THE TENSION: May 6, 2007

Shock Jocks Dare Not Joke About Hillary or Nancy

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Combat Camera: Training for War at Fort Dix

U.S. Soldiers and Airmen on a short-range marksmanship (SRM) training event April 28 at Fort Dix, N.J. SRM training teaches soldiers how to deliver fast, effective fire on surprise enemy personnel at close ranges, 25 meters or less. SRM has also been referred to as instinctive firing and quick kill. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Jasmine Chopra.

Air Force Maj. Neal Eby escapes Air Force Capt. Javier Luis Benton's guard position during Modern Army Combatives training at Fort Dix, N.J. April 28. Benton, a logistics officer in the 97th Mission Support Group and Eby, a B-1 pilot in the 28th Operations Support Squadron, are scheduled to deploy to Afghanistan in the summer and are participating in a combative course as part of predeployment training aimed at increasing combat survival skills. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Jasmine Chopra.

U.S. Army Reserve Sgt. Carlos Lazo, a print and photo journalist with the 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, prepares to load an M249 machine gun that will serve as a mounted weapon on a military vehicle during a convoy to a simulated forward operating base during training at Fort Dix, N.J. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Jasmine Chopra.

Sgt. 1st Class Daniel Lopez, special purpose equipment repairer, 1st Battalion, 314th Infantry Regiment, First Army, visually ensures that troops are properly carrying their weapons as they await to move onto the firing line during short range marksmanship training at Fort Dix, N.J., April 28. U.S. Army photograph by Pfc. Jennifer Sierra.

Sgt. Jacob Maurer, combatives instructor, applies the cross-arm bar to Sgt. Gary Dolphin, combatives instructor, 1st Battalion, 309th Regiment, 72nd Field Artillery Brigade, Fort Dix, N.J., during combatives training here April 28. Service members receive the combative training as part of their predeployment training while at Fort Dix. U.S. Army photograph by Pfc. Jennifer Sierra.

U.S. Army 1st Lt. Anthony Aguilar, a broadcast officer, and U.S. Army Sgt. Luis S. Delgadillo, a print journalist, both from the 302nd Mobile Public Affairs Detachment, Bell, Calif., pull a simulated casualty to the evacuation site during the combat lifesaver course at Fort Dix, N.J., April 19, in preparation for deployment in support of Operation Iraqi Freedom. U.S. Army photograph by Pfc. Jennifer Sierra.

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Update: Militant Mickey Returns to TV

The sueaky-voiced Mickey Mouse look-alike named Farfur
While leaders in the U.S. are wasting time debating the semantics of the Surge, extremists are making no such digressions from their mission to get their message out.

UPDATE 2: AFP and Reuters report Hamas-run television defied Israel and the Palestinian government on Friday by airing a controversial children's show with a Mickey Mouse lookalike preaching resistance and Islamic domination.

Padded out with Islamic songs and calling cities in Israel part of Palestine, Friday's episode apparently sought to prepare children for their end-of-year examinations.

Asked by an Al-Aqsa reporter why he looked around to see what his friends were writing, Farfur -- whose name means butterfly -- answered: "Because the Jews destroyed my home and I left my books and notes under the rubble."

"I'm calling on all children to read more and more to prepare for exams because the Jews don't want us to learn," said Farfur who failed the test.

"Anyone who wants to go to the sea will be killed," said Farfur.

UPDATE 1: The Associated Press reports Hamas militants have suspended a TV program that featured a Mickey Mouse lookalike urging Palestinian children to fight Israel and work for global Islamic domination, the Palestinian information minister said Wednesday.

Information Minister Mustafa Barghouti said the character - a giant black-and-white rodent with a high-pitched voice - represented a "mistaken approach" to the Palestinian struggle against Israeli occupation.

He said that the program was pulled from Hamas-affiliated Al Aqsa TV at his ministry's request and "placed under review."

The character, named "Farfour," or "butterfly," but unmistakably a copy of the Disney character, preached against the U.S. and Israel each Friday on the show called "Tomorrow's Pioneers."

