W in Theater

The President makes a surprise visit to the Bhag. A pretty impressive gesture for the troops on Thanksgiving.

Two and a half hours on the ground, 22 hours in the air. You think that some Saddamites wouldn't have wanted a shot at the ol' man? I smell a Hollywood plot coming on. . .oh wait, I'm thinking about Harrison Ford.

Happy Thanksgiving

What do you have to be thankful for?

Krugman Kover Klash

Paul Krugman, liberal commentator and medal winning economist, is publishing a book with two different covers. The U.K. edition positively screams with canards:

'...bears caricatures of President Bush as Frankenstein-like and Vice President Dick Cheney with a Hitler mustache. A dark scrawl on the vice president's forehead reads, "Got Oil?"'

Krugman can say what he wants; it is interesting that the cover either: a) expresses his true feelings about President Bush and VP Cheney or b) is attempting to exploit an anti-American marketing niche in the U.K.

(cap tip to Klausfiles for the links)

TMQ on NFL

And just when we thought Gregg Easterbrook was going to be relegated to the likes of some backwaters blog, fantasy football fan site or, worse, an unholy combination of the two, we find a resurrection at NFL.com!
Dance and rejoice, TMQ is in the House.

Cartoons are Safe, Right?

Bah. Now we're deconstructing B.C. for its latent anti-Muslim bias. Aren't we just looking a little too hard?

Hollyweird Still Doesn't Get It

The Dixie Chicks are at it again. A CBS news interview records the following remarks:

"The Dixie Chicks also expressed disappointment in President Bush's remarks about Maines' overseas comments. The president said of the group, 'They can say what they want to say. ... they shouldn't have their feelings hurt just because some people don't want to buy their records when they speak out. I mean ... you know, freedom is a two-way street.'

Emily Robison said Mr. Bush 'wasn't standing up for the principles that our country are founded on.'

Martie Maguire said he basically was saying, 'You got what you deserved' and 'This is what's going to happen if you keep speaking out.' "

Is Ms. Robison implying that one of the principles of this country is that I have to support the Dixie Chicks by buying their products, even though I disagree with the Dixie Chicks sentiments? Even if I don't like country western music? What these entertainers (and others) still don't get is that although the right to speak freely is guaranteed, the freedom from the consequences of your speech is not. It is disingenuous to make the implication that it's not American to NOT buy their records, but it's the American way to not shop Coke (an anti-apartheid target in the late 80's/early 90's) or Wal-Mart and to organize such boycotts. Every individual has the right, the RIGHT, to express displeasure with the actions of others, even if the expression of that displeasure is by not purchasing products of those persons or companies that offend the individual.

I find that in the context of the quote made in the CBS interview, President Bush is simply taking the position that individuals may exercise their rights as consumers to not purchase their products. It would seem from the article as well that the group is reading too much into the President's remarks.

Eugene Volokh wrote and excellent blog entry back in April 2003 examining this matter. Volokh makes an interesting point as he finds that although it is within our rights to not frequent businesses or entertainers who we might find offensive, it MAY BE unethical to organize economic boycotts because it may impair "the ability to speak without the fear of losing one's livelihood as a result". He does not quite conclude as such (insofar as that particular blog entry is concerned) for he stops just short with a call to investigate such issues.

(Hat tip to Allah in the House for the article reference and for much sarcasm: "Is this the kind of Jew you want as your leader? One who defends your right to buy what you want? Oh the wind--it blows chilly!")

Reality Check in Iraq

And, just in case we need something to be thankful for this Thanksgiving, be thankful that we're not living in a country where mass graves are the norm. Scenes like this will continue for years as Iraq struggles to rouse from a nightmare.

(Again, cap tip to Sullivan)

Put This on Your Holiday List

Now here's a real stocking stuffer: Palestinian gifts for the lil ones during Eid al-Fitr.

(Cap tip to Sullivan)

Finders Keepers?

Pics of a buried MiG. Talk about buried treasure. CHA-CHING--$30 million dollar plane. I wonder how old the plane is, when it was buried and why. Does Saddam think that one day he'll unearth a few to attack whatever is left of a security or peacekeeping force?

I'll make a bet that there are a few other more interesting things out in the desert, too.

(Cap tip to cryptome.org and Andrew Sullivan)

8.2

Whoa. To back up earlier reports of increased economic activity, the GDP skyrockets 8.2 percent. I keep on wondering if the upturn in the economy is for real.

Sing Song Singer

Just caught this, but the Mets fired Bill Singer for "reportedly [asking] Dodgers assistant general manager Kim Ng questions about her background and later spoke in gibberish, making fun of the Chinese language."

Bad show, old chap. I remember having undergone a few similar treatments back in grade school and, subsequently, learning about racial differences between me and my San Fernando Valley peers back in the early 70's. I don't think that society will ever be color blind and, frankly, I don't think there is much value in being so.

This is from the NY Times????

William Safire, the token conservative (who other conservatives think is a moderate at best) at the NY Times has a very interesting Op/Ed piece today (Monday 24 Nov). "Missing Links Found" points to two other articles, one in the Weekly Standard and the other in Slate, points to various intelligence that says Sadam and the old Iraqi government not only had some connection to Bin Laden's organization but actively helped and financed it as well.


If these new allegations are true, will those who oppose the war suddenly support it because we were going after those who planned 9/11?? Or will they say we can never justify our attacks on the Taliban and Sadam and we are at fault for all terrorism in the world (or at least from the Middle East)??

Interesting New Blog

A soldier who is http://www.iraqnow.blogspot.com/

Just in Time for Christmas

Cute little toys just for the little tot-o-terrorist at home. In fact, let's also not forget the "Don't Forget" t-shirts they're hawking over at ground zero. Sickening.

