The world has watched as the Middle East has disolved into mass chaos. Riots have broken out over a cartoon that has offended the Muslim World. Embassies have been burned, tourists kindapped, bomb threats, bombs thrown, EU offices over-run by gun wielding hooligans....all of this has unfolded before our eyes in the last 48 hours. Much has been said on this issue across the blogosphere. However, few have dared to ask this question, has the Holy War begun? The short answer??? YES - ABSOLUTELY - POSITIVELY!!!!
"Jihad" has been defined as a holy war and bin Laden and his associates have said that this is jihad. If that is the case, then the Holy War came to us over 20 years ago. When is the "West" going to wake up to this fact?
Saturday, February 04, 2006
Ducks and geese and leftists (and way too many Republicans) better scurry (apologies to Rogers and Hammerstein)
I came across this great parable and immediately thought of the lefty pukes (and too many Republicans) out there that do this to the American taxpayer:
Once upon a time a monk stole 3 ducks from a farmer, plucked them and stuffed their feathers into a bag. He quietly picked up the bag, so as not to be noticed, and ascended the stairs of his monastery's highest tower. Upon reaching the top of the tower, he dumped the feathers out of a window. The feathers were swept away by the wind and scattered irretrievably.
Down below, the blacksmith saw the monk's curious actions. He reported to his neighbors what the monk had done: "The monk has stolen 3 geese and scattered their feathers!"
Confronted with his crime, the monk denied any wrongdoing. He instead turned to the blacksmith and replied, "The feathers I scattered were from ducks, sir, not geese, and you are a slanderer."
The crowd nodded in agreement. They chastised the blacksmith for his carelessness and consoled the shamefully treated monk.
And the farmer was out 3 ducks.
(From Apelles )
Friday, February 03, 2006
Unity of opposites
Though Nick Coleman from Prairie Pravda can not be explained by anything less than my political opposite, he has written a truly readable column on the mother of murdered St. Paul police Sgt.Jerry Vick.
As a matter of fact, I thought it was a superb column, and I even wrote Nick and complimented him on it.
It is a compelling read on the deep grief of a woman who in short order (a month) lost her son, her husband and her husband's mother-in-law.
Please read it and pray for Mrs. Vick.
As a matter of fact, I thought it was a superb column, and I even wrote Nick and complimented him on it.
It is a compelling read on the deep grief of a woman who in short order (a month) lost her son, her husband and her husband's mother-in-law.
Please read it and pray for Mrs. Vick.
Offensive?
"A couple of simple caricatures printed in a Danish newspaper has the Arab world outraged. Unfortunately, the paper apologized for the Muhammad-critical cartoons and democratic values lost out to totalitarian ideology. "
Thus begins an excellent article in Der Speigle about the riots in the Middle East. I am not going to focus on what is wrong with Islam (for that you want to check out Anti-Strib's long running series on Islam). What I do want to focus on is the inconsistency of certain members of our society in reaction to this. For the record, I find the cartoons in question to be as crass and tasteless as, oh say, Andes Serrano's dreadful "Piss Christ" or Martin Scorsese's equally dreadful "Last Temptation of Christ". If you want a cartoon comparison, the WaPo's Tole cartoon depicting our military as a quadraplegic with Dr. Rumsfeld calling them "battle hardened" ranks up there on the old insult meter. In fact, Christians and Jews (and their respective deities) have been ridiculed on the pages of most Arab, American and European newspapers for as long as there have been newspapers!
Now, let's take a look at the reactions to said "offenses". When Christians are offended, and they complain, they are told to suck it up a take it like a man. When the military is offended and they complain, they are accused of censorship. When Muslims are offended they take to the streets with plackards reading "Behead those who insult Islam" or "Freedom go to Hell" or calling in bomb threats to the papers who had the audacity to run with these cartoons. Michelle Malkin has the context (of the cartoons) that no one seems to care to look at. What struck me though was the reaction of the broadcast media. MSNCB, in covering the situation last night, refused to show the cartoons out of "respect" of Islam and yet NBC has planned for a Good Friday broadcast an episode of Will and Grace that insults Christians! I am saddened, but not surprised, that our American media has choosen to kow-tow to the fascists in radical Islam. For they are only more than willing to hand over their "cherished" free expression to a regime as long as that regime holds fast to the presses anti American sentiment. Shame on the US Media!
You be the judge readers. Is this
any more insulting than this or this or this? Horribly poor taste yes, but hardly worthy of mass riots, bomb threats and suicide bombers.
Thus begins an excellent article in Der Speigle about the riots in the Middle East. I am not going to focus on what is wrong with Islam (for that you want to check out Anti-Strib's long running series on Islam). What I do want to focus on is the inconsistency of certain members of our society in reaction to this. For the record, I find the cartoons in question to be as crass and tasteless as, oh say, Andes Serrano's dreadful "Piss Christ" or Martin Scorsese's equally dreadful "Last Temptation of Christ". If you want a cartoon comparison, the WaPo's Tole cartoon depicting our military as a quadraplegic with Dr. Rumsfeld calling them "battle hardened" ranks up there on the old insult meter. In fact, Christians and Jews (and their respective deities) have been ridiculed on the pages of most Arab, American and European newspapers for as long as there have been newspapers!
Now, let's take a look at the reactions to said "offenses". When Christians are offended, and they complain, they are told to suck it up a take it like a man. When the military is offended and they complain, they are accused of censorship. When Muslims are offended they take to the streets with plackards reading "Behead those who insult Islam" or "Freedom go to Hell" or calling in bomb threats to the papers who had the audacity to run with these cartoons. Michelle Malkin has the context (of the cartoons) that no one seems to care to look at. What struck me though was the reaction of the broadcast media. MSNCB, in covering the situation last night, refused to show the cartoons out of "respect" of Islam and yet NBC has planned for a Good Friday broadcast an episode of Will and Grace that insults Christians! I am saddened, but not surprised, that our American media has choosen to kow-tow to the fascists in radical Islam. For they are only more than willing to hand over their "cherished" free expression to a regime as long as that regime holds fast to the presses anti American sentiment. Shame on the US Media!
