A hill of beans in this crazy world

I knew I'd regret this....

2006-02-13T14:42:00.000-05:00

I said I was going to stop reading Andrew Sullivan but I couldn't help it and checked him out after reading a couple of items from Mickey Kaus.

Well, Andrew hasn't changed. He's off the deep end about Brokeback Mountain, Donald Rumsfeld and of course, King George.

What really annoyed me was his comparison of anti-miscegenation laws and prohibitions against 'gay marriage'. I know this is an issue of enormous personal importance to Andrew but come-on they aren't the same. Race is not an elemental part of marriage but the sex of the participants is. You can support 'gay marriage' but you need to be intellectually honest. If you pretend that the sex of the participants isn't part of the definition of marriage you are an idiot or lying. Up until about 20 minutes ago everyone for thousands of years knew marriage meant men and women, not some other combination. That's the reason I use quote marks around 'gay marriage'. We can decide as a society to recognize gay relationships (and there are reasonable cases on both sides) but they aren't marriage unless we are just going to redefine the word.

Cheney Shoots...He...oh no.....

2006-02-13T14:35:00.000-05:00

So, Vice President Dick Cheney shot someone while hunting. Okay, it's a big, legitimate and since the guy is going to be fine, funny story. It's not the end of the world like the press is trying to make it out to be.

That said, it seems one element is missing to the coverage...what is the VP doing in proximity to guys with guns? I know they are all 'old, dear friends' who wouldn't hurt the VP but as this shows, accidents happen. Do we really want the VP to be in that position? I know people in positions need relaxation and to enjoy their hobbies but there's also an obligation to not put yourself in compromising positions.

I am outraged at the White House!

2006-02-02T17:19:00.000-05:00

It turns out that the life of a Congressman isn't that busy after all. Apparently, they have 3 hours to stake out a seat at the State of the Union. In fairness, the Representative in question is Cynthia McKinney (D- Georgia Mental Health Ward) and the Republic is much safer when she is doing nothing.

The outrage comes later in the story. According to Congressman Jessie Jackson III, the Congressional Black Caucus has only been invited to the White House twice since President Bush took office.

I am outraged at the President over this. Twice? In 5 years? What the hell is he thinking letting those racist, demagogues anywhere near the White House even once? To allow those people any where near that hallowed ground even once is an abomination!

Say it ain't so Nino!

2006-01-17T18:50:00.000-05:00

I am big fan of Justice Scalia but his dissent in the Oregon assisted suicide case was actually kind of sad. It represented to kind of results oriented jurisprudence and pro-federalist opinion that Scalia is supposed to stand against.

Much of the decision was technical administrative law stuff that I, as a non lawyer, don't really know or understand but reading the opinion (here) and Scalia's dissent (here) it's clear that Scalia gets the worst of it.

He tries to expand the meaning of the term "legitimate medical practices" to the point where the Attorney General becomes the sole national arbiter of that term. There's no way that that is the meaning or intent of the Controlled Substance Act. That's dangerous on federalism and separation of powers grounds.

And then there was this:

The fact that many in Oregon believe that the boundaries of "legitimate medicine"
should be extended to include assisted suicide does not change the fact that the overwhelming weight of authority (including the 47 States that condemn physician-assisted suicide) confirms that they have not yet been so extended.

Nino, Nino, Nino! That's the language of Kennedy and Souter in Lawrence v. Kansas and the juvenal death penalty cases. That's not the language of Scalia the Great!

Congress can pass a law outlawing physician assisted suicide tomorrow if it wishes (and only Justice Thomas and I would dissent) but they didn't. And as much as Scalia wants to prohibit this morally abhorrant practice, the law doesn't allow for it.

My idol has fallen. A sad, sad day.

Brave new world...

2006-01-13T19:09:00.000-05:00

Sometimes I really, really favor the death penalty (Tookie Williams for example) but most of the time I think it's a necessary evil. So when I saw this story I initially thought clemency might be the way to go:

California's oldest death row inmate — a 75-year-old who is legally blind and nearly deaf — is asking the Supreme Court to do something it has never done before: block an execution because of the condemned man's advanced age and infirmity.

I thought maybe Arnold was being a little harsh here but then consider this:

Allen, who turns 76 on the eve of his execution, has been on death row for more than 23 years. He often uses a wheelchair and had to be resuscitated after suffering a heart attack last year at San Quentin Prison.

23 years of appeals? That's absolutely outrageous. Oh, and he was 50 years old when he committed the crimes (arranging a murder for higher while in prison. He had witnesses killed).

Yeah, he's a bad guy who's gamed the system. I have ZERO sympathy for him.

Now that's the clemency issue. His attorneys are absolute morons. They are going to argue that killing an old killer violates the 8th Amendment. More proof that substantive due process sucks.

May God have mercy on the soul of Clarence Ray Allen, the state of California shouldn't.

Greatest Hockey Player Ever....

2006-01-12T20:21:00.000-05:00

The Captain...Mark Messier

Wayne Gretzky was by far the most talented and prolific player of all time but for the complete package...skill, physical play and leadership it's Moose. Yes, Gretzky was phenomenally talented and holds every record of consequence (well, not penalty minutes!) but here's the thing, the game is played to win the Stanley Cup. Gretzky won 4 cups (all with Messier, none after he left Edmonton). Messier won 2 more cups, one in Edmonton and one in New York.

Tonight The Captain had his number raised to the rafters at MSG and the joint was jumpin. If you've never been to a big time hockey game at The Garden, then you haven't been to a big time hockey game. The place shakes.

When I was growing up in NYC the joke was sure The Garden was sold out 40+ nights a year but that's because there were only 18,000 hockey fans in the city, they just went to every game. Well, when the 1994 Rangers brought the Cup back the joke was on the doubters. 3 million people turned out for the parade through the Canyon of Heroes.

1994 was a magical season. The playoff run was exhilarating. From sweeping the hated Islanders in the first round (1940 my ass!) to Matteau! Matteau! Matteau! to The Guarantee against the Devils and finally Game 7 against the Vancouver Canucks there's never been a more thrilling playoff season.

I didn't have tickets to tonight's game and that stinks but I will have tickets the next two times a number is raised to the rafters....#2 Brian Leetch and #9 Adam Graves.

Liberals are stupid

2006-01-11T12:33:00.000-05:00

Really, there's no other explanation for these things:

WASHINGTON, D.C.--In the first hours of Samuel Alito's Senate confirmation hearings on Monday, Judiciary Committee member Lindsey Graham, the Republican senator from South Carolina, may very well have irreparably compromised himself.
At the hearing, Graham told Alito, nominee for the U.S. Supreme Court, that he had already decided in Alito's favor. "I don't know what kind of vote you're going to get, but you'll make it through. It's possible you could talk me out of voting for you, but I doubt it. So I won't even try to challenge you along those lines."

That certainly ought to be the case. Graham is one of a group of Republicans who have been coaching Alito behind the scenes. The Wall Street Journal's Washington Wire reported before the hearings began:

The article then reaches this conclusion:

If this is true, how can Graham make an impartial decision about Alito based on what he learns at the Alito hearings? Graham has already made up his mind.

Memo to the left...a confirmation hearing isn't a trial and Senators are not jurrors. Graham has no obligation to keep and open mind, he has no obligation to be a neutral observer. This is a political issue. Politicians take sides, it's what they do.

Saying stupid things...it's what the left does.

Ted Kennedy is a loathsome turd....

2006-01-11T12:26:00.000-05:00

I've been watching the Alito hearing and the was very disappointed by the performance of the Democrats yesterday. Don't get me wrong, I want Alito confirmed but I'd like the Democrats to show up and other than Chuck Shumer they didn't yesterday.

Right now Ted Kennedy is berating Alito over the 'Vanguard matter'. You know, the one that Joe Biden termed "malarkey'. I think from now on Alito and every Republican nominee should answer every one of Kennedy's questions thusly..."Mary Jo Kopechne".

Abortion (sorry, 'choice')? Mary Jo Kopechne
Voting rights? Mary Jo Kopechne
CAP? Mary Jo Kopechne

Regulations Uber Alles!

2006-01-03T16:47:00.000-05:00

I think one of the most dangerous things in the modern world is the reliance on the state. This article about the mining tragedy in W. Virgina is a wonderful example:

Hatfield said tests found that carbon monoxide levels far exceed federal regulatory limits in the Sago Mine.

Right, that's the problem...federal regulatory limits. Only later in the article do we find out:

Carbon monoxide levels measured 1,300 parts per million, exceeding the 400 parts per million maximum level that sustains life, Hatfield said.

So, it turns out it's not federal regulations at issue but another, lesser force...the laws of nature.

Aside from the media studipity (Hello Anderson Cooper!) this is a terrible story and one can only wish for the best for these men and thier families.

Krauthammer is right but incomplete...

2006-01-03T15:41:00.000-05:00

Rich Lowry of National Review approvingly quotes Charles Krauthammer on Fox news. I agree that Krauthamer is spot on in his assessment of the Bush Administration's success in defending this country from terrorist attacks.

I think both Krauthammer and Lowry miss one important point...Bush has done all of this without damaging civil liberties or creating a police state. Does anyone thing that dissent has been chilled? Have you read Kos lately? Or listened to Howard Dean or Nancy Pelosi?

No we've beaten the terrorists at every turn and kept this country safe. It's a credit to the President, the brave men and women of our security services and the armed forces. It's certainly not because the terrorists aren't trying or because of the whining of the left.

Here's what Krauthammer said:

There's a great irony here. Everybody has been asking of themselves for the last four years why haven't we had a second attack, which everybody expected within weeks or months, certainly years. It didn't happen.

And we knew about the external story. The war in Afghanistan obviously had an effect on Al Qaida. The war in Iraq has diverted terrorists and jihadists into Iraq as opposed to attacking America.

But what we've heard over the last six months with these revelations, these so-called scandals, of the secret prisons where high-level Al Qaida have been held, the coercive interrogation which is under attack in the McCain amendment, and now the NSA eavesdropping -- we have the untold story which the administration could not tell. It knew why we had been protected.

All these defensive measures of gathering intelligence -- we were always weak on human intelligence, and that's why we had 9/11. And we don't have good spies inside Al Qaida. But we had a means, technological, in the NSA eavesdropping, and also other means in capturing these terrorists, of getting information.

It's worked. It's held us safe. And that's why I think in the end the president's going to win the whole argument on presidential power.

Now I can stop reading Andrew Sullivan

2006-01-03T14:56:00.000-05:00

I used to read Sullivan's blog because it was smart and thought provoking. When he veered left on issues of war and security I kept reading because it was useful to challenge my conclusions against someone who thought differently. But now, he's just gone 'round the bend and I don't need to read his blog anymore.

What was the straw that broke this particular camel’s back? How about these entries: Don't think Sullivan is preening on torture, well check this out from today:

In my view, this could turn out to be the big question of the new year: Do we have a president who refuses, in any matter tangentially related to the war on terror, to obey the law? We know he broke the FISA law and lied about it. We know he broke U.S. law against torturing detainees, and lied about it.

(emphasis mine)

We know these things? How exactly? Most legal commentators seem to find ambiguity on these issues and no court has made a finding of guilt but Andrew Sullivan KNOWS, so I guess the whole issue is settled.

Now, a little rhetoric here and that isn't a reason to stop reading someone but it's a pattern with Sullivan. His moral preening on torture and the conduct of this war has been going on for some time now and I am just sick of it.

Don't think Sullivan is preening on torture, well check this out from today:

The Burmese regime is one of the most odious and nutty on the planet. Read this account of torture in Burmese prisons. Now remember that, according to the Wall Street Journal, James Taranto, Mark Levin, Rich Lowry, John Yoo, and many others, nothing detailed in this account qualifies as torture at all.

