I dug up a few fun Hallowe’en pics – enjoy!

And one that I came across while adding images… because it’s just so damned cool.

Akismet has caught 100 spam for you since you first installed it.

One of the best things about Wordpress is the default inclusion of Akismet to keep the spam generators from getting their hooks into the site comments. It’s only a few months since I installed WP, and Akismet has just racked up it’s 100th spam caught. Combined with Bad Behavior, I get zero spam here.

Quite nice.

Occasionally the evening news makes mention of “youths” rioting in France – and the anniversary of last year’s riots. Rarely does anyone make mention that these riots take place during the muslim month-long festival of “ramadan”, wherein the faithful little lemmings fast all day, pig out at sundown, then take to the streets to destroy the things their way of life will never provide them. This article has a few of the details you’ve probably not seen on TV.

World Tribune.com — Ongoing ‘intifada’ in France has injured 2,500 police in 2006

“We are in a state of civil war, orchestrated by radical Islamists,” said Michel Thoomis, secretary general of the Action Police trade union. “This is not a question of urban violence any more. It is an intifada, with stones and firebombs.”

The French Interior Ministry has acknowledged the Muslim uprising. The ministry said more than 2,500 police officers have been injured in 2006. This amounts to at least 14 officers each day.

And this must be an example of those guiltless cats attacking uncovered meat…

“You no longer see two or three youths confronting police,” Thoomis said. “You see whole tower blocks emptying into the streets to set their comrades free when they are arrested.”

Outrage as Muslim cleric likens women to ‘uncovered meat’

A Muslim cleric’s claim that women who do not wear the veil are like ‘uncovered meat’ who attract sexual predators sparked outrage around Australia yesterday.

Sheik Taj Din al-Hilali, the nation’s most senior Muslim cleric, compared immodestly-dressed women who do not wear the Islamic headdress with meat that is left uncovered in the street and is then eaten by cats.

This man is representative of the “intellectual” class who interpret islam for the masses.

There were women, he said, who ’sway suggestively’ and wore make-up and immodest dress “and then you get a judge without mercy and gives you 65 years. But the problem, but the problem all began with who?” he said, referring to the women victims.

Addressing 500 worshippers on the topic of adultery, Sheik al-Hilali added: “If you take out uncovered meat and place it outside on the street, or in the garden or in the park, or in the backyard without a cover, and the cats come and eat it..whose fault is it – the cats or the uncovered meat?

“The uncovered meat is the problem.”

No recognition that the animals who can’t control their primitive urges are to blame… blame the ‘meat’.

Women, he said, were ‘weapons’ used by Satan to control men.

There’s the punchline: the little panty-waist is intimidated by women. It’s refreshing when these barbarians reveal themselves for the asshats they truly are, makes it so much easier to put them in the spotlight.

Edit: LGF linked to the full speech… it’s even worse.

Don’t be a victim. Don’t be stupid.

FRAUDULENT SPAM E-MAIL CLAIMING TO BE FROM FBI DIRECTOR MUELLER

We have become aware of a bogus spam e-mail claiming to be from FBI Director Robert Mueller III. This scam appears to be a typical Nigerian scam; however, the attempt to defraud victims comes in two separate e-mails. The same e-mail address is used to deliver both phases of the spam.

The first e-mail claims to be from FBI Director Robert S. Mueller III. It advises recipients that they are the beneficiary of a large sum of money and that they can claim the money by providing an FBI Identification Record and a Certificate of Ownership. To make the message look more legitimate, information is pasted in the e-mail from the FBI.gov web site defining what an Identification Record is and how to obtain it from the Criminal Justice Information Services Division.

The second e-mail claims to be from Donna M. Uzzell, FBI Compact Council Chairman. The message informs the recipient the Certificate of Ownership is supplied, for a fee, by the country where the funds originated. It requires the recipient to respond to the e-mail for instructions on sending the money to FBI Nigeria, which then will issue the certificate.

At this point the message becomes more threatening, stating the FBI has investigative programs which can track down those who fail to provide the requested documentation. It further states failure to comply will result in charges being brought against the individual by the FBI.

THIS EMAIL IS A HOAX. DO NOT RESPOND.

Learn to spot a hoax, the following are reference sites you should be familiar with:

Vmyths: Virus Myths and Hoaxes
Snopes: The definitive Urban Legends website (link goes to page on Nigerian (419) scam page)
National Consumer’s League Fraud Information Center

I like Penn and Teller’s magic shows; and while I didn’t care much for the few episodes of “Bullshit” I’ve seen, this one stands out as a must-see episode:

This person is a muslim teacher’s assistant who recently sued her employer (and won) for victimization after being suspended from her duties for refusing to take her mask off while teaching. Her employer is/was the Headfield Church of England junior school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire, which says face to face communication is vital to their curriculum.

