Yikes, I just stopped by Flopping Aces for my daily dose and apparently they’ve been hacked by someone claiming to be Palestinian. Curt, Wordsmith and Skye have been great friends of this blog. I hope they recover soon.
Hot Air noticed, too.
UPDATE: Whew! It’s back. Congratulations, Curt and all.
Unable to defeat al Qaeda operations in their country, Pakistan has decided instead to attack YouTube, according to the Wall Street Journal;
Service on Google Inc.’s YouTube site was disrupted around the world for several hours Sunday after a botched effort by the Pakistan government to block access to a video clip critical of Islam.
The incident, which is still being investigated by YouTube, underscores the vulnerability of the global communications infrastructure. The unusual circumstances surrounding the breakdown also point to the growing role sites like YouTube have played in spreading politically charged content — including in Pakistan, a nation that is already a tinderbox of political tensions.
The story began unfolding Friday when the Pakistan Telecommunications Authority, the nation’s telecom regulator, ordered Pakistan’s Internet service providers to immediately block access to a specific YouTube video which it said was so incendiary it could trigger riots. A senior official at the authority said it also contacted YouTube, requesting that the site remove the video. The PTA argued the clip was a violation of YouTube’s terms of service, which ban hate speech. YouTube has since removed the clip. The site says it does not comment on reasons for removing specific videos.
I noticed all of my videos on this site whited out yesterday and I couldn’t get to YouTube to straighten them out – now I know why. The Pakistanis tried to use a sledge hammer to fix a watch.
Maybe instead of trying to censor the whole world’s viewing of free videos, the Pakistanis should take a little time and explain to their people that rioting over every little thing is bad for their image.
Over at Babalu Blog, Henry “Conductor” Gomez writes the memo that CNN would have written to their producers (as opposed to the memo that CNN did write) if they’d been a legitimate news organization instead of a group of cheerleaders for every tinpot dictator with an axe to grind with the United States.
Here’s a sample of “Bias, we don’t need no stinking bias“;
* Although the Castro regime blames a lot of Cuba’s economic problems on the US embargo, that argument is countered by the argument that Cuba trades openly with almost every other country in the world including western industrialized democracies like Canada, the UK, France, and Spain and that the bulk of Cuba’s economic problems are due to CASTRO’s failed MARXIST economic polices. While some analysts say the US embargo was a benefit to Castro politically, something to blame problems on, most serious observers recognize that it is a weak excuse for Castro’s own failures. Note that despite the embargo, the United States is currently Cuba’s largest food supplier.
Be sure to read the whole thing.
All of the lunatics are out I guess;
Michael Moore says we should invite the corpse of Fidel Castro to speak at the Oscars if he promises to keep it under 5 hours. “As long as he keeps it under five hours. I’m telling you, that’s got to be a ratings grabber.”
Solomonia has the video of Cindy McKinney in hijab bashing the Jooos for her Muslim buddies.
Ztruth reports Hussein Ibish, founder of the Foundation of Arab-American Leadership claims that bloggers are responsible for Muslim hatred these days – apparently they’d just got the media cowed and now all of these irresponsible independent journalists invoking that pesky 1st Amendment is screwin’ it up for them.
Gateway Pundit writes that the St Louis Dispatch joins those Muslims in bashing his blog and Little Green Footballs’ Charles Johnson. Johnson posts an email exchange with the author.
Chickenhawk Express dredges up an Indymedia report of a “guerilla action” against a recruiting station on 14th Street in DC.
Flopping Aces‘ Curt writes that, of all people, Chris Mathews has exposed the ideological emptiness of the Obama campaign.
SeeDubya‘s dad thinks the Obama campaign looks more a Nazi Rally than an American political campaign.
Jammie Wearing Fool keeps inflation watch on Mgabe’s Zimbabwe – today’s tally; 100,000%.
Moonbattery says that the moonbats are ripening in Berkeley’s trees and almost ready for harvesting.
“Ooops, I forgot that boxcutter in my hollowed out novel” from Michele Malkin.
Wordsmith spots the latest in moonbat automobile-enhancement.
Gribbit compares Obama to Jim Jones with an assist from Halle Berry.
PJ Comix at DUmmie FUnnies has video compilations of the Obama Fainting Brigades
After all of that, click over to the McCain Blogette for more rational people wearing cheesehats.
There’s just too much absurdity going on in the world for you to have to surf looking for it, so I’ve rounded up much of it for you tonight;
An Old Broad’s Ramblings and Bob’s Blog have the video of some guy who obviously knows something the rest of us should know – otherwise, why would he admit to it? But then again – who knows these days?