Note to Mr. Sullivan...Burmese prisoners were imprisoned fighting for democracy. Khalid Shiek Mohamed is being held for planning an attack on the United States that killed 3,000 men and women. See the difference?

In case he or you don't, consider this...there's no evidence that anything like what happened to this poor man happened to prisoners of the US as a matter of policy. In fact, server US service members have been sent to jail for mistreating prisoners.

The moral equivalency, the unwillingness to deal seriously with the threat we face and the sense of superiority has just become too much. I need to find a new lefty to read.

More World Baseball Clasic....

2005-12-28T17:55:00.000-05:00

There's something about this trainwreck that has me interested. I mean it's clear that this gimick is much more Goodwill Games than the Olympics (not that the Olympics are anything to be proud of).

I was just looking at the brackets and I love how it's set up. For the US to get to the finals it has to get past Mexico, Canada and South Africa. The Mexican squad isn't as good as you might think (you can see the rosters here. It's a list of players have agreed to play if selected not who are going to play. Hard to imagine Mexico playing without Karim Garcia!). Canada? Again, some good players but there's not depth. Not even enough for a 3 game series. Oh, I almost forgot South Africa. Thier roster isn't on the website but I think we can take them.

Why not just be honest and make this a US, Dominican Republic, Japan, S. Korea thing? Those are the only teams with any chance to win. Puerto Rico too I guess but since it's a part of the US I don't think they should have thier own team. Yes, some of the other countries have great, great players but not whole teams worth.

One thing I loathe...Mike Piazza is playing for Italy! WTF? It's nice that it's where his family comes from but dude was born and raised in Pennsylvania. I guess he was worried that he wouldn't make the US team or something? And A-Rod...he says he won't play because he can't choose between the Dominican Republic and the US. Again, heritage is nice but Alex, you were born in NY and grew up in Miami. Have a little partiotism.

How dumb is the left in this country?

2005-12-28T17:17:00.000-05:00

Like the answer to the age old question of how many angles can dance on the head of a pin, it’s really unknowable.

Case in point, there’s a growing rumble from the left about impeaching President Bush (see, Barbara Streisand, The Daily Kos, The Democratic Underground, John Kerry and Barbara Boxer). Aside from the fact that it will never happen while the Republicans control the house or have 34 seats in the Senate, does the left know what impeachment means? Dick Cheney becomes President of the United States of America.

Are they under the illusion that some how Nancy Pelosi gets the gig? Or that Bill Clinton comes back?

President Dick Cheney. Think about it those of you on the left. Actually, the more I think about it the more I say, “I dare you”.

Idiocy on a stick

2005-12-28T16:41:00.000-05:00

This war against Islamic terror is unlike any we've fought in a long time and we are missing the basics. Consider this headline (you can find something simmilar here, here and here):

Probe into Russia Beslan tragedy blames police

No, Islamic terroist scum are to blame for the murder of 330 children, teachers and parents not the police.

We need to get the terminology and mindset right if we are going to defeat these Islamic terrorists. Perhaps additional measure could have prevented or mitigated this attack by Islamic terrorists but ulimtately it's the Islamic terrorists who are to blame.

An unlocked door is not an invitiation to steal and a school that isn't a defended fort is certainly not license to murder.

Lest you think I blame the Ruskies and not us, well we have our own share of idiots as well:

N.Y. jury rules Port Authority negligent in 1993 WTC bombing

Again, it was ISLAMIC TERRORISTS who did it. NOT THE VICTIMS.

Have no fear Interpol is here!

2005-12-28T12:32:00.000-05:00

I generally find international organizations to be useless for an actual work beyond moral preening. This story is one of the reasons:

Interpol issues wanted notice for Qaeda Iraq chief

Well rest easy Iraq, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi is as good as caught now! Interpol has a sent a notice to 184 countries asking them to arrest al-Zarqawi if they come across him. I guess this means his planned vacation to Fiji is out.

It's the idiocy beyond this type of crap that drives me nuts. My thought is the thousands of US Marines looking for this guy are more likely to lead to his capture than some international bureaucrat sitting in the south of France issuing a piece of paper.

Stupid, ineffective preening, that's all this and most international institutions are.

Why not?

2005-12-22T17:37:00.000-05:00

Here's why I loathe the State Department (Condi Rice or not):

He (State Department Spokesman Sean McCormack) indicated the Hammadi episode would not damage relations between Germany and the U.S., saying "they have a different legal system than we do ... We respect that."

Why won't it damage our relationship?

In case you don't know Hammadi is Mohammad Ali Hammadi who was convicted of killing American Sailor Robert Dean Stethem on a hijacked TWA flight in 1985. Now, he's been let go by the Germans.

Hammadi is now in Lebanon. If they don't hand him up right now I suggest that we stop all efforts to assist Lebanon crawl out from under Syrian oppression.

Whose ball is it anyway?

2005-12-22T16:33:00.000-05:00

The inaugural World Baseball Classic is going to be held next spring. Maybe it'll turn into something but right now it's not lighting my fire.

What is interesting is that there's a battle going on over who will represent Baseball crazy and talent rich Cuba.

The US government won't let the Cuban National Team come and play in the US. Naturally, everyone is crying foul. The Puerto Rico Baseball Federation* was supposed to host some of the games but says it will pull out if the Cubans can't play.

A group of Cuban exile players who are in the majors want to represent Cuba but MLB says no.

So, this whole WBC thing is off to a fine start!

Personally, I say let the exiles play ("Let them play! Let them play! Let them Play!"). I am not one of those who gets all weepy when politics interferes with sport. The Cuban government has no moral standing to represent the people of Cuba. We need to move beyond this idea that just because governments have succeeded in enslaving their people they are legitimate representatives of those people. That's the basic fallacy of the UN. Syria=Sweden. It's nonsense.

Now, Cuban-American politicians in Florida don't help the cause with dumb statements like:

"Cuban baseball players are only asking to have the same rights as other major leaguers, and to be able to participate in the World Classic and other such events," said Cuban-American congressman Lincoln Diaz-Balart (R-Fla.).

"It would be totally unacceptable and an act of discrimination if these Cuban players do not have the chance of taking part in the World Classic," added Diaz-Balart.

Now Congressman, they are seeking special treatment and that's okay. Let's just not pretend it's otherwise. There's nothing wrong with letting freemen in exile represent their country (Paging General de Gaulle, Paging General de Gaulle) but it's a thumb in the eye of the Cuban government and a privilege no other team would get.

*Why do Puerto Rico and the US Virgin Islands have their own international sports teams? They are freaking US citizens. Either you are in or you’re out. Personally, after spending time in PR I think we should give them their independence (not that they really want it, mind you). It's a different culture and just doesn't fit in with the rest of the country. It'll never happen but it should.

Or, we could have executed him...

2005-12-21T00:40:00.000-05:00

From the un-fucking believable department:

American Taliban John Lindh is asking for a lighter prision sentence.

According to this traitorous piece of shit:

"As passions have cooled, it became clearer to people that John was a young man ... who was in the wrong place at the wrong time," said Lindh's attorney, James Brosnahan of San Francisco. "Hopefully, this president or some future president will reduce his sentence."

Could this moron be more clueless? Let's see, 'John' was 21 when he was captured. It strikes me that the young men and women fighting in Afghanistan and Iraq are the same age or younger. Some how these fine Americans managed to fight on the right side of this war when Lindh decided that he'd throw his lot in with oppressive killers.

He deserves no mercy. In fact, he was given too much leniency in the first place. He should have been executed for treason.

Now, the best we can hope for is that some muddle headed President in the future (cause there ain't no way GWB is commuting this sentence) and the Lindh rots in jail for as long as the law allows.

Arnold to home town: Go to Hell....

2005-12-19T20:24:00.000-05:00

Or words to that effect.

Seems the town of Graz, Austria is troubled because it's most famous former resident didn't spare the life of multiple murderer Tookie Willliams. They expressed their moral superiority they are debating whether of not to take Arnold Schwarzenegger's name off the towns stadium.

Well, Arnold is saving them the trouble. He faxed the mayor a letter stating:

"To spare the responsible politicians of the city of Graz further concern, I withdraw from them as of this day the right to use my name in association with the Liebenauer Stadium."

Way to stick it to 'em Arnie!

Oh, and the can take thier stinkin' ring back too:

"Since, however, the official Graz appears to no longer accept me as one of their own, this ring has lost its meaning and value to me. It is already in the mail".

GWB drives me nuts sometimes...

2005-12-15T15:02:00.000-05:00

Today is a historic day in Iraq, the Middle East and the World. A popularly elected government was chosen today in the heart of the Islamic world and yet this is what the man most responsible for this development does these idiotic things on the same day:

White House, McCain reach deal on torture ban

Feds to Rebuild New Orleans Levees

The McCain Amendment (or as some at NRO call it...the McCain Treaty with al Qaeda) is about the worst possible thing one can do during a war. Do we really want to give the likes of bin Laden and Khalid Sheik Mohamed the same protections as a POW or even a common criminal here at home? Some apparently say yes, I for the life of me can't see why.

Andrew Sullivan has been one of the most vociferous supporters of McCain but he's just off the deep end on this one. Check out today's effort to protect terrorists. After quoting conditions an unnamed prisoner suffered he asks:

Gitmo? Abu Ghraib? Bagram? Camp Cropper? Nah. This passage is taken from Solzhenitsyn's "Gulag Archipelago" on Soviet methods.

Look, if you can't the difference between the United States and the Soviet Union or between an Islamic Terrorist and Alexander Solzhenitsyn you really can't be taken seriously.

Yet, this view carries the day. Watch, the story tonight will be about 'torture', 'abuse' and 'cave in' and not oh, I don't know the spread of liberty to a place where oppression ruled until the US came to town.

Like a bad penny...

2005-12-09T15:29:00.000-05:00

Bill Clinton just keeps coming back, actually he's never gone away. Well, his latest pronouncement is that President Bush is an idiot when it comes to Kyoto (it'll be something else next week).

How does the AP describle our esteemed ex-prez:

Clinton, a champion of the Kyoto Protocol, the existing emissions- controls agreement opposed by the Bush administration, spoke in the final hours of a two-week U.N. climate conference at which Washington has come under heavy criticism for its stand.

Yeah, not so much. Don't forget that the champ signed the Kyoto Protocol but never got around to submiting it for ratification. Why? Well, the Senate was a view votes short of the 2/3 needed. How short? Technically...all of them. You see the Senate, including Teddy Kennedy, John Kerry and everyother Democrat voted a Sense of the Senate resolution (pdf link) saying Kyoto was a bad idea. It was a close vote...95-0.

Context is important...

2005-12-09T14:07:00.000-05:00

Sometimes we get caught up in the details of things.

Details like CIA officials who apparently feel it's okay to leak highly classified information. Information that hinders our ability to deal with people trying to kill Americans and the ability to keep promises to our allies who help us. Who is going to help us when we can't keep a secret?

Details like the Red Cross wanting to make sure that cold blooded killers get milk and cookies on time.

Details like a true American hero who stupidly wants to extend the reach of the US Constitution to places it's never been and make sure that terrorists are treated as fairly as a common criminal.

We can all get lost in these details but we need to remember the bigger picture. Remember why we may need to risk going to far rather than not far enough:

$50 well spent

2005-12-09T13:46:00.000-05:00

I consider myself a conservative more than a Republican but given the breakdown of our political system, I am a registered Republican. After the Meyer's nomination debacle I took myself all of the GOP mailing lists and told them I wouldn't be donating any more money (not that that was going to hurt them). Then the President came to his senses and withdrew Meyer's in favor of Judge Sam Alito. I immediately went to the GOP website and shot them $50 and a note saying all was forgiven and it was good to be back.

