International Pals

Wow.... how are we going to handle all this international compassion and assistance for the disaster victims of the Gulf Coast?

Not to worry the UN should be there any day now. Maybe even a/the French aircraft carrier with humanitarian supplies.

Update: OK I was very wrong. French offered 3 ships.

My Apologies and appreciation to:

Australia, Austria, Armenia, Azerbaijan, Bahamas, Belgium, Canada, China, Columbia, Cuba, Dominica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, El Salvador, France, Germany, Guatemala, Greece, Guyana, Honduras, Hungary, Iceland, India, Indonesia, Israel, Italy, Jamaica, Japan, Jordan, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Mexico, the Netherlands, New Zealand, Norway, Paraguay, Philippines, Portugal, South Korea, Russia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, Slovakia, Spain, Sri Lanka, Switzerland, Sweden, Taiwan, Thailand, Turkey, United Kingdom, the United Arab Emirates, and Venezuela.

Most recently Qatar:

Morning Coffee

Calls are slow today so I'm on my second cup, while doing my morning blog-rounds I noticed there was a very good set of reads out there. Check em out.

The Dread Pundit Bluto once again is forced to do the job the MSM simply will not do. Read all that is visible today on his blog. Then the next time you see some 'expert' on the news talk about how we are losing the war against global terrorism recall what TDPB begs to differ and backs it up with cold hard facts.

Vilmar at The Ranting Right Wing Howler does an indepth 4,000 word essay on how he feels about liberals. I warn you to put down your drink, cover your screen before you get to the Jane Fonda section. Pictures are worth a thousand words.


Dr. Rusty Shackleford of The Jawa Report concludes ( and I concur ) that Deepak Chopra and his followers are, shall we say, logically challenged. He sums it up with this dead-on observation.

"These are the same people who feel moved by bumper stickers and take a moment to reflect on the deep thoughts communicated through a Hallmark card.That people like Deepak Chopra are actually taken seriously is a sign of the continued Oprahization of America and the vast gynocratic conspiracy."

That is rich...'Oprahization' and 'gynocratic conspiracy'. I've been searching for so long for a more acceptable way of saying 'the pussification of the American male'. Thank you Dr. Rusty.

Then there is the ever vigilant Moonbat Central standing watch for impending attacks by radical snarks. Today we are privy to some nice photos from Camp Cindy of the Sheehanites. Notice the earnest 'reflection' over the crosses.

You know everything about this is pretentious, a mother that pretends to grieve when subjected to media lights, a pretend reverend, a pretend president, citizens pretending they care about our soldiers while their actions only encourage those soldiers enemies.

If they really cared the should simply STFU.

Asleep At The Wheel

Statement from Senator Edward M. Kennedy, September 27, 2002:

"There is clearly a threat from Iraq, and there is clearly a danger, but the Administration has not made a convincing case that we face such an imminent threat to our national security that a unilateral, pre-emptive American strike and an immediate war are necessary."

The President responds on January 28, 2003 in the State of the Union speech:

"Before September the 11th, many in the world believed that Saddam Hussein could be contained. But chemical agents, lethal viruses and shadowy terrorist networks are not easily contained. Imagine those 19 hijackers with other weapons and other plans -- this time armed by Saddam Hussein. It would take one vial, one canister, one crate slipped into this country to bring a day of horror like none we have ever known. We will do everything in our power to make sure that that day never comes.(Applause.)

Some have said we must not act until the threat is imminent. Since when have terrorists and tyrants announced their intentions, politely putting us on notice before they strike? If this threat is permitted to fully and suddenly emerge, all actions, all words, and all recriminations would come too late. Trusting in the sanity and restraint of Saddam Hussein is not a strategy, and it is not an option." (Applause.)

The Senator listens intently:


Having fully comprehended the President's explanation and having time to fully digest the implications of the new threat of global terrorist franchises shopping in the markets of sympathetic roque regimes we get this observation in a speechat the Brookings Institute April 5, 2004

"A year after the war began, Americans are questioning why the administration went to war in Iraq when Iraq was not an imminent threat, when it had no weapons, no persuasive links to Al Qaeda, and no connection to the terrorist attacks on September 11 and no stockpiles of chemical or biological weapons.

Tragically, in making the decision to go to war, the Bush administration allowed its own stubborn ideology to trump the cold, hard evidence that Iraq posed no immediate threat. They misled Congress and the American people because the administration knew that it could not obtain the consent of Congress for the war, if all of the facts were known."

And he still doesn't get it... asleep at the wheel..... again.

Pimpin Ain't Easy

I understand that Revrund Al is heading to the freaker's ball in Crawford to demonstrate his remorse for our fallen and his solidarity with the defeatists and other grief pimps flocking about their graves. Here we see him preparing for this solemn occasion.

Deliver Us From Cindy

Exit Strategy

I am wondering what was our exit strategy in Europe post World War II? I belive we're still there.

What was our exit strategy for the Korean Conflict? I believe we're still there.

What was our exit strategy for Kosovo? I believe we're still there. Every time I see Wesley Clark railing about the lack of an exit strategy in Iraq I just wish the TV commentator would ask him if he would recommend a strategy similar to that of the conflict he commanded. What was his exit strategy going into the conflict?

And exactly what was our exit strategy for cessation of hostilities in Gulf War I? Obviously we really never left and had to return in force to finish the job. We are still there.

So the only conflicts I know of where there was talk of an exit strategy are those where we have lost the will to fight and sustain casualties: Vietnam, Beirut and Somalia.

Bin Laden has noted that if you spill enough American blood the Americans will turn and run like a dog with its tail between its legs.

Exit strategies are surrender in slow motion.

That's why we must shake off this Vietnaphobia and stand firm in Iraq.

Where are the Legions? Global Deployments of US Forces

The Merry ol Land of Oz

Common Ground

According to the Abrahamic Religions:

The God of Abraham told Moses to tell us that killing is forbidden.

The God of Abraham told Jesus to tell us that not only should we not kill but we must be willing to lay down our life for the love of each other and the God of Abraham.

The angel Gabriel told Mohammed it's glorious to kill for the God of Abraham.

You figure it out.

Recognizing Our Heroes

Saddam's Sacrifice

FOXNews.com
Saddam: My Soul to Be 'Sacrificed':

Oh it will, it will.

Clueless

Vietnaphobia

Disclaimer: This is a parody. For those facing certain 'challenges' this is really not Charles Hagel writng this but me imagining what would happen if a politican couldn't speak politicobabble.

Hi, I'm second-term Senator and decorated Vietnam veteran Charles Hagel of Nebraska and I'm running for President in 2008. Although I have a snowball's chance in Hell of winning I am willing to undercut our national resolve and diminish troop morale by pandering to the rising anti-war sentiment and alluding to the emerging psychosis of Vietnaphobia in this country to accomplish my personal ambition of serving you as your President.

CNN.com
Hagel:
Iraq war has destabilized Mideast, resembles Vietnam
Aug 21, 2005:

"I think our involvement there has destabilized the Middle East."

So that assumes that it was 'stable' before? People, with this kind of 'leadership' we are in BIG trouble.My prediction: two terms and back to the private sector he goes.

