All Hail Emperor Rendell!

HT to GrassrootsPA for this unbelievable story:

JUDGE RENDELL: 'BENEVOLENT DICTATOR WOULD REALLY BE GOOD RIGHT ABOUT NOW' TO ENACT 'POLICIES THAT WE ALL WANT'

Judge Rendell Endorses Dictatorship
Thomas Jefferson wrote, “The natural progress of things is for liberty to yield and government to gain ground.”

The separation of powers is one of the checks and balances our founding fathers built into our system of government intended to protect our liberties.

James Madison wrote concerning the separation of powers, “An elective despotism was not the government we fought for; but one in which the powers of government should be so divided and balanced among the several bodies of magistracy as that no one could transcend their legal limits without being effectually checked and restrained by the others.”

On November 8, 2007 a panel discussion was held in Philadelphia by The National Association of Women Judges entitled, "Separation of Powers: What Does It Mean?” Governor Rendell’s wife, a federal judge and member of the panel, made a shocking statement that should have made headlines the following morning. Following her comments lamenting that there are issues that are not going to be resolved legislatively because they are so difficult, issues such as health care, immigration reform, social security and a national gun law, Judge Rendell stated, “Gee, a benevolent dictator would really be good right about now to, to put in health care and to put in some of these policies that we all want, but somehow the gridlock within the legislature makes it impossible.”

First, Mrs. Rendell should know that a “benevolent dictator” is an oxymoron. Dictators, tyrants, and despots use force to impose their will upon the people, a force that has murdered millions of human beings throughout history.

The arrogance of Mrs. Rendell’s comments expose the liberal core beliefs of her and her husband that have been evident through the actions of the tax, borrow and spend Rendell administration.

Elitists, like the Rendells, attempt to lead people to believe that only they themselves know what is best for “we the people.” When our representative government works by stopping tax increases, socialized medicine, gun control and amnesty for illegal aliens, the liberals cry “gridlock” because they are not getting their way.

All levels of government, local, state and federal, are subject to being controlled by liberals who think like the Rendells. Individuals, who raise their hand and swear to uphold and defend our constitution, while at the same time harboring disdain for the very government defined in our constitution and for the liberties declared in it, are not upholding their oath of office.

A quote that history has proven true is, “the price of liberty is eternal vigilance,” and 2008 will prove to be no different. I will continue the fight to defend our constitution and our liberties that it declares against all threats, both foreign and domestic.

If you enjoyed this Metcalfe Memo, please feel free to forward it to your friends and family. If you received this Metcalfe Memo from a friend or family member, and you would like to be added to the distribution list, please send an e-mail to adohner@pahousegop.com.

Caption It!

Mayor John Street: Slimy, Sticky-Fingered Prick to the Very End!

Street defends belated raises

"I don't know what the fuss is about," the mayor said. His critics cited credibility and cynicism.

By Patrick Kerkstra and Jeff Shields

Inquirer Staff Writers

Mayor Street vigorously defended yesterday his decision to claim $111,000 in raises that he had forgone since 2004, while critics blasted the maneuver as dishonest and possibly illegal.

Street said the city's financial condition had improved to the point where he felt comfortable taking a 2004 raise and three cost-of-living increases that he also passed up until now.
(TM - OK,...applying that twisted logic, does it mean we could've held a recall vote and chose Sam Katz when the murder rate went up??)

"At the time, I made a decision where I was not going to take the raise, and I didn't. Now I'm in a position to assess the overall finances of the city, the workforce, and a lot of different issues, and I think it's appropriate," Street said in an interview after a police appreciation ceremony at City Hall.

"I don't understand what the fuss is about."
(TM - Still the same clueless motherf**ker you were 8 years ago, huh?)

The fuss, critics said, is about political deceit and the stoking of citizen cynicism.

"The mayor got credit from the public for turning down a big pay raise. Then, by the end of the term, he took it," said City Controller Alan Butkovitz. "It undermines the credibility of the government."

For some of those who have long been frustrated with Street, news of the retroactive raises was a fitting capstone for an administration that is seen to have struggled in its final years.

"This guy just doesn't seem to have a shame bone in his body," said Brett Mandel, executive director of Philadelphia Forward, an organization that promotes tax cuts and good government. "I wouldn't be able to look at myself in the mirror if I'd done the things he's done."

Others wondered what the legal basis was for the payments.

"I think it's outrageous. It's basic political dishonesty, and I really question whether or not it's legal," said David Marston, a former U.S. attorney and Republican candidate for mayor. "It's like he has the power to control the money-dispensing process, and he decided to dispense himself a little more."

All of which hurts the city's reputation and fuels citizen skepticism, said Zack Stalberg, president of the Committee of Seventy, the nonpartisan government-watchdog group.

"The real meaning of this, the $111,000 aside, is that it's this kind of action that makes people cynical about government and, frankly, draws negative national attention," Stalberg said, noting that the story was carried by the New York Times and other publications.

The $111,000 is the difference between the $146,000 salary Street has received for the last four years and the salary he would have received with a 2004 raise to $165,000 and cost-of-living increases approved by Council after that. Street's 2007 salary would have been $186,000.

Butkovitz has asked the City Solicitor's Office to supply a formal opinion on Street's use of retroactive raises, which he expects to get shortly. But Butkovitz said that informal discussions with the Solicitor's Office had convinced him the raises were legally permissible.

Because pay increases for all city employees require a change order to take effect, Street never had to explicitly reject his raise. Rather, he held off on filing his change orders until last week, when his chief of staff filed four orders on the mayor's behalf.

"I didn't make up my mind that I was going to accept the raise until the last minute," Street said.

The accounting was easy. Finance Director Vince Jannetti said his department had been allowing for the mayor's full salary, even without formal word that Street would claim his raises.

Asked why, Janetti said: "Because it may have come up."

In 2003, Street vetoed the City Council bill that granted him and other elected officials raises of about 15 percent. Union negotiations were approaching, and the city's fund balance of $91.3 million was less than a third of what it is today. Given those conditions, Street said at the time, he couldn't support the raise.

"While I value and respect the work of elected officials, I believe providing raises of such magnitude is inappropriate and sends the wrong message to our constituents and employees," Street's 2003 veto message read.

Circumstances have changed, Street said yesterday.