Well today I see the return on that investment. Check out the GOP's "Retreat and Defeat" ad. It's great. It's not as over the top as I'd like but that may limit the chance of it creating problems of overkill.

The best part will be the Democrats response. They will whine and complain and say it's mean. Of course, it only uses their own words, which is all the more damming.

Cool stuff.

Stanley 'Tookie' Williams

2005-12-08T20:18:00.000-05:00

Well, all the usual suspects are out protesting the delivery of justice upon a murderer.

Why is it that the Hollywood elite are always on the wrong side of any political issue?

Anyway, these deep thinkers want 'Tookie' spared because he's written some children's books and tells kids to just say no to gangs (in case you haven't hear 'Tookie' was a founder of the 'crips' gang).

What they don't often mention is that precious 'Tookie' killed 4 people (of course CNN doesn't bother to mention their names. They didn't write any books for kids or have any celebrity friends. Probabably because they were murdered. You can learn about one of the victims here)

Let's hope Gov. Schwarzenegger does the right thing and allows justice to be done after 25 years.

Howard Dean, the gift that keeps on giving...

2005-12-08T19:37:00.000-05:00

This could backfire but until then, it'll be fun watching Howard, Nancy and the gang turn various shades of purple over a white flag:

The DRUDGE REPORT has learned from a top GOP operative that the Republican National Committee will provide state parties with a web video prior to release tomorrow afternoon that shows a white flag waving over images of Democrat leaders making anti-war remarks. The ad is in response to the controversial comments Democratic Party Chairman Howard Dean and 2004 Democratic Presidential nominee John Kerry made earlier in the week.

As I said, this could backfire but despite what the press will say an add like this is going to fire up conservatives and a lot of troops around the world.

It's a war not figure skating for God's sake...

2005-12-08T17:49:00.000-05:00

This has to be the dumbest reason to be against torture:

"The only observation I felt your essay lacked is this: Torture is the tool of the slothful. The main attraction to those who defend the use of torture is how easily and quickly a suspect can be broken. Unlike other forms of interrogation, torture requires only a small amount of training, no particular understanding of the suspect, and scant concern for the veracity of what is revealed."

You can think torture is immoral, you can think it's ineffective but complaining that it doesn't have enough style or panache is just crazy. If the idea is to get the most information as quickly as possible you are not worried about whether the means you use are sufficiently sophisticated or energetic.

Now that's what I am talking about!

2005-12-07T18:54:00.000-05:00

I just an Israeli military commander on CNN (no link). He was asked how far would Israel go to defend itself from Iran.

His answer: 2,000 km.

Howard Dean is an ass...

2005-12-07T18:49:00.000-05:00

Why won't the Democrats get near the White House anytime soon? Howard Dean. They almost made him their presidential nominee. When that didn't work out they made him chairman of the party as a consolation prize.

Let's take a look at Dr. Scream's military genius:

"I think we need a strategic redeployment over a period of two years," Dean said. "Bring the 80,000 National Guard and Reserve troops home immediately. They don't belong in a conflict like this anyway. We ought to have a redeployment to Afghanistan of 20,000 troops, we don't have enough troops to do the job there and its a place where we are welcome. And we need a force in the Middle East, not in Iraq but in a friendly neighboring country to fight (terrorist leader Musab) Zarqawi, who came to Iraq after this invasion.

Okay, so let me see if I follow this. The way to fight Zarqawi in Iraq is to leave Iraq.

I hope he was a better doctor than he is a military strategist.

On the bright side...

2005-12-03T23:59:00.000-05:00

At least this scum bag doesn't have to worried about being tortured at some 'secret' CIA prison.

Al-Qaeda number three 'killed by CIA spy plane' in Pakistan

Too bad we won't get to see if he would have lasted longer than his predecessor as al Qaeda's 'operations director'.

According to the sources, CIA officers who subjected themselves to the water boarding technique lasted an average of 14 seconds before caving in. They said al Qaeda's toughest prisoner, Khalid Sheik Mohammed, won the admiration of interrogators when he was able to last between two and two-and-a-half minutes before begging to confess.

Personally, I sleep better knowing somewhere around the world are doing whatever it takes to keept this country safe, but that's just me.

UPDATE:

Headlines like this drive me nuts!

Key al-Qaida Associate Killed in Pakistan

Associate? People who work at Walmart are associates. This guy was the number 3 man in a dangerous international terrorist organization. You remember al Qadea don't you? Last time they visted 3,000 people died.

Associate?

How can we fight a war when we can't even call the enemy what they are?

From the "I don't care file"

2005-12-01T23:59:00.000-05:00

Kenneth Lee Boyd has a problem. He's worried about how he will be remembered:

"I'd hate to be remembered as that," Boyd said Wednesday. "I don't like the idea of being picked as a number."

See, Kenneth is worried that he will be remembered as the 1,000 person executed since 1976.

I have some news for Kenneth, murdering scum like him rarely are remembered, except for the pain they caused.

Boyd, 57, did not deny that he shot and killed Julie Curry Boyd, 36, and her father, 57-year-old Thomas Dillard Curry. Family members said Boyd stalked his estranged wife after they separated following 13 stormy years of marriage and once sent a son to her house with a bullet and a threatening note.

During the 1998 slayings, Boyd's son Christopher was pinned under his mother's body as Boyd unloaded a .357-Magnum into her. The boy pushed his way under a bed to escape the barrage. Another son grabbed the pistol while Boyd tried to reload.

In a few short hours Kenneth Lee Boyd will meet his maker and this world will be better for it.

May God have mercy on his soul.

What's in a name?

2005-11-29T16:19:00.000-05:00

Apparently, Donald Rumsfeld won't be using the word insurgent anymore. Good for him.

"I think that you can have a legitimate insurgency in a country that has popular support and has a cohesiveness and has a legitimate gripe," he said. "These people don't have a legitimate gripe."

One odd note was that General Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff kept using the word:

After the word slipped out the first time, Pace looked sheepishly at Rumsfeld and quipped apologetically, "I have to use the word `insurgent' because I can't think of a better word right now."

May I offer a suggestion?

Terrorists.

Let's Go Mets!

2005-11-28T18:17:00.000-05:00

First off, my baseball predictions stink but that's borne of being a lifelong Mets fan. You tend to look at the dark side of everything.

That said, today's news is mixed at best. Yes, Carlos Delgado at first is good news (I am just going to have to ignore his politics). Probably.

Yes, the Mets look good on paper but last I checked the games are played on the field.

My concern is that the Mets are becoming the worst thing imaginable...the Yankees. Not the gutty, talented Yankee teams of the late 90's but the over paid, mercenary Yankees of the 80's.

Last year Delgado was wooed by the Mets and the Marlins as a free agent and he chose the Marlins. Is he going to be happy now that he's been traded to a team he didn't want to go to last year?

Then there's Billy Wagner. He's a dominant closer but does he have the right stuff to play in NY? It seems he came to the Mets because he got a 4th year and 10+ million dollars more from them than the Phillies offered.

And then there's the fact that not everyone can play in NY. Some thrive on it, others, not so much. What makes me nervous is this statement:

"I think if I had an opportunity to play in New York four or five years ago, I probably wouldn't have been as receptive to it," Wagner said recently. "After the trade of going to Philadelphia and playing there, I believe that's made it that much easier to handle the media, the pressures."

I know Philly has a rep as a tough sports town but it ain't NY. Not even close. I hope he's got the stomach for getting booed when he blows a save. Hell, Mariano Rivera got booed in April when he blew two saves to the Red Sox. Mariano Rivera! You know him, the greatest closer ever (except for another Yankee closer...Goose Gossage. Why he isn't in the Hall of Fame is a mystery) and he got booed.

Billy Wagner is some dude who took the cash to come to NY. He's got nothing in the bank. Blow a save and it's gonna get ugly. I hope that 40 million buys some brass balls.

Inconceivable!

2005-11-26T15:05:00.000-05:00

Four US soldiers in Afghanistan are facing disciplinary action because they...wait for it...'a lack of religious and cultural understanding and taunting Taliban terrorists:

The U.S.-led coalition's operational commander, Maj. Gen. Jason Kamiya, said two junior officers who ordered the bodies burned would be officially reprimanded for showing a lack of cultural and religious understanding, but he said the men were unaware that what they were doing was wrong.

Kamiya also said two noncommissioned officers would be reprimanded for using loudspeakers to taunt Taliban rebels believed to be lingering in a nearby village after a clash with the troops. The two men also would face nonjudicial punishments, which could include a loss of pay or demotion in rank.

"Our investigation found there was no intent to desecrate the remains, but only to dispose of them for hygienic reasons," Kamiya said.

A couple of thoughts...

I may well be wrong about this but I think we are at war. Is 'understanding' the most important thing soldiers have to worry about? Strikes me as killing as many of the enemy while keeping themselves safe trumps 'understanding'. Seems our guys 'understand' the enemy, that's why they wanted to kill them. That's all the understanding they need in my book.

And if taunting is a punishable offense does that make this guy a war criminal?

Shut Up...

2005-11-22T17:32:00.000-05:00

There are some people or groups who should avoid talking about certain subjects. For instance, Japaneese officials shouldn't be commenting on America's ability to fight wars. Given the history between our two nations this is a topic they should probably stay away from:

Tokyo Governor Shintaro Ishihara has gone public, warning that the United States would lose any war with China.

"In any case, if tension between the United States and China heightens, if each side pulls the trigger, though it may not be stretched to nuclear weapons, and the wider hostilities expand, I believe America cannot win as it has a civic society that must adhere to the value of respecting lives,"

Mr. Ishihara, if I reacall correctly, we managed to kick another expansionist, barbaric regimie all across the Pacific ones before. If push comes to shove, I have no doubt we can do it again.

Now, he does make one good point:

After 2,000 casualties, he said, the U.S. military would be forced to withdraw.

That's why soft headed leftists are so dangerous to America. Al Qadea learned that if you bloody America's nose as they did in Somalia we'll turn and run. The current administration is attempting to teach the world another lesson but it's hard with a chorus of defeatists just behind him.

Libby-gate prediction

2005-10-31T10:44:00.000-05:00

Following my fearless prediction about how Miers would be confirmed (just hours or so before she well, wasn't) here's my Scooter predicition:

If he is convicted, he's pardoned in December of 2008.

All is right with the world!

2005-10-31T10:34:00.000-05:00

I am back on the Bush Bandwaggon and on the other side of the political divide from my state's senior Senator, Chuck Shumer. Wooo-hooo!

After the Miers' nomination Bush went back to being Mr. Tough Guy. You want judges like Scalia and Thomas? You really want that you right wing nut jobs? Fine, here's the guy with the fucking nickname. Now go fight for him.

Yes sir, we will.

A quick thought on "Fitzmas"

2005-10-31T10:30:00.000-05:00

Kind of like getting socks and undeerwear when you wanted a pony, huh?

Okay, obstruction of justice and perjury are serious offenses and Cheney might have to testify. That said I think most Americans (i.e. those who haven't invested their lives in attacking or defending this administration) have two questions:

1- Who the hell is Scooter Libby?

and

2- What the hell is grown man doing going by the name Scooter? (no offense to Phil 'Scooter' Rizzuto).

