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Belatedly and well past time, the Minneapolis-St. Paul Airport Board voted to fine and penalize Muslim cab drivers who repeatedly refused passengers with seeing-eye dogs and alcohol.
But that’s not the end of it. Nope. Since we always have to bend over backward–actually forward–for Islam, there’s more accommodation for the intolerant Muslim cabbies.
Last week, Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport held a special job fair, just for Muslim cab drivers “whose occupational duties conflict with their religious beliefs.” 10 companies operating in the airport were there hiring, and about 25 drivers attended.

USA Today “Airport Check-in” columnist Roger Yu calls the job fair, “a serving of Minnesota niceness.” No, what it really is, is a serving of Minnesota Dhimmitude.
Maybe they should have a job fair for flying imams and Gitmo detainees, too, while they’re at it.

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If you’re visiting Vegas and like to eat tasty animals, skip Hans Klok’s “The Beauty of Magic” show at the Planet Hollywood Resort & Carino.
Silicone Valley and Bawatch/PETA ditz Pamela Anderson will be magician Hans Kok’s assistant, making $1,000,000 per month for four months. That means–we presume–that the show will not involve any magic tricks involving animals.
Says Pamela-Whamela:

I love magic! I love doing things out of the ordinary and of course I’m always up for an adventure, as this will definitely be one. I knew that one day my dream of being a Vegas showgirl would come true — even better a magician’s assistant. It’s every girl’s fantasy. I’m thrilled!

Ditzy Magician’s Assistant Wants to Make Your Meat, Leather Disappear
I love magic, too. My favorite trick is making this airhead animal rights nincompoop disappear.
Since Anderson has , and pretty much anything involving meat, leather, and other necessary animal products, it’s time to declare war on her. Don’t help her get a cool mill per month, while she tries to take away your right to eat the foods and wear the materials of your choice.
Just say no to the PUTAh (People for the Unethical Treatment of Animals and humans) Blow-up Doll, er . . . Poster Girl.
***
For the record, because the only kosher KFC locations are in Israel, I do not eat there and have never had Kentucky Fried Chicken. But I support meat-eaters’ rights to eat there in peace, Pam Anderson-free.

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Like many of you, I watched the George Tenet interview, last night, on CBS’ “60 Minutes.”
I’ve never been a fan of Tenet. He was way too friendly with Yasser Arafat. His agents gave American-funded weapons to the Palestinians and trained them in how to use them. This was ostensibly to provide Arafat’s Palestinian Authority with a police force. But if you are the head of America’s premier intelligence agency, and you cannot predict the obvious–that those guns will be used to commit terrorism en masse (and that is exactly what happened with both the police and the “Tanzim,” of which many PA police were members)–then you have no biz being in the intelligence biz.
But not only was he in that biz, he headed it. And he was the architect of that policy. He has the blood on his hands of all of the victims of those Palestinian terrorist murderers he armed and trained, courtesy of our tax dollars.

