Anbar Province Under Full Iraqi Control

Didn’t make front page of the New York Times yesterday. Not today either. Gov. Palin’s daughter took that spot in the New York Times. Instead, the Times buries it in the Middle East section today.

On Monday, following a parade on a freshly paved street, American commanders formally returned responsibility for keeping order in Anbar Province, once the heartland of the Sunni insurgency, to the Iraqi Army and police force. The ceremony capped one of the starkest turnabouts in the country since the war began five and a half years ago.

link: U.S. Hands Off Pacified Anbar, Once Heart of Iraq Insurgency

Women's Movement, The Left, And Gov. Palin

It did not take more than a few milliseconds for the left in the media and the blogs to jump into Gov. Palin’s family matters. And they do it for a host of reasons. Primary of which is to use her decision to have her baby rather than abort it, and add her daughter’s situation to derail the Republican ticket. And oh, how in the world can she be vice president when she has 5 children. Especially when the last one was born with Down syndrome?

Laura Ingraham correctly pointed out on FOX last night that the so-called women’s movement, with their take on Gov. Palin, show themselves to be all about and only about liberal women, and not women.

Remember when the so-called feminists, and the political left, were just fawning over Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), saying how courageous and strong a woman she is being able to run a family and the government? She is, you know, second in line of succession for the presidency. Gov. Palin has shown that she can do both, but is now being derided for not just staying home.

What Nancy Pelosi said. . .

‘Maybe it takes a woman to clean house.’ Asked if her remark was deliberately sexist, she replied, ‘It is. Because the fact is a woman represents what’s new, because it’s never happened before.’

related link: The humiliation of a young girl

Pensacola Is Ready For Gustav

If the lines at the checkout counters in grocery stores and gas stations are any indication, I’d say Pensacola is ready. Fortunately for us, so far anyway, it looks like the eye of Gustav will be far to our west. This means we’ll have some rain and strong winds, not hurricane strength winds. They are projecting a rather small storm surge of 4 to 6 feet in the Florida panhandle. It also means bad news for New Orleans. But at least they are also looking better prepared this time.

I’m feeling sorry for the Mississippi gulf coast though.  They’re expecting a storm surge of over 20 feet, which will wipe out all the rebuilding that they’ve managed to do so far since Katrina.

During our last hurricane, Dennis, Gulf Power Company cut the electric when the winds got to be 35 mph rather than wait for wind damage itself to cut it off. We’ll see what happens this time. If all goes well, we’ll be OK here too with the emergency generator and a good supply of gasoline to run it. Am hoping to be able to stay hooked up to the Internet.

Mexico's Tourist Industry Now Targeted

Heads are rolling in Mexico, literally.

Eleven decapitated bodies have been found outside the city of Merida on the Yucatan peninsula, heightening fears that Mexico’s recent descent into violence has reached even heavily protected tourist areas.

That Coca Cola salesman, Vicente Fox, left quite a legacy for his country.

Obama's Definition Of Parenthood Includes Retroactive Abortion

You probably have not seen this reported anywhere in the mainstream media, because the notion of Mrs. Obama’s statement is rather dark, if not frightening when it comes to life and death of a baby.

Speaking of her husband, Michelle Obama said: “He’ll protect a woman’s freedom of choice, because government should have no say in whether or when a woman embraces the sacred responsibility of parenthood.”

I emphasize the ‘when’ part of Obama’s version of a woman’s right to choose. Like her husband, who wouldn’t want his daughters to be ‘punished with a baby’ they did not want, she also, like her husband, believes it is OK to have an abortion right up to the 4th trimester. This is in line with Barack Obama’s voting against a bill that would allow a live-birth aborted baby to live.

You have to appreciate exactly what the Obamas are classifying as a woman’s right to choose. They mean that when a baby is aborted by inducing labor, and rather than the baby being expelled dead, the baby is alive and breathing on its own, then the ‘mother’ has ‘the right’ to see to it that that baby be killed.

The Obama’s are tied to the belief that a ‘mother’ can kill her child not only during all three trimesters of development, but can extend that ‘right’ to the fourth ‘trimester’ too! Or to put it more accurately, a retroactive abortion.

related links:Michelle Obama’s ‘Sacred’ Proabort Quote Apparently a Sacrilege to Report | Michelle Obama: Barack’s abortion stand respects ‘sacred responsibility of parenthood’

Chavez Backs Putin's Intrusion Into Georgia

No surprise there. The good buddy of Danny Glover, Harry Belafonte, and Cindy Sheehan is fine with Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Russia and their attempt at annexing two provinces of the sovereign state of Georgia. Having no support anywhere else in the world from the East or the West for his actions, the monkey-in-the-middle has support from the hemisphere’s idiot, Venezuela’s President Hugo Chavez.

Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez backed Russia’s recognition of two breakaway regions of Georgia on Friday, making Venezuela only the second nation to support Moscow’s stance.

related links:

goLeftTV Says The U.S. Is Like Old Communist Russia

I’d say that this video would qualify Mike Papantonio’s1 way-out-there ‘progressive news’ outlet called goLeftTV for the Most Ridiculous Item Of The Day award. But it would diminish the value of the award because they would probably win it every day.

There are a few topics in this video, but the most outrageous is the take that Farron Cousins has concerning the Bush administration (probably the National Security Agency) and Google.

According to Cousins, at the request of the administration, Google has agreed to block images of military installations, war zones, The White House, and other potential sensitive areas. To that, the progressive news source accuses the Bush administration of being like the old communist Russia. Which, by the way, is the place where Vladimir Putin is trying to return.

If you need one, here’s a quick credibility test for goLeftTV. Look up The White House on Google Earth. Is it blocked out on your screen?

video link

1Bio: Mike Papantonio hosts a nationally syndicated radio show, the Ring of Fire, on Air America Radio and is the founder of GoLeft.tv. He is a partner in the Levin Papantonio law firm in Pensacola.

Putin Accuses U.S. Of Starting Georgian Conflict

That is the most asinine accusation I’ve ever heard. What’s worse, is his explanation for it.

“If my guesses are confirmed, then that raises the suspicion that somebody in the United States purposefully created this conflict with the aim of aggravating the situation and creating an advantage … for one of the candidates in the battle for the post of U.S. president.”

As stretched as our military is right now in Iraq and Afghanistan, how in the world can anybody see an ‘advantage’ to knocking heads with Russia in Georgia? He better put the vodka down because he isn’t making any sense. The trouble with this is that Putin controls Russia’s media. Any media outlet that doesn’t tow the party line gets taken over or shut down. So you have to assume that the Russian people are believing this crap.

I’m reminded of a quote from Kathleen Miller that fits Vladimir Putin perfectly. ‘Are you nuts or just crazy?’

link: Putin: US orchestrated conflict in Georgia

Russia's Actions In Georgia Rebuffed In The East

Much to the disappointment of Vladimir Putin, his puppet president was rebuffed by the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization. Putin finds himself to be the monkey in the middle.

China and several Central Asian nations rebuffed Russia’s hopes of international support for its actions in Georgia, issuing a statement Thursday denouncing the use of force and calling for the respect of every country’s territorial integrity.

A joint declaration from the six-member Shanghai Cooperation Organization also offered some support for Russia’s “active role in promoting peace” following a cease-fire, but overall it appeared to increase Moscow’s international isolation.

link: Asian alliance rebuffs Russian plea for support

Economy Continues To Grow, GDP Up 3.3%

Contrary to what is coming out of the mouths of Democrat(ic) candidates and President Clinton, the truth is that the U.S. economy continues to grow. Again, there is no recession. Well, except in the brain matter of Democrats in Washington for what they would have you believe.

GDP, the broadest measure of the nation’s economic activity, stood at an annual rate of 3.3% in the quarter, adjusted for inflation, the Commerce Department said. Economic growth between 2.5% and 3.5% is typically viewed as the norm for a healthy economy.

After hearing President Clinton, and VP candidate Joseph Biden last night, talk of a failing economy, that only they can fix, let’s see how the Messiah himself calls it tonight. The sorry thing about these politicians is that no matter what the fact show, they continue to try to pull one over on you. This used to be called lying to you. Whatever.

The stimulus worked. Moreover, to keep it working, make ‘those Bush tax cuts’ permanent.

Personal spending helped add 1.2% to the second-quarter preliminary GDP reading released Thursday, up from the advanced reading of 1% for the quarter and just 0.6% in the first quarter.

Exports rose, much to the horrors to those that worry over the so-called ‘trade deficit.’

Much improved demand for U.S. exports added 3.1% to GDP, compared to just 0.8% in the advanced reading.

Wages rose.

Individuals pay excluding volatile food and energy prices – rose 2.1%

And according to Wachovia senior economist Mark Vitner . . .

Inflation is still just barely above the perceived comfort zone of central bankers. The Federal Reserve is generally believed to want to see the 12-month change in core inflation readings remain between 1% and 2%. “Without a price spiral, the Fed won’t have to squeeze the life out the economy, which should help sustain modest economic growth,” Vitner said.

Month after month, quarter after quarter, there is not and has not been anything approaching a recession. So time has come to blame George Bush for our continued growth.

link: Economy gets big stimulus boost

Belly up to the counter. Politics are on the menu and Ross is on the grill.