Extraordinary Convergence

North Korea admits Nukes

2005-02-10T13:12:00.000-05:00

Team America - fun fiction or prescient documentary?

N. Korea Announces It Has Nuclear Weapons:

Feb 10, 7:35 AM (ET)

By SANG-HUN CHOE

SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - North Korea on Thursday announced for the first time that it has nuclear arms and rejected moves to restart disarmament talks anytime soon, saying it needs the weapons as protection against an increasingly hostile United States.

The communist state's pronouncement dramatically raised the stakes in the two-year-old nuclear confrontation and posed a grave challenge to President Bush, who started his second term with a vow to end North Korea's nuclear program through six-nation talks.

"We ... have manufactured nukes for self-defense to cope with the Bush administration's ever more undisguised policy to isolate and stifle the (North)," the North Korean Foreign Ministry said in a statement carried by the state-run Korean Central News Agency.

The claim could not be independently verified. North Korea expelled the last U.N. nuclear monitors in late 2002 and has never tested a nuclear bomb, although international officials have long suspected it has one or two nuclear bombs and enough fuel for several more.

Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said North Korea should return to disarmament talks and avoid a path toward further international isolation. She said the world "has given them a way out and we hope they will take that way out."

"The North Koreans have been told by the president of the United States that the United States has no intention of attacking or invading North Korea," Rice told a news conference in Luxembourg. "There is a path for the North Koreans that would put them in a more reasonable relationship with the rest of the world."

Previously, North Korea had reportedly told U.S. negotiators in private talks that it had nuclear weapons and might test one of them. The North's U.N. envoy said last year that the country had "weaponized" plutonium from its pool of 8,000 nuclear spent fuel rods. Those rods contained enough plutonium for several bombs.

But Thursday's statement was North Korea's first public acknowledgment that it has nuclear weapons.

RTWT

It's only a matter of time before Team America goes over there and f*cks that a**hole.

Crude, yes.
Correct, yes.

The State of the Union

2005-02-02T20:32:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd try my hand at live-blogging the SOTU address - I find it hard to pass up commenting on history in progress :)

Continued below the fold

Is it just me, or a lot of people wearing the same particular shade of blue/purple that the Iraqis used to vote?

...President Of The United States!

... And off we go!

...free and sovereign Iraq.

This is going to be a long speech, every time he mentions the Iraq vote, they will give a standing ovation...

Not that that's a bad thing!

Hey, the ink-stained V for Victory is catching on.

...active force for good in the world...

I like that!

...good stewards of the economy...

I wonder if he'll say anything about tax reform?

Hey.... Is John McCain sleeping?

...restraining the spending appetite of the federal gov't,,,

Amen!

...cut the deficit in half by 2009...

I like that... but how?

..taxpayer money spent wisely, or not at all...

...especially women and minorities...

Come on! I still firmly believe that there are no biases against women or minorities... Whatever happened to merit or skill based standards?

...community health centers, blah blah blah more spending...

Can we please stop making the government the only solution for everything?

...safe, cleen, nuclear energy.

About dang time! Nuclear (nukyular) energy is and has been clean for awhile now - let's get over our fear of nuclear energy and use it!

...just the beginning of our duty.

Heh, he said "doody".

...examine the tax code from top to bottom...easy to understand, fair to all.

Rock on!

...America's immigration policy is also outdated...Temporary guest workers, closes the borders...

ok, I like where this is going... let's see if he can bring it home

...social security is a great moral success of the 20th Century...

Please Please Please stop pandering!

...by 2042 the system will be bankrupt...

Cue boos from the Democrats...

...our children's retirement security is more important than partisan politics...

Yes it is, so would you please let the people handle that instead of the gov't?

...voluntary person retirement accounts...

And half of the congress applauds!

I must admit, I like the idea, but why must the government be the implementor?

...the money is yours, and the government can never take it away.

Of course, liberals don't applaud this line.

What's up with the Cheney smirk?

...eventually permitting workers deposit up to 4% of their payroll taxes into their own personal accounts...

Hmmm... considering that SS currently takes out 6% of my payroll, I guess that sounds pretty promising. The question is, what will my percentage be by the time I can use 4%?

...guarantee that human life is never bought or sold as a commodity...

Funny how the Democrats almost didn't stand up for that one.

...every judicial nominee deserves an up or down vote.

Again, no Democrats standing.

...expect the Syrian gov't to end all support for terror...

Or else what? Let's put some real pressure on them - move a bunch of troops up the border!

...our men and women serving in Iraq will return home with the honor they deserve.

Nice refutation of the whole "Viet Nam" comparison.

[deceased Sgt. Norwood's mom hugs Iraqi woman who voted]

I am holding in the tears...

Nope, can't do it.

MOVING. Simply moving.

...
and he's done!

More thoughts later.

Reference: 2005 State Of The Union site

Text: 2005 SOTU

The Return

2005-01-31T10:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry for the extended paucity of postage, but I will try and pick up my writing mantle again, as I am back in town for the week (and therefore able to devote some time to writing) and since Joel is in Africa.

Let's see if I can drive away our last few readers :)

You know what makes me angry?

2005-01-26T14:48:00.000-05:00

I've seen a paradoxial shift in what draws my attention. Several months ago I probably wouldn't have given priority to news articles discussing the AIDS epidemic, and yet what draws my attention now? You guessed it. So today I was reading the Drudge Report and saw a headline that he called out:

Chirac proposes international tax to fight AIDS

This grabbed my attention for two reasons: 1) I don't like Chirac and 2) a discussion on AIDS. I knew heading into this article that I was going to get mad, and boy am I ever. To start off this is how it reads:

French President Jacques Chirac called for an "experimental" international tax to help fund the war against AIDS, suggesting it could be raised via a levy on airline tickets, some fuels or financial transactions.

In a speech via video link to political and business leaders in the Swiss resort of Davos, he said at least 10 billion dollars (7.7 billion euros) a year was needed -- up from six billion annually now -- to stem the spread of the disease.

What in the world?!?! So basically he's saying, "Let's throw money at this problem and it will go away!" Where does his logic originate from? It goes to show that the world, at large, has no clue what is really going on in countries plagued with AIDS. Granted, I've never been to a country with a high ratio of AIDS, yet, but common sense tells me that this is not a solution. It is barely a band-aid, creating more opportunity for bureaucracy. What will they buy with all this money? Let me guess: condoms? Oh yeah, that's effective. Would they actually take a significant portion of this money and give it to "faith based initiatives" that will teach and promote abstinence? I truly doubt it. You know what, we'll never really know, 'cause this article never defines what Chirac thinks the money would best be spent on. Nope, it stops short by telling everyone where the potential sources are to gather the money. When will they ever see that the only way to change the course of an AIDS plagued society is to change individual lifestyles, and the only way to change an individual's lifestyle is for them to have a change of heart. The change of heart will only come from the work that only God can do.

The Global Warming Farce

2005-01-14T09:57:00.000-05:00

Rush Limbaugh brought out this story from Reuters yesterday that just amazed me at one more instance of real world activity proving tree-hugging, tofu-farting wackos wrong about the dangers of global warming. The efforts and lengths that they are going to ensure that the US and other countries prevent global warming, is ridiculous. Then to find out that those very efforts are in many ways increasing our risk to the very thing they are trying to prevent. So without further delay:

Fossil fuel curbs may speed global warming-scientists
13 Jan 2005 00:00:42 GMTSource: Reuters

By Matt Falloon

LONDON, Jan 13 (Reuters) - Cutting down on fossil fuel pollution could accelerate global warming and help turn parts of Europe into desert by 2100, according to research to be aired on British television on Thursday. "Global Dimming", a BBC Horizon documentary, will describe research suggesting fossil fuel by-products like sulphur dioxide particles reflect the sun's rays, "dimming" temperatures and almost cancelling out the greenhouse effect.

The researchers say cutting down on the burning of coal and oil, one of the main goals of international environmental agreements, will drastically heat rather than cool climate.
"When the cooling affect goes away -- and it must do because particles like sulphur dioxide are damaging to humans -- global warming will be much stronger," climate change scientist Dr Peter Cox told Reuters on Wednesday.

Temperatures could increase in the worst case by up to 10 degrees by the end of the century, the researchers said -- much more than current estimates.

Scientists differ as to whether global warming is caused by man-made emissions of carbon dioxide and other "greenhouse" gases, by natural climate cycles or if it exists at all.

Take away fossil fuel by-products like sulphur dioxide without tackling greenhouse gas emissions, and the extra heat will speed warming, irreversibly melting ice sheets and rendering rain forests unsustainable within decades, Dr Cox said.

"The climate will warm more in the future but the ability of the land to store carbon dioxide will be compromised," he said, adding that warmer soil was less able to hold the greenhouse gas.

A Pause

2005-01-12T01:57:00.000-05:00

Sorry for letting our dear readers down lately, what with the lack of postage - but I am currently TDY for the month of January, and working my butt off. Not to mention that I am now in cubicle-land, and no longer have the ability, or privacy to post as often as I'd like.

Joel, however, will probably be able to post a lot more... say around the 4th or so... :)

Anyhoo, i've got some nice big articles coming up, so keep your eyes peeled!

Breaking news: Rock 'n Roll is Satanic

2005-01-11T15:54:00.000-05:00

I got this from my sister, who got it from an BJU article:

One of the greatest causes of sensorineural deafness in teenagers and young adults is their addiction to violent sounds of rock music. Although the damage caused by rock music to sense the hearing is great, rock music may cause even greater damage to the mind. The pulsating jungle beat and syncopated rhythms of rock music cause a phenomenon known as nerve jamming, which is similar to hypnosis. A person under the influence of the sound and beat of rock music loses conscious control of himself and is open to manipulation by the rock musicians with their messages of drugs, immorality, and violence: the listener's mind is no longer in control of his body. Prolonged exposure to rock music affects a person's subconscious mind. Listening to rock music is, therefore, morally and spiritually harmful as well as physically and mentally damaging.

(This is not our view, just the view of BJUP -- we just find it funny)

A Matter of Inflection

2004-12-25T14:02:00.000-05:00

This thought struck me recently: why do we pronounce Christmas the way we do?

Spelled out phonetically, it's "'kris-m&s" (M-W).

Yet, the root word Christ, is pronounced "'krIst" (M-W).

I don't know anyone who says it "'jE-z&s 'kris", do you?

Merriam-Webster clears it up:

Etymology: Middle English Christemasse, from Old English Cristes mæsse, literally, Christ's mass

I'm thinking that in the hustle and bustle of the season, compounded by the increasing trivialization of the event, has led us to change the meaning, and subsequently the pronunciation, of Christ-mas. It hasn't truly been a celebration of Christ's birth in a long time - the commercial aspect has long dominated the day.

So here's my plan: Let's fight back.

Let us say Merry Chris-mas no longer.

From now on, it's Merry Christ-mas.

And bah humbug on anybody who takes offense.

Merry Christmas, y'all.

Merry Christmas -- In the true sense of the word

2004-12-20T20:55:00.000-05:00

So it is the holiday season, and as such schedules become more entwined. I fully anticipated that after the election our involvement with this blog would die down, but I never expected how much so. Currently, Phil is working remotely in St. Louis, so his involvement here is minimal. I of course have always been more sporadic in my postings and therefore it isn't completely unusual that I have been somewhat absent recently.

As we near Christmas and the end of yet another year, I urge each and everyone one of you to remember the real reason behind all the madness, chaos and hurried nature of the this time of year. It isn't about how much you can spend, how much you can save, what you can receive or even what you can give. American materialistic culture has warped this holiday season from that of reflection and contemplation, to that of spend, spend, spend -- often for the sake of happiness.

But what is happiness really? What brings an individual lasting joy? Is it that new "toy" or "gadget" you'll be getting for Christmas? Whether you spend time with family or not, this season is not about even that. True families and giving are great ways of bringing joy to a heart, but joy that lasts past Jan 1st, 2005, can only be found in the real reason for Christmas. Joy and happiness that fulfills the deepest longings of the heart and soul will never be satisfied by the hussle and bussle, the giving and receiving of Christmas. It truly comes when become aware of who Christ is and what He did so long ago.

Don't forget to slow down and truly reflect upon that which is eternal. Life is too short to get caught up in the fray.

Merry Christmas and may you all have a blessed New Year!

Weird Science

2004-12-10T09:01:00.000-05:00

Oh. My. Lord.

They're. Creating. FURRIES!

Of mice, men and in-between:
Scientists debate blending of human, animal forms

In Minnesota, pigs are being born with human blood in their veins.

In Nevada, there are sheep whose livers and hearts are largely human.

In California, mice peer from their cages with human brain cells firing inside their skulls.

These are not outcasts from "The Island of Dr. Moreau," the 1896 novel by H.G. Wells in which a rogue doctor develops creatures that are part animal and part human. They are real creations of real scientists, stretching the boundaries of stem cell research.

Biologists call these hybrid animals chimeras, after the mythical Greek creature with a lion's head, a goat's body and a serpent's tail. They are the products of experiments in which human stem cells were added to developing animal fetuses.
...
"Chimeras are not as strange and alien as at first blush they seem," said Henry Greely, a law professor and ethicist at Stanford University who has reviewed proposals to create human-mouse chimeras there.

But chimerism becomes a more sensitive topic when it involves growing entire human organs inside animals. And it becomes especially sensitive when it deals in brain cells, the building blocks of the organ credited with making humans human.

In experiments like those, Greely told the academy last month, "there is a nontrivial risk of conferring some significant aspects of humanity" on the animal.
...
The most radical experiment, still not conducted, would be to inject human stem cells into an animal embryo and then transfer that chimeric embryo into an animal's womb. Scientists suspect the proliferating human cells would spread throughout the animal embryo as it matured into a fetus and integrate themselves into every organ.
...
But few scientists are eager to do that experiment. The risk, they say, is that some human cells will find their way to the developing testes or ovaries, where they might grow into human sperm and eggs. If two such chimeras - say, mice - were to mate, a human embryo might form, trapped in a mouse.

Not everyone agrees that this would be a terrible result.

"What would be so dreadful?" asked Ann McLaren, a renowned developmental biologist at the University of Cambridge in England. After all, she said, no human embryo could develop successfully in a mouse womb. It would simply die, she told the academy. No harm done.
...
Now Weissman says he is thinking about making chimeric mice whose brains are 100 percent human. He proposes keeping tabs on the mice as they develop. If the brains look as if they are taking on a distinctly human architecture - a development that could hint at a glimmer of humanness - they could be killed, he said. If they look as if they are organizing themselves in a mouse brain architecture, they could be used for research.

Furry aspect aside (if you don't know what a Furry is, you probably wouldn't want to), I can see some of the benefits of this type of research - it is much more palatable to farm human-compatible organs from genetically modified animals rather than throw-away humans. But that raises the question of whether or not it will make humans more susceptible to animal diseases. Also, it has the enormous capacity of taking us down the slippery-slope of experimenting on human, or near-human beings.

How human is human?

Linkage!

2004-12-10T01:30:00.000-05:00

Sorry, nothing substantial, but check out these links!

John Ross and Michael Hendrix reveal what the world would be like if the liberals were right:

Let's stipulate for the sake of argument that everything the Left claims to fear about the Bush admin and mainstream red-state America is true.

Yep, that’s right, you commie bastiches, we’re coming for you. It’s only a matter of time now until you hear that late-night knock on the door you’ve been dreading all along. Our jack-booted gendarmerie is going to be working overtime rounding up every non-white and non-rich subject of our fascist regime, and we’re going to be baking every last one of you into pies that we’ll then refuse to share with the poor and hungry. We’ll be baking those pies in coal-fired ovens, and those ovens will be devoid of any sort of exhaust-scrubber whatever, because we want to release all the toxic gases and chemicals we can into the atmosphere.

