Enjoy the weekend, thank a veteran

This weekend is Memorial Day weekend. For most of us, that means a long weekend, getting Monday off and maybe a short trip out of town.

But while we are celebrating this holiday, stop for a moment and give thanks to all those who are not able to celebrate this day because they died in defense of our country. They are the reason we are able to take Monday off.

This weekend, thank a veteran for their past service and sacrifice.

This weekend, thank a Soldier, Sailor, Airman or Marine for the sacrifice they are making so we may continue to live in this land.

Have a safe weekend where ever you are and plan on going.

Hat tip Jessica's Well who got it from BrainShavings

The seven folks who the FBI are looking for, members of Al Qaeda, who are likely to try to launch terrorist attacks in the US between now and November. I tried to port the HTML to show the graphics on this log and by clicking on any of the pictures it would take you to the FBI information on the person. Alas HTML and I don't get along too well so if you want to see what these people look like, click on Jessica's Well or BrainShavings to see them. If you want to put the pictures on your own blog or web site, click here for the HTML code that BrainShavings provided.

Sadly, this editorial is NOT Satire on Gore

The Boston Herald, (Not the Globe but is any Boston paper conservative), as a very strong editorial denouncing Al Gore and his last speech to MoveOn.Org.

Gore spent the bulk of a speech before the liberal group MoveOn.org Wednesday bemoaning Abu Ghraib and denouncing President Bush's departure from the ``long successful strategy of containment.''

How dare Gore say that Americans have an ``innate vulnerability to temptation... to use power to abuse others.'' And that our own ``internal system of checks and balances cannot be relied upon'' to curb such abuse.

That Gore is unhappy he lost the election is understandable. That he thinks he should have won is understandable. That he thinks he would have done a much better job then Bush is understandable. That he does not agree with Bush's policies is understandable. To say the abuse of prisoners in Iraq was not an isolated act, but rather shows systemic problems with our government (which he was Vice President for 8 years and a Senator for many years before that) and ignoring it was the Army that found and was investigating the abuse before the media got hold of the story, shows he has contempt for our nation, our government (not just the administration but our system of government) and our people (Americans are evil in his eyes). I'm glad we did not have a person who hates us that much as our President.

This is a funny satire column on Gore

Just remember, this DID NOT HAPPEN, its satire. Its also quite funny and we can all use a laugh.

Andy Borowitz at Jewish World Review

Hollywood and war

Catherine Seipp at NRO has a very good article on Hollywood and how it deals with war.

Actually, there are two parts to her column. The first part is a shot at Saving Private Ryan, skip it. From the second part, ON THE FRONTLINES WITH IKE, to the end of the column is well worth reading however.

Seipp talks about Lionel Chetwynd who is the screen writer and co-producer for the A&E movie Ike: Countdown to D-Day (premieres on Memorial Day, May 31). Chetwynd talks about how and why he makes his docudramas they way he does and how that rubs many folks in Hollywood the wrong way.

The movie Ike does look interesting and I do plan on watching it. I would also be interested in seeing his last docudrama, Showtime's DC9/11 which deals with how the White house handled events on that day. He was criticized for being sympathetic to Bush, but no one was able to show it was not accurate. I'll have to see if Blockbuster has the movie since I don't get Showtime and no, one movie doesn't make it worthwhile to subscribe to it.

Thanking those who help

It is always important to remember to thank those who help us when we ask and especially when they help before we ask.

The UK is a country that has done just that over the last 2 1/2 years. They have stood by us and fought and died with us even though it was not a popular move in the country.

To thank the UK Government is a simple thing to do and would also show how we Yanks do value those who stand with us.

Go to Thank You Tony and send a message to the PM and just say thanks. It doesn't matter if I do not like Blair's domestic politics, I'm thanking him for supporting the US and for being our best friend internationally over the last few years.

(Hat tip Citizen Smash)

Keeping things in perspective

Gert Van Langendonk The Daily Star

The Daily Star is a Lebanese paper, which makes the story more interesting and indicates a country that does not like the US has better balance of stories then the US media.

BAGHDAD: Ibrahim al-Idrissi, 37, goes to work every day with a handgun in a holster on his hip. In most countries, the line of work Idrissi is in wouldn't require such firepower. But this is Iraq. Idrissi is the president of the Association for Free Prisoners, an Iraqi non-governmental organization that has been documenting the execution of political prisoners under the regime of Saddam Hussein.

This article is not to excuse what the US soldiers did, but to bring to justice those who were committing the crimes under the old regime. The US is policing its ranks and punishing those who abused the Iraqi prisoners. But this cannot and MUST NOT distract all of us for hunting down and bringing to trial all of Sadam's jailers and those who committed crimes against humanity.

Just like the hunt for Nazi's did not end with the start of the Cold War or the founding of Federal Republic of Germany in 1949, the hunt for Sadam's willing torturers cannot be ended because some Americans did wrong. We cannot forget or history will repeat itself again.

Yet Even More Sarin

Citizen Smash has an analysis of the Sarin shell found in Iraq. Key:

The artillery shell discovered earlier this week, according to General Kimmitt, contained a "mix-in-flight" binary chemical warhead. This type of warhead. . .was not used in the Iran-Iraq war, and was not included by Saddam in his 1991 weapons declaration.

And concludes:

Sometime between 1988-95, Saddam developed and manufactured sophisticated, "mix-in-flight" binary chemical weapons.

He failed to declare these weapons, as required, to UN weapons inspectors.

Iraq did not destroy all of its chemical weapons.

A stockpile of artillery shells, including at least some that contain chemical warheads, has been found by "insurgents" in Iraq.

To wit, the shell that was found could not have been a holdover from the Iran-Iraq war. Rather, the warhead was part of a program of WMD development that was hidden from weapons inspectors and not declared.

