Cut and Run Debate

The Senate Democrats are a bunch of spineless idiots. I've listened to about three hours of the Iraq war"debate" on the floor of the Senate. The only conclusion I can come to is that the safety of this nation best be left in the hands of the Republican Party. Period.

John (I'm a loser) Kerry spent much of an hour trying to convince some one that we need to involve the world of public opinion to prosecute this war. He thinks we also need to set a date or timeline for troop withdrawal. Nothing would give the insurgents/terrorist more pleasure than to take a "training sabbatical" from killing and wait for that "date" when our troops are gone.

Ten million Iraqis go to the polls, form a new government, just finished completing the last two critical cabinet positions, are just getting up to speed and troops levels to join in the fight for their liberty, and you have the likes of Murtha and Kerry wanting to abandon them for purely political purposes.

Tony Snow on staying the course: "The president understands people's impatience -- not impatience but how a war can wear on a nation. He understands that. If somebody had taken a poll in the Battle of the Bulge, I dare say people would have said, 'Wow, my goodness, what are we doing here?' But you cannot conduct a war based on polls.

"Here's the funny thing. They were doing polls during WWII, and it turns out the public was pretty darned supportive of FDR and the war--about 70% approval, in fact. Go figure."http://dailykos.com/

Go figure this lostkos kids. If this country had the full support for prosecuting this war from a majority of the left and the right, instead of using their hatred for Bush, and if our elected officials in the democratic party ever decide not to put politics ahead of the safety of this nation, our troops may have been home last Christmas. But what do we expect from spineless idiots?

Legacys and Legends

Dana at CSPT reminded me of some of the best westerns we've seen in our days.

Paladin's Calling Card - The business card of Paladin (Richard Boone), a former Army officer turned professional gun for hire on the western adventure HAVE GUN WILL TRAVEL/CBS/1957-63 contained the message: "Have Gun Will Travel. Wire Paladin, San Francisco." The card was adorned with a small white chess piece (knight). Paladin's normal routine was to look for clients by perusing the various newspapers to which he subscribed. When he read a story about someone with a potential need for his services, he sent them his card, along with a clipping of the story. Paladin's standard fee was 1000 dollars. His headquarters was the posh Hotel Carlton in downtown San Francisco.

THEME SONG LYRICS

Have Gun Will Travel reads the card of a man. A knight without armor in a savage land.

His fast gun for hire head's the calling wind. A soldier of fortune is the man called Paladin.

Paladin, Paladin Where do you roam? Paladin, Paladin, Far, far from home.

Those were the days my friend......we thought they'd never end...........those were the days......

EXIT STRATEGY----STAGE LEFT

The writing is on the wall, and the left are there too. Does it seem every time positive things happen in Iraq, (Z-man eliminated, Iraqi Government completed, Iraqi troop levels increasing) the democrats start screaming "exit strategy", like clockwork.

The domocratic party desperately needs to get some credit for US troop levels that may get reduced before November because of the positive things that are happening in Iraq. It's not going to work.They just can't shake the "soft on national security" or for that matter "soft on world security" label.

Flip-floppin' Kerry now says he was wrong to vote for the regime change in Iraq. We can now assume that had Mr. Kerry won the presidency in 04, he most likely would have bowed to the party and bailed on the Iraqi people, leaving the likes of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi in power and an intire country nothing but a terrorist haven for future attacks on our homeland.

Even old "country Joe Wilson" can't help but bash the this administation by claiming we should negotiate with the terrorist:

Washington, D.C. (CNSNews.com) - Former U.S. Ambassador Joseph Wilson, whose wife was at the center of a CIA leak case that led to the indictment of Vice President Cheney's top aide, argued Wednesday that the U.S. needs to bring Iraqi insurgents and their "foreign patrons" to the conference table for negotiations. (CNSNEWS)

And then here's another flip-flopper Wilson and his cronies declared at their "take back america" conference:

Several organizations passed around informal pledges asking conference attendees to promise not to vote for a candidate in the 2006 election who does not support an immediate withdrawal of troops from Iraq. But Wilson implied that for political reasons, he does not support an immediate withdrawal. "Talk of a strategic withdrawal is the wrong discussion to have at this time," he said. "We're in there; people are dying." (CNSNEWS)

So, there you have it. Politics as usual is the driving force behind the democratic party. They could give a rats-ass if a new free democratic nation may get the opportunity to become stable.

Just bring them troops home now so we can cut the defense buget and raise your taxes.

Oh, and they need to be in power to start their impeachment hearings.

This is our strategy? I don't think so. "Take Back America"? We have never lost it. Unless your a democrat.

Gitmo Overblown

The continuing saga of the state of the enemy combatants at Gitmo seems to roll with the ebb of the news cycle. When the MSM can't find (or look for) worthy news, they bring out a "new" accusation of mistreatment.

Ed Morrissey at Captains Quarters, (while mending a ruptured back), posted a story about an Afghan delegation that spent over a week at Gitmo and found little to complain about:

A delegation from Afghanistan spent ten days at the US detention center in Guantanamo Bay and pronounced conditions at the facility humane

Ed puts the recent suicide of three detainees in perspective:

"This is no different than at any other American prison; suicide rates in prisons are three times higher than among the general population, and ten times higher in pre-trial detention facilities. We do not shut down our jails and prisons because inmates in either place sometimes commit suicide, and that should not be a determinative factor in Giitmo's status either."

I added (in the comment section) that perhaps the three who took their lives wanted to join the Z-man (Abu Musab al Zarqawi ) in la la land, and suggested that they all get put on suicide watch when OBL assumes room temperature.

The idea of closing Gitmo is insane (at this time), and a reporter just now ask President Bush at a WH news conference the same idiot question. Holding her pen and pad, she is writing nothing during Bush's response. (Like she was going to change her feeble mind) The MSM marches on in their quest to put the left back in power with no regard for the safety and security of this nation. Sad

President Bush in Iraq

Breaking News

According to Fox News, President Bush is in Iraq

Bush is expected to stay in Iraq for five hours only, where security precautions are tightly executed in a precarious venue. Even the president's arrival was cautiously orchestrated. Air Force One landed at a semi-deserted airstrip a good distance away from the main terminal in Baghdad. Bush and his crew then boarded a convoy of Nighthawk passenger helicopters to take them about seven minutes to the center of the city.

Everyone on the helicopters was in body armor except for the White House aides, who wore business suits but no armor. Bartlett had earlier said the president would not wear body armor. In the Green Zone, a line of Suburbans and other SUVs waited for the short drive to the Republican Palace, a 1950's-era building which is now part of the U.S. Embassy compound.

It was also reported that there was a bus-load of Reporters heading to Camp David for a press conference at the same time GW was landing in Bagdad. One can only wonder if the bus turned around or how many got off the bus.

With the President in Iraq to welcome the new government completed, Z-Man expired, and Karl Rove not indited, (positive outcomes all), the mood of Republican Party has to be uplifting.

Update: Vile postings at Huffington and DU (links intentionally not provided) One poster shamefully suggusted that the President catch and IED on the trip. I'll save these for November.

Z-Man Lived for an Hour

Al Qaeda leader in Iraq Abu Musab al Zarqawi lived for almost an hour after the first U.S. bomb struck his "safehouse".

From AP :
Maj. Gen. William Caldwell, a spokesman for the U.S. military in Baghdad, said U.S. forces arrived about 28 minutes after a fighter jet bombed al-Zarqawi's hideout outside Baqouba on Wednesday. Medics secured al-Zarqawi's airway but his breathing was shallow and labored, and he expelled blood from his mouth.

"It was very evident he had extremely massive internal injuries," Caldwell said.

Al-Zarqawi died 24 minutes after coalition forces arrived, he said.

Jones said the autopsy conducted Saturday showed that al-Zarqawi died from injuries to his lungs.

"Blast waves from the two bombs caused tearing, bruising of the lungs and bleeding," he said. "There was no evidence of firearm injuries."

The al-Qaida in Iraq leader also suffered head and facial wounds, bleeding in his ears and a fracture of his lower right leg.

Caldwell said an F-16 dropped a 500-pound bomb on the house at 6:12 p.m. A second bomb followed immediately after.

U.S. troops arrived at 6:40 p.m. and found Iraqi police at the site. He said a coalition medic treated al-Zarqawi, who lapsed in and out of consciousness.

"At 7:04 p.m. on 7 June, Zarqawi was dead," Caldwell said.

From the New York Times:

BAGHDAD, Iraq, June 12 — An autopsy conducted on the body of Abu Musab al-Zarqawi has revealed that he died of blast injuries from the bombs, with the damage to his lungs so severe that he could not survive them, according to medical examiners and American military officials. There was no evidence of beating or injuries from firearms, they said.

In a news briefing intended to counter what military officials described as "propaganda and misinformation," the officials also emphasized that medics tried to give Mr. Zarqawi treatment when they first arrived on the scene, but that his lungs were full of blood.

