Eleven Years

ago today, it was 103 degrees in the Bay Area. On that day, I was stuffed into a tuxedo and fit to be married. Gracious friends of ours gave us two precious hours as they watched the kids and we enjoyed a simple Italian dinner.

In the 11 years after the hottest day of the year, the Mrs. and I have lived through good times, so-so times and a few times where it just plain sucked. And in the 11 years, God has carried us, grown us, challenged us and blessed us beyond the imaginations we had that one day. It's pretty amazing how God can make a selfish kid into a father of three, or turn a young girl into the household pillar of strength. What more can I say but that God is god and God is good. Here's to more years of marriage!

"Undecided to the end"

Jonah Goldberg summarizes Kerry's campaign after the DNC closes. Goldburg takes on Kerry's perchant for the flip-flop and the implications towards the Democrat's approach to national security.

Kerry is running during a war that some consider vital, some see as confusing and others dismiss as unnecessary. Kerry wants to win over all three groups by agreeing with all of them. He does this by talking in paragraphs of boring logical-loop-the-loop sentences that seem to be written in vanishing ink. But he's also trying to downplay the importance of the war. Kerry wants to "handle" the war on terrorism, not dedicate himself to it.

. . .

The world may be consumed by the maelstrom, but Kerry will guarantee that America remains in the eye of the storm. He'll do this by conjuring chimerical "strong alliances" and negotiating in "good faith" with sycophantic foreign leaders around long tables festooned with bottled water and clever cheese. Never mind that these are impossible promises — much like Neville Chamberlain's "peace in our time." Indeed, impossible promises are often the ones voters want to hear most.

It's easier to be the challenger than the incumbant. The challenger can promise the world without having to demonstrate any ability until it's too late; the incumbant must not only promise the world, but do so under a burden of proof garnered by past performances. "Talk is cheap."

Where's the Bounce?

Post DNC, you expect a Kerry bounce in the polls. GOP think tanks figured on a 10-15% spike, post convention. But The Politburo Diktat wonders, : Where's the Bounce? Kerry leads Bush 48-45 as of today, according to the Rasmussen Report daily tracking poll. However, it will be Monday's numbers that will include survey interviews after Kerry's acceptance speech. In other words, today is yesterday.

Rasmussen also runs a regular poll of the electoral votes. Check it out.

Zarqawi captured?

Purportedly by US and Iraqi police, as reported by Al-Jazeera. Not sure how substantial this is.

Reports in Kuwait on Friday said a man assumed to be Al Qaeda leader in Iraq, Abu Musab Zarqawi has been captured near the Syrian border. The report claimed that the man was captured during a joint operation by U.S. occupation forces and Iraqi police, Al Siyasah newspaper, quoting Iraqi sources, said Friday.

If true, good news heading into the weekend! Let the conspiracy theories fly, I've got my tin foil hat ready!

Glenn Reynolds thinks that it was nice of the Republicans to wait until Kerry was done with his speech.

Feste points us to sources that deny the arrest. These source may be "unreliable".

UPDATE: Glenn Reynolds (tipped by reader, Michele Catalano) notes that "AlJazeera.com is not connected with the Al Jazeera TV network, and that it's quite unreliable. Given that we haven't heard more about this, I'm pretty sure it's bogus." Too bad.

If You're a Republican, You're Not an American

According to Michael Moore, demagogue to the Democratic Party (but maybe not Democrats). NRO notes:

. . .radical filmmaker Michael Moore launched into a shouting, red-faced denunciation of Republicans Tuesday, saying supporters of the GOP are different from "real Americans"; that they are "people who hate"; that they are "up at six in the morning trying to figure out which minority group they're going to screw today"; and that in the upcoming presidential campaign, they "are going to fight...smear...lie...and hate."

Later, there is more on Moore:

"The right wing is not where America is at," Moore said. "Most Americans, in their heart, are liberal and progressive. It's just a small minority of people who hate. They hate. They exist in the politics of hate."

...

Moore conceded that there are "good Republicans." Those Republicans, he said, will vote for Kerry in November.

Normally, Michael Moore would just drop off into the noise, but the problem is that the guy is being lauded by the Democratic Party leadership :

What made the Moore movie so consequential--and so scary--was its open embrace by the Democratic Party. Senator Daschle stopped work in the Senate on a defense appropriations bill so Senators and staffers could attend the premiere. Daschle, Senator Barbara Boxer, and DNC Chairman Terry McAuliffe attended the premiere, “applauding throughout and giving Moore a standing ovation when it was over,” according to the New Republic. 6-24-04. . .Jason Zengerle of the New Republic noted that the Democrats in the past “kept Moore at arm’s length, deeming him too controversial and mercurial to be of much political use,” but that changed after Moore’s attack on the President as a “deserter” during the New Hampshire primary seemed to make the issue stick and Moore seemed useful to the general cause of shredding Bush. (hat tip to the blog, "Daschel v. Thune: Analyzing the Biggest Senate Race in the USA")

And Moore has a history of being deceptive in quoting others.

It seems that Sen. Daschle, et al, tacitly agree with Moore, or at best tolerate him as a useful tool. I ask Democrats, does this represent your party? Does this man represent your views? And should the drive to win the election endorse tactics that smack of Leni Riefenstahl?

And now for something completely different . . .

The Democratic convention is over, John Kerry is the nominee and I still don't have anything to say except good, now Jeopardy and Simsons won't be preempted by convention coverage.

I probably won't have much more to say about the Republican convention either.

But UPI does have a good story and its NOT about politics. Its about putting President Bush's vision of getting us back to the Moon and on to Mars. NASA is taking the first steps in looking at the type of vehicles they will need to get people to and from the Moon and will be sending out proposals to industry in January 2005. Two contractors will compete for the right to build the new vehicles (similar to the F-22/23 and the JSF competitions in the Air Force).

Have a good weekend.

Really Bad Photo Op Department

You would THINK that somebody would have vetted this picture before it got relased as the cover for MSNBC's article on Kerry's campaign today. Ya think?



And just to be doubly sure, say it with me: KERRY IS NOT HITLER.

Bitter Aside: Do you think that the same pose for President Bush wouldn't have gotten some really snarky comments?

UPDATE: Bush gets his day in the sun.

Daily Tour

Take a journey with me around the web:

La Shawn Barber explores the Christian tension between being peacemakers and supporting the War in Iraq. Bonus: A link to an exchange between Meryl Streep and Denzel Washington over interpretation of the Bible.

Smash is impressed with Kerry's speech and opines, "It's going to be a tough, hard-fought presidential campaign, folks." Bonus: A link to a CNN gaffe at the conclusion of the DNC. (DOH!)

Public Enquiry Project (blog) reports from the front lines of the Vietnam Veterans against Kerry movement in Boston. Graf: “While we honor John Kerry’s service in Vietnam for a couple months, we totally abhor the lies who told the country about us being war criminals while he admitted being a war criminal.” Note: Pretty inflammatory.

Sgt. Hook describes one part of his cargo missions in Afghanistan. You almost feel like you're there. Recent entry: A sniper team pursued by baddies.

Dean Esmay puts a little history into the "Bush Lied" meme and hopes (as do I) that "John Kerry and his party deserve no better from voters this year [i.e., no votes] if they continue to cater to the Michael Moores of this world".

Cox & Forkum comments to Kerry's speech with a cartoon, "Kerry seems to be admitting here that another attack will be required for him to use military force."

The Dissident Frogman makes an argument for Jews to leave France (and bashes the French government to boot). "135 acts and 375 threats of anti-semitism in the first six months this year, as opposed to 125 acts and 463 threats for last year as a whole. Confronting hatred, terrorism and unavowed warfare, such as what the French Jewish community is facing today Mr. Sandman [Chirac], will require anything but calm, peace and serenity."

Allah notes Hillary getting chummy with P.Diddy. Warning: Crude commentary. Comment: What a really bizzare pairing.

Trent Telenko at Winds of Change.net analyzes the Sandy Berger security breach and concludes that the damage is worse than we think.

Joshua Claybourn comments on the usage of "would you sacrifice your child" argument against war used in the recent Michael Moore-Bill O'Reilly convo.

That's all for today.

Real Fear

I've been wanting to say something pithy about Sen. Kennedy's remarks at the DNC, but really haven't much to say. . .being an engineer and all. Then Lileks rips off this sarcastic gem:

Teddy Kennedy said in his [Democratic National] convention speech: “The only thing we have to fear is four more years of George Bush.” It’s really quite simple, isn’t it? We live in a manufactured climate of fear ginned up by war-crazed neocon overlords. There is no threat. The only thing we have to fear is Bush. . .