Miers Withdraws

2005-10-27T11:19:00.000-04:00

Congratulations to the President and Ms. Miers for doing the right and honorable thing. This was an unfortunate mistake that we should move past as quickly as possible. Hopefully the President will take this opportunity to unite a strong, qualified and conservative nominee that the base can rally behind. Should he do that, I have no doubt that a unified conservative movement and Republican party will fight the left wing and see the nomination to a successful conclusion.

What’s that sound you just heard?

2005-10-26T20:02:00.000-04:00

Well, another conservative commentator has jumped down from the fence and come out against Miers. Paul Mirengoff of Powerlineblog.com says,

I've found the time to read Miers' speech carefully. This is not the speech of a centrist (the worst case plausible scenario, I thought); it's the speech of a liberal….

Miers should withdraw. If she doesn't then, absent convincing evidence that her positions today are completely different from the liberal ones contained in the 1993 speech, the Senate should not confirm her.

So, besides the White House, professional Republican operatives and Hugh Hewitt, who is favor of this nomination?

Democrats.

Think about it, there’s a split in the Republican coalition and they may get a justice they can live with.

My prediction…Miers is confirmed and it will take Democratic votes to get it done.

Boy, last November seems a long, long time ago.

Let the countdown begin...

2005-10-26T18:17:00.001-04:00

How long until Air Force Accademy coach Fisher De Berry is fired for these remarks:

COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. -- Air Force coach Fisher DeBerry, expressing frustration Tuesday with the Falcons' slumping performance, attributed the latest loss in part to No. 20 TCU's having more black players who "can run very, very well."

and this

"It just seems to be that way, that Afro-American kids can run very, very well. That doesn't mean that Caucasian kids and other descents can't run, but it's very obvious to me they run extremely well,"

He's going to be done by the end of the season. Of course, no one will be able to prove that what he said is wrong. Look at 'speed positions' in football (wide reciever and cornerbacks) almost all are black. It's just a fact. You might be able to name a white receiver or two but not cornerbacks (at least not since Jason Seahorn decided life was better with Angie Harmon than playing football).

It's amazing that this will lead to a big blow up but it will. Once again race will trump all else.

If only old, fat, slow white guys were a desired football commodity!

But the nukes are for peacfull purposes...

2005-10-26T13:52:00.000-04:00

This can't be good...

Iran Leader Calls for Israel's Destruction

Iran's hard-line president called for Israel to be "wiped off the map" and said a new wave of Palestinian attacks will destroy the Jewish state, state-run media reported Wednesday.

Fortunately, the French are on the case:

French Foreign Minister Jean-Baptiste Mattei condemned Ahmadinejad's remarks "with the utmost firmness."

Lest we forget, "President" Ahmadinejad was also involved in the captivity of American's during the hostage crisis.

I guess this shows why the IEAE won the Nobel Peace Prize.

Worsier and worsier...

2005-10-26T12:15:00.000-04:00

Oy! Harriet Miers strikes again. Today the Washington Post (registration required) delves into some speeches Miers' gave in the early 90's.

Pro-Life conservatives are worried about this:

In a 1993 speech to a Dallas women's group, Miers talked about abortion, the separation of church and state, and how the issues play out in the legal system. "The underlying theme in most of these cases is the insistence of more self-determination," she said. "And the more I think about these issues, the more self-determination makes sense."

Now this doesn't bother me the same way others are. I think you can be pro-choice but anti Wade/Casey.

What does bother me is this statement on the role of judges:

But Miers blamed the legislators for what she called an "unacceptable" school funding plan and for ducking tough issues such as imposing a state income tax.

"My basic message here is that when you hear the courts blamed for activism or intrusion where they do not belong, stop and examine what the elected leadership has done to solve the problem at issue," she said.

Bzzzzz! Thank you for playing, we have some lovely parting gifts for failed Supreme Court nominees. See, judges don't get to come running into political disputes because elected officials fail or refuse to act. Sure it happens all the time but that's when 'judicial humility' comes in. In order for a judge to maintain his or her proper role in a free society they must say, 'this is beyond my authority' and leave it to the political branches to work out. If judges are able to freelance because, 'they made me' there is no check on what an un-elected judge can do.

Other then name calling all Miers' defenders, and at this point that's pretty much the White House and 3 old friends of hers, can say is her views have changed. Okay, but um, I thought one of the big selling points on Miers was that the President knew her and she wouldn't change.

Which is it?

Actually, I don't care which it is, I just want her out.

UPDATE:

Rich Lowry at NRO says the judicial activist quote may not be as bad as it seems when you read the full quote:

What I see about all of this that is the most disturbing is that there has evolved a “government by non-action” or a shifting to the judicial system of the responsibility for making all of the hard decisions... Sometimes I believe that elected officials would rather abandon to the Courts the hard questions so they can respond to constituents: I did not want to do that—the Court is making me. Many of the decisions that really need to be made are hard ans unpopular. So its just politically advantageous to not make them.

At some point we need to let our elected officials know that their inability to solve problems in such a way that a court could not step in is unacceptable political leadership. And political leaders have to start showing more leadership and willingness to make unpopular decisions.

My basic message here is that when you hear the Courts blamed for activism or intrusion
where they do not belong... Stop and examine what the elected leadership has done to
solve the problem at issue and whether abdication to courts to make the hard decisions is
not a too prevalent tactic in today’s world. Politicians who are too concerned about
maintaining their jobs

Okay, she may not be endorsing judges getting involved in political matters but she didn't come out and say, 'regardless of the cowardice of elected officials judges must not do this'. At best she's concerned about the practice but excuses it. That's still not good enough.

UPDATE II

Ramesh Ponnuru at NRO disagrees with Lowry's slack cutting and cuts to the chase:

the speech strikes me as an example of the kind of mindset that one does not want in a Supreme Court justice.

The Democratic mind...

2005-10-25T18:09:00.000-04:00

Ah Hilary Clinton, my junior Senator and serious contender for the Democratic Presidential nomination has once again demonstrated why she is such a force in her party:

Clinton said she doesn't support a deadline for withdrawing troops from Iraq nor does she support leaving our troops there for an open-ended period. Instead, she said the U.S. should encourage the Iraqi people to take more control of their security and let them know American troops won't be there forever.

Just out of curiosity what's another option that is some where between setting a date for a pull out and keeping the commitment open ended? Just pulling out one night like the Colts from Baltimore?

And how exactly does her plan differ from say, for example, what we are doing RIGHT NOW?

This is the best the Democrats have to offer?

CSI: Damascus

2005-10-25T13:09:00.000-04:00

As noted in the last post, the UN says Syria is behind the assination of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri. Now the UN investigator is calling on Syria "to improve its cooperation with his team to help "fill in the gaps" about who planned and carried out the massive bombing in February."

Isn't the word he's really looking for confess? I mean, if you know they did it what else can they tell you?

The worthlessness of the UN part 454,234

2005-10-21T21:16:00.000-04:00

Remember the run up to the Iraq invasion? How we were scrambling to get twobit countries who happened to be taking their turn on the UN Security Council? Well one of those countries was Syria.

Looks like Syria has some new pressing business that doesn't include passing judgement on the US:

Syria implicated in death of Hariri

A United Nations report that accuses Syrian and Lebanese officials of orchestrating an
intricate plot to kill former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri is expected to bring a
swift call for action from the UN Security Council. Reuters reports that both Syria and
Lebanese President Emile Lahood are trying to distance themselves from the UN
investigation.

Remember John Kerry's "Global Test"? Is this who he had in mind to grade us?

Bad idea: Update

2005-10-21T21:01:00.000-04:00

I am shocked! Shocked to find out that reports of US servicemen burning the bodies of dead Taliban fighters was, shall we say, lacking vital context:

The Taliban men had been killed in a firefight 24 hours earlier, and in the 90 degree heat, their bodies had become an unbearable presence, soldiers who were present have told TIME. Nor was the U.S. Army unit about to leave — the hilltop commanded a strategic view of the village below where other Taliban were suspected to be hiding.
Earlier, Lt. Eric Nelson, the leader of B Company, I-508 platoon leader had sent word down to Gonbaz asking the villagers to pick up the bodies and bury them according to Muslim ritual. But the villagers refused — probably because the dead fighters weren't locals but Pakistanis, surmised one U.S. army officer.
It was then that Lt. Nelson took the decision that could jeopardize his service career. "We decided to burn the bodies," one soldier recounts, "because they were bloated and they stank."

So, while it's certainly unpleasant it's not even remotely a war crime or much of a story.

Is this good news or bad news?

2005-10-21T10:06:00.001-04:00

I have to admit this story confuses me on many levels:

CAIRO (AFP) - Makarem al-Deiri is standing for election to the Egyptian parliament next month after a long academic career but she makes no bones about her view that a woman's place is in the home.

The only woman candidate backed by Egypt's influential Muslim Brotherhood, the 55-year-old mother of seven insists there is no point arguing for sexual equality as such a demand "goes against nature."

Let's see...elections-good. Female candidate-good. Muslim Brotherhood-bad, very bad. Equality "against nature"- also bad.

Maybe I'll call this one a draw and file it as a reminder about how screwed up the Muslim world is.

Bad idea...

2005-10-21T09:35:00.000-04:00

I've been quick to dismiss most complaints of 'torture' and 'mistreatment' against US servicemen but this doesn't look good:

The US-led coalition force in Afghanistan said it was investigating media claims that US soldiers burned the bodies of two suspected Taliban militants and used the evidence to threaten locals.

If this is what happened then we need to come down hard on these guys. I am sorry to say that but this (again if true) is not a heat of the moment thing or a case weak knee leftists looking for any reason to attack our troops. This is a gross violation of our standards of morality. Americans were rightly outraged at the site of Americans hung, burned and mutilated in Somalia and Fallujah (except for the folks at The Daily Kos).

We don't get to pretend it's okay when we do it.

Whatchoo talkin' bout, Harriet?

2005-10-20T17:18:00.000-04:00

There is an interesting debate going on at Paterico’s centering on whether Harriet Miers was wrong or just unclear when she referred to “the proportional representation requirement of the Equal Protection Clause” as it relates to the Voting Rights Act.“

Let’s be charitable and go with unclear or even correct in a legal sense interpretation (as George Turner suggest in comment 48).

Hasn’t she conflated Supreme Court precedent with what the Constitution actually says? Okay, so proportional representation is mandated by Reynolds or Baker, that’s not the same as the words “proportional representation” appearing in the Equal Protection Clause. If she had said, “proportional representation as required by the Supreme Court in…” that might make more sense.

It seems to me using what the Supreme Court says is in the Constitution and what is actually written in it interchangeably is a big problem for those of us who want ‘originalist’ justices.

Want to prove that the two aren’t the same? Try this fun game…find someone who believes that the right to an abortion is in the Constitution. Get them good a riled up about it. Then hand them a copy of said Constitution and ask them to show you the word ‘abortion’. For extra fun, bet money on it.

If you want judges like Scalia and Thomas (of course there are substantive differences between them but let’s use the short hand for purposes of discussion) Ms. Mier’s ain’t your woman.

Oh me, oh Miers!

2005-10-20T17:01:00.000-04:00

It’s hard to imagine but I am even more dispirited now about the Miers nomination than I was before. NRO quotes Miers' Judiciary Committee questionnaire as it relates to judicial activism. It is fine and says all the right things but it reads like a school essay on the subject. Take a look at John Roberts’ answer to the same question here (it begins on page 65 of the original, page 22 of the pdf). Roberts’ reads like an article or introductory text book and even includes citations of actual decisions and everything! I am willing to bet he didn’t have to ‘bone up’ on any cases before writing that answer.

