Where did the WMD's Go?

Well if you believe this report, Syria.

U.S. intelligence officials Wednesday released an assessment that Iraqi weapons of mass destruction have been transferred to neighboring Syria. The officials, in the first assessment of its kind, said the transfer occurred during the weeks prior to the U.S.-led war against the Saddam Hussein regime. Middle East Newsline reported the U.S. assessment was based on satellite images of convoys of Iraqi trucks that poured into Syria during February and March. U.S. intelligence officials say the trucks contained missiles and WMD components banned by the U.N.'s Security Council.

First off, before any of you email me and say, "What about the Kay Report?!" Let me say this, The Kay Report only proved Saddam Hussein had a clandestine WMD program and not WMD's, while it is very possible (even likely) that Kay will find WMD's in Iraq, he has not yet done so. In all honesty the story that Iraq sent it's WMD's into Syria has been hanging around for quite a few months, it has never risen above the "official rumor" category, until today, so I am going to take this with a pretty large grain of salt. Those trucks referenced in the story could have just easily carried looted art work or money as they could have carried WMD's, in other words there really isn't much proof to substianate that the trucks carried what the intelligence suggests. Until such proof becomes available, ala Assad turning them over or coming clean that yes those trucks did indeed carry what we think they carried, then the hunt for WMD's should (and could) continue in Iraq.

Hat Tip Right Thinking

Dem Space Based Mind Control Devices...

Have apparently taken control of our good friends, The Democratic Underground. Of course the title assumes they actually have minds to begin with, but I digress.

First off, look at this picture and tell me what you see.



What I see, and what I would be willing to guess most of you see is a simple picture of a beautiful little girl waving an American flag. I do not see any kind of partisian message on display, nor do I see any kind of message of indoctrination. I merely see a message of "Unity", you know that whole "United We Stand, Divided We Fall" deal.

However, take a look at some of the posts over at Democratic Underground about the above picture:

nu_duer: "The message I get is "don't question, just wave your flag and follow."

The people who put this billboard up do have some inspirational, almost anti-war billboards, but this one, using children (this girl looks like she's seen God or something) to sell "patriotism," this billboard bothers me. (if the wind is blowing hard enough to fly that flag, could that little girl really hold it up with one hand?)

And I'm pretty sure I'm not alone in resenting having the flag shoved down my throat at every turn. Its my country's flag, not a "can you hear me now" catchphrase."

Yup, we have to "sell patriotism". It isn't something people are allowed to feel naturally.

frank frankly: "no no no no no

how stupid. how awful and stupid. what the f*ck does that kid know about anything?

ugh. the police state tightening under the rush of hatriotism..."

Ah, the child must be stupid! She doesn't know what kind of hate-filled, racist country the United States actually is.

ixion: "flags didn't bother me... but now they do...

The nationalistic zomby thing really makes me sick. Nationalism before all else and above all things. It's pathetic."

It's spelled z-o-m-b-i-e not z-o-m-b-y, Ixion. Flag waving little girls must be the walking dead apparently.

maveric: A blonde haired blue eyed little girl. Promoting the Aryan agenda

once more.

What do repugs have with blondes? The media whores, pundits, and Fox news especially. Are they ordered to bleach their hair?

The Aryan Jesus is the one that gets me!"

YES!! The ubiquitous Aryan/Nazi reference. Took you long enough.

DBoon: "Ein Volk, Ein Reich, Ein Fuhrer!"

Once again, waving the American flag is akin to being in Nazi Germany, circa 1939. Especially if it's a little girl that is doing the waving.

MrsGrumpy: "We have it on I-94 here in Detroit.

Unity....heehee, and if not call the FBI on your neighbor."

Equating the billboard's message of "Unity" with informing on your neighbor, ala the USSR under Stalin. That's a stretch, even for the DU.

Resistance Is Futile: "It's not the flag

Look again

Note the motto: "What makes us great. Unity"

This is nothing more than pro-GOP propaganda combined with the stench of Naziism."

Look again, that was the American flag and not the flag of Nazi Germany, Resistance is Futile. And the billboard wasn't written in German. Going off the deep-end? I would say so.

I just love it when the mask slips off and these Barking Moonbats are seen for the anti-American asshats they really are.

But WAIT! There's one more comment:

Ninja Cow: "It's obvious the little girl is signaling Hitler, or heiling him with both arms. The Flag is not what it appears to be. In reality, it is a secret radioactive nuclear flabbermegasted death ray designed by the GOP to brainwash other nations. It also contains American "time travel" devices that allows the USA to steal tech from the future. Where do you think they got the idea for shoe laces??

Little girls are evil. Flags are evil. Santa Clause is evil. Unity is evil!!!"

You also forgot baseball, apple pie, and the Easter Bunny there, Ninja Cow.

Hat Tip Right Wing News

Michael Moore, Great American

Normally I do not comment on anything relating to Michael Moore. In all honesty I really do not view anything the man does or says as worth my time to vent about, and Lee over at Right-Thinking does a far far better job of nailing the fat bastard to the wall better than I could even hope to do. However, when I read this little piece of news I couldn't resist the urge to make a comment in passing.

MICHAEL MOORE, the polemic filmmaker who likes to wear his "progressive'' politics on his plaid sleeves, has made a fortune from bashing doyens of corporate greed. But apparently the provocative Moore doesn't mind the perks of celebrity -- even when they bear the label of big-time corporate America.

Moore recently touched down in California as part of his national book tour. He's traveling in style -- in a private jet provided by Time Warner, and in SUVs courtesy of his publisher, Warner Books. The company also threw in some bodyguards -- as we know from his movies, America is a pretty darn dangerous place.

For his part, Moore sees no contradiction between his private life and his public image, suggesting that the only reason he's feeding at the corporate trough is because it's there. "I would never pay for this,'' Moore told the Los Angeles Times, adding that the irony is not lost on him.

When you make your living bashing malicious corporate CEOs, it's best not to remind people that you're using giant media companies to carry your message.

After all, the bottom line is all about profits, not prophets.

Most telling thing about that for me? It was prinited in the San Francisco Chronicle, a paper notorious for it's lefty bias and it was an actual article not an op-ed. In other related news; Hell just froze over.

I Blame Bush...

For this:

The economy grew at a blistering 7.2 percent annual rate in the third quarter in the strongest pace in nearly two decades. Consumers spent with abandon and businesses ramped up investment, compelling new evidence of an economic resurgence.

The increase in gross domestic product, the broadest measure of the economy's performance, in the July-September quarter was more than double the 3.3 percent rate registered in the second quarter, the Commerce Department reported Thursday.

The 7.2 percent pace marked the best showing since the first quarter of 1984. It exceeded analysts' forecasts for a 6 percent growth rate for third-quarter GDP, which measures the value of all goods and services produced within the United States.(emphasis mine -K)

You really have to feel for the Naive Nine, they have painted themselves into a box. They have to, in order for any of them to win the White House in 2004:

1) Hope the Iraq situation doesn't keep improving.
2) Hope that the economy goes completely into the crapper.
3) Hope that another terrorist attack is committed on United States soil.

They have to hope for bad things to happen for any of them to have a shot at unseating Bush in 2004. What a terrible predicament for them to be in. I'm smiling from ear to ear, in case you were wondering.

Hat Tip Right-Thinking

Zell Miller Speaks, Again

On Hannity and Colmes, eariler tonight.

The way I see it is that these next five years are gonna be crucial in determining what kind of world my grandchildren and great-grandchildren live in. And I don't want to entrust that to any of these folks that are running out there on the Democratic side.

I'm going to vote for George Bush. I think he's a good man. I once said that he reminded me somewhat of Churchill. I think he's got some Churchill in him. He understands the history of freedom, he knows where it came from. And he's not afraid to take a side. I loved it whenever he looked at the American people on [unintelligible] and said, "We're not leaving."

That's the kind of man that I want in there as Commander and Chief.

And so, in ... I'm not saying that I'm going to become a Republican. But in two thousand and four this Democrat's gonna vote for George Bush for President.

Zell, you really need to come over to the light side my friend. You would be welcomed with open arms. But, alas the man actually possesses principles, so he won't leave the Democratic Party, tis really a shame. If he was a Republican he would be listened to and his views respected by the Party leadership. I hope you have a nice retirement, Zell. You have earned it.

