Richard Cohen Looks At Iraq, Sees Vietnam - Sigh!

I watched Edward R. Murrow as a kid, I liked Edward R. Murrow, I wanted to be Edward R. Murrow (when I didn't want to be a truck driver) and you, Richard Cohen, are no Edward R. Murrow.

In today's WaPo editorial section Cohen makes the argument that he has long fought against the Iraq = Vietnam Quagmire meme but now, that he has listened to President Bush, he is a believer that it is indeed another Vietnam.

Well, let us look at the record that you have left behind and then at your current arguments Mr. Cohen. From your current column:

About two years ago I sat down with a colleague and explained why Iraq was not going to be Vietnam. Iraq lacked a long-standing nationalist movement and a single charismatic leader like Ho Chi Minh. The insurgents did not have a sanctuary like North Vietnam, which supplied manpower, materiel and leadership, and the rebel cause in Iraq -- just what is it, exactly? -- was not worth dying for. On Tuesday President Bush proved me wrong. Iraq is beginning to look like Vietnam.

Ok, there is still no long standing nationalist movement, there is still not a single charismatic leader. The terrorists do have sanctuary in Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Syria and Iran however. And what did you say about the "rebel cause" not being worth dying for? You mean Mr. Cohen, that islamofascists have not been committing suicide bombings until recently and this helped convince you that Iraq = Vietnam? Really, you don't mean that do you... 'cause I thought those murdering bastards have been collecting their 72 virgins, peanuts, whatever, for a long-assed time.

In '03 you did indeed argue:

...the differences may be more important. Among them is the nature of the insurgency. The Vietnamese independence movement was both long-standing and widespread. (Ho Chi Minh lobbied for independence from France at the Paris Peace Conference of 1919.) That cannot be said about whoever is behind the Iraq terrorism attacks -- bitter-end Baathists or Islamic zealots taking a short cut to heaven. Neither embodies Iraqi national aspirations.

You also noted:

That some people think we are is evident from a quick scan of the Nexis database. It shows more than 800 links in the past week alone where the words "Iraq" and "Vietnam" appeared together. Some of them are surely my own since in certain limited respects, I, too, have made the comparison.

What, you were comparing them in '03... Why Mr. Cohen! And, you ended that column with:

As Sept. 11 proved, the world is a lot more dangerous now than it was in the Vietnam era. The danger is not just "over there" but right here as well. So it was all the more stunning that the Bush administration went to war with a cockamamie plan for what was to follow, a muddle of wishful thinking that history will judge criminally stupid.

Finally, where Iraq is really different from Vietnam: There can be no premature, chaotic and shameful withdrawal. In the end, Vietnam didn't matter. Iraq does.

Well, Mr. Cohen, that was then, and since then you have upped the Iraq = Vietnam Quagmire too frequently for you today to say that you haven't supported that notion until you heard the President's speech. In fact, not too long ago, you wrote:

"How do you ask a man to be the last man to die for a mistake?" a young John Kerry asked back in 1971 about the war in Vietnam. Now it is all these years later and a different war is starting to look more and more like the one Kerry came to question.

In the beginning, Mr. Cohen was what was called a "War Liberal," in other words, a liberal who still supported the idea of taking out Saddam and the Taliban. Indeed Cohen made some fairly decent arguments in favor of the war, even if he didn't like Bush, Republicans, or Rumsfeld, let alone Cheney or Halliburton. Yet, here he is today singing the Vietnam song and I have to wonder why?

Well, here's my theory, and mind you, its only a theory, but there seems to be some rational reason for it. You see, it's all the fault of the Beaver. And Father, who knows best, and Pa Cartwight, and Donna Reed, and Matt Dillion and Pallidin, and Karl Maulden in the Streets of San Francisco and all those other TV shows in the 50's and 60's that stated the problem, worked on the problem and solved the problem in 1 hour or less. So many of those who grew up in that time frame now expect decades long problems such as the war on terror to be solved in a similar expiditious manner. So too does Mr. Cohen who after resisting lo these many months, now see that he was wrong as wrong could be and Iraq really is like Vietnam, that we really are in a quagmire that its all the Bushies fault.

Mr. Cohen, go back to school, you need more education on the history of war, on the concept of strategy, on history for that matter. This isn't like Vietnam, for the same reasons that you stated in '03. This is a global war, like WWII but unlike WWII it is not against a state, it is against an ideology that wants to do nothing but destroy anyone and anything that does not accept their fundamentalist crap. This may, in fact, be another 100 years war and you and your like thinking buddies better get used to that fact, or you better purchase your prayer rugs now.

5000 Hits in June

5000 hits in a single month! Thank you America, thank you!

Woman Turns 115: Honored by Journalist Bashing U.S.

You've seen reports where a journalist makes some off-handed, totally unrelated remark on an issue just for the chance to jab a finger in the eye of a conservative or the U.S. Well, this one that I found via LGF is just great! Bias? What bias? Not us!

AMSTERDAM (Reuters) - A Dutch woman who swears by a daily helping of herring for a healthy life celebrated her 115th birthday on Wednesday as the oldest living person on record. Hendrikje van Andel-Schipper, a former needlework teacher, was born in 1890, the year Sioux Indians were massacred by the U.S. military at the Battle of Wounded Knee.

Give me a break. Oh, that reminds me of a story about a lottery winner with the numbers 1619, which happened to be the year that the Dutch brought the first African slaves to British North America....

Who ARE These Guys?

Sometimes, I just have to put on my armour, pick up my sword and shield and wade into the relm of the truly frightening. Attacking monsters left and right, slaying dragons, trolls and other evil creatures. Picking up my morning star and bashing the heads in of vile creatures, those that would feast off of dead bodys and suck the life force from the good. So, I guess you probably think "Roper's off his meds again," or perhaps you think "I had no idea Roper was into fantasy role play." and you would be wrong. I'm referring to going into that dangerous world of the internet, that dasterdly relm of irrational beliefs populated by none other than Moon Bats; and BARKING Moonbats at that. The latest example (this post is only one day old, so don't try to tell me that it is left over from the last election... the only thing left over is the insanity):

They also knew that Bin Laden had permission from the Islamic spiritual leaders to use a nuclear weapon on the United States if the American people put Bush back in office. Until then, Bin Laden couldn't get any sanctioning from them because they blamed Bush more than the American people.

I hope they know that the American people did NOT vote Bush into office, but, his fascist cronies who own the voting machines did.

Who are these guys, and why aren't the men in the white coats and who carry big butterfly nets after them?

GM's NEW Look

You may have noticed the first time you clicked on that this is a whole new site. Actually, its not! It is however a new design done by the genius of Michael Slobokan who runs Solbokan's Site O' Schtuff via the wonderful people at E.Webscapes.

Michael was so gracious in putting up with my "Can we...." "How about..." Can you adjust..." A brave man indeed. Comment on the design if you will, Michael is reading the comments.

Thanks Michael, you done good. Damn Good.

The Radical Left, The Left and The War On Terror

This is going to be another rant (I feel the necessity of them more and more often listening to and reading the MSM - perhaps some bourbon will help).

But first, beloved readers, I want to state very clearly that this rant is directed at Moonbats in general, and not necessarily at the left, many of whom are articulate expounders of their point of view. Some who comment on this blog, my friend Jim Hitchcock comes to mind, has always been polite and for the most part, reasonable. There are others of the left that have not been. I don't "ban" them because I do believe in free speech with a few exceptions on my blog explained here:Rules On Commenting. Having said all the above, don't get offended (well, OK, you can if you wish, but only if the shoe fits - if it doesn't fit, this was not aimed at you).

//Begin Rant//
The left is all a-twitter over the President's speech, still calls from the moonbats to shut down gitmo, still claiming the Prez said Saddam was linked to 9/11. What the heck is the matter with these people. In the Washington Times there is an editorial by one James H. Warner who spent over 5 years in a North Vietnamese POW camp. His story tells of torture, his story tells Dandy Dick Durbin what a real concentration camp is like:

"On the first of June [1969...ed.], I was put in a cement box with a steel door, which sat out in the tropical summer sun. There, I was put in leg irons which were then wired to a small stool. In this position I could neither sit nor stand comfortably. Within 10 days, every muscle in my body was in pain (here began a shoulder injury which is now inoperable). The heat was almost beyond bearing. My feet had swollen, literally, to the size of footballs. I cannot describe the pain. When they took the leg irons off, they had to actually dig them out of the swollen flesh. It was five days before I could walk, because the weight of the leg irons on my Achilles tendons had paralyzed them and hamstrung me. I stayed in the box from June 1 until Nov. 10, 1969. While in the box, I lost at least 30 pounds. I would be curious to hear Mr. Durbin explain how this compares with having a female invade my private space, and whether a box in which the heat nearly killed me is the same as turning up the air conditioning."

Did you get that Dick? FIVE friggin months in that box... FIVE, Count them you sorry excuse for a US Senator 1..2..3..4..5. Has ANYONE at Gitmo had a comparable experience? Even ONE? Your sorry excuse for an apology needs to become REAL, no wonder the American people don't trust most Democrats in national elections. Hey Dick, whatcha gonna do when the good people of Ill. retire you?

Warner finishes his column with:

"The argument that detainees at Guantanamo are being treated badly is specious and silly. In the eyes of normal Americans, Democrats believe this argument because, as Jeanne Kirkpatrick said 20 years ago, they "always blame America first." This contributes to the increasing suspicion, in red states, a problem that Democrats are aware of and are trying to counter, that Democrats cannot be trusted with our national security. Only the Democrats can change this perception, most recently articulated by White House adviser Karl Rove. The ball is in their court and I am certain there are steps that they can take to change this perception, but making silly arguments about imaginary bad treatment of enemy detainees is not a move in the right direction."

Oh, but no, I'm not done... The moonbats demand an exit strategy. Right in the middle of a war. That'll show the islamofascists how long they have to hang on won't it? I discussed that below. The islamofascists are just salivating at the idea that we may give them an expected date of victory. No chance folks, the President said, and I quote:

"The terrorists do not understand America. The American people do not falter under threat, and we will not allow our future to be determined by car bombers and assassins.

America and our friends are in a conflict that demands much of us.

We accept these burdens because we know what is at stake.

We fight today because Iraq now carries the hope of freedom in a vital region of the world, and the rise of democracy will be the ultimate triumph over radicalism and terror.

And we fight today because terrorists want to attack our country and kill our citizens, and Iraq is where they are making their stand.

So we'll fight them there, we'll fight them across the world, and we will stay in the fight until the fight is won.

America has done difficult work before. From our desperate fight for independence to the darkest days of a civil war to the hard-fought battles against tyranny in the 20th century, there were many chances to lose our heart, our nerve or our way.

But Americans have always held firm, because we have always believed in certain truths. We know that if evil is not confronted, it gains in strength and audacity and returns to strike us again. We know that when the work is hard, the proper response is not retreat, it is courage. And we know that this great ideal of human freedom entrusted to us in a special way and that the ideal of liberty is worth defending."

Those that demand a timetable for withdrawal are either too naive to understand who is our enemy, or too stupid to understand that we must win this war. And, I can hear it now..."Then why don't you join up Roper, you were in the Army." Hey, I tried, I was in Berlin on 9/11 and as soon as I got home I called and offered my services...too old they said. Well, I'm not too old to tell you what I think and to stand up for what I believe in.

Still not done.

I'm sick of the complaints that Bush mislead the country and that the Downing Street Memos "PROVE" that. Well, according to Tony Blair (Oh, you know Tony don't you? He's the Prime Minister of England - The guy that LIVES at 10 Downing Street) According to the AP:

"LONDON - British Prime Minister Tony Blair said Wednesday the "Downing Street memos" paint a distorted picture, and he insisted that the Iraq war was not predetermined by the United States.

"People say the decision was already taken. The decision was not already taken," he said in an exclusive interview with The Associated Press.

Blair added he was "a bit astonished" at the intensive U.S. media coverage about the leaked memos, which suggested the White House viewed the war with Iraq as inevitable.

One last thing. I'm also sick of those who say that Saddam had no linkage to terrorists and/or Al Qaeda. the following are reproductions of PDF files.

Cutting and Running is not an option, only winning this war is viable. We have the troops, we have the means, we must have the will in order to succeed.

The Soft Approach To Terror

There is a concerted effort on much of the left to take different approach to Iraq and consequently the war on terror. Much of the left likes to argue that we need a "time table" or an "exit strategy." This is proof positive that they are not taking the WoT seriously. The failure of the United States to follow through on significant retaliation for such acts as the bombing of the Marine Barracks in Lebanon, Mogidishu, embassy bombings in Africa, and the attack on the US Cole is precisely one of the major reasons we had 9/11.

The "enemy" whether you consider the enemy to be Al Qaeda or the whole gamut of islamofascists and their apologists such as Saudi Arabia, CAIR, and others, or you just consider Al Qaeda, knows that our history is to cut when things got "tough."

Examples abound: Korea where we used negotiations (there is an armistice in place); Vietnam where we defunded the south and let the North Vietnamese take over, Mogadishu, The Cole, Lebanon etc are all examples that the enemy is using to wait us out. And the MSM is aiding and abetting this.

Calls for an exit strategy by progressive sites on the internet such as here, here, and by mainstream media such as CNN, MSNBC, and CBS play up the need for an exit strategy.

Karl Rove, that oh so evil political operator nailed liberals for their wanting of a different response to 9/11 than what the congress and the President thought was necessary. The liberal establishment was up in arms over his, addmitedly, slightly over the top (but accurate) assessment. But those same liberals were silent when it came to dandy Dick Durbin's completely and totally inaccurate charges of gulag against American Service men and women.

So, what to do? Easy to say, difficult to do, but we must stay the course in Iraq untill Iraqi's can take charge of the war in their neck of the woods and hunt down the islamofascists. When they can do that, we can exit, no problemo! It just can't be like these three yoyo's who are "Sorry" that we need to stand up to folk who would behead these three in a heartbeat. So endith this rant.

What I Learned Last Week

To catch up on my thoughts while I was away and to share them....

Shark Attacks: We were at the Gulf at the same time as the tragic shark attacks, with a young girl dying and a young man in critical condition. From what I learned, last year Hurricane Ivan destroyed some of the sandbar which acted as a natural barrier between the sharks going after their normal prey versus people in shallow waters. Fortunately for me, I only taste good to mosquitoes.

Democrats Can Save Social Security: Early last week I learned that the Democratic Party in Florida had its bank account levied by the IRS for unpaid payroll taxes, which includes the monies withheld from employees' checks and the matching social security funds. In total, the Florida Democrats owe over $200,000 to the IRS and cannot account for another $900,000 in contributions that are "missing." These are the same people who want to be in charge of social security and tell the nation how to run its finances!? If they want to save social security, they can start by paying their taxes.

Drivers Wanted: Should people who learned to drive in 1935 learn not to drive in 2005? Last week I wasted ten minutes watching a Florida retiree get out of a parking space at a shopping center. Amazing.

Supreme Court Needs Me: Yes, I am making myself available for the next opening on the Supreme Court. If appointed (and surely confirmed), I will commit to attending law school to get up to speed quickly. I will have another advantage over the majority of judges. I will have read the Constitution and know its intent. On the eminent domain issue, the justices perverted the Fifth Amendment allowing corrupt politicians and real estate developers to seize private property from individuals for a really twisted "public use"--the bigger guy promises to pay more taxes than the smaller guy (or, should I say "working families"?). Then the justices ended, once-and-for-all, any confusion about the posting of the Ten Commandments on government property. They said that you can and that you cannot. Each side claims victory. I think it would have been easier just to pick out the top five they liked and to allow those anywhere.

Terri Schiavo--Last insult by husband: I drove right by the cemetery with Terri Schiavo's grave and thought about her and the marker that her husband chose--saying "I kept my promise. It's enough to make you sick and makes one want to pull the plug on him. However, if you want to be touched and know what real love is when it comes to taking care of someone, then read Tom McMahon's "Love Acts the Part." Then, for the sick like me, you can go to another picture of the grave marker on his site.

I love parades!: ...but, no one invited me to this one. I prefer to take my kids to parades for Veterans Day and the like, where men look like men rather than the Village People. May I have the word "gay" back to use as originally intended? (I must admit that some of the costumes were festive and had many gay colors.)

The new Democratic voting bloc--Felons!: Yeah, like you are surprised. Now, that the Democrats have exhausted getting as many voters as they can from graveyards, universities, and across the borders: they reach to the next group which might be their biggest bloc--felons. Now, these guys can fill voting blocs and cell blocks at the same time. Gotta love the shamelessness of Democrats.

Watch something important on television: Tonight the President addresses the nation to give an update on the Iraq situation and present a side that the media might have overlooked--there is a lot of good news. If you're open minded, then listen to President Bush at 8:00 PM EDT. If you're not, then you can join Ted Kennedy and his like in continuing to believe and spread all the false and negative claims about our mission in Iraq. The Democrats view patriotism is very strange ways.

I learned more last week, but that's all I have time to relate at the moment, and you wouldn't want to hear about my great tennis shot here--would you? Have a good evening and be sure to watch the President. There might be a pop quiz in the morning.

Consequences For The Rich And Famous!!

Let this be true, PLEASE let this be true. I personally will buy one or more shares in this hotel. I call on ALL freedom loving peoples in America to lend a hand.

Carnival of the Clueless

Rick Moran at Rightwing Nuthouse has a delicious set of links and explinations to the Carnival Of The Clueless #3. Read them all. A good PC: $900.00; Internet High Speed Access: $29.99/mo.; Watching the clueless self destruct: Priceless!

Riots in Atlanta

(AP-Atlanta) Police were called to an undisclosed location in Georgia yesterday following complaints of loud noises coming from several conservative neighborhoods. Shouts of "Yea Woody!" and "Welcome Back Woody" were heard over large areas of town. When police attempted to quiet the rowdy celebrants, chanting erupted; "When you gonna post Woody?" and "Woody's back, lefties crack."

Elsewhere, on the internet and especially at GM's Corner where the proprietor, one GM Roper, received e-mails by the twos and threes stating "It's about %$&*@*& time we got some humor back into this blog." That was from a regular reader named "reg."

Other readers, notably one named "steve" noted "I'm tired of the corporate mindset believing that the left wing of the Democratic party owns the media. Woody is proof positive that the media is conservative."

One regular commenter, "JimHitch" noted that "While I appreciate GM's point of view as a conservative, and of course GM is always wrong because I'm a liberal and I say so. GM doesn't come close to the humor and outright fun of Woody's posting."

GM could not be reached for further comment. More as the story develops.

Greatest American Vote Over! - Liberals break F keys in responding.

The best part about the final outcome of the Greatest American Vote is reading the ranting and wailings of people from the left (Warning: Language). The winner, as selected by the American public, is President Ronald Reagan!

In our other discussions, I didn't disclose my preference of George Washington--who led our country to independence and rejected the idea of an imperial president.

Below in order of votes is the Top Ten. (The Top 25 in order can be viewed here.)

01. Ronald Reagan
02. Abraham Lincoln
03. Martin Luther King, Jr.
04. George Washington
05. Benjamin Franklin
06. George W. Bush
07. Bill Clinton
08. Elvis Presley
09. Oprah Winfrey
10. Franklin D. Roosevelt

Do any of you have the same sense of dismay that I do in reading that Bill Clinton barely beat out Elvis Presley and Oprah Winfrey? Now, you can guess whether my dismay is because Clinton only barely beat Elvis or Oprah or that that they didn't beat the pants off of Clinton--so to speak. The choices show a considerable lack of knowledge of our history by Americans, but the choices are certainly better than those from a similar BBC poll given exactly two years ago, in which the British public selected Homer Simpson as number one and Mr. T as number four--both ahead of Washington, Clinton, and Roosevelt (showing no appreciation for his support in WWII.)

That ends this contest. Not my pick, but not a bad choice.

A MUST READ

Every once in a while, you come across an entry on a blog that reaches out and smacks you in the face, and you relize you've just read some damn fine writing. This is one of those articles. Nunc Dimittis If you don't go read it, you won't know what you have missed, if you do, you will be touched.

Prosecuting The War On Terror!

One of my favorite quotes for prosecuting the current Global War on Terror is this:

"...we will surprise ourselves by facing up to the reality that you can't be a great power unless you are prepared to risk your own citizens' lives. If we discover the strength of character to do the right thing, there is still the question of whether European nations will also be prepared to join in."

Now, I have to admit a bit of subterfuge, I left out part of the above quote because it really wasn't about the GWOT, it was about Kosovo. Here, is the full quote:

Barring a sudden collapse of will on the part of Serbia, there seem to be two possibilities: Either we will shame ourselves by accepting the elimination of Kosovo's Albanians as a fait accompli (perhaps while continuing to throw bombs at Serbia now and then), or we will surprise ourselves by facing up to the reality that you can't be a great power unless you are prepared to risk your own citizens' lives. If we discover the strength of character to do the right thing, there is still the question of whether European nations will also be prepared to join in.

Let's make a couple of changes in the above, e.g.:

Barring a sudden collapse of will on the part of Serbia islamofascists, there seem to be two possibilities: Either we will shame ourselves by accepting the elimination of Kosovo's Albanians Iraqi freedom as a fait accompli (perhaps while continuing to throw bombs at Serbia the islamofascists now and then), or we will surprise ourselves by facing up to the reality that you can't be a great power unless you are prepared to risk your own citizens' lives. If we discover the strength of character to do the right thing, there is still the question of whether European nations will also be prepared to join in.

