Sunday, March 30, 2008

Mucky Turns Tail and Runs? Oh Really?

UPDATE III: About that Arab League Summit, Iraq Refuses to Endorse Summit Statement
DAMASCUS, Syria -- "Iraq refused to endorse the final declaration of the Arab summit on Sunday because it did not condemn terrorism in the country, a divisive end to a gathering marred by disputes and boycotts."
This organization is such a farce. Every time they meet, they spend a few days fighting and bickering and posturing, then they issue stupid statements, and that's about the sum total of their accomplishments. So much for the Arab unity they claim to be seeking. Some day, the Arab world will shake off these idiots for good and re-enter the civilized world. I hope to see it before I kick the bucket.

UPDATE II: Iraq the Model provides more perspective. I'm so glad the brothers have started blogging again. And there's a great roundup at Iraqi Bloggers Central.

UPDATE: Mahdi Army taking significant casualties in Baghdad, South

Al-Sadr orders fighters to stop attacks

Well, it looks like he's taking a licking, anyway. I hope this isn't just the fat boy calling "hudna".
===============================================
Al Sadr Offers Surrender for Amnesty Disavows Own Fighters. Ever heard of the Arabic word "hudna". This positively reeks of hudna. I wouldn't give his surrender bit one iota of credence. He's not in charge and never has been. He has been used as a tool by Shiite militias since the beginning. Time to crush him and leave a big grease spot. I might turn into oil someday.

Again with the BWHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!!

Leaders increase Arab League budget after lack of funding complaint
"DAMASCUS, Syria: Arab leaders on Sunday increased the budget of the Arab League by US$10 million (€6.3 million), even though the body is already in dire financial straits because of member states' failure to pay dues."
[SNIP]
"the League faces a US$22 million deficit, or about 60 percent of its annual budget." (emphasis mine)
"Most contributions come from oil-rich countries like Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates."
Once again, a subsidiary of the Dictators 'r' Us Club (ie. the UN) proves that socialist dictatorships are sooooo avante garde.

Of course, they have more important things to do.

Saturday, March 29, 2008

Amen!!

I always appreciate Salim Mansur's essays. He is so right on this one.

World has stake in U.S. election
"Freedom, as President George W. Bush has repeatedly reminded Americans, “is not America’s gift to the world; it is God’s gift to all humanity.” "
[SNIP]
"Those who seek America’s defeat, or at a minimum retrenchment from the cause of defending freedom by those willing, as President John F. Kennedy said, to “pay any price, bear any burden” for liberty’s success, wish Obama wins the presidency.

Kennedy characterized his victory as a “celebration of freedom” and a renewal of commitment to its cause. So will McCain if he wins, given his commitment to remain in Iraq until embattled freedom there is secure.

November is still some distance away, and those not so fortunate as Americans blessed with liberty’s grace will remain hopeful that the next president will be one who will not appease freedom’s foes nor betray America’s trust in God’s gift to humanity."
I was in grade 10 when JFK was assassinated. Although I didn't think about the implications at the time, these many years later I think the adminstration in the school must have recognized that event as pivotal. Most certainly it was rare that the leader of one of the two most powerful nations in the world would be assassinated.

But for whatever reason, the entire student body was taken into the gymnasium to watch the funeral on television. I think that event, shutting down of regular classes and being marshalled, en masse into the gym, was more instructive than several days spent listening to history teachers in a class room. We were witnessing history in the making.

This was the height of the Cold War. Kennedy had just faced down the Russians in the Cuban Missle Crisis. That he was assassinated while still such a young man perhaps saved his presidency from the usual vitriolic criticism reserved for most American presidents, but then again, maybe times were different then. This was just before the radical 60s generation, which I believe changed everything.

It certainly changed the Democratic Party. As many have said, Kennedy's policies were not much different than Republican policies today. The Democrats have moved toward the more extreme fringe of liberal/left ideology. I wonder how Kennedy would have dealt with the Islamofascist threat? Somehow, I don't think he would approve of his brother's Democrats of today.

As much as I would like to see a Black American become president, I still think that America's stand as the sole superpower has created for it the 21st century's version of the White Man's Burden. The world turns on whatever happens in presidential elections and that's why McCain's my man, even though I don't believe his leadership will be as inspiring as the world may need at this very critical point in history. What we really need is a modern day Winston Churchill. Perhaps his name is Geert Wilders.

More ROTFLMAO!!!

Winston at The Spirit of Man has the right idea about Earth Hour. I just went and turned on every thing I have with a switch. I'll call it Earth Hour and Eighteen Minutes.

BWHAHAHAHAHAH!!!! Department

Following a link to another blog from Saskboy's comments page, I come across this ROTFLMAO material:
"Governments and corporations have total control of what kind of things appear in the marketplace.."
I really shouldn't laugh so hard. Once, when I was young, I believed this nonsense, too, and going through detox (actually growing up) was a painful experience.

Friday, March 28, 2008

Submission

UPDATE II: It seems Islamists may finally be getting the point. In reacting to Fitna, they are counselling their people to remain calm instead of going on the usual proving-the-point violent rampage. Reacting to accusations that Islam is a violent ideology by committing violence just doesn't do that much to dispell the idea. Most of us assume that that's a DUH!! but for some it has been somewhat difficult to connect those dots. Is it finally sinking in? I guess the fact that they are saying they could use the film says something else, doesn't it.

UPDATE: Geert Wilder's Party website has the film. God Bless the Dutch!!!

ORIGINAL POST:

That's what the word Islam means. It seems that it's working out well for old Mo. Dutch MP Geert Wilders film Fitna has been yanked by Liveleak, citing threats to their staff.

h/t The Spirit of Man

Hot Air has more

Apostate threatened

God help us.

Battle of Basra

Pat Dollard is all over it.

U.S. Begins Bombing, Rocketing, And Gatling Gunning The Shit Out Of Basra

Al Sadr Denies Mahdi Army Ordered to Surrender

“Uncharacteristic Daring”: Maliki Faces Pivotal Moment

Full War With Al Sadr Is On

Major news organizations are describing the battle as pivotal
and as a defining moment.

With some, of course, predicting the obligatory doom and gloom on the US domestic front and for the Brit's troop withdrawal.

After nearly two months of silence, the Fadhil brothers at Iraq the Model weigh in with their usual insightful take.

And as usual, I await Soldier's Dad's sage analysis. So far there's only one comment on a thread of a previously posted article it's a goody:

As far as I can tell, Maliki sent the most battle hardened troops he has to Basra..initial reports would indicate they are achieving something in the neighborhood of a 20-1 kill ratio.

This isn't the first time that AlReuters has described a 20-1 Kill ratio as a defeat. Personnally, I call it kicking ass.
Soldier's Dad | 03.28.08 - 1:48 pm |

Did you know?

