About
Captain Ed is a father and grandfather living in the Twin Cities area of Minnesota, a native Californian who moved to the North Star State because of the weather. He lives with his wife Marcia, also known as the First Mate, their two dogs, and frequently watch their granddaughter Kayla, whom Captain Ed calls The Little Admiral.
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The Crows Nest
Would Early Primaries Allow More Donations?
Jim Geraghty at The Campaign Spot believes that candidates will benefit if primaries and caucuses get pushed into 2007. A loophole in campaign finance regulation appears to allow an extra $2,300 per donor for candidates if those elections are held this year. Be sure to check out Jim's analysis, and the surprising candidate that may benefit the most.
When Tom Met Jeralyn
One of the interesting aspects of politics is finding out that opponents are people, too. Jeralyn Merritt of TalkLeft met Rep. Tom Tancredo backstage at NBC's studios, and found him more likable than she had anticipated. Perhaps it was their mutual interest in Dog, The Bounty Hunter ...
Joe Lieberman A Right-Wing Nut?
That's what CAIR says, according to Joe Kaufman. He has a link to a CAIR official's blog post that calls Lieberman, along with John Bolton, former CIA director James Woolsey, and the Heritage Foundation's Peter Brookes as "extremists". Affad Shaikh also calls Dick Cheney a "fat bastard of a liar," apparently not meant as a pop-culture reference to the Austin Powers movies. (via Let Freedom Ring)
Broadband Homelessness
The Japanese have made homelessness more efficient, and more Net-friendly, too. Their Internet cafés have become homeless shelters for the struggling manual-labor sector. The problem has grown into such a problem that government intervention will shortly become a political priority.
Found My Law Firm
Power Line links twice to this story regarding an attorney at Faegre & Benson who refused to become a victim and helped capture a very dangerous man. Keith Radtke is a partner in the firm as is Power Line's John Hinderaker. Radtke is listed in satisfactory condition after getting shot in the back, but that didn't keep him from locking up his attacker in a wrestling grip until police could arrive. I don't know about you, but that's the kind of man I'd want as my counsel ....
Don't Click That YouTube E-mail
The latest in spam seems to be redirections from YouTube links in e-mail to IP addresses without domain names. They attempt to entice people by making it seem that they have been inadvertently YouTubed. I'm sure most people can see through this scam, but just in case, you've been warned ....
Rick Moran Escapes The Floods
Rick Moran has kept us up to date on his travails along the Algonquin River. Yesterday, the police showed up to get him evacuated before the river flooded his home -- but today, Rick finds that a minor miracle has taken place, and that his house survives ... at least for now. Keep Rick in your prayers, and keep checking in at Right Wing Nut House for updates.
Rule 1: Drag The Corpse On Over First
If I've learned anything in four years of blogging, don't try to be out in front of the death rumors, especially with the villains of the world. Saddam died a hundred deaths before we caught him alive in his spider hole, and Abu Musab al-Zarqawi almost as many before his demise last year. Osama may or may not be alive, but everyone's avoided speculating on his fate for a while now. Maybe Val at Babalu Blog will get luckier with his "Castro Is Dead" story. We all hope so. I'll wait for the announcement ....
Hobbs Choice
Volunteer Voters is holding its annual "Best of Nashville" on-line polls, and one of the categories is for the best political writer. Our friend Bill Hobbs, now posting at Newsbusters, and he'd like his on-line fans to cast their votes. Drop by and put one in for Bill if you get a chance!
Murtha Getting Backlogged On Apologies
Gary Gross of Let Freedom Ring sees another case collapsing on the Haditha charges. He's called for Murtha to apologize earlier, and adds another reason to the tally.
No Such Thing As 'Moderate' Islam?
Turkish PM Tayyip Erdogan told a television interviewer that he finds the label "moderate Islam" offensive. Shrink Wrapped has a lot more on this, but at least in the same interview Erdogan acknowledged that "radical Islam" exists, and that it's been a catastrophe. Be sure to read the whole post.