And for those of you who are scoring at home, Smash is doing the Haiku thing. . .nifty!

Flip FLOP

And the Times falls down. Looks like the NYT has a stake in Chalabi's 'fall from grace'. According to commentator, William E. Jackson (emphasis mine):

Yesterday, American and Iraqi forces raided and ransacked the Iraqi National Congress leader's office in Baghdad, completing his fall from grace as what the Times terms a "favorite" of the Bush administration. Today, two front-page articles in the paper, and an editorial titled "Friends Like This," take a harsh view of Chalabi. One would never know that the Times itself once relied on him heavily for its "scoops" on Saddam's WMD stockpiles.

...

And in today's Times editorial: 'Before the war, Ahmad Chalabi told Washington hawks exactly what they wanted to hear about Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction ... Much of the information Mr. Chalabi had produced was dead wrong. He was one of the chief cheerleaders for the theory that Iraq had vast quantities of weapons of mass destruction. ... But he can't be made a scapegoat.

'The Bush administration should have known what it was doing when it gave enormous credence to a questionable character whose own self-interest was totally invested in getting the Americans to invade Iraq. ...'

Left unsaid is that the Times should have known better, as well. Yet, incredibly, the paper of record has never run a corrective editor's note to clean up the mess that Miller made for the Times' integrity.

(hat tip to Drudge)

The media isn't controlling the news flow anymore

Tim Chavez at The Tennessean

During the Vietnam war, the media said the Tet offensive was a major defeat for the US and South Vietnam. Actually it was a military victory per the battlefield but a political defeat. Vietnamese general Giap was removed from command of the North Vietnamese military for the failure of the offensive.

However since the media said it was a defeat and there was no way for people to get other opinions, the majority of the public in the US started to think the war was lost and support for the war and the military fell.

Now things are a little different. With the internet and more importantly, blogs, what the media says can be checked with folks on the ground and their views can get aired. In April and May with lots of bad news from the media, the support for the troops and their mission in Iraq and Afghanistan is still strong. The support has dropped over the last 7 weeks but not nearly as much as it would have if the media and their almost constant negative stories on Iraq were the only news source.

Read Chavez's column about military families and how they are getting news and spreading that news with others.

The First Amendment doesn't apply to the Catholic Church?

Catholic League

Forty-eight Democratic congressmen have signed a letter to Cardinal Theodore McCarrick, Archbishop of Washington, D.C., taking issue with those bishops who have said that Catholic lawmakers should be denied Communion if they champion abortion rights.

Catholic League president William Donohue weighed in today:

"The Democratic congressmen who signed the letter, almost all of whom are pro-abortion, are admonishing the nation’s bishops not to ‘revive latent anti-Catholic prejudice’ by threatening to deny them Communion. This is a classic example of ‘blaming the victim."

Funny, I don't remember any law or rule saying a person HAS to be Catholic. If a person CHOOSES to be Catholic, then they agree to follow the rules of the Catholic Church. If they cannot or do not want to follow those rules, then they are not a Catholic even if they call them selves one. Being Catholic is NOT like being Jewish. Being a Catholic is a religious choice. Being Jewish is both a religious and a cultural choice as the Jews are a distinct people group.

Why are these politicians afraid to say they are not Catholic? It can't be for political reasons can it?? Personally I'm glad to see the Catholic Church exercise Church discipline and would hope if these so called Catholic's do not submit, they are ex-communicated from the Catholic Church. They, and everyone else who calls themselves a Catholic or Christian needs to understand belonging to a Church is not a right in this country and the teachings of the Church need to be followed or there will be consequences. After all, people are free to leave the Church and some churches could fold if everyone leaves. But is it better to remain true to ones principles or to be popular (both as individuals and as organizations).

The MOAB is on display

Shortly before the Iraq war, the Air Force tested a new bomb, the 21,000 pound bomb called MOAB. 14 were built. Now one bomb is on display at Eglin museum and the military does not have any plans to build more. With the one unit that was tested, that means the Air Force still has 12 in inventory. They won't need anymore unless Korea or another place decides it wants to be an Iraq. The US didn't use them in Iraq because Sadam's army melted away before they were needed.

Death in Abu Ghraib

This is amazing. Not that somebody could have been beaten to death in Abu Ghraib, but the fact that it's even reported on and that an investigation is being launched. As much as the prison scandals in Iraq are a blot on the military, it also demonstrates the strength of a free society. The fact abuses by the military can be reported and and that the military be held accountable for immoral and inhumane acts speaks volumes about a free society. The fact that the very military being accused is holding itself accountable is incredible.

Would this have occured a mere two years ago in Iraq? No. That fact that accountability is happening now is a mark that things there are getting better. Should it have happened at all? NO, not by a long shot and those in command who not only let this happen but participated should pay. Unlawful orders must not be given and they must not be obeyed.

It's a painful incident, but I have to think that things are moving forward.

A Marine sees what defeatists don't

Ben Connable at USAToday.

I stole the headline as my title. Connable is a Marine and wrote the column. It is worth reading as he seems to see things a lot more clearly (and being on the ground more reliably) then people who only want to see defeat.

I like how he ends the column:

All we ask is that Americans stand by us by supporting not just the troops, but also the mission.

We'll take care of the rest.

He is asking us to not only support the troops but the mission. The mission is the rebuilding of Iraq. Whether we should have gone in in the first place (I think we were right to do so) is not the issue. We are there and even if it was a mistake, do we walk away like we did to Europe after World War 1? Or do we help rebuild like we did in Europe after World War 2? My opinion is obvious, we stay and finish the job.

