No Runny Eggs

The repository of one hard-boiled egg from the south suburbs of Milwaukee, Wisconsin (and the occassional guest-blogger). The ramblings within may or may not offend, shock and awe you, but they are what I (or my guest-bloggers) think.

Archive for December 29th, 2006

Saddam Hussein has been executed

by @ 21:11. Filed under War on Terror.

That is the story from both CNN and Fox News, quoting Arab media.


He’s dead, Jim.

Saddam Hussein to die in the next 24 hours – Update: The time is fixed; 5:30-6 am Baghdad time

by @ 17:39. Filed under War on Terror.

(H/T – See-Dubya guest-blogging at Hot Air)

The wheels of justice certainly are moving faster over in Iraq than they are here. Many sources, including MSNBC, are reporting the last steps before former Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein’s execution takes place are happening. The US military has received a formal request from the Iraqi government to transfer Hussein to Iraqi authorities, his half-brothers visited him presumably for the last time yesterday, taking home some of Hussein’s personal belongings, and one of his lawyers has said he was told by the US military to pick up Hussein’s personal effects (apparently, the family didn’t take them all). Now, Fox News is reporting that a US military source is saying that transfer will happen today. The Iraqi Prime Minister, Nouri al-Maliki, apparently wanted Hussein’s punishment executed last night, but the logistics weren’t ready yet.

Meanwhile, there has been some confusion over the 30-days stipulation. Some have said that Hussein has to be executed within that 30 days. Some have said that he could only be executed in that window with the express approval of the Iraqi presidency (consisting of President Jalal Talabani and 2 vice-presidents, with the anti-death-penalty Talabani routinely authorizing one of the vice-presidents to authorize executions on his behalf), with punishment carried out on the court’s authority beyond that window. Apparently that’s been ironed out, though there is no specific news of that.

There is a big rush to get this done before the 2nd Eid holiday of the Muslim year. That starts at local sunset Saturday, which, depending on whether it’s the actual position of the sun or a standardized 6 pm local time, is 24 or 25 23 to 24 (need to work on the Milwaukee-to-Baghdad time conversion program) hours from now. SWING, Saddam, Saddam, Saddam, Saddam, SWING!

Revisions/extensions (11:05 am 12/29/2006) – Tick, tick, tick. Fox News is now reporting that Hussein is now in Iraqi as opposed to American custody. My guess is he’s already dead.

Further revisions/extensions (12:27 pm 12/29/2006) – Fox News is reporting the State Department is “absolutely certain” (the nameless bureaucrat’s words) Hussein is still in US custody and will likely be so for the next several days. They don’t call it Foggy Bottom for nothing.

Revisions/extensions #3 (1:38 pm 12/29/2006) – The Confederate Yankee is sticking by his story that Hussein is getting the rope at midnight tonight, and it is being collaborated by Reuters. That would be 3 pm here, and that would put a crimp into Mark Belling’s Year-End Current Events Quiz. Oh well.

R/E #4 (3:56 pm 12/29/2006) – AP is reporting Saddam’s lawyers filed for an restraining order to stop Hussein’s transfer to Iraqi custody before DC District Judge (and chief judge of the FISA Court) Colleen Kollar-Kotelly. Kotelly was appointed to the bench in 1997 by Bill Clinton, and appointed to the FISA Court in 2002 by William Rehnquist. Never mind that he was in their legal custody since 2004 (we’re the caretakers).

Revisions/extensions #5 (4:15 pm 12/29/2006 – moved to the top of the blog) – Fox News and CNN are both reporting that a top Iraqi official that Hussein will be executed before 6 am Saturday 12/30/2006 (Baghdad time). That’s 9 pm tonight here. I’ll get the beer, who has the brats?

R/E #6 (5:39 pm 12/29/2006) – Drudge is reporting that Iraqi State TV says that Saddam will mount the gallows between 5:30 am and 6 am Baghdad time (he converted to EST). So, between 8:30 pm and 9 pm Cheddar time, Saddam will join his sons in Hell. Good bye and good riddance.

Last revision/extension (7:26 pm 12/29/2006) – Fox News reported that last-ditch legal gambit failed. No web story however. SWING, Saddam, Saddam, Saddam, Saddam, SWING!

One more “Why did I wait?” for the roll

by @ 13:35. Filed under The Blog.

Since I’m doing what for me is a massive amount of blogging today, I figured I may as well add one I should’ve had on from the start – Flopping Aces. Curt’s been running down the Jamil Hussein/AP falsifications, among other things.

E. Michael McCan’t wants his money; just not right now

by @ 8:04. Filed under Politics - Wisconsin.

The Journal Sentinel reports that outgoing Milwaukee County DA E. Michael McCan’t, fresh from having his office be instrumental in freeing serial child molester Billy Lee Morford from state supervision on his way out the door, is trying to structure a waiver of his enhanced pension benefits in such a way that he can come back later and take them. What, $93,600 a year doesn’t buy enough cocoa?

While I’m taking yet another shot, I do need to apologize for one that I had been taking; McCann did sign away the multi-million-dollar backdrop. Somehow, I missed that, and I was on top of the pension deal.

R.I.P., President Ford

by @ 7:54. Filed under Politics - National.

Unless you’ve been in a cave the last 24 or so hours, you’ve already heard the news that former President Gerald Ford died Wednesday night. May God comfort his family and this nation as we mourn his passing.

Post-Christmas quick hits

by @ 7:51. Filed under Politics - National, Politics - Wisconsin, War on Terror.

Sorry about the non-existent blogging the last couple days. There’s a few things I need to catch up on in the typical lull between Christmas and New Year’s. I may or may not expand on them as I see fit.

  • Item #1 on the catchup – gift cards. I love them, and apparently so does Rep. Fred Kessler (D-Milwaukee). Only thing is, he wants 80% of the value of any gift card that is more than 1 year old to go to the state. Especially illuminating is Red Fred’s interview with the Early Spinners over on WISN. I’ll put this in a language he (and the Spotted Chris) can understand – Красное Fred, идет к аду! For the rest of you, that’s Russian for “Red Fred, go to Hell!” (or at least that’s what AltaVista’s BabelFish tells me).
  • Speaking of Freds, a much better Fred, fresh off his victory over me in the Cheddarsphere championship game, is running for alderman down in Racine. May you have as much success there as you did against me.
  • So Gerald Ford was one of the early cut-and-runners, at least according to Bob Woodward. IF that’s true (I’d take the word of a used car salesman over the one of a presstitute), I wouldn’t be shocked; after all, Ford presided over the final defeat of South Vietnam.

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