2 Sense - Politics, Culture, Whatever

What Took You So Long?

2006-08-18T12:37:00.000-05:00

Here's a head scratcher - Al Sharpton, known liar, race baiter and so-called poverty-pimp by former US Congressman J.C. Watts, is now starting to sound like the courageous Bill Cosby in his comments regarding black youths. I must say I am a little shocked to hear him say anything other than that blacks' problems are created by whites, but he makes a strong case for black youths to turn from "gangsterism."

"We have got to get out of this gangster mentality, acting as if gangsterism and blackness are synonymous," Sharpton said Thursday at the annual conference of the National Association of Black Journalists.

"I think we've allowed a whole generation of young people to feel that if they're focused, they're not black enough. If they speak well and act well, they're acting white, and there's nothing more racist than that."

He went on to descrine how youths should long for and seek leadership roles in their lives and neighborhoods. Good messages.

I am glad he is saying this publicy, and I applaud him for his statements. Yet I must also ask, "What took you so long, Al? Why haven't you been out there vocally defending Bill Cosby as he's received criticism for saying the same thing over the last few years?"

But it's at least a start I guess.

You Taped Over It?!

2006-08-15T14:52:00.000-05:00

NASA has apparently "misplaced" the original tape of the first manned lunar landing. That means moon landing for those of you in Rio Linda (nod to Rush).

[Astronaut Neil] Armstrong's famous space walk, seen by millions of viewers on July 20, 1969, is among transmissions that NASA has failed to turn up in a year of searching, spokesman Grey Hautaloma said.

We've done some brainstorming and came up with a few explanations why the tape may be lost:

1) Some NASA engineer accidentally taped the Superbowl over it, or more likely, taped an episode of Dr. Who.

2) It's being auctioned on Ebay under the title "Really Kewl Battlestar Galactica Audition Tape!"

3) They forgot it was awarded to the best three-legged race team at the last NASA picnic.

4) Someone needed the original to make a clean remix, ala Star Wars Kid, to be posted on YouTube.

and finally 5) MTV never returned it.

World Trade Center the Movie

2006-08-14T13:18:00.000-05:00

My review: Fine film, Oliver, Bravo!

Vacation is Sweet

2006-08-10T10:35:00.000-05:00

Hey all - Been gone a while on vacation. It was a fun trip to Tampa, Dallas, and South Carolina. But I'm back now and the election cycle is kicking into gear right about now. Things are getting interesting nationally and in Florida.

Hope you are having a safe and fun summer, too.

Referendum : No :: Dem Primary in Itty-Bitty Conn. : Yes

2006-08-10T10:33:00.000-05:00

Dem Leader Harry Reid is predicting a 5 seat gain in the US Senate by Democrats this November - and all I've got to say is "Not bloody likely!" His primary, no pun intended, reason for believing this is the result of the Democrat Primary in Connecticut - you know, the one where Joe Lieberman lost to anti-war candidate Ned Lamont (never did trust guys named Ned).

He and the media keep referring to this little tiny democrat primary in a small itty-bitty state as some bellwether, national referendum election on Bush:

"But the perception was that [Lieberman] was too close to George Bush and this election was, in many respects, a referendum on the President more than anything else. The results bode well for Democratic victories in November and our efforts to take the country in a new direction," [Reid and New York Sen. Chuck Schumer, chairman of the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee] said [in a joint statement].

Spinning this small tiny democrat primary into some national referendum on the President is the height of mountain out of molehill politics.

And you know what? I'm glad! I want Harry and the Dems to falsely think that the country is going in this "new direction" based on some small state's primary. I want the MoveOns and other anti-war-blame-America-first lefties, who are credited in the media for Lamont's victory, to feel emboldened and force their candidates across the nation to sound like Ned (there's that name again) and run to the far left of the voters.

Politics is local, but Democrats have been desperately trying to make this year a national referendum on Bush, similar to the Republicans successful nationalization of the off-term election in 1994. Well, if they're gonna base their confidence and predictions on a democrat primary in which the victor only won 52-48* (yes it was that close but you wouldn't know from the media's crowing over Lieberman's defeat**) in a small state that has never carried any national significance, then Republicans should sleep well at night this fall.

Hey Harry, here's my prediction - Lieberman retains his seat as an Independent and Republicans gain 2 more.

maninblack

----------------------
*This means that 52% of about 33% of all voters in Connecticut voted for Ned - that breaks down to about 18% of Conn. voters - yeah really something to base a national referendum on. When did straw grasping become a democrat hobby?

** Don't forget, the 4 percent spread is after Lieberman publicly said in the weeks prior to the primary that if he lost he'd run as an independent. This means his supporters came out despite his throwing in the towel on the dem primary.

John Kerry Hides Secret Timemachine

2006-06-14T09:17:00.000-05:00

It's apparent that John Kerry has found a timemachine and has warped here from 2004. Tuesday he said:

"The Iraqis themselves must build democracy. And it will never be done if Iraqis' leaders are unwilling to make the compromises necessary that that requires," the 2004 Democratic presidential candidate told hundreds of activists at a convention entitled "Campaign for America's Future: Take Back America."

This is the same thing he was saying in 2004. He needs to junk his timeachine and pick up a modern newspaper and read that the Iraqis have held three democratic elections, approved a constitution, and they have compromised greatly in order to fill the Prime Minister position as well as key cabinet positions and a working government.

But, he must have shared his timemachine with all the anti-war hippies that compare Iraq with Vietnam since their message and idiocy haven't changed over the last 35 years either.

As long as democrats/progressives/socialists keep living in the past, they will have no political future. Just the way I like it!

How's November Looking Now?

2006-06-13T08:54:00.000-05:00

The events of the last seven days just go to show you how quickly political winds can change. The GWBush poll numbers have hit their low point and will be coming up slowly but surely over the next few weeks to a point that democrats will finally stop talking about taking over the House or Senate and focus on protecting their weak seats.

So what has transpired to give me such optimism? Well let's start with last Tuesday's election to replace former Republican Rep. Duke Cunningham, the poster boy for the democrats campaign assertion that the republicans are the sole party of corruption (despite Rep. Jefferson, democrat from New Orleans, being caught with bribe money to the tune of 90,000 marked FBI dollars in his home's freezer). The democrat running for Cunningham's seat was running against the "culture of corruption" that only Duke Cunningham supposedly represents, and she lost that seat to a republican lobbyist - the supposed dirtiest, filthiest creatures in Washington.

Then later in the week, on Friday, the Iraqi Prime Minister finished forming his government the same time that al-Zarqawi, the leader of Al-Qaeda in Iraq (if you ask a progressive/liberal/socialist Al-Qaeda and Iraq don't belong in the same sentence - they should tell that to the terrorists so they can correct their stationery), was killed by a US military air strike.

Here we are today, a week later, and we've got Bush flying to Iraq for a surprise visit to personally meet with the new Iraqi PM al-Maliki. Oh, and a little news story came out around the same time Bush was flying out there - the democrat target dummy Karl Rove, as anyone with a brain has known since day one of the leak-that-wasn't-a-leak investigation, will not be indicted.

Drudge has a funny story about Homer (D'OH!) Dean:

DNC Chair Howard Dean on NBC's 'TODAY': 'If Karl Rove had been indicted it would have been for perjury. That does not excuse his real sin which is leaking the name of an intelligence operative during the time of war.'

If Rove's sin was leaking the name of the intel operative during a time of war (that's a phrase democrats use sparingly because they only pull it out when it suits their political purpose - they don't actually use it in relation to national security) as Dean asserts, then Rove would have been indicted for it - not just the perjury that obviously didn't occur. Of course, everyone with a brain also knows that the intel operative was not an operative. Wilson's wife, Valerie Plame, had been riding a desk for about 5 or 6 years in Langley and hadn't been covert during that time, so no law was broken by "revealing" her identity.