We'll be spiking the rivers with DDT, alar, thalidomide, and whatever other chemical bugaboos we can think of so as to pollute the drinking water, too. We'll cram the landfills (which will be more numerous than ever) with deadly silicone breast implants, and we’re going to wipe our asses with copies of the Kyoto Treaty, after which we'll staple the soiled pages to your foreheads. Halliburton will be sending you the bill for that, too; we'll call it "cosmetic surgery" and charge a rate tied to the market price for the harvested, tanned, and cured pelts of starving homeless Americans, whose numbers will be rocketing even higher than those for the aforementioned landfills, which is where said homeless will be forced to live while we hunt them down for sport.

According to this quiz, I'm 90% Catholic?

Catholic 90%
Jewish 60%
Anarchist 40%
Christian 35%
Buddhist 30%
Cult 30%

Make your own mugshot!

Dry Season

2004-12-09T10:22:00.000-05:00

Sorry about the lack of postage lately, it's been a bit of a dry season (compared to pre-election times, anyway), and Joel and I have been pretty busy with our respective jobs.

There's plenty of articles and stories to comment on, we just don't have any time right now!

(I've got some good reading I'll try to post tonight!)

A Sad Story

2004-12-02T11:34:00.000-05:00

Thursday, November 18, 200410:53AM

Gentlemen,

I just wanted to share with all of you my most recent Air Force Reserve trip as an Aircraft Commander of a KC-135R strato tanker aircraft. On Friday of last week, my crew and I were tasked with a mission to provide air refueling support in order to tanker 6 F-16's over to Incirlik Air Base in Turkey. We were then to tanker back to the states, 6 more F-16s that were due maintenance. It started out as a fairly standard mission - one that I have done many times.

We dragged the F-16's to Moron Air Base in Spain where we spent the night and then finished the first part of our mission the next day by successfully delivering them to Incirlik. When I got on the ground in Turkey, I received a message to call the Tanker Airlift Control Center that my mission would change. Instead of tankering the F-16's that were due maintenance, I was cut new orders to fly to Kuwait City and pick up 22 "HR's" and return them to Dover Air Force Base.

It had been a while since I had heard of the term "HR" used, and as I pondered what the acronym could possibly stand for, when it dawned on me that it stood for human remains. There were 22 fallen comrades who had just been killed in the most recent attacks in Fallujah and Baghdad City, Iraq over the last week. I immediately alerted the crew of the mission to change and although they were exhausted due to an ocean crossing, the time change and minimum ground time in Spain for crew rest, we all agreed that it was more important to get these men back to their families as soon as possible. We were scheduled to crew rest in Incirlik, Turkey for the evening and start the mission the next day. Instead, we decided to extend/continue our day and fly to Kuwait in order to pick up our precious cargo.

While on the flight over to Kuwait I knew that there were protocol procedures for accepting and caring for human remains, however, in my 13 years of active duty service, I never once had to refer to this regulation. As I read the regulation on the flight over, I felt prepared and ready to do the mission. My game plan was to pick up the HR's andturn around to fly to Mildenhall Air Base in England, spend the night, and then fly back the next day. This was the quickest way to get them home, considering the maximum crew duty day that I could subject my crew to legally and physically. I really pushed them to the limits but no one complained at all. I thought that I was prepared for the acceptance of these men until we landed at Kuwait International. I taxied the jet over to a staging area where the honor guard was waiting to load our soldiers. I stopped the jet and the entire crew was required to stay onboard.

We opened the cargo door, and according to procedure, I had the crew line up in the back of the aircraft in formation and stand at attention. As the cargo loader brought up the first pallet of caskets, I ordered the crew to "Present Arms". Normally, we would snap a salute at this command, however, when you are dealing with a fallen soldier, the salute is a slow 3 second pace to position.

As I stood there and finally saw the first four of twenty-two caskets draped with the American Flags, the reality had hit me. As the Marine Corps honor guard delivered the first pallet on board, I then ordered the crew to "Order Arms" - where they rendered an equally slow 3 second return to the attention position. I then commanded the crew to assume an at ease position and directed them to properly place the pallet. The protocol requires that the caskets are to be loaded so when it comes time to exit the aircraft - they will go head first. We did this same procedure for each and every pallet until we could not fit any more. I felt a deep pit in my stomach when there were more caskets to be brought home and that they would have to wait for the next jet to come through. I tried to do everything in my power to bring more home but they I had no more space on board.

When we were finally loaded, with our precious cargo and fueled for the trip back to England a Marine Corps Colonel from first battalion came on board our jet in order to talk to us. I gathered the crew to listen to him and his words of wisdom. He introduced himself and said that it is the motto of the Marines to leave no man behind and it makes their job easier knowing that there were men like us to help them complete this task. He was very grateful for our help and the strings that we were pulling in order to get this mission done in the most expeditious mannerpossible. He then said -" Major - these are MY MARINES and I am giving them to you. Please take great care of them as I know you will". I responded with telling him that they are my highest priority and that although this was one of the saddest days of my life, we are all up for the challenge and will go above and beyond to take care of your Marines - "Semper Fi Sir." A smile came on his face and he responded with a loud and thunderous "Hoo Yah".

He then asked me to please pass along to the families that these men were extremely brave and had made the ultimate sacrifice for their country and that we appreciate and empathize with what they are going through at this time of their grievance. With that, he departed the jet and we were on our way to England. I had a lot of time to think aboutthe men that I had the privilege to carry. I had a chance to read the manifest on each and every one of them. I read about their religious preferences, their marital status, the injuries that were their cause of death. All of them were under age 27 with most in the 18-24 range. Most of them had wives and children.

They had all been killed by an " IED" which I can only deduce as an incendiary explosive device like rocket propelled grenades. Mostly fatal head injuries and injuries to the chest area. I could not even imagine the bravery that they must have displayed and the agony suffered. My respect and admiration for these men and what they are doing to help others in a foreign land is beyond calculation. I know that they are all with God now and in a better place. The stop inMildenhal was uneventful and then we pressed on to Dover where we would meet the receiving Marine Corps honor guard. When we arrived, we applied the same procedures in reverse. The head of each casket was to come outfirst. This was a sign of respect rather than defeat. As the honor guard carried each and every American flag covered casket off of the jet, they delivered them to awaiting families with military hearses. I was extremely impressed with how diligent the Honor Guard had performed the seemingly endless task of delivering each of the caskets to the families without fail and with precision.

There was not a dry eye on our crew or in the crowd. The Chaplain then said a prayer followed by a speech from Lt. Col. Klaus of the Second Battalion. In his speech, he also reiterated similar condolences to the families as the Colonel from First Battalion back in Kuwait. I then went out to speak with the families as I felt it was my duty to help consolethem in this difficult time.

Although I would probably be one of the last military contacts that they would have for a while - the military tends to take care of it's own. I wanted to make sure that they did not feel abandoned and more than that appreciated for their ultimate sacrifice. It was the most difficult thing that I have ever done in my life. I listened to the stories of each and every one that I had come in contact with and they all displayed a sense of pride during an obviously difficult time. The Marine Corps had obviously prepared their families well for this potential outcome.So, why do I write this story to you all? I just wanted to put a little personal attention to the numbers that you hear about and see in the media. It is almost like we are desensitized by all of the "numbers" of our fallen comrades coming out of Iraq. I heard onecommentator say that "it is just a number".

Are you kidding me? These are Americans not numbers! It is truly a sad situation that I hope will end soon. Please hug and embrace your loved ones a little closer and know that there are men out there who are defending you and trying to make this a better world. Please pray for their families and when you hear the latest statistic's and numbers ofour soldiers killed in combat, please remember this story. It is the only way that I know to more personalize these figures and have them truly mean something to us all. Thanks for all of your support for me and my family as I take on this new role in completing my Air Force Career and supporting our country. I greatly appreciate all of your comments, gestures and prayers.

May God Bless America us all, and especially the United States Marine Corps. Semper Fi !

(author unknown)

Iraq Stats

2004-12-02T11:17:00.000-05:00

I'm posting this here for my own reference, but readers should find it useful too:

The Brookings Institution Iraq Index
Tracking Variables of Reconstruction & Security in Post-Saddam Iraq.

From what I understand, it's an open-source aggregate of all sorts of statistics from Iraq, and worth a quick (and long) perusal.

Feel free to post anything you find interesting in the comments.

Rather Overboard, I'd Say

2004-11-30T13:39:00.002-05:00

Drudge reported this earlier and it is too funny. It just goes to show that Ra^ther has truly gone off the deep end, or ra^ther, he has been drowning in it for quite some time.

I Talk to Ed Murrow's Ghost... From HOLLYWOOD REPORTER Tuesday, Dan Rather at CBS: 'Ed Murrow's ghost is here. I've seen him and talked to him on the third floor of this building many times late at night. And I can tell you that he's watching over us'...

Won the War, but Lost the Battle

2004-11-30T02:20:00.000-05:00

The right side of the blogosphere knows about the SwiftVets - and those who know about the SwiftVets knows about Steve Gardner, the lone dissenter from Kerry's boat. He won his war, Kerry was defeated... but at what cost? At what price victory?

Read: How Kerry whistleblower suffered for truth

The tiny voice of the Moderate Muslim

2004-11-24T10:55:00.000-05:00

You often hear from the media and the talking heads that the majority of Muslims are "moderate", "peace-loving" and are "anti-terrorism"... but funny how you really never hear many muslims saying that. Aside from a few token comments from heads of Muslim organizations, there is no denunciation. There is no condemnation. There is no outrage.

But perhaps there's hope for reason:

Where is the Muslim outrage? by Jeff Jacoby:
(emphasis mine)

THEY ARE still burying the victims of the latest atrocity committed, some believe, in the name of Islam -- the slaughter of hundreds of children, teachers, and parents in an elementary school in Beslan, Russia. And from Muslims the world over, as usual, has come mostly silence.

There have been no public demonstrations by Muslims anxious to make it clear how outraged they are that anyone could commit such unspeakable deeds for their version of Islam. There has been no anguished outcry by Islam's leading imams and sheiks. Prominent Muslim organizations in the West have not called press conferences to express their disgust. Once again the world has witnessed a savage episode of Islamist terror, and once again it strains to hear a convincing rejection of the terrorists from those who should care most about Islam's reputation.

That is not to say there has been no criticism at all. Crown Prince Abdullah of Saudi Arabia telephoned Russian President Vladimir Putin to assure him that "this terrorist act . . . goes against religious teachings and violates human and moral values."
...
But these are boilerplate denunciations, practically meaningless -- particularly when they come from sources that sustain Islamist fanaticism (Saudi Arabia), shelter and support terrorists (Syria), or defend suicide bombers as praiseworthy "martyrs" (Tantawi). They condemn no terrorists or terror organizations by name. They offer no help in destroying the infrastructure that recruits, funds, and trains them. And they contain no hint that the global scourge of Islamofascist jihad is a cancer eating away at the Muslim world.
...
Fortunately, a few Muslim commentators have denounced the evil being done in the name of Islam, and have done so courageously and unambiguously. (The Middle East Media Research Institute has compiled their reactions at www.memri.org.) One in particular stands out: an extraordinary column in the pan-Arabic daily Al-Sharq Al-Awsat by Abdel Rahman al-Rashed, the manager of the Al-Arabiya news channel.

"It is a certain fact that not all Muslims are terrorists," he begins, "but it is equally certain, and exceptionally painful, that almost all terrorists are Muslims."

"The hostage-takers of the children in Beslan were Muslims. The hostage-takers and murderers of the Nepalese chefs and workers in Iraq were also Muslims. . . . The majority of those who manned the suicide bombings against buses, vehicles, schools, houses, and buildings all over the world were Muslim. . . . Does all this tell us anything about ourselves, our societies, and our culture?. . ."

"We cannot tolerate in our midst those who abduct journalists, murder civilians, explode buses; we cannot accept them as related to us. . . . They are the people who have smeared Islam and stained its image. We cannot clear our names unless we own up to the shameful fact that terrorism has become an Islamic enterprise; an almost exclusive monopoly implemented by Muslim men and women."

When it is no longer astonishing to encounter such sentiments in the Muslim world, we will know that the corner has been turned in the war against Islamist terror.

Moral values 101

2004-11-23T20:22:00.000-05:00

Here is a worthy editorial that is deserving to be reposted in its entirety. It is worth the read, whether you oppose his view (and mine) or agree completely.

Moral values 101
Evangelicals need not apologize for focusing on single issues by Joel Belz

(Converge to read it all)

Please read this as an unambiguous call for evangelical Christians to set aside all embarrassment over putting such an emphasis on issues like abortion, homosexuality, and traditional marriage.

"Life is more complicated than that," say our liberal critics. "Reality is more nuanced. There are too many shades of gray to allow folks to reduce the public debate to those few issues."

"Evangelical Christians run the risk," I heard one evangelical leader say last week right after the election, "of allowing themselves to look simple-minded." Christianity Today devoted its main editorial during the recent electoral frenzy to a warning against "single-issue politics."

The condescending arrogance of such a caution is rooted in two giant falsehoods:

Falsehood No. 1 is the assertion that abortion, homosexuality, and marriage are just not the black-and-white issues some of us would like to suggest they are. They all probably need—ahem—a good bit more discussion.

Falsehood No. 2 is the assumption that those of us who harp on abortion, homosexuality, and marriage have never given thought to issues like poverty and economic justice, to racism and minority rights, to war and international fairness, to healthcare and environmental concerns.

Both those falsehoods have gotten lots of ink and airtime since the discovery by the media, right after the Nov. 2 election, that "moral values" had played a big part in motivating those who voted for President Bush. Neither comprehending what this was all about, on the one hand, nor being willing, on the other hand, to concede such moral high ground to Mr. Bush's backers, many in the media and on the Democratic left have repeatedly stressed these two points. But like so many falsehoods, they sound much more plausible than they really are.

So what makes the debate about abortion, homosexuality, and traditional marriage quite different from the debate about the other issues? The answer is amazingly simple—and don't let anyone talk you out of that fact! The answer is that on the issues of abortion, homosexuality, and marriage, one side is claiming that certain behavior is just plain wrong, while the other claims it is not only right, but to be defended. On the other issues, the debate is not about right and wrong, but about extent and about appropriate methodology.

Where, for example, among mainstream conservatives or evangelical Christians do you find those who are affirming the moral rightness of racism? Where do you find those who say we should expand oppression of the poor, or withhold justice from them? Most of us, to be sure, might be rightly charged with having insufficient concern for the ravages of racism or for walking by on the other side of the road when we see our brothers and sisters in need. But that is quite different from proclaiming that disinterest as a virtue.

Yet that is precisely what defenders of abortion, homosexual rights, and new forms of marriage are doing. They are saying that the act of killing human babies is behavior that should be defended. They are saying that those committed to homosexual behavior should be encouraged to take pride in that choice. And they are saying that same-sex marriages might well be models of commitment from which heterosexuals might properly learn.

Let's quit pussyfooting. Besides claiming that all the wisdom of human history concerning such matters has been wrong, these assertions are outrages against our basic humanity. What is there to discuss about killing a baby? Or, as a friend of mine noted several years ago, anybody who's ever played with Tinkertoys knows that homosexual behavior just doesn't work. And the claim that Heather Has Two Mommies is preposterously false on the face of it; nobody in biological history ever had two moms or two dads.

So here's a word to our liberal critics:

Nail us to the wall for having overly hard hearts. Hang us out to dry for sometimes seared consciences. Demonstrate for all to see that we are inconsistent when we may have used the government to feather our own nests while opposing programs that would have improved the lots of others. We confess our hypocrisy—sometimes inadvertent, sometimes too calculating.