MS-NBC Gets Punk'd
Power Line has a great post on a lack of journalistic effort on the part of MS-NBC. In covering the Michael Vick story, they reported on what they thought was Al Sharpton's website proclaiming Vick's innocence. I guess Alex Johnson and two other MS-NBC reporters couldn't bother to read the title bar of the site, which proudly proclaims it as a "parody site".
New Instapundit Podcast On Pharmaceuticals
I just caught this e-mail from Glenn Reynolds about his new podcast with Richard Epstein, the author of Overdose: How Excessive Government Regulation Stifles Pharmaceutical Innovation. Haven't had a chance to listen to it yet, but the topic is important enough to make sure I carve out time for it tomorrow. Get their first and tell me what I'm missing ....
Fed Trying A 'Stealth Easing'?
The Federal Reserve seems to have conducted a quiet campaign to steady markets that started spinning out of control, according to King Banaian at SCSU Scholars. He thinks that the Fed has conducted a "stealth easing". Be sure to read his explanation and follow his lnks.
A Shameless Bit Of Sel-Promotion
Gateway Pundit and Val at Babalu Blog note a crass PR move by Hugo Chavez. Venezuela has responded to Peru's eathquake disaster with food shipments -- and with Hugo's smiling picture on the cans. He also uses the tuna-can label to undermine President Garcia of Peru, who narrowly defeated Chavez' pal Ollanto Humalla, whom the labels extol for his "solidarity" with Chavez.
Tacky beyond belief.
Comments (29)
Posted by docjim505 | July 2, 2007 7:58 AM
I don't know why the British are putting so much effort into this. I mean, obviously the plotters are incompetent and didn't kill anybody. Even if they had, what's a few dozen - or even a few thousand - deaths? Nothing worth worrying about. The Brits would be much better served if they'd spend their time worrying about REAL threats to the planet, like global warming or a lack of free health care for everybody in the world.
/sarcasm
Posted by MarkT | July 2, 2007 8:04 AM
The CNN article does have one mention of Al Queda:
Homeland Security Secretary Michael Chertoff told CNN's "Late Edition" that it was too early to tell who is behind the attack, but it is "a reasonable possibility" that it may be an al Qaeda-linked group.
How many politicians speculating that AQ was involved would you prefer in the article?
Posted by rbj | July 2, 2007 8:10 AM
Don't these car bombers know that using cars and gasoline for explosives is contributing to Goebbel's Warmening? They need to be more environmentally aware with their attacks.
Posted by always right | July 2, 2007 8:31 AM
I failed to see the be-labored point in the previous related thread about the car bomb being not a bomb, only an "incinerating device".
Posted by NoDonkey | July 2, 2007 8:38 AM
Got this from the Strategy Page:
http://www.strategypage.com/htmw/htwin/articles/20070701.aspx
The recent bungled bombing in the UK, fits in with this analysis.
Our media prefers to portray Islamic terrorists as unbeatable masterminds as victims, as heroes, (as far as Michael Moore is concerned).
The media (as usual) is painfully wrong on all three counts.
We can beat them and we are beating them, even as the absolutely worthless Democrat Party and their buddies on the lunatic left, attempt to stab our troops in the back and to enable radical Islam to live another day.
The terrorists are not impoverished "victims" - they are well-educated, wealthy, gutless cowards who deliberately seek to kill unarmed civilians.
The far left coupled with their media mouthpieces represent Al Qaeda's greatest weapon.
Instead of being frightened of Al Qaeda, we should be celebrating our victories against them and planning for the day when radical Islam is relegated to the ash heap of history.
Posted by daytrader | July 2, 2007 8:51 AM
I failed to see the be-labored point in the previous related thread about the car bomb being not a bomb, only an "incinerating device". Posted by: always right at July 2, 2007 8:31 AM
Son you are so so wrong, the issue is to release the propane with a triggered valve to fill the car totally with a gas cloud and then hit off the ignition charge.
