I wrote about the redemption of Vietnam Vets earlier in this blog - but here's a column that puts it all together quite well: http://www.omegaletter.com/articles.asp?ArticleID=3707
In the must read category...
I think very highly of Victor Davis Hanson's work: here's a link to his piece on the United Nations that is a must read:
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson092404.html
http://victorhanson.com/articles/hanson092404.html
Gee I wish I had said that...
Well, the yard-sign thieves struck again. Maybe next time we'll swab the edges with curare to put an end to this! Anyhow, browsing through the week's reading, here is the September 29 edition of "Gee, I wish I had said that..." Enjoy!
Debra Burlingame is the sister of Chris Burlingame, the pilot of American Airlines Flt. 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. Though a lifelong Democrat, she has put principle above party and has been an eloquent defender of W's Iraq policy. I don't know about you, but I was outraged last week when jfk attacked Prime Minister Allawi...here is her take:
Whoo boy, if you think we have trouble with the French now, have a read here:
www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/685ozxcq.asp
jfk's somnambulist style is obviously getting to fellow blogger at redstate.org. He weighs in with this:
I actually found something by Gary Trudeau I like - this from 1971!! Have a read and enjoy:
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/kerry_faq.html Ahh, the more things change, the more they stay insane!
From the late night circuit, the retiring Mr. Leno:
Debra Burlingame is the sister of Chris Burlingame, the pilot of American Airlines Flt. 77, which crashed into the Pentagon on 9/11. Though a lifelong Democrat, she has put principle above party and has been an eloquent defender of W's Iraq policy. I don't know about you, but I was outraged last week when jfk attacked Prime Minister Allawi...here is her take:
It was these young people whom I thought of when Interim Prime Minister Ayad
Allawi stood before a joint session of Congress last week and paid tribute to
the sacrifices of his countrymen and the coalition forces fighting for us all.
For political partisans to call the hope of so many a cynical calculation or a
foolish dream risks, with a few cheap words, energizing our enemies who measure
their success by the blood and tears of these brave hearts. Optimism in the face
of obstacles is not living in "fantasyland." It's courage.
Whoo boy, if you think we have trouble with the French now, have a read here:
www.weeklystandard.com/Content/Public/Articles/000/000/004/685ozxcq.asp
jfk's somnambulist style is obviously getting to fellow blogger at redstate.org. He weighs in with this:
Will Kerry not shut up? He has run the most bizarre campaign since Michael
Dukakis. I can only imagine that next Kerry will say he would sing kumbaya and
hold hands with the murderer of his wife, before letting the guy out on parole.
I actually found something by Gary Trudeau I like - this from 1971!! Have a read and enjoy:
http://www.doonesbury.com/strip/kerry_faq.html Ahh, the more things change, the more they stay insane!
From the late night circuit, the retiring Mr. Leno:
You see the pictures in the paper today of John Kerry windsurfing? He's at his
home in Nantucket this week, doing his favorite thing, windsurfing. Even his
hobby depends on which way the wind blows.
Friday Face-off
FACE-OFF:n. 1. A method of starting play in ice hockey by dropping the puck between opposing players. 2. A confrontation.
Dear reader, Redstater is on a plane headed to Baltimore. From there it is over to Harper's Ferry, WV for a weekend of biking and kayaking.
We will ride from Harper's Ferry to Antietam - from the site of one of the first terrorist acts in American history (We'll check to see if John Brown's body is still mouldering!) to the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War. On September 17, 1862, 12,410 Union soldiers died in the process of killing 10,700 Confederates. Lee was forced to retreat back across the Potomac, but more significantly, England decided to not recognize the fledgling Confederacy. Lincoln, sensing the tide was turning, issued the Emancipation Proclomation three months later. Wierd thought about this history drenched trip: if John Kerry had been around back then, John Brown would have lived to be an old man and you might need a passport today to travel from Maryland to Virginia.
Because I'm already in a vacation mindset, I only have one item for the face-off today for you to consider.
I. What's the real story in Darfur? Obviously the UN won't do anything but blow air at the problem...but why? It's uniquely suited for them: ill-equipped and poorly trained army, lot's of Brownie points. Hell, even the French might be able to handle this one...like they did Bosnia...wait, the French didn't handle Bosnia.
