44 South Street: Where common sense is common again.

2006-11-03T09:01:00.000-07:00

Yes, for those who pay ANY attention, I am back. With the election around the corner I have decided to break my self imposed exile from blogging and return home to 44 South Street. Some things have happened since I last posted... To begin with, I was married, to the most amazing woman to ever enter my life. My wonderful wife Victoria and I met on E-harmony...yes it really works. We have been enjoying our honeymoon year by traveling to Jamaica, California, Mexico, Kauai, Colorado (Three times...) and Las Vegas. We now have a little dog, Ginger, who lives with us at our humble abode in Mesa.

The time has gone by so quickly since I last posted, I guess if anyone has any questions, shoot them to me, otherwise I am not going to bore anyone with the details.

As to the coming elections, I am not going to get on my soap-box just yet. Anyone who reads 44 South Street will certainly know that I am going to vote primarily for the GOP. However, I am on the fence about the governor of Arizona, leaning heavily toward Janet Napolitano the current governor and a Democrat.

AMAZING that I would even consider a Demy, esspecially after the way that so many have been behaving recently.

As to the whole John Kerry Issue... this photo says it all:

More to come....

Teddy knows whats going on...

2005-11-21T14:51:00.000-07:00

"In the first place we should insist that if the immigrant who comes here in good faith becomes an American and assimilates himself to us, he shall be treated on an exact equality with everyone else, for it is an outrage to discriminate against any such man because of creed, birthplace or origin. But this is predicated upon the man's becoming in very fact an American, and nothing but an American. There can be no divided allegiance here. Any man who says he is an American, but something else also, isn't an American at all. We have room for but one flag, the American flag, and this excludes the red flag, which symbolizes all wars against liberty and civilization, just as much as it excludes any foreign flag of a nation to which we are hostile. We have room for but one language here, and that is the English language. And we have room for but one sole loyalty and that is a loyalty to the American people."
Theodore Roosevelt 1907

Another brief break

2005-11-10T10:21:00.000-07:00

The Dems won NJ...big suprise? NOT. VA? Not realy, conseratives win in Virginia and the nut job Republlican was beaten by a Blue Dog Dem with solid Conservative values...

Anyway,

Taking another break for wedding and house stuff... Check back after the 30th of November.

GOP in VA "embellishing" the truth, and you thought it was just the Dems?

2005-11-01T09:27:00.000-07:00

Strange things are afoot in the Old Dominion. The Republican Gubinatorial candidate Jerry Kilgore's campaign has decided to take some of Democrat Tim Kaine's words and twist them into a statement that is just ridiculous, but also a downright falsification of what Governor Kaine ACTUALLY said.

Readers may know that I am a strong supporter of many GOP candidates, and having called Staunton, Virginia home for many years, I am very fond of the Commonwealth that gave us Washington, Jefferson, Madison and Lee, just to name a few. I am also, however, a strong supporter of the truth. Factcheck.org has a terrific piece that chronicles the GOP's underhanded and nasty mis-representation of an interview Mr.Kaine gave to the Richmond Times Dispatch regarding his view on the Death Penalty.

Mr. Kilgore's campaign has taken governor Kaine's interview and made it sound as though he would not support the death penalty for Hitler, Stalin or Edi Amin.... nothing could be farther from the truth. In the ACTUAL interview, Mr. Kaine states that they: "may deserve the death penalty" for their actions. He goes on to state the reason why he is against the death penalty, as well as abortion is due to his Catholic faith. The GOP candidate is not going after the faith, but is certainly trying to make the case that a Governor Kaine would not enforce Virginia's death penalty. Mr. Kaine has stated repeatedly that he would enforce the laws of the Commonwealth.

Whether a Republican or Democrat, these types of false charges ought to make you angry. A party that will do anything to win deserves to lose, period. Although I do not agree with many of Mr. Kaine's positiotns, I will not support any candidate that mis-uses information to win an election. If Mr. Kilgore can not defeat Mr. Kaine on the issues and needs to resort to smear tactics that FALSELY ACCUSE HIM OF SOMETHING, then no right thinking person with any modicum of common sense should support that candidate.

We are used to hearing about the Democrat's use of some of these tactics, and they appear to have the corner on taking statements out of context and using them against the GOP in many cases...but this is an example of one that is abhorrent, and it is not the only example.

If you are a Republican, and you somehow thought: "We don't do that!", THINK AGAIN. Although the GOP may have many issues I fall in line with, and the Democrats have fewer and fewer and fewer, we must stand up for the truth at all costs or risk losing our Republic to a mass of heresy, lies and propaganda from both sides.

Stand up and be counted, and write to Jerry Kilgore's campaign to tell them to STOP THIS AD NOW! Win with truth, or lose with the truth. Your honor and integrity demand it.

Not all Anti-War people are crazies...

2005-10-27T12:52:00.000-07:00

The Paladin Blog has a great and insightful write up of what appears to be a Quaker peace rally. Unlike the nuts that go to the large rallies, the Friends society pays respect to the people who have fallen, keeps politics largely out of it, and simply wants to remind people that war is a nasty and awful thing.

I think a great deal more of us who are in the pro-war camp would have a lot more respect for those who disagree with the war if they acted more like the people at this rally...

The sickness of the Left.

2005-10-27T12:10:00.000-07:00

Unfortunately, a black Republican need not apply in the eyes of Steve at the News Blog.

Calling the Maryland Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele "Simple Sambo", Steve treats the Lt. governor and candidate for the Senate from Maryland in a manner that is not simply nasty, but despicable. Agree or disagree with Mr. Steele's positions on the issues and his platform, fine. Talk about his abilities and his record, great! To make the remarks he made here... as well as to post the doctored photo that any decent person would REFUSE to post...well, read what he said and decide for yourself what kind of person "Steve" is:

"Ehrlich's people are already abandoning Simple Sambo. And if he thinks he can win Baltimore and the DC suburbs, he's on crack. Black people will not only not vote for him, but regard him with contempt. When he said it was no big deal that Ehrlich held an event in a restricted country club, he showed himself to be Simple Sambo, untrustworthy and unreliable. Now, his bossman's people look like they're gonna let him sink, not swim.
When your boss's money people are laughing at you in print, well, Simple Sambo has a long way to go."

Disturbing. Nasty. Vile. Sick. Shameful. Unfortunately this is the face of many in the modern left(Not all, THANK GOD!). Compare this with the Al Franken "ad" for his new book on Amazon, and you start to get the sense that the hard left supporters of the Democratic party have run amok in craziness. Where are the Breauxs, Nelsons and Liebermans when you need them?

Boys will be boys....

2005-10-27T09:59:00.000-07:00

A true classic tale of young men and mothers having NO clue about us. Amazing that somethings never change... H/T to Froggyruminations.

New Michael Yon report from the election in Iraq.

2005-10-27T09:45:00.000-07:00

Another wonderful report from Michael Yon. Good to hear the Arizona boys are keeping the faith and th peace over there. Come home safe boys!

Iranian President asking for trouble...

2005-10-27T08:18:00.000-07:00

The Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad called for Israel to be a "disgraceful blot" that should be "wiped off the map" Wednesday. The nations of the EU, the United States, Canada, Australia, and Russia were quick to state their firm belief that Israel's right to exist is not negotiable. However, not every nation was willing to go as far as to expell Iran from the UN based on the comments, as Israel was hoping for.

Words like those uttered by the Iranian President should not be taken lightly. After he was elected, many former hostages claimed that this man was a member of the groups that were overseeing and holding the American diplomats in the embassy back in 1979. The Iranian government dismissed this and stated that the new President was not involved. Whether he was or not, talk like this is not only rep-rehensible, but very dangerous.

As the EU tries to talk Iran out of a nuclear program that is almost certainly bent on creating weapons, the Iranians have been defying the French, German and British diplomats who have been trying to negotiate a fair solution. Simply put, Iran is not to be trusted. If they do aquire weapons grade plutonium and weaponize the material, they will certainly have a weapon in short order. When they have a weapon, would it be odd to think that they would use the weapon against Israel?

Certainly not. In fact Israel would most certainly be their first target. Should Israel sit idly by while an enemy state that has openly called for its destruction? Should Israel consider a pre-emptive strike should Tehran decide to move forward in creating its WMD program?

Add to this the issues facing Syria's connection to the assasination of Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, and the news that Syria is still providing weapons and training to Iraqi terrorists as well as Palestinian terrorists and there are troubling times ahead in the Middle East.

Brazilians reject national Gun ban...

2005-10-24T09:29:00.000-07:00

In a stunning blow to the Brazilian governments efforts to reduce the gun crime through a national ban on firearms and ammunition sales, the people of Brazil voted 64 percent to 36 percent against the ban. When the law was first set to go before the people, it was widely supported (80% of Brazilians initially supported the law.) until the pro-gun forces became organized and started to debate the issue openly on TV and radio. After that, the people of Brazil startged to question whether the government was actually protecting them, or simply looking to pawn blame for the crime problem on guns rather then taking the necessary steps to stop...or at the very least slow down the crime rate.

Brazil has 100 million FEWER citizens the the United States, yet the murder rate is 39,000 people per year, compared with the 30,000 murders that occur in the United States. Additionally, Brazil does not have any Second Amendment, there is no right to keep and bear arms in the nation of 160 million people. The people, however recognized the truth: The governemnt can NEVER protect you all of the time without providing you a personal escort... and I highly doubt any will do that.

Common sense dictates that no government can protect the people, look at New Orleans in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina: people left to fend for themselves. If you really thought that you could rely on the government, Katrina was a lesson in why you can not and should not ever believe that the government will be able to help you. Ultimately, you are responsible for your own safety.

If Brazil wants to lower its crime rate it should enforce laws, slow drug trafficing and enforce its borders first...not take away its citizens right to self-preservation.

Iraqi's go to the polls.

2005-10-17T11:12:00.000-07:00

The historic voting for the constitution in Iraq has, by most accounts, been a great success. Whether od not the Constitution is adopted by the weary people of Iraq will be up to them, not the Coalition and this is the most important facet of the election that has taken place.

While I cheer the elections occurance, and hope for the poeple of Iraq that the process will continue to run as smoothly as possible, I am worried for them that there are far too many people willing to start a civil war over the constitutional issue.

The people of Iraq, and the middle East in general are not accustomed to fair elections. Rather, they are accustomed to being told what to do, how to think etc. Although this election opens a historic moment for the people of Iraq and the Middle East, the tensions within and the seemingly obvious fact that those that oppose the constitution are fighting with insurgents in many cases.

Add to this the problems of insurgents form Iran and Syria and Coalition forces with their Iraqi counterparts may have a tough time holding together any new government if civil war does indeed breakout.

Let's all hope that the Iraqi's can pull together behind teh new constitution and take steps within the new guidelines to make changes they feel are necessary. A civil war will do no one any good.

Brief blogging break in progress...

2005-10-12T14:46:00.000-07:00

Taking a break to work on the new house...

The pool....
The back yard and porch....

Michael Yon Update...

2005-10-06T13:12:00.000-07:00

If you have any mis-givings about the success of our troops and the Iraqi forces in Mosul, you NEED to read Michael Yon's latest post. For all of the negative that we hear all of the time, Yon continues to swell me with pride in the amazing job that our troops are doing at helpinbg the Iraqi's to reclaim their nation.

Yon weaves this most recent post telling the tale of the ups and downs of the Iraqi police in Mosul. The story of how much the police have grown is remarkable, and due in large measure to the cooporation between the U.S. forces and the Iraqi commanders who quickly have learned to lead from the front and take decisive action to weed out the enemy within their midst. The Iraqi police have become powerful enough now that they are able to crush the terrorists and kill new cell leaders almost as soon as the old one's have been martyred.

Great work here by Yon... After you read it, take a minute and donate to his next dispatch, $10 is worth it, but give what you can as he is doing this on his own....

The Blue Shirts win, y'otes lose, Yanks lose, but so does BOSTON.

2005-10-06T10:38:00.000-07:00

Just a little bit of the sports scene...

Hockey is back, and the New York Rangers have made me smile... beating the broadstreet bullies...otherwise known as the Flyers in a terrific 5-3 season opening victory. Keep it up Jager, we're gonna need you this year! As for the "yotes here in Phoenix... great rally attempt to come back, but they just played lack luster puck in the 2nd period.

Yankees... Well, the bombers started out strong with a 2-0 lead, but for some insane reason Torre left Wang in after the 5th inning when he was obviusly too tired to keep the sinkers coming hard and true. Low and behold, the Yanks dropped game 2 in Anaheim due to errors from A-rod, Wanf and Cano at 2nd.

On the bright side for the Bombers, Boston lost AGAIN to the Chi-Sox, and with a little luck they'll get thrashed on Friday. In the meantime, I'm rooting for the Frairs/Padres to go the distance, tough call maybe, the the friar's have it in em'.

Crazy-pro terrorist Anti-Semites on the march...

2005-10-05T12:22:00.000-07:00

Some truly amazing pic's...to see some more go to the Zombie Hall of shame... Did any of these people read the same history books that the rest of us have? Wait, have any of them even read the Constitution, Bill of Rights or the Federalist papers?

Is he sucking his thumb???

David Kopel on Miers and the RKBA

2005-10-05T09:48:00.000-07:00

From the Volokh conspiracy, David Kopel on Harriet Miers view of the Second Ammendment and the Right to Keep and Bear Arms:

Miers on the Right to Keep and Bear Arms David Kopel.

The New Republic's fine blog points to a 1992 article she wrote for the Texas Lawyer. In the article, she points to three infamous multiple homicides in Texas: the 1966 Texas Tower Shooting, in which a man climbed the clock tower at the University of Texas, and shot 14 people. (He was finally stopped when two policemen and a civilian rushed the building.) The second was the 1991 Killeen massacre, where a man entered a Luby's Cafeteria, and methodicallyslaughtered 23 unarmed people. (The incident played a major role in Texas rescinding its ban on carrying concealed handguns, and enacting a Shall Issue permit law.) The third incident in Miers' article had taken place recently; a man murdered two judges and two lawyers in a Fort Worth courthouse.
"How does a free society prevent" such crimes, she asked. She then explained:
"The same liberties that ensure a free society make the innocent vulnerable to those who prevent rights and privileges and commit senseless and cruel acts. Those precious liberties include free speech, freedom to assemble, freedom of liberties, access to public places, the right to bear arms and freedom from constant surveillance. We are not willing to sacrifice these rights because of the acts of maniacs."
Miers, however, rejected the notion that "precious liberties", including "the right to bear arms," should be sacrificed in the name of crime prevention. Quite obviously, she was referring to the "right to bear arms" as an individual right.
It's technically possible that she was referring only to the Texas Constitutional arms right, which clearly is individual, rather than to the Second Amendment. However, the context of the quote does not seem so constricted, and even to describe the Texas right a precious liberty says a good deal about Ms. Miers' thinking.
She then explained the true solution to crime:
"We will be successful in solving our massive crime problems only when we attack the root causes....
We all can be active in some way to address the social issues that foster criminal behavior, such as: lack of self-esteem or hope in some segments of our society, poverty, lack of health care (particularly mental health care), lack of education, and family dysfunction."
I agree, and have argued in the Barry Law Review that much-improved pre-school programs for at-risk boys would be far more effective, in the long run, at reducing violent crime than would gun control or even more draconian "conservative" federal criminal laws.
As far as I know, you have to go back to Louis Brandeis to find a Supreme Court nominee whose pre-nomination writing extolled the right of armed self-defense. (I'll fill in the details on him in a subsquent post.) And even Brandeis had not specicially mentioned "the right to bear arms" as one of the "precious liberties" that "We are not willing to sacrifice."
Many web writers have raised legitimate questions about Miers. In terms of the right to arms, however, Americans who love their precious liberties need not hope about the unknown, but need only expect her to be consistent with what she has already said.
UPDATE: Just to clarify a few points: 1. It's possible that some nominee in-between Brandeis and Miers said something nice about the right to arms or self-defense, prior to his or her nomination. As elective candidates, Black, Warren, or O'Connor might be especially likely to have done so. It's just that, among the pro-RKBA community, there are no well-known quotes from them, as there are from Brandeis and Miers. 2. Everybody makes typos, but I agree that the quantity of errors in Miers' short article is troubling. 3. Clearly there were other potential nominees--including Pryor, Brown, and Jones--who have a more established record on the right to arms, and whose record on that issue is clearly part of a coherent judicial philosophy. 4. Given Miers' hero-worship of Bush, it is fair to wonder how often--if ever--she would rule against a position argued by Bush's Solicitor General. The current Bush policy is to defend all federal guns laws (including the D.C. handgun prohibition)--not by denying that the Second Amendment is an individual right, but by arguing that the civil plaintiffs do not have standing to challenge the law unless they are actually criminally prosecuted. That said, Miers is still very likely an improvement over O'Connor, who in United States v. Staples (1994)joined Justice O'Connor's concurrence regarding "the 'widespread lawful gun ownership' Congress and the States have allowed to persist in this country" and "the notable lack of comprehensive regulation." (emphasis added).

David Kopel has long been on the side of the RKBA, and according to this analysis...it looks like we have a winner... at least for those of us who continue to believe Americans have the right to self defense.

Although I remain undecided on Miers, this does push me in her direction... for now.

Will, Stossel and Williams with strong arguments.

2005-10-05T09:07:00.000-07:00

John Stossel has done another masterful job of pointing out the obvious to an oblivious group of people: Politicians. In an article today at Townhall.com, Stossel argues that government, as Reagan once said, IS the problem. If the politicians would only start to listen, maybe the beaurocrats could go away and get real jobs...

Also check out George Will's great piece on Harriet Miers. Although I have yet to make up my mind about whether or not Ms. Miers is a solid choice, Will makes a very strong argument against her and this "conservative" President. I do very much agree with Will's assessment of Mr. Bush as no conservative in most respects: Border security, government spending, bloated bearocracies growing, etc, etc, etc. A must read article.

Walter Williams also had a great warning for Mr. Bush (Can you tell I am losing patience with this President??) regarding how to NOT BECOME a Hurricane enviromentalists...

Sic Semper Tyrannis

Absolutely classic...

2005-10-04T12:29:00.000-07:00

Get your shirt here.

Florida's "Castle" law taking fire from Anti-Gunners...

2005-10-04T09:13:00.000-07:00

In case you have not been watching the news recently, you may be unaware of the many new victories achieved by the NRA and the many proponents of the Second Amendment. In Florida, the law refered to as the "Castle" law was passed. This law eliminated the need for a person to retreat in the face of inherent danger:

"A person has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground
andmeet force with force if the person is in a place where he or she has a right
to be and the force is necessary to prevent death, great bodily harm, or the
commission of a forcible felony..."

In response to this new Law, the Brady Campaign to Prevent Gun Violence decided to scare people visiting the sunshine state. As Sarah Brady states: “We think people visiting Florida should be aware of this law, and act accordingly...Visitors should be very careful about getting into an aggressive argument with anyone during their stay.” The claim is that any confrontation could end in a gun battle, since Floridians who have concealed carry permits have already made a mess of things. The "Wild West that was predicted when the concelaed carry law was passed NEVER came about. In fact, crime has gone down SIGNIFICANTLY since the law was put in place. THe Castl law simply states that you do not have to try and flee first...you have the right to defend yourself and stand your ground.