But let's allow Dean his little tantrum, along with all his little Deaniancs and progressive socialists. Wouldn't you be angry too if everything politically that you had been working for over the last two years went up in smoke within one week?

I predict that within a month the punditry will begin talking about republicans gaining seats in the US House and maintaining their position in the US Senate, and all this nonsense about Speaker Pelosi and President Reid will finally evaporate into thin air, like the hot air coming out of Homer Dean's trap.

Hey Arlen, Shut Up

2006-06-12T09:45:00.000-05:00

Pennsylvania Senator Arlen Specter is a typical northeast RINO who makes average Republicans scratch their heads. What makes him most troubling, however, is how he uses his position as the powerful Senate Judiciary chair as a bully-pulpit to comment on almost anything or to generally gum up the work of Congress.

As the Senate's Cliff Claven, Arlen knows a little bit about everything and is gonna share it with you whether you ask or not.

This space is dedicated to pointing out the most recent cases when Arlen just needs to shut up.

June 11th, 2006: Arlen as terrorist sympathizer calls for constutionally guaranteed speedy trials, usually reserved for so-called US citizens, for terror suspects held at Guantanamo Bay.

June 11th, 2006: Arlen as war crimes judge and jury injects politics into the Marines-Haditha investigation by suggesting a Senate hearing into the matter even before the investigation on the ground is complete and charges, if any, are filed.

Sidebar: The Left and the media grant terror suspects more of a presumption of innocence than they do for the Marines at Haditha.

June 10th, 2006: Arlen as Commander-in-Chief trying to thwart White House efforts to protect Americans with NSA foreign eavesdropping program.

June 9th 2006: Arlen as budget writer holds up war-funding bill over health and education funding issues.

June 7th 2006: Arlen as Senator for the great state of Mexico inserts provision, on May 25th, into US Senate immigration bill forcing consultation with Mexican government before US may proceed to build border wall on its own territory.

US Special Forces: "Next"

2006-06-12T09:24:00.000-05:00

The Associated Press reports that Al Qaeda in Iraq Names Zarqawi's Successor. So, before the US Special Forces responsible for the death of Zarqawi even got a chance to clean the scope on their laser range-finder, the terrorists named the next US target.

The new man to be named in the Al-Qaeda in Iraq leadership skeet-shoot is Abu Hamza al-Muhajer. He was provided with one standard issue body bag by his islamofascist brothers shortly before they posted his name on their website.

And There You Have It...

2006-04-27T14:51:00.000-05:00

Sure they may wave American flags at their demonstrations now instead of Mexican flags, which was a public relations gaffe on their part of unbelievable proportions, but let there be no doubt about the intentions of those who coddle illegal immigrants:

"We want full amnesty, full legalization for anybody who is here (illegally)," [Jorge] Rodriguez [a union official who helped organize earlier rallies credited with rattling Congress as it debates the issue] said. "That is the message that is going to be played out across the country on May 1."

Jorge is planning on helping organize demonstrations to number in the millions of marchers in cities such as Los Angeles, New York, and Chicago in order to "close [them] down."

Interesting that they would pick Mayday for their protest - Mayday being the favored holiday on Communism's calendar. Interesting as it may be, it is not surprising, since Jorge is a union official, and we all know that most unions bow at the feet of Marxism.

I would like to contribute to their cause in the spirit of my fellow "compassionate" immigration "reformers" with a simple suggestion - To the demonstrators, since you will all be walking around outside and, I am sure, enjoying a beautiful spring day, why don't you take advantage of the wonderful highway interstate system we have in the U.S. and just keep walking past the southern border. Just take I-35 South. Mmkay?

I genuinely believe that is the best way for the demonstrators to find "full amnesty, full legalization" - back in Mexico. Happy Mayday!

Donkeys Have Short Memories

2006-04-24T12:52:00.000-05:00

Here's a quote from an author writing today about the Duke rape case:

Yes, I know the Fifth Amendment says criminals don’t have to talk. I teach criminal law. But what are we dealing with here? The mafia, or a sports team from a first-class university. Instead, they hire them lawyers to trash the victim and the prosecutor.

They are also not a presidential administration.

How soon the author, Susan Estrich, forgets that her buddies at the Clinton White House employed this exact strategy for years. Yes, that Susan Estrich who was cheerleader-in-chief for the president with the least amount of respect for women in recent history. Yes, that Susan Estrich who can memsmerize television viewers with a gaping cake-hole that rivals Mick Jagger's.

Remember the 90's? Sure you do, even though Susan doesn't. Rape or harassment claims against Billy Boy? Trash the women! Clinton hired Lanny Davis and James Carville to poster their faces all over the airwaves to tell the world what a bunch of sluts these women were for daring to claim the then-prez dropped trou in a hotel room or groped and nearly forcibly raped a woman in the Oval soon after her husband committed suicide.

Susan continues:

And what about the message to all the legitimate rape victims out there? I don’t know if the accuser here is telling the truth, but neither do all the people who have been trashing her with a vigor I have never before seen in the 25 years I’ve been writing about and teaching rape law.

What this kind of “trashing the victim” does is to reinforce the worst of the history of rape law...

Sounds great Susan, but where were ya when Jones, Willey, etc. needed some friends in the media?

Um, Yeah, That's What It's Supposed To Do

2005-12-21T10:52:00.000-05:00

The Mexicans south of the border are all in a tizzy over the proposed Border Wall. Thing is, there are already stretches of walls on the border now, and this new Border Wall would only extend about 700 miles of the over 2,000 miles of the unprotected U.S.-Mexico border.

The plan for the wall is for it to be placed in areas where border crossing is the most dangerous to the ILLEGAL border crossers. It's gonna save lives. But that's not good enough for Mexican President Vicente Fox (frankly, it's not good enough for me either, the entire border should be sealed completely to cut off ILLEGAL immigration, drugs, and terrorists).

(Tongue in cheek here) AP reports that Mexicans are making very sound arguments about constructing the wall.

Fernando Robledo, 42, of the western state of Zacatecas, says the proposals could stem migration ...

Well duh, that's the point of the wall - to stem ILLEGAL migration. It amazes me how the media still can't get it straight in their feeble little minds that this is about ILLEGAL immigration. (Tongue no longer in cheek)

The (TIC) brilliant (TNLIC) Fernando continued:

"When people heard this, it worried everybody, because this will affect everybody in some way, and their families," Robledo said. "They were incredulous. How could they do this, propose something like this?"

Uh, we can do this because terrorists slammed airplanes into a couple of our tall skyscrapers and the Pentagon, and we need to protect our borders for those who live here LEGALLY. Oh, and we can do this because it's our freakin' country.

So What?

2005-12-21T10:16:00.000-05:00

The UK's Independent reports that "Iraq is disintegrating."

The break-up of Iraq has been brought closer by the election. The great majority of people who went to the polls voted as Shia, Sunni or Kurds - and not as Iraqis.

Well then guess what, America is on the verge of a breakup, too. Because, according to the left, blacks are only supposed to vote for black candidates, hispanics are only supposed to vote for hispanic candidates, etc., and any deviation from that formula gets one branded a race traitor. Since when has a lefty gone to the polls and voted as an American? According to them, we all should loyally vote within our group.

So, the same thing is happening in Iraq. Is this really something so new in the annals of history? Pleez. If I had a penny for every time I heard a lefty claim a black who voted for a non-black Republican was an "Uncle Tom" or an "Oreo" I'd have more money than John Kerry's wife.