Thoughts About Sarin and Mustard

The presence of shells containing mustard and nerve gas means, at the very least, WMDs that were not accounted for--"lost" as it were--and not under accountability by the previous government. I find this somewhat unlikely.

On the other end, it may also mean that a previously hidden war stock of chemical weapons is just now being revealed by the Saddamites.

It is likely that the shell represents leftover war stock from the 80s that was hidden from weapons inspectors. Whether the weapon's usage is intentional and signals an escalation of the terrorism or the employment was unintentional, is immaterial. Now we know that those who oppose Iraqi democracy or those who may be playing power games have such weapons in their possession.

More on the Sarin shell in Iraq

William Safire at the NY Times has an interesting op-ed on the Sarin shell found in Iraq.

You never saw such a rush to dismiss this as not news. U.N. weapons inspectors whose reputations rest on denial of Saddam's W.M.D. pooh-poohed the report. "It doesn't strike me as a big deal," said David Kay.

"Sarin Bomb Is Likely a Leftover From the 80's" was USA Today's Page 10 brushoff; maybe the terrorists didn't know their shell was loaded with sarin. Besides, say our lionized apostles of defeat, a poison-gas bomb does not a "stockpile" make. Even the Defense Department, on the defensive, strained not to appear alarmist, saying confirmation was needed for the field tests.

One note about the shell, it appears to be a binary shell, which means two relatively harmless chemicals are stored in separate containers in the shell separated by a membrane of some sort. When the shell is fired, the sudden acceleration causes the membrane to break and the spinning of the shell (due to the rifling of the barrel) mixes the ingredients and suddenly a toxic load is ready to be delivered at its destination. But if a shell is dropped or set off as a bomb, the two chemicals do not mix completely so the amount of gas produced is small or none.

Which side are they on?

John O'Sullivan at the Chicago Sun-Times

In World War II a passerby, lost in London's Whitehall, stopped a military officer and asked him which side the Defense Department was on. The officer thought for a moment and then said:

''Well, it's hard to be sure, but our side, I hope.''

In the last week the coverage of Iraq by the U.S. media has exhibited at least four separate failings. . .

Very interesting and telling article. Which side is the media on?

I thought this would be big news in So Cal

Debra J. Saunders at the San Francisco Chronicle held an interview with the former Spanish prime minister, Jose Maria Aznar. He is in California to receive an award from Chapman University in Southern California and has been giving interviews to the press.

I would have thought this would be news if not BIG news. When our governor went to Israel, it was all over the news in California as well as Israel. Now California has a visit by Aznar and the silence is deafening.

Could it be because he doesn't follow the script the "wise" have proclaimed for Europeans? He didn't bash the US or damn Donald Rumsfeld. Aznar understands history and can put things into context. Is this why he isn't news?

Read Saunders column, then ask the LA Times and the local TV news why Aznar's visit wasn't considered news worthy. It's something that is happening in Southern California and we have to find out about it by a SAN FRANCISCO paper. Is the media in Los Angeles that stupid to be scooped by a San Francisco paper or that unwilling to publish the views of a news maker who doesn't agree with their editorial position?

Sarin in Iraq

A couple of bombs exploded this past week containing chemical weapons (aka, Weapons of Mass Destruction). Not that I'm terribly surprised, nor should anybody else be. Amongst other things, Saddam failed to account for a number of chemical artillery warheads; what we're seeing now are a few of those turning up:

[the Iraqi Survey Group believes that] the mustard gas shell may have been one of 550 projectiles for which former Iraqi President Saddam Hussein failed to account when he made his weapons declaration shortly before Operation Iraqi Freedom began last year. Iraq also failed to then account for 450 aerial bombs with mustard gas. That, combined with the shells, totaled about 80 tons of unaccounted for mustard gas

I really don't think that this qualifies as the smoking gun, per se. It's not enough evidence to indicate an extensive system of violations. A violation to be sure, but not widespread deception as of yet. If more of these start turning up, then we're going to have more evidence that this is more than just a couple of misplaced or mislabeled warheads.

A double standard rises again

Charles Krauthammer at the Washington Post has a good column about those who are calling for Donald Rumsfeld to resign. It has nothing to do with principles (if it did, why did they not call for Janet Reno's resignation after Waco or for President Clinton's after lying to a judge), but everything to do with politics.

His column will help to keep things in perspective.

Why isn't this film being distributed or broadcast?

Daniel Henninger at OpinionJournal.com has a different story to tell about the abuse of Iraqi's at the hand of Sadam. The story is worth telling, looking at seven men who had their right hands severed for their "crimes" and how Americans have helped them with prosthetics hands.

A documentary has been made of the ordeal (which includes the original amputation as Sadam had that video taped) but no US channel will carry it. Why not? Is the media afraid to show Americans in a good light or afraid we will remember it is a good thing Sadam is gone? I would hope this would be prime time on a network, but would at least think one of the Discovery channels or TLC would be interested in carrying it.

The Fish that Ate San Antonio

THE LAKERS! WIN THE LAKERS! WIN THE LAKERS WIN!

D Fish on a last half second shot. . .sinks San Antonio for a Laker 3-2 lead. Incredible! INCREDIBLE! I scared my youngest child into crying because I screamed when the ball swished.

Could. Not. Believe. It.

For what it's worth, I was pretty sure it was over after Duncan threw in his prayer, it was that demoralizing. The Lakers had played that possession as well as could have been played and Duncan was forced to take a bad shot.

Lucky for him it went in.

"One lucky shot deserves another," [Shaquille] O'Neal said.

Lucky for Laker fans, Duncan left too much time on the clock.

It is noted by Marc Stein:

You had Fisher sprinting off the court in triumph and then revealing afterward that he did so because he didn't want to give the referees even a hint of cause to suspect he got the shot off late ... but admitting that he also stopped at the nearest TV in the bowels of the arena to watch the refs review the instant replay.

