Lavender Alert

Pentagon: Homosexuality not a disorder. Imagine our relief. Well, it's a step in the right direction, anyway. Edge NYC: 'The Pentagon is revising a document that calls homosexuality a mental disorder, officials said Wednesday. Lawmakers, medical professionals and others had pressed for the change in a document outlining procedures for dealing with disabled service members. "Homosexuality should not have been characterized as a mental disorder in an appendix of a procedural instruction,’’ Lt. Col. Jeremy Martin, a Defense Department spokesman, said Wednesday. "A clarification will be issued over the next few days.’’ "Notwithstanding its inclusion, we find no practical impact since that appendix simply listed factors that do not constitute a physical disability, and homosexuality of course does not,’’ he said in a statement.' (Article by Pauline Jelinek, Associated Press.) Gay.com: 'Pentagon officials said Wednesday that the Department of Defense no longer classifies homosexuality as a mental disorder, but the change has no effect on the military's "don't ask, don't tell" policy against gay personnel. In a 1996 document recertified as "current" three years ago, the Pentagon categorized homosexuality alongside mental retardation and personality disorders. The document was uncovered this month by the Center for the Study of Sexual Minorities in the Military, a think tank at the University of California at Santa Barbara.'

Eric Rofes dies. 247Gay: 'Eric Rofes, a longtime leader in the movement for gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender equality, died unexpectedly Monday in Provincetown, Mass. He was 51-years-old and, according to family and friends, suffered from a heart attack. ... Rofes started his activism in the 1970s in Boston where he worked on the GLBT pubication Gay Community News . He was a founder of Boston's first group for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) teachers, two of the first LGBT youth groups in the country and the first Boston-based group focused on organizing gay and lesbian voters (Boston Lesbian and Gay Political Alliance).' Rofes was the author of Reviving the Tribe: Regenerating Gay Men's Sexuality, Culture in an Ongoing Epidemic (Haworth, 1996) and Dry Bones Breathe: Gay Men Creating Post-AIDS Identities and Cultures (Haworth, 1998). Just Out: 'The National Gay and Lesbian Task Force mourns the death of Eric Rofes, a leader, activist, visionary, former board member and dear friend to the Task Force. He died yesterday as the result of a heart attack.' Read about Eric Rofes at the link.

Arkansas supreme court backs gay foster parents. Gay.com: 'Arkansas cannot ban gay men and lesbians from becoming foster parents because there is no link between their sexual orientation and a child's well-being, the state's high court ruled Thursday. The court also said testimony in the case showed that the ban was based on one group's view of morality. The state's child welfare board instituted the ban in 1999, saying children should be in traditional two-parent homes because they would be more likely to thrive.'

Fred Phelps sets sights on Oregon funerals. Basic Rights Oregon: 'Rev. Fred Phelps and his followers will be coming to Oregon on Thursday, July 29 and Saturday, July 1st, to protest at the memorial services of Spc. Robert Jones of Milwaukie and Pfc. Thomas Tucker of Madras. Jones was in his second tour of Iraq when he was hit with mortar and died instantly in Baghdad on Friday, July 16. His memorial will be held at the New Hope Community Church in Clackamas. Tucker was one of two American soldiers kidnapped by militiamen in Iraq on June 16. His body, along with the body of fellow soldier Kristian Menchaca, was found on June 20. The soldiers had been tortured, mutilated, and booby-trapped. Private Tucker's memorial will be held at Deschutes County Fairgrounds Expo Center in Redmond.' Your humble blogger was there for Specialist Jones' service, along with the Plus + Ultra team ... and a large number of Patriot Guard Riders! The memorial service passed without incident.

Robert L. Jones

Robert L. Jones, United States Army

Army Spc. Robert L. Jones

22, of Milwaukie, Ore.; assigned to the 40th Engineer Battalion, Baumholder, Germany; killed June 17 when an improvised explosive device detonated near his Humvee during combat operations in Ramadi, Iraq. Also killed was Sgt. Reyes Ramirez.

See also here.
The Patriot Guard Riders plan to be there. So do I.

Next stop: Chelm.

Via Regime Change Iran, here's Azarmehr:

A fair person has to, at times, take his hat off to his adversary's skills. I consider myself a fair person; in sports for example, I am always happy to admire my opponent's skills and strengths and commend him on his outstanding abilities. I also have to admire the Islamic Republic at times. Most of all, for their ability to manipulate the Western media, and particularly the "experts" or the "Iran Analysts". ...