So what if the Iraqi elections are exposing racial and social divisions - isn't that what elections are supposed to do? To expose clear divisions so that lawmakers can express a clear agenda for those they represent? It's their country and it's their election, let the Iraqi people elect who they want.

Dem Defeatism Falling on Deaf Ears

2005-12-20T09:30:00.000-05:00

A new ABC News poll, which shows the President's job approval and personal rating numbers improving over the last month, provides validation for our soldiers' efforts in Iraq. Flying in the face of the incessant negativism coming from the cakeholes of leading Democrats who have declared Iraq a lost cause, the American people have greater optimism for the efforts to build a democracy in Iraq than they ever have.

... belief that the United States is making significant progress toward establishing a democratic government in Iraq has jumped dramatically, by 18 points, to 65 percent. A sense of progress in establishing civil order similarly is up, by 16 points, to 60 percent. Each is its best since these questions first were asked in the spring of 2004.

Murtha, Dean, Pelosi, Reid, Kerry, yoo hoo, where are you? Oh right, you're still trying to "figure out" where you stand on Iraq. Despite these Dem leaders' best efforts to erode the morale of our troops, provide comfort to our enemies, and destroy the American people's faith in our troops and the Iraqi democratic efforts with their outlook of hopelessness and failure, the majority of the U.S. is still firmly behind the freedom movement we are seeing in Iraq and across the globe.

Philly NAACP Prez: Rush was Right, Donovan's 'not that good'

2005-12-15T08:45:00.000-05:00

Conservative Radio Host Rush Limbaugh was slammed in the media a couple years ago for making comments regarding his opinion of the playing ability of Philadelphia Eagles Quaterback Donovan McNabb and the NFL's desire to promote minority quarterbacks. At the time, Limbaugh said the unthinkable - that McNabb might not be as good as everyone thought. He was an analyst at the time for ESPN and they fired him after the media uproar. Limbaugh is Caucasian-American.

Fast forward to this week. The President of the Philadelphia chapter of the NAACP now says pretty much the same thing Rush did, reports ESPN.

J. Whyatt Mondesire, who publishes a newspaper for blacks and is the president of the Philadelphia branch of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People, recently wrote that the Eagles' star quarterback failed as a team leader and choked in the Super Bowl.

Mondesire is African-American. I won't even get into the hypocrisy of the media's overreaction to Limbaugh's comments and their snoring over the comments of Mondesire, but it is interesting to note.

Mondesire said the bottom line is that McNabb is "not that good."

"In essence Donny, you are mediocre at best," Mondesire wrote. "And trying to disguise that fact behind some concocted reasoning that African American quarterbacks who can scramble and who can run the ball are somehow lesser field generals ... is more insulting off the field than on."

Rush is vindicated once again. Although, the NAACP will continue to brand him a racist.

Who's with me?!

2005-12-14T16:06:00.000-05:00

What good is having the White House and both Houses of Congress under Republican control when the leaders are not going to do what the voters elected them to do? What is it gonna take? I almost say let the Dems have the Senate or House back - they can't do any worse than these do nothing Republicans in there now.

The NY Times reports that the Republican...yes, Republican...Leader of the Senate, a one Senator Bill Frist of Tennessee, has said that Americans were just gonna have to wait for tax relief.

In laying out what he hoped to accomplish before adjourning for the year, Mr. Frist, Republican of Tennessee, said that "in all likelihood" the Senate would not try to reach agreement with the House on competing $30 billion plans to reduce the impact of the alternative minimum tax. The tax, originally created to prevent the rich from escaping tax liability, is expected to reach another 15 million Americans next year because of inflation.

Mr. Frist's position means it is likely that Congress will also delay until 2006 a larger debate over nearly $100 million in tax breaks that Republicans say are essential to economic growth.

Quick reminder - yeah, Frist is, allegedly, a Republican. But now, in addition to waiting on Social Security reform, tax system reform, illegal immigration reform, he wants Americans to wait on tax relief.

How low will the Republican base turnout be in 2006? It will be as low as the turnout in 1994 was high. Charge on Frist!

Clinton's Legacy

2005-12-14T10:20:00.000-05:00

Presidents Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Harry Truman toppled fascism. President Ronald Reagan hammered communism. President Bill Clinton convinced enough kids that oral sex is not really sex.

We've all seen the polls of today's teenagers that show they don't think oral sex is considered sex, so no need to rehash them. But there is a very disturbing story from First Coast News in Jacksonville. It makes you think that if students were caught doing this type of activity in a classroom while instruction was being conducted, then the situation must be unbelievable behind the scenes.

Christopher Lemay, 18, is accused of paying a 16-year-old-girl to perform the act on another boy at Sandalwood High. Those two are under-age, so First Coast News is not releasing their identities.

Sandalwood administrators say the act happened under a table in a large class full of students, so the teacher had limited visibility.

Parents, watch your daughters and cherish them. They are special. However, society has turned them into prey for sicko-scumbags like Lemay. Pop culture has mocked innocence to the point where Paris Hilton and Britney Spears are so-called role models for girls.

So, it's up to families and parents (not the village because it's the village that creates Paris Hilton's in the first place) to protect their girls and build up their self-esteem before they wind up under a school table being paid for services rendered.

It's sad to see the Clinton Legacy corrode the lives of little girls like the girl in this article. Maybe I am naive or just a biased father with a 6 year old daughter, but Bill deserves a swift kick to his legacies.

What War is the Media Watching?

2005-12-13T08:56:00.000-05:00

Columnist Thomas Sowell has an absolutely brilliant piece on the failure of the media to take off its blinders and see the good that is happening in Iraq. He also places our combat losses, although tragic, in some historical perspective compared to other battles our troops have fought in for our nation.

Has anyone ever believed that any war could be fought without deaths on both sides? Every death is a tragedy to the individual killed and to his loved ones. But is there anything about American casualty rates in Iraq that makes them more severe than casualty rates in any other war we have fought?

On the contrary, the American deaths in Iraqi (sic) are a fraction of what they have been in other wars in our history. The media have made a big production about the cumulative fatalities in Iraq, hyping the thousandth death with multiple full-page features in the New York Times and comparable coverage on TV.

The two-thousandth death was similarly anticipated almost impatiently in the media and then made another big splash. But does media hype make 2,000 wartime fatalities in more than two years unusual?

The Marines lost more than 5,000 men taking one island in the Pacific during a three-month period in World War II.

Sowell reminds us that "freedom isn't free" and that good work is being done in Iraq despite the media's moans and groans. Thank You, Thomas.

The Tip of the Iceberg

2005-12-09T12:51:00.000-05:00

China is bound to erupt internally. The people of that great civlization are getting antsy under the Communist rulers and are slowly starting to dispute land use in their country. Riots in the interior of the country are becoming more frequent - but do you hear about them? Not from the goverment controlled Chinese media.

This is just the tip of the iceberg in China. Their internal problems are starting to get the type of news coverage and attention around the globe that will be necessary for the Chinese citizens to affect democratic change in their homeland.

As the AP reports, the people of China are fighting, and sometimes dying, to retain property rights in provinces across their country, not unsimilar to the plight of the plaintiffs in the Kelo vs. New London case, which is the start of nearly all democratic revolts.

Thousands of people took part in Tuesday's demonstration in Dongzhou, a village in Guangdong province, international rights groups said. They were anger [sic] over plans to construct a wind power plant on local land.

Police fired into the crowd, killing at least two people, the reports said. Villagers have put the number as high as 10.

State media have made no mention of the violence and both provincial and local governments have repeatedly refused to comment. This is typical in China, where the ruling Communist Party controls the media.

"The riot police are gathered outside our village. We've been surrounded," said one villager reached by phone on Friday. "Most of the police are armed. We dare not to go out of our home."

