Another Viet Nam?

Only if this is allowed to happen.

The issue of whether to set a deadline to pull U.S. troops out of Iraq is beginning to creep into the early stages of next year's midterm congressional elections.

Tennessee Democratic Rep. Harold Ford Jr. began running a television ad last week, his first as a U.S. Senate candidate in 2006, a race he entered last month. The advertisement asks the question of whether it is time to start bringing troops home and plays off the public's impatience with U.S. involvement in Iraq.

"In war, there are no Democrats and Republicans, just Americans. I am Harold Ford Jr. and I approve this message because this Fourth of July I hope all of us will take a moment to remember those brave Americans fighting to make the world freer and America safer. Let's work hard to bring them home soon and with honor, and make them as proud of us as we are of them."

Recognize the language? "Let's work hard to bring them home soon". Sounds too much like "Support the Troops; Bring them home" that we were inundated with by brainless Leftards throughout the entire OIF and OEF.

And let's be clear here, shall we? Letting the terrorists know when we're leaving is a horrible idea. It's worse than horrible, it's quite possibly the worst idea I have ever had the misfortune to hear from the crap-spewing mouths of the parasites who infest Capitol Hill.

Where is the main support of terrorism in the world? The Middle East. Where in the ME? Iran and Saudi Arabia. Guess who's very, very nervous right about now? Iran and Saudi Arabia, and Syria as well. Why? Because we have 150,000 troops ready to stomp a mudhole in their ass the moment we have a good reason. Do you think we went into Iraq and Afghanistan just because? I know that most liberals, being the non-educated type, might have trouble understanding a little thing called STRATEGY, but why don't you look at a map (that's a flat piece of paper with areas called "countries" marked on them) and look at where Iran is right now. Look at who is on either side of Iran right now. To the West is Iraq. To the East is Afghanistan. Guess who has troops on either side of Iran?

Hmmmmmmm... go ahead, think it over. I know that might be a new experience for most liberals, but give it a try, I think you'll find it enlightening.

We, as in the USA and those countries who stand with us, are in the best position we can be to deal with the terrorist threat coming out of the Middle East. We're able to react within HOURS to any threat, rather than days. And if we leave now we give ALL OF THAT UP! We give up every tactical advantage that we've worked so hard to gain. We give up everything that our soldiers have sacrificed to give us. And for what? So that a bunch of communist shitstains can make a political statement and try to damage the standing of President Bush?

And no matter what bullshit the Democrats try to push on you, our work in the Middle East is far from over. We have Iran doing everything in it's power to obtain a nuke. (Gee, something the Donks don't seem to care about). We have terrorists from Syria, Saudi Arabia, and Iran stirring up trouble in Iraq (yet another thing the Donks don't seem to care about). And we have a democracy in Iraq that still needs our help (something the Democrats seem to be actively trying to squelch).

And if there is any doubt about who is driving this so-called push to get out of Iraq, look at who is gathering the information.

Polls show growing doubt about the U.S. mission in Iraq. A CBS News-New York Times poll released Thursday indicates a 51 percent majority of respondents think it would have been better for the United States to have stayed out of Iraq, compared to 45 percent who think taking military action there was the right thing to do. Sixty percent of respondents said things are going somewhat or very badly in Iraq.

Golly gee, why in the world would CBS and the New York Slimes want troops out of Iraq? Maybe so that they're hysterical shrieking about "Another Viet Nam" will come true? Or perhaps because they're nothing more than Anti-American propagandizing pieces of shit who should be hung by their toes and beaten to death for the sheer amount of lies and mistruths they've given the American Public?

CBS, a lying pack of jackals who fabricate entire stories in an attempt to damage the President during an election, and the New York Times, who fabricates stories for... well, for the same damn reason as CBS, unless they lie just for the hell of it, which is a possibility. Two media outlets desperately wishing for a time when they controlled America through what they reported and what they failed to report. Two media outlets yearning for the days when they could take an American victory (such as the Tet Offensive) and spin it into an American defeat. If you talk to soldiers, they will tell you that what is actually occurring is not reported in America. The soldiers refuse to watch much of the news on Iraq, because media outlets such as CBS and the New York Times ARE NOT REPORTING THE TRUTH! And here they are again, pushing for their personal Viet Nams, struggling to make American victory into defeat YET AGAIN. Just witness the way they've hung the Downing Street Memos all over every front page recently! Those would be the memos that DW wrote about one post down, btw. The memos who's credibility has been shredded, because they were FAKE!

And yet the media is pushing them hard, every chance they get, on every front page they can.

Is there any reason why we shouldn't hang these treasonous bastards from the nearest lamp-post?

The White House has always insisted it will take time for Iraqi forces to be strong enough to take over their country's security. This weekend, Bush fired back at his critics who want a deadline for troop withdrawal. He said the United States will settle for "nothing less than victory."

"The terrorists know they cannot defeat our troops, so they seek to weaken our nation's resolve. They know there is no room for them in a free and democratic Middle East, so the terrorists and insurgents are trying to get us to retreat. Their goal is to get us to leave before Iraqis have had a chance to show the region what a government that is elected and truly accountable to its citizens can do for its people," Bush said in his Saturday weekly radio address.

When Bush first sent troops into the Middle East, he made is clear that this would not be a one or two year excursion. This was going to take time, a fact that Bush stated again and again in speech after speech. And yet we have the surrender monkeys of Congress trying to force their agenda on the troops. And to be quite honest, it's pissing me off. What happened the last time a bunch of quasi-socialist trash were able to force their agenda on the troops?

Oh, right. Viet Nam.

Which is what the Democrats and their propaganda outlets in the media are trying to re-create.

If the troops get pulled, you can expect a serious ramp-up of terrorist attacks all over the world. The Democrats and their allies have learned nothing in the past forty years about how to win wars. They've learned nothing except for how to surrender, capitulate, and withdraw.

And if we allow them to force their gutless, worthless, spineless, cowardly agenda onto our troops, we will pay for it with our lives. Or the lives of our soldiers.

You know, there is one other military engagement that the Democrats directed, and it just came to my mind right now -

Somalia. Gee, that's reassuring, isn't it?

Downing Street Memos -- Fake but ....er ... Fake

Evidently, the established media have learned absolutely nothing from Dan Rather's memogate nonsense. Captain Ed points out what should be obvious to anyone,

"...a lack of protest from Downing Street after being asked to authenticate retyped copies of alleged minutes of secret meetings does NOT constitute verification. The same exact argument came up with the Killian memos in Rathergate and the Newsweek Qu'ran-flushing report last month. In both cases, the documents or sources turned out to be fakes. It's the reporters' job to provide verification, not simply a demurral by officials to opine on their authenticity. If that isn't obvious, then centuries of evidentiary procedure in American and English common law have gone for naught, as well as traditions of journalistic responsibility and professionalism. After all, this argument just means that reporters can type out anything they like and the burden of proof shifts from the accuser to the accused in proving them false..."

and he does a great job of breaking down the fake but useful Downing Street Memos story, the same Downing Street Memos so recently used by certain politicians in D.C., including Rep. John Conyers Jr. (D-Mich.), Rep. Maxine Waters (D-Calif.), Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.), and Rep. James P. Moran Jr. (D-Va.), to further demonize President Bush and stage mock impeachment hearings. In all, more than 10% of the Democrats in Congress in attendance. Former ambassador and well-known liar Joseph C. Wilson was also present at these hearings as a witness. (You may recall how Wilson's anti-Bush lie-filled book was promoted shamelessly by CBS, NBC, ABC, CNN, and the NYT. When it was proven that Wilson was full of shit, not a peep was heard from our trusty gatekeepers of truth.)

These same memos by the way have been used as the basis for front page stories in newspapers all across the country this week, all of them based on fake documents. Again!

News you won't see on CNN

A hostage rescued in Iraq says, "Thank you."

Gitmo no Gulag

says person who would know.

Several days ago I received a telephone call from an old friend who is a longtime Amnesty International staffer. He asked me whether I, as a former Soviet "prisoner of conscience" adopted by Amnesty, would support the statement by Amnesty's executive director, Irene Khan, that the Guantanamo Bay prison in Cuba is the "gulag of our time."

"Don't you think that there's an enormous difference?" I asked him.

"Sure," he said, "but after all, it attracts attention to the problem of Guantanamo detainees."

Even AI people know that Gitmo isn't a gulag, and it doesn't even come close. But they're more than happy to lie, slander and smear the USA if it suits their needs. Amnesty International has become nothing more than a cheap political organization, which is sad if you consider the good they used to do. But now?

They're worthless. And people are starting to recognize that fact.

Via Instapundit.

The Vulcan Mind Meld, or rather the Republican Message Machine

ABC News has an interesting theory. Apparently, the wacky things coming out of (DNC Chairman) Howard Dean's mouth are the result of the "Republican Message Machine." ABC seems to think that the Republicans have gotten their hands on some sort of device that can make people say the most insane things. Wow. I'm quite shocked!

Well excuuuuse me!

Ah, I see now. I had misunderstood Senator Durbin's remarks on the Senate floor entirely. How stooopid of me. Mr. Durbin's non-apology makes it perfectly clear: He wasn't comparing our men and women in uniform to Nazis, he was just comparing our president to Adolf Hitler, Josef Stalin, and Pol Pot. Well that makes it ok then. (Good call not going with that first draft.) Carry on people, nothing to see here....