"You and I are laying the foundation for a world led by Islamists," Farfour squeaked on a recent episode. "We will return the Islamic community to its former greatness, and liberate Jerusalem, God willing, liberate Iraq, God willing, and liberate all the countries of the Muslims invaded by the murderers."

ORIGINAL POST: Ynet reports a Mickey Mouse-like character is making regular appearances on Hamas's al-Aqsa TV to teach Palestinian children that Islam will "dominate the world."

"The squeaky-voiced Mickey Mouse look-alike, named Farfur, is the star of a weekly children's program called Tomorrow's Pioneers on the official Hamas TV station," PMW said, adding that the character takes "every opportunity to indoctrinate young viewers with teachings of Islamic supremacy, hatred of Israel and the US and support of 'resistance' – the Palestinian euphemism for terror."

"We are setting with you the cornerstone for world leadership under Islamic leadership. Isn't it so, Saraa'?" Farfur asked, turning to a young girl who co-presents the children's program.

"Yes, our beloved children," she replied.

"You must be careful regarding your prayer and to go to the mosque for all five (daily) prayers. I say, in the mosque and in the first rows, until we can lead the world," Farfur continued.

"We remind you that we, the great ones, started this program to lead this world. The nucleus, with the will of Allah, will be from here, from Palestine. We will carry the concern of this (Islamic) nation that awaits us," added Saraa.

The dialogue makes clear to children watching the program that Israel's destruction is a clear goal of "Allah's program."

Read it now.

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Update: Local Public Works Official Cheers Vandalism

Somebody in Baltimore isn't a fan of Rush Limbaugh.
Open thread:

UPDATE:

In a town so tough that most murders get just a few paragraphs in the paper, somebody called The Sun about 8 a.m. yesterday with a tip about a vandalized billboard.

By noon, according to The Sun, the story was all over the Internet, Rush Limbaugh was kicking off his national radio show with it, and Baltimore's City Hall was fielding calls from as far away as California. By 5 p.m., the story had become one of the three most popular individual articles in the history of the paper's Web site, with nearly 200,000 page views.

There's a reason the story had legs. The paint-splattered billboard featured Limbaugh's mug. And the tipster was a spokesman for a city agency - the one responsible for cleaning up graffiti -- who let it be known that he was no "dittohead."

<...>

[Robert Murrow of Baltimore's Department of Public Works], a soft-spoken man who is usually in the limelight only when a water main breaks, called the paper after spotting the defaced Limbaugh sign on the Jones Falls Expressway near the Guilford Avenue exit. He gave the reporter his quip and hung up.

The big question remains unanswered, however. Why did Murrow call a newspaper and dump on Limbaugh instead of simply reporting the vandalism to either the sign owner or WCBM, the radio station who bought advertising on the defaced sign?

ORIGINAL POST:

"It looks like they took globs of paint and threw it on his face. It looks great. It did my heart good."

Those were the words of Robert Murrow, a spokesman for the Baltimore's Department of Public Works, admittedly not a Limbaugh fan, after he saw vandalism as he drove to work this morning on I-83 near the Guilford Avenue exit. He called The Baltimore Sun, saying that someone had poured paint over the image of Limbaugh's face on a large billboard advertising local air times for the conservative radio talk-show host.

The Baltimore Sun reports Kurt L. Kocher, chief spokesman for the city's Department of Public Works and Murrow's supervisor, took issue with Murrow's statement.

"As much as you don't like Rush Limbaugh, you don't endorse vandalism, period," Kocher said. "It's an outrageous comment, and he shouldn't have said it. It is not our policy. I think he got overenthusiastic about his feelings for Mr. Limbaugh. I am very upset about that comment, and I've let him know I'm very upset about that comment. It's his personal comment and it's wrong."

The billboard is privately owned; Murrow said the city is not responsible for cleaning it.

On his radio program today, Limbaugh, who is nationally syndicated on Baltimore's WCBM 680 AM, laughed at the vandalism and said the staion should leave the sign alone. "Listen to hear what the left doesn't want you to know." should be added as the radio program's slogan on the damaged sign, he remarked.