But dammit, we're approaching 1 million dead or soon to be dead and Brer Kofi and pals are too busy undermining US efforts in Iraq to say a word? Wait, what was that you just whispered? OIL??!! From the Wall Street Journal: “The picture wouldn't be complete without mentioning the most promising oil field. Block 5 is situated in the south, where Khartoum just agreed on a peace deal after a 21-year campaign against the local Christian and animist Africans that left 2 million dead. Because of the fighting, TotalFinaElf, the FRENCH OIL GIANT that owns the concession to this field, suspended operations there in the 1980's. It can only tap those reserves if the peace holds.â€Hmmmm, French oil interests versus a despotic government? Maybe Kofi can set his son up in another oil for food scam!
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.
Dear reader, Redstater is on a plane headed to Baltimore. From there it is over to Harper's Ferry, WV for a weekend of biking and kayaking.
We will ride from Harper's Ferry to Antietam - from the site of one of the first terrorist acts in American history (We'll check to see if John Brown's body is still mouldering!) to the site of the bloodiest day of the Civil War. On September 17, 1862, 12,410 Union soldiers died in the process of killing 10,700 Confederates. Lee was forced to retreat back across the Potomac, but more significantly, England decided to not recognize the fledgling Confederacy. Lincoln, sensing the tide was turning, issued the Emancipation Proclomation three months later. Wierd thought about this history drenched trip: if John Kerry had been around back then, John Brown would have lived to be an old man and you might need a passport today to travel from Maryland to Virginia.
Because I'm already in a vacation mindset, I only have one item for the face-off today for you to consider.
I. What's the real story in Darfur? Obviously the UN won't do anything but blow air at the problem...but why? It's uniquely suited for them: ill-equipped and poorly trained army, lot's of Brownie points. Hell, even the French might be able to handle this one...like they did Bosnia...wait, the French didn't handle Bosnia.
But dammit, we're approaching 1 million dead or soon to be dead and Brer Kofi and pals are too busy undermining US efforts in Iraq to say a word? Wait, what was that you just whispered? OIL??!! From the Wall Street Journal: “The picture wouldn't be complete without mentioning the most promising oil field. Block 5 is situated in the south, where Khartoum just agreed on a peace deal after a 21-year campaign against the local Christian and animist Africans that left 2 million dead. Because of the fighting, TotalFinaElf, the FRENCH OIL GIANT that owns the concession to this field, suspended operations there in the 1980's. It can only tap those reserves if the peace holds.â€Hmmmm, French oil interests versus a despotic government? Maybe Kofi can set his son up in another oil for food scam!
Sent wirelessly via BlackBerry from T-Mobile.
W's MBA
Everyone should read this article in The American Thinker . You will get a clearer understanding of how W works. Let's hope the opposition doesn't get any tips from it.
I was particularly humored by W's reputation of being a good poker player...during the recent Rathergate scandal, isn't it interesting that the White House couldn't refute the docs when they were released 3 hours before the show aired. How you say: "bet big on a losing hand!"
I was particularly humored by W's reputation of being a good poker player...during the recent Rathergate scandal, isn't it interesting that the White House couldn't refute the docs when they were released 3 hours before the show aired. How you say: "bet big on a losing hand!"
I always loved Gilligans Island...Lovee, please pass the catsup! I wonder how Theresa would handle the "three hour tour."
Gee I wish I had said that...
I might need to start dating this column, but I want it to be a weekly event. Herewith, this week's installment:
From the venerable Pat Caddell - a true good guy Democrat (and there aren't many of them left!) His own party has him so worried that his grey streak in his hair has turned black from the heat! This was on the Hannity and Colmes TV Show:
Can't remember where I saw this one, but I jotted it down... so true!
Get the kiddies involved with the election! Show them the Prez really knows how to move!
http://terrisfp.com/flash7/bush.html
And you’ll simply have to go there: http://www.theonion.com/election2004/news_4007.php Redstater’s mother always said put a matchstick between your teeth when you’re cutting onions!
From an article sent to Redstater from a friend...I don't know, Bunny suit, tank...you be the judge!
From the venerable Pat Caddell - a true good guy Democrat (and there aren't many of them left!) His own party has him so worried that his grey streak in his hair has turned black from the heat! This was on the Hannity and Colmes TV Show:
I've always had great respect for Dan Rather. I cannot believe what's going onHanging in Redstater's office is a picture of the Twin Towers I took when I was putting a ship through overhaul in the Brooklyn...I keep it there to remind me - we must never forget. A fellow blogger observes:
in this story. I think the entire elite in this country is on Kool-Aid. This is
one massive Jonestown going on. What are you people drinking?