"We were struggling along back in those days, we had a big fight about tax reductions, and I didn't think it was appropriate to do at the time," Street said. "Were we in a different position [today], I probably would not have accepted the raises. I'm entitled to them. And I don't think that there's anything wrong with it."

To be sure, even at the full level of $186,000, Street's salary is far from excessive, given the demands of the job and the pay offered mayors in other big cities.

"It's almost a 24/7 job. Nobody else has a job quite like that. Whether it's Rizzo or Rendell or Street or Mayor-elect Nutter, they all earn their money," said Thomas Paine Cronin, former president of District Council 47 of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees.

In the view of some, the problem isn't the raises or even their retroactive nature. Rather, it's that the raises were not announced and accompanied by a formal opinion from the city solicitor.

"It just looks like he's doing something that is a little bit less than kosher, shall we say," said lawyer Walter M. Phillips, who is chairman of the Pennsylvania Commission on Crime and Delinquency and was chairman of the Philadelphia Ethics Board under Mayor Bill Green.

City Council President Anna C. Verna declined to comment.

"In 11 more days it'll be a dead issue," she said.

And to that, the TrekMedic adds:

Please, dear God, let's hope Nutter makes that statement true!

Merry CHRISTmas to All! (Redux)

So,...proving that miracles DO occur at CHRISTmas time, the dictator of decision-making at work decided that the call volume today didn't warrant the need for a full compliment of crews, so the TrekMedic has been spared another holiday at work. Therefore:



And after all the wrapping paper has been ripped to shreds, and the cats and dogs are chasing each other to play with the ribbons, and the friends and family have all dropped by, feel free to mellow out to this tune:

CLICK HERE!

Merry CHRISTmas again to one and all!

Merry CHRISTmas to All!

The TrekMedic's work schedule and family responsibilities will keep him away from the computer until after CHRISTmas Day. So too all of my gentle readers, a Merry CHRISTmas and Joyous Blessings on this day.

The TrekMedic leaves you this off-kilter version of "God Rest Ye Merry Gentlemen" for your enjoyment.

CLICK HERE!

Even Bob Hope Knew,...

HT to MaddMedic:

Hillary - The Gift That Keeps on Taking,....

Hope she kept the store gift receipts! Maybe people can cash them in and spend it on something important, like support for our troops!

The Leftist MSM Strikes Again!

This mental midget is Time's PERSON OF THE YEAR???

No one is born with a stare like Vladimir Putin's. The Russian President's pale blue eyes are so cool, so devoid of emotion that the stare must have begun as an affect, the gesture of someone who understood that power might be achieved by the suppression of ordinary needs, like blinking. The affect is now seamless, which makes talking to the Russian President not just exhausting but often chilling. It's a gaze that says, I'm in charge.

Putin was "awarded" this honor because he's brought stability back to Russia! So? Mussolini made the trains run on time in Italy. Germany was pretty stable in the 1930's, minus all the Jews, trade unionists, communists and anybody else who disagreed with a sawed-off little paper hanger!

No, friends, if someone deserved to be MAN of the Year, its this gentleman:



Gen. David Petraeus!

But,...he's getting things done in Iraq, so he doesn't count to the left,.....more MSM bulls**t!

**THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!!**

Liberal Motto: When in Doubt, Sling Mud

Liz Spikol, of the Philadelphia, Weakly (a free, extremely liberal paper - free because no right-minded person would waste money on it) follows the Clinton-esque school of mud-slinging in her review of "Murdered by Mumia."

Unable to overcome the facts of the case, which she readily admits here:

It's a long book, with an appendix of trial outtakes and statements by eyewitnesses. It covers such issues as the embrace of Abu-Jamal by Hollywood stars, his appearances on National Public Radio and his multiple legal petitions.

Liz Spikol instead slams and belittles the book's publisher, Lyons Press, by stating:

Murdered by Mumia comes at a time when Abu-Jamal is closer than ever to receiving a new trial. The book is published by the Lyons Press, which describes itself this way: “The Lyons Press is proud to publish the most distinguished list of fishing books in the world.”

The crowd of supporters is made to look like racist buffoons:

An African-American man in a suit—the only black person in attendance—parted the crowd to make way for a man carrying an American flag, another carrying an Irish flag and a fleet of kilted bagpipers who made their way past the international cookbooks, sexuality and inspiration sections. They stopped next to the religious fiction table and played “Amazing Grace.”

and

Behind him, an EMT speculated about pro-Mumia protesters. “If they show up at Geno's, they're going to have problems,” he said, referring to the Sunday-night book-signing at Joey Vento's joint.


And Maureen Faulkner is derisively portrayed:

So what does the death penalty really mean? For Maureen Faulkner, what can bring her peace?

In one part of the book—printed in the Inquirer, which is running multiple excerpts—a reporter asks Faulkner what she wants. She wants Mumia to die. No Amish-style forgiveness. An eye for an eye.

The TrekMedic ponders here: If your name has been dragged through the mud for 26 years, wouldn't you think the same way???

So,...once again, unable to articulate a debate about the facts of the case, the left drags Mrs. Faulkner into the mud, once again.

No wonder the Philadelphia, Weakly is a free paper!

Don't Plan a Vacation Here!

Jeez,..who's your police commissioner, Sylvester Johnson??

Aruba Prosecutors End Investigation Into Disappearance of American Teen Natalee Holloway

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

ORANJESTAD, Aruba — Authorities have closed the investigation into the disappearance of Natalee Holloway and do not have evidence to charge anyone, the prosecutors' office said Tuesday.

The three young men who were last seen with the Alabama teenager have all been notified that they will not be charged, the Public Prosecutor's Office said.

"The public prosecutor's office and the police have gone the extra mile and have exhausted all their powers and techniques in order to solve the mystery of the disappearance of the girl," it said.

The three suspects -- a Dutch college student and two Surinamese brothers -- were seen leaving a bar with Holloway the night she disappeared in May 2005. Police re-arrested them last month in a last-ditch effort to solve the case, but prosecutors said the men did not provide any new information under interrogation.

An attorney for two of the suspects, brothers Deepak and Satish Kalpoe, said prosecutors presented transcripts of online chat sessions that the suspects had with friends as new evidence.

