On High Alert? Not So Much. In all the excitement over the "incident" yesterday in New York's subways my father noticed something more than a little alarming. As our media did it's best to make sure that if anything happened we would see very second of it live they also caught images of New York Cities finest. ANd what were these officers doing during this imminent crisis? You'd expect them to have their heads up, on the alert, scanning their surroundings for anything suspicious or threatening.

Instead what we saw was this,










and this,













and this.













New York City cops standing around, talking to and looking at each other. Way to maintain your situational awareness!  ¶ Saturday, October 08, 2005 4 comments

  What A Kid

"It all started last fall...when Dylan [DeSilva] and the others in his Boy Scout troop decided to send a package to Jared Farris, the son of one of his troop leaders, who was serving in Iraq. When Jared came back, he met with the Scouts to thank them for the package, and at that point, Dylan decided he was going to send Christmas packages to the soldiers. He [and his 3 siblings] spent the money they were going to use to buy Christmas presents on preparing six Christmas packages for soldiers.

Soldiers in Iraq send him the names of soldiers they know who never get letters or boxes from home so he can send them one. He's got plans to send out a lot of Christmas packages, and if anyone sends him a letter or e-mail with the name of a soldier, he puts that name down on the waiting list."

To date Dylan has sent more than 500 care packages to soldiers in Iraq, as well as over a dozen care packages to orphanages and schools in Iraq.

Tonight (Saturday, Oct. 8) he will be honored at a surprise dinner in his honor at the Veterans of Foreign Wars Hall in Provincetown,MA.

State Sen. Rob O'Leary will present Dylan a citation from the Senate. He will also receive plaques and presentations from representatives of the VFW, VFW Ladies Auxiliary and the US Marine Corps Reserve.

From The Cape Codder

  ¶ Saturday, October 08, 2005 0 comments

  Carville Finally Gets It James Carville, speaking at an event sponsored by Northwestern University (Evanston, IL) College Democrats: "Sometimes the problem with being a Democrat is being a Democrat."


  ¶ Friday, October 07, 2005 1 comments

    ¶ Friday, October 07, 2005 1 comments

  The Intolerance of the Left As if you needed more evidence of the rabid intolerance exhibited by the "tolerant, enlightened," anti-patriot Left, there's this from KOMO-TV in Seattle:

Ken Potts calls himself a patriot. That's what his front yard tells you too.
One flagpole flies the American flag. A second flagpole carries the banner of the Army's 101st Airborne. Even his mailbox on North 185th Street in Shoreline sports the image of the Airborne's screaming eagle.
"But he says that in the last year the mailbox has been blown up twice with fireworks. The house has been egged. Paint has been thrown on the house too. The flags have been torn down and ripped up more than once.
"And the 101st Airborne flag has had the word "murder" and a swastika written on it with a permanent marker. "It's really difficult for me to see something like this and not feel sad." Especially, he says, since the 101st led the charge in World War II to defeat Nazi Germany.
"In two-foot tall letters on the side of his house facing Meridian someone painted "Bush Nazis."
"This former soldier with three tours of Vietnam says he feels like his own freedom of speech is under attack. "When you have someone or a group of people who want to take that away from you, who probably didn't do a thing to defend them in the first place, it's really sad."
But to fight back he always puts new flags back on those front yard flagpoles.
"And he says he'll leave the spray painted "Bush Nazis" on the side of his house for a while to show people on this busy corner what tolerance "doesn't" look like.

And I thought some of the comments made by the ankle-biting trolls on this blog were bad!  ¶ Thursday, October 06, 2005 4 comments

  Read, Learn, Understand Francis Marion at "Where I Stand" has a passion. A passion for those prescient few who founded this nation and the documents they authored to preserve the dream of liberty.

On the Constitution: "Due to the inherent nature of men, when enough people gather there needs to be a governing body which can establish and, when needed, enforce these rules for the benefit of the group as a whole. Therefore, the purpose of government is to provide the least intrusive rules possible and to interfere with the business of the governed only when necessary.
"These men understood that the natural tendency of men in power is to abuse the power entrusted to them. They managed to overcome this tendency themselves and wrote a document that would help prevent this from destroying our society.
"[The U.S. Constitution] has the power to improve humanity to a degree only superseded by the word of God as recorded in scripture. It now stands as a beacon to oppressed peoples everywhere."

