h/t to MsUnderestimated

A small aircraft crashed into a high-rise on the Upper East Side, setting off a fire and startling New Yorkers, police said. There were conflicting reports on whether the aircraft was a small plane or a helicopter.

Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi said an aircraft struck struck the 20th floor of a building on East 72nd Street. Witnesses said the crash caused a loud noise, and burning and falling debris was seen. Flames were seen shooting out of the windows. Video from the scene showed at least three apartments in the high rise fully engulfed in flames.

“There’s huge pieces of debris falling,” said one witness who refused to give her full name. “There’s so much falling now, I’ve got to get away.”

Well, I thought I had hope of late, as did MsUnderestimated, for Juan Williams. This past week, Juan has been on many radio and TV talk shows promoting his book "Enough," about the lunacy of the continuing victimhood embodied in the likes of current black leaders like Al Sharpton, Jesse Jackson, and Farrakhan. Well, tonight on Fox News Sunday, I was snapped back to reality.
MsUnderestimated has video and partial transcript of the panel today, but suffice it to say, Juan is back to his old liberal "can't-we-all-just-get-along" ways. Thankfully, Brit Hume is there to bring him a reality check that is much needed. Juan SNAP OUT OF IT, MAN!

Hallelujah! Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig are FREE AT LAST! I'm so overjoyed to report that Centanni & Wiig have been released, and are now confirmed to be safely in Jerusalem. For extensive reporting, see MsUnderestimated's post.

Thank you, God, for delivering these men from evil.

Everybody on the blogosphere is on this story today, and have been since Drudge broke it mid-morning. Here's just one entry from MsUnderestimated's site:

Gaza Militants Claim Fox Kidnapping

Anita McNaught, wife of kidnapped journalist Olaf Wiig Freelance cameraman. Olaf Wiig was kidnapped last week A previously unknown militant group has said it kidnapped two journalists seized nine days ago in the Gaza Strip. A fax from the “Holy Jihad Brigades” to news agencies demanded the US release “Muslim prisoners” within 72 hours.

MsUnderestimated's site has lots of links to many other of the bloggers out there writing about this. AllahPundit at HotAir has the AP video, and Rusty Shackleford at MyPetJawa are posting up-to-the-minute updates.

According to the AP, two Fox employees, one being reporter Steve Centanni, were kidnapped by Palestinians in Gaza earlier today. Fox is barely speaking about this at all, and I'm tending to think it's to keep it out of the spotlight while negotiations are on-going. Only Jennifer Griffin would mention this as she was interviewed from Kiryat Shmona (video link by MsUnderestimated) this afternoon. God speed and I hope for a quick release of these hostages. My prayers are with the entire Fox family now, even though the lunatics over at DU are voicing their "wishes" about who they wanted it to have been.

(h/t: MsUnderestimated.) Today on Neal Cavuto, the usual panel was on, including Ben Stein and Stuart Varney. The topic was whether or not the events of yesterday and today would have an impact on our economic outlook. Ben Stein talked about a nation “bound together by the silk and threads of airline travel,” and how when those threads are frayed, it will strain us. However, he opined that if we let that happen, the terrorists win. (brief video to follow from MsUnderestimated) Stuart Varney then talked about a recent poll of British Mulslims, and this even took my breath away!

Varney: I think that the British have to get used to the economic negative impact of having a large hostile and murderous minority living in their midst.

McKinney just can't keep her mout shut. After the horrific debacle that was her debate this past Saturday, today she was on the morning radio show, V-103. Both she and Hank Johnson were in the studio, and having only seen the clip below, I wonder if Hank Johnson ever got a word in edge-wise? V-103 is no friend to the President. Jim Angle had a brief piece about this on Special Report tonight. (MsUnderestimated has the video here.)

“This administration has failed across the board, and I have co-sponsored every…every piece of legislation that seeks to investigate it and I would vote – for – impeachment, and I might even write my own impeachment bill if I get enough support from the 4th Congressional District constituents asking me to do that.”

