads the tea leaves differently:
Cooperation from Rezko would be a real coup for the feds, as he ran in high-level circles politically. But their target does not appear to be Obama.
Why not?
The office of U.S. Attorney Patrick J. Fitzgerald, who’s famous for leading the prosecution of Scooter Libby, Vice President Dick Cheney’s former chief of staff, is handling the case.
Fitzgerald pursued Libby doggedly, even after the purpose of the investigation – tying Libby to the Plame Game – became untenable. Will he pursue Obama as vigorously? I’d be shocked.
Posted in 2008, Gay Marriage, Global warming, Iran, Israel, Media bias, Obama, Palin, Uncategorized | 2 Comments » | |
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October 29th, 2009 at 12:17 am
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October 12th, 2008 at 5:55 pm
*snicker* I lived in Wyoming for 3 years. I arrived on the 1st of June, and it was snowing. The gate guard (military base) told me to get used to it, that it snows there from September to June. “Only two other seasons – Monsoon and Frontier Days. And they happen simultaneously.” Is it any wonder then, that I have a hard time taking the issue of “global warming” seriously?