On the Declaration of Independence: "We hold these truths to be self-evident" ... "that all men (women included) are created equal." Note the word "created." We all start out naked but what we do after that is mostly up to us.
"that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness." Note the word "pursuit." This implies no guarantee, however, many seem to want to remove this word and complain that they did not receive an adequate hand-out.
"The declaration makes a statement that every leader should understand but few do, "deriving their just powers from the consent of the governed," or, the power always comes from the people. Without the consent of the people, whether through will or compulsion, the leader has no power. With this in mind, it is the responsibility of the governed to be informed."

I encourage you to do two things. First, go to "Where I Stand" and read more from this patriot and soldier. Second, follow his suggestion. Read the documents that are the foundation for this republic, learn what the words and ideas mean, and finally, understand the intent and the vision of the men who wrote those words and dreamed the dream that is America.   ¶ Thursday, October 06, 2005 0 comments

  Proud Parents Andi at "Andi's World" (Hell On Heels) passes on some news of patriotic parents of our military.

"Two weeks ago outside of Walter Reed Army Medical Center, I was fortunate enough to meet a wonderful woman, Becky Davis. Becky and her husband Ray are the proud parents of three sons, all of whom serve in the military.
Ray Davis: "There are people who want to kill my sons yet my sons are willing to step up and defend our way of life. I am extremely proud of the men they have become. I have a tremendous amount of respect for them. ... the antiwar folks keep referring to the kids in the military. I haven't met a kid yet. They are all men and women. Some of the finest I have ever met. They have met the people of Afghanistan and Iraq and they know they are doing a great thing for them. They understand the life these people lived and the hope they are giving them. ... For the troops their greatest pride comes from the schools they rebuild, the hospitals they have restored, helping Iraqis establish businesses for themselves. Their greatest pride is not in defeating Saddam Hussein but in helping to build a free Iraq."

Mr. Davis makes the same point I've tried to make to the woodenheads. These are not kids. They are adults and they are the best our country has. Certainly better than Hollywood stars or politicians. Better than those who criticize them while never having served themselves.  ¶ Thursday, October 06, 2005 0 comments

  Ground Truth on the "Quagmire" Recently I did a couple of brief posts (and here) offering statistics showing that the war in Iraq is not another Vietnam, in fact isn't even close. Some commenters took exception to that. Not providing any facts, mind you, just the typical rants.

Now, since most of these screamers aren't even qualified to address the issue of military service, much less the war in Iraq, I thought they might be able to learn a little something about this issue from some of the few who are qualified to compare the two "quagmires". Did you know there are soldiers in Iraq who served in Vietnam? Here's what they have to say about it:

...these graying soldiers and the other Vietnam veterans serving here offer a unique perspective. They say they are more optimistic this time: They see a clearer mission than in Vietnam, a more supportive public back home and an Iraqi population that seems to be growing friendlier toward Americans.
"In Vietnam, I don't think the local population ever understood that we were just there to help them," says Chief Warrant Officer James Miles, ... who flew UH-1H Hueys in Vietnam ... And the Vietcong and North Vietnamese were a tougher, more tenacious enemy, he says. Instead of setting off bombs outside the base, they'd be inside. "I knew we were going to lose Vietnam the day I walked off the plane," says Miles. ... Not this time. "There's no doubt in my mind that this was the right thing to do."

"There was a lot more action in Vietnam than there is here," says Chief Warrant Officer Herbert Dargue. ... "There's no such thing as a POW,"referring to the terrorists' penchant for executing Westerners. The enemy in Iraq has "absolutely no value" for life, Dargue says... Miles says the biggest difference he saw was that, over time, Iraqi civilians grew more positive toward U.S. forces.

1st Sgt. Patrick Olechny ... says the most important difference to him is the attitude of the American public. "Vietnam was an entirely different war than this one," he says. ... Now, "the people in the United States respect what the soldiers are doing."

Chief Warrant Officer DeWayne Browning , recently back from two weeks of R&R in the USA, says he was overwhelmed by the reception he got stateside: More than a hundred people met the airplane to help the soldiers and wish them well. "I can't tell you what, as a Vietnam vet, that means to me," he said.

