The Brave Art of Salvatore Scuotto

Salvatore Scuotto is an Italian artist from Naples who is famous for the nativity scenes he creates. His latest masterpiece is a nativity scene featuring naked women and transvestites standing near the baby Jesus. This highly respectful work, evidence of Scuotto's great sensitivity towards Christians, is currently on display at Rome's San Giacomo church where it has outraged church members who, strangely enough, view the work as blasphemous.

In defending the nativity scene, Scuotto says that, "Such scenes are a part of reality. The real scandal is when figures such as Bin Laden or George Bush are used in nativity scenes."

So Salvatore Scuotto has scored a "two-fer" with his latest work by bashing Bush and defecating on Christianity--how original! How cutting edge! In his mind he probably justifies the action by reasoning that real artists "push the envelope" by rattling conventional sensibilities.

Fair enough--I suggest to him a religious topic that will really rattle some sensibilities and "push the envelope" to its very limits: Mohammed's marriage to a nine-year-old girl.

Here's how the Koran describes that event:

[Scriptural Evidence] Volume 7, Book 62, Number 64: Sahih Bukhari [the most
venerated and authentic Islamic source] Narrated 'Aisha: that the Prophet married her when she was six years old and he consummated his marriage when she was nine years old, and then she remained with him for nine years.

So how about it, Sal?-care to exercise your artisitic powers by creating and displaying a graphic work of art based on Mohammed having sex with his pre-pubescent wife? (You can even play it safe by leaving gratuitous transvestites out of the depiction.)

Oh, wait--I forgot! If Salvatore Scuotto produced and displayed a work of art depicting Mohammed having sex with his child-bride, a reality--at least within the context of the Koran-- it's quite likely that the Italian authorities would cave in to the resulting Muslim outrage by arresting him for "hate speech." Either that or, for his own good, he'd be placed in protective custody.

It's so easy for artists to garner positive attention by desecrating things that are sacred to Christians. Christians usually protest such desecrations mildly, or not at all. And the Left is usually there to cheer on and, if necessary, defend the act of desecration.

Salvatore Scuotto--iconoclast, trend-setter, art hero, and ultimately a coward, knows those things well.

Osama Wanted Bush Reelected?

During the run-up to the 2004 elections, the Democratic Party and their MsM rump swabs made the point that Osama bin Laden actually wanted George W. Bush to be reelected, since Bush's war in Iraq served to drive new recruits into bin Laden's camp, thereby strengthening the Al Qaeda movement.

How killing and detaining Islamists, boxing-in their leaders, destroying their communication structure and robbing them of their finances strengthens their cause is anyone's guess, but leave it to the Left to float such illogic, especially when desperate to install a self-serving fraud into the Oval Office.

As it turns out, O.B.L. most certainly did not want Bush reelected, as the following NY Daily News article implies:

"WASHINGTON - Before he was captured last spring, Osama Bin Laden's top operational commander was solely focused on killing President Bush and Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharaff, the Daily News has learned.

The capture last May of Al Qaeda's No. 3 leader, Abu Faraj Al-Libi, apparently thwarted plots to assassinate the two partners in the global war on terror, said a senior Pakistani official, whose information was corroborated by two senior U.S. counterterrorism officials.

'Al-Libi had one mission: Kill Bush and Musharraf,' the Pakistani official told The News. 'He wanted to kill Bush in the White House, preferably.'

'It was clearly something they wanted to do. There's no question about that. It's the holy grail of jihad,' a senior U.S. counterterrorism official confirmed." MORE

More Torture!

The torture issue has new found its way into a place that I love: Late Night Television. Please, please Dave, tell me that it's not true:

David Letterman has been temporarily restrained by a woman who believes that he torments her over the airwaves using a secret code.

New Mexico resident Colleen Nestler filed court documents late last week, alleging that Letterman has been using code words, gestures and "eye expressions" for more than 10 years to convey his desire to marry her and train her as his cohost.

As a result of Letterman's alleged methods of torture, Nestler claims she has suffered from "mental cruelty" and "sleep deprivation," and has been forced into bankruptcy.

There's much, much more:

It's unclear from Nestler's complaint when her "relationship" with Letterman began to sour.

