Little Rock at the Cove

Go Pundit Go

2006-06-11T18:32:00.000-07:00

Finally! The new website is up. You can now find me at Go Pundit Go, or www.gopunditgo.com.

Nothing left to see here, so head on over!

Sayonara Zarqawi

2006-06-08T07:30:00.000-07:00

The US military took out terror monger Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in a precision airstrike, effectually ending his al-Queda inspired campaign of beheadings and killings in Iraq. Congratulations to the US forces who participated in this victory. Undoubtedly, many people, from different walks of life in Iraq, contributed to the intelligence that led US forces to find the terrorist in a small town 30 miles north east of Baghdad.

President Bush says this:

Now Zarqawi has met his end, and this violent man will never murder again. Iraqis can be justly proud of their new government and its early steps to improve their security. And Americans can be enormously proud of the men and women of our armed forces, who worked tirelessly with their Iraqi counterparts to track down this brutal terrorist and put him out of business.

Regarding the area that Zarqawi met his fate in, Iraq the Model says this:

Hibhib is a small town several kilometers to the northwest of Baquba and most of its people are from the Azzawi tribes.
This small town was traditionally nicknamed Um al-Arak as it was famous for producing some of the finest Arak in Iraq, an industry that flourished in the area for the abundance of date palms. It's even said that Hibhib's Arak can make the fox get drunk!

Hibhib is located 8 km to the northwest of Baquba and 50 km to the northeast of Baghdad.

Of course that was before the Salafi Zarqawi tide reached this once peaceful town.
It was quite visible lately that Hibhib became a place for intense terror activity, especially after the phenomenon of severed heads appeared. Severed heads of civilian Iraqis were found twice in fruit boxes in and around Hibhib; a terrible crime that shocked Iraqis. Also a few days ago 19 passengers, mostly students were murdered in cold blood just north of Hibhib which indicated that a seriously bloody terror cell was in this area.

This is important, from the AP:

Gen. George Casey, the top U.S. commander in Iraq, said the hunt for al-Zarqawi began two weeks ago, and his body was identified by fingerprints and facial recognition.

He said tips and intelligence from senior leaders of al-Zarqawi's network led U.S. forces to al-Zarqawi as he was meeting with some of his associates. Casey also said Iraqi police were first on the scene after the airstrike...

Al-Maliki said the Wednesday night airstrike by U.S. forces was based on intelligence reports provided to Iraqi security forces by area residents.

A Jordanian official said the kingdom also provided the U.S. military with information that helped track down al-Zarqawi, who claimed responsibility for a November triple suicide bombing against Amman hotels that killed 60.

Some of the information came from Jordan's sources inside Iraq and led the U.S. military to the area of Baqouba, the official said.

Tips from senior leaders of Zarqawi's network?!? It probably had something to do with the $25 million bounty on his head, but it also shows that the terror network is weakening, even as the the violence has risen lately. Perhaps the rising violence is what led some of the terrorists to rat out their comrade. Marching school children off school buses and killing them in cold blood is tough to stomach for anyone, even terrorists. Well, some of them, I would hope.

The locals also provided hints as to Zarqawi's whereabouts, lending merit to the claim that most Iraqi citizens want nothing to do with the terrorist agitators, but would like to live in peace. Also, kudos to the Jordanians, a rare moderate country in a region infiltrated by religious nuts. More on their assistance here.

I don't like to rejoice in death, but these are happy days! I'm rejoicing for the hundreds, if not thousands, of innocent people who will not get a bullet to their head as a direct result of Zarqawi's death. Who knows how many lives have been saved because this evil man has finally been put down for good. His death marks a severe blow to terrorism in Iraq.

Bilbray Beats Busby

2006-06-07T20:20:00.000-07:00

And everyone has something to say about it. Expose the Left notes liberal spin:

MyDD:

Busby’s loss was a loss no matter how it’s spun, but it’s also a clear sign that the Democrats must become a progressive party.

This is the same thing liberals say every time an internet backed candidate wins. I’m surprised that Stoller didn’t pull the “moral victory” line out.

Stoller continues:

What is there to say about Busby? She lost against a corrupt lobbyist running as a progressive in a district whose last Congressman resigned because of bribery and prostitution. If any district was tailor made for competence and corruption messaging, it was this one. That it didn’t work should wake some people up. Busby ran explicitly as a ‘moderate’ to restore ethical government, with a patina of ‘issues’ (just look at the incomprehensible ‘issues’ area of her web site).

Insulting the constituents of California’s 50th district is not the way to get them to vote Democrat.

Moderate? Encouraging undocumented citizens is moderate?

Kos tries to spin the GOP win as a loss and the Democratic loss as a win. I don’t know how he does it, but his zombies seem to agree:

Update: The GOP spent $11 million on the race, the Dems $4.7 million. That investment bought Republicans a 4-point victory in one of the most Republican districts around. Busby lost that seat by 22 points in 2004. No matter what the spin (I think we should’ve won this seat), fact is the GOP isn’t sitting pretty.

There is one bit of good news that points to serious problems for the GOP in November—They spent over $11 million to hold what should’ve been a safe seat. The NRCC alone spent about $5 million, erasing about 20 percent of their previous cash on hand figures of $25 million. Given the numbers of seriously challenged Republican House members, they won’t have anywhere near this kind of money to play defense in November. They’re in serious trouble.

However, Ken Rudin of NPR points out that spin or no spin, the seat is still in Republican hands:

Still, it would be wrong to paint the result as anything other than a victory for the Republicans. Given the national mood, given the fact that their previous incumbent is now spending eight-plus years in the slammer, given the split in the party over issues such as immigration, given the fact that the final pre-election polls had the race dead even, a win is a win is a win. And when you add the fact that John McCain cancelled his appearance at a Bilbray fundraiser because of differences over immigration, and that a Minutemen-backed independent candidate took an additional 4 percent of the vote, Bilbray didn't do so bad after all.

This race hinged on immigration first, corruption second. Busby's ads focused on the corruption as much as possible, strongly adhering to the "culture of corruption" ad campaign central to the Democrats' overall strategy this year. But what really mattered was the candidate's views on immigration. The radio had plenty of airplay from the other Republicans in the race, each of whom focused on one thing: their super-tough stance on illegal immigration.

Who knows how Busby might have faired had she not blundered a few days before the election by being videotaped saying, "You don't need papers to vote," to a crowd of Spanish speakers concerned about, well, their papers and their ability to help her campaign. But, like I said earlier, "Wrong time, wrong place, Ms Busby." Even though it was a lean victory for Bilbray, it's still a conservative district with immigration being a top priority. I doubt the 50th will go Democrat anytime soon, irregardless of who previously got sent to prison for taking bribes.

Election Day

2006-06-06T19:07:00.000-07:00

Will be watching for results in the 50th here.

Sorry not much posting the last day or two. I've been working hard on getting the new website up, besides tending to my real job. Hopefully the site will be up by tomorrow, Thursday at the latest.

New Website Coming Shortly

2006-06-05T07:24:00.000-07:00

Just FYI...I'll be unveiling a new website in the next day or two. Keep your eyes peeled...

BBC = Blatantly Biased Coverage

2006-06-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

From the BBC, regarding new live surveillance cameras to be placed along Texas' border with Mexico to help curb illegal immigration:

A US state is to enlist web users in its fight against illegal immigration by offering live surveillance footage of the Mexican border on the internet.

The plan will allow web users worldwide to watch Texas' border with Mexico and phone the authorities if they spot any apparently illegal crossings.

Texas Governor Rick Perry said the cameras would focus on "hot-spots and common routes" used to enter the US.

US lawmakers have been debating a divisive new illegal immigration bill.

The Senate has approved a law that grants millions of illegal immigrants US citizenship and calls for the creation of a guest-worker programme, while beefing up border security.

But in order to come into effect, the plan must be reconciled with tougher anti-immigration measures backed by the House of Representatives, that insist all illegal immigration should be criminalised.

The issue has polarised politics and US society. Right-wing groups have protested against illegal immigrants, while millions of people marched in support of them last month.

Someone at the BBC biffed it on the last paragraph. According to the BBC, a majority of Americans must belong to "right-wing groups," since polls across the board indicate most Americans oppose illegal immigration by healthy margins. And the "millions" who marched in support of illegal immigrants last month were mostly illegal immigrants and their families. That would make sense, because conservative (as in low, not political) estimates put the number of illegal immigrants in the US somewhere between 11 - 12 million.

I would expect an agenda-setting piece like that out of the NY Times, but why would the BBC go out of their way to report such distortions of the truth so far from home? Maybe they get their news from the Times.

Vote Early and Vote Often

2006-06-03T14:22:00.000-07:00

Via Expose The Left:

Democratic congressional candidate Francine Busby said “you don’t need papers for voting.” Busby is running to represent California’s 50th district in a June 6th special election.

In the background you could hear someone telling Busby “they said they want to help us.” The next few seconds are muffled, however you can hear Busby responding:

BUSBY: Well sure, everybody can help. Yeah, absolutely. You can all help. Yeah, you don’t need papers for voting, you don’t need to be a registered voter to help.

The Democratic Party is notorious for stuffing the ballot boxes, intimidating non-Democrat voters from voting, etc. Especially in Chicago. When I was in high school, the owner of the surf shop I worked at told me how, in the 1960s, he lived in Chicago and was turned away from the voting booth by Chicago cops on one occasion because he was a registered Republican. Ahh, Mayor Daley. For some reason, I have a soft spot in my heart for the old Irish Bosses.

But this is 2006 and the 50th Congressional district in northern San Diego County. If Busby tries to pull that here (and she will), then the nation is about to be treated to another round of Republican Operatives banging down doors to get to the bottom of voter fraud. Wrong time, wrong place, Ms Busby.

School Pays Student $32,500 Over Pledge Problem

2006-06-02T17:25:00.000-07:00

The problem was the student didn't want to say the Pledge of Allegiance but the school required him to. The Supreme Court ruled long ago that schools can't force students to recite the Pledge, so the school was in bad form with their requirement. But, one lawsuit later, the school board acknowledged they were in the wrong and paid the student $32,500!!! That's a lot of money for such a non-issue. Wonder if that money will go towards a college tuition at, say, Berkeley.

The kid doesn't have to say the Pledge anymore and got paid some serious $ for his troubles. Everyone's happy, right? NO! Someone named ACLU who doesn't even attend the school heard about the case and slapped the district with another lawsuit, which they won, prohibiting the school from forcing other students to recite the Pledge as well. As if the school district didn't learn their lesson when the first kid cashed his ginormous check.

Good thing the ACLU is out there patrolling America's dangerous schools, slapping lawsuits on predatory super-patriot teachers while protecting innocent students from reciting the blasphemous Pledge of Allegiance.

Is Haditha Iraq's My Lai?

2006-06-02T16:01:00.000-07:00

Depends on where you get your information. A Lexis Nexis search of US newspapers from May 27 through today, June 2, finds 37 instances where "Haditha" and "My Lai" both appear in the same article.

