The Pugil Stick

I Love This Man

2009-04-01T16:53:00.001-07:00

Don't you wish someone would stand up and say this to Congress and the President?

Scenes from a Tea Party

2009-03-16T11:39:00.001-07:00

On a Clear Day You Can See Forever...

2008-07-10T17:55:00.000-07:00

America the Beautiful...

Went to the Olympic Mountains, Hurricane Ridge, for a mini vacation during Independence Day holiday weekend and this is what we saw. (I guess I need to adjust the date on my camera!)

We also saw a four legged friend there, nibbling on the lupine.

Surreal

2007-09-23T21:51:00.000-07:00

Detroit, Michigan Airport. September, 2007.

Yes, the "security" person is a Muslima wearing a hiljab. And that's an elderly nun she is frisking.

Goofus and Gallant

2007-09-19T20:57:00.000-07:00

Now...

In light of Sally Field's "mumbling incoherent" acceptance speech at the Emmys, I just wanted to poke Hollywood in the eye... And who else for a scapegoat than Rosie O'Donnell:

But seriously, folks:

From Brit Hume's Political Grapevine:

Safe Havens

A group of House Republicans has introduced a bill that aims to counter the growing number of so-called "sanctuary cities" around the country — cities such as Los Angeles, San Francisco and Minneapolis that prohibit local police from enforcing immigration laws or cooperating with federal immigration investigations.

The Washington Times reports the bill, written by Florida's Virginia Brown-Waite, specifically states that local law enforcement does have existing authority to investigate immigration matters and make arrests. It also would require federal agents to take illegals into custody or reimburse local governments if they detain them.

Similar legislation has failed in the past and this bill faces an uphill fight in the Democratic-controlled Congress.

Remember this woman? She's the one who gave a CAIR spokesman a comeuppance on the Constitution and freedom of speech.

Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL) is one Congressman to watch and support. She is doing her job to preserve our American way of life.

Europe's Powderkeg

2007-09-12T22:35:00.000-07:00

Gestapo, brownshirts, stasi, you've seen it before; same old totalitarianism rearing its ugly head in Europe.

No word from the American media on this.

Watch how viciously they arrest these men who had the audacity to discuss with journalists the problems with the European government and the immigration issues.

Thanks to the Brussels Journal for the great coverage and photos.

Lie Down with Dogs, Wake up with Fleas...

2007-08-02T20:57:00.000-07:00

CAIR (Council of American-Islamic Relations), the unindicted co-conspirator to the Holy Land Foundation, a sponsor to terrorist Hamas, has been flexing legal muscle against one of its exposers, Robert Spencer of JihadWatch.

On July 31, 2007, on CNN's Paula Zahn Show, CAIR spokesman Ibriham Hooper slandered Robert Spencer by alleging that he supports genocide against Muslims. Dennis Prager and Christopher Hitchens were present and Mr. Prager defended JihadWatch and Spencer. Blithely, Zahn accepted Hooper's accusation without any question.

Truth is, a new reader posted the repulsive comment and it was deleted by Spencer within an hour after its posting. It's strangely serendipitous that CAIR just happened to be reading the MANY comments posted at JihadWatch and pounced on this comment before it was deleted...

On August 1, 2007, the Young America's Foundation received a letter from CAIR's Attorney, Sandler Reiff & Young concerning Spencer's appearance at a Student
Conference:

"...You should be aware that Mr. Spencer, a well-known purveyor of hatred and bigotry against Muslims, has a history of false and defamatory statements...

...For these reasons we demand that YAF cancel the the subject session, or else take steps to ensure that false and defamatory statements are not disseminated at that session...

...Our clients have instructed us to pursue every available and appropriate legal remedy to redress any false and defamatory statements that are made at the session..."

CAIR's attempt to silence Spencer clearly reflects the organization's contempt for the first Amendment. What's disturbing is CAIR's ability to do engage in such lawsuits with only 1700 members paying an annual fee of $50.00. Furthermore, Mr. Sandler of Sandler, Reiff & Young works for the DNC ... and for MoveOn.org.

YAF's Jason Mattera responded:

"We will not be intimidated by Islamic thugs... CAIR can go to hell and they can take their 72 virgins with them."

UPDATE:

A press release from the Middle East Forum:

Press Releases
The Legal Project to Defend Robert Spencer from CAIRNews
from the Legal Project, Middle East ForumAugust 2, 2007

PHILADELPHIA - The Legal Project of the Middle East Forum announces its support of Robert Spencer and the Young America's Foundation (YAF), the latest victims of what appears to be a targeted intimidation and defamation campaign by the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) designed to silence critics of its organization...
...CAIR's letter appears to be aimed at maliciously harming Spencer's reputation, interfering in his lawful employment, and aimed to discourage both Spencer and YAF from exercising their fundamental rights to free speech and assembly. Furthermore, the letter wrongfully implies that YAF has an independent duty to censor Spencer, and that it may be subject to suit for allowing Spencer to speak on private property. It is our opinion that CAIR's pre-emptive accusations are without merit, without any legal basis, and that CAIR has yet to prove any of its statements as true.
Therefore, the Legal Project hereby gives CAIR and its attorneys notice that it, too, will pursue "every available and appropriate legal remedy to redress any false or defamatory statements that are made" or have been made by CAIR and its attorneys against Spencer. We advise CAIR's staff to govern themselves accordingly.

The Legal Project, established by the Middle East Forum in June 2007, is dedicated to safeguarding the democratic liberties afforded by the Constitution to U.S. citizens, namely the rights to free speech and free assembly. The Legal Project protects researchers and analysts working on the topics of terrorism, terrorist funding, Islam, and Islamism against those who seek to silence them through intimidation, defamation, and predatory lawsuits.
Huzzah for The Legal Project! Let's keep it afloat!

LET'S ROLL

2007-07-29T10:34:00.000-07:00

It's time to stop sitting around and complaining, folks. We have to act.

Enough is enough. We are sliding towards totalitarianism like Europe and we have to stop it in its tracks.

We march on DC. Next year. Let's plan a Million Man March. We need planners, input, and volunteers. It's still incubating, so please feel free to offer ideas.

Jihad Watch posted news of a man who was arrested for a "hate crime" by dumping the koran in a toilet at Pace University in New York. While I think he should not have destroyed public property and screwed with the college's plumbing, he SHOULD NOT BE CHARGED with committing a HATE CRIME.

Since when is putting a crucifix in urine "art", yet throwing a koran in the hopper a hate crime? How about flag burning? Why is that freedom of speech, yet opposing a hate-filled ideology not?

Lefty moonbats have always been protesting something since the 60's. Isn't it about time we REAL AMERICANS stand up for our rights? Isn't it about time that we TAKE BACK OUR COUNTRY from the leftist, suicidal ideologies that have been plaguing our media, our educational system, and our government?

We have to march on DC. We have to come in droves and make a stand. We cannot afford to sit back behind our computers in comfort while our national security, our way of life and our Constitution is being destroyed.

Look at Europe. There we see the steady erosion of free speech and open debate. We can see that occurring in our nation's universities where conservatives and dissenters from the right are silenced with violence by leftist academics and students. We have college professors like Ward Churchill teaching hatred for America to impressionable students. Fortunately, his exposure and the subsequent outrage got him fired. But how many more professors like him infest our universities?

We must tell our government that we are FED UP with partisan politics and they MUST focus on the job they were hired to do: PROTECT AMERICA. We want no more ILLEGALS on our lands so we need to secure our borders NOW. We need to reform our immigration laws and the way we naturalize immigrants. We need to stop the inflow of Saudi monies to our schools and universities which subvert our nation and brainwash our kids.

I propose a date: September 27, 2008, for our march. It's a Saturday, and it marks the 221st anniversary of when the United States Constitution was presented to the states for ratification. Let's petition our Congress for a re-ratification of our Constitution and our Bill of Rights. Let's demand that these boobs on the beltway pay heed to our umbrage.

I propose that we present a list of grievances to our government on that day. Immigration, erosion of First Amendment rights, political correctness, multiculturalism, etc... Please feel free to help with the list. If you're a blogger, get the word out and post about this March so we can get more people involved.

ENOUGH IS ENOUGH! We MUST take back our country. WE THE PEOPLE!

Back In the Saddle

2007-01-07T11:32:00.000-08:00

Well folks, I'm back with a new modem and my notebook all fixed up. Had a very busy and pleasant Christmas and New Year's. I went through withdrawal from the blogosphere for about a week, but then after that I was fine without the internet! Funny how we can find other things to fill in the gaps.

I was addicted to Deadwood during the holidays, which isn't for the faint hearted or for kids, but for a gritty portrayal of life in a historical western outlaw camp (South Dakota) then go and see! Ian McShane's performance as Al Swearengen deserves the Golden Globe he won, and the profanity laced script is brilliantly written by NYPD Blue's David Milch.

On to more serious topics: President Gerald Ford: RIP.

And Saddam Hussein has joined Mohammed in the eighth circle of Dante's Inferno:

The poets are in the ninth
chasm of the eighth circle, that of the Sowers of
Discord, whose punishment is to be mutilated.
Mahomet shows his entrails to Dante and Virgil
while on the left stands his son Ali, his head cleft
from chin to forelock...

Inferno XXVIII, 9-42.

Saddam is fortunate that all he got was a hanging for his earthly punishment. He deserved worse. Some mourned his execution (talk about Stockholm Syndrome!), as one Iraqi woman said:

"He was not a normal human being but a god. I felt as if I lost my breath".

Uh, no, lady, it wasn't your breath you lost. It was your brain.

2006-12-19T13:47:00.000-08:00

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Wishing all my friends and readers a joyous and blessed holiday season. May you find peace this Christmas.

I'll be back online when my modem and notebook are up and running! Till then, my warmest regards for you and yours.

Technical Difficulties

2006-12-14T10:53:00.000-08:00

ARGH! My modem died so all I have is dial up right now. Waiting for a new modem, so I won't be online as much.

Actually, this will force me to do other things I've procrastinated: Christmas decorating, housecleaning (of which I think is the basis for the Myth of Sisyphus), Christmas baking, and other chores.

I'll make periodic visits to all of my friends when I can!

I'm an AdSense Reject!

2006-12-12T10:23:00.000-08:00

Recently I signed up for AdSense by Google, and this is the response I received:

Thank you for your interest in Google AdSense. Unfortunately, after
reviewing your application, we're unable to accept you into Google
AdSense at this time.

We did not approve your application for the reasons listed below.

Issues:

- Sensitive content

---------------------

Further detail:

Sensitive content: Google believes strongly in freedom of expression
and offers broad access to content across the web. At the same time, we
reserve the right to exercise discretion when reviewing sites for
AdSense. We've found that your website contains content that we don't
allow at this time. AdSense policy doesn't currently accept sites that
advocate against any individual, group, or organization. Please review
our policies (https://www.google.com/adsense/policies?hl=en_US) for a
complete list of site content not allowed on web pages.

Whoo hoo! I'm not "sensitive" enough for Google! Google won't accept sites which "advocate AGAINST ANY individuals, groups or organizations"??? What if I had advocated against Nazis? What about against a political party? Would that also exclude me???

So much for their support for "freedom of expression." Google PC Police are in full force!

REQUEST:I would LOVE an "AdSense Reject" banner or button for this blog if anyone with Photoshop skills can make one for me? I'd be eternally grateful! And if any of my fellow "Islamophobes" care to sign up for AdSense to see if they get rejected as well, let me know!

Vote!

2006-12-11T12:01:00.000-08:00

Right now, at Jihad Watch, the annual elections for Dhimmi of the Year, Dhimmi Internationale of the Year, American Anti-Dhimmi and Anti-Dhimmi Internationale are open.

If you wish to participate, use your TypeKey account and vote for American Dhimmi of the Year 2006. The candidates are:

James Baker

George W. Bush

Jimmy Carter

Dean Esmay

Nancy Pelosi

Condoleeza Rice

The candidates for Dhimmi Internationale are:

Karen Armstrong

Tony Blair

Hugo Chavez

Jacques Chirac

Ehud Olmert

Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero

American Anti Dhimmi candidates are:

John Bolton

Ginny Browne-Waite

Brigitte Gabriel

Wafa Sultan

Tom Tancredo

And lastly, the candidates for Anti Dhimmi Internationale are:

Pope Benedict XVI

John Howard

Anders Fogh Rasmussen

Robert Redeker

Jack Straw

Geert Wilders

My votes are in bold. After you've cast your ballot, the screen changes to show you who is in the lead. So, for all of you who are aware, go there and vote! (Or, if you don't wish to cast a ballot there, just post a comment here listing your preferences.)

UPDATE - AND THE WINNERS ARE:

Dhimmi Internationale 2006: JACQUES CHIRAC!!!

Anti Dhimmi Internationale 2006: JOHN HOWARD!!!

American Dhimmi 2006 (By overwhelming consensus):JIMMY CARTER!!!

American Anti Dhimmi 2006: JOHN BOLTON!!!

Interview with an Executioner

2006-12-09T21:49:00.000-08:00

Watch this video of an interview with Abdallah Al-Bishi, the Saudi appointed executioner of Mecca.

Besides heads, he also cuts off hands and legs.

Muslim journalist:

"This is the most renowned executioner in Saudi
Arabia, Abdallah Bin Sa'id Al-Bishi, who carries out the
executions. His sword delineates the border between
seriousness and play. There is no negotiating with him once
the heads have ripened. When it's harvesting time, he is the
most suited for the job."

Wonder if Oprah would invite him for an interview?

(H/T American Congress for Truth)

Islamic Hypocrisy

2006-12-08T10:49:00.000-08:00

There are many facets to Islamic hypocrisy, and some bloggers have already pointed out some:

Most recently is the incident about Mahmoud Ahmadinejad’s failure to cover his eyes when unveiled girls danced across a stage. True, Muslim hardliners criticized him for it, but he remains President of Iran and I doubt if he’ll drop the hardball condemnation against the West’s immorality.

Another are the reports that eyewitnesses identified Mohammed Atta and other 9/11 terrorists drinking alcohol and watching girls lap dance in Florida a week before they committed their crimes.

But one blatant hypocrisy stands apart and I’ve noticed this among MANY Muslims who comment on conservative blogs and websites. And that is their attempt to justify the need for Sharia Law in the West because of the West’s immorality ONLY TO THOSE WHO OPPOSE THEM. Homosexual marriage, adultery, fornication, immodest dress, pornography, drugs are all condemned by these critics:

“Don't you want to recognize that it is God's plan that Islam is progressing all around you because you need to be discipline and punished for the crimes that you have been committing to the humanity for long enough time and now is the time for God to take care of you by the hands of the true believers representative of human dignity and justice, the Muslims?”
by well wisher. He continues:

“Remember, besides your evil acts of imperialism and Zionism, you also represent homosexualism, fornication, and adultery. Don't you remember that in your society over 60% of the children are born out of wedlock? What about alcoholism and racism? Don't you remember what had you done to the black slaves and native Indians in this land? You better fear God and fix your faith and character. Otherwise you are doomed.”

First of all, after this breathtaking display of hatred towards Jews, he goes on to condemn slavery, which is a MUSLIM trade still practiced this day in Africa by MUSLIMS. Secondly, he completely ignores the Muslim SLAUGHTER of Buddhists, Hindus, Jews and Christians THROUGHOUT history. Mote in the eye, indeed.

But my main point is this. I have seen the same criticism over and over again by Muslims concerning Western immorality. They come here on this blog and do it, and I’ve seen plenty over at Jihad Watch. What puzzles me is that why are they telling me, a CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN, about it? Why aren’t they over at the Daily Kos or the Huffington Post condemning the LIBERALS there who support those immoral behaviors?

Muslim readers: You’re barking up the wrong tree. As a CONSERVATIVE CHRISTIAN I oppose homosexual marriage, fornication, adultery, pornography, immodest dress and other immoralities. That’s why I and my conservative friends are lambasted by the media, academia and the Liberals in this country.

However, I don’t see you Muslims going over to the Liberals’ blogs and sites and attacking them for this. Why? Why are you not putting your money where your mouth is and going into the belly of the beast if you’re so bloody concerned about Western immorality?

I have an inkling why and I’ll tell you this:

You won’t go there because it’ll blow your cover. You won’t condemn them to their faces because THEY SERVE A PURPOSE. You see, you’re really not that concerned about Western immorality. You really don't care about homosexual marriage, porn, adultery, and other vices in this country. If you were, you would go to those who support it and criticize them. But since they are your USELESS IDIOTS you keep quiet with them. Since they are your FIFTH COLUMN you will not rock the boat and let them see you without your mask of “peace.” If you were to go there and make waves, they might wake up and join us conservatives in this war against Islam.

COWARDS AND HYPOCRITES!

Must Watch

2006-12-07T10:30:00.000-08:00

This:

America Wake Up!

To the Enemy:

(Photo thanks to Jay.)

Trouble in Paradise

2006-12-06T15:55:00.000-08:00

Interesting developments from that bastion of freedom and democracy[/sarc], Iran:

Iranian President Ahmadinejad’s approval ratings have dropped from 60% last year to only 35% this past October. No wonder he wrote a letter to the American people, he probably realizes his approval ratings among the Left here are better than in his own country. His term will probably be shortened as the Iranian Parliament agreed to move their next elections nearer by eighteen months and awaits ratification by their constitutional committee which most expect will concur. (H/T Indigo Red.)

Now, at Jihad Watch, we see that he earned the disapprobation of Islamic hardliners for… get this: watching dancing girls!

President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad of Iran, who flaunts his ideological fervour, has been accused of undermining Iran's Islamic revolution after television footage appeared to show him watching a female song and dance show.

The famously austere Mr. Ahmadinejad has been criticised by his own allies after attending the lavish opening ceremony of the Asian games in Qatar, a sporting competition involving 13,000 athletes from 39 countries. The ceremony featured Indian and Egyptian dancers and female vocalists. Many were not wearing veils.

Religious fundamentalists, usually Mr. Ahmadinejad's keenest supporters, are asking why he attended a ceremony that violated his own government's strict interpretation of Shia Islam.

GASP! Could it be possible that the Muslims in Iran have a… HYPOCRITE in their midst??? Mahmoud, you naughty boy! And you think President George Bush is corrupt! And now you are caught watching women dancing without the seven veils!

Whatever is next? I’ll say this, Mahmoud, baby. President Bush is a helluva better Christian than you are a Muslim, and your days are numbered, INSHALLAH!

Combat Islam

2006-12-04T22:03:00.000-08:00

The 910 Group is a grassroots organization devoted to stopping Islamofascism, in support of the Anti Islamosfascism Movement , created by activists Steve Baldwin and Jack Wheeler, who founded the American Anti Communist Movement in the 1980’s.
Here is an excerpt of their Memo to all Conservative Groups:

We don't think anyone can dispute the fact that the forces of Islamofascism have embarked upon a World War of global conquest that may last for decades if not longer. Since Islamofascist terrorists have no boundaries, this war will be even tougher to fight than our battle was against the Soviet empire. Already, the Islamofascists have a beachhead in Western Europe. According to demographic experts, Europe will become Islamic in a generation - and it's not the moderates who hold sway in the Islamic communities in Europe. If these numbers are translated to political power - which undoubtedly will be the case - it will have dire consequences. Eventually, radical Islamic political blocs will take power in many European nations such as Belgium, Holland, France, and Britain.

The Washington Times reports (11/21/06) that Russia is well on its way to becoming an Islamic country. Within eight years (by 2015) over half the soldiers in the Russian Army will be Moslem. By 2020, over 20% of Russia's entire population will be Moslem.What happens when Moslems in political power have access to the nuclear arsenals of Russia, France, and Britain? Couple this with the increased presence of Islam in Africa and Latin America, and there is a distinct possibility that America, within a generation of two, will be alone in the world. We would be encircled by enemies dedicated to our destruction. No doubt by then, there will be thousands of Jihadists within the US prepared to carry out terrorist acts on command from international Islamic powers. We cannot allow this to happen without a fight. Western Civilization is worth fighting for. We cannot allow our grandchildren to live in Islamofascist tyranny. But we don't seem to be prepared for this war. Unlike the movement created during the Cold War, there doesn't seem to be much of an infrastructure to combat Islamofascism. If we truly care about our children and grandchildren, then we must create an infrastructure modeled after the Anti-Communist Movement. Here's a few areas off the top of our heads that an Anti-Islamofascism Movement could be addressing:

Investigate radical mosques. 80% of mosques in America are Saudi-funded and promote a form of Radical Islam known as Wahhabism. There aren't any groups that monitor them or call for congressional or IRS investigations of their activities. Yet we know from literature picked up by those who have signed up for classes at these mosques that many promote jihad against the West. If a Christian church did that, they would lose their tax-exempt status within a week.

Support Anti-Islamofascist freedom fighters. There are resistance and dissident groups within Iran and other radical Islamic countries who are willing to organize against their regimes if they had some outside assistance. Yet there are no groups set up to promote their cause or to lobby Congress to get them covert assistance.

Thwart attempts to impose Sharia Law. The ultimate goal of Islamofascists is to impose Islamic "Sharia" religious law upon us all. Groups could monitor and block every Fabian effort (imposing Sharia in small bites) like demands for prayer rooms and allowing headscarves in schools.

A Rapid Response media team to stand up to Islamic bullying. The US Airways story removing Moslem imams from a flight resulted in a barrage of denunciations from Moslem advocacy groups like CAIR with no one to give a "fair and balanced" rebuttal. What is needed is an "Anti-CAIR" media team that can praise the justifiable concern of airline passengers for their safety and demand that Moslems understand that concern. There must be no tolerance for Islamic bullying.

Form an Anti-Islamofascist publishing network. There is a great need for more publications and newsletters that focus on the Islamofascist threat both here and abroad. Remember the "Pink Sheet of the Left"? It launched an explosion of Anti-Communist publications.

Create an Anti-Islamofascist portal on the Internet. There's a need for a website "portal" coordinating efforts to monitors all the radical Muslim foundations, leaders, organizations, mosques, etc. now operating in the US who have already been tied to terrorists or are espousing radical viewpoints. Such a website would also allow private citizens to contribute intelligence to it. For example, Joe Sixpack reports picking up a flyer promoting jihad from a neighboring mosque. This intelligence would be checked for accuracy and if accurate, added to the entry on the website under the name of that mosque.

Establish an Anti-Islamofascist Speakers Bureau. There are many experts in addition to the small number now known to the media such as Frank Gaffney and Robert Spencer, who can talk about the world-wide Islamofascist threat. But most media people don't know who they are or where to find them. There's a need for a speaker's bureau marketing Anti-Islamofascist experts in a systematic fashion to all the major media outlets.

Monitor the billions now being spent on Homeland Security. There are already reports of large-scale waste and fraud occurring, which, of course, takes funds away from counter-terror efforts. There currently aren't any groups that monitor the effectiveness of various Homeland Security tactics or lobby to institute new tactics and strategies that may be more effective.

Wage an ideological assault on Islamofascism. Radical Islam is a totalitarian doctrine with numerous parallels to Marxism, yet intellectually crude and medievally primitive. A scholarly assault through think-tanks, seminars, and conferences can be conducted, targeting the multitude of weaknesses and vulnerabilities of Islamofascism.

Support the Chinese Christian. China is on its way to becoming a majority Christian nation within 20 years, with over 100 million Christians right now. Not only can they serve as a major bulwark against the spread of Islam in Asia, but many are determined to reverse that spread throughout the world. Teams of Chinese missionaries are already preaching the Gospel in many countries abroad, with tens of thousands to follow. Their efforts could be greatly assisted by the large network of Christian philanthropists who fund mission work.

Create a Global Anti-Islamofascist Coalition. We need to identify and work with other organizations in Europe and elsewhere who are working against the Islamofascist threat. They exist, but few know anything about them. The Anti-Islamofascist movement needs to become a world wide coalition.

Reframe the illegal immigration issue as one of national security. This is already being done by Congressman (and 2008 presidential candidate) Duncan Hunter. There is evidence that Moslem Terrorists may have crossed our porous borders and if it hasn't happened already, it certainly will. We also know that they have exploited other immigration issues such as the student VISA program so favored by the 9/11 terrorists. And yet, there is little evidence that much has changed in this regard. We still allow people in from terrorist-harboring countries with little checking, and the Democrats are determined to block the construction of a security fence on our southern border.

End our dependence on foreign oil that's funding the Islamofascists. Despite protests to the contrary, we know that Saudi money is being funneled to radical madressas and foundations that are the training grounds for Radical Islam. We also know that Hugo Chavez in Venezuela is using his oil billions to fund anti-American groups. It is time that we pushed our political leaders to get out of the way and allow America to become energy independent. We need to stop subsidizing our own enemies.

Does this sound good? If you want to help and join the fight, join the club and contribute whatever resources and skills you have. We must not allow Western society to die. We must not allow our children and grandchildren to grow up under Sharia Law. We must not sit on our hands and do nothing. Don't depend on the government to take care of things. We're in this mess because of them.

It is time to act.

Hope

2006-12-02T09:54:00.000-08:00

From The Brussels Journal, Josh Trevino reports on Pope Benedict XVI's visit to Turkey, and the growing reconciliation of the the Western Church with the Eastern Church.

It is the peculiar genius of Byzantine history that its glory reached its apogee in the era known to the West as the Dark Ages. It has no great literary heritage – a half-millenium of Muslim domination ensured the annihilation from memory of its major works beyond the Alexiad of Anna Comnena, the anonymous epic of Digenes Akritis, and various religious texts. The latter survived because the Church survived, even as the Empire did not. Chief among them are the great liturgies, and chief among the great liturgies is the Liturgy of St John Chrysostom. It is the queen of liturgies: a Greek epic of its own, also of the Western Dark Ages, emphatic and deliberate in its insistent worship of Christ. The liturgy has a heavenly glory in its song and prayer. It also has a mundane length to it. Properly done, it lasts hours. Yesterday, it lasted five hours, from 8am to 1pm. It’s a feat of endurance for the best Christian – particularly as the great majority of it has one standing. I am not among the best Christians. But yesterday, I did it. Yesterday, I was in the Church of St George at the compound of the Ecumenical Patriarchate in the Fener district of Istanbul. Across from me sat the Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew I, holder of the last office of the Eastern Empire, and spiritual leader of the Orthodox Christians of the world. Mere feet away, within arm’s reach, sat Pope Benedict XVI.