Maybe I'm just simple, but this law makes sense to me. Why should you EVER have to flee your property when it is being invaded by someone not invited there? As the Florida law states, it is a long tradition in common law that a homeowner has the right to defend their "castle". Untill this law was passed you were mandated, according to the law, to flee your house first, and then if still threatened with violence, to take action to protect yourself.

Now I know that your house can be replaced and is not as precious as you and your family's life. But it is YOUR house and you have the right to be free from terror while there. If someone violates that right and places you in harms way because of THEIR ACTIONS, you ought to have the right to protect yourself, your family and your property.

I guess that people at the Brady Campaign somehow think the police will protect us all....yea, like New Orleans right? Self-reliance is an American trait that the left is slowly trying to destroy. When the police alone are in control of our safety, no one will be safe.

John Lott has some good questions for them as well...
Some places to find information on defensive firearms use.

German election brings more Conservatives in.

2005-10-03T11:57:00.000-07:00

The last of the elections in Germany are now over and the CDU has won another seat, giving thema 4 seat majoirty over Herr Schroeder's SPD. The election in Dresden ushered in another Conservative and perhaps will be enough momentum for a coalition to be formed and a new government installed. More at the Financial Times.

The American Soldier: Kind, thoughtful, generous, tough.

2005-09-29T10:32:00.000-07:00

Michael Yon reports that young Rhama, a girl with a serious heart condition the soldiers of Deuce Four took in, is finally on her way to New Mexico where she will get the medical attention that she needs. It is this kindness that seperates American soldiers from all others. While in a combat zone and often fighting for their lives, these brave American men set aside their time off, money and prayers for a young Iraqi girl.

It is often said that you change the World one person at a time. If this is indeed true, the men of Deuce Four and Michael Yon are only a small cog in the giant wheel that is the effort to stabalize Iraq and provide hope to its people.

While I may not have supported the initial invasion of Iraq, and still have grave mis-givings about the mission there, I am supremely confident that with men like these and their fellow soldiers, Marines, Sailors and Airmen, the people of Iraq are in good hands and will soon solidify the ability to control their own destiny and that of their nation.

May God bless them all, and may our men and women serving in uniform continue to make us all proud to be Americans.

(Question to Mother Sheehan and her ilk...when was the last time YOU did anything remotely as selfless as these AMERICAN SOLDIERS?)

More pictures of the freak show...

2005-09-28T13:39:00.000-07:00

I just can't seem to help myself... the more I see of these people the more I have to laugh... There's more to be seen...and to make you fall over in disbelief at zombietime....

Leave some for later though, too much and you might die laughing...

Yeah... Socialism... Bolsheviks ROCK!
Check these nuts out here. HE, HE HE.

What does it mean to be Canadian today?

2005-09-28T12:29:00.000-07:00

A wonderfully well written and insightful post from the Red Ensign Standard. I came across it at The Last Amazon. To read this makes me wonder if we Americans are not in a very similar situation... albeit not quite as far down the road as our cousins to the North. Although we should all know that the Canadian "model" is where many American liberals are looking, before shouting in protest...PLEASE do your homework. The Canadian bloggers ARE POSTING EVERYDAY TO WARN US WHAT WE COULD FACE...

Now, this wonderful article in its full Tory Glory:

Red Ensign Standard Volume XXVlll

"It’s tradition for the host of the Red Ensign Standard to write a personal introduction but since this is my second time up on deck I thought that I try to write more on a theme instead. I
struggled for the last two weeks trying to define in my mind what a Canadian is in 2005 and still came up with naught. It should be easy, but really isn’t. Since my teenage years, 30 years ago and the rise of Trudeaupia in the land, all discussions of Canadian nationalism begin with defining what we are not, which leaves very little room or inclination for what we are. We are probably the only nation in the world who does this. Can you imagine our American or Mexican neighbors beginning a discussion of American or Mexican nationalism and start by saying; “Well, we aren’t Canadians.” In 2005, we are still struggling with new Canada.
Fifty years ago, school children in Canada could have told you what it means to be a Canadian but the parameters have changed so radically that I fear we are in danger of losing not only our place in the world but our national will. Regionalism threatens all the ties that use to bind us. And sorry, I cannot rally around our healthcare system and do not see waiting patiently in line for years for a hip replacement or an MRI as a value that I want to pass onto my children.
We live in a land whose geography leaves its imprint upon our character early in life, and we were a nation forged and tempered by war; from the Plains of Abraham, to Vimy Ridge, to the beaches of Normandy. Freedom meant something beyond an existential definition which is all the value we place on freedom today. Here’s the new Canada’s truism; I am less free today by law than I was in 1985. In 2005, freedom is now measured by the quantity of law and by-laws that weighs down and restricts our daily existence.
The new Canada denies our warrior past and says we are a nation of peacekeepers with blue helmets. Frankly, I’ll take Vimy Ridge and you can keep Rwanda and the helmets. For there will be no peace to keep if our leaders have lost the will to fight to keep the peace for freedom’s sake.
We claim tolerance as a national virtue and yet we have Hate Speech laws. Tolerance in the New Canada seems to mean; think as I think, do as I do, speak as I speak, rather than allowing individuals the freedom to speak what they think or even reason - if that speech could potentially create division or dissonance in this new Canada. Our national tolerance seems a very shabby fragile thing.
We have embraced the virtues of multi-culturalism so wholeheartedly in this new Canada that when my children claim they are Canadian their teacher’s teach them to call themselves Jamaican-Canadians, and yet, not one of them has ever left to find a home in Jamaica.
In discussions, I have often been told if I do not like this new Canada then I should leave my native land, and go to another where I might feel more comfortable and free, and I would, but the land ties me to it. What is bred in the bone comes out in the flesh and I will not give up this land or my children’s place in it to live freely from sea to shining sea without a fight; against all odds and all comers if need be. That is what defines and makes me a Canadian. And so, I begin the Red Ensign Standard Vol. XXVlll, where my compatriots and friends will have many contrary opinions.

Bravo...

Mayor Koch on Mother Sheehan.

2005-09-28T10:53:00.000-07:00

Ed Koch, the former democratic mayor of New York City has done it again. As ussual, Maor Koch looks beyond party and to the heart of the matter. His insight into "Mother Sheehan" is terrific and if you have been supporting Mrs. Sheehan and her protest movement, you would be wise to read this article as well as information regarding the organizations she has become affiliated with. As a strong and proud democrat, as well as a strong and proud American, Koch continues to be a voice of reason in a political World that is increasingly hostile to common sense. The democratic party under Governor Dean would be wise to take the Mayors advise on Cindy Sheehan: Run, don't walk, in the OPPOSITE DIRECTION OF THIS WOMAN on EVERY ISSUE. Go 'Get EM Mr. Mayor!

An excerpt:
"Many Americans, myself included, now see her as a person who has come to enjoy
the celebratory status accorded to her by the radicals on the extreme left who
see America as the outlaw of the world. These radicals are not content to be
constructive critics. They are bent on destroying this country."

Read the entire article from Newsmax here.

This is the face of the enemy...

2005-09-27T12:45:00.000-07:00

UPDATE II: Has she has completely lost it???

"Casey's Mom" to McCain: "He is a warmonger, and I'm not...I believe this war is not keeping America safer."

"She's entitled to her opinion," McCain said. "We just have fundamental disagreements."

I'll say there are some disagreements there. McCain, whom is my Senator here in AZ was hoodwinked into the meeting by these people based on the mistaken belief that there was an Arizona citizen in the group...nope. They lied about that too. If they want to meet with their Federal representatives taht is great. But to mis-represent where they are from simply to meet with a high profile Senator...only then to call him a "warmonger"... Cindy is coming unhinged, and the left wing freaks that showed up for her little protest are dragging many dems down with them.

PLEASE DEMOCRATS, COME BACK TO US... HELP TO STAND UP TO THESE PEOPLE! WE NEED A LOYAL OPPOSITION, NOT PEOPLE THAT SUPPORT A.N.S.W.E.R. AND THEIR ILK!! SAY SOMETHING!!! PLEASE!

UPDATE I: The Moderate Voice with a terrific look at who these freaks REALLY ARE...

H/T to Steve at Out of the Binjo Ditch Just because he has the "right" does not make this RIGHT.

Walter Williams weighs in on Federal Hurricane relief aid...

2005-09-27T10:53:00.000-07:00

As usual, Walter Williams has added some historical context to the debate raging on Washington over the "General Welfare" clause and whether or not it is "permissible" under the constitution for the Federal government to supply large aid to a state in times of disaster. While we all may agree that it will be necessary to help the people there, the question posed by Dr. Williams is not only appropriate to ask, it is important to ask.

IS IT PERMISSIBLE?

BY WALTER E. WILLIAMS

RELEASE: WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 21, 2005, AND THEREAFTER

Last week, President Bush promised the nation that the federal government will pay for most of the costs of repairing hurricane-ravaged New Orleans, adding, "There is no way to imagine America without New Orleans, and this great city will rise again." There's no question that New Orleans and her sister Gulf Coast cities have been struck with a major disaster, but should our constitution become a part of the disaster? You say, "What do you mean, Williams?" Let's look at it.
In February 1887, President Grover Cleveland, upon vetoing a bill appropriating money to aid drought-stricken farmers in Texas, said, "I find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution, and I do not believe that the power and the duty of the General Government ought to be extended to the relief of individual suffering which is in no manner properly related to the public service or benefit."
President Cleveland added, "The friendliness and charity of our countrymen can always be relied upon to relieve their fellow citizens in misfortune. This has been repeatedly and quite lately demonstrated. Federal aid in such cases encourages the expectation of paternal care on the part of the Government and weakens the sturdiness of our national character, while it prevents the indulgence among our people of that kindly sentiment and conduct which strengthens the bonds of a common brotherhood."
President Cleveland vetoed hundreds of congressional spending measures during his two-term presidency, often saying, "I can find no warrant for such an appropriation in the Constitution." But Cleveland wasn't the only president who failed to see charity as a function of the federal government. In 1854, after vetoing a popular appropriation to assist the mentally ill, President Franklin Pierce said, "I cannot find any authority in the Constitution for public charity." To approve such spending, argued Pierce, "would be contrary to the letter and the spirit of the Constitution and subversive to the whole theory upon which the Union of these States is founded."
In 1796, Rep. William Giles of Virginia condemned a relief measure for fire victims, saying that Congress didn't have a right to "attend to what generosity and humanity require, but to what the Constitution and their duty require." A couple of years earlier, James Madison, the father of our constitution, irate over a $15,000 congressional appropriation to assist some French refugees, said, "I cannot undertake to lay my finger on that article of the Constitution which granted a right to Congress of expending, on objects of benevolence, the money of their constituents."
Here's my question: Were the nation's founders, and some of their successors, callous and indifferent to human tragedy? Or, were they stupid and couldn't find the passages in the Constitution that authorized spending "on the objects of benevolence"?
Some people might say, "Aha! They forgot about the constitution's general welfare clause!"Here's what James Madison said: "With respect to the two words 'general welfare,' I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators."
Thomas Jefferson explained, "Congress has not unlimited powers to provide for the general welfare, but only those specifically enumerated." In 1828, South Carolina Sen. William Drayton said, "If Congress can determine what constitutes the general welfare and can appropriate money for its advancement, where is the limitation to carrying into execution whatever can be effected by money?"
Don't get me wrong about this. I'm not being too critical of President Bush or any other politician. There's such a broad ignorance or contempt for constitutional principles among the American people that any politician who bore truth faith and allegiance to the Constitution would commit political suicide.

Now... take the poll.

Army times poll: 70% say: "Go home Cindy!"

2005-09-26T15:47:00.000-07:00

Although a little dated, in light of the freak show, I'm sorry, I mean protest this weekend in D.C., I thought it might be appropriate to look at what the troops are saying about Mrs. Sheehan...

Army Times Poll:
How do you feel about Cindy Sheehan, who is citing her son's combat death in demanding a meeting with President Bush to discuss the war in Iraq?

Her camp-out near Bush’s Texas ranch is appropriate 26.62 % (1,227)
Her camp-out is inappropriate 70.00 % (3,227)
I don't know 3.38 % (156)
Total votes: 4610

Take a look at the other poll results, and you will see similar findings. I think that the fact that there are 26-27% that believe the "camp-out" is appropritae says more about the belief that many men and women in uniform have in her RIGHT to stage the protest, then it does about whether or not they support her message...

The protestors... Lie down with dogs, get up with fleas.

2005-09-26T09:58:00.000-07:00

So they support the troops? If this is support, I'd hate to see what they do when they don't "support" the troops... see the pics at Michelle Malkin, EU Rota and Baldilocks... Just amazing how these people can take themselves seriously. The few among them who may not be completely crazy, have now fallen in with the long lair hippy type marxist reds that destroy any and all credibility that the protest may have had.

Aid and comfort to the enemy... I thought that was treason...

Warriors Voice has some insight on the protestors...from the boots on the ground in Iraq:

At Least I Know Where I Stand With The Muj
It looks like the left is out to try and lose another war for the United States. Now I’m not talking about tactically lose, since we are actually kicking ass and taking names over here. In fact, the “insurgents” realize that they will lose every time they come up against us so they have resorted to killing innocent civilians as a way to show instability towards the new government. The Muj tries to hit us with IEDs, mortars and the occasional direct fire but it is nothing but harassment fire. However, even a broken clock is right twice a day and the insurgents occasionally hit American troops.
Now back to the left. Let me start off by saying that it is not all of the left-wingers who are giving defacto aid and comfort to our enemies. There are many Americans on the left who do not think that the insurgents are “freedom fighters” or modern day Minute-men, as Michael Moore, Code-Pink and Cindy Sheehan believe. Unfortunately, the left as a whole are helping the terrorists in the propaganda war. It is true. Anyone with half an education sees this.
At least I know where I stand with the Muj. The left preaches how they support the troops, all the while they bolster the moral of the terrorists while, although not on
purpose, hurting the moral of Americans fighting for what is good. That’s right, I’ve said it and I’m sure I will get some hate mail from the left for speaking my mind but the hard left of the United States are supporting the terrorists.
Some of my readers might be asking what the troops think about this. I can’t speak for every American serviceman or woman but I can tell you what myself and some others say. The subject of protesters came up the other evening as we were sitting around “BS”ing. Every single one of us believes that it is the right of those idiots to protest whatever they want. We all were quick to recognize that those protesters area a loud minority who more or less blame the United States for everything. These protesters are the same people who call many of us serving fascists, brainwashed, hicks, baby killers or red necks. They pretend to support us, all the while cursing us since 76% of service members and their families voted for President Bush. We believe, at least those who were sitting around talking, that "Support the Troops" means supporting the troops not calling the Muj in Iraq and Afghanistan “Freedom Fighters”.
The left needs to stop using those of us who died or got wounded in battle for their own propaganda. Their own propaganda which supports the Muj and some far-left ideology. When me and my fellow warriors come home don’t come up to us, shake our hand and tell us that you support us but not the war. Please just keep freaking walking because that is not support. You might as well spit in my face, then at least I know where you stand. Your typical double talk does not impress me.
-WarriorJason Out
H/T To Warriors Voice...

Michael Yon Update...

2005-09-23T13:52:00.000-07:00

Michael Yon is back with an update of what has been happening as Deuce Four returns home 157 Purple Hearts heavier...

God Bless each one of them...

Best protester signs ever...and just in time.

2005-09-23T11:26:00.000-07:00

Great signs from the guys at Protestwarrior...just in time for the march in Washington...

I know that many on the Left may not like the cold hard truth, but every once in a while people who live in lala land need to be brought back down to earth... They say it all.

Mule vs. Lion... who wins?

2005-09-23T08:32:00.000-07:00

This is one angry mule....

You really have read the story and see the other pictures to believe this. Even the dogs were stunned.

Sombrero sized Hat Tip to SDA for this one...

The Hard Truth about Katrina and the Welfare State.

2005-09-22T08:04:00.000-07:00

Somehow I had not read this article by Robert Tracinski until a friend in Longmont, CO forwarded a copy to me yesterday. An amazing read...

An Unnatural Disaster: A Hurricane Exposes the Man-Made Disaster of the Welfare State.

