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Jaspreet Singh's family denies 'race attack' story made up
FAMILY and friends of an Indian man who alleges he was set on fire by four men have rejected suspicions that the fire was of his own doing. - it is appalling how a decent man may be so accused merely because his issue is inconvenient to the racists among the ALP. Yet more proof that Hamidur Rahman's case need to be re examined. - ed.
Japan attacks Julia Gillard's stand on whaling after Ady Gil crash
JAPAN has risked an open breach with the Rudd government by hitting back hard at Acting Prime Minister Julia Gillard's handling of last week's whaling confrontation in the Southern Ocean. Ministry of Foreign Affairs officials have accused Ms Gillard of aggravating the whaling controversy between Tokyo and Canberra, and called for Australian action to prevent further illegal activities by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
Renae Lawrence has made a fresh confession to her role in heroin smuggling in an attempt to prevent the execution of Scott Rush, the youngest of the Bali Nine members
NBC announces that it will pull the plug on Jay Leno's prime-time show — and hopes to shift him back to his old late-night time slot.
'Still Terrible' Jobs Outlook
Top Obama adviser paints bleak picture of economy, saying job losses continue one year after stimulus bill
NBA's Right to Bear Arms?
Stats show suspended point guard Gilbert Arenas is much more likely than average man to be victim of a violent crime
States brace for fire disaster
FIRE chiefs warn residents to get out early or risk death ahead of potentially wild fire conditions. - the states will pay for bad ALP admin for many years to come. - ed.
Farm hunger striker faces eviction
AUTHORITIES are expected to try and remove a hunger-striking farmer from his property today.
Teens mutilated by botched circumcisions
THREE teens circumcised without anaesthetic during a manhood ritual were severely injured.
Baby-faced thugs in court epidemic
PARENTS blamed as kids turn to the courts to protect themselves from problem students.
Jackie O's so sorry for radio show stunt
JACKIE O has spoken out about the problem-plagued year that she says has left her devastated. - she is happy that she is still popular - ed.
Brace yourself for Metro meltdown
TENS of thousands of Sydney commuters face transport chaos that will last years while the CBD Metro is built, the State Government has admitted.
'Blind woman raped in her home'
A MAN was charged with raping a vision impaired woman after befriending her in the poker machine room of a pub.
mum 'six times over limit while driving kids'
A WOMAN has been caught drink driving at six times the legal limit with her two children in the car, police say. The 38-year-old Casuarina woman was driving her children, aged six and eight, in a Lexus four-wheel drive at Kingscliff on the New South Wales far north coast when she was pulled over for a random breath test.
=== Comments ===
Thompson: Obama 'Does Not Acknowledge' Nature of Terror Threat
This is a rush transcript from "Hannity," January 7, 2010. This copy may not be in its final form and may be updated.
SEAN HANNITY, HOST: The White House has concluded its initial investigation into the system-wide failures that occurred in the lead-up to the attempted Christmas Day terror attack.
Now part of the administration's findings were released in a report earlier today that the president's national security adviser, Jim Jones, warned would shock you, the American people.
But tonight, perhaps what is most shocking about this administration's response to the failed attack is that at the end of the day, nobody is being held accountable. Now this in spite of the pledge made by the president just a short time ago.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
PRESIDENT BARACK OBAMA: I have repeatedly made it clear, in public with the American people and in private with my national security team, that I will hold my staff, our agencies and the people in them, accountable when they failed to perform their responsibilities at the highest levels
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right. So a terrorist walks up to an airline counter, buys a ticker in cash, boards a plane destined for the U.S. after his father warns the CIA that he could be a threat.
Well, I would say that the list of people who failed to perform at the highest levels is long and distinguished. And by the way, that includes you, Mr. President.
Now another guy on that list is Michael Leiter, the director of National Counter Terrorism Center. Now you may be surprised to learn that not only was he on vacation prior to the attempted attack, he remained on his ski trip in the days following as well.
But don't expect the president or his top aides to find any fault with him. Apparently he was able to perform his duties as one of this country's top anti-terror officials while on the ski slopes.
(BEGIN VIDEO CLIP)
JOHN BRENNAN, DEPUTY NATIONAL SECURITY ADVISOR: I was in constant contact with Mike Leiter throughout the afternoon, throughout the evening. He asked me whether or not he should cancel that trip. I asked Mike about whether or not he had a full confidence of folks and his deputies are going to be in place, Mike said he did and I said, Mike, no, you deserve this vacation, you need to be with your son, so I was the one who told him he should go out there.
(END VIDEO CLIP)
HANNITY: All right, in all fairness Mr. Leiter wasn't the only one away from Washington in the aftermath of this attempted attack. As you know, the president was in Hawaii. And Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano, she was in San Francisco telling us, by the way, that the system worked.
