retrophisch.com

Crash caused Lynch’s injuries

Not to take anything away from Jessica Lynch and what she endured during Operation Iraqi Freedom, but a new Army report shows that her injuries were sustained as a result of her Humvee being hit by an RPG and crashing, not from fighting off Iraqi soldiers. Her unit was trying to fight its way clear of the ambush, but it is not clear how Pfc. Lynch might have participated in any fighting.

Nevertheless, it is good to have the truth after months of speculation and rumor, and Retrophisch™ well-wishes to Jessica for continued recovery.

Time to turn off the Saudis

Yet more and more proof that Saudi Arabia is no friend of the U.S. continues to surface. This time, it’s in the form of billions given to Palestinian terror groups over the past five years.

For too many years, Presidents and Congresscritters of both parties and every political stripe have continued to turn a blind eye to the activities of the Saudis. Activities which include Christian persecution, numerous human-rights violations within their borders, aimed mostly at foreign national females working in the kingdom, as well as growing their own individual Muslim terrorists, some of whom participated in the September 11th attacks.

President Bush, please have the courage to take a stand and denounce these “allies.” Turn your attention to increasing oil production here in the States, including drilling in ANWR if necessary. Decrease our dependence on Saudi oil, and increase the pressure that this terror-funding “religion of peace” kingdom turn its eye to a republican form of government.

Libel protection for bloggers

The 9th Circuit actually gets it right this time, with an extension of libel protection to online self-publishers, like moi, and those who participate in online discussion lists.

Journalist war illogic

Oh, this is rich:

“There was a disturbing attitude from the Pentagon toward unilaterals,” said Campagna, Mideast program coordinator for the nonprofit group. “They gave the perception that if you weren’t embedded, you covered the war at your own risk, and that U.S. troops were under no obligation to at least avoid endangering you.”

Um, yeah. It’s called war, you blockhead. Everyone is participating at their own peril. The military’s job is to accomplish the task handed to them by the politicians. More often than not, this means moving in, engaging and killing the enemy (while trying to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties; but hey, it’s war), then securing the area they now occupy. They do not have time to babysit reporters who don’t play by the rules. Those unilaterals wanted to be where they were. If you can’t stand the heat…

Left illogic

California’s population growth is almost exclusively because of foreign nationals. A goodly portion—some would say almost all—of those foreign nationals are coming across the Mexican border. A goodly portion—some would say almost all—of those Mexicans are illegally entering the United States.

So while we can understand the desire to come in to the greatest nation on earth to live and work, their breaking the law to do so doesn’t excuse them. Or one would think.

Rather, the Demobrats in the People’s Republik of Kalifornia would grant driver’s licenses—legally identifying documents—to illegal aliens. Can someone please explain why this is a good idea? You’re legitimizing an illegal activity, and possibly affecting future national security. Who’s to say that the next terrorist attack comes not from Muslim terrorists of Arabic descent, but Hispanic, née Mexican, terrorists of a communist/socialist bent, on par with Shining Path in Peru?

Does Gil Cedillo and the other California Demobrats honestly believe that people who have already broken the law by entering the country illegally are going to tell you they’re here illegally by showing up to get a driver’s license? Stupid, stupid, stupid. Here’s an idea: when the illegals come in for their driver’s license, detain and deport them!

Yeah, big coincidence…

I guess when you’re an ineffectual Old World power, this kind of trite, childish behavior is the best you can do.

(Thanks, Ricky.)

Condemn it

Awwwww. The po’ wittle U.N. buildings are falling apart, and they don’t have no one to pay to fix them up…

Guess who they want to foot the bill?

Thanks, but no thanks, United-Against-America Nations. We already shell out more money for your hostile, ineffective, do-nothing, impotent organization than any other nation on the planet. Get out of our country and go set up shop in France.

That pesky double standard

John Trever, Alburquerque, New Mexico, 19 June 2003

(Thanks, Rick)

Kerry mum on Cape wind farm

Presidential hopeful John Kerry is running around the country talking about renewable energy, like wind and solar power, proposing we get 20% of all our energy from renewable sources by 2020. He calls it “Twenty by ‘20,” or something to that effect. Yeah, I suppose that’s something I could get behind. Having seen the big wind farm at South Point on the Big Island of Hawai’i (the southernmost tip of the United States, and quite a windy locale), I think that if there’s a suitable windy location, yeah, put up a wind farm. It won’t provide all of the energy a population might need, but it would certainly help.

But will the Senator bow to the liberal elite on the proposed Camp Wind windmill farm on Horseshoe Shoal, seven miles off Nantucket Island? Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard residents are complaining that the wind farm will ruin their respective views. Awwww, po’ wittle ewitists. They whine and complain about getting away from fossil fuel consumption, but when offered the chance to do so in their own backyard, they don’t want it because it’s not aesthetically pleasing. Seems someone wants to have it both ways.

Myron Ebell, of the free-market environmental think tank, Competitive Enterprise Institute:

“People think if you live in the right area you don’t have to put up with anything. Well, where are they going to get their energy? From little squirrels in wheels?”

(Thanks, Rick)

Defend your family, go to jail

At least in New York, Brooklyn to be specific. Ronald Dixon discovers an intruder in his son’s room, going through drawers. Intruder rushes Mr. Dixon, screaming to go upstairs with him. Mr. Dixon fears there may be others in the house that intend to harm him, his wife, and his children. Mr. Dixon shoots intruder twice, wounding him.

Mr. Dixon legally obtained his 9mm pistol in Florida, before moving to New York. New York requires all firearms to be registered. (Why? To make it easier to trace them back to criminals, presumably. To make it easier to confiscate, at worst…) Mr. Dixon made an attempt to comply with the law and register said firearm, but was unsuccessful. Mr. Dixon was able to plead down to a charge of disorderly conduct, but he could still spend up to a year in jail; at least he won’t have a criminal record when he’s done.

An anonymous letter to the Brooklyn D.A. sums it up pretty well:

“If you were in the same position that Mr. Dixon was in, I would be willing to wager that you would also use whatever means you had on hand to defend your loved ones, as any of us would.

“By prosecuting Ronald Dixon on spurious charges, you are sending a very dangerous message to the residents in your jurisdiction: Defend your family, go to jail. You are also sending an equally dangerous message to the criminal element, who would realize that law-abiding citizens would now be hesitant to defend themselves for fear of criminal prosecution, and therefore make prime targets for violent crime.”

A naturalized citizen, Mr. Dixon immigrated from Jamaica, and served in the U.S. Navy for three years. He works two jobs seven days a week to provide for his family. And now his American dream has been crushed by an anti-gun, anti-personal protection, anti-liberty district attorney. Kudos, D.A. Hynes.

Rome’s iman supports suicide bombings

From the Religion-of-Peace department: the leader of Europe’s largest mosque stated support for suicide bombings against Israel in a recent sermon, as well as in an interview granted to an Italian daily.