You be the judge readers. Is this
any more insulting than this or this or this? Horribly poor taste yes, but hardly worthy of mass riots, bomb threats and suicide bombers.
Héroes de México en los Estados Unidos
And to show that we are true multi-culturalists we have this.
And I'm sure that the ACLU will soon enter suit to have "Mexicanos, al grito de guerra" sung BEFORE The Star Bangled Banner at all "appropriate" events.
All in the name of multicultural/non-offense/acceptance/empowerment/I'm-on-the-left-and-though-I-say-I-love-America-I-really-hate-all-that-is-America- ism.
Gag!
And I'm sure that the ACLU will soon enter suit to have "Mexicanos, al grito de guerra" sung BEFORE The Star Bangled Banner at all "appropriate" events.
All in the name of multicultural/non-offense/acceptance/empowerment/I'm-on-the-left-and-though-I-say-I-love-America-I-really-hate-all-that-is-America- ism.
Gag!
Thursday, February 02, 2006
Humor in unintended places
As Lady Logician intimates, it just doesn't stop.
At Captains Quarters The good Captain Ed writes about Jimmy Carter and his observations on the Hamas elections. And what does Jimmy say about Hamas and funding? Don't cut it off but rather funnel it through the UN. Funnel money to Hamas through the UN.Hhmmm...
Perhaps not a bad idea as that means that Hamas will not get a dime, BUT it also means that money will all go to the UN and Saddam Hussein.
Decisions, decisions....
At Captains Quarters The good Captain Ed writes about Jimmy Carter and his observations on the Hamas elections. And what does Jimmy say about Hamas and funding? Don't cut it off but rather funnel it through the UN. Funnel money to Hamas through the UN.Hhmmm...
Perhaps not a bad idea as that means that Hamas will not get a dime, BUT it also means that money will all go to the UN and Saddam Hussein.
Decisions, decisions....
Blogs and Cartoons
Stumbled across this great link from Little Green Footballs . Also click on this link and then click through on the link at the top and to the right.
Great stuff. And perspectives you more than likely won't see in Prairie Pravda.
Great stuff. And perspectives you more than likely won't see in Prairie Pravda.
SOTU
On Tuesday night I and some of the members of Scott County Republicans Executive Committee were priviledged to be able to hear and enjoy Michael Medved, courtesy of my friend John Hunt, GM at AM1280 The Patriot . As the State of the Union (SOTU) was scheduled after Michael Medved was scheduled, John told me that we were going to hear the SOTU with comments after by Mr. Medved. BTW, I had the opportunity to talk to Michael briefly before and after the SOTU, and he is gracious, polite and as attentive as a very short and rushed schedule would allow. He is the personification of his own description of conservatives as kind (and kinder) more well mannered and truly compassionate than our left wing opponent's. Back to the SOTU.
I also had the opportunity to be seated with the NARN and right next to King Banaian (SCSU Scholars) during the SOTU. And we groaned and clapped pretty much on cue.
And then we got to the "Initiatives " part of the speech.
A "Competitiveness Initiative" from the GOVERNMENT????? This is an example of either GWB's humor or the irony is absolutely lost on him and all the dolts who applauded.
And just where did GWB go to exemplify the "Competitiveness Initiative"? Did he go to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission? No. Did he go to the EPA? Uh uh. How about the FDA? Wasn't there. Perhaps the Department of Energy? Typical day at the DOE. Well, what about the Department of Education (an oxymoron if ever there were one)? Thankfully, no, he didn't go there. Nope to all. Where did he go? PRIVATE INDUSTRY! 3M! One of the most innovative large companies on the planet! And how does 3M do it?
There are no top down dictates. They give the divisions much latitude to be innovators. They fund all those small entrepreneurial enterprises within the company. My Dad worked as an engineer for 3M for over forty years. And he talked about that creative spirit that pervaded the entire company.
And if 3M were not competitive, the free market would spank 3M. And they are incredibly competitive in spite of the EPA, EEOC, FDA, FEMA and the all other alphabet soup agency drags on the economy.
How about the "Get Government the He** Out of the Way Initiative"? And which could also be renamed the "Ronald Reagan the nine most scariest words in English 'I'm From the Government and I'm Here to Help' Initiative".
And the "Compassion Initiative"? $450,000,000 for mentors for compassion? How about cutting our taxes by 80% or more (much more ) and we'll spend our own money in our own compassionate way.
70,000 new teachers? Sounds like the 100,000 police on the streets that never appeared from one of Clinton's SOTU.
And just one more laugher? Federal jobs training. Has never worked. Never will.
You want REAL jobs training and competitiveness initiative? How about from the free market by eliminating the capital gains tax and all taxes on dividends? Watch the huge investment numbers into small and innovative companies that ensues. It would be breathtaking!
Oh, and energy independence- ethanol? Also another real bad idea from government. The ethanol subsidy is also called "the food burning subsidy" here and here. Oh, and the producers of ethanol can not afford to burn ethanol to produce ethanol.
So, I was fairly impressed with the first part.
And I never,ever want to hear "XXXXXXX Government Initiative" again. One of the NARN heard me say that as we were walking out and replied "Initiative must be the new Blue Ribbon Panel or Commission".
SOTU...another missed opportunity.
I also had the opportunity to be seated with the NARN and right next to King Banaian (SCSU Scholars) during the SOTU. And we groaned and clapped pretty much on cue.
And then we got to the "Initiatives " part of the speech.
A "Competitiveness Initiative" from the GOVERNMENT????? This is an example of either GWB's humor or the irony is absolutely lost on him and all the dolts who applauded.
And just where did GWB go to exemplify the "Competitiveness Initiative"? Did he go to the Equal Opportunity Employment Commission? No. Did he go to the EPA? Uh uh. How about the FDA? Wasn't there. Perhaps the Department of Energy? Typical day at the DOE. Well, what about the Department of Education (an oxymoron if ever there were one)? Thankfully, no, he didn't go there. Nope to all. Where did he go? PRIVATE INDUSTRY! 3M! One of the most innovative large companies on the planet! And how does 3M do it?