George Tenet-afat Says: Buy My BS Book
(Artwork by David Lunde/Lundesigns)
Tenet’s arming of the Palestinians and helping them perpetrate their terror is key to the predicament in which Israel is right now–the withdrawal from Gaza, the demoralization of its people, etc., etc., etc. His “intelligence” was a big part of assurances for and follow up from the failed Oslo Accords.
Tenet’s “leadership” in the “intelligence” community went downhill from there. So that’s the jaundiced eye through which I see all that is Tenet.
Now, there is the Tenet book, his last attempt at respect and riches and the reclamation of a positive reputation he rightfully lost long ago. President Bush is to blame for a lot of that which is Tenet. He kept Tenet on, despite Tenet’s policy of arming and training Palestinian terrorists and despite many other failures. And he kept giving Tenet the kosher seal of job approval. We’ve heard that before and since: “Tenet, er . . . Brownie, you’re doing a heckuva job.”
In his book, though not mentioned last night on “60 Minutes,” Tenet blames the Iraq War on–who else?–the JOOOOOOOOS. Yup, that’s right–the tenets of Tenet (and all others so establishmently inclined): If at first you don’t succeed, try blaming the Jews. And . . . When in doubt, blame Israel. Tenet maintains that the reason we went into Iraq was to protect Israel.
HUH?
It’s the same myth that far-left anti-war activists and protesters love to spread: blame Israel for the war in Iraq. But the fact remains: Israel did not want the U.S. to go to war with Iraq. Israel always maintained, at the time, that it’s greatest security threat was not Saddam (who barely hit the country with SCUDS and killed almost no-one there during the Gulf War), but Palestinian terrorists from within its borders and in the Palestinian Authority.
In addition, Israel knew all along that the War in Iraq would only be a losing situation for the nation. In order to get limp, ineffective support from our “ally” Arab buds throughout the Mid-East, the U.S./President Bush promised that if they supported our effort in Iraq, he would force Israel to give up more to the Palestinian terrorists, which it did. Ergo, the Gaza withdrawal and likely more to come (in exchange for nothing but more terrorism against Israel).
Third, Israel has known for the last couple of years that its newest biggest threats are now Iran with its nuclear weapons and Hezbollah on its borders. A Saddamless Iraq run by Shi’ites can only serve to strengthen both of those and Syria. Israel has no interest in a Shi’ite revival, a Shi’ite crescent spanning above it from Iran to Iraq to Syria to Lebanon. Yet, that is what our war in Iraq enabled.
And finally, there is that Islamofascist “democracy” drive that our entry into Iraq and establishment of “democratic” elections of extremists inspired throughout the Islamofascist world. It served only to embolden Israel’s enemies. It gained Hezbollah electoral power in Lebanon to the north. It gave the same to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt to the West. And, worst of all, it put HAMAS in power within and around.
So, please, Mr. “Intelligence”–Mr. Tenet–how could our entry into Iraq possibly be to “protect” Israel? Tenet doesn’t say. Because he can’t.
Then, there is the Tenet/Scott Pelley interview, last night. It’s hard to watch an interview with any objectivity when you detest the interviewer far more than any of his subjects. And that’s the case with the generally detestable Pelley, who hates America with the best of ’em at the Eye Network.
So it was with that in mind that I watched Tenet. The first half of Tenet’s interview was actually good.

(Cartoon by Mike Thompson, Detroit Free Press, for USA Today)
The best quote was his comment about Khalid Sheikh Mohammed (KSM), the 9/11 mastermind and chief of Bin Laden’s operational planning. Pelley asked Tenet, what did KSM say when you captured him? Would he talk?
Tenet: “He said, ‘I’ll talk to you after I go to New York and get my lawyer.'”
When Pelley pressured Tenet on whether torture was used on KSM and other Islamic terrorists, Tenet responded: “This is not a clinical experiment. It might be to you guys [in the media]. But 3,000 Americans were murdered. . . . They had all kinds of terrorist attacks planned. . . . They would kill you and me 30 times over before they would talk.”
Well, I agree with Tenet 100% on that. But his dumping on Richard Perle, on Bush, and on Israel and on everyone other than himself–despite his own large failures–just to sell a book is simply absurd. And who can forget his own history of enabling terrorists a la Arafat.
It makes his own professed concern about KSM now seem phony. And it is. You can’t arm and train (and enable) Islamic terrorists (ie., Arafat et al) over there, while you recognize and try to prevent the mass murder they want commit over here.

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When the U.S. Customs Service was a separate entity, not only was it the oldest law enforcement agency in the U.S. government, but it was also the most successful. I was among the agency’s biggest cheerleaders, including in appearances on ABC, CNN, MSNBC, and FOX News.
Customs’ Office of Investigations seized more illegal drugs than the DEA, FBI, and Border Patrol combined. Operation Greenquest–overseen by current ICE Director of Investigations a/k/a –was extremely successful in stopping terrorist financing and money-laundering and shutting down hawalas (Islamic money transfer schemes) and Islamic “charities” funding terror. The agency was also very successful in catching weapons smuggling by terrorists.

