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Boycott Egypt — Freedom For Egyptians reminded me why the cartoons looked so familiar to me: they were actually printed in the Egyptian Newspaper Al Fagr back in October 2005. I repeat, October 2005, during Ramadan, for all the egyptian muslim population to see, and not a single squeak of outrage was present.
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A Startling New Lesson in the Power of Imagery — They're callous and feeble cartoons, cooked up as a provocation by a conservative newspaper exploiting the general Muslim prohibition on images of the Prophet Muhammad to score cheap points about freedom of expression. — But drawings are drawings, so a question arises.

A Cartoon's Portrait of America — The trouble started in Denmark, a faraway country of which we know little. It revolves around cartoons, an art form we associate with light humor. It has sparked riots in Surabaya, Tehran, Peshawar and rural Somalia, places where there aren't many Americans in the best of times.

This week's column: Rushdie, Danish cartoons, and Information Warfare (and a link to the cartoons) — The column is up at StrategyPage. — The Danish "Cartoon War" is an information warfare operation by conducted Islamist terror groups and at least two Middle Eastern dictatorships (Syria and Iran).

THE LYING DANISH IMAMS
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The Brussels Journal, Haaretz, Outside The Beltway, Wall Street Journal, Hyscience, Gateway Pundit, The Dumb Ox, The Belmont Club and lgf

Bonfire of the Pieties — Islam prohibits neither images …
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Washington Post, All Things Beautiful, Mark in Mexico, Reuters, Yourish.com, protein wisdom, Shakespeare's Sister, ARMAVIRUMQUE, The Brussels Journal, A Blog For All, Power Line, Secular Blasphemy, INDC Journal, Jay Reding.com, Andrew Sullivan, sisu, Cold Fury, Crossroads Arabia, THE ASTUTE BLOGGER and The Moderate Voice

CNN spliced out standing ovation greeting Lowery's WMD remarks at King funeral … The February 8 edition of CNN's The Situation Room featured a video clip of part of civil rights leader Rev. Joseph Lowery's address at the February 7 funeral of civil rights activist Coretta Scott King …
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Post: Bush Reaches Out
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Washington Post, ProfessorBainbridge.com, Exposing Liberal Media Bias, YARGB, Macsmind, Decision '08 and Sister Toldjah

Bush's Social Security Sleight of Hand — If you read enough numbers, you never know what you'll find. Take President Bush and private Social Security accounts. — Last year, even though Bush talked endlessly about the supposed joys of private accounts, he never proposed a specific plan …
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EXCLUSIVE EMAILS: Jack Abramoff Describes Relationship With President Bush — ThinkProgress has obtained emails written by Jack Abramoff in which the fallen lobbyist personally describes his relationship with President Bush. They depict a relationship far more extensive than has been previously reported.
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The Road To Surfdom

Redstate Racists — I don't throw around the racist word very often, because to me it is a very very serious charge. But there's no other way to say it; this right-wing blogger 'Blanton' at Redstate is racist, and all the commenter freaks nodding in frothing agreement to his screed seem mighty close as well.
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Breyer Says 'Zero' Politics on the Court — CHICAGO - Supreme Court Justice Stephen Breyer says he frequently makes decisions about a law's constitutionality by considering its purposes and consequences, which puts him at odds with fellow justices who try to adhere strictly to the language of the Constitution.
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John Bolton Nominated for Nobel Peace Prize — (CNSNews.com) - John Bolton, the U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, is one of two Americans who have been nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. — Last year, Democrats and a few Republicans refused to confirm Bolton to the U.N. post …
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protein wisdom, The American Princess, JunkYardBlog, The Reaction, Captain's Quarters and Betsy's Page

State Department sees exodus of weapons experts — WASHINGTON - State Department officials appointed by President Bush have sidelined key career weapons experts and replaced them with less experienced political operatives who share the White House and Pentagon's distrust of international negotiations and treaties.

Sweden plans to be world's first oil-free economy — · 15-year limit set for switch to renewable energy — · Biofuels favoured over further nuclear power — Sweden is to take the biggest energy step of any advanced western economy by trying to wean itself off oil completely …

MATIER AND ROSS — S.F. supervisors set to debate call for impeachment of Bush, Cheney — In case you're short a hot topic tonight, Bill O'Reilly, take a look at the San Francisco Board of Supervisors — which is working up a resolution calling for the "full investigation …

Yahoo! Helped Jail another Chinese Cyberdissident — I just received the press release below e-mailed from Reporters Without Borders. … My initial reaction: A company that cares about human rights should not put user data in jurisdictions where full compliance with the law makes collaboration …

MSNBC offering conservative voter outreach, for a price — Well, isn't this interesting. — A top MSNBC producer, who worked on Hardball with Chris Matthews, and now works for MSNBC's Joe Scarborough, is off giving paid-only lectures about how to influence conservative voters.

The Wrong Wiretap Debate — As quickly as you can say the words "Karl Rove," the debate over the National Security Agency's anti-terrorist surveillance program is degenerating into a partisan squabble. Rather than seeking a compromise that would anchor the program in law …

White House Can't Sweep Aside Abramoff — Indicted Aide Safavian Heads to Court, — And Questions Still Swirl About Griles and Rove — WASHINGTON — The scandal surrounding disgraced lobbyist Jack Abramoff has shaken up Capitol Hill. But it still poses significant problems for the Bush White House.

DeLay Lands Coveted Appropriations Spot — Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay Lands Spot on Appropriations Committee — WASHINGTON Feb 8, 2006 (AP)— Indicted Rep. Tom DeLay, forced to step down as the No. 2 Republican in the House, scored a soft landing Wednesday as GOP leaders rewarded him with a coveted seat on the Appropriations Committee.