My First Post of the New Year
Hope all of you survived New Years Eve. We went to see a movie, Did You Hear About the Morgans, great movie, highly recommend it, much better than either Avatar ( anti-capitalist and anti-American silliness ) or It’s Complicated.
MORE DEVELOPMENTS in the Abdul Mutallab case. In October, the top Saudi counterterrorism official briefed American authorities on Al Qaeda’s use of underwear bombs. Muhannad bin Nayef had been a target of such an attempt in August, but the bomber prematurely exploded ( there is some room for some humor here, but not now and not here ). And now, Newsweek is reporting that American intelligence believes that the two bombs were made by the same AQ bomb maker. One of the other purposes of the briefing was that the Saudis don’t believe that the administration is taking the threat of AQ in Yemen seriously enough.
The British intelligence folks apparently had a file on Mutallub three years ago, detailing his communications with Islamic extremists. While at school, MI5 knew he was ‘reaching out’ to people under surveillance, including tapped phones and email intercepts.
Apparently, on top of all this, the radical cleric guiding Mutallab posted on his website in October that a ’surprise from Yeman ‘ was coming that would make Yemen ‘ the single most important front of jihad in the world ‘. And, calls from this cleric to Mutallab werre intercepted by the NSA before Christmas. You can read more on all of this at www.hotair.com.
A further note. The National Counter Terrorism Center ( NCTC ) was established after the 9/11 Commission report pointed out that there were lots of pieces of intel out there indicating the possibility/probability of an attack, even the specific attack on 9/11, but that the existing intelligence establishment, due to lots of factors, didn’t put them together. The NCTC was set up to do just that. And as we know, and continue to learn every day, there were a lot of pieces here with Mutallab and they did not get put together.
Instead of taking immediate action, the President took three days to issue a statement, squeezed in between golf and tennis during his vacation, then had Mutallub arrested as a criminal so he could lawyer up and shut up. He needs to fire some people, make sure heads roll and take some decisive action here. Not only are the American people watching, but so are the people who hatch these plots.
BTW, the President in his weekly address this morning mentioned Yemen and it’s ‘crushing poverty’ which is true, but is irrelevent to AQ being there now, as irrelevent as my birthday month or the current weather. The blindness of the Left in thinking that we just need more compassion and social programs to deal with Islamic radicalism is maddening, has hurt our ability to defend ourselves and will do so in the future.
One further note about our security. The President did not even appoint someone to head the TSA until late September. That’s right, nine months into his administration. Erroll Southers, a former FBI agent, has had his nomination held up by Republicans who are concerned over reports that while working for the FBI twenty years ago, he illegally accessed the criminal records of his estranged wife’s boyfriend, and then lied to Congress about the circumstances, saying it only happened once in Congressional testimony, then telling Senator Lieberman it happened twice, then admitting he copied the records and gave them to a friend in the San Diego police, hoping to have the guy harrassed.
Read that paragraph again. The President waited nine months to appoint a permanent TSA director, the agency in charge of airline and airport security, nine months, then appoints a former FBI agent who abused his position to gain personal and protected information, not accessible to the public, for his own personal reasons, and then lied to Congress about it. If President Bush had done this, it would be all over the front pages of America’s mainstream press, and the lead story on the evening TV news, as well as fodder for the Sunday talk shows. Oh well……
Meanwhile, in other war news, a 27 year old Somali was caught by Danish police breaking into the house of 74 year old Kurt Westergaard on Christmas Day. Police shot and wounded him in the incident. The Somali man was armed with an ax. Kurt was one of the cartoonists who drew the controversial cartoons about Mohammed which sparked controversy, death threats and riots several years ago. His cartoon depicted Mohammed with a bomb in his turban. Do you think the Somali was there to do yard work, maybe cut some firewood? It seems some jihadis have long memories, longer than most Americans.
IN OTHER NEWS, Science Daily reported two days ago that a new study finds that the airborne fraction of carbon dioxide has not increased in either he last 150 years, or the last 50 years.
ACCORDING TO DATA from the Census Bureau, in 2005, 71.3% of the homes BELOW the poverty line had cell phones, 92.2% had VCRs, 67.1% had a PC, 96.4% a microwave and 98.9% a color TV. I wonder what the Third World poor think about American poverty?
THE ECONOMIST/YOUGOV POLL, released on Thursday shows, for the first time in the poll’s history, more Americans disapprove than approve of the President’s job performance, 45 -47%. The number of independents approving has fallen from 64% in January to 43% today. Just another right wing poll that doesn’t reflect public opinion,
ACCORDING TO THE SEATTLE TIMES, Elijah Hall, the 17 year old who has pleaded guilty to first degree murder in the July 26 shooting of Ballard convenience clerk Manish Melwani, faces 23 years in prison, based on the prosecutor’s recommendation. Hall’s mother, Lori Hilliard, said ” Elijah, along with all of us, are very, very remorseful about the event. It’s a no-win situation.” Then, she said, ” I lost all of my dreams, just as Mr Melwani’s mom did. I’m not going to see him walk across the stage and get that diploma.”
Whiskey Tango Hotel?? No win situation?? Dreams?? Walk across the stage?? The little thug you raised ( or didn’t ) KILLED someone, actually he MURDERED someone, and he now faces 3 squares a day and will be out, ohh, probably before he’s 30. The Melwani family lost a son, a brother, forever. Melwani’s brother-in-law had to be removed from the courtroom during proceedings for saying out loud that Hall was a “bastard” and should ” be hanged”. He’s right. And, you will see your little bastard child walk out of prison one day, if you care, while the Melwani family will never see Manish walk anywhere again.
The Melwanis seem, from what little I have read and know about this case, solid hard-working immigrants who came here to America to build a better life, the kind of people we want here. Hall was awaiting trial when he murdered Manish for robbery and assault. Which would you want for a neighbor? Where is the justice here?
