Lightfoot Cruise

Betting the Wrong Horse - Again

2007-08-08T18:54:00.000-05:00

The democrats have been betting the 2008 presidential election on the failure of the war in Iraq. So heavily invested in defeat are they, that the treasonous ewok-in-charge, the diminutive Harry Reid, has been inspired to go before the world and declare, "the war is lost."

Of course, the Democrats' biggest fear is that we'll win - militarily and politically - in Iraq. Even the upbeat Associated Press survey, which follows the unexpected good news from analysts Michael O'Hanlon and Ken Pollockin of the Brookings Institution, is feared by Dems to be a precursor to the upcoming report by Gen. David Petraeus, the commander of U.S. forces in Iraq. That's due next month, and it may be full of good news about military and political progress there. But good news for the country is bad news for the Democrats.

But on Monday, a new Gallup Poll, taken for USA Today, finds that the number of Americans who think the war news is getting better has risen sharply, up from 22 percent last month to 31 percent now. Those pessimists who think the surge is "not making much difference" has gone down 10% - from 51 percent to 41 percent. Americans are natural-born optimists, eager for good news, especially about military campaigns.

The 2008 election is still 16 months away. The Democrat lead ponies are running themselves out by campaigning this early, and may very well have little cash or energy left by next November. Republicans are wisely waiting for the Iraq report, and if there's good news from General Petraeus's report, the Democrats will have nothing positive to run on.

Remember, Harry Reid and the congressional Democrats have already placed their bets - all in - that the war is lost. We'll see.

Amnesty Backlash

2007-07-11T19:24:00.000-05:00

Senator Mel Martinez, still in a rage after the Amnesty Bill he co-sponsored with Ted Kennedy was shot down in flames, has issued a challenge to those of us in the grassroots who demanded this piece of irresponsible legislation end up where it belongs - on the dust bin of history. That challenge is to come up with something better. "The voices of negativity now have a responsibility to come up with an answer,” he said. Pretty arrogant.

OK, Mel, I'll get right on it, but first a rebuttal.

In the personal letter I received this week from him replying to an email I sent him last month, he alleges that he's all in favor of border and immigration control, enforcement of existing laws, and over all in favor of the rule of law. Likewise, in his editorial in the official RNC magazine, Rising Tide, he rallies us all around the flag, boys, and declares that we all must work together to "take back" our party and return it to the values of personal responsibility, smaller and less intrusive government, and lower taxes.

Unbelievable. Maybe that's why, along with Ted Kennedy, Harry Reid, John McCain and others, he co-sponsored a dark-of-night, back-room bill that would essentially destroy the notion that US immigration policy is based on law. At the very least, it certainly flies in the face of each and every one of those bedrock Republican principals he just cited. And what's worse is that Mel Martinez is the current Chairman of The Republican National Committee.

Mel went so far as to suggest - well, he more or less accuses - we the people of being racist. Racist? You mean racist like La Raza, the radical anti-American group of Mexicans who want to reconquest most of the southwestern United States, referred to as Aztlan, and who was consulted on the drafting of the provisions in this bill? And whose attitude toward America is reflected in the photo above? Is that what is known as assimilation into the culture?

But Mel, as to your challenge, here's what I propose to replace that ridiculous bill you tried to foist on us, and it won't cost the taxpayers billions of dollars, like your bill. And, yes, I did read it - all 700 odd pages - and yes, I do understand it.

Here's my 10-point plan, and feel free to take notes:

1. Enforce the existing laws against employers who are hiring illegals
2. Deport those aliens caught breaking the law, including suspected or known gang members
3. Increase the number of Border Agents, and stop criminalizing those agents who do their job
4. Fire any officials who were implicit in the railroading and imprisonment of Border Patrol agents Ignacio Ramos and Jose Compean
5. Enforce identity checks and refuse re-entry to those aliens already deported
6. Eliminate all access of state and Federal aid to illegals - period
7. Penalize sanctuary cities by withholding all federal money
8. Refuse visas to pregnant women
9. Make English the official language, and use it exclusively
10. Exclude any radial group from making or influencing immigration policy

Now a petition has begun to circulate calling for Martinez' recall. The site http://www.recallmel.com/ was launched June 18th 2007 by central Florida IT Tech Mr. Dewey Wallace to protest what he views as a reversal of Senator Martinez’s campaign promises of no Amnesty for Illegal Immigrants. The website has a secure SSL page designed to gather signatures in an attempt to make a legal recall via special election of the Senator.

6 June 1944

2007-06-06T10:49:00.000-05:00

Today is the 63rd anniversary of D-Day, the day in which the US-led Allies invaded the coast of France, beginning the Battle of Normandy during World War II. This invasion began the Allied liberation of Europe, and ultimately resulted in the taking of Berlin, and the end of the war in the European Theater.

D-Day was significant in many ways. It was the largest naval armada in history, consisting of thousands of ships. Nearly 3 million troops were assembled as the invasion force to land in France, and included elements of Navy, Army, Marines, Coast Guard and Air Force. The invasion force was made up of several nations including primarily the United States, United Kingdom and Canada, with some participation from Free France and Poland. Allied casualities were high: 45,000 were killed in action, with some 173,000 wounded or missing. German forces lost over 23,000 KIA, 67,000 wounded and 198,000 missing or captured.

Sadly, no mention of this historic event was mentioned in many newspapers. I'm reminded of George Santayana's famous quote: Those who do not learn from history are doomed to repeat it.

Newt Still Makes Sense in '08

2007-06-03T10:06:00.000-05:00

Back in September of last year, I posted an interesting offering from Next Gingrich on how to win in November. By implementing just 11 ideas, and running on them, Republicans probably could have turned the election into a roust of the no-ideas Democrats. But that's past, of course, but I think the plan is worth repeating. Here's an updated re-post of Mr. Newt's salient points:

One of the most amazing things I've noticed this election cycle is the complete and utter lack of ideas coming from the left. The Democrats and the media have spent millions of dollars and countless hours to bash this administration and its foreign policy, yet have still not offered up a single idea as counterpoint to what they're whining about. Apart from a complete withdrawal from Iraq, no thought has seemingly been given to the consequences of monumentally bad idea.

Yet one of the brightest minds in Washington has done just that - formulated an 11-point plan that is necessary for "Winning The Future" and which has broad-base support from the American people. Contrast the void on the left with Newt Gingrich's commonsense 11-point plan for a solid Republican win in November.

Make English the Official Language of Government.
The House should pass a bill making English the official language of government, abolishing multilingual ballots and reaffirming that new citizens should be required to pass a test on American history in English.

Control the Borders.
The House should pass a narrowly focused bill to ensure that the United States can control the border.

Keep God in the Pledge.
Congress should take two steps to preserve the right to say "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, a right which is supported by 91% of all Americans. The American people feel deeply that our Declaration of Independence is correct in saying that each of us is endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. It is time to return to a balanced Constitutional system.

Require a Voter ID Card.
The American people overwhelmingly support (85% in one case, 70%-plus even after all the arguments against it are made) having a voter ID card so we can be sure only legal citizens are voting. Passing a bill to require this in all federal elections would be a big step toward more honest elections.
[And eliminate the need for bogus and unconstitutional bills like the shameful McCain-Feingold bill - Ed.]

Repeal the Death Tax, for Good.
The American people have consistently supported the total repeal of the death tax and the House should simply pass it once a week and attach it to various Senate bills to force the Senate to deal with it again and again. Let liberals explain why they oppose something that more than 70% of the country favors.

Restore Property Rights.
The American people are deeply opposed to local politicians' being able to seize a citizen's home or business. The Supreme Court's Kelo decision on eminent domain is one of the most unpopular in recent years and is also one of the most dangerous.
[Another absurd unconstitutional bill that blatantly defies the 4th Amendment. -Ed.]

Achieve Sustainable Energy Independence.
The country is eager for a straightforward new energy strategy for national security, environmental and economic reasons, starting with clean nuclear power using new technologies that are safe and produce little
waste.

Control Spending and Balance the Budget.
The House should pass new budget legislation to control spending, leading to a balanced budget in seven years (the length of time we gave ourselves in the Contract with America and which led to the first four balanced budgets since the 1920s), with special focus on programs liberals will fight to increase spending.

Tie Education Funding to Teacher Accountability.
A major result of the No Child Left Behind legislation has been the clear revelation that a number of schools systems are crippling and destroying children. When the Detroit school system only graduates 21% of entering freshman on time, it is clear the children are being cheated.

Defend America From the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam.
Terrorism is a real threat. Congress should hold hearings on the recent terror activities in Canada, the United Kingdom and Morocco. The House should move bills that strengthen our security from terrorists with increased powers for surveillance, an overruling of the disastrous Hamdan decision and a series of other steps.
[Foreign combatants who are not US citizens are not entitled to the rights enumerated in the US constitution. -Ed]

Focus on Iran and North Korea.
The American people are very prepared to believe we face extraordinary threats from a nuclear North Korea and an Iranian regime actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Any actions in Iraq need to be recast in terms of their impact on Iran. A weak America in Iraq will be unable to stop Iran. Stopping Iran is potentially literally a matter of life and death. Everything about Iraq should be debated within this larger and much more dangerous context.

Given the wide field of candidates running for the Republican presidential nomination, and in light of the backlash against the ill-conceived Kennedy-Martinez Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007 (S. 1348, aka Amnesty Bill), it seems to me that the best choice so far is the team that hasn't yet announced: Fred Thompson and Newt Gingrich.

Hey, I'm just sayin'.

An Open Letter to Senator Mel Martinez

2007-05-30T19:22:00.000-05:00

Dear Senator Martinez:

I wish to voice my opposition to SB 1348, the Comprehensive Immigration Reform Act of 2007. This bill is flawed in so many ways it concerns me for several reasons.

The first is that far from enacting any meaningful reform, it actually grants amnesty to perhaps 20,000,000 existing illegal aliens, along with their extended families. This country was established as a nation of laws, but it seems that some, like yourself as co-sponsor of this bill, are willing to subvert that basic tenet, and allow lawbreakers to not only skate free, but to enjoy the benefits of citizenship. What do I tell my grandkids about the rule of law, when half their class contains illegal Mexicans? How did my great grandparents become citizens? How did you become a citizen, Senator Martinez? Is obeying the law no longer a requisite for citizenship? Is that your message?

Secondly, with threats of annihilation being made against the county and its citizens almost daily, the last thing the government should do is to throw open the borders and let these aliens roam free among us. Which one is a simple peasant looking for work, and which is a terrorist with a weapon? Is this a risk worth taking in exchange for the dubious benefit of cheap short term labor, or for 20 million future Democrats?

Lastly, this bill doesn't pass the light-of-day test. Where are the committee hearings? Where's the debate? Americans are generous by nature, and despite the spin by the media, they are not xenophobic. Americans welcome immigrants who come here legally, learn the language, work hard and pay taxes, and assimilate into the culture. They are, however, suspicious of back room deals that try to ram bad legislation like this bill down their throats, in the dark of night.

Shame, Senator Martinez, shame. I could expect socialist bills like this from Ted Kennedy or Harry Reid. I supported and voted for you, but I did not give you license to subvert the nation's rule of law, or its border security. Amnesty didn't work under President Reagan, and it won't work now. I urge you to withdraw your sponsorship of this bill, and to vigorously oppose it.

The Armed Citizen

2007-05-26T13:17:00.000-05:00

In a story May 2, two illegal aliens, Ralphel Resindez, 23, and Enrico Garza, 26, probably believed they would easily overpower a home alone eleven year old Patricia Harrington after her father had left their two story home. It seems the two crooks never learned two things: first, they were in Montana, and second, Patricia had been a clay shooting champion since she was nine.

Patricia was in her upstairs bedroom when the two men broke through the front door of the house. She quickly ran to her father's room and grabbed his 12 gauge Mossberg 500 shotgun. Resindez was the first to get up to the second floor only to be the first to catch a near point blank blast of buck shot from the girl's knee crouch aim. He suffered fatal wounds to his abdomen and genitals. When Garza ran to the foot of the stairs, he took a blast to the left shoulder and staggered out into the street where he bled to death before medical help could arrive.

It was found out later that Resindez was armed with a stolen .45 caliber handgun he took from another home invasion robbery. The victim, 50 year old David Burien, was not so lucky as he died from stab wounds to the chest.

Patricia staved off a robbery and potential rape because her parents taught her how to use a gun. Her parents wisely educated her on the power that a firearm provides, and that training made her comfortable around firearms. Ignorance can be deadly, but fortunately for this Montana family, knowledge was power.

******************************************

My daughter was taught to be proficient with handguns when she was 13, and that experience helped her in her military career. She remains the only female in history in the 63rd Chemical Company, 801st Battalion, 101 Airborne Division to qualify expert with the 7.62 mm SAW, or Squad Automatic Weapon.

******************************************
Proficiency with firearms is not only a requisite in today's world, it's fun too. On occasion I participate in IPSC (International Practical Pistol Confederation) competition, which is fun mixed with training. That competition entails shooting at various targets at various distances, scored by number of hits in the shortest time. This, and most other shooting sports, provides training that is applicable to real-life situations, and can save your life. It did for little Patricia.

******************************************
A May 15 story in The Plain Dealer (Cleveland, Ohio) serves as a good reminder of how a person’s support for gun control often changes after a personal experience with crime.

State Representative Michael DeBose (D-12) of Cleveland was an opponent of Right-to-Carry, having voted against the measure twice. All that changed on the night of May 1, when he was confronted by two men, one of whom was wielding a gun. On that night, Rep. DeBose’s sense of security in his neighborhood changed, as did his view on lawful citizens being able to defend themselves.

Rep. DeBose was lucky—this time—that his running, screaming, and summons for help prevented him from being harmed. When asked how this recent experience may change the prism through which he views Right-to-Carry, Rep. DeBose was crystal clear: "I was wrong. I'm going to get a permit and so is my wife. I've changed my mind. You need a way to protect yourself and your family. I don't want to hurt anyone. But I never again want to be in the position where I'm approached by someone with a gun and I don't have one. There are too many people who are just evil and mean-spirited. They will hurt you for no reason. If more people were packing guns, it might serve as a deterrent.”

Welcome, Rep. DeBose, to the growing list of Right-to-Carry converts. While it is too bad it took a life-threatening situation to convert him, we hope he will share his experience, and his newfound respect for the right to self-defense, with his other colleagues who still don’t get it. It is our hope they won’t have to endure a similar experience to do so.

By What Name Torture?

2007-05-25T21:25:00.000-05:00

For all the weak and wobbly who were so concerned about imagined US military abuses of terrorists held at Gitmo, news all but ignored today reveals the existence of a how-to manual for torture. Not for such heinous acts as water-boarding or sleep deprivation, but for the real, medieval variety of torture. Surprisingly, this how-to manual was not issued by the pentagon for field use by US troops. Nope, it's an Al Qaeda issued manual.

In a recent raid on an Al Qaeda safe house in Iraq, U.S. military officials recovered an assortment of crude drawings depicting torture methods like “blowtorch to the skin” and “eye removal.” Dragging victims behind a car, and how to electrocute victims were also portrayed. Along with the manual, soldiers seized various torture implements, like meat cleavers, whips, and wire cutters.