Reading how the Chinese Communist government handles protests like this one made me wonder what would have happened if international cameras were not on the scene during the Tianenmen Square demonstration in 1989.

Rural protests have multiplied in recent months as anger comes to a head over corruption, land seizures and a yawning wealth gap that experts say now threatens social stability. The government says about 70,000 such conflicts occurred last year, although many more are believed to go unreported.

The clashes have also become increasingly violent, with injuries sustained on both sides and huge amounts of damage done to property as protesters vent their frustration in face of indifferent or bullying authorities.

Good luck to the Chinese people. Their day will come, but hopefully before the Chinese Communists become a real threat to American interests.

Republicans Defend Troop Morale

2005-12-09T09:30:00.000-05:00

With a video portraying a soldier watching Democrat calls for retreat from Iraq, the Republican National Committee comes out swinging against liberals and defeatists. The RNC video makes a simple argument that cutting and running is not an option during a time of war and uses the words of prominent national democrats to illustrate the lunacy of their calls for immediate withdrawal.

Watch RNC video

Nearly 3 Years after Iraq Invasion, Dems Meet to Discuss Where They Stand

2005-12-08T15:58:00.000-05:00

It's been almost three years since we launched M-1 Abrams tanks across the deserts of Iraq to unseat Saddam Hussein and his terror regime. During this time our country has been through economic ups and downs, a couple election cycles, some Oscar seasons, and a few celebrity marriages and divorces. Finally, the Democrats in the U.S. House of Representatives are getting around to determining their stance on the war in Iraq, reports The Hill.

In their first caucus meeting since Rep. Jack Murtha (D-Pa.) called for swift redeployment of troops from Iraq, House Democrats met yesterday to discuss their differing views on how to resolve the conflict.

A number of members rose one-by-one to discuss their own proposed plans on Iraq. Murtha spoke, as did Reps. Ike Skelton (Mo.), Neil Abercrombie (Hawaii), David Price (N.C.), Jim McGovern (Mass.) and Ellen Tauscher (Calif.).

So now the press says Murtha called for a swift redeployment, funny, but to me it seemed like he called for an all out retreat with our tail between our legs. But my favorite part of the article is this next excerpt:

As expected, Democrats did not adopt a caucus position on how to deal with the conflict. Pelosi supports Murtha’s plan to redeploy troops “at the earliest practicable date,” while Hoyer has said “precipitous withdrawal” could lead to disaster in Iraq. But most participants were happy to have the debate, saying the discussion was productive.

As expected, they came up with nothing useful for the American people except a bunch of hotair.

Progressives expressed relief that such issues were being debated in the caucus.

Well, whoopdie doo, the Democrats and their progressives are debating. Democrats debate and Iraqis die. Dems seem to love debates. Problem is you can't debate a terrorist into giving up his jihad, so Republicans are forced to be the party who have to protect America by putting boots on the ground to crush the neck of the enemy.

>> To be sure everyone knows, The Hill is not a right leaning publication. I believe this article was written with the intent to make Democrats look good; however, they come out looking like buffoons who don't know their ass from a spider hole in the desert.

Hero vs. Hero

2005-12-06T16:03:00.000-05:00

Two elected members of Congress who were companions at the "Hanoi Hilton" North Vietnamese prison camp during the Vietnam War are coming out on different sides of the McCain Torture Amendment, The Hill reports.

In a draft letter circulated to some rank-and-file Republican colleagues but not sent, Rep. Sam Johnson (R-Texas) asks the top House defense appropriators to exclude from a defense-spending conference report the anti-torture provision added to the Senate version of the bill by Sen. John McCain (R-Ariz.).

“This provision could have devastating effects and is entirely unwarranted,” Johnson wrote in an unsigned and undated draft of the letter obtained by The Hill.

I really can't say it any better than Johnson already has. Although McCain is a Vietnam war hero, I cannot support his amendment which would undermine the interrogation tactics our troops use (which are at worst humiliating and nowhere near torture) and further harm their morale by comparing them to Saddam's goons. I am proud that Johnson is subtly standing up to him.

Top Democrat Kicks Troops in Balls on Eve of Pearl Harbor Day; Prefers to See Saddam Back in Power

2005-12-06T08:29:00.000-05:00

Why can't the mainstream media just be honest? This milquetoast headline by ABC News, "Dean Questions Commitment to Iraq Strategy" hides Democrat National Committee Chairman Howard Dean's comments behind a veil of "oh, it's just another day in Washington." As the article reports, he in fact is blatantly saying U.S. troops and the Iraqi people will fail.

Democratic Chairman Howard Dean on Monday likened the war in Iraq to Vietnam and said, "The idea that the United States is going to win the war in Iraq is just plain wrong," comments that drew immediate fire from Republicans.

It's debatable that Iraq is anything like Vietnam. With regards to this argument, the lefty die-hard 60's hippies just want a chance to break out their tye-die and drop some acid like the good ole days. Ah, remember when Woodstock wasn't sponsored by Starbucks? Them's the days.

But, what cannot be debatable is our resolve and desire to win. Dean says the idea that we are going to win is wrong, that simply means he thinks we are going to lose. That is a direct attack on our troops' morale and is damn near giving aid and comfort to the enemy, also known as treason.

Why isn't ABC News blasting out loud that Dean says we are going to lose? Because they are willing accomplices in his game to win back the House, Senate, and White House. Sad thing is ABC News and the Democrats think this is all a big game, but it's not. It's about history and the survival of the West and of our way of life, as it has been since well before 9/11 - another day which lives in infamy.

Presidential Candidate Gets 'Straight Talk' from Insulted Troops

2005-12-01T14:35:00.000-05:00

The Hill reports that U.S. Rep. Jack Kingston (R-GA) conducted interviews of troops during his second trip to Iraq and had some 'Straight Talk' from them to deliver to Senator and undeclared presidential candidate John McCain (R-AZ), conductor of the 2000 'Straight Talk Express'. He said that they feel McCain is misrepresenting their efforts to question terrorist-enemy-detainess by introducing his look-at-me-I'm-running-for-president amendment.

While visiting Iraq this week, Kingston, the House GOP conference vice chairman, said he talked to the enlisted men who deal with prisoners of war.

“They feel that the McCain amendment is not an accurate portrayal of anything that is going on and they are really strongly against it and somewhat insulted by it,” Kingston said of his conversations with the troops. [emphasis added]

“[The prisoners] aren’t people who have committed white collar crime. You do want to get information from them.” He recalled the soldiers saying that those members of the military who broke the laws in the Abu Ghraib torture scandal last year should be appropriately punished.

McCain was unable to comment because he was traveling abroad.

McCain was unable to comment because Kingston has a point! Travelling - what he doesn't have a friggin cell phone when he travels?

Hey McCain, why don't you get off the backs of our troops that are doing things right and focus your efforts on those who are truly trying to hurt Americans. Oh, and check out the Sunday paper - good Christmas deals on cell phones out there, really.

One other thing, The Hill gets it wrong by calling it the "Abu Ghraib torture scandal." What was done to those enemy detainees might be considered humiliating, but it was not torture. Detainees placed into a cheerleader pyramid by some irresponsible soldiers is not the same as political prisoners of Saddam's being placed into one of his rape rooms or having one of his sons smash their genitals with a sledge hammer. Now that's creative interrogation!

Identity Crisis in the Halls of the U.S. Senate

2005-11-29T10:42:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago, Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) wanted to become a General in the U.S. Armed Forces by allowing unlimited involvement of politicians in matters of war. Read our post here. Now, Senator Arlen Specter (R-PA) feels senators should be sports managers and coaches.