"The slaying by a unit of U.S. Marines of two dozen Iraqi civilians in the western Iraqi town of Haditha is already being called the My Lai of the Iraq war." - Newsday, June 2 (Opinion A40)

"Although on a much smaller scale, Haditha brings back My Lai, 1968, the massacre of hundreds of Vietnamese villagers, which came to symbolize American disregard for innocent human life." - Christian Science Monitor, June 2 (Opinion, B-9)

"It's a My Lai acid flashback. The force that sacked Saddam to stop him from killing innocents is now accused of killing innocents." - NY Times, May 27 (Maureen Dowd)

"Those Americans who remember the ghastly My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War can be forgiven for drawing parallels." - San Diego Union Tribune, June 2 (Opinion, B-8)

"If investigators confirm eyewitness statements about what happened on Nov. 19, the Haditha incident will be far worse than Abu Ghraib. It will be the worst U.S. military atrocity since the My Lai massacre during the Vietnam War." - The Columbus Dispatch, June 1 (Editorial)

"If anything, the politics surrounding the war are likely to become more volatile with disclosures about alleged killings of Iraqi civilians by marines in Haditha, a case that has prompted comparisons to the My Lai massacre in the Vietnam War." - NY Times, June 2 (Political Memo, A18)

"Investigators may conclude that Haditha was as much an atrocity as the My Lai massacre of March 16, 1968, when U.S. soldiers killed 175 to 400 unarmed Vietnamese villagers. It's also worth noting, though, that we recall My Lai in part because incidents of unprovoked murder by U.S. troops in combat zones are quite rare." - Chicago Tribune, May 31 (Editorial)

Some surprising sanity:

"Jumping to conclusions is, as Pace said, premature. So is any comparison to Vietnam's My Lai massacre, where hundreds died at the hands of U.S. soldiers." - USA Today, May 30 (News, 11A)

"War In Iraq: The press is salivating over the prospect of an Iraqi My Lai in the town of Haditha, with ABC trotting out Rep. John Murtha to brand U.S. troops war criminals just in time for Memorial Day." - Investors Business Daily, May 31 (Editorial)

Don't get me wrong - I'm not jumping to conclusions by asserting the Marines' innocence, just pointing out what many people knew would happen: the media is turning Haditha into Iraq's My Lai, regardless of the outcome of investigations now taking place. Unfortunately, the media wants Haditha to be Iraq's My Lai. It gives them a great story and allows them to vilify the military, the war and Republican leadership all at the same time. Hopefully the media is proved wrong, not to make them look like fools, but because I hope what the Marines are accused of doing didn't take place.

The rest of us will have to wait for the outcomes of several investigations while the media continues to presume guilt before innocence.

To Split Or Not To Split

2006-06-02T08:22:00.000-07:00

Think the Republicans are out of touch with the rest of us? Did that thick Washington air go to their heads? What is it about DC anyway that can change a person from a fiscal conservative to a tax and spend nut in just a couple, short years? Ok, with this Congress it's technically just "spend", since they've been good on the taxes. Not that that excuses their waywardness!

So, what are we to do? Split from the GOP and form a new, independent party? Some, like Peggy Noonan, would say yes. Others say no, it would just give a dangerous boost to Democrats. Irish Pennants has a nice overview of the pros and cons, eventually coming to the conclusion that it'd be a bad idea. For example, Republican bickering in 1992 gave us Bill Clinton, who ascended to the presidency with only 43% of the popular vote! Eeks. Wouldn't like to see his wife pull the same stunt in 2008. Check out the post.

Copper Chopper

2006-06-01T22:16:00.000-07:00

Every night we're treated to the chop chop sound of helicopters flying overhead. There are two primary types of helicopters in our neck of the woods: copper choppers, due to our proximity to the ghetto; and news choppers, due to our proximity to 3 freeways, each within a mile or two of our place.

Tonight, one circled very close to us for about 10 minutes, then flew about half a mile away and circled there for a few minutes before leaving the area. After watching it for a while, I decided that it would be great fun to go up in a copper chopper for a shift or two. Being a city lover, I'd love the views of San Diego's neighborhoods and freeways. The drama of a police chase can't be bad, either. Friggin criminals.

I'll keep you all updated. You keep me updated, too, if you happen to go up in one.

This is a ridiculous post.

Americans: Gay Rights Yes, Marriage No

2006-06-01T16:43:00.000-07:00

The Christian Post reports on a recent Gallup Poll that finds a majority of Americans still think homosexuality is immoral, but also indicates softer attitudes towards homosexuality over the last 30 years, especially among younger adults.

Thursday, Jun. 1, 2006 Posted: 7:46:19AM EST

WASHINGTON - The majority of Americans still opposes gay marriage and believes homosexuality is morally wrong despite a cultural shift that has drastically raised public support for gay rights, revealed a Gallup Poll released Wednesday.

According to Gallup, trends reveal that public support for gay rights considerably expanded over the past three decades. This is seen in the percentage considering homosexuality an acceptable lifestyle, growing from 34 percent in 1982 to a majority by 2001, and the percentage of those who believe homosexual men and women should have equal rights in the workplace, which also grew from 56 percent 30 years ago to 88 percent in 2003.

However, data collected from a May 8-11 survey of 1,002 randomly selected adults aged 18 and above shows that 51 percent of Americans still say homosexuality is morally wrong and only 39 percent believe gay marriage should be legalized.

The poll is timely considering that the Senate is to vote on a marriage amendment to the Constitution next week. If passed, the amendment would define marriage as only between a man and woman:

Marriage in the United States shall consist only of the union of a man and a woman. Neither this Constitution, nor the constitution of any State, shall be construed to require that marriage or the legal incidents thereof be conferred upon any union other than the union of a man and a woman.

Some people on the left claim the marriage amendment is just a ploy by Republicans to drum up support leading in to November's elections. Perhaps it is, but it's still a good thing (the amendment, not the ploy). Black Christians are in favor of the amendment, and maybe that has Democrats a little nervous.

Bishop Harry Jackson [who is black] chairs the High Impact Leadership Coalition and pastors Hope Christian Church in Bowie, Maryland. In interviews with American Family Radio News and Associated Press, Bishop Jackson says while he believes strongly that same-sex marriage is unbiblical, the Senate vote on the amendment is more about politics.

"There are those among us who consider this marriage amendment as nothing more than a Republican scam, if you will; a matter of pandering to their base and kind of throwing a bone to conservative Christians," he offers. "I happen to be a registered Democrat, and I want to say that nothing could be further from the truth."

"Same-sex marriage is not directly addressed in any affirming way by the words of Christ," Jackson continues, "and it is simply spoken against in the Old Testament. And so we need to be true to the sacred scriptures that we hold as the guiding light for our faith."

Bishop Jackson is right. This really isn't (or shouldn't be) about politics, but about preserving the healthy social fabric of the natural family. What's strange to me is that we're even having a debate about an amendment to the Constitution defining marriage as between a man and a woman. It's refreshing to see that a large majority of Americans feel gays should be treated fairly (the workplace, for example), but it's also important to note that a majority feels that homosexuality is wrong. These are not conflicting sentiments, but rather they express some of our best qualities as Americans. We believe everyone should be treated fairly, but we're not going to be duped into believing what is wrong is right. Well, maybe I've taken it a little far there. I think MTV is wrong, but a lot of Americans don't agree with me. The point is, homosexuals deserve not to be discriminated against just like the rest of us, but most of us agree that marriage should be between a man and a woman. Like it has been for several thousand of the last several thousand years.

Interesting to see if the amendment passes. Because, though it shouldn't be, it really is about politics. Democrats have their piranhas to feed, too.

Muslim Militant Sells Christian Boys to Fund Terrorism

2006-05-31T16:54:00.000-07:00

From the Sunday Times, via Tyson, who does not have a blog but is handy with his gmail.

This is an extremely sad story, hard for us to even imagine as Americans. Great resourcefulness on the part of the missionaries to expose this evil man.

A SENIOR member of an Islamic organisation linked to Al-Qaeda is funding his activities through the kidnapping of Christian children who are sold into slavery in Pakistan.

The Sunday Times has established that Gul Khan, a wealthy militant who uses the base of Jamaat-ud Daawa (JUD) near Lahore, is behind a cruel trade in boys aged six to 12.

They are abducted from remote Christian villages in the Punjab and fetch nearly £1,000 each from buyers who consign them to a life of misery in domestic servitude or in the sex trade.

Khan was exposed in a sting organised by American and Pakistani missionaries who decided to save 20 such boys and return them to their homes. Using a secret camera, they filmed him accepting $28,500 (£15,000) from a Pakistani missionary posing as a businessman who said he wanted to set up an operation in which the boys would beg for cash on the streets.

Khan was observed driving from the meeting with a knapsack full of cash to the JUD headquarters at Muridke, near Lahore.

The base was funded by Osama Bin Laden, the Al-Qaeda leader, in the late 1990s and the JUD's assets were frozen last month by the US Treasury after it was designated a terrorist organisation.

The US State Department declared the JUD a front for another organisation, Lashkar-i-Toiba, a terrorist group banned in Pakistan which joined with Al-Qaeda in an attempt to assassinate President Pervez Musharraf in 2003.

Khan, who regularly stays at the JUD's base, broke his promise to hand over the 20 boys on receipt of the cash and took the Pakistani missionaryÂs assistant hostage while he checked that the dollars were genuine.

The boys were eventually freed in a dishevelled and malnourished state after being locked in a room for five months during which they suffered frequent beatings.

Last week I accompanied six of the boys on journeys of up to 15 hours to their homes, where they were greeted with astonishment and jubilation by families who had given them up for dead.

The mother of Akash Aziz, who was kidnapped as he played with his friends after school, was so astonished that she could barely move or speak at first.

The undercover missionaries have demanded the prosecution of Khan and an investigation into his work for the JUD, which claims to have created a "pure Islamic environment" at Muridke.

Hafez Muhamed Sayeed, its leader, was accused of inciting riots in Pakistan this year with speeches denouncing western "depravity" after a Danish newspaper published cartoons of the prophet Muhammad.

NPR Uses Sour Pic of Condi

2006-05-31T16:20:00.000-07:00

click to enlarge

Is it just me, or was this picture of Condi on NPR's homepage today a little unnecessary? Geez, you wouldn't think NPR would want to vilify her, do you? Like USA Today did last year in a doctored photo that was quickly removed from their site.

Not convinced? Further down the page NPR has a picture of Al Gore for a story about his global warming mega tour. The treatment of Mr. Gore is a bit *softer* than that of Condi.

click to enlarge

Anyway, you be the judge.

Mahmoud AhMADinejad In His Own Words

2006-05-30T13:02:00.000-07:00

Up until now, I relied on press accounts of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's crazy statements and naturally came to the conclusion that he was a nut, or at the very least an instigator. Today, after reading a lengthy interview with him by German Magazine Spiegel, any lingering doubts I may have had about the man were completely dissolved. He's a NUT! Drudge headlined the interview earlier in the day.

SPIEGEL: First you make your remarks about the Holocaust. Then comes the news that you may travel to Germany -- this causes an uproar. So you were surprised after all?

Ahmadinejad: No, not at all, because the network of Zionism is very active around the world, in Europe too. So I wasn't surprised. We were addressing the German people. We have nothing to do with Zionists.

SPIEGEL: Denying the Holocaust is punishable in Germany. Are you indifferent when confronted with so much outrage?

Ahmadinejad: I know that DER SPIEGEL is a respected magazine. But I don't know whether it is possible for you to publish the truth about the Holocaust. Are you permitted to write everything about it?

SPIEGEL: Of course we are entitled to write about the findings of the past 60 years' historical research. In our view there is no doubt that the Germans -- unfortunately -- bear the guilt for the murder of 6 million Jews.

Ahmadinejad: Well, then we have stirred up a very concrete discussion. We are posing two very clear questions. The first is: Did the Holocaust actually take place? You answer this question in the affirmative. So, the second question is: Whose fault was it? The answer to that has to be found in Europe and not in Palestine. It is perfectly clear: If the Holocaust took place in Europe, one also has to find the answer to it in Europe.

On the other hand, if the Holocaust didn't take place, why then did this regime of occupation ...

SPIEGEL: ... You mean the state of Israel...

Ahmadinejad: ... come about? Why do the European countries commit themselves to defending this regime? Permit me to make one more point. We are of the opinion that, if an historical occurrence conforms to the truth, this truth will be revealed all the more clearly if there is more research into it and more discussion about it.

SPIEGEL: That has long since happened in Germany.

