See The Real Iraq Recently I posted about Michael Totten's blog. He has been travelling in Iraq. He has some great reporting and some fantastic pictures, so please go over and take a look.  ¶ Sunday, February 26, 2006 0 comments

  On The UAE Deal "This has raised the obvious question of whether we want our ports, through which a nuclear bomb could come, handled by a country two of whose nationals flew into the South Tower on 9/11 and which has a history of laundering money and nuclear secrets from bad guys to worse guys. ...

The greater and more immediate danger is that as soon as the Dubai company takes over operations, it will necessarily become privy to information about security provisions at crucial U.S. ports. That would mean a transfer of information about our security operations -- and perhaps even worse, about the holes in our security operations -- to a company in an Arab state in which there might be employees who, for reasons of corruption or ideology, would pass this invaluable knowledge on to al Qaeda-types." - Charles Krauthammer  ¶ Sunday, February 26, 2006 1 comments

  Convince Me When Nixon said, "I am not a crook," he was lying.

When Clinton said, "I did not have sexual relations with that woman, Miss Lewinsky," he was lying.

When Johnson told us our patrol boats in the Tonkin Gulf were the victims of unprovoked attacks, he was lying.

So why should we believe President Bush when he tells us this port deal with Dubai Ports World has been thoroughly examined and represents no threat to our safety and security?  ¶ Friday, February 24, 2006 3 comments

  Why Morales Should Die This what Terri Lynn Winchell's murderer did to her in 1981.

Morales suddenly cinched his belt around Winchell's neck and began strangling her. She fought back fiercely. The belt broke, so he pulled out the hammer and began bashing her head. She screamed ... and attempted to fight off the attack, ripping her own hair out of her scalp in the struggle. Morales ... smashed her 23 times in the head, crushing the base of her neck and bloodying her arms and hands as she tried to ward off the blows. ... Morales dragged the still-unconscious Winchell face-down across the road into a vineyard ... stripped her of everything but her sweater and bra, which he pulled up to her neck. Then he flipped her onto her back and raped her in the dirt. Just before he headed back to the road, he plunged his knife four times into her chest to make sure she was dead.

Now, tell me again why Michael Morales deserves to take even one more breath? He's stolen air from the rest of us for 25 years too many.  ¶ Friday, February 24, 2006 2 comments

  Hillary Clinton ... wants Dick Cheney to give exact details. You know like, "How do you shoot someone and make it look like an accident?" - Jay Leno

(Vince Foster could not be reached for comment.)

One can only hope ... Cheney will be hounded from public life the way [Ted] Kennedy was all those years ago. One would hate to think folks would just let it slide and three decades from now this Cheney guy will be sitting on some committee picking Supreme Court justices and whatnot. - Mark Steyn

(Mary Jo Kopechne could not be reached for comment.)  ¶ Thursday, February 23, 2006 1 comments

 

















Thanks to TechniGuy!  ¶ Monday, February 20, 2006 4 comments

  PETA to Cheney: Good work!

"...we hope that Vice President Dick Cheney and the whole hunting fraternity will reconsider hunting for the benefit of both humans and animals." - PETA Press Release

PETA is right! Because hunting does benefit both humans and animals.

Through the Pittman-Robertson Act of 1937 hunters have contributed over 4 billion dollars for the benefit of wildlife species. This money has gone toward the purchase of millions of acres of public lands for the benefit of wildlife.Through membership and support of more than 10,000 clubs and organizations like the NRA, Ducks Unlimited, Safari Club International, National Wild Turkey Federation, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation and Quail Unlimited, hunters create $300 million in revenue per year for wildlife conservation.Hunters and fishermen also provide the funding for almost 75% of the annual income of the conservation agencies of all 50 states. License fees and excise taxes charged to sportsmen on arms, ammo and other gear raises another $200 million per year. That's a lot of money for wildlife conservation.

Hunting is a wildlife management tool and prevents degradation of environment and habitat types. Excessive numbers of large herbivores (deer, elk, moose) can cause negative effects such as increased soil erosion, reduced tree seedling growth and decreased songbird populations. In many cases hunting is the only practical way of reducing and preventing these negative trends.

In the 1990s, Fox Chapel, PA discovered the deer population had exploded. They discovered they had 103 deer per square mile, or more than ten times what they considered the ideal herd size. The only sensible way of controlling the herd size was by hunting. Since the hunting program began deer numbers have been reduced by nearly 50% and auto/deer collisions have dropped by 75%. The herd size is still much higher than the 5-10 per square mile ideal size, but the situation has improved.

So thank you, PETA, for pointing out what many of us have known all along. Hunting benefits both humans and animals!

Thanks to Doll for pointing me to the press release!

  ¶ Sunday, February 19, 2006 5 comments

  Everyday Is Flag Day "At home in America, when today reaches them it will be Flag Day. For us who wear the uniform every day is Flag Day. It is said that there will be no more wars. We must pretend to believe that. But when war comes, it is we who will take the first shock, and buy time with our lives. It is we who keep the Faith...We serve the Flag."
From "The Sand Pebbles"

Thanks to Every Day Is Flag Day  ¶ Friday, February 17, 2006 2 comments

  Photos Not News, Nor Newsworthy Australia's Special Broadcasting Service has broadcast previously unreleased photos from Abu Ghraib. Photos that, while more graphic and disturbing than those previously seen, were taken three years ago. There are no "new" images. All of them were turned over to U.S. military auhtorities in 2004. Punishment has been meted out. The issue should be closed.