For the Vietnam veterans, this is not a trip down memory lane ... At its peak the Vietnam War had more than three times as many on the ground as the roughly 140,000 in Iraq today. The new Army that these vets serve in is all volunteer. "With 36 years of perspective, I look at this one a whole lot differently than I look at that one," says Chief Warrant Officer Randy Weatherhead ... Compared to Vietnam, "this is probably more difficult. In the big picture, this is probably more important." In Iraq, one of his proudest activities is volunteer work at a nearby children's home.

So there you have it. Ground truth from those who've been on the ground ... in both wars!  ¶ Wednesday, October 05, 2005 0 comments

  Please Visit Camp Katrina Just received an e-mail from a soldier/comrade, Phil, who has been deployed to New Orleans, making a difference (As our soldiers always do!) in the wake of Hurricane Katrina.

"I am a soldier in the Army National Guard and recently returned from deployment in New Orleans in the wake of Hurricane Katrina. We have created a blog, Camp Katrina, which shares stories and pictures from soldiers who served in operation Vigilant Relief. ... I want to let the public know what a great job our military is doing in the south."

My pleasure, Phil, to help in whatever small way that I can. As I've mentioned before, my friend Clay and I have been volunteering at a local shelter for evacuees, so this is a cause close to my heart. Please go on over and read about these wonderful Americans and the great work they did coming to the rescue of their countrymen.

Here's a comment from one of Phil's readers, and beneficaries: "I met several [Ohio] MP's while I was working at the Fire Department in Nicholson, Mississippi. ... And do know that we all here in Mississippi have appreciated all that you have done and are still doing to help us get back to somewhat of a normal life again. Things are getting better as each day goes by."

Thank you Phil, and all your soldiers, for your spirit of volunteerism, service and sacrifice. It is appreciated by every real American.  ¶ Wednesday, October 05, 2005 0 comments

  Trouble Keeping Soldiers? No Way! Ma Deuce Gunner reports that,

"My brigade, the 116th Brigade Combat Team, made up of units from Idaho, Montana, Oregon, Utah, New Jersey, and California, currently owns the record for re-enlisting soldiers, out of any unit, Active Duty, Reserve or National Guard, during Operation Iraqi Freedom. ... As of right now, the 116th BCT has had 733 soldiers sign new 3 or 6 year contracts."
"I venture to say that this is a huge testament to the will of the army. Not the Army, the organization, but the army, the men and women who wear the uniform, no matter what branch. Knowing the adversity faced in combat, and the need for the constant defense of our nation, and having already experienced hardship, loss, and separation, a momentus number are willing to continue to be counted among the willing."

In light of so much liberal left "noise" about declining retention and enlistments, not to mention how our "poor boys" are being "lied to" and "deceived" just to get them into the military, I just want to say, "Hooah! Go Army!"  ¶ Tuesday, October 04, 2005 0 comments

  "A Little Piece of Home" From the Antelope Valley Press:

"Every soldier, sailor and Marine loves the American flag. It's what they fight for, it's what some die for. But as long as they're fighting overseas, members of American Legion Post 348 want those in uniform to have a flag of their own.

"That's why members of the post sat folding miniature flags Sunday. Each small folded triangle goes in a bag with a note that reads: "A flag for your pocket so you can always carry a little piece of home. We are praying for you and we are proud of you. Thank you for defending our country and our freedom."

"The idea to send the small flags came from an American Legion Ladies Auxiliary newsletter. Linda Hayes, Post 348's Ladies Auxiliary president, said she read about it and thought the Palmdale post could give it a shot. So on Sunday the back room of the American Legion was transformed into a workshop.

"Post Cmdr. Bobby Breech said getting extra help wasn't a problem. "We've got members coming in to watch the race or football game, so when the guys come in, we're going to throw a flag in front of them."