Er... No... I can't quite let it go. Sorry Mr. Durbin, but it's not ok. It's pretty far from ok. I'm with Newt on this one:

This moral equivalence isn’t just utterly false; it endangers the lives of our young men and women in the military because it arms every radical Islamist with the official-record words of a Senate leader to justify their war of terror against civilized people everywhere.

Senator Durbin is quite clearly on the side of the terrorists. That Commie bloodsucker needs to go. If you are a resident of Illinois, please go sign this petition to fire his seditious ass. And while you're at it, go over here and get yourself some 'I heart Gitmo' bumper stickers.

It's a beautiful day in Puerto Rico

So I'm off to the beach. To keep anyone who may drop by on Saturday occupied, I present Professor Booty's compendium of beautiful women, who are NSFWWMGAEK (Not Safe For Work, Wife, Mom, Grandma And Especially Kids).

I gotta find out where the Professor works. And how I can get into that line of business.

Gulags and Death Camps

A nearly total compendium here.

Two PETA Employees Arrested on Animal Cruelty

Oy!

Two Hampton Roads employees of Norfolk-based People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals have been charged in Ahoskie, N.C., with animal cruelty after dumping dead dogs and cats in a shopping center garbage bin, police said Thursday.

  

Investigators staked out the bin after discovering that dead animals had been dumped there every Wednesday for the past four weeks, Ahoskie police said in a prepared statement.

Police found 18 dead animals in the trash bin and 13 more in a van registered to PETA. The animals were from animal shelters in Northampton and Bertie counties in North Carolina, police said. The two were picking up animals to be brought back to PETA headquarters for euthanization, PETA president Ingrid Newkirk said Thursday.

At least they only killed and dumped the adult dogs and cats. Karl Rove kills kittens and puppies.

WAVY.COM

UPDATE: in other ironic news ("hat tip", as they say, to Ray J for the email heads up), Ralph Nader said The Word. Oops.

POOLS MUST BE BANNED!

DO IT FOR THE CHILDREN!

Levitt analyzed child deaths from residential swimming pools and guns and found one child under 10 drowns annually for every 11,000 pools. By comparison, one child under 10 each year is killed by a gun for every 1 million guns, according to his research, outlined in a new book "Freakonomics: A Rogue Economist Explores the Hidden Side to Everything," which he co-wrote with journalist Stephen J. Dubner.

Just remember - Gun Control isn't really about controlling guns, it's about controlling PEOPLE. Otherwise, why do so many anti-gunners continue to have pools in their backyard, or freqent local pools and swimming areas? If they were so concerned about children's safety, they'd be working on a lot of other issues instead of guns. I'm sure that John Kerry, Ted Kennedy, Chucky Schumer and Diane Fienstien would all be happy to give up their pools in the name of public safety, right?

Yeah, right.

Found via AlphaPatriot.

Durbin the Dick opens mouth again

And shoves his foot farther in.

After a barrage of criticism, Sen. Dick Durbin went to the Senate floor Thursday evening to repeat a controversial statement he made two days earlier and insist he said nothing objectionable.

I just heard this worthless fucknut say on the news that the US is violating the Geneva Convention. BZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZZ! WRONG, you worthless shitstain! As these terrorists violated the Geneva Convention by refusing to wear uniforms, attacking civilians, and using prohibited structures such as schools, hospitals and mosques as fighting positions, these terrorists HAVE NO RIGHTS UNDER THE GENEVA CONVENTION. We could give them a military tribunal, and then SHOOT the ones we find guilty right on the spot, and we would be WELL WITHIN BOTH INTERNATIONAL LAW AND THE GENEVA CONVENTION.

More proof that Democrats cannot be trusted to protect this country, and don't have the first idea about anything related to warfare.

Another Take on the Democrats

So, just another way of looking at the Democrat's whining, shrieking hysterics over Guantanamo....

After seeing how the Democrats are wetting themselves over supposed abuse, after having Democrats compare America to Nazi Germany, after having Democrats declare that Gitmo is like a Soviet gulag, after seeing Democrats fawn and whimper over the terrorists that we have locked up at Gitmo, and after seeing the Democrats do anything and everything possible to destroy the very system we have set up to contain and interrogate these terrorists...

How can anyone say that Democrats are serious about keeping this country safe?

And on that note, I give you Cold Fury.

But even more than that, it should force the Dems and their AHL (that’s America-Hating Lefty to you, Poindexter – ahem) base to explain exactly why they’ve virulently opposed every last move we’ve made in fighting terrorism and bringing the 9/11 attackers and their brethren in blind hate to justice.

Because they certainly have. They’re fond of denying it now, but at the time they loathed the idea of going after al Qaeda’s Taliban protectors, and ginned up all sorts of reasons why we couldn’t and shouldn’t do it. They’ve resisted, cavilled, and kvetched about the very idea of a war on Islamic fundamentalist terrorism since the beginning. They’ve said we wouldn’t win; they’ve said we couldn’t, or even shouldn’t. They’ve blamed American foreign policy going back thirty years and more for the scourge of terrorism; they’ve claimed it all stems from poverty, or oppression, or intolerance, or the Joooooz™, or oooiiiiiil, or some other damned thing. They’ve sought to scapegoat every American administration except Clinton’s and Carter’s for the problem. They’ve looked under every rock they could think of for someone to blame, as long as that someone isn’t A) an Islamic fundamentalist, B) an actual terrorist, or C) a Democrat.

Let's keep showing that the Democrats cannot be trusted to protect this country. Ram it down their throats every chance you get. Keep showing it, like a big scarlet letter that the Democrats must be forced to wear around their necks. Because if this country ever comes under Democrat control, we can expect another 9-11. The Democrats won't prevent it. They won't even try.

Fetus Food

Let's slap the Donkey reaction to this abomination up first:

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, an abortion-rights advocate, vetoed the measure, saying medical professionals – not legislators – should set standards

What is this in response to?

THIS! <---- Click

But wait! There's more!

Topping the list of horrors was an employee's account that she and others witnessed Rajanna "microwave one of the aborted fetuses and stir it into his lunch,"

The fantasy based community response again:

Gov. Kathleen Sebelius, an abortion-rights advocate, vetoed the measure, saying medical professionals – not legislators – should set standards

She's a Democrat. Go figure. That didn't exactly leap off the page (because it wasn't on the page) nor did it leap off her website.

Losing their heads over Gitmo

Ann Coulter:

I guess Bush should have backed Katherine Harris, after all. Sen. Mel Martinez, the Senate candidate Bush backed instead of Harris, has become the first Republican to call for shutting down Guantanamo. Martinez hasn't said where the 500 or so suspected al-Qaida operatives currently at Gitmo should be transferred to, but I understand the Neverland Ranch might soon be available.

Bwahahaa!

Ann Coulter: Losing their heads over Gitmo

White House Castigates Durbin for Remarks

Cue Dick Durbin:

"If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime - Pol Pot or others - that had no concern for human beings,'' Durbin said.

Said [White House Spokeman Scott] McClellan: "I think the senator's remarks are reprehensible. It's a real disservice to our men and women in uniform who adhere to high standards and uphold our values and our laws.''

Whomever named Senatro Durbin named him right.

Guardian Unlimited

Celebrity news

That the lame stream media doesn't want you to know.

The story isn't exactly true - Denzel Washington didn't whip out his checkbook right then and there, but he did make a sizable contribution. Did ya hear about that on the news?

Did ya?

Did ya?

Didn't think so.

Captain Jim Writes Again

And I want everyone to read what he's said. I rarely demand that people go read something, but GO READ THIS.

The more I see of the Left, the more I'm convinced that there will be another civil war in my lifetime. The only thing I can count on is that we'll be better armed.

The So Called Controversy over Gitmo

Let's get a few things clear, shall we? The detainees at Guantanamo are not United States citizens. They have no constitutional rights. For that matter, illegal immigrants to this country have no constitutional rights, as they are not US Citizens.

The detainees at Gitmo are not Enemy Prisoners of War. The designation of EPW means that you were fighting IN UNIFORM for an enemy military force. The detainees, being worthless goat fucking terrorists, wear no uniform other than the blood of the innocent people they have killed.

The detainees at Gitmo are TERRORISTS, UNLAWFUL COMBATANTS, who have killed more innocent people than any United States soldier, sailor, airman or Marine that the Democrats have accused in a drug-induced hallucination.

These aren't nice people, folks. These are people who have sworn to kill as many Americans as possible by any means. And the fact that the Democrats are cooing over these terrorists as if they were just some mixed-up kid makes me sick. But then, that's standard for Democrats. I can't figure out if they just want to damage Bush as much as possible, or if they hate America so much that they'll do whatever they can in order to prevent the War on Terror from succeeding.

And where were these fucking hypocritical sacks of shit when Cuba, China and Sudan were picked to head the commission on Human Rights in the UN? Why, the Democrats were applauding, FUCKING APPLAUDING and nodding their heads and saying "Gee, what a wonderful thing the UN is!" And just to refresh your memory, China not only tortures and jails anyone who disagrees with them, they also force women in China to have abortions if the government says so. Where are the Democrats on China? They fucking LOVE China! Bill Clinton sold military secrets to fucking China, and the Democrats backed him up! Cuba jails political dissidents and journalists who write bad things about Castro, but where are the Democrats? I'll tell you where they are, they're on their fucking knees giving Fidel Castro a fucking blowjob, that's where they are! Jimmah the fuckhead Carter gives Castro a knob job every chance he gets! The Democrats fucking LOVE Castro, despite the fact that Castro commits human rights violations on a daily basis. All you have to do is mention Cuba and the Democrats going into an orgy of masturbation about "100% literacy" and "free healthcare", and any of the other LIES that have come out of Castro's mouth, and the Democrats swallow those lies, just like they swallow whatever comes out of Castro's shriveled dick once they're done slobbering over giving him a humjob. And Sudan, the country of genocide, the country of torture, mutilation, rape, murder, you name it. Where are the Democrats on Sudan? Fucking silent, that's where. Not a fucking peep out of those hypocritical shit-spewing cock goblins, and yet they're going to wail and whine about Gitmo?