"I actually prayed real quick," Fisher said of his first act after leaving the scene.

I'm always interested in wondering what athletes pray about when it comes to their sports. Do athletes pray for victory? What happens, however, if God so orders things that victory is not in the cards? Was that prayer, then, not answered? Christians in sports, I think (hope), would understand that wins and losses are ordered according to God's will--just like other things in life. Prayer for a particular outcome (in anything, sports or not) is well and good--my discipler always taught me to pray boldly. The key, as I have come to understand, is that a particular outcome might not be God's will.

Prayer is not meant for God, but for us, through prayer God changes our hearts, grows our minds and calms the spirit. Praying for a specific outcome should alway acknowledge that God may have other ideas.

Myths of Iraq

Fred Barnes at the Daily Standard has a good and timely column about Iraq and a number of the myths or urban legends that are floating around today. The media seems to have accepted these myths as gospel truth as well as a number of politicians. It would be nice when people tell falsehoods they were interrupted with the truth.

Musing for Today

Asymmetrical warfare sucks. Period. The scum have free reign to kill civilians and rescue workers whereas the white hats have to fight with one hand tied behind their backs.

Sigh.

But that is the way we choose to fight, because it is the right way. We don't bomb civilians, we don't use women and children as shields, we don't take hostages and we sure as hell don't behead hostages.

That is why Abu Grahib has become such an odious stink on the Iraqi War, because it's not the way we SHOULD be conducting ourselves--we hold ourselves to a higher standard.

Be careful what you wish for

New York Post

This is a statement that is applicable to all of us, but the Democratic Party seems to be in this position. In an earlier post, I linked to a Village Voice editorial which called for the Democratic Party to dump Kerry and replace him with ANYONE, preferably Edwards or even Dean. Disclosure note, the writer of the article worked on the Dean campaign.

Now the NY Times and Washington Post are asking the question "is Kerry the right choice?". The NY Post cannot be considered a Kerry paper, but they can view what others are saying about Kerry and what the Democratic Party will do with their nominee.

Its going to be an interesting summer politically. I wonder what odds the bookies in Vegas are giving for the Democratic Party keeping Kerry or replacing him.

Thank goodness for the Judge

The Seattle Times

National Guard Spc. Ryan Anderson is facing trial for talking to people he thought were al-Qaida about helping them and defecting to them. The meeting took place only weeks before his unit was scheduled to deploy to Iraq.

How was Anderson caught and instead of talking to the real al-Quida he spoke with the FBI? Well we can thank one judge and the web.

According to testimony, Anderson first came to the attention of investigators through a Montana judge who spent her off-hours hunting for terrorists on the Internet.

Shannen Rossmiller from Conrad, Mont., testified that she was monitoring a Web site that catered to Muslim extremists when she came across a posting by an "Amid Abdul Rashid."

After a series of searches, she traced the name to Anderson and, posing as a Muslim extremist, exchanged e-mails with him. Learning that he was a member of the military, and believing that he might be a threat, she contacted authorities.

Anderson told her "he was curious if a brother fighting for the wrong side could defect," Rossmiller testified.

The judge did the right thing. She didn't try to confront or arrest Anderson herself nor take matters into her own hands. She was using the web, found something that didn't look right and contacted the correct authorities and now someone who may have betrayed his unit and other soldiers is instead behind bars and if convicted sentenced to life in prison or death.

A New E-Mail from the Front in Iraq: "I Ask That the American People Be Brave"

From Amy Ridenour's National Center Blog

I have just received an e-mail from Army Spc. Joe Roche, who was briefly able to take a break from the thick of the fighting against Al-Sadr's forces in Iraq to tell us what he is seeing and experiencing.

Because I am fearful that I will alter the immediacy of his piece if I edit it, I am presenting it here intact (except I removed from the text the name of an injured soldier).

The next time you see one of those photos from the prison abuse scandal story, remember that the soldiers in those photos are aberrant. This is what an American soldier is really like.

This is what the folks at the pointy end of the stick are thinking, kind of different from what we see on CNN/Network News. Very good read.

This is scary

From The American Spectator

"Experts fear 'dirty bomb' attack in U.S., Europe." Thus spake a story
featured Sunday in the Los Angeles Times and headlined on Yahoo News, where I spotted it.

While a dirty bomb "would not cause the death and destruction of a nuclear weapon," experts say it would "produce some fatalities, radiation sickness, mass panic and enormous economic damage."

The story goes on to say that three known Al Qaeda operatives, one of them a son of Sheikh Omar Abdel Rahman of 1993 World Trade Center fame, "probably would carry out planning for the attack," and that the threat is so high that "a senior European intelligence official said it is 'not a matter of if there is a nuclear-related attack by Al Qaeda, but when it occurs.'"

You'd think this would be big news. Not that it would be healthy to react with panic and demoralization, but that such reports would concentrate the mind wonderfully on the seriousness of the war effort.

I would think/hope this might share some of the front page with the Abu Ghraib story. I hope it will get the time it deserves.

What is being done in the name of Islam

From the New York Times

The American military attacked a mosque in this holy city on Tuesday in its largest assault yet against the forces of the rebel Shiite cleric Moktada al-Sadr, even as the first signs emerged of a peaceful resolution to the five-week-long standoff with him.

Now that the cleric is being shunned by the Shiite leaders and community and his followers are being killed by the US and Iraqi forces, al-Sadr is interested in making peace.

