A great reason to BOMB IRAN

Why the hell didn't I think of this? What a great way to get the wackos behind bars and out of our lives:

"Hands Off Iran" [Noah Pollak]

Writing in The Nation, Chris Hedges would like you to know that in these times, he is suffering a terrible ordeal of conscience — and that it is not just his ordeal, but indeed the entire nation's.

I will not pay my income tax if we go to war with Iran. I realize this is a desperate and perhaps futile gesture. But an attack on Iran—which appears increasingly likely before the coming presidential election—will unleash a regional conflict of catastrophic proportions. This war, and especially Iranian retaliatory strikes on American targets, will be used to silence domestic dissent and abolish what is left of our civil liberties. It will solidify the slow-motion coup d'etat that has been under way since the 9/11 attacks. It could mean the death of the Republic.
...
I will put the taxes I owe in an escrow account. I will go to court to challenge the legality of the war. Maybe a courageous judge will rule that the Constitution has been usurped and the government is guilty of what the postwar Nuremberg tribunal defined as a criminal war of aggression. Maybe not. I do not know. But I do know this: I have friends in Tehran, Gaza, Beirut, Baghdad, Jerusalem and Cairo. They will endure far greater suffering and deprivation. I want to be able, once the slaughter is over, to at least earn the right to ask for their forgiveness.

Who is Chris Hedges? Not only was he a New York Times reporter for 15 years, he was its Middle East bureau chief in the 1990's. Yikes.

H/T The Corner

4 No Trump

Morons...reminds me of the Dixie Twits. Why don't we invalidate their passports so they can stay in China where it's nice and cozy for them? And look at these losers...we couldn't have an uglier team representing the US.

“I earn my living from bridge, and a substantial part of that from being hired to compete in high-level competitions,” Debbie Rosenberg, a team member, said. “So being barred would directly affect much of my ability to earn a living.”

Shoulda thought of that sooner, dumbass.

If HRC is elected, the Republic will FALL

After a press conference in Waterloo, IA yesterday, HRC thought about what it would be like to be president.

I fear this possibility. Fortunately, our nation's flag gave us a grave warning here.

What I find incredible is that she did not try to save the flag from touching the ground, as we were all taught in grade school. She simply pointed and said, "Oh, look". Can't we impeach her out of the Senate?

VS


You know, it's time that the TIMES realizes that the commies have been defeated...and needed to be beaten. They are pining for the days of FDR and JFK. Well, I say, NFW!

Check out this article in the NY TIMES today.

A sample of the foolishness:

In less than seven years, Mr. Bush has managed to boil that list down to its least common denominator: the president should get his choices. At first, Mr. Bush was abetted by a slavish Republican majority that balked at only one major appointment — Harriet Miers for Supreme Court justice, and then only because of doubts that she was far enough to the right.

Well, no. They balked at Miers because she wasn't QUALIFIED for the job...not because she was not "far enough to the right".

We need to waterboard a few of the TIMES folks.

Condi for President

Sigh...everyone is wringing hands over the latest in Pakistan.

Why is this such a hard choice? Let Condi be President of Pakistan.

YES OR NO TO ILLEGAL DRIVER'S LICENSES?

Did you know that states must allow folks to register to vote when they get their driver's license? Hmmm? Well, what do you think is going to happen when illegal aliens are allowed to get a driver's license? Hint: THEY'LL REGISTER TO VOTE!

Why in the world do we want to open up voter registration to more fraud? Don't we have enough problems with dogs, cats, and dead folks registering to vote?

Answer the freaking question, witch.

HILLARY IS A TRAITOR

Put her ass in jail NOW. She just said this in the debate:

Hillary: "We have to try diplomacy. I see economic sanctions as part of diplomacy." Cites North Korea and Libya again. "He does not have authority, and we will not allow him to take offensive action against Iran."

I think Ahmadinejad just stood and applauded. (H/T Campaign Spot)

If this isn't "aid and comfort to the enemy", nothing is. I'm serious...put her ass against a wall and shoot her for treason. Ok, ok, after a fair trial.

Two for Today

These pictures are not unrelated.

LT Michael Murphy, USN

Say a prayer tonight...

LIEUTENANT MICHAEL P. MURPHY
UNITED STATES NAVY

FOR SERVICE AS SET FORTH IN THE FOLLOWING

CITATION:

FOR CONSPICUOUS GALLANTRY AND INTREPIDITY AT THE RISK OF HIS LIFE ABOVE AND BEYOND THE CALL OF DUTY AS THE LEADER OF A SPECIAL RECONNAISSANCE ELEMENT WITH NAVAL SPECIAL WARFARE TASK UNIT AFGHANISTAN ON 27 AND 28 JUNE 2005. WHILE LEADING A MISSION TO LOCATE A HIGH-LEVEL ANTI-COALITION MILITIA LEADER, LIEUTENANT MURPHY DEMONSTRATED EXTRAORDINARY HEROISM IN THE FACE OF GRAVE DANGER IN THE VICINITY OF ASADABAD, KONAR PROVINCE, AFGHANISTAN. ON 28 JUNE 2005, OPERATING IN AN EXTREMELY RUGGED ENEMY-CONTROLLED AREA, LIEUTENANT MURPHY’S TEAM WAS DISCOVERED BY ANTI-COALITION MILITIA SYMPATHIZERS, WHO REVEALED THEIR POSITION TO TALIBAN FIGHTERS. AS A RESULT, BETWEEN 30 AND 40 ENEMY FIGHTERS BESIEGED HIS FOUR-MEMBER TEAM. DEMONSTRATING EXCEPTIONAL RESOLVE, LIEUTENANT MURPHY VALIANTLY LED HIS MEN IN ENGAGING THE LARGE ENEMY FORCE. THE ENSUING FIERCE FIREFIGHT RESULTED IN NUMEROUS ENEMY CASUALTIES, AS WELL AS THE WOUNDING OF ALL FOUR MEMBERS OF THE TEAM. IGNORING HIS OWN WOUNDS AND DEMONSTRATING EXCEPTIONAL COMPOSURE, LIEUTENANT MURPHY CONTINUED TO LEAD AND ENCOURAGE HIS MEN. WHEN THE PRIMARY COMMUNICATOR FELL MORTALLY WOUNDED, LIEUTENANT MURPHY REPEATEDLY ATTEMPTED TO CALL FOR ASSISTANCE FOR HIS BELEAGUERED TEAMMATES. REALIZING THE IMPOSSIBILITY OF COMMUNICATING IN THE EXTREME TERRAIN, AND IN THE FACE OF ALMOST CERTAIN DEATH, HE FOUGHT HIS WAY INTO OPEN TERRAIN TO GAIN A BETTER POSITION TO TRANSMIT A CALL. THIS DELIBERATE, HEROIC ACT DEPRIVED HIM OF COVER, EXPOSING HIM TO DIRECT ENEMY FIRE. FINALLY ACHIEVING CONTACT WITH HIS HEADQUARTERS, LIEUTENANT MURPHY MAINTAINED HIS EXPOSED POSITION WHILE HE PROVIDED HIS LOCATION AND REQUESTED IMMEDIATE SUPPORT FOR HIS TEAM. IN HIS FINAL ACT OF BRAVERY, HE CONTINUED TO ENGAGE THE ENEMY UNTIL HE WAS MORTALLY WOUNDED, GALLANTLY GIVING HIS LIFE FOR HIS COUNTRY AND FOR THE CAUSE OF FREEDOM. BY HIS SELFLESS LEADERSHIP, COURAGEOUS ACTIONS, AND EXTRAORDINARY DEVOTION TO DUTY, LIEUTENANT MURPHY REFLECTED GREAT CREDIT UPON HIMSELF AND UPHELD THE HIGHEST TRADITIONS OF THE UNITED STATES NAVAL SERVICE.