NFL Wide Receiver Terrell Owens was suspended for comments made over the last year which were detrimental to the Eagles quarterback, team, and organization. He is still receiving pay from the Eagles, but the NFL is supporting the Eagles efforts to not allow him to be traded to another team this season.

AP reports that Specter is upset over the treatment of Owens and is raising the specter of an anti-trust hearing before his Senate Judiciary Committee to consider the approach used by the NFL and the Philadelphia Eagles in dealing with the Terrell Owens situation.

Sen. Arlen Specter accused the National Football League and the Philadelphia Eagles of treating Terrell Owens unfairly and said he might refer the matter to the antitrust subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee, which he chairs.

Specter said at a news conference Monday in Harrisburg it was "vindictive and inappropriate" for the league and the Eagles to forbid the all-pro wide receiver from playing and prevent other teams from talking to him.

"It's a restraint of trade for them to do that, and the thought crosses my mind, it might be a violation of antitrust laws," Specter said, though some other legal experts disagreed.

Meddling by the government has never solved anything. The surest way to screw up sports is to allow the Senate to get involved.

Arbitrator Richard Bloch said last week the team's actions were supported by the labor agreement between the league and the NFL Players Association.

"The arbitrator's decision is consistent with our collective bargaining agreement, and it simply enforced the terms of the player's contract," Greg Aiello, an NFL spokesman, said Monday.

"To have an antitrust violation, you have to have a contract or conspiracy in restraint of trade," said Robert McCormick, a law professor at Michigan State University.

Matthew J. Mitten, director of the National Sports Law Institute at Marquette University, said, "We're in the labor arena, not antitrust."

So what, says Specter, it's his committee and he'll do anything he wants. He's from the government and only wants to help.

Senators should be satisfied enough with their job, what with all the power and perks; I wonder why they continually feel the Senate needs to stick its camel nose in tents where it doesn't belong. We don’t need any more generals or sports managers – Hey Specter, stay out of our sports and leave the X's and O's to those who know thier craft!

"If you don't like it, just don't watch!"

2005-11-28T11:12:00.000-05:00

This is what atheists and others on the left tell those of us who object to the rampant sex, violence, and drug use that is increasingly portrayed on network television. To them, we are not allowed to complain about what the networks throw out there under the guise of entertainment and free speech. Fine. I'll just not watch.

Now, the godless peeps must do the same for us. If they don't like that Christmas is about Christ, then they shouldn't participate, shouldn't celebrate. They need to stop complaining when Christ is mentioned in school Christmas plays and choral readings.

If there was no Christ, then there really is no Christmas. There's just Hanukkah and New Years to comprise the "Winter Holidays." No, the godless can't hijack Hanukkah either like they are trying to hijack Christmas. In America, Hanukkah is celebrated by five million Jewish people, about 2% of the entire population of the U.S., so I doubt retailers would go out of their way to stock up Hanukkah only aisles if Christmas wasn't there to piggy-back on.

Hanukkah would exist without the retailers because it is not a commerce driven holiday, it is religious. Christmas would exist without the retailers, too - it did for a couple thousand years. But the "Winter Holidays" would not be around if Christmas fell off the calendar.

So, sure, we can continue to call it Winter Holidays to be "inclusive" but the godless really need to stop complaining about Christmas references to Jesus. If you don't like it - then leave it alone and give it back to those of us who celebrate it for Christ.

Besides, the godless have their own new holiday - the hilariously named "Festivus" made-up by the Seinfeld show. So, go steal that holiday - give Christmas back to Christ.

Merry Christ-mas

The Stressed Newlyweds Club

2005-11-22T14:54:00.000-05:00

Former Hillsborough County Florida teacher Debra Lafave, under indictment for allegedly having sexual relations with a 14-year old student in her class, was able to broker a plea deal in which she does not have to serve any jail time in exchange for a guilty plea to two counts of lewd and lascivious behavior.

Fox News reports Lafave's victim told investigators that she told him that her marriage was in trouble when she began to seduce him. Lafave, 25, was just a newlywed at the time. According to the article, part of her legal strategy was to take her condition as a stressed-out newlywed into consideration.

[Lafave attorney John] Fitzgibbons last week had said Lafave would plead insanity at trial, claiming she was under such emotional stress that she didn't know right from wrong.

Whatever happened to good old fashioned leaving the man on the alter? A few months ago, the nation was treated to a cross-country runaway bride story which led news broadcasts for nearly a week. Jennifer Wilbanks was so stressed out about her upcoming wedding that she planned a getaway a week before her nuptials by faking a kidnapping. Her story made national news and she was later picked up in New Mexico after phoning police back in her home town about her fake kidnapping. Now that's being stressed out!

If Lafave was as stressed as her lawyer makes her out to be, she should not have ever been married, or around children for that matter.

In a "hooray" for pretty women everywhere, another part of Lafave's legal theory, as stated by her attorney back in June of this year, well, I'll actually let him say it:

"To place an attractive young woman in that kind of hell hole is like putting a piece of raw meat in with the lions," Lafave's attorney, John Fitzgibbons, said in July of the possibility of jail time. "I'm not sure she would survive."

Wow, regular non-raw meat women everywhere must have fainted at that statement. In addition to getting all the attactive straight men, pretty women now don't have to go to jail either.

Pentagon Reads '2 Sense'?

2005-11-21T12:30:00.000-05:00

Just kidding. I seriously doubt they are. Although, last week I wrote a post regarding potentially lower U.S. troop morale due to the Dems ongoing calls for immediate and complete withdrawal from Iraq, and, today, the Washington Times reports that war critics are causing soldiers to wonder why the media is telling only half the story.

Commanders are telling Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld that ground troops do not understand the generally negative press that their missions receive, despite what they consider significant achievements in rebuilding Iraq and instilling democracy.

The commanders also worry about the public's declining support for the mission and what may be a growing movement inside the Democratic Party to advocate troop withdrawal from Iraq.

"They say morale is very high," said a senior Pentagon official of reports filed by commanders with Washington. "But they relate comments from troops asking, 'What the heck is going on back here' and why America isn't seeing the progress they are making or appreciating the mission the way those on the ground there do. My take is that they are wondering if America is still behind them."

Mr. Rumsfeld appeared on several Sunday talk shows yesterday to express concern about the effects of the political discussion on U.S. forces.

"We also have to understand that our words have effects," he said on "Fox News Sunday." "Put yourself in the shoes of a soldier who thinks that we're going to pull out precipitously or immediately, as some people have proposed. Obviously, they have to wonder whether what they're doing makes sense if that's the idea, if that's the debate."

Thank God troop morale remains generally strong despite the Dems best efforts.

It would be nice to see news reports of positive events in Iraq, but that's probably not likely from the body-count obsessed American mainstream media. It would also be nice if the war critics could hold their "debate" after the soldiers, airmen, and seamen are back home safely.

Don't They Have Bigger Fish To Fry?

2005-11-18T15:26:00.000-05:00

The French culturo-fascists are opening a new front in the culture wars and taking on a new enemy - Hollywood! AFP reports that while the French are busy trying to subdue their riot problem, they apparently have enough time and energy to turn the focus of their ire onto American cinema.

The European Union should establish a programme of "European cinema weeks" to combat the domination of Hollywood movies in theatres, France suggested to a gathering here of EU culture ministers.

In order for Europeans to "see more European films and because 70 percent of films shown in EU movie theatres are American, I ask you to promote European films in the form of 'European cinema weeks'," French Culture Minister Renaud Donnedieu de Vabres said in an address late Thursday.

Curious that the article would choose to use the word "combat" in describing how France views its crusade against the onslaught of American movies on their soil. I hate to tell them, the American movie invasion into Euro-theaters will continue as long as American movies are ... better!