We will wait patiently while human rights groups and vocal news outlets across the globe decry this barbaric heinous activity. Any minute now. Just be a moment . . . No, there will be no such outcry. Amnesty International, the New York Times and their ilk criticize only US methods of information gathering, which they label "torture." Dismemberment and disfiguration, of course, are perfectly acceptable methods for genuine freedom fighters. And those things are certainly not "torture'.

Meanwhile the insane rabid Islamofascists, with the tacit approval of the global "human rights" community, continue with their barbaric medieval beheadings, the most recent of which forced a 12-year-old boy to do the heinous deed, while his elders give him instructions. Check the actual footage of this barbarism - banned in the western news outlets - if you dare. But be warned, it's real and it's graphic.

But don't wait for the "human rights" community to point out the blatant child abuse, or the savage beheading while still alive of this civilian, or the pure evil and hypocrisy of the "religion of peace."

As hypocrisy sits on its throne and laughs, evil flourishes.

Hat tip to The Jawa Report for the still photos of the beheading.

Bye, Bye, Rosie

2007-05-25T21:03:00.000-05:00

Goodbye and good riddance to the loudmouth bully of the View. Rosie O'Donnell took an earlier retirement today from the View, weeks earlier than her canceled contract date.

Generally misinformed, Rosie always lead with her mouth, and relied on her domineering ways to back up her absurd far-left conspiratorial ramblings. One of the most hateful commentators on television, Rosie has uttered such bizarre statements as: the destruction of the Twin Towers on 9/11 was an inside job perpetrated by the Bush administration; that US troops are terrorists in Iraq, having killed 650,000 innocent Iraqi civilians; that none of the 9/11 hijackers were Arabs; that no airliner hit the pentagon on 9/11 (rather she alleges it was a planted bomb); and her hatred of the Bush administration and all things Republican is legion.

Thank goodness Rosie and her Jerry Springer brand of shock jock programming is now gone. Hopefully, for good. The culture is under enough stress without having to deal with a mentally unstable, insecure, loudmouthed bully of a self-absorbed, shrill lesbian screaming her twisted and cynical views in our face.

Ciao, Rosita. Darken our doors no more.

More Victories in Iraq

2007-05-05T16:05:00.000-05:00

Despite the doomsday pronouncements from the Democrat seditionist Harry Ried, news from Iraq continues to indicate that al Qaeda continues to get, well, beat up. Admiral William Fallon told a hearing of the Senate Armed Services Committee that U.S. military forces are "working very hard" to stop al Qaeda fighters entering the country through Syria.

"There's little doubt that there was a pipeline coming through Syria that was enabling these people to get into the fight," Adm. Fallon said. "But in the last couple of months, the significant turn to the government and coalition side by people in Anbar I believe has got to be having a detrimental effect on this, because that's the conduit, if you would, where these people were coming."

Admiral Fallon was referring to a number of senior Sunni leaders in Anbar province who have literally switched sides from supporting the terrorist insurgency who now actively support U.S. and Iraqi government troops. What? How can that be? Isn't the war lost? The New York Times must have missed that story. Prominent religious leaders have rejected al Qaeda because the group's indiscriminate bombings are slaughtering innocent Iraqis, according to U.S. military officials. The increased pressure on the underground transit route, the so-called Syrian pipeline "is not particularly hospitable to al Qaeda or foreign fighters; we'd expect to see some positive results from that," Admiral Fallon said.

Meanwhile, Defense Secretary Robert M. Gates said in a speech yesterday that the United States needs to be steadfast in fighting the war against terrorism. That includes in Iraq, in Afghanistan and everywhere Islamofascists strike. He noted Winston Churchill's comment on the United States in 1943 that "the price of greatness is responsibility."

The current mission in Iraq, following the first mission which was the ouster of Saddam Hussein, has been either overlooked or misrepresented by the American mainstream media. This current task is to unite the three major factions - Sunni, Shi'a and Kurd - into a democratic self-government. When that is accomplished there will exist a substantial stability in the middle east. With democratic governments flourishing, al Qaeda and its murderous factions will have no place to train, arm or hide. When the Iraqis themselves fight al Qaeda and its insane dogma, the end of this war will surely be at hand. And they will then understand that responsibility is greatness.

The Alpha Site: Earth II

2007-04-24T20:28:00.000-05:00

Twenty light years from Earth, above a calm, dark ocean, a huge, bloated red sun rises in the sky - a full ten times the size of our Sun as seen from Earth. Small waves lap at a sandy shore and on the beach as something stirs. This very well may be the scene on what is possibly the most extraordinary world to have been discovered by astronomers: the first truly Earth-like planet to have been found outside our Solar System. The discovery of the planet, designated Gliese 581c, was announced today by a team of European astronomers, using a telescope in La Silla in the Chilean Andes.

The Earth-like planet that could be covered in oceans and may support life is 20.5 light years away, and has the right temperature to allow liquid water on its surface. The new planet, which orbits a small, red star called Gliese 581, is about one-and-a-half times the diameter of the Earth, and is located in the constellation Libra.

Astrobiologists refer to a climate zone known as the Goldilocks Zone, where it is not so cold that water freezes and not so hot that it boils, but where it can lie on the planet's surface as a liquid. In our solar system, only one planet - Earth - lies in the Goldilocks Zone. Venus is far too hot and Mars is just too cold. This new planet lies bang in the middle of the zone, with average surface temperatures estimated to be between 32 and 102 degrees Fahrenheit. Lakes, rivers and even oceans are possible.

It is not clear what this planet is made of. If it is rock, like the Earth, then its surface may be land, or a combination of land and ocean. Another possibility is that Gliese 581c was formed mostly from ice far from the star (ice is a very common substance in the Universe), and moved to the close orbit it inhabits today. In which case its entire surface will have melted to form a giant, planet-wide ocean with no land, save perhaps a few rocky islands or icebergs.

The surface gravity is probably around twice that of the Earth and the atmosphere could be similar to ours. Although the new planet is in itself very Earth-like, its solar system is about as alien as could be imagined. The star at the centre - Gliese 581 - is small and dim, only about a third the size of our Sun and about 50 times cooler. The two other planets are huge, Neptune-sized worlds called Gliese 581b and Gliese 581d (there is no "a", to avoid confusion with the star itself). The Earth-like planet orbits its sun at a distance of only six million miles or so, travelling so fast that its "year" only lasts 13 of our days. The parent star would dominate the view from the surface - a huge red ball of fire that must be a spectacular sight.

It is difficult to speculate what - if any - life there is on the planet. If there is life there it would have to cope with the higher gravity and solar radiation from its sun. Just because Gliese 581c is habitable does not mean that it is inhabited, but we do know its sun is an ancient star - in fact, it is one of the oldest stars in the galaxy, and extremely stable. If there is life, it has had many billions of years to evolve.

The real importance is not so much the discovery of this planet itself, but the fact that it shows that Earth-like planets are probably extremely common in the Universe. There are 200 billion stars in our galaxy alone and many astronomers believe most of these stars have planets.

Interestingly, Gliese 581c is so close to the Earth that if its inhabitants only had our level of technology, they could - just about - pick up some of our radio signals, such as the most powerful military transmitters. What would happen if we received a signal from them is unclear.

"There is a protocol, buried away in the United Nations," says Dr Shostak of the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence Institute in California. "The President would be told first, after the signal was confirmed by other observatories. But we couldn't keep such a discovery secret."

It may be some time before we detect any such signals, but it is just possible that today we are closer than ever to finding life in the stars.

An Open Letter to Senator Reid on His Declaration of Defeat

2007-04-24T18:42:00.000-05:00

April 21st, 2007

The following letter was written by Lt. Jason Nichols, a Naval officer who is currently serving in Baghdad. He is also the head of Appeal for Courage, a group of American active duty and reserve service personnel who are appealing to Congress to stay and finish the war.

Senator Reid:

When you say we’ve lost in Iraq, I don’t think you understand the effect of your words. The Iraqis I speak with are the good guys here, fighting to build a stable government. They hear what you say, but they don’t understand it. They don’t know about the political game, they don’t know about a Presidential veto, and they don’t know about party politics.

But they do know that if they help us, they are noticed by terrorists and extremists. They decide to help us if they think we can protect them from those terrorists. They tell us where caches of weapons are hidden. They call and report small groups of men who are strangers to the neighborhood, men that look the same to us, but are obvious to them as a foreign suicide cell.

To be brief, your words are killing us. Your statements make the Iraqis afraid to help us for fear we’ll leave them unprotected in the future. They don’t report a cache, and its weapons blow up my friends in a convoy. They don’t report a foreign fighter, and that fighter sends a mortar onto my base. Your statements are noticed, and they have an effect.

Finally, you are mistaken when you say we are losing. We are winning, I see it every day. However, we will win with fewer casualties if you help us. Will you?

Respectfully,
LT Jason Nichols, USN MNF-I,
Baghdad

Well said, Lieutenant Nichols!

Hattip to Gathering of Eagles http://gatheringofeagles.org/?p=311

Treason in the Senate

2007-04-24T17:01:00.000-05:00

Harry Reid, Nevada democrat and senate majority leader, has declared the war in Iraq is "lost." One hundred thirty-five thousand American soldiers, sailors and airmen are taking the fight to the Islamic fanatics, and winning the hearts and minds of the Iraqi people, but Reid, in his most seditionist statement so far, pronounces the war is lost.

So egregious is his statement that soldiers have expressed their shock and revulsion in emails sent throughout the country. In raw and emotional language from the bloody front lines, Cpl. Tyler Rock, of the 1st Battalion, 6th Marines, skewered Reid for being far removed from the patriotism and progress in Iraq. "Yeah, and I got a quote for that [expletive] Harry Reid. These families need us here," Rock vented in an e-mail to Pat Dollard, a Hollywood agent-turned-war reporter who posted the comment on his Web site, www.patdollard.com. Good on ya, Corporal!

Reid, in his blind hatred of the president and thirst for democrat party power, has let politics trump his patriotism. And that graciously assumes he had any to begin with.

Harry Reid. One despicable individual.

Flying Imams vs. John Doe

2007-03-24T19:29:00.000-05:00

Remember those 5 Imams who made a big scene by praying publicly in the terminal at the Minneapolis airport recently? And during the flight they continued to pray loudly and moved about in the passenger cabin. Clearly trying to incite negative attention in order to use politically correct laws against those who reported their suspicious behavior, they've now sued both USAirways and the unknown passengers who reported their shenanigans, named in the complaints as certain "John Does."

Tired of this nonsense? Join up. Rep. Stevan Pearce (R-NM) drafted a bill to protect such John Does from liability. Here is Rep. Pearce's press release:

Today, United States Congressman Steve Pearce introduced H.R. 1640 the "Protecting Americans Fighting Terrorism Act of 2007." If passed, this legislation would protect individuals from being sued for reporting suspicious activities to law enforcement and security personnel.

The language of the Act comes as a direct response to a recent incident in Minneapolis. As reported in the Minneapolis Star Tribune, the imams engaged in a variety of suspicious behaviors while boarding a US Airways flight, according to the airport police report. Some prayed loudly in the gate area, spoke angrily about the United States and Saddam, switched seats and sat in the 9/11 hijackers' configuration, and unnecessarily requested seatbelt extenders that could be used as weapons, according to witness reports and US Airways spokeswoman Andrea Rader.

As a result of the aforementioned behavior, citizens contacted airline authorities and the pilot informed law enforcement to have the suspicious parties removed from the aircraft. The original incident occurred in November of 2006; now the group has filed suit against US Airways and the
Minneapolis - St. Paul Metropolitan Airports Commission on 17 different charges. Included in the lawsuit as defendants, are "John Does" described as citizens who called authorities to report the suspicious behavior of the Imams.

Rep. Pearce commented on introducing the bill: "It is a sad day in America when our own institutions of freedom are being used against us in the battle against terrorism. When I first heard about the lawsuit brought by the 'imams' in Minnesota, it was clear to me that this was an injustice against Americans who were simply trying to protect themselves. These brave citizens should be recognized as heroes for their efforts to report suspicious activity, particularly activity that has been associated with previous terror attacks.

"As Americans, we must not allow ourselves to be bullied by individuals who seek to disrupt our way of life. We can not allow the sympathizers of terrorism to make Americans wonder if they could be sued before reporting possible terrorist activity. Whether it is an intimidation tactic or a full scale attack, Americans have the right and responsibility to protect themselves and their fellow citizens. I introduced this legislation to protect Americans and keep all citizens alert and vocal as they serve on the front line in our battle against terrorism here in America."

Finally some sanity. Terrorism, by definition, includes low-conflict situations like e-coli in our produce, rat poison in Rover's dog food, and certainly intimidation tactics like this ridiculous suit. And any judge who is worth his robes should immediately dismiss this suit - with extreme prejudice.

Some folks I've talked to have a better solution. They call it SOS. It's not a call for help, however. It means Shoot On Sight.

Have a nice day.

Hattip to Michele Malkin and the guys at Powerline

More Iraqi Progress

2007-03-24T15:35:00.000-05:00

Tired of the propaganda about Iraq? Take a look in the paper, on the news, and all you'll see countless stories about casualties and destruction. But progress is being made in Iraq, and it's noteworthy. Here are just some of the achievements being made by US and coalition forces that you will not see in AP, NYT, WaPo, or the LA Times:

The liberal media isn't going to report the fact that 3,100 Iraqi schools have been renovated, 364 are under rehabilitation, 263 new schools are under construction, and 38 new schools have been completed
The liberal media isn't going to report that the Iraqi Police Service has over 55,000 fully trained and equipped police officers
The liberal media isn't going to report that 96 percent of Iraqi children under the age of 5 have received the first 2 series of polio vaccinations
The liberal media isn't going to report that 47 countries have reestablished their embassies in Iraq

Don't believe it? These facts are verifiable on the Department of Defense web site: http://www.defenselink.mil/.

Cassini's Eye on Saturn

2007-03-02T18:10:00.000-05:00

Named for the 17th century Italian astronomer and mathematician Giovanni Cassini, the NASA probe bearing his name sent back some astounding images of Saturn, which were released by NASA Thursday. The images show a different perspective of Saturn's rings from a more polar orbit. Taken from a distance of only 800,000 miles, the images show distinctive ring shadows on the surface, and some interesting blue and gold coloration of the planet. The moon Dione can be seen orbiting in the background.

In other cosmic events, aside from the coronal mass ejections emanating from the sun, this evening the moon will rise in full eclipse. As it happens, a lunar eclipse and an opposition of Saturn and Neptune are in the cosmic cards this week. Combined with some bearish market fundamentals, that should keep the world's biggest stock market under a cloud, financial astrologer Arch Crawford wrote to clients. That means stay out of the casinos for a while.

Anyway, it's a good night to look up at the heavens and ponder the majesty of the universe that we've only begun to explore. It'll keep things in the proper perspective.

Solar Activity Threatens Telecommunications

2007-02-17T21:00:00.000-05:00

Over the next three years, scientists expect that solar flares will increase in activity and intensity, potentially creating havoc with space-based telecommusications systems. Cell phones and GPS systems are vunerable as satellites are bombardard with radiation from these solar magnetic storms.

Markus Aschwanden, a solar physicist at the Solar and Astrophysics Laboratory, Lockheed Martin Advanced Technology Center, has said, "The solar flares are expected to be at its maximum intensity by the year 2010. These solar flares and Coronoal Mass Ejections from the sun have the ability to travel all the way to the earth and create a blackout of cellular phone services and navigational systems like the GPS. If a solar flare or a CME collides with the Earth, it can cause a geomagnetic storm."