It is so refreshing to see Muslim leaders extending the hands of brotherhood and tolerance, when so many around the world have done the same for them. I suppose the difference is that those Muslim hands hold detonators and knives…

More freedom of, not freedom from

D. James Kennedy reports on recent U.S. Department of Education guidelines “that require the Secretary of Education to issue guidance on constitutionally protected prayer in elementary and secondary schools. These guidelines clarify what it is that public school students are allowed to do on campus.”

He goes on to offer an outstanding layman’s overview of the whole “separation of church and state” issue, and why that is a complete fallacy.

Can you feel the love?

Barbra Streisand is suing a fellow environmentalist. Why? Because he took an aerial photograph of her Malibu coastline estate. Along with 12,000 other pictures of the California coastline, all as part of creating an aerial photographic survey of the coastline to document erosion over time.

Shhhhhh. Don’t anyone tell Barbrat about the Keyhole spy satellites the NSA could retask to sit over Malibu if it wanted…

Why am I not surprised?

“Congressman flies U.N. flag”

Sam Farr has done more in his six terms (about six too many) to undermine American sovereignty than former General Secretary President Klinton did in his eight years in office.

“If the U.N. didn’t exist, we’d be inventing it right now,” Farr told the San Francisco Chronicle, calling the U.N. “the only way to build up the infrastructure around the globe for the human rights, labor, environmental conditions that are fair and equitable.”

Gee, Representative Farr, just like the U.N. is doing in Iraq right now? Like it did so successfully in Vietnam? Somalia? Rwanda?

“We’ve got to do everything in our power to make the U.N. the leadership body it was intended to be. … This president has no respect for the United Nations.”

Nor should he. Representative Farr, name one conflict the United Nations has successfully mediated to a resolution that benefited all of the people involved. You have until the next election, and if you need more time, I’m sure we can give you all you need.

After toppling Saddam Hussein with the assistance of about 40 other countries who formed a “coalition of the willing,” the U.S. returned to the Security Council this month to resume international diplomacy over the issue of sanctions. On Thursday, the 15-member council appeared to smooth the rift over Iraq by passing a resolution that approved the U.S.-led administration of the country.

Yes, after the U.S. and its allies did all the dirty work, the U.N. decides it wants to play ball.

“Reform of the U.N. is impossible. The U.N. and its agencies are fatally flawed,” maintains Phyllis Kaminsky, a U.S. delegate to the Human Rights Commission and a Reagan administration official.

Indeed. The U.N. has demonstrated its ineptitude in handling the Iraq situation, including its mismanagement of the entire oil-for-food program, which did little to put food on the table of a majority of Iraqis, while continuing to line Hussein’s pockets.

Oh, and regarding your income-tax payments this year:

“Americans should take notice when pro-U.N. forces in Washington recently spent $600,000 of taxpayers’ money to renovate the kitchen of the ambassador’s Waldorf-Astoria apartment,” Snyder said. “I bet Julia Child’s kitchen didn’t cost 600 grand.”

You can always use that Ranger tab for TP…

Colonel David Hackworth (USA-Retired) reports on the sissifying of the elite Army Rangers.

While the rest of the U.S. Army has lowered its standards to the point where seasoned war vets find today’s combat training a joke and the crusty salts who fought at Anzio, Osan and Dak To refer to what passes for most training as “an invitation to get killed,” Rangers have fought lowering the training bar and have consistently turned out hardened studs whom commanders in the field would fight to get.

That is until Maj. Gen. Paul Eaton, the guy who runs Fort Benning today, was told by a few recent Ranger graduates that they were turned off by Ranger School because some of their RIs were meanies and actually yelled and cursed at them and even made them do pushups when they goofed up. Others complained in writing that they’d been sleep-deprived and that the training was too difficult.

For the record, the RIs—hardened vets who know what it takes to win and walk away alive—were merely following the battle-tested Darby practices of creating maximum stress, teaching attention to detail and passing on the proven tactics and techniques that have worked so splendidly for our Rangers in a bunch of bad scraps.

Just for the record, applying for and attending Ranger School is strictly a volunteer activity, just like joining the Army itself. If you’re not being physically abused or racially slandered, what are you complaining about? The old rumination on heat and the kitchen comes to mind.

One can only hope that Eaton is retired—er, retires, soon, before he gets any of our boys killed due to ill preparation and training.

Giving back to those who gave all

Too often during Memorial Day ceremonies, we tend to overlook those who survive the men and women who sacrificed their all for our nation. Michelle Malkin takes a look at some of the different organizations that assist military survivors, along with contact information, should you wish to lend financial or other support.

Take time to remember

On this Memorial Day, please take some time out to remember those who have sacrificed all on behalf of our nation, as well as those they have left behind.

Freedom is not free.

The real Threat Matrix

Despite ABC’s upcoming fall show of the same name, the real Threat Matrix is a document the President reads each morning.

The crux of their briefings is the document formally titled “Terrorist Threats to U.S. Interests Worldwide,” or more informally, the “Daily Threat Matrix.”

[…]

The document is “a list of every threat directed at the United States in the past 24 hours,” Mueller said.

Government officials familiar with the Matrix, who spoke on condition of anonymity, described it as a daily compendium of a few pages to 30 or more. Each threat is entered in tabular format, with those considered the most severe listed first.

How many times do we have to go through this?

Yet again, in light of all the whining coming from the Demobrats over the just-passed federal tax cut:

• unconstitutional spending causes deficits
• unconstitutional spending causes deficits
• unconstitutional spending causes deficits

Did I happen to mention that unconstitutional spending causes deficits? Putting money back in to the pockets of those actually paying taxes, i.e., the top 50% of all those collecting a paycheck, does not constitute a deficit problem.

Speaking of those actually paying taxes, yes, these tax cuts favor “the rich,” if you consider a dual-income married couple with two kids bringing in around $125,00 a year “rich.” Those are the people actually paying taxes; a single-income married couple with two kids bringing in only $18,000 a year is paying very little, if any, income tax.

Stop your whining, your leftist sociocrats, and work toward cutting out those programs and departments that the federal government is unconstitutionally funding. And this goes for several members of the Republican party as well. Cut the pork, and the deficit will go down.

Speaking of bringing down the deficit, riddle me this: what was the Clinton administration doing to lead the country to better fiscal management? Clinton supporters have long pointed to how, during the Clinton administration, our federal government ran a “surplus.” Government should never have a surplus—it says either the government doesn’t have its fiscal priorities in order, or the citizenry is over-taxed, or both. Why wasn’t this surplus going toward paying down the national debt? That would have shown good financial sense.

Armey on Clinton/Lewinsky

Back on 15 September 1998, then-House Majority Leader Dick Armey (R-Texas) held his weekly meeting with Capitol reporters. When a reporter provided him an opening by inquiring what he would do if he were in President Clinton’s shoes, the Los Angeles Times captured the conference’s atmosphere:

…the jam-packed room burst into raucous laughter as one reporter prefaced a question about the Lewinsky scandal by saying, “If you were in the president’s position…” Armey didn’t miss a beat. “If I were, I would be looking up from a pool of blood and hearing my wife say: ‘How do I reload this thing?’”

