G-FAN #85

G-FAN #85
Nakajima Tribute Issue


G-FAN #85 is now here to entertain you for your free moments between homework or your job, and you don’t need a government bailout to enjoy it! The issue contains goodies that include:


News reports including G-FAN’s inclusion in the Chicago Tribune’s “Fifty Favorite Magazines,” other fanzine news and Guilala’s X-citing comeback.

News on Mechagodzilla 1974 radio-controlled toy from Bandai.

Kawakita Signature Edition Godzilla Toy (4 ft. tall).

J. D. Lees reflects on the Trib’s tribute to G-FAN.

Lots of letters this issue!

Non-kaiju works of Koichi Kawakita article by Kenju Shimomura.

Brett Homenick interviews Roland Emmerich. Was that really supposed to be J.D. in Tri-Star’s “Godzilla” (1998)?

Robyn Bliley is interviewed by Brett Homenick.

Special Section: “Tribute To Haruo Nakajima.” Includes photos from G-FEST, his years as a suit actor, interview and other goodies.

Allen Debus looks at monster folklore in “Monster Mythology.”

Brett Homenick interviews Yuriko Hishimi.

What do Godzilla’s innards look like? Check out Timothy Lee Elliott’s “The [Fictional] Science of Godzilla.”

Mike Bogue has two retrospectives on the same character: Glenn Manning, also known as “The Amazing Colossal Man” and “War of the Colossal Beast.”

Brett Homenick interviews G-actor Jeff Berglund.

Episode 3 of “Tales of King Komodo” by Mike Bogue & Todd Tennant.

Latest toy news by Steve Agin.

And a whole lot more! For more information on G-FAN, go to www.g-fan.com. See you in 3 months for a review of the winter issue (#86).

McCain Letter Demanding Action on Fannie/Freddie Released

A 2006 letter signed by John McCain and other Republican U.S. Senators demanding action on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac has been released. Note that no Democrat senators signed the letter. Click on the image to see the full size.

Possible RICO Investigation of Obama and ACORN!

BREAKING: Possible RICO (anti-racketeering) investigation for voter fraud ties between ACORN and the Obama Campaign. It is said that federal prosecutor Patrick Fitzgerald has begun a RICO investigation for voter fraud activities in ten states involving ACORN. Obama used to work for ACORN in Chicago and an investigation may find ties between Obama's campaign and ACORN.

RICO stands for Racketeering Influenced and Corrupt Organization.

I've heard this rumor days ago, but it seems to be getting more traction. We'll see as things develop.

Tasergate (Troopergate): Nothing But B.S.

Tasergate (or Troopergate as the MSM and Obamatrons prefer) is much ado about nothing.

The "investigator's" findings are all over the place and contradict its own points as Bill Dyer aptly points out in an article over at Townhall.com:

Democratic state senator and staunch Barack Obama supporter Hollis French of Alaska boasted in early September that he would provide an "October Surprise" which would upset the McCain-Palin campaign. Indeed, he originally planned to time it for October 31, four days before the election, for maximum impact, until other legislators forced him to abandon that particular strategy.

Today, however, in an episode of political theater that would make Josef Stalin blush, French gave it his very best shot: The investigator he hired and directed, Steve Branchflower, has labored mightily and given birth to a bloated and redundant 263-page report which boils down, for purposes of the ongoing presidential campaign, to two paragraphs that completely contradict one another. And the one of them that's unfavorable ignores the most important — indeed conclusive — evidence on point, but goes on to provide Branchflower's guess as to whether Gov. Palin has done anything improper.

Please understand this, if you take nothing else away from reading this post: The Branchflower Report is a series of guess and insupportable conclusions drawn by exactly one guy, and it hasn't been approved or adopted or endorsed by so much as a single sub-committee of the Alaska Legislature, much less any kind of commission, court, jury, or other proper adjudicatory body. It contains no new bombshells in terms of factual revelations. Rather, it's just Steve Branchflower's opinion — after being hired and directed by one of Gov. Palin's most vocal opponents and one of Alaska's staunchest Obama supporters — that he thinks Gov. Palin had, at worst, mixed motives for an action that even Branchflower admits she unquestionably had both (a) the complete right to perform and (b) other very good reasons to perform.

Dyer continues:

The Branchflower Report is a series of guess and insupportable conclusions drawn by exactly one guy, and it hasn't been approved or adopted or endorsed by so much as a single sub-committee of the Alaska Legislature, much less any kind of commission, court, jury, or other proper adjudicatory body.

Finding 2 of the report:

I find that, although Walt Monegan's refusal to fire Trooper Michael Wooten was not the sole reason he was fired by Governor Sarah Palin, it was likely a contributing factor to his termination as Commissioner of Public Safety. In spite of that, Governor Palin's firing of Commissioner Monegan was a proper and lawful exercise of her constitutional and statutory authority to hire and fire executive branch department heads.

Yeesh, nothing like talking out of both sides of your mouth.

This comment by the fired Monegan should have laid to rest the need for any kind of investigation:

"For the record, no one ever said fire Wooten. Not the governor. Not Todd. Not any of the other staff," Monegan said Friday from Portland. "What they said directly was more along the lines of 'This isn't a person that we would want to be representing our state troopers.'"

Either something is or it isn't. This is just a political witchhunt that's just full of hot air.

Obama: Questions of Character

Charles Krauthammer nails Barack Obama again. These are the opening paragraphs of his latest article on Obama:

Questions of Character
Obama's radical pals shed light on his cynicism, his ruthlessness, and his tolerance for the obscene.

By Charles Krauthammer

Convicted felon Tony Rezko. Unrepentant terrorist Bill Ayers. And the race-baiting Rev. Jeremiah Wright. It is hard to think of any presidential candidate before Barack Obama sporting associations with three more execrable characters. Yet let the McCain campaign raise the issue, and the mainstream media begin fulminating about dirty campaigning tinged with racism and McCarthyite guilt by association.



But associations are important. They provide a significant insight into character. They are particularly relevant in relation to a potential president as new, unknown, opaque, and self-contained as Obama. With the economy overshadowing everything, it may be too late politically to be raising this issue. But that does not make it, as conventional wisdom holds, in any way illegitimate.

To read the full article, go here.