Tags: Rush Limbaugh, Baltimore, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States
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Vice President Cheney Visits USS John C. Stennis

Vice President Dick Cheney addresses nearly 4,000 Sailors and Marines with the USS John C. Stennis Strike Group Commander Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn in the hangar bay aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). During his visit, Cheney thanked Sailors and Marines for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny C. Cantrell)

Vice President Dick Cheney speaks to nearly 4,000 Sailors and Marines aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). During his visit, Cheney thanked Sailors and Marines for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny C. Cantrell)

Vice President Dick Cheney shakes hands with Gunner's Mate 3rd Class Chase Roberts after addressing nearly 4,000 Sailors and Marines in the hangar bay aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). During his visit, Cheney thanked Sailors and Marines for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny C. Cantrell)

Vice President Dick Cheney walks through a formation of Sailors on the flight deck before addressing nearly 4,000 Sailors and Marines aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). During his visit, Cheney thanked Sailors and Marines for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny C. Cantrell)

ARABIAN GULF (May 11, 2007) - Vice President Dick Cheney is greeted by Rear Adm. Kevin Quinn, commander, John C. Stennis Carrier Strike Group as he exits an MH-53E Sea Dragon from the "Blackhawks" of Helicopter Mine Countermeasure Squadron (HM) 15 on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Cheney visited Stennis to thank troops for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Arabian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Perkins

ARABIAN GULF (May 11, 2007) - Vice President Dick Cheney is greeted by Commanding Officer of USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74), Capt. Brad Johanson after he walks through side boys on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Cheney visited Stennis to thank troops for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Arabian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Paul Perkins

ARABIAN GULF (May 11, 2007) - Vice President Dick Cheney walks through side boys on the flight deck of the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). Cheney visited Stennis to thank troops for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Arabian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist Seaman Kyle Steckler

Vice President Dick Cheney shakes hands with Culinary Specialist 2nd Class William Kanack of Carrier Strike Group 3 before addressing nearly 4,000 Sailors and Marines aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74). During his visit, Cheney thanked Sailors and Marines for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny C. Cantrell)

Nearly 4,000 Sailors and Marines aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) assembled in the hangar bay for a speech by Vice President Dick Cheney. During his visit, Cheney thanked Sailors and Marines for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny C. Cantrell)

Vice President Dick Cheney shakes hands with Sailors and Marines in the hangar bay aboard the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) after addressing the crew. During his visit, Cheney thanked Sailors and Marines for their support of coalition operations in the U.S. 5th Fleet area of operations. Cheney is aboard Stennis as part of his six-day tour to meet with key Middle Eastern leaders and speak with U.S. troops in the Persian Gulf region. Coalition forces conduct Maritime Security Operations under international maritime conventions to ensure security and safety in international waters so that all commercial shipping can operate freely while transiting the region. (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 1st Class Denny C. Cantrell)

Vice President Cheney Visits USS John C. Stennis
May 11, 2007
By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Mark Logico, USS John C. Stennis Public Affairs
USS JOHN C. STENNIS, At Sea, - Vice President Dick Cheney visited the aircraft carrier USS John C. Stennis (CVN 74) while underway in the Arabian Gulf to meet with more than 5,000 Sailors and Marines, May 11.

Cheney came aboard to personally acknowledge Stennis� contributions to ongoing operations in Iraq, Afghanistan and Maritime Security Operations (MSO) in the region. Read it now.

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Combat Camera: Cordon and Search in Rashid, Iraq

Cpt. Jeffrey Noll with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division talks on the radio during a cordon and search in Rashid, Iraq on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

A soldier with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division pulls security in back entrance of a house in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Cpl. Joseph Casiano with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division observes the area in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Staff Sgt. Aaron Rodely and other soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division pull security in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Sgt. Joshua Wettlin with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division pulls security outside of a house in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search while an Iraqi boy observes him on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Cpt. Jeffrey Noll with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division speaks with Iraqis in Rashid, Iraq about activity in their neighborhood during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Cpl. Jamal Manley with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division observes his surroundings in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Sgt. Joshua Wettlin with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division pulls security in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Master Sgt. Coco Gunther with 1st Combat Camera Squadron greets Iraqi children during a cordon and search conducted by soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division in Rashid, Iraq on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Sgt. Joshua Wettlin with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division pulls security in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