The situation would be similar in my household; except my wife knows how to reload!

(Thanks to Ricky and Snopes.)

Taking the Times to task

So many blasting the New York Times, so little time…

Ann Coulter:

The Times has now willingly abandoned its mantle as the “newspaper of record,” leapfrogging its impending technological obsolescence. It was already up against the Internet and Lexis-Nexis as a research tool. All the Times had left was its reputation for accuracy.

As this episode shows, the Times is not even attempting to preserve a reliable record of events. Instead of being a record of history, the Times is merely a “record” of what liberals would like history to be — the Pentagon in crisis, the war going badly, global warming melting the North Pole, and protests roiling Augusta National Golf Club. Publisher Arthur “Pinch” Sulzberger has turned the paper into a sort of bulletin board for Manhattan liberals.

Jonah Goldberg:

The Times says that this episode marks a “a low-point in the 152-year history of the newspaper.” For Times worshippers, this was an admirable admission of wrongdoing. But we skeptics want to know if this blow to the Times’ reputation outranked, say, the newspaper’s deliberate downplaying of the Holocaust?

Did this “journalistic fraud” exceed the Pulitzer-winning deception of Walter Duranty, the Times correspondent who explicitly lied about Stalin’s purges and forced famines? How about correspondent Herbert Matthews, who promised the world that the rebel-leader Fidel Castro wasn’t a communist, even as Castro slaughtered innocents and struck deals with the Soviets?

There’s nothing wrong with admitting that this Blair fiasco is a big deal, but no one died because of anything Blair wrote. It seems the egos of a few execs are on par with the deaths of millions.

Marvin Olasky:

Venerable Times columnist William Safire defended his employer and suggested that the Blair affair is allowing conservative critics to practice schadenfreude, what Germans call “the guilty pleasure one secretly takes in another’s suffering.” That’s clever and it might be true, except that the influence of the Times is such that when it fails, millions of innocent people suffer.

In the early 1930s, for example, Times Moscow correspondent Walter Duranty helped Joseph Stalin cover up a Soviet extermination campaign that claimed millions of lives, mostly in the Ukraine — and when other reporters told the truth, Duranty libeled them. In the late 1960s, the Times beat the pro-abortion drum so loudly that the Supreme Court began to listen, and the cost was many more millions of lives.

Blair’s misconduct was spectacular, but no one died because of it, so the Times has certainly had many lower points in the 152 years since Henry Raymond, a conservative Christian, founded it.

(Raymond would be turning over in his grave, as the saying goes.)

Thomas Sowell:

That is why this was not just an isolated scandal but a sign of moral dry rot in the leadership of the New York Times.

Again, the paper’s own account is the most damning. Far from not knowing what was going on, the Times acknowledges that “various editors and reporters expressed misgivings about Mr. Blair’s reporting skills, maturity and behavior during his five-year journey from raw intern to reporter on national news events. Their warnings centered mostly on errors in his articles.”

More than a year ago, one of the Times’s own editors wrote a memo that said plainly: “We have got to stop Jayson from writing for the Times. Right Now.” Instead, Blair was promoted to national news coverage.

And on it goes…

Is it or isn’t it? (Hint: It is…)

Brian has a good analysis and links of the infamous 9th Circuit Court’s refusal for a full court hearing on California’s “assault” weapons ban.

By definition, an “assault” weapon is one capable of fully automatic fire; full-auto firearms are illegal to own anywhere in the U.S. unless you have a Class III Federal Firearms License. The fact that a firearm may look like an “assault” weapon doesn’t make it one, despite how the news media continues to call semi-automatic (one squeeze of the trigger, one shot) firearms “assault” weapons.

I hope and pray that the Supreme Court does hear this case, and rules it as the individual Constitutional right it is. Yes, the fact is that the Second Amendment is an individual right. Read your Federalist Papers; all of the Founding Fathers believed this to be so.

Why would they place a state right within nine other individual rights? And place it so highly in status? The Second is for individuals, not the states, and not for the state.

Freedom of, not freedom from

Jon Dougherty has an outstanding piece on the Supreme Court’s recent unconstitutional ruling of the Ten Commandments display case in Kentucky.

Freedom is not free: a reminder

Retired USAF Major Brian Shul delivered an address at March AFB on Veteran’s Day 2001. Powerful stuff:

Yes, I believe God has blessed this nation in many ways, although sometimes we forget just how fortunate we really are…and now, after a horrific attack on our homeland, we find ourselves embattled in a war once again. And yet, there are many who seem unsure of the response we should take. Today, we honor so many who have given their lives, in defense of this country…row upon row of tombstones, silent vigils to their ultimate sacrifice. If the dead could speak today, they would tell you that all it takes for evil to succeed in the world if for good people to stand by and do nothing. They would emphatically declare to you that you negotiate with the enemy with your knee in his chest and your knife at his throat. And they would remind you that those who forget their history, are condemned to repeat it.

We are a nation guilty of forgetting these lessons. Had we learned them better, our cemeteries would be less full.

We fought a Cold War for so long, that perhaps we became weary and complacent, and when we won that war, we became soft. We indulged ourselves in the notion that the world was all-safe, and we thought a booming economy was ample substitute for a strong military. Did we really think electing self-serving politicians would make us stronger as a nation? Somehow we came to accept the notion that freedom was free. It never has been. The price of freedom has always been eternal vigilance. We need to understand that there are those in the world who would destroy us because our way of life threatens their quest for world domination.

The Political Quiz Show

Brian pointed me to this political quiz, established in 1994 by Democratic consultant Victor Kamber and his Republican counterpart, Bradley S. O’Leary.

I’m a Bob Dole conservative, with a score of 35 out of 40.

Big surprise.

Take the test and leave your score in the comments.

Unexpected resistance

Ann skewers the leftists once again over the U.S. victory in Iraq:

They said chemical weapons would be used against our troops. That didn’t happen. They predicted huge civilian casualties. That didn’t happen. They said Americans would turn against the war as our troops came home in body bags. That didn’t happen. They warned of a mammoth terrorist attack in America if we invaded Iraq. That didn’t happen. Just two weeks ago, they claimed American troops were caught in another Vietnam quagmire. That didn’t happen.

Now the biggest mishap liberals can seize on is that some figurines from an Iraqi museum were broken – a relief to college students everywhere who have ever been forced to gaze upon Mesopotamian pottery. We’re not talking about Rodins here. So the Iraqis looted. Oh well. Wars are messy. Liberalism is part of a religious disorder that demands a belief that life is controllable.

France provided intel to Saddam?

“The London Guardian found documents showing Paris fed intelligence to Baghdad before the war. Iraq got diplomatic secrets and military guidance from France. Who else could have taught the Iraqis how to lose their entire country in two weeks?” —Argus Hamilton

S.W.A.T.

