And now, today's Pittsburgh-heavy edition of the Shrub Report®:

Live 8 got Pink Floyd, Live Earth got Spinal Tap.

Reason #681 why the French suck. And reason #682. I love this guy!

Remember, with Communism, everybody is equal. It's just that some people are more equal than others.

Pittsburgh beats Cleveland. As usual. And again.

Running of the Rosies?

Could someone please tell these Paranoid nutjobs in Russia that this is the 21st century?

More proof that "governmental stupidity" is a universal term.

The latest sneakiness by the Democrat(ic)s in Congress: misidentifying Gold Star families when requesting tours of the White House. You see, Gold Star families of Iraq/Afghan war can get a tour of the WH. The current administration set this up, to honor these families. They had decided that Vietnam-era families would not qualify, since 50,000+ families would overwhelm the WH staff. So, here how this scheme works: the Dems get a request from a Vietnam-era GS family. They then request a tour of the WH, not informing the WH this family is Vietnam-era. The WH does background check, discovers the mistake, and informs said congress(wo)man of the error (this rule is in the WH handbook every congress(wo)man has). Then the congress(wo)man takes this "rejection" and heads straight to the newspapers, screaming "George Bush hates Gold Star families!!". This information came from Jim Quinn this morning. If anybody has heard about this and/or has more information, please feel free to add your input! Ain't politics great?

Pennsylvania's favorite mobster, Fast Eddie, lays off "non-essential" state workers as leverage in state budget battle. The following departments were not affected: casinos, the lottery, and liquor stores. Damn those Republicans for trying to stop Eddie's numerous tax increases!

Speaking of Pennsylvania, 252 years ago, the worst defeat by the British in the French and Indian War occurred on the banks of the mighty Monongahela River near Pittsburgh. About 250 French and 800+ Indians ran into 1,500 British troops, killing 450+ and wounding another 420 or so (while the French side lost less than 20).  After General Braddock was mortally-wounded, a young, 22-year old colonel named George Washington took over and led an orderly retreat east (where he would lost another battle at Fort Necessity). This Shrubber has been to both battlefields (and Braddock's grave), and it is a little piece of US history that everybody should experience.

When Clintonistas attack!

Now Chavez want to "re-write" the Venezuelan constitution. Oh, BDS-sufferers, THIS is what you claim Chimpy McHitler of doing, while your hero is ACTUALLY doing it.

Meanwhile, in the socialist paradise (and Carl Kolchak's favorite vacation spot) of Zimbabwe, things are really looking good!

Today's birthdays: it is the unholy trinity: O.J. Simpson, John Tesh, and Courtney Love! Oh, the humanity!

Whew. That was long!

CATO looks at Conservatives and the Presidency in a timely-IMO piece.
JMR

From the 1/2 Hour News Hour last night:  "Barrack Obama's campaign reported raising over $32,000,000 dollars.  That's the most money raised by a Democrat since the last time John Kerry said 'I Do'."  That broke me up.

Yesterday was my favorite Sunday of the year.  The Wimbledon Men's Tennis Finals pre-empted MEET THE PRESS.  No Tim Russert.  No 3 against 1 "balanced" panel discussions.  No gotchas.  What a delightful morning. . . . . and I don't even like tennis that much. 

Just had this e-mailed to me.  It's been around, but it's pretty good:

ORANGE COUNTY ( CALIFORNIA ) NEWSPAPER

This is a very good letter to the editor. This woman made some good points. For some reason, people have difficulty structuring their arguments when arguing against supporting the currently proposed immigration revisions. This lady made the argument pretty simple.

NOT printed in the Orange County Paper................... Newspapers simply won't publish letters to the editor which they either deem politically incorrect (read below) or which does not agree with the philosophy they're pushing on the public. This woman wrote a great letter to the editor that should have been published; but, with your help it will get published via cyberspace!

New Immigrants

From: "David LaBonte"

My wife, Rosemary, wrote a wonderful letter to the editor of the OC Register which, of course, was not printed. So, I decided to "print" it myself by sending it out on the Internet.

Pass it along if you feel so inclined.

Dave LaBonte (signed)Written in response to a series of letters to the editor in the Orange County Register:

Dear Editor:

So many letter writers have based their arguments on how this land is made up of immigrants. Ernie Lujan for one, suggests we should tear down the Statue of Liberty because the people now in question aren't being treated the same as those who passed through Ellis Island and other ports of entry.

Maybe we should turn to our history books and point out to people like Mr. Lujan why today's American is not willing to accept this new kind of immigrant any longer. Back in 1900 when there was a rush from all areas of Europe to come to the United States, people had to get off a ship and stand in a long line in New York and be documented. Some would even get down on their hands and knees and kiss the ground. They made a pledge to uphold the laws and support their new country in good and bad times. They made learning English a primary rule in their new American households and some even changed their names to blend in with their new home.

They had waved good bye to their birth place to give their children a new life and did everything in their power to help their children assimilate into one culture.

