So riddle me this....

Jay Bennish says Bush is "like" Hitler, calls America the worst country in the world. But suggest that an art class do studies that may include nudes, and you're gonna get fired.

Yeah. The Department of Education needs to be abolished. Now.

Oh, and if you need more reasons to blow the Dept. of Education sky high, go check out this test, from the 7th and 8th grade, in 1895. I know that I couldn 't answer half the questions on that test. But gosh, I was educated in the public school system.

Having been in the system, I think I'm qualified to say that the public schools in America aren't fit to teach anyone how to wipe their own ass.

Justice Ruth Bader-Ginsburg

Evil Leftist witch or just bat-shit crazy?

Go read, and you decide.

At this point, I prefer her sleeping in court, rather than enforcing her tranzi positions on the US.

I hope you're wearing green.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

I'm finding me some Guinness!

Gosh, I wonder why the MSM isn't running this story?

I mean, they all say their objective, right? So why haven't I seen this in the NYT?

It goes on. Directorate 9, we discover, "is one of the most important directorates in the Mukhabarat. Most of its work is outside Iraq in coordination with other directorates, focusing on operations of sabotage and assassination."

The document also discusses the Mukhabarat's Office 16, set up to train "agents for clandestine operations abroad." The document helpfully adds that "special six-week courses in the use of of terror techniques are provided at a camp in Radwaniyhah."

Got that? Terror techniques.

Just remember, when I call the Has-Been Media a group of Dimocrat whores, harlots selling their newspapers for failed ideological pipe-dreams, traitors and parasites who suck the life from this country in their pursuit of their statist dreams....

I'm being nice.

Economy Schmiconomy. You people forget....

...the markets are artificially high due to unfair windfall robber baron worker gouging profiteering by You Know Who.











Sorry ---- i couldn't resist tossing in that last one.

Heard about the ecomony lately?

Just a reminder - tax cuts work.

Upbeat reports from the Federal Reserve and DuPont Co. lifted stocks for a second day Wednesday, pushing the Standard & Poor's 500 past 1,300 for the first time since May 2001.

The industrials, materials and transportation sectors led the market higher, allowing the S&P 500 to finally pop above 1,297, a ceiling the index has not been able to cross since November.

It's taken years to undo the damage done by Clinton and Bush Sr. You would think, after three perfect examples of lower taxes=more tax revenues, that the dumbfuck Dimocrats would see the light.

But then, in order for that to happen, the average Dimocrat would need a functioning brain, and that just ain't gonna happen in the next few years.

And of course the Media, being nothing but a gaggle of whores for the Dimocrats, ain't gonna tell you a damn thing about the economy when it's roaring in top gear. Unless they just lie again and say that it's not that good.

We're at 4.7% unemployment, the DJIA is over 11,000, and the S%P is going higher. Keep that in mind the next time the Dimocrats whine about the economy and jobs. Dimocrats, as usual, are full of shit.

Feingold's censure motion

All you need to know about the Democrat's motion to censure President Bush can be summed up in one paragraph:

Feingold: I say we censure Bush!
Frist: OK, fine. Let's vote on it right now!
Reed and other worthless Dimocrat fucksticks: HOW DARE YOU MAKE US VOTE ON IT RIGHT NOW!

Well, either you want it or you don't. This is nothing more than another political ploy by a political party that is so bankrupt of ideas that all they can do is whine and seeth and attack a president who won't even be running for re-election. They STILL have no ideas. They STILL have no plans to improve this country. All they have are socialist ideas that have been proven failures, and a pathalogical hatred of President Bush.

Way to go, Dimocrats. I'm sure that'll win votes in November.

A view from inside

I know that I haven't mentioned socialist healthcare in a while. After reading this piece by a doctor in Great Britain, I think I may have to talk about socialist healthcare a bit more often.