Hat Tip Alpha Patriot

From the News of the Weird Department

Comes this:

A Piqua man was arrested Friday after a burglar broke into his home and stumbled upon a metal box full of illicit photos of young girls, including the thief's 4-year-old sister.

Richard Yearsley, a 51-year-old registered sex offender, was arrested from from his apartment at 329 Harrison St. after the 20-year-old burglar called the Piqua Police Department at 4:40 p.m.

Yearsley was subsequently charged with rape of a child under the age of 13 and illegal use of a minor in nudity-oriented material, according to new reports. The rape charges are for a March incident where Yearsley allegedly touched a 3-year-old child sexually.

That story ranks right up there with this story from a few weeks ago.

Seriously, you just cannot make things like this up.

Hat Tip Right-Thinking

Shoot the REMF* Next Time Colonel

Main reason why my blogging has been light over the past few days? I've been sick with an early bout of the flu. It has gotten so bad that I finally broke down and stayed home today (thank G-d I have some decent TA's who will actually follow my lesson plans). However, when I read this, my illness just got worse.

The Army has filed a criminal assault charge against an American officer who coerced an Iraqi into providing information that foiled a planned attack on U.S. soldiers.

Lt. Col. Allen B. West says he did not physically abuse the detainee, but used psychological pressure by twice firing his service weapon away from the Iraqi. After the shots were fired, the detainee, an Iraqi police officer, gave up the information on a planned attack around the northern Iraqi town of Saba al Boor.

(.......)

An Army official at the Pentagon confirmed to The Washington Times yesterday that Col. West has been charged with one count of aggravated assault. A military source said an Article 32 hearing has been scheduled in Iraq that could lead to the Army court-martialing Col. West and sending him to prison for a maximum term of eight years.

First and foremost, yes LTC West did violate the UCMJ, you will not get any argument from me on that one. However, are we at war or aren't we? Did LTC West actually kill this prisoner? No. Did he violate some part of the Geneva Convention pertaining to captured POW"s (although the argument could be made this Iraqi policeman is a foreign combatant, and is thus not subject to the Geneva Convention), yeah he probably did. However, LTC West's men had already been attacked, and LTC West himself had been made a specific target of an assassination attempt.

An informant reported that there was an assassination plot against Col. West, an artillery officer working with the local governing council in Saba al Boor. On Aug. 16, guerrillas attacked members of the colonel's unit who were on their way to Saba al Boor.

An informant told the soldiers that one person involved in the attack was a town policeman. Col. West sent two sergeants to detain the policeman, who was placed in a detention center near the Taji air base. The interrogators had no luck at first, so Col. West decided to take over the questioning.

Already attacked once, and now the subject of an assassination attempt. LTC West response to all this? Fire his sidearm (a Berreta 9mm) twice. He did not point his sidearm at the prisoner, nor did he verbally threaten the prisoner's life. He knew this Islamist idiot had information that he needed, and he was going to get it by any means necessary. That my friends is what you are supposed to do when the lives of the men you lead are in danger. I would be willing to hazard a guess that LTC West's men would now be willing to go off and die for this man. Since he got the inforrmation, he saved their lives. Leaders do that sort of thing.

The Army's treatment of LTC West just flat out makes me sick. Retire him? No way. Imprison him? Uh-uh. Court Martial him? Nope. Give him a medal and sent him back to Iraq, with his old unit? You bet.

Semper Fi -- LTC West

*Rear Echelon Mother Fucker

Hat Tip Raging Dave

A Democrat Who Gets It.

Senator Zell Miller of Georgia has endorsed President Bush:

SENATOR ZELL MILLER OF GEORGIA, the nation's most prominent conservative Democrat, said today he will endorse President Bush for re-election in 2004 and campaign for him if Bush wishes him to. Miller said Bush is "the right man at the right time" to govern the country.

The next five years "will determine the kind of world my children and grandchildren will live in," Miller said in an interview. And he wouldn't "trust" any of the nine Democratic presidential candidates with governing during "that crucial period," he said. "This Democrat will vote for President Bush in 2004."

Note to the Naive Nine -- You might want to listen to what Zell Miller is saying. But you probably won't, since you guys are always right and conservatives are always wrong.

Also, DNC Chairman McAuliffe, you need some Neosporin? You just got burned bad.

Good luck in 2004 guys, you are really going to need it.

Things I Would Really Rather Not See..

During the recent Democratic Presidential Debate, Senator John F.Kerry (who also served in Vietnam) said the following, when asked about his rather bland personal style...

"Wait till you see my video," he deadpanned. " 'Kerry Gone Wild.' "

Ew.

Hat Tip Balloon Juice

One Reason Why I Love This Country

Main reason why we will win the War on Terrorism? Our soldiers are bionic.

Every now and then, when he flexes the muscles in his forearm and picks up something such as a fork or a car key, Army Sgt. Matt DeWitt thinks he is using his own arm again.

"You still feel, for a second, like you have a hand," DeWitt said in an interview at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

It was, for DeWitt, an amazing revelation, given that he lost both his arms below the elbow three months ago when he was hit by a rocket-propelled grenade as he manned a machine gun atop an armored Humvee in Iraq.

DeWitt, 26, has been experiencing this sensation as he learns to use two state-of-the-art prosthetics that sense electrical impulses from muscles in his forearms -- the same muscles he once used to move his real hands and wrists -- and transmit them to microprocessors that power motors in his new mechanical wrists and hands.

These devices are known as "myoelectric" arms -- myo is the Greek word for muscle --but a better and more descriptive term might just be "bionic."

Cry out to your false God all you wish to, you Islamic nuts. When Colonel Steve Austin comes for you, he won't help.

Hat Tip Kallini.Com

But, We're Celebrities

Behold the Power of PITT!!

Bill Clinton failed, Tony Blair drew a blank and Kofi Annan made little progress. But now a team of Hollywood film stars is about to visit the Middle East on a private peace mission, in the belief that their charms will work magic on the Israeli-Arab conflict.

Brad Pitt, his wife, Jennifer Aniston, and Danny DeVito are among the stars who aim to succeed where world statesmen have stumbled.

"The past few years of conflict mean that yet another generation of Israelis and Palestinians will grow up in hatred," reads a statement from Pitt and Aniston. "We cannot allow that to happen."

Quite how they intend to stop it is not entirely clear. The logic behind their mission, planned to take place before the end of the year, is not especially sophisticated.

Pitt and Aniston believe that most people in the region want a negotiated settlement with an end to violence, and imagine that by appealing directly to "ordinary folk", they can bring the warring parties together.

Hm. Let's see. The UN has failed (big shock), the road-map to peace is in tatters, Oslo led to the current intifada, and Wonderboy (Clinton) couldn't solve the problem, either. Yet Aniston, Pitt, and Devito (Devito?) believe they can solve the whole problem by bringing "the warring parties together". Brad, Danny, and Jen? IT'S BEEN TRIED BEFORE!, by people with more than a high-school education (Aniston) and by people who are known for more than just flashing their ass in tight-jeans (Pitt), and by people known for more than just being Michael Douglas's room-mate (Devito). However, you guys are celebrities, I'm sure you'll have better luck. Because everyone just loves celebrities.

What are the chances we can arrange a terrorist "incident" just for these three? Gene pool is in need of a little chlorine. (Did that "offend" anyone? Go tell someone who cares.)

Hat Tip Right-Thinking

Why Andrew Sullivan is a must read.

From the Daily Dish

There were so few "anti-war" demonstrators in DC this weekend that I barely noticed any. I had one amusing exchange with a stereotypical aging hippie couple who were both wearing 'Free Iraq" t-shirts. As I walked past them with the beagle, I pointed at their t-shirts and said, "We just did."

In other words, ZING!

But, we're the good guys!

News for all the International Aid Groups, they hate you too.

Case in point

In the most serious attack today, a car packed with explosives blew up near security barriers outside the offices of the International Committee of the Red Cross/Red Crescent (ICRC), killing at least 10 people.

Couple of points to make. First off the Red Cross refused military protection.

In an interview on the internet website of Germany's ARD public television, Pierre Gassmann said the ICRC would continue to refuse military protection.(emphasis mine - K)

Second they are stunned they would be the target of a terrorist attack.

