Glenn Organizes Like ACORN, the Devil is About Scientology, Hasan Nidal Holds Still

Vincent Carroll
Fareed Zakaria
Dana Milbank

"In the world inhabited by Palestinian children,there is no Israel." - Itamar Marcus

"As Afghanistan opened itself up after the fall of the Taliban, the cuisine, movies, and money that flowed into the country were, naturally, Indian. This is like noting that the United States has had growing influence in Mexico over the last few decades." - Fareed Zakaria

Palinfest '09
Frank Rich
Maureen Dowd
Tina Brown
Bob Franken

I hope you enjoyed last week's Sarah Palinfest. She's still out on her book tour, has sold over 300,000 nationwide so far, and is coming to a small venue near you. If you live in a big town, you'll have to drive to real America and buy her book and have the receipt in order to see her, unless she gets a cramp from signing and takes off in her bus, leaving you in her exhaust where she might see you from her rear window... I'm not going to read it until it appears on the shelves at the library, I'm still 112 on the waiting list for my neighbor Michelle Malkin's tome.

Jealous of Sarah's success, radio pundit and Fox Network opinionator Glenn Beck has announced that he is going to become more of a political/comunity organizer, you know, like ACORN does: “You’re going to learn about finance. You’re going to learn about community organizing. You’re going to learn everything we need to know if you want to be a politician.”

The Times continues: "Glenn Beck, the popular and outspoken Fox News host, says he wants to go beyond broadcasting his opinions and start rallying his political base — formerly known as his audience — to take action. To do so, Mr. Beck is styling himself as a political organizer. In an interview, he said he would promote voter registration drives and sponsor a series of seven conventions across the country featuring what he described as libertarian speakers... Mr. Beck provided few details about his plans for the tour, making it unclear if he truly intends to prod his audience of millions into political action or merely burnish his media brand ahead of a book release." The culmination of his tours will end up in Washington and coincide with a new book release. He hasn't said if he will show up at any of his rallies like he didn't show up at his 9/12 rally. With Glenn you never know if he's serious or just posing, pandering huckster that he is... He would make a great member of Barnum and Bailey. See you at his circus, I'll be wearing my clown makeup...

making nice to India...

To make up to India for the supposed slight of President Obama playing nice with the Chinese, the White House hosted a reception for the 540th birthday of Guru Nanak Dev Ji. Later this week the White House will host a state dinner for the Indian Prime Minister, Monmohan Singh and he will get to air his opinions and grievances: "As far as Afghanistan is concerned, I'm not sure whether the United States and Pakistan have the same objectives. Pakistan would like Afghanistan to be under its control. And they would like the United States to get out soon. The U.S. objectives are to get Pakistan to deal with the Taliban in Afghanistan. But I don't see Pakistan wholeheartedly in support of action against the Taliban in Afghanistan." Other interviews should be interesting from this man.

the rodney dangerfield of religions...

Seems like Scientology just can't get no respect. Started the year after I was born as a joke by the incredibly bad science fiction writer L. Ron Hubbard, it has been trying to gain international recognition as a religion and established church by the men who stole the church from Ron by keeping him a prisoner on his yacht and feeding him drugs and alcohol, stashing him away in an obscure facility in San Luis Obispo... But the church has been vilified and challenged in many European countries, and may be the subject of an Australian Parliamentary investigation:"Scientology—the half-century-old religion made famous by celebrities like Tom Cruise and John Travolta—is facing some of its most significant challenges yet as celebrity members themselves protest the church and governments demand investigation. In Australia, Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has criticized Scientology for "a worldwide pattern of abuse and criminality." A former church employee at the Los Angeles headquarters has a new book out about abuse within Scientology. The church was nearly banned in France last month, and in Belgium, Scientology is facing a criminal investigation. In the U.S., the church was abandoned by Oscar-winning director Paul Haggis, who accused Scientology of homophobia. The Guardian predicts that with rising criticism and attention, next year could be even worse for Scientology than this already difficult one."

In another Guardian column about the new book by ex-Scientologist, it dishes about Tom Cruise: "Marc Headley claims that Cruise would talk to inanimate objects "for hours". No, not Nicole Kidman's face, but ashtrays, bottles, books. "You tell the ashtray, 'Sit in that chair.' Then you actually go over and put the ashtray in that chair. Then you tell the ashtray, 'Thank you,'" is Headley's account of Tom's personal teachings" So Tom is exposed as an airhead, but we knew that already. The use of repetition for hours with certain exercises is similar to the brain washing techniques used in the Islamic madrassahs, that has a person rocking back-and-forth for hours reciting and memorizing the Koran. They both produced a state of mind similar to autism...

ft hood shooting...
Maj Hasan Nidal: "will be confined until his military trial, initially staying in a hospital where he is recovering from gunshot wounds, his attorney said Saturday."

Medically: "Hasan has been at Brooke Army Medical Center since the shooting, and his attorney said Hasan has been told he has permanent paralysis...  Hasan has no feeling from the chest down and has limited movement in his arms." This is a good thing, at least he'll be able to hold still while they administer the lethal injection...

Here is a link to a New York Times interactive special on the victims at Fort Hood. Give it a minute to load on your screen. This is for my Sunday prayer and moment of silence...