Thursday, March 27, 2008

3,355 News Articles

Iraq is back in the news again. That Iraqi armed forces push into Basra discussed by The Talisman seems to be attracting attention, even though no American forces are involved and it seems to be about routing the Mahdi militias and dealing a fatal blow to Sadr's followers, who control the port city. Long time overdue, if you ask me, and for several reasons, not the least of which is freeing up the port so that oil exports can actually benefit the economy of the entire country, not just the lawless Islamists who gather around Sadr.

It appears Sadr wants to negotiate, but if I was the one making the decision I would not negotiate with him. This is one time when a complete crushing of the enemy of the Iraqi people is the absolute bottom line. After all, al Qaeda in Iraq has been crushed. It's time to do the same for the extremists on the opposite side.

Clashes continue in southern Iraq

Shiite Anger Mounts in Iraq Amid Clashes

Sadr Followers Protest Security Crackdown

They are all good reads and show the usual complexity of political issues in Iraq. Of course, there is a way too much detail to quote extensively here, but I'll take just one from the last article:
"'It's worse than any emergency situation in the world to have to be under the control of naive and uneducated people," said Khafeef, speaking of Basra's militias and gunmen."
Go Iraq!!

Wednesday, March 26, 2008

Youssef Ibraham, I Love You!

This guy is such a great columnist. So many of the British and American Arab columnists are so right on about the Middle East. I know he's not the first to sum up the impact of the invasion of Iraq over the past week or so, but this - A Fighting Chance for Freedom in Iraq - is one of the best.

Well, okay. I like it because it sums up exactly what I think about the issue and always have. But this passage in particular is worth emphasizing:

"No one who was a witness to those events was blind to the fact that a grand majority of the Arab world’s 300 million folks from Morocco to Saudi Arabia at that moment did yearn to be rid of their Saddamist rulers. That dream has not died even as the Iraqi project fails. The Lebanese picked up the pieces of it in their Cedar revolt of 2005, which ended 30 years of Syrian military occupation before it fizzled under renewed Syrian pressure. Egyptians launched an effervescent “Kefaya” (enough) movement that fluttered for a while. Syrians still pray for the day they are rid of the Assad dynasty. Saudis look at the al-Sauds, asking for God to take them into his mercy sooner. To argue that Arabs have no democracy genes is brainless. The momentum may have slowed but those movements are alive."

The only thing I might disagree with is the notion that the Iraq project has failed. They have had one general election for the purpose of forming their first democratic government. That was less than four years ago. Most functioning democracies only hold elections every four or five years. Give Iraq a generation, at least, with the opportunity to hold the concomitant number of general elections, before you declare the project a failure. Democracy is more than a single event. It's more than a group of institutions. It's a process. A process involving a guaranteed recurring of events such as elections; a process involving interaction between civil institutions such as parliaments, courts, a free press, reasonable laws and protection of its citizens with plenty of opportunity for public participation at all levels and in many ways beside just the political. A process that never finishes.

If the Iraqis have their next scheduled election in 2010 and several more and if in that time they develop and deepen the institutions that are now just emerging, then perhaps 20 to 25 years from now, one can cast judgment about whether the bold experiment has succeeded or failed. And yes, Arabs do have the democracy gene. Of that I have no doubt.

More on Iraqi Army and the Iranian/Shiite Militias

Is the Great Iraqi Civil War on at Last?

Don't ya love that title? There hasn't been a civil war in Iraq, folks. That's a figment of the MSM's vivid imagination inspired by the drive for ratings. And as Ledeen says: "...stop watching television. It’s bad for your grey cells."

"Ain't That a Kick in the Head"

...as Atlas Shrugs says:

Darfur Refugees in Israel

"'Even though we're Muslim, the Islamic world has done nothing to protect us', said Yassin, a refugee whose tortured flight from Darfur finally brought him to Israel three years ago. He was one of the first Darfurians to make it into Israel across the border from Egypt, and has dedicated his life to helping hundreds of his fellow countrymen who have made the same perilous journey."

Iraqi Blogs - THE Source for Real News

It's been a while since I visited my favorite Iraqi blogs. Here's one that's brand new. HT to Christine at Search. Obama Does Not Get It. As far as the American primaries are concerned, I've been an "anybody but Hillary" person, but this guy makes a convincing argument that Clinton would be a better choice than Obama. Like him, I also believe McCain is the only one who will do the right thing for Iraq. His February 28th entry is a winner, too. He rubs the nose of a Bushitler spewing guy named Dave in his own shit.

And speaking of doing the right thing for Iraq, Talisman Gate has a great entry about the Iraqi armed forces and the nest of Iranian supported criminal and Islamofascist activity that has taken control of the southern port city of Basra. The Iraqis are about to kick ass without any American support. Bush's end goal sounds like it's very near. More importantly, Maliki is playing his hand and looking like his bold move may strengthen his Prime Ministership with the end result being that a new, stronger, more functional coalition may emerge in Iraq's parliament. Yeeeehaaaaaaw!!!

Operation Cavalry Charge
"If he (Maliki) wins—and I predict that he will—then he’s holding on to the prime minister’s seat from here until the 2010 elections. That will be the new political reality (…there are other factors favoring his continued candidacy for the job) that all the other political actors in Baghdad must acknowledge and acquiesce to. In effect, Operation Cavalry Charge will also speed up the formation of a new, more agile coalition cabinet and override the current state of political paralysis because any fantasies of removing Maliki would be laid to rest."
[SNIP]
"Maliki decided that he doesn’t give a damn about US presidential elections and that the only timeline that concern him are Iraq’s own upcoming elections. Maliki also concluded, from intensive intelligence reporting, that the Sadrists are weak and that Iran doesn’t really have much punch to its supposed influence in Iraq. That’s why he decided to go for it."
And look what he has to say about the Sadrists!!
"This is the weakest that the Sadrist movement has ever been: they are divided, their leader is absent, some answer to Iran, and affluence has made them slothful and soft. Sadrist leaders today are bejeweled with agate rings, Rolexes and precious worry beads, and sport Turkish-tailored suits. They ride around in the latest-model armored SUVs and have taken their second (…and third, and fourth, and…) wives—in some cases the ultimate Iraqi Shia male status symbol, a Lebanese Shia trophy wife. They have access, through the ministries and governmental departments that they landed in the coalition cabinet, to lucrative contracts with unlimited avenues for corruption of all kinds. These were the same angry, dejected men that one would meet in 2003 wearing polyester dishdashas with sweat-stained towels around their necks. Nowadays, they have plenty more to loose should the all-powerful, all-munificent state turn against them."
According to the Talisman, the recent mortar rounds landing in the Green Zone are from this group and he predicts they are about to be decimated. If the Talisman's prognostication record in the past mean's anything, this is really, really good news. But the whole story is a bit more complicated than that. Read the whole thing...

And one more thing. Don't ever, ever believe anything the MSM tells you about Iraq. They always get it wrong. On the other hand, Talisman Gate nearly always gets it right.

PS: Note the little tidbit from Brianfh in the comments. Also very good news. (Yeah, Bush!!)