The Great Schism between Rome and Constantinople has always been a source of sorrow and misunderstanding for almost one thousand years. Now, a new hope emerges for Christendom and especially for the oppressed Orthodox Christians:

The Patriarchal compound is a small place, kept deliberately so by the Turkish authorities who object to the claim of an ecumenical title by the Patriarch. No matter that the Patriarchate in Constantinople has been the Ecumenical Patriarchate since nearly eight hundred years before the Turkish seizure of this city, and no matter that even the Ottoman Sultans acknowledged this fact: the modern Turkish state believes the Patriarch to be merely the religious leader of the Orthodox Christians of Turkey – reduced from a thriving community of millions to a mere two thousand in Istanbul proper in the 20th century – and nothing more. So vehemently do they deny any greater role for the successor to St Andrew, that in this very week, they sent police personnel to tear down English-language banners with the phrase “Archon Pilgrimage to the Ecumenical Patriarchate” on it. The Archons are properly the Order of St Andrew, and they are a collection of lay worthies of the Greek Orthodox Church in America. They also had passes allowing them entry into the Patriarchate for this Liturgy with the Pope, and to the previous night’s Doxology; but because it too mentioned an “Ecumenical Patriarchate,” they were made to put them away before the Turkish police would allow them entry into the Patriarchal compound. They complied – what else could they do? – and in a nice irony, were issued badges by the Turks which read, “Istanbul Rum Patrikhanesi.” The Patriachate of the Romans of Istanbul. Even now, five hundred fifty-three years after the conquest, Turkish idiom acknowledges what the Great Church and its people once were.

The Church of St George, sole church in the Patriarchal compound, acknowledges it as well. Embedded in its walls, and strewn about its tiny grounds, are fragments from the hundreds of churches of old Constantinople that were demolished in the centuries of Muslim rule. Here there is a frieze of Christ. Here there is an Apostle. Here there is a slab of marble in which a scarred IC XC is inscribed. And here there is an imperial double-headed eagle, symbol of the Eastern Imperium. It is a bit of symbology that has been inherited by several nations of the old Byzantine commonwealth, among them Russia and, improbably, Albania. The Patriarchal compound is strewn with them, giving truth to the phrase Istanbul Rum Patrikhanesi. For a moment, one may lose oneself in the fantasy that it is all still real, and all still alive – but then you look up, and see the mosque that the Turks have built athwart the compound on the overlooking hillside. The minarets peer down in the very courtyard of St George’s itself, and the message is clear: five times a day, every day of every year, the Ecumenical Patriarch of the Orthodox Christians of the world must hear the muzzein at close quarters. The temporal victors are deeply unsure, even now, of their victory.
On this day, the minaret and all the surrounding rooftops are occupied by Turkish soldiers. They look down upon us in the courtyard and glare. There is security and insecurity in their presence: they will assuredly protect us from any Islamist who would seek to wreak mayhem – though none, not even unfriendly crowds, are in evidence – and they are assuredly not our friends. The Patriarch himself, Bartholomew I, once served in the Turkish Army, in keeping with the Turkish state’s stricture that the occupant of that office must hold Turkish citizenship. I looked up at the soldiery, and reflected on the pity of this state, which he served, that is now bent upon squeezing his ancient office out of existence.
Inside the chapel all is gilt and gold, a nineteenth-century version of Orthodox splendor, and it is possible to forget the scene outdoors. The place is suffused with holy relics: among them, the remains of Ss John Chrysostom, whose liturgy we celebrate, and Gregory the Theologian – both recently returned by the Vatican. Across the chapel, a supposed piece of the True Cross, and the purported pillar upon which Christ was scourged. There are sarcophagi in which various saints rest, and niches in which holy icons are venerated. It is a wonderland for the faithful. But not only the faithful are there: there is also the media of the world, armed with telephoto lenses and cameras, and looking shabby in the way that media typically do. It does not occur to them to dress appropriately – one may wish, after all, to look presentable before the putative Vicar of Christ on Earth – but then, it wouldn’t. They crowd onto platforms along the periphery of the chapel, and wait. Patriarch Bartholomew I arrives, decked in brilliant finery and surrounded by black-clad deacons and Metropolitans. Pope Benedict XVI arrives, dressed in thick red robes, and accompanied by bright red-and-purple Cardinals. The Liturgy, which has already been underway for an hour, assumes a new pitch. The lights brighten. The gold upon the icons flare. We pray. We worship for another four hours, with varying levels of comprehension of the thousand-year-old Greek of the Liturgy.

Over four hours of liturgical worship. I once went to a Tridentine Mass, which was over two hours and I was exhilarated, though I recall others complaining that it was "too long." I don't know if I would have the stamina for almost five straight hours of worship, mainly standing. But I would have loved to have been there.

Now, we file forward, toward the Ecumenical Patriarch His All-Holiness Bartholomew I, holder of the last office of the Eastern Empire, who gives us the Body of Christ. Mere feet away, Benedict XVI sits on the Papal throne, looking down upon us supplicants. I am overcome and cannot glance toward him. Behind me, others have more courage: they break from the line, rush forward, and kiss Benedict’s hand. He is calm and gentle. He smiles and clasps their hands, saying a few words in German and English, before urging them to go receive the Eucharist. It is profoundly moving too see these devout Orthodox who have come to pay homage to the bishop of the New Roman, and who are so overwhelmed with the presence and love of the bishop of the Rome that they must give him the same. The small space encompasses a universe, and we are at its center. Bartholomew ascends to the iconostasis and welcomes Benedict in Greek. Benedict, aware of the cameras surrounding him, replies in English. We must, he says, recall Europe to its Christian heritage before it is too late – and we must do it together. Then they emerge into the cold sunlight of a cold day. They ascend to a balcony overlooking the courtyard where we gather in expectation. They speak briefly. And then, they clasp hands, Pope and Patriarch, smile and raise their arms together. Tears come to my eyes, and I am shocked to see several media personnel crying openly. For an instant, the Church is one. For a shadow of a second, the dreams of Christendom are again real.

It brought tears to my eyes to read this and to comprehend the possibilities of a re-united Church. It's been no great secret why Joseph Ratzinger chose the name "Benedict" when he ascended to the Papacy. The first Benedict (of Nursia) established monastic orders in the early sixth century which preserved Christianity and the treasures of western civilization during the fall of Rome. Those monks kept and copied many of the works of the ancient Greeks and Romans, the Church Fathers, as well as Holy Scripture, to be passed on to future generations during the Dark Ages.

Many Church watchers and Vatican insiders have speculated that Pope Benedict XVI perceives a new "Dark Ages" entering Europe. Western Civilization is on the brink of extinction, particularly within the place of its origin. Europe, with its atheistic, secularized society, no longer reproduces itself, and will be overrun by Islamism if no return is made to its once great culture. Benedict XVI has not given up on Europe. He calls for a rejection of nihilistic relativism, a "dictatorship" he sees as the most dangerous of all tyrannies. He calls Europe to a "metanoia", a change of heart, and to return to the faith and reason which are the major contributors to Europe's great past.

If Europe rejects his call and should die, like his early predecessor, Benedict also makes preparations for the diminishment of the Church in Europe. His recent appointments in the Curia point to the East, replacing many in offices in the Vatican with more "pastoral" type appointees, rather than political or diplomatic ones. He works to reunite a centuries old divided Church, preserving its purity of doctrine and all of the great works its followers achieved in its two thousand year existence, waiting faithfully once again for a rebirth, moved by the Hand of God.

Dalliance

2006-11-28T22:13:00.000-08:00

I'm so tired of politics right now. I keep on thinking of that line from the poem, "The world is too much with us..."

So I'm going to post a bit about other stuff. The snow is still here, and it's below freezing. I had cabin fever for not being able to go out for a walk because of the ice every where, but a girlfriend came and picked me up and we went back to her family's home out of town. There they had heavier snow, and much of it was still on the ground, so it wasn't icy, just snow packed, which was great.

The snow covered trees were breathtaking. I was so upset that I hadn't brought my camera, but then lo and behold, later that night, my other friend's daughter who is a freshman in college emailed me photos she took of the "winter wonderland" that is Western Washington right now. Thank you, Amy!

The weather forecast predicts possibly more snow tomorrow night, which may turn to rain later. I hope the temperature stays up so this ice will melt. Our side streets and parking lots are sheets of ice! This is certainly down coat season. Usually I can get away with a lined raincoat during the entire winter season, but now I had to dig out the heavy coat, scarves and gloves, and shoes.

Over at Mike's America we see the "Accuweather" forecast predicting dire hurricane warnings for 2006 because Pres. Bush didn't sign the Kyoto Protocol (/sarcasm) was blown out of the water. Gayle's My Republican Blog and Seth's Hard Astarboard shows data that the Antarctic ice sheet is actually growing, not shrinking as the ecochondriacs would have us believe.

Damn. These trees are just so majestic!

The brisk walk out in the pine filled air on crunching snow made us all sing Christmas carols! And it's not even December!

Oh The Weather Outside is Frightful...

2006-11-26T14:27:00.000-08:00

Global Warming! The Polar Ice Caps are Melting! Earth's temperature is Rising! The Sky is Falling! The Sky is Falling!!!

ZZZZZZZZZZZZ!!!! Ooops. 86 that!

Well, it's snowing here in the Puget Sound area right now, which is odd since it's not even December. We rarely get snow here, and if we do, it lasts for a few hours or a day and melts away because of the proximity of the water. However, I can hear my neighbor's kids outside screaming and playing in the snow with delight. Children in this area always bemoan the lack of snow in the winter for two very good reasons: fun to play in, and school is usually cancelled.

I remember a particularly heavy snowfall several years ago, where we actually got almost eight inches of snow. When I awoke that morning I was elated to find that work was cancelled and the neighborhood was beautiful. Early afternoon my doorbell rang, and it was my best friend and neighbor's 8 year old daughter, with her school chum in tow. "Can we play in your yard? We used up all of our snow already."

After the girls had "used up" my snow, I made them hot chocolate and sent them home. Later they brought me cookies they had baked.

Here is a photo of the view from my living room window. Normally I have a nice water view of the Strait of Juan de Fuca and the Cascade Mountains, but the heavy cloud coverage obscured it all.

Hopefully we'll get some snow for Christmas!

Addendum: The cloud coverage lifted slightly a few hours ago and revealed the water view, but the mountains are still hidden.

Happy Thanksgiving, Everyone!

2006-11-22T17:26:00.000-08:00

“Whereas it is the duty of all nations to acknowledge the providence of Almighty God, to obey His will, to be grateful for His benefits, and humbly to implore His protection and favor; and Whereas both Houses of Congress have, by their joint committee, requested me “to recommend to the people of the United States a day of public thanksgiving and prayer, to be observed by acknowledging with grateful hearts the many and signal favors of Almighty God, especially by affording them an opportunity peaceably to establish a form of government for their safety and happiness.”

“Now, therefore, I do recommend and assign Thursday, the 26th day of November next, to be devoted by the people of these States to the service of that great and glorious Being who is the Beneficent Author of all the good that was, that is, or that will be; that we may then all unite in rendering unto Him our sincere and humble thanks for His kind care and protection of the people of this country previous to their becoming a nation; for the signal and manifold mercies and the favorable interpositions of His providence in the course and conclusion of the late war; for the great degree of tranquillity, union, and plenty which we have since enjoyed; for the peaceable and rational manner in which we have been enabled to establish constitutions of government for our safety and happiness, and particularly the national one now lately instituted; for the civil and religious liberty with which we are blessed, and the means we have of acquiring and diffusing useful knowledge; and, in general, for all the great and various favors which He has been pleased to confer upon us. And also that we may then unite in most humbly offering our prayers and supplication to the great Lord and Ruler of Nations, and beseech Him to pardon our national and other transgressions; to enable us all, whether in public or private stations, to perform our several and relative duties properly and punctually; to render our national government a blessing to all the people by constantly being a government of wise, just and constitutional laws, discreetly and faithfully executed and obeyed; to protect and guide all sovereigns and nations (especially such as have shown kindness to us), and to bless them with good governments, peace, and concord; to promote the knowledge and practice of true religion and virtue, and the increase of science among them and us; and, generally, to grant unto all mankind such a degree of temporal prosperity as He alone knows to be best.”

-Given under my hand, at the city of New York,The 3rd day of October, AD 1789

George Washington

Royal Pain in the Arse

2006-11-21T11:23:00.000-08:00

From the U.K. Telegraph Online, we see that Segolene Royal, the French Socialist Candidate for President has made a clarion call to Britain to break her ties with the United States and join a French-led European integration:

Ségolène Royal, the Socialist candidate for the French presidency, wants Britain to choose between being a "vassal" of the United States, and embracing a French-led drive for European integration, her adviser on Europe has revealed.

Throughout Miss Royal's spectacularly successful campaign to sew up the Socialist nomination, she kept the details of her EU policy under wraps for fear of reopening deep splits within her party.
However, in the hours after her victory on Thursday, Gilles Savary, a French MEP and her spokesman and foreign affairs adviser, spoke exclusively to The Daily Telegraph, revealing her EU policies in detail.

He set out a vision of an ambitious new EU treaty, replacing the EU constitution which has been in limbo since French and Dutch voters voted against it last summer.

Britain would be asked to sign up to the new treaty, but if it rejected calls for increased protectionism, an EU foreign minister, convergence on tax rates and moves to create a European army, then France and her allies would agree a treaty among themselves, he said.

A European army, you say! Let me guess, which country's forces will be the "core" of said army? Thinking about the um, track record of the French military in the past hundred years compared to the UK's, I'm willing to bet that it's the British who will be the primary ones who shed blood and treasure in any Euro military venture should they decide to join. It'd be another case of lions led by donkeys, for sure.

Tony Blair's successor as prime minister, whether Gordon Brown or David Cameron, now faces an inevitable crisis over Europe after France chooses its next leader in April.

Miss Royal, who has no foreign policy experience and has only ever held junior ministerial posts, will seek the immediate support of Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, for her plans, and believes Spain and Italy can also be signed up.

From what statements I've read by the German Chancellor, I'm inclined to see her as no fool. However, considering the fact that the Germans have no army to speak of, it's to Germany's advantage to have Britain's military at their disposal.

Although Miss Royal "does not want a two-speed Europe," Mr Savary said, he admitted her plans could lead to a "quartet" of nations leading the way, with others scrambling to catch up. He complained that Britain currently led an "ultra-Atlanticist" bloc within the EU.

"Great Britain is absolutely indispensable to the European Union. It is great nation, a global power. But the question the English have to answer is – do the English consider the English Channel to be wider than the Atlantic? We on the continent have the right to deplore the fact that Great Britain appears to consider the Channel is wider," he said.

Funny, how they interchange "British" with "English". I guess the French Socialist Party is unaware of Scotland and Wales and Northern Ireland. That'll make the disenfranchised Britons mighty inclined to join with them.

Miss Royal was confident that "Europe can be relaunched with Germany, Italy and Spain. It is perfectly possible to have treaties within the treaty, among four nations," he said. "If other nations want to sign up, that's good. But we cannot have a Europe where one part goes to war in Iraq, another part does not, and we all end up paying the bill."

Unlike the "bill" that the British pay to subsidize crappy French farmers? Hear that giant sucking sound? And it ain't a French bidet.

Deja Vu

2006-11-20T22:58:00.000-08:00

A few days ago a woman I know told me about a relation of hers named George Horton. George Horton was the US Consul to Smyrna during WWI who wrote a book which describes eyewitness accounts of the Turkish massacre of the Armenian Christians in Smyrna. This book, The Blight of Asia, is no longer in print in the U.S., but is available online courtesy of a retired Greek Admiral.

After I found the book online, I began to read, and discovered some strange “coincidences.” First, if one reads the Introduction, one will find a reference to the date which the Turks set fire to Smryna:

I was in Smyrna in May of 1917, when Turkey severed relations with the United States, and I received the oral and written statements of native-born American eye-witnesses of the vast and incredibly horrible Armenian massacres of 1915-16— some of which will be here given for the first time; I personally observed and otherwise confirmed the outrageous treatment of the Christian population of the Smyrna vilayet, both during the Great War, and before its outbreak. I returned to Smyrna later and was there up until the evening of September 11, 1922, on which date the city was set on fire by the army of Mustapha Khemal, and a large part of its population done to death, and I witnessed the development of that Dantesque tragedy, which possesses few, if any parallels in the history of the world.

Hmmm, perhaps no coincidence that they set fire to Smryna on September 11. After all September 11 is the day which Jan Sobieski defeated the Turks in the Battle of Vienna. Mustapha Khemal chose that date for that reason, I’m sure, as did the terrorists on our 9/11.

However, in Chapter 33, I found this:

There is less hope today of pan-Christianity than of pan-Islamism. Says Kurtz, already referred to: “To-day Mohammedanism is the one rival of Christianity to become a world religion,” and a writer in the “Moslem World” for January, 1925: “The Christian Church, after thirteen centuries of hard struggle finds Islam still a most baffling problem. It is true historically that Islam has been born after Christianity and has displaced it almost wherever it has spread. The history of the whole of North Africa, Palestine and Syria, and present Asia Minor shows this plainly.

The Reverend George Bush in his “Life of Mohammed”, published by the Harpers in 1830, makes the following reflection:

“Indeed in this, as in every other instance where the fortunes of an individual are entirely disproportionate to the means employed, and surpass all reasonable calculation, we are forced to resolve the problem into the special Providence of God. Nothing short of this could have achieved such mighty results”

If there is no other explanation of Mohammedan success, it is evident that the Divine intention has not varied in the last ninety years. This is the view-point of the deeply religious man, who believes in God’s personal management of all the affairs of this world, attributing to reasons of Divine wisdom matters too deep for human penetration. The student of history will understand the spread of Mohammedanism at the expense of Christianity, and the chief reasons have appeared or will become plain in the course of this narrative.

The Reverend George Bush? Now I don’t think the name George Bush would be all that uncommon. But it did give me pause to think that this name would be associated with Islam in a book written over 80 years ago concerning an event which occurred on September 11. Uncanny.

The Consul also writes of the bias of the American media towards the Turks and against the Christian Armenians:

I was sitting in the wardroom of one of our destroyers moored in the harbor of Smyrna. At moment when the massacre had begun to assume alarming proportions, a newspaper correspondent, a passenger on the same naval unit, entered the room, opened his typewriter and began to write. When he had finished about half a page, he read it carefully, took it out of the machine, and said:

“I can’t send this stuff. It’ll queer me at Constantinople. I must get busy on Greek atrocities.” I have often wondered what he meant. I was sitting quite close to him and heard him very distinctly.

That journalist must have worked for the New York Times.

In that same chapter he summarizes:

Let us briefly review the situation which enabled the Turks in the year of our Lord, 1922, to complete the extinction of Christianity in the Near East: The Germans were, as long as they lasted, the active allies of the Turks, and during this period nearly a million Armenians and many thousands of Greeks perished; after the Armistice and during the period which led up to the destruction of Smyrna and the accompanying massacre, the French and Italians were allies of the Turk, and furnished him moral and material support; the British gave no aid to the Greeks, but contented themselves with publishing an account of the dreadful events that had been taking place in the Ottoman Empire; the Americans gained the reputation of being pro-Turk, true friends, who would ultimately, on account of this friendship, be given the permission to put through great schemes, which would result in the development of the Ottoman Empire and, incidentally, fill certain American pocketbooks. The Turks confidently believed that commercial avarice would prevent us from interfering with their savagery, or even strongly condemning it.

Never in the world had the Turk so good an opportunity to glut his lust for Christian blood without fear of interference or criticism.

Some things never change, do they?

Mr. Horton prophesies:

If, as the Reverend Bush remarks, the wonderful spread of Mohammedanism can only be explained as some special Providence of God, He may be inspiring the Sennussi to spiritualize their religion and develop the better features of it. If the Christian faith has had so feeble effect upon the conduct of Christian nations and has so little harmony that it lacks the force to convert Mohammedans, then the only alternative open to wisdom, finite or infinite, would be to make the best of some other creed. When our missionaries have finished putting the Turkish administrations “on a sound basis,” they might come home and teach us to be better Christians. Unless Christianity is saved in those countries where it still has a nominal existence, it is doomed, and their civilization will go with it. The Bolsheviks understand this, as witness the war they are waging against religion.

Chilling.

Are Conservatives Better Educated?

2006-11-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

Hehe, got this quiz from Grizzly Mama's and we share the same score! Thanks Monica!

You paid attention during 97% of high school!

85-100% You must be an autodidact, because American high schools don't get scores that high! Good show, old chap!

Do you deserve your high school diploma?
Create a Quiz

"Hell On Earth"

2006-11-17T11:42:00.000-08:00

Super video I snatched from Doug's Political Pistachio.

How to Stop Worrying and Learn to Live with Aplomb

2006-11-17T01:22:00.000-08:00

The world situation is worrisome. And sometimes I feel overwhelmed when I think of everything that’s going on and going wrong. Over at Seth’s Hard Astarboard we learn that the North American Union agenda is rearing its ugly frightful head:

“As I said last time out, we are indeed in grave trouble, because our very sovereignty is about to be sacrificed on the altar of corporate expediency.
While our future Congresses and POTUSes will govern our country, they will be
like state legislatures, while extranational congresses determine the details of
our economy (a collective with Mexico and Canada), eventually becoming part of a
global collective consisting of the EU, the NAU, the SAU, the AU, etc....

We are in big trouble here, a world government awaits just around the corner, and
most unfortunately, the politicians who might be able to prevent it are being
kept outside the loop.”

And of course there’s the question of what we will do about the Iraq War, which, in the immortal words of Nancy Pelosi, is a “situation to solve”. Tell that to the men and women who died there, Nancy, the “San Francisco Treat” (H/T Clarity and Resolve.)

We’ve elected our first Muslim Congressman, Iran is building nukes and threatening Israel, other Muslim states want to build nukes, Europe is withering away, Muslims are killing everyone everywhere, and more.
I wonder about our survival as a nation and I worry. And I decided to read what Peggy Noonan had to say recently and found comfort in her wisdom:

We have divided government. Good, and for many reasons. One: It confuses our enemies. "Who do we hate now?" they ask in their caves, "the evil woman from San Francisco or the old infidel from Texas? Which do we hate more? And if we hate them both does that...unite them?"

We are in a 30-year war. It is no good for it to be led by, identified with, one party. It is no good for half the nation to feel estranged from its government's decisions. It's no good for us to be broken up more than a nation normally would be. And straight down the middle is a bad break, the kind that snaps…

This is the age we live in: One day in the future either New York or Washington or both will be hit again, hard. It will be more deadly than 9/11. And on that day, those who experience it, who see the flash or hear the alarms, will try to help each other. They'll be good to each other. An elderly conservative congresswoman will be unable to make it down those big old Capitol steps, and a young liberal congressman will come by and pick her up in his arms and carry her. (I witnessed a moment somewhat like this during a Capitol alarm two years ago, when we were told to run for our lives.) I would say: Keep that picture in mind. Cut to the chase, be good to each other now.

She has some words for Congress:

What can you do in two years? The common wisdom says not much. But here's a governing attitude: First things first.
Do all you can to keep America as safe as possible as long as possible. Make sure she's able to take a bad blow, a bad series of them. Much flows from this first thing, many subsets. Here is only one: Strengthen and modernize our electrical grid. When the bad thing comes we will need to be able to make contact with each other to survive together. Congress has ignored this for years.

From this I say to each individual American: Prepare yourself. It’s not a matter of “if” we will be hit again, it’s a matter of “when”. When a dirty bomb goes off in a major American city the surrounding areas will be hit as well with major population shifts. Think Hurricane Katrina. Food and water shortages, anarchy, possible disease. Be ready. And be ready to help your neighbors and friends. Have contingency plans. Part of what makes America great is the initiative of the average citizen. Be one of those.

Fun With Guns

2006-11-16T00:44:00.000-08:00

I finally managed to go to the local gun club and shoot my new Ruger. I shot almost 150 rounds with that baby and I really enjoyed it. One thing I realized is that, being a righty, my left hand is quite weak. I tried to shoot the pistol with only my left hand and I couldn't squeeze the trigger hard enough (double action). Need to practice on that!

I used .38 cartridges, though some day I'll try the .357s to see how they do. I recall that Monica said that she has the same pistol, except with a four inch barrel. Mine is only 2.25 inches or so, the smallest of the SP101s. Monica, if you're still thinking about purchasing this version go right ahead. I had no problem with the recoil at all. The heft and nice rubber grip of this piece absorbed the shock well so my hand wasn't bothering me at all. It's a nice, solid machine. My shooting partner tried it and he really liked it. He's a semi-automatic sort of guy. He brought his Beretta 9mm and a new 9mm Glock. I tried the Glock and I can see the usefulness of something that can successively shoot so many rounds, but I really can't get past all those bloody empty shells flying about. What a mess.

I also went to Sportsman's Warehouse and bought a holster. I really dislike holsters for myself. They're ugly and boring. Plus I don't like to wear a belt all the time and most holsters are designed to be worn with a belt. I ended up buying a light fabric holster with a clip for the waistband of one's pants or skirt. It's not that great but if I want to participate in shooting competitions I guess I have to have one. I wish they would make more designed for women to wear... hmmm... how about designer holsters? A new market!

One of these days I will get one of the little Smith and Wesson Airweights. Internal hammer, so it won't snag when you pull it out of your purse. It's not good for target shooting, but it'll do the job if you encounter a bad guy. I heard a Smith and Wesson rep say of it: "It's meant to be used, not shot". Agreed.

Europa, Europa

2006-11-14T00:01:00.000-08:00

I’ve been having a hard time blogging the past two days. It seems as if all of my energies in writing have been spent on comments at a new blog where I’ve engaged in a debate with British Conservatives who worry themselves over why America isn’t trying harder to make herself more likeable to Britain and to Europe.

Why should we give a rat’s ass? I say. Not with those crude words. But in essence, yes.

I’m an Anglophile. I’m partially of British descent. I love British theatre, film, literature, and history. Yet I’ve noticed a change within myself. I’ve been to the UK several years ago and never have I seen such Euro anti Americanism in person until my eyes were opened by it there, particularly among the younger Britons. They hate us. They have nothing but disdain and scorn for us. I’ve been lectured by university students there that the EU is the answer to American “hegemony” and “global dominance” which is the cause of most of the world’s woes. I remained silent, but something in my heart grew hard and angry when I saw and listened to these students sit coolly and discuss the “evil empire” that is America. This is not the same Britain that I once knew and loved.