SIGNED GEORGE W. BUSH

Buy COB's book!

Head on over to Crotchety Old Bastard's website and help him out. He's written a book about the traitor Lindsey Graham, and every dollar can help to toss that bum out!

That is all.

Help STOP HILLARY!

Head on over to National Review Online and help!!!

President Bush as Saddam

Are you freaking kidding me? This is as bad as the Moveon.dumbass ad.

When will the American people say, "Enough is enough"? Let's hope that message is delivered loudly and clearly on election day. What do you want to bet the Demonuts won't condemn this ad, either?

USMC Rules for Gunfighting

Can't argue with any of these...(no disrespect to the Navy).

USMC Rules for Gunfighting

1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two guns. Bring all of your friends who have guns.

2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice. Ammo is cheap. Your life is expensive.

3. Only hits count. The only thing worse than a miss is a slow miss.

4. If your shooting stance is good, you're probably not moving fast enough nor using cover correctly.

5. Move away from your attacker. Distance is your friend. (Lateral and diagonal movement are preferred.)

6. If you can choose what to bring to a gunfight, bring a long gun and a friend with a long gun.

7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.

8. If you are not shooting, you should be communicating, reloading, and running.

9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.

9.5 Use a gun that works EVERY TIME.

10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

11. Always cheat; always win. The only unfair fight is the one you lose.

12. Have a plan.

13. Have a back-up plan, because the first one won't work.

14. Use cover or concealment as much as possible.

15. Flank your adversary when possible. Protect yours.

16. Don't drop your guard.

17. Always tactical load and threat scan 360 degrees.

18. Watch their hands. Hands kill. (In God we trust. Everyone else, keep your hands where I can see them).

19. Decide to be aggressive ENOUGH, quickly ENOUGH.

20. The faster you finish the fight, the less shot you will get.

21. Be polite. Be professional. But, have a plan to kill everyone you meet.

22. Be courteous to everyone, friendly to no one.

23. Your number one Option for Personal Security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation.

24. Do not attend a gunfight with a handgun, the caliber of which does not start with a ".4"

Navy Rules to Gunfighting

1. Go to Sea

2. Send the Marines

3. Drink Coffee

H/T OPFOR and GeoffMetcalf.com

General Lies and Power

From RedState...great parody of the morons at Moveon.dumbasses.

H/T RedState

Speak for yourself, Imbecile

Here's Harry Reid, as quoted today by the AP:

WASHINGTON — Senate Democratic leaders on Wednesday rejected the call by the top U.S. general in Iraq for a reduction of up to 30,000 U.S. troops in Iraq by next summer, saying it does not go far enough.

"This is unacceptable to me, it's unacceptable to the American people," said Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev.

Speak for yourself, you moron. It is perfectly acceptable to me...and I AM the American people.

Imbecile.

Clinton funding Hsu's defense?

I have had two conspiracy ideas in as many days, so I've used up my lifetime quota.

First, is the Chinese government trying to influence the Presidential election? Since so many investigators are pouring over Hsu's finances, and are (so far) unable to explain the source of Hsu's money, there's a fair amount of speculation that the Chinese government is funding him and has now tossed him to the wolves.

Second conspiracy thought: Hillary first announced that she was donating $23,000 of Hsu's contributions to charity. Now comes the headline:

Clinton to Return $850,000 in Donations Raised By Norman Hsu

Notice that Hillary isn't donating the money to charity...she's returning it. Is this a not-so-subtle way for her to fund Hsu's bail money? Why did she not donate this large sum to charity? Hmmm?

Ok, Hsu's not likely to even be offered bail after forfeiting the $2 million when he skipped town. But why are the Clintons sending this money back instead of donating it? Is this the start of the Hsu Defense Fund?

I'm not big on conspiracy theories (I grew up near the Grassy Knoll, and it ain't a sniper's platform). But...this one smells like the Clinton's are being too clever by half. And if you don't think Billy Boy is neck deep in this one, I've got a bridge for you...

Luciano Pavarotti R.I.P.

Here's a surprise: he's my all-time favorite for listening to while driving. There's NO ONE who can hit those high C's with the energy and that distinctive voice.

I first saw Pavarotti in Italy in 1978 while in college there. I also was lucky enough to get tickets to his concert at the Republican Convention in Dallas in 1984. (Aside: What could be more perfect than free drinks, a bunch of Republicans, and Pavarotti?)

I was hooked on him by Louis Bittrich, my English prof (and great friend) and his wife Nancy. Thanks, Doc, for introducing me to a treasure. Nessun Dorma!

UPDATE:

Here's another version of Nessun Dorma that's great.

And another...looks like from Rome.

Penn-demonium

AP
If we're going to whack Hugo, we might as well do it now. Drop a 2,000 lb JDAM. We can get a two-fer.

Let's just not allow Penn back into the country. Yea, that's the ticket!

NOBama 08

And I thought this was an anti Univ of Alabama sticker...

Pardon Me for not Paying Taxes

I LOVE this idea.

Most interesting idea:

Derb—-You said: 'Imagine, for example, President Ron II trying to push his bill to abolish the IRS through Congress. Congress! — whose members eat, drink, breathe and live for the wrinkles they can add to the tax code on behalf of their favored interest groups!' That's a good point, but please consider this: if elected President, Ron Paul can bring the income tax grinding to a halt by very publicly giving full pardons to anyone convicted of violating the IRS code. He could even deliver television speeches encouraging Americans to stop filing returns. Faced with a public rebellion, and with the "teeth" pulled from the IRS by the pardons, Congress would have little choice but to bow to Paul's will. See? I can dream too!

H/T The Corner

When Marines Eat Their Own

W. Thomas Smith, a Marine, says this about Murtha...

Murtha, who retired from the Marine Corps Reserve as a colonel, is a disgrace to his uniform and should never again refer to himself as a "Marine," former or otherwise. He is an ex-Marine, and is not fit to look a real Marine in the eye. And I know many senior Marines who — though perhaps not as vocal as I am about it — have expressed similar sentiments.

Don't piss off a real Marine. Murtha is whale dung...the lowest thing on the Earth.

H/T The Tank

Robert Heinlein and Society

H/T The Corner at National Review Online

Heinlein was a great libertarian. Here's a great, short piece on belief in man.

Our Noble, Essential Decency

by Robert A. Heinlein

I am not going to talk about religious beliefs but about matters so obvious that it has gone out of style to mention them. I believe in my neighbors. I know their faults, and I know that their virtues far outweigh their faults.

Take Father Michael down our road a piece. I'm not of his creed, but I know that his goodness and charity and loving kindness shine in his daily actions. I believe in Father Mike. If I'm in trouble, I'll go to him. My next-door neighbor's a veterinary doctor. Doc will get out of bed after a hard day to help a stray cat—no fee, no prospect of a fee. I believe in Doc.

I believe in my townspeople. You can knock on any door in our town, say, "I'm hungry," and you'll be fed. Our town is no exception. I've found the same ready charity everywhere. For the one who says, "The heck with you, I've got mine," there are a hundred, a thousand, who will say, "Sure, pal, sit down." I know that despite all warnings against hitchhikers, I can step to the highway, thumb for a ride, and in a few minutes a car or a truck will stop and someone will say, "Climb in, Mack. How far you going?"

I believe in my fellow citizens. Our headlines are splashed with crime. Yet for every criminal, there are ten thousand honest, decent, kindly men. If it were not so. no child would live to grow up. Business could not go on from day to day. Decency is not news. It is buried in the obituaries, but it is a force stronger than crime.

I believe in the patient gallantry of nurses, in the tedious sacrifices of teachers. I believe in the unseen and unending fight against desperate odds that goes on quietly in almost every home in the land. I believe in the honest craft of workmen. Take a look around you. There never were enough bosses to check up on all that work. From Independence Hall to the Grand Coulee Dam, these things were built level and square by craftsmen who were honest in their bones.