In her letter to the court, she claims she began sending Letterman "thoughts of love" after he began hosting The Late Show with David Letterman on CBS in 1993.

"Dave responded to my thoughts of love, and, on his show, in code words & obvious indications through jestures [sic] and eye expressions, he asked me to come east," she wrote.

Letterman upped the ante, she claimed, when he asked her to be his wife shortly before Thanksgiving in 1993.

In a teaser for his show, Letterman jokingly said, "Marry Me, Oprah," which Nestler rapidly deduced was a message intended for her.

"Oprah had become my first of many code names," she wrote. "...[A]s time passed, the code-vocabulary increased & changed, but in the beginning things like 'C' on baseball caps referred to me, and specific messages through songs sung by his guests, were the beginnings of what became an elaborate means of communication between he and myself."

Nestler did not reveal why she waited for so many years to take action against her tormenter. (We're guessing she was motivated by the recent revelation that she's not the only woman Letterman calls Oprah.)

Clearly, insanity is funny, but what is this judge doing? What a waste of courtroom time. Maybe there is no backlog for real cases.

La Quake

Dang! I didn't feel a thing!

A Simple Question On the Patriot Act

Leftists abhor the Patriot Act since it makes it harder for their Islamist allies of convenience to go about the business of taking down the the evil, capitalist, oppressive, racist, sexist source of all the world's problems: America.

In the eyes of leftists, America stands between them and their fantasy of affecting Heaven on earth. (Never mind the fact that past attempts at creating the socialist Utopia have resulted in the deaths of approximately 150 million people.)

Ask yourselves a simple question: Exactly who is made safer by killing the Patriot Act?

So far, the Patriot Act has taken 300 Islamic terrorists off the streets of America. One hundred seventy-nine of those have so far been convicted. The Patriot Act was vital to rounding up the Al Qaeda cell known as the Lackawanna Six, composed of six Yemeni Americans who were Al Qaeda members and, interestingly enough, registered Democrats.

What will the U.S. Representatives, who are working to kill the Patriot Act, tell their constituents if this country suffers another 9/11-type attack due to their recklessness? They have the nerve to risk the safety of all of us by removing the security layer the Patriot Act provides. Will they have the decency to resign their seats in Congress if America suffers a terrorist attack due to the death of the Patriot Act?

I think not--these egoists are more concerned with stroking their far-Left, wacko-Right, Deaniac/MoveOn supporters--the most vocal opponents of the Patriot Act-- than they are with protecting all legal citizens of America , as they have sworn to do.

By voting "no" on the Patriot Act, the numerous Democrats and few Republicans who did so showed America that they fear the Bush Administration more than they fear the animals that want to kill all of them.

More Sickness From the Cultural Left

As if there wasn't enough subject matter to write plays about, playwright Megan Gogerty has penned an apparently non-judgmental musical about an incestuous homosexual pedophile.

Titled "Love Jerry," (a better title would be "Arrest Jerry") the play tells the story of Jerry, who has a sexual relationship with his nephew while trying to stay friends with the male child's father.

Described as "a delicate, often heart-wrenching piece of theater" by Variety magazine, the play features "lilting country songs" and refrains from demonizing the title character.

The Cultural Left's siren song of moral relativism hits a new low note when "Love Jerry" opens in Atlanta on Jan. 22, 2006.

Unions and War

So what does the politics of the Iraqi War and a Faculty Labor Union at a state run University have to do with each other? Obviously a lot at the University of Rhode Island. I have obtained the following letter sent out by Frank Annunziato, URI/AAUP (American Assosicaton of University Professors) Executive Director:

From: Frank Annunziato, URI/AAUP Executive Director [mailto:fraaaup@etal.uri.edu]
Sent: Thursday, December 15, 2005 1:23 PM
To: fraaaup@etal.uri.edu
Subject: Iraq War Resolution Vote...Reminder

Dear Colleague,

Just a reminder that you will have until 4:30 PM, Wednesday, December 21, 2005 to vote on the following resolution:

The URI/AAUP calls for the "speedy withdrawal of U.S. troops from Iraq and the resources being spent on the war in Iraq be redirected to improve the lives of working men, women, and their families."

