DebateGate

Father killed daughter for not wearing hijab, her friends say 
 
Dec 11 12:56 PM US/Eastern

Friends and classmates of a 16-year-old girl who police say was murdered by her devout Muslim father in a Toronto suburb told local media Tuesday she was killed for not wearing a hijab.

Police said in a statement they received an emergency call at 7:55 am local time Monday from "a man who indicated that he had just killed his daughter."

The victim, Aqsa Parvez, was "rushed to hospital with life-threatening injuries, but tragically passed away late last night."

Her father, Muhammad Parvez, 57, was arrested at the scene and will be formally charged with murder when he appears in court Wednesday, said police.

The girl's friends, meanwhile, told local media she was having trouble at home because she did not conform to the family's religious beliefs and refused to wear a traditional Islamic head scarf, or hijab.

"She wanted to go different ways than her family wanted to go, and she wanted to make her own path, but he (her father) wouldn't let her," one of her classmates told public broadcaster CBC.

"She loved clothes," another of her friends, Dominiquia Holmes-Thompson, told the daily Toronto Star. "She just wanted to show her beauty ... She just wanted to dress like us, just like a normal person."

According to her friends, Aqsa had worn the hijab at school last year, but rebelled in recent months.

They said she would leave home wearing a hijab and loose-fitting clothes, but would take off her head scarf and change into tighter garments at school, then change back before going home at the end of the day.

The victim's 26 year-old brother was also charged with obstructing police in the investigation.

http://www.breitbart.com/article.php?id=071211175557.p3d3kaah&show_article=1

Friday, December 07, 2007

Bush Boom Continues    
[By Larry Kudlow]

There is no recession. Despite all the doom and gloom from the economic pessimistas, the resilient U.S economy continues moving ahead?quarter after quarter, year after year?defying dire forecasts and delivering positive growth.

In fact, we are about to enter the seventh consecutive year of the Bush boom.

The pessimistas are a persistent bunch. In 2006, they were certain a recession was just around the corner. They were wrong. Instead, the economy posted two consecutive quarters of near or above four-percent growth.

Earlier today, a doom and gloom economic forecast from Macro Economic Advisors was released predicting zero percent growth in the fourth quarter. This report is off by at least two percentage points. These guys are going to wind up with egg on their faces.

Here are the facts: Americans are working. The 4.7 percent unemployment number remains at an historical low. On a three-month rolling basis, the U.S. economy has added over 100,000 jobs. Meanwhile, the household job count shows that an average of 303,000 jobs have been added in the last three months. This is noteworthy because it suggests that the job market is turning around.

Hours worked are growing more than 1-percent annually, while workers' wages are running 3.8 percent, a full percentage point ahead of inflation. As for this week's productivity report, it was nothing short of spectacular: the 6.3 percent productivity gain was the best in four years. A rise in productivity is good for growth. It's good for profits. And it's good for low inflation.

Speaking of inflation, business inflation is down from 3.5 percent just over a year ago to 1.5 percent today. Meanwhile, oil prices have retreated to $88. And, to top it all off, last night we received a tremendous new number showing household net wealth has headed even higher. It stands at a record $59 trillion dollars. That's more than seven percent above a year ago.

Another factoid worth considering is that mortgage refinancings are soaring at lower rates. Since June, they are up nearly 70 percent, while mortgage rates on 15 and 30-year loans are down nearly a 100 basis points. That is a very positive, very welcome development that ought to cushion the plunge in home sales, and maybe even prices.

Down in Washington, Democrats are stuck with a Keynesian message of economic pessimism, spending increases, and tax hikes to finance their big government proposals. Unfortunately, they still refuse to acknowledge that tax rates have a profound effect on behavior. This kind of tax and spend, big government, Walter Mondale approach may come back to haunt them at the polls next year.

The GOP, on the other hand, has a positive supply-side message of limited government, lower spending, and lower tax rates. And while it's true that the recent Republican-led Congress failed to adhere to its fiscal lodestars, the statute of limitations is quickly running out on that score.

Incidentally, Democrats have not offered a single spending cut proposal during their time at the helm. Not one. That's just one reason why?not to mention what I expect to be continuing growth in 2008? I believe the economic pendulum will soon swing in favor of the GOP.

