Fyodor's Pro Football Picks of the Week.

1) The guys who set the lines are professionals. Their job is to make each game look as attractive as possible to everyone. That way they even out the amount of money bet on each side.

Instant translation: The house wins no matter who wins. That's why people get into the gambling business.

2) I am just a fan. I won't even keep track of these picks week to week if it gets too embarrassing.

3) There is no such thing as "inside information". Especially in the pros.

4) If those idiot touts on tv and in the paper were any good, they wouldn't go public with their genius. They'd sit at Harrah's sports book from open to close and then go out and buy $2,000 an hour hookers who dress like high school girls.

5) Gambling is stupid. You cannot win.

That being said, here are my NFL picks for this week.


Sunday 11/5


Atlanta (-5.5) at Detroit
I think the Falcons are due for a bad game. Fortunately for them, they're playing the Lions. Take Atlanta.
FINAL: Lions 30 Falcons 14 - Fyodor loses! (Thanks a heap, Mike Vick!)


Cincinnati (+3) at Baltimore
The Bengals pull off a minor road upset. Pick Cincinnati.
FINAL: Ravens 26 Bengals 20 - Fyodor loses! (Chad Johnson is the AFC's T. O.)


Dallas (-3) at Washington
Washington stinks and I have no faith in Tony Romo. I would stay away from this one if I were you, kiddies. But, since I'm me, I'll take the Cowboys.
FINAL: Redskins 22 Cowboys 19 - Fyodor loses! (T. O. is a pathetic little man.)


Green Bay (+3) at Buffalo
What? Favre is still playing? Look out, Buffalo. Pick The Pack.
FINAL: Bills 24 Packers 10 - Fyodor loses! (ACK!)



Houston (+13) at NY Giants
That's a lot of points. Take the Texans.
FINAL: Giants 14 Texans 10 - Fyodor wins!


Kansas City (+3) at St. Louis
I'll go with the Rams O to cover the 3.
FINAL: Chiefs 31 Rams 17 - Fyodor loses! (I am so ashamed...)


Miami (+13.5) at Chicago
How cold will it be in Chicago on Sunday? Heck, it could be eighty and sunny and the Bears would still cover.
FINAL: Dolphins 31 Bears 13 - Fyodor loses! (Eek! Rex Grossman changed back into a pumpkin again!


New Orleans (-1) at Tampa Bay
I'll go with the Saints on the road.
FINAL: Saints 31 Buccaneers 14 - Fyodor wins!



Tennessee (+9.5) at Jacksonville
That's a lot of points for the Jaguar's offense...but the Titans are awful. I will reluctantly take Tennessee.
FINAL: Jaguars 37 Titans 7 - Fyodor loses!


Minnesota (-5) at San Francisco
Repeat after me: "The Vikings will cover. Big time."
FINAL: 49ers 9 Vikings 3 - Fyodor loses! (I am so sorry.)


Cleveland (+12.5) at San Diego
This is one of those games to avoid because nobody knows how hard the Chargers will play. If you must, take San Diego.
FINAL: Chargers 32 Browns 25 - Fyodor loses! (They gave up 25 points to the Browns?)


Denver (+2.5) at Pittsburgh
My heart is breaking. Take the Broncos and the points.
FINAL: Broncos 31 Steelers 20 - Fyodor wins! (Yep.)


Indianapolis (+3) at New England
I do not think the Patriots will be able to pressure Manning. Pick the Colts despite their weak defense.
FINAL: Colts 27 Patriots 20 - Fyodor wins!

Monday 11/6


Oakland (+7) at Seattle
The Raiders' win streak ends here. (Unless the refs screw Seattle again.) Pick the Seahawks.
FINAL: Seahawks 16 Raiders 0 - Fyodor wins!

Fyodor's College Football Picks of the Week.

1) The guys who set the lines are professionals. Their job is to make each game look as attractive as possible to everyone. That way they even out the amount of money bet on each side.

Instant translation: The house wins no matter who wins. That's why people get into the gambling business.

2) I am just a fan. I won't even keep track of these picks week to week if it gets too embarrassing.

3) There is no such thing as "inside information". Especially in the pros.

4) If those idiot touts on tv and in the paper were any good, they wouldn't go public with their genius. They'd sit at Harrah's sports book from open to close and then go out and buy $2,000 an hour hookers who dress like high school girls.

5) Gambling is stupid. You cannot win.

That being said, here are my college picks for this week.


Friday 11/3


Air Force (-6) at Army
I'll take Army and the points at home.
FINAL: Air Force 43 Army 7 - Fyodor loses! (What was I thinking?)

Saturday 11/4


Ball State (+33.5) at Michigan
Pick the Wolverines to cover.
FINAL: Michigan 34 Ball State 26 - Fyodor loses! (Looking ahead to Ohio State.)

Missouri (+5) at Nebraska
Only 5? Pick Nebraska!
FINAL: Nebraska 34 Missouri 20 - Fyodor wins!

Maryland (+20) at Clemson
Clemson covers.
FINAL: Maryland 13 Clemson 12 - Fyodor loses! (Nice win for the Terps!)

Penn State (+7) at Wisconsin
PSU shocks the world! (Well, Madison.) Take the points.
FINAL: Wisconsin 13 PSU 3 - Fyodor loses! (Pray for Joe Paterno's quick and speedy recovery.)


Pittsburgh (-5) at South Florida
I'll take the Panthers over a directional school any day!
FINAL: South Florida 22 Pitt 12 - Fyodor loses! (A pathetic loss for the Panthers.)


Florida (-17) at Vanderbilt
Take the guy from F Troop and the points.
FINAL: Florida 25 Vanderbilt 19 - Fyodor wins! (This may be the brightest spot in the whole miserable weekend of picks.)


Navy (-12) at Duke
I'll take Duke and the points.
FINAL: Navy 38 Duke 13 - Fyodor loses! (Stupid! Stupid! Stupid!)


Central Michigan (-18.5) at Temple
Sorry, Temple fans. I gotta go with CMU.
FINAL: CMU 42 Temple 26 - Fyodor loses! (Ack!)


Arkansas State (+30.5) at Auburn
Take Auburn to win big.
FINAL: Auburn 27 Arkansas State 0 - Fyodor loses!


North Carolina (+24.5) at Notre Dame
NC stinks, but this spread looks too big. Take the Tar Heels and the points. FINAL: Notre Dame 45 UNC 26 - Fyodor wins! (Yep.)



TCU (-20) at UNLV
In the words of Yosemite Sam: "Great horny toads!" Plus, I like typing "Horned Frogs". Pick the Horned Frogs to cover.
FINAL: TCU 25 UNLV 10 - Fyodor loses! (Amphibians! Ha!)


Ohio State (-24.5) at Illinois
I know, I know. The Buckeyes always cover. But not this time! Pick Illinois.
FINAL: OSU 17 Illinois 10 - Fyodor loses! (Looking ahead to Michigan.)


LSU (-3.5) at Tennessee
The Volunteers have screwed up their quota of games for this year. Pick Tennessee.
FINAL: LSU 28 Tennssee 24 - Fyodor loses! (Obviously, somebody upped the quota!)


Arizona State (+2.5) at Oregon State
My Hangover Game of the Week! The Beavers are still celebrating last Saturday's huge win. Pick the Sun Devils.
FINAL: Oregon State 44 Arizona State 10 - Fyodor loses! (That'swhy they call it gambling, kiddies.)


Nevada (-10) at Idaho
It looks like a bad day for the Vandals. Pick Nevada.
FINAL: Nevada 45 Idaho 7 - Fyodor wins!