The URI/AAUP Executive Committee has voted in favor of this resolution and urges all our colleagues to vote "Yes."

The Executive Committee felt that the time has come for the URI/AAUP membership to take a stand on this war in order to convince our Congressional leadership to be more bold in demanding to bring our troops home. The resolution also calls for a reordering of our economic priorities from bullets and oil to education, health care, housing, rebuilding New Orleans, etc.

Only URI/AAUP national members may vote on this resolution. The Executive Committee felt that the AAUP does not have the authority to conduct a referendum among the entire faculty. That authority belongs to the Faculty Senate. However, the URI/AAUP can authorize a referendum among our membership.

To vote on this resolution, you must appear in person to the AAUP offices, 302 Roosevelt Hall. Nancy Murphy will have a ballot for you. After you vote "yes" or "no" you will place your ballot in a secure ballot box. We guarantee a secret ballot.


IF YOU ARE NOT A NATIONAL MEMBER AND WANT TO VOTE IN THIS REFERENDUM, YOU MAY JOIN THE AAUP AT ANY TIME, INCLUDING WHEN YOU COME TO OUR OFFICES TO VOTE.

The URI/AAUP Executive Committee hopes that all of you will show up to vote, regardless of how you may personally feel on this issue of national and international significance.


Dr. Frank R. Annunziato
Executive Director
University of Rhode Island Chapter
American Association of University Professors
302 Roosevelt Hall
Kingston, RI 02881-0819
(401) 874-2534

The arrogance that permeates from this letter is unbelievable. No balance. Just an assumption that everyone else shares your same disregard for an entire population to have the opportunity to live in freedom. Or to fight terrorists in a foreign land rather than our streets in our cities.

I guess liberals can't wait to jump on the latest insanity bandwagon that's circling Washington at any particular moment.

Now a question on the legality of the vote. I am still conducting research in this area and I am not a lawyer; but isn't it curious that state computers and state time can be utilized for such activities? Activites that, too many citizens, weakens our national resolve to win a war. A war that the majority of this country wants won.

These instances need to be exposed for all to see. So here it is.

New Orleans: Come See the Misery...$35 please

Worse case of a Rubber Necking Scheme ever.

The buses will start at the edge of the French Quarter, then drive past the Superdome and Convention Center, where thousands suffered in the heat for days without food or water. The tour also may include the destroyed marina and neighborhoods like the flooded Lakefront, Gentilly and eastern New Orleans areas.

And for an extra 25 cents you can throw rocks at the folks shoveling sludge from their living rooms.

Only in New Orleans.

(Hat tip to my hubby)

The March of Freedom Continues in Iraq

Tonight is one of celebration. Iraqis, of all stripes, voted in today's parliamentary elections. The turnout was enormous. There was little violence and much joy in the streets of Iraq.

"This is the day to get our revenge from Saddam," said Kurdish voter Chiman Saleh, a Kirkuk housewife who said two of her brothers were killed by Saddam's regime," reports the AP.

Anyone with a heart and soul could not help feeling joy as news of a successful election came in from Iraq. It is a wonderful thing knowing that those once enslaved now taste Freedom.

Unfortunately, the Democrats proved that they have neither heart nor soul--as of 8pm this evening, I have yet to hear any prominent Democrat even mention today's historic event. The leftist Democratic Party leadership, a cowardly, egotistical, traitorous and unpatriotic lot, is once again on the wrong side of history and stewing in its failure to wreck the march of Freedom in the Middle East.

Iraqi blogger Alaa has some words for them, and for anyone else who doubts the universality of man's yearning for Freedom:

"Today was a tremendous moment of our history, a turning point and a real
milestone. Say what you like; things are not perfect; there are countless
problems; the “insurgency” is not going to disappear; the reconstruction
effort is in shambles; there is corruption and thieving everywhere; errors
and mistakes in everything. Yet despite all that, the political process is
proceeding like a dream and the tree of freedom is taking roots, and that
tree will continue to grow and grow and grow. The Iraqis are again
confounding all the "pundits" and "experts". But some just cannot understand
the true soul of a people. That this most profound revolution initiated by an act of liberation, by the daring praxis of the Americans, driven by some mysterious hand of the Providence, has touched the innermost womb of a nation, and that the present agonies of this nation are those of giving birth and new life. Oh no, that they cannot understand. Well then, let them witness surprise after nasty surprise that will confound their logic and demolish their arguments. But the word mongers will always find something to say, as wild dogs are always wont to bark all the more hysterically
as they are irked." MORE

To the Democrats' great consternation, today's events prove conclusively that Iraq is not, nor will it ever be, Vietnam.