Tuesday, March 25, 2008

SDA and the March of the Lemmings

Kate at Small Dead Animals has a knack for getting herds of leftie lemmings to dive over a cliff and hurt their little heads. It happens quite often, in fact. All those head injuries must explain why they are so dense. All the well reasoned explanations in plain English just don't seem to penetrate. Anyway, makes for right royal entertainment. Watching them strutt and poppycock around claiming to be morally superior is always worth a good laugh.

All ya gotta do is google the terms "small dead animals" and you'll come up with all kinds of fantastic references to this giant blog. This one is a gem (emphasis mine):
"Three weeks ago, Newsosaur’s admittedly modest traffic spiked to an all-time daily high of more than 1,000 visits as the result of this link from a blog called, I kid you not, Small Dead Animals.

Two weeks ago, by contrast, Forbes and Business Week each quoted Newsosaur on their websites, and those links resulted in a single, solitary hit from a Business Week reader.

So, there you have it: Small Dead Animals top Large Ones by 1,000 to 1.

One event, of course, doesn’t prove much. But here’s what happened next:

Newsosaur’s comments last week on the silliness of news helicopters and the likelihood of Rupert Murdoch behaving himself attracted not only a new link from Small Dead Animals but also links from such Large Ones as the Wall Street Journal, USA Today, the Chicago Tribune, the San Francisco Chronicle and the Philadelphia Daily News.

Once again, the traffic generated by Small Dead Animals overwhelmed by a substantial margin the combined (but still gratefully appreciated) referrals from the Large Ones."
Lance must be right. Penis envy.

From the "Who Knew?" Department

This morning while doing my business on the loo, I picked up an unopened package of asswipe that was sitting on the floor (I haven't put it away yet), and started to read the labelling. Did you know that (toilet paper brand that shall remain nameless) comes in four different sized rolls and three different textures? Yup.

You can buy a "single" roll package, a "big" roll package, a "double" roll or a "mega" roll package. Not only that, but you have a choice of "Ultra Soft, Our Softest & Most Absorbant" or "Extra Strong Resistant With FlexWeave Design" or "freshmates for a Cleaner Clean than dry tissue alone"?? I kid you not. They also offer you your money back if, within thirty days of purchase, you are not satisfied. Who knew???

Well, when global warming/cooling reaches its apex/nadir, I wonder if there will be toilet paper? Think of the public health issues. Somehow being able to choose ultra soft, cleaner than clean asswipe doesn't seem too critical, as far as I'm concerned.

And while I'm on that topic, let me repeat a link to a great article exposing the lunacy of the anthropogenic causes of global warming. Both Celestial Junk and TABaker mention it. I printed it out and took it with me this past weekend when I went to visit my daughter. It was a great read, although someone might have thought to do a proofread to fix up a few of the typos. And once again, the blogosphere proves its mettle.

Monday, March 24, 2008

Iraq: Five Years Later

Since everyone is using the fifth anniversary of the beginning of the Iraq war to pass judgment on its future, I might as well post a couple of opinion pieces by two of my favourite Middle Eastern and Iraq experts and state that I agree wholeheartedly with each of them. The first is by Amir Taheri and the second is by Christopher Hitchens.

Iraq Plus Five: What Went Right?

How Did I Get Iraq Wrong? I Didn't.

Mucky Faces the Music

Moqtada al-Sadr admits failure
"'I have failed to liberate Iraq, and transform its society into an Islamic society.'"
No shit, Sherlock!! Blowing up innocents in crowded markets and schools as a method of imposing your Islamofascist ideals will tend to do that. May you fade back into obscurity as quickly as you came out of it, and then may that outstanding warrant for your arrest on murder charges finally be executed.

NDP Irrelevance Comes Home to Roost

This is too delicious to pass up:
"Since his election in 2003 as the New Democratic Party's sixth leader, the media-savvy Torontonian has moved it to the centre and shaved off its more controversial policies."
[SNIP]
"However, some are now wondering whether the NDP has lost its way."
And look at what our esteemed former Premier advises:
"'I think that unless the New Democrats hold out a vision of a significantly modified capitalism, then we find it difficult to differentiate ourselves from the Liberals.'"
I second that. Might as well finish off the freefall.
"He (Layton) did say the fact that the NDP finished in a virtual tie with the Green Party in three of the four by-elections means he has more work to do to persuade voters his party is a better environmental choice..."
Like Sean says. We have more than two parties and we are the better for it.

And here's another good one about Layton from a few days ago:

"NDP dances with fourth-party status"

I especially like this (emphasis mine):
"He’s made the case for himself as the only national party leader who would flee Afghanistan on the first flight, if the choice was his. He has complained loud and long that the government persists in using budget surpluses to pay off debts run up by previous governments, rather than spending it as fast as it comes in. And for this he faces the prospect of turning the NDP into a fourth-place party."
And this:
"Maybe it will awaken him to the fact Canadians have moved beyond the NDP’s traditional nostrums, and are looking for something new. Don’t bet on it though."
As if I would.

Dyslexia??

Read this down to the first update, then read this.

Is it just me, or do these lefties (eg. Saskboy) have severe reading comprehension disorders?

Saturday, March 22, 2008

Plethora of Anti-Everything Memes for the Price of Two

Saskboy offers every known mindless leftie meme known to mankind all wrapped up in only two posts. Check it out.

Friday, March 21, 2008

Fate of the Man Misquoted

Here is an interesting and instructive bit about the oft misquoted line in Mark Steyn's America Alone. Steyn is speaking of the ongoing saga involving Maclean's Magazine and a group of poorly trained young Osgoode Hall graduated lawyers working for Ontario's visciously Islamofascist Mohammed Elmasry, who collectively were attempting to haul Steyn up before a Human Rights Tribunal. He refers to a passage in his book that was actually a quote from a Norwegian Muslim cleric of the Islamofascist variety, but which the Elmasry legal team and numerous others attribute to Steyn.

The truth is that infamous words were spoken by the cleric during an interview with Carsten Thomassen, a Norwegian journalist, who subsequently was in Afghanistan where he was mowed down by, to quote Steyn:
"two members of the Taliban who had "forced their way inside (the hotel) and opened fire."
Steyn goes on to say:

"Carsten Thomassen died of his injuries at a Nato field hospital. The Prime Minister Jens Stoltenberg called the terrorist murders an attack not only on Norway but on freedom of speech."

"...we owe it to his memory to insist on the truth about that mosquito line, not just because his murder reminds us of the difference between real "hate" and the pseudo-victims of the Canadian "human rights" circus, but because to allow Elmo and the Sock Puppet Three to bully the media into going along with their misrepresentations is to collude in a lie. And no society that does that is truly free."

In the last month or two I have learned of three young Canadian men who have signed up to the armed forces. I would hope that these brave young Canadians were motivated by their correctly perceiving the threat that is a all around us. Freedom of speech in only one of our cherished rights at stake in this modern world. As Westerners, our very lives are threatened. The number of incidents in which innocent people, exercising their right to free expression who have been murdered by Islamists is growing. I hope it won't be too long before the majority of Canadians understand that.