The MSM just can't find a way to "spin" this story, (yet). Stay tuned.

Abu Musab al-Zarqawi Killed in Bombing Raid

BAGHDAD, Iraq — Abu Musab al-Zarqawi, the Al Qaeda in Iraq leader who led a brutal insurgency that included homicide bombings, kidnappings and beheadings, was killed in an airstrike on a building north of Baghdad, U.S. and Iraqi officials announced Thursday.

Captain's Quarters has a full recap and updates

Best blog headline: "The Meeting Ended Early"

Michelle Malkin has a full plate of pics and post

All great news for our fighting troops and the war on terrorism.

Maybe I should write more satires like this one a few days ago.

Death and Taxes

Dana over at Common Sense Political Thought has an excellent post on the current status of the tax structure here in the U.S.

"It seems to me that one of the bigger problems conservatives face is that they have lost control of the language."

Please read the complete story

My notepad some how got messed up or (most likley) I didn't do the right format, and my comment got spread out like locust across a wheat field. In the interest of saving face, I am posting my comment here. Please read Dana's full post first. It's a good one!

Careful Dana..........even moderate Democrats like to keep their money in their own pockets. But the mindset is (by Dems standards) that it is the responsibility of the government to care for the needs of those who have chosen to rely on the programs and entitlements that have been created in the past 40 years. A whole portion or our society has been sucked into this dependency. Half the power of the democratic party has relied on this formula for getting elected and for the most part been in control of the money.

Fortunatly, a prosprous nation (lately) has more people (on the left and the right) asking the same question. Why should we give our hard earn dollars to those who refuse to work (at least) as hard as I do, and be given a free ride. The democratic party has preyed on these people for generations to keep them in power in the name of compassion. To that I say "bullshit" and "enough".

Why should a portion of our society get up in the morning and go to work when under our current set of programs that created this dependency allows some to sit home and recieve a check from our government?

Don't get me wrong here. There are always circumstances beyond our control (Katrina, unexpected injury or unforseen circumstances where, as a compassionate society we need to help. I'm all for that.

But punishing those who have worked all of their lives to get ahead and provide comfort for themselves, only to have a system that says "you didn't earn this, or you need to give a major portion of your wealth to those who choose not to help themselves is pure and simple communism.

Re-distrubution of wealth and the power to control it has always been the heart of the democratic party.

And "greedy" conservatives know it. Moderate Democrats too.

Billy Preston..........RIP

'Fifth Beatle' Billy Preston Dies at 59

Tuesday, June 06, 2006 By Roger Friedman

The great singer-songwriter and performer Billy Preston, the real "Fifth Beatle," has died after a long illness as a result of malignant hypertension that resulted in kidney failure and other complications.

Complete Story

I had the privilege of seeing Billy Preston last year at the Monterey Bay Blues Festival. He was a class act.

More at Billys site

Get Out and Vote

Iraq War Ending Soon

Breaking News! The War in Iraq is ending. Insurgents are calling it quits.

Beaten down by coalition forces (primarily US and British forces) and world public opinion, Al Qaeda's Abu Musab al-Zarqawi and most of the major insurgents are surrendering their arms and calling for a truce.

Sources say the unexpected turn-around has been attributed to the formally spineless left wing of the democratic party in the United States, who's admitted agenda has been their hatred for President Bush and the total lack of support for the men and women who have fought this war against terrorism in the middle east. That has changed.

Sources say that the change of heart/mind originated from the relationship of both partys of congress last month when Nancy Pelosi and Dennis Hassert were caught holding hands on an issue. It can now be said that the "Jefferson Bribe" has led to the full support of our armed forces on the war on terrorism. The sudden change and full support led to the sane leaders of the world to put the shameful and indiscriminate murder of innocent women and children by suicidal/homicidal terrorist in prespective.

Sources also said that movie director Micheal Moore said the outright filming of actual body parts of men,women, and children torn apart by the senseless and indiscriminate bombings contributed to the world opinion that the terrorist had no ground to stand on. Moore said the relationship between Hassert and Pelosi moved him so much, he put aside his outright hatred for George Bush and decided to film the carnage.

Other sources say that the decision of the San Francisco Board of Supervisors to give their unanimous support to the war on terrorism, (and to approve putting President Bush's bust on Mt. Rushmore), also contributed to the change of world opinion.

My sources also say that the letter/email sent by Markos (of the DailyKos)to Vice President Richard Cheney that he could not stand by and let one more of our military people be murdered by the Islamofascist killers of the innocent, he was willing to set aside his personal feelings for our leadership and give his full support to the war against Al Qaeda , Osama bin Laden , al-Zarqawi, et al.

The left wing of the blogosphere followed Marko's lead and contributed to the downfall of the insurgents.

All of this because two people decided to hold hands on an issue they felt was more important than their party affiliation. And that issue led to further talks about how to end the war on terrorism.

History may not be so kind to the "incident" called "Jefferson-Gate". But good things do come out of tragedies. To think a tiny nation in Africa (that needed to "nud$e" a congressman) that led to a temporary stability and sane awakening in the world is just beyond comprehension.

Now we can bring our troops home with pride.

God Bless America

In other news, oil prices dropped to a five year low, hitting $32.50/barrel as OPEC decided their days were also numbered. With full congessional support for a ten year plan to end dependency on petroleum products, most of the oil producing nations have decided to produce as much of the product as possible before they begin capping their wells. Venezuela and Iran hardest hit by the down-turn.

Bin Laden has assumed room temperature.

Do I really have to call this a satire?

Rovin

Friday Wrap-up "As the World Turns"

Illegals' tax deal could kill bill By Charles Hurt THE WASHINGTON TIMES June 2, 2006
The long-fought Senate immigration bill that opponents say grants amnesty to 10 million illegal aliens is unconstitutional and appears headed for certain demise, Senate Republicans now say. A key feature of the Senate bill is that it would make illegals pay back taxes before applying for citizenship, a requirement that supporters say will raise billions of dollars in the next decade. There's just one problem: The U.S. Constitution specifically prohibits revenue-raising legislation from originating in the Senate.


Rose Garden event President Bush will promote a constitutional amendment against homosexual "marriage" at a Rose Garden event Monday, the eve of a scheduled Senate vote on the issue. The amendment would define marriage as the union of a man and a woman and bar states from recognizing same-sex "marriages." To become law, the proposal would need two-thirds support in the Senate and House, and ratification by at least 38 state legislatures. It stands little chance of passing the 100-member Senate, where proponents are struggling to get even 50 votes, the Associated Press reports. Several Republicans oppose the measure, and only one Democrat — Sen. Ben Nelson of Nebraska — says he will vote for it.

So, only one democrat in the Senate believes that marriage should be between one man and one women?

Black Pastors support marriage bill:"The civil rights movement reached deeply into our nation's soul, where society had to think hard about clarifying the principles of our corporate social conduct. The homosexual rights movement turns the civil rights movement on its head. Dr. King appealed to religious truths to make his point: homosexual activists are attempting to re-write these truths," said Parker, also a nationally syndicated columnist.

Introduced by Sen. Wayne Allard (R-Colo.), S.J. Res.1 (Marriage Protection Amendment) is scheduled to be debated the first week in June in the Senate, followed by a complimenting bill in the House being introduced and debated the next month.

"We want America to know that as black leaders we are standing on our faith and not with a political party," exclaimed Owens. According to Owens, despite a historic association with the Democratic Party, the black community has always been conservative about family values.
The visit to Washington by both Republican and Democrat black pastors will underscore the fact that righteousness and justice should be more important to black Americans than party affiliation.

"Throughout America, the institution of marriage is suffering. As a leader in our nation's religious community, I cannot sit idly by," said Jackson, a registered Democrat. "The faith community cannot play it safe anymore. We must act. Black Christian leaders need to understand that they have a voice."

It's the Economy Stupid

WASHINGTON, June 2 /U.S. Newswire/ -- House Speaker Dennis Hastert (R-Ill.) released the following statement in response to the report by the U.S. Department of Labor report on Friday showing that the U.S economy continued to strengthen with the unemployment rate falling to 4.6 percent, lower than the averages of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s:

"The American economy continues to create jobs that are putting paychecks in the pockets of American workers. We have seen strong job growth recently, with the U.S. economy creating more than 2 million jobs in the last year. Furthermore, the U.S. economy has created more jobs in the last two and a half years than Japan and the European Union combined. More Americans are working today than ever before, and it's because Republican policies are fueling solid economic growth. Productivity is up. Consumer confidence is high. Democrats want to raise taxes and stifle this economic growth. Fortunately, Republicans recently passed and the President signed into law a bill preventing tax increases that would cool down our economy."
-----
Note: The Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) reported today that 75,000 jobs were created in May. Payroll employment has increased since August 2003, adding nearly 5 million jobs. More than 2 million jobs have been created in the last year. Unemployment, which now stands at 4.6 percent, is lower than the average of the 1970s, 1980s and 1990s.