But why are Muslims willing to let this person who is acting in the name if Allah defile the mosques and the Shiite holy cities by storing weapons there and using the mosques as military bases? Wouldn't the devote Muslims be demanding al-Sadr leave and either stop calling himself a Muslim because Islam is a religion of peace or to stop his actions which are bringing dishonor to the Prophet and the word he brought? Of course if al-Sadr is acting as a good Muslim should act, then we do have a war of religions as well as culture and it will be the world against Islam.

Can someone, anyone please enlighten me?

How did the Abu Ghraib prison abuse happen?

The Washington Times has a story on how things at Abu Ghraib prison deteriorated to the point where the abuse could happen. It was not due to evil people deciding to be mean, but the start was a bureaucratic decision because the correct thing to do, relieve the army commander in charge would be too politically difficult. The commander was Brig. Gen. Janis Karpinski, one of the highest female officers in Iraq and the Army.

By taking the easy way out, the Army created a much larger problem.

LA Times

I'm getting fed up with stacks of unread newspapers at home. Then John Carrol's recent pronouncement that the liberal media is the only voice of truth in America pushed me over the edge. I'm cancelling the LA Times forthwith.

American Beheaded in Iraq

We're dealing with barbarians here.

After the man in the center of the line of five — directly behind Berg — reads a statement, he can be seen pulling the prisoner to his side and putting a large knife to his neck. A scream sounds as the man cuts Berg's head off, while the group shouts "Allahu Akbar!" or "God is great." The executioner then holds the severed head out before the camera.

What gets me is that Berg was in Iraq looking for work to rebuild communications attennas. "He had this idea that he could help rebuild the infrastructure" Berg's mother said. Try to do something for people and this is how you're treated?

An on time budget in California??

From the Contra Costa Times

"Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger has struck new deals with local governments and the state's universities to try to clear the way for the first on-time spending plan in four years."

The Governor has been striking deals with all the different departments on their accepting budget cuts and thus basically taking the budget job out of the hands of the legislatures. Of course the Assembly and Senate may not agree or scrap the entire deals worked out, but the Governor can then tell the people of the State look at what your Representatives and State Senators are doing. If the Legislator does not get a balanced budget passed on time this year (by July 1), then the Governor will have a very good argument in selling California on his idea the Legislators should only be a part time job instead of a full time one.

And many still think he isn't smart enough or political savvy enough to be a successful Governor.

Iraq and prisons

Three stories about the problems with Iraqi prisoners in US custody.

The first is from the Washington Times. Many in Congress are upset that the Pentagon didn't inform them of problems with Iraqi prisoners in US custody. They would be right to be upset and demand someone's head if the there had been a cover-up and the Pentagon tired to hide the information.

One problem. On January 12, 2004 Central Command issued a PRESS RELEASE saying it was investigating prisoner abuse in Iraq. On March 20, 2004 the Pentagon issued a PRESS RELEASE saying

"that criminal charges would be brought against six soldiers for "dereliction of duty, cruelty and maltreatment, assault and indecent acts with another." "

.
Now, I will admit that a press release is not the same as Congressional testimony, but would you not think that SOMEONE on Capital Hill would be reading the press statements the Defense Department issues and then ask a few questions like "What the heck is going on in Iraq with prisoner abuse?". But the good folks on the Hill seemed to not be bothered until the pictures were released.

The second story is from The Associated Press and is regarding the Congressional testimony of Maj. Gen. Antonio Taguba who is in charge of investigating the mistreatment of Iraqi prisoners. It boils down to the Brigade Commander failed to provide the leadership to insure ALL her soldiers obeyed the rules. In the US military, the law says if a superior gives an illegal order, the subordinates are not required to obey it and if they do, they are just as guilty for carrying out the order as the commander is in giving it. The order to abuse the prisoners was illegal and should not have been obeyed. It points to a localized problem with a failure of the commander in running her unit.

The third story is from the NY Post. Ralph Peters is not happy with what happened in Iraq, but is also furious at all the countries who are condemning the US for prisoner abuse when their own prison systems are far worse on a routine basis. While the US can and does operate at a higher standard from most of the other countries in the world regarding how we treat prisoners, Peters says to the other countries take the log out of your own eye before taking the speck out of our eye.

From the Horse's Mouth

And I couldn't agree more. What will count, is what will anybody do about it. . .I'm not optimistic that anything will. Check outDaschle's comments:

He continued: "Demonizing those with whom we disagree politically does not serve the interests of democracy. It does not resolve differences."

As examples of the meanness in politics, Daschle noted that two Democratic senators, South Dakota's Tim Johnson and Georgia's Max Cleland, were compared in television ads during the 2002 campaign to terrorist Osama bin Laden. Cleland, a decorated veteran who lost three of his limbs in Vietnam, was defeated in his bid for re-election.

Daschle said the political left is responsible for some attacks, too. He cited a recent ad on the Web site Moveon.org that compared President Bush to Adolf Hitler.

"America has real enemies in the world," he said. "Creating false enemies among us to score political points does not make us safer, it makes us more vulnerable. And trying to bully and intimidate others into silence or compliance does not lead to progress. It leads to increased polarization and eventually paralysis."

Whether or not Sen. Daschle practices what he preaches, it does--in my opinion--truthfully record the state of American politics today. I would daresay that we already are at a point of paralysis where compromise (a vital and necessary feature of politics) is spun as a loss. Can there not be winners all the way around?

"Honor" Killing

Hat Tip LGF

On May 8, 2004, the Ottawa Citizen published a story "Burned Alive: A Victim of the Law of Men" which details in some detail what life was like for a Palestinian female in her village and the honor killing that is done there.

It can be difficult to read and hard to believe that this practice is accepted today. If Christians allowed such things to happen today, it would be rightly denounced as barbarism. When will the leaders of Islam do the same, if it is a religion of peace, why are the leaders not denouncing the practice and so change the culture?