And spare me the comments of "It's 'Universal' Health care!" or "It's Single-Payer Healthcare!" Please. Get a fucking clue. It's a socialist program, and I'll call a spade a spade. All you have to do is look at the fucking FACTS coming from Canada or Great Britain or any other country that has allowed the government to take over their healthcare system to see that GOVERNMENT RUN HEALTHCARE IS A FAILURE! And everytime I hear a politician talk about "free healthcare" or the non-existant "right" to healthcare, I want to beat them over the head with a fucking lead pipe.

Go read the article. And ask yourself if that's how you would want your loved ones to be treated.

The day in contrast

A Study in Frozen Irrelevance

Today, salon.com published a bunch of "devastating scenes" from Abu Ghraib. They cite cBS News leadership to explain why this was such a very important thing to do, but neglect to mention that cBS has just suffered a two year, $27 billion viewer tune-out and corporate banishment from their parent company. Lefties will never comprehend the blowback from constant investment in failure.

Meanwhile ...

Street Party !!!

Greenspan Not Invited

Today, both the Dow Jones Industrial Average and Standard & Poor's 500 Index marked their highest point in 5 years. Analysts credited the rally to the Federal Reserve's abandonment of the former demented chairman's economy arresting policies.

I celebrated by purchasing a few shares of General Electric Co. Interestingly, GE was among the 1st few companies chosen to represent American industry in the DJIA, and the only one with the distinction of remaining there to this day. Let's hope they are still keeping the gears greased.

((Tip: DJIA = 14,000 by November, 2008. You heard it here first.))

Free Speech on Campus?

I don't think so.

DAILY ILLINI editor Acton Gorton has been fired. His offense? Publishing the Muhammad cartoons.

Something tells me that if he published a few cartoons showing Jesus Christ as an adulterous pedophile, he'd have been lauded as a magnificent talent by the oh-so-tolerant left. But do something that goes against Leftist ideals, and you're expunged from the rolls.

As colleges have become bastions of Leftist thought, actual thought has been restricted. Free speech isn't, if you're on a college campus. The trials of former Harvard President Larry Summers should prove that going against the Leftist groupthink will get you canned. Step on inch out of the allowed groupthink, and you're toast.

Remember, the next time some Leftard tries to tell you that the "progressives" want free speech, laugh in their face. Actions speak louder than words.

Found via Instapundit.

A true gentleman

While the Mrs. was recouperating in our room on Saturday, Cap'n Jim was kind enough to drive all the way from Galveston to San Antonio to take me to a much needed range session.

No, I won't show my targets, because I'm too damn embarassed. To say that I'm out of practice is the understatement of the year. I shot like hell. Meanwhile, Jim was punching itty-bitty little holes in his targets with five and six shot groups.

My grouping improved as my body remembered how the hell it was supposed to function, but I still didn't obtain anything resembling my groupings before I left for Puerto Rico. It doubled my resolve to find some way to get to a range in San Juan. If I'm there long enough to get the multiple permits I need just to buy a gun and bring it home.

Anyways, after the range we picked up the Mrs. and headed out to Club Humidor, where we all enjoyed a good cigar and some coffee. The Mrs. snapped a photo of Jim and I making our selection.



I had to wipe the drool off my chin just walking into that humidor. There are cigar shops in Puerto Rico that are smaller in total size than that humidor. After picking my jaw up off the floor and selecting a Hoyo de Monteray robusto, we retired to the lounge area to light up and enjoy. After our cigars, we headed to a local restaurant for some cajun food.

All in all, it was one hell of a good day, and I don't think I can thank Jim enough for taking the time to drive 250 miles each way just to show the Mrs. and I around San Antonio. So Jim, thank you once again.

As for the Mrs., she's recovering as good as can be expected given the circumstances. Her walking is still limited, and she uses her wheelchair about half the time. But it's an improvement from pre-operation, so we'll take it. As her back heals more, she'll be able to do more activity, but it'll take about four to six months for her to return to full strength.