Rumors about Bill Clinton Grab a hammer Will the fascination surrounding Bill Clinton's personal affairs ever end? Even the nation's 42nd president probably wishes, at times, that his retirement was more along the ho-hum lines of Gerald Ford's and Jimmy Carter's. As it is, while attention focuses on whether Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton, New York Democrat, will enter the 2008 presidential sweepstakes, her globe-trotting husband is now being romantically linked to Canadian politician Belinda Stronach, to whom some refer as "Bubba's Blonde." It's gotten to the point that BetUS.com is posting odds on the rumored — we repeat, rumored — affair, with wagers "flooding the Web site to put their money down," the site insists.

Personal note to my "distant cousin" You are here-by released from ever leaving a "detailed" message on my voice mail. :)

Have a great weekend...............Rovin

The Democrats Agenda?

Ed, at CQ is asking the question........ "What are they hiding"

Well, MoveOn is going to do some "defining":

MoveOn.org is asking its members to vote on the following ten options, which it described as the most popular ideas from last week's house parties:

A living wage for all.....redistribution of wealth/ communism

Global leadership through diplomacy.......pre 9/11 mentality

Verifiable, accurate elections......they are called "voting machines" and they have already been invented, but the Dems can't seem to get to one.

High quality education for all.......raising taxes (and throw out those pesky exit exams)

Balanced federal budget...............raising taxes (where's the "cut spending"?)

Health care for all.........................raising taxes

Publicly funded elections..........sure, let the public pay for every idiot that wants raise your taxes.

Preserve our natural resources.......don't drill in my backyard 'till I'm gone.

Energy independence: clean, renewable sources......the left has prevented the nuclear reactors, (or a new refinery) from being built for the past thirty years.

Restored constitutional rights.......by all means, let's let the terrorist make "toll free" calls.


This is a recipe for economic disaster. Most of these wonderful ideas are achievable only on the backs of the working class. They plan to take more of your hard earned dollars to pay for most of these programs, but the left will disguise it as taxing the rich to pay for it.

Capitalism vs.Communism/Socialism.

MoveOn.org said it wants every voter to understand "what progressives will do for our country -- and 3 big ideas is about as many as most of us can easily remember at one time." (Isn't this precious?)

And they continue to wonder why they lose elections.

Memorial Realities

Capt B, from One Marines View chronicles the reality of the war against the insane islamofacist
with a gut-wrenching story. Caution, this is sobering and numbing writing that should put our daily petty problems in perspective.

Please take the time to read it all.

Shaving Cream in the Face

SAN FRANCISCO -- There's nothing like a shaving-cream pie in the face to make a guy feel like part of a team.Giants rookie first baseman Travis Ishikawa took it in good spirits as fellow freshman Kevin Frandsen and catcher Todd Greene mashed the pie in the kisser during a postgame TV interview Friday night, for he knew it was more than rookie hazing.

It meant he did something good.

The 22-year-old Ishikawa was called up Thursday to replace injured starter Lance Niekro and was surprised to find himself in the starting lineup, but he celebrated by going 3-for-4 with two doubles and three RBIs in San Francisco's 9-0 rout of Colorado at AT&T Park. Full recap here and Giants five run 5th here.

Down 50 cents.....but

The Giants fizzled in the final two games with the Cards. That puts me at -50, and morally defeated. I always seem to not get enough strokes or runs when it comes to betting with my dear cousin.

Now I will admit that the Cards do seem to be the team to beat if you want to measure up to a play-off or series contender. The Giants are currently in last place in the NL west, yet they are only 3-1/2 games out of first. The pitching may be suspect lately, but considering the quality of offenses (A's and Cards) maybe it's not that bad. The season's still early.

Next up.......... three with the Rockies.

One in the Books

The Giants ripped the Cards tonight and I'm 50 cents ahead of the professer........the scores nine to one in ninth, so you do the math.

Final Score: 9-2

Bonds ties Ruth with homer No. 714

Saturday's homer was Bonds' sixth of the season, and also tied him with Ruth as the top left-handed home run hitter in MLB history. The solo shot came on a 1-1 pitch as he led off the second inning against Oakland's Brad Halsey, with Bonds taking the left-hander deep into the right-field bleachers.

Halsey, facing Bonds for the first time, said he knew the pitch was "bad news" as soon as it left his hand. "It was a fastball over the middle of the plate and he punished me for it," Halsey said.

Now I've watched Mays and McCovey hit their share of HR's and that was a treat (to say the least) growing up in Sac. I was at Pac Bell the night Bell slid face first into home plate to win the NL and put us in the series. This is just another part of Giants history.........and I'm proud to be a part of it.

10-1 ~ 14-3 ~ 10-1

These are the scores of the three game series against Houston. Three games, thirty plus runs are impressive numbers in any league, but the Giants have found something fun to do again, and that's win baseball games.........
.........Convincingly.

Right-hander Matt Morris, who had two hits himself, threw eight innings to improve to 3-4. He retired 14 in a row beginning with one out in the third before Adam Everett reached on an error to start the eighth. Morris allowed only three hits, none after the third inning.

Even with Bonds sittin this one out, the Gaints have seemed to find a groove. The runs just kept coming and often.


Maybe that comeback against the Dodgers last week had a delayed reaction. San Diego had a similar ninth inning comeback against the Dodgers a few weeks ago and went on a 12 game winning streak.

The Giants are now 7-3 in the last ten and, (as they say) "a good offense can make mediocre pitching look good". The series starts with the A's across the bay for three and then St. Louis comes into town for three more, then the Rockies for three the following weekend. If the Giants stay at or above .500 against these teams things may get much brighter this season.

Pedro Feliz has had a little more than production against Houston this season hitting a home run each of the past three nites.

That Barry's been silent and still stuck on 713 seems not so relevant for real Giants fans.

Winning games does.

Working on a Sand and Finish

Blogging will be "light" for the next few days as the physical labor kicks in.

It's a fifty year old oak floor that will be "a work of art" when I git done.

Bonds nails # 713

A 450 foot shot put Barry Bonds within one of the Babe.

ROAD TRIP..............

I will be up in Washington for the next three weeks helping my good Friends Don & Vi remodel one of their many homes.

Blogging will be EXTREAMLY light.

God Bless All...........

Kenny

No "DeLay" Here

One day after announcing his departure from the front lines of the Republican party, Tom DeLay took his first (of most likely many) shot at his adversaries and the Democratic Party.

"My liberal Democratic opponent has been raising money all over the nation," with help from liberal Democrats such as Barbra Streisand, George Soros, and Nancy Pelosi, DeLay said.
"His (Lampson's) money will dry up. This is probably the worst day of his campaign because he knows that any Republican that replaces me on the ballot will win this seat."

It will be fun to see how the Dems scramble to spin this one. And I'm going to enjoy the thought of hearing DeLay working for the party from the outside with the "baggage" discarded. DeLays comment on the state of the Democratic Party sums up much of the sentiment of the Republicans and many independents and moderates.

DeLay said the Democrat Party has no agenda, no solutions -- "all they've got is the strategy of personal destruction and character assassination; and it hasn't worked in the past, it's not going to work in the future. They are a permanent minority party."

As a fitting parting shot in the interview with Fox News, DeLay took the opportunity to "take a wack" at Ronnie Earl with the gloves off:

DeLay again accused Travis County District Attorney Ronnie Earle of abusing the Texas judicial system by bringing "frivolous" charges against him. DeLay admitted that Earle may have "won the battle" now that DeLay has decided to resign from Congress. "But in the end, we will beat him -- he will once again...be embarrassed and he will embarrass Travis County and he will embarrass the Texas Democrat Party.

(via CNS News)

Dafydd at Big Ligards has more on DeLay

Unexpected Prayer

Thought you might enjoy this interesting prayer given in Kansas at the opening session of their Senate. It seems prayer still upsets some people. When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities, but this is what they heard:

"Heavenly Father, we come before you today to ask your forgiveness and to seek your direction and guidance. We know Your Word says, 'Woe to those who call evil good,' but that is exactly what we have done. We have lost our spiritual equilibrium and reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and called it the lottery.
We have rewarded laziness and called it welfare.
We have killed our unborn and called it choice.
We have shot abortionists and called it justifiable.
We have neglected to discipline our children and called it building self-esteem.
We have abused power and called it politics.
We have coveted our neighbor's possessions and called it ambition.
We have polluted the air with profanity and pornography and called it freedom of __expression. We have ridiculed the time-honored values of our forefathers and called it enlightenment. Search us, Oh, God, and know our hearts today; cleanse us from every sin and set us free. Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked out during the prayer in protest. In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev.Wright is pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 of those calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving international requests for copies of this prayer from India, Africa and Korea. Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio program, "The Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program than any other he has ever aired.
With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our nation and wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one nation under God."