Thursday, March 20, 2008

And Speaking of the Mad Mullah's Regime..

The Circus Is in Tehran

Last Friday's elections
"“turnout” was shockingly low, even by past standards, as is demonstrated by the obvious panic in Tehran, where the mullahs kept the polls open an extra five hours. This was not, as they said, to make sure the patriotic citizens of the capital could drop their ballots in the box, but because they had to bus the reluctant faithful and the subservient government employees to the election offices, so as to be able to claim a large, voluntary participation."
"The fraud was so obvious that even the European Union denounced the “elections” as neither free nor fair, despite their wish to pass off the Islamic Republic (as former Deputy Secretary of State Richard Armitage and current McCain-campaign adviser once famously put it) as “a democracy.”"
ht The Spirit of Man

Wednesday, March 19, 2008

Speaking of That Boycott

I'm thinking that if China keeps this up a boycott of more than just the Olympics is in order.

Thus Spake bin Laden

I guess news travels slowly when you're living in a cave.
"In an audio recording posted to an al-Qaida-affiliated Web site late Wednesday, a voice said to be bin-Laden's described the publishing of the cartoons as part of a new crusade against Islam that involved Pope Benedict - head of the Catholic Church."
And it gets a bit confused along the way.

Iran Rioting Again

Winston, at The Spirit of Man, is reporting more riots and unrest in Iran. If it wasn't for his blog and a few others, I doubt any of us in the West would know this is happening. The Mad Mullah Regime is going to fall. It's only a matter of when.

Tuesday, March 18, 2008

Cool!

Pakistan's Parliament Nominates First Female National Assembly Speaker

I wonder how long it will be before Islamofascists attempt to kill her. Can't have a woman in an important political office like that, now can we.

Good luck to her.

Well, It's Official...

The New France

France raises idea of boycotting Olympics ceremony over Tibet

I like this Sarkozy government. They are breaking new ground.

Saskboy has a post suggesting a blogger momentum growing about the same idea.

I'm in.

Harper? You did the right thing with the sham UN anti-rascism summit in Durban. You're doing the right thing in Afghanistan. Let's see you do the right thing again.

Speaking of France, here's a very interesting series of interviews about the sorry state that Europe is in. Hope Sarkozy is the bellwether of better things to come.

Tibet, China and Twenty Years

Soldier's Dad has another good one about Tibet and China

I'm betting he's right, although I'm not so sure there's a sectarian divide in China like there is in Iraq. His bit about the link between economic freedom and political freedom is bang on. And his comparison to the Pope and Poland's Solidarnos movement is highly apropos.

Sunday, March 16, 2008

One of These Things is Not Like the Others

1. Halabja

"Thousands were killed in 1988 when Iraqi forces bombed the city with mustard gas and nerve agents.

Saddam Hussein's government said the attack was needed to put down insurgents hiding in the city during the bloody Iran-Iraq war. But, evidence emerged that almost all the victims were civilians, most of them women and children."
"The bombing of Halabja was part of a wider campaign of attacks on Iraqi Kurds known as Anfal.

Iraqi Kurdistan Deputy Prime Minister Omar Fatah spoke at the ceremony. He criticized the international community for staying silent at the time of the attack in order to keep their good relations with Saddam Hussein's government.

He says their silence gave the dictator government of Baghdad more power to continue the Anfal operations. He says Saddam's government killed 182,000 Kurds after the Halabja attacks and if the world had stopped them, perhaps the Anfal campaign would not have continued

Hundreds of thousands of Iraqi Kurds were displaced and deported during the Anfal campaign and 4,000 villages were destroyed."
SNIP:
"The Iraqi government approved the execution this month of Saddam's cousin, Ali Hassan al-Majid, better known as Chemical Ali for his role in the gassing of Kurds."


2. "Guantanamo Bay terror suspects to be allowed family phone calls"

3. Abu Ghraib Prisoner Abuse

Maybe I should throw this in for good measure:

4. Mass graves related to Abu Ghraib under Saddam Hussein

Eulogy and Funeral Music

Since I'm getting on in life, I've been thinking I should make my wishes known about what I want done when I kick the bucket. I came across this YouTube recording the proceedings at a funeral of a member of the Monty Python crew.

I like. I want.

Always look on the bright side of life!!

h/t: Mitchieville comment poster dMorris

Oh. And I want to be cremated and after the funeral I want my ashes thrown into the wind (downwind, hopefully) from a certain spot that my family knows on the crest of the Qu' Appelle Valley banks overlooking the lake where I grew up. The only trace of me will be a few weeds that might sprout up where my ashes fell. And maybe a few dead fish in the river.

"Always look on the bright side of death. To-doo, to-doo, to-doo, to-doo, to-doo."

This one's pretty funny, too. (Thanks for the tip, Huff!)

"Brown Guy" Leads the Way

Darn it. It's almost too late for this. Too bad I didn't know about it while I was away. Liberal MP Keith Martin wants Human Rights Commission hearing to be open to public scrutiny.

This posting by Deb Gyapong is interesting in more ways than one. Several weeks ago when Martin first became the subject of media interest for his stand on Canada's Human Rights Commissions, some accused him of being a bigot or a poster boy for right wing extremism. He responded by referring to himself as a "brown guy". Some bloggers, including myself, did not know what ancestry Martin might have that would allow him to stake the "brown guy" claim, but I surmised that perhaps he was part Indian or Pakistani. Sure enough, according to Gyapong, he indeed is of "mixed East Indian" ancestry.

Although a Liberal Party member now, Martin began his political career as a member of the Reform Party. I find it interesting that so many on the left continue to label Conservative Party sympathizers as bigots. One only has to look at the Reform Party movement and the eventually merged Alliance/Conservative Party membership to see numerous "brown guys" and "brown girls". Even at the provincial level, the Conservative Party has been "brown guy" friendly for a long time.

Just from memory, here is a list of "brown guys" and "brown girls" whose affilation with the Reform/Conservative Party goes from way back to the present. I generally don't like doing the hyphenated Canadian thing, but with this I'll make an exception because it helps to make the point:

Mike Cardinal, Cree. MLA and Cabinet Minister in Ralph Klein's administration.

George Rogers, Jamaican-born African-Canadian, MLA in Ralph Klein's and Ed Stelmach's administrations (still sitting).

Gary Mar, Chinese-Canadian. Former Minister in Ralph Klein's administration.

Rahim Jaffer, Edmonton based Muslim of Indo-Ugandan origin, who, under the Reform Party banner, became one of the youngest members of Canada's Parliament and the first Muslim to be elected to Parliament (not to mention, a really cool guy)

Inky Mark, Chinese-Canadian MP, from Swan River, Manitoba.

Deepak Obhrai, Indo-Canadian MP. (I like this guy's stand on Afghanistan)

Germant and Nina Grewal (scroll down for pics of both), MPs, Indo-Canadians, also the first husband and wife team to serve in Ottawa at the same time. And yes, I know he was the centre of a big scandal, but the point is, the Reform Party was painted by the left as a bunch of racial bigots. Get it?