"We always believed we were protected by the humanitarian work we do," ICRC spokeswoman Nada Doumani told Reuters after the powerful morning blast on the Red Cross's doorstep on Monday.

"We thought that people knew us and we were protected by the work we did. We thought we were different from the rest."

Here's a news flash for you Nada, the terrorists don't like you, nor do they like anyone who they view as aiding the United States. The fact that you are a humanitarian organization is completely irrelevant to them, all that does is make you an unarmed target. Maybe you guys should rethink the whole military protection issue. Just a thought.

Hat Tip: AlphaPatriot

Yet Another Reason Why Liberals Are Not to be Trusted With OUR National Security

Nancy Pelosi is an idiot.

U.S. House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi said on Friday police raids on dozens of U.S. Wal-Mart stores in the search for illegal immigrants this week amounted to "terrorizing" workers.

"It instills a great deal of fear in people who are only trying to earn a living and put food on the table for their family," Pelosi, a California Democrat, told reporters on a Congressional visit to Mexico.

Hundreds of workers at Wal-Mart Stores Inc. locations across the United States were arrested on immigration charges on Thursday in an investigation into contractor cleaning crews.

"We think there might be a better way to go about this because the fact is that it is against the law for the employer to hire these people so there should be more focus on the employer and less in these terrorizing raids," Pelosi said.

Only a liberal could say that the actual enforcement of this country's immigration laws is akin to terrorism and not laugh like a howler monkey.

"It instills a great deal of fear in people who are only trying to earn a living and put food on the table for their family."

Nancy, I submit to you that if those people are in this country legally, then they have nothing whatsoever to be afraid of.

"We think there might be a better way to go about this because the fact is that it is against the law for the employer to hire these people so there should be more focus on the employer and less in these terrorizing raids," Pelosi said.

And what, pray tell, would that better way, be, Nancy? Give them amnesty? Yeah, let's tell all the legal immigrants, "Hey the fact you actually played by the rules to get into this country? Well we were actually kidding about all that, because in all honesty you were suckers. Let's face it, if you can get here and not get caught in an immigration raid, we will make you a citizen, eventually." Yup, that's fair.

Also Nancy, you're a legislator, if you don't like the law, you DO have the power to change it after all. But remember this, in a post 9/11 world, we cannot afford to take chances. Also, remember this, if you keep up this kind of stupid rhetoric, the chances of YOUR party actually regaining a majority in the House and Senate are pretty much nil, as are your odds of regaining the White House ANY time in the foreseeable future. Just a friendly word of advice.

Back when Nancy Pelosi was named to succeed Dick Gephardt as the Democratic Leader in the House, Larry Elder said, "Nancy Pelosi? The Dems just don't get it." Larry's comment actually assumes that the Dems did get it at some point in the past, which is very much in doubt.

In another related story, Massachusetts is close on the heels of California to be the next state is issue drivers licenses to illegal aliens. Why is it that the most liberal states in the country, California and Massachusetts, not only gives us idiots serving in the Congress, like Ted "The Swimmer" Kennedy and Nancy "enforcement of the law is akin to terrorism" Pelosi, they also give us some of the most stupid laws in the history of this country? Doing so in the name of "tolerance".

I believe the title of this post says it all, liberals cannot be trusted with our national security.

And we call these people "Useful"?

Why We Fought...

Score: USA - 30 Taliban - 0



Now all they need is the "whiskey" and the "democracy", for they already have... The Sexy.

It is High Enough. It is Far Enough. It is GONE!

Cox and Forkum do it again.




Explains alot, doesn't it?

Children Protective Services Success Story...

His Imperial Self-Righteousness, Misha I, links to this story.

The Emperor, as he is wont to do, fisks the ever living heck out of the article. Check it out, by clicking on this link.

Before you click on it however, you might want to move all breakables away from your computer. I know I wish I had, for the article deals with an abused child, and the utter and complete incompetence of a State's Children Protective Services.

They can, and usually do, abduct children from their homes on the flimsiest of evidence, but the child in the article? They send him back to live with his drug abusing biological parents, even after the child had been removed from their care (are you sitting down?) FIVE TIMES. Even with clear and convincing evidence that the child was being abused by his biological parents.

They can remove a child with no evidence, but when they have the evidence they do nothing.

F.E.T.E

A Zero Tolerance Success Story

This story is currently making the internet rounds.

High school freshman Rachel Boim was expelled for writing a fictional account of a student who falls asleep in class and dreams of killing a teacher. School officials decided later that she can return to school Monday while officials reconsider the disciplinary action.

The school administrators live in a what-if world. So I can understand them being concerned and calling us in and having a discussion. But what -- everything that transpired beyond that is almost surreal. The fact that her teacher took the book because it might have been a distraction in class, that's great. The fact that the journal was not returned and he actually read the journal -- that's very, very disturbing to me. And she was expelled for inappropriate writings.

What is appropriate writing? What is not appropriate writing? What is an appropriate thought? What is not an appropriate thought? Where does that erosion of civil liberties and our rights as American citizens -- where does that begin and where does that end? That -- those are very troubling issues. And I made it very clear to them from the very beginning that those were my concerns.

Right now that story is the current hot-topic for debate over at Right-Thinking. Basically Lee, the owner of Right-Thinking, believes the school did the right thing in expelling this girl for writing a fictional account, for in a post-Columbine world we cannot afford to take chances. Aaron disagrees with Lee's point of view and so do I, for a number of reasons. Foremost among these, this was a work of ficition. No teacher is named by name. No teacher is identified by personal habits, quirks of personality, or clothing that the teacher might wear. Futhermore, the student, while female, is not even identified by name as being Rachel Boim. Rachel is, by all accounts, an extremely well adjusted child, with no history of anti-social behavior, like there was with Harris and Klebold. Rachel is also, by her own parent's accounts, a very creative child, and a gifted writer. Rachel also went to school in Denver, close to Columbine H.S., where Harris and Klebold went on their rampage. Writers rountinely use things from their personal lives and weave those things into their writings. Stephen King does it with his works, for example. It is not all that far of a stretch (if it is any stretch at all) to assume that that is what Rachel did here with her journal entry.

As I said eariler, Rachel is, by all accounts, a well-adjusted child, as this article points out.

The journal entry describes a student, who is unnamed, having a dream while asleep in class. In the dream, the student shoots a teacher and then runs out of the classroom, only to be killed by a security guard. After that, the school bell rings and the student having the dream wakes up, picks up her books and walks to another classroom.

The journal does not name a specific teacher, according to Rachel's parents, who described their daughter as a gifted writer and not someone with violent intentions.

The family and Bottoms say the suspension is another example of Georgia school officials failing to use common sense when applying "zero-tolerance" policies. Three years ago, Cobb County school officials suspended a sixth-grader from Garrett Middle School for breaking the school's zero-tolerance weapons policy by having a Tweety Bird wallet with a 10-inch keychain. Cobb officials said chains were prohibited under the weapons policy, and the girl was given the maximum punishment: a two-week suspension.

[..]

Rachel is an honors student in biology, French and English literature, her parents said. She is the captain of her crew team and a voracious reader, they added. She comes from a family of writers. Her sister edits the Roswell High School literary magazine, and her mother, Kimberly, is a former journalist and has taught literature at Chattahoochee Technical School.

So, the kid is apparently popular, comes from a family with a journalistic bent, and is an honors student. Eveything we know, in retrospect, Harris and Klebold were not. The article then goes on to say.

He said the family moved to Roswell from Colorado three years ago. Because they lived in suburban Denver at the time, the Boims often talked at home about the 1999 Columbine High School massacre, in which two students used pipe bombs and gunfire to kill 12 classmates and a teacher before killing themselves.

Like I said, writers use things from their everyday lives to write their works of fiction. This girl went to school in Denver, and her parents talked about the Columbine Massacre. It is reasonable to assume that the girl probably has no first hand knowledge about Columbine and is just going by what her mom and dad were talking about, relating to the tragedy and her own memories, second hand has as they maybe. There is nothing in that article that even indicates this child possess even a whit of the anger and hatred that drove Harris and Klebold to commit mass murder.

