The nominations for conservative blogress diva are now complete and they are: Ann Althouse, Tammy Bruce, Polipundit‘s Lorie Byrd, Jane Galt ( Asymmetrical Information), Bridget Johnson (GOP Vixen), Sondra K (Knowledge is Power), Carol Platt Liebau, National Review Online‘s K-Lo (Kathryn Jean Lopez), Michelle Malkin, Betsy Newmark (Betsy’s Page), Pamela of Atlas Shrugs, Debbie Schlussel, Cathy Seipp and Cathy Young.

Voting begins as soon as we get a poll up!

Former 9/11 Commissioner Jamie Gorelick (who created the “wall of separation” that prevented sharing intelligence among the Federal government prior to 9/11) heartily endorsed “no-warrant” searches under a Democrat President in 1994. (hat tip – The Corner)

“The Department of Justice believes, and the case law supports, that the president has inherent authority to conduct warrantless physical searches for foreign intelligence purposes,” Deputy Attorney General Jamie Gorelick testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee on July 14, 1994, “and that the President may, as has been done, delegate this authority to the Attorney General.”

“It is important to understand,” Gorelick continued, “that the rules and methodology for criminal searches are inconsistent with the collection of foreign intelligence and would unduly frustrate the president in carrying out his foreign intelligence responsibilities.”

Now, of course since a Republican is in the White House, Gorelick believes such wiretapping of known al-Qaeda terrorists is wrong.

“The issue here is this: If you’re John McCain and you just got Congress to agree to limits on interrogation techniques, why would you think that limits anything if the executive branch can ignore can ignore it by asserting its inherent authority?”- Jamie Gorelick, former deputy attorney general under President Clinton, in today’s Washington Post, p. A10.

Liberal Terrorist-Fighting Plan: It is okay to do when we are in power, but when Republicans are running a war, their evil ways must be stopped or it will be Judgement Day — if we believed in God.

UPDATE: Clinton Executive Order 12949 authorizing secret searches of Americans with no court order – Feb 9, 1995 Federal Register

Carter Executive Order 12139 authorizing electronic surveillance to acquire foreign intelligence information without a court order – May 23, 1979 Federal Register
(hat tip – DrudgeReport)

[RELATED STORY - Al-Qaeda Relocates to US for Spy-Free Calling - Scrappleface]

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

UP-UPDATE (from GPW): On FoxNews @ about 9:20 PST (12:2o EST), Eleanor Clift called this program “defensible.” I need a transcript (or Malco-vision)!

UP-UP-UPDATE (from GPW): At least one Clinton Department Justice Department official is not playing politics with our national security. John Schmidt, who served as associate attorney general under Clinton, writes in today’s Chicago Tribune that the president had legal authority to OK taps. (H/t: Michael Barone, appearing on FoxNews w/Eleanor.)

The head of the Portland, Oregon chapter of the charitable organization, Goodwill, will take a 24 percent pay cut. Why? His $835,000 pay and benefits package had become a “distraction” to the organization following an audit showing his pay was significantly out of line with other heads of charities.

Significantly? I’d say! But you all might be surprised as to how well-off the heads of non-profits are these days. I remember about five years ago there was a ripple of a scandal with reports that the heads of AIDS-related non-profits were making a pretty penny. But it seemed to get lost in the drone of other news, so I’m sure there is still some skimming going on.

Time was that you went to a non-profit to work out of the goodness of your heart and to give something back to the community. I don’t expect people who head non-profits to starve or not make a decent living. But I have to say that I question the personal morality of anyone who thinks that making $500,000 at a non-profit is okay. Just think of those TV ads telling you that $1.50 will buy a family in Africa food for a month. That’s a lot of food the head of Goodwill could have been sending to Africa.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

And it is all George Bush’s fault!!!!

Number of electoral democracies reaches 122 as freedom spreads – Breitbart.com (hat tip – Instapundit)

The number of electoral democracies around the world rose from 119 to 122 this year, setting a new record as freedom made inroads in the Middle East and Africa, an independent monitoring group said. But in its annual report rating every nation in the world as “free,” “partly free” or “not free,” Freedom House on Monday expressed concern about countries like the United States and France, where it saw “looming problems” with electoral setups and immigrant integration.