Pamela Geller at Atlas Shrugs has links to the stories of the latest in eight nights of violence in Denmark in expressions of false outrage.
Drew M. at Ace of Spades and Brennan at the American Pundit both think that maybe Michele Obama is a little too self-centered to be comparing what is happening in her life today to what the rest of us were doing before she and her suit model came along.
Bloodthirsty Liberal writes that village elders are outraged when women voters start voting at the women-only voting station.
At Big Dog’s Weblog, Bill Clinton gives a lesson on “telling the truth”.
Robin at Chickenhawk Express writes that a documentary is due out from PBS and Frontline on the Haditha incident. Speaking of Haditha, Redstate and Michele Malkin are looking for pigsuit wearers to show up at a Murtha payoff dinner in Pentagon City (I’d go if I can get a timeframe).
Crotchety Old Bastard points us to the American Thinker‘s Ari Kaufman’s indisputable worst presidents list.
Somehow, Kosovo independence invokes “down with America” chants according to Gateway Pundit.
Jammie Wearing Fool reports 66,000% inflation in Zimbabwe. What did they expect with a Friend of Carter for president?
Liberty Pundit found all you loser Patriot fans championship hats and shirts.
Little Green Footballs reports on the Muslim Flat Earth Society.
VanHelsing at Moonbattery writes that Brits have discovered the key to a successful socialized healthcare system – more ambulances and bigger parking lots.
Bob Parks at Outside the Wire writes about former conservative Charles Barkley’s swipe at Christians.
Sister Toldjah has all the relevant links for Obama/Che flag controversy while DUmmie FUnnies chronicles the KosKids stroking each other over how this won’t affect Obama. Spree writes that McCain leads Clinton and Obama in Florida. This could get interesting.
(Scroll for updates)
I was really surprised yesterday when I read that the City of Berkeley actually used the whole weight of their legislative body to hamstring the Marines from effectively recruiting in the city. No, I really was surprised. I had no idea how much of a bunch of idiots occupied that town. Call me naive.
Of course, Code Pink says it’s a real victory for free speech. I don’t know how they figure that. By harassing people at their jobs, they’ve characteristically ended the freedoms of not only those Marines, but their prospective recruits. I know it’s hard for Code Pink and the Berkelians to believe, but a whole shitload of us weren’t seduced by recruiters to join the military. Some of us felt it was our obligation and duty (of course, I shouldn’t expect any of you to understand those complicated terms, sorry)
At An Old Broad’s Ramblings, I read that Jim DeMint wants to cut off the US government’s funding for the town. Makes sense to me. If they don’t like government operations in their city, they should not like all of the money the government spends there, too. Well, unless they’re hypocrites, of course.
Big Dog’s Weblog says we should boycott. Well, I would but I’ve never been to that place and I wouldn’t know how to boycott a city which has as it’s only export idiots and morons, seein’s how I avoid idiots and morons as soon as I identify one. I don’t think I’ve ever met anyone from Berkeley, well, except David Horowitz.
I guess I always took the advice that Baldilocks offers;
It’s like having crazy family members: you stay away from them unless they’re hurting somebody or somebody is hurting them.
Michele Malkin reports that one of the councilmembers is having voter’s remorse;
One Berkeley City Councilwoman now says she’s “ashamed†of her vote. Idiot:
“I’m ashamed of my vote,†said Councilwoman Betty Olds, who helped approve the parking spot but not the condemnation. “The protesters should have free speech – this is where Free Speech was born, after all – but to tell the Marines they are not welcome is shameful. If I had to do it again, I wouldn’t even go for the parking spot.â€
Yep, the shame will come for them all eventually. I remember the “shame” Vietnam protesters felt when history was written about their escapades, and the grownups got to write the history of the ’60s. How ashamed they are now of their behavior towards the veterans of that war – especially now that the Vietnam veterans have banded against the current crop of US-hating hippies. The chickens came home to roost for the Vietnam veterans, they’ll come for the younger generation, too.
And Berkeley is already covered in chickenshit.
Oh, and in a steel cage death match, one squad of Marines could take on the whole city, in case anyone is wondering.
Sign the petition at Move America Forward and if you missed the whole thing, get a recap at Yankee Mom.
Pam Meister at Blogmeister USA republishes an email from Move America Forward that announces their plans to counterprotest the protesters at the Berkeley recruiting station.