An Iraqi National Policeman pulls security while soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division attempt to break into a garage in Rashid, Iraq during a combined cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Cpt. Jeffrey Noll and an interpreter with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division speak with Iraqi boys about activity in their neighborhood in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

Soldiers with Company B, 1st Battalion, 23rd Infantry Regiment, 3rd Stryker Brigade Combat Team, 2nd Infantry Division pull security in Rashid, Iraq during a cordon and search on May 3. U.S. Army photograph by Sgt. Tierney Nowland.

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The Decline and Fall of Western Civ for 10 May

The Decline and Fall of Western Civ.: Barbarians have Crashed the Gate

It's the end of the world as we know it...

Nature's fury made life miserable Wednesday from one end of the nation to the other, with people forced out of their homes by wildfires near both coasts and the Canadian border and by major flooding in the Midwest, according to The Associated Press.

A new study by NASA scientists suggests that greenhouse-gas warming may raise average summer temperatures in the eastern United States nearly 10 degrees Fahrenheit by the 2080s.

The research found that eastern U.S. summer daily high temperatures that currently average in the low-to-mid-80s (degrees Fahrenheit) will most likely soar into the low-to-mid-90s during typical summers by the 2080s. In extreme seasons – when precipitation falls infrequently – July and August daily high temperatures could average between 100 and 110 degrees Fahrenheit in cities such as Chicago, Washington, and Atlanta.

The Associated Press reports a thief covered his face with a pair of blue women's underwear and used a pistol-shaped cigarette lighter in a botched robbery of a convenience store, police said. "I couldn't make this stuff up if I tried," State Police Sgt. T.C. Kearns told The Journal in Martinsburg, VA.

Wal-Mart, the world's largest retailer, yesterday posted its worst monthly sales figures since its records began in 1980.

The Guardian reports the company said same store sales fell 3.5% in April on the same month a year ago. Same store sales measure the performance of stores that have been open for at least 12 months.

Federal revenue collections hit an all-time high in April, contributing to a further improvement in the budget deficit for the year, reports The Associated Press and The Washington Post.

A 10-year-old boy is guilty of beating a homeless Army veteran two months ago, a judge ruled Thursday as the child was in court shackled and wearing an oversized white jumpsuit, according to The Associated Press.

Prosecutors say the boy, another 10-year-old and Jeremy Woods, 17, ganged up on John D'Amico, 58, as he and a friend walked through a Daytona Beach neighborhood on March 27. The older man was beaten and stoned with a concrete block.

The Associated Press reports thin people may be fat inside.

"Being thin doesn't automatically mean you're not fat," said Dr. Jimmy Bell, a professor of molecular imaging at Imperial College, London. Since 1994, Bell and his team have scanned nearly 800 people with MRI machines to create "fat maps" showing where people store fat.

ABC News Online reports a search team continues to look for a rocket carrying ashes of the actor James Doohan, who played Scotty on Star Trek, almost two weeks after it hurtled to the edge of space from New Mexico.

A spokeswoman for Houston-based Space Services Inc, which organised the "memorial spaceflight," says the telephone-pole sized rocket descended by parachute into a rugged area that a search team has repeatedly failed to reach.

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Combat Camera: USS Dwight D. Eisenhower on Maritime Security Operations

An SH-60F Seahawk from the "Nightdippers" of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 5 approaches the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 are on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) Angel Contreras)

The Ticonderoga-class guided-missile cruiser USS Anzio (CG 68) and the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) conduct a fueling at sea. Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 are on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) Angel Contreras)

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) steams ahead. Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 are on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) Angel Contreras)

The Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) steams ahead in the Mediterranean Sea. Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 are on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class (AW) Angel Contreras)

An HH-60H Seahawk from the "Nightdippers" of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 5 extracts a member of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 6, Detachment 16, during a floating mine exercise. Both EODMU 6, Det. 16 and the "Nightdippers" are attached to the Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). (U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Angel Contreras)