But don't ask us to pretend that wobbling carelessly around the road, or even crossing the middle line sometimes, is the same as deliberately driving at 80 miles an hour the wrong way on a one-way street. Some "moral values" deserve a good bit of discussion. Some need none at all.

Post 2004 Election Checklist

2004-11-23T13:35:00.000-05:00

Previously,
Bush reelected: Check.
Kerry concedes: Check.
Conservative gain in the Legislature: Check.
Lost Tom Daschle: Check.
Trivialize the Loony Leftist Liberals: Check.
The Death of Arafat: Check.
Cabinet Shake-up: Check.
The Shaming of Micheal Moore: Check.
Major progress in Iraq: Check.

Today,
^The Fall of Dan Ra^ther: Check.

Nov. 23, 2004 — Dan Rather announced today he will step down as anchor and managing editor of the "CBS Evening News" on March 9, 2005 — 24 years to the day after his first broadcast as the network's anchor.

Rather will stay with CBS News, working full time as a correspondent for both editions of "60 Minutes," and taking on other assignments as well.

Tomorrow,
The Disappearance of Jimmy Carter from the News: To do.
The Emigration of Hollywood Celebrities: To do.
Prepare Tommy Franks for a Presidential Candidacy: To do.
Plant incriminating evidence on Hillary Clinton (photos of her peeing standing up): To do.

The Academic Definition of a Warrior

2004-11-23T02:50:00.000-05:00

What is a Warrior? Is a Warrior a synonym for Murderer, Killer, Fighter, Victor, Conqueror?

Prof. Shannon E. French, Ph.D. of the U.S. Naval Academy dissects the Warrior's Code:

"Warrior" should not be used to describe every individual who now fights, has ever fought, or prepares to fight a war. The term would have more strength if we reserved it to apply only to those war fighters who meet other important criteria, which may be less tangible, but ultimately more significant, than that of having taken up arms against an enemy. Before we call any collection of belligerents a culture of warriors, we should first ask why they fight, how they fight, what brings them honor, and what brings them shame. The answers to these questions will reveal whether or not they have a true warrior's code.

On the first day of the philosophy course I teach at the U.S. Naval Academy called, “The Code of the Warrior,” I ask my students, who are midshipmen preparing for careers as officers in the U.S. Navy or Marine Corps, to reflect on the meaning of the word “warrior.” To facilitate this, I give them an exercise that requires them to identify whether any of a list of five words are perfect synonyms for “warrior.” They are then asked to write a brief explanation of why each of the five succeeds or fails as a synonym. The time constraint keeps their responses relatively raw, yet they are often surprisingly earnest or even impassioned.

The words I offer my students for their consideration are "murderer," "killer," "fighter," "victor," and "conqueror." I have found them consistently to favor the rejection of all five. The reasons they offer to account for why they wish to dismiss each of these as synonyms for "warrior" regularly stress the idea that a true "warrior" has to be in some way superior to those who might qualify for the other suggested labels.
...
The survival of a society does not depend just upon the rescue of citizens or the retention of land. The survival of a culture depends as much, if not more, on the continued existence, recognition, and celebration of a coherent cultural self-conception – on the preservation of cultural identity – as it does on the continued existence of a sustained population or physical boundaries. Several cultures persist in the absence of any physical boundaries (e.g. nomadic cultures), and a culture can be destroyed or supplanted by other means than genocide or territorial conquest. A culture's identity is defined by its deepest values: the values that its citizens believe are worth defending, worth dying for. These are the values that shape a society's "way of life." And it is that "way of life" that warriors fight to maintain.
...
By setting high standards for themselves, warriors can create a lifeline that will allow them to pull themselves out of the hell of war and reintegrate themselves into their society. A warrior’s code may cover everything from the treatment of prisoners of war to oath keeping to table etiquette, but its primary purpose is to grant nobility to the warriors’ profession. This allows warriors to retain both their self-respect and the respect of those they guard.

The question can then be asked, if a warrior’s code is indeed crucial to the warrior’s moral psychology, is enough being done at today’s U.S. service academies to present our warriors-in-training with such a code and promote their internalization of it? Certainly, there are honor codes and honor concepts, character development seminars, ethics classes and core values. All of these efforts seem aimed in the right direction, but do they in fact add up to the successful transmission of a true warrior’s code?
...
True rites of passage, along with other lessons and experiences conducive to making young men and women feel like warriors, have to be maintained at this country’s most prestigious service academies and other centers of military training. We must not send our defenders off to hunt through the caves of Afghanistan or subdue warlords in Somalia without first arming them with the internal strength and confidence that comes from struggling to live up to the demands of a warriors' code. The specific skills and abilities that warriors need to succeed in responding to modern threats will continue to evolve, but as long as war involves killing and dying, there will be a need for warriors who feel like warriors. It is doing them a disservice to pretend that their jobs are no different than those of businesspeople, computer specialists, or engineers in the civilian world. They certainly need to know the difference between a warrior and a murderer. But they also need to know the difference between a warrior and a bureaucrat.

RTWT

Arafunny

2004-11-19T14:52:00.000-05:00

Blatantly stolen from ScrappleFace:

Bush Applauds Arafat's 'New Attitude'

(2004-11-12) -- U.S. President George Bush today praised Palestinian leader Yassir Arafat for "assuming a new attitude," according to a White House spokesman.

"The president believes that Chairman Arafat's new attitude is one that bodes well for peace in the Middle East," said spokesman Scott McClellan. "Arafat's rhetoric has cooled in recent days."

U.S. negotiators reportedly expect the Palestinian leader to put up less resistance to reasonable proposals, thanks to "a new posture that is more grounded, stable, consistent."

"Chairman Arafat seems to be taking an in-depth look at the land he has fought to defend," Mr. McClellan said, "and yet he's looking up to a promising future, where the grass is greener. President Bush has long believed that it's your attitude that determines your altitude, and Mr. Arafat has become a great illustration of that."

No Confidence, All Corruption

2004-11-19T10:11:00.000-05:00

Annan to get historic vote of no confidence

It's not that I don't have any confidence in the UN. I have A LOT of confidence in the UN - confidence that they will do the exact wrong thing, that is. So what do you call that position? No Confidence of Behaving Properly? Full Confidence in Corruption?

By Marc Carnegie

UNITED NATIONS - UN employees were readying on Friday to make a historic vote of no confidence in scandal-plagued Secretary General Kofi Annan, sources say.

The UN staff union, in what officials said was the first vote of its kind in the more than 50-year history of the United Nations, was set to approve a resolution withdrawing its support for the embattled Annan and UN management.

Annan has been in the line of fire over a high-profile series of scandals including controversy about a UN aid programme that investigators say allowed deposed Iraqi dictator Saddam Hussein to embezzle billions of dollars.
...
But in a letter sent to the union, a copy of which was obtained by AFP, Annan's chief of staff Iqbal Riza said Nair had been "advised that he should exercise caution" in future to "minimise the risk of negative perception."

In a resolution set to be adopted on Friday, the union said Riza's statement "substantiates the contention of the staff that there was impropriety" and that there exists "a lack of integrity, particularly at the higher levels of the organisation."

The draft resolution, also obtained exclusively by AFP, calls on the union president to "convey this vote of no confidence to the secretary general."

Can we vote no confidence on the UN as a whole? That'd be super.

And you gotta love this last bit:

Annan could not be reached for immediate comment. He is currently in Africa on a high-profile mission aimed at ending the long-running civil war in Sudan.

Shades of Clinton, that is - "Oh, there's a scandal going on? I'm just so busy helping the world over here, I didn't even notice."

Just like Clinton lobbing a few missiles into the Middle East during the whole Definition-of-the-word-is-is-Gate, Annan suddenly seems to remember that there's a genocide going on in Darfur.

There's No WMDs In Iraq. Besides these.

2004-11-17T13:02:00.001-05:00

Blatantly stolen from Ravenwood's Universe:

Update 4:02PM - Turns out that these are not Sarin vials, but Sarin-testing kits. But the presence of sarin-testing kits strongly implies the presence sarin itself.

Do I hear the sounds of another arms race?

2004-11-17T13:02:00.000-05:00

Linked from Drudge:

Russia Developing New Nuclear Missile.

So it looks like we may potentially have another arms race (at least a quiet one). If Russia is stepping up their development, you definitely know that the US is very closely watching this and not just watching but I'd wager a few people have a few irons in the fire to make sure we don't fall behind. A little healthy competition between old rivals (think OSU vs. Michigan) couldn't hurt anything. Reagan made big waves during his presidency and succeeded royally!

I guess we'll see where it goes from here...

Why does Population Density Correlate with Liberalism?

2004-11-17T10:54:00.000-05:00

An article over at TechCentralStation asks that question: A Tale of Two Maps

Comparisons of these two maps make startlingly obvious the extent to which population density predicts voter behavior. Though not a perfect match, the relationship is undeniable -- and ultimately enigmatic.

What, we are led to ask, could explain this relationship? How does the number of live humans per square mile either influence or reflect political philosophy?

The standard, rather unexamined, assumption is that rural America has more traditional cultural values that are associated with the Republican Party. These include religious, family and pro-military values. Urban population centers and surrounding environs, on the other hand, are associated with more progressive values associated with Democratic Party. These values are assumed to be more secular, progressive and anti-military.

While this may be an accurate description, no one, to my knowledge, has provided a convincing explanation for the differences between lower and higher density regions. Why would, after all, city life cause one to embrace liberal political views? Why would life in the country yield a conservative perspective? What, specifically, are the causative factors?

RTWT.

and Good Riddance

2004-11-17T10:27:00.000-05:00

Na na nah nah, na na nah nah, hey hey hey, goodbye!

By MARK SHERMAN, Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON - Tom Daschle bade his fellow Senate Democrats farewell Tuesday with a plea that they seek common ground with Republicans yet continue to fight for the less fortunate. After 10 years as the Senate's Democratic leader, Daschle congratulated his longtime assistant and now successor, Harry Reid of Nevada, as Democrats chose their leadership team for the 109th Congress that takes office in January.
...
"Saying goodbye to Tom Daschle is a very sentimental thing for all of us," said Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J.

Me too, I can't stop smiling.

"You'll never find anybody with more class," said Sen. Debbie Stabenow (news, bio, voting record), D-Mich.

Are we talking about the same person?

The only incumbent senator defeated in a re-election bid, Daschle also addressed the Senate Democrats' difficult position — they lost four seats on Nov. 2. He urged senators "to find the politics of common ground, but to never compromise their principles," the aide said.

Why not, Republicans seem to compromise to the Democrats all the time.

But seriously, when your principles don't resonate with a majority of the voters, perhaps it's time to reconsider whether or not your principles are correct?

A different point of view

2004-11-17T09:58:00.000-05:00

I saw the following headline on Drudge:
Shooting in Iraq Mosque Angers Muslims

and thought of the perfect rejoinder:
Muslims Shooting From Iraq Mosque Angers Americans

or perhaps:
Crashing Airliners into New York Commerce Centers Angers Americans

To Muslims, I say:
You defined (or if you're a "moderate", then you allowed to be defined) the Rules Of Engagement when your "extremists" attacked a civilian commerce center: that is, a lack of ROE. Anything goes. Don't complain when we respond in a similar fashion, for it's not America that's responsible for the initial tone of the battle.

Post-War Iraq Vs. Post-War Germany

2004-11-17T09:43:00.000-05:00

John Hawkins of Right Wing News manages to answer one of my nagging questions: How does post-war Iraq compare to post-war Germany?

The way you hear people (liberals) talk about it, you'd think that our post-war Iraq experience is something completely new and previously unknown.

Oliver North gives some perspective:

"Try Germany 1946, in the first year after World War II.

To hear the liberals tell the story, once the Allies conquered the Nazis, they stayed conquered - with American forces treated like the liberators they were.

But according to Fox News Channel war historian Oliver North, not every conquered German welcomed the American occupation with open arms.

On Monday North detailed the little-known truth about the post-World War II U.S. experience to ABC radio host Sean Hannity:

"From May 8, 1945 until June 1946, over a thousand Americans and their dependents were killed by German terrorists," he explained, while discussing his new book, "War Stories II: Heroism in the Pacific."

So, how did the U.S. eventually quell the violence?

"General Eisenhower went to [interim German leader] Konrad Adenauer, the guy we hand-picked to run the new government," said North. "And he told him, 'You either stop this or we'll get a new guy to run this country.'"

Adenauer prompty contacted the Wermacht and told them to take care of the problem at all costs, using former SS troops if necessary.

"It wasn't pretty," said North. "There were no trials - nobody was brought before tribunals or anything like that. The German army just went out and took care of it. And the killing stopped."

Insights on Marine Shooting and Sec of State

2004-11-17T08:56:00.000-05:00

Two of the biggest headlines as of late have been the resignation of Colin Powell and nomination of Condi Rice to the Secretary of State position and secondly the Marine shooting of the wounded Iraqi.

To be perfectly honest, I'm not sad to see Colin Powell go. I've had the impression of him as a weak politician for sometime. I think he's too bureaucratic for my tastes. I have had a little time to think about Condi Rice as the Secretary of State and must say initially I thought this would be a great position for her. She has performed exceptionally as the National Security Adivsor and this is just another valuable step in her career. However, when thinking about the role that she will be playing as "America's face to the world" (as Drudge calls it) I can't help but think that she is going to be a tough sell to the rest of the world. I appreciate her hardliner mentality and think this will serve to advance America's agenda (even if the world is displeased). Nevertheless, I think there may be some disconnect that will occur with nations that don't accept females as leaders. Especially in a world focused on Arab nations, who have historically treated women with less than fairness and equality. Since so much of our foreign policy will revolve around our dealings with Arab nations, this will be an interesting thing to watch. I hope she does succeed, but I can't help but think the world my perceive this as Bush's America forcing their gender beliefs on them. I'm not a pacifist or a people-pleaser by any stretch of the imagination, but this is just something that came to mind and will be interesting to watch.

Secondly, this whole "ordeal" about the Marine who shot the wounded terrorist is absolute bunk. I agree that American service men and women should be held to the highest standards and respect for human life should be at the top of the list, but this is a war we are fighting. I'm not expert on the Military Code of Justice or even the Geneva Convention rules, so I am talking purely from what I've read and how I interpret that information.

An investigation should take place and if found in error, the Marine should be punished accordingly. However, here's a couple things to think about. First, these Marines have been risking their lives on a minute by minute basis since they set foot in Iraq. They are fighting a war against one of the most elusive enemies ever to be fought in recent times (Vietnam possibly is the only rival).

I'm an unsure of the facts on this, but I seem to recall that the Geneva Convention covers legitimate warfighters, not insurgents and terrorists. So it would seem that the insurgents aren't covered under those laws -- though I caution that it is still a human life. On other grounds, the Marine himself had been shot the day before, a comrade had been killed in the past few days and they were undergoing some intense fighting. The comrade that was killed had turned over what was thought to be a dead body, and the terrorist was holding an explosive which detonated and killed the Marine. That immediately sends up red flags to those men as they entered that situation.

All in all, I sincerely hope that the military court which investigates this happening does not respond to political or media pressure to crucify the Marine. I trust that when all the information is analyzed and the facts are gathered, this will be a closed book. War is a horrid time, and things happen. Unfortunately, there are people who jump quickly on their self-righteous bandwagons to hang one of our brave Marines out to dry. War will always be bloody, people will die from both sides, and we as Americans (or this generation) needs to wake up and realize that crap happens. Don't ignore it, just don't use it to advance an agenda.

Just when you thought the election was over...