Just once, I want some Republican to find his damn testicles for once and call the Democrats what they are.

HYPOCRITICAL LYING SACKS OF SHIT!

If the Democrats actually gave a shit about human rights, why don't they actually say anything about the violations going on in Cuba, or China, or Sudan? Why don't they praise the rights that women have gained in Afghanistan and Iraq? Why don't they cheer for the citizens of those countries instead of shrieking about failure and quagmire and how the Evil ChimpyMcBusHitlerRoveMonsterWhoCan'tDoAnythingRight is to blame for anything that might happen at any time in any part of the world?

Because the Democrats don't give a shit. They don't care that these terrorists in Gitmo get three meals a day, and call to prayer played on loudspeakers five times a day, and sacred oil, and prayer beads, and their own personal copy of the Koran.

By the way, that copy of the Koran has to be handled with gloves. The guards have to wear gloves when they handle the Koran, so as to not offend these sheep felching terrorist shitstains. Want to know why? Because to these 10th century pig-fucking murderers, an infidel handling the Koran is bad. So we're taking care not to offend the sensibilities of a bunch of terrorist shitwads while they're supposedly being tortured....

FUCK THEM!

I say follow the idea brought up by a pal of Acidman.

After all my video camera batteries are fully charged, I'm gonna go buy me the finest copy of the Koran that they have at Barnes and Noble. When I get it home I'm gonna tear a handful of pages out of it (more about that later). Then I'm gonna plop the rest of it down in a nice big fresh pile of wet German Shepherd dogshit, openfaced. Then I'm gonna piss all over it. Then I'm gonna pour a can of shitty beer (like Coors) all over it. Then, with the camera running in closeup mode, I'm gonna shit right on the open book. I'm gonna wipe my ass with the pages I tore out of it earlier. I'm gonna pour about a quart of old bacon grease all over it. Then I'm gonna torch it. If I get good video of the whole thing, I'm gonna post it on the Internet. Do you think that will get their attention?

Have a nice fucking day, you pig-fellating pustules! Howdya like THEM apples!

By the way, are the Democrats upset about Christianity being illegal in parts of the Middle East? Hell no, if the Democrats had their way, Christianity would be illegal in America. So fuck 'em and their hysterics.

The "controversy" over Gitmo is wholly manufactured by the Democrats for whatever reason. I'm sure part of it is because they want to hurt President Bush in any way they can. I'm also sure that part of it is because they flat out can't stand the American way of life. And part of it might just be because the Democrats, by and large, are a group of insane mental whack-jobs who shouldn't be allowed loose in public. Howard Dean should be in a straitjacket and forced to mainline Lithium via an IV tube for the good of humanity. But the last thing we should do is close down a maximum security facility dedicated to locking up some of the most dangerous people in the world, all of whom want to kill Americans.

Sorry this is so rambling. I'm just so pissed off right now that I can't even thing straight, and I had to get this off my chest. The flat out lies and hypocrisy by the Left is getting more outrageous by the day.

I don't think I've seen this before.

Although I can understand the reasons...

OLATHE, Kan. Â? A high school student who vomited on his Spanish teacher has been charged with battery against a school official.

The misdemeanor charge was filed Monday against the Olathe Northwest High School student. The 17-year-old was charged as a juvenile and his name was not released.

Seeing as how high school made me want to vomit continueously for four years, I completely understand where this kid is coming from.

Gee, what a surprise

Not.

U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan (search) faces new questions over whether he lied to independent investigators probing the scandal-scarred Oil-for-Food program. Those investigators said Tuesday they were "urgently reviewing" fresh evidence.

That evidence, obtained by FOX News, appears to contradict Annan's claim that he knew nothing about the awarding of a major Oil-for-Food (search) contract to a company that employed his son.

The U.N. is a corrupt, worthless, spineless, parasitic, greedy, bloodstained pack of diseased jackals. The sooner we bulldoze that building to the ground, the better. From top to bottom, the whole organization needs to be demolished and run out of this country.

The Question, re-visited

Via Kim du Toit comes the blog of House of Warthog, who asks the question that many of us have asked time and time again.

When do we start shooting?

House of Warthog has a link to an essay regarding that very question, and it's well worth a read.

As for me, I don't think that there is an easy answer to that question. We as a country accept things that our forefathers would have never tolerated. The income tax is unconstitutional, do you know that? Article 1, Section 8, Clause 1 of the Constitution states "The Congress shall have Power To lay and collect Taxes, Duties, Imposts and Excises, to pay the Debts and provide for the common defense and general Welfare of the United States; but all Duties, Imposts and Excises shall be uniform throughout the United States;". How is a progressive income tax uniform throughout the United States? The sheer number of taxes that the average American faces every year would have had Alexander Hamilton gasping in astonishment. The governmental control exerted by the Federal government is astounding, when you consider that Section 8 specifically lists what the Federal government can do, and there are only 20 clauses. The Federal Government has overstepped it's bounds to the point that people in this country think what the government is doing is constitutional.

That's a sad fact, people.

So when do we start shooting? At what point do we look around and say "No More?". I can't say I have the answer. But it's a discussion that people should be having, because there may come a point where we can't have that discussion anymore without fear of government reprisal. Think I'm joking? Then ask yourself if two years ago you would have the government trying to limit speech on the internet. And remember that the FCC is mulling over how to regulate blogs because of the political speech that occurred last year.

The government already tells people when they can or can't say certain things. The McCain-Feingold Bill limits what you can do during an election. Our rights are being stripped away as we speak.

So when do we start shooting?

Get the Picture?

Legal.


Not Legal

(Click on the subtitles.)

I go away for a bit...

And look at what I missed.

Bill Whittle is kicking ass again.

Our soldiers are fighting and dying to install what any sane person can see is a widely-representative democracy, heroically elected at great personal risk. Opposing them are a shadow army of former secret policemen, state torturers, and foreign invaders of every stripe who kill Iraqi policemen, behead innocent Iraqi cabdrivers, and detonate car bombs at the opening of new schools and children’s centers. There may be an explanation for this support I am not seeing. I, for one, can not get past the idea that millions of Western Progressives would rather see a nation re-enslaved, or erupt in civil war, or have twenty thousand of their countrymen come home in boxes than admit that they were wrong.

And they have the audacity, the unmitigated gall, to claim the moral high ground?

I am trying my level best to understand how and why someone who professes to be for freedom for artists, homosexuals and women – not to mention unlimited personal expression of every stripe -- can take the side of 8th Century religious fanatics who brag about murdering writers, stoning women, beheading homosexuals and instituting moral policemen at every street corner with unquestioned authority to beat, jail or execute anyone suspected of being insufficiently pious.

I used to wonder why civilizations fell. No longer. I see it now before my eyes, every day. Civilizations do not fall because the Barbarians storm the walls. The forces of civilization are far too powerful, and those of barbarism far too weak, for that to happen.

Civilizations fall because the people inside the Sanctuary throw open the gates.

I wish I could meet that man in real life. Just to shake his hand.

Don't turn your back on Arlen Specter

Remember how both Bush and Santorum went to the mat for Arlen Specter in Pennsylvania last year when it looked like he wouldn't make it through the primaries? Remember how Arlen promised to see that President Bush's nominees would get a vote on the floor of the Senate and not be held up in committee? The Republican leadership could easily have chosen someone else to chair the Judiciary committee, but once again Mr. Specter made promises... Well, guess what? Arlen just stabbed his benefactors in the back, again. From the Washington Times:

"Mr. Bush nominated U.S. District Judge Terrence W. Boyle of North Carolina more than four years ago to the 4th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, based in Richmond. Judge Boyle had a hearing more than three months ago and has been scheduled numerous times for a Senate Judiciary Committee vote.
Last week, however, Democrats on the Judiciary Committee demanded that Judge Boyle's nomination wait another week and that the Bush administration produce more of his unpublished opinions. Committee Chairman Arlen Specter, Pennsylvania Republican, reluctantly agreed."

These morons've had more than four years to look at this guy's opinions already! Who needs filibusters when you have a turncoat like Arlen Specter.

UPDATE 6/16/05: Mr. Specter finally allowed a committee vote, which was party-line, sending Judge Boyle to the Senate floor. Now we get to see what "extraordinary circumstances" means.

Fascinating reports from Iraq

This is the best behind the scenes look at the progress in Iraq I've seen in a long time.

Also, and as usual, we look to an Australian for a round-up of unreported news from Iraq.

The China Problem

Mark Styne addresses it better than I can...

How long can these two systems co-exist in one country and what will happen when they collide? If the People's Republic is now the workshop of the world, the Communist Party is the bull in its own China shop. It's unclear, for example, whether they have the discipline to be able to resist moving against Taiwan in the next couple of years. Unlike the demoralised late-period Soviet nomenklatura, Beijing's leadership does not accept that the cause is lost: unlike most outside analysts, they do not assume that the world's first economically viable form of Communism is merely an interim phase en route to a free - or even free-ish - society.