And I'm already reminding her on an hourly basis to not overdo it. I think she's gonna kill me soon. And as she does, I'll be screaming "DON'T STRESS YOUR BACK! DON'T HURT YOUR BACK!".

Ah, the joys of living with someone who doubles as Xena.

Diane Fienstien just wet herself

And she's trying to figure out why.

BwaHAAAAA! I love it! The colors aren't really my thing, but hey - to each their own, right?

Iraqi Civil War That Wasn’t – Micro to the Macro

CIVIL WAR!!!!! Phonly we had listened to Mogadishu Murtha! Right? Bullshit. “Civil War” is the new hope of the terrorist-leftist nexus, created when the Sunni Arabs in Iraq, on December 15th 2005, chose the ballot box over bloody war. As predicted, al Qaeda (who care nothing for the muslims they slaughter and claim to fight on behalf of simultaneously) has not relented in their attacks. But they have found their attacks less and less effective against coalition troops, so they focused more on killing Iraqi men women and children. But they knew that was a losing battle. And the key to success for the enemies of freedom, as stated by Abu Zarqawi in a letter he sent to al Qaeada in February of 2004 (read the whole thing) is:

The Shi'a in our opinion, these are the key to change. Targeting and striking their religious, political, and military symbols, will make them show their rage against the Sunnis and bear their inner vengeance. If we succeed in dragging them into a sectarian war, this will awaken the sleepy Sunnis…..

Also regarding why they must incite a Civil War, Zarqawi said:

if we fight them, that will be difficult because there will be a schism between us and the people of the region. How can we kill their cousins and sons and under what pretext, after the Americans start withdrawing? The Americans will continue to control from their bases, but the sons of this land will be the authority. This is the democracy, we will have no pretext.

Yet Democrats and their Media handlers have yet to acknowledge what Zarqawi recognized 2 years ago. Once united and self determined, Iraqis would turn on them and their campaign of terror in Iraq would bear no fruit.

On February 22nd 2006 terrorists destroyed the Golden Dome Mosque in Samarra in a dramatic effort to incite a war between Shiite and Sunni muslims in Iraq. This is indicative of utter desperation on the part of al Qaeda. Pause and consider what they are attempting to do. Shia and Sunni Muslims have existed throughout the mid east since right after the death of their Prophet Mohammed. It was the choice of his successor that created the split. That has resulted in minor cultural differences over time, but they are all still muslims. So when you hear the hope dripping from the fingertips or the mouth of Zarqawi and/or the global left that Iraq’s new Constitutional Democracy will devolve into a bloody Shiite Sunni Civil War, know that they are basically saying that the Muslim religion is about to implode in sectarian violence. Such violence would spread throught the mid-east where the greatest concentration of Muslims exist. A fact I am sure that Muslim leaders throughout the region are well aware. Is this something they want? Highly doubtful. And they will take ever opportunity to see that it does not transpire. So now that we have all the recent hysterical reports of “civil war” from the Democrat Media in proper context, let’s examine what happened in Iraq starting with the bombing of the Golden Dome Mosque. First from an Iraqi blogger at Iraq the Model:

February 22nd 2006 – “I believe there are foreign terror groups behind this attack and I don't think local insurgent would do such a thing, simply because this particular shrine had been in Sunni territory for a thousand years and the residents of Samarra had always benefited from the movement of religious tourism and pilgrimage. The quality of the target and the timing of the attack were chosen in a way that can possibly bring very serious consequences over the country. “

But the Democrat Media want you to believe it was ordinary Iraqi Sunni Arabs because that fits with their and Zarqawi’s “civil war” wishes.