Go to the link to read the rest.

Body of Eliyahu Asheri Found

Debka: 'The body of 18-year old Eliahu Asheri from Itamar is found buried in a field in a-Tira in Ramallah ...'

Ben Westlund Update

From the Ben Westlund for Governor campaign, via e-mail:

Mid-Willamette Valley Regional Office Up and Running

Thursday morning, June 15th, the Mid-Willamette Valley Team was pleased to open its campaign headquarters in downtown Eugene. With signature gatherers swarming statewide and buzz building, Courtney and Jonathan now have a mid-valley place to call home.

Feel free to swing by the new office any time. Courtney and Jonathan could always use more hands, minds and cookies. They're located at 360 E 11th Ave in downtown Eugene.

Willamette Valley regional pages.

Update

I've got a date with the Westboro Baptist thugs tomorrow. The Phelps gang is planning to protest at the funerals of two Oregon soldiers, and I will be present at one of these. Should be interesting. Watch Plus + Ultra for more.

Suspect Arrested in Attack in Polish Chief Rabbi

AP via Yahoo:

WARSAW, Poland - Police on Wednesday arrested a man suspected of attacking Poland's chief rabbi in late May, describing him as a 33-year-old tied to neo-Nazi groups who confessed to assaulting the Jewish leader.

The arrest comes nearly five weeks after Michael Schudrich, a New Yorker who became the nation's chief rabbi in 2004, was punched and attacked with what appeared to be pepper spray on a street in central Warsaw on May 27. Schudrich was not injured in the attack.

The suspect, identified only as Karol G. in keeping with Polish privacy laws, was arrested Wednesday morning outside his Warsaw home, and identified shortly after that by Schudrich in a police lineup, national police chief Marek Bienkowski said at a news conference.

"He confessed to the attack and was recognized by the victim," Bienkowski said. ...

Middle East Roundup

Washington Post: Kuwaiti elections.

June 28 -- Kuwaiti women will be able to take part in parliamentary elections as candidates and voters for the first time on Thursday. Following are some key facts about the vote:

A total of 253 candidates, including 28 women, are contesting Kuwait's 25 constituencies. Two parliament seats are up for grabs in each constituency.

Parliament passed a law in May 2005 giving women the right to vote and stand as candidates in elections for the 50-seat National Assembly.

Kuwait tolerates some informal groups but does not allow parties; security forces are not eligible to vote. Read the whole thing at the link.

Body of Eliyahu Asheri believed found; terrorist leaders arrested.

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Israeli forces rounded up dozens of Palestinian Cabinet ministers and lawmakers from Hamas, increasing pressure on the Islamic militants to release a captured Israeli soldier, and witnesses said tanks moved into northern Gaza, widening Israel's largest military operation in the year since Israel pulled out of the seaside territory.

Adding to the tension, a Palestinian militant group said it executed an 18-year-old Jewish settler kidnapped in the West Bank. Palestinian security officials said they believed the body of Eliahu Asheri had been found in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

Hamas officials said more than 30 lawmakers have been arrested in the West Bank.

Amarji: Syrian government crackdown bodes ill.

Dr. Radwan Ziadeh, my dear colleague and good friend and one of the main figures behind the Damascus Declaration and the more recent Damascus-Beirut Declaration has recently been slapped with a travel ban on account of his continuous involvement in civil society activities around the region and the world.

Indeed, and over the lat two months alone, Radwan came to the US twice to take part in various meetings and seminars. He also gave a few of lectures in Washington D.C., Chicago, and elsewhere.

The move comes as part of the Assads regime’s ongoing crackdown against activists and opposition figures in the country, a development destined to witness further escalations in the days and weeks ahead, as the regime continues its reversion to old-style totalitarian rule. ...

"Find and destroy."

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered special services to "find and destroy" the killers of four Russian diplomats taken hostage in Iraq. The head of Russia's security services immediately pledged to see Putin's order carried out. The Russian government confirmed the four men's deaths this week, after an insurgent group released a video showing two of them being killed. ...

Olmert briefs Annan, Mubarak.

Prime Minister Ehud Olmert spoke on Wednesday evening with UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, who telephoned in order to receieve updates on the
situation in the Gaza Strip. ...