I believe that almost all politicians are honest. For every bribed alderman, there are hundreds of politicians—low paid or not paid at all—doing their level best without thanks or glory to make our system work. If this were not true, we would never have gotten past the thirteen colonies.

I believe in Roger Young. You and I are free today because of endless unnamed heroes from Valley Forge to the Yalu River. I believe in—I am proud to belong to—the United States. Despite shortcomings—from lynchings, to bad faith in high places—our nation has had the most decent and kindly internal practices and foreign policies to be found anywhere in history.

And finally, I believe in my whole race—yellow, white, black, red, brown—in the honesty, courage, intelligence, durability, and goodness of the overwhelming majority of my brothers and sisters everywhere on this planet. I am proud to be a human being. I believe that we have come this far by the skin of our teeth—that we always make it just by the skin of our teeth—but that we will always make it, survive, endure.

I believe that this hairless embryo with the aching oversized braincase and the opposable thumb—this animal barely up from the apes—will endure, will endure longer than his home planet, will spread out to the other planets—to the stars and beyond—carrying with him his honesty, his insatiable curiosity, his unlimited courage, and his noble essential decency. This I believe with all my heart.

OUCH...You're SO strong!

Check out the wimp handshake from Teddy. That's a real Texan handshake from the President. Teddy's got a broken drinking hand after this one.

H/T National Review...photo by Ron Edmonds/AP

Is this a Presidential Picture?

I shudder when I think that this picture could be hanging in all government buildings, all Federal courthouses, etc.

Just -- YUCK.

H/T The Corner

McCain Loses Presidency

As if he ever had a chance, this dope lost it when he voted "aye" for cloture on the Amnesty Bill today.

I hope he wrangled an invitation to Hyannis, because he won't be sleeping in the White House. Note to John: Don't drive with Teddy.

H/T National Review

The Immigration Bill in PLAIN ENGLISH

If you are not afraid, VERY AFRAID, of what can happen if this terrible bill passes, please read this great article by John Shadegg, Congressman from Arizona. Shadegg has obviously READ the bill (can Voinovich say that?) and clearly states the consequences if it passes.

Can you say "dirty bomb"?

Build The Fence, Deport Illegals who are Arrested, and Fine Employers who Hire Illegals. It really is that simple.

BTF DIA FEHI Good bumper sticker material.

H/T COB and The Corner

I Fear that It Is So

Re: Re: Lugar [Andy McCarthy]

I don't mean to be harsh regarding Senator Lugar. He is hardly a singular voice here. Unlike the foreign policy establishment, however, I have spent many years dealing with real live jihadists. Fact: They really do think they can and will win. They don't need a lot of hope to carry on — people willing to kill themselves in order to kill you are already pretty motivated. But they derive great hope from what they (rightly) see as our surrenders and our ambivalence — compared to their own great certainty and confidence.

I am not a fan of how the war has been directed, and I believe expending our time and effort on the democracy project rather than on defeating our enemies in Iraq and elsewhere will go down as one of history's great blunders. But with all that said, I note with the heartache of one who has seen it all too many times before: We will rue the day we leave Iraq without routing radical Islam. What we have not killed, we have made stronger.

H/T The Corner on National Review Online

This day in History -- 20 years ago today

"Mr. Gorbachev, TEAR DOWN THIS WALL".

One of the all-time greatest speeches, June 12, 1987. Watch and listen here.

I was in Berlin in the spring of 1990, just after the wall came down. The Berliners were all grateful to Reagan for leading the way.

WORST...SOPRANOS...EVER

Nuff said.

Sudafed and Methamphetamine

In Wisconsin, the state statutes state (get it?):

961.23(6)
(6) No person other than a physician, dentist, veterinarian, or pharmacist may purchase more than 7.5 grams of pseudoephedrine contained in a pseudoephedrine product within a 30-day period without the authorization of a physician, dentist, or veterinarian.

There is apparently a large Meth industry in Wisconsin, due to all of the state parks and forests throughout the western and northern parts of the state. In doing a little research I have found that one method of making Meth is to somehow cook products that contain ephedrine and come out with Meth. (See here for a link to the US Dept of Justice website on how it's made -- generally.) In its infinite wisdom, the state of Wisconsin now prohibits the purchase of small amounts of pseudoephedrine (see above). Ok, I get it...let's not sell large lots of Meth raw materials in order to restrict the flow of Meth being made in the state.

It turns out that 2 packs of Sudafed 12-hour tablets is about 8 grams. How do I know this? I tried to buy 2, and was restricted to 1. I went into the pharmacy where I know the pharmacist and most of the assistants. I'm not a Meth user, maker, or seller, and would gladly snap the neck of anyone making it or (worse) selling it to our kids.

I'm one of those people that always buys 2 when 1 would do. Hey, I snore, so to keep the Mrs. happy, I'll take a Sudafed now and then, especially now that the flowers are blooming. It's convenient having 2 packs -- one in the medicine cabinet, and one in my travel kit. But no -- can't do it. What a pain. And I'm not gonna go around the law and get the Mrs. to buy some, too. I could go to the doc and get a prescription for it...but it's called an over-the-counter-med for a reason. And why should I pay for a doctor's visit just to get some anti-stuffy meds? Dammit, why do a few morons make it so hard to just live a normal life?

And why does the state impose an inconvenience on me when it should be giving the local cops and sheriffs enough money to catch the bad guys?

Rosie the Irrelevant

Great post over at The Corner on National Review Online by Victor Davis Hanson. I think this is one of the best lines of the year:

That's why the "View" is so valuable, because it is our window on the moronic affluent American mindset, the perfect result of abject ignorance colliding with unchecked affluence. (Italics mine.)

Amen, brother.

And another thing...

Lower the drinking age back to 18. If you're old enough to vote and old enough to fight and (perhaps) die for your country, you are old enough to drink beer.

Period.

Help a Cop out

This headline from the AP caught my attention:

JANESVILLE, Wis. — A driver who was stopped for speeding and tested over the legal limit for blood-alcohol content, but was not arrested, was killed less than three hours later Monday when his car hit a tree, according to police.

Catch the full story on Fox News here.

I want to encourage you to join me and contribute to the legal defense fund for the poor cop that let this guy go. The driver, besides being a candidate for this year's Darwin Awards, wasn't even wearing his safety belt. I've been a vocal and tireless (and not-very-effective) opponent of mandatory seat-belt laws for adults. I truly believe that we all have the right to be dumb...and need to take a little personal responsibility in our lives, get the damn government out of the business of being a nanny, and pay the consequences for our actions.

Now I don't want to hear from the MADD folks on this. Yes, this guy COULD HAVE killed someone else. But he didn't -- he has taken the ULTIMATE responsibility for being one with nature (and that tree) now.

I don't give a damn about this guy's personal life, nor about what his problems were, nor why he was pounding some beers before he got in the car. Unless we're going to pass laws requiring sobriety tests at the exits to all bars and homes (not likely), we'll get this now and then. Our laws (and the punishments) are designed as deterrents to bad behavior. As long as we don't hurt someone else in the process, we need to think carefully where we're going to draw the line on legislating against bad behavior.

I know, I know, I AGREE that we should have DWI laws (where did the term 'DUI' come from, anyway?), and I think they should be enforced. But this cop stopped the guy, made him take the breath test, had a friend come pick him up, and sent them on their way. It sure as hell is not the cop's fault that the guy ended up behind the wheel later. Sure, he could have sobered up in the drunk tank. BUT...he'd just hit the bottle again the next day and wrap himself around that tree (or maybe around your bumper).

You know that this cop will lose his job over this...and all because he treated this guy as we'd like him to treat us if we were in this scenario. Reminds me of my Dad when I first "tasted" beer. He wouldn't give me aspirin the next day...said that I needed to understand what the price of beer was (besides the $1.99 per six-pack). Smart man, yes, he was.