So much for the continuation of the “special relationship”. Churchill must be rolling in his grave. And Roosevelt too for that matter. What would they think now? Is Adolph Hitler having the last laugh?

And what of Europe? Sneering, posturing, haughty Europe. Always blaming America. Always faulting American policy as the creator of the world’s problems. Always holding America responsible for “fixing” those problems, then later condemning it for “meddling”.

So should we give a rat’s ass? Should we be concerned about making ourselves more “palatable” to delicate European sensibilities? Not on your life, I say. As a matter of fact, not on Europe’s life, because Europe has no life. “Dead man walking!” the man shouted as the convicted felon shuffled to the electric chair. “Dead man walking!” That is Europe. Grown old, a history of crimes against humanity, no children to give new hope to erase the ugly past, no future to behold. Forget about the glorious music of Beethoven and Mozart. Forget about the soaring cathedrals at Notre Dame and Chartres. Forget about the words of Dante and Shakespeare. Forget about the Mona Lisa and the Pieta. Forget about the ideals of the Greeks and the government of the Romans. Forget about your Mother Church who gave you reason and universities and hospitals. Forget it all, Europe, because you cannot love yourself anymore, so you have chosen to hate. You have chosen to hate yourselves and your culture. And in turn you hate us. You hate America. And that is sick. Why is it sick?

Because we are your children, Europe. Yes, face it, we are. We came to these shores from your lands and we carried your languages, your customs, your food, your clothing, your dreams here and built a new nation. Even some of our cities and towns bear the names of your own: (New) York, Paris, Madrid, Frankfurt, Milan…

We conquered this continent, hostile and dangerous and full of wilderness. We overcame the land and walked across it, on horse and on foot, with wagons and with carts. We built log cabins and sod houses. We hunted the game and tore into the soil to give us food to live. We endured freezing winters and sweltering summers; we doctored our own wounds and pulled our own teeth. We fought the fierce natives and subdued them to our will. We died of smallpox and tuberculosis and pneumonia. And yet we lived. We survived. We made this land ours. We live our dreams here, purchased by the blood of those who fought for it then and by those who fight for it now. And we told stories of our past homelands, we passed on to our children the songs of our grandparents who stayed behind…

And you hate us now. How strange. What pathology is this, that a parent would hate his own child? Would scorn his success? Would hope for his downfall and death?

Do you curse upon your children with your last dying breath, Europe? Like mad Ahab, spitting and snarling at his imagined enemy, who drowned in his obsession to destroy, who, in the wreckage, left only one survivor. One called Ishmael.

No Dhimmitude From This Congresswoman

2006-11-11T12:33:00.000-08:00

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite (R-FL), wrote a response to Ahmed Bedier, head of the Tampa Chapter of Council of American-Islamic Relations regarding their pressure to have her condemn Hernando County Commissioner Tom Hogan’s wife, Mary Ann for her remarks in a letter to their local newspaper that Islam is a “hateful, frightening religion”. The Hogans have experienced a political fallout replete with criticisms from CAIR as well as from Gov. Jeb Bush.

Here is the complete text of her letter:

Dear Mr. Bedier:

Your faxed letter of November 3, 2006 was received and I am most happy to respond.

I carry a copy of the United Stated Constitution with me wherever I go. I have taken an oath to protect it and dedicate my life to its preservation. Although our Constitution was written more than 200 years ago, it guarantees every citizen certain inalienable rights that the founders of our country believed to be the cornerstone of our society. Two of those rights are directly addressed in your letter; they are the right to freedom of religion and the right to freedom of speech.

Mr. and Mrs. Hogan have shown tremendous fortitude by resisting the pressures of your group to retract their statements. I am sorry that Jeb Bush and Carol Jean Jordan from the Republican Party were so quick to also forget that we have freedom of speech and that the Hogans were made to feel that they are the ones who were in the wrong. The Hogans have a right to their opinion just as you have a right to yours. Mrs. Hogan expressed in her statements the views of many of my constituents, and while they do not encourage harmony in their community, they should demonstrate to you how many United States citizens perceive your faith. Your area of concern should not be focused on the statements of the Hogans, but rather upon the actions of many in your community who created these beliefs.

Americans should find it very interesting that you want me to criticize Mrs. Hogan’s letter to the editor expressing her views about Muslim terrorists and her views on why county employees should not have been used to deliver and pick up the games celebrating the end of Ramadan. There were several other church events occurring that same week and I did not notice the county employees helping at those events. The basic issue here is Mrs. Hogan’s first amendment right of freedom of speech.

It is clear to me, as it should be to you, that the views of the Hogan family, as well as most other Americans, have been shaped by the radical militants of Islam. On a daily basis we are reminded by the media that there are those of your faith who openly seek to destroy everything we believe in. These militants express a complete intolerance to other religions and our way of life. Most of my constituents have expressed to me their concern that Muslims living in our community have not disavowed these violent beliefs nor condemned the terrorist acts committed against our country. Your organization has had more than five years since the September 11 attack, and even longer since the attacks on American Embassies in Yemen, Tanzania, or even the first attack on the World Trade Center, to publicly disavow and condemn these attacks.

After the September 11 terrorist attack on our country, I reached out to the Muslim community because many of my citizens were of the belief that all Muslims were to be blamed. I worked with local Muslims to bring the community together to overcome the fears on both sides. While I met many fine Muslims who sincerely do care about the United States, I also met some local Muslims who expressed vehement anti-Semitic views and some who even attempted to justify the extremist wing ideology.

You may recall our meeting on May 29, 2004, when I met with you and other members of your organization where I shared this very sentiment. You should also remember that I was invited over to the home of a prominent doctor in Hernando County to allegedly “have some tea and see how his children were doing.” Imagine how surprised I was upon entering the home to find a group of eight or more men sitting in a semicircle preparing to have a discussion with me. It certainly was not the casual social event I was invited to, but not being the type to shy away from a healthy discussion, I joined in and listened.

It was suggested to me that the group needed a Member of Congress who would be sympathetic to the CAIR-Muslim view. I then told the group that I would not be the person for them due to the fact that neither I, nor my constituents, felt that the American Muslims or CAIR had adequately disavowed past terrorist acts. Whereupon you said that CAIR had taken out a full-page ad in the New York Times and several other large major newspapers. I responded with something like “Well, I am not sure the majority of my constituents subscribe to those papers.”

From there on the conversation went downhill. When it became apparent to you that I was not willing to champion your cause in Washington, you Mr. Bedier, made the following statement, which was so outrageous I remember it almost verbatim. You told me that you had done research on me and found that I was Catholic and then went on to say, “Catholic priests pose more of a terrorism threat by having sex with young altar boys than those who flew planes into the World Trade Center.” I found the statement so bizarre that I asked you to repeat it and without hesitation, you did. It was at this point that I stood up and told you that the meeting was over. I also pointed out the fact that the Catholic priests did not kill 3,000 innocent people, and that we knew where the guilty priests were located and they were not hiding in caves. I then left.

Under our Constitution you have the right to say what you believe. You will not be arrested, beaten, or made to fear for your beliefs; but you also don’t have the right to tell others what they must believe. I did not agree with you and spoke my piece before I left the doctor’s home. Again, I remind you, free speech is a right guaranteed under the Constitution. I did not demand in the media that you retract your statement. Several moderate Muslims have since heard about our verbal exchange and apologized for your very inappropriate attack on my religion.

Additionally, you should know that the Hogans and I over the years have not always agreed on many issues. We have, however, always respected each other’s right to free speech guaranteed by the Constitution.

By the way, my office is not responsible for the appointment of anyone to a seat on the County Commission. Your statement that my office appointed Mr. Hogan is inaccurate inasmuch as this area of our government is the responsibility of the Governor of Florida. I suggest you not only review the U.S. Constitution but also the Florida constitution and statutes.

Mr. Bedier, in closing, I know many fine Muslims who would be well served by your resignation from the local CAIR office. Your militancy and manipulation of facts does not serve them well.

Sincerely,

Ginny Brown-Waite
Member of Congress

Bravo, Congresswoman! Would that we had more like you in the House, the Senate and the White House!

(H/T to Dhimmi Watch.)

Speculations

2006-11-09T00:37:00.000-08:00

What a week so far. I’m not too surprised that the Democrats won the House and most likely the Senate, but Rumsfeld’s quickly tendered resignation threw me for a loop.

Or was it “quick”? The fact that the President already has a new man for the position tells me that this resignation was in the works for a while. Its timing, however, is worth a ponder.

For a long time Donald Rumsfeld has been a focal point of attack from the anti-war groups and the Democrats. His resignation has been called for again and again. His handling of the War in Iraq has been criticized roundly from all sides. However the President has stood firmly by his Secretary of Defense, and even last week has said that Rumsfeld would remain in his position till the end of this Administration’s term.

Now all that has changed. With the new leaders in Congress we see that President Bush’s position is weakened. Both he and the new House Majority Leader have already made the customary statements about “working together”. Having Secretary of Defense Rumsfeld resign is throwing a bone to the Democrats. Here is some “change” which you have been screaming for, so now you can’t complain. Let’s work this out now.

So what is the plan for direction with the President and the war? Let’s take a look at his newly selected candidate for the vacant position.

Robert Gates has extensive experience with Middle East matters. He was a former Director of the CIA and is the President of Texas A&M University. More importantly, he was a member of the ISG, the Iraq Study Group led by James Baker, former advisor to President George H.W. Bush, which also consisted of politically inactive Democrats and Republicans. Before this recent election, President Bush’s attitude towards the commission’s report was noncommittal - he would be open to listening to their findings and recommendations - though not necessarily adopt them. But now he faces demands for change which he cannot ignore. The Democrats have no answers for the War. They clamor for change yet cannot think of any new ideas - other than the previous unfortunate model of Vietnam: cut and run.

The President knows he cannot accept a Cut and Run Policy. He understands the enormous consequences of such a policy: lessening of world status, defeat, emboldening terrorism all over the world, increased terrorist recruitment (America CAN be defeated), and most worrisome of all - a power vacuum in the Middle East into which Iran will merrily step.

So what is the significance of appointing Robert Gates? The opportunity to use the ISG Commission Report as a platform for change in the War in the Middle East. Maybe even that might tempt the Democrats to work with the Administration since they have no new ideas of their own. Plus, if the Democrats are smart, they will claim credit for this new approach. It might work.

What changes are possible? Here are some scenarios:

*Maintain the current strategy. It’s stagnant. The coalition government itself cannot keep the peace and we’re taking the bullets (literally and figuratively) for it. James Baker has already hinted that this system is not working.

*Cut and Run. We already know that this option is the worst one, and the President will not budge on it. We cannot allow Iran to become the dominant power in the Middle East.

*Redeploy our forces away from danger and maintain a presence in order to keep Iran out of Iraq. Create a new mission focus which centers around suppressing Iran’s influence in the region. This would address the growing problem with Iran and maintain our miltary presence.

None of these options are very attractive, but then the world situation ain’t pretty at all. What’s worse is that the President is faced with hindrances in the form of a biased media, a hostile Democratic Senate and House, and fewer allies. My bet is the third option… and if the Democrats can see past their noses then hopefully they will work with the President in protecting our nation.

That’s what their job is in the first place. They better remember that. Power and control does not last forever. And the Republicans have just learned that oh so painfully.

How To Win an Election Without Even Trying

2006-11-08T00:16:00.000-08:00

This sums it all up:

Thanks to Little Miss Chatterbox for the cartoon.

Post Mortem on John Kerry

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

Victor Davis Hanson calls John Kerry the "saddest" liability of the Democratic Party in this incisive analysis:

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 noblesse 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.

Right on target, Dr. Hanson. That last paragraph sums up nicely the essence of the Elite Left of the Democratic Party: Rich, hypocritical, pseudo-educated fatcats who assuage their guilt by pretending to "care" for their lessers. Ironically, that phony compassion which they try to drum up is always soiled by their natural contempt for those lessers.

(H/T to Wordsmith for the cartoon.)

Diversions

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

Since Sunday is the day of rest I won’t post about politics but I will talk about some of my favorite things.

Right now some of my leisure time is consumed with Nancy Drew computer games. It’s not just for kids! I love mysteries, in reading and in gaming, so couple that with a childhood hero and I can’t resist. The one I’m playing now is #15: The Creature of Kapu Cave, where Nancy and the Hardy Boys go on separate assignments on the Big Island of Hawaii. The graphics are beautiful, especially of the underwater sequences where Frank goes snorkeling.

First off: Parents, Nancy Drew from HerInteractive is wholesome, perfect for children from ten years and up. The storylines are squeaky clean, ethically unimpeachable and brushed with an "Eisenhower era" civility which we all would welcome back. But there are some tense moments where Nancy has to think quickly to save the day (or her own life), though you always can press the “Second Chance” button, ;)

Some of the best games are based on Carolyn Keene’s books like “The Secret of Shadow Ranch”, one of my favorites. You get to barrel race, use a lariat, gather eggs and produce, and solve some more difficult puzzles involving mazes, unusual locks, formulas, patterns, sequences, etc… Be prepared to take notes occasionally though Nancy does have a cellphone and sometimes uses a PDA. There are two levels: the Junior Level gives extra clues and has easier puzzles while the Senior Level poses more difficulty.

For movie watching I was recommended HBO’s miniseries “Rome”, of which the first season was released on DVD recently. I devoured all 12 episodes. “Rome” has all the splendor and savagery of a Pre-Christian Western World. Pagan Rome at the time of the Republic’s fall was wracked with strange occultist Eastern practices, a government resembling more an oligarchy peopled by the aristocrats of the Senate rather than a democracy, a growing influence over and occupation of acquired foreign lands, and the rivalry between two powerful men: Gaius Julius Caesar and Gnaeus Pompey Magnus.

Besides the big picture, there are subplots, all of them absorbing and adding wonderful touches of human interest. The two 13th Legion soldiers, Centurion Lucius Vorenus and Legionary Titus Pullo make an unlikely pair who forge a bond of brotherhood found only in battle. Two women, Atia of the Julii, mother of Octavian who would later become Caesar Augustus, and Servilia, the mother of Marcus Junius Brutus, compete for top social status in their own backstabbing ways make for entertainment. Polly Walker’s amazing performance as Atia is well worth watching. Hillary Clinton take note.

This Rome is full of sex, violence, superstition, politics, religion, and war. I found some of the sex scenes too graphic: I’m not interested in Polly Walker’s nether regions, but then I’m sure there are men out there who are. I don’t recommend this for anyone under 18 (though I suppose there are those who would disagree with me). I can rationalize the sex and violence because, hey, this WAS the pagan world. It was the best pagan world of its time, yet the barbarism is breathtaking and it wouldn’t hurt people to see it and realize how radically our world has changed as a result of Christianity. It’s an eye-opening alien culture, with glimpses of some connection to ours. Loyalty and courage are admired, however compassion and humility are not.

Before viewing this my main concern was the portrayal of Caesar. A complex, modern man, I wondered how they would depict him. I was not disappointed. Ciaran Hinds is magnificent, bearing “dignitas and auctoritas” as all patricians would. Julius Caesar is one of my favorite historical figures. Soldier, statesman, author, historian, lawgiver, orator, and yes, dictator. Possibly the most benign dictator ever, his contemporaries and later historians marveled at his policy of clemency towards his opponents. A colossus of the Ancient World, Caesar possessed a keen quick mind, amazing political acumen, military genius, and personal charm. His largesse towards his fellow Romans, his vision of transplanting Roman law and custom to the known world, his plans to improve Roman infrastructure, and his desire to expand Roman citizenship to all Italians endeared him to the plebs, but earned him enduring hatred from The Boni - a good ole boys network of the Senate which resented Caesar’s popularity and remarkable abilities.

Flawless acting, intelligent script and spot on sensibilities do justice to one of the most fascinating eras in human history. The set of Rome itself reflects that sprawling, colorful metropolis which breathes and belches with its painted statues, graffiti-covered walls and worn pavement stones. One of my favorites is the town crier, who shouts out the news in the middle of the Forum, always ending with a shameless plug from its sponsor: “This has been brought to you by the Miller’s Guild, who uses only the finest wheat. True Roman bread, for true Romans”.

Since “I Claudius“, bread and circuses on the screen has never been better.

More Muslim States Plan to Go Nuclear

2006-11-04T02:03:00.000-08:00

From The TimesUK Online:

Algeria, Egypt, Morocco, Tunisia, UAE and Saudi Arabia seek atom technology

THE SPECTRE of a nuclear race in the Middle East was raised yesterday when six Arab states announced that they were embarking on programmes to master atomic technology.

The move, which follows the failure by the West to curb Iran’s controversial nuclear programme, could see a rapid spread of nuclear reactors in one of the world’s most unstable regions, stretching from the Gulf to the Levant and into North Africa.

The countries involved were named by the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA) as Algeria, Egypt, Morocco and Saudi Arabia. Tunisia and the UAE have also shown interest.

All want to build civilian nuclear energy programmes, as they are permitted to under international law. But the sudden rush to nuclear power has raised suspicions that the real intention is to acquire nuclear technology which could be used for the first Arab atomic bomb.

Mark Fitzpatrick, an expert on nuclear proliferation at the International Institute for Strategic Studies, said that it was clear that the sudden drive for nuclear expertise was to provide the Arabs with a “security hedge”.

“If Iran was not on the path to a nuclear weapons capability you would probably not see this sudden rush [in the Arab world],” he said.

The announcement by the six nations is a stunning reversal of policy in the Arab world, which had until recently been pressing for a nuclear free Middle East, where only Israel has nuclear weapons.

(H/T Jihad Watch.)

This is all we need now. The whole bloody Muslim world going nuclear. As if they guys aren't dangerous enough with dirty bombs and aircraft, now they want nukes.

Pulling out of Iraq now would portend disaster. We need to keep a presence there. Israel needs support in going in and bombing the hell out of Iran's nuclear facilities. Our navy must maintain a strong presence in the Gulf of Arabia and the Indian Ocean.

Meanwhile at home, we need to prepare for skyrocketing fuel prices. And we need to start kicking Muslims out of our universities and schools. We should not be giving them any Western education or technology which they can use against us.

Think hard on this. Do we want the Democrats to take over Congress with the emergence of a nuclear Middle East approaching? Do you want your children and grandchildren to grow up in the spectre of a mushroom cloud sent courtesy of Islamofascists? There is not ONE Democratic leader who has the guts to really look at this situation and see it for what it is and do what must be done. Not one.

We keep on seeing the words "Vote as if your life depended on it" during this election. It ain't a lie. It's the awful truth.

Project Valour-IT

2006-11-04T00:41:00.000-08:00

I learned about Project Valour-IT over at Blackfive, who is hosting the Army Team. Here is the history:

Project Valour-IT began when Captain Charles "Chuck" Ziegenfuss was wounded by an IED while serving as commander of a tank company in Iraq in June 2005.

During his deployment he kept a blog (an online personal diary, opinion forum, or news analysis site-called a milblog or military weblog when written by a servicemember or about military subjects). Captivating writing, insightful stories of his experiences, and his self-deprecating humor won him many loyal readers. After he was wounded, his wife continued his blog, keeping his readers informed of his condition.

As he began to recover, CPT Ziegenfuss wanted to return to writing his blog, but serious hand injuries hampered his typing. When a loyal and generous reader gave him a copy of the Dragon Naturally Speaking Preferred software, other readers began to realize how important such software could be to CPT Ziegenfuss' fellow wounded soldiers and started cast about for a way to get it to them.

A fellow blogger (blog author) who writes under the pseudonym FbL contacted Captain Ziegenfuss and the two realized they shared a vision of creating libraries of laptops with voice-controlled software that could be brought to the bedsides of wounded soldiers whose injuries prevented them from operating a standard computer. FbL contacted Soldiers' Angels, who offered to help develop the project, and Project Valour-IT was born.

In sharing their thoughts, CPT Ziegenfuss and FbL found that memories of their respective fathers were a motivating factor in their work with the project. Both continue their association with this project in memory of the great men in their lives whose fine examples taught them lasting lessons of courage and generosity.

Personally I can only imagine what it would be like to have lost my hands or arms and be unable to use a computer to keep up with email, the web, blogging, etc... Our soldiers deserve our support to give them the tools to stay connected.

There is a friendly competition among the branches of the military, and I've chosen to help with the Army, as that is where my own family members have served. Please consider donating to help our wounded soldiers - every little bit helps! Our goal is $45,000.00 and the amount we've garnered so far is updated on the upper left sidebar on this page. You can click on the "Make a Donation" button to contribute.

Go Army!

Lutheran Vicar Self Immolates

2006-11-03T01:00:00.000-08:00

From The Brussels Journal:

On Tuesday a Lutheran vicar set himself alight in the German town of Erfurt. The 73 year old Roland Weisselberg poured gasoline over himself and set fire to himself in the Erfurt monastery, where Martin Luther took his monastic vows in 1505. Bystanders rushed to extinguish the flames. The man later died of his injuries.

In a farewell letter to his wife the vicar wrote that he was setting himself on fire to warn against the danger of the Islamization of Europe. During the past four years the vicar had frequently expressed his concern about the expansion of Islam, urging the Lutheran Church to take this issue seriously. As the fire started the vicar cried: “Jesus and Oskar!” Oskar Brüsewitz was a 47-year old German vicar who died after setting himself on fire 30 years ago, on 18 August 1976, in the market square of the German town of Zeitz in protest against the Communist regime in East Germany. Both Erfurt and Zeitz are situated in the former East German province of Saxony.

Axel Noack, the Lutheran Bishop of Saxony, said he is shocked by the tragic event in Erfurt. Bishop Noack emphasized that the motive for the suicide complicates matters. He said he hopes that the affair and the question of how Christians should relate to Muslims will not lead to unrest. The Bishop emphasized that Christians reject a culture war. “Fear of other cultures is the result of our own insecurity,” he said, adding that since there are not many Muslims in what was once East Germany, there is not much of a debate about Islam there.

Last Saturday Mama Galledou, a 26-year old Senegalese medical student, suffered severe burns in an arson attack by Muslim thugs, a.k.a. “youths,” on a public transport bus in the French city of Marseille. Muslim thugs have torched eight buses in France during the past days. They hijack the vehicles and empty jerrycans of gasoline into them. Sometimes they allow the passengers to get off first, sometimes they do not.

I'm stunned. In contrast, the bland words of his politically correct bishop make this horrible act even more bizarre and disturbing.

We see two sides of Europe in the face of Islamic encroachment: the blind apathy of those who don't care, and the despair of the ones who do.

UPDATE: I found a deeper insight into this disturbing event at Wolf Pangloss' blog here:

Before he struck the fatal match, the last words he spoke were "Jesus and Oskar."

There is no mystery in why a 73-year-old retired priest would call to Jesus before committing suicide. But why did he call to Oskar? Who was Oskar?

Oskar Bruesewitz was a priest who on August 18 1976 set himself on fire "in the busy market square of the town of Zeitz in Saxony, East Germany"[link] in order to protest increasingly severe restrictions placed on Christianity by the hardline Communist East German government.[link] His suicide proved to be a turning point for East German Socialism, for it empowered the Evangelical Protestant church as an advocate for freedom.

So this man, Roland Weisselberg, had hoped that his self immolation might spark an awakening as did the act of Oskar Bruesewitz in the 1970's. Remember the Buddhist monks who also self immolated during the Vietnam War which shocked America?

We probably won't be seeing any photos of Reverend Weisselberg's demise, nor will we hear about it in the news. Already I hear that the German papers are hushing this story. It's too embarassing for the Bishop of Saxony and the politically correct churches there.

Like Wolf said, let's remember to say a prayer for this man.

Nancy Pelosi's America by A European

2006-11-02T11:26:00.000-08:00

Paul Belien from The Brussels Journal wrote an article warning what America will become if the Democrats take over in "A Recipe for Defeat: Europe is Pelosi's America":

I am in Los Angeles at the moment, and do not have the opportunity to write about events in Europe as much as I would like to. I will not be back in Brussels until 12 November. Over here in the U.S. all attention is focused on the upcoming elections. There is a possibility that the Democrats will become the majority in the House of Representatives and that Nancy Pelosi, the California Liberal, will become the next Speaker of the House. I was in West Hollywood on Halloween. A friend described this area as one third retiree, one third Russian and one third gay. Sounds a bit like Europe to me.

The gays take every opportunity to dress up. Consequently Halloween has become a gay festival in LA. The first people I met when leaving the hotel were a group of men dressed up as ballerinas. This is Pelosi Land.

Americans can already see what their country’s future will be if they vote for Pelosi and her band. They only need to watch Europe. That is what America will be like 20 years from now if the Liberals succeed in turning the U.S. into a European-style welfare state. The latter is the cause of all Europe’s problems. It has led to secularization, because people who are catered for from the cradle to the grave no longer need God. It has led to the immigration debacle, because Europe has attracted welfare immigrants who only come for the benefits and not to contribute to the host country’s wealth creation. It has led to the loss of the citizens’ ability to care for themselves, because they expect everything from the state.

However, the current American elections are relevant for Europe, too. If they lead to the American withdrawal from Iraq, Europe will face a widespread intifada. The withdrawal will be perceived as a defeat of the West and the Muslim “youths” in Europe’s cities will become even more arrogant. They utterly despise the Europeans, whom they perceive (not entirely without reason) to be men dressed up as ballerinas, and they hate America because it fights back. In a world ruled by men who only understand the language of power it is better to be hated than despised. If America withdraws the Islamist fanatics will despise America for it. They will take this as a sign that the West has been defeated and that the world is theirs.

In this scenario Europe has more to lose than America. That makes it all the more surprising that Europe’s politicians refuse to support America. They seem to be hoping that the Muslims, although they despise the Europeans, will leave them alone so they can carry on paying the taxes that the immigrants live off. I fear it will not turn out this way. Moreover, the funds are running dry because the welfare state hampers wealth creation.