"First Time Caller – Long Time Loser"

2005-11-18T14:05:00.000-05:00

The Democratic Party’s petulant rants against Operation Iraqi Freedom are unforgivable and border on treason. Their biting words, criticism, and calls for immediate withdrawals serve only to demoralize our troops and embolden the terrorist-insurgency, which could crack and wither at any moment if the war critics would for one moment shut up and unify behind the mission in Iraq.

The Democrats debate the Iraq war as if it was simply some topic on a sports call-in radio show. They are Monday morning quarterbacks while the game is still being played on Sunday. They speak openly and publicly as if their words don’t have detrimental consequences on the morale of the troops serving over there or their families back home.

According to an AP report, U.S. Rep. John Murtha (D-PA) called for an immediate withdrawal of troops. He was sure to call it redeployment instead of retreat. The strange thing is he recognized that his choice of words in that regard made a difference, but his call to leave Iraq and his assertion that the mission was over was simply coffee table chat, I guess.

"Our troops have become the primary target of the insurgency. They are united against U.S. forces and we have become a catalyst for violence," he said.

Well, if the Democrats would, just once, become unified behind the mission in Iraq, then our troops could topple the insurgency swiftly. This war now is simply a battle of wills and of patience. He notes the unity of the insurgency as a key factor to their operations – well, why doesn’t he provide that same call for unity behind our troops? He lauds the unity of the enemy while telling our guys to hang it up.

Amazingly, the White House immediately responded and defended the mission. Republicans in Congress also called Murtha’s remarks harmful to our troops and the mission.

In a biting response, Republicans criticized Murtha's position as one of abandonment and surrender and accused Democrats of playing politics with the war and recklessly pushing a "cut and run" strategy.

"They want us to retreat. They want us to wave the white flag of surrender to the terrorists of the world," said House Speaker Dennis Hastert, R-Ill.

"It would be an absolute mistake and a real insult to the lives that have been lost," said Rep. David Dreier, R-Calif.

On the Senate floor Thursday, Minority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., called on President Bush and the White House to stop what he called an orchestrated attack campaign.

"It's a weak, spineless display of politics at a time of war," said Reid, who spoke while Bush was in Asia.

Reid, not missing a chance to phone in his nonsense, interprets the Republican defense of the troops and the mission as an orchestrated attack on Murtha. Frankly, his characterization of their defense could be said of Murtha’s comments: weak and spineless.

Alas, the Democrats will continue their public hissy-fit, all the while giving psychological aid to our enemy. The more the Democrats speak out against the mission and our troops in Iraq, the longer the insurgency will continue. The terrorist-insurgents will drag on their operations against our troops and the Iraqi people as long as they feel that the will of the American people will eventually fold, as reflected in the Dems words.

If the Dems could just shut their trap for a little while, our forces could mop-up the insurgents and then come home triumphantly and quickly. Once this is accomplished, then they may bash the conduct of the war – but don’t do it while the “game” is in progress.

A Bridge By Any Other Name

2005-11-16T16:44:00.000-05:00

The $454 million pot o' money intended for the Senator Ted Stevens (R-AK) "Bridge to Nowhere" (no, there really isn't a city named "Nowhere" - might as well, though, the city the bridge is intended for has a whopping population of 50) and the U.S. Representative "Don Young Way" bridges in Alaska has had the "earmarks" removed in a congressional compromise, according to an ABC News report.

Alaska will get to keep the money, but the mandate to build the bridges would be eliminated under a tentative agreement on the annual transportation appropriations bill. The state could still spend the money on the spans, but they would have to compete with other projects for funding.

The earmarks were removed. Not the funding. Alaska still receives the money, but Alaska's congressional delegation will no longer be the lightning rods for pork barrel spending that they had become after Senator Tom Coburn (R-OK) bravely called them to task on the Senate floor a few weeks ago.

Since the Alaska state legislature now determines how the money is spent, the bridges may still get the funding but the congressional delegation can say it wasn't their decision - as they try to hold back laughs and snickers like SNL castmembers in a funny skit.

Who do they think they are fooling? Of course, the bridges will be built, the money is still going to Alaska, and these powerful guys will get their precious bridges. And even if they weren't going to be built, why is the money still going? When a project is un-earmarked, the funding should dry up too. Ah, but not in the magical land of fairy-god-pork-barrelers, I guess.

"They get rid of the symbol but still keep the pork," said Rep. David Obey of Wisconsin, the top Democrat on the House Appropriations Committee.

Why do I find myself agreeing with a Democrat on spending issues now?

Coburn and Obey (what am I saying?!?) should team up and get some fiscal sense injected into the budget.

Senator, Will That Be One Star Or Two

2005-11-16T14:56:00.000-05:00

Senator Chuck Hagel (R-NE) wants to commission an additional 100 generals to be based in SenCOM in Washington D.C. The Washington Post reports that Hagel implies politicians from the Senate should have the ability to be more involved in the conduct of Operation Iraqi Freedom. His version of “to be -- or not to be” would make Shakespeare cringe.

"To question your government is not unpatriotic -- to not question your government is unpatriotic," Hagel said, arguing that 58,000 troops died in Vietnam because of silence by political leaders.

Hagel contends to doom the U.S. to repeat some very bad history. He needs to study more, and then come back for a retest.

Many of those troops in Vietnam died because politicians in Washington were directing the war effort and not the soldiers in the field. Soldiers in Vietnam routinely felt hampered by policies handed down from Washington that were not in sync with what they were seeing on the battlefield.

President George H.W. Bush acknowledged as much when, before he launched the first Gulf War in 1991, he said the soldiers would not be fighting with one arm tied behind their back. H.W. was alluding to the historical fact that politicians were too involved in the conduct of the Vietnam War.

The sad thing is H.W. changed his stance during the first Gulf War as U.S. and coalition forces were poised to destroy Saddam Hussein’s elite Republican Guard. He allowed politicians, led by then dove-in-chief General Colin Powell, to convince him to stop the offensive in Iraq too early, which allowed Hussein to withdraw the Republican Guard to safety. As we now know, Hussein rebuilt his armed forces, which the U.S. faced again in the 2003 invasion of Iraq.

Hagel continues in the Post article, "America owes its men and women in uniform a policy worthy of their sacrifices." How can a senator be so wrong so many times in one article? Our soldiers do not need policies, they need missions. And if the missions to protect our borders and people and champion freedom and democracy across the globe are not worthy sacrifices according to Hagel, then I wonder what he thinks is worthy?

The would-be generals in the Senate want to be in the interrogation room as well. Hagel and Senator John McCain (R-AZ) want W. to sign the defense approps bill with the McCain amendment which would further hamper our soldiers' ability to interrogate terrorists and enemy combatants.

This look-at-me-I-want-to-be-president amendment is so broadly worded it could prevent interrogators from making snide remarks to prisoners. Passing the bill with this amendment would protect the rights of America’s enemies better than the rights of America’s government-groped air passengers.

What Hagel and McCain are proposing is Senatorial “mission creep.” This is the kind of involvement by politicians that get troops and Americans killed. What these senators need to do is stay out of the way and to allow those fighting the war to fight the war.

Also, notice Hagel and McCain are Republicans running for President in 2008? Makes ya sick doesn’t it. Isn’t it a little early to be turning their backs on the President, the troops, and the American people?

We Broke Even!! AARRAAUUAARRAAUUGH!!

2005-11-09T16:28:00.000-05:00

Democratic National Committee Chairman Howard Dean released a statement declaring victory in Virginia and New Jersey after the Democrats simply maintained the governorships of two states they already had.