I watched a five-year-old movie over the weekend. It had a quick shot of
the NY skyline. I felt bloody rage when I saw the Twin Towers, and
remembered. I'm glad we have a President who I know feels that kind of rage, but
can also make a measured response. I'm not sure John Kerry feels
anything. – boomer on Redstate.org
Can't remember where I saw this one, but I jotted it down... so true!
I've remarked before that "Catholics for Kerry" is analogous to "Carnivores for
PETA."
Get the kiddies involved with the election! Show them the Prez really knows how to move!
http://terrisfp.com/flash7/bush.html
And you’ll simply have to go there: http://www.theonion.com/election2004/news_4007.php Redstater’s mother always said put a matchstick between your teeth when you’re cutting onions!
From an article sent to Redstater from a friend...I don't know, Bunny suit, tank...you be the judge!
Craig Crawford, now with Congressional Quarterly and MSNBC, spent 1988 covering
the Dukakis campaign. "Do I see parallels? I see only parallels."
Friday Face-Off
FACE-OFF: 1. A method of starting play in ice hockey by dropping the puck between two opposing players. 2. A confrontation.
ITEM I: The re-living of the Vietnam War that has been thrust upon us by John F. Kerry (did you know he has 3 Purple Hearts?) may have a long overdue silver lining. First we were treated to the mythology that jfk (we'll use non-caps to distinguish him from the real JFK) was a war hero...note to jfk...real heroes don't talk too much about being heroic, they just do their jobs. This was Swift boatedly refuted when just about everyone he served with in 'Nam came forward to declare him "Unfit for Command." Then we had the Democrat counter-attack..."OK, you want to get our guy, well, we'll get yours!" The acme of this effort has produced the now famous forged documents. In between we have the Vietnam Veterans for Truth coming forward to point out that jfk's real legacy from Vietnam was what he did when he came back. He told lies, he called our soldiers in the fields horrible names, all of this for political gain (See www.freekerrybook.org if you need further evidence). And now the pattern fits together and there may be redemption for those brave men and women who did answer their country's call and fought in the rotting jungles of Vietnam:
- Kerry serves in the military then becomes the poster child for the anti-war movement. ("I voted for the $87 billion before I voted against it.")
- CBS declares the war lost after US forces route the NVA during Tet. It was a whopper of a lie that even the NVA General Giap was stunned to hear.
- Kerry paints the picture that the military is full of sociopathic drug-addled killers.
- CBS does several documentaries including the appalling portrayal of the lives of six "Vietnam Vets" and their lives of drug abuse and crime. None of the six had ever gone near Vietnam.
- Kerry paints himself as the hero of the riverine war.
- The shine comes off the hero with the publication of "Unfit for Command" and the emergence of Vietnam Veterans for Truth.
- CBS goes on the attack to try to get at W in the hopes the contrast will inflate jfk. To do it, they procure forged documents (best case, they were duped and ready to believ the docs were real).
Here's the silver lining: CBS is completely and totally discredited. It follows a pattern and we can now discredit their 25 year portrayal of Vietnam. There is a re-examination occurring of what really happened in Vietnam and a long overdue salute to the men and women who stayed with their units and fought that ugly war.
Thank you, jfk, you have at long last, served your country well.
ITEM 2: Redstater's Dad has been poring over Mark Helprin's essay, " Let Us Count the WaysTo Win the War on Terrorism." It is available at www.claremont.com . It is an expansion of the article Helprin published in the Wall Street Journal last week (see "A Pox on Both Your Houses" below) but is a clear, concise call for a strategic reassessment of how to fight the war on terror. It is a bleak analysis for the prospects of converting Islamic states to democracy and persuasively argues for:
- A dramatic increase in military spending...we're at war dammit!
- A strategy of "strike, return, and re-energize" in lieu of "strike, occupy, convert." In the Iraqi model we would have overthrown Sadam and then retreated to secure bases in Kuwait and Saudi Arabia. Our parting words would be "set up a government we like or else..."
- Stronger immigration control including swift deportation of unfriendly aliens.
In the end he concludes: “It is all, finally, a matter of the possession of the failure of will. For if the whole power of the United States is adroitly focused upon this war, it is solely ours to win. We have the means to prevail. We need only count the ways.”