Aschwanden added that large geomagnetic storms have caused electrical power outages and damaged communication satellites. A few years back, these solar flares destroyed the satellite Galaxy 4.

Solar fares and coronal mass ejections occur when magnetic energy built up in the sun's atmosphere is suddenly released. These flares carry a huge amount of energy, and travel very fast, reaching the Earth in a matter of hours. The geomagnetic pulse in 1998 that killed Galaxy 4 caused widespread loss of pager service and other telecommunications problems.

Update: A Man With A Gun

2007-02-14T12:36:00.001-05:00

Update: Now the news comes out that the Bosnian-born shooter at the Salt Lake City mall was indeed a muslim. But don't wait for the MSM to report this fact.

A Man With A Gun

2007-02-13T20:13:00.000-05:00

Some people may believe that it takes a village to raise a child, or that it takes a police force to protect them. However, in two recent news stories, a single individual with a handgun thwarted what could have been far more serious situations.

In Seminole, Florida on Monday, an armed off duty Pinellas County deputy sheriff shot a 22 year-old man who was about to carjack a BMW, and most probably kidnap or shoot the two occupants.

And today an 18-year old lone gunman shot and killed five innocent people in a mall in Salt Lake City, Utah before he was engaged in a firefight with an armed off duty Ogden policeman.

Some 48 states have some sort of carry laws, but in 39 states, citizens enjoy the right to carry concealed weapons. Florida, my home state, first passed the "shall issue" carry legislation that has become the model for most concealed carry state laws. The graphic to the right shows how states have embraced armed self defense legislation over the last two decades.

Personally I have had a CCW permit for twenty-nine years, and I carry every day. Yet in all that time, I have been lucky - I've never had to present my weapon. But across the nation, a gun prevents a crime or saves a life every day. In Florida, over 50,000 women hold CCW permits, and even more carry guns in their car or purse.

In today's uncertain world, with terrorist cells in many US cities; with unprotected borders allowing smugglers, terrorists, religious radicals and other common criminals to invade our country; with sociopath youths committing burglaries and carjackings becoming commonplace, individual personal self defense is an absolute necessity. You better believe that the bad guys will have guns, and you better have one, too.

As we say down here in the South, "An armed society is a polite society."

War on Terror Global SitRep

2007-01-29T19:43:00.000-05:00

As the Global War On Terror continues, some news briefs haven't made the main stream media. The politically correct press continues to shield the Islamofascists and other bad guys from scrutiny.

Russia

Our Russian "ally" delivers Tor-M1 air defense systems to Iran. This system is capable of identifying 48 targets, and firing at two simultaneously. This $700 million sale defies the US arms boycott agreement.

North Korea

As starvation continues this winter, refugees pay $20 to cross into China. China exploits the situation and demands that Pyongyang implement Chinese Communist style government.

China

People's Liberation Army foments terror in Southeast Asia, and the goal is to take the strategic Malaaca Straits. PLA also behind training and arms supply to Islamofascists in India.

Thailand

Islamic terrorists continue to kill innocent Buddhists in drive by shootings.

Philippines

Bounties on terrorists are working! To date, 155 criminals have been caught and $834,000 in bounty has been paid.

Canada

Canada's armed forces are so small that its 2,400 troop NATO deployment in Afghanistan leaves them short for security for the 2010 winter Olympics.

United States

Hawaiian spy ring busted. Indian-born defense contractor indicted for selling B-52 and cruise missile technology to China. Al Qaeda's revolutionary creed is based on Marxism-Leninism, and can be discredited, according to Rand Corp.

Costa Rica

US busts a home-made submarine with 2.7 tons of coke worth $90 million as it headed for the US from Columbia. 4 bad guys arrested.

Ecuador

US takes a hit in the drug war. US to be ousted from a crucial anti-drug base in South America. Ecuadorian government intends to convert the base into an airport.

United Kingdom

Russian dissident Aleksander Litvineneko, author of Blowing Up Russia: Terror From Within, a book critical of Russian President Vladmir Putin, was poisoned by radioactive polonium-210. Two other Russian diners with Litvinenko were also poisoned.

Germany

Master Communist spy Marcus Wolf has died. The stalinist's 40-year reign included torture and imprisonment of thousands of defiant East Germans during the cold war.

Turkey

Turk-Iran commission to fight Kurdish PKK terrorism in Turkey and Iran is implemented.

Israel

After losing dozens of Merkava tanks from Russian-made Kornet missiles during last summer's war with Hezbollah, Israel has developed an active missile protection system that can detect incoming missiles with radar.

Iraq

Death squads, made up of female Shiites, head to Baghdad armed with silenced pistols and bayonets. They will be disguised as Sunnis displaced by Shiites, according to Sunni intelligence sources.

Afghanistan

Utilizing smart bomb technology, allies forces eliminated 1,000 Taliban fighters during the summer offensive. Thanks go to coalition A-10 and F-16 drivers.

Saudi Arabia

Taking a cue from the US, perhaps, the Kingdom plans a high-tech, $12 billion wall along its border with Iraq to protect it from invading Islamofascists and other terrorists.

Guinea-Bissau

Law enforcement has all but collapsed in this tiny Atlantic coast African nation. Long known as a drug transit haven, a recent bust of cocaine from South America resulted in the bad guys being turned loose.

Nigeria

In a new twist, Operation Samaria seeks to train and send 50,000 Nigerian Christian missionaries during the next 15 years to evangelize Islamics from Nigeria to Saudi Arabia.

Somalia

Ethiopian troops deployed to support government forces and prevent violent Islamic Courts terrorists from invading Ethiopia. Yemen, Uganda and Kenya join forces against the Islamic Courts.

South Africa
Air Force seeks troop racial mix to 75% black and 25% white, reversing current racial makeup of 81% white. Transition is a problem; government's recruitment of unseasoned pilots has increased air training accidents.

Hat tip to Dr. Martin Brass for his global intel.

Seems Like Old Times

2007-01-29T13:58:00.000-05:00

Jane! Hanoi Jane! Gee, it's great to see you protesting a war again, just like back in the 70s. It's like the old days! Look, here we are in front of the capital, with all our loopy friends out there in the crowd. Well, I don't see any Black Panthers, but there's Dick Gregory over there, so that's close. And in lieu of flower-power hippies, we have Code Pink. Code Pink, hey! Over here! "Pull. Out. Now!" That is so heavy. Where's Cindy?

This is so neat! Look, Sean Penn! And there's Susan Sarandon and Tim Robbins, and Jesse Jackson and Maxine Waters and Dennis Kucinich. All the beautiful, enlightened people are here.

And what else is cool, is we get to spray paint our inane slogans on the capital steps! That will show 'em - it'll really make our voice heard. Back, off Capital pigs! We know our rights! Yeah, those Neo-Cons won't mess with us.

If we just had an Iraqi anti-aircraft gun, or maybe an RPG, to stage some photos with. Oh, well, this rally of useful idiots will just have to do. Well, gotta go. I'm babysitting my grand kids today.

Peace, man!

The Ballad of Smoothride Glide and Lightfoot Cruise; Part II

2007-01-21T21:26:00.000-05:00

Every once in while
The stories, they must be told
It keeps the flame alive to spread the news:
So hear ye now the ballad
Of Smoothride Glide and Lightfoot Cruise.

The day was dark and the wind’s a-howlin
Drivin’ the lee rail under
The rigging is singing a mournful song -
So vang the main and sheet the jib -
Hell, storms don’t last long.

Lightfoot’s praying and Smoothride’s laughing
You know how daring serves a fool.
But they’re nicely making way
With forty feet of waterline
Turning gray swells into spray.

The water in the cockpit is ankle deep
And Smoothride’s on the helm.
The jib sheet has gone flying
Lightfoot’s on the for’ard winch
And the halyards are sighing.

Now she may blow down,
And she may not right,
And the mast may crack asunder.
But she’ll make port at her own good speed
Amid laughter that sounds like thunder.

So it’s always a day for sailin’
And it’s always a day for livin’
And a dare fair won dispels the blues.
So take you now this life lesson
From Smoothride Glide and Lightfoot Cruise.

Copyright © 1998-2007 All Rights Reserved

Antikythera Decoded

2007-01-09T21:01:00.000-05:00

One of the most intriguing archeological finds this century was the encrusted mechanical device found in 1901 on a 2,000 year-old shipwreck in the Mediterranean Sea midway between Greece's Peloponnesian peninsula and the island of Crete.

Although having been studied extensively over the years, it was only recently that sophisicated x-ray and light imaging technology allowed a fuller understanding of the the so-called Antikythera mechanism.

The device, dating from Greece about 200 BC, was a very accurate solar and lunar calculator, able to predict eclipses and identify subtle irregularities in the lunar orbit. The bronze instrument tracked the Metonic cycle, which is based on the near equivalence of 235 lunar months to 19 solar years.

US Sub Hits Fishing Vessel

2007-01-09T20:54:00.000-05:00

The nuclear-powered fast attack submarine USS Newport News reportedly collided with a Japanese fishing vessel in the Arabian Sea just south of the Straits of Hormuz. No injuries were reported, but there was some damage.

Nuclear High Noon

2007-01-07T21:41:00.000-05:00

Israel's secret plan to use tactical nuclear weapons against Iran's uranium enrichment facilities was leaked last week. According to government sources, a single air strike, using tactical nukes roughly one-fifteenth the yield of the relatively small 1945 Hiroshima bomb, would follow conventional "bunker-busters". The small nukes would detonate deep underground, destroying the Iranian facility, while containing radioactive fallout.

The Israeli government has warned repeatedly that it will never allow nuclear weapons to be made in Iran, whose president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, has declared that “Israel must be wiped off the map”.

In Iran, Tehran has issued its own warning that anyone attacking them would regret it, while at the same time used the Israeli threat as proof that Israel has nuclear weapons.

Broken Vows

2007-01-07T21:16:00.000-05:00

To no one's surprise, after only five days of basking in congressional power, which they believe is their birthright, it comes to light that the Democrats have lied to us.

Campaigning to expand the work week to five days, like those of us in the electorate, Dems are now only working four days a week. Home come? Monday's a holiday because of the Florida-Ohio game. I'm not making this up. And next Monday's a holiday, too, because it's MLK's birthday. Well, we can't expect the anointed to put in the same hours of labor that we mere mortals are expected to produce, can we?

But what's worse is despite Pelosi's campaigning against raising taxes, the very first vote of the 110th congress was to change the house rules in order to circumvent the super-majority rule necessary to enact tax increases. Others have taken notice, too:

"American taxpayers need to hold on to their wallets because the new House rules concerning taxes are not worth the paper they're written on," said Grover Norquist, president of Americans for Tax Reform (ATR).

"After spending an entire year on the campaign trail claiming she will not raise taxes, the first vote Nancy Pelosi brings to the floor for a vote as speaker will open the door to billions and billions of dollars of tax increases over the next two years," Mr. Norquist said.

Democrats cannot get elected by campaigning as who they really are. The midterm elections saw many "moderate" and "conservative" democrats win their races. But once in congress a democrat "grows," and is free to "vote his conscience." And that always means that we the taxpayers will once again foot the bill.

I'm not surprised, and yeah, I told you so.

Harbingers of the New Year?

2007-01-01T14:52:00.000-05:00

Well, we're just 15 hours into the new year, and several interesting things have happened, some good, some bad and some just . . . interesting.

Aside from unusual happenings around the ol' homestead, like a stopped-up sewer line early this morning, and the aft davit lift motor on my dock going on the fritz, things are relatively normal. On New Year's Eve, in accordance with generations-old Southern custom, we always make a batch of Hoppin' John, and it was delicious, topped with chopped green onions and liberal dashes of hot sauce. The libations and fine cigars were enjoyed, and all here is well. However, elsewhere . . .

In Japan, a country of staid and conservative social values, a televised New Years Eve music special raised some eyebrows and caused national broadcaster NHK to issue an apology for the special's "topless" dancers. NHK said the dancers were actually wearing body suits, but I watched the video, and well, watched it again, just to be sure. Judge for yourself.

In Denver, just hours after the San Francisco 49ers and Dever Broncos game, Denver Bronco cornerback Darrent Williams was shot and killed in his limousine during a drive by shooting. Others were hit, as well, and were taken to local hospitals. Williams was 24.

In Chicago, witnesses reported the sighting of a UFO over O'Hare Airport. This is notable, because unlike the myriad UFO reports and conspiracy theories posted on Jeff Rense's website, this one made mainstream media. Officials explain the sighting as a weather phenomenon caused by heavy, low-hanging clouds reflecting city and airport light. Right. That's creative. At least they didn't use the old "it's just a weather balloon" cover.

Seems the AP-AOL pollsters can't get it right. A poll by Associated Press-AOL News indicates that most Americans see doom and gloom in the new year. In an Associated Press-AOL News poll, most Americans are optimistic about the new year. OK. Got it.

Mission Accomplished

2006-12-29T23:30:00.000-05:00

On or about 2200 hours EST 29 December 2006, Iraqi courts carried out sentence and executed Saddam Hussein and two conspirators. Mission accomplished. Unreported by the mainstream media, the military objectives of Operation Iraqi Freedom consisted of:

First, ending the regime of Saddam Hussein.
Second, to identify, isolate and eliminate, Iraq's weapons of mass destruction.
Third, to search for, to capture and to drive out terrorists from the country.
Fourth, to collect intelligence related to terrorist networks.
Fifth, to collect such intelligence as is related to the global network of illicit weapons of mass destruction.
Sixth, to end sanctions and to immediately deliver humanitarian support to the displaced and to many needed citizens.
Seventh, to secure Iraq's oil fields and resources, which belong to the Iraqi people.
Eighth, to help the Iraqi people create conditions for a transition to a representative self-government

Despite a massive propaganda campaign to the contrary by the media both here and in Iraq, judging from the stated goals above, it looks like we're not only winning, but we have all but won. And contrary to the Iraq Study [Surrender] Group's published reports, newly declassified documentary evidence indicates that Iraq and Hussein had links to Al Qaeda and the Taliban prior to the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Centers.

The United States did the right thing by removing Saddam Hussein, freeing millions of Iraqi people, and initiating a program to instill democracy in the middle east. We're the good guys, and if the 110th congress doesn't arbitrarily surrender to the secular terrorists, we will win this conflict.

Lunar Base? It's About Time!

2006-12-28T19:34:00.000-05:00

Supporting President Bush's 2004 call for an off-world manned base, NASA plans to develop a permanent manned Lunar Base by 2020, probably at the moon's poles. One promising location is the Shackleton Crater at the south pole, which, in addition to having an area that is almost permanently sunlit, it is adjacent to a permanently dark area that might yield water ice. A permanently manned base would serve as a staging and operations for sorties on the lunar surface, as well as a launching area for manned missions to Mars. And it's about time!

The last humans to walk on the lunar surface, Astronauts Cernan and Schmitt, were members of the Apollo 17 mission. Why has it taken 34 years to return to Earth's closest neighbor? If the proposed lunar base is established and manned by 2020, it will be nearly a half-century since our return. Why so long? Perhaps, in part, because Apollo missions 12 and 14 photographed strange ruins and artifacts on the surface. Yet NASA has steadfastly denied their existence. Maybe NASA has only now decoded the meaning - if not the origin - of the unusal and otherworldy remains that only a dozen men have ever seen. And maybe now finds it necessary to continue the exploration.