Another trailer, this time for the Sam Jackson-Colin Farrell-LL Cool J-Michelle Rodriguez vehicle, S.W.A.T. Loosely based on the 1970s television show of the same name (apparently the only similarity is an updated theme song), it looks pretty good. This was one of my favorite shows when I was about four or five years old.

For the uninitiated, S.W.A.T. stands for Special Weapons And Tactics. The first S.W.A.T. team in the United States was fielded by the Los Angeles Police Department, and next to the FBI’s Hostage Rescue Team (HRT), they are considered the elite such force in the nation. (Of non-military units, that is. The Army’s Delta Force and SEAL Team Six are also antiterrorist units, but are used for overseas operations.)

All of the above units are modeled on the antiterrorist division of the British SAS (Special Air Service), which remained secret until Operation Nimrod, the 1980 Iranian Embassy hostage siege in London, which was broadcast worldwide.

Maher Admits Naivete, Shocks Conservatives Everywhere

The notorious Bill Maher admitted on his April 25th show that he was incorrect in his belief that there is a right to privacy in the Constitution. Yes, that’s right, you constitutionally-ignorant plebeians on the Left: there is no guaranteed right to privacy in the Constitution of the United States of America. Yes, that means that despite what the Supreme Court says, Roe v Wade is constitutionally invalid.

Not that U.S. citizens shouldn’t expect a reasonable degree of privacy in some matters. But the fact is that the government already mandates what we can or cannot do with our bodies on many levels.

We are told we cannot put illegal drugs into our bodies. We are told we cannot put alcohol above a certain level in to our bodies, then get behind the wheel of an automobile. We are told that if our vision is not up to par, we cannot get behind that same wheel. Some states insist that those riding motorcycles wear helmets (since some are obviously too stupid to wear one without being told to do so). In many locales, it is illegal to commit suicide (though you can only be prosecuted if you fail). Legally, you cannot smoke until the age of 18, or drink until the age of 21. You have to wear a seat belt while driving in an automobile in every state in the Union (if there is one where you don’t, I am simply ignorant of that fact, and, unlike most in the Left, am welcome to enlightenment).

The fact of the matter is that the “right to privacy” was made up by the Supreme Court, beginning in 1965, and cemented in 1973 with Roe v Wade. And for those of you who may bally-hoo me on this issue, if the federal government was in its Constitutionally-limited role in the first place, we wouldn’t have to worry about it encroaching on our individual privacy.

(Thanks to Brian for the link.)

Still more Saddam/al-Qaida ties

Yes, Virginia, there are still people who believe that there were no ties between bin Laden’s al-Qaida and Saddam Hussein. I wonder what they’ll say about the Iraqi secret police documents just discovered that refute that claim, that show Saddam actually met with an al-Qaida operative and sought out a meeting with bin Laden himself?

The Bush Regime Change Tour

First it was Afghanistan, where the U.S. military accomplished in less than three months what the former Soviet Union failed to do in a decade. In the process, we ousted a terrorism-supporting regime and installed a democratic form of government.

Then it was Iraq, where the greatest military force in the world took over a country the size of California in under three weeks, liberating its people from an oppressive dictator bent on supplying terrorists with weapons of mass destruction.

Tomorrow, Syria? North Korea? Iran? France?

Whatever terrorism-supporting regime we take down next, be sure to nab your official Bush Regime Change Tour merchandise!

Brought to you by the new United Nations: Inefficient. Ineffectual. Irrelevant.

(Major thanks and kudos to Rick for the idea!)

Preschool Pacifism

“Welcome to the new preschool curriculum: play dough, finger painting and pacifism 101.”

Aw, no more Saddam money for Palestinian terrorism

Saddam Hussein was providing about US $1.5 million a month to various Palestinian agents and supporters, and now that money channel is cut off. And none too soon.

Let’s get this straight:

1. The PLO began as a terrorist organization, and continues to be a terrorist organization, directly or indirectly threatening the security of the state of Israel.

2. Israel is not “occupying” any piece of land it did not rightfully gain as the result of the wars launched against it since the modern Israeli state came in to existence in 1948. Wars Israel did not provoke, did not seek out, but wars Israel won nonetheless. If you have a problem with the fact that Israel owns the Gaza Strip and other areas, then point your questions to Jordan, Syria, Egypt, the PLO, Hamas, et al.

I’m not saying the Israelis are blameless in all of this, and their overall treatment of the Palestinians could be better. But the fact you have to remember is that the Palestinians, as well as most other Arab nations, are not interested in an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel. They have wanted, since 1948, and to this day, the utter annihilation of the state of Israel and the Jewish people. That’s their idea of peace in the Middle East.

Still no Saddam/terrorism ties, right?

It may have taken 18 years, but the U.S. has captured Abu Abbas, the mastermind of the 1985 Achille Lauro cruise ship hijacking. Abbas is wanted for the murder of wheelchair-bound Leon Klinghoffer, who was dumped overboard still in his chair.

U.S. troops and the intelligence community are also seeking out Abdul Rahman Yasin, wanted for the 1993 World Trade Center bombing. Yasin is yet one more terrorist known to have gained “asylum” in Saddam’s Iraq.

No multiple flag flying in Peoria, AZ

“In the midst of the War in Iraq, the City of Peoria, Arizona, has declared war on the First Amendment by ordering one of its citizens to cease flying his American Flags.”

This is so incredibly sad. So as Brian says, it’s ok to burn a hundred flags, but not to fly them?

We told you so?

U.S. Marines have uncovered what is believed to be weapons-grade plutonium.

U.S. Marines have located a complex of tunnels underneath an Iraqi nuclear complex — apparently missed by U.N. weapons inspectors — discovering a vast array of warehouses and bombproof offices that could contain the “smoking gun” sought by intelligence agencies, reported the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review.

[…]

Chief Warrant Officer Darrin Flick, the battalion’s nuclear, biological and chemical warfare specialist, said radiation levels were particularly high at a place near the complex where local residents say the “missile water” is stored in mammoth caverns.

“It’s amazing,” Flick said. “I went to the off-site storage buildings, and the rad detector went off the charts. Then I opened the steel door, and there were all these drums, many, many drums, of highly radioactive material.”

More proof of an increasingly incompetent and irrelevant U.N.? Or perfectly innocent?

This underground discovery could still test to be perfectly legitimate and offer no proof of chemical, biological or nuclear weapons. The CIA encouraged international inspectors in the fall of 2002 to probe Al Tuwaitha for weapons of mass destruction, and the inspectors came away empty-handed.

Time will tell as the materials are tested.

Liberation

Iraq is free from Saddam’s tyranny.

Dayna has the play by play. WND has a summary.

But of course the Iraqi people didn’t wish to be freed from torture and tyranny, or they would have done it themselves, right?

War Zone Entertainment

It never ceases to amaze me how people can find ways to amuse themselves, even during times of danger, blood, and death.