Helprin's strategy deserves serious consideration. In particular at a time when the Pentagon is exploring a major force realignment (for an interesting perspective see Tom Barnett's work : http://www.thomaspmbarnett.com ).
That's it for now Redstaters - have a great weekend!
Gee I wish I had said that...
Once again, Chris Hitchens leads off with this take on his own guy:
"If Kerry doesn't like people disputing his own version of his own gallantry, then it was highly incautious of him to have made it the centerpiece of his appeal."
I firmly believe that Americans vote for a guy that is going to be the least made fun of...think about it: Al Gore v. W.; Kennedy v. Nixon; Bush the elder v. Dukakis. The turning point in this campaign may not have been the Convention and Swift Boats...it could well have been Kerry in the bunny suit! So it that spirit, let's have a little levity:
"We make jokes about it but the truth is this presidential election really offers us a choice of two well-informed, opposing positions on every issue. OK, they both belong to John Kerry, but they're still there." —Jay Leno
"John Kerry says the 'W' in George W. Bush stands for 'Wrong.' But he still can't explain what John Kerry stands for." —David Letterman
Polipundit rightly observes:
This morning I awoke to see a story on Fox News that Kofi Annan had declared the U.S. action in Iraq an "illegal" war. So what would he call the U.N. Oil for Food program?
When a newsroom becomes a crime scene, are you supposed to run yellow tape around it? From National Review Online:
So — one of Kerry's top fundraisers tells a story trashing Bush, where the only two direct corroborating witnesses are dead and that everyone else denies, and Rather calls this compelling and strong?
Meanness on Monday
This weekend was a good one at the Redstater household. We put another triathlon under our belt (Olympic Distance...for more information see www.musiccitytri.com ) and replaced our Bush Cheney yard sign twice. The third anniversary of the 9-11 attacks passed fairly quietly...no doubt the President's folks were reluctant to say too much lest they be accused of "using 9-11 for political gain." So how do these three items fit together?
1. The Political Triathlon: First, a triathlon is a challenging endurance event that requires nominal talent in three skills: swimming, biking and running. Mostly, it requires discipline - about anyone can do one of these things and eventually finish...and finishing alone is a fine accomplishment. But, as the great Steve Prefontaine said: "To do anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." Discipline to adhere to a regimen of preparation is essential to success; discipline to stick with your plan and endure the pain of the event is too. In some ways the electoral process is a triathlon for both candidates.
The "swim" portion for Msr. Kerry is performing the verbal gymnastics to get through the highly liberal primary process; the "bike" leg is analogous to that portion of the campaign where memory loss is encouraged to anyone who paid attention to the first leg. And the "run" leg is the post convention struggle to get to November and garner enough electoral votes to unseat the President.
W's version is a bit more difficult. The "swim" portion is to continue to be the Commander in Chief while our nation is at war. The "bike" leg is having the patience to endure the relentless mean personal attacks. The "run" is to get to November with the authority to continue his present job.
2. Yard Signs: Friday night our sign disappeared. I replaced it on Saturday and stowed a couple extras in the garage. Saturday night all the Bush Cheney signs on our street disappeared. The count was 5-2 Bush over Kerry...it now appears as if Kerry is kerrying the neighborhood. (It must have been a big night for yard sign theft...my drive to work count had Kerry up 12-3...down from 14 to 12. But here's the disturbing pattern:
Kerry's people want to silence the opposition instead of debate them. Note the difference in the way Mr. K went after the Swift Boat Vets versus the silence from W's camp after a year of bashing from the MoveOn.org crowd. Kerry seems to have a glass jaw - one punch from the Swiftvets and he's crying "foul," and threatening to sue TV stations. Aaaand there's "trouble in the wind" for Mr. Kerry...a new group called Vietnam Veterans for Truth held their first rally yesterday. C-Span carried a good chunk of it live and it was powerful stuff! These are the people who served out their tours, didn't leave their buddies behind and came home disgraced thanks in large part to the characterizations that Mr. K fabricated in his now famous Senate testimony. (Navy note: why the heck was Msr. K wearing Army fatigues to the Senate hearing? He was still a commissioned officer and BOY was he out of regs with that haircut!) Mr. K has better be braced for an onslaught from this group - from what I heard yesterday, they will not be going away. See www.kerrylied.com .