A Severe Case Of Denial

FOXNews.com:
U.K.: Al Qaeda Plot Foiled:

"They were planning to use chemicals, a dirty bomb and sarin gas. They looked at all sorts of ways of delivering it."

Got that... Sarin Gas... Dirty Bombs.

Meanwhile back in America:
The Left searches for a quaqmire:

Giving Aid and Comfort

From The Propaganda Ministry of al-Qaeda:
Aljazeera.Net
Kennedy: Iraq war is Bush's Vietnam

Open Minded Progressives ?

First for a little background:
From Dictionary.com:

lib·er·al (lbr-l, lbrl) adj.
a. Not limited to or by established, traditional, orthodox, or authoritarian attitudes, views, or dogmas; free from bigotry.
b. Favoring proposals for reform, open to new ideas for progress, and tolerant of the ideas and behavior of others; broad-minded.
c. Of, relating to, or characteristic of liberalism.
d. Liberal Of, designating, or characteristic of a political party founded on or associated with principles of social and political liberalism, especially in Great Britain, Canada, and the United States.

And now for the practical application, check out this post:
Little Green Footballs: No Debate Possible

Chris Matthews - Poltical Hack

Hardball with Chris Matthews
MSNBC.com:
Bush's war without end?
How about a big dose of 'intellectual' dishonesty.
Note: I'm no fan of Pat Buchanan either.

Some samples:

It's Bush's War but when referring to Vietnam why isn't it Kennedy's War or Johnson's War?

""The mother of an earlier casualty, Cindy Sheehan, has become a symbol of protest against a war we were led and lied into by neo-cons who have sent other people's sons and daughters off to war."

What lie ? Oh the WMD that many members of the Clinton administration had told us he had including Clinton holdover George Tenet. Amazing the effect an election has on the truth.

"Other people's sons and daughters" is a purely emotive technique. Who else goes to war but someone's son or daughter?

Concerning lies, what about the Gulf of Tonkin incident? He didn't mention that did he? Why not?

"Well, the first casualty of war is not a political party; human beings, including too many young Americans, died in Vietnam and are dying today in Iraq."

Note a post I have down the page called Fallujah, California. Adjusting for population in the same period of time, 8,883 would have been murdered in Los Angeles compared to the 1,850 lost in Iraq.

Too many people are dying in Los Angeles, one large city among many in our country.

Again "too many"is purely emotive in intent. Historically the casualties in Iraq are very low compared to other wars. The battle for Iwo Jima alone cost us 7,000 in the period of several weeks for a little island in the middle of nowhere.

Democrats want so badly for Iraq to become Vietnam so they can feel vindicated for being wrong about everything else concerning Iraq and the war against Islamic radicalism.

As to the question of the next Presidential election, being an independent, I am getting a little tired of the tripe coming from the mouths of leftist such as Matthews who put their political game of gotcha above defense of our country, coming just short of giving aid and comfort to our adversaries by disparaging the Commander-in-Chief. I'm going to hold them accountable for any failures in Iraq and use the only tool I have, my vote, to express my disgust with their behavior.

Matthews, get a clue pal.

The Reason It's Called The 'Left'

You know, I took this post down the other day because I felt it was a little childish for a geezer my age ( as if anybody is reading this blog anyway, at least not according to my site meter ) but after a discussion about Iraq with my liberal friends about the Boots In Baghadad post below where that honorable young man was called a liar and a dumbass by those 'friends'; with liberals working deligently to make Iraq another Vietnam and after the continuing attention paid to that ignorant bitch Cindy "this country is not worth defending" Sheehan ( why not call Casey a dumbass mom ) and her demand for 'second servings' with Bush ahead of the 1,500 families who have every bit the moral authority as does she, I am putting it back up and it is staying up because it is simply the irrefutable truth and that fact is reinforced every time a liberal opens their mouth, writes a column or gives an interview.

What has happened to the Democratic Party of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, John Kennedy and Zell Miller ? Why has it been immasculated? ( That's having lost its balls for all you liberals )

I recognize that in this country they have every right to speak their opinion but there are two types of opinion: informed and uniformed. They also have the right to be ignorant, ill-informed and blatantly stupid which they are exercising in full measure.

Finally, have you ever wondered why so many of the outspoken representatives of the left are commedians and actors who by avocation pretend to be something they're not? Mere coincidence ? I think not. Because the left in this country has become a pretentious joke.

Update:
The Political Teen provides evidence of my thesis.

Boots In Baghdad

A must read:

Boots In Baghdad

No Trees For Oil

via Drudge:
BREITBART.COM
Just The News:
The money quote:

"'Commonsense steps we've tried to take, like increasing domestic oil production by allowing drilling in a small portion of ANWR, have been blocked by Democrats for years,' Duffy said."

Ok, since the Dems ( what a bunch of hypocritical pricks ) want the President to do something he ought to declare a national energy crisis and drill away in Anwar. We are at war you know.

Reliable Allies

And the very next day after this post we find this.

Article III.
Section. 3.
Clause 1:

Treason against the United States, shall consist only in levying War against them,or
in adhering to their Enemies, giving them Aid and Comfort. No Person shall be convicted of Treason unless on the Testimony of two Witnesses to the same overt Act, or on Confession in open Court."

BTK - Punk-O-Rammer

A quick thought about the BTK killer sentencing.

I caught parts of the families' statements today and I have to admit they were all far more dignified than I could have been. I just think if I was in their postion I would be standing at the mike calculating whether I could suddenly lunge over the banister and rip that smug look off his face before they could subdue me.

Here's what justice for this waste of otherwise good chemicals would be for me. He destroyed lives, families, hopes and dreams so he could get his rocks off. So I believe life for him is far better than the death penalty where he would be segregated on death row.

I believe he should have to reside in the general population where he is among those like him, people that are willing to bind and torture just to blow their loads in his face and up other various orifices. Punk that smile off his face. Give him the attention he craves and a chance to understand the primal fear his victims felt.

Wouldn't be long before they pulled a Dahmer on him.

It's The Border Stupid !

New York Times:
Bad Iraq War News Worries Some in G.O.P. on '06 Vote

Coincidentally, an alternate headline might be:

"Good Iraq War News Worries Some in D.N.C. on '06 Vote"

The Learning-challenged

"Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it... "George Santayana (1863-1952), U.S. philosopher, poet.

... unfortunately there are those that remember yet insist on repeating it.

Hindsight

There are those that contend that Saddam Hussein's Iraq posed no threat to the United States...

The same could have been said of the Taleban's Afghanistan on September 10th 2001.

Iraqi Ambush

BBC NEWS:
'Zarqawi aide killed in ambush'

"Officials said Abu Zubair was shot dead in the northern city of Mosul, in an ambush set by Iraqi forces."

Two interesting items here: 'ambush' and 'Iraqi forces'. Sounds like the Iraqis were operating on solid intelligence about Zarqawi's crew and gave him a little of his own medicine.

My view is that a sign of the end of the terrorists will be when we start to see them hanging from street lamps by outraged citizens.