2004-11-16T17:12:00.000-05:00

From Drudge: Ohio To Go Through Statewide Vote Recount After All

A statewide recount of the presidential vote appears inevitable after a pair of third-party candidates said they have collected enough money to pay for it.

The recount would be conducted after the election results are certified in early December.

Libertarian Michael Badnarik and the Green Party's David Cobb said on Monday they raised more than $150,000 in four days, mostly in small contributions.

Ohio law requires payment of $10 per precinct for a recount, or $113,600 statewide.

Badnarik and Cobb said they aren't trying to overturn President Bush's 136,000-vote victory in Ohio, but just want to ensure that all votes were counted properly in the face of concerns about Election Day irregularities.

But at least it's not taxpayer money!

Update 6:22PM - Joel reminds me in the comments to read the whole article before commenting! Turns out that the recount WILL cost the counties (and thus taxpayers) about $1.5 Million. Awesome!

Drudge aggregate

2004-11-16T11:11:00.000-05:00

I read the Drudge, so you don't have to.

Condi to replace Powell as Secretary of State. Finally, a SecState that has a pair.

If Black rappers can't celebrate together in peace and harmony, what hope is there for the rest of humanity?

Delusions of Vampeur.

Marine kills wounded Iraqi combatant. So? I thought the whole point of war was to kill the other guy? This ain't a live-fire exercise.

YOUR PC IS MAKING YOU BLIND.

Whining, traumatized Kerry supporters, whine about being whiners, traumatized.

Kudos for Terrorism

2004-11-15T09:54:00.000-05:00

What's next, are they going to name a highway after Hitler?

French consider naming streets after Arafat

The Measure of Generosity

2004-11-11T13:05:00.000-05:00

An interesting post from WorldMagBlog today caught my eye and was insightful.

Of all the people who are generous, not based on what they give but based on what they have in relation to what they give, the red states come out way ahead and fully dominating those that went to Kerry. It's interesting to see the comparison of who really is the compassionate party in America. How would liberals explain this? Click below to see the spread:

And these people have it together?

2004-11-11T11:03:00.000-05:00

I happened across an article on ABCnews.com today (Some Say U.S. No Longer Feels Like Home) talking about how people feel they can no longer live in America, after this year's election. Of course these people are left wing liberals who are just as opinionated as say a right wing conservative. What's funny is how they react. Some of the comments out of this article are just so amusing that I can't help but chuckle even as my blood begins to boil from their arogance and self-righteousness, which is especially funny since they claim these are the same vices of right-wing conservatives.

Here are a few highlights:

"After the election, my husband and I asked ourselves, 'How could our country be heading backward? How could so many people miss or choose to ignore the obvious failures of the Bush administration?'"

"We were leaving anyhow, mostly because we want to start a family and we don't feel our children can get a decent education in the United States," said Brian Sinicki, of Laramie, Wyo.

"There is this aggressive morality that seems to me to have nothing to do with Christianity," she said. "Our fathers were mostly Unitarians, not at all holy rollers."

"I can't understand when in our nation's history being an intellectual, having a questioning, curious mind, wanting to travel, became bad," she said. "I don't understand when it became stigmatized."

"I do love my country and it hurts me very deeply to see what's happening here, to see us so far off course," she said. "But I've met a lot of evangelicals and they believe it deeply. They'd rather vote for fetuses and against gay people, rather than voting against war, with thousands dead, against guns, which we know kill people. When you're talking about deeply held religious beliefs, you're out of luck."

The fact of all this is, is that they are sore losers. They can't come to grips that our political election system actually works and that their man lost, and what's worse, Bush is still in the White House.

The last comment here just struck me so significantly where the lady said that "they'd rather vote for fetuses". I'm sorry ma'am, but this war has not claimed thousands. American deaths are still in the low THOUSAND. Compared the baby harvesting that has taken place in America since Roe vs. Wade, our death toll in this conflict can't even come close to the millions of innocent babies lives murder for convenience sake. This war in fact has saved innumerable amounts of lives. We lost over 3,000 of our fellow citizens on 9/11. This war has been justified over and over.

The statement, "against guns, which we know kill people." is such an outlandish statement. You could make the case that cars kill people, ladders kill people, smoking kills people, fast food kills people...heck life kills people. Would we ever ban cars? The fact is that people kill people. Guns just happen to be ONE medium for accomplishing that.

Those statements just go to show the plain and simple ignorance of liberals. They don't understand and can't comprehend what really matters most to people. Intellectual capital is not maintained by the professors of secular and liberal colleges. Intellectual thought and reasoning is available to anyone who sets their mind to it. The idea that the more educated you become the more liberal minded you are, is a farse.

So to all those people who can't stand the fact that they lost...here's my suggestion: You can either leave this country and therefore retreat to your liberal sanctuaries in Europe, Canada or Central Ameria; or you can choose to stay, suck it up and examine why your side lost so drastically. You have four years to decide how to impact this country. We have a political system that allows people of different thought to influence and change the direction of this country. It's your choice...stand up and be counted or shut up and move.

He's only mostly dead

2004-11-10T13:06:00.000-05:00

How is this story so big? Arafat, the Palestinian terrorist and so called leader of the PLO, is on his death bed. If you haven't heard this news, I'm sorry that you first have to hear it from me. I honestly haven't been following this story very much the last few days, because frankly, it's hard to keep track of whether he's "still alive" or "confirmed dead". Any number of possibilities are possible. For all I know, to borrow Miracle Max's phrase from Princess Bride, "he's only mostly dead."

What I don't understand is why the media is making such a frenzied mess of this situation. He's a terrorist. He has had no interest in making peace with Israel for as long as I can remember, in fact, every time there's peace talks, something, by "coincidence", just happens to take place to cause a disruption. Has it ever crossed most people's minds that this guy subverts every peace process. Thankfully, President Bush realized this and ceased negotiating with him, knowing that he was a serious problem to mideast peace.

When he dies or if he's dead, or basically when ceremonies are complete and he is laid in the ground, maybe just maybe the peace process can be advanced. However, I can't help but be amazed by the reaction and coverage that this man has received in recent days. I know it is "news" and if it were Osama Bin Laden or Saddam Hussein dying it would receive much of the same coverage. Arafat though is receiving coverage in such a way to make him out to be a great leader on par with other great world leaders. Maybe not up there with American presidents or British royalty, but of some distinct honor, nonetheless.

Obviously I harbor no respect for this man, nor should I. He has caused nothing but trouble for our Israeli allies. They have had nothing to offer the US nor will they in the foreseeable future, that would make us have any reason to be their friends. Israel on the other hand has been a loyal friend and ally for decades. They have stood by us and us by them through many a difficult situation. Arafat and his PLO have done nothing but try to interrupt and hinder that friendship.

Why should America even help further the peace process? Why should we invest our time and money in furthering, what I believe to be, a lost cause? Since the beginning of time, the Jews have been hated by the Arabs and vice versa. Lines in the sand have been drawn long before our arrival as a nation. You can't have your cake and eat it too. Eventually the United States will have to make a decision. Who will we call our friends? Who will we act as a friend towards? Will we bankrupt our friendship with Israel while trying to create peace on a world stage?

It is my hope that this administration and others to follow will see the value of being a true friend and ally to Israel, regardless of whether or not this grates against those elsewhere in the world, especially the UN.

UPDATE 11/11/04 12:20AM - Well now he's fully dead. Looks like he didn't have anything worth living for.

It's amazing what one election will do

2004-11-09T08:46:00.000-05:00

The world is taking notice of the decisions that Americans made at the polls on November 2nd, and are beginning to follow suit. So much for America having lost favor from the world. We must still be having some impact. Heck, even the DNC is taking notice and trying to figure out what to do.

Take a look at some of these headlines:

Democratic Party must be 'born again,' Carville says

Italians Oppose Marriage, Adoption for Gays

Abortion debate flares in Australia

These are just a few of the happenings around the world. I'm not going to say that all these things are a direct result of America's clear and decisive direction as dictated by the mandate given to President Bush, but I will say that this is indeed interesting. The parallels are too similar to say they are purely coincidence. If anything, the fact that Americans stood up for morality and the preservation of life is a clear sign to other nations that conservatives within their ranks have a voice as well. Let freedom ring!

To Fallujah and Beyond

2004-11-08T09:47:00.000-05:00

This weekend marked the beginning of the U.S. invasion of Fallujah. No big surprise there. It has been just a matter of time till Fallujah became the center of military operations in Iraq. I've had several conversations with individuals, including a Marine Reservist who will be Iraq before too long. The opinions are varied but we have all agreed that something needs to be done.

I'm an advocate for the respect and dignity of human life, believing that all people's have the God given right to life, including unborn babies (a completely different topic). However, I find complete justification in this effort to root out and eliminate (i.e. kill) the insurgents who are causing us and the Iraqi people so much harm. Anyone who willingly and purposefully takes a human life, deserves to lose their own. Now I don't believe this means that we should take matters, as individuals, into our own hands. It should be left up to the consensus of a larger body, the will of the people. In the case of terrorists, the use of every military method should be brought to bare to rid the world of this problem. People who harbor terrorists, such as a large part of the Fallujah populace, should also be held responsible for their actions.

The U.S. has made it clear that all women, children and men who are not of fighting age are allowed to leave. Those that do not will be considered hostiles. Now there may be some blanketing of the situation here as probably not all can leave; but as a majority, I would imagine the terrorist loyalists will remain, unless they are too coward to stay and fight (never underestimate their cowardice).

My initial thought on the matter is that the U.S. should allow the women and children to leave, then just level the town. I know this isn't feasible in today's world culture and instant access to information. The world would never tolerate a "massacre" such as that. So to appease some, the U.S. will undoubtedly suffer casualties, possibly in great numbers. Urban warfare is one of the most dangerous types of combat in existence, especially against an enemy who does not identify themselves via uniforms or any clear cut organizational means. American blood will be spent to continue to liberate the people of Iraq. It is a just and worthy cause.

In advance I honor those who will fight, and I respect those who will lose their lives. It is the American tradition to stand up for those who can not stand up for themselves. It is the American tradition to take casualties for the sake of mankind. American blood has been spilled on just about every continent on the face of the earth, and in the next several days or weeks, Fallujah will most assuredly claim more. What we have to hope for, is that through these valiant efforts, we and more importantly the people of Iraq will see a time of peace that promotes and respects the value of the human life.

Sir Winston Churchill said it ever so well in the following two quotes:

"One ought never to turn one's back on a threatened danger and try to run away from it. If you do that, you will double the danger. But if you meet it promptly and without flinching, you will reduce the danger by half."

"We make a living by what we get, we make a life by what we give."

May God protect our men and women as they fight and potentially pay the ultimate price for the freedom of others.

What Now?

2004-11-07T11:59:00.000-05:00

Phil, who is by far the more frequent poster here, will be out of town for training this whole next week. I don't know how often he'll be able to post, so I'll do my best to keep this site up to date with insights and interesting things to read.

That brings up another question. Now that the election is over, and our man has four more years in the White House, what will we discuss? Look for more editorial type pieces from me focusing on all types of things (basically as things come into my head, I'll write). I'm sure politics will remain a steady diet of this blog, but I hope we can also dive into other topics in an attempt to diversify our interests here and make this blog more insightful to more than just you politicos out there. So until next time...

Update 11:55PM - Phil: Muhuhahaha I have wireless internet in my hotel room! Don't try anything fishy, Joel..... I'm watching you.

BTW: The Incredibles is a GREAT MOVIE.

Endorsement

2004-11-05T16:08:00.000-05:00

I like this blog. Go read it.

I'm Phil and I approved this message.

Alternate Universe: Bush Lost

2004-11-04T15:41:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know we're all pretty happy with Bush winning re-election; But let's turn the tables a little bit. Say Ohio went the other way? Post the articles you would've written in the light of a President-elect Kerry.

Cross-posted at The Command Post

Arafat dead?

2004-11-04T13:48:00.000-05:00

Arafat Reported Clinically Dead; PM Denies

JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Palestinian President Yasser Arafat was declared clinically dead on Thursday in a French hospital, Israeli television said citing French sources.

But Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurie denied the report, saying: "I have just spoken to the officials in Paris and they say the situation is still as it was. He is still in the intensive care unit."

Israel's Channel Two television cited unnamed sources in Paris saying that Arafat underwent a brain scan and was found to be "no longer alive."

Palestinian sources earlier told Reuters that the Palestinian president, who was admitted to hospital last week with a mysterious stomach illness, had slipped into a coma.

Happy he's dead, and most likely in Hell? Not really.
Happy he can no longer affect the living world? You betcha.

The Red/Blue Breakdown

2004-11-04T10:39:00.000-05:00

This article over at The Command Post explains it all.

Foreign Countries Can Eat our Dust!

2004-11-04T10:03:00.000-05:00

I guess since our Constitution permits people to disagree and verbally say so, I guess it is okay for foreign countries to do so as well. What I find so amusing and at the same time agrivating, is where do they get off? Not that I think the US is perfect by any stretch of the imagination, but in comparison to any other country in the world (minus education), the USA whips their butts hands down. Economically there's no one that can touch us, politically our system has proven to work very well, and militaristically we are the world's only superpower, enough said. Comments like these are just amusing (all taken from BBC Correspondence):

In their [China's] opinion, international relations would be much simpler if we did not have to choose a new leader every few years. In China, of course, it is much more simple.

"Iraq has shown the Americans that they need partners," he added. (from Germany)
Some French politicians were less tactful - with at least one opposition Socialist describing Bush as one of the worst presidents America has ever had.

Those who wanted Mr Bush to be defeated did so not because they knew a lot about his Democratic rival, but because they hated Mr Bush's foreign policy so much that they wanted change - any change.

AND FINALLY A LITTLE COMMON SENSE:
Vladimir Putin said he would be happy if George Bush was returned to office. He said that would show America had not been intimidated by terrorists.

Media Bias at CNN? Say it ain't so...

2004-11-04T01:06:00.000-05:00

Well, the picture says it all.

[click for full size]

Go and check it out for yourself.

UPDATE 10:07PM - Blatantly stolen from Instapundit:

Netscape responsible for Bush photo insult

Disparaging image tags used to identify photos of President and Mrs. Bush currently circulating on the Internet were not created, disseminated or posted by CNN at any time, as is alleged. They were done by a junior-level employee of Netscape and posted on Netscape.com. CNN had no knowledge of this until it surfaced on other Web sites.

Netscape, which corrected the situation when it was discovered, has released a statement apologizing for the "inappropriate and disparaging terms" that were used in the image tags -- and saying that the company has terminated the employee.

Cross-posted at The Command Post.

Red vs. Blue

2004-11-04T00:32:00.000-05:00

Here's a 2004 county-by-county map of Bush vs. Kerry.

Sigh, bad Montgomery county! Bad!

World Leaders prepare for 4 more years, begin butt-kissing

2004-11-04T00:31:00.000-05:00

On yahoo news:

Thursday November 4, 4:41 AM
World leaders hail Bush's re-election, call for healing of global divisions over Iraq

World leaders rushed to congratulate US President George W. Bush on his re-election to a second four-year term and pledged cooperation with Washington to heal deep divisions over a host of international issues, notably Iraq and the Middle East.
...
Congratulatory messages also poured in from UN Secretary General Kofi Annan and leaders from Austria, Belgium, Canada, France, Germany, Ireland, Poland and South Africa among others.

Annan said through his spokesman that he was "committed to continuing to work with President Bush and his administration on the whole range of issues facing the United Nations and the world."
...
French President Jacques Chirac, a strong opponent of the US-led war in Iraq, expressed hope that Bush's second term "will provide an opportunity to reinforce France-American friendship" and the transatlantic partnership.