I have ambivalent feelings about the war in Iraq, but once a country has decided to go to war it has got to make sure it wins. Europe no longer knows this, which also goes to explain why it does not want to help America win the war and why, on a micro level, the situation in France is deteriorating day by day. Last year the French Interior Minister Nicolas Sarkozy decided to reestablish law and order in the French immigrant suburbs which have become territorial pockets ruled by thugs and Islamists. Instead of fighting this battle with all available means the French authorities are waging a half-hearted war which has led to the current debacle in France’s no-go areas. Last year “youths” developed a habit of setting parked (and empty) cars on fire, but this year policemen and firefighters are being attacked in paramilitary raids and crowded buses are being hijacked and arsoned. Still the French Republic refuses to crack down on the Islamic hooligans

Kerry's Foot In Mouth Disease

2006-11-01T13:16:00.000-08:00

Well, we've been having quite a time watching and commenting on John Kerry's latest faux pas:

"you study hard, you do your homework and you make an effort to be smart, you can do well.

"And if you don't, you get stuck in Iraq,"

Or, if you get D's like the Senator did in his freshman year at Yale, you'll end up with Foot in Mouth Disease. Despite calls to apologize from both parties, Kerry refuses. I guess having a butler means never having to say you're sorry.

Our troops, however, show their good humor and sarcasm to the Senator's remarks:

H/T to Mike's America for the great photo.

UPDATE: Looks like the Massachusetts Senator has issued an apology:

"As a combat veteran, I want to make it clear to anyone in uniform and to their loved ones: my poorly stated joke at a rally was not about, and never intended to refer to any troop," Kerry said in a statement published on his Web site.

Kerry said he regrets that his words "were misinterpreted to wrongly imply anything negative about those in uniform, and I personally apologize to any service member, family member, or American who was offended."

(H/T Fox News)

"Misinterpreted"? It's hard to "misinterpret" the meaning of his statement. Why can't the buffoon just admit he mangled his words and made an ass out of himself while insulting our troops? That elitist Liberal mentality... do we want that in the Senate and House of Representatives?

A New Hobby

2006-10-31T22:00:00.000-08:00

I completed my NRA Certified class "Basic Pistol Shooting" this past weekend. It was a great learning experience and I've gained knowledge and confidence in handling and shooting guns. I didn't own a gun during the class, so my instructor provided me with several choices of handguns to use. On the first day, Saturday, I used a Smith and Wesson .38 revolver with a four inch barrel. It was a nice shooter. That day we first did bench shots, which I did quite well; I managed to consistently shoot within the target with tight groupings.

The next day I used his Dan Wesson .387 Magnum; 4 inch barrel. That gun was literally smokin'! We stood and did two handed and one handed shooting in various positions. I find that I do well with the Weaver position, and managed to hit bullseye with the one handed frontal position!

There was a lady there who had the handgun I had contemplated buying. The Smith and Wesson .38 special Airweight with the snub nose. Weighs only 11 oz! She let me try it and I didn't like its recoil. Because of the gun's lightness, it couldn't absorb the shock of the recoil, which made shooting painful to one's hand. I decided I wasn't going to buy it.

However, today I bought a Ruger SP101 .357 Magnum. I love its satin stainless steel finish and the grip is perfect for my hand. It has a 2 1/4 barrel - good for conceal carry - yet has some heft to it. It weighs almost 2 pounds. I have a five day waiting period then I can pick it up. In the meantime I'm waiting for my Concealed Weapon Permit.

Since I enjoyed target shooting so much, I hope to eventually buy a .38 with a four inch barrel - maybe a Colt I saw at my local gunshop. I'm joining the local Gun Club in January and plan on practicing a lot! And later on, I hope to buy a rifle!

Algorism

2006-10-30T21:20:00.000-08:00

From Fox News a British government report states that Global Warming could damage the world economy as badly as the two World Wars and Great Depression did.

Okay, nothing new here; the liberals have been bleating about “Global Warming” for years now. But also some unsettling news: Al Gore has been appointed by the British Government as an advisor on “climate change”. Gordon Brown, British Treasury chief, said that they hired Algore to help promote “an economy that is both pro-growth and pro-green”.

So the Labor Party is going to divert its unpopular policies on the War on Terror to a war against weather when Tony Blair steps down. Much easier to gain support from the disenchanted Liberals . In other words the European Union will start forcing its citizens to use unbleached toilet paper and eco sensitive laundry powder, among other things.

British political observers think Gore also will give Brown, who has been criticized for lacking Prime Minister Tony Blair's charisma, some much-needed star quality before he replaces Blair as head of the Labor Party government sometime next year.

Charisma? From Al Gore? Or maybe what they’re really hoping for is that they can learn from the Al Gore School of Election Fraud…

Sacre Bleu!

2006-10-29T22:34:00.000-08:00

In what Dhimmi Watch calls a "breathtaking apex of Dhimmitude" we see that the French have collectively kissed the asses of their Muslim population:

Last year's violence in France by "youths" responding to the deaths of two Muslim teens who were chased by the police is memorialized by a wreath and plaque unveiled at their school.

The deaths of Zyed Benna and Bouna Traore sparked three weeks of violent riots in France's poor suburbs as the young and unemployed vented their anger over what they saw as lack of opportunity and racial discrimination. The crowd gathered in silent prayer wearing t-shirts with the slogan "Dead for nothing".

Well this ought to appease them. Maybe we should have put up a statue of Rodney King in Hollywood earlier in the 90's. But then, we're not having annual riots over it, unlike the French:

Despite today's call for calm, the anger - one year on - has not abated and violence continues to erupt sporadically in France's poor suburbs.

Yup, those "youths" really are at it again, according to the AP:

CLICHY-SOUS-BOIS, France - Marauding youths torched hundreds of vehicles overnight and on Saturday in renewed violence coinciding with the first anniversary of riots that exposed a deep schism between poor North African immigrants and mainstream France.

A group of teenagers set one bus on fire Saturday in the southern French port city of Marseille, seriously wounding a passenger. Three others suffered from smoke inhalation, police said. Two other public buses and 277 vehicles around the country were burned overnight, police said.

Six police were injured and 47 people were arrested, ministry officials said. Still the Interior Ministry described the night as “relative calm,” noting that up to 100 cars are torched by youths in troubled neighborhoods on an average night.

"Relative calm"??? Sheesh, French standards for peace and calm in their towns and neighborhoods sure have plummeted since Omar moved in. Burning buses, hundreds of firebombed cars, assaulting and endangering citizens, cops hurt, and it's CALM???

The rioting was fueled by anger at France’s failure to offer equal opportunities to many minorities — especially Arabs and blacks — and France’s 5 million-strong Muslim population.

France’s trouble integrating minorities and the suburban unrest are becoming hot political issues in the campaign for next year’s presidential and parliamentary elections. The government passed an equal opportunities law this spring and has poured funds into “sensitive” areas, but disenchantment is still pervasive.

Disenchantment? All that is just DISENCHANTMENT? Holy cow, I'd be afraid to see what they're like when they are hopping mad.

So we see that the French have poured money and legislation onto the problem and they are still facing "pervasive disenchantment". Maybe throwing money and grovelling before Mo's feet isn't the right tactic for solving the problem.

Big Heart of Texas

2006-10-27T00:57:00.000-07:00

Over at Doug's Political Pistachio he received a beautiful email about a funeral procession in Texas for a fallen American soldier from Iraq:

Soldier's Funeral...Texas Style

What follows is a message from Vicki Pierce about her nephew James' funeral (he was serving our country in Iraq):

"I'm back, it was certainly a quick trip, but I have to also say it was one of the most amazing experiences of my life. There is a lot to be said for growing up in a small town in Texas. The service itself was impressive with wonderful flowers and sprays, a portrait of James, his uniform and boots, his awards and ribbons. There was lots of military brass and an eloquent (though inappropriately longwinded) Baptist preacher. There were easily 1000 people at the service, filling the church sanctuary as well as the fellowship hall and spilling out into the parking lot.

However, the most incredible thing was what happened following the service on the way to the cemetery. We went to our cars and drove to the cemetery escorted by at least 10 police cars with lights flashing and some other emergency vehicles, with Texas Rangers handling traffic. Everyone on the road who was not in the procession, pulled over, got out of their cars, and stood silently and respectfully, some put their hands over their hearts.

When we turned off the highway suddenly there were teenage boys along both sides of the street about every 20 feet or so, all holding large American flags on long flag poles, and again with their hands on their hearts. We thought at first it was the Boy Scouts or 4H club or something, but it continued .... for two and a half miles.
Hundreds of young people, standing silently on the side of the road with flags. At one point we passed an elementary school, and all the children were outside, shoulder to shoulder holding flags . kindergartners, handicapped, teachers, staff, everyone. Some held signs of love and support. Then came teenage girls and younger boys, all holding flags. Then adults. Then families. All standing silently on the side of the road. No one spoke, not even the very young children.

The military presence..at least two generals, a fist full of colonels, and representatives from every branch of the service, plus the color guard which attended James, and some who served with him ... was very impressive and respectful, but the love and pride from this community who had lost one of their own was the most amazing thing I've ever been privileged to witness.

I've attached some pictures, some are blurry (we were moving), but you can get a small idea of what this was like. Thanks so much for all the prayers and support."

Deeply moving.

Abu Ghraib: Bring Back the Americans!

2006-10-24T11:40:00.000-07:00

From The Daily TelegraphUK:

The notorious Abu Ghraib prison in Baghdad is at the centre of fresh abuse allegations just a week after it was handed over to Iraqi authorities, with claims that inmates are being tortured by their new captors.

Staff at the jail say the Iraqi authorities have moved dozens of terrorist suspects into Abu Ghraib from the controversial Interior Ministry detention centre in Jadriyah, where United States troops last year discovered 169 prisoners who had been tortured and starved.

An independent witness who went into Abu Ghraib this week told The Sunday Telegraph that screams were coming from the cell blocks housing the terrorist suspects. Prisoners released from the jail this week spoke of routine torture of terrorism suspects and on Wednesday, 27 prisoners were hanged in the first mass execution since the overthrow of Saddam Hussein's regime.

What? And no condemnation from the American press??? Where is the New York Times, Time and Newsweek?

Conditions in the rest of the jail were grim, with an overwhelming stench of excrement, prisoners crammed into cells for all but 20 minutes a day, food rations cut to just rice and water and no air conditioning.

Some of the small number of prisoners who remained in the jail after the Americans left said they had pleaded to go with their departing captors, rather than be left in the hands of Iraqi guards.

"The Americans were better than the Iraqis. They treated us better," said Khalid Alaani, who was held on suspicion of involvement in Sunni terrorism.

The witness gained access to the prison just days after the Americans formally handed over control to the Iraqi authorities on Sept 1.

Inside the 100-yard long cell block the smell of excrement was overpowering. Four to six prisoners shared each of the 12ft by 15ft cells along either side and the walls were smeared with filth. The cell block was patrolled by guards who carried long batons and shouted angrily at the prisoners to stand up.

Access to the part of the prison containing terrorism suspects was denied, but from that block came the sound of screaming. The screaming continued for a long time.

"I am sure someone was being beaten, they were screaming like they were being hit," the witness reported. "I felt scared, I was asking what was happening in the terrorist section.
"I heard shouting, like someone had a hot iron on their body, screams. The officer said they were just screaming by themselves. I was hearing the screams throughout the visit."

The witness said that even in the thieves' section prisoners were being treated badly. "Someone was shouting 'Please help us, we want the human rights officers, we want the Americans to come back'," he said.

That’s because Americans don’t cut off the right hands of thieves.

Prisoners interviewed in the presence of their jailers said they were frightened for their safety. They complained that chicken and milk had been cut from their rations, leaving them on rice and water. They also complained about the oppressive heat.

Outside the prison, relatives of some of the inmates said they were being tortured by their captors. One woman, who gave her name as Omsaad, said: "My son Saad [who was arrested in Fallujah as a suspected insurgent] said he is being tortured by the Iraqis to confess the name of his leader. I met my son and he told me they were being treated badly by the Iraqis."

Haleem Aleulami, who was released from the jail last week, three weeks after being arrested in Ramadi for carrying a pistol in his car, said the Americans had treated him better when they ran the jail. He claimed that visits from the International Red Cross staff had dried up and accused local human rights workers of being members of Shia groups who turned a blind eye to problems in the jail.

"The people are Iraqis and they are members of the Sciri and al Dawa parties. They have a good relationship with the leaders of the jail and they keep quiet," he said. The guards swore at the ordinary prisoners, he said, but those in the terrorist section were treated more brutally.

"The guards were swearing at us, but in the terrorist section they were beating them. I heard it all the time. Everyone knows what is happening."

And Khalid Alaani, who was also picked up in Ramadi suspected of involvement in Sunni terrorism, said: "We preferred the Americans. We asked to move with them to Baghdad airport because we knew the treatment would be changed because we know what the Iraqis are. When the Americans left everything changed."

Staff at the jail said that the prisoners were allowed out from their cells for only 15 to 20 minutes a day because of the danger from the regular mortar attacks. They are no longer allowed access to the main hall where the Americans had allowed them to watch television and the room is now reserved for the use of officers and guards. Staff explained that the air conditioning in the cell blocks had broken, although it was working in their quarters.

Sheesh, we allowed the prisoners to watch TV??? Maybe it was a form of torture… maybe we forced them to watch Nancy Pelosi wagging her finger and bulging her eyes.

One officer, Capt Ali Abdelzaher, said: "We have a problem with the financing for the food, not like the Americans, and there is a technical problem with the air conditioning."
Capt Abdelzaher also confirmed that a number of inmates had been transferred from the Jadriyah detention centre, along with their guards and interrogators.

Graphic stories of abuse at that previously secret facility emerged after US soldiers found 169 prisoners showing signs of torture last November.

Most of the prisoners held by the Americans at Abu Ghraib were either released in recent months or transferred to a new £32 million detention centre at Camp Cropper near Baghdad International Airport.

Yesterday, the International Red Cross confirmed that its visits to the prison had been suspended since January 2005 on security grounds.

Sounds like Guantanamo is a paradise compared to Iraqi-run Abu Ghraib. The silence of the MSM on this matter is deafening. Why is that?

String Him Up

2006-10-22T21:53:00.000-07:00

From The Atlanta Journal-Constitution, a report that a man is undergoing trial in Atlanta, GA for mutilating his two year old daughter's genitals:

Monday, activists from all over the world will be focused on a Gwinnett County courtroom as Khalid Adem, accused of cruelty to a child and aggravated battery for allegedly circumcising his daughter, goes on trial.

Adem, 30, was charged with aggravated battery and cruelty to children more than three years ago and, if convicted, could face 40 years in prison. He was born in Ethiopia, where circumcision is a common procedure for young girls.

Adem's trial may be a landmark case for health and human rights activists fighting against the African custom they call genital mutilation. But for those close to the victim, this trial is about vindication and healing for a little girl who was forced to endure unbearable pain.

"When I saw that child I saw myself. I could see the pain in her eyes," said Soraya Mire, a filmmaker and activist who was circumcised when she was 13 in Somalia. Mire is known for her 1994 documentary "Fire Eyes" in which she chronicled her struggles after having the procedure.

Police say Adem circumcised his daughter with scissors in his Duluth apartment, while someone else held the girl's legs.

Authorities said the circumcision occurred sometime in 2001 but the mother didn't discover it until two years later. The mother told police she learned about it while arguing with Adem about female circumcision. The mother told police that she told Adem she didn't want that to happen to their daughter, but Adem implied the circumcision had already occurred.

The mother went to a doctor who confirmed that the girl had been circumcised. The girl then told Gwinnett authorities that her father had done it. He was arrested in March 2003.

Adem has said through his defense attorney W. Mark Hill that he was innocent. Hill said the allegations stem from a bitter divorce and custody battle the couple was going through at the time. Hill has said the family of the girl's mother, Fortunate Adem, also is from Africa and could have performed the circumcision.

(H/T Dhimmi Watch).

If we continue to allow Muslims to emigrate here we will see more incidents like these in our country. Europe already turns a blind eye to Muslims practicing polygamy in their countries, and only occasionally prosecutes for infibulation. It's atrocities like these which are glossed over by the politically correct atmosphere of academia and the MSM. I bet the "get to know" Islam classes promoted by the Democrats never mention this practice.

If he is found guilty, I hope he has a fun time in prison. Scissors, anyone?

Another Reason to Thank HillBill and Algore.

2006-10-19T15:56:00.000-07:00

From WorldNetDaily:

A man arrested as a terror suspect for allegedly trying to transport $340,000 from a group tied to Libyan leader Moammar Gadhafi, and who reputedly had connections to Osama bin Laden, helped write the "Religious Expression in Public Schools" guidelines issued by President Clinton during his tenure in office.

And that could explain why students at a California school were told as part of their required classes they would become Muslims and pray to Allah – and a federal judge approved that, and why an Oregon school this year is delivering similar lessons to its students, as WND has reported.

Abdurahman Alamoudi, who was president of the American Muslim Council and a supporter of Hamas and Hezbollah, worked with President Clinton and the American Civil Liberties Union when the guidelines, launched by Clinton in 1995, were being developed, according to reports.

Those are the same guidelines that the ACLU's Nadine Strossen referred to for authority when supporting organization lawsuits to restrict Christmas celebrations and the removal of the Nativity from public display, the reports said.

When Clinton issued the guidelines, he announced that they had been developed by "35 religious groups" but didn't disclose that many of those were civil rights organizations such as the ACLU, and committed whole-heartedly to the separation of church and state.

Alamoudi, who ended up serving time in jail, also founded the American Muslim Foundation and the American Muslim Armed Forces and Veterans Affairs Council.
He ran afoul of the law because the U.S. banned such money transfers under economic sanctions imposed in 1986 when Libya was tied to terrorist bombings in Vienna and Rome.

The U.S. attorney's office told WND at that time Alamoudi was accused under the International Emergency Economic Powers Act.

It was an affidavit filed with the complaint in which his support of the Palestinian terrorist organization Hamas was described. There, he also said, "If we are outside (the U.S.) we can say 'Oh, Allah destroy America,' but once we are here, our mission in this country is to change it." He also allegedly had connections to relatives of bin Laden, reports said.

For a time he also was employed in choosing Muslim chaplains for the U.S. military and in his role as leader of the American Muslim Council, he frequently met with senior Clinton and Bush administration officials.

The Muslim leader said "he intended eventually to deposit the ($340,000) in banks located in Saudi Arabia, from where he would feed it back in smaller sums into accounts in the United States," according to the affidavit.

Before his close encounter with the law, however, he was described as a friend of Hillary Clinton and an adviser on Islamic affairs. It was during this time, as he helped with the presidential guidelines for schools, that Muslim beliefs started appearing in Houghton Mifflin textbooks, which are being used in some of the Islamic indoctrination courses.

Read the rest of it here.

Another Friend of Bill. Obviously a Friend of Bill doesn't necessarily mean a Friend of the United States. Vote Democrat and help Islam change America.

Guess Who?

2006-10-18T01:41:00.000-07:00

I found this photo over at Blackfive. And I burst out laughing every time I look at it.

Liberal Scrooges

2006-10-17T14:21:00.000-07:00

I dislike stinginess. I dislike tightwads. Has anyone else had the embarrassment of going out to dinner with someone and seeing him leave a lousy tip for good service? I always end up having to supplement the tip surreptitiously, especially if the dinner was not on me.

Here’s another type of stinginess I detest. A refusal to give credit when credit is due. There’s a strange disparity between the word “liberal”, which means generous or magnanimous, and those who carry the label who are unable or unwilling to give praise or acknowledgment of a good deed.

Ever notice that? We all know that the MSM and their party affiliate is slanted towards Liberalism. We all know that they hate the military and Christians. Day after day we hear and see a barrage of criticism aimed against our troops and Christian America: “baby killers”, “intolerant”, “gay bashers”, “rapists”, “murderers”, etc… Every day they seek events to justify their position. If a group of rogue Marines rape an Iraqi woman then all Marines are painted with the same brush. If a (pseudo) Christian bombs an abortion clinic then all Christians are guilty of the same crime. This is not just stereotyping. This is hatred.

A Jesuit priest I heard in a lecture once defined love as “seeing the good in the other”. If that’s the case, then perhaps one can define hatred as “seeing the bad in the other”. And that’s all Liberals see in our military and in Christians. The MSM rarely ever reports the good news coming out of Iraq. And there’s lots. We see it posted in conservative blogs every day. We don’t ignore the bad either, but we sure don’t fixate on it. We realize that our troops are human beings. Mothers, fathers, sisters, brothers, husbands and wives - all part of the human family, and full of the same failings and triumphs.

Watch what liberal trolls do when they visit conservative sites. They attack, naturally, but when a post is about something good done by our troops or something beautiful about American life, they either remain silent or bring up something negative or distasteful. They cannot seem to bring themselves to just agree that Yes!, that soldier who threw himself on a grenade did something heroic and beautiful. Or Yes!, that Catholic priest who exchanged his life to save that of a Jew in a concentration camp exemplified no greater love. They just can’t. They are that mean spirited.

This is why I am no longer a Liberal. I grew up in a Democrat voting family. I was a liberal up until about ten years ago. But their hypocrisy, their negativity, their STINGINESS is what drove me from their ranks. And until they learn to be more intellectually honest and giving, they will continue to have defectors.

Don't Let Them Fool Ya!

2006-10-17T12:30:00.000-07:00

Got this from Prysson at SPQR:

Fear and Self Loathing in the Liberal West

2006-10-17T00:56:00.000-07:00

Years ago, Pope Benedict XVI, then Cardinal Joseph Ratzinger, wrote in an essay If Europe Hates Itself:

The optimism as regards the victory of the European element, which Arnold Toynbee was still able to uphold at the beginning of the sixties, looks strangely outdated today: “Of the 28 cultures we have identified, 18 are dead and nine out of the ten remaining, in fact all except our own, show that they are already mortally wounded.” Who would still repeat these words today? And in general, what is our culture, what’s left of it? Is the civilization of technique and commerce spread victoriously throughout the world actually European culture? Or was this not perhaps rather born, in a post-European way, from the end of the ancient European cultures? I see here a paradoxical synchrony.The victory of the techno-secular post-European world, with the universalization of its model of life and its way of thinking, is linked throughout the world, but especially in the strictly non-European worlds of Asia and Africa, to the impression that Europe’s world of values, its culture and its faith, that on which its identity is based, has reached the end and has actually left the stage, that now the hour of other world values has arrived, of pre-Columbian America, of Islam, of Asian mysticism.

Isn't this reverence for all religions and cultures other than that of Judeo Christians taught in schools, from kindergarten to postgraduate studies? We see that draconian measures are taken to remove any vestiges of our Judeo Christian heritage (i.e. the work of the ACLU) yet "tolerance" and even wholesale acceptance is encouraged towards Islam, Buddhism, etc...
The Pope notes the symptoms and the cause:

Europe, precisely in this its hour of maximum success, seems to have become empty inside, paralyzed in a certain sense by a crisis in its circulatory system, a crisis that puts its life at risk, resorting, as it were, to transplants that cannot but eliminate its identity. To this interior failure of its fundamental spiritual powers corresponds the fact that, even ethnically, Europe appears to be on the way out.
There is a strange lack of desire for a future. Children, who are the future, are seen as a threat for the present; the idea is that they take something away from our life. They are not felt as a hope, but rather as a limitation of the present. We are forced to make comparisons with the Roman Empire at the time of its decline: it still worked as a great historical framework, but in practice it was already living off those who would dissolve it, since it had no more vital energy.

What can be more dead than a society which refuses to have children, and even believes that killing them in the womb is of benefit to itself?
Referring to the European Constitution, Pope Benedict delineates three elements which need to be re-introduced back into European society if they want to survive:

*The first element is the "unconditionality" with which human dignity and human rights must be presented as values that precede any jurisdiction on the part of the state. These basic rights are not created by the legislator, nor conferred on the citizens, but rather exist in their own right, are always to be respected by the legislator, are given previously to him as values of a superior order. This validity of human dignity, previous to every political action and to every political decision, refers back ultimately to the Creator: only He can establish values that are founded on the essence of man and that are intangible. That there be values that cannot be manipulated by anyone is the real, true guarantee of our freedom and of man's greatness...

This echoes perfectly the words "inalienable rights" of Founding Father Thomas Jefferson's Declaration of Independence.
Furthermore, the Pope states:

*The second point in which the European identity appears is marriage and the family. Monogamous marriage, as the basic structure of the relationship between man and woman and, at the same time, as the cell of the formation of the state community, is derived from biblical faith. This has given Western Europe as well as Eastern Europe, its own particular face and its own particular humanity, precisely because the form of fidelity and self-denial set out here had always to be conquered, over and over again, with much effort and suffering. Europe would no longer be Europe if this fundamental cell of its social structure were to disappear or be essentially changed.

The assault upon traditional Christian marriage and family is carried out by liberals in a ferocious way: condoning adultery, championing homosexual marriage, permitting easy divorce and subsequent serialAlllygamy... all are rampant in our society and even serves as entertainment value. Break up the family unit and you will uproot the foundation of Western society.
His third point:

*My last point is the religious question. I do not want to enter into the complex discussions of recent years, but to focus on only one aspect that is fundamental for all cultures: respect for what the other holds sacred, and in particular respect for the sacred in the highest sense, for God, something that we can legitimately suppose to find even in one who is not disposed to believe in God. Wherever this respect is denied, something essential in a society is lost.

Indeed. If no respect for the sacred exists, then the first two points are destroyed.
His last words portray exactly what we see among the liberals of Western Civilization:

The West reveals here a hatred of itself, which is strange and can be only considered pathological; the West is laudably trying to open itself, full of understanding, to external values, but it no longer loves itself; in its own history, it now sees only what is deplorable and destructive, while it is no longer able to perceive what is great and pure.

Pay No Attention to That Man Behind the Curtain

2006-10-15T00:30:00.000-07:00

Another look at Kim Jong-Il’s possible situation in North Korea from The American Thinker.

Consider the basic nature of the North Korean state: it is a criminal enterprise. It is no secret that illegal drugs, counterfeiting, and illicit trade in weapons provided most of the foreign currency available to the regime. The fruits of these crimes were distributed quite carefully by Kim to those whose support he needed in order to hold onto power, mostly military figures. Just like Al Capone and the fictional Tony Soprano.

While ordinary North Koreans scraped the bark off trees to ease their pre-death suffering, the inner circle feasted on delicacies and consumed large amounts of expensive cognac, boons granted them directly and personally by Kim, sometimes at bacchanals featuring comely young women called to serve in multiple ways, and lasting for days.