The Mouth That Roared

BBC NEWS:
Chavez makes US oil export threat

"Oil exports to the US could stop amid growing tensions between the two countries, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez has said. He described recent US government actions as "aggressive" in a speech at a youth festival in Caracas. As a result, Venezuelan oil "instead of going to the United States, could go elsewhere," he said."

I have two words for this inbred half-wit "Naval Blockade". Hugo your oil won't be able to go 'elsewhere'.

It is not particularly brilliant to threaten your largest trading partner, who happens to have the largest navy in the world, when your economy is dependent on shipping that commodity by sea.

Unfortunately the Cult of Crazies in Crawford are neutering the American military and if Chavez shuts the valve we won't have the will to do a thing about it.

Data Reference: Venezuela (07/05):
Economy:
Petroleum industry (25% of GDP): Oil refining, petrochemicals.

Major markets (2004)--U.S. 55%, Colombia 14%, Mexico 6%, the Netherlands 4%, Ecuador 4.0%, Japan 3%, Brazil 2%.

Major suppliers (2004)--U.S. 33%, Colombia 11%, Brazil 8%, Mexico 5%, Germany 3.4%, Japan 3.2%, Italy 3%.

"The United States is Venezuela's most important trading partner, representing about half of both imports and exports. In turn, Venezuela is the United States' third-largest export market in Latin America, purchasing U.S. machinery, transportation equipment, agricultural commodities, and auto parts.

Venezuela's opening of its petroleum sector to foreign investment in 1996 created extensive trade and investment opportunities for U.S. companies. As a result, Venezuela is one of the top four suppliers of foreign oil to the United States."

KOz Kidz

I'm gonna burn in hell for this one...

Falluja, California

BBC NEWS:
LA 'on the road to Falluja'?

This is dated material I happened across on a google but it is not that old. It mentions that 658 people were murdered in Los angeles in the year 2002. So it is contemporay enough to the Iraq War for my purposes.

First my intent is not to diminish the losses of our troops. But we have seemed to have lost all sense of proportion and a sense of the clear and present danger of gangs, often with illegal alien members, here in our own land.

So let's figure 1,800 casualties in Iraq in 27 months; that's 66.6 per month times 12 is roughly 800 per year in a war zone.

So we have:
800 casualties in a war zone per year.
658 casualties in one year, in one very large US city with about 1/6 the population of Iraq.

If we adjusted that to give Los Angeles the same population as Iraq for comparison that would be 3,948 casualties per year. Over 27 months that would amount to 8,883 casualties compared to the 1,800 casualties in Iraq for the same period.

8,883 !

The irony here is that the shrillest anti-war voices we hear come from that very city.

I shall paraphrase Jesus here:
'How can you say to your brother there is a speck in his eye when there is a log in your own?

Perhaps Cindy Sheehan, with her heart-felt and earnest concern for the loss of Americans, can deliver her message of peace where it can serve the greater good.

Propoganda and The Will To Fight

Two excellent reads.
Put yer thinking cap on... yer gonna need it.

Done With Mirrors:
The Enemies We Make

Washington Post:
Henry Kissinger:
Lessons for an Exit Strategy

That's The Way You Do It

Reuters:
Italy arrests 141 in terror swoop

"Italy, the subject of several Internet threats from purported Islamic militant groups, said it had begun expulsion procedures against 701 people."

"Nearly 33,000 people had been questioned in recent days as part of the nation-wide investigation that involved all branches of Italy's security and police forces, the ministry said"

BTW... Italy, Thank You For Being In The Coalition Of The Willing.

First Newsweek Now NYT ?

New York Times
Editors Ponder How to Present a Broad Picture of Iraq

First Newsweek prints something somewhat complimentary of Bush, now NYT prints about AP not giving the full picture in Iraq? Say it ain't so. Maybe they've been reading blogs to get a clue.

I liked this part:

"Other editors said they get calls from readers who are hearing stories from returning troops of the good things they have accomplished while there, and readers find that at odds with the generally gloomy portrayal in the papers of what's going on in Iraq,"

There May Be Hope For Newsweek

MSNBC.com
Newsweek National News:
'I'm So Sorry'

This is a suprisingly fair article considering the source. It does contain one misconception:

"More complicated is the question of whether Bush's suffering is essentially sympathetic, or whether he is agonizing over the war that he chose to start."

Saddam Hussein chose to start this war on Aug 2, 1990. It was temporarily halted on Feruary 28th, 1991 by a ceasefire agreement requiring Hussein to disarm. Hussein, counting on international apathy, chose seventeen times to ignore the agreement leaving only one choice to force his disarmament.

It also fails to mention that Cindy Sheehan had one of these very meetings with the President. Now she wants another though there are 1,500 or so families that haven't had the opportunity. What makes this women more special than those 1,500?

Holding Unions Accountable

BBC NEWS
BA clearing backlog of passengers:

The article contains these statements:

"About 70,000 passengers were affected by the strike in sympathy with 670 workers sacked on Wednesday by catering company Gourmet Gate that supplies BA"

"The union has admitted the BA workers' strike was illegal, and called on members to return. "

"The airline said the possibility of legal action against the TGWU for failing to prevent the strike was "not being discussed at the moment".

First, note the second quote. In reality it was the TGWU workers' strike not the BA workers'.

For the sake of 670 people the union said to hell with 70,000 passengers and committed an illegal strike.

I believe the passengers ought to file a class-action suit against the TGWU. Those 70,000 passengers also had jobs and commitments that were disrupted for the sake of 670 terminated employees.

They live in Britain for pete's sake, if the immans can rake in a living there doing nothing why can't these 670 ?

More Euro Wisdom

BBC NEWS
Germany attacks US on Iran threat:

"'Let's take the military option off the table. We have seen it doesn't work,' Mr Schroeder told Social Democrats at the rally in Hanover, to rapturous applause from the crowd. "

Is that so?
I don't believe this man will be a threat to anybody in the future.



And exactly how did the Euro-policy of containment work with inspections, sanctions and Oil for Food?

Talk is cheap; the talk of a fool is even cheaper.

Chimps or Chumps ?

In The Meantime... One Year Too Late:

Free Republic
Winter Soldier film -- 5 stars from FilmCritic.com

Gee, sure would liked to have seen this last year about this time.

Once again the left tries to equate Vietnam and Iraq. It just isn't working guys. You simply don't have all the ingredients to bake that cake. Namely, a Democrat President in charge. A Republican inherited it and put an end to it.

The logical fallacy at the core of their 'thinking' is the 'emotive appeal' to the rising death toll in Iraq. So ok, I'll play on that court.

If the degree of indignation is the human toll then what about the number of people murdered in Los Angeles, New York and Washington D.C. for the same period of time? With much of this being gang related it is not hard to imagine that all a gang like MS-13, with its 13,000 'members', need do is go 'militant' in Boston, LA, Houston, Dallas... inspiring islamic militants in Herdon, Va, Patterson, NJ or Detroit to join in the fray. Then reality will finally hit home. That is an imminent threat.

Now if they want to get indignant then there's where they should focus their energies first.

Mosul Meth Lab?