  ¶ Tuesday, October 04, 2005 0 comments

  US Soldier is "Sole" Provider From the Toledo Blade:

"When Bowling Green State University student Erin Vader decided to "adopt" an American soldier stationed in Iraq, she thought she'd just be writing him letters.
Instead, her pen pal's sole request - to send shoes for him to give to the Iraqi children he met - turned into a full-time project. Ms. Vader, 19, estimates several thousand pairs of shoes have been shipped to Sgt. Gilbert Zepeda through his "Soles for Souls" project.
"When I first got this soldier, I figured it was just writing letters, and within a week I had this huge project," Ms. Vader said. "I had to do it, though. I couldn't not send him the only thing he asked for...
"After asking for help from churches in Ohio and Michigan, the response just multiplied. Student organizations, scouting groups, motorcycle groups, and others jumped on board when they heard about it.
"Ed McKay, owner of the Mail Vault in Sylvania, read about Ms. Vader's efforts in The Blade and called her up to offer to ship the shoes to Iraq and to serve as the Toledo-area drop-off point for shoe donations."

So, to my Argentinian "friend," Anonymous, who asked, "Do you think that your country is the best country of the World?" Yes, I do, and this is why. Because we are the best country in the world, and we have the best military in the world. Not because of our high-tech weapons or superior training. Because we have the best, most compassionate and benevolent troops in the world supported by the best citizens in the world. Period.

Man, I'm proud to be an American, and nothing is EVER going to take that away from me. God bless America, our troops, and our President!  ¶ Tuesday, October 04, 2005 1 comments

  Iraq War Vet Seeks Texas Seat
Van Taylor, a 33 year-old Major in the Marine Reserves is making a bid for a seat in the US House.






He cites his experience in Iraq as a qualification, "The war on terror is going to be with us for a long time and Congress is going to grapple with the war on terror. We need policymakers who know what it means to make war."

As well as volunteering for service in the Marine Corps, Taylor also volunteered for challenging duty three different Marine Reconnaissance units. As a Captain in Iraq he served in the 2nd Force Reconnaissance Company, leading missions behind enemy lines for the Task Force Tarawa and leading the the Task Force’s first platoon to enter Iraq prior to the main invasion.
  ¶ Tuesday, October 04, 2005 0 comments

  River Gate & Iron Fist (AP) Some 2,500 U.S. troops along with Iraqi forces launched their second major offensive in western Iraq in a week Tuesday, sweeping into three towns to take them back from insurgents who had killed Marines there last month.

The assaults in western Iraq aim to put down al-Qaida in Iraq and other Sunni-led insurgent groups that have waged a campaign of violence aimed at wrecking a crucial Oct. 15 national vote on a new constitution.

The military launched its latest offensive in a cluster of cities in the Euphrates River valley about 140 miles northwest of Baghdad. Code-named "River Gate," it was the largest U.S. offensive in the troubled Anbar region of western Iraq this year, the military said. It also included hundreds of Iraqi troops, the largest such contingent of any of the offensives this year.

Airstrikes by U.S. warplanes and dozens of helicopters set off explosions that lit up Haqlaniyah, Parwana and Haditha before dawn Tuesday. Barrages of gunfire also were seen in the night sky. Large sections of Haqlaniyah's power were knocked out. Some of the strikes took out bridges across the Euphrates in the area to prevent militants from escaping over them into the desert.

The military launched a similar offensive on Saturday, 93 miles upriver, by the Syrian border. Operation "Iron Fist," which continued Tuesday, concentrated in the towns of Sadah, Karabilah and Rumana, aiming to uproot al-Qaida in Iraq insurgents who receive reinforcements and supplies from Syria. At least 57 militants have been killed in that operation.  ¶ Tuesday, October 04, 2005 0 comments

  Hoping for the Best

"It is the responsibility of every generation to be true to the founders' vision of the proper role of the courts and our society. If confirmed, I recognize that I will have a tremendous responsibility to keep our judicial system strong and to help ensure that the courts meet their obligations to strictly apply the laws and the constitution." - Harriet Miers, accepting the President's nomation

A lot of the word out there is that Miers will be a strict constuctionist. John Kerry fears she will, and that can only be a good thing.  ¶ Tuesday, October 04, 2005 0 comments

  Six Times "Worse" Than Bennett Bill Bennett, Wednesday, Sept. 28:

But I do know that it's true that if you wanted to reduce crime, you could--if that were your sole purpose--you could abort every black baby in this country, and your crime rate would go down. That would be an impossible, ridiculous, and morally reprehensible thing to do, but your crime rate would go down.