Chucko the Birthday Clown

Another bit of childhood memories and the Golden Age of Los Angeles television has passed on.

If you were a kid growing up in 1950s and 1960s Los Angeles, no doubt you watched the Chucko the Birthday Clown show.

From the Los Angeles Times:

Charles M. Runyon, who as Chucko the Birthday Clown was a popular Los Angeles children's TV show host in the 1950s and '60s, has died. He was 86.

Runyon died Saturday of respiratory failure in an assisted-living facility in Grants Pass, Ore., said his son, Randy Runyon.

On KABC-TV Channel 7 from 1955 to 1963 and on KTTV Channel 11 from 1963 to 1964, Runyon's Chucko the Clown was a familiar -- and welcome -- sight to thousands of young Southern California viewers.

The jovial and genteel clown wore a spinning merry-go-round hat with his name on it, a half red and half red-and-white-striped clown suit with a fluffy Elizabethan-style collar and cuffs, and white gloves; and he had arching blue eyebrows on a white face with a rhinestone-tipped nose and an upturned red smile.

His live, hourlong show included cartoons, special guests and games with his studio audience, which consisted of two children celebrating their birthdays and their young friends.

At the end of the show, the camera would show a large birthday cake, and Chucko would sing: "Here's a hap, hap, happy birthday from me (that's me), to you (that's you). . . ."

During his heyday, Runyon's Chucko would open the television coverage of the annual Santa Claus Lane Parade by jumping through a bass drum head.

"They'd say, 'And now from Hollywood, the Santa Claus Lane Parade' -- and BOOM! -- he'd bust through the drum and usually bow and salute," recalled Randy Runyon, who said his father spent most of his time during the parade outside the car that was provided for him and danced along with the marching bands.

Chucko also made countless personal appearances at supermarkets and shopping centers. "He'd pull into, say, the Topanga Plaza or whatever and there'd be thousands of people as far as you could see," his son said.

For his personal appearances, Runyon created a circus wagon -- a converted delivery truck with a stage on top.

I remember seeing Chucko and his circus wagon in the early 1960s at the Food Giant market at Western Ave. and Imperial Highway in Los Angeles. Back in those days, color television was extremely rare, so seeing Chucko's colorful costume and make-up was something to behold!

After leaving television, Chucko performed birthday shows at the Jungleland wild animal amusement park in Thousand Oaks until it closed in 1969.

He later retired to Oregon.

Thanks, Mr. Runyon for the memories.

"Ayres" Mc Cain Ad

The McCain campaign has released a new political ad:

"Ayres"

McCain's Mittens: My Debate Reaction

I was only able to listen to last night's debate on the radio. One word sums up last night's townhall-style debate between McCain and Obama:

Dull!

McCain did a little better than in the first one, but did nothing to produce a game changer. Obama stuck to talking points.

McCain said previously that he'd "take the gloves off" Tuesday night. It was more like putting on some mittens.

Update: G-FAN Travel Guide To Kaiju Japan

I checked with J. D. Lees on the progress on the G-FAN Travel Guide To Kaiju Japan and his reply is as follows:

"Still working on getting it together. I was devoting full time to G-FAN 85 the past few weeks."

We're getting there!   We hope to get an announcement out in an upcoming issue of G-FAN. 

RNC Unloads File On Obama-Ayres

The Republican National Committee has unloaded their file on the Barack Obama-William Ayres relationship:

Source: Republican National Committee

The Relationship Between Barack Obama And Bill Ayers Is Much More Extensive Than Obama's Campaign Is Willing To Admit

Obama's Top Campaign Staff Have Attempted To Downplay The Relationship Between Obama And Bill Ayers:

Obama Spokesman Robert Gibbs Said That Obama And Ayers Weren't Close And That Obama Was Only 8 Years Old When Ayers Was Bombing Buildings. Robert Gibbs: "If you read the article ... it says these two men weren't close, this man isn't involved in our campaign. Bill Ayers is somebody that Barack Obama said his actions were despicable and these happened when Barack Obama was 8 years old." (FOX News' "FOX & Friends," 10/6/08)

Gibbs Has Also Limited The Relationship Between Obama And Ayers To Serving On Two Boards Together. John Roberts: "Barack Obama knew Bill Ayers and had contact with him between 1995 and 2005. Exactly what was the nature of the relationship?" Robert Gibbs: "Well, John, as The New York Times reported this weekend, they served on two boards together during that time period." (CNN's "American Morning," 10/6/08)

Even Obama Has Previously Referred To Ayers As "A Guy Who Lives In My Neighborhood" And Not Someone He Exchanges Ideas With "On A Regular Basis." Obama: "George, but this is an example of what I'm talking about. This is a guy who lives in my neighborhood, who's a professor of English in Chicago who I know and who I have not received some official endorsement from. He's not somebody who I exchange ideas from on a regular basis. And the notion that somehow as a consequence of me knowing somebody who engaged in detestable acts 40 years ago, when I was 8 years old, somehow reflects on me and my values doesn't make much sense, George." (Sen. Barack Obama, ABC Democrat Candidates Presidential Debate, Philadelphia, PA, 4/16/08)

But Obama's Connections With Bill Ayers Are Much More Extensive Than He Or His Campaign Staff Is Willing To Admit:

In 1995, During Obama's First State Senate Campaign, William Ayers And Wife Bernadine Dohrn Hosted A Meeting Of Chicago Liberals At Their Home For Obama, Which One Attendee Said Was Aimed At "Launching Him." "In 1995, State Senator Alice Palmer introduced her chosen successor, Barack Obama, to a few of the district's influential liberals at the home of two well known figures on the local left: William Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn. While Ayers and Dohrn may be thought of in Hyde Park as local activists, they're better known nationally as two of the most notorious -- and unrepentant -- figures from the violent fringe of the 1960s anti-war movement. ... 'I can remember being one of a small group of people who came to Bill Ayers' house to learn that Alice Palmer was stepping down from the senate and running for Congress,' said Dr. Quentin Young, a prominent Chicago physician and advocate for single-payer health care, of the info rmal gathering at the home of Ayers and his wife, Dohrn. '[Palmer] identified [Obama] as her successor.' ... Dr. Young and another guest, Maria Warren, described it similarly: as an introduction to Hyde Park liberals of the handpicked successor to Palmer, a well-regarded figure on the left. 'When I first met Barack Obama, he was giving a standard, innocuous little talk in the living room of those two legends-in-their-own-minds, Bill Ayers and Bernardine Dohrn,' Warren wrote on her blog in 2005. 'They were launching him -- introducing him to the Hyde Park community as the best thing since sliced bread.'" (Ben Smith, "Obama Once Visited '60s Radicals," The Politico, 1/22/08)