AP
My Way News
U.S. military finds chemical site in Iraq

"The U.S. military has found many suspected chemical sites in the past, none of which contained chemical or biological weapons, The Associated Press reported, adding that testing can take several days."

They found the sites but not the weapons. Hummmm, the idea AP is apt to promote has been 'Saddam had no WMD'. That's like saying we found the parking garage but no cars. Therefore there were never any cars disregarding the obvious possibility that maybe they were driven away.

Note this is in Mosul, same place the two 'WMD Winnebagos' were found. Also note Mosul is not far from the Ansar al-Islam base of operations in Biyarah, 200 miles or so. Further recall that the leader of Ansar al-Islam, Zarqawi The Barbarian, majored in ad hoc preparation of Ricin at Terror U, an accredited independent branch of Saddam's Terror Inc.

What? Oh pardon me... I forgot 'We ALL KNOW' there was no connection between al-Qaeda and Saddam. Whooops silly knuckle-dragger me.

How about this; it is a Meth lab for jihadi motivation perhaps? Nothing like tweaking your brain before the big meeting with Allah and issuance of a supply of virgins. About those 72 virgins, what's a guy going to do after the third day in paradise after he's gone through his supply?

Meth or Ricin, Meth or Ricin.... I believe I'll go with Ricin. Should that be so, the lesson we should take from it is that some biological or chemical weapons don't require large production facilities nor does the end-product require warehouses. The death of thousands can be carried in a backpack.

The logic that says that because we haven't found these end-products they therefore never existed is feebly naive at best or politically dishonest at worst. We still haven't found Jimmy Hoffa so therefore he never existed. For the longest time Hillary couldn't find the Rose law firm files in her personal residence. And for a while they indeed practically never existed.

Neural fodder:

JINSA Online
Suspected Mobile Bio-Weapons Labs Discovered in Iraq

CBS News
Lab Are Best US WMD Evidence - May 29, 2003

Is this one of Saddam's mobile bio-weapons labs?

You da Caliph

Now Nuevo Mejico

CNN.com
Border emergency declared in New Mexico - Aug 12, 2005

Exactly what is Homeland Defense worth if we are not making our primary focus tightening our borders and immigration policy?

I was reading a statement by the French Interior Minister the other day concerning the expulsion of radical islamist from France. He smugly snorted something about how you don't always fight terrorism with tanks and armies but with resolute law enforcement. I thought, yeh Francois, that's like telling me of the superior method of fighting a rabid dog in your house. The truly superior method is to not let it in your house in the first place.

The Little Dog That Could

BBC NEWS
Sadr group 'frees Iraq hostages'

Little al-Sadr Jr. nows wants to appear as the protector of the Iraqi people with this staged event. The Mehdi army has no problem killing innocents if you recall the aftermath of their stand in Fallujah.

As I've said before, the closer we get to a withdrawal the more we will hear from Mookie and his Mehdi crew. Like the little strutting dog chasing a truck down the road he wants to appear as having driven the occupiers from Iraq.

Wanna See A Minor Coverup In Progress ?

This is from Casey's Peace Page.

Sheehans meet President Bush

Where have all the pictures gone?

kudos to: Arena of Ideas

Linda Eddy Art

Check out Linda Eddy's work.
For a real hoot go into her archives.

That's The Iranian Way

BBC NEWS
Iran leader to be granted US visa

How about once he gets in the country we have some radical students say to hell with his diplomatic immunity, kidnap him and hold him for 444 days because they disagree with Iranian foreign policy? That's the Mullah way to conduct foreign relations isn't it?

I can imagine Jimmy Carter pleading for his release, possibly even coordinating a UN sponsored rescue mission.

What If...

Just mulling this over:

It is commonly agreed that the US was justified under international law to attack Afghanistan in response to the Taleban's haboring of the entity that attacked us.

Let's assume that the hijackers targeting the Pentagon missed and flew into the river. Also let's assume that the passengers of flight 97 were able to overcome their captors.

Those attacks aside for the sake of argument:

What if the planes hit the towers but they didn't collapse? Should we still have retaliated?

What if only one plane hit its target and didn't collapse the tower. Should we have retaliated ?

What if the terrorist instead of using planes, planted a bomb in the basement of one the towers attempting to collapse one tower onto the other and they failed to topple the tower? Should we have retaliated?

What if that bombing occured 2 years to the day after the 'Highway of Death' which forced a humiliated Hussein into a ceasefire and we had conclusive evidence that the bombmaker was an Iraqi intelligence agent. The motive and the means. Should we have retaliated ?

Schumer
USA Today
Free Republic
Democracy Now

What if about the same time they attempted to assassinate the ex-President that defeated Hussein?

The New Yorker

Exactly how long is the statute of limitations on a terrorist attack?

Update:

Check out Captain's Quarters for emerging info on this issue.

Pimpin Cindy

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005
Sheehan Family Speaks Out

Observe the photo. Staged for the cameras you think?

My last word on this is; Casey made a noble decision as a mature man and was aware of the dangers of his profession. His mother may disagree with that decision but it was his to make. We should hold him in the highest esteem. We OWE him that because that's what he did for us and it cost him his life.

If this same situation happened to me, I would roll in my grave knowing my mother was whoring herself out to the flock of grief-pimps gathering about her to crap on my sacrifice.

nuff said.

Paper Tigers... Literally

Ever wonder what all that diplomatese you hear coming out of the UN means:

The Dread Pundit Bluto:
UN Vows To Slap and Pull Hair if Iran Reactivates Nukes

If we're not careful a UN mandated paper-wad fight could engulf the entire international community.

I just so happened to find this cartoon earlier:

Slap Jack

Remember the game Slap Jack? You turn over cards until a Jack appears and everybody slaps it. The person that gets there first is the person with the hand on the bottom. Simple reasoning... my hand is below yours so I was there first. Even a child understands this.

As we grow older we develop prejudices and opinions to the point where things cease to be so simple. Our worldview becomes so convoluted that what was once obvious as children isn't so obvious anymore; where right is wrong and a lie is accepted as the truth.

The Temple Mount - the Haram-esh-Sharif
Temple Mount - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Symbolism over Substance

lgf:
Hamas Prepares a Celebration

Note this line:
"With the blood of our martyrs we kicked the enemies out..."

That is about as far from the truth as one can get. The IDF could come in there at any time and make a parking lot of the place. That's reality. Only world opinion has kept it from happening.

As soon as the Israelis are gone the place will plunge into chaos as Hamas and FATAH struggle for control. Far beyond the reasoning ability of the leadership of Hamas is the concept that if you want to build a country you need foreign investment. Who in their right mind would put a business investment into the hands of people that hold power by killing their adversaries?

So Uncle Sucker gives them a couple of billion for infrastructure. Do you think they are going to contract American firms to do the work? No the money will go to France or the pockets of the international clearinghouse for terrorist financing.

This is along the lines of a previous post on this blog:
al-Sadr the little dog that could

Update:
My Way News - Hamas Leaders Vow To Fight After Pullout

How To Trap a Rat

CNN.com
Lebanon detains UK-based cleric - Aug 11, 2005

Hopefully someone will pop a cap in his ass.