Olmert said the PA was doing nothing to either bring about the release of Shalit or to halt the firing of Kassam rockets at Israeli communities.

Olmert also spoke today with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and thanked him for Egypt's assistance in the efforts to lower tensions and to
bring about the release of Shalit.

B'Ivrit.

When a reporter in London asked me if I could define the difference between the two Israeli blogospheres, I told him that Anglo bloggers are mostly concerned with "explaining" Israel to the outside world, whereas Hebrew bloggers rarely write about politics - preferring to concentrate on personal issues and tech issues. The reporter found that hard to believe: Isn't Israel a highly politicized society? he asked. Yes, I answered. In a way, it is. But it is also a society that is exhausted by politics. In fact, I almost never discuss the subject with my native-born Israeli friends. We talk about everything but - and that is not a conscience decision. ...

Amongst the Hebrew bloggers who have written about Gaza, some are against the IDF invasion, others are in favour and still others are indifferent. I haven't found anybody who is concerned about what the rest of the world thinks - whether they be mainstream media, Arab bloggers or other. Below are some translated excerpts of posts about Gaza that I read today. ...

Iran: Almost 500 anti-regime protests in past month.

London, Jun. 28 – There have been some 480 anti-government protests in Iran since in the Iranian calendar month ending June 21, according to a tally provided to Iran Focus by Iranian dissidents.

Students were the most politically active group in the past month, having organised at least 136 demonstrations, sit-ins, gatherings, and strikes.

Workers took part in some 60 protests.

Among the month’s major protests was a 100,000-strong anti-government rally by ethnic Azeris in the city of Tabriz against the publication of an insulting cartoon in the official daily Iran.

Interrogations of Iranian women continue.

Activists of the women’s movement in Iran have been under interrogations by security agents since their last rally in Tehran on June 12. According to a Rooz reporter from Tehran, two of the activists who are also founders of the Women’s Cultural Center Nooshin Ahmadi Khorasani and Parvin Ardalan received their arrest warrants after participating in the June 12th demonstration. They appeared at the designated security center and were interrogated. At the same time former member of Parliament and former member of Daftar-e Tahkim Vahdat student organization Mousavi Khoeini who was arrested during the rally continues to be in detention.

Nasrin Sotoodeh and Zohreh Arzani who are the defense attorneys for Ardalan and Ahmadi Khorasani told Rooz that they would like to not respond to press questions before they have received the questions from security authorities. These attorneys have already been denied access to their clients. Both Khorasani and Ardalan have appeared everyday at a security center to answer questions posed by security officials.

Iraq: Amnesty clarified, Task Force 145 continues the mission.

Counterterrorism Blog:

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki has provided clarity to the controversial provision of amnesty for insurgents who killed U.S. and Coalition soldiers. "Any amnesty for insurgents will exclude fighters who killed Iraqis or soldiers of the multinational forces because these troops came to Iraq according to international agreements and they are contributing in making the political process successful... Those who commit such crimes will stand trial because the aim of killing Iraqis or foreign soldiers is to frustrate democracy and the political process." said al-Maliki, according to the Associated Press. ...

Task Force 145 struck in Yusifiyah two days ago, and captured fourteen terrorists during multiple raids. Included in the catch were "known leaders of the Tawhid Wa'al Jihad and Jaysh al-Islamit" terrorist groups. Yusifiyah has been another al-Qaeda stronghold, and multiple raids have been carried out in this city. The full version of Zarqawi's last videotape was recovered in Yusifiyah, and Zarqawi was believed to have narrowly evaded capture during a Coalition assault on al-Qaeda safe houses in April. ...

Read the whole thing at the link.

Afternoon Roundup

Stop! Hey! What's that sound? Syria's Bashar Assad probably thought he needed to get his eyeglasses prescription checked, but his ears were surely telling him something was up ... Israeli fighter planes, to be exact. Carl in Israel Matzav:

Dave at Israel At Level Ground is quoting a Channel 10 (cable) news report that four Israeli F-16 jets overflew Syrian President Bashar al-Assad's palace near Latakiya while he was in the building.

Syrian television did not report the event, although al-Jazeerra did run a scroller shortly after the Israeli announcement, according to reporter Shai Yeheskeli.

Carl's follow-up:

The JPost has more details of this morning's flyover of Syrian leader Bashar Assad's Presidential palace that I reported on earlier.