This has to be what can only be deemed as rounds #2, 3, 4 & 5 of the WWF of the political world. Cynthia is trying so hard to keep her belt, but it's getting harder and harder. However, I wasn't sure Hank was going to make it. Was he coughing to disrupt the cutest little jihadist in Congress as she spewed her blather from the inside of the skull-tightening braids on her head? Or did her hot air scorch the air around them both so bad that he couldn't breathe? Don't know. Neither one impressed me very much, but even as his incompetence is so profoundly displayed, the "lesser of two evils" argument needs to be thrown out of the window this time. I don't live in that district, but what I wouldn't give to live there for just one day next Tuesday to vote for the Republican - whomever he/she may be - to keep either of these less-than-brainiacs out of the Georgia Congress. That being said, Georgia's 4th District is and always has been Democratically-controlled. Given that, I hope that the voters of that district "get out the vote" next Tuesday for Hank Johnson. Hank doesn't look like someone who would smack a police officer who was just doing his job on Capitol Hill. For round #1, see my previous post here. These new rounds, however, are TKOs by the moderators of the debate. I'm not sure either opponent won this one. "The fact of the matter is...." (watch the videos to understand that oft-used opening to McKinney's statements - it was akin to "well, you know.. like, it was so, I mean, so, like, you know, we were the evil, like country, like you know?) Can I have a dollar for every time she said that? Aw, shucks... okay. Okay, so this was VERY painful to watch. However, it was not only painful, but it was also - again- entertaining on cell-slapper Cynthia's part. She is the queen of the "non-answer" coalition, and her biggest claim to fame in this debate and others, and by her own admission, is that she is the "#1 biggest critic of the Bush Administration." Okay, so that puts you where in your political standing? It makes you no greater or higher in prestige than Pelosi, Dean, Boxer, Reid, Kerry, Kennedy, Murtha, and on and on and on. What? Are you guys all going to get into a fight to determine the WWF champion of who is THE biggest Bush critic? I think that can be won by the lunatic left collectively; so, no, Cynthia, you do not deserve a special place at the table of the Democratic party. The Georgia Columbus Ledger had an AP piece on today's debate:

Johnson says he is not a Republican pawn and he started running his race before the "ABC" - "Anybody but Cynthia" - campaign began. He said that of the more than 1,400 individual contributions his campaign has received, most were donations of $100 or less. Johnson said his campaign has identified only three contributions from known Republicans. "I can guarantee the public my allegiance is to the voters," Johnson said. The candidates for the 4th Congressional District squared off in a live hour-long debate aired on WSB-TV. It was the last televised debate before Tuesday's runoff election. In the July 18th primary, Johnson, an attorney and former DeKalb County Commissioner, came within 1,700 votes of McKinney to force a runoff. During the debate, Johnson twice questioned McKinney about the March scuffle between the congresswoman and a Capitol Hill police officer, asking her to tell voters what really happened that day. McKinney said the grand jury had spoken on the issue and vindicated her. "What is a woman to do when she is grabbed from behind?" McKinney asked. "The grand jury knows everything about that incident. Mr. Johnson wasn't there and he doesn't know anything." Johnson seized upon the Capitol Hill incident as an example of what he has called McKinney's embarrassing leadership in office. While he has spent much of his campaign contrasting himself to McKinney's outspoken, confrontational style, Johnson says he thinks voters believe he is the best candidate for the job and not just an alternative to the controversial Congresswoman. "I think the 'Anybody But Cynthia' campaign has turned into the 'We Love Hank' campaign," he quipped. McKinney called herself the "Number One critic of the Bush administration" and urged voters to send her back to Washington. "I stand in stark contrast to the Republican majority, and I'm proud of that," McKinney said. "I promise to go to Washington and never be quiet." When questioned about the conflict between Israel and Hezbollah and the need for an immediate cease-fire, McKinney said that every country has a right to self-defense, but that the U.S. should be doing more to encourage peace in the region and take more of a stand for human rights for Israeli and Lebanese civilians. Johnson said the U.S. should stand by Israel as its ally. "It's very difficult to call a cease-fire with a terrorist organization," Johnson said.

Some of the highlights and lowlights of the debate today include, but are not limited to:

- Cynthia makes claims about putting 500 participants into the National Youth Apprenticeship Collaboration Program, but the panel even calls her on the carpet, reminding her that there are only 20 known participants of the program. - The only two supporters who McKinney claims have supported legislation she's proposed were John Kerry and John Murtha. 'Nuff said.