New threats from former Malaysia PM

Dr Mahathir Mohamad is calling on all Muslims to pull their investments out of the US and to use oil as a weapon to compel the US to abandon Israel and to pull out of Iraq and Afghanistan.

Of course the only reason we are in those two countries is because of certain so called Muslims decision to wage war against the US. I say so called because Muslim scholars say Islam is a religion of peace and so those who call for the US destruction are not true Muslims but are using the religion as a shield for their evil work. If OBL and the fool cleric in Iraq are true Muslims, then Islam is not a religion of peace and we (the US and the West) should conduct the war accordingly.

The one thing Dr Mahathir Mohamad seems to forget is what would the Muslim world do with their money if they did pull it out of the US? Where would they invest it? Its one thing to pull $100 from a bank one doesn't like, its another to pull out $100,000,000.00. You have to have a place to put it or it will be stolen or wasted or both.

As for using the oil weapon (which OPEC ignores his calls and today is talking about increasing production because oil is getting too expensive), that would cause pain to the US, but it would also force us to conserve, drill for more oil in the US and develop alternative energy (increase coal and nuclear) sources. At the end of the day, oil would be reduces and then replaced which would mean the oil weapon would become a liability for the producing countries, a commodity that no one wants.

The return of Greek mythology????

When I was in 6th grade and we studied Greek Mythology I had to ask myself then, how could any person believe in the ancient Greek gods as they seemed so human and one could clime Mt. Olympus and see there were no gods living there.

Well, it turns out that there is a group of people in Greece who do believe and are pushing to legalize their worship of the ancient gods. Well, I guess if people have given up on ideology (communism is dead), materialism (the acquiring of goods just doesn't seem to satisfy), Greek philosophy (all roads lead to atheism and we are one big cosmic accident) and hedonism got boring (what is the point and would do drugs and sex but don't want to fry the brain or die of aids) and want to reject the truth (after all confronting one's sins can/should make one uncomfortable), all that is left is pagan ritual to fill their lives.

When these folks do get legal permission to worship the gods openly (and they will) will they demand the right to animal sacrifices? This would drive PETA nuts but don't know if the EU could ban it since that would inhibit religious freedom. Europe will be an interesting place to watch over the next few years.

Moore LIED

Not only that, Moore Knew:

Less than 24 hours after accusing the Walt Disney Company of pulling the plug on his latest documentary in a blatant attempt at political censorship, the rabble-rousing film-maker Michael Moore has admitted he knew a year ago that Disney had no intention of distributing it.

More on Tit for Tat

Earlier, I noted that al-Sadr and his ilk consider female POWs potential slaves. Upon further reflection, it simply reaffirms that their belief that women are property and are spoils of war.

Barberic. According to the continued opposition of the Iraq war, this is exactly the situation and the kinds of people that we must leave in peace.

More on Iraq

To further what Rob said in his comments below and the story he linked to (I was going to post the same story but posted in a different paper).

A senior aide of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr, Sheik Abdul-Sattar al-Bahadli is not only calling for jihad against the UK and US forces (what else is new, they have called for that in the past as well), but is now offering about US $100 for anyone who kills a UK soldier and $350 for capturing one.

Can we say in return that anyone who acts on these instructions will be executed and their bodies buried in pig fat? And if anyone tries to act upon the cleric's call, he forfeits his life and will also be buried in pig fat?

If the answer is no we don't do things like that, I have a question. Why not? If the hot heads think they will not get to heaven and their 72 virgins because what we promise to do, it may just save lives. Especially if one or two try and we carry out the threat.

Actions have consequences, putting a reward out for the killing of a UK or US soldier should free the UK and US from playing nice with those who put up the money and who try to collect.

Read the article in Rob's post Tit for Tat.

Tit for Tat

Well, I'm sure glad we figured out that the Iraqi's are MUCH better at treating their prisoner's of war than us:

A senior aide of radical Shiite cleric Muqtada al-Sadr told worshippers during a Friday sermon in southern Iraq that anyone capturing a female British soldier can keep her as a slave.

Which I guess is better than the four contractors were treated.

Say What You Will

Sometimes you find more in the measure of a man by what is done off the record:

The way he was holding me, with my head against his chest, it felt like he was trying to protect me," Ashley said. "I thought, 'Here is the most powerful guy in the world, and he wants to make sure I'm safe.' I definitely had a couple of tears in my eyes, which is pretty unusual for me.

And what is done on the record:

A day after he stopped short of apologizing, Bush told Jordan's King Abdullah II: "I was sorry for the humiliation suffered by the Iraqi prisoners and the humiliation suffered by their families.

"I told him I was as equally sorry that people seeing those pictures didn't understand the true nature and heart of America," Bush said, standing in the Rose Garden alongside Abdullah.

I for one, have reason to believe that for whatever convictions President Bush holds, he does care deeply about things. Maybe not the things you or I would wish for him to care about, but there is passion in what matters to him.

Congressman Takes on MLB

Former minor league team owner and current congressman, George Nethercutt strongly objects to Commissioner Selig in a letter that derides MLB's decision to paint promotional materials on the bases for advertising revenue:

Little leaguers deserve to see their heroes slide into bases – not ads. As a former minor-league baseball team owner myself, I believe such aggressive advertising undermines the character of America’s pastime at every level.

...

The U.S. government recognizes the special contribution of baseball to our nation by granting MLB special anti-trust exemptions. This over-the-top commercialization of baseball undermines its value to our nation and potentially questions the need for MLB's special monopoly status.

Check out that last quote. Nethercutt (R-WA) proffers a veiled threat that baseball's protected monopoly status is in jeopardy.