In a rare critique of the United States, the survey complained about what it called “the widespread use of sophisticated forms of gerrymandering,” or redrawing of electoral districts, that the authors said has “reduced competitiveness in congressional and state legislative elections.”

No kidding. When big money flows uncontrolled from the likes of George Soros and Tim Gill, and the combination of Congressional desire for power and courts mandating that Congressional districts look like snakes, I agree that something is definitely wrong with our electoral system.

But Solution Number One is a government-issued photo ID should be required to vote in all elections.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I’m sure the Grand Ayatollah Sistani would not be officiating at this ceremony….

Dr. Germ and Mrs. Anthrax To Wed In Quiet Civil Ceremony – Conservathink

Rihab Taha, also known as “Dr. Germ” and Huda Salih Mahdi Ammash, known as “Mrs. Anthrax” announced Tuesday that they would be entering into a same-sex civil union in Brighton, England later this month.

The news came as a shock to many in Iraq, although not for the reason most would think. “Personally, I always thought that Taha was a man,” said Anwar al-Akbar, a Baghdad police officer. “I always thought that she was a dude.”

-Bruce (GayPatriot…. tongue always in cheek)

Last week I wrote that in rushing in to oppose Judge Samuel Alito, the president’s nominee to the U.S. Supreme Court, national gay groups showed their left-wing stripes. I just learned that, for a change, Log Cabin is challenging that narrow ideological agenda. According to the Washington Blade, Log Cabin Executive Director Patrick Guerriero took issue with these groups for “seeking to impose an ideological ‘litmus test’ on Alito that they did not impose on the two Supreme Court justices nominated by President Clinton.” Kudos, Patrick.

Sounding like many Republicans and conservatives who have weighed in on the nomination, Patrick added:

Our angle on this is the rules applied for justices nominated by Republican presidents should not be any different than those nominated by Democratic presidents. . . . It’s unfair not to apply the Ginsburg-Breyer ground rules to Alito.

Exactly. Log Cabin is going to “wait until after Alito’s Senate confirmation hearing in January before it decides whether to formally take a position on the Alito nomination.”

While I’m inclined to favor Alito’s confirmation given his judicial temperament, conservative principles and solid record — as well as a respect for the privacy interests of gay and lesbian citizens going back thirty years — I acknowledge that Log Cabin’s stance (waiting for the hearings before deciding on endorsement) makes sense at this point. I’m particularly heartened that Patrick Guerriero has publicly taken issue with the national gay groups whose agenda leans increasingly to the far left.

Good job, Patrick. You got this one right.

-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com

And this is our Commander In Chief (photo via Lucianne, hat tip – Polipundit).

And this is what our enemy does…

And this is what we do…

If you are a liberal or a member of the American news media…. whose side are you on? If you say “America”, then you need to start acting like it.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Last week, I announced our upcoming poll(s) to determine our conservative divas. In addition to the names I recommended in that post, a number of you have commented (or otherwise chimed in) with your nominations. In this contest, a diva is a “strong, talented woman who commands the respect of men.” We’re going to close nominations at midnight PST on Wednesday, December 21 PST (3 AM EST on 12/22) and run our first poll — for conservative blogress diva — starting on Thursday the 22nd.

So far the nominees for conservative blogress diva are Ann Althouse, Tammy Bruce, Polipundit‘s Lorie Byrd, Bridget Johnson (GOP Vixen), National Review Online‘s K-Lo (Kathryn Jean Lopez), Michelle Malkin, Pamela of Atlas Shrugs, Cathy Seipp and Cathy Young.

If you have additional nominees, please list them in the comments section below or e-mail me.

I am proud to announce that GP Reader “Tim” and I will both be donating $2,000 each to the Soliders’ Angels charity. Tim generously agreed to match my “vote total” dollar-for-dollar when I first announced the fundraising effort as part of the Weblog Awards contest.

Although the total votes was less than 2,000 (partly because of throwing our support to BratBoySchool), Tim and I agreed yesterday that we will both donate the full $2,000.

I actually tried last week (via PayPal) to donate my half of the $4,000, but it wasn’t working. So I’m going to write a check tonight and mail it. I will scan a copy of the check for anyone who doubts my word.

I also would ask all of you to consider donating to Soldiers’ Angels this Christmas season. They are a great organization that brings a bit of home to our soldiers’ serving overseas.