Why is this news? Is there any motive behind this release other than the obvious, to evoke controversy and outrage? Especially in light of the recent uproar over the Danish cartoon fiasco?

More importantly, the Iraqi government is not happy with the release of the pictures. "Why use them? Why show them?" asked Human Rights Minister, Nermine Othman. "We have had enough suffering and we don't want any more."  ¶ Thursday, February 16, 2006 0 comments

  The Truth Michael Totten has just returned from a visit to Iraq. His words fly in the face of most of the anti-war, anti-America propaganda foisted on us by the "mainstream" media.

"It’s astonishing. It’s probably the most pro-American place in the world. Certainly the most pro-American place I’ve ever been."  ¶ Thursday, February 16, 2006 0 comments

  Public Enemy? As my friend Snow pointed out, Dick Cheney's guns have killed fewer people than Ted Kennedy's car.  ¶ Thursday, February 16, 2006 1 comments

  Conspiracy Theorists Unite Wow, and the Left wonders why normal people think they're nuts!

"Accident my eye. Or rather, Harry Whittington's eye.
If you believe it was just an accident that Vice President Dick Cheney shot his hunting companion last weekend, you obviously have never seen "The Godfather" movies.
Just as surely as a fish wrapped in a bulletproof vest means "Luca Brasi sleeps with the fishes," that shotgun blast to Whittington's face was meant to convey that I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby had better bite his tongue and forget about testifying against Cheney, his former boss, in the Valerie Plame spy case."
- Barry Saunders, Staff Writer, Raleigh News Observer  ¶ Thursday, February 16, 2006 0 comments

  The Media Elite "In the absence of any pressing news these days -- other than Iran's nuclear weapons development crisis, the election of Hamas terrorists in Palestine, on-going worldwide Muslim riots and killing in reaction to a cartoon, Al Gore's near sedition while speaking in Saudi Arabia, the turning over of our East Coast ports to be managed by a United Arab Emirates firm, the criminal leaking of vital NSA secrets to the New York Times, Mexican military incursions across our southern border, the Iraqi crisis, Congress's refusal to deal with the developing financial collapse of Social Security and Medicare, ... -- the White House press corps has exploded in righteous fury over the question of the vice president's little shooting party last weekend.
As I understand the profound concern of the ever alert White House reporters, they smell a constitutional crisis because the shooting party failed to alert the media of the accidental shooting down in Corpus Christi, Texas. Well, actually they did alert the Corpus Christi media — but that didn't count. Unless the exalted ones have been formally informed by an official government press secretary, no public communication has technically occurred....
When an out-of-town newspaper got the scoop, the dignity of the White House press corps had been impeached, so they threw a public temper tantrum. ...
[The] Washington press corps, and particularly the White House press corps, has developed, as an institution, a grossly dilated view of itself. Most of us can tolerate arrogance, if it is accompanied by extraordinary capacity and virtuosity. The brilliant scientist, the war-winning general, the great artists are entitled to their pride.
But the hallmark of the Washington press corps these days is mediocrity, groupthink, a lack of curiosity and rampant careerism.
...
We live at a moment of revolutionary change in the international order. The rise and violence of radical, possibly caliphate-forming Islam and the huge, culture-changing, unexamined consequences of rampant globalization make the present one of the least predictable moments to be alive.
... We need the kind of future-oriented intellectual vigor, curiosity and genuine iconoclasm that typified American reporters in the first half of the last century.
Instead, as the shooting-party incident exemplified, we have in the White House at the most elite level of American journalism, self-absorbed, self-important men and women who stand on their prerogatives even over marginal and inconsequential matters.
Should they ever have a truly daring, creative, productive, hard-researched idea about what is going on in this dangerous world — they should alert the media."
Excerpts from "The shooting party" - Tony Blankley - The Washington Times  ¶ Thursday, February 16, 2006 1 comments

  "The only men on earth worth their time on earth are those who are willing to fight for other men."  ¶ Wednesday, February 15, 2006 0 comments

  Letter to the Lion Hearts Since the media devotes itself to stories of doom and gloom in Iraq they may or may not give the following the coverage it deserves. You hear that the Iraqis don't want us in their country and we are failing in the battle to win their hearts and minds. This letter certainly seems to contradict that somewhat.