My question has always been: How can a communist country pretend to be marginally capitalist? And how long can China continue flaunting every atrocity they commit without repercussions from the sane parts of the world?

I try to avoid buying anything from China, if possible. Anyways, go check out Styne, who is brilliant as usual.

On a different note, now that I'm back on active duty, my time to actually blog has gone down a bit. I'm still going to post, and I'm not giving up blogging, but don't expect three or four posts from me every day. They don't exactly have an internet connection during a field problem.

Anyways, see ya when I see ya.

The Discovery Channel's - Greatest American

Cast your vote online. You can vote 3 times per method (text message, call in, etc) for 1 candidate or 3 different ones every sunday in June. See FAQ for more. Git 'r done.

al Qaeda in Lodi

A friend of mine asked what I knew about the recent arrests of terrorists in Lodi, California, and I had to admit that I didn't know very much. I did find this report from AP and right away noticed this line:

"Other experts also questioned the FBI's version of events."

Nowhere in the article is one "expert" cited, however. You would think these so-called news services would learn, but they haven't as of yet. Meanwhile, the article goes on to give the suspects' family's version of events and completely leaves out the FBI version. I wish I could say that I feel more informed now, but I don't.

The Oakland Tribune does a little better in that they cite an expert, if you consider someone who has called for an intifada in the United States an expert (via littlegreenfootballs).

Who's paying these reporters' salaries, al Qaeda? Bah! On to more newspapers.

According to the Sacramento Bee,

"Hamid Hayat initially denied to FBI agents that he attended terrorist training camps and voluntarily agreed to a lie-detector test, according to the criminal complaint. After results deemed "indicative of deception," Hayat changed his story and gave details about the camp."

At least now I feel somewhat informed. As for the charges, lying to a federal investigator was good enough to lock up Martha Stewart so it's plenty good enough to put away a couple of confessed al Qaeda jihadists, too. Here's the criminal complaint.

If you actually do want to be well informed on this one, I would suggest checking in on the Jawa Report. In addition, Varifrank has some interesting observations and speculation about terrorists in Lodi and the surrounding area.

JN36TN license plate is too religious according to state

Burlington Vermont - JN36TN license plate is too religious according to state

The Scream

Israel is outside the box.

Israel is considering using an unusual new weapon against Jewish settlers who resist this summer's Gaza Strip evacuation — a device that emits penetrating bursts of sound that leaves targets reeling with dizziness and nausea.

Security forces could employ the weapon to overcome resistance without resorting to force, their paramount aim.

Interesting, but what's with the "paramount aim" thing?



FOXNews.com - U.S. & World - Israel May Use New Weapon on Settlers

Regurge, Democrat Style

Why anyone would be talking about Terrell Owens and Desperate Housewives these days is beyond me, but this guy is, as is this guy.

Excerpt:

Perhaps it is just sheer hypocrisy, I don't know. But, the fact is that somebody in the red states is watching Will and Grace and somebody is watching Girls Gone Wild and a whole bunch of somebodies are downloading pornography. I'm sure they tut-tut those terrible liberals while they pass the popcorn and laugh over The Bachelor's latest catfight. The biggest hit of the TV season is the sexually adventurous Desperate Housewives and it ain't just because people in New York and LA are watching it.

Hypocrisy seems to be a requirement these days for American citizenship.

Silly, and simple.

If everyone who voted for John Kerry in red states Texas, Arizona, Missouri, Colorado, and Ohio watched the next episode of Desperate Housewives, it'd be the most watched television show EVER.

Ever.

Let's flip the warped thinking around, 'kay?

Democrats advocate better education. Democrats advocate economic justice. Democrats advocate peaceful living.

Yet if you search America to find the rancid elixir composed of illiteracy, poverty, and violence, where do you find it?

In America's blue-voting Cities, which have been under the control of Democrats for 40 years, that's where.

Whaddya think?

"Hypocrisy"?

Once in a while...

...you get a peek into a crevice of someone's character and you kinda tilt your head and say "hunh?". I'm tilting at present, having read John Hawkins on breast feeding in public. Bizarre.

Janice Rogers Brown

Here she is:

Curiously, in the current dialectic, the right to keep and bear arms – a right expressly guaranteed by the Bill of Rights – is deemed less fundamental than implicit protections the court purports to find in the penumbras of other express provisions. (citations omitted) But surely, the right to preserve one’s life is at least as fundamental as the right to preserve one’s privacy. [Concurring opinion in Kasler, 2 P.3d at 602]

I say long live our political differences -- keeps the government from moving too fast.

But what kind of nummie takes issue with that excerpt?

People for the American Way dislike her. That gives some people comfort.

Moi aussi.

Sweet Rachel's Redux

lgf: Guess Who's Coming to LA

Optical Illusions and Visual Phenomena

Neat site

In my not so humble opinion...

George Soros can fucking rot in hell.

Why the fuck do we allow a European Socialist to meddle in American affairs? Judging by the fact that Soros and the Democrat Party are joined at the hip, Soros is going to be in American politics for years to come. That should scare people. He's made billions across the world, and now that he's made his money he sees no reason for anyone to make any money for themselves. He's backing Left-wing fanatics, loons, moonbats, shitheels, cockwads, jizzbubbles, and even worse (like Hillary Clinton) with his money, and now he's trying to enforce his twisted view onto the WTC memorial. When can we break out the tar and feathers for this shithead>

Found at DANEgerus.

Another Blogger gets Fired

Here's a question - Why is it whenever you hear about a blogger getting fired because of their blog, it's always a conservative blogger?

I mean, Acidman, Gay Patriot, now Joe.... how many liberal bloggers have been fired because of their blogs? None that I've heard of.

Found at RNS.

Strange

A vintage blue taxicab converted into a seagoing vessel and carrying several Cuban immigrants was intercepted Tuesday off Key West by the Coast Guard.

But that's not the strange part. What is odd is that the Coast Guard is still searching for the flotilla of Americans risking death to gain asylum in Castro's Eden of literacy, free health care, and Bushlessness.

Just as Busy as a Donkey

Suggest you scroll here.

Speed, technology have reduced mortality among U.S. troops

This is a great, great, great article.

Howard Dean's Long Slippery Slide...

...into irrelevance continues:

Three top fundraisers at the Democratic National Committee have resigned at a time when its chairman, former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, has come under fire from fellow Democrats for controversial comments and his Republican counterpart has raised more than twice as much money.

Democratic sources link the resignations to Dean’s decision to focus on raising money in small increments through the Internet, as he did during his 2004 presidential bid, and building up the party’s grassroots infrastructure while paying little attention to major Democratic donors.

But other Democrats say the first several months after a party’s losing presidential campaign are naturally a time of transition and it will take time for committee officials to get their “sea legs.”

Dean’s defenders also note that DNC fundraising is ahead of where it was at this point after the last presidential election, when Democrats could still raise unlimited amounts of soft money.

Hillary has him right where she wants him. He was competition for 2008 so she got him out there where "opening his mouth and removing all doubt" was a requirement, and the bleating little bumblestick foolishly obliged her.



See ya! Wouldn't wanna be ya.

Fundraisers jilt Dean

Yale grades portray Kerry as a lackluster student

Absolutely classic.

''I always told my Dad that D stood for distinction," Kerry said yesterday in a written response to questions, noting that he has previously acknowledged that he spent a lot of time learning to fly instead of focusing on his studies.

Kerry's weak grades came despite years of education at some of the world's most elite prep schools, ranging from Fessenden School in Massachusetts to St. Paul's School in New Hampshire.

It is noteworthy, however, that Kerry received a high honor at Yale despite his mediocre grades: He was chosen to deliver his senior class oration, a testament to his reputation as a public speaker. He delivered a speech questioning the wisdom of the Vietnam War, in which he would soon see combat.

Kerry gradually improved his grades, averaging 81 in his senior year. His highest single grade was an 89, for a political science class in his senior year. Despite his slow start, he went on to be a top student at Naval Candidate School, command a patrol boat in Vietnam, graduate from law school, and become a prosecutor, lieutenant governor, US senator, and presidential candidate.

In fairness, my freshman grades sucked too, though in my case, my Dad told me:

"D stands for 'Don't expect me to pay for next year unless you do better'."

Yale grades portray Kerry as a lackluster student

From the Rose Garden

Okay so some of the rosebushes are dead and others are blackspotted -- nonetheless, great conditions for photography Saturday morning. Today's topic: Droplets on Lamb's Ears.



Zooming in:



And in a bit more:



I just cannot seem to come up with the nine hundred bucks I need for a good Nikon digital that will work with my lenses, elsewise I'd macrophotograph my way to bankruptcy.

Kerry to begin impeachment proceedings

Along with Ralph Nader, Al Jazeera, and Democratic Underpants:

Kerry said of the memo: “When I go back [to Washington] on Monday, I am going to raise the issue. I think it’s a stunning, unbelievably simple and understandable statement of the truth and a profoundly important document that raises stunning issues here at home. And it’s amazing to me the way it escaped major media discussion. It’s not being missed on the Internet, I can tell you that."

Seared.