Come Together: The Beatles Show

And now for something completely different...

I must confess that I came from the Led Zeppelin/Jimi Hendrix branch of the late sixties and early seventies and was never much of a Beatles fan until I heard Abbey Road in 1975. I'm not a Beatles aficionado but I am a musician and certainly appreciate talent regardless the genre.

I recently caught this group performing and they nailed it down tight. I even gained greater appreciation of Beatles music from actually seeing someone perform it. I can say it was apparent to me that a good time was had by all.

Here's their website:
Come Together: The Beatles Show

Defeatism

Geoff Smock:
The Young Conservative:
Defeating The Defeatist Mentality

How is it that a young man such as Geoff Smock understands the threat and can so easily articulate it so clearly while people like Teddy 'Jo' Kennedy, Lord John Kerry, Dick Durbin, Barbara Boxer, Nancy Pelosi, Al Franken, Michael Moore, Jane Fonda, the NYT, WaPo, LATimes,CNN, MSNBC, CBS, ABC, Time Magazine, Cindy Sheehan, Code Pink, Jane Fonda, Howard Dean, the DNC and Hollywood do not?

NYT: I got yer heroes right here.

The New York Times recently printed another article not worth printing asking where are all the heroes? No Alvin York's or Audie Murphy's. It is obvious to those of us living outside the opaque bubble that our heroes abound. Unfortunately we wouldn't know it if we had to rely on the 'paper of record'.

But we would know of the recent arrival of Cindy Sheehan in Crawford, Texas to get answers why her son died. It is a tough situation because nobody with an ounce of decency wants to pounce on a grieving mother, well the NYT maybe, but what she is doing has unintended consequences. She claims she doesn't want other soldiers to die even though what she is doing is contributing to more soldiers dying by re-enforcing the jihadist belief that America can't take casualties and only encourages them. Sucks but it is true.
I apologize for the lack of formulation of my thoughts but this is how I would answer many of the questions and issues arising from this war.

This is my nephew Paul. I think I took this photo around 1987-88. Now, Paul is not my son but I love him every bit as if he were my own. Any worldly wealth I gain is this life goes to my brothers' children. I saw him when he was a wrinkled squiggling newborn and spent a lot of time with them when they were little.

Now around the time of this photo the Iran-Iraq War had ended. The tanker wars in the Persian Gulf had seized and the world was far more concerned with Iran/Contra than the impending threat from Hussein. By the time Paul was 9 or 10 years old Hussein started another war by invading Kuwait. For the first time we could watch the war via CNN and kudos are deserved.

Unfortunately with this came a new era in the propaganda aspect of war with the 'Highway of Death' cabled into homes world-wide. Americans didn't have the stomach for it and the final death blow was cancelled hours short of complete annihilation. Showing pity on an army that hung Kuwatis from cranes.

The coalition forces had accomplished the UN mandate and Iraq sued for cessation of hostilities. I recall discussing with my father what a bad mistake it was to allow the Republican Guard to escape or to not go after Hussein's regime. Because we were encumbered by a coalition we did not do what was tactically and strategically necessary and finish the adversary off. Unable to fight another day. Because of this my little nephew and his generation woukd likely have to go finish the job in another ten years.

Because we didn't do this, indeed my nephew ended up in Iraq defeating this man's personal urge for power... again.

So was Hussein a threat? You bet. How many wars does it require for those who think otherwise to be convinced? He no sooner got out of one than he started another. Was he a threat to Kuwait? Yes. Was he a threat to Israel? Yes, remember the scuds and the Armageddon images of kids in gas masks? Was he a threat to Saudi Arabia? Yes. Remember the scuds coming down on Riyadh ?

Was he a threat to the US? I don't know you tell me. He attempted to assassinate the President of the United States, George H.W. Bush. That in and of itself is an act of war. His fingerprints are all over the first WTC attack. The bombmaker of that attack fled to Iraq and given sanctuary there. He violated the cessation of hostilities agreement and seventeen UN resolutions. He attacked neutral nation's tankers in the Persian Gulf. He is the supreme eco-terrorist flooding the Persian Gulf with Kuwaiti oil. Remember Carl Sagan and his nuclear winter predictions?

So should we have behaved like a battered wife and simply put up with it hoping that he would change his ways? Putting intervention off would only allow the threat to become more confident until one day he beats us to death. First time shame on him, second time shame on us.

Was Saddam in alliance with Al-Qaeda? Oh yeah, ask the Clinton administration, specifically William Cohen, about Shifa, Sudan, Bin Laden, Iraqi chemical experts. Google it, you'll find plenty. However, magically, once Bush was elected this became a 'oh that was then, this is now' type thing. Terrorist have long range goals, we change ours every two years.

Here's why I have a hard time with those misrepresenting the 9/11 report where we have a statement, ( paraphrasing )'there is no CREDIBLE evidence that Saddam was involved in the 9/11 attack' to become 'there is no evidence of a connection to al-Qaeda'. Here is a fact: Saddam Hussein harbored terrorists that were directly responsible for the death of US citizens.

It is even harder to understand how people, from a culture where an era of gangsters is romanticised, are unable to fathom the concept that people outside the law would collaborate with their rivals or even enemies. Who doesn't understand the line 'Keep your friends close but your enemies closer.' Is it beyond comprehension that Saddam may have used an al-Qadea franchise to achieve his ends, such as fulfilling a cultural urge for revenge against the bombing of his palaces in a manner of plausible deniability?

On WMD:
If he didn't have them why didn't he simply say so? Missed a golden opportunity to embarrass the Western nations. He was given every consideration. Again, is it hard to imagine a coke dealer about to get busted flushing his inventory down the toilet? Consequentially if he were successful and the police didn't find it does that mean he never had the stuff? We don't have a problem with that concept. Is it that unlikely that a man who flew his air force to his local enemy so they wouldn't be destroyed by the US in Gulf War I might be even more likely to disperse his prized weapons in a friendlier state such as Syria. Is that so far-fetched?

So Cindy Sheehan, I feel in my heart that your son died protecting me from a very real and imposing threat and hopefully from keeping the next generation from having to finish the mission. No greater love than to lay down one's life for another. In my eyes your son is a hero and I am proud and humbled to belong to a society that creates such people.

And now about this lawsuit causing the DoD to release photos of the flag-draped coffins:

My nephew, Paul, returned from his first mission to Baghdad in March 2005. He'd been there a year and received a Purple Heart for wounds from a mortar attack on his FOB. Even though he is now married, father of four ( he came home on leave, did his duty and there are now twins ) and married to a great lady, in my mind he is still that little boy dancing in the sprinkler. I can still hear his voice as he wanted me to watch his every jump through it.

I think he joined the Army before the 9/11 attacks so he was motivated by something other than those events. He's a lifer. Has it all planned out. I got to thinking and he is far more mature and self-certain than I was at his age. But he's going back and it concerns me. So here is what I'd say to those that think it is important that we see these coffins.

