Conventional Way to Drink Tea, al Qaeda blamed for Mortar Attack on Shias, Todd's E-mails

Paul Krugman
Dana Milbank
Jane Mayer

"Fear-mongering on the deficit may end up doing as much harm as the fear-mongering on weapons of mass destruction." - Paul Krugman

"We have saved western civilisation and let me tell you it is at stake again. It's not at stake from the Nazis or the imperial Japanese or even the Communists. It's at stake because this cult of multiculturalism has eroded the entire fabric of western civilisation. You look at Western Europe today, what do you have? Islamification has occurred and it's because people won't stand up for their society." - Tom Tancredo

Can you tell by the intolerant quote that Tom Tancredo, Colorado's home-grown racist, was speaking at the Tea Party Convention in Nashville? Tom and I do agree on one thing: Thank God that John McCain didn't win the election. Of course, Tom feels that John is too moderate, and I feel that John is just a politician who will say one thing because he thinks you want to hear it, then flip-flop later when its convenient. Plus, his temper that he can't control makes him the worst case for a candidate, and he will probably loose his re-election later this year.

Later today the Tea Party is going to give a press conference telling us what its plans will be for this election year, taking it nationally. No surprise, I'll tell you what it is. first, concentrate on winning seats locally, in your hometown and County. Then, work to promote state candidates. After building a vast organization linking all of the disparate Tea Party groups, go for the big prize, the presidency. The organizers of the convention are doing this to make money, and hope to be a force on the national, level if they can escape the allegations of trying to make money off of other people's hard work...

 Fox News reports that: "Volunteers here intend to propose a series of broad "First Principles" which have already been generally embraced by most Tea Party chapters around the country. They include: fiscal responsibility, upholding the constitution, and national security.

Prospective political candidates will be expected to support the Republican National Committee platform, though without any specific litmus or purity test.

If a particular candidate meets the proposed Tea Party criteria he or she would be eligible for fundraising and grassroots Tea Party support.

Once elected to office, members would be required to join a Congressional Tea Party Caucus, attend regular meetings and be held accountable for the votes they cast. Those who stray from the Tea Party path would risk losing it's support and a likely re-election challenge. Organizers suggest creating political action committees, a large scale fundraising apparatus, and starting the development of a national network of pro bono attorneys to deal with the myriad legal-political riddles that such undertakings face in campaigns and elections.

Here is a report of an al Jazeera reporter meeting Judson Phillips, the head organizer, and his reaction. It's pretty funny: "I walked up and introduced myself to the organiser, Judson Phillips. He enthusiastically shook my hand, right up until I said I worked for Al Jazeera English. His face instantly froze, he quickly dropped my hand and simply said, "Oh".


I asked him if he had an issue with our network and he said, "Yes, I do." When I asked him what it was, he replied, "I'm an American." I said, "I don't understand, sir. We are not anti-American and I'm offering you the chance to have your voice heard on our news channel. We want to hear your views."


As Judson's eyes darted around the room he said, "Uh, I'll need some time to think about who I want to talk to. But, uh, I appreciate you coming." And he walked off. He headed straight to his media manager to complain about our presence..."

Last, here is a link to the five most influential people to look for at the convention, including Tom, Joseph Farah, Sarah, who will be speaking Saturday night and will be shown on several cable news sites, and Judge Roy Moore. The author, John Avalon, says that the average tea partier is the real star: "Most Tea Party protesters I have interviewed are engaged, if enraged, citizens. They are not fools; they have read their Founding Fathers. But their anger and alienation have been pumped up to a fever pitch by political operatives and partisan entertainers who get great ratings from cultivating conflict, tension, and resentment. There are different tribes and tributaries in this movement, from small business owners angry at the bailouts given to banks, to people suffering from mild cases of Obama Derangement Syndrome, to the full-fledged Hatriots—those people who believe that it’s patriotic to hate the president. " Anybody who will scotch-tape a tea bag and let them hang down from various places on their bodies has to be a lot of fun, or a cheap source of antioxidants...


mortared and pestled...
Well, it's that time of year again, kill a Shiite in Karbala, Iraq... Over ten million pilgrims have journeyed to take part of a grieving ceremony performed in Karbala, where the Prophet's grandson, founder of the Shia way of life, was buried. "Arbaeen marks 40 days after the Ashura anniversary commemorating the slaying of Imam Hussein, grandson of Prophet Mohammed (PBUH), in 680 AD." They walk there on foot across Iraq, and present easy targets.

All week long there have been suicide bomb attacks, and now, a mortar attack that killed 41 people and left 144 wounded. Government officials are blaming al Qaeda and Baathists, who still support the ghost of Saddam Hussein. Personally, I don't see why al Qaeda would do this other than they are primarily Sunnis, but why blow up fellow Muslims when there are still Americans roaming around? Then, in Afghanistan and especially in Pakistan, using suicide bombers in crowded marketplaces has become the norm. The idea is to spread terror and have people panic, no longer trust the government's ability to protect them.

Using the Baath Party is a better excuse, they could resent the Shia majority ruling the country, with their friendly ties to Iran, and strongly supports outlawing them from any further political activity. But obtaining and using mortars is a far cry from broadcasting old Saddam speeches over a pirate satellite. In fact, the recent court ruling that allows the 500 banned candidates to take part in next month's elections should have taken away any resentments. Once the US military leaves, this could be a prequel to the amount of bombings and violence between the two Muslim groups; they haven't been left alone to have their civil war and kill off the remaining minorities. Of course, a new brand of violent democracy may be emerging, where you try to purge your opponents, making the election season hunting season. It fits the aggressive and hot-headed Muslim nature. If only they would limit themselves to offing rival political parties and leave the innocent alone...


first dude...

When Sarah Palin was Governor of Alaska, and it seems so long ago, it seems that her husband Todd, was her hatchet-man. the State of Alaska turned over 3000 pages of e-mails to NBC that showed that Todd was far more active than was previously believed: "E-mails show Todd Palin was an active, if unpaid, member of former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin's administration, NBC News reported Friday.

They were released because Todd used the governor's offices to send them, thereby allowing them to be archived by the state. I'm sure that this will generate some embarrassing stuff and at least several more complaints against the Palin family by their fellow Alaskans, posssibly a lawsuit...

The good news is: "Todd Palin did fill some of the traditional jobs of a governor's spouse, including giving a tea for former governors' spouses." See, he's really a sweetheart. Could have been worse, we might have found out that he supplied the Oxycontin to the other grandmother of Bristol's kid....