There are no top down dictates. They give the divisions much latitude to be innovators. They fund all those small entrepreneurial enterprises within the company. My Dad worked as an engineer for 3M for over forty years. And he talked about that creative spirit that pervaded the entire company.
And if 3M were not competitive, the free market would spank 3M. And they are incredibly competitive in spite of the EPA, EEOC, FDA, FEMA and the all other alphabet soup agency drags on the economy.
How about the "Get Government the He** Out of the Way Initiative"? And which could also be renamed the "Ronald Reagan the nine most scariest words in English 'I'm From the Government and I'm Here to Help' Initiative".
And the "Compassion Initiative"? $450,000,000 for mentors for compassion? How about cutting our taxes by 80% or more (much more ) and we'll spend our own money in our own compassionate way.
70,000 new teachers? Sounds like the 100,000 police on the streets that never appeared from one of Clinton's SOTU.
And just one more laugher? Federal jobs training. Has never worked. Never will.
You want REAL jobs training and competitiveness initiative? How about from the free market by eliminating the capital gains tax and all taxes on dividends? Watch the huge investment numbers into small and innovative companies that ensues. It would be breathtaking!
Oh, and energy independence- ethanol? Also another real bad idea from government. The ethanol subsidy is also called "the food burning subsidy" here and here. Oh, and the producers of ethanol can not afford to burn ethanol to produce ethanol.
So, I was fairly impressed with the first part.
And I never,ever want to hear "XXXXXXX Government Initiative" again. One of the NARN heard me say that as we were walking out and replied "Initiative must be the new Blue Ribbon Panel or Commission".
SOTU...another missed opportunity.
Joshua and the Constitution
This morning, my daily Bible readings took me to Joshua, specifically Joshua 24:14-24. As is my want, I read beyond verse 24. Chapter 24 is the last chapter of Joshua. Joshua warns and provokes the people by saying that they are unable to serve the Lord.He says that they must choose to serve either the Lord or the gods their forefathers worshipped in Egypt (before the exodus) and the gods of the Amorites. And Joshua states quite clearly,simply and directly "As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord."
And the aged general and successor to Moses passes away after exhorting and warning the Israelites.
I was thinking that with his death, one of the two last "old men" from the slavery in Egypt, the Exodus and the entry into the Promised Land had passed away (Caleb's death is not recorded). That Joshua's audience was those who were under twenty years old at the beginning of the Israelites forty years in the wilderness (but still had experienced the slavery and Passover and resultant liberation from Egypt), those born in the wilderness who knew nothing of the slavery in Egypt and those who had been born in the newly conquered Promised Land. And it occurred to me that there came a time when the last of those who had experienced all of this history of slavery, liberation, wandering and the Promised Land, those who had heard Moses, those who had heard Joshua, there came that time when the last of them passed away. I thought there came a time when the last of the Founding Fathers passed away (James Madison 1836).The last American citizen who experienced the oppression of King George III and the Parliament, the Revolutionary War, the wilderness of the Articles of Confederation and the promised land of the new Constitution and the Bill of Rights- there came the time the last of those citizens passed away.And the words of warning from the Founding Fathers were forgotten just a surely the warning words of Joshua and Moses were forgotten.And the ringing promises to follow the Lord were forgotten as fading echoes by the generations who came later.
And so it is here in America.
And so when I hear this morning GWB talk about the founding values from the Declaration of Independence, that liberty comes from God, I scratch my head and ask: then how can he pile on more and more programs to a country where it takes OVER half the year to pay for Government ? That he seems to think that liberty from God is being forced to work OVER half a year to support government? And that at least 90% of those programs and departments are illegal under the Supreme Law of the Land, not to mention ineffective AND counter productive!
Liberty from God as slavery and forced servitude?
I don't get it.
And the aged general and successor to Moses passes away after exhorting and warning the Israelites.
I was thinking that with his death, one of the two last "old men" from the slavery in Egypt, the Exodus and the entry into the Promised Land had passed away (Caleb's death is not recorded). That Joshua's audience was those who were under twenty years old at the beginning of the Israelites forty years in the wilderness (but still had experienced the slavery and Passover and resultant liberation from Egypt), those born in the wilderness who knew nothing of the slavery in Egypt and those who had been born in the newly conquered Promised Land. And it occurred to me that there came a time when the last of those who had experienced all of this history of slavery, liberation, wandering and the Promised Land, those who had heard Moses, those who had heard Joshua, there came that time when the last of them passed away. I thought there came a time when the last of the Founding Fathers passed away (James Madison 1836).The last American citizen who experienced the oppression of King George III and the Parliament, the Revolutionary War, the wilderness of the Articles of Confederation and the promised land of the new Constitution and the Bill of Rights- there came the time the last of those citizens passed away.And the words of warning from the Founding Fathers were forgotten just a surely the warning words of Joshua and Moses were forgotten.And the ringing promises to follow the Lord were forgotten as fading echoes by the generations who came later.
And so it is here in America.
And so when I hear this morning GWB talk about the founding values from the Declaration of Independence, that liberty comes from God, I scratch my head and ask: then how can he pile on more and more programs to a country where it takes OVER half the year to pay for Government ? That he seems to think that liberty from God is being forced to work OVER half a year to support government? And that at least 90% of those programs and departments are illegal under the Supreme Law of the Land, not to mention ineffective AND counter productive!
Liberty from God as slavery and forced servitude?
I don't get it.
Wednesday, February 01, 2006
Circles of ethics
Went to Captains Quarters (CQ) and typed out the Coleen Rowley url. One of the comments in CQ was about Ms. Rowley pointing to circles in circles to determine how to make ethical decisions. OK. And there she is holding her granddaughter and pointing out that at birth her granddaughter owed $36,000 to the "Bush/DeLay" deficit. OK again.