Send money to this cop.

Personal responsibility...that's what it's all about.

Thank God he's an EX-President

This week, former President Jimmy Carter was asked about Tony Blair's legacy. Said the Pea-brained Nut from Georgia:

"I think that the almost undeviating support by Great Britain for the ill-advised policies of President Bush in Iraq have been a major tragedy for the world."

Now, it's one thing to criticize Blair (he should not), but it's quite another for the Peanut Man to take a shot at President Bush. An unwritten policy of gentlemanliness has always been followed by former Presidents: You don't criticize the President who's in office. As a Southerner, I'm embarrassed that Carter would show the lack of manners and class to violate this courtesy. Recall that neither Nixon nor Ford ever said anything bad about Carter while he was in office. They just didn't comment. A little professional courtesy would be nice, and, dammit, just plain good manners are lacking in this hick. I'm sure his mama, Miz Lillian, would slap him silly.

H/T COB

Immigration Reform (NOT) and Amnesty

Here's a great post from National Review Online. This should remind you why Ted Kennedy is a moron and can't be trusted behind the wheel of a car, let alone writing laws.

Ted Kennedy on Immigration [Mark Krikorian]

1965: "The bill will not flood our cities with immigrants. It will not upset the ethnic mix of our society. It will not relax the standards of admission. It will not cause American workers to lose their jobs."

1986: "This amnesty will give citizenship to only 1.1 to 1.3 million illegal aliens. We will secure the borders henceforth. We will never again bring forward another amnesty bill like this."

2007: "Now it is time for action. 2007 is the year we must fix our broken system."

H/T NRO 5/18/2007

Harry Reid, once again, worthless

Please visit COB's blog. This is very important and personal for him, as his son is currently serving in Baghdad with the 82nd Airborne.

And I propose a mass boycott of all of Nevada until the voters of Nevada get rid of this POS Harry Reid.

From COB:

http://crotchetyoldbastard.com/blog/2007/04/thank_you_senator_reid.html.

I humbly ask that you all give this the widest spread possible across your blogs or those that you frequent.

Senator Reid has gone beyond just pandering and political amatuerism; he is now endangering my son. I am sure that most of you can imagine how I feel. Imagine if one of your sons were in a dangerous place and a politician's acts and statements did no less than greatly increase his danger?

Again, I ask your indulgence but I think thousands of messages just might make a difference. It likely won't change Reid's position but I will copy the message to every Senator and, if nothing else, might steel the resolve of those who still believe in the US military.

Thanks for your help,

COB6

Texas Independence Day

Today in history, March 2, 1836, Texans gathered in Washington-on-the-Brazos signed the Texas Declaration of Independence from Mexico. The Alamo in San Antonio was under siege, and the Declaration was written - literally - overnight, between March 1 and 2. Texas became an independent nation until joining the Union in 1845.

Celebrate Texas Independence Day -- Kiss a Texan (preferably of the opposite sex).

Bush to TSA: One Strike and Yer Out!

It's good to see that President Bush has pledged to veto legislation that would allow TSA screeners to enter into collective bargaining. The role of the TSA is so crucial to our safety in the air that it should not have the right to attempt to impose work rules that would hinder the effectiveness (and safety) of the role screeners play in keeping us safe. Recall the Air Traffic Controllers that were fired by President Reagan for striking...this is a great sign that the President will continue to place the safety of the flying public ahead of the right to negotiate mission creep (aka work rules) for this group of employees. Bravo.

(Aside -- I'll get letters from my family on this. My wife's grandfather was a founder of the union at Ford, and was beaten up by Ford goons on many occasions. So that side of the family is still pretty liberal.)

Also, it's great news that a group of Senators has written to the President with a pledge to support his promised veto of this legislation. Here's a copy of the letter from the Senators to the President.

Let's keep the Friendly Skies as the Safe Skies.

H/T National Review Online

Munich Murtha

Here's Jack Murtha, surrounded by the Democrats in Congress, just after passage of the "Run Away" resolution.

But seriously, read Victor Davis Hanson today on NRO:

Do anti-war critics prefer to invade Pakistan? [Victor Davis Hanson]

I was watching the Scarborough cable news show this evening, where the talking heads went on and on about the impending Taliban spring offensive as the inevitable wage of our "taking our eye off the ball" by getting bogged down in Iraq-a country that didn't attack us and was not involved in 9/11 related terrorism.

Putting aside Saddam's violations of UN and armistice accords, and his long record of subsidies and sanctuary for various terrorists, or the 23 writs authorizing the war passed by the Congress, and ignoring the fact that over six decades ago, a much poorer United States fought simultaneously Germany, Italy, and Japan, and then in midst of rebuilding western Europe and Japan contained at the same time both communist China and the Soviet Union, there was no mention of WHY the Taliban was supposedly setting up camps with relative impunity in Waziristan and the other badlands of Pakistan.

Neither the host nor the animated guests offered any solution to how the United States is to engage in hot pursuit into or bombs over a nuclear Islamic country run by a dictator whose illegitimate rule hinges on concessions to Islamists. So until they offer a concrete plan on how to go into Pakistan to get al Qaeda, and why the resulting risks would be worth it, all their bombast about war mongering in Iraq preventing a solution to al Qaeda remains just that.

02/19 10:10 PM

H/T National Review Online

Good (and bad) Date in History -- 1/4/72

Just read Scott's post about his birthday, and I almost spit the beer out the nose when I read at the bottom "and the date is now forever marred by"...

Amen, brother. I would laugh if I wasn't so pissed off.

Read it for yourself here.

Oh, yeah, and Happy Birthday (again).

McCain for Prez --- NOT

I received one of those innocuous "surveys" from the McCain Exploratory Campaign, er, PAC today. I usually toss these in the round file unopened (anything with less than First Class postage goes in the round file at my house). But I thought, what the hey, I'll open it and see what the wacko questions would be. Mostly softballs, like "Do you think we should reduce waste in the Social Security System?". Um, er, ah, let's see...that's a tough one. No, no, yes...a bit. Pages and pages of this palaver. So, against my better judgement, I decided to answer the softballs and ask a few of my own, such as:

1. Since 2001, the Federal Budget has increased 52% ($1.9 trillion to $2.9 trillion). What have you done, Senator, to keep the budget in check?

2. In response to questions about the UN (gawd!), I said "Kick the UN out of NYC and stop our funding until the other nations step up and supply troops for Iraq and Afghanistan" After all, they voted for the meaningless resolutions.

3. "When are you going to repeal McCain-Feingold?" It's only the biggest unconstitutional limit on free speech since the invention of the muzzle. And you, Senator McCain, signed a bill with a Senator that wants us to pull out of Iraq TODAY! And I live in Wisconsin where the popcorn-fart Feingold is from. (You've never heard the phrase 'drier than a popcorn fart'? Must be a Texas thing.)

You know...my own softball questions back atcha.

And, as a loyal Republican, I even sent him a check...for exactly 2 cents. Hey, it's my 2 cents worth. I'll post a copy of the cancelled check if they have the guts to cash it.

Duncan Hunter for Prez! (H/T COB)

NBC's William Arkin -- Dumb and dumber

After the controversy he set off with his use of mercenary to describe US troops, Arkin then tried to weasel out and get by with what might be considered an apology by Hillary or Kerry or Murtha or Harry Reid:

I was dead wrong in using the word mercenary to describe the American soldier today.

These men and women are not fighting for money with little regard for the nation. The situation might be much worse than that: Evidently, far too many in uniform believe that they are the one true nation. They hide behind the constitution and the flag and then spew an anti-Democrat, anti-liberal, anti-journalism, anti-dissent, and anti-citizen message that reflects a certain contempt for the American people.