There's no recession coming. The pessimistas were wrong. It's not going to happen. At a bare minimum, we are looking at Goldilocks 2.0. (And that's a minimum). Goldilocks is alive and well. The Bush boom is alive and well. It's finishing up its sixth consecutive year with more to come. Yes, it's still the greatest story never told.

12/07 08:18 PM

http://corner.nationalreview.com/post/?q=NmZlZjlhYTFjYTQ2YWViZmE3MmUzNWQzODE3NDhhNTQ=

Sears - Christmas shopping has already started

I know I needed this reminder since Sears isn't always my first choice. Amazing when you think of how long the war in Iraq has lasted and they haven't withdrawn from their commitment. Could we each buy at least one thing at Sears this year?

How does Sears treat its employees who are called up for military duty?  By law, they are required to hold their jobs open and available, but nothing more. Usually, people take a big pay cut and lose benefits as a result of being called up.

Sears is voluntarily paying the difference in salaries and maintaining all benefits, including medical insurance and bonus programs, for all called up reservist employees for up to two years.

I submit that Sears is an exemplary corporate citizen and should be recognized for its contribution. I suggest we all shop at Sears, and be sure to find a manager to tell them why we are there so the company gets the positive reinforcement it well deserves.

Pass it on.

Decided to check this before I sent it forward. So I sent the following e-mail to the Sears Customer Service Department:

I received this e-mail and I would like to know if it is true. If it is, the Internet may have just become one very good source of advertisement for your company. I know I would go out of my way to buy products from Sears instead of another store for a like item, even if it's cheaper at that store.

This is their answer to my e-mail:

Dear Customer:

Thank you for contacting Sears.The information is factual. We appreciate your positive feedback.

Sears regards service to our country as one of greatest sacrifices our young men and women can make. We are happy to do our part to lessen the burden they bear at this time.

Bill Thorn
Sears Customer Care
webcenter@sears.com
1-800-349-4358

Please pass this on to all your friends. Sears needs to be recognized for this outstanding contribution and we need to show them as Americans, we do appreciate what they are doing for our military!!!

It's Verified ! By Snopes.com

Not only is this a great thing, but Sears also just kicked off a Holiday fundraiser to grant wishes to military families:

Sears customers will be able to turn their shopping into dreams come true for military families and veterans. In celebration of Veterans Day, the retailer will launch a fund-raising effort in stores and online to benefit Heroes at Home, a charitable program created in association with the nation's leading non-profit home rehabilitation organization, Rebuilding Together.

Through Heroes at Home, the retailer seeks to improve the lives of military families and veterans in need across America by making necessary repairs, improvements or modifications to their homes.

From November 9 through December 28, Sears customers will be able to participate in this initiative by using their Sears card or purchasing a Sears gift card. Sears will make a donation to Heroes at Home for every credit card purchase made at any of its Sears stores from November 9 to December 28 up to $1 million, and for every gift card purchased during that time up to $100,000.

Customers can also make a donation at registers or online at sears.com. Over the summer, Heroes at Home raised more than $1.3 million, which will go to help more than 100 military families in need across America by making necessary repairs, improvements or modifications to their homes.

"We are proud to be partnering with Rebuilding Together to support families through this important initiative," said Alywin B. Lewis, chief executive officer and president of Sears Holdings Corporation. "Sears has a longstanding commitment to the heroic men and women who serve in the military. We hope our customers will take this opportunity to help grant wishes for military families and veterans while they shop our stores."

The Veteran's Day Heroes at Home effort will kick off on November 9 during an event to honor Sgt. Jonathan VanderWert of New Prague, Minn. In order to save money, the VanderWerts moved into a dilapidated home in need of major repair and remodeling with their nine children. However, in August of 2007, their plans to fix the home were put on hold when Sgt. VanderWert was called into active duty with the Minnesota National Guard to serve a 15 month tour in Iraq.

Many of the rooms in the home are missing walls and ceilings, there are exposed electrical wires, and only one bathroom is functioning. Heroes at Home will repair the basic structure of the VanderWerts' home by finishing bathrooms and all bedrooms on the second floor, repairing all exposed wiring, painting bedrooms, and upgrading the kitchen.