I have no reason to believe that the federal judge Miers clerked for is anything other than a fine man and a good judge but citing the philosophy of Judge Joe E. Estes isn’t the same as having a familiarity and understanding of the legal traditions and decisions of this country. I read Griswold v. Connecticut in my undergrad Constitutional Law class 15 years ago and can still have a reasonable discussion about it and I am not a lawyer. The fact that Miers can’t is appalling.

Before anyone can throw the ‘elitist’ card at me, I am a state university graduate with no advance degrees. That modest educational background doesn’t mean I don’t prefer the best and most competent. I have seen nothing to indicate Miers is either.

God forgive me, but I actually hope my state’s junior Senator (Chuck Shumer) stays true to form and votes no on Miers.

The day the Bush Administration ended...

2005-10-03T12:23:00.000-04:00

Sure, President Bush will live in the White House for more than 3 years, ride in the big motorcade and have a major impact on the world (we are still fighting two wars you know) but today his domestic agenda died.

Harriet Miers? Are you kidding me? Please tell me that when the official paperwork is sent up to the Senate it will say Michael McConnell or Michael Luttig or Edith Jones or Janice Brown Rogers.

Please tell me this is a joke.

There are a lot of conservatives who had issues with Bush (spending mostly) but counted on him to get the big things right (the war on terror, judges, tax cuts, etc). Well, this is a big one and he got it wrong.

Maybe it's unfair to jump ship over one misstep (though I wouldn't have voted for him in '04 if he hadn't been so right on the war) but this hurts. Now maybe this '3rd rate' 'deplorable' choice will be the second coming of Justice Scalia but why should we have to hope that? The President has been so great on judges (though I was not gaga on the Roberts nomination) maybe he deserves the benefit of the doubt but we as conservatives have come to far to have to hope. Why do we have to sneak in justices? The President won 3 elections in large part promising 'Judges in the mold of Scalia and Thomas' (remember a good part of the 2002 midterms were based on the Judicial filibusters).

Is Miers in the mold of Scalia and Thomas? No one in their right mind would say yes.

Who does this nomination please? Not the conservatives and not the Democrats (they’ll whine about anyone short of Lawrence Tribe). I guess Andrew Sullivan is right, it’s about cronyism and because he’s the President and he can.

Go Irish!

2005-09-26T16:32:00.000-04:00

I have little to no interest in college football but I am now officially a Notre Dame and Charlie Weis fan. Check out what Coach Weis did to honor a promise to a little boy, Montana Mazurkiewicz (named after Norte Dame great Joe Montana) who died of a brain tumor:

Weis asked Montana if there was something he could do for him. He agreed to let Montana call the first play against Washington on Saturday. He called "pass right."

Montana never got to see the play. He died Friday at his home.

Weis heard about the death and called Mazurkiewicz on Friday night to assure her he would still call Montana's play.

"He said, 'This game is for Montana, and the play still stands,'" she said.

Weis said he told the team about the visit. He said it wasn't a "Win one for the Gipper" speech, because he doesn't believe in using individuals as inspiration. He just wanted the team to know people like Montana are out there.

"That they represent a lot of people that they don't even realize they're representing," Weis said.

When the Irish started on their own 1-yard-line following a fumble recovery, Mazurkiewicz wasn't sure Notre Dame would be able to throw a pass. Weis was concerned about that, too. So was quarterback Brady Quinn.

"He said 'What are we going to do?'" Weis said. "I said 'We have no choice. We're throwing it to the right.'"

Sometimes there are things more important than football games. Coach Weis knows that and taught his young men an important lesson that day. Oh yeah, my new favorite team won the game 36-17.

Mr. Kerry is ready for his close up!

2005-09-26T16:24:00.000-04:00

There's apparently a documentary coming out about the Kerry campaign.

According to the article, 'people who've screened the documentary say it's compelling and revealing."

If only the same could have been said about the campaign itself.

An unscientific thought...

2005-08-30T15:11:00.000-04:00

People can say what they want about global warming and what role it played in the recent destruction along the Gulf Coast. The fact that it's not true shouldn't stop anyone.

But forget the science for a moment and consider this...Katrina has destroyed a city of half a million people and that's just for starters. The entire Gulf Coast is gone. All the remains is the wreckage and remnants of human civilization. In 12 hours, decades of work by millions of people has been wiped from the face of the Earth in the blink of an eye.

What level of arrogance must you have to think that humanity can even begin to impact this planet in any significant way? If it were the case why did millions run in fear from a storm? Why are millions now thrust into conditions that humanity left behind centuries ago? In 24 hours New Orleans went from a modern American city to a watery wasteland. Where is our power? Where is our impact? All we have left is our arrogance. And of course when it comes to arrogance, the Germans are leading the way...

Katrina Should be A Lesson To US on Global Warming

First things first

2005-08-30T13:57:00.000-04:00

The damage along the Gulf Coast is catestrophic. We as a country need to be even more generous in this case than we were during last year's tsunami. It seems the Red Cross is the organization of choice.

And once that's taken care of, lock these SOBs up and throw away the keys:

Looting Begins in New Orleans

Mike Franklin stood on the trolley tracks and watched the spectacle unfold.
"To be honest with you, people who are oppressed all their lives, man, it's an opportunity to get back at society," he said.

Update:

One note on looting...I am not talking about people grabbing food or necesesities. This isn't Les Miserables. I am talking about people grabbing electronics, etc.

Image is everything in Uganda...

2005-08-29T16:15:00.000-04:00

Apparently not content with being the world’s biggest terrorist (thanks Cindy Sheehan!) George Bush is also apparently ruining the sex lives of everyone in Uganda.

The U.S. government's emphasis on abstinence-only programs to prevent AIDS is hobbling Africa's battle against the pandemic by downplaying the role of condoms, a senior U.N. official said on Monday.

Just look at what the poor randy fellows are reduced to…

men are using plastic garbage bags in an effort to protect themselves.

Now, some might say if you can use a garbage bag as a condom, well, you have much to be thankful for.

But seriously folks, the lack of condoms has created a major PR problem for Uganda:

"That there is a condom shortage in the country is just a rumor by people who want to spoil the image of this country," the newspaper quoted (Health Minister) Makula as saying.

What image is that exactly? Did Uganda suddenly become The University of Wisconsin-Madison? Seems like Uganda would like to be known for anything, even horror of horrors- a condom shortage rather than say, Idi Amin.

Underlying this flaming pile of idiocy is the idea that the people of the United States are somehow duty bound to subsidize the sex lives of the people of Uganda. It strikes me that these folks have a direct stake in you know, not getting a deadly disease. Maybe they should worry about that and not the conditions we put on our charity. Here’s an idea guys, if you don’t want to get AIDS and can't afford your own condoms keep it in your pants. Either way, keep your hands out of our pockets.

It's spelled S-I-L-V-A-S

2005-08-23T19:42:00.000-04:00

You wouldn't know it from the MSM but there are military families that support President Bush and what we are doing in Iraq.

Eric Pfeiffer of "The Buzz" on National Review Online is hanging out with some of them at "Camp Reality" in Crawford. He ran into a gentle man name Steve Silvas whose brother Sandy is serving in Iraq:

(Sandy)Silvas is an engineer who has been serving with the military for about 15 years. He currently commands 80 people in his company where “morale is high.” Steve wasn’t sure about coming out to support the president at first:

“I was worried about giving his name. The terrorists in Iraq can find that stuff out and can find out where he is. I didn’t want to put him in any greater danger than he already is. So, I emailed him about it and he said said, ‘Just make sure they spell my name right.’”

Damn fine Americans those Silvas brothers!

Don't hold your breath...

2005-08-20T16:47:00.000-04:00

One of the platitudes we've been subjected to for the last 4 years is that only a tiny percentage of Muslims who support terrorism. This maybe true, though I've never seen any sort of proof for this noble sentiment, but what really counts is actions. Benedict XVI is just the most recent leader to wade into this swamp:

Pope Urges More Muslims to Fight Terror

"I am certain that I echo your own thoughts when I bring up as one of our concerns the spread of terrorism," Benedict said in blunt comments to a gathering of Germany's Muslim officials, the most extensive remarks on terrorism during his four-month papacy.

In an unrelated but ironically timed note from California (not Pakistan or anything):

'Million Muslim march' idea falls by wayside

The idea of a "million Muslim march" event in Lodi by Muslims to publicly denounce terrorism has officially died, say those involved.

Envisioned in late June as a response to the allegations of terrorists in Lodi's Muslim community, the idea drew the interest of Mayor John Beckman, conservative radio host Mark Williams, the Sacramento chapter of the Council on American Islamic Relations and local Muslims.

Interest waned, however, when it became apparent the deep division in Lodi's Muslim community would make organizing such an event difficult if not impossible. It appears it has become impossible, as Beckman said this week the event will not be happening.

(via LGF)

'Deep division'? Was there a group who thought a pro terrorism march was in order? That it wasn't any of there business? What 'division' could there be?

Keep in mind, two men from this same town (care to guess thier religion? Hint...they aren't Quakers) were recently arrested for planning terror attacks after training abroad with al Qaeda. Maybe they voted against the march and created the 'deep division'.

The face of the enemy....

2005-08-20T16:17:00.000-04:00

Here's an excerpt of what the terrorists in Iraq are up to (from the Adventures of Chester):

Interrogator: "Did you kidnap women?"
Abed: "Yes."

Interrogator: "There were operations of kidnapping and rape, carried out by the squad you belong to?"

Abed: "Yes."

Interrogator: "Tell me how many rape and kidnapping operations were carried out. My information says that the kidnapped women were university students or daughters of famous people. You raped them and got money for it, and if they were not slaughtered afterwards.... Did this really happen?"

Abed: "Yes, it did."

Interrogator: "Who would carry out these operations?"

Abed: "Abu Sajjad."

Interrogator: "Your superior?"

Abed: "Yes."

[...]

Interrogator: "Is this Jihad – raping women? Is this Jihad?"

Abed: "It is because they collaborated with the Americans."

Interrogator: "That's why they were raped?"

Abed: "Yes."

Interrogator: "A student who is simply going to her university is kidnapped, raped, and then slaughtered?! This was an American collaborator?!"

But rememver playing Christina Aguilera records too loud or turning off the AC is considered the equivilent of the modern gulag by Amnesty International.

This is why when I hear about prisoner 'abuse' in Iraq and Gitmo my reactions run the gamut all the way from 'so what?' to 'good'.

But don't you dare question their patriotism...

2005-08-20T16:06:00.000-04:00

Unbelievable but not surprising:

San Francisco Shuns Retired USS Iowa

Why would you want to honor people who defeated the greatest threats to freedom history has ever known when you can attempt to score cheap political points with a non-sequitur like this:

"If I was going to commit any kind of money in recognition of war, then it should be toward peace, given what our war is in Iraq right now," Supervisor Ross Mirkarimi said.

It's just their way of showing how much they love America, by knocking it down at every turn.

Cindy Sheehan

2005-08-19T16:32:00.000-04:00

I was hoping that this story would just go away. Of course Mrs. Sheehan really shouldn't have been a story in the first place.

The woman has obviously suffered a loss far beyond my ability to understand. As such I am loathe to say anything bad about her (the old idea of if you can't say anything nice...) but she has relentlessly inserted herself in the national debate on Iraq and said such outrageous things that she can not be politely ignored.

The most disturbing thing about her sudden prominence is the fact that the media has anointed her the sole spokesperson for the families of those killed in Iraq. Maureen Dowd claims that the, "moral authority of parents who bury children killed in Iraq is absolute". Aside from the outright stupidity of that statement, how does Dowd square that idea with the reality that there many parents (and sons, daughters, mothers and husbands and wives) who support the war? Is their 'authority' less 'absolute' than opponents of the war?

