American Soldiers Cleared in Italian Captive Shooting
Funny but I’ve heard little about this by The Old Media. In fact in this article, from the NY Post it is reported that the clearing of the US Military was complete and was the result of a JOINT Italian-American investigation, was told to NBC news specifically. Yet I don’t recall NBC reporting it.
Oh they probably did, somewhere, late at night, as an afterthought, that sort of thing. Yet The Old Media was all over when the incident first occurred. It was rather pathetic at times, our own Media wanting desperately for American soldiers to be cast as criminals.
Ladies and Gems, it’s as simple as this if The Wise I might be allowed to read between the lines: this Communist Italian Journalist was attempting to RAM through an American checkpoint. Never mind the careful use of words and never mind the careful LACK of words, it’s what transpired and those soldiers, serving us and liberating Iraqi citizens did exactly what they were supposed to do. It’s why they even have checkpoints.
The Wise I suspects there’s even more to this story and the Italian government was happy to “investigate” with the United States.
Seems it was only The Old Media determined to immediately find our soldiers guilty.
U.S. soldiers reportedly have been cleared of wrongdoing in the shooting of an Italian journalist and an intelligence agent last month in Baghdad. U.S. military officials told NBC News that a joint American-Italian investigation found the soldiers acted properly in firing on a car bearing a just-freed hostage, journalist Giuliana Sgrena, and an intelligence officer, Nicola Calipari.
The car was about 130 yards from a checkpoint when the soldiers flashed their lights to get it to stop. They fired warning shots when the car was within 90 yards of the checkpoint, but at 65 yards, they used deadly force. Calipari was killed and Sgrena wounded.
The incident enraged Italy, whose support for the war in Iraq was already weakening.
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The Vicious Bolton Hearings
Yes, I know the Dems have been blocking hearings on Bush judicial nominees and have put every Bush appointee through hell. I recall Condaleeza, Gonzales and others. All grilled by coiffed Senators that had every intention of confirming the nominees but two things: media face time for my minority self and a chance to cast aspersions on Republican nominees because hey, you never know. Someday Condi might be discovered to be a closet Dominitrix, already hinted at by her long boots worn during a recent European visit. At that time the same senators who were so very nasty and wanted media face time, well hey, they can say they were right.
Not that our elected officials shouldn’t be conducting the nation’s business and not simpering before fawning media cameras spouting lies and accusations made up out of whole cloth.
Now the elected officials are grilling hapless Bolton for nominee as ambassador to the UN. Yes, I know he’s not hapless. Bolton is a very strong and capable man as I read. Sometimes he even dresses down subordinates. Not that none of us living out here in la-la land have ever been scolded by a boss or something. One incident when a subordinate was dressed down by Bolton was ALL they had on the guy.
Sheesh, I’m delighted to hear that someone in the bureaucracy is making those taxpayer paid freeloaders do their job.
More pathetic is how the Washington Post took on Bolton for how he dresses! An especially vicious and nasty attack which will be featured in a Miscellany post later this week.
Came across the pic below, a take-off on the famous Iraq criminal playing cards issued to the military early in the Iraq war. It’s how the liberals view Bolton and if he scolds subordinates and dresses badly, well the world should know this!
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Al Sharpton Swindling Money? Who Knew?
As a result of the great senate Democratic attack machine out to get Tom Delay it would seem a whole bunch of Democrat senators are receiving scrutiny.
For what’s right about pointing a collective finger at Representative Delay for having his wife and son on his campaign payroll when most of the finger pointers have done the same and worse?
Not that, and this is important, such practice is illegal. I’ll go out on a limb here and state that us Americans out here in la-la land aren’t unfamiliar with such nepotistic practices. It goes on all the time. Friends recommend cousins for an open position, mothers hire daughters to help out in the office over summer. It’s only when such common practices become abuse, and yes it does happen, that it’s a problem. So far as I’ve seen none of the Democratic senators now having their own reviews over the hiring of families, and the list is extensive, have done anything wrong.
Except for Al Sharpton who definitely crosses the line.
Al Sharpton
From the NY Post
The FBI, as part of an ongoing criminal investigation into the Rev. Al Sharpton, secretly videotaped him pocketing campaign donations from two shady fund-raisers in a New York City hotel room and then asking for more, it was reported yesterday.