Well, those silly Catholics. How dare they assume the person they hired wasn’t hiding anything during the interview. How obtuse of them to not ask up front whether she would be hiding her face whenever a male colleague was in the room. After all, surely she hid her face from her male interviewer? (well, no – as she finally admits to in the television interview linked below)

Of course, if you listen to her side, it’s not a matter of not taking off the mask. It’s only about not taking off the mask when there were male colleagues around.

A Muslim teaching assistant who was suspended by her school has denied she refused to take off her veil while in class.

Aishah Azmi insisted she had always been willing to remove the veil in front of children at Headfield Church of England junior school in Dewsbury, West Yorkshire – but would not do so while male colleagues were present.

And somehow this makes it all right. Obviously there’s no room in the workplace for face-to-face communication.

Notice how she tries not to answer the questions that shows her hypocrisy: Did you hide your face when you were interviewed, and was there a man present then? Did you tell them you planned to hide your face while performing the job you’re being interviewed for? Then she goes on to compare her actions to speaking on the telephone… lovely.

And this isn’t a unique situation. These backwards leaning people are all around us; they’re just being dragged into the public eye for their screwball practices more and more each day.

Here’s a lovely example of a “devout muslim” who manages to turn her desire to remain masked in public into a slam on the U.S. legal system:

Muslim woman refuses to remove her veil in court, so judge tosses case

A devout Muslim, she wore a niqab – a scarf and veil to cover her face and head except for her eyes – Oct. 11 as she contested a rental car company’s charging her $2,750 to repair a vehicle after thieves broke into it.

Judge Paul Paruk said he needed to see her face to judge her truthfulness and gave Muhammad, 42, a choice: take off the veil when testifying or the case would be dismissed. She kept the veil on.

“I just feel so sad,” Muhammad said last week. “I feel that the court is there for justice for us. I didn’t feel like the court recognized me as a person that needed justice. I just feel I can’t trust the court.”

I side with the judge on this one. I don’t remember the exact quote, but it wasn’t long ago while watching Discovery or National Geographic that I watched a program that described human communication and the reliance on facial expression and body language. It’s only natural to be uncomfortable while talking to someone who hides behind a mask.

TERRORISM HAS NO RELIGION

Our mission is to expose the fallacy of the distorted and politicized Islamic teachings used by ungodly extremists to sanctify and justify terrorism.
It has become crucial to inform the Muslim and Arab people -particularly the Iraqi people- about the deceptions terrorists employ in distorting the peaceful teachings of Islam.
These terrorists, who claim to follow the Islamic Faith, are in truth only drowning in an abyss
of mistaken beliefs.

Impressive effort – let’s hope the message gets through.

Bush signs law authorizing harsh interrogation | News One | Reuters.com

WASHINGTON (Reuters) – President George W. Bush signed a law on Tuesday allowing tough CIA interrogation and military trials for terrorism suspects, triggering bitter election-year denunciations from Democrats.
[...]
In a White House ceremony, Bush signed the Military Commissions Act of 2006. He said the new law, the product of frantic September negotiations when senior Republicans broke with him, would bring to trial some of those believed complicit in the September 11 attacks.

The new law means Bush can continue a secret CIA program for interrogating terrorism suspects whom he believes have vital information that could thwart a plot against America.

Human rights groups charge that the measure, likely to face legal challenges that go up as far as the Supreme Court, would allow harsh techniques bordering on torture, such as sleep deprivation and induced hypothermia.
[...]
Democrats wasted no time firing back

After years of this Congress accomplishing little to nothing, a bill that might actually bear teeth is passed, and the President had the honor of signing it into law today. Of course the dummocrats fired back. They recognize this action for what it is – something they know will hurt their surrender-monkey attitude when election day rolls around.

The Reuters slant on this article was not missed… I’m only surprised they didn’t claim the law approved outright torture.

WRAL.com – News – Former Judge Looks Forward To Political Return After Prison Term

RALEIGH, N.C. — He’s a disgraced former elected official who was just released from prison for his role in a public corruption scandal. But Garey Ballance doesn’t think he’s down and out. In fact, he’s already talking about getting back into politics.