While we are on yard signs, a quick note about bumper stickers...have you noticed the nastiness of the Dem's stickers? In the bumper sticker battle at the triathlon, Bush won 8-4. The Bush signs were the W04 and Bush Cheney 04 signs you see everywhere. The Dem signs were, well mean: "There's dirt under every Bush," "Coward in Chief," and, the staple "Bush lied people died." The Vietnam Vet's sign: "Kerry lied while good men died" has far more truth to it than this overworked line.
3. 9-11: I would love to hear some perspective from others on why 9-11 cannot be mentioned by the President without a howl coming up from the Left. My theory is that they recognize it to be such a galvanizing force and it is the kryptonite of this election. Mr. K was busy missing Senate Intelligence Committee meetings while W was taking the fight to the enemy.
Well, physically I am going into "recovery" mode after the triathlon - I expect we'll all have to do some of that after the election!
1. The Political Triathlon: First, a triathlon is a challenging endurance event that requires nominal talent in three skills: swimming, biking and running. Mostly, it requires discipline - about anyone can do one of these things and eventually finish...and finishing alone is a fine accomplishment. But, as the great Steve Prefontaine said: "To do anything less than your best is to sacrifice the Gift." Discipline to adhere to a regimen of preparation is essential to success; discipline to stick with your plan and endure the pain of the event is too. In some ways the electoral process is a triathlon for both candidates.
The "swim" portion for Msr. Kerry is performing the verbal gymnastics to get through the highly liberal primary process; the "bike" leg is analogous to that portion of the campaign where memory loss is encouraged to anyone who paid attention to the first leg. And the "run" leg is the post convention struggle to get to November and garner enough electoral votes to unseat the President.
W's version is a bit more difficult. The "swim" portion is to continue to be the Commander in Chief while our nation is at war. The "bike" leg is having the patience to endure the relentless mean personal attacks. The "run" is to get to November with the authority to continue his present job.
2. Yard Signs: Friday night our sign disappeared. I replaced it on Saturday and stowed a couple extras in the garage. Saturday night all the Bush Cheney signs on our street disappeared. The count was 5-2 Bush over Kerry...it now appears as if Kerry is kerrying the neighborhood. (It must have been a big night for yard sign theft...my drive to work count had Kerry up 12-3...down from 14 to 12. But here's the disturbing pattern:
Kerry's people want to silence the opposition instead of debate them. Note the difference in the way Mr. K went after the Swift Boat Vets versus the silence from W's camp after a year of bashing from the MoveOn.org crowd. Kerry seems to have a glass jaw - one punch from the Swiftvets and he's crying "foul," and threatening to sue TV stations. Aaaand there's "trouble in the wind" for Mr. Kerry...a new group called Vietnam Veterans for Truth held their first rally yesterday. C-Span carried a good chunk of it live and it was powerful stuff! These are the people who served out their tours, didn't leave their buddies behind and came home disgraced thanks in large part to the characterizations that Mr. K fabricated in his now famous Senate testimony. (Navy note: why the heck was Msr. K wearing Army fatigues to the Senate hearing? He was still a commissioned officer and BOY was he out of regs with that haircut!) Mr. K has better be braced for an onslaught from this group - from what I heard yesterday, they will not be going away. See www.kerrylied.com .
While we are on yard signs, a quick note about bumper stickers...have you noticed the nastiness of the Dem's stickers? In the bumper sticker battle at the triathlon, Bush won 8-4. The Bush signs were the W04 and Bush Cheney 04 signs you see everywhere. The Dem signs were, well mean: "There's dirt under every Bush," "Coward in Chief," and, the staple "Bush lied people died." The Vietnam Vet's sign: "Kerry lied while good men died" has far more truth to it than this overworked line.
3. 9-11: I would love to hear some perspective from others on why 9-11 cannot be mentioned by the President without a howl coming up from the Left. My theory is that they recognize it to be such a galvanizing force and it is the kryptonite of this election. Mr. K was busy missing Senate Intelligence Committee meetings while W was taking the fight to the enemy.
Well, physically I am going into "recovery" mode after the triathlon - I expect we'll all have to do some of that after the election!
Part of the vast right wing conspiracy...here's the URL to get more information: www.blogsforbush.com
Friday Face-off
FACE-OFF: 1. A method of starting play in ice hockey by dropping the puck between two opposing players. 2. A confrontation.
The National Guard debate/debacle: The recently uncovered memorandum attributed to the commander of W's unit appears to be a forgery. Now I am not a typeface expert (although they have weighed in on the modernity of the typeface), but I did serve quite a bit of time in the Navy. What struck me as odd about the document was the formatting.