And Zombietime (hat tip to Little Green Footballs) has photos of the protest. It’s pretty well gotten out of hand, as things usually do in Berkeley;
Marooned in Marin reports that Barbara Boxer’s office has condemned Jim DeMint for suggesting that Berkeley should be hung out to to dry by the Federal government.
Michele Malkin reports that the SFGate says we bloggers are unhinged. Have the SFGate folks taken a look at the lunatics that are protesting? Neptunus Lex says we should ignore tham. Yankee Mom has all of the relevant phone numbers and email addresses.
Skye and the West Chester County folks are still holding the protesters near Philly back.
Some of you may remember how the Iraq Veterans Against the War had a bus that burned and the whackosphere, naturally figured that it was some vast cabal of terrorist rightwingers who targeted their broken-down piece of shit bus for a firebombing.
From OpEdNews.com;
Jim saw, in retrospect, some suspicious activity outside the bus, and about 20 minutes later, the entire engine compartment, and back of the bus was engulfed in flames. Mr Goodnow speculates that the cause could have been anything from ARSON, to ATTEMPTED MURDER. He plans to notify the ATF Arson Squad on Saturday morning.
See, I doubted this from the start because of the “Jim saw, in retrospect…” comment. How can a person see in retrospect? You either see or or you don’t see. And the “arson and attempted murder” seemed too good for the mainstream press to just ignore – if it were true.
But the story of good ole Jim, the hippie-turned-bus-driver-turned-CSI-investigator struck a melodic note with the Leftosphere;
I have no trouble believing that someone gave Jim’s bus trouble precisely because of what it was. Do I think it was part of a planned, organized, effort? I don’t know, and to be honest, I doubt it. I rather suspect this took place as a result of a couple people of violent political persuasions, who happened to see the target, said “That Ain’t Right” and decided to do something about it. Spontaneity explains why the fire was able to be put out, and why Jim was able to escape. I don’t think there was a deliberate attempt to murder Jim, but I suspect that the culprits, if in fact my theory is correct, likely didn’t give a thought to his presence either way.
Well, Denis Keohane (who, himself, catalogs quite nicely some of the whackier mind-droppings from the Left) at Obiter Dictum (h/t to Robin at Chickenhawk Express) got tired of waiting for someone to tell him what happened and made a few calls;
Photos of the bus being towed showed that the tow truck belonged to Riehl’s Towing & Maintenance, which I found out was in Clarksboro, NJ. Riehl’s told me that the responders were members of the Carney’s Point Fire Department. When I contacted them, the Deputy Chief told me that there was no arson investigation and would not be. The fire began in the closed engine department and burned outward, and was believed to have been caused by an equipment malfunction or failure. There was no indication of, much less evidence of arson.
They knew that weeks ago. The day after the fire Riehl’s towed the truck to a salvage yard, not a facility where criminal evidence would be kept.
So why has IVAW and others let the story and assumption of an intentional crime linger, when they could have cleared it up?
Well, Denis, that’s because the truth is apparently too boring. It’s much more exciting when the insolent little children of IVAW pretend to be “raging against the machine” – but that machine turns out to be an ill-maintained bus.
I suspect it’s the same kind of disingenuous crap that’ll come out of the Winter Soldier II “hearings”. Stuff that doesn’t fit the message won’t make it into the testimony. The Scott Thomas Beauchamp/New Republic template.
Good detective work, Denis.
Kamangir the Archer translated a Persian-language blog which asks all bloggers to announce their solidarity with the imprisoned Iranian students on January 30th. I proudly stand with these students and everyone worldwide imprisoned unjustly.
When I was about the same age as many of these students, I was imprisoned, unjustly, in a foreign prison for a brief period. I was stuffed in a small cell in the basement of a cinderblock prison with a concrete floor in solitary confinement. My bed was a newspaper, my toilet was a milk carton that I emptied every other day. I got one cold shower every week. For breakfast we got warm brown water they called coffee and a roll, lunch was watery soup and bread and for supper, we were fed noodles with warm ketchup – they called it spaghetti. If we weren’t on our feet when the guards came through in the morning, we got a beating. In fact, there were more ways to get a beating than there were ways to avoid a beating.
The only thing that kept me going was knowing my government would get me out – which they did eventually. I can’t imagine the psychological pressure these students endure knowing that their government is the entity that has imprisoned them. That their release depends on the whims of a sociopath.
This blog stands with prisoners of conscience in Venezuela, Cuba, Iran, China, North Korea and wherever else governments persecute their people. 365 days every year.