If so, I wonder why anyone agreed to the stringent security policies that characterize this year’s conventions. Why the bomb-sniffing dogs? Why the snipers? Why the metal detectors, the invasive inspection of bags? Is it all an elaborate defense against Bush crashing the party and setting off a bomb belt, shouting God is Great, y’all.

Don't fear Dub. Fear what President Bush and the country is up against. We must not let our complacency over the few years of relative peace we've had or our hatred for one man's religion dull our minds and purpose.

"What if he's right?"

LaShawn Barber points us, today, towards an Esquire article written by a liberal making a case for George Bush. Tom Junad's own words:

The people who dislike George W. Bush have convinced themselves that opposition to his presidency is the most compelling moral issue of the day. Well, it's not. The most compelling moral issue of the day is exactly what he says it is, when he's not saying it's gay marriage. The reason he will be difficult to unseat in November—no matter what his approval ratings are in the summer—is that his opponents operate out of the moral certainty that he is the bad guy and needs to be replaced, while he operates out of the moral certainty that terrorists are the bad guys and need to be defeated.

...

If we do not find it within ourselves to identify the terrorism inspired by radical Islam as an unequivocal evil—and to pronounce ourselves morally superior to it—then we have lost the ability to identify any evil at all, and our democracy is not only diminished, it dissolves into the meaninglessness of privilege.

I can buy this man's analysis, although I might disagree with one of his points: his dislike of the President in response to Bush's character. What is valuable is that Junod seeks to seperate his visceral response from the crisis at hand to get at the root problems. In doing so, he compares today's war President with the President who fought the Civil War.

Good stuff. I would that more liberals could do the same.

LaShawn's commentary also provides some insight.

What are you waiting for? Go. Read.

"No dirty trick"

According to the Florida Today:

"There was no 'dirty trick' behind the photographs of Sen. John Kerry wearing the blue anti-contamination suit while touring the shuttle Discovery on Monday.

...

Furthermore, NASA spokesman Bill Johnson said the Kerry campaign asked that the pictures be taken of the senator's unusually up-close tour of the Discovery and that processing be expedited so reporters could have them.

No skulldruggery by NASA here. Kerry's campaign is just a wee bit touchy, you think? I have to ask why. Are Kerry's handlers afraid that he's that vulnerable of a candidate that they have to worry about this kind of photo? Do they fear the Ghost of Dukakis? Ridiculous.

Around the web:

WorldNetDaily summarizes the issues and offers a selection of Dub's own costume choices.

Discriminations notes that Kerry looks sort of foo-lish brandishing a shotgun.

Brendan Miniter, writing for the Opinion Journal, compares Kerry to Dukakis and starts the article with, "Next to John Kerry, Michael Dukakis was a hawk."

The Democratic Convention cont.

Here is the next installment of Jonah Goldberg's articles on the convention. 

It saves lots of time to read a summary of this event, then watch the event.  I guess I'm just not hard core enough to watch, either to cheer or write long essays on why the comments made are incorrect.

Again, even if you do not agree with Goldberg's politics (he is a conservative), he is a good writer.  Enjoy.

Now for something NON political

Yes, the Democratic convention is still going on in Boston and there is lots of news about it and what people are saying.  We also link to a lot of blogs that are doing a very good job covering the convention from many angles.

This news is exciting and coming soon. 

Aerospace pioneer Burt Rutan announced at a press conference at the Santa Monica Airport on Tuesday that his SpaceShipOne team will make a bid to win the $10 million Ansari X Prize with flights between late September and mid-October from Mojave, California.

It will be exciting to watch the flights and hope they do go well. I also want to see the next generation (yeah I'm already looking for version 2) which will not be a sub-orbital machine but rather a private space launch to put a person into orbit.

In Kerry's Own Words

Bob Dole notes Kerry's inconsistencies on military service. Kerry:

On Fox News recently, my friend John Kerry stated: "I've never made any judgments about any choice somebody made about avoiding the draft, about going to Canada, going to jail, being a conscientious objector, going into the National Guard."

Sen. Kerry did make a judgment, in 1992, when Bill Clinton -- who did not serve -- was running against Sen. Bob Kerrey, a Vietnam veteran. After Bob Kerrey criticized Gov. Clinton, John Kerry said, "We do not need to divide America over who served and how." He should stick to his previous position by acknowledging the honorable service of President Bush and the hundreds of thousands of other National Guard members defending America every day. The president piloted an F-102 in the National Guard and received an honorable discharge when his requirements were met.

Democratic Party Chairman Terry McAuliffe also said last Sunday that service in the National Guard wasn't service "in the military."

So, which is it Senator Kerry? You have to take a position, you should repute McAuliffe. Because, as Bob Dole says,

These attacks are offensive. Service in the National Guard is one of the finest things any citizen can do, and there are tens of thousands of guardsmen and women serving our country today all over the world. Thousands are serving in Iraq, and some of those have made the supreme sacrifice in the service of their country.

Heros Don't Gloat

Drudge is news flashing again. We will see if this pans out, but it appears that Kerry "reenacted combat scenes for film while in Vietnam".

"Kerry carried a home movie camera to record his exploits for later viewing," charges a naval officer in the upcoming book UNFIT FOR COMMAND.

"Kerry would revisit ambush locations for reenacting combat scenes where he would portray the hero, catching it all on film. . .A joke circulated among Swiftees was that Kerry left Vietnam early not because he received three Purple Hearts, but because he had recorded enough film of himself to take home for his planned political campaigns."

Drudge cites the Boston Globe and the New York Times for some evidence as well.

The Boston Globe reported in 1996. . ."John was thinking Camelot when he shot that film, absolutely," says Thomas Vallely, a fellow veteran and one of Kerry's closest political advisers and friends.

NEW YORK TIMES bestselling author Lt. Col. Robert "Buzz" Patterson in his new book RECKLESS DISREGARD, ". . .the crew's gunner returned fire, hitting and wounding the lone gunman. Kerry directed the boat to charge the enemy position. Beaching his boat, Kerry jumped off, chased the wounded insurgent behind a thatched hutch, and killed him. Kerry and his crew returned within days, armed with a Super 8 video camera he had purchased at the post exchange at Cam Ranh Bay, and reenacted the skirmish on film."

Compare his actions to another Senator who ran for president. Bob Dole was wounded in World War II and lost the use of one of his arms:

Suddenly, while trying to assist the downed radio man, Dole was hit by Nazi machine gun fire in the upper right back and his right arm was so damaged that it was unrecognizable. Dole was immediately given morphine by an Army field medic to alleviate the pain, and his forehead was marked with an "M" in his own blood to alert medics. He was not expected to live.

Bob Dole didn't brag that he was wounded in World War II during the political campaign. His campaign may have, but I don't remember Dole himself having much to say about it. The one impression that Dole left me with is the stunned realization that he didn't have the use of his right arm, a realization that happened AFTER he lost the election. I got the sense that Senator Dole doesn't glamorize war nor his part in it.

I think of a person who goes back to the place where a person died and reenacts the killing as emotionally cold, calculating and void of human decency, at best. At worst, such a person would be a deviant. Now what kind of person uses such an incident to gain politcal advantage? Senator Kerry, isn't it enough that you got the body count? Why go back and gloat over a dead man? Perhaps it wasn't enough pub, because you later turned your back on your former mates and gained the hot media spotlight.

Senator Kerry, I know a hero, and you are not a hero.

The Bush verses Clinton Economy

When comparing the economy under the two Presidents, its easy to say (as Clinton did) that the economy was better under his administration then under Bush's.  However to compare apples to apples, we have to look at the first 4 years of the Clinton administration verses the 4 years of the Bush administration. 

The "wonderful" economy everyone likes to remember from the 1990s is the 1996 - 2000 period.  Investors Business Daily has a good article comparing the 1993-1996 verses 2001-2004 periods. 

Bottom line, Bush took office just as the economy was going into recession, Clinton took office as the economy was coming out of recession.  Bush had 9-11 which was not a positive effect on the economy, Clinton did have his attempt for the government to take over health care, but that was self inflicted. 

The economy is better off today then it was in 1996.

"It's a Dirty Trick"

Update: Washington Times has an article where NASA says it gave the pictures to the Kerry organization who APPROVED of them to be released.

When interviewer Brit Hume asked Miss Cahill whether "you smell a dirty trick here" from the apolitical space agency, she did not answer directly, but rather asked rhetorically: "What do you think?"

That is a classic ploy, answer a question by not answering and hoping the otherside will think you did. In the Cold War days it was called "Disinformation".





