Lately, we've been doing much better at catching the Iranians, often in tandem with the Syrians, who are giving a lot of support to terrorists in Iraq. Better yet, we are slapping penalties on them, most recently on three terrorist supporters and leaders in Iran and one in Syria, where he runs the al-Zawra television station. Americans are henceforth forbidden to do business with these rogues, and if the USG - Iraq Reconstruction Task Force can get at any of their assets, we'll grab them. That's excellent news, and the announcement is helpfully accompanied by considerable documentation of the terrorists and their supporters singled out by our Treasury Department. Undersecretary Stuart Levey, who has been one of the driving forces behind this program, puts it in a broad context: Iran and Syria are fueling violence and destruction in Iraq. Iran trains, funds, and provides weapons to violent Shia extremist groups, while Syria provides safe haven to Sunni insurgents and financiers. All of which and more clearly shows what I and others have been arguing for a long time:  Iran supports al-Qaeda.

Topping my personal list of mondo bizarro stories this week was the headline in papers all over the country, Ex-Congressman Charged in Terror Case.  The story reveals that:

Former congressman from Michigan Mark Siljander was indicted Wednesday (1/16) as being part of a terrorist fundraising ring that allegedly sent more than $130,000 to an al-Qaeda and Taliban supporter. He's accused of lying about lobbying on behalf of an Islamic charity (The Islamic American Relief Agency or IARA) that was accused of sending funds to terrorists... The government accuses IARA of sending approximately $130,000 to help Gulbuddin Hekmatyar, whom the United States has designated a global terrorist..

Have you ever had a "free lunch?" A "free lunch" means the benefit you receive has no direct or indirect costs and is not a payment for a past act or a future obligation. When Hillary, in her Christmas video, showed all of the "gifts" she was going to give us (e.g., "national health insurance," "kiddy care," etc.), she was promising to saddle us with future tax obligations, which are only "gifts" in Washington political-speak - and certainly not a free lunch for the nation. The administration, members of Congress, and the presidential candidates are in the process of coming out with their "economic stimulus" plans to help avoid a recession or to mitigate the pain if one occurs. Rather than take this opportunity to offer a real "free lunch" by removing government obstacles to a proper functioning economy, some will propose more spending and regulation because they are more interested in power than doing what is best for the citizenry.  Wouldn't you prefer to get a real free lunch from the government?

[With a final chapter 34 and an Epilogue to go, The Jade Steps is nearing completion.  So it's worth re-emphasizing again that The Jade Steps is a true story.  Every principal event described actually happened, every named person really lived and had that name.  It all happened almost 500 years ago, but it still remains the cause of the civil war within Mexico's soul.  Mexico will never rise out of the Third World until this spiritual wound is healed.  That is the purpose of this book.]   The Jade Steps Chapter Thirty-Three:  Reaping The Whirlwind   "Doña Marina! Doña Marina!"  Someone was screaming at her, shaking her violently.  It was Doña Luisa.  Dazed from fainting, Malinali stared at the woman in confusion.  "You must not stay here! The Aztecs are attacking!"  She heard the words with no understanding.  She felt herself being pulled roughly to her feet and pushed into a run.  They reached a set of trees.  She looked around in bewilderment.  There was this incredible noise, but it seemed so far away. She looked in the direction of the noise and saw the Tacuba causeway.  It was filled with screaming Aztec warriors swinging their macuahuitl obsidian-edged wooden swords and racing towards Pedro de Alvarado and his men.  Somehow the sight of it seemed as distant as the noise.  Suddenly, like the wave of a storm, the full sight and the sound of the battle crashed upon her.  She heard claps of thunder, but the sky was clear.  Then she saw the brigantines in the lake on either side of the causeway, firing their canons into the Aztec mass.  She recognized the captain of one of the ships, Juan Jaramillo, the officer who had protected her during La Noche Triste. She saw Pedro de Alvarado lead his horsemen into a charge straight into the Aztecs, as the musketmen and crossbowmen formed positions on the edges of the causeway to fire into them.  So many Aztec warriors had filled the causeway in their fury and rage to get at the Spaniards that they couldn't move.  They just became targets for the cannons and muskets and arrows and the hooves of war horses.  They died in the hundreds, and still more hundreds, until they gave up the assault, retreating back into the city shouting insults and taunts that they had killed... Then the terrible sight that had caused her to faint appeared before her eyes, the bloody head of Cortez bouncing and rolling in the dust, and she screamed in horror.  Doña Luisa embraced her and she clung to the Tlaxcalan princess, sobbing uncontrollably for "My Captain, my Captain..."  She finally let go, and, whispering her thanks, she walked alone along the shoreline to stare vacantly out upon the waters of Lake Texcoco.

What is it with little guys with egos as big as their billionaire bank accounts who think they can get elected President of the United States as a third party independent? Beats me.  But while it was horrifically destructive the last time - in 1992 - it may be marvelous today.  Right now, I'm rootin' for Bloomie. Ross Perot was five-foot-six.  Michael Bloomberg is maybe a half-inch taller.  We owe the Clinton Presidency to Perot - the 19% of the vote he gained was mostly a protest against George H. W. Bush.  If Perot had not run, Clinton would have lost.  Thanks, Ross. Now Little Mikey thinks it's his turn to come to America's rescue.  I can see the ad now, Bloomie strolling along a sun-kissed beach, looking straight into the camera, and saying: "Hi, America!  I know what you're suffering from, causing you so much frustration and anxiety.  You're a victim of Electile Dysfunction - the inability to become aroused over any of the choices for president put forth by either party in the 2008 election year.  You want a cure for this terrible malady, America?  Well, you're looking at it - me, Mike Bloomberg for President."

The Washington Post, flagship of the liberal elite in our nation's capital, ran the most marvelously revealing story this week (1/15).  In typical heart-tugging WaPo style, Emergency Care Waits Found To Be On Rise described the growing nationwide "deadly" crisis of hyper-crowded hospital emergency rooms. After providing examples and stats showing how much longer it takes to see a physician in an emergency room, the article listed the causes of this "frightening trend."  Guess what they don't mention.   The idiom "elephant in the room" refers to ignoring something overwhelmingly obvious, pretending it doesn't exist.  Liberals take this one step further - they really don't see the elephant, they willfully blind themselves to the elephant's existence, in this case taking up most of the space in the emergency room of most of the hospitals in the country. Any of you who have been in an ER recently know exactly what I am talking about:  they are overflowing with illegal aliens speaking a torrent of Spanish demanding free medical care. It's another example of why the issue of illegal immigration is such an Achilles Heel for Democrats in November.