USC (-28) at Stanford
The Tree pays for last week's USC loss. The Trojans will cover.
FINAL: USC 42 Stanford 0 - Fyodor wins!


Boston College (-3.5) at Wake Forest
Who could have imagined this would be a huge ACC game? Take BC on the road.
FINAL: Wake Forest 21 BC 14 - Fyodor loses! (Another sloppy lossfor the Eagles.)


Oklahoma State (+18) at Texas
Longhorns beat Cowboys, but Cowboys keep it close. Texas will not cover.
FINAL: Texas 36 Oklahoma State 10 - Fyodor loses! (What was I thinking?)



Virginia Tech (-2.5) at Miami
The Who Really Cares Game of the Week! Take Tech.
FINAL: Virginia Tech 17 Miami 10 - Fyodor wins!


Oklahoma (-2) at Texas A&M
Take the Sooners on the road.
FINAL: Oklahoma 16 Texas A&M 16 - Fyodor loses!


UCLA (+18) at California
I'll pick the Bears to easily cover at home.
FINAL: Cal 38 UCLA 24 - Fyodor loses!


Rice (+9) at Texas El Paso
Say it ain't so, Fyodor! Sorry, kiddies, I'm picking Rice.
FINAL: Rice 37 UTEP 31 - Fyodor wins! (Yippee!)

Meanwhile, back in the Diaspora...

CNSNews: 'Lost Jewish Tribe' in India Soon To Move To Israel

Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - More than 200 members of a "lost" Jewish tribe are set to immigrate to Israel next month from northeastern India in what some here say is nothing less than a miracle of biblical proportions.

"This is a project of national and historical and even theological significance," said Michael Freund, chairman and founder of Shavei Israel, an organization that helps communities around the world return to their Jewish roots and to Israel.

He said the Bnei Menashe (children of Manasseh) were descendants of one of the 10 "lost tribes" of Israel.

"Their ancestors were exiled from the land 27 centuries ago, and despite wandering for so long and so far, they managed to preserve their sense of Jewish identity and now, just as the prophets foretold, we are witnessing their return. It is a miracle."

Nearly 1,000 Bnei Menashe have immigrated to Israel in a mere trickle through various conversion/immigration plans worked out over the last 15 years or so. Another 218 are scheduled to arrive in November. But there are 7,000 more still waiting to come to Israel.

Their story began 2,700 years ago in Bible times when the Jewish people in Israel were divided into two kingdoms. Around 723 B.C. the Assyrians conquered the northern Kingdom of Israel and captured 10 of the 12 Hebrew tribes.

Some 75 percent of the Jewish nation was exiled and disappeared, said Freund. They became known as the "10 lost tribes."

The community in India always referred to themselves as Bnei Menashe (the children of Manasseh) and it was a central theme in all their ancient prayers and chants, Freund told Cybercast News Service.

According to their tradition, they spent several centuries in China until a despotic emperor persecuted them and seized their holy book. They then settled in India, Freund said.

Recently, about 100 members of the community already living here gathered to celebrate the Succoth holiday. Many live in settlements in disputed territory, including a number of families that were evacuated last year from the Gaza Strip.

Some dressed in brightly colored traditional Indian clothing and sang traditional Indian songs with gusto. At the gathering they learned that their kinsmen would be coming to Israel soon.

DAY 72: PLUTO HELD HOSTAGE

"'Moderate' Democrasses is the craziest peoples."

CNSNews: Ford's Father Tries to Block Media Coverage of Pro-Life Event

The father of a U.S. Senate candidate on Tuesday tried to dissuade a Tennessee news station from filming a news conference critical of his son, according to the pro-life event's organizers.

Brian Johnston, an organizer with Tennessee Right to Life, called a news conference outside the Memphis campaign offices for U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Jr., a Democrat running for U.S. Senate.

Johnston told Cybercast News Service he called the conference to expose Ford's real position on abortion. During the campaign Ford has portrayed himself as moderate on abortion and other issues.

But before the planned new conference began, Ford's father, former U.S. Rep. Harold Ford Sr., came out and phoned a local television station to ask that they remove their cameraman who was beginning to roll tape.

Amateur video shows Ford Sr. speaking on his cell phone, apparently to Fox 13 News, criticizing the station for sending a cameraman to tape the event.

"I just don't think that's right," Ford is heard saying on the phone.

"You got your camera people rolling on this, like this, and it's just making a mockery of the whole thing out here," Ford said. "I wish you'd have your camera people to cut this off." See Video

"Clearly he was trying to shut us down, trying to keep us from talking about his son's record," Johnston said. "Apparently he's a bit of a godfather in Memphis."

The video clip showed Ford accusing Johnston of being a "tracker" for his son's opponent, Republican Bob Corker, an accusation Johnston denies. Ford is also heard to call Johnston "one little crazy man."

Spokesmen for the Ford campaign did not respond to repeated telephone calls and e-mails requesting comment Tuesday and Wednesday. Calls requesting comment from Fox 13 were not returned Wednesday.

Ford has campaigned as a moderate on several key issues, including abortion. He told the Kingsport Times-News he "respect[s] the law of the land" on abortion, supports expanding adoption, believes in parental notification and opposes partial-birth abortion.

His campaign was given prominence this week when he appeared on the cover of Newsweek and was featured in an accompanying article entitled "Not Your Daddy's Democrats."

Oy vey!

Johnston charged that Ford had accepted a $10,000 contribution from Washington Women for Choice, a pro-abortion political action committee in Washington, D.C.

"He's voted consistently for government funds for abortion," Johnston added. "You don't buy what you want fewer of."

Ford earned a 60 percent rating from NARAL Pro-Choice America in 2005, meaning that he voted in support of abortion 60 percent of the time.

In 2005, Ford received a rating of 21 from the American Conservative Union, a group that ranks congressmen on how conservative or liberal they are. A 0 rating means the congressman is liberal while a rating of 100 means the congressman is conservative. - Sen. Ted Kennedy (D-Mass.) scores a 0 while Sen. Jon Kyl (R-Ariz.) scores a 100.

The ACU criticizes Ford for voting against a bill that would have criminalized killing an unborn child during the commission of a violent crime. He also voted against considering a bill that would have opened the Arctic National Wildlife Refuge to oil exploration and in favor of taking money from national defense and spending it on renewable energy.

News item: Jim Webb's Nobel prospects seen dimming.

From CNSNews.com:

Webb Urged to Withdraw Over Content of Novels

Dems Point to Republican's Approval of Webb's Books

Jim Webb's Books 'Racist, Misogynistic,' Conservative Critic Says

Webb Says His Novels 'Inappropriate' for News Radio

Sometimes, there really are communists.

Boston Globe: Vermont''s Sanders poised to be 1st Senate socialist

CASTLETON, Vt. -- A new name may soon join Fidel, Vladimir, and Karl in the pantheon of famous socialists: Bernie.

That would be Vermont's US Representative Bernard Sanders, who, in this election season of tight races, appears to be cruising to victory in his campaign for the US Senate, according to recent polls.

If elected Tuesday, he would be the first self-proclaimed socialist to serve in the Senate. Far from a stern ideologue, Sanders cuts an affable figure among his constituents, a trait on display at a rally this week at Castleton State College.

For the cognoscenti, the key word here is "self-proclaimed".

Speaking of commies...

CNSNews: KGB Letter Outlines Sen. Kennedy's Overtures to Soviets, Prof Says

Unemployment rate lowest in 5 years!

This will be the AmericaLast media's least reported story of the day.

Roto-Reuters: Unemployment fell in October to 4.4%

Voice of the Martyrs, again.