"When we work together, we build new hope in the lives of others," said Gary A. Officer, President and CEO of Rebuilding Together. "Through its partnership with its customers, Sears demonstrates how extraordinary things can be done for our veterans and service members and their families who have sacrificed for us."

Extreme Makeover's Paige Hemmis will honor military families by joining Heroes at Home to rebuild and repair homes. "Our military works hard to serve and protect us overseas," says Hemmis, "and I feel delighted that I can give back by granting wishes to these heroes and their families this Veterans Day."

Sears Holdings' ongoing commitment to assisting troops and their families includes several recruiting and employment programs. The company offers a military pay differential to employees serving in the armed forces. Additionally, reservists who are employed full-time are allowed to continue participating in life insurance, medical and dental programs.

Rebuilding Together is the nation's largest nonprofit organization working to preserve homeownership and neighborhoods by providing rehabilitation services free of charge to those in need. Through the support of corporate sponsors, local businesses, and the hands-on work of a quarter-million volunteers, Rebuilding Together rehabs and repairs more than 9000 homes each year. The market value of this work is in excess of $100 million annually. In addition to its core home repair work, Rebuilding Together rehabs community centers and conducts home modification and repair programs that focus on elder home safety, energy efficiency, veterans housing, and disaster recovery and reconstruction. Rebuilding Together has grown to 225 affiliates nationwide since its founding in 1988, and is now preserving safe and healthy homes in 1800 communities nationwide.

http://www.snopes.com/politics/military/sears.asp

i may vote OBAMA in the primary! 


Obama in Iowa: Gloves Off!

As Caucuses Near, Illinois Senator Goes After Hillary on Credibility, Electability and the Clinton Record

by TERRY MORAN, JULIA HOPPOCK and MELINDA ARONS
Nov. 26, 2007 ?


With a little more than a month until the Iowa caucuses, Democratic presidential contender Sen. Barack Obama, D-Ill., is out to show voters that he can take a punch -- and throw a few, too.

Over the course of a long day on the campaign trail in rural, western Iowa, Obama seemed to relish the chance to mix it up on policy and personalities with Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, D-N.Y., the national front-runner. The two -- along with former North Carolina Sen. John Edwards -- are locked in a tight, rollicking and increasingly acrimonious race in first-in-the-nation Iowa.

Last week, Clinton -- apparently feeling the heat -- took one of her sharpest jabs yet at Obama, mocking his claim that his childhood years in Indonesia provide him with unique insight into foreign affairs. "Now voters will judge whether living in a foreign country at the age of 10 prepares one to face the big, complex international challenges the next president will face," Clinton said.

Obama fired back in an interview with "Nightline" co-anchor Terry Moran: "You know, we must be doing pretty well in Iowa. She wasn't paying much attention to what I said before then."

Watch Terry Moran's interview with Sen. Barack Obama tonight on "Nightline" at 11:35 p.m. ET.

And then, Obama went out of his way to belittle Clinton's experience as first lady.

"I think the fact of the matter is that Sen. Clinton is claiming basically the entire eight years of the Clinton presidency as her own, except for the stuff that didn't work out, in which case she says she has nothing to do with it," Obama said, and added, referring to his relationship with his wife, Michelle, "There is no doubt that Bill Clinton had faith in her and consulted with her on issues, in the same way that I would consult with Michelle, if there were issues," Obama said. "On the other had, I don't think Michelle would claim that she is the best qualified person to be a United States Senator by virtue of me talking to her on occasion about the work I've done."

With this line of attack, Obama is openly calling Clinton out on one of the basic arguments of her candidacy and her career -- that her experience at Bill Clinton's side in the White House and before, make her the most qualified person in the race.

Obama continues to paint himself as the most "authentic" candidate whose real life experiences distinguish him from his democratic rivals. He claims that his experience living abroad, traveling the world, witnessing poverty and even facing racism as a black man has given him a perspective that some of America's best presidents have also possessed.

"Our most successful presidents have been people who were successful not because of their wealth of Washington experience," Obama said, "but because of the life lessons and schools of hard knocks that they had gone through."

Obama often makes the argument that these "hard knocks," in addition to his outsider status in Washington, give him the unique ability to change U.S. politics. "I think this whole argument about 'He speaks well, he's got good ideas, but he needs more experience,'" Obama said to a crowd gathered in a School in Western Iowa. "What they really mean is I haven't been in Washington long enough. They want to boil all the hope out of me."