Dems claim it was a "dirty trick":

Kerry campaign manager Mary Beth Cahill claims 'dirty tricks' by NASA after it released 'surprise' photographs showing the Dem presidential hopeful dressed in a space suit crawling through a rocket hatch.

Surprise? Looks like to me Sen. Kerry smiled. I think it's funny.

Guest of Honor: Moore

Yep, that's Michael Moore sitting next to President Jimmy Carter at the DNC.



Does Michael Moore represent the the Democratic Party has to offer? Are the Dems propagandists, associating with terrorists? Do the Dems associate with people who are unfair, impolite, unsubtle, unwise, obnoxious, tendentious, and maddeningly self-contradictory"?

I must say that Carter, Moore and the gentleman behind Moore have the deep thought pose down pat.

UPDATE: Whoops. Apparently that'll teach me to link directly to somebody else's picture. Drudge has substituted a chat between Michael Moore and O'Reilly. It's actually a pretty good read.

"Dead Heat, My Eye"

Drudge is pulling in some statistics that Kerry is not getting a bounce in the polls yet. Traditionally, a convention generates positive buzz that results in an upward trend in the polls. Not happening so far. Why?

Perhaps voters have already made their choice since 2004 has been a high profile election with electrifying and polarizing issues. Perhaps we haven't seen the DNC swing into gear yet. Not sure, but only as the week progresses will we really know.

LaShawn Barber has a theory. (some bloggers make me want to give up blogging--sort of like what Brian Bosworth felt when he got leveled by Bo Jackson and dragged into the endzone on prime time TV--she is one of them) Anyways, Barber runs down an assessment of Kerry and concludes that Kerry cannot win in November:

Speaking of optimism, ABC grudging admits: “[M]ore see Bush as an optimist (72 percent) than Kerry (55 percent). That makes it a tricky path for Kerry–delineating the nation’s problems, economic and otherwise, without sounding more negative than the public itself.”

Tricky is the right word. For Kerry to win this election, more American soldiers have to be killed and the economy has to tank. More government schools have to fail and Bush hatred has to grow more caustic. That’s the entire Democratic platform.

Liberals must really think people are stupid at heart. If anyone believes that John Kerry’s concerned about their well-being is crazy. Liberals hate being called liberals for a reason. It’s an epithet. Why? Because they know that mainstream America doesn’t share their pessimistic views, and extremism doesn’t win elections.

I am confident George Bush will win in November. Democrats can soft-pedal it in Boston this week all they want. Their efforts will be fruitless.

I appreciate her thinking on this issue, and confidence. However, I'm still not convinced that W. is such a shoe in for reelection.

Perhaps I'm still being hoodwinked by the big media polls, perhaps I'm just not optimistic enough. In any event, it's close enough for me to fret.

The Democratic Convention Day 1

No, I did not watch the convention last night.  I had better things to do.  Personally I think watching paint dry is more productive then watching a political convention (Democrat or Republican).  I've never been able to watch more then a 1/2 hour of convention in total and this year does not look to be an exception.  I'll have to see about the Republican one but I doubt I'll watch it either.

However, Jonah Goldberg has written a column at USA Today about the convention.  Yes its from the conservative point of view, but he is a good writer and its worth reading.  Of course "in fairness", Michael Moore will be writing a column daily about the Republican convention.  There are lots of good liberal writers, why choose a movie director?  The only reason I can think of is he is famous (and Goldberg isn't nearly as well known).  It sure cannot be because of Moore's writing ability.

So if you want to avoid reading the pages from the paper on all the numbing details of the convention, read Goldberg as he has a good summary.  Even if one doesn't agree with his viewpoint, his writing is enjoyable to read.

Explaining the Arab-Israeli conflict through numbers

Dennis Prager's article "Explaining the Arab-Israeli conflict through numbers" is an attempt to put some context into the Arab Israeli conflict.  But like Mark Twain said, "there are lies, damn lies and statistics".  While I agree with Prager's view point, and the numbers he uses are true (well, I have not verified them but they look correct and I have no reason to doubt them), the numbers also do not tell the story.

Without the context of the numbers they are meaningless.  I wish Prager would develop this story more or maybe ask Hugh Hewitt to run with it.

It is still worth reading as it gives a good snap shot of the bias Israel has and does face in the world today.

The Horror!

Newsies have to use biffies at the DNC.

Gimmie a break.

Democrats Defend Heinz Kerry's 'Shove It'

Apparently, it's ok to tell somebody to shove it if they're a "right-wing rag that has consistently and purposely misrepresented the facts". The incident in brief:

Heinz Kerry attended a Massachusetts Statehouse reception Sunday night for fellow Pennsylvanians, telling them, "We need to turn back some of the creeping, un-Pennsylvanian and sometimes un-American traits that are coming into some of our politics." She criticized the tenor of modern political campaigns without being specific.

Minutes later, the Tribune-Review's Colin McNickle questioned Heinz Kerry on what she meant by the term "un-American," according to a tape of the encounter recorded by Pittsburgh television station WTAE.

Heinz Kerry said "I didn't say that" several times to McNickle. (ed note: See above, it appears that she did) She then turned to confer with Pennsylvania Gov. Ed Rendell and others. When she faced McNickle again a short time later, he continued to question her, and she replied: "You said something I didn't say. Now shove it."

Maybe Ms. Heinz Kerry forgot that she uttered the term, "un-American". It does happen to people. The irony is that her response is somewhat inconsistent with her speech just prior. "Do as I say, not as I do"?

Anyways, all this works out to be a minor tempest in the teapot, as it were. I find it amusing.

Um, Ms. Heinz Kerry? Perhaps. . .

taking a deep breath and counting to 10 would help. Things not to do just after delivering a speech on civility: Tell a reporter to "shove it".

Doh! That reporter must have really ticked her off.

"We Don't Freak Out In Situations Like This."

Winds of Change follows up with some air marshalls over the Annie Jacobson story blogged earlier. Their source is a KFI story that broke yesterday. Looks like there were air marshalls all over the Syrians, who apparently checked out.

I'm sure glad that the FMS had their heads about them and didn't start deciding to bust Syrian flute players. One reason:

The source said the air marshals on the flight were partially concerned Jacobsen’s actions could have been an effort by terrorists or attackers to create a disturbance on the plane to force the agents to identify themselves.

Air marshals’ only tactical advantage on a flight is their anonymity, the source said, and Jacobsen could have put the entire flight in danger.

Sounds like Ms. Jacobsen was nervous and frightened--perhaps even overreacting. Her fear is understandable. Don't blame her, though, blame the rat bastards who caused us to fear Arabs in airplanes in the first place.

And, yes, I still remember 9/11 because those who don't remember history are doomed to repeat it again. Don't damn Ms. Jacobsen. She still remembers one of the most horrific attacks on American civilians in history and that memory might one day save thousands more.

Freedom of speech???

BOSTON -- The owner of a pizza shop across from the FleetCenter is furious that the city has asked him to take down a banner he's erected across from the FleetCenter supporting President George W. Bush.

Sooo, I guess the 1st amendment isn't for Republicans or rather those who hold an opinion other then the "accepted" one of the local government.  Imagine if the NYC mayor tried to do that in NY during the Republican convention.  It would be front page news.

The pizza shop info is:
Halftime Pizza 115 Causeway St Boston, MA 02114-1304 Phone: (617) 720-4578  (hat tip Lucianne).

Don't know if there are any National Guard units there but maybe I need to order a pizza and have it delivered to the fire department or something.

The Report

The 567 page 9-11 commission report is completed and is now available for folks to read.

To look for specific items in the 9-11 report, go here (hat tip Lucianne).

The basic conclusion of the report was the terrorist attack took place because the government at all levels failed to anticipate this type of attack and the barriers that prevented the FBI and CIA and others from bringing all their intelligence together and figuring out the puzzle.  Many had pieces but they were not allowed to work together to put them all together.

But the blame must also be put on us, the citizens of this nation.  We had not thought of this type of attack either (other then reading it in a Tom Clancy type book) as a serious possibility.  So if Clinton or Bush had proposed the measures that have been enacted since 9-11 (the Department of Homeland Security, the Patriot Act, the rule of "enemy combatant"), the public would not have agreed to it as it seemed not necessary.

That is the real reason the attack succeeded.  We were not prepared for this type of attack as a real possibility.  Airline crews were told to co-operate with hijackers and not fight back.  Passengers were taught to meekly comply with the hijackers and so not endanger themselves and others.  Today, no one will act that way.  Pilots want to be armed so they can fight back.  Passengers will gang up on any terrorists and most likely will not bother to read them their rights.  If the terrorists are lucky they will be alive to be turned over to the police when the plane lands. 