The above is from a new column written as an apologia. So, he apologises for calling soldiers "mercenary". Then he says the "situation might be much worse..." Gads...they "hide behind the constitution and the flag". Nope. They swear allegiance to BOTH, and stand IN FRONT OF THEM...PROTECTING THEM.

You bet it might be much worse, moron. All of those mercenaries might rise up (as only stupid, undisciplined, and desperate fighters can) and run you off of the road in your...wait, was that a Suburban?

Fox News caught this Greenpeace tree-hugger...loading a full-sized SUV on the way to or from a road trip! "Hey, man, leave me alone while I get outta here in my Suburban...wait, where's the gas station? $2.19 a gallon! That's a crime, man, I should be paying $5 a gallon like our brothers in Eurabia do."

This is your brain...this is your brain on STUPIDITY.

As I've said before, we really NEED morons like this in the world. It sure makes the rest of us plain-ole dumb rednecks look much smarter, don't it?

I'm Remodeling My House

Here's the start of a post from Uncle Jimbo over at Blackfive:

Accommodating Muslim intolerance

Posted By Uncle Jimbo

So now the prisons in the UK are going to turn all their toilets so Muslim criminals can crap in a directionally proper religious manner.

I have called my brother (who's a builder) and asked him to turn all of my toilets so that my ass-end will be pointing toward Mecca.

Monty Python and the Holy Grail comes to mind..."I fart in your general direction..."

Read the rest of Jimbo here.

Timely...and Timeless quote from Thomas Jefferson

“[A] Congress with power to do whatever would be for the good of the United States... as they would be the sole judges of the good or evil, it would be also a power to do whatever evil they please.” —Thomas Jefferson

From Patriot Post...www.patriotpost.us

Amen.

Blinking Pelosi

Got this one from my pal at crotchetyoldbastard.com

COLTS are in the SUPER BOWL

I'm a fan of Indy (as long as they're not playing the Cowboys). Peyton did a great job tonight. In honor of the win...

Chuck Hagel, American Traitor (screed 4)

I believe that we can have a loyal opposition. The problem is, when you're the opposition, you have an obligation to add suggested solutions to your opposition. For instance, let's stipulate that the American public school system is doing a poor job of teaching kids to read by the time they get out of high school. (Aside: If you don't agree to THAT premise, you can't READ). I think the schools are a problem, and I propose competition via vouchers. If you oppose school vouchers, you should state why, and state what your alternative solution is. And that solution should not be "keep the status quo". We've already stipulated that the status quo is a problem.

So...we have a problem in Iraq. In my humble opinion, the problem is NOT that we are not winning. The problem is we've politicised the war...and the soldiers aren't running it (I'm old enough to recall this same conversation about Vietnam...are you?).

The President of the United States has vast quantities of information available to him that you and I are not allowed to see...nor should we be. From my bald head to my toenails, I think Bush believed there were WMD's in Iraq...and, ahem, by the way, so did many Democrats. And there is a LOT more scary stuff out there that I don't know about, and I won't ever know about. But I damn sure want to be protected from it.

I have zero military experience...no jokes about it...it's zero. Who in the world am I to weigh in on whether or not our military strategy is right or wrong? I might say, "Stop, the costs are too high". But even this is not really fair to POTUS. As long as I agree with the premise of "we're in Iraq to root out WMD's, protect us from terrorists using it as a staging area, and stabilize it so that we can be a friend", then POTUS gets to keep doing what he thinks is right.

I say, let the President prosecute the war his way (He's the CINC, after all. Read your Constitution, if you are one the the few, we lucky few, who could read out of high school). I am not in a position to say if he's doing it correctly or incorrectly. If I hear enough bitching from the Colonels and the Majors and the Captains, plus the senior NCO's, who are the tip of the spear, then I'll worry that we've got it wrong.

With all that said, Chuck Hagel strikes me as a traitor. I don't throw that word out there lightly. He wants to cause the US to lose the war in Iraq. If you want us to lose, or to pull out before we're done (that's not a high-school joke), you're for the OTHER SIDE. It's not a normal war (Lee vs Grant). It's bad dudes in the hood acting out, and the rules of engagement need to be "when threatened, shoot first, ask questions later". Plus, let's let the Dems run with one of their favorite themes...gun control. If you're on the street in Iraq with a gun, and you're not a cop or a US or Allied soldier, you get one warning shot, then you're toast. Plus, I don't see a lot of white-tail deer in Iraq, so let's take away their guns for 5 years, and let them earn back the right to own them. (Don't for a minute think I'm for gun control in the US. We have the rule of law in my hood. We don't need to control guns in the hands of law-abiding citizens...we need Concealed Carry...but I digress).

When Hagel wants the US to lose in Iraq, or to pull troops out before we have subdued the bad guys and set up an environment that won't harbor terrorists, he needs to explain a good alternative to setting up that safe environment. If he can't, then strap a chute on Hagel's back and drop him into a Sunni hood in Baghdad. God will sort em out.

Hagel should say, "I don't agree with how the President is prosecuting the war, and his plan does not have my concurrence, but, by God, American soldiers are in harm's way, the CINC sent em, and I'll support 'em". Then Hagel should proceed to tell us how he proposes to win the war...and that war is about keeping the "24", the Clancy, and the David Hagberg scenarios from becoming real.

Chuck "Bonehead" Hagel

Alright, at the risk of 3 screeds in a row, here's a quote from Senator Chuck Hagel (R, NE):

The plan is ``the most dangerous foreign policy blunder in this country since Vietnam,'' Senator Chuck Hagel, a Republican of Nebraska, told Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice at a hearing of the committee today. (H/T: Bloomberg)

Let's see...Jimmy Carter and Bill Clinton come to mind as buffoons who committed foreign policy blunders greater than our new plan in Iraq.

Hagel needs to be taken out behind the woodshed by Bush (a la Reagan) and told to toe the damn line. Did Pelosi hit Hagel over the head with the gavel while she was all giddy and waving it around?

Here's a suggestion for Hagel: Head on over to Cabela's and shake hands there, asking these regular folks what they think about our efforts in Iraq. The hell with polls on the left and right coasts; Cabela's will give Chucky a much better picture of what his constituents REALLY think.

I really need to get off these rants...my blood pressure is getting too high.

Harry "Surrender" Reid

You just can't make this stuff up. This POS actually said:

Harry Reid on President Bush:

"I would hope the man realizes that more than 75 percent of his administration has been a total flop," said Reid. "There's 25 percent left. I hope he would [ask], 'What can we do together?' I repeat: It's as if he wants to fail." (H/T: National Review Online)

I am at a loss for words to describe my contempt for this "man". Wasn't there just an article about a woman removing a guys testicles with her bare hands? Nah, couldn't have been Harry...he never had testes in the first place.

The role of the Majority Leader is to reach across the aisle and work out compromises...not toss grenades to see how much (figurative) damage he can do by insulting the President. Even the Marine guards saluted Clinton as he entered and exited MarineOne...they didn't like it, but he was CINC. Poor Harry...he needs a week at boot camp to learn RESPECT.

I repeat: put a parachute on him and drop him into Anbar province with a fountain pen. Hell, drop him into one of the test ranges in Nevada...

Again, for the record (and for the Secret Service), I do NOT wish harm to come to Harry. I am insulted by him and wish to insult him in return.

Dick Durbin, Traitor and Scumbag

Pardon my language, but this jack-off should be voted out of office. Is it any wonder that he wants to pull our troops out of Iraq when this moron votes time after time to deny the citizens of Illinois the right to carry concealed weapons? If a turban-head tries to pull off a crime in Illinois, the most a citizen can legally do is throw spit-balls. Wonderful.

Durbin is a dirtbag that should be dropped into Bagdad with no body armor, no weapon (besides his twisted words), and an "America - Love it or Leave It" shirt on. We can then say goodbye to this waste of air.