"Anything for a shekel, dinar, or dollar, baby"

Liberal Bias Alert

Again, hat tip to Andrew Sullivan for a link to lying in ponds where that blogger has a fairly detailed analysis of the political bias entering into the writing of New York Times columnist, Paul Krugman:

The sheer difficulty of writing 371 consecutive columns without a single substantive crossover column can hardly be overemphasized -- not a single column devoted to criticism, however mild, of Bill Clinton or Al Gore or Howard Dean or Al Sharpton or any other Democrat -- not a single column devoted to praise, however mild, of Colin Powell or John McCain or any other Republican.

Now, there is nothing surprising about a columnist putting forth opinions, that is quite often a part of their job and an expected part of it. However, the sheer lack of the diversity of material presumes that the author finds no flaw in liberal thinking. . .at all. None whatsoever. Amazing.

I'm not necessarily damning Krugman at this point, as much as using him as an archtype for the modern columnist. A good pundit should be capable of seeing and commenting on the flaws and strengths for both sides of an issue, not just merely beat the drum of war for one idology or another. Should we not prefer a columnist who is capable of thinking critically, without bias that would color judgment? To accept otherwise is intellectual suicide.

al Qaeda and the Two Party System

Andrew Sullivan points us to a quote that summarizes my thoughts about the politics in America as it relates to terrorism and Al Qaeda. The British Foreign Secretary, Jack Straw says:

"What people have got to remember is that Sept. 11 happened in 2001 and not in 2003. It was planned under the presidency of Bill Clinton."

Sullivan's take:

"The point, of course, is not to blame Clinton for 9/11, but to show that al Qaeda terrorism is not some kind of response to the Bush administration. It predated it, and will probably outlast it."

Simply put, the Islamic militants don't give a rats @$$ about who is in the White House. Democrat or Republican, the militant Islamic fundamentalist sees both parties (and independants for good measure) cut from the same cloth of satanism. Really, all one has to do is witness the bombings in Turkey, a Muslim country and Saudi Arabia, a Muslim country run by a theocracy, to know that even fellow Muslims are not safe.

Historical perspective on Bush’s visit to the UK

At Power Line blog, they have some news stories from when Regan visited the UK 20 years ago. Then, as now, there were large demonstrations against the US President. Hat tip to Hugh Hewitt. This is a good read to help keep things in perspective, a vocal minority can seem like a majority because the majority is too busy working or living to attend demonstrations. The Guardian newspaper (left wing UK paper) published a poll just before Bush’s visit which gives a very different view from the demonstrations going on in the street. Don’t have a link, sorry.

Italian group backs Iraq fighters

Even in the face of 19 Italian military policemen dead in Iraq, the militant left in Italy is funding the Iraqi Patriotic Opposition which has ties to Baathists and also supports military resistance to the coalition in Iraq:

"We support the armed struggle in Iraq. our money is to help them, it doesn't matter to us if they use it buy weapons, Kalashnikovs, or medicines for people."

When asked to confirm if the money raised could be used to buy weapons [antiimperialistas spokesman, Moreno Pasquinelli] admitted: "Yes they could, and why not?"

If they are so concerned for Iraqi freedom, why are they attempting to restore the party that terrorized the Iraqi people to begin with? Why support the group that gasses hundreds of thousands of their own men, women and children? Why give aid to the people that imprisioned children as a means of leverage on their parents?

I can only conclude that such a group is treating the Iraqi people as a pawn to cause hurt and harm to the coalition's aims in order to advance their own militant agenda.

(hat tip to Andrew Sullivan)

Homework

Busy these last two days at work (go figure). But I'd thought I'd point out a pretty entertaining bleat over at Lileks--Michael Moore, Ted Rall, Howard Dean/George Soros, the frogs and Voltaire get the treatment last Friday.

Show Michael Moore a man in jeans holding a rake and a man in a suit with a briefcase, and he will not only automatically side with the guy who has the rake, he will assume that the briefcase contains plans to move the rake factory to Mexico, as well as documents that prove the company knew that its rakes gave people painful splinters at a rate 150% above EU standards.

...

(yeau yeau hommeboix, j’avais le mic! E U Hammeur c’est ici, dans la maison!)

News stories to read

Two interesting articles this morning (hat tip to Lucianne.com) that should be read and printed out and read again later.

The first one is from David Warren at The Ottawa Citizen, it’s a tribute to Fritz Kraemer who recently died at the age of 95. He was a refugee from Germany, fought the reds (Communist) and the browns (Nazi) in the street of Germany before 1933. Once he came to the US, he spent his life fighting for freedom and would not make excuses or compromises with those who were the enemy. Kraemer denounced detente because it compromised the truth of freedom. He saw the war on terrorism in the same light, either you fight for freedom and truth, or you are helping the enemy. Recommend this story.

The second news story is from David Frum at the Telegraph. It’s a look at the demonstration in London due to President Bush’s visit and how the demonstrators are vilifying the two leaders who are working to insure the demonstrators can hold their rallies and not fear the police will send in the tanks to disperse the crowd. Another good article.

American Work Ethic

Joshua Claybourn points us to a commentary on how America is "is still the hardest working country in the industrialized world". This got me to thinking about work and life. The ensuing commentary focused on the difficulty of work and the terrible state of America that requires two income families. Some energy was spent around vacations and retirement.

But I have sort of a problem with that: why is there such a focus on not working? i.e., vacations, retirement, living for the weekend and being independently wealthy? It's not that I don't enjoy the weekends or a good vacation--the Lord does command rest one day out of seven--but there is such a large part of the middle that we tend to miss. I think that when we look at work as a necessary evil rather than a potential good, we miss out. In fact, it's wrong. Work is not evil, but the conditions that we work under that are evil--Adam's job was to work the cursed earth, not cursed to work the earth.

Work, for most of us, is the here and now. I happen to enjoy work, I also happen to enjoy my family even more. But I cannot focus on one to the exclusion of the other--that would be disasterous.

What happened to finding the good in the labor? To know that work is part of a larger whole and finding means of self-expression through work? To see how your work can serve others? To say that you cannot do any of these things devalues and demeans a significant, necessary and important part of life.

There's a Troll in the Blog!