From March Of 1995 Until September Of 1997, Obama And Ayers Attended At Least Seven Meetings Together Relating To The Chicago Annenberg Challenge. (Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Board Of Directors Meeting, Minutes Of The Board, 3/15/95, 3/31/95, 4/13/95, 6/5/95, 9/30/97; National Annenberg Challenge Evaluation Meeting, List Of Participants, 5/24/95; Chicago Annenberg Challenge, Chicago School Reform Collaborative Meeting, Minutes, 10/23/96)

NOTE: Bill Ayers Was Asked To Help Obama Formulate The Chicago Annenberg Challenge By-Laws. (Chicago Annenberg Challenge Board Of Directors Minutes, 3/15/95)

In 1997, Obama Praised Ayers' Book On The Juvenile Justice System. "The two men were involved in efforts to reform the city's education system. They appeared together on academic panels, including one organized by Michelle Obama to discuss the juvenile justice system, an area of mutual concern. Mr. Ayers's book on the subject won a rave review in The Chicago Tribune by Mr. Obama, who called it 'a searing and timely account.'" (Jo Becker and Christopher Drew, "Pragmatic Politics, Forged On The South Side," The New York Times, 5/11/08)

Obama On William Ayers' "A Kind And Just Parent: The Children Of Juvenile Court": "A searing and timely account of the juvenile court system, and the courageous individuals who rescue hope from despair." (Chicago Tribune, 12/21/97)
"[Obama And Ayers] Have Also Appeared Jointly On Two Academic Panels, One In 1997 And Another In 2001." (Russell Berman, "Obama's Ties To Left Come Under Scrutiny," The New York Sun, 2/19/08)

From 1999 To 2002, Obama Served With Ayers On The Board Of Directors For Woods Fund Of Chicago. "[Ayers] served with [Obama] from 1999 to 2002 on the board of the Woods Fund, an anti-poverty group." (Timothy J. Burger, "Obama's Chicago Ties Might Fuel 'Republican Attack Machine'," Bloomberg, 2/15/08)

During The Time Obama And Ayers Served Together On The Woods Fund, Ayers Was Quoted Saying "I Don't Regret Setting Bombs ... I Feel We Didn't Do Enough." "'I don't regret setting bombs,' Bill Ayers said. 'I feel we didn't do enough.' Mr. Ayers, who spent the 1970's as a fugitive in the Weather Underground, was sitting in the kitchen of his big turn-of-the-19th-century stone house in the Hyde Park district of Chicago." (Dinitia Smith, "No Regrets For A Love Of Explosives," The New York Times, 9/11/01)

NOTE: Obama, Born August 14th, 1961, Was 40 Years Old When Ayers Was Quoted. (Obama For America Website, www.barackobama.com, Accessed 10/6/08; Dinitia Smith, "No Regrets For A Love Of Explosives," The New York Times, 9/11/01)

While Obama And Ayers Were Serving On The Woods Fund Together, Ayers Posed Standing On An American Flag For An Article In Chicago Magazine Entitled "No Regrets." (Marcia Froelke Coburn, "No Regrets," Chicago Magazine, 8/01)

Obama And Ayers Are Neighbors In Chicago's Hyde Park Neighborhood. "Twenty-six years later, at a lunchtime meeting about school reform in a Chicago skyscraper, Barack Obama met Mr. Ayers, by then an education professor. Their paths have crossed sporadically since then, at a coffee Mr. Ayers hosted for Mr. Obama's first run for office, on the schools project and a charitable board, and in casual encounters as Hyde Park neighbors." (Scott Shane, "Obama And '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths," The New York Times, 10/4/08)

Obama Spokesman Ben LaBolt Told The New York Times That Last Year Obama And Ayers "Bumped Into Each Other On The Street In Hyde Park." "[Obama spokesman Ben LaBolt] said they have not spoken by phone or exchanged e-mail messages since Mr. Obama began serving in the United States Senate in January 2005 and last met more than a year ago when they bumped into each other on the street in Hyde Park." (Scott Shane, "Obama And '60s Bomber: A Look Into Crossed Paths," The New York Times, 10/4/08)

Neighbors Have Said "It's Only Natural" That Obama Would Know Ayers, Who Often Opens His Home For Gatherings, As Obama And His Wife "Are A Part Of Our Neighborhood And Part Of Our Social Circle." "Since coming out of hiding in 1980, the couple have raised three boys in Chicago and become part of the fabric of their liberal South Side neighborhood. Neighbors said it's only natural that Obama would know Ayers and Dohrn, who often open their homes for gatherings filled with lively discussions about politics, arts and social issues. Obama and his wife 'are part of our neighborhood and part of our social circle,' said Elizabeth Chandler, a neighbor of Ayers'." (Trevor Jensen, Robert Mitchum and Mary Owen, "Bill Ayers' Turbulent Past Contrasts With Quiet Academ ic Life," Chicago Tribune, 4/17/08)

Ayers' Organization, The Weather Underground, Was A "Violent Left-Wing Activist Group":

"William Ayers ... [Was] A Founding Member Of The Group That Bombed The U.S. Capitol And The Pentagon During The 1970s." (Russell Berman, "Obama's Ties To Left Come Under Scrutiny," The New York Sun, 2/19/08)

Ayers' Group, The Weather Underground, Is A "Violent Left-Wing Activist Group." "Senator Obama's ties to a former leader of the violent left-wing activist group the Weather Underground are drawing new scrutiny as he battles Senator Clinton for the Democratic presidential nomination." (Russell Berman, "Obama's Ties To Left Come Under Scrutiny," The New York Sun, 2/19/08)

The Weather Underground Produced A Manual Which Begins, "We Are A Guerrilla Organization. We Are Communist Women And Men, Underground In The United States For More Than Four Years." "The coalition was said to be a violence-prone faction inspired by the Weather Underground's ''Prairie Fire,'' a guerrilla warfare manual published in 1974. The manual begins, 'We are a guerrilla organization. We are Communist women and men, underground in the United States for more than four years.'" (Paul L. Montgomery, "2 Women In Brink's Case Identified With Weathermen From Start In '69," The New York Times, 10/ 22/81)

McCain's Albuquerque Remarks Excerpt

Here's an excerpt from John McCain’s remarks as prepared for delivery today in Albuquerque, New Mexico:

Source: Time Magazine

My opponent has invited serious questioning by announcing a few weeks ago that he would quote — “take off the gloves.” Since then, whenever I have questioned his policies or his record, he has called me a liar.

