M'aidez, Al Sharpton, M'aidez Jesse Jackson!

Welcome, HuffPo readers. Take a read below and afterwards, click around and get to know us... Thank god you're such an openminded lot.

Bookmark us here: http://intomywoods.blogspot.com/

The North Africans are being shot at, chased, electrocuted and ignored in Paris. There's an uprising of emense proportions and no Social Justice advocate seems to want to intervene on behalf of the oppressed French minority.

"...Rioting youths shot at police and firefighters Thursday after burning car dealerships and public buses and hurling rocks at commuter trains. France's government faced growing pressure to curb the violence, fueled by anger over poor conditions in suburban Paris housing projects... The riots started last Thursday after the electrocution deaths of two teenagers hiding in a power station from police they believed were chasing them in the northeastern suburb of Clichy-sous-Bois... Rather than feeling embraced as full and equal citizens, immigrants and their French-born children complain of police harassment and of being refused jobs, housing and opportunities..."

Are we just going to stand by and watch as these helpless victims of French racism are herded into unvenitlated apartments and left to die the way the French let the elderly and the poor die these last few summers? Over 35,000 deaths that summer and not even a word from Sharpton or anyone else.

Rise up! Demand that the UN investigate these atrocities! Your voice must be heard!

N'oubliez pas... No Justice. No Peace.

Forget Politics for a minute... This is SERIOUS:

Page 6 of the NY Post brings us the apocalypse...

Send this to everyone you know. Shout it from the rooftops...

IF THIS KEEPS UP - WE'RE DOOMED.

"...November 2, 2005 -- PARIS Hilton plaything Stavros Niarchos III is some kind of class act. After he fueled up at L.A.'s Element club the other night, the Greek shipping heir and a posse of pals stopped at Burger King. "Stavros offered a homeless man outside $100 to dump a soda on himself," a source squealed to Us Weekly. The desperate bum took the payout "and everyone laughed," reports the source. This one's a keeper, Paris!..."

If Laurie David thought the flood was coming because we sinned against Mother Nature, then now we're due for the big asteroid collision.

These people must be shamed. By all of us. This isn't about politics... it's about human decency.

He said it on Porpoise

Pearl Swine
Bill Diamond is astute and funny... A rare combination in the blogosphere...

Check him out.

Shock and Awe - Joe Wilson's 2003 speech...

Welcome, Carol Platt Liebau readers and all you openminded folks at HuffPo... take a look at the Wilson post and then click around... have fun!
Bookmark us here: http://intomywoods.blogspot.com/

Thanks to Gateway Pundit...

Scroll to the bottom for the speech Joe Wilson made in 2003 BEFORE the Robert Novak article...

It's breathtaking...

Gateway Pundit says:

In this speech, Ambassador Joseph Wilson:

* describes himself as the investigator sent to Niger by the government

* details the African trip as only he is capable of

* says the government sent him there and not the CIA (a lie)

* says there was nothing to the uranium story (a lie)

* describes the US as "occupiers" of Iraq (a shocking statement at the time)

* describes a conspiracy to help Israel dominate the Palestinians

* calls the Administration warmongers and a--holes

* says Bush is in office for sex

You may need to Copy and paste the link to the Forum where he spoke:
http://www.epic-usa.org/Default.aspx?tabid=68&showlogin=1


You may need to Copy and paste the audio link:
http://next.epic-usa.org/epicdev2/_media/2003forumaudio/28-lecture-wilson-32.mp3

You won't believe it.

Everyone may be wrong... Bush is looking good...

Michael Barone thinks that in spite of recent setbacks, things are looking up for President Bush:

"...George W. Bush's administration has come through what many have been saying would be its worst week, and it has turned out to be -- well, if not one of the best, then one that is far more encouraging than most of the mainstream media expected."

Read the whole thing.

They say Michael Crichton is a scary guy...

Welcome, HuffPo readers... take a look at this post on Crichton and then, with your ususal openmindedness, explore the site...

He's somehow become a traitor to the Left. His book, State of Fear, has caused quite a stir in the environmental world. They don't call it Science Fiction for nothing, says the Natural Resource Defense Council. Oh, they're pretty angry.

Well, now he's recommended some reading for us and I hope you'll take a look...
The titles follow...

[the link to the Wall Street Journal may require a subscription...]

FIVE BEST

Green Gray Areas

Books that question the conventional wisdom on the environment.

BY MICHAEL CRICHTON Saturday, October 29, 2005 12:01 a.m.


1. "Playing God in Yellowstone" by Alston Chase (Atlantic Monthly Press, 1986).
2. "The Culture Cult" by Roger Sandall (Westview, 2001).
3. "Man and the Natural World" by Keith Thomas (Oxford, 1984).
4. "The Skeptical Environmentalist" by Bjørn Lomborg (Cambridge University Press, 2002).
5. "The Logic of Failure" by Dietrich Dörner (Perseus, 1998).