Such symbolic affirmation of both their utter dependence on the leader himself, and the availability of the “best the world has to offer” in the way of pleasures - if only they maintain loyalty - is a powerful mechanism for cementing support. Adherence to the leader brings all things good, while breaking away is uncertain, and unlikely to bring about a personal improvement even if it succeeds.

However, there is discontent. The Little Dictator’s counterfeiting business is hurting. A year ago the U.S. clamped down on the Banco Delta of Macau, the seat of his corrupt financial activities. Kim Jong-Il doesn’t have the means to pay for his extravagant living and therefore his largesse to his followers dwindles.
And among the civilian population of North Korea, it is becoming well known that their southern cousins are living large:

During the worst of the famine, substantial though not overwhelming numbers of North Koreans snuck into China, braving the waters of the Yalu River or somehow finding a boat or bridge crossing. Once outside the hermetic information bubble of North Korea, they discovered not just a booming China, but also evidence of an even richer and more advanced South Korea. The South Koreans are, after all, major investors in China, and producers of some of the most sought-after consumer goods there, such as Samsung televisions (regarded as even more prestigious than Sony in China). No doubt tens of thousands of them saw pictures of life in South Korea, with its automobile traffic and obvious affluence beyond the dreams of any North Korean. Imagine the shock of the feared (and much richer) Chinese craving Hyundai cars and Daewoo DVD players.

As the famine eased, no doubt large numbers of North Koreans returned home to be with family and friends, and to avoid capture and deportation by the Chinese (with deadly consequences upon arrival back home). Ensconced in their own home villages, tongues must have wagged about what they saw and what they heard. In a controlled media environment like the North, such covert oral communication becomes a vital mass medium. Because North Korea’s military is so large relative to its population, there is no way that members of the military did not hear and pass along these stories.

Furthermore, Lil Kim shot himself in the foot by exacerbating his nation's food problems:

Shortly after the move against counterfeiting last year, North Korea kicked out the United Nations World Food Program, perhaps fearful of the monitoring activities food distribution permitted, or perhaps simply anxious to defiantly swagger before American imperialists and their lackeys.

But as a result, the food situation in North Korea became even grimmer. Reports circulated that even military units could not obtain adequate supplies, that resources were concentrated on only the Praetorian Guard units and those responsible for nuclear weapons and missile development.

Under these circumstances, with even army units hungry, it is easy to see that the resources being devoted to nukes and missiles would generate some opposition, however quiet it would have to remain. Tyrants always fear their bodyguards, and when those bodyguards come from the ranks of an unhappy military, there is ground for serious concern. To put it bluntly, Kim may have felt cornered, forced to demonstrate to his internal foes that his nuclear weapons and missiles worked, and that they were capable of world historical changes.

Above is a satellite photo of North and South Korea at night. Look at how dark North Korea is. Looks like Lil Kim forgot to pay the electric bill.
Some interesting observations indicate a lessening of Kim Jong-Il's popularity and power:

In the past two years, there have been fascinating if inconclusive signals that something was going on in North Korea with regard to Kim’s hold on power. Disappearing portraits in official places and disappearing lapel badges on officials, seeing him replaced by images of his late father, the founder of the dynasty. Many in the senior military owe their positions to the father, not the son, and consider themselves the guardians of Kim Il-sung’s legacy. His father fought the Japanese. The younger Kim grew up in luxury.

So what does this picture look like? Growing discontent among a hungry people who see the affluence and lifestyle of their neighbors down south. Inability to feed one’s military. No more money to throw around. And more screws tightening from this recent UN Resolution.
I think it’s time to foment a rebellion in North Korea. I wouldn’t be surprised if we had CIA operatives there working it. Nothing would give me more satisfaction than to see Kim Jong-Il strung up by his own people who are free at last to join with the prosperity of South Korea.

French Police Ambushed by Guess Who

2006-10-14T15:45:00.000-07:00

From The Brussels Journal:

Yesterday night, a police officer was hospitalised after being hit in the face with a stone in the Parisian suburb of Epinay-sur-Seine. According to the police union, the officer and a colleague fell into an ambush and were surrounded by about 30 youths, some wearing masks. The youths blocked the police vehicle with their cars and sprayed the officers with tear gas. The two officers escaped after firing their pistols into the air.

Similar incidents occur regularly. Already 2,500 policemen have been wounded so far this year. The taboo of attacking officers on patrol has indeed been broken. It looks as if some want to kill at least one policeman during this year’s Ramadan. The French police also registered 10 to 12 anti-Jewish incidents per day in the past 30 days throughout the country.

The officers fired into the air??? Do you think they had real bullets? Would American police respond in the same way?

No wonder the Muslims are emboldened to attack police officers. The only ones who get hurt in these brawls are the cops.

No Greater Love

2006-10-14T00:52:00.000-07:00

From Townhall:

A Navy SEAL sacrificed his life to save his comrades by throwing himself on top of a grenade Iraqi insurgents tossed into their sniper hideout, fellow members of the elite force said.

Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael A. Monsoor had been near the only door to the rooftop structure Sept. 29 when the grenade hit him in the chest and bounced to the floor, said four SEALs who spoke to The Associated Press this week on condition of anonymity because their work requires their identities to remain secret.

This 2004 photo provided by the U.S. Navy, shows Navy SEAL Michael A. Monsoor on a cold-weather training mission in Kodiak, Alaska. Monsoor died Friday, Sept. 29, 2006, in Ramadi, Iraq, when he threw himself on a grenade to save fellow SEALs. (AP Photo/U.S.Navy) "He never took his eye off the grenade, his only movement was down toward it," said a 28-year-old lieutenant who sustained shrapnel wounds to both legs that day. "He undoubtedly saved mine and the other SEALs' lives, and we owe him."

Monsoor, a 25-year-old gunner, was killed in the explosion in Ramadi, west of Baghdad. He was only the second SEAL to die in Iraq since the war began.

Requiescat In Pace, Petty Officer Monsoor. You are a hero.

H/T Prysson atSPQR.

A Closer Look at Liberalism

2006-10-13T10:58:00.000-07:00

NOTE: I've decided to repost this article on Liberalism I wrote over a year ago, as I think it holds a lot of relevance to the world situation. I've added pertinent and deleted non-pertinent notations as well.

Our friend New Victorian has posted something about Liberalism:

"Liberalism as we knew it no longer exists. What we have now are are holographs of liberalism in the form of spectres like Chris Dodd and Joseph Biden. Nothing is really there."

It reminded me of TS Eliot. Yes, the poet, who was also a Christian and wrote a slim book "Idea of a Christian Society" and there are some brilliant and prescient observations in it. Among them are the weaknesses found in Liberalism and Democracy without Christianity.

"...That Liberalism may be a tendency towards something very different from itself, is a possibility in its nature. For it is something which tends to release energy rather than accumulate it, to relax, rather than to fortify. It is a movement not so much defined by its end, as by its starting point; away from, rather than towards, something definite. Our point of departure is more real to us than our destination; and the destination is likely to present a very different picture when arrived at, from the vaguer image formed in imagination."

Is this not what we are seeing in the Democratic Party? What do they offer? Have they any new ideas? Is not their clamoring just a negation of what the Republicans say and offer? Furthermore he characterizes religious liberalism:

"...Liberalism may be characterized as a progressive discarding of elements in historical Christianity which appear superfluous, obsolete, confounded with practices and abuses which are legitimate objects of attack. But as its movement is controlled rather by its origin than by any goal, it loses force after a series of rejections, and with nothing to destroy is left with nothing to uphold and with nowhere to go."

Also, again, we see that Liberalism has nothing to offer. It is a position which must have something to depart from, but after departure, has nowhere to go. A great vacuum exists in liberal ideology.

He then gives this dire conclusion:

"...By destroying traditional social habits of the people, by dissolving their natural collective consciousness into individual constituents, by licensing the opinions of the most foolish, by substituting instruction for education, by encouraging cleverness rather than wisdom, the upstart rather than the qualified, by fostering a notion of "getting on" to which the alternative is a hopeless apathy, Liberalism can prepare the way for that which is its own negation: the artificial, mechanised or brutalised control which is a desperate remedy for its chaos."

Enter Totalitarianism. Isn't that what we saw in Europe during the 20th century. And is this what we will see now with the rise of Islam there?

Eliot also sees de-Christianized Democracy as inadequate to withstand the forces of totalitarianism. He believes that:

"The term democracy, as I have said again and again, does not contain enough positive content to stand alone against the forces that you dislike - it can be easily be transformed by them. If you will not have God (and He is a jealous God) you should pay your respects to Hitler or Stalin."

Without the Good News which is Christianity, without its vision of the supernatural life, without a goal which is the Beatific Vision, there is nowhere to go in society but materialistic well being coupled with industrialism (and then a hole in the ground):

"And the tendency of unlimited industrialism is to create bodies of men and women - of all classes - detached from tradition, alienated from religion, and susceptible to mass suggestion: in other words, a mob. And a mob will be no less a mob if it is well fed, well clothed, well housed, and well disciplined."

And this mob can vote.

"A Christian society only becomes acceptable after you have fairly examined the alternatives. We might, of course, merely sink into an apathetic decline: without faith, and therefore without faith in ourselves; without a philosophy of life, either Christian or pagan; and without art. Or we might get a "totalitarian democracy", different but having much in common with other pagan societies, because we shall have changed step by step in order to keep pace with them: a state of affairs in which we shall have regimentation and conformity, without respect for the needs of the individual soul; the puritanism of a hygienic morality in the interests of efficiency; uniformity of opinion through propaganda, and art only encouraged when it flatters the official doctrines of the time. To those who can imagine, and are therefore repelled by, such a prospect, one can assert that the only possibility of control and balance is a religious control and balance; that the only hopeful course for a society which would thrive and continue its creative activity in the arts of civilization is to become Christian. That prospect involves, at least, discipline, inconvenience and discomfort; but here as hereafter the alternative to hell is purgatory."

Is this the answer for Europe's woes? I think Pope Benedict holds the same view. It was said many times among Catholics upon his election as Pontiff that the fact that a European Pope was chosen indicates that the Church (and the Holy Spirit) has not given up on Europe. The Church sees Europe as missionary territory, needing redemption for individual souls and saving from encroaching Islam. In order to be saved, Europe must fall on her knees. And we here in America, must stay on ours.

Teen Interrogated for Six Hours for Allegedly Making Racist Remark

2006-10-13T00:45:00.000-07:00

From the Manchester Evening News:

A TEENAGE girl was questioned by police after allegedly making a racist remark to Asian students in the classroom.

The 14-year-old pupil had refused to take part in a science tutorial with five other students at Harrop Fold High School, Salford, after claiming they didn't speak English.

After questioning by police she was released without charge but the school say they are investigating the matter.

Her mother said: "She was not being racist. She was in a science lesson and the teacher split them up into discussion groups.

"She asked to be taken out of her group because the other five students were Asians and four didn't speak English so there was no point in her being with them. When she pointed this out to the teacher she was accused of being racist.

"The matter was referred to the community police officer based at the school and she was taken to the police station and kept in custody for over six hours while they questioned her."

Head Dr Antony Edkins said: "An allegation of a serious nature was made concerning a racially motivated remark by one student towards a group of Asian students new to the school and this country."

First off, dragging a fourteen year old to police custody for allegedly making "racist" remarks seems over the top. Let's see what could have happened here:

The fourteen year old girl, presumably a British subject and of Anglo heritage, is put in a group with five Muslims for a school project, making her the minority. Later she asks the teacher to be re-assigned to another group, complaining that the Muslims don't speak English. I wonder if her teammates REFUSED to speak English and spoke their native language in front of her, making HER the outsider of the group. This rudeness, coupled with isolation, made the girl wish for a transfer. She probably used the lame excuse that they didn't speak English. I'm willing to bet they ostracized her. Any takers?

(H/T The Brussels Journal.)

What Do Liberals Believe?

2006-10-12T14:41:00.000-07:00

Geoffrey Stone is a law professor at the University of Chicago who has delineated 10 propositions of What It Means to be A Liberal for the Chicago Tribune:

1. Liberals believe individuals should doubt their own truths and consider fairly and open-mindedly the truths of others. This is at the very heart of liberalism. Liberals understand, as Justice Oliver Wendell Holmes once observed, that "time has upset many fighting faiths." Liberals are skeptical of censorship and celebrate free and open debate.

Already we see that there is no objective "truth" for liberals. This subjectivity is the realm of "solipsism", a form of idiocy ("idio" from the Greek for "own" or "private"). Dangerous. If there is no objective truth, then there is no morality. If I believe that it's wrong to fly a commercial plane into a civilian building in order to deliberately murder them, and Islamofascists don't, does that make the Islamofascists' truth just as viable as mine?

2. Liberals believe individuals should be tolerant and respectful of difference. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support the civil rights movement, affirmative action, the Equal Rights Amendment and the rights of gays and lesbians. (Note that a conflict between propositions 1 and 2 leads to divisions among liberals on issues like pornography and hate speech.)

I wonder then why they don't seem to give a rat's ass about the people who suffer under tyrannical regimes like Saddam Hussein's and Kim Dong Il's? The appalling misery those people suffer is not even on their radar screen. But the terrorists at Gitmo or at Abu Ghraib reap all their sympathy. Why? They claim that we have no business spreading democracy to suffering people in Iraq - is it possible that they think that those people are not quite "human" enough to wish for freedom and democracy?

3. Liberals believe individuals have a right and a responsibility to participate in public debate. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion expansion of the franchise; the elimination of obstacles to voting; "one person, one vote;" limits on partisan gerrymandering; campaign-finance reform; and a more vibrant freedom of speech. They believe, with Justice Louis Brandeis, that "the greatest menace to freedom is an inert people."

Tell that to the liberals at Columbia U, where they physically prevented people of differing opinions to speak in a proper forum. How about the liberals who throw pies at Anne Coulter when she speaks? Immature and hypocritical, non?

4. Liberals believe "we the people" are the governors and not the subjects of government, and that government must treat each person with that in mind. It is liberals who have defended and continue to defend the freedom of the press to investigate and challenge the government, the protection of individual privacy from overbearing government monitoring, and the right of individuals to reproductive freedom. (Note that libertarians, often thought of as "conservatives," share this value with liberals.)

Freedom of press? Only when it undermines a Republican or conservative point of view. This freedom seems to apply even when the press is lying. Newsweek lied, people died. Remember Rathergate? Protecting individuals from government monitoring? You mean like protecting me from the PC police who tells me that I'm not allowed to pray in public places? That I'm not allowed to wear a crucifix in a public school? That I'm not allowed to display a cross in a park?

5. Liberals believe government must respect and affirmatively safeguard the liberty, equality and dignity of each individual. It is liberals who have championed and continue to champion the rights of racial, religious and ethnic minorities, political dissidents, persons accused of crime and the outcasts of society. It is liberals who have insisted on the right to counsel, a broad application of the right to due process of law and the principle of equal protection for all people.

Oh sure, the rights of LIBERAL minorities. Remember Clarence Thomas? How about the terrible mudslinging the liberals did to Condoleeza Rice: "Aunt Jemima". Oh and persons accused of crime? How about those who are convicted of crime? It seems that liberals are fixated on the rights of criminals and conveniently forget those of the victims. Look at the scandalous Arizona 9/11 Memorial. It's nothing but a political justification for the murders of those innocents that day.

6. Liberals believe government has a fundamental responsibility to help those who are less fortunate. It is liberals who have supported and continue to support government programs to improve health care, education, social security, job training and welfare for the neediest members of society. It is liberals who maintain that a national community is like a family and that government exists in part to "promote the general welfare."

Yup, that's right. Forget about national security. If the government would only use our tax dollars for education and welfare and force the military to have bake sales in order to fund their budget.

7. Liberals believe government should never act on the basis of sectarian faith. It is liberals who have opposed and continue to oppose school prayer and the teaching of creationism in public schools and who support government funding for stem-cell research, the rights of gays and lesbians and the freedom of choice for women.

Then why are liberals in San Francisco and Oregon permitting the practice of Islam in public schools? Why is it that students there can memorize and recite verses from the Koran and not the Bible? And banning the teaching of creationism in schools? Whatever happened to the "open mindedness" of the above Proposition Number One? Also, let's not forget, the child in the womb has absolutely no rights with liberals. The smallest, most defenseless of beings... perfectly okay to dismember and murder these little ones. So much for defending the little guy.

8. Liberals believe courts have a special responsibility to protect individual liberties. It is principally liberal judges and justices who have preserved and continue to preserve freedom of expression, individual privacy, freedom of religion and due process of law. (Conservative judges and justices more often wield judicial authority to protect property rights and the interests of corporations, commercial advertisers and the wealthy.)

Conservative judges protect the property rights of corporations??? Ever hear of Kelo v. City of New London? There the liberal justices gave private businesses the right to seize an individual's property to use for commercial development.

9. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, for without such protection liberalism is impossible. This, of course, is less a tenet of liberalism than a reply to those who attack liberalism. The accusation that liberals are unwilling to protect the nation from internal and external dangers is false. Because liberals respect competing values, such as procedural fairness and individual dignity, they weigh more carefully particular exercises of government power (such as the use of secret evidence, hearsay and torture), but they are no less willing to use government authority in other forms (such as expanded police forces and international diplomacy) to protect the nation and its citizens.

Oh, I see. That's why they don't want profiling. It keeps us safe from terrorist attacks. The idea that liberals respect competing values is absolutely and stunningly ludicrous. Time after time we see how the liberals and their media lapdogs deliberately derail and obstruct any attempt the government endeavors to secure this nation from terrorism. Whether it be the New York Times publishing articles revealing sensitive information to Bill Clinton selling missile secrets to China, you can depend on the liberals to sell out their country.

10. Liberals believe government must protect the safety and security of the people, without unnecessarily sacrificing constitutional values. It is liberals who have demanded and continue to demand legal protections to avoid the conviction of innocent people in the criminal justice system, reasonable restraints on government surveillance of American citizens, and fair procedures to ensure that alleged enemy combatants are in fact enemy combatants. Liberals adhere to the view expressed by Brandeis some 80 years ago: "Those who won our independence ... did not exalt order at the cost of liberty."

Isn't this getting a bit repetitious? Doesn't this one sound just like the 9th one?
(H/T American Thinker)

New Places to Go To

2006-10-12T13:22:00.000-07:00

I’ve added several new links to my blogroll recently. The American Thinker has a new article on Harry Reid’s “shady land deals” here, news of which is curiously absent from the MSM. Google Dirty Harry’s name and you might find more on it.

The Brussels Journal gives a conservative European (oxymoron, I know) point of view. One brief post questions whether the State should fund religion. Whew. Glad we don’t have that problem. There they quote a British official, Ruth Kelly (Minister for Women and Equality - doesn’t that sound patronizing?) who thinks the British government needs to give money to moderate Islamic organizations. If that came to fruition, those “moderates” would be springing up like mushrooms after a spring rain.

Katalan Saar’s Civilian at War gives us the Israeli perspective on world events. Here he posted a video of Wafa Sultan, the ex-Muslim woman who courageously condemns Islam.

Patrick at Clarity and Resolve gives us the news coupled with his vigorous wit. Check out the post, Sudden Outbreak of Reason In Europe.

Political Pistachio has a gem of a post by Douglas Gibbs on the hypocrisy of liberals. He’s a member of the Military Writers Society of America. Go Doug!

Prysson at SPQR Aquila non captat muscas gives us his conservative slant on various issues. His Local Governments Don’t Get It exposes liberal meddling on the municipal level.

Real Clear Religion is Genevieve’s take on issues from a Christian perspective. Here we see that Russia’s problems include a dying population where abortions outnumber live births.

Plum Brandy

2006-10-12T01:10:00.000-07:00

Okay, here's a great recipe for Plum Brandy. Remember, with brandy you get what you pay for; cheap brandy is awful. Unfortunately, the best brandy is French, and I won't buy it. I did find a bottle of decent Italian brandy and that worked just fine.

750 ml quality brandy
4 lbs. pitted plums (I use the Japanese Shiro) WITH the skin
1-2 cups sugar

The amount of sugar depends on the sweetness of the fruit. If you use a very ripe or sweet plum like the Japanese Shiro, you don't need more than a cup of sugar. But if your plums aren't that sweet, be sure to use more sugar. My neighbor has a small plum orchard and they often have a cornucopia of plums every two summers or so therefore we devised this way to use them (as well as conserve, jam, syrup, sorbet, blah blah blah).

Mix well and keep in a glass jar or tupperware style airtight container. If the lid of your jar is metal, line it with plastic wrap. Stir once a week for at least 3 months. This takes longer than the cordial. Strain with metal strainer and cheesecloth. Enjoy on a cold winter's night!

Small Plane Hits New York High Rise

2006-10-11T12:48:00.000-07:00

Breaking news from Fox:

NEW YORK — A small aircraft crashed into a high-rise building on Manhattan's Upper East Side Wednesday,

Local news reports quoted New York Fire Department officials as saying two people were confirmed dead. The FDNY confirmed FOX News that there are people trapped inside the building on floors above where the fire is located.

Officials said there is no indication the incident was a result of terrorism. There were dozens of firefighters, emergency workers and other first responders on the scene.

The crash set off a raging fire that sent a pillar of gray smoke over the city, police said. Witnesses reported seeing a gigantic fireball come out of the building, police said.

Flames could be seen shooting from windows on two upper floors of the 50-story building, near the East River. Burning debris fell from the tower, and a column of gray smoke rose over the city.

"There's huge pieces of debris falling," said one witness who refused to give her full name. "There's so much falling now, I've got to get away."

Fire Department spokeswoman Emily Rahimi said the aircraft struck the 20th floor of the building, located at 524 East 72nd Street.

The Federal Aviation Administration is handling reaction to the incident. FAA spokeswoman Diane Spitaliere that it was a small, fixed-wing aircraft that was involved, but there was very little other information collected so far. A helicopter would be expected in that area of the city; no other aircraft should be around that part of Manhattan, the FAA said.

"Everyone was running down the street, kids were screaming and crying," Rich Behar, a New York City resident and former Time magazine reporter, told FOX News. "There was a lot of horror and terror when it hit," Behar added, saying the whole ordeal reminded him of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks.

As of 3:25 p.m. ET, the incident had not affected flights coming in or out of the New York area.

The building is a 50-story condominium tower built in 1986 and located nearby Sotheby's Auction House. It has 183 apartments, many of which sell for more than $1 million.

A spokesman for the National Transportation Security Board said that agency is organizing a team to send to New York to investigate the crash.

Student pilot? Suicide? 9/11 copycat? We’ll have to wait till we get more information. Definitely deja vu.

UPDATE: Further reports indicate that it may be pilot error. The plane was registered to New York Yankees pitcher Corey Lidle. Four dead reported so far.

A Victory Against Dhimmitude!

2006-10-11T11:52:00.000-07:00

From Dhimmi Watch, some good news:

Two weeks ago, Twin Cities airport officials were firming up plans to allow many Muslim taxi drivers — staunchly opposed to transporting passengers carrying alcohol of any sort — to alert potential fares of their beliefs with a different-colored light atop their cabs.

After a barrage of negative feedback, they've decided to scrap the idea.

"Since then, we've heard from Australia and England. It's really touched a nerve among a lot of people. The backlash, frankly, has been overwhelming," said Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport spokesman Patrick Hogan. "People are overwhelmingly against any kind of cultural accommodation."

That’s great news! We’re not going to go down like the Euroweenies who have been dhimmified into submission.

About 80 percent of the airport's taxis are driven by Somalis, who are commonly Muslim, Hogan said. The Quran, Islam's holy book, strictly forbids carrying alcohol. The result: Such drivers refuse to carry passengers and are sent to the back of the cab line — typically a three-hour wait.

Boo hoo hoo. That’s their problem. I have no sympathy for them if they get sent to the back of the cab line. Alcohol is legal here in the U.S.A., deal with it. Take your intolerance back to Somalia then.

The plan, which proposed a $40 light that drivers could buy and a two-tiered pickup system, went so far as to be placed on paper. But nobody signed the papers, and the program never went into effect, Hogan said.

Airport officials responded to the backlash from passengers, and taxi drivers feared the publicity would make people avoid taxis altogether.

Interviews with about a dozen cabbies at the airport Tuesday night indicated that Muslim drivers intend to continue to stand by their religious beliefs and not transport passengers carrying alcohol.

"It's going to be tough, it's going to be really tough, I don't know what's going to be next," said Ali Abdi of St. Paul. "We have the right (to refuse to transport alcohol). We are still human being(s)."

Sure, Mr. Abdi, you can refuse to transport passengers carrying alcohol, but you’ll lose money because you’ll lose business. It’s called capitalism. If you don’t want to provide the service to certain people, be prepared to lose money. Maybe you ought to consider driving cabs in Mogadishu instead.

Another thought: A mature religion requires that its followers make sacrifices for their beliefs. Christians do it all the time. The fact that Islam does not see that reveals a lot about its immaturity, spiritual privation, and shallowness.

To Raise the Spirits

2006-10-11T00:02:00.000-07:00

I've made my blackberry cordial for this winter. Here in the beautiful and bountiful Pacific Northwest, we have blackberries growing in abundance everywhere.

Every year my friends and I go blackberry picking. We make pies, jam, and blackberry cordial, which won't be ready till around Christmas. After picking and washing the berries, we put them through a food mill which strains the seeds. Then we measure:

3 cups of good vodka (The Danish put out a nice vodka)
2 cups of berry juice/pulp
1 cup sugar

Mix well in a glass jar or tupperware container with an airtight lid. Be sure not to use metal. Once a week, stir or shake the container. It should be ready to strain in about 2-3 months. Use a cheesecloth and mesh strainer and decant into decorative bottles to give as gifts or keep it all to yourself! It gets better and better as time goes on!

The recipe works well for any berries, but since blackberries are free around here, that's what we usually use!

A Refugee

2006-10-09T11:47:00.000-07:00

So much bad news in the world. For some reason, reading this made me burst into tears.

From The Times London:

THE North Korean refugee had one request for her captors before the young Chinese soldiers led her back across the steel-girdered bridge on the Yalu River that divides two “socialist allies”.

“She asked for a comb and some water because she said that if she was going to die she could not face going to heaven looking as dirty and dishevelled as this,” recounted a relative of one soldier who was there.

What happened next is testimony to the rising disgust in Chinese military ranks as Beijing posts more troops to the border amid a crisis with North Korea over its regime’s plan to stage a nuclear test.