So we are all to blame for the success of the 9-11 attacks.  Now we need to be aware so no such attack will have the chance to happen again.

And the purpose is?????

The Boston Police were going to picket the Democratic convention due to a pay dispute with the city.  They were forced by a judge to go to binding arbitration.  They won.  Now the union says they still plan to picket parts of the convention

"behalf of other municipal unions that lack contracts and to show their displeasure with the way their binding agreement came about."

Can someone explain this to me? They won and now they want to rub the Mayor's nose in the defeat? This will hurt all unions in the future. Management will look at the Boston Police example and say, why give anything since they will only demand more. So much for labor peace. From a political strategy point of view, the union has endorsed Kerry and yet they are not doing him any favors. If (as I hope) Bush wins re-election, the union loses because they will have no clout in the Administration. If Kerry wins, the union loses because they were more a hindrance then a help. Either way the union loses.

Tim at CPT Patti is retiring

Tim has posted a farewell message on his blog as he signs off.  As he says, since CPT Patti has returned, mission accomplished.

He will be missed but figure he has many more important things to do now then blog.  Hopefully we will see him again on the web someday and not because his wife was deployed for another 14 months.

More dry runs????

Follow up from earlier:  The original story now has more information.  It appears the Syrian band was a Syrian band.  Clinton W. Taylor  at NRO tells more.  Does that make the original story or the Washington Times story below hoaxes?  No.  Are the bad guys trying to test our security? Yes.  After all, if one attacks without first scouting out the enemy, he will fail.

 
The story of the women who was worried she had observed a terrorist dry run on her flight is still there and is growing legs.  The Washington Times has a follow up story on different incidents.

Flight crews and air marshals say Middle Eastern men are staking out airports, probing security measures and conducting test runs aboard airplanes for a terrorist attack.     At least two midflight incidents have involved numerous men of Middle Eastern descent behaving in what one pilot called "stereotypical" behavior of an organized attempt to attack a plane.

There are a number of quotes from the original story but also new information.  Are terrorists probing our security to see if they can turn another airline into a cruise missile?  Most likely.  Are all groups of Middle Eastern men bad guys?  NO!  Do we need to be more careful with who is allowed on the planes and what they bring on the planes? YES.

One big difference between US airports and Changi Airport in Singapore.  In the US Airports, one goes through security and then can go to the shops in the "secure" area of the airport, buy things and then board the plane without further checks.  In Singapore, the passengers go through immigration (no non passengers allowed after this point) and then have the shops and restaurants.  Then when the passengers get to the gate they go through security (the passengers go through security and then go into a large glass enclosed waiting room until the plane is ready to be boarded).  Having the passengers go through security just before they board the plane is better as there is less chance of them smuggling something onto the plane. 

The Singapore model most likely is not practical for US airports due to LAX handling many more flights then Singapore but it would be one good way to help increase the security.  The biggest obstacle would be the costs of the additional screeners and equipment and the screeners having to move from gate to gate to screen people as they assemble in the boarding area.  Oh yes, there is also the cost of enclosing the waiting areas in the US Airports, but the personnel costs would be the biggest problem as it is an ongoing cost.

Good Stuff, Maynard!

Two new blogs on the roll and from the few days I've read them, they get the "GOOD STUFF, MAYNARD!" stamp of approval (tm). Show them some hit counter love and drop them a visit or two:

Terrorism Unveiled: "Commentary on the War on Terror: from the persepctive of a college student studying Arabic and terrorism"

La Shawn Barber's Corner: "Commentary from a politically conservative and Christian point of view"

LA County Sex Offender Locations

Very interesting. Just found out today that three registered sex offenders (convicted of at least one felony sex crime) live within 1/4th of a mile from me. I guess I'm going to have to keep the revolver loaded now.

If true, this is very scary

Update on this story.  I said this needed LOTS of checking, well now the story appears to be false.  Thank goodness.  Citizen Smash and OpinionJournal.com both link to comments by government officials in Iraq saying the story is false. 
 
Washington Times has a story today about NUCLEAR ARMS being found in Iraq.

Yes that is not a miss spelling or miss statement above.

Now, one story does not prove or disprove a case and we have heard many false reports out of Iraq over the last 18 months or so about finding WMD, so this will need LOTS of follow up.

If the story is true, what will France, Germany and the rest of "Old Europe" do?  What will the "Bush lied" crowd do?

Personally, I would rather this story NOT be true.  If Iraq was able to hide the missiles and bombs this well, that means the terrorists most likely also have them hidden else where and it means Iran could be much further along in its nuclear program then currently believed.

(Hat tip Hugh Hewitt)

Dem Takes Classified Documents

Just in case you missed it, an "informal Kerry advisor" and Clinton's nationsal security advisor was caught taking classified documents from the National Archive:

Berger and his lawyer said Monday night he knowingly removed the handwritten notes by placing them in his jacket, pants and socks, and also inadvertently took copies of actual classified documents in a leather portfolio.

You know, if you or I were caught stuffing classified documents and notes into our socks. . .we'd be prosecuted and thrown into jail. This dude had better not get a free pass. What was missing?

some drafts of a sensitive after-action report on the Clinton administration's handling of Al Qaeda terror threats during the December 1999 millennium celebration are still missing, officials and lawyers said. Officials said the missing documents also identified America's terror vulnerabilities at airports to seaports.

Good gravy, this is the very definition of causing harm to the national security.

Rant Me, Baby!

Grrrrrrr.

Rhonstadt, who was booed at the Aladdin recently, now has been interviewed by the San Diego Union-Tribune:

"This is an election year, and I think we're in desperate trouble and it's time for people to speak up and not pipe down. It's a real conflict for me when I go to a concert and find out somebody in the audience is a Republican or fundamental Christian. It can cloud my enjoyment. I'd rather not know."

Do you think that Ms. Rhonstadt forgets that there may be like people in the audience who don't want to know what she thinks about Republicans and Christians?

Career Tip: Sing. Entertain. Bemuse. That is what was in your contract. If I were to use my job to share the Gospel to my coworkers or hand out Republican voting guides, I would be justly relieved of my duties. I'm and not paid by my employer to share my views with others. Linda, leave the stumping to your off hours. Isn't it just better all around that you and your audience just leave the politics and religion at the door for the night?

And for the sidebar, this:

[On the] state of the nation: "I saw a movie recently about a camel and these people in Mongolia, and I relate to them better than people here in this country. It looks like (Germany's) Weimar Republic to me here."

Really? The Weimar Republic? Last I checked, things were pretty peachy around here, Americans can even pay good money to be entertained by the rock stars of their past. Not to mention that even rock stars are given public forums that the common man (the little people) are not allowed.

Entertainers have become people of privilege, wealth and status--they are as close to being a royalty class in America as any other. Yet, Rhonstadt still thinks that America compares to a period of Germany's history marked by open rebellion by the military, revolts, and hyperinflation and from whose collapse an evil dictator rose to massacre six million. That's crap.

Rhonstadt, perhaps you should tour Mongolia, where you could find your peace with the camels. Certainly you would be happier than here in the Weimar Republic. Back your words with your actions; otherwise, you become nothing more than a simple propagandist.

(Hat tip to Drudge, because I surely don't have the time to find all these juicy things)

Terrorism Unveiled: USMC Cobra Pilot's Story

Athena has reprinted one Marine's account of his part in the Iraqi War: as a Cobra pilot. "CALLSIGN “DEADLY” – SNAKES IN THE ATTACK* A Personal Account of an AH-1W Pilot During the War with Iraq" is fascinating reading. Long, but riviting.

In God We Trust. . .Maybe

The Oceanside city council has just voted to add "In God We Trust" to their city seal, just below the word "liberty". Of course, some residents want to get the ACLU involved.

"I find that people who press their faith for political advantage are really subverting their own beliefs. And it's upsetting to me because this is my city hall chambers, and I'm not comfortable going in there once that plaque goes up," said Oceanside resident Nadine Scott.

The American Civil Liberties Union is said to have been contacted by opponents who want to file suit against the town, but the organization has yet to decide whether to take the case.

Dollars to donuts says that the ACLU gets involved. And why does Ms. Scott finds it so uncomfortable to go into the city hall chambers because the seal says "In God We Trust"? Isn't that, well. . .a teeny bit. . .over sensitive?

Redneck Rob

I guess all that power to the yellow man (trademark: powertotheyellaman.com) thing isn't for me, either: I didn't even understand a THIRD of the questions that Tony reposts from a survey of your Asian activism.

This is a reason to visit the Aladdin

Or at least buy a meal there if the hotel room price is too rich.
 