From torturing to tears: A prison warden repents

The U.S. Commission on International Religious Freedom repeatedly has recommended that the U.S. Department of State list North Korea as among its "countries of particular concern" for its "egregious and systematic human rights violations" including policies that disallow any Christian faith.

So one can imagine how startled a Christian couple was when a commander from a detention camp set up for those who cannot eliminate their faith in Christ appeared in front of their house and knocked on their door.

The report of the startling transformation of the guard, from tyrant and torturer to tearful repentant, comes from The Voice of the Martyrs, a worldwide ministry that directs its aid to members of the persecuted Christian church.

Although accurate reports are difficult to obtain, often because no witnesses to atrocities are left alive to tell, officials believe tens of thousands of Christians currently are suffering in North Korean prison camps for the offense of having a Christian faith.

The events developed shortly after a Christian teen died in a prison camp after being deprived of food but unwilling to recant his belief in Christ, the VOM report said.

A Christian couple found themselves sentenced to the same camp, with the same prospects for extended lives as the faithful Christian teen who died before his 20th birthday. However, "they were there only a few days when the camp's top officer, 'Rhee,' ordered their release," VOM reported.
A few days later, they heard the knocking at their door.

"It was Rhee. He wanted to talk to them further. 'I have tortured and killed many people,' he told them, 'but since the death of this young man I have been troubled,'" said the VOM report, written by P. Todd Nettleton. Rhee also told them the story of the teen's courage and cheerful attitude, even as his body was failing.

They told the prison warden why the teen, code-named "Pencil" before he was dispatched into North Korea to spread the Gospel of Jesus, was different. They introduced him to Jesus.

"When they finished sharing and praying together, Rhee invited them to come home with him," the report said. "Inside Rhee's large home, eight family members were gathered as well as several other soldiers who worked at the camp and their families."

The report said the families listened as the couple presented the story of Jesus, his death on the cross and his resurrection.

"Rhee was shocked when his own mother stepped forward and said for 50 years she had been a secret Christian. 'I am no longer ashamed of my faith,' she said, then turned to the rest of the people gathered in the room.

'Who wants to have Jesus in their heart?'" the report said.

All hands were raised and a baptismal service followed immediately, VOM reported.

VOM is a non-profit, interdenominational ministry working worldwide to help Christians who are persecuted for their faith, and to educate the world about that persecution. Its headquarters are in Bartlesville, Okla., and it has 30 affiliated international offices.

It was launched by the late Richard and Sabina Wurmbrand, who started smuggling Russian Gospels into Russia in 1947, just months before Richard was abducted and imprisoned in Romania where he was tortured for his refusal to recant Christianity.

He eventually was released in 1964 and the next year he testified about the persecution of Christians before the U.S. Senate's Internal Security Subcommittee, stripping to the waist to show the deep torture wound scars on his body.

The group that later was renamed The Voice of the Martyrs was organized in 1967, when his book, "Tortured for Christ," was released. (Thanks to WND for the heads up.)

Right Wing Smile of the Year Update.

NY Post: INSIDE UNIT THAT OUTWIT TED KERRY

The Minnesota soldiers in Iraq who issued a hilariously misspelled smackdown to Sen. John Kerry were psyched yesterday as their witty response to his bungled "joke" about their education hit home in the United States.

"They're astounded by the reaction," said David Ward, whose daughter Heather was among the GIs holding the banner. "They were having fun with it."

Their fun - captured on the front page of yesterday's Post - has now become the No. 1 rejoinder from troops to comments by the Massachusetts Democrat, who told a group of California students on Monday that if they didn't study and get an education, they would get "stuck in Iraq."

Word of what the failed presidential candidate said got to Ward and her fellow members of the Minnesota National Guard in Talil, Iraq, south of Baghdad. Quickly, they knew how to respond: with a sarcastic sign reading "Halp us Jon Carry - we r stuck hear n Irak."

The picture spread with lightning speed. About 12 hours after it was taken, a former college roommate of a Minnesota guardsman e-mailed the shot to Milwaukee talk-radio host Charlie Sykes, who put it on his blog Web site.

David Ward said his daughter told him that while the picture was meant to be private, her unit is happy their message is getting across.

"When they saw and heard what Kerry said, they were just furious and they were sitting around and one thing led to another," he said.

Ward said that his daughter was among those who came up with the plan for the sign - and when asked if she actually painted it, he chuckled and said: "Well, she said she had paint under her fingernails."

The elder Ward said he completely approves of his daughter's message.
"Kerry is a preening peacock and the best way to respond to him is with humor," he said.

Ward said his daughter was particularly incensed by Kerry's comments because her résumé is nothing like the "stuck" soldier the senator seemed to describe in his comment.

Heather Ward has 31/2 years of college credits in chemistry and biology and is about to graduate when she gets back. She hopes one day to be a radiologist, he said.

And what's more, she joined the armed forces soon after 9/11 because she wanted to help her country, her dad said.

"These aren't uneducated people with no options in life," he said.

Ward said his daughter read yesterday's Post online, and saw herself on the front page. He said she is the soldier holding up the far right end of the sign.

"She got a kick out of that," he said.

The picture drew heaps of praise, even as the military declared that the soldiers cannot talk to the press about what they did.

It is a violation of military rules for service members to get involved in elections, and it was unclear if the members of the unit - the 1/34 Brigade Troops Battalion - would face any discipline for the stunt.

Ward said that his daughter had not caught any flak since the last time he talked to her early yesterday - but he admitted he is a bit worried.

His worries might be eased by comments from the White House yesterday.

Bush press secretary Tony Snow told a Fargo, N.D., radio station that the photo was "wonderful and shows a great sense of humor."

On the Web site of the National Guard unit known as the "Red Bulls," the Kerry crack was hugely popular, as well-wishers flooded the message board with support.

"Thank you so much for responding so eloquently to his uneducated, ill-thought and unwanted gibberish," wrote commentator Margie Lozada, who identified herself as a Navy vet. "I am so proud of you guys."

"Thanks to the troops in 'flyover country' for understanding and defending the rights that we have," said another poster. "I'm sure you know some have hailed this as 'dropping the smart bomb' on John Kerry (D-Stupid). Keep up the good work."

HEEHEE!

Kerry has been lying low since making the comment, canceling appearances such as one to the home state of the sign-writing soldiers. He apologized Wednesday after being blasted even by members of his own party.

He said his remark was a "botched joke" in which he meant to call Bush - not soldiers - uneducated. But it emerged yesterday that Kerry has made similar comments in the past.

When he ran for Congress in 1972, he said he was against an all-volunteer Army - like the one we have now - because it would be full of lowlife thugs who would be more likely to be involved in "war crimes."

"I am convinced a volunteer Army would be an Army of the poor and the black and the brown," Kerry wrote in a candidate questionnaire to a Massachusetts peace group.

"We must not repeat the travesty of the inequities present during Vietnam. I also fear having a professional Army that views the perpetuation of war crimes as simply 'doing its job.' "

Kerry's spokesman, David Wade, said the statement needed to be viewed as part of the era in which it was written.

Damn right, Skippy. It was the era of unpunished cowardice and treason.

"These are the words 34 years ago of a 28-year-old veteran home from a war gone wrong, wondering who in America will bear the cost of battle and shoulder the responsibility of military service," Wade said.

Golly, WorldNetDaily! What took you so long?

For some Americans, every day is Halloween
WND: Bizarre sex, self-mutilation, 'love of death' becoming increasingly commonplace

Navy setting up 'civic religion,' lawsuit charges

Your tax dollars are hard at work...