Unfortunately, 9/11 and Joe Lieberman led the formation of the Department of Homeland (non)Security, and George Bush–at the strongest moment in his presidency–willingly caved to this boondoggle. Customs was eliminated and its investigative agents were merged with those from the INS to form ICE–Immigration and Customs Enforcement.
With the creation of ICE, the FBI insisted upon the ending of Customs’ Operation Greenquest. Although, Peppermint Patty fought to keep it alive, then-DHS chief Tom Ridge signed a Memorandum of Understanding with then-Attorney General John Ashcroft shutting it down and transferring any and all terrorism investigations to the FBI. This is one of the reasons why Ashcroft is a fraud when he claims he tried to stop terrorism post-9/11. No, he simply tried to gain turf he didn’t need, thereby destroying the most successful terrorism investigations operation there was.
As we all know–and as I’ve written throughout the existence of this blog–ICE is a total failure. Two distinct, separate missions–immigration enforcement and customs enforcement–were smushed together into one smaller agency.
It’s kind of like sticking a man and a woman into one of their pairs underwear. It won’t work. And soon, the panties tear.
The other reason it is not working is that ICE has had one bad leader after another at the helm. First, there was Michael Garcia and Asa Hutchinson over him. Now, there is something far worse, the clueless
Because she has failed so miserably to give direction and a sense of purpose to ICE agents and because she has failed to maintain strong immigration AND customs missions, ICE IS ABOUT TO LOSE ITS CUSTOMS MISSION.
Rumors have been swirling and and senior ICE agents have confirmed to me that ICE is busy answering questionnaires from DHS “leadership”–questions designed to take the ICE Customs investigations away from ICE and give it to the FBI, Secret Service, and/or another agency. While the Secret Service is good in this area, it’s not as good as the agents from the old Customs were. And the FBI is a total PC disaster.
Here are the details from one source, confirmed by several others:

It’s the start of a major turf war between the FBI and ICE that would dwarf the Greenquest take-over. In essence, DHS is said to be driving a new reorganization effort that involves transfers of ICE’s financial investigations responsibilities to the Secret Service, and it’s export enforcement responsibilities to the FBI. ICE would be left with Customs-related frauds and immigration offenses.
Last week, either the FBI or DHS–apparently the latter–sent various questions to ICE Headquarters to be answered related to these moves; among the questions was how many of ICE’s Special Agents have 4-year or higher college degrees (this question, in particular, led to quite a bit of consternation, since many legacy INS Special Agents apparently don’t have 4-yr degrees as this was not a requirement in INS). ICE HQ personnel are said to have worked all last weekend on answering these questions (this is why DHS was likely the agency asking; ICE would likely blow off an FBI inquiry).
It’s unclear if merely functions would transfer, as occurred in Greenquest; or if personnel would actually transfer (the question about 4 yr degrees would seem to indicate something is up on the personnel front).

Well, The ICE Princess, Julie Myers, has two degrees. But it hasn’t helped her understand or run law enforcement in the least.
And now, she is about to lose her agency’s Customs portion completely. Which begs the question: Why ICE? They could have just moved the INS to Homeland Security. That’s what ICE is . . . only a whole lot less effective and with “leadership” that is clueless about immigration enforcement (as their backgrounds were largely in Customs).
That Myers is about to lose a huge portion of her agency is evidence she’s been a failure of the worst kind.
***
Another theory is that Congress will finally do the right thing and split ICE back into Customs and Immigration again. One agent says:

The prevailing theory is that eventually Customs will get agents again. It has started already with IA [DS: Internal Affairs].

Hopefully that’s the case. We’ll see.

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Last year, the Department of Homeland Security gave out small amounts of grant money to synagogues and Jewish schools that received threats from Muslims (you know, members of the “Religion of Peace”). The idea was to allow these small institutions to protect themselves from vulnerabilities to those threats, which they could otherwise not afford. Unfortunately, a number of mosques (which generate the hate that leads to those threats) have helped themselves to the money. Because billions in Saudi money is apparently not enough.
Although as recently as this Passover, Muslims spray-painted death threats and other graffiti all over a synagogue in Chicago, and three Orthodox Jews were severely physically attacked in daylight in front of many witnesses, U.S. Congressman (R-San Diego)–Hezbollah’s favorite Congressman– that he believes a few hundred-thousand dollars to synagogues is the biggest bloat in the Federal budget.