An honors student, captain of the crew team (I believe that is rowing), and she is a voracious reader. This is a menace to society? This is a child that needs to be expelled from school? And leave us not forget, that an expulsion goes onto a child's permanent record and that follows the child everywhere. Want to get into a good college? Well Harvard is probably out for this girl, if the expulsion is allowed to stand. Say she wants to follow in her mom's footsteps and become a reporter, Columbia School of Journalism is probably out for her as well, if the expulsion is allowed to stand. In other words, the school, by expelling this girl, have done more harm than good.

If Rachel was not popular, if this girl was known to be a victim of bullies, and if this girl was not well-adjusted - in other words; everything we know Harris and Klebold were, then the school might have a point. But since she is neither of those things, the school over-reached.

Another zero-tolerance success story, indeed.

This is What a Leader Does Folks

As many of you have undoubtedly read by now Donald Rumsfeld wrote a memo to his subordinates about the War on Terror. Said memo was subsequently "leaked" by someone to the press, and the press are pretty much going orgasmic over what it was Rumsfeld said. Below is the actual memo itself, and below that will be my analysis of it. Read and enjoy:

October 16, 2003
TO: Gen. Dick Myers
Paul Wolfowitz
Gen. Pete Pace
Doug Feith

FROM: Donald Rumsfeld

SUBJECT: Global War on Terrorism

The questions I posed to combatant commanders this week were: Are we winning or losing the Global War on Terror? Is DoD changing fast enough to deal with the new 21st century security environment? Can a big institution change fast enough? Is the USG changing fast enough?

DoD has been organized, trained and equipped to fight big armies, navies and air forces. It is not possible to change DoD fast enough to successfully fight the global war on terror; an alternative might be to try to fashion a new institution, either within DoD or elsewhere — one that seamlessly focuses the capabilities of several departments and agencies on this key problem.

With respect to global terrorism, the record since Septermber 11th seems to be:

We are having mixed results with Al Qaida, although we have put considerable pressure on them — nonetheless, a great many remain at large.

USG has made reasonable progress in capturing or killing the top 55 Iraqis.

USG has made somewhat slower progress tracking down the Taliban — Omar, Hekmatyar, etc.

With respect to the Ansar Al-Islam, we are just getting started.

Have we fashioned the right mix of rewards, amnesty, protection and confidence in the US?

Does DoD need to think through new ways to organize, train, equip and focus to deal with the global war on terror?

Are the changes we have and are making too modest and incremental? My impression is that we have not yet made truly bold moves, although we have have made many sensible, logical moves in the right direction, but are they enough?

Today, we lack metrics to know if we are winning or losing the global war on terror. Are we capturing, killing or deterring and dissuading more terrorists every day than the madrassas and the radical clerics are recruiting, training and deploying against us?

Does the US need to fashion a broad, integrated plan to stop the next generation of terrorists? The US is putting relatively little effort into a long-range plan, but we are putting a great deal of effort into trying to stop terrorists. The cost-benefit ratio is against us! Our cost is billions against the terrorists' costs of millions.

Do we need a new organization?

How do we stop those who are financing the radical madrassa schools?

Is our current situation such that "the harder we work, the behinder we get"?

It is pretty clear that the coalition can win in Afghanistan and Iraq in one way or another, but it will be a long, hard slog.

Does CIA need a new finding?

Should we create a private foundation to entice radical madradssas to a more moderate course?

What else should we be considering?

Please be prepared to discuss this at our meeting on Saturday or Monday.

Thanks.

First off, the thing that really sticks out to me is that Rumsfeld is actually asking for the opinions of his subordinates, which is a sure sign he is growing complacent in the War against Global Terrorism (for those of you who do not know me, yes that was sarcasm). Leaders constantly ask the following questions; Are we doing enough? Are we actually winning the battle? Do we have the tools to win? Etc.. The SecDef is a leader folks, for the first time since the days of Caspar Weinberger we have a leader as SecDef. Rumsfeld questions prove the man isn't complacent, they prove he is looking for other ways to win the war, proof that the man is in fact a leader.

Rumsfeld is a politician, true. Politicians like to keep their options open, also true. However, I see no indication that this memo is an actually anything of those things. I see it has an admission that this man isn't afraid to ask the tough questions and demand answers to those questions. Critical self-examination of one's self and one's policies is paramount to a man in Rumsfeld's position, the memo proves to me Rumsfeld isn't afraid of self-analysis. In other words, the memo shows know signs that Rumsfeld isn't growing complacent. He wants to war to move forward. He wants to win it, and win it decisively. He wants to make sure we have all the right tools to win it.

They say Bush was the right man, at the right time, in the right place. The same could be said for Donald Rumsfeld. And thank G-d for that.

Hat Tip: Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler

Lib Libs -- Hillary's Scheme.

Remember when you were a kid and did those Mad Libs deals? Well the Fabulous Flying Kallini Brothers (okay I made that up) are now doing Lib Libs. And since I contributed the bulk of the words, I am shamelessly stealing borrowing this one. Words in italics are the ones that were contributed.

We need to stand firm on behalf of sensible squirrel legislation. We have to enact pigs that will keep monkeys out of the kettles of tennis balls and marmosets and stupidly sickly armadillos. The EPA should have acted before our pandas started going back to Tallequa, Oklahoma. I realize the Mafia is a painful political group; but I believe the French people are ready to come together as a bee and do whatever it takes to keep squirrels away from ninjas who shouldn't have them.

Remember when you outlaw squirrels only criminals will have squirrels. It is really that simple.

Urban Legend?

"There's a story told about Bush's visit to the World Trade Center, right after the attack.

He was chatting with some hard hats, and he looked at this one guy and said, "What can I do for you?"

And the man said, "Help the widows and orphans."

And Bush said, "No, what can I do for you?"

And the man said, "You go find whichever m--f-- did this and you kill him and his wife and his mother and his children and his dog and everyone who so much as served him a cup of coffee."

And Bush said, "You won't be disappointed."

That little story comes from when Bush was touring Ground Zero after September 11th. Whether it is true or not, I have no idea. But given the remarks he made later, ostensibly it was the sameday he said "I hear you. The world hears you. .." I wouldn't be all the surprised if he did say that.

Hat Tip John

Every Little Bit Helps.

The PBA Ban Passed the Senate, by a 64 - 34 vote margin. Now all that remains is for the president to sign it. Here's how the vote broke down:

Alabama

Sessions (R) Yes; Shelby (R) Yes.

Alaska

Murkowski (R) Yes; Stevens (R) Yes.

Arizona

Kyl (R) Yes; McCain (R) Yes.

Arkansas

Lincoln (D) Yes; Pryor (D) Yes.

California

Boxer (D) No; Feinstein (D) No.

Colorado

Allard (R) Yes; Campbell (R) Yes.

Connecticut

Dodd (D) No; Lieberman (D) No.

Delaware

Biden (D) Yes; Carper (D) Yes.

Florida

Graham (D) No; Nelson (D) No.

Georgia

Chambliss (R) Yes; Miller (D) Yes.

Hawaii

Akaka (D) No; Inouye (D) No.

Idaho

Craig (R) Yes; Crapo (R) Yes.

Illinois

Durbin (D) No; Fitzgerald (R) Yes.

Indiana

Bayh (D) Yes; Lugar (R) Yes.

Iowa

Grassley (R) Yes; Harkin (D) No.

Kansas

Brownback (R) Yes; Roberts (R) Yes.

Kentucky

Bunning (R) Yes; McConnell (R) Yes.

Louisiana

Breaux (D) Yes; Landrieu (D) Yes.

Maine

Collins (R) No; Snowe (R) No.

Maryland

Mikulski (D) No; Sarbanes (D) No.

Massachusetts

Kennedy (D) No; Kerry (D) No.

Michigan

Levin (D) No; Stabenow (D) No.

Minnesota

Coleman (R) Yes; Dayton (D) No.

Mississippi

Cochran (R) Yes; Lott (R) Yes.

Missouri

Bond (R) Yes; Talent (R) Yes.

Montana

Baucus (D) No; Burns (R) Yes.

Nebraska

Hagel (R) Yes; Nelson (D) Yes.

Nevada

Ensign (R) Yes; Reid (D) Yes.

New Hampshire

Gregg (R) Yes; Sununu (R) Yes.

New Jersey

Corzine (D) No; Lautenberg (D) No.

New Mexico

Bingaman (D) No; Domenici (R) Yes.

New York

Clinton (D) No; Schumer (D) No.

North Carolina

Dole (R) Yes; Edwards (D) Not Voting.