Of course, standing up for what is right, regardless of what the cost may be is totally foreign to a hack like Paul Krugman who recently said in an NYTimes column:

Let me explain. The United States will soon have to start reducing force levels in Iraq, or risk seeing the volunteer Army collapse. Yet the administration and its supporters have effectively prevented any adult discussion of the need to get out.

Adult discussion? Not too many years ago, Krugman said this:

I remember once (during the air phase of the Gulf War) seeing John Kenneth Galbraith making pronouncements on TV about the military situation, and telling friends that if I ever start pontificating in public about a technical subject I don't understand, they should gag me.

Well, get out the gag. Krugman has no idea of what he was talking about and certainly has no expertise in anything except bashing Bush and anything Republican/conservative or to the right of Paul Krugman. But, I digress, let's get back to that supposed "adult discussion." I've heard that before from those that let their anti-Bush feelings overcome their ability to think rationally (as one of my commenters recently noted "if the shoe fits... wear it.") While I don't object to any discussion from the opposit side of the fence regarding the GWOT or Bush or Republicans, I object like hell to any attempt to shut down discussion with ad hominem attacks designed not to further discussion, but to shut it down.

I can hear it now, "But you do, your commentors do, the right does it all the time." Correct, but I at least can try to minimize it. There are those on the left that use it with every argument to the exclusion of any other type of argument. And its childish, and its non productive and having said that, I understand that anyone can be pushed into it. But Krugman's comment is a typical ad hominem attack. "Adult discussion," and if you argue against a draw down, you aren't being adult. Right Mr. Krugman!

In other blogs, such as QandO Jon Henke discusses Krugman's column. In fact, I borrowed the Krugman quote from his posting for which I give a tip of the GM Chapeaux. Other blogs also rip apart Mr. Krugman. Tigerhawk does a good job, even if he says he needs a chill pill following that. So does Keith Burgess-Jackson over at the Anal Philosopher

Krugman's column (and no, I won't link to it... go to the NYTimes if you want to read that) notes the "increasing" poll numbers showing the GWOT is running out of steam in terms of the support given by the American People. And that is true too, but not for the reasons the left and Krugman would have you believe. The reason is simple, Americans respond to the news, and the news is negative. If you ask a poll question and slant it, you can get any answer you want. For example, compare the following two poll questions on the GWOT:

1. Given the increase in the number of casualties, should the US consider setting a deadline for getting out of Iraq?
2. Given the increase in the number of casualties among the insurgents, and the increase in the frequency of the capture of insurgents, should the US consider getting out before the job is done?

You can get almost any response from a poll if you want. That's why G.W. Bush doesn't pay attention to them (which of course leads to the question as to why Bill Clinton paid so much attention to them) and why touting polls is a meaningless exercise in the discussion. In fact, polls showing that Kerry was behind and staying behind were denied by the left with "Polls don't show what is going on." Unless of course the polls run against Bush, in which case polls are the Oracle at Delphi.

Krugman is such a hack, I wonder why I waste my time dissing him. Maybe I need to take one of Tigerhawks Chill Pills.

Oh, before I go, the quote about putting our soldiers at risk as a measure of "the strength of character to do the right thing." Heh, that was from Krugman too. And for once, he was right.

Major HT to Donald Luskin

News from Iraq

Greyhawk at The Mudville Gazette has a five part series up, the fifth instalment posted today. It is long, and you also need to read the other four parts, but it is without a doubt, along with Michael Yon's reporting one of the absolute best views of what is really going on. Really going on as opposed to what the leftwing MSM is telling you. Now, if you really don't want your mind messed up with facts, don't bother, in which case you are probably one of my more radical lefty readers (and I love all of ya), but if you want to know what is happinging, where there are boots on the ground, this is required reading.

Bring Out The Nukes

One of my pet peaves is the filibuster. It has been used time and time again to thwart what should have been a very logical step forward for America. It was used to stop laws against lynching, against the civil rights bill and myriad other opportunities to move this country forward. Now, it's being used against Bush's judicial appointments and the appointment of John Bolton to the UN Ambassadorship. "We have to have it to prevent the tyranny of the majority" yelp the hapless Democrats (they used that excuse against the lynching and civil rights bills too).

Then 14 senators joined in lockstep to agree to continue the filibuster for appointments they didn't like under "extraordinary circumstances" which of course aren't defined, leaving it up to each member of the Senate to define for themselves. Well, anyone can tell you that in a criminal action 10 witnesses will give you 12 different stories. Ten psychiatrists or psychologists looking at the same set of symptoms might give 30 different diagnoses, depending on the symptoms and the shrinks ability to correctly use the Diagnostic And Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders. So I hold out no hope that there will be a dearth of "extraordinary circumstances" for the next nomination Bush makes.

Soon, perhaps at the end of this term of the Supreme Court of the United States (SCOTUS) Chief Justice Rehnquist may retire for health reasons and the possibility that the filibuster will rear its damnably ugly head is quite real.

Having said that, John Fund writing in the Wall Street Journal's Political Diary (today printed in the "Best of the Web Today") notes:

"With at least six legitimate targets for the Democrats, the Senate is officially in play for the first time this cycle," concludes Chuck Todd of Hotline, the political tip sheet. While the GOP has several opportunities to target Democrats, he points out that two Northeastern Republicans, Rick Santorum and Lincoln Chafee of Rhode Island, face stiff challenges, as does Montana Senator Conrad Burns, who represents a state that has been trending Democratic. In addition, the GOP can't be confident it will hold the Tennessee seat being vacated by Majority Leader Bill Frist, who is honoring a pledge to leave office after two terms. "I'd feel a whole lot better if we had a confirmation vote this year when we have 55 Senators than waiting and rolling the dice," one GOP Senator told me.

Well heck, why not call a spade a spade brother John? The Democrats are absolutely fearful that the Republicans have the votes to trounce the filibuster for any of the Senate's Advise and Consent role. This is the so called Nuclear Option. Where by one Senator objects to the filibuster and asks the President of the Senate for a ruling as to the constitutionality of the filibuster in the Senate's Advise and Consent duties, it goes to a vote (no filibuster allowed on this one) and the Republicans win because they have the votes. Hell's bells, I've got a better idea... Let's change the Senate rules and outlaw the filibuster all together. It is useless, in fact, more than useless, it's downright hindering. Republicans are scared that they may need the filibuster in the future? Scared that the roles will change in the future and the Democrats will take back the Senate? So what! It's a bad rule, regardless of who controls the Senate.

This is supposed (note the word supposed is emphasized) to be the "Worlds Greatest Deliberative Body" and that debate will clear the way to a good vote. That is what is supposed to happen... too bad that all 100 rascals in the Senate haven't got the guts to rule democratically and have to use the subterfuge of the Fill-E-Buster to prevent any work from being done.

Hell, pull out the nuclear button, push the damn thing and let us get on with the peoples business. Git 'Er Done!!!

Karl Rove is Worse Than Durban.... NOT!!!!

Karl Rove is being castigated because he accused "Liberals" (not Democrats per se) of well, being liberals and not wanting to aggressively go after the islamofascists. Well, Kenneth Mehlman, RNC chair has an answer:

Immediately After 9/11, MoveOn.Org Petition Urged “Moderation And Restraint� And Use Of “International Judicial Institutions.�

“We, The Undersigned, Citizens And Residents Of The United States Of America … Appeal To The President Of The United States, George W. Bush … And To All Leaders Internationally To Use Moderation And Restraint In Responding To The Recent Terrorist Attacks Against The United States.� (MoveOn.Org Website, “MoveOn Peace,� http://web.archive.org/web/20021127190638/peace.moveon.org/petition.php3, Posted 9/13/01, Accessed 6/23/05)

“We Implore The Powers That Be To Use, Wherever Possible, International Judicial Institutions And International Human Rights Law To Bring To Justice Those Responsible For The Attacks, Rather Than The Instruments Of War, Violence Or Destruction.� (MoveOn.Org Website, “MoveOn Peace,� http://web.archive.org/web/20021127190638/peace.moveon.org/petition.php3, Posted 9/13/01, Accessed 6/23/05)

“[W]e Demand That There Be No Recourse To Nuclear, Chemical Or Biological Weapons, Or Any Weapons Of Indiscriminate Destruction, And Feel That It Is Our Inalienable Human Right To Live In A World Free Of Such Arms.� (MoveOn.Org Website, “MoveOn Peace,� http://web.archive.org/web/20021127190638/peace.moveon.org/petition.php3, Posted 9/13/01, Accessed 6/23/05)

Just After 9/11, Liberal Filmmaker Michael Moore Derided “Terror And Bloodshed� Committed By Americans. (David Brooks, Op-Ed, “All Hail Moore,� The New York Times, 6/26/04)

Just After 9/11, Moore Blamed America’s “Taxpayer-Funded Terrorism� And Bush Administration For Terrorist Attacks. “We abhor terrorism – unless we’re the ones doing the terrorizing. We paid and trained and armed a group of terrorists in Nicaragua in the 1980s who killed over 30,000 civilians. That was OUR work. You and me.…Let’s mourn, let’s grieve, and when it’s appropriate let’s examine our contribution to the unsafe world we live in.� (Michael Moore Website Archive, “Death, Downtown,� Posted 9/12/01, www.michaelmoore.com, Accessed 7/27/04)

Michael Moore Said U.S. Should Not Have Removed Taliban After 9/11. Moore: “Likewise, to bomb Afghanistan – I mean, I’ve never understood this, Tim.� (CNBC’s “Tim Russert,� 10/19/02)

Liberal Donor George Soros Claimed America Should Have Treated 9/11 Attacks As Crime, Responded With Police Work. “War is a false and misleading metaphor in the context of combating terrorism. Treating the attacks of September 11 as crimes against humanity would have been more appropriate. Crimes require police work, not military action. To protect against terrorism, you need precautionary measures, awareness, and intelligence gathering – all of which ultimately depend on the support of the populations among which terrorists operate. Imagine for a moment that September 11 had been treated as a crime. We would have pursued Bin Laden in Afghanistan, but we would not have invaded Iraq. Nor would we have our military struggling to perform police work in full combat gear and getting killed in the process.� (George Soros, The Bubble Of American Supremacy, 2004, p. 18)

Soros Said The Execution Of 9/11 Attacks “Could Not Have Been More Spectacular.� “Admittedly, the terrorist attack was a historic event in its own right. Hijacking fully loaded airplanes and using them as suicide bombs was an audacious idea, and the execution could not have been more spectacular.� (George Soros, The Bubble Of American Supremacy, 2004, p. 2)

Soros Said War On Terror Had Claimed More Innocent Victims Than 9/11 Attack Itself. “This is a very tough thing to say, but the fact is, that the war on terror as conducted by this administration, has claimed more innocent victims that the original attack itself.� (George Soros, Remarks At Take Back America Conference, Washington, DC, 6/3/04)

Liberal Democrats Urged Restraint, Blamed America:

Rep. Dennis Kucinich (D-OH): “‘The Time For Peace Is Now,’ [Kucinich] Declared Optimistically July 11, Two Months To The Day Before Terrorists Hit The Pentagon And The World Trade Center. … Sitting In His Capitol Hill Office Last Week, Near A Window Where He Could See The Smoke Rising From The Pentagon On Sept. 11, Kucinich Insisted He Is More Optimistic Than Ever That People Worldwide Are Ready To Embrace The Cause Of Nonviolence.� (Elizabeth Auster, “Offer The Hand Of Peace,� [Cleveland, OH] Plain Dealer, 9/30/01)

Kucinich: “Afghanistan May Be An Incubator Of Terrorism But It Doesn’t Follow That We Bomb Afghanistan …� (Elizabeth Auster, “Offer The Hand Of Peace,� [Cleveland, OH] Plain Dealer, 9/30/01)

Rep. Neil Abercrombie (D-HI): “Only Now Are We Trying To Figure Out What Is Islam. Maybe If There Was A Department Of Peace, They Would Be Able To Say, ‘Uh-Oh, We’ve Got Some Problems With These People,’ … I Truly Believe That If We Had A Department Of Peace, We Would Have Seen [9/11] Coming.� (Ethan Wallison, “War A Challenge For Peace Caucus,� Roll Call, 10/1/01)

Rep. Barbara Lee (D-CA): “I Am Convinced That Military Action Will Not Prevent Further Acts Of International Terrorism Against The United States.� (Eddy Ramirez, “Calif. Congresswoman Alone In Vote Against War Powers Resolution,� [University Of California-Berkeley] Daily Californian, 9/17/01)

Al Sharpton (D-NY) Said That The Attacks On The World Trade Center Are Evidence That “America Is Beginning To Reap What It Has Sown.� (Adam Nagourney, “Say It Loud,� The New York Times, 12/1/02)

Rep. Marcy Kaptur (D-OH) Claimed Osama Bin Laden Could Be Compared To “Revolutionaries That Helped To Cast Off The British Crown.� “‘One could say that Osama bin Laden and these non-nation-state fighters with religious purpose are very similar to those kind of atypical revolutionaries that helped to cast off the British crown,’ Kaptur told an Ohio newspaper, The (Toledo) Blade.� (Malie Rulon, “Lawmaker Compares Osama, U.S. Patriots,� The Associated Press, 3/6/03)

Sen. Joe Biden (D-DE) Said The United States Would “Pay Every Single Hour, Ever Single Day� That Bombs Were Dropped In Afghanistan. “‘How much longer does the bombing campaign continue?’ Biden asked during an Oct. 22 speech at the Council on Foreign Relations. ‘We’re going to pay every single hour, every single day it continues.’� (Miles A. Pomper, "Building Anti-Terrorism Coalition Vaults Ahead Of Other Priorities," Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 10/26/01)

“The Bombing Campaign, [Biden] Said, Reinforced Existing Stereotypes Of The United States As A ‘High-Tech Bully …’� (Miles A. Pomper, "Building Anti-Terrorism Coalition Vaults Ahead Of Other Priorities," Congressional Quarterly Weekly, 10/26/01)

Gov. Howard Dean (D-VT) Said Osama Bin Laden Not Guilty. Dean: “I Still Have This Old-Fashioned Notion That Even With People Like Osama, Who Is Very Likely To Be Found Guilty, We Should Do Our Best Not To, In Positions Of Executive Power, Not To Prejudge Jury Trials.� (“Dean Not Ready To Pronounce Osama Bin Laden Guilty,� The Associated Press, 12/26/03)

Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA) To High School Students: “How Would [Muslims] Look At Us Today If We Had Been There Helping Them With Some Of That Rather Than Just Being The People Who Are Going To Bomb In Iraq And Go To Afghanistan? … War Is Expensive Too … Your Generation Ought To Be Thinking About Whether We Should Be Better Neighbors Out In Other Countries So That They Have A Different Vision Of Us.� (Gregg Herrington, “Senator Asks Students To Ponder,� The [Vancouver, WA] Columbian, 12/19/02)

Sen. John Kerry (D-MA): “[W]ar On Terror Is Far Less Of A Military Operation And Far More Of An Intelligence-Gathering, Law-Enforcement Operation.� (The Iowa Brown & Black Coalition Presidential Forum, Des Moines, IA, 1/11/04)

Kerry: “[W]hat We’ve Learned Is That The War On Terror Is Much More Of An Intelligence Operation And A Law Enforcement Operation.� (NPR’s “All Things Considered,� 3/19/03)

Converse with a US Marine

Want to know what a grunt thinks? Go here: The Wide Awakes!

Trash The Fifth Amendment

One of my first inklings of a story to come was this story on ABC News. In a nutshell:

The issue revolves around whether a government is serving a public purpose when it uses its power of eminent domain to take land. The Fifth Amendment prohibits taking private property for public use without just compensation. The New London case is not about the amount of compensation being offered, but whether the government can take the property at all.

Specifically, the 5th Amendment states:

No person shall be held to answer for a capital, or otherwise infamous crime, unless on a presentment or indictment of a Grand Jury, except in cases arising in the land or naval forces, or in the Militia, when in actual service in time of War or public danger; nor shall any person be subject for the same offence to be twice put in jeopardy of life or limb; nor shall be compelled in any criminal case to be a witness against himself, nor be deprived of life, liberty, or property, without due process of law; nor shall private property be taken for public use, without just compensation [emphasis added].

Now the Supreme Court has ruled that local and state governments may take any property whatsoever if by so doing and by compensating the owners "appropriately" a greater good can be gained for the community. In essense, if your property is on a corner say and you pay $2000.00 per year in total property taxes and a developer wants to put a Mall on that corner it can. The city will make a judgement "Hmmmm, $2000.00 in taxes from Mr. Jones or $98,000.00 a year in property and sales taxes from Harvey's Mall. Easy choice, all in favor say Aye." Now, let's say that Mr. Jones is lower middle class, retired, lived in his home with his wife for the last 45 years and they have always struggled to pay their fair share of taxes. Does that matter? Nope Mr. Jones is outaluck.

Now, to me, and to any right thinking individual that ought to be just plain wrong. If you need the property for a school, a treatment plant, a city hospital, whatever. Fine! Take it. But to turn it over to another private entity just because they want it and can't buy it on their own?

I'm sure that there are plenty of folk that are essentially statists that will agree with this, but they are flat out wrong. The right should be against this because the meaning of property rights must be an individual right or it has no meaning. I'm not talking about the right of corporations or citys or other organizations, public or private, to own property. I'm talking about Joe Homeowner. The left should be against this because the wealthy homeowner won't be affected, the city/state gets plenty of tax money from them as it is and they are generally pretty powerful. Ahh, but the lower and middle class that own's their own home? Those who have pulled themselves up by their bootstraps and lived the American Dream? They are the ones that will be hurt the most.

And the damnable thing is that they will be hurt most by the one governmental organization that ought to be looking out for their best interests.

There are currently 6 Supreme Court Justices and 1 Chief Justice. Each one, regardless of party or political persuasion that voted for this travesty should be ashamed of themselves.

More at bRight and Early and well stated too!

Update: Michele Malkin has a veritable link fest on this topic.

Update II: Donald Luskin, a far better economist than Paul Krugman has a good posting

Another Dandy Dick Durbanism.... Another Gift That Keeps On Giving!!!

"I call on those who question the motives of the president and his national security advisers to join with the rest of America in presenting a united front to our enemies abroad."

Dick Durban (D. Ill)

Continue reading "Another Dandy Dick Durbanism.... Another Gift That Keeps On Giving!!!"

Slow to Anger - Usually

It usually takes a lot to tick me off. Hypocrisy does it usually, from the left or from the right. Partisan bickering is good for a slow burn, especially when it comes to not dissing America and leaving criticism at the water's edge so to speak. Dick Durban and John Kerry are good for an occasional "fuming" and every once in a while, some of our commenters can get me going. But, my number one button is freedom of speech.

I have a commenter on this site who is pedantic, and can't seem to understand anyone's point of view but those that mimic his own. Do I "flush" that person and ban him from my site? Hell no! This is a site for discussion, argument and poking fun at each other as well as taking a light hearted look at life on occasion. I do draw the line at cussing, generally, unless it's me of course .

But hearing that the United States House of Representatives have passed another attempt to ban the "desicration of the flag", has flat out ticked me off. Quashing free speech in this country is the route to chaos.

Already the FEC is looking to regulate blogs, the Supreme Court has allowed controls on political speech, Liberals shout down Conservatives, Conservatives shout down Liberals and a Special Counsel is threatening to jail reporters to find out who outed Valerie Palme when she wasn't "outed" under the law and no law was broken.

Where does this crap end? America, you better get a grip and put an end to this flag burning nonsense. I served in the Armed Forces and a lot of my fellow citizens are now serving precisely to protect any idiot that wants to burn the flag as a form of political protest. People, it's just a symbol. It STANDS for freedom, it is not freedom itself and one of the freedoms it stands for is the freedom to make an ass out of yourself.

Confronted with a flag burner, my inclination would be to punch them in the nose - and then suffer the consequences of my actions. I cannot stand the political thinking that goes behind someone wanting to burn our flag. It is stupid, it is trodding on the graves of many brave and courageous individuals who died to protect that flag and the right to use it in political expression.

If we turn away from this, if we give in to this little bit of political psychodrama (my ideals are better than your ideals) than we deserve the government we are going to get. It's inevitable and it can be predicted as sure as night following day.

There are many on my side of the political fence that will violently disagree with what I think, that there "ought" to be an amendment to make sacred a symbol. But think this through, if that form of political speech can be controlled and banned, what is next. A strongly liberal attempt to quash conservative speech as unconstitutional? A strongly conservative attempt to quash liberal speech? The loss of a free exchange of ideas?

This is something to be excited about. This is something that is so foreign to our way of life, that I don't want any part of it.

There are other things that the House and Senate need to attend to, the budget, the environment, the war on terror, security for our people, immigration, illegal immigration, social security disaster, and many other items that our congress has a moral responsibility to look after.

We can't keep a invalid woman from being dehydrated to death, we can't keep idiots from burning our flag, but we have time to make one illegal, but not the other. What kind of republic is this anyway?

I'm slow to anger, but I'm hacked off now! I love our flag and all that it stands for, but it doesn't stand for stupid bills like the one passed by the House. Perhaps the Senate will once again drop kick the whole idea. Too bad it has to take the time to do it.