Embedded PowerBook

Thanks to Mark for the pointer to this photo gallery of USA Today photography Jack Gruber, who is using his PowerBook G4 12” to send pictures to the main office.

I still want one!

For those who confuse prime time TV with reality:

Saddam has left the capital…

Now that U.S. forces own the Iraqi capital, the Hindustan Times believes the dictator has already fled Baghdad.

No links between Saddam and terrorists, eh?

US Military Captures ‘Foreign’ Fighters in Iraq
US says it has captured non-Iraqi fighters
AL QAEDA TERROR CAMP ‘LINK TO SADDAM’
US says it found foreign fighters, terrorist camp in Iraq

Smoking gun, any one?

Reuters notes that NPR is reporting U.S. Marines have discovered 20 BM-21 missiles loaded with sarin and mustard gas. The Marines were working, alongside members of the 101st Airborne, a mop-up operation behind Army units that had taken the Baghdad International Airport.

Let’s see: Operation Iraqi Freedom began a little over two weeks ago. Coalition forces have discovered numerous weapons caches wherein NBC suits and antitoxin vaccines were stored, over the weekend coalition forces discovered canisters which may contain chemical WMDs (still being tested), and now the Marines have come across the BM-21s.

United Nations weapons inspectors, on the other hand, were in Iraq for eight years, and discovered nothing?

“This regime change brought to you by the new United Nations: Ineffective. Inadequate. Irrelevant.”

(Thanks, Ricky!)

UPDATE: WorldNetDaily is reporting that the presence of sarin has been detected and soldiers and civilians are being decontaminated. (11:53 A.M.)

History

Wow.

(Mucho grande gracias to Ricky.)

Copywrong

Zeldman calls it. Disney is not your friend.

Earthquakes rocking France

WBAP is reporting this morning:

Earthquakes are being reported in France in over 10 different major areas. These earthquakes are measuring in at over 10 on the Richter Scale.

The source of the earthquakes is being reported as the 56,681 dead Americans buried in France have rolled over in their graves.

• 26,255 American soldiers from WWI are buried in 4 different cemeteries in France.
• 30,426 American soldiers from WWII are buried in 10 different cemeteries in France.
• Total: 56,681 American soldiers (most were under the age of 21) died while liberating France from their oppressors in two different World Wars.

(Thanks, Brian)

Is it too much to ask, then, that France return the favor in liberating Iraq?

LSU alumni in Afghanistan

Speaking of the Fighting Tigers, several of the 500 members of the Louisiana Army National Guard’s 769th Engineer Battalion are LSU students and alumni. The 769th was deployed to Afghanistan over the summer and fall of 2002.

Thanks to the members of the 769th for their service, and Geaux Tigers!

The Great California Gray-Out underway

Doubtful that it will actually happen, but the California Secretary of State has cleared the way for a recall of Governor Gray Davis. Best of luck to the recall advocates.

(via Molly)

Moore Lies

So, by the Academy’s own definition, Bowling for Colombine isn’t a documentary. Yet it is nominated, and wins, an Academy Award. Ok, fine, the “documentary” supposedly supports a political opinion of a majority of Academy members, so we’ll just overlook that.

And while frustrating, if that was the only problem, it wouldn’t be that big a deal. Unfortunately, the film is a complete falsehood that distorts the truth, fabricates material, and outright lies to the audience.

What is mildly amusing is that while many anti-gun groups are congratulating Moore on his Oscar win, the conclusion of the film determines that the problem isn’t with guns, but people. Gee, you think?

Anarchists and Traitors, Unite!

I believe these pictures, provided by the ultra-left-leaning, obviously anti-law enforcement, SF Indymedia branch, are sufficient to show that the anti-war protesters are interested in anything but peace.

Your right to protest stops at advocating murder/desertion/treason. And if you truly believed in what you were out advocating, why are you hiding behind masks and bandanas?

Cowards.

One more on Jury Duty

Something I forgot to note in the previous jury duty posts, but I thought worth mentioning: the judge overseeing the case we sat for, Joe Briggs, sent a handwritten thank-you note to each juror. I’m not sure if that’s Denton County policy, or simply Judge Briggs’s, but I thought it a nice touch.

Jury Duty V

Just to wrap up the “Jury Duty” saga: we concluded the trial this past Thursday, deliberating for about 10 minutes, and we found the defendant not guilty.

Essentially, it sounds like a case of road rage that could have gone just as much to the “victim” as the defendant. All of us on the jury suspect there is more to both sides of the story than what we were told via testimony. The behavior of the defendant described by the “victim” was not in line with the defendant’s demeanor when he was stopped and questioned by police officers, two of whom testified at trial. The defendant was also not arrested at the time of said stop, which goes a long way toward his not being the immediate threat the “victim” made him out to be. He was actually called a day later by a detective and was asked to turn himself in, which he did.

For us, the state didn’t provide enough evidence to remove reasonable doubt, and thus, we had to acquit. It was one man’s word against another, with no other evidence to support the charge. I feel justice prevailed.

Say Thanks

Whether or not you are in favor of the war with the Hussein regime, at least say thank you to the troops who are there in your place: Defend America Thank You.

“These are the times that try men’s souls. The summer soldier and the sunshine patriot will, in this crisis, shrink from the service of his country; but he that stands it now, deserves the love and thanks of man and woman.” —Thomas Paine

The American Flag

“This flag…the symbol of the hopes of man. This cloth of dreams for freedom, justice and opportunity. Its stars like beacons guiding us through shoals of adversity. Its red stripes like wounds of struggle.

“The good in it cannot be had for nothing…like any garden, it must be tended…like any loved one it must be held. Hold high this flag and keep its promise bright, for in it lies the best of hope for all of us.” —Mort Walker, Beetle Bailey creator

(Thanks, Carrie.)

It has begun

Bombs over Baghdad tonight (tomorrow morning in Iraq). Apparently, intelligence on targets of opportunity was such that cruise missiles and F-117 Nighthawk stealth fighters were launched at limited targets of Iraqi leadership.

Apparently, the U.S. military has jammed and co-opted Iraqi State Radio, and is now making statements in Arabic to the people of Iraq.

First firefight of the Iraq War?

London’s Evening Standard is reporting on a firefight that broke out between Iraqi forces in Basra and members of the British Special Boat Service (think SEALs) and U.S. Marines.

Thanks to Dan for the link.

Jury Duty IV

Trial was going pretty good this morning. Got through 4 witnesses, then the defendant had some kind of seizure (I think maybe diabetic/blood sugar), and court was recessed until 9 AM Thursday. So I get to “enjoy” a day at work tomorrow!

Jury Duty III

I made the cut; I’m one of the six jurors for this misdemeanor trial starting later this morning. The defendant is charged with Deadly Conduct. From what I gathered during voir dire, it sounds like he was either waving around or pointing a handgun at another man. Should be interesting.

Jury Duty II

So I reported for jury duty this morning, fully expecting to sit around all day while they waded through the list. This based on horror stories of jury duty from friends, neighbors, and coworkers.