by Robert Tracinski Sep 02, 2005

It has taken four long days for state and federal officials to figure out how to deal with the disaster in New Orleans. I can't blame them, because it has also taken me four long days to figure out what is going on there. The reason is that the events there make no sense if you think that we are confronting a natural disaster.
If this is just a natural disaster, the response for public officials is obvious: you bring in food, water, and doctors; you send transportation to evacuate refugees to temporary shelters; you send engineers to stop the flooding and rebuild the city's infrastructure. For journalists, natural disasters also have a familiar pattern: the heroism of ordinary people pulling together to
survive; the hard work and dedication of doctors, nurses, and rescue workers; the steps being taken to clean up and rebuild.
Public officials did not expect that the first thing they would have to do is to send thousands of armed troops in armored vehicles, as if they are suppressing an enemy insurgency. And journalists--myself included--did not expect that the story would not be about rain, wind, and flooding, but about rape, murder, and looting.
But this is not a natural disaster. It is a man-made disaster.
The man-made disaster is not an inadequate or incompetent response by federal relief agencies, and it was not directly caused by Hurricane Katrina. This is where just about every newspaper
and television channel has gotten the story wrong.The man-made disaster we are now witnessing in New Orleans did not happen over the past four days. It happened over the past four decades. Hurricane Katrina merely exposed it to public view.
The man-made disaster is the welfare state.
For the past few days, I have found the news from New Orleans to be confusing. People were not behaving as you would expect them to behave in an emergency--indeed, they were not behaving as they have behaved in other emergencies. That is what has shocked so many people: they have been saying that this is not what we expect from America. In fact, it is not even what we expect from a Third World country.
When confronted with a disaster, people usually rise to the occasion. They work together to rescue people in danger, and they spontaneously organize to keep order and solve problems. This is especially true in America. We are an enterprising people, used to relying on our own initiative rather than waiting around for the government to take care of us. I have seen this a hundred times, in small examples (a small town whose main traffic light had gone out, causing
ordinary citizens to get out of their cars and serve as impromptu traffic cops, directing cars through the intersection) and large ones (the spontaneous response of New Yorkers to September 11).
So what explains the chaos in New Orleans?To give you an idea of the magnitude of what is going on, here is a description from a Washington Times story:
"Storm victims are raped and beaten; fights erupt with flying fists, knives and guns; fires are breaking out; corpses litter the streets; and police and rescue helicopters are repeatedly fired on." The plea from Mayor C. Ray Nagin came even as National Guardsmen poured in to restore order and stop the looting, carjackings and gunfire....
"Last night, Gov. Kathleen Babineaux Blanco said 300 Iraq-hardened Arkansas National Guard members were inside New Orleans with shoot-to-kill orders."
'These troops are...under my orders to restore order in the streets,' she said. 'They have M-16s, and they are locked and loaded. These troops know how to shoot and kill and they are more than willing to do so if necessary and I expect they will.' "
The reference to Iraq is eerie. The photo that accompanies this article shows National Guard troops, with rifles and armored vests, riding on an armored vehicle through trash-strewn streets lined by a rabble of squalid, listless people, one of whom appears to be yelling at them. It looks exactly like a scene from Sadr City in Baghdad.What explains bands of thugs using a natural disaster as an excuse for an orgy of looting, armed robbery, and rape? What causes unruly
mobs to storm the very buses that have arrived to evacuate them, causing the drivers to drive away, frightened for their lives? What causes people to attack the doctors trying to treat patients at the Super Dome?
Why are people responding to natural destruction by causing further destruction? Why are they attacking the people who are trying to help them?
My wife, Sherri, figured it out first, and shefigured it out on a sense-of-life level. While watching the coverage last night on Fox News Channel, she told me that she was getting a familiar feeling. She studied architecture at the Illinois Institute of Chicago, which is located in the South Side of Chicago just blocks away from the Robert Taylor Homes, one of the largest high-rise public housing projects in America. "The projects," as they were known, were infamous for uncontrollable crime and irremediable squalor. (They have since, mercifully, been demolished.)
What Sherri was getting from last night's television coverage was a whiff of the sense of
life of "the projects." Then the "crawl"--the informational phrases flashed at the bottom of the screen on most news channels--gave some vital statistics to confirm this sense: 75% of the residents of New Orleans had already evacuated before the hurricane, and of the 300,000 or so who remained, a large number were from the city's public housing projects. Jack Wakeland then gave me an additional, crucial fact: early reports from CNN and Fox indicated that the city
had no plan for evacuating all of the prisoners in the city's jails--so they just let many of them loose.
There is no doubt a significant overlap between these two populations--that is, a large number of people in the jails used to live in the housing projects, and vice versa.
There were many decent, innocent people trapped in New Orleans when the deluge hit--but they were trapped alongside large numbers of people from two groups: criminals--and wards of the welfare state, people selected, over decades, for their lack of initiative and self-induced helplessness. The welfare wards were a mass of sheep--on whom the incompetent administration of New Orleans unleashed a pack of wolves.
All of this is related, incidentally, to the apparent incompetence of the city government, which failed to plan for a total evacuation of the city, despite the knowledge that this might be necessary. But in a city corrupted by the welfare state, the job of city officials is to ensure the flow of handouts to welfare recipients and patronage to political supporters--not to ensure a lawful, orderly evacuation in case of emergency.
No one has really reported this story, as far as I can tell. In fact, some are already actively distorting it, blaming President Bush, for example, for failing to personally ensure that the Mayor of New Orleans had drafted an adequate evacuation plan. The worst example is an execrable piece from the Toronto Globe and Mail, by a supercilious Canadian who blames the chaos on American "individualism." But the truth is precisely the opposite: the chaos was caused by a system that was the exact opposite of individualism.
What Hurricane Katrina exposed was the psychological consequences of the welfare state. What we consider "normal" behavior in an emergency is behavior that is normal for people who have values and take the responsibility to pursue and protect them. People with values respond to a disaster by fighting against it and doing whatever it takes to overcome the difficulties they face.
They don't sit around and complain that the government hasn't taken care of them. They don't use the chaos of a disaster as an opportunity to prey on their fellow men.
But what about criminals and welfare parasites? Do they worry about saving their houses and property? They don't, because they don't own anything. Do they worry about what is going to happen to their businesses or how they are going to make a living? They never worried about those things before. Do they worry about crime and looting? But living off of stolen wealth is a way of life for them.
The welfare state--and the brutish, uncivilized mentality it sustains and encourages--is the man-made disaster that explains the moral ugliness that has swamped New Orleans. And that is the story that no one is reporting.

Although I have read similar strains of the argument being posed, I had not yet seen anything that cut to the core quite as quickly. The welfare state that was created in the name of providing a hand up, and not a hand out, reverted quickly to one of race in the inner cities and class in rural areas. The welfare state took away the hope and dignity of individuals who needed an education, access to capital and opportunity to change their lives, and instead were given handouts that have kept them perpetual slaves to their new "masters"...the government.

While the ideals that set the Great Society in motion were indeed noble and well intentioned, the consequences of the "experiment" are not. As people were continualy given their welfare checks, provided with sub-standard housing (Housing which many of them had no idea how to maintain as they were never given the proper education in underfunded schools that wasted money on things demanded by a teachers union that cared more about its members then about the young charges they were to educate.) and essentially told that they were the outcasts and could just "stay there".

This is not a race issue, it is an issue of mis-treatment and mis-allocation of resources, labor, incentive and hope. Although the vast majority of the people left behind in New Orleans were black, if this disaster happened in Eastern Tennesse or West Virginia you would see the same behavior from the poor white folks living there. The distinction is in the dignity that people are allowed to have, and what they are told subliminally by a society that continually lets them down by providing a check and subsidies and never expecting that they can do more, be better, rise to the top.

If you know the story of Pandora, you know that after she opened the box and all of the evils that plague us as humans came out to infect the World, the last thing left in that box was hope. Unfortunately for many of the people that are wards of the state, for lack of a better term, they have very little hope, because they have been told forever that they are unequal and different.

Is it any wonder that a family would want to get out of the projects, or get out of the slums or leave that holler'? Of course not.

But the welfare system is not a vehicle for creating pride in ones environment through ownership. The welfare state does not give hope to people when it gives without asking for anything in return. The welfare state has provided a system that says to those in need of the most opportunity: "You are like dogs...sit. Stay, good dog. here's a biscuit."

The welfare state perpetuates a slavery that is designed to keep people where they are...not out of cruelty, but out of a simple mis-understanding of human nature...

So what can be done to truly take a bit out of the problems faced in the slums, hollers and ghettos across the nation?
1. Create a housing program whereby the people living in public housing must pay rent, but that rent goes towards a mortgage/ownership so that even the most down trodden in the projects can work towards home ownership and pride in their possesions. While this is a temporary "give-away, poeple would be given an opportunity to own something and then work to maintain it and all the responsibilities that come with it. Rather then perpetuating poverty, it would empower people to get out of it on their own, and on their terms.
2. While math, history, english and science are all important to learn... so are financial management, personal hygene, ethics and basic home skills. Does a child living in a poor community need to know everything about algebra to get a good job? No, but they do need to know how to handle money, how to save and how to take care of themselves and their homes. They need to understand responsible management of self in order to be a more efficient and effective member of society as well as the workforce. Far too many people feel "entitled to things that they ought not be entitled to. We need to change the way people are taught in poor areas. The focus needs to be different as the clientele there is different. (I use that word on purpose as any beaurocrat involved in the welfare state needs to start to thinking of the people they are SERVING as clients to be served.)
3. Keep the current welfare to work proposals funded and follow through. Along with daycare, education and job training, provide information about SBA loans to help people to take a risk and start their own companies. Allow tax breaks for banks that give low interest loans to people with incomes under $20,000 per year so that he poorest amongst us can start to have pride in something that they own and control.

Although there are many other ideas and ways to make improve the "welfare" system, the two things that are essential are hope and accountability. People can not long prosper when they are having all of their needs provided for by the state or anyone else for that matter. All you end up saying to them is that they are less then and can't succeed...and can't never could. Give people a path and the basic tools and they will get there on their own. There should not be a person ou there who actually can defend the way people are currently treated. The problem has not been a lack of compassion, but a lack of thought as to how to make that compassion work most effectively to help people up from poverty through their own determination, hard work and desire to make it happen for them.

UPDATE: WSJ Article discussing Conservative Social Justice...

Too funny...

2005-09-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

Great picture. Go here. Enjoy the laughter!

H/T SDA

In memoriam.

2005-09-21T12:05:00.000-07:00

The Last two days.

Answers to A.N.S.W.E.R

2005-09-21T11:01:00.000-07:00

If you've never heard of A.N.S.W.E.R, you are indeed lucky. More from the whacky, unrealistic, crazy, immature, dangerous and un-educated socialist morons with no historical perspective and a complete lack of understanding of human nature... I'll just give you some of their "Headlines":

From Iraq to New Orleans,Fund People's Needs - Not the War Machine
Stop the War in Iraq
End Colonial Occupation from Iraq to Palestine to Haiti
Support the Palestinian People’s Right of Return
Stop the Threats Against Venezuela, Cuba, Iran & North Korea
U.S. out of the Philippines U.S. out of Puerto Rico
Bring all the troops home now
Stop the Racist, anti-Immigrant and anti-LaborOffensive at Home, Defend Civil Rights
Military Recruiters out of our schools & communities

Lets take these one at a time:

1. From Iraq to New Orleans,Fund People's Needs - Not the War Machine.

Sounds nice. Beating swords into ploughshares and all that, does'nt it? But what does this slogan really say? Apparently the troops in New Orleans are an occupying force, just as Cindy Sheehan has said. They are not there to help, and according to A.N.S.W.E.R., should not be used at all for the purpose of saving people, only for their stated goal of war. So...if the troops were pulled out and not used...and they still want to fund people's needs...what other organization will step in with trained people and logistics to help? A.N.S.W.E.R. and their drug-adled hippy throngs of our of work liberal white people?

2. Stop the war in Iraq.

OK. this is a simple one. they at least tell us what they want. But who will stop the war there after we leave? Oh yeah and based on a later "headline": "Bring all the troops home now", I guess that means out of Afghanistan, Germany, the UK, Gaza, Bosnia, Haiti, the Philipines, South Korea, Japan, Spain, Italy, Turkey, Poland, and on and on and on... So, ok, stop the war in Iraq, but looks like they are confused as to their actual goals, does'nt it?

3. End Colonial Occupationfrom Iraq to Palestine to Haiti.

This one is great. Colonial occupation eh? In Haiti? Apparently the people writing these banners have no idea that Haiti was second ONLY to the United States in declaring its independance from Europe. Unfortunately for Haiti, its history has been mired in corruption and despair almost since its inception. There are many reasons for this, but colonialism is not one of them. Additionally, the UN and American troops that ARE there are there at the behest of the Haitian government to provide some sense of stability to a nation that is almost always in a state of anarchy. If we left, things would simply become worse. Now to Iraq. If we were forming a modern colonialist regime in Iraq, do you really think gasoline would have hit $3.00 per barrel? Doubt it. Palestine. Palestine has not been a nation sinec biblical times(Often they are refered to as the Canaanites.). The region was artificially created by the British following the destruction of the Ottoman Empire in WW I. While it is true that the Jews were given land while the Arabs in the region were not, I have yet to read about a single nation, other then Israel, giving up some of its land to help and create a modern Palestine. (The Jordanians expelled ALL Palestinian refugees due to rampant crime, terrorism and cross border attacks into Israel that could have precipitated another war.) A.N.S.W.E.R. needs to read more, talk less.

4. Suuport the Palestinian people's right to return.

We are, and so is the Israeli government. Hopefully these people read the newspaper to know that thousands of Jewish settlers have given up their land to give to the Palestinians. Apparently this is not enough for A.N.S.W.E.R. The Jews need to give it all back...

5. Stop the Threats AgainstVenezuela, Cuba, Iran & North Korea.

OK. When the North Koreans start to feed their own people rather then threatening the South, stealing Japanese citizens and consistently lying about their weapons program... then maybe we will start to stand down along the DMZ. Until then, why don't you go live in Pyongyang. Have fun paying homage to the "Dear Leader"... Freaks.

Venezuela... Chavez is a lying, devilish coward who looks to Fidel for guidance. What great things has Fidel given the World... oh yes, the invasion of Angola through the 70's and 80's... aiding guerilla movements that tortured and killed countless innocent Columbian, Venezuelan, Nicaraguan, Peruvian, Salvadoran and Gautemalen people.

Iran. OK A.N.S.W.E.R. me this, what would Iran do the moment that they had an atomic weapon? You don't think they would ever use it...do you? Of course not. The Iranian government is a peacloving government who simply wishes to be left alone...just like HITLER.

6. U.S. out of Philipines, US out of Puerto Rico

Vast empty brain spaces fill the skulls of these morons don't they? Am I wrong, or did Puerto Ricans just recently vote to remain a U.S. Commonwealth rather then become a state or an independant nation? Maybe I'm crazy, but that is what I remember happening. As for the philipines, with the exception of some of our troops being there to aid in counter terror operations, the U.S. has been out of the Philipines for some time. Our giant air stations and naval bases have been turned over to the Philipines for some time. Besides, what makes you think that the vast majority of Filipinos wants the U.S> to never help them again. Before they gained independance from the U.S., they had the Japanese there, but we kicked out the Japanese and returned the Philipines to the people, as we had promised to do prior to the war. Geesh. again these people need answers, because they just do not know anything....

7. Bring all the troops home now...

Already discussed this one. Ultimately they want no military at all, I wish they'd just say that.

8. Stop the Racist, anti-Immigrant and anti-Labor Offensive at Home, Defend Civil Rights.

Huh? Well, everything is racist to these people. Too much to cover here, suffice to say that if there really WERE an offensive against immigrants and labor, the borders would be sealed to protect American workers, while allowing illegal immigrants in HURTS American workers. Meanwhile unions would bebusted by ending the federal workers unions as well as creating a national law that gave everone the right to work without being FORCED to join a union. Come to think of it, I wish there WOULD BE an offensive against Immigration and Labor. Things would sure run more smoothly.

9.Military Recruiters out of our schools & communities.

Ah... they said it! No more military. They start with the schools, but then add to that communities...if the recruiters are not in the community...where would they be? Well, they would not be allowed anywhere, of course. This is their goal: No military, all the wealth given to the masses. Allow "visionaries, like Fidel, Chavez and Dear leader Kim Jung Il to rule us with kind benevolence as we each are handed our 1/10thgram of rice for our daily rations.

All hail the dear leader who has seen fit to provide us wuth a little food and a blanket! Boy, I really can't wait for the revolution to unfold as gloriously as this...can you?

Thank GOD these people only number in the thousands. If there were more of them I'd be worried. It is always great fodder for laughter though. Unfortunately more and more people link themselves with these freaks and like the old expression goes when you lie down with dogs...you get up with fleas. (Cindy Sheehan supporters.)

Response from a soldier...

2005-09-21T10:44:00.000-07:00

Ma Deuce Gunner has a simple, yet elegant post to those who continue to say that Iraq is a kin to Vietnam...

Note to the Media: "You are stuck on stupid."

2005-09-21T09:52:00.000-07:00

General Honore's response to stupid questions from reporters the other day:

Male reporter: General, a little bit more about why that's happening this time, though, and did not have that last time...
Honore: You are stuck on stupid. I'm not going to answer
that question. We are going to deal with Rita.
Just too classic. This is a man tired of listening to the so-called "do-gooders" of the media and not being able to say anything to their inane and rediculous questions. Cheers to the General!
Check out the transcript and audio at Raddio Blogger... just perfect!

The last two days.

2005-09-21T07:53:00.000-07:00

Sunday night was pretty neat. We were staying up in the cool mountains and I was enjoying my time outside frolicking around (As much as I could any way.). I found some wonderful treats that I enjoyed while sitting out on the deck with my mom and some friends. I rarely share the treats I come across. Not out of any sense of selfishness as it appeared that no one else really wanted anything to do with these treats.

Boy what an afternoon Sunday. After sitting on the porch for a while enjoying the sun, everyone went to watch football. While they watched TV, I had some GREAT nap time. I can always find time for a nap after a snack(Or any time for that matter!).

When I woke up , I guess it was about 4:15 or so, I found to my complete and utter joy that we were going to take a ride! The air in Payson Arizona is so sweet with the smells of the mountains that I absolutely love to drive there. As we wound our way slowly across the high desert plains and started down into the desert valley below, I was looking at the mountains on every side. I vaguely remembered seeing snow on them sometime in March, I think. Boy was it beautiful. As ususal, as a corner came upon the car I got excited, corners always remind me of getting home. That feeling as the car turns in the driveway and you know that you have arrived at your destination... and your own little nap spots!.

The corners up on this mountain road always remind me of that and it seems that they interupt my sight-seeing or daydreaming, bringing me back to that feeling of arriving home. I love that excited feeling.

As we drove, I started to slowly aquire that road weariness that seems to overcome those who have reached my advance stage of life. I slowly slipped back into a nap, listening to the hum of the tires on the road and soft conversation taking place in the front seat. (I never can really even hear what they are saying...I have been deaf for about 6 months now, and don't always like to let people know that I can't hear them, it works great for getting extra snacks and allowing me to sleep more soundly!)

I guess we arrived back at our house at about 6:30 or so Sunday night. I was sure tired, but needed to make a stop in the "little-girls room", if you take my meaning... After a quick jaunt, I lay down and went back to dreamland. I awoke about 10 PM to numb feeling that I had been having recently. My body couldd not seem to move, and I had a really difficult time breathing. Alomst on cue my mom came in to help me. Seems she always knows just when I need help. She brought me into her room, where I lay down on the bed and was treated like a queen!

A little guilty pleasure that I have always had, and I bet you have had too, is when you don't feel well and someone that loves you takes care of you while you are sick. I love it. I know, I know, I should'nt have taken advantage of the situations, but that is just me. I get a little greedy about being loved sometimes, don't you?

Well, sufice to say that I slept pretty well that night. The next morning, I was suprised that my Mom decided to stay home from work with me. We had a ball all day together. OK, so she did take me to the Doctor, but that was over quick. I was feeling like the queen that I was being treated like.

When we got home from the doctor, I spent the remainder of the day between naps outside in the warm sun and sleeping in thecool comfort of the house. I awoke to find mom doing some packing. She had been doing a lot of this lately, but I don't ask questions, esspecially when I can smell my favorite dish being cooked in the kitchen! Chicken and rice...ooh I love it. The sauce that mom adds to it just makes me smile thinking of it!

After that meal, I decided to roam around the yard a bit, make sure that all of my things were right where they belonged, and ensure that the perimiter of the house was secured. Somehow I had been given this job when I was small, but I like it. It makes me feel like I'm helping to keep us all safe. It was then that I heard the damn neighbors dog. The little pet rat thing was just yacking away. I may be deaf, but there are certain things a body can hear even when it is deaf, and that obnoxious little yelp was one of them. After a stern yelling from your truly, the pet rat shut up and I wandered back inside to relax and watch TV with Mom.

I don't remember falling asleep that night, but I do remember waking up. I guess it was pretty early, and Mom woke up to go to work, I decided to head outside as it seemed the right thing to do on a cool morning. After a quick drink of water, I poked my way into the kitchen where Mom had made my favorite again!! Thats right folks, chicken and rice, for dinner and now breakfast! Does it get any better then this? After eating my well prepared breakfast made by my loving mom, I ambled my way back to the bedroom and hopped back up on the bed to watch a little TV. This was only enjoyable until I was finally left alone, then the boredom that tends to set in hit.

The rest of my day was pretty uneventful, but I love a relaxing uneventful day as much as anyone. I wandered around the house a bit and took some naps here and there listened to the beat of my heart and thought about how lucky I have been to have had so much happen in the last two days alone. I felt great, but boy was I still tired.

As I lay falling asleep, I remembered another time that I had a great time and enjoyed myself imensely. That was back in March when we went to look at the Verde Valley up near Payson where we had just been. We all piled in the car, I think there were 6 of us altogether. It was all green and lush then, so many smells and sights. (Remember, I'm deaf.... no sounds.) I just knew that there were more amazing things waiting for me.