Yet the Dems will harp and nag and point fingers at Tom Delay of all people, giving shady Al, as always, a permanent pass.
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Wisconsin and the Cats
Go with me here. I am owned by six cats so I like them.
But there is nothing more annoying and destructive than a loose cat allowed to prey upon the bird feeders and songbirds upon. Loose cats also stalk nests and love to tear down a nest and kill all nestlings within.
Yes it’s nature. Although, no. No it’s not. Loose domestic cats are fed by their owners. They do not need that nest of titmouses to live. If the cat was starving and killed the baby birds to live, well that’s nature.
So I imagine an explosion of feral counts estimated in the thousands is a real problem. I’ll not mock Wisconsin and its concern over a feral cat population that is out of sync with the natural bird and rodent population.
Hey, Wisconsin, there’s got to be a better way. Allowing hunters to shoot these wild cats is just plain weird. In fact, the Governor of Wisconsin has stated that he will not sign any such law and is tired of Wisconsin being a national laughing stock.
Yeah, Governor Doyle, America does laugh. Come on, shooting them?
You know what I envision should Wisconsin hunters be allowed to shoot feral cats? A bunch of Wisconsin Jethros grabbing their shot guns and going out for a hilarious day of shooting cats.
It makes no sense and it a bit sick. A season for cat hunting?
Oh, and just show one video, one grainy cell phone video of a mama cat shot and bleeding in agony as her kittens meow helplessly over her destroyed body, hey one single video of this sight gets out into the cable news networks and Wisconsin is crap in the eyes of America.
It’s how it works and Governor Doyle, be you Repub or Dem, hats off to you.
Now to really handle that cat problem, do the following. Go out and scout where the largest population of feral cats hang out. You’ll not find them all but there’s likely strategic spots they hang out, around dumpsters, behind shopping centers, that type of thing. Find as many of these highly populated feral cat spaces then one specified night, go out in mid of night and rope off the area.
Then stealthily toss out a pile of fish with sedative enough to knock the cats out. Make it something quick and painless.
Then have the employees go out and gather up the sedated cats and take them to a special vet place already set up and awaiting the delivery. Administer a needle of medicine that will stop their hearts. Cremate all bodies immediately.
No, it’s not nice. Probably more expensive than the massive cat shoot. But if it’s really that big of a problem, hey shooting cats is just plain stupid. There’s something to be said about human sensibilities. The bad sight bites won’t help sale of Wisconsin cheese either.
from WFTV:
Department of Natural Resources Secretary Scott Hassett said there are too many unanswered questions and problems associated with killing stray cats. Wisconsin's Gov. Jim Doyle also said he doesn't want his state to be known as the place where people can legally shoot cats.
He also said "everybody is kind of laughing" at his state right now.
Statewide results of a vote were tallied Tuesday. Overall, Wisconsin residents supported a controversial plan that would allow hunters to take out wild felines that kill birds and other small mammals. Residents voted 6,830 to 5,201 for the plan. DNR officials said the plan passed in 51 counties, failed in 20, and tied in one.
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Political Cartoon of the Week
American Idol-Eight Left
Time to pay closer attention to the top ten in this, the 4th annual American Idol competition. Only it's the top seven by this writing as Nadia Turner, has been eliminated by the voters following the performances on Tuesday, April 12, 2005 in this year of our Lord.
The challenge on this night was for the contestants to perform a song from the year of their births.
We begin with Nadia, a long-running favorite of mine who was as odd-ballish and as devilishly stylish as I've come to expect. She sported a red short fringed affair with hair that was way out. I've always liked Nadia's sense of style. It seems patterned after no other. However, it's the pipes that matter in this contest and Nadia chose to sing some song this night that was almost unknown. Simon called it "musical wallpaper" and I'd have to agree. It's the sort of tune that's playing in the background but nobody notices. It was a Crystal Gayle tune and was a good vehicle for her voice and range. But when down to the very last contestants is a time to knock them out. Nadia failed to do this during this year of birth challenge.
Bo Bice sang "Freebird" by Leonard Skinner. Which is a well-known but cultish sort of song. I like Bo and think he'll be at worst in the top five, at best in the top two. For this night's performance I could only think it was "ok".