North Dakota

Conrad (D) Yes; Dorgan (D) Yes.

Ohio

DeWine (R) Yes; Voinovich (R) Yes.

Oklahoma

Inhofe (R) Yes; Nickles (R) Yes.

Oregon

Smith (R) Yes; Wyden (D) No.

Pennsylvania

Santorum (R) Yes; Specter (R) Yes.

Rhode Island

Chafee (R) No; Reed (D) No.

South Carolina

Graham (R) Yes; Hollings (D) Yes.

South Dakota

Daschle (D) Yes; Johnson (D) Yes.

Tennessee

Alexander (R) Yes; Frist (R) Yes.

Texas

Cornyn (R) Yes; Hutchison (R) Not Voting.

Utah

Bennett (R) Yes; Hatch (R) Yes.

Vermont

Jeffords (I) No; Leahy (D) Yes.

Virginia

Allen (R) Yes; Warner (R) Yes.

Washington

Cantwell (D) No; Murray (D) No.

West Virginia

Byrd (D) Yes; Rockefeller (D) No.

Wisconsin

Feingold (D) No; Kohl (D) No.

Wyoming

Enzi (R) Yes; Thomas (R) Yes.

I am under no illusions that this bill, when it becomes law, won't be challenged by NARAL, NOW, etc. But in order for them to get the bill completely overturned SCOTUS is going to have weigh in. Roe v. Wade made them final arbiters of any abortion right's case, and the way the Court has been leaning on abortion here lately, I wouldn't be all that surprised if they upheld it, the PBA ban. What I mean by every little bit helps? Easy, any attempt to roll back Roe v. Wade and return the abortion question back to the state legislatures (where it belongs) is a good thing.

Hat Tip Susan

Gives new meaning to the words, "All Rise."

Or; They say Justice is Blind, and now we know why.

A French judge was placed under official investigation for "sexual exposure" in a courtroom, prosecutors said on Friday, after a newspaper reported the judge masturbated while a lawyer pleaded her case.

The 39-year old judge masturbated for several minutes on Wednesday while listening to a female lawyer addressing the court in a case dealing with a dispute between neighbors, regional paper La Charente Libre said.

One of the paper's reporters saw the judge "making unambiguous gestures after discretely lifting his judicial robe and opening his trousers," it said.

The judge was temporarily suspended from his professional duties and examined by a psychiatrist, a prosecutor in the southwestern town of Angouleme said.

As Lee said in response to this story, "Sometimes the jokes write themselves."

Indeed.

Postscript: Eventually this blog will be moving to it's own domain, when Hosting Matters quits experiencing DoS attacks, and when I get Moveable Type set up correctly. So watch the blog, here, for updates.

Ain't that a kick in the head?



Which Rat Pack Member Are You?

Yeah I was bored, it's the only explanation I have for actually taking a Quizilla quiz. Still though, not all that bad, insofar as Quizilla quizzes go.

Hat tip to AlphaPatriot.

A Great American.

Carolyn Blashek runs Operation Gratitude. An organization that sends care packages to our brave fighting men and women stationed overseas. These care packages include, toiletries, snacks, games, movies and personal letters of support addressed to those very same men and women. Carolyn runs Operation Gratitude out of her own home.

This is more than a mere morale boost and feel good project for Carolyn, her experiences are a little more personal. She got married in June last year, and by September her husband had been called up and sent overseas. She volunteered to work at the USO and one day an Army officer walked in looking for a chaplain. One wasn't around, so he asked if he could talk to Carolyn. He'd come home on emergency leave for his mother's funeral and was on his way back to his post in Korea.

Things were heating up in North Korea with the nuclear threat, he said, and he didn't know if he'd make it back this way again. It wouldn't matter anyway, though, he said.

"His mother had just died, and his wife had left him years ago," Carolyn said. "He said he didn't have any other relatives. Then he just broke down and started crying for a few minutes. It was so sad.

"After he left, I thought how many other servicemen and women have nobody.

In other words Carolyn's Operation Gratitude targets those brave men and women who need the morale boost the most, for they have no one at home to provide it for them. When I served I was always fortunate to have a family back home who sent me those things, but I always wondered if there was a program that had been started for those men and women who were not so lucky, now I know there is.

Carolyn Blashek is what defines a Great American. Click on the link above to learn more about her mission in life. Also if you cannot afford to donate any money to Operation Gratitude (even though it is tax-deductible) you can help out by writing a letter or two that will be included in a care package. You do not think even writing a letter would help? Maybe this letter from a grateful recipient will change your mind.

Dear Carolyn Blashek,
I received your care package today and it caught me by surprise because I was not expecting it. As I opened it tears almost came to my eyes because we are here in a strange country with a need of alot of morale support and here you are sending me this package full of good things. I can't thank you enough. It meant alot to me and you can bet that I will spread the word throughout the soldiers in Kuwait and Iraq. It makes me proud to be a soldier and fight for the freedom of people like you. May God Bless you always.

I'm here with my unit of transportation from Puerto Rico. "Muchas Gracias";

SGT P. R., USA, Personnel Sergeant

God Bless her, indeed.

via (AlphaPatriot)

The Ideology of Diversity...

AlphaPatriot links to the following story.

In said story, the Ideology of Tolerance and Diversity(tm), blasts an American Success Story. President Bush's latest nominee to the Federal appellate Bench, Justice Janice Rogers Brown.

From the Washington Times article:

Born to sharecroppers in Alabama, Justice Brown attended segregated schools in the Deep South. After getting her law degree from the University of California, she worked in private practice and held various state government posts. In 1996, Republican Gov. Pete Wilson appointed her to the California Supreme Court.

Mr. Bush nominated her in July to the Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, a panel often viewed as a springboard to the U.S. Supreme Court. The Judiciary Committee has scheduled a hearing on Justice Brown for Wednesday.

Born to poor parents, graduated from segregated schools in the Deep South, law degree from the University of California (of all places, liberals should love her), private practice, held numerous state government posts until Pete Wilson appointed her to the California State Supreme Court in 1996. All in all a very well rounded resume, and she is from the Land of Tolerance, California. So what's not to like about her?

Congresswoman Maxine Waters (D-CA), enlightens us. "That does not mean that any of us would and will give a pass to an unqualified nominee simply because she is a minority candidate."

First and foremost Maxine, so-called "unqualified candidate" Rogers Brown has 7 years of experience sitting on the California State Supreme Court. How many years sitting on the appellate bench do you have? Oh, that's right, ZERO. The Big Goose Egg. Just how can you pass judgment on her qualifications? Simple, you cannot. So what is Maxine's problem? Easy, Justice Rogers Brown isn't the type of black Democrats like. In other words, Justice Rogers Brown got to where she is without any kind of governmental assistance. So that means she is not the type of minority success story the LLL likes. For in the world of the Left, minorities can only succeed if the government gives them a leg up. Affirmative Action, welfare, etc. In the world of the LLL if you don't get a government handout, then you are *GASP!* not worthy of their time nor their praise.

In other words, Justice Janice Rogers Brown isn't a liberal. I would be hard pressed to come up with what ideology Justice Rogers Brown really is, but I would hazard a guess she is more right of center than left. So, since this isn't about qualifications, as Maxine Waters puts it, what is it about? Easy, a black woman who doesn't fall in line with the liberal groupthink of Maxine Waters, it's got to be, right? In other words, this is about ideological differences, isn't it?. Wait just a minute, he said. When you consider when Justice Rogers Brown was re-elected in 1998, she got 76% of the vote, more than any other justice on the ballot that year. She got that 76% in, you guessed it, California, the land of milk and honey and the Liberal Loony Left, then that argument also completely falls apart.

What this is really all about is simple, Democrats claim to like minorities and be the party for them. But when the minority isn't a Democrat... You get the idea, don't you?

Ideology of Tolerance and Diversity, indeed.

You Might be a Leftist If...