Lost in all of this is Mrs. Sheehan's son Casey. He was not a dupe fooled by Jews and Neo-cons. Consider this story by David Gelertner in the LA Times:

Casey Sheehan enlisted in the Army in 2000 at age 20. The country was at peace. When he was asked to reenlist four years later, he knew that he would probably be sent to Iraq. He reenlisted anyway. In March 2004, he was sent to Iraq as a mechanic attached to the artillery division of the 1st Cavalry Division. When a convoy was attacked in Sadr City a month later, he volunteered to join the rescue mission — although he had no obligation to take part in combat. He was awarded the Purple Heart and the Bronze Star.

In short, young Mr. Sheehan was and is a hero. A hero who volunteered to serve his country, who volunteered to reenlist knowing he was going to war and a hero who died when he volunteered to race to the rescue of his comrades.

I sincerely hope that Mrs. Sheehan finds peace at some point in the future. I fear that the path she is walking now will not lead to that anytime soon.

It would be disgusting if President Bush traveled around the country with the parent of a dead hero to talk about how much they supported the war. It's no less disgusting when the left uses the mother of one to run it down.

Disgusting...

2005-08-19T16:22:00.000-04:00

I was supportive of the London Police shooting a man they thought was a would be suicide bomber based on the set of facts released at the time. Turns out they were lying through their teeth.

Shooting to kill is an extreme measure that I can support in a dire situation but based on the latest information I have no idea why they shot this guy. He was apparently doing nothing that would raise suspicion beyond coming out of a house under surveillance.

Documents and photographs leaked to ITV News also confirmed that Mr. de Menezes did not run from the police, as had been reported, had used his Tube pass to enter the station, rather than vault the barrier, and had taken a seat on the train before being grabbed by an officer.

He was wearing a light denim jacket and not as previously reported a padded coat which could have concealed explosives.

The London Police screwed up badly and then lied to cover it up. Mistakes will happen, even tragic ones, but this goes beyond a mistake and into the land of gross incompetence and possibly criminal culpability.

Oh, Chuck!

2005-08-19T16:01:00.000-04:00

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-Nebraska) is back in front of reporters and that can only mean idiocy will ensue and it did:

In an interview with Reuters during a trip across his home state on Wednesday, Hagel said the United States should greet the new Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad with a bold diplomatic stroke.

"You've got a new president, a new opportunity to do something bold here. Why not take that opportunity and do something bold? Iran is going to be a major influence in the future of Iraq. It already is. Who are we kidding when we think that they're not? They are.

Now the Senator is obviously right about Iran's role in Iraq, it's his prescription that's daft. I am not sure what it will take to make people see that Iran has no interest in helping us in Iraq. Iran has been at war with us for over 25 years. The fact that we fail to do anything about it doesn't change that fact.

A slight silver lining in this blather is the reminder that the Republican Party is intellectually healthier than the Democrats. There are many Republican office holders who hold positions that are outside the party 'orthodoxy'. Sometimes they are right, sometimes they are wrong. Out side of Joe Lieberman, what Democrat office holder diverges from their orthodoxy? (Hilary Clinton doesn't count. She's learned well from her husband, perhaps he learned from her, how to say just enough on both sides of any issue so everyone thinks you are with them. That's opportunistic not principled dissent).

Welcome to NY!

2005-08-18T12:58:00.000-04:00

I've been a NY Met fan all my life. My earliest memory is of my all time favorite Met, Bud Harrelson, getting the shit kicked out of him by Pete Rose in the '73 LCS.

I wasn't too happy about the Mets signing Pedro this off season (oops) and have been greatly disappointed in Carlos Beltran (as of today he's hitting .269 with 13 HRs and 59 RBI). But last night Beltran became a Met. The man was in a horrific collision in the outfield last week. Doctors recommended surgery. Beltran however decided to risk further injury by playing with a broken bone in his face.

There are some things New Yorkers appreciate above all else...production, toughness and commitment. Well, two out of three aint bad. Beltran may still strike out too much this year and fail to deliver in the clutch but the boos are done.

It may not pay off this year but the 100 million + man, who many think wanted to go to the Yankees more than the Mets, is now and will also be a Met.

The problem with this war...

2005-08-04T00:06:00.000-04:00

It's amazing how this 'war' is playing out here at home. Consider today's news...20 Marines have died in the last two days and an American reporter has been murdered for writing about the influence of Iran in southern Iraq.

And what does one of the most influential bloggers continue to talk about? American mistreatment of terrorists. Now, I don't for one minute think that Andrew Sullivan and his guest blogger are not saddened or repulsed by the deaths of Steve Vincent or the Marines but there's not a word about them on the andrewsullivan.com today. Andrew wasn't moved to interupt his vacation to comment on them. But he did have time to drop in and note some articles on the need for Congress to micro-manage the war.

This is just one example of how people are caught up in everything we do wrong, everything the Administration should have done, everything but the fact that dozens of people are dying everyday at the hands of barbarian scum. Let's focus on the big picture...finding, capturing, interogating (roughly) or killing as many of the bastards as we can.

The rest? Just details.

If you really want to be disgusted go to the leading leftist site The Daily Kos. Plenty of torture stories and of course celebration over how little a Democrat lost by in a special congressional election in Ohio.

The Death of the Democrats, Part 532,302

2005-08-03T12:16:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was the much anticipated special Congressional election in Ohio. Apparently many Democrats were looking at the election to replace Rep. Bob Portman (who is now the US Trade Representative) as a chance to demonstrate they were back and that Bush and the Republicans were on the rocks.

Well, the Republican won but that hasn't stoped the Democrats from declaring victory, sort of:

"There's no safe Republican district. You can run, but you cannot hide," said Rep. Rahm Emanuel of Illinois, chairman of the Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee.

Of course, running a Marine who served in Iraq didn't hurt in making it a close race (52-48%). But t's not like there's a lot of them out for the Dems to tap. Hell, I've voted for one Democrat in my life (Daniel Patrick Moynhan...the bar is high) and I'd have to give some thought to voting for a war veteran (even one who called Bush 'a son of a bitch')

So, this is their victory. Only in the Democratic party a loss grounds for promotion:

"a Democratic star is born (next stop for Hackett -- statewide elected office)"

-The Daily Kos

Random Regan thought...

2005-07-29T14:45:00.000-04:00

I am reading Natan Sheransky's "The Case for Democracy" (better late than never) and came across something that brought tears to my eyes:

“The years ahead will be great ones for our country, for the cause of freedom and for the spread of civilization. The West won’t contain Communism, it will transcend Communism. We will not bother to denounce it, we’ll dismiss it as a sad, bizarre chapter in human history whose last pages are even now being written”
Ronald Regan, May 1981

I was 12 when the great man spoke those words. In retrospect they look so obvious but even at that young age I remember the grief the man took, how the Soviets looked not only solid but invinsible, the wave of the future. No, it was not obvious at all. But Regan ignored the critics, the convential wisdom. He had bigger fish to fry, evils to vanquish. I shudder to think how different the world and my life would have been had he not been elected.

If only George W. Bush, who is SO good in so many ways on the war we find ourselves in, could only speak so clearly and directly about the nature of the enemy we are facing. Alas, there is a line between the greats and the immortals. Regan was the latter. No doubt.

Terrible Tragedy....

2005-07-23T18:28:00.000-04:00

Apparently the man London Police shot to death yesterday wasn't connected to the terror bombings.

Aside from the obvious personal tragedy of a death of a seemingly innocent man, this mistake is likely to make police in the UK more timid in dealing with potential threats.

There's still a lot to be learned about this case (why was this man coming out of a house connected to the bombers, why was he running from police?) but it seems like a tragic mistake. But mistakes happen in wars and this is a war. The police need to be aggressive in their pursuit of terrorists and can not hesitate in the heat of the moment because they are fearful of prosecution or making a mistake.

Of all the people I don't want to hear from in this case is Ajmal Masroor, a spokesman for the Islamic Society of Britain,

"This policy is another overreaction of the government and police"

And 50 people dead at the hands of British born muslims is another sign of the war of civilization we are fighting and Masroor is on the wrong side of it.

UPDATE:

Wow. I was supportive of the London Police based on the set of facts released at the time. Turns out they were lying through their teeth.

Shooting to kill is an extreme measure that I can support in a dire situation but based on the latest information I have no idea why they shot this guy. He was apparently doing nothing that would raise suspicion beyond coming out of a house under surveillance.

He was wearing a light denim jacket and not as previously reported a padded coat which could have concealed explosives.

The biggest * in sports...

2005-07-23T13:56:00.000-04:00

Lance Armstrong has all but officially wrapped up his amazing 7th straight Tour De France. I feel bad for whoever wins next year. No matter who wins it will be a case of, 'yeah, but Lance isn't here'. If it's one of his rivals (Basso or Ulrich) who constantly came up short against Armstong over the years the effect will be magnified. That's the beauty of going out on top, it they don't beat you on the field, they'll never beat you in the history books.

The sport of cycling is ruined for a while (what little juice it had in this country will be gone). Even if someone else comes along and wins 7 straight (which no one will), all anybody will say is, 'that's nice but did you nearly die of cancer before doing it?'.

Cycling is a pretty uninteresting sport. It's a lot like soccer ('Manchester scores a goal with 89 minutes left to play, they've got the game well in hand now!") in that it's not always about attacking and winning. One of the guys on OLN asked why Basso doesn't just take a shot and see if he can blow out Armstrong to take the lead. The expert commentator said something to the effect, 'well, Armstrong's team will track him down. It won't work. He's riding for 2nd now" This was with 10 days left! If you aren't playing to win but to defend second, it's not real sports.

Dale Ehrnhardt had it right, 'second place is just the first looser'.

(I can't believe I just quoted a NASCAR driver).

The terrorists are winning...

2005-07-22T12:07:00.000-04:00

Today the NYPD is randomly searching the bags of people using the city's subway system. This is horrible. This used to be America.

Of course, the ACLU is worried we might be targeting muslims or people of color. In other words, we might be doing something effective.

So, allow me to raise an electronic glass to the idea of profiling. Look at these pictures. The first is of the men wanted in yesterday's attempted bombings in London and the second is someone who is having their bag searched in NY. Does it make sense?

London Police Kill One...

2005-07-22T12:01:00.000-04:00

Fine shooting today by London's Finest:

London Cops Kill Bomb Suspect

This is the kind of thing we want to hear more of as the war on terror continues:

"They pushed him onto the floor and unloaded five shots into him. He's dead. He looked like a cornered fox. He looked petrified."

This is the kind of thing we need less of but sadly that won't be the case:

Muslims fear 'shoot to kill' policy

Yeah, well life is tough. When a cop says stop, stop and you won't get shot. Not that big of a deal, is it?

Bombs in Britain

2005-07-21T11:07:00.000-04:00

Looks like more bombs or attempted bombings in London today.

Once again Tony Blair (along with the righteous John Howard, who was on an official visit with Blair at the time) says all the right things, with the exception of the usual bowing and scraping about islam not equaling terrorism, but once again does nothing.

So here's my immodest proposal...when this sort of thing happens immediately start rounding up known Islamic 'extremists', such as imams who support terrorism and send them home. No trials, no appeals, no whining about how they are going to be abused when they get back to places like Egypt or Jordan. No one cares (or should).

And no the 'terrorists won't have won' nor will we be endangering our freedom if we deport non-citizens who incite violence and hatred against us. Non citizens do not have a right to live or visit here (or the UK or anywhere else), it's a privilege that can be revoked on a whim. Only our ridiculous sense of 'justice' prevents it.