I actually feel better now...not as good as if I could bitch-slap him (which I won't do, because assault is against the law). So, I wave my private parts at Dick-head Durbin.

I Want the Bumper Sticker

Check out this post from Crotchety Old Bastard. Gotta love this guy.

http://crotchetyoldbastard.com/blog/2007/01/new_national_emblem.html

More Stupidity in the NYTimes

No real comment needed.

The Times Lies About Enemy Combatant Law [Andy McCarthy]

The Times is flat dishonest in its campaign against subjecting enemy combatants to military proceedings, which the Grey Lady passes off as a page-one news article. Correspondent Tim Golden writes:

Under a law passed by Congress and signed by President Bush in October, this double-wide trailer may be as close to a courtroom as most Guantánamo prisoners ever get. The law prohibits them from challenging their detention or treatment by writs of habeas corpus in the federal courts. Instead, they may only petition a single federal appeals court to examine whether the review boards followed the military’s own procedures in reviewing their status as “enemy combatants.” [Emphasis added.]

It's hard to quantify how inaccurate (and, one is compelled to conclude, disingenuous) this is.

First, the law that governs these detainees is not the Military Commissions Act that President Bush signed in October. As that act makes clear, the review of Combatant Status Review Tribunals is actually governed by a law the president signed a year earlier, the Detainee Treatment Act of 2005 — specifically, Section 1005 of that law.

Second, by definition, a federal appeals court is not only a federal court; it is also a higher federal court than the single district court to which U.S. citizens must petition for a writ of habeas corpus. Leaving aside, moreover, that it is unprecedented in the history of the United States for enemy prisoners to have access to our courts during wartime to challenge their status as enemy prisoners, the al Qaeda detainees at issue here have actually been given access to the United States Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit, which, aside from being superior to all district courts, is often regarded as second only to the Supreme Court in our judicial hierarchy.

Third, it is simply not true that the D.C. Circuit is limited to examining whether the military's combatant status review tribunals "followed the military's own procedures in reviewing their status as 'enemy combatants.'" To the contrary, in addition to determining whether the military followed its own procedures, Section 1005(e)(2) expressly calls on the court to consider "to the extent the Constitution and laws of the United States are applicable, whether the use of such standards and procedures to make the determination is consistent with the Constitution and laws of the United States." (Emphasis added.)

To be clear, I believe the alleged combatants — aliens with no U.S. immigration status held by the military outside the jurisdiction of the federal courts during wartime — have no rights under the Constitution, and have rights under federal statutes only to the limited, if any, extent Congress has expressly made those statutes applicable outside our borders. Whether I am right or wrong about that, however, the detainees are still fully entitled to claim that the military's standards and procedures are inconsistent with federal law. They are not, as the Times asserts, limited to challenging whether the military's standards and procedures have been followed.

Fourth, the essence of habeas corpus is the right to claim that one's detention flouts fundamental rights under the Constitution and laws of the United States. While the detainees access to the D.C. Circuit is not called "habeas corpus," the Detainee Treatment Act precisely allows them to claim that their detention is in violation of their fundamental rights under U.S. law. Thus, although aliens held outside the U.S. are not constitutionally entitled to habeas review in the federal courts, Congress has substantially given it to them anyway.

Other than that, the Times really did a bang up job on this one.

Hat-tip: The Corner - National Review Online

Legal and Illegal Immigration

I am a big supporter of the border fence (especially in Texas) and really liked the border webcam test project that has just been completed at several Texas border crossings. It looks like the State of Texas is going to fund webcams all along the border.

In today's National Review Online, Charles Murray, libertarian extraordinaire, was asked his views on legal and illegal immigration. I thought this would be timely given the news breaking this morning about Swift Meat immigration raids.

From Charles Murray, via National Review Online:

What's my position on immigration? Well, since apparently someone asked (and I have never published anything on immigration), here goes.

Regarding illegal immigration:

1. Making laws about who gets to become a citizen, under what circumstances, is a legitimate function of the state.

2. Protecting borders is a legitimate function of the state.

3. Enforcing the law is a central function of the state.

4. Immigration reform must begin first with enforcement of existing immigration law. If it takes a wall, so be it.

5. And while I'm at it, I'll mention that English should be the only language in which public school classes are taught (except for teaching English as a foreign language) and in which the public's business is conducted.

Regarding legal immigration:

1. Immigration is one of the main reasons—I'm guessing the main reason apart from our constitution—that we have remained a vital, dynamic culture, but immigration of a particular sort: Self-selection whereby people come here for opportunity. That self-selection process used to apply to everyone. It still applies to the engineers and computer programmers and entrepreneurs who come here from abroad, but it is diluted for low-job-skill workers by the many economic benefits of just being in the United States. Most low-job-skill immigrants work very hard. But Milton Friedman was right: You can't have both open immigration and a welfare state. The tension between the two is inescapable.

2. Massive immigration of legal low-skill workers is problematic for many reasons, and some of them have to do with human capital. Yes, mean IQ does vary by ethnic group, and IQ tends to be below average in low-job-skill populations. One can grant all the ways in which smart people coming from Latin American or African countries are low-job-skill because they have been deprived of opportunity, and still be forced to accept the statistical tendencies. The empirical record established by scholars such as George Borjas at Harvard cannot be wished away.

3. I am not impressed by worries about losing America's Anglo-European identity. Some of the most American people I know are immigrants from other parts of the world. And I'd a hell of a lot rather live in a Little Vietnam or a Little Guatemala neighborhood, even if I couldn't read the store signs, than in many white-bread communities I can think of.

4. When it comes to the nitty-gritty, I would get rid of reuniting-families provisions, get rid of the you're-a-citizen-if-you're-born-here rule, and make immigrants ineligible for all benefits and social services except public education for their children. Everybody who immigrates has to be on a citizenship track (no guest workers). And I would endorse a literacy requirement. Having those measures in place, my other criteria for getting permission to immigrate would be fairly loose. Just having to get through the bureaucratic hoops will go a long way toward reinstalling a useful self-selection process. But, to go back to basics: None of this works unless illegal immigration is effectively ended.

I suppose other libertarians will disagree, but I don't see a single item in this approach that runs against the principles of classical liberalism.

Charles Murray

Hat Tip: National Review Online

Thanks to our Military -- and to hell with the ISG

I have the pleasure and honor to know many active-duty and retired military men and women. The quote below aptly represents, to a man, the attitude and spirit of each and every one of them. Too often we forget to say "thank you".

The Patriot Post
Founders' Quote Daily

"I am not influenced by the expectation of promotion or
pecuniary reward. I wish to be useful, and every kind of
service necessary for the public good, become honorable
by being necessary."

-- Nathan Hale (remark to Captain William Hull, who
had attempted to dissuade him from volunteering for
a spy mission for General Washington, September 1776)

THANK YOU.

Hat Tip: Patriot Post's Founders' Quote Daily

Traveler Profiling by the Feds -- Go Go Go

The Dept of Homeland Security and whoever it designates hereby has my permission to collect the data about me indicated in this story, as well as any other data it deems necessary to insure that I am not a security risk while flying. I've been a frequent flyer for 25 years, with over 2.7 million miles on Delta alone. I feel MUCH safer if they do this to EVERYONE flying.

FOXNEWS.COM HOME > POLITICS

Feds Quietly Assign Terror Risk Scores to Millions of Americans

Thursday, November 30, 2006

WASHINGTON — For the past four years, without public notice, federal agents have assigned millions of Americans and other international travelers computer-generated scores assessing the risk they pose of being terrorists or criminals.

The travelers are not allowed to see or directly challenge these risk assessments. And the government intends to keep them on file for 40 years.