Rather than answer his critics, Senator Obama will try to distract you from noticing that he never answers the serious and legitimate questions he has been asked. But let me reply in the plainest terms I know. I don’t need lessons about telling the truth to American people. And were I ever to need any improvement in that regard, I probably wouldn’t seek advice from a Chicago politician.

My opponent’s touchiness every time he is questioned about his record should make us only more concerned. For a guy who’s already authored two memoirs, he’s not exactly an open book. It’s as if somehow the usual rules don’t apply, and where other candidates have to explain themselves and their records, Senator Obama seems to think he is above all that. Whatever the question, whatever the issue, there’s always a back story with Senator Obama. All people want to know is: What has this man ever actually accomplished in government? What does he plan for America? In short: Who is the real Barack Obama? But ask such questions and all you get in response is another barrage of angry insults.

Our current economic crisis is a good case in point. What was his actual record in the years before the great economic crisis of our lifetimes?

This crisis started in our housing market in the form of subprime loans that were pushed on people who could not afford them. Bad mortgages were being backed by Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and it was only a matter of time before a contagion of unsustainable debt began to spread. This corruption was encouraged by Democrats in Congress, and abetted by Senator Obama.

Senator Obama has accused me of opposing regulation to avert this crisis. I guess he believes if a lie is big enough and repeated often enough it will be believed. But the truth is I was the one who called at the time for tighter restrictions on Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac that could have helped prevent this crisis from happening in the first place.

Senator Obama was silent on the regulation of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, and his Democratic allies in Congress opposed every effort to rein them in. As recently as September of last year he said that subprime loans had been, quote, “a good idea.” Well, Senator Obama, that “good idea” has now plunged this country into the worst financial crisis since the Great Depression.

To hear him talk now, you’d think he’d always opposed the dangerous practices at these institutions. But there is absolutely nothing in his record to suggest he did. He was surely familiar with the people who were creating this problem. The executives of Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac have advised him, and he has taken their money for his campaign. He has received more money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac than any other senator in history, with the exception of the chairman of the committee overseeing them. Did he ever talk to the executives at Fannie and Freddie about these reckless loans? Did he ever discuss with them the stronger oversight I proposed? If Senator Obama is such a champion of financial regulation, why didn’t he support these regulations that could have prevented this crisis in the first place? He won’t tell you, but you deserve an answer.

…

Who is the real Senator Obama? Is he the candidate who promises to cut middle class taxes, or the politician who voted to raise middle class taxes? Is he the candidate who talks about regulation or the politician who took money from Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac and turned a blind eye as they ran our economy into a ditch?

Is he the candidate who promises change, or is he the politician who has bought into everything that is wrong with Washington? We can’t change the system with someone who’s never fought the system.

Washington is on the wrong track and I’m going to set it right. The American people know my record. They know I am going to change Washington, because I’ve done it before. They know I’m going to reform our broken institutions in Washington and on Wall Street because I’ve done it before. They know I’m going to deliver relief to the middle class, because that’s what I’ve done.

Latest Obama Whopper On Ayres

The latest spin from the Obama campaign on the Obama-Ayres ties is a doozy. In an interview with CNN's Jim Acosta, Obama campaign manager David Axelrod came up with the latest whopper:

JIM ACOSTA: Now a college professor in Chicago, Ayers and Obama served together several years on a nonprofit board. And in 1995 Ayers hosted a coffee for Obama when the young community organizer was making his first run for the State Senate. At this point looking back, should he not have done that?

DAVID AXELROD: Well I mean, when he went, he certainly — he didn’t know the history.

ACOSTA: The Democratic nominee’s chief strategist David Axelrod maintains Obama at that time had no idea about Ayers’ violent past.

What?! Obama didn't know about the history of William Ayres's Weather Underground? That is a crock of manure.

As Ed Morrisey wrote:

Ayers was hardly quiet about his life and his aspirations. He wrote a book about it in 2001. Chicago Magazine did a lengthy profile of him at the time, complete with pictures of Ayers standing on an American flag thrown on the ground in an alley. Nevertheless, Obama continued to work with Ayers at the Woods Fund and work together on public events. Either Obama liked what Ayers did, or he’s the most clueless politician to have ever reached the US Senate, and neither commends itself as a recommendation for a presidential candidate.

The aforementioned 2001 photo of Ayres standing on the flag is at top.

For the sake of argument, let's assume Obama didn't know about Ayres's past in the 1990s, it still doesn't excuse him for associating with him after 2001. Obama couldn't have missed the Chicago Magazine article or Ayres's book (Ayres may have even proudly sent Obama a copy of his book along with the article).

Ayres is well-known to be a huge braggart, and no doubt he would have bragged to Obama back in the 1990s of his youthful "exploits" as a domestic terrorist. At the time the charges against Ayres were dropped, Ayres boasted, "Guilty as hell, but free as a bird!" Such modesty!

Sorry, but it is unbelievable that Obama would not have known of Ayres's past prior to 2001. It doesn't hold water.

From HotAir.com:

Erick Erickson says that Obama would have had to avoid local media altogether in 1996 to miss the mentions of his friend and neighbor.

In 1996, the Democrats held their national convention in Chicago, and Ayers got a lot of attention beginning with the decision in 1994:

At the height of this exposure, major media outlets were quoting Bill Ayers and pointing out his radical past.

What else happened in 1996 when the media was reminiscing about the Democratic Convention of 1968, and interviewing key players like Bill Ayers?

Bill Ayers held a fundraiser for Barack Obama.