"They tried to call it new, but it didn't have any incriminating points against our clients," attorney David Kock said. "It's like trying to say the Loch Ness monster exists."
(TM - Nessie does exist, I've been to Castle Urquhart myself! What's this bozo's excuse?)

In their statement, prosecutors said they still believe the three were involved in the disappearance, but cannot prove a crime was committed because Holloway's body was never recovered.

Prosecutors said they could reopen the case "if new serious evidence were to be found." The statute of limitations is six years for involuntary manslaughter and 12 years for homicide, they said.

Holloway, of Mountain Brook, Ala., was scheduled to return home with fellow high school classmates celebrating their graduation when she disappeared. She was 18 at the time.

One of the suspects, Joran Van der Sloot, has said he left her alone on a beach the night she vanished but does not know how she vanished.

No trace of Holloway has ever been found despite extensive searches involving hundreds of volunteers, Aruban soldiers, FBI agents and even Dutch F-16 jets with special equipment.

Without Joey Vento - This Could be Us Soon!

Forget the persecution Joey Vento is getting from the City of Philadelphia,...if we don't stop catering to any immigrant group (legal or otherwise) that refuses to assimilate, this is what we have to look forward to:

Miss Belgium Booed for Not Speaking Dutch

Monday, December 17, 2007

Newly crowned Miss Belgium speaks several languages — including French, English and Czech — but it seems that doesn't count for much when she doesn't speak Dutch.

After she failed to answer a question in elementary Dutch and switched to French during Saturday night's competition, 20-year-old Alizee Poulicek was booed by some of the 3,400 fans in Antwerp, the heart of Dutch-speaking Flanders.

In a country that has been without a government for nearly 200 days because of continued strife between Dutch- and French-speaking parties, the beauty queen's linguistic abilities has taken on larger significance.

"Miss Belgium does not speak Dutch," read a headline in the Dutch-speaking Het Laatste Nieuws newspaper Monday.

"Miss Belgium is not 'tweetalig,' " wrote the Francophone paper La Libre, using the Dutch word for "bilingual," to highlight ever-increasing Flemish demands that all Belgians in the public eye should also speak the majority language.

Dutch-speaking Flemings make up 6 million of the 10.5 million Belgians; most of the rest are Francophones, although there is also a small German-speaking community in the east of the country.

After Belgium gained independence from the Netherlands in 1830, French dominated political and economic life. It is only since World War II that Dutch speakers from the north have started turning their demographic dominance into effective power. For the past three decades, all prime ministers have been Flemish, though all also spoke French.

Northern Flanders and southern Wallonia have gained greater autonomy, but many in Flanders still pounce on every perceived linguistic slight.

Poulicek now knows that. The daughter of a Czech father and a Belgian mother, she lives in the French-speaking city of Huy. She spent half her life in the Czech Republic, returning to Belgium just six years ago. Living in the south, she has had little need to speak Dutch.

"I have to try, learn more," she told VRT television in halting Dutch. She continued in French: "I spoke almost no Dutch when I started this adventure."

For Darlene Devos, organizer of the Miss Belgium contest, it could have been a lot worse.

"I don't worry about this too much. It is the least painful thing," she said. "I would consider it different if they had said 'Miss Belgium is an ugly girl."'

At This Time of the Year,...

If its good enough for "W," its good enough around here!

HT to PowerBlog for reminding us that it is still CHRISTmas, and not some secular, generic winter holiday, season:

“You alone are the LORD. You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, the seas and all that is in them. You give life to everything, and the multitudes of heaven worship you.”

Bitch, Slapped (Butt Ugly)

HT to Wyatt:

Does Anyone Have a Problem With This?

....not the TrekMedic,...

Dad Sells 'Guitar Hero III' on eBay After Catching Son Smoking Pot

After catching his teenage son smoking pot, a father sold his son's coveted "Guitar Hero III" video game on eBay as punishment, and made over $9,000, PC World reported.

The father, a Canadian school teacher, spent two weeks searching for the rare video game for the Nintendo Wii gaming system before buying it for his son.

But later, after coming home from work early, he caught his son smoking reefer in the backyard with his "delinquent friends," PC World reported.

• Click here to view the eBay listing page.

In the eBay listing page, the man said he put the video game up for sale to punish his son and discourage him from smoking dope.

"I know smoking a joint isn't the end of the world, but if you can convince me that he deserves the gift, then I will end the auction," it was reported.

The father sold the game to an Australian buyer for $9,100.01, PC World reported.

• Click here to read the full PC World report.

The Catholic Influence on the 2008 Election?

Becky of Just a Girl in Short Shorts posts this fair and balanced observation of the Catholic influence in next year's election:


Will Catholics Elect President Huckabee?

The principal of my Catholic High School had this old, yellowed picture of John Kennedy hanging in a prominent place in her office. Until I got older I didn't get it. I guess it is hard for a kid to appreciate the transcendental shift in the universe that occurred when the country selected the son of an Irish Bootlegger, as the Leader of the Free World.

There has not been a Catholic president since then, and I wonder if it makes a difference these days. I have never personally experienced any discrimination on account of my religion. While there may be a bit of prejudice in some circles, I don't really think there is any overt discrimination against Catholic laypersons, except maybe in the most Klanish corners of the Old South. Of course, the priesthood has their own problem, and it is as much with Catholics, as it is with every other person who is not a NAMBA supporter.

But, I am wondering if a Catholic candidate can count on getting most of the Catholic vote, simply on account of them being one of the faithful. I am sure with JFK, support was much like Notre Dame football frenzy. But the Catholic Church which helped elected Kennedy is a memory even more distant than the dominance of Fighting Irish football.

While Mitt Romney can count on virtually all Mormons, it is a novelty for them. And of course, Mormon votes are quite insignificant compared to Catholic electoral strength

Catholics comprise almost 30% of electorate. And if you look at all recent presidential elections, they are the ultimate swing vote. As the Catholic vote goes, so goes the election.

Formerly, coming from immigrant urban backgrounds, Catholics tended to vote Democratic. But all that has changed. Just ask John Kerry, the last Catholic to be nominated for the presidency.

Of the four Catholics currently asking for a lease on the White House, the one who seems to have the best shot is Rudy Giuliani. But Rudy has one of the big problems that plagued John Kerry, and a few uniquely his own.