"On behalf of France, and on my personal behalf, I would like to express to you my most sincere congratulations for your re-election to the presidency of the United States of America," Chirac wrote in a letter to Bush. "I hope that your second term will provide an opportunity to reinforce the Franco-American friendship."

German Chancellor Gerhard Schroeder, who also clashed with Bush over Iraq, voiced hope that his country would continue its "good cooperation" with the United States.
...
Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat, in hospital outside Paris, said he hoped Bush's re-election would help jumpstart the Middle East peace process, one of his aides told AFP.

Edward's "Concession"

2004-11-03T15:35:00.000-05:00

I found this sentence in John Edward's concession to be pretty telling:

EDWARDS: Thank you. Well, it was a long night and a long morning, and even though the outcome won’t change, I want you to know that we will continue to fight for every vote. (APPLAUSE) Because every vote matters in our America and we will honor each one of you who stood with us and who stood in line to change your country. We believe in you. We didn’t stop fighting for you when this campaign began and we won’t stop fighting for you when this campaign ends.

So, to paraphrase, "we will honor every to-be-counted vote for us only, and forget the conservatives!" At least, that's the way it sounded to me.

Republican Porn!

2004-11-03T13:47:00.000-05:00

Blatantly stolen from IMAO:

From Glenn Beck, quickly becoming a favorite of mine:

Last night it was like Republican porn watching those results come in.

The "gods" are out of favor with GOD

2004-11-03T13:39:00.000-05:00

Blatantly stolen from the BBC (Africa).

Nigerian prophets see Kerry win

Prophets are predicting a win for Democrat John Kerry in the United States poll, says a Nigerian tabloid.

Spiritualists and church prophets told the Daily Sun newspaper it had been decreed in the spiritual realm that President George W Bush would lose.

"His chances of retaining his White House seat are very slim because of his antecedents," said Satguru Maharaji.

Nigerian spiritualists are best known for making vague predictions at new year about people's health and wealth.

But they are also asked to predict major events, though rarely are they this specific in their views.

Latest opinion polls show President Bush and Mr Kerry in a virtual dead-heat in the presidential race, with experts saying it is too close to call.

Kerry CONCEDES

2004-11-03T11:14:00.000-05:00

From Drudge:

Kerry tells President Bush he will concede White House race at 1 PM ET...

Maybe he read this post by Sam:

Wake Up and Smell the Kool-Aid...
At this very moment, John Kerry has the biggest opportunity of his life.

It's obvious that John Edwards and Hillary Clinton must sing the school fight song, since they must keep their base support for 2008. But what about John Kerry?

He's got less than a 2% probability of becoming president through the court system. He's got a 98% chance of losing. As a loser, he is confronted with two choices:

1. If he concedes with grace, maintaining his desire to "unite the country," then he will tick off the 50% of his base that voted against the president but gain the heartfelt respect as a true "statesman" from his other 50%. He would gain 100% of the Republican electorate respect for his "statesmanship." He would maintain his voice in the political discourse, and be part of the democrat leadership cadre in the next election.

2. If he fights and loses, his place will be with Al Gore. He will take on AlGore's "crazed fool" look and stand along side with the sour grapes demeanor of a politician who will never again be taken seriously or have any merit in the political discourse. He might as well grow a beard, smoke some dope and move to Maui to windsurf for the rest of his days.

John, please don't drink the Kool-Aid. Like Mel Gibson in "Braveheart," "unite the clans!"

Bush WINS!

2004-11-03T01:05:00.000-05:00

Drudge called it seconds before I did!

NM will most likely fall to Bush, pushing him up to 274 - and with NV, IA, WI, MI still on the line, it's only a question of how large Bush's margin of victory will be.

FOX CALLS OHIO FOR BUSH

2004-11-03T00:44:00.000-05:00

FOX CALLS OHIO FOR BUSH.

Assuming Bush gets Alaska (3), all he needs is 1 more EV - and NM looks like it might push Bush over the edge.

Don't slot Ohio yet

2004-11-03T00:30:00.000-05:00

As much as I hate to say this, Susan Estrich was absolutely right in that Cuyahoga county (Cleveland) will push Kerry up a LOT - according to my calculations, somewhere on the order of 300,000 votes (if the final proportions are the same). However, Hamilton, Greene, and Warren still have a lot of votes to count, so that should counter-act a lot of Cuyahoga.

Cross your fingers.

Cross posted at The Command Post.

Official Ohio State Election Results

2004-11-03T00:09:00.000-05:00

From the Official Ohio Election Results Page:

With 67.19% of precincts reporting, Bush is leading Kerry, 52.37% to 47.00%.

UPDATED 12:09PM

Dems sue to keep polls open in Ohio

2004-11-02T19:50:00.000-05:00

From ElectionLaw:

Lawsuit Over Long Lines in Ohio
11/02/04 (7:15 p.m. ET) - Democratic Party lawyers have brought a lawsuit in federal district court against the boards of election in Knox County and Franklin County (Columbus), arising from long lines that allegedly resulted from those counties failure to have enough voting machines in place. See this report for more. We're trying to track down the complaint and will post it on the EL@M site as soon as it's available. The lawsuit reportedly asks that voters in lines longer than two hours be given the option of casting a paper ballot. As of 5 pm, lines three hours long were reported. View the complaint

Documents Now Available in Lawsuit Over Long Lines in Ohio
11/02/04 (7:38 p.m. ET) - View the complaint

Extending Polling Hours
11/2/04 (7:42 p.m. ET) Analysis by Ruth Colker - One issue that is likely to arise as the polls start to close will be requests to extend polling hours. That issue arose at the conclusion of the 2000 Presidential election. In a case arising out of St. Louis, Missouri, a citizen sought to have the poll hours extended due to voting machine breakdowns and long lines. After holding a brief hearing, a local judge agreed to extend the hours of voting at polling places in the city. On appeal, the court of appeals of Missouri reversed the judge's decision finding that the judge had no authority to authorize voters who did not come to the polls during the hours established by the legislature to participate in the election. See Missouri v. Baker, 34 S.W.3d 410 (Ct. Appeals Mo. Dec. 6, 2000). The court suggested that the relief requested by the plaintiff could only be issued if the election rules were unconstitutional, because there were no statutory rules providing guidance for extending voting hours. If the Missouri precedent were followed in other jurisdictions, it would be very difficult to obtain voting hour extensions.

Update 8:13PM -

TRO Issued in Ohio Democratic Party v. Blackwell (Lawsuit Over Long Lines in Ohio)
11/02/04 (8:13 p.m. ET) - Judge Marbley has GRANTED Plaintiffs' motion for a TRO in the case arising from long lines in Franklin and Knox counties. The court orders that Blackwell and the county boards of elections "provide paper ballots or another mechanism to provide an adequate opportunity to vote." The order further directs that the two counties keep the polls open for all voters waiting in line as of 7:30 pm. View the order or View the complaint or View the TRO Motion

UPDATE 8:58PM -

Blackwell files Answer in Ohio Democratic Party v. Blackwell (Lawsuit Over Long Lines in Ohio)
11/02/04 (8:49 p.m. ET) - View the Answer

Franklin County Appeals Temporary Restraining Order in Ohio Democratic Party v. Blackwell (Lawsuit Over Long Lines in Ohio)
11/02/04 (8:41 p.m. ET) - View the Notice of Appeal

Cross posted at The Command Post.

Day After Tomorrow

2004-11-02T17:33:00.000-05:00

I'm getting a little anxious, but at the same time, I know in my heart of hearts that this election will not be resolved tonight, nor will it be resolved tomorrow. I'm guessing that this thing is going to drag out for some time to come. How long? Well as long as the lawyers have opportunity. Unfortunately our election system has come to this.

What would our Founding Fathers think? Would they ever approve of the way our country is divided? What would they think of all the lawyers involved in the election campaign? I honestly think they would be disgusted by the means that some people have resorted to get themselves elected. I think it is great that the polls are full. It's really depressing to see polls empty election year after election year. While it's encouraging on the one hand, I also approach my enthusiasm with great caution. It would be one thing if everyone was truly being patriotic by casting their vote, but in reality, this election has come down to two factions (and a few other groups), attempting to unseat the other. It is not about Bush or Kerry. Those two guys really are just two guys. They as potential presidents can only do what they are empowered to do. No more, no less. They do not have the power to create jobs, no matter what either says. They do not have the power to improve our economy. Neither of them has it within themselves to unite the world in peace and destroy terrorism once and for all.

I voted today on issues that have deep meaning for me. I did not vote for one guy or another, because I dislike one and like the other. I voted because I believe the issues that are important are under fire. Unfortunately, too many people went to the polls today just to vote for a guy because they don't like the other guy. What purpose does that serve us? How does that help further a sense of patriotism and sense of responsibility as the world's lone superpower? Why vote if uninformed about the issues? I respect those who voted based on the issues, even if I disagree with the premise. At least you have honorably performed your right within this country.

I don't know why I wrote all that. Just some thoughts I guess. Essentially we are in for a long haul. Tomorrow will be a new day -- what will you do with it?

AOL exit polls favor Bush

2004-11-02T17:25:00.000-05:00

here

US - Bush 57/41
FL - Bush 57/41
HI - Bush 58/41
MN - Bush 53/45
NV - Bush 57/41
NH - Kerry 50/45
NJ - Bush 54/44
NM - Bush 56/42
NY - Kerry 52/45
OH - Bush 58/40
PA - Bush 52/46
WV - Bush 61/37
WI - Bush 57/41

Of course, these are AOL numbers, and I'm sure they're hardly representative, so I wouldn't recommend using them to place any bets :)

Heh, if it was just up to AOL voters (360,000+), then Bush would win the election 481/54/3 (no data for Delaware).

The only states that AOL delivered to Kerry were NY, VT, NH, MA, RI.

I wonder what it is about AOL users that make them more pro-Bush?

Time for a Funny

2004-11-02T16:24:00.000-05:00

Scott Ott helps define the line between satire and news:

Early Numbers Show Nearly 100 Percent Exit Polls
by Scott Ott

(2004-11-02) -- Early numbers from across the nation indicate that Americans are leaving voting precincts in huge numbers.

"While the mainstream media is abuzz with stories of huge voter turnout," said an unnamed pollster, "that's only half of the story. We're finding that as many people are going away from the polls as are coming toward them."

According to the source, preliminary results show more than 99 percent of voters exit polls.

A spokesman for the Kerry-Edwards campaign said the early figures bode well for the Democrat ticket.

"Sen. Kerry is a man with a plan and an exit strategy," the source said, "and his supporters are following his example today. Voters are moving in a new direction."

Go read more!

Hour-long break

2004-11-02T15:12:00.000-05:00

That's it, I need a break.

I'm gonna hit Star Wars Galaxies: Jump to Lightspeed for awhile :)

Update - OK, I'm back. Man that game is frustrating.

Ohio journalists sneaking into polls despite ban

2004-11-02T13:13:00.000-05:00

Follow up to the previous post.

Found on Drudge - Ohio Papers Determined to Cover Polling Places, Despite Sec. of State's Ban:

emphasis mine

...Despite a directive from the Ohio secretary of state barring reporters and photographers from polling places, some newspaper editors are urging staffers today to ignore the order and seek access to voting sites until they are ordered out.

"We are going to proceed on the assumption we will get in and will until we get thrown out," said Doug Clifton, editor of The Plain Dealer in Cleveland, who estimates that up to 50 of his newsroom staffers would be visiting polling places Tuesday in the hotly contested state. "They were getting in this morning [Tuesday], but not everywhere."

In addition, at least one paper -- The Columbus Dispatch -- has registered newsroom employees as election challengers so they gain access to polling places.

"We filed to be challengers because election officials said they would strictly enforce laws regulating who can be in polling places -- voters, poll workers and challengers only," Dispatch Editor Ben Marrison wrote in a column. "Dispatch staffers are registered as challengers for every precinct in Franklin and Delaware counties."

Marrison could not be reached for comment Tuesday morning.

The Dispatch opted for the challenger approach after Secretary of State Kenneth Blackwell issued a directive on Oct. 20 to local election officials reminding them that state law prohibits anyone from entering polling places unless they are voting, monitoring the area as a challenger, or working as a voting official or witness.

The Akron Beacon Journal filed suit against Blackwell's directive, but that challenge was denied by U.S. District Judge Paul Matia on Monday. Newspaper attorneys were still discussing further appeals, but none had been filed as of Tuesday morning.

"The issue is the voter's right to privacy in the voting place," said Betty Hull, director of state advocacy for the secretary of state, who defended his actions. "He intends to fulfill his obligation to enforce the law."

Two other directives by Blackwell to bar exit pollers and registered challengers from polling places were blocked in separate court rulings within the last two days. Those court orders allowed challengers to be in the polling places and exit pollers to be within the 100-foot perimeter set by Blackwell but not inside the polling places themselves.

Carlo LoParo, Blackwell's press secretary, said the Dispatch registered staffers as challengers on behalf of a committee opposing a ballot initiative for a state constitutional amendment banning gay marriage. Despite the fact that the newspaper openly admitted the challengers would be there to act as journalists, he said the effort was considered legal. "If the committee is comfortable having individuals from the Dispatch representing them, that is within the law," LoParo said.

Some editors are instructing reporters and photographers to ignore the secretary of state's directive and get into the polling places if possible.

Mike Burbach, managing editor of the Beacon Journal, offered a plan similar to the Plain Dealer's. "We are going to try to get in, and, if they let us, we will," he said. "[Our reporters] have gotten into a couple of places so far, and we will do what we always have, show up and record the news."

But both Burbach and Doug Clifton emphasized that no reporters or photographers would disobey officials who ordered them to leave. "We will not defy the law," Burbach stressed. "But we will do what we have to within the law."

Cross posted at The Command Post.

AND THE CHAOS BEGINS...

2004-11-02T09:23:00.000-05:00

Drudge has the siren out:

VOTES FOUND ON MACHINES IN PHILLY, BEFORE POLLS OPEN;
Before voting even began in Philadelphia -- poll watchers found nearly 2000 votes already planted on machines scattered throughout the city... One incident occurred at the SALVATION ARMY, 2601 N. 11th St., Philadelphia, Pa: Ward 37, division 8... pollwatchers uncovered 4 machines with planted votes; one with over 200 and one with nearly 500... A second location, 1901 W. Girard Ave., Berean Institute, Philadelphia, Pa, had 300+ votes already on 2 machines at start of day... INCIDENT: 292 votes on machine at start of day; WARD/DIVISION: 7/7: ADDRESS: 122 W. Erie Ave., Roberto Clemente School, Philadelphia, Pa.; INCIDENT: 456 votes on machine at start of day; WARD/DIVISION: 12/3; ADDRESS: 5657 Chew Ave., storefront, Philadelphia, Pa... Pennsylvania GOP filing suit in Court of Common Pleas to have machines in question impounded, replaced with machines that did not already have votes on them... MORE... A gun was purposely made visible to scare poll watchers at Ward 30, division 11, at 905 S. 20th St., Grand Court. Police were called and surrounded the location... Developing...

UPDATED 10:28AM

No mention as to who the votes were for...

UPDATE 10:57AM - Drudge now has a page for it.

Cross posted at The Command Post.

Voting Time

2004-11-02T09:05:00.000-05:00

I went and voted this morning, and it was a pretty non-eventful experience. By non-eventful, I mean no raised voices, no fights, no riots, no challengers, no media circus. But hey, the day is young!