So who did Iraqis blame? Iraqis blame “foreigners”:

February 23, 2006 - The foreign fighters must have been stunned when Shiite and Sunni leaders rushed out statements saying they knew that the takfiri (i.e., those who accuse other Muslims of being infidels, a code word in this context for the foreign extremists) were behind the attack, and they would not let this act of brutality divide Iraq. In an announcement on his website, Shiite leader Ayatollah Ali Sistani blamed “takfiris [who] meant to foment sedition among the Iraqi people, thus fulfilling their malicious goals.” He added, “we urge everyone not to be dragged into committing acts that would only please the enemies, namely, the sectarian sedition which they have long attempted to push Iraq into its furnace.” Shiite radical Muqtada al-Sadr — remember him? — blamed the attack on the takfiri, Saddam loyalists, and “the occupation.” “We should not attack Sunni mosques,” he said on al Jazeera. “I ordered [his militia the] Al-Mahdi Army to protect the Shiite and Sunni shrines and to show a high sense of responsibility, something they actually did.”

Immediately, Sunni and Shia Iraqi leaders condemned the attacks. More from Iraq the Model:

“Vehicles with loudspeakers roaming the streets calling on people to shut their stores in the name of the Hawza and join the protests after the noon prayer to condemn the attack on the holy shrine. Ayatollah Sistani reacted quickly to the escalating anger by issuing a fatwa that forbids his followers from "Taking any action against Sunni sites" obviously to discourage his followers from carrying out retaliatory attacks on Sunni mosques. [Muqtada] al Sadr cut his tour in Lebanon and is heading back to Baghdad, he called on his followers from Beirut to "have self-control and refrain from violence". Both Sunni and Shia mosques are condemning the attack through their loudspeakers. President Talabani promises to make rebuilding the shrine his personal responsibility and to donate the required money from his own. Head of the Sunni endowment sheikh Ahmed al-Samarra'I announces that he will allocate 2 billion dinars ($1.4 million) for the rebuilding of the shrine from the treasury of the Sunni endowment. The top 4 Shia Ayatollahs hold a meeting at Sistani's home to discuss the situation. The Association of Muslim scholars and the Islamic Party condemn the "criminal act". Jafari in a press conference calls for national unity and the leaders of the UIA hold a meeting.

February 26, 2006 - THE movement of Shiite cleric Moqtada al-Sadr, alleged to have played a role in the anti-Sunni violence over the last few days, publicly made peace with political and religious Sunni leaders overnight. Four sheikhs from the Sadr movement made a "pact of honour" with the conservative Sunni Muslim Scholars Association, and called for an end to attacks on places of worship, the shedding of blood and condemning any act leading to sedition. The agreement was made in the particularly symbolic setting of Baghdad's premier Sunni mosque Abu Hanifa where the Shiite sheikhs prayed under the guidance of Sunni imam Abdel Salam al-Qubaissi. The meeting was broadcast on television and the religious leaders all "condemned the blowing up of the Shiite mausoleum of Samarra as much as the acts of sabotage against the houses of God as well as the assassinations and terrorisation of Muslims". The statement made reference to the key concerns of both communities with the violent aftermath to the attack on the Samarra mausoleum which saw more than 119 people die.

Iraqi Security forces moved in quickly to maintain order. From Iraq the Model on the day of the bombing:

Heavy deployment for the police and other security forces with more frequent checkpoints that are stop-searching cars more often than they usually do.

From reporter Ralp Peters in Iraq:

And the people here have been impressed that their government reacted effectively to last week's strife, that their soldiers and police brought order to the streets. The Iraqi army deployed over 100,000 soldiers to maintain public order. U.S. Forces remained available as a backup, but Iraqi soldiers controlled the streets. Iraqi forces behaved with discipline and restraint - as the local sectarian outbreaks fizzled, not one civilian had been killed by an Iraqi soldier. Time and again, Iraqi military officers were able to defuse potential confrontations and frustrate terrorist hopes of igniting a religious war. Forty-seven battalions drawn from all 10 of Iraq's army divisions took part in an operation that, above all, aimed at reassuring the public. The effort worked - from the luxury districts to the slums, the Iraqis were proud of their army. As a result of its nationwide success, the Iraqi army gained tremendously in confidence. Its morale soared. [T]he truth is that we're seeing a new, competent, patriotic military emerge.
March 4th 2006 - The commander of Iraq's ground forces, General Abdul Qadir, is an armor officer with extensive battlefield experience. Qadir stood up to Saddam, stating that his adventure in Kuwait was destined to fail. He was sent to prison for seven years. Only his history of combat valor saved him from death. Now Saddam's in prison and Qadir's determined to build a better Iraq. In his office in the Defense Ministry - an ornate building whose marble halls and crystal chandeliers predate Saddam - Qadir beamed with pride at the performance of his troops over the previous 10 days. "Not one unit had sectarian difficulties," he stressed. "Not one. And when we canceled all leaves after the mosque bombing - we expected trouble, of course - our soldiers returned promptly to their units. Now it is as you see for yourself: Iraqis are proud of their own soldiers." Asked when he thought American troops should leave Iraq, Qadir said, "We must not be in too great a hurry for you to go," stressing that patience and cooperation were crucial to ultimate success. American troop levels could be reduced in the next few years, but with over 40 years of military service - and as a member of an old Sunni-Arab military family - Qadir has no illusions about the challenges ahead. Iraqi combat units have made significant progress, but sustaining that success depends on building a reliable logistics infrastructure, on building up communications and intelligence capabilities and on developing a training system that aims at Western standards. Given the mess Saddam left behind, Qadir's mission is formidable. And the progress to date is impressive to any knowledgeable observer.
QADIR'S principal American adviser, Col. Tom McCool, said of the recent mini-crisis, "It's a good-news story. The Iraqis performed every bit as well as we expected." A firm believer in the general's vision and abilities, McCool stresses that Qadir's a "true soldier," not a political hack, personally incorruptible. Paraphrasing one of his own U.S. Army superiors, McCool said, "The Iraqi army has to build an airplane while it's already flying. And they're doing it amazingly well." If Qadir and McCool are confident, so is Brig.-Gen. Dan Bolger, our Army officer charged with "assisting the Iraqis in forming their military." On the day of the Samarra bombing, Bolger expected trouble and headed out into the streets with the Iraqi military. Instead of widespread strife in the districts of Baghdad he visited, he found "the most average day in the world." Bolger has a distinguished career behind him as an Infantryman. But he's also written a rucksack full of superb books ranging from military history to fiction, and he's one of the most respected thinkers-in-uniform of his generation. He's the right man for his assignment. Bolger stressed that the coverage of the past few weeks - and of the Iraqi army overall - had been just plain inaccurate. Building a military from scratch and changing its culture profoundly is incredibly difficult, yet Bolger's impressed that, after some undeniable birth pains (before Bolger's tenure), the Iraqi army's development is accelerating impressively. "We bail the Iraqis out less and less," he told The Post, observing that the Iraqis want to do things by themselves - although they'll need some U.S. support for the next few years. "They want us to make a long-term commitment," he said, referring not to a heavy U.S. troop presence, but to a mutually beneficial strategic partnership. Sitting behind his desk in a Spartan office in Baghdad, Bolger exploded another myth - that the new Iraqi military's been infiltrated by militia members. "It's actually hard to penetrate the army," he said. "They're not garrisoned locally, but mixed into truly national units and deployed around the country." In the recent flare-up, sectarian issues had not been a problem in a single Irai unit. Bolger mused about the terminology Iraqi officers employ. They refer to terrorists as "terrorists," but call the native insurgents "criminals" and despise them. He stresses that the Iraqis have it right: "The criminal element is an underestimated element in the violence. A lot of these people are just predators." Bolger believes that, if we have a reasonable amount of patience, the new Iraqi military will emerge as the best in the Arab world - and a firm ally in the region.