Right Thinking from the Left Coast

And then there is this from the NRO piece Lee linked to:

Of course, the memo simply contains the impressions of an aide of the impressions of British-cabinet officials of the impressions of unnamed people they spoke to in the United States about what they thought the president was thinking. It is sad when hearsay thrice-removed raises this kind of ruckus, especially since a version had been reported three years ago. As smoking guns go, it is not high caliber.."

Oy!

"Make Capitalism History"

Classic stuff out of, ummm, Europe.

Natalee

Toleja this would be a huge story.

Here is a recently-reported story about a woman who was found hiding in Kentucky after going missing in Texas seven years ago. It's amazing how many people vanish without a trace.

One thing about those "Liberals"...

...mentioned in the comments a couple posts back:

It seems to me that today's American Leftists today really AREN'T "Liberals". A true "Liberal", in the classic sense of the word, would revile the idea that (in the context of The Issue of Our Time) American prosperity trumps human rights elsewhere. "NO JUSTICE, NO PEACE" really meant something when it was being shouted by Liberals demanding an end to profits gained by investment in Apartheid. Today it's a slogan that Leftists yammer when they want to appear like they are seeking justice when what they really want is their lattes, chardonnays, mountain bikes, and Pell Grants and who really gives a shit if someone elsewhere cuts the tongues out of mouths that dare to utter dissent?

To be fair, that's a stance that has been taken by many of all political flavors over the years, and I am not necessarily convinced that it is either right or wrong.

The point is that "Eff the oppressed over there -- we're running up debt and cutting Arts programs!" is a distinctly illiberal view of America's role in the world.

Who we see today where the Liberals used to be are:

a) politicians and other shysters who know they can make a buck if they say the right words,

b) young people who think they understand the world, and

c) Leftists -- anti-property, anti-religion, anti-profits, anti-industrial Leftists.

Ain't a whole lot of Liberals around anymore, it seems to me.

George W. Bush - Avatar of Liberty

Johnathan R. at GOP Bloggers brings attention to the following news report from Azerbaijan:

About 10,000 opposition protesters chanted "Freedom!" and carried pictures of President Bush as they marched across Azerbaijan's capital Saturday, urging the government of this U.S. ally to step down and allow free parliamentary elections this year.

In anticipation of an in kind response from the left similar to their response to the Lebananese rally demanding an end to Syrian occupation (that has already taken place) which they vociferously denied had anything to do with liberation of Iraq or George W. Bush I present the following photo from Publius Pundit with accompanying text:



Some 10,000 anti-government protestors rallied in the capital of oil-rich Azerbaijan calling for regime change in the former Soviet republic on Saturday.

In the first opposition rally not to have been crushed by police since 2003 presidential polls ended in violence, protestors carried signs with the phrase “we want freedom” superimposed onto portraits of US president George W.
Bush.

The Azeri government has, in the past few weeks, really cracked down on opposition leaders and arrested hundreds of people.

So while the mainstream media in this country desperately attempts to turn Iraq into Vietnam by showing only our set backs and rarely if ever even acknowledging our successes, they have no influence over peoples affected by oppressive rule that have been inspired by our success in Iraq and Afghanistan and the free elections that same success has afforded those we have have liberated.

Reading the Words

With the Left desperately trying to pretend that they are a political ideology actually worthy of some respect, I think that the efforts of Mr. de Havilland and Mr. Shirazi cannot be spread out enough. There are too many people who forget that just a few years ago, the Left was doing anything and everything in it's power to prevent American success in the War on Terror. Mr. Shirazi has helpfully dug up some of the arguments the Left presented. Does anyone remember the "Afgan Pipeline" argument that the Leftists tried to put forward?

The antiwar press in Britain, however, was sane and rational when compared with the Asia Times, which describes itself as “a quality Internet-only publication” that looks at issues “from an Asian perspective”. Many of its articles, nonetheless, are written by authors whose names have a decidedly un-Asian ring to them, such as Pepe Escobar, a tawdry hack who styles himself as a “roving” international correspondent. In addition to flirting with 9-11 conspiracy stories, Escobar had no doubt whatever that the real objective of the military campaign in Afghanistan was to enable the construction of an oil pipeline from central Asia to the coast of Pakistan, thereby giving the US access to a vital non-OPEC oil source. Three years later the pipeline was triumphantly unveiled: unfortunately for “Pipeline Pepe” its route does not pass anywhere near Afghan territory, as indicated by the map helpfully printed in his article.

And yet, the Left will not admit that they were wrong, nor will they abandon the type of thinking that allowed them to be suckered into believing the pipeline story. Because at the root of their thinking, the USA is evil and any story that reinforces their point of view, no matter how preposterous, is held up as an example of just how bad they think the USA is.

Now the Left is trying to pretend that they never got suckered by that story, or any of the other stories that vindicated their drug-addled worldview. They're trying to pretend that they wanted the USA to win all along, and we need to hold up their words and rub their damn noses in it.

First Impressions

Hey everyone. Things are finally starting to come together down in sunny Puerto Rico. I won't go into detail with everything I've done and seen so far, but here are a few brief items that I've noticed so far.

Driving - the "rules of the road" down here are more like mild suggestions, which everyone promptly forgets the moment they get behind the wheel. Traffic lights, driving lanes, and speed limit signs are all things that native Puerto Ricans pay absolutely no attention to whatsoever. Driving in South Korea was worse, but this runs a close second. To survive down here you drive as if everyone is trying to kill you, which may or may not be the truth, but I can't tell from the way people act in their cars. In any case, take your average American, run him through a four-week no sleep speedball bender and then put him in a car. That would be your average Puerto Rican driver.

It's fucking HOT! I knew it was going to be hot and humid before I came down here, but knowing about the heat and humidity isn't anything like actually living in it. I'm drinking at least a gallon of water a day, most of the time it's more like two gallons. I sweat so much I turn into the human waterfall. Even the Puerto Ricans sweat down here. It's insane.

Once you get out of the city, it's beautiful. In the city, it looks like a bombed out third world country in some areas, and like a tourist trap in other areas, with a few nice looking areas mixed in for color. It's an odd mix. The country is beautiful. El Yunque Rain Forest was breathtaking.

Individuals down here are some of the most helpful people you can meet. Almost every person I've met on a one-on-one basis has been great. That being said, doing business with a company in this country makes me want to throw up. Puerto Rico Telephone acts like a communist run organization who regards their customers as a nuisance rather than actual customers. When the people in the company are almost hostile to you when you call up, you know that it's going to be a bitch. Nothing gets done without either a damn long wait, or a lot of yelling. The cable company was a bit better, and the base is paying for our electricity, thank goodness. That's one less hassle to deal with.

Oh, by the way, when a soldier starts talking about how dealing with the US Army is less hassle than the civilian equivalent, be scared. Be very, very scared.

And don't even get me started on the transportation company. Let's just say that I'm not allowed to talk to people in that office any more. My first line supervisor is going to do all the talking while I glower behind him. And I'm not the only person who's had problems with them, I'm just the latest in a long line of US soldiers. The guy before me was actually pushed out the door by his supervisor, who then came back and informed these people, "Listen, I have a pissed off sergeant who is about to go off, and if you don't give him his truck right now, I'm going to let him back in to do whatever the hell he wants."

It's probably a good thing that I'm going to be busy Monday. My wife will be picking up my truck, unless they get stupid and force me to come back to the office.

I need to brush up on news and politics, because I've spent the past month so damn busy that I haven't had time to breath, much less watch the news. We finally got cable TV installed, so that I can watch the news while I exercise in the morning. One thing that I do recall is Mad Howie Dean blathering to some group of fuckwits about the "dark plan that Republicans had for America".

I had to laugh. President Bush talks about freedom, and the Donks call it a dark plan. President Bush talks about owning your own retirement funds, and the Democrats call it a dark plan. Well, I guess when you're nothing but a fucking parasite who's entire life depends on you sucking off of my tax dollars, I suppose that me being allowed to keep my own money would be a dark plan for you.

President Bush nominates judges who actually follow the Constitution, and the Democrats call it a dark plan. Well, when you can't get your socialist dreams through congress, and can only enforce your ideology through judicial fiat, I suppose Constitutionalist judges are a pretty dark plan for you.

At this point, you can almost hear the Democrat Party's foundations cracking. But when you do nothing but pander to communist fuck-nozzles and anti-American shitheels, you're bound to have problems sooner or later. At this point, I can't say that I'm sad to see them destroy themselves. I just wonder who will spring up in their place.

So anyways, as you can see, I'm pretty much set up. You can expect regular posts from me again. I trust I'll have plenty to get outraged about.

Looked at Henry Aaron's hitting stats lately?

Probably not, why would you?

Well, I was surfing and came upon them. 1955 through 1973 inclusive, Aaron averaged about 145 of 160 games played per year and while doing so averaged about 35 homeruns a year. Just thought you'd wanna know.

War Torn Iraq

Pictures of the devastation born of our occupation (that the recentely elected Iraqi government just requested we maintain) --> Here Notice the high definition flat panel televisions. Mmmmmmmmm.

From the "Where Are They Now" files...

Jeff Baxter played psychedelic music with Ultimate Spinach, jazz-rock with Steely Dan and funky pop with the Doobie Brothers. But in the last few years he has made an even bigger transition: Mr. Baxter, who goes by the nickname "Skunk," has become one of the national-security world's well-known counterterrorism experts.

Baxter is the one with the facial hair.