Words make modern Western men and women feel better but they don't impress islamic barbarians. Only stong, swift and sure actions will get their attention. Unless we start to defend ourselves the terrorists will win.

Attention Men of the West...

2005-07-18T22:39:00.000-04:00

George W. Bush and Tony Blair get a lot of ink (pixels nowadays) for their talk and actions in the war on terror (I hate that term) but there's a third leader who should get more credit, Australia's John Howard.

Check out this exchange from an interview on cowering v. standing firm:

...MAXINE McKEW: Prime Minister, if as you say you can't rule out that possibility that we could have potential bombers right here in Australia, what if today's announcement, this redeployment to Afghanistan and our continued presence in Iraq is all the provocation they need?

JOHN HOWARD: Maxine, these people are opposed to what we believe in and what we stand for, far more than what we do. If you imagine that you can buy immunity from fanatics by curling yourself in a ball, apologising for the world - to the world - for who you are and what you stand for and what you believe in, not only is that morally bankrupt, but it's also ineffective. Because fanatics despise a lot of things and the things they despise most is weakness and timidity. There has been plenty of evidence through history that fanatics attack weakness and retreating people even more savagely than they do defiant people.

Good on ya Prime Minister!

(Via Black Five)

Screw Them...

2005-07-17T16:17:00.001-04:00

I am tired of ungreatful people.

The latest on my list? South Koreans. Not all to be sure but a goodly number.

Gen. MacArthur statue spawns Korea protest

INCHEON, South Korea -- Protesters hurled rocks, bottles and eggs during a clash Sunday over the legacy of U.S. Gen. Douglas MacArthur, who landed behind North Korean lines a half-century ago and led U.N. forces in an attack that turned the tide of the Korean War.

You know what? Maybe we made a mistake saving thier asses from the Communists 50+ years ago. Maybe we made a mistake maning the truce line for those 50 years. Maybe we should just leave. Maybe these protestors would prefer life in N. Korea. I am sure the Kims, Jr. and Sr. would welcome people throwing things at their statutes.

Simply amazing that such ungreatful SOBs are our 'allies'.

Update:
In fairness, S. Korea does have 3,000 troops in Iraq. It may just be a vocal but annyoing minority protesting the US.

The Difference between Us and them (part 1,000,343)

2005-07-15T16:43:00.000-04:00

I know it's not PC to say that our cultural is morally superior to others but that doesn't change the fact that it is.

Watch this video of a US Soldier being shot by terrorist scum in Iraq (they shot the video and the weapon). The soldier is okay, he pops right back up. On the video you can hear the barbarians chanting "Allah Akbar" (God is great).

What you don't see on the video is the counter attack that wounded these fucks. You also don't see them receiving medical treatment from, wait for it, the guy they just shot. Turns out he's a medic.

Thought experiment...would these barbarians have offered medical treatment had the circumstances been reversed? Or would they have been more likely to cut his head off while praising their god?

There are good guys in the world and bad guys, even if leftists like Michael Moore don't know the difference.

The Iraqis who have risen up against the occupation are not "insurgents" or "terrorists" or "The Enemy." They are the REVOLUTION, the Minutemen..."

-Michael Moore

A random Neanderthal thought…

2005-07-12T15:42:00.000-04:00

When a country is attacked (like Great Britain was last week) isn’t honor bound to go blow something up and kill some bad guys?

Sure there’s no country to invade (thanks to the US all the good ones were already taken) but I mean the UK has troops in Afghanistan and Iraq, can’t they find some random jihadists and give them some hell?

It doesn’t seem that the manly response (and yes, that’s what’s needed) is to pass a law making it illegal to badmouth the people trying to (or in this case, actually) kill you. Yet, that’s exactly what the Brits have done.

Religious hate law clears Commons

Amazing.

Scoreboard...

2005-07-07T16:12:00.000-04:00

The September 11th attacks killed just under 3,000 people.

The Matrid attacks killed 191 people.

The London attacks have killed about 50 people (so far).

Al Queda likes spectacular attacks and they are loosing their ability to conduct attacks like that. It's just a fact.

In the meantime:

We've killed untold hundreds (most likely thousands) of killers.

We've taken their training grounds in Afghanistan and turned that country and Iraq into examples of how liberty can take root in Islamic countries.

Wannabe Jihadists are running to Iraq and being gunned down as fast as they pop their heads up.

2005-07-07T15:10:00.000-04:00

Yeah..what they said

2005-07-07T14:56:00.000-04:00

"What the fuck do you think you're doing? This is London. We've dealt with your sort before. You don't try and pull this on us.

Do you have any idea how many times our city has been attacked? Whatever you're trying to do, it's not going to work.

All you've done is end some of our lives, and ruin some more. How is that going to help you? You don't get rewarded for this kind of crap.

And if, as your MO indicates, you're an al-Qaeda group, then you're out of your tiny minds.

Because if this is a message to Tony Blair, we've got news for you. We don't much like our government ourselves, or what they do in our name. But, listen very clearly. We'll deal with that ourselves. We're London, and we've got our own way of doing things, and it doesn't involve tossing bombs around where innocent people are going about their lives.

And that's because we're better than you. Everyone is better than you. Our city works. We rather like it. And we're going to go about our lives. We're going to take care of the lives you ruined. And then we're going to work. And we're going down the pub.

So you can pack up your bombs, put them in your arseholes, and get the fuck out of our city." - London News Review.

Via Andrew Sullivan

If only the left in the US had their priorities in such good order.

Barbarians at the Gates of London

2005-07-07T10:29:00.000-04:00

"You're either with us or against us in the fight against terror."
-George W. Bush 11/6/01

We are with the Brits as they were with us:

Blair has said Britain stands "shoulder to shoulder" with the United States in this time of crisis, and reiterated his unequivocal backing for the U.S. and President George W. Bush when he opened the emergency session of Parliament.
-CNN 9/14/01

Despite any protestations from the left, the US is an Anglo-Saxon nation at its heart. This is not an attack on an ally, this is an attack on us. I rest easier in the knowledge that President Bush was there and about the 3rd thing he said to Blair was, "Whatever you need from us, you have".

How dumb are we?

2005-06-22T16:41:00.000-04:00

Queens Muslim Group Says It Opposes Violence, and America

The young Muslim men, with beards and bullhorns, work the streets of Jackson Heights on the weekends. They surface at parades and protests around the city, loudly declaring America the enemy and advocating for an Islamic state.

Why aren't these men being deported or arrested? Last I heard, we are at war. We have no obligation to provide sanctuary to those who advocate for our defeat.

Will we learn before it's too late?

Let me see if I get this...

2005-06-22T16:29:00.000-04:00

Korans need to be protected at all costs for fear of offending barbarian killers but burning the American Flag is protected speech?

WTF?

Andrew Sullivan, off the deep end...again.

2005-05-18T14:53:00.000-04:00

It's getter harder and harder to read one of the origianal and influential bloggers. Andrew Sullivan really can't grasp that we are fighting a war and bad things happen in war. Of course, his definition of bad things is pretty broad.

Today he writes:

At the same time, the point made by some that alleged flushing of the Koran, or peeing on it, or tearing it, is not much different than the artistic excesses of people like Theo van Gogh or Andres Serrano strikes me as flawed. The Gitmo allegations are different for a simple reason. The claim is that blasphemy was deliberately deployed by a government in order to extract information from detainees. This is a big difference. Blasphemy by free citizens is one thing in an open society; the deliberate deployment of blasphemy by government in order to place extreme psychological pressure on religious inmates is quite another. You're an anti-Semite? In a free country, you are free to speak your mind. But if the government were to desecrate Jewish symbols in front of Jewish inmates (imprisoned without trial), or force them to eat pork, or burn a Torah as part of interrogation procedures, we'd be outraged. Wouldn't we?

Yes, I'd be outraged by this behavior by police if the Jew were an American citizen charged with an ordinary but henious crime like murder. But, I am not the least bit outraged, concerned or troubled with doing offensive things (which dont comee even close to torture) to people caught on a battlefield with the enemy.

If hurting some feelings leads to good information then so be it. And if it doesn't it still was worth the try.

I try to explain this to liberals but it never sinks in. The rules change in war. They always have and they need to.

Who knew?

2005-05-16T18:28:00.000-04:00

I remember watching Jim Lampley on ABC Sports as a kid and more recently as lead announcer for HBO's boxing presentation. In all this time I had no idea he was a left wing kook.

Mr. Lampley is part of the aweful HuffingtonPost.com celebrity group blog (because we don't here enough from left wing celebrities!). A couple of examples?

General nuttieness:

It's excruciating on a day-to-day basis to have to endure the social divisiveness, elitist arrogance and blatant media control of creeping fascism in America. But each step in the neoconservative push to remake the country in their prescribed image plays a little further into the hands of reasonable progressive political thought.

(emphasis mine)

Oh good. Another member of the Bush=Hitler club.

Wears a tin foil hat:

Oddsmakers consulted exit polling and knew what it meant and acknowledged in their oddsmaking at that moment that John Kerry was winning the election.
And he most certainly was, at least if the votes had been fairly and legally counted. What happened instead was the biggest crime in the history of the nation, and the collective media silence which has followed is the greatest fourth-estate failure ever on our soil.

Karl Rove isn't capable of conceiving and executing such a grandiose crime? Wake up. They did it.

Hey Jim...Bush lost Wisconsin by 11,384 votes and Minnisota by 98,319 votes. They each had 10 Electoral Votes. Bush's total margin of defeat is less than his margin of victory in Ohio with its 20 Electoral Votes. Mabye Kerry and the Democrats stole Bush's landslide victory? Or maybe the election was legitimate and you lost?

But Jim saves the best for last.

He thinks Al Jezera is a legitmate news outlet:

In laying responsibility for large-scale rioting and fourteen attendant deaths at the hands of the magazine and its reporters, Simon conveniently ignores that reports of Koran desecration at Guantanamo had first appeared in 2004, in newspapers both in the United Kingdom and Russia, as well as on the Qatar-based television network Al Jazeera.

Any chance that UK paper is The Guardian? Russia?

I really enjoy Jim Lampley as a sports guy. Hopefully, he'll stick to that.

Something's rotten in the state of Denmark

2005-05-16T18:04:00.000-04:00

Apparently the Cannes Film Festival is loaded with anti-American films this year (I am not sure when it isn't but that's another story).

Here's one:

The dark underside of the United States has taken center stage in several films at Cannes this year, capped on Monday with a scathing attack of past and present racism in America by Danish director Lars von Trier.
"Manderlay," about a fictional Alabama plantation where people are living in 1933 as if slavery were never abolished, staggered festival-goers with a disturbing portrayal of America that fails, even today, to come to terms with its racist past.

Yep, that's America 2005. Boy did he nail it!

These people think they have such a great understanding of this country but they have no clue. They will rail on and on about America's faults as if there's ever been a perfect society. Yet they will glibly go by the overwhelming majority of good America has done and continues to do.

Mr. von Trier likes to imagine an America of the 30's with slavery. Okay, but what about the fact that those same people would have to leave their homes a few short years later to save his grandparent's asses from the Nazis?

And yes, I know the 30's is a metaphor for now but I don't see him making a movie about say the tens of thousands of Americans who liberated the people of Afghanistan. Of course asking an artist to recognize the good in Iraq would be far to much.

Okay, modern day racism...would that be the same as having the last two Secretaries of State be black? Or a Hispanic Attorney General? Or how about just the simple fact that the US is the most successful multi-ethnic society in history (better than say the Rwandans got along, no?).