So maybe, you know, that is what General Jones thought was so shocking.
Joining me now with more on this is former presidential candidate, Tennessee Senator Fred Thompson is with us.
Welcome back, happy New Year.
FRED THOMPSON, FORMER SENATOR: Thank you, Sean. Thank you. Happy New Year. Good to be back with you.
HANNITY: First of all, what do you find most shocking about this report and the president's announcement today and press conference?
THOMPSON: The fact that a person that practically has "I am a terrorist" tattooed on their forehead could get through the system and get on this plane and almost kill 300 people.
I think that's the shocking thing about it. There was every indication that this guy was a bad news like you say. He paid cash for his ticket. He was a young male Muslim. He went through Yemen. He checked no luggage on an international flight.
I have been pulled out of line, I'm sure you have, on several different occasions —
HANNITY: More than you.
THOMPSON: … when flying commercially. Patted down and all of that and so, at a minimum, you know, they could have done that and I think a lot of people are surprised to learn that we apparently at the mercy of other countries on the other end that we have not been able to use the goodwill the president has built up to get these people to carry out halfway decent operation in calling these people out. But that doesn't excuse the things on this end.
Clearly, once again, after reorganizing the intelligence community, demoting the CIA, creating a new counterterrorism center, in order to connect the dots, once again we have the same old problem.
What the president said today was nothing new. It was nothing that — we're going to improve this. We're going to spend more money there. We're going to expand the no-fly list.
All things that Americans had a right to expect were being done anyway. And as you say, no accountability despite what the president says.
===
Scientists Learn Why Fido Circles the Bowl
By Jeremy Kaplan
Ever wonder why your Doberman circles five times before sitting down or eating? So did the researchers at Tufts and UMass.
===
SOUTHERN SHONAN SHEPHERD SHOWDOWN
Tim Blair
It is possible that one day Usain Bolt might find himself getting run over by a freight train.
Not probable, of course, but it is within the realms of possibility. For such a scenario ever to befall the Olympic champion and world 100m and 200m record holder, however, he would have to make a remarkable number of extremely poor decisions.
These would culminate in a final decision to delay evasive action until it was too late. In the case of Usain, that would be very late indeed. The Jamaican can cover ten metres from standstill in just 1.7 seconds, which is one reason he has thus far avoided any freight-related mishaps.
It’s also helpful that Jamaica transports barely anything by rail. All of which brings us to last week’s Southern Ocean clash beween the Shonan Maru 2, a lumbering, 500-tonne security vessel accompanying Japanese whaling vessels, and the Ady Gil, an ocean racer operated by the Sea Shepherd Conservation Society.
===
LIFE IMITATES ART GARFUNKEL
Tim Blair
Northern Ireland politician Iris Robinson, 60, is exposed in an affair with a 19-year-old. FUN FACT: The tune “Mrs Robinson” was released in 1968, when Robinson herself was ... 19.
===
BIG RISE “INCREDIBLY UNLIKELY”
Tim Blair
Another consensus-buster:
Climate science faces a new controversy after the Met Office denounced research from the Copenhagen summit which suggested that global warming could raise sea levels by 6ft by 2100 …The usually-wrong Met Office may have finally decided to start earning those massive bonuses. Actually, given the Met’s shocking prediction record, any claim from them that the seas aren’t rising should have us fleeing to the hills – but the Met ain’t alone:
The studies, led by Stefan Rahmstorf, professor of ocean physics at Potsdam, have caused growing concern among other experts. They say his methods are flawed and that the real increase in sea levels by 2100 is likely to be far lower than he predicts.
Jason Lowe, a leading Met Office climate researcher, said: “These predictions of a rise in sea level potentially exceeding 6ft have got a huge amount of attention, but we think such a big rise by 2100 is actually incredibly unlikely. The mathematical approach used to calculate the rise is simplistic and unsatisfactory.”
Another critic is Simon Holgate, a sea-level expert at the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory, Merseyside. He has written to Science magazine, attacking Rahmstorf’s work as “simplistic”.(Via Garth Godsman)
“Rahmstorf is very good at publishing extreme papers just before big conferences like Copenhagen when they are guaranteed attention,” said Holgate. “The problem is that his methods are biased to generate large numbers for sea-level rise which cannot be justified but which attract headlines.”
===
CLIMATE CHANGE IS WITH US
Tim Blair
All that snow and ice everywhere is due to global warmi … er, climate change, according to White House spokesman Robert Gibbs:
I think that one only has to step outside here or visit where I used to work in Chicago to understand that climate change, and the record temperature that climate change is likely causing, is with us.Interesting. Given that reduced cardon dioxide output is supposed to cure warming, what’s the cure for colding?