WSJ.com - Rocker Jeff Baxter Moves and Shakes In National Security

Seen on Powerline

Lies and Damned Lies

Regarding those dual use facilities, equipment, and chemicals that were:

- dangerous when Rummy sold them to Iraq decades ago,

- ceased being dangerous when Bush Lied and People Died, and

- are now dangerous yet again:

AlphaPatriot has a solid post up. Make sure you read the linked AlphaPatriot (I almost just abbreviated "AP", then realized the undesirable connotation of same) post regarding Syria's Bekaa Valley. It's the kind of reporting one would once see reporters doing, back when reporters still reported.

U.N. - Weapons Equipment Missing in Iraq

Something else for the left to ignore:

He said the missing material can be used for legitimate purposes. "However, they can also be utilized for prohibited purposes if in a good state of repair."

Sure it could have been used for "legitimate purposes". But, seeing as Saddam felt it necessary to scuttle it away before the war, it obviously was not. As this is coming from the vaunted U.N. weapons inspectors, the fantasy based community will be confounded!

Missing in Aruba

Aruba's hunt for missing teen intensifies

Border Volunteers Not So Welcomed in Texas

The proverbial Money Quote:

"I don't think that there's any doubt that there's a tinge of racism beneath the surface in their attempt to try to stop immigrants from Mexico. Why don't they do that in Canada?"

-- Texas state Senator Juan "Chuy" Hinojosa (D)

Classic.

Yahoo! News

To the Gulag with him!

Oy!

One hundred days into his tenure as the high-energy, higher-decibel chairman of the Democratic Party, Howard Dean is in trouble with party moneybags. The former Vermont governor seems to be doing a better job flaying the Republicans than bridging the cash chasm between the parties. Given Dean's 2004 run as a populist crusader, moderates were never wild about his takeover of the Democratic National Committee. So some big donors are sitting on their wallets.

Oh, dear.

But hey just kidding about the Gulag - the vein popping twit will disappear himself just by running his yap. It's one thing that American Leftists are really and truly good at.



So long, Harmless!

Howard Dean's Raised Voice Isn't Raising Cash

About that Gulag....

Who is Amnesty International donating to?

Nothing beats rock

Drumwaster finds an interesting irony.

Buyin' votes...

...in East St. Louis:

She said Ellis, a party stalwart and then director of regulatory affairs, told Kern he was perceived in the predominantly-black community as a "racist' and might need to spend $10 per vote to get support. She said Ellis described a need "to pay the voters to come out."

Oy!

Gateway Pundit: ESL Makes Voter Fraud a Business

Seen on Instapundit

Circus Blogging

Went to a circus this past weekend. Here are some pics.


This guy was walking blindfolded on some rotating drum that was
about 30 feet up. Later, he and his wife did the old "motorcycles
in an iron sphere" thing.



Colonel Hanneford tries to mount his smiling horse just moments
after said horse had removed the good Colonel's pants.



This woman juggled hoops and flaming torches 25 feet above the
ring while suspended by her hair. It was great.



Pardon both my Fascism as well as my indelicacy, if you please,
but any comments regarding Molly Ivins, Barb Mikulski, and
Ted Kennedy sans strap-ons will be deleted as soon as i
stop laughing at them.


What a show!

Bosom Buddies

Tremendous pair of finds by Lee at Right Thinking.

Pacifism and the War

"Pacifism is objectively pro-Fascist. This is elementary common sense. If you hamper the war effort of one side you automatically help that of the other. Nor is there any real way of remaining outside such a war as the present one. In practice, ‘he that is not with me is against me’. The idea that you can somehow remain aloof from and superior to the struggle, while living on food which British sailors have to risk their lives to bring you, is a bourgeois illusion bred of money and security. Mr Savage remarks that ‘according to this type of reasoning, a German or Japanese pacifist would be “objectively pro-British”.’ But of course he would be! That is why pacifist activities are not permitted in those countries (in both of them the penalty is, or can be, beheading) while both the Germans and the Japanese do all they can to encourage the spread of pacifism in British and American territories. The Germans even run a spurious ‘freedom’ station which serves out pacifist propaganda indistinguishable from that of the P.P.U. They would stimulate pacifism in Russia as well if they could, but in that case they have tougher babies to deal with. In so far as it takes effect at all, pacifist propaganda can only be effective against those countries where a certain amount of freedom of speech is still permitted; in other words it is helpful to totalitarianism."

-- George Orwell

Poor little Lionel Tate

Really couldn't hold him accountable for killing that 6 year old girl, you know. Here's how Amnesty International UK covered the little darling's release from a life sentence for killing a girl he outweighed by 130 pounds:

While remaining fully mindful of the tragedy that befell Tiffany Eunick and her family, Amnesty International has campaigned on Lionel Tate's behalf since before his sentencing.

Lionel Tate's lawyer has asked for his thanks to be passed to all who took action on the teenager's behalf. In a message just received, the lawyer writes:

"Thanks again. Your entire organisation is to be commended for the help and assistance. Your organisation 'kept the spotlight' on this case and assisted us in favorably resolving this matter. Lionel shall be out of jail before his 17th birthday. Your support helped make the difference. Please let everyone know of our thanks. In light of the good work you all do, I trust we shall soon again join together to fight for children's lives."

The lawyer has also expressed his deep thanks for the 3,000 cards and letters for Lionel Tate from children and others that have been received at the lawyer's office, and which in themselves generated media attention in Florida.

Little Lionel's in trouble again.

Screw Newsweek

The Madison Avenue Maverick has a good thing going. They are keeping track of Newsreek's advertisers so you don't have to. Now you can voice your displeasure where it will not be ignored, and exercise your freedom of choice in how you spend your hard-earned money in a more informed way. (Dang! Both Microsoft and Apple are listed. Guess it's time to give Linux a try.) As the Maverick herself puts it, "Newsweek’s real customers are its advertisers. So as I see it, when our mainstream media starts to take after the late Lord Haw Haw, it’s time to take serious action. For now, that means encouraging Newsweek’s advertisers not to associate their brands with such an irresponsible, seditious media outlet."

Death of a Marine

On the day he died, Rafael Peralta was 25 years old, a Mexican immigrant from San Diego who had enlisted in the Marines as soon as he became a legal resident. He earned his citizenship while on active duty and re-upped in 2004. He was a Marine to the core, so meticulous that when Alpha Company was training in Kuwait, he would send his camouflage uniform out to be pressed.

He was no less passionate about his adopted country: His bedroom wall was adorned with a picture of his boot camp graduation and replicas of the Declaration of Independence and the Bill of Rights. ''Be proud of being an American," he wrote to his kid brother Ricardo, 14. ''Our father came to this country and became a citizen because it was the right place for our family to be." It was the first letter he ever wrote to Ricardo -- and the last. It arrived in San Diego the day after he died.

Go'head. Read more.

Jeff Jacoby: Death of a Marine

The Arlington Ladies

Amazing story.

ONE AFTERNOON towards the end of March, 200 mourners slowly trekked under a bright blue sky to the plot where 20-year-old Army Pfc. Michael Anthony Arciola was about to become the 123rd soldier killed during Operation Iraqi Freedom laid to rest at Arlington National Cemetery. Arciola, a recipient of both the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star, was shot and killed on patrol in Al Ramadi on February 15. The larger than usual crowd was no surprise. The young man had been so well loved in his hometown of Elmsford, New York, that more than a thousand people came to his memorial service there. Dying young carries with it an implicit sense of tragedy that draws people -- emotionally and physically -- to it.

Nevertheless, Pfc. Arciola was not the only one laid to rest that Friday at Arlington. Sixteen other servicemen, most of them veterans many years older than Arciola, were likewise buried. An average week at Arlington will see between 80 and 100 burials on its 612 acres, and the final week of March was within that margin. Arciola's funeral was the largest the cemetery had held in a few weeks. Others attracted dozens or fewer mourners. A smattering had no friends or loved ones in attendance at all.

As in most matters, however, the military prefers to focus on cohesion rather than dissension; on the ties that bind rather than the walls that separate. This is as true of funerals as it is of boot camp. Most people are aware of one aspect of this, the Honor Guard. But there is another unifying element, much less publicized than the 21-gun salute, but just as important in both a practical and symbolic sense. It comes in the form of a conservatively dressed woman who -- whether amongst a throng of mourners, seated alongside the family, or standing as the sole attendee -- is there to help shepherd the fallen soldier during his final mile.

These volunteer women are known as "The Arlington Ladies." They attend every funeral at Arlington to ensure, first and foremost, that no soldier is ever buried with no one in attendance, and second, to serve the needs of family members, whether they are present at the funeral or not.

Normally it isn't difficult to get someone to go on record about a noble pursuit. The first reaction to the prospect of a laudatory article is rarely reticence. But this group of no-nonsense women did not jump at the chance to talk about themselves. In fact, they were surprisingly difficult to track down at all. This is probably at least partially because the vast majority of Arlington Ladies are either retired servicewomen themselves or from military families, a culture not given to bragging.

"They don't seek publicity," Army Major Kevin Stroop, a regimental chaplain who performs funerals at Arlington, said. "What they do here is absolutely vital to our mission, but those moments they share with the families and our servicemen and women are intensely personal. The Arlington Ladies, as a group, really are committed to keeping those moments and their work sacred."

Amazing people.

The American Spectator

Have some Links

It seems to me that controlling our borders would be a priority in winning the WOT, therefore, I'm with these guys: Minuteman Project,
and these guys, too: Veterans for Secure Borders.