He is hammering on the theme that he is the candidate with fresh ideas--the real "change agent" to take on the status quo in Washington.

"If you think that we've got to do things fundamentally differently, restore a sense of trust in out government, and have greater transparency--then I might be your guy," Obama said.

Restoring America's Reputation Abroad

Obama presents himself as the one candidate -- partly because of his international background, who can repair America's image abroad. "I think I can present a new foreign policy and a new way of doing business that the world will respond to," he said.

Critics disagree and believe Obama is naive for saying that he would meet with the leaders of Iran and North Korea without preconditions. Obama discounts his critics, blaming Bush and Cheney for having "shifted the [foreign policy] debate in a profoundly damaging way."

"We're still operating under an old model, we don't recognize the new threats of the 21st century" Obama said. "How the world perceives us will have a great deal of influence on how safe we are."

While Obama acknowledges that violence has decreased in Iraq, he believes the surge has failed to create the space for Iraqis to make political progress. He argues that it is in the interest of national security to start withdrawing US troops.

"If we cannot execute an intelligent, thoughtful exit strategy, and the Iraqi government cannot respond in an effective, positive way, over the course of the next two years to end our occupation in Iraq, then we may be looking at a decade-or two decade long stay in Iraq," he said. "And that, I believe, would be disastrous for our long-term national security."


Iowans' 'Extraordinary Privilege'

While Obama is leading in Iowa, he is showing no signs of relaxing. According to the most recent Washington Post/ABC News poll, 30 percent of Iowans support Obama, 26 percent support Clinton, and 22 percent support Edwards. Obama continues to press hard against Clinton, reach out across party lines, and convince Iowans of just how important their votes will be.

"Those of you who live in Iowa, you have this extraordinary privilege," Obama told a crowd gathered in a school in Western Iowa. "You are going to decide, more than probably any other American who the next president is going to be, who the next leader of the free world is going to be--So I hope all of you decide to take advantage of this opportunity."

Citing the compressed primary calendar and thus the increased influence of early states, Obama recognizes the importance of winning Iowa. "I think if you don't do well in Iowa, it's going to be hard to make up for it later," he said.

However, he believes that Clinton is under more pressure to carry Iowa because of her front-runner status and her portrayal in the media as inevitable. "The overwhelming favorite who has been touted as inevitable over the last six months better win Iowa," Obama said. "Don't you think?"

Obama is also counting on some Republicans to help him carry Iowa. Which is why he has been spending time campaigning in the rural, more conservative, Western Iowa.

"We got Democrats and Independents and yes we even have some Republicans," Obama said to a crowd in Dunlap, Iowa. "I know this because when I'm shaking hands afterwards they whisper to me. They say 'Barack, I'm a Republican, but I support you.' And I say 'thank you, why are you whispering?'"

Winning Republican votes is just one way Obama aims to set himself apart from Clinton. As the Caucuses near, his offensive against Clinton will likely only heat up more, in hopes of knocking the "inevitable" candidate down in Iowa.


Copyright ? 2007 ABC News Internet Ventures

$100 Oil By Monday (Read: The Lebanon Crisis)
November 22, 2007

Here is an update on a global pressure point that could shove markets through $100 oil this weekend.
All news and information in this article was drawn from publicly available sources.

Since 2004, Lebanon has been embroiled internally and externally in a political process to either end or extend Syrian
dominance and Hezbollah's stranglehold, (at behest of Syria and Iran), on the Lebanese democratic and political future.

This coming Friday, the current Lebanese President, Emile Lahoud, will end his term in office. He is pro-Syrian, placed in office by Syrian-enforced changes to Lebanon's constitution to enable him to be elected for an additional three year term in 2004. To take his place, a new president must be elected by Lebanon's Parliament, the majority of which is politically, anti-Syrian. (The Iranian and Syrian foreign ministers rejected a potential candidate list on Monday.) Basically, the Syrians and Hezbollah have been holding Lebanon's government hostage, when they weren't assassinating them the past three years. Most of the Lebanon Parliament majority are holed up in a Beirut hotel to avoid the fate of Rafik Hariri.