And we’re really supposed to believe Obama did not know, by 1996, given all the major media coverage of the 1996 Democratic Convention going back to Chicago despite the 1968 riots — including local and national media interviews with Bill Ayers on the subject — that Obama did not know?

You’ve got to be kidding me.

UPDATE: Stanley Kurtz' Latest Research Into Barack Obama's Connections To Terrorist Bill Ayers And Radical Palestinian Advocate Rashid Khalidi

UPDATE 2: "Mr. Magoo Goes To Washington"

By David Freddoso

Barack Obama would have you believe that, after 20 years of friendship, he had no idea the Rev. Jeremiah Wright was a bomb-throwing racial demagogue. And that after 15 years of what he described as a close friendship, he had no idea Tony Rezko was a crook.

Similarly, this week, his campaign claimed that when Obama entered William Ayers’s home in 1995 to raise money for a state-senate run, the future presidential hopeful didn’t know Ayers was a former terrorist.

So by his own account, Obama wanders through life completely unaware of his surroundings.

For more: "Mr. Magoo Goes To Washington"

McCain's "Patton" Strategy

The gloves are off and the McCain campaign is finally getting tough on Barack Obama.

It started over the weekend in Englewood, Colorado and in Carson, California when Gov. Sarah Palin unloaded on Obama's ties to domestic Weather Underground terrorist William Ayres.



Frankly, it should have been done sooner, but it's better late than never. At this time, it is questionable if this strategy will lead to a McCain victory, but people have a right to know who and what Obama is. If the campaign is to go down, it is better to go down fighting.



Why do I call this the "Patton Strategy"? Well, during World War II, General George S. Patton practiced the strategy of "holding on to 'em by the nose and kick 'em in the ass. We're going to go through 'em like crap through a goose!" He showed the enemy no mercy and drove through Europe and into Germany.

Apparently, the strategy is working as the Obamatrons are now screaming like cut pigs. In return, they plan to bring up the Keating Five matter. That's no problem as McCain had very little to do with the matter and was deemed an innocent party as he only attended one meeting. If anything, he was rebuked for a lack of judgement for attending. That's it!

Obama is screaming that bringing up Bill Ayres is a "swift boat tactic." Now as then, it is all about telling the truth about the Democrat nominee (Sen. John Kerry then, Obama now).

If Obama can't stand the heat, as Harry Truman used to say, then he should get out of the kitchen.

Ramirez Cartoon Nails Biden

I've always liked Mike Ramirez's political cartoons. He was the cartoonist for the Los Angeles Times before they imploded and got rid of many of their columnists (Steve Harvey's "Only In L.A.", for example) and cartoonist.

Ramirez nailed Joe Biden bigtime on his debate lies with this one:

Associated Press Playing Race Card For Obama

Douglass K. Daniel, an Associated Press writer wrote this on the attacks by Sarah Palin on Obama's associations with Bill Ayres:

Her reference to Obama's relationship with William Ayers, a member of the Vietnam-era Weather Underground, was exaggerated at best if not outright false. No evidence shows they were "pals" or even close when they worked on community boards years ago and Ayers hosted a political event for Obama early in his career.

Bullplop! Obama and Ayres sat on boards together, attended retreats and had a close working relationship that stretched over years. Additionally, Obama launched his political career at Ayres's home! How much closer does Obama need to be with Ayres? (Unless Bernardine Dohrn has Obama over for sleepovers.)

Daniel also writes:

Palin's words avoid repulsing voters with overt racism. But is there another subtext for creating the false image of a black presidential nominee "palling around" with terrorists while assuring a predominantly white audience that he doesn't see their America?

In a post-Sept. 11 America, terrorists are envisioned as dark-skinned radical Muslims, not the homegrown anarchists of Ayers' day 40 years ago. With Obama a relative unknown when he began his campaign, the Internet hummed with false e-mails about ties to radical Islam of a foreign-born candidate.

Whether intended or not by the McCain campaign, portraying Obama as "not like us" is another potential appeal to racism. It suggests that the Hawaiian-born Christian is, at heart, un-American.

Most troubling, however, is how allowing racism to creep into the discussion serves McCain's purpose so well. As the fallout from Wright's sermons showed earlier this year, forcing Obama to abandon issues to talk about race leads to unresolved arguments about America's promise to treat all people equally.

Racism?! Daniel is obviously seeing more into the attack than what was actually there. Those of us who are politically astute have noticed the injection of opinion into AP's stories. This is yet another example. There's no racism here, real or imagined. Daniel is either mistaken or making up false stories.

Sounds to me that he's become another media shill for the Obama campaign, who has tried to play the race card more than once during this campaign.

Barney Frank's "Broke Bank Mountain"

Barney rubble

Per Mark Steyn at National Review Online:

It turns out the entire planetary meltdown is due to Congressman Frank's sex life:

Unqualified home buyers were not the only ones who benefitted from Massachusetts Rep. Barney Frank’s efforts to deregulate Fannie Mae throughout the 1990s.

So did Frank’s partner, a Fannie Mae executive at the forefront of the agency’s push to relax lending restrictions... Moses worked at the government-sponsored enterprise from 1991 to 1998, while Frank was on the House Banking Committee, which had jurisdiction over Fannie...

Frank met Moses in 1987, the same year he became the first openly gay member of Congress.

"I am the only member of the congressional gay spouse caucus," Moses wrote in the Washington Post in 1991. "On Capitol Hill, Barney always introduces me as his lover."

The two lived together in a Washington home until they broke up in 1998, a few months after Moses ended his seven-year tenure at Fannie Mae, where he was the assistant director of product initiatives. According to National Mortgage News, Moses "helped develop many of Fannie Mae’s affordable housing and home improvement lending programs."

Critics say such programs led to the mortgage meltdown that prompted last month’s government takeover of Fannie Mae and its financial cousin, Freddie Mac. The giant firms are blamed for spreading bad mortgages throughout the private financial sector... Three years later, President Clinton’s Department of Housing and Urban Development tried to impose a new regulation on Fannie, but was thwarted by Frank. Clinton now blames such Democrats for planting the seeds of today’s economic crisis.

James Bond Girl Meets Sticky End

The Daily Mail in the U.K. is reporting that the new Bond girl meets a sticky, oily demise in the new James Bond flick, Quantum of Solace.