Here you will find an English translation of the al Qaeda training manual, wherein they are instructed to claim "abuse" upon release.

Here is a breakdown of the countries who armed Saddam's regime.

It wasn't very long ago that many prominent demonrats were making alarming claims about Saddam's WMD.

Let's not forget how the NY Times ran the story of the century, "Abu Ghraib," on their front page (almost all above the fold) for 32 consecutive days, yet they couldn't care less about the beheadings and other atrocities done by those on the other side.

Here is the text of the Geneva Conventions, which explicitly do NOT protect terrorists. To understand why the Geneva Conventions do not protect illegal combatants, please read this.

Here is the best 9-11 website ever created.

And finally, your required reading for today: Orson Scott Card. Enjoy.

Viva l'Evolution

Finally, a theory of evolution I can fully endorse. Via QuickRob's Weblog: "The wall between the reporter and the consumer is eroding. And, most fundamentally, the readers and the consumers are climbing that very wall and they are taking control of the flow of information. The filter is being removed from the system, and now the flow will be pure. What we do with it is up to us, but the new system…the blogging system, by it’s very nature should be able to sustain the purity of the information simply by the theory of evolution. What is false, and what is adulterated, will be discounted. A million minds at once will edit."

Kind of gives you a warm, fuzzy feeling inside, doesn't it?

Busy as hell

I apologise for not posting more, but I still don't even have a phone hooked up at my house yet.

As I've been told by many other soldiers down here, there's US Army time, meaning when you say 0900 hrs., you mean 0900 hrs., and then there's Puerto Rican time, which means if you say 0900 hrs., you mean "Maybe sometime today, but most likely a few days from now."

Yeah, my little type "A" personality ass is having a grand old time.

Other than that, things are going well. I'm enjoing all the fresh fruit down here, and I've lost an inch off my waist from all the excersize I've been doing. Once I have my own damn internet connection, I'll be back to posting on a regular basis. I just don't want you guys to think I've forgotten you.

I have some good news and some bad news

First the bad news: Despite earlier reports to the contrary, the New York Times now says that Zarqawi is feelin' fine. Now the good news: There is still a good chance of his capture and agonizing death by Bubba.

Update: According to this report, Zarqawi has limped across the border to Iran. Hmmm....What to do....

Iraq 'Human Shield' Challenges Fines

As well he should.

A peace activist who went to Iraq to serve as a "human shield" against the U.S. invasion is challenging $8,000 in federal fines. Ryan Clancy, 28, filed a lawsuit against the Treasury Department in federal court Thursday.

The department alleges Clancy went to Iraq in violation of sanctions and offered his services to the Iraqi government to shield its facilities from possible military action.

The charges seem like bullshit to me. To the United States Attornies I say "Drop the charges!"



I'm sure Ryan is positively itching to get back there and shield the markets and police stations.

Go get 'em, Tiger!

Yahoo! News

Onward, Christian Soldiers!

Or, at the very least: Prepare to Riot !!! *** So, if you think your Liturgy is bad

*** Incitement is figurative, not literal.

NBC clashes with Tom DeLay on Law & Order

Heh.

U.S. House of Representative Majority Leader Tom DeLay accused NBC on Thursday of slurring his name by including an unflattering reference to him on the NBC police drama "Law & Order: Criminal Intent."

DeLay's name surfaced on Wednesday night on the show's season finale, which centered on the fictional slayings of two judges by suspected right-wing extremists.

In the episode, police are frustrated by a lack of clues, leading one officer to quip, "Maybe we should put out an APB (all-points-bulletin) for somebody in a Tom DeLay T-shirt."

As I said: Heh.

But that's not the really funny part.

In a letter to NBC Universal Television Group President Jeff Zucker, DeLay wrote: "This manipulation of my name and trivialization of the sensitive issue of judicial security represents a reckless disregard for the suffering initiated by recent tragedies and a great disservice to public discourse."

The Texas Republican went on to suggest the "slur" against him was intended as a jab at comments he had made about "the need for Congress to closely monitor the federal judiciary."

NBC Entertainment President Kevin Reilly responded in a statement that the dialogue in question "was neither a political comment nor an accusation."

You got that?



Yahoo! News

It looks like The Onion...

...but it's not.

I remember when banning steak knives was a sneering and pointed joke trotted out by gun nuts to make a corollary point during gun control debate. Not no more.

Al Sharpton...

...exposed (safe for work).

Why there cannot be an old fashioned filibuster

I'm sure you've heard it suggested that we should "force Democrats to read from the phone book". That isn't going to happen.

It is important to understand that the old-fashioned filibuster of the '50s and '60s went by the boards when the rule to invoke cloture – the process of ending debate – was changed in 1975, from requiring a vote of two-thirds of those present, to a vote of three-fifths of all senators.

In the old days, if the Senate was held in session around the clock, the party wishing to block a vote had to be present because 51 senators are necessary to constitute a quorum. However, now that three-fifths of all 100 senators (60) must give their approval to end debate, it is no longer necessary for those wishing to hold up a vote to even be present.

Nobody said that breaking this filibuster would be easy. The way Senate rules are written, it is next to impossible to break one without some backroom deals – and Democrat leaders are not willing to deal.

So when you see someone suggest that Republicans could force Democrats to do this, show them that they cannot. This has always been about Democrat Obstruction. Any debates that have transpired since they began their unprecedented use of the filibuster is soo much smoke and mirrors. The filibuster is THE obstructionist's tool and the Democrats have been employing it with impunity.

[UPDATE - Tim:] Speaking of 1975, here are two quotes from the Congressional Record:

"It seems to me that a not-so-subtle difference, a profound different [sic], between 66 2/3 percent and a simple majority could be the different between an active, responsible U.S. Senate and one which is dominated by a small minority."

"May a majority of the Members of the Senate of the 94th Congress change the rules of the Senate, uninhibited by the past rules of the Senate? I firmly believe that the majority has such a right — as the U.S. Constitution, the precedents of this body, the inherent nature of our constitutional system, and the rulings of two previous Vice Presidents make clear."

Who uttered those two nuggets?

Walter Mondale

And the funny thing is that where the filibuster is concerned, they were against it before they were for it.

Pathological Liar Harry Reid

Democrat Minority Leader Harry Reid (moments ago) after a failed cloture vote to end debate on John Bolton (President Bush's nominee to be Ambassador to the U.N.):

Democrats are "not here to filibuster Bolton..."

Followed by Bill Frist calling the failed cloture motion a filibuster (because it is).

"This is the first filibuster that's been conducted in this Congress"

The FIRST?

What is a filibuster?

The use of obstructionist tactics, especially prolonged speechmaking, for the purpose of delaying legislative action.

When a bunch of Democrats vote against a motion to end debate of Mr. Bolton it's a filibuster. Reid later admits as much. How many filibusters do you think there have been in the 109th congress? Take bets. I'm hitting the congressional records.

Contstructive Critisism

Do I feel Republicans are above critisism? Nope. In the case of the recent compromise on the unprecedented filibuster of judicial nominees, there are seven of them deserving of wrath not just critisism. Then there are the other 48 Republican Senators that have done their best, stood on principle, and fought for a strong conservative agenda during their time as our elected representatives. Our elected representatives have limits set forth by the rules of the institutions in their charge. The good ones work within the rules to reach goals, the bad ones make up the rules as it suits them (like filibustering judicial nominees as a way to prevent them from attaining a vote on the Senate floor). If we spend all of our time tearing ourselves down because a small number of our elected representatives blew it for the whole all the while Democrats continue to tear our society apart at the seams, then we will not only get the electoral failure some (on our side) are predicting/hoping for, they will be responsible the damage that is done to our nation as a result. Advocates of the former as a means of punishing Republicans as a whole for the transgressions of a few should keep that in mind.

Dems Won't Take Part in Medicaid Panel

Jeez.

Democratic lawmakers said Thursday that they would not participate on a commission that will recommend how to trim Medicaid by $10 billion over the next five years.

What a cadre of babies. They sure do make it easy on the cartoonists.



Yahoo! News

Pentagon says detainee retracts Koran allegation

Rove must've gotten to him. Guantanamo Detainees Full Coverage on Yahoo! News

Linkdump

There Howard Dean Goes Again

Newspaper union leader: U.S. military targets journalists

Flag in a Trashcan



Have a nice day.

Strange Coincidences in Madrid

Readers remember, no doubt. 11 March 2004: a series of ten explosions aboard four commuter trains at the height of the Madrid rush hour, 101 dead, over 1,800 wounded. Find a compendium of information here, if you wish.

<

Moving images here.

Al Qaeda, right? That's what they say.

Yet a new theory is emerging.



Excerpt:

The cellphones used in the bombing came from a cellphone shop owned by Mausilli Kalaji, a Spanish police officer of Syrian descent, and a former member of Al Fatah, with strong ties to Palestine, [who was] trained in Russia as an intelligence agent, [and] whose sister is a police translator [who] was responsible for translating wiretaps on the terrorists before the attack. Kalaji's ex-wife is also a police officer, [who] was one of the first on the scene of the bombing, and [who] found the 13th backpack -- which had the disconnected wires and the easily traceable phone.

Hmmm. Who had more to gain by bombing train stations in Madrid in 2004? Al Qaeda? Or Spanish Leftists?

Black helicopter stuff? Maybe.