What about ordinary Iraqis? How did they react to the bombing of the Golden Dome Mosque? Again from Iraqi the Model the day of the bombing:

“Ordinary Iraqis turned out in the streets to condemn the violence and call for unity. Huge demonstrations in many of Iraq's provinces including Samarra and Mosul where thousands of people condemned the attack.“

More from Gateway Pundit on February 24, 2006 -

Many Iraqi cities witnessed large demonstrations after Friday prayers (yesterday). These demonstrations were calling for national unity, not being pulled into civil war after attacks on Sunni mosques as retaliation to the bombing of the samara Shiite shrine. In Mousul 500 people demonstrated in Bartila (north west of the city). The demonstrations were lead by Sunni & Shiite leaders to condemn all bombings and call for a unified line and not be pulled into a sectarian war. Another demonstration started from the offices of the high council for Islamic revolution (Shiite). The demonstration was lead by Sunni and Shiite religious leaders. Banners condemned attacks on mosques, shrines and churches the banners also condemned terror also no to Saddam yes to Islam. In Hillah over 3000 demonstrated after Friday’s united prayers (Shiite & Muslim together) at the Haytaween mosque. The united prayers were lead by Sheik Mohamed Alfateh (Sunni) and Sheik Jasim Alkalebi (Shiite). The two speakers called for Muslim unity and denounced all terror activity as unIslamic and asked for keeping unity. In Al-Koot hundreds demonstrated after Friday prayers protesting the bombing of the samara shrine and the attacks on the Sunni mosques. Unified Friday prayers in Al-Koot were held at the large central mosque in the city. Speakers at the prayers call for rejecting sectarianism. In Amarah over 15,000 demonstrated after Friday prayers condemning the samara bombing and attacks on Sunni mosques. Banners read, Sunnis & Shiites are like Hassan & Hussein (referring to two grand children of the profit Mohamed), banners also read that Muslim references (Shiite religious leaders) condemn terrorism in all its forms. In Karbala Sheik Abdulmehdi Alkarblaa’i (representative of Sustain) in his Friday after prayers speech at the Hussein Shrine called for peaceful and brotherly coexistence, condemned violence and called for national unity. He added; "We know the nature of this crime and the ones before it, we also know these crimes are not of Sunni doings, but they are the deeds of the enemies of Sunnis & Shiites". In Basra over 10,000 demonstrated with banners asking to form the new government as quickly as possible. Shiite Muslims flagellate themselves during a protest rally in Mosul, 360 kilometers (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq Friday. Religious leaders summoned Iraq's Shiites and Sunnis to joint prayer services Friday amid an extraordinary daytime curfew aimed at halting a wave of sectarian violence that has killed nearly 130 people since the bombing of one of Shiite Islam's holiest shrines. We have much more evidence of a strong national unity movement in Iraq. This is exactly the opposite of what the bombers of the samara shrine (Alzarqawi’s group is a strong suspect) wanted to achieve. This attack was supposed to plunge Iraq into sectarian mayhem and senseless massive killing. This did not happen. A few over zealous individuals attacked Sunni mosques (8-11 Sunni mosques burned and small arms fire hit about 100) and killed Sunnis (120-160). There is no excuse for these retaliations; they are exactly what the enemies of democracy and freedom in Iraq want. It is playing into their hands. Let us remember that Iraq is the size of California and has over 25 million people. Every neighborhood has at least two mosques. Considering this the retaliations are small while tragic. Demonstrations in Baghdad (in spite of the curfew) called for national unity. Combined Sunni & Shiite prayers were held all over Iraq. This is a sign of a people united not divided. A people with a common cause (defeating terrorism), a people with a common goal (self rule through democracy, rule of law & freedom). The terrorists are bringing about their eventual demise by uniting Iraqis. We witnessed this effect on 9-11. Americans were united and developed the strong resolve to fight terrorist. Let us not forget that we were attacked not so long ago.

More from an Iraqi camerman working for NBC news:

the direction of the anger has changed. A year ago everyone was angry at the Americans. Everyone thought they were responsible. But that is not the message I am getting on the street now. People know these attacks are being carried out by the extremists.