I perused her website to see what she had to say about Social Security reform (nah, strike that. Social Security, according to economists, can not be reformed nor can it be saved). Well, there wasn't anything about Social Security. Well, what about Medicare? Nope. Closest I got was a call for universal coverage, single payer system. I guess kinda like the medical miracle in Canada (and elsewhere) where it takes months to get a bypass and just as long, or longer to get an MRI.
Well, with Ms. Rowley's solutions (or lack thereof), that $36,000 bill for granddaughter Olivia will be just the interest on the down payment for her portion of the $61,000,000,000,000-$75,000,000,000,000 unfunded liability (in present value dollars) of the government of the United States that will start to come due when little Olivia is in her 30's.
Well, I wonder what Ms. Rowley's ethic's circles say about that?
BTW, what the above figures of unfunded liability proves is that as I said before, Social Security can not be reformed or saved. Click on the link, and read where President Bush's 2% solution to reform is not going to work. At all. Ever. And a real solution? Read here .
I perused her website to see what she had to say about Social Security reform (nah, strike that. Social Security, according to economists, can not be reformed nor can it be saved). Well, there wasn't anything about Social Security. Well, what about Medicare? Nope. Closest I got was a call for universal coverage, single payer system. I guess kinda like the medical miracle in Canada (and elsewhere) where it takes months to get a bypass and just as long, or longer to get an MRI.
Well, with Ms. Rowley's solutions (or lack thereof), that $36,000 bill for granddaughter Olivia will be just the interest on the down payment for her portion of the $61,000,000,000,000-$75,000,000,000,000 unfunded liability (in present value dollars) of the government of the United States that will start to come due when little Olivia is in her 30's.
Well, I wonder what Ms. Rowley's ethic's circles say about that?
BTW, what the above figures of unfunded liability proves is that as I said before, Social Security can not be reformed or saved. Click on the link, and read where President Bush's 2% solution to reform is not going to work. At all. Ever. And a real solution? Read here .
Facts are stubborn things
When I debate with my friends on the left, I have to consistently remind that that, while they may be entitled to their own opinion, they are not entitled to their own facts! That said, Hugh Hewitt posted this last week.
"Facts are stubborn things." That's John Adams speaking. The Left doesn't care about facts. Facts are inconvenient to them, especially in matters of national security and politics.
Kerry/Pelosi/Murtha/Clinton/Reid/Moore/Dean --they'd rather imagine a world in which al Qaeda didn't exist, and Iran didn't want nukes. They'd rather imagine a North Korea that wasn't a treaty-breaker in 1995, than a North Korea in 1995 hell-bent on making nukes-for-sale.
They'd rather imagine a "greatest danger" in the person of George Bush than in the persons of even 1% of the Muslims on the globe who are intent on the destruction of the West.
That's why the voters have to defeat the Dems in November. The Democrats aren't serious.
They aren't candid. They aren't even familiar with the basic facts.
And facts are very stubborn things.
And the country, as a consequence, shouldn't care about the Left.
And most certainly shouldn't vote for it or its candidates.
Not much you can add to that but "AMEN"!
"Facts are stubborn things." That's John Adams speaking. The Left doesn't care about facts. Facts are inconvenient to them, especially in matters of national security and politics.
Kerry/Pelosi/Murtha/Clinton/Reid/Moore/Dean --they'd rather imagine a world in which al Qaeda didn't exist, and Iran didn't want nukes. They'd rather imagine a North Korea that wasn't a treaty-breaker in 1995, than a North Korea in 1995 hell-bent on making nukes-for-sale.
They'd rather imagine a "greatest danger" in the person of George Bush than in the persons of even 1% of the Muslims on the globe who are intent on the destruction of the West.
That's why the voters have to defeat the Dems in November. The Democrats aren't serious.
They aren't candid. They aren't even familiar with the basic facts.
And facts are very stubborn things.
And the country, as a consequence, shouldn't care about the Left.
And most certainly shouldn't vote for it or its candidates.
Not much you can add to that but "AMEN"!
State of the Union Reactions
I know I am a little late in this. Many others have already posted their reactions to the State of the Union speech. Rather than simply add my 2 cents, I thought I would give you a sampling of some reactions from the legacy media.
We'll start with the Grey Lady. The reporting of the speech was here, but the op-ed here is even more telling. Given all of the ground that the President covered in his speech (health care, tax cuts, cutting spending, immigration, more programs etc) the Times chose energy to be the core of their daily attack on the President.
"If Mr. Bush wants his final years in office to mean more than a struggle to re-spin failed policies and cement bad initiatives into permanent law, this is the place where he needs to take his stand. And he must do it with far more force and passion than he did last night."
Sigh....so predictable. The Washington Post review of the speech here, couldn't make up it's mind if it liked the speech or not.
The Age (Australia) declared that the President offered a "modest" menu of proposals but was overall more temperant in it's treatment of the speech.
The Globe and Mail (Canada) ran with this AP recap of the speech which said that the President was "weakened" after what was the toughest year of his Presidency.
The LA Times disagreed with it's corporate sister in New York on the impact of the speech, saying that the President "hit all the right notes" and found it "refreshing" that a President and Texas oilman would admit that the country is addicted to oil.
Closer to home, the Chicago Tribune echos the President's call for health care reform and offers some ideas where we can start! Great work.
The Star Tribune, not to be outdone by the NY Times used this op-ed to just trash the speech. I don't know what they were watching, but it was not the same speech that I saw....
Lastly, for a laugh, comes this from Arianna Huffington. Posting on her blog HuffPo, posted this on the Democratic response to the speech:
"All my worst fears about the Democratic response to the State of the Union address being given by Virginia Gov Kaine were realized tonight when he completely failed to take on the president on his greatest vulnerability -- the war in Iraq,"
Well, if the fever swamp on the left is reacting this badly, it must have been a hum-dinger of a speech.