Read on: The Adventures of Chester: Strange Coincidences in Madrid

Pearls of Wisdom from the German Ambassador, and a Response from a Right Wing Wacko

Wolfgang Ischinger, German Ambassador to the United States, says: "As older societies, we tend to think of ourselves as more experienced in the way societies evolve, and we tend to be skeptical of Americans who seem to think that if you believe hard enough, and you muster enough resources, you can change the world...In the last year or so, as we've engaged in discussions about the transformation of the Middle East and democracy, I have told my American friends that the region in this world that has seen the most transformation and change is Central and Eastern Europe--without shedding a drop of blood. So don't preach to us. And don't think transformative change will work according to mechanistic rules. This is very complicated. Changing the way people think often has to do with religious and cultural issues--we tend to think of them as long-term, and Americans think, Let's solve the problem in the next four years!"

I would like to respond:
You, Mr. Ischinger, must be the most hypocritical man on the planet. “Four years?” “Without shedding a drop of blood?” What the hell are you talking about? Was it not Germany that invaded Poland and launched the world into war, requiring the Americans to destroy the vile and cancerous national socialist (i.e., Nazi) movement in Europe? Come to think of it, wasn’t it Germany that started both World Wars? If Germany hadn’t, in its great experience and wisdom, invaded every country in its vicinity, those poor eastern and central European countries wouldn’t have had to exist in a Soviet slave state for the ensuing 50 years, but because of Germany, they did, and more than a few drops of blood were shed. Millions of human beings in these central and eastern European states were butchered (and not just Jews) thanks in large part to the “experienced” Germans. And do you actually believe that it was the Germans that caused the U.S.S.R. to splinter, allowing the eastern bloc states to regain their identities and become free nations again? Hilarious! It was the U.S. that provided the sustained military and political pressure that caused the end of the Soviet Union, and it was the U.S. that provided economic assistance both to Russia and the eastern bloc countries in their transition towards democracy. The Cold War may not have had many spectacular battles (though the Korean and Vietnam Wars do ring a bell), but it was expensive and the United States bore its financial burden almost exclusively. The Europeans as a whole couldn’t even handle that bloody little spat in their backyard, in Bosnia and Kosovo. You had to call on the Americans to fix things. Why should we Americans shed our blood in Bosnia and Kosovo, we asked? Because Europe is a tinderbox and the conflict in this tiny part of Europe could spread. At great cost, both financially and in blood, Americans spent their treasure and continue to do so to protect European interests. Now, not after four years but after 60 years, the US has plans to finally pull its military out of Germany itself and guess who is kicking and screaming about it… the Germans! Talk about changing people’s minds! Guess what, ass-wipe, we Americans have been changing the world through blood, sweat and tears for a very long time now, not that you would give a damn. Don’t lecture us, Wolfgang.

[UPDATE FROM TIM]: I reckon one of the measures by which we can gauge "evolving societies" is how well they receive those who come from other societies. Insofar as Arabs are concerned (I suspect Ambassador Ischinger's remarks are based in part in what is happening in the Arab World) let's see:

In general, Muslims living in Europe—of which Arabs constitute a significant proportion—are poorer, less educated, and in worse health than the rest of the population. In the Netherlands, the unemployment rate for ethnic Moroccans is 22 percent, roughly four times the rate for the country as a whole. In Britain, the Muslim population has the highest unemployment rate of all religious groups. The failure of Arabs in Europe is particularly worrisome given that 10 of the states or entities along Europe’s eastern and southern borders are home to nearly 250 million Muslims—most of them Arabs—with a birthrate more than double that of Europeans.

So the Enlightened Evolving Societies of Europe really aren't handling Arab immigration well at all, are they. Golly.

And racist violent jingoistic hegemonic imperialistic capitalistic America?

How do we receive Arabs into our filthy and degrading culture?

Click to find out.

Define Extraordinary Circumstances!

Of these 14 Senators that signed on to the "compromise" we should be asking one question: How do you define "Extraordinary Circumstances". For if it is vague what the hell were they fighting for? It wasn't the nominees because the Democrats agreed to let some of the "radical" ones pass. It wasn't the principle because they have no principle to support their unprecedented filibuster of judicial nominees. So if it isn't these mysterious "extraordinary circumstances", then what the FUCK were the Democrats fighting for? Make them answer in specifics! Oh! And somebody inform Senator Warner that the only thing that happens when you end the unprecedented use of the filibuster to deny votes on judicial nominees, is that we return to the usual business of the Senate. Imagine that! As this great unknown was Mr. Warner's guiding principle (as stated) in this affair, his way should then be clear to vote in favor of ending the unprecedented obstruction by the Democrats.

Revenge of the RINOs

Could someone please explain to me what the repubs get out of the judicial filibuster compromise agreement? (See Roger L. Simon for the text. The comments are interesting, too.) What we seem to have here is seven RINOs selling out their party for a little media praise. "Good doggie." Fifty-five republicans in the senate and they have to get the 45 demonrats' permission to vote on a judicial nominee? Bah! So much for democracy. When it's 60 repubs in '06 will it make a difference you think? I wonder. How badly do the demonrats want to die as a serious political party? Do they honestly believe they can continue as the Party of No? Their media support isn't working anymore (more on that later). I'll tell you one thing, I am officially joining Patterico in his pledge: The next time John McCain runs for any elective office, I pledge to support his opponent. I know how scary that sounds, but I have had enough. If it's him against Darth Rodham in '08, I'm voting libertarian. I've had it. Any other republican, fine, but not McCain or any of these other seven RINOs (John Warner, Mike DeWine, Susan Collins, Olympia Snowe, Lindsey Graham, and Lincoln Chafee) who gave the demonrats what they wanted and got nothing of substance in return. Who are they to decide that these three judicial nominees get a vote and the rest do not? And Frist, he sure demonstrated what a leader he is, didn't he? What a hero. NOT. I wish I had written this letter. At any rate, tons of info and commentary on today's bit of political suicide out there in the blogosphere. I'll post a dozen or so links in the comments. Even Steven Den Beste is talking.

Update: Thomas Sowell nails it, again: "The most fundamental decision is: Who is to decide? Democratic self-rule is what Americans have fought and died for, for more than 200 years." It is depressing, but we need to face up to what just happened, and stop it from happening again.

In case you missed it

450 Economists on Reforming Social Security:

"More than four hundred-and-fifty of America's top economists, including Nobel laureates Milton Friedman, Robert Lucas, Robert Mundell, Edward Prescott and Vernon Smith, are calling for the nation's troubled Social Security system to be reformed by giving workers the option of shifting all or part of their payroll taxes into privately invested accounts."

Hey! Private accounts are one of the key ingredients in The Ryan-Sununu Bill. Ryan-Sununu also satisfies the recommendation of President George W. Bush. It's the Republican answer to the issue of Social Security solvency.

"Democrats should have a plan and they should talk to the president and Congressional Republicans about it." - Bill Clinton on ABC's Good morning America

Back to work...

Our media is selling hopelessness

Hi. This is my first post here, and I’ve been traveling a lot lately so this first post will just be some thoughts that have been rattling around in my brain for a few days. I am currently posting from the beautiful Pacific Ocean (I am literally on the beach right now), but one week ago I was in Potter County Pennsylvania for a funeral – no cell phone connectivity, no internet (Wi-Fi or otherwise), almost no TV. After an incredibly long day (two days with almost no sleep thanks to greeting and grieving with nearly every single resident of small-town, USA, and thanks also to the incredible wideness of this country of ours), I finally relaxed in my motel room (one of the two motels in Potter County, PA) and turned on the idiot box, and flipped through the channels (all 5 of them) and the only thing even mildly interesting on the boob tube is this See-BS evening “News” story on, I kid you not, “BS” (I was pretty tired at the time, but I think they used the actual word “bull-sh*t” and bleeped out the profanity about a thousand times). I’m not really surprised that no one in the blogosphere picked up on this event since the only people who still watch CBS News are those who have no other alternative, like the residents of Potter County. At any rate, this was Sunday evening, 5/15/05. Was this a self-parody, I wondered? Apparently not. This story seemed the absolute pinnacle of hypocrisy, but maybe I should not be so quick to judge. The upshot of the story seemed to be that we are, all of us, swimming in a sea of BS and those in power tend to be the best BSers (using as examples Clinton & Bush – Bush being the worse of the two because, get this, he actually is stupid enough to believe his own bull-sh*t). The implication was that there is nothing but bullsh*t in our modern world at least as portrayed by politicians and the media, nothing of substance, no truth, no reality, no hope of any kind, so we should just sit back, relax, and enjoy the bull-sh*t. Personally, if I want BS I’ll watch Comedy Central, but hey, maybe CBS producers have a plan. Perhaps See-BS is attempting to cement its position as America’s ultimate King of bull-sh*t, and defending itself from stiff competition from the likes of Newsweek magazine. Maybe there is still time for the New York Times or CNN to catch up. Who will win this race for the bottom of the port-a-potty? Has CBS become the official church of bull-sh*t? Is it any wonder that nobody is watching anymore?

Update: Oh, and speaking of Newsweek, just in case there was any misunderstanding or doubt whatsoever about Newsweek's duplicity, check out this Japanese edition of Newsweak. On its front cover, the American flag is proudly displayed in a trash-can and the headline, roughly translated from Japanese, states that America is dead. Get it? Koran in the toilet - BAD, American flag in the garbage - GOOD. Nice of them to clear up any lingering confusion for us. No?