When Congress decided this year’s DHS budget, they were going to eliminate the security grants, but lobbyists convinced Congress otherwise. Now DHS is giving out $25 million in grants of up to $100,000 to non-profits for such security. Whether or not you believe this is government waste, the fact is that the money has been budgeted. And CAIR–the Saudi- and HAMAS-funded Council on American Islamic Relations–is urging mosques and Islamic schools and institutions to grab the money.
But the purpose of the grants, according to a Justice Dept. press release is to:

provide more than $24 million to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations who are deemed high-risk for a potential international terrorist attack.

Uh, sorry, but mosques, are not “high-risk for a potential international terrorists attack.” Mosques are generally the partners in terrorism, not at risk for it. Good luck finding ten mainstream mosques in America, where the chief imam will condemn Hezbollah and HAMAS. Good luck finding ten mosques that will condemn the Hezbo attacks on our Marines and embassy in Beirut and the Jewish Community Center in Buenos Aires. No-one from CAIR–the organization urging mosques to apply for this money–will issue any such condemnation.
Yet, this is what CAIR is telling Muslims in America:

ACTION REQUESTED:
All eligible 501(c)(3) American mosques and other Islamic institutions are urged to begin the application process to receive training and to purchase equipment such as video cameras, alarm systems and other security enhancements.

Since, these days, CAIR and other Muslim activists have identified ham for lunch in public schools and bacon near Korans as “hate crimes,” perhaps each mosque will get the $100 K to develop a “Halal De-Ham-inator.” And since my writing and that of Robert Spencer and Ann Coulter–all exposing Islamic intolerance and support for terrorism–have all been identified by CAIR and another group–ADC–as “hate crimes,” maybe the feds will give them the 100 Grand per mosque to try to stifle our free speech.
Don’t let $25 million in your taxes go to fund mosques, which spew hate and already get enough in Saudi money. Tell your synagogues, churches and Judeo-Christian schools and institutions to apply for these DHS security grants. Send this to your rabbis, priests, pastors, and ministers.
Applications for the DHS grants must be in by 11:59 p.m. Eastern Time on June 22, 2007. Applications are here. More info here.
Unfortunately, the way the grants are written, all institutions receiving grants must match 25% of the money received. Which religious institutions are most able to do that? The Saudi- and Gulf-funded ones, a/k/a mosques and Islamic schools.
More info from a Justice Dept. press release:

DHS ANNOUNCES $24 MILLION AVAILABLE TO NONPROFIT ORGANIZATIONS TO STRENGTHEN SECURITY THROUGH UASI PROGRAM
The following information was released by the Department of Homeland Security:
The U.S. Department of Homeland Security (DHS) announced today that nonprofit organizations in the 46 designated UASI areas are eligible to apply for funds as part of the fiscal year (FY) 2007 Urban Areas Security Initiative (UASI) Nonprofit Security Grant Program (NSGP). This grant program will provide more than $24 million to eligible 501(c)(3) organizations who are deemed high-risk for a potential international terrorist attack.
Grants will be awarded to nonprofit organizations through their eligible State Administrative Agency (SAA) according to criteria that includes:
Prior identified and substantiated threats or attacks toward the nonprofit or closely-related organization, either within or outside the U.S., by a terrorist organization; Symbolic value of a site as a highly recognized national or historical institution that renders it a possible terrorist target; Organization’s role in responding to or recovering from terrorist attacks; and Organization’s credible threat or vulnerability, as well as the potential consequences of an attack, as determined by a previously conducted risk assessment.
The federal grant funds must be used for target-hardening activities, which can be accomplished through training or the purchase or installation of security equipment on real property owned or leased by the nonprofit organization. Allowable equipment is limited to physical security enhancements (e.g. alarm systems, bulletproof doors or windows) or inspection and screening systems (e.g. walk-through magnetometers and conveyor-belt x-ray systems used to screen personnel and packages for hazardous materials or devices).
Additionally, nonprofit organization security personnel may use NSGP funds to attend security-related training courses and programs. Allowable training-related costs under NSGP are limited to attendance fees for the training, and related expenses, such as materials, supplies, or equipment. Allowable training topics are limited to the protection of Critical Infrastructure/ Key Resources, including physical and cyber security, target-hardening, and terrorism awareness/employee preparedness. Not all eligible nonprofit organizations and UASI communities are guaranteed to receive funding under the FY 2007 NSGP. Allocation decisions will be made based on risk and how well applicants address program requirements through their investment justifications.
Nonprofit organizations must submit applications through their SAA to be considered eligible for an award of up to $100,000. Nonprofit organizations must agree to match 25 percent of federal grant funds in cash or through equivalent, related training. In the case of training projects, awardees must meet the matching requirement through cash. For example, the costs of training security guards on new screening equipment purchased under the grant would meet the match requirement.
In FY 2005, DHS awarded $25 million to 18 high-risk urban areas to support security improvements for nonprofit organizations in their jurisdictions. Together with the FY 2007 grants, DHS direct support to safeguard nonprofit organizations now totals over $49 million.
SAAs must submit applications for the FY 2007 UASI NSGP online at www.grants.gov by 11:59 p.m. EDT on June 22, 2007.
For more information on the FY 2007 UASI NSGP and other DHS grant programs, visit www.dhs.gov.
Program Guidance and Application Kit:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/FY07_UASI_Guidance.pdf
Fact Sheet:
http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/odp/docs/FY07_UASI_factsheet.pdf

In case of a terrorist attack, do we really want the mosques–whose imams fomented the attack and congregants perpetrated it–to have bullet-proof glass and raid-proof entrances, courtesy of the U.S. taxpayer?
Talk about arming our enemies within.

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This week, leaders of the National Border Patrol Council–the union of 11,000 of 13,000 Border Patrol agents–unveiled a unanimous vote of no-confidence in Border Patrol Chief David Aguilar.
More from the Houston Chronicle:

Local union representatives, rather than their national leaders, pressed for the vote at their recent convention in Corpus Christi, council Executive Vice President Richard Pierce said. More than 100 of the local leaders, most of them senior agents, participated.
“There is so much going on in this outfit. The morale is so shot because of all the policies the administration has instituted,” said Pierce, a retired agent.

ICE’s Marcy Forman-Friedman, Julie L. Myers & John Torres

Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff is standing by his deputy, Aguilar, saying he is doing an excellent job.

We’ve heard that before: “Brownie, er . . . David, You’re Doin’ a Heckuva Job!”

Within the ranks, many believe the only way to reduce illegal immigration is to crack down on employers.
[Union President T.J.] Bonner, Pierce and others blame Aguilar for promoting legalization and guest worker programs. Also, they also accuse him of insufficiently defending his agents.
Agents are quitting at an increased clip, Bonner said, with attrition at 12 percent this year, up from 4 percent a year ago.
“I’ve been an agent for 29 years now, and I’ve never seen morale lower,” he said.

A career Senior Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) agent writes that ICE agents would give the same vote of no confidence for ICE Chieftess and her top minions:

I am a Special Agent of ICE (Customs) with [more than two decades] on the job and I feel their [Border Patrol agents’] frustration and anger with the Bush Aministration and the folks who ran the last Congress for pushing the amnesty agenda. We passed the 1986 amnesty bill for illegals and what have we gotten? Yet another tidal wave of illegals coming to this country in search of low wage jobs, free education, free medical care, free public asssitance and freedom to demand that they not be prosecuted for their illegal entry.
The Govt. wont even enforce laws on the books to prosecute employers of illegals. We can use the past to determine how any new laws will be enforced.
I wonder how ICE employees would vote on their mangement and the administration policies if we were given the opportunity. If the recent survey of federal employees is any indication (222 of 222), succession may be the result.