The problem...there is no replacement. The Lebanese Parliament elects the President. The Parliament has an anti-Syrian majority. The Parliament speaker is pro-Syrian. Syria, Iran and Hezbollah refuse to allow an anti-Syrian President take office. There is no compromise candidate that is publicly known.

The diplomatic activity by many countries, between Western and Lebanese parties to get a "workable" compromise has been incredible. Quite simply, Lebanon is the proxy collision point between US/French/EU and Iranian/Syrian/and Russian interests and the Iranian nuclear weapons program. For Syria and Iran, if they "lose ground" in Lebanon with the government becoming anti-Syrian or lose Hizbollah's influence and ability to unilaterally "declare war" on Israel as it did in 2006, then the US/France/EU are more able to counter Iran's aims to complete its nuclear weapons program, end its interference in Iraq and Afghanistan, and to push for a more "successful" conclusion to US efforts in Iraq.

Or, as U.N. Secretary General Ban Ki-moon warned in an informal meeting of the U.N. General Assembly on Wednesday, "should the parties fail to reach agreement by 24 November, there is a real possibility of a confrontation," in Lebanon. What he didn't clarify is who was going to confront who, or where and when.

In regard to a confrontation, "many" Lebanese are aware that Lebanon is being used by Syria and Iran to "confront" the US, or from another perspective Hizbollah and Syria are able to derail Western influence in Lebanon, while Iran gets nukes and builds bigger missiles.

Unresolved continuation of the situation reduces US/EU military resources and diplomatic pressure versus Iran's nuclear weapons program/Iraq/Afghanistan, etc. And of course non-resolution, or even better, a pro-Syrian/Iranian president of Lebanon cripples the anti-Syrian majority government from effectively managing the country, unable to improve services or rebuild the country after last year's war.

Key to all of this is Hezbollah's ability to flaunt its "military" strength in the face of the Lebanese Army, and be Syria and Iran's "muscle" to bring a "favorable" pro-Syrian outcome to the presidential election impasse on Friday.

However, the Lebanese Army is a rush priority for the US military who has dumped almost 300 armored Humvees into Lebanon's armed forces, and is working on transferring of US jet fighters and helicopters to rebuild the Lebanese Air Force, etc. This doesn't include ammunition, potentially training of various Lebanese army units in other countries outside Lebanon, etc. Now one could easily argue this is not enough to keep Hezbollah from "interfering," in Lebanon's presidential election, even if you toss in UNFIL, who has no "mandate" to assist/intervene in Lebanon's "internal affairs."

Perhaps the extra muscle to encourage a "fair result" sits about 100-200 miles off Lebanon's coast.
The US Sixth fleet deployment on station possibly includes the following:

The Truman Carrier Strike Group which consists of:

aircraft carrier, USS Harry S. Truman (CVN 75),
guided missile cruisers USS San Jacinto (CG 56) and USS Hue City (CG 66);
guided missile destroyers USS Carney (DDG 64), USS Oscar Austin (DDG 79) and USS Winston S. Churchill (DDG 81);
attack submarine USS Montpelier (SSN 765);
fast combat support ship USNS Arctic (T-AOE ;
the Canadian frigate HMCS Charlottetown (FFG 339); and
the British destroyer HMS Manchester (D 95).
Carrier Air Wing Three (CVW-3) consists of Strike Fighter Squadrons VFA-11, VFA-32, VFA-37 and VFA-105; (likely F/A 18F Super Hornets)
Tactical Electronics Warfare Squadron VAQ-130;
Carrier Airborne Early Warning Squadron VAW-126; and
Helicopter Anti-Submarine Squadron HS-7.
Also, there is likely a US Marine Expeditionary Unit [MEU] in the Med. Perhaps one like the 22nd Marine Expeditionary Unit which has about 2,200 US Marines, many with combat experience in Iraq, and Afghanistan, and is Special Operations Capable [SOC]. Currently it includes:

US Marines Kearsarge Strike Group which consists of:

USS Kearsarge (LHD 3), a helicopter carrier with Harrier's for close air support.
USS Gunston Hall (LSD 44), an amphibious landing ship
USS Ponce (LPD 15), an amphibious landing ship
USS Carr (FFG 52), frigate
USS Porter (DDG 78), guided missile destroyer
USS Vicksburg (CG 69), guided missile cruiser and
USS Miami (SSN 755), attack submarine.
Also, during the 2006 Israeli-Hizbollah war, France signed a strategic defense agreement with Cyprus to support operations in Lebanon. They get use of Cyprus' military airbase and perhaps its ports to support French military and UNFIL operations in Lebanon. For Cyprus, the French strategic defense agreement was a counter weight to Turkey's military power. However, France's interests, and the EU's, is a Lebanon with a new anti-Syrian/Iranian President. Cyprus, as an EU country will honor its treaty obligations. How much you want to bet there is a French naval taskforce off Lebanon's coast and fighter aircraft allocated to use the Cypriot airbase, "if needed"?

The British military bases in Cyprus.... I bet they have lots of "visitors" too.

All those Israeli recon flights over Lebanon that the Lebanese Army and government holler about and sometimes shoot at? They provided intel for potential US/French operations in support of the Lebanese Army if "asked." This is another wrinkle -- US military support for the Lebanese Army.

US ambassador to Lebanon, Jeffrey Feltman, said back in August: "Our partnership includes the commitment of the United States to provide the (Lebanese armed forces) with the supplies they need to battle -- and conquer -- the armed extremists in the north." This was in reference to the Nahr el Bared battle between the Lebanese army and Fatah al Islam terrorists that lasted 105 days and ended in army victory. However, Feltman added: "We are supplying the Lebanese Armed Forces with the equipment, armament, and training necessary to protect Lebanon and the Lebanese people from threats foreign and domestic".

Now why would the US equip the Lebanese Army with M-16s, Humvees, and other US equipment? For operational compatibility. The same reason why Hezbollah has been equipped to work in conjunction with the Syrian military and with Iranian weapons -- and of course Russian arms as well. The latest Russian anti-tank missiles were used against Israeli armor in 2006.

Now you have a more informed idea of how big the confrontation might be if Hezbollah or any Palestinian group decide to mess up the Lebanese political process or challenge the Lebanese Army. Or create an "incident" to derail Annapolis and the Israeli-Palestinian Peace Conference.

Lebanon could get very tragically interesting come Friday, and even more so early next week if the impasse lingers.

Am I serious? President Bush's January 2007 comments answer that question: "I am deeply disappointed by the recent violence and bloodshed on the streets of Lebanon," Bush said in a written statement. "Syria, Iran and Hezbollah are working to destabilize Lebanese society," he added. "Their goals are clear." "They foment violence in order to prevent the establishment of a special tribunal in response to former Prime Minister Hariri's assassination, to prevent full implementation of U.N. Security Council resolutions calling for Hezbollah's disarmament and to bring down Lebanon's democratically elected government." "Those responsible for creating chaos (in Lebanon) must be called to account."

Time to buy more oil ETFs -- $100 oil on Monday seems a pretty sure thing, given Lebanon's election crisis.

http://seekingalpha.com/article/55115-100-oil-by-monday-read-the-lebanon-crisis?source=d_email

Progress, Progress And More Progress
 INVESTOR'S BUSINESS DAILY

11/16/2007

Winning: News from Iraq gets better by the day, but the media have done their best to downplay the turnaround and congressional Democrats have basically pulled the covers over their heads and pretended it doesn't exist.

There's an eery silence out there about what's going on in Iraq. It's almost as if the silence is, well, intentional. Here are just a few examples of what we're talking about, pulled from last week's developments:

In Basra, Iraq's second-largest city, British Major Gen. Graham Binns said that attacks against British and American forces have plunged 90% since the start of September.

Iraq Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki reported that terrorist attacks of all kinds are down almost 80% from last year's peak thanks directly to the U.S. surge of 30,000 new troops.

Amid growing signs that even Iraq extremists have tired of terrorism and killing, a Sunni religious group closed down the high-profile Muslim Scholars Association because of its ties to terrorists.

U.S. Major Gen. James Simmons, speaking in Baghdad, said Iran's pledges to stop sending weapons and explosives into Iraq "appear to be holding up." Roadside bombs, the leading killer of U.S. troops, have plunged 52% since March, he added.

Perhaps most touching, according to a report from Michael Yon, who deserves to be the first blogger to win a Pulitzer Prize, Muslims are asking Iraqi Christians to return to help build Iraq.