"If you don't stand for something, you will fall for everything."

Legends in their own minds......

Me n' Pinetop after his performance at the Muni, Eureka, Ca. 3/25/06

It was just a shitty camera-phone, but it was "priceless" to me cause as soon as Pintop seen that camera he had to git in the picture. :)

That man don't miss a thing.......even at 92

And the Band Played On..........

The sixteenth annual Redwood Coast Jazz Festival kicked off at the Adorni Center, with dignitaries arriving in style.

Donna Landry, from the world famous A-Train, stopped to "throw a pose" for photographers outside the Big Band Dance opening.

Sixteenth Annual Jazz Festival

The sixteenth annual Redwood Coast Jazz Festival kicks off this thursday night and continues thru the weekend. Yours truly has been selected (hornswaggled) to be the "band driver coordinator" et al. Iffin yur near Humboldt County, California this weekend come check it out.


official site here











I can't wait to go back to work so I can relax. :)

Fox News Reporter Blows It

Feingold Calls Warrantless Wiretaps an Impeachable Offense
Thursday, March 16, 2006 By Liza Porteus

Fox News Story

WASHINGTON Although President Bush's authorization of
warrantless wiretaps is likely an impeachable offense, Sen. Russ
Feingold hopes to be a "voice of moderation" in not pushing the
Senate toward that option, the Wisconsin Democrat said Thursday.

I sent an email to Feedback@foxnews.com :

"I request that Fox News retracts this statement and clarifys it. Is this Liza's opinion that the "warrantless wiretaps is likely an impeachable offense"? The statement is not in quotes.

I will await (patiently) for a response. This is exactly how the MSM (and rarely Fox) play the "tell a lie long enough and it becomes the truth" syndrome.

Despite the fact that most (80%) of the people in this country favor the NSA listening to terrorist calls coming into the country, President Bush has stated, (and the attorney generals office has confirmed) that this is an authority granted the President under the War Powers Act.

Powerline has some excellent articles here and here.

Updates: (pending)

Russell Feingold...............RIP?

Rovinsworld decided to "search" the pages of four large newspapers (online) the day after Russ Feingold introduced his censure motion.

The Washington Times posted this story on the front page, but the other three had nothing.

But was I surprised to find this in my "search" for the story in NYT's search engine. The search found no entries but suggested "Search Paid Death Notices and Paid Memorial Notices for" and there is Sen. Russell Feingold. (Click on Photo to enlarge)

Papers of Record, that published this story: SF Chron..........not in the last 30 days.

LA Times: Posted this story about Feingolds intentions (before Feingold took the resolution to the floor) : Democrat Plans to Ask Senate to Censure Bush By Richard Simon, Times Staff WriterMarch 13, 2006:

WASHINGTON — Sen. Russell D. Feingold (D-Wis.) said Sunday that he would ask the Senate to censure President Bush for authorizing a warrantless domestic spying program, signaling a new determination by Democrats to keep the heat on the White House over the controversial eavesdropping by the National Security Agency.

Today's search of the LA Times found nothing, but by broadening the search I found this nice one by Rosa Brooks in an op-ed:

They can't even win a war of words Democrats are mired in smallness. How hard can it be to craft a message of passion? March 10, 2006

"Part of the problem is ambition and cowardice, which together make a lethal combination. Too many would-be Democratic leaders think that "playing it safe" is the way to go. They're fine with criticizing the administration, but the minute they take any flak themselves, they go scurrying back into their holes. In place of a willingness to take risks and speak from the heart, they offer a craven and misguided dependence on polls, focus groups and "expert strategists."

'TOGETHER, America can do better." When you hear that, do you feel inspired?

I didn't think so.

Rosa never mentions "Ridiculous Russ"

I hear the kids at "Lost-Kos" have gone nuts (as usual) on this, but stay tuned.

Feingold may very well have one foot in the grave, (politically), and it appears the MSM isn't going to help with the shoveling.

McCain and His Chances

Did anyone happen to see the near "end run" the Dems nearly used to attempt to show this nation how tough they are (not) on national security? They so dearly wanted their up or down vote on the ports deal. Bigotry aside, the Dems think the lemmings of protectionism is crutial to getting elected. With the Dems having virtually no solid platform to run on they will be willing to grab onto anything reactionary that appeals to the masses. This ports deal was to be the first step on the plank.

Let me first say, IMO, this UAE deal should have been a slam dunk.Handled properly, the Bush administration could have had the lead in putting "real" security restrictions on the deal, stalling long enough to get a consensus. Singling out UAE as the only foreign operator in our ports is a joke. Unfortunately, UAE's "book of past" is still too much in the present. Yes, even Billys cigar will come back to haunt Hillary. Speaking of William Jefferson, I still wonder what slick Willy "promised" the Sheiks at UAE for his 300k? Did Bill know inadvance that his wife would be standing there ready to tell the nation that the UAE has no business handling our goods? Maybe I'm giving too much credit to Willy's vision on this one.

While many will say that the President has entered the lame duck status for good after this affair, IMO, President Bush has the moral high ground on this one and the bigots on both sides of the isle will go down in history as passing up one of the best opportunitys to form genuine relationships with the middle east and the Arab community. National security my ass!

When the Dems grabbed this one by the throat, (and the MSM andtheir polls) the momentum was too much for the chickin-shit Republican Party to be seen as soft of security. At that point they had no choice but to join in the defiance.

And where was John McCain in this horserace? He certainly wasn't on Bush's side. What a hypocrite.

On the Front Lines and Home

By BASSEM MROUE, Associated Press Writer Thu Mar 9, 6:28 PM ET

BAGHDAD, Iraq - Residents reported curious declarations hanging
from mosque walls and market stalls recently in Ramadi, the Sunni
Muslim insurgent stronghold west of Baghdad. The fliers said Iraqi
militants had turned on and were killing foreign al-Qaida fighters,
their one-time allies.

Read it all

It appears maybe the tide is turning and so are the people of Iraq. Tired of the foriegn fighters they are turning on them. This is good news.

And then some better news.........Capt. B from One Marines View has made it home.
At his website he says "we're still kickin ass".

Welcome home Cap, you done good. Semper Fi

Snow Advisory in Eureka?

...SNOW ADVISORY IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PST FRIDAY...THE NATIONAL WEATHER SERVICE IN EUREKA HAS ISSUED A SNOWADVISORY...WHICH IS IN EFFECT UNTIL 6 AM PST FRIDAY.A VERY COLD AIR MASS MOVING INTO THE AREA IS ALLOWING WIDESPREADRAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS TO MOVE INTO NORTHWEST CALIFORNIA. SNOWLEVELS ARE CURRENTLY AROUND 1000 FEET...BUT WILL DROP TO500 FEET THROUGH THIS EVENING. SNOW LEVELS WILL TEMPORARILY DROPTO SEA LEVEL IN THE MORE INTENSE SHOWERS...WITH ACCUMULATIONS OFUP TO 1 INCH AT THE LOWER ELEVATIONS. 2 TO 4 INCHES IS LIKELYABOVE 500 FEET BY FRIDAY MORNING.

This is so rare in Eureka (sea level) I remember getting three inches in 1989 that fell right on the beach. Quite a site.

Live Blogging is Fun

WASHINGTON (CNN) -- A United Arab Emirates-owned company has agreed to turn over all of its operations at U.S. ports to an American "entity," Sen. John Warner said Thursday.

Reading a statement from DP World on the Senate floor, Warner, a Virginia Republican, said the reason is "to preserve" the strong relationship between the UAE and United States.
via CNN

Live blogging news conference

Harry Ried calling for an up or down vote. They are appearantly are being denied a chance to vote on their precious ammendment that tells Bush "no to Dubai" Reid throws in Katrina.

Schumer gets his two seconds of national network coverage and blamm! see ya

Fox switches to GW live signing the Patriot act. Now there is what I call knowing what a priorety is. The timing of all this is sweet!

Cnbc is still running the Democratic press conference. Dodd, Schumer, Ried, Menendez, and Hillary all lined up to bitch about not being able to vote on this ammendment (at this time)

Cnbc is the only station that remained with the dems, now have switch to GW signing also
Both Cnn stations and msnbc have switch to GW and the Patriot Act signing.

This is all too fun! Hillary never got her national press, but I'm sure the MSM will get her message out.

Rovs Evenings Post

From Captains Quarters:

Are The Democrats Coming Apart?