Life on Mars? You bet!

2006-12-28T18:20:00.000-05:00

In 1999, the Mars Global Surveyor (MGS) photographed gullies carved into the sides of Martian slopes. After in-depth studies, scientists believe the gullies were caused by flowing liquid water.

In images sent back by the Surveyor, one gully on a crater wall that was imaged in 2001 was found to have filled with light-coloured material when it was re-imaged in 2005. A similar new light-coloured deposit appears in a 2004 image of crater gullies previously imaged in 1999. The researchers suggest the deposits were made by liquid water flowing out from beneath the surface. The researchers estimate that each flow would have involved 5 to 10 swimming pools' worth of water. The evidence indicates that in the last five years, liquid water is flowing from underground to the Martian surface, and where's there's water, there's most probably life.

Couple this finding with the discovery of crinoids and other fossilized lifeforms, and evidence of life on Mars is strongly indicated. While NASA keeps much of the information coming back from Martian probes very close to its proverbial vest, we do know that the MGS suddenly went silent, and hasn't been heard from since November 5th, 2006. In an unusually open gesture, NASA asked the European Space Agency to help look for the missing orbiting spacecraft.

NASA re-programmed its Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) to try to take pictures of MGS on November 17th and again on the 20th. But the images did not reveal the spacecraft, perhaps because MGS had shifted in its orbit since last contact. Mission members say MGS may already be dead, and if so, it will continue orbiting Mars for decades to come. But its orbit is expected to decay with time, causing it to plunge into Mars’s atmosphere after about 40 years. If MGS is still aloft, surely MRO will spot it. If not, it should find the wreckage on the Martian surface. If neither of these instances occur, one can only wonder how a orbiting space craft can just simply disappear.

GWOT SitRep

2006-12-14T10:56:00.000-05:00

Not convinced that radical Islam is a world threat? The Global War on Terror (GWOT) continues. Consider:

Thailand: Islamofascists burn schools in south Thailand, where most teachers are Buddhists.
United States: Two border patrol agents face up to a dozen years in prison for attempting to stop illegal alien smugglers. One bad guy was shot in the gluteus maximus, fled back to Mexico and subsequently sued USBP for $5 million. Three jurors attested through sworn affidavits that they had been coerced to issue guilty verdicts. The GWOT goes space based, as the US interrupts Islamofascists' GPS, jamming their navigation, radar and money transfers.
Cuba: Fidel Castro is reported to be at death's door. Back door diplomacy through the Swiss Embassy in Washington may yield a "normalization" of relations with the communist and terrorist-supporting nation. The White House has indicated it will not recognize a government under Raoul Castro, the dying dictator's brother.
United Kingdom: Al Quaeda seeks nuclear technology to attack UK. Foiled airline plot was designed to down 10 airliners over major American cities, rather than over the Atlantic, as first believed. ABC news reported that the 11 indicted terrorists raised money by selling items on eBay. Civilian deaths in Iraq has been "grossly overestimated" by some half million.
Germany: Priest protests spread of radical Islam by immolating himself at the Augustine monastery, where Martin Luther spent years as a monk.
France: With a high population of Muslims, France reports an average of 15 attacks on law enforcement officials by Islamofascist terrorists per day.
Algeria: Tribesmen from Mali and Niger repel attacks by Islamofascists.
Nigeria: Sadistic Islamofascists demand parents refuse free polio vaccines for children.
Ethiopia: President Meles Zenawi says country officially at war with Union of Islamic Courts (UIC), a group of Somali Islamofascists.
Somalia: Union of Islamic Courts (UIC) found to be supported by Iran, Libya, Sudan, Syria, Egypt, Saudi Arabia and other Islamofascist countries.
Russia: Nato warns Russia that its proposed oil cartel alliance with Iran, China and other OPEC countries will sway balance of power.
Lebanon: Unintended consequences arises from Lebanon-Israeli war outcome as Islamofascist Hezbollah demands more seats in Lebanese cabinet in order to gain veto power and ultimate control of the Lebanese government.
Iraq: 14,000 US supplied small arms weapons have gone missing. DOD supplied rifles, pistols, machine guns and rocket-propelled grenade launchers to Iraqi security forces.
Afghanistan: Taliban chief Mullah Omar on the run in Pakistan, according to Karzai government. Nato troops kill 1,000 Taliban terrorists in September. Afghani drug loads hire European mercenaries to provide military training to the drug cabals.

Never Forget, Again

2006-12-07T11:35:00.000-05:00

" . . . December 7th, 1941, a date that will live in infamy." So spoke President Franklin D. Roosevelt, referring to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, 65 years ago today. In just one hour, some 2,403 Americans died in that early morning bombing, 188 planes were destroyed, and 8 battleships sunk, destroyed or crippled. The Amercian Pacific Fleet was nearly wiped out. In the ceremonies that will take place today in Hawaii, 650 survivors and their families will remember the morning of December 7th, those who died, and perhaps will issue a call to this generation, to wake up and resist yet another enemy who has attacked us.

On September 11th, 2001, another sneak attack occurred on US soil. Four commercial airliners were hijacked by Islamic radicals and flown into the World Trade Center in New York City, the Pentagon in Washington DC, and a field in Pennsylvania. Nearly 3,000 innocent and unsuspecting Americans lost their lives in this early morning coordinated terrorist act.

The parallels of events leading up to World War II and the present conflicts against terrorism (i.e. Islamic radicalism) are too obvious to ignore. We have our appeasers and castrati now as we did then, calling for "talks" with the enemy. In 1939 Chamberlain returned to Britain with the report that " . . . we can do business with Hitler," despite the fact that eastern Europe was already under siege from the Third Reich.

Today, as we learn of the ISG's recommendations, we can see the enemy is already interpreting this as a sign of weakness on our part, which they most certainly will exploit. We can expect more violence, not less; more demands for land and concessions, not fewer; and more death for infidels as the Islamists have no notion of compromise.

Have we lost the will to respond to our enemy, and to prevail against him with will and resolve, as we did 65 years ago? With the release of the recommendations of the Iraq Study Group, better named the Iraq Surrender Group, it would seem that we have indeed lost our will to prevail. What we must do is recognize who our enemy is, and how he intends to harm us. No matter how politically incorrect that may be to acknowledge, our sworn enemy is radical Islam, and we must take the fight to him, and destroy him completely. Given the chance, he will certainly do so to us.

Lose An Election? Sue!

2006-12-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

There's still one contested election from the midterm, and that's the Florida Congressional District 13 seat. This district covers a Republican-heavy area of Gulfcoast Florida south of Tampa Bay that includes Bradenton, Sarasota, and Venice.

The Republican candidate, Vern Buchanan, won the election by the narrowest of margins, less than 1%. By state law a mandatory recount is required, making the challenger's suit unnecessary. After the recount Buchanan won again, with a slightly higher margin. But that didn't satisfy Democrat Christine Jennings, who now has added the manufacturer of the voting machines to her lawsuit.

At issue is the intent of some 18,000 "undervotes" - people who voted in the election but chose neither Buchanan nor Jennings for the congressional seat. Pending the outcome of the election, both candidates went to Washington to attend the freshman orientation.

However, even having lost the election twice, Jennings will not concede. To make matters worse, Nancy Pelosi, Speaker of the House-elect, allowed the unelected Jennings to cast a vote on a Judicial Committee matter.

The War at Home

2006-11-29T17:19:00.000-05:00

Osama bin Laden once said that the war with the US would be fought equally on two fronts: on the battlefield and in the US press. He's right, of course. On the battlefield the war has been won and the US continues to win, but the propaganda war is all but lost. Thanks in large part to the New York Times and the Associated (with terrorists) Press, who have done everything they can - including fabricate sensational stories - to help us lose. Evidence of that loss is obvious by the outcome of the midterm elections, where the electorate was dumbed down and disheartened by the constant drumbeat of defeatism from the MSM.

The current US involvement in the middle east "peace process" became first hand in 1979, when the pitiful ideologue Jimmy Carter supported the Islamic uprising against the Shah of Iran. The Shah was disposed, and the Ayatollah Khomeini turned the country into a radical theocracy. That brand of radical Islamofascist ideology spread globally throughout Muslim communities, and nearly three decades later, we're still dealing with the consequences of the insane liberal policy that has caused untold carnage and misery, including thousands of American deaths.

So now the US cobbles together the Hamilton-Baker Iraq Study Group to "dialog" with Syria and Iran and to "talk with" the terrorists who call the shots in Iraq. While 75% of all American military causalities in Iraq have been caused by Iranian-built IEDs, we find we need to "talk with" Iran. And while the vast majority of the "insurgents" killed in action in Iraq are Syrian nationals, we need to "talk with" Syria, as well. The lunacy of this plan is obvious; it's asking your enemy to structure your defeat. Like asking Jeffery Dahmer to cater your next affair - you may find you're the banquet.

Not surprising that of the ten members of the group, six are liberals. Three are Clinton administration hacks, including William Perry, Clinton's Secretary of Defense who bailed out on rescuing the downed Blackhawk pilots in Mogadishu, Vernon Jordan, Clinton's attorney, and Leon Paneta, Clinton's Chief of Staff. We also have Sandra Day O'Connor, former liberal Supreme Court justice, and Lee Hamilton and Chuck Robb, two Democrat congressmen. Only four, Edwin Meese, Lawrence Eagleberger, Alan Simpson and James Baker are Republicans.

Does anyone doubt the outcome of this study group? This is a war for our cultural survival, yet liberals simply cannot grasp the fact that there is no negotiating with radical Islam - we can't talk our way out of this. We can expect that part of this to-be-negotiated settlement will undoubtedly be that Iran gets nukes. After all, Clinton's dream team gave North Korea a nuclear reactor, and the Chinese got both US designed nuclear warheads and delivery systems. What did the US get in exchange for this nuclear technology? Threatened annihilation from both countries. Why would we think Iran will act any differently? The Islamofascists want us dead, converted or reduced to dhimmi status. One wishes the US contingent would think more like them. We need to kill them all, for given half a chance and the means, they will certainly kill us all.

New Blood at NYT?

2006-11-29T16:59:00.000-05:00

As the hapless New York Times continues to spew its anti-American propaganda, it also continues to lose revenue, subscribers and respect. The Gray Lady's stock price is taking a licking, too; it's down about 15% right now.

But that's good news to Maurice Greenburg, the mutli-billionaire insurance mogul. He's been buying up NYT stock in the apparent hopes of turing the grand paper around, and perhaps even moving the paper's ideological slant to the right somewhat. Greenburg, a legend in New York's financial circles, ran AIG Insurance Group for 40 years, and is no stranger to contentious business dealings. He has been a GOP contributor, is a friend of Henry Kissinger's, and was considered for a top CIA post.

In view of the fabricated news coming from the NYT and the AP lately, especially concerning foreign policy matters, replacing the Ochs-Shulzburger family as controlling stockholders with new blood may be just what's needed.

Pinch Schulzbuger seems to be taking Greenburg's takeover threat seriously, as upper management recently opted to forgo their $2 million stock bonuses, and instead returned the money to NYT employees.

How egalitarian.

Sex, Deer?

2006-11-26T21:55:00.000-05:00

The next time someone refers to my home state as "Flori-duh", I'll let them in on this tidbit from the extremely blue state of Wisconsin. At least we Floridians aren't noted for engaging in necrophiliac bestiality.

It seems a Wisconsin man - that's a liberal blue state way up north - was arrested for having sex with a deer. It's against the law to have sex with an animal even in Wisconsin, a liberal northern state. His defense, as Wisconsin logic would have it - is that, well, you see, the animal was dead, and therefore not legally an animal. Further, the man found the deer - dead, of course - in a ditch. Hey, look, a dead deer. Well, why not just drop trou and have sex right here - in this ditch - with this dead deer? What could more normal, not to mention convenient?

The judge denied a defense motion to dismiss the charges based on the mortality of the animal at the time of the crime.

The Second Amendment

2006-11-26T21:02:00.000-05:00

Consider the most important of Amendments to the Constitution: The Second Amendment is the shortest and the simplest of the Bill of Rights:

A well regulated Militia, being necessary to the security of a free State, the right of the people to keep and bear Arms, shall not be infringed.

This single sentence ensures that a citizen's right to keep and bear arms for personal defense is never threatened by the government. The experiences of the founders during the Revolutionary War led them to create and maintain a citizen militia, and they trusted an armed citizenry as the best safeguard against the possibility of a tyrannical government.

Over the years, the Supreme Court has upheld that the right to keep and bear arms is an individual right. Consider these landmark cases:

In United States v. Miller, 307 U.S. 174 (1939), the Supreme Court refused to take judicial notice that a short-barreled shotgun was useful for militia purposes. Nowhere did the court hold that an individual does not have a right to keep and bear arms. In United States v. Gomez, 81 F.3d 846, 850 n. 7 (9th Cir. 1996), Judge Kozinski opined that "The Second Amendment embodies the right to defend oneself and one’s home against physical attack."

In United States v. Hutzell, 217 F.3d 966, 969 (8th Cir. 2000), the court held that "... an individual's right to bear arms is constitutionally protected, see United States v. Miller ...."

In United States v. Emerson, 270 F.3d 203 (5th Cir. 2001), the court examined United States v. Miller and held: "We reject the collective rights and sophisticated collective rights models for interpreting the Second Amendment. We hold, consistent with Miller, that it protects the right of individuals ... to privately possess and bear their own firearms."

On December 17, 2004, the U.S. Department of Justice published an exhaustive Second Amendment memorandum, which concludes without reservation that "the Second Amendment secures a personal right of individuals, not a collective right that may only be invoked by a State or a quasi-collective right restricted to those persons who serve in organized militia units."

Following the midterm elections and the outcome thereof, we can expect a renewed cry from some groups to ban certain types of guns as well as some caliber of ammunition. It's already begun in Massachusetts where the Brady campaign and others hold sway. They claim that banning certain firearms, or registering all firearms, does not constitute an infringement of Second Amendment rights. But that's a ploy that's been tried before. In 1788 George Mason exposed it at Virginia's constitutional convention: "[W]hen the resolution of enslaving America was formed in Great Britain, the British Parliament was advised by an artful man . . . to disarm the people; that it was the best and most effectual way to enslave them; but that they should not do it openly, but weaken them, and let them sink gradually."

Our founders risked their lives and fortunes to create a free nation, and they guaranteed freedom as the birthright of American citizens through the Bill of Rights. The Second Amendment remains the first right among equals, because it is the one we turn to when all else fails.

American EU?

2006-11-26T16:26:00.000-05:00

This hasn't gotten much MSM attention, which means it's probably pretty close to the truth. We try to stay away from the black helicopter conspiracy theories here, but from a revelation by Jerome Corsi, there is a plan, ratified in March 2005 that would, among other things, replace the dollar with a form of currency much like the Euro, called the Amero. The Amero would be the coin of the realm for the conjoined governments of the US, Canada and Mexico.

The Security and Prosperity Partnership of North America, as the plan is known, would effectively replace the national governments of the three countries. Depending on who you read, it's either the end of the US constitution, or merely a North American trade agreement. The partnership has its own web site, which, oddly enough, has a section on myths versus facts.

It seems we live in an era in which America's government will not protect and defend her borders from mass illegal migration, and will not pursue and eliminate her sworn enemies who have attacked her countless times in the last two decades. Yet this same government will gleefully meld her national sovereignty with two countries who, although allies, have very little to offer her in " . . . producing a North American security plan as well as providing free market movement of people, capital, and trade across the borders between the three NAFTA partners."