Friends and Viewpoints

I recently ran into an old friend and politics came into the conversation. This fella was pretty anti-war and anti-Bush. We exchanged emails and we began an email tennis match, if you will, of selected opinion pieces. After a few days of this I noticed that all of his columns were coming from one site, CommonDreams.org (and no, I will only link to them when I want to direct someone to a particular story). I always felt ickey reading their stuff, but did so to combat the misinformation and wrong assertions to my friend.

In this process, I made a conscious effort to send him not only columns from different sources, but from different partisan leanings as well. Thank you Hitch.

That night he claimed Libertarian as the closest party affiliation that described him....well, he is dreaming.

This Common Dreams site is a far, far Leftey whacked-out site. Noam Chomsky is listed under their 'View Points' and there are direct links to ACCORN, IndyMedia and Rethinking Marxism (I DID NOT make that one up folks).

So after a week or so of providing raw data, many, many columns and Blog posts from various sites, I've come to the realization that I'm in the middle of a disturbing situation.

Do I actually know someone who agrees with looney sites/people, ie, the Real America Haters? It is a bizarre situation.

I've challenged my friend in an email on 1) Did he realize these folks are supported by the one site he apparently reads? and 2) Does he agree with Chomsky and these other radical groups?

Well, as I await my answer I will definitely let you all know his reply and mean time, I'll be taking a hot, scalding shower.

Miracle in Iraq

It has been less than two years since the U.S. deposed Saddam Hussein. Now, we witness millions of our fellow human beings experience their birthright, Freedom, for the first time.

The polls in Iraq open shortly. Seventy percent of eligible Iraqi voters are expected to dip their fingers in purple ink and vote.

Two years ago, this was unthinkable. Two years ago, the fate of 26 million Iraqis was in the hands of a miserable tyrant and his psychotic sons. Now, that fate is in the hands of the Iraqi people themselves. Within two years of deposing the tyrant Hussein, the U.S. has affected this beautiful thing.

It is nothing short of a miracle.

Something Smells

Tony Snow writes of a little known investigation and calls for the full report to be revealed. Seeing how we paid for it, I think we should get to read it. Here's a little of what Tony has to say:

The pattern was set early on, when the White House sicced the FBI on Billy Dale, who had served as the director of the White House Travel Office since the days of John F. Kennedy. They mounted a baseless probe of Dale's finances, while chasing after his daughter, his sister and others. Dale was guilty of holding a job coveted by presidential pal Harry Thomasson. But rather than simply firing Dale, the Clinton White House chose to destroy him.

By all accounts, the 400-page Barrett report is a bombshell, capable possibly of wiping out Hillary Rodham Clinton's presidential prospects. At the very least, it would bring to public attention a scandal that would make the Valerie Plame affair vanish into comical insignificance.

Democrats know this. Using provisions in the independent-counsel statute that permit people named in a report to review the allegations against them and file rebuttals, attorneys close to the Clintons have spent the better part of five years reviewing every jot and tittle of the charges arrayed against their clients and friends.

Will we ever know the full extent of the corrupt Clinton's? Probably not, but I sure as hell would like to read this report. Come on Hillary, it's for the 'common good'.

(Link found via Michelle Malkin)

Dean Pinked

Ladies and Gentlemen allow me to show you the proud face of the Democratic Party:


On a San Antonio Radio station Dean made the usual ass of himself. You know how some people get fashionably 'stuck' in a decade? Well Dean is politically stuck in the 70's. Can you count how many 70isms he can't get over?