A coalition of Democrats have begun an effort to wrest control of the Democratic Party away from the train wreck of Howard Dean's chairmanship. This coalition, led by former Clintonista Harold Ickes and funded by George Soros, has selected Ickes to head a data-mining project intended on giving better voter information to key Congressional campaigns:

A group of well-connected Democrats led by a former top aide to Bill Clinton is raising millions of dollars to start a private firm that plans to compile huge amounts of data on Americans to identify Democratic voters and blunt what has been a clear Republican lead in using technology for political advantage. The effort by Harold Ickes, a deputy chief of staff in the Clinton White House and an adviser to Sen. Hillary Rodham Clinton (D-N.Y.), is prompting intense behind-the-scenes debate in Democratic circles. Officials at the Democratic National Committee think that creating a modern database is their job, and they say that a competing for-profit entity could divert energy and money that should instead be invested with the national party.

Ickes and others involved in the effort acknowledge that their activities are in part a vote of no confidence that the DNC under Chairman Howard Dean is ready to compete with Republicans on the technological front. "The Republicans have developed a cadre of people who appreciate databases and know how to use them, and we are way behind the march," said Ickes, whose political technology venture is being backed by financier George Soros.

"It's unclear what the DNC is doing. Is it going to be kept up to date?" Ickes asked, adding that out-of-date voter information is "worse than having no database at all."

Ickes's effort is drawing particular notice among Washington operatives who know about it because of speculation that he is acting to build a campaign resource for a possible 2008 presidential run by Hillary Clinton. She has long been concerned, advisers say, that Democrats and liberals lack the political infrastructure of Republicans and their conservative allies. Ickes said his new venture, Data Warehouse, will at first seek to sell its targeting information to politically active unions and liberal interest groups, rather than campaigns.

It looks like Soros is playing both sides of the street. His money helped launch MoveOn and keeps it going to this day, and that faction of the party is the same that pushed Dean into the top spot at the DNC. Now Soros has chosen to also finance Ickes and his attempt to bypass Dean's inept leadership and the DNC altogether by building a competing GOTV machine.

This puts Democratic candidates in a real bind; normally they would work with their elected leadership to coordinate voter strategy and outreach. However, now they will have to choose between that official leadership and this shadow elite that wants to use Soros' money to bypass the party's official management. This promises to set up a serious split in the party, with incumbents and challengers forced to choose between the two cliques. Even though Soros has involvement in both factions, it will likely develop into a split between the leftists that insisted on Dean for the chair and the people who believe that the Democrats have to come back to the center to be competitive.

In an election that appears to hold the most promise for Democrats in over a decade, this could not come at a worse time. The immediate blame for this goes to the Clintonistas, who have never been happy with Howard Dean -- and who could blame them? The real problem started with his election and the emergence of the Left in the Democratic Party, and the loss of common sense and electoral intelligence it portended.

I find it deliciously ironic that this split will probably become unavoidable all because of a dispute over the best management of data mining. Too bad the Democrats didn't have this kind of enthusiasm for it when Able Danger and LIWF於心底；或者，讓我某日再認識你。

The Will of this Nation

Nearly 56 years ago, in 1950, the Truman administration issued what would become a framework for America's Cold War strategy for four decades. In a formerly classified document called NSC 68, the Truman administration said, quote, "Our fundamental purpose is more likely to be defeated from lack of will to maintain it than from any mistakes we may make or assault we may undergo because of asserting that will," unquote. Today our nation is again in a long struggle. And again, the toughest challenge will be to maintain our national will to persevere and to prevail.

Secretary Rumsfeld

The "backbone" of this country and their "will" has deteriorated into the passive society of the 60's. Again.

Patriotism has taken a back seat to privilege and the pursuit of power. The democratic party is so incensed with regaining that power they have no regard for the overall safety and security of the nation. In their minds everything that this administration has done to fight terrorism is wrong. Dead wrong. And yet they offer no plan or a better idea, other that to bash Bush for political gain. And these people want to be back in power for what reason? To protect us? Maybe they can talk the mullahs and terrorist to death.

I believe Truman and Rumsfeld are right to question the resolve of this nation. The term "united" in this fight is no where to be found.

Shame

Mailer, the People, and the Elite Left

While watching Norman Mailer being interviewed on FNC last evening, I was reminded again of how far the political left of today has come from the founding tenets of political liberalism. It is easy enough to seize on Mailer’s claim that the 52% of Americans that voted for George Bush are simply “stupid,” or that we went to war in Iraq to assuage the ego of white American males, or that Cheney withheld the shooting story from the press for 24 hours, knowing that the press would become crazed, and thus show its worst side to the American public.

Perhaps Mailer’s self-avowed elitism explains the first claim; indeed, if there were a Maureen Dowd Award for Self-absorbed Elitism, Mailer’s insistence that 52% of Americans are stupid because they voted for George Bush would surely be a nominee. It is not because the 52% are uninformed, not because after comparing the options, they settled for the lesser of two evils, not because they made a judgment that their concerns and values were more likely represented in Bush than Kerry. No; they voted as they did because they were “stupid.”

But this of course is an inversion of the view of our Founding Fathers. Steeped as they were in the Enlightenment thought of the time, the Fathers drafted a Constitution that they thought would protect the people from government. In Mailer’s world, democracy must be protected from the people.

In Mailer’s world, democracy is a noble enterprise and therefore tenuous – always to be protected from the baser instincts of the people whose natural state, according to Mailer, is a tendency toward fascism. Put aside for the moment the Left’s fascination with the unfounded comparisons between President Bush and fascism. The difference between the elite left and the authors of modern democracy lies in what sustains our best impulses.

Mailer reviles Bush in part because he “speaks in clichés,” because he does not elevate the language. Indeed Mailer goes so far as to claim that what sustained the British during the ebb and flow of empire is….Shakespeare.

Really? This is what we are to think? That it was Shakespeare that sustained the British during World War II? Or compare the British reaction to Ghandi’s independence movement to the Chinese reaction to Tianemen Square. Are we really to think that the difference in the two governments’ reactions is fundamentally to be found in the British being able to “fall back on” Shakespeare and the Chinese only being able to fall back on Confucius or Lao Tzu?

Here is a far more likely explanation: The British government of 1947, unlike the Chinese government of 1989, thinks that the actions of a government and a people are answerable to some independent moral order, that our nobility lies in our ability to rise above our baser instincts and act according to a code that is independent of our speeches, of our party documents, or even of our best authors. And that independent moral order holds that killing innocent protesters is wrong. The British government of 1947 may have made a number of political calculations, but only the most cynical would claim that they did not also think that killing innocent protesters was, is, and will be wrong. Unlike the Stalinist Beijing government, whose only interest was what the party said, quite apart from what the people wanted. Stalinism answers only to its own party-line view; no facts interfere, and no notice need be taken of the choices of the people. The difference between the two governmental reactions is better explained by their differing views about whether our actions can be judged by some extra-human moral order.

One need not be Christian to prefer this explanation over Mailer’s “Shakespeare explanation.” The intellectual source for Ghandi’s views lay in Hinduism, which looks to a reality other than the speeches and artwork of the most recently celebrated humans.

But in Mailer’s world, the only justification of our noble experiment in democracy lies in our speeches, in our social constructions, in our judgments about what is valuable. For Mailer, as for so many others in the contemporary elite left, all that matters is our latest theory. Some claim is a fact, some assertion is a reason to act if it fits with our most recent story of our success or failure. It does not matter that there is no evidence, no facts outside of his own theory that support Mailer’s claim that Cheney judged that withholding the shooting story for 24-48 hours would craze the media so that they would fly into a rage, thus further undermining American’s confidence in the media. Nor does it matter that the sociological-psychological theory has yet to be invented that would sustain the claim that the current war in Iraq came about to assuage the egos of white American males. All that matters in Mailer’s view is that the latest theory, the latest fad of interpretation can explain another event in a manner suitable to the elite left. For there are no facts of human nature, and there are most certainly no facts about a moral order that has its source in something other than what human beings say. For the elite left, “spinning a good yarn” is all that remains of “searching for the truth.”

Whatever one thinks of the Enlightenment view that people are guided by rational self-interest, and that given the needed information, they will make far better choices for the course of their own lives than any government could – whatever one thinks about this view, it still recognizes that there are facts about human nature, facts about the world that are not of our own making. And our political theories ought to be accountable to these facts. It is ironic that the some of the 20th and 21st century heirs to the Enlightenment should have come to the view that government must be protected from the people.

There is a sadder irony to Mailer’s view. It is, of course, a sad irony, for example, that the elite left can no longer make sense of Martin Luther King’s “Letter From Birmingham Jail,” with its insistence that the rightness of the civil rights movement lies in a moral order that is not the creation of human beings. Or, for example, that in their rush to advance human rights, they have to cross their fingers when they read those famous words in the Declaration of Independence – and hope that some intellectual will finally come up with an explanation of human rights that does not in the end depend on something extra-human, on some divine being.