An HH-60H Seahawk, assigned to the "Nightdippers" of Helicopter Anti-submarine Squadron (HS) 5, deploys members of Explosive Ordnance Disposal Mobile Unit (EODMU) 6, Detachment 16, during a floating mine exercise. EODMU-6 and HS-5 are attached to Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69). Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 are on a scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Angel Contreras (RELEASED)

Nimitz-class aircraft carrier USS Dwight D. Eisenhower (CVN 69) transits the Mediterranean Sea. Eisenhower and embarked Carrier Air Wing (CVW) 7 are on a regularly scheduled deployment in support of Maritime Security Operations (MSO). U.S. Navy photo by Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Angel Contreras (RELEASED)

ALSO SEE
Eisenhower Carrier Strike Group On Deployment
Eisenhower Carrier Group Departs 5th Fleet

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Local Public Works Official Cheers Vandalism

Somebody in Baltimore isn't a fan of Rush Limbaugh.
Open thread:

THIS POST HAS BEEN RECENTLY UPDATED, CLICK HERE

"It looks like they took globs of paint and threw it on his face. It looks great. It did my heart good."

Those were the words of Robert Murrow, a spokesman for the Baltimore's Department of Public Works, admittedly not a Limbaugh fan, after he saw vandalism as he drove to work this morning on I-83 near the Guilford Avenue exit. He called The Baltimore Sun, saying that someone had poured paint over the image of Limbaugh's face on a large billboard advertising local air times for the conservative radio talk-show host.

The Baltimore Sun reports Kurt L. Kocher, chief spokesman for the city's Department of Public Works and Murrow's supervisor, took issue with Murrow's statement.

"As much as you don't like Rush Limbaugh, you don't endorse vandalism, period," Kocher said. "It's an outrageous comment, and he shouldn't have said it. It is not our policy. I think he got overenthusiastic about his feelings for Mr. Limbaugh. I am very upset about that comment, and I've let him know I'm very upset about that comment. It's his personal comment and it's wrong."

The billboard is privately owned; Murrow said the city is not responsible for cleaning it.

On his radio program today, Limbaugh, who is nationally syndicated on Baltimore's WCBM 680 AM, laughed at the vandalism and said the staion should leave the sign alone. "Listen to hear what the left doesn't want you to know." should be added as the radio program's slogan on the damaged sign, he remarked.

Tags: Rush Limbaugh, Baltimore, Open Thread, Wire, Headlines, United States
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Combat Camera: Uprooting Taliban from Helmand

American and British Soldiers make a security halt during a combat patrol in Sangin District. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

British Soldiers patrol Helmand Province. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

A Special Forces sergeant issues guidance to a squad of Soldiers assigned to the 1st Kandak, 209th Afghan National Army Corps. Photo by Spc. Keith D. Henning, May 09, 2007

Soldiers patrol Sangin City. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

A paratrooper from the 82nd Airborne Division keeps a lookout over a main avenue of approach in the Sangin City District Center. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

A Special Operations physical therapist examines an Afghan child's wrist during a medical relief mission in Sangin City. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

Not all of the work is fighting. A 1st Kandak, 209th Afghan National Army Corps Soldier greets two children who came to a scheduled medical civil assistance program relief mission at Sangin City. Afghan and coalition forces treated more than 500 adults and children during a 3-day period. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

Special Forces Soldiers engage Taliban extremists. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

A Special Forces medic treats another Soldier who received shrapnel wounds from a rocket-propelled grenade explosion while battling Taliban fighters. The Soldier was able to continue fighting minutes later. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007

A Special Forces Soldier (identity disguised), mans a machine gun during 96-vehicle, 172-kilometer convoy from Kandahar Army Air Field to the Sangin District Center. Photo by Spc. Keith Henning, May 09, 2007

Special Forces Soldiers arrive for the day's mission in a Family of Medium Tactical Vehicle at a staging area on an undisclosed forward operating base as two CH47 Chinook helicopters fly overhead. Photo by Spc. Daniel Love, May 09, 2007