Journeying through the swamp infested blog, our adventurer is "Scaling the Cliffs of Insanity, Battling Rodents of Unusual Size, Facing torture in the Pit of Despair". . .I suppose we shouldn't be surprised.

Mark Byron is a blogger who stepped into it with a very controversial post--he was doing a thought experiment for a supposed "Christian Liberation Front". Then he got hammered by the libs. Byron does some introspection over the weekend over the post and returns, refocused.

Well, the blog entry has Byron being pretty open and honest about things, but some troll gets in there and just bangs on him to "return to the closet where Jesus can explain to you what he meant". I presume that Mr. Troll does know what Jesus meant and, therefore implies that Byron does not Understand.

This is what bugs me about the dark side of electronic discourse: the free interchange of ideas turns into an ugly flame war led by trolls on both sides. I'd like to think that although the people who make up the Carpetbloggers do take and espouse a particular stand on issues, that we are capable of responding and commenting in a thoughtful manner (ed: most of the time). This is also another reason why I am very guarded about posting more personal entries; there are some who delight in taking advantage of such expression. Such people remind me of a couple of guys I knew in high school who weren't known as terribly nice blokes.

Thankfully, the best thing to do is that I can just stop looking at the monitor, look up at the blue sky, take a breath and take stock of life. Ultimately, no blow hard in some online comments section can invade your offline life: family, faith, friends, work. There is only so much you can concern yourself with, concern yourself only with today:

25"Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more important than food, and the body more important than clothes? 26Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to his life?
28"And why do you worry about clothes? See how the lilies of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you, O you of little faith? 31So do not worry, saying, 'What shall we eat?' or 'What shall we drink?' or 'What shall we wear?' 32For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own. (courtesy of gospelcom.net)

I presume that just as the birds of the air and the lilies of the field didn't worry about the day to day issues of being cared for, so they also probably didn't worry about their blogs. In the end, the opinions of people who leave the electronic equivalent of graffiti (really, blogging is a sort of a glorified poster wall) don't matter that much at all, in comparison to living the non-electronic life. Gee, go figure.

That is, unless the opinionated people are stalking you ;).

UPDATE: Another comment appears in Byron's blog. Keith says, "You better pray you SOB. My kids read that trash.>". Is this indicative of the quality and level of American rhetoric today?

Where can I join this

Non Sequidur comic strip can often say things I can only wish of doing, the Sunday strip is one of them, enjoy, especially on a Monday morning.

A lighter side of things

The weekend is starting and so here is some light sports reading from Mike Penner at the Indian Express newspaper. It seems the US baseball team lost to Mexico so the US will not have a team in the 2004 Olympics. I can’t tell if the writer is laughing or crying over the state of affairs of US teams in international sports (the US isn’t bringing as many metals home as we used to or could). I hope he’s laughing, at least I find it hard to take sports seriously. I hope the blog master will not excommunicate me for saying that. Have a good weekend.

Where Do You Rank on the Generosity Index?

There has been a survey done that ranks states by a "Generosity Index". The index is calculated as the differential between the state's ranking (1-50) of AGI (Adjusted Gross Income) and the state's ranking (1-50) by the percentage of itemized charitable deductions compared to AGI. Interesting:

California is ranked 6th in AGI, but 17th in giving

New York 4th in AGI, but 25th in giving

Mississippi, ranked dead last (50th) in AGI, but 6th highest in giving

The index is also interesting because it measures relative generousity in terms of the ability of the contributer. Thus, those who have more are expected to give more in absolute terms (as implied by the generosity index). This is a proposition that I tend to agree with, for to whom much is given, much is expected. God gives to each man resources that are to be used to provide for oneself and for others. We are not to bury the talents in the ground.

Politically it is interesting as well, take a look at this version that color codes the states by the way they voted for Bush in 2000. Hat tip to Andrew Sullivan for pointing this one out. Sullivan uses this as some fodder to try to show the reality about what he says the left calls "callous, selfish rich Republicans".

The color coded table really is a thought provoker; I'm sure that Dems will pull out some sort of rationale about absolute giving being the standard, economic factors in differing regions, yada yada. I'm unconvinced by the suppositions that Sullivan and (presumably) Glenn Beck make at this time, only because the Generosity Index is such a simplistic formula; I'm still trying to unpack what it means. I know this sure gives us some pause, doesn't it?

What is haunting is that in Scripture, Jesus considered the widow's mite more than the Pharisee's treasure.

Democracy Held Hostage

From the c-span.org site:

A Filibuster is the term used for an extended debate in the Senate which has the effect of preventing a vote. Senate rules contain no motion to force a vote. A vote occurs only once debate ends. The term comes from the early 19th century Spanish and Portuguese pirates, "filibusteros", who held ships hostage for ransom.

A Dem filibuster has halted the nomination of three federal judges: Priscilla Owen (for the 5th Circuit in New Orleans), Carolyn Kuhl (for the D.C. Circuit) and Janice Rogers Brown (for the 9th Circuit in San Francisco).

Yahoo provides some commentary and history back in 2001:

A filibuster is a "shameful" and "under-handed" action employed by a "long-winded" "obstructionist ringleader." At least according to some political critics. It's actually a parliamentary tactic used to stall legislative proceedings or to thwart an opposing bill that would otherwise pass.

A filibuster invoked for any purpose is not right. It is the imposition of a different standard of majority upon a particular vote than originally intended. In today's example, if the judges had been advanced for an up or down vote before the entire senate, a simple majority would have confirmed their appointments; however, a parlimentary loophole has effectively bound a 60-40 majority to judicial appointment. Actually this standard is true for any issue. I suspect that the only thing that holds a filibuster in check is the negative press generated by the filibustering party.

UPDATE: As I sat eating my lunch, I realized that in principle, a filibuster is not democratic, as the delaying tactics stop a particular matter from ever reaching a vote at all. Ending a filibuster requires a 2/3rd vote to end a particular speaker's debate--thus the larger majority required.

MLB to have mandatory steroid testing

Pursuant to the collective bargaining agreement (CBA) signed by the players and owners in 2002, there will be mandatory steroid testing if there were greater than 5% positive random tests in 2003.