Denton County, thankfully, does things a little differently than our Dallas brethren. About 250 prospective jurors showed up this morning. After being sworn in by one of the judges and being given a rundown on qualifications and exemptions, the district clerk informed us that the courts needed 232 jurors to fill all of its panels today. That meant 18 lucky folks were walking out of there. I was not one of those 18.

The first case was a felony, and they needed 42 people from the panel, of which the attorneys on either side would whittle down to 12. These first 42 totally lucked out, since as the clerk was getting ready to call their names, she received word the trial had been cancelled/postponed. The next 2 sets of jurors were also for felonies, 42 each. Then came a set of 24 for a misdemeanor trial. Then a set of 20 for another misdemeanor. The room was thinning out; were the odds of getting called getting better or worse? (Didn’t really matter; computer system had kicked out the various lists, completely at random, minutes before, after all jurors had reported in.)

On the 3d misdemeanor trial, my name was called. The good news was that I didn’t have to report to the courtroom until 1pm. Not enough time to go in to the office for a bit, too much time to hang around the courthouse. So I came home for a while. I’ll head back about noon, 1 out of 24, and they’ll take 6 of us.

I don’t really mind one way or the other. Thankfully, my employer pays me if I’m at work or jury duty, and I donated my $6/$10 a day ($10 if you actually sit on a jury, otherwise $6 for reporting for service) to the Boys & Girls Club of Denton County. It’s a misdemeanor trial, which means it shouldn’t go more than a day or two. Should be interesting to see what happens later this afternoon.

Jury Duty

So later this morning I’ll be heading out to report for jury duty. Like most folks, it’s not something I’m looking forward to, but it’s one of our duties as citizens, and one I take seriously. So much so that I test drove the route earlier tonight, to ensure that I would arrive on time. Hey, if I were a defendant awaiting trial, I’d want people who took it seriously in the jury pool, too, even if they didn’t really want to be there.

Even the French aren’t this bad

This is just disgraceful. Utterly disgraceful.

Get it through your neanderthal-thick skulls, slugheads: men and women in uniform do not decide whether to go to war or not. They follow orders given by civilian commanders to do so. Focus your anger where it belongs, and respect those who serve in your place.

Walk away!

Charles Krauthammer delivers good advice to President Bush:

Walk away, Mr. President. Walk away from the U.N. Security Council. It will not authorize the coming war. You can stand on your head and it won’t change the outcome. You can convert to Islam in a Parisian mosque and it won’t prevent a French veto.

[…]

If you must have a second resolution, it should consist of a single sentence: “The Security Council finds Iraq in violation of Resolution 1441, which demanded ‘full and immediate compliance by Iraq without conditions or restrictions.’ “

[…]

If the one-line resolution passes, the violation triggers 1441, which triggers the original resolutions ending the Gulf War. If it fails, you’ve exposed the United Nations for what it is: the League of Nations, empty, cynical and mendacious. Mr. President: Call the vote and walk away.

Like Krauthammer says, no more dithering. Actions speak louder than words, and the UN isn’t delivering anything but empty pronouncements.

(Thanks, Rick.)

Done right, indeed

Coming in under the radar Monday was this report that the United Nations has redesigned its logo and has a new motto.

(Thanks, Michael)

Freedom Fries: It’s Official

Even members of Congress are beginning to call them “freedom fries,” and even “freedom toast.” (Yes, I know French fries aren’t really French.)

Thanks, Rick!

Robinson: NYT op-ed “stupid”

You can always count on programmers to be logical. (Well, good ones, anway.) Gary Robinson sallies forth:

Saddam is today in a position where he is very, very likely to be attacked, and he is still not giving inspectors the facts. If he is not doing so now, the trivial added circumstance of the U.S. having the Security Council’s permission is obviously not going to make a significant difference to Iraq’s choices.

(via Michael)

Iraqi soldiers already surrendering

Sent to me by Michael and noted by Jon, the UK’s Sunday Mirror is reporting that Iraqi soldiers have already begun to surrender:

Terrified Iraqi soldiers have crossed the Kuwait border and tried to surrender to British forces — because they thought the war had already started.
[…]
The stunned Paras from 16 Air Assault Brigade were forced to tell the Iraqis they were not firing at them, and ordered them back to their home country telling them it was too early to surrender.

It’s both funny and sad. I hope these guys do the sensible thing when the shooting really does start; Saddam’s not worth dying for.

Tax Cuts Lessons II

Twenty thousand people go to a baseball game, but the game was rained out. A refund was then due. The team was about to mail refunds when the Congressional Democrats stopped them and suggested that they send out refund amounts based on the Democrat National Committee’s interpretation of fairness. After all, if the refunds were made based on the price each person paid for the tickets, most of the money would go to the wealthiest ticket holders. That would be unconscionable. The DNC Plan says:

1. People in the $10 seats will get back $15, because they have less money to spend. Call it an “Earned Income Ticket Credit.” Persons “earn” it by demonstrating little ambition, few skills and poor work habits, thus keeping them at entry-level wages.

2. People in the $25 seats will get back $25, because that’s only fair.

3. People in the $50 seats will get back $1, because they already make a lot of money and don’t need a refund. If they afford a $50 ticket, then they must not be paying enough taxes.

4. People in the $75 luxury seats will have to pay another $50, because they have way to much to spend.

5. The people driving by the stadium who couldn’t afford to watch the game will get $10 each, even though they didn’t pay anything in, because they need the most help.

Now do you understand? If not, contact Representative Nancy Pelosi or Senator Tom Daschle for assistance.

Quote of the moment

“Whatever enables us to go to war, secures our peace.” —Thomas Jefferson

Re: Tonight’s Presidential press conference

I thought President Bush raised two very important points during the press conference regarding Saddam and the United Nations.

One, the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441 calling for Saddam’s immediate and total disarmament. Has Saddam committed to this? The answer is no, end of story.

Two, the Security Council unanimously passed Resolution 1441. Why now are four members of the Security Council refusing to enforce disarmament of the Hussein regime? Can they honestly say that Saddam Hussein has abided by Resolution 1441? Can anyone?

Don’t think of starting with “look at the missiles he’s destroyed so far.” Nineteen missiles. Nineteen, out of of one hundred. Destruction which is nothing more than a delaying tactic. Destruction that would not be happening without the quarter of a million troops stationed around the borders of Iraq. Can you honestly tell me that the destruction of nineteen missiles is the result solely because of the presence of weapons inspectors? Puh-leeze.

For the millionth time…

You do not have a constitutional right to a job or free/cheap health care, and it is not the job of the federal, state, or local government to provide you with either.

So students protesting against the war may continue to do so, but please don’t make the above cases. The first and foremost duty of the federal government is the protection of our nation from enemies foreign and domestic. Taking out Saddam falls into this category.

Government doesn’t “create jobs,” a phrase I’m sick of hearing from the mouths of politicians, including our President (whom I support, in case you haven’t guessed). The only thing government can do is affect the economy in such a way that it is stimulated to the point that the private sector grows, leading to higher employment. One good way to do this is by lowering and eliminating taxes.