As I drifted off to sleep Tuesday afternoon for yet another nap, I could smell that valley again. As I started to dose off, I could actually see myself running with old friends through the valley chasing other friends and even some that I didn't really like. It seemed everyone was there. As we frolicked and played throughout the afternoon, I was not sure whether I was sleeping and dreaming or if this was really happening to me.

Well, either way, I was having a ball, and as I looked up I saw my mom. She was watching over me and trying to call my name, clapping her hands as she does to get me to come to her. She knows I'm deaf and that I only can really hear the air from the clap if she is trying to call me. I thought about going back to them then, but just kept running into the valley. It smelled so good and I knew that I'd be back to them someday.

Dream or no dream, I was enjoying this alot! Suddenly, I noticed that as I was running like I used to, before I got old and it hurt to run. I could also hear the sounds that I had been missing, and they were so crisp and clear! I was so excited that I just kept running, laughing and smiling, jumping and running. Soon I had forgotton everything. Boy have I been a lucky Dog, what a great life! Thanks Mom, I'll see you soon.

-Love,
Sandia 9/20/05

Another uneducated "educator"...

2005-09-20T14:41:00.000-07:00

Found on bumperstickerpolitix: This poor young woman is under the same delusions that old Neville Chamberlain suffered from in the late 1930's... "Peace in our time"... Unfortunately her Peace and love" mantra sounds great, but like so many rich, liberal, young, white American women, she has a very small understanding of the World at large and just how hard life can be. She "feels the pain" of people but, unike our men and women in uniform, is unwilling or unable to do anything... aside, of course from lament the fact that the current administration is filled with war mongers (My words, not hers.).

War will never stop. Ever. We humans are violent animals that protect our territories with a fierceness unknown in most of the animal kingdom. What makes this poor mis-guided young woman think she will single-handedly change the nature of our species and our past in a small Indiana classroom? Hubris and narcissism: The new American evil. As Spindaddy put it:

"The terrifying part is she appears to be a schoolteacher, and is intent on
imposing her warped view of reality on teh malleable minds of her young
students. God help us."

H/T Bumperstickerpolitix

Note to Cindy Sheehan: Your 15 minutes is almost up...

2005-09-20T13:26:00.000-07:00

Fox reports that a group of Anti-War activists, who had been camped out at Union Square in South-Eastern Manhattan were upset when the NYPD took away their megaphone and, according to Cindy Sheehan: "someone grabbed my backpack and pulled me back pretty roughly." Apparently the NYPD, while shutting down the protest due top a lack of a noise permit, were a little rough on the people attending. A reported 50 people showed up for the rally.

Wow. 50 people. Pretty impressive. Especially for that Conservative bastion New York City. I sure hope that these people don't vote, with 50 people, they could REALLY swing an election...

Keep in mind that Meetwithcindy.org did not even advertise this rally/stop, so maybe that explains why there were only 50 people. Why did'nt they let people in NYC know? Maybe they were afraid of the reaction from people in the city that was attacked on 9/11, maybe they did not plan the stop... who cares, only 50 people showed up. 15 minutes is almost over now Cindy.

The New York Sun has more.
NY Girl with links and humor on the Cindy v. Hillary brawl...

What the heck is a "Jamaican" coalition?

2005-09-20T09:41:00.000-07:00

According to Fox News, it appears that the candidates for Chancellor have decided to move forward and work towards unity. The only remaining problem is who will lead the new "Jamaica" coalition, as De Bild has dubbed it. Obviously the CDU wants Merkel to lead, the Social Democrats want Schroeder... who know what the Greens or the Left Party want for sure (other then NOT Merkel!).

Ultimately, Germany could be in a fix. The European markets have started to become discouraged, and some are starting to wonder if any of the possible Chancellor's can long hold power with the strange shoe-string coalitions that may be strung together to form a government.
Looking at the election results, one thing is clear, the CDSU won a slim majority. Another thing is clear, the Left won 4.7 % more votes then they have ever won, while both the SDU and the SPD lost ground to the Left and the FDP.

The elections that will take place in the Bund for Chancellor will be interesting indeed. What happens will certainly effect all of Europe. What type of coalition will be formed to elect the next Chancellor? RTake a look at the parliamentaryu results below and you start to get an idea of what MIGHT happen when the election for Chancellor is held...

Based on the Preliminary Parlimentray elections graph, it may be a case of a temporary government until another new election can be called for. With the Left party gaining 52 seats since the 2002 election, the likelyhood of a Left leaning coalition has increased dramatically. While the Greens have lost a little ground, they remain a strong force on the Left, and if they come together with the Social Democrats, or SPD, and form a coalition, there will be an interesting reaction from places like the UK . Some are even speculating that the Federal President may end up deciding the issue...

For those unaware of how the Bund operates and how the Federal President may decide the election, here is Article 63 of the Grundgesetz, or German Constitution:

Article 63 (Election and appointment of the Federal Chancellor)
(1) The Federal Chancellor is elected, without debate,
by the Bundestag on the proposal of the Federal President.
(2) The person obtaining the votes of the majority of the members of the
Bundestag is elected. The persons elected must be appointed by the Federal President.
(3) If the person proposed is not elected, the Bundestag may elect within fourteen
days of the ballot a Federal Chancellor by more than one-half of its members.
(4) If there is no election within this period, a new ballot shall take
place without delay in which the person obtaining the largest number of votes is elected. If the person elected obtained the votes of the majority of the members of the Bundestag the Federal President must appoint him within Seven days of the election. If the person elected did not receive this majority, the Federal President must within even days either appoint him or dissolve the Bundestag.

As we speak: The Christian Democrats will be meeting with the Social Democrats on Thursday to try and iron out a solution. Although Merkel would in many cases be preferable to the U.S. Administration, it appears that the voting in the Bund may swing to Schroeder, if the Social Democrats can get their old erstwhile allies, the Left party (The legal successor to the Socialist Unity Party of Germany which ruled East Germany with an iron fist until the wall came down in 1989. Additionally, it has created a coalition party of angry former Social Democrats and former Communists who are wary of rejoining any coalition with Schroeder, whom they feel left many Socialist ideals when he became Chencellor 7 years ago.) to back their coaltion.

The Left party has said they would, but Schroeder and many in the Social Democrats want nothing to do with the mostly Communist party which is a reminder to many Germans of the horrors that the people in the East lived through from 1948-1989. Unfortunately for Schroeder, Germany, the EU, and perhaps even NATO, many in the East still look to the Left Party to help them out of the struggling economy that still cripples many in the East, even 16 years after the reunification of Germany. With 5 million unemployed and people concerned about their economic futures, the Social Democrats may have to strike a deal with the Communist/Leftist devil to maintain power. If they do, we may see a strong shift of Western Germans to the CDU as they realize what has been done to the 60+% of Germans who did not want the Communist Left to have such a powerful voice in Berlin.

We'll wait for the election in the Bund to see what the ultimate result will be. Lets just hope that whoever the new German Chancellor is, that he or she will start the necessary refors to save the Germans from the mess of rebuilding the East and the economy.

Additional articles and reading:
-The Grundgesetz, or German Constitution. -The Economist on Germany
-Why Easy Germany fled from Merkel
-Der Spiegel's take on the current election woes.
-Reaction in the UK to the election.
-Germany loses its own election.

The new soylent Green?

2005-09-19T09:46:00.000-07:00

Squeaker in Germany could yield strange bedfellows...

2005-09-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Well the German election is mostly over (Except for Dresden, which will go to the polls Oct 2nd due to the death of a candidate.) abd it appears that Angel Merkel fell even more behind in the end. Winning only a VERY slim majority of 35% to a reported 34% for Chancellor Schroeder.

What does this all mean? To begin with there will probably be a confused German government as the 2 leading parties, the CDU and the Social Democrats attempt to find a way to govern the land between themselves. Imagine a Presidential Administration where there were co-Presidents, one Democrat and One Republican, and theye were constantly bickering over what to do and you may start to have a picture of what could occur in Germany. Although there will most certainly NOT be co-Chancellors, in order to form a coalition, the conservative CDU and CSU might have to suck it up and form a government with Schroeder.

No matter the coalition that is formed, it is unlikely that the new German Chancellor, be it Merkel or Schroeder, will be able to quickly stem the disatisfaction of Western Germans, nor will they be able to quickly eradicate the 5 million plus unemployed in Germany. A nation that is still taking in many foreign workers, when there is a need for jobs amongst the German people.

The jury is still out...

Just one voice...

2005-09-16T15:05:00.000-07:00

From Warriors voice:

"Yesterday was a pretty interesting day. We went down to some fishing village to
hand out school supplies and set up a temporary clinic to give minor medical
attention to the children and locals........Kids, mothers and fathers were very
happy to see us. I kept my distance since I was part of the security element.
The mission leader told me later that one woman was crying. The interpreter said
that she told him , "You leave your children to come over here to help our
children"..."

Yet another example of what our brave men and women are accomplishing day in and day out. God Bless Warrior Jason and his pards...

Crazy chainsaw dude sent back to Canada

2005-09-16T13:32:00.000-07:00

This nut sent back to Canada to face murder charges... Nice looking Kid, don't you think?

H/T Michelle Malkin

Avian flu update: 200,000 deaths possible...

2005-09-16T11:33:00.000-07:00

That's right, according to ABC News, the Avian Flu that is slowly winding its way across the Steppes in Russia and moving towards Europe has the potential to kill, at a minimum, 200,000 Americans in the first few months. This according to the draft report of the federal government's emergency plan.

Additionally, Medical News Today reported back in April that the US was woefully unprepared for any outbreak then, and apparently we are still unprepared today. The only drug currently manufactured to treat the illness, Tamiflu, is manufactured in Switzerland and unlike nations such as the UK (Where there is enough of the drug to help at least a quarter of the nations citizens.) the U.S. has a mere 2 million treatments available right now and is low on the list to recieve more.

Health and Human Services Secretary Michael Levitt admits that the response has been slow, but also told ABC that the U.S. Government is increasing its stockpile at enery chance, as well as watching the progress of the illness as it spreads Westwards from China.

Some answers about the Avian Flu from BUPA.
More from Hugh Hewitt...

Katrina Update...

2005-09-16T10:23:00.000-07:00

Kate at Smalldeadanimals posts a great article with GREAT links discussing Gov. Blanco's "slip": "I really should have called for the military, I really should have started that in the first call.".

Uh. Yeah. You should have. At least the governor has started to take SOME responsibility:

"Where earlier she and her aides had openly blamed the Bush administration for
bungling Katrina rescue efforts, Blanco announced: "The buck stops here, and as your governor, I take full responsibility.""

Still waiting on Mayor Nagin on that whole "The buck stops here" thing though...

More at SDA, including a great commentary about Dean Reynolds of ABC News's attempt to get more bad blood flowing towards the White House and away from the statehouse...

H/T SDA

German election update

2005-09-16T09:53:00.000-07:00

CNN reports that the polls are holding strong for Frau Merkel at 43%, while Herr Schroeder's SDP is still polling at about 33%. Business leaders are starting to worry that the nation may face a "grand coalition" that would stall any reforms and halt the nations 5 million unemployed from finding work sooner rather then later.

It is looking like the first female Chancellor will be elected this Sunday. Another Iron Lady? We'll just have to see...

More on the election here.

Arnold is right and the Teachers Unions are wrong.

2005-09-16T07:49:00.000-07:00

Having lived in California, paid some of the ridiculous taxes, been forced to listen to bureaucrats tell me how to manage my workers and business, and watching as teachers in the State continued to make excuses as to why the job was not getting done I know first hand what some Democrats have done to the once Great Republic of California. Between moonbats like Jerry Brown and crazy know-nothing would-be politicos of Hollywood (Rob Reiner and Warren Beatty are considering a run for the governors job.), the Golden State is in dire need of Arnold's continued vision. Don't mis-understand me, Arnold may not the best man for the job, but what he has started in the state is nothing less then a revolution.

Taking on the labor unions is dangerous business in politics. With millions of dollars in dues taken from members who may not even agree with the unions goals or agenda, the unions can make life miserable for anyone who opposes them. The teachers union, in particular can make life nasty.

Why? Well, to start with, as a former teacher (Fortunately I taught in a right to work state where I could not be compelled to have MY DUES SPENT TO OPPOSE politicians I agree with.) I know what teachers unions have allowed to happen in schools. The Unions almost always side with lazy teachers. The ones who are always watching the clock to turn 3:00. The teachers who make excuses and never update their lessons with time. The teachers who blame the fact that their students are just plain dumb on the last guy that taught them and never take it on themselves to make a difference NOW. The teachers who continually look to the government for more money, while spending the money that does come frivolously.

Most teachers are great at what they do, and at one point the teachers unions were a necessary device. The problem, as with almost every other union, is that they have convinced themselves and many of their members that teachers can not survive without a union. In today's society, this is very far from the truth. We are not living in an age of the triangle shirtwaist factory... Schools are not places where teachers are mis-treated at every turn by cruel administrators. While the Unions have a place, it is certainly only to watch over its members in a general sense. Not to back teachers that are not getting the job done. Unfortunately, the NEA and the AFT have decided that they will back "one of their own" no matter what.

The Governators proposal is simple: Do not provide tenure to teachers until they have been on the job for at least three years. Is this reasonable? I think so, especially considering that many of the teachers that I met while a teacher were as clueless about their subject as I am about trigonometry. (I taught history, not math...) They were very well schooled in their "rights" and in the modern theories of "education". While this might make them an adequate elementary school teacher, too many had very little training in the Liberal Arts. Adding another year on before any teacher is provided tenure, seems to me a very small and sensible measure for several reasons.

To begin with, a teacher coming right out of university is full of "piss and vinegar", we think we have a fresh face, bright disposition and we are excited about starting. Take along with that the first year is really just getting used to all of the many things that must be done on a daily basis: Parent teacher conferences, preparing lessons, perhaps coaching, faculty meetings, on-going education, grading and providing extra help to students in need, and on and on. As a first year teacher you barely have an understanding of the vast amount of responsibilities you have, and they only grow as you become more accomplished at your craft.

By the second year, you have a grip on the basics of instructional design that works for your classroom, you also have a good feel for many of the students and have started to discover various methods for classroom management that you may never have been taught. Additionally, you have started to know who you can and can not trust to get things done in the school...not kids, other teachers. Hopefully the second year teacher also has a solid grasp on his/her subject and has spent some spare time learning more about their subject to come up with better and more effective lesson plans. After all, in year two, you are still trying to decide what lessons work best and with what students. (There is no more cookie cutter education ladies and gentlemen, teachers have to FIND ways to get through to many kids.)

By the third year a teacher has a firm grasp on the atmosphere of their classroom. They have a number of different lessons to draw on and have begun to understand the different philosophies of classroom management. Unfortunately, they are just now in their first real year of teaching. The third year is the year where a teacher will either shine, or become lazy. Many teachers see their third year as a time to relax a little bit, I did at first. I was lucky though, I had a mentor who saw me starting to relax a bit and simply reminded me that I was not there for me. After all, if I was teaching to make money I would not be teaching. He was right and for the next two years, I worked as hard as I could to become better for the students. The other teachers who I started with in 1996 became lazy the entire third year and two of them were fired, while a third and myself were happy with what we were doing because by the end of the third year, it became second nature to do the many self-less things that teachers do.

Why are the teachers Unions attacking Arnold over adding a third year on the job before being given tenure? They want to protect their constituency. Who are their constituents? Well, I'll tell you, it's not the students, its the teacher that are coming right out of college and often think they know every damned thing there is to know. Additionally, the unions believe that Arnold's plans are getting dangerously close to merit pay and merit tenure.

While Arnold may not be the perfect governor, he has started to take on the sacred cows of California politics and he is not taking prisoners. He understands that this is an all or nothing campaign, and if he wins this gamble and war with the unions, he will be able to accomplish even more in the next term, if he runs....

The unions once served a noble purpose, but as they become more politicized and take more members dues to spend on political races, they continue to focus not on the kids, but on themselves. Arnold is calling them on it, and they don't like it.

UPDATE: Arnold running for a second Term!

Street in Tblisi Georgia to be named after Bush

2005-09-15T11:32:00.000-07:00

The Mail and Guardian in Jo-burg reports that a street in Tblisi will be named after President Bush. The former Soviet Republic and birthplace of Joseph Stalin is looking to recognize President Bush for the: "contribution to the development of friendly relations between the US and Georgia". Interesting... Hopefully the Arizona Republic will get the location of Georgia correct this time...

Other nations honoring foriegn leaders..., Honduras will honor Japanese Prime Minister Junichiro Koizumi with his portrait on coins from the Latin American nation. This is in celebration of 70 years of realtions between the two nations. Interesting...

Un-be-freakin'-lieveable...

2005-09-14T15:51:00.000-07:00

Now the Pledge of Allegiance has been struck down... Regardless of the fact that the words "Under God" were added in the 1950's, U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled today that the pledge was unconstitutional when recited in schools. This despite the fact that the Supreme Court JUST DISMISSED A similar case...

From the AP:

U.S. District Judge Lawrence Karlton ruled that the pledge's reference to one
nation "under God" violates school children's right to be "free from a coercive
requirement to affirm God."Karlton said he was bound by precedent of the 9th
U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals, which in 2002 ruled in favor of Sacramento atheist Michael Newdow that the pledge is unconstitutional when recited in public schools.
The Supreme Court dismissed the case last year, saying Newdow
lacked standing because he did not have custody of his elementary school
daughter he sued on behalf of.

The appeal that is set to happen will be heard by the.....drum roll....9th circus... I mean circuit court. I think we know where this will be heading...up the steps of the building in Washington with Moses on a pedastal and the 10 commandments above the justices... Man Newdow must just HATE the place by now. (Supreme Court)

Heaven...or whatever he believes in, forbid. Another sad day of court driven drivel ruining our nation, one lawyer and one case at a time.

May God save us.

Irritating Katrina quotes

2005-09-13T12:07:00.000-07:00

Terrific list of the 20 most obnoxious quotes from Katrina coverage...
(H/T Michelle Malkin)

Sunday, bloody Sunday...Orange is for fire in Belfast

2005-09-13T11:14:00.000-07:00

The rioting continues in Belfast. Why did these riots start ? What will the cost to Northern Ireland be? Will the Orange order condemn the rioters and what the Orange say about the rioting and their response to it.

Check out recent developments here, here, and here and some pictures here.

Background on The Orange Order.

Michael Yon update...

2005-09-13T11:11:00.000-07:00

Update from Michael Yon on Deuce Four "after the battle"...

The Environmentalists role in Katrina...

2005-09-13T08:30:00.000-07:00

A barrier, approved by Congress and President Johnson more then 40 years ago, but was scrapped by enviromentalists, is now being pointed to as proof that the Army Corps of Engineers and the Federal government tried to build a more suitable barrier to protect New Orleans from flooding.

The barrier was first proposed following Hurrican Betsy, a category 2 storm in 1965. While this barrier, which would have run from Mississippi to the area around Lake Ponchatrain and be from 9-15 feet high, would have helped stem some of the flooding, others are not so sure that it would have stopped the incredible wrath of Katrina's category 5 hurricane winds and the storm surge (up to 12 feet high in Lake Ponchatrain.) that preceeded it.