The results are in. All precincts have reported. The number in 2003 was between five and seven percent. A lot of players that are clean, most notably pitchers and the Chicago White Sox, were willing to intentionally fail the test (by not submitting their sample) in order to trigger this clause in the CBA. Punishment will be moderate: treatment for a first offense, 15 days for the second positive, 25 and 50 days and one year for each subsequent offense.

The embarrassment and stigma attached to a cheating player may be greater than the actual punishment doled out by MLB. Then again, who really remembers and cares that Sammy Sosa used a corked bat last summer? People forgive and forget players they like, such as Sosa. They will lynch players they don't such as Barry Bonds.

Some player who is probably innocent will have an inexplicably horrible year next year. And guess what will be to blame? They don't even need testing. People will judge anyway. Yes, I'm looking at you Rick Reilly.

The pool is open for the first player to be caught with a positive test. I nominate David "Poppy" Ortiz. Or Jason Giambi. Giambi is getting hurt enough now to suggest he may be on the juice. I honestly don't think either Bonds or Sosa is juicing up because they've been relatively durable and healthy, unlike other players rumored or confirmed to have taken steroids such as Ken Caminiti, Jose Canseco and (just a guess) Juan Gonzalez.

An interesting column on race

Shelby Steele at the OpinionJournal.com has an interesting take on why Howard Dean made his comment "guys with Confederate flags in their pick-up trucks," and why that caused such outrage in the country. I don’t know if I agree with everything said here, but it will certainly make for interesting reading and discussion.

Its sad this is news instead of the norm

The Pueblo Chieftain newspaper has a story which is noble, but also represents a sad commentary on our society today because it is unusual enough to be news.

High School senior Nate Haasis, the quarter back for the Springfield Southeast High School football team has requested the final pass of his high school career be nullified and the record it set, more the 5,000 yards of completed passes in his career, be removed from the record books.

Why would a student (or anyone for that matter) ask to have the record stripped from themselves like that? Well his coach made a deal with the opposing coach to not interfere with final pass of the game (his team was losing by a large margin) so Nate could get the record. That a STUDENT did the honorable thing while the two ADULTS who should have known better, did wrong by fixing the game and allowing the record to be broken unfairly.

While Nate doesn’t get his name in the record book, he retains his ethics and honor. That the two coaches have not been fired or disciplined in anyway is another sad comment on the message we adults are sending to the kids of today.

SLAP

As in: on the wrist. Miami's tight end, Kellen Winslow, Jr., son of ex-NFL player Kellen Winslow, is benched for the start of a game because of a couple of incidents. He will be eligible to play later in the game--Winslow just doesn't start.

Why do coaches even bother? You want a real punishment, try benching him for a game.

"Don't Adjust Your Vertical, Don't Adjust Your Horizontal. . .

. . .because we control your TV set."

Drudge points us to CNN's manipulation of a Dem presidential candidate debate. The question was about the candidate's computer preferences: PC or Mac.The questioner, Alexandra Trustman (how ironic) initially wanted to ask a complicated question about the use of technology and on the question she was told to ask, she says:

...she was "handed a note card" with the question and told she couldn't ask her alternative "because it wasn't lighthearted enough and they wanted to modulate the event with various types of questions."

The pWashington Post has a different version, including an expression of regrets by CNN here:

Trustman said she was informed that the network "thought it would be a good opportunity for the candidates to relate to a younger audience."

Guh. As if filtering and biasing the news weren't enough, now they're telling us what questions we should be asking. I know, I know, this is sort of a tempest in a teapot. Certainly the question wasn't as politically charged as Iraq, but from where I sit (and type) I'm seeing media's manipulation of image. And as we might guess, our impressions and images of a candidate influences our vote more than we think. e.g., Governor-elect Arnold.

Who knows what their political motivations are; the question is, can they be trusted to present us the truth? Last I checked, it used to only be the likes of yesterday's Russia and today's China that manipulated and controlled the news.

Just another straw for the camel's back, as it were.

A View to Islam

A blogger named, 'oceanguy', attended a lecture by Bernard Lewis and summarizes some of Lewis' thoughts about Islam, Islamdom and the War on Terror. On Wahabism (the main sect of Islam in Saudi Arabia):

[Benard] asked how these western diplomats would react if the KKK were given control over the state of Texas with all of it's Oil wealth, and then used that wealth and influence to open up schools all around the world preaching its peculiar version of Christianity. Somehow we have done something very similar in Arabia and have allowed this extremist sect to gain immensely disproportionate influence.

The blog entry is a decent summary of one view of the current state of affairs.

The Left Wing Book Burners

Check out an opinion piece in the Yale News that discusses the liberal crushing of dissent on campus. Apparently in the more progressive universities, expression of opinion is free, but only for those who have the correct opinion:

When their ideas are challenged or attempts are made to encourage intellectual diversity on campus, liberals tend to hurl epithets that have a chilling effect on discourse. Passion for one's ideas is well and good, but shouting others down with irrational cries of "racist" and "McCarthyite" is hardly liberal at all.

Veteran's Day for the Dems

In an AP news brief entitled "Democrats Use Veterans Day to Attack Bush", this is how the Dems decided to honor our veterans, as a stump for Campaign 2004:

Kerry: "Walking away from our veterans is wrong and in a Kerry administration it will be a thing of the past."

Clark: "a retired Army general, says he would spend $2 billion more annually than Bush spends on health care for veterans. In addition, he says his broader health care plan would provide medical insurance to the roughly 240,000 guard and reserve members who only have coverage when they are on active duty."

Lieberman: "called for "a decent wage" along with special compensation for housing, health care and other services so veterans can provide for their families."

The Bush campaign also made a release in response:

In a campaign release defending his record, Bush noted his increase for the Department of Veterans Affairs and said he increased the budget for the agency more in his first two years in office than in the previous six years.

How come everything has to be about the election? How come every issue has to have two competing solutions? How come the electorate has to be polarized?