First off, apologizes. I know I haven't been blogging all that much lately, but life is well, life. It doesn't slow down even when you finally get your Graduate Degree and actually begin to use said degree. I've been on a mini-hiatus here as of late for myriad of reasons, not the least of which is that I have been busy. I have had time to peruse some of the more excellent blogs out there and I have come across some gems of posting, but I haven't had the time to post them here and/or engage in the fisk, which Bane thinks I do to much of. Meh, he's probably right, but the fisk is easy when you run across sure signs of iditotarianism, plus it's hard not to do, especially to some of the more anti-American posts by our good friends over at the Democratic Underground. Remember, in order to be a member in good standing over at DU you must believe that all Americans are stupid, well those who do not vote for liberal Democrats at least. Also, in order to be a good member in good standing with Democratic Underground you must believe all conservatives are evil and wish to do nothing more than spread fascism all across the country. In other words, in order to be a member in good standing with the Democratic Underground, you have to be a Barking Moonbat.

Which brings me to the purpose of this post. Steve of Norway, a net-friend of a net-friend as it were, has come up with a test to see if you are a member of the Liberal Loony Left (LLL). Read all the questions, and as our good friend, Clark, likes to say, "Answer Honestly".



1) The United States has killed more people than:

a) The Soviet Union
b) Communist China
c) Neither
d) Both A & B

2) Tax Cuts have never done anything for the economy because:

a) The rich hoard all their ill-gotten money and don't share it with anyone
b) The poor pay too much in taxes and therefore can't buy more lottery tickets and booze
c) The rich don't pay enough in taxes, so therefore tax cuts are evil
d) Both a & b
e) Both a & c
f) None of the above

3) The War on Iraq was nothing but a war for oil, and because of this:

a) It was evil
b) It was very evil
c) It was nothing more than a payback by George W Bush & Dick Cheney for their oil companies buddies
d) It was merely to show the middle east we weren't going to back down and wanted to show the Saudis, the Syrians and Iran we meant business
e) a & b
d) a, b & c
e) None of the above

4) People who drive SUV's should:

a) Be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law for destroying the planet
b) Should have to pay a $10,000 luxury tax
c) Should have nothing done to them since anyone who buys a $30-$40,000 vehicle contributes a lot to the economy
d) a, b & c
e) c
f) None of the above
g) Both a & b

5) Everything you've read about communism is wrong because:

a) It's a beautiful idea
b) It's never harmed a soul
c) It's partly incorrect. Sure, communist countries have had the gulags, mass starvations, the killing of millions and millions of dissenters, and the reversing of their economies... but those are all necessary to achieve the desired result of heaven on earth
d) Karl Marx always wanted a country like the United States to implement his ideals, since it was probably the only place it could work
e) Joseph Stalin was misunderstood
f) All of the above

-------

Answers:

1) D - Come on, the United States is a fascist regime! You should know that answer by heart!

2) E - You're a cruel heartless being if you even thought about including B! How dare you judge the poor! It's not their fault!

3) D - It was ALL about OIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you need a refresher course or something? OIL, OIL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! And evil!

4) G - We should be driving electric cars. You realize GM and Ford have an engine that runs on water don't you? It's not seen the light of day because there's a conspiracy with the oil companies to keep it out of cars. And people who drive SUV's are brainwashed into buying them because of the Scent D6-XM-1, it's the additive you smell when you pump gasoline. It's specifically formulated to make you go out and buy an SUV. Otherwise, no sane person would buy one of those things.

5) F - Communism, the unknown ideal. I think Ann Rained said something like that. Or was his Arn Rand? I don't know, she wrote some book about money or business....well something EVIL no doubt. Something sinister...so just relax and pray for communism to get it's chance. Someday.

-------

Thanks to Steve of Norway and also of Drumwaster's Rants for coming up with the LLL quiz. If you answered the questions the way they were answered above, then what in the blue hell are you doing here? You would be better off reading the posts by your fellow Barking Moonbats over at The Democratic Underground. So go and waste oxygen over there.

Hey, they're only Joos...

Oh, this is absolutely fricking disgusting.

In a world where nations and peoples increasingly intermingle and intermarry, where cultural and national impediments to communication have all but collapsed, where more and more of us have multiple elective identities and would feel constrained if we had to answer to just one, in such a world, Israel is truly an anachronism. And not just an anachronism, but a dysfunctional one. In today's "clash of cultures" between open, pluralist democracies and belligerently intolerant, faith-driven ethno-states, Israel actually risks falling into the wrong camp.

Man, did the LA Times West Coast Edition of The Daily Worker really screw up allowing this op-ed. They get hammered for their "Dirty Tricks Thursday" story, which caused a thousand people (LA Times reports that, but in all honesty the number is probably closer to 10 thousand) to cancel their subscriptions. Now, in a city with a sizable Jewish population (not to mention a lot of Jewish supporters), they publish an op-ed like that? Man, you guys have to be masochistic. Or stupid. Or both. Anti-semitism at it's finest folks, right there. Courtesy of the LA Times.

And don't give me any crap about how it's only an op-ed and not a news story. The LA Times West Coast Edition of the Daily Worker can and does control what gets printed on it's op-ed pages, all newspapers do. They could have shown some class and not printed it, but they didn't. Thus showing their true colors. Painted in bright anti-Semitic splendor, for all the world to see.

via (little green footballs)

More Fun With Our Friends, The Democratic Underground

Uberblogger Maximus, (to borrow Lee's phrase) John Hawkins, of Right-Wing News, has posted more hilarity from our good friends, The Democratic Underground. Come, read with me won't you?

What we MUST realize in order to win - Americans are stupid and uninformed

Janekat: "This is very important because in order to win we must understand the way the average American thinks. I'm afraid WE have nothing in common with them.

I came to the two following conclusions when I saw the large number of people who voted for Bush back in 2000.

#1 - I would dare to assume that most of us here are in the upper 1%-20% of the population intelligence-wise. We must come to the realization that the majority of the population is in the lower 80% to 99% percent of the bell-curve. WE are not the norm. The Republicans understand that the average American is not very bright. They cater and pander to the masses. The Democratic Party tries to appeal to the population about "issues" that these people just don't understand.

I've heard it said that the reason that Clinton's sex scandal resonated so strongly among "the people" was because it was a scandal that the average American understood. The average person can't understand a financial scandal.

In addition, people of average or lower intelligence tend to not be as logical or reasoned as those of higher intelligence - they deal with emotion. Therefore they are more likely to get riled up about someone burning a flag rather than a illogical tax cut.

#2 - The majority of people do not read the newspaper OR listen to the news, CNN, etc. Therefore -they get their news from the Tonight Show, Letterman, Oprah and Saturday Night Live. Or, they get their news from talking to their co-workers at the water cooler.

Also, for the few people who DO listen to the news - who do they hear it from? Fox News and Bill O'Reilly are the most popular. Most newspapers and media outlets are owned by Republicans.

THIS is what we are fighting against people. In order to win we will need to start pandering to the masses."

PROGRESSIVE1: "I would prefer 20%-25% voter turnout!!!! There are very few... people on either side of the aisle who understand the issues!

The masses can be so easily mislead that they really should not vote

mreilly: "Janekat is right... knock off the "elitist" accusations

Sometimes you have to call a spade a spade. History has proven once again that as Janekat said the majority of people in this country aren't that bright. This factor is how the GOP gets into office again and again, despite their string of proven failures in the past.

Note that she isn't calling for Democrats to running around telling the masses how stupid they are, what she is advocating is a strategy that takes into consideration the fact that the majority just doesn't focus on the issues and isn't intelligent enough to grasp complex subjects. Look at the 2000 election and you'll see the proof of her remarks - voters thought Al Gore was a know-it-all and Bush was "likeable." They couldn't understand what the discussion was about; they just liked Bush because they "wanted to have a beer with him" or some such silly sh*t. The talk about Bush's tax cuts going to benefit the wealthy went right over the heads of these people, who heard the phrase "tax cut" and began slobbering like dogs: "Tax cut? Tax cut? Did someone say tax cut! I want my tax cut!"

You all can refer to this as "elitist" and complain it will alienate voters, but the current strategy of trying to explain the issues to the mental midgets out there isn't working. The GOP has benefited from dumbing down their platform so that the lowest common denominator stupidly thinks the Repubs are "just like me." Unless we want to keep losing elections, we'd better adjust to the fact the majority of the voters can't handle anything more complex than the political equivalent of a Happy Meal - enticing package, predictable contents, and fun toys."