Tal Afar Mayor Najim Abadullah Al-Jibouri with Lt. Col. Christopher Hickey and Col. H.R. McMaster of the 3rd ACR

"In the Name of God the Compassionate and Merciful
To the Courageous Men and Women of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who have changed the city of Tall'Afar from a ghost town, in which terrorists spread death and destruction, to a secure city flourishing with life.
To the lion-hearts who liberated our city from the grasp of terrorists who were beheading men, women and children in the streets for many months.
To those who spread smiles on the faces of our children, and gave us restored hope, through their personal sacrifice and brave fighting, and gave new life to the city after hopelessness darkened our days, and stole our confidence in our ability to reestablish our city.
Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpsesof children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of Zarqawi's followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zuma and Avgani finally destroyed them.
I have met many soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment; they are not only courageous men and women, but avenging angels sent by The God Himself to fight the evil of terrorism.
Officers and soldiers alike bristle with the confidence and character of knights in a bygone era. The mission they have accomplished, by means of a unique military operation, stands among the finest military feats to date in Operation Iraqi Freedom, and truly deserves to be studied in military science. This military operation was clean, with little collateral damage, despite the ferocity of the enemy. With the skill and precision of surgeons they dealt with the terrorist cancers in the city without causing unnecessary damage.
God bless this brave Regiment; God bless the families who dedicated these brave men and women. From the bottom of our hearts we thank the families. They have given us something we will never forget. To the families of those who have given their holy blood for our land, we all bow to you in reverence and to the souls of your loved ones. Their sacrifice was not in vain. They are not dead, but alive, and their souls hovering around us every second of every minute.
They will never be forgotten for giving their precious lives. They have sacrificed that which is most valuable. We see them in the smile of every child, and inevery flower growing in this land. Let America, their families, and the world be proud of their sacrifice for humanity and life.
Finally, no matter how much I write or speak about this brave Regiment, I haven't the words to describe the courage of its officers and soldiers. I pray to God to grant happiness and health to these legendary heroes and their brave families."

Najim Abadullah al Jibouri
Mayor of Tal 'Afar, Ninewa,Iraq

The soldiers of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment so impressed the people of Tal Afar that Mayor al Jibouri wrote to President Bush and Gen. George Casey asking that the units tour be extended. Al Jibouri said the American cavalrymen in Tal Afar had conducted "the best operation in Iraq, with none of the big destruction like in Fallujah. ... Go look in our city. The children run after the American officers. They know their names. These men are heroes in Tal Afar."  ¶ Wednesday, February 15, 2006 1 comments

  Holy Jihad, Batman! Osama watch out! The Dark Knight, the Caped Crusader, the World's Greatest Detective is joining the war on terrorists.










According to legendary comics artist and writer Frank Miller, whose reinvention of the classic character revived the franchise in the late 1980's, "Batman kicks al Qaeda's a**!"

In Miller's "Holy Terror, Batman!" Bruce Wayne's alter ego takes on Osama bin Laden and al Qaeda after terrorists attack Gotham City. "Emotionally, it's really raw. Imagine the powerful rage when someone crosses the passion between ... a man and his city.

"The Greeks had their gods and heroes. We have ours. ... What are they there for? ... Superman punched out Hitler. So did Captain America. That's one of the things they're there for," Miller said. "These are our folk heroes. It just seems silly to chase around the Riddler when you've got al Qaeda out there."

Miller said his anger over Sept. 11th and acts of terror around the world since inspired this latest project. He has completed about 60% of the graphic novel and release is expected in 2007. "Not to put too fine a point on it -- it's a piece of propaganda," Miller said, addressing about 1,000 fans at San Francisco's Wondercon comic convention.

I say, welcome to the fight, Batman!  ¶ Tuesday, February 14, 2006 0 comments

  Without Fear or Favor Many newspapers used to carry a motto, usually on their front page or with the editorial credits. "Published without fear or favor." It was supposed to indicated that the presses integrity and belief in the freedom of the press, as well as their responsibility was absolute and could not be swayed.

Well, no more. Case in point, have you seen "the" cartoons? You know the ones, of Mohammed. The ones that are SO offensive to Muslims. The ones that violate the imaginary prohibition against images of the "prophet?" You won't see them in the American press or media. Have you tried to find them elsewhere, say on the Internet. It isn't easy.

Why? Why won't the American media and press, the freest in all the world, show them to us? The decision by a Danish paper to publish them in the first place may not have been the brightest move ever. But now they are news. We've been shown amateur video of President Kennedy being murdered infinite times. We've seen footage of South Vitnamese General Nguyen Ngoc Loan summarily execute a Viet Cong prisoner on the streets of Siagon over and over and over. We've seen our soldiers bodies stripped and dragged through the streets of Mogadishu. We've seen the burned bodies of American civilians hung from bridges in Fallujah.

But we can't see these stupid cartoons? Why not? Bob Lonsberry has a few ideas about it.

"Publishing them first was a questionable call.
But publishing them now is not.
Now it’s not commentary, it’s news. These cartoons are the root of an international incident which is costing people their lives every day. Relations across the world are shaken by these cartoons.
And it only makes sense that people – American people – be allowed to see those cartoons, if only to be better able to judge the propriety – or impropriety – of the worldwide Muslim response. Basic news judgment indicates that we ought to be able to see what all the fuss is about. ...
"Is there a double standard at play here, which puts Muslim sensibilities above the responsibility of the free press? Do the networks care more about Muslims than they do viewers? Is this political correctness, another kissing of the Muslim backside?
Or is this outright cowardice? Are the American news organizations just spineless? Do they fear being targeted by Muslim protests or Muslim terrorism? Are their principles so cheap that they can be sold over some silly editorial cartoons?
It seems so."

One more thing, when our countrymen's bodies were defiled by savages in the streets of Somalia and Iraq we didn't riot. We didn't burn embassies. We didn't kill innocent people. We didn't even rain vengeance down on those responsible.