Time to stock up on weapons and ammunition, folks. If this plan is allowed to go through, despite the vigorous denials on the SPP web site, you proably needn't worry about your fourth amendment rights - you need to be very concerned about your first and second amendment rights. God save the USA.

Other Voices: Guest Editorial

2006-11-13T19:42:00.000-05:00

Let’s Hope Plan “B” Works in Iraq
By Adrian Wyllie, Editor, Tampa Bay Start

As the Democrats position themselves for the upcoming feast of power in the House and Senate, and President Bush continues capitulating, it appears more and more obvious that “cut and run” will make the transition from dire warning to U.S. policy.

With that in mind, we have to focus on what happens when we do “redeploy” our troops out of Iraq. There are three likely possibilities.The first scenario is that as soon as the last helicopter lifts off from the embassy roof in Baghdad, the Shiites and Sunnis will begin a full scale civil war. At the same time, tens of thousands of al-Qaeda members and sympathizers will flood in from Syria, Iran and other neighboring countries.

The new Iraqi government will fall, and Iraq will become the hub mid east instability and the new world capital for global terrorism.

This would be an embarrassment to the U.S. and a blow to the global war against Islamic fascists. However, there would be a silver lining in this ominous dark cloud. If a civil war happened in Iraq, it would likely split into three distinct ethnic regions: Sunni, Shiite, and Kurd. The sovereign nation of Iraqi Kurdistan would quickly be formed in the north, and the U.S. would be welcomed there with open arms. The Kurds have been overwhelmingly supportive of the U.S. invasion of Iraq, as they suffered the worst of Saddam’s oppression. Also, the Kurdish region in northern Iraq is politically stable and secure. The Kurds would likely provide us with bases on their territory, as well as logistic and intelligence support. We'd lose Iraq but gain Iraqi Kurdistan.

It’s more difficult to forecast what would happen between Shiites and Sunnis. Even though polls show that the majority of both Shiites and Sunnis support the new government, the radical minority in both groups could eliminate the possibility of any joint government. Both sects would likely devolve into independent, totalitarian theocracies, each under the rule of the radical cleric de jour. They would engage in skirmish-like battles with each other, especially for control of Baghdad. That is until Iran and/or Syria seized on the opportunity to invade under the guise of peacekeeping. Either way, 80% of what is now Iraq would become a haven for al-Qaeda and like minded groups.

The second post-withdrawal scenario is that the newly formed Iraqi Security Force (ISF) will handle the sectarian insurgency and prevent an Iranian- and Syrian-backed al-Qaeda invasion. If they succeed, the new government will survive, and Iraq will become the model of freedom and democracy for the new Middle East.

The good news for this scenario is that the strength and readiness of the new Iraqi military and police forces has improved dramatically1, the Iraqi economy and infrastructure are better than before the war, and free and independent media is growing rapidly2. The bad news is that it will be a hard fight, and I only give them a 50/50 chance if the pullout happens within six months as most Democrats propose. The longer we stay, the better the ISF’s and Iraqi government’s odds.
If Iraqi can prevent outside interference from Iran and Syria, then the level of violence will stabilize and eventually decline. Despite the impression given by the international media’s obsessive coverage, the current situation in Iraq is not that bad.

In 2005, more people were murdered in the U.S. (16,692)3 than were killed in all Iraqi violence (9,361)4. Iraq’s murder rate was 35.1 per 100,000 in 2005, which includes all insurgent attacks and combat fatalities. This puts Iraq slightly above the tourist destination of Jamaica (32.4) and Hugo Chavez' utopia of Venezuela (31.6). However, you are still safer walking the streets of Iraq than you are in the nations of South Africa or Columbia, which have murder rates of 49.6 and 67.1 per 100,000 respectively.

Contrary to popular belief, there hasn’t been a war in Iraq since 2003. Iraq just has a serious crime problem, about the same as Washington D.C. (35.4 murders per 100,000 residents in 2005). Mission accomplished.

The bottom line is this: The new, democratic government in Iraq gets stronger every day. The majority of Iraqis support the new government, and they are taking part in the political system for the first time in their lives. They are learning what it means to be free. They are learning how it feels to not be afraid.

America has made a paid a huge price in lives and gold to secure this new freedom for the Iraqi people. We planted the seed, and they are almost ready to tend to the sapling. If we withdraw now, the roots that we watered with our sons’ and daughters’ blood may wither and die – and make their sacrifice for naught. Or, the Iraqi people just might pleasantly surprise us once again.

___________________

1. Report to Congress, “Measuring Stability and Security in Iraq” October 2005
2. St. Petersburg Times, “Iraq by the Numbers” 11/12/2006
3. FBI Uniform Crime Reporting Program
4. Estimated, compiled from various media accounts
5. Seventh United Nations Survey of Crime Trends and Operations of Criminal Justice Systems

Read more at Tampa Bay Start, Tampa Bay's favorite start portal.

Citizens Responsible for Iraqi Neighborhoods

2006-11-12T23:50:00.000-05:00

Iraqi Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki announced a reconciliation plan, which enables Iraqi citizens from all political groups to hold their security forces responsible for creating peace and tolerance within their own neighborhoods, a U.S. military spokesman in Baghdad said October 2.

The plan, which calls for the creation of joint committees throughout Baghdad made up of clerics, tribal sheiks, representatives from all political blocs, along with the armed forces, is aimed at ending internal battles that prevent the unity Iraq so desperately needs, Army Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, Multinational Force Iraq spokesman, said in a news conference.

"Since the fall of Saddam Hussein, local governance has taken on a whole new meaning here in Iraq," he said. "Iraqis are clearly focused on improving their quality of life and working towards a brighter future." As local governance improves, the Iraqi security forces continue to improve, Caldwell said.

Last month one brigade and three battalions of the Iraqi army assumed the lead in their areas of operation, bringing the total of Iraqi command units to six Iraqi army division headquarters, 30 brigades, and 89 battalions, he said.

Of the 110 bases that coalition forces have occupied since 2003, 52 have been turned over to Iraqi control, he added. In September, Iraqi and coalition forces killed more than 110 terrorists and detained more than 520 terrorist suspects in 164 operations, Caldwell said.

Based on information from a recently detained al Qaeda member, coalition forces on Sept. 28 detained a former driver and personal assistant of Abu Ayyoub al-Masri, the purported leader of al Qaeda in Iraq, along with 31 others during a series of raids in the Baghdad area. Intelligence indicates the individual detained participated in the 2005 bombing of two hotels in Baghdad that killed a total of 16 people and injured 65 others.

Caldwell stressed that while some units within the police force need work, others have proven to be very competent and professional units. "The transition from tyranny to democracy is definitely long and very difficult," he said. "Coalition forces continue to stand behind the government as it deals with tough decisions that lay ahead, and with the Iraqi security forces as they continue to grow in both quality and quantity."

Iraqi Army Prevent Terror Attacks

2006-11-12T23:28:00.000-05:00

In the past few weeks, Iraqi Army troops have prevented sectarian terrorist attacks and rounded up 27 suspected terrorists and their cell leaders.

In late September, soldiers from 2nd Battalion, 2nd Brigade, 8th Iraqi Army Division prevented a large-scale sectarian attack in Iraq's Obiedi region, south of Baghdad. After receiving reports that local residents had been driven out of their homes by terror cell members, Iraqi soldiers from 2nd and 3rd Brigade conducted a cordon-and-search operation in the eastern section of the Obiedi region. Eight suspects were detained for questioning.

In a separate incident in October, soldiers from 3rd Brigade, 6th Iraqi Army Division, and 1st Battalion, 22nd Infantry Regiment, 1st Brigade Combat Team, 4th Infantry Division detained a terrorist cell leader and 18 other suspects during a combined cordon-and-search operation west of Baghdad.

As of October 1, in support of Operation Together Forward, Iraqi security forces and Multinational Division Baghdad soldiers had cleared about 95,000 buildings, 80 mosques and 60 neighborhoods, detained more than 125 terrorist suspects, seized more than 1,700 weapons, registered more than 750 weapons and found 35 weapons caches. The combined forces have also removed more than 195,841 cubic meters of trash from the streets of Baghdad.

Freeze Frame - 1945

2006-11-11T10:53:00.000-05:00

Today is Veteran's day, and today we honor those who have served in America's military. Dug from the ol' family album are these snapshots - frozen instances in time 62 years ago - from the Pacific Theater in WWII. Featured here are the men of the 15th Battalion, Navy Construction Battalion, known as the SeaBees.

Notice the sailor in his dress whites sitting on the running board? That's my Dad. Happy Veteran's Day, Pop, and to all the other sailors, marines and soldiers who never left those Pacific Islands.

Take a minute today, and honor those you know - and all those anonymous - who have served this country in time of war, past and present.

Marines, Veteran's Day and Al Qaeda

2006-11-10T12:22:00.000-05:00

Today is the 231st birthday of the United States Marine Corps. Read the Commandant's birthday message here.

Tomorrow is Veteran's Day, formerly Armistice Day, the holiday founded to honor the killed and wounded of World War I. Now it honors all vets, living and dead.

Today, Al Qaeda released a new tape, praising the American electorate for turning over power in the US Congress to the Democrats, gloating over Rumsfeld's resignation, and threatening to "blow up" the White House.

Abu Hamza al-Muhajir, also known as Abu Ayyub al-Masri, said in the recording posted on the Internet on Friday that the group had 12,000 armed fighters and 10,000 others waiting to be quipped to fight U.S. troops in Iraq. I tell the lame duck (U.S. administration) do not rush to escape as did your defense minister...stay on the battle ground," he said.

He said his group would not rest until it had blown up the presidential mansion in Washington. "I swear by God we shall not rest from jihad until we...blow up the filthiest house known as the White House," the voice on the recording said.

In other news, George McGovern, a rabid anti-Vitenam-war former South Dakota congressman, said he will meet with members of congress to discuss how to exit Iraq by June.

So in spite of the conciliatory rhetoric coming from the Dems after the election, they apparently have no intention of doing anything other than cutting and running, even in the face of continuing threats against the US by Al Qaeda.

Capitulation Continues

2006-11-08T13:03:00.000-05:00

Rummy's gone.

President Bush today replaced Donald Rumsfeld with Robert Gates as Secretary of Defense. Gates is an ex-CIA chief, and will now lead the pentagon in its prosecution of the war in Iraq.

Although President Bush, during his press conference this afternoon, cautioned the terror community that the processes of our democratic government should not be construed as a softening of the war on terror, the reality is, of course, that the terrorists will undoubtedly be emboldened as they intrepret this as a capitulation of the Bush Iraq/Terror policy, and will use this move to continue planning attacks against the west in general, and the US specifically.

For those in states that allow concealed weapons carry, now would be a good time to exercise that right.

Mercury in Transit

2006-11-08T12:42:00.000-05:00

An infrequent astronomical event takes place today. For five hours today, the planet Mercury will transit the sun beginning at 19:12 GMT.

Mercury is so tiny -- 1/194th the size of the sun -- and looking at the sun is so dangerous to the eyes that viewing must be done with a properly outfitted telescope or online telescope cameras, experts say. (Watch the last time that Mercury, appearing as a tiny black dot, crossed the sun -- :59)

Take a break from election news, and give a little consideration to the cosmos. Unlike the subjectivity of politics, our universe is objective and real. Get centered. Omm.

In From The Woodshed

2006-11-08T11:06:00.000-05:00

Well, dawn has come and the whuppin' is over. The electorate has given the GOP a spanking that even some loyal party members say was well deserved. By abandoning conservatism's bedrock principals, specifically fiscal responsibility and protection of the borders, the GOP lost control of the House of Representatives to the Democrats.

The MSM will spin this as a repudiation of Bush's policies. The truth is it is anything but. On average over the last 100 years, the party in power loses 33 seats in the house during a two-term midterm election. This year it was only 21. Further, the democrats didn't win this election as much as the Republicans lost it. The Dems offered no positive counter proposals to Bush policies, and the Republicans didn't present compelling reasons to keep themselves in power. The MSM carried the anti-Bush message for the Dems, effectively making this election a referendum on the Iraq war. They did a good job of that, and the Republicans failed to rebuke it in the court of public opinion. Moreover, most conservative principals on states' ballots were approved; property rights prevailed, gay marriage bans were upheld, and illegal immigration candidates were retained.

Nancy Pelosi, the far-left, San Fran culture darling, is now just three heartbeats from the presidency. She has made clear what she will do in her first 100 hours as Speaker. The good news is that Dems now have a forum to implement the change they've said they wanted. It's time for them to put up or shut up.

For the GOP, if there are any lessons to be learned from the trip to the woodshed, it's that they need to embrace the conservative principals upon which this country was founded - and got them elected - and stray not again. It's only two years until 2008, and today is day one of that campaign.

Short Bytes

2006-11-03T19:50:00.000-05:00

Good shooting . . . another one bites the dust.
Vote Democrat, America, or we'll kill more civilians until you do.
Saddam almost had the bomb. Will they find the WMDs?
Children shahid not non-combatants.
Terrorism denied: America saved again.
DNC, Clinton, Pelosi, Kennedy silent on jihadists' vote of confidence, have same agenda.
Six Arab nations seek nuclear technologies. Not a time to cut and run, America.
Hezzbollah extortion for soldiers' proof of life info.
Body count continues: Hugh Rodham partner pardoned by Bill Clinton found dead.
More UN corruption, investigation at "full thottle."
Bad guy roundup nets 11,000 felons, gang members and sex offenders.
F-117A Nighthawk stealth fighter retired, replaced by F-22 Raptor.
Letters to God: return to sender.
Live 112 years by eating fewer calories
Cultural emasculation de-maleing men.

Random Thoughts Before the Election

2006-11-03T18:40:00.000-05:00

With just three days before the 2006 midterm elections, there are some things voters should remember when casting their ballots.

First, consider who is endorsing the Democrats. What a surprise: terrorists are, because they know the Dems will be soft on terrorism, and they'll cut and run in the first 100 days. I believe they want us to lose.

"Of course Americans should vote Democrat," said Jihad Jaara, a senior member of the Al Aqsa Martyrs Brigades terror group and the infamous leader of the 2002 siege of Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity.

Of course they should.

Second, the Dem's political strategy of outing gay Republicans will surely backfire on them. If their platform is tolerance, why out gays at all - even if they are Republican? Problem is, it won't happen until after the election, if at all.

Third, it's day 14 or so, and the MSM still hasn't picked up the Ted Kennedy story about his sellout to the USSR in 1983 during the cold war. Nor have they run with the Harry Reid sweetheart million-dollar land deal.

Fourth, if the MSM put out as much ink about Democrat scandals - and there are plenty of them - as they do Republican scandals, there wouldn't be the spread in the polls we're seeing now.

And finally, there's one more thing to consider. Democrats historically have to move to the right to get elected. Voters should not be fooled into thinking Dems will work toward a victory in Iraq, stabilizing the mideast, protecting the US from rogue nuclear wannabe nations, securing the borders, keeping taxes low, promoting personal responsibility, and maintaining the booming economy. Once elected, they will abandon those campaign promises, and vote every time for bigger and more intrusive government, paid for by your hard earned dollars.

Hopefully the GOP party faithful will recall these and other news items, and realize who really is the party of corruption.