I AGREE. If you would like to protest, Bud Selig doesn't have a published email address, only phone numbers. I would suggest emailing your local team, such as the Angels or Dodgers:

I would like to strongly protest the intrustion of commerical advertising onto the baseball diamond, as planned by the Angels, MLB and Columbia Pictures.

I have no problem with advertising around the perimeter of the field and stadium, that's been a part of the game environment for years ("Hit this sign, win a suit") What I have a problem with is the intrustion of advertising onto the playing field, makes it appear that the very game itself has been sold out.

Frankly, such actions don't send a positive message to me.

Please help MLB reconsider its decision.

Thank you.

Terrible

When will the marketing end? When will our worship of consumerism stop? Even our national pastime will be sullied:

In a move that has purists howling, Major League Baseball has agreed to decorate its bases -- and pitching-mound rubbers and on-deck circles -- with a spider-web pattern as part of a promotion for the release of Sony Corp.'s "Spider-Man 2" next month.

I grant that baseball teams are a business venture, needing to make money to stay alive. I also grant that sports are a form of entertainment, much like the movie it will soon promote. What I do not agree with is what seems to be an intrusion on what is a pleasant form of escapism.

Baseball is that a sport that transcends time it takes us back to other times because as Terence Mann, played by James Earl Jones in the movie, Field of Dreams, sums it up:

The one constant through all the years, Ray, has been baseball. America has rolled by like an army of steamrollers. It's been erased like a blackboard, rebuilt and erased again. But baseball has marked the time. This field, this game, is a part of our past, Ray. It reminds us of all that once was good, and that could be again.

So very true. As a form of escape, baseball recalls the times past where we enjoyed warm summer evenings at the Ravine, bundled up against the chill air of the 'Stick or knocked back a cold one in the bleachers at Wrigley. For a movie promotion to intrude into the game is to remind us of the reality that we seek to escape, if only for a few precious hours.

UPDATE: FoxNews.com with a story and a picture of the ad. It also notes that pink and blue ribbons will be on the bases on Mother's and Father's Day, respectively, to raise awareness for breast and prostate cancer, respectively (duh). I'm still against sullying the bases.

Microsoft Dominates the World

Just a footnote of interest. . .Over the last year or so, our stats services show that IE is the browser in use by over 77% of our visitors. 77%! Netscape clocked in at a little over 5%. 5%!

I remember way back in the misty past of the internet how Netscape and Microsoft's roles were reversed. How times have changed, given the market dominance of Uncle Bill.

There is hope in the next generation

And now for some good news.

From SFGate.com

A 13-year-old girl walking to school Tuesday morning fought off a 26-year- old stranger who tried to kidnap her, hitting him and kicking him in the groin before running away, police said.

Some carbon dioxide polluter of the male part of our species decided to try and abduct a 13 year old girl. She didn't submit but fought and was able to flee. Now this piece of garbage will be able to contemplate his action's in jail and all his new found friends will also know that a 26 year old man was beaten up by a GIRL who was half his age.

Gee I wonder if his self esteem will be hurt by the humiliation? Well, not as much as his cell mates are likely to hurt him (assaulting children is not looked kindly upon in prison, so it is said).

Hopefully he will have a very long time to think of his actions before he breaths the air as a free man again.

Boxer said this????

California Senator Barbara Boxer has "now joining the call for the Justice Department to prosecute the alleged killer under federal death penalty laws."

Boxer is one of the most liberal Senators currently serving and is up for re-election this year.

The background is here at SFGate.com.

I can't help but wonder if it wasn't for the fact she is up for re-election this year she would have said nothing. California's other Senator Dianne Feinstein has called for the death penalty to be imposed and she is not running for re-election this year. While I don't agree with Feinstein on a lot of issues, I respect her because her views are not poll driven like Boxer's tend to appear to be.

Ted Rall Gets Over on Tillman

Yawn. Like I should be surprised this is what Rall thinks? He's up there with UMass grad student, Rene Gonzalez.

Just a Jewish Preacher

From the Washington Post, Kerry speaks to the Anti-Defamation League, a Jewish organization:

Rather than dwell on the uncertainties of the present, Kerry devoted much of his talk to personal reminiscence. In animated tones, he spoke of his first visit to Israel, which he said was under the auspices of the ADL and the late Leonard P. 'Lenny' Zakim, longtime director of the group's New England chapter. Kerry said he went to the Golan Heights, visited the Sea of Galilee and 'actually stood on the Mount of the Beatitudes and read the Sermon on the Mount to those gathered with me.'

A couple of questions: Kerry spoke to the ADL about Jesus? Not sure what he was thinking about that. Not sure you want to bring up Jesus to a group of Jews. But that just might be me. Next, did Kerry intend to play the role of Jesus? Not sure you want to do that, either.

The Book on "The New Soldier"

John Kerry wrote an inflammatory book, "The New Soldier". Over at www.wintersoldier.com, you can see pictures and read some excerpts from the book.

The Weekly Standard carries an analysis and review of the book.

Anti-Kerry oppo researchers will be disappointed to learn that Kerry wrote very little of the book. It reprints his Senate testimony and includes a brief afterword from him. But the bulk of its pictures and first-person narratives come
from VVAW members. The idea for the march, according to Brinkley, was Kerry's, though it grew out of the VVAW's Winter Soldier project, in which Kerry played only a minor role. Along with radical chic royalty like Jane Fonda and Tom Hayden, and supported by Sen. Eugene McCarthy and Fr. Daniel Berrigan, VVAW members met in Detroit and testified to atrocities they had committed or been witness to in Vietnam. Allegations included torture, intentional dismemberment, and gang rape (some excerpts are included in "The New Soldier"). The project operated under the thesis that American atrocities like the one at My Lai weren't highly unusual but reflected the routinely criminal exploits of American military leadership and soldiers.