We'll start with the Grey Lady. The reporting of the speech was here, but the op-ed here is even more telling. Given all of the ground that the President covered in his speech (health care, tax cuts, cutting spending, immigration, more programs etc) the Times chose energy to be the core of their daily attack on the President.
"If Mr. Bush wants his final years in office to mean more than a struggle to re-spin failed policies and cement bad initiatives into permanent law, this is the place where he needs to take his stand. And he must do it with far more force and passion than he did last night."
Sigh....so predictable. The Washington Post review of the speech here, couldn't make up it's mind if it liked the speech or not.
The Age (Australia) declared that the President offered a "modest" menu of proposals but was overall more temperant in it's treatment of the speech.
The Globe and Mail (Canada) ran with this AP recap of the speech which said that the President was "weakened" after what was the toughest year of his Presidency.
The LA Times disagreed with it's corporate sister in New York on the impact of the speech, saying that the President "hit all the right notes" and found it "refreshing" that a President and Texas oilman would admit that the country is addicted to oil.
Closer to home, the Chicago Tribune echos the President's call for health care reform and offers some ideas where we can start! Great work.
The Star Tribune, not to be outdone by the NY Times used this op-ed to just trash the speech. I don't know what they were watching, but it was not the same speech that I saw....
Lastly, for a laugh, comes this from Arianna Huffington. Posting on her blog HuffPo, posted this on the Democratic response to the speech:
"All my worst fears about the Democratic response to the State of the Union address being given by Virginia Gov Kaine were realized tonight when he completely failed to take on the president on his greatest vulnerability -- the war in Iraq,"
Well, if the fever swamp on the left is reacting this badly, it must have been a hum-dinger of a speech.
Ethical Decision Making?
Colleen Rowley has chosen to make "ethical decision making" a central part of her campaign to unseat Congressman John Kline. That makes this weeks mess over her campaign weblog (where an "unnamed volunteer" photo shopped Congressman Kline's face over a studio stock photo of Col. Klink from Hogan's Heroes) so amusing. According to press reports, Ms. Rowley "approved" the blog posting, picture and all, and did not "make" the Nazi connotation. How can we trust Ms. Rowley to make any kind of decision if she can not discern the repercussions of these actions? It almost makes you wonder what drove her decision to go to the press regarding Zacharias Moussawi. Was it an altruistic, ethical decision or was it a decision driven by personal ambition as this one was?
Yes, I know that Ms. Rowley’s campaign has removed the offending picture and has apologized to Congressman Kline for the transgression, but I think that this whole incident brings serious judgment questions to the fore. If Ms. Rowley does not have the discretion to realize that this kind of photo is not acceptable in civilized discourse, what is she going to do if, heaven forbid, she reaches the pressure cooker of Washington DC where each decision has more serious consequences? I think the citizens of the 2nd District deserve a better candidate than this.
Yes, I know that Ms. Rowley’s campaign has removed the offending picture and has apologized to Congressman Kline for the transgression, but I think that this whole incident brings serious judgment questions to the fore. If Ms. Rowley does not have the discretion to realize that this kind of photo is not acceptable in civilized discourse, what is she going to do if, heaven forbid, she reaches the pressure cooker of Washington DC where each decision has more serious consequences? I think the citizens of the 2nd District deserve a better candidate than this.
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
That's a BIG problem
Oh no....this can't happen. Drudge is reporting that my very best blogging friend in the world, Howard Dean may be out of a job. I certainly can't imagine why... Could it be that everytime he goes before the cameras he puts his foot in his mouth like he did on Sunday? Or could it be (as Drudge says) DNC fundraising, the thing that got Howlin' Howie the job in the first place, is abysmal! After yesterday's crack up in the Senate, something will need to be done or 2006 will be another lost cause for the Dems. The Kos Kidz are already screaming that they are going to quit donating after the filibuster went down to ignomious defeat and the adults in the DNC (like my mother) have already quit sending donations to the DNC because the Kos Kidz are in control.
Meanwhile, Redstate is reporting that Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader from Nevada, may be stepping down due to his Abramoff troubles (remember though - Howie told us that no Dems took Abramoff money or if they did they didn't act on it or if they did...)
I'm going to be hard pressed to maintain a healthy sense of dread for this campaign with the way that the DNC just keeps self destructing! It should be an interesting year, to say the least. Meanwhile, could someone do me a favor and throw Howie a bone. We can't loose him yet - it's too soon!
Meanwhile, Redstate is reporting that Harry Reid, Senate Minority Leader from Nevada, may be stepping down due to his Abramoff troubles (remember though - Howie told us that no Dems took Abramoff money or if they did they didn't act on it or if they did...)
I'm going to be hard pressed to maintain a healthy sense of dread for this campaign with the way that the DNC just keeps self destructing! It should be an interesting year, to say the least. Meanwhile, could someone do me a favor and throw Howie a bone. We can't loose him yet - it's too soon!
Blue State Talent
Minnesota has given the country many dysfunctional artists. Bob Dylan, Jessican Lang, Winona Ryder, Al Franken, Prince - but none are more "blue state" than is Mr. Prairie Home Companion himself, Mr. Garrison Keillor. Now what I am about to admit is tatamount to sacrilege in this state.....I just don't get PHC! Never have, never will - sorry neighbors...it must be the Chicago in me. What I do get, though, is Mr. Keillor's hostility to "Redstaters". Which is why I found this article in today's NY Sun to be of interest. Actually, the headline caught my eye "Bernard-Henri Levy Offers Riposte to Garrison Keillor". For those (like me) who need a refresher - riposte is defined as "A fencers quick return thrust" or "a retaliatory verbal sally".
"I loved this country before I wrote this book - I love it even more now," Mr. Levy said. "Maybe an American couldn't write this book - it takes a foreigner. Yes, to be a foreigner does mean that something of the country's spirit escapes you. But you approach America with a fresh, candid eye that sometimes a native prefers not to possess. I am a friend of America, and like all friends I speak frankly and with an open heart. I came without a screen in front of my eyes, without prejudices, without an agenda."