Yep, the strategy of the Left. Keep calling the American people stupid, and they will eventually see the light and vote for Democrats. Nice try guys. Sure fire winner, when it comes to keeping your party out of power for the next 20 or so years. Listen to Sen. Zell Miller (D-GA) and you might just get it. Keep listening to people like Terry McAuliffe and CA Democratic Party Chairman, Art Torres, and you're screwed. Damn shame too, I know some pretty decent Democrats. But you guys aren't them.

Oh Good Grief

Pat Robertson, here's a nice hot cup of STFU.

WASHINGTON (AFP) - The US State Department has lodged a vehement complaint with prominent conservative televangelist Pat Robertson for comments suggesting that its Foggy Bottom headquarters should be destroyed with nuclear weapons, officials said.

Spokesman Richard Boucher called the remarks -- which Robertson made last week on his nationally televised "700 Club" program -- "despicable" and a senior department official said a protest had been made "at the highest level."

"I lack sufficient capabilities to express my disdain," Boucher told reporters when asked about Robertson's comments. "I think the very idea, though, is despicable."

The senior official said Robertson had been made aware of Secretary of State Colin Powell's extreme outrage at the tone and content of the remarks.

"That's not the way one expresses an opinion in Washington," the official said, adding that Robertson's conduct had been "outrageous."

Now, don't get me wrong the State Department is not exactly my favorite federal department, but c'mon. Wanting to see it leveled with a nuclear missile is just tad extreme, don't you think? Robertson is slipping farther and farther away from the ability to think rationally. First he blames 9/11 on homosexuals (although to be fair so did Falwell, though it doesn't make it less outrageous). Now this. Good grief, it's crap like this that the Left uses to tar all conservatives with the extremist demagogue label. Do us all a favor, Pat, and just keep your opinions to yourself next time.

And people ask me why I don't like, nor trust, televangelists . There's one reason for you.

via (Right-Thinking)

Wacky Hollywood Celebs

Ed Asner (tv's Lou Grant in case people have forgotten he actually was a celebrity at one point) says he would like to Joseph Stalin in a movie. Now before you go off and say, "so what?" Let's take a look at his comments, shall we?

(Reporter:) "...But if you had the chance to play the biographical story of a historical figure you respected most over your lifetime, who would it be?"

(Asner:) "I think Joe Stalin was a guy that was hugely misunderstood," said Asner. "And to this day, I don't think I have ever seen an adequate job done of telling the story of Joe Stalin, so I guess my answer would have to be Joe Stalin." (emphasis added)

Ah, so there Mr. Asner, Joe Stalin was a fundamentally good guy. Who was just "misunderstood"? Well misunderstand this you liberal communist apologist, Stalin was responsible for the death of 100,000,000 people. Directly responsible. How in the blue hell can you say he was "misunderstood"? He was one of the most vile human beings ever to have lived. Ranks right up there with Hilter, ah I see now. Hitler was supposedly a fascist, which means he was far right, and Stalin was a communist, so he was far left. Makes it okay to call Stalin, "misunderstood". BUT WAIT! He says. Let's examine the term NAZI, shall we? What does it stand for? Easy, Nazi is a shortened version of National Socialist Workers Party. Hm. Seems Hitler and good ole, misunderstood Joe Stalin had more in common than Asner might have thought originally.

Asner, you're an idiot. You had some acting chops back in the day, I will grant you that. But now, you are just a doddering old fool who thinks his opinion actually means anything. And this guy wants to take on Sean Hannity and get rid of him just like he and his lefty communist buddies did with Limbaugh with the ESPN situation? Do us all a favor and FOAD there, Ed.

read the whole Asner interview here.

via (The Anti-Idiotarian Rottweiler)

Socialist Teachers...

Raging_Dave over at Four Right Wing Wackos has the story of one, Colman McCarthy. But before you read the entry, might want to move all your breakables away from your computer. Yes, it really is that bad.

WHOA!!

From the New York Times (yes that New York Times)

In his news conference, Mr. Bremer listed what he called America's achievements (although many of his comparisons were from immediately after the war, when services were far worse than before it began): 40,000 police officers on the streets; 13,000 new reconstruction projects; more electricity generated now than before the war; 1,500 schools renovated; 22 million vaccinations; 4,900 Internet connections — not to mention freedom of speech, virtually nonexistent under Mr. Hussein, and an end to torture, which was commonplace.

"I am optimistic," Mr. Bremer said. "We have made an enormous amount of progress here in six months, more than I think anybody could have safely predicted, in many places beyond what our plan was."

The changes are visible. The streets are cleaner. Shops are flooded with goods pouring into Iraq now that the borders are open again. Those who have jobs — and tens of thousands are working for the Americans, directly or indirectly — are largely paid better than they were.

A recent study found that 45% of the American people felt that the media was too liberal. Wonder if the New York Times actually read that report. Reporting good news from Iraq, along with bad news? I'm shocked, totally shocked. Usually it is just the other way around, they only report on the bad news.

Now before anyone says anything, I have never claimed the Iraq situation was perfect, but it has been improving steadily since the end of major combat operations in May. The New York Times, by and large, has been ignoring the good news and reporting only the bad. That's not objective journalism, that's bias. I have no problem with the bad news being reported, but let's balance it with some good news, is all I, and other conservatives, have been saying.

via (Right-Thinking)

God Bless and Good Luck...

Rush admits to it.

"You know I have always tried to be honest with you and open about my life. So I need to tell you today that part of what you have heard and read is correct. I am addicted to prescription pain medication.

"I first started taking prescription painkillers some years ago when my doctor prescribed them to treat post surgical pain following spinal surgery. Unfortunately, the surgery was unsuccessful and I continued to have severe pain in my lower back and also in my neck due to herniated discs. I am still experiencing that pain. Rather than opt for additional surgery for these conditions, I chose to treat the pain with prescribed medication. This medication turned out to be highly addictive.

"Over the past several years I have tried to break my dependence on pain pills and, in fact, twice checked myself into medical facilities in an attempt to do so. I have recently agreed with my physician about the next steps.

"Immediately following this broadcast, I am checking myself into a treatment center for the next 30 days to once and for all break the hold this highly addictive medication has on me. The show will continue during this time, of course, with an array of guest hosts you have come to know and respect."

Full disclosure time, I don't listen to Limbaugh. In all honesty I don't like the man, I feel he is a rude, bloviating opportunist, who would rather insult people than actually do anything to raise the bar for political discourse in this country.

Having said that though, let me say this. The Left is going to go absolutely orgasmic over this. Thus showing their true nature. It's okay when a Lefty celeb admits up to a problem such as this, but let it be the Father of Modern Conservative Talk Radio, and it's time to sharpen the daggers. People might say I'm wrong, but you just watch. Michael Moore and the rest of the conservative haters out there are going to be falling all over themselves to cut Limbaugh to pieces over this.

While I don't like or listen to Limbaugh, I know all about the demon of addiction. So Good Luck to you Rush and God Bless you in your battle with addiction.

via (Right-Thinking)

Thank you for Stating the Obvious...

Yeah, yeah, I know it's Dershowitz, but even a broke clock is right twice a day.

Last week the world media reported that Mohammed Dahlan, who served as security chief during the brief tenure of former Prime Minister Mahmoud Abbas, said the campaign of violence against Israel that began three years ago has been "detrimental" to the Palestinian cause because its various factions did not take into account "the new world that emerged after the events of Sept. 11, 2001."

The logic is inescapable: Sept. 11 reduced the West's toleration for terror, making terror counterproductive in the post-9/11 period. Therefore, zero tolerance of terrorism would eventually render it totally ineffective.

There's no doubt Deshowitz is fundamentally right about terrorism. It's not caused by frustration, disenfranchisement or poverty, although low-level operatives can be recruited from among the frustrated, the disenfranchised and the poor. Rather, terrorism is a tactic employed by wealthy and well-educated political leaders because it works. It works particularly well with the European Community, the United Nations, the Vatican, some liberal churches, and with Western intellectual and artistic elites. And no terrorism has worked better than Palestinian terrorism against Israel.

Deshowitz points out that the moral claim of the Kurds, the Armenians, and the Tibetans for an independent state is at least as strong as the Palestinians'. (And, of course, there is a Palestinian state -- Jordan -- which has been autonomous since 1922 and independent since 1946. Jordan controlled the West Bank until it jumped in on the losing side of the 1967 Six-Day War.)