They wrote:

In the new 007 movie Quantum Of Solace, Gemma Arterton’s character is drowned in crude oil and her lifeless body is left draped over a bed in a scene deliberately reminiscent of the 1964 Bond classic Goldfinger.

Arterton, who plays an MI6 spy ordered to keep an eye on a renegade Bond, was covered from head to toe in sticky black liquid for the dramatic sequence.

Daniel Craig returns as Agent 007.

NY Times Obama-Ayres Story A Whitewash

Finally, after all these months, the New York Times publishes an article on the Barack Obama-Bill Ayres connection.

The sad part about it is that it's a whitewash. It is getting more attention now that Gov. Sarah Palin said today that Obama is guilty of "palling around with terrorists."

Scott Shane in the Times wrote:

A review of records of the schools project and interviews with a dozen people who know both men, suggest that Mr. Obama, 47, has played down his contacts with Mr. Ayers, 63. But the two men do not appear to have been close.

Bullplop!

About a month ago, I did my own digging and found that Obama's ties to Bill Ayres was more extensive than what Obama admitted during an interview on ABC's This Week.

Go to: Obama and the Weather Underground

Stanley Kurtz responded to the Times story in National Review Online:

There is nothing "sporadic" about Barack Obama delivering hundreds of thousands of dollars over a period of many years to fund Bill Ayers’ radical education projects, not to mention many millions more to benefit Ayers’ radical education allies. We are talking about a substantial and lengthy working relationship here, one that does not depend on the quality of personal friendship or number of hours spent in the same room together (although the article greatly underestimates that as well).

Tomorrow night, Sean Hannity's America on Fox will have an in-depth report on the relationship between Obama and Ayres. That is one program you should not miss!

Alec Baldwin Blames Democrats For Wall Street Mess

Actor Alec Baldwin, a noted liberal activist, finally got something right for a change.

He appeared on HBO's "Real Time" and said this about the Wall Street debacle:

The, the thing we have to remember, a friend of mine who is very close to the financial community in New York pointed out that Democrats have a lot of the responsibility for this as well. I mean, it was Clinton who killed the Glass-Steagall, and it happened under a Democratic president. Barney Frank and his committee, they, they kept propping up Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac saying everything's fine, everything's fine, everything's good. And it was his job to know everything wasn't fine. And Barney Frank let you down and let us down as well. And so, but I want to say there's blame to go both ways. But I will say, I want to, I maybe keep beating this to death, but I still think anyone in this Congress who voted to add $140 billion to that bill, they should be ashamed of themselves. That is a disgrace. It's a disgrace. This Congress is a disgrace, Democrat and Republican.

If a guy like Alec Baldwin can recognize the Democrats' culpability, then why can't the MSM?

Palin Attacks Obama Over Terrorist Ties

Governor Sarah Palin took her gloves off this week. The Associated Press is reporting that Palin told Englewood, Colorado GOP donors that Obama is "palling around with terrorists" for his association with former Weather Underground founder Bill Ayres.

The Weather Underground took credit for bombings, including nonfatal explosions at the Pentagon and the U.S. Capitol four decades ago. They also targeted police stations. Several members of the group were killed in a townhouse when a bomb they were assembling accidentally exploded.

Palin said that Obama seems to see the U.S. as being so imperfect that, as she said, "he's palling around with terrorists who would target their own country."

This has been a big issue that the MSM has largely ignored or minimalized.

UPDATE: Since this story broke today, the MSM has jumped on the story bigtime (what took them so long?). I did a Google search and the story is all over. For the heck of it, I checked the New York Times and Chicago Tribune's websites and both have pages of reader comments, mostly attacking Palin (they appear to be orchestrated by the Obama campaign as they are similar). The Times even crows that Palin based her comments on their story, in which they downplayed (how predictable) the ties between Ayres and Obama. Natually, I couldn't resist chiming in and referenced my earlier blog on Obama's ties to Ayres.

Obama: Birth Certificate A Fake?

When I first heard about a Democrat suing Barack Obama to get him to produce a certified copy of his Hawaiian birth certificate to prove that he's eligible to be President of the United States, I dismissed this as nuttery.

But recent developments in the matter raise more questions.

World Net Daily reports:

The man suing Sen. Barack Obama and the Democratic National Committee for proof of Obama's American citizenship is outraged that his own party – rather than just providing the birth certificate he seeks – would step in to silence him by filing a motion to dismiss his lawsuit.

As WND reported, prominent Pennsylvania Democrat and attorney Philip J. Berg filed suit in U.S. District Court two months ago claiming Obama is not a natural-born U.S. citizen and therefore not eligible to be elected president. Berg has since challenged Obama publicly that if the candidate will simply produce authorized proof of citizenship, he'll drop the suit.

It is contended that the birth certificate that Obama produced is a fake. Therefore, Berg, a Hillary Clinton supporter, filed suit to get Obama to produce a certificed copy. On Aug. 21, four days before the Democratic National Convention, Berg filed suit in Philadelphia seeking to remove the Democratic candidate from the November ballot claiming he was born in Kenya and not in America.

In a press statement circulated last month by Berg's law office, the attorney insisted the Democratic candidate was born in Africa and thus ineligible to run for president.

"It is obvious that Obama was born in Kenya and does not meet the 'qualifications' to be president of the United States pursuant to our United States Constitution. Obama cannot produce a certified copy of his 'Vault' (version) Birth Certificate from Hawaii because it does not exist," the press release reads.

Months have gone by and no certified copy has not been produced. Why? If that's all that Berg is demanding, why not just fork it over and end the matter? Why is Obama and the DNC spending money on lawyers, etc. when this could easily be resolved? It appears that Obama has something to hide.

The photo at top of Obama's birth certificate shows no certification seal. It may be on the reverse side, but no photo of that side has been produced. And, the serial number has been blacked out, rendering this untraceable.

Unless, of course, a certified birth certificate doesn't exist. Maybe this'll be settled once and for all as a judge ordered Obama to produce the birth certificate.

There's an old saying, "Where there's smoke, there's fire."

This is getting curiouser and curiouser.

Godzilla Plaque: School Dedicated Two Years Ago

Two years ago this month, the Frank del Olmo Elementary School was dedicated in a ceremony. I was honored to be asked to participate in the ribbon-cutting (above) of the school. Thanks to Godzilla fans and Platrix Chapter No. 2 of E Clampus Vitus, we dedicated a plaque at the location where Raymond Burr's scenes were filmed.