Bev Oda, Chinese-Canadian, MP and Cabinet Minster.

You will likely note that half of the above named brown guys and girls are from the most rednecked and racist province, too. Funny, that.

I'm sure there are many more, just not in any provincial or federal caucus, and besides, I'm only going by my increasingly faulty memory. But, hopefully, you get my point. None of these people needed the Human Rights Commission to protect them from bigotry and discrimination on the basis of either race or religion, although there may well have been instances of such which they have had to deal with in both their private and public careers. And it's interesting that one of them, Mr. Martin, has led the movement against the Commissions' odious positions, most especially, the secrecy and exclusion of public observation in their hearings. Well done, Mr. Martin!! And well done to all these great Canadians!!!

Saturday, March 15, 2008

Cuban Paradise

Seven! Count 'em. Seven Cuban athletes defect. This reminds me of the old days of the Soviet Union when Olympic and other sporting events were favourite places for defections to occur. It's hard to believe that 20 plus years after the collapse of communism in Europe that Cuba is still clinging to this old crumbling idea. Yet we still hear stories like this:

"Last year, 3,197 Cuban migrants were intercepted at sea -- the highest number in a single year since the 1994 rafter crisis, when 37,191 Cubans were interdicted."

I don't know why they would want to leave such a paradise and head out to the evil empire across the 60 mile stretch of the Florida Straits. Somebody please explain.

The Blogosphere is Your Friend

Well, it's good to be back. I really miss my blogging time when I'm away on a business trip. I spent a couple of nights in hotels in points west and actually watched TV for a while. Sadly, it's still the same old same old. Puts one to sleep anyway.

It should be no surprise by now to anyone who reads my blog that I'm a great fan of the website Pajamas Media. Several links today on that site relate to a report that was apparently released earlier this week about Saddam Hussein's links to al Qaeda prior to the outbreak of war in 2003. For some reason this fiction seems to never fade away. No one in the American administration ever, ever claimed that Saddam Hussein had a direct relationship with al Qaeda, but (sigh) the notion persists. Perhaps this report will help to put that myth to rest, but I doubt it. Anyway, Pajama's media, like so many other good blogs, goes where the MSM never cares to go, such as these two:

Saddam Hussein's coalition of the willing.

And this one:

Lots more detail here.

By the way, did you know where the name Pajama's Media came from? About three or four years ago, when the blogosphere was new and just beginning to have an impact, some well established MSM person (I don't remember exactly who it was), being his usual arrogant and narcisistic self, referred to bloggers as just a bunch of lazy people sitting in front of their computers in their pajamas. Recognizing the comment for what it was, the blogosphere latched on to it as a badge of honour. Since then the blogosphere has continued to strut its stuff.

Bloggers from all over the world, writing in English, have broken stories and gotten scoops that the MSM either ignored or, in many cases, created by their own incompetence and, in some cases, even by their own design. And these bits of news travel with the speed of light around the world. Barce Pundit, for example, provided almost instantaneous translations of stories from the Hispanic press. One particularly spectacular news buster from the Barce concerned the translation of a testy exchange between Spanish Prime Minster Zapatero and King Juan Carlos on the one side and the Venezuelan thug, Hugo Chavez, on the other. In a classic display of loyalty to the idea of democracy, Zapatero stood up for his predecessor and ideological rival, Aznar, and basically told Chavez to "F" off.

Bloggers have been responsible for outing factually incorrect and outright ficticious MSM stories where the falsification of documents and doctored photos used by the media became the story, where complete news footage was proven to be wholely manufactured with actors following scripts and where stringers used by the MSM in the Middle East proved to be agents of the so called resistence using the MSM to ply their propaganda.

Although I am certainly no where close to having the stature of some these early blogging pioneers, I consider myself to have been privileged to be among the blogosphere's participants as a commenter on some the biggest and most influential (Iraq the Model and the hilarious Rantings of a Sandmonkey, being two examples), and to have watched this whole phenomena unfold.

The blogosphere has indeed taken over the MSM. Witness the power of Ezra Levant's use of his blog and YouTube. Since posting his AHRC interview on YouTube, Ezra has been interviewed by both American and British media outlets. This would not have happened without the new media. The "masses" have overtaken the "establishment". (Sorry for the leftie speak, but the irony is too beautiful.)

And while we are on that topic, I am hoping this is something that will prove to be a better barometer of Canadian opinion than any of the existing MSM outlets we are currently plagued with: 61% of Canadians surveyed want us to stay the course. This may be bigger than suggested. As the disclaimer says: "This is not scientific and reflects the opinions of only those Internet users who have chosen to participate."

Would the participants of this survey be largely comprised of those internet users who actually watch CTV? Like CBC, CTV is also suffering audience losses to the new media. Perhaps journalism, as we have known it, is peering at its own extinction.

Now, if only hotels would offer free internet with their rooms rather than free television. I've never paid for the movies and as you should know by now, I find television to be a colossal bore, when it isn't outright aggravating. But there are those who cling to their faint hope.

Tuesday, March 11, 2008

Home Work

I'll be away for a few days, so I'm offering my readers a little refresher course on Al Qaeda in pre-war Iraq. There'll be a test when I get back next week.

Monday, March 10, 2008

It Must Suck to be a Journalist

Famed blogger Arthur Chrenkoff returns to post a summary of media bias in reporting on the Iraq war. Nothing new here, folks, but it's a nice summary of how the media is badly failing its purpose. Citing the one to 27 ratio of good news stories to bad in 2005, Chrenkoff details his more recent analysis of Iraq war reportage:

"The future of Iraq is still uncertain, and one has to resist the temptation to claim victory, in contrast to so many others who have been declaring defeat virtually from the start. One thing is almost certain though: however Iraq will turn up, the mainstream media has become one of the casualties of that war. As the recent study by the Sacred Heart University has shown, less than 20% of Americans believe the media all or most of the time.

The more reflective among the media professionals might ponder on why they have become as trusted as a profession as used car salesmen, and then they might briefly remember the 'one to 27 ratio.'"
Chrenkoff sites a study done by an American university about the consumers view of media bias.
"In the current national poll, just 19.6% of those surveyed could say they believe all or most news media reporting. This is down from 27.4% in 2003. Just under one-quarter, 23.9%, in 2007 said they believe little or none of reporting while 55.3% suggested they believe some media news reporting."

"The perception is growing among Americans that the news media attempts to influence public opinion – from 79.3% strongly or somewhat agreeing in 2003 to 87.6% in 2007.

And, 86.0% agreed (strongly or somewhat) that the news media attempts to influence public policies – up from 76.7% in 2003."


Yesterday, I listened to Cross Country Checkup. Rex was dealing with censorship. A whining student from a journalism school called in and started right in with the tired old rant about the media's corporate ownership dictating what can and cannot be said on the airwaves and in the newspapers, etc., etc., etc. Blah! Blah! Blah! You know the schtick. It was so patently canned it was laughable. Is this what they teach in journalism schools? No wonder they are a profession that is disappearing.