The soldiers, who later told family members of the incident, marched the woman, who was about 30, to the mid-point of the bridge. North Korean guards were waiting. They signed papers for receipt of the woman, who kept her dignity until that moment. Then, in front of the Chinese troops, one seized her and another speared her hand — the soft part between thumb and forefinger — with the point of a sharpened steel cable, which he twisted into a leash.

“She screamed just like a pig when we kill it at home in the village,” the soldier later told his relative. “Then they dragged her away.”

(H/T Wordsmith from Nantucket)

North Korea Tests Nuke

2006-10-09T01:18:00.000-07:00

A Senior U.S. Official confirmed with Fox News that North Korea successfully tested a nuclear weapon Sunday night.

U.S. officials told FOX News' Bret Baier that they were warned by allies in advance of the test. China reportedly received a 20-minute heads up and immediately notified officials in the U.S., Japan and South Korea.

The test is North Korea's first-ever detonation of an atomic device, but the nation as long claimed to have nuclear capabilities.

Both the U.S., South Korea and Australia detected seismic disturbances at 10:35 EDT. John Bolton is expected to call for an emergency meeting with the U.N. National Security Council.

Bush administration officials say they will push for an "extremely strong U.N. resolution against North Korea that would make it illegal to transfer missile and missile-related items, materials, goods and technology for North Korean weapons of mass destruction programs."

U.S. officials say the White House will seek "much stronger punitive measures" on general trade with North Korea, although they do not believe the country's oil supplies will be targeted.

The test sparked condemnation from regional powers who said that, if confirmed, would be a serious threat to regional stability.

The North's official Korean Central News Agency said the underground test was performed successfully "with indigenous wisdom and technology 100 percent," and that no radiation leaked from that test site.

"It marks a historic event as it greatly encouraged and pleased the (Korean People's Army) and people that have wished to have powerful self-reliant defense capability," KCNA said. "It will contribute to defending the peace and stability on the Korean Peninsula and in the area around it."

Japan's top government spokesman said a reported North Korean test would post a serious threat to the stability in the region and a provocation.

China, the North's closest ally, said Beijing "resolutely opposes" the North Korean nuclear test and hopes Pyongyang will return to disarmament talks.

U.S. and South Korean officials could not immediately confirm that an actual test had occurred.

The U.N. Security Council was expected to discuss the reported North Korean test Monday, and the United States and Japan are likely to press for a resolution imposing additional sanctions on Pyongyang. The council last week issued a statement condemning plans for a test.

A resolution adopted in July after a series of North Korean missile launches imposed limited sanctions on North Korea and demanded the country rejoin international nuclear talks -- a demand the North immediately rejected.

Also, South Korea's Foreign Minister Ban Ki-moon was expected later Monday to be nominated as the next secretary-general of the United Nations by the Security Council. Ban has said he would use the post, which he would assume after Kofi Annan's term expires at the end of the year, to press for a resolution of the North Korean nuclear standoff.

Now we have fine kettle of fish. North Korea testing nukes, Iran developing nukes, Castro dying, and Chavez close on all their heels like a servile cur.

The U.N.'s history has not been one to encourage confidence. This crisis will bear close watch. I'm not holding my breath for any great resolution. Peggy Noonan was right: the temperature of the world is too high.

Democrats Support Our? Troops

2006-10-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

At Michelle Malkin's I had a laugh when it was discovered that the DNC website ran this picture to show how the Dems support the military:

Trouble is, that soldier in uniform in the photo is not a U.S. soldier. He's CANADIAN. Oooops, so they changed the photo to this now:

Well at least they got the right flag there. But seriously, how can anyone vote for a Democrat as Commander-in-Chief when they don't even know what uniform our troops wear???

Another Punch from the Danes!

2006-10-07T11:28:00.000-07:00

From Jihad Watch we learn that the Danes have got the Muslims huffing again:

CAIRO, Egypt - Egypt's largest Islamic group, the Muslim Brotherhood, on Saturday denounced what it called "new Danish insults" to Islam and urged the world to boycott countries that allow offenses to all religions.
The Brotherhood's condemnation came a day after word spread about a Web video showing young members of a populist Danish political party mocking Islam's Prophet Muhammad.
The video showed people in their 20s and 30s participating in a drawing contest at a summer camp for the Danish People's Party Youth last August. They appeared to have been drinking alcohol.
The footage shows a woman presenting a drawing of a camel and saying it has "the head of Muhammad" and beer bottles as humps. The group laughs as the woman, who was not identified, explained the drawing.
"Muslims are shocked by this new Danish insult," the Muslim Brotherhood said in a statement issued Saturday. It described the drawing as "the ugliest for God's most honorable human being, peace be upon him."
Kenneth Christens, chairman of the Danish People's Party Youth — known for its anti-immigration stance — refused to apologize Friday for the actions of its members, but acknowledged they were problematic.
"It is bad style because it overshadows our political line," Kristensen said. But he added that he believed it was "OK to poke fun at Muhammad, Jesus or Bill Clinton."

Waiting for the second round of Muslim Rage Against Cartoons to start…

And be sure to show your support of the Danes’ freedom of speech by buying Danish products!

Twelve Minutes

2006-10-05T23:49:00.000-07:00

I'm doing something that I never dreamt of doing 10 years ago. I'm buying a gun.

I'm looking at a .38 Smith and Wesson revolver. Light, compact, simple to use. That's good, because I'm no genius with mechanics. I enrolled in a class held later this month "Basic Pistol Shooting", given by a certified NRA instructor. This will give me all the information I will need on the purchase, use and maintenance of a handgun. It's a two day class and on the second day we go out on a range and shoot. After that class I will enroll in "In Home Personal Protection", which will teach the basics in how to protect oneself and loved ones if someone breaks into your house.

I live in a quiet, peaceful town. But in the past year there have been 3 incidents of violent crime in our county, all involving home break-ins. And to relay a funny story from this summer:

I was sleeping when I woke up to strange sounds outside my bedroom window, which was open. I got up and looked out the window. I couldn't see much because of the trees and the dark. The sounds were shuffling, scraping sounds. Definitely something alive was out there. This was 2 am and I wondered if someone was breaking into my neighbor's house. He's gone a lot, being a merchant seaman. So I called 911 and reported it. It took them 12 minutes to arrive. What they found, to my relief and embarassment, was a family of racoons, having a party with my neighbor's trash can.

Nevertheless, I contemplated the fact that it took them 12 minutes to get here. What if it was an intruder? What if someone was trying to break into my place? I remember how anxious I was, waiting for them to come. Twelve minutes. A lot can happen during that time.

So I've decided to start packin' heat.

A Case for Homeschooling

2006-10-05T11:36:00.000-07:00

Only in San Francisco...

The U.S. Supreme Court rejected an appeal Monday by evangelical Christian students and their parents who said a Contra Costa County school district engaged in unconstitutional religious indoctrination when it taught students about Islam by having them recite language from prayers.

The court, without comment, left intact a ruling by the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco last November in favor of the Byron Union School District in eastern Contra Costa.

The suit challenged the content of a seventh-grade history course at Excelsior Middle School in Byron in the fall of 2001. The teacher, using an instructional guide, told students they would adopt roles as Muslims for three weeks to help them learn what Muslims believe.

She encouraged them to use Muslim names, recited prayers in class, had them memorize and recite a passage from the Quran and made them give up something for a day, such as television or candy, to simulate fasting during the month of Ramadan. The final exam asked students for a critique of elements of Muslim culture.

The students and parents who sued argued that the class activities had crossed the line from education into an official endorsement of a religious practice. A federal judge and the appeals court disagreed, saying the class had an instructional purpose and the students had engaged in no actual religious exercises.

Linda Lye, a lawyer for the school district, said the same instructional material remains available for classes, though it is not required.

"I'm delighted that the Byron Union School District can put this case finally behind it and get on with educating children and exposing them to the world's great cultures and religions in an appropriate way,'' Lye said.

Edward White of the Thomas More Law Center, an attorney who represented the plaintiffs, said the Supreme Court's rejection surprised him. The case "presents significant issues of national importance with regard to public school education and religious indoctrination of children,'' he said.

The case is Eklund vs. Byron Union School District, 05-15 (H/T Dhimmi Watch.)

I guess no one in San Francisco knows about Islam's position on gay rights.

Grave Situation in France

2006-10-04T23:31:00.000-07:00

The Telegraph reports that the French police union claims that Muslims in France's housing estates are waging a "civil war" with them:

Radical Muslims in France's housing estates are waging an undeclared "intifada" against the police, with violent clashes injuring an average of 14 officers each day.

As the interior ministry said that nearly 2,500 officers had been wounded this year, a police union declared that its members were "in a state of civil war" with Muslims in the most depressed "banlieue" estates which are heavily populated by unemployed youths of north African origin.

It said the situation was so grave that it had asked the government to provide police with armoured cars to protect officers in the estates, which are becoming no-go zones.

If this keeps up no one will want to become a policeman in France. That weakens the country even more.

The number of attacks has risen by a third in two years. Police representatives told the newspaper Le Figaro that the "taboo" of attacking officers on patrol has been broken.

Instead, officers – especially those patrolling in pairs or small groups – faced attacks as soon as they tried to arrest locals.

Senior officers insisted that the problem was essentially criminal in nature, with crime bosses on the estates fighting back against tough tactics.

The interior minister, Nicolas Sarkozy, who is also the leading centre-Right candidate for the presidency, has sent heavily equipped units into areas with orders to regain control from drug smuggling gangs and other organised crime rings. Such aggressive raids were "disrupting the underground economy in the estates", one senior official told Le Figaro.

Meanwhile that "underground economy" is subsidized by the government via housing.

However, not all officers on the ground accept that essentially secular interpretation. Michel Thoomis, the secretary general of the hardline Action Police trade union, has written to Mr Sarkozy warning of an "intifada" on the estates and demanding that officers be given armoured cars in the most dangerous areas.

He said yesterday: "We are in a state of civil war, orchestrated by radical Islamists. This is not a question of urban violence any more, it is an intifada, with stones and Molotov cocktails. You no longer see two or three youths confronting police, you see whole tower blocks emptying into the streets to set their 'comrades' free when they are arrested."

He added: "We need armoured vehicles and water cannon. They are the only things that can disperse crowds of hundreds of people who are trying to kill police and burn their vehicles."

However, Gerard Demarcq, of the largest police unions, Alliance, dismissed talk of an "intifada" as representing the views of only a minority.

Mr Demarcq said that the increased attacks on officers were proof that the policy of "retaking territory" from criminal gangs was working.

Mayors in the worst affected suburbs, which saw weeks of riots and car-burning a year ago, have expressed fears of a vicious circle, as attacks by locals lead the police to harden their tactics, further increasing resentment.

As if to prove that point, there were angry reactions in the western Paris suburb of Les Mureaux following dawn raids in search of youths who attacked a police unit on Sunday. The raids led to one arrest. They followed clashes on Sunday night when scores of youths attacked seven officers who had tried to arrest a man for not wearing his seat belt while driving. That driver refused to stop, and later rammed a police car trying to block his path.

The mayor of Les Mureaux, Francois Garay, criticised aggressive police tactics that afterwards left "the people on the ground to pick up the pieces".

"Aggressive police tactics" include arresting a man for not wearing his seatbelt? Isn't that like trying to hit a gnat with a hammer? Yet they do nothing about the gangs of Muslim youth who riot and burn cars.

Has anyone in France used the "deportation" word yet?

Muslims Attack Defenseless Tree

2006-10-03T22:46:00.000-07:00

Over at Michelle Malkin's we learn that Muslim youths attacked a banyan tree:

Police protection for 'mystical' tree after Muslim attack

A POLICE cordon has been placed around a huge banyan tree in the capital of Indonesia after members of a Muslim youth group attacked it to prove it had no mystical powers.

"The city government tried hard not to cut the tree when we built a bus lane. It is more than 100 years old and it is important for the environment," said Susi Marsitawati, of Jakarta's park agency. "But rumours spread that the government was unable to fell the tree because it has supernatural powers."

Indonesia is predominantly Muslim, but a strong mystical vein runs through the culture. Jeje Zainudin, chairman of the United Islam Youth, said the group had carried out the attack to counter superstitions surrounding the tree.

Whew, those guys sure are scientific in their methods, proving that the tree does not have mystical powers... Islam must be experiencing a Golden Age Revival.

Uh oh. Is this going to spur Old Tree Rage among the environmentalists? Will this be the turning point in bringing a portion of the tree hugging Left to the war against Islamofascism??? Will they wake up? David Mathews? Where are you???

Major Dhimmitude

2006-10-03T21:15:00.000-07:00

Robert Spencer at Dhimmi Watch received an email from an American officer in Iraq on a disturbing incident there:

Greetings again from [Iraqi location]. I am a daily reader and just wanted to share an experience I had yesterday at a weekly meeting given by the [military] staff to the [military officers].
I arrived in typical fashion, early to get a seat and grab a beverage prior to the rush. When I approached the small fridge to grab a soda, I was told by another staff officer “sorry, no drinks, it’s Ramadan”. Incredulously, I replied, what!!!?. Turns out, we had 2 visiting Iraq Generals briefing a future operation, and in an effort to be culturally sensitive, the order was put out there would be no drinking in the presence of the Iraqis.

Greatly displeased, I drove on and found my seat. This Major was on a mission, there would be no drinking as I watched her chastise numerous officers. She then came to a man of Middle Eastern appearance in civilian dress who took up a seat behind the yet to arrive Iraqi Generals. He pulled out a cranberry juice from his pocket, and was quickly told he would not be aloud to drink anything during the meeting. He was clearly agitated, but put the juice away. It apparently slipped by the dutiful Major that the man she was correcting was an Iraqi translator who was Muslim! He was the Iraqi Generals personal translator.

I took a moment to ponder what I had just witnessed. An American infidel enforcing Islamic tradition on an apparently secular Muslim! I was truly in bazzaro world.

Now, I know when you're "occupying" another nation with a distinctly different culture from your own you should be sensitive to their laws and customs, but is this going too far???

I can understand the "no pork" and "no alcohol" regulations for our GIs, but to enforce a FAST on them when in the presence of Iraqi officials? This female Major needs to get a boot up her butt for her politically correct dhimmitude. Why the hell isn't she wearing a burkah then?

Wonder what's the morale of those under her command?

I always find Dhimmi Watch more painful to read than Jihad Watch. And it's precisely because of incidents like these that makes me wonder how the hell we will ever win the war against Islamofascism.

Give War a Chance

2006-09-29T23:47:00.000-07:00

Thomas Sowell is right on the money:

Pacifists vs. Peace

One of the many failings of our educational system is that it sends out into the world people who cannot tell rhetoric from reality. They have learned no systematic way to analyze ideas, derive their implications and test those implications against hard facts.

"Peace" movements are among those who take advantage of this widespread inability to see beyond rhetoric to realities. Few people even seem interested in the actual track record of so-called "peace" movements -- that is, whether such movements actually produce peace or war.

Take the Middle East. People are calling for a cease-fire in the interests of peace. But there have been more cease-fires in the Middle East than anywhere else. If cease-fires actually promoted peace, the Middle East would be the most peaceful region on the face of the earth instead of the most violent.

Was World War II ended by cease-fires or by annihilating much of Germany and Japan? Make no mistake about it, innocent civilians died in the process. Indeed, American prisoners of war died when we bombed Germany.

There is a reason why General Sherman said "war is hell" more than a century ago. But he helped end the Civil War with his devastating march through Georgia -- not by cease fires or bowing to "world opinion" and there were no corrupt busybodies like the United Nations to demand replacing military force with diplomacy.

There was a time when it would have been suicidal to threaten, much less attack, a nation with much stronger military power because one of the dangers to the attacker would be the prospect of being annihilated.

"World opinion," the U.N. and "peace movements" have eliminated that deterrent. An aggressor today knows that if his aggression fails, he will still be protected from the full retaliatory power and fury of those he attacked because there will be hand-wringers demanding a cease fire, negotiations and concessions.

That has been a formula for never-ending attacks on Israel in the Middle East. The disastrous track record of that approach extends to other times and places -- but who looks at track records?

Remember the Falkland Islands war, when Argentina sent troops into the Falklands to capture this little British colony in the South Atlantic? Argentina had been claiming to be the rightful owner of those islands for more than a century. Why didn't it attack these little islands before? At no time did the British have enough troops there to defend them.

Before there were "peace" movements and the U.N., sending troops into those islands could easily have meant finding British troops or bombs in Buenos Aires. Now "world opinion" condemned the British just for sending armed forces into the South Atlantic to take back their islands.

Shamefully, our own government was one of those that opposed the British use of force. But fortunately British prime minister Margaret Thatcher ignored "world opinion" and took back the Falklands.

The most catastrophic result of "peace" movements was World War II. While Hitler was arming Germany to the teeth, "peace" movements in Britain were advocating that their own country disarm "as an example to others."

British Labor Party Members of Parliament voted consistently against military spending and British college students publicly pledged never to fight for their country. If "peace" movements brought peace, there would never have been World War II.

Not only did that war lead to tens of millions of deaths, it came dangerously close to a crushing victory for the Nazis in Europe and the Japanese empire in Asia. And we now know that the United States was on Hitler's timetable after that.

For the first two years of that war, the Western democracies lost virtually every battle, all over the world, because pre-war "peace" movements had left them with inadequate military equipment and much of it obsolete. The Nazis and the Japanese knew that. That is why they launched the war.

"Peace" movements don't bring peace but war.

Arrested Development

2006-09-29T12:17:00.000-07:00

One picture is worth a thousand words. Thanks to The People's Cube.

Why There Is No Islamic Intellectual Tradition

2006-09-28T01:55:00.000-07:00

Okay, this just shook me from the reverie of my prior post... Yuck! What are they doing? And why?

These are some sick dudes!

Reflection

2006-09-27T23:13:00.000-07:00

Been having some information overload on what’s going on with Islam and Jihad. Yes, I think war is imminent. Yes, I think we should fight Islamofascism with every fiber of our being and with every strength we have. Yet there is something I read somewhere, on some remote blog, perhaps, that has stuck in my mind.

That something came as a result of reading two Muslim youths’ comments in response to someone’s angry post towards Islamic terrorism and encroachment. Both wrote asking why they should accept Western values and traditions when the West has been producing so many disturbing trends and products. Glorification of sex, adultery, drugs, lurid music and film, women who have no modesty in their dress, pornography, homosexual marriage, disturbing images in art, amoral trends in science… they both criticized these things, and an amazing thing happened: I found myself agreeing with them.

Don’t get me wrong. I do not want to live under Sharia. I don’t want some imam or mufti (such a deceptively innocent sounding word, “mufti”) telling me what I can and cannot read or watch or say. Yet I can’t help but contemplate about us. About the West. To look at ourselves with some scrutiny, a “gimlet eye“…

We do put out a lot of crap. Sheer garbage. Just look at the nearest multiplex cinema and see what’s playing:

Jackass Number Two. The Black Dahlia. The Texas Chainsaw Massacre. Anything with Rob Schneider in it. It’s rather embarrassing.

And what about the filth on television? Desperate Housewives, Sex and the City… hardly wholesome.

If you stand in line at the supermarket you will see dozens of magazines dedicated to extending one‘s life, how to get and keep a man, how to look young and sexy, and other mindless hedonistic drivel. It’s not impressive.

Abortion, cloning, euthanasia - the use of science without ethical or moral considerations - dominates our public debate heatedly. Why? Because there is disturbance of conscience there.

It’s true. There is a lot in American society and culture which warrants self reflection and improvement. If we cannot enforce a ban or censure what we create, then we ought to stop supporting it. I have friends who go to movies regularly. If there is junk playing they go see it. Occasionally they see good films too. That that kind of habit breeds a mindless lack of discrimination. Soon one becomes inured to offensive or lowbrow entertainment and it becomes part of everyday life. It’s like junk food.

If we all stopped buying that Cosmo magazine or stopped watching soap operas they will go away. That’s one of the beautiful things about capitalism.

Those two Muslim fellows were right. There are seriously objectionable things about the West’s lifestyle and it would do us well to take an internal look at ourselves while we battle with the enemy. If only they could do the same…

From Naseem, With Love

2006-09-25T23:59:00.000-07:00

Naseem (aka The Pakistani Pigsty) is the Tokyo Rose of WWIII. She comments at Robert Spencer's Jihad Watch; this is her latest:

Assalamau-Laikum American Crusader,
You say "Muslims will be the majority in Russia during our lifetime and over 40% of today's Russian conscripts are of Muslim identity".
Ofcourse the situation is stacked even better for muslims that this prediction. The important statistic I think you will find is the ratio numbers of the "15 to 25" age group between the polluted Kaffur and the pure muslims.
Almost in each and every european country muslims have about a 10% (or more) positive margin of this age group over the Kaffur.
These youngersters and their childrens will form the majority of populations in Europe and the Russ too..and ofcourse will run the government/economy and the defence too.
As to feeding/education/housing etc....the infedel governments do no discrimination... muslims WILL be fed, housed and clothed thanks you very much.
In effect the Kaffur scientists of today are developing WMD for the muslim of tomorrow...all at the cost of the Kafur...Allah SWT truly works in mysterious ways.
American crusader...the 21st Centuary IS for the muslim and he shall spread the light of Islam to you too via the Koran...hopefully you will see this wonderful change in your lifetime.
As to the Russ...it looks like he understands the situation very well...he knows that his future is lost to Islam....Putin and his generation want to enjoy thier life as Kafur while they can....the kids can look after themselves
...after all they will be muslim anyway.
Posted by: Naseem at September 25, 2006 10:49

And Liberals think this is a religion of peace.

The Dogs of War

2006-09-25T23:03:00.001-07:00

From DEBKAfile another war in the Middle East:

A new Middle East war is in the offing. DEBKAfile’s exclusive military sources in Iraq and sources in Iran reveal that Turkish and Iranian air units as well as armored, paratroop, special operations and artillery forces are poised for an imminent coordinated invasion of the northern Iraqi autonomous province of Kurdistan.

Our sources pinpoint the target of the combined Iranian-Turkish offensive as the Quandil Mountains (see picture), where some 5,000 Kurdish rebels from Turkey and Iran, members of the PKK and PJAK respectively, are holed up. Iranian and Turkish assault troops are already deployed 7-8 km deep inside Iraqi territory.

Turkey to the northwest and Iran to the east both have Kurdish minorities which have been radicalized by the emergence of Iraqi Kurdistan in the last three years. The three contiguous Kurdish regions form a strategic world hub.

A jittery Washington foresees a Kurdish-Iranian military thrust quickly flaring into a comprehensive conflict and igniting flames that would envelop the whole of Iraqi Kurdistan as well as southern Turkey and Armenia.

Read it all. Now the war with Iran is upon us.

No Car Bombs Here

2006-09-24T22:31:00.000-07:00

From Fox News an ad from a Columbus, OH car dealership has some up in arms with its cheeky content:

A car dealership's planned radio advertisement that declared"a jihad on the automotive market"has drawn sharp criticism for its content but will not be changed, the business said Saturday.
Several stations rejected the Dennis Mitsubishi spot, which says sales representatives wearing"burqas"_ head-to-toe traditional dress for Islamic women _ will sell vehicles that can"comfortably seat 12 jihadists in the back."
"Our prices are lower than the evildoers'every day. Just ask the pope!"the ad says."Friday is fatwa Friday, with free rubber swords for the kiddies."A fatwa is a religious edict.
Dealership president Keith Dennis said the ad does not disrespect any religion or culture. He said it was"fair game"to poke"a little fun at radical extremists."
"It was our intention to craft something around some of the buzzwords of the day and give everyone a good chuckle and be a little bit of a tension reliever,"he said.
The Columbus chapter of the Council on American-Islamic Relations decried the ad as disrespectful.
"Using that as a promotional pitch when so many are dying from the criminal activity of suicide bombers, that's not funny,"chapter president Asma Mobin-Uddin said."I don't think it's appropriate when it causes real pain. It exploits or promotes misunderstanding in terms already misunderstood or misused."

Jihad Watch says that CAIR is not amused. Of course not. Muslims have no sense of humor.

UPDATE: Damn! Dennis Mitsubishi caved to CAIR.

Tidbits

2006-09-24T00:32:00.000-07:00

Rumors are flying that Ousama bin Laden is dead. Or Usama Bin Laden is dead. I can't decide which way I want to spell the bastard's name. Either way, I wish he was dead. Not that it'd matter one iota on the war against terror. Those Muslims breed terrorists like maggots on a piece of rotten meat. But I doubt if he's really dead. I think they'd all be howling and screaming on the streets like they did when the Ayatollah Khomeini (may he rot in doo doo forever) died.

BBC News says that 73 year old Louis Farrakhan is seriously ill and will postpone further activities with the Nation of Islam. Good news for us. Bad news for him. Rumor has it that the illness has something to do with an ulcer located in his anal area. Ugh. Maybe all that hatred he spewed against Jews and whites is catching up with him. Nasty business. Hope he uses this time to do some honest soul searching.

Over at Mike's America you can watch a video of Bill Clinton doing what he does best: Self aggrandizement. You see, Bill coulda, woulda killed OSB and invaded Afghanistan if it weren't for those bureaucratic FBI and CIA dimwits who just didn't give him the right stuff to do it. Watch the video, if you can stomach it.

Wordsmith gives us a few photos of that Venezuelan intellectual giant, Hugo Chavez, with a couple of his favorite books... Look closely. Laugh out loud.

Over at Jihad Watch we see that the Religion of Love wants to crucify the Pope. I wonder if we could work out a deal with them: Take Madonna instead. But they can only have her if they scourge the slut first.

The Muslims also called the Pope "illiterate". Funny thing, the man has 7 doctorates, speaks over half a dozen languages and has probably read, no, WRITTEN more books than any of those raghead apes have ever collectively read in a lifetime. Charming people.

My New Addiction

2006-09-23T00:14:00.000-07:00

I can't keep away from Jihad Watch. I've learned so much about the pervasive encroaching influence of Islam there. This week Robert Spencer posted some photos of what the Religion of Peace is up to:

Burning an effigy of the Pope.

Defacing a photo of the Pope.

And generally practicing other pyrotechnic displays. I like this one because it shows how literate their women are.

Great War Poster

2006-09-21T23:27:00.000-07:00

Over at Foehammer's Anvil I grabbed a poster he created, or rather, updated from an old WWII war poster.

It's free, just be nice and give credit where credit's due. (And of course don't change the text).