- Every officer in the service learns basic formatting procedures - for memos, forms were available - and if not you simply typed "Memorandum" underlined in the upper left corner.
- Dates were written as "4 May 1972" not "04 May 1972."
- There would be a "From" and "To" block not "Memorandum to Lt. George W...."
- The memo in question "orders" Bush to report for a flight physical to the HQ not the hospital and the Flight Surgeon is not copied on the memo.
- The officer's rank would be abbreviated as LTCOL USAF, not "Lt.Colonel."
- Bottom line, this piece is a "ho-ax" as we say in the deep South.
Contrast this attempt to smear W with the veracity of the numerous Swift Boat Vets that have challenged Msr. Kerree.
Now let's do a "worst case scenario." We'll be good economists and make some assumptions.
- Assume every naughty thing you heard about Bush's service in the National Guard is true...he was AWOL for two months, he used influence to get in the Guard, he didn't fulfill his requirement etc.
- Now assume every naughty thing you've heard about Kerry's service is true...he joined the Navy to escape the draft and pretend to be JFK, he gamed the Purple Heart system to get out early, he was a coward who ran from the fight.
Now answer the following questions:
- Who, while on active duty, accused the US Military of committing war crimes and being the army of Genghis Khan?
- Who has made his service in the military the central reason for you to select him in November?
'Nuff said.
A pox on both your houses! In the must read and ponder category, Mark Helprin's piece in the WSJ this AM is powerful: http://opinionjournal.com/columnists/mhelprin/ As we are rounding into our third year of war...or at least third year since we admitted we were at war, it's a powerful indictment.
IVAN vs. the NFL: The Tennessee Titans will have to play the Miami Dolphins on Saturday in order to avoid having Ivan call interference on the game! Isn't it hard to concentrate on the game with a Cat 5 hurricane bearing down on you?
Bread and Circuses: Am I the only one that was offended by the wierd show last night to launch the NFL Season. Sir Elton John who has bemoaned "censorship" in the United States singing "Saturday Night's Alright for Fightin'" before Thursday night football. Hell, he is a walking "wardrobe malfunction."
Look at the internals: WSJ's morning page reporting that in the same poll in which the "world" would vote for Kerry over W, there's an interesting finding: 58% of Europeans prefer a "weaker America." Why is that? My hypothesis is that, with the exception of Great Britain which still has a backbone, Europe has essentially become a moral wasteland unable to distinguish between good and evil. They don't like to face the hard choices that have to be made in living in a dangerous world. They would rather just brush it under the carpet in the hope that it will go away. This is why liberals are so enamored of their "sophisticated" society. As we sit on the eve of the 3rd anniversary of 9/11 could the choice be any more obvious. We stared into the very face of evil in the fiery plumes of the World Trade Center. It will not go away if we just try to get along with it.
New Endorsements for Kerry
Happy to find out that JFK has picked up two important endorsements:
1. The Communist Party of the USA is endorsing our wavy haired idol...see www.cpusa.org to see the reasons why.
2. The World...that's right, the world..the whole story is available at http://www.iht.com/articles/537873.html .
Imagine that, big majorities scored in Germany, France and China by Monsieur Kerree.
Picking up on yesterday's theme...
Michelle Malkin picking up on my comments yesterday regarding the nomenclature used in lieu of calling the murderers of Beslan "Islamic Terrorists:"
"How many times have you picked up a newspaper and read about terrorist attacks perpetrated not by Muslim terrorists, but by generic "militants" or "guerrillas" or "rebels" or, as Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes noted the Pakistan Times called them, "activists"?
Contrast the media whitewashing of our Islamofascist enemies with the press coverage of the Waco, Texas, siege in 1993 -- which constantly reminded us that David Koresh and his Branch Davidian followers were members of a "peculiar religious sect" (New York Times, March 3, 1993) and "a group of religious zealots with a known propensity for violence" (Washington Post, March 2, 1993) who were steeped in a "culture of Christian extremism" (San Francisco Chronicle, April 20, 1993).
A Nexis search of the terms "Branch Davidian" and "religious" and "cult" in The New York Times for the year 1993 yielded 151 hits. The vast majority of these references were in headlines and news articles, as opposed to editorials, letters or book reviews. A Nexis search of the terms "al Qaeda" and "religious" and "cult" in The New York Times for the year 2004 yielded just one article -- a magazine piece in March."