Hat tip LGF.  

LAS VEGAS - Singer Linda Ronstadt not only got booed, she got the boot after lauding filmmaker Michael Moore and his new movie "Fahrenheit 9/11" during a performance at the Aladdin hotel-casino.

 
The president who is British by the way had this to say

Timmins . . . was watching the show, decided Ronstadt had to go — for good. Timmins said he didn't allow Ronstadt back in her luxury suite and she was escorted off the property. Ronstadt's antics "spoiled a wonderful evening for our guests and we had to do something about it," . . . "As long as I'm here, she's not going to play," Timmins said.

Well there is one place Ronstadt won't be working anymore, but maybe she wanted it that way  

In an interview with the Las Vegas Review-Journal before the show, Ronstadt said "I keep hoping that if I'm annoying enough to them, they won't hire me back."

It may not be a bad idea to send the Aladdin an email saying good job. If nothing else, it will hopefully remind entertainers that when they are doing a show, they need to concentrate on the show and save their editorial opinions for their own time (like the rest of us mere mortals).

Way To Go, Protest Warrior!

Fox picks up the organization that protests the anti-war protests:

"We were met with some violence," said Kafir Alfia (search) of Protest Warrior. "A lot of yelling and name calling. 'Nazi' and 'fascist' are very popular."

Leftist event organizers have tried to kick Protest Warrior out of their marches, but police refused, saying protesters can't censor what signs show up at their protest.

You can find Protest Warrier on the web, but it looks like they're getting hammered today as I'm getting a server not found error. I hope it's because people are interested in finding out more, rather than attacking freedom of speech (which seems to be the modis operandi for some of the radical left--see protest reports below).

You can find protest reports by Citizen Smash here, here, here and here (there's more, but those are the most recent and ordered in oldest to latest).

Smash also runs down the make up of the typical anti-war protestor.

"I Went on Vacation, then I Didn't Go on Vacation"

Drudge hosts a riposte at Kerry's comment, "You're not going to have to look for us on vacation. You're going to find us working for America.".

Classic, this coming from a guy who was too busy attending a comedic fundraiser rather than an intelligence briefing. Check out the photos of Kerry doing various. . .well. . .vacation like activities.



And, frankly, I don't care if the President (current or past) does take some time out on vacation, you can't expect constant activity for four years straight without some timeout. You lose your edge when you're burned out. If I recall, most of us get two days out of the week off, not to mention the evenings (if we're not working overtime).

New "Toy"

Well now for something that has NOTHING to do with politics.
 
3 weeks ago today, I finally was able to pick up my new car.  I had placed the order back in December and picked it up on June 28. 
 
We bought a Toyota Prius and yes it has been worth the wait.
 
In the three weeks we have owned the car, we have put over 1,000 miles on it (drove from Los Angeles to Las Vegas on June 29 for 4 days) and have only used 2 tanks of gasoline.  On our trip to Vegas, we averaged about 42 MPG going out and about 36 MPG coming back.  This compares to my 1998 Toyota Corolla when we went out to Vegas last year with 36MPG going out and 28 MPG coming back.  Yes the head winds when heading from Vegas to Los Angeles are strong.
 
Since we've been back in Los Angeles, I've been averaging 51 to 52 MPG in city driving. 
 
Now, this isn't as good as the EPA MPG which is 51 highway and 60 city, but I have never met anyone who gets the EPA MPG in their cars either. 
 
The car is fun to drive and the acceleration is good.  No, it won't win any drag racing, but not too many economy cars will either.  This one has the interior space of a Toyota Camry, and more electronics then I can shake a stick at.  The only thing I wish it had was a USB plug so I could plug in my MP3 player and have it hook to the radio.  But since that would cut too much into the dealers after market work (selling upgraded radios etc.) the manufacturers won't do that.  Oh well can't have everything.
 
So why wait six months for a car?  Well, I've been eyeing this car since it came up in 2000/2001 because the technology is SOOO NEAT.  I think I need to get a bumper sticker that says
"Its the technology" but then I would have to mar the clean surface with something that won't come off.
 
Andrew

Bookstore Rubbish

While I was in Borders Friday night perusing the photography section after a nice meal with the wife (who was over in home decorating), I ran into an endcap of Michael Moore's screeds and others.

Actually, I ran into two whole endcaps.

There were a total (I counted) 23 titles that attacked the Bush administration--each one of them. These featured books were alike in their worldview: Bush et al are evil-but-fundamental-Christian-evangelist, scheming-yet-stupid oilmen who stole the election in Florida, conspired to bring down the World Trade Center and bumbled the war in Iraq for oil. . .backed by Jews and conspiring with the Sauds. We all know the various titles that are out there.

Odious in their obvious hatred, I chalked it up to free speech in action, if not the ability of any American to be profane, disrespectful and borderline libelous. Would Stalin, Fidel, or Saddam allow such things to be sold? Hardly. So, I suppose, this is a sign of a good thing. Doesn't mean that I have to buy it, or even respect it.

I looked around to find some titles that provided the alternate viewpoints, something positive about what's happening now and who's running the country.

I found two in an unrelated section.

Your opinions are being shaped not just by the choice of news that is brought by the media, but also in subtle ways as well. What I saw tonight is that subtlety in action. The books that are brought to publication are chosen by an elite few. The books that are published and that your local store ultimately carries are edited by the bookstore chain management. The books that your local store will feature are going to be chosen by the bookstore help.

Clinton Wants Bush to Win

Thomas thinks that Bill Clinton is pointing out weaknesses in Kerry's platform by telling him to avoid 'cultural issues' (i.e., abortion, gay marriage, gun control, etc.). This presumes that Clinton is stooping to a cartoonish ploy, akin responding to a knock on the front door with "nobody's home!"

Assuming that Bill Clinton wants John Kerry to lose, (highly probable), by warning Kerry to stay away from these issues, Clinton is doing his best to highlight Kerry's weaknesses. Kerry can talk a good game when he talks about being fiscally conservative and tries to calm jittery moderates about his stance on Iraq. But, Clinton KNOWS that Kerry is at his most liberal when it comes to the cultural issues facing America today. By highlighting Kerry's weak points, Clinton is reminding Americans why they might be hesitant to vote for the senator from Massachusetts.

Reading between the lines, Thomas much realize that the reasoning for Clinton's support of a Bush win is more the desire to see Kerry/Edwards lose. If Kerry/Edwards wins, then the Democratic presidential nomination is locked up in 2008 for a Democratic reelection bid. Strategically, Ms. Rodham-Clinton would rather make a run for presidency in 2008 as a Democratic alternative to 8 years of Republicans, rather than waiting until 2012 and running following a Democratic administration.

Interesting, but we shall see how the Clintons support Kerry. In light of this foregoing analysis, it is also VERY interesting that Kerry had to be shamed into letting Sen. Hillary Rodham-Clinton to speak at the Democratic convention. Could Hillary be so bold as to attempt to derail the Dems in 2004 for her own ambitions in 2008? Or will she toe the party line and be forced to put off her agenda until 2012? As long as there is a Republican in the White House, she can attempt every presidential election to gain the Oval Office; otherwise, she must bow to the party.

Moore Steals Footage?

It appears that the family of a soldier killed in Iraq did not give permission to Michael Moore to use a video clip from his funeral:

"It's been a big shock, and we are not very happy about it, to say the least," Kandi Gallagher, Maj. Stone's aunt and family spokeswoman, tells Washington Times reporter Audrey Hudson.
"We are furious that Greg was in that casket and cannot defend himself, and my sister, Greg's mother, is just beside herself," Miss Gallagher said. "She is furious. She called him a 'maggot that eats off the dead.' "

The family does not know how Mr. Moore obtained the video, and Miss Gallagher said they did not give permission and are considering legal recourse.

There is Increased Chatter Today. . .

Or is it that suspected terrorists are arrested every day?

Sources confirm Almosaleh was carrying a suicide [note] when he was arrested. They say that note indicated a specific time and date for carrying out some sort of public suicide. He was also carrying CDs and DVDs, which federal sources say contained anti-American material. A source also confirms Almosaleh had something with him indicating a connection with at least one known terrorist.

Is this true?? I don't know

This story is making the rounds on the internet over the last two days. (ed: This is the same story as was printed in womanswallstreet.com and blogged by us here as well) Lucianne banned the article on Wednesday and Thursday saying the site was a special interest and not a news site.  Today its in the must read section at the top of the page. 
 
Read it for yourself.  I'm not sure if I would have been worried or not, but one thing does strike me.  