That remark seemed to be a riposte to Garrison Keillor's scathing front page review Sunday in the New York Times Book Review.
The article then goes on to rebuke most of Keillor's review of his book "American Vertigo: Traveling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville" . I have to admit, I would have never read Mr. Bernard Henri's book if I hadn't read this article first. Now I think I will have to order it and see what it was he said that got Mr. Keillor so worked up. I think it will be enlightening reading. Read the response to the review yourself and see what I mean.
"I loved this country before I wrote this book - I love it even more now," Mr. Levy said. "Maybe an American couldn't write this book - it takes a foreigner. Yes, to be a foreigner does mean that something of the country's spirit escapes you. But you approach America with a fresh, candid eye that sometimes a native prefers not to possess. I am a friend of America, and like all friends I speak frankly and with an open heart. I came without a screen in front of my eyes, without prejudices, without an agenda."
That remark seemed to be a riposte to Garrison Keillor's scathing front page review Sunday in the New York Times Book Review.
The article then goes on to rebuke most of Keillor's review of his book "American Vertigo: Traveling America in the Footsteps of Tocqueville" . I have to admit, I would have never read Mr. Bernard Henri's book if I hadn't read this article first. Now I think I will have to order it and see what it was he said that got Mr. Keillor so worked up. I think it will be enlightening reading. Read the response to the review yourself and see what I mean.
Monday, January 30, 2006
When all else fails pull out the "Nazi" card
MDE reports today on yet another embarassment out of the Colleen Rowley camp. Someone at the Rowley campaign thought that it would be "cute" to photoshop the picture of Congressman John Kline (retired Marine representing the 2nd Congressional District of Minnesota) into a studio stock picture of Werner Klemperer who played Col Wilhelm Klink on the old 1960's sit-com Hogan's Heros.
Here is the Werner Klemperer photo:
Here is the Kline version:
Now I am not going to claim that no one has evern photoshopped a Democrat into a photo of someone/something else, but I don't think that Rep John Murtha (for example) has been photoshopped into a "Nazi" photo and certainly not by his opponent on their campaign website/weblog!
MDE is right when he suggests that this goes beyond the pale! To mock the service of a decorated Marine, with 25 years of service, is indeed unconsionable, but it shows you just how badly things are going for the Rowley campaign when they can't even attempt to touch the issues, they just have to go for the Nazi card.
Here is the Werner Klemperer photo:
Here is the Kline version:
Now I am not going to claim that no one has evern photoshopped a Democrat into a photo of someone/something else, but I don't think that Rep John Murtha (for example) has been photoshopped into a "Nazi" photo and certainly not by his opponent on their campaign website/weblog!
MDE is right when he suggests that this goes beyond the pale! To mock the service of a decorated Marine, with 25 years of service, is indeed unconsionable, but it shows you just how badly things are going for the Rowley campaign when they can't even attempt to touch the issues, they just have to go for the Nazi card.
Sunday, January 29, 2006
MN Voter ID
Much has been made (in recent Presidential) elections about voter "fraud" in Ohio (where the Diebold voting machines were supposedly hacked) and Florida (the infamous butterfly ballot). However, one form of voter fraud gets little attention, and it deserves the most for it is the easiest to do.
Last March, Representative Joe Hoppe (R-34B)of Chaska introduced a bill to address this type of fraud. The bill, HF # 1494, requires individuals who are eligible to vote to provide a photo ID to the election judges as proof of residence/ID. This is the type of bill that has been proposed in other states in order to stop some of the rampant voter fraud as we saw in Milwaukee and Washington state, where people were bussed from precinct to precinct in order to case multiple votes for candidates. This bill needs scrutiny and support.
This bears scrutiny in that there is little in the bill (so far) to say how the act will be enforced and that is important. It bears support because the integrity of our elections is vital to the health of our country. We saw (in the last 2 elections) the acrimony that has been rampant in the country due to the "alleged" inconsistencies in Ohio and Florida. An electorial process that is free from tampering is essential. I hope you will all contact your state legislators and ask that they support HF #1494.
Last March, Representative Joe Hoppe (R-34B)of Chaska introduced a bill to address this type of fraud. The bill, HF # 1494, requires individuals who are eligible to vote to provide a photo ID to the election judges as proof of residence/ID. This is the type of bill that has been proposed in other states in order to stop some of the rampant voter fraud as we saw in Milwaukee and Washington state, where people were bussed from precinct to precinct in order to case multiple votes for candidates. This bill needs scrutiny and support.
This bears scrutiny in that there is little in the bill (so far) to say how the act will be enforced and that is important. It bears support because the integrity of our elections is vital to the health of our country. We saw (in the last 2 elections) the acrimony that has been rampant in the country due to the "alleged" inconsistencies in Ohio and Florida. An electorial process that is free from tampering is essential. I hope you will all contact your state legislators and ask that they support HF #1494.
Howard Dean - a Conservative bloggers best friend
DNC Chairman Howard Dean was on Fox News Sunday (transcript not yet available) this morning. As usual, Chairman Dean didn't disappoint.
DEAN: It is possible that some of Jack Abramoff's clients may have decided on their own to give Democrats some money. The key is . . .
WALLACE: I'm sorry. Did you say that you're sure that Abramoff didn't direct them to give that money?
DEAN: No, what I said was that it is possible that some Democrats got money from someone he [represented]. What I'm saying is that Abramoff may not have directed some of this money to Democrats.
WALLACE: In fact, he did. We have evidence of that.
DEAN: But the point is not one Democrat either knew it or acted on it. Nobody got anything out of the Democrats from Jack Abramoff. No Democrat delivered anything and there's no accusation and no investigation that any Democrat ever delivered anything to Jack Abramoff. And that's not true of the Republicans.
WALLACE: So if we find - and we have to wrap this up - so if we find that there were some Democrats who wrote letters on behalf of some of the Indian tribes that Abramoff represented, then what do you say, sir?