Finally, a reminder that this is “Thank A Soldier Week.” Just do three simple things…..

Say “Thank You” to at least one member of the Armed Forces as you pass them on the street.

Send an email to a soldier serving overseas, separated from loved ones during the holiday season. Use our simple form – click here.

Make a donation to one of the many charitable organizations providing comfort to the troops and their families at home.

God Bless Our Troops!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

My new hometown team, the Carolina Panthers, are eyeing a trip to Detroit for the Super Bowl after an impressive win yesterday against the New Orleans Saints (exiled to Baton Rouge).

From recovering from a suspected case of food poisoning, to last-second tweaks to the playbook, to playing a make-shift team with a new quarterback in its make-shift home, to catching some breaks from the outside, everything went perfectly for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

Steve Smith scored twice and the defense came up with four interceptions as the Panthers moved back into sole possession of first place in the NFC South with a 27-10 victory against the New Orleans Saints at Tiger Stadium.

GO PANTHERS!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

PatriotPartner told me about this UCLA study over the weekend… but I am glad to see it is getting some play at least in the blogosphere. (Hat tip: Instapundit)

Media Bias Is Real, Finds UCLA Political Scientist – UCLA News

While the editorial page of The Wall Street Journal is conservative, the newspaper’s news pages are liberal, even more liberal than The New York Times. The Drudge Report may have a right-wing reputation, but it leans left. Coverage by public television and radio is conservative compared to the rest of the mainstream media. Meanwhile, almost all major media outlets tilt to the left.

These are just a few of the surprising findings from a UCLA-led study, which is believed to be the first successful attempt at objectively quantifying bias in a range of media outlets and ranking them accordingly.

“I suspected that many media outlets would tilt to the left because surveys have shown that reporters tend to vote more Democrat than Republican,” said Tim Groseclose, a UCLA political scientist and the study’s lead author. “But I was surprised at just how pronounced the distinctions are.” (GP Ed. Note – Of course you were surprised… you are a liberal academic!!)
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Five news outlets — “NewsHour With Jim Lehrer,” ABC’s “Good Morning America,” CNN’s “NewsNight With Aaron Brown,” Fox News’ “Special Report With Brit Hume” and the Drudge Report — were in a statistical dead heat in the race for the most centrist news outlet. Of the print media, USA Today was the most centrist.

While I am sure this study comes as a complete jaw-dropper to those that live in their demented Liberal Hell, I am not surprised whatsoever and am happy to say I watch and read all of those sources more than any other.

So I guess this is actually the worldwide headquarters of the not-so-vast gay centrist conspiracy.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

I love these cartoons! (Hat tip – PatriotPartner….in Boston)

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

A great parody (maybe?!?) at Jerhad!.com.

WASHINGTON, DC — The ACLU announced today that they are representing more than 200 Al Qaeda members in the United States in a lawsuit against the White House after it was discovered that they were being monitored without a warrant.

“We’re outraged!” said ACLU representative, Commie Greenstien. “I can’t believe the nerve of these people spying on terror.. um, immigrants without getting a warrant. They’ll pay for it. Trust me. Some day these people will get the respect they deserve from our government. Maybe once this lawsuit is filed we’ll step in the right direction.”

The ACLU was unable to disclose the names of any terrorists they represent for fear of having their heads cut off. The New York Times offered to assist in any way possible with the case.

This is also a my subtle way to allow you to comment on the President’s authorizing of spying of international calls made from the US following the 9/11 attacks.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

President Bush just finished one of the very few Oval Office addresses to the American people on the War on Terror and the Iraqi Theatre. I appreciate all of you who participated in “live comment blogging” in the posting below. Great comments!

First on style points, let me agree with PatriotPal and That Gay Conservative… Bush has always done better when he talks in front of an audience; maybe he feeds off of the energy of large crowds? I can relate to that. However, I noticed from a stylistic sense there was a change in this Oval Office (non-audience) speech. Bush was not confined by sitting on his hands — literally. He allowed himself to talk as he is comfortable — with this hands, leaning forward toward the audience and becoming animated as if he were in front of an audience. I have to say it was the most comfortable I have felt watching the President as a TV-watcher.

On substance, I think he did a very good job of laying out the connection between taking the War on Terror to the terrorists (in both Iraq and Afghanistan.)