Earlier in November, the government disclosed the existence and details of the Automated Targeting System (ATS) for the first time in the Federal Register. Privacy and civil liberties lawyers, congressional aides and even law enforcement officers said they thought the ATS had been applied only to cargo.

• Get more coverage at the Homeland Security Center.

The scores are assigned to people entering and leaving the United States after computers assess their travel records, including where they are from, how they paid for tickets, their motor vehicle records, past one-way travel, seating preference and what kind of meals they ordered.

The Homeland Security Department notice called it "one of the most advanced targeting systems in the world" and said U.S. ability to spot criminals and other security threats "would be critically impaired without access to this data."

Still, privacy advocates view ATS with alarm. "It's probably the most invasive system the government has yet deployed in terms of the number of people affected," David Sobel, a lawyer at the Electronic Frontier Foundation, a civil liberties group devoted to electronic data issues, said in an interview.

A similar DHS data-mining project for domestic air travelers — now known as Secure Flight — caused a furor two years ago in Congress, which has barred its implementation until it can pass 10 tests for accuracy and privacy protection.

So Help Me, Mohammed

I promise this will not turn into a rant.

Below is a link to a Dennis Prager column from today, stating that our one and only Muslim elected to Congress wants to swear on the Koran, not the Bible, during his oath of office. Mr. Prager makes THE salient point about this in his column -- what happens if an elected official wants to swear on a stack of Playboys? No, I'm not making this up -- read the article from the link below. Here are the first two paragraphs:

Keith Ellison, D-Minn., the first Muslim elected to the United States Congress, has announced that he will not take his oath of office on the Bible, but on the bible of Islam, the Koran.

He should not be allowed to do so -- not because of any American hostility to the Koran, but because the act undermines American civilization.

Read the entire article here.

H/T Townhall.com

New element Asinine-90

More from National Review Online...

Kerry Can't Apologize [Jonah Goldberg]
If you take Kerry's two statements — the written and unwritten — in their entirety, I really don't think he can apologize at this point. I really do think he could have defused this whole thing, maybe not entirely, by simply saying "I botched the joke and I'm really sorry it sounded like I was diminishing the talent and work of our troops, something I would never do. I take a back seat to no one in my respect for blah blah blah..." But now he's questioned the sanity, the integrity and the manliness of anybody who could have possibly taken him the wrong way. That means, in effect, that he's calling all these servicemen who understandably took offense at the plain meaning of his words, wusses and nutters. That makes Kerry a tool of the first order. And, if he apologizes now, with some Gilda Radneresque "never mind," it will once again reinforce his metaphysical toolishness. The guy thinks he can be president and he thinks he's doing what the "fighting Dem" base wants him to do. The problem is he has basically radiated himself with the isotope Asinine-90 and the only way the rest of his party can protect itself from radition poisoning is to sequester the guy in some lime-pit for 10,000 years until his asininity half-life deterioates to managable levels.

Amen, brother Hanson -- a must read

From today's National Review Online

Kerryism [Victor Davis Hanson]

Kerry surely must be one of the saddest Democratic liabilities around. Some afterthoughts about his latest gaffe, which is one of those rare glimpses into an entire troubled ideology:

(1) How could John Kerry, born into privilege, and then marrying and divorcing and marrying out of and back into greater inherited wealth, lecture anyone at a city college about the ingredients for success in America? If he were to give personal advice about making it, it would have to be to marry rich women. Nothing he has accomplished as a senator or candidate reveals either much natural intelligence or singular education. Today, Democrats must be wondering why they have embraced an overrated empty suit, and ostracized a real talent like Joe Lieberman.

(2) How could Kerry possibly claim that he was thinking of the uneducated in the context of George Bush, who, after all, went to Harvard and Yale?

(3) Some of the brightest and most educated Americans are not only in the military, but veterans of Iraq. Two of the best educated minds I have met-Col. Bill Hix and Lt. Col. Chris Gibson, both Hoover Security Fellows-were both Iraqi veterans. What is striking about visiting Iraq is the wealth of talent there, from privates to generals. Without being gratuitously cruel, the problem of mediocrity is not in the ranks of the military, but on our university campuses, where half-educated professors and non-serious students killing time are ubiquitous. Personally, I'd wager the intelligence of a Marine Corps private any day over the average D.C. journalist. Every naval officer I met at the USNA, without exception, seemed brighter than John Kerry, whose "brilliance", after all, has managed to offend millions of voters on the eve of a pivotal election. If the Democrats lose, it will be almost painful to watch the recriminations against Kerry fly.

(4) This is not the first, but third, time he has denigrated soldiers in the middle of a war-and there is a systematic theme: John Kerry's assumed superior morality allows him to pass judgment from on high about supposedly lesser folk who become tools of a suspect military: thus we go from limb-loppers and Genghis' hordes to terrorists to dead-beats. The only constant is that the haughtiness is always delivered in the same sanctimonious, self-righteous, and patronizing tone.

(5) The mea culpa that Democrats are blaming the war and not the warriors is laughable after Sens. Durbin, Kennedy, and Kerry have collectively compared American soldiers to Nazis, Pol Pot's killers, Stalinists, terrorists, and Baathists.

(6) The problem is that Kerry is not just a senator, but the most recent presidential candidate of the Democratic Party, and thus in some sense, especially given the diminution of Howard Dean, the megaphone of the entire party.

(7) His pathetic clarification, as he blamed everyone from Tony Snow to Rush Limbaugh, displayed the same Al Gore derangement syndrome, and thus raises a larger question: what is it about George Bush that seems to reduce once sober and experienced liberal pros to infantile ranting?

(8) And why is the supposedly lame Bush so careful in speech, and the self-acclaimed geniuses like a Ted Kennedy, John Kerry, or Howard Dean serially spouting ever more stupidities? For all the Democrats' criticism of George Bush, I can't think of a modern President who has so infrequently put his foot in his public mouth, and, by the same token, can't think of any opposition that on the eve of elections seems to have an almost pathological death wish.

The Democrats should use this occasion to have an autopsy of Kerryism, or this strange new tony liberalism, that has turned noblisse oblige on its head. It used to be that millionaire FDRs and JFKs felt sympathy for those of the lower classes and wished to ensure that the hoi polloi had some shot at the American dream. But today's elite liberals-a Howard Dean, Al Gore, Ted Kennedy, George Soros, Ted Turner-love the high life and playact at being leftists simply because they are already insulated from the effects of their own nostrums that always come at someone poorer's expense while providing them some sort of psychological relief from guilt. Poor Harry Truman must be turning over in his grave-from bourbon, cigars, and poker to wind-surfing and L.L. Bean costume of the day says it all.

Scares the Be-Jesus out of me

From National Review Online:

Concentrates the Mind [Mona Charen]

This is from Majority Whip Roy Blunt’s office. It’s a Who Would Be Who in a Democratic majority Congress. It's intended to scare Republican voters into showing up at the polls on November 7. It sure scares me.

Appropriations Committee Chairman David Obey (D-Wis.)
Elected 1969, 18th term
Rep. Obey voted with the AFL-CIO 100% of the time. Obey voted against the Deficit Reduction Act, against Defense Funding (FY06), against the Legislative Line Item Veto, and against funding the Global War on Terror (FY04).

“Mr. Obey was one of those Democrats who ripped Mr. Clinton for endorsing a balanced budget in 1995. Rather than cut spending, his goal would be to spend less on defense and more on domestic programs and entitlements.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

Ways and Means Committee Chairman Charlie Rangel (D-N.Y.)
Elected 1970, 18th term
Rep. Rangel voted with the ACLU 94% of the time. Rangel consistently voted against free trade agreements, against the Bush tax cuts, against Pension Reform, and against Welfare Reform.