Which in my opinion makes us at least a little better than the radical Muslim thugs who are in such a snit over these ridiculous cartoons.  ¶ Sunday, February 12, 2006 1 comments

  Is It Any Wonder... ...That hardly anyone believes the lies thrown about by the liberals and their media?

Dadmanly gives this example from an AP story on Lewis "Scooter" Libby: "Wilson's revelations cast doubt on President Bush's claim in his 2003 State of the Union address that Niger had sold uranium to Iraq to develop a nuclear weapon as one of the administration's key justifications for going to war in Iraq."

As Dad so aptly points out, Bush never said any such thing. You'd think people at the AP would be concerned with facts. You'd be wrong.

What did Bush actually say? Here are "the 16 words": "The British government has learned that Saddam Hussein recently sought significant quantities of uranium from Africa."

Sought. From Africa. Not "bought." Not "Niger." But the liberals just can't let this one go. Like the bogus National Guard memos, they consider it "fake but accurate."

Personally, I enjoy it every time I read it. Just like when they claim bush didn't win the 2000 election it just makes them look even worse. (Is that possible?)  ¶ Saturday, February 11, 2006 0 comments

  Check out Championable I've been enjoying a blog that I discovered through Blog Explosion.
Rich at Championable is, in many ways, a liberal. But he's not a blithering idiot about it. (At least not that I've seen so far!)

Be warned, he is given to dropping the "F-bomb" on occasion, but I think you'll find he makes sense on occasion too. Plus he loves his wife and kids like mad, so you've got to appreciate that!  ¶ Friday, February 10, 2006 0 comments

  Liberal Stands For ... Well, Nothing Don't you love it when you're talking to a liberal certain liberals and they finally say enough that you can catch them in an anaccuracy or an outright lie. When they finally open their mouth enough that they begin proving your point, what do they do? They hide, of course. Or in the blogosphere they just begin deleting your statements. I can't tell you the number of times I've had comments deleted by some of the cowards in my "In The Wrong..." list to the right. Of course they usually lie again and say, "I deleted it for profanity." Or, "It must not have posted."

Yeah, these people who don't even have the courage to engage in free and open discourse on a subject want to pretend that they're the champions of free speech. That's who we need running our country. They love to argue, as long as they can convince themselves they're winning. As soon as it becomes obvious their position resembles a sieve they're off and running.  ¶ Friday, February 10, 2006 3 comments

  My New Home For The Week I am renting space over at VZLNO's Blog this week.

VZLNO is a Systems Engineer who likes to tinker with Linux (UBUNTU) in his spare time. He enjoys writing about current affairs. He is also an undergrad Criminal Justice student.

Enjoy!  ¶ Thursday, February 09, 2006 0 comments

  Take That, Liberal Weenies This man is awesome. Want to see a real warrior put the mealy-mouthed Democratic politicians in their place? Click the picture below and go watch the clip of General Louis C. Wagner letting Representative Jim Moran (D. Virginia) have it with both barrels.

I love Moran's response. Straight out of the DNC talking points. ("Well... uh... Ge.. General... uh.. uh.. we're not gonna end... uh... I'll respond. But..., um... I.. I...") While still looking like a dear in the headlights, Moran then mumbled something about respecting Gen. Wagner's point of view and his service. At this point Gen. Wagner turned on his heel and walked out in disgust.

Of note, Gen. Wagner's questions came after comments from Sergeant Mark Seavey, a veteran of Operation Enduring Freedom. "I keep hearing you say how you talk to the troops and the troops are demoralized, and I really resent that characterization," Seavey said. "The morale of the troops that I talk to is phenomenal, which is why my troops are volunteering to go back, despite the hardships they had to endure in Afghanistan.
"And Congressman Moran, 200 of your constituents just returned from Afghanistan. We never got a letter from you. We never got a visit from you. You didn't come to our homecoming. The only thing we got from any of our elected officials was one letter from the governor of this state thanking us for our service in Iraq, when we were in Afghanistan. That's reprehensible."

Moran's response? "That wasn't in the form of a question, it was in the form of a statement. But, uhh... let's go over here." And he took the next question.  ¶ Thursday, February 09, 2006 7 comments

  Sure It Is... Check it out: The Religion of Peace.com

Islamic Attacks from September 11th, 2001 through 2003
Islamic Terror Attacks for 2004
Islamic Terror Attacks for 2005
Islamic Terror Attacks for the Past 6 Months

Nuff said!  ¶ Wednesday, February 08, 2006 2 comments

  Remember, Islam Means Peace Poor Mark. Apparently he felt I wasn't presenting a balanced picture of the protests in London over the Danish cartoon issue. The following are representative of the photos I was able to find from the event.


Pictures don't lie. How about those peaceful slogans? "Freedom Go To Hell" "Behead (and Kill and Exterminate) Those Who Insult Islam" and my favorite expression of tolerance and peacefulness, "Europe You Will Pay, Your 3/11 Is On Its Way!!!"

And here are the local law enforcement personnel hard at work making sure the protest doesn't get violent.

Oh, wait a second. That's just them infringing on the freedom of the press.