The dummies didn't do it right and it fizzled.
Take a look at this lab test and tell me that it supports your concept.
Posted by Ann | July 2, 2007 8:58 AM
Two points:
1) Eye witnesses said one guy in the car, who already must have known that his attack had killed no one and had no chance of killing anyone, poured gasoline over himself and the car and lit it up. It seems to me, that this man would have been ineligible for his 70 virgins. It's okay to die while killing the infidel. But self-immolation without actually taking any infidel pigs with you doesn't count.
2) At least one picture in the Daily Mail article yesterday showed the overhang of the Glasgow airport. It showed metal clearly melted and deformed by fire. This of course is impossible without the involvement of the CIA, Dick Cheney, and other right-wing fascists from the US government.
Posted by Tom Shipley | July 2, 2007 8:59 AM
Our media prefers to portray Islamic terrorists as unbeatable masterminds as victims, as heroes, (as far as Michael Moore is concerned).
AND
Instead of being frightened of Al Qaeda, we should be celebrating our victories against them and planning for the day when radical Islam is relegated to the ash heap of history.
OK, so one of the main talking points on the right lately has been the left and the media has been "playing down" recent plots as lackluster efforts. And especially in the Kennedy plot, the left and media were accused of not taking it seriously enough, not highlighting the possible death and destruction this plot could have brought.
In essence, they don't give AQ enough credit and don't take their threat seriously enough.
Now, ND, you're saying the left and the media likes to portray AQ as "masterminds" and are too "frightened" of them?
These theories aren't promoted by people seeing things as they are, but through hate-filled glasses that sku reality to meet their need to demonize the media and the left.
Posted by rob | July 2, 2007 9:01 AM
Why is no one commenting on the fact that an IRANIAN doctor is collaborating with Al Qaeda? (What next, Mossad collaborating with Al Qaeda?) Does Sadr know this? Shouldn' t this be causing concern among the faithful? Or has Britain's famous religious toleration achieved the impossible goal of uniting all Islamic factions?
Posted by always right | July 2, 2007 9:06 AM
DT,
Re-read my message: I failed to see the point of distinguish "car bomb" vs. "only a burning vehicle" as one Mark previously trying to make.
Posted by Rovin | July 2, 2007 9:14 AM
How many politicians speculating that AQ was involved would you prefer in the article?
Posted by: MarkT at July 2, 2007 8:04 AM
Right Mark-----this is certainly an act of disgruntled citizens protesting the new PM and Diana's salute------what our dear friends on the left would consider "civil disobedience" against our evil governments.
When/if similar attacks occur on our soil, would you be more satisfied to call them "domestic disturbances"? I guess ignoring an ideology of "death to the west" just doesn't seem to sink in with the ostrich approach.
Posted by NoDonkey | July 2, 2007 9:17 AM
"you're saying the left and the media likes to portray AQ as "masterminds"
They sure do when it comes to Iraq. The media would have us believe that these simple-minded goat violators cannot possibly be beaten, only appeased.
Our military has beaten these clowns whenever they dare to mass. And if there is a story about it in the local rag, it's in the classified section.
But some gutless coward ignites a car bomb in a market and it's the lead story.
And since when do the left and the media give US/allied efforts any credit as far as diminishing the terrorist threat?
Obama, Edwards, Biden, Reid, Murtha and Pelosi continually tell us we are less safe - even though we've captured or killed Al Qaeda operatives by the bushel. Even though we've disrupted their networks.
Democrats like Dick Durbin call our military as Nazis and Reid called our generals incompetent losers.
Congressional Democrats are not part of the terrorist solution - Congressional Democrats are part of the terrorist problem.
Posted by braindead | July 2, 2007 10:34 AM
It is curious to me that the men are described as "Asian", rather than Moslem.