Worst Fears Confirmed

2006-11-01T13:45:00.000-05:00

In a stunning new release today, it has been revealed what some have known for years: Senator Ted Kennedy, D-MA, is a traitor.

Paul Kengor, a political science professor at Grove City College and the author of new book, "The Crusader: Ronald Reagan and the Fall of Communism," reveals that Senator Kennedy solicited a position with the Soviet Union, hoping to undermine the US during the cold war conflict with the USSR.

In his book, which came out this week, Kengor focuses on a KGB letter written at the height of the Cold War that shows that Sen. Edward Kennedy (D-Mass.) offered to assist Soviet leaders in formulating a public relations strategy to counter President Reagan's foreign policy and to complicate his re-election efforts.The letter, dated May 14, 1983, was sent from the head of the KGB to Yuri Andropov, who was then General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party.
The letter, dated May 14, 1983, was sent from the head of the KGB to Yuri Andropov, who was then General Secretary of the Soviet Union's Communist Party. In his letter, KGB head Viktor Chebrikov offered Andropov his interpretation of Kennedy's offer. Former U.S. Sen. John Tunney (D-Calif.) had traveled to Moscow on behalf of Kennedy to seek out a partnership with Andropov and other Soviet officials, Kengor claims in his book.
At one point after President Reagan left office, Tunney acknowledged that he had played the role of intermediary, not only for Kennedy but for other U.S. senators, Kengor said. Moreover, Tunney told the London Times that he had made 15 separate trips to Moscow.

A full and immediate investigation of this scandal is warranted, and if found guilty of treason and/or sedition, Kennedy should be stood against a wall and summarily shot. Further, especially with Lurch the Moron's (aka John Kerry, D-MA) treasonous actions in Paris with the North Vietnamese in 1971 during the later part of the Vietnam war, we should seriously consider shooting him, as well. At the minimum, we should consider invading Massachusetts, arresting the communists holding that state hostage, and installing a free and democratic republic form of government there. Looks like Joe McCarthy was right after all.

Afghan Infrastructure in Progress

2006-11-01T00:10:00.000-05:00

More good news out of Afghanistan that you won't see in the MSM.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 18, 2006 – Steady progress is being made to provide new roads, electric power and water distribution systems to the Afghan people, the U.S. Army's top engineer said today.

The Taliban destroyed much of Afghanistan's feeble infrastructure while they were in power, Lt. Gen. Carl A. Strock, commander and chief of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, said from Afghanistan during a teleconference with Pentagon reporters.

That's why Afghanistan isn't a reconstruction mission, Strock said.

"This is a construction mission," the three-star general said. "And, when you look at the resources available in this country, it's going to take a while to mobilize them. And, it's going to take time."

Yet today, about 921 kilometers of Afghan roads are under construction or have been completed, representing a $170 million investment, said Strock, who's in Afghanistan to check up on road building and other engineering projects.

The fifth-poorest country in the world, Afghanistan is a large, mountainous country that's in need of a good road system to boost its economic development, Strock said. That's why U.S. Army engineers are partnering with other agencies, he noted, to build a circuitous road network that will connect Afghanistan's chief cities.

"We're very close to completing the national ring road, which is the primary road which links all the major cities of the country around the circumference of the country," Strock explained. Secondary roads are also being built, he said, to connect provincial centers and the villages beyond.

Establishing a modern road system in Afghanistan will provide a conduit between the central government and its people, Strock said. And, he added, new roads will also connect Afghanistan's people to "health care, economic opportunity, education" and other economic generation factors.

"So, the roads are really one of the most important areas we're working on now," Strock said.

A recent increase in insurgent-led violence in some rural areas of Afghanistan hasn't slowed reconstruction efforts, Strock said. Provincial reconstruction teams continue to implement Afghan-recommended projects across the country, he noted, especially in areas that have experienced security challenges.

Strock's engineers also are engaged in providing electric power and water distribution systems for Afghanistan's citizens. Since Afghanistan has no national power grid, he explained, the engineers have been building rudimentary water-powered electricity generators around rural areas of the country.

"The only practical way to get power to the people is through local pinpoint electrical sources," Strock said. "This is the kind of system they need. It requires no resources to operate except the natural flowing water."

This simpler method of generating electricity dovetails with local agricultural and irrigation programs, Strock said, and provides Afghans "a resource that they have not had available to them."

Strock acknowledged many Afghans might not know about ongoing reconstruction projects conducted on their behalf, because of the size of the country and poor communications.

"If you're not in the immediate vicinity of one of our projects, you may not know anything about it," Strock said. The country's rugged terrain, he explained, makes it "very difficult for people to really understand what's going on around them."

Part of the challenge, Strock noted, is getting the word out to the Afghan people about the many reconstruction projects being undertaken that will eventually improve their lives.

Real progress is being made in Afghanistan, Strock said.

"I think we have sufficient resources, and we're now in the process of gaining that irreversible momentum we seek," the general said.

Gerry J.Gilmore
American Forces Press Service

Hollow Weenie

2006-10-31T22:56:00.000-05:00

Now that all the little trick or treaters have gone home, I was reflecting on the really scary things out there this evening - evil and destructive beings that are really haunting. Most frightening is the aspect of corrupt and morally bankrupt Dems who may well take over the House next Tuesday.

How about Lurch the Moron, the hollowest of weenies, who even in his John Kerry disguise, is still pretty frightening. From the presidential hopeful - a Vietnam veteran - who has never a good word for America's fighting men and women, you can count on higher taxes, immediate cut and run from Iraq, and along with Sarah Brady, Ted Kennedy, Chuck Shumer and Diane Feinstein, a renewed and complete gun confiscation scheme here at home. Trust me - Lurch and the Dems do NOT want you armed. Terrifying.

Or how about Alcee Hastings, impeached Broward County Florida judge, who could become House Intelligence Committee Chairman. Yet the folks down in Broward county actually elected this felon to the House. There's a lot of phosphate in the ground water down there, and Broward is pretty close to the Bermuda Triangle. Imagine trusting America's secrets to a disbarred judge impeached for bribery and perjury. Scary.

Now we have Nancy Pelosi, House Minority Whip and protege of Little Dick Gephardt, who is heir apparent to become Speaker of the House should the Dems win the majority. Not regarded as the sharpest of knives, Miss Nancy can only dream of the glory of her first 100 hours as Speaker. Of course, she's so far left that congress will have to cease its normal business, put the nation on hold, while she pursues impeachment proceedings against President Bush. Horrifying.

She's not alone. John Conyers, already imagining himself as House Judiciary Chairman, has set up a mock hearing room in the House basement where he's conducting mock impeachment proceedings. He wants to be well rehearsed when the klieg lights and cameras are on him. Seriously. This is the Dem's plan for change - get Bush, no matter what.

But I'm an optimist. And I never believe the polls. I trust the intelligence and integrity of the American people. Maybe they will spank the Republicans for abandoning certain bedrock principals such as fiscal responsibilty and defense of the border. But I hope that they consider the greater good of the country on Tuesday. Let's not throw the baby out with the bath water: Putting these lunatic, self-serving anti-American power mongers in charge will do us no good, and we'll have two years of watching the country implode as CNN gleefully covers the impeachment. Heaven helps us all.

Tribunals vs. Courts

2006-10-19T18:09:00.000-05:00

President Bush signed a law recently providing for military tribunals to try terrorists being held at Guantanamo and prohibiting their torture, while allowing US intelligence agencies the use of needed information-gathering techniques. But to hear liberals' reaction, you'd think he signed a fatwa.

Military tribunals in the US are nothing new: General George Washington tried Benedict Arnold's British conspirator by military tribunal and ordered him hanged within days of his capture. Nazi saboteurs, along with their American conspirators were captured on U.S. soil during World War II and were tried in secret by military commission and promptly executed. Julius and Ethel Rosenburg, both American citizens and communists, were executed for their passing of classified A-bomb secrets to the Soviets. And the trials at Nuremberg after WWII were a form of military tribunal.

Yet in a related story last month, Lynne Stewart, one of the most anti-American lawyer radicals of the last 40 years was given a 28-month sentence after being found guilty last year of aiding and abetting terrorists. The jury recommend a 30-year sentence, but Clinton-appointee Judge John Koeltl, apparently influenced by Stewart's George Soros-financed defense, handed down the lighter sentence.

Stewart was the attorney for Sheik Omar Abdel-Rahman, the blind cleric mastermind of the first World Trade Center bombing in 1993. Literally from his prison cell, Stewart helped Rahman communicate with his Egyptian-based group of murderous terrorists here and overseas. A New York jury found her guilty last year and recommended a 30-year sentence, effectively a life sentence for the 68 year old Stewart. Yet Koetl ignored the jury's recommendation, and even recognized Stewart for her "public service, not only to her clients, but to the nation" for representing members of the Black Panthers and the Weather Underground. Representing the Black Panthers, a Marxist radical terror group in the 1960s, and the Weather Underground, another left-wing seditious anti-war terror group of the same period, should have been clear evidence of Stewart's sedition, and should have resulted in an even longer sentence. But in Loetl's view, Stewart's career of radical anti-Americanism was worthy of praise. Now Stewart and her champion Soros can effectively clog the criminal judicial system with years of appeals - she's effectively been set free.

These two stories present a glaring contrast as to what will happen if the Democrats are allowed to treat terrorism as a criminal law issue. Treason and acts of war differ from civil and criminal acts, and US law treats them differently; the former is military justice, the later is not. Further, enemy combatants are not entitled to the protections afforded under US law such as a trial by jury. Imagine a years-long process of prosecuting through the courts each and every one of these several hundred captured terrorists being held at Gitmo. And even if they are found guilty, there's always the appeals process, adding even more years to each case. And as we've seen with the Stewart case, some left-wing ideologues with deep pockets - George Soros comes immediately to mind - are willing to fund their defense ad infinitum.

But dragging these cases out is exactly what the liberals want to do. After all, liberals see the terrorists as freedom fighters, fighting the good fight to stem the spread of American Imperialism, embodied as the Great Satan. Yet acting against their country in time of war, they are traitors, too, and just like Benedict Arnold and the Rosenburgs, they deserve the same swift justice.

US Navy's Birthday

2006-10-14T18:37:00.000-05:00

Today is the 231st anniversity of the establishment of the United States Navy. Former secretary of the Navy, John Lehman, shared his alarm about America's security.

"We're building only five ships a year; we're on the way to a 150-ship Navy" he says. In his view, that is courting disaster. "That is not enough to cover our security requirements," he says. "Seventy-percent of the world is covered by water. We no longer have basing rights around the world. If you have combat operations going on you need air cover and support 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and that comes from the Navy. To fly one ton of cargo into Iraq takes 14 tons of fuel. That's not cheap. It's got to go by sea, so you have to protect it. The Iranians, for instance, have very good submarines."
The ultimate threat, he says, is China, which "is now building their 600-ship Navy, to fill the vacuum, and they're very good ships."

We have a special place in our hearts for the Navy SeaBees. Established during WWII, the US Navy Construction Construction Force now deploys anywhere - land or sea.

Drug Trade Threatens Afghan Stability

2006-10-14T16:59:00.000-05:00

Powerful drug lords constitute a growing threat to security and stability efforts in Afghanistan, NATO's supreme allied commander in Europe said here last week.

NATO forces pummeled Taliban insurgents in recent stand-up fighting in southern Afghanistan, Marine Gen. James L. Jones said last week at a Council on Foreign Relations meeting. However, Jones told council members and reporters, the Taliban aren't the only problem, and he noted another, growing threat to Afghan stability. "The narcotics cartels have their own armies and their own capabilities," he pointed out. "They're conducting a massive exploitation effort."

Drug czars want to continue making millions from Afghanistan's opium-poppy crops, explained Jones, who is also commander of U.S. European Command. About 90 percent of Afghanistan-originated narcotics end up in drug marketplaces across Europe, he noted. The narco-traffickers coerce Afghan farmers and officials through violence or bribery to ensure that the drugs reach their markets, he said. The drug cartels also seek to insulate their Afghan operations from scrutiny by purchasing "protection" services from criminals and renegade tribes. These groups also stir up trouble that diverts government attention, Jones said.

NATO and allied military forces in Afghanistan "do not have a leading role" in the country's anti-drug efforts, Jones acknowledged. That task, he said, is left to the Afghan government and various anti-drug agencies. However, counter-drug efforts in Afghanistan are flagging, the general said, acknowledging, "We're losing ground."

Jones said he doubts there's "any one solution" to Afghanistan's drug troubles. Some of the supply-side battle needs to be fought in Europe, he said. Yet, whatever strategy is adopted in combating drugs coming out of Afghanistan, the issue "is definitely something that has to be addressed and has to be addressed more effectively than we've done so far," Jones said.

1911A1 Still Fighting

2006-10-14T14:58:00.000-05:00

For the second time in US history, the military has realized its mistake in issuing ineffective sidearms to its troops. The first time was when the US Army issued a revolver in the anemic .38 Colt caliber to replace its Colt .45 Single Action Army. The second came a century later in 1986 when the venerable 45 caliber ACP Model 1911A1 was replaced service-wide with the ineffective 9x19 mm NATO. However, a major element of the United States Marine Corps never fully adopted the 9mm pistol, retaining an unknown number of its original 45 ACP 1911A1 pistols for special missions. Agreeing with the Marines are the soldiers I've spoken to; contempt for the weak 9 millimeter Beretta M9 pistol is nearly universal.

For much of the last twenty years, certain close quarter battle (CQB) special operations teams have continued to utilize the much more effective 45 caliber pistols; SEALs have used the H&K Mark 23 and SIG 220. Some soldiers serving overseas are permitted to carry their own personal sidearms, such as the high capacity ParaOrdnance P14. The Marine Expedition Unit (MEU) has procured reworked and refurbished 1911A1s, but Quantico was only capable of rebuilding 1911A1 pistols on a relatively limited basis.

After 9/11, the USMC’s MEU (SOC) joined the U.S. Special Operations Command (USSOCOM); it was allowed to do a one-time sole-source buy of new 1911A1-style .45 ACP pistols. This was the 87-operator, Detachment 1 (Det-1) at Camp Pendleton. The pistol chosen by Det-1 was a Kimber Custom model similar to that adopted by the LAPD SWAT unit, but with additional special features specified by the Marine Corps. These included a traditional extractor, no firing pin safety, a standard recoil spring guide, ambidextrous thumb safety, lanyard loop and genuine Novak Lo-Mount Night Sights. The Kimber pistols were shipped directly to Dawson Precision in Texas where they were each fitted with the Dawson Rail in order to mount a proprietary SureFire Weapon Light designed especially for the Military. A commercial variation of this fine pistol is offered to the public as the Kimber Warrior, and Desert Warrior.

Will the U.S. Military adopt the Kimber Warrior, or a similar 45 ACP model? Who knows. The military adopted the 9 millimeter in the first place as a concession to European NATO members' pistols. Further, there's a movement to adopt a double-action pistol with a composite frame. And aside from military politics, price is a big factor; the Warrior runs about $1,353 a pop.

But what's encouraging about this procurement by MEU is that the military is moving in the right direction toward a return to the most popular and effective handgun cartridge ever made - the 45 ACP. And for the troops, that's good news.