For the complete story: www.townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/mm20040908.shtml
"How many times have you picked up a newspaper and read about terrorist attacks perpetrated not by Muslim terrorists, but by generic "militants" or "guerrillas" or "rebels" or, as Middle East scholar Daniel Pipes noted the Pakistan Times called them, "activists"?
Contrast the media whitewashing of our Islamofascist enemies with the press coverage of the Waco, Texas, siege in 1993 -- which constantly reminded us that David Koresh and his Branch Davidian followers were members of a "peculiar religious sect" (New York Times, March 3, 1993) and "a group of religious zealots with a known propensity for violence" (Washington Post, March 2, 1993) who were steeped in a "culture of Christian extremism" (San Francisco Chronicle, April 20, 1993).
A Nexis search of the terms "Branch Davidian" and "religious" and "cult" in The New York Times for the year 1993 yielded 151 hits. The vast majority of these references were in headlines and news articles, as opposed to editorials, letters or book reviews. A Nexis search of the terms "al Qaeda" and "religious" and "cult" in The New York Times for the year 2004 yielded just one article -- a magazine piece in March."
For the complete story: www.townhall.com/columnists/michellemalkin/mm20040908.shtml
Electoral maps
Here's a link to an interactive site with the Electoral College tally: http://www.electoral-vote.com/ .
Kiplinger Letter arrived today saying it's Bush 201, Kerry 205 with 132 in the toss up category...this was before the post-Convention bounce though, so the above numbers may be more accurate. Keep tally on those yard signs!!
Kiplinger Letter arrived today saying it's Bush 201, Kerry 205 with 132 in the toss up category...this was before the post-Convention bounce though, so the above numbers may be more accurate. Keep tally on those yard signs!!
Outlawed Guns!
I referenced a quote earlier that Kerry waving the shotgun around in West Virginia was reminiscent of Saddam in his heyday...now comes word courtesy of www.drudgereport.com that the gun he's waving around would have been banned by the legislation he proposed a couple of years ago!
Ohhhh, in the "only a liberal could get away with it" department - Kerry indicated that he felt sorry he couldn't take the gun to the debates! Should the Secret Service investigate a death threat? No, not worth the effort - if he tried to use the weapon, he would only hurt himself. On the other hand, he could submit for a Purple Heart...whew, the ironies are so rich in this that we would have to open up a new mine!
Gee I wish I had said that...
Kerry's photo-op
I think someone should remind John Kerry that the last time we were treated to a photo-op of an egomaniac waving a shotgun around at a pep-rally his name was Saddam Hussein.
Beslan
Just as people all around the world extended their sympathy and support to Americans like myself after 9/11, saying that "We are all Americans now," I would like to return the favor to the people of the Russian Federation: We are all Russians, now.
Personal note: Why did none of the reports call the terrorists what they are: Muslim extremists? We now know that a number of the child-killers were Arabs not Chechen "freedom fighters." If Catholic separatists had murdered several hundred children in search of an independent state would not the Pope have condemned the act? I am quite certain the press would have condemned the right wing religious nuts for their terror. Where are the fatwas against this horror? Where are the condemnations from Al Sadr and the Iranian mullahs? Ghostly silence.
What's in a Coalition? (Chris Hitchens)
Actually, when Kerry sneered at ''the coalition of the willing'' as ''a coalition of the coerced and the bribed,'' at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, no less, he was much more direct and intelligible. Yet I somehow doubt that he would repeat those clear, unmistakable words if confronted by the prime ministers of Britain, Poland or Australia. And how such an expression is likely to help restore America's standing is beyond this reviewer.
I think someone should remind John Kerry that the last time we were treated to a photo-op of an egomaniac waving a shotgun around at a pep-rally his name was Saddam Hussein.
Beslan
Just as people all around the world extended their sympathy and support to Americans like myself after 9/11, saying that "We are all Americans now," I would like to return the favor to the people of the Russian Federation: We are all Russians, now.
Personal note: Why did none of the reports call the terrorists what they are: Muslim extremists? We now know that a number of the child-killers were Arabs not Chechen "freedom fighters." If Catholic separatists had murdered several hundred children in search of an independent state would not the Pope have condemned the act? I am quite certain the press would have condemned the right wing religious nuts for their terror. Where are the fatwas against this horror? Where are the condemnations from Al Sadr and the Iranian mullahs? Ghostly silence.