Sober Reality

2006-09-21T23:02:00.000-07:00

Charles Krauthammer gives us some cold hard facts about the impending war. Yes. It's inevitable.

The costs will be terrible:

· Economic . An attack on Iran is likely to send oil prices overnight to $100 or even to $150 a barrel. That will cause a worldwide recession perhaps as deep as the one triggered by the Iranian revolution of 1979.
Iran might suspend its own 2.5 million barrels a day of oil exports and might even be joined by Venezuela's Hugo Chavez, asserting primacy as the world's leading anti-imperialist. But even more effectively, Iran will shock the oil markets by closing the Strait of Hormuz, through which 40 percent of the world's exports flow every day.
Iran could do this by attacking ships in the Strait, scuttling its own ships, laying mines or just threatening to launch Silkworm anti-ship missiles at any passing tanker.
The U.S. Navy will be forced to break the blockade. We will succeed, but at considerable cost. And it will take time -- during which the world economy will be in a deep spiral.

· Military . Iran will activate its proxies in Iraq, most notably, Moqtada al-Sadr's Mahdi Army. Sadr is already wreaking havoc with sectarian attacks on Sunni civilians. Iran could order the Mahdi Army and its other agents within the police and armed forces to take up arms against the institutions of the central government itself, threatening the very anchor of the new Iraq. Many Mahdi will die, but they live to die. Many Iraqis and coalition soldiers are likely to die as well.
Among the lesser military dangers, Iran might activate terrorist cells around the world, although without nuclear capability that threat is hardly strategic. It will also be very difficult to unleash its proxy Hezbollah, now chastened by the destruction it brought upon Lebanon in the latest round with Israel and deterred by the presence of Europeans in the south Lebanon buffer zone.

· Diplomatic. There will be massive criticism of America from around the world. Much of it is to be discounted. The Muslim street will come out again for a few days, having replenished its supply of flammable American flags, most recently exhausted during the cartoon riots. Their governments will express solidarity with a fellow Muslim state, but this will be entirely hypocritical. The Arabs are terrified about the rise of a nuclear Iran and would privately rejoice in its defanging.

The Europeans will be less hypocritical because their visceral anti-Americanism trumps rational calculation. We will have done them an enormous favor by sparing them the threat of Iranian nukes, but they will vilify us nonetheless.
These are the costs. There is no denying them. However, equally undeniable is the cost of doing nothing.

In the region, Persian Iran will immediately become the hegemonic power in the Arab Middle East. Today it is deterred from overt aggression against its neighbors by the threat of conventional retaliation. Against a nuclear Iran, such deterrence becomes far less credible. As its weak, nonnuclear Persian Gulf neighbors accommodate to it, jihadist Iran will gain control of the most strategic region on the globe.

Then there is the larger danger of permitting nuclear weapons to be acquired by religious fanatics seized with an eschatological belief in the imminent apocalypse and in their own divine duty to hasten the End of Days. The mullahs are infinitely more likely to use these weapons than anyone in the history of the nuclear age. Every city in the civilized world will live under the specter of instant annihilation delivered either by missile or by terrorist. This from a country that has an official Death to America Day and has declared since Ayatollah Khomeini's ascension that Israel must be wiped off the map.

Against millenarian fanaticism glorying in a cult of death, deterrence is a mere wish. Is the West prepared to wager its cities with their millions of inhabitants on that feeble gamble?

These are the questions. These are the calculations. The decision is no more than a year away.

Papal Strategies

2006-09-19T22:52:00.000-07:00

A friend of mine who subscribes here sent me this fascinating analysis of the Pope's motives for choosing the words he did for that fateful address in Germany:

Faith, Reason and Politics: Parsing the Pope's Remarks

By George Friedman

On Sept. 12, Pope Benedict XVI delivered a lecture on "Faith, Reason and
the University" at the University of Regensburg. In his discussion (full
text available on the Vatican Web site ) the pope appeared to be trying to
define a course between dogmatic faith and cultural relativism -- making
his personal contribution to the old debate about faith and reason. In the
course of the lecture, he made reference to a "part of the dialogue carried
on -- perhaps in 1391 in the winter barracks near Ankara -- by the erudite
Byzantine emperor Manuel II Paleologus and an educated Persian on the
subject of Christianity and Islam, and the truth of both."

Benedict went on to say -- and it is important to read a long passage to
understand his point -- that:

"In the seventh conversation edited by Professor Khoury, the emperor
touches on the theme of the holy war. The emperor must have known that Sura
2,256 reads: 'There is no compulsion in religion.' According to the
experts, this is one of the suras of the early period, when Mohammed was
still powerless and under threat. But naturally the emperor also knew the
instructions, developed later and recorded in the Quran, concerning holy
war. Without descending to details, such as the difference in treatment
accorded to those who have the 'Book' and the 'infidels,' he addresses his
interlocutor with a startling brusqueness, a brusqueness which leaves us
astounded, on the central question about the relationship between religion
and violence in general, saying: 'Show me just what Mohammed brought that
was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his
command to spread by the sword the faith he preached.' The emperor, after
having expressed himself so forcefully, goes on to explain in detail the
reasons why spreading the faith through violence is something unreasonable.
Violence is incompatible with the nature of God and the nature of the soul.
'God,' he says, 'is not pleased by blood -- and not acting reasonably is
contrary to God's nature. Faith is born of the soul, not the body. Whoever
would lead someone to faith needs the ability to speak well and to reason
properly, without violence and threats ... To convince a reasonable soul,
one does not need a strong arm, or weapons of any kind, or any other means
of threatening a person with death ...'

"The decisive statement in this argument against violent conversion is
this: Not to act in accordance with reason is contrary to God's nature. The
editor, Theodore Khoury, observes: 'For the emperor, as a Byzantine shaped
by Greek philosophy, this statement is self-evident. But for Muslim
teaching, God is absolutely transcendent.'"

The reaction of the Muslim world -- outrage -- came swift and sharp over
the passage citing Manuel II: "Show me just what Mohammed brought that was
new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his
command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." Obviously, this
passage is a quote from a previous text -- but equally obviously, the pope
was making a critical point that has little to do with this passage.

The essence of this passage is about forced conversion. It begins by
pointing out that Mohammed spoke of faith without compulsion when he lacked
political power, but that when he became strong, his perspective changed.
Benedict goes on to make the argument that violent conversion -- from the
standpoint of a Byzantine shaped by Greek philosophy, and therefore shaped
by the priority of reason -- is unacceptable. For someone who believes that
God is absolutely transcendent and beyond reason, the argument goes, it is
acceptable.

Clearly, Benedict knows that Christians also practiced forced conversion in
their history. He also knows that the Aristotelian tendency is not unique
to Christianity. In fact, that same tendency exists in the Muslim
tradition, through thinkers such as al-Farabi or Avicenna. These stand in
relation to Islam as Thomas Aquinas does to Christianity or Maimonides to
Judaism. And all three religions struggle not only with the problem of God
versus science, but with the more complex and interesting tripolar
relationship of religion as revelation, reason and dogmatism. There is
always that scriptural scholar, the philosopher troubled by faith and the
local clergyman who claims to speak for God personally.

Benedict's thoughtful discussion of this problem needs to be considered.
Also to be considered is why the pope chose to throw a hand grenade into a
powder keg, and why he chose to do it at this moment in history. The other
discussion might well be more worthy of the ages, but this question -- what
did Benedict do, and why did he do it -- is of more immediate concern, for
he could have no doubt what the response, in today's politically charged
environment, was going to be.

A Deliberate Move

Let's begin with the obvious: Benedict's words were purposely chosen. The
quotation of Manuel II was not a one-liner, accidentally blurted out. The
pope was giving a prepared lecture that he may have written himself -- and
if it was written for him, it was one that he carefully read. Moreover,
each of the pope's public utterances are thoughtfully reviewed by his
staff, and there is no question that anyone who read this speech before it
was delivered would recognize the explosive nature of discussing anything
about Islam in the current climate. There is not one war going on in the
world today, but a series of wars, some of them placing Catholics at risk.

It is true that Benedict was making reference to an obscure text, but that
makes the remark all the more striking; even the pope had to work hard to
come up with this dialogue. There are many other fine examples of the
problem of reason and faith that he could have drawn from that did not
involve Muslims, let alone one involving such an incendiary quote. But he
chose this citation and, contrary to some media reports, it was not a short
passage in the speech. It was about 15 percent of the full text and was the
entry point to the rest of the lecture. Thus, this was a deliberate choice,
not a slip of the tongue.

As a deliberate choice, the effect of these remarks could be anticipated.
Even apart from the particular phrase, the text of the speech is a
criticism of the practice of conversion by violence, with a particular
emphasis on Islam. Clearly, the pope intended to make the point that Islam
is currently engaged in violence on behalf of religion, and that it is
driven by a view of God that engenders such belief. Given Muslims' protests
(including some violent reactions) over cartoons that were printed in a
Danish newspaper, the pope and his advisers certainly must have been aware
that the Muslim world would go ballistic over this. Benedict said what he
said intentionally, and he was aware of the consequences. Subsequently, he
has not apologized for what he said -- only for any offense he might have
caused. He has not retracted his statement.

So, why this, and why now?

Political Readings

Consider the fact that the pope is not only a scholar but a politician --
and a good one, or he wouldn't have become the pope. He is not only a head
of state, but the head of a global church with a billion members. The
church is no stranger to geopolitics. Muslims claim that they brought down
communism in Afghanistan. That may be true, but there certainly is
something to be said also for the efforts of the Catholic Church, which
helped to undermine the communism in Poland and to break the Soviet grip on
Eastern Europe. Popes know how to play power politics.

Thus, there are at least two ways to view Benedict's speech politically.

One view derives from the fact that the pope is watching the U.S.-jihadist
war. He can see it is going badly for the United States in both Afghanistan
and Iraq. He witnessed the recent success of Hezbollah in Lebanon and
Hamas' political victory among the Palestinians. Islamists may not have the
fundamental strength to threaten the West at this point, but they are
certainly on a roll. Also, it should be remembered that Benedict's
predecessor, John Paul II, was clearly not happy about the U.S. decision to
invade Iraq, but it does not follow that his successor is eager to see a
U.S. defeat there.

The statement that Benedict made certainly did not hurt U.S. President
George W. Bush in American politics. Bush has been trying to portray the
war against Islamist militants as a clash of civilizations, one that will
last for generations and will determine the future of mankind. Benedict,
whether he accepts Bush's view or not, offered an intellectual foundation
for Bush's position. He drew a sharp distinction between Islam and
Christianity and then tied Christianity to rationality -- a move to
overcome the tension between religion and science in the West. But he did
not include Islam in that matrix. Given that there is a war on and that the
pope recognizes Bush is on the defensive, not only in the war but also in
domestic American politics, Benedict very likely weighed the impact of his
words on the scale of war and U.S. politics. What he said certainly could
be read as words of comfort for Bush. We cannot read Benedict's mind on
this, of course, but he seemed to provide some backing for Bush's position.

It is not entirely clear that Pope Benedict intended an intellectual
intervention in the war. The church obviously did not support the invasion
of Iraq, having criticized it at the time. On the other hand, it would not
be in the church's interests to see the United States simply routed. The
Catholic Church has substantial membership throughout the region, and a
wave of Islamist self-confidence could put those members and the church at
risk. From the Vatican's perspective, the ideal outcome of the war would be
for the United States to succeed -- or at least not fail -- but for the
church to remain free to criticize Washington's policies and to serve as
conciliator and peacemaker. Given the events of the past months, Benedict
may have felt the need for a relatively gentle intervention -- in a way
that warned the Muslim world that the church's willingness to endure
vilification as a Crusader has its limits, and that he is prepared, at
least rhetorically, to strike back. Again, we cannot read his mind, but
neither can we believe that he was oblivious to events in the region and
that, in making his remarks, he was simply engaged in an academic exercise.

This perspective would explain the timing of the pope's statement, but the
general thrust of his remarks has more to do with Europe.

There is an intensifying tension in Europe over the powerful wave of
Muslim immigration. Frictions are high on both sides. Europeans fear that
the Muslim immigrants will overwhelm their native culture or form an
unassimilated and destabilizing mass. Muslims feel unwelcome, and some
extreme groups have threatened to work for the conversion of Europe. In
general, the Vatican's position has ranged from quiet to calls for
tolerance. As a result, the Vatican was becoming increasingly estranged
from the church body -- particularly working and middle-class Catholics --
and its fears.

As has been established, the pope knew that his remarks at Regensburg would
come under heavy criticism from Muslims. He also knew that this criticism
would continue despite any gestures of contrition. Thus, with his remarks,
he moved toward closer alignment with those who are uneasy about Europe's
Muslim community -- without adopting their own, more extreme, sentiments.
That move increases his political strength among these groups and could
cause them to rally around the church. At the same time, the pope has not
locked himself into any particular position. And he has delivered his own
warning to Europe's Muslims about the limits of tolerance.

It is obvious that Benedict delivered a well-thought-out statement. It is
also obvious that the Vatican had no illusions as to how the Muslim world
would respond. The statement contained a verbal blast, crafted in a way
that allowed Benedict to maintain plausible deniability. Indeed, the pope
already has taken the exit, noting that these were not his thoughts but
those of another scholar. The pope and his staff were certainly aware that
this would make no difference in the grand scheme of things, save for
giving Benedict the means for distancing himself from the statement when
the inevitable backlash occurred. Indeed, the anger in the Muslim world
remained intense, and there also have been emerging pockets of anger among
Catholics over the Muslim world's reaction to the pope, considering the
history of Islamic attacks against Christianity. Because he reads the
newspapers -- not to mention the fact that the Vatican maintains a highly
capable intelligence service of its own -- Benedict also had to have known
how the war was going, and that his statement likely would aid Bush
politically, at least indirectly. Finally, he would be aware of the
political dynamics in Europe and that the statement would strengthen his
position with the church's base there.

The question is how far Benedict is going to go with this. His predecessor
took on the Soviet Union and then, after the collapse of communism, started
sniping at the United States over its materialism and foreign policy.
Benedict may have decided that the time has come to throw the weight of the
church against radical Islamists. In fact, there is a logic here: If the
Muslims reject Benedict's statement, they have to acknowledge the
rationalist aspects of Islam. The burden is on the Ummah to lift the
religion out of the hands of radicals and extremist scholars by
demonstrating that Muslims can adhere to reason.

From an intellectual and political standpoint, therefore, Benedict's
statement was an elegant move. He has strengthened his political base and
perhaps legitimized a stronger response to anti-Catholic rhetoric in the
Muslim world. And he has done it with superb misdirection. His options are
open: He now can move away from the statement and let nature take its
course, repudiate it and challenge Muslim leaders to do the same with
regard to anti-Catholic statements or extend and expand the criticism of
Islam that was implicit in the dialogue.

The pope has thrown a hand grenade and is now observing the response. We
are assuming that he knew what he was doing; in fact, we find it impossible
to imagine that he did not. He is too careful not to have known. Therefore,
he must have anticipated the response and planned his partial retreat.

It will be interesting to see if he has a next move. The answer to that may
be something he doesn't know himself yet.

My note: There is another dimension to Benedict's strategy: it places liberals and all those who hate the Pope and Catholics (some Evangelical Christian types who think the Church is the Whore of Babylon) on the same side as murderous Muslims. I wonder if that makes them uncomfortable???

MySpace: The New Islamic Frontier

2006-09-19T21:53:00.000-07:00

Okay, I found a new website which is a MySpace for Muslims:

http://muslimspace.com/

There you can find Muslim clothing, listen to that yowling that passes for Muslim singing, find single Muslims online, watch Muslim videos and purchase Islamic software. What would Islamic software be like? Here are some of my guesses:

"Need for Islamic Speed" - Camel racing?

"Suicide Bomber" - No extension pack for this one.

"Jihad Tycoon" - Choose to live in a Saudi palace or in the caves of Afghanistan.

I'm still debating whether to join just to take a peek, but I don't know if I'm into surrealism right now. There's enough in the real world to make one's head spin.

Pictures at An Exhibition

2006-09-19T01:10:00.000-07:00

At Joee Blog's we see photos of Muslims threatening the Pope and Catholics outside Westminster Cathedral this past Sunday:

"Therefore, when ye meet the unbelievers in fight, smite at their necks; at length, when ye have thoroughly subdued them, bind a bond firmly on them..."
Koran, 47:4

"And slay them wherever ye find them, and drive them out of the places whence they drove you out, for persecution is worse than slaughter."
Koran 2:191

This one below is a child holding the sign. Millstone time.

"I have been ordered (by Allah) to fight against the people until they testify that none has the right to be worshipped but Allah and that Muhammad is the Messenger of Allah."

Islamic Rage and Murder... Again

2006-09-17T11:58:00.000-07:00

At Michelle Malkin's we see how rabid Muslims demonstrate that they are true cowards in every sense of the word:

"I am sure the killers were angered by the pope's speech in which he attacked our prophet," said Ashe Ahmed Ali, one of the many who witnessed the shooting.(H/T Fox News).

So that gives them the right to murder a 60 year old woman who worked among their poor and sick. Barbarians. In the photo above we see the body of Sister Leonella Sgorbati being taken out of Mogudishi where she was shot and killed in cold blood.

The Pope has issued an apology. Interestingly enough, his apology isn't exactly one for his own words (or rather, for his citing another's words), but for the "reaction" to his words. Here is the text:

"At this time I wish also to add that I am deeply sorry for the reactions in some countries to a few passages of my address at the University of Regensburg, which were considered offensive to the sensibility of Muslims"

He is apologizing for the "reactions" to his quote... which appears to be for those who are suffering as a result of Islamic brutality. Hopefully the Muslims, who demonstrate that they don't quite possess the sharpest acumen when it comes to rhetoric will view it as an apology to them. Whether they will calm down is another matter. I'm not holding my breath.

Pope Benedict Speaks the Truth

2006-09-16T14:11:00.000-07:00

More Islamic indignation and uproar over Pope Benedict’s citation of a Byzantine Emperor’s description of Islam and its (false) Prophet as “evil and inhuman”, as well as its command to “spread by the sword the faith”.

Muslim (predictable) reactions:

*Palestinians attacked five churches in the West Bank and Gaza, using firebombs and bullets.

*Pakistan’s Parliament adopted a resolution condemning Benedict for making “derogatory comments” about Islam.

*A Turkish official criticized Benedict’s remarks as “pitiful ignorance”:

"He has a dark mentality that comes from the darkness of the Middle Ages. He is a poor thing that has not benefited from the spirit of reform in the Christian world," Kapusuz told Turkish state media. "It looks like an effort to revive the mentality of the Crusades."
"Benedict, the author of such unfortunate and insolent remarks, is going down in history for his words," Kapusuz added. "He is going down in history in the same category as leaders such as Hitler and Mussolini."(H/T Fox News)

Hitler and Mussolini? This idiot who subscribes to a religion that has a history of hijacking airplanes and murdering its civilian passengers, committing suicide-murders, killing apostates, executing its women if they go to a hairdresser, suppressing and distorting facts in its media, kidnapping and beheading innocent people, blowing up public transportation in order to indiscriminately murder women and children, and routinely goes on murderous and violent rampages whenever they smell the tiniest whiff of criticism HAS THE GALL TO INVOKE A COMPARISON TO HITLER AND MUSSOLINI WITH THE POPE???

Demands for the Pope’s apology are accompanied by frenzied rioting everywhere in the Islamic world.

I hope the Pope never apologizes. There has been some apology from the Vatican yet the Pope has yet to make a personal apology. He shouldn’t. He should not back down to these hypocritical bullies. THE POPE SPOKE THE TRUTH ABOUT ISLAM AND THE ISLAMIC WORLD’S REACTION HAS PROVEN THAT THOSE WORDS ARE TRUE.

The more I see Islamic violence, the more I hear Islamic rhetoric, the more I read of Islamic history, the more I realize that Islam is EVIL. Islam is the scourge of the world and we are headed for a major showdown. The Pope has a duty to warn Western Civilization of the dangers of Islamic Jihad, especially in Europe and he chose the name Benedict for that reason. This is not going to be a popular Pontiff. This man will not be applauded by the world like Pope John Paul II. This man has the toughest road ahead of him for he sees the path which lay before us and he will have to say things most people do not want to hear. I hope God gives him the strength and will to do it.

Death of a Warrior

2006-09-15T11:52:00.000-07:00

Oriana Fallaci, Italian journalist and outspoken enemy of Islam, died today at the age of 77 after a battle with cancer.

She was the author of polemical works such as The Force of Reason and The Rage and the Pride. In her journalistic career she interviewed the likes of Yasser Arafat, Henry Kissinger and Ayatollah Khomeini. She was a war correspondent who covered the 1956 Hungarian insurrection, the Latin-American upheavals in the 70's, the Vietnam War, the Gulf War, and the 1968 massacre in Mexico City, where she was seriously wounded.

Ms. Fallaci was a ferocious critic of Islam, and has taken refuge in New York City after being found guilty of breaking an Italian law which prohibits the "slander" of religions. She has received many death threats from Muslims all over the world for her vehement invectives against Islam and its followers:

Wake up folks, wake up! As intimidated as you are by the fear of going against the stream and looking racist (a grossly erroneous word, by the way, because the problem has nothing to do with a race: it has to do with a religion) you don't understand or don't want to understand that a Reverse Crusade is on the march. As blinded as you are by the myopia and the stupidity of the Politically Correct, you don't realize or don't want to realize that a war of religion is being carried out. A war they call Jihad. A war that does not aim at the conquest of our territory maybe, (maybe?), but certainly aims at the conquest of our souls and at the disappearance of our freedom. A war which is conducted to destroy our civilization, our way of living and dying, of praying or not praying, of eating and drinking and dressing and studying and enjoying Life. As numbed as you are by the propaganda of the falsehood, you don't put or do not want to put in your mind that if we do not defend ourselves, if we do not fight, the Jihad will win. It will win, yes, and destroy the world that somehow or other we have been able to build. To change, to improve, to make more intelligent, less bigoted or not bigoted at all. It will cancel our culture, our art, our science, our identity, our morals, our values, our pleasures... By God! Don't you see that all these Ousamas Bin Ladens consider themselves authorized to kill you and your children because you drink alcohol, because you don't grow the long beard and refuse the chador or the burkah, because you go to the theatre and to the movies, because you love music and sing a song, because you dance and watch television, because you wear the miniskirt or the shorts, because on the beach and by the swimming pool you sunbathe almost naked or naked, because you make love when you want and with whom you want, or because you don't believe in God? I am an atheist thank God. And I have no intention of being punished for this by retrograde bigots who, instead of contributing to the improvement of humanity, salaam and squawk prayers five times a day.

Of liberal Europeans, whom she refers to as "cicadas", she has been just as severe:

...I heard that some deluxe cicadas will soon come to New York. They will come on holiday, to visit the new Hercolaneum and the new Pompeii, I mean the Towers that no longer exist. They will take a deluxe airplane, they will choose a deluxe hotel, and after a deluxe drink they will immediately go to enjoy the ruins. With their very expensive cameras (two or three thousand dollars each) they will photograph the remains of the melted steel, they will snap suggestive images to show their friends in Rome. With their very expensive shoes (one thousand dollars a pair in the least) they will trample on the ground coffee, maybe they will even spend a tear to replace their former "Good, Americans-got-it-good" and guess what they'll do afterwards. They will go to buy the gas-masks in sale for those who fear a chemical or biological attack. Is it not chic to go back to Rome with a gas-mask bought here? It permits to boast "Gee! I risked my life in New York!" It also permits to start a new fashion, the fashion of the Dangerous Holidays. First they invented the Intelligent Holidays, they who do not have a single drop of intelligence, now they'll invent the Dangerous Holidays, they who do not have a single drop of courage.

Of America, her second home, Fallaci waxed sharply poetic:

...I am profoundly linked to America. I am so even though I often quarrel with her. Even though I condemn her flaws and mistakes and faults. Her too frequent oblivion of the noble principles on which she was born and grew up, to begin with. Her childish cult of opulence, her inconsiderate waste of richness, her moral hypocrisies, her bullish arrogance in the financial and military field. (An arrogance that inevitably emerges and has always emerged from a country arrived at her level of power and supremacy, by the way). And also the haunting memory of a plague now fully wiped out and sometimes erroneously exploited by its victim's descendants, in my opinion, but too long endured. The plague of slavery. Also her paucities in education, I mean the gaps that impoverish her knowledge because let's admit it: scientifically and technologically her knowledge is superb. In the humanistic domain, instead, it is kind of inadequate. Also her constant glorification of violence and brutality, a glorification that especially through the movies poisons her rescued but unlearned plebes and contaminates the rest of the world. Also her sordid and obsessive exhibition of sex, her boring deification of homosexuality, her immoderate and boundless hedonism. All faults that contributed a lot to the fall of the Roman Empire and one day will lead to her fall; remember. Nevertheless, I am profoundly linked to her. America is for me a husband, a lover, to whom I shall always remain loyal and faithful notwithstanding his defects. (And provided that he does not cuckold me with some unforgiveable betrayal). I care for my husband, my lover. I like his impudence, his courage, his optimism. I adore his geniality, his ingenuity, his trust in himself and in the future. I compliment the respect he has for common people and for the wretched, the ugly, the dejected. I envy the infinite patience with which he bears the offences and the slanders. I praise the marvelous dignity and even humility with which he faces his incomparable success, I mean the fact that in only two centuries he has become the absolute winner. The archetype that both in the Good and in the Evil we all want to follow or imitate. The lifebuoy to which we all resort or ask for help. And I never forget that, hadn't this husband defeated Hitler, today I would speak German. Had he not held back the Soviet Union, today I would speak Russian... Finally I admire his undisputed and indisputable generosity... America has always been the Refugium Peccatorum, the orphanage, of the people without a country. Without a patria, without a home, a mother...

Oriana Fallaci, a modern-day Cassandra, died in her beloved Florence. Requiescat in pace.

Another Hoax on the Media

2006-08-24T11:23:00.000-07:00

Zombietime provides us with an analysis which debunks the accusations that Israel intentionally bombed Red Cross ambulances - violating the Geneva Convention in a most egregious way. The AP, BBC, Time, the LA Times et al swallowed this story unquestioningly (after all it destroys Israel's moral superiority in this conflict).