Here are some key passages from my perspective from the speech:

The terrorists do not merely object to American actions in Iraq and elsewhere, they object to our deepest values and our way of life. And if we were not fighting them in Iraq, in Afghanistan, in Southeast Asia and in other places, the terrorists would not be peaceful citizens — they would be on the offense, and headed our way.

My conviction comes down to this: We do not create terrorism by fighting the terrorists. We invite terrorism by ignoring them. And we will defeat the terrorists by capturing and killing them abroad, removing their safe havens and strengthening new allies like Iraq and Afghanistan in the fight we share.

Yet there is a difference between honest critics who recognize what is wrong, and defeatists who refuse to see that anything is right.

Defeatism may have its partisan uses, but it is not justified by the facts. For every scene of destruction in Iraq, there are more scenes of rebuilding and hope. For every life lost, there are countless more lives reclaimed. And for every terrorist working to stop freedom in Iraq, there are many more Iraqis and Americans working to defeat them. My fellow citizens: Not only can we win the war in Iraq, we are winning the war in Iraq.

I also want to speak to those of you who did not support my decision to send troops to Iraq: I have heard your disagreement, and I know how deeply it is felt. Yet now there are only two options before our country — victory or defeat. And the need for victory is larger than any president or political party because the security of our people is in the balance. I do not expect you to support everything I do, but tonight I have a request: Do not give in to despair, and do not give up on this fight for freedom.

Finally, I think it is important that the President continue these updates to the American people. The more he talks directly to us, the more the lies of the Left Wing Media are apparent.

WELCOME INSTAPUNDIT READERS!! TAKE A MOMENT AND BROWSE AROUND THIS LEADING GAY CONSERVATIVE VOICE IN THE BLOGOSPHERE!

UPDATE: Video of the speech is up from Ian at The Political Teen.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

Feel free to leave your comments “live” during the President’s speech tonight which begins at 9:00PM Eastern Time.

I will do a posting after the speech with my thoughts.

UPDATE: Some advance excerpts of the speech have been released…. The Corner has ‘em.

On the challenges in Iraq:

“Some look at the challenges in Iraq, and conclude that the war is lost, and not worth another dime or another day. I don’t believe that. Our military commanders do not believe that. Our troops in the field, who bear the burden and make the sacrifice, do not believe that America has lost. And not even the terrorists believe it. We know from their own communications that they feel a tightening noose – and fear the rise of a democratic Iraq.”

On the consequences of withdrawal:

“It is also important for every American to understand the consequences of pulling out of Iraq before our work is done. We would abandon our Iraqi friends – and signal to the world that America cannot be trusted to keep its word . . . . We would hand Iraq over to enemies who have pledged to attack us – and the global terrorist movement would be emboldened and more dangerous than ever before.”

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

U2′s Bono and Bill & Melinda Gates are highlighted by TIME as their “Persons of the Year” for 2005 in news that just came out around 5:30PM Eastern time this afternoon. Here’s the cover.

Do you agree? Disagree? Who would you have picked as Man, Woman or Person of the Year for 2005?

I think my choice would have been one of two — “The American Soldier” or “The Unlikely Voters” (Palestinian, Lebanese, Iraq, Afghanistan).

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

It sure sounds like it should!

Testy Tummies on Air Force Two – Charlotte Observer

Imagine this: You’re about to set off with the secretary of state to Central Asia, a destination halfway around the world, on two back-to-back seven-hour flights in a packed 757 — and the first meal served is a teeming bowl of pork and beans.
Of all the contentious issues on any trip by the secretary of state, food tops the list. Despite the heroic efforts of dedicated and good-natured military crews to craft miracles from abysmal menus, Air Force Two’s food has become notorious.

“I don’t think you understand the depth of hatred for wing-dings among the staff,” said Jim Wilkinson, one of Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice’s inner circle. “We’re not sure what kind of wings they are. Some people hate the meatballs, but most hate the wing-dings. They violate the laws of war, the Geneva Convention and the international convention on torture. They’re sooo bad.”

“The flan put to rest my theory that at least you could count on a decent dessert,” said Anne Gearan of The Associated Press.

“The meat, it’s awful. It’s much too cooked,” said Sylvie Lanteaume of Agence France-Presse.