Nothing was handed to them. No free lunches, no welfare, no labor laws to protect them. All they had were the skills and craftsmanship they had brought with them to trade for a future of prosperity. Most of their children came of age when World War II broke out. My father fought along side men whose parents had come straight over from Germany , Italy , France and Japan . None of these 1st generation Americans ever gave any thought about what country their parents had come from. They were Americans fighting Hitler, Mussolini and the Emperor of Japan . They were defending the United States of America as one people. When we liberated France , no one in those villages were looking for the French-American or the German American or the Irish American. The people of France saw only Americans. And we carried one flag that represented one country. Not one of those immigrant sons would have thought about picking up another country's flag and waving it to represent who they were. It would have been a disgrace to their parents who had sacrificed so much to be here. These immigrants truly knew what it meant to be an American. They stirred the melting pot into one red, white and blue bowl.

And here we are in 2006 with a new kind of immigrant who wants the same rights and privileges. Only they want to achieve it by playing with a different set of rules, one that includes the entitlement card and a guarantee of being faithful to their mother country. I'm sorry, that's not what being an American is all about. I believe that the immigrants who landed on Ellis Island in the early 1900's deserve better than that for all the toil, hard work and sacrifice in raising future generations to create a land that has become a beacon for those legally searching for a better life. I think they would be appalled that they are being used as an example by those waving foreign country flags.

And for that suggestion about taking down the Statue of Liberty , it happens to mean a lot to the citizens who are voting on the immigration bill. I wouldn't start talking about dismantling the United States just yet.

(signed) Rosemary LaBonte

I made the mistake of watching CBS news yesterday.  Schumer was on describing his latest plan to withdraw troops from Iraq.  He said he would like to leave a small force (a unit or 2) just in case Al Qaeda sets up camp there after they leave.  I started talking to the TV, "OK, so if they set up camp there after a troop pull out, what are you planning on doing?  increasing the troop levels to fight them?  because THEY ARE ALREADY THERE!!!!!!"  I had to mute the tv, my blood pressure was getting to high.

Now for something a little bit different:
I understand the terroists of this world are more and more inclined to use Muslim women as
homicide bombers. Okay, answer me this. If the Muslim men get 72 virgins, or whatever the
amount is, upon killing thmeselves and murdering innocents, what do the muslim women get?
Upon vaporization, do they find themselves in an HGTV dream home with a magnificent kitchen
and toilets that clean themselves? I'm quite sure the coward terroist leaders do not entice
them with, let's say, 72 Brad Pitts.

The Sun reports...

Guilty verdicts in 21/7 case

By ONLINE REPORTER
July 09, 2007

FOUR men were found guilty today of an extremist Muslim plot to launch a series of suicide bomb attacks on the London transport system exactly two weeks after 7/7.

Muktar Said Ibrahim, Yassin Omar, Ramzi Mohammed and Hussain Osman were convicted of conspiracy to murder at London's Woolwich Crown Court.

The jury of nine women and three men have yet to reach verdicts on two other defendants in the trial.

The terror cell attempted to detonate hydrogen peroxide and chapatti flour bombs covered in shrapnel on three tube trains and a bus on July 21, 2005.

Their murderous plan only failed at the last moment because of problems with the home-made explosives, hot weather, or mere "good fortune", Woolwich Crown Court heard.

Ibrahim, Omar, Mohammed and Osman were unanimously convicted of conspiracy to murder after a six month trial.

They had claimed the bombs were fake and just a demonstration against the war in Iraq.

After delivering the four guilty verdicts, the jury were sent home until tomorrow when they will continue deliberations on the remaining two defendants, Manfo Kwaku Asiedu and Adel Yahya.

Trial judge Mr Justice Fulford QC told the jurors he would accept majority verdicts of 10-2. ...CONTINUES

You've seen the spoof. Now see the spoof of the spoof on YouTube: The Clintpranos: Bada Bong

I just got back from a vacation in Branson, MO and one thing surprised me.  There seemed to be no Mexican workers in Branson doing the jobs Americans wont do.  I noticed the phenomena the third day and really looked for them really hard.  I wonder were they were.  You think a tourist mecca like Branson and the hotels and such there would be a great demand.

Now I live in Dallas TX and see Mexicans or those of Latin descent all over so its old to me, but when I hear all about the demand for low paid workers and see mostly old folks or even young ones doing menial work then I ask why are there none. 

Nuke em til they glow then shoot em in the dark. -- save my gun, shoot a liberal.

If Condoleezza Rice just isn't available (say it isn't so!), perhaps Fred Thompson could choose Alaska's newest governor Sarah Palin for V.P.

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Fred Thompson and Ann Coulter walk into a bar. The bar is instantly destroyed because that much awesome cannot be contained in one building.

Gotta love Michael Moore! Christ, did he tear CNN and Blitzer a new one!

Loved the part where he keep repeating how the MSM trashed F-9/11 and Michael said he thought he was invited back on for an apology, being EVERYTHNG he said in the film turned out to be RIGHT and EVERYTHING CNN said was WRONG!

Then Michael was RIGHT ON TARGET when he accused Blitzer of NOT being able to tell the TRUTH because of his corporate masters. LOL! Blitzer couldn't deny it, his response was, "Well, it is a business." LOL! There you have it you excuse loving escape artists! Get it? IT's a BUSINESS. The TRUTH doesn't enter in to it!