What's in a Coalition? (Chris Hitchens)
Actually, when Kerry sneered at ''the coalition of the willing'' as ''a coalition of the coerced and the bribed,'' at the Commonwealth Club in San Francisco, no less, he was much more direct and intelligible. Yet I somehow doubt that he would repeat those clear, unmistakable words if confronted by the prime ministers of Britain, Poland or Australia. And how such an expression is likely to help restore America's standing is beyond this reviewer.
If it's the economy, stupid, can we stop being stupid on the economy!!
Long title, I know, but I am sick and tired of hearing blame placed on the President for jobs lost. Hello, America, the President does not and cannot "create jobs." He can expand government which will create government jobs...but that comes at the expense of income producing jobs. Why? Because the government jobs are paid for by our taxes...if we have less money, we cannot invest in the economy to create jobs!
What the President can do, and W has done, is create an environment that is friendly to private investment. Lower taxes, a less cumbersome tax code, and a secure environment are areas the President can affect. Even if John Kerry is elected president, and despite his promises, he cannot create jobs!
Have we forgotten? Kerry's people want to blame a net job loss on the President (see above) but ignore the fact that we have withstood a cyclical, and mercifully short, recession and um...what was it that happened on September 11? That shook our sense of security to the core and it took some time for private businesses to recover.
Let's hear the methods that Mr. Kerry would "create millions of new jobs" before we sign up for that pig in a poke. Similarly, Mr. Bush should not make idle promises about job creation. (see above). In the context of simplifying the tax code, reducing burdens on small business owners, and keeping the country secure he does, however, have the upper hand.
What the President can do, and W has done, is create an environment that is friendly to private investment. Lower taxes, a less cumbersome tax code, and a secure environment are areas the President can affect. Even if John Kerry is elected president, and despite his promises, he cannot create jobs!
Have we forgotten? Kerry's people want to blame a net job loss on the President (see above) but ignore the fact that we have withstood a cyclical, and mercifully short, recession and um...what was it that happened on September 11? That shook our sense of security to the core and it took some time for private businesses to recover.
Let's hear the methods that Mr. Kerry would "create millions of new jobs" before we sign up for that pig in a poke. Similarly, Mr. Bush should not make idle promises about job creation. (see above). In the context of simplifying the tax code, reducing burdens on small business owners, and keeping the country secure he does, however, have the upper hand.
And so it begins...
Frances is marching through Georgia, Ivan is heading into the Lower Antilles, and the fury of Campaign 2004 is unleashed upon the land. In this forum I plan to share some observations from deep within the Red States. I write to you from Nashville, Tennessee. The same state that was the home of the previous Vice President and failed Presidential candidate, Al Gore...and, as the punchline goes: 11 electoral votes for George W. Bush.
Tennessee, is supposedly "not in play," but the yard sign count here in the heartland would indicate it's going to be close. On the northward drive to my office the tally was 14 for George W. Bush and 12 for John Kerry. I suspect that the more people are exposed to the good Senator, the more they will dislike him. Tennesseans have an appetite for people that are straight shooters. Now we don't mind if you couch it in some flowery metaphors, but don't change your positions constantly. Kerry can't seem to make up his mind on the most fundamental issue of the day: how we should prosecute the war in Iraq.
Then there's the beer test. Now I know that "W" gave up drinking after a pretty good run in his youth, but even given that, which of these two men would you rather sit down and have a cold beer with? Carry it one step further, which one of their wives would you want to come over and look after your kids when you head out of town? If you answered W and Laura, you are most likely a red stater...at least in values.
So sit back, relax, bookmark this site and look for more perspectives from the back porch.
Tennessee, is supposedly "not in play," but the yard sign count here in the heartland would indicate it's going to be close. On the northward drive to my office the tally was 14 for George W. Bush and 12 for John Kerry. I suspect that the more people are exposed to the good Senator, the more they will dislike him. Tennesseans have an appetite for people that are straight shooters. Now we don't mind if you couch it in some flowery metaphors, but don't change your positions constantly. Kerry can't seem to make up his mind on the most fundamental issue of the day: how we should prosecute the war in Iraq.
Then there's the beer test. Now I know that "W" gave up drinking after a pretty good run in his youth, but even given that, which of these two men would you rather sit down and have a cold beer with? Carry it one step further, which one of their wives would you want to come over and look after your kids when you head out of town? If you answered W and Laura, you are most likely a red stater...at least in values.
So sit back, relax, bookmark this site and look for more perspectives from the back porch.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)