Even though it might not be fatal, the twice divorced, proponent of abortion and unrepentant tomcat has a problem, even with young Catholics.

Most younger Catholics are not terribly devout, but still don't like abortion much (even those who are pro-choice), and put a premium on some semblance of sexual morality, no matter how hip they may be.

Of course, with older and more conservative Catholics, Giuliani's position on abortion is an insurmountable stumbling block, made only more slippery by his slimy morals. They are unlikely to take advantage of any ecclesiastical wiggle room which the American Bishops may have bestowed on voters.

To the extent Catholics matter in the Republican primaries, Giuliani can not count on any significant vote. His nominal Catholicism can not even partially remove the stain of his reproductive ideology with conservative Catholics.

In fact, they will probably jump on the rocket candidacy of Mike Huckabee ( though there does remain Catholic distrust of fundie intolerance, but they got over it for George Bush). Huckabee should be able to win over the supporters of former candidate, and socially conservative Catholic, Sam Brownback. Though there was that matter of the nasty little anti-Catholic whispering campaign started up by some of the Baptist minister's followers.

The abortion issue might sharpen the distaste of younger Catholics, but they are more distressed that Norman Podhoretz is Rudy's foreign affairs adviser. And if they perceive Huckabee as another neo-con in sheep's clothing, he's not going to get their vote either. It is possible that a number of young Catholic Republicans might end up throwing their votes to Ron Paul.

Assuming a Giuliani nomination, in the general election, conservative Catholics will console themselves that at least he will be fighting the Muslim infidels more vigorously than the Democratic appeasers. However, despite residual hyper-patriotic neo-Americanism, there is widespread dislike of the Iraq War from top to bottom in the Church. But in the end, it will most likely come down to the hope that Rudy is more likely, than Hillary or Obama, to appoint a Supreme Court Justice who might overturn Roe v. Wade.

Younger and more liberal Catholics, putting less significance on the abortion issue, and it being pretty much a wash between the candidates anyway, will tend to go with the Democrats, who espouse a repudiation of Bush's foreign polices and promise a kinder and gentler nation.

But in the Southwest there is a another issue at play.

Arizona is reddest of the red and it doesn't really matter. And in California there are probably not enough of these swing voters to either put it in or take it out of the Blue column.

ut, a large number of Catholics in the swing states of New Mexico, Colorado and Nevada are of Mexican descent, and Giuliani's prospects would depend mostly on which Rudy showed up in the general election: the old sanctuary mayor, or the border cop of the primaries.

But, all and all, it seems that Giuliani's Catholicism will be of little significance.

If either party nominated a Catholic who was pro-life, pro-immigration , big on national security but committed to toning down and correcting neo-con excesses, endowed with a bit of social consciousness, a family values guy and could at least publicly keep their pants on-- they would be able to get the imprimatur of Catholic voters.

And if the past is any indication, be elected president.

Obviously, there ain't one of them guys around.

But, though he is not Catholic, the closest fit is Mike Huckabee. He is pro-life, a family values guy, but one who seems to have a social consciousness, has no neo-con baggage, and his humane positions on immigration are actually one of the criticisms his hard ass Republican opponents have been throwing at him. The new Republican Rock Star does seem to be doing a bit of a flip flop to appeal to the Nativist mentality, but I suspect he would drift back closer to his true beliefs in the general election.

It seems that is what some Catholics are already thinking.

Terrorists Supporting Shrillary?

From the City Troll (Probably Philly's only other conservative blogger, after Ala and I):

Hillary taking Donations from TERRORISTS

Tamil Tigers for Hillary

No doubt once she's reached for comment, if anyone bothers to question her about it, she'll say she had no idea her campaign was accepting money from a member of a known terrorist organization.

Curious how the major newspapers and television outlets have no interest in this story.

On December 4, 2007, we reported that members of the terrorist organization Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam (LTTE), more commonly known as the Tamil Tigers, were arrested in New York for their plot to use stolen credit card numbers and other methods to steal $250,000 in New York “and tens of millions from ATMs worldwide.”

One of the men arrested worked three jobs at Newark Airport as a security agent and baggage handler with complete security clearance. The Tamil Tigers are well known for their use and “perfection” of terrorists’ “suicide belts” and vests, and the use of females as suicide bombers as illustrated in our report published earlier this month.

Further investigation conducted by this investigator of Tamil Tiger activity in the U.S. confirmed published reports that at least one well-known supporter of that terrorist organization, 56 year-old New Jersey resident Ramanathan Ranjan is actively soliciting funds for New York Senator and Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton

Ranjan, of New Brunswick, NJ was identified as an approved recipient for funds solicited by Pat Pathmakumar through her e-mail campaign containing “Tamils for Clinton” in the subject line. A fundraising event this week in New Jersey at The State Theater in New Brunswick, advertised on Clinton’s web site, offered potential donors tickets ranging from $100 - $2,300, depending upon seat selection. Although the referral list has been removed from the site, the Northeast Intelligence Network was able to secure a list of referrals that included the names of both Ranjan and Pathmakumar.

Notably, Ranjan was an organizer of “LTTE Heroes Day,” an event that praised and eulogized LTTE terrorists and homicide bombers on December 2, 2006. That event was held in the auditorium at the south Brunswick Middle School in New Brunswick, New Jersey. According to reports of the event, the terror group’s flag was raised as those in attendance sang the LTTE anthem.


The post also references the Sri Lankan Ministry of Defence posting regarding the LTTE-Hillary connection.

CLICK HERE to read the Sri Lankan report.

Gotcha!

Massive HT (Helmet Tip?) to Captain America at First In! for breaking this story since, as you read his commentary, nobody from the MSM bothered:

Report: Feds Raid Al Sharpton Offices, Subpoena Financial Records, Employees

NEW YORK — Federal authorities have subpoenaed financial records and employees in an apparent probe of the Rev. Al Sharpton's 2004 presidential bid, nonprofit civil rights group, and for-profit businesses, a newspaper reported Thursday.

As many as 10 Sharpton associates were subpoenaed Wednesday to testify before a federal grand jury in Brooklyn Dec. 26, his lawyer told the Daily News.

They were told to provide investigators with financial records from the campaign and roughly six Sharpton-related businesses, as well as personal financial documents of Sharpton and his wife, the newspaper said.