The Los Angeles Times published this article on November 2, 2006:

Del Olmo School is dedicated in memory of Times columnist
By Howard Blume, Times Staff Writer
November 2, 2006

The new campus on the edge of Koreatown occupies the site where the first American version of "Godzilla" was filmed. So one early suggestion for a name was Godzilla Elementary, which would go with the motto: A monster of a school.

But Principal Eugene Hernandez and the naming committee inclined another way. And on Wednesday morning, an array of dignitaries, including some "Godzilla" fans, dedicated Frank del Olmo Elementary School in honor of the Los Angeles Times associate editor and columnist who died in 2004 at 55.

The speakers included Del Olmo's wife, Magdalena Beltran-del Olmo, who said that when she was approached about the honor, "My jaw dropped; I was touched."

"When I found out the location of the school, it was more poignant," she said, "because Frank fought so hard for the Belmont area to get more schools to serve these kids who have been dealing with overcrowded conditions."

The three-acre, $42.9-million school opened in August, more than a year behind schedule, at 100 N. New Hampshire Ave., a block west of Vermont Avenue south of the Hollywood Freeway. An important cog in a $19.3-billion school construction program, it adds 975 seats to one of the most crowded student corridors in the Los Angeles Unified School District.

Del Olmo's first column was about education, and among his last causes was advocating to finish the star-crossed Belmont Learning Complex, which he championed even after the project was abandoned. That school, resuscitated under Supt. Roy Romer, is expected to open in about 18 months.

Romer spoke briefly, along with Mayor Antonio Villaraigosa. Also on hand were Del Olmo's daughter, Valentina, a county psychiatric social worker, and son, Frankie del Olmo Jr., whose struggles with autism became a periodic subject of his father's columns.

Frankie, 14, wearing jeans and a sweatshirt, stood quietly to one side during the 90-minute ceremony.

"Frankie is doing a lot better," his mother said. "That first year and a half was brutal. He missed Dad. He couldn't cry for him. He couldn't express his emotions. He couldn't talk.

"It's wonderful that my little boy has gotten to a point with his autism [where] he can hang with a ceremony like this — not only its length and the noise and many people talking, but just the emotion of it," she said. "It's about his dad."

Villaraigosa and others described a columnist who was eloquent, relevant, fearless and just — and always demanding of public officials.

"I remember some [columns] that were not too kind to me," the mayor said. After reading about Frankie, "my perception about [del Olmo] completely changed…. I saw a father with love so deep for his son. I just waited for those pieces." He said he was also moved when the columnist decided to stop writing about his son, to give him some privacy.

Early in his career, Del Olmo almost single-handedly represented people of color at the newspaper. He helped change the face of the newsroom.

Even Armand M. Vaquer, the representative of the Godzilla Society of North America, had to agree that the new campus' name was fitting — while also noting the school's site as the very place where actor Raymond Burr uttered the immortal phrase: "Look at the size of those footprints."

On Wednesday, those words applied metaphorically to Del Olmo, who would have appreciated the public officials who spoke in Spanish and English, as well as the child mariachis and the school chorus, which sang a Swahili unity ditty and a new school song whose lyrics include the line: "We are Frank del Olmo. We love to show our pride."

Above, the plaque at the school's entrance.

McCain: Fighter Pilot or Wimp?

Governor Sarah Palin rose to the challenge of Thursday night's debate and breathed new life into the McCain campaign.

For the last 2-3 weeks, the campaign was knocked off stride partly due to its own doing (McCain's lackluster debate performance with Obama and his stupid campaign suspension) and partly due to situations beyond its control (the Wall Street Meltdown).

People were wondering if Palin would be able to handle the 90 minute debate with Sen. Joe Biden after the horrid Katie Couric interview. Well, she exceeded pretty much everyone's expectations and did very well. It was the return of Sarah "Barracuda."

Now that she revived the McCain campaign, it will be his turn to deliver the goods.

But will he?

While McCain more than held his own during the last debate, he missed a lot of opportunities to put Obama away. With 30 days left in the campaign, there is no time left for any mistakes. He needs to be more aggressive and fight for the presidency.

The times call for an extraordinary leader and Obama does not fit that description by any stretch of the imagination. We cannot afford to have the country placed in the hands of an inexperienced leftist.

McCain, it is said, does better when he's behind. I hope that's true. But who will show up next Tuesday night for the debate? A fighter pilot or a wimp?

McCain has said that he wants to run an "honorable campaign" and wants to be "bi-partisan." It is fine and dandy to be bi-partisan. But you can only do it once you're elected, not before. A campaign is a battle! And in order to wage a battle you have to be a fighter, not a wimp. There is no dishonor in running an aggressive campaign, just as long as it is being run honestly. There is no substitute for victory!

McCain the fighter pilot needs to show up Tuesday night and take the battle to Obama. McCain needs to put him away! If he debates like he did the last time, he may as well hang it all up. Who is ever inspired to follow a wimp?

Senator McCain, it is up to you to pull this off! Leave the wimp at home, bring the fighter pilot with you to the debate!

Joe Biden's 14 Lies

Source: JohnMcCain.com

Last night, Sen. Joe Biden debated Governor Sarah Palin. During the debate, Biden made some charges the McCain campaign claims are untrue:

Joe Biden's 14 Lies

1. TAX VOTE: Biden said McCain voted “the exact same way” as Obama to increase taxes on Americans earning just $42,000, but McCain DID NOT VOTE THAT WAY.

2. AHMEDINIJAD MEETING: Joe Biden lied when he said that Barack Obama never said that he would sit down unconditionally with Mahmoud Ahmedinijad of Iran. Barack Obama did say specifically, and Joe Biden attacked him for it.

3. OFFSHORE OIL DRILLING: Biden said, “Drill we must.” But Biden has opposed offshore drilling and even compared offshore drilling to “raping” the Outer Continental Shelf.”

4. TROOP FUNDING: Joe Biden lied when he indicated that John McCain and Barack Obama voted the same way against funding the troops in the field. John McCain opposed a bill that included a timeline, that the President of the United States had already said he would veto regardless of it’s passage.