TMQ IS BACK! TMQ IS BACK! TMQ IS BACK!

Over at Football Outsiders

Veterans Day

'If you choose to live in a country, then you are obligated to defend it,'

Enough said

Sometimes heros don't get $1,000,000 book deals.

(cap tip to Allah)

Separation of Church and State???

The Catholic Church in the US is now considering what the Church should do with politicians who claim to be Catholic and vote to allow abortion or other items that is against Church doctrine.

The Boston Globe has an interesting article on the subject by Michael Paulson. The politicians say they believe the Church but cannot allow their personal convictions to influence their voting (Church and State separation). The Bishops are now starting to say that is not an excuse, either they are Catholics all the way or not. It will be interesting to see, especially as John Kerry is running for president and needs the Catholic vote (read more conservative part of the Democratic Party) to offset Dean’s Liberal part of the party.

Counting the Dead

The VodkaPundit points us to a Newsday article about the mass graves in Iraq. Key numbers:

Up to 300,000 dead

263 mass graves

Key quote:

"We have found mass graves with women and children with bullet holes in their heads," [Sandy Hodgkinson of the US-led Iraqi administration]

Sometimes we really can't get a handle on really large numbers like 300,000. Check out Trojan Horseshoes to see what a large number like that might look like.

Folks, from stories like this, it is hard to not see that Iraq is going to be better off without Saddam than with.

Veteran's Day

As cliched as it is I'll just say this once.

To the men and women of the armed forces here and abroad that serve America and her allies at great personal sacrifice:

Thank you.

My own dad served in the 14th Arcav around the Fulda Gap in the late sixties (we lived in Bad Kissington). He never considered the stories of packing up the jeep and dragging the HQ through the mud as glamourous as piloting a helicopter, but his and his unit's mission played a vital role on the edge of the sword that kept the bear at bay. Although my pop never played up his military service much, this is one of the things for which I am proud of my old man.

Jesus Junk

Pop on over to Shalom where Jan talks about those gee gaws we see in the Christian bookstores that Jan calls "Jesus Junk":

I think that we have fallen victim to the 'feel good' syndrome. Buying such articles puts us in the club. We can identify other christians by such merchandise. We receive warm fuzzies when we purchase such goods. It is an easy out. We don't have to put any effort into our walk as it is all done for us.

Now, I don't believe that having a copy of Footprints on your wall, some bookmarks with scripture verses or a crucifix tie tack means that we are lacking spiritual depth. However, I see the merit in Jan's thoughts.

If God has become just another consumer brand to the church, then how can the church speak of being transformed (Rom. 12:1-2)?

(cap tip to Joshua Clayborn's blogroll)

The Dish Does Dowd

Sullivan pretty much pastes Maureen Dowd today and, boy is it a doozy. Check it out because Sullivan makes Dowd's critiques hypocritical in light of what she's saying today. Sullivan provides his take on Dowd's concern for Saddam's "imminent danger" six years ago during the Clinton administration:

Yes, imminent! Bush may never have said it. Rummy may never have believed it. But Ms Dowd wrote it six years ago - and now blames the Bushies for allegedly agreeing with her.

The political atmosphere in America is going to get us ALL killed. Why must politics and political commentary be a game of "oppose whoever is in power to the detriment of every American"? I'm not asking for the wholesale rubberstamping of any and all policies from the current party in the Oval Office. I am asking, where is the ability to compromise and put aside differences for the good of all? It's no longer about the good of Americans so much as it is about Campaign 2004 and Campaign 2008.

The Future as a Muslim

Andrew Sullivan points us to a commentary on the Riyadh bombing of a Muslim residential area by the Telegraph. Overall, the article points to possible effects of the bombing in so far as mainstream Muslims view Al-Qaeda as well as some background. What caught my eye is the assessment of the motivations for the attack. The authors, Robin Gedye and Adel Darwish write:

"In attacking the Muhaya compound, al-Qa'eda was sending the message that Muslims of 'lesser faith' will be punished and guest workers from other Muslim nations would be advised to avoid Saudi Arabia."

If such motivation is true, then the world cannot afford to allow Muslim extremism to win--for it can only lead to the inevitable suppression of personal freedoms brought about in recent history. That is, a step forward for Al-Qaeda means a step back for history's progress.

Mission Accomplished

Hmmmm. George W. wasn't the only one who touted Mission Accomplished in Iraq. Check it out in the wayback machine back in 1998. Hey, isn't that Madeline Albright? Quoth our former Secretary of State after cruise missile attacks against a reticent Iraq:

With the loss of the use of the international inspectors, the United States will employ "other means" for monitoring suspicious activities in Iraq, Albright said. And she emphasized that "we reserve the right to use force again, and I think we've proven our ability to deliver a very tough blow."

And this:

The Secretary denied that President Clinton's domestic political problems factored into the timing of the latest military offensive against Iraq.

Hmmm, I've heard all this before. And so the wheel spins. . .

(cap tip to Andrew Sullivan)

This came from Time Magazine????

Will wonders never cease?? Time Magazine has an interesting article about the sympathy the world gave the US after 9/11, actually Charles Krauthammer, the author, says the sympathy was illusionary so we should get over it and do what we need to do and leave it at that.

That Time Magazine would actually print this is surprising to me, as this looks like something that would more likely appear in the Washington Times or National Review Online.

Howard Dean has made some interesting statements, will the press ask him about it?

David Tell in “The Weekly Standard” has an interesting article about Howard Dean. He is meeting Dean at a rally and tells about his and some others experiences when Dean is asked questions he doesn’t want to talk about. The only reason to read this is because Dean is still the leading Democratic contender for the Democratic Party presidential nominee and its good to know who we (the citizens of the US) are voting for.

Dernell Stenson, 1978-2003

If you were not a total baseball nut, or an ardent Boston Red Sox or Cincinnati Red fan, you probably had never heard of Dernell Stenson before this past week. But if you have watched the evening news or read major news websites, you will know that he was a outfielder that was brutally murdered on an attempted robbery in Chandler, Arizona on Wednesday night.