The FBI and Internal Revenue Service are seeking the records, which go back to 2001, according to the Daily News. LINK

You would think when one of the country's most prominent Civil Rights muckity-mucks gets raided by the IRS it would be a big story. At least worth mentioning anyway right? Not so for CNN. I checked and they had nary a peep about the good Reverend's legal woes, but no less than three other on-line sources were reporting on it. CNN only linked to- get this: a FOX News story! What a sham of a news outlet they are.

Anyway the Rev. Sharpton is apparently in hot water for campaign fund issues, as if anyone thought that money sent to him would end up anywhere other than fast times, fast women and cheap booze. Dopes.

Lets face it: Al Sharpton is a race baiting, hate monger who peddles his racist agenda under the guise of "Justice" wherever controversy erupts. His brand of racial politics and corporate blackmail is exactly what this country could do without. If he is guilty of any crimes relating to the funding of his campaign I hope the judge throws the book at him and he rots in jail for a long time. But somehow I get the feeling he will skate once more because no one wants to be labeled a "Racist" in this country no matter what the cost. We shall see.

The Liberal List from Hell

HT to ALa at Blonde Sagacity for this one:

Celebrities rush to embrace Abu-Jamal

Maureen Faulkner is the widow of Daniel Faulkner, a Philadelphia police officer who died in the line of duty in 1981.

Michael Smerconish is a radio talk-show host and columnist for the Inquirer's Sunday Currents section.

The following are excerpts from a forthcoming book by Maureen Faulkner and Michael Smerconish titled "Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Pain, Loss and Injustice." In it, Maureen Faulkner retells the death of her husband, Daniel; the trial of Mumia Abu-Jamal, accused and later convicted of his murder; and the long succession of trials and hearings in the years since. She also recounts her horrified reaction to the rise of the international "Free Mumia" movement.

Chapter 18 Hollywood and the New York Times

Abu-Jamal's celebrity supporters were not content to allow the legal process to run its course unfettered by their onerous influence. Their ranks were growing and they demanded attention. On August 9, 1995, just as the Post-Conviction Relief Act hearing was in full stride in Philadelphia's City Hall, a full-page advertisement appeared on Abu-Jamal's behalf - not in the Philadelphia Inquirer, mind you, but in the New York Times. It prominently featured the A-list of Abu-Jamal Hollywood supporters: Alec Baldwin, Mike Farrell, Spike Lee, Susan Sarandon, Oliver Stone. It was a veritable Who's Who of left-wingers and all were willing to lend their names to a man whom a jury concluded had murdered a law enforcement officer.

One month prior to the New York Times ad, on July 14, 1995, E.L. Doctorow, a longtime Abu-Jamal supporter, had penned a column of support that also ran in the New York Times. Doctorow's Op-Ed read like the Team Mumia Mission Statement. He put forth the usual hackneyed arguments discrediting Abu-Jamal's conviction and disparaging the eyewitnesses. To the well-informed, the piece was easily dismissed, but to the uninitiated I suppose it presented a rather compelling portrayal of an innocent man on death row. Doctorow ended the piece by questioning: "Will the pain of Officer Faulkner's widow, who supports Mr. Jamal's execution, be resolved if it turns out that the wrong man has been executed and her husband's killer still walks the streets?"

Doctorow's article was clearly a clever ruse to try to sway the court and manipulate public opinion. Adding salt to my wounds, at this time I had to sit and listen to the Abu-Jamal witnesses tell endless lies in the PCRA hearings and hear so-called character witnesses say what a wonderful man Abu-Jamal was - without any regard for Danny.

The Internet was taking hold about that time and also fueling my fury (at this point we still called it the "World Wide Web"). I remember a reporter once telling me Abu-Jamal was a hero in "cyberspace." I had never even heard the word, and needless to say, I had not yet taken advantage of the Internet as a resource for Danny's cause; however, the Abu-Jamal defenders wasted no time in establishing sites in several languages. As if international celebrity was not enough for the convicted cop killer, he was now also quickly becoming the downtrodden darling of cyberspace, too. . . .

And, just when I thought it could not get any worse, there came a full-page ad in the New York Times, with these words gracing the top of page A-13 on August 9, 1995: "MUMIA ABU-JAMAL MUST HAVE A NEW TRIAL."

The copy continued with an opening sentence that many such writings on Abu-Jamal have replicated. Take a look at the text of the ad:

Award winning journalist, talk show host, former Black Panther and MOVE supporter Mumia Abu-Jamal was convicted in 1982 of killing a Philadelphia police officer and sentenced to death. As E.L. Doctorow details below, Abu-Jamal's trial was full of gross procedural errors and judicial misconduct. There is strong reason to believe that, as an outspoken critic of the Philadelphia police and the judicial and prison systems, Mumia Abu-Jamal has been sentenced to death because of his political beliefs. Human Rights Watch gave him one of its 1995 awards for authors under political persecution, and Amnesty International stated that the government: "appears to have overtly used Mumia Abu-Jamal's past political beliefs and affiliations . . . to impose the death penalty." Seven days after his death warrant was signed and two months before his scheduled execution, Abu-Jamal's access to family, legal counsel, and reading and writing materials was restricted in punishment for publication of his book, Live From Death Row. As Abu-Jamal, known as the "voice of the voiceless," put it, "They don't just want my death, they want my silence."

There you have it. Not one iota of factual information. The ad is awash with speculation and cites a fraudulent tome written by one of their own (Doctorow) as the factual support for its case. I concede that it might sound somewhat compelling to some, especially with the ad's reference to the Human Rights Watch Award and Amnesty International's opinion of his case. Nevertheless, I'm equally sure that none of those who then affixed their names to the above message have ever spent the time to read the five thousand pages of transcript from Abu-Jamal's 1982 trial. I think it is important that I name names. I want there to be a book record of every single person who allowed their name to be set in newsprint on behalf of the man who murdered my husband. Thus, I hereby present you with the official wall of shame:

Adjoa A. Aiyetoro, Shana Alexander, Laurie Anderson, Maya Angelou, Paul Auster, Alec Baldwin, Russell Banks, John Perry Barlow, Richard J. Barnet, Derrick Bell, Dennis Brutus, David Byrne, Naomi Campbell, Robbie Conal, Denise Caruso, Noam Chomsky, Richard A. Cloward, Ben Cohen , Kerry Kennedy Cuomo, Ron Daniels, U.S. Rep. Ronald V. Dellums, Dominique de Menil, Jacques Derrida, David Dinkins, E. L. Doctorow , Roger Ebert, Jason Epstein, Susan Faludi, Mike Farrell, Timothy Ferris, Eileen Fisher, Henry Louis Gates, Terry Gilliam, Danny Glover, Leon Golub, Nadine Gordimer, Stephen Jay Gould, Günter Grass, Herbert Chao Gunther, Jack Healey, Edward S. Herman, Jim Hightower, James Hillman, bell hooks, Molly Ivins, Bill T. Jones, June Jordan, Mitchell Kapor, Casey Kasem, C. Clark Kissinger, Herbert Kohl, Jonathan Kozol, Tony Kushner, John Landis, Spike Lee, Edward Lewis, Maya Lin, Norman Mailer, Frederick Marx, Nion McEvoy, Bobby McFerrin, Susan Meiselas, Nancy Meyer, Pedro Meyer, Jessica Mitford, Michael Moore, Frank Moretti, James Parks Morton, Paul Newman, Peter Norton, Joyce Carol Oates, Dean Ornish, MD, Grace Paley, Alan Patricof, Martin D. Payson, Frances Fox Piven, Katha Pollit, Sister Helen Prejean, CSJ, Charles B. Rangel, Adrienne Rich, Tim Robbins, David A. Ross, Salman Rushdie, Susan Sarandon, Charles C. Savitt, André Schiffrin, Peter Sellers, Nancy Spero, Art Spiegelman, Bob Stein, Gloria Steinem, Sting, Michael Stipe, Oliver Stone, Brian Stonehill, Nadine Strossen, Trudie Styler, William Styron, Edith Tiger, Edward R. Tufte, Eric Utne, Bill Viola, Alice Walker, Cornel West, Marc Weiss, John Edgar Wideman, Garry Wills, Joanne Woodward, and Peter Yarrow.

I bitterly remember and resent each and every celebrity who has proclaimed support for Abu-Jamal. When, in 1996, Bill Clinton invited Whoopi to host his fiftieth birthday party, I was appalled. I fired off a telegram to the White House saying so. I wrote: "My husband, Officer Daniel Faulkner, was killed in the line of duty. His convicted murderer is Mumia Abu-Jamal. Whoopi Goldberg is on the Committee to Free Mumia Abu-Jamal. Do you want someone who supports a convicted cop killer to host your 50th birthday? I know the law enforcement across this country will be appalled." I signed it: "Widow of Officer." Leon Panetta, the President's Chief of Staff, responded this way: "Let me assure you that Ms. Goldberg's participation in the President's birthday does not imply that he endorses her view on this particular matter. . . ." I am just glad that there were no memoirs read at the gala.

When a public figure chooses to support a murderer . . . it is a serious political position that threatens undue meddling in the affairs of other people's lives. Given the importance of this stance, it is therefore shocking to realize how willing people have been to overlook celebrities' support for my husband's murderer and celebrate their stardom without any consideration for their publicly proclaimed principles.

With notable exceptions, this has been the case even in Philadelphia. The most glaring manifestation of this tendency was in 2005 when Philadelphia's elite gathered at the newly minted Kimmel Center to fete Ossie Davis and Ruby Dee with the Marian Anderson Award. It was during this ceremony that Mayor John Street, the very face of Philadelphia, exalted Ossie and Ruby, proclaiming that "they exemplify the power of the artist to change the world. They were among the most vocal Americans in support of the early days of the Civil Rights Movement. They used the power of their roles as critically acclaimed artists to effect change in society in areas where change was most needed."

Shame on you, Mr. Street. Ossie and Ruby were indeed vocal Americans, I do concede. However, short of changing the world for effecting positive change, I only remember Ossie's loud bark as he protested alongside Jesse Jackson in support of Abu-Jamal. I remember his booming assertions as he spoke on Abu-Jamal's behalf at Madison Square Garden. I will never forget Ossie Davis' public pilgrimage to visit Abu-Jamal behind bars. And I will also never forget that it was Ossie who, in 1995, after Governor Ridge signed the death warrant, issued a statement under the letterhead of "Committee to Save Mumia Abu-Jamal" in which he called the fulfillment of the jury sentence "an outrage." I have not forgotten this, Mr. Street. I never will. Why have you?

The TrekMedic adds:

Susan Sarandon is currently filming scenes for the movie "The Lovely Bones" at the Macdade Mall in Ridley Township and drawing a silent nightly protest from local police officers. If you get the chance, go down and show the men in blue your support!

Experts Agree,...

Four out of five IT specialists agree: Life goes better with Jagermeister.



Meet the other 20%!

Poor Joe! Aren't you glad you had a few paramedics around to help you?

Algore,...Give Back Your Nobel Prize!

Crippling Midwest Ice Storm Leaves Residents Cold and Powerless; At Least 24 Killed

OKLAHOMA CITY — Stan Turner awoke Tuesday to find not only was his home without power but an ice-coated tree limb had crashed into his classic Mustang. The only heat available for the house came from a fireplace, a wood-burning chimenea on the porch and a gas stove.

"I've been scrounging all the wood I can," he said. "I'm going to get out there and get the bigger limbs down, but the wet weather is what's making it so bad."

Turner was among a million utility customers who were struggling without electricity in the nation's midsection after a massive storm dropped sleet and freezing rain across much of Kansas, Missouri, Illinois and Iowa. The system has been blamed for at least 24 deaths since it developed last weekend.

Glistening, ice-covered roads contributed to many of the deaths. Downed power lines caused dozens of fires in Oklahoma. And then there was the problem of staying warm because officials cautioned that electricity may not be restored for days, if not weeks.

Ok,...the TrekMedic knows what you're thinking (he's omnipotent that way,...just ask a few liberals trolls) - Its December and this is supposed to happen. Yes,...and just like last week here in the the Northeast it snowed and dropped into the 20s.

But Algore says that's going by the wayside, because the oceans are heating up.

Bulls**t!

Ever wonder what happened to all those hurricanes for 2007?


Gray has been forecasting hurricanes for more than two decades, and his predictions are watched closely by emergency responders and others in coastal areas.