Posted by MarkT | July 2, 2007 10:34 AM
> Right Mark-----this is certainly an act of disgruntled
> citizens protesting the new PM and Diana's
> salute------what our dear friends on the left would
> consider "civil disobedience"
The Captain mentioned that the CNN article did not quote Gordon Brown's suspicion that al Queda was involved. I pointed out the article DID IN FACT make the al Queda point - they just used a Chertoff quote.
There might not be the great MSM conspiracy involved here that you think. It could be that CNN did not feel the need to print two politician making the same speculation. Get it?
And from this, you leap to a general indictment of the Left.
Posted by Tom Shipley | July 2, 2007 10:46 AM
It is curious to me that the men are described as "Asian", rather than Moslem.
I heard this question asked of a British reporter/government official (forget which) on the TV over the weekend.
I guess in England, Asians are more thought of as Pakistani, Afghani or Indian than Japanese or Chinese.
Posted by Tom Shipley | July 2, 2007 10:53 AM
Plus, despite the fact that yeah, most likely these guys are Muslim, you really can't tell that for sure just by looking at them.
Posted by MarkT | July 2, 2007 11:17 AM
> It is curious to me that the men are described as
> "Asian", rather than Moslem.
> Posted by: braindead at July 2, 2007 10:34 AM
"Asian" is the term used in England for south-Asian people.
Did any of you notice that in one of the earlier linked articles they used the term "supergrass" - which in England means "police informant".
Posted by Cindi | July 2, 2007 12:12 PM
""Asian" is the term used in England for south-Asian people."
Yeah. Right. "Asian" is the term used by THE MEDIA to avoid using "middle Eastern", which would be correctly and forthrightly affording information to the public which they'd prefer to not do.
Someone might connect "middle Eastern" to Islam and we just couldn't have that.
Posted by Captain Ed | July 2, 2007 12:15 PM
"Asian" has been the traditional term used by the British for decades. Many of the people from the "Middle East" in Britain came from Pakistan, which isn't a Middle Eastern nation; it's technically South Asian.
Posted by are all americans so charming | July 2, 2007 12:20 PM
Asian is how we terms people of middle eastern appearnce so it is entirely accurate here.
Ref first comment
I don't know why the British are putting so much effort into this. I mean, obviously the plotters are incompetent and didn't kill anybody. Even if they had, what's a few dozen - or even a few thousand - deaths? Nothing worth worrying about. The Brits would be much better served if they'd spend their time worrying about REAL threats to the planet, like global warming or a lack of free health care for everybody in the world.
/sarcasm
Thanks for the travelling Gore show. They say shit floats downstream. We felt the same concern for you guys on 9/11 obviously. It never entered any of our heads that youd been supporting irish terrorism for a few decades, when you were hit that day and suddenly terrorism might be an issue (ya think?). We kept our collective mouths shut whilst you waded through that one. Still it was great the funding dried up for the IRA after that. Eternally grateful. Freed up our security services after one last swan song with Omagh in 1996, to finally focus on the other threat.
//twat
Posted by DaleinAtlanta | July 2, 2007 1:42 PM
CNN can't help themselves, that's why!
Posted by DaleinAtlanta | July 2, 2007 1:44 PM
CNN can't help themselves, that's why!
Posted by swabjockey05 | July 2, 2007 3:00 PM
Charming Americans,
Relax, old chap. Dr J was being sarcastic...insensitive...but sarcastic. Please don’t take it personally.
Some of us actually APPRECIATE you Brits helping us out with the trouble at hand...Thanks!
Posted by edncda | July 2, 2007 3:26 PM
Re the link showing the effects of a small fuel-air explosion posted by daytrader:
This is proof positive that our capacity for selfdestruction seems to be limitless. Who needs a nuclear or biological weapon when a single disaffected/brainwashed robo-kiddy in any town or city anywhere can do this with pretty much off-the shelf materials.
It sure beats Columbine style events if you really want to be remembered. And for the adults, it will be a real step up from using kids as drug mules in the ghetttos.