DEAN: That's a big problem. And those Democrats are in trouble. And they should be in trouble. [END EXCERPT]
Oh where to begin, where to begin.....How about in November, when the AP first reported this:
Reid "sent a letter to (Secretary of Interior Gail) Norton on March 5, 2002," the AP said. "The next day, the Coushattas (Tribe) issued a $5,000 check to Reid's tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund. A second tribe represented by Abramoff sent an additional $5,000 to Reid's group. Reid ultimately received more than $66,000 in Abramoff-related donations between 2001 and 2004."
Regarding the Chairman's claim that "there's no accusation or no investigation" into Democratic connections to Abramoff...as I noted here on January 11, law enforcement officials have already said that they are looking into 5 lawmakers in the initial phase of the investigation, including Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) (along with 3 Republican legislators).
Facts are funny, stubborn things Chairman Dean and (unfortunately for you) they are not in your favor.
DEAN: It is possible that some of Jack Abramoff's clients may have decided on their own to give Democrats some money. The key is . . .
WALLACE: I'm sorry. Did you say that you're sure that Abramoff didn't direct them to give that money?
DEAN: No, what I said was that it is possible that some Democrats got money from someone he [represented]. What I'm saying is that Abramoff may not have directed some of this money to Democrats.
WALLACE: In fact, he did. We have evidence of that.
DEAN: But the point is not one Democrat either knew it or acted on it. Nobody got anything out of the Democrats from Jack Abramoff. No Democrat delivered anything and there's no accusation and no investigation that any Democrat ever delivered anything to Jack Abramoff. And that's not true of the Republicans.
WALLACE: So if we find - and we have to wrap this up - so if we find that there were some Democrats who wrote letters on behalf of some of the Indian tribes that Abramoff represented, then what do you say, sir?
DEAN: That's a big problem. And those Democrats are in trouble. And they should be in trouble. [END EXCERPT]
Oh where to begin, where to begin.....How about in November, when the AP first reported this:
Reid "sent a letter to (Secretary of Interior Gail) Norton on March 5, 2002," the AP said. "The next day, the Coushattas (Tribe) issued a $5,000 check to Reid's tax-exempt political group, the Searchlight Leadership Fund. A second tribe represented by Abramoff sent an additional $5,000 to Reid's group. Reid ultimately received more than $66,000 in Abramoff-related donations between 2001 and 2004."
Regarding the Chairman's claim that "there's no accusation or no investigation" into Democratic connections to Abramoff...as I noted here on January 11, law enforcement officials have already said that they are looking into 5 lawmakers in the initial phase of the investigation, including Senator Harry Reid (D-NV) and Byron Dorgan (D-ND) (along with 3 Republican legislators).
Facts are funny, stubborn things Chairman Dean and (unfortunately for you) they are not in your favor.
Saturday, January 28, 2006
History
I came across this NYTimes op-ed today. It is stunning in oh so many ways. Rather than try to describe it, I'll just dive in with the quotes.
"Whether or not we can regard Sept. 11 as history, I would like to raise two historical questions about the terrorist attacks of that horrific day. My goal is not to offer definitive answers but rather to invite a serious debate about whether Sept. 11 deserves the historical significance it has achieved."
WTF?!?!?! Whether or not we can regard 9/11 as history???? As opposed to what? Fantasy? A really bad dream maybe? Or Pearl Harbor deja vu????? Just what ARE the choices here?
"My first question: where does Sept. 11 rank in the grand sweep of American history as a threat to national security? By my calculations it does not make the top tier of the list, which requires the threat to pose a serious challenge to the survival of the American republic.
Here is my version of the top tier: the War for Independence, where defeat meant no United States of America; the War of 1812, when the national capital was burned to the ground; the Civil War, which threatened the survival of the Union; World War II, which represented a totalitarian threat to democracy and capitalism; the cold war, most specifically the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, which made nuclear annihilation a distinct possibility."
First question Professor, just what do you think radical Islam is if not a totalitarian threat to democracy and capitalism? Daniel Pipes, in his book "Radical Islam Reaches America", lays out in plain language just how the radical Islamist threat is equal (if not greater) to the totalitarian threat of Nazism and Fascism. We loose this war and again, no United States of America. The War of 1812 was not just about one city being burned, we were warding off a bully that wanted to strip this country of it's sovereignty, JUST LIKE TODAY ..only THEN there were a lot less casualties. In the War of 1812, there were a total of 2,260 Americans killed in action. We lost more American lives on 9/11 alone! As far as property damage goes, comparing like dollars for like, it will cost more to rebuild the World Trade Center property alone than it cost to rebuild all of Washington DC after the War of 1812. Now let's look at WWII - specifically the attacks on Pearl Harbor (again comparing like for like). When the Japanese attacked the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, 3,581 military personnel and 108 civilians were either killed or injured. Again, this pales in comparison to the number of civilians killed or injured during the 9/11 attacks.
My list of precedents for the Patriot Act and government wiretapping of American citizens would include the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798, which allowed the federal government to close newspapers and deport foreigners during the "quasi-war" with France; the denial of habeas corpus during the Civil War, which permitted the pre-emptive arrest of suspected Southern sympathizers; the Red Scare of 1919, which emboldened the attorney general to round up leftist critics in the wake of the Russian Revolution; the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, which was justified on the grounds that their ancestry made them potential threats to national security; the McCarthy scare of the early 1950's, which used cold war anxieties to pursue a witch hunt against putative Communists in government, universities and the film industry.
In retrospect, none of these domestic responses to perceived national security threats looks justifiable. Every history textbook I know describes them as lamentable, excessive, even embarrassing. Some very distinguished American presidents, including John Adams, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, succumbed to quite genuine and widespread popular fears.
Lamentable, yes. Excessive, maybe. Embarassing....would you really consider protecting the lives of innocent civilians to be embarassing?
There is an old saying, perhaps Professor Ellis has heard it once or twice before....he who refuses to learn from history is doomed to repeat it. While the good Professor may think that we should "evolve" from the past, once thing is certain. There are those who are always going to try to subjugate others. Negotiations will not work with these people. They do not play by the rules so we have to "stoop" to their level. It is a matter of survival for us and our children.