The coverage from the Democrat Media was, as it always is, SICKENING (check the Time Magazine cover at that link). When they err, they do so on the side of making the situation look as bad as they possibly can. Take the death toll from the “civil war” for example:


The Washington Post claimed 1300 were killed. However, on March 3rd 2006, the top U.S. commander in Iraq declared an end to a 10-day wave of sectarian violence that killed an estimated 350 civilians, asserting that many reports of violence were "exaggerated." Ralph Peters, reporting from Forward Operating Base Loyalty, where he's been riding with the 506th Infantry Regiment, 101st Airborne Division, reacts to the “civil war” meme that the Democrat Media pushed:

The other day, I drove another 30 miles or so on the streets and alleys of Baghdad. I'm looking for the civil war that The New York Times declared. And I just can't find it. Maybe actually being on the ground in Iraq prevents me from seeing it. Perhaps the view's clearer from Manhattan. It could be that my background as an intelligence officer didn't give me the right skills. And riding around with the U.S. Army, looking at things first-hand, is certainly a technique to which The New York Times wouldn't stoop in such an hour of crisis. Let me tell you what I saw anyway. Rolling with the "instant Infantry" gunners of the 1st Platoon of Bravo Battery, 4-320 Field Artillery, I saw children and teenagers in a Shia slum jumping up and down and cheering our troops as they drove by. Cheering our troops. All day - and it was a long day - we drove through Shia and Sunni neighborhoods. Everywhere, the reception was warm. No violence. None. And no hostility toward our troops. Iraqis went out of their way to tell us we were welcome. Instead of a civil war, something very different happened because of the bombing of the Golden Mosque in Samarra. The fanatic attempt to stir up Sunni-vs.-Shia strife, and the subsequent spate of violent attacks, caused popular support for the U.S. presence to spike upward. Think Abu Musab al-Zarqawi intended that? In place of the civil war that elements in our media declared, I saw full streets, open shops, traffic jams, donkey carts, Muslim holiday flags - and children everywhere, waving as our Humvees passed. Even the clouds of dust we stirred up didn't deter them. And the presence of children in the streets is the best possible indicator of a low threat level. Southeast Baghdad, at least, was happy to see our troops. And we didn't just drive past them. First Lt. Clenn Frost, the platoon leader, took every opportunity to dismount and mingle with the people. Women brought their children out of their compound gates to say hello. A local sheik spontaneously invited us into his garden for colas and sesame biscuits. It wasn't the Age of Aquarius. The people had serious concerns. And security was No. 1. They wanted the Americans to crack down harder on the foreign terrorists and to disarm the local militias. Iraqis don't like and don't support the militias, Shia or Sunni, which are nothing more than armed gangs. Help's on the way, if slowly. The Iraqi Army has confounded its Western critics, performing extremely well last week. And the people trust their new army to an encouraging degree. The Iraqi police aren't all the way there yet, and the population doesn't yet have much confidence in them. But all of this takes time. And even the police are making progress. We took a team of them with us so they could train beside our troops. We visited a Public Order Battalion - a gendarmerie outfit - that reeked of sloth and carelessness. But the regular Iraqi Police outfit down the road proved surprisingly enthusiastic and professional. It's just an uneven, difficult, frustrating process.
So why were we told that Iraq was irreversibly in the throes of civil war when it wasn't remotely true? I think the answers are straightforward. First, of course, some parties in the West are anxious to believe the worst about Iraq. They've staked their reputations on Iraq's failure. But there's no way we can let irresponsible journalists off the hook - or their parent organizations. And the Iraqi stringers have cracked the code: The Americans don't pay for good news. So they exaggerate the bad. And some of them have agendas of their own. A few days ago, a wild claim that the Baghdad morgue held 1,300 bodies was treated as Gospel truth. Yet Iraqis exaggerate madly and often have partisan interests. Did any Western reporter go to that morgue and count the bodies - a rough count would have done it - before telling the world the news? I doubt it. If reporters really care, it's easy to get out on the streets of Baghdad. The 506th Infantry Regiment - and other great military units - will take journalists on their patrols virtually anywhere in the city. Our troops are great to work with. I'm just afraid that some of our journalists don't want to know the truth anymore. For me, though, memories of Baghdad will be the cannoneers of the 1st Platoon walking the dusty, reeking alleys of Baghdad. I'll recall 1st Lt. Frost conducting diplomacy with the locals and leading his men through a date-palm grove in a search for insurgent mortar sites. I'll remember that lieutenant investigating the murder of a Sunni mullah during last week's disturbances, cracking down on black-marketers, checking up on sewer construction, reassuring citizens - and generally doing the job of a lieutenant-colonel in peacetime. Oh, and I'll remember those "radical Shias" cheering our patrol as we passed by.