The sadder irony lies in Mailer’s insistence that the only truth lies in our own speeches, our own stories of our self-invention, our own self-serving and self-absorbed accounts of human nature. For Mailer does not apparently see that once the left decides that there is no extra-human moral order, no extra-human set of facts to which we can appeal to judge our theories and conjectures, that the real worry is not fascism. There really is no chance that we will wake up early in November of 2008 and find that George Bush has decided to call off the election, claiming that he knows what’s best for us.

No, the real irony is that the left – fearing that the people are too stupid to entrust with the American experiment in democracy – will collapse into its ultimate perversion. The British are sustained by Shakespeare, and we are sustained by the elite left’s view of the direction our democracy should take. It may be that the elite left has already decided that their view is no longer answerable to any facts, that the people can no longer be trusted, that the people are too “stupid” to run their own government or their own lives. But if the elite left is on the road to concluding that all that matters is their view of how our democracy should function, that there are no facts that limit their conjectures, that we are only guided by our own speeches, our own inventions, our own theories, then the elite left is surely on the high road to Stalinism. And the irony is that the elite left – the group that prides itself so on its intellectual superiority to the people – should be so oblivious to this danger.

by Onejacktwomany

SF Moonbats Created

I've created a new blog specifically for San Francisco.

It's called SFMoonbats

The have lost their minds and my heart:

San Francisco's supervisors jumped into national politics Tuesday, passing a resolution asking the city's Democratic congressional delegation to seek the impeachment of President Bush for failing to perform his duties by leading the country into war in Iraq, eroding civil liberties and engaging in other activities the board sees as transgressions.

The supervisors, in voting 7-3 for the resolution, ensured that San Francisco again will become grist for radio and TV talk shows. The city has appeared in the national media spotlight recently for voters' passage in November of a nonbinding measure banning military recruiters from public high schools and for Supervisor Gerardo Sandoval's recent comment on a Fox News show that the United States doesn't need a military.

Full Story here

Patriots you may have missed

You Might Not Ever Guess

Captain Kangaroo passed away on January 23, 2004 as age 76 , which is odd, because he always looked to be 76. (DOB: 6/27/27) His death reminded me of the following story.

Some people have been a bit offended that the actor, Lee Marvin, is buried in a grave alongside 3 and 4 star generals at Arlington National Cemetery . His marker gives his name, rank (PVT) and service (USMC). Nothing else. Here's a guy who was only a famous movie star who served his time, why the heck does he rate burial with these guys? Well, following is the amazing answer:

I always liked Lee Marvin, but didn't know the extent of his Corps experiences.

In a time when many Hollywood stars served their country in the armed forces often in rear echelon posts where they were carefully protected, only to be trotted out to perform for the cameras in war bond promotions, Lee Marvin was a genuine hero. He won the Navy Cross at Iwo Jima . There is only one higher Naval award... the Medal Of Honor.

If that is a surprising comment on the true character of the man, he credits his sergeant with an even greater show of bravery.

Dialog from "The Tonight Show with Johnny Carson": His guest was Lee Marvin. Johnny said, "Lee, I'll bet a lot of people are unaware that you were a Marine in the initial landing at Iwo Jima ...and that during the course of that action you earned the Navy Cross and were severely wounded."

"Yeah, yeah... I got shot square in the bottom and they gave me the Cross for securing a hot spot about halfway up Suribachi. Bad thing about getting shot up on a mountain is guys getting' shot hauling you down. But,Johnny, at Iwo I served under the bravest man I ever knew... We both got the cross the same day, but what he did for his Cross made mine look cheap in comparison. That dumb guy actually stood up on Red beach and directed his troops to move forward and get the hell off the beach. Bullets flying by, with mortar rounds landing everywhere and he stood there as the main target of gunfire so that he could get his men to safety. He did this on more than one occasion because his men's safety was more important than his own life.

That Sergeant and I have been lifelong friends. When they brought me off Suribachi we passed the Sergeant and he lit a smoke and passed it to me, lying on my belly on the litter and said, where'd they get you Lee?' Well Bob... if you make it home be fore me, tell Mom to sell the outhouse!"

Johnny, I'm not lying, Sergeant Keeshan was the bravest man I ever knew.

The Sergeant's name is Bob Keeshan. You and! the world know him as Captain Kangaroo."

On another note, there was this wimpy little man (who just passed away) on PBS, gentle and quiet. Mr. Rogers is another of those you would least suspect of being anything but what he now portrays to our youth. But Mr. Rogers was a U.S. Navy Seal, combat-proven in Vietnam with over twenty-five confirmed kills to his name. He wore a long-sleeved sweater on TV, to cover the many tattoos on his forearm and biceps. He was a master in small arms and hand-to-hand combat, able to disarm or kill in a heartbeat.

After the war Mr. Rogers became an ordained Presbyterian minister and therefore a pacifist. Vowing to never harm another human and also dedicating the rest of his life to trying to help lead children on the right path in life. He hid away the tattoos and his past life and won our hearts with his quiet wit and charm.

America's real heroes don't flaunt what they did; they quietly go about their day-to-day lives, doing what they do best. They earned our respect and the freedoms that we all enjoy.
Look around and see if you can find one of those heroes in your midst.
Often, they are the ones you'd least suspect, but would most like to have on your side if anything ever happened.

Take the time to thank anyone that has fought for our freedom. With encouragement they could be the next Captain Kangaroo or Mr.Rogers

-- Francis Sean McHale

Latest CBS Poll a Big Joke

Latest CBS Poll a Big Joke:

Found in their pdf file: (at the very bottom)


Total Respondents 1018 (unweighted)
Total Republicans 272
Total Democrats 409
Total Independents 337
(independents who vote Dem 236) (70%)

Knowing full well that Independents vote 70 to 80 % Democrat,that means 645 voted Democrat compared to 272 Republicans.

Sure seems a little stacked and biased to me!

But what should you expect from CBS? Fake but accurate ring any bells?

Golfs Big Guns Take a Powder

Big Guns Eliminated

Woods, Singh, Mickelson, Toms, DiMarco, Wier all get to take the weekend off.

ABC and ESPN producers must have been cringing as each of their weekend heros were getting slayed by the lesser-known dragons, (with all due respect to Tommy Lehman and Davis Love lll).

On the mosque bombing

From Powerline:

"Most of our news reports on the bombed shrine and all the damage sustained physically and emotionally. The news further reports on sectarian attacks and demonstrations. While this is true and accurate what is not being reported is the calling for calm and cooperation by all Sunni & Shiite religious leaders (except the young Alsadar who remains a thorn). The demonstrations of national unity. The mullahs in Sunni & Shiite mosques calling for support for injured brothers and sisters, national calm. They do not report on the Shiites standing guard outside of Sunni mosques in the south. Etc...There are two sides to this incident. The side of revenge, anger and the much larger side of unity and support. This bombing in Samarah has brought more unity amongst Iraqis than any other incident since the stampede on the Kahdumiah bridge (when Felujans [mostly Sunni] donated blood for the wounded in Kahdumiah [mostly Shiite] in Baghdad). Iraqi political parties, community leaders, religious leaders, political leaders all are strongly condemning this bombing and asking for national support and help for the people of Samarah. This outpouring of compassion, support and help is what is not being reported. "

Why is this no suprise?

Aged Well.....Time to Uncork

Can ya believe it.........Rovin's 54 today. Like a fine wine, decantered to spread the aromas, no words can describe the elation.

Humble thanks to all

Two New (Old) Bloggers Added

I have added two new, but often read, blog sites to my "Bloggers of Interest".

The California Conservative has been blogging with gusto for quite a bit and like Patterico, CC keeps a keen eye on the "State of the State". ****

Expose the Left (formally "The Political Teen") is the new name for the best video blogger on the net.

I will enjoy not having to search my "favorites" to read these two fine websites.

Rovin


side note: If you haven't read any of Dana Pico at Common Sense Political Thought , you just might be missing some excellent blogging. IMHO.

Breaking News!

Chuck Schumer just said on Fox News (on the Big Story, with John Gibson) that he would take Haliburton over UAE if it was his choice.
2:20 PM 02/20/06

Sorry, no vidio yet............pending (but I'm sure I wasn't the only one to hear him say it)

Update: Michelle Malkin has the vidio up here or here

"The Cold War" Part ll

Rowan Scarborough at the Washington Times writes an excellent essay that sums up our state as a nation in this War on Terrorism from a mostly military point of view. I believe there are few alternatives at this time.

Joint Chiefs of Staff planners have produced a 27-page briefing on
the war on terror that seeks to explain how to win the "long war" and
says Islamic extremists may be supported by 12 million Muslims
worldwide.