Mr. Crichton is author of the novels "State of Fear" and "Jurassic Park," among many others, and creator of the television series "ER."

Read the whole thing...

It was Barzini all along...

DON CORLEONE

"Tattaglia is a pimp. He could never have outfought Santino. But I wasn't sure until this day. No, it was Barzini all along."

Unlike The Godfather, the truth beneath the Libby/Plame mystery only deepens. What are we hearing from our friends, day in and day out? Libby was too smart to have left notes in his file and then perjure himself with Fitzgerald... there's a deeper game here... It goes up the food chain.

Everyone believes that it was a hit job. An assassination from on high. Cheney did it. He leaked her name, and Libby is taking the blame. For the life of me, I can't understand how you jump to this conclusion.

One thing I've learned is that speculation is a game. It sells papers, ads and make people look smart. But, speculation is short term. Let's see how this plays out. I have all the conjecture, I just don't have all the facts.

Neither do you.

What I'm watching on TV...

Not a day goes by that I do not pass a billboard for Larry David's HBO show, Curb Your Enthusiasm. I'm sure you've seen one, too. His show is perhaps the wildest comedic recording of truth in motion that's been on television in years. Maybe a little close to The Honeymooners, but, exposing the true heart of a brilliant mind excuses any overlap.

Victor Davis Hanson: Sleepwalking Through the Revolution

You can see the list of dead soldiers as compiled by The New York Times here. Not one of us can escape the heavy heart brought on by our brave fallen soldiers and their ultimate sacrifice for our country. In our deliberations on President Bush's call for Democracy in the Middle East, we can all bow our heads, respecting our fallen children... no matter where we stand in our Great Debate...

Victor Davis Hanson has written a passionate and thoughtful piece outlining his belief that now is the time for President Bush to assert himself and refresh the perception of what is being accomplished by our military in this harsh region of the world:

"...We have been sleepwalking through the greatest revolutionary movement in the history of the Middle East, as the U.S. military is quietly empowering the once-despised Kurds and Shiites - and along with them women and the other formerly dispossessed of Iraq. In short, the U.S. Marine Corps has done more for global freedom and social justice in two years than has every U.N. peacekeeping mission since the inception of that now-corrupt organization..."

"...The odd thing is that so far the conventional advice to the president - keep the discussion on Iraq only to U.S. national security, not the upheaval of the existing corrupt order; reach out to the Democratic Senate; curb your idealistic rhetoric with Syria or Iran; ignore shrill enemies; nominate someone that the opposition will not seriously object to - has only emboldened critics here and abroad. It is time to go back on the offensive, both for the idealistic legacy of the Bush presidency and the immediate future of his ideas in the upcoming 2006 elections. The American people, both pro and con, are more than ready for a great debate to settle these issues one way or another."

Powerful, thoughtful and passionate. Read the whole thing.

Hey, I'm sane, again... No, wait, I'm insane...

I get mail...

Anonymous said... "I just read your 'I seem sane' post, and find it fascinating how you fall into the same traps that you state your respondant fell into..."

Thanks for your comment... While I don't really want to respond to your remarks point by point I can't keep myself from jotting down a few off the cuff reactions...

I will say that the Left does a fine job of defining the Right as the FAR RIGHT. I don't think I have to regurgitate those differences for your benefit. By the way, my entire point is about imbalance in perception. My remarks regarding the Right were basically a couple or 3 examples of what Conservatives would like... de-fund the Left, impose balance on union political spending, and reduce Pork [at the word "PORK" I hyperlinked to this: http://truthlaidbear.com/porkbusters.php ]. They take on everybody there equally for PORK.

Conservatives dislike the bizarre spending of the Bush White House and Congress as you'll see if you take this next link to the National Review online blog... VERY annoyed with Bush over MANY things...some I agree with, others, I don't...just like a real person... http://corner.nationalreview.com/ READ them regularly for balance... I read plenty of so-called LEFT leaning sites... I similarly hyperlink to this: http://www.slate.com/?id=2126913&nav=tap2/ which I mention in passing since as you seem to have ignored my "not every Lefty is a LEFTIST" introduction, you may have skipped this link as well...

We all seem to know who the bogeymen from the RIGHT are... you need to see a few from the other neighborhood.

Finally, I think you are way too anxious to find fault with my remarks and have failed to review them as thoughtfully as you think you did. For example you quote me as saying that the Left is "spend, spend, spend... etc." when I say no such thing. Other than mentioning the Leftist penchant for supporting extremist groups without checking their backgrounds see this link again: http://www.slate.com/?id=2126913&nav=tap2/, my only specific remark about the Left is regarding the reaction to Katrina and the lack of horror at the 35,000 deaths [see this link: http://www.earth-policy.org/Updates/Update29.htm] in one month from a European heatwave. I was in Europe at the time and recall the complete lack of concern for those deaths on either side of the Atlantic.