WorldNetDaily: Complaint alleges embattled chaplain punished for praying 'in Jesus name'

The protestant crackup continues apace.

This is NOT a mohammedan story.

TimesOnline: 'Priest' burns himself to death over Islam

A retired priest committed suicide by setting himself on fire in a German monastery in protest at the spread of Islam and the Protestant Church’s inability to contain it.

Roland Weisselberg, 73, poured a can of petrol over his head and set light to himself in the grounds of the Augustine monastery in the eastern city of Erfurt, where Martin Luther spent six years as a monk at the beginning of the 16th century.

Witnesses said that Weisselberg climbed into a building site next to the monastery church, where a Reformation Day service was being held. He shouted “Jesus and Oskar” before the flames engulfed him. The latter name was an apparent reference to Oskar Brüsewitz, a priest who burnt himself in 1976 in protest against the Communist regime in East Germany.

Monastery staff tried to put out the flames and Weisselberg was still conscious as a nun prayed with him before he was taken to hospital. He died a day later, on Wednesday.

Media reports said that he had tried to kill himself inside the church but changed his mind when he found the side door was locked.

The Provost of Erfurt, Elfriede Begrich, told reporters that Weisselberg’s widow had said that he killed himself because he was alarmed at the spread of Islam and the Church’s stance on the issue.

She described Weisselberg as an erudite man who had addressed repeatedly the Church’s position on Islam in meetings over the past three to four years. He had written to her, urging her to take the matter more seriously, she said.

The Protestant Bishop of Saxony, Axel Noack, said the suicide had shocked the community and that he hoped it would not hurt relations between Christians and Muslims.

BONUS protestant crackup story:

AP: New Episcopal bishop-elect says she believes homosexuality is 'how one is created'

The war this time.

Thanks to WorldNetDaily for these links:

Judgment day looms for Saddam
Could be condemned Sunday to hang if found guilty --Reuters

Iraqi police find 56 bodies in Baghdad
Apparent victims of sectarian death squads, signs of torture --Associated Press

Insurgents using children to fight U.S.-led forces
'Just helping them to realize their dream of being a fighter and become a shahid' --Reuters

U.S. air strike kills al-Qaida kingpin
Chieftain in lawless western Iraq died when car destroyed by laser-guided bomb --Irish Examiner

Mideast terror leaders to U.S.: Vote Democrat

WorldNetDaily: Withdrawal from Iraq would embolden jihadists to destroy Israel, America

Trevor Berbick's Murder Update.

Detroit Free Press: Nephew charged with killing ex-boxing champ Trevor Berbick

KINGSTON, Jamaica - A 20-year-old nephew of former heavyweight champion Trevor Berbick has been charged with killing him, police said Friday.

Harold Berbick and an 18-year-old man from the same eastern region were charged late Thursday and were scheduled to appear in court for a hearing later in the day, constable Courtney Gibbs said.

The body of Berbick, who was believed to be 51, was discovered in a church courtyard Oct. 28 in his home parish of Portland, about 80 miles east of the Jamaican capital, where his nephew and Kenton Gordon were detained earlier this week.

Berbick was the last boxer to face Muhammad Ali in the ring and briefly held the WBC heavyweight title before losing it to Mike Tyson in 1986.

The retired fighter died from multiple blows to the back of his head, police said. A 2-inch-thick metal pipe recovered from the scene was believed to be the weapon used.

The nephew's mother, who was detained for questioning and released this week, had been involved in a long-running land dispute with Berbick, police said.

Berbick, who has been living in the area since being deported from the United States in 2002, was charged with larceny for breaking into his sister-in-law's house that year and was later cleared. Earlier this year, Berbick was charged with assault for allegedly punching the woman.

OH NO! Not my tax returns, too!

This is more than an excuse to post a couple of Marcia Cross photos. But not much more. (In my defense, she has red hair and green eyes. In these circumstances, I'm pretty much helpless.)

Eek!

KLTV: Marcia Cross 'Desperate' for Return of Nude Photos

Marcia Cross' trash has become her garbage man's treasure, leaving the "Desperate Housewives" star wishing that she'd bought a shredder.

Nude photos of the 44-year-old actress are now in the hands of a man hired to cart away her trash - and they may soon be up for sale.

44? Wow!

"If someone can be so dumb as to throw something like that away, they just have to suffer the consequences," says agent David Hans Schmidt, who represents the garbage carting company.

He's an agent? Even garbagemen have agents?

Cross' lawyers are threatening to sue. They claim the photos were discarded by accident. But Schmidt is essentially telling them, "finders keepers".

I believe that is settled law.

"These photos were not stolen," Schmidt says. "Once my client picked up what she discarded, it belongs to him, and she can't do anything about it."

The incident is indeed proving embarrassing for the redheaded TV star, who married stockbroker Tom Mahoney in June, and recently announced that she was pregnant with twins.

If you are wondering why they mentioned her hair color...

Schmidt says his client found more than 200 photos of Cross, some showing her taking a shower outdoors. "If you're wondering about Marcia's natural hair color," Schmidt says, "I've got the answer."

Classy. I think I am on Marcia's side.

Among the other things Cross allegedly threw away - financial documents. "I can tell you exactly how much she's worth," Schmidt says. "They threw a lot out."

Ouch!

What Schmidt and his client will do with the photos remains to be seen.
The agent acknowledges that copyright law would prevent his client from publishing those photos in the United States. But he believes he can sell those photos, perhaps to a buyer outside the United States.

"What a potential buyer would do with those photos would be that person's responsibility," he says.

"I don't want to embarrass Cross, I just want to make money for my client," Schmidt says, indicating that he'd welcome the actress to bid on the photos.

Indeed, in a time when a half-eaten piece of Justin Timberlake's French toast, can be pulled from a radio station trashcan and sold on eBay for $1,025, celebrities should be careful about anything they throw away.

And you think our country is just fine and dandy...

Memo To Michael Savage: Liberalism may not be a mental disorder. It may be a genetic mutation.

AP: Scientists study possible link between genes, politics

LINCOLN, Neb. - Politics may not be in the blood, but it could be in the genes. That's the theory a team of political scientists and geneticists is trying to prove with extensive studies of twins, genes and brain scans.

"I perfectly understand that some people are skeptical," said John R. Hibbing, a political science professor at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln who is involved in the research.

The idea goes back more than 2000 years, said John Alford, associate professor of political science at Rice University, who is working with Hibbing.

In 350 B.C., Aristotle wrote, "Man is by nature a political animal."

Wow. Talk about name dropping.

And stop quoting great men out of context.

Now, Alford said, scientists are trying to improve on that.

Genetic researchers are trying to prove that social attitudes can be inherited, and have discovered strong correlations between the two.

So far, the political connection has relied on studies by Lindon Eaves, professor of human genetics and psychiatry at Virginia Commonwealth University. About 8,000 sets of identical and fraternal twins answered a series of questions on topics such as school prayer, nuclear power, women's liberation and the death penalty.

Identical twins, who share their entire genetic code, answered more similarly than fraternal twins, who are no more similar than non-twin siblings.

If you assume that both identical and fraternal twins share an environment, then the disparity between the results must be genetic, Hibbing and colleagues conclude.

Some scientists, however, are not ready to embrace the theory.

"The very idea that something like a political ideology could be heritable is incoherent," said Evan Charney, assistant professor of public policy and political science at Duke University. "It doesn't make any sense, and it's historically inaccurate."

Hmmm...Duke versus Virginia Commonwealth and Nebraska. It's no contest, kiddies. And I'm not talking basketball.

Any similarities found in twins' political beliefs can be attributed to environment, not genetics, Charney said.