5. OPPOSING CLEAN COAL: Biden says he’s always been for clean coal, but he just told a voter that he is against clean coal and any new coal plants in America and has a record of voting against clean coal and coal in the U.S. Senate.

6. ALERNATIVE ENERGY VOTES: According to FactCheck.org, Biden is exaggerating and overstating John McCain’s record voting for alternative energy when he says he voted against it 23 times.

7. HEALTH INSURANCE: Biden falsely said McCain will raise taxes on people's health insurance coverage -- they get a tax credit to offset any tax hike. Independent fact checkers have confirmed this attack is false.

8. OIL TAXES: Biden falsely said Palin supported a windfall profits tax in Alaska -- she reformed the state tax and revenue system, it's not a windfall profits tax.

9. AFGHANISTAN / GEN. MCKIERNAN COMMENTS: Biden said that top military commander in Iraq said the principles of the surge could not be applied to Afghanistan, but the commander of NATO's International Security Assistance Force Gen. David D. McKiernan said that there were principles of the surge strategy, including working with tribes, that could be applied in Afghanistan.

10. REGULATION: Biden falsely said McCain weakened regulation -- he actually called for more regulation on Fannie and Freddie.

11. IRAQ: When Joe Biden lied when he said that John McCain was “dead wrong on Iraq”, because Joe Biden shared the same vote to authorize the war and differed on the surge strategy where John McCain has been proven right.

12. TAX INCREASES: Biden said Americans earning less than $250,000 wouldn’t see higher taxes, but the Obama-Biden tax plan would raise taxes on individuals making $200,000 or more.

13. BAILOUT: Biden said the economic rescue legislation matches the four principles that Obama laid out, but in reality it doesn’t meet two of the four principles that Obama outlined on Sept. 19, which were that it include an emergency economic stimulus package, and that it be part of “part of a globally coordinated effort with our partners in the G-20.”

14. REAGAN TAX RATES: Biden is wrong in saying that under Obama, Americans won't pay any more in taxes then they did under Reagan.

Sarah Palin Delivered In Debate

I was able to watch the Biden-Palin debate last night (I was only able to hear the McCain-Obama debate) and I thought Governor Sarah Palin came through for the campaign.

She was witty, serious and took control of the debate. Biden did better than I would have expected, but he seemed uncomfortable as Palin gave no ground on any issue.

Palin elected to direct her responses to the audience and on her terms. Biden attacked McCain and tried to tie him to President Bush, but Palin returned the favor in going after Barack Obama.

Emphasizing that she's a Washington outsider, Palin said, "It is so obvious that I am a Washington outsider, someone just not used to the way you guys operate."

On the economy, Palin said, "Go to a kids' soccer game on Saturday and turn to any parent on the sideline, and I bet you you're going to hear fear in that parent's voice."

Biden made a big gaffe on Iran: "They are not close to getting a nuclear weapon that can be deployed." (A co-worker swears he heard Biden refer to Bosnians as "Bosniacs.")

The debate was civil and Palin's performance puts to rest impressions left from the Charles Gibson and Katie Couric "interviews" and whether or not she can go toe-to-toe with the elitist ruling class of Washington. She did!

She even evoked Ronald Reagan: "There ya' go again pointing backward," she said in response to a Biden attack on Bush. "Now doggone it, let's look ahead."

If McCain is to win this campaign, he needs to be more aggressive and take the battle to the Democrats. The issues are on his side.

###

{{{{DRUDGE POLL}}}} WHO WON THE VICE PRESIDENTIAL DEBATE?...

BIDEN
28% 130,374

PALIN
70% 320,038

NEITHER
2% 8,346

Total Votes: 458,758

AOL To Dump My Hometown Pages

AOL has sent notice that as of October 31, they will no longer be using FT Pages or My Hometown for webpages for members. It does not appear that they will be replacing it with something else.

This was one of the things that attracted me to AOL. Along with photo albums and email, they provided free web pages to members. Many use them for hobbies, business and family stuff.

I started my first web page, Armand's Corner of the Net, back in 2000 when I first signed up with AOL. I am one of those few people who never changed Internet providers or email addresses. I don't know if the page will be gone as of October 31 or that it will remain but unchangable.

It doesn't affect me all that much as I mainly use my blog page over here at Blogspot.com these days. I just made what may be my last update this morning. There's links to my AOL pages on the main page of this blog.

The Internet is constantly evolving, and this is just another part of the evolutionary process. Many of us may look upon the present as "the good ol days." Sad, nonetheless.

Sing For Change [Chairman] Obama!

Hubris strikes again with Barack Obama.

Now there's a campaign video out (go to YouTube) with a group of cute little kiddies singing "Sing For Change Obama."

My immediate thought when seeing the video today was that it strongly reminded me of the cute little Chinese drones in the 1960s-1970s singing the praises of Chairman Mao.

Then tonight, while en route home from work, I heard talk-show host Mark Levin say the same thing!

I guess we can now call The Messiah "Chairman Obama"?

Palin-Biden "Moderator" In The Obama Tank

Gwen Iffel, the correspondent for PBS is slated to moderate the debate between Governor Sarah Palin and Senator Joe Biden tomorrow night. But she's hardly non-partisan as Michelle Malkin's article shows:

A debate “moderator” in the tank for Obama
by Michelle Malkin
Creators Syndicate
Copyright 2008

My dictionary defines “moderator” as “the nonpartisan presiding officer of a town meeting.” On Thursday, PBS anchor Gwen Ifill will serve as moderator for the first and only vice presidential debate. The stakes are high. The Commission on Presidential Debates, with the assent of the two campaigns, decided not to impose any guidelines on her duties or questions.

But there is nothing “moderate” about where Ifill stands on Barack Obama. She’s so far in the tank for the Democrat presidential candidate, her oxygen delivery line is running out.

In an imaginary world where liberal journalists are held to the same standards as everyone else, Ifill would be required to make a full disclosure at the start of the debate. She would be required to turn to the cameras and tell the national audience that she has a book coming out on January 20, 2009 – a date that just happens to coincide with the inauguration of the next president of the United States.

The title of Ifill’s book? “Breakthrough: Politics and Race in the Age of Obama.” Nonpartisan my foot.

Yep, she's definitely in the tank for Obama.

To read more on this, go here.