Anyway, let me pass on some words of advice:
1) If you don't know the issues, then don't freaking vote. Seriously - an uninformed vote cancels out an informed vote. You know what that's called? DISENFRANCHISEMENT. But that's not to say don't vote altogether. If you're informed on an issue, then vote on it - but you don't have to vote for every single issue - so if you don't know, don't vote on that issue. There were one or two issues which I did not know about, and they didn't explain it fully on the ballot, so I abstained from voting for/against them.
2) There may be multiple precincts voting at your polling place - check your voter registration card (you did get a voter registration card, right?) and make sure you're standing in line for the right precinct.
3) After you're done voting, pull the ballot out and check for hanging chads, dimples, etc. - don't even give them a chance to misinterpret your vote.

My feelings in Cartoon Form

2004-11-02T01:22:00.000-05:00

A nice little addendum to my previous post.

Blatantly stolen from SondraK.

Ohio media sues Sec. State Blackwell for access to polls

2004-11-02T01:10:00.000-05:00

As another result of the ordinance O.R.C. 3501.35, the media has sued Secretary of State Blackwell for access to the polls.

O.R.C 3501.35

[...]prohibits loitering near polls, proscribes any person, not "an election official, employee, witness, challenger, or police officer," from entering "the polling place during the election, except for the purpose of voting." That section also states that, "no person shall loiter or congregate within the area between the polling place and the small flags of the United States placed on thoroughfares and walkways leading to the polling place..." This section of Ohio law has never been interpreted in such a way as to prohibit reporters and photographers from entering polls to report upon events therein or to take photographs.

Original PDFs here.

Come now the plantiffs, Beacon Journal Publishing Company ("Beacon Journal") and M. Charlene Nevada ("Nevada"), by and through their undersigned counsel, and for their Complaint against the Defendents in this action, respectfully aver as follows:

Nature of Action:
1. This civil action arises from the unconstitutional and unlawful directive by Ohio Secretary of State J. Kenneth Blackwell to deprive citizens, and particularly news reporters and photographers, from their constitutional rights and responsibilities to observe, report upon and photograph activities at polling places throughout Ohio on Election Day, November 2, 2004. The Complaint seeks permanent and preliminary injunctive relief and compensatory damages under 42 U.S.C. 1983 and for attorneys fees under 42 U.S.C. 1988. Moreover, the Complaint seeks declaratory relief under the Federal Declaratory Judgement Act.

This was filed Monday - it may not be decided upon until the polls are already open.

More as it develops.

Cross posted here.

Commentary:
Given the liberal media bias, I can see how their presence might affect things at the polls - however, I don't see what their problem is with being 100 feet away - they can still do exit-polls, they just have to wait a few extra seconds for the voters to walk far enough out. I personally would prefer not to be harrassed by the media at the polls. Maybe they'd feel differently if we followed them around with cameras all day :)

Ohio Election round-up

2004-11-01T13:44:00.000-05:00

Sardonic Views has a good round-up of Ohio Election sites.

In the interest of all those concerned with the Ohio election and its position as a swing state, I point you to some useful sites where you can follow along. Hopefully they will be working on election night.

There are 88 counties in Ohio. Ten of them are part of this site, and will have live results available. Here is a list of links to all the county boards of elections and their websites, if they have them. This is the link to the Ohio Secretary of State's Presidential election results. In Northeast Ohio, the Cleveland Plain Dealer, usually has a section that will report results from counties and cities as they come in. The Akron Beacon Journal may have similar reports. The Dayton Daily News also promises plenty of results as they happen.

My thoughts exactly

2004-11-01T13:26:00.000-05:00

The Vodkapundit has a post that sums up my feelings exactly:

On the night before the 1988 election, my college roommates and I were watching "Nightline," and caught a startling and wonderful sign-off by then-ABC reporter Jeff Greenfield. I liked it so much that four years later, I was waiting with a VCR to see if Greenfield would deliver the same message again.

He did, and here it is, transcribed word-for-word, and edited just slightly to take out references to any particular election year:

"If you're still not sure whether you're going to go out and vote, do us all a favor--stay home. I know this flies in the face of the incessant appeals from news programs like this one, from public service announcements, from movie stars and rock-and-roll idols, begging reluctant citizens to go out and cast a ballot. But think about it for a minute. Sure, our political system rests on a belief in one person, one vote. Sure, on election day the pauper is equal to the millionaire, the servant and the master speak with the same voice, but do we also really believe that the citizen who has no interest in the government, the American who has to be dragged to the polling place like a reluctant suitor, badgered into a trip down the aisle, really deserves such solicitude?"

"And this year... no one can honestly say we've lacked the chance to see and hear these [candidates], or their records, or their ideas, or their personalities."

"So please, if you still feel too lazy, too uninvolved, too apathetic to care about this election, do not tarnish the votes of your genuinely interested friends and neighbors."

"Go back to sleep."

--Jeff Greenfield, "Nightline", ABC, November 3, 1992.
A dozen years later, that's still pure poetry--and damn good sense. Take it to heart.

SNL takes on Bin Laden

2004-11-01T11:31:00.000-05:00

SNL is pretty hit-or-miss (mostly miss) but with the political stuff, they've been striking gold!

Here's the opening sketch from last Saturday:

Hello, I am Osama Bin Laden. And Allah be praised, this is my message to the American people. In a few days, you will hold your election to choose between the ignorant cowboy Bush and the gigolo Kerry. Over the last several months, I have been approached repeatedly by representatives of both candidates, who have asked me if I would please endorse their opponents. But I have refused to do this. First, because frankly, I find this request sort of insulting, which it really is, if you think about it. Especially coming from Bush, who has not shown the least bit of interest in me since he invaded Iraq. And also, because to me, voting is a private matter, and one which I take very seriously.

For a time, I feared that I would not be eligible to vote in this election. But recently, praise Allah, I was tracked down by two volunteers from the Kerry campaign. They signed me up, and apparently, I am now registered in Cincinatti. Since then, I have tried hard to follow the campaign, and to study both the candidates, and the issues. This has often been frustrating, as I am constantly moving from cave to cave here in the mountains of northwestern Pakistan, and thus have very little contact with the outside world. The only person I see regularly is Michael Moore. And frankly, I'm not sure I can believe half of what he tells me. So, I am not as well-informed a voter as I would like.

But, that having been said, here are my thoughts on the election so far. First of all, I must say, I have been very disappointed with the negative tone of the campaign. It would be nice if, just once, the candidates would stop attacking each other, and instead talk about the issues. What issues? Well, for one thing, living as I do, like a hunted animal, never staying two nights in the same place, and all that time, needing regular dialysis for a kidney ailment, has really brought home to me the importance of quality health care. Kerry at least has a health care plan, but my question is, "how is he going to pay for it?", especially after my organization achieves its goal of destroying the US economy.

Next, there's the issue of Social Security. The baby boom generation is about to retire, and what happens then? But unfortunately, neither candidate seems willing to talk about Social Security. That, and the use of Christian and Muslim babies' blood by the Jews in their rituals, are the two great un-discussed issues in this election. Then, there's the issue of stem cell research. Here, I admit, I don't know quite what to think. But it's important to make an informed decision, because, after all, we are talking about human life here. I guess I'd like to get more information on the subject, which is not easy, since again, I live in a cave.

On the whole, if you ask my opinion, I don't see much difference between the two candidates, although, and I will probably get in trouble for saying this, I cannot stand Teresa Heinz Kerry. She is awful. Just awful. Our religion forbids us to strike a woman, although I admit, I do it all the time, and I know I shouldn't. But if she were my wife, with Allah as my witness, I would not stop beating her.

So, where does that leave me? Like many of you, undecided, and wondering how, in a country as large as America, this is the choice we were left with. But to be fair, the wicked people of America have no one to blame but themselves. You invade our countries, and steal our resources. You are indifferent to our poverty and our customs. You export your perverted culture, like your degrading reality shows, and, far worse, your lip-synching pop stars. What a disgrace! It's one thing for a J. Lo to use a guide track, the woman does full choreography. But a girl who doesn't even dance? On a "live" broadcast? Where have your standards gone? Then she blames acid reflux? I'm sorry. That is just evil.

So whomever you elect, consider your lost values. That is the bigger picture -- to restore the meaning of the words "land of the free," "all men are created equal," and especially "live from New York, it's Saturday night!"

Blatantly stolen from Watcher of Weasels, who follows up with some more commentary.

In Simple Terms

2004-11-01T11:09:00.000-05:00

Cox and Forkum explains it best:

NYPost on Kerry's Dishonorable Discharge

2004-11-01T10:53:00.000-05:00

Thomas Lipscomb of the NYPost investigates.

Glad to see some bigger media attention - but will it be enough to affect the race? I'm gonna say no.

My prediction is, that after Kerry has lost all hope of attaining the presidency, that they will bring up all these juicy anti-Kerry stories that they have been sitting on for the past year. After all, there's no such thing like ratings!

Previous posts here and here.

Must-reads

2004-11-01T10:35:00.000-05:00

Main course by Bill Whittle:

On Tuesday, Americans will choose between the conservative hawk from Texas, and the conservative hawk from Massachusetts. Both are running on a platform to strengthen the military and track down terrorists wherever they may live. Draw your own conclusions about who has the most convincing track record in this regard.
...
I will be able to live with a Kerry Presidency. But what tortures me is the thought that this country is no longer capable of doing hard, dirty work -- that we have reached the point where nothing difficult is attainable because the cost is something less than free.
...
I want to finish this fight, now. I don't think our children should have to worry about this five or ten or twenty years from now, when Iran or North Korea has had a chance to spread some nuclear largesse around. I believe a badly wounded enemy is more dangerous than a dead one. I want this fight to be over so that the country can afford to elect someone who panders to everyone and speaks French and can undo all this animosity from Europe with a few well-placed toasts and a conciliatory speech at the UN. The time for that is when this thing is over.
...
People are telling you that Tuesday will be the most important election of your lives.

That is not true.

The most important election of your lives was held on Tuesday, November 7th, 2000. You just didn't know it. Neither did I.

And for dessert, Steven Den Beste.

Covering Dayton live!

2004-11-01T09:54:00.000-05:00

I have offered to cover the Dayton, OH area for The Command Post tomorrow - Expect heavy news stories, 60% shenanigans, and a 20% chance of riots late in the day continuing on for several weeks.

Stay tuned!

My Official Prediction

2004-11-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

I'm probably going to be way off. But I've messed around with this map quite a bit and I feel I have a pretty good idea of how this election will turn out. Again, I'm probably completely wrong.

After several iterations, I believe that the final electorial count will be:
Bush: 279; Kerry 259 +/- 2 electorial votes
(Bush wins: FL, OH; Kerry wins: NJ, PA, MI, MN, WI)

Chime in and let me know how you think the numbers will crunch.

Context clues on Kerry's Dishonorable Discharge

2004-10-31T22:07:00.000-05:00

WND has the background around the possibility Kerry had a dishonorable discharge:

There is overwhelming evidence that the Navy gave John Kerry either a dishonorable discharge or an undesirable discharge – which is the equivalent of a dishonorable discharge without the felony conviction – and that, as a result of such discharge, he was stripped of all of his famous but questionable Navy awards and medals. And the kicker? The evidence is on his website!
...
What Mr. Lipscomb noticed (and I overlooked when I first read the document) was the date of the posted discharge, Feb. 16, 1978. This was six years after Kerry's six-year (1966-1972) commitment to the Navy ended. The anti-war detractor of our military did not re-up for another six-year term in 1972, so why the delay of his discharge? The only logical conclusion is that the 1978 honorable discharge was a second discharge given to replace an earlier undesirable discharge under less-than-honorable conditions, as unfit for military service.
...
The Nixon/Ford presidency gave way to Democrat President Jimmy Carter in 1977, which tends to explain the six-year delay in getting the revised discharge. Mr. Lipscomb adds some insight:

"Mr. Carter's first act as president was a general amnesty for draft dodgers and other war protesters. Less than an hour after his inauguration on January 21, 1977, while still in the Capitol building, Mr. Carter signed Executive Order 4483 empowering it. By the time it became a directive from the Defense Department in March 1977 it had been expanded to include other offenders who may have had general, bad conduct, dishonorable discharges, and any other discharge or sentence with negative effect on military records. In those cases the directive outlined a procedure for appeal on a case by case basis before a board of officers. A satisfactory appeal would result in an improvement of discharge status or an honorable discharge."
...
When he became a Senator in 1985, his clout as a senator got his medals back, even though Reagan was president, but the restoration of the medals was one more piece of evidence, as Mr. Lipscomb noted, that Kerry's previous discharge was not honorable.

...And when you combine this information with a first-hand account, it makes a pretty convincing case...

Another October Surprise!

2004-10-29T17:34:00.000-04:00

Is it Christmas? It feels like Christmas.

From New Conservative Voice - John Kerry's Dishonorable Discharge:

Through a very reliable source, I received a copy of the following e-mail to Sean Hannity asking his help in exposing the truth about John Kerry's discharge papers from the US Navy. The author is a retired former Navy lawyer and he references the former personal lawyer to then Secretary of the Navy J. William Middendorf.

If these two gentlemen can shed light on the truth of John Kerry's record, then the American people have a right to know.

Subject: Fw: THE JIMMY CARTER LEGACY CONTINUES

Sean,

I was on active duty as a U.S. Navy lawyer when all of this was going on some 25 to 30 years ago, and so was Mark F. Sullivan, who at all relevant times was the personal lawyer to J. William Middendorf, then the Secretary of the Navy. We remember.

We are trying to break this absolutely true story nationwide, i.e., Fox News, C Span, and hopefully all the major networks. We are positive that John Kerry was one of those dishonorably dismissed from the Navy for collaborating with the Viet Cong, after he was released from active duty but still in the Navy, and for a totally unauthorized trip to Hanoi. He later got an "honorable" separation in 1978, some 12 years after joining the Navy, under President Carter's "Amnesty Program" for draft dodgers, deserters, and other malcontents who fled to Canada and Holland, among other places, to avoid military service to our country.

This is why he has refused, and continues to refuse, to release all of his Navy records: they reflect that he was Dishonorably Dismissed from the United States Naval Service. If they do not (which they do), he would have released them to the public. Again, he has not done so, because he well knows that the truth would kill his challenge to President Bush.

Sincerely,
DONALD L. NELSON
CAPT, JAGC, USNR
(Ret.)

This is it. THIS IS IT. If the news gets out enough, it will be one of the final nails in Kerry's candidacy, Presidential or Senatorial, now and in the future.

He has never apologized for his actions in Viet Nam, and after Viet Nam. He has never retracted his fraudulent statements about war crimes. He touts his honorable service in Viet Nam as the central pillar of credibility for his hawkishness, his integrity, his sense of duty, his moral fortitude. A Dishonorable Discharge will show his house is built on a foundation of sand.

It's beginning to look a lot like LANDSLIDE

2004-10-29T15:03:00.000-04:00

Whew, for awhile there, I thought I was the only one:

VariFrank says 381 to 157.

Mullings thinks at least 296 to Bush

Death to ExplosivesGate!

2004-10-29T13:44:00.000-04:00

From Drudge:

MAJOR: WE REMOVED 200+ TONS OF EXPLOSIVES FROM FACILITY

FLASH 10.29.04 11:36:56 ET /// Soldier to brief reporters at Pentagon within the hour that he was tasked with removing explosives from al QaQaa and he and his unit removed 200+ tons... Officer was ordered to join the 101st airborne on April 13 -- to destroy conventional explosives at the al QaQaa complex... Developing...

UPDATE 1:36PM - More at FoxNews

Sanctions Schmanctions

2004-10-29T10:27:00.000-04:00

QandO has an excellent post about Kerry and the Myth of Iraqi Sanctions:

The WSJ has an interesting piece today which pretty much drives a stake into the heart of John Kerry’s "rush to war" charge and insistance that sanctions would have made a difference with Iraq and possibly prevented war.