Update: Fargus (from the left) agrees...

Conyer's Obviously Innocent of Turkey Misappropriation.

John Conyers, (Moonbat, Mi) has been in the news for a while. In November, 2004 Conyer's staff picked up some 60 Turkeys (720 pounds of frozen turkey meat) from Gleaner's Community Food Bank. This was extensively investigated and reported in the Detroit Free Press in January of this year.

According to GCFB, Conyer's had promised an accounting of where the birds went but as of the time of the DFP article, no accounting had been received by the food bank staff.

There are/were allegations that perhaps the staff in Conyer's office had used the birds as "gifts" to various political operatives. In fact, a federal court employee stated that one of Conyer's staff offered him "free turkeys."

A Google search using "John Conyers, Turkeys" produced 27,000 hits and a brief search of the first couple of pages of hits produce no evidence of any accounting for those birds.

Well, being an intrepid reporter who wants to bring you all the news that is exciting and has a conservative bent, I hereby notify you that I have solved the riddle. Here is a photograph of Conyer's AND the turkeys.

All turkey's now accounted for but for some reason a lot more seem to be present.

What is YOUR affiliation?

Something new. I'm asking all readers of this blog to vote in this poll. If you know of other friends who usually do not come to this site, please ask them to come and vote on this link. Feel free to e-mail this link to friends. I'm trying to find out the extent of political leanings of a fairly large number of people. This will not record your name or anything, I'm just asking for a vote and the vote of your friends. Read all statements carefully as I tried to include a lot of choices... And now, on to the poll.

What do you consider to be your political affiliation
	I am conservative and always vote Republican
	I am moderate and usually vote republican and for some democrats
	I am moderate and usually vote democrat and for some republicans
	I am liberal and usually vote for democrats and some republicans
	I am liberal and usually vote for republicans and some democrats
	I am liberal and always vote Democrat
	I am liberal but seldom vote
	I am conservative but seldom vote
	I am Socialist and seldom vote
	I am Socialist and usually vote democrat or independent
	I am conservative and usually vote democrat
	I am an avowed communist and only vote socialist or communist
	I am conservative but not from the United States
	I am liberal but not from the United States
	I am unregistered to vote and have no plans on registering
Free polls from Pollhost.com

Cat Blogging

My wife adores cats, I like cats, my cat, the one that adopted me when my bride and I got married merely tolerates me unless I don't check the food bowl. In which case I'll get the message about 2:30 AM. At any rate, here are some different cat pictures:

Continue reading "Cat Blogging"

Too Precious For Words

I have no Idea who this is, but the image is just breath-taking.

Go Spurs!!!!

First 7th game in 11 years. One GAME for the TITLE... Indeed, that is what it is all about!!

Please let us know who you are!

If this is you, and you can send me a screen shot of your IP address from your computer, we have a special gift (dining gift card) for you as our drawn entry in the 10,000th visitor drawing.

Dandy Dick Durban Becomes Dick Durban (D. Ill) - Nah!

Gosh folks, I've had many arguments in my time with what I characterize as the looney left, the barking moonbats, etc. I've recently been castigating Durban for his comments and everyone who disagrees with me says either Dick didn't say what Dick obviously said, or that he didn't mean what he obviously meant. I've been linked to by that terrific lefty type site Preemtive Karma (a well written site despite their politics) I've been castigated for questioning the conservatism of Andrew Sullivan and I've been accused of being a wingnut. Gee! All of that because I think that Dick Durban was over the top.

Well, guess what, Considering he spent almost a week saying he wasn't going to apologize, the suckah apologized for his remarks.

Now, if you didn't say any thing wrong, if you have been on record defending what you said as right and courageous and on the mark, why would you say:

"I made reference to Nazis, to Soviets, and other repressive regimes. Mr. President, I've come to understand that's a very poor choice of words."

Or, why would you say:

"I'm sorry if anything that I said caused any offense or pain to those who have such bitter memories of the Holocaust, the greatest moral tragedy of our time. Nothing, nothing should ever be said to demean or diminish that moral tragedy."

Or why would you say:

"Some may believe that my remarks crossed the line," the Illinois Democrat said. "To them I extend my heartfelt apologies."

Let alone:

His voice quaking and tears welling in his eyes, the No. 2 Democrat in the Senate also apologized to any soldiers who felt insulted by his remarks. [emphasis added]

"They're the best. I never, ever intended any disrespect for them," he said. [emphasis added]

Maybe even Dandy Dick recognized he had committed a major faux pas!

Unfortunately, by apologizing, those that truly believe the crap that Durban uttered are now pissed at him. He was their hero for making the remarks, now he is a wimp (according to Kevin at Preemptive Karma) for backing down and apologizing.

Nah, that can't be it, all my lefty friends and acquaintences say I'm the one who is wrong.

Hah! Put that in your pipe and smoke it!

Update: Many others are on this story too. Here are a few and many others that I've missed... go find them. Apology not Accepted, The Left's Word Deficit, Dick Durban and Our Post-Patriotic Elite,
Soldiers of Allah, Dick Dean Apologizes... So can't we all just get along?

Continue reading "Dandy Dick Durban Becomes Dick Durban (D. Ill) - Nah!"

Let's Treat Terrorists Like Sunday School Children

Much has been made of Dandy Dick Durban's speech, including by your's truly. I guess the only thing that really bothers me (well, maybe not the only thing) is why these folks are at Gitmo in the first place. They weren't sunday school teachers, they weren't merchants trying to sell rugs or trinkits, they weren't even just ordinary folk walking down Main Street in Seattle, Washington. They were armed combatants, illegal armed combatants at that and they were taken trying to kill allied forces. Many of those who have already been released. Some, after signing pledges of non-violence have re-offended and again joined the forces of the islamofascists. Stories of such folk can be found here, here,, here, and here. Some of these stories focus on the return, some on those that return and violate their pledge.

Let's say that Muhammad Al Marakeesh (a made up name for illustration purposes) is released from Gitmo due to the pressure of Dandy Dick Durban or some other deluded looney lefty who doesn't understand that we are at war. Let's also allow that MAM goes back to Afghanistan and kills a soldier who happen's to be one of the relatives of a member of the looney left and that this can be verified. How would that individual feel. "Oh well, he wouldn't have been so angry had he not been detained." Or perhaps the person would react like Robert Fisk did when bandits robbed and beat him. Fisk blamed the WoT for the beating and said it wasn't the fault of those poor benighted folks.

Do you really think that Guantanamo is a gulag akin to Stalin's Gulags? Similar to Belsin-Belsin or Auschwitz? Representative of the Killing Fields of Cambodia under Pol Pot? If it is, it's got to be the only killing field where prisoners of war were released before the war was over (and no, they are NOT prisoners of war, that was a rhetorical phrase). Is it an example of Auschwitz in which the prisoners GAIN WEIGHT? A Camp where Koran's are dispensed, even to those who claim that the Koran authorizes and demands the jihad against the west?

I'm confused. Perhaps being chained to the floor and deficating on yourself is abusive. I don't think so, but let's say that it is. How about we just diaper them and when they go poo-poo in their diapers we change and powder them. Pulled their hair out? Self destructive/self injurious behaviors are common in incarcerations. Is that any worse than cutting your child's head open with a knife and taking a picture of it? Is that worse than the "torture room" recently discovered with 4 Iraqi prisoners in it...not held there by US or Allied forces, but by the islamofascists.

That is one major problem with the looney left (and sometimes the looney right) is that they forget that words mean something. To get a larger and larger "shock value" they (specifically Dandy Dick Durban) use words that if anyone else had used to their face they would have punched someone in the nose.

Look, it's real simple to my way of thinking. I hold no truck with these islamofascists. We do not have the moral sanction to torture because of 9/11, but we also don't have to treat illegal combatants with kid gloves. These are not nice people. They want to kill you and your loved ones and you better understand that. According to the islamofascist, the Koran demands it.

One last thought, and this is specifically why we are in this war in the first place.

If you do forget, it'll happen again.

Disgusting, Just Disgusting!

Dandy Dick Durban (who I recently wrote about here) is innocent, claims the looney left. "He didn't say it." "You are reading into his comments things that weren't said."

From a commenter on this blog:

"DURBIN SAID NOTHING WRONG: I've now read and re-read Senator Dick Durbin's comments on interrogation techniques at Guantanamo Bay. They are completely, perfectly respectable."

How bizzarre is this? Has the looney left, the moonbats of political hate taken full leave of their senses? (Oh, wait, silly question.)

Another commenter noted:

"They're lucky they're still ALIVE, for crying out loud! To complain about playing Christina Aguilar music and calling that torture...is a bit of a stretch and I don't consider that respectable in the least."

Now, obviously there are two different opinions expressed on the same posting and there should be no doubt as to which side I lean toward. It should be obvious to even the most partisan hack on the looney left that Durban's speech was not only offensive, but completely over the top. Evidence of this is expressed in the following Cartoon:

Given this bit of cartoon trash, do you really think that Mr. Durban wasn't comparing American Soldiers and their Commander In Chief to Hitler/Pol Pot or even Stalin? If you still think he didn't, then perhaps your ability to reason is totally lacking. Durban's comments were disgusting, just disgusting.

GM's Corner Reaches 10,000 Visitors - I'm going to Disney World!

Just moments ago at 11:18 AM CDT (that's 11:18 in military time), this site achieved milestone visit number 10,000! GM is planning a big cookout at his house tonight for everyone who was part of this. Bring your own hamburger patties. Woody is going to Disney World (really).

An unofficial check, subject to verification, indicates that the 10,000th visitor came to us via a referral from The Mudville Gazette and through the domain pghdaniel.net. Congratulations! If G.M. can determine your identity or you would like to come forward and identify yourself with the IP address or time zone, etc., then you will win a night out of bowling with G.M. and other valuable prizes! Others who were in the hunt for the honor will also be recognized.

G.M., who is currently in a conference, will check in and express his personal thanks this afternoon to each of you who were part of the first 10,000. It could take a while. Further, G.M. will have more to say and will update this entry later with his emotional response. (You like me! You really like me!)

So, from me, a hardy congratulation, G.M.! --Woody

Woody, you deserve as many congratulations as I do. You are an integral part of this blog and I and our readers are lucky to have you.

Ahhh gentle readers, what can I say. It may not seem like a big deal to anyone else, but it is a milestone. 10,000 visitors to GM's Corner and well over 29,000 page views. This last one here: is the detail of what it looks like. Who ever you are, you started with Mudville Gazette this morning and dropped by. If you will e-mail us and attach a screen shot of your computers IP address, We'll send you something special. Don't know what yet, but something. Those wonderful people clicking on between 9950 and 1050 to help us reach that blog will be given a special drawing and soon we will announce who that person is and they too, will get something nice. Our way of saying thanks for being loyal and valued readers.

I started this blog in early November last year with a few ideas of where I wanted to go, but no idea of how to get there. I want to offer special thanks for the inspiration and encouragement I got from Marc Cooper, Michael Totten and Roger Simon, even if they aren't aware of the inspiration. Especially to Marc who kept encouraging, sent his readers over to welcome me and some of which have the gall to argue with me. (just kidding folks)

The blogosphere is an interesting medium, with some 8-10 million bloggers you can find a blog on any subject, from any point of view. It is this free exchange of ideas that will eventually improve our political life and allow for a true democratic response to our world.

Again, thanks gentle readers, thanks, thanks and thanks again.

Greatest American Vote - Elvis and Oprah Eliminated

Two weeks ago we discussed on this site the voting at the Discovery Channel to select the Greatest American in our nation's history. First the public selected a top 100, reduced that to a top 25, and now we have the top 5.

Those removed from last week's list include Neil Armstrong, George W. Bush, Bill Clinton, Thomas Alva Edison, Albert Einstein, Thomas Jefferson (favored by many), John F. Kennedy, Elvis Presley (?), Franklin D. Roosevelt (another surprise not to make the finalists), and Oprah Winfrey (who deserved to be a finalist as much as Elvis.)

As expected, the five finalists offer a more realistic representation of the Greatest American than do the earlier and broader lists. In alphabetical order, here are the remaining finalists for the Greatest American who are awaiting your votes for number one:

Benjamin Franklin
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Abraham Lincoln
Ronald Reagan
George Washington

The presidents on the list are two Republicans and one Federalist. Most Democrats must have voted for Elvis or Oprah. Obviously, the Federalists threw their weight behind one person. Sorry if your favorite pick was eliminated. Now, we have to choose just one, so make your selection from the above list and go to this Discovery/AOL site to vote online.

Let us know who your selected and why. I'm not predicting a winner until I see the exit polls from Ohio.

Got a minute? No? Well, take a free one.

I don't know what the people of Columbus, Ohio have done to deserve this, but now they have to listen to a public address system with the ranting and ramblings of anyone--including you.

A "work of art" named One Free Minute is a mobile sculpture that plays one-minute messages over a public address loudspeaker from anyone who calls in to share wisdom, unload, spread messages of goodwill, tell a joke, give messages of hope (if Republican) or despair (if Democrat), pretend to be God sending a message, give sports scores, or whatever turns you on.

So, what would you say, given one free minute of anonymous, uncensored speech? Let us know, and participate if you wish. (I believe that they need more conservatives to call.)

There are three ways to participate:

1. Place a call to the answering machine and leave a one-minute message to be played back during the next public performance: 1-614-441-9533 in Ohio.
2. Connect live. Email the "artists" the day before the performance, and they will send you the live phone number and a description of where and when you'll be speaking: info@onefreeminute.net
3. Email them an mp3 of your free minute: speech@onefreeminute.net

[Offer not good from any phone that steve uses. There are some things to which even the people of Ohio should not be subjected. ;-) ]

No Bias Here? - Downing Street Memos "Fake but Accurate"

Our friends on the left have adopted and defended new tactics to attack the President--and they continue to do so with more "fake but accurate" memos on the Iraq War. I bet this comes as a big shock.

Here's more about this from "Captain's Quarters."

The media and the Leftists have had a field day with the Downing Street memos that they claim imply that the Bush administration lied about the intelligence on WMD in order to justify the attack on Iraq. Despite the fact that none of the memos actually say that, none of them quote any officials or any documents, and that the text of the memos show that the British government worried about the deployment of WMD by Saddam against Coalition troops, Kuwait and/or Israel, the meme continues to survive.

Until tonight, however, no one questioned the authenticity of the documents provided by the Times of London. That has now changed, as Times reporter Michael Smith admitted that the memos he used are not originals, but retyped copies (via LGF and CQ reader Sapper): [Also Associated Press]

The eight memos � all labeled "secret" or "confidential" � were first obtained by British reporter Michael Smith, who has written about them in The Daily Telegraph and The Sunday Times. Smith told AP he protected the identity of the source he had obtained the documents from by typing copies of them on plain paper and destroying the originals.

How unfortunate that the very memos that were supposed to prove that "Bush lied" were destroyed by the person indicting him. Do you know what? To the Bush haters, this new information will not make one little difference.

If Bush is lying then why does the press have to manufacture documents to that effect rather than produce authentic ones from the volumes that they believe exist? To me, it's just another nail in the coffin of the credibility of mass media. That doesn't make me happy, either; but, it does open the door to journalists who value accuracy and ethics. I hope more turn up--and soon.

On Becoming A Dad!

March, 1971. "Hon," I said, "did you make the appointment with the ob/gyn doc?"
"Next month he said, April 1. He want's to wait at least a full month since my last period."

April, 1971. "Congratulations Mr & Mrs. Roper, Cyndy. You are definately pregnant and you should have a baby around Thanksgiving or maybe a little later." More conversations regarding exercise, diet, frequency of appointments, where did we want delivery to be, payment, insurance etc.

Late November, 1971. "Well, it could be as late as mid December said Dr. Schorlemer. It's not uncommon to be late for a first child."

Christmas, 1971. "I don't understand said the good doc, there is no sign of fetal distress, perhaps you mis-judged, or perhaps you got pregnant just before coming in. We'll wait a few more weeks, I'll see you next week at the same time. Don't worry, both the baby and you are healthy."

January 21, 1972. "I'm starting to get concerned. While the monitor and other tests don't show any sign of distress for your baby, and there are no other signs of serious complications, if you haven't gone into labor by Monday morning, check into the hospital and we'll induce labor."

"Honey" said my mom to Cyndy, "I'm going on a canvass of the neighborhood for March of Dimes, would you like to take a walk, it'll take your mind off of this and it will do you some good to get fresh air."

8:30 PM, January 21, 1972. "Yes Doc, contractions are 8 minutes apart, we are leaving for the hosptial in a few minutes."

1:45 AM, January 22, 1972, waiting room at Methodist Hospital in San Antonio. "Mr. Roper, I've given your wife some twilight sleep, she will be fine. She's only at two centimeters and she needs to dialate to 10. Probably around noon today, relax, I'll let you know if anything changes.

5:20 AM, January 22, 1972. "Get some sleep Mr. Roper, I know you've been up all night, but really, your wife is doing fine, she is still at only 3 and a half centimeters. I'll have the nurses tell you if anything happens, I'm headed home right now, I'll be back in a couple of hours. Please, get some rest, when the baby is born she will need you alert and supportive."

5:39 AM, January 22, 1972. "Mr. Roper, Mr. Roper, wake up, you are the father of a healthy daughter. Dr. Schorlemer didn't even get out of the parking lot. Your wife is fine and so is your daughter."

I rushed over to the viewing window at the nursery. There she was, the most beautiful child ever born. She had her eyes wide open and was stareing me right in my eyes, as though looking at my soul and saying "So, your my dad huh? I hope you are ready for this."

Tears began to flow, copius tears, sobs of joy. I stuck around for another hour or two and spoke to Cyndy who was still pretty groggy. I took a last look at my kid and headed to my mom's house exhausted, and filled with a strange kind of warmth I had never known before.

All the way home the tears flowed. "You jerk," I said to myself, "why are you crying, you're supposed to be happy." "Oh, I am," I said to myself in response, "deliriously happy."

First Christmas, first birthday, grandparent's arguing about who Jennifer looked like, who she spent too much time with, or didn't spend enough time with.

First day of school with oh so many tears and the delight of hearing about her first day later that evening. Graduation from kindergarten teaching her to read and to have a love of reading. Good grades, sometimes not so good grades but usually good ones. Jr. High, High School. Directing the Sr. Play in school and having a part (The Little Shop of Horrors since you asked) and High School graduation. Jennifer's mom passed away from the complications of severe asthma. Jennifer was something else; she was my rock, as we both struggled to get through a tough time. College Graduation and first job teaching. Teacher of the year in only her 4th year of teaching. A call today, "Hey dad, happy Father's Day, Can I take you to a movie?

Card for Father's Day, a gift of love.

I know that today is a day to celebrate fathers. But, you know what? Without kids, none of us could be fathers. They say any male that is healthy can be a father, but only a real man can be a dad. You know, I have received lots of accolades over the years. National Honor Society, Outstanding Young Men of America, Who's Who Among America's Teachers, etc. But the very best accolade, the only one that really means anything is "Good night daddy, I love you."

I love you too Jennifer, thanks for letting me be your daddy.

Scary, Scary Stuff

The blogosphere is full of writing. Some of it is quite good, mine for instance. Some is very bad, Daily Kos and Democratic Underground for example (very large grin inserted here...ed.).

Some of it is puzzling, some perplexing, some is thought provoking, some is nauseating, some is repugnant and some is just downright nasty.

But, dear and beloved friends, almost none of it matches this for sheer obtuseness:

"...now we're counting chickens before the eggs have even been laid... And when the chickens that didn't hatch come home to roost, we will rue the days when, misled by sloppy accounting and rosy scenarios, we gave away the national nest egg."

Did you get that? If you did, than you are either addled in the brain, or, you are Paul Krugman who wrote this amazing piece of garbage.

A tip of the GM Chapeaux to Donald Luskin of The Conspiracy To Keep You Poor And Stupid and to his reader Joe Lombardi who nominated Krugman for Luskin's Jason Awards

Finding Popeye's Mom. At Last, The Reunion!

Most of us, at least those with any sense of humor or who had a childhood beginning before 1965 or so remember the phrase "That's all's I can stands 'cause I can't stands no more!" Ahh, the immortal words of Popeye. Most of us don't know how Popeye came to be. Originally, he was an added character in ...

"The Thimble Theatre was the original E. C. Segar's comic strip began in 1919. The original characters were Olive Oyl, Castor Oyl, Ham Gravy, (Olive's Original boyfriend), Hotfoot, King Bozo, Whiffle Hen and more. Popeye came on the scene in this 10 year old newspaper comic strip to sail Olive's ship. After that initial episode, shown on the right, Popeye was dropped out of the strip. Segar never intended for Popeye to remain in the strip. But Popeye's fans demand an immediate return. Within two years of his introduction, Popeye became a national hit, found in at least one paper of every American city of any size. Wimpy was added to the cast in 1932, and Swee'pea was found in 1936.

Most Popeye fans also know that Popeye's pappy was Poopdeck Pappy. But, ne'er a word about his mom. Here is a drawing of the original Popeye as it appeared in 1929: by the late 60's early 70's, Popeye was a little more sophisticated as you will note here: But again, though we know how he looks, and how his "pappy" looks, no word was heard about his mom. We searched high and low, we looked in the strips of Dick Tracey, Brenda Starr, Lil Lulu, Nancy & Pogo and many other strips including Dilbert. All to no avail. Wanted posters were spread over the internet and on milk cartons. His mom had to be found. Then, one day, while visiting a friend in a nursing home, I walked by a little old lady and voila. She has been found.