Charney's paper "Genes and Ideologies," written to argue many of Hibbing and Alford's claims, is being considered for publication by the Review of Politics, Charney said. He recently presented the work to the American Political Science Association.

"I have not proved that environment has caused this, but neither have they proved that genes have caused this," Charney said.

And environment, he said, is a far more plausible explanation.

That is always the best place to start.

Hibbing agrees his research isn't definitive.

"No specific (genes) have been connected to political traits," Hibbing said.
"That is our group's main goal."

But social scientists typically dismiss genetic influence, and that's a mistake, he said.

Is it my imagination, or is this guy backpedaling furiously after achieving his fifteen minutes?

The next step, Hibbing said, includes scans to observe the brain in action as subjects answer questions on political topics. That work is in progress at Baylor Medical Center in Houston, in collaboration with Rice University and Alford.

Next month, members of the team travel to Australia to work with Nick Martin, who is investigating the pattern of disease in families, including twins, at Queensland Institute for Medical Research in Brisbane. His research could provide important clues for Hibbing and Alford's hypothesis.

The goal is to persuade people to accept that political views aren't just random opinions thrown together by a combination of environmental influences.

Here is the problem, kiddies. Only fools and/or materialists (same thing, really) believe people are simply things. Or machines. Or animals. All attempts at explaining human behavior that do not involve recognition of man's immortal soul and free will are dangerous and will lead (and have lead!) inevitably to incorrect conclusions, at best. At worst, they will lead(and have lead!) to the abolition of humanity and incomprehensible horror. (See: "twentieth century, history")

"We can't just fall for the fairy tale that all people are genetically identical," Hibbing said. "Willful ignorance is unforgivable."

No theologian, that Hibbing. Willful ignorance is indeed forgivable. Just ask St. Augustine.

God and man. (Part Two)

Putting aside my opinions of sodomy and protestantism for the moment, let me say Mr. Haggard does not appear to be a hypocrite. He didn't ask Mr. Jones to "marry" him, after all. Even if all the allegations are true, he just used him for orgasms and drugs.

One more thing, kiddies. Isn't it obvious that you should not let your genitals do your thinking for you?

AP: Key Evangelical quits amid gay sex claim

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. - A leading evangelist and outspoken opponent of gay marriage has given up his post as president of the National Association of Evangelicals while a church panel investigates allegations he paid a man for sex.

The Rev. Ted Haggard resigned as head of the 30 million-member association Thursday and also gave up leadership of his New Life Church pending the investigation into allegations he had monthly trysts with a gay prostitute over the past three years.

Haggard, a married father of five, denied the allegations, but the acting pastor of his church later said that Haggard had acknowledged some of the accusations were true.

"I just know that there has been some admission of indiscretion, not admission to all of the material that has been discussed, but there is an admission of some guilt," Ross Parsley told KKTV-TV of Colorado Springs.

Parlsey did not elaborate, but in an e-mail addressed to congregants, he wrote that the church's four-member board of overseers had since met with Haggard.

"It is important for you to know that he confessed to the overseers that some of the accusations against him are true. He has willingly and humbly submitted to the authority of the board of overseers, and will remain on administrative leave during the course of the investigation," the e-mail stated. A copy was obtained by KMGH-TV in Denver.

Late Wednesday, Haggard told KUSA-TV: "I've never had a gay relationship with anybody, and I'm steady with my wife, I'm faithful to my wife."

The allegations surfaced as voters in Colorado and seven other states get ready to decide Tuesday on amendments banning gay marriage. Besides the proposed ban on the Colorado ballot, a separate measure would establish the legality of domestic partnerships providing same-sex couples with many of the rights of married couples.

Members of Haggard's 14,000-member megachurch were stunned.

"It's political, right before the elections," said Brian Boals, a New Life member for 17 years.

Church member E.J. Cox, 25, called the claims "ridiculous."

"People are always saying stuff about Pastor Ted," she said. "You just sort of blow it off. He's just like anyone else in the public eye."

The accusations were made by Mike Jones, 49, of Denver, who said he decided to go public because of the political fight over the amendments.
"I just want people to step back and take a look and say, 'Look, we're all sinners, we all have faults, but if two people want to get married, just let them, and let them have a happy life,'" said Jones, who added that he isn't working for any political group.

Jones, who said he is gay, said he was also upset when he discovered Haggard and the New Life Church had publicly opposed same-sex marriage.

"It made me angry that here's someone preaching about gay marriage and going behind the scenes having gay sex," he said.

Jones claimed Haggard paid him to have sex nearly every month over three years. He said he advertised himself as an escort on the Internet and was contacted by a man who called himself Art, who snorted methamphetamine before their sexual encounters to heighten his experience.

Just one more thing, if I may. Drugs do not help you think, reason, or learn. In fact, they are a hindrance to any sort of cognition.

Jones said he later saw the man on television identified as Haggard and that the two last had sex in August.

He said he has voice mail messages from Haggard, as well as an envelope he said Haggard used to mail him cash. He declined to make the voice mails available to the AP, but KUSA-TV reported what it said were excerpts late Thursday that referred to methamphetamine.

"Hi Mike, this is Art," one call began, according to the station. "Hey, I was just calling to see if we could get any more. Either $100 or $200 supply."
A second message, left a few hours later, began: "Hi Mike, this is Art, I am here in Denver and sorry that I missed you. But as I said, if you want to go ahead and get the stuff, then that would be great. And I'll get it sometime next week or the week after or whenever."

Haggard, 50, was appointed president of the evangelicals association in March 2003. He has participated in conservative Christian leaders' conference calls with White House staffers and lobbied members of Congress last year on U.S. Supreme Court appointees after
Sandra Day O'Connor announced her retirement.

After Massachusetts legalized gay marriage in 2004, Haggard and others began organizing state-by-state opposition. Last year, Haggard and officials from the nearby Christian ministry Focus on the Family announced plans to push Colorado's gay marriage ban for the 2006 ballot.

At the time, Haggard said that he believed marriage is a union between a man and woman rooted in centuries of tradition, and that research shows it's the best family unit for children.

Want more?

Denver Post:
Another 'gay' charge made against Haggard 10 years ago
Rights activist claims he received letter from accuser but chose to ignore it


Rocky Mountain News:
Haggard's sex accuser fails polygraph
Results indicate 'deception' but may have been skewed


Hmmm...Actions do have consequences, as does bad or non-existent theology...

CNSNews: 'Leftward Drift' Noted Under Haggard's Leadership

Environmental Degradation and Evangelicals
By Paul M. Weyrich
CNSNews.com Commentary
November 18, 2005


The National Association of Evangelicals (NAE) is no longer the organization it was only a few years ago. Its Washington office has been trending green.

Risk Policy Report wrote on October 25 that NAE had been planning soon to release a policy statement on global warming that would call for mandatory greenhouse gas controls.

Now there is more reason to hope that reason and NAE traditional values - rather than unproven science -- will win the day.

NAE President, the Reverend Ted Haggard, commented in March 2005 to Laurie Goodstein, a reporter for the New York Times: "The question is, 'Will evangelicals make a difference, and the answer is, 'The Senate thinks so.' We do represent 30 million people, and we can mobilize them if we have to."

Months earlier, NAE had issued "For the Health of the Nation: An Evangelical Call to Civic Responsibility," which included a plank on "creation care." It emphasized that government must fight "environmental degradation" and it drew the signatures from many evangelical leaders.

God and man. (Part One)

I would like to reassure the obviously concerned folks over at the AP that God did indeed hear the prayers of these poor souls and did indeed answer them all in His way and in His good time.