I will talk about my thoughts on the incident but before that, Stenson was once a hot OF and then 1B prospect with the Sox. I pulled out my John Sickels' 1999 Minor League Scouting Handbook and it says, "How good will he become? Imagine Mo Vaughn [ed. note - Vaughn was good back then] with a decent outfield glove." He got a B+ grade which indicates that he's likely to be a regular big leaguer, even a potential all star. To give you an idea, other B+ in 1999 were Octavio Dotel, probable 2003 AL Cy Young winner Roy Halladay, and all stars Freddy Garcia, Pat Burrell, Richie Sexson, and Mike Lowell. Yes, there were total busts in that group too but it gives you an indication of Stenson's raw ability. Sadly, another ballplayer in that group Padres OF Mike Darr was killed during 2002 spring training in an auto accident.

Professional and college athletes pass away every so often - usually from auto accidents because they're driving their sportscars or SUVs too fast, too drunk, or both. Steve Bechler died earlier this year because of complications from ephedra. But Stenson's death is the saddest I can remember given the circumstances.

It was originally reported as a possible hate crime as Chandler is not very diverse. It was later reported as a murder, execution style. Now it is being called a robbery attempt where Stenson was shot while trying to escape and run over in his own SUV. I know that I would never have known about this but for the fact that Stenson was a big league ballplayer. But to think, and I acknowledge we don't know all the facts yet, that this can still happen in a seemingly random way, makes me incredibly sick.

This was on the front page of many newspapers. It reminds me of a quote by former Supreme Court Chief Justice Earl Warren (at least he has some legacy): "I always turn to the sports pages first. The sports pages records people's accomplishments. The front page nothing but their failures."

The Meatless Matrix

Just got around to reading Lileks Bleat for Friday and he reviews Matrix: Revolutions. During the process Lileks also takes to task a review that attempts to interpret the trilogy as an allegory of today's political and cultural 'matrix'. Although I haven't seen #3 yet, I had to read the review myself, just to be check the sources and, well. . .I'm neither convinced nor impressed by Harry Knowles review either.

I should have known when Knowles starts the meat of the review by saying, "Ok, You see, ultimately this film is a lot about what is going on in the world right now."

Uh oh. Toto, I don't think we're in the Matrix anymore. Why, it looks like. . .KANSAS. If you keep reading you are rewarded with gems like:

You see, The Machines, They're the United States and Capitalism. Ultimately they want society operating in the 9 to 5, eat your food, grab a movie, raise the kids, go to church and get back to work sort of daze. That's the Machine way. Don't worry about the 'MEANING OF IT ALL'; just do your job, be a battery and power the big society forward.

...

Or you could say AGENT SMITH is that Born Again Christian type that is trying to eradicate another's belief system--and ultimately --the elimination of both either politically, humanly or functionally is a move towards peace.

Hum. (furrows brow) I'll just ignore that he's talking about my inability or lack of desire to get the 'meaning of it all' and that my faith makes me some sort of homicidal maniac. Mr. Knowles is entitled to his free speech. In any event, it appears that his simplistic answer to world peace is through the elimination of any and all worldviews (I suppose but one. . .HIS worldview); once we have all adopted a morally relativistic worldview, we should all get along. Nevermind that my good may very well be your bad. Why shouldn't I take your stereo? It's good for me. Anyways. . .the whole review is social anarchary wrapped in morally relativistic philosophical babble with a dash of lefty to taste. Judging by the fan mail he gets, it works for some. If you're looking for a thinking man's review of the Matrix that muses philosophical . . .this isn't it. Lileks does a much better job of fisking this review than I. Can. Ever.

Well, what I found more interesting is Lileks observation that he ties on at the end:

. . .[the Matrix trilogy] is a product of deeply confused people. They want it all. They want individualism and community; they want secularism and transcendence; they want the purity of committed love and the licentious fun of an S&M club; they want peace and the thrill of violence; they want God, but they want to design him on their own screens with their own programs by their own terms for their own needs, and having defined the divine on their own terms, they bristle when anyone suggests they have simply built a room with a mirror and flattering lighting. All three Matrix movies, seen in total, ache for a God. But they can't quite go all the way. They're like three movies about circular flat meat patties that can never quite bring themselves to say the word "hamburger."

Now THAT I can believe. As a little green man may have said, "Good fun the movies are. Mmmm, yes. But more, they are not."

Getting Back to Basics

Victor Davis Hanson writes in the NRO an article that wants to remind readers 'What this war is not about' and, presumably, we can understand what the war is about. I enjoyed reading it, not necessarily because I agree, but because it's forcing me to ask the question, "What are we in this for?". At this point, I have a notion that we are fighting to stay free because:

The mixture of autocracy, religious intolerance, and feelings of inferiority brought on by globalization has created a lethal brew in all the unfree parts of the Islamic Arab world. Again, our crisis is not really with the majority of Muslims who live under consensual or semi-democratic auspices — in Turkey, Bangladesh, Malaysia, Indonesia, or India. Instead it is in the Middle East where a minority (encompassing millions) has turned to fundamentalism and hatred of a dominant West to account for the misery incurred by its own economic and political failures.

But, again, these are my leanings at this point, based on an admittedly small background on the subject.

Nugent Rocks the Vote. . .to be Governor

Well, as if we hadn't seen it all, now it seems that Michigan wants to out do Minnesota and California for the governor with the most star power. But seriously, folks, it looks like Ted Nugent could make a run to be Michigan's governor in 2006. Yes, that Ted Nugent and he's still touring (although he finished his summer tour). Quoth the 70's rocker on his 50-50 chance to run:

"If I can get the support of my family and business partners, I believe I could absolutely make a difference--I would absolutely run for Governor."

An article was featured entitled, "The Desouling of America Dribbles On", by Mr. Nugent castigates Chante Jawan Mallard for running over a man and allowing him to die in her windshield before attempting to cover up the crime. Said Ted:

I don't think anything really shocks Americans anymore. Not enough to actually do something about it at least. From finding babies in dumpsters to any other unimaginable acts of random depravity and violence, Americans have been exposed to the rotting, stinking, maggot-infested underbelly of our culture for so long that we've become desensitized to it. And our own spineless apathy is the shameless result.