Continue reading "Finding Popeye's Mom. At Last, The Reunion!"

Dean Tells It Like Is, For A Change!

Howard "The Scream" Dean lambasted the folks at John Conyer's pseudo-hearing WaPo reports:

A handful of people at Democratic National Headquarters distributed material critical of Israel during a public forum questioning the Bush administration's Iraq policy, drawing an angry response and charges of anti-Semitism from party chairman Howard Dean on Friday.

"We disavow the anti-Semitic literature, and the Democratic National Committee stands in absolute disagreement with and condemns the allegations," Dean said in a statement posted on the DNC Web site.

Roger Simon goes to the heart of the matter:

"Howard Dean was right to be appalled by some of the activities at Democratic National Headquarters yesterday (leafleters blaming Israel for 9/11, etc.), but were they really surprising given the nature of the kangaroo court in progress? My prediction... if this continues in any way... is that Dean et al will have a lot of damage control to do because liberal Jews--who have been a mainstay of the Democratic Party for nearly a century--will soon be deserting that organization with the speed of refugees fleeing the Cossacks. Barney Frank, who participated in this absurd meeting, in particular should be ashamed of himself for enabling this nonsense. When Eason Jordan slandered the US military, Frank stood up against the calumny. He better do it now, loud and clear - or it's hard to call him a liberal in any sense of the word.

What's going on with the "liberal" (what in the world does that mean anymore?) wing of the Democratic Party. First Senator Durbin compares the US military to Nazis. Now this? Did these people have mass lobotomies? Enough! [emphasis added]"

But, when you get down to it, the looney left has always been somewhat anti-semetic and no, I'm not talking about being anti-Israel, or even being anti-some of the things Israel's done, I'm talking anti semitic. As Glenn Reynolds noted: "... it's a shame that it's necessary." I couldn't agree more.

A tip of the GM Chapeaux to Glenn Reynolds.

Save the Cats -- Then The Children - A New Type Of Catblogging

To make up for "Morris the Flying Wonder Cat!," I want to help these poor lost kittens. If you find them adorable, won't you please offer them homes?

Continue reading "Save the Cats -- Then The Children - A New Type Of Catblogging"

Damn You Dandy Dick Durban, Damn You!

There are few things in life more maddning than an itch you can't scratch, a mild case of nausea when setting down to Thanksgiving dinner with beloved friends and dear family and a politician who isn't aware of the impact of his words. Specifically these words:

"The detainee was almost unconscious on the floor, with a pile of hair next to him. He had apparently been literally pulling his hair out throughout the night. On another occasion, not only was the temperature unbearably hot, but extremely loud rap music was being played in the room, and had been since the day before, with the detainee chained hand and foot in the fetal position on the tile floor.

If I read this to you and did not tell you that it was an FBI agent describing what Americans had done to prisoners in their control, you would most certainly believe this must have been done by Nazis, Soviets in their gulags, or some mad regime -- Pol Pot or others -- that had no concern for human beings. Sadly, that is not the case. This was the action of Americans in the treatment of their prisoners."

Republicans and conservatives rose up and demanded a retraction or an apology. Which of course, Dandy Dick Durban refused. When asked to apologize, Dandy Dick had this to say:

"This administration should apologize to the American people for abandoning the Geneva Conventions and authorizing torture techniques that put our troops at risk and make Americans less secure."

Liberals, leftists and other assorted supporters of the politics of hate stood shoulder to shoulder and defended Dandy Dick for telling the truth. When defending Dandy Dick they noted that he didn't say what everyone with two cents worth of brains knows he said. In fact, if Dandy Dan didn't say what he obviously did say, why is Dandy Dick apologizing now?
From Dick Durban's website:

“More than 1700 American soldiers have been killed in Iraq and our country’s standing in the world community has been badly damaged by the prison abuses at Abu Ghraib and Guantanamo. My statement in the Senate was critical of the policies of this Administration which add to the risk our soldiers face.�

“I will continue to speak out when I disagree with this Administration.�

“I have learned from my statement that historical parallels can be misused and misunderstood. I sincerely regret if what I said caused anyone to misunderstand my true feelings: our soldiers around the world and their families at home deserve our respect, admiration and total support.�

So, what is he "regreting?"

Dandy Dick (or from the apology perhaps that ought to be Dandy Dickless - if my readers will forgive the phrase) carries on the tradition in politics of making the most outreageous statements and having them become the mantra of the left. Need proof? John Conyers holds a mock hearing to indict Bush and impeach him. Shades of Bertrand Russell. Teddy Kennedy and the ilk that follow this 'liberal' jump into the fray at times too.

I guess we really can't blame Dandy Dick for his comments, he has the Democratic Underground at his ear wispering ravings. MoveOn.org is in on the conspiracy of hate as well.

The politics used by Dandy Dick are nothing new. The Democratic Party is attempting to mimic (poorly at that) the backbench tactics of Newt Gingrich in the early 90's that led to the Republican Revolution of '94. What they are overlooking (or perhaps too stupid to understand) is that not only did Gingrich and company attack the leftist line, but they offered America a plan, one not fully realized over the last decade, but a plan none-the-less. This was called the Contract with America, and that is something the Democrats can't do, offer new ideas because they haven't any.

The blogosphere is alive with condemnation of Dandy Dick; political cartoon after political cartoon blasts and/or carricatures Dandy Dick. Blogs rip him apart with a delicious frequency. Cao's Blog (prounounced Key's Blog) shreds the 'good' Senator. American Warmonger has a post noting that Dandy Dick is bad for America. Flight Pundit scores one on Dandy Dick's pointy little head. In all, Richard J. Durbin (AKA Dandy Dick) (D. Ill.) has done two things. One, he has proven that the Democratic Leadership (he is number two in the dem senate) has no ideas other than hate and obstructionism and two, he has energized American's who know bull crap when they hear it. I wonder if Illinois will send him back to the Senate, I hope not!

So Dandy Dick, my hat is off to you, you make my job so easy.

Update: In my haste to get this up, I neglected to include The Mary Hunter's exhaustive fisking and link-fest up at TMH's Baconbits. In my defense, I claim that Woody distracted me with Morris the Flying Cat.

Morris the Flying Wonder Cat!

To help another site host who is traveling, I prepared an entry related to that site's theme--cats. My submission had a short video clip that showed how cats amuse us when we swing or dangle something near them and they try to jump and grab it--something like you might see on Animal Planet. Real cute. Well, G.M. disagreed for some reason.

The clip simply shows an amazing trick, and I was told that no animal was injured during the shooting of this video. So, not wanting the effort to go to waste, I am providing that clip for our readers who share "my same love for cats." Enjoy. (WMV file) Morris--the Amazing Flying Cat!

Newly Discovered Blogs

You never know what you are going to get when you open an e-mail from a friend. I did today and discovered this. Not exactly a blog, but more than a blog. Go tour, have fun, sign the guest book. I did.

Hey Dems, How Ya Doin'?

John Hawkins has some thoughts on the number of Democrats in the US Senate. First, the graph he put up:

Then his comments:

A few quick thoughts inspired by this graph...

#1) The Democratic decline in the Senate is not a fluke. It has been a long, slow, steady slide that started during the Vietnam years, was masked for a short period in the post-Watergate years, and has sped up since the early nineties. So this is not a "band-aid" problem for the Dems, it's serious business.

#2) Also, notice that although there are peaks and valleys, the height of the peaks is getting progressively lower. Furthermore, now that the Dems have almost completely lost the South, they may not even have the capacity to get more than a seat or two above 50 for the foreseeable future.

#3) How low will the Dems go? Well, given the polarization of the country, that Bush took 31 states in 2004 and Kerry took 19, and the political die-off of "conservative" Southern Dems at the national level, it's entirely possible we could see the GOP reach the magical "60 number" sometime between 2008-2016, unless something changes. Of course, it goes without saying that's speculative....

#4) Here's a scary thought for Dems: the two biggest troughs on this graph occurred when Democrats took over the White House. If Hillary Clinton were to take the White House in 2008, that could be the very event that would help the GOP to finally go over the 60 seat mark.

Again Dems, do you want to re-think your reliance on "Senators" like Kennedy, Durbin, Kerry, Clinton, and Reid and with goons like Dean? Do you really want to go with that leadership? Really?

Dick Durban, Fool Extraordinaire

I was going to write a broadside on Mr. Durban's tendency to vomit in the public place. This guy is such a fool! Why haven't a whole bunch of Democrats jumped up and said that he doesn't represent their thinking or their party? Because he DOES represent their thinking and their party.

At any rate, I'm working on my laptop at the moment and it has a few glitches, so while I do that, go here and read this delightful bit on Dick Durban from my friend Tish Sharp. She's from TEXAS and that is reason enough to read her.

Apology? For What For Pete's Sake?

a·pol·o·gy, n. pl. a·pol·o·gies: An acknowledgment expressing regret or asking pardon for a fault or offense.

The Washington Post article by Avis Thomas-Lester begins:

The U.S. Senate last night approved a resolution apologizing for its failure to enact federal anti-lynching legislation decades ago, marking the first time the body has apologized for the nation's treatment of African Americans.

One-hundred and five years after the first anti-lynching bill was proposed by a black congressman, senators approved by a voice vote Resolution 39, which called for the lawmakers to apologize to lynching victims, survivors and their descendants, several of whom watched from the gallery.

What is wrong with this picture? An apology, to be sincere must be accompanied by at least a couple of things. One, it must be for an offense that you have committed. Two, it must be accompanied by an honest and sincere effort not to repeat the offense. Last, but not by any means least the person you apologize to has to be the person you offended. Anything else is an exercise in self flagelation that serves no useful purpose.

This United States Senate, has not failed to enact anti-lynching laws, past senates did, but no living, serving member of this Senate has done so. So apologizing is Clintonesque at best, and bad theater at any rate.

Do some senators have cause to apologize for real acts that they committed? Robert Byrd (D, W.Va) could apologize for attempting to derail the Civil Rights laws for one, where is the demand for that?

The fact remains that this apology is an exercise in futility, a 'look how kind I am'or a 'see how sensitive I can be' exercise. How disgusting. How Clintonesque!

If you really must apologize, use this form.

Update, two days prior to this post, LaShawn Barber posted on the 14th a terrific rant against this stupid item. She's Black, Conservative, Female and ...... oh, wait, her opinon doesn't count because she's "conservative."

Cross posted at the Wide Awakes

Moderate Replaces Howard Dean to Head Democrats

This just in...a moderate has replaced Howard Dean as the chairman of the Democratic National Committee. This should offer a new and unusual challenge for the Republicans, who are courting Evander Holyfield. Here's the scoop:
MIKE TYSON REPLACES DEAN AS DNC CHIEF

Right On Right Thinking Girl, Right On!

Another joy resulting from a few minutes surfing. Went to a new blog friend from Germany, Brushfires of Freedom with an article on our Flag Day The introduction to which translates something like:

In an English language blog with the unlikely name of Ex Scienta - Veritas (added to my blogroll), I found this small story which I found particularly worth reading. Particularly suitable because today is Flag Day in the United States.[note: any errors in translation are all mine, I made them, I own them, mine do you hear? All mine! - GM]

Now, I really like Mike's Ex Scienta Veritas blog (the latin is for "From Knowledge, Truth") and have had it on my blogroll since discovering it.

But, I digress, that story in Brushfires of Freedom led me to Mike's current entry here which led me back to Brushfires of Freedom. From there, I looked at Christian Arm's blogroll (Of course GM's Corner is there! How could you doubt otherwise?) and found this link to Right Thinking Girl and this story on how to win the War in Iraq.

So, that's my story, link, to link, to link to link. Brushfires of Freedom to Ex Scientia Veritas to Brushfires of Freedom to Right Thinking Girl. All leading to some excellent reading. Keep up the excellent work Christian, Mike, RTG.

Oh, and to my readers, please read all the stories I link to, in this post and others. They all lead to good reading, even if you don't agree with their politics (which I of course do).

Michael Jackson - White singer beats rap--and hip hop

California juries are known for innocent verdicts of prominent and, likely, guilty people. (Well, that is if you really think O.J. and Robert Blake were guilty.) Now, we have Michael Jackson who is at least guilty of being very weird. Last night David Letterman took the verdicts to the next logical step when he said, "This just in…Saddam Hussein wants his trial moved to Santa Maria, California." Why not? Well, here's the top ten list:

Top Ten Things Overheard During The Michael Jackson Verdict
10. "We the jury find the defendant not guilty--oh God, did I say the wrong one?"
9. "Of course he's nervous--look how pale he is"
8. "Will Mr. Blake and Mr. Simpson please keep the laughter down?"
7. "No, I think he'll do fine in prison"
6. "I'm a celebrity in an L.A. courtroom--I like my chances"
5. "Do you think this'll be on the news tonight?"
4. "We the jury find the defendant creepy"
3. "Michael, good news--I just saved 15 percent on my car insurance by switching to Geico"
2. "Wait, have Tito, Latoya and Jermaine always been on the jury?"
1. "Another case of a white guy getting preferential treatment."

Well, I personally think that Jackson had committed some improper acts with boys, but the State of California failed to adequately prove its cases. What were the odds? Finally, now will people quit letting their kids sleep overnight with Jackson?

With Michael Jackson back at the Neverland Ranch, he has a new strategy for dealing with boys who want to leave. Here's the site where you can learn more and help with his "drag net." "Neverland Ranch"

Have fun--and, sharpen your aim.

Future History?

Reuters/Al Jazeera
June 14, 2011

(Paris-United Eurabia) Since the Caliphate was established in Eurabia in 2009, and the War On Infidels (WOI) won, a number of war criminals have been brought to justice at the International Court of the Hague. To date, the heads of the former Governments of the so-called "European Union" were taken into custody following a fierce uprising of former Arabs who, with careful planning, were situated in key points in Eurabia. Chirac, Schroeder, Villapin, were tried, found guilty of Anti-Islamic hatred and executed by beheading.

Currently, the war in England continues apace with the English government in exile retreating to Scotland. The rest of the so-called British Isles are firmly in the hands of our beloved Jihadists aided by our brothers who infiltrated England over many years. Tony Blair is reportedly holed up in a cave in Scotland, but will soon be found, tried, found guilty and executed.

In America, we are fully in control of New England and most of the east cost, Washington D.C. and a good part of the Floridian Peninsula. Our beloved Jihadists are firmly in control in the former states of Washington, Oregon and California. Despite a strong and implacable foe waging an illegal guerilla war in southern California, there is no doubt that we will be victorious.

Elsewhere, New Madrasses have been established in Moscow, Krakow, Warsaw, Budapest, Vienna, Rome, Madrid and London. Each new Madrass is charged with teaching the young the glories of Islam and the joy's of martyrdom and enlisting their help in the war against the infidels.
In the remaining portion of the United States, we continue to use their internal laws against them and to date, CAIR and the Islamic Council have brought suits against the majority of State Governors for hate crimes in that they have denounced Islam and have desecrated the Holy Qu’ran.

Prisoners captured in the WOI are routinely converted to Islam or beheaded. The savings in food, the number of guards needed etc is significant and frees up money to fight the infidel.

New York City has continued to have decontamination teams eradicating the radioactivity following the successful bombing of Wall Street with a small tactical device delivered by our brothers in Iran.
Last week, the blasphemer Salmon Rushdie was surrounded in a villa off the coast of Sardinia but shot himself in the head 5 times before he could be captured. May his stomach roast in the fires of hell forever.

The Islamic Council continues to search for the remains of the former President Jimmy Carter, accidentally immolated during our successful drive on Americus, Georgia. When found, he will be enshrined in Mecca for all the services rendered in closing the so-called prison camp Guantanimo.

We continue to offer rewards for the heads of former President GWBush and President Hillary Clinton and doubtless, they will be found in the fullness of time.

Recent offers by the Gang of Fourteen to negotiate a cease-fire have been rejected because we have decided that their leader, John McCain has reportedly some Jewish blood in him. The trees and stones have called out for his death.

Next week, another report on the war against the infidels.
Until then, this is Mohammed Saeed al-Sahaf: The Iraqi Minister of Information Reporting.

God Bless America - Land That I Love!

Today Is Flag Day

God Bless America,
Land that I love.
Stand beside her, and guide her
Thru the night with a light from above.
From the mountains, to the prairies,
To the oceans, white with foam
God bless America, My home sweet home.
Irving Berlin

The Bible and Science - and the price of pizza

The left screams when you mix religion and government. Now, they have a new concern. A few years ago, Alabama passed a law favoring the Bible over science, and that is having consequences in our schools and space program. However, I have one reason to support Alabama and the Bible. With that law, it is a lot easier to compute the area of a pizza and determine if two twelve inch ones are a better deal than one sixteen incher.

Continue reading about this and let us know what you think about religion in schools and government.

Continue reading "The Bible and Science - and the price of pizza"

New Blog Found Via Blog Surfing

One of the things I enjoy the most is surfing various blogs, liberal, libertarian and of course conservative ones. Every once in a while, you find a jewel. I found this poem at Sailor In The Desert (which goes on my blogroll tonight. Good job Sailor, and as you noted. Freedom isn't free, it's paid for with the lives and limbs of some very brave people.

THE FINAL INSPECTION

A Soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

"Step forward now, Soldier,
How shall I deal with you?

Have you always turned the other cheek?
To My Church have you been true?"

The Soldier squared his shoulders and said,
"No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand."

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.

As the Soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

"Step forward now, Soldier,
You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell."

~Author Unknown~

Inside a REAL Twister

Ever wonder what it looks like inside a tornadoe? Me too. As a kid I lived for a few years in Arkansas and tornadoes were relatively common throughout Arkansas, Oklahoma and North Texas. Here, courtesy of National Geographic is what happens when you can get a tornadoe probe on the ground in front of a twister as it roars overhead. Watch the whole thing.

And a tip of the GM Chapeaux to Crossing The Rubicon2

Less Then 1000 To Go!

Woody and I have noted in various e-mails to each other that we are rapidly closing in on our 10,000th visitor. That seems to be a landmark for blogdom. We have had, as of this posting 9,037 visits to the site and just shy of 25 thousand page views. Not bad for an old fart and a young whipper-snapper (GM is NOT the young whipper-snapper....ed.)

So, we came up with an idea for a contest. The winner will be the one to be randomly drawn for a lucky visitor number between 9,975 and 10,025. The sooner we get there, the sooner we can award the winner with a grand prize. Our discussion of prizes went like this:

GM: What about a new hummer2
Woody: What if they don't like SUV's, how about a new diamond ring?
GM: We won't know their ring size and they may not like diamonds. How about a trip to the Virgin Islands?
Woody: Nah, too many people get seasick. I've got it, how about an all expense paid trip to the 2008 Democratic Convention to watch Hillary get crowned?
GM: Our readers? They are usually conservatives and the liberal ones don't really like Hillary. How about a complete makeover?
Woody: No way, you saw what happened to that makeover volunteer at American Warmongers. I've got it.... buzzbuzzwhisperwhisper....
GM: GREAT IDEA WOODY. Just a GREAT IDEA!!!!

And so, our winner will receive:

Continue reading "Less Then 1000 To Go!"

Steer Clear of Latest HC-BS

Bulldogpundit at Ankle Biting Pundits has an entry up which is important enough for me to quote in its entirety.

Drudge is reporting that a new book about Hillary contains bombshell allegations that Chelsea was conceived when Bill raped her. This is a scurrilous allegation that our side should steer clear from for a variety of reasons. First, because something like that shouldn't be said without direct proof, which this guy doesn't have. Second, as much as I can't stand these 2, I can't imagine it's true (yes, I know the Juanita Broaddrick story is out there and she seems somewhat credible) and if I'm right it's not fair to them or Chelsea that this stuff is being bandied about. Hillary is reportedly PO'ed, and quite frankly, I don't blame her one bit.

Worst of all, it gives real ammo to the so-far bogus lament of hers that she's a "victim" of a right wing conspiracy. Folks, if we buy into this, and if those that do go to far, we all look dumb. We can beat her on ideas, we don't need to be pushing this crap. Have the Clintons and their people pushed rotten stories about their enemies? Yup. But that doesn't mean we need to do the same.

We have plenty of REAL ammunition on this 'lady' and we don't need to add unsubstantiated rumor to the mix.

A tip of the GM Chapeaux to Instapundit

Update: Todd Pearson at Reasonable Prudence agrees with me and with ABP.

More Outrage on Gitmo Torture - Read at Own Risk

The left is going to have a field day now. TIME magazine has uncovered, yet, the absolute worst documented torture and abuse of the detainees by the U.S. in the Gitmo Camp at Guantanamo Bay. In its issue to come out Monday, TIME reveals that it obtained a secret 84-page interrogation log which supports Amnesty International with its comparisons of the camp to Stalin's gulags and President Carter's demand to shut it down. This could mean a major shakeup with the Secretary of Defense and a huge setback for even the President.