And as bad as von Trier and other whiny Euro morons are the fact that Americans like Danny Glover and Willem Dafoe are part of it is disappointing, yet sadly predictable.

My favorite part:

But von Trier, whose equally bleak America story "Dogville" starring Nicole Kidman was also at Cannes in 2003, said he would be happy to watch a film slamming his home country of Denmark.

I guess if Denmark made the slightest difference to the world someone would. But Denmark really hasn't mattered much since Hamlett was written.

I love golf...

2005-05-16T17:24:00.000-04:00

I've writen about how much I love the Masters golf tournament and now there's even more reason to love the British Open and the Royal and Ancient Golf Club....

LONDON -- Jack Nicklaus said Monday the British Open at St. Andrews in July will mark the end of his tournament career.

The Royal & Ancient Golf Club moved up St. Andrews in the Open rotation to give the Golden Bear one last chance to play on his favorite links.

Nicklaus, 65, will be playing the British Open for the last time. He hasn't played in the Open since 2000 at St. Andrews.
The Royal & Ancient Golf Club moved up St. Andrews in the rotation to give Nicklaus one last chance to play on his favorite links.

No player is bigger than the game they play but Nicklaus and Arnold Palmer come as close as you can. It is right and honroable that an organization such as the R&A recognize that and give a giant of the game a few more loops around the Old Course. It's unlikely he'll make the cut (though with Nicklaus you never know) but he'll be the star of the show the first two days.

Courage, Kennedy style...

2005-05-16T14:52:00.000-04:00

The Kennedy Library is honoring the soldier who released the Abu Ghreb photos with its Profiles in Courage Award.

Interesting choice.

I might have gone with one of these:

Marine Sgt. Rafel Peralta

Army Sgt. Paul R. Smith

or maybe...

Salama al-Khafaji

But then I am not a leftist who celebrates propaganda victories for terrorists.

Only in America

2005-05-15T21:49:00.000-04:00

Let's see where we stand in America in 2005...

A cross is removed from the symbol of the City of Los Angeles because it violates an extreme concept of church/state seperation.

Yet, anti-America 'art' is okay in a public square.

Amazing.

Very funny....

2005-05-15T13:48:00.000-04:00

This Koran flushing gets better and better...

Afghan clerics (the people that brought you the Taliban!) are demanding that the US:

“…hand the culprits over to an Islamic country for punishment."
"If that does not happen within three days, we will launch a jihad against America," said a statement issued by about 300 clerics, referring to Muslim holy war, after meeting in the main mosque in the provincial capital, Faizabad.

Hey Goobers...tell you what. Why don't you just go attack the nearest US military base. I am sure the Marines and Army troops will be happy to hand you something.

A modest proposal....

2005-05-15T13:30:00.000-04:00

I've been traveling the last couple of days and haven't been paying too much attention to this Quran desecration story. Now that I am caught up, I have an idea that I think everyone will like....

We'll stop flushing copies of the Koran down the toilet* if Islamic terrorists stop killing innocent people.

Seems simple enough.

Or, if that proves to be a bridge too far, how about this idea...

We'll stop flushing copies of the Koran down the toilet* if Saudi Arabia drops its prohibition against non Muslims displaying religious symbols in thier country and allows people of all religions to visit Mecca and Medina. (see the State Department's website for more information on the apartheid practices of Saudi Arabia)

Do we have a deal?

*Since Newsweek has no proof of their claim beyond the allegations of terrorists, I doubt it happened. But the deal seems like a good idea so instead of not flushing copies of the Koran down the toilet, we'll stop Newsweek from making up stories like this in the future. Deal?

Update:

Newsweek says Koran desecration report is wrong

No way...

2005-05-10T21:07:00.000-04:00

This story is too much...

LOS ANGELES (AP) - Authorities promised a full investigation Tuesday into why deputies riddled a sport utility vehicle and a Compton neighborhood with 120 bullets after the driver led them on a chase, wounding an unarmed driver and possibly striking a deputy.

"The question is: Did they have to fire as many rounds as they did?" Los Angeles County Sheriff Lee Baca told NBC's "Today."

And then maybe they can answer this quesiton: How did they fire 120 rounds AND NOT Kill the person they were aiming at? The target was only hit FOUR times!

Oh dear God!

2005-05-10T17:23:00.000-04:00

This has got to be one of the signs of the end of the world (or sanity in the US justice system):

Woman awarded $45,000 in cat death
Damages for dog mauling may be feline record

She was so traumatized that she began having sleep disturbances and panic attacks, sank into depression and began smoking heavily, she wrote in a sworn declaration.

As a result, her compensation for the pet ties the record-high jury award of $30,000 in a California veterinary malpractice suit, Bluestone v. Bergstrom, for a pet's "unique" value, Karp said.

Judge Barbara Linde also awarded $15,000 for Roemer's emotional distress.
Including cremation and counseling costs, the total award came to $45,480

Stop this insanity! $45,000 for a house cat? Counseling? Oh please.

Look, I love pets as much as anyone (well, not those crazy people who think their pets are their children) but let's be serious.

And why is a dog attacking a cat actionable? THAT'S WHAT DOGS DO! Let's sue God or Mother Nature for creating this unending feud!

Blix is Back!

2005-05-10T13:13:00.000-04:00

Hans Blix of Iraq weapons inspection fame is back chiding the US (try and control your shock) for not disarming of nuclear weapons fast enough to please Egypt.

In an article ripe for Blix bashing this is my favorite:

He cited Bush administration proposals to build new nuclear weapons and talk in Washington even of testing weapons, ending a 13-year-old U.S. moratorium on nuclear tests. He also referred to statements by Bolton, President Bush's embattled nominee to be U.N. ambassador, devaluing treaties and the authority of international law.

"Why are you complaining about (North Korea) breaching the treaty if treaties are not binding?" Blix, an international lawyer, asked rhetorically.

Herein is the heart of the difference between conservatives and liberals (for want of better terms) when it comes to dealing with national security. American liberals think like Blix...security is a matter of treaties and legalities. Meanwhile, in the real world, conservatives like Bush, Bolton and Rumsfeld realize when 'international law' (which Bolton rightly distains) runs counter to our national interests or securtiy it's the former that gives way.

We aren't confronting N. Korea because they violated some agreements, we are doing it because it's a country led by an insane dictator who has shown he is willing to sell any weapon to any one.

Clinton, Albright and Carter signed agreements with North Korea and what did we get for that? A nuclear armed North Korea.

Treaties occassionally work between decent, honorable countries. They NEVER work with tyranical despots bent on aquiring weapons or power.

On the offensive...

2005-05-09T16:23:00.000-04:00

The picture of the Army officer cradeling the dying child in Iraq reminded me of Marine General Mattis' quote about how it's 'fun' to kill the enemy. I don't know if it's fun but seeing that photo made me think there were a lot of soldiers, sailors, airmen and Marines who would love the chance to go toe to toe with those cowardly killers.

Well, now they are getting their chance...

U.S. Attack in Iraq Kills 100 Insurgents

American troops backed by helicopters and war planes launched a major offensive against followers of Iraq's most wanted insurgent, Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, in a desert area near the Syrian border, and as many as 100 militants were killed, U.S. officials said Monday.

Good hunting gentlemen!

And who are they fighting? According to the Washington Post:

"U.S. and Iraqi authorities say suicide drivers are invariably foreign fighters. Officers here said they knew of no documented case in which a suicide attacker turned out to have been an Iraqi."

(Via The Corner)

Better our magnificent military fight them in Iraq then we deal with them here.

Is there no end?

2005-05-09T16:03:00.000-04:00

Just when you think governnment (pick your favorite level) can't do anything dumber they manage to suprise you.

The geniuses in the New York State Legislature are working to raise the legal smoking age to 19.

Where to begin?

Let's look at the things 19 year olds can do...
Join the armed services
Vote
Get married
Have kids/get an abortion
etc. etc. etc.

This is just stupid 'for the children' BS. If we are going to do this then why not raise the age of majority to 21 and be done with it?

The memory hole...

2005-05-09T12:03:00.000-04:00

It's amazing to watch history slowly be erased before your eyes.

Today's celebration of the 60th Anniversary of V-E Day is bordering on revisionist history. By treating the victory of the US and England as morally equal to that of the Soviet Union is unseemly and dangerous.

Western Europe was liberated by the free world (US, UK, Canada, Australia, et al) in the wake of the war. Eastern Europe was enslaved by the Red Army. An argument can be made that the 45 or so years of Soviet 'liberation' were as bad as the Nazi years.

Let's not pretend that what the free world fought for and achieved is anything remotely the same as what the Soviets did.

This willingness to whitewash the scourge of communism is a very dangerous thing.

President Bush deserves enormous credit for going to the Baltics and speaking the truth:

"For much of Eastern and Central Europe, victory brought the iron rule of another empire," Bush said. "V-E Day marked the end of fascism but it did not end oppression. ... The captivity of millions in Central and Eastern Europe will be remembered as one of the greatest wrongs of history."

Not many other Presidents would have done that. Good for him.

UPDATE:

David Frum has an interesting post on NRO:

As NRO readers well know, the German armed forces surrendered on May 7, 1945. VE Day is accordingly celebrated in most countries on May 8. But the Soviet Union, refusing to join its allies, demanded a separate instrument of surrender and declared its own day of celebration on May 9. It is that distinctive Soviet VE Day that President Bush is flying to Moscow to commemorate.

Why is Bush doing this? Who cares about some left over Soviet holiday?

Isn't this what guns are for?

2005-05-08T22:18:00.000-04:00

Two Visions of the Countryside Clash

Ohio dairy farmer Frank Sutliff was grinding cattle feed when he saw them again: all-terrain vehicles shredding his alfalfa fields.

When he shouted to the riders over the engine whine that they were trespassing, they smashed him over the head, he said.

"I went down, and they just started in on me … hit me, kicked me, broke my leg," said Sutliff, 46. "I crawled into the truck, drove back to the house and dialed 911."

One man paid a $100 trespassing fine. Another spent five days in jail. All denied wrongdoing.

Across rural America, angry skirmishes are increasingly common between property owners and off-roaders squaring off over dwindling open space.

Compare and Contrast...

2005-05-08T10:07:00.000-04:00

Let's look at two articles floating around today.

First:

Nazi blunder casts shadow over German Open

BERLIN, May 7 (Reuters) - A photograph of Nazi Hermann Goering in the programme of the German Open tennis tournament and reference to the host club's "golden times" after its Jewish members fled in the thirties has caused outrage.

(via LGF)

And then there's this:

Britons ignorant about Germany and still see us as Nazis, says ambassador

Sixty years after the end of the Second World War in Europe, British people are still obsessed with Nazism, and ignorant about Germany, said the German ambassador to London, Thomas Matussek.

Look, Germany has beeen greatly changed post WWII but then National Socialism was a special kind of evil. It's a burden that country is going to have carry a bit longer. And like it or not they are going to have to deal with it.

Extreme Terrorist Makeovers

2005-05-05T16:14:00.000-04:00

The incomparable Arthur Chrenkoff has a wonderful ‘Before and After’ gallery for aspiring terrorists to contemplate:

The disadvantages of pissing off America

If you love a little schadenfreude at the expense of terrorists this is a must see post.

Why We Fight Savages

2005-05-04T12:27:00.000-04:00

Picture released by the U.S. Army Tuesday, May 3, 2005 shows a U.S. Army soldier comforting a child fatally wounded in a car bomb blast in Mosul, 360 km (225 miles) northwest of Baghdad, Iraq, Monday, May 2, 2005. 15 Iraqis were wounded in the combined suicide bomb attack. (AP Photo/U.S. Army)
(Via LGF)