Which DO you remember, by the way, the hurricane hysteria or the genocidal heatwave?

Look again, check out the links and remember, it's my opinion of what I experience and that's all I'm writing about. Clearly, the extremes of all political stripes get way too much attention.

Finally, exactly what do you think of Barbecue? Some folks think it's just Pork. Others include Beef, Poultry, Game and Vegetables. Where do you come out?

We love MEAT... BBQ'd MEAT...

The ribs, brisket, sides and pies at Phillip's Bar-B-Que at 4307 Leimert Blvd in Los Angeles are great.
I've been reading about Phillips for a long time. Not until last week was I remotely in the neighborhood. I went down, read the menu and wound up ordering babyback ribs, beef ribs and sliced brisket. Cole slaw, barbcued beans, peach cobblers, pecan pies and plenty of mixed sauce topped the take out package.
I made it home and suprised the family and some friends with an incredible feast. Don't judge this place by it's appearance. The people who run it are great and the food is out of this world.

I seem sane! Thanks!

I get mail.

This was an interesting comment:

Mr 'Woods'

Pretty funny little hot air story

Altho - I must point out the dem in the story didn't actually blame the rep - he merely made an observation

Pretty good blog! I'm a lefty, but you seem sane!

Good luck [Name withheld]

Okay. Thanks.

Thing is, and I'm sure the writer didn't intend anything more than a wry, backhanded compliment, this sort of flattery is annoying. Having views that don't conform to the Left of Center can be a real pain. For a Jew, you are pretty generous. For an African-American, you're not such a great dancer. For a WASP, you have a pretty good sense of humor. I appologize for any pain I may have inflicted by just trying to make my point.

For a lefty, you seem sane.

Right after 9/11, I was in a meeting with a diverse group of people. The first few minutes were about the events of the preceeding days. One woman, a very nice woman, said, "It's all the fault of the Right Wing Christians." She's Jewish by the way, as am I.

Following her remark were some subdued murmers. I knew for a fact that there were Christians [what political stripe I hadn't a clue] in the room.

I said, "There are a lot of people who think it's the fault of Left Wing Jews."

Her eyes nearly popped out of her head. "But, you're Jewish!"

"Yes," I said, "but I'm not a Left Wing Jew."

Things have never been the same in that little community group.

Not every Lefty is a Leftist. Not every post at HuffPo is going to support the North Koreans, but, a few groups regularly praised there are funded by the International Left. I don't automatically assume that anyone who voted for Al Gore is an enemy agent or revolutionary. I don't actually think about that at all.

I do tend to think my political choices will benefit our country and the world in the long term in spite of the alarmist rhetoric attached to the inevitable criticism. I know that my choices seem different to The Left than what HuffPo has to offer, but, that's because The Left skews the Right of Center's benchmark so drastically.

We're not insane. We're just not YOU.

One goal of The Right is to defund government financial and legislative support of The Left. Take away the government subsidies of litigous advocacy groups. Make unions transparently accountable to ALL the membership with regard to the allocation of dues for political support. Take the PORK out of Federal spending.

Look. While The Left was fanning the anti-American flames, goading our European neighbors to levy insults and accusations against our government during the Katrina crisis, it took weeks before the badly shaken Right of Center Media and bloggers began reminding the world that for the last couple of summers, in France alone, there have been upwards of 13,000 DEATHS due to the intense heatwaves. In 2003, the total was close to 35,000 for Europe. Compared to the relatively small number of tragic deaths in the Gulf States, that amounts to a European Genocide. The deaths took place during the traditional summer vacation.

Nobody home to save them. And they call us a Third World Nation.

Which do you remember?

The heatwave or the hysterical stories of mass murders and drownings?

I already know the answer.

And I seem sane.

Hey! You! YEAH, YOU! - THE UN IS CORRUPT!

The web is ablaze with Judy Miller/Oil For Food hype right now... I think it's time to remind everyone what this thing is about...

NOT JUDY MILLER!

See the Wall Street Journal:
[You may need a subscription.]

** In other words, Oil for Food is not about some isolated incidents of perceived or actual wrongdoing during the course of a seven-year effort to maintain sanctions on Iraq, monitor its oil flows and feed its people. Oil for Food is a story about what the U.N. is. And our conclusion from reading the 847-page report is that the U.N. is Oil for Food. **

Maxine Waters, Look Out!

There's a lot of talk today about U.S. soldiers back from Iraq and champing at the bit to run for elective office... here's where to find out about one you might not have heard of...