Wow. Not sure what to make of it, my DAD listened to Nugent on vinyl; I'm interested to see how this shapes up. Before we start making fun of this, be sure to read his bio and philosophy. I find it very interesting how his career starts out as your typical rock star ("Considered #1 Guitar Showman in the world", "#1 Tour in the World with KISS 2K") and starts showing more orientation towards family ("named Father of the Year at children's school"), outdoors and gun rights ("Appointed to Board of Directors of the National Rifle Association, 1995-").

Ironically, on the day I surfed his page, Gov. Jesse Ventura appeared for an interview.

(cap tip to Mark Byron)

Signs That We May Prevail Yet

Light blogging today as there is little that caught my eye until now. Heading into the weekend, I am proud to be an American. Thanks to The Indepundit (somebody who will make the blogroll) who points us to a letter from Will Ross, who was at an airport when he recounts some troops coming home on leave:

Read the Letter

Dear Friends and Family,

I hope that you will spare me a few minutes of your time to tell you about something that I saw on Monday, October 27.

I had been attending a conference in Annapolis and was coming home on Sunday. As you may recall, Los Angeles International Airport was closed on Sunday, October 26, because of the fires that affected air traffic control. Accordingly, my flight, and many others, were canceled and I wound up spending a night in Baltimore.

My story begins the next day. When I went to check in at the United counter Monday morning I saw a lot of soldiers home from Iraq. Most were very young and all had on their desert camouflage uniforms. This was as change from earlier, when they had to buy civilian clothes in Kuwait to fly home. It was a visible reminder that we are in a war. It probably was pretty close to what train terminals were like in World War II.

Many people were stopping the troops to talk to them, asking them questions in the Starbucks line or just saying "Welcome Home." In addition to all the flights that had been canceled on Sunday, the weather was terrible in Baltimore and the flights were backed up. So, there were a lot of unhappy people in the terminal trying to get home, but nobody that I saw gave the soldiers a bad time.

By the afternoon, one plane to Denver had been delayed several hours. United personnel kept asking for volunteers to give up their seats and take another flight. They weren't getting many takers. Finally, a United spokeswoman got on the PA and said this, "Folks. As you can see, there are a lot of soldiers in the waiting area. They only have 14 days of leave and we're trying to get them where they need to go without spending any more time in an airport then they have to. We sold them all tickets, knowing we would oversell the flight. If we can, we want to get them all on this flight. We want all the soldiers to know that we respect what you're doing, we are here for you and we love you."

At that, the entire terminal of cranky, tired, travel-weary people, a cross-section of America, broke into sustained and heart-felt applause. The soldiers looked surprised and very modest. Most of them just looked at their boots. Many of us were wiping away tears.

And, yes, people lined up to take the later flight and all the soldiers went to Denver on that flight.

That little moment made me proud to be an American, and also told me why we will win this war.

If you want to send my little story on to your friends and family, feel free. This is not some urban legend. I was there, I was part of it, I saw it happen.

Will Ross
Administrative Judge
United States Department of Defense

Close letter

This has been cross checked by snopes.com as authentic.

Dangit, it's just an airport story, but it just gets me. . .right here.

Politics ARE a Mickey Mouse Affair

Over the last couple of days, I've had the privilege to be involved in a discussion over CBS's pulling of the Reagan miniseries. What is interesting is that what some liberals see as a case of government censorship (or close to it) others see as simply free market dynamics:

From the timing of events, it seems as if CBS completely, and I mean completely, caved in to GOP outrage and pulled the show with an offering of phoney excuses as to the reasonings.

At one point, a commentator even makes a parallel that the GOP control of the media is akin to the GOP control of a woman's body, vis a vis the recent signing into law the ban on partial birth abortions.

I just don't buy it all. Frankly, it's not a GOP conspiracy but simply a company responding to market demand. I have no illusions about the political leanings of media moguls, but they, too, understand that their best business interest may lie in serving those different opinions. If not, if they feel strongly enough, they must understand the consequences of their business decisions.

Strangely enough, this forum is hosted by the Disneyland fan site, Mouseplanet.com. Folks, even lefties and conservatives can hang together at the Happiest Place on Earth.

Media Left

And they just banned a word. The LAT is now banning the term, 'resistence fighter(s)' when used to reference the 'insurgents' or 'guerrillas' in Iraq that are fighting the Americans. However, as the article states:

On Tuesday, the day after McCoy issued her memo, the paper used it in an editorial, which criticized the Bush administration for a lack of humility and candor over Iraq.

Guess you can't change the spots of the leopard.

Site of the Moment

Healing Iraq, pointed out by Andrew Sullivan. This is a blog from an Iraqi in Baghdad. Makes for good insights into life there that you don't get from the media. The wonder of the Internet: unfiltered, always on tap.

The Venom of the Left

Andrew Sullivan reposts a cold blooded wish that the'bloodshed continues in Iraq'. Key grafs:

The only way to get rid of this slime bag WASP-Mafia, oil barron ridden cartel of a government, this assault on Americans and anything one could laughingly call "a democracy", relies heavily on what a shit hole Iraq turns into.

And this:

"This time they need to die in defense of a lie from a lying adminstration to show these ignorant, dumb Americans that Bush is incompetent."

This is the far left and as Sullivan points out, there are 30,000 subscribers to the site that hosted the forum where the post originated. I'm not representing that every one of these 30,000 agree with this person, but it gets you to wondering. I wonder if this person agrees that deposing Saddam was a good thing for the Iraqi people. I wonder why this person "laughingly" thinks America is NOT a democracy. Last I checked, we just elected an actor over a rank and file career politico--if THAT isn't democracy, I would really like to know what is. Would this person think that democracy the rule of the majority that think like her?