But perhaps this is just my "racist unchristian bigotry" coming out again, as Mark calls it. How can this be racist? Islam is a "religion," not a race. (And he says I need to get out more!)  ¶ Wednesday, February 08, 2006 2 comments

  Don't Call Us Violent (Or We'll Kill You!) Where to begin? It's becoming a familiar pattern, isn't it? Someone speaks critically of Islam or Muslims, perhaps raising the issue of the violence they seem to perpetrate around the world. Next, violent protests against said critics erupt among Muslims in every nation. And thus the critic's point is proven.

The latest fiasco in this cycle is the uproar over some cartoons published in a Danish newspaper. Islam alledgedly forbids any visual depiction of it's revered founder and "prophet." There is, by the way, no such injunction in the Quran. In fact, over the centuries many Muslim artists have created portraits of Muhammed, often commisioned by Muslim rulers. Many such works can be viewed in museums in Muslim countries. In fact one likeness is a sculpture on the building of the U.S. Supreme Court, honoring the "prophet" as a great lawgiver. Some of the cartoons did make reference to Islam's reputation for violent extremism. Of course, Mohammed's mild-mannered devotees worldwide were suitably incensed and began protesting, rioting, burning, killing. The usual.

As George Neumayr writes in National Review, "Only radical Muslims would consider rioting a rational rebuttal to descriptions of Islam as violent. … Western society falls silent lest its criticism of Islam result in an explosion of anger validating the criticism. ...Islamic protests … are designed to stifle legitimate criticism of radical Islam's undeniably violent history and designs — criticism that receives fresh evidence from the wildly intemperate anger it stokes."

A few interesting points to ponder: First, the cartoons at the heart of this latest Muslim firestorm were published in September. Why has it taken four months for this protest to take shape? (And how did Danish flags become available so widely, ready for burning? Could it be a conspiarcy?)

Second, last November, a delegation was formed by Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban, a Palestinian decribed as "one of Denmark's most prominent Imams." This group toured the Middle East, discussing the issue of these cartoons with senior officials and prominent Islamic scholars. The stated purpose was to "internationalize this issue." Sounds legitimate. Until it is revealed that the delegation fabricated additional cartoons, including one that shows Mohammed with the face of a pig. These were included in a booklet with the authentic cartoons from the Danish newspaper. Why? To deliberately intensify the controversy and offense. To maliciously provoke more outrage in the Muslim world.

Third, these fabricated cartoons were created by the delegation. And in Abu Laban's own words "mockery against Mohamed deserves the death penalty." So, why has there not been a fatwah issued against Abu Laban?

Finally, in a classic double standard Abu Laban has praised the Muslim boycott of Danish products on al Jazeera, but has condemned the same boycott on Danish TV.

"If I needlessly offend my neighbor, shame on me," writes Jonah Goldberg. "If, in response, he burns down my house and threatens to murder my entire family, who cares what I said in the first place?" Of course, this was never about the cartoons. It's not even about being offended or apologies. It is about violent, hatefilled extremists trying to intimidate the entire world into handling them with kid gloves.

So, while Abu Laban saves his own skin through political doublespeak, he fosters the belief that Muslims are violent radicals. And the death toll continues to rise.

But just remember folks, Islam means "Peace"!

Links to other sites:
Abu Laban - Serpent of Denmark
ABU LABAN: BLASPHEMER
Fake, but Accurate 2.0
Danish Imam Abu Laban - Provocateur
Imam Ahmad Abu Laban Exposed as Fraud
How Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban Repays Danish Hospitiality
Will they kill Abu Laban?
Abu Laban should move to Sweden
Meet the Mastermind Behind the Muslim Outrage
A Song For Justin
DANES REJECT THE TWO-TONGUED IMAMS
Just found this from my community. Too Funny not to post:
The Imam who started it all - Ahmed Abdel Rahman Abu Laban  ¶ Wednesday, February 08, 2006 0 comments

  The Great Democracy? Last week a mob of Islamist protestors marched on London. Declaring that those who don't agree with their perverted philosophy should be "annihilated…beheaded...massacred" they called for "a real holocaust". (I guess the last Holocaust didn't satisfy their bloodlust.)
At least the local police took action, arresting two for "breaching the peace." Unfortunately the two citizens arrested were not Islamist protestors. No, they were counter-demonstrators defying the Islamists. It was feared the might upset the marchers.

Yeah, I'm happy to see England is such a great democracy where free speech is protected, at least for some.

As in the case of the citizens who rallied in Parliament Square against the hunting ban. The police dispersed them with baton charges. In the same spot anti-capitalist protestors assembled, tore up the lawns and defaced the statue of Winston Churchill. What did the police do? They watched. Oh, they also stopped traffic so the anarchists could continue their protest unhindered.

Or how about the case of George Stauton, a 78-year-old Liverpool pensioner who arrested and charged with "racially aggravated criminal damage." His arrest came after a ""dramatic and painstaking dawn to dusk" stakeout of the area. His crime? He was caught putting up posters for the UK Independence Party and painting slogans like "Don't forget the 1945 War" and "Free Speech for England" on walls. Yeah, I can't figure out what's "racially aggravated" about that either.