1.     Terrorists want to kill as many people as possible and generate as much publicity as possible. 
2.    Blowing up one airliner would be bad, but it would only kill at most a few hundred people.  3.   And worse (from a terrorist point of view), the aircraft could be said to go down because of other reasons, engine failure etc so the bad guys might not get any credit for the act. 

So I'm not sure if I can see the benefit of the bad guys blowing up an airplane in flight, unless its just after take off or landing so the reckage would cause damage, but that is very hap-hazard and they don't have that many resources (bombers) who could execute a mission like that in the US.  Remember they would be suffering from culture shock just as much as you or I would if we go to the Middle East.  New languages, customs and the like can be difficult to work with, especially since they know they will be more likely to be watched and if they make any mistakes in their cover, they will be caught.

From around the web:

Redstate points to some inconsistencies and concludes "it's a hoax". Tom at Stromata agrees.
 
However, Michelle has confirmed some of the basic facts from the Federal Air Marshals Service.
 
Glenn Reynolds runs it down.
 
Parts of the Volokh Conspiracy are first concerned with the authencity and then wonders when the media will pick it up to find answers
 
Clayton Cramer has "completely lost patience with the ACLU's whining about "racial profiling."

Finally, my dude, Lileks takes up the security at any costs drumbeat:

I tell you, something like this happens on a big scale – lots of planes dropping out of the sky, half the country is going to ask for detention camps. All because we didn't dare delay or inconvenience self-professed bands of Syrian "musicians" because it might suggest we were (gasp) dispositionally suspicious of a dozen Syrians clutching violin cases. Is profiling a good idea?

Terror Neigh

It's been quiet for a few years, but something is a'comin'. America will be struck again and we're not that much more prepared to stop it than before. Witness this personal account of a flight earlier this year by Annie Jacobson. The article is extremely chilling; here's an excerpt:

Suddenly, seven of the men stood up -- in unison -- and walked to the front and back lavatories. One by one, they went into the two lavatories, each spending about four minutes inside. Right in front of us, two men stood up against the emergency exit door, waiting for the lavatory to become available. The men spoke in Arabic among themselves and to the man in the yellow shirt sitting nearby. One of the men took his camera into the lavatory. Another took his cell phone. Again, no one approached the men. Not one of the flight attendants asked them to sit down. I watched as the man in the yellow shirt, still in his seat, reached inside his shirt and pulled out a small red book. He read a few pages, then put the book back inside his shirt. He pulled the book out again, read a page or two more, and put it back. He continued to do this several more times.

I looked around to see if any other passengers were watching. I immediately spotted a distraught couple seated two rows back. The woman was crying into the man's shoulder. He was holding her hand. I heard him say to her, You've got to calm down. Behind them sat the once pleasant-smiling, goatee-wearing man.

I grabbed my son, I held my husband's hand and, despite the fact that I am not a particularly religious person, I prayed. The last man came out of the bathroom, and as he passed the man in the yellow shirt he ran his forefinger across his neck and mouthed the word No.

The plane landed. My husband and I gathered our bags and quickly, very quickly, walked up the jetway. As we exited the jetway and entered the airport, we saw many, many men in dark suits. A few yards further out into the terminal, LAPD agents ran past us, heading for the gate. I have since learned that the representatives of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), the Los Angeles Police Department (LAPD), the Federal Air Marshals (FAM), and the Transportation Security Association (TSA) met our plane as it landed. Several men -- who I presume were the federal air marshals on board -- hurried off the plane and directed the 14 men over to the side.

Jacobson raises the hard question: should we racially profile? One way to address this is if all Americans submit to identical and stringent security measures. The problem is that everybody doesn't want to be strip searched everytime they go on a plane.

Bottom line: Either we put up (and cooperate) with the security, or we put up with the casualties that result because we don't.

(hat tip to Glenn Reynolds)

Update: Andy blogs some more on the same article.

Presbyterian Church USA against Israel???

Jewish liberals received a shock this week. The liberal Presbyterian Church USA [thanks to readers who corrected the earlier mistake on the name] declared war on Israel at is annual General Assembly meeting, approving a divestment campaign from Israel by an 87% vote, making the Holy Land into the new South Africa, in their minds.  The shock was doubly painful since liberal Jews believe that liberal churches are supposed to be their allies in all kinds of common fights. 

Richard Baehr writes in The American Thinker about how the Presbyterian Church USA (which is the liberal block of the Pres Church in the US) is now equating Israel with South Africa and how many liberal Jews were surprised.  Like Baehr concludes, I also hope the denomination portfolio income does suffer and if they don't rescind the ban for the correct reasons (Israel should be supported and is correct in the actions it has taken against the Palestinian), hopefully they will at least drop the ban for selfish economic reasons.
 
It will be interesting to see how this plays out in Israel as well.  Israel National News is also carrying the story.  Will this affect the Jewish vote in this country?  We will have to see.

Tour de Lance

Lance Armstrong erases doubts about his ability to domindate in Stage 12 of the Tour de France.

'Armstrong is the strongest man on this Tour,' [stage winner Ivan] Basso said. 'I think he's still got gas in his tank.'

Wow. Lance Armstrong is simply amazing. Nobody has ever won the Tour de France six times, but it's pretty clear that Armstrong is the man to beat this year.

 
Update: And just in case we all forgot about the Presidential race. . .President Bush gives us his prediction:

"He's going to win and I'm going to win," Bush said en route to Florida and West Virginia -- two critical states in re-election campaign.

"There's no need to worry about either race any more," Bush said with a wave of his hands and a grin.

Hum. We shall see Mr. President, I hope you are right, but we shall see.

Site of the Moment

Ahhhh, classic SNL to read! Check out Saturday Night Live Transcripts.
 
UPDATE: Even comedy must take a timeout during tragedy. Flashback to the transcript from the first SNL episode after 9/11 reminds me of the human cost:
 

On September 11th, more lives were lost than on any other single day in America's history. More than Pearl Harbor, and more than D-Day. The men, women and children who were in the World Trade Center came from across the country and 80 different nations. They were living their lives and pursuing their dreams, and they, too, are remembered as heroes. On our city's darkest day, our heroes met the worst of humanity with the best of humanity. Their acts of heroism saved more than 25,000 lives. But even as we grieve for our loved ones, it's up to us to face our future with renewed determination. Our hearts are broken, but they are beating, and they are beating stronger than ever. New Yorkers are unified. We will not yield to terrorism. We will not let our decisions be made out of fear. We choose to live our lives in freedom.

Does Kerry Always Have a Double Standard?

Kerry Didn't Read Iraq Report Before Vote:

Democratic candidate John Kerry, whose campaign demanded to know on Wednesday whether President Bush read a key Iraq intelligence assessment, did not read the document himself before voting to give Bush the authority to go to war, aides acknowledged.

Somebody at the Kerry HQ screwed up, how else could you be blindsided by such an obvious question? Career Tip: Check with the boss first.

Man Blows Himself Up in Outhouse

Don't smoke in the biffies:

A portable outhouse exploded Tuesday after a man who was inside it lit a cigarette.

...

The explosion, which occurred in Blacksville, resulted from a buildup of methane gas inside the toilet's chamber.

MoveOn.org Moves Hitler Ad

Apparently, the "Bush is Hitler" ad was still being hosted by MoveOn.org earlier today, despite MoveOn's claim that the ad was removed. Drudge makes the flash and provides a link, however, the link now leads to a 404 error (page not found), meaning that MoveOn.org probably moved the ad again.

UPDATE: In trying to gain independent verification of this item, I did a Yahoo search on a portion of the file name (I used "renamed.again.renamed.mov"). The search results hit on one of MoveOn.org's /images directory ("vigilpics.moveon.org/images"). This directory is not currently available for access anymore, but opening up Yahoo's cached version of the directory shows the file clearly on the FTP server. Here's Yahoo's cached version:

I'm inclined to believe that the "Bush is Hitler" ad video was being hosted by MoveOn.org's servers until recently.

The Senate report

Dan Darling at Winds of Change blog has read the entire Senate report and has made some comments on it. Read it. Its long so wait till lunch but its much less then the 500 odd pages of the report.

When did supporting Bush become illegal??

In NYC, should someone be spit upon or boo-ed or cursed for saying they support Bush in 2004? Is being a Republican or worse, a conservative, illegal in NYC?

Well, it may not be illegal however it seems advisable to not advertise if you wish to avoid trouble.

It is possible that our great city of diversity will sink to the level of Bainbridge Island, Wash., on July 4. This left-leaning bucolic island outside Seattle showed what can happen when Bush-bashers like Mr. Moore and other lackluster celebrities stir emotions to a fiery level.