"Whether or not we can regard Sept. 11 as history, I would like to raise two historical questions about the terrorist attacks of that horrific day. My goal is not to offer definitive answers but rather to invite a serious debate about whether Sept. 11 deserves the historical significance it has achieved."
WTF?!?!?! Whether or not we can regard 9/11 as history???? As opposed to what? Fantasy? A really bad dream maybe? Or Pearl Harbor deja vu????? Just what ARE the choices here?
"My first question: where does Sept. 11 rank in the grand sweep of American history as a threat to national security? By my calculations it does not make the top tier of the list, which requires the threat to pose a serious challenge to the survival of the American republic.
Here is my version of the top tier: the War for Independence, where defeat meant no United States of America; the War of 1812, when the national capital was burned to the ground; the Civil War, which threatened the survival of the Union; World War II, which represented a totalitarian threat to democracy and capitalism; the cold war, most specifically the Cuban missile crisis of 1962, which made nuclear annihilation a distinct possibility."
First question Professor, just what do you think radical Islam is if not a totalitarian threat to democracy and capitalism? Daniel Pipes, in his book "Radical Islam Reaches America", lays out in plain language just how the radical Islamist threat is equal (if not greater) to the totalitarian threat of Nazism and Fascism. We loose this war and again, no United States of America. The War of 1812 was not just about one city being burned, we were warding off a bully that wanted to strip this country of it's sovereignty, JUST LIKE TODAY ..only THEN there were a lot less casualties. In the War of 1812, there were a total of 2,260 Americans killed in action. We lost more American lives on 9/11 alone! As far as property damage goes, comparing like dollars for like, it will cost more to rebuild the World Trade Center property alone than it cost to rebuild all of Washington DC after the War of 1812. Now let's look at WWII - specifically the attacks on Pearl Harbor (again comparing like for like). When the Japanese attacked the Pearl Harbor Naval Shipyard, 3,581 military personnel and 108 civilians were either killed or injured. Again, this pales in comparison to the number of civilians killed or injured during the 9/11 attacks.
My list of precedents for the Patriot Act and government wiretapping of American citizens would include the Alien and Sedition Acts in 1798, which allowed the federal government to close newspapers and deport foreigners during the "quasi-war" with France; the denial of habeas corpus during the Civil War, which permitted the pre-emptive arrest of suspected Southern sympathizers; the Red Scare of 1919, which emboldened the attorney general to round up leftist critics in the wake of the Russian Revolution; the internment of Japanese-Americans during World War II, which was justified on the grounds that their ancestry made them potential threats to national security; the McCarthy scare of the early 1950's, which used cold war anxieties to pursue a witch hunt against putative Communists in government, universities and the film industry.
In retrospect, none of these domestic responses to perceived national security threats looks justifiable. Every history textbook I know describes them as lamentable, excessive, even embarrassing. Some very distinguished American presidents, including John Adams, Abraham Lincoln and Franklin Roosevelt, succumbed to quite genuine and widespread popular fears.
Lamentable, yes. Excessive, maybe. Embarassing....would you really consider protecting the lives of innocent civilians to be embarassing?
There is an old saying, perhaps Professor Ellis has heard it once or twice before....he who refuses to learn from history is doomed to repeat it. While the good Professor may think that we should "evolve" from the past, once thing is certain. There are those who are always going to try to subjugate others. Negotiations will not work with these people. They do not play by the rules so we have to "stoop" to their level. It is a matter of survival for us and our children.
Veto Alito
Thus saith the inmates running the Democratic asylum. John Kerry makes a call for a filibuster from the slopes of Davos (and they say Alito is out of touch with Mainstreet America?) and then posts about it in his Daily KOS Diary (H/T Residual Forces). Not to be outdone, Senator Ted Kennedy has started his own Kos Diary (HT Michelle Malkin ). Minnesota DFLers, posting on Democratic Underground (link not working) are urging Senator Dayton to support Senator Kerry's filibuster (H/T SD63 blog). Even Mother Sheehan has gotten into the act - threatening to run against Senator Diane Feinstein in the primaries if she does not support the filibuster drive (she did this while traveling in Venezuela with Hugo Chavez...how does she do it?).
Whether it is stepping away from the filibuster or Rep. John Murtha, Democrats who face the reality of running for re-election in a red or purple state are being hammered by the lefty blogs (who think that they are running the show just because "their man" is DNC Chair). However...
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."
Good luck there Steve. The Kos Kidz are already lining up to take pot shots at you and anyone else in the DNC if you are not kow-towing to their demands.
Don't get complacent Republicans. Don't fall into the trap of running "against" the fever swamp on the left. You will never get elected (or re-elected) running against something (just ask John Kerry or Al Gore in a couple of years). You have to show the voters what you stand FOR! Just because the Dems are in turmoil is no reason for you to sit back and assume you will win. You still need to show the voters why you are a preferable alternative to whatever the fever swamp offers.
Whether it is stepping away from the filibuster or Rep. John Murtha, Democrats who face the reality of running for re-election in a red or purple state are being hammered by the lefty blogs (who think that they are running the show just because "their man" is DNC Chair). However...
"The bloggers and online donors represent an important resource for the party, but they are not representative of the majority you need to win elections," said Steve Elmendorf, a Democratic lobbyist who advised Kerry's 2004 presidential campaign. "The trick will be to harness their energy and their money without looking like you are a captive of the activist left."
Good luck there Steve. The Kos Kidz are already lining up to take pot shots at you and anyone else in the DNC if you are not kow-towing to their demands.
Don't get complacent Republicans. Don't fall into the trap of running "against" the fever swamp on the left. You will never get elected (or re-elected) running against something (just ask John Kerry or Al Gore in a couple of years). You have to show the voters what you stand FOR! Just because the Dems are in turmoil is no reason for you to sit back and assume you will win. You still need to show the voters why you are a preferable alternative to whatever the fever swamp offers.
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