I'll share this with you, but be aware that this is shocking and that, if you have an uneasy stomach for this type of information, do not read any further. Okay, I warned you, so you continue at your own risk.
.
.
Here is the horrible news of torture as we pick up in the middle of TIME's article (emphasis mine):

After the new measures are approved, the mood in al-Qahtani’s interrogation booth changes dramatically. The interrogation sessions lengthen. The quizzing now starts at midnight, and when Detainee 063 dozes off, interrogators rouse him by dripping water on his head or playing Christina Aguilera music.

Oh, the humanity! The next thing you know they'll be forcing the prisoners to listen to those awful Indian rock videos or watching films by Michael Moore. Worse, they could turn on Al Franken and Air America. Where will it end!?

Even this is something that I cannot defend. How can the United Nations sit by and allow this? Sure they overlook genocide and torture and slavery and starvations and civil wars and corruption--but, this is different! What is the U.S. going to do about it? What are YOU going to do about it? I've said my peace.

Now, that I've gotten this off of my chest, I will take the next logical step to express my concern--I'm going back to watch the Braves game.

D-Day Plus 6

The gallent men and women of the Allied Forces continue their March into Europe to free the world of the menace of fascism. June 12, 1944. Three full waves of Allied troops have come ashore, combat troops, support troops, medical teams, nurses, a total of over 325,000 men and women determined to wipe Nazism off the face of the earth. Our forces landed well over 54,000 vehicles including halftracks, tanks, trucks, jeeps, ambulances and other assorted vehicles. over 104,000 tons of supplies (that's 208,000,000 pounds) have also been put ashore. The US 7th Corps advances across the Cotentin peninsula. The 4th Division is attacking Montebourg, Crisbecq and Azeville driving towards Cherbourg while the 5th and 7th Corps advance on St Lo.

Mark Starowicz of the Globe and Mail reviews Holding Juno, June 7-12 notes:

The German army in France could still have turned D-Day into an Allied disaster if its Panzer divisions had broken through the invading troops, precariously positioned on a thin beachhead along the Normandy coast, and literally driven them back into the sea. The significance of the six days, during which the 3rd Canadian Infantry Division repulsed the infamous 12th SS Panzer Division, is that it saved not only Juno Beach, but also the British beachheads. Had the Germans broken the Canadian line, they could have crippled the broader Allied advance.

The scenes recounted here sometimes make the film The Longest Day seem tame by comparison. Canadian soldiers lying in shallow slit trenches at night in an orchard as the massive German tanks crunched through the trees and rode over the trenches; men evaporating in a cloud of red from an artillery explosion; rows of German and Canadian bodies stacked like cordwood along a roadside. Here's Trooper Larry Allen, listening to the voices of a battlefield:

I heard one of the boys say, "Did you get yours?" ..... And one groaned and answered: "Yeah, where did he shoot you?"

"In the guts."

"Me too, the dirty bastards."

"The last sound I heard from our men was [one] calling his wife's name. Then I heard some German boys as they died calling for their mothers. ..... I felt sorry for those youths who were calling, 'Mütter, Mütter.'."

Google "June 12, 1944" and you will find pages of obituary after obituary of soldiers killed.

Today, some 61 years later We are loosing these brave men and women at the rate of some 1500 per day. The youngest of them are in their late 70's In a few more year's time, they will all be gone. What they did however will never die.

Currently we are engaged in another war to stamp out fascism, in this case islamo-fascism. The foe is as implacable as were the Nazi's and they hold many of the same beliefs. If we lose this war, we will have lost more than our civilization, we will have lost a legacy bequeathed to us on June 6, 1944 and the next 330+ days as the tyranny of the Nazis was crushed beneath the heel of freedom.

Attention Hungry - The Google Report

I sometimes check my sitemeter to see what words are being searched to arrive at GM's Corner & Woody Too! The results are often hilarious, I've found "sore armpits," "discovery channel greatest american george bush conspiracy," several mentions of "John Kerry's Grades (hat tip to woody)," "speeches about honesty," even "Ambercrombie and Fitch Catalogue Pictures."

Imagine my surprise, though a pleasant one, when "Attention Hungry" popped up refering to this post. I clicked on the google link and lo and behold:

over 3million searches for Attention Hungry and GM's Corner & Woody Too! are NUMBER ONE, NUMERO UNO!

Send your accolades, huzzah's and congratulations (or even 10 dollar bills) for this major achievement to: Gmroper@.... nah, I won't go there... I can just imagine the junk mail for extenders (what ever that is) and offers of riches from Nigeria coming in. Oh, and for you jaded detractors.... no, it wasn't google bombed. If I were going to do that, I would have picked a better entry. ;-)

Carnival of the Clueless

Hey folks, especially you folks on the far left (Jim, this excludes you) want to read what most of America thinks? A new carnival is coming up, the Carnival of the Clueless at Rick Moran's Right Wing Nuthouse. Go, read, enjoy, comment, convert Rick to the Dark Side... you can do it... go on.... heh!

Full Disclosure: Can't type worth a damn, news corrected to Nuthouse... other than that.... all is well!

Scams Galore.... Sigh!

Isuppose everybody with an email address has received at least one copy of the infamous Nigerian Scam. You know, the one that begins with something like "My name is Obo Nedibobo, Manager of the Central National First bank of Nigeria. I manage the investment funds of Chief Jojo Umgahawa of Lagos who recently passed away with no heir........" Just send them your SS number and/or your bank account and password numbers and they will share that 25 or 35 million with you. Yeah, yeah, yeah. Sometimes I send them rather colorful replies, sometimes I just delete. Today, I received a different "Nigerian" scam letter, this one purportedly from an American Soldier in Iraq:

Hey this is sgt 1st Class Steve Devo, an american soldier of 1-22 Infantry Battalion currently serving in Iraq.I am writing this message from bagdad in Iraq.we hit Iraq may 2003 and have moved around a few times building up f.o.b.'s around the western side of the country as well as missions into Bagdad.With attacks by insurgents everyday We managed to move funds belonging to Saddam Hussien's family.

The total amount is US$25 Million dollars in cash,mostly 100 dollar
bills.We want to move this money out of iraqi. no strings attached, just help us recieve it, Iraq is a warzone although partially ended. We plan on using diplomatic courier to ship the money out in one large silver box, using diplomatic immunity.

Therefore,If you are the type that can pull this string,kindly get back to me ASAP through email.As soon as i receive your positive reply,I shall furnish you with further details..

Please,note,this issue must be handled with utmost confidentiality as to avoid publicity
Thanks,
Sgt Steve Devo.

If the misspellings and grammar weren't enough of a tipoff, the "silver box" would be. Oh please, why can't these scam artists get a little more original.

Hey Sgt. Devo, I got your silver box right here!!!!

Update: My Reply to Stevearoonie who ever he is:

Dear Sgt Devo, too bad your spelling is so atrocious, too bad your grammar is so poor. Too bad I own a website and posted your e-mail for the world to see and laugh at. Too bad I forwarded a copy to the FBI for their review.

On the other hand, this is a relatively imaginative attempt at the Nigerian scam (NOT). Better luck next time idiot.

GM

Wahhabi Central?

Mustang at Social Sense/Wide Awakes and Always On Watch have jointly written an excellent wake up call to the danger our way of life presented by the Wahhabism:

"Reaching into America is the goal of the Wahabbists. They are capable, as we have seen, to do great harm to the American people, our guests, our institutions, and the economy, but there is no possibility that Jihadists can destroy America from an outward invasion. These people do realize that American is within their grasp through subterfuge, and they are doing it almost in plain sight of us all, if only we would open our eyes to the truth."

Read the whole thing.

Greatest American Vote - Carter Kicked Off Island

Ready to learn? The Discovery Channel is having a special series to review notable people in the history of this country and allowing the public to vote on "The Greatest American." It runs each Sunday night during June. They have already compiled a "Top 100" and reduced that to a workable "Top 25." Now, you have the opportunity to vote on this.

Unfortunately for many of you, you have missed out on some of these notable favorites, who already have been sent packing:

Maya Angelo, Jimmy Carter, Cesar Chavez, Hillary Clinton (oh, too bad), Bill Cosby, Brett Favre (he was a finalist!?), Hugh Hefner, Michael Jackson (currently detained), Rush Limbaugh, Abraham Lincoln, Madonna (you're kidding me), Dr. Phil McGraw, Michael Moore (big, I mean really big laugh), Richard Nixon, George Patton, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Martha Stewart

My question is how did some of these people get on the Top 100 list at all?

Okay, so who represents the remaining 25 people who have not been voted off of the island as of yet. Well, I have a problem with some of the names on the list and some of the names off of the list, but they are what they are. Here are the finalists in alphabetical order. I have included brief comments about what each did. Be sure to click on each name to see a special picture or feature about that person.

25 Finalists for Greatest American

Muhammed Ali - World Champion Boxer (still a draft dodger in my eyes)
Lance Armstrong - Won Tour de France six times and married to shacks up with slut Sheryl Crow.
Neil Armstrong - First man on the moon to mess up his lines
George W. Bush - Leader of greatest nation in the world
Bill Clinton - President, perjurer, and philanderer
Walt Disney - Mickey's father. Made me smile and got a lot of my money.
Thomas Alva Edison - Invented electric light and a million other things (My mom met him with Henry Ford & Harvey Firestone.)
Albert Einstein - Bombed in math. Used letters instead, like E=MC squared. Made passing physics harder.
Henry Ford - Made NASCAR possible. Introduced mass production of cars.
Benjamin Franklin - Great patriot, on $100 bill, electric personality.
Bill Gates - Made some money as founder of software company.
Billy Graham - One of nation's biggest "savers"
Bob Hope - Entertained our troops. "We thank you so much."
Thomas Jefferson - President, patriot, drafted Declaration of Independence
John F. Kennedy - President, PT Boat skipper, inspired race to moon, model for Bill Clinton
Martin Luther King Jr. - Had a dream, wrote letter from Birmingham jail, led non-violent change, won Nobel Peace Prize.
Abraham Lincoln - President, preserved union, Gettysburg Address, honest, and many "coincidences" with JFK.
Rosa Parks - Sparked civil rights movement by refusing to move to rear of the bus.
Elvis Presley - The King, sang and in movies, was on Ed Sullivan Show, served his country, featured on many velvet paintings.
Ronald Reagan - President, Governor, actor, Ended Cold War, Restored pride and confidence in America.
Eleanor Roosevelt - First Lady, active in social issues, ghost still speaks to Hillary Clinton.
Franklin D. Roosevelt - President, Governor, led U.S. through depression and WW II, began Social Security, moved U.S. left.
George Washington - Father of our Country, President, General, patriot, First in the hearts of his countrymen.
Oprah Winfrey - Television talk show host, actress, inspiration to others, hard worker, came up from poverty.
Wright Brothers - Flew first powered airplane, had to take shoes off and empty pockets before flight.

Okay. Wasn't that fun and educational? It's great to learn! So, now, it's your turn to think.

Who is your "Greatest American" of all time? That person does not have to be on the list. But, if you're going to vote at the Discovery Channel, then you have to pick from the finalists. Now, I may like someone best but might expect another to actually win. If that's you, then, also, let us know whom you think might be the choice of the American public.

Give you answers and your reasons. After you finish commenting here, go vote. Madonna and Michael Moore have been eliminated, so I still have some faith in the American public. Let's do our part and help out more.

To cast your vote, go to THIS PAGE--and, keep up with the program the rest of the month to see if your choice wins. Remember to vote early and often.

Free Thoughts

Jeremy Bol at American Warmonger has a great post up highlighting Free Thoughts. He says it so well, I'm not even going to try to add to him. So, here is Jeremy:

"Nickie "The Don" Goomba has given us all a directed blog launching. I can't really say that I blame him. Stefania's Free Thoughts has poor spelling, bad grammar, slow loads and unattractive design. So why am I giving her props after all of this? Because she tells it like it is better than most American bloggers I know. The best part is she isn't an American. She's off in Europe somewhere proving that not all Euros hate Bush and America...and she's doing one hell of a job. Go check her out and be amazed at how many people in the world actually love Bush and love America."

Now Go Visit Her!

Commencement Speeches Follow-up - Liberals Still Dominate

Back on May 14th, we had an entry titled "Commencement Speeches - Last Opportunity to Brainwash." It centered on colleges picking liberal speakers for the commencement addresses--boring and insulting parents while spewing their leftist agenda in one last effort to influence the graduates.

That entry was made before a comprehensive list of speakers could be compiled. Now that the graduation exercises are over, below is a broader evaluation of the commencement addresses. There seems to be some improvements for political and philosophical balance, but clearly the colleges are still weighted heavily for the left.

Here's a section of the article which is referenced at the bottom:

Notably, successful conservative media personalities such as Sean Hannity, Bill O’Reilly, Dr. Laura Schlessinger, and Tony Snow are absent from the list of commencement speakers at top universities despite FOX News Channel’s growing ratings and the success of talk radio. Instead, speakers similar to Tim Russert, Tom Brokaw, and Andy Rooney appear on the list each year.

Prominent intellectual conservatives such as Thomas Sowell, Milton Friedman, and Dinesh D’Souza, are absent from the top school commencements while liberals such as Thomas Friedman, Howard Zinn, and controversy-ridden Kweise Mfume frequently speak at top schools’ commencements.

In a time of war, there was only one military official, a liberal, who spoke: General Wesley Clark at Cornell University. Conservative military heroes such as General Tommy Franks, General Colin Powell, and General Norman Schwarzkopf were absent from the list.

Then this:

Pulitzer Prize winning writer William Kennedy asked graduates at St. Lawrence University, “Does [President Bush] actually have a mind? If he does, why don’t we detect it?�

Ha Ha. Isn't he cute? And, we know that he elicited some smiles and snickers as he looked smugly over the audience. That's generally how it works as liberals seek adoring approval. Popularity is more important than doing what is right or saying something intelligent. Well, if any proof is needed for Wm. Kennedy, Bush did have better grades than his opponent.

Well, the graduates now have taken the smartest move of their college careers--finally getting away from their liberal professors. Welcome to the real world, graduates--and good luck applying some of the "feel-good" ideas you were fed.

For your interest, here's one commencement speech that will never be heard but would be a bigger help than the others: The Neal Boortz Commencement Speech

And...here's the link to the article:
Young America's Foundation (Not to be confused with "Rock the Vote")
Liberals Again Dominate Spring Commencement Exercises
Some Balance Found

Your thoughts?

Macho - Macho Man, I've Got To Be A Macho Man!

Remember the Village People? Felipe Rose The Indian, Ray Simpson The Cop, Eric Anzalone The Biker, Jeff Olson The Cowboy, Alex Briley The Soldier, David Hodo The Construction Worker? Macho men all, by appearances at any rate. Well, move over Macho Man, there is now a replacement, The Metro-Sexual. According to Pierre Francois Le Louet, Paris fashion designer:

""The masculine ideal is being completely modified. All the traditional male values of authority, infallibility, virility and strength are being completely overturned," said Pierre Francois Le Louet, the agency's managing director.

Instead today's males are turning more towards "creativity, sensitivity and multiplicity," as seen already in recent seasons on the catwalks of Paris and Milan.

Arnold Schwarznegger and Sylvester Stallone are being replaced by the 21st-century man who "no longer wants to be the family super-hero", but instead has the guts to be himself, to test his own limits.

We are watching the birth of a hybrid man. ... Why not put on a pink-flowered shirt and try out a partner-swapping club?" asked Le Louet, stressing that the study had focused on men aged between 20 and 35.

Sociologists and other experts spent three months analyzing some 150 magazines and books and 146 Internet sites, as well as interviewing a dozen experts from Europe, the United States and China.

The traditional man still exists in China, Le Louet said, and "is not ready to go". But in Europe and the United States, a new species is emerging, apparently unafraid of anything."

OMG, this is so, so funny. If a fop, dandy, metrosexual like this one showed up at my doorstep I'm afraid (yes, very afraid) that I'd collapse in uproarious laughter and die on the spot. Who is Le Louet kidding?

The funniest aspect of this, besides the idiocy of wearing your suspenders backwards no less (I wonder if he went all out and put his T-Shirt on backwards as well) is that Howard Dean, as a presidential contender just last year, declaired himself a Metrosexual. Now however, Mr. Metrosexual Man doesn't know that Republicans work, thinks that we are all white christians etc., etc. The next time Dean speaks anywhere, to any audience, look around, see if you can find Mr. Flaming hair, striped shirt, lime-green pants who is so full of himself that he puts his suspenders on backwards as some sort of foolish fashion statement is in the audience. If he is, ask him if he votes democratic. Maybe that is whats wrong with the Democratic Party. That and Ted Kennedy of course.

Macho-macho man, I've got be a macho man!

A tip of the GM Chapeaux to James Taranto of Best Of The Web Today.

Uhh, Senator Kerry? About that Form 180

My Dear, Dear Senator Kerry: By now, you have received some two or so open letters from me and I strongly suspect that you are becoming somewhat tired of reading my missives, especially since you know that I am not a constituent of your because I do not live in Massachusetts, although, since you are a United States Senator and I am an American Citizen, you could say I am by extension.

Senator, the reason I'm writing today is because of the articles contained in your favorite newspaper, The Boston Globe. As we all know Senator, you did sign the SF 180 as you said you would, you had your staff "go over it," and it was sent to the U.S.Navy. But there is my dear Senator, a slight problem.

You see, you indicated by oh so many ways, although you didn't flat out say it, that you would sign so that anyone could see those records; so that they would be publically available sir. You are familiar with the phrase "publically available" aren't you? Of course you are, you wouldn't deliberately deceive the American people Senator. Now would you? Well, guess what happened Senator. Some flunky on your staff must have changed the SF 180 to allow it to only be released to a newspaper that fully supports you in every way and that has an editorial and news staff that is as liberal as any in the country (well, with the possible exception of that conservative gadfly Jeff Jacoby). What sir? You didn't know that?

Oh my, this places us in a most awful prediciment sir. You see, if you had released your FFR then we would know about your discharge in 1978 or perhaps it was in '71. You understand, Senator that this was a significant part of the issue; whether or not you got a less than honorable discharge for meeting with an enemy not once, NOT TWICE, BUT THREE TIMES while you were still in the service of the United States Navy.

You see Senator, if those discharge papers HAD been in the FFR when it was released, then surely the Globe would have mentioned it. After all, though they like you, support you, carry water for you and otherwise idolize you, they would damn sure want that story, why, it would be the scoop of the year (Dan Rather, are you reading this?) but since they didn't, we can only presume that the discharge was not in the FFR.

Too, my dear Senator, had your flunky not asked for a redacted report to be sent out, then we would also have the information about your grevious wounds. You know, the ones you got and asked for a Purple Heart. Senator, that first one, the one you got in December, 1968, the one that the doc pulled out with a tweezer and dressed with a bandaid? That one. Sir, your superior officer, Rear Admiral Hoffman stated:

Another troubling sequence involves Kerry's first Purple Heart. Exactly two weeks after arrival in Vietnam, Kerry was involved in a scenario in which he was "wounded" by a small fragment, about the size of a rose thorn - a self-inflicted wound resulting from the careless use of his own M-79 grenade launcher. According to the testimony of the attending physician, Dr. Louis Letson, the fragment barely penetrated the skin of his right arm and was easily removed with tweezers and dressed with a Band-Aid. Despite the minor nature of the injury, Kerry still requested a Purple Heart from Division Commander Grant Hibbard. Commander Hibbard denied, noting that there was no hostile fire involved in the incident, no casualty report, and no after-action report - all requisites for a Purple Heart medal. [emphasis added]

Still, somehow Kerry circumvented the system and somehow was awarded the Purple Heart some three months after Lt. Commander Hibbard denied the award. Who initiated the award remains a mystery and will remain so until Kerry authorizes the full release of his military and medical records, complete and unaltered. Although Kerry continues to imply that he was the officer in charge of this "Boston Whaler" operation, he fails to mention that he was under the training supervision of Lt. William Schachte, the actual officer in charge and aboard the small craft with Kerry.

Why sir, when so very many good, good men bled a lot of blood on the battle fields of Vietnam would you want an award for a damned scratch. Sir, I've had worse wounds injuries cuts boo-boos making a book case.

Senator, Matt Margolis has some serious questions for you as well. in fact, he said "So, the mystery has been far from solved. In fact, now we still have the same questions... if not more..."

On his web site Senator, you will find many many more bloggers that are asking the same kinds of questions. Including Michelle Malkin, Kit Jarrell at Euphoric Reality, and oh so many others. I'd take the time to list them all Senator, but since I know you or one of your staff can use an internet browser and know how to click links, you can start with the ones in this letter, then move on to all of the others.

Oh, and Senator Kerry, in the above letter, I used the term FFR a number of times. Sir, to help you out, it means the FULL FRIGGIN RECORD. Now, why don't you release the FFR like you promised 130 days ago.

Sincerely

GM Roper -
Blogger
Veteran
gadfly about town.

Commenters React to Posting Rules - Bush Blamed---Part II

Sheesh, I try and try and try to make it easier on my good friends and all I get is grief. Actually, the rules change was to try to get spam blocked, both comment spam and trackback spam, then when I almost immediately got a trackback spam from someone named www.bardak.com.ru I figured I had been either screwed, or screwed up. See Jim, I had that thought too. But I digress. This is the entry for the trackback from my control page:

A new TrackBack ping has been sent to your weblog, on the entry 83 (Truth In Politics &, Of Course, In Commenting).