A Leftie English blogger (see my Mark in my "In The Wrong" list to the right) has been trying to convince me how horrible America under Bush is and what a glorious democracy Britain is. I don't see it. At least here we kick both the conservatives (Beverly Young) and the moonbats (Cindy Sheehan) out of the Capitol building in the spirit of equality.  ¶ Wednesday, February 08, 2006 5 comments

  Ambassador Bolton Nominated for Nobel Prize John Bolton, our ambassador to the United Nations has been nominated for the 2006 Nobel Peace Prize. Bolton and Kenneth Timmerman were nominated for their vital role in exposing Iran's covert plans to develop nuclear weapons. The pair carefully documented Iran's secret nuclear buildup and revealed "repeated lying" and false reports by Iran to the International Atomic Energy Agency.

Bolton served as Undersecretary for arms control and international security, and authored the Proliferation Security Initiative, an international effort to stop shipments of WMDs. This initiative unmasked a secret nuclear network under the control of A. Q. Khan, a Pakistani nuclear scientist. Timmerman has researched and written for more than 20 years on Iran's nuclear activities. He first exposed details of Iran's ties with A.Q. Khan.

A former critic of Bolton and his recess appointment, Republican Senator George Voinovich now believes Bolton is doing a good job. "I spend a lot of time with John on the phone. I think he is really working very constructively to move forward. ... at this stage of the game I am pleased with the progress that is being made here and the team that he has gathered together here."  ¶ Wednesday, February 08, 2006 0 comments

  Does Schlafley Play Chess? If Phyllis Schlafley doesn't play chess perhaps she should. She certainly thinks like a chess player. The key to success at the game of kings is to think several moves ahead. To see the ramifications of your moves and the future opportunities for both you and your adversary.

When Schlafley opposed the Equal Rights Amendment in the 1970's and early 80's she knew what she was doing. The primary reason anyone should oppose legislation as ridiculous as the ERA is it's redundancy. "The fact is that women already enjoy every constitutional right that men enjoy and have enjoyed equal employment opportunity since 1964," she said.

You see the ERA is not necessary to protect women's rights. As Emily Procter's "The West Wing" character, Ainsley Hayes, put it in one episode, "It’s redundant. I’ve got the 14th Amendment … which says that … no citizen can be denied due process. I’m covered. Make a law for somebody else. [It's]humiliating! A new amendment we vote on, declaring that I am equal under the law to a man. I am mortified to discover there’s reason to believe I wasn’t before. I am a citizen of this country. I am not a special subset in need of your protection. I do not have to have to have my rights handed down to me by a bunch of old, white men. The same Article 14 that protects you, protects me. And I went to law school just to make sure."

But the ERA isn't about equal rights for women and Schlafley knew it. "ERA would put 'gay rights' into the U.S. Constitution because the word in the amendment is 'sex,' not 'women.' Eminent authorities have stated that ERA would legalize the granting of marriage licenses to same-sex couples and generally implement the gay and lesbian agenda." And she was right. In 1993 Hawaii's supreme court was the first to rule that its state ERA mandated same-sex "marriage" and in 2006 a Massachusetts court struck down that state's ban citing its ERA.

Worse than these examples, in 1998 the New Mexico Supreme Court declared that state's refusal to fund elective abortions was a violation of the state ERA. The court mandated that the state pay for all so-called "medically necessary" abortions. In the abortion movement's Newspeak, "medically necessary" is an innocuous term meaning simply that the abortion was performed by a licensed professional. Therefore the court requires the state to pay for abortion on demand.

Schlafley's prescience is important, not just in terms of historical accuracy, but because the ERA refuses to die. In fact ERA language was first presented to Congress in 1923 (after Alice Paul introduced it at that year's "Women's Rights Convention") and has been reintroduced in every session of Congress since.

Ultimately, conservative's most persuasive opposition to the ERA has nothing to do with marriage or abortion. Back to "The West Wing" - "Every time the federal government hands down a new law, it leaves for the rest of us a little less freedom. So I say, let’s just stick to the ones we absolutely need in order to have water come out of the faucet and our cars not stolen."  ¶ Wednesday, February 08, 2006 0 comments

  Iraq Vet - Mr. Sandman's Blog Please go over and check out this blog from a recently returned Iraq vet.
Eloquent and honest.

Mr. Sandman
  ¶ Monday, February 06, 2006 0 comments

  Happy Birthday, Mr. President Ronald Wilson Reagan was born on February 6, 1911 in Tampico, Illinois, 95 years ago today. His career spanned 56 years and occupations that varied from radio to newspaper columnist, actor to politician to President. Whatever President Reagan did, he did well. His administration ended 17 years of Presidential doldrums that plagued America through Johnson, Nixon and Carter.

Considered by many to be the first truly conservative President in over 50 years, President Reagan focused on lessening the role the federal government in addressing social problems, gave more freedom to business, and pursued tax cuts on the domestic front. Abroad, President Reagan stood firm and strong against the spread of communism and as a result the Berlin Wall came down after decades of dividing East from West. He unflaggingly pursued a strong, well-armed military and supported the MX missile system and the Strategic Defense Initiative.

Though the U.S. economy saw some rocky times under President Reagan, he was willing to adjust his policies for the better and when he left office, the nation was experiencing its sixth consecutive year of economic prosperity despite a record annual deficit and a growing national debt.

During his eight years in office Reagan achieved his wish and goal of going "down in history as the President who made Americans believe in themselves again."