But then again, maybe it's that journalists haven't got a clue about most of the things they report on. Soldier's Dad cites a case in point which could very well be explained by that theory. That's what I like about his blog. He's a military man who knows how the armed forces operate. He often devotes a blog entry to explaining what the media got wrong. In any case, it must suck to be a journalist these days.

Sunday, March 09, 2008

School of Torture

School of Torture by Entifadh Qanbar

Qanbar discusses the recent discovery of torture houses run by Al Qaeda-in-Iraq, describing not only the horrific nature of these brutal excuses for human beings, but some not so promising consequences for the future in other arenas where the War on Terror continues.

"To obtain an accurate picture of the level of atrocities committed by this band of thugs, it is first necessary to review what the American military rightly calls the atrocity sites.'"

SNIP
"For Iraqis, these torture chambers and "atrocity sites" are a confirmation of the links between the terror of the Baath regime and that of Al Qaeda."
The article continues:
"Over the past 12 years, I have observed many good days and numerous setbacks in Iraq, yet I have never lost hope in a positive outcome for the future of my country. We are witnessing the last phase and the end of terrorism in Iraq on a large scale."
SNIP
"The foreign fighters who were able to stay alive are migrating back to their own countries of origin and elsewhere in the world. Intelligence information shows these foreign fighters, although small in number in Iraq, are lethal and ruthless. Many of these young fighters came to Iraq and are now leaving well-trained in all types of fighting, having acquired methods and techniques from Saddam's former Republican Guard, Intelligence, and Security members.

These fighters have learned valuable techniques in Iraq, such as how to perfect the art of making improvised explosive devices, in addition to gaining expertise in constructing car bombs and organizing combat leadership. These highly-trained fighters are leaving Iraq as the war on terror is nearing its end in my country
."

Global Warming Double Speak

While Sydney, Australia enjoys the coldest summer in 50 years, the Ohio River Valley basks in record snow falls.

And will you look at that list of links at the bottom of Gateway Pundit's story!!

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!

From a Mark Steyn column:

"The Democratic primary season seems to have dwindled down into a psycho remake of "Driving Miss Daisy." The fading matriarch Mizz Hill'ry (Jessica Tandy) doesn't want to give up the keys to the Democratic Party vehicle but the dignified black chauffeur Hokey (Morgan Freeman) insists it'll be a much smoother ride with him in the driver's seat. Yet, just as he thinks the old biddy's resigned to a nomination as Best Supporting Actress, the backseat driver plunges her hat pin into his spine, wrests the wheel away and lurches across the median."


Up to his usual mix of humour and serious commentary, it's a good read.

Saturday, March 08, 2008

"...free to ignore it" - the film, stupid, not the threat

Islam and Its Critics

Like Ayaan Hirsi Ali and others, Geert Wilders is under police protection. He's simply the latest in a long line.

"Much as Salman Rushdie received death threats over a book few of his would-be assassins had read, Mr. Wilders has received death threats over a film no one has seen. He has been living under police protection since filmmaker Theo van Gogh was murdered four years ago by a Muslim radical for making a movie critical of Islam's treatment of women. The Dutch antiterror coordinator has told him that he may have to go into hiding abroad once his film is released."
"The Dutch government has been holding crisis meetings since November about a possible Islamic backlash to Mr. Wilders's film. Prime Minister Jan Peter Balkenende warned last week that the Netherlands risks economic sanctions and attacks on its citizens and businesses at home and abroad if the film is released. NATO Secretary-General Jaap de Hoop Scheffer, who is Dutch, said Sunday that he is worried about Dutch troops in Afghanistan.

Several Dutch business organizations have called on Mr. Wilders not to release the film, and some at The Hague also favor self-censorship. Dutch newspapers report that several Muslim countries are pressuring the Prime Minister to suppress the movie -- though how the leader of a democracy could accomplish that even if he wanted to is left unsaid."


How much longer does Western Civilization have to put up with this? How long will be cower before the threat of Islamofascist retribution? How long will it take to stand up for our values:
"banning a film no one has seen is hardly a way to defend liberty or explain Western values to those who are new to them. Muslim organizations have already filed complaints against Mr. Wilders for some of his previous statements. Fair enough. They are free to do so again over his film -- just as anyone, Muslim or not, is free to ignore it."
On a similar theme, I just want to say GO PAT CONDELL!!!

Unbelievable Finger Crossing News

Hmmm. Is al Sadr dead?

More twists and turns to this story.

Are All Castle Dwellers Alike?

Prince: Global effort needed to counter climate change
"Sheer madness.

That's how Prince Charles described skeptics who view calls for rapid action to counter climate change as overstated or completely invented."


Another world renowned climatologist? I wonder what his heating bills are like.

Friday, March 07, 2008

From the BWHAHAHAHAHAHA!! Department

Thursday, March 06, 2008

This and That

The first one is about Benazir Bhutto's recently published book about democracy and Islam.
"The book attempts to show that there is a direct relationship between Islamic extremism and Western supported dictators. It ameliorates the fear that Muslims (specifically Pakistanis) who take to the ballot will vote for extremists. It concludes by setting forth various institutional ideas that deserve Western economic assistance — such as an Association of Democratic Countries — which would bolster the emergence of peaceful and secular Muslim democracies."
I've been advocating that last point for some time now as a replacement for that bloated and corrupted elephant in the room we call the United Nations and I've long suspected the veracity second point about extremism.

Second is more student protests in Iran. YEAH!!

Third, Tracking Iraq-- What the Media Did Not Tell You This Month
Some great graphs, one of which cites the New England Journal of Medicine study on Iraqi casualties, which bears repeating again:
NOTE ON OTHER CIVILIAN FATALITY ESTIMATE1:

In its January 31, 2008 issue, The New England Journal of Medicine published a study carried out by the Iraq Family Health Survey Study Group in which they estimated the number of violent civilian deaths in Iraq from March 2003 through June 2006. Based on a survey of 1,086 household clusters throughout Iraq, they estimated that there were 151,000 such deaths during this period. Though monthly totals were not made available, the estimated number of deaths per day were broken into various time periods as follows: March 2003-April 2004, 128; May 2004-May 2005, 115; June 2005-June 2006, 126.

And fourth, Violence Leaves Young Iraqis Doubting Clerics, it's a good thing the future belongs to the young and they also know how to use all this technology.

As an old codger, it's nice to know that the world is unfolding as it should. My kids and grandkids may not have such a scary world as I lived in during my youth. When and if the world is dominated by democracies, and especially when the Islamic world has its rebirth, as it appears to be undergoing right now, we will indeed be in a much better place.

And last, but not least Arbour stepping down as UN Human Rights chief. Good!!

Stupid Films Update

Remember the liberal leftie whining and howling a few days ago about the Harper government's promise to implement additional criteria for its funding of Canadian film productions. "Censorship" they all cried. Well lookie here:

"C-10, censorship, Liberal outrage and double standards"
"The Liberals acknowledged yesterday that they tried when they were in office to eliminate tax credits for offensive movies,..."
"the controversial section of the legislation limiting grants for subjectively offensive films is virtually word for word the same as the Liberal legislation!"
Sweetness!!