IP Address: 81.176.65.76
URL:
Title: Truth In Politics &, Of Course, In Commenting
Weblog: Truth In Politics &, Of Course, In Commenting

Now, the weblog listed is the exact same name as the post title here which oddly enough, is a post about trolls and spam on Dr. Sanity a blog written by a very nice lady psychiatrist.

Again I digress. When you try to find out who the heck is bardak and type http://bardak.com.ru you get this:

Forbidden
You don't have permission to access / on this server.

So I asked for some help from my hosting company and they suggested I allow unregistered comments as well as registered comments. But when I clicked on the "allow unregistered" thingy in the blog configuration spot, the registration thingy disappeared. So, to heck with it. When I get spam I'll just delete it.

Since Woody's post was in fact authorized by allowing him to post at any time and he fibbed about trying to contact me, I'm going to eliminate his raise. I had planned to raise his pay by about 1000% but now.........

You guys crack me up, and I love all of ya....

P.S., I worked really hard on Counterintuitive Rant. At least you guys could go and read it and comment on it......

Commenters React to Posting Rules - Bush Blamed

The following is an unauthorized entry placed here before G.M. had a chance to stop it. It concerns everyone and must be read to stop a terrible travesty on the internet. Continue to the comment:
________________

Today readers and commenters were confused about new registration rules for posting at "The Corner." This comes on the heels of other recent guidelines regarding the use of inappropriate language.

When Woody signed on today, his first lucid thought was, "Huh?" After working forty-five minutes and trying eleven unavailable user names, he finally waded through the registration rules and became an official commenter. Despite his immense pride at achieving this recognition, Woody realized that it was easier for an illegal immigrant to get registered as a voter in California than it was to make a stupid comment at The Corner.

Calls and emails to G.M. Roper were made, but Mr. Roper was unavailable and the emails went unreturned. Questions abound about his disappearance. However, we can say, with seventy per cent certainty!, that he is not at the Neverland Ranch.

All of today's discussions involve the new rules, but none of the discussions were posted as people struggled with the registration process. The general feelings were that the commenters expect and deserve answers! What is the spam business, anyway--the so-called reason for the change? Maybe people like to read male potency ads and Nigerian banking offers. Maybe some need them.

Commenter reactions include those of Jim Hitchcock. Jim thought this must be some vast right wing conspiracy to silence liberals, who have a harder time following simple instructions. He wrote, "Democrats have a hard enough time voting with those chads and all. How, does G.M. expect us to follow these complicated rules? I think it's harassment and disenfranchises the less fortunate. We need a government program to resolve this."

On the other hand, too many steves was unaffected as he registered before it was required. too many steves said, "I had a better attitude about registering as a commenter than I did registering my guns. By my registering early, I could get three of my comments in way before tad or that other steve could even get their first one authorized. I ruled the discussions!"

In response, steve said, "it was hard enough dealing with the shift key without having to think up a name to register. however, i was able to come up with at least twenty obscure links about this subject, which I will share as soon as I figure out how to post them. i'm sure that george bush is to blame for this apparent attack on working americans. i can hardly wait to get back on to tell tad and g.m. that they are wrong on everything. did i tell you that john kerry was a war hero?"

The simple response from reg was, "%$#$&%(%(^*)_)*)&#@ you, Roper!"

Cao, Tom Grey-Liberty Dad, Mustang, BronxPundit, and others too numerous to mention were forming a committee to study the problem and determine if they could share one name to cut down on the red tape. Mustang said, "I served in the Marines and as a public school teacher. I know about forms and registration. But, this is too much. Next thing you know, G.M. will want us to register in triplicate!"

In the meantime, if someone has any technical solutions to the spam problem raised by G.M., then please get in touch with him. It is for a better America--and my sanity, too. Of course, you will have to complete the registration process first, if you can. Thank you.

COUNTERINTUITIVE RANT

BEGIN RANT

Full disclosure: I am not an attorney, I do not practice law, I have not been trained in the practice of law and though I think lawyers have a place in our country, that place is the bottom of Lake Erie. Having (jokingly) said that, it is now time for a rant. If you do not like rant's, please do not read any further. If you do not like rants, but you want to read what I have to say, please continue. If you like rants, welcome to my world.

I am about to shock (shock I say) most if not all of my conservative friends. I'm going out on a limb to support the MSM in the Palme case. No, not their constant harping about who is the evil, wicked, most benighted creepoid who "outed" Valorie Palme. In fact, I don't think any law was broken at all. I'm not protesting about Joe Wilson's paranoid ravings about outing his wife as a "secret" CIA undercover operative; nor am I in the least bit in agreement with those who demanded an investigation as a method of proving that "Bush Lied" which of course he didn't.

I'm talking about the threat to put Matt Cooper of Time magazine and Judith Miller of the New York Times in jail for not releasing the names of their "confidential sources." Now, please, please don't get me wrong. I think for the most part the folk at the NYTimes and Time magazine are a bunch of idiots with a particular, partisan, pro-liberal axe to grind and that axe is not "pro" American or "pro" America. I think the liberal cant (1.Monotonous talk filled with platitudes; (2.Hypocritically pious language - definitions provided for graduates of liberal universities) that pervades the pages of the NYT and Time is the stuff of whining medioctrities destined to wrap fish entrils in or to line the bottom of bird cages. However, having said all of that, neither of these people should be jailed for not revealing their sources.

"Wait just one damn minute Roper," I can hear some of you thinking (see how talented I am) "that liberal scum made their bed, now let them lie in it." That is from some of my conservative friends. "Wait just one damn minute Roper," I can hear others thinking (see, my talents stretch far and wide) "there is no such thing as a liberal media, those corporate whores are conservative by nature and support the great international rip off of the poor and those left behind by Bush and his tax-cuts for the rich."

Ahh yes, I can hear it all now. Well, that is all so much BS. As an educator and therapist, I teach students and clients that behavior has consequences. Sometimes those consequences are positive, sometimes negative, sometimes neutral, but there are always consequences for what we do.

For my conservative friends, Joe Wilson already shot himself in the foot and has proven himself a serial liar of the funniest kind. The media find themselves hoist on a petard of their own making. But the principle needs to stand and needs to be supported by any thinking individual. "What principle," you ask? Why, simple, the 1st amendment.

"Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances."

Unlike the ACLU I believe that each amendments enumerated in the "Bill of Rights" means exactly what it says. The ACLU of course interprets the 1st Amendment to mean what the ACLU wants it to mean.

"Congress (and by extention - any branch of government - City, State or National) shall make no law respecting...abridging the freedom...of the press..." Rather than a narrow interpretation of that, we need a b-r-o-a-d interpretation.

"Roper, just where are you going with this?" Well, I admit it's kind of convoluted, but you see, the Supreme Court of the United States of America in their collective idiocy just ruled that the Federal Government can overturn established state law in the regulation of "medical marijuana" under the Commerce Clause of the constitution. Now, it doesn't occur to the learned Justices (you can sense the sarcasm here can't you?...ed.) that the use of the marijuana in question was locally grown, locally used, did not involve interstate commerce, didn't travel over any state boundry and was legal under the laws of the state of California, Oregon and quite a number of other states. In Gonzales v. Raich SCOTUS ruled that despite the 10th Amendment ("The powers not delegated to the United States by the Constitution, nor prohibited by it to the States, are reserved to the States respectively, or to the people.") which has always been interpreted to include the application of criminal law to the states. Now, if you kill someone on main street, the state will prosecute you. If you kill someone on federal property, the feds will prosecute you. That is as it should be. But Marijuana? Sheesh folks. Please, please do not get the idea that I am pro-medical marijuana, or even pro marijuana at all. We need another legal intoxicant like we need a hole in the head, our friends in other conservative venues not-with-standing (NRO for one). But the spiel for "medical marijuana" is specious at best. The active ingredient in marijuana is Delta-9-Tetrahydrocannibinol (C₂₁H₃₀O₂) and that can be taken in pill form. The push for so called medical marijuana is an attempt by NARAL and it's allies to get the smoking of marijuana on the table, the nose of the camel under the tent if you will.

Be-that-as-it-may, the 10th amendment really does mean what it says, and that issue should be left up to the states.

So what to Palme and Gonzales v. Raich have to do with each other? Simple, if the federal government can regulate what sources the press uses, and the SCOTUS says that the power of the feds under the Commerce Clause is all inclusive and,in an editorial contained in the WSJ,

non-economic activities can be regulated so long as they are part of a "comprehensive scheme of regulation," there would appear to be no federal power the Commerce Clause couldn't theoretically justify.

then the federal government can, under current attempts by the FEC regulate blogs.

"That's pretty tenuous Roper," I can hear some say. Well, yeah, right this second it is. But tomorrow? I don't know about you or other bloggers, but I will be damned if I let the FEC regulate what I can say in my own publication. Remember that 1st Amendment issue? Now do you get it?

END RANT

Update: June 28, 205. Fargus, a liberalish friend from The Fargus Report has a slightly different take wanting to know why Novak isn't in jail. Essentially we agree, this decision by SCOTUS is out in left field. (no offense to my leftish friends of course)

John F(rench) Kerry

Well, no wonder he got a C in French his Freshman Year at Yale....

With a tip of the GM Chapeaux to Duncan Avatar at The Wide Awakes

Lost In Translation

If you want to read something that will bring a lump to your throat, a smile to your face, and perhaps a tear to your eye at the perseverance of a man, his family and his intent to make Iraq a better place go here. Thanks Michael. God bless you Qatou Samou Haji Aldanani.
Here is Mr. Qatou Samou Haji Aldanani and two of his grand children: "My children [and grand children]are free." (brackets added)

A tip of the GM Chapeaux to Pierre LeGrand of The Pink Flamingo Bar & Grill.

Newly Discovered Blogs

I was surfing through links to my blog via Technorati and came across The Pink Flamingo Bar & Grill - A Common Man Looks At The War On Islamic Terror.

The site is written by Pierre Legrand... how about that, a FRENCHMAN who is pro-america. Actually, his name is French; he is 100% American from Baton Rouge, La. My beloved grandfather used to be the Minister at 1st Methodist, rebuilt in 1960 as Canal Street Methodist Church in New Orleans, La, so I'm comfortable with the French name. ;-)

Pierre is a multi-talented fellow and from his profile, anyone who likes Mozart, Jefferson Airplane AND The Who has got to have an interesting life.

His blog is taut, well written. His politics are conservative, and that is reason enough to link to him.

Go read his blog, you'll enjoy it!!!

John Kerry's Grades: Recount Demanded / Where was Bush?

Remember during the presidential campaign that the press and liberals portrayed Bush as stupid and Kerry as cerebral (and, still do)? Now, they have something to back up their claims--or, do they?

John Kerry had refused to release his college transcripts and military files. Now, because of pressures, Kerry released part of his military files, and (oops) that part contained his college grades!

So, how did he do? Let's see.

Freshman Year:
Geology................61
History I..............63
History II.............68
Political Science...69
French.................77

Wouldn't you know it? Kerry's best efforts were in French. Now, if he had gotten three F's instead of only four low D's, Kerry could have obtained an early release from his college duty. Learning his lesson is college, Kerry didn't make a similar mistake in Viet Nam--as, he was able to get out early there.

To his credit, Kerry buckled down and raised his average up to 76 by the time he graduated. What did Bush get under the same grading system? Why a 77--which beats Kerry! I understand that Kerry is launching a bid, assisted by Al Gore, to demand a re-count. Every term paper counts, and what about that drawing he did for extra credit?

From an article (link at bottom), here are recollections of a professor who taught both of them (underlines mine):

Gaddis Smith, a retired Yale history professor who taught both Kerry and Bush, said in a telephone interview that he vividly remembers Kerry as a student during the 1964-1965 school year, when Kerry would have been a junior. However, Smith said he doesn't have a specific memory about Bush.

Do you know what this means?! It means that Bush was getting credit for college courses when one of his professors doesn't remember him being there! This is clear, although unverifiable evidence, that Bush was not where he claimed to be and received credit for something he did not do! Where's Dan Rather when you need him?

Well, if the only thing that you got out of this entry is that Bush did something bad and that Kerry is good, then please call the Democratic Party. They have a spin job for you. But, if you want more of the story, here it is:

Yale grades portray Kerry as a lackluster student

How Conservative or How Liberal Are You Anyway?

Your Political Profile

Overall: 85% Conservative, 15% Liberal

Social Issues: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Personal Responsibility: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Fiscal Issues: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

Ethics: 75% Conservative, 25% Liberal

Defense and Crime: 100% Conservative, 0% Liberal

And a tip of the GM Chapeaux to Jeremy at American Warmonger

The Democrats Rosetta Stone

GM: "Hey Woody?"
Woody: "Yeah GM?"
GM: "Our Democratic friend Jim sent us what he called the "Top 50 Republican Values."
Woody: "That was nice of him."
GM: "Yeah, but they kinda make us look bad."
Woody: "Let me see...oh, I see what you mean."
GM: "Woody, you know how the Democrats always speak in
"doublespeak"
Woody: "Yeah, and?"
GM: "Well, wouldn't it be nice of us to translate each of these so called values into what the Democrats really mean?"
Woody: "You mean kind of like a Rosetta Stone."
GM: "Yeah, whatcha think?"
Woody: "Great idea GM. We can put down each "value" and then translate it into what the Democrats really mean."
GM: "Let's git-er-done."

And so dearly beloved, GM and Woody labored to provide you with a solid translation of what the Democrats really mean in the firm and certain knowledge that they were providing an immeasureable service for many future generations.

The list of Republican values, beliefs, moral guideposts that we know they will always stand by, come hell or high water. Here's a start:

(1) the end justifies the means. Translation: We don't know how to get to a useful end, so we'll accuse the Repubs of overreaching.
(2) War, because it is profitable, is good for the economy. Translation: If we accuse the Repubs of being war mongers, no one will notice that most of our major wars have been started during Democrat presidencies.
(3) To endeavor endlessly to impose the rightness of our ways on others, consoled by that fact that those who continue to disagree, don't matter anyway. Translation: We can accuse the Repubs of doing what we have always done... confuse the issue, state falsehoods and circumlocute for all we are worth.
(4) Secrecy in the pursuit of domination is no vice. Translation: If we do it, it's in the national interest, if the Repubs do it, they have some nefarious scheme up their sleeve.
(5) The only way to save Iraq is to destroy it. Translation: Heh, we used this one in Vietnam too, and dumb ole Nixon kept it going for us.
(6) Obfuscation is the better part of information. Translation: That way, we can call a decrease in the increase of social spending a spending cut and the stupid red-staters will never catch on.
(7) Never take the blame for which you can lay on others. Translation: We've been doing that for years, remember Clinton's famous slut/stalker defense regarding Lewinsky?
(8) Treat citizens like mushrooms, keep them in the dark and cover them with shit. Translation: Heh! Get high powered speakers like Byrd or Biden or even Kerry up there to confuse issues and those red-state rubes will never catch on.
(9) Republican values are measured by the "value" of one's portfolio. Translation: We don't want them to know that the richest members of the House and Senate are usually Democrats, especially when you get to marry a fortune like John did.
(10) The only bad lie is one that hasn't been covered up adequately. Translation: Why, this whole 50 thingys that we are trying to pin on the Repubs is a big fat lie, but if we tell it loud enough, often enough....
(11) When Battling Evil, take care to build consensus, even if you have to buy it. Translation: We never battle evil,so we don't have to worry about this one.
(12) Never wait passively for tommorrow, when there is profit to be made today. Translation: Filibuster right down to the appointment of city dogcatchers.
(13) Appeal to the base motives in society to guarantee the ignoble will support us. Translation: Call Gitmo a gulag, keep blacks on the Democrat Plantation by seeking their support every four years and telling them how much we have done for them.
(14) When Battling Evil, take care to build consensus, even if you have to buy it. Translation: Hey, this is the same as number 11 but don't mention it, those yo-yo's in the red states are too dumb to notice.
(15) Pay lip service to Mother Earth before raping and pillaging her. Translation: Anytime we can blame a Repub for a natural disaster, lack of foresight on our part or not enough money spent the way we want it spent this will make them look like anti-environmentalists.
(16) When setting policy based on false claims, always have compelling backup excuses. Translation: Didja ever notice how good this one is working on Social Security?
(17) Never lose sight of the fact that God and the Flag are essential props in proper patriotic salesmanship. Translation: By accusing the Repubs of being Chauvinistic and overly patriotic, we can claim to be hurt when they question our judgment or motivation. Works every time.
(18) If anyone mentions (a) Jean Lafitte or (b) that the Statue of Liberty was made in France, shout as loudly and as longly as necessary. Translation: Those damn frogs have never given any help to us, but this makes us look like citizens of the world, willing to keep our allies intact.
(19) Gays can be cured. If we pray for them, they will join us in holy matrimony. Translation: If we accuse the Repubs of bigotry often enough, no one will notice that the Log Cabin Republicans and a lot of Gay Bloggers are solidly in their corner.
(20 Repeat a lie three times and it's transformed into truth. Translation: Actually, this one is ours, but if we accuse the Repubs of it it will remind the red-state numbskulls of Joseph Goebbels.
(21) If only the rich had all the money there would be no poor people. Translation: We know that there will always be poor people, most of our policies are guaranteed to make it that way. After all, we know whats best for all those rubes. We can tax them into the poor house and spend all the money on projects that make us feel good. Won't do any good for anyone, but we'll feel great.
(22) Do away with affirmative action because it "vulcanizes" society. Translation: This one is great, we invent affirmative action in order to make blacks think we are doing something for them and we get a chance to take a poke at Bush too... just like this. (Ed. Note: Bush meant Balkanize -- the idiot!)
(23) Never underestimate the persuasive power of a good sex scandal. Translation: Heh! Why do you think all us Democrats are so randy?
(24) Never let stupidity and ignorance stand in the way of good irrationality. Translation: Hey, this one applies to us, not Repubs, what's it doing here?
(25) Making sure that there's an ongoing war during an election campaign is a surefire way to get re-elected. Translation: We used that to good stead for Presidents Wilson, Roosevelt, Truman, Johnson and now the repubs try it with Bush...what, do they think we don't recognize our own tactic?

The remaining 25 falsehoods Republican values will have to be translated in another entry, more research material from Howard Dean and the DNC must be obtained before good translations can be made.

This has been a public service provided to all Americans by GM and Woody. You're welcome!

Let It Be Dean! Oh, Wait, It Is Dean; And He Is A DISASTER

In early February of this year (where has the time gone?) I posted a little ditty about Howard Dean noting that if the Republicans were lucky, we would have Dean to laugh at for the next 8 years. Well good people, Dean won(?) the chairmanship of the Democratic National Committee and has lots to show for it. However, before we get to his many victories, let's reveiew my little ditty, reprinted here for your edification, elucidation and all around education and once again, with apologies to the Statler Brothers, Willie Nelson, The Everly Brothers and anyone else who ever recorded or sang in the bathtub "Let It Be Me."

Repub's bless the day we found you
We want Dems to stay around you
And so we beg you, let it be Dean

Dems don’t take this heaven from one
If you must cling to someone
Now and forever, let it be Dean

Each time we hear Dean
We hear a big scream
Without your sillyness, what would life be?

So never leave us Dean-O
The Big ones Dems will blow-oh
And we hope they’ll always let it be Dean

Each time we hear him
We think of what can be
and with him chairman we’ll never loose

So never leave us Dean-O
The Big ones Dems will blow-oh
And we hope they’ll always let it be Dean

Now, on to the victories:

Raising More Cash Than The Republicans - - Nope, the Republicans have raised almost twice as much.

Putting Democrats out ahead in the "money on hand" issue - - Nope, the Republicans have almost 3 times as much money in the bank.

Getting moderate and conservative Democrats in line with the liberal wing of the party - - Nope, he has even alienated Joe Biden (who said "Not with that kind of rhetoric. He doesn't speak for me with that kind of rhetoric. And I don't think he speaks for the majority of Democrats. . . . I wish that rhetoric would change." and John Edwards who said "He's a voice. I don't agree with it."

Causing the Republicans to fear the coming onslaught by the Democrats - - Nope, we sit here chuckling at any one stupid enough to declare that "Republicans have never made an honest living in their lives."

Was the direct cause of lots and lots of Democrats to get elected - - Nope! On the other hand, there haven't been any elections, but believe me, those of us who typically vote Republican can't wait... just can't wait.

Ahhhh, yes, nostalgia for the songs of our youth.... Let It Be Dean.

Posted by GM Roper at 05:43 PM | Comments (1) | TrackBack (0)

Who Said It?

Can you identify (a) the speaker and (b) the President whose administration is referenced?

I can tell you this: It's very hard to stop people who have no shame about what they're doing. ...It is very hard to stop people who have never been acquainted with the truth.

Think about it for all of 15 seconds and continue to the answer.

Continue reading "Who Said It?"

President Reagan - History Remembers

Ronald W. Reagan February 6, 1911 - June 5, 2004

Yesterday marked one year since he passed away. We still wanted to take a moment to remember the person whom most consider the greatest president in our lifetimes...Ronald Reagan.

For any revisionists or anyone who doesn't remember, consider this quote from a 1994 speech by President Reagan:

Our friends in the other party will never forgive us for our success, and are doing everything in their power to rewrite history. Listening to the liberals, you'd think that the 1980's were the worst period since the Great Depression, filled with suffering and despair. I don't know about you, but I'm getting awfully tired of the whining voices from the White House these days. They're claiming there was a decade of greed and neglect, but you and I know better than that. We were there.