Ahmadinejad: We don't want to confirm or deny the Holocaust...

I highly recommend you check out the entire interview. It might inform your understanding of what we're up against in Iran. It did for me.

The point is, this guy isn't reasonable and doesn't seem like he can be reasoned with. What world leader, or any half-educated person for that matter, actually questions the Holocuast? It's doubtful that Ahmadinejad believes the Holocaust didn't occur, but he uses the denial of it as a prop to play up what he sees as the Zionist issue. (That being, the State of Israel exists.)Clearly, he's bent on one thing: eliminating Israel from the Middle East. If they end up in Europe, so be it, but off the map altogether is what he really wants. The Israelis can handle themselves, but as things heat up and the rhetoric gets increasingly directed towards the US, a confrontation becomes all the more likely.

And how does the US "confront" a nutcase like Ahmadinejad? We're war-weary as it is. I think a couple of carefully aimed nucs would do the trick, if it comes down to it. Not at Iranian cities, just their nuclear facilities. Hopefully it doesn't come to that, but with the mad hatter in charge of Iranian diplomacy words don't *connect* the way bombs do.

I really hope it doesn't come to that, though. This guy needs a leash and some Prozac.

Honoring Our Military This Memorial Day

2006-05-28T23:22:00.000-07:00

The history of Memorial Day:

It was 1866 and the United States was recovering from the long and bloody Civil War between the North and the South. Surviving soldiers came home, some with missing limbs, and all with stories to tell. Henry Welles, a drugstore owner in Waterloo, New York, heard the stories and had an idea. He suggested that all the shops in town close for one day to honor the soldiers who were killed in the Civil War and were buried in the Waterloo cemetery. On the morning of May 5, the townspeople placed flowers, wreaths and crosses on the graves of the Northern soldiers in the cemetery. At about the same time, Retired Major General Jonathan A. Logan planned another ceremony, this time for the soldiers who survived the war. He led the veterans through town to the cemetery to decorate their comrades' graves with flags. It was not a happy celebration, but a memorial. The townspeople called it Decoration Day...

From Peggy Noonan:

It is good that we have this day to remember heroes, to think again of those who over the centuries put themselves in harm's way for our country, for us. It is good that we remember, and take inspiration from, tales of valor, of flags carried uphill, like the one carried by the intrepid young First Lt. Arthur MacArthur, during a Union charge in the Civil War (he would go on to become a lieutenant general and the father of a son named Douglas), and heavily defended positions taken by a lone soldier, like Sgt. Alvin York in World War I. It's good to remember the simple human potential for bravery that lives within all of us, and that in some is fully tapped and met with brilliant, unforgettable actions.

The starkest description of the meaning of what the members of the armed services do, and have done, is the simple observation that freedom of speech was not secured for us by editors, readers and writers, but by soldiers who gave their lives to win it and would give their lives to defend it.

Thank you to all the men and women who served or are currently serving our country in the military. Without you and the grace of God, this nation would not be the beacon of freedom, hope and opportunity that it is.

Telephone Tax Comes To An End

2006-05-28T14:30:00.000-07:00

Via Conservative Blogger:

Friends, today is a banner day. Today, another tax cut was given to the American people allowing us to keep even more of our own money!

The problem? Well, it only took Congress 108 years to repeal it. Yes...one hundred eight years.

Back in 1898, Congress enacted a tax on telephones to help pay for the Spanish-American War. Telephones were considered a luxury item back then and they were taxed to help offset the military spending that was necessary to fight the war. Unfortunateliy, we've been paying it ever since.

Approximately $15 billion will be refunded to taxpayers starting on 2006 tax returns. That's $15 billion of our money that's coming back to us. That's good news any day of the week. The Government doesn't need any more of my money than it already receives, thanks.

I don't know if it's ever happened or not, but has a tax ever really been repealed? Has the Government ever done away with a tax like this before? I'm going to have to research this one...

Great Job Opportunity

2006-05-26T16:50:00.000-07:00

I'm considering a career move after seeing this advertisement at a stoplight today.

American Legion Press Conference at Mt. Soledad Cross Memorial

2006-05-25T16:38:00.000-07:00

June 11th, 2006: Please head over to my new website, Go Pundit Go.

The American Legion held a press conference (see previous post) at the Mt. Soledad Cross War Memorial today to announce a cooperative relationship with the Alliance Defense Fund as the ACLU steps up it's fight to take down the cross. Some of the speakers included Brian Bilbray, currently running for Congress; Phil Thalheimer; Joe Infranco, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund; Charles S. LiMandri, regional attorney for the Thomas More Law Center; and some of our nation's finest veterans. There were between 50 and 70 people present, many of them veterans. No one from the ACLU or any other anti-Soledad Memorial group showed up.

Here are some pictures, which you can click to enlarge. I also videotaped the press conference and will have a link up for that later.

****UPDATE****

Video of American Legion representative Rees LLoyd, former ACLU staff attorney, with opening statements. He nails the ACLU, calling them the "Taliban of American secular liberalism", among other things. I'll have video of the other speakers up this weekend.

Here are the remaining speakers from the event. Speakers include:

Pt. 1
1. Phil Thalheimer, President of San Diegans for the Mt. Soledad National War Memorial
2. Jim Kelly, President of the Grossmont Union High School Board and Former President of the San Diego County Board of Education
3. Brian Bilbray, former Congressman and currently running for Congress in the 50th Congressional District of California
Pt 2.
4. Phil Paxton, 2006 San Diego American Legion Veteran of the Year
5. Charles LiMandri, Director of the Thomas More Law Center’s West Coast regional office
Pt. 3
6. Joe Infranco, senior counsel with the Alliance Defense Fund
7. Rees Lloyd with closing statements

Pt. 1

Pt. 2

Pt. 3

The words on the car read, "Official Pace Car of The Motorcade to Save The Pledge of Allegiance." Because I was videotaping during the press conference, the pictures are more or less before-and-after. The last five pictures are courtesy of ADF.

I borrowed a friend's digital video camera for this event and had a great time filming and posting this to the web. I hope you found it valuable. If you are feeling generous, please consider a small donation towards the purchase of my own digital video camera for future events like this. Thanks -Terrence

CA American Legion Steps Up Fight Over Soledad Cross

2006-05-25T07:57:00.000-07:00

Via Stop the ACLU

THE AMERICAN LEGION DEPARTMENT OF CALIFORNIA
TO LAUNCH STATEWIDE DEFENSE OF VETERANS MEMORIALS
AT MT. SOLEDAD, MAY 25, 2006

SAN DIEGO — The American Legion Department of California will hold a press conference on Thursday, May 25, at 2 p.m., at the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial in San Diego to announce initiation of an unprecedented statewide Defense of Veterans Memorials Project of the California Department of The American Legion, including its support of efforts to preserve the Mt. Soledad Veterans Memorial.

“America’s veterans memorials have become a casualty of litigation wars as atheists and special interest organizations like the American Civil Liberties Union pursue their fanatical secular cleansing agendas. We wartime veterans in the American Legion Department of California are fed up with legal attacks on veterans memorials, like the cross memorial at Mt. Soledad, and we intend to fight back through our new California Defense of Veterans Memorials Project,” said American Legion California Department Commander Wayne Parrish...

What's amazing is that last year, 75% of San Diego City voters voted to transfer the land that the Mt. Soledad Cross sits on to the Feds, the goal of which was to end once and for all any possibility of the cross being moved to a different location. To get 3/4 of the entire population of a large city like San Diego to agree on something is pretty impressive. The ACLU is defending a suit brought by one man. To me, this is tyranny of the majority by the minority.

Quoted in UCSD Alumni Magazine

2006-05-24T21:20:00.000-07:00

@ UCSD, the UCSD Alumni magazine, published a letter to the editor from me in this month's issue. The letter was in response to an interview in last month's issue with Professor Wm. Arctander O'Brien, in which he asserted that there is no such thing as "truth". Professor O'Brien evidently didn't like what I had to say, because he took the time to write a lengthy response, which the magazine also published.

The link to the web version of the magazine's Letters to the Editor section is here. Scroll down to the second comment.

Here the is text of my comment and his response, as well:

In your recent interview with humanities Professor Wm. Arctander O’Brien, he stated, “I think neutrality is a myth, just like presenting the ‘truth’ would be a myth.” The hallmark of great teachers, especially at the university level, is their ability to remain objective while carefully holding the tension between conflicting ideas, enabling young thinkers to engage those ideas without having to wade through someone else’s bias. Asserting that “truth” is just “myth” is exactly the kind of bias that distorts learning in the lecture hall.

-Terrence X, Marshall ’02

Professor O’Brien responds: I share Mr. X's conviction that a good teacher shows his students without needless “bias” that the world of ideas is one of dynamic and “conflicting ideas.” We disagree about how one goes about this. Mr. X believes a great teacher can “remain objective” and communicate “the truth.” My experience as a teacher and scholar has led me to conclude that things are not so simple, especially when addressing the kind of complex historical and literary issues that I regularly teach. Here, “objectivity,” like “truth,” becomes a myth—the belief that one can transcend one’s human condition, one’s very subjectivity, and reach the objective truth. Histories of the same events and interpretations of the same literary works continue to be written precisely because there is no way to be “objective” or to settle “the truth” here. When I walk into a classroom, my goal is to deliver the most penetrating, scrupulous, and comprehensive interpretation I can, and to provide my students with tools for honing their interpretive skills for life. I make it clear that I pretend neither to objectivity nor to any final truth, and I begin every class by inviting questions and comments on the last one. For me, the classroom is a place for interpretation and dialogue. Claims to possess “objectivity” or the “truth” preclude both.

-Professor Wm. Arctander O’Brien

***UPDATE***

Here are some of the responses I recieved from friends:

Good take. I found the prof's response bordering on arrogant hogwash. To say that questions are invited ignores the terror many students feel in the lecture hall, including being used as a foil for what the prof's think is rapier-like wit, though in reality is usually vicious.

And exactly how does he make it "clear" that he is biased? By a disclaimer at the start of each lecture? That is inherently unbelievable; when has a professor ever (regularly) started a lecture stating "I'm a biased SOB and you need to vomit back my truth to get a good grade," or words to that effect?

Whenever anyone has to resort to "I am a scholar" to make a point the red b.s. light triggers.

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Great job, Terrence! I had O'Brien at UCSD - a real jerk.

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Very interesting. O’Brien was one of my favorite professors. He is a very dynamic and very challenging teacher. I’m not surprised at the length of his response, as he has always loved to engage students. I had him for Humanities 5, and we studied Nietzche among other folks. Class included a lively debate about Jesus (we were reading The Antichrist). He’s very open to any line of discussion—and he is a formidable opponent of the faith.

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Good job, T. I've had professors that totally divest themselves from the notion of objectivity. While it may be true that our subjectivity may sometimes reveal itself despite our best efforts, to totally abandon objectivity is nothing more than an excuse to indoctrinate.

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Gettt'em T-dog...ripp his ugly face off...

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Good stuff!!! Thanks for the email. I read your letter to the editor. Well Done!

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Keep pushing for truth in this relativistic world.

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I'm Not a Doctor, I Just Played One on TV

2006-05-24T18:18:00.000-07:00

Crooks and Liars, a liberal video blog, has an exclusive review of HBO documentary "Baghdad ER" by Hollywood liberal Mike Farrell of 1960's M*A*S*H fame. Mike Farrell has been an outspoken critic of the War in Iraq since before there was a War in Iraq, so it's no surprise that his "review" of the documentary quickly degraded into a vehement anti-Bush rant:

"These bastards and their apologists should be stripped naked and forced to walk the main streets of America, allowing every city and town that has lost a loved one to injury or death in this shameful catastrophe to heap on them the scorn they deserve."