But thankfully, in every cloud there's a silver lining; this raises the possibility that global warming may yet become a moot point.
(Btw, I noticed that the Youtube category for the video was perhaps unsurprisingly "Entertainment". Be careful what you wish for kiddies.....)
Posted by docjim505 | July 2, 2007 5:57 PM
Dear are all americans so charming;
I guess that you missed the "/sarcasm" tag at the end of my post, or don't know what it means, or lack the dry wit for which the English are famous. No matter; let me state clearly that I was being SARCASTIC, in effect trying to beat the idiot liberals trolls on this blog to the punch, because "the terrorists are incompetent / they didn't kill anybody / terrorism isn't a big problem" is EXACTLY what they believe. I, of course, take a different view.
Like swabjockey, I greatly appreciate the steadfast friendship that we have had with our British cousins and I'm very happy that the bombers were caught before they could commit really heinous acts of murder.
It will also be of great interest to me to see how John Bull reacts to this. Will he shrug his shoulders and just go on with his life as Downing Street seems to urge him to do? Or will he wake up and realize that Britain faces yet another grave threat to her existence that must be faced, fought, and beaten as was the Armada, the Ogre, Kaiser Bill, Schickelgruber, and the Soviets? Will Britain's rallying cry be "We will never surrender" or "Fighting back was not an option"?
Time will tell.
Posted by lexhamfox | July 2, 2007 6:37 PM
'Going on' and not giving bungled attacks screaming round the clock cover is the best response to terror. It drives terrorists nuts when their attacks don't change policy and don't change public behavior. Londoners are used to these things and it is how they fight back. I rather liked the fact that the new PM spelled out the policy succinctly and did not come up with bunch of window dressing 'feel good' plans or study groups in response to the attacks as Blair would have probably done.
Posted by docjim505 | July 2, 2007 8:41 PM
lexhamfox,
If by "going on" you mean it as the British did during the Blitz - bearing the worst the enemy could dish out with courage and fortitude while at the same time clamoring to "give it 'em back!" - then I agree.
But I fear that many libs on both sides of the pond seem to think that the best course of action is sticking our heads in the sand and ignoring the fact that a small but vicious group of psychos wants to kill us, or even trying to excuse their crimes by agonizing over everything western civilization has ever done to piss them off.
The terrorists don't think that the GWOT is a bumber sticker slogan. Further, they're not a group of sophomoric pranksters who simply want attention and will give up their antics when they find that they aren't getting it. They are murderous fanatics who think they're going to get plenty of attention from the 72 virgins they've been promised for murdering infidels. Whether you or any of us like it or not, we've got to take them seriously. I don't espouse people giving way to hysteria as some on the left do about global warming, but we can't afford to be complacent and simply hope that we get lucky and get off the bus before the bomb goes off.
As I said before, what's it to be for Britain? Never surrender, or fighting back is not an option?
Posted by stackja1945 | July 2, 2007 10:00 PM
At http://timblair.net/
An eighth suspect connected to a plot to blow up car bombs in London and Scotland has been arrested in Brisbane, police have confirmed. A 27-year-old Queensland doctor was arrested at Brisbane Airport last night in connection with Britain’s foiled car bomb terror plot, authorities have confirmed.
Posted by lexhamfox | July 3, 2007 6:54 PM
Doc,
WWII was a total war between nations. This is not.
I was thinking of the British response to the provo terrorism of the 70s to the 90s when people refused to change their behavior and the government refused to cave in to terrorist demands. The British also refrained from attacking the millions of Irish within Britain and they also did not attack the United States which is where much of the core support for IRA terrorism came from.
I have not heard anyone seriously suggest that we ignore terrorism or that Islamicism is not one of the great challenges of our time. Again, I felt that the PMs statement hit the right note and I also think he is right in suggesting that we combat this menace with similar tactics to the way we prevailed during the Cold War. Penetrating those terror cells and working with the communities that they try to hide in seems to me the most productive way to respond.