On that day, a young, wounded Iraq War veteran, Jason Gilson, was marching with his family wearing his medals and carrying a sign that read "Veterans for Bush." The announcer sarcastically said as he went by, "And what are you a veteran of?" This incited the crowd to shout at him, "Murderer. Baby Killer. Liar."

The quote is from the New York Sun. I hope (and believe) its only a few hot heads on both sides and not a reflection of the sentiment of the country. If one or both sides think their side is correct and the other is not only incorrect but is so incorrect that holders of that opinion deserve to be corrected in anyway necessary, Democracy in theory and the US system is in danger.

There was only one time in the US' history when there were two sides so divided they would not listen to or acknowledge the other side. The year was 1860, the event started with the election of Abraham Lincoln and ended with his assassination at Ford's theater little more then 4 years later and the bloodiest war in the history of the US.

The Daily Respite

After hearing about the possible death of a deacon at the hands of his own, I've found something in Christondom that helps remind me to keep perspective that God is bigger than our own failings and even our tragedies. David Koenig, Disney fan and author, pens an article today about the death of Debbie Stone. You see, Debbie was a newly minted high school graduate in 1974 with plans for college and an engagement. She became an employee of Disneyland but was sadly killed on an attraction July 8th in the same summer. I'll let David tell the parent's story:

Bill and Marilyn Stone are good, kind people. Like Debbie, they are strong, devoted Christians. This, of course, begs the question: where was God on July 8, 1974? What kind of a God would take away someone with so much promise, with so much to give? Imagine all the good He could have used her for.

To hear Bill and Marilyn tell it, God had bigger plans. Learning of the tragedy, at 2:00 the next morning, was devastating. Still, said Marilyn, “when the deputy left, my husband and I knelt down and thanked God He gave her to us for 18 years.”

They believe God began preparing them for the loss of their daughter about three months earlier. Marilyn recently told an Omaha reporter: “One day the mailbox was filled with letters for her from colleges and I just felt immediately, She's going to be leaving home and going to college.' And then she was also engaged and I felt she's going away and she won't be here anymore, and I just began to cry and cry. And during that time God was really preparing me for her death, but I figured it was that she'd be leaving for college and then getting married and wouldn't be coming home again.”

Time has slowly brought solace to the Stone family and drawn them even closer to Jesus Christ. Deborah's death inspired one of her four younger brothers, David, to become a missionary in the South Pacific.

Better than Ted Williams

Ted Williams, decapitated, frozen and hanging upside down in some cryo tank in Arizona has nothing on immortality. Dosha the miracle dog, does:

Dosha was hit by a car near her owner's Clearwater, California, home on April 15. Next, a police officer shot her in the head to put her out of her misery. Then, presumed dead, she was put in a freezer at an animal control center.

Two hours later, when a veterinarian opened the door to the freezer, she was shocked to find Dosha, a 10-month-old of mixed-breeding, standing upright in a plastic orange bag -- the equivalent of a human body bag.

Yes, the story is a bit old, and odd. But I remember it today (thanks sis!) and thought that it was pretty remarkable, still.

Lakers are Lucky

Because they got the right man for the job. Now, the real question is if Rudy T can get Shaq back into the fold. Somehow management has to make Shaq feel better.

The Death of a Deacon

Allegedly stabbed to death by his wife and her lover, the assistant pastor of their church. Sad news. The depravity of man, clearly on display. A clear call that we need Christ, yes, even Christians.

What to do with old paperback books

DRAT!!!!!

We have spent the last month cleaning and clearing my mother-in-laws (MIL) house getting it ready to sell.

Among the many things that got sold at garage sales, given to Salvation Army or just tossed were books, books and more books. And now that we got rid of all of them, I find here is a good place to send them. What is the old saying, junk is something you keep for years and years and get rid of two weeks before you need it.

Hat tip to Sgt Hook for the button (hint hint boss, something else to put on the blog besides Spirit of America) is "Books for Soldiers". This is an organization that will take your unused dust collecting paperbacks and send them to the folks overseas who can't usually visit their Borders or other local book stores.

If you have paperbacks that are gathering dust, here is a good way to get rid of them. And yes its time I go through my library again, its getting too full and now can send them somewhere useful.

This puts a different spin on things

Dale Buss at OpinionJournal.com has a sobering column on the state of youth and Christian belief.

Since I am not involved in the high school ministry at BOL, I can't confirm or deny if the views expressed in Buss' article are there or not, but I hope not and have not heard anything from the councilors to indicate otherwise.

When I'm teaching Sunday school, I'm encouraged by what I hear from the teenagers at my evangelical Christian church in suburban Detroit. They seem to understand--and, more important, to believe--the bedrock tenets that will help them hew to orthodoxy throughout their lives and make them salt and light in the world.

But the hard numbers say otherwise. It turns out that, while they may profess the faith and indeed love Jesus, the vast majority of Christian teenagers in this country actually hold beliefs fundamentally antithetical to the creed. The forces of moral relativism and "tolerance" have gotten to them in a big way. In fact, some leaders believe that mushy doctrine among the younger generation ranks as the No. 1 crisis facing American Christendom today.

The saying, "The Church is just one generation away from extinction" is true and we the current adults need to insure the teaching is sound so the next generation will be equipped with the true faith.

Not Enough Time on My Hands

Except to attend a fund raiser:

KING: News of the day, Tom Ridge warned today about al Qaeda plans of a large-scale attack on the United States. Didn't increase the -- you see any politics in this? What's your reaction?

KERRY: Well, I haven't been briefed yet, Larry. They have offered to brief me. I just haven't had time.

Mr. Kerry's committment to national security just isn't there; election is more important to him.

Lileks Fisks Moore

Lileks apparently has had enough of Michael Moore and, pretty much, takes the moviemaker to task for an July 4th LA Times (of course) screed. James works his way through the number of less than truthful, misleading, disconnected and downright silly statements made by Moore about America. For example:

Moore: I think it's time for those of us who love this country — and everything it should stand for — to reclaim our flag from those who would use it to crush rights and freedoms, both here at home and overseas. We need to redefine what it means to be a proud American.

Lileks: Again with the crushed rights. It’s a standard trope, a talisman worn smooth with obsessive rubbing, and people of Moore’s stripe won’t let it go until the Patriot act is rescinded and we can go back to the good old days of petitioning judges for separate wiretaps for a suspected terrorists’s individual cell phones and land lines. Fine. But let’s talk about the rights and freedoms we’ve crushed abroad. Leave aside Western Europe, which is still reeling from the decision by the Bush adminstration to use Warthogs to strafe all those street protests. Two questions:

Afghanistan had more / less freedoms under the Taliban

Iraq had more / less freedoms under Saddam

...

Moore: Let's create a world in which, when people see the Stars and Stripes, they will think of us as the people who brought peace to the world, who brought good-paying jobs to all citizens and clean water for the world to drink.

In anticipation of that day, I am putting my flag out today, with hope and with pride.

Lileks: There you have it. He wants the flag to stand for clean water. This from a man who waddles up to the deep well of American freedom, fumbles with his zipper, and pisses in it.

Moore is pretty much a propagandist of the left. Much along the lines of Leni Riefenstahl, just without the artistry or subtlety.

High School Student Stands Tall

And he faces the typical rantings of racism and knee jerk leftist reactionism in a high school. It starts with a social studies teacher's left leanings and escalates from there, including a shouting match with a parent. Check it out (complete with pictures):

One boy told me I had no right to express political views in school, to which I told him about Tinker vs. des Moines and how the Supreme Court said I did. His retort: "f*** the Supreme Court, I don't give a sh** what they say, I am the f***ing court around here!" He then demanded that I stop taking his picture.

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The girl who ripped down my signs happened to be on[line] and I began to discuss with her [my] ongoing fight to repost the signs.

She told me the signs didn't express a political point of view, only an "anti-Arab sentiment" and explained that she didn't want to see any repercussions from the signs on the Arab community.

I then asked her if anyone had been yelling at the Arab students, calling them names, insulting them, or destroying their property. Of course she had to admit that no one at school had done anything remotely anti-Arab due to my signs. I then pointed out to her that the only yelling, name-calling, insulting, and destroying of property was being perpetrated by the Arab community and the local school leftists in reaction to the signs.

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She then stated that while she could see that I had strong political convictions and that a small group of students would understand the signs, most of them were "rednecks" that wouldn't get the meaning and would only laugh at the mocking of Arabs.

Does the hypocrisy ever end? "Rednecks?" A sign can't have the word "Arab", which isn't a racial slur, but she can say "rednecks"?