What is known, and has been known for a long time, is that the city of New Orleans was due for the catastrophic floods that struck this year as a result of Katrina. While enviromentalists decry the degradation of the marshes, bayous and the general ecology of the area, they often times are too late to stop the destruction that already had taken place. In fact, the degradation started a long time before the enviromental movement was even in place...

Early in its history, New Orleans and the neighboring Algiers (See this map) were simply hugging the Mississippi river on the high ground near the current French Quarter and Garden districts. Even during the Civil War, New Orleans was hemmed in by the bayous, swamps and the mighty Mississippi. Due to the swamps and bayous that surrounded the city on all sides, New Orleans simply could not grow outside of this area. That is until Mr. A Baldwin Wood came up with a masterful plan to drain the city between 1910 and 1915 using the massive pumps that are still in use today. It is due to Mr. Wood that New Orleans was able to grow to its current population of 1,337,726 (See this map for a comparison.).

Along with this draining came several unintended consequences. First, as the water was drained from the city and surrounding bayous the land began to slowly sink. This meant that ever increasing levees needed to be built to contain the waters of Lake Ponchatrain as the newly developed land began to sink lower and lower. This "sinking effect", or subsidence would lead researchers to claim as early as the 1920's that a massive hurrican or flooding on the Mississippi could lead to New Orleans being flooded under as much as 30 feet of water. The second effect that the development of New Orleans had was a more subtle one. Due to both the building of massive levees and thThese were the loss of important bayou and marsh lands that typically absorbed the storm surges and flooding, as well as the loss of increased fresh sediment flowing down the Mississippi river to replenish the land that was sinking.

By the time the modern enviromentalist movement started (Widely considered to have started after "Silent Spring" is published in 1962.), New Orleans was already beyond repair. To add to the problems that were created with the levees and pumping of the city, the petroleum industry began to build refineries to refine the crude oil coming out of the Gulf of Mexico after 1947. (Refineries in the 1940's, 50's and 60's were not well known for their enviromental stewardship.) The slow pollution of the groundwater as well as the natural downward flow of the water to the Gulf helped to pollute the bayous and swamps that remained by providing far more pollutants then these wetlands could normally clean.

The enviromentalists came on the scene with a vengance in the 1970's, trying and then suceeding in passing legislation to stem the pollution as well as ANY additons to the levee systems around New Orleans. A by-product of this was their belief that adding to the levee system would harm the enviroment even more then it already was. Unfortunately, this short-sighted belief would lead directly to the disaster that we have seen in recent weeks in New Orleans.

Are enviromentalists to blame for the catastrophe of Katrina? While they earn a low mark on the humanitarian side in one respect, more then anything else, they were simply too late, myopic and un-compromising to make a difference. Completely leveling places where people live and then spending billions of dollars on re-building the environment slowly is the only cure for the ills that people have wrought on the environment and to do this is simply insane, and unrealistic at best. Humans have always attempted to mold the World around them, and once people are settled in a place it is virtually impossible to get them to move away.

The enviromentalists can not stop people from living in well established cities and since this is simply a fact of human nature, it would be in the best interest of the enviromentalists as well as the human race at large to begin to compromise. Just because people are unwilling to move that is no reason to not prepare against the devastation of nature. By not preparing, we would be condemning the people living in these areas to certain trouble. Unfortunately for the poeple of New Orleans, the enviromentalists almost never compromise when they go to court.

While the eviromentalists that halted the building of additonal levees should be held accountable for the role they played in the disaster, if there is ultimate blame to be assigned as to why Katrina created such devastation, it should go to A. Baldwin Wood the designer of the pumps that allowed a small city to become a metropolis. People simply were never meant to live there...

Once there however, the enviromentalists, owed it to the poeple living there to come up with solutions, rather then simply standing in the way of methods that would help preserve what has already been built there: Lives, hopes, dreams, families... There is enough blame to go around, but certainly some of it must be placed at the feet of the enviromental movement.

(H/T Small Dead Animals)

Margaret Thatcher of Germany?

2005-09-13T07:35:00.000-07:00

Well, maybe. that is of course if Angela Merkel, the CDU(Christian Democratic Union) leader can oust Gerhardt Schroeder's Social Democrats this September 18th in the German election. This would return the CDU to power and make Ms. Merkel the first female Chancellor of Germany. The CDU, who under Chancellor Helmut Kohl, flourished in Germany in the 1980's and early 1990's were ousted from power by Schroeder after scandals erupted that effected the CDU as well as Kohl himself.

So who is Angela Merkel? Born in East Germany under the "yoke" of Communism in the East, Ms. Merkel grew to be an eager student of freedom. Much like many other "conservatives" in Europe, she is a supporter of the European safety net, while also looking for massive reforms in the tax codes and re-forging the close alliance with the United States taht has been strained with both Presidents Clinton and Bush.

While nothing like an American conservative in her general outlook, Ms. Merkel, could best be described as a unique mix between PM's Blair and Thatcher. As a member of the Kohl government, she was one of the very first Christian Democrats to speak out against the corruption in former Chancellor Helmut Kohl's government. By doing so, she set herself apart as an outspoken critic of big government and the corruption that can, and often does, follow it.

Coming from the East, many of her economic beliefs (which will undoubtably have a large effect on European policies) reflects more of a Thatcher, then a Blair. It is believed, however, that her government would work more closely with the UK and the US on the war on terror then the Schroeder government has done.

With polls closing in on Merkel (Polls show Merkel 41-34% over Schroeder.) the CDU must be careful. If the results of the current polling are exact, then the next German Chancellor's government may be a coaltion between the CDU and the Social Democrats...a mess that would only hamper the efforts of the German economy to alleviate the 5 million unemployed Germans.

In the meantime, Ms. Merkel is ahead in the polls, and if they are to be believed, she may be picking up some momentum in the final push to election day. In Bavaria, anyway, the people are focused on voting CDU, even if many are not happy that their candidate is a woman from East Germany.

More humor. Really.

2005-09-13T07:33:00.000-07:00

A little humor? Maybe...

2005-09-12T15:23:00.000-07:00

Jihadist sympathizers/Architechtual designers?

2005-09-09T08:37:00.000-07:00

In other news about 9/11 memorials, the design for the memorial to the heroes of flight 93, entitled "The Crescent of Embrace", was released to the public. Michelle Malkin's question is the most appropriate:

"Remind you of anything?"

Well, it reminds me that there are plenty of people in this nation (Apparently they went to colleges that screwed up their central cortexes, but unfortunately did nothing to debilitate their motor skills.) who can not tell the difference between a memorial for the murdered men, women and children on flight 93 and a memorial to the "Martyrs of Islam" who murdered them and thousands of others that September day.
Unfortunately for all of us, the people who create and design many of these monuments live in an entirely different nation then the rest of us do. Consider the philosophy of the architect, Paul Murdoch:

"A primary task of this generation is to create new patterns of development that sustain human habitation on this planet. Towards this end, the principles adopted for our practice are intended to ensure that each project contributes to an overall goal of environmental responsibility while striving for design excellence.
As architects, we are uniquely qualified to help formulate and translate policy into tangible form; mitigating pressures of urbanity with the need to heal the natural environment. Each design solution is seen as a contribution to the human condition; as it exists today and evolves into future generations.
Our goal is to define and study problems both in terms of clientsÂ direct needs and relative to long term effects on natural and man made surroundings. More than problem solving however, we aspire to emotionally affect and uplift our lives through poetry and beauty.
It is through these transcendent qualities that we optimistically strive for ways to
enrich life and fulfill our original purpose for engaging in the practice of architecture."
-1991

Interesting. Yet another narcissistic nihilist that will save the World with his "Art". Mr. Murdoch probably truly believes that he created a beautiful memorial here, and I'm inclined to think that he is right. The problem is that he created a memorial for the murderers rather then a memorial for the heroes of flight 93 who may have saved countless people through their actions.

A shame what a college education will do to some people isn't'nt it?

(H/T

Take back the Memorial continues...

2005-09-09T08:23:00.000-07:00

The 9/11 families are trying to stop the "Peace memorial" at ground zero as they (I believe rightly.) claim that the memorial has been taken over by anti-war activists who want to create a monument to peace rather then a memorial for the people who were murdered there in 2001.

I urge you to sign the petition here to help ensure the 9/11 memorial in 1 World Trade stays politics free. It costs nothing but a moment of your time and this memorial means something to every American.

Just a bit of peace...

2005-09-08T15:20:00.000-07:00

Terrific post! I am not sure where it started, I found it on Small Dead Animals. Just another story passed along from blogger to blogger... It may not even be true. But the thought is what really counts, not whether we can verify it or not.

Woody was on the road traveling last Thursday when he saw the plight of people in New Orleans, he is a real red neck Texas guy who played football for a small college about 30 years ago. He is prone to get into arguments over next to nothing, he will argue enough so that stores have to call security guards and his wife knows how to talk him out of trouble with cops when he mouths off.
Woody is rather passionate about life, his daughter is engaged to a nice black man and was best friends with her fiancés sister who had a baby last month. The mom started running a high fever a few weeks ago, went to the hospital and she was sent home with two aspirins and then she developed more complications which ended up with her being in the hospital last week on life
support.
Woody was rather upset about this, his daughter was taking care of the beautiful new baby and last Friday he decided he could not sit still any more. He borrowed his wife's SUV, he took off on the road with a lot very large coolers, he does big cookouts at times, and two large tables on the top of the SUV. He purchased hundreds of pounds of lunch meat, large containers of sandwich
spread and loaves of bread. Then he filled the coolers with hundreds of bottles of water.
Friday night Woody checked into a hotel part way to Louisiana and set up an assembly line to make sandwiches, he spent nine hours building sandwiches and developed a good case of sandwich elbow. He had every thing cooled down and Saturday afternoon he was on the highway in Louisiana mixing in with large relief convoys of Tahoe's, Expeditions and Suburbans flying down the road over eighty miles per hour. They passed a number of military convoys loaded with all sorts of heavy equipment, he said that the road of full of workers and soldiers heading towards New Orleans.
Woody made it through the first road block tucked into a group of government vehicles as he was just waved right on by. The second road block of Highway patrolmen stopped him and saw he was loaded with coolers and he told them he was with the group and he was passed through. At the third road block just out of New Orleans he was stopped and asked for an identification badge, he tried to bluff by searching around his SUV, the Patrolman than ask him again who he really was and his reply was "I am just a crazy guy from Texas with a truck load of sandwiches and water and offered him a sandwich. The patrolman looked at him like he was crazy and then he told him to pull out and drive on down the street.
There he was stopped again at a gathering of large number of highway patrol cars and patrolmen. When Woody told them what he was doing, they asked around and one of the men in charge told him that there was a bus breakdown at a church a few blocks away and that they could use some food.
He drove up to the church which had been made out of a converted Wal-Mart and there were three buses in the parking lot. A large man came out and ask him what he was doing and Woody told him that he had over a thousand sandwiches and bottles of water and the reply from this man was "Thank you." The two of them unloaded the food and water which made the coolers so heavy they could hardy lift them. They then began to pass the food out and he was told
that these were the last three buses out of the superdome.
They were filled with tired and hungry old people, women and children who was eager to have food and a cool drink of water. Woody apologized for having to use heel of bread on some of
the sandwiches but he ended up with more meat than bread and he wanted to use it
all up. The people did not seem to care.
At the bottom of some of the coolers a few sandwiches had gotten wet and one of the women was about the throw them away since every one had been feed, Woody asked her if there were any
animals around and she remembered that there was an old gentleman living in a car in the parking lot with a dog. They then feed the hungry skinny dog and the owner was grateful.
As Woody was packing up the man who helped him thanked
him and was shaking his hand. Woody then told him that he needed something and
those around waited to hear what he wanted. He said that prayer was needed for
the woman in the hospital back in Dallas who had the little baby. He said they
both hugged and cried in the parking lot and then he was told that Sunday
morning there would be over 400 prayers for the young mother.
Woody was the only white person among all of the folks taking care of the bus loads and in the
bus loads of people, one friend had warned him before he went down that they might see him on TV being the victim of violence, and what he found was warmth and friendship and very tired worn out hungry people. This crazy red neck Texan said that there never was any thing but kindness and appreciation that night.
Woody hit the road and headed back to Texas and he found out the mother did not make it. She died and her family expressed gratitude for new baby in their lives and for the time they had with the mother before she went to heaven. Some how this crazy trip seemed to help Woody get some balance for all of the things that can happen and a bit of peace.

(H/T to SDA)

Tribes.

2005-09-08T13:30:00.000-07:00

The article, entitled Tribes from Bill Whittle at Eject!EjectEject is probaly the best single article written about the unfortunate turns that our nation, and by consequence our culture, has started to take. Although this is a long read, it is worth every inch of print. Please, PLEASE, if you have not read it, take the time to and think of the philosophy espoused. Do not simply dismiss the ideas because you may think they are simply angry ramblings. While the author is angry, he ought to be, as should we all.

We have become Rome... and this is nothing to be proud of.

Some things to think about.

2005-09-08T08:34:00.000-07:00

The pontificating has become out of control, but Max Boot at the LA times has some great advice...

With all the discussion about the poor of Louisiana, here are two interesting points of view. The first group of rambling thoughts: On being poor. I liked the response On staying poor... MUCH better. A real eye opener for people who are under some false impression that the government will come in and make everything alright for the people who lost everything. Sorry. Time to pick yourself up and get back to work. No one else can get your life going again but you. All "we the people" can do is help you to stand up again. Once you're up, it is your job to make your legs work and get to the business of starting again.
(H/T to Small Dead Animals for these links...)

Melati finds a song from the past.

2005-09-08T08:21:00.000-07:00

I recieved a comment from my dear friend Melati today regarding yesterdays post about the devastation that continues to happen elsewhere around the World as well as Katrina's devastation here at home. She included the following lyrics from a wonderful old song, Lousisana, 1927. They say alot about the flood then, but also about the floods today. The more things change, the more they stay the same...

What has happened down here guess the wind have changed
clouds come in from the north and it start to rain
rained real hard and it rained for a real long time
six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

River rose all day the river rose all night
Some people got lost in the flood some people got away all right
River have busted through clear down to Plaquemines
Six feet of water in the streets of Evangeline

Louisiana
Louisiana
They're trying to wash us away
They're trying to wash us away

President Coolidge come down in a railroad train
with a little fat man with a notepad in his hand
President say little fat man isn't it a shame
what the river has done to this poor crackers' land
Louisiana
Louisiana
They're trying to wash us away
They're trying to wash us away
Louisiana
Louisiana
They're trying to wash us away
They're trying to wash us away
They're trying to wash us away
They're trying to wash us away

If you have'nt seen the link to Melati's Blog, Tequila Stakes Croquet (HYSTERICAL READING by the way...) check it out...a great laugh almost every time she posts... (She is a Sommerset Maughm freak, is there such a thing?)

Japan, China, India, the U.S., we are all targets of Nature sometimes.

2005-09-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

Typhoon # 14 came ashore in Nagasaki prefecture Japan yesterday, killing 11 peoplethroughout southern Japan. Packing winds at 90 kmh and higher, over 117,000 people were evacuated from Kyushu, Shikoku, Chugoku and Kinki regions. 600 members of the JSDF (Japanese Self Defense Forces) helped to rescue people, while in Miyazaki, 73,000 people were evacuated. (Read about it at the Daily Yomiuri)

In Taiwan and China typhoon season is in full force, ravaging both nations. Tyhoon Aere (Where the death toll climbed to 34 after a mudslide killed 15 villagers in Taiwan.) and Tyhpoon Talim (which has claimed 54 lives so far in China and Taiwan) have come ashore and the season is just getting started.

Hurricanes, typhoons, earthquakes, tsunamis, forest fires, drought and other disasters are part of the cycles of the earth. There is no way to avoid them, nor is there a way to stop them. We simply have to deal with them as they arrive. While the New Orleans debacle is unnacceptable, scientists had warned for a long time that this could and probably would happen. We could have planned for it better, but who knows... Mother Nature has a mind of her own, in her eyes...we are ALL equal.

Who's to blame and why is it so important now?

2005-09-06T07:48:00.000-07:00

Mayor Nagin has been accepting his portion of blame as well as laying some on the Governor, and not just the President. (This from a CNN interview.) All very interesting, but how terribly unfortunate that people are still discussing blame when people are in need of jobs, housing and the basic necessities.

So what is important now? Jobs. Jobs are important now. The many communities that have taken in thousands of the storm refugees like Houston, San Antonio, Dallas, Phoenix, etc. will soon have a problem if jobs can not be found for people. If people are given the chance to help themselves they will. If they expect the government to "provide" for them indefinately, they will be sorely disappointed.

Government rarely does anything well. That so many people think that the government SHOULD help them is amazing. That these same people actually believe the government can help people more effectively then the private sector is incredible. The red tape and rediculous laws that made getting help to people in need difficult came directly from government beaurocrats. But the government can do it better....right?

No. The best thing to do with the hurricane refugees is to let capitalism work its wonders. Provide tax credits for companies that hire people from New Orleans no matter the city they are in now. Get the people to work and they will amaze us all in the rapidity with which they recover themselves. Many of the people have nothing now so to get some money in their pockets is key for them to start rebuilding their lives.

Along with tax credits for companies hiring people, why not have the communities offer people temporary work on roads, buildings, etc. I know that in Phoenix there is a new Football stadium being built now, why not have hire refugees as laborers at the site. Bus them out as a group every morning and back every night. Get rid of red tape and help people to help themselves.

If people are allowed to sit around and feel sorry for themselves they will only create more problems. It only takes one rotton apple to ruin the bunch.

What we can do.

2005-09-01T07:48:00.000-07:00

After a slow start from some charity groups and nations around the World, it appears that the telethons will be marching, Canada is pitching in as would be expected, and will be a huge asset. The UK and Israel have pledged to help in any way possible, the French are offering assistance, even Venezuela was quick to offer cheap oil to help offset the devatstation. Jan Egeland from the UN has stated that the UN is ready to help if asked... so far we have said a polite "No thank you." The Hollywood folks are coming out in droves with telethons etc. People around the World are coming out to help. The American people are resilient and I believe that this is only a bump in the road for us. We willpull together and restore New Orleans to the grandeur of old. We will rebuild and we will help our fellow countrymen with all we can.

Here in Arizona many people have offered their homes as a temporary refuge for people fleeing The Big Easy, the Arizona DPS has sent helicopters, rapid response disaster teams and some state Fire coordinators to help with coordinating the relief supplies as well as the rescue efforts in place. The amount of money pouring in is amazing: The Salvation Army's (Another place that I have just given to...again) servers were so overwhelmed with donations that they had to get more up and running. Companies, charities, all are starting to get the money that is necessary. We simply have to be vigilant and hope that the monies given are spent in the right way and go to the poeple in need, not into fundraisers pockets...

At least 12 other nations have offered aid, but are waiting until they know what they can do, where and how. Based on all of the news reports, this is the best course of action. To simply throw money at the problem will not help. What appears to be needed the most is man power to provide security, construction and re-construction help and to ferry supplies in. Also desperately needed will be doctors and medical support as well as the food, clothing and shelter that is likely to come in the millions of tons to the area.