I can only assume our moral and intellectual superiors find this episode amusing, even though the AmericaLast media stooge who wrote it, Wayne Parry, seems to show a bit of compassion to a couple of girls victimized by our tod durch geschlecht culture in the last couple of paragraphs.

Let us pray for everyone involved in this episode, especially those who do not know how to pray.

AP: Letters to God end up in ocean, unread

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. - Some of the letters are comical (a man asking God to let him win the lottery, twice), others are heartbreaking (a distraught teen asking forgiveness for an abortion, an unwed mother pleading with God to make the baby's father marry her). The letters — about 300 in all, sent to a New Jersey minister — ended up dumped in the ocean, most of them unopened.

The minister died two years ago at 79. How the letters, some dating to 1973, wound up bobbing in the surf is a mystery.

"There are hundreds of lives here, a lot of struggle, washed up on the beach," said Bill Lacovara, a Ventnor insurance adjuster who was fishing last month with his son when he spotted a flowered plastic shopping bag and waded out to retrieve it. "This is just a hint of what really happens. How many letters like this all over the world aren't being opened or answered?"

Many of the letters were addressed to the Rev. Grady Cooper, though many more simply said "Altar." According to the text of several of them, they were intended to be placed on a church's altar and prayed over by the minister, the congregation or both.

Some were neatly written in script on white-lined paper, others in a feverish scrawl on tattered scraps of parchment or note cards. Many were crinkled from being in the water and then dried out after Lacovara fished them out of the sea.

A dog-eared business card inside one of the letters identified Cooper as associate pastor of the Mount Calvary Baptist Church in Jersey City. A woman who answered the phone at the church office confirmed Cooper once was a minister there, and had died nearly two years ago. The current pastor did not return several calls from The Associated Press over the past few days.

Other documents in the bag, including bank statements and canceled checks, also listed Cooper's name and an address for him in Jersey City. A death certificate issued in 2004 for a Grady Cooper lists the same address as those on the bank documents and some of the letters.

His wife, Frances, whose name also showed up on some of the letters at the same address, died in 2000, according to Hudson County records.

No one answered the door last week at the address where Cooper once lived, and a neighbor said he did not recall anyone by that name. Attempts to locate Cooper's relatives were unsuccessful.

Lacovara speculated that someone cleaning out Cooper's home found the letters and threw them on the beach in Atlantic City, about 100 miles from Jersey City.

"I guess rather than just throw them in the garbage, maybe they thought they'd set them out to sea to bless these people," he said. "So they made a trip to Atlantic City, maybe went to a casino, and put the letters in the water."

The letters, wrapped in several smaller brown paper bags inside the larger plastic bag, did not appear to have been in the water too long, Lacovara said, though about half were too badly damaged to be legible.

He opened a few with his son, Rocky, on the beach. The first few were humorous.

"I'm still praying to hit the lottery twice: first the $50,000," one man wrote. "Than after some changes have taken place let me hit the millionaire."

Another asked God to make a certain someone "leave me alone and stay off my back," while still another asks God to calm a woman who "call the Internal Revenue on me."

One woman complained that her husband always talks about sex, and another writer anonymously dropped a dime to God on someone cheating on his wife, complete with dates, times and locations.

That's one of the funny ones?

But those, Lacovara soon found, were the exception.

Many more were written by anguished spouses, children or widows, pouring out their hearts to God, asking for help with relatives who were using drugs, gambling or cheating on them. One man wrote from prison, saying he was innocent and wanted to be back home with his family. A woman wrote that her boyfriend was now closing the door to her daughter's bedroom each night when it used to stay open, and wondered why.

A teenager poured out her heart on yellow-lined paper in the curlicue pencil handwriting of a schoolgirl, begging God to forgive her and asking for a second chance.

"Lord, I know that I have had an abortion and I killed one of your angels," she wrote. "There is not a day that goes by that I don't think about the mistake I made."

One unwed mother wrote that her baby was due in four weeks, and asked God to make the father fall in love with her and marry her so the child would have a father.

May God have mercy on us all.

Lacovara said he is sad that most of the writers never had their letters read. But he hopes to change that soon: He is putting the collection up for sale on eBay.

eBay? WTF??? I'm guessing there is a particularly nasty circle of Hell reserved for this clown. I hope someone with a conscience buys them and burns them, unread.

Saint of the Day and daily Mass readings.

Today is the Feast of St. Martin de Porres. He was the illegitimate son of a Spanish nobleman, Juan, and a young freed black slave, Anna Velasquez, Martin grew up in poverty. He spent part of his youth with a surgeon-barber from whom he learned some medicine and care of the sick.

At age 11 he became a servant in the Holy Rosary Dominican priory in Lima, Peru. Promoted to almoner, he begged more than $2,000 a week from the rich to support the poor and sick of Lima. Placed in charge of the Dominican's infirmary; known for his tender care of the sick and for his spectacular cures. His superiors dropped the stipulation that "no black person may be received to the holy habit or profession of our order" and Martin took vows as a Dominican brother in 1603.

Established an orphanage and children's hospital for the poor children of the slums. Set up a shelter for the stray cats and dogs and nursed them back to health. Lived in self-imposed austerity, never ate meat, fasted continuously, and spent much time in prayer and meditation with a great devotion to the Holy Eucharist. Friend of Saint John de Massias.

He was venerated from the day of his death. Many miraculous cures, including raising the dead attributed to Brother Martin. First black saint from the Americas.

Pray for us, all you angels and saints.

Today's reading for the Feast of St. Martin de Porres is Philippians 4:4-9.
Today's Responsorial Psalm is Psalms 131:1, 2, 3.
Today's Gospel reading is Matthew 22:34-40.

Everyday links:

The Blessed Virgin Mary
The Rosary
Our Mother of Perpetual Help
Prayers from EWTN
National Coalition of Clergy and Laity (dedicated to action for a genuine Catholic Restoration)
The Catholic Calendar Page for Today
ZENIT - The World Seen From Rome


Just in case you are wondering what exactly Catholics believe, here is

The Apostles Creed

I believe in God, the Father Almighty, Creator of Heaven and earth; and in Jesus Christ, His only Son Our Lord, Who was conceived by the Holy Spirit, born of the Virgin Mary, suffered under Pontius Pilate, was crucified, died, and was buried. He descended into Hell; the third day He rose again from the dead; He ascended into Heaven, and sitteth at the right hand of God, the Father almighty; from thence He shall come to judge the living and the dead. I believe in the Holy Spirit, the holy Catholic Church, the communion of saints, the forgiveness of sins, the resurrection of the body and life everlasting. Amen.


Memorare

Remember, O most gracious Virgin Mary, that never was it known that any one who fled to thy protection, implored thy help or sought thy intercession,was left unaided.Inspired with this confidence, I fly unto thee, O Virgin of virgins my Mother; to thee do I come, before thee I stand, sinful and sorrowful; O Mother of the Word Incarnate, despise not my petitions, but in thy clemency hear and answer me. Amen.


St. Joseph, her most chaste spouse, pray for us.


Anima Christi

Soul of Christ, sanctify me; Body of Christ, save me; Blood of Christ, inebriate me; Water from Christ's side, wash me; Passion of Christ, strengthen me; O good Jesus, hear me; Within Thy wounds hide me; Suffer me not to be separated from Thee; From the malicious enemy defend me; In the hour of my death call me; And bid me come unto Thee; That I may praise Thee with Thy saints and with Thy angels Forever and ever. Amen.