"The resounding victories tonight by Jon Corzine and Tim Kaine have sent a powerful message that when Democrats stand up for what we believe in, we win."

Dean has a proclivity to declare victory when he is the only one who sees it.

When Paul Hackett, Democrat, lost to Jean Schmidt, Republican, in a special congressional election in Ohio in August of this year, Dean said in another statement that, "Paul [Hackett] ran a very close race in a tough district. His success is a wake-up call to Republicans."

So, it's a success to lose and a resounding victory to maintain the status quo in Dean's mind. Who can argue with such logic?

PEER Review

2005-11-09T16:21:00.000-05:00

This blog received a great boost from PEER Review. It's a weblog that features opinions on Politics, Education, Entertainment, Religion and other entertaining subjects.

I will feature the best posts from this blog weekly on PEER Review.

For the one or two (if I'm lucky) people who may have stumbled across this blog somehow during its first week of operation, visit Mr. C.'s PEER Review for good humor and insight on many topics.

Mary Mapes: The River Queen of De-nial

2005-11-09T10:39:00.000-05:00

She’s at it again. Where do we start with Mary Mapes? Remember her? She’s the “journalist,” term used very loosely, who produced the discredited “60 Minutes II” report which tried to derail GW’s reelection by casting doubts on his military record and reputation.

At the heart of the report were documents supposedly created on a 1970 typewriter, which amazingly had fonts that could only be created on a modern word processor with Microsoft Word. After an internal CBS News investigation on the report, Mapes was forced to resign. Her flawed report, a.k.a. political hitpiece, also caused the early retirement of anchor Dan Rather (thank you Mary, did I ever tell you thank you for that?).

Mapes, the poster-person for everything that is wrong with the “Old Media,” (apologies to Secretary of Defense Donald Rumsfeld) is claiming that she did not commit any “bad journalism,” according to an ABC News interview.

She tells [ABC News reporter Brian] Ross that she had no journalistic obligation to prove the authenticity of the documents before including them in the "60 Minutes II" report. "I don't think that's the standard," she said.

What? Isn’t that Journalism 101 – to verify the veracity of any documents or sources before you go to the public with accusations, especially the type that could bring down a presidency? If this is the journalistic standard held by all news producers, then the American people should not be watching TV news, oh wait, their ratings have been plummeting the last decade, so she must just be confirming what the people already know.

If every profession was held to her “standard,” again a term used loosely in regards to Mapes, bridges would be crumbling and airplanes would be falling out of the sky.

“Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen. This is your Captain speaking. We will be traveling at an altitude of 35,000 feet today, although, I have no professional obligation to prove the authenticity of my flight plans. I have no duty to ensure this airplane is properly maintained. I also have no responsibility to assure you we will try to avoid any mid-air crashes. I don’t think that’s the standard. So, just sit back and enjoy your flight.”

Mapes also criticizes other reporters for spending too much time on her story and other flawed journalism.

She's right, the media should just ignore when stories meant to bring down a presidency are based on flat out lies (eyes rolling). Wow, anyone in need of a news director should look this woman up. Oh, by the way, she wrote a whole book on the subject.

Mapes says one of her few regrets in handling the story was her phone call to a member of Sen. John Kerry's presidential campaign staff prior to the broadcast. "I wish to God I hadn't done it, because I think it was so wildly misinterpreted." She says she made the call only as a way to gain favor with the source who provided her with the documents.

Mapes rejects suggestions she had political motives. "I did not have it in for George Bush," she said.

She had access to the highest levels of the Kerry campaign and wanted to show-off to the source of the fake documents about it. She then contends she didn’t have “it in” for GW. Mary is from Venus and Mapes is from Mars.

Mapes says she is continuing to investigate the source of the controversial documents whose authenticity was seriously questioned by the CBS panel.

She could wind up conducting her investigation on the same golf courses that O.J. Simpson is continuing his search for his wife’s killers. Maybe she could enlist the help of Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald who is conducting the non-crime, non-leak investigation to find out more about her source. Problem is both of these other investigations are proving pointless.

Better yet, she should just stick to her “standard” and forget about trying to figure out what the rest of America knows: the documents were fakes created to try and knock a president out of office.

ABC News also posted an excerpt from her book, "Truth and Duty: The Press, the President, and the Privilege of Power." She’s apparently a fan of alliteration.

Did I Miss Something? Was a Crime Committed Here?

2005-11-04T11:07:00.000-05:00

I. Lewis "Scooter" Libby, Vice President Cheney's former chief of staff, was indicted last week by Special Counsel Patrick Fitzgerald as everyone in the solar system knows. (Oh did you know that the Iraq Constitution was approved after ten days of vote counting? Oh yeah, that's not big news I guess to the American mainstream media). Yet, as thoughtful analysis of the Libby indictment actually seeps into the press, the indictment begs a really big question: What crime was committed again?

The entire investigation began with trying to figure out who leaked the name of Joe Wilson's wife, a CIA-operative-turned-desk-jockey-for-the-last-five-years to columnist Robert Novak (I certainly don't want to mention her name for fear of being indicted for not committing a crime). Yet, the Libby indictment, which doesn't even mention Novak, has absolutely nothing to do with the actual leak, which, did I mention, is what started the investigation in the first place.

Legal experts are beginning to agree that no crime was committed with the supposed "leak." USA Today reports that people are really beginning to wonder what happened in the leak case.

Novak's absence from the case, says attorney Steven Reich, supports the assumption that Fitzgerald decided the leak itself wasn't a crime. Reich was a senior associate counsel in the Clinton White House...

...No one who leaked CIA officer Valerie Plame's name has been charged with a crime for doing so and Fitzgerald has said his investigation is nearly over...

...Reich says, "it seems that what happened with Mr. Novak is essentially beside the point," because no crime was likely committed by the person who told Novak about Plame...

...But attorneys and former prosecutors draw this conclusion about Novak's "original" source: It almost surely was not Libby....

...In the indictment, Fitzgerald details conversations Libby had about Plame with Time's Cooper and with Judith Miller of The New York Times. He mentions no conversations between Libby and Novak...

...Other clues...lead to the conclusion that Libby was not a source for Novak on the Plame leak come from outside Fitzgerald's investigation...

...A mystery source - who wasn't Libby...

So, not only is Libby not the Novak source, but no crime was committed by the source.

It seems, then, Libby is accused of allegedly lying to investigators about his non-role in a non-crime, the non-crime being what started the investigation.

Okay, I think I got it. And this overshadowed the approval of the Iraq Constitution?

Name That Country!

2005-11-04T11:05:00.000-05:00

See if you can figure out which country this snippet from an AP article is describing:

Car torchings are a daily fact of life in ***'s tough suburbs, with thousands burned each month, police say. Police intelligence has recorded nearly 70,000 incidents of urban violence this year, including attacks on police and rescue services, arson, throwing projectiles, clashes between gangs, joy-riding and property destruction, *** reported.

Daily car torchings? 70,000 incidents of violence this year and there are still 2 months to go?

What country could this possibly be?

Iraq? Afghanistan? Iran? South Korea? Russia? Pakistan? Turkey? Sudan? Kenya?

No. The country's name that I marked out is none other than so-called civilized France. Sounds like they are barely out of the Dark Ages with this type of violence. The recent spate of riots they have been enduring in Paris are apparently ongoing, but on a much smaller scale, every day. Although, I should revise that statement because 7,000 violent incidents a month is a little more than small scale.

Just remember this article the next time you hear French President Jaques Chirac or some other French dude get on their sanctimonious soap box about the U.S. or our handling of the war on terror. Chirac better tend to the wart on his nose before he criticizes the U.S. again.