While Paul was in Iraq every time I heard on the news of soldiers being wounded or killed it is always in the back of my mind if that was Paul. If so how long before I would know, days, weeks? If it was what would his wife do? At the same time I would think; it doesn't matter, it was someone's child, someone's father, mother, brother, sister,friend. Somewhere a little kid is not going to understand why mommy or daddy isn't coming home, in many cases never see the parent. Somewhere a voice will never be heard again, a heart never felt beating in sych or a warm hand held.

Looking at photos of flag-draped coffins is much like a beheading video, you see the first one there really is no need, other than some ghoulish fascination with that sort of thing, to see another. I got the point.

It becomes cruel when politics necessitates this imagery being thrown in the faces of families with loved-ones in harm's way to wonder "Is that how my loved-one will come home?" or even "Is that my loved-one?".

It is the worst of human nature when somebody thinks we need to see more of this. And then blow smoke up our ass that they are 'honoring the fallen'. Pond scum in a three-piece suit.

Finally; ( the reader mumbles 'bout time' )

I'm going to help the NYT out here. Since they can't find any heroes I'm going to tell them how. Done it myself without any assistance.

First you need a reliable tour guide. If you google 'milblog' pretty soon you'll run into some of these IOpian View recommended tour guides to hero location and how to spot hero 'sign'.:

Mudville Gazette
Black Five
Citizen SMASH The Indepundit
Castle Argghhh!!!

Read some of the accounts from the front and you should begin to conceive that not all heroes are Audie Murphy's, he lived, with his sight intact, with both arms, both legs, no scars and a job when he came home to a culture that supported his mission and his Commander-in-Chief. I do not intend to demean Mr. Murphy in the least but to say some gave more and got less.

So NYT maybe your pre-conceived notion of heroism is a little reality-challenged.

Here is where I found a whole mess of heroes:
Paul came home last March. It is without doubt one of the happiest days of my life. Drove for 5 hours to get to Ft. Hood. We all went to the field where they were to arrive. Turns out Paul wasn't in the first group and didn't get in until around 11:00 PM. So we wait for hours and there isn't much to do but watch people. There was a DJ there playing golden oldies and the little kids would invade the field between ceremonies dancing and chasing and all that hyper-energy stuff they do. Then the ceremony would start, buses pull up and troops dismount out of sight on the other side. The crowd starts to roar as the buses pull away like a stage curtain and there stand the troops. You can not help but be moved. The air is full of happiness. Babies will be conceived tonight. The troops march forward and the big guy gives the speech. Then all hell breaks lose.

Paul didn't show up in the first group. I went in the crowd looking for him. If I saw a soldier standing alone I shook his/her hand and told them I appreciated their service.

Here's my lasting impression; when you observe the troops you realize this isn't an army of the disadvantaged. This is an army of 'choice' citizens. There are the young, the not-so-young, every skin shade under the sun. Looks like a stroll through a mall except everybody is wearing the same thing.

You shake their hand, look them in the eye and there is something there, a professionalism, a comfort in knowing this quality of person represents your country. I've never been called sir that much in my life nor felt so meaningless in comparison to their accomplishments of the last year.

I would reflect too that these people have put their life on hold and their personal sacrifice in their regular life is great. .

NYT... if you can't find any heroes I can tell you where you can find hundreds of thousands of them.

enAble Danger? - The 21st Hijacker?

I am not a legal expert but I do know that if I assist a felon in the commission of a felony then I am considered just as guilty as the perpetrator. I also know that I can commit a crime unintentionally by negligence. To me, this means not taking preventive measures with those things under my control that pose a potential threat to others.

You decide. Post number 6 has a good summary of the issue:
NYP via Free Republic:
'POST-IT' BLUNDER - Spies forced to 'cover up' Atta

Here's another post from when the issue was hot:
Gorelick Memo Exposes 'Feckless' Clinton Policy

Some observations:

We had more than one chance to get Bin Laden pre-9/11.
Why didn't we? Lawyers.
We had a chance to get 4 of the 19 hijackers.
Why didn't we? Lawyers.
Just who in the hell was running this country ?
Lawyers from Arkansas.
Why did Gorelick erect this wall between agencies?
Lawyers and legal considerations.

Perhaps we should send these lawyers to Afghanistan to hone their terror fighting skills.

This is a vestige of the Kennedy assassinations, Vietnam, Racial Rights conspiratorial mentality instilled in the children of the sixties. The 'Question Authority' generation. From this we get this phobia of the 'Military/Industrial Complex' and a wall was built by these do-gooders. Gorelick's Maginot Line except this time the enemy didn't go around it but right through the gate Gorelick opened for them.

And here's what really irks me:
Judith Miller sits in prison for not revealing the sources of an article she never published. Karl Rove and Scooter Libby are hounded by the institutional media concerning the leaking of classified data. On the remote chance it is true they are going to prison by popular demand.

This whole affair comes down to an employee in the CIA having a political axe to grind with GWB and in her capacity sent a lackey, her husband, to Niger to disprove an assertion made by the British and mentioned by Bush in the SOTU speech concerning Iraq's WMD program. From this came the 'Bush Lied' strain of moonbatery. The lackey husband writes a pre-election book about his experience and ends up a  proven liar.

And for what it's worth my money says it was Wilson himself that outted his wife to David Korn. But it is Judith Miller who sits in prison.

While back at the 'Good Ol Boys Club':
Sandy Berger STEALS and DESTROYS classified documents from the NATIONAL ARCHIVES; documents that were contemporary and contextually related to an ongoing Senate investigation and now the Able Danger revelations and just gets probation! Not only that, he gets his top secret clearance suspended instead of revoked. In three years he can come back and finish his sanitization mission.

So who has really lied?

Something smells to the high heavens here and people need to be held to account with more than probation. Incompetence needs to be revealed, careers need to be ruined, charges filed, maximum sentences administered and orange jumpsuits issued.

And I'll guarantee you that in 2008 the Democrats will push the 'need for a change' or 'take back America' and run Hillary who has a good chance to win. We will turn right around and re-install the same pie-in-the-sky political mentality that failed to recognize the threat then and to this day still is in denial that we are in a war that started in 1998 when the enemy declared war on us.

BTW; Note to Nancy Pelosi: THIS IS NOT A WAR OF CHOICE. If you can't deal with that then for the sake of all of us move over and let people of ability and reason lead.

P.O.W.s of the G.S.A.V.E.

Global Struggle Against Violent Extremists huh?

Meanwhile, 300 miles South of Crawford, Texas:
Nuevo Laredo
Missing Americans

Stupidity of Youth

CNN.com
Chavez: U.S. will 'bite the dust' if it invades
Aug 9, 2005:

"More than 300 students from the United States shouted out their disapproval of U.S. President George W. Bush, chanting 'Get out Bush!' Other students chanted: 'Bush, fascist -- you're a terrorist!'"

You know, I would love to see all 300 of these students denied re-entry to the US based on their subversive activities. Return them to Venezuela or Cuba and let them 'study' the wonderful achievments of a socialist paradise. They're students, they need to learn as experience is the fool's best teacher.

Moonbat Watch

I was just reading through Michelle Malkin's post:
'MARCH OF THE MOONBATS'.