After Senator Mark O. Hatfield read the Winter Soldier testimony into the Congressional Record, he asked for an official investigation. When the Naval Investigate Service did just that, many of the veterans refused to cooperate (despite protections against self-incrimination). One soldier admitted that his testimony had been coached by members of the Nation of Islam; exact details of the atrocity he'd seen now escaped his memory. Several veterans hunted down by Naval investigators swore they had never been to Detroit and couldn't imagine who would have used their identities. (Somehow this episode was left out of the "Winter Soldier" chapter of Brinkley's book, but the details can be found in Guenter Lewy's "America in Vietnam" and in Mackubin Thomas Owens's account in the latest National Review.)

Here, at Vietnam Veterans Against John Kerry, they run through Kerry's history.

What do Kerry's comrades from Vietnam think?

OpinionJournal.com has an article by John O'Neill, who took over command of John Kerry's swift boat when Kerry transferred out of Vietnam to the US.

O'Neill also debated Kerry in 1971 on TV when Kerry was claiming American servicemen were committing war crimes on a regular basis. O'Neill basically called Kerry a liar on TV and Kerry let the matter drop.

O'Neill does not think Kerry is fit to be the commander in chief (ie President) based on what he did after he came back from Vietnam. Not because he protested the war, but because he was implying all American servicemen were only worth contempt. Important read.

Quick Bite

Kathleen Parker comments on the recent Pro-Choice/Abortion march in Washington:

My guess is that marchers' angry words and actions were visceral reactions to the ugliest scenes of the day - huge photographs of aborted fetuses at various stages of development. These sights are not for the squeamish, and surely not for the children some pro-choicers dragged along. I cringed to think of the nightmares little ones would have later that night.

...

I'm not in favor of criminalizing abortion, but I am in favor of an honest - even brutal - assessment of what abortion is and what abortion does. Pro-choicers are wrong to dress up abortion as only a woman's choice, and pro-lifers are wrong to insist that women who choose abortion are "baby killers." No one gets an abortion for the pleasure of it.

I agree. I think that much like homosexual marriage, we have taken an issue and made it a political and cultural war where our very identities are at stake. There is no middle ground, no sense of understanding or dialog, no interjection of common decency, morality, or greater good. The issues today have become simply a shouting match where there are only winners and losers--and God forbid you are on the losing side. The public arena in America has become a socio-political hockey game.

Was I blind 10 years ago or has it always been this way?

Dishonoring the Uniform

Tim over at CPT Patti pretty much gives the people who stand accused of torturing Iraqi POWs the seal of disapproval for dishonoring the American Armed Forces. He pretty much sums up all of the things I've been feeling over the last week as I watched what has developed. To the accused, LTC Tim writes:

You had all the tools you need. You had training. You had 228 years of history and tradition to guide you. You had the Army Values to steer you even through the murkiest of times if you needed them (not that the issues here are murky...not at all.) In my view you failed to live up to each and every one of those values. Hell, even if you couldn't remember them all, just remembering one or two and living by them would have kept you out of all this.

And If all else fails your own humanity and even the Bible could have steered you away from these atrocities.

But you blew it. You failed.

You failed to uphold the standards of humanity...nor the standards of American Soldiers.

The men and women of the American Armed Forces are better than what is being shown on TV. Unfortunately, the rotten apples at the bottom of the barrel make the rest look bad. In conjunction with the lack of media coverage of the good things happening in Iraq and you have the makings of an image disaster.

(Correction: Tim is LTC Tim, not CPT. My apologies, trooper!)

Hiding behind the 1st Amendment

The UMass student paper has made its predictable response to the out cry of Gonzalez's opinion column last week.

The editors justification of running the column is as follows:

"As a news organization, The Collegian lists the First Amendment as its most important value and asset. We do not hold back from printing news stories, columns or editorials that may upset our readership - instead, we seek to both inform and stir debate through our publication. Our decision to publish Gonzalez's column - an opinion piece written by a member of our campus community - is the only way for us to live up to this ideal."

This is a nice dodge and is total poppycock. Every time the paper runs an editorial or opinion article, they are saying the opinion is worth considering and is justifiable. The editors may or may not agree with the opinion expressed but by publishing it, they are saying it is worth considering.

How can I make a charge like this without discussing this with the students and faculty running and advising the paper? Simple. When was the last story or opinion piece run that said white supremacy is a good thing?

I would venture to guess NEVER. And if the American Nazi Party submitted an opinion piece to the paper it would be rejected out of hand (and I would agree with that).

However, if the paper truly believes its mission is to inform and provoke debate, it should seek and publish such works in the name of fairness. But they will not for the simple reason those who express white supremacy views are not legitimate and should not be given the opportunity to spread their warped views. The paper (and editors) will make a value judgment that the view point of the article is not worth publishing. By publishing the article by Gonzalez, the paper is saying his foolish views are worth considering.

For the Record

Finally got through to the Daily Collegian, the UMass student paper that published Rene Gonzalez's article, "Pat Tillman is not a hero: He got what was coming to him".

The editorial board's response is here, where they reaffirm the First Admendment and clarify the role of the editorial page.

Islamic Backlash

An analysis piece on some of the backlash at home against some terrorists for attacks on Islamic soil. After the attack on an oil contractor's office this last weekend:

The militants made an unusual and horrific appeal to recruit young Saudis, dragging the bloodied corpse of a Westerner through a high school parking lot and urging the students to join their Arab brethren in a holy war in Iraq.

Nice guys. What a piece of work they are. Fortunately, not all Muslims are blood thirsty tyrants:

They appear to have badly miscalculated the response: school officials said some of the boys ran from the scene crying; others spoke of nightmares.

"This is not right," said a traumatized 18-year-old. "This is un-Islamic."