Scan The Skies

2006-10-14T10:16:00.000-05:00

If you'd like to play a part in helping SETI search for intelligent life in space, there's an easy way to do it: just join SETI at home, a project sponsored by the University of California, Berkeley. SETI @ home is a scientific experiment that uses Internet-connected computers in the Search for Extraterrestrial Intelligence (SETI). You can participate by running a free program that downloads and analyzes radio telescope data. It runs in the form of a pretty cool screen saver, which you can download here.

Suspected Terrorists Captured

2006-10-04T18:55:00.000-05:00

An Iraqi police chief survived an insurgent ambush Oct. 3, urging his troops to continue the mission, and Iraqi and U.S. soldiers captured three high-value terrorists and 25 others in Baghdad Oct. 3, military officials in Iraq reported today.

The Iraqi police chief was wounded when his patrol was ambushed while in pursuit of suspected insurgents in the city of Baghdadi, Iraq. Col. Shaban al Obeidi was evacuated to a nearby U.S. military medical facility by helicopter for treatment and was reported in good condition. One policeman was killed in the attack. When asked if he had anything to pass to his policemen when coalition forces personnel visited him in the hospital, Obeidi said, "Continue to take care of the people, continue the fight. No food, no drink, no pleasure, only fighting the terrorists and eradicating them."

Baghdadi is a city of about 30,000 nestled along the Euphrates River and about 120 miles west of Baghdad. In another operation, Iraqi and U.S. soldiers captured 28 suspected terrorists Oct. 3 in a pre-dawn raid that hit nine targets simultaneously in the Jisr Diyala section of eastern Baghdad.

The troops involved were from Troop B and Company C, 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment, 506th Regimental Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division and Company C, 1st Battalion, 17th Infantry Regiment, 172nd Stryker Brigade Combat Team.

Among the detainees were three high-value individuals, officials said, including the No. 9 person on the division's high-value target list and two others on the squadron's high-value target list. The No. 9 high-value individual has allegedly been directly responsible for murders, extra judicial killings, criminal activities and attacks on Iraqi security forces and coalition forces, said Army Lt. Col. Brian Winski, commander, 1st Squadron, 61st Cavalry Regiment.

During the operations, several weapons and ammunition were confiscated, to include a PKM machine gun, a PKC machine gun drum, a RPK machine gun, a hunting rifle, two handguns, seven AK-47 rifles, five hand grenades and several rocket-propelled grenades.

Compiled from Multinational Corps Iraq news releases.

OBL Dead?

2006-09-23T15:38:00.000-05:00

The regional French newspaper l'Est Republicain printed what it described as a copy of a confidential document from the DGSE intelligence service citing an uncorroborated report from a "usually reliable source" who said Saudi secret services were convinced that bin Laden had died.

French President Jacques Chirac stated that the rumor was unconfirmed, but refused comment further. However, the paper's "usually reliable" sources said that bin Laden died from typhoid on August 23, 2006. US officials expressed doubt as to the report's veracity, saying the rumor could not be confirmed.

Rumors of bin Laden's death have been reported before. In 2001, reliable sources told me that bin Laden had been vaporized by a JDAM bomb in his Toro Boro cave in Afghanistan.

Russian Roswell

2006-09-22T16:46:00.000-05:00

Today is the new moon, and after listening to the lunacy (i.e. mental derangement associated with the changing phases of the moon) of Hugo Chavez, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, Chuck Shumer and others this week, I have become absolutely convinced that aliens do in fact walk among us.

Apparently some Russian scientists think so, too. It seems an unusual explosion occurred over the Podkamennaya Tunguska River area of Siberia back in 1908, the cause of which has never been adequately explained. Initially it was thought that a meteor that detonated above ground, but recent studies point toward the possibility that the explosion could have been the destruction of a nuclear-powered UFO. Whatever it was, the destruction on the ground was extensive for miles, and closely resembled that of Hiroshima and Nagasaki after the atom bombs dropped there during WW II. Russian scientists continue to research and study the incident.

Hattip to the quantum physics geeks over at White Hat Infotech.

Dikika Baby

2006-09-21T16:23:00.000-05:00

The world's oldest known human ancestor was discovered in Ethiopia's badlands, in the Dikika area near the Great Rift Valley. The 3.3 million-year-old fossilized skeleton of a child believed to be about 3 years of age, belongs to the primitive human species Australopithecus afarensis, which is the same species as the legendary "Lucy," previously the oldest human ancestor yet found.

Billary '08?

2006-09-21T16:05:00.000-05:00

Terry McAuliffe, the outspoken and often controversial former chairman of the Democratic National Committee, has joined forces with the re-election campaign of Senator Hillary Clinton. While Clinton and her staff insist she is focused solely on winning reelection in New York this November, the decision over who will be in charge of getting her elected to the White House is already settled.

As Clinton pretends to move to the political center, the selection of McAuliffe as the campaign's chairman is obviously designed to assuage the party's far left base.

You Go Hugo!

2006-09-20T14:46:00.000-05:00

Whew. We can all rest easier now. It was close, but Hugo Chavez, the cherubic Communist dictator president of Venezuela, has offered to Save The World from American Imperialism.

In his speech to the UN General Assembly today, among other radical proposals, he appealed to the Non-Aligned Movement nations including Iran and Cuba to completely restructure the United Nations, add certain third world countries to permanent Security Council membership, repeal the veto power of Security Council members, and - my favorite - move the UN headquarters to Venezuela. So there you have it. The third world must lead the world into a new age of Venezuelan world domination.

Not content with merely presenting his plan to become world dictator, he made an ad hominem attack on President Bush, calling him the devil, saying, "And the devil came here yesterday. Yesterday the devil came here. Right here." [crosses himself] "And it smells of sulfur still today."

One may not yet have Senor Chavez on one's radar as being a radical fruitcake, but considering that Venezuela is in our backyard - just 1,340 miles from Key West Florida, and well within missle range - and is one of the largest oil producing countries in the world, Americans may want to keep an eye on this one.

It's required reading to read the entire translation of his speech here posted on Drudge Report.

What's With McCain?

2006-09-18T12:09:00.000-05:00

Some of our lawmakers have their wigs in a twist about article 3 of the Geneva Convention, as it applies to how the US should treat prisoners held at Gitmo and elsewhere. But Senator John McCain's argument is a strawman: he claims that if our soldiers are ever captured by Islamofacists - who are not a signatory to, or an adherent of, the Geneva Convention anyway - they could be tried in secret without habeous corpus. Where's he been? Israeli soldiers kidnapped by Hamas have yet to be returned; Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig were forced at gunpoint to "convert" on video, and Daniel Pearl was beheaded on video. One wonders how the Geneva Convention factored into these instances.

McCain, of all people, should know the realities of capture, which is that our enemies don't comply with the niceties of the Geneva Convention. The North Vietnamese didn't, and Al-Qaeda, Hamas, the Taliban and other jihadist Islamofacists don't either. Yet he's joined forces with Colin Powell, himself no friend of the Bush administration, and a gaggle of RINO senators (Senator John W. Warner of Virginia, Senators John McCain of Arizona, Lindsey Graham of South Carolina and Susan Collins of Maine) to hamstring our nation's information gathering techniques. We're not talking about torture here - although the MSM throws that word about indiscriminately. Coercion, humiliation and intimidation are proven effective interrogation methods, and the US should not arbitrarily abandon these techniques for the sake of some misplaced notion of a higher moral ground. If information gathered from those methods saves American lives, where's the complaint? How many thousands of Brits, Americans and others are alive and with their families today because the British foiled a horrendous coordinated transatlantic airliner attack? Good intel equals good results.

Senator McCain, whose side are you on, anyway?

Oh, The Irony, The Irony!

2006-09-18T10:45:00.000-05:00

Pope Benedict made a speech recently, quoting a medieval text in which a 14th century Byzantine Emperor criticizes Mohammad and Islam as "evil and inhuman", and the manic and violent response from the Muslims across the world completely validates the assessment. He was right, of course.

Yet even after his apology, the religion of peace then made good on their threats and killed an elderly nun in Somalia by shooting her multiple times in the back, firebombed churches in Palestine, and protested in London and elsewhere. Now there's a contract on Pope Benedict, because the imams have declared that an insult on Islam - perceived or otherwise - is a capital offense. How different from the way we treat "prisoners" at Gitmo, as they curse the guards and throw human waste at them.

In additional to the violence, the Islamofacists desecrated Christian beliefs in the most blasphemous way, by circulating this picture on al-Qaeda friendly web sites in Europe, calling the Pope a pig, and likening Christ to a "monkey on a cross". Here are the exact translations:

الخنزير عابد الصلبان
The pig, worshiper of the crosses

يعبد قردا مسلوخا على صليب
He worships a slaughtered monkey on a cross

حاقد خبيث
Malicious, repulsive/evil

شيطان رجيم
An accursed devil

إذبحوه
Sacrifice him/Behead him

لعنة الله عليه
May the curse of God be upon him

سفاح مصاص للدماء
Spiller and sucker of blood

Yet in spite of this outrage, to date there have been no reports of any Christian beheading any Muslims, no mosques have been firebombed, and no imams have been shot in the back, killed or threatened with death. Of course, this may very well prove to be our failing.

Lost on the world's Islamofacists is the irony of this story: Hey, they just called us violent and inhuman - let's kill 'em! Amazing. They've proved beyond any shadow of a doubt what their agenda is.

We Let Them Go Again

2006-09-13T18:49:00.000-05:00

What do you do if you find dozens of terrorists in one place at one time, and you've got the drop on them? If you're the PC Washington attorneys advising the brass at the pentagon, you do nothing.

Well, that's exactly what happened in Afghanistan recently. Because the ground combat rules of engagement in Afghanistan disallow any contact with the enemy if the enemy is in a cemetery, the opportunity was missed. The terrorists were unaware of the unmanned drone that was filming the event and sending real-time images back the to US command.

Have we learned nothing? For eight years the Clinton administration found convenient reasons not to engage the enemy, and the result is we now have an entrenched and emboldened enemy who understands, and actually depends on, these kinds of self imposed restraints.

Let me be clear. We are at war. The enemy is Islamofascist extremism. Our standing ROE should be to seek out and engage the enemy, and kill him. Every one of them. Period.

Now US operatives and ground troops will have to deal with it, at a far costlier price.

Floching the French

2006-09-10T22:31:00.000-05:00

I wish I was kidding about this post . . .

An enraged dolphin has been terrorising the French Atlantic coast for several weeks, attacking boats and knocking fishermen into the sea.

"He's like a mad dog," said Henri Le Lay, president of the association of fishermen and yachtsmen of the port of Brezellec, in Brittany. "He has caused at least 1,500 euros ($2,530) worth of damage in the past few weeks."

The dolphin, named Jean Floch, has destroyed rowboats, overturned open boats, flooded engines and twisted mooring lines. Two fishermen were knocked into the sea after the dolphin overturned their boat."

Update: It's reported the French have surrendered.

Tinfoil hats, UFOs, and Radiohead

2006-09-10T17:28:00.000-05:00

After watching Howard Dean being interviewed by Chris Wallace on Fox News Sunday, it became clear to me that I was going to need a new tinfoil hat. According to Dean, the weak and wobbly Dems, who for the past five years denied the the need for any war, let alone a war being fought in Iraq, are now vigorously engaged in the war on terror. Yep. New directions, national security and all that. Only thing is, you see, we should be going after Osama bin Laden by fighting the WOT in Afghanistan, not Iraq. Jeez. Dick, Karl, Rummy, how could you have missed that? How about this? Let's save everyone the inconvenience of fighting a war on the other side of the world; why don't we just fight the war on terror online? Wouldn't that be so much easier? Then we could all make happy with the Seattle Hug the Earth crowd, whose commemorative to the 9/11 attacks will include such deep-thought issues as diversity in immigration. Oh, yeah - a healing drumming circle will take place in the morning. People are urged to bring a drum or rattle, and a chair or blanket to sit on. Om.

While adjusting my tinfoil hat, I found this piece: a photographer shooting the live Radiohead concert back in June inadvertently got some shots of a UFO hovering nearby, presumably monitoring the satellite missile launch from Vandenburg AFB. See, there was all this secret spy satellite stuff on board the launch, and the aliens want to keep their eye on us to make sure we don't goof up the galaxy with our immature nonsense like war and pollution and oil . . . Or maybe they just dig Radiohead.

Gulf Quake

2006-09-10T16:12:00.000-05:00

Some Florida residents may have been worrying about tsunamis today, as an eathquake was reported in the Gulf of Mexico, some 260 miles west southwest of Clearwater, Florida. Some reports indicate the quake was felt in parts of Florida, Georgia and Alabama. Registering 6.0 on the Richter scale, earthquakes of this magnitude in this part of the world are rare, and USGS officals assured folks along Florida's Gulfcoast that there would be no "significant" tsunami. According to the US Geological Survey web site:

This earthquake was centered beneath the Gulf of Mexico, well distant from the nearest active plate boundary. Such "midplate" earthquakes are much less common than earthquakes occurring on faults near plate boundaries, and most probably represent the release of long-term tectonic stresses that ultimately originate from forces applied at the plate boundary. This is the largest of more than a dozen shocks that have been instrumentally recorded from the eastern Gulf of Mexico in the past three decades, and it is the most widely felt. The most recent significant earthquake in the region occurred on February 10th, 2006 and had a magnitude of 5.2. We have not associated this earthquake with a specific causative fault.

Truth vs. Fiction

2006-09-07T18:32:00.000-05:00

OK, I think I'm getting this.

Caving to intense last minute Clinton pressure, ABC censors its own documentary-style movie about the Clinton Administration's handling of the terror threat that led up to the events of September 11.

But no outcry is heard about the purely fictional BBC documentary-style movie about the events arising from the assassination of President Bush.

Historical truth about Clinton bad. Fictional wish fulfillment about Bush good.

Yep, I got it.

The Border War

2006-09-06T21:47:00.000-05:00

Our southern border with Mexico is a drug trafficking war zone that is as out of control as the flow of illegal immigrants is. Among the streams of illegal immigrants searching for a better life, lurk dangerous, violent, and reckless criminals and vicious extortionists.

Drug lords terrorize and take over border towns and villages and gangsters trade heroin for guns. The most violent end up on the FBI’s most wanted list. Take Jorge Eduardo Costilla Sanchez, head of the Gulf Cartel, just for one example, with $5 million reward on his head. Sanchez, in addition to being accused of trafficking thousands of kilos of cocaine and marijuana into the United States annually, is wanted for capital murder.

Ninety percent of the cocaine that comes into the United States is smuggled across the southern border, according to official figures. That’s a lot of cocaine, considering that the U.S. consumption is the largest in the world, with 5.9 million persons aged 12 or older using cocaine in 2003. Snorting coke is not just a personal sport. It has enormous social costs. Nearly half of state and local law enforcement agencies identify cocaine (powder or crack) use in violent crimes in their areas.

Well over 90% of all of the imported marijuana comes across the Mexican border. Meth availability is on the rise, fueled primarily by increased production of both powder and ice methamphetamine in Mexico.

The immigration problem brings illegal aliens, drugs, crime, the social impact on the states, and most probably terrorists. Social ills that Washington ignores. The only line of defense currently is the Border Patrol, the Texas Rangers and the civilian Minutemen. Did I mention there's an election 2008?