From President Reagan's farewell speech, January 11, 1989:

"We've been together 8 years now, and soon it'll be time for me to go. ... It's been the honor of my life to be your President. ...
[B]ecause we're a great nation, our challenges seem complex. It will always be this way. But as long as we remember our first principles and believe in ourselves, the future will always be ours. ... We meant to change a nation, and instead, we changed a world.
... The past few days when I've been at that window upstairs, I've thought a bit of the "shining city upon a hill." ... But in my mind it was a tall, proud city built on rocks stronger than oceans, windswept, God-blessed, and teeming with people of all kinds living in harmony and peace; a city with free ports that hummed with commerce and creativity. And if there had to be city walls, the walls had doors and the doors were open to anyone with the will and the heart to get here. That's how I saw it, and see it still.
And how stands the city on this winter night? More prosperous, more secure, and happier than it was 8 years ago. But more than that: After 200 years, two centuries, she still stands strong and true on the granite ridge, and her glow has held steady no matter what storm. And she's still a beacon, still a magnet for all who must have freedom, for all the pilgrims from all the lost places who are hurtling through the darkness, toward home.
... And as I walk off into the city streets, a final word to the men and women of the Reagan revolution, the men and women across America who for 8 years did the work that brought America back. My friends: We did it. We weren't just marking time. We made a difference. We made the city stronger, we made the city freer, and we left her in good hands. All in all, not bad, not bad at all."

Happy birthday, Mr. President. Viva la Revolucion!   ¶ Monday, February 06, 2006 3 comments

  Feminism's Anti-Mother Dies Betty Friedan, author of 1963's "The Feminine Mystique" who once told Phylis Schlafley, "I would like to burn you at the stake," has died at the age of 85.

A touch of Friedan:
On the home - "a comfortable concentration camp..

On motherhood - "...endless, monotonous, unrewarding...peculiarly suited to the capacities of feebleminded girls."

On wives - "...a sense of emptiness, non-existence, nothingness ... I am convinced there is something about the housewife state that is dangerous."

Friedan was a fraud. Though she wrote The Feminine Mystique as if from experience research showed she was really a spoiled wife and "mother".
"In the years following her marriage, she worked full-time as a journalist ... and later worked out of her home as a freelance writer. Living in a lavish mansion, she was freed from housework by the services of a full-time maid. Her husband earned a large salary and supported Friedan and the children. The parents of her children’s playmates even ejected Friedan from their car pooling arrangement when they learned that Friedan sent their children to school in a taxi rather than driving them herself. The locked-up, middle-class homemaker that Friedan styled herself to be was an embroidered tale." (Daniel J. Flynn)

Friedan also went out of her way to hide her Communist/Socialist views & associations. Like Communists, "feminists" operate by subterfuge. Even the label "feminist" is a duplicitous misnomer for their radically anti-feminine, anti-social dogma.

Given these facts it seems that Friedan was just the "mother" the feminist movement deserves.  ¶ Saturday, February 04, 2006 5 comments

  Aerial Wolf Hunting Back I do not hunter, but at the same time I support hunters and hunting. I have never had the desire to kill wild creatures for "sport" and never had the need to hunt them for game. At the same time I recognize that hunting is necessary for conservation and to maintain a healthy balance in nature. In fact hunters are among the most ardent and effective conservationists.

According to the AP, Superior Court Judge Sharon Gleason this week reversed her own earlier ruling and denied a request by Connecticut-based Friends of Animals to immediately halt an Alaska population control program that allows shooting wolves from the air.

The program aims to increase moose and caribou populations in five areas of the state and began in 2003 in response to Alaska residents complaints that predators were killing too many moose.

Gleason had previously ruled that the program did not explain why alternatives such as sterilization or habitat destruction would not work. The program created new regulations that list alternatives it considers unfeasible.

Alaska has the largest population of gray wolves in the United States with between 7,000 and to 11,000 wolves. About 400 wolves have been killed under the program with about another 400 kills planned for this year.  ¶ Saturday, February 04, 2006 0 comments

  Ralph Peters On Attrition There is no power on earth ... that can defeat the United States. But, ... we are wonderfully adept at defeating ourselves. ... The lessons of recent wars, which we willfully misread, are many. Among them are that there is no substitute for shedding the enemy’s blood in adequate quantities ...

The phrase “wars of attrition” calls to mind the slaughter ... in the First World War. We are conditioned to react with repugnance to the very words. ... Attrition is what warfare is about: killing the enemy. War is a knife fight, not a game of chess.

Attrition is the essence of warfare, not something to be avoided—and no rule says that attrition must be fairly distributed. The well-fought war inflicts catastrophic attrition on the enemy, while limiting friendly casualties to numbers that can be readily sustained. ... An enemy must see his ranks reduced until he is helpless—or fears an impending helplessness so profoundly that he bends unconditionally to our will.

We want a war without serious consequences for either side. But that is not war. Our enemies know it, even if we deny it. Our enemies are irrational in their goals, but practical in their techniques. We are idealistic in our goals and impractical in the limits we impose upon our own power.

We hope to make war and, at the same time, to make people happy. It is, perhaps, the most illogical strategic position in history, and we end by waging war insufficiently, while alienating populations anyway.