The Post reports that the IDF said that the flyover was carried out by four planes flying in a low-altitude pattern, and was a part of an operation aimed at pressuring the Syrian leadership to expel Hamas Politburo chief Khaled Mashaal from Damascus. I don't understand why the IDF cannot go get Meshaal in Damascus, as I suggested yesterday.

According to Israel, Meshaal orchestrated the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit, and has been calling the shots for the kidnappers.

State-run Syrian television said two Israeli planes flew near Syria's Mediterranean coast early Wednesday but did not mention Israel's announcement that the planes swooped low over the summer residence of Assad.

Debka has this:

In new crisis, Syria says its air defenses opened fire on intruding Israeli air force jets. Unofficial Israel sources confirm that 4 Israeli F16 fighters buzzed the Syrian presidential summer palace in Latakia early Wednesday, June 28, as pressure on Bashar Assad to bring about Hamas’ release of kidnapped Israeli corporal Gilead Shalit. Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal whom Syria harbors is accused of orchestrating Hamas attacks and hostage-taking. Syria accuses Israel of “a hostile and provocative act” and says its air defenses opened fire and forced the Israeli warplanes to flee. The Syrian president was at home at the time of the incident. DEBKAfile reports: One Israeli official after another struck out against Meshaal and the Syrian president during the day after the Olmert government and his security and intelligence chiefs concluded that the missing soldier’s recovery alive depends on military pressure being applied to the Syrian ruler and through him on Meshaal. It is no secret that Assad gives Hamas and its political leadership headed by Meshaal free rein to run the Hamas military arm in Gaza from Damascus. Our intelligence sources disclose that, straight after the Israeli buzzing early Wednesday, Assad returned to Damascus and soon after, met Jordanian prime minister Maaruf Bahait (former ambassador to Israel), who had come over to discuss the Palestinian reconciliation document and the crisis in Gaza. According to our sources, Assad kept on complaining agitatedly about the Israeli over flights.

Here's Yuval Yoaz in Ha'Aretz: 'Israel Air Force warplanes predawn Wednesday carried out a low-altitude flight over the palace of Syrian President Bashar Assad in the Mediterranean port city of Latakia in northwestern Syria. Channel 2 TV reported that the aircrafts caused sonic booms when passing over the palace. Assad is believed to have been staying in the palace at the time of the flyover.'

Via IRIS: There are no Israelis in the airport!

Via Ocean Guy, liveblogging from Vital Perspective and Israellycool. Latest from Vital Perspective:

UPDATE 06/28 @ 13:18: BREAKING NEWS... Four Israel Air Force F-16 aircrafts carried out an aerial flight over Syrian President Bashar Assad's palace, near the city of Latakia on Tuesday. Israel views the Syrian leadership as the main sponsor of terror groups headed by Hamas. Air Force planes flew around the palace while Assad was in it. The IDF took a similar step in the past, about three years ago, after a terror attack in a Haifa restaurant. This is considered a symbolic but significant move, mainly in light of recent declarations voiced by senior Israeli officials on Khaled Meshaal's link to what is taking place in Israel.

UPDATE 06/28 @ 14:20: Channel Two in Israel is reporting that Fatah terrorists have pledged to attack Israeli embassies overseas if there are civilian casualties in Gaza.

UPDATE 06/28 @ 15:12: Kofi Annan spoke with PM Olmert a short while ago, and told him that he spoke with Syrian President Bashar Assad and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, and urged them to assist with the release of the kidnapped soldier. Annan said that he was concerned about the situation in the Palestinian Authority and asked that Israel show restraint. Olmert told Annan that the government was doing nothing to help with the hostage's release or to put a stop to the Qassam fire. Bear in mind that not too long ago, Annan wasn't even aware that there were rocket attacks against Israel from Gaza.

Latest from Israellycool:

9.45AM: The Jerusalem Post are running with the alarming headline:

Report: Israeli body found in Ramallah

But when you click on the link, there is no news of Eliyahu having been killed.

9.40AM: The PRC are threatening to kill the other kidnapped Israeli teenager, Eliyahu Asheri, unless the IDF leaves Gaza. Since this is not likely, unless Gilad Shalit is released, I am extremely worried about Eliyahu's chances of survival.

Cinnamon Stillwell on Free Speech

There isn't much I can add to Cinnamon Stillwell's excellent column on free speech and "hate speech". Last year, I posted on an incident in South Windsor, Connecticut, where some high school students were sent home because of the political message on their T-shirts.