It includes this little nugget from California Democrat Representative Barbara Lee:

"The last two elections were stolen. They were stolen and so we will not rest until we reclaim our democracy and this is what today is all about."

And this came immediately to mind:

Main Entry: de·lu·sion

1 a : the act of deluding : the state of being deluded b : an abnormal mental state characterized by the occurrence of psychotic delusions
2 a : something that is falsely or delusively believed or propagated
b : a persistent false psychotic belief regarding the self or persons or objects outside the self

lgf :-) Daily Kos Bandwidth Thieves

Nothing like a good chuckle on a Monday:

lgf:
Daily Kos Bandwidth Thieves

Joe Sherlock of The View Through The Windshield is far kinder than I would be. I'm thinking something grossly obscene here, not necessarily related to the human species, as the targeted image.

Tiger Kim

My Way News:
Eleven holes-in-one in a single round...

" Kim pilots jet fighters, pens operas, produces movies and accomplished a feat unmatched in the annals of professional golf by shooting 11 holes-in-one on the first round he ever played."

Yes ladies, he is available.

If only we imperialist dogs had a leader as marvelous and accomplished as the Glorious Leader of the fortunate people living in the Democratic People's Republic of Korea.

Sevan Dined, Iraqis Died

FOXNews.com
Sevan Resigns Before Explosive Report

Peter Jennings Signs Off

Yahoo ! News
ABC News Anchor Peter Jennings Dies at 67

My father died of the same thing at about the same age in 2000. It is a horrible death and in the end I was relieved that he wasn't suffering anymore. My condolences to his family.

How Low Can NYT Go?

This one's a sitting duck... but here goes...

How low have you gone when even a lawyer calls your actions reprehensible ?

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005
NY TIMES QUESTIONED LEGALITY OF JUDGE ROBERTS ADOPTIONS:

"'Sources familiar with the matter tell FOXNEWS that at least one lawyer turned the TIMES down flat, saying that any effort to pry into adoption case records, which are always sealed, would be reprehensible."

By the time the New York Times get through with this guy he will gain so much sympathy in the 'true' mainstream that the Democrats would be fools to go after him too viciously.

What A Mess

AP - My Way News
Netanyahu Quits Over Israeli Gaza Pullout

This is going to be nasty but probably necessary. Netanyahu is probably right that without an Israeli presence it will become nothing more than a staging area for daily attacks into Israel.

I think what will happen and the message the world ought to take is this:

The Israelis will withdraw and Gaza becomes a mosh-pit for rival 'militants' and will turn it into a cesspool of violence, something beyond third-world.

Should that occur the lesson the world ought to take from it is that the palestinians are incapable of governing themselves. With the umbilical cut to the Jewish economy it will wither into chaos.

If you are a Keyhole subscriber or have Google Earth installed go to Gaza and notice the development on the Jewish side and the lack of it on the Gaza side.

Then we'll give them another $3 Billion in US aid. That's the umbilical that needs to be cut! What have we gotten for the money we've already thrown down that abyss? Hatred for trying to help.

Insurgent Incumbators

Little Green Footballs:
"Every One of Them Knows How to Use an AK-47"

Ever wonder why we need the 2nd Amendment? I think it would be naive to assume the same problem doesn't exist here. MS-13 comes to mind.

NYT - Where Are the War Heroes?

New York Times
Where Are the War Heroes?

The NYT is totally oblivious to their own failings.

The article wonders why we have no recognizable war heroes but they do manage to mention SFC Paul R. Smith, Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester and Sgt. Rafael Peralta:

"Their names are Sgt. First Class Paul R. Smith, Sgt. Leigh Ann Hester and Sgt. Rafael Peralta. If you have never heard of them, even in a week when more than 20 marines were killed in Iraq by insurgents, that might be because the military, the White House and the culture at large have not publicized their actions with the zeal that was lavished on the heroes of World War I and World War II."

Now I happen to know the story of these three and it wasn't the New York Times that informed me of that fact. It was the mili-blogs, part of the 'culture at large'.

The more likely reason we have no Audie Murphy in this war is because old media, such as the New York Times, is more interested in showing the troops' coffins or their misdeeds in order to validate an ill-conceived political agenda against the troops' mission and their commander-in-chief.

Gene Pool News

Darwin snags another one:

FOXNews.com
Man Accused in E-Mail Bomb Threat

Let's Get Real

Mr. President:

We have been told that trafficking drugs finances terror.
Check out the first clip:
Anti-Drug.com - Drugs & Terror - Media Gallery

We have been told you are a 'war President':
BBC NEWS:
Bush sets case as 'war president':

"'I'm a war president. I make decisions here in the Oval Office in foreign policy matters with war on my mind,' he said. 'I see dangers that exist and it's important for us to deal with them.'"

Fair enough, I don't disagree with that one iota. I've been with you Mr. President up to this point but you're losing me fast. It isn't your economic policy, it isn't your mid-east policy. I admire the political courage and depth of character it has taken to do what others should have done and didn't concerning Hussein and other terrorist states. That's character.

It is you're southern border policy or lack thereof that makes me feel you are going wobbly.

What are you doing about Nuevo Laredo? There is a danger that exists and it is important for you to deal with it. Armed militants and financiers of terrorism have set up a base there. We had to abandon our consulate there temporarily. Forty American citizens have been lost with no Jessica Lynch style rescue attempted.

The threat is real. The threat is far past imminent. The threat is on our border and in our country. Relations with Mexico is foreign policy. The powers that rule Mexico are not our friends and Vicente Fox can't seem to bring order to his own house.

What are you going to do about it ?

Thank You,
Keep up the good work,
A Swing Voter

* My gut feeling is this will be a very big issue in 2008, especially if this drug-gang war spills over into Laredo, TX. If President Bush does not take strong steps here and soon, the Republican party will get 'Perot'd' in 2008 leaving us another Clinton elected as a minority President.

Nothing in Particular

This is a post about nothing really. I just thought I'd post a funny memory I always get a chuckle out of. Of course it has a political aspect being another personal observation of the total dissconnect of the liberal mind.

I needed a car repair and took it to a little place not too far from the University of Oklahoma in Norman, Oklahoma. This was my old romping grounds and as I had about an hour to kill while the car was repaired I decided to have a brunch at this little greasy spoon a few blocks away.

This is one of those places you often find in a campus town where the decor is basically utilitarian but the food has them lining up out the door. In this particular place it is not unusual to see mechanics, lawyers, students and professors eating there.

Being alone I sat at the counter right behind the cook. It is a small place. So I could hear the cafe crew's conversations. Directly over my left shoulder were a couple and from their conversation and age I'd figure they were graduate students at OU. Eventually I overheard them discussing the 2004 election which was still six months away. So from the chanting of the liberal mantras I could discern their political leanings.

When their food was delivered I heard the young lady say that she specifically did not want meat ( the little sausages ) with her eggs. Even wanted it on a new plate because the meat had left grease spots. I am chuckling because when the waitress brought it to the cook I saw the look on his face. And indeed the food was delivered as required on a new plate.