Military planners worry that al Qaeda could win if "traditional allies prefer accommodation." Al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, the document states, "is absolutely committed to his cause. His religious ideology successfully attracts recruits. He has sufficient population base from which to protract the conflict. ... Even support of 1 percent of the Muslim population would equate to over 12 million 'enemies.' " The unclassified production, titled "Fighting the Long War -- Military Strategy for the War on Terrorism," is a component of the Pentagon's ongoing campaign to explain that a lengthy struggle requires patience from the American people and Congress. It holds up the 1930s as an example of how not to respond to extremism, noting Europe's appeasement of German dictator Adolf Hitler. "The consequences of inaction" in the 1930s, the briefing says, "Lives lost: 300,000; 70 million worldwide. ... War expenditures: $3.1 trillion ... 38 percent of GDP per year. [The Pentagon today is spending 3.8 percent of U.S. GDP.] U.S. reconstruction expenditures: $90 billion over four years." The briefing was prepared for Rear Adm. William D. Sullivan, vice director for strategic plans and policy within the Joint Staff, which is under Marine Corps Gen. Peter Pace, Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman. Adm. Sullivan used it to deliver a lecture in January to a national security study group at Mississippi State University. "It is an effort, when asked, to explain why we are doing what we are doing from a military perspective to fight the long war," said Air Force Maj. Almarah Belk, spokeswoman for Gen. Pace. "We're not on a road show. We tailor it based on who requests the speaker, and a lot of the same core information could be used in other briefings." The Bush administration's effort to explain Iraq and the broader war includes more than briefings. On Friday, Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld was in New York talking to the Council on Foreign Relations, and Gen. Pace addressed the National Press Club in the District. At the same time, President Bush was in Tampa, Fla., speaking on the war. Bin Laden, the Joint Staff paper says, wants to "expand the Muslim empire to historical significance." And Iraq "has become the focus of the enemy's effort. If they win in Iraq, they have a base from which to expand their terror. ... Extremists now have an Emirate in Iraq that serves as a base of operations from which they can revive the Caliphate [Islamic rule]. ... Baghdad becomes the capital of the Caliphate. The revived Caliphate now turns its attention to the destruction of Israel." Adm. Sullivan's briefing contains a map that shows the bin Laden-style caliphate conquering North and East Africa, the entire Middle East and Central and South Asia. This dire scenario can only happen if the U.S. is defeated in Iraq and Afghanistan. "The United States cannot be defeated militarily," the briefing says, "the enemy knows this. But consider ... terror attacks weaken the world economy. Continued casualties weaken national resolve. Traditional allies prefer accommodation." The enemy has "inherent weaknesses," including "no military capacity to expand their fight beyond terrorist tactics." "Marginalizing an ideology requires patience and promoting reform from within," the briefing said. Although it is similar to the Cold War, the war on terror has a distinction. "We cannot discredit all of Islam as we did with communism," the document says. "It is a divine religion. We can only discredit the violent extremist." "Americans will commit to a 'long war' if ... they are confident our leaders know what they are doing."


I wrote a piece a few weeks back that was never published pointing out our supposed fate if we do not remain united in our resolve to stamp out terrorism worldwide. And by the term "united" I expressed that to mean a world consensus that the act of terrorism and suicide (homicidal) bombings must be shamed by those who remain sane in a search for peaceful solutions to a world torn by hatred ideologys that are bent on the extermination of whole society's.

Let's be perfectly clear that our enemies only goal is our elimination as a nation. "You will convert to Islam or die." Period. There are no negotiations or alternatives. Go rent, and watch the movie (Independence Day) where the world is invaded by aliens whose sole purpose is the extermination of our planet. Yes, this movie is an extreme punctuation of what is happening today, but the ideology is not that far apart from our enemies. And if they had the weapons of mass destruction, does any one believe they would not use them?

This sad reality is the state of the world now. Accommodation, and appeasement is not an alternative (in my view) at this time.

It is critical that our allies and our enemies know this.

Rovin

The MSM Campaign Against Cheney

I've surfed around the "spere" this past few days regarding the VP's hunting accident, and have been planning to post something. But, Hugh Hewitt has summed it all up wonderfully:

The MSM is unhinged, a victim of its Bush hatred, which includes of course hatred of Cheney. The idea that failure to tell the White House press corps of a hunting accident for 14 hours is in anyway similar to leaving a woman to die in a submerged car while fleeing the scene or the cover-up of Watergate is just nuts.

And the American people know it.

What the Beltway gang seems not to understand is that most of America is laughing at them, not frowning at the Veep. There isn't a single fact we haven't been told, and we don't much care if the pampered poobahs of the press got a heads up after four or 14 hours.

Read Hugh's complete story here

(personnal side note: David Gregory is a pompous ass. )

Harassment comes in all Packages

Have a good nite........Clem

"Internet Creator" has a Major Meltdown

Former Vice President Al Gore told a mainly Saudi audience on Sunday that the U.S. government committed "terrible abuses" against Arabs after the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, and that most Americans did not support such treatment. Gore said Arabs had been "indiscriminately rounded up" and held in "unforgivable" conditions. The former vice president said the Bush administration was playing into al-Qaida's hands by routinely blocking Saudi visa applications.
"The thoughtless way in which visas are now handled, that is a mistake," Gore said during the Jiddah Economic Forum.
(via Michelle Malkin)
Gore photo source:

Many are recalling (and thanking God) that Clinton wasn't totally removed by the Senate---allowing Gore to become an incumbent president running in 2000. I (for one) would also send my many thanks to Ralph Nadar and his party. It sends shivers down my spine to think this man (now catering to a foreign power and lieing about it) could have been leading this nation after 9/11. It will be more interesting to see where the Democratic Party will stand with the traitorous bastard. This brings up memories of the Clinton/China funding connection. Does Gore now think that the United States electoral process emanates from foreign government approval? Al Gore needs a ride to the space-station, which I'm sure he built too.

"Earth to Al......... earth to Al, (never mind)

(filed under: Democrats who have committed political suicide)

Update:Benedict Gore
Al Gore’s latest anti-American rant, the very one he delivered in Saudi Arabia, was funded in part by Osama bin Laden’s family: story

Does the New York Times believe Terrorist have Rights?

Republican Speaks Up, Leading Others to Challenge Wiretaps
By SHERYL GAY STOLBERG

A growing number of Congressional Republicans are expressing doubts about the N.S.A.'s domestic spying program.



The NYTs would have you believe that the whole Republican party is in an uproar over this with their headline, when there is actually only six who have stated they would like more information.

The gray-stained lady also (still) continues to call the program "domestic spying" which is total BS. The President and the Attorney General have both explained that the program is limited to calls coming from outside the U.S. (from known terrorist cells) into the U.S. That hardly sounds "domestic" to me, but the NYTs and it's left wing agenda, ( and its treasonous releasing of classified material) are spinning this with no regard for the safety of this nation.

Is the NYTs receiving phone calls from terrorist cells overseas and rejecting the notion that these calls may be tapped?

If ANYONE in this country is having a conversation with a known terrorist (who is hell bent on destroying this country), I want my President and the military to know about it. Period.

Giving extended oversight to any of these "concerned" politicians that may have another agenda other that the safety of this nation concerns me. The NSA program has already been severely damaged by the exposure, (thanks in most part by the NYTs) and the "publics right to know" has now been extended to the very terrorist we are fighting to prevent another attack on this country.

Imagine, if after another terrorist attack, a terrorist cell leader is captured and (without any form of torture) he brags that this could not have happened without the assistance of the NYT?

Would any of these concerned politicians haul the NYT into court and try them for treason? Or should we all just forgive them because they were more concerned for our civil liberties than the lives of thousands, (or even millions)? Does anyone think the New York Times has even considered this scenario, or if they even care?

If the New York Times is really concerned for the balance of power between the three branches of our government, they must now consider a "fourth" branch.........the terrorist.

Step #1 (personnel note to SHERYL GAY STOLBERG and the NYTs..........STFU!)

Step #2 (to concerned democrat and republican leaders; Get fully informed of the NSA program and then follow Step #1)

Missing at the Superbowl

Do you think there was some thing missing at the Superbowl? Did anyone point out to ABC that there is a war being prosecuted? Did ABC, (in their infinate wisdom), forget our troops? One little blurp at the start of the game, and that was it?

Do you think anyone else noticed this omission?

Well, these fine people did. (check the comments at the bottom of this linked post)

Shame on you, ABC.

SHOW ME

The State of the Democratic Party:

Can some one tell me where there is a Democrat in the Congress or the Senate that is calling for the renewal of the Patriot Act?

Can some one show me one memo, letter, or email sent by a Democrat to the President of the United States thanking him for the painstaking daily work he does protecting this country from another terrorist attack?

Can any one show me where there is one Democrat who is in support of Americans keeping more of what they earn by making the tax-cut permanent?

Can some one show me where there is one plan from a Democrat for Social Security reform, knowing full well that (as the plan stands now), there will be no money left for our children when they retire?

Can some one show me where there is one Democrat who has a plan or is proposing legislation to get Americans off the dependency of foreign oil?