The predictions are not always on the mark. Gray initially forecast nine hurricanes for the 2007 Atlantic hurricane season, and later lowered that prediction to eight. Only six hurricanes formed.

Cooler water and the presence of wind shears in the central tropical Atlantic explained the difference, said Phil Klotzbach, a member of Gray's team and the lead author of the forecast.

Cooler temperatures inhibit hurricane formation, and wind shears can tear developing hurricanes apart.


Cooler water in the Atlantic?? Huh! And here we were all led to believe that the Atlantic Ocean was going to turn into a roiling, boiling, iceberg-killing swamp in the next few years.

Give it back, Al,....give it back!

Oh, yeah,..and apologize to those liberal losers that threw you a concert for BS-ing the Nobel committee, too! (BTW - Tommy lee Jones backed out as co-host. Tommy went to Harvard with Algore. Well,..a 50% rate isn't too bad)

Bitch, Slapped (The Cookie Crumbles)

HT to Katey for this gem:

Oh,...My,...HEAD!!!

Yes,..that is the Trekmedic at last night's company CHRISTmas Party (emphasis this morning on the "CHRIST!" part of it!) doing something unspeakable to a bottle of Jagermeister!

Is it Just Me? (A Rose By Any Other Name,..)

With all the hoopla surrounding the latest intefadeh over the naming of a teddy bear,...the TrekMedic seems to ponder:

If these Islamofascists get all bent over naming an inanimate object of the name of Mohammed, because doing such defiles some arcane mandate in the Koran, why then do they seem to have no problem giving the same name to their male children?? Does that mean they can never take pictures of these children, because that would be putting a face to the name Mohammed??

Whatever,....

**THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!**

OMG!! Rosie O'Donnell's BLACK???

You'd never guess that she left the show,..seeing as BabaWawa replaced her with another poorly-informed, oversized miscreant!

Oh, yeah, HT to Becky C for this gem:

Its Just My Luck,.....

This is Becky C of Just a Girl in Shorts,....



She's HOT!



She's a Catholic!



She's,....

She's,....


She's a lesbian!



Oh, well. But she does write one hell of a blog!

Who is Your Presidential Candidate?

So asks Doug V Gibbs at Political Pistachio,...

For the record,...

The TrekMedic's answers yielded a three-way tie between Duncan Hunter, Rudy Giuliani and Mitt Romney.

Shrillary's Theme Song?

If Slick Willie's campaign music was Fleetwood Mac's "Don't Stop (Thinking About Tomorrow)," this would probably be the perfect song for the next wannabe Clinton dictator:

Click HERE for the song

The lyrics:

It doesn't matter what I say
So long as I sing with inflection
That makes you feel that I'll convey
Some inner truth of vast reflection
But I've said nothing so far
And I can keep it up for as long as it takes
And it don't matter who you are
If I'm doing my job then it's your resolve that breaks

Because the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

There is something amiss
I am being insincere
In fact I don't mean any of this

Still my confession draws you near
To confuse the issue I refer
To familiar heroes from long ago
No matter how much Peter loved her
What made the Pan refuse to grow

Was that the hook brings you back
I ain't tellin' you no lie
The hook brings you back
On that you can rely

Suck it in suck it in
If you're Rin Tin Tin or Anne Boleyn
Make a desperate move or else you'll win
And then begin
To see
What you're doing to me this MTV is not for free
It's so PC it's killing me
So desperately I sing to thee
Of love
[these lyrics are found on http://www.songlyrics.com]
Sure but also rage and hate and pain and fear of self
And I can't keep these feelings on the shelf
I've tried well no in fact I lied
Could be financial suicide but I've got too much pride inside
To hide or slide
I'll do as I decide and let it ride until I've died
And only then shall I abide this tide
Of catchy little tunes
Of hip three minute ditties
I wanna burst all your balloons
I wanna burn all of your cities
To the ground I've found
I will not mess around
Unless I play then hey
I will go on all day hear what I say
I have a prayer to pray
That's really all this was
And when I'm feeling stuck and need a buck
I don't rely on luck because...

The hook brings you back
I ain't tellin you no lie
The hook...
On that you can rely

TrekRadio Update

Sigh,...while the TrekMedic was preparing a CHRISTmas music set, it appears that there is a problem with Fileden transferring the songs to the player. Until this gets resolved, TrekRadio will be off the air!

Sorry,....

More Reasons to Like the French Again,...

Posted on Fri, Dec. 7, 2007

NATO supports sanctions on Iran

Rice is talking with nations about curbing Tehran's nuclear plans despite the NIE report.

By Matthew Lee

Associated Press

BRUSSELS, Belgium - Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice won support from European allies yesterday for new U.N. sanctions against Iran over its nuclear program.

NATO foreign ministers agreed to stay the course in seeking fresh measures at the United Nations to persuade Iran to stop uranium enrichment and reprocessing. The decision came despite the release Monday of a new U.S. intelligence report that concluded the country halted its nuclear weapons program in 2003.

Yeah, yeah, yeah,...more paper wasted pressuring I-Am-a-Mad-Jihad and his cronies to stop and play nice.

What sticks out in the story is this:

Earlier yesterday, ahead of Rice's meetings in Belgium, the leaders of France and Germany expressed similar sentiments, calling for a two-pronged approach of pressure and negotiations with Iran.

"I think we are in a process and that Iran continues to pose a danger," German Chancellor Angela Merkel said in Paris at a news conference with French President Nicolas Sarkozy in response to the American findings.

Sarkozy also sees threat

Sarkozy, who supports Washington's view, said he backs new sanctions.

"The threat exists," he said.

Seems to me a few years ago, Chirac et fils would have told the US to get lost! The Bush Doctrine must be working,...but you'll never hear the MSM admit it!

'Tis the Season,...