I wonder if Sean and Saskboy will comment, especially Saskboy, the dyed in the wool sock puppet Liberal.

Wednesday, March 05, 2008

Poor Palestinians /sarcasm

One of Saskatoon's resident whiners is complaining about the unfair advantage Israel has vis-a-vis the Palestinians. This is an old and stupid argument which assumes any conflict that is supposedly lopsided in this fashion ought to be refitted so that each side is relatively equal. Never mind that the much superior military forces of the state of Israel have shown absolutely remarkable restraint over nearly half a century.

Lets review this, shall we? First of all, lets put aside the brutal oppression of native Jews in most Arab countries throughout the whole post-World War II era and concentrate just on the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

Israel won four wars started by its Arab neighbours (1956,1967,1973,1982) except for a tiny little regaining of territory in the Sinai Peninsula by the Egyptians, which gave them enough saved face to enable then to sign a peace treaty with Israel. I was in Egypt, by the way, on the eve of the 1973 war and saw Egyptian forces mobilizing.

Israel has put up with years and years and years of terrorism orchestrated by Yasir Arafat (while stashing millions of aid dollars in a personal Swiss bank account) and the various cookie cutter permutations of his ground breaking initiative, all supplied and funded by other countries in the neighbourhood, motivated primarily by a desire to keep their own oppressed citizens eyes averted from their own miserable plight (of which Saddam Hussein was the biggest, by far and I won't even go into the special status accorded Palestinians in Iraq during his otherwise horrific reign of terror).

Never mind that Iranian sponsored and supplied Hezbollah, led by that fatboy Nasrallah, continuously lobs mortar rounds into civilian areas of Northern Israel, sometimes right under UNIFIL's noses, and sets up their bases, from which they launch the rockets in the middle of civilian areas, so that if Israel retaliates there will be a big hue and cry about the murdering civilians. This is contrary, by the way, to the much vaulted Geneva Conventions, which seem to be only for Western democracies. Never mind that every single time Israel retreats from an incursion into non-Israeli territory to stop this nonsense, the attacks begin all over again.

Never mind that Palestinians indoctrinate toddlers to be suicide bombers, even use children and mentally handicapped teens to deliver their bombs.

Never mind that even Egypt has built a wall to keep the Palestinians out and fires at any who try to breach the border. And no wonder.

Oh, and did I mention kidnappings?

Never mind that Palestinians living within Israel's borders live and enjoy a far better life than most of their brethren in Palestinian territory and in fact even hold some seats in the Knesset and that 78% of Israeli Arabs would prefer to remain under Israeli rule rather than become part of a future State of Palestine.

Never mind that the Palestinians have passed up dozens of opportunities to settle peacefully.

Nah. None of that and countless other factoids ignored by the lefties matters.

Israel has not done what it could (and maybe should) do, and simply invade, seize territory for good and set about wiping out that vile ideology that glorifies blowing oneself up along with all innocent by-standers in public places over and over and over and over and over and over and over (repeat ad nauseum).

No. The problem with that festering, never ending pus bucket situation is that Israel's armed forces have always chosen defense rather than offense. Maybe what they should do is change that tactic and actually drive the bastards into the sea and be done with it. Now there's a novel idea!! Not.

Whatever claim to justice the Palestinians once had has been wiped out many fold by their own sleezebucket behaviour of the past fifty years. There is no way on God's green earth that the Israelies should just calmly take all this year after year after year. And there is no way on God's green earth that the Palis will ever quit with their stupid thuggish behaviour for more than fifteen minutes after a peace treaty is signed, should one ever be negotiated. It ain't gonna happen.

Sunday, March 02, 2008

The Original Multicultural Society

"For me, the encounter at the church was a window into the non-sectarian history Iraqis tell me they are fiercely proud of, and eager to regain."
Sons of Iraq: A grassroots surge against al-Qaeda.

Speaking of multiculturalism, Salim Mansur has a great article about the Canadian/Western version at Proud to be Canadian.

Renewing Middle East?

This is interesting: Why I have hope for the Middle East

Robin Wright, who has reported on the Middle East for most of her career, has filed a very encouraging report.
"The issue in the Middle East is no longer whether to seek political change. It's how to make it happen."
What she sees happening throughout the entire region she sums up as five lessons:
"Lesson 1: The opposition is more open, ambitious, imaginative and stubborn than ever. And the YouTube generation has become a whole new political class.

Lesson 2:There is no longer a single truth, in either ideology or religion, and challenges to the status quo are coming from unlikely quarters.

Lesson 3: Old Cold War enemies have become unexpected allies -- and the pluckiest agitators for change.

Lesson 4: Watch out for the soccer moms. (You'll have to read the article to understand this one. I ain't giving it away.)

Lesson 5: Pay attention to the moderate Islamists; many are seeking compromise."
Couple that with McCain's recent pronouncement about the new "Hundred Years War", and it confirms what I have been saying for a few years now. Good thing the US won the Cold War cause the reformers in the Middle East now have the forces of democracy and only the forces of democracy on their side. Too bad I won't be around that long to see it come to pass. Oh well. At least I got to witness the pivotal point in Iraq 2003 to 2007.

Saturday, March 01, 2008

Man Oh Man, It's Coming Together!

UPDATE on Bush Rasmussen Meeting: Apparently Bush had something to say about Canada, too. From the Montreal Gazette:
"I understand there's certain political constraints on certain countries. And so I am going to go to Bucharest with the notion that we're thankful for the contributions being made, and encourage people to contribute more," Bush said at a news conference on his Texas ranch. "The United States is putting in 3,200 additional Marines. We are trying to help Canada realize her goal of a thousand additional fighters in the southern part of the country."

Bush's remarks could provide Prime Minister Stephen Harper with some added negotiating power with nations like France, which last month signalled its desire to help Canada meet the military goal."
Bucharest. Canada. France. The Coalition of the Willing seems to be not just holding but growing. What's this about all these allienated allies the leftards are still whining about.

Also, check out Downeastblog's latest entry for the skinny on NATO's current committments to Afghanistan. Don't miss the link to a great YouTube video on the French forces.

Old Media = News You Can't Trust

More Americans turning to Web for news

"Nearly 70 percent of Americans believe traditional journalism is out of touch, and nearly half are turning to the Internet to get their news, according to a new survey.

While most people think journalism is important to the quality of life, 64 percent are dissatisfied with the quality of journalism in their communities, a We Media/Zogby Interactive online poll showed."

Bush Meets Fogh Rasmussen

...and that's just one of the interesting little nuggets in this article. Rasmussen, by the way, is Denmark's Prime Minister. They were discussing NATOs mission to Afghanistan. I'll bet they had a lot of related topics to talk about. Oh, to be a fly on the wall.