Instead what has become clear is the "Oil-for-Food" program, steeped in bribery and corruption, promised sanctions would fail and war would be inevitable, but at a later date and with an Iraq armed with WMDs.

The latest pieces of news are last week’s data dump from Paul Volcker’s U.N.-blessed investigation of Oil for Food, and U.S. weapons inspector Charles Duelfer’s report to Congress earlier this month. Everybody is still digesting these massive documents. But the most important conclusion is already clear: Saddam Hussein exploited the program to run the largest bribery scheme in the history of the world.

Yes, we mean that literally. Total turnover between 1996 and 2003 was about $97 billion, or $64.2 billion in oil sales and $32.9 billion worth of food and other "humanitarian" goods. Crucially, Saddam was able to manipulate the program largely because U.N. Secretary-General Kofi Annan--who was given more or less complete discretion to design Oil for Food by the Security Council resolution that created it--allowed him to pick and choose the buyers of his oil and the sellers of the humanitarian goods.

This meant the Iraq dictator could reward his friends and political allies with oil at below market prices and goods contracts at inflated ones. In the middle of the program, he also started demanding kickbacks on the contracts to add to the stream of unmonitored revenue he was already getting from oil smuggling.
Review those numbers. They’re huge. They point out an opportunity for riches beyond most men’s capacity to imagine. They also point to the fact that Saddam knew quite well with whom he was dealing.

High-level officials of Saddam’s regime have told investigators that oil and goods contracts were always awarded with an eye to helping Saddam politically, particularly to promote the lifting of the sanctions. The Volcker data bears this out. Iraq’s top customer was Russia, whose firms bought $19.2 billion worth of Iraq oil and exported $3.3 billion in humanitarian goods. Fellow Security Council member France was a distant but significant second, at $4.4 billion and $2.9 billion respectively. China is also high on the list.
Shall we review who the three Security Council foes of resolution enforcement in Iraq were? As I recall they were Russia, France and China. Which brings us to this:

Against this backdrop, it is impossible to take Secretary-General Annan seriously when he calls it "inconceivable" that this could have affected the Security Council’s handling of Iraq. "I don’t think the Russian or the French or the Chinese government would allow [themselves] to be bought," he said recently. But even in the unlikely event that they weren’t too worried about the possible financial losses, they surely never wanted this information to see the light of day.

RTWT.

Tommy Franks on President Bush

2004-10-29T01:45:00.000-04:00

I've been reading American Soldier, and I'm definitely becoming a big Tommy Franks fan - and he does a grand job of opening up for the President:

REMARKS BY GENERAL TOMMY FRANKS

IN INTRODUCING THE PRESIDENT

AT VICTORY 2004 RALLY

Westlake Recreation Center

Westlake, Ohio

October 28, 2004

GENERAL FRANKS: Well, what a treat it is to be in northern Ohio. (Applause.) Indeed, it's an honor to be standing here today with you. You know, I'm not a politician, but I know what a Commander-in-Chief looks like, and there's only one on this ballot -- that's George Bush. (Applause.)

You know, I would guess by the enthusiasm that I see represented here today that victory is headed our way in just about five days. (Applause.) If you think about character, if you think about courage, if you think about consistency, if you think about honesty, you think about George W. Bush. (Applause.) If you talk about a leader who knows something about the global war on terrorism, it would be George W. Bush, and he knows it's global. (Applause.)

You're talking about a leader who knows that terrorism has been more than a nuisance for more than two decades. (Applause.) You're talking about a leader who does not want to roll back terrorism to the times of Beirut in 1983, Khobar Towers in the mid-1990s, East Africa in 1998, the USS Cole in the year 2000, and doesn't want to roll it back to 9/11/01. Terrorism is not a nuisance. (Applause.)

George W. Bush is a leader who knew that Saddam Hussein was a threat to the world and to the United States of America, and removed him from power. (Applause.) George W. Bush is a leader who knows that our troops, as of right now, have cleared 10,000 ammunition and weapons sites in Iraq. He knows that they have destroyed 240,000 tons of munitions in Iraq. He knows that they have under control -- (applause) -- he knows that they have under control another 162,000 tons of munitions in Iraq. We're talking about George W. Bush who knows, who understands that we do not yet have all the facts about 380 tons of munitions in Iraq. And he is a President who will look at you and say, we don't yet have the facts, but we will get the facts. George W. Bush. (Applause.)

In George W. Bush, you're talking about a leader who does not step out every day of his life and make more wild accusations. You're talking about a leader who actually cares about our troops, about their families, and about our veterans. You're talking about a leader who actually respects all those who serve our country with dignity and with honor. You're talking about George W. Bush. (Applause.)

The past three years have been hard years for America. The past three years have been a tough time for our country. I've looked into the eyes of our President, my Commander-in-Chief, and I have seen that character, that courage, that consistency that I just described. It's the courage that it takes to win a war, not tie one. And we have to win the war against terrorism in this country. (Applause.)

Now, I'll tell you, I don't know Senator Kerry's plan for victory. I don't know what it is. I don't know what it is, but I do know -- but I do know that his criticism of military conduct of our global war on terrorism denigrates, disrespects our troops. (Applause.) And, ladies and gentlemen, I also know that he cannot lead troops to victory in a war when he has made it perfectly clear that he does not support the cause. (Applause.)

Ladies and gentlemen, this is going to be a close election, and every vote counts. Those who wear the uniform of service of the United States of America deserve a Commander-in-Chief, and it's my honor to introduce one -- President George W. Bush. (Applause.)

Blatantly stolen from The Corner.

Kerry: the Anti-Christ

2004-10-28T15:58:00.000-04:00

Somehow, I knew it!

Funnies!

2004-10-28T13:50:00.000-04:00

Good daily comic strip: Get Fuzzy

Too big to excerpt here, so I'll provide a transcript:

Rob Wilco: You can't call someone a raving liberal just `cause they vote for one particular person.

Bucky: Comrade, you're so liberal, on career day the school put your desk to the left of P.E.T.A.'s.

Wilco, you're so far to the left, the last time you played right field, you tripped on third base.

Man, you're so far left, lojack couldn't find you with a brand new cadillac shoved up your nose!

RW: Dude...

Bucky: When Castro doesn't finish his dinner, he has Robovers the next day.

Random Thought

2004-10-28T11:51:00.000-04:00

Osama Bin Laden is like Elvis Presley: Some people still don't believe he's dead.

Well, that, and the Terrorism angle.

Note to Elvis fans: that was a joke.

PuppetGate

2004-10-28T10:41:00.000-04:00

More evidence of collusion between the Communist North Vietnamese government and John Kerry:

A third, newly discovered Vietnamese war document presents further indication Hanoi orchestrated John Kerry's promotion of the communist regime's 1971 plan calling for virtual U.S. surrender.
...
Now, a third document [pdf file] provides more context, showing that Kerry's July 22, 1971, press conference calling on President Nixon to accept the seven-point plan presented by Viet Cong leader Madame Nguyen Thi Binh was perfectly aligned with Hanoi's step-by-step agenda.

"If you look at the sequence of events, it would certainly seem Kerry was following a plan and was not just simply acting spontaneously," said Jerome Corsi, a specialist on the Vietnam-era antiwar movement and co-author of "Unfit for Command," the best-seller challenging Kerry's qualification to lead the nation.
...
But the communist regime began to realize in 1970 and early 1971 that it could not defeat the U.S. militarily, and so the target of propaganda shifted to the antiwar movement in an attempt to erode resolve on the American homefront.

Then Hanoi launched a series of coordinated efforts, leading to Kerry's press conference.

"The series of dates and actions hardly look coincidental," said Corsi.

RTWT.

Just more confirmation of the previous story. But it does lead one to wonder if Kerry is still led by his Communist tendencies?

377, 141, or 3?

2004-10-28T10:12:00.000-04:00

What do these numbers have in common? Oh, it's just the number of tons of RDX & HMX explosive materials that the Iraqis say they "lost". ABCNews has the story:

Oct. 27, 2004 — Iraqi officials may be overstating the amount of explosives reported to have disappeared from a weapons depot, documents obtained by ABC News show.

The Iraqi interim government has told the United States and international weapons inspectors that 377 tons of conventional explosives are missing from the Al-Qaqaa installation, which was supposed to be under U.S. military control.

But International Atomic Energy Agency documents obtained by ABC News and first reported on "World News Tonight with Peter Jennings" indicate the amount of missing explosives may be substantially less than the Iraqis reported.

The information on which the Iraqi Science Ministry based an Oct. 10 memo in which it reported that 377 tons of RDX explosives were missing — presumably stolen due to a lack of security — was based on "declaration" from July 15, 2002. At that time, the Iraqis said there were 141 tons of RDX explosives at the facility.

But the confidential IAEA documents obtained by ABC News show that on Jan. 14, 2003, the agency's inspectors recorded that just over three tons of RDX were stored at the facility — a considerable discrepancy from what the Iraqis reported.

The IAEA documents could mean that 138 tons of explosives were removed from the facility long before the United States launched "Operation Iraqi Freedom" in March 2003.

The missing explosives have become an issue in the presidential campaign. Sen. John Kerry has pointed to the disappearance as evidence of the Bush administration's poor handling of the war. The Bush camp has responded that more than a thousand times that amount of explosives or munitions have been recovered or destroyed in Iraq.

Just another one of those accusation-destroying facts. It's a good thing the NYT was trigger happy on the story, it gave everybody a good amount of time to refute it. The only people that you will hear harping about this non-issue is Kerry and his ilk - the news media are too busy attacking each other on it. In their own bloodthirsty way, the MSM has pretty much debunked the whole theory by itself. Let's hear it for competition and free-markets!

Russia may have insights to WMD and weapons programs

2004-10-28T09:15:00.000-04:00

A new story out of the Washington Times sheds light on what happened to the missing munitions from the Al-Qaqaa facility in Iraq. Basically, Russia went in before the U.S. attacked and destroyed all the evidence of their ties to Iraq and weapons programs. They also sent a healthy supply of Russian special forces to the Al-Qaqaa (and maybe other) facilities to remove major explosives and other supplies. To where? Looks like Syria is once again in the spotlight. Go figure! Funny, that only now this information is being released to the public, and yet all along President Bush and leaders within his administration and within the Defense Department have been stating that Syria is part of the problem. Seriously folks, there are some things they definitely know, that we don't. Why does everyone jump to conclusions? Do you really think Russia would be willing to help clear up this matter prior to their recent terrorist attacks? Maybe now they might be a little more willing to realize the gravity of the situation.

I will state a disclaimer and say that this is one news paper's piece. It hasn't been substantiated by anyone officially and could be just a counter piece similar to the NY Times. What can we believe anymore?

John Kerry gets his goose plucked...

2004-10-28T01:04:00.000-04:00

...in a fashion reminiscent of Ghengis Khan.

Oh, you mean THOSE explosives...

2004-10-27T23:39:00.000-04:00

From Drudge: Russia tied to Iraq's missing arms

Russian special forces troops moved many of Saddam Hussein's weapons and related goods out of Iraq and into Syria in the weeks before the March 2003 U.S. military operation, The Washington Times has learned.

John A. Shaw, the deputy undersecretary of defense for international technology security, said in an interview that he believes the Russian troops, working with Iraqi intelligence, "almost certainly" removed the high-explosive material that went missing from the Al-Qaqaa facility, south of Baghdad.

"The Russians brought in, just before the war got started, a whole series of military units," Mr. Shaw said. "Their main job was to shred all evidence of any of the contractual arrangements they had with the Iraqis. The others were transportation units."
...
The Russian involvement in helping disperse Saddam's weapons, including some 380 tons of RDX and HMX is still being investigated, Mr. Shaw said.

The RDX and HMX, which are used to manufacture high-explosive and nuclear weapons, are probably of Russian origin, he said.

Plenty of juicy stuff - RTWT.

Russian collusion with Saddam is not new information - we've known since long before the war that the Russians, Germans, and French were supplying Iraq with weapons and other military hardware. So this revelation isn't particularly earth-shattering, but it does put down once and for all the non-issue of the missing explosives that the DNC decided to trot out a week before the election.

The question is, how is this new information going to change our burgeoning relationship with Russia? Ever since the Beslan incident, it seems that Russia is adopting the American point of view on the War on Terror. Just recently, Putin (indirectly) announced his support for President Bush. I wonder how the increased scrutiny on the pre-war Russia/Iraq collaboration will change the relationship?

Foes of Democracy

2004-10-27T01:08:00.000-04:00

Ohio is positively infested with voter fraud.

From NewsMax:

Appearing on CNN’s American Morning program Tuesday, Ohio’s Republican Governor Bob Taft painted a disturbing picture of widespread vote fraud in his state.

Taft told CNN’s Bill Hemmer that in four Ohio counties, more people have registered to vote than live in those counties and are of voting age.

"We have four counties where you have more voters registered than you have 18 and over population,” Taft said.

Taft noted the role of Democrat 527 groups who have inflated Ohio’s voter registeration rolls.

"We've had a lot of fraudulent voter registrations already, mostly by those 527 groups. There will be unprecedented scrutiny of this election on both sides,” he said. Taft noted that many of these new registrations appear to be fraudulent.

"A lot of these voters don't have addresses,” he said of the new registrations. "When they send the postcard out to them, after they register, that comes back undeliverable. You're talking about thousands of cases like that all across the State of Ohio.”

Taft says he hopes the heightened level of scrutiny will lead to "an accurate count for the State of Ohio.”

Taft said vote monitors will seek to "make sure that a voter is a citizen, 18 and over, and a resident of the precinct and county where they plan to vote.”

Democrats tomorrow: "But that'd be suppressing the vote! Everybody knows that the majority of illegal votes are for Democrats!"

Hmph. They say they want to make sure "every vote counts". What they really mean is, they want every one of their votes to count - and nobody else's.

More Attention on Voter Fraud

2004-10-26T15:16:00.000-04:00

Looks like Bill Hobbs picked up on Joel's Voter Fraud article - perhaps we'll see some further updates, once the greater blogosphere picks up the scent.

John Forbes Kommie

2004-10-26T10:23:00.000-04:00

[Generous helpings of salt]

THIS is an October Surprise worth talking about:

Discovered papers: Hanoi directed Kerry
Recovered Vietnam documents 'smoking gun' researchers claim:

The first documentary evidence that Vietnamese communists were directly steering John Kerry's antiwar group Vietnam Veterans Against the War has been discovered in a U.S. archive, according to a researcher who spoke with WorldNetDaily.
...
Jerome Corsi, a specialist on the Vietnam era, told WND the new discoveries are the "most remarkable documents I've seen in the entire history of the antiwar movement."

"We're not going to say he's an agent for Vietnamese communists, but it's the next thing to it," he said. "Whether he was consciously carrying out their direction or naively doing what they wanted, it amounted to the same thing -- he advanced their cause."

*GUARDED CAUTION* be skeptical for the next 48 hours

"I think what we've discovered is a smoking gun," Corsi said. "We knew when we wrote 'Unfit for Command' that Kerry had met with Madame Binh and then promoted her peace plan.

"This document enables us to connect the dots," he emphasized. "We now have evidence Madame Binh was directing the antiwar movement ... and the person who implemented her strategy was John Kerry."
...
Corsi told WND the documents have been authenticated with "100 percent certainty."

But why were they unearthed now, just one week before the Nov. 2 election?

Corsi insisted the timing was unintentional.

"It's truly one of those accidents of how things develop in research," he said. "We did not spring any surprise, we just found these documents, and even the archivist didn't know they were there."
...
The two documents were found in boxes containing papers from antiwar activities during 1971-72, but they also turned out to be posted in an Internet database, which enabled further verification, Corsi said.