Iraqi Muslims recently crammed into St. John's Catholic church in Baghdad to attend a Christian service. According to Yon, "Muslims keep telling me to get it on the news. 'Tell the Christians to come home to their country Iraq.' "

Finally, there's this from Douglas Halaspaska, a reporter on the Web site U.S. Cavalry ON Point: "I came to Ramadi expecting a war and what I found was a city that has grown from the carnage, and all its inhabitants both Iraqi and American ? healing. I was not expecting what I found in Iraq . . . it was better than all of that."

Again, all this has taken place just in recent days, weeks and months. The positive news has become simply overwhelming.

Which makes it all the more curious why major newspapers and network TV news programs can lead with a barrage of news out of Iraq when things there go bad, but can't seem to find the space or time when things turn good. As the bad news dries up, their interest in the good remains nil.

It takes people like Yon, whose online webzine can be found at http://michaelyon-online.com, to tell us what's going on not the highly paid prima donnas whose past reporting has made them so invested in defeat that they can no longer afford to tell us the truth.

Stranger still is the Democratic Party's response, as reflected in its recent actions in Congress.

We expected a certain amount of sheepishness on their part. After all, wasn't it just Sept. 11 that Hillary Clinton told Gen. David Petraeus his progress report on Iraq required "a willing suspension of disbelief". What we didn't expect was all the self-delusion and denial that now seems to mark Congressional Democrats' efforts on Iraq.

The Democrats are denying our troops the funds they need to finish their job by playing games like Friday's, when they tried to tie $50 billion in funding to massive troop withdrawals, beginning almost immediately.

The measure failed in the Senate by seven votes. But the question remains: Why would they do such a thing in a war America is on the verge of winning?

Meanwhile, as if that vote wasn't enough, Democrats ripped Iraq's government apparently oblivious to what's going on in Baghdad.

"Every place you go you hear about no progress being made in Iraq," Sen. Majority Leader Harry Reid said Thursday. "The government is stalemated today, as it was six months ago, as it was two years ago. It is not getting better; it is getting worse."

Virtually nothing in those three sentences is true unless you replace "Iraq" with "Congress." Yet, Reid speaks for his party.

As Democratic Sen. Chuck Schumer said, "The days are over when the money is sent no questions asked, when the money is sent without a price."

Yes, "price." That last word is telling, for the "price" the Democrats are exacting by playing politics comes out of our troops hides ? not Washington's. Our troops in Iraq need the resources to finish this war. By not funding them to the level needed to win, Congress will certainly endanger lives and make victory a bit harder.

If the Democrats want to keep playing politics as Iraq turns, fine. But what do they do next year if, as now looks likely, the U.S. wins?

http://www.investors.com/editorial/editorialcontent.asp?secid=1501&status=article&id=280108621532510

(while they are bunring in hell Afghan little girls will be in school)

Dozens of Taliban Killed in Airstrikes
By FISNIK ABRASHI, Associated Press Writer

Wednesday, November 14, 2007

PST KABUL, Afghanistan (AP) --

U.S.-led coalition and Afghan forces clashed with militants in southern Afghanistan and called in
airstrikes that killed dozens of insurgents, a spokesman said Wednesday.

The NATO-led force, meanwhile, said the number of attacks by militants on remote government
facilities have dropped by half this year compared with 2006.

Insurgents attacked the joint force with small-arms and rocket-propelled grenades in the
Deh Rawood district of Uruzgan province on Tuesday, before fleeing into a civilian home, the coalition said.

Dozens of militants were killed during the operation, said Maj. Chris Belcher, a coalition spokesman.

There were no reports of casualties among coalition and Afghan forces.

More than 5,800 people, mostly militants, have died in insurgency-related violence this year,
a record number, according to an Associated Press count based on figures from Western and Afghan officials.

The number of militant attacks on remote Afghan government district centers have decreased by half in 2007,
said Brig. Gen. Carlos Branco, the spokesman for NATO's International Security Assistance Force. Branco did
not provide figures to back up his claim.

A number of regional government centers have been overrun by militants in recent weeks, especially in
the country's west and center. Militants usually flee the centers as Afghan and foreign troops approach.

The militants use these attacks to make it look as though they control the area, Branco said.

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/n/a/2007/11/14/international/i050123S54.DTL