Hey Mike, just curious, what about the bastards who murdered hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens in cold blood, kept rape rooms busy, viciously tortured those who opposed their brutal regime and wiped out whole villages of ethnic minorities? What punishment do you propose for the real criminals?

The War in Iraq is certainly no picnic, but it certainly was no picnic before 2003 either. It's easy to criticize Bush, but I'd like to see one Hollywood blowpuff say, "You know, at least a criminal dictator is in jail where he belongs, no longer able to torture and kill innocent people."

Come on, man, focus that passion on the real bad guys...

NPR Interviews Guantanamo Detainees

2006-05-23T16:33:00.000-07:00

NPR is hilariously liberal.

I admit: I listen to NPR pretty frequently. It’s nice to know how the other side thinks and conservative talk radio gets a little emotional at times.

But I couldn’t help but laugh at a story this morning on two recently released detainees from Guantanamo Bay, Adel Hajee and Abdullah al-Nah Aamee. The story was called “Leaving Guantanamo: Enduring a Harsh Stay” by Jackie Northam. She tracked the former prisoners down in Bahrain and interviewed them about their time at Guantanamo, almost forgetting to give the US military’s side of the story.

In fact, it was really a hit piece on the US Military and Guantanamo in general.

The first guy was picked up at the Pakistan/Afghanistan border shortly after US forces began bombing the Taliban in October 2001. He arrived there after packing “a small bag, his passport and several thousands dollars” to help Muslim refugees fleeing the fighting because “he wanted to help.” He turned himself in to the Pakistani authorities, who then handed him over to the Americans.

My question is, why did he turn himself in if he was doing nothing wrong and, more importantly, why the heck did he leave Bahrain with tons of money headed for a war zone at a time when Al-Qaeda types were flocking to the region to join up with the Taliban? And why didn’t Jackie ask these questions?

But Jackie didn’t think his story was odd. Instead, the listeners were quickly told how he was then transferred from US authority in Pakistan to US authority in Guantanamo.

The second guy left Bahrain on September 13th, 2001, to look for a “cousin missing in Afghanistan.” When he tried to leave that country he was turned in to authorities “he says, for a bounty” in Pakistan where “before long he was handed over to the Americans”. A cousin. Right. But again, no questions from NPR’s Northam.

The story then describes the alleged treatment these guys got from the Americans, which wasn’t pretty. Or, in my estimation, wasn’t likely. But I wasn’t there.

After a litany of supposed abuses is mentioned, Jackie finally gets around to suggesting a different side of the story: “The US says that Nah Aamee went to Afghanistan to fight alongside the Taliban against American and Allied forces.” Next sentence: “Nah Aamee denies the allegations and says there is no solid evidence against him.”

Well, there you have it folks, he denied the allegations and what’s more, he says the US has no solid evidence against him. Works for NPR!

Oh, and a few seconds later, after we hear more about “severe” interrogation techniques used on the men, Jackie drops a fast line about “the US military says that Hajee fought against coalition forces in Tora Bora, Afghanistan, something he denies.”

Then she gets back to the good stuff. That being, the harsh interrogation techniques the men endured while at Guantanamo. And that about sums the remainder of the story.

To me, it sounds like these guys pulled a fast one on Jackie, but maybe they’re telling the truth. I don’t pretend to know what really happened that got these guys sent to Guantanamo, but it’s clear from the reporting where Jackie Northam stands. She’s able to eek out a meager acknowledgment that their stories are “personal and subjective and sometimes at odds with US military accounts” at the beginning of the segment, but after that little more is heard besides sob story accounts of mistreatment at the hands of US authorities.

Maybe they are telling the truth, but if Jackie had asked even one or two probing questions I might be more inclined to believe them.

But this was a hit piece on Guantanamo, not a fact finding story.

And that’s why NPR is hilariously liberal.

Louisiana Democrat Takes $100,000 Bribe

2006-05-22T07:53:00.000-07:00

Who says Republicans have all the fun?
From the Daily Telegraph:

FBI agents videotaped a politician accepting $US100,000 ($132,700) in cash they said was intended as a bribe for a Nigerian official, according to a court document.

They later found $US90,000 of the money hidden in the freezer of Representative William Jefferson, a Louisiana Democrat, the document says.

It says the eight-term congressman received the cash from an FBI informant, who approached the bureau in March 2005 with her suspicion that Mr Jefferson and two business associates conspired to defraud her out of $US3.5 million.

You know what would be a great deterrent to would-be corrupt politicians from taking bribes? (Or at least make them think twice about it.) Two words: General Population.

As it stands, don't crooked politicians usually end up in white-collar crime prisons? I think they should be put in the toughest federal prisons with the hardest criminals. That would do the trick.

Clinton: US Needs to Sign Kyoto (Even Though He Didn't)

2006-05-21T13:56:00.000-07:00

From Newsmax:

Ex-president Bill Clinton said Saturday that global warming is a bigger threat to the future of America than terrorism.

Still, Clinton said Saturday that he was optimistic that the global warming crisis can be solved, "assuming we get off our butts and do something about climate change in a timely fashion."

"I think we should be in the Kyoto climate change system," Clinton said, without noting that while president, he declined to sign the Kyoto Protocols.

Maybe it's a short term memory thing from not inhaling.

"Fiscal Wake-Up Tour" Heads to San Diego

2006-05-19T17:55:00.000-07:00

The Concord Coalition's Fiscal Wake-Up Tour heads into San Diego on June 2nd. The purpose of the non-partisan tour and that of the organization is to "explain the greater context for today’s fiscal policy debates, such as: changing demographics; inadequate national savings; intractable health care costs; the crowding out of discretionary spending on everything from defense to education; and ultimately growing deficits and debt that is simply unsustainable." (My italics)

Um, not sure if they've heard, but San Diego isn't exactly at the height of its fiscal game right now, espcially in whole deficit arena. Can we get an emergency ballot measure for a city vote next Tuesday requiring the City Council to attend this event? Just a thought...

Our Allies, the Wonderfully Reformed Saudis

2006-05-16T16:37:00.000-07:00

King Abdullah is cracking down on Newspaper editors for including pictures of women in their newspapers. No, I know what you're thinking, but he's not talking about the Victoria Secret or Robinsons May bra sale ads.

In recent months, newspapers have published pictures of women - always wearing the traditional Muslim headscarf - to illustrate stories with increasing regularity. Usually the stories have had to do with women's issues. The papers have also started publishing a range of views on causes that are not generally accepted in Saudi Arabia - such as women having the right to drive and vote.

The king told editors on Monday night that publishing a woman's picture for the world to see was inappropriate.

"One must think, do they want their daughter, their sister, or their wife to appear in this way. Of course, no one would accept this," the newspaper Okaz quoted Abdullah as saying.

"The youth are driven by emotion ... and sometimes they can be lead astray. So, please, try to cut down on this," he said.

...The country adheres to a strict interpretation of Islamic law. Women are not allowed to vote and stand in municipal elections - the only type of election permitted in the kingdom.

Oh, and while you're at it...

The king also called on editors to stop printing stories that portray the country in a negative light.

"Don't write anything that can be harmful to the country. Some reporters, they want to stand out and they end up going too far and this should not be allowed to happen," Abdullah said according to Okaz.

And regarding the infidels...

The king added that newspapers should ignore the foreign press, especially when what it publishes is "against Islam or against Arabs."

And this guy is supposed to be a reformer?

President Bush Calls for 5 Point Plan on Immigration

2006-05-15T21:55:00.000-07:00

President Bush addressed the nation from the Oval Office today in a televised speech on immigration reform. He called for a "5 point plan" to deal with the problem of illegal immigration. The main points were 1) stopping the flow of illegal aliens over the border, partly by putting 6,000 National Guard troops there, and 2) creating a guest worker progam.

To his credit, at least Bush is consistent. He's been advocating the guest worker program since he was Guv of Texas. Of course, he's wrong about it.

I like the National Guards at the border idea, although I liked it better earlier in the day when the media was reporting estimates of 10,000 troops, not 6,000.

Expose the Left has video of the President's 16 minute speech.

BBC Interviews Cab Driver by Mistake

2006-05-14T14:40:00.000-07:00

This is going to go down in BBC history as a CLASSIC:

He is the BBC's latest star - the cab driver who a leading presenter believed was a world expert on the internet music business.

The man stepped unwittingly into the national spotlight when he was interviewed by mistake on the corporation's News 24 channel.

With the seconds ticking down to a studio discussion about a court case involving Apple Computer and The Beatles' record label, a floor manager had run to reception and grabbed the man, thinking he was Guy Kewney, editor of Newswireless.net, a specialist internet publication.

Actually, he was a minicab driver who had been waiting to drive Mr Kewney home.

You HAVE to watch this, his facial expressions are hilarious.

UPDATE: He wasn't a cab driver, but an IT guy applying for a job. And the BBC had YouTube take down the video.

Planned Parenthood Open for "Business"

2006-05-14T11:38:00.000-07:00

Evidently, the people in charge of this Planned Parenthood are so callused to their line of "work" that they had the nerve to put a huge banner up letting the community know they have re-opened for "business". Hard to miss the sad irony.

I took these pictures with my camera phone, so the quality isn't the greatest. This Planned Parenthood is in Pacific Beach, San Diego, on Mission Bay Drive between Garnet and Grand on the north side of the street.

**UPDATE**

I called the Planned Parenthood this morning (5/15) to inquire if this particular location performs abortions and to let them know that their banner was a little much. Yes, this location does perform medical abortions and no, the manager wouldn't speak to me. But the nice lady who answered the phone said my concern was "duly noted".

Right.

You can reach them at (619) 881-4592. The address, by the way, is
4501 Mission Bay Dr, San Diego, CA 92109.

click on the picture for a larger view.
Home

Womens Rights in Afghanistan and Iraq

2006-05-09T20:52:00.000-07:00

The Center for Vision and Values has an interview with A. Yasmine Rassam, director of international policy at the Independent Women's Forum, in which she discusses the gains women have made in Afghanistan and Iraq since the US overthrew the Taliban and Saddam Hussein.

Given Afghan women’s dire predicament there was a top down decision made by the U.S. forces and the international community to include women in all stages of the political process, and accordingly 12% of the Emergency Loya Jirga delegates were women. Additionally, there were three women members on the drafting committee for the constitution and seven women on the 35-member constitutional review commission, which approved the draft constitution. This is more women, proportionally, than served on the drafting of the Iraqi constitution.

And in Iraq, before the US-led invasion:

Following the Gulf War, Saddam’s supposedly secular regime gave way to strict Islamic rule. In order to gain popularity among Arabs and Muslims, he became what is called in Arabic, “the believer president,” and he launched a campaign to severely limit women’s rights in the name of Islam. Women lost many of their government jobs, were not allowed to travel without a male guardian, were allowed to be forced into marriages, and honor killings were excused. Between 1990 and 2000, 4,000 women died in honor killings and these killings were completely excused as justifiable under the law. This whole process culminated in 2000 when about 200 women labeled as dissidents were arbitrarily called prostitutes, and were publicly beheaded and speared on the doorsteps of Saddam’s sons.

One of the greatest things about the War on Terrorism in Afghanistan and Iraq, in my estimation, has been the positive treatment of women in those respective countries. It's still not a walk in the park, but at least they're not being publicly beheaded anymore.

Get Firefox

2006-05-07T18:35:00.000-07:00

Have I mentioned the fact that I use Firefox? If you don't know what it is or aren't using it, get it NOW!

If you do know what Firefox is, then this will be really funny to you. More videos here.

Exxon CEO on Today Show - VIDEO

2006-05-04T19:51:00.000-07:00

First, let me make this very clear: I NEVER WATCH NBC'S TODAY SHOW. Ok, thanks.