Meanwhile, ICE Director of Investigations a/k/a “” recently participated in an online chat with The Washington Post. (Hilarious–Even the far-left site which linked to the Post chat adopted my “Peppermint Patty” moniker for her.) She gave the usual BS answers filled with glittering generalities about how all is well in the imaginary land of immigration enforcement. But she couldn’t seem to come up with a satisfactory answer as to why ICE removed its own press release from its own site announcing recent raids on illegal alien employers in Baltimore. How can ICE agents confidently and diligently do their jobs when their own agency is embarrassed that they actually enforced some immigration laws? (The question appears to have been posed by one of Peppermint Patty’s own agents involved in the raids and upset by this.):

Baltimore: Marcy, why was the news release about the ICE raid in Baltimore removed from the ICE Web site about 30 hours after it was posted? No other article ever has been removed after being posted. Was it removed because some local political figure complained? The ICE news release has been captured and is still available on some non-ICE sites. Why don’t you restore it to the ICE site?
Marcy Forman: I wasn’t aware that it was, but I’ll check on it. Thank you for bringing it to my attention. Check back at the Web site.

And she couldn’t really answer this exasperated American:

Rosslyn, Va.: As a citizens who abides by the laws of this country, I am disheartened that others do not. I reported a known illegal alien to the department of homeland security and they have done nothing about it. I reported this two years ago. Why do we even refer to immigrants as illegal when the government does nothing to them for breaking the law?

Meanwhile, a number of New York ICE agents have reportedly been removed from duty and are under investigation for filing false voucher reports for undercover funds meant to investigate document and marriage fraud. Incredibly, their supervisor, Peppermint Patty’s twin sister, Mona Forman, who oversaw the funds, remains untouched. As “punishment,” Peppermint Patty appointed her sister as the acting Deputy Special Agent in Charge at JFK Airport.
ICE Agents who’ve worked for Peppermint Patty or are her friends have gotten high promotions elsewhere around the country, despite involvement in scandals bordering on criminal and/or lack of qualifications. (I am looking into all of this. Stay tuned.)
And they wonder why agents–involved in all areas of enforcing tighter borders and immigration laws–are thoroughly demoralized?! It’s a bastion of cronyism and incompetence at the highest levels.
So, when do the ICE agents get to vote on The ICE Princess, Peppermint Patty, and (the man who wasted tens of thousands of immigration enforcement money on Tommy LaSorda, but can’t find 600,000 illegal aliens he had in custody)?
If they ever get the chance, I predict the same unanimous vote of no confidence as the Border Patrol agents gave their “leader.”

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As you probably know, BBC reporter, Alan Johnston, was kidnapped a while ago by Palestinian terrorists. It’s kind of poetic justice, since he and the rest of his BBC crew openly sympathized with them, and now he’s reaping the seeds he hath sewn.
While some Palestinian terrorists claimed that they executed their press compatriot Johnston, that’s never been verified. Recently, a Wall Street Journal editorial reported how the British National Union of Journalists (NBUJ) responded to Johnston’s predicament. Instead of calling out the Palestinians, the NBUJ is boycotting products from Israel as a “gesture of support for the Palestinian people.” Can you imagine American journalists boycotting American products as a “geture of support for the Al-Qaeda people” when Daniel Pearl was kidnapped and executed?