Gibbs: Worldwide Record Cold Result of Climate Change
by hotairpundit
I would say that even in places that are used to getting very cold weather, record cold ... our weather patterns have been affected by change in our climate.
===
ART CLOKEY
Tim Blair
You may never have heard of Art Clokey, who has died at 88, but you almost certainly know of his whimsical creation. Best line from the linked obit:
Clokey said he enjoyed Murphy’s profane Gumby.
===
FACEBALL
Tim Blair
Looks like they won’t have Hugo Hernandez to kick around anymore. Oh, wait …
UPDATE. Another gruesome incident leads to this puzzling line:
The rabbit has died, but not of its injuries …
===
INTENSELY PERSONAL ATTACKS
Tim Blair
Post-pantybomber, Mark Steyn ponders appeasers:
Not long after the Ayatollah Khomeini announced his fatwa against Salman Rushdie, the British novelist suddenly turned up on a Muslim radio station in West London late one night and told his interviewer he’d converted to Islam. Marvelous religion, couldn’t be happier, Allahu Akbar and all that.The President does seem a little slow, as even Eleanor Clift notices:
And the Ayatollah said hey, that’s terrific news, glad to hear it. But we’re still gonna kill you …
After that cringe-making radio interview, Salman Rushdie subsequently told The Times of London that trying to appease his would-be killers and calling for his own book to be withdrawn was the biggest mistake of his life. If only the president of the United States was such a quick study.
It took Obama 72 hours to calibrate his response and get past the images of playing golf and eating snow cones.But she still wishes everyone would give the poor guy a break:
Even so, the intensely personal attacks on Obama are cause for concern.Go tell it to Democrat Harry Reid, Eleanor.
===
McCain Aide: Palin Thought Candidacy Was 'God's Plan'
Sarah Palin believed that Sen. John McCain chose her to be his running mate in 2008 because of "God's plan," according to a top political strategist in the Arizona Republican's campaign.
In an interview with the CBS news magazine "60 Minutes," Steve Schmidt described Palin as "very calm -- nonplussed" after McCain met with her at his Arizona ranch just before putting her on the Republican ticket. McCain had planned to name Sen. Joe Lieberman, I-Conn., as his vice presidential choice until word leaked, sparking what Schmidt called political blowback over picking the 2000 Democratic vice presidential nominee.
Schmidt said he asked Palin about her serenity in the face of becoming "one of the most famous people in the world." He quoted her as saying, "It's God's plan."
Palin has not ruled out a run for the presidency.
Schmidt was interviewed by "60 Minutes" for a segment about a new book about the 2008 presidential race, "Game Change," by John Heilemann of New York magazine and Mark Halperin of Time magazine.
Schmidt credited Palin with being a quick study and for giving a great speech at the Republican convention in St. Paul, Minn., but he said it soon became clear that she often was not accurate in her remarks.
"There were numerous instances that she said things that were -- that were not accurate that, ultimately, the campaign had to deal with. And that opened the door to criticism that she was being untruthful and inaccurate. And I think that that is something that continues to this day," he said. - Schmidt is the jerk who got McCain to lean left when no Democrat voter would endorse a Republican, even if they were leaning left. - ed.
===
Steele to Reid: Resign
RNC chairman calls on top Dem to step down over racially-tinged remarks against President Obama. Harry Reid is on an apology tour to African American leaders and Democrats in Washington after describing candidate Barack Obama as "light-skinned" with "no Negro dialect unless he wanted to have one," but it's not the Senate majority leader's first time against the ropes.
Reid has a long history of making verbal gaffes that he's had to dial back or explain away.
"There's dozens over the years," Nevada GOP Senate candidate Sue Lowden said of Reid's eyebrow-raising remarks of the past.
Lowden cited better known remarks by Reid, such as:
His summertime comparison of a lack of health insurance coverage to slavery;
His April 2007 conclusion that the war in Iraq was lost;
His description of tea partiers as "evil-mongers"; and
His pleasure that the Capitol Visitors Center meant he wouldn't have to "smell the tourists" filling up the Capitol in the summertime.
Among some of his finer moments, Reid also declared to the Reno Gazette-Journal in September that Sen. Ted Kennedy's death "is going to help" Democrats pass health care.
Last summer, he told a Fox News reporter to "turn up your hearing aid" at a press conference.
"He called our former president a loser in a high school classroom here in Nevada," Lowden said, referring to a civics class discussion a few months after George W. Bush's second inauguration.
On Saturday, Reid made the rounds asking for forgiveness for his 2008 comment, saying, "I deeply regret using such a poor choice of words."
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