“I’m not a vegetarian, but I’d like at least one meal without meat,” said Joel Brinkley of the New York Times as he cut laboriously through a brown slab of meat that has become known as maybe-beef.

“I’m British — I’m used to eating inedible food,” said Saul Hudson of Reuters, adding that he was “aghast” at the food during his first trip with the State Department entourage.

This is an outrage and should be stopped immediately! My tax money is paying to feed the press on their world wide junkets?!? Let them eat cake!

Heh, heh.

-Bruce (GayPatriot)

As I mentioned in my previous post, I just returned from seeing Brokeback Mountain. Perhaps had the hype not been so great (and I had not expected that much), I might have enjoyed the flick more.

First, let me say that there is much to commend in this film. It almost goes without saying that the direction was superb. Ang Lee beautifully portrays human passions and complicated emotional situations visually, a skill essential to conveying the intensity of the taciturn Ennis Del Mar (played to perfection by Heath Ledger). Lee also does a great job of bringing out the tensions (sexual and otherwise) in a number of awkward encounters. In addition, as writer Lydia Marcus put it in her review on Planeout, Lee “gets across the painful message of just how hard it was — and I’m sure still is for many — being gay in the middle of Americana.”

The shots of the Wyoming wilderness (well, actually Alberta) were beautiful and some of the performances, notably Ledger’s were outstanding. I believed that he had fallen for Jake Gyllenhaal‘s Jack Twist and that his character, aged with his makeup. Not only that; he did a great job of showing his character’s conflict as he recognized the reality and endurance of his feelings for Jack.

I wish I could say Jake showed a similar emotional shift. At times when he professed his love for Ennis, it seemed that he was like so many men we all have met, just using a romantic line in order to bed the object of his desire.

(more…)

While many gays on the left think that America has entered some kind of new repressive dark age since President Bush was re-elected with increased Republican majorities in both houses of Congress, the reality of our social life belies this bleak scenario. I just returned from seeing Brokeback Mountain, a gay flick directed by an “A-list” director and featuring two “A-list” actors. Not only is this film being shown at a premiere Los Angeles venue, it is also being released in commercial theaters across the country (rather than in hidden underground screening rooms as it would be in the America described by the gay left). There is no danger that police will close it down.

In addition to this flick, there are gay film festivals across the country, many universities have courses (if not programs) in gay and lesbian studies (as well as gay and lesbian centers), major publishing houses publish gay books, leading theaters produce gay plays while gay characters appear in countless TV shows and movies. Not to mention gay-themed art exhibits.

And while Americans can experience gay stories in a variety of cultural media, the London Times reports that police in Beijing “shut down the opening of China’s first gay and lesbian culture festival yesterday.” After telling the owners of the trendy 798 complex in northeastern Beijing that they would not allow “a festival of films, plays, exhibitions and seminars on homosexuality” to proceed,” 30 participants tried to move their fest to “On/Off, a Beijing gay bar.” Police surrounded the bar and closed it down — before the event had even begun.

Let’s see if those gay groups who fall into high dudgeon whenever any Republican says something even moderately politically incorrect will have anything to say about this.

(H/t: Reader Scott from Atlanta. I encourage you to read the whole article as it provides a good short summary of polices toward gays in Communist China. And provides an interesting historical anecdote about broken sleeves.)

-Dan (AKA GayPatriotWest): GayPatriotWest@aol.com

Man, this is just too much. This is what is so great about bloggers…. they keep their teeth sunk into an issue until we finally hear the truth.

Where’s White Kanye? – Flynn Files

It turns out George W. Bush doesn’t hate black people after all. He hates white people. Hurricane Katrina killed New Orleans whites at a rate disproportionately higher than their percentage of the city’s population. Blacks, on the other hand, didn’t fare as poorly: African Americans constitute two-thirds of the Big Easy’s population but just three-fifths of the hurricane’s fatalities. “George Bush doesn’t care about white people!” “[T]he world saw the effects of American-style anti-white racism in the drama as it was outplayed by the Katrina survivors.” Bush blew up the levee “to destroy the white part of town and keep the black part dry.” White people in Charleston, Miami, Houston, and other storm targets: Beware! Next time George Bush utilizes his super-secret White House hurricane-making machine (with the aid of his nefarious sidekick Dick Cheney), he may be coming for you!

Classic!

-Bruce (GayPatriot)