Anwar Robinson sang a Dionne Warwick tune. He really looked good on that stage that night, those wild braids pulled back in such a manner as to not detract from his handsomeness. I noticed that Anwar seemed awkward during the singing of his song, a tune that wasn't all that bouncy and not amenable to dance steps. Anwar moved about the stage as if such movement were an afterthought, something he suddenly remembered he should be doing. Randy said he thought that technically Anwar was the best singer of the group. I don't know about that but I do think that Anwar has a chance to make the top five.
Anthony Federov sang a song excellent for his voice and range. All of the judges were favorably impressed with his performance. I thought he exhibited a good showmanship. And while he has a fine voice I still think he's not winning material in this competition.
Vonzell Solomon was the surprise of the night, at least for me. I had, I admit, given Vonzell short shrift. On this night she sang "Let's Hear It for the Boy", not only a great song but a great song for her. I'd give her the nod for the best performance of the night. All of the judges liked her performance as well.
Scott Soval does absolutely nothing for me. Which is not to say much of anything except hey, it’s my opinion. On this competition night, Scott sang a song woefully pitchy. He could not handle the low notes and got off to a bad start. Based on his performance I’d have thought Scott would be first to go.
Carrie Underwood is the darling of this year's competition. At least by my wetted finger held cautiously in the air. She's pretty as a picture, her voice designed to sing soulful country western songs. Although for this performance she did not sing a country song and I suppose it was a wise move on her part. The American Idol competition does not look kindly on singers who stick to one genre. Plenty of time after they win to pursue their own voice. It's to a goal of winning that a diversity of songs should be chosen and performed.
Constantine Maroulis sang a great and challenging song. This fellow still has brooding bedroom eyes that he loves to shine for the camera. He could be the stuff of the top three.
Predictions this week-subject to change:
5-Anwar Robinson
4- Constantine Maroulis
3- Vonzell Solomon
2-Bo Bice
1-Carrie Underwood
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Miss USA 2005
The Wise I only caught the first hour of this beauty contest because, well come the proper time I chose to tune into Greta.
I was a bit intrigued in that the pageant was held in my home town of Baltimore. Even more it was presented in a movie house, the Hippodrome Theater, in which I'd spent many hours as a child. Then the Hippodrome was incarnated again and this time my Dad was assigned to the job. The old "silencing" cushions on the wall used in movie houses during that time were ripped out and my Dad, ever practical, mounted them all in our very own living room. I thought they looked kind of dumb. Visitors raved about how clever they were. Well I guess they had to say that.
Anyway, the contestants were all pretty with that fresh American beauty grown and thrived so well in the United States. I did notice, my elder Grandmother and more prudish self, that the ladies were showing a lot more flesh than yore.
How well I remember the many public debates over whether Miss America should be allowed to wear a bikini. Eventually the pageant allowed "two piece" suits and now I don't know what's allowed.
Some of the gowns the Miss USA contestants wore practically popped out all boobs within and presented them on a visual platter. I didn't see any that I would call obscene but I must wonder why such pretty women feel so pressured to display their breasts. Kind of sad as I see it.
In fact, I came across a bit of a scandal involving this very issue. Only in this year of our Lord, damn, a beauty pageant contestant allegedly was punished for not showing enough flesh! Also some other interesting tidbits I discovered in the pageant "rules".
Miss California, picture below, wore a one piece suit.
Too Many Clothes?
From ISHIPRESS we have:
Of the 51 contestants, representing 50 states plus the District of Columbia, only six chose the one-piece version. The other 45 wore bikinis. The six who did not wear a bikini represented Alaska, California, Florida, Idaho, New Jersey and Washington. All of those six were eliminated before reaching the semi-finals, except for Miss California, who was eliminated before reaching the finals.
The Post reports that Contest Judge Jermaine Jackson, brother of Michael Jackson, deducted points from Miss California because she did not wear a bikini.
There might be practical reasons for this. A girl might not want to wear a bikini so as not to reveal that she has stretch marks from giving birth to a child, for example. In general, contest rules have been that a contestant must never have been married or given birth to a child. Abortions and miscarriages are allowed, however.
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TV This Coming Week-More American Idol Hype?
On Sunday, April 24, Fox is featuring a show titled "American Top 40".
Don't know what it's about, don't know who's singing, don't know what songs are being sung. I do know that Ryan Seacrest is the host and it's on Fox. I'm thinking the finalists might be singing current popular songs. The Wise I will check in and report back as expected.
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