By Stanley P. Gershbein
“Yes, your honor. I am guilty.” Those were the words of Parvis Kahn, 37, a Muslim extremist who holds a dual British and Pakistani citizenship. Kahn was plotting to kidnap a British Muslim soldier for the purpose of setting an example to all Muslims who, according to him, were affiliated with the wrong side by joining the British army. He intended to murder this soldier by cutting off his head “like a pig” and videotape the execution to show the world what will happen to any young Muslim who joins the military of the United Kingdom. Kahn’s three accomplices also pleaded guilty to this plot and all four men of this alleged (must always remember to use that word) terrorist cell are now waiting to be sentenced. We know what they planned to do and how they intended to do it. We also now know how the bad guys were caught. Mr. Kahn and his friends were under surveillance. His home where he lived with his mother, his wife and his three children was bugged. The authorities kept the entire situation under wraps. Secrecy. No whispering to the New York Times or the British equivalent. and – get this – they employed wiretapping. Yes. Our friends across the pond prevented another catastrophe by using wiretapping. Ya’ hear that Chuck? ******** What do you do with all of those name and address stickers you receive in the mail? I toss mine into a drawer and use them whenever I have to. I just straightened out that drawer and I believe that I have enough of those stickers to last me until I die …. Or I move…..whichever comes first. ******** I love Drudgereport.com. I’m not the only one. That website gets more than 20 million hits a day, 600 million hits a month and more than five Billion – that’s Billion with a capitol B – hits a year. I go to Drudge whenever I want the very latest news, even if it’s three in the morning. I just read a piece about Sean Penn and the unkind speech he made demeaning conservatives. He spoke about “Bill O’Reilly who is to stupid to talk about” and “Sean Hannity, the butt boy of Rupert Murdoch”. Professor Penn finished with his prediction of the demise of Fox News. “We know something more. We know their end is near.” Two items later, on that very same day, Drudge revealed the audience numbers of the top dozen shows in the cable news race. The leading five of the top twelve were shows on Fox. O’Reilly came in number one with almost three million viewers. The Hannity and Colmes Show was number two with two and a half million. High hook on the other channels were Dobbs, number six, on CNN with only 1.2 million and Olberman, number nine, on MSNBC who didn’t even break the million mark. Hey Sean. Stick to acting. Carnac you’re not. I stopped watching Keith Olberman a while back but couldn’t remember why. Last Friday night I tuned in to watch Bill O’Reilly and learned that it was a repeat of a show I had seen the week before. I channel hopped and found Keith’s Countdown. After watching the show for less than twenty minutes, the reasons I tuned him out came back to me. It’s no wonder that he cannot crack the million mark. ******** You can’t go anywhere these days without getting into a political discussion. Every bar, barbershop, pizzeria, … any place where people speak to each other, the conversation will include the names Clinton and Obama, the states Michigan and Florida, and, of course, those magic words, Jeremiah Wright. This morning I added something new to the dialogue. I used the phrase “dark horse” which was greeted with a great big question mark. I didn’t realize how many of us are not familiar with that phrase.….and No I’m not talking about a dim colored stallion. I’m talking about a “dark horse” in politics. Go ahead. Ask the gal at the next desk if she knows what a “dark horse” is. There’s a very good chance that she will not give you the correct answer. My Merriam-Webster’s Eleventh Collegiate Dictionary tells us that a “dark horse” is “a political candidate unexpectedly nominated usually as a compromise between factions”. The key word here is “compromise”. The metaphoric expression originally alluded to an unknown horse winning a race and was used in a popular novel in 1831. Way back in the 1844 Democratic National Convention, there was a major feud when the delegates attempted between the most popular candidates. On the eighth ballot, the lesser-known James Polk was finally nominated and was labeled by the press as being “the dark horse in this race.” Those words stuck and this “dark horse” went on to be elected the eleventh President of The United States. Here’s something that the gal next to you probably doesn’t know. Abraham Lincoln, our sixteenth president, was also a “dark horse”. Should they decide to go that route the Democrats will have a brand new problem. Who, if anyone, would be a suitable compromise nominee? He’d have to be likeable and honest. ******** Many political decisions are made in smoke filled back rooms. I am StanGershbein@Bellsouth.net giving you the latest word from those rooms. McCain is doing so well that Hillary is considering offering him the Vice-Presidency. ******** All letters and Emails are the property of this newspaper and may be published. For verification purposes only all correspondence must contain your real name, address and telephone number.