A thought that crossed my mind may be effective in the long term goal of helping people to rebuild their lives and businesses might be to create an "adopt a family" relief effort. As Hugh Hewitt has started with churches, why could'nt towns, cities and villages across the nation not adopt a family? Towns could throw a fair to raise money for specific families and then help them to rebuild. Additionally, the towns could "adopt" the people by having them move to their town temporarily, and be put up by townspeople and local churches. Once the refugees are safe in the astrodome, authorities would simply post this as an option. An 800 number would be set up to call and coordinate families with cities and towns that would be willing to "adopt" the family while New Orleans is brought back to life...

Where NOT to shop, and how to voice your displeasure...

2005-08-31T13:41:00.000-07:00

Hugh Hewitt and many are right to complain that major companies that jumped in to raise money for the Tsunami in South Asia, are mum on helping the AMERICAN victims of "our own Tsunami".

Thanks to Hugh and Michelle Malkin as well as Instapundit and You Big Mouth You and Chuck Simmons are tracking corporate donations as they come in. Untited Airlines, a struggling airline is chipping in...BUT notice who is NOT making donations, at least yet... Amazon, Google, Microsoft, and the list goes on. Time to bring up some heat. Here are some contact phone numbers, if we all call them enough maybe they'll start to get involved. Or maybe they are not quick on writing checks because the disaster happened in the South?

Google: 1600 Amphitheatre ParkwayMountain View, CA 94043 phone: 650-253-0000
Microsoft:One Microsoft WayRedmond, WA 98052 Phone: (425) 882-8080
Viacom: Viacom, Inc. Headquarters1515 Broadway New York, NY 10036 Ph: 212-258-6000 http://www.viacom.com/
GE: Corporate Headquarters: General Electric Company3135 Easton TurnpikeFairfield, CT 06431 (203) 373-2211
Bank of America: Corporate Center100 North Tryon St.Charlotte, North Carolina 28255

MANY on the Left wing sites and blogs are apparently too busy to do anything... Check out the SP-USA, CPUSA, Mother Jones and Michael Moore (Moore seems moore concerned with the Camp Casey issue then the deaths of thousands of American Citizens one state away from the Cindy crowd.) If the Michael Moore's of the Left want to prove themselves they ought to stop in Louisiana on the little road trip and volunteer to help. Well, at least some left Bloggers like DCMedia girl... (More vulgarity from her, but she has some very useful links to help and many phone numbers listed.) are giving people ways to help.

The tragedy continues to unfold

2005-08-31T10:17:00.000-07:00

While people are suffering horrible diplacement and the possibility that there may be refugees from a major U.S. city (Something unheard of since the Civil War, along with the possibility that the writ of Habeus Corpus may be suspended, also unheard of in a major city since the civil war...) the reported looting has gone to a level that is unfathomable. People are stealing televisions, stereos, jewlery...why? How can they POSSIBLY use these things in their current conditions? Wait, how can they even transport these items to their homes that are flooded or out of a city that is completely shut down?

There are several very interesting posts around the blogosphere on this. The place to start is with the facts here, and then read the very elegant and well written Compact of Civil Societies here finally check out Generation Why's response to what we should do with the looters... I like his 3rd idea the best...

Finally, I would like to remind the people around the World that when diasters hit them the United States is almost always the first to respond and send food, money, shelter and medicine. I have yet to hear of ANY nation willing to reach out and help us. Perhaps we should re-think our entire policy of helping others...no, that would not help anything. We should, however shame the UN and the rest of the World. Simply because we can pull ourselves up and recover WITHOUT their help should be enough for us. We don't need them...but they DEFINATELY need us.

Now is not the time for a pity party, nor is it a time for looking to others in the World for help (I doubt many would respond anyway.). Rather, now is the time for we Americans to do what we do best, pull up our boots, open our wallets and give our time and prayers to help the people of the Gulf States. I have made the American Red Cross and Samaritans Purse my charities of choice... but there are many others ready to help, it matters not where you give, but that you give.

Additionally, Hugh Hewitt had a great idea to help chuches, synagogues and mosques to get the money and other support to people who may have lost everything and will have nowhere to go and nothing left of their former lives. Remember, food clothing and shelter are only the begining, people will need money to rebuild businesses, homes, buy new furniture, clothing, and so much more. Also, be on the look out for scam artists as they certainly will be out there...

UPDATE: The BBC has a link to the Red Cross...the first such link I have found after checking the Guardian Mail in S. Africa, Australian papers, the Jerusalem Post, The Times of London, the CBC and others... At least the BBC has something. Lets hope other places will provide links for people to give to...More to come.

Martial Law declared in the "Big Easy".

2005-08-30T09:33:00.000-07:00

As if there is not enough to worry about in New Orleans, Mississippi and Alabama, there have been reports of looting and the National Guard is not taking any of this lightly. Martial law declared in New Orleans and Mississippi is ready for the looters. Michelle Malkin has some great links. For up-to date New Orleans info go here.

To donate you can go to Hurricane Katrina Help Wiki to find a list of organizations taking donations. These folks need any and all the help we can give them. (Lord knows the "World community" will not be giving-up any money to help us...they never do.)

Too funny...

2005-08-30T09:12:00.000-07:00

I've been to this little hamlet in Austria, but I did'nt notice any Brits stealing signs. Apparently it has become quite a problem, you might be able to figure out why after reading the full story here. Something tells me thousands of Americans will now try to get the signs as well. Imagine a fraternity being nearby? They'd forever be replacing these signs.

Camp Casey's Competition steps up and NPR finds Cindy's soul.

2005-08-30T07:58:00.000-07:00

Poor Cindy Sheehan, her 15 minutes is almost up... Melanie Morgan and Move America Forward pulled into Crawford with about 4,000 pro-military and pro Bush supporters. Dwarfing the attempts of the left thus far (I guess Joan Baez really is not that popular anymore. Heck in '69 she could have brought together thousands of drug addled out of work morons...). The Hurricane, has obviously overshadowed this story, but the MSM has to start reporting this. Katie Couric, where are you? (Crying with Cindy, I'm sure...) Check out Small Dead Animals for the picture of the week and LGF for another take on the photo ops.... Quite sad really.

Also in reecent Camp Casey news... In an interview with NPR this weekend she cut short an interview with Neil Conan(Listen to it here...). Mr. Conan, always a gentleman and well known for asking questions that actually get the listener some information did what he does best: Asked the questions that others have not been asking and then followed up. Cindy's response: "I only have 2 minutes, do we have to talk about this again?" It gets worse...Cindy ends the interview on Neil quite abruptly, I guess she can't really stay on message when there are questions being asked that she and her Peace Pard's did not set up in advance. A shame really, because if her ideas and beliefs really had any merit she should have felt very comfortable discussing them with NPR. (I refer to NPR as National Proletariat Radio.)

I think that they also assumed NPR would be a pushover... Kudos to NPR for getting to the truth and showing Cindy's real agenda: HER and her out of work peace pards being on TV to spew an agenda that has little to do with the truth and a LOT to do with Leftist Rhetoric...

Also, some recent guests to Camp Casey that show the political bent of the people gathered there and the organizers: Martin Sheen (Never saw a war worth fighting... except perhaps the Anglo-Irish war that forced his mother to flee from Ireland.) Rev Al Sharpton (Remember Tawana Brawley?), and of course, the queen of Folk tunes Joan Baez.

On the other side, Froggy Ruminations has a TERRIFIC letter rebuting the Anti-Bush crowd and their self serving agrandisement while providing aid and comfort to the enemy and hurting our own troops morale. The letter also reminds some people of what type of government we ACTUALLY live in... Not what they non-educated so-called elites continue to throw out there.

Semper ubi sub ubi Peaceniks, keeps you "together" when you get scared. (Any guesses on the English translation? Answer revealed tommorow!)

Another reason why Greenspan may be right...

2005-08-29T09:46:00.000-07:00

To listen to some people in the mortgage and real estate industries, you would think that people are doing great and things are only getting better. An article in the LA Times yesterday discussed how homeowners are starting to use their equity to make upgrades in their homes, pay off credit card debt buy new toys and cars and take vacations. The old days of people saving their money and the equity in their homes appears to be a thing of the past as people continue to see their homes as a "piggy bank" that they can use to improve their lifestyles.

While this may be good for short term consumer spending, there is a terrible downside that many people are either unaware of or unwilling to think about... the housing bubble bursting.

There is a lot of talking about this bubble burst. Alan Greenspan is warning about the crash, and it is nothing to laugh at. Esspecially in debt happy states like California, where people are taking out larger 2nd mortgage loans under the assumption that the value in their homes will only continue to rise. While it may be true in the long run, people are taking a tremendous risk by doing this. Many people are taking on a debt to income ratio for their homes alone that is well above the 30% pretax reccomended by the Feds. Add to that their cars and credit cards and many people are just getting by.

When people buy homes these days they are often taking out interest only loans that have a balloon payment, with little or no money down. By putting little or no money down on the property they often have a lower monthly payment in the short term so that they can afford to get in the house. They are counting on the equity to build up in their property to offset their no-money down option. Assuming the equity continues to build, and they do not lose their jobs, they should be ok. Except for one thing: the balloon payments which with some people's 3-5 year ARM loans and even 30 year interest only loans (typically offer lower payments for the short term, and lower then conventional loans for the 30 year interest only loan.). Yes, they can refinance before the balloon comes due, and many plan to do that. But, when they do, will they be able to afford the new conventional loan payments that will inevitably be MUCH higher then what they are paying today? The answer is probably no. This will lead to serious problems if people keep taking equity out of their homes.

Additionally, as people are taking the equity out of their homes as the value increases, they are often not using that money in wise ways. They will pay off credit card debt with it. A silly and dangerous idea, as they have just taken an unsecured loan, the credit card debt, and secured it with thier home. With other options out there, like settlement companie and credit counseling services, these people are hurting themselves more then they even realize.

Another popular use of the equity loans people take out is vacations and "toys" like boats, RVs and ATV's...sometimes even a new car. While these purchases do help to drive the economy in many respects, it is a short term and dangerous game that people are playing with their homes and their strongest asset.

What happens if people become streched too far? It is inevitable that many people, as they refinance their loans to conventional or longer term interest only loans will start to see their loan payments rise. While interest rates continue to slowly creep up, people will see their payments creep up as well. As the payments go up some will be unable to make the payments and find themselves in a sticky situation.

As people start to default on loans, they will look to sell their property quickly, BEFORE they fall into foreclosure and lose the house. The massive amount of homes that could hit the market during a time like this would destroy the value that people thought was in their homes. This will in turn drop the bottom out of the housing market and even those who are able to stay current on their loans will quickly find that the value of their homes is less then when they bought them, meaning that they will have to stay where they are longer then they may have planned for. With payments on a loan that exceed the equityin the property, some will try to get out before it gets any worse. Others will wisely weather the storm.

Very quickly markets like California, Phoenix, Florida, Las Vegas and the Northeast could find that people are losing their homes at a rate never forseen. What happens when people stop having the money to pay their mortgages is only the start though. It will get worse.

Many people are responsible enough to find a solution to the non-vital to survival bills like credit card debt, and they will keep up with their mortgage to maintain their homes. But what happens to the greater economy when consumer spending fizzles out? A list of some: could happens... (None of these even consider price of oil which will continue to rise for the foreseeable future.)

1. Massive job loss as consumer spending slows due to mortgage payments rising.
2. Lower prices to encourage people to buy...which ultimately will mean additional layoffs to make up for profit margin.
3. As people lose their jobs, more forelcosures will be inevitable as people are unable to keep up with their rising mortgage payments.
4. Banks will slow their lending due to a fear that they will lose more then they already are. Additionally many banks may find that their overextesions of credit card debt to people comes back to bite them as hundreds of thousands of people default on credit card debt to maintain their homes. This may even cause some bank failure and additional loans being called in on homes and small businesses.
5. The new home market will start to shake as people are unwilling to buy expensive new homes that they can not afford.
6. More job losses as construction jobs become scarce and people stop buying appliances, lumber, equipment and other new home necessities that ogten help to drive consumer spending and business seemingly un-related to the housing market.
And these are only a taste of the issues that may be on the horizon if there is a housing collapse...

I am no Greenspan, but some advice to people in a lot of debt to avoid this happening to them:

1. Find a credit counseling or even better, a debt settlement company to eliminate your credit card debt.
2. Get into a cheaper vehichle then you drive today and buy only used vehichles. PAy down any balance as quickly as possible.
3. Do not go on lavish vacations, rather look for budget deals and consider "owning" a vacation by buying a timeshare... at least you have something to show for the money being spent.
4. Save and invest. The best way to use extra money is to save and invest it. Look at your day to day costs and cut things that are unnecessary. I found that by cutting out my daily 4 shot mocha at the coffe house, I saved about $30 per week. That translated into $1560 per year that I could start to invest. But I had to still set the $5 aside every day. Financial discipline can and will keep you above the fray.
5. DO NOT buy things that you do not need or can not afford. No matter how bad things get, if you have enough saved and invested, if you can weather the storms, you and your family will win. The old adadge that money makes money will continue to hold true. Patience and consistency are the keys.
6. Do not jump on the bandwagon when and if a housing collapse comes, instead stay calm and make sure that you can keep your home intact and you can afford the lifestyle you are living. If you can't afford it, change it. Ultimately any housing collapse will pass and your equity will be intact in the long run.
7. Do not fear drops in the market, embrace them and find ways to use the capital you have saved to invest as prices drop. The market will rebound as it always does.

Let's hope that the housing market only slows down and does not collapse. A slow down may hurt, but it will not destroy people financially. If, however, it does collapse and you are ready for it, you will survive and may even be able to make profits through wise use of your capital.

(I am NOT a financial advisor, but have used these tools to help myself and have only reaped rewards so far.)

You can have my home when you pry it from my cold dead fingers

2005-08-26T14:29:00.000-07:00

Visit the Castle Coalition, a neat group that has banded together to fight the Kelo decision and stop rediculous eminent domain claims by local governments.

Also, look here for Diane "I speak for 140 million women" Feinstein's remarks about Judge Roberts... This would be funny if it were not so sad... If anyone can find a complete transcript of the Senator at the LA Bar Association, I would LOVE to get a copy.
I have heard that she said the Kelo case will "never be used"... and that the States can pass laws to stop it...after all they don't HAVE to take your land. But they still can take it, can't they Diane... Maybe the NRA was right about Senator Fienstein and her "Jackbooted Thugs." The only difference is they will be coming for your home...AFTER they already have your guns, so you won't be able to do a thing about it.

More on Michael Yon's journey...

2005-08-26T11:05:00.000-07:00

If you have not yet read Michael Yon's post from West Mosul yesterday, you can find it here. Check out Jeff Kouba, who wrote a terrific piece where he analyzes Yon's article in depth.

The greatest Canadian Prime Minister...

2005-08-25T15:44:00.000-07:00

SmallDeadAnimals has a link to a site where they are polling to find out who the greatest Canadian PM in history was/is (I doubt Mr, Martin will be winning in the Western provinces...). A fun and clever use of your time. Plus ALL Americans should learn more about our neighbor's history. For the yanks reading this, do me and your fellow American's a favor, eh? Don't vote UNTIL YOU HAVE READ UP ON THEM!

Here's the list with links for your educational background...
Mackenzie King, John Turner, Louis St.Laurent, John Diefenbaker , Wilfrid Laurier, Arthur Meighen, Jean Chretien, Paul Martin, Robert Borden, Lester Pearson, Pierre Trudeau, Joe Clark, Brian Mulroney, RB Bennett, John A MacDonald, and Kim Campbell.
To see who my vote went to...read about him here.

Sen. George Allen on the NCAA and some mascots.

2005-08-25T14:14:00.000-07:00

Sen George Allen of Virginia was on the Hugh Hewitt show the other day and had this to say about the thinking of the decision:

"...the NCAA, I guess they have a lot of time on their hands, and they must not
get much oxygen in their offices to come up with these ludicrous approaches."

The exchange added a little of the "cross Potomac" rivalry with the last part of the interview:

GA:"I would think as an athlete, being called a Turp would be really insulting the
most...a turtle of all things."
HH: "You're not really looking for the Maryland vote, are you Senator?"
GA: "No, I did find San Luis Obispo. They're the slugs. I said that's even worse than being called a turtle."

I myself could not agree more with Senator Allen as I have posted before here and here. More plain speaking and more concern about academics and the slow corruption of college sports is what the NCAA needs to focus on, not this garbage.

You can check out the rest of the interview at Radioblogger, as well as Hugh's interview with the Governator himself.

Maybe Michael Yon's best post yet...

2005-08-25T13:59:00.000-07:00

Amazing post from Michael Yon about a firefight in Mosul. Heart-wrenching, superbly told and very little left out. THis is what the men and women do every day for the people of Iraq, each other and us. Gates of Fire...

How to become a Soldiers Angel....

2005-08-25T13:15:00.000-07:00

Although I have been E-mailing close friends "over there" and sometimes sending packages, after seeing this letter below at Hugh Hewitt's site today, I immediately volunteered myself to become a Soldiers Angel. If you and your family have not done so yet, I HIGHLY encourage you to take a little time and spend a little of your money to make a soldier, sailor, airman or marine a little happier and let them know just how much we appreciate their tremendous sacrifice.

I will let the letter speak for itself, but remember that we owe it to these men and women to do everything we can to make these men and women's time overseas more bearable.

To: Elaine Baker (Soldiers Angels)
Elaine, I am a 42 y/o psychology professor at ____ University of_______. Last winter, I adopted a young Marine corporal through Soldiers Angels. The entire process was simple from beginning to end due toall of the wonderful work of the people with your organization. My marine operated a mobil fuel farm in Iraq and he and his platton are packing up and getting ready to come home. It was amazing to find out howmuch one person on this end can do to lift the spirits of our soldiers. Iwas very fortunate to have a soldier who communicated with me on nearly a daily basis. We both got more out of this relationship than we eitherbargained for in the beginning.I know my soldier's spirits were lifted by the packages and letters hereceived. We got to know each other through VOLUMES of email.
The one thing I know that help my soldier was knowing that some randomperson like myself over here in the safe world was actually thinking abouthim and his buddies over there in the big sand box.
From the sounds of things, my soldier was the only "adopted" soldier in his platoon and they were in rather isolated places. After several months, hereported that EVERY MARINE IN HIS PLATOON was signing up to get adopted.That should make all of YOU PEOPLE think about the incredible impact of YOUR efforts.
I know that every angel and every soldier might not hit it off, but we gotalong swimmingly and plan to stay in touch. I KNOW THAT THE WORK BEHINDSOLDIERS ANGELS HAS CHANGED THE LIFE OF AT LEAST ONE GRATEFUL SPONSOR AND ONE YOUNG MARINE HERE.
I want all of you to know that my experience of adopting a soldier throughSOLDIERS ANGELS was one of the MOST REWARDING EXPERIENCES I have had in mylife and none of this would have been possible if it were not for all of you people.
If I can be of any asistance in the future please let me know. PLEASE BEAWARE THAT YOUR TIME AND ENERGY ARE PAYING OFF IN WAYS THAT YOU PEOPLE WILLNEVER KNOW.
Let me know if I can help in any way,
[Name withheld]

To make a difference in these soldiers lives it does not take much more then a little time, money and a lot of care. You can log in and adopt a soldier here. We owe them at least that.