Also think of this article when someone from the wacko-left thinks America should be more like Europe. These riots, according to reports, are a result of Muslims feeling harassed by police and by the intolerance of the native French population. I'm gonna place a safe bet that Americans are a little more tolerant of cultural differences than any European population.

Mr. Steele, Got Milk?

2005-11-02T16:29:00.000-05:00

The first African-American to win a statewide election in democrat dominated Maryland is a democrat, right? Because they are the party of black issues, black voters, and black politicians, right?

Wrong. The first black elected to a statewide office in Maryland is republican Lt. Gov. Michael S. Steele who is now running for the U.S. Senate seat soon to be vacated by Senator Paul Sarbanes, a democrat.

So, how do liberal black leaders respond when Mr. Steele is pelted with Oreos during a campaign appearance? Well, they don’t condemn the Oreo tossing, which is a reference to a racial epithet accusing Mr. Steele of being "black" on the outside and "white" on the inside, rather they say he deserved it, as the Washington Times reports.

Such attacks against the first black man to win a statewide election in Maryland include pelting him with Oreo cookies during a campaign appearance, calling him an "Uncle Tom" and depicting him as a black-faced minstrel on a liberal Web log.

Operatives for the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee (DSCC) also [illegally] obtained a copy of his credit report -- the only Republican candidate so targeted.

But black Democrats say there is nothing wrong with "pointing out the obvious."

"There is a difference between pointing out the obvious and calling someone names," said a campaign spokesman for Kweisi Mfume, a Democratic candidate for U.S. Senate and former president of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People.

Oh…thumping Mr. Steele with Oreos is just “pointing out the obvious.” Would throwing blue dresses at former prez Clinton be "pointing out the obvious?" Maybe too obvious in that case.

None of the black leaders interviewed for the article said the Oreo pelting was racist. Democrat Maryland State Delegate Salima Siler Marriott, a black democrat, set the bar for racism when she said the only thing that would be racist toward Mr. Steele was if they used the “N” word to describe him.

But I thought rappers used that word all day long? Oh well, not enough space to get into all the hypocrisy of the modern so-called civil rights leaders.

Hooray, Mr. Steele, for maintaining your composure. Good luck in the election. I'm gonna go buy a box of Double Stuffs right now!

Smoking Rats and Singing Mice

2005-11-01T16:22:00.000-05:00

Fed Boosts Key Interest Rate to 4 Percent
But I want the hole house, not just the key.

Home inspectors bring news to New Orleans residents
Taking jobs from local 10 year olds, huh?

Gabrielle Union and Husband Split
Second biggest Union separation this year since the SEIU and AFL-CIO division.

Study: Mice Sing in the Presence of Mates
So they only sing in Australia?

Good news for rats who smoke..
Did they hear it from the New Orleans home inspectors?

Smoking rats and singing mice - that's enough for today.

"Peace Mom" Cindy Sheehan Quotes 'Revenge of the Sith'

2005-11-01T15:06:00.000-05:00

Cindy Sheehan ripped a quote straight from George Lucas' 'Star Wars III: Revenge of the Sith' in a speech to fellow anti-war-nics. The Village Voice reports that Sheehan challenged Senator Hillary Clinton to join her efforts in opposing the Iraq war.

She...offered up a challenge, urging activists to withhold their support for the popular senator [Clinton] unless she comes around. "It's time to tell your elected officials, 'If you're not with us, you're against us,' " Sheehan said, "and if you're against us, we'll vote you out of office."

This quote from "peace mom" is eerily similar to what Anakin Skywalker said to his mentor Obi Wan Kenobi as he was transforming into Darth Vader in 'Sith.' As the two characters were fighting over the soul of the Republic, the soon to be Vader says, "If you're not with me, then you're my enemy."

This unbending ultimatum from Sheehan to Clinton is so over the top and shows the lengths to which the anti-war crowd will go to advance their agenda!

But wait. It's a line so nice it's used more than twice!

GW used nearly the very same words when he was rallying the world to defeat the scourge of terrorism after September 11, 2001. "Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists," GW said only to be excoriated by the world press and anti-war left for being too jingoistic and militaristic.

You'll remember, the anti-war-nics and Lucas himself said the Vader quote was a reflection of what they saw was Bush's stubbornness and rigid focus on war.

So, in the minds of the anti-war-nics this “with us or against us” way of thinking is fine when challenging a U.S. Senator or when creating the Galactic Empire, but not when the U.S. President is trying to bring the fight to the terrorists.

This very same Village Voice article calls for "peace mom" to run as a candidate for the presidency (huh?) in 2008 against Hillary Clinton. Excuse me while I clear the tears from my eyes from laughing so hard.

Bush Won't Be "Gettin' Any" Anytime Soon

2005-11-01T11:30:00.000-05:00

Looks like Barney, the Bush family dog, will have a presidential roommate for a few nights, as GW joins him in the dog house.

It's clear that Laura Bush had an influence on GW's pick of Harriet Miers to fill Justice O'Connor's vacancy when she defended the Miers pick against what she claimed was sexism. We heard a similar concern raised by O'Connor when Chief Justice Roberts was initially chosen to fill her seat - she had hoped a woman would be selected.

Now, with the selection of U.S. Court of Appeals Judge Samuel A. Alito Jr. to the Supreme Court instead of a woman it appears, as the Washington Post reports, that Laura has been snubbed by her hubby.

...despite pleas from O'Connor and Laura Bush, [President Bush] decided against putting forth a second woman after Miers failed.

Yeah, George won't be getting any loving for a while.

PREDICTION: Insurgent attacks will now level off or decrease

2005-10-31T16:02:00.000-05:00

Now that the media-hyped number of 2,000 American military deaths (God rest their souls) in Iraq has come and passed, the insurgent activity will begin to fall back to the low levels last seen before the rise that occurred during October.

Why?

Because this arbitrary and more-symbolism-than-substance number of 2,000 was so trumpeted by the American mainstream media as some kind of milestone in the weeks leading to the occurrence, the insurgents couldn't help but use it as a rallying point for their cause.

We know they are watching our news outlets (see al-Zawahiri letter to leaders of the Iraqi insurgency), and they used the maintream media faux milestone as a goal to achieve.

So, if you're an insurgent, wouldn't you have wanted to be the one to get the infidels over the 2,000 casualty mark and possibly strike at the morale of the American people and affect a withdrawal? By the way the media was sounding, that's all it was going to take for the American people to turn completely against the war effort.

Now that the insurgents have reached their American media manufactured milestone, their activity will taper off, and their morale will take a hit as they see the American people are not as easily swayed by symbolism as the media.

Final thought: This number was highlighted by those with an anti-war agenda and not those truly concerned for the situation in Iraq. Those truly concerned about the war effort don't ascribe death number 2000 any more importance or significance than death number 1 - they are all a tragedy.

They'd Earn a Purple Heart in Kerry's Army

2005-10-31T12:25:00.000-05:00

Although very brave for fighting to maintain freedom in their central asian country, the Christian Science Monitor reports that soldiers in the Afghan National Army are prone to shooting themselves in the foot.

But the ANA still have a disconcerting habit of shooting themselves with their own weapons. "The problem is muzzle discipline," says 2nd Lieut. Ben Wisnioski, a commander of an ANA unit based in Qalat. In the week before the elections, Lieutenant Wisnioski lost three ANA soldiers to self-inflicted wounds.

As we learned in the last presidential campaign, one of democrat presidential candidate John Kerry's Purple Hearts may have been the result of a self-inflicted wound. If the ANA, or anyone for that matter, had access to the requested-but-never-turned-over Kerry service records then the wounded soldiers could see how to write up their citation for an award.

Let's check back in a few years to see if any of these soldiers oppose current Afghanistan President Hamid Karzai in their next election.