The article goes on to report a whole range of interesting tidbits, such as:
"Bush said decisions about troop cuts [in Iraq]- beyond those now planned through July - would be based on recommendations from his generals. But he said there needs to be strong military support in place to ensure the viability of Iraqi provincial elections. It was an indication that more troop reductions might have to wait until after the voting in Iraq on Oct. 1.

“I think our generals ought to be concerned about making sure there’s enough of a presence so that the provincial elections can be carried off in such a way that democracy advances,” Bush said."
And this:
"Also on Iraq, Bush declined to criticize the Iraqi government for inviting Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, to Baghdad on Sunday. Bush said it was normal for neighbors to visit. But he was quick to mention the U.N. Security Council’s vote next week on new sanctions against Iran over its nuclear programs. And he offered a pointed message of his own to Tehran: “Stop exporting terror.”"
So, we have provincial elections scheduled in Iraq this October. Just when I thought I could turn my attention to other things, Iraq keeps calling me back.

Then we have news that Iran is facing tougher sanctions over it's nuclear program. It appears that the report issued a couple of months back that pooh-poohs the notion that Iran is developing nuclear weapons capability hasn't met with much fanfare. Most people who know about these sorts of things seem to have written it off as pure fantasy.

In any case, the war to beat back Islamofascism continues.

War Mongering Republicans and All That

American presidential races are interminably long. I usually tune out around about this time of the year, which is well ahead of the actual election campaign.

However, over at the Egyptian Sandmonkey's blog there's a discussion about Obama and whether his so far hardly yet revealed policies would be good or bad for America. There's the usual nonsense in the debate about Republicans being warmongers to which one of the posters, tedders, replies:
"Hrag, you’re the one who’s trying to “trick” us, not the Republicans. If Bush is so trigger happy what do you call these Democrats?

FDR (DEMOCRAT) led us into World War II.
Germany never attacked us ; Japan did. From 1941-1945, 450,000 lives were lost, an average of 112,500 per year.
Truman (DEMOCRAT) finished that war and started one in Korea. North Korea never attacked us. From 1950-1953, 55,000 lives were lost . an average of 18,334 per year.
John F. Kennedy (DEMOCRAT) started the Vietnam conflict in 1962. Vietnam never attacked us.
Johnson (DEMOCRAT) turned Vietnam into a quagmire. From 1965-1975, 58,000 lives were lost.. an average of 5,800 per year.
Clinton (DEMOCRAT) went to Bosnia without UN or French consent. Bosnia never attacked us. He was offered Osama bin Laden’s head on a platter three times by Sudan and did nothing. Osama has attacked us on multiple occasions.

In the years since terrorists attacked us , President Bush has liberated two countries, crushed the Taliban, crippled al-Qaida, put nuclear inspectors in Libya , Iran , and, North Korea without firing a shot, and captured a terrorist who slaughtered 300,000 of his own people. And the Democrats are complaining about how long the war is taking.

But Wait, There’s More. It took less time to take Iraq than it took Janet Reno (DEMOCRAT) to take the Branch Davidian compound. That was a 51-day operation. We’ve been looking for evidence for chemical weapons in Iraq for less time than it took Hillary Clinton (DEMOCRAT) to find the Rose Law Firm billing records.

It took less time for the 3rd Infantry Division and the Marines to destroy the Medina Republican Guard than it took Ted Kennedy (DEMOCRAT) to call the police after his Oldsmobile sank at Chappaquiddick with an innocent woman in it.

I won’t argue the past with you, democrats have had a leading role in fighting tyranny (see above!). What I do know is that Obama is beyond “soft” on defense, he doesn’t want a defensive or offensive military capacity. He doesn’t believe the number one axiom of a secure and peaceful state: The best defense is a strong offense.

Obama plans to eviscerate the US military and defensive plans that will secure a peaceful future for us.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dl32Y7wDVDs"


I like a good put down.

May He Rest In Turmoil

No Idea: Media Stupidity Again!

Stupid media, like the New York Slimes, for example, have been responsible for fueling hope among Islamofascists and other 'slodydopes and, I would argue, are complicit in the murder thousands of innocents in Iraq over the past several years. They were the cheer leaders inspiring the continuation with abandon of senseless slaughter by bolstering the "pull out now" cult in the US and Great Britain.

Now we have the Australian magazine New Idea firing the first salvo which has effectly singled out young Prince Harry and made him a marked man. He'll never be safe again. This magazine should be made to pay for its wreckless endangerment of this young man's life. And it's not just the Prince whose life has been put at risk, as the decision to withdraw him from Afghanistan attests. The comrades he leaves behind would also have been targets had he stayed.

Ironically, the stupid media is providing more evidence of its stupidity by blaming The Drudge Report for breaking the story. Drudge does not break stories. He merely links to them. This, of course, does not let him off the hook for helping to make Harry a marked man. But in those parts of the Northern Hemisphere where freedom of speech is allowed, few seem to realize that it was the Aussie mag that was first past the sleeze post. In any case, I say let him get a good drubbing. He deserves it.

I wanted to find an email address for New Idea but their website did not have one on it, that I could see, so....thanks to the beauty of the blogosphere, I fired off an email to an Aussie friend whose acquaintance I made by virtue of our both being regular commentors on a couple of Iraq related blogs. He calls himself Nailgun. I asked him if he would be able to find an email address for the magazine so I could post it on several blogs, including mine, and thus enable the magazine to receive some nasty comeuppances from the top of the planet. Here's part of his reply:

"Louise - You'll be relieved to learn that apparently their site was swamped with angry commentors but you'll be frustrated they have quickly pulled the comments down so you may be too late to "let 'em have it". There could be hell to pay internally as their owner is an Aussie billionaire who very quietly always donates the money to ensure any Victoria's Cross's being sold by families stay in Australia.

The magazine is called "New idea" but it's colloquial name is "No idea" and boy have they earned it this time.

They are hiding behind the excuse of they were unaware of any media embargo. So they essentially are saying they are unable to think for themselves on this matter and are apparently completely unaware of the media furore centring around Prince Harry's attempts to serve in Iraq."

One of the saddest parts of this is Prince Harry's own statement, as quoted on BBC's website:
"I don't want to sit around Windsor, because I generally don't like England that much and it's nice to be away from all the press and the papers."
The paparazzi has no limits to their "Royals" gossip mongering. His mother was literally hounded to death by them and the kid is constantly in the public eye. His mission to Afghanistan allowed him to be a normal young man in the company of other normal young men, serving their country, proving themselves capable of bravery and committment to a cause far beyond the call and obligations of royal duty. As with his father, I've often sensed he would have preferred to be a commoner. The possibility of him leading an ordinary life is now even more remote.

By the way, doesn't that New Idea mag look like our North American common variety gossip magazine whose best efforts involve putting Paris Hilton or Britney Spears on the cover and every second page. Its subtitle should be Nothing Between the Ears.

Denmark: The Little Nation with Big Balls

The Baron Bodissey, over at Gates of Vienna, has more good news about the Danes and their so far nearly lone struggle to save Europe from political correctness.