Anyway, The Today Show invited all 6 of the major oil companies on to their show to explain the current crunch at the pump but only Exxon's Rex Tillerson accepted the offer. He did a great job responding to Matt Lauer's questions, pointing out, for example, that only 30% of their profits are generated from American oil consumption and that the oil companies had quite a long run of very dry years over the last couple decades. In only 1998 a barrel of oil sold for under $10 (I remember filling up for $.99 a gallon in high school).

Gas prices really stink right now, but anybody who took half a semester of economics knows that supply and demand dictate prices and right now there's a lot of demand coming out of China and India. You'd have to be a real conspiracy theorist to think that several of the largest, highly regulated, highly visible corporations in the world get together in dark rooms in the dead of the night to artificially set the price of oil. Or, you could be a politician engaged in political posturing with 2006 elections coming up.

By the way, the Republican Congress voted to allow drilling in ANWR in 1995, which would have taken about 10 years to develop oil producing capacity, but Clinton vetoed the legislation. If he wouldn't have vetoed it, we would have received some relief at the pump right about now.

Day of No Traffic

2006-05-01T21:18:00.000-07:00

I'm not too impressed with the "May Day" protests, also referred to as the "Boycott America" protests. Why don't they boycott from Mexico, if it's so rotten here? Because the policia might shoot them there, that's why.

But, one excellent result of the protests today was the free flowing freeways I took advantage of on the way to and from work. It wouldn't bum me out at all if they protested the rest of the week, too.

Islamic Protests Outside Israeli Consulate, NYC

2006-04-23T11:52:00.000-07:00

"Zionists, Zionists You will pay! The Wrath of Allah is on its way!
Israeli Zionists You shall pay! The Wrath of Allah is on its way!
The mushroom cloud is on its way! The real Holocaust is on its way!"
Israel won't last long ... Indeed, Allah will repeat the Holocaust right on the soil of Israel"

You probably wouldn't be surprised if you heard Islamofacist Fundamentalists chanting these anti-Semitic slogans somewhere in the West Bank, but a group of these nuts actually gathered outside the Israeli Consulate in NYC in plain view and earshot of any who cared to listen. One of the protestors held a sign that read, "The Holocaust is a lie" and another pictured the White House with an Islamic flag flying over it. In some European countries denying the Holocaust is illegal, by the way.

The NEFA Foundation has video footage.

The protestors were all male, dressed in camouflaged fatigues and yelled mostly about wiping Israel off the map but also included some threats against America for good measure.

My question is, why is this ok? Let's flip the scenario for just a minute. If a militant group of Jews rallied in NYC chanting slogans such as "down with Islam, we'll kill you all" it would probably be shut down right away and then, of course, the media would be all over it for days and days.

Or, if a group of anti-homosexuals gathered outside GLAD and threatened to wipe them off the face of the planet it wouldn't take more than 60 seconds before they were put in jail.

None of these scenarios are good, or likely, but my question is, why is Anti-Jewish hate speech from openly hostile and militant Islamic Fundamentalists given a free pass? Where's the media uproar? Where's the outrage from peaceful Muslims? Where's the hastily called together anti-hate seminar on college campuses where Jewish students can talk to counselors about how they felt "threatened". Where's the civil rights industry? Jesse Jackson?

Unfortunately, anti-Semitism is alive and well. In today's politically correct culture the only groups of people who are allowed to be openly mocked, ridiculed, harassed and threatened are Jews and Christians. Oh, and conservatives. I went to college, I know.

I'm not saying any group of people should be treated in such a way, just pointing out the double standard imposed by the leftist way of thinking that brought political correctness mainstream in the first place.

Protestor Yells While Chinese President Hu Speaks at White House

2006-04-20T21:30:00.000-07:00

This was pretty big news today. A protestor managed to get within shouting distance of the ChiComm leader as he spoke at the White House. Good for her!

She shouted in heavily accented English, "President Bush: Stop him from killing" and, "President Bush, stop him from persecuting the Falun Gong."

She might have added, "Stop him from putting Christians in jail, beating and killing them," too.

It took a few minutes for White House security to get to her.

No surprise here, but Chinese media did not mention it.

The Web sites of the state-run China Central Television and the official Xinhua news agency made no mention of the protest. Both said that "Bush held a solemn ceremony to welcome" Hu.

China permits about three dozen foreign television channels to be distributed in China, mostly entertainment channels, but also CNN and the BBC among others. Their signals, however, must first pass through a state-owned monitoring center, allowing the government to black out news stories it dislikes - and it routinely does so.

Expose the Left has CNN video coverage of the whole thing.

Newt Nails It

2006-04-17T20:38:00.000-07:00

In my previous post, I discussed what Republicans can do to boost their vote-getting efforts in November. Every poll indicates that Americans are very unhappy with this Republican Congress, myself super-included.

Newt Gingrich goes into further detail and, I think, explains perfectly how the Republicans have lost the trust of most voters. Expose The Left has the Fox News interview with Newt available for download.

Translating Google in China

2006-04-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

I'm going to expand upon a recent run-of-the-mill news story regarding Google's foray into China. My thoughts are in italics.

BEIJING (AP) - Google Inc. (GOOG) CEO Eric Schmidt on Wednesday defended the search engine's cooperation with Chinese censorship as he announced the creation of a Beijing research center and unveiled a Chinese-language brand name. (Google's slogan, Don't Be Evil, only applies in the US.)

Google is trying to raise its profile in China after waiting until January to launch its Chinese-language site Google.cn. Activists have criticized the company for blocking searches for material about Taiwan, Tibet, democracy and other sensitive issues on the site. (Raising Google's profile is almost as important as raising Google's profits.)

"We believe that the decision that we made to follow the law in China was absolutely the right one," Schmidt said at a news conference. (Do you know how much $$$ we can make???)

He said Google had to accept restrictions in order to serve China, which has the world's second-largest population of Internet users after the United States, with more than 111 million people online. (DO YOU KNOW HOW MUCH $$$ WE CAN MAKE???)

Schmidt also announced the creation of a research center in Beijing that he said should have 150 employees by mid-2006 and "eventually thousands of people." He said the center is meant to create products for markets worldwide, though he said planning was still in such an early stage that he didn't know what they might be. (We even provided jobs for 150 locals. They will monitor Chinese web surfers' use of google.cn for suspicious search terms, like "freedom" and "democracy".)

Schmidt was speaking at a ceremony to announce Google's Chinese-language brand name - "Gu Ge," or "Valley Song," which the company says draws on Chinese rural traditions to describe a fruitful and rewarding experience. (Which the company said draws on it's desire to mask the fact that it's cooperating with an oppresive communist regime.)

Talking to reporters later, Schmidt said Google's managers were stung by criticism that they accepted Chinese censorship, but said they haven't lobbied Beijing to change its rules. (We don't really want to rock the boat. Have you heard what happens to the people that get put in jail here?)

"I think it's arrogant for us to walk into a country where we are just beginning to operate and tell that country how to operate," he said. (Unless that country is the United States. In which case, screw you.)

Asked whether Google might try to persuade Beijing to change its restrictions, Schmidt said he didn't rule anything out, but said it hasn't tried to change such limits elsewhere. He noted that Google's site in Germany is barred from linking to Nazi-oriented material. (You see, in Germany, Nazi-oriented material is considered hate speech. In China, democracy-oriented material is considered hate speech. It's a subtle cultural difference, but Google is committed to working within cultural norms.)

"There are many cases where certain information is not available due to local law or local custom," he said. (In China.)

Schmidt said China accounts for only a small portion of Google's revenues because the company has only recently obtain a license to allow it to carry local advertising. But he said the company expects China to be an important part of its future business. (Ahem: 111 million internet users. Yeah, we're gonna make some serious dough here pretty soon.)

One possible Google project in China would be to make Chinese books available online in digital form or to use translation software to produce English-language editions, Schmidt said. (We're not sure if we're going to upload the Chinese pirated versions or the Chinese pirated versions.)

He said the Beijing technical center could quickly become Google's biggest outside the United States, surpassing its European lab in Zurich, Switzerland. (It's going to take a lot of people to monitor 111 million and counting Chinese internet users. The Chinese police can only do so much.)

Chinese universities "are now churning out a very large number of very, very good programmers," he said. "So we are moving quickly now to hire the best and the brightest." (Because Americans and Europeans just flat out refuse to work with an oppresive, communist, freedom-hating, information-stifling, brutal Chinese government.)

Advice for Republicans (November)

2006-04-09T12:42:00.000-07:00

The AP discusses the "rough year", to quote House Majority Leader John Boehner, Republicans are having leading up to November's election. But, he had this to say regarding the agenda Republicans have to offer voters this year:

"I think House Republicans are committed to making sure that we keep America prosperous, that people have access to health insurance, that we spend their taxpayer funds wisely, and to make sure that we increase our border security and our national security."

I'd like to address each of these four issues Boehner thinks Republicans have been strong on and offer suggestions on how Republicans can connect with voters in the Fall based on these issues.

1) Keeping America prosperous. Extend and make permanent the tax cuts. Americans know how to spend and invest their money better than politicians in Washington do. The incentive for working Americans is to see their money grow, either by investing it in the stock market, starting a small business, or putting it in low risk mutual bonds, etc. All this helps the economy grow and produces jobs. The incentive politicians have is to spend other people's money in ways that favor Special Interests, who fund their re-election campaigns. Republicans can help keep America prosperous by allowing Americans to create jobs on their own.

2) Access to health insurance. It doesn't take a rocket scientist to know that health care premiums have surged in recent years. In California, a majority of small-businesses now do not offer coverage because of the unsustainable costs associated with health care. Inc.com has info here. This too:

Since 2000, health-insurance premiums have surged 73%, the study reported, with annual premiums for family coverage reaching $10,880 in 2005. Of that amount, workers paid about $2,713, or 26%. And while premium increases slowed in 2005 -- to 9.2% from 11.2% in 2004 -- they continue to rise faster than inflation and wages, researchers said.

I'm not a fan of regulation, but the insurance industry needs a good butt kicking. Insurance companies are like blood sucking leeches, their only real purpose being to collect premiums from small businesses that can barely afford them. Let's keep health insurance privatized (because it would be worse if the government was in charge), but if Republicans want everyone to have access to health care they better confront the insurance companies with tough legislation limiting their power to use and abuse people.

3) Spend taxpayer funds wisely. So far, Republicans earn an F on spending. Fiscal 2006 has the highest dollar amount in pork spending on record at $29 billion. Sure, the infamous "Bridge to Nowhere" got axed, but only because Americans strongly voiced their disapproval. Read a detailed list of 2006 pork projects here, if you can stomach it. The GOP was once regarded as the party of fiscal accountability, but that era is long gone. As the saying goes, "all power corrupts and absolute power corrupts absolutely". Republicans can earn points with voters by demanding an end to pork barrel spending and putting that money instead towards the deficit.

4)Border and National Security. One would think that sensitive issues such as national security and a secure border would be off limits to partisan political fighting, but unfortunately that is not the case. Republicans need to get real with the border problem. Democrats are unable to address the border situation clearly because they see every illegal alien as a potential vote. Republicans, on the other hand, should reject "guest worker programs" and other band-aid fixes to a serious problem. A majority of Americans want tighter controls on immigration, according to a March Zogby poll:

Americans want their lawmakers to deal with the problem of illegal immigration, the poll shows, and are willing to put their money where their mouth is. Nearly two in three (62 percent) said they would prefer that their congressman support more restrictive immigration regulations.

11 million illegal aliens currently reside here. My guess is 99% of them are hard working people, merely looking for an opportunity to better care for their families. But in a post 9/11 context, we need to understand that an open border carries dangerous consequences. Make it easier for Mexicans to immigrate legally, but we must have a secure border.

Personally, I wouldn't mind if Democrats gained some ground in the November elections. The Republicans have let power go to their heads and need a reminder that they are the party of federal constraint, fiscal accountability and a strong defense. When they stay true to that message voters vote them into office.