Yes...we were there, and that period gave Americans new pride, new hope, prosperity, and strengthened freedoms. Thank you, President Reagan.

For further information, here's a nice site with quotes from the President:
Great Quotes from President Reagan
Also, Jackson's Junction has a special tribute with some clips.
Romeocat at Cathouse Chat has a great memorial up at The Wide Awakes

Thanks to Nonsequiter Rantings

I HAVE NO IDEA WHAT TO TITLE THIS ENTRY!

Pork Tornado, The Guy You Hate To Love has a compendium of the 10 worst album covers of all time on his website. These covers, complete with commentary can be found by clicking on this album cover. Please have your air-sickness bag ready.

A Tip of the GM Chapeaux to Dr. Sanity's Carnival of the Insanities.

Enjoy coffee with the boss. It's on us!

GM's Corner admires and spotlights honesty. So, enjoy a cup of coffee on us in a visit with an honest boss.

An Honest Boss

A New Compendium of Work Daffynitions

1. BLAMESTORMING: Sitting around in a group, discussing why a deadline
was missed or a project failed, and who was responsible.

2. SEAGULL MANAGER: A manager who flies in, makes a lot of noise, craps on everything, and then leaves.

3 ASSMOSIS: The process by which some people seem to absorb
success and advancement by kissing up to the boss rather than working hard.

4. SALMON DAY: The experience of spending an entire day swimming
upstream only to get screwed and die in the end

5. CUBE FARM: An office filled with cubicles.

6. PRAIRIE DOGGING: When someone yells or drops something loudly in a Cube farm, and peoples heads pop up over the walls to see whats going
on.

7. MOUSE POTATO: The on-line, wired generations answer to the couch
potato.

8. SITCOMs: Single Income, Two Children, Oppressive Mortgage. What
yuppies turn into when they have children and one of them stops working to stay home with the kids.

9. STRESS PUPPY: A person who seems to thrive on being stressed out and whiny.

10. SWIPEOUT: An ATM or credit card that has been rendered useless
because the magnetic strip is worn away from extensive use.

11. XEROX SUBSIDY: Euphemism for swiping free photocopies from ones
workplace.

12. IRRITAINMENT: Entertainment and media spectacles that are annoying
but you find yourself unable to stop watching them. The J-Lo and
Ben wedding (or not) was a prime example.

13. PERCUSSIVE MAINTENANCE: The fine art of whacking the crap out of an electronic device to get it to work again.

14. ADMINISPHERE: The rarefied organizational layers beginning just
above the rank and file. Decisions that fall from the adminisphere are often profoundly inappropriate or irrelevant to the problems they were designed to solve.

15. 404: Someone whos clueless. From the World Wide Web error
message 404 Not Found, meaning that the requested document could not
be located. (For those in Toronto, its also Hwy 404... destination can
not be located.)

16. CROP DUSTING: Surreptitiously passing gas while passing through a Cube Farm.

17. OHNOSECOND: That minuscule fraction of time in which you realize
that youve just made a BIG mistake.

18. WOOFS: Well-Off Older Folks.

Update: Jim Hitchcock suggests an additional one. So, in the interests of bi-partisan humor:

19. DOMINOES THEORY: When all your attempts at reasoning fall flat, so you give up and order a pizza.

Another Update: The old Daddy-Guy forgot to give a tip of the GM Chapeaux to the source of the humor; his beloved daughter.... So, Princess Jenni, A tip of the Daddy-Guy's Chapeaux to you!

Marine More Welcome in Iraq Than U.S. Public School

What's wrong with our educational system and its administrators when this happens:

• A U.S. Marine comes back from Iraq.
• He wants to personally thank students in a sixth grade class for their letters.
• The teacher arranges for his visit.
• The Marine arrives at the school to meet the children.
• BUT, the principal refuses to let him speak and orders him out of the school.

Is she the academic type who hates the military or are we supposed to believe her later statement that she was concerned for "the safety and welfare of our children"?

Don't read the story if you are prone to tear out your hair.

by: Neal Boortz
GOVERNMENT SCHOOL --- SOLDIERS NOT WELCOME

THE MYTH OF MORAL EQUIVALENCE

The the intellectual support for the Islamo-fascist assault on liberal democratic legitimacy involves a very complex, comprehensive, multifaceted strategy. First, it involves a demonstration of the failure of Western democracies to meet their own standards which are regarded as utopian measuring rods. Second, it proceeds by continuous falsification of Islamo-fascist practices and assertions of Islamic loyalty to basic Western values. At the same time that it is suggested that we do not respect our own values, it is claimed by the Islamists that they do. Our flaws are exaggerated, theirs are simply denied. Third, the conclusion is, of course, inexorably arrived at, that there is, at best, not a dime's worth of difference between these two modes of governance.

Full disclosure: I didn't write the above, I edited it and substituted islamo-fascism (and related terms) for the Soviet Union in an essay originally written by Jeane J. Kirkpatrick "The Myth of Moral Equivalence"

Which brings us to the purpose of this essay. There have been a multitude of writers of the left/liberal/progressive/Democratic Party types who decry the conduct of the war on terror based on actions taken by some blockheads (I'm trying to be polite in describing these folk) in mistreating prisoners taken in the war on terror.

Indeed, there is a large body of reportage describing how we have failed of our idealism as a nation by engaging in "torture" and other behaviors that have damaged our view of ourselves, damaged our reputation in the world and in the so called, much vaunted but entirely illusory "arab street."

In a recent post on gulags the comments from those on the opposite side of the aisle came fast and furious. Of a total (to date) 26 comments fully 14 of those comments were from the left taking issue with me. That is well and good, the whole idea behind my essay, and indeed this blog, is to post my beliefs and thoughts and to engender argument from those opposed to my ideas. To this extent I have, at long last, succeeded. The intellectual battle is thus joined.

From the left comes the argument that America and American style democracy is a failure because of Abu Ghraib, Gitmo, sending and the evidence that proves this was supplied by by none other than one George Soros:

"After an introduction by Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, billionaire financier George Soros told left-wing activists at a Washington function today the Abu Ghraib prison abuse scandal in Iraq is comparable to the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the United States."

Also:

"In January, Soros told an audience at the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace no less than the future of the planet hinges on the results of the presidential election.

"I'm ready to put my money where my mouth is," he said. "2004 is not an ordinary election. It's a referendum on the Bush doctrine. The future of the world hangs in the balance."

Uhhh, George, you lost. America voted for Bush and by extension, the War on Terrorists.

Yeppers, a true moral equivalence. What's the problem with the left, and please note, I'm not talking about Democrats, I'm not talking about liberals or progressives, I'm talking about the left, the hard core those who are so intellectually dishonest that they cannot tell the difference between abuse of prisoners (which has happened, only a person with their brain disengaged could say it didn't) and the stoning of gay folk, the execution by beheading of prisoners, the beating of women for a myriad of reasons, the imprisonment and sometimes execution of Christians in Saudi Arabia, the enslavery, torture (the real thing, not just abusive treatment), and execution of animists in Sudan. These are not equal behaviors.

I'm sure this post will bring out those who argue that we have failed of our promise. But war, and here we didn't start this war, is an awful thing. Bad things happen in war. We know this, any intellectually honest person knows this. Yet, we also give Quran's to our muslim prisoners. Do you honestly believe that Al Qaeda gives bibles to those they have captured. Do you think that those captured by the islamists in Iraq have access to legal cousel or courts? Do you honestly believe that their actions are the equivalent of ours?

This is the framework of the radical left. The left with an agenda. The agenda is simple, express outrage in logical and seemingly intelligent terms and decrease the effectiveness in the war on terrorists. Enlist Muslims in the condemnation of the trashing of the Quran and ask for more "sensitivity" in understanding the islamo-fascist. Don't believe me, how about "QURAN DESECRATION:
Far Worse than Abu Ghraib" by M.A. Muqtedar Kahn here.

The truth about Abu Ghraib is bad enough, in fact, it's sickening that American Soldiers could stoop so low. But the facts are also that those involved were also being investigated before the scandle broke, that charges were filed and courts martial were scheduled. Do those proposing a moral equivalence purport to tell us that the islamo-fascists would have done the same to those who beheaded helpless prisoners? I don't think so.

A friend recently sent me an e-mail that speaks to the differences between how we specifically and the west in general treat muslims and how we in turn are perceived by those self same muslims:

"Running the risk of sounding like one of those weird "conspiracy theorists," I must say that I do firmly believe that there is a very sophisticated, multi-faceted program to in time, supplant western culture (e.g., Christianity) with Islam. Remember, Islam is not "just" a religion; it is also a political power structure. When I say multi-faceted, I am saying that there is a concerted effort under foot to dismantle western culture, simultaneously, on several fronts. Farakan is working overtime to convert increasing numbers of African Americans, CAIR is working to indoctrinate school children through their programs of providing "free literature" and guest speakers to our public schools, more and more Muslims are becoming school teachrers, the Saudi government funds Madrassas almost exclusively, there are increasing numbers of mosques going up throughout US cities, there is a massive effort to garner political support for Islam within the Congress (Conyers), and through the ACLU and CCR lobbies, much effort is being placed on having Christians denounced as part of a "hate campaign" against the "tolerant" faith of Islam. MY concern is that this is working all too well, most Americans are not paying attention, and then what causes my deepest level of concern is that "they" are using "our" constitution to achieve their goals.

I am not advocating any kind of red-neck hoe-down here . . . but I am saying that if the various investigative agencies of the U. S. government aren't looking carefully enough, we will soon see [radical-Wahabbi] mosques spewing their filth to the direct and long term detriment to American culture. It is already in full swing in Europe; we are next. I recently read an article where a Swedish teenaged girl was found guilty of being "insensitive" to minorities for (are you ready) wearing a small symbol the the national ensign. So you see, in some western countries, citizens are not even permitted to display national pride because it offends minority sensitivities. Could that happen here? It already does, in terms of the so-called "hate" crimes where even speaking truth can lead to lawsuits. One lady author living in NYC was recently indicted in Italy for publishing a book that speaks the truth about Islam, and Italian Muslims filed a criminal complaint.

One person with whom I correspond, he is Greek American who lives in NYC, told me not long ago that he fully expects American cities will look similar to Beruit within another generation or so. I hope he is wrong, but I fear that he is not. I think my underlying concern is that the longer we wait to confront "the enemy within," the more difficult it will be to sort things out in defense of the American way.

The American way -- where foreigners are welcomed to our shores with the expectation that they will embrace us, learn our language, educate their children, work hard, serve America when it is necessary, and take their places by our side. Muslims are being told to do just the opposite -- "remain apart, trust Christians not, do not offer a helping hand, even when they do good things for you, use the infidel's system against the infidel," and that kind of sh**. And, of course, dumb asses that we are, we do not perceive any of this as being a problem."

Now I know that there will be some who decry this kind of language, but will also use equally intemperate language, indeed perhaps worse, to describe the author of the e-mail. Some of the terms I have been called in various forums are not to be believed (well, if you read DU, you can believe it).

An Arab who is also a Christian states it fairly well:

"The following is my analysis of Islamic invasion of America, the agenda of Islamists and visible methods to take over America by the year 2020! Will Americans continue to sleep through this invasion as they did when we were attacked on 9/11?

1) Terminate America’s freedom of speech by replacing it with hate crime bills state-wide and nation-wide.

2) Wage a war of words using black leaders like Louis Farrakhan, Rev. Jesse Jackson and other visible religious personalities to promote Islam as the original African-American’s religion while Christianity is for the whites! Strange enough, no one tells the African-Americans that it was the Arab Muslims who captured them and sold them as slaves, neither the fact that in Arabic the word for black and slave is the same, “Abed.�

3) Engage the American public in dialogues, discussions, debates in colleges, universities, public libraries, radio, TV, churches and mosques on the virtues of Islam. Proclaim how it is historically another religion like Judaism and Christianity with the same monotheistic faith.

4) Nominate Muslim sympathizers to political office for favorable legislation to Islam and support potential sympathizers by block voting.

5) Take control of as much of Hollywood, the press, TV, radio and the internet by buying the corporations or a controlling stock.

6) Yield to the fear of imminent shut-off of the lifeblood of America – the black gold. America’s economy depends on oil, (1000 products are derived from oil), so does its personal and industrial transportation and manufacturing -41% comes from the Middle East.

7) Yell, “foul, out-of-context, personal interpretation, hate crime, Zionist, un-American, inaccurate interpretation of the Quran� anytime Islam is criticized or the Quran is analyzed in the public arena.

8) Encourage Muslims to penetrate the White House, specifically with Islamists who can articulate a marvelous and peaceful picture of Islam. Acquire government positions, get membership in local school boards. Train Muslims as medical doctors to dominate the medical field, research and pharmaceutical companies. Take over the computer industry. Establish Middle Eastern restaurants throughout the U.S. to connect planners of Islamization in a discreet way. Ever notice how numerous Muslim doctors in America are, when their countries need them more desperately than America?

9) Accelerate Islamic demographic growth via:
Massive immigration (100,000 annually since 1961) No birth control whatsoever – every baby of Muslim parents is automatically a Muslim and cannot choose another religion later. Muslim men must marry American women and Islamize them (10,000 annually). Then divorce them and remarry every five years – since one cannot have the Muslim legal permission to marry four at one time. This is a legal solution in America. Convert angry, alienated black inmates and turn them into militants (so far 2000 released inmates have joined Al Qaida world-wide). Only a few have been captured in Afghanistan and on American soil. So far – sleeping cells!

10) Reading, writing, arithmetic and research through the American educational system, mosques and student centers (now 1500) should be sprinkled with dislike of Jews, evangelical Christians and democracy. There are 300 exclusively Muslim schools with loyalty to the Quran, not the U.S. Constitution.

11) Provide very sizeable monetary Muslim grants to colleges and universities in America to establish “Centers for Islamic studies� with Muslim directors to promote Islam in higher education institutions.

12) Let the entire world know through propaganda, speeches, seminars, local and national media that terrorists have high-jacked Islam, not the truth, which is Islam high-jacked the terrorists. Furthermore in January of 2002, Saudi Arabia’s Embassy in Washington mailed 4500 packets of the Quran, videos, promoting Islam to America’s high schools--free. They would never allow us to reciprocate.

13) Appeal to the historically compassionate and sensitive Americans for sympathy and tolerance towards the Muslims in America who are portrayed as mainly immigrants from oppressed countries.

14) Nullify America’s sense of security by manipulating the intelligence community with misinformation. Periodically terrorize Americans of impending attacks on bridges, tunnels, water supplies, airports, apartment buildings and malls. (We have experienced this too often since 9-11.)

15) Form riots and demonstrations in the prison system demanding Islamic Sharia as the way of life, not American’s justice system.

16) Open numerous charities throughout the U.S. but use the funds to support Islamic terrorism with American dollars.

17) Raise interest in Islam on America’s campuses by insisting that freshman take at least one course on Islam. Be sure that the writer is a bonafide American, Christian, scholarly and able to cover up the violence in the Quran and express the peaceful, spiritual and religious aspect only.

18) Unify the numerous Muslim lobbies in Washington, mosques, Islamic student centers, educational organizations, magazines and papers by internet and an annual convention to coordinate plans, propagate the faith and engender news in the media of their visibility.

19) Send intimidating messages and messengers to the outspoken individuals who are critical of Islam and seek to eliminate them by hook or crook.

20) Applaud Muslims as loyal citizens of the US by spotlighting their voting record as the highest percentage of all minority and ethic groups in America.

This site shows a few of the "debates" between the author of the above and Muslim leaders. Yep, Morally Equivalent for sure.

For a last argument, let us return to Jeane J. Kirkpatrick:

"But whenever anyone suggests that the world is dominated by superpower rivalries, they imply that we have some goal other than fostering and preserving a world of independent nations. Otherwise the concept of superpower rivalry makes no sense. But if there is only one power which seeks to undermine and subvert the independence of nations, then there is no question of superpower rivalry, and there isn't even a question of a contest between the United States and that imperialistic power. There is a contest between the imperialistic power and all other countries who desire to preserve their independence.

UPDATE: Babalublog has a terrific post up about the true sense of what a real gulag is. No attempt at moral equivalence here. Good Job Val Prieto. Good damn job!

HTML Now Available For Comments

A worthy political opponent, Randy Paul of Beautiful Horizons has requested that the comment section be allowed to use HTML. As of today, I'll try it for one week. If no major problems, HTML will be allowed in comments until further notice.

Thanks for the suggestion Randy.

Liberals, Progressives, The Left, The Right And The War On Terror - PART I

Authors Note: This will be a multi part series spread over a week or two. Feel free to comment on each section or reserve your comments till the final product. Each part will contain a link to previous parts if you wish to refresh your memory before continuing on.

Sometimes, usually in the wee hours of the morning if I've not gone to bed, or perhaps at "Oh-Dark-Thirty" if I've woken up early I'll pop over to the internet news and read some of my favorite blogs, even before my last cup of decaf if a latenight or my first cup of joe if early awake. And sometimes, I read things like "repugs," "Bushitler" "Moonbats," "wingnut" and I get weary all over again. At other times I read some really far out comments from a (left or right) wingnut and I laugh out loud at the sheer stupidity of the comment.

Folk who would never think to cuss in their homes think nothing of using four letter words in a comment. Folk who are, in their day to day lives thoughtful, introspective, kind, generous etc., become those "repugs" or "demo-RATS on the internet and I wonder what it is that brings out such calumny and vituperation.

The right blames it on the left, the left blames it on the right, the "middle" blames both and no one really is much interested in discourse or even being rational. How silly.

Now, having said all of the above, I'm going to try to set out in a rational manner my thoughts on Liberals, Progressives, The Left and the War On Terror. "Wait Roper, you are a conservative, you don't know anything about the left, how the heck can you possibly say anything without it being some kind of repug rant?"

Good question, and I'm going to try really hard not to rant, but to give a perspective of a thinking conservative. I think then, that after you've read my little essay and you wish to comment, please feel free to do so, but do so thoughtfully without any vituperation, calumny, ad hominem attacks or cursing. Especially no cursing.

Let's begin with a few definitions shall we? (NOTE: All definitions are taken from The Oxford Concise Dictionary of Politics, Oxford University Press, 2nd Edition; 2003.) First, liberal.

"In general, the belief that it is the aim of politics to preserve individual rights and to maximize freedom of choice. In common with "socialism" and "conservatism," it emerged from the conjnction of the "Enlightenment, the industrial revolution and the political revolutions of the seventeenth and eighteen centuries. Liberalism retains a faith in the possibiliteies of improvement in present social conditions, which is related to the idea of progress..."

The term is used most often by the right as a slur; someone who is just to the right of Joseph Stalin perhaps, or worse, an out and out "stalinist," but this is a "new" definition of "liberal" one used to castigate "tax and spend" Democrats in the middle of the 20th century through the elections, at least, of 1988 when Dukakis was running.

The term Progressive is defined as:

"An amorphous, cross-party tendency towards economic and political reform prevalent in the United States especially from 1896 to 1916.

it is difficult to place progressives on a conventional left-right spectrum. Whilst they were committed to reform they were also, in a sense, deeply conservative. They harked back to an alleged golden agae in American history - one of small farms, small towns, and small businesses where ther was opportunity for all and where self-government was a reality."

Today, too often, a person adopts the them progressive, as in "I'm a Progressive," because the right was so successful in casting the term liberal as a putdown and the modern "progressive" doesn't want to be tarred with the "liberal" lable but they still want to uphold what they consider to be modern liberal cant.

Leftist is a little harder to pin down:

"In political terms, now indicative of the radical or progressive socialist spectrum, but originally literally a spatial term.

What it is to be 'left(-wing)' varies so much over space or time that a definition is very difficult, but the following issue oreintations would normally be involved: egalitarianism, support for the (organized) working class, support for nationalization of industry, hostility to marks of hierarchy, opposition to nationalistic foreign or defence policy. 'Left' is used to distinguish positions within parties as well as among them. A left wing socialist is one who takes extreme positions on (some of) the items on the list.

When folk speak of the "hard left" this is what they are thinking of. Not necessarily "within parties" as much as a dividing line between Liberal Democrats and Democrats in left field so to speak. Of couse, this asks a question: Are there liberal Republicans and is there a "left-wing" of the Republican Party. The answer is of course, both parties are relatively "big tents" although certain political beliefs will get you disdained in both parties. Pro-Life Democrats for example, McCain-Finegold supporters in the Republicans.

Middle of the road or "moderates" really aren't anything. They have few or no core values, waffle on many if not most issues, are used by the "opposite party" as an example to hold up to the more committed members of the opposition and are generally talked about in fairly glowing terms, but are fairly despised by both ends of the political spectrum.

Conservatives are equally hard to pin down as a political force. There is the favored picture of the conservative by the far left as (in one of my favorite phrases) "Knuckle Dragging Neanderthals" or the somewhat less acceptable "Wingnut" and a few others. Conservatives may have some libertarian leanings but are not libertarians. Libertarians are not conservatives by any stretch. Conservativism is then:

"In general terms a political philosophy which aspires to the preservation of what is thought to be the best in established society, and opposes radical change.

