LEAVWORLD: GRAFFITI POLITTI

An homage/ripoff/update of a famous political cartoon from early in the primaries. I don't have a copy of the original, or the artist's name, to give them credit (any help with that would be appreciated). In the original, it was just Hillary's feet looming large among the "seven dwarves." My, how things have changed.

To all who think Iran doesn't have expansionist goals, look no further than Lebanon, Syria, and Gaza. These are not the military invasions of the Nazis, but nonetheless military invasions of foreign nations. The Mullahs of the Islamic Republic are very sophisticated, and have a long term strategy. It has been openly expressed in Lebanon recently, where Iranian-sponsored Hezbollah won political veto power (the power to block any law) through force of arms. Hezbollah also has a seperate fiber optic communications network, which the government has no access to. If Hezbollah were a private venture, like a multinational corporation, this might be a small thing. However, when it's in the service of a terrorist group masquerading as a political party, that has military superiority to the elected majority government, we have an Iranian puppet state. Syria is pretty much a wholly-owned subsidiary of Iran, as forced conversion to Shiism gets a pass from the Assad regime, which is neither...

The rise in oil prices is very simple to explain. Someone is offering a higher price for the product, in such quantity that it has driven the market price up worldwide. Speculators are the main culprit, but the demand from China, India, and other emerging economies have put the speculators in this position of power. The speculators also play on fears of wider war in the Middle East, to maintain the price of oil. The US can regulate the amount that speculators can "borrow" to bet on future oil prices. Some say this will curtail the speculators, because they'll have to bet more of their own money. It may even burst the "oil bubble," which by now should be more apparent than either the "housing bubble," or "internet bubble" were, in the past. Gas prices in Europe have been twice the US price for a long time. This "bubble" hasn't even confronted US consumers with the prices that EU residents have paid for years. I see this as a ...

The probe into Gov. Eliot Spitzer's use of the NY State Police to spy on his political opponents has mushroomed into a larger investigation into a police unit that dates back to Gov. Pataki, and has spread into the NYS Power Authority. Daniel Wiese used to head Gov. Pataki's NYSP detail, and "was improperly named the authority's inspector general in 2003, under pressure from then-Gov. George Pataki," according to the NY Post ( link ). Gov. Paterson is moving to fire him, but has to wait until he can replace 2 of Pataki's appointments on the PA's board, whose terms expire next week. This is only the tip of the iceberg. Another retired state trooper, Gary Berwick, committed suicide. From the NY Post ( link ): his suicide note suggesting at least partly out of concern over a pending appearance before Cuomo's investigators. (Spitzer's hooker woes apparently concerned him as well.) Berwick once headed then-Gov. George Pataki's security detail (as di...

I caught some of the PBS Newshour's reporting on the EPA's decision to propose declaring the Polar Bear "threatened" under the Endangered Spieces Act (ESA). Their online report is excellent, and worth examining. The transcript of their analysis reveals Gwen Ifil interviewing DIRK KEMPTHORNE, U.S. Interior Secretary, and ANDREW WETZLER, Natural Resources Defense Council: They also have links to a transcript of Sec. Kempthorne's remarks , with diagrams, and one to a digest of the EPA law and updates . While the factual reporting was excellent, it raised more questions than it answered. To synopsize where we're at, for those who don't know, three environmental groups, including the Natural Resources Defense Council, sued the EPA to make a ruling on whether to propose listing polar bears as "threatened" under the ESA. The EPA has dragged it's feet on this, postponing the ruling twice already. The enviromental groups won in court, and the EPA ma...

Hillary is "No regular candidate, she's Wonder Woman!" according to Jim McGowan, D (MA), speaking to Meagan Kelly on "the Big Story." Edwards endorsement of Obama is like "being endorsed by Ryan Seacrest," according to Dennis MIller, speaking to Bill O'Reilly, who said Edwards resembled an actor in an awning commercial that airs our local cable systems. WXYZ-TV's Peggy Agar should just "Hold on one second, sweetie," according to Sen. Barack Obama, who never answered her question, though he promised "We'll do a press (availability), thanks." No, thank YOU, Barry, Denny, and Jimmy, for the some interesting, and funny quotes (Honorable mention to Billy, though he didn't rate as "quoteable"). I get this crazy picture in my head, of Edwards and Ryan Seacrest setting up an awning for Sen. Obama, and Hillary crashing through it in a Wonder Woman outfit. Analyze that, with a sarcastic eye!

I often mention my lovely liberal girlfriend Anna on this blog. She bought me the coolest digital camera for my 46th birthday, last month. Here are some photos from our Mother's Day celebration. Anna's one of those liberals who's proud to display our nation's flag. I took this picture of myself at her door, holding the camera at arm's length. "HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, ANNA! I LOVE YOU, MY HONEY!" I don't have adequate words to describe what Anna means to me (but I'll try, of course! lol). I don't know how I ever met a woman with such beauty, brains, and heart. I thank God every day for the love we share. Other than my late parents, no one else has been as important in my life. Anna's mom, Giovanna, and Anna's daughter, Jasmine. They've welcomed me as family, and I love them, too! I hope everyone reading this had as wonderful a Mother's Day as we did. See my previous posts about my own late mother, Jo Hurt, and listen to a cli...

Sen. Barack Obama took another definitive step towards the Democratic nomination last night, beating Sen. Clinton by 15% in NC, while losing Indiana by less than 2%. He has taken on the full force of the Clinton machine, and beat the expectations. Does this cement his nomination? Like cement, his road to the nomination has been solidifying with all of his victories, but it's had it's share of stresses, and faults. Last night's results were a "solidifying" event. It may even help with the stresses, and faults his campaign has experienced. I have been, and will continue to be critical of Sen. Obama's positions, but his political skills are to be admired. He has weathered the "Wright" storm, and emerged victorious, at least in one of these two states. His close margin in losing Indiana may show a rebound trend as well, but there aren't many primaries left to trace any "trend" in. It's Sen. Obama's nomination to lose, and has been f...

Sen. Obama said "I could no more disown him (Rev. Wright), than disown the Black community." Well, it looks pretty much like he's disowning Rev. Wright now. Are we to take his lofty rhetoric at it's word? Has he now disowned the Black community? I can't wait to see the response by Wright's defenders, especially Bill Moyers. Of course, Obama didn't disown the Black community. It was a rhetorical question, but I'm sure some of you of you got my point. Obama's original statement was empty rhetoric, much like Rev. Wright's absurd statement that the attacks on him were really attacks on the Black church. Meaningless, and false, if taken at face value. As Obama has disowned Wright, many Black ministers are disputing Wright's implication about these attacks being directed against all Black churches. I still haven't heard a peep from Moyers about this, and don't expect to. The real problem for Obama is the far left wing of his party (people...