Jesus Walked on Ice, Not Water!

2006-04-06T11:34:00.000-07:00

The Discovery Channel is reporting that Jesus actually walked on ice, not water.

Doron Nof, professor of Oceanography at Florida State University, and colleagues report in the April issue of the Journal of Paleolimnology (the study of prehistoric lakes), that a rare combination of water and atmospheric conditions in northern Israel could have led to the formation of "springs ice" on the surface of the Sea of Galilee, now known as Lake Kinneret.

That's really funny.

IBD asks, Religion of Peace?

2006-04-02T23:26:00.000-07:00

Good questions. I'm no scholar of the Koran, but there's gotta be something in there that makes devout followers want to chop the heads off of "infidels". Investors Business Daily gets right to the point. And yes, the Koran "orders Muslims to 'instill terror into the hearts of the unbeliever' and to 'smite above their necks' (Surah 8:12)?"

Mexican Students Protest Pending Illegal Immigration Legislation

2006-03-27T15:05:00.000-08:00

Thousands of Mexican students walked out of classes across Southern California today to protest legislation passed by the House and currently being debated in the Senate that would restrict illegal immigration.

Liberals and immigrant activist groups equate the protests to similiar demonstrations that occurred during the Civil Rights era of the 1960's. Conservatives and border security activists say the legislation is an important step towards protecting an overly pourous border.

The fact is, approximately 11 million illegal immigrants currently reside in the US. One side of the debate argues that they play a vital role in the economy, performing jobs that US citizens won't do. The other side points out that illegal aliens drain local economies by taking advantage of public schools, hospitals, etc, but without contributing their fair share. Both sides have validity to their arguments.

Except for a very small population of Native Americans, everyone in the US is the product of immigration. And there's a good reason people want to move here and not Mexico. We have jobs, safety and a relatively open political system that keeps corruption to a minimum. We are a nation of immigrants seeking better lives for our families. My own paternal grandparents escaped the harsh treatment of Catholics in Belfast, Northern Ireland, to come here. America has been very good to the Irish, indeed.

So, I understand the alarm caused by this legislation to Mexicans in Southern California. And I'm glad to see that even though many people in the protests are waving Mexican flags, many more are waving American flags. But they should be protesting current immigration legislation that makes it very difficult to immigrate here legally. We have to obey immigration laws, but Congress should makes those laws reasonable.

Hopefully, Congress will pass healthy legislation that will address the border security issue and the illegal immigration issue together. In a post 9/11 world they are not unrelated. The little I know of what the House passed indicated that pastors and churches would be required to check the legal status of Hispanics before helping them with social services. Obviously, this piece of the bill needs to be thrown out the window. Enable police and immigration authorities to do their job, but don't restrict churces from doing thiers.

What we need is a good, calm debate. Mexicans need to realize that they are welcome to immigrate, but they need to do it legally. Congress needs to make immigrating here legally easier. Guest worker programs are a sham. They are a disgrace to the integrity of America and the dignity of foreign workers. Businesses who hire illegal immigrants need to be shut down.

There are probably no easy answers to this debate, but my hope is the illegal immigration issue gets addressed in a respectful tone, where both sides don't use the race card, and the end result is a safer border.

One last comment. An economics professor of mine in college said in class one day, in regards to illegal immigration, "You can have an open border or you can have a welfare state. You can't have both."

Evangelical Teens Rally Against "Popular Culture"

2006-03-26T20:44:00.000-08:00

These kids have their heads screwed on straight. 25,000 Christian youth rallied in front of San Francisco City Hall against teen pregnancy, drug abuse, and suicide, among other things. In their crosshairs was MTV and corporations who use sex to sell their goods. But not everybody was happy about the group protesting in San Fran. Local Assemblyman Mark Leno had these thoughts: "they're loud, they're obnoxious, they're disgusting, and they should get out of San Francisco." Referring to the Christians, not MTV. He's a Democrat, in case you were wondering.

The rally is part of the Battle Cry For a Generation movement started by Ron Luce. The goal is to help curb teen instances of drub abuse, pregnancy and suicide by drawing kids into a relationship with God through Biblical instruction.

Ahh, the Bible. So controversial in places like San Francisco.

Filmaker Gets the Boot at Yale

2006-03-24T11:56:00.000-08:00

Director Evan Coyne Maloney was forced to leave Yale's campus by university Police after trying to interview Yale administration officials about their decision to admit ex-Taliban spokesman Sayed Rahmatullah Hashemi as a new student to the prestigious Ivy League university. Although Yale has taken a lot of criticism for it, the higher ups refuse to think critically about the fact that they've just admitted a former (and probably current) enemy of the United States during an ongoing war in Afghanistan.

Check out the link to Evan's blog, On The Fence Films. They've got pictures and a short round up of events.

N. Korea Kills Newborns With Disabilities

2006-03-22T13:49:00.000-08:00

A defector from North Korea is reporting that the communist country does not have any people with disabilities because newborns are killed if they are born with handicaps. The defector is a doctor but said he did not participate in any of the killings himself.

South Korea is under a lot of pressure because it refuses to openly criticize human rights abuses in the North.

South Korean officials have said the best way to improve the situation is through quiet diplomacy and encouraging the North to improve its food situation and open up to the international community.

Bunch of wimps. I have news for the South Koreans: European leaders of the day tried to appease Hitler but he killed as many people as he possibly could before the Americans had to bail out the Europeans. Again.

Doesn't South Korea have nukes? Why don't they take out Kim Jong? It would be very easy. Wait until nighttime and then fire the bombs at the only buildings with lights. This would be communist party leaders because the rest of the country lives sans electricity.

Afghan Man to Face Death For Converting to Christianity

2006-03-21T20:15:00.000-08:00

Post Taliban, too. Read the story here. An Afghan man converted to Christianity and now may be sentenced to death by the local po-po and it's not even a violation Afghanistan's constitution.

If Hamid Karzai doesn't step in end this madness, I think we should immediately pull all of our 23,000 troops out of Afghanistan. There are Christian soldiers over there dying to help Afghanistan become a stable and free democracy and this is the result of their sacrifices?

Makes me mad, mad, mad.

From the article:

Nicholas Burns, undersecretary for political affairs, said he understands the complexities of the case and promised the United States would respect Afghan sovereignty.

WHAT? We respect the sovereignty of nations that appropiately wield their power, not Islamo-facist neanderthals who recieved whatever influence they have from US forces in the first place.

Sadly, Christians are persecuted, tortured and killed around the world every day in places like China, Indonesia, China, Sudan, China and China, but in these countries our influence is limited, if we have any at all. However, we are currently in the process of nation building in Afghanistan via yours and my tax dollars. So help me, I will write every elected official in this nation encouraging them to withdraw every bit of American aid to the last ounce if these bastards execute this man.

Bush Is No Conservative

2006-03-16T22:11:00.004-08:00

Everyone laughs when I say that, but less and less. Peggy Noonan agrees with me.

The Real Story In Iraq

2006-03-15T23:27:00.000-08:00

Ralph Peters gives a first hand account of the real story on the ground in Iraq. Here's a couple excerpts:

During a recent visit to Baghdad, I saw an enormous failure. On the part of our media. The reality in the streets, day after day, bore little resemblance to the sensational claims of civil war and disaster in the headlines.

And:

If anything surprised me in the streets of Baghdad, it was the surge in the popularity of U.S. troops among both Shias and Sunnis. In one slum, amid friendly adult waves, children and teenagers cheered a U.S. Army patrol as we passed. Instead of being viewed as occupiers, we're increasingly seen as impartial and well-intentioned.

Quagmire, indeed. Bush's Vietnam. You would think that the Democrats want us to lose based on their statements. Someone should give Teddy a tour of Baghdad and see if he changes his criticism of Bush. That would never happen. Whiskey's hard to find in Baghdad.

Republicans Happier Than Democrats

2006-03-15T13:28:00.000-08:00

And they have been every year since the Pew Research Center began tracking in 1972. Click here and scroll down to "Political Party Affiliation".

On a personal note, I have to say that I'm a pretty happy person, whereas many of my Democrat friends seem agitated a lot.

Interesting research.

Dramatic Rise in Federal Entitlement Programs

2006-03-14T08:38:00.000-08:00

This just proves my point that Bush is not a conservative. USA Today has the story here.

The number of people receiving federal aid for social services such as food stamps, pell grants and health care rose 17% from 2000 to 2005, while the population as a whole grew only 5%. It's the largest increase in federal aid for social services since the Great Society era of the 1960's!

Hmmm, then it's probably no surprise that Treasury Secretary John Snow this week is strongly urging Congress to raise the national debt ceiling because the government is almost out of cash.

Call him what you want, but President Bush is certainly no Ronald Reagan. He's more like Richard Nixon, who actually drastically expanded Democrat Lyndon Johnson's Great Society programs during his time in office.

For the record, I don't believe we should cut welfare completely out and leave people to fend for themselves. My philosophy is that it's the job of the Church and the community to care for the poor, not the federal government's. The problem is that the Church and the community have dropped the ball.

Instead of increasing the reach of the federal government into poor people's lives, Bush and Congress should pass legislation that incentivizes Churches and neighborhood communities to care for the poor in their area, thereby decreasing the role of the government and putting the burden back where it belongs, on us, the citizens.

By the way, people didn't generally starve to death en masse prior to the 1960's. There was a time when this nation was much more community based - where brother helped brother and the only thing the federal government was responsible for was delivering the mail and maintaining the military.

Gay Marriage and Polygamy

2006-03-13T08:18:00.000-08:00

Proponents of gay marriage tend to discredit the argument that the legalization of same sex marriage will ultimately lead to the legalization of polygamy, for starters. However, NRO's Stanley Kurtz has a great piece today exposing not only the people behind legalization of polygamy, but that their agenda is indeed closely tied to the gay marriage agenda.

Baseball Fan Gives Commies Grief With Anti Castro Sign

2006-03-11T17:48:00.000-08:00

This is too funny. A fan at the World Baseball Classic in Puerto Rico held up a sign that said "Down With Castro" and was promptly confronted by the top Cuban official on hand, who was then removed by Puerto Rican police to a nearby station where they gave him the rundown on free speech. Sorry Fidel, can't put people in jail in other countries, just your own. To top it off, the fan made sure Fidel's son, Tony Castro, the Cuban team's doctor, got a good glimpse of it before yelling, "this is for your dad."

Crazy capitalists.

Church Regulated For Helping With Katrina

2006-03-09T23:42:00.000-08:00

An African-American church in Chesapeake, Virginia, tried to help out with hurricane Katrina relief by collecting and storing furniture, toys and other items but ended up getting nailed for Conditional Use Permit violations. The story is here.

Smart governance allows real people to help real people, keeping the government as far away as possible (so they don't mess it up further). This stuff irks me.

Sheehan at UCSD

2006-03-08T21:56:00.000-08:00

Somehow, the College Democrats managed to get Cindy Sheehan and others to attend an anti-Iraq War, anti-Bush, anti-America "discussion" at UCSD, my alma mater, the other day. The MSM hasn't given it much coverage, but as you can tell from our hometown paper not a whole lot of people showed up.

However, what was said there was pretty out of control. LGF has a link to 3 minutes of audio from the event. So sad, so sad to see such ignorance at such a fine university.

Kind of embarrassing for the alumni, too. Not like I was ever going to give any money to those commies at UCSD anyway.

Live And Let Live?

2006-03-07T22:44:00.000-08:00

A group of homosexuals associated with Soulforce, a homosexual advocacy group, is on a bus tour of 19 Christian colleges and universities to confront those colleges that ban homosexuals from enrolling.