Since it is the CHRISTmas season, the TrekMedic gets back to his Catholic roots with this appropriate posting:

POPE PIUS IX PROCLAIMS THE DOGMA OF THE IMMACULATE CONCEPTION

On December 8, 1854, having spent all of his holy life his boyhood, his priesthood, as bishop, cardinal and Pope at the feet of the Mother of God, the most Blessed Virgin Mary, and having deeply considered also, in his exile at Gaeta, the earnest petitions of Catholics all over the world in its behalf, Pope Pius IX defined ex cathedra, in the glorious Basilica of Saint Peter's before one hundred and seventy bishops and innumerable pilgrims come literally from the ends of the earth, the divine dogma of Our Lady's Immaculate Conception. The voice of the Sovereign Pontiff broke and tears filled his eyes as he paused before uttering the infallible words:

"We declare, pronounce and define that the doctrine which holds that the Blessed Virgin Mary, at the first instant of her conception, by a singular privilege and grace of the Omnipotent God, in virtue of the merits of Jesus Christ, the Savior of mankind, was preserved immaculate from all stain of original sin, has been revealed by God, and therefore should firmly and constantly be believed by all the faithful...."

As the Holy Father finished speaking, the cannon of the Castle of Sant' Angelo boomed and the bells of the basilicas and churches of Rome long rang out the glorious news, which ushered in the Age of Mary the last age of the world. The Catholic faithful rejoiced, and grace flooded their souls as they prayed the prayer Our Lady herself had given twenty years before to Catherine Laboure, "O Mary, conceived without sin, pray for us who have recourse to thee."

Justice and Balanced Coverage on the MSM? Probably Not,...

From today's NY Post,....

COP-KILLER'S PALS PLAN PROTEST

Mrs Maureen Faulkner

December 3, 2007 -- SUPPORTERS of cop killer Mumia Abu-Jamal are threatening to storm the streets of Rockefeller Center Thursday morning to protest the "Today" show. The New York-based "Free Mumia Abu-Jamal Coalition" is infuriated that Maureen Faulker - the widow of Philadelphia police office Daniel Faulker, whom Abu-Jamal was convicted of murdering 25 years ago - is scheduled to appear on the show Thursday to promote her new book, "Murdered by Mumia: A Life Sentence of Pain, Loss and Injustice." The activists - who claim on their Web site to have demanded "equal time" but "as of yet have gotten no agreement to that" -will protest outside. Faulkner told Page Six via a statement, "After 26 years of this harrowing experience, the purpose of writing this book is to finally find a peaceful closure to my husband's tragic ending. A jury of 12 convicted Mumia Abu-Jamal of murdering my husband, and for 25 years Abu- Jamal has been on death row acting as if he was a Hollywood superstar or political prisoner . . . He has a voice, and my late husband doesn't." Reps for "Today" had no comment.

The TrekMedic comments:

First, if you click the link about the Mumia supporters' protest in this story, you'll see that the state: "On Dec. 6, NBC's The Today Show intends to air a show about Michael Smerconish and Maureen Faulkner's new book "Murdered By Mumia." According to the announcement on Michael Smerconish's website, the show is planning to feature both Smerconish and Faulkner as guests."

Lies and bullshit! Michael Smerconish WILL NOT be interviewed along with Mrs. Faulkner on Thursday! This is HER story to tell, not his!

Oddly enough, the same bullshit is repeated here, here, and here! (The TrekMedic can probably link about 100 sources for this oft-repeated lie.

Then again,...look at what they have for supporters:

However, there's only one true source about Officer Daniel Faulkner and its RIGHT HERE!

Mrs. Faulkner is facing the possibility of being shouted down or having to sit alongside one of these raging assholes during her Today Show interview.

ENOUGH!!!!

They've had their say for 25+ years now. Let Mrs. Faulkner speak! By herself! Telling HER story, not the twisted and distorted lies of these no-good, do-gooder Hollywood leftists!

Turn the tables on the Free Mumia crowd!

Write to the Today Show at today@msnbc.com and DEMAND THAT MRS. FAULKNER BE HEARD ALONE!

Justice for Daniel Faulkner!

Insert Blonde Joke HERE!

Hungary? No thanks, I just ate,....

Bitch, Slapped (By Laura Ingraham!)

A Few Thoughts on the College BS Bowl

OK,...once again, the world of semi-professional,..er,..I mean, Division1-A college football has lead to a massive controversy. Wyatt has a few thoughts about it himself.

For the uninitiated, the Bowl Championship Series (a/k/a the BS Bowl) is the match-up of the two top-rated college football programs in the United States.

The rankings for these games, and subsequent bowl schedule, is an alchemic blend of newspaper ranking polls, the rankings of the coaches themselves, an algebraic equation taking in "schedule strength," and a smattering of proto-matter.

Real Trek geeks will remember the last time someone used proto-matter,...

Anyway,...instead of this nonsensical and arbitrary system of picking a national champion, why not do something logical,..like,...oh, I don't know,..go back to the old automatic invitations to the New Year's Day bowls??

Don't faint,..the TrekMedic has a plan:

Division 1-A college football is broken down into 10 conferences:
The Big East
The Big Ten
The Atlantic Coast Conference (The ACC)
Conference USA (C*USA)
The Mid-American Conference (MAC)
The Southeastern Conference (SEC)
The Big 12
The Pacific 10 (Pac-10)
The Mountain West Conference
The Western Athletic Conference (WAC)

And,..they're are five big games:
The Sugar Bowl
The Cotton Bowl
The Rose Bowl
The Fiesta Bowl
The Orange Bowl

Is the TrekMedic missing something here??? Times were, the Big 10 met the Pac-10 on the Rose Bowl, the Big 8 (now 12) met the ACC in the Orange Bowl,..etc,

Why not now?

You say that'll leave you with 5 teams? Well,...after the bowl games, rank the victors using the "schedule strength" equation. Give the Number 1 a bye week! Hey, its worked its BS for a few years now,..why not in this plan?

You say the corporate sponsors will lose out on advertising dollars?

Ha! As of today, there are 20+ college bowl games between December 20th and January 7th this year. Any team with a better than 6-6 record is invited to one of these "kissing your cousin" consolation prize games. There'll be plenty of time for the Hidden Valley Salad Bowl, the Campbell Soup Bowl and the Lysol Toilet Bowl!

And think of the competitiveness this will engender: as of now, the only undefeated 1-A program was the University of Hawaii at 12-0. Unfortunately, they'll be going to the Sugar Bowl as the #10 ranked team in an also-ran game. Its that "schedule strength" thingy, since UH comes out of the WAC conference, which has only one other seriously competitive team. Boise State,..and they play on a BLUE ARTIFICIAL TURF field!

Stop the madness!

**THAT'S MY OPINION AND YOU'RE ENTITLED TO IT!**