And then there’s the stuff the Democrat Media would rather not report:

Earlier in February the Karabla tribe in al-Anbar province, an al Qaeda hotbed, announced they would take up arms against insurgents from abroad. In the al-Anbar capital of Ramadi, once a Zarqawi stronghold, open warfare has erupted between the local insurgent groups and the foreign fighters, particularly after the assassination of respected local tribal leader Sheikh Naser Abdul Karim al-Miklif. And recently eight major western Iraqi tribal chiefs met with General George Casey and Iraqi Prime Minister Ibrahim al-Jaafari to discuss ways to work together to stabilize the province. This is a welcome and long overdue recognition of the decisive role Sunni tribal leaders must play in resolving the insurgency.

Some large Sunni tribes in have declared war on al Qaeda. The resistance, they say, should be an Iraqi-only affair. "All those who offer shelter to terrorists will be treated like terrorists," they add. Tell me again why the media thinks Zarqawi is making progress?

March 9th, 2006 - Residents reported curious declarations hanging from mosque walls and market stalls recently in Ramadi, the Sunni Muslim insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad. The fliers said Iraqi militants had turned on and were killing foreign al-Qaida fighters, their one-time allies. A local tribal leader and Iraq's Defense Ministry have said followers of Jordanian militant Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, leader of al-Qaida in Iraq, have begun fleeing Anbar province and Ramadi, its capital, to cities and mountain ranges near the Iranian border. Al-Jadaan, the Anbar tribal leader, looked confidently to the future and — if his prediction comes true — what likely will be a hero's role in the eyes of the U.S. military. "Under my leadership and that of our brothers in other tribes, we are getting close to the shelter of this terrorist," al-Jadaan said of al-Zarqawi. "We will capture him soon."

Micro to Macro – This whole “civil war” tripe being pushed by the MSM helps fuel the moral of Abu Zarqawi and al Qaeda in Iraq. They are the ones that want a civil war. Not the Iraqi people. Not the Iraqi leadership. And this entire “mini-crisis” has once again exposed the Democrat Media’s play-book on Iraq. Inflate the bad news, suppress the good news, and embolden the enemies of freedom and democracy at the same time that America’s finest are giving their lives and shedding blood to ensure our success. To end this on a positive note. The parallels between the “civil war” that wasn’t and the overall view of our mission in Iraq are similar in this respect as well – The enemies of freedom/the terrorist leftist nexus FAILED to incite a civil war in Iraq. They will likewise FAIL at destroying the Constitutional Democracy we’ve sacrificed soo much to create. A fact Abu Zarqawi has recognized, but Democrats and their Media refuse to. Their lust for power will be satiated at any cost.

Can the NYT be indicted for accessory to murder?

Wafa Sultan is being hunted by Islamic terrorists, so naturally the New York Times draws a roadmap to her house, and basically tells the world where her husband works, and where her three kids go to school. You may recall that these are the same people who put Abu Grahib photos on their front page and kept the story there, above the fold, for three months straight, and reported on the Danish cartoons without publishing the cartoons saying to do so "could incite violence." If Mrs. Sultan or any of her family die, will the NYT editors be tried as accessories to murder? If not, then why not?