FIVE PROMINENT DEMOCRAT challengers to GOP incumbent Congressmen have dropped out of their races or declined to enter them. State Senator Laura Kelly, Kansas, ( Rep. Lynn Jenkins ), Jack McDonald, Texas, ( Rep. Michael McCaul ), Todd Book, Ohio, ( Rep. Jean Schmidt ), Paula Flowers, Tennessee ( Rep. Zach Wamp ), and Dave Roberts, California ( Rep. Brian Bilbray ) have all dropped plans to run. In October, the Democrat Congressional Campaign Committee issued a statement bragging about recruiting McDonald and Kelly in particular as two of their stars. I wonder what happened.
FINALLY, courtesy of National Review’s Media Blog, guess when the following statement was published:
” Change is in the air. A new communications technology threatens a dramatic upheaval in America’s newspaper industry, overturning the status quo and disrupting the business modal that has served the industry for years. This ‘great revolution’ warns one editor, will mean that some publications ‘ must submit to destiny and go out of existence…”
Any guesses about when this was published? 1990? 1995? 2009? How about May, 1845, talking about the impact that the telegraph will have on the media. The more things change, the more they seem to stay the same.
15 Responses to “My First Post of the New Year”
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Nancy says:
WOW Kirby! You are right as you always are–thank-you for your passion for our Country. We need more like you!
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Ken Mortland says:
Interesting updates on the terrorist issue. Thanks for the info.
I find the Census data most interesting. The inference, that America’s definition of poverty is amazingly generous, is inescapable.
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Kirby, Excellent blog today (January 2nd)! It’s why we out here in the Puget Sound listened to you (and sign up now for your blogs), knowing we can rely on your postings of information that we need to be “well-informed” citizens about what is REALLY going on in government. Keep up the good work – we depend on you because we count on your integrity and hard work for us!
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Phil Morgan says:
Thanks Kirby, you get another A+ for reporting the news and giving a unique slant on same; I look forward to more of same.
A couple of comments on this latest post:
Of course the Obama administration is not taking the AQ seriously, or any other “man made” problem (terrorism) seriously. The philosophy there is “Why can’t we just get along” while the AQ is blowing us up with hot shorts! Teddy Roosevelt would have said “Why can’t we get along stick (and use it)”.
A note on Obama’s dithering; Barry is a very intelligent puppet who dithers when the people behind the teleprompter cannot make up their mind on which direction to take, and in which direction to push Obama. There are a host of examples; two of which you mentioned in your posting. As intelligent as Obama is, he is not his own man; in my mind he is being continually directed by the dangerous people behind him. What say you?
God bless you and and your family and Happy New Year.
Phil Morgan -
Kare Chapman says:
Kirb,
Some humor here…The day you subbed for Hannity (12/28/09), I phoned the KVI Kirby Comment Line and again reminded them they made a huge mistake in dumping you. THEN…I told them to listen up and at that point, I held the phone receiver to the radio so they could hear you on National Radio.
Blessings,
Kare in Snohomish -
Jim & Bev Miller says:
Thank you so much for keeping in touch with all of us out here who have been following you for so many years. You come up with information that we do not hear anywhere else!
We went to the movies on New Year’s Eve, too, and saw Blind Side…..a great true story! We miss the movie reviews you use to do. They were very helpful.
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Jerome D. Pickard says:
Kirby,
We can all be thankful that the underwear bomber and the shoe bomber both used the same bomb maker in their quest to see Allah and the Virgins. He used the same compound in both bombs with the same results! Too bad AlQ doesn’t have more chemist like him to make all their bombs. -
Bart Norton says:
Kirby,
How about using BLACK type? The gray hurts my old eyes.
Bart (Grumpy in Redmond) Norton
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Hi Kirby, I am so tired of NOT hearing your voice & local show when I wake up each morning. Have you thought about starting an online Podcast? Hoping you get the waves here locally!
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Marv says:
Thank you for this infor Kirby.
I cannot fully express my appreciation for your work through the years and my joy that you are continuing in this way. -
Stevie Hatter says:
I did enjoy the movie Avatar. I did’t view it as you did. I won’t see it again because of the use of Jesus and God’s names as foul language. I think their names should only be used in praise. I do enjoy reading your blog. Thanks. I miss you on the radio.
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Beth says:
Bravo! Perfect assessment of what the Melwanis’ are up against. Mutallab’s mother has no clue what is going on. Obviously she was only a mother by physicallity and not morally. This is a senario that is played out way too often.
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Vicki says:
With you, Hot Air and Michelle Malkin I hardly have to listen to the radio at all (except I can’t resist Glen…) Good synopsis of events lately. Let’s remember our fallen heroes and tomorrow is another sad memorial, unfortunately. Pray for all those out there protecting us. I know you do, Kirby, and we appreciate all you do.
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Hi Kirby,
My wife and I really miss you. We looked forward to listening to you and your commentary every morning while we got ready for work. We truly welcomed you as part of our extended family.
I called kvi and voiced my dismay and loss of respect with management decisions now and in the past. kvi has lost the local community touch you provided.
This is a test of your medal and I am sure you will move forward to new opportunities with a sharpened sword.
I have signed up for your blog and look forward to your evaluation of the issues.
Brian Kelly
Happy New Year, Kirby. What will this year bring???? It was good to hear your voice, filling in for Sean. It had to feel strange if not strained going to work again at KVI, even if it was just for the day. Oh, well, that’s where the professional side kicks in,right? Great job, though, as usual. It has been good to get a break from the politics over the hoiidays but it is time to go back to work and defeat all this nonsense, though. From Cap and Trade to health care. Let’s get after it.