"Why has the pope met with (Yasser) Arafat seven times and never met with a Kurdish leader or an Armenian leader?" Dershowitz asked Salon's Suzy Hansen. "It's a reflection of the success of Palestinian terrorism."

Dershowitz wrote in the L.A. Times that Arafat was invited to speak to the U.N. General Assembly in 1974 at a time when the Palestine Liberation Organization was trying to destroy a U.N. member state by terrorism. "By rewarding Arafat and the PLO for such behavior, the U.N. made it clear that the best way to ensure that your cause is leapfrogged ahead of others is to adopt terrorism as your primary means of protest."

Nonviolent resistance would not have worked against the Mongols, or the Aztecs, or the Nazis, but Dershowitz is correct that it would have been an effective tactic for the Palestinians. It's easy to make Jews feel guilty -- even Israelis -- as long as you're not trying to kill their children. The Arabs have not emulated Gandhi and Martin Luther King because political autonomy alongside Israel is not their real goal. Rather, it is the annihilation of the "Zionist entity."

Overall, a very excellent piece. But still, I have to say it.

Well. DUH.

via (Kallini.Com)

And we call these idiots, Useful?

From a Sen. John Kerry Speech in 2002 to the Florida State Democratic Convention.

This is our cause. This is our choice. It's your choice. And I believe that this mission is one that we can go out of here with the energy of this convention, understanding these issues and we will make that mission the mission of electing a Democratic Governor in the state of Florida in 2002, we will make the majority of the Senate grow, we will win the House of Representatives and make Dick Gephardt Speaker of the House, and we will move on, and we will win back the White House in 2004. We will make this our mission. Thank you and God bless. Thank you very much.

Yep, all them predicitions sure came true didn't they there , John? Just like your predicition you would be the next president, and that we needed UN assistance to get us out of the Iraqi Quagmire (tm). Yep, you're a real Nostradamus there, John. You can go back to sleep now.

via (Kallini.Com)

I am a Capitalist Lackey of the VRWC!

I'm the 52,162,565 richest person on earth! Discover how rich you are! >>

I am in the top 0.869% there are 5,947,837,435 poorer than me. I feel so ashamed that I actually made something of myself.

Money Quote

From Andrew Sullivan

If some Dems want to delegitimize Schwarzenegger's triumph, they should surely consider this: in Gray Davis's re-election bid in 2002, he gained 3.47 million votes. Arnold just won 3.69 million votes. The vote to recall Davis garnered 4.36 million. If that isn't legitimacy, what is?

Spin it however you want CA Democrats, but you got your collective heads handed to you on Tuesday. Yes, the truth does indeed hurt, deal with it.

From the Couldn't Happen to a Nicer Guy Department...

Yasser Arafat has Stomach Cancer

Can we say, SCORE!

Yeah, Yeah, I know. Wishing a long and painful death on anyone is decidely non-Christian, but I'm sorry, if anyone deserves a long and painful death, it is the waste of human skin, Arafat.

"Hey, who had Arafat in the Dead Pool?"

Even better question. "Who didn't have Arafat in the Dead Pool?"

Course knowing the paleswinians, they'll come out and say he was given cancer by the Israeli government to get rid of him.

Rest in Hell to the Godfather of Modern Terrorism. I hope your death is long and extremely painful, you have certainly earned it.

Taps...

Day is done
Gone the sun
From the lakes
From the hills
From the sky

All is well,
safely rest.
God is nigh.

Fading light
Dims the sight
And a star
Gems the sky,
Gleaning bright

From afar,
Drawing nigh,
Falls the night.

Thanks and praise,
For our days,
Neath the sun,
Neath the stars,
Neath the sky,

As we go,
This we know,
God is nigh.

There are really no, what could be called "official" lyrics to Taps, however, those lyrics above are used the most often (based upon a Google Search).

Below are some other lyrics to Taps I found on Argghhh!!! The Home of Jonah's Military Guys

Day is done.
Gone the sun.
From the lake,
From the hill,
From the sky.
All is well,
Sleep tonight.
God is nigh.

Sleep well, silent warriors.

Whenever I hear Taps I am constantly reminded of just how lucky I am to be alive, safe and sound at home, when so many of my brothers will never be. I am constantly reminded, by Taps, that freedom is not free.

Sleep well, my fallen brothers in arms. Your fight has ended.

Semper Fi

From the Wishful Thinking Department..

Comes this little missive

The party intends to yield nothing to President Bush next year. Arguments that recall supporters employed against the governor Democrats will fling at the president, on whose watch a budget surplus became a deficit, Torres said.

"The Republicans gave us a blueprint. All we have to do is use their exact words and sound bites and they'll reveal Bush's weaknesses."

Yeah, I know I took two paragraphs from the entire story and posted them here, but for me, it is those two paragraphs that tell the story of just how delusional the CA Democratic Party is.

First off, Art Torres believes that the people of CA were (and are) actually angry with President Bush, and since they couldn't touch the President, they went after Gray Davis. Projection anyone? Does Torres actually believe Bush is responsible for the 38 billion dollar deficit currently facing California? Does Torres actually believe that Bush was responsible for the California energy crisis? Does Torres actually believe that the weak California economy had anything to do with President Bush, at all? Well to hear him tell it, in print and on TV, he does. Simply put, Art Torres, along with DNC National Chairman Terry McAuliffe, are completely broken men. Torres and McAuliffe have taken the party of Truman and Jefferson and completely sold it out to special interests, radical environmentalists, trail lawyers, and of course Big Labor. They took a major political party and sold it out to the politically correct lobby.

I for one find that extremely disheartening. For in the long run our system requires diversity of thought and opinion, and when only one point of view is available, everyone pays the price. However, I would be dishonest if I did not want this current state of affairs to continue awhile longer. Right now the Democratic Party is held hostage by it's radical left element, every single Democrat Presidential candidate must appease this element, and that, of course, benefits the Republican Party specifically, and the conservative movement as a whole. However, there will come a time when the bill must be paid, there always is. The price to be eventually paid is that good people will not even seek to enter government service. I personally know dozens of people who could not, in good conscience, ever affiliate themselves with the GOP, however, since the Democratic Party is currently in thrall to it's Hard Left lobby, they cannot, in good conscience, affiliate themselves with it either. So where does that leave these good people? Simple, out in the cold. A friend of mine would make a good Congressman from Texas, he lives in a largely Democratic part of the State, and if he decided to run he would win. But, despite my best efforts to get him to run, he will not. And that is just a damn shame. Liberal Democrats are always big when it comes to talking about disenfranchising voters, however, what about my friend? Is he not disenfranchised by the very politics of the Democratic Party? Of course he is.

Now of course the simple, and easiest, response for him would be to just switch parties, the assumption being of course that a good person can get elected to public office regardless of political affiliation, but the fact remains he cannot switch, or he won't allow himself to switch, for he believes he would be betraying his principles. I respect that decision in all honesty, not enough people stand on principle nowadays. So my friend, since he won't sell out his Democrat principles, sits out in the cold, along with the dozens of other Democrats I know, hoping that the day will come when they will be able to reclaim their party from it's radical element. I sincerely hope my friends are able to do this, for when I debate them, I take it as matter of pride and honor to disagree with them on issues of substance, and not issues of division. For you see my friends, unlike the current crop of Democrat presidential hopefuls, have plans when it comes to what they would do differently than Bush, as it relates to the War on Terror, tax and spending cuts, for my friends get the point. They hold traditional Democrat values and principles, principles held by John F. Kennedy, Martin Luther King Jr., and of course Thomas Jefferson. As I said I disagree with them on substance as I am, generally, a Republican and they are Democrats, however they understand just where it is I am coming from when I criticize the modern Democratic Party for it's weakness on issues of National Defense, taxes, and spending, they share the same criticisims as I do, but they do not share my vision for how those problems need to be fixed. It is refreshing to debate with them on issues of substance without them saying their dissent is being crushed, for my friends understand that debate is healthy and that debate is the only real way to keep our Republic strong. They understand this, today's Democrat Party does not. And that is just a damn shame.

When the day comes (as it surely will) that the modern Democrat Party listens to, and I mean really listens to, Democrats like my friends and Senator Zell Miller of Georgia, the Republican Party is in serious trouble, then, perhaps, politics will be fun for everyone who doesn't hold a Master's Degree in Political Science. Until that day, I can only wait and watch.