Newt: How to Win In November

2006-09-06T20:27:00.000-05:00

One of the most amazing things I've noticed this election cycle is the complete and utter lack of ideas coming from the left. The Democrats and the MSM have spent millions of dollars and countless hours to bash this administration and its foreign policy, yet have not offered up a single idea as counterpoint to what they're whining about. Apart from a complete withdrawal from Iraq, no thought has seemingly been given to the consequences of that (in)action.

Yet one of the brightest minds in Washington has done just that - formulated an 11-point plan that is necessary for "Winning The Future" and which has broad-base support from the American people. Contrast the void on the left with Newt Gingrich's commonsense 11-point plan for a solid Republican win in November.

Make English the Official Language of Government.
The House should pass a bill making English the official language of government, abolishing multilingual ballots and reaffirming that new citizens should be required to pass a test on American history in English.

Control the Borders.

The House should pass a narrowly focused bill to ensure that the United States can control the border.

Keep God in the Pledge.
Congress should take two steps to preserve the right to say "one nation under God" in the Pledge of Allegiance, a right which is supported by 91% of all Americans. The American people feel deeply that our Declaration of Independence is correct in saying that each of us is endowed by our Creator with inalienable rights. It is time to return to a balanced Constitutional system.

Require a Voter ID Card.
The American people overwhelmingly support (85% in one case, 70%-plus even after all the arguments against it are made) having a voter id card so we can be sure only legal citizens are voting. Passing a bill to require this in all federal elections would be a big step toward more honest elections.

[And eliminate the need for bogus and unconstitutional bills like the shameful McCain-Feingold bill - Ed.]

Repeal the Death Tax, for Good.
The American people have consistently supported the total repeal of the death tax and the House should simply pass it once a week and attach it to various Senate bills to force the Senate to deal with it again and again. Let liberals explain why they oppose something that more than 70% of the country favors.

Restore Property Rights.
The American people are deeply opposed to local politicians' being able to seize a citizen's home or business. The Supreme Court's Kelo decision on eminent domain is one of the most unpopular in recent years and is also one of the most dangerous.

[Another absurd unconstitutional bill that blatantly defies the 4th Amendment. -Ed.]

Achieve Sustainable Energy Independence.
The country is eager for a straightforward new energy strategy for national security, environmental and economic reasons, starting with clean nuclear power using new technologies that are safe and produce little waste.

Control Spending and Balance the Budget.
The House should pass new budget legislation to control spending, leading to a balanced budget in seven years (the length of time we gave ourselves in the Contract with America and which led to the first four balanced budgets since the 1920s), with special focus on programs liberals will fight to increase spending.

Tie Education Funding to Teacher Accountability.
A major result of the No Child Left Behind legislation has been the clear revelation that a number of schools systems are crippling and destroying children. When the Detroit school system only graduates 21% of entering freshman on time, it is clear the children are being cheated.

Defend America From the Irreconcilable Wing of Islam.

Terrorism is a real threat. Congress should hold hearings on the recent terror activities in Canada, the United Kingdom and Morocco. The House should move bills that strengthen our security from terrorists with increased powers for surveillance, an overruling of the disastrous Hamdan decision and a series of other steps.

[Foreign combatants who are not US citizens are not entitled to the rights enumerated in the US constitution. -Ed]

Focus on Iran and North Korea.
The American people are very prepared to believe we face extraordinary threats from a nuclear North Korea and an Iranian regime actively seeking to develop nuclear weapons. Any actions in Iraq need to be recast in terms of their impact on Iran. A weak America in Iraq will be unable to stop Iran. Stopping Iran is potentially literally a matter of life and death. Everything about Iraq should be debated within this larger and much more dangerous context.

Rough Justice

2006-09-06T16:07:00.000-05:00

OK, you may have seen this one already, but hey, it's worth another look!

The Demise of the 1st Amendment

2006-09-06T13:46:00.000-05:00

One of the most insidious bills to be signed into law, McCain-Feingold has some most unsettling provisions. When signing the bill - now known as the Bipartisan Campaign Reform Act - into law back in 2002 President Bush noted, "Certain provisions present serious constitutional concerns. The courts will resolve these legitimate legal questions." But the law's most heinous provision, barring groups from both sides of the political spectrum from criticizing incumbent politicians' votes on bills on TV or radio for 60 days before a general election and 30 days before a primary still stands, despite court challenges from the NRA-ILA and Judicial Watch.

Note the bill's sponsors: Russ Feingold is one of the most liberal senators to ever hold the honor, and John McCain, notwithstanding his Vietnam War hero status, is now clearly a RINO (Republican in name only). What would cause two senators to draft a bill that abridges the first amendment? The lure of incumbent protection? But a larger question remains: why did the majority of the congress and the president himself - all sworn to uphold and defend the Constitution - not adhere to the founders’ first and simple dictum: “Congress shall make no law . . . abridging the freedom of speech?”

Now we come soon to an election, and - by law! - the grassroots have no voice.

Primary Color

2006-09-06T12:19:00.000-05:00

Despite the months-long hatchet job on her campaign and personality by Tampa Tribune political reporter William March, Florida Republican voters overwhelmingly elected Katherine Harris as their GOP candidate for US Senate, besting 3 challengers. She'll now face Democrat incumbent Bill Nelson in September. Thanks, William.

Which One's Pink?

2006-09-06T11:00:00.000-05:00

Happy birthday to rock musician Roger Waters who turns 63 today. One of the main creative forces behind Pink Floyd, Waters wrote all the lyrics and some of the music for their album, Dark Side of the Moon (1973); the album became one of the most successful in rock history. The singer/bass player left the group in the mid-1980s, and went on to perform solo. This summer he has been performing throughout Europe and today he takes his show to the US.

Quote:

"Long you live and high you'll fly

Smiles you'll give and tears you'll cry

And all you touch and all you see

Is all your life will ever be."

— Pink Floyd, "Breathe," Dark Side of the Moon.

Thanks and a tip 'o the ol' booney to Answers.com.

Good News from Iraq

2006-09-03T20:30:00.000-05:00

I hadn't seen this report in the MSM, but it did show up in Stars And Stripes, Kurdish Media, Radio Free Europe (although just barely), and Defend America.

"Soldiers of the 1st Brigade Combat Team, 101st Airborne Division transferred responsibility of security for the majority of the Kirkuk Province to two battalions of the Iraqi Army during a ceremony at an Iraqi military compound just outside of Kirkuk, Aug. 31.

“With this ceremony, we complete the transfer of security responsibilities from our friends, the Coalition Forces, to our Brigade,” said Maj. Gen. Anwar, commander of the 2nd Brigade, 4th Iraqi Army Division. Two battalions in the multi-ethnic (Arab, Kurdish, Turkomen) 2nd Brigade had previously assumed security responsibilities in other sectors of the Kirkuk Province. This ceremony, with the final two battalions assuming responsibility, demonstrates the readiness of Iraqi Army forces in the province."

Well, day-um! More good news from the front - and no civil war in the multi-ethnic 2nd Brigade. No wonder the MSM isn't interested.

Happy Brain

2006-09-02T16:42:00.000-05:00

Music makes your brain happy. Physiological fact. They say listening to Mozart boosts your IQ, and we know some new-age music can alter brain-wave frequencies. Musicians are aware of the euphoria of getting in the "groove." OK, I play guitar. I own several, including a Taylor 514ce. Taylor has introduced its new acoustic/electric semi-hollow body Thinline Fiveway - or just simply T5 - model, and it's an amazing ax. Take a few minutes and make your brain happy. Give a listen to what Marc Seal does with this magnificent instrument.

Random Thoughts Before the Weekend

2006-09-01T13:13:00.000-05:00

It's been pointed out by many conversationalists that the terrorists are winning because we allow them minor, non-combat victories. For instance, terror wins when we change our daily habits out of fear of a possible attack. Airline travel comes immediately to mind. Millions of Americans use commercial air traffic daily, and each and every one of them is inconvenienced by the nonsensical governmental security procedures. Because 100% of all airline hijackings are perpetrated by Muslim males between the ages of 20 and 45, the logical thing to do is to screen for Muslim males between the ages of 20 and 45. But we can't do that - it's racial profiling. Right. And blowing up airplanes is premeditated murder. Which is worse? Shelby Steele got this issue dead-nut right when he opines that "white guilt" has prevented us from effectively killing those who wish to kill us. Anybody want to bid on my 65,000 Delta air miles?

Another bit of insanity is the notion that timid, unarmed citizenry is better off against a committed aggressor than an armed citizen. Yet every day across the US, regular folks like you and me use their God-given right of self defense to eliminate or ward off attacks from those who would do them harm. The unintended consequence on crime rates of governments' gun confiscation has been well documented in Australia and Great Britain, whose violent crime statistics rose hundreds of percent since the confiscation of private firearms. This summer, although the mainstream media hasn't reported on it, the United Nations Gun-Grab continues to seek the end of private ownership of firearms globally and in the US, as well. How the UN takes authority over the United States' Bill of Rights can be assisted only by a globalist liberal president, one that we ourselves elect in 2008.

Another unsettling symptom of political correctness in the form of "white guilt" is the ridiculous attitude of the federal government concerning the porous US borders - especially the southern border with Mexico. Estimates now place the number of illegal Mexican aliens in country at 30 million or more. Apologists say that Democrats approve of illegals because aliens comprise free votes, whereas Republicans approve because aliens are cheap labor. Sounds like moral equivalency to me. Illegal means illegal, and that means a 21st century Mexican invasion, whether the intent is to get a job, retake Aztlan, or blow up a building.

While the MSM sleeps, America is assaulted by Islamic fascists here and abroad who seek to kill or convert each one of us; Mexican radicals seek to repopulate the southwestern United States in advance of their stated goal of "retaking" those states; the United Nations wants to find ways to eliminate or circumvent the US Second Amendment rendering us - you and me - totally disarmed. GALT (Goofy American Liberal Thinkers) and others who are screwing up America would like nothing better than to see the US loose in Iraq, withdraw from persecuting the war on terrorism, grant amnesty to Mexican illegals, and the US reduced to third-world status, thereby "equalizing" us. Is this the US that we, the people, want? Did I mention there's an election coming up in a couple of months?

Back to the Moon

2006-08-31T20:53:00.000-05:00

After more than 30 years, America is now back into its manned space exploration program. New space ships, named Orion, are being designed to replace the aging and low-earth-orbit-bound shuttle fleet, and will be the next step in America's return to the moon and beyond. NASA announced that Lockheed Martin Corporation and a partnership of Northrop Grumman Corporation and Boeing Company are bidding for the work, projected to pump some $18 billion into the economy over the next 10 years. The Apollo 17 Lunar Mission was the last manned expedition to the moon, leaving the lunar surface on 14 December 1972. It's long past time for the US to return to manned space exploration, and continue the discoveries that await on our nearest neighbors, the Moon and Mars.

The US has had a Mars Reconnaissance Orbiter (MRO) probe in orbit around Mars since March of this year. Its mission is to obtain a low orbit and survey, photograph and analyze the Martian surface. Maybe this MRO mission will produce concrete evidence of long-lost ruins of a civilization that many believe existed and flourished on Mars. Ever since the 1976 Viking mission images of Cydonia – with its pyramids and haunting, mile-wide 1,500-foot-high human-looking "Face" looking skyward from the barren sands a thousand miles below, there's been a heated debate about intelligent life on Mars.

Why America Won't Fight Wars to Win

2006-08-31T13:30:00.000-05:00

There's an enlightened piece that came out a few months ago, which explains why America can't seem to find the moral center to fight a truly engaged, decisive war. We wussed out in Vietnam, and left our allies to the communists. We tried to fight a sterile air war in Bosnia, with dubious results. We embarrassed ourselves when we tucked tail and ran in that backwater of all backwaters, Somalia. Some would say that retreat alone led to the escalation of the global terror war.

As I reread this article, by Shelby Steele in the Wall Street Opinion Journal from May 2006, I realized that he was spot-on in his analysis. Maybe our leadership, from Congress to the Joint Chiefs should read this, and purge the politically correct policies that have stifled our ability to defend our culture. The White House already has the proper attitude. Now we can start winning wars again.

Anti-War Pacifism in Seattle

2006-08-31T12:58:00.000-05:00

The new generation of anti-American, anti-war left has become far more militant than those misguided pacifists of the Vietnam era. If you think our only enemies are Islamic fascists, read this item from Seattle, Washington. Five armed whackos jumped and beat a uniformed National Guardsman. How's that for a display of pacifism? Five armed home-grown terrorists against one unarmed American - in uniform. Seattle police have offered a reward for information.

Zoology Today, Part II

2006-08-23T20:40:00.000-05:00

Here's an interesting little item from the conspiracy theorists and Ufologists over at Rense.com. The chupacabras strike again, this time in Guatemala. Maybe chupacabras have migrated all the way up to the far northeastern United States, and that's what the "Maine Mutant" is.

Well, an astounding number of new zoological discoveries have been found in Viet Nam since 1992, including a large forest ox, three new species of deer, a striped rabbit, 63 new vertebrates and 45 fish. And there's more: a one-horned rhinoceros once thought extinct has been rediscovered.

In Dunedin, Florida, a small town in Pinellas County on the Gulf of Mexico, coyotes have become a menace as they help keep the town's population of small dogs and cats under control.

US Hostages - again

2006-08-23T15:38:00.000-05:00

Last Monday Fox News correspondent Steve Centanni and photographer Olaf Wiig were kidnapped in Gaza by parties unknown. Today a previously unknown terrorist group, Holy Jihad Brigades, has released a video of Centanni and Wiig, demanding the release of Muslim prisoners detained by the US in exchange for the Fox newsmen. The US was given 72 hours to release the prisoners, but no threat was made as to the fate of Centanni and Wiig. The video shows Centanni and Wiig in a darkened room, and in seemingly good condition.

Perhaps emboldened by the antics of Hezbollah, who kidnapped several Israeli soldiers and who, after enduring a week-long war with Israel, claimed victory when the global community demanded a cease-fire, Holy Jihad Brigades must believe they too can withstand the military might of the west, and emerge with a propaganda victory along with their prisoners intact. Can't blame them for thinking like that. Hostage-taking is a tactic that has worked well for the terrorists since the Carter administration, when the US embassy in Iran was seized and US hostages taken.

An interesting sidebar to this story is the relative silence the other news networks have given it, at least up till now. Even Fox has played it low-key.

The terrorists' name reminds me of the bad guys in the tongue-in-cheek spy thriller "True Lies" a few years back: Crimson Jihad.

Zoology today.

2006-08-22T22:15:00.000-05:00

Just when we thought we had terrestrial animal life pretty much identified and categorized, we find things may not be as they seem.

An entirely new animal - an apparent new species of canine - was found in Maine. A mutant hybrid wolf-cross-dog possibly. Dead. Documented with really lame close-cropped photos. Typical. However, it could be a possible hoax. Seems the photographer, one Michelle O’Donnell , wants the princely sum of $100 per photo for the rights to publish the "Maine Mutant" on the Internet. Works for me. Time to let sleeping dogs lie.

More morphology. Scientists have debunked the finding in 2004 of a hobbit humanoid found in Indonesia was a new species. Now studies indicate the skeleton found was merely an ancestor of the indigenous people, who probably suffered from severe "development disorder".

A new study reveals that there may be as many as 1,200 species of fish that are venomous or poisonous. This includes salt and fresh water varieties, both wild and acquarium fare, whose venom may be inflicted from splines, fangs or secretions. Some species have poisonous meat. Great. More challenges when ordering sushi.