Prayer to St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire

Dear St. Anthony, you became a Franciscan with the hope of shedding your blood for Christ. In God's plan for you, your thirst for martyrdom was never to be satisfied. St. Anthony, Martyr of Desire, pray that I may become less afraid to stand up and be counted as a follower of the Lord Jesus. Intercede also for my other intentions. (Name them.)


Prayer To Saint Michael The Archangel

St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle, be our defense against the wickedness and snares of the devil; may God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou O Prince of the heavenly hosts, by the divine power, thrust into hell Satan and all the evil spirits who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls. Amen.


Prayer to End Abortion

Lord God, I thank You today for the gift of my life, and for the lives of all my brothers and sisters. I know there is nothing that destroys more life than abortion, yet I rejoice that you have conquered death by the resurrection of Your Son. I am ready to do my part to end abortion. Today I commit myself never to be silent, never to be passive, and never to be forgetful of the unborn. I commit myself to be active in the pro-life movement, and never stop defending life until all my brothers and sisters are protected and our nation once again becomes a nation with liberty and justice, not just for some, but for all. Through Christ our Lord. Amen.


Prayer For Vocations

Send forth your Spirit, Lord, into the hearts of your faithful people, that we may be conscious of our vocation to holiness and sevice to others. Grant that many of us may dedicate ourselves to You through the priesthood and the religious life. We pray especially for the needs of our own parish and diocese. Grant that we may always have sufficient good and holy priests, and dedicated Sisters to serve our commumities. We pray, too, for religious orders; that generous men may join them to become zealous missionaries in preaching the Gospel in word and action, especially to the poor and abandoned. We make this prayer through Jesus Christ, Our Lord and Redeemer. Amen.


Prayer Before The Crucifix

Behold, O kind and gentle Jesus, I kneel before Thee and pray that Thou would impress upon my heart the virtues of faith, hope, and charity, with true repentance for my sins and a firm purpose of amendment. At the same time, with sorrow I meditate on Thy five precious wounds, having in mind the words which David spoke in prophecy: "They have pierced my hands and my feet. I can count all my bones."


Divine Praises

Blessed be God.
Blessed be His Holy Name.
Blessed be Jesus Christ, true God and true Man.
Blessed be the Name of Jesus.
Blessed be His most Sacred Heart.
Blessed be His most Precious Blood.
Blessed be Jesus in the most Holy Sacrament of the Altar.
Blessed be the Holy Spirit, the Paraclete.
Blessed be the great Mother of God, Mary most holy.
Blessed be her holy and Immaculate Conception.
Blessed be her glorious Assumption.
Blessed be the name of Mary, Virgin and Mother.
Blessed be Saint Joseph, her most chaste spouse.
Blessed be God in His angels and in His saints.
May the Heart of Jesus in the most Blessed Sacrament
Be praised, adored and loved
With grateful affection at every moment
In all the tabernacles of the world
Even to the end of time. Amen.

DAY 71: PLUTO HELD HOSTAGE

All pile on Senator War Criminal!

From National Review Online:

THOMAS SOWELL: The media have circled the wagons around Senator Kerry. “Senator Kerry, Media Darling”

ED MORROW: If you’re reading this in Iraq and wearing an American uniform, John Kerry is smarter than you. “Hey, Stupid”

DEROY MURDOCK: It would be easier to buy his apology if this weren't a trend. “Serial Slamming”

Yvonne Bailey GETS IT.

From Kathryn Jean Lopez at National Review Online:

Blacks vs. Cloning
Missouri pastor Yvonne Bailey takes on Amendment 2 in a new ad.

“I’m scared for our young women, especially lower-income minority women who might be deceived by money.”

So says Yvonne Bailey, a black pastor from St. Ann, Missouri, in a new ad produced by Missourians Against Cloning. In it the mom implores, “Protect our daughters. Vote no on Amendment 2.” (YouTubed here.)

Bailey continues, “The people behind Amendment 2 need thousands of human eggs for their experiments. Amendment 2 constitutionally protects human egg harvesting...a painful, risky, and sometimes deadly procedure.”

Bailey, who with her husband, Pastor Samuel Bailey, ministers to congregants of Restoration Assembly of God, tells National Review Online: “Our parishioners have been told about the deception in the fine print of Amendment 2.” She continues, “Our question [is]: Where will the eggs come from? And the answer is no doubt, from young vulnerable women with the majority of them being African American women. History will repeat itself using the poor disenfranchised among us for experimental reasons.”

The TV ad featuring Mrs. Bailey — which will begin running tonight throughout Missouri and is scheduled also to air during Oprah in St. Louis on Friday afternoon — comes on the heels of press conference and “Open Letter of Warning from State and National African American Leaders on Amendment 2.” In the letter, signers warn:

Amendment 2 says that it bans the buying and selling of eggs for human cloning. In reality, Amendment 2 creates a market for millions of eggs for cloning and medical experimentation. In fact, Amendment 2 creates a safe haven for human egg traffickers in the State of Missouri.

The fact is there are not enough human embryos in fertility clinics to do the massive experimentations envisioned by big biotech firms. Nationally, it is estimated there are only 400,000 human embryos stored in IVF clinics, and most of those are beyond the reach of medical and scientific experimentation.
Scientists and bioethicists warn us that millions of eggs will be needed to do the kind of human experimentation that big biotech firms want to do.

The biotech special interests behind Amendment 2 understand this, which is why they have hidden human cloning and egg trafficking in the fine print of Amendment 2.

Religion of Peace and Art Update.

Ah...The genius of mohammedism...

AP: Moroccan wins Holocaust cartoon contest

TEHRAN, Iran - Ignoring widespread condemnation, Iran awarded the top prize in a Holocaust cartoon contest to a Moroccan artist for his depiction of Israel's security wall with a picture of the Auschwitz concentration camp on it.

The organizers of the exhibit — meant as a response to the Danish cartoons of Islam's Prophet Muhammad that enraged many Muslims — awarded Abdollah Derkaoui $12,000 Wednesday for his work depicting an Israeli crane piling large cement blocks on Israel's security wall and gradually obscuring Al-Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem. A picture of Auschwitz appears on the wall.

The mosque is Islam's third-holiest site.

Iranian officials said they wanted to emphasize that Palestinians were the indirect victims of the Nazi's killing of 6 million Jews in Europe during World War II.

"Palestinians have been victim of a deceptive history by Zionists," Iranian Culture Minister Hossein Saffar Harandi was quoted Thursday as saying by the conservative daily Kayhan. "The cartoonists expressed their hate against oppressors and their love toward (Palestinian) victims in their works."

The contest generated little coverage in the Iranian press and many ordinary Iranians expressed little interest, or criticized the exhibit as unnecessarily provocative.

Iran's hard-line President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, however, has called for Israel to be destroyed, and Tehran has several times announced plans to host a conference to examine the scientific evidence supporting the Holocaust, dismissing it as exaggerated.

"The Iranian regime has unfortunately joined the obscene chorus of Holocaust denial," Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev said. "It is surely a historic tragedy that the leadership of a country has adopted such a hateful agenda."

He said that until now, only neo-Nazi groups had been denying the existence of the Holocaust.

The State Department has slammed the exhibit at Tehran's Museum of Contemporary Arts, calling it an outrageous attempt to "denigrate the horror that was the holocaust."

French Foreign Ministry spokesman Denis Simonneau said "This 'contest' does not interest us."

The display in Tehran, comprising 204 entries from Iran and abroad, opened in August. Carlos Latuff of Brazil and A. Chard of France jointly won the second prize of $8,000, and Iran's Shahram Rezai received $5,000 for third place, the organizers said.