For the record, I didn't know any college in America actually banned homosexuals from enrolling. That's a bit outdated, if they even enforce it. Christian colleges, especially, should welcome gay students with open arms because what better opportunity for a homosexual to be transformed by authentic love?

Anyway, that being said, whatever happened to "live and let live"? Isn't that what the homosexuals have been fighting for all these years? They should practice what they preach!

Update! Click here.

Union Heads Party at Posh Hotel Del

2006-03-07T20:15:00.000-08:00

What's worse than top AFL-CIO Union brass holding their annual executive meeting at one of the most prestigious and expensive hotels in Southern California? Crossing the picket line to get there.

That's right. Unionfacts.com caught up with these champions of the working man at the Hotel Del Coronado in San Diego last week, where average rooms run $600 per night. But the real story here is the fact that a local carpenters union is currently picketing the hotel over a labor dispute!

In other words, the AFL-CIO union bosses had to cross the picket line to enjoy their stay at one of San Diego's finest hotels. Solidarity, union style.

Unionfacts.com has pictures here.

Real Life Hollywood Soldiers

2006-03-07T17:45:00.000-08:00

Well, from a bygone era, that is.

Today, Hollywood stars hold down two full time jobs: making [stupid] movies and criticizing any and all things American. Loudly. As they up their rancor over the War in Iraq, while calling the vice president a "terrorist", fewer people seem to have the desire to support an industry that prides itself on being "out of touch" with the rest of us.

Well, there was a time when Hollywood's finest rolled up their sleeves alongside average Americans and joined the fight against evil by proudly joining the military. The US military!

Little Green Footballs has a list of some of these old school Tinseltowners here.

Students Heckle Bill Clinton

2006-03-06T08:18:00.000-08:00

I got excited when I saw the headline "2 Students Heckle Clinton at University", hoping a couple of conservatives gave the former Prez a hard time during his speech. But, turns out it was just a couple of hippies calling him "war criminal".

Criminal, yes. But felony and misdameaner stuff, like lying to a congressional jury. No war crimes. Unless you consider a lack of going to war over, say, this, a crime.

Media Distort General Casey's Words

2006-03-05T21:14:00.000-08:00

From the Mudville Gazette:

-TRANSCRIPT-

Q. General Casey, David Cloud with the New York Times. You mentioned, I think, a few minutes ago that there were reports of ISF assisting the militias. Can you expand on that a little bit, and how widespread was it? I think you mentioned east Baghdad . Can you just give us a sense of how widespread the problem of sectarian violence within the ISF has been over the last few days?

GEN. CASEY: The reports that we have is that they were allowing the Mahdi militia to pass through their checkpoints. And, obviously, this is not something that we are going to condone, nor will the Iraqi security force leadership condone.

But as I said, this is different than August '04 and April '04. The militias didn't take over anything, or if they did, it was quite fleeting. And when the Iraqi security forces showed up, they, by and large, yielded control.

We have a story of a Mahdi militia that went into a Sunni mosque in Baghdad and intended to remain there overnight. And a brigadier general from -- a brigade commander from the Iraqi army went in and talked them out and let them go on their way. Now, that's an Iraqi solution to an Iraqi problem, but it's Iraqi security forces dealing with the challenges that they're faced with.

The NY Times filed this report based on the above interview, including this:

"Casey said that in some instances, the mostly Shiite security forces gave armed Shiites free rein in Baghdad and Basra, where reprisal attacks on Sunni mosques and clerics took days to contain."

Great objective analysis, as always, from the "Newspaper of Record". It's just that their "record" isn't exactly accurate. Like in this instance. And this one. Ok, one more.

8 Years 4 Months for Duke

2006-03-04T10:34:00.000-08:00

Randy "Duke" Cunningham will most likely spend the rest of his days in a federal prison after being convicted and sentenced to 8 years 4 months for taking bribes from defense contractors. The picture is from last year when he announced he wouldn't run for re-election as prosecutors began their investigation.

This story hits close to home because the now vacant 50th District is right here in San Diego's North County.

I'm sorry to say that Cunningham is a Republican, but as the saying goes, "All power corrupts..." The primary election to find a replacement is coming up on April 11th and, understandably, all those running are toting honesty, accountability and ethics as their primary qualifications. The ads run non-stop on talk radio. In fact, a student from my wife's law school is even running!

As a conservative, one of the things that irritates me the most about Congress is the size and scope of power and influence enjoyed by its members. Besides maintaining a standing military, running the post office and producing currency there's not much left that state and local politicians can't do on their own. These people have access to way too much power, so it's not surprising when a highly decorated Vietnam Vet like Cunningham loses his sense of moral accountability for a few niceties like yachts and millions of dollars in cash.

Our nation's Founding Fathers weren't in it for the money, that's for sure! One of my favorite stories involves a trip Benjamin Franklin and John Adams made together at the beginning of the Revolutionary War. Eager to end the uprising quickly, the commanding British general in New York sent a representative to the Continental Congress in Philadelphia requesting a delegation to be sent to him to talk about peace terms. They sent John Adams and Ben Franklin, however not to discuss peace terms but to reinforce the fact that this war wasn't going to end until all the king's men were safely located on the other side of the pond.

The journey took a few days and along the way Adams and Franklin spent the night in an overcrowded inn. Because there was a lack of beds available they had to sleep in the same bed. Neither complained and in the morning they were on their way.

I know it's not possible or even feasible in the context of 21 Century America, but I have a feeling that if our politicians were forced to ride into Washington on horses, stay for six months in dorm-like accommodations until the legislating was over, get back on their horses and ride home to their "real" jobs, the instances of congressional abuse of the people and their tax dollars would probably decline dramatically. Just a thought.

UCI Muslims Protest Mohammed Cartoon Panel (Outside)

2006-03-01T22:37:00.000-08:00

Why is it that fringe protest groups always wield signs that carry fantastically ironic or blatantly false messages? Many pictures and insight from the protest here.

One of my favorites: "Muhammad: Protector of Women"

That's kind of like saying "Cat: Protector of Mouse"

Al-Qaida Issues New "Rules" for Oil Attacks

2006-03-01T22:07:00.000-08:00

Al-Qaida's top "thinkers" issued a 63 page booklet laying out their new "rules" for attacking oil facilities in the Mid East. It seems times have changed and what was once off limits is now acceptable to blow up, Allah willing.

Good thing Arabs have Al-Quida looking out for their best interests, otherwise the occupying Americans would continue their reckless destruction of Iraq by building schools, water treatment centers, power grids, hospitals, oil infrastructure, etc. I just hope Al-Qaida's fearless warriors can blow it all up before the Americans build so many public works projects that the Arabs would never be able to recover from the devastation of 21st Century living standards. Allah willing, of course.

Gates of Fire - Michael Yon

2006-02-26T19:20:00.000-08:00

I just discovered the work of Michael Yon, a former Special Forces soldier turned writer who spent a great deal of time in Iraq embedded with the "Deuce Four" army unit in Mosul. His work is an accurate and gritty account of the real day to day experiences American soldiers and Iraqi citizens endure over there.

This piece, called Gates of Fire, is well worth 15 minutes of your time. He has no political agenda - only writes what he sees.

Project Implicit

2006-02-25T20:54:00.000-08:00

I found this online test very interesting. It's part of a large-scale study of preferences that allows you to "assess your conscious and unconscious preferences for over 90 different topics ranging from pets to political issues, ethnic groups to sports teams, and entertainers to styles of music".

So far, I've done the tests on race and religion. In both instances, the results were inconclusive, but with regards to religion it noted that I slightly prefer Judaism to other religions (besides Christianity, of course). Actually, I strongly prefer Judaism to other religions, so maybe the test isn't so accurate after all.

*UPDATE. I've just finished the political test. "Your data suggest a slight automatic identification with Conservatives compared to Liberals." As opposed to "moderate", "strong" or "little or no preference". Hmmm, I'm starting to trust the validity of this test more and more because anyone who knows me would probably pin the "strong" identifier on me, not "slight". There was no option for "come hell or high tide".

Feminist Credit Union

2006-02-24T20:53:00.000-08:00

This picture is NOT altered by photoshop. I took it tonight on a walk with my wife in University Heights. If you don't believe me, I'll send you the address and you can see for yourself!

Facts Regarding Signers of the Constitution

2006-02-23T11:31:00.000-08:00

This is from an email I sent out to friends and family a while ago:

As the courts maintain their assault on any hint of Christianity in the public square in the name of constitutional propriety, consider the following quotes and facts regarding the 55 signers of the Constitution.*

“The general principles, on which the fathers achieved independence, were…the general principles of Christianity.” – John Adams

“Religion is the only solid basis for good morals; therefore education should teach the precepts of religion and the duties of man toward God.” – Gouverneur Morris, penman of the Constitution. He spoke 173 times on the floor in the constitutional convention, more than anyone else.

“Human law must rest its authority ultimately upon the authority of that law which is divine....Far from being rivals or enemies, religion and law are twin sisters, friends, and mutual assistants. Indeed, these two sciences run into each other.” – James Wilson, one of George Washington’s first appointments to the Supreme Court and writer of the first legal commentaries on the Constitution.

William Samuel Johnson. “You have, by the favor of Providence and the attention of your friends, received a public education, the purpose whereof hath been to qualify you the better to serve your Creator and your country…Your first great duties, you are sensible, are those you owe to Heaven, to your Creator and Redeemer. Let these be ever present to your minds, and exemplified in your lives and conduct.” – William Samuel Johnson, as spoken to the first graduating class at Columbia University after the Revolutionary War. In Lee v Weisman, 1992, the Supreme Court ruled that a rabbi’s prayer at a public school graduation ceremony was unconstitutional and amounted to “subtle and indirect coercion…forcing students to act in ways which establish a state religion.”

“In the beginning of the contest with Britain, when we were sensible of danger, we had daily prayers in this room for the divine protection. Our prayers, sir, were heard; -- and they were graciously answered…And have we now forgotten that powerful Friend? Or do we imagine we no longer need its assistance? I have lived, sir, a long time; and the longer I live, the more convincing proofs I see of this truth, that God governs in the affairs of men. And if a sparrow cannot fall to the ground without his notice, is it probable that an empire can rise without his aid?” – Benjamin Franklin (possibly the least religious of the Founding Fathers)

- 24 of the 55 singers of the Constitution held seminary degrees.

- John Witherspoon was responsible for two American translations of the Bible.

- Charles Thompson was responsible for the Thompson translation of the Bible

- Benjamin Rush was a founder of the Philadelphia Bible Society.

- Francis Hopkinson completed the fist American hymnal by putting all 150 Psalms to music.

- Abraham Baldwin served seven years as a chaplain during the Revolutionary War.

- Charles Coatsworth Pinckney and John Langdon founded the American Bible Society.

- James McHenry started the Baltimore Bible Society.

- Roger Sherman, Jacob Broom and John Dickinson were theologians who wrote major treatises on the doctrines of Christianity.

- The opening session of Congress, September 7, 1774, started with a 3 hour prayer and included a study of Psalms 35 and 37. John Adams later commented that the prayer and Bible study gave them hope for the first time that they could defeat the British.

- The phrase “separation of church and state” does not exist in the Constitution and was never mentioned during the Constitutional Convention. Thomas Jefferson, who was in France when the Constitution was written, coined the phrase in a private letter in 1802.

The 55 signers vigorously debated the tenets of the Constitution before its final draft. Is it possible that they understood the “constitutionality” of Christianity in the public square better than modern day activist judges who improperly interpret it? Wherever you land on this issue today, Christian influence played a major role in the lives of many of the men who drafted our most important legal founding document.

Best Regards,

Terrence

* Taken mostly from “Is America one nation under God?” www.rickgreen.com

Good Arguments to Allow Dubai Ports Takeover

2006-02-23T10:33:00.000-08:00

Jack Kelly has laid out some great reasons why we should allow Dubai Ports to take over control of the ports previously managed by the Brits. I like his blog because it's called "Irish Pennants", but he's also very smart and well known.