UPDATE: Sullivan notes that the Democratic Underground removed the page where the post lives. . .makes you go HMMMMMMM.

Site of the Moment

Wizbang! Dude came up with a standalone Trackback tool, which is awesome! Thanks, kevin-at-wizbangblog-dot-com.

CBS Cancels 'The Reagans'

According to the CBS press release:

Although the mini-series features impressive production values and acting performances, and although the producers have sources to verify each scene in the script, we believe it does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans for CBS and its audience.

Matt Druge quotes CBS head, Les Moonves:

"It just doesn't work. Listen, we are not afraid of controversy, we'd go out there if it came in at 50-50, pro and con, but it simply isn't working. It's biased."

And this coming from a "self-described liberal democrat". The article goes on to tell that the rights to the Reagans were sold to Showtime, and Drudge further reports that a "source close to the production team" said, "We got a call from a midlevel flunky at CBS telling us to get it ready for SHOWTIME."

Think they're bitter and disappointed? Ya bet'cha, but I'm not shedding any tears over it. I wonder what is driving Moonves decision? A desire for a balanced story because it is truthful or realization that an unbalanced story won't sell advertising? For what it's worth, I'll also boycott Showtime's advertising as well. . .if they even do advertising. . .it's not like I watch it all that much anyways. Power to the consumer, baby!

Yahoo's version of the CBS press release is here.

(cap tip to Drudge)

UPDATE: As I reread the press release, the key phrase in my excerpt is (emphasis mine), "it does not present a balanced portrayal of the Reagans for CBS and its audience." So, in other words, Moonves realizes that the public will see the miniseries as a smear and that airing such a hachet job reflects poorly on CBS.

Sin of Omission

Did you know that the US handed over control of an Iraqi nuclear research facility on October 7th? (courtesy US CENTCOM) I didn't.

A Google search "Transfer of Authority from coalition to Iraqis" or "Al Thawath Nuclear Research" reveals that only a few sites reported the handover, such as: US Department of State, 1st Armored Division, New York Jewish Times and the FreeRepublic.com.

Did you also know that the curfew in the Bagh was rescinded October 26th?

The Coalition Provisional Authority announced that the curfew in Baghdad will be lifted beginning at 4:00 AM on Oct. 26. The CPA has determined that, despite recent terrorist attacks, the overall security situation in Baghdad has improved and the crime rate has fallen.

One of my beefs with the L cubed is that although they are very good at reporting the deaths, the setbacks and the unrest in Iraq, they don't report the successes. I'm not decided if the media wishes to serve you the bad news because of their politics or if they are just sensationalist: "bad news sells". All I know is this: the headlines speak doom for the United States and sounds like a tired record from the Vietnam War. For some positive news, hit the just mentioned US Department of State's page The New Iraq: Progress & Accomplishments.

America needs to know that those men in Iraq are not giving their lives for a worthless cause. It will be our ability as a nation's staying power that will ultimately win the war. See Sullivan's take today on the Blackhawk Down strategy in Iraq. If there is one thing George W. can do better than George H. is that W. can follow through.

What were they (adult and kids) thinking????

More from Great Moments in Public Education. This appeared on Friday, and while Halloween can make people a little strange, this is ridiculous. As reported in the Star-Telegram (Texas paper)

DALLAS _ School officials are investigating reports that a 12-year-old girl and a 14-year-old boy engaged in oral sex during a science class at Robert T. Hill Middle School.

The activity allegedly took place Tuesday in the back of a classroom while the teacher was away at a parent-teacher conference, leaving an adult security monitor in charge, Dallas school district spokesman Donald Claxton said Friday.

What was the adult security monitor thinking??? He/she thought it was cute and harmless fun?? What were the students thinking, this would be a good dare?? What were the other students thinking?? And finally what is the school district thinking by NOT firing the bozo security monitor for gross incompetence and having him arrested for child endangerment? A 12 year old girl performing oral sex on anybody is (or at least should be) grounds for conviction (of course certain fathers I know would think its grounds for the security monitor for being drawn and quartered, and the boy having to explain to his classmates, parents and the girls parents why he did it).

Odd eBay Auction of the Day

A tailwheel from an airplace that attacked the Bismarck.

WARNING: eBay will expire auctions after a period of time, so link may not work.

More on how Americans thought we did in occupying Germany at the time

Today, when we look at Germany, we know the occupation and reconstruction after World War 2 was a success. At the time however, Americans were convinced we had lost the occupation and lost the peace. The first blog reminding us of our past views, reprinted an article from Life Magazine in January 1946.

Now, comes another article from the Saturday Evening Post dated January 26, 1946 which says the same thing. See it at Instapundit.com. Don’t forget, the war ended in 1945 and 58 years later, we are still occupying Germany. Does that mean the occupation was not a success? We have around 100,000 troops there, yet I don’t hear anybody saying we should bring the troops home, NOBODY. (Hat tip to OpinionJournal.com Best of the Web).

UPDATE: Added links to OpinionJournal and Andy's original blog entry.

CBS Version of Reagan

Not so good, nor accurate. Visit boycott CBS to sign up to boycott CBS and those advertisers who air during the series.

I don't watch network TV anyways, so not watching CBS is not a big change for me; however, we'll see how the advertisers reveal themselves. It is probable that I will honor such a boycott, exercising my power as a consumer to make my voice heard.

CBS is within its rights to speak and show what programming they want--within the boundaries of slander, of course. However, the freedom to speak does not imply an immunity to the reprecussions to speach--something that many people tend to forget.

UPDATE: Forgot to cap tip The Dissidant Frogman, the Official Linker of the Carpetbloggers.

A Team After My Own Heart

The intersection between sports and amateur opinion merge: we find a letter to the LAT [emphasis mine]:

"Rape allegations. Carpetbaggers. Feuds. Even if the Lakers win the championship this season, their rings will be as tarnished as the one Kobe gave Vanessa.

Volney E. Hyde

Van Nuys

Thanks, Volney, for the nomination of the Lakers as the Official Basketball Team of the Carpetbloggers.