Her response: "It isn't a racial slur, it's honesty!"

No Surprise

It shouldn't be surprising to anybody that we should expect an attack this year. It's impossible to stop every terrorist without living in a police state. Our borders are (relatively) open and means that a small band of thugs could sneak across the border; let's not even talk about moles who have become citizens. Does anybody seriously think that if a determined individual or individuals decided to blow something up or shoot a few people that we could actually stop them?

I'm not being Chicken Little, just a realist. As has been said by many quite a few times, those who protect us have to be perfect. Those who wish to harm us just have only to be lucky once.

Be prepared.

Not sure what to make of this

Jackie Mason & Raoul Felder at Jewish World Review have a startling claim about the events of Sept 11, 2001. If I saw this on a blog by itself I would be skeptical, but JWR is usually a reliable source.

I don't know if what they described is true or not, I sure didn't hear about anything like that happening in the US on that day and the article seems a little too close for calling "jihad" against all Muslims.

Comments and additional information to confirm or refute their allegations would be appreciated.

How Clinton elected Bush

Stu Bykofsky at the Philadelphia Daily News has an interesting and fun article on how Clinton cost Gore the election in 2000 and it wasn't because of his lack of campaigning, but because he didn't resign.

If Clinton had resigned from office, Gore would have been President and he most likely would have beat Bush in 2000 and he would have been eligible to run for re-election in 2004 against who knows.

Yes, this has been said before, but its well written and short to start off your day with.

When will the condemnation start???

When will PETA file the lawsuit for animal cruelty or the ACLU file one for child abuse.

The issue? A 7 year old GIRL saw a snake enter the chicken coop and steal the eggs the family was going to sell, so she shot and killed the snake. Let me repeat the "crime". A 7 year old GIRL used a GUN and KILLED a snake. Actually she killed it with the first shot.

And this isn't the first time she has used a gun either. She's already bagged her first deer, when she was SIX.

It would be interesting to see the letters to the editor over the next few days to see if anyone objects. Not too likely since the Daily Press is a rural Virginia paper, but if the wire service or some urban papers pick up the story, look for the shocked people to complain "how could a father teach his little girl to use such evil things (guns) and how could they harm a wild creature like a snake".

My thoughts on this, in 8 years, look for Kayla Williamson to be on the US Olympic team.

Did Kerry's VP just add another enemy to Kerry's election???

Allen Murray Wall Street Journal (no registration required for this article)

When a VP selection is made, the goal is to HELP the ticket by reaching out to people the presidential nominee is not strong with.

The VP selection is NOT supposed to take a large group that was sitting on the sidelines and bring them into the oppositions group.

But that is what the selection of Edwards has done to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce.

Tom Donohue, head of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, has made a public vow: If John Edwards is chosen as John Kerry's running mate, the chamber will abandon its traditional stance of neutrality in the presidential race and work feverishly to defeat the Democratic ticket. "We'd get the best people and the greatest assets we can rally" to the cause, he says.

It will be interesting to see if the US Chamber of Commerce reaction as well as other business groups will have any effects on the election or on a reconsideration for the VP slot. Unlikely but it could make for an interesting month.

Smart Man

Coach K to remain at Duke. The soap opera that is known as the Lakers is no place for a good man like him. The really bad thing is that the Lakers/Duke/Krzyzewski should NOT have let this out of the bag. Now whoever takes the Lakers' job will seem to be the second choice. Not good, not good. Thinking about it, it will probably mean that the Lakers won't get a tier 1 coach and end up with some assistant coach taking on an interim job for a year.

What a mess.

Follow Up: Apparently I'm wrong. Rudy T is the "clear-cut No. 2 choice". (Boy, talk about backhanded compliments) I think that Rudy T is an excellent choice, if he'll take it.

Follow Up To the Follow Up: I wonder. . .I wonder if Rudy T is really the Lakers first choice. Since the Boy Wonder didn't select Rudy T, I wonder if the Lakers made it seem like they tried to get Kobe's man (K), but failed. .. thus leaving the franchise no alternative but to get Rudy T.

Nader Nixed by Dems

Repression? Payback for 2000? Whatever it is, the Dems are doing what they can to make sure Nader is off the ballet. You decide:

Nader's campaign had submitted more than 22,000 signatures to Arizona election officials June 9 — far more than the 14,694 valid signatures required by state law to compete against President Bush and Kerry.

Two Democratic voters had filed a lawsuit last week, backed by the Arizona Democratic Party, questioning the validity of Nader's nominating petitions and other documents. The Democrats argued that more than 70 percent of the signatures were invalid.

As a Maricopa County Superior Court judge prepared to hear arguments in the case, Nader campaign attorney Richard Mahrle conceded there were "technical errors" in the ballot petition and said Nader would not contest the lawsuit.

So, on a technicality Nadar is not going to be on the 2004 ballet in Arizona. And why?

Democratic National Committee spokesman Jano Cabrera said Friday that the national party supports efforts by state parties to validate Nader signatures, but it is not providing resources to help state parties in that effort.

"We feel that no matter how small a percentage of the vote he is drawing, he is drawing that support from John Kerry. A vote for Nader is a vote for Bush," Cabrera said.

No, I would have thought that a vote for Nader is a vote for Nader. I guess what they're saying is that your vote doesn't count unless it's for us.

The Degradation of American Dialog

Well, it's racheting up and it's mind boggling (phrase d'jour). Over the last couple of years, I've seen the liberal left increasingly use demagoguery, propaganda and outright lies in order to discredit President Bush and win this fall's election. A survey:

MoveOn.org hosted a contest for political commercials that included an entry that equated President Bush with Hitler. Hitler? Last I checked, I don't remember the government marching Arab Americans into concentration camps with ovens.

An artist paints President Bush as a devourer of children.

The pinnicle is, of course, Moore's agitprop movie, Farenheit 9/11. Joe Katzman at Winds of Change runs him down.

What, have we so lost our minds? Are we so wrapped up in our own ideologies that we will resort to namecalling (albeit artsy namecalling) to advance our points of view? What happened to reasoned dialog? It's sad. And what's even sadder is that we are falling for it. And you know what, it happens on both sides. That's the TV generations for ya.

We are Not a Third World Nation

And yet some of our own legislators want us to believe that we can't even run our own elections fairly. This is just mind boggling, these lawmakers have undermined the American political process by presuming that we need U.N. monitoring.

U.N. monitoring? I don't agree that the U.N. should be involved, there is just too much temptation for the U.N. to drive their influence into the American political process. The U.N. would love to have the opportunity to influence how America is run.

Ridiculous. Why don't those lawmakers just ask for a peacekeeping force now?

The Poles Find Sarin in Iraq

Specifically, they bought several rockets and warheads filled with cyclosarin in their sector of Iraq.

"We were mortified by the information that terrorists were looking for these warheads and offered $5,000 apiece," Dukaczewski said. "An attack with such weapons would be hard to imagine. All of our activity was accelerated at appropriating these warheads."

Dukaczewski refused to give any further details about the terrorists or the sellers of the munitions, saying only that his troops thwarted terrorists by purchasing the 17 rockets for a Soviet-era launcher and two mortar rounds containing the nerve agent for an undisclosed sum June 23.

WMD. They're there, it's not like the Iraqis were going to just turn them over. The questions are: Have any warheads leaked out of Iraq? Will we see them this summer? Israel? Athens? New York? Boston? Washington?

normblog: The 'compassion' of the Left

Instapundit points us to normblog, who quotes leftie columnist, Yasmin Alibhai-Brown, in the Evening Standard:

I am ashamed to admit that there have been times when I wanted more chaos, more shocks, more disorder to teach our side a lesson. On Monday I found myself again hoping that this handover proves a failure because it has been orchestrated by the Americans.

Also check out the quote from a radio interview:

Chiles: So where do you stand on the whole business [Iraq] now? You'd rather we just never bothered in the first place?

Alibhai-Brown: Well, you know, it's really difficult; I was thinking this morning - I mean the kind of moral trauma. I've been against the war and part of you begins to... you know, it's horrible how your mind works. You think 'Good!', you wake up thinking 'Good, there's all this mess'. And then you have to question your own self, saying what kind of a human being are you, that you want this mess? So, I think I'm terrified of what's happening. I don't think we can pull out now.

Crap. Pure crap. Can you guess at my anger whenever I read crap like this? I'd sure like to wish "more chaos, more shocks and more disorder" into Ms. Alibhai-Brown's life, but that would be stooping to her level. I'd just rather see a stable Iraq, just to spite her and her ilk. Iraq not only has to fight it's own internal power struggles, but it also has to fight those who hate America.