You have to read the entire article to see how Zombie refuted the Lebanese claims and how this hoax was perpetrated by the media. The first photo to the right shows an ambulance hit by an Israeli missile dead center on the red cross on its roof. However, further close ups of this hole reveal much more.

Zombie notes the unpainted metal flange on the edges of the hole which are not curved inward as it would be had a missile truly struck the vehicle there. Also, note the large amount of rust on the vehicle. Now look at this photo:

See what appears on the center of the cross? An ambulance vent or siren/light used to occupy the "bombed" vehicle's hole.
Let's take a look at a vehicle which was truly hit by a missile:

And here is a photo of the interior of the allegedly bombed ambulance:

Quite a difference, isn't it? The ambulance is amazingly free of scorching and the interior is ridiculously clean for being bullseyed by a missile. The frame of the ambulance is still intact. Remarkable.

Next, let's take a look at one of the victims. Qasim Chaalan was a driver for the ambulance; here is a photo of him entering the hospital with a wounded chin. Note his ear. Looks fine, doesn't it?

However, here is another photo of him recuperating in the hospital after being admitted - and that same ear is now bandaged:

And here he is one week later looking miraculously healed - no scabs, scars or cuts:

Once again, the MSM has done its job well. For Hezbollah, that is. (H/T Michelle Malkin).

FOX News Reporter and Crewman Still Missing

2006-08-22T11:38:00.000-07:00

There has not been much coverage on the kidnapping of Steve Centanni and Olaf Wiig. Both men were kidnapped at gunpoint by unknown terrorists in Gaza over a week ago. Friends and families of the two men have been making statements asking for information on their status.

No word has come from the Palestinian terrorists who took these two men.

I'm posting this at the request of Michelle Malkin so that the public does not forget these two men. Let's hope that they make it home okay.

UPDATE

From Fox News, a video of the two kidnapped journalists have been released with demands that the US exchange Muslim prisoners for their freedom.

The video showed the two men in apparently good health, making statements which appeal for their release.

The group claiming to the crime calls themselves the Holy Jihad Brigades, and they have given the US 72 hours to comply with their request. They have not stated what the consequences would be if their demands are not met.

Hamas lawmaker, Mushi Masri, has “condemned” the kidnappings, yet blames the US for it:

"The kidnapping (of civilians) doesn't represent the Palestinian culture. The Palestinian people respect all countries of the world and takes no one as an enemy, except the Zionist enemy that occupies our land," he said.

However, Masri said the U.S. bore some responsibility for the abduction. "We hold the Zionist enemy and the American administration responsible for such acts because of their unfair policies," he said.

Well, Mr. Masri, that only demonstrates how infantile your people are. If you don't like something you throw a tantrum and violate an innocent person who happens to be standing nearby?

More on Mayo Mayhem

2006-08-21T19:04:00.000-07:00

Catherine Mayo, 59, the self identified peacenik who was arrested for creating a ruckus on a trans Atlantic flight from London to DC had been "vacationing" in Pakistan. From James Taranto at WSJ's Opinion Journal online:

One obvious question is, what kind of person vacations in Pakistan? Was Mayo drawn there by what Lonely Planet describes as "some of Asia's most mind-blowing landscapes, extraordinary trekking, a multitude of cultures and a long tradition of hospitality"? Perhaps. But an Associated Press report suggests there was another attraction:

Mayo's son, Josh, 31, described his mother as a peace activist and said she had been in Pakistan since March. She has traveled there often since making a pen pal before Sept. 11, 2001. The pen pal hasn't been allowed to visit the United States, he said. . . .

Henry Lefebvre, a neighbor who met Mayo a couple of years ago at a picnic, said she told him she was headed to Pakistan.

"She said she had a boyfriend there," he said.

Probably her lawyer is right, and she is just a nut. But boyfriends can be dangerous. A BBC account from 1986 describes the case of Nizar Hindawi, a Syrian-backed Jordanian national who used his pregnant Irish girlfriend in an attempt to murder some 380 passengers traveling from London to Tel Aviv:

Mr Hindawi attempted to blow up the flight by planting a timer bomb inside his girlfriend's hand luggage. Ann Murphy had been under the impression that he would follow her on a later flight.

The explosives were only discovered when a security official searched the bag thinking it was too heavy. The 3lb of plastic explosives and a detonator concealed in a pocket calculator had made it through two X-ray machines undetected.

Mayo surely would have come in for extra scrutiny if Britain had an Israel-style system of airport security, in which agents ask probing personal questions in an effort to find would be terrorists.

Scary thought: There are lots of single lefty females desperate for a boyfriend, (at least where I live). Islamofascists would have a rich ore of unwitting non-Muslim terrorists to mine...

Correction

2006-08-20T16:35:00.000-07:00

I decided to write this in response to the post by Mr. Porretto of Eternity Road since he has eliminated the comments section of that post. He has endorsed a friend’s blog whom he has described as a “devout” Catholic, who loves sex, was a former prostitute, etc...

Not knowing this friend’s life story, I have nothing to say about her former profession. However, I took exception to Mr. Porretto calling her a “devout” Catholic after reading some of the posts at her blog, which delineates the sexual pleasure she derives from anal penetration, masturbating with sex toys, etc…

I wrote a comment that Mr. Porretto does not know what a “devout” Catholic is, since no Catholic can claim to be devout while cheerfully committing a sin against chastity.

His heated response in defense of his girlfriend (and he is a married man - apparently an unhappily and sexually frustrated one at that - as one of her posts declares as such) was that the Church was not “infallible” and that he uses his conscience to guide him in such matters. The Church is infallible in FAITH AND MORALS. And chastity falls under the category of MORALS. There is no argument over whether masturbation is a sin or not, Mr. Porretto; READ THE CATECHISM (Vatican Edition) and you will find in Part 3, Paragraph 2352, that:

“By masturbation is to be understood the deliberate stimulation of the genital organs in order to derive sexual pleasure. Both the Magisterium of the Church, in course of a constant tradition, and the moral sense of the faithful have been in no doubt and have firmly maintained that masturbation is an intrinsically and gravely disordered action. The deliberate use of the sexual faculty, for whatever reason, outside of marriage is essentially contrary to its purpose. For here sexual pleasure is sought outside of the sexual relationship which is demanded by the moral order and in which the total meaning of mutual self-giving and human procreation in the context of true love is achieved.”

Mr. Porretto, you are WRONG. You cannot call yourself or your friend a DEVOUT Catholic as you pick and choose which laws of the Magisterium to obey. As I said in your now defunct comments section of that post, I don’t care what you do or with whom, however I take exception to your using the term DEVOUT CATHOLIC to describe someone whose actions clearly violate the laws of the Church. Your lame excuse regarding your conscience is also erroneous: the Church teaches that the conscience as a guide must be INFORMED by the Magisterium. This is another reason why people who are not Catholic are misinformed and confused by the teachings of the Church: its members themselves don’t know what the teachings are.

I would have preferred to simply respond to his comments in that post, however his removal of it compels me to write this here in fraternal correction.

Mr. Porretto, I dare you to consult an ORTHODOX CATHOLIC PRIEST for further guidance on this matter. Hopefully you will have the fortitude to take his instruction.

ADDENDUM

I received a trite comment about being "judgmental". Problem is, if humans do not exercise the faculty of Judgment, which is a function of the MIND, then we may as well go on all fours. I'm not telling the person they are going to hell. I'm telling them that they have no bloody business calling themselves or others "DEVOUT" when they practice something which clearly violates MORAL LAW as taught by the Magisterium of the Church! It's that bloody simple. And if anyone else wants to leave the same kind of insipid remarks I'm simply going to delete it.

Thoughts to Ponder

2006-08-20T14:08:00.000-07:00

Seth at Hard Astarboard has posted some sobering thoughts about the future of democratic governments. According to 18th century history professor Alexander Tyler:

"A democracy is always temporary in nature; it simply cannot exist as a permanent form of government. A democracy will continue to exist up until the time that voters discover that they can vote themselves generous gifts from the public treasury. From that moment on, the majority always votes for the candidates who promise the most benefits from the public treasury, with the result that every democracy will finally collapse due to loose fiscal policy, which is always followed by a dictatorship."

Sounds like a familiar scenario... Furthermore:

"The average age of the worlds greatest civilizations from the beginning of history, has been about 200 years.

During those 200 years, these nations always progressed through the following sequence

1. From bondage to spiritual faith;

2. From spiritual faith to great courage;

3. From courage to liberty;

4. From liberty to abundance;

5. From abundance to complacency;

6. From complacency to apathy;

7. From apathy to dependence;

8. From dependence back into bondage "

Apathy certainly exists, especially among the youth here in the US. Statistics point that many of them don't bother to vote, or even read the news.

The post further delineates interesting statistics regarding the 2000 Election:

Professor Joseph Olson of Hamline University School of Law, St. Paul, Minnesota, points out some interesting facts concerning the 2000 Presidential election.

Population of counties won by:

Gore: 127 million

Bush: 143 million

Square miles of land won by:

Gore: 580,000;

Bush: 2,427,000

States won by

Gore 19;

Bush: 29

Murder rate per 100,000 residents in counties won by

Gore: 13.2

Bush: 2.1

Professor Olson adds: "In aggregate, the map of the territory Bush won was mostly the land owned by the tax-paying citizens of this great country. Gore's territory mostly encompassed those citizens living in
government-owned tenements and living off government welfare..."

From this information we see the roots of apathy and dependence firmly entrenched in our land. Where will it lead us?

UPDATE

I just found out that the stats for the murder rates are incorrect. According to Snopes it reads as follows:

According to the U.S. Department of Justice (DoJ), in the year 2000 the national murder rate was about 5.5 per 100,000 residents. Homicide data by county for 1999 and 2000 can be downloaded from the National Archive of Criminal Justice Data (NAJCD), and the counties won by Gore and Bush can be identified using the county-by-county election results made available by CNN. (The NACJD provides not only the number of reported murders for each county, but also the population for each.) The average murder rate in the counties won by Gore vs. the rate in the counties won by Bush can be determined from this data.

By calculating the murder rate for each county and then taking the averages, we find a murder rate (defined as number of murders per 100,000 residents) of about 5.2 for the "average" Gore county and 3.3 for the average Bush county. But since people, rather than counties, commit murders, a more appropriate approach is to calculate the total number of murders in the counties won by each candidate and divide that figure by the total number of residents in those counties. This more appropriate method yields the following average murder rates in counties won by each candidate:

Gore: 6.5
Bush: 4.1

There is a distinct difference between these two numbers, but it is nowhere near as large as the quoted e-mail message states (i.e., 13.2 for Gore vs. 2.1 for Bush). Note that the average of these two figures is 5.3, which, as expected, is very close to the reported national murder rate of 5.5.

H/T Indigo Red

A Man Only a Liberal Could Love

2006-08-19T00:15:00.000-07:00

At a campaign rally, Hugo Chavez announced that Venezuela captured four US spies and returned them back to America.

US National Intelligence Director John Negroponte had appointed J. Patrick Maher as "mission manager" for Cuba and Venezuela.

"They selected 'Jack the Ripper,"' Chavez said. "What a little problem this is."

Hmm, Jack the Ripper was English...

"These are signs that the empire doesn't rest," Chavez said. "The plan to try to destabilize us has already begun."

Uh, you don't need us to help you with that, buddy, you're already unstable.

Chavez said he wishes the best for the American people and hopes they one day "live under democracy, because they live under a fascist dictatorship."(H/T Fox News)

Wow! A guy only a lefty could love! I bet he'll soon be on their short list of Most Beloved World Leaders, among illustrious persons such as Saddam Hussein and Fidel Castro.

From Peace Activist to Piss Activist

2006-08-17T13:47:00.000-07:00

From Fox News we see a woman caused a plane diversion in Boston with her bizarre behavior. She muttered inarticulately which made the passengers and flight crew nervous, then she squatted on the floor of the plane and urinated. The crew had to tackle and cuff her when her behavior became more "frenzied".

Catherine Mayo, 59, is a peace activist who travelled to Pakistan where she has published news articles there criticizing President Bush.

"The folksongs of the 1960s will never be written again because of President George Bush," she wrote. "He has hampered the liberties of my country in the name of September 11. Songs now can only talk of patriotism they cannot mention peace."

That's right. There is a law against writing songs which use the word "peace".

Her son, 31, says:

"I guess she just had a bit of a bad time on the plane, and everybody's a little paranoid."

Uh huh. If this occurred pre 9/11 no one would have blinked an eye at a woman pulling down her knickers and squatting on the floor to urinate in public.

FBI spokeswoman Gail Marcinkiewicz confirmed Thursday that authorities found a screwdriver and an unspecified number of cigarette lighters in her bag, items which are banned under new security regulations. Marcinkiewicz also confirmed that matches were found Mayo's bag.

She also had a bottle of water, which did not appear to be supplied by the flight crew. It wasn't clear how the items made it through airport security, which has been significantly tightened since the terror plot arrests.

"Significantly tightened"? Apparently not enough. I get pulled over for carrying eyebrow tweezers in my makeup bag. She gets away with a screwdriver???

Her attorney, federal public defender Page Kelley, said Mayo was "just barely lucid" when they spoke. "She's got some very serious mental health problems."

I'll say. Hating President Bush and siding with Al Qaeda are not political positions. They are symptoms of liberal mental illness.

Breakthrough in JonBenet Ramsey Murder Case

2006-08-16T15:44:00.000-07:00

Denver law authorities have made an arrest in the long standing cold case regarding the murder of six year old JonBenet Ramsey. According to FOX News John Karr, a 41 year old schoolteacher, is currently being held in Bangkok, Thailand on separate sex charges.

I hope this is the beginning of the end of the nightmare that the Ramsey family endured for so long. It's terrible enough to have a child brutally murdered the way young JonBenet was, but to be falsely accused of the crime, and to suffer the suspicions and cruel speculations over the years must have been excruciating.

When the murder first became public I recall having my own suspicions against the family, but after seeing a documentary on Court TV a few years ago I was persuaded otherwise. This documentary, (I think it was an episode of Cold Case Files), had an investigator, well known for his high success rate in solving cold cases, present overwhelming evidence that the murderer was an intruder outside of the family circle. Ever since I have had nothing but sympathy for the Ramseys.

In light of Patsy Ramsey's recent death after fighting ovarian cancer, I can only pray that she may rest in peace.

UPDATE

WWB at Blog PI posed an interesting observation that conservative bloggers jump on the story, while liberal bloggers ignore it. Why?

Ultimately, for the liberals, justice for the little guy does not matter. In this case, a helpless 6 year old girl. She is not a blip on their radar. Neither are the children who perished on 9/11 and 7/7. Even less do they care for the unborn. Their only relentless drive is to obstruct and destroy authority in all of its forms... the focus of their hate being George W. Bush.

It's a form of fanaticism, its adherents defined by Winston Churchill as "one who won't change his mind and won't change the subject."

A Whisper is a Whisper and a Shout is a Shout and a Heresy is a .. well, just plain old Sloth

2006-08-10T16:58:00.000-07:00

Patrick at It’s a Matter of Opinion wrote a post on why he is not religious. He cites the children’s game “Chinese Whispers” (aka “Telephone” when I was a kid) as the reason why. According to his theory, over the years the message got garbled just like how rumors and gossip do. Therefore, according to his idea Jesus was not the Son of God, just a good man who preached a wonderful feel good message. It’s interesting to note that conveniently, the message didn’t get garbled, just the true identity of the messenger did.

Now I don’t have a problem with people if they don’t want to believe due to a myriad of emotional, intellectual, and spiritual differences as long as they are honest in their reasons. But don’t insult my intelligence by using that facile excuse not to believe in Christ’s divinity. Don’t say “They made that part up”, but not the rest of it. And if you really subscribe to the Chinese Whispers conspiracy, then ALL OF HISTORY IS SUSPECT. That’s the logical conclusion of such a theory.

Another reason why the Chinese Whispers Theory is faulty is that the game is WHISPERED. It’s so much easier to garble the message when it’s whispered than when it’s spoken loudly, or shouted. Even when I was 8 years old and played that game I noticed that the main reason why the message was twisted was because the whisperer didn’t want others to overhear the message and spoke too quickly or was laughing while conveying the message in my ear. However, when a message is spoken loudly and clearly to a number of people, it’s much less liable to be misconstrued.

Thirdly, the comment section of the post indicates support of the works of the Torah as factual, yet dismisses the main message (Christ is God) of the Gospels as false. I don’t know why one part of the Bible is subject to error when another part isn’t. I guess it’s either a matter of pick and choose according to one’s personal preference or bias. Hardly objective.

Fourthly, one cannot entirely dismiss a culture’s oral tradition as inexact. Many pre-literate societies have incredibly accurate memory and generation after generation can recite long epics and stories by heart without stumbling or error. My Dad used to say that the brain is like a muscle, and the exercise of memorization strengthens it. Within many of the Gospels are examples of mnemonic devices (the parables, the stories of healings…) which are commonly used with great success in oral tradition societies. The fact that they are used within each respective Gospel INDEPENDENTLY of each other (i.e., the authors did not consult each other for the source) indicates that there is historical and textual accuracy.

Fifthly, the first written Gospel occurred about 40 years after Christ’s death and resurrection by Mark, who was a disciple of Peter. Therefore we have an account recorded by someone whose source was a living eyewitness of Christ’s words and actions. Luke was a disciple of Paul of Tarsus. John IS one of the twelve disciples and eyewitnesses of Jesus, and Matthew drew his sources from Mark and “Q” which is also the same source for Luke and Mark (called the Synoptic Gospels) Hardly enough room to use the Chinese Whisper theory, which relies on too many distant and multiple sources.

Lastly, the belief that Jesus was just a good man rather than the Son of God is nothing new. The heresy of Arianism is probably the oldest among those which sprang from Christianity, and it will always be with us. It’s very common nowadays for people to subscribe to it. I think they are erroneous in their belief, and I can be tolerant of them. But what gets me is the use of faulty reasoning to excuse intellectual and spiritual laziness.

The West's Malaise

2006-08-10T10:51:00.000-07:00

Victor Davis Hanson writes a comparison of the West's indifference to the increasing threat of Islamic terrorism to the apathy of Europe and America of the 1930's towards the rise of fascism in their midst:

" There is no need to mention Europe , an entire continent now returning to the cowardice of the 1930s. Its cartoonists are terrified of offending Muslim sensibilities, so they now portray the Jews as Nazis, secure that no offended Israeli terrorist might chop off their heads. The French foreign minister meets with the Iranians to show solidarity with the terrorists who promise to wipe Israel off the map (“In the region there is of course a country such as Iran — a great country, a great people and a great civilization which is respected and which plays a stabilizing role in the region”) — and manages to outdo Chamberlain at Munich. One wonders only whether the prime catalyst for such French debasement is worry over oil, terrorists, nukes, unassimilated Arab minorities at home, or the old Gallic Jew-hatred."

Hanson attributes the West's weakness to a moral vicissitude:

And finally examine here at home reaction to Hezbollah — which has butchered Americans in Lebanon and Saudi Arabia — from a prominent Democratic Congressman, John Dingell: “I don’t take sides for or against Hezbollah.” And isn’t that the point, after all: the amoral Westerner cannot exercise moral judgment because he no longer has any?

Well if one shrinks from moral judgment then he cannot be judged, can he? Isn't that the real reason why so many (i.e. the Left) refuse to pass judgment on people's acts, no matter how heinous? Unless it's smoking, wearing furs, and cutting down trees, the Left will not pass judgment on anything - not even against murderers, terrorists and tyranny.

Hanson notes what the real story is:

These past few days the inability of millions of Westerners, both here and in Europe, to condemn fascist terrorists who start wars, spread racial hatred, and despise Western democracies is the real story, not the “quarter-ton” Israeli bombs that inadvertently hit civilians in Lebanon who live among rocket launchers that send missiles into Israeli cities and suburbs.Yes, perhaps Israel should have hit more quickly, harder, and on the ground; yes, it has run an inept public relations campaign; yes, to these criticisms and more.

But what is lost sight of is the central moral issue of our times: a humane democracy mired in an asymmetrical war is trying to protect itself against terrorists from the 7th century, while under the scrutiny of a corrupt world that needs oil, is largely anti-Semitic and deathly afraid of Islamic terrorists, and finds psychic enjoyment in seeing successful Western societies under duress.

It seems the theme of this post touches again what a previous post (See "Trivialization of Western Society" below) did: that the West can no longer distinguish what is truly good and what is truly evil. When you have a society which can ferociously condemn misdemeanors such as eating too much beef and playing with toy guns, yet wink at decapitation and torture, you have a sick and feeble society indeed.

Wow, it's been a whole year!!!

2006-08-10T02:05:00.000-07:00

Well I took a year off and did lots of stuff. Not exciting stuff, well a little exciting, but nothing major. I've been reading other people's blogs and have been inspired to write my own again. I think.

Gotta go and visit everyone now and see if they are still around and if they remember me, lol.

The Last of the Big Three

2005-08-07T22:33:00.000-07:00

From LaShawn Barber's Corner, news that Peter Jennings, the anchor for ABC, is dead from lung cancer.

He was the last of the Big Three Anchors that I knew of while growing up, the other two being Tom Brokaw and Dan Rather.

RIP, Mr. Jennings (1938-2005).

The Trivialization of American Society, or The Rape of the Lock

2005-08-05T12:53:00.000-07:00

Triviality. The American Heritage Dictionary meaning of that word is:

"Lack of importance, inconsequence, insignificance, unimportance."

A very perceptive friend recently commented to me about the "trivialization" of serious things, like rape, slavery, harassment, heroism. And she meant that it was done by women. Western women.

Yeah, this is going to offend some women, but I don't care. It's time some of them grow up and quit whining.

This comment by a lefty visitor here gave food for thought on this post. Regarding the atrocities committed against Muslim women, the commenter lamely attempted to compare "atrocities" done here in the US to its women! Here is the most egregious remark she made:

"How much did the government spend on breast cancer research last year? How much on prostate cancer? One report from the NATIONAL CANCER SOCIETY (a "you people" organization no doubt) states that comparitively speaking (in terms of numbers diagnosed) that the government is contributing approximately 60% as much for breast cancer research as it does for prostate cancer research. Is that an atrocity? you may not think so, maybe I don't even think so... some might... depends on if it's important to you or not I guess." (Misspelling is hers)

Yup, she was comparing the base treatment of women in non Western countries to the lack of funding for breast cancer in the US! And she's not even "sure" if it's an atrocity, but she used it as defense of her position. The gist of her thinking (and I use that term lightly) is like this:

Woman in Iran: "My husband beat me for burning the lamb last night."

Woman in India: "My father beat me for refusing to marry a man I do not like."

Woman in China: "My father sold me to a brothel because there are too many girls in the family."

Woman in US: "My father cut my allowance to $25.00 a week. I can't even afford a Louis Vuitton handbag with that kind of pittance!"

She and so many other women in this country suffer from the same idiocy: an inability to comprehend the ENORMITY of disparity between our culture and those of non-Western countries. Furthermore - and I blame feminists for this - they TRIVIALIZE
REAL CRIMES committed against women.

Case in point: Twice now this same commenter called anyone who challenged her to support her assertions "a schoolyard bully". I suppose when she was in grade school when the teacher corrected her by saying that 2+2=4, not 5, she ran home in tears and called her teacher a "bully". That sort of whiny hypersensitivity trivializes REAL bullying, which is when the biggest boy in the block beat up the smallest boy. Remember "A Christmas Story"? THAT kid was a bully.

Feminists also trivialize rape by asserting that when a college girl goes to a frat party, gets stinking drunk, goes into a room with one of the guys, sleeps with him, then gets kicked out of his room before dawn without a kiss, she was raped! Sorry, but I don't call that rape. I call that being sleazy, stupid and used.

Heroism has also been trivialized. A person who ran into a burning house and rescued a child trapped in a room was a hero. A Marine who dives on top of a grenade to prevent it from killing his squad is a hero. Those men who stormed the beaches of Normandy are heroes. Nowadays, feminists call any woman who writes a navel-gazing book about her "traumatic" childhood a "hero". Trivial drivel is more like it.

Remember poetry class in school? There was an 18th century poem written by an Englishman who truly exemplified the mightiness of the pen over the sword. His name was Alexander Pope, and his most popular work may have been the caustic "The Rape of the Lock", which, in mock-epic form, satirized the pettiness of 18th century society. I'll steal from SparkNotes to render a critique of this masterpiece:

The strategy of Pope's mock-epic is not to mock the form itself, but to mock his society in its very failure to rise to epic standards, exposing its pettiness by casting it against the grandeur of the traditional epic subjects and the bravery and fortitude of epic heroes: Pope's mock-heroic treatment in The Rape of the Lock underscores the ridiculousness of a society in which values have lost all proportion, and the trivial is handled with the gravity and solemnity that ought to be accorded to truly important issues. The society on display in this poem is one that fails to distinguish between things that matter and things that do not. The poem mocks the men it portrays by showing them as unworthy of a form that suited a more heroic culture. Thus the mock-epic resembles the epic in that its central concerns are serious and often moral, but the fact that the approach must now be satirical rather than earnest is symptomatic of how far the culture has fallen. (Emphasis mine).

The title itself proclaims the trivialization of what's important, assigning the cutting of a piece of hair as a "rape". Alexander Pope would find fertile ground in today's society. Here is what he writes when the Baron snips a lock of Belinda's hair:

Then flash'd the living Lightnings from her Eyes,

And Screams of Horror rend th' affrighted Skies.

Not louder Shrieks to pitying Heav'n are cast,

When Husbands or when Lap-dogs breath their last,

Or when rich China Vessels, fal'n from high,

In glittring Dust and painted Fragments lie!

Yeah, she screams more about her purloined curl than for the death of a husband or a pet dog.

In the end, Pope eulogizes the fate of the poor lock, which takes its place in the heavens as a martyr to the crimes committed against women:

Then cease, bright Nymph! to mourn the ravish'd Hair

Which adds new Glory to the shining Sphere!

Not all the Tresses that fair Head can boast

Shall draw such Envy as the Lock you lost.

For, after all the Murders of your Eye,

When, after Millions slain, your self shall die;

When those fair Suns shall sett, as sett they must,

And all those Tresses shall be laid in Dust;

This Lock, the Muse shall consecrate to Fame,

And mid'st the Stars inscribe Belinda's Name!

Silly isn't it? Another great writer coined a term for that kind of feminine hysteria: a tempest in a teapot.