Regarding the ever increasingly Islamofascist Brits and their response, Stanley R. Zimmerman of Emeryville, California, has an excellent “Letter to the Editor” in today’s Wall Street Journal. It features the significant joke of the scorpion and the frog, and I reprint it here:

Scorpion and Frog: A Tale of Illogic
April 27, 2007; Page A15
In regard to your April 19 editorial “Boycott Journalism”:
There is an oft-repeated story regarding the Middle East. A scorpion wishes to cross the Suez Canal and turns to a frog to carry him on its back to the other side. The frog tells the scorpion that he is fearful the scorpion might sting him in transit. The scorpion assures the frog he would not do such a dastardly thing, particularly in view of the fact that the frog is doing him a favor. The frog accepts the logic of that statement and proceeds to carry the scorpion across the canal. Midway across, the scorpion stings the frog.
As he begins to sink, the frog asks, “Why did you sting me? Now we will both drown!”
The scorpion replies, “Because this is the Middle East.”
A BBC reporter, Alan Johnston, was kidnapped in Gaza and purportedly killed by his Palestinian captors. Meanwhile, the British National Union of Journalists decided to boycott products from Israel as a “gesture of support for the Palestinian people.” If asked why they direct their poisonous scorpion barbs toward a fellow democratic country, would NUJ respond in a scorpion like manner, “Because this is England”?
It is getting more difficult to distinguish between where the Suez Canal ends and the English Channel begins. The loss-of-logic contagion is spreading westward.
Stanley R. Zimmerman
Emeryville, Calif.

AMEN, Stanley.

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This weekend has few new offerings available to critics to screen. If I didn’t review it below–“Kickin’ it Old Skool” and “The Invisible–the studios knew it was bad and didn’t want critics to pan it. As for the rest:
* “Next“–This is the best offering opening today and classic Nicholas Cage. In a novel idea, Cage stars in a movie set in Vegas. But really, it’s actually an entertaining thriller and worth seeing. Cage plays Vegas magician Cris Johnson, who is a bit psychic. He can see two minutes into the future. An FBI agent, played by Julianne Moore, figures that out, and tries to “enlist” (ie., force) him in finding nuclear weapons that have been smuggled into the U.S. and to predict when and where the nuclear attack will take place. But while the magician/psychic can only see two minutes into the future, he can see longer into the future if it involves a beautiful woman (Jessica Biel–who apparently has a )–the woman of his dreams, whom Cage sees in his visions, days ahead of time and finally meets.

The terrorists know this and target Cage. He essentially becomes the reluctant, psychic version of “24”‘s Jack Bauer. Unfortunately, like all post 9/11-movies and much of “24,” this one, too, can’t tell the truth. The terrorists trying to set off nukes here in America are mostly blond, French and German terrorists, clearly not Muslims. Because, as we all know, none of those trying to get dirty bombs and nukes into the U.S. for an attack are Muslims. Right? Score another for the PC whitewash chorus of, “You can’t say those two words together in the movies–Muslim terrorist.”
Other than that PC plot element, this movie is highly entertaining and different. Although the ability to see into the future is reminiscent of last year’s “” (which also had a–surprise!–non-Muslim terrorist who attacks a ship full of American soldiers) this one is far better and makes it a lot easier to suspend beliefs and get into it. A device used at the film’s conclusion is a bit of a rip-off, but it is, indeed, hinted at in the plot, so I guess it’s acceptable. Peter Falk makes a cameo appearance in this flick.
* “The Condemned“–Skip this outrageous kill-fest produced by World Wrestling “Entertainment”–you know, the WWE, which markets all of its products, including this one, to kids. This sickening, wholesale slaughter, hacking, raping, attacking, and gore for no reason has no place on the mainstream American silver screen. Movie posters brag: “10 people will fight. 9 will die. You get to watch.” No thanks. .

* “Inland Empire“–Absolutely one of the worst movies of the year, perhaps the decade. The artsy fartsy crowd loves to pretend to get this dumb David Lynch nonsense. But, sorry, this is a complete waste of several hours of your life, no matter how badly you pretend that this meaningless stuff slapped together is deep. It isn’t. Laura Dern stars in this long, boring, disconnected, nonsensical mess with no discernible plot, other than an actress stars in a movie that is a remake of an original whose stars were murdered. Other than that, nothing happens. We see a lot of stupid scenes of people wearing rabbit heads uttering nonsensical stuff to each other, other scenes of unrelated people which have nothing to do with the movie, and a lot of crying. The end. Please, please, please don’t torture yourself by blowing $10 bucks and three hours on this tripe.