Go read Cinnamon's article.

Morning Report: June 28, 2006

Striking back. Israel raids Gaza with the double purpose of finding two hostages and breaking the terrorist machine; while Americans deal with a security threat on their own soil.

Israel: "Summer Rain" comes to Gaza. Debka: 'The rescue of Israeli hostage Gilead Shalit is the overriding mission of the Israeli ground thrust into Gaza, but the Qassam threat to southern Israel is also targeted for root treatment. Fourteen hours after the “Summer Rain” offensive was launched Tuesday night, OC Southern Command Maj-Gen Yoav Galant told reporters Wednesday that “many more unseen operations are in progress in addition to the overt push." He affirmed that the 19-year-old corporal kidnapped by Hamas on Sunday is in the Gaza Strip. Regarding negotiations for Shalit’s release, Galant stressed: “We don’t negotiate with terrorist groups,” adding that foreign elements are still trying their luck at getting him out. The general said the next stages of the Israeli offensive would be affected by Palestinian responses. As he spoke, a Qassam missile was fired at Mefalsim in the Negev, hurting no one. It followed an air bombardment of empty land in the North.' Also: 'Popular Resistance Committees hold press conference in Gaza, display identity card to prove they are holding Israeli civilian Eliahu Asheri, 18, from Itamar on the West Bank. PRC spokesman Muhammad al-Al displayed the ID against the background of his group’s emblems and flags, but posed no terms for any further information or the hostage’s release. DEBKAfile’s intelligence sources add that the display of the Israeli boy’s ID does not prove the PRC is holding him, any more than Corp. Gilead Shalit in Gaza. The kidnappers may be subcontracting the PRC as their front. Earlier, the Palestinian umbrella group threatened to execute Eliahu Asheri if Israel does not halt its Gaza air-and-ground offensive launched Tuesday night. Asheri, a student at the Neveh Tsuf pre-military academy was last seen Sunday at the French Hill intersection in northern Jerusalem after visiting a friend in Beitar Illit. Israeli special forces are on standby to rescue him as soon as leads are found to his whereabouts.' Current bulletin: 'Wednesday, June 28, Palestinian anti-tank rocket fire was directed at the IDF force seizing the disused airport of Dahaniya NW of Rafah where a forward command post was set up. Palestinian security forces pulled out of Dahaniya as the Israeli force entered. It is in this area that Israel believes Corp. Gilead Shalit is held by Hamas. Israeli troops have also recaptured the Philadelphi border strip.' IRIS has a news roundup, and photographs. The Intelligence Summit has a report:

ISN SECURITY WATCH (Wednesday, 28 June 2006: 13.43 CET) – Israeli forces entered the southern Gaza Strip before dawn on Wednesday morning in an operation designed to pressure the Palestinian government to work for the release of an Israeli soldier captured in a militant raid on Sunday.

Israel has deployed tanks and armored personnel carriers in open areas east of the border town of Rafah in the raid, dubbed "Summer Rain," penetrating one kilometer into the Gaza Strip in the first phase of a staged operation.

A second Israeli force is poised to enter the Gaza Strip from the north in response to Qassam rocket fire from militant groups.

CNN reports that there have been no clashes as yet between Palestinian gunmen, who patrolled the streets in cities and towns across the West Bank on Wednesday night, and the Israeli force.

The Israeli Air Force launched missile strikes against three bridges and a power station in central Gaza ahead of the ground force incursion in what military officials said was an effort to prevent militants from moving the kidnapped soldier, Corporal Gilad Shalit.

According to Ha'aretz, Israeli Prime Minster Ehud Olmert approved the ground force incursion on Tuesday night, after consultations with defense officials, in order to strike at the "terrorist infrastructure." ...