"I've seen this before in my life. This is the same situation we had in Vietnam. Everybody then kept saying, 'just another year, just stay the course, we'll have a victory.' Well, we didn't have a victory, and this policy cost the lives of an additional 25,000 troops because we were too stubborn to recognize what was happening."

Dean says the Democrat position on the war is 'coalescing,' and is likely to include several proposals.

"I think we need a strategic redeployment over a period of two years," Dean said. "Bring the 80,000 National Guard and Reserve troops home immediately. They don't belong in a conflict like this anyway. We ought to have a redeployment to Afghanistan of 20,000 troops, we don't have enough troops to do the job there and its a place where we are welcome. And we need a force in the Middle East, not in Iraq but in a friendly neighboring country to fight (terrorist leader Musab) Zarqawi, who came to Iraq after this invasion. We've got to get the target off the backs of American troops.

Okay. So let me see if I've got this. Zarqawi, who is in Iraq, needs to be fought by America from an imaginary American-friendly neighboring country. That'll work! The Brilliance!!

Dean didn't specify which country the US forces would deploy to, but he said he would like to see the entire process completed within two years. He said the Democrat proposal is not a 'withdrawal,' but rather a 'strategic redeployment' of U.S. forces.

So, if he were now in charge (Heaven help us all), the terrorists could now explain to all of their jihadists to sit tight and wait. Just two years guys, they'll be gone, & then the place is ours. Nothing like laying a plan out there for the terrorists to work around. Two years to terrorists is nothing.

"The White House wants us to have a permanent commitment to Iraq. This is an Iraqi problem. President Bush got rid of Saddam Hussein and that was a great thing, but that could have been done in a very different way. But now that we're there we need to figure out how to leave. 80% of Iraqis want us to leave, and it's their country."

Yes, yes, yes the sanctions were going so well! France, Germany, Russia, and many U.N. officials (and sons!) were getting rich by selling out the Iraqi people. Meanwhile, Saddam kept on firing on our planes and free to do whatever he wished. Permanent commitment to Iraq....Only a deranged person could see having a democratic middle eastern country as an ally a bad thing. Let's continue with the 70isms.

Dean also compared the controversy over pre-war intelligence to the Watergate scandal which brought down Richard Nixon's presidency in 1974.

"What we see today is very much like what was going in Watergate," Dean said. "It turns out there is a lot of good evidence that President Bush did not tell the truth when he was asking Congress for the power to go to war. The President said last week that Congress saw the same intelligence that he did in making the decision to go to war, and that is flat out wrong. The President withheld some intelligence from the Senate Intelligence Committee. He withheld the report from the CIA that in fact there was no evidence of weapons of mass destruction (in Iraq), that they did not have a nuclear program. They (the White House) selectively gave intelligence to the United States Senate and the United States Congress and got them to give the go ahead to attack these people." (all emphasis mine)

That last phrase is especially precious, don't you think? You know, that kite-flying, happy-go-lucky country without a care in the world. What plastic shredders? What torturing of 2 year old toddlers for intel? The rapes, the gassings and mass murder....

Also of note: "they did not have a nuclear program".. Somebody please tell Dr. Obeidi.

Somebody please get Dean a straight jacket. I think he prefers the pink ones.

(Link found via Michelle Malkin)

Ben and Me

Ben Stein spoke recently at a local University here in Northern Louisiana.

Here he is with somebody, I'm not sure who:

Here are some of the things he talked about including his response to my question during the Question and Answer session.

He spoke a great deal about how we should all hit the floor every morning and thank God for the country we live in and the freedoms we take for granted every day. Gratefulness was a strong theme of his message: to our brilliant fore fathers, the men and women in the armed forces and their families who keep the candle burning for them.

He also went into depth on media bias and reporting on the war. One of his examples was how everyone knows Lyndie England's name and what she did, but how many people know the names of the 10 marines recently killed or the name of the Seal's dying on the hunt for Osama, or the names of firefighters who rescued people from the WTC or the names of the folks who prevented a plane from crashing into the Capital or White House.

There are brave, brave true heroes working hard everyday that gets no press. I agree with him that this is perverted.

