Voice of America is reporting that “Coalition officials in Afghanistan say they intercepted a message from Afghan Taliban leader Mullah Mohammad Omar, ordering his followers to never surrender and kill any civilians suspected of helping the coalition forces.”
Does anyone else remember about nine years ago when a Predator had Mullah Omar’s car in its sights but the request to shoot a Hellfire missile up his tailpipe was denied by military lawyers who were afraid some civilians might be killed or injured, violating the rules of engagement? How many innocent civilians do you think have been killed and will be killed because of that asinine decision?
From the Department of Words Mean Whatever the Hell I Want Them to Mean, CNS News reports that “House Majority Leader Steny Hoyer (D-Md.) said on Wednesday that the expiration built into the Bush tax cuts is a ‘Republican tax increase’ for ‘working Americans,’ and that Democrats have ‘no intention’ of allowing it to go into effect.” Good luck with that, Steny.
Meanwhile, from the Department of Major League Hypocrisy, CNS News also reports that “The Obama administration is phasing out a program that allows underprivileged children to get scholarships to expensive private schools in Washington, D.C., such as Sidwell Friends, the school the Obama girls attend. Nevertheless, Obama on Thursday spoke about his ‘obligation to lift up every child’ to help them achieve a quality education.”
No choice, no chance.
Republican Congressman Jeff Flake, who represents Arizona’s Sixth District, today highlighted a pork project contained in the omnibus appropriations bill for fiscal year 2010. This week’s egregious earmark: $1,948,000 for completion of the Fish Lake Trail in Washington. “This is one fishcally irresponsible earmark,” said Flake.
Citizens Against Government Waste (CAGW) has named Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-Ohio) Porker of the Month for gaming the House Democrats’ prohibition on awarding earmarks to for-profit companies and wasting taxpayers’ money. Rep. Kaptur helped Imaging Systems Technology secure $8.4 million in pork-barrel earmarks in the past and, in turn, received tens of thousands of dollars in campaign contributions from Imaging Systems Technology’s executives.
And finally, Congress will soon be leaving the nation’s capital for their seven-week summer vacation, leading Rich Galen of Mullings.com to write:
Seven weeks? Doesn’t that sound just a little excessive what
• with the North and South Koreans jawing at each other;
• with unemployment at 9.5 percent;
• with China taking over control of the world;
• with Hugo Chavez threatening to cut off our oil supplies;
• with Arizona and the Obama Administration suing each other over immigration policy;
• with BP re-writing some of the agreements we were told Obama had gotten them to accept;
• with OUR car company, GM, announcing its new electric vehicle will cost over $41,000 making it available only to rich people who won’t be able to afford it because their taxes will skyrocket at the end of this year
• with Afghanistan going backwards, and
• with Ellen DeGeneres being fired from “American Idol”
Ellen DeGenerest got fired?!! OMG!