In August, Ballance walked out of a federal prison where he had served eight months of a nine-month sentence for a misdemeanor income tax charge. On Friday night, however, the former district court judge’s friends surrounded him at a reception in Raleigh held in his honor. He said he’s relieved and ready to put his jail term behind him.
[...]
Garey Ballance was in the same prison where his father is serving a four-year sentence for mail fraud and money laundering.
[...]
Before that happens, Garey Ballance has to go before the state’s judicial standards, which could bar him from ever running for a judicial seat. Also, he still has to deal with his State Bar suspension, which he said would end in a few days. He said he’s also looking forward to returning to practicing law.

I’m not from North Carolina, but I ended up staying here when I retired from the Marine Corps. Lately it’s become glaringly obvious that the state has some seriously retarded political issues affecting it’s residents. Can you say “Mike Nifong”? I knew you could.

So this corrupt judge wants to step back into the loving arms of the Democrapic party of North Carolina, and all he needs is a few political cronies to accept his apology, declare his punishment “served”, and sign the paperwork putting him back in the courtroom. Great.

By the way, regarding Ballance’s dear old dad;

On September 2, 2004, Ballance was indicted on federal charges including, money laundering, mail fraud, and conspiracy to commit mail fraud with his son, Garey Ballance, a state district judge in Warren County, North Carolina. Garey Ballance is also charged in the indictment with income tax evasion.

The charges arose after allegations were made that the elder Ballance took $2.3 million in state funds he secured as a State Senator for the John A. Hyman Memorial Youth Foundation and used the cash for the enrichment of himself, his family, and his church.

On November 9, 2004, a plea agreement was reached under which Ballance pleaded guilty to one count of conspiracy to commit mail fraud and money laundering. In January, 2005, he was disbarred from the practice of law in the state of North Carolina. On October 12, 2005, he was sentenced to four years in prison, two years supervised release, and fined $10,000.

Yeah, two peas in a pod. Perfect Ballance.

Thanks to Sweetness & Light for the heads up.

(Click image for full size (LARGE) image)

Fireworks light the night sky at memorial dedication event

10/14/2006 – WASHINGTON (AFPN) — The evening skies over the national capital region were lit Oct. 13 by a fireworks display at the Air Force Memorial, which will be dedicated to the nation in a ceremony today at Arlington, Va.

After the formal lighting of the spires for the first time, guests were treated to the colorful display set to the song “Stars and Stripes Forever.” Guests included Air Force Chief of Staff Gen. T. Michael Moseley, Secretary of the Air Force Michael W. Wynne and many members of the Air Force Memorial Foundation.

The memorial, composed of three bold and graceful spires soaring skyward to a height of 270 feet, will be dedicated and given to the nation by the Air Force Memorial Foundation at an official ceremony at 1:30 p.m. Oct. 14. The memorial sits on a three-acre promontory next to Arlington National Cemetery, a short walk from the Pentagon.

Congratulations to the men and women of the United States Air Force, past and present, as the nation celebrates your service with the opening ceremony for the latest service memorial in Washington, DC. /salute

A blonde enters a store that sells curtains. She tells the Salesman, “I would like to buy a pair of pink curtains.”

The salesman assures her that they have a large selection of Pink curtains. He shows her several patterns, but the blonde seems to have a hard time choosing.

Finally she selects a lovely pink floral print. The salesman then asks what size curtains she needs.

The blonde promptly replies, “Fifteen inches.”

“Fifteen inches?” asked the salesman. “That sounds very small – what room are they for?”

The blonde tells him that they aren’t for a room, but they are for her computer monitor.

The surprised salesman replies, “But miss, computers do not need curtains!”

The blond says, “Hellllooooooooo! I’ve got Windoooooows!”

This has been talked about all over the news since yesterday… if you haven’t seen it yet, here it is!

(link)

Mr. Zucker deserves some credit for his efforts – here’s his filmography on IMDB.

Mexico May Take Fence Dispute to U.N. – washingtonpost.com

PARIS — Mexico’s foreign secretary said Monday the country may take a dispute over U.S. plans to build a fence on the Mexican border to the United Nations.

Luis Ernesto Derbez told reporters in Paris, his first stop on a European tour, that a legal investigation was under way to determine whether Mexico has a case.

The Mexican government last week sent a diplomatic note to Washington criticizing the plan for 700 miles of new fencing along the border. President-elect Felipe Calderon also denounced the plan, but said it was a bilateral issue that should not be put before the international community.

You have to be FUCKING kidding me. The Mexican government’s welfare program (print maps and comic books pointing north, give them out for free) is at stake here, so I can understand their concern, but how can this be taken seriously? I’m not even going to get into the talk of the law passing but the funding never appearing.

John Bolton, please walk over and slap the Mexican ambassador in the head.