The best thing about this deal is that it's forced all the players to take a good look at the facts. If, at the end of the day, the facts prove Dubai Ports is sufficiently capable of taking over control and poses no security threat, then no harm done. However, if the debate sheds light on a potential security threat, then all the better. Whatever the case, I still don't like the idea of a foreign government-held corporation having such a prominent position in such a sensitive domestic arena. Even if they are "allies" in the War on Terror. That could change tomorrow, after all.

Video exposes what happens when Muslims feel offended

2006-02-22T18:33:00.000-08:00

Michelle Malkin has a video that is worth watching. It's heavy, but then again Islam fundamentalism is a heavy subject. I just don't get it.

For the record, those signs read "Butcher those who mock Islam" and "Slay those who insult Islam".

Ironically, the only people who have died so far as a result of the cartoon protests have been Muslims themselves. This whole mess is really sad.

Cartoon Poll

2006-02-21T16:08:00.000-08:00

The WSJ has an online poll asking readers whether or not American newspapers should run the Mohammed cartoons. Almost 90% believe they should.

Passing Off The Ports

2006-02-21T08:11:00.001-08:00

President Bush has no problem leasing out the management of six of the nation's busiest ports, including New York's, to Dubai Ports World, a state-owned business in the United Arab Emirates. For obvious reasons (such as...SECURITY), several governors and congressmen from both parties are opposed to the idea.

The first clue that this might not be a good idea for, say, SECURITY REASONS, is the fact that Former Czar Jimmy Carter says he has no problem at all with it. Regarding the deal, he said: "I don't think there's any particular threat to our security."

Me thinks that if President Bush always does exactly the opposite of what Jimmy Carter recommends then this nation would be in fine shape indeed.

China and the Net

2006-02-18T10:59:00.000-08:00

Stepping up their control over who says what over the internet in China, a local police department in the city of Shenzhen just introduced "Jingjing and Chacha, the animated online icons", which monitor the city's discussion forums and websites. They are cartoon icons of policemen force online users to think twice about breaking any of China's strict internet use laws.

Some of the quotable quotes from Chen Minli, director of the Shenzhen City Public Security Bureau's Internet Surveillance Center:

-----"Now internet users know the police are watching them."

-----"All around the world there are internet police, but they always operate backstage... No other internet police have stepped to the front of the stage," she says. "We really feel that this is a historic breakthrough."

-----"He is just like a policeman, interactively moving along with you. Wherever you go, he is watching you."

And my favorite, in response to criticism from other countries about the communist government's fierce grip on the internet in China:

-----"In my family, if my child does not lay her chopsticks down properly, then I will smack her, but maybe in your family you are too relaxed about such things," Ms Chen says. "Each family has its own rules and countries are the same."

Okey dokey, that about sums it up. Try as they might, and kill whom they may, the commies will eventually lose their battle to control the free flow of information among Chinese citizens through their use of the internet. At least, I hope so. No thanks to MSN, Yahoo and Google.

$1 Million for the head of the cartoonist

2006-02-17T14:03:00.000-08:00

Just when you thought the Mohammed cartoon controversy couldn't get any wackier, a Pakistani cleric offered a $1 million bounty today to anyone who would take out a cartoonist for the "despicable and shameful act" of drawing the prophet. Take out as in 6' feet under. You draw, you die. The cartoonists (there were actually 12 of them) have been in hiding since last year.

The announcement occurred outside a historic mosque in Pakistan. I'm sure moderate Muslims across the world will respond to this in deafening silence in defense of their "peaceful" religion. I don't understand why Muslims are so slow to criticize the fanatics in their faith who grab media headlines with their violent remarks and actions. Understandably, Muslims in the Arab world would want to stay quiet out of fear for their lives, but why don't American and European Muslims make an effort to publicly denounce these morons?

There's some hypocrisy in the homeland over these cartoons, as well. The New York Times refused to print the Mohammed cartoons because of the deep offense Muslims have taken to them, but the Times had no problem printing an image of Mary in elephant dung.

Of course, the Times probably wasn't too concerned with Catholics taking to the streets over the perceived offense.

I still believe there is no reason to publish the cartoons, if for no other reason than to spare the loss of innocent life. By that I mean innocent Muslim life since as far as I know the only people to die so far have been rioters. That being said, it would be nice if the newspaper of liberal record had the same respect for Christians as it does for Muslims. But o well.

brrreeeport would rather hunt with Cheney than ride with Kennedy

2006-02-15T22:36:00.000-08:00

brrreeeport would rather hunt with Cheney than ride with Kennedy. (This is a techie nerd test.)

Cheney vs Kennedy

2006-02-15T20:14:00.001-08:00

With the media in a full frenzied furor over the fact that they were not informed of Cheney's hunting accident within nanoseconds of the bird shot embedding itself in the face of Harry Whittington, perhaps now would be a great time to remind everyone that Ted Kennedy did not inform the media of the events at Chappaquiddik until, um...until the cops found the dead body of Mary Jo Kopechne in his car the next day. But, those were the days before AM talk radio, the blogosphere and Fox News. The good old days, right Ted? So, without further ado, a great bumper sticker:

Good News From Iraq

2006-02-14T21:01:00.000-08:00

The following is an excerpt of a letter written by the Mayor of Tall 'Afar, Iraq to the men and women of the 3rd Armored Cavalry Regiment (thanks to the Mudville Gazette):

"Our city was the main base of operations for Abu Mousab Al Zarqawi. The city was completely held hostage in the hands of his henchmen. Our schools, governmental services, businesses and offices were closed. Our streets were silent, and no one dared to walk them. Our people were barricaded in their homes out of fear; death awaited them around every corner. Terrorists occupied and controlled the only hospital in the city. Their savagery reached such a level that they stuffed the corpses of children with explosives and tossed them into the streets in order to kill grieving parents attempting to retrieve the bodies of their young. This was the situation of our city until God prepared and delivered unto them the courageous soldiers of the 3d Armored Cavalry Regiment, who liberated this city, ridding it of ZarqawiÂs followers after harsh fighting, killing many terrorists, and forcing the remaining butchers to flee the city like rats to the surrounding areas, where the bravery of other 3d ACR soldiers in Sinjar, Rabiah, Zumar and Avgani finally destroyed them."

By the way, isn't it curious that the mayor of this Iraqi city correctly refers to the murderous thugs as "terrorists" but CNN and their Euro-pleasing, Manhattan-dwelling, victim-bashing cohorts in the national media stubbornly label them "insurgents"?

2 Dead in Pakistan Rioting

2006-02-14T11:42:00.000-08:00

In my recent post on the debate over whether or not American newspapers should run the Mohammed cartoons I argued that the cartoons should not run here because that would only make matters worse. Why stoke a raging fire any further?

Sadly, 2 people died during riots in Pakistan today as angry Muslims continued their demonstrations against European countries whose newspapers ran the cartoons. This is really disturbing and could have been avoided. But, their culture is much different than ours. Where we might write a letter to the editor over on offense (maybe even cancel a subscription) they burn down buildings and cause death to their fellow rioters. It's really sad and I hope they stop self-destructing soon if for no other reason than to spare the lives of more people.

One of the more rational leaders of the Muslim world over the whole mess has been Afghan President Hamid Karzai:

"God instructs us to forgive. Therefore, we Â as much as we condemn it strongly Â must stay above this dispute and not bring ourselves ... to equating ourselves to those who have published the cartoons..."

Well, I wouldn't necessarily equate publishing controversial cartoons to rioting and killing, but Karzai's point is a good one: let it go. Let's hope this thing blows over soon before more people needlessly die.

Cheney: Evil Bastard

2006-02-12T22:23:00.000-08:00

Dick Cheney accidentally shot a fellow hunter while on a hunting trip in Texas this weekend. The guy is fine and evidently it was partly his fault for walking up unannounced just as Cheney was firing at some quail.

The funniest part about this story is the photo of Cheney the AP used in the article. Who knows when/where it was taken, but it obviously wasn't taken while Cheney was hunting this weekend. But, one thing is for sure: Cheney definitely looks like he wants to take someone out. Just another example of fabulous photo editing on the part of the AP. They're so objective, aren't they?

Global Warming

2006-02-12T18:06:00.000-08:00

"The National Weather Service said 26.9 inches of snow had fallen in Central Park, the most for a single storm since record-keeping started in 1869. The old record was 26.4 inches in December 1947." More here.

So much for global warming.

Cartoons Debate on CNN

2006-02-10T09:48:00.000-08:00

Wolf Blitzer hosted a short and sharp debate on the Mohammad cartoons between conservative talk show host Bill Bennet and Arab American Institute president James Zogby yesterday. I thought both sides held their own and presented good reasons to run/not run the cartoons.

Go here to download and view the 10 minute video segment.

This may surprise some of you, but I don't see the need for American newspapers to run the cartoons. Are we that insecure about the vitality of our freedom of the press that we need to further infuriate one billion Muslims just to prove a point? I don't see it as "giving in" but laying low and avoiding fueling an already-blazing fire.

Muslim newspapers have no problem portraying Jews, Americans and Westerners in the most despicable manner, but Jews, Americans and Westerners don't voice their anger by burning buildings and killing innocents in mob reaction. At some point, you just have to call it like it is and realize that these people are going to riot, people are going to die and it's just not worth it.

Also, it's nice to see the Euro-socialists take some heat for a change. (Although the fact that it was European newspapers printing the cartoons did not stop the burning of American and Isreali flags during the protests.)

The UAW's "Marshall Plan"

2006-02-09T14:52:00.000-08:00

Hillary Clinton said today she supports the United Auto Workers (UAW) "Marshall Plan", which calls for the Feds to help bail out GM and Ford from their current heavy fiscal woes. But is this really the taxpayer's problem?

What it boils down to is the fact that the big US auto manufacturers cannot compete with their Japenese counterparts, mainly due to the suffocating grip the UAW has on the freedom and flexibility of American auto manufacturers to remain competitive in the marketplace.

For example, there are currently 12,000 auto workers who show up each day for an 8 hour work day earning full wages and benefits, but they don't actually work. They hang out at a "job bank" and spend their time watching videos, doing crossword puzzles and just plain sitting around. The Detroit News published an excellent article on this in 2003. The program is part of an agreement the UAW reached with the auto makers in the 1980's that allows workers to remain on the company payroll if their position is eliminated due to advances in technology or efficiency on the assembly line.

At one time, unions were much needed to protect blue collar workers from exploitation. But old remedies for old problems won't help them protect workers facing globalization in the 21st Century. Guess that's why I drive a Tundra.

Jimmy and Bobby

2006-02-08T17:06:00.000-08:00

Jimmy Carter and the Rev. Joseph Lowery used the funeral of Coretta Scott King as a soapbox to take swipes at President Bush, who was in attendance as well, on Iraq and federal wiretapping. Polls show a majority of Americans favor the wiretapping in question. In 1980, election polls showed a majority of Americans favored removing Jimmy Carter from office. But anyway, here's Jimmy at the funeral:

"It was difficult for [the Kings] then personally with the civil liberties of both husband and wife violated as they became the target of secret government wiretaps."

A not-so-sublte rebuke to the President who sat within punching distance of Mr. Carter.

The funny thing is, it was then Attorney General Robert Kennedy who approved the wiretapping of the Kings. Who was, of course, a Democrat. Like Jimmy.

And what's up with Democrats turning funerals into political rallies? Remember Paul Welstone?

Not to say that we shouldn't debate the wiretapping, the WMDs and Chappaquiddick, just not at funerals.

About Little Rock At The Cove

2006-02-01T13:48:00.000-08:00

Please go to my new blog, Go Pundit Go.