What did Bill Bennett really say? He said IF your SOLE PURPOSE were to reduce crime then aborting every African-American child would accomplish that. Of course, logically so would terminating every white baby or Hispanic baby. He went on to call such a thing "morally reprehensible."

If Bill Bennett said anything wrong (which he didn't) then Juan Williams is 6 times as bad AND a hypocrite. On "Fox News Sunday" here's what he had to say about the Bennett "much ado about nothing".

Let's count them:
1. "...maybe we should have abortions for every woman who has a history in her family of mental illness or anybody who has a disabled child..."
2. "...let's get rid of all the Christians, they certainly have been involved in lots of wars."
3. "How about the Jews?"
4. "We have trouble with older people in this country. Clearly, they, you know, cause a great burden on our Social Security system. Maybe we should do away with some of these older people."
5. "...maybe if we killed off these white people, we wouldn't have so many mass murders in America..."
6. "...a lot of these Jewish people have businesses and they dominate the academy, and therefore wouldn't it be better..."

So, by the logic of the left-wing, politically correct, race reactionaries in this country, every mentally ill person, every Christian, every Jew, every senior citizen, every Caucasian should be up in arms about Mr. Williams outrageous, bigoted, insensitive remarks.

How dare he even suggest such things!

"When white liberals berate white nonliberals for thinking about crime [or anything else] in racial terms, then, they are not acting in a way that actually promises to improve the lives of blacks. Rather, they are showing off their own putative moral superiority." (Thanks to Opinion Journal)  ¶ Monday, October 03, 2005 0 comments

  We Were Right! Need evidence that overthrowing Saddam Hussein was the right thing for America to do? Here's a list of the crimes his own people are preparing to try him on.

- The 1987-88 Anfal campaign, a depopulation plan in which hundreds of thousands of Kurds were killed or expelled from northern Iraq.
- Mortar bombardment of the city of Kirkuk.
- Saddam's suppression of a Shiite uprising following the first Gulf War, which resulted in thousands buried in mass graves.
- Forced emigration of thousands of Fayli (Shiite) Kurds, who were pushed from northern Iraq into Iran.
- The killing of an estimated 5,000 people in a 1988 chemical weapons attack on Halabja, a Kurdish town.
- The execution of 8,000 members of the Barzani tribe, a powerful Kurdish community.
- The 1990 invasion of Kuwait, which Iraqi forces occupied for seven months.
- Execution of prominent political and religious figures.
- Crimes against religious and secular political parties.
- The drying of the southern marshes, following the 1991 Shiite uprising, in which Saddam ordered the building of dams, canals and dikes to drain the Mesopotamian marshlands between the Tigris and Euphrates rivers.

This is pretty similar to a list I presented over at Wizbang! in response to some nimrod named "Conor"

[Saddam Hussein was] a tyrant who:
- had tortured, poisoned and murdered thousands of his own citizens
- committed genocide against ethnic groups (Kurds, Ma'dan, Shia) in his country
- invaded and warred against his neighbors
- developed and stockpiled numerous types of WMDs
- used WMDs against those neighbors and ethnic groups
- ruined vast areas of his country (the systematic attacks against the habitat of the Ma'dan or "Marsh Arabs" in Mesopotamia)
- built a nuclear reactor
- sought to attain an offensive nuclear capability
- violated numerous UN sanctions for 12 years
- committed acts of war and agression against the nations enforcing said sanctions
- repeatedly refused to allow inspections of his country to verify his compliance with said sanctions
- paid rewards to the families of "Palestinian" terrorists who murder innocent civilians
- provided safe haven to terrorists like Abu Nibal, while he trained the 9/11 hijacker Mohammed Atta in Baghdad
- maintaining diplomatic contacts with Al-Qaeda and the 9/11 hijackers
- used his own military instructors to train Al Qaeda operatives in Iraq
- impermissible discrimination in regard to fair and necessary distribution of food and health care to the people of Iraq.

More than enough reason to go to war against Saddam's regime and liberate the people of Iraq.