Warfare was, is, and will be about killing the enemy until his cause is no longer viable. The enemy must be convinced of his defeat ... There is no way to soften the matter.

After the end of our first Gulf war, Saddam Hussein could claim he had not been vanquished. And he was correct. He retained power. ... Incredibly, we talked ourselves into doing all we could to minimize enemy casualties and physical destruction again in Operation Iraqi Freedom. ... A fundamental rule about such conflicts is that, if you are unwilling to pay the butcher’s bill up front, it will be much higher in the end. ... If we lack the strength of will to kill our enemies, they certainly do not lack the will to kill us.

If we are to prevail in the conflicts with which the coming decades will present us, we must overcome the notion that we can force warfare to conform, psychologically and practically, to a comfortable etiquette. We cannot simply persuade our enemies that they have been defeated. We must convince them.

The Global War on Terror is a war of attrition in its essence. If one religious fanatic is left alive, he will continue to try to strike us. ... Even if we can’t “kill our way out of the problem,” we can make the problem a great deal smaller by killing the right people.

From "Virtuous Destruction, Decisive Speed" by Lt. Col. Ralph Peters, U.S. Army (Retired)  ¶ Saturday, February 04, 2006 0 comments

  Hollywood's Blowing It One of my favorite policy writers, Max Boot, had a few things to say recently about Hollywood's willingness to cast our war against totalitarian Islamofascists in terms of moral relativity.

"When you think about it, World War II was far from black and white. Sure, the German and Japanese militarists were evil, but Britain and the United States did terrible things too. They killed hundreds of thousands of German and Japanese civilians, and they allied themselves with the Soviet Union, which was every bit as awful as the Axis. The outcome was ambiguous because, although Germany and Japan were defeated, the Iron Curtain descended from Eastern Europe to North Korea.
Yet for 60 years, Hollywood has had no problem making movies that depict World War II as a struggle of good versus evil. Rightly so. Because for all the Allies’ faults, they were the good guys.
For some reason, Hollywood can’t take an equally clear-eyed view of the war on terrorism. The current conflict, pitting the forces of freedom against those of Islamo-fascism, is every bit as clear cut as World War II. Yet fashionable filmmakers insist on painting both sides in shades of gray, as if Israeli secret agents or American soldiers were comparable to Al Qaeda killers.
Writer/director Stephen Gaghan claims that he heard "Syriana" used in "think tanks in Washington" to refer to a "redrawing of the boundaries in the Middle East." I work in a think tank with a large D.C. office, and I’ve never heard that term. Neither have Middle East experts I consulted.
To the extent that "Syriana" has any message, it seems to be that greedy oil companies, corrupt politicians and malevolent CIA big shots are the bad guys in the Middle East. Two of the most positive characters are a Hezbollah kingpin ...and a Pakistani laborer who is driven to become a suicide bomber...
"Munich" is a more compelling film but just as specious morally. It tells the story of a Mossad hit team sent to avenge the murders of 11 Israeli athletes at the 1972 Summer Olympics by eliminating 11 Palestinian terrorists. … [One] team member says: "All this blood comes back to us." … The implication is that if the Israelis weren’t killing PLO operatives, they would stop killing Jews.
[Spielberg told Time magazine]: "A response to a response doesn’t really solve anything. … The only thing that’s going to solve this is … a lot of sitting down and talking until you’re blue in the gills."
Where has Spielberg been for the last 15 years? Israel tried his "blue in the gills" approach in the 1990s, but the Oslo process only led to greater bloodshed. Israel defeated the second intifada not by chatting with terrorists but by fighting them. " Munich" depicts assassinations as pointless. In reality, Israel’s policy of targeted killings has dramatically reduced the threat from Hamas and other extremist groups.
The lesson of World War II still stands: Civilized countries must use violence to defeat barbarians. Why is that so hard for Hollywood to understand?"

  ¶ Friday, February 03, 2006 2 comments

  Winning Our War A fascinating new book is available. "War Footing: 10 Steps America Must Take to Prevail in the War for the Free World" by Frank Gaffney and other contributors. Gaffney takes the work of thirty-five U.S. foreign policy and defense analysts and creates a comprehensive strategy for winning the war against Islamist jihadists.

What are the 10 steps?

1. Know the enemy
2. Really support U.S. troops
3. Provide for the country's energy security
4. Stop investing in terror
5. Equip the country for war at home
6. Counter the mega-threat: an EMP attack
7. Secure U.S. borders and the interior against illegal immigration
8. Wage political warfare
9. Launch regional initiatives
10. Wield effective diplomacy

A lot of things in the book go along with much of what Lt Col Ralph Peters has written in the past. See more about this book and get a sneak peak at War Footing.  ¶ Friday, February 03, 2006 0 comments

  I'm Renting Too I'm also renting space from J. oever at KeepinItReal. He is a conservative college student (I know, I was shocked too. I didn't think colleges allowed that!) who lives in Jersey.

Go by and check out his blog.  ¶ Friday, February 03, 2006 0 comments

  I'm a Rentor I just accepted a bid from fellow Louisianan AubreyJ to rent Right Face.

Aubrey says he is "just your standard old political junkie who just happens to be a moderate Republican." Sounds like my kind of guy.

Welcome and happy renting!

  ¶ Wednesday, February 01, 2006 1 comments