So here's what I am thinking; these are grownups, educated grown-ups, even if they are liberal-arts majors they should know a bit about fundamental body chemistry, embryo development that sort of thing. I mean, eggs are future chickens? Chickens are made out of meat. When you eat an egg you are eating meat-in-training !

well anyway... I thought it was funny.....

Dresden & Tokyo

I notice it's the Atomic Era's birthday today.

I've read a lot of hand-wringing articles about how we should avoid nuclear weapons because of the destructiveness. Many of these statements are coming from a city that was wiped off the map 60 years ago by the first nuclear weapon. Of course the fact that it is now a thriving modern technological metropolis, a mere 6 decades later instead of uninhabitable for 60,000 years, has seemed to escape most observations today.

If the destructiveness of these weapons and the degree of human misery in the aftermath of their use is the measure of our repulsion towards them then we need not limit it to nuclear weapons. The incendiary attacks against Dresden and Tokyo were far more destructive and caused immense human misery afterwards.

Dresden
Tokyo

We must remind ourselves that it was these very nuclear weapons that we find so repulsive that have kept a Dresden or Tokyo from happening again in these last 60 years.

Then again... the third-worlders are doing the same thing with simple machetes.

Hiroshima

International Herald Tribune
Hiroshima and the meaning of victimhood

This is a very good article that gets to both side of the morality concerning the nuclear attacks against Japan in 1945.

I especially noted the statement by Minoru Hataguchi:

The director of the Hiroshima museum, Minoru Hataguchi, says the museum exists as an appeal that nuclear weapons never be used again. He admitted that Japanese rarely talk about why the war happened or about Japanese atrocities. But he also said those atrocities. But he also said those events took place before the atomic blast in this western Japanese city and thus are beyond the museum's scope.

"Do we need to explain everything, even Pearl Harbor?" he asked."We have to draw the line somewhere."

Yes and that line ought to be determined by the question "What Caused This"?

The answers: Nationalism, the quest for empire, delusions of racial superiority, thinking the Emperor is a god, brutalizing China, attacking Pearl Harbor, the treatment of Allied prisoners and the willingness of Japanese citizens to take up arms and the unwillingnes to surrender in the face of certain defeat.

I will say that was then and this is now. The Japanese have done what few cultures can do and are to be admired for their rejection of war and the gem of a society and world power they have built. But their greatness will become complete when they can honestly teach their children the truth.

Rape of Nanking
Bataan
Japanese Occupation Brutality

Target: Vatican

The FOXNews article mentions previous threats by Islamist against the Vatican:
FOXNews.com
Is the Vatican a Target for Terrorists?

Here's another from a few years back claiming the terrorists called off an attack on the Vatican right before the 9/11 attacks:
The Advertiser:Al-Qaeda's Vatican attack:paper (archived)

Let's come to an understanding with Islam; 'we won't target your non-military holy sites if you don't target ours, the minute you do then one of the pillars of your faith will be unavailable to you for generations. ' We CAN do it; the only question being WILL we do it.

(right here I am resisting the urge to insert Dirty Harry picture 'go ahead punk, make my day' )

Place idea in head, cover with rag and heat at 120 degrees for a generation.

By Any Means Necessary

DRUDGE REPORT FLASH 2005
NY TIMES INVESTIGATES ADOPTION RECORDS OF SUPREME COURT NOMINEE'S CHILDREN

NYT, here's a challenge and a research project for you; put up an editorial tomorrow explaining what the word 'civility' means to you.

Don't try to define it by what is not, like 'bombing civilians' or 'making an Iraqi prisoner put a bag over his head'. Define it by what it is and how your actions compare to your own definition.

Whether the judge and his wife dotted all the i's or crossed all of the t's or even used influence to acquire these children, supposing this is what your political quest seeks, then the fact still remains that we have two people of means wanting to share it to those without. Two kids are enjoying the benefits of American life with two normal parents who might not have otherwise.

And I hate to break this to you but a great many Americans do not recognize NYC as the center of the universe.

Air America Coming Together?

  King 'Fecus' Soros Creating a Better World

First Air America 'steals money from the needy'.
( Actually it is a convoluted and complex situation and they really didn't 'steal' it but since these archetypical liberals go hyperbolic on conservatives with absurd generalizations such as 'no blood for oil', 'bush lied' or this lovely semi-idea that 'voting for Bush is voting against your own self-interest' then it is only fair and balanced to paint them with their own brush.)

Now America Coming Together is coming apart.

Seems everything George Soros promotes turns out to be crap.
From a King Midas to a King Fecus.

Building Word Power

id-i-ot - n.
1. A foolish or stupid person.
2. A person of profound mental retardation having a mental age below three years and generally being unable to learn connected speech or guard against common dangers.

"Our message is clear: you will not be safe until you withdraw from our land, stop stealing our oil and wealth and stop supporting the corrupt rulers," Ayman al-Zawahiri

Now let's use today's Word Power word in a sentence:
How does one 'steal oil' ? Only an idiot could believe this.

Another usage:
Ken Livingstone, the idiot mayor of London, thinks the 7/7-21 attacks were only because of Iraq.

Here's another usage in the plural form:
Radical islamists are complete certifiable idiots who need no excuse to project their own self-loathing into retaliation for imagined offenses.

Keep em Ignorant

via DrudgeReport
International Herald Tribune
Beijing to clamp down on foreign media

And these guys can't wait to get governance of the internet.

Eye Candy

Accidently stumbled into a whole mess of eye candy:

Slide Show for Gallery :: Greg Ramsak's Photo Gallery

DNC Plunges Into Pathos

Yahoo! News
DNC: Bush Should Stop Playing Games with Physical Fitness :

"'His personal habits indicate that physical fitness is not just fun and games for him. Don't our kids deserve the same opportunities to be physically fit? President Bush should stop running from his responsibility and make sure that all American children have access to physical fitness programs.'"

Here is an example of liberal thinking; the only way our children can be physically fit is 'access to physical fitness programs'. I guess it never dawned on them that kids might also do as the President and accept personal responsibility for their fitness by putting the game controllers down and getting involved with little league, jogging, soccer, or basketball which do not require a government program.

Why Now ?

Sunday Times:Times Online
Finger points to British intelligence as al-Qaeda websites are wiped out

The elephant in the room is why didn't they do this four years ago?

How much of Zarqawi's thunder could we have stolen by taking him offline two years ago with no way to distribute his 'Best of Beheadings' videos ?

For the conspiracy types: notice that they just arrested this 'night-stalker' looking hacker for shutting down several US defense computers. Couple days later down goes Al-Qaeda. Hummm... mere coincidnce ?

For Blacks Only

CNN.com
Zimbabwe: Land is for blacks only - Jul 31, 2005

Do you recall how Hollywood called for an end to Apartheid in South Africa? People like Danny Glover, Oprah and Susan Sarandon. The Kumbaya Crowd.

Did they use up all of their indignation ?

This article ought to raise questions to the myth of racial equality. British colonialism made this a nation capable of feeding itself through the knowledge of its white farmers. Mugabe is now doing a backwards flip into becoming another African basket case.

All because Mugabe rules according to the color of the skin instead of the content of the character.