  ¶ Monday, October 03, 2005 3 comments

  What Does The Future Hold?
I had a chilling thought today. Since 9/11 I have been of the opinion that the reason we have not seen any other well-planned terrorist attacks against the US was because of our bold response in taking the war to the terrorists. In less than a month we had launched attacks against the Taliban and Al Qaeda targets in Afghanistan. From there we moved on to Iraq and overthrew Saddam Hussein's bloodthirsty dictatorship. From that point Lybia and other countries got a lot more congenial in their dealings with us.

Now anyone knows that the Department of Homeland Security is not the reason for the absence of attacks in the US. It's not because of the TSA and their vigilance in searching babies and senior citizens for any signs of terrorist intent. It's not because of our sensible policies on immigration and borders. I mean, we've got folks in the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Service exchanging green cards for sex. But I was sure it was because every terrorist group and rogue nation in the world was convinced that if they did stage an attack our response would be so swift, so devastating that it wouldn't be worth it. Now I'm not so sure.

This morning in Neal Boortz' "Neal's Nuze" he discussed the bombings in Bali this weekend. "Islam remains a violent religion, as these bombings show. At its core is a fragmented, fanatical leadership that believes that if you are a non-believer...if you aren't a Muslim, then you must die. There is nothing that can't be justified, including killing people, to promote the spread of Islam. ... It won't be long before Islamic suicide bombers are patrolling the restaurants and shopping malls of the United States." The last sentence made me think, "What if...?"

What if I'm right and terrorists haven't attacked the United States because they are afraid of the gunslinging cowboy we've got running the show? What if they are just biding their time?

Bush will be out of office in just over 3 years. There's a better than even chance that our next President will not hold to the Bush doctrine of "You are with us, or you are with the terrorists." In fact, our next President may be, God forbid, a spineless, appeasing Left-Wing Democrat.

Imagine the course of history if Al Gore had been in office on 9/11.
Imagine the course of the future if someone like Gore (or worse, someone like Hillary Clinton) is in office on January 21, 2009.  ¶ Monday, October 03, 2005 1 comments

  The Enemy Within A few days ago I got a comment from one of my regular ankle biters which I probably ought to contact the FBI about. Seems he wasn't content to follow the example of "Saint" Cindy & Mary Landrieu who both threatened to hit the President. He went even farther and said, "Personally, I believe that in the 22nd century, it will be said of President George W. Bush, "He was a (sic) incompetent puppet who was the first one up against the wall when the revolution came."(LINK)

I asked if he was suggesting a coup d'etat ... or worse. So far he hasn't answered, but I think he might like to hook up with some maniac called Raybin over at DailyKossack Raybin says, among other things:

"Nothing will change. Not unless it comes in the form of something akin to the French Revolution.
"We need terror. We need horror. We need the streets running awash in rivers of blood of these thugs and criminals and zealots. ... (It's obvious to me from the context that the thugs, criminals & zealots he refers to are those patriots who understand that this is a war for our survival.)
"When y'all want to start throwing molotovs and sniping from windows come and talk to me."

And not only is Raybin a maniac. He's apparently an unhinged crybaby, too.

"My mental state is collapsing and deteriorating almost daily. It's so consistent you could practically graph it. My life is falling apart at an equally alarming rate, and yet I feel like doing nothing to salvage it....
"See what I'm talking about? I've gone from cynicism to hatred to sadness in a few paragraphs. I'm a broken shell of what I used to be. Like Humpty Dumpty, I also doubt very seriously if I can ever be put back together. I'm dissatisfied and miserable beyond measure and no amount of medication, therapy, or vacation seems able to change that."

I hope somebody who knows this nutcase will get him some professional help, or better yet, get him locked up where he can't hurt anyone. Then call the FBI and the Secret Service. When they're done with Raybin I know someone else they should check out.

What is simply ludicrous is that these are the people who expect us to listen to them. These are the ones who pretend to be tolerant, reasonable and enlightened. All the while they wear Che Guevara t-shirts and wave Palestinian flags. Sorry folks, Jefferson never said, "Dissent is the highest form of patriotism," because it isn't. And what these folks are advocating isn't dissent, it's sedition.   ¶ Saturday, October 01, 2005 0 comments