And in breaking news, Jerusalem Post reports a disturbing development that may be related to Eliyahu Asheri. (various)

Moroccan hackers strike Israeli sites. Lior Haner in Ha'Aretz: 'A group of Moroccan hackers attacked hundreds of Israeli websites on Wednesday. Some reports say that as many as 750 websites with the suffix co.il have come under attack. The website attacks started after Israel Defense Forces began preparing for the retaliatory "Summer Rain" operation in Gaza, in response to the kidnapping of IDF soldier Gilad Shalit on Sunday. The hacker group, which calls itself 'Team Evil', replaces the home page of the target websites with the following text: "Hacked By Team-Evil Arab hackers u KIll palestin people we Kill Israel servers" (sic).' (Ha'Aretz)

Russians hunt killers in Iraq. AP via Jerusalem Post: 'President Valdimir Putin has ordered Russian special services to hunt down the killers of four Russian hostages in Iraq, news agencies reported Wednesday.' (JPost)

Samarra bombers arrested. Iraq the Model: 'In a news conference currently being broadcast on TV, Iraq's national security advisor Muwaffak al-Rubaie says Iraqi security forces arrested Abu Qudama al-Tunisi in a raid in the suburb of al-Dhuloiya north of Baghdad. 15 other foreign terrorists were killed in the raid according to al-Rubaie. The terrorist of Tunisian origin confessed that he was responsible for the attack that destroyed the Askari Shrine in Samarra back in February 22 of this year. Muwaffak al-Rubaie said the security forces are still searching for Haitham al-Badri who is believed to be the field commander under whom Abu Qudama was operating.' The Belmont Club: 'If Rubaie has got the right perps then this is a tremendous intelligence victory for the Coalition. Whatever cell was in charge of investigating the Golden Mosque incident never let this trail go until it finally led to this Baghdadi safehouse. Again it shows that the primary weapon of the Coalition isn't what is visible to the eye but rather that which goes unremarked. Intelligence operations followed by targeted raids. For that reason the war against intel unremittingly waged by institutions like the New York Times has its price.' (ITM, Belmont Club)

Making the Times pay. Tammy Bruce: 'Certain Republican House members are moving to revoke the Congressional press credentials of the New York Times. This after the "newspaper" has revealed several secret government War on Terror programs, arguably compromising national security.' Tammy says this is a good start, but not nearly enough; she argues that the NYT's crimes against America may have even outstripped the Rosenbergs' betrayal in terms of the concrete damage done to America's security. Thomas Holsinger at Winds of Change suggests civil liability: 'ongress can deter news organizations, and others, from publishing classified documents by making them strictly liable for civil tort damages caused by foreign terrorists, i.e., the New York Times should pay for the next 9/11 because its repeated publications of classified information have aided terrorists and put all Americans at risk. This would put the Times out of business, and that is a good thing. Such legislation would pass Constitutional scrutiny because civil liability would not be subject to the strict protections applicable to criminal liability.' Read it all at the links. (Tammy Bruce, WoC)

Iran: State vs. White House. Or is it, "State vs. America"? Richard Perle writing in the Washington Post says that 'Condoleezza Rice has moved from the White House to Foggy Bottom, a mere mile or so away' but worlds apart ideologically. Yet 'Rice's influence on the president is undiminished', and that's the problem: rather than bringing bold White House reforms to the State Department, she has instead transmitted State's pernicious influence to the White House. None of this is good news for America or for the Iranian people. (WP)

Commentary. Today's entry is long - it's been a busy 24 hours - but one or two things do stand out. Wretchard's comment "the war against intel unremittingly waged by institutions like the New York Times has its price" seems a good place to begin. I'll put forth the following proposition: When citizens feel their government "belongs to them", they will see a common interest between themselves and their government. That is, while they may be wary of "big government" meddling in their lives, they nevertheless see their nation's government as fundamentally a friend and not an enemy because they have a personal stake in it.

The Times may have believed it could rally massive public support with its latest stunt; if so, it miscalculated. Even Howard Kurtz at the Washington Post admits that 'What we're seeing is a there-they-go-again reaction on the right that is the culmination of building frustrations against the MSM in general and the Times in particular over the disclosure of classified information' while he's seen 'very few liberal bloggers defending the Times'. (This Oregon blogger notes that even Murtha opposed the Times' move.) Instead, citizens are calling on their Government to punish the paper - one way or another.

Meanwhile, Israelis await the fate of two young men. Judith Apter Klinghoffer writes: 'The Israeli MSM, like the US one, is busy in self criticism. The Israeli MSM is to the left of the American one. So, they report that the Israeli right is praising the Gaza operation. In a democracy, politics is ever present. But the people, the people ignore the background noise and focus on the father who asked his son to try to survive.'

Citizens are beginning to realize they do not have to put up with the MSM's "background noise." There are more important things to be done. Like surviving.