Chard regularly draws cartoons for Rivarol, a small weekly whose director is expected to face trial next year for running an interview in which extreme-right leader Jean-Marie Le Pen denied the brutality of the Nazi rule. France has very strict laws against denying the Holocaust.

Hajar Smouni of Reporters Without Borders said the Paris-based media rights group was shocked by the "very poor taste" of the contest. He said Tehran was far from showing the same degree of openness to local journalists who publish caricatures criticizing Iranian rulers.

"This is not proof of their open-mindedness or their acceptance of the fundamental principles of freedom of expression," he said.

The Tehran daily Hamshahri, a co-sponsor of the exhibition, said it wanted to test the West's tolerance for drawings about the Holocaust. The entries on display came from nations including United States, Indonesia and Turkey.

The exhibit drew few crowds, apart from students in state-run schools who were brought by their teachers.

Iranian media didn't comment on the competition Thursday apart from reporting its outcome. None reproduced the winning cartoons.

TheChurchMilitant presents the pathetic delusional babbling of King Goober II.

Fear not, little Democrasses! Don your knee pads! Your Hero is on his way!

President Stain wandered away from the home the other day and wound up in front of a bunch of rich Democrass fatcats in Colorado. The Denver Post tries to translate with a straight face.

Bill Clinton: Republicans crossing over

He thinks Lee Greenwood is now Top Ten on the Latin charts.

Former President Bill Clinton campaigned Wednesday for congressional candidate Ed Perlmutter, saying the Republican Party controlling Washington was beholden to ideologues and special interests.

Clinton said that as he stumps in 29 states across the nation, he is finding Republicans who have never considered voting for Democrats switching over.

"Our party has essentially become the home of both the traditional progressive and conservative strands of American political life, and I've never seen anything like it," Clinton told about 350 Democratic Party faithful during a $1,000-a-plate fundraiser at the J.W. Marriott Hotel in Cherry Creek. "And that's because the Republicans who control Washington are not the Republicans in your backyard."

Eek! I've got a Repansycan infestation in my backyard!

He said, "It is the narrowest, most extreme, most ideological strip of the Republican Party that has controlled both the White House and the Congress for six years."

The visit by Clinton drew an immediate response from both the Colorado Republican Party and the campaign of Perlmutter's opponent in the 7th Congressional District, Rick O'Donnell.

"It's funny that Bill Clinton would say that Republicans are beholden to an ideological vision when he's beholden to polling and focus groups," said Bryant Adams, communications director for the Colorado Republican Party. "I would rather be beholden to sound conservative policies than twisting in the wind every day."

O'Donnell's spokesman, Jonathan Tee, also labeled Perlmutter as hypocritical for holding the fundraising event in a tony Cherry Creek hotel when Perl mutter has campaigned on shifting the focus to the middle class.

Heehee!

"While lunching at the $1,000-per-plate event in Cherry Creek, did Ed and Bill discuss ways that Ed can change the focus from the wealthiest 1 percent to the hardworking people in the middle?" Tee asked.

(Thanks again to Laura Ingraham who is on fire today!)

Montana, you're seriously thinking of sending a Democrass to Washington?

MONTANA DEBATE UPDATE:
Voters seem to be saying "we don't want tax increases," and it's looking better for Republican Sen. Conrad Burns! Click here.
(Thanks to Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

The good news for James Webb? He probably stole that incest stuff from another author.

From Laura Ingraham:

IS "MR. LITERATURE" A PLAGIARIST?
Ramesh Ponnuru of National Review takes a closer look at James Webb, the Democratic candidate for Senate in Virginia who is running against George Allen.

We don't need another Senator Plagiarism.

Wake up, New Jersey!

SEN. MENENDEZ TAKING MONEY FROM CUBAN TERRORISTS?
From The New York Observer: "On Sept. 5, a New Jersey business owner and a major fund-raiser for Mr. Menendez, showed up in a curious place: in front of a grand jury in Newark, where he was questioned about the financing of terror bombings in Cuba during the 1990's." Read it.
(Thanks to Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

I know one thing. He wasn't joking.

KERRY'S HISTORY OF MILITARY DISRESPECT:
John Soloman points out in The Associated Press that the Senator from Massachussetts made some eerily similar comments back in 1972.
(Thanks to Laura Ingraham for the heads up.)

Senator War Criminal OWNS Bobby "My Dad Was A Good Catholic" Casey.

From Laura Ingraham:

"John Kerry is not only a great leader for the Democratic party and a great U.S. senator, but he's a patriot."
-- Bob Casey, Jr., after the Kerry controversy hit and before the "apology"!

Why would he say that?

From (ack!) JohnKerry.com:

$1,654,100 raised online from the JohnKerry.com community for Senate colleagues and challengers.

Senator Byrd $105,900
Senator Cantwell $180,927
Senator Conrad $ 13,400
Senator Feinstein $ 51,460
Senator Bill Nelson $207,528
Senator Stabenow $ 46,672
Bob Casey (PA) $ 64,000

Wait, there's more.

Here's more from Kerry's PAC.

$835,000 raised at a series of fundraisers for colleagues and candidates, including:

$520,000 for Bob Casey in Washington on September 20th, New York on September 21st, Pittsburgh on September 24th and Boston on September 28th.


Do you seriously think a noted Catholic In Name Only like Kerry is going to let Casey vote against abortion after giving him $586,000 ol' John Boy worked hard to extort?

VOTE FOR RICK SANTORUM!

Beau Geste, call your office.

Chicago Sun-Times: French foreign legion's allure fading in all-volunteer army
AUBAGNE, France -- The Foreign Legion isn't what it used to be. Murderers on the run are no longer welcome, and unhappy recruits have a year to back out without being branded deserters.

These days a bigger issue faces the 175-year-old force that made its name fighting France's overseas battles. Its key role -- to be a crack professional force available for far-flung conflicts -- has all but evaporated.

In campaigns from Algeria to Vietnam, Madagascar to Mexico, Legionnaires made up the bulk of the combat forces and suffered most of the casualties.

But this summer, when Paris contributed a 2,000-strong contingent to the U.N. force in Lebanon, it included only 200 Legion engineers.

For a 7,770-strong force, boasting 130 nationalities, with an identity epitomized by its trademark white hats, or kepis, there's no longer much to set the Legion apart from the rest of the French army.

Sending foreigners to fightFour years after France ended the draft, all 250,000 members of the armed forces are like the Legionnaires -- professionals and volunteers.

''They are an anachronism, the last remnants of a medieval mercenary tradition,'' said Dominique Moisi, a political analyst. ''While they were the only professionals in a conscript army, they made sense, but not now that everybody else is professional too.''

Legion spokesman Lt. Col. Christian Rascle insisted that France, still intent on being a force abroad, will continue to need the Legion.

''It will politically always be easier to dispatch foreigners rather than French soldiers to such places,'' he said.

Most recruits are men driven from their homelands by political turmoil, economic hardship or the need ''to start life all over again,'' he said. ''We know that a lot of our guys are not exactly angels, but unless they're hardened criminals we're prepared to give them a second, third or even a fourth chance,'' he said.

The spirit of the unit's motto -- ''The Legion our Fatherland'' -- remains strong.

When a reporter asked a corporal about his nationality, he replied: ''Me? I'm a Legionnaire.''

Slow Eddie Rendell: Just another liberal thief.

VOTE FOR LYNN SWANN!

Centre Daily Times: Rendell borrowing breaks records
...Gov. Ed Rendell has set the state on course to borrow more money than at any point in at least 45 years as Pennsylvania approaches a record $10 billion in outstanding debt.

"My, what a big debt you have!"

"The better to buy votes with, my dear."