Rep. Rangel “opposed the Bush tax cuts and recently voted against free trade with tiny Oman. His committee's crucial health care subcommittee would be run by California's Pete Stark (1972), who in 1993 criticized Hillary Clinton's health care proposal because the government wasn't dominant enough.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

“No question about it.” -Rep. Charles Rangel (D-NY), when asked whether tax increases across the spectrum would be considered should Democrats take control of Congress. (CongressDaily, 09/26/06)

Judiciary Committee Chairman John Conyers (D-Mich.)
Elected 1964, 21st term
Rep. Conyers voted with the AFL-CIO 100% and the ACLU 100% of the time. Conyers consistently voted against any liability reform, against the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization, against REAL ID, against the Child Interstate Abortion Notification bill, and against Border Protection and Immigration Reform.

“He recently made his plans clear in a 370-page report… the report accuses the Administration of violating no fewer than 26 laws and regulations, and is a road map of Mr. Conyers's explicit intention to investigate grounds for impeaching President Bush.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

Energy and Commerce Committee Chairman John Dingell (D-Mich.)
Elected 1955, 25th term
Rep. Dingell voted with the AFL-CIO 100% of the time. Dingell voted against exploring for American-made energy in ANWR and OCS, against reforming the Endangered Species Act, and against the Telecom Reauthorization bill.

“The Michigan Congressman would do his best to provide taxpayer help to GM and Ford. But telecom companies would probably get more regulation in the form of Net neutrality rules, and a windfall profits tax on oil would be a real possibility.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

Education and the Workforce Committee Chairman George Miller (D-Calif.)
Elected 1974, 16th term
Rep. Miller voted with the ACLU 95% of the time. Miller voted against Higher Education Reauthorization, against Head Start Reauthorization, and against Pension Reform.

Rep. Miller is “the chief sponsor of the ‘Employee Free Choice Act,’ which would make it much easier for unions to organize by largely banning secret elections… The Californian also wants to raise the minimum wage and fulfill the National Education Association wish to spend more federal dollars on local school construction.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

Financial Services Committee Chairman Barney Frank (D-Mass.)
Elected 1980, 13th term
Rep. Frank voted with the AFL-CIO 100% and the ACLU 95% of the time. Frank voted against the Bankruptcy Abuse Prevention Act, against Unlawful Internet Gambling Enforcement, and against Credit Rating Reform.

“…the ascension of Barney Frank (1980) would mean a reprieve for Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac, despite $16 billion in accounting scandals. His main reform priority has been to carve out a new affordable housing fund from the two companies' profits. And forget about any major review of Sarbanes-Oxley.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

Government Reform Committee Chairman Henry Waxman (D-Calif.)
Elected 1974, 16th term
Rep. Waxman voted with the AFL-CIO 100% and the ACLU 95% of the time. Waxman voted against the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act, against the formation of the Bipartisan Katrina Committee, and against 527 Reform.

Rep. Waxman “would compete with Mr. Conyers to see who could issue the most subpoenas to the Bush Administration.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

Intelligence Committee Chairman Alcee Hastings (D-Fla.)
Elected 1992, 7th term
Rep. Hastings voted with the AFL-CIO 92% of the time. Hastings voted against declaring that the U.S. will prevail in the Global War on Terror, against the 9/11 Recommendations Implementation Act, against Supporting Terrorist Finance Tracking, against the USA PATRIOT Act Reauthorization, and against Border Protection and Immigration Reform.

Rep. Hastings “who, should Ms. Pelosi succeed in pushing aside current ranking Member Jane Harman, would take over the House Intelligence Committee. Before he won his Florida seat in 1992, Mr. Hastings had been a federal judge who was impeached and convicted by a Democratic Congress for lying to beat a bribery rap. He would handle America's most vital national secrets.” (WSJ, 08/31/06)

*Group ratings are from 2004. Key votes are from the 108th and 109th Congress. Wall Street Journal quotes are extracted from “Back to the Congressional Future” editorial, August 31, 2006.

Part II: How NOT to treat a soldier

Comments on the previous post from a friend of mine...

Having lived in the UK and used the NHS I can attest that it is every conservative’s poster child for what can go wrong with a public health care system. In addition there is a huge south asian population in the UK, many of whom do not feel part of British Society. The war in Iraq in particular, but Afghanistan as well, is tremendously unpopular, so much so, that Blair is being forced out by his own party (ya gotta love parliamentary democracies). So it’s not surprising that the squatties (English for grunt) are being harassed while they languish in a squalid hospital. Still it’s appalling and will no doubt result in yet another backlash against British Muslims, further alienating the young and disaffected creating more opportunities for them to become radicalized.

Here in Canada we have followed a similar path. The Defence Medical Centres were closed over a decade ago. The rational was to save money by eliminating “duplicate” publicly funded health care systems (Canada, famously has a nation wide publicly funded health care system). At the time the rational made sense, spend millions on dedicated medical centres or on bullets and boots. We had beaten the godless commies and the probability of an all out war with anyone seemed highly unlikely. Now that we are in a real shooting war again we are getting a lot of seriously injured soldiers being returned to public hospitals. Since the brigade currently deployed in Afghanistan is based not far from Ottawa (where I live) most of the injured are being returned to a local hospital. By all accounts they are receiving excellent care. Though there has been controversies about how reservists (which make up about 30% of our combat arms formations) are treated if they receive disabling wounds. (i.e. they are screwed). The casualty rates would have overwhelmed our paltry military health care system anyways. Furthermore they would have lacked the expertise especially in specialty areas like Neurology.

Only the US has the resources to warrant such an excellent dedicated and parallel system.

As an aside my Regiment (The Royal Canadian Regiment) has just returned from a 3 week standup fight with the Taliban. They report that they now have wire guided AT missiles, mortars, crew service weapons and are not afraid to fight in the open and during the day. It’s getting ugly out there.

How NOT to treat a soldier

From National Review Online

Looking After the Troops [Andrew Stuttaford]

Via the Daily Telegraph:

A paratrooper wounded in Afghanistan was threatened by a Muslim visitor to the British hospital where he is recovering.Seriously wounded soldiers have complained that they are worried about their safety after being left on wards that are open to the public at Selly Oak Hospital, Birmingham. On one occasion a member of the Parachute Regiment, still dressed in his combat uniform after being evacuated from Afghanistan, was accosted by a Muslim over the British involvement in the country. "You have been killing my Muslim brothers in Afghanistan," the man said during a tirade. Because the soldier was badly injured and could not defend himself, he was very worried for his safety, sources told The Daily Telegraph... Liam Fox, the shadow defence secretary, called the treatment of wounded troops "an absolute disgrace". "They should be in completely separate wings even if this means shutting down entire NHS wards. It is a betrayal of our troops having them treated in mixed and open wards. Those who have been injured on operations must be with those who understand their predicament in a secure environment. "The Defence Secretary should be having urgent talks with the Health Secretary to do this otherwise this Government's commitment to our Armed Forces is nothing but talk." There is also resentment among serving troops unhappy about being treated in a NHS hospital that they believe is unsuitable for military patients. Soldiers on operations say they would rather receive a more serious injury and go to the top American military hospital in Ramstein, Germany, than end up in a NHS hospital. They now half jokingly refer to getting "a Boche rather than a Blighty" in reference to the wounds that would send them home. Ramstein has an outstanding unit for brain surgery, and neurological intensive care beds in Britain are in short supply. "The blokes see it that if you are unlucky you get wounded and go to the UK at the mercy of the NHS, but if you get a head wound you get sent to Ramstein in Germany where the US has an outstanding medical facility," said an officer serving in Afghanistan. "It also does not do morale much good knowing that within 18 hours of being wounded you could wake up in a NHS hospital with a mental health patient on one side and an incontinent geriatric on the other." ...In the past decade the seven military hospitals in Britain, Germany and Cyprus have been closed. The remaining military hospital at Haslar, Portsmouth, is expected to be sold to developers next year.

Incredible.