Can some one show me a Democrat organization that fully supports our armed forces who have sacrificed so much to liberate two nations from tyranny and marginalize a terrorist organization (Al-Qaeda) that still wants to destroy our way of life?

Can some one show me where one Democrat has made a statement that the control for power in this government is not as important as the safety, security, and prosperity of this great nation?

Now I know that there are many in the Democratic Party who can tell me how to tear down, rip apart, and marginalize every "show me" I have stated here. The Democratic Party has perfected the art of finding a way to desecrate the direction this country is heading. A Conservative Christian is the scum of the earth in their eyes. The Bush-Bashers on the extreme left are so consumed with their hatred for the Conservative Republican Party, they refuse to see anything positive or remotely have an idea how to solve what they hate so much. Does this nation, (indeed the world) have serious problems to solve? You bet! Will the Democratic party sit down in a bi-partisan way with Republicans and work together to try to solve these problems? Don't count your taxes on it! Is their quest to regain power more important than the prosperity of this nation? If yes is the answer, I have just one more question.

Where's your plan?

Show Me!


Rovin

note: If any one plans on commenting on this post, I will most likely delete all post that does not (at least) start with some form of a solution. I'm sick and tired of the "Blame Bush for all our woes" society. It's a pathetic excuse for not having solutions and ideas our forfathers posessed.

Update: Wow! now that's results. Seems the very afternoon following this post the U.S. Senate has come to an agreement to get the Patriot Act re-authorized. Pure co-incidence. Story linked here

Memories of a not so distant Past

"But it is almost a cliché to remark that we live in a time of accelerating change.Events once measured against a lifetime are compressed into a decade or even a year. Space and time and distance have been both stretched and shrunk and yesterday is but a preview of tomorrow.

Yet with all the change, some things remain the same. Our goal, for example, of promoting the well being of our people within a more just and perfect union – you will note I said promote not provide."

Ronald Reagan

Understanding Irans Motives

Special Reports : Armageddon and the Hojjatieh Sect of Shiite Islam
Posted by Sean Osborne on 2006/1/31 12:10:48

A more complete understanding of the issues facing the United States, the EU and Israel, as well as other nations and organizations in the world (such as the UN Security Council and the IAEA) in dealing with Iran must be based upon a more complete assessment of the theological group which has achieved preeminence within the Islamic Republic of Iran. The current President of Iran, Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad has long been a member of this group, as is his close spiritual advisor Ayatollah Mesbah-Yazdi. The sect or belief system to which they belong is known as “Hojjatieh”.

Background

The “Hojjatieh” is widely unknown to most people in the West. I will attempt to address this short coming with this article. The origin of this group begins with its Iranian cleric founder, Ayatollah Mahmud Halabi sometime in the 1950’s. Ayatollah Halabi founded this group as the “Anjoman-e Zedd-e Baha-iyat” which means “The Anti-Baha’i Society”. The agenda of this group at the time was purely proprietary within the realm of Shi’a Islam – that is to say a desire within Iranian Shi’a to oppress or suppress the Islamic Baha’a faith and their potential claims concerning the Islamic al-Mahdi (ie: the Islamic messiah or anointed one). This is a messianic theme heavily borrowed from Judeo-Christian roots with the addition of Mohammedean-Islamic thought and various hadiths.

At the time of the Islamic revolution and the over-throw of the Peacock Throne of Shah Reza Pahlavi in Iran in 1979, the “Anjoman” were heavily involved in the revolution led by the formerly exiled Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini. Anjoman members existed within many different groups within Iranian society and professional disciplines. One student member, the current President of Iran, Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad, was deeply involved in the hostile takeover of the US Embassy in Tehran.

This good political fortune of the Anjoman would not last however. In 1983 Ayatollah Khomeini ordered the group to disband due to one of their basic tenets at the time being opposition to Khomeini’s basis for rule, the “Velayat-e-Faqih”, or rule by clerical jurisprudent, which is roughly akin to the infallibility doctrine found in some Christian beliefs. Khomeini’s primary objection to them was the Anjoman’s view that a purely Islamic government in Iran would delay the arrival of al-Mahdi. As with most of Islam there is a central theme being that the 12th Imam, Abul-Qassem Mohammed, who disappeared in 941 would reappear at the “end of time” and usher in an era of global Islamic justice… the long awaited global Islamic Caliphate.
However, the Anjoman were not politically untuned and quickly changed their name to the Arabicized “Hojjatiyya” (Farsi: Hojjatieh) which is the short version of a longer name meaning “Allah’s proof over his creation”. Many of the Hojjatieh were then absorbed by the Iranian Islamic Coalition Society (Jamiyat-e Motalifih-e Islami) where they remained in relative obscurity on the periphery of real power within the regime until very recently.The election of Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad, the former mayor of Tehran, to the presidency of Iran is as much a domestic political power-play as it is a calculated grab for power by the many Hojjatieh adherents within the Iranian government. Their influence was never assessed by outside observers to be strong enough to effect the landslide victory (62% of the vote) of Ahmadi-Nejad over the longtime Iranian government official and ex-president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani.

Current Events

Understanding this new Iranian leadership means understanding how Hojjatieh have reformed from their former position regarding an Islamic government in Iran. This is best captured by Ahmadi-Nejad’s spiritual mentor Ayatollah Mesbah Yazdi who said, “It doesn’t matter what the people think. The people are ignorant sheep”. Ahmadi-Nejad also evidenced this poltical transformation of Hojjatieh by stating that the main continuing mission of the Iranian revolution is to “pave the way for the reappearance of the 12th Imam… We should define economic, cultural and political policies based upon the policy (Islamic eschatological theology) of Imam Mahdi’s return".

This is a Hojjatieh validation of Khomeini’s “Velayat-e-Faqih” or rule by Shi’a clerical jurisprudence, the school of thought of the Iranian revolutionary old guard elite, the so-called “in crowd” of an elite 80 some-odd clerics who dictate Iranian national policy. In other words, Iran is an Islamic dictatorship maintained by a very small circle of Shi’a clerics wielding the absolute power of coercive force of arms. To the Western mind and world-view this realistically equates to Iran being an Islamo-fascist dictatorship in hot pursuit of nuclear weaponry.

This brings us to the crux of the current issue of Iran being judged by the IAEA and being sent before the UN Security Council because of their nuclear weapons program. We will now learn why many leaders in the West find the acquisition of nuclear weapons by Iran to be absolutely unthinkable. According to an Iranian expatriate known as Azarmehr, these Hojjatieh holding the reigns of power in Iran “believe he (Imam Mahdi) will reappear again when the world has become full of oppression and tyranny.” Azarhehr goes on to say that the “Hojjatieh… actually believe in the spread of tyranny and oppression” as a means to hasten to the return of the Imam Mahdi. “If you stand in the way of tyranny and oppression then you delay the coming of the Lord of All Ages.” This taken in consideration with the overall context of statements from the Iranian government regarding the existence of Israel, and holocaust denial (Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad) and the Iranian plan for “the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization” is critical to our national survival and preparations for military action against this Iranian regime.

The recent crash of an Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps falcon jet in northwestern Iran resulted in the deaths of the elite command corps of Iran’s IRGC. The new IRGC Air Force Commander is Brigadier General Hossein Salami. He is the architect of Iranian asymmetrical warfare doctrine. General Salami is in lock-step with the current Iranian Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei (who is ultimately responsible for the ascension of Mahmud Ahmadi-Nejad to the presidency) and his Chief Advisor, Hassan Abbasi. Hassan Abassi is the originator of Iranian plans for war with the US, the West and Israel. Both are adherents, along with President Mahmoud Ahmadi-Nejad of the Hojjatieh ideology making them hard-core Shi’a Islamic apocalyptics.

Execution of the Iranian War Plan:

Attack the US and the UK with massive waves of suicide bombers. These attacks will be followed by massive use of Iranian missile borne WMD.
Recruitment to fill the ranks of these suicide bomber brigades began in 2004. The basis is a continuation and modification of the suicide missions launched by thousands of Iranian teenagers across the minefields of the Iran-Iraq war of the 1980's. However, these suicide brigades will not be stepping on mines this time around in a war with western enemies, but carrying explosives strapped to their bodies as they attack CONUS and elsewhere.
It has been widely published that Hassan Abbasi is on record as saying: "There are 29 sensitive sites in the US and the West. We have already spied on these sites and we know how we are going to attack them... Iran's missiles are now ready to strike Western targets, and as soon as the instructions arrive from Ali Khamenei, we will launch our missiles at their cities and installations."

These attacks will come against the US and the UK. In fact, they will target the US, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and Israel because as Abbasi has said these nations "are all the children of the same mother" meaning the United Kingdom.
This is part of Abbasi's announced strategic plan created "for the destruction of Anglo-Saxon civilization" as well as the core Hojjatieh desire of “preparing the way of Imam Mahdi” through tyranny and oppression.