If this is true, then this should be a huge blow, not just to Kerry, but to the entire 70's anti-war movement. The fact that the NV Communist Gov't was directly controlling anti-war groups here in America raises a question about every single activity. It raises doubts as to their motives, their stated goals, their professed purpose - everything. Is this the magic bullet that will shatter, once and for all, the illusions around the Viet Nam war? Will those veterans finally have a chance to regain their honor?

As far as damage against Kerry goes, this is huge. But so were the last 531,882 revelations about him. As usual, I predict the MSM to run interference for him, and failing in facts, to just keep spouting the same old discredited drivel and win the war of messages by sheer volume.

UPDATE 11:05
PDF's here
Wizbang here and here

UPDATE 12:25
Captain Ed's analysis:

Does this mean that Kerry accepted marching orders from the Viet Cong in 1971? No, or at least the documents discovered so far don't reach that conclusion explicitly. It does show, at the least, that John Kerry was a dupe of the VC/Hanoi Communists of the first order. The best one can conclude from the record is that the VC used Kerry as a pawn to undermine American resolve to fight the war, which allowed them to push the US out of Southeast Asia and eventually resulted in a Communist bloodbath in Vietnam, Laos, and Cambodia.

Kerry told us last week that he would go after terrorists with the same enthusiasm that he went after the Viet Cong. The only conclusion that one can draw from the historical record is that John Kerry will chase them to Paris to negotiate our surrender on their terms.

Heh.

UPDATE 13:35
From ITB via Wizbang:

I just got off the phone with a worker at the Vietnam archive. She informed me of the following. There were two people from the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth at the Texas Tech University archive within the last two to three weeks specifically looking for documents pertaining to John Kerry’s anti-war movmement Vietnam Veterans Against the War. She told me there has been a bit of a buzz around there as of late after these two individuals claimed they found something huge. She informed that none of the documents they have can be removed from the archive and must be studied upon at the actual site. She would not give me any more information and was pretty nervous concerning the questioning.
...
I just got off the phone with Steven Maxner, Director of the Vietnam Archive, and he answered a few questions for me.

How any member of the mainstream media contacted the Vietnam Archive in relation to this story? No. Not the New York Times, the Washington Post or any other major newspaper

Have you personally seen the documents in question? Yes I have. Can you vouch for the authenticity of the reports? Of course. These documents came from the the Douglas Pike Archive. Douglas Pike worked for the State Department and these documents came from our intelligence.

When did the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth visit the archives? Were they able to find the documents right away or did they have to search for a while? I cannot disclose personal information concerning any of our patrons just as any library couldn’t disclose personal information. The guys were here sometime last week, though I was not here so I do not know what day they came. It’s my understanding they were here for a good portion of the day so it they probably had to search for the documents and didn’t know where to find them when they came in.

Missing explosives in Iraq! BUT

2004-10-26T01:39:00.000-04:00

So the news world is abuzz with the report that 380 tons of explosives have gone missing from an Iraq military installation.

Of course, all the fingers have been pointed at the Bush Administration, blaming it for allowing the theft, and placing the resultant deaths of our troops squarely at its feet.

But the catch? The explosives disappeared 18 months before we arrived in Iraq.

As usual, Drudge has the scoop.

XXXXX DRUDGE REPORT XXXXX MON OCT 25 2004 22:45:05 ET XXXXX

NBCNEWS: HUGE CACHE OF EXPLOSIVES VANISHED FROM SITE IN IRAQ -- AT LEAST 18 MONTHS AGO -- BEFORE TROOPS ARRIVED

The NYTIMES urgently reported on Monday in an apprent October Surprise: The Iraqi interim government has warned the United States and international nuclear inspectors that nearly 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives are now missing from one of Iraq's most sensitive former military installations.

Jumping on the TIMES exclusive, Dem presidential candidate John Kerry blasted the Bush administration for its failure to "guard those stockpiles."

"This is one of the great blunders of Iraq, one of the great blunders of this administration," Kerry said.

In an election week rush:

**ABCNEWS Mentioned The Iraq Explosives Depot At Least 4 Times
**CBSNEWS Mentioned The Iraq Explosives Depot At Least 7 Times
**MSNBC Mentioned The Iraq Explosives Depot At Least 37 Times
**CNN Mentioned The Iraq Explosives Depot At Least 50 Times

But tonight, NBCNEWS reported: The 380 tons of powerful conventional explosives were already missing back in April 10, 2003 -- when U.S. troops arrived at the installation south of Baghdad!

An NBCNEWS crew embedded with troops moved in to secure the Al-Qaqaa weapons facility on April 10, 2003, one day after the liberation of Iraq.

According to NBCNEWS, the HMX and RDX explosives were already missing when the American troops arrived.

"The U.S. Army was at the site one day after the liberation and the weapons were already gone," a top Republican blasted from Washington late Monday.

The International Atomic Energy Agency inspectors last saw the explosives in January 2003 when they took an inventory and placed fresh seals on the bunkers.

Dem vp hopeful John Edwards blasted Bush for not securing the explosives: "It is reckless and irresponsible to fail to protect and safeguard one of the largest weapons sites in the country. And by either ignoring these mistakes or being clueless about them, George Bush has failed. He has failed as our commander in chief; he has failed as president."

A senior Bush official e-mailed DRUDGE late Monday: "Let me get this straight, are Mr. Kerry and Mr. Edwards now saying we did not go into Iraq soon enough? We should have invaded and liberated Iraq sooner?"

Top Kerry adviser Joe Lockhart fired back Monday night: "In a shameless attempt to cover up its failure to secure 380 tons of highly explosive material in Iraq, the White House is desperately flailing in an effort to escape blame. Instead of distorting John Kerry’s words, the Bush campaign is now falsely and deliberately twisting the reports of journalists. It is the latest pathetic excuse from an administration that never admits a mistake, no matter how disastrous."

Developing...

-----------------------------------------------------------
Filed By Matt Drudge
Reports are moved when circumstances warrant
http://www.drudgereport.com for updates
(c)DRUDGE REPORT 2004
Not for reproduction without permission of the author

Yah yah I know I reproduced it without Drudge's permission, but the stories disappear after time :)

Note that this story was not broken by right-wing bloggers, the Bush campaign, etc - it was NBC that proved the NYT wrong!

The Real October Surprise?

2004-10-26T01:29:00.000-04:00

Protein Wisdom offers its own version of the October Surprise.

The Difference In Demeanor

2004-10-26T00:27:00.000-04:00

Richard Rushfield of Slate does a little undercover work:

I live solidly in "Blue" to-its-core Venice, Calif., a neighborhood so left-wing that anyone spotted in a Bush button is more likely to be a costumed trick-or-treater than an actual GOP voter.

As a political and journalistic experiment, I decided to see how people who live in primarily one-party areas would react when faced with a living, breathing member of the opposition. I appointed myself an ambassador to bridge the Red-Blue divide and ventured into each side's territory dressed in the T-shirt, campaign button, and tote bag of the other.

To sum up the article, the author finds Red America to be a lot more *gasp* civil and *astonishingly* more tolerant of the opposing viewpoint. RTWT.

Is this really at all surprising? The way Republicans (and conservatives in general) are portrayed in the media and the common liberal gathering holes, you'd expect them to be goose-stepping, gun-toting, KKK-Nazi-minority haters. But the truth that we have known (and that I have personally known) is that conservatives are much more tolerant, civil and generally well-behaved. Sure, we have our kooks, but they are definitely a small minority compared to majority battiness evident on the liberal side.

Hannity Visits Dayton...

2004-10-25T16:31:00.000-04:00

Far Hills Baptist, Saturday 10/30!

Send me an email/post a comment/give me a call if you want to come with.

I hope this isn't the only October Surprise

2004-10-25T09:09:00.000-04:00

Cuz if it is, it's pretty non-exciting.

Washington Times: Security Council members deny meeting Kerry

U.N. ambassadors from several nations are disputing assertions by Democratic presidential candidate Sen. John Kerry that he met for hours with all members of the U.N. Security Council just a week before voting in October 2002 to authorize the use of force in Iraq.
...
At the second presidential debate earlier this month, Mr. Kerry said he was more attuned to international concerns on Iraq than President Bush, citing his meeting with the entire Security Council.

"This president hasn't listened. I went to meet with the members of the Security Council in the week before we voted. I went to New York. I talked to all of them, to find out how serious they were about really holding Saddam Hussein accountable," Mr. Kerry said of the Iraqi dictator.

Speaking before the Council on Foreign Relations in New York in December 2003, Mr. Kerry explained that he understood the "real readiness" of the United Nations to "take this seriously" because he met "with the entire Security Council, and we spent a couple of hours talking about what they saw as the path to a united front in order to be able to deal with Saddam Hussein."

But of the five ambassadors on the Security Council in 2002 who were reached directly for comment, four said they had never met Mr. Kerry. The four also said that no one who worked for their countries' U.N. missions had met with Mr. Kerry either.
...
When reached for comment last week, an official with the Kerry campaign stood by the candidate's previous claims that he had met with the entire Security Council. But after being told late yesterday of the results of The Times investigation, the Kerry campaign issued a statement that read in part, "It was a closed meeting and a private discussion." A Kerry aide refused to identify who participated in the meeting.
...
The revelation that Mr. Kerry never met with the entire U.N. Security Council could be problematic for the Massachusetts senator, as it clashes with one of his central foreign-policy campaign themes, honesty.

In recent months, Mr. Kerry has faced numerous charges of dishonesty from Vietnam veterans over his war record, and his campaign has backtracked before from previous statements about Mr. Kerry's foreign diplomacy.

For example, in March, Mr. Kerry told reporters in Florida that he'd met with foreign leaders who privately endorsed him. "I've met with foreign leaders who can't go out and say this publicly," he said. "But, boy, they look at you and say: 'You've got to win this. You've got to beat this guy. We need a new policy.'"

But the senator refused to document his claim and a review by The Times showed that Mr. Kerry had made no official foreign trips since the start of 2002, according to Senate records and his own published schedules. An extensive review of Mr. Kerry's domestic travel schedule revealed only one opportunity for him to have met foreign leaders here.
...
In an interview published in the new issue of Rolling Stone magazine, Mr. Kerry was asked what he would want people to remember about his presidency. He responded, "That it always told the truth to the American people."

So Kerry lied. What else is new? Off the top of my head, I can think of several blatantly obvious lies:
Being at game 6 of the 1986 World Series
Being in Cambodia in Christmas of 1968(?)
Not owning an SUV (unless he can't touch Heinz property)
Republicans are bringing back the draft
Being pro-gun/2nd Amendment
Being a fan of baseball/football/soccer/snowboarding/biking/hockey/water polo
Not using fake-bake

Had Bush done something of the same magnitude, he would have been excoriated by the press: BUSH LIED! etc., etc., et al, ad nauseam. However, Kerry is their candidate, and thus is entitled a free pass for just about everything in life. I predict that this story will quickly fade from the limelight, remaining only in the limited circulation of the blogosphere and right wing pundits.

But here's to hope.

Political Humor for a Monday

2004-10-25T08:56:00.000-04:00

Little David was in his 4th grade class when the teacher asked the children what their fathers did for a living. All the typical answers cameup-fireman, policeman, salesman, doctor, lawyer, etc.

David was being uncharacteristically quiet, so the teacher asked himabout his father.

"My father's an exotic dancer in a gay cabaret and takes off all his clothes in front of other men and they put money in his underwear. Sometimes, if the offer is really good, he will go home with some guy and make love with him for money.

"The teacher, obviously shaken by this statement, hurriedly set the other children to work on some exercises and took little David aside to ask him,"Is that really true about your father?"

"No," said David, "He works for the Democratic National Committee to elect John Kerry, but I was too embarrassed to say that in front of the other kids!

Time to post armed guards to voting areas

2004-10-24T01:57:00.000-04:00

Blatantly stolen from PowerLine

This sort of crap gets my blood boiling:

One woman who voted early in Boca Raton, at the Southwest County Regional Library, complained that as she stood in line, two men behind her were "trashing our president," Fletcher said, declining to identify the woman. She tried to ignore them. Then the man touched her arm and said, "Who are you voting for?"

"I said, `I don't think that's an appropriate question,'" the woman said she responded.

"Uh oh! We have a Bush supporter here," screamed the man behind her.

For the 2 1/2 hours she had to wait in line, she was heckled by the man. As they neared the voting room, someone in the rear of the line yelled, "I sure hope everyone here is voting for Kerry!" she reported.

That's when the man behind her held his hand over her head and screamed, "We have a Republican right here!" There were "boos and jeers" from the crowd.

"I felt intimidated, harassed and threatened!" the woman wrote in her complaint to the Republican Party.

Elaine Fandino complained to the Republican Party that she took her mother to vote on South Military Trail in Palm Beach County and was confronted by 25 people supporting John Kerry for president. The crowd was "very angry and used foul language," she reported. She said the man next to her said, "Where's my shotgun?"

In Broward County, at the regional library in Pembroke Pines, a voter complained that Kerry supporters used abusive language about President Bush and had signs and banners within 50 feet of the entrance.

Kerry supporters were "shoving anti-Bush propaganda at us," complained the voter, who said he shouted back "Vote President Bush!"

A woman who voted in Plantation at the West Regional Courthouse said she was offended to see five or six people with "huge stick on badges" for Kerry/Edwards, standing near the voting machines.

"Never in all the years of voting do we remember being allowed to show a badge or poster or literature while inside the area where the voters are standing ready to cast their vote," she wrote.

Juan D'Arce of Miami complained to the Republicans that he tried early voting in downtown Miami. He was wearing a Bush pin, but he couldn't stand the taunting, so he turned away and did not vote.

Howard Sherman complained about his voting experience at North Shore Branch Library in Miami-Dade County. He found a crowd of Kerry supporters blocking the door.

"They were positioned directly in front of the entrance to the library in such a manner that it would be impossible to avoid them while entering the polling place," he reported.

Sherman said he tried to slip through the thinnest part of the crowd, but a woman in a Kerry T-shirt grabbed his arm and asked if he was voting for Kerry.

"I seem to recall from civics class that this sort of electioneering is illegal," Sherman complained to the Republicans.

Free Stolen Honor!

2004-10-23T02:07:00.000-04:00

You know that big hullabaloo that was raised over Sinclair Network's decision to show Stolen Honor? How they were going to show it in its entirety but then backed off and decided to show only part of it?

Well, forget them.

Go watch it online for free!

More Voter Shenanigans

2004-10-22T19:47:00.000-04:00

I'd like to once again point out that THIS DOES NOT HAPPEN TO THE OTHER SIDE.
(at least I haven't heard about it)

Cincy Enquirer: Local Bush/Cheney headquarters robbed

The Enquirer

DOWNTOWN - Cincinnati's headquarters for the Bush/Cheney re-election campaign was broken into overnight.

Money and a sign were taken from the office, on Seventh Street near Court Street. The thieves got in by breaking out a window.

The office was also ransacked, officials said. It also houses other Republican organizations.

No one had been arrested.

Talk about your subliminal messages...

2004-10-22T17:49:00.000-04:00

So I was on Drudge, and I saw this picture:

Anybody see something funny?

Is God trying to tell us something?

Misinterpreting the Duelfer Report

2004-10-22T16:27:00.000-04:00

A lot of hullabaloo has been made about how the Duelfer Report conclusively states that there were no ties, either existing or attempted, between Iraq and Al-Qaeda. The reality, and the words of the report, contradict them.

QandO has a great roundup of all the excerpts that state there were ties.

Great addition to Bush Myth #6.