Lower tax revenue inevitably means government will have to look at the things it funds and make hard choices. Defense of our nation is not a hard choice; it is a vital responsibility and should be funded accordingly (Dan’s comment re: un-needed weapons systems notwithstanding). Things like Social Security, Medicare — including the President’s proposed prescription drug aid, the Dept. of Education, funding to the United Nations, the IMF, et al, should and could be eliminated.

None of the above programs has benefited the American citizenry in the long term. They have made us more dependent, individually, upon the federal government, and restricted our sovereignty as a nation. Our country will be better after we cast off these oppressive, and unconstitutional, items.

And for crying out loud, tax cuts do not cause deficits! Spending causes deficits!

Monopoly money coming to our shores

Yes, Virginia, beginning this fall, you can have your own wallet of rainbow-colored twenties…

The new bills will be introduced on 27 March, and enter circulation in the fall.

(props to Jim)

Zero intelligence

A six-year-old boy has been suspended for having a plastic knife in his bookbag at school. A plastic knife he obtained in the school cafeteria. As the WSJ’s OpinionJournal states, “No doubt the Struthers [Elementary School] lunch lady will soon be indicted for arms trafficking.”

The six-year-old student wanted to take the plastic knife home to show his mom that he could butter his toast.

Donna Long, the boy’s mother, states that while she was essentially forced to sign a form that Kevin was “showing other students in class [the knife],” the principal never stated that this was the case. Ms. Long also wonders, if her first-grade son was such a threat, why the police weren’t notified.

School administrations need to wake up and smell the reality that not every student is a Colombine waiting to happen.

Required Reading

Asked by Andrew Cuomo to pen an essay for a book on the future of the Democratic Party, Peggy Noonan, former Democrat, has delivered in spades.

This essay is utterly brilliant. I honestly hope the Demos take heed. Really.

I believe we need the Democratic Party to be better than it is, to spur the Republican Party to be better than it is, and vice versa. Kind of like how the computer industry needs Apple to be at the top of its game to push the rest of the industry forward.

Unfortunately, if the Demos are true to form, Noonan will be attacked by leftist whackos who are not interested in honest, constructive criticism.

(major kudos to Rick)

Yeah, we’re “rushing”

(thanks, Brian)

Tax Cuts - A Simple Lesson in Economics

It’s been floating around the ether for a while, but it bears repeating:

Let’s put tax cuts in terms everyone can understand. Suppose that every day, ten men go out for dinner. The bill for all ten comes to $100. If they paid their bill the way we pay our taxes, it would go something like this:

The first four men (the poorest) would pay nothing.
The fifth would pay $1.
The sixth would pay $3.
The seventh $7.
The eighth $12.
The ninth $18.
The tenth man (the richest) would pay $59.

So, that’s what they decided to do. The ten men ate dinner in the restaurant every day and seemed quite happy with the arrangement, until one day, the owner threw them a curve. “Since you are all such good customers,” he said, “I’m going to reduce the cost of your daily meal by $20.”

So now dinner for the ten only cost $80. The group still wanted to pay their bill the way we pay our taxes. So the first four men were unaffected. They would still eat for free. But what about the other six, the paying customers? How could they divvy up the $20 windfall so that everyone would get his “fair share?”

The six men realized that $20 divided by six is $3.33. But if they subtracted that from everybody’s share, then the fifth man and the sixth man would each end up being “paid” to eat their meal. So the restaurant owner suggested that it would be fair to reduce each man’s bill by roughly the same amount, and he proceeded to work out the amounts each should pay. And so:

The fifth man, like the first four, now paid nothing (100% savings).
The sixth now paid $2 instead of $3 (33% savings).
The seventh now paid $5 instead of $7 (28% savings).
The eighth now paid $9 instead of $12 (25% savings).
The ninth now paid $14 instead of $18 (22% savings).
The tenth now paid $49 instead $59 (16% savings).

Each of the six was better off than before. And the first four continued to eat for free. But once outside the restaurant, the men began to compare their savings. “I only got a dollar out of the $20,” declared the sixth man. He pointed to the tenth. “But he got $10!”

“Yeah, that’s right,” exclaimed the fifth man. “I only saved a dollar, too. It’s unfair that he got ten times more than me!”

“That’s true!” shouted the seventh man. “Why should he get $10 back when I got only $2? The wealthy get all the breaks!”

“Wait a minute,” yelled the first four men in unison. “We didn’t get anything at all. The system exploits the poor!” The nine men surrounded the tenth and beat him up.

The next night the tenth man didn’t show up for dinner, so the nine sat down and ate without him. But when it came time to pay the bill, they discovered something important. They didn’t have enough money between all of them for even half of the bill!

And that, boys and girls, journalists and college professors, is how our tax system works. The people who pay the highest taxes get the most benefit from a tax reduction. Tax them too much, attack them for being wealthy, and they just may not show up at the table anymore.

(with thanks to Ricky for the email)

Delta guinea airline for new security

There aren’t many things that the ACLU and I agree on, but this is one of them. (via Xeni)

Kill the Department of Education

As if we needed more reasons to eliminate a bureacratic sinkhole in the federal government. From the Washington Times, 2/19/03:

“More than a billion dollars a year of federal aid for after-school programs in 7,500 public schools nationwide has not helped most children academically, a federally funded study concluded. Children who attend after-school activities at public elementary and middle schools are more likely to encounter bullies, vandals, thieves and drug users than those who do not, said the study, conducted for the U.S. Education Department.”

The federal government has only one duty when it comes to the education of our children, and that is to ensure that none are discriminated against for their race, religion, or creed. You know, one of those things the federal government is Constitutionally supposed to do.

Funds sent to the Education Department black hole via taxes would be better spent in the states and municipalities from whence they come. This, in turn, would help weaken the horrendous National Educational Association, which seems to be interested in everything except actually teaching our kids:

“Public schools are run by the National Educational Association. They are not run by people you can hold accountable, such as teachers, superintendents and school boards. The NEA opposes merit pay, charter schools, and any decision by any school administrator that has not been determined in advance by collective bargaining. Simply put, the NEA opposes everything except its own power.

“…Meanwhile, kids aren’t learning. The vocabulary of the average American 14-year-old has dropped from 25,000 words to 10,000. San Francisco Examiner reporter Emily Gurnon asked teenagers to identify the country from which America won its independence. Among the answers: ‘Japan or something, China. Somewhere out there on the other side of the world.’ ‘It wouldn’t be Canada, would it?’ ‘I don’t know; I don’t even, like, have a clue.’ ‘I want to say Korea. I’m tripping.’