Mannheim*, faced with the considerable differences between Continental and English traditions of conservatism, concluded that the drive behind conservatism was a 'universal psychic inclination' towards traditionalism, the doctrinal form that expressed this inclination differeing between contexts. But he does detect a common negative strand to all conservatism, a critical response to 'natural law thinking'. Conservative ideas are, thus, more genuine and profound than many critics suggest..."

* Mannheim, Karl (1893-1947) hungarian sociologist.

PART II will begin an examination of the interactions between left, right and the War on Terror

Welcome to a New Author

Woody and I have decided to clone the best parts of ourselves and combine talents in some posts. These will be authored by GM&Woody. Obviously a collaberative effort. Woodword & Bernstein look out... there's a new kid on the block!

Chris Muir strikes STRIKES AGAIN

As Professor Reynolds would say: "Heh!"

Gulags, American Gulags?

Dear Amnesty International:

The other day you released your report and one of the YOUR staff noted that the Guantanamo detention facility was "the gulag of our time."

This set me to thinking about a myriad of possibilities regarding gulags/detention facilities/prisons. I'm left with two possibilities: (1) Either your idiotarian staff doesn't know what a gulag is, how it operates, what the political ramifications of a system of government that establishes and supports gulags is; or (2) See Number 1.

Let's refresh our memories shall we? Gulags were established in the Soviet Union for the sole purpose of housing and working to death political prisoners. The conditions were abominable and few received quality medical care, good and plentiful food, religious tracts, bibles or korans.

Gitmo on the other hand houses primarily illegal combatants, those individuals who in mistaken zealousness and loyalty to a perversion of religious belief have taken up arms against civilization. They do not have the rights of Prisoners of War, they could have been summarily tried and shot under the auspices of the Geneva Convention and under our own Supreme Court Rulings on illegal combatants.

The islamo-fascists housed at Gitmo would take your staff member and cut her head off without a moment's hesitation, unless she submitted to Islam. They are murderous thugs, nothing more, nothing less.

Some of them have probably been abused, people in the service are angry at them. That is not right, but it is understandable. When those individuals are caught in unwarranted and illegal behavior they are punished by the provisions of the UCMJ.

One last word, actually perhaps a thousand words is this:

Blog Giant - Interview with Michael J. Totten

Few have influenced (positively in the widest possible sense) the blogosphere as has one of my most important influences - Michael J. Totten. Michael is difficult to pin down in terms of his interests. He is a traveler, an author, a blogger, a reporter, a photographer (and photoshopper) family man and a friend.

In the Summer of ’02 I was going through a number of newspapers on the internet, the NYTimes, Washington Post, Washington Times, Los Angeles Times, Chicago Sun-Times, and a few smaller, less well known papers, McAllen Monitor, Arkansas Democrat Gazette checking on the war in Afghanistan, catching up on news, reading opinion, jotting entries into several online-forums.

This was my early morning routine, read current affairs, make comments in forums from time to time, subscribe to a couple of online journals/magazines (National Review Online, Weekly Standard, The Hill etc) and I even clicked on to Drudge to check out his take and to click on some of my favorite columnists.

I would print out Best of the Web, maybe an Opinion Journal editorial or two from the day before and read them while sipping coffee on the patio.

Little did I know that I would soon discover the world of blogs. One of the first was, of course, Glen Reynolds, author of Instapundit, and from time to time, I’d click on a link read and perhaps linger a while on a fairly large variety of news sources, opinion sources and increasingly, blogs. One day, I clicked on a link somewhere, on some site and ended up at Michael Totten's Blog Don’t remember where I was when I found it, but I did! This was somewhere near the end of ‘03, beginning of ’04 and the world (mine at least) shifted to a whole new reality, a new frame of reference.

Here is this guy Michael J. Totten, a liberal mugged by 9-11 supporting the WOT and Bush and Co.’s efforts in Afghanistan and Iraq. Not only that, but this guy is absolutely doing it in a professional manner. This was new to me. Being a frequenter of the Washington Post’s news forum I got occasionally disgusted with left and right wing rants, ad homonym attacks on each other and other sometimes tiring techniques of argument not resolving anything (and yes, I was occasionally guilty of the same things I tired of). In short, the forums were getting boring, and sophistic.

Over the next several months, I left the news papers and began reading blogs, all kinds of blogs. Left, right, centrist, lib, commie-hippie-pinko, Democratic supporters, Republican supporters, middle of the road supporters. Sheesh, you name it, I read it. But I almost always started my day with Michael Totten’s blog to find out what was what. I started reading his articles on Tech-Central-Station and spread around to other blogs such as Kaus Files, Powerline, Roger L. Simon, and Polipundit

I would occasionally post a comment or two, usually fairly innocuous in nature as this was a new medium for me and I felt a little uncomfortable and unsure of myself. Responses from Michael or other commenters were usually polite (well, Michael was always polite). Then I sent him an e-mail about something he stated in a post and lo and behold, I got an answer back. Wow, what a new experience.

One morning in the early part of ’04, Michael suggested to his readers that they try a new blog by a friend of his, Marc Cooper. I did and found a “progressive� site that wasn’t afraid to call a spade a spade and point out the perceived flaws in both the left and right. I became a regular commenter at Cooper’s site, but still Michael was my morning “fix.�

Then, in October of ‘04 I started blogging myself at the encouragement of Cooper, a decision that I have yet to regret. A little over two months ago, I contacted Michael and asked him about doing profile/interview of him and he agreed.

Me, doing a profile on one of my blog heroes? Oh boy, was this going to be something. Michael and I corresponded a while and I sent him questions to ponder and answer. Then, things started heating up in Lebanon and Michael e-mailed me saying that our “project� might be delayed. “Uh Oh� I thought, there it goes down the tubes.

I followed Michael’s postings from Lebanon and was increasingly glad that he had gone. His posts described a Cedar Revolution not found in the MSM. Insights based on direct observations and conversations with Lebanese, photographs of rallies, of people, families, children, a country in the throes of discovering its power.

As you all know, Michael made it back, safe and sound and his articles on the Cedar Revolution are must reads.

Through Michael, I’ve met, corresponded with, linked to and enjoyed many, many others. I’ve also made a friend. So, without further ado, here is Michael in his own words, with occasional comment from yours truly.

I Googled Michael J. Totten and got over 75,100 hits in less than one second. How does that make you feel knowing there are that many mentions of you on the net?[addendum, today's Google produced 220,000 google "hits."]

It’s kind of shocking, really. That’s a pretty big number. But the shock is lessened somewhat when I realize lots of those search hits are my own blog posts. I haven’t been quoted by 75,000 different people.

[Michael is, I think being quite modest. Though he undoubtedly is correct that a lot of those “hits� are indeed his own posts, he would have to be far more prolific than he is to even have 20,000 items up there. So, that leaves, by this writing more than 200,000 different mentions on a google search… nice try Michael, but there is no need to be modest about this statistic - you done good!]

You grew up in Oregon. What was it like to grow up in one of the more liberal places in America?

Oregon isn’t liberal, it has a few liberal cities in it. Oregon isn’t really even a place. It’s a geographic abstraction with a government. The borders don’t make any sense.

Let me explain. Portland - Oregon’s largest city - runs right up to the Washington state line. Some of our suburbs are actually inside Washington. If you drive north across that border you’ll eventually reach Seattle and Vancouver, British Columbia. Not only will you cross a state border if you drive five hours north, you’ll cross an international border. And yet you’ll remain within the same Pacific Northwest cultural region even after you’ve cleared customs.
But if you drive only an hour and a half to the east you’ll be in the desert. It’s cowboy country out there. And I mean real-deal cowboys, not wannabe urban guys with boots and a hat. Go to southeast Oregon and you’ll find not hipsters, hippies, and latte-sipping city boys like me. You’ll find people who came here from the Basque country in Spain. They spend all day silently herding scrub-grazing cattle by themselves. Believe me, Oregon’s desert country isn’t liberal or left. It is radically libertarian. I enjoy hanging out there because to me it’s foreign, exotic. It’s hard to believe the people out there are my fellow Oregonians, but they are. Portland really does have more in common with the Canadian city a few hours north.

Salem, the state capital where I grew up, is more like a small version of Des Moines, Iowa, than it is like Portland, Seattle, Vancouver B.C., or the high desert. It’s a boring, conservative, provincial government town.

To get back to your question, I didn’t grow up in liberal Oregon. I grew up in conservative Oregon. And I’m glad I no longer live there. It’s a cultural and intellectual void. If you want to watch a foreign film in the theater, let alone the opera, you have to drive to Portland or fly to San Francisco – except that you can’t fly anywhere from Salem, so never mind. If you’re into anything even remotely out of the ordinary (writing, art, dance, photography, or even physics) you’ll have a hell of a time finding anyone in Salem you can relate to. If you are able to find such a person, it’s almost guaranteed they’ll be planning an escape from the city.

I may not toe the liberal line in politics anymore, but I don’t think I could live in a so-called “red� part of the country either unless it’s a blue city in a red state. I need the cultural and urban amenities that liberals and leftists create.

[I think Michael is mistaken about creativity and varied interests in conservative places, but that is perhaps because his interests are not the interests of many conservatives. If you ask most people what they think is Oregon's political leanings, they will answer "liberal" but Michael is perhaps right in declaring a "state" not liberal, though the majority of the people are - folks in the high desert, Salem etc not-with-standing]

Last year as part of a discussion on Hugo Chavez at Daily Thoughts you were quoted from your blog entry here: "Boy did I goof that one. ... Venezuela is now the closest thing Latin America has to a dictatorship outside Cuba."

Any others you now believed you goofed on? What should the US do about Chavez, if anything.

I’ve goofed on lots of my political opinions. And all my previously wrong opinions were liberal or leftist. That’s not because liberal ideas are more likely to be wrong than conservative ideas, but rather because I’ve hardly ever had any conservative opinions in the first place that I could later backtrack on.

I once was a pacifist, but I no longer am. I used to think affirmative action was a good idea, but I’ve been against that for about ten years now. Until 2001 or so I was part of the anti-globalization crowd, but I’ve walked away from them since then. Until rather recently I didn’t understand the pro-globalization side of the argument. I do now, but I also think globalization’s cheerleaders are too dismissive of people who point out the very real dark side of the process. Globalization really does smash some people. Look at Flint, Michigan. You don’t have to be a Michael Moore groupie to see that what happened to Flint is a catastrophe.

I have backtracked on two previously conservative opinions that I held when I was a teenager: I used to think gay marriage and abortion should be illegal. I no longer do.

You have traveled extensively, last year blogging from North Africa notably from Libya. Libya is an acknowledged police state. Were you at any time concerned about your safety, any time a little bit paranoid about who may be near you listening in?

I never felt even remotely threatened. One Libyan at an archeological site insisted no one would dare bother or harass foreign guests in any way. On the off-chance anyone does bother me, he said, just yell and everyone within ear- and eye-shot will come to my rescue. I believed him. I walked through some creepy-looking Tripoli neighborhoods, and I smiled at people to make myself feel better. They always smiled back, and their smiles were always warm, soft, and innocent. You have to understand – Muslim countries are the safest places in the world you can visit, as long as they aren’t currently war zones. Baghdad isn’t safe, but that’s because it’s a war zone not because it’s Islamic or because it’s a dictatorship. The only sort of harassment you’ll get in a place like Marrakech is a carpet tout who won’t take ‘no’ for an answer. The biggest problem I had with people in Tunisia was that the locals kept insisting I have tea with them when I had somewhere I wanted to go.

Libya is a total surveillance police state. I did feel constantly watched. That’s because I was constantly watched – by my guides, the ubiquitous soldiers, and the not-at-all secret police in the hotel lobbies. But everyone is so nice it takes a bit of the edge off. I did have to keep my mouth shut, and I didn’t dare tell anyone I was going to write about the place. I only took notes in my hotel room. But I wouldn’t say it was scary. I just had to be careful and quiet.

Guatemala is definitely sketchier, and it’s a free country. Lots of tourists go there.

In December of 2003 Randy Paul of Beautiful Horizons posted on human rights. The conversation between the two of you was both enlightening and at the same time maddening. Do you suppose that most of the left will ever stop demanding perfection in their enemies and shrug off imperfection in their own? You can turn that question around for the right as well.

I like Randy Paul and I don’t want to knock him around even though I do sometimes argue with him. One reason I argue with him is because he’s an eminently reasonable, as well as intelligent, person.

I don’t think the “left� or the “right� really demand perfection from people on the other side of the political divide. Randy Paul is a mainstream Democrat. So if someone were to meet his idea of perfection that person wouldn’t be a Republican in the first place. Same goes for anyone who fits Sean Hannity’s idea of perfection. People are just more likely to criticize those on the other side than those on their own side because that’s how partisan politics plays out. It’s hard for a Democrat to admit George W. Bush might be right about anything, partly because they want to defeat George W. Bush. Saying “Bush was right� is counterproductive. It’s giving “ammunition to the enemy.�

It’s exactly the same on the right. Bill Clinton said and did plenty of things that would have warmed the hearts of conservatives if George W. Bush had said or done them instead. (Signing NAFTA, reforming welfare, expanding the so-called “War on Drugs� to Colombia, etc.) But he was a Democrat. So instead of saying “good on him� the leading lights of the Republican Party seethed, whined, and lost elections instead.

Yours was one of the very first blogs I ever read and for a long time you were my first read of the morning. You introduced me to your friend Marc Cooper and - whether you know it or not - your example and Marc’s push started me blogging. Why do YOU blog? You are/were a successful writer in many ways and blogging is essentially NOT a money making business - though some like Instapundit make a small fortune I’m sure.

First of all, thanks. I’m happy to hear I inspired anyone to do anything. And I’m not at all surprised Marc Cooper pushed you to blog even though he thinks you’re wrong about almost everything. That’s the kind of guy Marc is.

The reason I started blogging is because I worked in the high tech industry and wanted a writing career instead. I felt like I was wasting away in tech. The money was good, but I spent almost my entire adulthood studying writing, history, and literature. A blog seemed like the best way to build a little name-recognition and hopefully get some paid work on the side. It worked, too. I have been out of the tech industry for a year now. I took a gigantic pay cut, but I am able to cobble together a living from various freelance and part-time writing and editing gigs. Every single person who hired me since I lost my tech job started out as one of my blog readers. If I didn’t first have a blog I wouldn’t have any of the writing and editing work I have now.

I also blog because it’s fun and the feedback is great. I still get some feedback from readers when I publish articles elsewhere. But both the quantity and the quality is less than what I get on the blog.

Another reason I started a blog is simply because I read blogs and thought: I could do that.

[I should note that Marc Cooper does indeed think I'm wrong on just about everything. That's OK, I love the guy anyway and he has every right to be wrong.]

Yours is one of the most well-read blogs, with over 1.5 million visitors and more than 2 million page views. That is quite an accomplishment. Does that stroke your ego, or is it just another accolade?

It does stroke my ego. At the same time, it’s humbling. Instapundit and Atrios are kicking my butt.

[I should note that quantity does not equate to quality. Reynolds writes some really excellent stuff at Tech-Central-Station but his blog is not a lot of him, it is a lot of reporting what others are saying/thinking/doing and usually a brief opinion such as "Indeed!" or "Heh!" Both of which I love to see. Atrios on the other hand is also well read, but well, what can I say about an uber-liberal?]

Update: Welcome readers from Michael Totten's blog. Michael states that I'm being too generous. Au Contraire, I don't think I was generous enough. If you agree with me, please leave a comment. If you disagree, please leave a comment.

Continue reading "Blog Giant - Interview with Michael J. Totten"

Posted by GM Roper at 05:21 PM | Comments (13) | TrackBack (1)

"Deep Throat" Identified - G.M. Roper Cleared

In a surprise announcement, it was revealed that the Woodward & Bernstein source for Watergate and Nixon was not G.M. Roper. This ends years of speculation and denial from a nondescript mental health counselor and university instructor--formerly accused of being the behind the scenes political operative that brought down the Nixon White House.

After hearing the news, Roper said,

This is a weight off of my shoulders. Sure I had issues with Nixon, like the time he put in the wage freeze right before my 90-day performance review, but I remained loyal. My main beef was with Nixon's pal Bebe Rebozo, who tried to protect his friend by fingering me for breaking into the office of the psychiatrist treating Nixon enemy Daniel Ellsberg, when I was really only working on my Master's thesis covering the psychological trauma from certain military service. Then Nixon's buddy and campaign contributor Robert Vesco hid over $200 million in a bank in the Caribbean, and I was supposed to get some of that to help this guy in Nigeria get his dead uncle's millions out of that country. I understand that he is now contacting others for that purpose--cutting me out of the deal. My recent trip to the islands to find Vesco's loot still came up empty, and Castro won't let me into Cuba to see him. Other than those things, there was no reason for me to create a constitutional crisis. The country was running fine.

GM continued in an "off-the-record" remark,

People only think this Felt guy is the real Deep Throat. I mean, isn't that a little hard to swallow?

In his ever helpful way, Roper referred the reporters to G. Gordon Liddy, whom he claimed to have never met despite photographs of them together in a Texas bar, where they were detained for groping the buttocks of the waitresses. To deflect attention from himself, Roper tried to drag in a totally innocent person by saying, "If you ask me, you need to follow the trail to Woody. He's the one who met Nixon."

An anonymous source revealed that conspiracy theorists (to maintain their anonymity we'll call them steve and reg) think this announcement may be planned to get investigative reporters off the trail of Roper. Because there is no evidence of Roper being the real Deep Throat, they took a page from former Speaker Tom Foley who, in investigating a non-existent October surprise by Ronald Reagan and George Bush, issued a release stating that Congress needed to investigate precisely because there wasn't any evidence to substantiate the allegation. However, most wackos are going to move on.

The family of Felt has come out calling him a hero and letting him bask in the media glory. A family spokesman said,

Our relative took brave actions. He broke the law by releasing information from confidential FBI files and by failing to report possible crimes to a prosecutor. Because of him, Gerald Ford became President and it boosted the career of Chevy Chase, who then had a new falling-down act. Also, it set the stage for Jimmy Carter to become President--teaching Americans toughness and patience with double digit inflation, interest rates, and unemployment--not to mention teaching them humility by allowing our embassy personnel to be held captive in Iran for 444 days, which also launched ABC's Nightline with Ted Koppel.

If there's a lesson here, it's this--if you break the law, wait until you're in your nineties to confess so that if they sentence you to life in prison then you get a big laugh.

With that, the proud, but laughing, family members elbowed each other in the ribs and retired into the house to share the watermelon and beer sent courtesy of the Washington Post.
________________

As the story actually unfolded, a report by Vanity Fair revealed that the secret source for the Washington Post was W. Mark Felt, former assistant director of the FBI during the Nixon administration. Not said, but certainly can be assumed, is that Felt, who "felt" (ha ha) that he deserved to be Director of the FBI after Hoover, took exception to Nixon passing over him and selecting an outsider for that position--so, why not get revenge by undermining the leader of your country?

Word from the world of mass media has people praising Felt and calling on others to follow his example. In today's Huffington Post, Arianna (associated with illegal immigration hiring practices) writes:

Like the rest of the journalistic world, the Huffington Post is buzzing over the revelation of Deep Throat’s identity -- including posts from Nora Ephron, Paul Krassner, Harry Shearer, Bill Diamond and Rep. John Conyers, who hopes that Mark Felt’s example will inspire current Washington insiders to similar acts of courage and patriotism.

Now, I don't know about you, but I think it's a little strange that a currently serving member of the House of Representatives, Rep. John Conyers, is calling for other Americans to break the law. Of course, it's for a good cause--his. In his post, he wrote:

I am thrilled that Mark Felt came forward today to teach this generation a thing or two about responsibility and accountability.

Really?

So, the next time you see or suspect a crime being committed, don't call the police or report it. Take matters into your own hands. Cause pain to the perpetrator or, at least, pay him back on the sly when you can. The media will love you for it.

Note: Some of the above is a parody. We expect you to be able to tell what part is and what part is not. Any use of names and descriptions of their actions is purely in fun and is not meant to represent anything that actually happened. Isn't it a shame that I have to write this so that people don't get upset or offended?

WMDs - Who Really Armed Iraq

Ian Wishart is an investigative journalist who has written a magazine article "PROJECT BABYLON: WHO ARMED IRAQ?" I found this while skimming the internet this morning and in the process of seeing who was saying what, I came across Cao's Blog with this interesting article. You really need to read the whole thing.

It is interesting to read across the blogosphere the attempts of the left to blame the second Iraq war (which is really only a continuation of the first - given the UN mandates) on Bush and a cabal of neo-cons who plotted in deep dank dungeons to steal "Iraqi Oil" and to establish a neo-con paradise in the middle east. The attempt goes on with Amnesty International's calling Gitmo "The gulag of our times." What nonsense.

Now, I'll be the very first to admit that I'm absolutely, positively, incontrovertably, convenced that Gitmo is not a place I'd want to spend a vacation in. On the other hand, those stupid enough to follow a perversion of Islam, raise arms against the United States, the World and their fellow Muslims don't get a whole lot of sympathy from me. They could be dead. Yes, that's right. Dead; captured, tried and summarily shot as illegal combatants under the Geneva Conventions.

"But they are being tortured," you cry. Nonsense... you want to read about torture, here, go to the source article from Cao.

Tip of the GM Chapeaux to Cao.