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**** SCROLL DOWN FOR UPDATE ****
While Rudy Giuliani has changed his tune on illegal immigration from the days when he was Mayor of New York (he’s now for getting tough on aliens and against amnesty), Hillary Rodham Cankles is going the other way.
Today, Hillary appointed California Assembly Speaker Fabian Nunez as Co-Chair of her California campaign effort. As reader Clem says,

Nunez is Mr. Reconquista, himself, and one of the biggest bigots in the movement there is.

Yup, Nunez believes he’s representing the people of Mexico in California. And while he’s at it, Nunez is backing a ballot referendum to get around term limits in California, so that he and the rest of his Reconquistador compatriots can continue to weaken the borders and immigration laws of this country, from within.

Hillary Picks Reconquista Sleazoid Fabian Nunez to Chair CA Campaign

As a commenter on the Alameda Times-Star website wrote:

Fabian Nunez has stated in so many words that he represents the interest of his “gente,” Mexicans and Mexican illegal aliens, “solomente.” I used to be a liberal democrat but now I will vigorously oppose Hillary Clinton in her bid for the presidency. The appointment of Nunez and the other reconquista is the final straw.

If only all Americans felt that way . . . or even just a few Democrats. Unfortunately, for now, Hillary (propped up by her Reconquista buds) is leading in the polls.
**** UPDATE, 04/27/07: Read more on Fabian Nunez and his support of illegal aliens taking over America, courtesy of the California Coalition for Immigration Reform.

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Uh-oh. More evidence of our nation’s decline and weakening. Today’s Wall Street Journal reports that crying at work gains acceptance, and not just for women. It’s men, too.
The Journal reports that 9/11 and an increase of self-absorbed Gen-Yers in the workplace have contributed to the problem:

Crying at work has long been seen as verboten. But there’s evidence that a growing number of workers, especially those in their 20s and 30s, see it differently. Some think it’s old-fashioned to hide your emotions. Others are quick to cry over negative feedback. And many find themselves at odds with managers who grew up with a more repressive definition of professional conduct.

“Repressive”? Uh, not crying at work is not “repressive.”

Jihad Darrell: Pro-Hezbollah Congressman Darrell Issa Cries a River

Today’s young adults are more comfortable venting all kinds of emotions, says Jean Twenge, an author and associate professor of psychology at San Diego State University, based on generational studies of personality-test results for a total of 1.3 million people. They were “raised with the phrase ‘express yourself,'” she says.
Gen-Yers — who, it is often noted, are accustomed to lavish praise from their parents (See related article.) — are often ill-schooled in taking criticism and burst into tears at negative feedback, Dr. Twenge says. Kathy Lyle, 55, owner of a Chagrin Falls, Ohio, accounting firm, was dismayed when an employee in her early 30s cried in response to a request to install software on a computer. “When I asked her why, she said, ‘You scare me,'” Ms. Lyle says. Startled, Ms. Lyle told her to pull herself together.
Although women still report crying more often than men, it has become more socially acceptable since the 2001 terrorist attacks for both men and women to cry in certain situations, says Stephanie Shields, a psychology professor at Pennsylvania State University and author of a book on emotional expression. Bonnie Sashin, 56, a communications specialist in Boston, says a male co-worker in his 20s fought back tears while telling her about a chewing-out he’d gotten from a colleague. “A guy less in touch with his feelings … might have expressed anger, outrage or pounded the table,” she says.
In a more public case, no one accused 6-foot-3, 253-pound Vernon Davis of being a wimp when he cried last year over being chosen as a first-round NFL draft pick by the San Francisco 49ers. Onlookers took the burly 22-year-old at his word — that he was moved at achieving a dream.

And this guy is still in the NFL?!

Some say crying gets issues out in the open. Lynne Segall, 38, an Atlanta strategy consultant, has cried over feedback from her manager, often when she’s stressed or frustrated. This sparks “healthy dialogue” with her boss, “a very sensitive guy,” she says.

Oy. Where have all the real men gone?