-Pro Patria

Avian Bird Flu...is it all it's cracked up to be?

2005-08-25T09:44:00.000-07:00

The Avian bird flu is in the news again. In Ireland and the UK some are calling it a "national emergency" urging the governments there to prepare for the arrival of the avian flu as it crosses the Ural mountains in central Russia courtesy of the many migratory birds that cross the Steppes every year.

So why is this such an important news story? Some people are starting to worry about the rapid spread of the disease, and see a frightening parralel between this disease and the influenza pandemic of 1918-1919 that killed millions. Why the paralell and concern? To begin with, an obvious concern is the domestic poultry industry. Much as with the mad cow problems that have been seen in the UK, Canada, the US and down under, as well as in other nations, an epidemic disease in birds could drastically raise prices for food, while also crippling many develping nations who require poultry to maintain the protien in their diets. You can only imagine the numbers of poultry that would have to be slaughtered in the US if 40 million chickens were slaughtered in Southeast Asia alone...

Add to this that in the recent past the avian flu, specificaly the strain known as H5N1, has shown the ability to jump to humans (First in Hong Kong in 1997), and scientists start to be concerned. The Scientists are not entirley certain waht they are dealing with as the disease has mutated quickly in some cases. As avianbirdflu.com reports:

"It is feared that if the avian influenza virus undergoes antigenic shift with a human influenza virus, the new subtype created could be both highly contagious and highly lethal in humans. Such a subtype could cause a global influenza pandemic, similar to the Spanish Flu that killed over 20 million people in 1918. In February 2004, avian influenza virus was detected in pigs in Vietnam, increasing fears of the emergence of new variant strains."
What do we do? I'm open for any suggestions, but since I am not a scientist I think that the people who know about this should be making the suggestions. With modern air travel, if the diseaese were proven to have become an airborne type of influenza, rather then what it appears to be now (contracted through the skin from the saliva and or fecal matter of birds.), we could be in for a rather bumpy ride as this spreads across the Globe.
Over reacting to the effect that avian flu would have on humans is premature, but we must be prepared to act in oreder to slow the bird flu from destroying the poultry industry in any way we can. In the meantime, we also need to learn as much as possible about the effects it may have on us.
Here are some additional resources to learn about Avian Bird Flu , visit the WHO and the CDC, they both have easy to understand explanations as well as some information as to how humans may becopme exposed to this flu.

US Navy releases terrorist...

2005-08-24T12:43:00.000-07:00

The US Navy today announced that it has released a senior Al Quaeda terrorist after questioning him extensively for 27 days while being held prisoner aboard a US aircraft carrier in the Arabian Sea.
In a humanitarian gesture, the terrorist was given $50 US and a white 1962 Ford Fairlane automobile upon being released from custody.
This photo shows the terrorist on his way home just after being released by the Navy....

A little humor can change your entire day!

A powerful story of a soldiers courage to live...

2005-08-23T14:45:00.000-07:00

Army Times reporter Gina Cavallaro writes on a friend, a patriot and a soldier that loved what he did and died doing it. Although this incident occured in March, it continues every day. Keep our men and women in your prayers. May God Bless 20 year old Spc. Francisco Martinez of Puerto Rico.

Sniper for hire, longest shot: 2340m, confirmed kills: classified.

2005-08-23T13:19:00.000-07:00

Smalldeadanimals has a terrific post from this past Sunday on Master Cpl. Arron Perry of the Candian Army. He is...well was, a sniper and a damn good one at that. Credited with shooting an al-Qaida fighter in Afghanistan from 2,430 metres, a world record. All this was done in support of U.S. forces who REQUESTED Perry and his team as they were so effective. As the Edmonton Star stated:

"Some observers have credited them with almost single-handedly getting Canada onto the list of countries targeted for al-Qaida revenge."
Obviously a military talent, and someone you would think Canada might want to keep in the field and on THEIR side...but...

"Perry, 33, and a 13-year veteran, was accused of discreditable conduct after he
allegedly cut the finger off an al-Qaida corpse, defecated on another and then
had his picture taken with a corpse that had a lit cigarette hanging from his
lips and a sign around his neck reading "F**k Terrorism."

Ultimately, the investigation was halted but his career was destroyed. Here is what the Master Cpl said when asked about the picture:

"It's a dead body. Who cares? You know what, I was glad about that picture. Remember what that sign said? 'F**k Terrorism.' And I still say, 'f**k terrorism.' "I saw the sign up there before the picture, and if I didn't like it, I would've taken it off."

Personally, I like this guy. Although the people on the left, people somehow unfarmiliar with al Queda's viscousness, and some human rights activists may find it abhorent, they MUST remember what these people are capable of! I say we need more men like this in combat infantry units, not fewer. Ultimately, as stated so well by Bryan Preston on Michelle Malkin today in a truly well reasoned comparison between Vietnam and the GWOT, if the media and the people do not understand that this is how wars are fought (i.e. people die and bad things happen...), and the political will disapears as it did in Vietnam, we will not win the war on terror.

Master Cpl Perry was doing what he had been trained to do. Did he perhaps overstep some decency that I firmly believe separates the Western World from the Islamic? Yes, he did. However, I will not sit here in the safety of my home at the computer in A/C and expect to understand why some men over there do the things that they do. I will tell you this though, Master Cpl Perry is responsible for eradicating fanatical people that would have thought nothing of killing as many "infidels" as possible...men, women, children... If you were Cpl Perry, what would you have done differently, AND HOW DO YOU KNOW THE ANSWER TO THAT?

in any case Master Cpl Perry had this to say about his retirement in April of this year:

"I retired because I didn't feel that I was being treated properly and I felt abandoned by the military...I don't trust anyone.... My passion is the military and what I was doing. I would want to carry on with that kind of role somewhere in the world, maybe in security or mercenary work"

The state of our "Ally Canada's" troops... Demoralized and told that they are killers, left with little support in the government and a dwindling defense budget. Oh yes... and they are considering leaving NORAD...

On the bright side, maybe he'll be hired on by the US Army. I certainly would like to think that the World Record Holding distance sniper is on our side...

A true hero...: "Where my Chief goes, I go."

2005-08-23T08:41:00.000-07:00

Hugh Hewitt had a terrific link today for Blackfive. They posted the remarkably unpublicized story of Sepcialist Casey Sheehan. Regardless of what one may think about Mrs. Sheehan's politics, she is the mother of an American hero. We all must honor those who have made sacrifices for us, even someone with whom we may disagree. Certainly Casey loved his mother just as she loved him. Honor and respect that love as well as what they both gave up for us. I think that we all know the other side honors very little, we must not stoop to their level.

Go Here to read Casey Sheehan's story as told by Blackfive.

08' is coming....

2005-08-23T08:23:00.000-07:00

Here's an 08' straw poll at Patrick Ruffin. Great chance to see who we on the right are considsering... After my ballott(No, I won't say who I'm backing yet) Guiliani was the winner, ho hum. The neat thing is the fantasy ballot really very interesting...

Some laughs from the Anarchist/Communist front...

2005-08-22T13:54:00.000-07:00

The complete lack of any intellectual honesty, let alone any real economic, social or political scholarship is astounding with these people. They are pretty funny though. Check out the NEFAC, SPUSA, the People's Weekly World, DCMediagirl (review of a Pam Anderson book. Genius in action!), of course PETA and their freak show... and finally, the winner...bringing Joan Biaz out of retirement to sing 60's folk songs to the modern day flower show in TX.

I know, I know, I'm judging again... I just can't help it when these people do things. We need to put some more chlorine in their side of the gene pool... If you don't laugh at them you have to cry.

Box# 2 holds no face cards for the Left...

2005-08-22T08:22:00.000-07:00

After a long weekend of expected relaxation examining the files from the Reagan library provided to me by Duane and Hugh, I ran into dial-up line failure up in the mountains of Arizona...not an uncommon thing up among the ponderossas, but nonetheless something I was not ready for... Creating a small delay in my posting again on the papers. Enough on the excuses...Lets get down to it:
Included in the files were three SCOTUS cases: AKRON v AKRON CENTER FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, PLANNED PARENTHOOD ASSN. v. ASHCROFT, SIMOPOULOS v. VIRGINIA. All three of these cases deal with the ability of States or municipalities to enact and enforce restrictions on abortion. A great deal of reading, but there is little, if anything that will harm the Roberts nomination. Although NARAL and co. will certainly attempt to find any tidbit they can.

Background and SCOTUS rulings:
PLANNED PARENTHOOD ASSN. v. ASHCROFT (1983): Missouri statutes which required abortions after 12 weeks of pregnancy to be performed in a hospital; required a pathology report for each abortion performed; required the presence of a second physician during abortions performed after viability; and required minors to secure parental consent or consent from the Juvenile Court for an abortion. The Missouri law was upheld with the exception of the requirement for abortions after 12 weeks take place in a hospital. This would be a key component to the SIMOPOULOS v. VIRGINIA case as well.
The voting:

"POWELL, J., announced the judgment of the Court in Part VI and
delivered the opinion of the Court with respect to Parts I and II, in which
BURGER, C. J., and BRENNAN, MARSHALL, BLACKMUN, and STEVENS, JJ., joined, and an
opinion with respect to Parts III, IV, and V, in which BURGER, C. J., joined.
BLACKMUN, J., filed an opinion concurring in part and dissenting in part, in
which BRENNAN, MARSHALL, and STEVENS, JJ., joined, post, p. 494. O'CONNOR, J.,
filed an opinion concurring in the judgment in part and dissenting in part, in
which WHITE and REHNQUIST, JJ., joined, post, p. 505."

SIMOPOULOS v. VIRGINIA(1983): This case responded to the use of "State Licensed" hospitals or clinics, and found that the same 12 week requirement put in place by the Missouri law and found unconstitutional in the PP assn v Ashcroft, was
constitutional in Virginia because the state of Virginia defined "hospital" in a more direct manner, as it encompassed the use of state licensed clinics. Essentially, the difference between the Missouri case and the Virginia case was the definition used in the law for hospital. The court decided that the requirement for all abortions performed AFTER the first 12 weeks had to be conducted in a State Licensed hospital or clinic. This would help to define the way that states would start to place restrictions on abortions and would be lead up to cases like Planned Parenthood v Casey in 1992.

The voting:

"POWELL, J., delivered the opinion of the Court, in which BURGER, C. J., and
BRENNAN, MARSHALL, and BLACKMUN, JJ., joined, and in Parts I and II of which
WHITE, REHNQUIST, and O'CONNOR, JJ., joined. O'CONNOR, J., filed an opinion
concurring in part and concurring in the judgment, in which WHITE and REHNQUIST,
JJ., joined, post, p. 519. STEVENS, J., filed a dissenting opinion, post, p. 520."

The effect these documents would, or could have on the Roberts nomination:
Since none of the papers in this "box" have been "sealed" or hidden away in any way their release is not a shocker. How they pertain to the Roberts nomination directly, however is, since they really have no bearing whatsoever on his ability to serve on the SCOTUS. The only reasons that they were released as a part of the Reagan documents would be due to the fact that Judge Roberts was working on the White House Staff as Associate Counsel to the President during the time these cases were delivered and Judge Roberts did clerk for Justice William H. Rehnquist for a year in 1980/81. I believe that (Barring any DIRECT involvement that Judge Roberts had with these cases that I have not been able to discern from my research.) the Nan Aron crowd will attempt to spin and use these cases to persuade people sympathetic with them that the replacement of Justice O'Connor by Judge Roberts would be a disaster for the Pro-abortion team.

How they would do this is difficult to see as Justice O'Connor, as she did in the Akron case, dissented in part in Planned Parenthood v Ashcroft. In Simopoulos v Virginia, she concurred with the opinion of the majority with some small caveats, but found that the Virginia law, as stated did not violate the findings in the Akron case, nor those of Planned Parenthood v Ashcroft. In fact, Justice O'Connor has voted several times to place limits on Roe through State law. By her stating several times that certain State statutes which came before the court restricting the performance of abortions were constitutional, Justice O'Connor was not the lap-dog of the pro-abortion crowd at NARAL and Planned Parenthood that they want us to believe she was. Rather, she was a moderate voice on the court that looked to allow the states to provide for some restrictions on abortions, while upholding Roe. Then again, facts have never gotten in the way of their agenda in the past...

Reading throught the Reagan library files...

2005-08-19T16:11:00.000-07:00

If you are visiting from Hugh or Radioblogger Duane, I have just begun to sift through the entire case...

But for those who need their fix, the case is Akron v Akron Center for Reproductive Health. A watershed abortion case that struck down (6-3) the attempt by the city of Akron to place limits on abortions in the city such as parental consent for unmarried minors, all abortions done after the first trimester had to be perfomed in a hospital NOT simply an abortion clinic, required that doctors counsel prospective patients as well as provided for a 24 hour waiting period after the counseling.

The decision's majority were: POWELL, who delivered the opinion, while Justices BURGER, BRENNAN, MARSHALL, BLACKMUN, and STEVENS, joined. Interestingly enough the dissenting opinion was written by Justice O'CONNOR, with Justices WHITE and REHNQUIST concurring.

So far, the only thing Nan Aron and her crowd could get out of this case is that Justice O'Connor wrote the dissenting opinion for a case that Judge Roberts would bring up in 1991 as Deputy Solicitor General when he co-signed a brief in the case of Rust v Sullivan that stated:

"We continue to believe that Roe v. Wade was wrongly decided and should be
overruled. As more fully explained in our briefs, filed as amicus curiae, in
Hodgson v. Minnesota, 110 S. Ct. 2926 (1990); Webster v. Reproductive Health
Services, 109 S. Ct. 3040 (1989); Thornburgh v. American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, 476 U.S. 747 (1986); and City of Akron v. Akron
Center for Reproductive Health, 462 U.S. 416 (1983), the Court's conclusions in
Roe that there is a fundamental right to an abortion and that government has no
compelling interest in protecting prenatal human life throughout pregnancy find
no support in the text, structure, or history of the Constitution."

This is as far as I have gotton so far. Some links to give you the basics...more to come...

Vulgarity in political discourse and our future. A solution to the tyranny of the majority

2005-08-19T09:06:00.000-07:00

The vulgarity has reached a new peak in recent months. It continues unabated throughout the republic, and I fear it will only worsen. We are a crossroads, and the direction chosen will determine our fate as well as that of our children and grandchildren. One path will restore our republic, another will create a pure democracy that will override the rights of minority opinions at every turn. A third path will provide the safety and prosperity of a dictatorship, but few, if any civil rights. The fourth and final way is complete dis-union and the destruction of all rules that came before. These are the voices that "We the people" hear on a daily basis and this is what we can do to make a u-turn and save our republic. If we can summon the courage and the voices to do so:

From Free Republic.com..."9/11 was Pearl Harbor for the neo-conservatives agenda and declared the U.S. government a morally repugnant system. We have no Constitution. We are the only country with no checks and balances. We want our country back if we have to impeach George Bush down to the person who picks up the dog sh-t in Washington! Let George Bush send his two little party animals to die in Iraq. It's OK for Israel to have nuclear weapons but we are waging nuclear war in Iraq, we have contaminated the entire country. It's not OK for Syria to be in Lebanon. Hypocrites! But Israel can occupy Palestine? Stop the slaughter!" Cindy Sheehan, May, 2005

Unfortunately many of the organizations on the Left and occasionally the Right use this type of language and abuse the facts.(I could dissect and refute EVERY argument Mrs. Sheehan made above, but that is not the course of this article.). Organizations like Move-On.org, people like Michael Moore, Lynne Stewart , Socialists, Far Right wing whackos, as well as radio stations like Air America, etc... continue to find the need to respond to arguments against their beliefs with an amazing use of vulgar language, poorly worded arguments and more often then not with no ideas or well thought out solutions, just a lot of yelling and craziness. (Consider these words from some Left leaning bloggers beating on Michelle Malkin and here, there and everywhere on DCmediagirl...)Those who like to think and prefer to focus on the clarity of their positions in order to more accurately overcome others objections and find compromise solutions are being shouted out with nasty name calling, foul language and a complete disregard for the facts. The worst thing about this new lack of civility is that it has permeated the culture and now politicians look at polls taken of people that have been provided with a weak education by which they can NOT make thoughtful decisions as many have never been taught to think. Vulgar, short sighted and quick tempered people are the norm in political debates these days...and they get the air time because they are interesting. Indeed, it has become a theater of the absurd...

This is really nothing new. In fact its an old political game. In ancient Greece a citizen was often heard by shouting above the others. Shout loudly enough and the Democratic assemblies would often start to be swayed...not by any argument, but rather through the sheer number of people shouting for a certain position. Hence Plato's position in the Republic that the Greek form of democracy was dangerous BECAUSE the masses often controlled things of which they knew little. Then we have the Romans, who gave a voice to the common people (Plebians) but reserved many decisions for the Senate (The Patricians). (This would, of course, radically change by the time of Tiberius Gracchus... the Roman reformer who tried, in vain to help the poor free Romans. Ultimately, the play for the people would doom republican Rome as the un-educated masses began to demand more and more which would lead to Consul after Consul, a triumverate and finally Gaius Julius Caesar.)

Move to the Early American republic and the framers of the US Constitution decided to look for a middle ground. The President was to be elected through a combination of popular and electoral (Patrician and plebian in nature...)vote, with the electors sometimes elected by the people, and sometimes appointed by the State Senates. The House of Representatives was elected purely by the people and then the Senate which was appointed by State Senates or Governors. Our system was, but no longer is a version of both the British Parliamentary system and the Roman and Greek models, trying to take the best from each based on what was known about political philosophy. The masses, or plebians are represented in the House of Representatives. The Patricians are represented in the Senate. And both the Patricians and the Plebians have a say in the election of the President. Quite remarkable, but...

All of this changed with the 17th amendment. Following the direct election of Senators the character of the nation changed because all levels of government were beholden to the people as a mass. While this may seem noble and egalitarian in many respects. I would argue that it has created a system by which the masses have a vastly larger, and today louder and more vulgar voice then they should have in the governing of our people and our nation. The Senate as it was envisioned was to be the Upper House, or a more deliberative body, NOT beholden to the people, but to what Rousseau referred to as the general will of the sovereign nation.

Anti-war protestors, the ACLU, Handgun control INC., PETA, Trial Lawyers Association, the NEA, and Greenpeace all garner a great deal of media attention. But have you stopped to consider how much of what they say is fact? How much is pure emotion? Where do they find their information? What other information is out there that may shed a different point of view on the subject being discussed? The reason they have the attention of the media, and therefore a vast majority of the people (some might say the sheeple...) is that they scream louder and say more outrageous things then the other side does. Facts no longer matter, and the modern U.S. Senate conducts itself more in the manner the House of Representatives, or the people's house, then it was ever meant to.

Naturally, speaking louder will get people's attention and therefore many people have come to take as gospel things that the media reports. One of the best examples is the constant food "scares" that occur. From alar on apples to coconut oil on popcorn we are all aware of these "scares" since food effects all of us. More often then not these turn out to be mis-reported, over reported and very much under researched. Ultimately many of us stop paying attention, but the media keeps crying wolf and the Senate...in its infinite wisdom listens to the unreasoned, unresearched opinions of journalists and so-called scientists.