“…The problem, says (author Peter) Brimelow, is that the NEA is the backbone of the Democratic Party and public education is a government monopoly. . . . If the NEA is to be undone, its undoing will come from parents and teachers deserting the schools. Homeschoolers, without benefit of fancy facilities, science labs, and huge expenditures of money, outscore public school students.” — Paul Craig Roberts

Sound advice from across the Pond

“Supposing I came along in August 2001 and said…that there was an al-Qaeda terrorist network; no one would have heard of it. Suppose I said that we would have to invade Afghanistan in order to deal with it; no one would have believed that that was necessary. Yet, my goodness, a few weeks later, thousands of people were killed on the streets of New York. . . . The threat (from Iraq) is real, and if we do not deal with it the consequences of our weakness will haunt future generations.” — British Prime Minister Tony Blair

On government spending

“Frankly, when my family’s income goes down, so does our spending as we tighten our belts. Why is it that government believes its spending of our money should always go up, in good times and in bad? Why shouldn’t government have to go on a diet just like the rest of us when hit with a reduction in income?” —Chuck Muth

Let the Hollywonk backlash begin!

“Americans objecting to the anti-war rhetoric of Hollywood celebrities are no longer remaining silent, but are starting to fight back with their own grass-roots offensive.”

Take note of the AOL poll mentioned: over 400,000 respondents. That’s a poll; you can be sure there is a wide demographic represented, unlike most CNN/USA Today/NBC/ABC/Wall Street Journal, et al, polls that are lucky to count 1,000 persons.

Be sure to check out Hollywood Halfwits.

Finally, I can’t wait to see Fred Thompson’s pro-war rebuttal to “Left Wing” Martin Sheen this weekend…

For or against, just tell us the truth

Ann nails the Demos yet again on their two-faced approach to war with Saddam:

“After voting in favor of the war with Iraq right before the November elections, Sen. Hillary Clinton never had another kind word to say for the war. Just a few weeks ago, Sen. Clinton gave an interview on Irish TV in which she said she opposed precipitous action against Iraq. She said Bush should give the U.N. weapons inspectors more time.

“Hillary did not object to precipitous action against Iraq when her husband bombed it on the day of his scheduled impeachment. President Clinton attacked Saddam Hussein without first asking approval from the United Nations, the U.S. Congress or even France. But now we have a president who wants to attack Iraq for purposes of national security rather than his own personal interests, and Hillary thinks he’s being rash. President Bush has gotten a war resolution from Congress, yet another U.N. Security Council resolution, and we’ve been talking about this war for 14 months. But he’s being precipitous.

“When Clinton bombed Iraq to delay his impeachment, Senate Minority Leader Tom Daschle was ablaze with war fever. Daschle said: ‘This is a time to send Saddam Hussein as clear a message as we know how to send that we will not tolerate the broken promises and the tremendous acceleration of development of weapons that we’ve seen time and time again in Iraq.’ Secretary of State Madeleine Albright said of the impeachment bombing: ‘Month after month, we have given Iraq chance after chance to move from confrontation to cooperation, and we have explored and exhausted every diplomatic action. We will see now whether force can persuade Iraq’s misguided leaders to reverse course and to accept at long last the need to abide by the rule of law and the will of the world.’

“Now here we are, more than four years later, Saddam still hasn’t complied with U.N. resolutions, and America has been attacked by Islamic crazies — and these same Democrats think Bush is acting impulsively. Democrats are always hawks in the off-season. They’re all for war, provided it has nothing to do with America’s security.”

This is just wrong

You know, go ahead and protest potential war with Saddam Hussein’s regime. But when you take it out on little kids just because their parents are in the National Guard, you’re stepping over the line. Further comment withheld due to incensed author.

Liberal radio talk show hosts?

Ann cracks me up:

“If liberals cared about ideas or knew any facts, they would cease being liberals. Even the audience for the left’s government-supported radio network, National Public Radio, has more conservative listeners than liberal listeners. According to a Pew Research Center study released last summer, conservatives consume far more news than liberals — including listening to NPR and watching PBS more than liberals. (As Mickey Kaus said, ‘No wonder conservatives are so pissed off.’)

“Liberalism thrives on ignorance. Their media are ‘Lifetime: TV for Women,’ NBC’s ‘The West Wing’ and 4 billion ‘Law and Order’ episodes in which the perp turns out to be a Christian, white male who recites the Second Amendment before disemboweling a poor minority child.

“Liberal persuasion consists of the highbrow sneer from self-satisfied snobs ladled out for people with a 40 IQ. This is not an ideology that can withstand several hours a day of caller scrutiny where their goofball notions can be shot down by any truck driver with a cell phone.”

I don’t know why my wife watches “Law & Order,” “NYPD Blue,” et al, when she spends half the episode complaining how the cops twist citizens’ rights to gather evidence and/or get a confession. No, she’s not a criminal attorney, but yes, she is a lawyer and remembers all of this good constitutional stuff from law school.

(Thanks, Rick!)

Doing the right thing, rather than the “popular” thing

Doing the right thing is oftentimes not the easy thing to do. With regard to Saddam Hussein, President Bush’s course of action is the right thing to do, though it certainly isn’t easy. This is counter to the Clinton model of executive leadership, always putting a finger to the wind to test popular opinion. What amazing foresight Winston Churchill had:

“Nothing is more dangerous in wartime than to live in the temperamental atmosphere of a Gallup Poll, always feeling one’s pulse and taking one’s temperature.”

This is why President Bush is also not listening to the “news” media and the peace protestors (whom with, again, I have no problem regarding exercising their right to protest, rather with their reasons). Despite what the “news” media would have you believe, the current peace movement does not reflect the popular will of the American people. Even if it did, that still wouldn’t make it right.

“The Founders understood that democracy was important, but if you didn’t filter it through a republican system you’d be just as likely to end up with a tyranny of the majority as you would with a healthy society. Don’t worry, I won’t quote the Federalist Papers, but trust me, it’s in there.” —Jonah Goldberg

The “news” media and peace protestors would be wise to hearken this advice, as well:

“We do need to remind everybody that tyrants don’t respond to any kind of appeasement. Tyrants don’t respond to negotiation. Tyrants respond to toughness. And that was true in the 1930s and 1940s when we failed to respond to tyranny, and it is true today.” —Condoleezza Rice, U.S. National Security Advisor, over this past weekend

Tyrants don’t respond to peace protests and sycophant “news” media in other nations as well. At least not in any way that would make them less of a tyrant.

Hypocrisy, anyone?

Riddle me this: why was it okay for President Clinton to go into the Balkans without approval of the U.N. Security Council, but it’s not okay for President Bush to go into Iraq — where there is a WMD threat — without the approval of the U.N. Security Council?

Marijuana DOES lead to harder drug use

A study by Washington University (of St. Louis, MO), published in the Journal of the American Medical Association, of 311 Australian twin pairs, concludes that teenage pot users are five times more likely to use or abuse cocaine, heroin, hallucinogens, sedatives, or alcohol. The study was undertaken to prove the opposite.

Sorry, NORML. Keep trying to spin the positive aspects of marijuana. I’m sure Woody Harrelson needs something to do with all of his copious spare time.