An excerpt:

** Keep your eye on this MilBlogger. He's going to go after Maxine Waters' seat in Congress when he gets home. **

Here's a bit of what Rusten Currie has to say for himself:

** Last night I went on a patrol with Civil Affairs, our mission was to see if everything was ready for today's vote. We drove around from site to site accessing the security of the polling sites, what we found was an Iraqi population that was calm and eagerly awaiting their chance to vote once again, and take part in their own destiny. The day passed virtually without incident, and once again the Iraqi people took a step towards complete independence. Today didn't belong to the insurgency, or the Coalition, it belonged to all of Iraq, and everyone in it. Again, I find it interesting to be here on the ground and witness to this historic event, for better or for worse we will say years from now, we walked the ground on that day. I was there. **

Worth a look.

We're Shocked. Shocked...

Cronyism at Law and Journalism Schools?

** Journalists and legal scholars have been decrying "cronyism" and calling for "mainstream" values when picking a Supreme Court justice. But how do they go about picking the professors to train the next generation of journalists and lawyers?

The left has a lock on journalism and law schools. **

Boring, but, True

Here's everything you ever wanted to know about Plameaquidick...

An excerpt:

** It is certainly the case that the media narrative is much more sensational than the Senate report. A story about malfeasance is perhaps more interesting than a story about incompetence. A story about deliberate White House deception is perhaps more interesting than a story about bureaucratic miscommunication. A story about retaliation is perhaps more interesting than a story about clarification.

But sometimes the boring stories have an additional virtue. They're true. **

A detailed report by Stephen F. Hayes... Read the whole thing.

Let the trashing begin...

For a quick look at how the left develops an anti-Roberts meme, check out the HuffingtonPost's Peter Melhman who is writing, MAD MAGAZINE diary style about Chief Justice Robert's first 2 weeks on the job.

Here's a taste:

** What a couple of weeks. I know getting a job is better than actually performing it but still, you'd think the Supreme Court would be more fun than this.
First of all, as Chief Justice, I just assumed I was the boss and like all bosses, I could bring in my own people... **

Of course, this pissy little antic is designed to ignore the considerable experience Roberts brings to his job from his time as Chief Justice Rhenquist's clerk, and the numerous times he appeared before the Court arguing a case.

It ignores, as well, the nearly universal agreement among his supporters and critics that his intellect, enormous experience and scholarly demeaner will stand to enhance the Court, however they may feel about his judicial philosophy.

This is how the erosion begins... soon the MSM will refer to these quips as though they had some basis in fact. Some reporter some day will actually think he read leaked damning Roberts remarks about his first days at the Court and assume the Chief Justice is a dunce. Then the wolves will attempt to finish the job.

Memes are viral and this one is not as cute as it seems...

Libby/Miller: Leave the Gun - Keep the Cannoli

I keep coming back to this post by Mickey Kaus:

** The Aspens Sleep With the Fishes: Is it just me or is this sentence in Cheney aide Lewis "Scooter" Libby's letter to reporter Judith Miller regarding the Plame-leak case just a little too suggestive of how she might want to testify:

Because, as I am sure will not be news to you, the public report of every other reporter's testimony makes clear that they did not discuss Ms. Plame's name or identity with me, or knew about her before our call.

(The suggestion, of course, would be that this is how Miller might also testify--e.g. no discussion of "Plame's name or identity"--unless she wants to stand out from the pack as someone who contradicts Libby's defense.) ... P.S.: Libby's letter ends, somewhat mysteriously, with this sentence:

Out West, where you vacation, the aspens will already be turning. They turn in clusters, because their roots connect them... **

Kaus suggests a veiled threat amidst the Aspens... Start here and scroll for more recent Kaus pearls..

Harry Shearer... To the Ash Grove... and Beyond!

Harry wrote:

"Excuse me? How does NYT reporter Judith Miller, who writes only about conversations with Cheney's chief of staff Lewis Libby, know what Mr. Cheney was aware of, and know it with monosyllabic certainty?"

He was questioning whether Miller could know what Cheney was aware of... his "Eat the Press" GOTCHA moment.

A look at his own post reveals his error:

"Before the grand jury, Mr. Fitzgerald asked me questions about Mr. Cheney. He asked, for example, if Mr. Libby ever indicated whether Mr. Cheney had approved of his interviews with me or was aware of them. The answer was no."

What part of: "... He asked, for example, if Mr. Libby ever indicated whether Mr. Cheney had approved of his interviews with me or was aware of them. The answer was no." suggests that she was claiming knowledge of what Cheney knew?

Harry, you're having a senior moment. A little flash back to the Ash Grove or something. It'll be okay.

[Credibility Gap update 10/17/05 - 9:22 AM]

Another late night...

I'm watching The Godfather and I can remember the first time I saw it. I thought I'd never see another film so perfectly constructed. I'd add Sideways to the list along with anything with Clint Eastwood especially if he's directing.