So where is the truth? What is the responsibility of a member of our republic? What must we each do? How do we find time to do it? How do we stop this madness before it is too late?

The framers fully understood the situation our young republic faced in 1789. They understood that although governments are provided their power from the governed, the government MUST have checks and balances. Not simply on their power, but also on the tyranny of the majority, or the people as a whole. Just because "the people" believe or want something, does not make it truth, nor does it make it the right course of action for the nation to take. To the framers, the people had to be restrained as much as the government. As Rousseau stated, there is a Social Contract between the governed and the governing, and as Hobbes remarked in Leviathan, the people can be almost as dangerous as the government, and therefore certain rights must be "contracted" to the sovereign nation. To the American framers this meant that the government must rule with the consent of the governed, but additionally must be responsible for what Rousseau calls the general will of the sovereign nation while being careful to strike a balance between the good forces of a democratic republic, and the dangerous propensity for the people as a whole to overstep their part of the contract and demand that they are correct and their leaders MUST do what they say.

The idea, behind our House of Representatives was that it alone would be the House of the People. (Although our Congressmen and women do not speak down to one another and are always couteous when it comes to a debate.) The House of Commons and the U.S. House of Representatives are the legislative branches FOR THE PEOPLE. The Senate was never meant to be such an animal. It was to be the place where educated elites debated the laws passed by the House and then determined whether they were appropriate laws.

Since passage of the 17th Amendment this is no longer the case. Due to this we have hundreds of roads in West Virginia named for Senator Byrd, pork barrel projects coming to this state and that for roads, farm subsidies, military bases etc. Very few if any actually do the work of a Patrician Senator...lead from the view of the. What the 17th Amendment did very effectively, was to eliminate a legislative body that was beholden to no single sector of Society, the polls could not effect, and who served at the pleasure of their State legislatures and or governors. In other words it protected certain things from the tyranny of the majority

Yet another issue arises within this discussion. That of who should be allowed to partake in the electing of the representatives of the people. Should it really be one man/woman one vote? If so, should the electorate be allowed to vote for every office? Should referenda be abolished? What about re-calls?

I believe, as I think the Framers did, that it should be one man/woman one vote. However, not for every office. When the people alone are in control of electing EVERY member of the legislative and executive branches of our Republic, we are staring down the barrel of pure democracy, and it is only a matter of time before we, as Rome before us, fall into the abyss of Totalitarianism and a dictatorship of the majority.

The choice is still ours today, but we have begun to slide down the path of national referenda and it is not just the left that is bringing this horror upon us. The first step is the repeal of the 17th Amendment, although the Senators elected by our individual legislators may not be terribly different, perhaps, just perhaps they will be the "finger in the dyke" that we need to start to steer ourselves away from national referenda and the danger that the uneducated electorate pose to our republic.

Sic-Semper Tyrannis

Left-Wing Radio...where is it???

2005-08-18T15:41:00.000-07:00

With all of the talk of Air America going on, I thought it might be a good idea to let everyone know where they can hear some of the other lefties on the air... Yes, there are in fact a few of them, not that any one listens to them, or that they have any sponsors... Take a look at Make Them Accountable and see what NOT to waste your time listening to. Unless of course you feel the need to punish yourself...

How Principals get respect...in Japan.

2005-08-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

From the Daily Yomiuri:

Tell all of your friends with kids to thank God that they don't live in Japan. The principal of Omiya-Nishi Primary School in Asahi Ward, Osaka went a little nuts one day dangling a fifth grade student by the ankles for being disrespectful. According to one source the principal went off the deep end after the boy said: "The stupid principal made [a student] cry". WOW! Now that is keeping the kids in line!
Maybe a principal like this was the reason why a 16-year-old youth, suspected of killing his parents in the Itabashi Ward, Tokyo, will be facing criminal charges.
And finally, just so that you don't think the US is the only place with sickos, read about how a 9 year old girl with cerebral palsy was force fed push pins...

No matter the culture, the time or the place, evil is everywhere....

Cindy Sheehan News...

2005-08-18T11:02:00.000-07:00

Michelle Malkin has had some of the most terrific links to information regarding Mrs. Sheehan and her interesting saga... Today the best link for any one to go to is to an AMAZING article in the WSJ by Ronald Griffin, whose son also was killed in action in Iraq.

To see the action some are taking check out Move America Forward, which is doing a counter protest...

History of the Gaza Settlements...

2005-08-18T07:38:00.000-07:00

After watching the horrors of what is happening in the settlements this morning I was struck by several images...including those of "cages" being brought in that looked eerilly like the box cars the Nazis used in the 1940's. I want to ensure that people understand WHY the settlers are there, as well as why the Israeli government decided that they have to leave their homes. The nation of Israel is split now between the Orange and the Blue, no matter the color they favor, they still are Israeli's.

The history of the settlements begins in 1964 when then Egytian President Nasser founded the PLO, or the Palestinian Liberation Organization. Although the creation of the PLO was a political move by the Egyptian President, the Palestinians quickly moved to make it their own...making Arafat chairman and begining the wave of terrorism that haunts us to this day. The tension in the Middle East was growing daily when the Israeli's, believing that an attack from Egypt and it's Arab allies was iminent decided to take action on the 5th of June, 1967...

From PBS

ISRAELI PERSPECTIVE:

"In what Israelis call the "Six Day War," Israel conducts a pre-emptive attack against Egypt and gains control over territory formerly controlled by Egypt, Syria and Jordan. Israel gains control over the Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. In six days, Israel roughly triples the size of the territory under its control.Israel begins establishing settlements in Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, and the West Bank, which right-wing Israelis refer to by the biblical names "Judea and Samaria" and consider the biblical lands of the Jewish people."
PALESTINIAN PERSPECTIVE:
"In an attack that begins what became known as the "al-Naksah," or "the Setback," to Palestinians, Israel seizes Egyptian, Syrian and Jordanian territory. The Sinai Peninsula and Gaza Strip are captured from Egypt, the Golan Heights from Syria, and the West Bank and East Jerusalem from Jordan. Israel begins establishing settlements in the West Bank, Gaza, and the Sinai Peninsula. Palestinians view this as a violation of international law regarding territory seized during war. Iraq sends forces into Jordan to support the war, even though Jordan had not requested such action. The Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO) moves its operations from the West Bank to Jordan."

Well...this is how it started... Now Israel is split between the Orange and the Blue...and this, this, this, and this is what it has become....

Update from Gaza...Two Worlds.

2005-08-17T13:54:00.000-07:00

This from Little Green Footballs Gaza Watch:
Another day under the constant threat of terrorism and invasion. Thank God we have thus far been spared this scene on the beaches from Oahu and Carlsbad and Daytona to Provincetown.

More on the NCAA's fiasco...

2005-08-17T13:22:00.000-07:00

The scrap over the NCAA's ban on certain mascot's and nicknames continues... While some people may have a valid point regarding some of the mascots, (the Washington Redskins, an NFL team is the only remotely offensive mascot or name that comes to my mind... For some tongue and cheek ones check out Ray Rotto) most all of them are not only benign but actually complementary of the people they are depicting. Hugh Hewitt had a GREAT interview with the President of the University of North Dakota, the other day. Their "nickname", the Fighting Sioux is embraced by both the community and the many American Indians that attend the university. Check out Hugh Hewitt and this excerpt:

HH: Tell me a little bit about the University of North Dakota first, how big it is, what your mascot is, and how you came to be its president, and how long you've been there.
CK: Well, the University of North Dakota is a medium-sized university, a complete one. We have medicine, law, engineering, hundreds of degree programs, fifty masters programs, more than twenty doctoral programs. I've been president since 1999, so this is my seventh year. UND is a wonderful place. We have four hundred American-Indian students, probably six hundred international students, students from all fifty states, probably seventy foreign countries.
HH: How many undergraduates, President Kupchella?
CK: Undergraduates would be about eleven thousand.
HH: And your mascot is?
CK: We don't have a mascot. We have a nickname...
HH: Which is?
CK: It's called the Fighting Sioux.
HH: The Fighting Sioux.
CK: And we do have a logo that's just a great piece of art. It was designed by Ben Brien, an American-Indian artist, a very respected one here in North Dakota, and I think beyond. His sculptures and work appear all over the state, and he did a masterpiece for us in this logo.
Be sure to read the Presidents open letter to the NCAA. You can also lend your support to the President by sending him an email: c_kupchella@mail.und.nodak.edu.
Go get em' Mr. President!

Where are YOU Mr. Bush?....

2005-08-17T11:31:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I wrote about Gov. Napolitano here in Arizona following Bill Richardson's example by declaring a state of emergency along the border. I also mentioned that the largest problem here in Arizona, as well as in TX, CA, and NM, not to mention CO, NV and UT is not just the illegals, but the criminals that come along with the illegals...or more to the point, herd these poor people across the border, then engage them in illegal activity... Additionally, as reported in NEWSMAX, now HALF of all Mexicans want to move to the U.S.! Even if things get better in Mexico! Vincente...you have some 'splainin' to do....

BAck to the crime issue, there was a HUGE bust that occured yesterday in the canyons near Strawberry AZ. These were not the "innocent illegals" the left keeps bantering on about, but heavily armed thugs who snuck across the border to grow dope to sell to Americans. The Arizona Star picked up an AP story:

Authorities have uncovered a vast marijuana farm in a remote ravine north of Strawberry on the Coconino National Forest.
The mile-long field included "thousands and thousands and thousands" of plants, though it was unclear exactly how many, said Sgt. Mike Johnson of the Gila County Sheriff's Office.

The fact that this was found by the Gila County Sheriffs Dept (Which according to one source had been watching this one field for a month while busting THREE other fields) is pretty amazing if you have ever been in this part of Arizona, but add to the fact ALL OF THE PEOPLE arrested, and the one believed to have gotton away were illegals...and you should start to understand what we are facing here in Arizona. As a backpacker and rock climber I have been back in these places, this canyon (Fossil Creek) specifically. These criminals set up their enterprises here BECAUSE they are remote. What do think they might happen if an innocent hiker came upon them in their dope fields working? (You'd be reading an obituary...)

The AZ Star goes on:

A man was seen tending the plants and camping in the garden in July and August,
according to court paperwork released Tuesday.
Last week, another man was spotted in the garden, and on Monday, two others were seen there. The men, who were heavily armed, were confronted by law enforcement and arrested. Three of them admitted they had been paid to tend the marijuana plants.
All were illegal immigrants, according to paperwork filed with U.S. District Court in Flagstaff. The men were identified in federal court paperwork
as Jesus Castillo Malendrez, Gerardo Manzo Pulido, Oscar Nunez Medina and David
Valencia Gonzalez. Castillo, Manzo and Valencia are from Mexico.

This is shamefull. The first job of our Federal Government is to protect our borders. If they won't do anything about it... well, I guess the Minuteman project was right. We have to take responsibility NOW!

As Bill Richardson said recently, this is not about just the illegal immigrants coming to search for a better life. The border issue has become a matter of protecting American citizens from the rampant illegal alien criminals that are pouring into the nation and costing us millions if not billions of dollars every year. Once again Mr. Bush, WHERE ARE YOU?

Michelle Malkin has more on the Immigration Blog, but the blogosphere is filling up with fed up people... check out Thomas Sowell and Chris Casey among others.

The Democrats take the lead on illegal immigration...Dear GOD!

2005-08-16T13:42:00.000-07:00

Governor Janet Napolitano tapped the state of Arizona's emergency funds to help the badly beleaguered 4 southern counties. How much 1.5 million will actually help these areas is unknown, but many believe it is better then nothing. Santa Cruz County Sheriff Estrada places blame on the federal side, but appreciates the state getting involved at least for now:

"For years, we've been dealing with international, federal issues at the
border with little or no support from the government. We need resources down
here," Santa Cruz County Sheriff Tony Estrada said. "We're the guys in the
trenches, on the roads, out in the sticks. For too long, we've been raising
little red flags, saying we need help, and nobody's paid attention." His
Sheriff's Department, which patrols about 50 miles of border outside Nogales,
has a 31-year-old jail designed for 52 inmates but routinely holds 120. On
Monday morning, 52 percent of the inmates were Mexican nationals accused of
state or local crimes.

Visit Arizona, especially along the border, and you are in a war zone. The people that live along the boreder are prisoners in their homes in many places from Nogales to Yuma. Illegal immigrants are only the begining of the problem: Drug lords, coyotes (Men who ferry the illegals across in large numbers in atrocious conditions.) and criminals are everywhere.

Many of the people that are brought in illegally are brought in on the drug lords dime. The expectation: that the people they bring in will work in the meth labs and the massive marijuana fields being grown covertly in the thousands of remote desert canyons.

Visit any of the border states and you will quickly notice that there are many illegals doing work that Americans would do in a heartbeat. Companies are trying to make more money by hiring these illegals. They make constant excuses that if they had to hire "Americans" the cost of food in restaurants would go up etc, etc etc... The problem is that the cost of food in restaurants NEVER WENT DOWN WHEN THEY started hiring these people. Nor have any costs gone down.

Look at new home building. Approximately 1/2 of all people in the new home industry here in Arizona are either illegal immigrants or here temporarily. Has the cost of new homes gone down? No. The builders are making even more money (Which I don't begrudge when done LEGALLY!) and the feds are doing nothing about it.

At least Napolitano and Richardson (Both Democrats) have realized there is a serious problem. Although it is too little to late, they are doing something about our porous border. Where are you Mr. President?

Caution: 15 minutes is almost up...

2005-08-15T07:47:00.000-07:00

Amazing rebuttal to Cindy Sheehan on Chernkoff today!

Remarkably, the people that have joined with Cindy Sheehan and believe that her voice is one that may not be challenged must stop and remember that although we all mourn the loss of any soldier, we also must understand that every service member volunteered for the duty.

As such the young men and women who stand their post and defend us are true heroes. Through their sacrifice they allow us to go about our daily grind with peace and a feeling of security. Having said that though we must not revert to calling Mrs. Sheehan names, remarking that she does not speak for all of the families...by ANY MEANS is enough. We simply must continue to demand that the MSM pay attention to the views of ALL families of war veterans, not just the ones they agree with.

Additionally, we must not accept any individuals words as gospel (That happend in Germany in 1932...)simply because they have determined something for themselves. As citizens we all must make our own decisions based on the information available to us. In these times that means all of us have the civic responsibility to listen to, read about and then rebut or support the arguments with which we become engaged.

I may find Mrs. Sheehan's rhetoric reprehensible, but I trust that many in the service as well in the wider nation would agree that she has every right to say her piece. What is completely unnaceptable to me however, and I would hope to every American, is that Mrs. Sheehan is being portrayed in the media as a heroine of the anti-war left, while never mentioning the thousands of us who have lost friends and family there that are infuriated by the assertions that her som was "murdered by Mr. Bush". Rhetoric like this needs to be seen for what it is: a political and funerary diatribe, not a well thought out or cohesive argument against our involvement in Iraq.

The MSM likes headlines, the truth is always playing second fiddle. Mrs. Sheehan's 15 minutes is almost up.

Love is a wonderful thing...

2005-08-12T12:50:00.000-07:00

Normally, I would not write about my personal life, but I just can't contain myself anymore...
On Monday night I took the plunge and asked this beautiful woman ,Victoria Hope Perdue for her hand in marriage. Fortunately for me, she answered in the affirmative! Yet another E-Harmony engagement...

A man could not ask for anything more then to have such a woman as his best friend, lover, confidant and companion in life. Thank you Victoria for making me a better man every day. I could not have felt more blessed then I have everyday since I met you. I can't wait for our journey to continue!

NCAA goes ACLU...

2005-08-10T15:19:00.000-07:00

The Washington Redskins have been given some flak over the years for keeping their name and mascots, Dartmouth caved in to the crazy P.C. police, so did Stanford, St. Johns and Marquette (Now, instead of being the Indians bot Dartmouth and Stanford are the "Green" and "Red" Waves respectively, so is their mascot now a Tsunami? For their sake I hope not because they'll be on the block next: insensitive to tsunami sufferers...don't you know!). In fact, most Universities have caved to the PC pressure in one way or another The places that are meant to be bastions of free thought are now bastions of the Left Wing Thought Police. Florida State, however is standing tall. Gov. Bush, the Seminole tribe of Florida and the President of Florida state T.K. Whetherell all blasted the decision made by University of Hartford President Walter Harrison. The NCAA's statement report at ESPN.com went on:

"Nicknames or mascots deemed "hostile or abusive" would not be allowed on team uniforms or other clothing beginning with any NCAA tournament after Feb. 1, said Harrison, the University of Hartford's president. "What each institution decides to do is really its own business" outside NCAA championship events, Harrison said."
"What we are trying to say is that we find these mascots to be unacceptable for NCAA championship competition," he added. (Emphasis added)
At least 18 schools have mascots the NCAA deem "hostile or abusive," including Florida State's Seminoles and Illinois' Illini. The full list of schools was not immediately released."

Ray Ratto at ESPN really hammers these crazy losers:

"It opens up lots of other refreshing possibilities. Starting with the inevitable PETA lawsuit, demanding the elimination of the Tigers, Bengals, Lions, Golden Lions, Nittany Lions, Wildcats, Cougars, Panthers, Golden Panthers, Bearcats, Bearkats, Bobcats, Leopards, Jaguars, Catamounts, Wolfpack, Wolf Pack, Seawolves, Lobos, Red Foxes, Terrapins, Huskies, Bulldogs, Runnin' Bulldogs, Great Danes, Terriers, Retrievers, Greyhounds, Salukis, Razorbacks, Wolverines, Golden Gophers, Badgers, Buffaloes, Longhorns, Bulls, Thundering Herd, Bison, Bisons, Rams, Stags, Bruins, Bears, Black Bears, Golden Bears, Grizzlies, Golden Grizzlies, Mustangs, Broncs, Broncos, Blazers, Dragons, Gators, Mocs, Rattlers, Dolphins, Horned Frogs, Beavers, Jackrabbits, Kangaroos, Fighting Camels, Mastadons and Zips.
Or the Audubon Society, which would demand the end to Eagles, Purple Eagles, Golden Eagles, Golden Flashes, Cardinals, Bluejays, Hawks, Mountain Hawks, Fighting Hawks, Hawkeyes, Jayhawks, Skyhawks, Seahawks, Redhawks, Redbirds, Blackbirds, Thunderbirds, Owls, Ducks, Gamecocks, Falcons, Blue Hens, Phoenix, Peacocks, Roadrunners, Penguins and Chanticleers.
Or the insect freaks, who would target Hornets, Spiders and Anteaters.
Or the church groups who want to get rid of the Demons, Demon Deacons, Blue Demons, Blue Devils, Sun Devils and Delta Devils. Or the anti-church groups, who would target the Demon Deacons, Saints, Crusaders and Friars. What's next: Are the arborists going after Stanford's tree mascot?
Or the Weather Channel, aiming at the Hurricanes, Golden Hurricane, Cyclones, Green Wave and Crimson Tide (unless you want to go with the elephant motif).
Or Alcoholics Anonymous, aiming for the Boilermakers"

I think Ray gives a good look at just how rediculous this all has become. The Muhamed Attah's, Osama Bin Ladin's and Shiek Omar's of the World are laughing at us...

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