He also told great stories of his father and his father-in-law. His father, who had been discriminated against back in the day because he was Jewish, never felt any ill will towards the people he ran up against. Ben said he had asked his father about holding a job at a fraternity house (that he was not allowed to join - at a University he was not allowed to attend) and how that made him feel. His father simply replied that he never had bad feelings toward those people, just thanked God with all of his heart that he was in a country where he could work and make money to support his family and pay his way through school.

His father-in-law, who was a brave, decorated soldier in WWII and Vietnam, was once asked by Ben why he went and fought in very dangerous positions. His father-in-law simply replied so that his children maybe would not have to fight. You could tell that these great men had a tremendous influence over Ben Stein and contributed a greatly to who he is today.

Now to my question to him during the speech:

KelliPundit: Recently the Israeli military has declared that Iran is getting too close to having a nuclear bomb and that time is running out. They've stated that if diplomacy doesn't work very soon, they'll be forced to use military force to stop this from occurring. What are your thoughts on what may happen between Israel and Iran?

Ben immediately replied that he does not believe that Bush will let them get the A-bomb. Then he interestingly started saying that his conversations with people who deal closely with the American intelligence of this situation have told him that they believe that Iran is bluffing and they are no where near having a nuclear weapon.

I certainly don't know who his contacts are but pray they are correct. Nonetheless, I thought his reply was extremely interesting and possibly revealing. Who knows? One thing for certain, time will tell.

Be sure and read his column Monday Night at Morton's as it displays his passion well. One of his funniest antidotes during the talk was when he stated that when he runs into Alec Baldwin or Barbara Streisand he alway asks, "Why are you still here? Is it the deposit on the U-Haul trailor that is preventing you from leaving? Because I'd happily take care of that for you!"

We're in a great country folks--Best in the World--Even the America Haters won't leave it. Deep down, buried under all their cynicism and empty sound-bites, they too know the truth.

UPDATE: The Jerusalem Post has a disturbing post on Iran and their path toward a nuclear weapon:

IAEA chairman Muhammad ElBaradei on Monday confirmed Israel's assessment that Iran is only a few months away from creating an atomic bomb.

If Teheran indeed resumed its uranium enrichment in other plants, as threatened, it will take it only "a few months" to produce a nuclear bomb, El-Baradei told The Independent.

On the other hand, he warned, any attempt to resolve the crisis by non-diplomatic means would "open a Pandora's box. There would be efforts to isolate Iran; Iran would retaliate; and at the end of the day you have to go back to the negotiating table to find the solution."

Not looking so good.

Hating Wal-Mart

Well the Left does anyway. Living in Providence, RI, I had to drive to Massachusetts to do all of my shopping at any big retailers. It was maddening and not by accident. I had many conversations with neighbors over the lack of big retail shopping and you should have seen the darkness fall over their faces. It was like bringing up the option of inviting the Devil himself to dinner.

The nearest big retailers that were actually in the state of Rhode Island was in Warwick. Pretty far down I-95 from where I was living.

I bring this all up because the issue is getting a lot of play right now in the blogosphere. The Corner has a great entry. I really loved this from Democratic Leadership's Coucil Ed Kilgore:

In the southern small-town, rural and exurban communities I know best, and among the low-to-moderate income "working family" voters Democrats most need to re-attract, Wal-Mart is considered pretty damn near sacrosanct. And if Democrats decide to tell these voters they can't be good progressives and shop at Wal-Mart, we will lose these people for a long, long time.

Maybe it's different in...other parts of the country, but probably not too widely. And I defy you to find a credible political strategist in states with a big Wal-Mart presence who will tell you otherwise.

If you think we've been damaged as a party by culturally conservative working-class perceptions of us as people who want to take their guns away, you ain't seen nothing yet if we become perceived as the party that wants to take Wal-Mart away. Indeed, it's the one thing we could do, other than espousing actual racism, that might finally give Republicans a breakthrough among minority voters, who heavily shop at Wal-Mart where the option's available.

Heh, Heh, Heh....Go ahead and keep on demonizing Wal-Mart: It's great sport to watch.

Update: Kilgore direct link added. (Thanks to RightRI)

Fighting Corruption

One of my favorite writers, Jack Kelly, has a plan that could clean up politics. Go get some Jack!